Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh look on as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 5, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Supreme Court Rejects GOP Bid to Revive Trumps Public Charge Rule The Supreme Court on April 26 declined to take up a motion filed by Republican state attorneys general to resurrect former President Donald Trumps public charge immigration rule, which enabled new restrictions on immigrants who receive some form of government aid. The high court, in its order (pdf), left open the possibility for the attorneys general to try again at a later time, saying that the states can raise arguments before lower courts and return to the Supreme Court if needed. President Joe Bidens administration formally rescinded the Trump-era rule last month, sparking the lawsuit. The court noted that on March 15, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) relied on a lower courts now-effective judgment to remove the challenged rule from the Code of Federal Regulations without going through notice and comment rulemaking and that after DHS had voluntarily dismissed its appeal, a group of States sought leave to intervene, which was denied. The statesled by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtonthen sought relief in the courts and argued that DHS prevented enforcement of the rule and insulated the lower court decision. Specifically, the officials earlier this year tried to intervene in a case in Illinois, where a district court judge had vacated the rule U.S.-wide, coming after the Biden administration had dropped its appeal of the ruling, which essentially allowed the public charge rule to expire. The States also contend that DHS has rescinded the rule without following the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, according to the Supreme Courts unsigned order. We deny the application, without prejudice to the States raising these and other arguments before the District Court, whether in a motion for intervention or otherwise. In March, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that when the 2019 rule was rescinded, it closed the book on the public charge rule. Mayorkas said it would have placed undue burdens on American families wishing to sponsor individuals lawfully immigrating to the U.S., adding that its part of a plan to implement reforms that improve our immigration system and reduce unnecessary barriers to legal immigration. Bidens move to rescind the ruleamong other rules, including halting construction of the U.S.Mexico border wall and eliminating the remain in Mexico policyhas drawn sharp criticism from Republicans. They have argued that the orders and White House messaging on immigration has triggered a surge in illegal immigrants and created a humanitarian crisis. Biden and other top administration officials have said theyre attempting to create more humane immigration policies and that Trump left them with a broken system. The Texas Attorney Generals office didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. The case is Texas, et al. v. Cook County, Ill., et al. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2021 / Talisker Resources Ltd. ("Talisker" or the "Company") (TSX:TSK)(OTCQX:TSKFF) is pleased to announce complete and partial drill assay results from the current drill program at the Bralorne Gold Project in British Columbia (Figure 1), which was recently expanded from 50,000m to 100,000m. Results have been received from holes drilled within near-surface bulk tonnage gold mineralization at the Charlotte Zone, including holes SB-2021-002 through to SB-2021-13 (Figure 2, 3 and 4). Key Points: Continuity at the Charlotte Zone demonstrates near-surface bulk tonnage opportunity: Drilling at the Charlotte Zone continues to demonstrate the continuity of near-surface (<350m from surface) broad zones of gold mineralization with high-grade centres, as demonstrated by hole SB-2021-003A which intersected one broad, lower grade zone of 1.56 g/t gold over 14.00m and one high-grade intercept of 23.76 g/t gold over 0.50m by hole SB-2021-13. Drilling at the Charlotte Zone continues to demonstrate the continuity of near-surface (<350m from surface) broad zones of gold mineralization with high-grade centres, as demonstrated by hole SB-2021-003A which intersected one broad, lower grade zone of 1.56 g/t gold over 14.00m and one high-grade intercept of 23.76 g/t gold over 0.50m by hole SB-2021-13. Higher-grade intersections enhance bulk tonnage potential: Potentially enhancing the bulk tonnage potential of the Charlotte Zone is the intersection of near-surface (<350m from surface) higher-grade veins reminiscent of the high-grade zone below. Potentially enhancing the bulk tonnage potential of the Charlotte Zone is the intersection of near-surface (<350m from surface) higher-grade veins reminiscent of the high-grade zone below. 2021 Drill Program: Talisker currently has five drill rigs on site, with the fifth rig arriving last week. As announced on April 19, 2020, the 50,000-metre program was expanded to 100,000 metres, 23,067 metres have been completed to date. Talisker currently has five drill rigs on site, with the fifth rig arriving last week. As announced on April 19, 2020, the 50,000-metre program was expanded to 100,000 metres, 23,067 metres have been completed to date. Assay Lab Turnaround: Talisker currently has 4,997 samples awaiting assay at SGS and ALS labs. Today's results comprise assay results from the near-surface (<350m) Charlotte Zone, located within the West Bralorne Block. Results include the top half of holes SB-2021-003A through SB-2021-006; the bottom half of these holes were released on April 7th, 2021. Meanwhile, assay results from the bottom half of holes SB-20231-007 through SB-2021-013 are pending and will be released when received. Importantly, the results from these holes provide further confidence in the interpreted continuity of near-surface gold mineralized veins and structures, supporting Talisker's view of the Charlotte Zone's near-surface bulk tonnage potential. Technical staff are continuing to interpret the results in support of the current geological model and will be included in the dataset that will be used to define a resource estimate expected in 2022. Charlotte Zone A total of 44 drill holes (including wedges and holes with assay pending) have now been completed at the Charlotte Zone, and the increased drill density has provided greater confidence in Talisker's geological model for near-surface (<350m) gold mineralization. In contrast to the high-grade gold veins historical mined and situated below, gold mineralization at the Charlotte Zone occurs as a series of structures with high-grade centres; these structures are typically wider and lower grade compared to the high-grade veins below, indicating the potential for a larger-scale bulk mining method. More drilling and studies are required to both confirm and identify the most appropriate extraction method. While most of the drilling targeting near-surface gold mineralization has focused on the Charlotte Zone, as reported on March 16, 2021, near-surface gold mineralization was also intersected in one hole in the King Block and one hole in the East Bralorne Block. Drilling the gap between the Charlotte Zone and these two holes will be a primary focus of the 100,000m drill program through 2021. Highlights from the Charlotte Zone include: SB-2021-003A 1.56 g/t Au over 14.00m from 314.00m to 328.00m SB-2021-005 1.46 g/t Au over 8.25m from 65.35m to 73.60m 16.55 g/t Au over 0.50m from 407.05m to 407.65m SB-2021-008 1.13 g/t Au over 12.05m from 14.10m to 26.15m 1.53 g/t Au over 8.50m from 285.00m to 293.50m 9.65 g/t Au over 0.50m from 404.70m to 405.20m SB-2021-009 1.35 g/t Au over 7.20m from 341.90m to 349.10m including 2.38 g/t gold over 3.35m 1.04 g/t Au over 11.90m from 371.30m to 383.20m SB-2021-012 1.46 g/t gold over 5.95m from 77.70m to 83.65m 1.42 g/t Au over 6.40m from 278.30m to 284.70m including 9.10 g/t Au over 0.50m SB-2021-013 4.63 g/t Au over 3.40m from 216.00m to 219.40m including 23.76 g/t Au over 0.50m Terry Harbort, President and CEO of Talisker commented, "We are now starting to see some real consistency with the average grade and width of the near-surface gold mineralization at Charlotte. With 43 drill holes completed, the continuity of these structures between holes is much clearer, and importantly supports the geological model used to define the drill program at Bralorne. We are beginning to see several styles of gold mineralization within the <350m Charlotte Zone including the broader, lower grade structures as well as narrower, higher grade veins reminiscent of the higher-grade veins below. With this clearer picture in mind, we will continue to expand and delineate this near-surface gold mineralization towards the King and East Bralorne Blocks, while also continuing to define the high-grade gold veins immediately below. Following last week's announcement expanding our 2021 drill program from 50,000m to 100,000m, we remain on track for our maiden mineral resource estimate in 2022." Drill Hole Data SB-2021-002 - Bralorne West Block Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. Previously released: The Charlotte HW (Hanging Wall) was intersected at 51.50m and produced 0.71 g/t Au over 10.40m. The Charlotte Zone produced 0.71 g/t Au over 10.40m from 51.50m to 61.90m. Included in this release: The Knight Zone was intersected at 317.50m and produced 0.84 g/t Au over 2.60m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 385.40m on January 11, 2021. SB-2020-003A - Bralorne West Block Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. Previously released: The 55 Vein was intersected at 497.60m and produced an intercept of 2.98 g/t Au over 1.45m. The 55FW Vein was intersected at 537.30m and produced an intercept of 6.31 g/t Au over 1.20m, including 10.30 g/t Au over 0.70m from 537.80m. The 53 Vein was intersected at 693.75m and produced an intercept of 6.01 g/t Au over 2.90m, including 7.64 g/t Au over 1.40m from 694.25m. Included in this release: The Knight Zone was intersected at 167.60m and produced an intercept of 2.49 g/t Au over 5.40m. An Unknown Vein was intersected at 314.0m and produced an intercept of 1.56 g/t Au at 14.0m. An Unknown Vein was intercepted at 388.0m and produced an intercept of 0.81 g/t Au over 9.15m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 865.80m on February 4, 2021. SB-2021-004 - Bralorne West Block Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. Previously released: The Knight Zone was intersected at 380.70m and produced an intercept of 15.10 g/t Au over 1.00m. Included in this release: The Charlotte Hanging Wall was intersected at 64.50m and produced an intercept of 0.58 g/t Au over 2.30m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 683.00m on January 31, 2021. SB-2021-005 - Bralorne West Block Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. Previously released: The Knight Zone was intersected at 407.05m and produced an intercept of 6.25 g/t Au over 1.70m, including 16.55 g/t Au over 0.60m from 407.05m. Included in this release: The Charlotte Zone Hanging Wall was intersected at 65.35 m and produced an intercept of 1.46 g/t Au over 8.25 m. The Charlotte Zone Hanging Wall was intersected at 240.90 m and produced an intercept of 0.67 g/t Au over 6.15 m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 853.60 m on February 18th, 2021. SB-2021-006 Bralorne West Block Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. Previously released: The Empire Zone was intersected at 310.60 m and produced an intercept of 10.05 g/t Au over 0.65m The 59 Vein was intersected at 556.00 m and produced an intercept of 8.00 g/t Au over 1.20 m, including 15.85 g/t Au over 0.60 m from 556.60 m Included in this release: The Charlotte HW was intersected at 18.85m and produced an intercept of 1.34 g/t Au over 3.15m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 628.60m on February 14, 2021. SB-2021-007 - Bralorne West Block Partial preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. The Charlotte Zone was intersected at 63.50m and produced an intercept of 0.72 g/t Au over 3.65m. The Charlotte Zone was intersected at 100.45m and produced an intercept of 0.92 g/t Au over 1.60m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 745.0 m on February 17, 2021. SB-2021-008 - Bralorne West Block Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. The Charlotte Zone was intersected at 14.10m and produced an intercept of 1.13 g/t Au over 12.05m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 124.10m and produced an intercept of 0.69 g/t Au over 2.00m. The Knight Zone was intersected at 285.00m and produced an intercept of 1.53 g/t Au over 8.50m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 403.50 m and produced an intercept of 2.16 g/t Au over 4.60 m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 778.60m on February 24, 2021. SB-2021-009 - Bralorne West Block Partial preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 107.90m and produced an intercept of 1.10 g/t Au over 6.60m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 152.70m and produced an intercept of 0.54 g/t Au over 3.80m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 180.05m and produced an intercept of 0.38 g/t Au over 2.70m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 235.10m and produced an intercept of 0.60 g/t Au over 2.50m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 341.90m and produced an intercept of 1.35 g/t Au over 7.20m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 371.30m and produced an intercept of 1.04 g/t Au over 11.90m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 869.40m on February 28, 2021. SB-2021-011 - Bralorne West Block Partial preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 24.95m and produced an intercept of 3.90 g/t Au over 1.55m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 206.05m and produced an intercept of 1.38 g/t Au over 2.85m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 237.80m and produced an intercept of 1.37 g/t Au over 1.70m. An Unknown Zone was intersected at 288.65m and produced an intercept of 1.34 g/t Au over 3.35m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 913.50m on March 8, 2021. SB-2021-012 - Bralorne West Block Partial preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. The Charlotte HW was intersected at 77.70m and produced an intercept of 1.46 g/t Au over 5.95m. The 101 Vein was intersected at 278.30m and produced an intercept of 1.42 g/t Au over 6.40m. The 55 HW Vein was intersected at 350.15m and produced an intercept of 2.80 g/t Au over 2.00m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 623.20m on March 7, 2021. SB-2021-013 - Bralorne West Block Partial preliminary assay results have been received for this hole. The Charlotte Zone was intersected at 216.00m and produced an intercept of 4.63 g/t Au over 3.40m. The Knight Zone was intersected at 330.05m and produced an intercept of 1.90 g/t Au over 8.95m. This hole drilled to a final depth of 503.40m on March 6, 2021. Bralorne Gold Project Drill Holes SB-2021-002, 003A, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, 011, 012, 013 Diamond Drill Hole Name From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Zone Method Reported SB-2021-002 317.5 318 0.5 0.884 Knight Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-002 318 318.5 0.5 2.37 Au-AA24 SB-2021-002 319.3 320.1 0.8 0.499 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 167.60 168.20 0.60 7.52 Knight Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 169.85 170.60 0.75 0.68 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 170.60 171.10 0.50 13.60 Au-GRA22 SB-2021-003A 171.10 171.60 0.50 1.52 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 171.60 172.20 0.60 0.29 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 172.20 173.00 0.80 0.74 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 314.00 314.50 0.50 1.48 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 314.50 316.00 1.50 0.37 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 316.00 316.50 0.50 0.93 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 316.50 317.00 0.50 1.07 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 317.00 317.50 0.50 1.15 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 317.50 318.00 0.50 2.98 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 318.00 318.50 0.50 11.35 Au-GRA22 SB-2021-003A 318.50 319.00 0.50 0.72 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 319.00 319.50 0.50 1.75 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 319.50 320.00 0.50 1.96 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 320.00 320.50 0.50 3.51 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 320.50 321.00 0.50 0.64 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 321.00 321.50 0.50 0.61 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 321.50 322.60 1.10 1.62 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 322.60 324.00 1.40 1.71 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 324.00 325.50 1.50 0.89 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 325.50 326.00 0.50 0.64 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 326.00 326.60 0.60 1.65 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 326.60 328.00 1.40 0.28 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 388.00 389.00 1.00 0.59 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 389.00 389.50 0.50 1.94 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 389.50 391.00 1.50 0.52 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 391.00 392.10 1.10 0.74 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 392.10 392.60 0.50 0.49 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 392.60 393.10 0.50 0.49 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 393.10 393.60 0.50 0.87 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 393.60 394.15 0.55 0.64 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 394.15 394.65 0.50 0.55 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 394.65 395.15 0.50 1.22 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 395.15 396.15 1.00 1.09 Au-AA24 SB-2021-003A 396.15 397.15 1.00 1.03 Au-AA24 SB-2021-004 64.50 65.05 0.55 0.41 Charlotte Hanging Wall Au-AA24 SB-2021-004 65.05 65.70 0.65 1.17 Au-AA24 SB-2021-004 65.70 66.20 0.50 0.54 Au-AA24 SB-2021-004 66.20 66.80 0.60 0.13 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 65.35 66.10 0.75 5.56 Charlotte Hanging Wall Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 66.10 66.90 0.80 0.91 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 66.90 67.70 0.80 5.22 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 67.70 68.70 1.00 0.38 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 68.70 69.95 1.25 0.03 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 69.95 71.45 1.50 0.01 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 71.45 72.95 1.50 1.32 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 72.95 73.60 0.65 0.83 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 240.90 241.60 0.70 0.51 Charlotte Hanging Wall Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 243.10 243.85 0.75 0.38 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 243.85 244.60 0.75 3.33 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 244.60 245.25 0.65 0.76 Au-AA24 SB-2021-005 246.15 247.05 0.90 0.24 Au-AA24 SB-2021-006 18.85 19.45 0.60 4.63 Charlotte Hanging Wall Au-AA24 SB-2021-006 19.45 19.95 0.50 0.98 Au-AA24 SB-2021-006 19.95 20.45 0.50 1.52 Au-AA24 SB-2021-007 63.50 64.35 0.85 2.57 Charlotte Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-007 66.65 67.15 0.50 0.62 Au-AA24 SB-2021-007 100.45 100.95 0.50 1.78 Charlotte Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-007 100.95 101.50 0.55 0.88 Au-AA24 SB-2021-007 101.50 102.05 0.55 0.19 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 14.10 15.10 1.00 0.63 Charlotte Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 15.10 16.00 0.90 1.49 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 16.00 16.80 0.80 0.37 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 16.80 17.40 0.60 0.97 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 17.40 18.00 0.60 4.37 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 18.00 19.00 1.00 2.52 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 19.00 20.00 1.00 0.57 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 20.00 21.00 1.00 0.38 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 21.00 22.10 1.10 1.65 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 22.10 23.15 1.05 1.42 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-008 23.15 24.20 1.05 0.35 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 24.20 24.90 0.70 0.20 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 24.90 25.60 0.70 0.23 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 25.60 26.15 0.55 1.20 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 124.10 124.85 0.75 0.22 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 124.85 125.35 0.50 0.95 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 125.35 126.10 0.75 0.98 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 285.00 285.50 0.50 1.78 Knight Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 285.50 286.15 0.65 2.06 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 286.15 287.00 0.85 2.66 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 287.00 287.50 0.50 0.59 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 287.50 288.00 0.50 1.49 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 288.00 288.50 0.50 1.74 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 288.50 289.35 0.85 2.40 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 289.35 290.00 0.65 1.18 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 290.00 290.55 0.55 2.27 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 290.55 291.05 0.50 1.44 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 291.05 292.00 0.95 1.55 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 292.00 293.50 1.50 0.23 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 403.50 404.00 0.50 0.15 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 404.00 404.70 0.70 6.06 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 404.70 405.20 0.50 9.65 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 405.20 405.70 0.50 0.92 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 405.70 406.60 0.90 0.06 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 406.60 407.50 0.90 0.14 Au-AA24 SB-2021-008 407.50 408.10 0.60 0.24 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 108.45 109.00 0.55 0.90 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 109.00 109.55 0.55 2.44 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 109.55 110.05 0.50 3.87 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 110.05 110.55 0.50 2.27 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 112.80 113.40 0.60 1.20 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 113.40 113.95 0.55 2.33 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-009 113.95 114.50 0.55 0.48 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 152.70 153.45 0.75 0.31 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 153.45 154.00 0.55 0.44 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 155.50 156.00 0.50 0.67 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 156.00 156.50 0.50 2.24 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 180.05 181.00 0.95 0.16 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 181.00 181.75 0.75 0.48 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 181.75 182.25 0.50 0.59 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 182.25 182.75 0.50 0.43 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 235.10 235.65 0.55 0.79 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 235.65 236.40 0.75 0.94 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 236.40 237.10 0.70 0.35 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 237.10 237.60 0.50 0.24 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 341.90 342.45 0.55 1.41 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 342.45 343.00 0.55 0.16 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 343.00 344.00 1.00 0.56 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 344.00 344.60 0.60 0.34 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 344.60 345.15 0.55 0.12 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 345.15 345.75 0.60 0.13 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 345.75 346.30 0.55 3.85 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 346.30 346.90 0.60 1.09 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 346.90 347.85 0.95 0.39 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 347.85 348.55 0.70 1.36 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 348.55 349.10 0.55 7.08 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 371.30 371.80 0.50 1.59 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 371.80 372.35 0.55 0.50 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 372.35 372.90 0.55 1.50 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 372.90 373.55 0.65 1.22 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 373.55 374.55 1.00 0.08 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 374.55 375.55 1.00 0.09 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 375.55 376.10 0.55 1.30 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 376.10 376.65 0.55 1.35 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 376.65 377.40 0.75 1.35 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 377.40 378.00 0.60 0.08 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 378.00 378.55 0.55 0.34 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 378.55 379.50 0.95 3.13 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 379.50 380.20 0.70 1.04 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 380.20 380.90 0.70 1.76 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 380.90 381.60 0.70 0.93 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 381.60 382.35 0.75 0.25 Au-AA24 SB-2021-009 382.35 383.20 0.85 1.21 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 24.95 25.50 0.55 2.13 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 25.50 26.00 0.50 5.80 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 26.00 26.50 0.50 3.95 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 206.05 206.80 0.75 0.32 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 206.80 207.30 0.50 0.38 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 207.30 207.80 0.50 1.52 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 207.80 208.30 0.50 3.93 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 208.30 208.90 0.60 1.31 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 237.80 238.30 0.50 0.42 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 238.30 238.80 0.50 2.14 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 238.80 239.50 0.70 1.50 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 288.65 289.15 0.50 0.75 Unknown Zone Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 289.15 289.65 0.50 2.16 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 289.65 290.65 1.00 2.63 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 290.65 291.15 0.50 0.54 Au-AA24 SB-2021-011 291.15 292.00 0.85 0.14 Au-AA24 SB-2021-012 77.70 78.20 0.50 2.06 Charlotte Hanging Wall GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 78.20 78.70 0.50 0.54 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 78.70 79.40 0.70 3.13 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 79.40 80.20 0.80 1.72 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 80.20 81.20 1.00 0.54 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 81.20 81.70 0.50 1.86 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 81.70 82.50 0.80 1.33 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 82.50 83.00 0.50 1.12 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 83.00 83.65 0.65 1.13 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 278.30 278.80 0.50 0.56 101 Vein GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 278.80 279.30 0.50 9.10 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 279.30 279.90 0.60 0.35 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 279.90 280.40 0.50 3.05 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 280.40 281.15 0.75 0.54 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 281.15 281.65 0.50 2.62 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 281.65 282.15 0.50 0.13 101 Vein GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 282.15 282.70 0.55 0.47 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 282.70 283.20 0.50 0.26 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 283.20 283.70 0.50 0.16 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 283.70 284.20 0.50 0.01 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 284.20 284.70 0.50 0.52 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 350.15 350.65 0.50 1.07 55 Hanging Wall Vein GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 350.65 351.15 0.50 4.30 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-012 351.15 351.65 0.50 5.66 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 216.00 216.60 0.60 0.78 Charlotte Zone GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 216.60 217.10 0.50 23.76 GO_FAS50M_P SB-2021-013 217.10 217.65 0.55 0.93 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 217.65 218.40 0.75 3.23 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 218.40 219.40 1.00 0.46 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 330.05 330.60 0.55 0.29 Knight Zone GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 330.60 331.35 0.75 0.28 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 331.35 331.90 0.55 1.99 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 331.90 332.40 0.50 0.55 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 332.40 332.90 0.50 1.28 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 332.90 333.40 0.50 0.82 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 333.40 333.90 0.50 1.72 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 333.90 334.50 0.60 1.70 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 334.50 335.00 0.50 0.70 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 335.00 335.80 0.80 4.02 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 335.80 336.45 0.65 8.88 GO_FAS50M_P SB-2021-013 337.85 338.40 0.55 4.74 GO_FAA50V10 SB-2021-013 338.40 339.00 0.60 0.41 GO_FAA50V10 Notes: Diamond drill hole SB-2021-002 has collar orientation of Azimuth 116; Dip -45. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-003A has collar orientation of Azimuth 194; Dip -59. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-004 has collar orientation of Azimuth 127; Dip -62. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-005 has collar orientation of Azimuth 135; Dip -48. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-006 has collar orientation of Azimuth 120; Dip -45. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-007 has a collar orientation of Azimuth 155; Dip -50. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-008 has a collar orientation of Azimuth 137, Dip -46. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-009 has a collar orientation of Azimuth 157; Dip -55. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-010 has a collar orientation of Azimuth 181; Dip -56. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-011 has a collar orientation of Azimuth 180; Dip -54. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-012 has a collar orientation of Azimuth 195; Dip -60. Diamond drill hole SB-2021-013 has a collar orientation of Azimuth 151, Dip -51. True widths are estimated 40 - 90% of intercept lengths and are based on oriented core measurements where available. Method reported includes the most up to date information as of this press release. About Talisker Resources Ltd. Talisker (taliskerresources.com ) is a junior resource company involved in the exploration of gold projects in British Columbia, Canada. Talisker's projects include the Bralorne Gold Complex, an advanced stage project with significant exploration potential from a historical high-grade producing gold mine as well as its Spences Bridge Project where the Company holds ~85% of the emerging Spences Bridge Gold Belt and several other early-stage Greenfields projects. With its properties comprising 282,403 hectares over 258 claims, three leases and 198 crown grant claims, Talisker is a dominant exploration player in the south-central British Columbia. The Company is well funded to advance its aggressive systematic exploration program at its projects. For further information, please contact: Terry Harbort President & CEO Terry.harbort@talliskerresources.com +1 416 361 2808 Mick Carew VP, Strategic and Corporate Development mick.carew@taliskerresources.com +1 604 803 7711 Qualified Person The technical information contained in this news release relating to the drill results at the Bralorne Gold Project has been approved by Leonardo de Souza (BSc, AusIMM (CP) Membership 224827), Talisker's Vice President, Exploration and Resource Development, who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Sample Preparation and QAQC Drill core at the Bralorne project is drilled in HQ to NQ size ranges (63.5mm and 47.6mm respectively). Drill core samples are minimum 50 cm and maximum 160 cm long along the core axis. Samples are focused on an interval of interest such as a vein or zone of mineralisation. Shoulder samples bracket the interval of interest such that a total sampled core length of not less than 3m both above and below the interval of interest must be assigned. Sample QAQC measures of unmarked certified reference materials (CRMs), blanks, and duplicates are inserted into the sample sequence and make up 9% of the samples submitted to the lab for holes reported in this release. Sample preparation and analyses is carried out by ALS Global, at their laboratory in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Drill core sample preparation includes drying in an oven at a maximum temperature of 60C, fine crushing of the sample to at least 70% passing less than 2 mm, sample splitting using a riffle splitter, and pulverizing a 250 g split to at least 85% passing 75 microns (code PREP-31). Gold and in diamond drill core is analysed by fire assay and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) of a 50g sample (code Au-AA24), while multi-element chemistry is analysed by 4-Acid digestion of a 0.25 g sample split with detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for 48 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hf, In, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Re, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr). Gold assay technique Au-AA24 has an upper detection limit of 10ppm. Any sample that produces an over-limit gold value via the Au-AA24 technique is sent for gravimetric finish via method Au-GRA22 which has an upper detection limit of 1,000 ppm Au. Samples where visible gold was observed are sent directly to screen metallics analysis and all samples that fire assay above 3 ppm Au are re-analysed with method Au-SCR24 which employs a 1kg pulp screened to 100 microns with assay of the entire oversize fraction and duplicate 50g assays on the undersize fraction. Where possible all samples initially sent to screen metallics processing will also be re-run through the fire assay with gravimetric finish provided there is enough material left for further processing. Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Talisker's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the operations of the Company and the timing which could be affected by the current global COVID-19 pandemic. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to Talisker. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of Talisker's management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate. While Talisker considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to variations in grade or recovery rates, risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals, risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, and regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and Talisker is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Figure 1: Map showing 7 zones that comprise the Bralorne Project, the Charlotte Zone, drill holes included in this press release, major gold-bearing quartz veins (white) and associated bounding structures and surface infrastructure. Figure 2: Long-section through the Bralorne deposit (refer to figure 1 for reference) showing the relative target depths for both the near-surface bulk tonnage gold mineralization at the Charlotte Zone and the high-grade veins below, and drilling completed by Talisker with drill intercepts (in red) and highlight intersections. Figure 3: Close-up view of near-surface bulk tonnage gold mineralization at the Charlotte Zone (looking east) showing drilling completed by Talisker with drill intercepts (in red) and highlight intersections. Figure 4: Maps showing highlight drill intersections from Bralorne West (see Figure 1 for reference) SOURCE: Talisker Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/642126/Talisker-Intersects-156-gt-Gold-over-14-m-and-2376-gt-Gold-Over-050-m-of-Near-Surface-Gold-Mineralisation-at-the-Charlotte-Zone-Bralorne-Gold-Project The 2021 Academy Award for Best picture has been won by Nomadland, Chloe Zhaos fictional drama following the experiences of a widow who travels around the United States in a van after losing her livelihood in the Great Reccession. Earlier on Sunday evening Zhao had won the Oscar for Best Director, becoming just the second woman and the first Chinese woman to win the Academy Award for directing. Nomadland has also been awarded the top prize by the Producers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America, the Golden Globes and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Film critic Peter Bradshaw described it as a gentle, compassionate, questioning film about the American soul, praising Frances McDormands quiet, self-effacing performance as one of the best of her career. Who was nominated for the 2021 Oscars Best Picture? "Nomadland" - An old woman embarks on a journey through the American West after losing it all in the Great Recession. "The Trial of the Chicago 7" - The astonishing true story of seven people put on trial for their role in the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. "Mank" An imaging of 1930s Hollywood from the perspective of alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he attempts to finish the screenplay of his iconic Citizen Kane. "Promising Young Woman" After suffering a tragic event, a vengeful young woman seeks out revenge against those who cross her path. "Minari" - A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s. "The Father" - A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality. "Sound of Metal" - A drummer begins to lose his sense of hearing and he attempts to reconcile the twist of fate that has thrown his life into turmoil. "Judas and the Black Messiah" Searing historical drama on the life of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, who was betrayed by FBI informant William O'Neal. Who won the Best Picture award in 2020? The stand-out film from last years award night was Parasite which picked up four Oscars in total and made history in the process. The South Korean thriller was named Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, becoming the first non-English language film to win that accolade. Bong Joon-ho also won the awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay to complete a legendary Oscars hat-trick. After receiving the awards, Bong told reporters: "I feel like I'll wake up to find it's all a dream. It all feels very surreal. Advertisement An Indian mother has been pictured transporting her son's corpse on a rickshaw after he died, as India's spiralling coronavirus crisis leaves many regions without ambulances, hospital beds and oxygen. Meanwhile, desperate relatives have turned to the black market for medical supplies for those forced to seek treatment in their homes, as India recorded 2,812 Covid deaths overnight and infections in the last 24 hours rose to 352,991 on Monday - a record peak and a new global high for a fifth day running. The price of an oxygen cylinder would typically cost around around $80 (6,000 rupees), but price gougers are cashing in on the huge demand and in some cases charging as much as $1,300 (50,000 rupees) per cylinder. In the most critical cases, those unable to get access to oxygen are suffocating to death, while some people have resorted to committing suicide by hurling themselves from roofs amid the hospital shortages. To tackle the crisis, the Indian government announced on Monday that it was sending in the army to help tackle the second deadly wave currently collapsing India's tattered healthcare system. Meanwhile, a train dubbed 'The Oxygen Express' carrying 64.55 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) in oxygen tankers left for Delhi from Raigarh on Monday, the Indian Railways said according to The Times of India. When it arrives, the supply of oxygen will offer some welcome relief in Delhi, which saw 1,777 people die between April 19 and April 24 alone - a rate of over 12 deaths an hour, or one death every five minutes. Dr. Gautam Singh, who works in one of New Delhi's emergency wards, resorted to posting on social media to beg for more oxygen when his hospital ran out on Sunday. 'Please send oxygen to us,' the 43-year-old said in an impassioned video plea posted to Twitter. 'My patients are dying.' He received 20 oxygen cylinders on Monday, only enough to limp the hospital through the day until the ventilators start sending out their warning beeps again. 'I feel helpless because my patients are surviving hour to hour,' Singh said in a telephone interview. 'I will beg again and hope someone sends oxygen that will keep my patients alive for just another day.' Other vital medical supplies have also seen their prices inflated, according to the BBC. Oxygen concentrators - a device that concentrates oxygen from a gas supply - once cost between $330 - $930, but have risen as high as $2,600 in some cases. The cost of drug treatments, such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab, have also skyrocketed. In addition to oxygen supplies running out, intensive care units are operating at full capacity and nearly all ventilators are in use. As the death toll mounts, the night skies in some Indian cities glow from the funeral pyres, as crematoria are overwhelmed and bodies are burned outside in the open air. India was initially seen as a success story in weathering the pandemic, but the virus is now racing through its massive population of nearly 1.4 billion, and systems are beginning to collapse. Experts believe India's true death toll is likely much higher, saying fatalities are being under-reported in the official figure. They also say the second wave will peak in May at up to 500,000 cases a day, meaning around 5,000 people could die every day at the current case fatality ratio of 1.14 percent. And as the country creaks under the chaos of an out-of-control coronavirus pandemic, horrific stories are beginning to emerge. Among them, a mother was seen last week transporting her son's dead body on a rickshaw because she couldn't find an ambulance, as reported by Devvesh Pandey, a reporter in Bharat Samachar for BSTV Live. News of the devastating situation in India comes as: Experts say that as India registered record daily-deaths, the true toll is likely even higher than official count Families in India have criticised authorities over treatment of their loved ones, either in hospital or deceased Viral video from the country has shown body being dragged down the road by health workers to be cremated Another showed a body calling out of an old ambulance as it was being transported to a crematorium Elsewhere, police brought charges against a man who left his covid-stricken mother to die on the roadside India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing mountain criticism as cases continue to spiral out of control While some have blamed the second wave on the spread of a new 'double mutant' variant, experts have pointed to the premature relaxation of measures, large religious gatherings and crowded election rallies On Saturday, Twitter complied with the government's request and prevented people in India from viewing more than 50 tweets that appeared to criticise the administration's handling of the pandemic Lawmakers and human rights activists came out against the action, saying authorities were stifling dissent The southern Indian state of Karnataka, home to technology and outsourcing hub Bengaluru, also announced that it will impose a lockdown for 14 days starting from the evening of April 27 to contain virus outbreak Neighbouring Bangladesh sealed its border with India for 14 days, its foreign ministry said on Monday Several cities have ordered curfews, while police have been deployed to enforce social distancing and masks An Indian mother has been pictured transporting her son's corpse on a rickshaw after he died of Covid, as India's spiralling coronavirus crisis has left many regions without ambulances, hospital beds and oxygen, turning desperate relatives to the black market for medical supplies for those forced to seek treatment in their homes Oxygen tankers are seen on a special train 'Oxygen Express' upon their arrival at a goods yard amid Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in Navi Mumbai on April 26, 2021 In this aerial picture taken on April 26, 2021, burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the Covid-19 coronavirus are seen at a cremation ground in New Delhi. India's new coronavirus deaths reached a record peak on Monday as the country's morgues ran out of stretchers, patients were seen wandering the streets in search of hospital beds, and trees from city parks were set be used to burn bodies Scenes from hell: Three healthcare workers in the eastern state of Bihar drag a body along the ground on its way to cremation, as the country faces a shortage of stretchers to carry the bodies of coronavirus victims. India recorded 2,812 Covid deaths overnight and infections in the last 24 hours rose to 352,991 on Monday - a record peak for a fifth day running In another video shared widely online, the body of a coronavirus victim was seen falling from an old ambulance drafted in to help with the crisis on Friday when it was being carried to a crematorium in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. The body fell out the side-door of the ambulance as it turned a corner sharply. It wasn't clear how many bodies the vehicle was carrying Pictured: The body of a woman abandoned by her son in Kanpur. Police have said the man allegedly dumped his mother's body on the roadside after she tested positive for coronavirus Twitter removes 50 tweets critical of India's pandemic response Twitter has been criticised for the removal of dozens of tweets seen to be critical of the Indian government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is putting people's health at risk and quashing dissent. Lawmakers and human rights activists blasted the social media company on Monday after it withheld some tweets after a legal request by the Indian government, These included tweets from a lawmaker, a minister in the state of West Bengal, and a filmmaker. 'Suppression of information and criticism of government is not only dangerous for India but it is putting people around the world at risk,' said Mirza Saaib Beg, a lawyer whose tweets were among those withheld. 'Freedom of inquiry is an intrinsic part of freedom of speech and expression. These restrictions are further reflective of the weakening of all institutional spaces in India,' said Beg, who is studying at Britain's University of Oxford. India's ministry for information technology did not respond to a request for comment. The country's new coronavirus infections hit a record peak for a fifth day on Monday, rising to about 353,000 cases. There is mounting criticism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and state authorities let their guard down earlier this year, allowing big religious and political gatherings to take place when cases fell to below 10,000 a day. 'Questioning the government of India's decision to allow mass gatherings ... where people from all across the country gathered and violated COVID safety protocols ... cannot be called to be violating any laws of the country,' said Pawan Khera, a spokesman for the opposition Congress party, whose tweets were also withheld. The law cited in the government's Twitter request is the Information Technology Act, 2000, which allows authorities to order blocking of public access to information to protect 'sovereignty and integrity of India' and maintain public order. Requests from the government are reviewed under Twitter's rules and the local law, a spokeswoman for Twitter told Reuters. There is a 'lack of transparency' in the government's order, said the Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights group in Delhi. 'What is clear is there are more directions being issued across social media platforms in India,' it said in a statement. Twitter has about 17.5 million users in India. Advertisement The son, who died in Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh after not getting the proper medical treatment, was initially forced to from hospital to hospital trying to find a treatment bed. The situation got so dire, that after he died, his mother was forced to transport her son's corpse on a rickshaw when no ambulance was available to them. In another harrowing story in West Bengal, a man is alleged to have jumped from the roof of a hospital and died on Saturday after testing positive for Covid-19 on April 22. Upon checking CCTV footage, hospital staff are reported to have seen him break a window in his treatment room to get out onto the roof. Elsewhere in Patna, Bihar - a city in the north-east of the country along the Ganges River - a railway employee was reported to have beheaded his wife after she tested positive for coronavirus. The accused then reportedly jumped off the terrace of his apartment to his death after committing the murder. In a third case in Kerala in the south of the country, a bus driver was reported to have thrashed a migrant worker for not wearing a mask. A video of the incident has been circulated on social media, showing an elderly man being hit and later lying on the floor covered in blood. A video shared widely online showed the body of a coronavirus victim falling from an old ambulance drafted in to help with the crisis on Friday when it was being carried to a crematorium in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. According to The Times of India, the family saw the video and said they were shocked to see the body of their loved one falling out of the side door of the ambulance as it turned a corner sharply after leaving the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Medical College. It is not known how many bodies had been loaded into the old ambulance when the incident took place. As the body was left on the road, the ambulance pulled over, and families of other coronavirus patients waiting outside the medical centre immediately started protesting about the treatment of their loved ones. In some cases, families have spoken of not being told when their relatives have died, and others alleged that hospital administrators are not allowing them to see patients. 'My relative has died, but the hospital is not providing any details. We don't even known whether he died this evening or yesterday itself. No one is telling us anything. We have been waiting for 4-5 hours outside the hospital,' Prakash Lodhi said to India Today. Officials have said they cannot possibly allow everyone to visit their loved ones in the overcrowded hospitals, and have said the reason for the delay in notifying loved ones of the death of their family member's is down to procedure being followed when handing a body over. Elsewhere, television channel NDTV broadcast images of three health workers in the eastern state of Bihar pulling a body along the ground on its way to cremation, as stretchers ran short. The three healthcare workers are shown struggling with the body wrapped up in a bed sheet, as they pulled it out the back of a van and then along a dirt road towards where it would be cremated. At least 52 people on ONE flight from Delhi to Hong Kong test positive for Covid-19 At least 52 people from a single flight have tested positive for Covid-19, despite all passengers presenting a negative coronavirus test before boarding. All of the passengers who tested positive flew into Hong Kong on a flight from Delhi, run by Indian airline Vistara on April 4. Hong Kong as a whole has been recording fewer daily new infections that the total number detected on the flight, since it brought a fourth wave of infections under control in January. A total of 188 passengers could have been on-board the flight, but Hong Kong authorities did not disclose how many people were on-board the plane. The positive results have surfaced during the mandatory three-week quarantine period enforced by Hong Kong. It is one of the strictest entry measures in the world. All passengers flying into the territory must present a negative test within 72 hours before departing. Several cases have also been detected on flights arriving into Hong Kong from Mumbai, according to authorities. The territory has since banned all flights from India, Pakistan and Philippines from April 20 to May 3. Advertisement In another incident, police have brought charges against a man who allegedly abandoned his mother by the roadside in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh after she tested positive for Covid-19. Authorities were alerted to the incident when a video went viral on social media, showing the woman lying by the roadside. Local residents took her to a local hospital, where she died while being treated. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to get vaccinated and said India had been hit by a Covid 'storm', weeks after boasting that the country had defeated Covid, while hospitals and doctors have put out urgent notices saying they are unable to cope with the rush of patients. Nearly all intensive care unit (ICU) beds used to treat Covid patients in three of India's most populated regions - Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad - are full, meaning they are being forced to run away patients, leaving families to ferry people sick with coronavirus from hospital to hospital in search for treatment and patients dying on pavements outside. 'Currently the hospital is in beg-and-borrow mode and it is an extreme crisis situation,' said a spokesman for the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the capital, New Delhi. India, with a population of over 1.3 billion, has a tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, after 2,812 deaths overnight, health ministry data showed, although health experts say the death count is probably far higher. In Delhi alone, 1,777 people died between April 19 and April 24 - a rate of over 12 deaths an hour, or one death every five minutes. The week prior (April 12 to 17) saw 677 deaths - about five deaths per hour - but experts have said the rising figures are not expected to stop, predicting that the second wave will peak in May at up to 500,000 cases a day, meaning around 5,000 people could die every day at the current case fatality ratio of 1.14 percent. As bad as the situation is, experts warn it is likely to get worse. Krishna Udayakumar, founding director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University, said it would be impossible for the country to keep up with needs over the coming days as things stand. 'The situation in India is tragic and likely to get worse for some weeks to months,' he said, adding that a 'concerted, global effort to help India at this time of crisis' is desperately needed. The scale of the second wave knocked oil prices on Monday, as traders worried about a fall in fuel demand in the world's third-biggest oil importer. Also on Sunday, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to support India in its battle against the devastating Covid surge, and a shipment of 495 oxygen concentrators as well as ventilators were sent from Britain to help the crisis. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said the United States would send raw materials for vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to India, although did not suggest sending surplus vaccine doses. The White House said the U.S. is 'working around the clock' to deploy testing kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment, and it would seek to provide oxygen supplies as well. It said it would also make available sources of raw material urgently needed to manufacture Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. 'Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,' President Joe Biden said in a tweet. Help and support were also offered from archrival Pakistan, which said it could provide relief including ventilators, oxygen supply kits, digital X-ray machines, protective equipment and related items. Germany's Health Ministry said it was 'urgently working to put together an aid package' for India consisting of ventilators, monoclonal antibodies, the drug Remdesivir, as well as surgical and N95 protective masks. The EU has pledged to meet on May 8 to discuss sending aid to India. India, with a population of 1.3 billion, has a tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, after 2,812 deaths overnight, health ministry data showed, although health experts say the death count is probably far higher. Pictured: A graph showing new Covid-19 deaths per-day Coronavirus infections in India over the last 24 hours rose to 352,991 on Monday - a record peak for a fifth day running The percentage change in daily Covid infections by Indian state today compared to at their peak, most of which were recorded last year Pictured: A patient breathes with the help of oxygen provided by a Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, inside an auto rickshaw parked under a tent along the roadside amid Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in Ghaziabad on April 26, 2021 Relatives and municipal workers prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19 in Gauhati, India, Sunday, April 25, 2021. vital life-saving oxygen is in short supply and countries including Britain, Germany and the United States pledged to send urgent medical aid to help battle crisis collapsing India's tattered healthcare system Pictured: Municipal workers prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19 in Gauhati, India, Sunday, April 25, 2021. Overcrowded hospitals in Delhi and elsewhere are being forced to turn away patients after running out of supplies of oxygen and beds Pictured: A patient breathes with the help of oxygen provided by a Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, under a tent installed along the roadside amid Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in Ghaziabad on April 26, 2021 Pictured: A man lies down outside while breathing with the help of oxygen. Supplies of life-saving medical oxygen are running low in many places in the country, with demand high in hospitals due to the coronavirus crisis Health officials are scrambling to expand critical care units and stock up on dwindling supplies of oxygen. Hospitals and patients alike are struggling to procure scarce medical equipment that is being sold at an exponential markup Worried cricketers pull out of the Indian Premier League as media outlets BOYCOT the 'tone-deaf' tournament for continuing play Frightened professional cricketers are giving up their lucrative IPL contracts and withdrawing from this year's competition over fears of the growing Covid emergency in India. Australians Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson are the latest to announce they are leaving the country and heading back to their homeland as deaths and cases continue to spike. They follow Rajasthan Royals bowler Andrew Tye in forfeiting their deals, while India international Ravichandran Ashwin has also withdrawn to support his family. England one-day international player Liam Livingstone left the IPL last week, while Test star Jofra Archer decided against taking up his place in the competition before it began. England all-rounder Ben Stokes had previously had his participation ended by a broken finger. Livingstone cited his 'bubble fatigue' from the past year as a reason behind his decision to quit the Rajasthan Royals' camp. Advertisement India's second wave has been devastating, and has been put down to a number of factors. Many have blamed a new 'double mutant' variant, thought to be more infectious than the first, but others have pointed to the premature reopening of public places, large religious gatherings and crowded election rallies. On June 18 last year, India recorded 11,000 cases. In the 60 days that followed, an average of 35,000 cases were seen per-day. On February 10 this year, at the start of the second wave, India confirmed 11,000 cases again. In the next 50 days, the daily average of new infections stayed at around 20,000 cases per-day. But in the following 10 days after that, cases rose sharply - reaching 89,800 per-day - an exponential increase. Experts say that the rapid increase shows that the second wave is spreading around the country mast faster than the first wave did. Speaking to the broadcaster, Dr A Fathahudeen - who is part of Kerala state's Covid taskforce - said there were already signs in February, but that the country 'did not get out act together'. 'I said in February that Covid had not gone anywhere and a tsunami would hit us if urgent actions were not taken. Sadly, a tsunami has indeed hit us now,' he added. 'A false sense of normalcy crept in and everybody, including people and officials, did not take measures to stop the second wave.' Politicians, especially Modi, have faced criticism for holding rallies attended by thousands of people, packed close together in stadiums and grounds, despite the brutal second wave of infections. Several cities in India have ordered curfews, while police have been deployed to enforce social distancing and mask-wearing. Still, about 8.6 million voters were expected to cast ballots on Monday in the eastern state of West Bengal, in the penultimate part of an eight-phase election that will wrap up this week. In this aerial picture taken on April 26, 2021, burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the Covid-19 coronavirus are seen at a cremation ground in New Delhi A relative of a person who died of COVID-19 mourns at a crematorium in Jammu, India, Sunday, April 25, 2021 A man runs past the burning funeral pyres of those who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during a mass cremation, at a crematorium in New Delhi, India April 26, 2021 People stand in a queue to receive free food being distributed by a Hindu voluntary organisation amid Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in Hyderabad on April 26, 2021 A view of the mass cremation of those who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a crematorium in New Delhi, India April 26, 2021 Voting for local elections in other parts of India included the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which has been reporting an average of 30,000 infections a day. Stung by criticism of its lack of preparation ahead of the wave of infections, the federal government has asked industrialists to increase the production of oxygen and life-saving drugs in short supply. But many say it is too late - the breakdown a stark failure for a country that boasted of being a model for other developing nations. Only three months ago, the country's leaders were boisterous, delivering messages that the worse was over. In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory over the coronavirus, telling the virtual gathering of the World Economic Forum that India's success couldn't be compared with anywhere else. A little less than a month later, his Bharatiya Janata Party passed a resolution hailing Modi as a 'visionary leader' who had already 'defeated' the virus. By the second week of March, India's health minister declared that the country was 'in the endgame' of the pandemic. At the same time, the patients arriving at India's hospitals were far sicker and younger than previously seen, prompting warnings by health experts that India was sitting on a ticking timebomb, which went either unnoticed or ignored. Millions of Hindu devotees celebrated the festival of Holi across the country at the end of March, foregoing social distancing guidelines and masks. Politicians, including Modi, spearheaded mammoth election rallies where tens of thousands participated without masks. And millions more gathered by the Ganges River for special Hindu prayers as recently as last week. Now it's suspected all these events might have accelerated the unprecedented surge India is seeing now. 'Many people across India are paying with their lives for that shameful behavior by political leaders,' Udayakumar said. In a radio address on Sunday, Modi sought to deflect the criticism and said the 'storm' of infections had left the country 'shaken.' 'It is true that many people are getting infected with corona,' he said. 'But the number of people recovering from corona is equally high.' India's government said last week it would expand its vaccination program to make all adults eligible, something long urged by health experts. But vaccinations take time to show their effect on the numbers of new infections, and there are questions of whether manufacturers will be able to keep up with the demand. The pace of vaccination across the country also appears to be struggling. Modi's plea on vaccinations came after inoculations peaked at 4.5 million doses on April 5, but have since averaged about 2.7 million a day, government figures show. Several states, including Maharashtra, the richest, halted vaccinations in some places on Sunday, saying supplies were not available. Supply has fallen short of demand as the inoculation campaign was widened this month, while companies struggle to boost output, partly because of a shortage of raw material and a fire at a facility making the AstraZeneca dose. Hospitals in Modi's home state of Gujarat are among those facing an acute shortage of oxygen, doctors said. Just seven ICU beds of a total of 1,277 were available in 166 private hospitals designated to treat the virus in the western state's largest city of Ahmedabad, data showed. 'The problem is grim everywhere, especially in smaller hospitals, which do not have central oxygen lines and use cylinders,' said Mona Desai, former president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association. The crisis unfolding in India is most visceral in its graveyards and crematoriums, and in heartbreaking images of gasping patients dying on their way to hospitals due to lack of oxygen. Burial grounds in the Indian capital New Delhi are running out of space and bright, glowing funeral pyres light up the night sky in other badly hit cities. 'If you've never been to a cremation, the smell of death never leaves you,' Vipin Narang, a political science professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, said on Twitter. 'My heart breaks for all my friends and family in Delhi and India going through this hell.' In central Bhopal city, some crematoriums have increased their capacity from dozens of pyres to more than 50. Yet, officials say, there are still hours-long waits. At the city's Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat crematorium, workers said they cremated more than 110 people on Saturday, even as government figures in the entire city of 1.8 million put the total number of deaths at just 10. 'The virus is swallowing our city's people like a monster,' said Mamtesh Sharma, an official at the site. The unprecedented rush of bodies has forced the crematorium to skip individual ceremonies and exhaustive rituals that Hindus believe release the soul from the cycle of rebirth. 'We are just burning bodies as they arrive,' said Sharma. 'It is as if we are in the middle of a war.' The head gravedigger at New Delhi's largest Muslim cemetery, where 1,000 people have been buried during the pandemic, said more bodies are arriving now than last year. 'I fear we will run out of space very soon,' said Mohammad Shameem. People wearing protective face masks wait to receive a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination centre in Mumbai, India, April 26, 2021. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to get vaccinated and exercise caution A health worker collects a nasal swab sample from a man to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Amritsar on April 26, 2021 Pictured: Umar Farooq mourns next to the body of his mother, who died of Covid-19 coronavirus, before her burial at a graveyard in Srinagar on April 26, 2021 A woman receives receives a dose of COVISHIELD, a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, as others wait for their turn at a vaccination centre in Mumbai, India, April 26, 2021 Pictured: People stand in queues to get their Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination centre in Mumbai on April 26, 2021 INDIA'S GROWING OXYGEN PROBLEMS Are hospitals running out of oxygen? The main problem is that medical oxygen is not reaching hospital beds in time. This delay is a product of where production units are located, a stretched distribution network, and what critics have said is bad planning. Several hospitals in Delhi, which has no significant oxygen production capacity, made frantic public calls this week seeking emergency supplies. With COVID-19 cases also swamping its neighbouring states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, oxygen facilities there are over-stretched attempting to meet local demand. To fulfill Delhi's current needs, additional medical oxygen now has to be trucked in from industrial zones in eastern India. Why are oxygen deliveries getting delayed? The facilities from where Delhi will now receive oxygen are spread across seven states, some more than 625 miles (1,000km) away, according to a court document. Given the hazardous nature of the substance, all liquid oxygen must be transported in a limited number of specialised tankers, requiring advance planning to ensure deliveries are made on time, a gas industry source told Reuters. In recent days, as a scramble for oxygen among states worsened, local officials in some regions disrupted movement of tankers in a bid to keep supplies for themselves. In part due to such blockades, Delhi only received about 177 tonnes of oxygen on Wednesday against its allocation of 378 tonnes, an official said. But the industry source said that Delhi had also dragged its feet on planning ahead, without factoring in the time it takes to move oxygen cross-country by road. 'This problem wouldn't have happened if they had acted 2-3 weeks ago,' the source said. Delhi's government did not respond to questions about the planning. Does India have enough oxygen? India has a daily production capacity of at least 7,100 tonnes of oxygen, including for industrial use, which appears to be enough to meet current demand. This week, the government allocated 6,822 tonnes of liquid oxygen per day to 20 of the country's worst-affected states, compared to their combined demand of 6,785 tonnes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office said on Thursday. India's total medical oxygen demand was just 3,842 tonnes as of April 12, as the surge in cases really took hold. States are typically allocated supplies by an inter-ministerial group of bureaucrats mandated to monitor and facilitate the flow of essential medical kit during the pandemic. Modi's office has noted that the availability of liquid medical oxygen had increased by about 3,300 tonnes in the past few days, with steel plants and other industrial units diverting their production. What is India doing to solve the crisis? The federal government has activated the Indian railways to move multiple tankers from refilling plants to where it is most needed. Working with industrial gas major Linde India and others, the government is also using the Air Force's cargo planes to fly empty tankers to production hubs. Refilled oxygen tankers will then move back by road. The armed forces are importing 23 mobile oxygen generation plants from Germany. Several other industries are offering oxygen to hospitals, while salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group is importing 24 specialised containers to transport liquid oxygen. The government has issued orders to convert argon and nitrogen tankers into oxygen ones. But as some experts predict a trebling of daily infections in a few weeks, India will have to dramatically ramp up both oxygen production and distribution systems. Advertisement The situation is equally grim at unbearably full hospitals, where desperate people are dying in line, sometimes on the roads outside, waiting to see doctors. Health officials are scrambling to expand critical care units and stock up on dwindling supplies of oxygen. Hospitals and patients alike are struggling to procure scarce medical equipment that is being sold at an exponential markup. The crisis is in direct contrast with government claims that 'nobody in the country was left without oxygen,' in a statement made Saturday by India's Solicitor General Tushar Mehta before Delhi High Court. The breakdown is a stark failure for a country whose prime minister only in January had declared victory over COVID-19, and which boasted of being the 'world's pharmacy,' a global producer of vaccines and a model for other developing nations. Caught off-guard by the latest deadly spike, the federal government has asked industrialists to increase the production of oxygen and other life-saving drugs in short supply. But health experts say India had an entire year to prepare for the inevitable - and it didn't. Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the Indian government has been 'very reactive to this situation rather than being proactive.' She said the government should have used the last year, when the virus was more under control, to develop plans to address a surge and 'stockpiled medications and developed public-private partnerships to help with manufacturing essential resources in the event of a situation like this.' 'Most importantly, they should have looked at what was going on in other parts of the world and understood that it was a matter of time before they would be in a similar situation,' Kuppalli said. Kuppalli called the government's premature declarations of victory over the pandemic a 'false narrative,' which encouraged people to relax health measures when they should have continued strict adherence to physical distancing, wearing masks and avoiding large crowds. Neighbouring Bangladesh sealed its border with India for 14 days, its foreign ministry said on Monday, though trade will continue. Air travel has been suspended since Bangladesh imposed a lockdown on April 14 to combat record infections and deaths. 'The borders should not reopen until the situation in India improves,' virologist and government adviser Nazrul Islam told Reuters. 'If the highly contagious Indian variant enters the country, the situation can't be controlled in any way.' The southern Indian state of Karnataka, home to technology and outsourcing hub Bengaluru, also announced that it will impose a lockdown for 14 days starting from the evening of April 27 in an effort to contain the surge infection, the state's chief minister said on Monday. Karnataka is the latest region to enter a lockdown after similar curbs in many parts of India, which is battling a massive second wave of infections that has pressured its health system. Bengaluru, a city of 12 million, reported more than 20,000 new infections on Sunday, its highest single-day tally so far and second only to the capital, Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing mounting criticism for allowing Hindu festivals and attending mammoth election rallies that experts suspect accelerated the spread of infections. His Hindu nationalist government is trying to quell critical voices. On Saturday, Twitter complied with the government's request and prevented people in India from viewing more than 50 tweets that appeared to criticise the administration's handling of the pandemic. The targeted posts include tweets from opposition ministers critical of Modi, journalists and ordinary Indians. Lawmakers and human rights activists said on Monday that the removal of the tweets was putting people's health at risk and quashing dissent. Dr. Anant Bhan, a bioethics and global health expert, has been critical of the government's handling of the crisis, and has said that the significance of the new variant has been over-played. 'It's not the virus variants and mutations which are a key cause of the current rise in infections,' he said. 'It's the variants of ineptitude and abdication of public health thinking by our decision makers.' Multiple funeral pyres of those who died of COVID-19 burn at a ground that has been converted into a crematorium for the mass cremation of coronavirus victims, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 24, 2021 A man performs the last rites of his relative as pyres of Covid-19 deceased people burn at a crematorium in New Delhi With crematoriums overflowing in the country, families have been forced to burn their relatives on wooden pyres instead The surge has also been fuelled by a 'double mutant' variant, thought to be more infectious, but Dr Jameel believes 'too much' has been made of the mutation. Instead, he claims the spiralling infection rates were impacted by the lack of messaging for people to take vaccinations in January and February when case numbers were down. He added: 'In all the euphoria, in all the patting of our backs that we have done so well, we are out of it, we weren't. We were just as susceptible as anybody else. 'So if there is a lesson here to be learned, it's that you have to be on your guard. You have to prepare. We should have been stocking up on oxygen. 'We should have been messaging clearly for people to take vaccines in the months of January and February when the cases were down. If that happened at scale at that time, then we wouldn't be facing this situation today. 'So many things have gone wrong but instead of crying over spilled milk I think it's important to learn some lessons, get some good data, and plan for the future because this is not the end of it.' Relatives wearing PPE kit mourning next to pyres of people who have died from Covid-19 at a crematorium in New Delhi Burning pyres of Covid-19 victims at a crematorium in New Delhi, April 24 Burning pyres of Covid-19 victims at a crematorium in New Delhi, April 24 India's surging Covid second wave has so overwhelmed crematoriums that grieving families are being forced to burn victims in their own gardens. Pictured: A crematorium in Delhi In Delhi, 348 deaths were recorded on Friday, one every four minutes, and in the southern state of Karnataka, the government has been forced to allow families to cremate or bury victims in their own farms, land or gardens India, with a population of 1.3 billion, has a tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, after 2,812 deaths overnight, health ministry data showed, although health experts say the death count is probably far higher Last week, the Supreme Court told the Indian government to produce a national plan for the supply of oxygen and essential drugs for the treatment of coronavirus patients. Ministers said today they would exempt vaccines, oxygen and other oxygen-related equipment from customs duty for three months, in a bid to boost availability. In addition, Modi's emergency assistance fund, dubbed PM CARES, in January allocated some 19million ($27million) to set up 162 oxygen generation plants inside public health facilities in the country. But three months on, only 33 have been created, according to the federal Health Ministry. Despite this, the Defense Ministry is set to fly 23 mobile oxygen generating plants into India from Germany within a week to be deployed at army-run hospitals catering to Covid-19 patients. Each plant will be able to produce 2,400 litres of oxygen per hour, a government statement said yesterday. The latest comes as Boris Johnson pledged to support India in its battle against the devastating Covid surge which has brought the country to its knees. The UK is 'looking at what we can do to help' after India reported a record-breaking number of new cases in a single day for four days in a row. Mr Johnson said: 'We're looking at what we can do to help and support the people of India, possibly with ventilators. 'Thanks to the ventilator challenge, the huge efforts of British manufacturers, we're better able now to deliver ventilators to other countries. 'But also possibly with therapeutics, dexamethasone, other things, we'll look at what we can do to help.' Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States was 'determined to help India in its time of need,' immediately making available supplies of vaccine-production material, therapeutics, tests, ventilators and protective equipment. A British Airways flight loaded with 600 pieces of medical equipment took off from London Heathrow bound for New Delhi on Sunday evening The package included 495 oxygen concentrators as well as ventilators. The equipment is set to arrive in the Indian capital early on Tuesday morning So far 132 cases of the Indian variant have been detected in Britain, around half of which are in London. The variant contains two mutations in the virus's spike protein, which could help it spread more easily and evade vaccines. India was added to the UK's travel 'red list' yesterday, prompting a last-minute scramble for flights to Heathrow. The British Prime Minister had also cancelled a trip to New Delhi over the weekend where he had hoped to secure millions of vaccine doses. Government scientists said border measures are not enough to prevent the spread of new variants, but they can delay it. One senior source said there were likely to be 'many more' cases of the Indian variant in the UK than the 132 detected so far. They added: 'It does look like it's more transmissible but we don't know if it is more transmissible than the Kent variant and we don't have any data on vaccine efficacy.' People carry oxygen cylinders after refilling them in a factory amid a shortage of medical supplies due to the surging second wave A patient wearing an oxygen mask is seen inside an ambulance waiting to enter a COVID-19 hospital for treatment in Ahmedabad A worker disinfects nozzles of oxygen cylinders as they are refilled in a factory before they are returned to hospitals amid the crisis India has set a world record for the highest number of daily Covid infections for a fourth day in the row with 349,691 infections as the country struggles to contain the surging second wave Across the northern border, authorities in Nepal were grappling to contain the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases with experts fearing that thousands of people in the Himalayan state have caught the more infectious mutant strains emerging out of India. Nepal, which shares a long porous border with India, reported 3,032 new infections on Sunday, the highest daily surge recorded this year. It took the total caseload since the pandemic first struck Nepal to 300,119, and there have so far been 3,164 deaths, according to government data. 'We have detected the UK variant and the double mutant variant detected in India,' Krishna Prasad Paudel, the director of Nepal's Epidemiology and Disease Control Department Paudel told Reuters, adding that experts were checking for other variants too. Nepal launched its vaccination campaign in January and gave shots to 1.9 million people, all provided by India and China. But health experts feared that continuation of the vaccination drive was uncertain after officials had failed to procure more vaccine shots from India or any other source. Over 90 developing nations, including Nepal, rely on India, home to the Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine maker, for the doses to protect their own populations, but India has now prioritised its own needs as a second wave of the epidemic there has run out of control. 'The virus is mutating very fast...what started in India has now entered Nepal too,' said Rabindra Pandey, a public health expert, adding that if the trend continued for a week then new patients will be unable to find any beds as hospitals were already stretched. Wedged between China and India, Nepal shares a 1,751-kilometre (1,094 miles) border with its southern neighbour India. The border was closed for some time during a lockdown last year, when the first wave of the epidemic struck, but it has since been reopened. Nepal's former king Gyanendra and his wife, who tested positive for the virus after returning from India where they attended a religious festival, were undergoing treatment at a private facility in Kathmandu. 'The situation is really frightening,' said Prakash Thapa, a doctor at Bheri hospital in Nepalgunj, a city in the southwest plains bordering India. He said the hospital was inundated with coronavirus patients requiring intensive care and ventilators. 'This time even children and young people are brought in critical condition and patients are even sleeping on the floor and corridors,' he said. Nepal's ruling Communist party has been embroiled in a power struggle for months, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has been criticised for his response to the crisis. Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told reporters on Sunday that despite the surge in cases a national level lockdown was not required. Nepal's economy contracted for the first time in four decades in the last fiscal year due to a months-long lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. People react after the verdict was read in the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis, on April 20, 2021. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) On Julius Caesar, Derek Chauvin, and the Fate of Our Republic Commentary Julius Caesar is often blamed for bringing about the end of the Roman Republic. I think he merely happened to be there when the Republic imploded. In 49 B.C., Caesar crossed the Rubicon, a shallow river in Northern Italy, with a single legion. The river marked the border between cis-Alpine Gaul and Italy proper. Bringing armed troops into the fatherland was illegal, tantamount to treason. Caesar knew this, which is doubtless one reason he never mentions the episode in his account of the civil war that his action sparked. Nevertheless, its worth noting that Caesar did not cross the Rubicon gratuitously. He had been at loggerheads with the Senate for months. Over the preceding decade, he had conquered Gaul, greatly enriching himself and the Republic. Yet Caesar had many enemies. Indeed, after a tumultuous term as consul in 59, he had originally decamped to Gaul in order to escape them. At first, his alliance with Crassus, the richest man in Rome, and Pompey Magnus, Romes greatest general before Caesar, protected him. But Crassus, seeking military glory to crown his monetary splendor, died ignominiously at the hands of the Parthians at the battle of Carrhae in 53. Pompey had been bound to Caesar through marriage to Caesars daughter Julia. But after Julia died in childbirth, in 54, Pompey drifted out of Caesars orbit. His marriage to the daughter of Metellus Scipio, one of Caesars bitterest enemies, formalized the end of the alliance. Pompey was now a creature of the anti-Caesarian faction of the Senate. As his extended term as governor in Gaul was coming to an end, Caesars enemies demanded that he disband his army and return to Rome, where he would certainly face prosecution. Nevertheless, Caesar agreed, just so long as he could first stand again for consul in absentia. The wildly popular Caesar was confident he would be elected, and with the office came immunity from prosecution. His enemies refused to allow this. Alea iacta fuit: the die had been cast. Caesar crossed the Rubicon with Legio XIII, and the rest, as they say, is history. Caesar destroyed Pompeys army at the battle of Pharsalus the next year and went on to crush all remaining pockets of resistance. In 46, the Senate named him dictator for 10 years. So did Caesar kill the Republic? Or had the Republic, as he himself said long since become merely a name, without body or shape? I think Caesar was right. The Republic had expired years before he came on the scene. Certainly, it was dead in fact, if not in name, by the mid-80s when Lucius Sulla marched his army on Rome, appointed himself dictator, and began issuing public lists of enemies whose property, and whose lives, were forfeit. Thousands died before Sulla, to the worlds amazement, voluntarily stepped down. In fact, the fate of the Republic was already sealed decades earlier, when the Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, introduced mob violence to the streets of Rome in the course of pursuing their anti-aristocratic policies of land reform. Derek Chauvins Trial I thought of this course of events over the weekend, when a friend told me about a dinner conversation he had with his son in the aftermath of the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case last week. As all the world knows, the former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of all three counts against him: second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Before the verdict, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) traveled to Minnesota, violated curfew, and declared that Chauvin was guilty, guilty, guilty. Mostly peaceful protestors rampaged in various cities to underscore her point. Indeed, Waters had earlier insisted that Chauvin be charged with first-degree murder, as if the police officer had intentionally murdered George Floyd with malice aforethought instead of intervening to restrain a drug-crazed felon who, having just attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill, was resisting arrest. Waters also warned that if a verdict for murder were not returned, Minneapolisand not only Minneapoliswould burn. The jury barely deliberated before reaching a verdict. They didnt need to. The trial of Chauvin was a show trial. The result had been preordained. This was the work of a sedentary lynch mob, not so much angry as intimidated. As David Horowitz observed, The speed of the decision was itself evidence that the jury hadnt deliberated or even considered any of the evidence presented in the trial, as to what actually caused Floyds death, whether Chauvin acted in accordance with the standard procedures of the Minneapolis Police Department, and therefore whether there was any malice or inhumane disregard for Floyds life involved in Chauvins actions. Horowitz went on to note that Derek Chauvin is not a nice man. He is callous, egocentric, and has a record of excessive use of force complaints. But, of course, that doesnt mean that Chauvin murdered Floyd. Our system of justice, Horowitz reminds us, depends on judging each case on its merits. That didnt happen in the case of Chauvins trial. Further Horowitz: Anyone watching the actual testimony of witnesses and experts would know that the issues in the case were complex, technical, and contested. It would have taken days if not weeks for an open-minded jury to determine whether Chauvin was guilty or not. No one respectful of all the attention put on this case by experts and witnesses on both sides would consider that the three contradictory charges could be lumped together. Only people frightened of disappointing the lynch mob could make that mistake. But the jury was uninterested in the evidence. Indeed. Evidence is only wanted when one lacks the pleasing certitude that comes with the conviction of ones moral election. What just happened in Minneapolis wasnt so much a trial as a quasi-religious sacrifice. There was never any doubt about the outcome of the proceeding. Growing Pains Which brings me back to Caesar and the fate of the Roman Republicand to that dinnertime conversation between my friend and his son. What we are seeing, that smart young man observed, are the growing pains that come with the transition from one form of government to another. Thats exactly right. The United States used to be a democratic republic. Those days are long gone. We are now well on our way to some form of bureaucratic, socialist-inflected oligarchy. Exactly what the lineaments of that oligarchy will be, what proportion of smiles and what proportion of somber frowns, is not yet clear. But whether the resulting polity looks more like Scandinavia or East Germany (or, indeed, Beijing), I predict that the road will be bumpy and architects of our fate imperious. Roger Kimball is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books. His most recent book is Who Rules? Sovereignty, Nationalism, and the Fate of Freedom in the 21st Century. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Dallas megachurch pastor who confessed to sin of pride resigns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Todd Wagner, senior pastor and co-founder of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, who temporarily stepped down from his pulpit late last summer due to the sin of pride, revealed Sunday that he has resigned from his position in an emotional announcement to congregants. We are fully convinced that today, in the interest of Christ, for me and for my family, and for Watermark in this next season, it would be best served by me ending my season in serving as pastoral elder of Watermark Community Church, Wagner said in a statement. Wagner explained that he had been contemplating the decision to resign for more than a year, during a process that I can only describe as miraculous. Church elders Kyle Thompson and Mickey Friedrich noted in a statement that Wagners resignation was submitted and accepted by the elder team on April 17, three weeks after longtime Watermark Community Church Elder David Leventhal resigned on March 26. Leventhal cited a lack of trust in Wagners ability to continue leading the megachurch. On March 26th, I shared this with the elders. I shared that the reason for my resignation was a loss of trust in Todds ability to lead in the role of pastoral elder and senior pastor, which was the direction the elders had been wanting to move to, Leventhal said as Wagner rubbed his back and struggled to maintain his composure. I want you guys to hear that this has been a heartbreaking, exhausting and expensive process for me, for my wife, my family, the elder team. While citing his lack of trust in Wagners leadership abilities, Leventhal made it clear that Todd and I are good. There is no anger, no wrath. Wagner also acknowledged that they were friends and is looking forward to continuing as a member of the church and serving as elder emeritus with Leventhal. Church, these last few days have been long and sad as we mourn the loss of serving alongside David and Todd as we once had. Both men have served our God and our church faithfully. However, amidst our grief we have seen clearly that God is sovereignly and providentially at work in the details of these transitions. Tangible evidence of Gods leading is the unity, alignment and peace He has provided all those involved, Thompson and Friedrich wrote in their statement Sunday. Wagner, a married father and grandfather, took a break from the pulpit for the first time in 20 years last year to work on his pride after it became a problem for his staff. "It's not paid leave so I can read and write and relax as a reward for 20 years of service, Wagner explained last year when he decided to take time off. What it is is a temporary rest from teaching and leading and anything else in the way of my letting the Lord strengthen me, restore me, and lead me to daily greater repentance. The pastor said he had gotten to a point in ministry where he was just not listening enough to his leadership team and failed to lead with the usual grace in my relationships with my closest friends. Ive been short and irritable. Im invalidating at times. Im impatient enough that people were noticing a difference. And worse, I didnt hear them when they asked me and said things like, Are you OK? Wagner explained, saying that he was dismissive at times. DUBLIN, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Manufacture of Furniture in South Africa 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo South Africa's furniture manufacturing sector includes a number of large, vertically-integrated players, but more than 90% of the companies in the sector are small to medium-sized enterprises. South Africa's tough economic conditions have focused consumer spending on essential items. According to The South African Furniture Initiative, the furniture manufacturing sector has been shrinking for more than two decades, with local demand for furniture declining and exports of furniture dropping significantly. The furniture manufacturing industry has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, low levels of capital investment, competition from cheap imports, inadequate design expertise, insufficient research and development, low consumer expenditure, inadequate investment in skills development and high input costs. Over the past year, companies have adjusted their furniture purchasing as they reduce office space due to the work from home trend and health and safety regulations. There has been increased demand for furniture in the residential market where people are upgrading and creating home office space as they spend more time at home. Large furniture retailers collectively have a significant share of the local market, giving them huge bargaining power with manufacturers, which leads to lower producer prices, making it difficult for SMEs to compete. South African manufacturers compete with each other for business in a shrinking local market and also compete against international companies in the local and export markets. There are a high level of imports and competition from China in regional export markets. This report focuses on the manufacture of furniture in South Africa and includes comprehensive information on the size of the sector, trade statistics, regulation, developments and corporate actions. There are profiles of 23 companies including vertically-integrated players such as Bravo Group Manufacturing, Fair Discounters, and KAP Industrial Holdings, bedding companies such as Brothers Bedding and Buraaq, and office furniture companies such as OfficeScene. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Description of the Industry 2.1. Industry Value Chain 2.2. Geographic Position 3. Size of the Industry 4. State of the Industry 4.1. Local 4.1.1. Trade 4.1.2. Corporate Actions 4.1.3. Regulations 4.1.4. Enterprise Development and Social Economic Development 4.2. Continental 4.3. International 5. Influencing Factors 5.1. Coronavirus 5.2. Economic Environment 5.3. Rising Input Costs 5.4. Government Incentives and Support 5.5. Furniture Imports 5.6. Environmental Concerns 5.7. Technology, Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation 5.8. Labour 6. Competition 7. SWOT Analysis 8. Outlook 9. Industry Associations 10. References Companies Mentioned Story continues Angel Shack Trading and Investments (Pty) Ltd Barker Street Office Furniture (Pty) Ltd Bidvest Branded Products Holdings (Pty) Ltd Bravo Group Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd Brothers Beds and Bedding CC Buraaq Beds CC City Office (Pty) Ltd Fair Discounters (Pty) Ltd Fechters Furniture Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd Geo Cloud (Pty) Ltd KAP Industrial Holdings Ltd Kiran Sales (Pty) Ltd OfficeScene (Pty) Ltd Pilot Furniture Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd Quality Bedding (Pty) Ltd Simmons SA (Pty) Ltd Strandfoam Group (Pty) Ltd Sweet Sensation 210 (Pty) Ltd SwissMate Manufacturing CC Tapestry Home Brands (Pty) Ltd Truform Bedding (Pty) Ltd Ukhuni Business Furniture (Pty) Ltd Upholster All (Pty) Ltd For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h21pn0 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/south-african-furniture-manufacture-industry-2021-profiles-of-23-companies-including-brothers-bedding-buraaq-and-officescene-301276733.html SOURCE Research and Markets Prominent iconic buildings, including the Burj Khalifa, in the UAE were lit up with the tricolour to show solidarity with as it grapples with a growing COVID-19 crisis. India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark. Thedeath toll increased to1,95,123 witha record2,812 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) headquarters and the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai were lit up with the colours of the Indian flag in solidarity with as it responds to a second COVID-19 wave, the official WAM news agency reported. "As # battles the gruesome war against #COVID19 , its friend #UAE sends its best wishes. Glowing star @BurjKhalifa in #Dubai lits up in Flag of India to showcase its support," Indian Embassy in the UAE tweeted on Sunday. The embassy also tweeted a video of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, displaying the Indian flag and #staystrongIndia. India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to the UAE, tweeted, "India appreciates the UAE's strong support to its close friend in difficult times @MoFAICUAE @UAEembassyIndia." The ADNOC on the facade of its headquarters displayed the message "Stay strong, India" to highlight its support for one of the UAE's closest friends and most important trading partners, the report said. Meanwhile, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has affirmed his confidence in India's ability to overcome the challenge of the resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the Gulf News reported. He reiterated the UAE's full support for and solidarity with India. This came in a phone call made by Sheikh Abdullah on Sunday with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Sheikh Abdullah said the leadership, government and people of the UAE are in full solidarity with India. Sheikh Abdullah expressed the UAE's keenness to dedicate all resources in support of the efforts currently undertaken by the government of India, the report added. He also reaffirmed the longstanding relations between the UAE and India and the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two friendly countries. He also stressed that global action is fundamental in overcoming the fallout of the pandemic. Cooperation between the two nations over the COVID-19 pandemic took various forms and manifested itself in facilitating repatriation flights during the onset of the health crisis; knowledge transfer; provision of medical aid and supplies; exchange of expertise; and application of advanced screening techniques for detection of active virus infections, the WAM reported. The UAE and India boast longstanding strategic relations that started in 1972 with the initiation of diplomatic relations between the two nations that grew into fruitful cooperation based on mutual trust and common interest across all fronts. These privileged relations fructified into the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between the two countries in 2017, 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.) WASHINGTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans for Prosperity Foundation, backed by nearly 300 groups across the political spectrum who filed friend-of-the-court briefs, urged the U.S. Supreme Court today to uphold peoples First Amendment rights. The question before the Justices in Americans For Prosperity Foundation vs. Rodriquez is whether a states blanket demand for a list of an organizations supporters can override those peoples rights to freely join with each other, protect their privacy, and amplify their voices through groups that represent their beliefs. Americans shouldnt have to choose between staying safe or speaking up, said AFPF CEO Emily Seidel. History shows us the ability to maintain privacy makes it possible for people to join together on causes and in movements. That was the case for the Civil Rights movement, marriage equality, and is still the case today. Especially in a polarized climate, the work of addressing injustice and advocating for change is hard enough without people facing fear of harassment and retaliation from the government and from potentially violent opposition. A diverse array of groups not only spanning ideology but also issues of health, faith, equal rights, and racial justice, among others realize whats at stake. First Amendment protections have enabled brave people to drive our nation closer to its founding ideals. These nearly 300 organizations standing in defense of privacy in this case illustrates that these rights are critical to continued progress too. As Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivans Derek Shaffer argued before the Court, you cant tell today whats going to be controversial tomorrow. This case is about non-profits and the voices of millions of Americans who support them. As Congressman John Sarbanes (D Md.) and Democracy 21 stated in their amicus brief: the requirement at issue here has nothing to do with elections. Claims to the contrary are a distraction from the core freedoms at issue in this case. Additional case documents include: AFPF's briefs are here and here. An amicus brief by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Knight First Amendment Institute, Human Rights Campaign, and PEN America An amicus brief by Charity Navigator, The Nonprofit Alliance Foundation, PETA, Doctors Without Borders, Southern Poverty Law Center, and more than 120 other charities An amicus brief by 22 state Attorneys General An amicus brief by the Council on American-Islamic Relations An amicus brief by China Aid Association An amicus brief by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Freedom to Read Foundation, National Coalition Against Censorship, and other free speech organizations. A sampling of other organizations who've joined in support of these rights To view the press release on our website, click here. Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) works in communities and alongside partners to provide educational programs and resources on the toughest issues facing our country, including free markets, civil liberties, immigration reform, and constitutionally limited government. For more information, please visit AmericansForProsperityFoundation.org. SOURCE Americans for Prosperity Foundation Mumbai, April 26 : Last fortnight, a Central Railway Pointsman Mayur Shelke sprinted into national headlines after he out-raced an oncoming train, Udayan Express and saved the life of a 6-year old kid from certain death on the railway tracks at Vangani station in Thane district. Earning laurels, Shelke was felicitated by the CR, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal gave a reward of Rs 50,000, industrialist Anand Mahindra praised him while Jawa Motorcycles's Director Anupam Thareja gifted him a brand new Jawa 42 Nebula Blue bike worth around Rs 1.65-lakh. On April 17 evening, Shelke had risked his life to save little Sahil who accidentally fell from the platform onto the railway tracks, right on the path of the speeding train. Pointsman Shelke who was barely around 25 metres away, ran towards Sahil who got up and tried to clamper up the high platform, faltered a bit and then continued, pushed the boy up and then hoisted himself up. The entire life-saving drama lasting barely half-a-dozen second was captured on a CR CCTV and its footage made Shelke a new 'Indian SuperMan'. Quietly away from the limelight, Sahil's mother Sangita Shirsath, 32, with tears of gratitude welling up her sightless eyes, blessed Shelke for giving new life to her little son and her pillar of support. Her plight moved a Mumbai diamantaire Dharmesh Jhaveri and he decided to do something so Shirsath, hailing from Nanded, could regain her eyesight. "I was not born blind... At the age of 2, owing to some eye disease, I lost my vision permanently... My father had shown me to an opthalmist in Nanded, but he said nothing could be done," Shirsath told IANS. Abandoned by her blind, Akola-based husband Arjun five year ago, Shirsath - who is HSC pass from institutions for the blind in Nanded and Nashik - supports self and Sahil by hawking odd-wares in suburban or passenger trains that halt at Vangani station. "I earned barely around Rs.10,000 per month, but during the lockdown, most days I can hardly manage a proper meal for both of us. My only brother is a farmer in Nanded and I can't expect help from my aged mother after my father expired three years ago," said Shirsath, gradually opening up. Nevertheless, apart from paying a total rent of Rs 3,000 per month for her tiny room, she has admitted Sahil in Bal Vikas Mandir School in Badlapur a semi-private school which charged whopping amount in fees. "He is a bright child and was in Sr.KG, but after lockdown his education is disrupted... Now, he's my guardian angel in my blindness, my window to the world..." Shirsath said with pride. Understanding his mother's special needs, Sahil guides her to the bath or toilet, helps her with kitchen odd jobs, remembers the route to the railway station and train timings, assists her in boarding or deboarding the trains at the right stations, takes her to eateries for food and make payments, and later ferries her back home safely. "Shirsath deserves help... a top eye-surgeon Dr. Hemendra Shah in Mumbai will examine her soon. Even Bhiwandi-based Samast Jain Mahasangh Convenor Ashok Jain has promised to try for the best possible treatment for her," Jhaveri told IANS. On her part, Shirsath keeps her fingers crossed on her fate, but is extremely concerned about her son's secure future. "Shelke Saheb was very kind to give me half his prize money (Rs.25,000) for Sahil's education. I deposited it in my SBI Account in Badlapur Branch... A couple of journalists gave me Rs 4,000 and clothes for us... But we have a long way to go..." Shirsath trailed off. When coaxed, she wondered whether her HSC-level education could get her suitably employed in the Indian Railways under some special/discretionery category, or by some privat company and if any NGO might help get a permanent roof on her head. "Just as Shelke Saheb was a Saviour Angel to Sahil, I hope that some other good souls can help me out with a job and a home so my son can be cared for till he can stand on his feet," Shirsath said. Jhaveri nodded and assured that his group would make every effort to ensure that Shirsath and Sahil can get a proper foothold in life in terms of some gainful work, education and a house also. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted @ q.najmi@ians.in) Tina Deheley has welcomed a baby girl with her fiance Kane William-Smith. The BBC News presenter, 39, announced the news on Monday, posting a sweet snap of her newborn daughter's feet to Instagram. Sharing the happy update with her followers, Tina penned: 'Head over heels in love with our beautiful baby girl.' Congratulations! Tina Deheley has welcomed a baby girl with her fiance Kane William-Smith Tina's adorable image showed her newborn's toes poking out as she cradled the tot while wearing a soft flannel dressing gown. The new mum was soon flooded with well-wishes and congratulations from her pals, with Susanna Reid writing: 'Oh wonderful news.' While Clara Amfo added: 'Yaaaaay! Congrats!!' and Ore Oduba penned: 'Awwww there she is congratulations you guys.' Pregnant Alex Jones also commented, writing: 'Delicious!! Congratulations.' 'Head over heels in love': The BBC News presenter, 39, shared a sweet snap of her newborn daughter's feet as she shared the happy news with followers Sara Cox wrote: 'Ahhhhh yeyyyyyyyyy sending all the love to you 3' while Davina McCall shared her well wishes as she wrote: 'Oh Tina so happy for you.' The baby's arrival also comes just weeks after Tina revealed that she and Kane had moved home and started a 'delayed refurb project'. Sharing a bump snap to Instagram on April 6, Tina explained: 'All settled into our temporary newborn retreat in month 9 of pregnancy! 'Cant quite believe weve started a delayed refurb project and moved home just days before our little one is born, but thanks to the amazing support of friends and family (and an extremely lux roof over our heads) weve somehow managed it.' Tina announced she was expecting her first child back in December when she shared a photo of her baby bump and revealed she was over five months pregnant. Inseparable: Tina confirmed her engagement to Kane in January 2018 by sharing a photo of her sparking ring (pictured) Amazing news: Tina was flooded with well wishes from her celeb pals soon after announcing her little girl's arrival Captioning the post, she wrote: 'Some exciting news to share! Beyond thrilled to be welcoming a new addition to our family in Spring 2021. Thank you @bbcradio2 family for all your lovely messages this morning.' While the presenter typically keeps her private life away from social media, her fiance Kane occasionally features in sporadic posts - including Tina confirming the couple's engagement via Instagram in January 2018. Tina confirmed her engagement to long-term partner Kane in January 2018, sharing a photo of her sparkling ring on Instagram She wrote alongside the image: '07.01.18 Making plans for the rest of our lives.' After reading the news on the Radio 1 breakfast show for several years, Tina covered events such as the pre-election debate and fronted her first Panorama programme about the Manchester bombing. She has since become a regular fixture on the BBC Breakfast sofa alongside the likes of Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, Louise Minchin and Jon Kay. What a month! On April 6 Tina revealed she and Kane had just moved home and started a delayed refurb ahead of their daughter's impending arrival Happy news: Tina confirmed she was expecting her first child with fiance Kane in December Speaking in 2018, the presenter told Harper's Bazaar she 'worked ridiculously hard' to get where she is after her parents told her she'd have to try even harder than her white contemporaries. 'I was doing the news on BBC Three, finishing at midnight and then coming in to do breakfast, which comes back to what my parents said about having to work two or three times as hard,' she explained. Tina is the daughter of first-generation immigrant parents of Indian heritage, who themselves grew up in Nairobi and Tanzania. She added that gender and class also play a part in the lack of diversity in the media, saying: 'Theres no point having Im saying it as Im saying to my friends loads of brown privileged people in prominent roles. 'That isnt really representative. The further up I get in my career I realise there arent many people like me. Im from a very working class background.' Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy are ordered not to make statements on community pantries amid allegations of red-tagging. A senator also blames the 'appeasement and accommodation policy' on China for the continued presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon joins us live. An unlicensed learner driver has been charged after he was allegedly caught speeding at 200km/h with his three young children in the car. Highway patrol officers were conducting speed checks on the M1 motorway, Mooney Mooney, in Sydney's northwest, on Sunday night when they detected a Holden Commodore allegedly speeding. The driver allegedly failed to stop when directed and a pursuit was initiated along the motorway, reaching speeds of up to 200km/h in a signposted 110km/h zone. A man, 35, has been charged after he was allegedly caught speeding on with his three kids in the car in Sydney's northwest on Sunday. Pictured: The Holden Commodore The car was eventually brought to a stop a short time later when it slammed into a concrete barrier. Police officers say they then discovered a 28-year-old woman, two boys, aged seven months and five years, and a three-year-old girl, sitting inside in the car. The children were taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead to be checked as a precaution, where the girl was treated for bruising. The pursuit was initiated after the driver allegedly failed to stop after officers detected the vehicle allegedly travelling at high speed on the M1 motorway (pictured) Checks revealed the 35-year-old male driver held an expired learner permit and it was disqualified. He was arrested and taken to Hornsby Police Station where he was charged with police pursuit - not stop - drive dangerously, drive motor vehicle while disqualified, drive with low-range PCA, and speeding. The Tregear man was refused bail to attend Hornsby Local Court today. NSW Police said a child at risk notification has been made. The aquatic animal known as the sponge is often described as entirely sessile: once they've settled in a spot and matured, they aren't generally thought of as moving around. But, according to a new study in the journal Current Biology on April 26--in which researchers describe mysterious trails of light brown sponge spicules (spike-like support elements in sponges) across the Arctic seafloor--that isn't always so. "We observed trails of densely interwoven spicules connected directly to the underside or lower flanks of sponge individuals, suggesting these trails are traces of motility of the sponges," the researchers, led by Teresa Morganti of the Max Planck Institute of Marine Microbiology and Autun Purser of the Alfred Wegener Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, write. "This is the first time abundant sponge trails have been observed in situ and attributed to sponge mobility." It looked as though the sponges had "crawled" into their current positions. In fact, sponges do have a motile larval stage. But most species are thought to become sessile as adults. Sponges, after all, have no muscles or specialized organs for moving around. They can react to external stimulation and move a little by contracting or expanding their bodies. There also has been some evidence of movement in sponges raised in the lab. In some cases, that movement involved remodeling their whole bodies. Nevertheless, the new findings took the research team by surprise. The discovery was made by studying video captured in 2016 by the research icebreaker Polarstern as it surveyed the submerged peaks of the permanently ice-covered Langseth Ridge. A towed marine camera sled and a hybrid remotely operated vehicle (HROV) showed that the peaks of the ridge were covered by one of the densest communities of sponges that's ever been seen. The researchers determined that the impressive sponge populations were primarily comprised of large numbers of Geodia parva, G. hentscheli, and Stelletta rhaphidiophora individuals. They say it's not clear, given the challenging environment, how the area supports such a vast community of sponges. But, even more intriguing were the numerous trails of sponge spicules. Far from a rarity, the researchers saw trails in nearly 70% of seafloor images that contained living sponges. Those trails were several centimeters in height and up to many meters long. They often connected directly to living sponges. The trails were seen in areas with lots of sponges, as well as in more sparsely populated areas. The researchers report that they also often seemed to be in areas with smaller, juvenile sponges. The researchers generated 3D models from the images and video to show the way the trails were interwoven with each other. They say that the findings suggest that the moving sponges sometimes change direction. They don't think the movement is simply a matter of gravity. In fact, the images suggest that the sponges frequently traveled uphill. It may be that the sponges move in order to get food, perhaps driven by the scarce Arctic resources. "These features are all indicative of feeding and population density behavioral trends previously observed in encrusting sponges," the researchers write. "The extremely low primary productivity, sedimentation, and particle advection rates of the Langseth Ridge region overall result in some of the lowest standing stocks of benthic life; so potentially, this Arctic Geodia community relies on particulate and dissolved fractions from the degradation of old organic debris trapped within the spicule mat as additional food sources. We suggest that the mobility indicated here may be related to sponges searching for and feeding directly on the accumulated detrital matter trapped within the sponge spicule mat underlying the living sponges." It's also possible that the movement has something to do with reproduction or the dispersal of young sponges. To learn more about how fast and why the sponges make these unexpected moves, they say that further time-lapse imagery and other studies are needed. ### This work was supported by DFG Cluster of Excellence "The Ocean in the Earth System" at the University of Bremen from the ERC Adv Grant ABYSS, the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, the Helmholtz Association, the Max Planck Society, and NASA. Current Biology, Morganti et al.: "In situ observation of sponge trails suggests common sponge locomotion in the deep central Arctic" https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00353-5 ALBANY There will be a New York State Fair this year, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday from the fairgrounds in Syracuse. The plan is to open the event at 50 percent capacity, with the fair broken up into four distinct sections: food and beverage, rides, concerts and agricultural exhibits. Cuomo said the 50 percent number is an estimate, and he hopes and expects to revise it upward as the summer passes and COVID numbers continue to trend in the right direction. A lot of planning goes into place to have the State Fair, so we want the vendors to know now to plan to be here," Cuomo said. The positivity is going down, vaccination rate is going up, and that is what we want to see. The positivity rate reported Monday was 2.39 percent, with 41 deaths. There were 3,100 New Yorkers hospitalized, the lowest number since Nov. 26, before the holiday surge last year. About 14.5 million vaccination shots have been administered in the state. The governor said he is loosening COVID-19 restrictions on a host of other venues: Outdoor stadiums can increase from 20 percent capacity to 33 percent capacity. Offices can open up at 75 percent capacity, up from 50 percent. Casinos can operate at 50 percent capacity, up from 25 percent. And gyms and fitness clubs outside of New York City can go up to 50 percent capacity from 33 percent. Press were allowed at Monday's event for the first time since early December. The governor has recently faced pressure for avoiding in-person questions from reporters as he faces widespread calls for his resignation following sexual harassment allegations. His administration also is under scrutiny for its nursing home policies and reporting during the pandemic, as well as facing questions about the thoroughness of its investigations into a cover-up involving the bolts used to build the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Although the Monday event was open-press, the email announcing it was sent out about 90 minutes before it started. Syracuse is a more than two-hour drive from Albany, where most of the Capitol press corps who cover the governor are based. Pipeline 26 April 2021 By the end of 2023, The Student Hotel (TSH) is expected to add TSH San Lorenzo to its growing network of hybrid properties in Italy. With the acquisition of the historical Ex Dogana site in the area of San Lorenzo, Rome, TSH Group's investment in the Italian market now totals over 450mn. The new hotel will be located in one of the most authentic districts of Rome and is the perfect fit for TSH's spirit of life-long learning and experimentation: the neighbourhood hosts one of the largest universities and student communities in Europe, and is home to a diversity of artists and artisans. Designed to bring communities together TSH's hybrid hospitality concept is designed to welcome students, tourists, neighbours and businesspeople to learn, stay, work and play, all under one roof. Charlie MacGregor, CEO and founder, The Student Hotel: "We are very excited to have signed this deal and cannot wait to open our doors in what is perhaps the most famous city in the world, Rome. We started our adventure in Italy with our first hotel in Florence in 2018 and last October we successfully opened TSH Bologna despite difficult COVID times. Needless to say, with three more hotels in the pipeline, we love Italy! We look forward to bring our philosophy of community to Rome and to make a positive impact to the neighbourhood of San Lorenzo." 21,000 sqm of development Bringing an investment of close to 90mn to the city of Rome, TSH San Lorenzo involves the development of 21,000sqm of hybrid facilities. This includes 444 rooms for students, hotel guests and young professionals, as well as spaces for co-working, meetings and events where guests from all walks of life can meet and connect. Moreover, the project envisages plenty of green areas and areas dedicated to sports, events and recreational activities which will be fully open and accessible to the public. "This investment shows our confidence on the strong positive outlook of the Italian market and of such an important city as Rome, despite the difficult moment we are currently living in", says Edoardo Volpi, Head of Investments Italy, The Student Hotel. "Our aim is to bring our positive contribution to the already undergoing urban and cultural regeneration process and become an integral part of the community." At the signing at the Notary participated Andrea Tota, Head of Real Estate Development Italy, The Student Hotel: "We hope to inspire positive regeneration for San Lorenzo, elevating this high-potential area of Rome to its full potential." Bank of America today announced a $1.5 million commitment as part of its work to advance racial equality and economic opportunity in Massachusetts. King Boston, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Boston, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which offers support and assistance to the states 52 community health centers, will both receive funding. The grant funding is aligned to the banks $1.25 billion, five-year commitment, which further accelerates work already underway to address racial inequality and catalyze similar efforts across the private sector. King Boston, founded in 2017 to create a memorial and related programming honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott Kings legacy, will receive a $1 million grant from Bank of America. The grant will support: the creation of the memorial, named The Embrace, on the Boston Common; a new Center for Economic Justice in Nubian Square to promote solutions to further racial and economic justice; and a public ideas series that engages the community in anti-racist discourse through the arts and humanities. It is with generous contributions from large, established institutions that we are able to interrogate racism and advocate for the issues that Dr. and Mrs. King fought for over 50 years ago wealth, housing, racial equity and public education, said Imari Paris Jeffries, executive director of King Boston. Thanks to our corporate partners like Bank of America for investing in change, and for their ongoing commitment to everything King Boston represents convening, learning, healing, appreciating and honoring. The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which together serves more than one million people across the state, has been awarded a $500,000 grant from Bank of America to address critical health equity concerns with COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The states community health centers are uniquely positioned in communities of color to address these gaps as the vaccine rollout expands and accelerates. Bank of Americas generous contribution recognizes the need for both an urgent infusion of funds and support for building longer-term responses to inequities. Immediate funding will go far in helping us meet expanding demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in the communities we serve the same communities that have been unduly battered by the pandemic, said Michael Curry, President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. At the same time, the flexibility of this funding will give us room to respond to community-specific needs and support social, health and economic recovery as we work our way out of this pandemic. The health and humanitarian crisis has demonstrated just how far we have to go in correcting longstanding inequities in our society, said Miceal Chamberlain, President of Bank of America Massachusetts. The time for action is upon us and our hope is that by continuing to take specific steps to address economic and racial disparities, we can serve as a catalyst for a broader response across the private sector. To date, the bank has made more than $350 million in various investments from its initial $1 billion commitment, announced in June 2020, across the primary focus areas of health, jobs/reskilling, affordable housing and small business, including providing support to Pine Street Inn, Innovation Studio, Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, La Colaborativa and Asian American Civic Association locally in Boston. About Bank of America At Bank of America, were guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. Were delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. Its demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News). For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com ### Reporters may contact: Carla Molina, Bank of America Phone: 1.832.283.2681 carla.molina@bofa.com In a leaked audiotape that offers a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes power struggles of Iranian leaders, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Revolutionary Guards Corps call the shots, overruling many government decisions and ignoring advice. In one extraordinary moment on the tape that surfaced Sunday, Mr. Zarif departed from the reverential official line on Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of the Guards elite Quds Force, the foreign-facing arm of Irans security apparatus, who was killed by the United States in January 2020. The general, Mr. Zarif said, undermined him at many steps, working with Russia to sabotage the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and adopting policies toward Syrias long war that damaged Irans interests. In the Islamic Republic the military field rules, Mr. Zarif said in a three-hour taped conversation that was a part of an oral history project documenting the work of the current administration. I have sacrificed diplomacy for the military field rather than the field servicing diplomacy. New York, 25 April 2021 (SPS) -The United Nations are determined to continue their efforts to appoint a new Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, said Spokesperson of the UN Secretary General, while referring to the "difficulties" met in filling such a high-profile position. When asked whether the UN still has no appropriate candidates to fill the two-year vacancy as Western Sahara envoy, Dujarric said finding a good candidate to replace Kohler is not the easiest job on the UN roster. He described the job as critical, saying that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has been trying very hard to fill the position. Not all the levers are in hands, but he is doing his bit, the spokesperson concluded. (SPS) 062/90/700 by Vladimir Rozanskij The opposition has been demanding his resignation since last November, after the catastrophic end of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The Syunik region, coveted by the Azeris. The Armenian premier paid a visit, but people blocked and insulted him. The Armenian priest did not allow him to enter the church Moscow (AsiaNews) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pasinyan resigned from his post in a televised announcement yesterday April 25, but retaining the temporary post until the early parliamentary elections, scheduled for next June 20. The outgoing premier will present himself as a candidate of the Civil Agreement party. The date of his resignation, explained Pasinyan, is particularly symbolic: he himself instituted "Citizen's Day" in 2019, in honour of popular participation in the "velvet revolution" which then brought him to power, and now intends to "restore power to citizens ". In reality, the opposition has been demanding his resignation since last November, after the disastrous conflict with Azerbaijan. The premier was accused of having succumbed to the enemy, accepting the peace agreements negotiated under Russia and Turkey. Even the katolikos (patriarch) of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II, along with other hierarchs had joined the opponents request. Pasinyan tried to resist, blaming the defeat on the inability of the generals and opposition intrigues of the. The coup de grace, however, was his trip in recent days to the Syunik province, the scene of a new dispute with Azerbaijan. Syunik was the prestigious seat of one of the dynasties of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, that of the Syuni, since the first century BC. According to the trilateral agreements of 9 November 2020 between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan (with Turkey behind their backs), at the end of the conflict for Nagorno Karabakh, the road connecting the Azerbaijani capital Baku with the enclave of the Nakhicevan, in Armenian territory. In recent days, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev declared that "this way the Azerbaijani people will return to Zangezur", which the Azeris call Syunik. "Leave traitor!" The ancient province is a predominantly mountainous area, with large forests of considerable naturalistic interest, where Caucasian leopards still roam. Its inhabitants are not among the most loyal to the current leadership of Armenia, fearing that Pasinyan is ready to give up on their lands as well. For this reason, the premier himself went to Syunik between April 21 and 23, receiving rather a hostile welcome, with people shouting "Leave, traitor!". The outgoing premier thought he could regain the confidence of the population, and the trip to Syunik was of strategic importance in this campaign. Syunik is one of the areas that has suffered most as a result of the peace accords, due to its position south of Karabakh itself, and for being one of the major centers of opposition in the country. Pasinyan had already tried to visit it last December, immediately after the war defeat, but the population blocked the roads, instigated by the local authorities themselves, and the premier had to be content with a short visit to the town of Sisyan, in the north of the region. Before the 2020 conflict, Syunik lived in relatively calm conditions, bordering to the east with the Nagorno Karabakh still in Armenian hands, to the south with Iran and only to the west with the Azerbaijani Nakhicevan, divided by a steep mountain ridge. Now the Azeris surround the area from the east along the road, which has divided some villages between the two sides of the border. This time Pasinyan managed to visit the main centres of the region, arriving without warning, but the social channels had announced his presence anyway, and there was no shortage of tensions especially in the southernmost cities, Agarak and Megri. The premier's march was greeted by columns of heated protesters, also using terms such as "abortion of the Turks" and the insult siktir git ("get out of here"), a Turkish expression that Armenians use to humiliate their adversaries. As the car approached the local Agarak cemetery, protesters jumped on the hood shouting "come here, may the parents of the deceased soldiers spit in your face". In Sisyan, the premier also tried to visit the church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, apostle and protector of Armenia, but the local priest Pargev Zeinalyan refused to shake his hand, asking him to leave the sacred place (photo 2). At the end of the tour around the Syunik, the premier demanded the resignation of the local head of security, from whom he publicly stripped the badges, and the situation calmed down a bit, even if on the way back, people threw eggs at his car. Syunik, or rather Zangezur, is also under discussion in Baku these days, following the speech by President Aliev on television on the evening of April 20. Aliev promised to open communication routes with the southern region "at all costs", also restoring the railway already existing in Soviet times, whose tracks had been torn up by the Armenians, who will now have to restore them according to the peace agreements, guaranteeing transport safety. The realization of the project is going rather slowly, due to the resistance of the local population. The main Armenian mediator in the negotiations, Vice-Premier Mger Grigoryan, conditioned the Syunik route to the reopening of all the sections of the Soviet period that connected the USSR to Iran. However, the Azerbaijani president warned that "if the Armenians do not open the corridor with good luck, we will do it by force". The threat of a new conflict will perhaps be decisive for the outcome of the next elections, in which Pasinyan is confident of relaunching his image as "leader of the people". The country is very divided, and even the new parliament may not be abl Former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham confirmed to The Post and Courier he plans to announce his Democratic campaign for governor on April 26. Cunningham, who lives in Charleston, said he plans to fight for policies such as expanding Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and passing police reform. He also took aim at Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in a three-minute long campaign video first shared with The Post and Courier. For the last six years, Gov. McMaster has been busy fighting culture wars when he should have been fighting for our schools and our roads, said Cunningham in the video. Hes been more concerned with his next election than the next generation. But thats what career politicians do they worry more about themselves than the people they represent." When Cunningham filed preliminary paperwork with the State Ethics Commission last week, SC GOP Chairman Drew McKissick welcomed the Democrat's challenge. "Democrat Joe Cunningham wants to run for governor? We say bring it on," McKissick said in a statement. "We expect to see the same result in 2022 as we did in 2018 a Republican in the governor's mansion." In campaign materials, the candidate laid out his policy objectives, which included expanding Medicaid, raising teacher pay, police reform, expanding voting rights, passing term limits and raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour. Cunningham said he also wants to fix South Carolina's roads, tackle climate change and work with lawmakers on gun control. He said he would tackle all of these issues while also pledging to not raise taxes if elected. Gov. McMaster has spent the last year checking off his partisan wish list instead of tackling the real problems in our state, Cunningham said in the video. South Carolina desperately needed a strong leader over the last year but all we had was a weak politician with messed up priorities. The announcement follows months of speculation that Cunningham would seek the governor's mansion. Cunningham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 when he made history by flipping South Carolina's 1st Congressional District seat from four decades of Republican control. But Cunninghams tenure in Washington was short-lived. In 2020, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Charleston, was declared the victor by The Associated Press on Election Night after she carried the win by 1 percentage point, a margin of 5,000 votes. Cunningham waited three days before he formally conceded the race. In late December, a URL for "cunninghamforgovernor.com" was registered. While the former congressman's team wouldn't confirm if it was theirs, social media stoked the speculation. That URL now directs to Cunningham's campaign website. Cunningham told The Post and Courier at the time that he wanted to stay in South Carolina and hoped to serve the public in some capacity. Cunningham is the first major challenger to announce a run against McMaster. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Greenville businessman John Warren, who took McMaster to a primary runoff in 2018, and Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey of Edgefield are believed to be among those eyeing Republican primary bids. State Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Columbia, is also considered a possible contender to seek the Democratic nomination as well as activist Gary Votour, who has announced his bid. McMaster raised $373,000 in the first three months of 2021, just behind his quarterly record for his reelection bid, according to state campaign disclosures filed over the weekend. He gathered $387,000 in the last three months of 2019. The incumbent also boasts endorsements from the Republican Governors Association and former President Donald Trump. If McMaster wins reelection and completes his second full term, he will become the longest-serving governor in state history. Then-Lt. Gov. McMaster was promoted to governor in January 2017 when Nikki Haley resigned to become United Nations ambassador. He won a full four-year term in 2018. With a second term, he could serve as the states chief executive for 10 years. Governors in South Carolina cannot win more than two four-year terms under state law. McMaster is already South Carolinas oldest-ever sitting governor at age 73. Cunningham said McMaster's tenure is a reason why there needs to be term limits for politicians. The challenges we face arent because of our people, theyre because of our politicians, Cunningham said in his announcement video." Notably, a Democrat has not been elected governor in South Carolina since 1998. And many Republicans point to former Senate candidate Jaime Harrison's failed bid against Sen. Lindsey Graham as an example of the climb Democrats face in South Carolina. But Cunningham pointed to his 2018 victory and to a growing Democratic voting base in the Lowcountry as an example of how he can win. "For those who say Democrats can't win in South Carolina, well. We've heard that before," Cunningham said in the video. "We made history then and, with your help, I know we can do it again." Danielle Vinson, a political scientist with Furman University, acknowledged how hard it is for Democrats to succeed in South Carolina. She also pointed out that Cunningham's image as a bipartisan dealmaker in Congress may help him. "It's an uphill climb because Republicans have locked down this state mostly on social and national issues," Vinson said. "But Cunningham has done a good job of walking that line. This is a guy who voted against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House." Cunningham will begin a 46-county tour with a campaign kickoff event at 6 p.m. on April 28 at Tradesman Brewing Company where he will deliver a speech on his vision for South Carolina. The public is invited to attend the event and masks will be required. The UK will be sending more than 600 pieces of vital medical equipment to India to support it in fight against Covid-19, the UK government announced. The assistance package, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, includes ventilators and oxygen concentrators from surplus stocks. The Department of Health and Social Care have worked closely with the NHS, as well as suppliers and manufacturers in the UK to identify reserve life-saving equipment that can be sent to India. Recently, India has been reporting high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths while several reports of shortage of oxygen are also coming. The first shipment of equipment has already left the UK and it will be arriving to India in the early hours of Tuesday. Further shipments are due to follow later this week. In total, nine airline container loads of supplies, including 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators, will be sent to the country this week. This equipment will be crucial in helping to save the lives of the most vulnerable in India. The oxygen concentrators, for example, can extract oxygen from the air in the atmosphere so that it can be provided to patients, taking the strain off hospital oxygen systems and allowing oxygen to be provided in situations where hospital oxygen supplies have run out. The UK is working closely with the Government of India to identify further assistance it can provide in the coming days. UK Prime Minister said: "We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against Covid-19. Vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus." "We will continue to work closely with the Indian government during this difficult time and I'm determined to make sure that the UK does everything it can to support the international community in the global fight against the pandemic," he added. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "We are supporting our Indian friends with vital medical equipment at a difficult time for them in this pandemic. We have all got to work together to tackle Covid-19. India is a very important partner to us, so we're providing oxygen concentrators and ventilators to help save the lives of the most vulnerable. We will be following up on this first delivery with further support, based on our ongoing discussions with the Indian Government." Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has said: "The heart-breaking scenes in India show once again how awful this terrible disease is. We are determined to support the people of India through this very difficult time, and I am hugely grateful to those who have worked hard to make this initial delivery happen." "This first delivery of life saving equipment will provide much needed assistance and we stand ready to do more. The global pandemic has challenged health systems all across the world and the best way to overcome adversity is to unite and defeat this dreadful disease together," he added. --IANS int/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At a webinar with African and European decision-makers, Afruibana, the association of African banana producers, presented the African Banana White Paper entitled: "Bananas at the heart of African rural development a common challenge for Africa and Europe". The launch is supported by MEP Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Vice-Chair of the Committee on International Trade, MEP Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Development, and by Carlos Zorrinho, Co-Chair of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. Make the African banana more competitive and sustainable The White Paper charts five fields of investment as priorities: human capital and territorial development, R&D and modernisation of cultivation practices, change of agricultural model for better productivity, ecological and energy transition, local processing and development of regional markets. All these solutions aim at improving the sector's carbon footprint and are part of the "farm to fork" approach to sustainable food production, where the use of synthetic products is systematically limited as much as possible. A depressed European banana market While in 2013 Dollar bananas already accounted for 69.1% of the European market, the sharp build up in their production capacities, combined with deregulation and an increase of supermarkets bargaining power have jointly led to a massive growth in their relative market shares, now standing at 75.5%. Over the same period (2013-2020), despite considerable efforts to improve competitiveness, African producers saw their market share fall from 10.1% to 8.9%, that of Caribbean producers in the ACP area from 9.5% to 6.8% while that of European producers slid from 11.3% to 8.9%. While exported volumes of bananas to the European Union increased, this glut has led to a significant drop in price. Whereas, in 2015, the average import price was 14.3 euros/carton of bananas, in 2020, it dropped to 11.7 euros, thereby seriously jeopardising all origins, even Latin Americans. Post-Cotonou, an opportunity for a new start between Africa and Europe "The integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the post-Cotonou agreement is a good thing, but it must be accompanied by some political coherence on the European side" explains Joseph Owona Kono, president of Afruibana. "Between the stated objectives of the EU's development policy and the practices of its trade policy, there must be consistency and harmonisation, in order to preserve the sectors that create wealth and jobs on the African continent". View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005422/en/ Contacts: Leonard Lifar ll@35nord.com Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 05:01:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TUNIS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has ruled out again the possibility of a nationwide lockdown despite the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in the country, the Tunis Afrique Presse reported Monday. However, targeted lockdown could be imposed to preserve the balance between the health of citizens and economic activities, Mechichi said. "At the weekly meetings of the national committee for the fight against COVID-19, we may decide to tighten the measures against COVID-19 resurgence or to relax them, depending on the evolution of the epidemiological situation of the country," he added. The Tunisian Health Ministry reported 1,285 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the total number of infections in the North African country to 301,627. The death toll from the virus rose by 48 to 10,352 in Tunisia, the ministry said in a statement. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the country reached 2,750, including 516 in intensive care units, while the total number of recoveries reached 251,191. A total of 1,285,499 lab tests have been carried out in Tunisia so far. Enditem As Covid 19 second wave crumbles down the medical system in India, Microsoft CEO Satya Nedalla has come forward, raising his voice to support the country. Nadella stated his concern on Microsoft-owned professional connecting platform, LinkedIn and on Twitter. He said that while it is heartbreaking to see thousands die each day in the country due to lack of medical facilities, he is also thankful to the US government for coming forward and helping India with raw materials for the vaccine. I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. Im grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 26, 2021 The US recently confirmed that it is "immediately" making vaccination raw materials to scale up production of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine. This was confirmed by the US president Joe Biden on Twitter as well. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need, Biden quoted a tweet by White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan. In his tweet, Sullivan stated that he spoke to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval about the spike in COVID cases in India and has decided to help the country with resources. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need. https://t.co/SzWRj0eP3y President Biden (@POTUS) April 25, 2021 On the other hand, local tech firms are also doing their best to amplify the request for hospital beds, Oxygen requirements and more via their social media channels. While Zomato has started priority delivery for Covid-19 patients, MapMyIndia has launched a special tool to show hospitals that have beds and Oxygen available. We have already listed down some of the Reliable sources online for hospital beds, oxygen and meds. Read all about it here. Hello, my name is Andrew Klingler, and I am originally from Pandora, Ohio, where I graduated from Pandora Gilboa High School in 2011. After high school, I joined the United States Air Force and served as an Electrical Power Production Technician. This included being stationed at Beale AFB California, Sheperd AFB Texas, and Nellis AFB Nevada. When I decided to leave the USAF, I was looking for a school that was Veteran friendly, and BGSU was ranked as one of the top schools in the nation for veterans. Also, I always wanted to help my community, and one of the ways I decided I could help is to become a physical therapist. I decided to enroll in the exercise science program at BGSU to pursue my goal. During my junior year, I was selected to become a Thompson Military Student Scholarship recipient. This was a significant moment in my time at BGSU. By receiving this scholarship, I could partake in many student organizations such as the Student Veterans of America, Physical Therapy Club, and others. Experiencing all that BGSU had to offer showed me that there is so much more to life than making money. I am a graduate of the Class of 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Education in Exercise Science the desire to serve my community still plays a large part of what drives me today. I currently work at the American Legion Department of Ohio, and I am pursuing a master's degree in Business Administration at Bluffton University. Dogecoin, a joke and a meme in previous years, has been steadily rising as one of the most prominent cryptocurrencies in the market today. The cryptocurrency has even seen a 400 percent growth in just one week, causing a threat to other investors. However, Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson predicts that Dogecoin's rise is not a concern and will eventually decline soon, per Entrepreneur.com. Dogecoin Bubble Will Burst Soon, Says Ethereum Co-Founder According to the Ethereum Co-founder, Dogecoin's rise is nothing since it has an unreal technology and without a stable development team. He added that the reason behind its exponential growth is the doings of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and "the manipulation of the market for astute whales." Hoskinson also expressed his belief that the cryptocurrency will soon decline, and Musk is to blame for all of that. In his AMA podcast on his YouTube channel on April 22, Hoskinson said that Dogecoin's price would collapse soon because it has no supportable price. When the cryptocurrency declines, much of the retail investor's money will be lost in rapid succession. The fall of Dogecoin will also be a catalyst for regulators and legislators to become more involved in the cryptocurrency market, which would significantly impact the entire industry. Entrepreneur.com also noted that Dogecoin has increased its value for several months now. As of January of this year alone, it has been priced for 0.004 dollars, which turned into 0.42 cents on April 19. The current Dogecoin price is now at 0.23 dollars, a 0.19 decline. The cryptocurrency has been seen to have 18,000 percent of growth over the last year---with a $30 billion capitalizion price. On April 19, however, Dogecoin reportedly hit its most prominent value of over $49 billion. Read Also: Dogecoin Price Soaring to All-Time High: Where to Buy Popular Crypto and How Much? Many have regretted not buying Dogecoin stocks when it had little to do with the stock market and that they were at a lower price. But whatever the future holds for Dogecoin, it is certain that Musk will be there to raise a flag "to the moon." On the actual moon Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 24, 2021 You need this, Elon Its up on Rarible. Only 69 of them. For .69 ETHhttps://t.co/KKmpGcBsHp pic.twitter.com/E01WAwTY5h Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) February 26, 2021 More About Charles Hoskinson and Ethereum As for people who do not know who Charles Hoskinson is, Decrypt shared that he is one of the original five co-founders of Ethereum in 2013 and was an early advocate of Ethereum as a pro-profit corporation. However, this decision was the reason for his departure from the team that eventually led him to create Ethereum Classic and Cardano, a rival blockchain. Hoskinson was born in Hawaii and was raised in Colorado. He worked as a mathematician before he became interested in Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency world. He already has experience raising money for an early version of a decentralized exchange. He was introduced to Ethereum and the founder of the cryptocurrency Vitalik Buterin. Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. It is also the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, after Bitcoin. Related Article: Nvidia RTX 3060 Can Now Be Used for Ethereum Mining--New Driver to Unlock Mining Capacity Leaked Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) The Philippine government has yet to decide if it will impose a ban on flights from India over a new COVID-19 variant first detected in the South Asian country. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday said DOH has previously met with the Department of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter, but no decision has been made yet. She added that the task force on COVID-19 variants are studying the B.1.617 coronavirus variant, which has a number of mutations that could increase transmissibility and help escape immune response. "They are waiting for the recommendation of DOH, together with our experts," Vergeire said. The health official assured the Philippines has not yet recorded a case of the India variant based on the genomic sequencing of over 5,000 samples. India reported nearly 350,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the fourth day in a row the country has set a world record for daily infections during the coronavirus pandemic. The country also reported its highest daily death toll for the ninth consecutive day, adding 2,767 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The Philippines has hundreds of confirmed cases of the more transmissible variants that were first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and one under investigation that originated in the Philippines. Determining life after high school is both exciting and scary for all individuals leaving high school and entering adult life. IMPACT CIL can assist students with disabilities through this process. One of the services IMPACT CIL offers is the fast-track transition program. Fast-track focuses on students ages 14-21 who are enrolled in an educational program and who have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), 504 plan or documented disability who are not already enrolled with a Division of Rehabilitation (DRS) /STEP Work Program. We can work with students individually or in a group. This is a fun interactive program that focuses on five pre-employment skills, job exploration, work-based learning experiences, counseling on post-secondary education, workplace readiness training and instruction in self-advocacy. Job Exploration Counseling: This service is offered individually or within a group setting: career exploration for in-demand occupations, as well as nontraditional employment; labor market trends; career interest inventories and identifying careers of interest to the student. Work-based learning experiences: Work-based learning experiences, which may include internships and apprenticeships that are provided in an integrated environment to the maximum extent possible. These will include: On-the-job experiences and On-the-job training, Employer Paid Work experiences, Work-Site tours to learn about necessary job skills, job shadowing, mentoring opportunities in the community, internships, apprenticeships, short-term employment or fellowships. Counseling on Post-Secondary Education: Counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or post-secondary education programs at institutions of higher education. This would include advising students and parents or representatives on academic curriculum, career options, providing information about college applications and admission processes, completing the FAFSA, advising on the types of academic and occupational training needed to succeed in the workplace, or providing disability support services. Workplace Readiness Training: This can be provided individually or within a group setting. These are skills received beyond that received in a work-relatedclass. This typically provides training in skill areas other than vocational development that students will need to function independently within the community. Skill areas may include, but are not limited to, use of public transportation, meal preparation, money management, household management, communication and interpersonal skills, job seeking skills, understanding employer expectations, and are tailored to the individuals needs. Instruction in Self-Advocacy: Learning about rights, responsibilities, and how to request accommodations or services as well as being able to communicate any thoughts, concerns or needs while seeking services. Conducting informational interviews, mentoring with educational staff, employers, individuals in the community, or other areas and participating in youth leadership activities are all examples. Fast-Track is designed to fit the students skill level using visual activities that will help build confidence with job skills. We serve students living in Madison, Calhoun, Jersey, Green, Macoupin and Bond counties. We have worked with students from Highland, Triad, Edwardsville, Greenville, Carlinville, Southwestern and Civic Memorial High School. To learn more about this program please contact Kris Klenke at 618-462-1411 extension 321 or klenke@impactcil.org Cathy Contarino, Executive Director of IMPACT CIL., can be reached at 618-474-5314 or contarino@impactcil.org MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) Police in northern Germany said Sunday that they were probing a medical worker at a Red Cross immunization center for replacing coronavirus vaccine with saline solution. "The woman was tasked with preparing syringes for vaccination and replaced the vaccine that she dropped with saline solution in six cases," a press statement read. The woman explained that she did not want to inform her superiors about the wasted Pfizer vaccine. She later confessed her action to a colleague, who informed the authorities. Sven Ambrosy, the top official in the Friesland district, said that he was shocked by the findings and had ordered two people to be present during any manipulation involving vaccines. The woman faces a charge of inflicting bodily harm, the police said, despite saline solution posing no health risk. Some 200 people received a shot around the time of the swap. The authorities have set up a hotline and plan to test them for antibodies to determine who was not immunized. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 00:01:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH -- The World Health Organization (WHO) in Cambodia said Monday that hope is not lost for Cambodia in the fight against COVID-19 although the figures globally, including Cambodia, paint a grim picture. Cambodia has seen a sharp increase in cases over the past two weeks, with the number of new cases per day ranging from 157 to 655, the organization said in a statement.(Cambodia-WHO-Pandemic) - - - - HONG KONG -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Monday that Hong Kong's strong fundamentals and unique advantages under "one country, two systems" make it an ideal partner for Japanese enterprises to tap the vast market in Chinese Mainland. Lam made this remark when addressing more than 800 Japanese entrepreneurs and business executives during a webinar on "Hong Kong as a pro-business gateway to China."(Hong Kong-Japan-Cooperation) - - - - NEW DELHI -- The Madras high court in the southern state of Tamil Nadu Monday said the Election Commission of India (ECI) was singularly responsible for spreading the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 and "murder charges" should probably be imposed on it for its "irresponsible" behavior. The court has threatened to stop the counting of votes on May 2 if a "blueprint" was not put in place for the counting.(India-Election-Pandemic spread) - - - - ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that the right mix of national actions, regional collaboration and multilateral cooperation is needed to steer out of an unprecedented global crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. "It might take years to regain the pre-COVID income levels. Varying financial capacities, healthcare and vaccine rollout may lead to uneven recovery among countries and regions," Khan said in a speech delivered to the opening segment of the 77th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.(Pakistan-PM-Pandemic cooperation) - - - - ISLAMABAD -- The third batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government was handed over to the Pakistani side during a ceremony here on Monday. Addressing the handover ceremony, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan, on behalf of the Pakistani government, thanked the Chinese government and people for providing the vaccine aid.(Pakistan-China-Vaccines) Enditem BUCHAREST -- Romania says it is expelling a Russian diplomat, the latest European country to do so amid a diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Prague over Russia's alleged role in a deadly 2014 explosion at a Czech arms depot. The Foreign Ministry decided to declare Aleksei Grichayev, the deputy military attache at the Russian Embassy in Bucharest, persona non grata in view of his activities and actions contrary to the Convention of Vienna on diplomatic relations," it said in a statement on April 26. The statement said that Russian Ambassador Valery Kuzmin was summoned to the ministry to inform him of the move. Kuzmin later described Bucharests decision as "hostile," and said that Moscow reserves the right to "take relevant measures in response." The was no immediate comment from Russian officials. Prague accuses the Russian secret services of being behind an explosion that killed two people at a Czech arms depot in October 2014. Moscow has denied any involvement in the 2014 blast, with Kremlin spokesperson Dimitri Peskov telling reporters on April 26 that "any accusations of Russia in the context of the various events in the Czech Republic is completely unfounded." After the Czech Republic expelled 18 Russian diplomats over the allegations last week, Moscow retaliated by kicking out 20 Czech Embassy staff in what is considered to be the worst spat between the former Cold War allies since communist rule ended in Czechoslovakia in 1989. Seven other former Warsaw Pact countries in Central and Eastern Europe, all of them members of the European Union and the NATO security alliance, have expelled Russian diplomats in recent weeks, triggering reciprocal measures by Moscow. In a joint statement on April 26, the prime ministers of Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia expressed "full solidarity" with the Czech Republic, and condemned "this yet another deplorable act of aggression and breach of international law committed by Russia on European soil." On April 23, Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said the number of people allowed by the Czech Republic and Russia at their respective embassies would be limited to 32. The Czech Foreign Ministry has given Russia until the end of May to cut the number of its personnel at its embassy in Prague by 63 people. The explosion on October 16, 2014, in the Czech town of Vrbetice set off 50 metric tons of stored ammunition. Two months later, another blast of 13 tons of ammunition occurred at the same site. Czech media have reported that the ammunition and weaponry destroyed in the first explosion was intended for Ukrainian forces fighting against Russia-backed separatist troops in eastern Ukraine. The two Russian intelligence officers sought by the Czechs in relation to the incident are the same alleged members of Russian military intelligence accused of a nerve-agent poisoning in England in 2018 that targeted former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal. Skripal and his daughter survived the attack, which was carried out with what British investigators determined was the Soviet-engineered nerve agent Novichok. A British woman who accidentally came into contact with the substance died. With reporting by TASS Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 26, 2021) - Origen Resources Inc. (CSE: ORGN) (FSE: 4VX) (the "Company" or "Origen") is pleased to announce that through its association with the Coast Mountain Group ("CMG"), a leading technical team that has been spearheading lithium exploration around the globe and has developed longstanding relationships with eminent clients such as Ganfeng Lithium Corp., one of the leading global lithium product manufacturers, the Company has been strategically acquiring ground in Newfoundland that has the potential to rival some of the most renowned lithium belts in the world. The Newfoundland Lithium Belt exhibits all the characteristics of a major lithium rich corridor, that has yet to receive the focus that it deserves due to the attention historically and currently paid to other prospective metals. There are key indicative signs that point to specific target areas with high expectations for the discovery of lithium rich pegmatites. First and foremost, there are numerous occurrences of pegmatites observed that exhibit highly-favorable lithium-cesium-tantalum ("LCT") geochemical signatures. These fields of pegmatites have provided substantial information and support for the prospectivity for discovery. Through the technical team's expertise, the mapping of the geochemical pathfinders have revealed distinct vectors that will allow the Company to focus in on the more prospective areas in a short and economical period of time. These geochemical pathfinders, on a regional scale, reveal a distinct corridor that transects Newfoundland and corresponds to the tectonic suture zone hosting the world-class Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt and the lithium pegmatite occurrences in Ireland that have received significant attention in recent years. In addition, the age of the associated parent granites observed in Newfoundland coincide with the 'sweet spot' occurrence of highly favorable lithium rich pegmatites. Another key advantage is the ease of access to the most highly prospective areas. Newfoundland's existing road network and available infrastructure will expedite exploration, advancement and any potential development of the Company's projects. Also having tidewater in reasonable close proximity is a major positive. Demonstrating the credibility of the Company's endeavours, one of the world's largest lithium product manufacturer and supplier, Ganfeng Lithium Corp., holds a 4.7% equity stake in Origen. John Harrop, P Geo., a Qualified Person as that term is defined in NI 43-101, has prepared, supervised the preparation, or approved the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release. Mr. Harrop is employed by Coast Mountain Geological Ltd. He is not independent of the Company as defined in NI 43-101. About Origen Origen is an exploration company engaged in generating, acquiring and advancing base, precious metal, and lithium properties. The Company currently holds a property portfolio of four 100% owned precious and base metal projects in southern British Columbia, a 100% interest in the 26,771 ha LGM project and an option to acquire a 100% interest in the 3,971 ha Wishbone property in the mineral rich Golden Triangle of British Columbia, a 100% interest in the Middle Ridge gold project and a 100% interest in 10 lithium prospects in Newfoundland. On behalf of Origen, Blake Morgan President For further information, please contact Blake Morgan, President at 236-878-4938 or Gary Schellenberg, CEO at 604-681-0221. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information." In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/81689 The lawyer of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe says she has been sentenced to another year in prison in Iran and given a one-year ban on leaving the country, in what London called a "totally inhumane" decision. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was found guilty of spreading propaganda against the system for participating in a 2009 protest in front of the Iranian Embassy in London, the lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, said on April 26. The charity worker was previously sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of plotting the overthrow of Irans government, a charge that she, her supporters, and rights groups deny. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was moved from prison last year due to the coronavirus crisis and held under house arrest in Tehran until March, when her ankle tag was removed at the end of her five-year sentence. "This is a totally inhumane and wholly unjustified decision," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted on April 26. We continue to call on Iran to release Nazanin immediately so she can return to her family in the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also criticized the ruling, telling reporters that Britain was working with the United States on the issue of jailed dual-nationals in Iran. A project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained at Tehran airport after a family visit in 2016. Prior to her arrest, she lived in London with her husband and daughter. Iran has arrested dozens of foreign and dual nationals in recent years on espionage charges that they and their governments say are groundless. Critics say Iran uses such arbitrary detentions as part of hostage diplomacy to extract concessions from Western countries, which Tehran denies. With reporting by the BBC, Reuters, and AP The UN called Monday for the swift repair of two ports in southern Yemen to reduce the cost of imported food, as the war-torn country races against the threat of large-scale famine Dubai, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2021 ) :The UN called Monday for the swift repair of two ports in southern Yemen to reduce the cost of imported food, as the war-torn country races against the threat of large-scale famine. The ports of Aden and Mukalla, controlled by the internationally recognised government, are two of the four main entry points for food and aid into the country. Huthi rebels control the other two main ports. More than six years of fighting between the government and the rebels, who control much of the north, has caused major damage to the Aden and Mukalla ports, raising war risk premiums and, by default, the price of food passing through. Yemen imports 90 percent of food for its 30 million population, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UN agency said 60 percent of total food imports into the impoverished country last year came through the rebel-controlled Red Sea ports of Hodeida and Salif, followed by the ports of Aden (36 percent) and Mukalla (three percent). Fixing the ports will "reduce the cost of food in Yemen," Auke Lootsma, the UNDP's resident country representative, told AFP. "The looming famine in Yemen is a question of food affordability and not food availability." "For example, 50 percent of a kilogramme price of wheat is made up of transport costs, such as shipping, insurance and demurrage." The UNDP warned last month that famine could become part of Yemen's "reality" this year, after a donor conference sought to raise $3.85 billion from more than 100 governments and donors, but only reached $1.7 billion. In its damage and capacity assessment report, the UNDP said that $49.6 million -- $21.6 million for Aden and $28 million for Mukalla -- was needed to maintain current port operations and restore those operations to pre-war conditions. Doing so would help reduce war risk premiums, the UNDP said. "With Yemen on the brink of wide scale famine, the timing of the ports' restorations is more critical than ever," said the report. "If port infrastructure such as buoys, navigations systems and cranes were fixed, costs to shipping companies would decrease, ultimately making food more affordable to Yemenis and more humanitarian aid available."The UN describes Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Richard 'Bigo' Barnett was arrested for his role in the Capitol riots on Jan. 8 Lawyers for the man who was seen with his foot on Democratic Senator Nancy Pelosi's desk at the Capitol riots are now claiming in court documents that he is not a threat to society because he used the word 'biatch' and not 'b****' in his letter to the senator. In a motion defense attorneys Joseph McBride and Steven Metcalf filed in federal court on Friday, they argue Barnett should be released from custody before the trial, in part because the government misrepresented the words 60-year-old Richard 'Bigo' Barnett left for the senator. The government is claiming the letter read, 'Hey Nancy, Bigo was here b****',' but the defense attorneys are arguing it actually said, 'Hey Nancy, Bigo was here 'biatd.' 'On information and belief, the 'd' was meant to be two letters a 'c' and 'h; with the 'c' connected to the 'h' to spell 'biatch,' which is a slang and less offensive word for b****,' the lawyers write. Barnett was able to get into Sen. Nancy Pelosi's office during the raid He went through the Democratic senator's mail and left her a message Defense attorneys representing Barnett are now claiming he wrote 'biatch' instead of 'b****,' which they said is not as bad They included a link to a definition for the term from FreeDictionary.com in their motion. The website defines 'biatch' as 'rude slang, a variant of b**** used as a term of endearment or disparagement from another person.' 'As such,' the motion continues, 'Richard now asks this court to look past and ultimately disregard the government's distorted representations, which do not rise to the level of showing 'dangerousness' and grant Richard pretrial release as required by law.' The claim directly contrasts a video taken after the raid in which Barnett, of Arkansas, could be seen proudly proclaiming that he wrote, 'Nancy, Bigo was here b****.' But the lawyers representing Barnett in federal court further claimed in their motion on Friday that the government purposely distorted the verbiage of the note because it could not legally keep him detained. 'The government's misrepresentation of Exhibit 7 is its latest deliberate attempt to mislead this court by casting Mr. Barnett in the worst possible light in order to ensure that pretrial release is not granted in this case,' the lawyers wrote in the motion. 'The government has also utterly failed in demonstrating a specific articulated future threat of danger to the community.' Barnett did not coordinate or plan the attack on the Capitol, they argue, and alleged the stun gun he is said to have carried was really just a 'collapsible walking stick.' The two lawyers are now asking for him to be released until his trial on federal charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct. Barnett was arrested for his role in the riots on Jan. 8 in Bentonville, Arkansas, and has remained in a federal detention center in D.C. ever since. He is due in court on May 4. Paducah Murder Suspect Appears in Court By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - A Paducah man facing murder and other charges stemming from a fatal crash was in court Monday.Ancinio Friar appeared for a pretrial conference. The McCracken Circuit Court Clerk said the hearing was continued to May 7.Friar was arrested on August 8 after a deadly crash on Old Mayfield Road that claimed the life of 29-year-old Ronneka Hampton. The McCracken County Sheriff's Office said deputies clocked Friar going 92 mph in a 35 mph zone shortly before the crash.He faces charges of murder, DUI, evading police, speeding 26 mph or more, and reckless driving. There are a small percentage of citizens who vote in every election but fewer than 11% of eligible voters in Park Forest cast a ballot this year. It is probable the pandemic and its after effects kept both potential voters and office seekers at home. Two years ago more than 17% of voters cast ballots when Vanderbilt bested Mae Brandon by 22 votes in the mayoral race. For the record I was the eighth voter at 10:45 a.m. at our University Park site and Madame was number 30 at 2:30. A year ago, when the pandemic had just hit, celebrities came forward to help out daily wagers and frontline workers as the country went into a lockdown. A year behind us, the condition remains grim as numbers are on a rise yet again. Rising upto the occasion, celebrities are doing their bit to help as many people as possible. While actors like Swara Bhasker, Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and more are flooding social media with contacts for resources, Salman Khan has restarted his initiative Being Haangryy. With this, Salman has pledged to provide 25,000 frontline workers with food and essentials during the lockdown. He has already distributed 5000 food kits to BMC officials, police officers, doctors, nursers and more. Not just that, a video surfaced of Salman heading to a restaurant in Bandra to do a food check before rolling out the kits himself. Check out the video below. Picturesque river mirrors China's ecological progress Xinhua) 14:35, April 26, 2021 Aerial photo taken on Oct. 18, 2018 shows tourists taking a boating trip on Lijiang River in Yangshuo County of Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) NANNING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Upon arriving at a scenic spot on the Lijiang River, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Li Fang took out a 20-yuan paper note to use in a photo with her husband. Printed on the back of the note is the landscape she and her husband stood in front of in Yangshuo County in the city of Guilin. The hot tourist destination was first printed on the 20-yuan note in 2000, one in the fifth set of China's currency banknotes. "The green mountains and lucid waters are picturesque, and I really enjoyed the environment while taking a raft downstream," said Li, 32. Hailed as one of the most beautiful rivers on earth, the Lijiang River stretches more than 400 km through scenic karst mountains, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. CNN once posted a travel article on the world's 15 best rivers for travelers, with Lijiang being listed along with the Amazon and the Danube. According to a national water assessment result released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in mid-April, the Guilin Lijiang River ranked among the top 10 in the country's water environment quality in the first quarter of this year. The idyllic scenery is a sharp contrast to some 20 years ago when the area suffered from pollution and deforestation. Pig farms and restaurants discharged wastewater in the river, and sand-mining vessels also contaminated the water. "We were not willing to wash vegetables in the river," Li Yingrong, a local villager, recalled. To pursue higher economic benefits, local villagers used to burn plants on unclaimed hills along the river to grow cash crops such as sugar orange trees. "Deforestation and reclamation harmed the soil and water. After heavy rains in the flood season, the river water became muddy," said Yang Lihua, Party chief of Xingping Township of Yangshuo County, recalling the scene years ago when he took office. In 2012, China raised the vision of building a "Beautiful China," with ecological progress included in its integrated plan for development. In the same year, the first regional regulations on ecological and environmental protection of the Lijiang River came into force, emphasizing the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. To protect the river, local governments rolled out a series of policies and measures and made all-out efforts to reduce pollution, including closing polluting plants and cracking down on illegal sand mining. Quarries, fish restaurants, piggeries and aquaculture farms near the river banks were shut down. Mo Bikun, an official in charge of sewage treatment from the Guilin Drainage Project Management Office, said the city spent 619 million yuan (about 95 million U.S. dollars) building and improving the sewage pipeline network from 2015 to 2020 to prevent dirty water from flowing into the Lijiang River. "After vigorous treatment, water in Guilin, including the Lijiang River, is getting cleaner and cleaner," Mo said. The improved environment has also brought tourists and revenue. In 2019, Guilin received 138 million tourists, generating consumption totaling 187.4 billion yuan, up 26.7 percent and 34.7 percent, respectively, compared with the levels in 2018. "The cleaner river has not only delighted tourists from home and abroad, but also improved citizens' living satisfaction," said Mo. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) When someone interrupted a Connecticut towns racial equity and justice task force virtual meeting with racist remarks last week, the incident was immediately reported to police. But that usually isnt the case, experts say. In fact, experts and law enforcement officials say many victims of hate crimes dont report the incidents for a variety of reasons, including fear, denial and embarrassment. Steven Freeman, vice president of civil rights for the Anti-Defamation League, said reluctant victims is not a new issue. Its really hard to measure how many people dont say something, but we know its a problem, Freeman said. He said there have been huge numbers of municipalities nationwide that reported zero hate crimes when we know there have been crimes there. He said places that often see the highest numbers of reported hate crimes are where agencies do the best job at investigating and handling these cases, so victims feel more comfortable coming forward. In Fairfield, where last weeks virtual meeting was interrupted, Lt. Antonio Granata said the department wants to hear from victims. People need to come forward. These types of events, these types of crimes, need to get reported, Granata said. We want to know and we want to help. ... Its cowardly what these people are doing, and we want to find the people responsible. He said cases of hate crimes can be very straightforward or highly complex. He said charges vary, with investigators needing to examine each instance on a case-by-case basis to see what threshold of state law is met. Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras said a hate crime investigation was launched Thursday night after the unknown person showed images of slaves, and used racial epithets and racist remarks during the virtual meeting. He said some of the statements targeted Black members of the task force. There is no place for this type of racist behavior and language in our community and we will do everything we can to identify the person who committed this disgusting act and hold them responsible, Kalamaras said. Granata said the incident was unfortunate, especially since it targeted a group tasked with making Fairfield a safer community, but these instances also raise awareness to the racial issues the task force is working to address. These cases are high priority, Granata said. The more knowledge we have on this kind of information, the better we can address it ... This affects everybody. These are intentionally hurtful incidents, he continued. Theres zero place for it in our community. Statewide, there were 128 reported hate crime instances tracked by the Anti-Defamation League in 2020, compared with 65 incidents in 2019. Experts said there were likely many factors for the steep increase, including turmoil linked to the ongoing pandemic and the presidential election. So far this year, the ADL data has tracked 13 reported hate crimes in Connecticut, not including the recent Fairfield incident. Hate crimes are grossly under-reported, said Elizabeth Fles, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Bridgeport who has expertise in social stigmatization, hate crimes and white supremacist groups. Theres no way to know how many hate crimes actually exist. I would say there are astronomically more taking place than are reported. Fles said there are many reasons people could be reluctant to report, including immigration status, embarrassment or feeling unsafe coming forward. Freeman said many people also might not know the signs of a hate crime. And he said a lack of sanctions for law enforcement agencies that do not document hate crimes makes it even more likely that these incidents will be under-reported. The Hate Crimes Statistics Act was signed into law in 1990, requiring the attorney general to collect data on crimes committed because of a persons race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or ethnicity. In 1992, the FBI began publishing an annual report on hate crime statistics. The mandate is you should report this, but theres no sanction, theres no way to enforce it, Freeman said. He said the totals do not represent the full picture because of a lack of identifying hate crimes, under-reporting and the hesitancy of some victims to come forward. We know that people dont want to come forward because theyre anxious about talking to the police, or theyre embarrassed or think its not a big deal, Freeman said. He said many victims of hate crimes are also likely undocumented who are afraid to come forward in case it impacts their ability to remain in the United States. We need to make sure people are comfortable reporting, Freeman said. Freeman said while organizations like the ADL can help someone who has been the victim of a hate crime, there is not a substitute for law enforcement for the incident to be investigated or an arrest made. Glenda Armstrong, president of the Danbury chapter of the NAACP, said hate crime victims do not report incidents for many reasons, including wanting to assimilate or not thinking it reaches the severity of a crime. She said sometimes a lack of details also might prevent someone from going to police. Most people dont even know what constitutes hate speech or a hate crime, Armstrong said. In some cases, you dont know who they (the suspect) were, where it came from, what happened, you have very little information. It takes you out of your element. She said she would like to see a human rights commission or a similar organization for Connecticut residents to report these hate crimes. We dont have a mechanism set up in our community to address these issues when they come up, short of calling the police, Armstrong said. So we end up with human service needs that are expected to be addressed by the police department. She said the community also needs to do more to actively combat hate crimes, and to ensure those perpetrating those crimes change their behavior and attitude in the future. Its so important for us to talk about hate speech in classrooms, community groups, in religious organizations, Armstrong said. Its important for us to have that conversation so folks know at all levels of the community that its not acceptable and its illegal. We have to draw attention to it, Armstrong continued. Communities need to build an infrastructure to address these issues. And we cannot act like they do not exist, because they do exist. We need to address it in a real way. FBI Supervisory Special Agent Sean Yan, a 17-year veteran with the agency, said in a public service announcement this month that hate crimes would be investigated rigorously and without hesitation. We cant help if we dont know, Yan said. In the PSA, Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Luke LaRue urged anyone who is the victim of a hate crime to immediately report it. The sooner we are aware of such crimes, the quicker we can pursue the criminals and bring them to justice, LaRue said. Anyone who is the victim of a hate crime is urged to call their local police department or 1-800-call-FBI. Information can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 22:40:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday said that focusing on tackling the increasingly serious COVID-19 situation in the country is his "top priority" ahead of plans to dissolve the lower house of parliament for a general election. Suga's remarks came a day after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) took a pummeling in the first national elections held since he took office last September, which, in twine with a slumping support rate, have shaken Suga's leadership, according to political observers. The elections, won by three candidates backed by opposition parties, are seen as a litmus test for the general election that must be held before Oct. 21. The upper house re-held election in Hiroshima Prefecture, the upper house by-election in Nagano Prefecture, and the lower house by-election in Hokkaido's No. 2 district were all won by opposition candidates. Suga said that he humbly accepts the losses and will now have to look towards making corrections and adjustments. "I humbly accept the judgment of the people, and after studying the results further, (I) will make necessary adjustments," the Japanese leader told reporters. He went on to say that as the leader of the LDP, he would address the criticisms directed at him regarding a series of ruling party-related money-and-politics scandals and the government's languid COVID-19 vaccine rollout. According to a Kyodo News poll taken this month, the approval rating for Suga's Cabinet stood at 44 percent compared to 66.4 percent immediately after the Cabinet was formed after he took office. Suga's support rate has been comparatively low owing to a string of LDP lawmakers' scandals and the sluggish rollout of vaccines despite the nation now experiencing a "fourth wave" of infections and a third state of emergency being declared and coming into effect for Tokyo and other major regions on Sunday. Should the hosting of the Tokyo Olympic Games lead to a further spread of the virus, including the virus variants that are now prominent in western regions in Japan as well as Tokyo, as is the concern of the majority of the Japanese public, Suga's leadership could become questionable, political observers have said. The ruling party's own members have been unsettled by the LDP's consequential defeat in the elections on Sunday, with LDP policy chief Hakubun Shimomura saying the party must now make all-out efforts to win back the public's support. Shimomura called the results "extremely severe" and underscored the necessity to regain people's trust by bringing the novel coronavirus pandemic under control. Yukio Edano, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) told reporters the result of the elections showed that voters are "exasperated with an outdated and corrupt plutocracy." He also said that opposition-backed candidates winning all three parliamentary elections was a testament to how annoyed voters have become with archaic, money-oriented, corrupt politics. Edano said the win for the opposition parties now presented the opportunity for the opposition bloc to cooperate and unite for the next lower house election. He also said the opposition camp should jointly field a candidate to run against the ruling coalition's contender in each electoral district. Enditem ADVERTISEMENT The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has raised alarm over aggressive marketing by commercial banks. He also condemned the practice of hidden charges by some commercial banks; a practice he described as exploitation. Mr Gbajabiamila stated this while hosting the Board and Management of Standard Chartered Bank, led by the Chief Executive Officer, Lamin Manjang, on Monday. According to a statement by his aide, Lanre Lasisi, Mr Gbajabiamila said that motions on hidden charges have been discussed on the floor of the House on several occasions. We have issues that come up in your industry, so this visit is a welcome development. One of the issues at stake is the rate at which banks charge customers. There are claims that banks have hidden charges. This has come up a couple of times on the floor of the House. This is something that we should look into, he said. The Speaker added that the practice of hidden charges is unacceptable. You have corporations in the UK and other parts of the world, what obtains here in terms of banking, in terms of marketing, sending people to go and knock at peoples offices and all that; does it obtain in those places? he asked. He noted that If it doesnt obtain in those countries, its not international best practice, why should it obtain here? In his reaction, Mr Manjang said his bank will investigate any form of abuses in its marketing strategy. Its not peculiar to Nigeria. But it has to be ethical. Teams usually go round. But the ethical conduct has to be there. You need to have marketing for people to know what you offer. If there are any abuses or conducts that are not ideal, they should be called out and addressed, he added. PREMIUM TIMES had in a report, detailed some of the hidden charges banks charge customers. Despite the cashless policy drive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), those charges are reportedly frustrating Nigerians from using banking services. New Delhi: The Uttarakhand government decided to impose curfew in Pauri district from Monday (April 26) in the wake of the spike in COVID-19 cases. The curfew will come into effect from Monday 7 pm and will last till 5 am on May 3. It will be implemented in Kotdwar and Swargashram areas of the Pauri Garhwal district, Pauri District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogande told ANI. On Sunday, a curfew was announced in Dehradun district's Rishikesh, Dehradun, Garhi Cantt and Clement Town's municipal areas. The curfew will also come into force in Haldwani Municipal Corporation, Lalkuan Nagar Panchayat, and Ramnagar areas of Nainital district between April 27 and May 3. The state government has implemented a slew of measures in order to battle the COVID-19 surge. All government offices have been closed from April 23 till April 28, while only 50 people are permitted to attend weddings or gatherings. Uttarakhand registered 4,368 fresh COVID-19 cases, 44 deaths and 1,748 recoveries on Sunday. The state accounts for 35,864 active cases, while the death toll reached 2,164, as per the state health ministry data. (With agency inputs) Live TV Leadership at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum have assured state lawmakers that its new policies for loaning artifacts will correct the insufficient oversight that led to the improper loan of an original copy of the Gettysburg Address in 2018. Acting Executive Director Melissa Coultas said the agency has established safeguards to protect the safety of artifacts and collection items, including a new policy that requires the museums board of trustees to approve any loan requests. Lack of loan oversight was one of 15 total findings made by the state auditor general in its first compliance audit since the library became an independent state agency, separate from the Historical Preservation Agency in 2017. The agencys lack of controls over the preparation and review of receipts and refunds, incomplete or inaccurate reporting of its property records, failure to maintain adequate records management and inadequate control over employee performance evaluations were among the findings described in the audit report. Coultas testified last week before a meeting of the Legislative Audit Commission, which is a bipartisan committee mandated by law to review all audits conducted by the state auditor general. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum agreed with all of the recommendations, implemented five of the recommendations and partially implemented 10 of them, according to the audit. Coultas has served as acting executive director of the agency since former director Alan Lowe was fired in September 2019 after loaning a copy of the Gettysburg Address that was handwritten by Lincoln to a pop-up exhibit in Texas run by conservative media personality Glenn Beck. In 2019, the states Office of the Inspector General released details of an investigation into the incident that found Lowe agreed to send the artifact via FedEx only eight days after initial discussions began about the loan with Mercury One Inc., a nonprofit corporation founded by Beck. A written loan request for the artifact was also not made in this case. In response to questions about the museums updated loan policy, Coultas said the agency now requires that an internal collections committee first decide whether to recommend approval of the loan. She said the final decision would then go to the board of trustees, which would decide whether to approve the committees recommendation. This process did not happen with the Gettysburg Address loan to Beck, Coultas said. We feel at this point that a situation like lending the Gettysburg Address cannot happen because, one, the process of putting this in front of a board of trustees slows down the process itself, she said. It also requires that all the documentation be in order before recommending it to the board. So, we feel that this policy is the protective action that needed to be in place and it remains the preventive action to ensure that something like this never happens again. Aside from the findings in the audit, Coultas was asked about the firing of former state historian Samuel Wheeler last year. In 2019, Wheeler authored a report that raised doubts about the authenticity of a stovepipe hat purportedly owned by Lincoln and purchased by the museum foundation in 2007 for $25 million as part of a larger collection. Coultas confirmed Wheeler was terminated but declined to provide further information about the details surrounding his firing, citing privacy concerns regarding personnel matters. The auditors report comes amid the naming of a new executive director and a new chairman of the board. Former board chairman Ray LaHood resigned as Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum board chairman earlier this month after the U.S. Department of Justice revealed he failed to disclose a $50,000 loan from a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire on government ethics forms when he received the loan in 2012. Gary Johnson, a lawyer and former president of the Chicago History Museum, was appointed chairman of the board. Johnson has served on the board since September 2019 Last month, trustees announced that Christina Shutt, who currently serves as the director of an African American history and culture museum in Arkansas, will take over the executive director role beginning in June. She will be the first person of color to head the museum since its inception in 2005. Monday, April 26, marks the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. According to Ukrinform, on December 8, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating April 26 as International Chornobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov stressed in his address on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, published on the official website of the Ukrainian parliament, that Ukrainians should always remember the victims of the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and do everything possible to avoid that happening again. "Today marks 35 years since the tragic events occurred at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The accident led to one of the worst man-made and environmental disasters in human history. This day divided the lives of many people into 'before' and 'after,' leaving a deep imprint in our memory," Razumkov said. He also noted that the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant had affected the lives of several generations and caused irreparable damage. It caused environmental pollution, turning the area around the plant into an exclusion zone for many years. The disaster left thousands of people homeless. However, the most important thing is that the tragedy killed and maimed innocent people. "At the same time, the Chornobyl catastrophe also showed how great self-sacrifice can be," he said. He noted that "each of us should honor this fearless act and the courage of the accident's clean-up workers. The self-sacrifice and courage they showed will never be forgotten and will forever remain in the leaves of history." Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov, Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk and Verkhovna Rada Deputy Chairwoman Olena Kondratiuk attended a flower-laying ceremony at the Warriors of Chornobyl memorial sign and the Heroes of Chornobyl memorial mound on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "Today is another anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. Thirty-five years. [...] But this tragedy continues today. It has taken many lives within 35 years and it continues to take them today. The human factor has played a huge role in this tragedy, so we must remember that the peaceful use of nuclear energy depends on us," Razumkov said. He also said that the Verkhovna Rada planned to consider legislative initiatives to improve social protection for victims of the Chornobyl disaster. Razumkov added that as of now, payments to Chornobyl clean-up workers could be delayed due to technical problems "on the ground." According to him, if the Verkhovna Rada receives official requests regarding the systematic delay in payments or their complete absence, this issue will be discussed with the Cabinet of Ministers. At the level of the Verkhovna Rada, no decisions were made to cancel or "freeze" payments to Chornobyl clean-up workers, Razumkov said. On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Mykola Chechotkin addressed Chornobyl clean-up workers and stressed that April 26 would forever remain a day of remembrance and mourning. "It has been 35 years since the terrible accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which brought pain and suffering to millions of people and caused significant environmental damage not only to Ukraine but to the whole world. April 26 will forever remain a day of remembrance and mourning. On this day, we bow down before the heroic deed of firefighters, servicepersons of the civil defense forces and all those who stood up for humanity," the address reads. On April 26, 1986, at 01:23, a powerful chemical explosion occurred at the fourth nuclear reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, causing the destruction of the reactor unit and the engine room. As a result of the explosion, a fire broke out and spread to the roof of the third nuclear reactor. The fire was extinguished by 05:00. However, the fire inside reactor No. 4 continued to burn until May 10; it is possible that well over half of the graphite burned out. After the explosion and the fire, a radioactive cloud covered not only the territory of modern Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, but also the territory of many European countries Sweden, Austria, Norway, Germany, Finland, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Latvia. According to the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), the Chornobyl accident was rated at the highest, seventh level of danger. From the very beginning, Moscow and the leadership of the Ukrainian SSR concealed the fact of the accident and the consequences of the environmental disaster. Sweden was the first to report an increase in radiation levels. The USSR made the first official announcement only on April 28. People living in the area within a 10-kilometer radius of the plant were evacuated in the first days after the accident. The evacuation zone was then expanded to 30 kilometers. In total, 2,293 villages and towns with a population of over 2.6 million inhabitants were contaminated. More than five million hectares of land were removed from agricultural use. To prevent the spread of radiation in late 1986, the destroyed reactor was covered with a special "sarcophagus." According to experts, up to 95% of the original radioactive inventory of the fourth nuclear reactor remains inside the ruins of the reactor building. For safety reasons, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant was shut down on December 15, 2000. At the same time, the Shelter Structure, built in 1986, gradually deteriorated. Ukraine appealed to the international community with the request to hold a competition for projects to replace the Shelter Structure (sarcophagus). In 2004, a tender was held for the design and construction of a new "sarcophagus" - the New Safe Confinement. Its construction began in 2012. On November 29, 2016, the sliding arch of the New Safe Confinement was built. On July 10, 2019, the state-owned enterprise Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant commissioned the NSC. In the future, work will be conducted to demolish the unstable structures associated with the original Shelter Structure. Fans have been left on the edge of their seats after the penultimate episode of Line of Duty, and have to wait until Sunday to discover how the nail-biting series will come to an undoubtedly explosive finish. But images from the Belfast set of the hit BBC drama, taken during filming on October 21 last year, give eager fans a clue as to what they can expect from the much-anticipated series finale. The snaps, believed to be taken during filming of the seventh episode of the series, show a concerned DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) standing united as they speak to Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar). There have already been cracks appearing between the AC-12 trio after Steve discovered that Hastings blew John Corbett's cover - which resulted in John having his throat slit by Ryan Pilkington - and seemingly gave his widow Steph 50,000. Images from the Belfast set of BBC's Line of Duty, taken during filming on October 21 last year (above), have left fans wondering what to expect from the much-anticipated series finale The snaps, which are thought to be depicting the seventh episode of the series, show a stoney-faced Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) getting out his police car In the tense images, Kate looks worried as she stands with her arms folded alongside Steve, while Hastings stands some distance away from the duo looking sombre. Hastings, who has already become exasperated with time running out before he's forced into retirement and AC-12 is disbanded, is also seen rushing out of a police car as things heat up. While another snap shows a stoney-faced Hastings pointedly walking out of the front gates of Decker Avenue Police Station, where former solicitor Jimmy Lakewell was taken before withdrawing his cooperation with AC-12 and subsequently getting mrudered at HMP Blackthorn. The photos will leave fans wondering if Kate and Steve are going to confront Hastings about the mysterious wad of cash given to Steph, as well as what the trio are doing at Decker Avenue Police Station. Another snap shows Hastings pointedly walking out of the front gates of Decker Avenue Police Station, where Jimmy Lakewell was taken before withdrawing his cooperation with AC-12 Other images show Kate (centre) and Steve (right) speak to Hastings, leaving fans asking if the duo confront the AC-12 boss about the 50,000 given to John Corbett's widow Steph Hastings, who has already become exasperated as time is running out before he's forced into retirement and AC-12 is disbanded, is seen looking concerned in the images A dramatic trailer for the finale, released on Monday, showed Kate wearing the same grey turtleneck jumper as she is seen wearing in the on-set snaps, while it teases at the return of the balaclava men and shows DCI Jo Davidson handcuffed in prison. The teaser clip also shows the discovery of a written note containing that 'definately' misspelling, a clue that many fans have speculated might indicate who H is - an error that was made by whoever John Corbett was speaking to last season. Sunday's penultimate episode of Line of Duty, which focused on a 29-minute scene where Jo Davidson was interviewed, has already left fans with a long list of unanswered questions. After shooting bent copper and OCG stalwart Ryan Pilkington dead, Kate and Jo Davidson - who had orchestrated the shady meet up to 'get rid of Fleming' - went on the run, before they were caught after DCS Patricia Carmichael put trackers on all AC-12 vehicles. During a tense interview scene, Jo learned the sordid truth about her family history but refused to give away all she knows about the OCG and its elusive leader H when pressed by Superintendent Ted Hastings - whose questions were repeatedly shut down by an increasingly shifty-looking Carmichael. And DS Chris Lomax seemed less than enthusiastic when Kate suggested searching under the floor at the warehouse the OCG was using to workshop firearms, leaving fans questioning whether he too is hiding something. Meanwhile, Marcus Thurwell (James Nesbitt) - the retired former detective chief inspector suspected of being in league with organised crime and even in the frame for being H, the corrupt officer now referred to as the 'fourth man' - was found dead at his address in Spain. Hastings, who is up against the clock before AC-12 is disbanded, is also seen getting out of a police car as things heat up during the series A dramatic trailer for the BBC drama's finale showed Kate wearing the same grey turtleneck jumper as she is seen wearing in the on-set snaps (pictured) The images have left people questioning whether Kate and Steve are going to confront Hastings about the mysterious wad of cash given to Steph, and wondering what the trio are doing at Decker Avenue Police Station Another snap, from the Line of Duty set on the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, shows Hastings and Kate looking downtrodden during tense scenes The penultimate episode of Line of Duty, which focused on Jo Davidson being interviewed, has left fans with unanswered questions (above, Vicky McClure pictured on set) Viewers were stunned on Sunday night when it appeared James Nesbitt's character was killed off before he even appeared on screen - but some are convinced it was a cover-up. Towards the end of the nail-biting penultimate episode, Guardia Civil police officers stormed Marcus Thurwell's Spanish home, while the AC-12 team watched via video link. When the law enforcement officers entered the home, they were met by two bodies, and a Spanish captain turned to the camera and identified one as 'Senor Thurwell'. While many viewers expressed surprise an actor of Nesbitt's calibre was denied even a scene, some were left convinced Thurwell was in fact the Spanish AFO leading the raid on his home. AC-12 were looking into the retired former detective chief inspector after SI Steve Arnott learned that Gail Vella - the journalist who was murdered - had been looking into the death of Lawrence Christopher while in police custody - a case Thurwell was in charge of. As the series finale approaches, will we finally discover who H, aka the fourth man, really is? There have already been cracks appearing between the AC-12 trio after Steve discovered Hastings (pictured) blew John Corbett's cover and gave his widow Steph 50,000 In snaps taken on set, Hastings appeared to be hard at work ahead of his forced retirement as he was seen getting out of a police car looking determined BRUSSELS American tourists who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to visit the European Union over the summer, the head of the blocs executive body said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, more than a year after shutting down nonessential travel from most countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The fast pace of vaccination in the United States, and advanced talks between U.S. authorities and the European Union over how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity for visitors, will enable the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, to recommend a switch in policy that could see trans-Atlantic leisure travel restored. The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said Sunday in an interview with the Times in Brussels. This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union. Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA, she added. The agency, the blocs drugs regulator, has approved all three vaccines being used in the United States, namely the Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson shots. Von der Leyen did not offer a timeline on when tourist travel might open up or details on how it would occur. But her comments are a top-level statement that the current travel restrictions are set to change on the basis of vaccination certificates. She noted that the United States was on track and making huge progress with its campaign to reach so-called herd immunity, or the vaccination of 70% of adults, by mid-June. She added that resumption of travel would depend on the epidemiological situation, but the situation is improving in the United States, as it is, hopefully, also improving in the European Union. Diplomats from Europes tourist destination countries, mostly led by Greece, have argued for weeks that the blocs criteria for determining whether a country is a safe origin purely based on low cases of COVID-19 are fast becoming irrelevant given the progress of vaccination campaigns in the United States, Britain and some other countries. Technical discussions have been going on for several weeks between European Union and U.S. officials on how to practically and technologically make vaccine certificates from each place broadly readable so that citizens can use them to travel without restrictions. These discussions are continuing, officials in Brussels said, and it is possible that a low-tech solution would be used in the near future to enable people to travel freely on the basis of vaccination. For example, a traveler to Europe could get an EU vaccine-certificate equivalent on arrival after showing a bona fide certificate issued by his or her own government. The hope, officials said, is that this step would soon be unnecessary as government-issued vaccine certificates issued by foreign governments would be acceptable and readable in the European Union, and vice versa. The European Union itself has begun the process of furnishing its own citizens with digital green certificates, which will state whether the traveler has been vaccinated against COVID-19; has recovered from the disease in recent months; or has tested negative for the virus in the past few days. Europeans will be able to use those to travel without added restrictions, at least in principle, within the bloc of 27 nations. Based on von der Leyens comments, the European Commission will recommend the change in travel policy, though individual member states may reserve the right to keep stricter limits. They might not permit citizens from outside the bloc to visit or might enforce restrictions like quarantines, even on visitors who have vaccination certificates. But countries like Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Croatia that welcome millions of American tourists each summer, and greatly depend on them for income and jobs, are set to jump at the opportunity to reopen to the American tourism market with the EUs blessing. Until now, nonessential travel to the European Union has been officially banned with the exception of visitors from a shortlist of countries with very low caseloads of the virus, including Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Some EU countries have made small exceptions to permit visitors from outside the bloc. Greece, for example, said last week that it would open its borders to travelers from the United States starting Monday, provided they show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. The visitors from the handful of countries that are officially permitted to visit the European Union under existing rules would normally still have to comply with various sets of requirements implemented on a country-by-country basis, including having a negative COVID-19 test and following quarantine rules. The return of vaccinated visitors to Europes beaches and tourist sites would bring a desperately needed financial boost for countries in its southern rim, in particular. And for millions of would-be tourists around the world, as well as for airlines and the broader travel industry, it would herald a cautious and limited return to something that feels like normalcy. For Americans especially, it would also highlight a stark change in COVID-19 fortunes: going from undesirable in Europe a year ago, when the pandemic was raging in the United States, to being in the front of the line of global travelers free to resume leisure trips. But the return of leisure travel to Europe on a bigger scale will also highlight the deepening inequality between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, both within countries and, particularly, on a global level. With India in the throes of the worst rise in COVID-19 infections in the world, and with the past weeks global coronavirus case total the highest since the pandemic began, that contrast could become even more jarring. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The Defense Department is tracking 14 cases of heart inflammation, or myocarditis, in military health patients who developed the condition after receiving either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The rare disorder, usually caused by a virus, has been linked to COVID-19. But following a number of reports from Israel of patients developing the inflammation in conjunction with receiving vaccines, the Israeli Health Ministry is exploring a possible link, Israel's Channel 12 reported Friday, according to the Jerusalem Post. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, the myocardium, that can reduce the heart's ability to function or cause abnormal heart rhythms. The first report of myocarditis in a patient who received a COVID-19 vaccine was published in Israel on Feb. 1. Read Next: The VA is Testing an Implant that Could Help Paralyzed Veterans Walk Again Another case of myocarditis in a 39-year-old male was reported in Revista Espanola de Cardiologia in early March. The DoD has been tracking myocarditis cases through March, according to spokesman Peter Graves. Of the 14 cases, one patient, who tested positive for COVID-19 three months ago, developed myocarditis after their first dose of vaccine. The remaining 13 patients developed myocarditis after their second vaccine doses. Eleven received the Moderna vaccine; three got Pfizer. Military.com reporter Steve Beynon, 30, a member of the Washington, D.C., National Guard, is among the 14 military patients who developed myocarditis after his second dose of the Moderna vaccine. He was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in February and spent nearly three days in the ICU, but returned to work and has since performed his National Guard duties. A civilian member of the Pentagon Press Corps, Marcus Weisgerber, 39, developed myocarditis after his second Pfizer shot and spent two days in the hospital. Weisgerber, who writes for DefenseOne, is married to Military.com reporter Oriana Pawlyk. According to reports, Israel is exploring any link between myocarditis and the Pfizer vaccine. Of more than 5 million vaccines administered in Israel, 62 cases of myocarditis were recorded days after vaccination. Most were seen in men under age 30; 56 of the 62 cases occurred after the second vaccine dose. A review by Military.com of the Food and Drug Administration's Vaccine Adverse Event Report System, or VAERS, database as of Friday showed at least 45 reports of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccines. The majority of cases occurred after the second dose, with 19 cases reported after the Pfizer vaccine and 26 after the Moderna vaccine. More than 62% of the American cases reported were in men, most between the ages of 20 and 45. In one report, a 19-year-old male developed symptoms of myocarditis -- chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath -- six days after receiving his first dose; the reporting party described his case as being "post-COVID-19 vaccine syndrome." "Based on the current available information and temporal association between the use of the produce and the start date of the event, a causal relationship cannot be excluded," wrote the reporting party in VAERS. VAERS officials stress that reports of illnesses or health problems following a vaccine do not indicate that the vaccine caused or contributed to the condition, only that an illness occurred in conjunction with receiving a vaccine. "The reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable. In large part, reports to VAERS are voluntary, which means they are subject to biases. This creates specific limitations on how the data can be used scientifically," VAERS notes on its web page. Abby Capobianco, an FDA spokeswoman, said Monday that the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not seen any "new safety signals for myocarditis following administration of any of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines." "Post-authorization safety monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination program will aim to continuously monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines to rapidly detect safety problems if they exist. Should any new safety signals be identified by FDA and CDC through this safety surveillance, that information will be communicated to the public," she added. The U.S. has administered more than 228 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines of all types, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, according to the CDC. The Defense Department has administered 2,713,640 COVID-19 vaccines, with diagnoses of myocarditis occurring in .000516% of that group. Graves said the Defense Health Agency is proud of its medical professionals who referred their otherwise young, fit and healthy patients for cardiac evaluations -- a decision drawn from observances with the ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine. In 2003, at least 10 military personnel and several civilians developed myocarditis after receiving the vaccine; two died of heart attacks. The CDC took steps to recommend that people with known heart disease avoid the smallpox vaccination. "We applaud Military Health System medical professionals for considering cardiac evaluations. ... Following diagnosis, these adverse events, temporally associated with immunization, were submitted to the CDC's VAERS and subsequently brought to the attention of the CDC's COVID-19 Safety Technical Subgroup," Graves said. He added that discussions are ongoing among subject matter experts. Myocarditis is most frequently diagnosed in young adults ages 20 to 40, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Men develop myocarditis more frequently than women, "possibly due to effects of testosterone on the immune reaction to infection, according to NORD. The condition is treatable but can lead to heart attack or stroke or cause chronic thickening of the heart muscles. Recovery, depending on the initial reason for development, can take up to several weeks but it also may linger for months, reducing a patient's ability to work out or engage in physically strenuous activities, including military training and exercises. Military myocarditis patients are being advised not to exercise for three to six months; to limit carbohydrates and sugar to reduce inflammation; and to restrict themselves to no more than one alcoholic beverage a day. "No PT, exercise, marching or drill for the next six months," according to one service member's discharge instructions. According to Channel 12 and a subsequent report in the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Health Ministry contacted Pfizer, which said that "it has not detected similar findings in the rest of the world at this time," adding that it would "look deeper into the phenomenon." The Post also reported that two people -- a 22-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man -- died as a result of heart-related issues after receiving a vaccine. Moderna did not respond to an email sent Feb. 23 by Military.com about the military cases. The company also did not respond to subsequent requests for information or an interview. Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment Friday. As reported by Channel 12 and the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Health Ministry estimates that one out of every 20,000 young men developed myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination. "It is likely that the onset of myocarditis is associated with receiving the vaccine (especially the second dose)," the report notes. Graves said the Defense Health Agency's Immunization Health Division's clinical support center, VAERS and the CDC's safety group are "fulfilling their intended purpose -- monitoring for an unexpected adverse event signal" and consulting with specialists. "It's important to remember that medical events developing or worsening around the time of a vaccine does not mean that the vaccine was involved," Graves said. He added that reports of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccines do not change the DoD's recommendations that all patients in the military health system get the COVID-19 vaccine "as soon as possible." "It is important to remember that COVID-19 disease can also affect multiple organ systems in your body -- including the heart -- even in those without significant symptoms or who were asymptomatic during COVID-19 infection," Graves said. "Evidence available in peer-reviewed literature suggests that cardiac risk of complications are clearly higher in those with COVID-19 disease as opposed to a potential risk from the COVID-19 vaccine." The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines utilize a novel technology that uses messenger RNA to instruct cells to make the spike protein seen on the COVID-19 coronavirus, triggering an immune response. The mRNA is broken down by the cell and the spike protein itself is broken down by the body when it leaves the cell, but the immune system is trained to recognize it and respond to any exposure. The CDC recommends that patients contact their doctor after receiving the vaccine if redness or tenderness worsens at the vaccine site after 24 hours or if "side effects are worrying or do not seem to be going away after a few days." Graves said the military patients all experienced chest pain 12 to 96 hours after vaccination. As of Monday, more than 486,000 U.S. service members, or 23% of the total force, including the Reserve and National Guard, had been fully vaccinated. The DoD has logged more than 284,000 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, including troops, family members, employees and contractors. Of those, 344 people died, including 24 troops and 12 dependent family members. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime. Related: The Military Faces of COVID-19: 5 Stories of Lives the Community Lost to The Virus [April 26, 2021] Current and MrBeast announce exclusive, long-term partnership and investment NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Current, a leading U.S. financial technology company, and Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, one of YouTube's most-viewed creators and philanthropists, today announced an exclusive, long-term partnership and investment in Current. The collaboration will give Donaldson, known for his viral challenges, ambitious stunts, and generosity, a new platform to engage and give back at an even larger scale to his over 130 million social media fans utilizing Current's mobile banking products. The new partnership kicked off with MrBeast's biggest fan giveaway to date as Jimmy announced he was giving away $100,000 to 100,000 fans on Current in his latest video 'I Got Hunted by a Bounty Hunter', which had over 18 million views in 24 hours. Fans will receive cash directly from ~MrBeast, Jimmy's Current ~tag, and will have an opportunity to redeem free points on Current for exclusive MrBeast x Current merchandise in the app. It is the first of many large-scale integrations planned between MrBeast and the financial platform. "I've always been passionate about producing great content and giving back to the community, and Current is the perfect partner to support me in both efforts," said Donaldson. "I'm excited to be working together and look forward to producing awesome content that will help even more people." Donaldson's amous generosity and stunts have included giving away 40 cars to his 40 millionth YouTube subscriber, giving five people randomly $10,000 each on Twitter, giving a small streamer $50,000 for completing Minecraft, donating thousands to the homeless, and more. His videos have generated over 13 billion views on just YouTube, including over 1 billion in the last month alone. "For years we've witnessed Jimmy's incredible creativity and generosity. His unique ability to consistently produce engaging, original content and give back to his fans in increasingly innovative ways has raised the bar for all creators," said Adam Hadi, VP of Marketing, Current. "Creators are integral to our strategy and this partnership fully exemplifies our mission to improve the financial outcomes of millions of Americans. MrBeast is a perfect brand fit and with this long-term commitment, we are collaborating to build the best platform for him to engage his fans in new ways and give this generation more opportunities to create better futures for themselves." About Current We are a leading U.S. financial technology company serving the needs of Americans who are working to create a better future for themselves. Our mission is to enable members to change their lives by creating better financial outcomes. Leveraging the best technology, we deliver inspirational and motivational products as we all move forward in a world of increasing digitization and complexity. To learn more about us, visit http://www.current.com or download our app on the App Store or Google Play. About MrBeast Jimmy Donaldson is a philanthropist and one of the most popular YouTubers globally, best known as "MrBeast" to his online fandom of nearly 60 million subscribers. MrBeast has captured YouTube fans' attention by giving large amounts of money and changing individuals' lives and charitable causes, including giving away millions of dollars in food to those in need, donating to food banks, and lending a hand to other social media user's fans. These online videos frequently match in donations what they achieve in view count. In April 2021, he launched the Beast Philanthropy channel, which will solely focus on his charity. In 2020 Donaldson hosted two rounds of Creator Games, a tournament-style competition between some of YouTube's biggest names. The second live stream event raised over $1 million for the COVID-19 Solitary Response Fund for the WHO. Donaldson has also given to homeless shelters, the Veterans Army Wounded Warrior Program, Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital, and more. One of his most famous collaborative fundraising events was #TeamTrees, which organized and raised millions to plant trees and attracted Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, Susan Wojcicki, and many more tech icons. The project surpassed its goal and reached 22 million dollars, and planted 22 million trees. In December 2020, Jimmy launched MrBeast Burger, a virtual restaurant on all delivery apps utilizing ghost kitchens. There are currently 550 locations across the US. Donaldson is widely credited with creating this one-of-a-kind genre within the YouTube community. He currently resides in Greenville, North Carolina, where he produces all the original content for his channel. Media Contact: Erin Bruehl Director of Communications, Current media@current.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/current-and-mrbeast-announce-exclusive-long-term-partnership-and-investment-301276548.html SOURCE Current [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] On a trip to Jordan in January 2018, TV host Raya Abirached visits Syrian refugees living in Za'atari camp. UNHCR/Esna Ong UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced the appointment of popular TV personality Raya Abirached as a Regional Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Abirached has been working as a High-Profile Supporter with UNHCR since 2017 and is a powerful voice and advocate for the forcibly displaced across the world. Prior to her appointment, Abirached had been working closely with UNHCR on several campaigns and appeals. The first female Arab to be appointed as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, her engagement with UNHCR began in 2017 through MBC Hope, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of MBC Group. Since then, she has consistently advocated for refugee rights through her participation in UNHCRs Ramadan and winter campaigns, as well as in various emergency appeals. Speaking on the occasion, Raya Abirached said: "I am deeply honored and humbled by being chosen as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. I do not take lightly the responsibility and tasks ahead and hope, with an open heart, that I can make a small difference in the lives of those in need throughout our region. Thank you UNHCR for your trust." Welcoming Abiracheds appointment as UNHCRs Goodwill Ambassador, Houssam Chahine, UNHCRs Chief of Private Sector Partnerships in MENA said: We are very delighted to honor Rayas dedication and commitment, especially as this announcement comes during the Holy month of Ramadan, where #EverySecondCounts in making an impact in the lives of refugees and advocating on their behalf. He added: Goodwill Ambassadors play a vital role in bringing the refugee cause closer to the public and we look forward to continue inspiring more people in our region and globally to take action for refuges and those internally displaced, through Rayas voice and platforms. As well as providing digital advocacy to UNHCR over the past four years, Abirached has undertaken numerous initiatives to provide support to refugees and internally displaced populations. These include her participation in field missions to Lebanon and Jordan, and hosting Dafathon; a live fundraising event to provide fuel to heat refugees homes throughout the harsh winter season. This year, she will also be supporting UNHCRs global Ramadan campaign #EverySecondCounts which focuses on the incredible impact individuals can create within seconds, in the lives of refugee and displaced families whose lives turned upside down within moments and who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. Of Lebanese descent, Raya Abirached has been an established media personality in the Arab world for the past two decades and is well known for her celebrity interviews and for presenting popular regional TV programmes. Abirached is a presenter and producer at MBC Group and one of the faces of the hit television talent show Arabs Got Talent, which she co-hosts. She also hosts Scoop with Raya, a show that provides audiences across the region with the latest news and interviews from the world of Hollywood. For more information on this topic, please contact: Raefah Makki Head of Campaign and Advocacy Team, UNHCR [email protected] About UNHCR UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. The European Union has sued AstraZeneca over what the bloc has described as delays in shipping hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines, a sharp escalation of a longstanding dispute between the bloc and the maker of one of the worlds most important vaccines. AstraZeneca has said that it would be able to deliver only a third of the 300 million doses that European officials had been expecting by the end of June. As a result, European officials said on Monday that they believed AstraZeneca had broken its contract, and that they were seeking speedier deliveries than the company said it could muster. The two sides relationship had grown acrimonious in January when AstraZeneca slashed its expected deliveries for the first quarter of the year, setting back the blocs vaccination campaign by weeks as cases picked up across the continent and political leaders faced scorching criticism for inadequate planning. For AstraZeneca, whose cheap and easy-to-store shot is being used by 135 countries, the lawsuit could create further difficulties in a bruising stretch. No company had been as instrumental in the race to vaccinate poorer countries around the world, but AstraZeneca has been buffeted in recent weeks by the discovery of an exceedingly rare, though serious, side effect that has prompted restrictions on its use in parts of Europe. Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has welcomed the completion of the first cross-border merger involving United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC) and United Overseas Group (UOG) using its companies law. The transaction uses a highly complex reverse triangular merger structure, seeing UACC join forces with UOG with the backing of a newly formed investor consortium. The enlarged group will continue to be known as United Arab Chemical Carriers Limited. It is the first time the merger provisions under the DIFC Companies Law have been used for a merger of this nature and paves the way for its increased use. The DIFC Companies Law was updated in 2018 and included a rewrite of the merger requirements in the Centre. DIFCs merger provisions are less detailed and more user-friendly than those under the UK regime. Most importantly, they enable both public and private companies established in DIFC to merge with other companies, including those established in jurisdictions outside the Centre. Chief Business Development Officer Salmaan Jaffery said: "DIFC continues to build on its reputation as a global financial centre thanks to our world class user-friendly legal and regulatory framework. This is the first cross-border merger using DIFCs Companies Law and we expect to see more in the future." "We remain focused on delivering best-in-class support for businesses to ensure they have the opportunities to grow and scale within our community and across the region," he noted. Lauding UACC for using its companies law, Chief Legal Officer Jacques Visser said: "DIFC prides itself on delivering best-in-class legal and regulatory structures, tailored for our region and thats why we introduced the updated Companies Law." "This merger sets a strong precedent for successful M&A in DIFC and demonstrates the benefits of the unique legal framework which DIFC offers," he added.-TradeArabia News Service There is no example of a developed nation that had a Third World education and healthcare system Just before the 2014 election, two of Indias most famous economists had a public quarrel. Because they were academics the language was mostly polite, but the disagreement was not minor. It was about the so-called Gujarat Model. Jagdish Bhagwati took the side of Narendra Modi, and Amartya Sen took the opposite side. In brief, the Bhagwati-Modi view was to prioritise economic growth over social spending. Sens view was that economic growth was not possible without social spending. Sen did not oppose a liberalised business environment: his concern was primarily what the government did. Bhagwati did not oppose social spending: his concern was what the government should not do. Both sides had rational arguments, but Sen had one unanswerable question: Could anyone name a nation that had become developed without a healthy and well-educated population? The answer to that was no. There is no nation on the world that has ignored investing in the health and education of its population and become developed. It is social spending that leads to growth and not the other way around. You cannot have a population that is not very literate and not very healthy and expect that industrialists will do all the work necessary to make a nation developed. The state and the government have the primary responsibility and function in this area. The Gujarat Model believes that if the government supports industrialists by offering them subsidies, ease of doing business, freedom from workers unions and holding vibrant Gujarat melas if it does this for a sufficiently long period, then the benefits will accrue to the general population because it is business that makes the economy strong. The Sen model believes that a healthy and educated population is both an end in itself and a means to achieving economic prosperity. It was in fact possible for the government to create a healthy and educated population even when it had no real economic strength, and Cuba is an example of this. There is no example of a developed nation that had a Third World education and healthcare system. For this reason, the State must focus on building a strong education system and a strong healthcare system and prioritise its spending in these areas. Sen supports schemes like MNREGA and the right to food, Narendra Modi opposed MNREGA and called it a monument to failure. The Congress Party said this week that in 25 years under the BJP, including 12 years under Mr Modi, Gujarat did not build a single new government hospital. The BJP has not denied the claim, meaning that it is correct. Of course, many Vibrant Gujarat summits were held. What did they produce ultimately? The answer is not development, whatever definition we can use for it. Yes, it is true that some Gujaratis have become very wealthy, a few even managing to triple their wealth in 2020 a year, when many of us lost work. But for the majority there was no benefit. The large industries that came up in Gujarat did not employ a lot of people. This is why the most dominant political community of the state, the Patidars, took to the streets demanding reservations in jobs. The sacrifice that was made by the population for the Gujarat Model was very great. Gujarat was low on the Human Development Index and in 2012 Mr Modi told the Wall Street Journal that malnutrition in his state was high because its girls were fashion-conscious and didnt want to drink milk. This sort of contempt and ignorance of fundamental issues has come at a cost to India. The Sen model is not only about expenditure, it is also about the focus of the State. A government which believes that it is the well-being of its citizenry as measured through their health and education will be geared and organised in a particular way. It will not be caught scrambling one year after a global pandemic because it does not have enough oxygen or medicines or beds. The Gujarat Model expected that the private sector would take care of health because it was a business and there would be consumers. That is not how the rest of the world has achieved it. It is not necessary to say today that Bhagwati was totally wrong because he was, and we can see that all around us. As India suffers and the ruling party is on the defensive, the truth is that the only way that this wave will pass is if exponential growth of the virus stops on its own. The intervention of the government is so poor and so weak that it cannot by itself do anything significant to save us. In the short term we have to suffer the consequences and there is no option. This is the reason why Prime Minister Modi has been missing from the public eye after stopping his rallies in West Bengal abruptly. The reason why Mr Modi was furious that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal showed their interaction to the rest of us was not because it was a breach of protocol but because the truth was exposed and it was embarrassing. At a moment of crisis, we are choosing to run away from the fact that core beliefs about what the government should do have been proven wrong. We should have an honest discussion once again about the Bhagwati and Sen debate and what we should do in the medium and long term. (@fidahassanain) Federal Education Minister has extended good wishes to the appearing candidates, saying that he has asked Cambridge to reconsider the 13 month condition for taking remaining papers considering the extra ordinary situation. LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-April 26th, 2021) Cambridge examinations started today in Pakistan amid strict Coronavirus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). All students and staff members were seen wearing masks, ensuring reasonable distance and following other protocols like avoiding hand shake at the exams centers in the country. Federal Minister for education Shafqat Mahmood extended good wishes to the appearing candidates. He wrote: Wishing all students taking exams starting from today, the very best. These are tough times and difficult decisions have been made keeping the students best interest in view. British Council is committed to strict implementation of SOPs and we will monitor them closely. Good Luck,. In another tweet, Shafqat Mahmood said: As regards AS students I have asked Cambridge to reconsider the 13 month condition for taking remaining papers considering the extra ordinary situation. I am very hopeful that a positive decision will come soon,. Last week some students approached Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking cancellation of in-person A and O level exam but the court rejected their plea as non-maintainable. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 18:37:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM -- Israel closed Gaza Strip's offshore fishing zone early Monday, following overnight rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, amid the worst flare-up in the region in recent months. Israel's Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories Ghassan Alian said in a statement that Gaza's fishing area will be "completely closed" starting from 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Monday until further announcement. (Gaza Strip-Israel-Rocket fire) - - - - ISTANBUL -- Turkish prosecutors issued on Monday detention warrants for 532 military personnel over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016. Police units launched operations in 62 provinces as part of an investigation co-conducted by prosecutors in Istanbul and Izmir, said the state-run Anadolu agency. (Turkey-Operations-Failed coup) - - - - ASADABAD, Afghanistan -- At least 15 civilians were wounded after several rockets fired by militants struck Asadabad, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province on Monday, a local official confirmed. "Several rockets fired by Taliban militants struck Asadabad roughly at 9:30 a.m. local time. One of the rockets struck the provincial government office, causing casualties. Details will be shared with media soon," Provincial Governor Mohammad Iqbal Sayyed told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-Kunar-Rocket Attacks) - - - - NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally surpassed 17 million on Monday with a fresh high of 352,991 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry. This was the fifth consecutive day when over 300,000 cases were registered in a single day. According to the figures released by the federal health ministry, 2,812 deaths were registered in a day, taking the death toll to 195,123. (India-COVID-19) Enditem Schools at all grade levels in lower risk regions in Italy reopened on Monday to more students, reaching a 70% average capacity of in-presence learning as part of a nationwide plan to partially ease the lockdowns imposed since the virus surge in fall. Isaac Newton High School students in Rome were happy to return to their teachers on Monday, crowding the school entrance and eager to make it to their classrooms. On April 16, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced that April 26 as the date of the partial re-openings for yellow-risk regions, a long expected first step toward emerging from what many feel like a never ending pandemic. Isaac Newton High School had already returned to some in-presence learning earlier in the year. Fifth year students were given preference, as they need as much classroom time as possible with their fellow students to prepare for the state exams ending their course of studies. "Preparing for a final exam with in-presence learning is surely better than doing it from home," said 18-year-old, fifth year student Valerio Forte. More first and second year students were also brought back to in-presence learning, as being beginners, they are considered in need of more guidance through a new learning experience. Some classes were back to their full capacity, while others had some students in class and others following from home through distance learning. The high school already had systems in place to allow students back in class, with its gym also being set up as a classroom space. According to the school's principal, a full in-class presence cannot be achieved at this stage due to public transport limits. Keeping the in-class presence at 50% to 70% allows for public transportation to not get too crowded with students who have to get to and from school. But "teachers are extremely tired because for more than a year, they have had to reshape their way of teaching," said Cristina Costarelli, the principal of Isaac Newton High School. They now have to adapt to both in-presence learning and distance learning, she added. Some students were also complaining about the new measures in school, such as keeping a distance from each other and wearing face masks the entire time. According to the Italian Ministry of Education, about 7.6 million students are currently attending in-presence classes. The country is also opening its cinemas, restaurants, theatres and museums. Travel will also be allowed between the yellow zones. Italy's 10 p.m. curfew will remain in place, and the stricter rules will be unchanged in red-tier zones with a higher level of contagion. Italy was the first country outside of Asia to be hit by the virus in February 2020, and has suffered the second-highest death toll in Europe, with nearly 116,000 dead. The country recorded more than 3.8 million cases of the coronavirus. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Alber Elbaz, the fashion designer whose audacious designs transformed the storied French house Lanvin into an industry darling before his shock ouster in 2015, has died aged 59, the Richemont luxury group said Sunday. "It was with shock and enormous sadness that I heard of Alber's sudden passing," Richemont chairman Johann Rupert said in a statement. No cause of death was given. The veteran fashion journalist Suzy Menkes, citing Rupert in an Instagram post, said Elbaz "has left this world after a three-week struggle with Covid". A company spokeswoman confirmed Elbaz had died from Covid on Saturday, but would not confirm reports he was being treated at the American Hospital in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Elbaz, an Israeli born in Morocco (as Albert), restored the lustre to Lanvin during his 14 years at the helm of France's oldest couture brand, giving classic tailoring a more playful edge. Hollywood stars including Cate Blanchett and Sienna Miller were devotees, in particular of his svelt black cocktail dresses, and the house flourished financially during his tenure. "Women are more independent, more daring," he told L'Express magazine in 2008. "A dress has to accompany them. They want to move with it, live with it. Movement is essential for me -- it's life." 'True pioneer' Instantly recognisable with his oversize round glasses and his penchant for bow ties, Elbaz also earned fans with an affable and ebullient demeanour that set him apart in an industry known for prickly personalities. After beginning his career with the American designer Geoffrey Beene in New York, he took over at Guy Laroche in 1996 before joining Yves Saint Laurent in 1998 to design ready-to-wear collections for the French master. In 2001 he was hired by Lanvin shortly after its acquisition by a group of investors led by the Chinese billionaire Shaw-Lan Wang. Under his guidance, the storied brand refound its lost glamour and Elbaz himself became one of the fashion world's most respected figures. Story continues He was also attuned to the lower ends of the market, collaborating with the Swedish fast-fashion giant H&M in 2010 for a hugely popular capsule collection. "I always told myself I'd never do a collection for a mass retailer, but what finally intrigued me was the idea that H&M was embracing luxury, rather than having Lanvin adapt itself to mass retailing... and without losing its soul," Elbaz said at the time. "He was one of the most creative, funniest men in fashion, and a true pioneer in the industry," Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, said on Instagram. "He was also one of the most talented designers I've ever worked with -- even though he always preferred to call himself 'a dressmaker'." So it was all the more shocking when Elbaz was unceremoniously fired as Lanvin's creative director in October 2015, reportedly after a clash with Wang. Elbaz never joined another fashion house afterwards but formed a series of partnerships, including with the Swiss-based conglomerate Richemont in 2019. Lanvin, for its part, reported its first annual loss in a decade following his departure, and has since cycled through a series of creative directors. "Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry's brightest and most beloved figures," Richemont's Rupert said. "His inclusive vision of fashion made women feel beautiful and comfortable by blending traditional craftsmanship with technology -- highly innovative projects which sought to redefine the industry." French President Emmanuel Macron said the designer had "made French elegance shine around the world". "He extended and enriched the line of designers who forged the legend of French elegance," Macron said in a statement. (AFP) New Delhi: A 10-year-old girl was mauled to death by a tiger in Madhya Pradeshs Khanabad village near Ratapani wildlife sanctuary, forest officials said on Monday. According to forest officials the deceased minor along with her two younger siblings had taken their cattle to a forested area adjoining their village. Manoj Bhadoriya, sub-divisional officer of the forest department said, The forested area falls in buffer zone of Ratapani sanctuary. He further added, As per information, the tiger pounced on the girl killing her on the spot. The deceased younger siblings made an attempt to save her by hurling stones at the tiger but in vain, added the forest officer. The girl left the incident site after her siblings started screaming to the loudest of their voice. The duo siblings carried the body of the girl to their village and informed the villagers about the tiger-attack. Bhadoriya further told the media that this is the first reported incident in the area. Also read: Bengaluru: White tigers kill caretaker in Bannerghatta National Park We have launched a manhunt for the tiger. We have told the villagers to avoid taking cattle into deep forest areas, added Bhadoriya. We have registered a case of unnatural death. The girls body was handed over to the family members after postmortem, said Additional Superintendent of Police Avdhesh Pratap Singh. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. COVID-19 tally in Telangana breached four lakh mark with 6,551 fresh infections and the toll crossed 2,000 with 43 more casualties. Thetotal number of cases now stands at over 4.01 lakh while the toll rose to 2,042. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 1418, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (554) and Rangareddy (482), a government bulletin said on Monday providing details as of 8 PM on April 25. The total number of cumulative cases in the state stood at 4,01,783 while with 3804 patients being cured, the total recoveries were at 3,34,144. The state has 65,597 active cases and over 73 thousand samples were tested on Sunday. Cumulatively, over 1.25 crore samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population was over 3.37 lakh, the bulletin said. The case fatality rate in the state was 0.50 per cent, while it was 1.1 per cent at the national level. The recovery rate in was 83.16 per cent, while it was 82.6 per cent in the country. The state has 282 active micro containment zones. According to a separate release, over 35.71 lakh people in the state have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine while over five lakh got their second shot also as of April 25. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 22:32:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, makes remarks at a State Council meeting on clean governance in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2021. Vice Premier Han Zheng and Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for efforts to enhance clean governance and anti-corruption work in China's government agencies. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a State Council meeting on clean governance. Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and Vice Premier Han Zheng, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. While acknowledging the efforts of government agencies in relevant areas over the past year that have effectively promoted the work in epidemic prevention and control as well as economic and social development, Li said corruption and misconduct still pose challenges in some areas. He urged consistent efforts to promote clean governance and strengthen anti-corruption in government agencies, and called for measures to give full play to the leading role of strict Party self-governance to ensure that the targets and tasks for economic and social development this year will be accomplished. Li stressed the implementation of policies such as tax and fee cuts to help market entities recover and gain more vitality. He urged efforts to ensure that the direct allocation of fiscal funds plays a better role in benefiting people and enterprises. More work should be done to strengthen the oversight of investment in fields related to people's livelihoods, including employment, education, medical care and elderly care, Li said. The government should tighten its belt and reduce expenditure to allow more funding for people's livelihoods, while deepening reforms to streamline administration and delegate power to further energize market entities and stimulate social creativity, he said. Li also called on governments at all levels to address practical issues to benefit the public. Enditem A ban on all flights from India could be put in place within days under a suite of options the Australian government is considering in response to the countrys worsening COVID-19 outbreak. The national security committee of cabinet will on Tuesday discuss temporarily halting all repatriation flights out of India, which would prevent thousands of Australians including cricketers in the Indian Premier League from getting home. Health workers and relatives carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in Jammu, India. Credit:AP Australia will also most likely send oxygen, ventilators and personal protective equipment to India as part of an immediate support package to be announced on Tuesday. It will not send vaccines because of its own supply issues and the fact that India has ramped up domestic manufacturing of vaccines. Infections in India over the past week have surged to the highest level of any country in a seven-day period, adding 2.2 million cases, double the number of cases in the United States during its January peak. ADVERTISEMENT Another two students of Greenfield University, who were kidnapped last Tuesday, have been found dead. Three of the victims were found dead on Friday. The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Homeland Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the latest murder of the two students. On a sad note, security agencies have just reported to the Kaduna State Government the recovery of two more dead bodies of Greenfield University students, killed by armed bandits today, Monday 26th April 2021. The retrieved corpses have been evacuated to a mortuary, and the university has been notified of the development. The Government of Kaduna State under the leadership of Nasir El-Rufai is saddened by this evil perpetrated against innocent students abducted while pursuing their education for a glorious future. The government sends its deep empathy to their families and the university management and prays for the repose of their souls. The government said it will update the citizenry on further developments. Mr Aruwan had on Friday said three bodies of three of the students were found in in Kwanan Bature village, a location close to the university. Over a dozen staff and students were kidnapped last Tuesday, with the bandits said to be demanding N800 million ransom. Kaduna State has a policy of not paying ransom to kidnappers. The governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says it encourages more kidnappings. Kaduna is one of the states in Nigeria most affected by rampant kidnappings by bandits. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives an update on the state of the election and ballot count during a news conference at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 6, 2020. (Dustin Chambers/Reuters) Raffensperger: Fully Cooperating With Fulton County in Election Interference Probe Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said his office is fully cooperating with a Fulton County investigation into potential election interference, pushing back against reports that investigators were dissatisfied with his offices level of cooperation. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat, in February opened a probe into efforts to influence the states 2020 election results. The investigation includes potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the elections administration, Willis said in letters to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and other officials. The letters made reference to media reports of contacts with the Georgia secretary of states office, the U.S. attorneys office in Atlanta, and others, made by subjects of the investigation. While the letters didnt mention former President Donald Trump by name, they indicate the probe is focused on efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election. Williss office didnt respond to an earlier query from The Epoch Times about whether she is reviewing a phone call Trump had with Raffensperger and other officials on Jan. 2 concerning the presidential election in Georgia. Recent media reports indicate that Williss office has become frustrated with Raffenspergers level of cooperation in the investigation. Williss office didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times requesting confirmation of the reports as well as comment. Raffensperger was asked about the status of Williss probe in an interview on CNN on April 24. Its an ongoing investigation, and thats a Fulton County investigation, and were fully cooperating with the district attorney, Raffensperger said, adding that he expects Willis and her team to be taking testimony from a number of people, both in-state and outside of Georgia, in addition to his office. Its their investigation and were not privy to who theyre going to be calling but well be supporting their efforts and providing any information they need from our office. Asked directly about claims that his office wasnt fully cooperating with Williss probe, Raffensperger replied, Thats false. He added that his office had appointed counsel to liaise with Williss office to coordinate information requests in connection with the investigation. Well fully cooperate, obviously, Raffensperger said. Ryan Germany, general counsel for Raffenspergers office, reinforced that message in a statement to CNN, saying that he had requested time to get an attorney lined up to represent our office to make sure those interactions are efficient and not disruptive. The DAs office told me that was fine. Raffenspergers office earlier started its own probe into Trumps calls to Georgia elections officials, with the findings to be presented to the State Election Board. The panel can vote to dismiss, choose to impose a fine, issue a letter of instruction, or refer the matter to the state attorney general or a district attorney for prosecution. Black Lives Matter protesters march in London against proposed UK policing bill Newsflare 30,469 views a month ago Black Lives Matter protesters marched through central London on Sunday (April 25) against a proposed bill allowing police to enforce stricter rules on protests, among other changes around policing and crime. Marchers chanted "kill the bill", "black lives matter" and "all cops are b*****ds" as they marched through the capital. Grass is still grass, right? Well, for some scientists its widespread presence belies one of the biggest mysteries in plant genetics. Because in order for it to spread, it needs to wildly adapt to all facets of an ecosystem. Now, how can a single species of plant accomplish this with every fiber of its own genetic makeup? The answer: It doesn't. It takes genes from others. To date, there are about 10,000 species of grass in the world (including bamboo, as well as grains like wheat and rice). And across that wide variety, scientists have found that some independent grass species have inherited as many as 59 genes from others (including some very distant relatives)! This was made possible by something called lateral gene transfer, which is simply a scientific term for getting the same DNA sequence without necessarily being born from the same organism. This is also subtler than creating full-on hybrids because the transferred genes are still a minority compared to the rest of the genes making up a species' genomes. On the other hand, it actually takes just one gene to make a massive difference in any organism's survival. For a long time, this type of genetic transfer was believed to only occur in microbes such as bacteria. However, studies into the genetic makeup of grasses have proven this is possible even in larger, more complex organisms. Still, scientists have not reached a consensus on exactly how this happens. Some suspect that it could simply be from contact with fragments of outside genetic material. Others hypothesize that it is more a combination of that as well as deliberate adaptation to improve survival. Also read: These Transgenic Grass Species Can Neutralize Toxic Compounds from Bombs, Ammunition Implications for plant genetics and genetic modification Another highlight of all this recent research is that it greatly demonstrates the flexibility of plants to rapidly integrate traits from other species (at least, this has been the case for grass). Likewise, it has even been shown occurring the other way around with reports of some insects who have integrated a plant gene in order to become more resistant to plant toxins. This phenomenon is not merely the result of human intervention but also the product of pure, natural evolution. Because in the midst of a grass' wild proliferation, it is also weeding out what transferred genes are not necessary for thriving. Therefore, it begs the question: Just how many of the currently existing grass species have actually been born as a result of this constant mixing? Mixed-gene grass goes beyond modern agriculture Contrary to popular belief, the genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been produced in agriculture long before the term itself was coined. And with these recent discoveries on grass genomes, it is clear that modification predates farming itself. Regardless of how the genes are transferred, it shows that grasses are surprisingly resilient when it comes to incorporating any traits that will allow them to enhance their spread, deter consumption and survive in hostile environments. This adaptability can really go a long way for more applications in sustainable farming and even undoing the damage of human activity on local ecosystems. Also read: Scientists Discover Bioenergy Grass that Can Survive Freezing Temperature Flash Experts from China will be invited to be part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) technical working group pertaining to Japan's disposal of nuclear wastewater, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday. Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing that the news has been recently confirmed by the IAEA. Noting that the Fukushima nuclear accident is one of the most serious in the world, Wang said the Japanese government, in disregard of concerns and opposition both at home and abroad, has unilaterally decided to discharge the wastewater into the sea without exhausting means for safe disposal, disclosing complete relevant information, or having sufficient consultations with neighboring countries and the international community. "Such an irresponsible act not only directly jeopardizes the immediate interests of the people in Japan's neighboring countries, but also poses threats to the global marine environment and international public health security," the spokesperson said. It is only natural for China, as a major stakeholder, to have serious concerns over Japan's irresponsible practice, Wang said. China maintains that the IAEA should initiate a technical working group as soon as possible that involves China and other relevant stakeholders, to carry out work concerning the wastewater disposal plans, their implementation as well as international assessment and supervision, the spokesperson said. "China is in close communication and coordination with the IAEA over the issue," Wang said, adding China will fully support IAEA's follow-up work. Before discharging the radioactive wastewater into the sea, Japan should earnestly address the concerns of relevant stakeholders including China and the international community, Wang added. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 00:42:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ABUJA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- At least nine persons were killed by gunmen who invaded a village in Nigeria's southeastern state of Anambra on Monday, said the police. An unknown number of people were wounded during the attack in the village of Ukpomachi of the Oyi local government area of the state, said Tochukwu Ikenga, a spokesman for the police. He told reporters in the state capital, Awka, that details of the invasion were sketchy, and the identities of the dead victims are yet to be known. The gunmen also destroyed a lot of property during the attack, the police officer said. According to him, the police have commenced an immediate investigation into the incident, as well as the deployment of personnel to the area, to identify and apprehend the fleeing gunmen. The police have so far established that the killers unleashed mayhem on the villagers, using machetes and other dangerous weapons, he added. Enditem Prepare for an onslaught of articles with first 100 days in the title, as President Biden will be celebrating the landmark with a trip to Atlanta on Thursday. Already we have seen our deep fears realized and our shallow hopes drowned. To call it a nightmare is almost wrong because we wake up from nightmares. Here is what we now know and have learned in not quite 100 days of what the progressives have done and/or are planning to do against America and her people. Politico's logo for tracking the first hundred dsays as a continuing feature Biden is trying to pack the Supreme Court. Even though Biden had said on multiple occasions that he would not try to, that is exactly what he and his handlers are trying to do. Can you imagine if President Trump had tried to pack the Court? The Supreme Court is historically the guardrail in stopping those who lust for power and seek total control. If a packed Supreme Court becomes nothing more than a rubber stamp to progressive ideology there will be no separation of powers nor checks and balances. Biden has enacted more executive orders in his first 100 days of office than any other president during the same time period. Biden has put Kamala Harris in charge of the border crisis illegal immigrants pour into America, and Harris has been down to the southern border zero times. Zero times. No word yet if Congresswoman Maxine Waters will be arrested for inciting violence and insurrection and/or kicked out of Congress for encouraging anarchy if the Derek Chauvin trial verdict did not go the way she demanded. The FBI and the Department of Justice now have two standards of law. One standard of law for progressives and a much harsher standard of law for patriots. An obvious example is how the FBI are treating rioters from violent insurrections last summer versus how the FBI is treating participants from the arson-free protest of January 6th. Two systems of justice, one for progressives and one for patriots, will not end well. The Biden administration is reaching out to Israel's archenemy Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu has told anyone in the Biden administration that will listen that Israel will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. Period. When Israel says "never again" they mean it. Dr. Fauci has said that even though individual Americans are getting the vaccine that Americans must still wear masks and must still social distance. Either the vaccines don't work or something much more sinister is happening. We were never told that after the polio shots in the 1950s epidemic that we still couldn't go swimming in the public pools. We've been instructed that Make America Great Again and America First are racist and xenophobic but Blame America First, BLM, and Antifa are patriotic and noble. It seems that soup cans and frozen water bottles are now the weapons of choice in the mostly violent insurrections committed by BLM and Antifa. No word yet on whether progressives will be outlawing the purchases of said soup cans and frozen water bottles. We see that with the thousands of troops deployed in our nation's capital for the foreseeable future and it now looks more like Bagdad or Pyongyang than the City of Washington. Moreover, no explanation is being given by the progressives on the future militarization of our nation's capital. They are still there, almost as if this were the plan all along. With the militarization of Washington, D.C. and the adding of walls, borders, and fences, Congress is now living and working in their own gated community. None of the "unwashed masses" are allowed to enter. Almost as if the Democrats realize that they really did not win in 2020. When the government is scared of its own people, there's a real problem. Florida, Texas and other states are passing laws saying they will not follow Biden's edict of a vaccine passport. I wonder how Progressives are feeling now about the term "sanctuary"? Sanctuary cities, sanctuary counties, sanctuary states..... By the way, what is the difference between nullification and sanctuary? (Only the spelling.) If someone is in the country legally, they are presumed by Biden to have Covid, urged or even commanded to wear a mask in public. If someone tries to come into the country illegally, they are assumed not to have Covid and transported to the destination of their choice. What? The shutting down of the Keystone Pipeline is already causing more unemployment. Doing so has already pushed the price of gasoline dramatically up and the progressives are fine with $4 per gallon pricing. We are no longer energy independent, while Russia and Iran are enjoying a massive increase in oil revenues. Because of Trump Impeachment II, we were told that words and words alone are reason and cause enough for removal from office. No word yet on the future impeachment and removal from office of Kamala Harris for her fundraising for bail money for actual arsonists and felons. When the Biden administration speaks of unity and coming together as one, they mean blacklists, book burning, purging, cancelling, re-education camps, and thought police for anyone that disagrees with them. Climate Change hoax czar John Kerry flies on a private jet to get an award for climate change leadership. You just can't make this stuff up; it really happened. Ever notice how proposed Climate Change legislation always punishes the American worker but always gives China a pass? Wonder why? We have now learned that the leadership at the Pentagon is not politically neutral, that it does take partisan sides, and that it is in fact part of the Deep State. The idea of partisan political generals in the military is feature of Hugo Chavezs Venezuela. The Impeachment II show trial is soon to be followed by the Insurrection Commission show trial. Stalin would be proud. And it is going to be led by an extremely partisan retired three-star general. Again, this partisan political indoctrination of the military should frighten every American and constitutionalist. We have learned in these almost 100 days that the military is being purged of certain political and cultural philosophies. None of the "bring all ideas to the table" nonsense. You will conform or you're out. NASCAR watchers and Sunday School teachers need not apply. We have learned that in the new Covid stimulus bill, Red States taxes will be bailing out Blue States from their self-imposed shutdowns and deliberate sabotage of their own state's economies. Red States are paying for the Blue States self-mutilization. We have learned in the past 100 days that the color of skin you are born with, and that alone, can cause you to be a racist. We are also told that quoting Dr. Martin Luther King directly in seeking a "colorblind " America is also racist. Repeat after Orwell/Fauci, "Two masks good, one mask bad." And be sure and keep the two masks on even after you've had your vaccine. Now that police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of everything; there will be no more cities in flame, no more rioting, burning, looting, stealing, and no more senseless deaths. No more anarchy. Correct ? Did LaBron James just threaten the life of a Columbus, Ohio police office with "You're Next" after the officer just saved the life of a teenage girl? Unbelievable. It has been almost 100 days with Biden in the White House and the progressives in power. Once that milestone passes on April 29, the remaining 1,361 will seem like an Orwellian eternity. The off-year 2022 congressional elections will be crucial to putting limits on Biden and the progressives. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Myanmar's shadow government of ousted lawmakers has welcomed a call by Southeast Asian leaders for an end to "military violence" after their crisis talks in Jakarta with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. The general attended a high-level summit Saturday with leaders from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss Myanmar's mounting crisis. Since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, Myanmar has been in an uproar with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement. Security forces have deployed live ammunition to quell the uprising, killing more than 740 people in brutal crackdowns, according to local monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). The ASEAN meeting produced a consensus that there would be "an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar", the bloc said Saturday. It added that ASEAN would have a special envoy to "facilitate mediation" between all parties, and this representative would be able to travel to Myanmar. But while it "heard calls for the release of all political prisoners", a commitment to free them was not included in the consensus statement. A spokesperson from the shadow government -- known as the National Unity Government (NUG) -- on Saturday said ASEAN's statement was "encouraging news". "We look forward to firm action by ASEAN to follow up its decisions and restore our democracy and freedom for our people and for the region," said Dr Sasa, the NUG's minister of international cooperation, who is currently in hiding with the rest of his fellow lawmakers. The lawmakers -- most of whom were part of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party -- are wanted for high treason by the junta. Overnight, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc would continue to call for the release of political prisoners. Story continues - 'Business as usual' - As Myanmar nears three months under the military regime, escalating violence by its security forces -- especially in urban centres -- has pushed protesters and prominent activists into hiding. The junta has also throttled communications across the country, imposing a nightly internet shutdown for 70 consecutive days and restricting mobile data to a mere trickle. Despite the threat of violence and arrest, protesters across Myanmar continued to take to the streets Sunday. In central Myingyan -- where brutal crackdowns have forced residents to hide in nearby villages -- protesters smeared red paint on some of the city's buildings to protest the bloodshed. "Give power back to the people," read graffiti on the city's sidewalks. In Yangon's Tamwe township -- a hotspot for unrest -- police and soldiers broke up a small protest before noon, beating up and detaining three teenagers. Independent news outlet The Irrawaddy also confirmed that a former editor, Thu Thu Tha, was arrested the night before in Thanlyin, a port city across the river from commercial hub Yangon. The detentions add to the AAPP's growing number of detainees, which by Saturday was at 3,389. "In spite of Min Aung Hlaing's appearance in the ASEAN summit, it's business as usual," Irrawaddy's founder Aung Zaw told AFP, adding that most of his staff were in hiding. On Saturday, as the junta chief attended the meeting with ASEAN leaders and foreign ministers in Jakarta, soldiers and police fired on protesters near Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, killing a 50-year-old protester. - 'Will the killing stop?' - State-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar on Sunday reported on Min Aung Hlaing's visit to Jakarta and said he discussed the country's "political changes". But it made no mention of ASEAN's consensus for a halt to violence. Tom Andrews, the UN's special rapporteur on Myanmar, said it remained to be seen how effective the bloc's engagement would be. "The result of the ASEAN Summit will be found in Myanmar, not (in) a document," Andrews tweeted Sunday. "Will the killing stop? Will the terrorizing of neighborhoods end? Will the thousands abducted be released?" The junta has justified its power seizure as a means to protect democracy, alleging electoral fraud in November elections which Suu Kyi's party won in a landslide. bur-dhc/leg A youth worker forced Year 11 male students at a co-ed public school to stand up in front of the class as she condemned them as historical 'oppressors' because they are white, male, and Christian. The female Kingston City Council worker gave a talk about privilege, pronouns, and intersectionality at Parkdale Secondary College in Mordialloc, Melbourne, last Wednesday. She then asked students who are white, male and Christian to stand up, The Herald Sun reported. The woman told these students that they were 'privileged' and 'oppressors', sparking outrage among parents and local councillors. The female Kingston City Council worker attended Parkdale Secondary College in Mordialloc, south-east of the Melbourne CBD, last Wednesday Kingston councillor Cameron Howe said it was 'disgraceful behaviour' as he wrote in response to reports of the incident on Facebook. 'Reverse racism is becoming more prevalent and not only does it not belong in our schools, but those who hold these toxic views are not morally or intellectually superior to others,' he wrote. Mr Howe called for the female youth worker to be fired, along with the father of a male student at the school. 'The council needs to take this extremely seriously, there are a lot of furious parents of young boys and we need guarantees that something like this will never happen again,' a father in the school community said. A 16-year-old female student said she was 'shocked' by the presentation and the male students felt 'ashamed' and 'targeted'. 'It was so messed up, we thought for a moment it was a joke, but then we realised it wasn't and we were so upset and angry by it all,' she told the Herald Sun. A youth worker forced Year 11 male students at a co-ed public school to stand up in front of the class as she condemned them as historical 'oppressors' because they are white, male and Christian 'She basically said straight, white, Christian males were oppressors and they held all the power and privilege in society.' Principal David Russell said the school did not 'support or condone this approach and messaging' as presented by the guest speaker', in a statement to parents on Sunday. He said the school wrote to Kingston Youth Services and Kingston City Council to express its disappointment about the 'inappropriate' presentation. Kingston mayor Steve Staikos apologised to affected students and said the councils chief executive would investigate. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. When protests began in a Minneapolis suburb after a white police officer fatally shot a Black man, 21-year-old Fatumata Kromah took to the street, pushing for change she says is essential to her Liberian immigrant community. Meanwhile, 40-year-old Matilda Kromah feared stepping outside her home as trauma associated with the Liberian civil war suddenly rushed back into her life, two decades after she escaped the conflict. The two women, whose shared last name is common among Liberians, have seen their lives changed amid the unrest that has sometimes engulfed Minneapolis in the months since George Floyds death. Their behavior also reflects a generational split: While Fatumata has been drawn into the protests, Matilda has tried to avoid them, focusing instead on running a dress shop and hair-braiding salon that is essential to sending her children to college. The same divide has played out across the Twin Cities burgeoning Somali, Ethiopian, Liberian and Kenyan communities. Young people have thrust themselves into movements for racial justice, often embracing the identity of being Black in America. Older generations have been more likely to concentrate on carving out new lives rather than protesting racial issues in their adopted homeland. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ When Fatumata visited Matildas shop this past week in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, the topic was unavoidable. Matildas strip-mall storefront Humu Boutique and Neat Braids was vandalized in the aftermath of the April 11 death of Black motorist Daunte Wright. Thieves smashed windows and doors and took nearly everything of value, even stripping mannequins of their African dresses. Tears formed in the elder womans eyes, and her hands shook as she spoke. Memories of the atrocities she had fled during the Liberian civil war had returned. Maybe war is starting again, Matilda said of the demonstrations. I was traumatized. For three days, I didnt want to go out of my house. I was hiding in my room. But she needed to figure out a way to pay for her sons college tuition, so she posted an open sign on the plywood covering the shops broken windows and began accepting customers. She did not have insurance to cover the losses, she said. Fatumata, who chanted and yelled at protests, grew quiet as Matilda spoke. She agreed that the United States offered opportunities for education and a better life, but she had also made up her mind that such a life would not be complete without justice for Black people. After moving to Brooklyn Center from Liberia in 2015, she said she was treated differently as a Black person. People commented on the color of her skin, disapproved of the clothes she wore and once called the police on her and a friend for being too loud. I started to realize like, Oh, America is not what it says on TV,' she said. Then Floyds death sparked protests, and she decided that this was not the American dream I was promised. Kromah is not alone. Young people in the citys East African communities came out to protest in droves following Floyds death. Despite tension, at times, between Black immigrants from Africa and Black people whose long history in the U.S. began with slavery, protesters united around decrying police brutality they said plagued their communities. The verse Somali lives, they matter here, often followed the protest refrain of Black lives, they matter here. And one of the most widely shared images of last years protests was a video posted on social media showing a protester in a hijab and a long skirt kicking a tear gas cannister back toward law enforcement officers in riot gear. I am Somali, I am Black American, I am Muslim, 21-year-old Aki Abdi said. If a cop pulls me over, he dont know if Im Somali or Black. They go hand in hand. When former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in Floyds death, celebrations broke out across the city, and Abdi and two friends made their way to George Floyd Square. On the sidewalk down the street from where Floyd took his last breath, they scrawled the names of two Somali men Dolal Idd and Isak Aden who were fatally shot by Minnesota police in recent years. They hoped some people in the crowd would search those names on the internet. Police defended their actions in both shootings, saying the men had guns, but the mens families have pressed for more thorough investigations. Many older immigrants grew up in countries where speaking out against the government resulted in punishment, and some are so focused on making a living after escaping war-torn countries that they do not have time or energy for anything besides their families immediate well-being, said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Younger Black immigrants who were born in America or came at a young age often know firsthand both their parents struggles and Americas history of racial injustice, Hussein said. By being squeezed by these two pressures, they have no option but to fight and to try to change the system. he said. The younger generation is propelled by this legacy of the fight that is happening in the country that theyve adopted, but also the fight that their parents have been teaching them about in the country that they left. Fatumata Kromahs mother, Rebecca Williams Sonyah, said parents like her fear for their childrens safety both in interactions with police and at demonstrations, all while trying to stay focused on the jobs and businesses essential to their livelihoods. Our children should have freedom. They should have equal rights, Williams Sonyah said. They shouldnt judge our children because of their color or because of where their parents are from. She recognized her daughters activism as important to those goals but still pleaded with her to stay home after Wrights death, knowing that destruction was likely. They compromised by agreeing that Kromah would return home before the curfews set by city authorities. Williams Sonyahs job in medical home care prevented her from joining in the marches in front of the police department. But she seemed sympathetic to the movement. If I had a way to go protest, she said, I would protest. ___ Mohamed Ibrahim 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. ___ Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd. Residents of Shama-Kumasi in the Western region woke-up Saturday dawn to the shocking news of a man killing his girlfriend with a hammer for allegedly refusing him sex. The incident said to have taken place shortly after midnight started with a quarrel which residents say could be heard loud as it degenerated into a struggle between the pair - Papa Gyabi, 42, also known as (Landlord) and the girlfriend identified only as Rita, 27. Daboase-Krobo The residents told Graphic Online that the deceased (Rita), a native of Daboase-Krobo in the Wassa East District visited Papa Gyabi at his residence at Shama-Kumasi. They said later in the evening the two retired to Landlord's room but at about 12:10am, a heated argument started between the two resulting into a struggle which appeared to have ended at about 1:00am. At about 5:00am one of the residents who did not understand what all the commotion was about and the sudden quietness, curiously peeped through Papa Gyabis window and found the girlfriend lying motionless in a pool of blood. Police Break-in The eyewitness reported the incident to the Shama District Police. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ms Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, confirmed the incident and said the police proceeded to the scene and found the room of the suspect locked. The police, she said, went round the building and saw the suspect through the window wielding a hammer and threatening to harm anyone who dared open the door. DSP Adiku said the police persuaded Papa Gyabi to open the door and let the police in for a discussion but he refused. The police were left with no option than to force the door open, overpower Papa Gyabi and disarm and effect his arrest. The victim DSP Adiku said upon opening the door, the body of the deceased was found lying in a pool of blood with the head smashed. She said there were multiple deep wounds also on the right wrist of the victim. She said the Regional Crime Scene Management Team has since taken over the crime scene and had the scene processed after which the body was removed and deposited at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Referral Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy. She said the suspect was subsequently sent to the custody of the Shama Police to help in police investigation. 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 After discovering objects from the submarine that had been missing over the past two days, Indonesia's navy announced on Saturday that it had sunk and cracked open, killing all 53 crew members on board. Missing submarine in Indonesia found with 53 crew members declared dead The discovery of an oil slick as well as wreckage near the site of the submarine's last dive on Wednesday off the coast of Bali, according to military chief Hadi Tjahjanto, is proof that the KRI Nanggala 402 sank. Previously, Indonesia believed the submarine was just missing. At a press conference in Bali, Navy Chief Yudo Margono said, "It would be broken if there is an explosion. As it went from 300 meters to 400 meters to 500 meters, the cracks appeared steadily in some areas. The sonar would detect an explosion if one occurred." The navy previously stated that the submarine submerged to a depth of 600-700 meters (2,000-2,300 feet), much lower than its failure depth of 200 meters (655 feet), at which point the water pressure would be too much for the hull to bear. The reason for the disappearance remained unknown, CBS News reported. The navy had previously stated that an electrical problem might have prevented the submarine from performing emergency resurfacing procedures. Rescuers Frantic Over Missing Indonesian Submarine as Oxygen Depletes For 53 Crew Onboard Sections of a torpedo straightener, a grease bottle thought to be used to oil the periscope, debris from prayer rugs, and a missing fragment from a coolant pipe refitted on the submarine in South Korea in 2012 was discovered in the past two days, according to Margono. The KRI Nanggala-402 was planning to perform a torpedo exercise when navy officials confirmed losing contact last Wednesday. According to Al Jazeera, military chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto told reporters on Sunday, "Based on the facts, it can be confirmed that the KRI Nanggala has sunk and all of its crew have died." The KRI Nanggala-402 was split into three parts, said the Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono. "The ship's hull, stern, and main sections have all been removed, with the main component discovered cracked." Indonesia Searches for Missing Submarine With 53 People on Board, Asks Australia for Help Indonesia's President sends his condolences to the submarine crew's family President Joko Widodo of Indonesia expressed his condolences to the families of the crew members onboard the vessel. The submarine, which was built in Germany and was 44 years old, was one of five in Indonesia's fleet. The crew would have run out of oxygen on Saturday if the submarine had been intact. The South China Morning Post reports that the incident has heightened criticism of Indonesia's older military equipment due to the vessel's age. The submarine's disappearance was in no small part due to aging naval technology, said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies. "However, submarine incidents can also be related to human causes mistakes in running the boat, or even incorrect repair work performed on the boat when moored ashore," he added. Meanwhile, submarines do not last as long in warm climates. Indonesia does not have a clear track record of caring for its ships, as per Zachary Abuza, a Southeast Asia studies professor at the National War College in Washington, DC. Taiwan's Worst Drought in 56 Years, Why the World Should Keep an Eye on it @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. HK-Singapore travel bubble slated for May 26 start HK-Singapore travel bubble slated for May 26 start Timmy Sung reports Hong Kong and Singapore announced on Monday that a long-awaited travel bubble will start on May 26 at the earliest, following the easing of the coronavirus situation in the two places. Under the agreement, residents will be allowed to travel between Hong Kong and Singapore on designated flights, without the need to quarantine. Travellers are required to test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours before they take the flights. They will also undergo another coronavirus test on arrival. Hong Kong residents hoping to take this opportunity for overseas travel to the Lion City will also need to be fully vaccinated. Singaporeans are not required to take coronavirus vaccines before they come to Hong Kong. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau insisted it is reasonable to ask Hong Kong residents to get vaccinated before they fly to Singapore, saying it was an additional safeguard. We have made provisions for the entire community to be vaccinated so as to protect themselves and the purpose of asking Hong Kong residents going out to have vaccination prior to joining the scheme is in fact protecting their own health, Yau said. It would be up to the other government whether they would require such an arrangement. However, residents aged under 16 or considered unsuitable for vaccination on medical grounds are exempt. Also exempt from the vaccination requirement are residents who have spent fewer than 90 days in the SAR prior to departure, as well as those using non-Hong Kong travel documents. Hongkongers will need to download Singapores TraceTogether mobile app, and keep it activated throughout their stay in the city and keep its records for two weeks after they depart. Travellers from Singapore to Hong Kong will need to download and use Hong Kongs LeaveHomeSafe app, and keep its records for 31 days after returning to Singapore. The Hong Kong government said that between May 26 and June 9, there will be two daily flights between Hong Kong to Singapore one in each direction. Each flight will carry 200 travellers. From June 10, this will be increased to four flights per day two in each direction with the number of flights allocated between Singapore- and Hong Kong-based airlines. The travel bubble had been scheduled to launch in November 2020, but was delayed following a surge in coronavirus. Officials say the travel bubble could be suspended again if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong and Singapore was more than five. Chads military junta on Monday named Albert Pahimi Padacke as the countrys new prime minister. Padacke previously served as Chads prime minister from 2016 to 2018, until the role was scrapped by deceased president Idriss Deby. I accepted it [the role] because the situation in our country requires that all Chadians put themselves above all else, to overcome common challenges, namely peace and stability, Padacke told RFIs Christophe Boisbouvier in an interview. Padacke, who came second to Idriss Deby in Aprils presidential polls, was appointed by a transitional military government led by Deby's 37-year-old son, Mahamat Idriss Deby. It took power after Deby died from injuries suffered during clashes with the Fighters of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) rebel group. Respectability The position of prime minister has not been one of great influence, and there is no reason to think that this will change now, although of course it might, said Chad expert Judith Scheele from the Paris-based School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, underlining an evolving situation in the capital N'Djamena after Debys 30 years in power. Debys death came during a visit to the scene of fighting between the Chadian military and the FACT rebel group who were advancing from the north of the country towards N'Djamena, an offensive coinciding with the elections. His son was quickly named as head of a new military government. The countrys parliament was dissolved and the constitution suspended. A curfew was put in place as the junta said it would remain in power during an 18-month transition. International allies, such as former colonial power France, underlined the importance of Debys support in the fight against hardline jihadist fighters in the Sahel region, but also touched upon the need for civilian rule in Chad, urging a return to a democratic administration. The new prime minister is not a new face, according to Berny Sebe from the University of Birmingham, who has researched Chad. Story continues The appointment of 54-year-old Padacke could suggest that the junta might be willing to take listen to allies in the region or internationally in order to gain a level of respectability. It looks as if the military junta wants to demonstrate that it is ready to negotiate, but within the framework that theyre setting up, said Sebe. Opposition leader, Yacine Abderamane, of the Reformist Party told the Reuters news agency that his party rejected Padackes nomination and urged talks to find a consensus. No talk with bandits Chads ruling military junta said this weekend it refused to negotiate with the FACT rebel group that fatally injured Deby. Its not the time neither for mediation nor negotiation with some bandits, General Azem Bermandoa Agouma, a spokesperson for Chads ruling military government, said in a statement. Agouma called for cooperation with neighbouring Niger to help capture FACT fighters. The junta said some vehicles from the rebel convoy escaped from the fighting and headed towards the border with Niger. The defence and security forces, hot on their heels with the support of the air force, located the enemy scattered in small groups regrouping in Nigerien territory between Ngourti, Nguiguimi and the border with Chad, said Agouma, referring to an area more than 300 kilometres north-west of N'Djamena. Agouma said the FACT leader Mahadi Ali Mahamat was wanted in Libya for war crimes and had his assets frozen, notably for trade in fuel. He accused the rebels of being in league with jihadist fighters and traffickers. While they have been described as mercenaries, they're Chadians and their political agenda is in Chad, said Marielle Debos, a political analyst at University Paris Nanterre, who has published books on Chad. All rebellions in the past two decades had rear bases in neighbouring countries. They can't be dismissed as foreign or mere mercenaries, she added. The situation is tense but the return to war can be avoided. We should be cautious not to fuel self-fulfilling prophecies. Niger's military is cooperating with authorities in Chad and some arrests have taken place in Dirkou, in north-eastern Niger, according to a unnamed source, as reported by RFI. Dragging in neighbours Following the Debys death, FACT had said that they were ready to announce a ceasefire, and hold dialogue with the Chadian authorities. The rebels had respected a truce since the killing of Deby, and their overtures towards talks with the Chadian authorities came following initiatives launched by heads of state from Niger and Mauritania, acting on behalf of the African Union bloc. Were ready for a ceasefire, for a political solution, FACT leader Mahamat told RFIs Bineta Diagne. Today, there must be a place for inclusive national dialogue which must include all political players. Suggestions of talks and the militarys subsequent dismissal of this idea are just part of posturing between the different players, according to Scheele. Positions of power and influence in Chad are being renegotiated as we speak, and both FACT's offer of a ceasefire and Mahamat Idriss Deby's rejection are part of these negotiations, and might change rapidly, she said. The death of President Deby has created a real nightmare, not only for neighbours like Niger or Mali, or the former colonial power, but across the region, because it is creating an open field, said Sebe, talking about the need for neighbouring countries to maintain amicable relations with N'Djamena. For the rebels it might also be the moment of truth said Sebe, suggesting that FACT might feel the need to demonstrate that they can affect change. The new transitional military council brings together 15 high-ranking military officials who are seen as close to the late president. Deby junior led the presidential guard before being named as Chads new president and is not known for being particularly vocal, but determined and battle-hardened, like his father. I do not think Mahamat Idriss Deby is a puppet but of course he cannot maintain himself in power unless he can count on others, especially in the army, said Scheele, who has published work on northern Chad. Some opposition figures have called on Chadians to take to the streets on Tuesday to protest against the military junta and also Frances role in the country. Deby had a tight grip on power in Chad for three decades and won six elections. He was buried on Friday in a ceremony attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as leaders from West Africa and the Sahel region. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a heated dispute between one of the nations most liberal states and one of its most conservative in a case that had pit freedom of religion against gay rights. The decision to turn down the case drew a dissent from two of the court's conservatives, Associate Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. California passed a law in 2016 prohibiting taxpayer-funded travel such as for state employees to attend conferences to any state that doesnt ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Texas law allows foster-care and adoption agencies to deny same-sex couples on religious grounds. Texas took California directly to the Supreme Court last year, asserting the travel ban was "born of religious animus" and that it violates the Constitution. The justices had been considering whether to take the suit for months. The court did not explain its decision not to hear the case. More: Supreme Court hears Philadelphia foster parent dispute pitting religious freedom against LGBTQ rights "If this cycle of retaliation continues, it will leave a country divided into red and blue states: The former spend money only in other red states; the latter spend money only in the blue ones, Texas told the court last year. Because the lawsuit started at the Supreme Court, Alito questioned the court's decision in a dissent. "It will not even permit the filing of Texass bill of complaint," Alito wrote of the suit. "This understanding of our exclusive original jurisdiction should be reexamined." The potential conflict between gay rights and religious freedom has become a central theme at the nations highest court, which now has an ostensible 6-3 conservative majority. One of the highest-profile cases this year involves a Catholic foster-care agency in Philadelphia that has declined to screen same-sex couples based on its religious objection to gay marriage. Story continues A view of the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) ORG XMIT: DCSW119 California asserts that it is striking that balance as it sees best for its residents. The fact that California has balanced these sometimes competing concerns differently from Texas does not demonstrate that California acted irrationally or with animus toward religion, the state told the court. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court won't hear suit brought by Texas against California People who take a commonly-prescribed drug for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should not assume they are protected after a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, after a large-scale study found many had poor antibody responses. The research measured antibody responses after vaccination with the Pfizer/BioNTech or the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in 865 people treated with infliximab, an anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) biologic drug, prescribed to around two million people worldwide. Anti-TNF drugs are effective treatments for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, but by suppressing the immune system, they can reduce vaccine effectiveness and increase risk of serious infection. Led by the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and published in GUT, the paper is an output from the CLARITY Study is funded by the NIHR and Crohn's and Colitis UK. The research found that people treated with infliximab had significantly lower concentrations of antibodies, when compared to 428 people on an alternative treatment, vedolizumab. Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies that protect individuals from any future infection. For a vaccine to be effective, it needs to trigger a sufficient number of virus-targeting antibodies to prevent any subsequent infection. After a single dose of vaccine, only about one third of participants (103 of 328) treated exclusively with infliximab generated adequate levels of antibodies to the virus for the vaccine to be considered effective. In participants simultaneously taking infliximab and immunomodulator drugs, such as azathioprine or methotrexate, the levels of antibodies were even lower after a single vaccine dose; only 125 of 537 met the threshold of a positive antibody test. However, in a sub-group of people who had previously been infected with COVID-19, and also in the few patients studied who had already had a second dose of vaccine, the vaccine-triggered antibody responses rose significantly, indicating an effective response after two exposures. Based on these observations, the researchers conclude that people taking anti-TNF drugs should be considered a priority for a second vaccination. The CLARITY study recruited 6,935 patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis from 92 UK hospitals between September and December 2020, to investigate the impact of these drugs on COVID-19 susceptibility and protective immunity that follows infection or vaccination. Previously, the study found that infliximab blunts the immune system to COVID-19 infection, potentially increasing the risk of reinfection. CLARITY study lead Dr Tariq Ahmad said the current findings had important implications for people treated with anti-TNF therapy, particularly for those also treated with an immunomodulator. He said "Poor antibody responses to a single dose of vaccine exposes these patients to a potential increased risk of COVID-19. However, we found much higher antibody levels in people vaccinated after a previous COVID-19 infection and in the small number of patients who had received two vaccine doses suggesting that all patients receiving these drugs should be prioritised for optimally timed second doses." 500,000 people across the UK live with Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of which ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are the two main forms. Symptoms include urgent and frequent bloody diarrhoea, weight loss, pain, and extreme fatigue. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the UK Government advised that patients taking anti-TNF medicines could be at increased risk of complications from coronavirus. All were advised to follow strict social distancing measures, and some, depending on the severity of their condition, were advised to shield. Although we know that this has been an incredibly difficult time for people with IBD, our research indicates that people treated with infliximab should consider that they are not protected from COVID-19 until they have had both doses of a vaccine and should continue to practice enhanced physical distancing and shielding if appropriate." Dr Nick Powell, Co-Author, Imperial College London In the study, a small sub-set of patients showed no antibody response even after two exposures to COVID-19. Co-author Dr James Goodhand, of the University of Exeter, said: "Our findings come as countries across Europe are opting to delay the second dose of vaccine. We recommend prioritizing second doses to patients taking anti-TNF drugs, who will remain at high risk after their first dose. Further data are needed to investigate whether we should be testing antibody concentrations after two doses to identify the small number of patients who have not responded well to vaccination." The study also found evidence that antibody responses were lower in current smokers and participants aged 60 or older, but higher in non-white participants. These findings warrant further investigation in larger studies before firm conclusions can be drawn. Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive of Crohn's & Colitis UK, said: "This is the first robust evidence that people with Crohn's and Colitis - who may need to take specific drugs to suppress their immune system - do not develop the expected antibodies after their first vaccination dose, although a second dose does improve antibody levels. With 1 in 5 not developing antibodies even after 2 doses, these people will be desperately worried that they remain at risk of catching COVID-19 and may develop a more serious illness at a time when shielding has ended. We need urgent research on the optimal time between the first and second jabs, and the need to be prioritised for any booster jab this Autumn." We believe our staff should mirror the diversity present in our nation as our district aspires to provide our students with an enriched educational experience that facilitates learning and acceptance from each other, and sets them on a journey of success, Figueroa said at the meeting. Squirrels, nut nutrition & evolution across the landscape of fear Squirrel food: Emily McNair 22 sets out a mixture of sand and sunflower seed in the College Woods. She is a member of Harmony Dalgleishs Population & Community Ecology class conducting an experiment to examine the link between nut nutrition and tree germination. Photo by Harmony Dalgleish Photo - of - Hide Caption Everybody knows that squirrels love nuts, but every squirrel knows that some nuts are better than others. Walnuts are at the top, Harmony Dalgleish says. But they take a lot of handling time. Red oak acorns are really high and hickories. I think those are the top three. Dalgleish, an associate professor in William & Marys Department of Biology, is leveraging some squirrelly facts of life for her Population & Community Ecology course, BIOL 417. Its a lab class being taught largely in person this semester. She explained that nut preference is based on nutrition. There's a set of traits that seeds have that make them more or less valuable to squirrels, she explained. A squirrel wants a seed with low tannin and high lipid, like you find in walnuts. The class is collaborating on an experiment, what Dalgleish calls a mapping of the ecological landscape of fear. The inquiry starts with a set of common-sense essentials about squirrel life and how those fundamentals figure into tree propagation. I took a question that I've been thinking about in my research, which was seed dispersal and predation how predators affects squirrel behavior, and how that impacts tree growth and seed dispersal, Dalgleish said. Dalgleish is a botanist; she explains that the squirrels habit of caching nuts is an important mechanism of seed dispersal. The nuts the squirrels squirrel away often go uneaten and germinate, becoming tree seedlings. Foraging and caching are different, though. Squirrels will forage in areas that are safer, right next to the base of a tree, because the predators won't get them, Dalgleish explained. So they'll eat in that patch longer than in one that's further from a tree or in a canopy gap. On the other hand, a cache-minded squirrel has a multitude of options: a tree cavity, a corner of a joist in your garage or a quick hole dug in the predator-patrolled landscape of fear. A squirrel has to balance his worry about hawks catching him out in the open with his fear of another squirrel robbing his cache. A new tree will grow from the nut left in the ground by the squirrel who buried it and, as Dalgleish says, The other squirrels arent going to spend time in risky territory searching for nuts that they didnt cache out there. She presents the hypothesis of the classs experiment in a nutshell: Squirrels are more likely to cache valuable nuts in riskier, more open areas and those prized nuts come from tree species with lower shade tolerance. If Dalgleishs hypothesis is correct, a squirrel will tend to bury the best, most nutritious nuts deeper into the landscape of fear than fast-germinating stuff like a beech nut or a white-oak acorn. And it could be that those far-flung nuts tend to be from tree species that have evolved the ability to thrive as seedlings out in the open. The tantalizing implication is that the evolution of nut nutrition could be linked to the evolution of shade tolerance. The venue for the experiment is William & Marys College Woods, home to an abundant squirrel population, with enough predators to keep those squirrels from getting complacent. Dalgleish said the first step is to establish the favored foraging locations by setting out trays filled with a sand-sunflower seed mix. We set out the sunflower seeds and sand and come back 24 hours later to see how much has been eaten in each of the stations, she said, adding that measuring consumption will allow the class to identify the areas deemed risky by squirrels. The next step is artificial caching. Students bury acorns across the landscape of fear that theyve mapped out with the sunflower observation. Weve actually glued magnets to the acorns, Dalgleish said. And then we come back with a magnetometer. We wont even have to dig up the acorns. The hypothesis is that the acorns we place in the riskier area, where foraging activity was low, will stay there longer. Students will begin analyzing data next week from their foraging inquiry. The College Woods study was actually the second phase in Dalgleishs experimental plan. The goal was to do a greenhouse study, then a field study, she said. The class set out to germinate 18 different tree species in the ISC greenhouse, then measure the shade tolerance of the seedlings. The class learned a great deal about light curves and photosynthesis but most of the seeds failed to germinate. And thats a bummer when youre working with students, Dalgleish said. But I looked at them and said, This is real science. After mostly taking off 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Curbstone Festival and the Antique and Classic Boat Show will return to the village of Skaneateles this July. The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 15 and 16, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 17, along Genesee, Jordan and Fennell streets in Skaneateles. It will feature sales of men's, women's and children's clothing, jewelry, toys and more, as well as roaming magicians and balloon artists. Organized by the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce, the festival did not take place in the village in July last year, but a version was held at Baltimore Woods Nature Center in Marcellus in September. Naypyitaw: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders have urged the head of Myanmar`s military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who took power in a coup on February 1, to end the violent crackdown in the country. According to Nikkei Asia, during the summit, the leaders and foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations had reached a consensus on five points. This includes: there shall be an "immediate cessation of violence" and restraint by all parties; all parties shall commence "constructive dialogue" toward "a peaceful solution in the interests of the people"; a special envoy of the ASEAN chair shall mediate the dialogue; ASEAN shall provide humanitarian assistance, and the special envoy and delegation shall visit Myanmar to meet with all parties. This meeting was held in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, the first in-person gathering of the bloc`s leaders since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the absences of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and Laotian Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh were conspicuous. Thai and Philippine officials cited surging COVID-19 cases in their countries, while Laos has not provided an explanation, reported Nikkei Asia. The host, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, said after the meeting that "inclusive dialogue must start," while echoing the call to release political prisoners. "We need to appoint a special ASEAN envoy to push for dialogues involving all parties in Myanmar. "As of April 23, 745 people have been confirmed to be killed since the military takeover in Myanmar, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). "As of April 23, 745 people have now confirmed killed by this junta coup," said AAPP, adding that a total of 3,371 people are currently under detention. On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence. Live TV Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 06:10:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. states have resumed administering the one-shot Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine after federal agencies lifted a pause, but public trust in the vaccine has been hindered. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced their decision to lift the pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine last Friday, allowing its resumed use for adults. They said following a thorough safety review, they found the shot's known and potential benefits "outweigh" its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older. The pause was recommended on April 13 after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. "We are no longer recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. "Based on the in-depth analysis, there is likely an association but the risk is very low." Several states have resumed giving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. As part of the U.S. Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, chains CVS and Walgreens will resume administering the vaccine this week. But a latest poll showed public trust has been hindered by the pause. Fewer than half of Americans considered the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as safe and barely more than a fifth of those not yet vaccinated would be willing to take the vaccine, according to the poll of ABC News/Washington Post. About 46 percent of interviewees think the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is very or somewhat safe, compared with more than 7 in 10 for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, according to the poll results released on Monday. About 73 percent of those not yet vaccinated said they were unwilling to receive Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot. Vaccine hesitancy in the United States remains substantial, according to the poll. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans, 24 percent, are disinclined to get any of the coronavirus vaccines. About 230 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered across the country as of Monday, while more than 290 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed, CDC data showed. Currently, there are over 95 million Americans fully vaccinated, accounting for 28.9 percent of the U.S. population, according to CDC data. About 140 million Americans received at lease one COVID-19 shot, accounting for 42.5 percent of the population. Among the fully vaccinated, 37 million are people 65 years of age or older, accounting for 67.7 percent, CDC data showed. Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use in the United States in late February. It is the third COVID-19 vaccine that has received FDA's authorization, also the first single dose COVID-19 vaccine available in the United States. Enditem Black-owned businesses near George Floyd Square plead for help amid rising crime, police ban Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Black-owned businesses near George Floyd Square are struggling to survive amid rising crime inside the autonomous zone that has been the scene of two fatal shootings. Violent crime has been on the rise in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 2020. In the area surrounding the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, near where Floyd died last May, there were 19 fatal and non-fatal shootings last year, 14 of which were from May 1Aug. 31, 2020. Business owners in that neighborhood, who describe themselves as the 38th Street Black Business Collective, said in a lengthy post on their GoFundMe page that they feel like a sacrificial lamb because their families black families are losing their livelihood. While they believe in justice for Floyd, who died in police custody on May 25 last year for which former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter they are dismayed by city officials who are allowing what they described as an "occupation" and its "unintended consequences." "Following the reduction of the Minneapolis Police Department, there has been uncontrollable crime in this city. ... Carjackings have nearly tripled Reports of bullets whizzing through the streets, businesses, innocent unintended residence homes, into cars and walls are plentiful. There is constant gunfire day and night, Black businesses have suffered a similar fate having windows shot out from random gunfire, cars stolen, customers not patronizing businesses due to fear of violence in the neighborhood and throughout the city," the GoFundMe page says, in part. These once-thriving businesses located at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue have seen a loss in revenue of more than 75% with no reprieve in sight. Many residents have described the police-restricted autonomous zone dedicated in Floyds memory as a militarized zone, much like Seattle's Capitol Hill Organized Protest occupation zone where multi people were killed and women reported being raped last summer. In an attempt to keep their businesses going and their employees paid, the 38th Street Black Business Collective is seeking to raise $400,000. So far, they've raised nearly $12,000 toward that goal as of Saturday. The area, according to the business group, "has always been home to some of Minnesotas most burgeoning Black businesses. This intersection has been home to a thriving Black, community and cultural corridor. However, since May 25th, its reputation has evolved and will now forever be connected to the memory of George Perry Floyd Jr. and the subsequent destruction of our city that followed. ..." They added, In the fight for justice we must not forget the fight of economic justice of once thriving community. We business owners know that the fight for justice doesn't just include justice from the legal system we must also include justice for business impacted." Andrea Jenkins, a city councilwoman who represents part of the neighborhood, said residents have complained to city council members about the frequency of hearing gunshots and the rise in crime. The neighbors deserve to have a level of comfort that does not include gunshots every night, and muggings and carjackings, and all the violent crimes we have been witnessing in this community, Jenkins, told News Nation in an interview last month. Kim Griffin, the aunt of 30-year-old Imez Wright, who was working security at the now infamous Cup Foods when he was shot dead inside George Floyd Square, told the news outlet that Minneapolis residents are afraid to enter the area. The situation at the memorial, from what I understand, is its kind of volatile, Griffin said. People that want to go and support doesnt feel a sense of inclusion. There is more of a like militant type atmosphere over and a sense of fear. Speaker about the circumstances surrounding the March 6 murder of her nephew, who was a youth mentor training to be a mental health practitioner before he was killed, Griffin added: Police were not allowed to get into that area; he was carried out outside of the zone of George Floyd Square. It was made clear law enforcement was not welcome to penetrate that zone, which is an atrocity because his life was taken, and I mean who knows whether or not he would have survived had things been different." Before the fatal shooting of Wright, a man named Dameon Chambers was shot and killed at the square during a Juneteenth celebration. Emergency services arrived at the scene but were blocked from the area. A city document said that ultimately [police] had to pull Mr. Chambers to an area where the ambulance could access the area. He later died from his injuries, KIMT News reports. Recently, activists calling themselves the Twin Cities Encampment Responders have encamped in the square, which is cordoned off by cement barricades, warning that they will stay there through August or until the end of the trial for the three other Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene when Floyd died, Fox News reported. On Wednesday, the Twin Cities Encampment Responders tweeted, We dont need the mayors permission to make decisions about our city. 38th & Chicago will be held until our demands are met. The Twitter thread referred to the two dozen demands of Justice Resolution 001, which includes continuing the closure of the square until after the trial. The resolution said that the barricades can be negotiated for removal if the city meets their demands for justice. The autonomous zone also has special instructions for white visitors posted on a sign near the entrance, which was tweeted out by Fox News correspondent Matt Finn. Decenter yourself and come to listen, learn, mourn, and witness, the sign said in reference to white people. Remember you are here to support, not to be supported. Seek to contribute to the energy of the space, rather than to drain it, the statement continued. Bring your own processing to other white folks so that you will not harm BIPOC. BIPOC is an acronym for black and indigenous people of color. Harris,Psaki Psaki implied that Harris may not travel to the border for security reasons, although the vice president has recently made trips to states like Colorado and Illinois. "If a president or a vice president goes down and visits a facility like this, you have to potentially clear some parts out. There's a lot of security that comes. Our focus here is on solutions, on making progress, on moving these kids out of facilities," Psaki said. more details or full transcript can be found here some user comments can be found here youtube New Delhi: Amid grim COVID-19 crisis looming over the country, Shri Hemkunt Sahib Yatra in Uttarakhand was postponed on Sunday (April 25). The Yatra for Sri Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara, situated in the hilly district of Chamoli, was slated to commence from May 10. It has now been deferred in view of the rising coronavirus cases, ANI reported. Located at a height of over 15,000 feet, the shrine welcomes devotees from across the country and abroad. It is believed that the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, had meditated at Hemkund in his previous birth. Earlier, Haridwar Kumbh Mela was cut short after the large gathering was criticised by a section of social media for violating COVID-19 norms. The religious congregation, earlier slated to end on April 30, concluded on April 17. Meanwhile, daily cases have been surging in Uttarakhand with Dehradun accounting for the maximum number of COVID-19 infections. With 1,670 cases, Dehradun remained the worst-affected COVID-19 city in the state on Sunday (April 25). To tackle the prevailing coronavirus situation, the Uttarakhand government on Sunday imposed a curfew in Dehradun district's Rishikesh, Dehradun, Garhi Cantt and Clement Town's municipal areas. The curfew will be enforced from 7 pm on 26 April till 5 am on 3 May. (With inputs from agencies) Live TV Millennium Energy Vietnam has proposed another LNG project doubling its capacity in Vietnam (Illustration photo) Having total investment capital of $15 billion, the LNG project has a designed capacity of 9,600MW. The investor needs an area of 200 hectares to develop the project. The construction will be implemented in two phases. According to Lam Hoang Nghiep, vice chairman of Soc Trang Peoples Committee, the province will organise a site visit and then the investor will have to build the detailed planning which the province will submit to the government for approval. The investor committed to using modern equipment and ensuring safety for the environment. Previously, in August 2020, Millennium Group from the US also issued plans to develop an LNG project in the South Van Phong area of Ninh Hoa town of Khanh Hoa province. The investor's ambition includes a 600ha project with a capacity of also 9,600MW. In addition, it will invest in a dock warehouse system to provide gas to the power plant as well as to distribute LNG in Southeast Asia. This system may be located in either Ninh Phuoc or Ninh Hoa commune. Once Khanh Hoa provinces leaders approve, the project will be guaranteed by the US government and we will work with the Vietnamese government to discuss implementation plans. Millenium expects to make the LNG dock warehouse in South Van Phong the energy centre of Southeast Asia, said Sam Chan, chairman of Millennium Vietnam Group, a member of Millennium Group. Khanh Hoas leaders assigned the Van Phong Economic Zones Management Authority to prepare an agreement with the investor, allowing it to arrive at Nam Van Phong area to study the project. In June 2020, Millennium also had a working session with leaders of Thanh Hoa Peoples Committee to develop a $7 billion LNG and warehouse complex project in Nghi Son LNG centre. The project has a total capacity of 4,800MW with a total investment capital of $5 billion and $2 billion for the warehouse. The first phase is expected to start operation before 2030 and the second phase would be launched in 2030. The woman who presided over the Post Office IT scandal should be stripped of her CBE, MPs said yesterday. Their demand follows Fridays dramatic Court of Appeal ruling in favour of 39 postmasters who were falsely branded criminals. Paula Vennells, who earned 3.7million over six years as chief executive at the Post Office, yesterday quit the boards of supermarket chain Morrisons and homewares firm Dunelm. Paula Vennells, who was chief executive at the Post Office during the scandal, should be stripped of her honour, according to MPs She had already stepped down from other roles but is holding on to her honour for services to the Post Office and to charity. Labour MP Kevan Jones said: She was head of the Post Office and oversaw this scandal, and yet ironically received a CBE for services to the Post Office. She should voluntarily give it up or have it withdrawn. Marion Fellows, the SNP MP who chairs the Post Office all-party parliamentary group, said: There has been a devastating failure from Post Office Ltd during Paula Vennells chairmanship. She should absolutely be stripped of any titles which recognise her contributions to the Post Office. Between 1999 and 2015 thousands of postmasters were accused of stealing from their own tills. In reality the losses were caused by computer glitches on the Post Offices Horizon system. In its judgement, the Court of Appeal shamed the Post Office for hounding the accused and mounting a cover-up. It said the case was an affront to the public conscience. MPs will today demand the Government launch a full inquiry. A string of ministers responsible for the state-owned company failed to act when postmasters were wrongly convicted. Former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Vince Cable, business secretary between 2010 and 2015, claimed he was not aware there was a problem. Postmasters accused of theft by Post Office celebrate outside the High Court In London after they had their convictions overturned But Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot, who has campaigned for postmasters for over a decade, said: To suggest that ministers did not know anything about the unfolding Horizon scandal is clearly nonsense. Mrs Vennells joined the Post Office in 2007 as network director, and held the post of chief executive from 2012 to 2019. She said yesterday: I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 sub-postmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week. 'My involvement with the Post Office has become a distraction from the good work undertaken by the boards I serve. I have therefore stepped down with immediate effect from all of my board positions. The power to take away CBEs and other gongs rests with the secretive honours forfeiture committee and ultimately the Queen. Grounds for forfeiture include a criminal conviction, misconduct or disreputable behaviour. RUTH SUNDERLAND: Payback time for all the broken lives on her watch Post Office Paula has finally done the right thing and surrendered her lucrative boardroom seats at two leading retailers, as well as relinquishing her duties as a Church of England priest. Now she should go a step further and renounce her CBE, a richly undeserved award that, with exquisite irony, was bestowed on her in part for services to the Post Office. Handing it back is the only course of action left if Paula Vennells wishes to make amends for her part in a debacle that ruined the lives of hundreds of her own sub-postmasters. Her conscience must surely tell her she cannot cling, limpet-like, to a decoration of which she is so unworthy. In truth it is ridiculous she was ever given such a coveted honour in the first place. Even more so that her investiture was in 2019, when the full horror of the sub-postmasters plight was becoming obvious. Returning the CBE of her own accord would spare her former employer yet more embarrassment. She would also save herself the humiliation of a noisy and well-justified chorus calling for it to be stripped from her. Post Office Paula should renounce her richly underserved CBE, the only course of action available if she wants to make amends There is a precedent: James Crosby, the former chief executive of HBOS, volunteered to give up his knighthood after the bank imploded in the financial crisis. He never quite came in for the same level of venom as fellow disgraced banking boss Fred Goodwin, whose title had to be forcibly wrenched from him. If she is to salvage a shred of her former reputation, Mrs Vennells needs to start showing real contrition. So far, this has appeared to be slow and grudging. Fulsome apologies have been a long time coming. Maybe she is eaten up with regret, but she has brazenly carried on with the portfolio of high-status jobs she took after leaving the Post Office. She has remained in each of her posts right until they became utterly untenable. Seen against the wrecked lives of the sub-postmasters, her apparent determination to maintain her career and her high earnings looks at best insensitive. The board seats at retailers Morrisons and Dunelm are the last ones to go, and now only the CBE remains. A career ending in disgrace was not how it was supposed to be for Mrs Vennells, 62. A former Girl Guide, devout Christian and conscientious executive, she is the last person anyone would cast as a corporate villainess. In private life, she is married with two sons and lives with husband John, a former director of a chemical engineering consultancy, in Bedfordshire. She rose from a working-class background, studying hard at Manchester High School for Girls and Bradford University. Until the Post Office catastrophe, her career, largely in retail, had been exemplary. And so, on the surface, it seemed to continue. In her time at the helm from 2012 to 2019, she won plaudits for modernising branches and bringing the Post Office back to profit after making large losses. It is hard to fathom how this deeply religious family woman, described by acquaintances as strait-laced, could have presided over such a brutal persecution of sub-postmasters. In fairness, the slowly unravelling scandal did not originate on her watch. However, during her tenure at the top she missed multiple chances to halt the hounding. As chief executive, Mrs Vennells must bear responsibility for the contemptible bulldozer tactics used against a group of brave men and women whose lives were broken. The culture under her management was one that chose to believe its computer system instead of its staff. This was regardless of the fact that an epidemic of fraud by hundreds of people of previously unblemished character was inherently implausible. She has presided over one of Britains biggest miscarriages of justice and one of its worst abuses of corporate power. Handing back her CBE is the least she can do. Thiruvananthapuram, April 26 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday urged people to maintain absolute caution as variants of the UK and South African virus have been identified in the state. "We have been told that the UK and South African variant virus have been reported in April. Of the total cases now detected, 40 per cent are from these variants which includes 30 per cent of the UK strain, while 7 per cent is the double mutant strain and 2 per cent is the one from South Africa," he said after an all-party meeting here. On Monday, 21,890 people tested Covid positive after 96,398 samples were sent for testing and as a result, the total active cases in the state have reached 2,32,812 - the highest-ever so far. "Since the situation is serious, the all-party meeting decided to ensure that across the state, all public places like gymnasium, bars, clubs, pools, indoor stadiums and movie halls should close down. The number of people attending marriages should not exceed 50 and for funerals not more than 20. At no cost should there be any laxity on the part of people as things are grave," said Vijayan. "We are told that there is going to be a shortage of blood and hence we request all those below 45 to see if blood can be donated. We say this because from May 1, those in the age 18 to 45 will also be eligible to take vaccines. According to medical experts, those who take the vaccines can donate blood only after 30 days and hence, we request as many such people to donate blood and then take the vaccine," he added. Vijayan pointed out that the situation is so grave because soon after the local body polls in December last year the daily number of cases reached 2,000 and the test positivity rate reached 11 per cent. "In March, the TPR came down below 3 per cent, but things went haywire and now the TPR stands in the range of 20 per cent. We have decided to open a control room for migrant workers and they are best advised to be where they are," he said. On vaccinations so far, he said so far 57.58 lakh people have taken the first dose, while 10.39 lakh have taken both the doses. "Now, we have a problem as our request to the Centre to supply us another 50 lakh doses is yet to receive a response. We will continue to ask the Centre, even as we are making all efforts to procure the vaccines as asked by the Centre from the manufacturers," said Vijayan. On Monday, a mammoth crowd had gathered at a state-run vaccination camp in the capital city, throwing all the mandatory social distancing protocols to the winds. "It has now come to a stage that these vaccination centres will turn into Covid distribution centres, as such was the crowd... it was absolute mayhem," said an angry citizen who was waiting for long. But authorities said that every person was given a time and the rush took place because people turned up much before their allotted time. Among the other things that were discussed at the all-party meeting include a wait and watch policy with the present protocols which include the present night curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. There was also consensus on continuing with the semi-lockdown protocols that came into force every Saturday and Sunday, when only shops selling essential items will open and all others will remain closed, besides private transport vehicles also will not be allowed and all have to remain indoors. Also it has been decided that there will be no celebrations on May 2, which is the counting day. "Only officials, representatives of the candidates and the media will be allowed at counting centre and all will have to produce a RTPCR test result or should have taken both the doses of vaccine," added Vijayan. Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the top online programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 1,280 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school. Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Online Military Friendly Colleges. Intelligent.com analyzed 224 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 63 making it to the final list for Online Military Friendly Colleges. To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-online-military-friendly-colleges/ 2021 Online Military Friendly Colleges featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order): Abraham Lincoln University American College of Healthcare Sciences American Military University American University Amridge University Arizona State University Arkansas State University Austin Peay State University Azusa Pacific University Ball State University Bellevue University Bowling Green State University California State University, San Bernardino Colorado State University Global Columbia College Columbia Southern University Drexel University Duquesne University East Carolina University Eastern Kentucky University ECPI University Edgecombe Community College Fairmont State University Georgia Southern University Grambling State University Lamar University Lewis University Liberty University Louisiana State University Lubbock Christian University Mississippi State University Murray State University New England College New Mexico State University Northern Arizona University Old Dominion University Park University Regent University Salem State University Southern Illinois University Trident University International Troy University Tunxis Community College University of Alaska University of Alaska Fairbanks University of Arizona University of Bridgeport University of Cincinnati University of Colorado Denver University of Kansas University of La Verne University of Maryland Global Campus University of Montana University of Nebraska University of North Carolina Wilmington University of North Dakota University of North Georgia University of South Florida University of the Incarnate Word University of Toledo Utah State University Villanova University Western Kentucky University About Intelligent.com Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/. Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and representatives from a number of ministries, sectors and businesses attended the event. The Vietnam National Quality Awards 2019 went to 61 enterprises, while 55 others received the Awards in 2020. Also at the ceremony, the Global Performance Excellence Awards (GPEA) 2019-2020 were presented to four enterprises: Viglacera Corporation JSC; KIZUNA JV Joint Stock Company, Tan A Production and Trading Company Limited, and Central Power Electronic Measurement Equipment Manufacturing Centre of the Central Power Corporation. Addressing the event, Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat said the winners were all typical enterprises with the high spirit of innovation, which crystallised the quality of their products and services. In the coming time, the ministry will continue to work hard on setting out policies so that businesses can enjoy preferential treatment on market access and development, thus improving their productivity and quality as well as promoting innovation, improving their competitiveness, he said. The National Quality Awards were approved by the Prime Minister and are included in the GPEA. The PM signed decisions presenting the awards to 116 companies last year. Over the past 25 years, more than 2,000 enterprises have won these awards, including 240 receiving the golden prize. Of note, 50 were also honoured with the GPEA. The GPEA programme is administered by the Asia-Pacific Quality Organisation (APQO), which is a non-profit organisation bringing together all of the leading quality societies in the Asia Pacific region. To be eligible for the prestigious awards, businesses must earn a national quality award for two years preceding the year of application and be recommended by the national awards body. 2019 was the 20th year Vietnam has participated in the GPEA programme. So far, there have been 50 Vietnamese enterprises winning this international awards. Police in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, have arrested a man suspected of stabbing the sister of a member of the Russian parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, Artur Chilingarov. The Investigative Committee said on April 26 that the 59-year-old suspect, whose identity was not disclosed, stabbed the 71-year-old woman, injuring her arm and head in the hall of an apartment block on April 20. According to the statement, the woman was saved by a neighbor who scared off the attacker. The suspect, who has a criminal record, was apprehended shortly after the attack. The motive for the attack remains unclear. Chilingarov, 81, is also a well-known Russian polar explorer. Aleksandr Bastrykin, the head of the Investigative Committee, has ordered an investigation into the incident. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 08:10:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - SANTIAGO -- Chile's Ministry of Health reported 6,638 new cases of the COVID-19 on Sunday with 114 deaths. According to the ministry, cases have risen to 1,169,536 and the death toll has risen to 25,856. - - - - QUITO -- The Ecuadoran Ministry of Health reported 608 new cases and 13 more deaths of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 373,362 and deaths to 13,098. The provinces of Pichincha and Guayas continue to be the most affected, in particular the cities of Guayaquil and Quito, the capital of Ecuador. - - - - HAVANA -- Cuba once again reported more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19, with 1,185 infections registered as well as 10 deaths, the Ministry of Public Health reported on Sunday. With these figures, the number of cases has risen to 101,503 and the death toll to 591. - - - - TUNIS -- Tunisian Health Ministry on Sunday reported 1,770 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 300,342. The death toll from the virus rose by 73 to 10,304 in Tunisia, the ministry said in a statement. - - - - BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Sunday 6,034 new coronavirus cases, raising the total nationwide number to 1,031,322, a day after a huge fire killed dozens in a hospital treating coronavirus patients in the capital Baghdad. A statement by the ministry also reported 40 new COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 15,257, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 7,335 to 905,301. - - - - DOHA -- The Qatari health ministry on Sunday announced 705 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 202,201, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. Meanwhile, 1,548 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 181,522, while the fatalities increased by 10 to 428, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA. Enditem The Iraqi cabinet Sunday suspended health minister and Baghdad Governor as part of investigations into a fire that killed 82 on Saturday at local hospital in Capital Baghdad, reports say. A special Sunday Cabinet session headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi suspended Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi and Baghdad Governor Muhammad Jaber and referred them for investigations, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports citing Al-Kadhimis media office. The session came in the wake of the death of 82 covid patients at Ibn al-Khatib hospital in a fire caused by the explosion of oxygen tanks at the hospital, where coronavirus patients were being treated. The tragedy also caused injuries to 110 others. The cabinet also set up an investigation committee headed by Interior Minister Othman Al-Ghanimi, to hold those responsible accountable. Meanwhile, the Independent High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq, an official body linked to the Iraqi parliament, called on the Prime Minister to sack Al Tamimi and his deputies, MEMO notes. The country has declared 3 days of national mourning for the victims. Page Content Schools join forces to support students who are learning English as an additional language With fewer students migrating to Australia due to COVID-19, intensive English schools and centres across Victoria are temporarily seeing reduced student enrolments. To support students who are learning English as an additional language, Victorian government schools can now take part in the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Teaching and Curriculum Support Initiative (ETAC21). Through the program, Victorian government schools can enhance their 2021 EAL programs by hosting an experienced EAL teacher or Multicultural Education Aide (MEA) from an English language school or centre for a term. The EAL curriculum was introduced towards the end of 2019 for trial implementation in 2020, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Victorian Curriculum F-10 English as an Additional Language (EAL) is now the mandated curriculum for EAL students in all Victorian government schools. Blackburn English Language School (BELS) and Mount Waverley Primary School (MWPS) are two schools that have collaborated through the curriculum support initiative. Supporting EAL students at Mount Waverley Primary School EAL specialist Tabassum Haidar, who usually teaches at Blackburn English Language School (BELS), has been working with Sue Kannegiesser, the literacy support and EAL coordinator at Mount Waverley Primary School (MWPS), to deliver the program. Together, they play a vital role in helping EAL students at MWPS catch up with the learning they may have missed due to the pandemic, while supporting the school to implement the EAL curriculum this year. Even though MWPS isnt a dedicated intensive English school, more than half of their students are EAL students. Sue said EAL students were one of the most disadvantaged groups when it came to the absence of face-to-face English language support last year. Many students only speak their home language at home, so we started running hands-on classes online so that students could practice their English oral language with a teacher, Sue said. The students often had difficulties in accessing and submitting work digitally, and we focused on providing differentiated tasks based on what the EAL students were doing with their class. Sharing knowledge and resources to implement the EAL curriculum The challenges faced by the EAL cohort last year further strengthens the schools goal to establish an inclusive, whole-school approach focused on optimising outcomes for EAL students. 'Tabassums expertise has been invaluable in supporting teachers to use more EAL teaching strategies in the classroom, Sue said. With Tabassums support, we delivered an EAL professional learning for all staff in Term 1, based on areas we identified around the types of EAL strategies that teachers can employ in their classrooms ways to support, model and train our teachers in differentiating tasks and scaffolding lessons. Tabassum has such a beautiful manner with the students and is a great model for all of us. Ive seen how she teaches and noticed the little gestures that support communication with EAL students such as providing additional wait time. These are all things we can add to our teaching tool kit. For Tabassum, the most enjoyable part of her experience has been seeing the EAL students transition from an English language school into a mainstream school. Ive been able to observe how theyre settling in and managing in the mainstream classroom. This has allowed me to learn more about what newly arrived students at English language schools and centres need more support in, Tabassum said. I can also ask my mainstream colleagues about what levels of support they need when it comes to teaching EAL students using the EAL curriculum and I am able to use my experience to help them fill those gaps. The benefits of collaboration Sue has enjoyed building a partnership between MWPS and BELS. Not only will Tabassum know what her new EAL students will be grappling with when they transition to a mainstream school, but hopefully we can maintain communication so we can learn more about the students coming to our school when they graduate from the English language school, she said. Find out more For more information, refer to: Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 19:18:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe said its prime tourist destination Victoria Falls has become the first city to achieve herd immunity in the country after administering COVID-19 vaccines to more than three-quarters of the targeted population. The city is home to the magnificent Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe's premier tourist attraction and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Last month, the government supplied the town of about 35,000 residents with 60,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine purchased from China to cover all eligible residents as part of a plan to make the city the first COVID-19-free tourism hotspot in the world. President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday applauded health officials for making the development a possibility. "Last month I received my COVID-19 vaccine in Victoria Falls. I am immensely proud that over 77 percent of the city's inhabitants have received their second jab," he said on social media on Monday. As a city that depends on the tourism industry, Victoria Falls has been hardest hit by the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, more than 350,000 people visited the Zimbabwean side of the waterfall every year to admire the world's largest waterfall by volume of falling water. However, with global travel restrictions and strict national lockdowns enforced to curb the spread of COVID-19, tourist activities in the resort city were shut down for the greater part of 2020. Zimbabwe launched its nationwide vaccination campaign on Feb. 18 with Sinopharm vaccines donated by China. To date, more than 350,000 people have been vaccinated. So far the country has taken delivery of two batches of Sinovac doses purchased from China, adding to two batches of Sinopharm doses donated by the Chinese government. Enditem Photo: BC SPCA The BC SPCA says it is concerned about the growing veterinarians shortage in the province. The non-profit has launched a pledge campaign asking the provincial government to provide funding for 20 additional spaces for B.C. students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. The demand for veterinary services in B.C. already outstrips the number of vets available, and this situation is only going to get more urgent, said Craig Daniell, chief executive officer of the BC SPCA. Not only does this put our pets and other animals at risk, but the shortage has led to increasing levels of exhaustion, burn-out and, sadly, suicide, within the veterinary profession, he added. A labour market study conducted by the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, indicated that B.C. would be short over 500 veterinarians by 2024. The shortage is particularly serious outside of urban areas, where access to veterinary care is already limited and in fields of specialization, such as large animal care," Daniell said. Daniell adds British Columbia has an opportunity to alleviate the shortage by providing government funding to support additional spaces for B.C. veterinary students at Western College. The key issue is funding, says Daniell. Veterinary students pay part of their tuition, with the balance of funding coming from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. We are urging the provincial government to protect B.C. animals by providing funding for B.C. students." Without action to address the increasing vet shortage, Daniell says both animals and people are at risk. We are already seeing the negative impact on animals, as access to veterinary care diminishes." The growing vet shortage in B.C. is going to have dire consequences if we dont take action to ensure our animals have the care they need, now and in the future." To sign the BC SPCAs pledge to support training for B.C. veterinarians, visit spca.bc.ca/vet-shortage. Samson Li, Grobest Global CEO giving the opening speech at the conference Addressing the conference, Samson Li, Grobest Global CEO, said: Vietnam is an important market in Grobest's strategic development. We are committed to continue investing long-term resources in this market to accompany Grobest's customers and local farmers. In this pursuit, Grobest focuses on product quality, especially highly efficient functional products, helping shrimp grow faster, stronger, and more sustainably. Specifically, in the recent occasion of saline intrusion, diseases, and environmental problems, the shortcomings of Vietnams traditional large-scale shrimp farming model are becoming increasingly apparent, with low success rate. Meanwhile, intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming is gradually becoming the new trend, with more than 70 per cent of shrimp farmers who applied this model being able to achieve highly profitable crops. However, the transition to newer models is facing various challenges in terms of technology and capital, among others. To help farmers bridge this gap, Grobest Vietnam has carried out a programme to offer lots of practical support to shrimp farmers to spread this more efficient model using our Gro-farm technology, he added. A shrimp farm applying Gro-farm technology in Bac Lieu Since its inception, this Grobest programme has helped shrimp farmers across the country overcome financial and technical obstacles and transform their production models. In June 2020, Grobest provided pilot support for 120 ponds owned by 60 traditional shrimp farmers. Through direct technology support and close supervision and consultancy from Grobests team of technicians, the converted ponds reported clear differences and achieved positive returns within three months. With the initial successes, Grobest officially began replicating the model on October 2020. It is expected that in 2021, thousands of intensive and super-intensive ponds using the Gro-farm shrimp farming technology will be completed. N.V.N., a 55-year-old shrimp farmer receiving support from the Grobest programme, shared: I had been thinking about switching to intensive or super-intensive shrimp farming for a long time, but I was always discouraged by the large investment cost. Grobest technicians saw my concerns and gave me guidance to help me switch with confidence. I am very happy that I could make the right decision for my shrimp. More than 70 per cent of shrimp farmers who applied new model can achieve highly profitable crops (Source: thuysanvietnam.com.vn) In addition to the programme that supports shrimp farmers to convert from traditional to intensive and super-intensive production, Grobest has also implemented a larvae production cooperation programme and the My shrimp, My Decision campaign, accompanying farmers to achieve high-quality crops. Gray whale breaching. Credit: Merrill Gosho, NOAA, Public Domain The plight of an entangled baby whale off Orange County, California, has sparked an urgent multi-agency rescue effort, highlighting again the perils that ocean debris poses to marine mammals and other wildlife. The baby gray whale has a rope around its mouth and trailing in the water behind it. That's prompted a team of ocean animal experts from Dana Point to Monterey to closely follow the whale, hoping to get close enough to extricate it. As the calf grows, the rope could tighten around it, potentially tearing off skin or breaking limbs. The consequences could be deadly. "Unfortunately, with most of these entanglements, if the whale can't get it off and we can't get it off," said Justin Viezbicke, California Stranding Network coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, "they ultimately lead up to death." Hugging the California coast, the calf and mother are making the arduous annual migration to forage off Alaska. They left behind their winter home in Mexico, where Viezbicke said the mother probably spent a busy season breeding and calving, to swim 24 hours a day on a dwindling supply of energy. A bastion of killer whales looms ahead in Monterey, he added. A photographer who volunteers at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach spotted the mother-child pair Monday while aboard a Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari tour near Dana Point Harbor, said Krysta Higuchi, PMMC spokesperson. A team of PMMC and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration workers quickly loaded onto a boat to rescue the entangled whale. Each year, according to NOAA, billions of pounds of trash enter the ocean, and nets, ropes and other gear from boats add to the debris. In the current rescue, Viezbicke said, the goal is to save the whale but also learn how to prevent another entanglement. NOAA reported 17 whale entanglements along the West Coast last year. "The entanglement response team is really a Band-Aid," Viezbicke said. "We want to be more preventative in nature than reactive." But when the boat approached the pair, Viezbicke said, the mother whale went into protective modepushing the calf toward shore while positioning herself between it and the boat, hiding her child beneath her and flipping underwater to evade the rescue team. "Just like any protective parent, the last thing you want is a boat zooming around the water and pinning your child down," Viezbicke said, adding that the calf is probably less than a year old. "This is clearly not this mom's first rodeo." After nearly five hours, the mother whale was so agitated, he said, the team decided to go home. "That adds a whole other dynamic to this where it's really about human safety," Viezbicke said. "All it takes is one swing of that tail and we're done. It makes it super dangerous." On Tuesday, whale watcher Phil Kreis took his drone to Point Dume in Malibu to see the sights. He filmed the calf gliding through seafoam-green water, the rope dangling from its mouth. It was only the second time Kreis had ever captured footage of a calf, so he was euphoric. "It's kind of like a video game. When it comes in, it's exhilarating," Kreis said. "It's awesome. I love it when the whales come in." Just as he was packing up the drone for the night, fellow whale enthusiast Alison Mytych called. Mytych has religiously counted whales during migration season for the past nine years. All of Tuesday, she had been on high alert for the mother-calf, spending the entire day at Point Dume beach because of a "gut feeling" that they would swim by. As she stepped away for tea, she called to check in with Kreis and heard about his sighting. Mytych quickly calculated how fast the whales had been swimming, then jumped into her car. As she drove along Pacific Coast Highway to the beach where she estimated they'd go next, she said she spotted the pair in the water. "I was like yes, yes, yes!" Mytych said in an interview Thursday. While feeding information to NOAA, she followed the whales to another beach before watching them swim away from Leo Carrillo State Beach into the sunset. "It was absolutely perfect," she said, adding that she has loved whales her whole life. A former nurse, Mytych has been enduring cancer treatments throughout the pandemic. "Being out at the beach for the whales has motivated me to get back out, to get back in shape, to get my stamina back, my energy back," she said. "The whales, as much as I love seeing [them], I feel like they help me." Viezbicke said he expects the whales will show up next in Monterey, where killer whales live. The mother will probably be even more protective of her young, he said, which could make for another difficult encounter with the humans trying to help. A team of experts from California to Washington are preparing for their arrivaland hopefully a rescue. Explore further Endangered baby right whale found dead on Florida beach 2021 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. By Maria Caspani and Nathan Layne (Reuters) - When a majority of Cornell University's Republican club voted to endorse President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, many of its moderate members left the group. After Joe Biden won and club leader Weston Barker wrote an op-ed in the school paper urging people to accept the Democrat as the legitimately elected president, pro-Trump members defected. The club remains deeply divided months later, Barker said, with its members - like Republicans nationally - split on the best path forward as the party looks to regain some power in next year's midterm congressional elections. While Trump remains popular among Republicans of all ages, he lost support in the last year's election from white, college-educated voters. In recent interviews, members and leaders of a dozen Republican clubs on U.S. campuses said fresh leadership and a wider embrace of issues such as fighting climate change are key to the future of the party they will help mold for decades to come. Trump "ran a campaign and he lost. I personally believe the party needs to move on," said Joseph Pitts, president of the Republican club at Arizona State University. Despite Republicans losing the White House in November and the Senate in January, Trump has signaled his desire to be a dominant force in the party ahead of another potential presidential bid in 2024. The former president's political action committee has raised $85 million to fund attacks on his opponents and boost his loyalists. About seven in 10 Republicans under 30 have a favorable impression of Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 12-16, while three in 10 have an unfavorable view of him. But even among the young conservatives who did not openly oppose the former president, several said his presence at the top hindered its ability to create a "big tent" party. That could pose a problem for Republicans' electoral prospects in an increasingly diverse country. Story continues "We want to move beyond some of the divisions and some of the anger that has definitely defined the country over the past four years," said Ben Smith, the president of College Republicans of Louisiana State University. He said his club's members have expressed excitement about younger party figures like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and U.S. Senator Tim Scott. CLIMATE ACTION Several college Republicans said they wanted the party to focus on core values, including limited government and deregulation, and to overcome its reluctance on embracing climate change. The latter is crucial to students such as Smith living in places like Louisiana that are especially vulnerable to climate threats. "We're at the forefront on a lot of the coastal erosion that's happening in the country right now, so climate change is something that we'd definitely like to see a response on," he said. At Florida State University, college Republicans have urged state lawmakers to create an environmental resiliency office and a task force on sea level rise, according to the club's vice chair, Steven Richards. Young Republicans' engagement on climate change will eventually lead to a shift on the issue among conservatives, said Benjamin Backer, the founder and president of the American Conservation Coalition, a conservative youth environmental organization. "Conservative groups on campus and in different communities are honestly some of the biggest and most important allies for climate action in the entire country," Backer said. The Republican Party faces a "long-term structural problem" if it fails to appeal to younger generations, said Matthew Dallek, a professor at George Washington University. Voters under 30 supported Biden over Trump by 16 percentage points in the 2020 election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Nov. 3. And while Republicans overall largely supported Trump, Biden fared a little better among those who had higher levels of education, including young Republicans with college degrees. "Young people are not, as a whole, where the Republican Party is today," Dallek said. Allie Carroll, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, said the party has several programs underway to engage young voters ahead of the 2022 elections. "With our permanent, on-the-ground presence in states across the country, the RNC remains committed to expanding our inroads with the next generation of voters," Carroll said. A representative for Trump did not respond to requests for comment. The former president remains popular among a substantial group of college-aged conservatives who see him as a pivotal part of the Republican Party's future. "I think he is the leader of this party right now, and I think separating ourselves from him will hurt us," said Elizabeth Crochet, a sophomore at Louisiana State University and a member of its Republican club. Some college Republicans who want to turn the page on the Trump era praised him for making inroads with voters the party had struggled to appeal to in the past, such as Latinos, and for a populist message that fired up his base. They also said they agreed with many of his policies - from his tough stance toward China to aggressive trade relations and focus on immigration. "Most of my members are looking to 2022 and 2024 and want Trump's policies and ideas," said Tom Heuschkel, president of the college Republicans group at the University of Connecticut, "but not Trump or his family members." (Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York and Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; additional reporting by Chris Kahn; editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell) Mumbai, April 26 : Actor Kartik Aaryans new post on Monday reiterates the importance of wearing a mask, saying that the practice must be compulsory. Kartik posted a picture on Instagram where he is seen wearing a turtleneck paired with a colourful jacket. In the image, he pulls up his turtleneck all the way up to his nose and pulls it down with his finger. "Don't try this in public #MaskHaiZaroori," he wrote as caption. Earlier this month, Kartik was surrounded by controversy when Karan Johar's banner Dharma Productions officially announced that he would no longer star in their upcoming production "Dostana 2", adding that the production house would never collaborate with the actor again. Meanwhile, Kartik's date diary is packed. He is busy with his upcoming horror comedy "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" where he features alongside actors Tabu and Kiara Advani. The film is a follow-up to the 2007 film "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" and is slated to hit the theatres in November this year. Kartik would also be seen in the film "Dhamaka" which would be released on OTT Kartik also has Ram Madhvani's thriller "Dhamaka" coming up. The film is scheduled for an OTT release soon. 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. Photo: The Canadian Press An abandoned carousel in the ghost town of Pripyat close to the Chornobyl nuclear plant. The vast and empty Chornobyl Exclusion Zone around the site of the world's worst nuclear accident is a baleful monument to human mistakes. Yet 35 years after a power plant reactor exploded, Ukrainians also look to it for inspiration, solace and income. Reactor No. 4 at the power plant 110 kilometres north of the capital Kyiv exploded and caught fire deep in the night on April 26, 1986, shattering the building and spewing radioactive material high into the sky. Soviet authorities made the catastrophe even worse by failing to tell the public what had happened although the nearby plant workers' town of Pripyat was evacuated the next day, the 2 million residents of Kyiv weren't informed despite the fallout danger. The world learned of the disaster only after heightened radiation was detected in Sweden. Eventually, more than 100,000 people were evacuated from the vicinity and a 2,600-square-kilometre exclusion zone was established where the only activity was workers disposing of waste and tending to a hastily built sarcophagus covering the reactor. Radiation continued to leak from the reactor building until 2019, when the entire building was covered by an enormous arch-shaped shelter. As robots inside the shelter began dismantling the reactor, officials felt new optimism about the zone. This is a place of tragedy and memory, but it is also a place where you can see how a person can overcome the consequences of a global catastrophe," said Bohdan Borukhovskyi, Ukraine's deputy environment minister. We want a new narrative to appear it was not a zone of exclusion, but a zone of development and revival," he said. For him, that narrative includes encouraging tourism. Our tourism is unique, it is not a classic concept of tourism, he said. "This is an area of ??meditation and reflection, an area where you can see the impact of human error, but you can also see the human heroism that corrects it. The Chornobyl zone saw its tourism increase twofold after the lauded television miniseries of 2019 and officials hope that level of interest will continue, or grow, once the global pandemic has receded. One of the prime draws for tourists is to see the ruins of Pripyat, the once-modern town of 50,000 now being taken over by decay and vegetation. Work is underway to build paths to make it easier for visitors to navigate the ruins. The Chornobyl plant is out of service, but there is still much work to be done at the decommissioned plant. Borukhovskyi said all four of its reactors are to be dismantled only by 2064. Ukraine also has decided to use the deserted zone as the site for its centralized storage facility for the spent fuel from the country's four remaining nuclear power plants, and that is to open this year. Until recently, the fuel was disposed of in Russia. "We are doing everything possible so that this territory, where it is now impossible for people to live, is used with benefit and gives the country a profit, said Serhiy Kostyuk, head of the agency that manages the exclusion zone. Although the radiation level in the zone is low enough that tourists can visit and workers can carry out their jobs, permanent residence is banned. However, more than 100 people still live in the zone that extends 30 kilometres around the nuclear power plant, despite orders to leave the site. Aditya Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 11,513 Thanked: 51,556 Times View My Garage Ola Electric to set up 1 lakh EV chargers over next 5 years Ola Electric is calling its charging network, the Hypercharger Network. It will be set up across 400 cities. 5,000 of the chargers will be set up in FY2021-22. Hyperchargers will come in two types - vertical tower-based chargers and standalone chargers. These will be put up at malls, IT parks, cafes and similar public spaces. Ola customers have to simply arrive at a charging location and plug their scooter into the charging point. Customers can easily monitor the charging progress in real time on the Ola Electric app. The same app can be used to seamlessly pay for the charging as well. The company claims that a Hypercharger is capable of charging the batteries of its electric scooter from 0-50% in 18 minutes. This is enough to give the scooter an additional 75 km of range. A full charge takes less than an hour. The company claims, that the Hypercharger network will be the largest electric two-wheeler charging network in the world. The Ola scooter will be manufactured at the Ola Futurefactory, which is being built in Tamil Nadu. The scooter will be launched in the coming months. Besides Hyperchargers, customers will be able to charge their Ola Electric scooters at their homes with a charger that will come with the vehicle. Ola Electric has announced that it plans to set up 1,00,000 electric vehicle chargers in India over the next five years. The announcement comes ahead of its plans to launch an electric two-wheeler later this year. The company plans to set up a few hundred chargers before the launch of the scooter.Ola Electric is calling its charging network, the Hypercharger Network. It will be set up across 400 cities. 5,000 of the chargers will be set up in FY2021-22. Hyperchargers will come in two types - vertical tower-based chargers and standalone chargers. These will be put up at malls, IT parks, cafes and similar public spaces. Ola customers have to simply arrive at a charging location and plug their scooter into the charging point. Customers can easily monitor the charging progress in real time on the Ola Electric app. The same app can be used to seamlessly pay for the charging as well.The company claims that a Hypercharger is capable of charging the batteries of its electric scooter from 0-50% in 18 minutes. This is enough to give the scooter an additional 75 km of range. A full charge takes less than an hour. The company claims, that the Hypercharger network will be the largest electric two-wheeler charging network in the world.The Ola scooter will be manufactured at the Ola Futurefactory, which is being built in Tamil Nadu. The scooter will be launched in the coming months.Besides Hyperchargers, customers will be able to charge their Ola Electric scooters at their homes with a charger that will come with the vehicle. Last edited by Aditya : 22nd April 2021 at 17:39 . The government has launched its first TV advert urging people aged 50 and under to get their Covid-19 vaccine. The ad showcases the health workers and volunteers involved in the rollout across the UK, as well as some of the millions of people who have already had their jab. The campaign called 'every vaccination gives us hope' will make its debut during Emmerdale on ITV on Monday at 7.15pm. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the advert will predominantly be aimed at people under the age of 50 who will be offered their first dose, as well as the over 50s who are booked in for their second dose, to encourage vaccine uptake. It follows the news that Britons in their 30s could receive their call-up for the jab as early as next week, with officials close to securing tens of millions of Pfizer jabs. A TV advert (pictured) will form part of a Government campaign urging people aged 50 and under to get their Covid-19 vaccine The new order of 40million roughly doubles the UK's original order and will arrive in time for a third booster dose to be given to elderly people in the autumn. If the negotiations are finalised, the extra stock could also be used for people in their twenties who will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine. The new ad campaign will run on multi-cultural media, social media, on the radio and on billboards across Manchester, Liverpool and London. The 60-second advert will feature a cover of Dinah Washington's What a Difference a Day Makes recorded by songwriter and artist Shells. The ad (pictured) showcases the health workers and volunteers involved in the rollout across the UK, as well as some of the millions of people who have already had their jab The song will be released to the public through streaming services on Friday. The DHSC said the campaign also aims to highlight the 'significant' role the vaccine is playing in preventing infections, hospital admissions and deaths. It will urge the public to get their facts about vaccines from trusted sources like NHS.UK and their GP so they can make informed and evidence-based decisions. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Vaccines are helping us get back to doing the things we have missed they protect you and those around you. The campaign called 'every vaccination gives us hope' will make its debut during Emmerdale on ITV on Monday at 7.15pm. Pictured: A still taken from the advert The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the advert (pictured) will predominantly be aimed at people under the age of 50 who will be offered their first dose, as well as the over 50s who are booked in for their second dose, to encourage vaccine uptake More than half of the UK's total population has received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, figures show. NHS England data up to April 23 shows that of the 38,189,536 total doses given in England so far, 28,102,852 were first doses - a rise of 107,656 on the previous day 'This campaign is a remarkable and poignant reminder of everything we've been through as a country and everything we have to look forward to as well as the tireless efforts of our volunteers, NHS heroes and the British people. 'Every vaccination gives us hope and I urge everyone to take up the offer of a vaccine when it comes, as we continue on the path back to normality.' Thor Porter, 32, a drummer and graphic designer from Salisbury who also appeared in the ad, said: 'I feel the vaccine rollout is key to regaining some form of normality. As a musician, it will hopefully enable venues to reopen and ensure a future in my career. 'My mother was an NHS nurse her whole life and then became a school nurse, carrying out mass vaccinations across schools, and I know that she would be fully behind this rollout if she were here today. That's why I was keen to get my vaccine. 'At the end of the day, if we all want to be with our loved ones again then we need to do our bit. We have stayed inside for long enough, let's get out and get vaccinated.' The British Medical Association (BMA) said it welcomed the campaign, with BMA GP committee chairman Dr Richard Vautrey saying: 'Since the rollout of the programme the BMA has strongly encouraged everyone who is offered a vaccine to take it. 'It's important that younger and less vulnerable people don't confuse their lower risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus with no risk. 'We are all at risk of contracting the virus and, as we've seen throughout the pandemic, becoming seriously ill from it, including a growing number of people, both young and old, now suffering from long Covid. Britons in their 30s are set to be invited for Covid vaccines within days with officials close to securing tens of millions of Pfizer jabs 'The fact is the pandemic will not be over for anyone until it is over for everyone and to achieve that we need high uptake across all groups of people throughout the entire country.' Over the weekend, figures confirmed more than half of the UK's total population has received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Government data up to April 24 shows that of the 46,253,754 jabs given in the UK so far, 33,666,638 were first doses a rise of 142,215 on the previous day. Speaking on Saturday, Mr Hancock said he is thrilled the uptake among everyone aged 50 and above is over 95 per cent. Vaccine hesitancy in Britain is highest among 16 to 29-year-olds, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Adverts launched by the government as part of their latest campaign. The new ad campaign will run on multi-cultural media, social media, on the radio and on billboards across Manchester, Liverpool and London. An ONS survey carried out in February and March found some 12% of people in this age group said they had declined the vaccine, were unlikely to have the jab if offered or did not know if they would have a vaccination. This is the equivalent of around 1.2 million people, based on the weighted population figures used in the ONS survey. Hesitancy was 9 per cent among those aged 30 to 49 the equivalent of 1.6 million people. The DHSC said 22.8 per cent of the UK adult population have now received both doses of a vaccine, with 45.5 million vaccines administered overall. The department said that since the Government and NHS published its vaccine uptake plan in February, the take-up of vaccinations from people of all ethnic minority backgrounds has tripled. It said uptake among people from a Pakistani background is more than four times higher than it was in February while there has been a five-fold increase in people taking up the vaccine from a Bangladeshi background. [April 26, 2021] Hyperlink InfoSystem Ranked As One of The Top Software Companies In California, USA 2021 NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The US leads the landscape when it comes to tech solutions. California is the leading state for the software industry as its essence lies in Silicon Valley and San Francisco's Bay Area. No wonder why California tops the list of software industries in the U.S. Silicon Valley in California is home to 2,000 tech companies and is the center for innovative technology companies. California is the largest tech market worldwide, accounting for $6.1 trillion for 2021. California comes under the top states for building the latest technologies. The world's leading investors in AI are California-based, and close to half of all AI deals in 2018 took place in this beautiful state. When we talk about the leading software state, it involves several IT products such as mobile app development, web development, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Salesforce, AI, Data Science, and many more. California is enriched with IT services, having tons of software development companies to overwhelm the businesses to pick the best one. Amongst them, we will discuss the well-renowned app developers Hyperlink InfoSystem. This famous India-based company has its wings worldwide and has offices in top countries, including the USA, UK, Australia, and UAE. Founded in 2011, Hyperlink InfoSystem flourished at a burgeoning pace. All set to become one of the top software companies worldwide has served numerous clients, and USA being the most catered country. It has developed over 3,500 mobile apps and over 2,000 websites globally. Hyperlink InfoSystem offers services such as web and app development, data science, salesforce, blockchain, AI, AR/VR apps, and many more. The company has a team of over 350 experienced developers to help you develop & design a remarkable app with advanced technologies and offering phenomenal customer service. Mr. Harnil Oza, the CEO& founder of Hyperlink InfoSystem says, "The path that we have reached today was our yesterday's dream, and there is no going back. We have achieved milestones and emerged as a rising star in the tech world. This success has gotten my efficient team and me far ahead in our careers, and we are proud of it. We believe our clients in the US have contributed a lot to our success. And we aim to deliver our tech-based services with quality and client satisfaction in coming years." Hyperlink InfoSystem is the top software company in 2021 and is available for your businesses' tech requirements. You can get in touch with their team at info@hyperlinkinfosytem.com and discuss your ideas. About Hyperlink InfoSystem: Hyperlink InfoSystem is an established and popular top web & mobile app development company based in USA, UK, UAE, France, Canada with its development center in India. The company's talented team of 350+ developers offers world-class services in the areas of Custom Software Development, Mobile app & Web Development, Blockchain Development, AR & VR App Development, Game App Development, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Salesforce & much more. Since 2011, the company has successfully built 3,500+ mobile apps for more than 2,300 clients around the world. Awarded As One of The Top App Development Companies in California 2021; https://topappdevelopmentcompanies.com/us/directory/app-developers/california Top Software Companies in California, USA 2021; https://topsoftwarecompanies.co/united-states-of-america/software-development/agencies/california Top Web Development Companies in California 2021; https://topwebdevelopmentcompanies.com/us/top-10/web-development/california Top Salesforce Development Companies in 2021; https://topsoftwarecompanies.co/local-firms/salesforce-development Top AI Development Companies in 2021; https://topsoftwarecompanies.co/local-firms/artificial-intelligence-development Top Blockchain Development Companies in 2021; https://topsoftwarecompanies.co/local-firms/blockchain-app-development Top Game Development Companies in 2021; https://www.hindustantimes.com/brand-post/top-10-game-development-companies-to-work-with-in-2021/story-VaSo7fPlEX73vPMs7FmxVO.html Contact Details: Hyperlink InfoSystem Harnil Oza +1-805-744-1224 info@hyperlinkinfosystem.com New York Address: One World Trade Center 285 Fulton Street suite 8500, New York, NY 10007, United States London Address: Level 30, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AB Mumbai Address: Level 8, Vibgyor Towers C 62, G Block Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400098 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyperlink-infosystem-ranked-as-one-of-the-top-software-companies-in-california-usa-2021-301276818.html SOURCE Hyperlink InfoSystem [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] DUBLIN, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Mezcal Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type, Product, and Sales Channel" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. According to this report the global mezcal market was valued at US$ 727.11 million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ 1,136.55 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2020 to 2027. The report highlights key factors driving the market growth and prominent players along with their developments in the market. Mezcal beverage is made from the agave plant (traditionally, it is known as maguey). The big difference between the Mezcal and Tequila is the way agaves are cooked to extract all the fermentable sugars. Agaves or magueys are mostly found in many parts of Mexico and south to the Equator, though most mezcal is made in Oaxaca. Mezcal can be prepared from many different varieties of agave. Agave Espadin is the most popular variety, and it is produced in specific states as well. Mexico has nearly 330,000 hectares cultivating agave for Mezcal, owned by different producers. The title of a person responsible for preparing mezcal is "Maestro Mezcalero," and more often than not, their trade has been passed on from generation to generation. Types of mescal such as Mezcal Joven, Mezcal Reposado, Mezcal Anejo, and Others are quite popular among consumers in Mexico and in other countries. Growing preference for luxurious alcoholic beverages among consumers is propelling the market growth for mescal. Based on product, the mezcal market is segmented into Mezcal Joven, Mezcal Reposado, Mezcal Anejo, and Others. In 2019, the Mezcal Joven segment dominated the market by accounting for 55.4% of the total share. Unaged mezcal is basically referred to as Joven, or as young. Joven is the more preferred drink, followed by Reposado as it has similar flavor like tequila. Mezcal Joven is cheaper than other types as it can be consumed at the age of less than two months or un-aged. It is available in different flavors such as citrus, green apple, and white pepper. Mezcal Joven is mostly preferred in cocktails to add the sacred flavor of sweet agave in the drinks. The heart of Joven is mainly produced at a traditional Palenque in Matatlan, but it is grown and distilled in Oaxaca (region of Mexico). The delicate and sparkling nose of wood smoke and savory herbs introduces citrus, bright, tart fruit, and peppery palate in the drink. Mezcal Joven receives high demand among consumers worldwide due to its more distinct and crisper taste than other mezcal varieties. El Silencio, Mezcal Vago, Pernod Ricard, Ilegal Mezcal, Rey Campero, Mezcal Amores, Craft Distillers, Los Danzantes, Mezcalgulroo, and Wahaka are among the well-established players in the global Mezcal market. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mezcal Market The COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in Wuhan (China) during December 2019. As of January 2021, the US, Brazil, India, Russia, Spain, and the UK are among the worst affected countries in terms of confirmed cases and reported deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely affecting economies and industries in various countries due to lockdowns, travel bans, and business shutdowns. The food and beverage is one of the world's major industries suffering serious disruptions such as supply chain breaks, technology events cancellations, and office shutdowns. For instance, China is the global manufacturing hub and largest raw material supplier for various industries and it is also one of the worst affected countries. The lockdown of various plants and factories in China is hindering the global supply chains and disrupting the manufacturing activities, delivery schedules, and various materials sales. Numerous companies have already announced possible delays in product deliveries and slump in future sales of their products. In addition, the global travel bans imposed by countries in Europe, Asia, and North America are hampering the business collaborations and partnerships opportunities. All these factors are anticipated to hinder the food & beverages industry, which would restrain the growth of various markets related to this industry in the coming months. Reasons to Buy Highlights key business priorities to assist companies realign their business strategies. Features key findings and crucial progressive industry trends in the global mezcal market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long-term strategies. Develops/modifies business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering from developed and emerging markets. Scrutinizes in-depth market trends as well as key market drivers and restraints. Enhances the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation, and industry verticals. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 1.1 Study Scope 1.2 Research Report Guidance 1.3 Market Segmentation 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Scope of the Study 3.2 Research Methodology 3.2.1 Data Collection: 3.2.2 Primary Interviews: 3.2.3 Hypothesis formulation: 3.2.4 Macro-economic factor analysis: 3.2.5 Developing base number: 3.2.6 Data Triangulation: 3.2.7 Country level data: 4. Mezcal Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 PEST Analysis 4.2.1 North America 4.2.2 Europe 4.2.3 APAC 4.2.4 MEA 4.2.5 SAM 4.3 Expert Opinion 5. Mezcal Market - Key Market Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Increasing Demand for Luxury and Premium Beverages 5.1.2 E-commerce to Become Convenient Way for Shopping Alcoholic Beverages 5.2 Restraint 5.2.1 Stringent Regulations Related to Alcoholic Drinks 5.3 Opportunity 5.3.1 Increasing Demand for Craft Spirits 5.4 Future Trend 5.4.1 Increasing Demand of Mezcal to Experience Consolidation 5.5 Impact Analysis 6. Mezcal - Global Market Analysis 6.1 Mezcal Market Overview 6.2 Mezcal Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 6.3 Market Positioning - Global Market Players 7. Mezcal Market Analysis - By Type 7.1 Overview 7.2 Mezcal Market, By Type (2019 and 2027) 7.3% Agave 7.3.1 Overview 7.3.2% Agave: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 7.4 Blends 7.4.1 Overview 7.4.2 Blends: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 8. Mezcal Market Analysis - By Product 8.1 Overview 8.2 Mezcal Market, By Product (2019 and 2027) 8.3 Mezcal Joven 8.3.1 Overview 8.3.2 Mezcal Joven: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 8.4 Mezcal Reposado 8.4.1 Overview 8.4.2 Mezcal Reposado: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 8.5 Mezcal Anejo 8.5.1 Overview 8.5.2 Mezcal Anejo: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 8.6 Others 8.6.1 Overview 8.6.2 Others: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 9. Mezcal Market Analysis - By Sales Channel 9.1 Overview 9.2 Mezcal Market, By Sales Channel (2019 and 2027) 9.3 HORECA 9.3.1 Overview 9.3.2 HORECA: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 9.4 Specialty Stores 9.4.1 Overview 9.4.2 Specialty Stores: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 9.5 Hypermarkets and Supermarkets 9.5.1 Overview 9.5.2 Hypermarkets and Supermarkets: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 9.6 Online 9.6.1 Overview 9.6.2 Online: Mezcal Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 10. Mezcal Market Analysis - Geographic Analysis 10.1 Overview 10.2 North America: Mezcal Market 10.3 Europe: Mezcal Market 10.4 APAC: Mezcal Market 10.5 Middle East and Africa: Mezcal Market 10.6 South America: Mezcal Market 11. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Mezcal Market 11.1 Overview 11.2 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.3 Europe: Impact assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.4 Asia-Pacific: Impact assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.5 Middle East and Africa: Impact assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.6 South America: Impact assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 12. Company Profiles 12.1 EL SILENCIO HOLDINGS, INC. 12.1.1 Key Facts 12.1.2 Business Description 12.1.3 Products and Services 12.1.4 Financial Overview 12.1.5 SWOT Analysis 12.2 MEZCAL VAGO 12.2.1 Key Facts 12.2.2 Business Description 12.2.3 Products and Services 12.2.4 Financial Overview 12.2.5 SWOT Analysis 12.3 PERNOD RICARD 12.3.1 Key Facts 12.3.2 Business Description 12.3.3 Products and Services 12.3.4 Financial Overview 12.3.5 SWOT Analysis 12.4 Ilegal Mezcal 12.4.1 Key Facts 12.4.2 Business Description 12.4.3 Products and Services 12.4.4 Financial Overview 12.4.5 SWOT Analysis 12.5 Rey Campero 12.5.1 Key Facts 12.5.2 Business Description 12.5.3 Products and Services 12.5.4 Financial Overview 12.5.5 SWOT Analysis 12.6 Mezcal Amores 12.6.1 Key Facts 12.6.2 Business Description 12.6.3 Products and Services 12.6.4 Financial Overview 12.6.5 SWOT Analysis 12.7 Craft Distillers 12.7.1 Key Facts 12.7.2 Business Description 12.7.3 Products and Services 12.7.4 Financial Overview 12.7.5 SWOT Analysis 12.8 Los Danzantes 12.8.1 Key Facts 12.8.2 Business Description 12.8.3 Products and Services 12.8.4 Financial Overview 12.8.5 SWOT Analysis 12.9 Mezcalgulroo 12.9.1 Key Facts 12.9.2 Business Description 12.9.3 Products and Services 12.9.4 Financial Overview 12.9.5 SWOT Analysis 12.10 Wahaka 12.10.1 Key Facts 12.10.2 Business Description 12.10.3 Products and Services 12.10.4 Financial Overview 12.10.5 SWOT Analysis 13. Appendix 13.1 About the Publisher 13.2 Glossary of Terms For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7maze0 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com New Delhi: The Pakistani troops on Tuesday violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmirs Nowgam sector of Handwara area. The Indian Army has also retaliated strongly. On Monday, intermittent exchange of fire had taken place between Indian army personnel and Pakistani troops in the Uri sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, forcing the authorities to shutdown schools in the affected areas. An army official had informed there were no fresh casualties on the Indian side in the exchange of fire. #FLASH: Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Nowgam sector of Handwara area in Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/Cvlzp4F6Ug ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2017 Pakistani troops had violated ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing on Indian posts and villages near the LoC in the Kamalkote area on Saturday, resulting in the death of an Army porter and injuries to two women. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. LONDON Last month, it seemed as if Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffes five-year ordeal of detention in Iran was drawing to a close when she was released from house arrest. But on Monday, Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual citizen, was handed a one-year sentence and travel ban on new charges of conducting propaganda activities against the Iranian government. The latest sentence, on charges that Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family have long denied, is a further attempt by Iran to use her as a political pawn, said her husband, Richard Ratcliffe. Her lawyer was summoned to court on Monday to hear the verdict, and Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe now has 20 days to appeal, he said. It was not immediately clear if Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is still in Iran, was sentenced to prison or a term of house arrest, but her husband said she had not yet been summoned back to jail. Its clearly a game of cat and mouse, and has been for a while, Mr. Ratcliffe said. We are a bargaining chip, but we dont know whats happening behind closed doors. Rick Santorum address a right-wing student conference on 23 April. (Young Americas Foundation via YouTueb) In his remarks to a right-wing student conference, CNN political commentator and former US Senator Rick Santorum claimed there was nothing here when European colonisers birthed a nation from nothing upon arriving in what would become the United States. He dismissed Native American culture and the slaughter of Indigineous people, saying we have Native Americans but candidly there isnt much Native American culture in American culture. We came here and created a blank slate. We birthed a nation from nothing, he said in his hour-long speech to the Young Americas Foundations Standing Up For Faith & Freedom conference in Pennsylvania on 23 April. He argued that European Christians who settled in the New World built the nation on Judeo-Christian principles as he appeared to dismiss the mass killings of Native people who lived there. When I say Judeo-Christian, the Mosaic laws, 10 Commandments, and the teachings of Jesus Christ, the morals and teachings of Jesus Christ, he said. Thats what our founding documents are based upon. Its in our DNA. He pointed to other countries that changed over time and evolved, adding but not us. He added: I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isnt much Native American culture in American culture. It was born of the people who came here pursuing religious liberty to practise their faith, to live as they ought to live, and have the freedom to do so. Religious liberty. Those are the two bulwarks of America. Faith and freedom. I mean, you hear it all the time about faith and freedom, faith and freedom. But it is what makes America unique in the world. His comments, first reported by conservative media watchdog group Media Matters for America, have been widely derided for amplifying racist and white supremacist ideology. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Native [and] Indigenous nations lived, governed, and thrived here before their land was stolen and they were murdered in a mass genocide, you ignorant white supremacist, said US Rep Mark Pocan. Story continues Seriously is any one surprised to hear this hot garbage coming from Rick Santorum?! said Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison. Nothing was here?! No native American culture in American culture?! America hasnt changed?! CNN, the Young Americas Foundation and Mr Santorums Patriot Voices organisation did not respond to The Independents request for comment. Read More Rick Scott says he gave Trump Champion of Freedom Award because he worked hard Biden news - live: Supreme Court takes up case to overturn US gun law as Trump Jr pushes fake burger claims Republican audit of Arizona election results gets off to chaotic start as journalists denied access The Czech government on April 26 reiterated that evidence linking Russian GRU military intelligence to arms depot explosions in 2014 is very convincing, after President Milos Zeman cast doubt over allegations that have sparked a deep diplomatic rift with Russia. Zeman, who is known for being sympathetic toward Moscow, said during a televised address to the nation on April 25 that there are two theories about what caused the explosion of a munitions depot near the eastern Czech town of Vrbetice in 2014. He said that one version of events is that Russian intelligence was involved in the deadly explosion. The other version, he said, was that the blast was caused by inexpert handling of ammunition. "I take both lines [of investigation] seriously and I wish that they are thoroughly investigated," Zeman said. Prime Minister Andrej Babis on April 17 announced that investigators from the Czech intelligence and security services had provided "unequivocal evidence" that there was "reasonable suspicion regarding a role of members of Russian military intelligence GRU's unit 29155 in the explosion of the munition depot in Vrbetice in 2014." In response, the Czech government announced the expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats it considered to be spies, setting off a string of tit-for-tat moves between Prague and Moscow. GRU Involvement Citing the report by the Czech Security Information Service, Zeman said that there was "neither proof nor evidence" that the two Russian GRU agents being sought regarding possible involvement in the explosion were at the arms depot. "I hope that we will determine the truth and find out whether this suspicion [of Russian intelligence involvement] is justified," Zeman said. "If that is the case -- although I support fair relations with all important countries -- the Russian Federation would have to pay the price of this presumed terrorist act." In response to Zemans comments, Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamacek, who is also the interior minister, said information from intelligence, police, and investigators on the 2014 blasts was strong. "As the Czech Republic we reacted very hard, so it is apparent the evidence was very convincing," Hamacek said at a April 26 news conference. "As far as I know, only one line of investigation exists on the Vrbetice case and that is the one connected with movements of those members of the [GRU] unit 29155," Hamacek said. "The president's speech was such that everybody found something in it to please them including the Russian Federation, unfortunately," he added. Zeman, whose powers as president are largely ceremonial, has often expressed pro-Russian views and is seen as being friendly toward Moscow. The explosion on October 16, 2014 in Vrbetice set off 50 tons of stored ammunition, killing two people. Two months later, another blast of 13 tons of ammunition occurred at the same site. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the incident, which has triggered anti-Russia protests in the Czech Republic. More protests are planned for April 29 in Prague and other cities, this time also taking aim at Zeman for his position on Russia. Czech media has reported that the ammunition and weaponry destroyed in the first Vrbetice blast was intended for Ukrainian forces fighting against Russia-backed separatist troops in eastern Ukraine. The two Russian intelligence officers sought in relation to the explosion are the same GRU officers accused of a nerve-agent poisoning in England in 2018 that targeted former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. With reporting by Reuters Iran intends to become a hub for Russian vaccine production in the Middle East, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said in an interview with Izvestia. He noted that in the near future, the licensed production of Sputnik V will begin in the country. The diplomat also clarified that Tehran is ready to return to the nuclear deal only after the lifting of all sanctions, without any delays, but Washington must take the first step in this direction. On February 9, Iran began free voluntary vaccination of the population using Russias Sputnik V jab. At the first stage, plans are in store to vaccinate ER staff and employees of intensive care units. The next step will be to vaccinate all other healthcare workers and people over 65. Jalali also clarified that after vaccinating the population of the Islamic Republic, the country will begin to provide assistance to others. Irans manufacturing of the jab will be licensed by the Russian Federation, so Moscow and Tehran will jointly decide where to send the vaccine, he added. Talking about the possibility of lifting some sanctions on Iran, the ambassador noted that negotiations are now underway in Vienna between Iran and three European countries, plus China, and Russia. He stressed that it was the United States that had pulled out of the JCPOA and they should take the first step in restoring the deal. The US must remove all sanctions and after that Iran will return to the fulfillment of all its obligations, Jalali told Izvestia. At the same time, the diplomat stressed that Iran is insisting on the country's restoration to the SWIFT payment system - one of the European trios obligations as participants in the JCPOA. Flash General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday exchanged congratulatory messages with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and Lao president, over the 60th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In his message, Xi said China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors and an unbreakable community with a shared future. Since the two sides established diplomatic relationship 60 years ago, China and Laos have maintained mutual understanding and enjoyed sincere exchanges, with both sides sticking to the practice and promotion of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, said Xi. That has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries, set up a model for inter-state relations, and made positive contributions to pushing ahead the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said. After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China and Laos have stood together and worked hand in hand fighting the pandemic, vividly illustrating the spirit of a community with a shared future which features supporting each other through thick and thin. Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Laos bilateral relations, Xi said that he stands ready to work with Thongloun to implement the action plan on the China-Laos community with a shared future as the main line, promote high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation, and consistently promote the building of such a community in the next 60 years, so that people of the two countries can forever be good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners. In his message, Thongloun warmly congratulated the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi as the core on its great achievements in promoting the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and sincerely thanked China for its valuable assistance and vigorous support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the social and economic development. Noting that the Laos-China relations are at their best in history, Thongloun said that Laos is ready to deepen its comprehensive strategic cooperation with China, expand friendly exchanges in various fields and promote constant development in building the Laos-China community with a shared future. On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulations with his Lao counterpart, Phankham Viphavanh. In his message, Li said that standing at a new historical starting point, the Chinese side is willing to consolidate political mutual trust with the Lao side, enhance win-win cooperation of mutual benefits, successfully conduct celebratory events for the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties and the Year of China-Laos Friendship, constantly enrich the China-Laos community with a shared future, and inject strong momentum into the comprehensive strategic cooperation with Laos. For his part, Phankham said that Laos has always cherished the Laos-China friendly relations, and is willing to carry forward the fine traditions with China, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and make concrete progress in building the Laos-China community with a shared future. AUSTIN, Texas and NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, has won the award for Best in RegTech at Markets Media's 2021 Markets Choice Awards. This is the firm's second consecutive win in the category and the second major award win this month for Eventus. The ninth annual Markets Choice Awards recognize the best in capital markets trading and technology across the market ecosystem. Following public online polling about the shortlist in each category, Markets Media determines winners from online responses, editorial interviews with leaders in financial markets and consultation with its MCA Advisory Board. Eventus CEO Travis Schwab said: "We're grateful to Markets Media and the financial market community for this fantastic recognition once again. Following up on the firm's most successful year to date, we have worked tirelessly this year to continue our global growth initiatives, our constant enhancement of the Validus platform and our ongoing collaboration with clients to meet their evolving compliance and risk challenges. We've also further established our position as a global leader in providing trade surveillance and anti-money laundering / transaction monitoring capabilities to cryptocurrency exchanges around the world, in addition to our broad reach into more traditional asset classes. I'm incredibly proud of our team for all of the achievements and accolades over the last year, as we continue winning mandates to replace legacy surveillance and risk platforms." Terry Flanagan, Markets Media Editor, said: "Eventus continues to stand out among RegTech providers, with a very flexible, customizable trade surveillance platform that the firm is continuously updating to meet the needs of market participants, exchanges and regulators. Its new automation and analytics tools are among hundreds of features and enhancements over the past year that distinguish the platform, which meets the rigorous security requirements of many of the largest crypto exchanges." Eventus earlier this month won the award for Best Sell-Side Market Surveillance Provider in WatersTechnology's 2021 Sell-Side Technology Awards, following numerous awards last year, including the FOW International Award for Market Surveillance Solution of the Year (second consecutive year); the Markets Media Market Choice Award for Best in RegTech and the RegTech Insight Award for Best Trade Surveillance Solution for the Dodd-Frank Act (second consecutive year). The firm was also named to the global RegTech100 list for the third year running and in late 2020 secured a spot on the Chartis Energy50 2021 list, ranking the world's major technology players in modern energy markets. In addition, Business Insider featured Eventus as one of its "Breakout B2B Fintech Stars," and Harrington Starr's Financial Technologist magazine last month named the firm one of the Most Influential Financial Technology Companies. Markets Media was launched in 2007 with one mission: to be the pre-eminent provider of news and information about trading and technology in capital markets. The coverage remit spans equities, fixed income and foreign exchange (FX), and covers buy-side investment managers, sell-side broker-dealers, exchanges, trading platforms, technology providers and regulators. Markets Media Group publishes Markets Media and Traders Magazine in the U.S., Best Execution and The DESK in Europe, and GlobalTrading in Asia. About Eventus Systems Eventus Systems is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets. Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventussystems.com . Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/635481/Eventus_Systems_Logo.jpg Related Links http://www.eventussystems.com SOURCE Eventus Systems June Jordan died in 2002, an American child of Jamaican immigrants whose remarkable poetry is collected in The Essential June Jordan, a new collection published by Copper Canyon Press. This eloquent fist of a poem reminds us of what remains at stake in this longstanding and necessary conversation that America continues to have with itself. Democracy Poem #1 By June Jordan Tell them that I stood in line and I waited and I waited like everybody else But I never got called And I keep that scrap of paper in my pocket just in case *** We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2020 by June Jordan, Democracy Poem #1 from The Essential June Jordan, (Copper Canyon Press, 2020). Poem reprinted by permission of The June M. Jordan Literary Estate Trust and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2021 by The Poetry Foundation. The introductions author, Kwame Dawes, is George W. Holmes Professor of English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner at the University of Nebraska. N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) Chad's military transitional government said Sunday it would not negotiate with the rebels blamed for killing the country's president of three decades, raising the specter that the armed fighters might press ahead with their threats to attack the capital. A spokesman for the rebel group known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad told The Associated Press that it was now joining forces with other armed groups who oppose President Idriss Deby Itno's son, Mahamat, taking control of the country following his father's killing. In a televised statement, the military spokesman, Gen. Azem Bermandoa Agouma, said the rebels were seeking to collaborate with several groups of jihadists and traffickers who served as mercenaries in Libya. Faced with this situation that endangers Chad and the stability of the entire sub-region, this is not the time for mediation or negotiation with outlaws, he said. The military spokesman said some of the rebels had escaped in the direction of Chad's border with Niger and called for Niger's government to help capture them. The defense and security forces launched after them with the support of the air force located the enemy scattered in small groups regrouping in Niger territory," far from the Chadian capital, he said. A spokesman for the armed group, Kingabe Ogouzeimi de Tapol, told AP that the rebels had not given up, though he declined to say where the forces were Sunday, citing security reasons. There are other armed groups that have joined us, he said. We welcome them and we are integrating them into our different battalions. The Chadian rebels, known by their French acronym FACT, were based in southern Libya and are believed to have crossed back into Chad earlier this month on election day. Deby, the country's president since 1990, was easily handed victory based on official results as several leading opposition politicians did not take part. Story continues However, the military announced the next day that Deby had been mortally wounded while visiting the front lines of the battle against the rebels. His son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named head of a military council that plans an 18-month transition toward new elections. The former colonial power, France, has been careful not to criticize the military's actions, and French President Emmanuel Macron attended Deby's funeral last week. Chad is home to a French military base where counterterrorism operations for the region are headquartered. Chad also has supplied critical troops to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in northern Mali. However, political opposition groups have decried Mahmat Idriss Deby's appointment as a coup d'etat, saying the president of the National Assembly should have taken over instead. The opposition has called for demonstrations this week to call for a return to civilian rule. ___ Associated Press writer Edouard Takadji reported this story in N'Djamena and AP writer Kirsta Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. BRUSSELS - The European Union's executive branch said Monday that it has launched legal action against coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the 27-nation bloc. FILE - In this Monday, March 22, 2021 file photo medical staff prepares an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine during preparations at the vaccine center in Ebersberg near Munich, Germany. The European Commission says it has launched legal action against vaccine maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the EU. A Commission spokesman said Monday, April 26, 2021 that the reason for the legal action was that some terms of the contract have not been respected and that the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure a timely delivery of doses. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been central to Europes immunization campaign, but the slow pace of deliveries has frustrated the Europeans. AstraZeneca has previously said that its contract with the EU contained vaccine delivery targets, not firm commitments.(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File) BRUSSELS - The European Union's executive branch said Monday that it has launched legal action against coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the 27-nation bloc. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been central to Europes immunization campaign, and a linchpin in the global strategy to get vaccines to poorer countries. But the slow pace of deliveries has frustrated the Europeans and they have held the company responsible for partly delaying their vaccine rollout. European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said that Brussels launched the legal action against AstraZeneca last Friday "on the basis of breaches of the advance purchase agreement." He said the reason for the legal action was that "some terms of the contract have not been respected" and that "the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure a timely delivery of doses." AstraZenecas contract with the EU, which was signed by the Commission on behalf of the member countries last August, foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among member countries, with an option for a further 100 million. The British-Swedish drugmaker had hoped to deliver 80 million doses of that in the first quarter of 2021, but only 30 million were sent. According to the Commission, the company is now set to provide 70 million doses in the second quarter, rather than the 180 million it had promised. AstraZeneca said in a statement that it "regrets" the Commissions decision to take legal action and that it will "strongly defend" itself in court. "We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible," AstraZeneca said. It said deliveries are improving "following an unprecedented year of scientific discovery, very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges." "We are making progress addressing the technical challenges and our output is improving, but the production cycle of a vaccine is very long which means these improvements take time to result in increased finished vaccine doses," it said. The company said it wants to continue "working constructively with the EU Commission to vaccinate as many people as possible. Many thousands of our employees working around the clock have been driven by a passion to help the world at no profit." The AstraZeneca vaccine is cheaper and easier to use than rival shots from Pfizer and Moderna and has been endorsed for use in over 50 countries, including by the 27-nation EU and the World Health Organization. U.S. authorities are still evaluating the vaccine. The Commission has publicly criticized the company on several occasions, and last month it launched a dispute resolution mechanism aimed at amicably addressing their differences. Brussels said that its focus is to ensure timely deliveries of vaccines. It since said that its option for extra AstraZeneca doses will not be taken up. Last week, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that a new vaccine contract is set to be concluded with BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 billion doses for the 2021-23 period. She said the deal will ensure doses for booster shots, vaccines adapted to new variants, and, potentially, vaccines for children and teenagers. Von der Leyen said that the EU, home to around 450 million people, has "already passed 123 million vaccinations" and is on track to have vaccinated 70% of all adults by July. Previously the target had been September. Pan Pylas in London contributed to this report. Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Monday (April 26) expressed solidarity with India in its fight against COVID-19 and asserted that his country was determined to support its efforts by quickly deploying resources like therapeutics, ventilators and identifying sources of raw materials to be made available for the manufacture of Covishield vaccine, according to a statement here. Biden expressed the support of the US to India in a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which the two leaders discussed the pandemic situation in their countries, including India's ongoing efforts to contain a second wave of COVID-19 through expedited vaccination efforts, and ensuring supply of critical medicines, therapeutics and medical equipment. Modi also informed Biden about India's initiative at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a relaxation in the norms of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries, the statement said. "Had a fruitful conversation with @POTUS @JoeBiden today. We discussed he evolving COVID situation in both countries in detail. I thanked President Biden for the support being provided by the United States to India. "My discussion with @POTUS @JoeBiden also underscored the importance of smooth and efficient supply chains of vaccine raw materials and medicines. India-US healthcare partnership can address the global challenge of COVID-19," Modi tweeted. According to the statement, Modi conveyed his heartfelt appreciation for the offer of assistance and support from the US. He mentioned India's commitment to contain the COVID-19 pandemic globally through 'Vaccine Maitri', and its participation in COVAX and the Quad Vaccine Initiatives. Modi underscored the need to ensure smooth and open supply chains of raw materials and inputs required for manufacture of vaccines, medicines, and therapeutics related to COVID-19. Both leaders underlined the potential of the India-US partnership in vaccine development and supply to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and directed their respective officials to maintain close coordination and cooperation in their efforts in this domain, the statement said. The two leaders agreed to remain in regular touch. In Washington, the White House said President Biden pledged steadfast support of his entire administration for the people of India in its fight against COVID-19 pandemic. "The President pledged America's steadfast support for the people of India who have been impacted by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases,? the White House said in a readout of the call between Biden and Modi. In response, the United States is providing a range of emergency assistance, including oxygen-related supplies, vaccine materials and therapeutics, the White House said. "Prime Minister Modi expressed appreciation for the strong cooperation between both countries. The two leaders resolved that the United States and India will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the effort to protect our citizens and the health of our communities," said the readout of the call. The US president and his Vice President Kamala Harris had earlier assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," Biden said in a tweet on Sunday. Biden admin under severe criticism The Biden administration had earlier come under criticism from several quarters, including from members and supporters of the Democratic Party, for its restrictions on the export of key raw materials for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccine and for not releasing its surplus vaccines to India when the country is experiencing its worst-ever public health crisis. (With PTI inputs) Live TV The boards of Australias mining, gas and energy giants will face more forceful pressure on global warming from next year as powerful investors threaten to vote against re-electing directors of companies falling short on emissions reduction. In the latest sign of rising shareholder concerns about corporate Australias often-unhurried response to the climate emergency, the influential Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) has circulated a new set of expectations for ASX-listed companies exposed to climate-related risks. AGL looks to separate DirtyCo from CleanCo ACSI, whose 37 members own on average 10 per cent of every ASX200 company, said investors were continually engaging with companies to improve their practices, but not all companies have listened. In many cases, the pace of change is moving too slowly, the groups chief executive Louise Davidson said. Funeral director Dignity has confirmed plans to start the hunt for three new non-executive directors, including a new chairman, following a boardroom coup by activist investors. The move comes less than a week after investment fund Phoenix won a vote to oust the chairman and install its own representative. As a result of the move, its previous board representative, James Wilson, stepped down as a non-executive director on Monday with immediate effect. Interim executive chairman Gary Channon, who represents Phoenixs interests and took over from Clive Whiley last week, said: James has made a significant contribution during his time on the board, including the introduction of the promising trials in the funeral division, and Id like to thank him for his tireless and unpaid efforts. He will continue his strategy work. As Phoenix has always stated, it does not seek to control the board of Dignity and we have now engaged external advisers to help recruit experienced candidates which will result in a board with a majority of independent directors. The latest step comes after three other non-executive directors quit the board last week. They were Gillian Kent and Paul Humphreys, who quit with immediate effect, and Dean Moore, who will see out his three-month notice period in his current role as finance chief. The three had voiced their opposition to Phoenixs plans and said their positions were now seriously compromised. Phoenix built up a 29.9% stake in Dignity and forced through a vote against chairman Mr Whiley. About 55% of votes cast by shareholders backed a motion to remove him. Mr Channon, who was nominated by Phoenix to join the board, gained 61% of the vote. Only 88% of potential votes were cast at the meeting, meaning Phoenix convinced a little under 19% of Dignitys share base to vote for the motion. The competing bids for U.S. railway Kansas City Southern each received a boost over the weekend, further complicating the rivalry between Canada's two largest railroads. FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2004 file photo, the logo of Kansas City Southern is shown on a restored 1954 Kansas City Southern passenger locomotive at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Norman Ng/The Kansas City Star via AP The competing bids for U.S. railway Kansas City Southern each received a boost over the weekend, further complicating the rivalry between Canada's two largest railroads. The transport regulator in the U.S. said Friday that a 2001 merger waiver granted KCS applies to Canadian Pacific Railway, saying a potential transaction between the two would not necessarily raise the same concerns and risks as other mergers. A merger between CP and KCS would result in the fewest overlapping routes compared with any other Class l railroad, said the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. "If approved, the combination of CP and KCS, the sixth largest and seventh largest Class I railroads, respectively, would still result in the smallest Class I railroad, based on U.S. operating revenues," the U.S. regulator said. Following the regulator's decision, CP CEO Keith Creel told KCS president and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer to consider the regulatory issues in CN's proposal. "I am confident that you and your Board have a thorough understanding of all of the dimensions of competition between KCS and CN," wrote Creel in a letter to Ottensmeyer. Meanwhile, KCS's board of directors on Saturday unanimously determined that CN Rail's proposal of $325 per KCS share could lead to a superior proposal and agreed to open talks with the Montreal-based railway. CN's bid is valued at US$33.7 billion, compared with US$25 billion from its Calgary-based rival. The railway expects to gain access to the KCS data room starting Tuesday and take about two weeks to conduct due diligence before submitting a merger agreement in 30 to 40 days. Overall, it expects to have its deal close as soon as the second half of the year with a potential KCS shareholder vote in June. "We believe this combination will enable better solution to our customers, speed of movement of goods from country to country, coast to coast, enhance competition, create jobs up and down the railroad and prevent millions of tons of greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere by converting truck traffic to rail supply chain," CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest told analysts during a conference call about its quarterly results. CN says EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) would approach $1 billion, mainly coming from additional revenue opportunities. "Overall, we have a better bid, we are a better partner, better railway and the best solution for KCS and the North American economy." In response to this, CP said KCS's review of CN's offer is "simply meeting its obligations under the merger agreement with CP and fulfilling its fiduciary duty to its shareholders." The U.S. railway's decision to engage in discussions and negotiations with Montreal-based CN are warranted considering the financially superior offer, said Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Benoit Poirier. "These developments increase the likelihood that CP will have to increase its offer for (Kansas City Southern)," said Poirier, adding that the regulatory risk for CNs offer is higher than CPs, which KCS's board will have to consider. CP Rail CEO Keith Creel last week said the railway isn't planning to increase its offer at this point because he thinks competitive concerns related to CN's proposal would keep it from being approved. CN Rail said Monday that more than 500 of its stakeholders have filed letters with the regulator in favour of its proposed merger with KCS, while hundreds of others have supported CP. "This is an overwhelming demonstration of support for CNs pro-competitive combination," the company said in a statement. On Monday, CP said it doesn't object to CN Rail's request to appoint the same person as trustee in their competing bids for KCS, saying the two proposals are different. CP announced in March its appointment of former KCS president and CEO David Starling as trustee in its merger transaction with KCS. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2021. Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR, TSX:CP) Niall Ferguson (Allen Lane) London will be cheaper, grungier and younger in future, with fewer billionaires and more crime, while our social lives will be like sex after Aids. These are just some of the predictions towards the end of Niall Fergusons stimulating new book, as he speculates on the long term consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, as part of his wide-ranging analysis of the history of catastrophes and their consequences. He thinks Covid should also sound the death knell for failing bureaucracies, universities propagating woke ideologies, and tech giants responsible for famines of truth and plagues of the mind. He anticipates change in childish media organisations that he believes have wrongly sought to portray the extensive deaths and illnesses from the virus as all the fault of a few wicked presidents and prime ministers, instead of from systemic failures. All this, he argues, might make us stronger by killing off degenerative parts of society, although such optimism together with his overarching conclusion - that life tends to go on changed but on the whole remarkably, reassuringly boringly the same after any disaster - is tempered by his assessment of the catastrophes that might hit us next. These include war with China, genetic engineering that goes wrong, cyber conflict, severe climate change, or even artificial intelligence that turns against humans. Ferguson concedes, however, that much is uncertain, even when it comes to the long term consequences of the pandemic, and in fact its his historical analysis of how disasters occur, rather than his crystal ball gazing, thats the most interesting part of his book. He roves from the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79 to the Black Death of the 14thcentury, through to the two world wars, and on to the sinking of the Titanic, the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle a decade before that, to draw out common themes. One is that human behaviour in the face of danger can be critical in determining the impact of disasters, even natural ones. How many people might be living near an earthquake or how willing they are to alter habits their habits are examples. Story continues That means that network transmission, for instance of plague through trade routes in the past or Covid 19 via travel today, can be as important as the actual virulence of any disease in determining how many it kills, and its a mistake to rely on scientific solutions alone. Advances in transport such as the development of steamships and rail networks spread disease through empires, for example, with Ferguson describing the export of cholera from the Ganges to the rest of the world as one of the unintended crimes of the British East India Company. He points out that the dangers posed by social networks were recognised even in medieval times with the imposition of quarantines and lockdowns: infectious people were forced to stay in their own homes or kept isolated elsewhere. Its a useful reminder that what may feel like having unprecedented restrictions imposed on our lives today is nothing new. The role and importance of networks in world societies was the theme of Fergusons most recent book, The Square and the Tower. But there many new insights here, notably that for all the criticisms levelled at Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and others, its facile to blame the person at the top for all that goes wrong when usually the real culprit in a catastrophe is a system failure. He contends that there were plenty of plans for coping with a pandemic in the US when Covid hit, but the failures of government bureaucracies including state administrations have been as responsible for the high death toll as the errors of the former president. He supports this by asserting that it was only the lower potency of swine flu that allowed Barack Obama to escape a calamity when his administration was unable to stop the disease infecting many millions in the US in 2009 and nothing do with any superior competence in the White House. Instead, governance in general, Ferguson argues, has got worse, even as state bureaucracies have become bigger with potentially greater capacity to do things. Its no coincidence that small states such as Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and New Zealand have done best in the battle against Covid. Another reality is that disasters are frequently caused by failures in the middle ranks or by latent causes such as reduced resources or staffing or organisational or technical changes that create vulnerabilities that eventually go wrong. Much of Fergusons story is told with zest, with extracts from Monty Python, Daniel Defoe and the poetry of John Donne deployed in the course of his arguments, although at other times his text is challenging: the world we have built has, over time, become an increasingly complex system prone to all kinds of stochastic behaviour, nonlinear relationships and fat-tailed distributions. Later he writes that the precise mathematical distinction between power laws and Poisson distributions need not detain us here. Some readers will think thank goodness for that. I also wonder why a book published here by a British historian is presented in Americanese, even if Ferguson does now live in the US. Allen Lane would have done well to have produced an edition properly tailored to a domestic audience. Its range seems strange at times too, with an analysis of US policy towards China, which Ferguson believes was broadly successful under Trump, at odds with earlier discussions of earthquakes and other natural disasters. It eventually makes sense when the author concludes that the outcome of Cold War II could be military conflict and another catastrophe to fit with his overall theme. No matter. Each chapter of this thought-provoking book is worth reading for the ideas, perceptiveness and well-told stories of landmark events. The subject might not seem immediately appealing in such bleak times, but readers will find much to relish nonetheless. Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe by Niall Ferguson (Allen Lane, 25) Buy it here Read More Niall Ferguson: Power is in the hands of social media, not the old boy network The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power by Niall Ferguson - review Its beyond human understanding: the workings of the mind of a serial killer. No matter how many movies you watch that tie up the loose ends for you, present you with an answer to the whys, its really not that simple in real life. The twisted workings of the minds of serial killers are incomprehensible, yet we cant help but try. So, if youre morbidly curious still, then here are some bone-chilling facts about real-life serial killers that will have you paranoid for days. A word of caution, though: Only read on if youre in a strong enough headspace, because these facts are not meant for the faint of heart. Still here? Lets get into it then. 1. Rodney Alcala appeared on the dating show The Dating Game in 1978 during his killing spree, and actually won. YouTube Because of this, hes also known as The Dating Game Killer. Luckily, the date never happened because the woman later changed her mind as she felt weird vibes coming from him. Alcala is currently on death row in California. 2. Vlado Taneski was a freelance crime reporter, and was found out because of his in-depth articles on the killings. 24 Sata The killer spared no details for his articles, apparently, and dared to even differ from what the rest of the Macedonian press was reporting. His suspicious knowledge of unreleased information, such as the type of phone cord the killer used, was what clued the police in. Taneski was found dead in his prison cell in June 2008, only a day after he was taken in. 3. Mohan Kumar would feed his victims with cyanide after raping them, under the guise of contraceptive pills. PTI Also known as Cyanide Mohan, he would prey on women who were unable to find husbands or pay dowry. He was convicted for the murder of 20 women and sentenced to death. 4. Edmund Kemper recorded hundreds of audiobooks from behind bars, including Star Wars. Wikipedia You might know this killer, rapist, and necrophile from the show Mindhunter, which goes into excruciating detail of his crimes. Also known as the Co-ed Killer, Kemper reportedly led the audiobook project and even has two trophies to his name. 5. Seema Gavit and Renuka Shinde used toddlers as defence during robberies, then murdered them. News.com.au Initially petty thieves, trained by their mother Anjanabai Gavit, the pair of sisters found out it was easy to hide behind and use young children as distraction from their crimes when they were caught. Their mother died in jail, and the sisters were sentenced to death. 6. Israel Keyes drew the skulls of his victims with his own blood while he was in jail. biography Before he commited suicide in 2012, the police discovered a series of drawings under Keyes bed, paintings of 11 skulls that were drawn in his own blood. Though he has died, his case remains open as the FBI tries to piece together who his victims were. 7. Richard Chase, also called the Vampire Killer, believed unlocked doors were invitation and would walk away from locked doors. filmdaily Named the Vampire of Sacramento, Chase didnt just randomly adopt the invitation-to-victims-homes thing from vampire lore. He also used to drink his victims blood and cannibalise their parts, besides necrophilia and other despicable things. Chase died by overdose in his cell while on death row. Shocked and horrified by what you read? Believe me when I say that these are just the tip of the iceberg. Stay safe and stay vigilant, folks. Continuing its dream run in India, shipped over a million iPhones in the country in the otherwise dull first quarter of 2021, growing close to an impressive 90 per cent (on-year) during the three-month period. As per early estimates from market intelligence firm CyberMedia Research (CMR), 11 and XR accounted for 67 per cent of Apple's shipments during the January-March period. On the back of increased domestic assembly, 11 shipments increased 176 per cent (on-year) in the first quarter. " has had yet another exceptional quarter in India, shipping over a million iPhones for the first time in, what is traditionally, a lull quarter," Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, told IANS. Apple shipments gained in strength on the back of the enduring brand equity that Apple enjoys in the country and also, in part, "driven by evolving consumer understanding about tech not being a luxury, but a necessity", Ram added. In the festive quarter (Q4) of 2020, Apple for the first time doubled its smartphone market share in India to nearly 4 per cent. Despite arriving in October, the iPhone 12 contributed significantly towards the rise of Apple in Q4 (October-December) in the country. The tech giant had registered over 60 per cent growth (yea-on-year) in its India business in the full year 2020 while for the festive quarter, the growth was an impressive 100 per cent (YoY). "As we move ahead, Apple does face some pandemic-related supply and demand side challenges, but we expect it to maintain its growth trajectory in H2 2021 and beyond," Ram noted. According to Anand Priya Singh, Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, Apple's continued success in India is on the back of increased shipments of its older generation models, including the iPhone 11 and the XR, and the good reception that the new iPhone 12 has got. "Increased local assembly of iPhones, including iPhone 12, along with aggressive marketing, will continue to contribute to Apple's success in India in the time ahead," Singh emphasised. In yet another fillip to the Make in India and domestic manufacturing dream of the government, Apple will soon produce its flagship and environment-friendly iPhone 12 smartphone in India for the local customers. Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 with iPhone SE. Today, Apple manufactures some of its most advanced iPhones in India including XR, iPhone 11, and now iPhone 12. --IANS na/ Five people were displaced after a fire in North Scranton on Sunday morning, said John Judge, the city's fire chief. Crews were dispatched to 325 Ferdinand St. at 6:34 a.m. and found substantial fire and smoke damage in the first-floor kitchen area of the house. Two adults and three children were home at the time, but no injuries were reported, Judge said. He added that the American Red Cross is assisting the residents because the house is uninhabitable until repairs are made. Judge credits quick action from the crews and properly working smoke detectors for allowing everyone to make it out of the home safely. "The occupants were upstairs at the time and it started downstairs," he said. "The early detection of a fire that a smoke detector provides is so invaluable." The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental, Judge said. PARIS Three French lockdowns, and counting, over the past 13 months have been many things, among them a rare opportunity for the formidable national bureaucracy of about 5.6 million public servants to display their gift for the complication of lives. With the announcement of the third Paris lockdown last month to try to control the spread of the coronavirus, an apotheosis of the absurd was reached. A dense, two-page version of the notorious attestation, a government form to be completed anytime one leaves home, was so convoluted that it tied the Interior Ministers spokeswoman in verbal knots trying to explain it. The document had metastasized with each lockdown into an ever more ungainly monster. Spend time with Army retired Lt. Gen. Quinn Becker and Maj. Gen. William L. Moore Jr., and the last thing theyll bring up is their significant role in military history. If pressed, the duo will talk about their combined military service to their nation that spans more than 60 years. A former surgeon general and a retired commander of Brooke Army Medical Center their bond is woven together by science, sacrifice and medicine. That bond still affects active-duty members, military retirees and their families. Our job was to make a difference in the peoples lives around us, Becker said. Today, Becker and Moore live about eight miles from the old Brooke Army Medical Center and San Antonio Military Medical Center, both part of their legacy. Their current home is the Army Residence Community on the Northeast Side. Becker, 90, and Moore, 86, are among 700 residents of the facility, which opened in 1987 for career military officers, their spouses and widows. Their apartments are across the hall from one another in the assisted-living wing of the communitys high-rise apartment complex. Recently on Red Shirt Friday, they wore the appropriate color to symbolize the blood of American soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation. The men see each other practically every day. Camaraderie is a hallmark of our friendship, Moore said. Its not uncommon to see them on their electric scooters, greeting neighbors and staff members. Nor is it uncommon for residents to ask them to diagnose a pain or ailment. They call themselves hallway consultants. I tell them free medical advice is worth every dime you pay for, Moore said with a chuckle. Becker relies on advice he trusts his friends. The men met in 1971 at a training chiefs meeting at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, now the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, in Aurora, Colo. Five decades later, after war, the Pentagon and tours of duty around the world, the doctors retired, and their paths converged again. The roots of Moores extensive military career go back to when he was 6. He wore a mock Army uniform to be like his uncles who were in the service. In 1961, he was a doctor, married in Rome, Ga., with a civilian practice when words from President John F. Kennedy spurred him to action. The presidents words, Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country, still echo in Moores mind. About the author A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-News subscribers every Monday morning. See More Collapse Becker served a yearlong tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970. The first half of the year, he was stationed at Phu Bai, where he spent 12 to 18 hours a day operating on wounded soldiers. In the second half, he commanded the 15th Medical Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, about 10,000 troops. With admiration, Becker remembered working with medevac crews. The pilots flew choppers into hot zones where enemy bullets riddled their aircraft, and the crews that returned to base refused to let a second crew continue their mission. They flew back to the zone to rescue the wounded patients. These were, Becker said, as far as Im concerned, great heroes for sure. This was every day and night. There was no such thing as crew rest, Moore added. Moores resume includes several postings, including commander of Brooke Army Medical Center in 1988 and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School from 1991 to 1994. (In 2014, he returned to the hospitals outpatient rehabilitation facility after a fall resulted in the amputation of his left leg above the knee.) The retired general understands the safety protocols of the COVID era he began the infectious disease sub-specialty program as assistant chief of medicine at BAMC in the early 1970s. From February 1985 to May 1988, Becker served as the 36th Surgeon General of the Army responsible for 95,000 people and 100 hospitals. That was when Becker tapped Moore to take charge of the Armys HIV/AIDS program in Washington, D.C., at the surgeon generals office. It had to be done, Becker said, and thank God we did it. Each year, the San Antonio Military Medical Center logs 1 million visits at 58 outpatient specialty clinics. The building was funded with $457.2 million from a 2005 base realignment and closure process. Becker recalled how a community group and the late U.S. congressman Henry B. Gonzalez helped make the project a reality. My job was to go to Congress to get the funding, he said. Hes the one who made it happen. Anna Sweeden, director of development at the community, said the duo represents the caliber of men and women who live at the facility. Its a brotherhood, she said. When Moore and his wife decided to live in the community, he called Becker, who was already a resident. Moore recalled how close his wife, Sissy, and Beckers wife, Marie, were over the years. Both women died in 2019. In retirement, the men settled in with their families for quality time and travel. They transferred their work ethic to life out of uniform. Becker turned to building Habitat for Humanity homes with hands that once saved lives. He also pursued photography, capturing picturesque scenes of nature in the community. Moore plays the piano, his instrument of choice since he was 9 years old. Its not a surprise that a black, varnished piano in the lobby draws Moore to its keys. Often, Becker will look on as his friend plays Bach, Beethoven or Chopin. This is music Moore performed at his piano teachers student recitals in the late 1980s when he decided to sharpen his skills. He hired the teacher for 5:30 a.m. lessons at her studio, so he could get to BAMC for the morning report. Last Friday afternoon, Moore played a selection that prompted staff members to step out of their offices toward the mellifluous sounds. They stood and listened, lured to the lobby by the retired major generals fingers, darting across the black and white keys. Thats beautiful, Bill, Becker said, with a nod. Thats beautiful. vtdavis@express-news.net LOS ANGELES (AP) A man who was shot and killed by Los Angeles officers over the weekend had been previously shot by police in Rhode Island in 2018, authorities said. The Los Angeles County coroner identified the man as 34-year-old Richard Solitro. His autopsy was listed as pending Monday afternoon. Solitro was wearing body armor Saturday when he confronted police officers in Hollywood, police said. The altercation initially began when Solitro cut off a police vehicle as the officers responded to another call with the car's lights and sirens turned on. Solitro driving a black sedan that had words and phrases written on it, such as King Satan 666 hit his brakes and backed into the car and got out, holding his right hand behind his back. "The officers gave him commands which he did not follow, and he started counting down, saying 3 2 1 as he started to pull his hand from his back to the front, Detective Meghan Aguilar told reporters. At least one officer opened fire, killing Solitro. He was pronounced dead at the scene; no weapons were recovered. In 2018, Solitro was shot by an officer in North Providence, Rhode Island, according to The Providence Journal. Officers had responded to his home because a relative was concerned he might harm himself. Solitro was shot after pointing a replica gun at an officer, the newspaper reported. A Providence grand jury in 2019 determined the shooting was legally justified, the Los Angeles Times reported, and Solitro in September pleaded no contest to felony assault by use of a device similar in appearance to a firearm. LAPD Capt. Stacy Spell told the Times that the person killed in the Hollywood shooting was the man who had been shot in Rhode Island. A quarter of a century ago this Wednesday, a man shot Zoe Hall in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Shed been assigned as my mentor at the law firm where we worked. Zoe was a talented lawyer and a generous soul. She would be 53 today, and I imagine her with a loving family and admiring colleagues. The same man murdered six-year-old Alannah and three-year-old Madeline Mikac, along with their mother Nanette. Their father, Walter, established the Alannah and Madeleine Foundation, which works to keep children safe from violence. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the massacre at Port Arthur, Tasmania. Credit:David Whitley Yet when Australia remembers the event, we are less likely to hear the names of Zoe, Alannah, Madeline and the other 32 victims than we are to hear about the murderer. Media outlets will be tempted to show his name, to tell his backstory, to print photographs of a man who has never shown remorse for his crimes. It doesnt have to be this way. In ancient cultures, the greatest punishment was known as damnatio memoriae condemnation of memory. Society deliberately blotted them out of the record. Their name was taboo. Their stories were erased. Chief Executive Carrie Lam In the past month, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has continued to rise, with the death toll exceeding three million. Fortunately, the epidemic situation in Hong Kong has been generally stable. The number of local cases has remained at a very low level and the fourth wave of the epidemic is evidently under control. Taking into account our enhanced anti-epidemic capabilities and with the Government's vaccination programme moving forward steadily, I announced a new direction in fighting the pandemic a fortnight ago with the aim of restoring the normal operation of society and people's daily lives as far as possible while keeping the epidemic situation effectively in check. However, the success of this roadmap for fighting the pandemic still depends on everyone's efforts. The latest epidemic situation As of April 25, the total number of confirmed cases in April was 269; over 80% of them were imported cases. The number of daily local cases has remained at low single digits, with zero local cases reported on four occasions, indicating that the epidemic situation is generally under control. No large infection clusters, which we were worried about due to the increase in people's social activities during the Easter holiday, have appeared. However, the detection of the first confirmed case involving the N501Y mutant virus strain in the community in mid-April is deeply concerning. The Centre for Health Protection has remained vigilant by strictly implementing contact tracing, testing and quarantine measures. So far, the mutant virus strain has not spread widely in the community, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation. Anti-epidemic efforts Having regard to the easing of the epidemic situation, we have suitably adjusted social distancing measures (eg reopening outdoor play facilities for children, swimming pools and beaches, increasing the number of people allowed in cinemas, performance venues and theme parks, etc) as well as the quarantine requirements for people arriving in Hong Kong from overseas places (eg shortening the compulsory quarantine period for people arriving from low-risk places from 21 days to 14 days). Meanwhile, we have continued to make use of our enhanced capabilities to control the epidemic through strict and targeted measures. In the past month, applying the strict rule that all people in a building or in a workplace have to undergo compulsory testing if one confirmed case is found in the building or the workplace, we have issued compulsory testing notices to around 150 premises. We have also carried out restriction-testing declaration operations on five buildings, as well as conducted blitz enforcement actions on the compulsory testing notices issued to four buildings, and imposed a fixed penalty of $5,000 and/or issued a compulsory testing order to more than 20 people who have failed to comply with the notices. Our anti-epidemic strategy and its effectiveness are well-demonstrated in our handling of the cluster of cases found in Oi Fai House (Block 3) of Yau Oi Estate in Tuen Mun. The first case in the building was found on April 7. On the same day, we issued a compulsory testing notice to require more than 900 residents in the building to undergo compulsory testing. On April 14 and 21, we issued compulsory testing notices to the building again with a view to achieving zero infection. Since other cases were found in the same building, we have arranged more than 200 residents to undergo compulsory quarantine at quarantine centres since April 8. Among the nine cases found in the building, except for the two cases with unknown sources of infection (which were found on April 7 and 8), the remaining seven cases were identified through our contact tracing of confirmed cases or during compulsory quarantine or compulsory testing and were isolated for treatment immediately. This shows that our actions have successfully cut the chain of transmission and prevented a large-scale outbreak that might have been caused by these infected persons. The testing and quarantine requirements have undoubtedly brought some inconvenience to the residents, but they are crucial in preventing the spread of the virus in the community. As far as I know, the residents have been very co-operative. Basically, all of them took the test within the timeframe specified in the compulsory testing notices and underwent quarantine. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of them for fulfilling their civic responsibility and demonstrating the spirit of fighting the virus together. As for preventing the importation of cases, we have not let down our guard either. We tightened the flight suspension mechanism for passenger flights in mid-April. Since mutant virus strains were detected in some of the imported cases from India, Pakistan and the Philippines, we have invoked the mechanism to prohibit all passenger flights from these places from landing in Hong Kong for a period of 14 days since April 20. The major measures introduced are set out below chronologically: Date Event April 1 The Government announced the arrangement of two designated flights departing London, United Kingdom on April 21 and 28 for the orderly return of Hong Kong residents there. They would be required to undergo multiple tests on specified dates and compulsory quarantine at a specified quarantine facility for 21 days. April 5 Following the arrival of a new batch of BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong, the Government resumed the administration of BioNTech vaccine to members of the public. April 9 The Government included Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to the low-risk group of specified places and the compulsory quarantine period for persons arriving in Hong Kong from these three places was shortened to 14 days. April 12 The Chief Executive chaired a press conference to announce a new direction in fighting the pandemic, including adjusting various anti-epidemic measures with "vaccine bubble" as the basis and appealing to members of the public to get vaccinated sooner rather than later so that Hong Kong can gradually return to normality. April 14 The Government tightened the passenger flight suspension mechanism and introduced in parallel a new place-specific flight suspension mechanism. Under the new mechanism, if a total of five or more passengers among all flights from the same place were confirmed by arrival tests for COVID-19 with the N501Y mutant strain within a seven-day period, all passenger flights from that place will be prohibited from landing in Hong Kong for 14 days and that place will be specified as an extremely high-risk place. April 15 The Government announced that the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme will be expanded to cover persons aged 16 to 29 starting from April 23, rendering the city as one of the very few places in the world where all adults are covered in the vaccination programme. April 20 The Government invoked the place-specific suspension mechanism to prohibit all passenger flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines from landing in Hong Kong for 14 days and restrict all persons who had stayed in these places from boarding for Hong Kong. April 21 The Hospital Authority resumed the special visiting arrangement in eight infirmary hospitals. New direction in fighting the pandemic With the fourth wave of the epidemic under control, coupled with the enhancement of our anti-epidemic capabilities in various aspects and the roll-out of the vaccination programme, I consider that it is an appropriate time to adopt a new direction in fighting the pandemic. In response to the aspirations of various sectors and members of the public to resume normal lives as soon as possible, I propose four "Rs" in our new direction in fighting the pandemic: R eturn to Normality eturn to Normality R efrain from "stop and go" approach efrain from "stop and go" approach R einforce infection control measures in a targeted manner einforce infection control measures in a targeted manner Reiterate the need for concerted community efforts Specifically, the Government will adjust social distancing measures with "vaccine bubble" as the basis. For instance, when staff members and customers of specified premises have already received vaccinations and other anti-epidemic requirements are met, the operation restrictions will be relaxed. The convenience brought about by vaccinations can also be applied to cross-boundary travel, including shortening the quarantine period of persons arriving in Hong Kong from low-risk places. The proposal has taken into account the protection offered by vaccines, while at the same time aims to provide incentives for vaccination, such that more members of the public will get vaccinated and an immune barrier can be built for Hong Kong as soon as possible. I express my heartfelt thanks to the representatives of various trades for participating in discussions with relevant departments in the past two weeks and putting forward constructive and practicable measures for implementation. Details will be announced by the Government in due course. It should be emphasised that, while the goal of the new direction in fighting the pandemic is to return to normality, it is not tantamount to the relaxation of anti-epidemic measures. Our goal is to formulate targeted measures instead of taking a "one size fits all" approach. Taking the experience over the past month as an example, we adopted stringent testing and quarantine measures decisively and promptly when cases with unknown sources were found in the community, while we immediately invoked the place-specific passenger flight suspension mechanism to mitigate the risk of the importation of the new mutant virus strains. As far as the people affected are concerned, the measures under the new direction in fighting the pandemic may be more stringent than those in the past. Nevertheless, for the protection of the entire community, I appeal for their understanding and co-operation. As with all other places around the world, the most feasible way for Hong Kong to get through the epidemic is for people to get vaccinated. Compared with the other places, Hong Kong has sufficient capacity in terms of vaccination. What is needed most now is the concerted efforts of members of the public. Continuing to adopt a "wait and see" attitude will not give you and your family members the needed protection, or the conditions for Hong Kong to return to normality. Protect yourself and others, get vaccinated! Chief Executive Carrie Lam issued this article titled A New Direction in Fighting the Pandemic on April 26. HANNOVER, Germany, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the coronavirus pandemic causing access restrictions to food manufacturing sites, alongside social distancing and travel restrictions, the issue of food safety auditing has become increasingly complex. How can food manufacturers prepare for audits that might be carried out entirely remotely, or by a blend of remote and physical access? This subject has been explored in a new podcast available on the global food safety information and events platform, Food Safety Exchange (FSX) www.foodsafetyexchange.com. The podcast sees Jon Murthy, Head of Global Marketing at brand and consumer protection organisation BRCGS being interviewed by Packaging Solutions magazine editor Susan Wright. In the interview they talk about the challenges faced by food manufacturers preparing for audits, and what advice and resources exist to help them do so. Throughout the podcast, Jon Murthy refers to a wealth of tools and services available to BRCGS-certificated sites through the organisation's website. He stressed that despite the many challenges faced by food manufacturers, they must ensure they prepare thoroughly for food safety audits, at a number of levels within the organisation: "My advice is to maintain a company-wide approach, engage staff throughout the process, engage them in training and planning, and to practice as much as possible," he said. "Make sure that leadership is available, and plan as much as possible in advance with the audit team and certification body. Review the documentation and make sure it's to hand". To hear the podcast click here or https://tinyurl.com/smkzr6pj To subscribe to FSX news alerts click here. To discuss expert contributions you have to offer FSX, please email: [email protected]. All contributions are free of charge and include final approval by the contributor. About Food Safety Exchange The Food Safety Exchange is a global food safety information and events platform, providing educational white papers, guides, case studies, videos, podcasts and webinars. Content is sourced through industry experts and standard owners, magazines and consultants concerned with food safety, as well as in collaboration with other industry stakeholders and partners. In addition to this resource for the food industry, we also operate events and information hubs for the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors (see URLs below). Pharma Quality Exchange is an award-winning site, having been named "Leading Pharmaceutical News Platform 2020 Germany" at GHP's Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards. www.foodsafetyexchange.com Twitter @FoodSafetyX www.pharmaqualityexchange.com www.chemicalqualityexchange.com Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12867274 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Food Safety Exchange To the editor: Michigan GOP legislators have recently sponsored 39 bills related to election reform. Some of them, such as SB 274 and SB 283, are actually rational changes that could improve the election process. However, other bills are clearly an attempt to make voting more difficult. For example, bill SB 287 introduced by Sen. Jim Stamas and others would prohibit prepaid postage on absentee ballots. It is difficult to rationalize the purpose of this bill other than an attempt to suppress a convenient method of voting for many people. By all legitimate assessments, the 2020 election was the most secure in US history, and yet Republican legislators claim they need to "restore voter confidence" via election reform because polls indicate that over 60% their voters do not trust the results of the 2020 election. Ironically, this distrust was created by Republican leaders themselves when they didnt denounce Trumps false narrative of a stolen election in order to keep their voting base energized and money coming in. In a healthy democracy, a political party that loses an election should regroup and rebrand themselves to capture more voters in the next cycle. Republican leaders have decided instead to make it more complicated and difficult for people to cast a ballot, obviously hoping it will impact those who tend to vote Democratic more so than Republican. There is something inherently undemocratic about this approach and they are now facing significant public and institutional backlash as a result. Perhaps a better strategy would be for Republican lawmakers to consider making their social and economic policies more appealing to those Americans they are trying to disenfranchise from voting. CRAIG SILVIS Midland The Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) has almost completed the negotiation of an Easter truce in Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "I believe that we are already at the end of this agreement. The meeting of the TCG, primarily of the subgroup on security, will be tomorrow, it will be continued. It seems to me that all parties have already agreed on everything. They have not agreed only on the documentary wording of this agreement," Zelensky said a briefing on Monday. The President stressed that the Ukrainian side is doing everything possible to establish the truce. "We really want this, we are really striving for this, and we really want there are no shots there, no deaths on Easter. Everything is being done for this, the Ukrainian side has already done everything for this," he added. Establishing a new fraternity on any college campus is no easy task. Launching a brand-new organization during the COVID-19 pandemic presents even more challenges. The Delta Sigma Phi fraternity overcame those obstacles to establish the first North American Interfraternity Conference (IFC) group on the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus. Thirteen students were initiated into the brotherhood in spring 2021 in the Robinson Ballroom inside the Student Center. "I was super excited," said Matt Caldwell, who was elected as the first president of UNG's chapter of Delta Sigma Phi. "It was an awesome experience." Delta Sigma Phi, known as Delta Sigs, is the second Greek-lettered fraternal organization to call the Gainesville Campus home. The first fraternity to establish its roots in Gainesville was Lambda Theta Phi in fall 2019. It also was the first Latino fraternity at UNG. The other six fraternities Delta Chi, Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Chi, and Sigma Nu are based on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. UNG also has five Panhellenic sororities, three gender-inclusive fraternal organizations (GIFO), and one culturally based sorority. The active sororities are Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Phil Epsilon, Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Sigma Kappa. The three GIFOs are Phi Sigma Phi honor fraternity, Gamma Sigma Sigma service sorority and Mu Phi Epsilon music fraternity, which started this past year. Aubrey Frazier, director of fraternity and sorority life at UNG, said installing another fraternity on the Gainesville Campus was part of her office's strategic plan. "It demonstrates our continued effort to expand fraternities and sororities to the Gainesville Campus and enhance the college experience for those students," she said. Frazier explained students from any campus may join a fraternity or sorority no matter its home campus. However, freshmen are ineligible to join until after their first semester. "UNG believes that first-year students need to focus on academics to ensure the most successful transition to college possible," she said. "This allows them to become accustomed to college classes, get involved in other activities, and make friends before joining a fraternity or sorority." To be eligible, students must be enrolled full time in a baccalaureate or associate program and have a 2.5 minimum GPA. Each fraternity and sorority may also have higher requirements. With knowledge of these requirements, Delta Sigma Phi decided to establish a new chapter at UNG. Currently, the fraternity has 107 chapters in the nation with eight in Georgia. "UNG seemed to be a good fit for us," said Brenden O'Connor, assistant director of new chapter development for Delta Sigma Phi. "We had our challenges since we started during the fall semester of the COVID-19 pandemic, but everyone was willing to experiment." Instead of in-person events and social gatherings, O'Connor and the interested UNG students met in virtual meetings to learn about Delta Sigma Phi and each other. Caldwell, a junior pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, appreciated the time to build relationships and learn about the fraternity before being initiated in February 2021. "Delta Sigma Phi's slogan is 'Creating better men.' And that's important today," said the 21-year-old from Braselton, Georgia. "That stuck out to me, because I want to become a better man and I want to pursue that goal with other people." The Alzheimers Association Michigan Chapter will partner with the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of Michigan (MADC) to offer two research programs focused on the latest in Alzheimers research this spring. The Michigan Chapter also will offer a variety of virtual education programs, social engagement programs and more than 100 support groups to Michigan residents in the coming months. Were thrilled to partner with Dr. Roberts and the MADC on our upcoming research events and offer much-needed programs and support to Michigan residents, stated Jean Barnas, Alzheimers Association program services director. Unfortunately, Alzheimers is a growing burden here in Michigan and across the nation. Its so important that Michiganders know were here for them. Upcoming featured events include: Dementia Super Saturday Series: from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 15, Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body: Tips from the Latest Research plus a Cooking Demo: Baked Kafta with Donna Jawad from MCCFAD The Latest Updates in Alzheimer's Disease Research with Scott Roberts, Ph.D., Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of Michigan (MADC) from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 19. The Latest Updates in Alzheimer's Disease Research with Scott Roberts, Ph.D., Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of Michigan (MADC) from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 21. Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body: Tips from the Latest Research from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 26. Spanish-speaking presentation with Bingo Night Dementia Super Saturday Series from 10 to 11:45 a.m., Saturday, June 12. Effective Communication Strategies plus an Engaging in Meaningful Activities presentation Additional upcoming education program offerings by the Alzheimers Association Michigan Chapter include Protecting Your Brain While Living with HIV, 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimers, Legal and Financial Planning, Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors, and much more. Beyond that, the association will offer a wide array of support groups and social engagement programs in May and June to provide support and help persons with dementia and their care partners find ways to remain socially active. Partnering social engagement program institutions include The Henry Ford, the Detroit Zoo, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Society and more. To learn more about and register for free education programs, support groups and social engagement programs, visit alz.org/gmc/virtual, send an email to helplinegmc@alz.org or call the Associations 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900. ZURICH and BOSTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today BC Platforms (BCP), a global leader in healthcare data management, analytics and access, announced the launch of the new Cohort Discovery (CD) search functionality on the Health Data Research (HDR UK) Innovation Gateway (The Gateway) powered by BC|RQUEST technology in partnership with HDR UK. It will provide a pivotal resource that will help further the UK's and global medical research efforts, including critical work on COVID-19 basic research, prevention and treatment. The transformational CD functionality, powered by BC|RQUEST technology, enables global researchers to discover, assess and request access to datasets by searching for specific cohorts or demographic groups across multiple datasets. CD facilitates access to data in a fast, secure, de-identified and ethical way through Trusted Research Environments safe and secure locations from which researchers can access and analyse data, without needing to move the data around. The function will be rolled out across all the 640 datasets on The Gateway, with COVID datasets being prioritised initially. Nino da Silva, Deputy Managing Director, BCP, said: "We are delighted to have been chosen as the trusted partner for HDR UK's ground-breaking, standardised approach to collection, storage and discovery of health datasets through its new CD tool, powered by BC|RQUEST. Our goal is to apply our deep knowledge and understanding of scientists' needs to accelerate impactful research and translation. Our partnership with HDR UK therefore provides an important demonstration of how BCP can play a significant role in supporting national-level medical research efforts." Dr Susheel Varma, Director of Engineering, HDR UK, said "This new functionality enables us to perform analysis in whole new way and, as we continue to add more datasets into The Gateway, it will be a fantastic and growing asset for the research community, allowing new levels of analysis and insights that could ultimately feed through to the front line and improve patient care." CD will provide improved functionality to The Gateway dataset access platform that was launched in early 2020. The vision for The Gateway is to become the primary go-to resource for discovering data, tools, best practice and collective knowledge and experience related to accessing resources to further health research. This partnership extends the existing relationship between BCP and HDR UK, first formed in October 2020, when BCP was appointed as the data platform partner for the CO-CONNECT COVID project. CO-CONNECT COVID was set up to bring together UK COVID-19 immunity-related data using a standardised approach, to provide researchers with high-quality data in order to enable the rapid development of potential vaccines and treatments. About BC Platforms BC Platforms is a global leader in providing a powerful data and technology platform for personalized medicine, accelerating the translation of insights into clinical practice. Our technology drives the infinite loop between personalized care and research discoveries, leveraging latest science, deep technical expertise, strategic partnerships, and harmonized, diverse data collections. Our high performing genomic data discovery and analytics platform enables flexible data integration, secure analysis and interpretation of molecular and clinical information. Additionally, BC Platforms has developed a Global Data Partner Network BCRQUEST.com, which provides genomic and clinical cohort data for pharmaceutical and medical research and development. BC Platforms' vision is to build the world's leading analytics platform for healthcare and industry, providing access to diverse genomic and clinical data and samples from more than 5 million subjects, consolidated from a global network of Data Partners. Founded in 1997 from an MIT Whitehead project spinoff, the Company has a strong scientific heritage underpinned by over 20 years of working in close collaboration with a network of leading researchers, developers, and industry partners. BC Platforms has global operations with its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, research and development in Espoo, Finland, and presence in London, Boston and in Singapore. For more information, please visit www.bcplatforms.com or follow us on LinkedIn @BC Platforms . About Cohort Discovery Cohort Discovery uses the technology developed for ATLAS, an advanced data search tool for researchers; and builds on "CO-CONNECT", a project led by the Universities of Nottingham and Dundee in collaboration with Public Health England and the University of Edinburgh. Software and data engineers streamline, aggregate and standardise the data in each data set by mapping them to a common data model (OMOP). The CO-CONNECT project is itself powered by software developed by BC Platforms, a global leader in data and technology for personalised medicine and drug development. About Health Data Research UK Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is the national institute for health data science. Our mission is to unite the UK's health data to enable discoveries that improve people's lives. HDR UK is funded by UK Research and Innovation, the Department of Health and Social Care in England and equivalents in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and leading medical research charities. HDR UK was set up in 2018 to support research on health data at scale to advance our understanding of disease and enable new discoveries that will ultimately improve health and care. We have established national research programmes that use data at scale, and we are building an infrastructure to enable the responsible access and analysis of this data. Our work is structured around three themes: Uniting health data which includes the UK Health Data Research Alliance and the Health Data Research Innovation Gateway. Improving health data which includes tools, methods, Health Data Research Hubs and the BHF Data Science Centre. Using health data which includes research discoveries and skills development across four national priority areas: Understanding the Causes of Disease, Clinical Trials, Public Health and Better Care. We are delivering this strategy through our inclusive, team-oriented One Institute ethos - bringing together NHS, universities, research institutes and charities - built on our values. Contact information: Tero Silvola BC Platforms AG [email protected] Katja Stout Scius Communications [email protected] SOURCE BC Platforms (Natural News) A study performed in Israel warned that the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine puts people at higher risk for variants of concern. It elaborated that those who complete both doses are eight times more likely to contract the South African B1351 strain. The study also pointed out that people who received one dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine were also more susceptible to contracting the U.K. B117 variant. A team of researchers from the Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Israeli health care provider Clalit Health Services conducted the study. The team looked at COVID-19 test results of 800 Israelis. Half of these came from those who were vaccinated with Pfizer, while the other half came from unvaccinated citizens. The study aimed to determine if immunized people were more likely to contract Wuhan coronavirus variants of concern compared to non-immunized people. It found that the South African B1351 variant was eight times more prevalent in those who completed the two doses of the vaccine vis-a-vis unvaccinated people at 5.4 percent versus 0.7 percent. The study also found that the U.K. B117 variant was more prevalent in people who got only one dose. However, the degree of the B117 strain infecting those who got two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the same as its South African counterpart. Lead researcher and TAU professor Adi Stern said: We found a disproportionately higher rate of the South African variant among people vaccinated with a second dose, compared to the unvaccinated group. This means that the South African variant is able, to some extent, to break through the vaccines protection. She told the Times of Israel: Based on the patterns in the general population, we would have expected just one case of the South African variant, but we saw eight. However, Stern remarked that their studys sample size is too small to determine the extent of the South African strains ability to bypass vaccine-induced immunity. We can say its less effective, but more research is needed to establish exactly how much, she commented. According to the study, the B1351 variant comprised about one percent of all COVID-19 cases in the analyzed COVID-19 test results. Stern seconded this figure, saying that the South African strains prevalence in Israel is very low about one percent of all recorded infections. Even the two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine cannot entirely protect against other variants The more contagious B117 variant first found in the U.K. first arrived in Israel in early January. It quickly spread throughout the country and became responsible for more than 90 percent of COVID-19 cases there. However, Stern posited that the B117 strains prevalence managed to keep the B1351 variant from spreading. She remarked: It is possible that the extensive spread of the British variant is blocking the spread of the South African variant. Because it spread so effectively, it didnt allow the South African variant to spread. The TAU researcher compared the British strains faster spread to winning the competition. Clalit Director of Research Ran Balicer called the study very important because it is the first in the world to be based on real world data. He continued: These preliminary findings [necessitate] close continued attention to the dissemination of this strain in Israel, emphasizing the need for epidemiological monitoring and systematic sequencing, in order to contain further spread of the South African variant. Balicer also remarked that the results call for continued vigilance to prevent infection through measures such as wearing face masks and practicing social distancing. The Israeli government adopted the two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which the study focused on to protect its population from the Wuhan coronavirus. According to a report by the Washington Examiner, 53 percent of Israels 9.3 million population have received the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. The Middle Eastern country also purchased doses of another mRNA COVID-19 vaccine from Massachusetts-based drug firm Moderna, albeit rarely used. The study by Stein and her colleagues appears to bolster earlier research done by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). Last month, BGU scientists found that the Pfizer mRNA coronavirus vaccine is less effective against the South African strain based on analysis of blood samples taken from vaccinated Israelis. While Pfizer produces high antibody levels against the generic coronavirus strain and the B117 variant, it only moderately neutralized the B1351 strain. Lead researcher Ran Taube remarked: Our findings show the vaccine is less effective against the South African strain, but the efficacy still exists. He and his colleagues noted in their March 2021 study that their findings call for a close attention of variant spread, and a [possibility] for new vaccines with improved neutralizing potency against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Visit Vaccines.news to read more news about mRNA vaccines against the Wuhan coronavirus. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com TimesOfIsrael.com 1 WashingtonExaminer.com TimesOfIsrael.com 2 Like many nontraditional students who have taken a longer and oftentimes bumpier road to attain their college degrees, Griselda Bautistas determination is paying off after discovering she met the requirements for the Community College Opportunity Grant and was eligible for free tuition. A single mother working full time as an aide in the Vineland Public School District, Bautista is grateful to be participating in the program. I never thought that I would be pursuing my dream towards becoming a teacher, said the Vineland resident after making the decision in 2019 to enroll at RCSJ. For me, just having this opportunity made me more motivated to finish what I want to finish, what I want to accomplish in life. CCOG, signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in February, was established in 2019 to provide free tuition and educational fees to students previously unable to meet the challenging financial demands of attending community college. To be eligible for the grant, students must enroll in at least 6 credits per semester and have an annual household adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less. Its been really, really helpful. There are no words to describe how much this has helped me, Bautista said. As a single mother, its been really beneficial. I have to think about rent. I have to think about feeding my child. Now, I dont have to worry about how much Im going to pay for my tuition. With this, its like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. When Bautista resolved to return to school, there was someone else on her mind as well. Tears fill her eyes when she talks about her son and the decision to go back to school. Basically, I always wanted to go back to school, said Griselda. I always wanted to pursue higher education when I was younger. I consider myself a high achiever, so I like to pursue big things in life. When I had my son, I still wanted to go back to school because I wanted to give him a better life, give myself a better life. Majoring in social services, Bautista will graduate in May with a 3.4 GPA. Griselda is a determined and conscientious student, said Iris Torres, student development adviser for Las Vias a Title V-funded, student support program initiated to improve the Hispanic graduation rate. She takes her education very seriously and always strives to do her best. Torres advised Bautista to apply for the CCOG. Despite the many obstacles she has faced, she continues to persist and is determined to achieve her educational goals, said Torres. The future teacher speaks glowingly about her time at RCSJ and Cumberlands faculty and staff (even though the pandemic has kept her from enjoying the full college experience). RCSJ is a really good school, said Bautista. Its really helpful with everything and anything. They understand you. They give you everything you need. Its a really good school that provides you with a lot of tools. Its never too late for a person to pursue their dreams or go back to school, Bautista added. Going to college gives you the opportunity to have more doors open in your life. It also gives you the foundation and the knowledge you will need to pursue a successful career. Without a doubt, you will learn something new every day that gives you another perspective on life. For more information about the grant program and eligibility requirements, visit RCSJ.edu/CCOG. Send community news to south@njadvancemedia.com. The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost. Cork County Council has joined Local Authorities in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary on a new social media campaign to combat dog fouling. The purpose of the social media campaign which will take place from April 28 to May 3 is to raise awareness with dog owners of the importance of taking personal responsibility and cleaning up after their dog. Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley welcomed the social media campaign targeting the scourge of dog waste on our streets, footpaths, greens and other public spaces. Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley welcomed the social media campaign targeting the scourge of dog waste on our streets, footpaths, greens and other public spaces. Pic: Brian Lougheed. Dog litter is an issue throughout Cork County. Everyone has an experience of stepping in it or wheeling in it with buggies, wheelchairs, bikes etc. I am asking citizens with dogs to be responsible, show you love your dog, your community and your county and protect public health. Please pick up after your dog and bag and bin the dog waste, she said. This campaign highlights that all bags, containing dog waste are litter and this includes dog litter bags that are compostable and also emphasises the importance for dog owners to control their dog by not allowing them to roam freely, not leaving dog waste in public spaces and the importance of bringing home dog waste if there are no public bins or if the public bins are full. Cork County Council has joined Local Authorities in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary on a new social media campaign to combat dog litter. Picture: Denis Minihane. It also highlights how dog waste can spread disease. It is estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million faecal coliform bacteria which can cause cramps, diarrhea, intestinal illness, and serious kidney disorders in humans, with children most at risk. People can follow the campaign on the Cork County Councils Environment Departments Facebook page @CorkCoCoEnviro. Flu activity across the state remained minimal again this week. With five weeks to go in the flu season, Indiana is unlikely to see any major spikes in activity this late in spring. New Delhi, April 26 : UCL, a leading multidisciplinary university in London, on Monday said it has sent 100 non-invasive breathing aids to India as part of the UK government's shipment of emergency medical supplies. The UCL-Ventura breathing aid is part of over 600 devices, including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, being sent to India, which is experiencing its biggest surge in Covid-19 infections, with over 350,000 new cases reported on Monday. Holistic supply partner GTEM packaged and transported the devices from their warehouse in Gloucestershire within just 24 hours. They are now being flown to Delhi for use in hospitals in India's hardest hit areas, the university said in a statement. Prof Rebecca Shipley, of UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering, said: "I'm immensely proud of the UCL-Ventura team and indebted to our logistics partner, GTEM, who after receiving the call on Saturday morning, arranged for the shipment to be sent with the government's emergency supplies to India's worst hit areas. "In the last year we have built partnerships in countries across the world and we remain committed to doing everything we can to support the global Covid-19 response." Following the shipment of the first 100 devices, the team is ready to send more to India to help support the fight against Covid-19 and support hospitals in the region which are overwhelmed with patients. The surge in cases has come at the same time as a severe shortage of medical oxygen in some areas. The UCL-Ventura is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device, which is non-invasive and helps to keep patients off mechanical ventilators. It is quick to produce and easy for staff to learn how to use. It is in use in hospitals in at least 15 countries around the world. They were used extensively in the first waves in Italy and China, preventing around 50 per cent from progressing to mechanical ventilation, which requires sedation. Engineers at UCL and Mercedes-AMG HPP worked round the clock with clinicians at UCLH to reverse engineer CPAPs during the UK's first lockdown as they were in short supply in hospitals. It took fewer than 100 hours from the initial meeting in March 2020 to production of the device. Since their mass manufacture, use of mechanical ventilation in UK hospitals has fallen by 26 per cent and intensive care stay has halved for survivors. The plans and details required to make the device were also made available for manufacturers to download at no cost. Within just two days, nearly 700 requests to access the information had been approved for manufacturers, non-profits, health experts and research institutes in 25 countries, the university said. The UCL-Ventura team has worked with charities, including the International Medical Education Trust (IMET2000) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), to support distribution and manufacture around the world. Around 3,000 components of the kit have been delivered to countries by GTEM. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently under isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, on Monday (April 26) said that all Indian citizens should get COVID-19 vaccines for free and nobody should be made a "victim of the BJP's system". "Enough of discussion. All citizens of the country should get vaccine for free. Don't make India a victim of the BJP's system," he said in a tweet in Hindi on Monday. - system victim! Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 26, 2021 In the meantime, India's next vaccination campaign is all set to commence from May 1 when everyone above the age of 18 will be eligible for getting a COVID-19 vaccine jab. Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have been asking for free vaccination for all for the past few weeks now. The opposition party has also criticised the government's vaccination policy and the handling of the COVID situation in the country. Additionally, the opposition has also accused the Centre of "hijacking" COVID-19 vaccine stocks from manufacturers, due to which the state authorities under opposition have expressed doubts over successful launch of the next inoculation drive which will cover those between 18-45 years of age from May 1. On the other side, following the Centres big announcement of allowing everyone above the age of 18 to avail of the COVID-19 vaccine, many states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan and others have declared that they will provide the vaccine for free to the people of their state. Live TV From Discovery to Delivery, Azzur Group provides full life-cycle solutions across the GxP spectrum. From its Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand facilities to its laboratories, training centers, and consulting offices across the nation, Azzur helps pharma, biotech, and medical device companies start, scale, and sustain their businesses. Azzur's fastest-growing segment, Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand, provides early-phase life science companies a hybrid alternative to traditional manufacturing cGMP scale-up challenges. Baird Capital's investment will accelerate the growth of this novel offering while augmenting core capabilities in advisory, consulting, laboratory, and training services. Baird Capital makes venture capital, growth equity, and private equity investments in strategically targeted sectors around the world. Having invested in more than 320 companies over its history, Baird Capital partners with entrepreneurs and, leveraging its executive networks, strives to build exceptional companies. Michael Khavinson, Chief Executive Officer of Azzur, said, "We are thrilled to partner with Baird Capital and look forward to the continuing expansion of Azzur's footprint across the country in key life sciences markets. We are proud of the work we've accomplished in our past decade, and we're excited for our next phase of growth." "Baird Capital has a history of investing in pharma services businesses, and we look forward to bringing our resources, relationships, and experiences to support Azzur's future growth," said Brett Tucker, Partner with Baird Capital's private equity team. "We are excited to partner with Michael and his strong leadership team to help them build on their past successes." Baird Capital was advised by Edgemont Partners (financial). Brown Gibbons Lang & Company initiated the transaction and acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Azzur Group. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Brett Tucker and Dave Schroeder, Baird Capital Operating Advisor, have joined Azzur's board of directors as part of the investment deal. Gary Knight, former Global Head of Strategy and Corporate Development at VWR (Avantor) and industry veteran, will also join the Azzur board as an independent director. For more information on Baird Capital's investment approach, team members, or portfolio, visit www.BairdCapital.com . For more information about Azzur Group, visit www.Azzur.com. About Azzur Group From Discovery to Delivery, Azzur Group provides the life science community full life-cycle solutions for all their GxP needs. From Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand facilities, to our labs, training centers, and consulting offices across the nation, Azzur Group helps organizations start, scale, and sustain their growing enterprises. With nearly four decades of service to the life science community, we have become a trusted partner to the world's leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and healthcare companies, as well as their supply chain. For more information about Azzur Group, visit Azzur.com . About Baird Capital Baird Capital makes venture capital, growth equity and private equity investments in strategically targeted sectors around the world. Having invested in more than 320 companies over its history, Baird Capital partners with entrepreneurs and, leveraging its executive networks, strives to build exceptional companies. Baird Capital provides operational support to its portfolio companies through teams on the ground in the United States, Europe, and Asia, a proactive portfolio operations team, and a deep network of relationships, which together strive to deliver enhanced shareholder value. Baird Capital is the direct private investment arm of Robert W. Baird & Co. For more information, please visit BairdCapital.com . About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and San Antonio. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, Inc., an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com. SOURCE Azzur Group, LLC Related Links www.azzur.com Ross Outram, who was jailed for life for the murder of 90-year-old Paddy Lyons, has told the Court of Appeal that there is no proof that he caused the injury that led to the Waterford pensioner's death. His lawyer Michael O'Higgins SC said that while his client struck Mr Lyons repeatedly on the head, the pathology evidence showed that the victim died due to a hip fracture. Mr O'Higgins said there was no basis for the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the hip fracture was caused by the assault and not by an accidental fall after his client had left the scene. Outram (30) of Ferryland, Waterford Road, Clonmel was found guilty in 2019 by a Central Criminal Court jury of murdering Mr Lyons at Loughleagh, Ballysaggart, Lismore, County Waterford, at a time unknown between February 23 and 26, 2017. 'INDEFINSIBLE' Mr O'Higgins began his appeal by saying that the conduct of his client was "indefensible and despicable and not to be justified in any way." He said Mr Lyons was an elderly gentleman who lived alone in a remote area and a longstanding injury to his shoulder meant he had difficulty using one arm. He added: "If ever there was a mismatch between people this was it." Mr Lyons suffered lacerations to the head and injuries to his brain, counsel said, adding: "What occurred was completely and utterly outrageous and could not be condoned or mitigated in any way." It was the injury to the hip, however, that caused Mr Lyons's death, counsel said. Mr O'Higgins summarised the evidence of Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster, saying she noted three categories of injury. The brain injury, which was not life threatening, the lacerations to the head, which would "probably" have caused death if left untreated, and the "shattering of the hip bone", which Mr O'Higgins said was the most significant injury. BLOOD POOLING Counsel said that Dr Bolster had suggested that the hip injury could have been caused by a fall and there was blood pooling in various areas around the house that suggested Mr Lyons was mobile after the beating. While Dr Bolster had suggested that Mr Lyons could have fallen because he was dizzy or nauseous as a result of the beating, Mr O'Higgins said she accepted she could not be sure and had no way to diagnose what effect the beating would have had. Mr O'Higgins continued: "I don't exclude the possibility that he could have been dizzy or nauseous or debilitated having suffered the injuries he did. I accept that is a possibility... but there is another possibility which was that he had tripped or fallen in a spontaneous event, that it was independent of the attack. It was unfortunate, it was an accident." Mr O'Higgins said that if a version of events favourable to the accused is reasonably possible then the jury must accept that version as the prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. He said the blood pooling evidence suggests that Mr Lyons was mobile when Outram left and therefore it is also reasonably possible that Mr Lyons fell, resulting in the injury that caused his death. John Hoade of Forensic Science Ireland had told the trial that blood pooling at the door and in other places suggested Mr Lyons was standing and walking around while bleeding. Mr O'Higgins said that when deciding between the possibility of a fall due to a simple accident versus a fall due to the head injuries inflicted by Outram, "there is, on the evidence, no rational basis" for deciding either one is proven beyond reasonable doubt. Mr O'Higgins also argued that the jury should not have been allowed to carry out their own, independent examination of Mr Lyons's hat in circumstances where they were told no forensic examination of the hat had been carried out. Mr O'Higgins also sought to introduce new evidence gained since the trial that scientists at the Forensic Science Laboratory found no blood on the hat. John O'Kelly SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions said there is no evidence of a fall and even if there were, the jury was entitled to find that the fall was connected to the beating he had received from Outram. He also noted that Dr Bolster had said the injuries to the head contributed to his death. Mr Justice John Edwards, presiding, with Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, reserved judgement. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE Forensic scientist John Hoade told the trial that he examined a grey hoodie belonging to Outram and found blood on the right sleeve and hood which matched Mr Lyons' DNA profile. Garda Eugene O'Neill testified that he went to Outram's house at Ferryland on February 27 and searched the back bedroom, where he seized a grey hoodie. Outram told gardai in interviews that he had fought back after Mr Lyons hit him with a walking stick and shovel, and that he had taken up to 100 Xanax that day. However, a pharmaceutical expert told the jury that there was "no proof" that Outram had taken Xanax. The three-week trial heard medical evidence that Mr Lyons suffered a stiffness or fusion of his right shoulder during childbirth and could only keep it in one position. Mr O'Higgins argued in his closing speech that Outram had acted in self-defence and that he could not be made liable for "a fall" which saw Mr Lyons break his hip if it was unconnected to the original injuries inflicted on him by the defendant However, prosecution counsel John O'Kelly SC said in his closing speech that it flew in the face of all common sense to suggest that Mr Lyons hip injury could have occurred after he was subjected to the attack or could be seen as something entirely independent. There is no evidence to show that it could have happened later or was entirely separate and independent, he outlined. Furthermore, Mr O'Kelly submitted that no one knew how much truth "if any" was in Outrams version of events as he had lied consistently in his first six garda interviews. In charging the jury, Mr Justice Coffey said that in order to convict Outram of murder they must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Lyons fall and the fracture of his hip was either directly caused by the multiple blows inflicted on him or it was reasonably foreseeable that it was a natural consequence of these blows. If the jury found that Mr Lyons fell on the ground or collapsed in the course of being repeatedly beaten by his attacker, the judge said they could find that causation had been established. Housing advocates having been sounding the alarm about the incoming flood of evictions New Jersey is facing once Gov. Phil Murphy lifts the eviction moratorium, which currently runs through mid-July. And while theres been no date for when landlord tenant courts will resume, the courts are already preparing to deal with the more than 62,000 filings received since March 2020 through new recommendations released in a report Wednesday. The 69-page report written by a special committee details new recommendations for filing eviction notices, pre-trial, during the trial and judgement, and after the hearing has resumed. The 18 recommendations include eliminating crowded calendar calls by scheduling virtual hearings once the evictions moratorium lifts, requiring landlords and tenants to submit case information statements, and offering tenants to complete surveys prior to the trial to present their side. The special committee, which included tenant advocates, landlord representatives, judges and court staff, began meeting in March to discuss the need to improve landlord tenant hearings, particularly in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Although tenants have been protected from being locked out of their homes since the eviction moratorium was signed by Murphy at the height of the pandemic, landlords are still able to file for eviction. Since then, housing advocates have warned that the tens of thousands of evictions could lead to mass homelessness and disarray in the courts. The committees work complements the Judiciarys ongoing efforts with Executive and Legislative branch leaders to try to prevent widespread housing instability and homelessness once the moratorium on residential evictions ends, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said. The Court welcomes comments on the committees proposals, which are designed to improve the overall landlord-tenant process and fairly and expeditiously resolve the large number of filings expected soon. Housing advocates are heralding the move, which Jessica Kitson of the Volunteer Lawyers for Justice called reforms that were needed in New Jerseys landlord tenant court long before Covid happened. Covid may have shined a spotlight on some of those issues in a way we havent seen before, she said. The recommendations as a whole are going to give tenants more opportunities to make sure they have the opportunity to advance their defense and give their side of the story. She pointed to giving tenants the chance at a pretrial conference and settlement conference, which was not required. The courts also suggest providing incentives to use the pretrial conferences to try to work out a payment plan or other agreement prior, or connect tenants with legal help and other forms of assistance programs. And because 194,000 new filings are expected by 2022, the committee also recommended hiring and training legal specialists to assist with the backlog of pending eviction cases. But opponents called the long list of recommendations an expensive knee-jerk reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, and question the impact the permanent changes could have. How are all these conferences going to be heard? Virtually -- but is that even practical?, said Derek Reed, president of the Property Owners Association. By adding in all these additional steps, the process is going to be delayed unreasonably, and the process will only increase complexity and time it will take to get back legal possession of your apartment. He added the report didnt seem to take into account considerations from housing providers during the pandemic, and the extra forms and calls would further stress the system. Kitson agreed the report isnt a perfect response to all the changes they asked for, but said there was a recognition of things just couldnt go back to the way they were before. The courts are accepting public comments on the report until May 21, either through email at Comments.Mailbox@njcourts.gov or in writing to Glenn A. Grant, P.O Box 037, Trenton, NJ 08825. And applications remain open for the $353 million fund for tenants who are in arrearages. Tenants and landlords can apply through the Department of Community Affairs, and applications will stay open until the fund is depleted. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips YEREVAN. As of Monday morning, 181 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 213,469 in the country, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Also, 22 more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 4,040 cases. One more case of coronavirus patients dying from some other illnesses was recorded in Armenia in the past one day, and the corresponding overall death toll in the country is 1,002 now. The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 820, the total respective number so far is 194,900, and the number of people currently being treated is 13,527which is a drop by 662 in one day. And 2,467 COVID-19 tests were conducted in Armenia over the past one day, while 965,692 such tests have been performed to date. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. The ruling My Step bloc announced that it has nominated the candidacy of Nikol Pashinyan for prime minister as a formality in the upcoming first round of vote in parliament required to dissolve parliament ahead of expected snap election. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on April 25 a move intended to pave way for snap election. The decision on holding snap election of parliament was reached after Pashinyan held discussons in March with the President and the opposition. The entire Cabinet also resigned. Holding early elections requires the dissolution of parliament, which in turn can happen when the legislature fails twice to elect a prime minister after the incumbent steps down in two rounds of voting. Pashinyan said during his resignation that his bloc will formally nominate and subsequently vote him down during both votings in order to maintain the technical requirements to disband the legislature. Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan released a statement on April 26 notifying that by law the parliament will convene an emergency session on May 3 for the first round of vote. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Turk is furious over the US that said that they are guilt of the Armenian genocide. Apparently, President Joe Biden has offended another of their NATO allies. Since taking office, the President has been cited as weak in foreign policy and makes wrong decisions. Ankara is Accused of Armenian Genocide According to the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, who called the U.S. Ambassador David Satterfield on April 24, the offensive statement called the killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as mass killing reported the Epoch Times. Onal said his government would protest the offensive statement and said it was uncalled for. Turkey expressed resentment over what the Biden administration has done. A statement from Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, reported by Reuters. He said the announcement by the American president would have an answer Erdogan will have something in store for such an offensive statement. Turkish foreign ministry representative said that it violates international law and has no legal ground to support it. President Biden has broken conventions and accuses all the Turkish people to part of the genocide, and his action only hurt relations between the two countries. On April 24, Biden made good on a campaign pledge by denouncing the Armenian genocide of an estimated 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians that started in 1915. The Ottoman Empire was the precursor of today's Turkey. Violence Erupts In Afghan Capital, US-Backed Peace Meeting Postponed One of the questions is why President Biden made the reckless statement that delved into the history and pain of the Armenians, who still have their enmity against now modern Turkey. Though he has no direct references to Turkey itself, it should have been done more delicately. On April 24, the US president's remarks were released commemorating the day in 1915 when the Ottoman state began harassing Armenian intellectuals and community leaders. Many Turkish officials were furious and issued statements of protest directed at the US. On April 25, Turkey's presidential representative said that Biden's genocide designation is "unfair and unfortunate," and that Turkey will respond in several ways in the following months. Now, Biden's spectacular miscalculation is only one of many mistakes he has committed in foreign policy. Kalin said that Ankara would retaliate by limiting the access of US forces to the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey. It is one of the staging areas for the international coalition fighting the ISIS terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. Cutting off access because of Biden's error will cost the US a lot, but Ankara said to expect more measures to spite the US. Turkey called 'genocide' the wrong word and added that Turks and Armenians were killed in World War I. Except for Biden's statement declaring genocide, all U.S. presidents were diplomatic about it. Even Trump was aware of it. The US and Turkey are at odds over purchasing Russian-made S400 defense systems, which is unacceptable as a NATO member. Kalin, the spokesman for Turkey's president, said that president Biden calling out Turkey for the Armenian genocide is a mistake. He should be more careful over loose and irresponsible words. Turkey Tests Russian-made S-400 Missiles, Violates NATO Treaty @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Health Minister Ioana Mihaila on Monday said that a working group will be set up at the Ministry of Health, to collaborate with the Government on the relaxation measures, reports agerpres. According to the Minister, the working group will also aim to "get hospitals back to normal" so that non-COVID patients can have "better access to health services." "We are in the process of setting up a working group at the level of the Health Ministry, which will collaborate with the Government's working group on the relaxation measures, and this working group will have two objectives: the relaxation measures that will be taken if the pandemic allows us, starting with June 1, and the second objective will be the normalization of the situation in hospitals, outpatient clinics and family doctors' offices in terms of a work schedule, number of patients, so that non-COVID patients will have more access to health services," said Minister Ioana Mihaila.Last Thursday, the first meeting of the Interministerial Committee for Romania's return to normality, starting with June 1, 2021, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, took place at the Government headquarters. A major U.S. manufacturer and Charleston Water System are settling a dispute over disposable wipes that have been traced to clogged sewage lines and other costly maintenance issues. Under the deal filed April 26, Kimberly-Clark Corp. will ensure its Cottonelle hygiene wipes will meet a higher national standard for "flushability" by May 2022. The company also agreed to allow independent testing for several years to verify compliance and to change its labeling to distinguish between its flushable and non-flushable personal-care products. The new guidelines were developed in part by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, a leading municipal wastewater association. Charleston Water System sued Kimberly-Clark and a handful of other big-name companies in early January for problems associated with the disposable wipes they make, market, distribute or sell. The other defendants are Procter & Gamble, Costco, CVS, Target, Walgreens and Walmart. "Personal care wipes, along with a wide range of other wipe products, have caused major impacts to CWS, as well as other municipal sewer systems across South Carolina, and nationally," the utility said in an April 26 statement. "These impacts can include sewer system blockages, sewer equipment failures, interference with wastewater treatment processes, the need for increased maintenance, and sewer overflows." Charleston Water said Kimberly-Clarks Cottonelle wipes were found to dissolve better than the others it has tested. Also, they "either meet now or are on track to meet the municipal wastewater flushability standard by May 2022," according to the statement. The system called on other manufacturers to follow the Irving, Texas-based companys lead. Sign up for our new business newsletter We're starting a weekly newsletter about the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! "Until that happens, CWS intends to continue to challenge those manufacturers misleading claims about the suitability of their various wipes for introduction into public sewer systems," it said. Procter & Gamble, Costco, CVS, Target, Walgreens and Walmart filed papers asking U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel to dismiss the case against them earlier this month. Charleston Water has until May 17 to file a response. The utility is targeting products that have been marketed to consumers as "flushable" but don't live up to that promise, according to its research. "They do not disintegrate as effectively as toilet paper and can comingle to cause clogs and treatment problems, making them costly and difficult to manually remove," it said in the complaint. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status, which means it will try to include other public water systems around the country that have experienced similar problems. The complaint included specific examples of damage. One of the more jarring blockages was discovered off James Island. In late 2018, Charleston Water officials spent $140,000 to send divers 90 feet down a sewage line that connected to its Plum Island treatment center to remove a mass that measured more than 12 feet long, according to the lawsuit. "The gross factor definitely caught people's attention," Baker Mordecai, director of wastewater collection for the utility, told The Washington Post in an article published over the weekend. The utility has estimated it's spent on average of about $250,000 annually since 2018 removing wipes. "I'm looking for a kumquat. Do you know what that looks like?" Kay Kingsman flagged down a fellow shopper in the grocery store with that question - and no, he couldn't identify a kumquat. But she kept on talking. "How's your day?" she recalls asking. "Having a fun grocery trip?" Kingsman, a 27-year-old manufacturing engineer in Portland, Ore., dragged the conversation on so long that this stranger in the citrus aisle interjected with an answer to a question she hadn't pondered: "I'm married." GENERATION ZOOM: Abandon all those awful, never-ending Zoom calls with this app That's when Kingsman realized she didn't know how to have a casual conversation with a stranger anymore. She hadn't been flirting, at least not intentionally. She'd been earnestly seeking those little orange oblongs for a cake she was baking, and once she opened her mouth, she was so excited to be talking to someone that she couldn't stop. Verbal diarrhea is just one symptom of late-stage pandemic social awkwardness. Others include asking yourself: How far away did I used to stand when talking to someone? Should I stand farther now? How long is a conversation supposed to last anyway? Do my friends still like me? As vaccinations ramp up and our social lives restart, many of us are rusty, tongue-tied, rambling or insecure - and it shows. "Social interaction is a million things knitted into one," says Marisa Franco, a psychologist who specializes in friendship. It's turning thoughts into speech, making eye contact, entering and exiting a conversation, and more. "It's like you haven't practiced a language, then you go back to the country and it starts to come back." Rest assured fellow awkwards, your social skills will come back. And you're not the only one feeling out of sorts. The coronavirus pandemic brought with it so many new rules: We were urged to wear masks in public, to stand at least six feet away from others, to socialize indoors only with those in a defined pod, to mute and unmute ourselves at the appropriate times on Zoom. All of that was uncomfortable at first. Shouldn't reemergence be the easy part? Not necessarily. Our new reality isn't the same as life before covid-19; it's an in-between stage, a collective adolescence of sorts. We've changed. The world has, too. "What is awkward is that different people have different rules," says Dave Nadelberg, founder of the "Mortified" podcast and stage shows that feature embarrassing childhood stories. "Everyone says they care about covid safety, but everybody has a different definition. People are appalled if you're too restrictive or permissive. As the world is opening up, that tension is a little stronger." The freshly vaxxed vibe resembles a middle school dance: We're eager to be with others, but don't know quite how to act. And our dance moves have aged terribly. "We've been sitting around in our sweatpants and not showering for a year. We have to now worry about bad breath and all the things that Zoom conference calls insulated us from," Nadelberg adds. At the beginning of the pandemic, says Ty Tashiro, a psychologist and author of "Awkward: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome," discomfort over social distancing or Zoom etiquette was often outweighed by the pervasive fear and anxiety surrounding catching or spreading the novel coronavirus. "Now the awkwardness gets to stand on its own." Loneliness is another emotion that's ballooned during the pandemic. And the lonelier you are, the likelier you are to be socially anxious, says Franco, the friendship expert. When Franco asked her Instagram followers if they felt their social skills had deteriorated during the pandemic, about 80 percent said yes. However, even if you perceive yourself as awkward, there's a good chance others haven't noticed. "We all have a bias to think other people are judging us more than they actually are," Franco says. For Alexandra Clemente, a 29-year-old consultant in San Francisco, her awkwardness manifests as fear of overstaying her welcome. She used to understand the cadence of a party, but the pandemic has thrown off her sense of timing. "I don't want to be rude," Clemente says. "I'm trying to be aware of what people's boundaries are." Her friends have promised to help her read the room, saying: "We'll tell you when to leave, don't worry." In our new reality, maybe we'll care less about being perceived as rude and more about just being real. Derek Brown, owner of the Columbia Room bar in Washington, finds small talk to be difficult these days. "Politeness feels awkward," Brown says, "not just because of the time you spent without people, but the enormity of what people have gone through" in the past year. Returning to the office has made some workers recognize the perks of Zoom. Jennifer Sonne, a 33-year-old environmental consultant in Anchorage, started a new job during the pandemic, so when she started coming into the office in the fall, she had trouble recognizing her co-workers in masks. "On Zoom, you see names," she says. "In the office, I almost wish we could put some name tags on foreheads." She can't quite remember how to gracefully exit an in-person conversation. And then there's body language, something office workers toiling at home haven't had to think much about in the past year. "On video conferences or phone calls, you don't have to worry about your hands or anything more than chest up," Sonne says. During an impromptu conversation with a colleague in the office, Sonne caught herself wondering what to do with her hands: "Do I put my hands on this chair? On the desk? Do I fiddle with my clothes? Where do humans put their hands? What is body language anymore?" Jordan Hall found that even going to the mall to buy a shirt at Uniqlo felt strange. "I feel like an ant. I feel small," the 28-year-old videographer in Los Angeles recalls thinking while trying to maneuver between hundreds of shoppers at Glendale Galleria. "I'm my own main character in my house and now I'm in this flood of people." He chose the escalator over being in an elevator with strangers and constantly worried about where everyone else had been. Shielding yourself against awkwardness starts even before you leave the house. Ilana Dunn, co-host of the "Seeing Other People" podcast, now tries on about seven outfits before she picks a pair of pants. After a year of athleisure,"the act of getting yourself together, putting makeup on, putting an outfit on, has become so difficult," Dunn says. "It's been tough to figure out what to present myself as." Before the pandemic, Dunn, a 26-year-old in New York, was "the most social person ever." Now she'll have to excuse herself from an outdoor hangout to take a walk because it's just too much. "I've suddenly become that quiet, awkward person off to the corner not really engaging with people. Part of me is still questioning: 'I don't know if these people are safe to be around. I don't even know what to talk about.' " If you talk about doing lots of things, it sounds like you're bragging or that you've been reckless, Dunn says. "And if you talk about doing nothing, it's like: 'Why not? . . . You can finally do things again.' " For those with reduced social stamina, Franco suggests going slowly and being intentional about whom you reconnect with. "Maybe there are select few [people] you want to talk to," Franco says. "Be strategic about what getting out there means to you." And the next time you're feeling awkward, Tashiro advises leaning into it. "The best thing to do is to say: 'It's a little weird getting back out into public and socializing again, isn't it?' " Because we're all searching for some kind of normalcy. Or kumquats. Kabul, April 26 : At least five people were wounded after a rocket landed at Kunar Governor's office in the city of Asadabad on Monday morning, Iqbal Saeed, provincial Governor, said. The incident happened in the city of Asadabad, the center of Kunar, where an event on the Holy Quran competition was underway, Saeed said. "Three students and two employees of the compound were wounded," he said. Security officilas have not commented over the incident,Tolo news reported. No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. Representatives of Nestle received the Vietnam National Quality Gold Award 2019-2020 Nestle Vietnam is one of 116 winners of this prestigious award for the two years. The Vietnam National Quality Awards include seven criteria the role of business leaders; operational strategy; customer and market-centred policy; knowledge measurement, analysis and management; human resources management and development; process management; and operating results. The criteria are the values that shape behaviours of organisations and enterprises towards highly effective operations. The evaluation and selection of the Vietnam National Quality Awards are conducted at two levels: provincial pre-qualification council and national council. Based on a list of enterprises proposed by the provincial pre-qualification council, the national council will select some nominees for the Minister of Science and Technology to submit to the prime minister for award approval. Nestle Vietnam was nominated by the southern province of Dong Nai. Kloeti Urs, Factory Manager of Nestle Bong Sen Factory, Representative of Nestle Vietnam According to Nguyen Hoang Linh, deputy director general of the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, the Vietnam National Quality Awards are essentially a self-assessment tool for businesses to achieve quality management excellence. Based on the criteria, they can comprehensively review their business and production activities in line with international standards. It is also an opportunity for them to determine the status of management qualifications, recognise strengths and weaknesses, as well as identify success opportunities and future missions, thereby formulating measures to improve and complete their operation systems, he added. Binu Jacob, managing director of Nestle Vietnam, expressed pride that Nestle Vietnam had achieved the Vietnam National Quality Gold Award in its very first year of participation. He said the award is not only a measure for business development but also an encouragement for companies to ensure the sustainability of their growth. By participating in the programme, companies can improve themselves by adopting advanced management methods. Therefore, they can improve the productivity, quality, and competitiveness of their products and services in both local and foreign markets. According to Jacob, Nestle focuses on quality, food safety, research and development (R&D), consumers, and human resources, which have laid a strong foundation for its success and serve as its major competitive advantages. Nestle Vietnam ensures strict compliance with food safety and hygiene, quality control, as well as occupational safety at every stage of production, from raw materials to finished products to consumers throughout the supply chain. Attending the Vietnam National Quality Awards helps Nestle to learn, evaluate, and comprehensively improve our management activities and product quality. We also have a chance to share our best practices, technical advances, and initiatives with the community. Hopefully, the Vietnamese business community can replicate our initiatives across the country, Jacob said. Established in 1995, Nestle Vietnam has continuously expanded its investment and diversified its product portfolio to serve the food and nutrition demand of consumers. The company aims to optimise the role of food to improve the quality of lives in Vietnam today and in generations to come. In its 25-year journey, Nestle Vietnam has given priority to areas bringing positive impact to society such as enabling healthier and happier lives, helping the development of thriving and resilient communities, and stewarding the planets natural resources for future generations. With a customer-centric approach based on science and R&D, Nestle regularly innovates and enhances its product portfolio to deal with malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity, and other global nutritional problems. Nestle boasts the largest R&D network in the food industry, including five research institutes and about 5,000 leading scientists and nutritional experts. In addition to the Vietnam National Quality Gold Award, Nestle Vietnam also received many awards, certificates of merit and notable recognitions from state agencies for its achievements for the community, the environment, and for the Vietnamese economy. Nestle Vietnam has been conferred a Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs twice for taking good care of employees and creating an efficient working environment that helps promote employees capacity and working spirit. Nestle Vietnam has also been among the three Best Places to Work in Vietnam by leading human resources company Anphabe since 2014. In addition, Nestle Vietnam was honoured with Womens Empowerment Principles Awards in the categories of Community and Industry Engagement and Gender-Inclusive Workplace. Jacob added that long-term vision and sustainable development are the driving force of the companys operations in Vietnam. The company keeps a sharp eye on market trends, consumer needs and tastes to quickly develop suitable and diverse products that provide health benefits. To facilitate these goals, Nestle takes quality assurance and food safety seriously. We are committed to the mission of improving the quality of life for Vietnamese people and further contributing to the community throughout our activities, Jacob said. We want to make each Nestle product an indispensable part of every Vietnamese persons life. (Newser) Four New York City synagogues, all in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, were attacked over the weekend, pelted by rocks in what police say may have been hate crimes. NYPD Detective Francis Sammon tells CNN that the six attackstwo each against the Riverdale Jewish Center and Chabad Lubavitch, and one each against the Conservative Synagogue and Young Israeltook place Friday through Sunday under cover of darkness, and that no one was hurt. The New York Daily News reports that, according to surveillance footage, the same person, shown wearing a green camouflage jacket, appears to be behind all of the attacks. story continues below Windows and doors were shattered or otherwise damaged during the attacks, and police say the suspect also broke windows in three parked cars near the Young Israel synagogue. NBC New York reports that, despite the incidents, congregants continued to show up for services on Sunday evening, with a boosted police presence spotted outside places of worship. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says the NYPD's Hate Crimes unit is investigating, condemning the attacks as "vile acts of anti-Semitism" in a Sunday tweet. "This brazen series of attacks on the Jewish community in #Riverdale over the past few nights is truly shocking," Scott Richman, director of the New York and New Jersey division of the Anti-Defamation League, added in his own post. Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. (Read more synagogue stories.) Since December, the UISD board of trustees have wrestled with the duty to start the process of finding the districts new superintendent. On Tuesday, the district formally named Associate Superintendent David Gonzalez as the lone finalist for the position. The decision was a result of a months-long campaign in which the district partnered with TASB to look for external candidates that would be suitable for the position. However, UISD Board President Ramiro Veliz said that the board was aware of multiple factors that favored internal candidates, including their role during this past year, their prior achievements and understanding of the needs and culture of the Laredo community. Of the 27 candidates, six were chosen: three external and three internal for initial interviews. Board members asked questions during their first interview session which resulted in the three internal candidates performing well enough to move forward. I think most of us were leaning towards an internal candidate because all of the candidates had done a great job for the district and theyve been part of the success, Veliz said. Ultimately, a major factor in the choosing of Gonzalez were his contributions and guidance that led to UISD receiving an A Rating in both 2018 and 2019. Veliz said that Gonzalezs vision was another component as the move forward will see a strong emphasis on technology. He believes technology is going to be a key factor that we have to continue. Technology this past year has tremendously helped our both teachers and our students to continue instruction to some degree, Veliz said. He strongly believes that technology is going to play a key factor, and we are going to have to be open to the different options we are going to have moving forward utilize technology most of the board members, we felt that is the correct way as far as moving forward. As the virtual option is expected to be removed come the new school year, the board felt Gonzalez was the one who could lead the massive transition back to a normal school year. We think Mr. Gonzalez has the experience and is more than capable to continue leading us forward and continue leading us down the successful path, Veliz said. I dont foresee any issues; I think he is going to do a great job. He has the support of the board. While not unanimous, the final vote saw five in favor of Gonzalez and two against, Veliz said. However, the results came after a highly-contested race between regional and in-house administrators vying for the position. And as all local administrators had years of experience at UISD, their supporters were adamant in believing that their candidate was the best choice for the position. The three internal candidates have all been with the district for a long time, so they obviously have a lot of interaction with a lot of employees, so we definitely got a lot of feedback supporting all three, UISD board president Ramiro Veliz III said. During the special call meeting in which the decision was made, a number of UISD and community members spoke up in support of their preferred candidate. Diego Vasquez supported Gonzalez as a prior student of Washington Middle School where Gonzalez was the principal. As a struggling student, Vasquez said after a destructive period of his life, Gonzalez helped guide him. If UISD truly strives to create a sense of belonging, development and achievement for students, then there is no one better than David Gonzalez. With him, I can truly say we belong, we evolve and we achieve, Vasquez said. Mimi Garcia Lacey put her support behind Deputy Superintendent Gloria Rendon and believed the decision could only be Rendon. She invoked Rendons record and said that is the type of leader the district will need moving forward. The decision you will make will affect not only yourselves, mainly those that have placed you in your positions, Lacey said. You are all representing the youth of Laredo in United, and you must do what is best for the students, not for yourself, because you are all representing us. For Mike Garza, UISD Assistant Superintendent, Raul Salinas lauded Garzas efforts as a councilmember and his care for the less fortunate in his district. Mike has 23 years of high-level administrative experience in various departments. Hes an exceptional mediator; accessible, transparent, respectful, kind-hearted, loyal, of high integrity and a true leader, Salinas said. Hes a problem solver and gets the job done. These public comments were a sample of the comments Veliz said he received throughout this process in meetings, phone calls and emails. He and the rest of the board members understood and prepared for the number of comments and criticisms that they would face regardless of their decision. Ever since back then, we started receiving input from the community and the employees of the district. Veliz said. I understand the criticism. I knew whichever direction we went with, whether it was an internal candidate, external candidate, whether it was a particular internal candidate or another, criticism was going to be part of it. And over the eight years that I have been part of the board I strongly feel that this is the most important decision that I have been a part of. However, he welcomed the feedback by the community as it will affect the community as a whole, like Lacey had said. David Gonzalez had said that despite him moving into the superintendent position, he believes that will not diminish the relationship between him, Garza and Rendon. I believe that all three of us will be able to work with each other in different capacities, Gonzalez said. Knowing Gloria Rendon, knowing her ethics, Mike Garza the same thing, I do not see a single issue with us not being able to work together. WTF?! Artificial intelligence is advancing at a rate so fast that it verges on concerning. While a recently published patent from Sony doesnt have the potential to threaten humanity, hopefully, its still one of those WTF moments: an AI that plays games for you and in your own distinct style. As reported by Segment Next, Sonys patent covers a technology that trains a bot in the users playstyle. The AI starts with a basic set of behaviors that evolve as it monitors the players actions and decisions. The result is a bot that plays in a way indistinguishable from the person that trained its neural network. You might be wondering, whats the point? Who would buy a game only to let a machine play for them? But there are some interesting applications, such as being able to walk away from the keyboard/controller to go to the bathroom and letting the AI take over. The feature would be helpful in online games that cant be paused, though it could lead to a scenario of multiplayer titles filled exclusively with bots battling each other. The AI may also benefit players with accessibility needs who require assistance in certain sections. Maybe it could be set away grinding while players do something less tedious, too. Other parts of the patent describe a game notifying players struggling to complete a task it could help them with, which sounds like a version of Clippy thats actually useful. If the AI also finds the objective too difficult, it can automatically search online guides for help, mimicking the actions of a real person. As with all patents, theres no guarantee this one will become a reality, and even if it does, dont expect to be able to call on the AI version of you for help anytime soon. Image credit: Jinning Li ARLINGTON, Va., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- March of Dimes, the leading organization fighting for the health of all moms and babies, today announced a week-long series of activities beginning May 3 through Mother's Day that honors, celebrates and supports moms and moms-to-be. Together with Shawn Johnson East and supporting partners, March of Dimes It Starts With Mom will bring together moms, families and leading health experts through a multi-day effort across social media and a virtual live event to raise awareness of the changing role of motherhood and how communities can support them. According to a Meredith Corporation Consumer Pulse survey in January, moms are more focused than ever on health and wellness, with 88% of them actively trying to work on their mental and emotional health, up 5% from Sept. 2020 to Jan. 2021. Additionally, 65% of moms are worried about becoming more anxious and depressed as the pandemic continues. To better support the mental and emotional well-being of moms and moms-to-be, ItStartswithMom.org features information on postpartum depression and combating stress during and after pregnancy. The website also includes several online community groups women can tap to give and receive support. "Mothers and moms-to-be are experiencing the past year's changes in amplified ways. Increasingly important to both their physical and mental health is having access to resources that educate and empower them as they navigate their pregnancy journeys from pre-conception through delivery and postpartum," said Stacey D. Stewart, President and CEO of March of Dimes. "It Starts With Mom is intended to do just that, which is why we're excited to expand our celebration of resilient moms this year and work to provide educational resources to empower and equip moms to become their own best advocates in their health care." In addition to the resources on the website, the second annual It Starts With Mom Live will take place on May 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET, presented by March of Dimes, and hosted by Shawn Johnson East, entrepreneur, author and former Olympic gymnast. The 75-minute virtual event will be live-streamed on the March of Dimes Facebook channel and include two panels: "Putting Moms' Minds First Prioritizing Mental Health and Wellness," touching on the challenges of balancing work and home life and "Looking Ahead Community Support for Resiliency," which provides advice on navigating pre-conception, pregnant and post-natal challenges during our new normal. Julia Edelstein, Editor-in-Chief at PARENTS and Grace Bastidas, Editor-in-Chief at PARENTS LATINA and co-host of PARENTS' That New Mom Life podcast, will moderate the panel discussions which will also feature Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, March of Dimes Deputy Chief Medical and Health Officer, model Hilary Rhoda and Jade Roper Tolbert, host of the Mommies Tell All podcast. "I'm so excited to partner with March of Dimes for this year's It Starts With Mom campaign. My daughter Drew is my top priority and I'm so excited to welcome baby number two this summer. But our parenting journey wasn't always easy, and having a support system plus the care we needed was pivotal," said Shawn Johnson East. "March of Dimes' It Starts With Mom campaign is working to do just that for more mothers across America provide moms and moms-to-be with resources and the community support they need to thrive throughout their entire pregnancy journey." March of Dimes is partnering with Macy's, The Honest Company, EMD Serono, Nuk, Clearblue, Medela, PARENTS and PARENTS LATINA for the It Starts With Mom campaign. During the week leading up to Mother's Day, and throughout the month of May, these partners are activating their customers and employees to raise funds and awareness for March of Dimes' work to ensure the health of all moms and babies. Concurrently, March of Dimes is rallying maternal and infant health supporters around the country for March for Babies: A Mother of a Movement, a virtual awareness and peer-to-peer fundraising initiative that underscores the indispensable role of mom, who is at the center of our mission since she and her baby are intertwined. To join us, go to marchforbabies.org or your favorite app store to download the March of Dimes Charity Cloud app. March of Dimes is there for women at every stage of the pregnancy journey, even when everything doesn't go according to plan. Moms and moms-to-be can tap into our resources and be empowered to have the best possible start for themselves and their babies. Health and wellness information related to pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and post-partum care is available at ItStartsWithMom.org. About March of Dimes March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every baby can have the best possible start. Building on a successful 80-year legacy of impact and innovation, we empower every mom and every family. SOURCE March of Dimes Inc. Related Links http://www.marchofdimes.org ADVERTISEMENT Unknown gunmen have kidnapped a hotelier, Olukunle Oyedokun, and his nursing wife, Juliana, at a hotel in Ajaawa, Ogo Oluwa Local Government Area of Oyo State. The couples infant, children, five relatives, and a guest were also taken away by the kidnappers. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday. Sources who spoke with our correspondent said two other guests escaped the kidnap. This newspaper gathered that Mr Oyedokun and other relatives were whisked away while preparing for a family burial ceremony coming up this weekend. The state police spokesperson, Adewale Osifeso, did not respond to calls and text messages as of the time of filing this report. A senior police officer in the local government, however, confirmed the incident but said the family of the victims gave conflicting figures of victims. Family sources told our correspondent that the kidnappers have asked for N15 million. After a long appeal, the ransom is said to have been reduced to N2.5 million. Also, the National President of Soludero Hunters, Nureni Ajijolaanobi, confirmed the incident. He said his team, alongside police and other security operatives, are combing the forest to rescue the victim. This latest kidnap comes exactly two months after a student of the University of Ibadan was taken away by gunmen who later demanded a ransom of N100 million. Despite the creation of a regional security network in the region, the south-west has continued to be a hotbed of kidnappings, abductions, and other criminalities. In the past month, at least one kidnap case was reported in the states of Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Osun. Two weeks ago, nurses and midwives in Ogun State embarked on a strike over the kidnapping of their members in the state. A vital intermediate in normal cell metabolism is also, in the right context, a trigger for cell death, according to a new study from Wanli Liu and Yonghui Zhang of Tsinghua University, and Yong Zhang of Peking University in Beijing, publishing 26th April 2021 in the open access journal PLOS biology. The discovery may contribute to a better understanding of the damage caused by stroke, and may offer a new drug target to reduce that damage. Farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) is an intermediate in the mevalonate pathway, a series of biochemical reactions in every cell that contributes to protein synthesis, energy production, and construction of cell membranes. During a search for regulators of immune cell function, the authors unexpectedly discovered that FPP, when present at high concentrations outside of cells, caused rapid and extensive death of cells. FPP carries both a highly charged phosphate head and a long hydrophobic hydrocarbon tail, and by altering each in turn, the researchers showed that both were necessary for the effect, suggesting that FPP might interact specifically with some complementary receptors. Depletion of extracellular calcium prevented the lethal effect of FPP, providing a further clue as to the mechanism. By knocking out a variety of cation channels, the team found that one, called TRPM2, contributed at a certain level to FPP-induced cell death, and that an inhibitor blocking FPP induced TRPM2 open can inhibit FPP induced cell death. FPP is normally present in the microenvironment at too low a concentration to trigger cell death, but that may change during an ischemic stroke, as mevalonate pathway are known to be highly active in neurons and neurons could rapidly release their cellular contents in stress induced necrosis, leading to elevated levels of many otherwise-rare biomolecules in the microenvironment. The authors showed that in a mouse model of ischemic injury, the concentration of FPP rose, and that pre-administration of the calcium channel blocker could reduce the extent of injury. Moreover, inhibitors that prevent the metabolic production of FPP also reduced the extent of injury. These results suggest that blockade of FPP's action could be a new avenue for reducing the damage from stroke, either by inhibiting TRPM2 to reduce calcium influx or targeting its metabolic synthesizing pathway. Much will need to be learned about this new cell death pathway first, including the duration of the window during which such interventions might be amenable to therapy. Nonetheless, Liu and colleagues said, "These findings point to novel, potentially druggable targets to treat ischemic injury. In view of the complex nature of human ischemic injury, targeting this pathway might best be combined with current therapies to improve the therapeutic effects." ### In your coverage please use these URLs to provide access to the freely available articles in PLOS Biology: http://journals. plos. org/ plosbiology/ article?id= 10. 1371/ journal. pbio. 3001134 Citation: Chen J, Zhang X, Li L, Ma X, Yang C, Liu Z, et al. (2021) Farnesyl pyrophosphate is a new danger signal inducing acute cell death. PLoS Biol 19(4): e3001134. https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1371/ journal. pbio. 3001134 Funding: This work is supported by funds from Institute for Immunology and Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University. W.L. and B.K.R. were supported by UAEU-Tsinghua Asian Universities Alliance Joint-Grant (G00002992). YH. Z. was supported by National Natural Science Foundation (81991492), Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Z190015) and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology. Y.Z. is supported by the National Key R & D Program of China (2017YFE0103400), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31771125, 31970911, 81521063), and Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (Z181100001518001). W.H. is supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health in the United States (AI146226, AI137822, GM130555-6610, AI129422 and AI138497). X. Z. is supported in part by the Postdoctoral Fellowship of Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019M660361). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. By Theresa Canales Imagine being constantly judged for something you didnt do, a mistake, or, perhaps, the worst thing youve ever done. At the root of our human existence are many needs, but I believe one core need is forgiveness. We all need forgiveness, and to forgive others can be an immensely freeing experience. Our world is plagued by so much prejudice and discrimination, yet I wonder if we could solve these problems if we would look at the issue through a different lens. How do you react when you read a story about crime or incarceration? Do you think that everyone who goes to jail or prison must have done something wrong? How do you treat those you encounter who have a criminal record? Did you know that[i]: There are many different monthly observations during the year, but perhaps one less known is Second Chance Month, which Prison Fellowship began in 2017. Over the past few years, several states, including New Jersey, as well as the White House have issued proclamations declaring April as Second Chance Month. The purpose is to raise awareness of the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction and unlock second-chance opportunities for people who have paid their debt to society to become contributing citizens. The past year has been unprecedented in many ways due to the impact COVID-19 has had on our country, including correctional facilities nationwide. Much work has been done to mitigate the effects behind bars, including efforts to release inmates. In New Jersey, Bill S2519 was passed last fall and since then thousands of men and women nearing the end of the prison sentences were released. While that was a much-needed relief to those who remain incarcerated, and the staff who work in correctional facilities, those reentering society set foot into a second prison, which includes barriers that waste human potential and add to recidivism, ultimately jeopardizing public safety. Unfortunately, many formerly incarcerated will continue to be judged and punished based on their past. With more than 1,068 collateral consequences or restrictions that limit access to education, jobs, housing and much more exist in just New Jersey, considerable work needs to be done. I believe: People with a past can rise from their failure and become contributing members of their community. No one should be defined only by the criminal justice system. In justice that restores, recognizes and advances the dignity of human life. I have been fortunate to meet and visit with many incarcerated people prior to COVID-19 and the suspension of visitations. The one thing I can tell people is that there are no monsters behind bars, only human beings. At the end of the day, were all in the same boat. Someone with a criminal record is no less of a person than someone without a criminal record. We are all deserving of human dignity and value, of redemption and second chances. Consider the impact you can have in someones life by extending a second chance whether youre an individual, employer, congregation or community. Perhaps, its a job, food, toiletries, shelter, your time or talent. Perhaps, its even more fulfilling. Consider the priceless and richly rewarding impact of extending forgiveness. Theresa Canales is a financial services professional, veteran, and mother of two. She volunteers with Prison Fellowship as a justice ambassador and serves in the prison ministry at Calvary Chapel in Old Bridge. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. DODGE CENTER, Minn- Thirteen months since the pandemic began and Minnesota still has not fully reopened. A drizzling Sunday afternoon though didn't stop some brave Minnesotans from gathering in North Park for a Re-Open Minnesota Rally. Filled with refreshments and music, the event was hosted by Dodge County Republicans and attracted not just families but lawmakers as well including Senator Dave Senjem. "The folks just wanted to do something and invited me over and I'm happy to be here," Senjem tells KIMT News 3. The senator is one of the politicians who wants Governor Walz to reopen more of the state quickly. "Hopefully the governor will take heed and open it up soon," said the senator. Other politicians who stopped by to show their support include Representative Duane Quam. Attendees are hoping the rally will help reopen more of the state. KIMT News 3 reached out to Dodge County DFL for comment on the event. They say, "If we would ALL do what is needed...wear masks, socially distance, wash hands, and get vaccinated, we could get this pandemic under control, and then we could open up more of the state." Chennai, April 26 : A high-level meeting of health officials and bureaucrats in Chennai has decided to judiciously use the Oxygen in the state as Covid cases surge in Tamil Nadu. The officials after consultations with experts in production of Oxygen are of the opinion that even if industrial oxygen is used for health purposes, it will take a minimum of three months for converting the machines for producing oxygen required for health from industrial oxygen. The per day requirement of Oxygen has reached to 350 MT and the state health officials know that with the Covid cases surging ahead, the requirement would be much more than the present production of 400 MT a day. The meeting concluded that the present production capacity of Oxygen in the state must be utilized to the maximum. There are around 20 Oxygen production units in the state, however only four units are operational in the state. Inox, Praxair, Sicgil-Sol and TN Oxygen are the major producers. The state is also trying to utilize the possibility of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd's (CPCL) Oxygen plant to meet up the demand in the immediate future. The Tamil Nadu health department has already had a discussion with CPCL officials on Monday and CPCL could emerge as a supplier of Oxygen in the near future. The TN health department is also pushing for new production of Oxygen in the days to come and Inox is establishing an Oxygen plant at Hosur with a capacity of 140 MT per day. Sisgil-Sol is also planning a production unit at Ranipet and the state government has allotted it land for the same and will have a production capacity of 60 MT per day. Industrial Oxygen will only be available in parts as the industries require Oxygen as also it needs six months to convert the industrial oxygen units to units for producing oxygen for health purposes. Shorn of much of its normal glitz and glamour but retaining the rambling speeches, it was criticised by some as a snooze-fest And for one of the five British winners, Sunday nights Oscars ceremony really was. Sir Anthony Hopkins, 83, was fast asleep at home in Wales by the time he was announced as the oldest-ever winner of the best actor award for his portrayal of a dementia sufferer in The Father. As it was the final award, his non-appearance to collect a statuette was an anticlimactic end to an evening already muted because of Covid. His agent Jeremy Barber said: Tony was in Wales and he was asleep at four in the morning when I woke him up to tell him the news. Londoner Kaluuya (pictured) created one of the ceremonys most talked about moments as he accepted his best supporting actor Oscar for Judas And The Black Messiah an off-the-cuff comment about his parents sex life brought an embarrassed What did he say? reaction from his mother watching in London Fellow Britons Emerald Fennell and Daniel Kaluuya were on hand to pick up their awards at the makeshift venue, Union Station in Los Angeles. Sir Anthony admitted he had expected the best actor Oscar to go to the late Chadwick Boseman, who was favourite to win for his final role in Ma Raineys Black Bottom. The Welshman, who won his first statuette 30 years ago for playing serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs, posted a video on Instagram yesterday morning, saying: At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award. He paid tribute to Boseman, then added: I really didnt expect this and I feel privileged and honoured. PSST! American TV viewing figures for the Oscars were catastrophic, plunging to 9.85million, a 58.3 per cent or 13.75million drop-off from last years numbers Advertisement The Father also won best adapted screenplay for British writer Sir Christopher Hampton and his French collaborator Florian Zeller they wrote the original stage version. Best original screenplay went to Miss Fennell, for Promising Young Woman, the MeToo revenge thriller which she also directed. Londoner Kaluuya created one of the ceremonys most talked about moments as he accepted his best supporting actor Oscar for Judas And The Black Messiah an off-the-cuff comment about his parents sex life brought an embarrassed What did he say? reaction from his mother watching in London. Saying he felt great to be alive, Kaluuya casually noted: I think its pretty obvious that my parents had sex. Cut to shocked look on Damalie Namusokes face as she watched her son from the Oscars London hub at the British Film Institute. Later, Kaluuya joked that his mum has a sense of humour but that he would be dodging her texts. The fifth British winner was Stafford-born Andrew Lockley, who shared the visual effects Oscar for the blockbuster Tenet. That was one of the few films nominated that made it into cinemas rather than being available only via streaming services. With cinemas closed, there has been little collective engagement in the films in such a diverse year. Frances McDormand, who took best actress for big winner Nomadland, paid tribute to the late sound mixer Michael Wolf Snyder by howling like a wolf, then reminded us to go out and see the nominated films in a cinema on the largest screen possible. For all the pre-show promises, the ceremony still ran for a plodding three hours with acceptance speeches that were allowed to ramble. It was hostless for the second year running, as if there needed to be a sense of reverence and solemnity because of the pandemic. But people at home were craving glamour. They got it in fits and starts on the reduced Union Station red carpet. A fashion feed showed guests removing their masks to pose for photographs. Theyd replace them immediately afterwards. The shows producers, led by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, elevated the best actor category to pride of place as the final award, expecting Bosemans name would be called by presenter Joaquin Phoenix, making for an emotional finale. The move backfired spectacularly. It is understood that Sir Anthonys team told the organisers he would not be attending, but no contingency plans were made. A posh girls slog to justify her privilege By Alison Boshoff Emerald Fennell, winner of the award for best original screenplay for "Promising Young Woman," poses in the press room at the Oscars in Los Angeles To win an Oscar for best original screenplay with your first movie script would be enough to leave anyone breathless. Emerald Fennells charmingly chaotic response to her triumph on Sunday night They said write a speech, and I didnt, because I just didnt think this would ever happen puts her firmly in the Kate Winslet vein of ever-so-modest British mega-successes. The question is: What does she have to be modest about? And the answer: Not much. She has proved a hit as an actress (Camilla in The Crown), an author of novels (young adult tomes Monsters, Shiverton Hall and The Creeper), an adapter of books for television (Killing Eve) and now a writer of Hollywood scripts (Promising Young Woman). Psst! Actress Reese Witherspoon was seen taking a Covid test before she presented an award at Sunday nights ceremony a requirement for all the guests Advertisement In May we shall see the fruits of her work on Andrew Lloyd Webbers stage musical retelling of Cinderella and then next year her attempt at a popcorn blockbuster in the shape of Warner Bros superhero film Zatanna. Along the way she has quietly got married, had one son and, as she revealed at the Oscars, is now pregnant again. The daughter of society jeweller Theo Fennell, she grew up well-connected and wealthy. Family friends included Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Elton John, Dame Joan Collins, Liz Hurley and Ronnie Wood. For the Oscars the star wore jewellery designed by her father chrysanthemum earrings and a purple tourmaline ring. The actress studied at 39,000-a-year Marlborough College and then read English at Oxford. Agent Lindy King saw her in a university production and snapped her up immediately. At the time, you dont realise how unbelievably lucky you are, she said. The moment I started working, I became aware that I had been skipping round in a candy land. It made me feel even more like I needed to work very, very hard in order to justify that privilege. Promising Young Woman she coughed up like a hairball, she said. The film, in which Carey Mulligan pretends to be blackout drunk to teach predatory men a lesson, was shot in just 23 days, while Fennell was pregnant. As she told an interviewer: Work, to me, is like a chocolate digestive I can never just have one. Carey Mulligan, pictured, studied at 39,000-a-year Marlborough College and then read English at Oxford. Agent Lindy King saw her in a university production and snapped her up immediately Richly deserved gong for truly golden oldie By Brian Viner What a crying shame that the remarkable achievement of Sir Anthony Hopkins in becoming the oldest person ever to win an acting Oscar has been undermined by all those moaning that this years best actor award should have gone to the late Chadwick Boseman. No, it shouldnt. If the Oscars are to be taken at all seriously and heaven knows that was as hard to do on Sunday as it is most years, what with political speechifying, wolf-like ululating and references to parental sex then the acting prizes need to recognise the years greatest performances, and to hell with sentimentality. Boseman was terrific in Ma Raineys Black Bottom. But in The Father, where he played a man falling prey to dementia, Hopkins was better. What a crying shame that the remarkable achievement of Sir Anthony Hopkins in becoming the oldest person ever to win an acting Oscar has been undermined by all those moaning that this years best actor award should have gone to the late Chadwick Boseman This working-class Port Talbot bakers son and recovering alcoholic is one of the finest screen actors of all time. The single Oscar he already had, for The Silence Of The Lambs in 1992, manifestly wasnt enough. Its wonderful that at 83 hes bagged his second. Psst! Dressing down? Emerald Fennell, who won the Best Original Screenplay award, wore elaborate Gucci trainers under her billowing green and pink gown Advertisement Yet he should already have at least another two. Id have anointed him, before Tom Hanks in Philadelphia and Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, for 1993s The Remains Of The Day and 2019s The Two Popes. Both films were exquisitely written, yet its hard to imagine anyone but Hopkins investing those roles one, a repressed English butler, the other, a conservative German pontiff with quite so much pathos. We all know his acting style practically as well as we know his name. The slight narrowing of the eyes, the barely discernible tilt of the head, the jut of the chin, the whisper, the roar... but his genius lies in the way his audiences believe so utterly in his character while never entirely forgetting theyre watching Anthony Hopkins. Thats not so of all great actors. 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), Howards End (1992), Nixon (1996), Hitchcock (2012). What versatility is contained in those credits, what charm, menace, introspection, charisma. So forget any nonsense about who should have won the Oscar, and instead celebrate the man who did. Council flat boy who left mum blushing By Alison Boshoff Daniel Kaluuya thanked his mother for his meteoric rise from a London council estate to his night of Oscars glory Samuel L Jackson criticised casting of Englishman Daniel Kaluuya, pictured, playing an African-American Thrilled Daniel Kaluuya thanked his mother for his meteoric rise from a London council estate to his night of Oscars glory. The Judas And The Black Messiah star, 32, who was named best supporting actor, praised Damalie, who gave me your factory settings so I can stand at my fullest height. Watching the ceremony in London, she cringed along with her daughter as he quipped during his speech: My mum met my dad. They had sex ... its amazing ... Im here! Im so happy to be alive. Kaluuya was raised in a council flat in Camden, north London. He has told of being unjustly arrested as a youth and being so poor that he would snack on free ketchup sachets from fast food outlets. He got into acting after it was suggested to his mother that he might benefit from going to classes at the Anna Scher theatre in Islington when he was nine. His father had disappeared when he was a baby. Kaluuya, whose family has Ugandan roots, has previously talked about fights and knife crime after going to a rough school. He wrote his first play at the age of nine, which was performed at Hampstead Theatre. He later landed roles in Skins, Black Mirror and horror film Get Out which made him a star. On Oscars night he talked of the inspiring example of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton who he plays in Judas And The Black Messiah. Hampton was murdered in his bed by the FBI in 1969. He said: What a man! How blessed we are that we lived in a lifetime where he existed. Hollywood star Samuel L Jackson had criticised the casting of an Englishman as an African-American character. But Kaluuya hit back: I was working class, I had to fight for this and I had to out-work everyone in order to get anywhere and anything. I have introduced the BOOST Act in Congress to help meet the need for rural broadband access in the Fourth District and across the nation. BOOST stands for Broadening Online Opportunities through Simple Technologies, and the bill aims to help families in rural areas who do not have access to a reliable internet connection to purchase devices that will help them receive an internet signal or boost the reliability of an existing connection. I have had many discussions with residents and community leaders of the Fourth District regarding concerns about access to the internet in rural areas. Michigan families in rural areas are affected by the lack of reliable broadband internet service, and I have worked to find solutions to this issue. Reliable service will help farmers looking for the latest information on weather and market prices, students who need to finish their homework, and seniors who access health care via telemedicine. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have advocated on behalf of our district and supported legislation that increases funding to support and incentivize rural broadband service. In the first quarter of this year, the United Kingdom surpassed France to become Europe's second-largest electric car market, owing to increasing demand for zero-emission vehicles. According to Matthias Schmidt, an independent automobile expert, around 31,800 electric vehicles were delivered in the UK in the first three months of the year, compared to 30,500 in France. Rising EV Trend Since the beginning of 2020, electric vehicle sales have exploded, thanks in part to new pollution regulations that threaten automakers with steep penalties if their vehicles' average carbon dioxide content does not decrease. According to industry data, battery electrics accounted for 7.5 percent of UK sales in the first three months of this year, almost double the market share relative to the same timeframe in 2020. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, European consumers purchased more than half a million hybrid vehicles in 2020. According to Schmidt's projections, the number will double to 1 million sales in 2021, while pure electrics will still account for just a tenth of the overall European car demand by 2024. Related Article: All New US Vehicles Can Be Electric by 2035, If Current Sustainable Trends Continue Leading EV Market With 64,700 sold in the first year, Germany is the largest single market for battery electric vehicles in Europe. This result was aided in part by generous subsidies, which the German government doubled in June to help the country's car industry, which is critical to Europe's largest economy. Most markets are proportionately more along in the transition to electric vehicles than the United Kingdom. Thanks to generous incentives, Norway is the first country in the world to sell more hybrid vehicles than fossil fuel cars in 2020. "The UK is likely to remain the number two European BEV (battery electric vehicle) market this year, although a long way behind market leader Germany, where automakers are depending on generous discounts to reach European-wide targets," Schmidt added. To meet the post-Brexit carbon quotas, automakers will have to expand their sales of plug-in cars in the UK in a "make-or-break year," according to Schmidt. The regulations are similar to those in the EU, but going it alone would prevent carmakers from balancing the UK's SUV customers with less-polluting vehicles offered in other countries. According to Schmidt, there has also been evidence of suppliers attempting to push lower-emitting models in the UK. BMW, the German luxury carmaker, lowered the price of its hybrid i3 at the end of March to hit a lower bar for government incentives. Though deliveries to British customers are projected to increase rapidly, drivers are worried that the country's charging infrastructure is inadequate. According to a YouGov poll conducted by CTEK, an electric car charger firm, 78 percent of British drivers believe charging infrastructure is insufficient, compared to 65 percent in the other European countries surveyed. High Cost According to the poll, the comparatively higher sticker price of electric vehicles is the key factor stopping more consumers from purchasing them, which is in line with other surveys. However, as demand rises, costs are projected to fall to levels comparable to those of fossil fuel vehicles, creating a virtuous cycle. Also Read: Vehicle Emission Standards to be Proposed by the EPA For more news about making the environment sustainable, don't forget to follow Nature World News! Ankara, April 27 : Turkey announced on Monday that it will impose a full lockdown in a bid to curb the rise in Covid-19 cases. The lockdown will last from April 29 to May 17, with an aim to lower the daily cases below 5,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Xinhua news agency reported. Intercity travels will be restricted to permission only, intercity public transport will operate at 50 per cent capacity, while schools in all levels will suspend face-to-face education, he said. But the manufacturing and food sectors will be exempt from the restrictions, Erdogan added. Turkey on Monday reported 37,312 new Covid-19 cases, including 2,716 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 4,667,281, according to its health ministry. The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 353 to 38,711, while the total recoveries climbed to 4,121,671 after 48,027 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours. The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients stands at 2.4 per cent and the number of seriously ill patients was 3,563 in the country, said the ministry. A total of 268,893 tests were conducted over the past day, with the overall number of tests in Turkey reaching 46,153,151. Turkey started mass vaccination against the Covid-19 on January 14 after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine. More than 13,334,000 people have been vaccinated so far. Turkey reported its first Covid-19 case on March 11, 2020. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Imprisoned Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny has ended a hunger strike after more than three weeks of fasting that doctors said would lead to his death if he persisted longer. Meanwhile, his backers are defiant in the face of a potential extremism designation that would outlaw his organizations across Russia. RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss. ISTANBUL -- A small group of Turkish protestors gathered outside the American consulate in Istanbul on Monday to protest U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to call the Ottoman Empire's mass deportations and killings of Armenians a century ago a "genocide." A few dozen protestors held banners and chanted slogans. "Genocide is a lie, it's an American plan," they said. Demonstrators also demanded an end to the American military's use of Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, shouting: "American soldiers, get out of Turkey!" On Saturday, Biden followed through on a campaign promise to recognize the events that began in 1915 and killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide. Turkish officials strongly condemned the proclamation, claiming there are no legal or historical grounds for the use of the word. They say both Armenians and Turks were killed as World War I ravaged the Ottoman Empire. The U.S. consulates and the embassy were closed for routine visits until Wednesday after they issued a demonstration alert in the aftermath of Biden's announcement. This article was written by The Associated Press from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com. [April 25, 2021] How Big Data Revitalizes Rural Communities in Guiyang, China GUIYANG, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "You have a new order!" An e-commerce platform pushed this notification. He Jiao immediately responded by sorting, packing and sending the commodities. He Jiao and her husband Huang Qi are local peasants in Libei Village, Xifeng County, Guiyang. The mentioned scenario has become the norm for the couple. In 2015, this couple returned to their hometown and started an e-commerce business. They mainly sell special agricultural products such as chili, spicy chicken and tofu. Huang told the journalist of Huanqiu.com, "There are nearly 300 orders every day, and our monthly revenue has exceeded 200 thousand yuan(31 thousand US dollars). To cope with the increasing workload, we have also hired 5 villagers to deliver customer service and pack. " In August 2015, Xifeng County announced that it would take advantage of e-commerce to fight poverty. The government launched a two-way interactive information service platform to analyze sales trends in the shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience sites throughout the county. The ensuing database has consolidated the foundation of the online retail business. Huang said, "Thanks to the big data solution, it is easier to plug the lacunae in the supply and demand gap. We can adjust our production based on market demand, or rather, cut excess waste by growing fewer products in low demand and use the space to grow alternatives." Equipped with big data, peasants can better track the consumer trend and cushion themselves against the vagaries of markets. "It is obvious that the living standards of the local farmers have been continuously on the increase," he added. According to official statistics, most of the villagers in Libei Village were migrant workers before 2015, with a per capita ncome of less than 6 thousand yuan(918 US dollars). In 2017, the annual online retail sales of Libei Village reached 10 million yuan(1.6 million US dollars), which enabled the village to be certified as the first "Taobao Village" in Guizhou province. In 2019, the per capita disposable income of Libei Village exceeded 20 thousand yuan(3 thousand US dollars). E-commerce, directly and indirectly, increased the revenue of 28.4 thousand rural households(72 thousand people) in the county. In addition to boosting sales, the local government also harnesses big data to optimize logistics management in the farming industry. In Guiyang, the Agricultural Products Logistics Park is just a 30-minute drive from the city center. The journalist could observe a steady stream of trucks and vendors. Boxes of fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and ginger were unloaded, sorted, packaged and transported to a wide range of destinations. Lei Zezhong, the CFO of Guiyang Agricultural Products Logistics Development Co., Ltd., told the journalist, "The logistics park launched a smart agricultural wholesale big data platform, which has enabled the intelligent supply chain management." He continued, "This data-enabled platform can trace the origin of agricultural products, provide online transaction channels and financial services. Due to the big data solution, local peasants have not only improved the operational efficiency, but also reduced management and logistics costs." According to statistics, this logistics park has been the hub of 4 thousand tons of vegetables and fruits, and the daily transaction volume exceeds 30 million yuan(4.6 million US dollars). It notes that Guiyang is leveraging big data to boost productivity and profitability in the farming industry. The ensuing revenue growth has hauled more and more local villagers out of poverty. In recent years, the local government has attached great importance to the intersection between big data and rural revitalization. Guiyang has taken pains to build e-commerce platforms, improve the communication infrastructure and expand the talent pool. By 2019, Guiyang has built 8 county-level rural e-commerce operations centers and over 600 rural e-commerce service stations. The coverage of town-level express delivery has reached 100%. Additionally, the government has funded training programs for rural sellers, and recent years also witnessed the development of Alibaba College of Guizhou Institute of Technology. According to the official website, in 2020, the total value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery in Guiyang surpassed 30 billion yuan (4.59 billion US dollars). A head of the Guiyang Municipal Agriculture and Rural Bureau said, "The continuous development of big data has enabled precision agriculture and smart farming." "In the future, the government will utilize big data to unlock new drivers of economic growth," he added. According to Guiyang Municipal Government, during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), Guiyang will continuously promote the integration of big data and rural revitalization. To be specific, Guiyang will introduce new intelligent agricultural equipment and optimize the infrastructure. By 2025, the coverage rate of 5G network in key rural areas is projected to reach 100%. SOURCE Huanqiu.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The state of New Mexico is expecting multimillion-dollar annual savings on lease costs with the relocation of 160 child-wellness officials to a newly renovated campus in Northeast Albuquerque. The General Services Department said Thursday that 160 workers with the state Children, Youth and Families Department recently moved into the five-building complex on Indian School NE near Carlisle. A shift of roughly 500 workers to the campus in recent years should result in savings of $3.1 million annually, the General Services Department estimates. Recent renovations at a cost of $29 million include upgrades to climate-control systems, roof replacements, interior remodeling and playground construction. An earlier phase of construction, completed in 2018 at a cost of $20 million, provided modern facilities for receiving children into state custody, in some instances after traumatic experiences or abuse. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ A third and final phase of construction that will provide workspace for 50 employees of the recently founded Early Childhood Education and Care Department and as many as 18 workers for the Veterans Service Department. General Services Secretary Ken Ortiz said the investments have been significant and will pay off in improved services for New Mexico families. Speaking to the UN Security Council, Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Colin Powell, calls out the OPCWs Syria cover-up scandal. " Years after renouncing his role in helping to make the phony case for the Iraq war, Lawrence Wilkerson returns to the United Nations Security Council to challenge a new pro-war deception: the OPCWs Syria cover-up. Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired Army Colonel who served as Chief of Staff to Secretary State Colin Powell. In 2003, Wilkerson helped prepare Powells infamous speech to the United Nations making the phony case for invading Iraq. Wilkerson has since renounced those Iraq war fabrications. This OPCW business really needs to get settled, Wilkerson says. Here we have an egregious situation that from everything I can see, really calls on people of concern to straighten it out. Wilkerson is among the signatories of a Statement of Concern about the OPCW scandal, joined by notable global voices including five former OPCW officials. Video: Lawrence Wilkerson. Retired Army Colonel who served as Chief of Staff to Secretary State Colin Powell. Speaking at an Arria-Formula Meeting of the United Nations Security Council, April 16 2021. She's soon to return to the City of Light where she'll begin filming the second season of Emily In Paris. But Lily Collins made a stylish pit-stop in Chicago on Tuesday, where she took in the acclaimed Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit. Lily, 32, looked stunning in a delicate black gown with a lace collar that she paired with towering strap heels. Stunning: Lily Collins, 32, made a stylish stop in Chicago, where she took in the acclaimed Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit wearing a black and white lace dress The actress wore her brunette hair swept back into a bun and painted her lips a pretty shade of pink. She kept her accessories simple, donning just a pair of delicate diamond stud earrings. Documenting her exhibition trip on Instagram on Monday, Lily wrote: 'It was the most incredible way to connect to [Van Gogh's] iconic paintings.' Lily wrote in full: 'What a special experience to visit @immersivevangogh especially after missing museums for so long! Elegant: Lily, 32, wore her brunette hair swept back into a bun and painted her lips a pretty shade of pink Chic: Lily looked stunning in a delicate black gown with a lace collar that she paired with towering strap heels 'After following all of the proper safety measures, I was able to travel to Chicago and wander through this exhibition, which I actually had the pleasure of seeing almost 2 years ago in Paris. 'The immersive art installation takes a deep dive inside the mind and works of Van Gogh and brings them to life in a whole new way. It was the most incredible way to connect to the iconic paintings! 'The exhibit is already open in Toronto, Chicago and San Francisco, and will be opening in New York, LA, Dallas, Houston as well as many more cities later this year - so you can see it all for yourself! All in the details: Lily accessorised with delicate diamond stud earrings making sure not to detract from her dress Wow: Lily took in the acclaimed Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit which is currently touring North America Rave review: Gushing about the exhibition on social media, Lily wrote: 'It was the most incredible way to connect to [Van Gogh's] iconic paintings' 'Cannot wait to share the iconic venue that the Los Angeles exhibit will soon call home! Stay tuned!' Hours earlier, Lily took to Instagram to wish her Mank co-stars good luck at Sunday's Oscars, despite not being in attendance herself. David Fincher's black-and-white epic Mank - in which Lily starred as a British secretary - was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Supportive: Hours earlier, Lily took to Instagram to wish her Mank co-stars good luck at Sunday's Oscars, despite not being in attendance herself It took home Best Cinematography and Best Production Design. Despite not taking to the red carpet in Los Angeles over the weekend, Lily wowed last month during the virtual 27th annual SAG Awards. The actress slipped into a magical jewel-encrusted dress for the prestigious event, and looked at ease in front of the lens. Featuring spectacular embellishing and a Peter Pan collar, Lily teamed her pastel pink frock with pretty strap heels and wore her long brown hair straight and loose. Stunning: It comes after Lily put on a very glamorous display in a pink bejewelled dress ahead of the virtual 27th annual SAG Awards In February, Lily virtually announced the nominations for the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards alongside actor Daveed Diggs. The pair ran off the names of those up for trophies in 13 film and television categories. The brunette beauty's Instagram Live came days after she learned she had received a Golden Globe nomination for her Netflix series Emily In Paris. Emily In Paris was nominated in the Best Musical /Comedy Series category and Lily also picked up a nod for Best Television Actress - Musical / Comedy Series. In an Instagram post in which she was seen cuddling up to her beloved pup Redford, Lily shared: 'Words cannot express how extremely grateful and excited I am to be nominated for my role in Emily in Paris and for the show's nomination!' However on the big night at the start of March, it was Schitt's Creek and lead actress from the show Catherine O'Hara who took home the gongs. Tyrannosaurus rex (T.Rex) was only able to crunch the bone of its unfortunate prey thanks to its stiff lower jaws, a new study shows. Perhaps the most fearsome of all the dinosaurs, T.Rex chomped through bone by keeping a joint in their lower jaw steady like an alligator, it reveals. Scientists had previously assumed T.Rex had a flexible jaw like a snake to keep struggling prey in their jaws, but the new analysis shows the lower jaw was kept level and sturdy. The experts used computed tomography (CT) scans of dinosaur fossils and modern reptiles to build a detailed 3D model of the T.Rex jaw. Tyrannosaurus rex (T.Rex) would crunch down and ingest the bones of its prey, previous fossil evidence suggests. Now, new research addresses longstanding mystery on the anatomy of the Tyrannosaurus rex jaw WHAT WAS T. REX? Tyrannosaurs rex was a species of bird-like, meat-eating dinosaur. It lived between 6866 million years ago in what is now the western side of North America. They could reach up to 40 feet (12 metres) long and 12 feet (4 metres) tall. More than 50 fossilised specimens of T.Rex have been collected to date. The monstrous animal had one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom. An artist's impression of T.Rex Advertisement 'We discovered that these joints likely were not flexible at all, as dinosaurs like T.Rex possess specialised bones that cross the joint to stiffen the lower jaw,' said study author John Fortner at the University of Missouri. The research sheds new light on a conundrum or 'biomechanical paradox' as the team put it. It's already known T.Rex could bite hard enough to shatter the bones of its prey, but how it accomplished this feat without breaking its own skull bones has perplexed paleontologists. Increasingly now, researchers argue that its skull was stiff much like the skulls of hyenas and crocodiles, and not flexible like snakes and birds as some scientists previously thought. Dinosaurs had a joint in the middle of their lower jaws, called the intramandibular joint, which is also present in modern-day reptiles. Previous research has suggested this joint was flexible, like it is in snakes and freaky-looking monitor lizards, helping carnivorous dinosaurs to keep struggling prey in their jaws. However, it has been unclear whether the jaws were flexible at all, or how they could be strong enough to bite through and ingest bone, which Tyrannosaurus did regularly, according to fossil evidence. The researchers used CT scans of dinosaur fossils and modern-day specimens, including the crocodile, to create a 3D computer model of a dinosaur jaw and identify where muscles attach to bone. They then used the model to simulate muscle forces under different biting scenarios. The researchers used CT scans of dinosaur fossils and modern-day specimens to create a 3D computer model of a dinosaur jaw and identify where muscles attach to bone. They then used the model to simulate muscle forces under different biting scenarios. Stars indicate areas where strain was assessed Unlike previous models, their simulations include bone, tendons and specialised muscles that wrap around the mandible (the lower jaw). 'We are modelling dinosaur jaws in a way that simply has not been done before,' said Fortner. 'We are the first to generate a 3D model of a dinosaur mandible which incorporates not only an intramandibular joint, but also simulates the soft tissues within and around the jaw.' To determine whether the intramandibular joint could maintain flexibility under forces required to crunch through bone, the team ran simulations to calculate the strains that would occur at various points depending on where the jaw hinged. The results suggest bone running along the inside of the jaw called the prearticular acted as a strain sink to counteract bending at the intramandibular joint, keeping the lower jaw stiff. Previous research has suggested this joint was flexible, like it is in monitor lizards (pictured) and snakes today, helping carnivorous dinosaurs to keep struggling prey in their jaws. In the wild, the almost dinosaur-like monitor lizard eats reptiles, small mammals, insects, eggs, birds and more The team plans to apply their modelling approach to other dinosaur species to further shine some light on the biting mechanics among dinosaurs. The results, which are being presented online this week, could even help researchers better understand today's creatures. 'Because dinosaur mandibles are actually built so much like living reptiles, we can use the anatomy of living reptiles to inform how we construct our mandible models,' said Fortner. 'In turn, the discoveries we make about T.Rex's mandible can provide more clarity on the diversity of feeding function in today's reptiles like crocodilians and birds.' The study is being presented at the American Association for Anatomy annual meeting during the Experimental Biology (EB) 2021 meeting, held virtually from April 27 to 30. The findings come shortly after a study published last week found that despite their brutal feeding habits, T.Rex had only a moderate walking speed. Scientists in the Netherlands developed a new method to estimate the preferred walking speed of T. Rex, based on analysis of a preserved specimen called Trix, currently on display at Museum Naturalis in Leiden, Netherlands. They revealed T. Rex enjoyed a 'leisurely' stroll at just 2.8 miles per hour (4.6km per hour) a rate similar to the natural walking speed of emus, elephants, horses and humans and lower than previous estimates. AudioFile magazine and OverDrive Education are teaming up for the 12th season of the SYNC Summer Reading Program, which connects teen listeners with a selection of free audiobooks via the Sora K12 reading app all summer long. Each week between April 29 and August 4, SYNC will make two thematically paired audiobooks available via Sora to listeners who have registered for the summer program. The selected titles will be available to borrow for one week only (during their designated theme week), but will then remain accessible to registered users indefinitely within Sora. This years themes include Confronting Injustice, After Crossing the Border, The Chill of the Thriller, and Off to Paris. According to AudioFile founder/editor Robin Whitten, This years slate of 28 titles brims with diversityfrom the many publishers who have chosen to participate; to performance styles that range from author-read to paired performances to full cast productions; to genres including autobiography, verse, drama, fantasy, thriller, romance. Theres truly something for everyone. She pointed to a trio of titles that she considers especially exciting recordings: Come On In, edited by Adi Alsaid, a collection of 15 #OwnVoices stories performed by more than six narrators whom Whitten characterized as perfectly suited to the stories they deliver; Monkey by Wu Ch'eng-en, translated by Arthur Waley, a Chinese classic featuring an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning performance by Kenneth Williams; and Saints and Misfits by debut Canadian author S.K. Ali, read by Ariana Delawari, about a Hijabi teen dealing with family, school, and relationship issues. This season, for the first time, all 28 titles will be available worldwide. No matter where listeners are this summer, they will be able to move these audiobooks onto their Sora shelf for future listening, Whitten said. Participants made more than 136,000 total downloads during the 2020 SYNC season and in a post-program survey with 2697 respondents, 65% of users said that SYNC led to other listening or reading. Hanging on Every Word Earlier this year, AudioFile launched a podcast called Audiobook Break, which presents an audiobook chapter-by-chapter. The podcast airs three episodes/three chapters (one chapter per episode) per week and made its debut with a fitting title choice: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. (Dickens, of course, had great success with serialized fiction, including The Pickwick Paperswhich became his first book.) NaxosAudioBooks has provided its recording of the book, narrated by British actor Nicholas Boulton for the podcast. I have always loved the idea of serialized stories and was initially introduced to audiobooks via broadcast programs like [public radios] The Radio Reader and Chapter a Day, and [BBC Radios] Book at Bedtime in the U.K., said Whitten about what inspired this new project. The podcast format seems about perfect for the chapter-by-chapter idea. We thought that using an existingpublishedaudiobook would get the full benefit of top-notch performance and sound/production quality. Also, I have always wondered how do podcast listeners become audiobook listeners, whats the key to cross over? Beyond her own fondness for the format, Whitten noted that the pandemic also played a role in planning the launch of AudioBook Break. I spoke to podcast producer Phoebe Judge [Criminal, Phoebe Reads a Mystery] and she told me that last April she had just started reading a chapter each day of a mysteryas a way to give something to listeners in our locked-down world, Whitten recalled. She said it has been so successful that she cant stop. Whitten is working with AudioFiles Emily Connelly and Jo Reed (host of the magazines podcast Behind the Mic) on this new project and notes that the team will continue to focus on public domain titlesdue to rights issuesincluding classics and mysteries. Since David Copperfields 64-chapter run takes them into July, theres still time to finalize the next selection. Though they dont plan to bring YA or childrens titles into the mix, Whitten said, We definitely are in touch with teachers and librarians to encourage ways they might use the podcast. As an example, Whitten learned from Naxos AudioBooks sales and marketing manager William Anderson that the Wilson school district in Tennessee is starting a Walk with Wilson project, which has kids outside walking for 30 minutes listening to the latest David Copperfield chapter. And going forward, Whitten offered, We are going to have a live webinar in April of multiple David Copperfields four audiobook narrators who have recorded a version of the Dickens titlewho will each be talking about their favorite character. Amani National Congress leader and member of One Kenya Alliance, Musalia Mudavadi, fielded questions from the public via Sunday Nation. The Opposition is dead, the civil society is comatose and there is no single soul in the land which has the spine to stand up against government excesses. Why have you not been able to fill that vacuum? Njoroge Waweru, Kikuyu Your question kills the cow and then asks it why it cannot move, and drink water. It is understandable that you experience great despair and pain. And it appears to me that you were used to a certain style of Opposition and civil society, and arent comfortable with new approaches. Opposition exists, not in the old ways of street demos, but in a pragmatic manner. I have said that I am the only man standing in Opposition. I meant it. But I dont have to shout and riot to be heard. I have spoken when the government has strayed. My focus has been on the manner the economy is being mismanaged to the extent that we are now in a debt trap with attendant horrifying over-taxation, and that Kenyans cannot afford basic goods. So, if you are looking for a shouting league, I am certainly not a team member. One Kenya Alliance (OKA) that you are a member of looks amorphous and is being driven by a hidden hand other than yourselves. Some of your critics have even labeled it the Cerelac Coalition. What does this alliance stand for? Brian Agumba, Katito First, OKA is a self-propelling movement that is open to all Kenyans who share in its ideals. Second, OKA cannot be amorphous when it has a known leadership that operates publicly. Third, the moniker Cerelac Coalition is amusing, and we like it. The majority of Kenyas 47 million people have grown up on cerelac cereal as children. OKA is, therefore, in good company. It is, therefore, counterproductive for those who wanted to slight us but it turns out it is an insult to millions. That label is helping us mobilise. Fourth, the notion that it is driven by a hidden hand is propaganda. While others are second-guessing themselves, my partners and I have already set sail in the first alliance for 2022. So, there is awe and fear we will gobble the political space. To detractors, OKA has invaded the political space in such an unexpected grand manner that it must be strangled. But we dont waste time on attempts to pull us back. Fifth, OKA is largely an inheritor of the NASA dream. I am the progenitor of NASA. Hence, OKA seeks to promote, uphold, guard, and respect the dignity of all individuals and communities; return the country to the path of constitutional development; end the culture of impunity; and restore sanity in the management of the economy and public affairs. Is it really tenable to push for the passage of BBI when we are almost one year to the coming General Election? Githuku Mungai, Nairobi I signed onto the BBI but the jury is out there on whether the prevailing financial squeeze and lack of resources to combat Covid-19 pandemic warrants a referendum. It is also worth noting that there are no less than five cases pending before various courts questioning the legality and validity of the process. There is also a court order restraining IEBC from facilitating and subjecting the Bill to a referendum pending hearing and determination of the petition. Not knowing how long the restraining order shall be in place, and how long the other pending cases will be finalised makes it difficult to predict referendum timelines. You have spoken out against the growing public debt. From your diagnosis, what ails the Kenyan economy and what will you propose as the remedy? Davis Basweti Ombane, Juja I have consistently spoken about the rising public debt. From my experience, debt brings two main problems; one, domestic public debt denies the private sector access to credit for investment and job creation. Two; the foreign public debt puts pressure on domestic currency due to heavy demand for forex to repay the debts. The consequence for a net importing country like ours is the devaluation of our currency leading to an increase in the cost of living for already heavily burdened Kenyans. Yet debt per se should not be a problem if we invested in productive sectors to generate jobs and revenue to repay the debts. But we have not invested loans in productive sectors. Instead, under pressure to repay debts, the government is imposing taxation that will kill enterprises, closing revenue streams, and taking away jobs for, especially, the youth. Have your concerns on IEBC been addressed, with the process to fill the four vacant positions having started? Komen Moris, Eldoret I still maintain we should never casually treat constitutional bodies like IEBC, with immense deleterious impact on the safety of the people. The patching we are trying to do may be too little too late because it doesnt go deeper into ensuring IEBC is credible, resourced and ready to conduct free, fair and reliable elections. It doesnt help that a section of us is bullying sitting commissioners and others bulldozing repairing of the commission. You vied for the presidency in 2013, and Dr Mukhisa Kituyi was your national campaign manager. Now that Dr Kituyi has declared his interest to view for the presidency come 2022, can you support him? Edward B Wekesa, Bungoma County Mukhisa declared his intent only months ago, while the ANC party endorsed me in 2019. I have expected his support. But fate conspired so that Mukhisa consulted me about his intention before my party endorsement, who knows, we could have had a conversation. Still, I would like him on my team. What is your plan to bring youthful energies, talent, leadership and voices in decision and policy-making, governance and development? Raphael Obonyo, Nairobi At the congregation of ANC executive arms last year, it was resolved that our activities must be geared towards making ANC a party of the youth. Since then, the most vibrant wing of the party is the youth league. I hold youth close to my heart and have made it my business to be their political mentor. I am a beneficiary of being a youth; my father, older members of Sabatia constituency, and later Mzee Moi held my hand. I am a youth product politically. I was a minister at 29 years and at 33 years I was a finance minister at the worst time of Kenyas economy. I reversed the economic downturn. I want to encourage the youth to have faith and confidence in their abilities and numbers. The International Monetary Fund recently recommended the downsizing of the public service. Is this the best thing to do? Dan Murugu, Nakuru Things will get worse before they get better. Many are yet to lose jobs and livelihoods. Change will depend on election choices in 2022. If you choose the low calibre leaders, you will only prolong the agony. Anytime you approach the IMF for relief, you are admitting your economy is stressed. Therefore, their intervention comes with tough conditions. I have asked the Treasury to share the conditions with the people because it is them who are going to shoulder the burden and suffering. We must get rid of theft, wastage, pilferage and misuse of revenue and loans. If I get my way, doing and talking about corruption will stop. I will make the Auditor-Generals report the final evidence against the corrupt. Once you appear in the report having participated in malfeasance, prepare for a defence in court. Nasa members are fighting over political parties funds, is it not time that the kitty is scrapped? Dan Murugu, Nakuru Scrapping the fund is not the solution because it will be rewarding deceit and punishing the growth of democracy. I propose that first; what is required is to review the Political Parties Act to make coalition agreements entered into by political parties binding and mandatory obligations. Second, expand access to the Fund for more parties by redefining qualifications to the fund. If elected, what taxation measures would you implement to reduce the burden on Kenyans? Ann Njoki Njunge, Limuru The high taxation you experience today is not going into development but paying heavy public debt, which is almost equal to our total revenue. ALBANY At 3 p.m. on Thursday, Amy Jones sent a text message. You promised me you wouldnt do this, she wrote. I believed you. The message was being sent to Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins and Mayor Kathy Sheehan, following days of communication and mediation Jones, an activist and racial justice consultant with Nacy Warner Associates, said she conducted between city officials and social justice activists occupying the street in front of the police departments South Station building. After days of consulting with city officials, who Jones said repeatedly reassured her that they would not be clearing out the encampment, Jones said she was blindsided when she received a tip around 2 p.m. Thursday that dozens of officers were going to forcibly clear out the area where activists had been camping out in protest for days at the command of Sheehan and Hawkins. I was heartbroken, Jones said. I knew that people were gonna get hurt. Jones described days of phone calls with Hawkins and Sheehan, during which the officials gave her advance notice of plans such as putting up barricades around the South Station, and heeded her advice on ways to avoid escalation and violence. At the same time, Jones tried to get the officials to come and meet with the activists to hear out their concerns and demands regarding police force exhibited at a prior protest at the South Station, which she said the officials refused to do. David Galin, Sheehan's chief of staff, said in an email Monday that Sheehan and Hawkins appreciated Jones' mediation. "Initially, the city sought to provide the protesters with space and time to exercise their First Amendment rights," he wrote. "Unfortunately... protesters were openly hostile to all attempts by law enforcement to allow the protesters to assemble while ensuring the publics health and safety." Galin said the lack of cooperation was clear because Jones had expressed concerns that entering the encampment to clean chalk off the side of the building would escalate the situation. People had written in chalk on the South Station's outer brick walls, some of it including insults about officers. But Jones believes the switch from officials promising activists could stay at the encampment, to ordering and standing by the forcible removal of the encampment, was largely due to a scathing letter from the police unions president. In his letter, Greg McGee said that the city was knowingly jeopardizing officers health by allowing protesters to stay. "The events currently unfolding at South Station have shown every member of this department that in your eyes we are expendable. As our leaders you have failed each of us," McGee wrote in an April 19 letter. McGee also falsely pondered in his letter if protesters' backpacks might be carrying explosive devices; there was never any evidence that was the case. Jones called McGees letter reckless and fear-mongering, and said Sheehan and Hawkins bent to his dangerous dog whistling in deciding to clear the encampment. The executive director of the Capital City Rescue Mission also wrote Sheehan a letter the day of the forcible removal at Arch Street, April 22, saying that the encampment was blocking necessary deliveries and that protesters were putting staff and residents in danger. Galin repeated those claims in the comments emailed to the Times Union Monday. Jones also refuted the City Mission's allegations, saying she was in touch with the executive director throughout the occupation to ensure operations would continue smoothly. I was there all of the days into the night, Jones said. We didnt stop any of their production. We moved for the garbage, we moved for the deliveries. We fed and housed people that were coming to the Mission. Jones said the encampment was an inconvenience, not a disruption, for the Mission because the Morton Avenue entrance had to be used in lieu of the Arch Street entrance. In the aftermath of the encampment clear-out, numerous city officials criticized law enforcement for using excessive force in the process. Officers pushed in a line to remove people from the camp, throwing some protesters to the ground. The decisions made by the command staff of the (APD) were disheartening and overly aggressive, six common council members and the city auditor wrote in a statement. This event has served to fuel tensions and further damaged the relationship between our police department and segments of our community. One activist was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to the hospital, and other activists alleged they were injured by excessive police force. An officer was also cut on his hand after a protester hit him with a makeshift shield, a department spokesperson said. Some police were seen with tape placed to obscure their badge numbers. When Sheehan learned of this behavior, which violates department policy, she directed Hawkins to open an investigation and hold those individuals accountable, Galin said. I felt a responsibility to my city and to human life, Jones said. I was on the ground. And I believe its important to hear this side of it, because no one has. Meanwhile, Albany police continue to put out pictures of people who they say they are looking for who were around South Station. But as with a picture Albany police spokesman Steve Smith sent out Monday, there is no explanation as to why they are looking for the individual. Judge Merrick Garland, nominated by President-elect Joe Biden as attorney general, speaks during a press conference at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., on Jan. 7, 2021. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) DOJ to Open Investigation of Louisville Police Over Breonna Taylor Death Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a Department of Justice-led investigation into the officer-involved death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor was shot to death during a police raid of her home in March 2020, with her death later becoming a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter protests and riots in 2020. In the incident, police came through Taylors door using a battering ram. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, allegedly opened fire at police, who fired back, striking and killing Taylor, officials said. Walker maintained that he wasnt aware that police were conducting a raid at the time. Last year, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said a neighbor corroborated the polices claims that they knocked on Taylors door, which disputed allegations that authorities used a no-knock warrant, while he added that the officers involved were shot at first by Walker. But on April 26, Garland said the Justice Department will conduct a pattern of practice investigation into the citys police. It will determine whether LMPD engages in unconstitutional stops, searches, and seizures, as well as whether the department unlawfully executes search warrants on private homes. As in every Justice Department investigation we will follow the facts and the law, wherever they lead, Garland said. If there is reasonable cause to believe that there was a pattern or practice of constitutional or statutory violations, we will issue a public report of our conclusions. The investigation comes as Louisville has seen an uptick in violent crime. Police data show that murders, rapes, and robberies are up more than 81 percent above the five-year average. Kentuckys governor signed into law a partial ban on no-knock warrants on April 9. The measure only allows no-knock warrants to be issued if there was clear and convincing evidence that the crime alleged is a crime that would qualify a person, if convicted, as a violent offender. Warrants also have to be executed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Garland announced on April 21 that the DOJ opened a civil investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department had a pattern of using excessive force in arrests or during protests. It is clear that the public officials in Minneapolis and Louisville, including those in law enforcement, recognize the importance and urgency of our efforts, Garland said on April 26. We come to them as partners, knowing that we share a common aim. One of the officers, Brett Hankison, was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing his weapon into another apartment. The other two officers, Detective Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, were justified in their use of force, Cameron said last year. Our reaction to the truth is the society we want to be, he said during a September 2020 news conference. Do we really want the truth? Or do we want a truth that fits our narrative? Do we want the facts? Are we content to blindly accept our own version of events? We, as a community, must make this decision. There will be celebrities, influencers, and activists who having never lived in Kentucky, will try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understood the facts of this case and that they know our community and the commonwealth better than we do. The Associated Press contributed to this report. British food exports were down more than a fifth in February 2021, new figures show, driven by a fall in sales to the EU of nearly 41% compared to a year before. In the first few months of 2021, exports to the bloc were down more than 1.1bn, impacting sales to most member states, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) says in a new update. The dairy and meat sectors were worst impacted, with sales of milk and cream to the EU down 96%, and chicken and beef down by more than three quarters. The fall in imports in February 2021 was driven by a drop of 17% from the EU compared to February 2020. At the same time, imports from the rest of the world increased by nearly 6 percent, the FDF explains in its new 'snapshot' released on Monday (26 April). Imports fell from each of the UKs top six suppliers in February 2021, with these countries supplying around half of the UKs imported food and drink. Imports of pork, chicken and beef were down more than 30% compared to February 2020. Fruit and vegetables were down by 21% and 13% respectively. Dominic Goudie, Head of International Trade at FDF, said UK businesses continued to struggle with 'inconsistent and incorrect' demands at EU borders. While UK food and drink exports to the EU have improved from a 76% fall in January, they are still down nearly 41% in February 2021. "Exports to our biggest market, Ireland, have also dropped more than two thirds," Mr Goudie added. "Small businesses have been hardest hit due to the collapse of groupage distribution into the EU." New EU import requirements for composite products entered into force this week, adding even greater complexity, cost and uncertainty for UK exporters, he said. "It is essential that the EU-UK Partnership Council and its Trade Specialised Committees are convened to urgently address problems with the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. [April 26, 2021] Dr. Nick van Terheyden Joins ECG's Digital Health Consulting Practice SAN DIEGO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ECG Management Consultants, a national consulting firm that works exclusively with healthcare organizations, announced that Nick van Terheyden, MD, has joined the firm's Digital Health practice as a principal. A physician leader, business strategist, and healthcare IT influencer, Dr. Nick brings unparalleled expertise on the critical role digital health innovation plays in improving patient outcomes and supporting healthcare organizations' long-term success and financial sustainability. "Dr. Nick is a nationally recognized thought leader and healthcare futurist, and we are delighted to have him join our team and help us position services that will help transform healthcare," said Jessica Turgon, Principal and leader of ECG's Performance Transformation Division. Dr. Nick has served as an executive leader at organizations such as Dell, Nuance, and Philips and led the implementation of digital transformation strategies for multiple national and international healthcare clients. He has become one of the industry's most trusted advisers on executing groundbreaking technology solutions to drive remedial change. Of particular note is Nick's work at Nuance in developing the ambient speech technology being incorporated into multiple electronic health record systems. As a healthcare industry thought leader, Dr. Nick has been featured in the top 5 of the #DigitalHealth Power 100 ist of leading healthcare tech and Artificial Intelligence influencers to follow. He has delivered more than 200 keynote speeches and presentations on health, technology, and innovation at conferences worldwide. His weekly radio show and podcast, Dr Nick: The Incrementalist, is downloaded more than 20,000 times a month, and he publishes blogs and vlogs on a variety of healthcare, technology, and innovation topics. At ECG, Nick will bring his extensive experience in strategy and innovation to clients, helping them accelarate their digital health transformation by avoiding the pitfalls hidden in the complexity of the healthcare system. "I'm excited to join a highly experienced team of consultants who are focused on improving healthcare for everyone," said Dr. Nick. "I look forward to working with ECG's incredible talent to build out an industry-leading Digital Health service aimed at offering advice, services, and solutions to clients who are trying solve the wicked problems in healthcare so they can provide the level of care everyone wants to receive and clinicians want to deliver." For more information about ECG's Digital Health services, please contact Asif Shah Mohammed at ashahmohammed@ecgmc.com. About ECG Management Consultants ECG is a strategic consulting firm that is leading healthcare forward, using knowledge and expertise built over the course of nearly 50 years to help clients see clearly where healthcare is going and navigate toward success. Working as trusted partners with hospitals, health systems, medical groups, academic medical centers, children's hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and healthcare payers, ECG's depth of experience and dedication to the success of its clients is why it is consistently recognized in the annual Best in KLAS reports. Part of Siemens Healthineers global Enterprise Services business, ECG has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, DC. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dr-nick-van-terheyden-joins-ecgs-digital-health-consulting-practice-301276945.html SOURCE ECG Management Consultants [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Evan Miller, the Alabama prisoner whose plea before the U.S. Supreme Court gave hope to others across the nation of getting parole one day for murders they committed as juveniles, will find out Tuesday if he too will get that chance at freedom one day. Lawrence County Circuit Judge Mark Craig has set a hearing for Tuesday to pronounce his ruling on whether Miller should be re-sentenced to life with a chance for parole for his capital murder conviction in the 2003 brutal slaying of Cole Cannon. The hearing will be held via Zoom with Miller appearing remotely from prison due to COVID-19 restrictions. According to trial testimony, Miller and another teen, Colby Smith, planned to rob Cannon, 52, who was a neighbor of Millers family at Country Living Trailer Park in the small Lawrence County community of Five Points near Moulton. Miller beat Cannon with his fists and a bat before he and Smith set fire to Cannons trailer. Cannon died of smoke inhalation. Smith, who admitted striking Cannon with the bat once, testified at trial that after the beating Miller wrapped Cannons head in a sheet and said to Cannon I am God, Ive come to take your life. Miller was 14 at the time of Cannons death. His attorneys have said he is the youngest child ever sentenced to life without parole in the state of Alabama. He is represented in his appeals by the Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative. Craig held a hearing in March 2017 to determine whether Miller should again be sentenced to life without parole or get a chance at one day of being paroled. But the judge did not issue a ruling at that time. In 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juvenile killers cant be sentenced to death. That left many states, including Alabama, with only one option for sentencing juveniles convicted of capital murder - life with no chance at parole. Because that sentence was in essence automatic - or mandatory - for juveniles convicted of capital murder, there was no need for a sentencing hearing to reveal any mitigating factors, such as age and maturity of the defendant. But the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 ordered Miller be re-sentenced and in separate case in 2016 ruled it retroactively applied to all inmates in similar circumstances - precedent-setting rulings affecting about 2,000 inmates nationwide who were juveniles when they killed. In Alabama, at least 73 inmates qualified for resentencing, according to a list compiled from prosecutors at district attorneys and the Alabama Attorney Generals Office. According to court records as of last month, 39 had been resentenced and granted an eventual shot at parole. Another 13 had been resentenced to life without parole, and 20 cases were pending or it was unclear about the status. Another inmate died while in prison. Hundreds nationwide have been resentenced to life with the possibility of parole. Craig told AL.com recently that he was getting ready to rule. I am carefully considering thousands of pages of documents, reports, transcripts, and other evidence, not only about the crime and the defendants participation in it, but also concerning the defendants life history preceding the crime and his life since incarceration, Craig stated. I take the plights of Mr. Miller and his family, the family of Mr. Cannon, the attorneys involved and the State very seriously and my delay should not be interpreted in any way as a lack of care about the outcome, Craig stated in another email. Quite the contrary, it is my care about getting this right for all concerned that is the principal reason for this delay. While Craig couldnt say how he might rule, if Miller had his sentence changed to possibility of parole, he still would have another 15 or so years to serve under an Alabama law enacted several years ago. Judges in Alabama have been following guidance laid out by the Alabama Supreme Court on the factors such as age and maturity - on how to determine whether to resentence with the possibly of parole. Prosecutors have argued that Millers crime reveals he is incorrigible and deserving of a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Last week in a 6-3 decision the U.S. Supreme Court, in a Mississippi case, ruled that judges did not have to find that judges have to make a separate factual finding of permanent incorrigibility before re-sentencing the defendant to life without parole. Dissenting justices and others argued that it guts the Miller case ruling. But justices voting in the majority said the ruling still leaves determining sentencing factors to the states. States may categorically prohibit life without parole for all offenders under 18. Or States may require sentencers (judges) to make extra factual findings before sentencing an offender under 18 to life without parole, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the majority opinion. Or States may direct sentencers to formally explain on the record why a life-without-parole sentence is appropriate not-withstanding the defendants youth. States may also establish rigorous proportionality or other substantive appellate review of life-without-parole sentences. All of those options, and others, remain available to the States. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 25) Vice President Leni Robredo has come to the defense of community pantry organizers, whose intentions have been questioned by some government officials. Robredo on Sunday slammed so-called red-tagging and profiling activities of the national anti-communist task force on individuals spearheading the community pantry movement. "'Yung sakin, napaka misplaced, napaka irresponsible 'yung ginagawa ng ibang mga opisyal ng pamahalaan na sa panahon na gaya nito, 'yan yung iniisip nila," she said in her weekly radio show BISErbisyong LENI. [Translation: For me, these acts of officials, especially at such a time, are very much misplaced and irresponsible.] Robredo said she hopes this will not discourage Filipinos from putting up more community pantries, as she also heaped praises on those who have started and continue to carry out the initiative in their respective communities. "Nakikita naman natin na kahit nire-red-tag nila, mas marami talaga 'yung nai-inspire," she added. "I think ito 'yung pinaka value ng community pantry'yung parang napukaw 'yung kabutihan, 'yung compassion sa puso ng maraming mga Pilipino." [Translation: We can see that although they are being red-tagged, more people are inspired by the movement. I think this is the foremost value of the community pantryit inspires kindness, compassion in the hearts of many Filipinos.] READ: Robredo hopeful for more community pantries amid the COVID-19 crisis Instead of looking for faults, the government should encourage and learn from the initiative which benefits several Filipinos who may otherwise starve amid the pandemic, Robredo added. She also called on local government units to ensure that community pantry organizers are protected from any form of harassment by authorities. Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya previously said they are probing reports of red-tagging, which prompted lead organizer Ana Patricia Non to temporarily halt operations in the Maginhawa community pantry in Quezon City last Tuesday. Earlier, the anti-communist task force spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade admitted that they have been doing background checks on the organizers, including leftist groups which may have been "engaging in propaganda." Authorities are not allowed to conduct any form of profiling in areas where the pantries are established. Organizers also do not need to secure permits with their local government units nor fill out forms to start their operations. Malaya said they only need to coordinate with their respective barangays and ensure that the minimum health protocols are being followed among residents getting basic goods. READ: What to do when cops approach your community pantry Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on Friday asked residents to help "unmask" the people behind violence at protests in recent weeks, which grew in fervor after police fatally shot a white man at Lents Park. What he's saying: They want to burn, they want to bash, they want to intimidate, they want to assault, Wheeler said in a Friday video statement, referring to violent protestors. "Our community needs to resume their lives. People need to go back to work. Employers need to be able to reopen." "I support our police using all legal strategies, including kettling, when the appropriate circumstances and resources are available to do so without putting officers at risk of physical harm." "Our job is to unmask them, arrest them, and prosecute them," he said. "I want to personally thank neighbors, family, friends, and others who have come forward with vital evidence. People know who these criminals are. They know what they're up to." Wheeler faced backlash for urging residents to call the police if they see people who are "all dressed in all black" arriving at protests in cars. His office in a follow-up statement said he was referring to "those who engage in criminal actions." Flashback: "Understand that doing damage to us, our communities, and our resources undoes the work we do," a group of Portland-based Black organizers and protesters wrote in an open letter last week, prior to Wheeler's statement. The mayor appeared to reference the letter, saying: "If BLM leaders can show the courage to stand up to this mob, then we all should." The other side: "They tried to make us look like we are against each other. We might not all agree on the ways that we protest or we fight, but we know that we must fight," said protester Kevin Wright at a demonstration Saturday with other Black community members in response to Wheeler's remarks. Senator Graham calls out President Joe Biden. She said that the President's claim that systemic racism is real in the U.S. is an utter lie. The senator cited the election of President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris as proof that there is no systemic racism. Senator Graham says systemic racism is one of many Democrat lies On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that racism claims of the President have no basis, and he intentionally or forgot that Obama or Harris are both black, reported The Epoch Times. His comments come as the President made remarks about the trial of Derek Chauvin last April 20. Many conservatives called what the President did politically motivated, as most Republicans see him as the most unconstitutional President who has ignored the rule of law. Biden's words on racism are only one way the Democrats try to maneuver what they want. He was quoted as having said, "a stain on our nation's soul-the knee on the neck of justice for black Americans-profound fear and trauma, the pain, the exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every single day." Graham mentioned the victories of elected candidates like Barack Obama, an African-American who served in the White House from January 2009 to January 2017, and Kamala Harris, a South Asian and Black woman. Sen. Graham said this contradicted the claim of systemic racism by the President, which is untrue and feeds fear among black and brown communities in the U.S. to further support the Democrat agenda. Police Chief Says Derek Chauvin Violated Department Policy in Floyd Arrest In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Senator Graham stressed Obama was an African-American president who was in the White House for two terms. He next mentioned Kamala Harris, who comes from black roots and part Indian. The senator said this showed that Biden is creating an unnecessary stir. He pointed out that America is not a racist nation, and it is the President who put racial politics that ignite fear and bigotry, not the race itself. "Not in my opinion. We just elected a two-term African-American president. The vice president is of African-American-Indian descent. So our systems are not racist. America is not a racist country," Graham responded during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday." He told the host of the show, Chris Wallace, that Biden is leading the attack on policing, reforming but causing more violence on the community. He said that everything was fine until Joe Biden showed up and ruined America, which he should stop doing. Graham added that Derek Chauvin was found guilty of several charges in the death of George Floyd, 46, who is one of society's bad actors. He said it isn't the only case that Democrats are painting their narrative, including the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant in Ohio. Sen. Graham said these incidents were used to push the idea of systemic racism and that President Biden was happy to sow more confusion, not quell it. Scalise: Police Reform Must Avoid Partisan Approach @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Boeing 737-300 leased by Fly Armenia Airways reportedly went missing on February 20. The company said that it underwent repairs in Estonias capital Tallinn and was due to proceed to Ukraine for further maintenance. It said the plane flew instead to Varna, Bulgaria before ending up at Tehrans Mehrabad airport. Armenias Civil Aviation Committee said in early March that it has reached a tentative agreement with Iranian authorities on the planes return to Armenia. It said that Iranian officials have informed their Armenian colleagues that the plane is still malfunctioning and that Iranian aviation specialists need more time to decide whether it can safely fly to Yerevan. After the missing Boeing 737-300 landed at Yerevans Zvartnots airport Armenian government officials and airline representatives insisted that it was hijacked. But they refused to elaborate, saying that a criminal investigation is underway. Yes, they tried to hijack the plane, said Karine Sahakian, Fly Armenias deputy executive director. A criminal case has been opened within that framework and we have provided relevant bodies with full information. Sahakian said the company will publicize that information after the inquiry is over. She assured reporters that the plane could not have been deliberately diverted by its Armenian pilots. The problem was that we fell into a trap set by a criminal group, said the aircraft captain, Artur Harutiunian. He too refused to go into details. As soon as the investigation is complete we will definitely come up with a statement, Tatevik Revazian, the head of the Civil Aviation Committee, said, for her part. What happened was a crime, she said without elaborating. The Fly Armenia executive dismissed suggestions that the small carrier secretly sold Boeing 737-300 to an Iranian airline in violation of U.S. sanctions that prohibit any transfer of U.S.-made aircraft or their spare parts to Iran. The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan has expressed concern about the planes disappearance and urged the Armenian authorities to investigate it. Well that was quick. Its been all of a month since CBA tapped former Air New Zealand executive Mike Tod to head its corporate affairs arm, and already his boss Priscilla Brown has headed for the exit. Staff inside the bank were notified last week that the US-educated Brown who holds the rather impressive title of CBAs group executive of marketing and corporate affairs would be wrapping up around the end of May. Bank sources said Brown would be returning to the US and the decision had been partly prompted by COVID travel bans which had prevented her from seeing her adult children in the US for months and her mother in Africa since the start of the pandemic. Priscilla Brown is heading back to the US. Credit: Its a big change inside the bank where Brown had emerged as one of chief executive Matt Comyns highest-profile hires in recent years. A career insurance executive lauded in the US as a branding and marketing visionary, Brown also served on the US National Finance Committee for president Barack Obama. Its those sort of accolades that presumably landed her the gig in June 2019 when Comyn split the corporate affairs and general counsel functions to create a new role with a laser-focus on helping the bank rebuild public trust and a reputation battered by the Banking Royal Commission. Priscillas appointment will help us continue the changes and improvements we need to make to earn the trust of our customers and the community and build a better bank for the future, Comyn said shortly after Browns appointment, noting that she would report directly to him. WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville, Kentucky, over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police during a raid at her home, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday. It's the second such probe into a law enforcement agency by the Biden administration in a week; Garland also announced an investigation into the tactics of the police in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The attorney general has said there is not yet equal justice under the law and promised to bring a critical eye to racism and legal issues when he took the job. Few such investigations were opened during the Trump administration. The 26-year-old Taylor, an emergency medical technician who had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from her bed by police who came through the door using a battering ram. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired once. A no-knock warrant was approved as part of a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home. The investigation announced Monday is into the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department. It is known as a pattern or practice examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing and will be a more sweeping review of the entire police department. I cant wait for the world to see Louisville Police Department for what it really is," Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, tweeted after the announcement. Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Breonna Taylors family, also posted a celebratory message on social media shortly after the announcement. Aguiar and other attorneys negotiated a $12 million settlement in September with the city of Louisville over Taylors death. Louisville city leaders said they supported the broad probe and the city's mayor called it a "really exciting, positive thing." I think its a good thing, said Louisville Chief Erika Shields. I think that its necessary because police reform quite honestly is needed in near every agency across the country. Story continues The investigation will specifically focus on whether the Louisville Metro Police Department engages in a pattern of unreasonable force, including against people engaging in peaceful activities, and will also examine whether the police department conducts unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures and whether the department illegally executes search warrants, Garland said. The probe will also look at the training that officers receive, the system in place to hold officers accountable and assess whether LMPD engages in discriminatory conduct on the basis of race, among other things, he said. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted last week of murder in Floyds death. No one has been charged in Taylors, though three of the officers involved, including the one who took out the warrant, were fired for their actions. Her case, too, fueled protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Her death prompted a national debate about the use of so-called no knock search warrants, which allow officers to enter a home without waiting and announcing their presence. The warrants are generally used in drug cases and other sensitive investigations where police believe a suspect might be likely to destroy evidence. But theres been growing criticism in recent years that the warrants are overused and abused. Prosecutors will speak with community leaders, residents and police officials as part of the Louisville probe and will release a public report, if a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct is discovered, Garland said. He noted that the department has implemented some changes after a settlement with Taylors family and said the Justice Departments investigation would take those into account. It is clear that the public officials in Minneapolis and Louisville, including those in law enforcement, recognize the importance and urgency of our efforts, Garland said. Louisville hired Shields Atlantas former police chief in January. She became the fourth person to lead the department since Taylors death on March 13, 2020. Longtime chief Steve Conrad was forced out in the summer after officers responding to a shooting during a protest failed to turn on their body cameras. Two interim appointments followed before Shields was given the job. Shields stepped down from the top Atlanta post in June after the death of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was shot in the back by police in a restaurant parking lot. Shields remained with the Atlanta department in a lesser role. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the Justice Department's investigation would be another step in reforming the department after an audit recently by a private firm that found low morale and a lack of diversity in leadership in the department. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, pledged that the state will fully cooperate with the review. Having an in-depth look, and thats whats going to happen here, can only be helpful, he said. Helpful that we build the best police and law enforcement units across the commonwealth that are possible. And the U.S. Senate's top Republican, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said there had been significant changes in Louisville since Taylor's death but "its not certainly not inappropriate for the Justice Department to take a look at it. Kentuckys lawmakers passed a partial ban on no-knock warrants last month. The measure would only allow no-knock warrants to be issued if there was clear and convincing evidence that the crime alleged is a crime that would qualify a person, if convicted, as a violent offender. Warrants also would have to be executed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. ___ Lovan reported from Louisville. Associated Press writer Bruce Schreiner contributed to this report. She celebrated her 41st birthday over the weekend with a wild Bondi dance party with all of her pals. But Pip Edwards enjoyed a much more demure evening on Monday, as she continued her celebrations at French restaurant Hubert in the heart of Sydney's CBD. The age-defying fitness guru turned heads in a gorgeous black off-the-shoulder gown, which showed off her muscular physique and sun-kissed decolletage to perfection. Ooh la la! Pip Edwards enjoyed a demure evening at a French restaurant on Monday, where she stunned in an epic black gown to celebrate turning 41 She teamed her look with a pair of Burberry ankle boots, and wore statement earrings to add a touch more glamour to the ensemble. Pip accentuated her features with dark eyeshadow and a glowy highlight, and whisked her short blonde locks into a casual up-do. The P.E Nation designer shared an abundance of photos from her evening out, as she enjoyed a flank steak with Bordelaise butter, oysters and a glass of wine. Gorgeous: The age-defying fitness guru certainly turned heads in an off-the-shoulder gown with puffed sleeves, which showed off her muscular physique and sun-kissed decolletage to perfection Stunner: She then took a sexy mirror selfie, where she pouted at the camera in the toilet Delicious: The P.E Nation designer shared an abundance of photos from her evening out, as she enjoyed a flank steak with Bordelaise butter, oysters and a glass of wine She then took a sexy mirror selfie, where she pouted at the camera in the toilet. Her sultry appearance comes days after Pip was forced to deny claims that she Photoshopped her latest social media endorsement on Instagram. The fashionista shared a sponsored Instagram post for a Byron Bay company which offers luxury accommodation on Tuesday - but fans accused her of editing the image. On Wednesday, the 41-year-old denied claims the photo had been altered, and said it was taken during her stay in December 2018. 'This post with Byron Bay Beach abodes was during my stay in December 2018. I've not been photoshopped in. It is an old photo,' she told News.com.au 'This post with Byron Bay Beach abodes was during my stay in December 2018,' she told News.com.au . 'I've not been photoshopped in. It is an old photo,' she explained. The image in question showed Pip jumping among a cluster of bean bags in a pink bikini, in front of an inviting bedroom setting. Pip captioned the post: 'I had the most magical stay - the vibe, energy and decor and flow of The Cabin is beyond epic. 'The perfect location for a dream holiday! The bedrooms and bathrooms are what dreams are made of. The open plan on to the deck and pool area are key for chilling out but also awesome to have friends over and entertain.' The Kansas City Chiefs' newest acquisition, left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., had his introductory news conference on Monday, and he quickly identified what his main job will be and should be: protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. I look forward to keeping [Mahomes] clean, Brown said via ProFootballTalk. Whether he has a broken leg, healthy leg, healthy ankle whatever the deal is, I look forward to keeping him clean. He shouldnt have to run around because of me, period. Brown knows what he has to do During the Super Bowl, which the Chiefs lost 31-9, Mahomes had to run a lot. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave the Chiefs' offensive line an incredible amount of trouble, which led to Mahomes running 497 combined yards before making a throw or being sacked. The Bucs also sacked Mahomes three times and got in nine QB hits. Mahomes never had enough time or freedom after the ball was snapped, and that played a big role in the Chiefs' 22-point loss. That's exactly what Brown wants to avoid in the future, and he's committed to doing the work to make it happen. "Personally, outside of media, outside of coaches, outside of teammates, I put a lot of pressure on myself and I have very high expectations of myself," Brown said via NFL.com. "That's, as I said, keeping Pat as clean as possible, creating as many huge gaps and holes as I can in the run game, and taking care of that man across from me on a consistent basis. I want to be able to develop and gain that trust and that credibility and confidence amongst coach [Andy] Reid and [OC Eric] Bieniemy and everything, amongst my teammates as well. Understanding that, hey, just because it's an elite D-lineman over here, I don't need to slide, I don't need chip help. I want to be the best. I want to be the best to play this position in the league. I'm not there yet. I've still got a lot of work to do, but I'm gonna get there." Story continues Brown is in a contract year; the four-year contract he signed as a third-round draft pick ends at the end of this season, and he obviously knows what he has to do to earn an extension with the Chiefs. I want to be here for a long time. Im going to make sure I take care of my part, Brown said. Orlando Brown said he wants to make sure he protects Patrick Mahomes on the field as much as possible. (Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports) More from Yahoo Sports: Baghdad: The death toll from a massive fire at a Baghdad hospital for coronavirus patients rose to at least 82 as anxious families searched for missing relatives and the government suspended key health officials for alleged negligence. The flames, described by one witness as volcanoes of fire, swept through the intensive care unit of the Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, which tends exclusively to COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms. Officials said the blaze, which also injured 110 people, was set off by an exploding oxygen cylinder. Mourners pray near the coffins of coronavirus patients who were killed in a hospital fire, in Najaf, Iraq. Credit:AP Nurse Maher Ahmed was called to the scene late on Saturday (Iraq time) to help evacuate patients. I could not have imagined it would be a massive blaze like that, he said. The flames overwhelmed the hospitals second floor isolation hall within three to four minutes of the oxygen cylinder exploding, he said. Volcanoes of fire. A 61-year-old Chinese American man was in serious but stable condition in a New York hospital on Sunday after being the victim of an Asian hate crime. On Friday night, the man collected cans in East Harlem when he was assaulted from behind, thrown to the ground, and repeatedly kicked in the back. The attacker seemed to be stomping on the man's back, based on the surveillance footage obtained by police, USA Today reported. Asian Crime in New York sends 61-year-old to the hospital in critical condition The most recent incident in an alarming surge of attacks against Asian people countrywide is thought to be sparked by misguided outrage over the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China. Police did not release the victim's name, but several news sources named him Yao Pan Ma, a former restaurant worker who lost his job due to the pandemic and attempted to make money by collecting cans. In an interview with the New York Post, the victim's wife, Baozhen Chen, 57, pleaded with police to identify her husband's perpetrator. Chen said in Mandarin through a translator, "Please capture him as soon as possible and make him pay." She said that her husband is still in a coma, and she is afraid that she will be the next victim. Her fears follow a similar assault on a 65-year-old Asian American woman in the city on March 29, which resulted in her hospitalization and hate crime allegations. Democrats Urge Republicans Not to Block Asian-American Hate Crimes Bill Last month, an Asian woman was attacked in an apparent hate crime A 65-year-old Asian American woman was hospitalized with severe injury in late March after a man hit, kicked, and stomped on her in a Manhattan street while yelling anti-Asian slurs. The attack was reminiscent of an attack near Times Square last month in which a woman from the Philippines was the victim. In that assault, a parolee convicted of killing his mother almost two decades earlier was apprehended. Similar events have been reported in other cities, especially in significant Asian communities, such as San Francisco and Oakland, California. Indianapolis FedEx Shooting Suspected as Hate Crime Against Sikh Community Stop AAPI Hate, which was created last year in reaction to the intensified targeting of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the pandemic, announced in March that it had received accounts of nearly 3,800 Asian hate crimes in a year estimating that this was just a fraction of the actual figure. Last week, the United States Senate passed legislation to combat the increase of hate crimes targeting members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The bill will hasten the Justice Department's review of hate crimes and offer assistance to local law enforcement in the wake of thousands of recorded violent events in the previous year, SCMP reported. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the recent assault "outrageous" and promised to pursue the attacker, who is now on the run. The New York City Police Department's hate crimes task force is looking into it, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday that he would steer the state's hate crimes task force to help. Video: Unidentified Man Brutally Attacks Asian American Woman, Prompts NY Hate Crime Investigation @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Campus News UBs message to students: Get vaccinated With all adults now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and more doses available, UB administrators are urging all students to schedule their shots for their own safety, as well as that of the greater community. By CHARLES ANZALONE Its a sigh of relief. I wanted to be protected and protect those around me. I know the science. I know vaccines arent dangerous, as some people believe. For UB freshman Zack Farnam, getting the COVID-19 vaccine was always a question of when, not if. The biomedical engineering student living in Governors Complex had an appointment in Syracuse for April 25. But he kept looking, eventually finding one on April 8 for a Pfizer shot at a local Walgreens. He knows by now he has 65% immunity, but his second dose is coming up quickly, on April 29, with full immunity two weeks later. Its a sigh of relief, says Farnam, who is also a member of the Buffalo Chips. I wanted to be protected and protect those around me. I know the science. I know vaccines arent dangerous, as some people believe. Farnams next question is a slam dunk: Would he recommend other students get vaccinated? Absolutely, he says. Get it as soon as you can. Its a step toward normalcy. My friends dont need any encouragement. We were all on the same page. Farnam has just the attitude and action UB administrators are hoping for. With all adults now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and more doses available UB administrators are urging all students to schedule their shots, for their own safety as well as that of the greater community, UB and beyond. There are many vaccine appointments available, notes Christina Hernandez, interim vice-president for student life. We strongly recommend all students schedule a vaccine as soon as possible near UB or in their home communities, for their safety and peace of mind, and those around them. The nearly 3,000 students who are now fully vaccinated are a good start, UB officials say, but just that. UB expects that number to grow considerably over the next few months, leading up to the fall semester when the university plans to return to in-person classes and activities. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) The country's recovery from the COVID-19 recession may be slower than expected this year, with the past month of lockdowns setting the economy back by 300 billion, President Rodrigo Duterte's economic managers said. At the government's pre-State of the Nation Address forum on Monday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the 6.5-7.5% growth goal for 2021 may be missed. "Our recovery is slated starting this year and we would achieve pre-pandemic level in the middle of 2022," Chua said during the virtual briefing mainly attended by businessmen. "Although the recent imposition of ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) and MECQ (modified ECQ) may lower our growth estimate, we are still early in the year and there is ample opportunity to catch up." Metro Manila and the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite the country's economic hub went under the strictest form of lockdown since late March for two weeks and eased to MECQ until end-April. There are calls mainly from the healthcare sector to extend the strict rules further to contain the fresh outbreak, which saw new cases growing by more than 10,000 daily. RELATED: Two NCR mayors split on quarantine status for May Domestic output shrank by 9.6% in 2020, the first recession in decades. By 2022, growth is seen ranging from 8-10% as the pandemic is contained, Chua projects. Job losses Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez also said that the ECQ entailed 180 billion in losses, followed by about 120 billionin lost opportunities under MECQ. Some 1 million workers remain displaced, although relatively fewer than the 1.5 million who were forced out of work during the tightest stay-at-home restrictions. "That one is still huge and that's the reason why if the numbers are improving and healthcare capacity systems are also improving, it can justify a return to a GCQ (general community quarantine). That is the thinking at least from our end and at least from the [Cabinet] economic cluster," he added. Bangko Sentral Governor Benjamin Diokno, the President's former budget secretary, said a 6-7% growth may be doable. However, Chua pointed out that this year's lockdown rules are more relaxed compared to a year ago, which could soften the blow on the economy, jobs, and poverty. READ: Faster growth hinges on majority vaccination of Filipinos Diokno The NEDA chief added that the pace of the recovery will depend on further reopening the economy to revitalize consumer spending, the timely implementation of stimulus packages for households and small to large businesses, and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program. Charting revival Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the infrastructure push under the government's "Build, Build, Build" program will become the "main driver" of economic recovery as government agencies take on big-ticket projects during the last year of the Duterte administration. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said 163 projects worth 88.75 billion are slated for full or partial operability by yearend. Major railways are seen running in the next 12 months, such as the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 linking Quezon City to Bulacan, and the first-ever Metro Manila Subway. Various policy reforms meant to improve the local business climate and shore up additional taxes will also support the bounce back, Dominguez added. He pointed out that the Department of Finance is looking at measures such as reducing government spending or raising the required dividend remittances from state-owned corporations from 50% to 75% of their annual profits to fund Congress' proposed Bayanihan 3 stimulus plan as the pandemic drags on. READ: Bayanihan 3 won't be certified as urgent yet despite lockdown's economic impact The country has resorted to additional borrowings, which pulled the national debt burden to 10.4 trillion. Of this, 58.4 billion was secured from foreign institutions to fund COVID-19 vaccine purchases, according to government data. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said he expects the Philippines to "finally defeat" the COVID-19 crisis next year with mass inoculations during the second half of 2021 as more doses reach the country. There's also a plan to tap the private sector to manufacture vaccines here, with Lopez saying at least five companies are interested. "For 2023, we envision self-sufficiency and readiness for the next pandemic and other disasters with the modernization and reintegration of our health system," he said. A 28-year-old Birmingham man is being held without bond, accused in a fatal shooting Friday at a Homewood motel. Homewood police have charged Devonta Jamal Ephraim with murder and certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm. Authorities have not yet released the name of the 33-year-old victim. Homewood police were dispatched at 12:48 p.m. to the Motel 6 on Vulcan Road on a report of a person shot. Sgt. John Carr said officers arrived to find the male victim unresponsive outside of the door to a corner room on the third floor. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Ephraim was captured after a brief foot chase. He was taken into custody in a parking lot several businesses away. Authorities said the shooting resulted from a verbal argument between the victim and Ephraim. Prosecutors on Sunday filed a motion to revoke Ephraims bond on a 2019 charge of certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm. According to court records, the suspect has a previous felony conviction for second-degree assault. Ephraim was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 4:55 p.m. Sunday. Police said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information should call detectives at 205-332-6255. It's safe to say Tim Robards is absolutely smitten with his five-month-old daughter Elle, who he shares with his wife Anna Heinrich. And The Bachelor hunk certainly proved that on Monday, as he shared a heartwarming video attempting to teach the little tot how to walk while cuddling her on the floor of their family home in Sydney. 'Who loves to stand? Who loves to stand? Are you gonna walk?' Tim, 38, was heard saying to the toddler as she wriggled around in his arms. So cute! Smitten father Tim Robards attempted to teach his five-month-old daughter Elle how to walk in a video shared on Monday The cute-as-a-button little girl was wearing a white T-shirt for the occasion and little woolen grey trousers. The moving attempt comes after Tim's wife Anna flaunted her incredible post-baby body in a mirror selfie shared to Instagram just last month. The 34-year-old looked stunning in a pair of skin-tight jeans, which showed off her slender form. She added a fitted white shirt with a corseted bodice and puffy sleeves to the chic ensemble. The former reality star captioned the photograph: 'Quick bathroom selfie because even the bathrooms are incredible #CrownSydney'. Cute! 'Who loves to stand? Who loves to stand? Are you gonna walk?' Tim, 38, was heard saying to the toddler as she wriggled around in his arms Stunner! Earlier this month, Anna Heinrich showed off her incredible post-baby body in a mirror selfie shared to Instagram Anna and former Neighbours actor Tim welcomed their baby girl in November. Anna recently admitted that her emotions had been a 'roller-coaster' in the weeks since giving birth. She told Who magazine she once 'cried for two hours straight' a week after taking her baby home from the hospital. Baby love! Anna and former Neighbours actor Tim welcomed their baby girl less than four months ago Anna said Tim had asked her if something was wrong and she told him: 'I'm not happy, I'm not sad. I just need to get it all out.' 'Your emotions are all up and down, it's like a roller-coaster. But from that moment, I just let go of everything I knew and tried to live more in the present,' Anna explained. Elsewhere in the interview, the blonde confessed there are some days when she just wants to sit in the shower because she's so sleepy and emotional. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic as several pregnant women were subjected to conflicting recommendations regarding vaccination, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has rolled out its clear guidance, Take the vaccine. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing on April 23 said that the COVID-19 vaccination surveillance systems have found no safety concerns" for over 35,000 women in the third trimester or for their babies. "We know that this is a deeply personal decision," she added, "and I encourage people to talk to their doctors and their primary care providers to determine what is best for them and for their baby." Acknowledging the conflicting reviews, Walensky explained that since the vaccine trials initially did not include pregnant women, there was not enough data on the potential issues. However, as a result, different health authorities and professional medical groups had put forth their respective precautions and conflicting guidance. Before Fridays White House briefing, the CDC had suggested that pregnant women can make their own decisions after consulting doctors. "Pregnant people experienced the same side effects as others following vaccination. We were also able to follow in detail more than 3,900 pregnant women. And over 800 of whom have completed their pregnancies. Importantly, no safety concerns were observed for people vaccinated in the third trimester or safety concerns for their babies," Walensky said. What has World Health Organization said? Contradicting to CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO) had said that only pregnant women at high risk of contracting COVID-19 or having severe disease should take the jab. In an article related to the COVID-19 vaccine, WHO said, While pregnancy puts women at higher risk of severe COVID-19, very little data are available to assess vaccine safety in pregnancy. Pregnant women may receive the vaccine if the benefit of vaccinating a pregnant woman outweighs the potential vaccine risks. For this reason, pregnant women at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (e.g. health workers) or who have comorbidities which add to their risk of severe disease, maybe vaccinated in consultation with their health care provider, it added. Image credits: Unsplash Continental Europe could allow US tourists back this summer View Photo BRUSSELS (AP) American tourists could soon be visiting continental Europe again, more than a year after the European Union restricted travel to the 27-nation bloc to a bare minimum to contain the coronavirus. EU officials said Monday they are completing plans to allow Americans back this summer, depending on the course of the outbreak on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU Commission, the EUs executive arm, will make a proposal soon to its member states but didnt say when exactly leisure travel could resume or whether a reciprocal approach will apply to Europeans wanting to visit the U.S., which has closed its doors to tourists from the continent. Also, it was not immediately clear whether all U.S. tourists would have to produce proof of vaccination for entry, or whether a negative test for the coronavirus or proof of recent recovery from COVID-19 would be acceptable instead. These are among the questions well still need to figure out, European Commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz said. Jahnz said the EUs executive body is hoping to restore trans-Atlantic leisure travel as soon as it is safe to do so. On Sunday, The New York Times quoted Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as saying that fully vaccinated Americans will able to visit EU countries this summer since all coronavirus vaccines used in the U.S. have also been approved by the EUs regulator, the European Medicines Agency. This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union, she said. Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA. With more than 15 million Americans a year visiting Europe before the crisis, the prospect of U.S. travelers once more flocking to such attractions as the Eiffel Tower, the canals of Venice or Germanys Brandenburg Gate is welcome news for the continents hard-hit tourism industry. EF Go Ahead Tours, a Boston-based company that offers small group tours to Europe and elsewhere, said it expects demand to be extremely high once Americans can visit Europe again. When Iceland reopened its borders earlier this month, bookings surged, and most summer tour dates are now sold out, the company said. Over the last month, as more Americans got vaccinated, the company also saw double-digit growth in European tour reservations for dates in 2022 and 2023. The International Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents 290 airlines in 120 countries, applauded the news. This is a step in the right direction, IATA General Director Willie Walsh said in a statement. It gives hope to people for so many reasons to travel, to reunite with loved ones, to develop business opportunities or get back to work. The group said people who test negative for COVID-19, not just those who get vaccinated, should be allowed to travel freely. IATA also said it is critical to develop globally recognized standards for vaccine certification. IATA is among groups testing a vaccine passport system. Last week, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to reconsider any international travel they may have planned. It issued specific warnings not to visit roughly 80% of the worlds countries due to risks from the coronavirus pandemic, including many European countries. Rick Steves, who has written guidebooks and television shows about European travel, said he is glad European countries are working together and are eager to rekindle tourism. But he doesnt expect his company, Rick Steves Europe, will offer its popular bus tours through Europe until late 2021 at the earliest to make sure travel restarts safely. Last March, Steves had to cancel and refund 20,000 tours. To avoid repeating that disappointment, I plan to be very conservative about restarting our tours, Steves said. We will do so only when we believe it is safe, when Europe is able to provide the kind of experiential travel that is fundamental to our tour program and when we are reasonably confident that things will remain stable and open. Jahnz said the EU has been following closely the vaccination drive in the U.S, where more than 94 million people 18 or older, or about 36.5% of the adult population, have been fully vaccinated. The slow rollout of vaccines in the EU has left the bloc lagging well behind the U.S. But Von der Leyen said Monday that the region, home to around 450 million people, has already passed 123 million vaccinations and is on track to have vaccinated 70% of all adults by July. The EU is putting the finishing touches to a system of certificates that would allow EU residents to travel freely across the region by the summer as long as they have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from the disease. Under the plan discussed with their U.S. counterparts, certificates issued in the United States could be integrated into the program. As for Britain, no longer an EU member, Americans visiting the United Kingdom have to isolate for 10 days and take coronavirus tests before and after travel. Travel to the EU is extremely limited, confined mostly to a few countries with low infection rates, such as Australia and New Zealand. But Greece, which is heavily reliant on tourism, has already lifted quarantine restrictions for the U.S., Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Israel, and non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that are part of a European travel pact. Uniliteral approaches, from our perspective should be avoided, Jahnz said. The objective is to continue to have a coordinated approach on the European level. Meanwhile, the EU said Monday it has launched legal action against AstraZeneca, accusing it of failing to meet its vaccine delivery commitments under its contract with the bloc. The slow pace of the EU vaccination campaign has been blamed in part on the delays. The British-Swedish drugmaker had hoped to deliver 80 million doses in the first quarter of 2021, but only 30 million were sent. According to the EU, the company is set to provide 70 million in the second quarter, rather than the 180 million it had promised. AstraZeneca said in a statement that it will strongly defend itself in court. ___ Follow APs pandemic coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ Associated Press writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Jill Lawless in London and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this story. By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press By Ni Haining Both US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced recently that their troops stationed in Afghanistan would start returning home from May 1, and all troops will be pulled out by September 11. Biden and some American politicians are racking their brains to deliver the message that American troops in Afghanistan have completed their mission; and they chose to complete the withdrawal by the special and symbolic date of September 11 as a solace for the American people. Yet the indisputable fact is that the nearly-20-year-long Afghan war is the longest that America has waged and fought overseas. It has dragged the US and its allies deep into the Graveyard of Empires and thrown the Afghans into excruciating misery and suffering. The American troops, having paid a heavy price in Afghanistan, cannot wait to leave this land. The protracted war has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 soldiers and injured about 20,000, and cost more than USD1 trillion, including over USD 170 billion in medical and nursing bills for veterans fighting in Afghanistan. Biden admitted in his speech that no amount of US forces on the ground can deter the Taliban or end the war. Americas plan for duplicating democracy in Afghanistan also proves a total failure. Ever since the presidential election in 2014, the country has been hanging on the brink of ethnic turmoil. To make things worse, the US slashed a USD 1 billion aid to it in 2020 on the grounds that Kabul failed to form an inclusive government. How sarcastic for the human rights preacher! The US opened the Pandoras box in Afghanistan and let it run amuck for about 20 years, bringing an inestimable humanitarian disaster for the Afghan people. It is reported that more than 30,000 Afghan civilians have been killed by American troops or died from the chaos and battles they caused, with another 60,000 injured and 11 million or so left homeless. Now the US is eager to pack up and pull out, leaving nothing but ruins and messes for the Afghan people, who have paid an unbearable price for a war imposed upon them by the unscrupulous hegemony. Despite all its big talk about counterterrorism, America has seen terrorism on the rise in Afghanistan. The American-style democracy is unable to give birth to a powerful government there because it is out of place in a country where family and tribal cohesion is just too strong. In recent years, the Taliban has made a comeback, controlled about half of the national land, and grown into an important force that can sway the future political situation in the country topped by the booming morale that it now has the initiative to fight for a legitimate position. The current Afghan government, which has got used to relying on the US troops when fighting and on tariffs for finance, will be left helpless in front of the Taliban and strong local factions once external military support is gone. People in Afghanistan are worried that the country, troubled by poor, if any, governance and various vying forces, may once again become the hotbed for terrorist organizations, or worse, fall into the abyss of aggravated civil war and national secession. The US has always been half-hearted about boosting the economic and social development in Afghanistan. Washington Post reported in December 2019 that of the USD 133 billion that Washington had spent on Afghanistans reconstruction more than what was spent on Europes post-WWII reconstruction under the Marshall Plan USD 87 billion went to training local security troops and police force rather than developing production and normalizing the society. Due to constant battles and turbulence, the countrys industrial foundation remains weak, with the output value accounting for only 1/3 of GDP, and agriculture and animal husbandry make up the main part of the national economy. Not much is left of the education system, with a general illiteracy rate of 65% and up to 96% among females, leaving the uneducated young generation more vulnerable to terrorist indoctrination. Since American troops set foot on its territory 20 years ago under the pretext of counterterrorism, Afghanistan has been going down a path to hell. Now the country that has created all this chaos is turning its back because it finds it more important to deal with other overseas priorities and dedicate all resources to responding to more pressing threats and challenges. Seeing Afghanistan as a burden now, Washington feels no qualms about leaving it high and dry in an embattled environment and asking the international community to pay for what it has done. The question is, having ravaged and abandoned one country after another, who is the US going to devastate next? Coronation Street is set to tackle the issue of hate crime when characters Nina Lucas and Seb Franklin are violently attacked because of her appearance. In a new storyline set to air in May, the couple will be targeted by a gang of drunken youths who shout abuse about Nina's (Mollie Gallagher) Victorian Goth identity. The storyline has many similarities to what happened to Sophie Lancaster, who was murdered in a Lancashire park in 2007, and the soap has worked with a foundation set up by the late 20-year-old's mother Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE. Hard-hitting: Coronation Street is set to tackle the issue of hate crime when characters Nina Lucas and Seb Franklin are violently attacked because of her appearance In scenes which will air next month, Seb (Harry Visinoni) and Nina will be subjected to a violent assault which has similarities to what happened to Sophie. Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby, then 21, were set upon and beaten in a park simply because of the way they looked on 11 August in 2007. Sophies injuries were so severe, she died in hospital 13 days later, aged 20. Ryan Herbert and Brendan Harris, then both 15, were sentenced to life in prison. Her mum, Sylvia, set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in her daughter's memory to focus on creating respect and understanding of subcultures in communities. Murdered for dressing differently: Sophie Lancaster was just 20 years old when she was murdered by a group of teenage boys in a park in Lancashire on 11 August 2007 When the storyline was first discussed producers and the research team approached Sylvia who was delighted to be able to work with them to help highlight the issue. Corrie viewers have seen Nina and Seb have fall head over heels in love in recent weeks, but her Victorian Goth identity has resulted in some prejudiced reactions. Among those is character Corey Brent (Maximus Evans), the boyfriend of Nina's best friend Asha, has long made his intolerance towards Nina known. In the dramatic episodes, the couple are set to be out walking when Corey and a gang of drunken mates including Kelly Neelan, corner and goad the pair. New storyline: The tough storyline will draw in the street's other teenagers and is set to pan out over the year as police try to workout who was responsible for Nina and Seb's horrific injuries As Corey starts hurling abuse, Kelly finds herself egged on by the crowd and slaps Nina. Seb and Nina hurry away as the gang gives chase and they find themselves subject to an unprovoked attack. Back on the Street Abi and Kevin's hen and stag night parties are brought to an abrupt halt when the police arrive with news of the attack. As Abi and Roy rush to the hospital to be with Seb and Nina, the police start the investigation to get to the bottom of which of the teenage gang was responsible for the vicious assault that has left the young couple with horrific injuries. The story will draw in the street's other teenagers as Summer, Asha and Amy find themselves caught up in the aftermath as potential witnesses in the police inquiry. 'Coronation Street covering this issue means a huge amount to me': Sophie's mum Sylvia helped Corrie with the storyline (pictured on Quest Red series Britain's Deadliest Kids) Sophie's mother Sylvia said that the soap covering a story about the abuse alternative people face 'means such a huge amount' to her. She said: 'I know first-hand the abuse, harassment and violence that alternative people suffer. Hate crime is usually directed at already stigmatised and minority groups and Sophie was assaulted three times before that final, sustained and brutal attack that took her life - but she never reported the earlier assaults. 'Coronation Street covering this issue means such a huge amount to me. We want alternative people to know that they shouldn't be putting up with this prejudice and intolerance, and they should report it. 'We want the wider community to really appreciate the horror of this violence and understand that difference in itself, is not frightening, it just makes us all who we are. Jailed: Ryan Herbert (left) and Brendan Harris (right), then both aged 15, were sentenced to life in prison following Sophie's death 'We will also use this platform to continue raising awareness of Sophie's case with the police and judiciary to make sure that hate crime against alternative people is recognised and treated with the degree of severity that it deserves.' On the importance of tackling this storyline Coronation Street, producer Iain MacLeod said: 'The issue of intolerance and hatred towards people from different cultures and subcultures is arguably more relevant now than it's ever been. 'This incredibly hard-hitting storyline, which centres on a senseless act of violence, will draw in characters from all corners of our narrative universe and will, we hope, leave the audience with a clear message: everyone, regardless of how they look, how they dress or any aspect of how they live their life, should be treated with tolerance and respect. 'The story will run across the rest of the year and beyond, with many twists and turns, and will be heartbreaking and dramatic in equal measure. In the end, the story will see an optimistic outcome emerge from the traumatic attack.' TROY The final drive in the Capital Region and across the country to get households counted in the 2020 census by Oct. 31 will end Thursday night due to a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The court issued a stay requested by President Donald Trumps administration to end the count, which lower federal courts had ordered to continue through Halloween in order to get a complete tally of the nations population. It was disappointing but expected. We struggled hard throughout the process from COVID to the changing deadlines, said Leslie Cheu, co-chair of the Rensselaer County Complete Count Committee and executive director of the Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation. The country has seen deadlines change on what has seemed a constant basis as the U.S. Census Bureau extended the national count to Oct. 31 in response to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down its operations in the spring. Then throughout September, the Trump administration fought state and local governments and nonprofits in the courts to shorten the time for the decennial census. Once again, the federal government is doing everything it can to ensure you do not count. Fight back now by filling out your census before the new October 15 deadline, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan posted Wednesday on her Facebook account in response to the court decision. At stake is the billions of dollars in federal aid that flows to local governments based on their populations. The census numbers also are used to determine representation in the House of Representatives, state legislatures and local legislative bodies. The harms caused by rushing this years census count are irreparable. And respondents will suffer their lasting impact for at least the next 10 years, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her opinion dissenting with the decision to grant the stay ending the Oct. 31 deadline. Shaving two weeks off the deadline is expected to adversely impact getting an accurate tally of hard-to-count areas that usually have transient population, high poverty rates and more minority residents. Census tracts in Albany, Schenectady and Troy have some of the lowest self-response rates in the region as residents have not completed the 2020 census questionnaires. The immigrant community is hard to count and its been more difficult to build trust as the Trump administration attempted to add a citizenship question, then has opposed counting undocumented immigrants. By ending early it will get harder to get them counted, Cianna Freeman-Tolbert, an immigration law attorney with Whiteman Osterman and Hanna in Albany, said. The result is missing data that will ripple throughout government and business planning efforts, making it difficult to have accurate information, said Mark Castiglione, executive director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. The census bureau reported Tuesday that well over 99.9% of housing units have been accounted for in the 2020 census. Self-response and field data collection operations for the 2020 census will conclude on October 15, 2020. There have been questions raised about the statements concerning the 99.9 percent rate since this reflects visits by census enumerators to households that did not fill out the census forms on their own, which is known as self-reporting. People can still complete their census forms online by going to 2020Census.gov or over the telephone by calling 844-330-2020 to respond in English or 844-468-2020 to respond in Spanish. The deadline for each varies going as late as 5:59 a.m. Friday for online due to the 11:59 p.m. Thursday deadline in Hawaii. Mailed responses must be postmarked Oct. 15. The Boys and Girls Club in the city of Rensselaer from 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday will be the site of Rensselaer Countys census outreach efforts to get people to fill out the census form online, Cheu said. Were pushing it right up until the end, Cheu said. The importance will be felt long after the deadline. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 23:37:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the first plenary meeting of the 28th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, started its 28th session Monday in Beijing. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the session's first plenary meeting. Lawmakers reviewed draft laws on rural vitalization promotion and food waste prevention, a draft revision to the Maritime Traffic Safety Law and a draft amendment to the Education Law. In reports submitted to the session, the NPC Constitution and Law Committee said the four drafts are mature enough and suggested them be passed at the session. The NPC Constitution and Law Committee also submitted to the session draft laws on data security, personal information protection, the Hainan free trade port, supervisors, and the protection of the status, rights and interests of military personnel. The five drafts all returned to the legislature for a second reading. Lawmakers deliberated for the first time a draft futures law, a draft land borders law, a draft amendment to measures for the election of military deputies to people's congresses, and draft amendments to nine laws submitted in a package. The nine law amendments are expected to streamline administrative approval procedures. The session also reviewed reports on fighting pollution and two judicial assistance treaties with Iran, among other bills. Enditem The Tennessee Governors Schools, which take place across the University of Tennessee Martin campus, are available to rising 11th- and 12th-grade students at private and public institutions across the state. Programs are academically rigorous, and students must be nominated to attend by faculty members who deem them talented, highly motivated, and mature. In January, applications, faculty recommendations, and academic transcripts were due for the upcoming 2021 summer semester. Selection for the Governors School for the Arts also required an audition and/or portfolio review. This year, 15 GPS students submitted applications to 10 different Governors School programs. Nine were accepted, with numerous students receiving acceptance to two programs. Six students were offered alternate status and are awaiting final decisions. The following students will represent GPS this summer in the following programs:** Mary Catherine Clelland 22* | Governor's School of Humanities Caroline Farris 22 | Governor's School of the Arts (Visual Art) Ellie Fivas 22* | Governor's School of Humanities Sarah Kalla 22 | Governor's School of the Arts (Vocal Performance) Hannah Grace Kornberg 23 | Governor's School for International Studies Abbey Katelyn Pettus 22 | Governor's School for Scientific Exploration and Tennessee Heritage Anisha Phade 23 | Governor's School for Business, Innovation, and Technology Lauren Thacker 22* | Governor's School for Computational Physics *signifies acceptance to two programs **One accepted GPS student declined her admission In addition to her acceptance to the Governors School of the Arts, Sarah Kalla received a scholarship in recognition of her talents that will cover half of the program costs, such as room, board, and tuition. Each of this summers programs runs for three to four weeks, and plans are in place to hold sessions in person. Should circumstances require it, they are prepared to take learning virtually. While on campus this summer, students can attend concerts, plays, movies, and additional special events planned for nights and weekends, and they may participate in various campus activities, as well. Each student who attends the Tennessee Governors Schools receives a certificate of merit signed by the governor, and multiple programs offer college credit upon completion. The Tennessee Governor's Schools provide 11 challenging and high-intensity programs for rising 11th and 12th grade students nominated by high school faculty. Each school offers a unique learning environment for students interested in the arts, humanities, agriculture science, STEM programs, advanced mathematics, physics, leadership, international studies, Tennessee history, or potential teaching careers. Students interested in participating in a Governor's School should obtain the application from a high school administrator, school counselor, or other faculty member. They say age is just a number, when it comes to changing the world, and over the years, several women have been a testament to this statement. These are the women who have become pioneers in their own field and endeavour to lead the way as they navigate the waters of social media. From dance to fashion, these women influencers have hit back at the naysayers and have reshaped the way our society perceives hobbies. What started off as a mere experiment on social media, has now led them to become more empowered, more aware and a symbol of all that can be achieved when interest is at the core of the matter. Take a look at these over-50 influencers and how cool they are! Chinna Dua Dr. Padmavati Dua, who is famously recognised as Chinna Dua, has set a benchmark through her dressing styles and cooking skills. As a cancer survivor, she fought to give life a second chance and taking charge of her life, she became the go-to person on social media with her styling videos. Her repertoire of saris and tips to carry and drape them, shes became the go-to person for all your FAQs about the six-yard outfit. The 60-year-old has made an independent identity through her stunning dressing sense. Being an epitome of grace, Chinna Dua has managed to bag 37.6K followers on her Instagram handle with her elaborate dressing skills. Manjri Varde Manjri Varde, who is also popular as actor Sameera Reddys mother-in-law, has built a very colourful and vibrant feed on her Instagram handle. The 64-year-old painter showcases a variety of her creation ranging from abstract to divine and traditional art. She also has her own clothing label, Samanjri that promotes wearable art. Samanjri offers a combination of comfort and art, showcasing calligraphies along with poetic chants and verses. Although she is most popularly known as one half of the sassy sassu-messy-mama duo, the other half is for being actor Sameera Reddy mother-in-law. Setting an amazing example of how beautiful saas-bahu relationship in India can be, Varde and Reddy show their love and bond through their videos, virtual leg-pulling, and lots of fun. Ravi Bala Sharma Mostly recognised as the Dancing Dadi, Ravi Bala Sharma has been all out and about her passion for dance and her exceptionally mesmerising dancing skills. At 62, with only a few posts on social media, Sharma has managed to gather 114k followers which is a benchmark in itself. Her Instagram bio is as interesting as her feed. It reads: 62 & still making my birthday wishes! Ravi Bala Sharma on her Instagram feed can be seen dancing to various Punjabi tracks with utmost grace. Among her most trending videos is a video of her dancing to the song G.O.A.T. by Diljit Dosanjh, who also couldn't help but praise the dancing dadi. The former teacher regards her father her dancing mentor and guru. Post-retirement, she chose to pursue and satisfy her passion and love for dance as she sets new milestones for herself as well as for others her age. She is a true testament to the statement, Age is just a number. Poonam Sapra Image: Instagram Poonam Sapra, famously recognised as Mother with Sign has come out with the most infamous desi mother taunts. She has given a modern makeover to these desi mom taunts by putting them on placards and sharing with the world with her wit and humour. Her Instagram feed is full of advice and messages for the youth. Giving supportive, motivational and dotting motherly advice is all that Sapra offers. Its her way of spreading positivity amongst the youth, trying to make the world a better and safer place to live in. Among her many posts, one reads: Round Rotis dont decide whether you get married or not. You do. Another says, If you want your mom to say yes. Ask her after she has had her chai. She brings forth the humorous truth of Indian parenting. Last year when she joined Instagram her son wrote, My mom keeps telling me things, so I made her an Instagram account. And now, this mother with sign shares her part of wit and wisdom with the world. Rajini Chandy Rajini Chandy, 69, a homemaker-turned-actor, joined Instagram by sharing some amazing pictures from her photoshoot done by Athira Joy. She was seen wearing a variety of clothes, ranging from saris to jeans and jumpsuits. She also made her film debut in a Malayalam film at the age of 65. She has also been a part of the reality television show Big Boss. Despite getting a lot of backlash from the netizens for wearing the kind of clothes that she did in her photoshoot. She says that it doesnt affect her. In fact, she likes that her legs were visible in the pictures as according to her she has good legs. Kanan Bala Kanan Bala of @mamaktreats is a food enthusiast and rightly so. She showcases a variety of dishes ranging from traditional everyday meals to exquisite dishes. At 26k followers, she continues to make her views drool with aesthetic pictures of dishes made by her. It is one of the most satisfying feed for a food lover. Balas choice of dishes invoke an instant feeling of comfort and homliness to anyone who visits her feed. From simple dal-rice to exotic pizzas, you name it and she has it all. Adding colours to food is her speciality. Also read: 5 Body Positive Influencers To Follow In 2021 Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 07:52:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Participants prepare to ride bicycles during an activity to mark the World Malaria Day in Kampala, Uganda, April 25, 2021. As the world commemorated World Malaria Day on Sunday, dozens of riders in Uganda, including young and old, rode over 30 km to raise awareness against the disease. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua) The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Tema East, Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, has described the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, as one of the best in the Fourth Republic. At a meeting with Assembly Members of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), Mr Odamtten encouraged the assembly members to emulate the example of the Speaker, saying that Bagbins sense of duty to his country is what has culminated into his elevation to the third highest office of the land. Even though we have what some people call a hung Parliament, the Legislature is still functioning dutifully. This is because the Speaker has been able to ensure that the national interest is given priority by both the NPP and NDC sides of the House, he stated. Dignity Mr Odamtten said the maturity that the Speaker had so far displayed also helped to bring dignity to the Legislature and set a new standard for the Speakership of Parliament. He said Ghana had a reason to be grateful to God that Bagbin became the Speaker of the Eighth Parliament because if an immature person had been elected instead, the country would have been at a standstill. According to him, Mr Bagbin was fulfilling a divine destiny as Speaker at this time when the country was politically polarised, saying that he may have been specially preserved by God for the current times in the countrys governance. I urge you to learn from the Bagbin story; he was just about to retire from active politics and Parliamentary Service, when he was elected as Speaker; his divine destiny has been fulfilled and in future when the time comes and you have also prepared yourself like Bagbin, your divine purpose will also be fulfilled. Sacrifices Mr Odamtten said although personal sacrifices by assembly members might not be noticed or come up for praise, he urged them to keep on saying in life one reaps what he sows. The Presiding Member of TMA, Mr Joseph Korto, is hardworking and because of his good performance, he led Regional Deans across the country to Speaker Bagbin in Parliament in his capacity as National Dean, and I was so happy when I saw it in the news Mr Odamtten said. Water supply Mr Odamtten requested for improvement in the water supply situation for Tema, pointing out that population growth in the metropolis made the existing water supply inadequate. The MP also encouraged all assembly members and the people of Tema to abide by all necessary COVID-19 protocols so that the fight against infections will succeed in the metropolis. 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 Chad military council: No talks with rebels who killed Deby View Photo NDJAMENA, Chad (AP) Chads military transitional government said Sunday it would not negotiate with the rebels blamed for killing the countrys president of three decades, raising the specter that the armed fighters might press ahead with their threats to attack the capital. A spokesman for the rebel group known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad told The Associated Press that it was now joining forces with other armed groups who oppose President Idriss Deby Itnos son, Mahamat, taking control of the country following his fathers killing. In a televised statement, the military spokesman, Gen. Azem Bermandoa Agouma, said the rebels were seeking to collaborate with several groups of jihadists and traffickers who served as mercenaries in Libya. Faced with this situation that endangers Chad and the stability of the entire sub-region, this is not the time for mediation or negotiation with outlaws, he said. The military spokesman said some of the rebels had escaped in the direction of Chads border with Niger and called for Nigers government to help capture them. The defense and security forces launched after them with the support of the air force located the enemy scattered in small groups regrouping in Niger territory, far from the Chadian capital, he said. A spokesman for the armed group, Kingabe Ogouzeimi de Tapol, told AP that the rebels had not given up, though he declined to say where the forces were Sunday, citing security reasons. There are other armed groups that have joined us, he said. We welcome them and we are integrating them into our different battalions. The Chadian rebels, known by their French acronym FACT, were based in southern Libya and are believed to have crossed back into Chad earlier this month on election day. Deby, the countrys president since 1990, was easily handed victory based on official results as several leading opposition politicians did not take part. However, the military announced the next day that Deby had been mortally wounded while visiting the front lines of the battle against the rebels. His son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named head of a military council that plans an 18-month transition toward new elections. The former colonial power, France, has been careful not to criticize the militarys actions, and French President Emmanuel Macron attended Debys funeral last week. Chad is home to a French military base where counterterrorism operations for the region are headquartered. Chad also has supplied critical troops to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in northern Mali. However, political opposition groups have decried Mahmat Idriss Debys appointment as a coup detat, saying the president of the National Assembly should have taken over instead. The opposition has called for demonstrations this week to call for a return to civilian rule. ___ Associated Press writer Edouard Takadji reported this story in NDjamena and AP writer Kirsta Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. By EDOUARD TAKADJI and KRISTA LARSON Associated Press The streaming media battle is getting particularly dirty. According to Axios, Roku has accused Google of wanting preferential treatment for the YouTube and YouTube TV apps as the two companies renegotiate their deal, something Google has denied. Roku told customers in email that Google supposedly wants conspicuous placement for YouTube in search results, including a dedicated row. It also hopes to block results from other providers while using the YouTube app, Roku said, and to prioritize YouTube music results when using the Roku remote for voice commands while YouTube is open. Roku further alleged that Google threatened to set chipset and memory requirements for devices that would raise hardware prices, potentially giving Google's Chromecast an unfair advantage. A spokesperson for Roku wasn't shy about ascribing malicious intent. Google was using its YouTube monopoly to strongarm Roku into accepting "predatory, anti-competitive and discriminatory" conditions, the representative argued. The spokesperson added that Roku wasn't asking for a "single additional dollar" and just wanted terms that didn't skew search results, hike costs or run afoul if industry data practices. Roku might be forced to remove YouTube apps as a result, the company said in its email. Google provided Engadget with the following statement: "We have been working with Roku in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits our viewers and their customers. Unfortunately, Roku often engages in these types of tactics in their negotiations. Were disappointed that they chose to make baseless claims while we continue our ongoing negotiations. All of our work with them has been focused on ensuring a high quality and consistent experience for our viewers. We have made no requests to access user data or interfere with search results. We hope we can resolve this for the sake of our mutual users." Roku has been involved in tense media discussions before it was embroiled in a fight with NBCUniversal in late 2020 over terms for carrying Peacock. The allegations against Google are more serious, though, and come right as Google is facing multiple antitrust lawsuits. Roku appears to be making the dispute public in hopes of landing more favorable terms. Update, 12:30 PM ET: Added statement from Google. by Mathias Hariyadi There is no hope of rescuing the 53 crew members alive. The vessel, which went missing on 21 April, lays broken in three parts, at a depth of more than 800 metres in the Bali Sea. The government plans to help the families of the lost sailors with aid for their childrens education. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Indonesia is mourning the death of the crew of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine. Hope for rescue was dashed after the vessel was found split in three parts at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Bali at more than 800 metres on the seafloor. With deep sadness, I can say that all 53 personnel on board have died, Indonesian Military Chief Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto announced yesterday after the wreckage of the 59.5 metre, 1,395-tonne, German-built vessel was found. Social media were flooded with hundreds of messages of prayer and condolence for the victims and their families after days of hope of finding the sailors alive. Fr You Bintoro, chaplain of the Indonesian Air Force, called on Indonesias Catholic community to hold a special memorial service for the missing sailors. Bah Yoto Eki Setiawan, originally from Sidareja, Cilacap District, was one of the sailors on the submarine. AsiaNews contacted the headmaster of his old school, who expressed the deep sadness of educational establishment. He was one of us, said the principal, proudly showing the sailors photo as a student and a copy of his diploma. The KRI Nanggala is divided into three parts, the hull of the ship, the stern of the ship, and the main parts are all separated, with the main part found cracked, said Admiral Yudo Margono, chief of staff of the Indonesian Navy. Debris from the KRI Nanggala is scattered all over the area. Contact with the vessel was lost on 21 April, shortly after it asked permission to dive in the Bali Sea for an exercise. There is no plausible explanation for the vessels electrical blackout. In Indonesia, the incident has reignited the debate over its reliance on old military materiel. Greater defence spending is an issue in Indonesias parliament. The submarine was built in 1979 and underwent a refit in 2012 in South Korea; however, an oil slick suggests some kind of structural failure. Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo described the sailors as the best patriots the country could have. The government promoted all the dead sailors for their brave service to the nation, the president said. Their children will also receive financial aid in their studies. Now the priority is to recover the wreckage from a depth of 838 metres, but no details have been provided about the challenging operation. New Delhi: Diwali has been celebrated all over India with much grandeur and zeal, but the festive season in Northern India is yet to be ended. Chhath Puja is one of those much famous festivals which will carry out the fervour and passion of festivity in some of the North Indian states. Chhath Puja is generally performed to thank Lord Surya and Chhati Maiyya (Usha, Lord Surya's wife), for sustaining life on earth and to request for granting certain wishes. Chhath means sixth because it falls on the sixth day of the month of Kartika (October/November) or simply on the sixth day after Diwali. God Surya is worshiped very passionately for the well being of their family and near and dear ones. Chhath Puja is celebrated mainly in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and some parts of Nepal. This year Chhath Puja begins on 24th October and will continue till 27th October. The Shashthi Tithi is said to be started at 9:37 am on October 25 and will culminate at 12:15 pm on October 26. On the day of the main puja, the sun is expected to rise at 6:41 am, while sunset will likely happen at 6:05 pm. Also Read | Chhath Puja 2017: Top 10 Mahaparv song by Sharda Sinha According to Mahabharat and Ramayan, Draupadi along with the Pandavas, upon advice from the noble sage Dhaumya, performed Chhath Puja. Here we bring you some important facts regarding one of those rituals namely 'Nahay Khay', performed in the first day of puja. Nahay Khay: Chhath Puja ritual starts on the fourth day of Kartika month, Puja begins with Nahay Khay. The word Nahay Khay, Nahai means to bathe, and Khai means to eat. On the first day of Nahai Khai, devotees take a holy bath in a holy lake or river, to purify their sins. Then, they worship Lord Surya. Water from the holy river is carried to homes, which is later used in cooking food offerings for Surya which then continues for the next 36 hours. Also Read | Chhath Puja 2017: Check out list of special train to avoid rush On this day devotees eats rice, gram pulses, and pumpkin vegetables sans onion and garlic. After eating the food sometime mid-noon, the Parvatin (devotee) starts the water-less-fast which is broken only the next day evening while observing 'Kharna' the second day of Chhath Puja. During this period of three nights and four days, the worshiper observes purity and sleeps on the floor. Since it falls in winter, a bed on rice straws is made by putting a blanket on it. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Former chief Demings said shes hopeful the Senate will meet this moment and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida said in an interview with Face the Nation that Columbus Police officer Nicholas Reardon responded as trained in fatally shooting 16-year-old MaKhia Bryant. Everybody has the benefit of slowing the video down and seizing the perfect moment. The officer on the street does not have that ability. He or she has to make those split-second decisions, and theyre tough, Demings said. But the limited information that I know in viewing the video, it appears that the officer responded as he was trained to do with the main thought of preventing a tragedy and a loss of life of the person who was about to be assaulted. Florida Rep. Val Demings questions witnesses at a House Judiciary Committee hearing last summer on police brutality and racial profiling in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images) Demings was a former patrol officer and police chief in Orlando before entering Congress. Her experience in law enforcement has played a big part in her current role as a member of the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Intelligence committees. In her work on the Judiciary Committee, Demings has been pushing for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. She said she is hopeful that the Senate will meet this moment and pass it. Read More: Nearly half of surveyed Republicans say Chauvin verdict was wrong outcome Demings said that while historically, the two political parties in the U.S. differ ideologically, in some moments, they have been able to put aside differences and rise to meet significant moments. This is such a time, she said. And so Im hoping that we will put politics aside and come together because we need to get this done. Our communities around the nation need it. Our good police officers need it, and quite frankly, the American people need it. We in Congress in both chambers can meet this moment as well if we have the political will to do so. Read More: Rep. Val Demings clashes with Jordan at hearing: Did I strike a nerve? Story continues Last week, Demings verbally sparred with her Republican colleague, Jim Jordan of Ohio, when she accused him and other GOP leaders of using police officers as pawns and of supporting police officers when it is politically convenient to do so. In her Face the Nation interview, Demings added, The overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers in this nation are good people, who go to work every day to protect those, protect and serve our communities. I remind them of that. Always stand on the right side, speak up and be professional, and do the job that youre paid to do. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today! The post Val Demings: Officer who killed MaKhia Bryant responded as trained appeared first on TheGrio. Teen Mom OG star Cheyenne Floyd and Zach Davis, who are expecting a baby boy in just a few weeks, got engaged during their intimate baby shower on Sunday. As the couple celebrated the imminent arrival of their first child together with friends and family, Davis surprised the room by getting down on one knee and proposing. In response, the expectant reality TV star looked overwhelmed with joy as she accepted a massive diamond ring from her man, before getting emotional. Set to wed: Teen Mom OG star Cheyenne Floyd and Zach Davis, who are expecting a baby boy in just a few weeks, got engaged during their intimate baby shower on Sunday After Davis gave Floyd's four-year-old daughter Ryder, who she shares with ex Cory Wharton, a ring of her own, the fashion designer could be seen wiping back tears. 'Speechless,' the newly-engaged mom captioned a slideshow of the special day on her Instagram. 'Today was perfect! I can not put it into words yet but this is a moment I will cherish forever.' Of their engagement, Davis gushed: 'She said yes! Put a ring on both of their fingers! I love you fiance @cheynotshy today we celebrate a lifetime together!' A particularly cute photo on the pair's social media of the event included the Are You the One? alum and Davis hugging Ryder. Floyd was wearing a body-hugging white dress, which hugged her burgeoning baby bump. The proposal happened in front of a neon sign which read: 'It was always you.' So sweet! She showed off her engagement ring; he also got one for her daughter Ryder, four The flower was covered in white roses, stunning floral arrangements and candles. In December, Floyd announced her pregnancy with a series of gorgeous shots, showcasing her baby bump on social media. 'We are extremely blessed and honored that this little one has chosen us as parents. We prayed for this moment and wanted to hold on to it as long as we could. The past few months have been life-changing in the best ways possible,' the beauty wrote. Congratulations! In December, Floyd announced her pregnancy with a series of gorgeous shots, showcasing her baby bump She continued: 'Ryder is so excited to be a big sister again and is already super protective over my bump. She prays for the baby every night and kisses my belly every morning.' Cheyenne and Zach's relationship has partially aired on MTV with the couple taking some time apart before reconciling last year. She found fame and met Real World star Cory while filming The Challenge: Rivals III, which aired on MTV in 2016. The pair had a brief fling which resulted in Cheyenne's pregnancy, but she kept the news a secret until Ryder was roughly six months old. 'Ryder is so excited to be a big sister again and is already super protective over my bump. She prays for the baby every night and kisses my belly every morning,' the star gushed last year Happy: Cory and Chey's strong co-parenting relationship has been a main storyline of Teen Mom OG since Floyd joined the show in 2018 Cory and Chey's strong co-parenting relationship has been a main storyline of Teen Mom OG since Floyd joined the show in 2018. 'Finally!! Dear Lord YES CHEY IS PREGNANT!!!!!! Congratulations Chey and Zach happy for you both,' Wharton commented on Floyd's Instagram. 'And Ryder Ms. Ryder K your gonna have another sibling!!!!!' Wharton has been dating Ex on The Beach co-star Taylor Selfridge since 2018 and the couple recently welcomed daughter Mila Mae into the world last April. To Jacksons tight-knit voting rights community, members of which view themselves as torchbearers in the mold of Mr. Figgers and Mr. Evers, its all evidence of a lingering absence of urgency. If the people who were most impacted by this were white people, Democrats wouldve done something about this a long time ago, said Rukia Lumumba, the executive director of the Peoples Advocacy Institute in Jackson. Her brother is the mayor of Jackson and her late father also held that role. They thought, Oh, thats just the South, and not that what weve experienced here was coming to the rest of the country. Mr. Holder, who now runs a group that focuses on redistricting and ballot access, said he would encourage senators to eliminate the filibuster to pass the For the People Act, if necessary. His group and its partners plan to spend $30 million to pitch the legislation to voters in states with key senators, including Arizona, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The stakes are the condition of our democracy, Mr. Holder said. This is more than a partisan who wins and who loses? game. If we are not successful in H.R. 1 or H.R. 4, I am really worried our democracy will be fundamentally and irreparably harmed. He added, We will still have elections every two years or every four years, but they could almost be rendered close to meaningless. Mr. Holder has also found himself acting as something of a voting rights ambassador among Democrats: Last month, on a virtual call with the Congressional Black Caucus, he was brought in because several of the caucuss older members had deep reservations about the For the People Act, according to those familiar with the calls planning, a rare rift between Democratic leadership and the group often called the conscience of the Congress. In fact, Representative Thompson was the only Democrat to vote against the bill in the House, reversing his stance as a previous co-sponsor. In the weeks since, Mr. Thompson has declined several requests from The New York Times to explain his vote, or to respond to constituents who say it was at odds with Southern Democrats rich history of defending Black voting rights. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 20:50:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it is expelling a military attache of the Italian Embassy in Moscow in a retaliatory measure. Italy's Ambassador to Russia Pasquale Terracciano was invited to the ministry where he was informed that this naval attache is now "persona non grata" and must leave Russia within 24 hours. The decision was made in response to the "unfriendly" and "groundless" expulsion of two staffers of the Russian Embassy in Rome on March 31. Enditem WASHINGTON New York will lose a seat in Congress and an Electoral College vote based on new population data, the U.S. Census Bureau said Monday in its first announcement of 2020 census results. U.S. Census officials said Monday if New York counted 89 more people and the population data for all other states held steady the state would not be losing a seat. "Its like voting, every person counts," said Dan Lamb, lecturer at Cornell's Institute for Public Affairs. "Any time there is a near miss like that you start to wonder what could you have been." As a result of the 2020 census, seven states, including New York, California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, will each lose one seat in Congress. Six states will gain seats. Texas will add two seats, while Colorado, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and Oregon will gain one seat. In addition, states that are gaining seats in Congress will also get additional Electoral College votes for the presidential elections. It will now be up to the state's 10-member Independent Redistricting Commission to decide which congressional seat New York will lose and how to redraw the map, which will require cutting the state's House districts from 27 to 26. The new map could have major implications for which districts are most competitive as well as the battle for the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. The Census Bureau has said it will deliver the full data set used for redrawing the maps to the state by the end of September, but it could be available in some form by mid-August. That information will pinpoint where the states population declines took place. It also means the final district maps that will be used for the 2022 elections may not be available until the end of the year. The census was conducted in 2020 for the first time in 10 years with the pandemic posing new challenges to data collection. The data collected will determine apportionment of congressional and state legislative seats, the distribution of Electoral College votes and the impact on federal funding for states and localities. New York's population grew by 4.2 percent from 2010 to 2020 and more people moved out of the state than moved in to the state, U.S. Census Bureau officials said. The data released Monday showed New York gained 823,147 residents from 2010 to 2020 for a total of 20,201,249 residents in 2020. In addition, 28,451 fewer federal employees living overseas claimed a New York residence from 2010 to 2020. Utah saw the greatest population increase of any state, followed by Texas and North Dakota. West Virginia, Illinois and Mississippi lost population. Upstate United, a non-partisan business and taxpayer advocacy group, called the numbers "bad news" for New York. "In addition to losing a congressional seat, it was confirmed that Florida has surpassed New York in population," Executive Director Justin Wilcox said. "Given Florida's status a low-tax state, it's no surprise that New Yorkers have relocated there more than (any) other state over the last decade. This troubling trend will continue until we advance meaningful tax relief and reform New York's harsh business climate." Though it has not started, redistricting is already affecting House races in New York. Chris Mann, assistant professor of political science at Skidmore College, said the late redistricting has "frozen the field" in some competitive districts because candidates are hesitant to jump into some races without knowing the political leanings of the district. It's not yet known which congressional House district could be eliminated and how the lines will shift in other places. Lamb speculated that the New York Independent Redistricting Commission would be most likely to eliminate the 23rd Congressional District because U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican who currently holds that seat, is not seeking re-election. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-Shirley, is also not seeking re-election because he is running for governor. Elaine Frazier of Albany, a member of the state's Independent Redistricting Commission, said she hoped the new map would reflect the trend of more people moving out of New York City to upstate during the pandemic. "COVID has produced, I would argue, a significant shift," she said. "It's as much a part of our redistricting efforts as any issue, any partisanship. The people have moved and they're moving upriver." The New York Public Interest Research Group suggested that upstate New York congressional seats are most in jeopardy. Pointing to 2019 data from a U.S. Census Bureau national survey compared to the 2010 census, NYPIRG said the state's population declines were in central New York, the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier and western New York. The Capital Region did not see a population decline from 2010 to 2019. Last month, the Independent Redistricting Commission secured $4 million in the state budget to execute its work, after a months-long battle to secure funding from the administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. The commission is comprised of members appointed by the state Legislature. Now, the independent commission, which is operating for the first time since it was approved in 2014, will begin outreach to residents and groups across the state for their input on the line drawing process, Frazier said. The pandemic delayed field operations for the U.S. Census Bureau's data collection. The data is collected by surveying all U.S. residents once every 10 years. For the first time in 2020, the bureau permitted online data collection in addition to mail and phone. Some questioned whether the pandemic and President Donald Trumps failed push to add a U.S. citizenship question to the census would decrease participation in the 2020 census and reduce the accuracy of the data. The state allocated about $70 million to help support the census count, with the majority of funds going to state agencies to do outreach and part of the money going to counties and community groups. Lots of the work spreading the word about how to complete the census was done by volunteers. California, which is also losing a House seat, had an $187 million outreach campaign; Texas was the only state to gain two seats and had allocated little to the effort. Frazier said the funding in New York was "not enough." "This was not your garden-variety census,"Frazier said. "We actually, up here, were doing a complete count activity while we were spreading information about COVID ... (and) doing the count under those conditions was extraordinary." Despite the challenges of COVID-19, more people may have participated in the U.S. Census in 2020 because they were at home when the count was being conducted, Lamb said. Bhubaneswar: In order to meet the needs of coronavirus patients, Odisha sent a total of 67 tankers carrying 1,268 metric tonne (MT) medical oxygen to seven states till 2 pm on Monday, police officials said. Odisha police have formed a dedicated corridor with round-the-clock monitoring to ensure uninterrupted loading and transportation of the Oxygen from Rourkela, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Angul plants of Odisha to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh. According to the Odisha police, In the last four days, two tankers that carried about 30.67 MT of medical Oxygen have been escorted to Chhattisgarh, four tankers with about 66.39 MT of medical Oxygen to Uttar Pradesh and 8 tankers with about 187.512 MT to Haryana. "Eight tankers with about 131.23 MT have been escorted to Madhya Pradesh, six tankers with about 102.06 MT to Maharashtra, 17 tankers with about 291.769 MT to Telangana and 22 tankers with about 458.3 MT have been dispatched to Andhra Pradesh," the police said. "A Special Cell was formed under Y K Jethwa, Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order as the Nodal Officer for coordinated action for loading and transportation of medical oxygen by Odisha to States facing deficit, District Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) or DCsP and Range Deputy Inspector General DIG or IG or CP are supervising the movement personally within their jurisdictions," the police said. Amid an acute shortage of medical oxygen in several parts of the country, Odisha is sending the surplus liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to many states.Odisha`s Industry Secretary Hemant Sharma on Sunday told ANI that the total production capacity of LMO in the state has now been enhanced to 350 tonnes per day through five plants across states. "Last week our capacity was 300 tonnes per day. Now it has gone up to 350 tonnes. We will increase it by 15 tonnes more by tomorrow evening," Sharma said. The state government is in continuous touch with industries to ramp up the oxygen production in Odisha.The Odisha government is trying to start oxygen production in two more plants -- Adhunik`s plant in Sundargarh and a central government plant in Kalingnagar. Odisha health department on Monday informed that 6,599 new COVID-19 cases, 3,464 recoveries and nine deaths were reported in the state in the last 24 hours. China's state-run Sichuan Airlines has suspended all its cargo flights to India for 15 days, causing major disruption to private traders' efforts to procure the much-needed concentrators and other medical supplies from despite Beijing offering "support and assistance" to the country to deal with the latest surge of COVID-19 cases. In a letter to the sales agents on Monday, the Sichuan Chuanhang Logistics Co. Ltd, the company which is part of the Sichuan Airlines said the airline has suspended its cargo flights on six routes, including Xian to Delhi, amid hectic efforts by private traders from both sides to procure concentrators from In the letter seen by PTI, the company said in the face of sudden changes in the epidemic situation (in India), in order to reduce the number of imported cases, it is decided to suspend the flights for the next 15 days. Indian route has always been the core strategic route for Sichuan Airlines. This suspension has also caused great losses to our company. We are very sorry for the unchanged situation, the letter said and sought the "understanding of its sales agents, it said. The letter also said the company will review the situation after 15 days. The suspension of cargo flights came as a surprise to agents and freight forwarders who are frantically trying to procure the concentrators from There are also complaints of Chinese manufacturers jacking up the prices by 35 to 40 per cent. The freight charges have been increased to over 20 per cent, Siddharth Sinha of Sino Global Logistics, a Shanghai-based freight forwarding company. He told PTI here that the Sichuan Airlines decision to cancel flights has caused severe disruption to attempts by private traders in both the countries to secure quick supplies of the Oxygen concentrators to rush to India in view of the dire situation. Now it becomes very challenging to rush the supplies as they have to be rerouted through Singapore and other countries through different airlines, which delays the much-needed supplies, he said. The suspension of the flights owing to the situation in India is surprising as there is no crew change in India and the same crew flies the aircraft back, he said. India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. The Chinese cargo flights besides the shipping services have been operational throughout the pandemic rushing supplies of lucrative mobile phone equipment as well as a lot of other Chinese exports to India. Sinha also said the Chinese suppliers also resorted to inhuman practice of heavy jacking up of prices to cash in on the pandemic emergency. The suspension of flights also came as a surprise to the Indian officials here as it came in the backdrop of official statements offering support and assistance to India. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian told a media briefing on April 23 that China is in communication with India to provide necessary support and assistance. China expresses sincere sympathies to India over the deteriorating situation in the country recently," he said. The Chinese government and people firmly support the Indian government and people in fighting the China is ready to provide support and help according to India's need, and is in communication with the Indian side on this, he said. We believe that the Indian people will defeat the virus at an early date, he said. India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. Roundabout Theatre Company will celebrate the bourgeoning return to live theater by hosting a live gala concert in Central Park on Monday, June 7, featuring Tony winner Jane Krakowski and the New York Pops. Krakowski will be joined by her Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt co-star Tituss Burgess, and Senator Charles Schumer will be on hand to mark the passage of the Save Our Stages Act. The in-person event, with Covid safety protocols in place, will also stream live beginning at 8pm ET. Proceeds will go toward Roundabout's various artistic programs, safety protocols for when theaters officially reopen, and the artists and technicians who have been without a job for more than a year. Tickets start at $2,500 for virtual viewing. For more information, click here. HEFEI, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iFLYTEK, Asia's leading artificial intelligence (AI) and speech technology company, released its 2020 Annual Report highlighting the company's significant growth and record profit fueled by the company's health, education, and technology sectors. In 2020, iFLYTEK's business performance continued to grow rapidly seeing a 66 percent increase in net profit. The company achieved 29 percent revenue growth and its net cash flow reached a new record, achieving the highest amount in the history of the company. iFLYTEK's education and healthcare businesses each grew 70 percent and 69 percent, respectively. "iFLYTEK's business performance over the last year demonstrates the strong growth and demand for our artificial intelligence solutions that make the world a better place," said Liu Qingfeng, Chairman and Founder of iFLYTEK. In addition, iFLYTEK's 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report (CSR) details the company's commitment to making the world a better place by preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19, ensuring greater access to high-quality education and healthcare, and helping to alleviate poverty in rural communities with artificial intelligence. Preventing and Controlling the Spread of COVID-19 During the COVID-19 pandemic, iFLYTEK deployed its technology and expertise in healthcare and education to help screen and monitor patients and allow students to learn virtually at no cost. iFLYTEK donated medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and successfully mobilized its international network for additional donations to hospitals in regions that had a high number of coronavirus cases. Additionally, iFLYTEK partnered with the South Korean technology company, Hancom Group, to launch the joint venture Accufly.AI in South Korea. Accufly.AI launched its AI Outbound Calling System to assist the South Korean government at no cost and provide information to individuals who have been in close contact with or have had a confirmed coronavirus case. Increasing Access to Quality Education In the education space, iFLYTEK offered its online teaching system that relies on an intelligent learning network to personalize learning and streamline teaching preparation. Today, the program is used in 38,000 schools nationwide and assists more than 100 million teachers and students. The platform is especially advantageous for children in rural communities who typically do not have access to quality educational resources. The company also continues to expand its AI Education Public Welfare program, which teaches disadvantaged children about the latest AI technology and its applications. Improving Healthcare Accessibility iFLYTEK continued to grow its open platform program which provided 50 million voice services per day for the visually impaired, hearing-impaired and other public welfare groups in 2020. iFLYTEK also certified more than 1,200 developers to develop applications for public welfare groups to encourage innovation and advancement in technology so technological progress can benefit a wider variety of people. Alleviating Poverty in Rural Communities Through the company's language poverty alleviation project, iFLYTEK helps to reduce the language barrier facing many ethnic minorities who do not speak Mandarin Chinese. By providing the Language Poverty Alleviation App to minority populations in China, iFLYTEK helps to eliminate communication and economic inequities. "iFLYTEK's corporate social responsibility initiatives create a better future for local and global communities," said Qingfeng. "We continue to invest significant resources into the research and development of AI technologies that provide unique practical solutions to improve access to quality education, healthcare, and eradicate poverty." About iFLYTEK iFLYTEK is one of the world's leading artificial intelligence (AI) and speech technology companies with approximately 10,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue of approximately $2 billion. For more information, please visit www.iflytek.com/en. SOURCE iFLYTEK In The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics investigators share a new methodology for testing pooled samples that maximizes the proportion of samples resolved after a single round of testing Philadelphia, April 26, 2021 - Fast turnaround of COVID-19 test results for healthcare workers is critical. Investigators have now developed a COVID-19 testing strategy that maximizes the proportion of negative results after a single round of testing, allowing prompt notification of results. The method also reduces the need for increasingly limited test reagents, as fewer additional tests are required. Their strategy is described in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier. There is an urgent need to reduce the spread of COVID-19 transmission in hospitals and care facilities and to maintain adequate levels of staffing. Group testing strategies with pooled samples have been proposed to increase capacity; however, the currently used strategies are slow. "One of the main hurdles to initiating a comprehensive hospital staff testing program is the large number of staff requiring testing and the rapid turnaround times that would be required to make any screening strategy successful," explained lead investigators Graeme Black, DPhil, and John Henry McDermott, MD, both from the Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. "Using the method we have developed, any laboratory could adapt their testing scheme based on the current throughput and the current prevalence of infection in the population, facilitating a data-driven testing strategy." Traditional Dorfman sequential (DS) pooling combines multiple samples and, if a pool test returns positive, all of the constituent samples undergo further testing. In a healthcare setting, this means that even individuals who ultimately test negative for COVID-19 will have to isolate. The investigators developed a nonadaptive combinatorial (NAC) pooling approach that tests the same sample in several simultaneously assayed pools. The algorithm assumes initially that each sample is positive. It then attempts to disprove this assumption by finding a well in which the sample has been placed that has tested as negative. Then another algorithm is used to find positive wells that contain a single sample on the list of the remaining potentially positive samples. Indeterminate samples are retested. To establish a suitable limit of detection for pooling, nasopharyngeal samples of known SARS-CoV-2 status were placed in two pools, each containing 14 SARS-CoV-2 negative samples and one SARS-CoV-2 positive sample, with the positive samples at differing viral loads. Pooling matrices were generated for 700, 350, and 250 samples, with each sample assigned to 2, 4, and 5 wells, respectively. The samples were also tested in a DS testing scheme. The efficacy of each matrix was tested under different SARS-CoV-2 prevalence levels of 0.1 percent, 3 percent, 7 percent, and 10 percent of the population. All NAC matrices performed well at low prevalence levels, with an average of 585 tests saved per assay in the 700 sample matrix. In simulations of low-to-medium prevalence levels (0.1 percent - 3 percent), which is the prevalence expected in an asymptomatic healthcare worker population, all the NAC matrices required fewer retests than the DS testing scheme. However, as the population prevalence increased, the performance of each matrix deteriorated. "Pooling becomes increasingly useful as the population prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 decreases," Prof. Black and Dr. McDermott observed. "Initially the most conservative matrix, 250 samples, should be used to determine the prevalence level. As the prevalence falls, the use of less tolerant but higher throughput assays could be used, such as the 700 sample pool." The matrices and system to decode the results are freely available (http://www. samplepooling. com ) and laboratories can choose the matrix that best suits their current population prevalence and sample size, facilitating a context-specific, relatively low cost data-driven testing approach. "Many high-throughput testing schemes for SARS-CoV-2 detection have been developed over the past year. We illustrate the potential power that adaptable automated, innovative mathematical approaches have to increase COVID-19 diagnostic capability in a safe manner. Such an approach could reach far greater numbers, save lives, and be delivered in a sustainable way. Undoubtedly, this has considerable relevance to other future population-based screening approaches," Prof. Black and Dr. McDermott concluded. ### Daniel Kaluuya drew on his respect for Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton's principles to produce an Oscar-winning portrayal of the slain 1960s civil rights leader in "Judas and the Black Messiah". "What a man. What a man. How blessed we are that we live in a lifetime where he existed," Kaluuya said as he accepted his golden statuette for best supporting actor on Sunday. The 32-year-old Briton said he aimed to become a "vessel" for Hampton's spirit as the United States and other countries still confront the same racial issues the Panthers battled. "Chairman Fred Hampton was a light, a beacon of a being who would illuminate all he touched with his incredible message," Kaluuya said last month after his Academy Award nomination, the second in his career. "I am humbled to be nominated for portraying a man whose principles I deeply respect and for guiding me to walk in his footsteps," he added. "I became a vessel for Chairman Fred's spirit at a time when we need his rally cry for equality and justice more than ever." Kaluuya -- who also won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award and a Bafta for the role -- bested stiff competition, including from co-star Lakeith Stanfield, who plays the "Judas" of the movie -- FBI informant William O'Neal. Kaluuya, seen as a rising star in Hollywood, was last in contention for an Academy Award in 2018 for his gripping lead performance in Jordan Peele's race-based horror film "Get Out". - Youth drama beginnings - Kaluuya was born in London and brought up by his mother, a Ugandan immigrant, in a public housing estate in the British capital. His father stayed in Uganda. A live wire, he wrote his first play aged nine and his mother registered him for sessions at a local community drama school to keep him out of trouble. After five years on the waiting list, the teenager got in. Kaluuya acted in the edgy youth television drama "Skins" and was part of the writing team. Story continues Finally landing theatre work, he won rave reviews in 2010 for his lead role in "Sucker Punch", slimming down to play a boxer. But in the same year, he was wrongly arrested on suspicion of being a drug dealer. Officers dragged him off a London bus and pinned him to the ground. He walked free from court after prosecutors offered no evidence, and sued the police. "Sucker Punch" led to parts in more British television programmes as well as films including "Johnny English Reborn" (2011), "Kick-Ass 2" (2013), "Sicario" (2015) and "Widows" (2018). His profile rose significantly after appearing in "Get Out" and then 2018 big-budget Marvel superhero film "Black Panther", the franchise's first with a predominantly Black cast, which was nominated for a best picture Oscar. - 'Presence' - Kaluuya has earned critical acclaim for his magnetic portrayal of Hampton in "Judas", which was made with the blessing and input of the late civil rights activist's family. His win is further vindication for Shaka King, the film's writer and director, who defended casting a black Briton in the role of the African-American icon, famed for his inspiring oratory and intense charisma. King said he wrote the script for his first studio feature, which secured six Oscar nominations, with Kaluuya in mind and never considered anyone else for the part. Industry legends who have also directed Kaluuya have paid their own tributes to his innate skills in front of the camera. "You feel what he is feeling, you see what he is seeing," Oscar-winner Steve McQueen told The New York Times after working with him on "Widows". "He has that gift you don't see often, a presence even in his stillness." jj/phz/sst Lou Hammond Group has won the Jamaica Tourist Board following a competitive pitch, replacing Finn Partners, which decided not to compete for the business. Donovan White, director of JTB, selected LHG due to its in-depth marketing expertise, respected reputation and celebrated media relationships. Lou Hammonds firm will position Jamaica as a four-season destination of choice for Americans by highlighting the islands natural beauty, cultural heritage, music and opportunities for wellness and enrichment. Hammond told ODwyers that president Terry Gallagher is in the process of putting together a team to tell the story of Jamaica. LHG ranks No. 8 on ODwyers rankings of travel PR firms, chalking up $7.5M in 2020 fee income. Disgraced fund manager Neil Woodford is poised to set up his new venture in notorious tax haven, the Cayman Islands. Woodford, whose Equity Income Fund was at the centre of a scandal two years ago, had previously suggested his company could be based in Jersey. But after the crown dependency's regulator warned it could not be used as a 'back door' to restart the 61-year-old's career, he has turned to the Caribbean, according to financial website Citywire. Life's a beach: Neil Woodford is said to have registered WCM Partners Healthcare on April 16 in the Caymans He is said to have registered WCM Partners Healthcare on April 16 in the Caymans, a British overseas territory. The islands were dubbed 'one of the world's most notorious tax havens' by Oxfam last year, due to their light-touch regulatory regime and tax exemptions. It comes after Woodford's decision to start a new fund prompted dismay among politicians and savers who lost under the stock picker. Some 200million is owed to investors. The fund's collapse is being investigated by City regulators, while a legal battle is also underway over compensation for savers. Republicans' legislatures are pressing through a slew of new state laws limiting voting access as Democrats in Washington struggle to pass federal election laws. Montana's Republican lawmakers also enacted stricter voting restrictions. If Republicans scramble to adjust the ground rules for upcoming votes, GOP lawmakers in Arizona, Florida, and Texas will quickly follow suit. Republicans push for a stricter voter access "This nationwide trend by state lawmakers to limit voting access is moving full steam ahead," said Jonathan Diaz, voting rights legal counsel at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. Florida, a huge political battleground where lawmakers are expected to adjourn by the end of the month, is one of the most widely watched states. Bills are being considered that will restrict who can return absentee ballots on behalf of voters, require voter ID for absentee voting, and exclude outside organizations from supplying water to voters within 150 feet of a polling place. One Florida amendment would force voters to reapply for absentee ballots for each election rather than remaining on an absentee voting list. The state Senate will vote on its voting resolutions in the House in the coming week, KTVZ reported. The Republicans' moves around the country come as Democrats in Washington struggle to pass federal election laws that supporters hope could counter the current restrictions. The pace at which Republican-led states are restricting access to the ballot box has refocused attention on Democratic attempts to pass the "For the People Act," which will change voting, campaign finance, and ethics laws. It will require states to have at least 15 days of early voting in federal elections, provide for compulsory and same-day voter registration, restore voting rights to former felons, and prevent states from banning mail-in and curbside voting, among other measures. President Joe Biden's Ambitious Climate Goals To Be Hindered by America's Predominant Gas-Fueled Vehicles States would also encourage voters to file affidavits in place of photo identification, according to the bill. The bill passed the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and was heard by the Senate Rules Committee on May 11. It has, however, met with fierce resistance from Republicans, who see it as a partisan power grab. It has also failed to support the whole Democratic Party, which holds just 50 seats in the 100-member chamber. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the country's most powerful business organizations, is also campaigning against the measure, claiming that it restricts business groups' political advocacy. One of the most significant possible roadblocks is the unwillingness of moderate Democrats, especially West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, to repeal the Senate filibuster rules, which require 60 votes to pass legislation. Despite this, Manchin has stated his support for expanding voting access. Faced with the possibility of Senate silence, some members of the Congressional Black Caucus are considering a new approach: introducing a more focused voting rights bill named after the late Rep. John Lewis in the hopes of breaking the deadlock. The bill, which is currently being debated in the House, aims to reinstate core provisions of the Voting Rights Act, which allowed states and localities with a history of racial discrimination to obtain federal permission before changing election laws or policies. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the provision in a 2013 ruling. Trump Requests Arizona Governor Ducey to Secure 2020 Election Audit Support for voting access plunges among Republicans The overwhelming majority of Americans support a wide range of policies that will significantly increase voter access to the polls next year, as per The Hill. But a recent study showed an increasing political divide as Republican voters express new skepticism about absentee and early voting after former President Donald Trump blamed access to the polling for his electoral defeat last year. According to the Pew Research Center poll, a large number of Americans support changes that will make voting more accessible: About three-quarters of people want at least two weeks of early voting before Election Day. Seven out of ten people support allowing convicted felons to reclaim their right to vote after serving their sentences. Six out of ten people believe that any qualified person should be automatically registered to vote. However, there are significant differences of opinion among partisans. More than 80 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters believe that any voter should vote early or absentee without having a reason. Just 38 percent of Republicans agree, down 19 points after Pew polled the same question in late 2018. ICE Ends Trump-Era Policy, Says Penalties for Undocumented Immigrants 'Ineffective' @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. An Annadale man who was arrested late last year after allegedly calling for the extermination of Democrats and their families and for the FBI building to be bombed pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a gun in federal court on Monday. Brian Maiorana, 54, who was arrested at home on Nov. 10 after allegedly making a series of violent threats in the wake of citywide protests and the presidential election won by President Joe Biden, faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced. Maiorana initially faced multiple charges, including transmission of threats to injure; however, he only pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, officials said. After the election, Maiorana said on social media, Carnage needs to come in the form of extermination of anyone that claims to be Democrat as well as their family members, court filings alleged. Just days later, he allegedly said, As the Jew Senator from Jew York said nothing is off the table, apparently threatening Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. He allegedly added: The Turner Diaries must come to life. We blow up the FBI building for real. All the alphabet agencies assassination will become the new normal now. The Turner Diaries is a 1978 novel by William Luther Pierce. It depicts a violent revolution in the U.S. which leads to the federal government being overthrown, a nuclear war and a race war that results in the systematic extermination of non-whites, said court filings. Authorities raided Maioranas home after the comments were discovered and found a semiautomatic Glock pistol, two magazines of .45-caliber ammunition, parts for a .22-caliber firearm and additional ammunition., the Advance/SILive.com previously reported. Due to a 2007 felony conviction in Pennsylvania for statutory sexual assault, he is barred from possessing or obtaining firearms or ammunition, said court documents. Maiorana is registered as a level-one sex offender in New York, those records said. Defense lawyer James Darrow declined to comment. Malta and France will battle it out for Eurovision honours this year according to current bookmakers odds. But Australia would not qualify for the Final if the bookies prove correct. That would be a first. Montaigne is due to appear in Semi Final 1 with her song Technicolour, performing Live on Tape after SBS announced the Australian delegation would not travel to Rotterdam. Semi Final 1 is a killer battle of 16 acts, including many of this years favourites, for 10 places in the Final. The bookies suggest Australia has just a 35% chance of qualifying, with Ireland, North Macedonia and Slovenia trailing. Israel and Belgium could be two other countries who miss glory from Semi Final 1. But Eurovision is also subject to many unknowns, including staging, how well the act performs on the day, and where they are placed in the Final -Montaigne performs #5th following popular Sweden. What is unknown about Australias Live on Tape entry is whether it will go against us in the voting -or make us more memorable when it comes to votes. Fingers crossed its a fab performance! Switzerland, Italy, Bulgaria -and Sweden- are also popular with bookies. SBS screens Eurovision from 19 to 23 May. Related Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 09:24:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A military officer shows a video of the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala-402 recorded by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Bisinglasi/Xinhua) JAKARTA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Military (TNI) on Sunday afternoon said that rescue ships have found the location and more authentic evidence of wreckage of the missing submarine KRI Nanggala-402 in the ocean floor off Bali's northern coast. At a televised joint press conference, TNI said that one of its military ship KRI Rigel last night performed a more accurate scan of the location using multibeam sonar and magnetometer and produced more detailed underwater imagery, while Singaporean ship MV Ship Rescue also lowered its remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to visually amplify underwater imagery using a camera. "We have obtained images that have been confirmed as part of the KRI Nanggala-402 including the rear vertical rudder, anchor, outside parts of the pressure hull, the embossed diving rudder, other parts of the ship including the crew's safety suit MK11," TNI Chief Hadi Tjahjanto said. The military chief said that based on this authentic evidence, the KRI Nanggala-402 can be confirmed that it has drowned and all of its crew have died. "With deep sadness as the TNI Commander, I declare that 53 personnel who were on board the KRI Nanggala-402 have died," Tjahjanto said. The German-made-submarine lost contact after requesting diving permission to fire the Surface and Underwater Target (SUT) Torpedo at 3:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The ship has 53 people aboard, namely 49 crew members, one commander, and three arsenal personnel. A military officer shows a video of the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala-402 recorded by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Bisinglasi/Xinhua) A military officer shows a life jacket believed to be from the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala-402 during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Bisinglasi/Xinhua) An Indonesian Navy ship departs to carry out the search and rescue operation of submarine KRI Nanggala-402 at Tanjung Wangi Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua) Indonesian water police officers prepare for the search and rescue operation of submarine KRI Nanggala-402 at Tanjung Wangi Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua) The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a closely watched case involving a teenagers freedom of speech on social media. In 2017, when Brandi Levy was 14, she wanted to be a cheerleader at her school in Pennsylvania. She competed for a place on the team. But, she was not chosen for the best team. Instead, she was told she would be on the second-best team. She was upset, and while she was at a store close to her school, she took a picture of herself making a sign with her finger that is offensive in the United States. She then posted the photo on the social media service Snapchat, and also added text with a bad word. Levy was mad that she was not chosen for the top team and expressed her anger with the post. While the post could only be seen for one day, adults who ran the school saw it. So did a number of students. The school punished Levy by banning her from the team for one year. It said Levys Snapchat message upset other students and disrupted classes. The adults who ran the cheerleading team said Levy broke team rules and hurt the cohesion of the team. Levy and her parents wanted her to be put back on the cheerleading team. They took their case against the school to court. They got legal support from The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a civil rights group. A lower court judge ordered the school to let her back onto the team. The school appealed that decision to The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia. But the U.S. appeals court said the school could not punish Levy because she was off campus. The school, however, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The school said it was permitted to punish Levy because of an almost 50-year-old decision. In 1969, the Supreme Court said students could be punished for disruptive speech. After the case is presented in Washington, D.C., the court should make its ruling by June. Levy is now 18 and in college. Thinking back on how she felt four years ago, she said the punishment felt wrong. She said she thought her action was small, and she was only expressing her feelings. She said recently that she did not bully or harass anyone in her message. The court ruling will set an important example for speech. Schools say if the court rules for Levy, it will make their job more difficult. School leaders say it is already hard to keep students from making disruptive statements on social media. These incidents, they argue, most often happen outside of school hours and while students are at home, but they affect the student body. In a paper the school submitted for the case, it asked where school property ends in the world of internet messaging. If a student sends harassing emails to school accounts from home where did the speech happen? A representative from a national group of school leaders warned against giving students the freedom to send disruptive messages even if they are away from school. President Joe Bidens administration has expressed support for the schools side of the case. The ACLU and other organizations, however, say that if the school wins the case, it will make it harder for students to express themselves. The ACLU said that if Levy loses the case, it will make it easier for schools to follow and watch their students all the time. Sara Rose is a lawyer with the ACLU and is working on the case. She said schools can do things to protect students that do not involve punishing kids for speech that they engage in off campus. Im Dan Friedell. Andrew Chung wrote this story for Reuters. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. Would you restrict student speech made off-campus? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story disrupt v. to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way : to interrupt the normal progress or activity of (something) cohesion n. a condition in which people or things are closely united campus n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school, etc. bully v. to frighten, hurt, or threaten (a smaller or weaker person) : to act like a bully toward (someone) harass v. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way engage in v. to do something Marine, firefighter, doctor: W&M grad follows unconventional path Carving his own path: Evan Kikla '21 went from a less-than-stellar high school student to the Marine Corps, wildland fire fighting out West and then to William & Mary to study biology. After graduating on May 23, he will enter medical school in the fall. "And I would say that I would like to encourage all students, and especially all veteran students you dont have to be on a time line and you dont have to do what everyone else wants you to do," Kikla said. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption Its OK to find your way as you go, and most importantly to decide whats right for you in your own time, according to Evan Kikla 21. Kikla will graduate from William & Mary on May 23 as part of Commencement weekend. His journey to his degree was circuitous, unlikely and entirely his own. Kikla went from a less-than-stellar high school student who moved around as part of a Navy family to the Marine Corps, wildland fire fighting out West and then to William & Mary to study biology. He will enter medical school in the fall. The journey I took to get to where I am was kind of winding and circuitous, Kikla said. It was a winding, kind of not really focused journey. But I would say that the biggest thing about me was the ability to always keep moving forward and accepting challenges and not letting people tell me which direction to go or whats the safe option. And I would say that I would like to encourage all students, and especially all veteran students you dont have to be on a time line and you dont have to do what everyone else wants you to do." Marine Corps seemed natural After graduating from high school in Maryland more than 10 years ago, Kikla decided to join the Marines. Both of my parents were naval officers, so I grew up with it, Kikla said. I was also a really bad high school student. And then I had lived in the Middle East when I was a kid, in Bahrain in the pre-9/11 Middle East. And having experienced Marines when things like the USS Cole got bombed. So it was something that really stuck out with me. So when I turned 17, that was in 2009 so that was as we were ramping up in Afghanistan. It seemed really natural to enlist in the Marine Corps infantry. He served as a rifleman from 2009 to 2014, which included stints in Yorktown from 2010 to 2012 and Twentynine Palms, California, from 2012 to 2014. Kikla spent time as a marksmanship instructor with the Twentynine Palms marksmanship training unit and competed on the Twentynine Palms base shooting team. During his time in the Marines, he was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as Yokosuka and Okinawa, Japan. Fire fighting was spur of the moment Leaving the military in mid-2014, Kiklas plan of going to college for business or something similar and getting a job didnt seem like it was going to work for him. Getting out of the militarys a very difficult thing, Kikla said. You enter a world that has a completely different value system, and all my friends were out in California on the other side of the country. I just found myself really isolated. I bounced around a little bit, and I wasnt able to get into any of the colleges I had applied to, including William & Mary, because of my bad academic background. He felt like he was going to waste his GI Bill going to community college to study something he wasnt all that interested in and dropped everything all at once. Running across an ad online for an AmeriCorps conservation crew in Colorado that was recruiting veterans to train in wildland fire fighting, Kikla decided to give it a try. And it seemed like the closest thing in the civilian world to my Marine experiences, he said. So I applied to that. They called me and said: Hey, can you be out here in four days? And I said Sure, and I just drove out to Colorado to join this conservation corps. And it was a great time. It was a bunch of us vets just living out in the woods. We lived out of our cars for six months. We got a really measly living stipend, and so we couldnt afford housing. I got to do all kinds of cool stuff out in the woods like learn how to cut down trees and stuff. After completing that training, Kikla applied for federal fire fighting jobs and landed on Lakeview Crew 7 with the Bureau of Land Management in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Its one of several all-veteran crews with the bureau and would become the Lakeview Hotshots and the first all-veteran hotshot crew in the country after Kiklas first season with them in 2015. Hotshots are the highest echelon of wildland firefighters; I was actually really proud to be a part of that, he said. Still wanting to go to college, Kikla attended the spring semester at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, in 2017 to get his grades up. He then worked the fire season after that and was accepted and started at W&M in the spring of 2018. University prepared him for next step He had decided to study biology in preparation for becoming a doctor and would take two leaves of absence from the university to return West for short-term stints to fight fires during his time in Williamsburg. I was introduced to William & Mary as a Marine, Kikla said. I was stationed in Yorktown for two years, and I would go into Williamsburg to escape all the other Marines. I would hang out at Aromas and read books. Because when youre a junior Marine, you dont want to see your NCOs out in town. And I was like None of these guys will show up in Williamsburg. So from that experience, everyone I talked to back then this was like 2010 said, William & Mary is such a rigorous school. Its so hard to get into. Its where all the smart kids go. Not particularly interested at the time, Kikla had thought the campus was pretty. He also liked the idea of the universitys challenging academic standards and history. When I got interested in medicine, I guess that started in the Marines and as a fire line EMT, Kikla said. And medical school became my objective; it was like I want the best education that I could get to prepare me to apply to medical school. And William & Mary seemed to fit a lot within the culture that I had been in the Marine Corps and in fire fighting where it was uncompromising in its rigor. And as someone who understood implicitly that actually the harder the challenge, the better it makes you, I was like Im not as worried about my GPA; I want the best underlying education I can get so that I can maximize doing well on the MCAT and then further on in medical school. That was a lot of what drew him to W&M. During an exceptionally bad fire season in 2018 and again in 2019, he took three-week and one semester breaks to help his crew fight fires in Washington, making that a consistent part of his college experience. And it turned out to be the case, Kikla said. I think that the education here is really, really strong. Ive only really experienced a lot of the science stuff, but it is rather uncompromising. The standards are really high, and a lot of these kids are very competitive. And a lot of being on a hotshot crew is everyones driving each other to be better because you just have to compete on a curve. And its pretty much the same thing here. Kikla got outstanding grades and did well on the MCAT, which led to his acceptances to several medical schools. Using his GI Bill to attend W&M gave him ownership. I could very easily waste what was a really good opportunity that was difficult to earn, Kikla said. I didnt want to do that, so when I decided to return to education it was with a very focused mindset and (I was) determined to use my GI Bill well. I was trying to go for medicine, and I could totally burn my GI Bill by failing to get into medical school. I had to be all in. His biggest concern coming back to W&M was how to adjust socially and finding a veterans network. There isnt a huge population of vets or non-traditional students at William & Mary, but they do exist, Kikla said. I was able to make a decent number of friends that were people that shared similar experiences and stuff. So we have a veteran office, and they were able to connect me with some people and that was really nice, and one of thems my roommate now. So were both applying for med schools. I didnt have a problem coming in here and finding my own niche and adjusting and being successful. Medical field combines interests Looking to the future, Kikla is particularly interested in focusing his medical career on military members. He likes rural environments and feels veterans are fairly under-served, so he would like to combine those interests. So whatever kind of gives me the best opportunities to interact with both the patients that I would like to work with eventually and also work in the settings that I would like to work, Kikla said. So thats really anything from internal medicine to a lot of the surgical specialties, anesthesiology, things like that. Knowing his path found its own way in due time, Kikla emphasized that he wants students to understand you have to find your own way and answers arent always readily apparent. When I joined the Marine Corps it wasnt standard practice for everyone in high school to join the military in a time of war, and then when I got out it wasnt standard practice for every veteran to go fight wild fire fighters, Kikla said. And then when I was fighting wild fires and I said Im going to go to school, everyone there said: Why would you do that? I would say a big part of what I would like people to be encouraged to do is to follow what they think their best options are and to not let people tell them that they cant do things. ITV has unveiled the cast for its new drama telling the story of 'canoe man' John Darwin. The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe has been written by acclaimed screenwriter Chris Lang and will star renowned actors Monica Dolan and Eddie Marsan. Advertisements BIFA nominee Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan, Sherlock Holmes, Happy Go Lucky) plays John Darwin who faked his own death to claim life insurance and avoid bankruptcy while BAFTA-winner Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult, W1A, A Very English Scandal) plays his wife Anne. Monica Dolan and Eddie Marsan will be joined in the cast by Mark Stanley (White House Farm) and Karl Pilkington (Sick of It, Derek). Writer Chris Lang said: I am beyond delighted to be working with two of the finest actors of their generation. I have admired them both from afar for many years (not in a creepy way though) and cannot wait to see them bring Anne and John Darwin to life. Eddie Marsan commented: Im so thrilled to be working with Chris Lang, one of our greatest writers and to get the chance to work with Monica Dolan. The story of how and why John Darwin faked his own death to defraud insurance companies is fascinating, and if it werent fact, youd think it unbelievable. "I cant pretend to understand what was going on in his head when he made those choices, but Im going to do my absolute best to portray him, and I cant wait to get started. Monica Dolan added: The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe tells the story of surely the most outrageous fraud of modern times - and my favourite kind of drama is when the outrageous comes from the prosaic. Advertisements "As breath-taking as their managing to pull this deception off in the first place, is how spectacularly the couple wrecked it for themselves as soon as they had got away with it. A synopsis of the series shares: "The drama will focus on how Anne Darwin became complicit in her husbands deception as she started to convince the world, their family and friends, the police and insurance companies, that he had gone missing in 2002 whilst canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew in Cleveland, where the couple owned two large houses with panoramic views of the sea. "The deception was to take its toll on Anne who lied to their sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years whilst her husband, in the early days of the fraud, secretly lived in a bedsit next door to the home he shared with Anne. "Devastated by the loss of their father, neither son had an inkling their parents were capable of such treachery. Anne and John Darwin eventually decided to leave Seaton Carew and move to Panama City to start a new life together before their secret was exposed by the discovery of an infamous photo of them posing in a Panama real estate office in July 2006. "At her trial Anne Darwin pleaded not guilty, arguing that she had been coerced into the plot by her husband, but the jury didnt believe her. She and her husband were both jailed for more than 6 years." Advertisements The four-part drama films in the North East this month (April), directed by BAFTA winner Richard Laxton, (Honour, Mrs Wilson, Mum). The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is based upon the unpublished manuscript written by journalist David Leigh who was the first journalist to track down Anne as she was on the verge of setting up a new life in Panama. More on: ITV TV Brad Pitt was looking dapper as ever while rocking a blonde ponytail as a presenter at the 93rd Oscars in Los Angeles. The 57-year-old actor won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 92nd Oscars for his portrayal of Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This year, he took to the Oscar stage at Union Station in Los Angeles to present the Best Supporting Actress award. Brad presents: Brad Pitt was looking dapper as ever while rocking a blonde ponytail as a presenter at the 93rd Oscars in Los Angeles Winner: The 57-year-old actor won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 92nd Oscars for his portrayal of Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Pitt rocked a classic black tuxedo with a black suit coat, white dress shirt, black bow tie, black pants and black shoes. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a small pony tail as he took to the stage to present the Best Supporting Actor award. Before presenting the award, though, he revealed where he first got his love of movies, like many of the other presenters have throughout the night. Brad's look: Pitt rocked a classic black tuxedo with a black suit coat, white dress shirt, black bow tie, black pants and black shoes Brad's look: His long blonde hair was pulled back into a small pony tail as he took to the stage to present the Best Supporting Actor award Winner and presenter: Before presenting the award, though, he revealed where he first got his love of movies, like many of the other presenters have throughout the night 'My love of movies began at the local drive-in, watching Clint Eastwood and Godzilla,' Pitt said with a smile. He also revealed that the nominees fell in love with movies at a young age, including Yuh-jung Youn, who, 'fell in love with the movies through the work of actresses like Maggie Smith and directors Robert Altman and Mike Leigh.' He added that Amanda Seyfriend fell in love with the 'Leo version' of Romeo and Juliet, with the actor adding, 'Me too.' Movie love: 'My love of movies began at the local drive-in, watching Clint Eastwood and Godzilla,' Pitt said with a smile Love: He also revealed that the nominees fell in love with movies at a young age, including Yuh-jung Youn, who, 'fell in love with the movies through the work of actresses like Maggie Smith and directors Robert Altman and Mike Leigh' Love: He added that Amanda Seyfriend fell in love with the 'Leo version' of Romeo and Juliet, with the actor adding, 'Me too' He added that Borat 2 star Maria Bakalova loved Marilyn Monroe, and when she, 'dreamed about coming to Hollywood, she'd write out, "I'm going to be a great movie star some day,' as Pitt added, 'Maria, welcome.' Pitt added that Olivia Colman and her family used to gather at Christmas and watch The Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, while Glenn Close was 'entranced by classic Disney movies like Snow white and Old Yeller, before she was cast as Cruelle de vil. He then presented the Oscar to Youn for her performance in the Best Picture nominee Minari. Winner: He then presented the Oscar to Youn for her performance in the Best Picture nominee Minari Youn began her speech by marveling at simply meeting Pitt for the first time, as Pitt would later lead her off the stage after winning her first Oscar. He chatted with her briefly while walking back stage with the actress before the telecast cut to commercial. Pitt will next be seen in Bullet Train, Lost City of D and Babylon. Speech: Youn began her speech by marveling at simply meeting Pitt for the first time, as Pitt would later lead her off the stage after winning her first Oscar Brad helps: Youn began her speech by marveling at simply meeting Pitt for the first time, as Pitt would later lead her off the stage after winning her first Oscar This way: He chatted with her briefly while walking back stage with the actress before the telecast cut to commercial Coming soon: Pitt will next be seen in Bullet Train, Lost City of D and Babylon Outside: Brad Pitt was spotted outside while waiting for his driver Mask up: Pitt was spotted having a conversation while donning a black face mask after the Oscar telecast Multiple masks: He was later seen with a different mask, a blue medical face mask while waiting outside Waiting game: Pitt was seen solo backstage Downtown venue: The 93rd Oscars were held at Union Station in Los Angeles and other locations via satellite A LOOK BACK AT BRAD PITT'S MOST MEMORABLE HAIRSTYLES The 57-year-old heartthrob has been gracing our movie screens since the 1980s and has transformed his look dozens of times. Here are some of his most notable hairdos: New to the scene: In the late '80s the actor was rocking a fetching mullet ahead of his breakout role in Thelma & Louise (1991) Golden boy: In the early 1990s Pitt opted for a wholesome boy-next-door look - around the time of his hit movie A River Runs Through It Hippy chic: In 1993 he grew his hair out, perfect for his roles in Legends of the Fall and Interview with the Vampire Rock 'n' roll: The actor also went through a grunge phase with long tresses and a beard in the early '90s Twinning: In 1997 Pitt opted for a side-swept pixie crop, matching his girlfriend of the time, Gwyneth Paltrow Close shave: For his role in Mr & Mrs Smith in 2005, Pitt opted for a buzz cut Blond ambition: The actor also experimented with hair dye. Seen here in 2005 Tousled: By 2007 he was back to a more natural hue and into more styled hairdos with highlights More recently the actor has grown his hair out again and likes to change up his facial hair. He's seen in 2019 (left) and 2020 (right) Advertisement Mitigating water pollution and protecting the water environment has a bearing on the well-being of the people, the future of the country and the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. Endeavor to pursue cleaner water and a more beautiful environment in China has been a major concern of President Xi Jinping, who has championed the country's river conservation efforts to advance ecological progress. Over the years, Xi has inspected many rivers across the country. He has on many occasions stressed the importance of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River basin. In 2019, China unveiled an action plan to protect and restore the Yangtze River as the country pushed forward environmental protection. In the same year, China set the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin as a major national strategy. The Yellow River is China's second-longest waterway. BETTER PROTECTION Xi said restoring the ecological environment of the Yangtze River should be an overwhelming task, and no large-scale development will be allowed along the river at present and for a rather long period to come. Provinces and municipalities along the Yangtze have stepped up conservation efforts to restore the health of rivers and pursue green, high-quality growth. Over the past five years, a large number of highly polluting and energy-intensive enterprises have been shut down, and more than 8,000 chemical enterprises along the Yangtze have been closed, transformed, or relocated, official statistics showed. "The protection of the Yellow River is critical to the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation," said Xi during an inspection tour in Henan Province in 2019. He called for concerted efforts to promote ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River. In August last year, a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presided over by Xi, reviewed a guideline on the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. In April this year, a symposium was held regarding the legislation on Yellow River protection. RESTORING BIODIVERSITY Xi has stressed the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands. The idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," conceptualized by Xi, has taken roots in the country. Having spent 40 years fishing in the Yangtze River, ex-fisherman Hu Xingchun now works to protect fishery resources, patrolling the river regularly to see if there are any illegal fishing activities. After the fishermen moved ashore and stopped fishing, fish stocks are recovering, said Hu from Susong County, east China's Anhui Province, adding that the rare finless porpoises could now be spotted on fine days. Hu felt the urgent need for restoring river ecosystems after witnessing the dwindling fish stocks in the river. In the 1980s, he could catch up to 100 kg of fish a day, but the fish stocks began decreasing from around 1995 and later his daily catch slumped to less than 10 kg. On Jan. 1 this year, a 10-year fishing ban took effect in pivotal waters of the Yangtze to help it recover from dwindling aquatic resources and degrading biodiversity. On March 1, the Yangtze River conservation law -- the country's first legislation on a specific river basin -- came into force, strengthening oversight as well as the prevention and control of water pollution in the river basin. Thanks to the protection efforts, the biodiversity in the Yangtze River has been recovering. Jiangsu Province saw a rise last year in fish varieties in the local section of the Yangtze, according to the latest survey and monitoring data jointly released by the Jiangsu provincial environmental monitoring center and Nanjing University. Compared with the total 70 varieties of fish recorded in 2018, Jiangsu registered 81 fish varieties in 2020 along the waterway, an increase of about 15.7 percent, showing an improving ecological environment in the waters, according to the data. Marshall Co. Commissioner Candidate Field Growing By West Kentucky Star Staff MARSHALL COUNTY - Three men have recently announced their candidacy for Marshall County Commissioner, and another has said he's seeking re-election.Current Coroner Michael Gordon is running for 2nd District Commissioner. He is a US Air Force veteran and graduate of Marshall County Schools, Paducah Community College, Eastern Kentucky University and Liberty University. He is an Advance Practice Registered Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) with more than 25 years in the healthcare industry. He was elected to his first term as Coroner in 2018. Gordon promises to be a conservative representative of the people.Another candidate in the 2022 2nd District primary will be Dustin Thompson. He was born and raised in Marshall County, and said in his announcement that he believes Marshall County has been, and should continue to be a community that strives to make the best opportunities for everyone. Thompson said it would be an honor to serve the people as a leader who is connected to the community.The incumbent 2nd District Commissioner, Kevin Spraggs, is not running for re-election, because he is a candidate for County Judge-Executive.Carl Curtis Curtner is running for 1st District Commissioner. He had served as Emergency Management Director for Marshall County until January, when he was fired by County Judge-Executive Kevin Neal. He serves as Deputy Coroner, and said he's looking forward to being a voice for the people when elected.The current Commissioner for the 1st District is Justin Lamb, who is running for re-election. He believes some issues that had been ignored in District 1 have been solved since he was elected in 2018, but there is more to be done. It was 1981 and then-Gov. Jerry Brown had a problem. Californias 12 prisons were bulging at the seams with more than 28,000 inmates, thanks largely to tougher sentencing laws he signed, and he was told to expect another 20,000 more inmates within a few years. The state hadnt built a new prison in two decades, stretching back to when Browns father, Pat Brown, was governor. The Department of Corrections, as the prison system was then called, wanted Brown to launch a major prison construction program to handle its rapidly growing inmate load. The young governor, nearing the end of his second and final term, was reluctant to ask voters for billions of dollars in bond money to build new prisons. His state architect, Sim Van der Ryn, had even refused to endorse plans for new prisons, reflecting opposition by those on Browns left flank. Finally, after months of negotiations and debate within his administration, Brown took a minimalist approach, asking the Legislature to place a $495 million prison bond issue on the 1982 ballot, enough to build space for about 10,000 more inmates, a fraction of the projected need. SWARTZ CREEK, MI -- The Swartz Creek community is mourning the heartbreaking loss after Jentery Farmer, a city councilman and graduate of Swartz Creek High School, died Saturday, April 24. Farmer, 27, was Ward 4s elected representation on the city council and a former planning commission member. He was born and raised in Swartz Creek, with an interest in local politics that started when he was a Cub Scout. Jentery has been involved in so many things that it is difficult to get an all-encompassing eulogy or statement to grasp who he was as a person, City Manager Adam Zettel told MLive-The Flint Journal. ... Myself and so many others in the community were aware of him even in high school because he was engaged in civic-type activities. This is one of those times when it doesnt seem fair. He was, bar none, the nicest and most sincere human I ever met, said Zettel. Farmer worked as a special events and business development manager for John P. OSullivan Distributing, Inc. in Flint. He attended the University of Michigan-Flint as well, according to previous reporting. There are very few people involved in anything that didnt know him and feel the heartbreaking loss of Jentery as a great person, Zettel said. From the citys standpoint, we are grieving the loss of a current and future leader of tremendous impact. After getting his start on the Swartz Creek planning commission in 2016, Farmers passion for the future of Swartz Creek never wavered, even after joining the city council in 2018, Zettel said. He served as the council representative on the planning commission. Farmer also shared relationships with Hometown Days festival organizers and the Swartz Creek Fire Department. Swartz Creek Fire Chief Dave Plumb shared some thoughts with the community Sunday evening, calling Farmer a good friend, genuine person and strong elected leader. We will all miss him, Plumb wrote in a social media post. On behalf of all our firefighters and staff, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his mother Stephanie and all the rest of his family, along with our gratitude for everything Jentery accomplished for the betterment of our community. The city will appoint a replacement for Farmers city council chair to serve the rest of his term until November 2022, Zettel said. Farmers family will hold visitation from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 27, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 28 at Sharp Funeral Homes Miller Road Chapel. Farmers funeral will be at 1 p.m. April 29 at the Central Church of the Nazarene. Read more on MLive: Michigan coronavirus data for Monday, April 26: Downward trend continues, but long way to go Brother continues legacy of Luz Taco King Martinez with El Poco Loco in Burton, commitment to community Fruit carver to the stars: Flint mans fruit carving business catches attention of Martin Lawrence, Snoop Dogg and more Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visits COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Flint church The fallout from the deadly police shooting of a teen in Overland Park persists more than two years following the tragic incident. Accordingly . . . Political push back is spreading across the metro and just moments ago a leading activist organization released their demands for the removal of Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez. Before dismissing the activists, let's not forget that More2 successfully took down the top cop in KCK. Here's their online petition . . . Our Open Letter Regarding Overland Park Police Department Check the money link from their missive . . . "Following the tragic 2018 killing of John Albers by Officer Clayton Jenison, Chief Donchez misled the public, implying that Officer Jenison resigned while keeping hidden a $70,000 severance agreement. In his formal report, Donchez wrote that Jenison left Under Ordinary Circumstances. We cannot accept the killing of John Albers as ordinary circumstances. "In July 2020, as the nation's attention was fixed and conscience reawakened to the racial injustices illuminated by the killing of George Floyd, Overland Park witnessed peaceful demonstrations of support for racial justice, like many communities across the country. Yet, when threats from white nationalists emerged, Donchez chose to crack down on protestors rather than stand up to extremists. We cannot accept bending to the demands of white nationalists." "Just this month, two officers filed a lawsuit claiming Chief Donchez discriminated and denied promotions on the basis of age, gender, and race. While such allegations will inevitably be dealt with in the courts, they embody a pattern of behavior lacking transparency, accountability, and discipline, which is vital to our community trust and safety. We cannot accept the shadow of multiple scandals hanging over Overland Park Police in a time that calls for bold moral leadership." "For these reasons, we demand action to remove Chief Donchez." Links . . . KSHB: Group calls for termination of Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez amid 'multiple scandals' WDAF: Demanding Change - Activists join family of teen killed by Overland Park police officer to protest department KCTV5: Faith leaders, MORE2 demand resignation of Overland Park police chief Developing . . . New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday (April 26, 2021), with the consensus of all major political parties, allowed the Vedanta's Sterlite plant in Tuticorin to reopen to produce oxygen. The plant will operate for the next four months, using electricity provided by the State Government. The step has come amid the oxygen crisis in the country due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The Tamil Nadu government said that based on the COVID-19 situation and the requirement of oxygen, the four-month time period may be extended. The decision to permit the plant's operation, however, comes with several conditions that no other unit within the plant will be allowed to operate and the electricity will also be suspended after the stipulated period. Also, copper or other products cannot be manufactured during these four months and the Sterlite will not be permitted to use its power generation unit. In terms of security arrangements and confidence-building among the local population, the State Government has said that a team will be formed. The team under the leadership of the District Collector and Police officials, along with Government experts in oxygen manufacturing, local people, anti-Sterlite protestors, NGOs, and environmental experts will be deciding and monitoring oxygen production at the plant. Addressing fellow political leaders at the all-party meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami said that Vedanta had approached the Supreme Court, seeking permission to maintain its valuable assets in the Smelter plant and produce 1,050 ton of oxygen, which can be supplied freely to the nearby hospitals and other states. This is to be noted that the 4,00,000 tonne per annum Sterlite copper smelter plant has been operating in Tuticorin for over 25 years with a cumulative investment of about Rs 3,000 crore. However, from the very start, the Sterlite copper smelter plant has been facing protests from the local people who allege that it pollutes the environment and affects their life. Subsequently, the State government had ordered the closure of the copper smelter plant in 2018 following a violent protest that led to the death of 13 persons in police firing. The Supreme Court is hearing an appeal filed by the company against the Madras High Court's refusal to reopen the plant. Pope Francis has expressed his willingness again to visit North Korea as he sympathized with the Korean people long separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, a senior South Korean bishop said Monday. The pope made the remarks during a meeting in the Vatican with Lazarus You Heung-sik, who heads the Daejeon diocese, saying the Korean people have been suffering the pain of living separated for 70 years, the bishop told Yonhap News Agency. The pope said he will visit North Korea if relevant preparations are completed, according to the bishop. The pope has expressed a willingness to visit the North before. A papal trip to Pyongyang gained traction in 2018 amid a peace mood created by three inter-Korean summits and a historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then U.S. President Donald Trump. In October of that year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in paid a courtesy call to the pope and delivered a verbal invitation from Kim. The pope said at the time he was willing to visit the North if Pyongyang sends him an official invitation. No further progress, however, has been made since a no-deal summit in Hanoi in 2019 between Kim and Trump. Meanwhile, the pope expressed appreciation for a Daejeon diocese-initiated vaccine sharing campaign by which US$460,000 has been donated to the Holy See, according to You. (Yonhap) Joe McCann (pictured) was shot dead by soldiers in the Markets area of Belfast in 1972 while dressed in disguise as he attempted to evade arrest at the hands of Royal Ulster Constabulary officers An IRA commander allegedly murdered by two former paratroopers almost 50 years ago was responsible for the deaths of 15 British soldiers, a landmark trial heard yesterday. Joe McCann was shot dead by soldiers in the Markets area of Belfast in 1972 while dressed in disguise as he attempted to evade arrest at the hands of Royal Ulster Constabulary officers. In Belfast, he was in charge of 'punishment' and 'reprisal' attacks which involved 'tarring and feathering' and shooting people, Belfast's Laganside Courts heard. McCann lured Army patrols into an ambush before firing at them 'from cover' as his 'known modus operandi', the Daily Telegraph reports. He was immortalised in Republican folklore after a photograph of him holding a rifle during a siege at a bakery during a firefight with the Army in August 1971 circulated around the world. It appears in two plaques in Belfast in his memory. Photograph said to show Joe McCann with an American M1 carbine during a gun battle for Inglis Bakery in Eliza Street in The Markets area of Belfast in 1972 The 24-year-old, who was known as the 'Officer Commanding of the 1st Battalion of the Official IRA' and a member of the IRA Army Council, was at the time of his death suspected of the murder of two soldiers, including Corporal Robert Bankier, one of the first killed during the Troubles. He was also wanted for the attempted murder of four policemen and suspected of being involved in the attempted assassination of the then home affairs minister Lord Kilclooney, facts agreed between the prosecution and defence in the case revealed. The court heard that reports had linked the father of four to a bomb attack at the Parachute Regiment headquarters in Aldershot in February 1972 which killed seven civilians. Yesterday, two veterans now in their 70s and known as Soldiers A and C, became the first ex-servicemen to stand trial following controversial 'legacy' investigations into Troubles shootings. The family of Joe McCann arrive at Laganside Court with Solicitor Niall Murphy on Monday morning Joe McCann's long IRA career in full over just seven years of attacks 1965 - Joins the IRA at the age of 17 Dec 3, 1965 - Convicted of possessing Army bayonets and being an IRA member and was sentenced to a year in prison. July 29, 1969 - Fined for assaulting a police officer. March 9, 1971 - Reports he was involved in the murder of Provisional IRA member Charlie Hughes. May 22, 1971 - Believed to have been part of the murders or two soldiers. June 28, 1971 - Convicted of breach of the peace at an IRA funeral and is sentenced to six months, but absconds on bail. August 10, 1971 - Involved in a bakery siege and subsequent firefight. September 21, 1971 - He is implicated in the attempted murder of four police officers. February 22, 1972 - Took part in the bombing of Parachute Regiment headquarters in Hampshire that killed seven civilians. February 25, 1972 - Implicated in the attempted assassination of home affairs minister Lord Kilcooney. April 15, 1972 - He is shot dead in the Markets area of Belfast. The Official IRA say he was responsible for killing 15 British soldiers. Advertisement They are also the first ex-servicemen to face charges relating to the death of an active member of the IRA. Both men, alongside a third soldier who has since died, are said to have fired at McCann as he ran away on April 15, 1972, having been called by a police officer to assist in his arrest. McCann sustained three bullet wounds but was found to be unarmed. The prosecution say the shooting was unlawful and amounts to murder because 'it was not justified to effect an arrest' and 'the level of force used was unreasonable'. The Crown alleges that both soldiers are responsible for the murder, regardless of who fired the fatal shot. Soldiers A and C pleaded not guilty from the box usually reserved for the jury before proceedings commenced. The case is being tried by Mr Justice John O'Hara, sitting alone, under Diplock rules introduced during the Troubles to avoid jury tampering. Flanked by two security officers, the veterans sat quietly, with Soldier A admitting that he was 'lip-reading' the proceedings owing to poor hearing. From the gallery, the family of McCann, including his widow Anne and daughter Nuala, came face-to-face with those allegedly responsible for his death for the first time in 50 years. Sacked veterans minister Johnny Mercer who last week blasted the Government for 'abandoning' Northern Ireland veterans, sat just feet away, offering a thumbs-up to the two soldiers during a break. Outside court he chatted to veterans, but denied 'interfering' in the judicial process. However, he added: 'What is happening today is not fair. We have two individuals in court for something [that happened] 50 years ago. They served their country, they did their best.' The court heard that police held a large amount of information on McCann at the time of his death. MP Jonny Mercer is also attending the trial, which is being heard by a judge with no jury Why is this a No Jury Trial? Northern Ireland and the reason for NJTs Unusually the case is being heard by a judge with no jury. It came after the Director of Public Prosecutions issued a certificate for a non-jury trial. Trials by judges alone are only usually held when there is a fear that a jury could be tampered with in cases concerning paramilitary organisations. In this case, the two defendants had begun processes to challenge the decision, but abandoned the procedure. Their lawyers had originally claimed the no-jury decision was wrongly based on the 2007 Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act. Previous to 2007 the 'Diplock system' let NJTs carry on because the terrorist intimidation of jurors in Northern Ireland was an obstacle to dealing effectively with terrorist crime in the courts. Now the Act gives statutory provisions that allow no jury if is is 'deemed necessary for a small number of exceptional cases' where the jurors could impair justice. The most recent figures on record show during 2019, 14 non-jury trials took place in Northern Ireland. Advertisement As well as suspicion of his involvement in a number of murders, he was known as a 'well-skilled gunman'. Sacked veterans minister Johnny Mercer who last week blasted the Government for 'abandoning' Northern Ireland veterans, sat just feet away, offering a thumbs-up to the two soldiers during a break. Outside court he chatted to veterans, but denied 'interfering' in the judicial process. However, he added: 'What is happening today is not fair. We have two individuals in court for something [that happened] 50 years ago. They served their country, they did their best.' The court heard that police held a large amount of information on McCann at the time of his death. As well as suspicion of his involvement in a number of murders, he was known as a 'well-skilled gunman'. According to the evidence provided at the time by the Special Branch officer who tried to arrest McCann, the republican was 'at the very top of the three-star list of people wanted for arrest'. After his death, the Official IRA claimed that he was responsible for the deaths of 15 British soldiers, the court heard. Witnesses attested to seeing the shooting and the immediate aftermath. Joseph Donaldson - just ten at the time and now 59 - said he and a friend cycled towards the sound of 'high-velocity shots' to 'see what was going on'. He said: 'I saw a body on the corner of Joy Street. I saw a soldier with a black cap turn him on his back. The man wasn't moving.' When Soldier A went to check on McCann, he is said to have told him as he lay dying: 'You have got me cold. I have no weapon.' The prosecution and defence agree that McCann was regarded by the security forces as someone 'who would be armed and would not hesitate to use his weapon to resist arrest'. IRA terrorist suspects are rounded up by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry Attempts are made to shore up a collapsed roof at the Royal Marines School of Music in Walmer, Kent, after an IRA bomb tore apart the recreation centre, killing 11 people Supporters of Two former paratroopers at Laganside Court on Monday ahead of the trial In statements they gave in 2010, both soldiers insisted they used 'reasonable force in all circumstances'. A lawyer for Soldier A yesterday argued that McCann was suspected of involvement in murders and could have committed more if he had evaded arrest. The trial continues. But in looking to maintain their majority and weaken Republican opportunities, Democrats also will be looking to shore up support for U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Moline, who has served since 2013 in a district trending more Republican. Similar efforts will be made for second-term U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville, who won a close reelection battle in the west, northwest and northern suburbs and exurbs. AI/ML - Sr. Software Engineer, Siri Experience Seattle , Washington , United States Machine Learning and AI Summary Posted: Apr 22, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200223063 Would you like to play a part in the next revolution in human-computer interaction? Come build the future with the Siri team at Apple. Help lead the creation of a truly personal virtual assistant... one that adapts to the unique needs and habits of each individual user. Key Qualifications Minimum 5 years of professional software experience required Experience leading software engineering teams and / or projects required 3+ years professional experience developing for Apple's platforms desired Swift or Objective-C experience desired Familiarity with machine learning based systems is a plus Passion for great products Very strong software engineering skills Ability to identify similar software solutions and generalize them into libraries Ability to work in a highly collaborative environment Ability and desire to lead a small teams of high impact engineers Description The Siri Personalization team is looking for senior engineers to lead a software projects suffusing knowledge of the user throughout Siri, the Apple virtual assistant. You will help lead development of components that learn from the user and apply those learning to improve the conversations users have with Siri; all in a privacy respecting way. Building Siri requires deep expertise in a myriad of cutting edge fields: natural language understanding, machine learning, privacy preserving system design, and more. You will be a hands on, technical leader as your team partners with a variety of subject matter experts to design, build, and integrate their components into a seamless platform for creating personalized Siri experiences that surprise and delight. Specific responsibilities include: Partner with application developers to build personalized features users love Build personalization APIs that Siri application developers love Lead highly cross-functional software projects Mentor junior software engineers Partner with application owners on API design, implementation, and integration Validate new platform features by leading early adoption Education & Experience BS in computer science or related fields required (or equivalent industry experience) London, April 26 : British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca on Monday denied having breached its contract to supply the European Union with 300 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. "AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court," the company said in a written statement published shortly after the EU executive branch announced that it was taking legal action against AstraZeneca over alleged breaches of its Covid-19 vaccine supply contract, the dpa news agency reported. "We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible," the statement added. The company said that it expects to deliver 50 million doses to European countries by the end of April, in line with its forecast. "Vaccines are difficult to manufacture, as evidenced by the supply challenges several companies are facing in Europe and around the world," AstraZeneca said. Earlier in the day, the spokesperson of the European Commission, Stefan De Keersmaecker, had said: "The company (AstraZeneca) has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure the timely delivery of doses. "We want to make sure that there is a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that European citizens are entitled to, and which have been promised on the basis of the contract." Credit: Shutterstock It's unusual for researchers who study our catastrophically changing climate to use the words "optimism" and "climate change" in the same sentence. As an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) lead author and a climate communication researcher, we well understand how grave the climate situation is. The science projections tell us we're not on track to stay under the Paris Agreement's 2 target. Our planet's biodiversity and oceans are in peril. And if we reach climate tipping points, we'll have little ability to mitigate runaway climate change. But what if we were to come to a tipping point for climate action? At Biden's climate summit last week, the US committed to a 50-52% cut in greenhouse gas emissions reduction on 2005 levels by 2030. The UK promised a 78% emissions reduction by 2035, while the EU pledged to cut emissions 55% by 2030 on 1990 levels. And Japan committed to a 46% cut by 2030 on 2013 emissions. Australia, however, brought nothing new to the table in terms of emissions, offering no further cuts to its planned 26-28% reduction on 2005 emissions by 2030. Australia's lack of ambition aside, the summit is not the only sign transformation in the global climate effort is underway. Recently, more reasons for optimism have emerged than we've seen for decades. A groundswell of change The science on climate change is now more detailed than ever. Although much of it is devastating, it's also resoundingly clear. The IPCC's AR6 reportsthe latest assessment of the science and social responses to climate changewill be released in time for the next major climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow in November. This means policy makers will have a stronger directive than ever on the urgency to act. Greta Thunberg called on Congress to enact more concrete measures on climate change when she appeared virtually before a House subcommittee on Thursday. "We are the ones who get to decide how you will be remembered," the teenage climate activist warned lawmakers. "Choose wisely." pic.twitter.com/5Xi6Mzm6gQ The New York Times (@nytimes) April 22, 2021 It's now also unequivocal that people want action. The largest ever global opinion survey on climate change, The Peoples' Climate Vote, found in late 2020 that 64% of people consider the climate crisis a "global emergency." This poll also showed strong support for wide-ranging policy action. Support for climate action was above 80% in all countries among people with post-secondary education, underscoring the importance of education in advancing support for climate-friendly policy. Policy makers at last seem to be taking both science and public will for action seriously. Some 120 countries have committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Even the current largest emitter, China, has committed to carbon neutrality by 2060, or sooner. Business and finance are also on board. Internationally, the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures and, at home, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority now consider climate change mitigation central to corporations' due care and diligence. Company directors who fail to consider and disclose climate-related risks could now be held liable under Australia's Corporations Act. Films like David Attenboroughs A Life on Our Planet increase social understanding of climate change. International finance and insurers, are also progressively abandoning coal. And investment in climate solutions is garnering increasing interest. There is much opportunity in this domain: the OECD estimated in 2017 that investment of US$6.9 trillion a year over 15 years in clean energy infrastructure would be needed to keep global temperature rise under 2. Carbon border taxes are also now being mooted, so countries will pay for their high-emissions supply chains in taxes on their exports. Australia is particularly exposed in this regard, given it's slower to decarbonise than many of its trading partners. Better social understanding of climate The unprecedented student climate strikes in 2019 brought climate change repeatedly onto media agendas and into conversations around dinner tables. The student strikers can no doubt be credited with setting off the first domino in a tipping point for action that seems to be beginning now. In the past two years, we have seen greater visibility and increased social understanding of climate change. Globally, films like David Attenborough's climate testament, A Life on Our Planet, have made the climate and biodiversity crisis unflinchingly clear for audiences around the world. In Australia, popular media outputssuch as the film 2040, ABC's Fight for Planet A and Big Weatherhave enhanced Australians' climate literacy. While climate denial still exists, people overwhelmingly understand climate change is real and is contributing to disasters such as the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires. In fact, 82% of Australians think climate change will lead to more bushfires. Though research on social understanding of climate has long shown climate change makes people feel powerless, we now have tools giving us agency to act by meaningfully reducing our own emissions, such as carbon accounting apps that help us track and minimize household emissions. And such change from below is significant: some research shows household emissions account for 72% of the global total. So with the right incentives (we'll need both carrots and sticks) behavioral change could contribute significantly to emissions reductions. Actions for the decisive decade For the first time, then, political will and global public opinion seem focused on profound action across many domains. This could mean we're not bound to the current heating trajectory. But to elude a catastrophic temperature rise of 3-4 by 2100, we must make political ambitions, collective change and personal contributions concrete. Actions for this decisive decade include putting the international commitments to deep emissions cuts into action, with clear pathways to net zero. Ambitions on cuts will have to be continually ratcheted up, this decade, with developed countries making the greatest reductions. Climate laggardsas Australia is increasingly characterizedwill need to step up. Coal will have to be phased out quickly, carbon pollution taxed and investment in climate solutions incentivised. People in developed countries will need to accept fundamental lifestyle changes and decision makers must construct policies to guide such change. Governments must make policy based on sciencewhich the coronavirus pandemic has shown we can do. It seems we're heading for an "overshoot" scenario, where the global temperature rise will exceed 1.5, before we pull the temperature back down over decades with negative emissions. Investment in such technology initiatives as direct air carbon dioxide capture, must be massively scaled up. Nature-based solutions such as reafforestation and restoration of carbon sequestering ecosystems, on land and in the water, will also be crucial. Above all, we need to act fast. The 2020s really are our final chance: our "Earthshot" moment to start to repair the planet after decades of inaction. Explore further In world first, New Zealand to make banks report climate impact This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This years World Book Day was commemorated in Accra yesterday on the theme: Solidifying the book industry and reading for national development. Also known as the World Book and Copyright Day, the day was instituted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing and copyright. The first commemoration was done in the United Kingdom in 1995. Passage of Bill The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adutwum, urged stakeholders in the educational sector to support the ministry as it pushed for the passage of the Ghana Book Development Agency Bill into law. The bill, when passed, would provide a more definite mandate for the agency to operate as a parent body in the book industry, he said. Additionally, the minister said, there should be a national book and reading policy to regulate the reading, development, assessment, production and distribution of books in the country. That was contained in a speech read on behalf of the minister by the Chief Director of the ministry, Mr Benjamin Kwasi Gyasi, at the event. We also have to build a culture of literary events for pupils and students across the country, such as international and regional book fairs and well-coordinated reading programmes, he added. The minister acknowledged the contribution of players in the book industry, including authors, publishers, editors, printers, booksellers, librarians and other stakeholders, in advancing the publishing of indigenous books. I think that one of the factors involved in taking education to greater heights in the country is building a robust book industry and a well-structured reading system where students at all levels will not read only textbooks but also have supplementary readers to enhance their functional literacy, Dr Adutwum said. Importance of books The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Audrey Azoulay, said books were the means of exploring realms beyond personal experience through exposure to different authors, ideas and cultures. Page by page, books light a path for us to roam, unbound by time or borders. In other words, books give us freedom. It is the power of books that we all need right now, she added. While celebrating books, Ms Azoulay said, there was also the need to celebrate their authors, who had provided snippets of life and insights into other realities. In that regard, she said, UNECSO was supporting the work of publishers through undertakings such as its partnership with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Publishers Association (IPA). Book stock The Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority (GLA), Mr Hayford Siaw, said the authority had increased its book stock to 1,078,691. He said in 1981, the number of books on shelves across public libraries in Ghana was 1,049,526, declining to 349,941 in 2016, an indication that 699,585 books were missing. Over a space of three years, the GLA, recognising the critical role of books, increased our stock to 1,078,691. The most treasured resource of every public library in the world is the number of books it has at its disposal for the use of patrons, he said. Mr Siaw also said the GLA currently had 95 public libraries under its management, with 43 of them being renovated and restocked with relevant books. 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 Panaji, April 26 : A political war of words has erupted between Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat over the issue of Covid-19 management in the state which had registered a record 2,293 infections over 24 hours on Sunday. While Sawant has urged the Opposition not to play politics over the pandemic, Kamat has claimed that on the contrary, Sawant and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been politicising Covid-19 management efforts in the state. "The Goa Chief Minister has taken objection to criticism from the Opposition and said that there should be no politics over Covid-19, but the BJP and its party workers are obsessed with 'utsavs'. At a time when the state government should have created infrastructure to tackle Covid-19, it insisted on organising showcase events like 'taali bajao', 'thali bajao' and 'utsavs'," Kamat said, referring to the 'Tika Utsav' initiative launched by the BJP across India. "The Goa government must come up with an effective action plan to control spread of the virus," the Leader of Opposition said. Kamat also said the state government made no efforts to create infrastructure to battle the pandemic between the first and second Covid waves, adding that, in order to curb the infection rates, the Goa Chief Minister should put restrictions on the influx of people into Goa. "It is clear that the government did not do anything in the last one year between the first and second waves is evident by the fact that people are dying because of non-availability of oxygen to fight the crisis," Kamat said. "There needs to be control on influx of people into Goa. The state government needs to make compulsory Covid-negative certificates for people entering Goa," he added. Sawant, however, maintains that the spike in Covid-19 cases on Sunday was on account of clearing of a backlog of test results which were delayed. "The high number of deaths due to Covid-19 today is painful and a serious concern for us during this second wave. We are giving the best healthcare facility to treat Covid-19 patients and are consistently working to upgrade the same," Sawant said. "However, the increased number of Covid-positive cases is due to the clearance of backlog and the same is expected to continue for the next two days. Urging citizens to strictly follow all Covid-19 appropriate norms and get vaccinated," the Goa Chief Minister added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 07:56:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close African penguins lie on the beach at Boulders Penguin Colony, Simon's Town, southwest South Africa, April 25, 2021. The African penguin is endemic to coastal areas of southern Africa. It has experienced rapid population declines over the past century as a result of over exploitation for food, habitat modification of nesting sites, oil spillages, and competition for food resources with commercial fishing. April 25 marks World Penguin Day, which is a celebratory and educative initiative that encourages people to learn more about penguins and their environment. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran) Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 23:21:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Zhou Qianxian BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday reaffirmed the significance of ecological conservation during his latest inspection visit to south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Hailing the Lijiang River as "the one-and-only treasure" of China and the world, Xi said that its ecological environment should never be damaged. During his previous inspection tour to Guangxi in 2017, Xi visited a mangrove conservation area in the Beihai Golden Bay and stressed that "the region's ecological advantages shouldn't be traded even for gold." Ecological protection is always high on the Chinese leader's agenda. As part of his Fujian tour this year, Xi visited the Wuyishan National Park, emphasizing the need of building a nature reserves system centering on national parks to keep the ecosystem intact and protect biodiversity. Xi's special concerns during his tours shed light on what type of modernization the world's second-largest economy is seeking to embrace from a new historical starting point. According to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, an essential part of China's modernization will be the harmony between man and nature. In other words, in its journey toward modernization, China will strive to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony. It will be a tough path, a road sort of different from what mankind has ever taken. Since the industrial civilization, mankind has created massive material wealth. Yet, it has come at a cost of intensified exploitation of natural resources, which laid bare growing tensions in the human-nature relationship. In the 21st century, however, there is a chance for countries seeking modernization to ride the trend of technological revolution and industrial transformation, to seize the enormous opportunities in green transition, and let the power of innovation upgrade economic, energy and industrial structures. China has obviously made its choice and set itself on a course chasing the dawn of a new type of modernization. In 2018, China incorporated ecological civilization into its Constitution for the first time. In its 14th Five-Year Plan, China has vowed to lower the energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) and its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 13.5 percent and 18 percent, respectively. China has also announced its goal of striving to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, which requires extraordinarily hard efforts by the country, considering the nation is still experiencing industrialization and urbanization and holds high expectations of economic growth. With the Chinese leader's remarks "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" spreading far and wide across the country, people have seen a change in their perception. Trade-offs between economy and nature have been taken more as a false assumption while "protecting the environment is to protect productivity" has increasingly become a mainstream agenda. Take the Lijiang River for instance. After local governments made all-out efforts to reduce pollution and improve the river's ecology, local residents have seen tourism booming, with hundreds of thousands of visitors attracted each year before disruption due to COVID-19. Guilin, where Lijiang scenic spot is located, received 138 million tourists and generated consumption totaling 187.4 billion yuan (about 28.87 billion U.S. dollars) in 2019, up 26.7 percent and 34.7 percent year on year, respectively. Achieving modernization featuring man-nature harmony is obviously more complex and challenging than treating the environment of a river. With less than 10 years left for the country to peak carbon dioxide emissions, China is faced with great challenges and has much to do. Despite advantages accruing from consistent policy-making and formulating long-term development plans, China needs to encourage more technological and institutional innovation, curb fossil fuel consumption, advance its carbon trading market and create more market space for renewable energy, amid other efforts. As Xi has noted, the period of China's commitment to move from carbon peak to carbon neutrality is much shorter than what many developed countries might need. With all those challenges ahead, China has taken a path less beaten. If the country's grand vision materializes, it will be a blessing to both mankind and nature. The high-quality development which the Chinese people are seeking will show its far-reaching influence toward the future. Enditem Colorado Politics senior political reporter Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist. New Delhi: In a veiled attack on the Shiv Sena, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said a generous opponent is better than a selfish friend. While addressing a felicitation programme in an honour of NCP president Sharad Pawar in Amravati, Fadnavis did not cite Shiv Senas name as the latter has been criticising the ruling party BJP for its policies despite being in coalition in the state. "There are few leaders in Indian politics who go beyond the realm of politics and forge a friendship. Sharad Pawar is one of them. A dialogue is necessary between political parties. We may have political differences with him but if an issue concerns the welfare of the state, Pawar himself calls and suggests remedial measures," Fadnavis said. Matlabi dost se achha dildaar virodhak hota hai: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in Amravati pic.twitter.com/z7SuBBMzwy ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2017 "This is the magnanimity which is needed. It is much better to have a magnanimous friend than a selfish friend. Sharad Pawar is one such opponent," Fadnavis said, adding that his comments should not be misconstrued. (With PTI Inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Madras High Court on Friday held the Election Commission of India responsible for not stopping political parties from organising election rallies amidst coronavirus crisis across the country. Chief Justice of Madras High Court Sanjib Banerjee went on to say that officials of Election Commission (EC) should be booked for murder. The High Court stated, "Your institution is singularly responsible for the second wave of COVID-19. Election Commission officers should be booked on murder charges probably." It warned EC that it will stop counting of votes on May 2 if a proper plan to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols is not put in place. Justice Banerjee said it was distressing to see that constitutional authorities like EC had to be reminded of the fact that the public health is of paramount importance and "it is only when a citizen survives that he'll be able to enjoy the rights that a democratic republic guarantees". When the counsel representing EC said that measures had been taken to curb COVID-19 transmission, Justice Banerjee asked EC if it was "on another planet when election rallies were being held". The High Court directed EC and Chief Election Officer of Tamil Nadu to draft COVID-19 protocol for the counting day in consultation with the Health Secretary, and to submit the same by April 30. Edited by Mehak Agarwal Also read: West Bengal elections: Polling begins for seventh phase; PM Modi urges voters to follow COVID norms Also read: COVID-19 crisis: India logs biggest single-day rise with over 3.5 lakh fresh cases, 2,812 deaths OPG is a trailblazer in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, design, operations and maintenance, leading the drive to decarbonize how Ontarians travel. The company has partnered to develop the Ivy Charging Network, Ontario's largest EV charging network. As well, OPG is working with other municipal transit agencies and fleets to provide solutions to meet their EV charging infrastructure needs. OPG's Climate Change Plan commits to being a net-zero carbon company by 2040 and to lead the charge to a net-zero economy in jurisdictions where we operate by 2050. Helping decarbonize transportation aligns with this plan. QUOTES "Our clean electricity is ready to help decarbonize other sectors including transportation," said Ken Hartwick, OPG President and CEO. "As the largest utility in Ontario, we're well-positioned to coordinate a province-wide program for charging infrastructure to reduce transit-related emissions while providing the best possible value to Ontarians." "I am greatly encouraged by the framework agreement between the TTC, Toronto Hydro, and Ontario Power Generation," said Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development, and Mines. "Ontario is home to one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world. This new charging infrastructure will help our province further reduce greenhouse gas emissions as Ontario continues to lead North America in the electrification of the transportation sector and beyond." "The electrification of more TTC buses on our roads will help contribute to lower carbon emissions throughout Ontario's transportation sector," said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. "By providing more environmentally friendly transit options, the TTC, OPG and Toronto Hydro are contributing to our government's efforts to build healthier communities across our province." "With the largest fleet of battery-electric buses in North America, we are leading the charge towards full electrification and this innovative partnership with OPG and Toronto Hydro is one more example of that," said TTC CEO Rick Leary. "I am so proud of our collaboration on this important issue as we work towards a cleaner and more sustainable future for the City of Toronto." "Toronto Hydro is excited to continue to play an active role in transportation electrification, including through our partnership with Ontario Power Generation and the Toronto Transit Commission to support the TTC in the electrification of the infrastructure needed to support its Green Fleet Program," said Anthony Haines, President and CEO, Toronto Hydro. "We believe electric vehicles of all kinds are the future of transportation." QUICK FACTS Ontario's electricity is among the cleanest in the world, responsible for only two per cent of Ontario's total emissions. We can use our clean electricity system to drive further emissions reductions in other sectors, including transportation. electricity is among the cleanest in the world, responsible for only two per cent of total emissions. We can use our clean electricity system to drive further emissions reductions in other sectors, including transportation. In 2014, OPG burned its last piece of coal to produce electricity, the world's single largest action to date to combat climate change. The transportation sector, including passenger vehicles, heavy trucking, transit and other modes, remains a significant driver of climate change, causing more than 30 per cent of Ontario's greenhouse gas pollution. greenhouse gas pollution. In partnership with Hydro One, OPG is currently developing the Ivy Charging Network, Ontario's largest EV charging network. Read more. largest EV charging network. Read more. Hydrogen also plays a role in our efforts to decarbonize transportation. Learn more. ABOUT OPG As a global climate change leader and the largest, most diverse electricity generator in the province, OPG and its family of companies are helping lead the charge to a post-carbon economy. Follow us @opg SOURCE Ontario Power Generation Inc. For further information: OPG Media Relations, 416-592-4008 or 1-877-592-4008 Related Links http://www.opg.com Although Huawei is not completely out from the rough weather, it is still pushing the Android alternative, Harmony OS to more platforms. Although there is no official confirmation, tipster Digital Chat Station, on Weibo (via GizChina), states that the Huawei Mate 40 Pro 4G version now has a new certification. The specs remain the same as the 5G variant, which has already been launched last year, whats new this time is that instead of Android-based EMUI, the new handsets are listed with HarmonyOS 2.0. If true, this will also be Huaweis first smartphone to feature HarmonyOS 2.0 out of the box. In case you are wondering, Huawei launched HarmonyOS 2.0 back in September last year during its Huawei Developers Conference (HDC) in China. At that time, the reports cited Consumer business CEO Richard Yu saying that Huawei is ready with a Harmony OS smartphone but has not been able to launch it considering it was already in an agreement with Google. As per the firm, HarmonyOS is meant to integrate several devices with fast connection, capability collaboration, and resource sharing. As for the aforementioned new Huawei Mate 40 Pro 4G version, the handset specifications stay the same. This includes a 6.76-inch FHD+ flexible OLED "Horizon" display along with 90Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate, circular rear camera setup comprising of five sensors, Kirin 9000 SoC, 12GB RAM and 4,400mAh battery. The rear camera setup features a primary 1/1.28-inch 50-megapixel sensor along with a 20-megapixel ultra-wide lens, 5x periscope lens with 12-megapixel resolution and 10x hybrid zoom. The ASX stood still on Monday as historically high iron ore prices were off-set by investors waiting for clarity about surging COVID cases around Asia and financial results of US-listed companies. The benchmark ASX/S&P 200 moved in a narrow band before closing at its lowest point of the day, down 0.2 per cent at 7045.6 points. Trading volumes were low with the ANZAC Day holiday observed in some states. The ASX lost 0.2 per cent on Monday. Credit:Shutterstock In a change of fortunes, consumer stocks that did very well in 2020 continued a multi-session decline, with Kogan.com falling 4.1 per cent to an 11-month low of $10.25, JB Hi-Fi falling 4 per cent to a six-week low of $48.11, and Harvey Norman dropping 2.5 per cent to $5.39. A snap lockdown in Western Australia was lifted during trading, but the travel uncertainty saw travel stocks closing in red again, including a 1.2 per cent drop in Qantas. However, mining stocks did well thanks to a historically high iron ore price, which pushed Fortescue Metals up 4.8 per cent to $22.70 and Champion Iron up 3.1 per cent to $7.01. BHP gained 0.6 per cent to a six-week high of $47.84 and Rio Tinto added 1.1 per cent a seven-week high of $122.51. Health insurer nib holdings gained 10.2 per cent after reinstating guidance with a strong outlook. Chief investment officer at Burman Invest, Julia Lee, said iron ore prices were at record highs in China this week, hitting $US186.25 on Monday. The miners are the highlight of the market today, she said. One of the things that has been happening is that positive surprises have been coming through from the main cyclical stocks like financials and materials. The market is not always where the growth is, it is where the new information is, she added. The inflation numbers coming out on Wednesday were also going to be of particular interest this week she added, given that one of the fears is that higher inflation could mean lower returns on the market. Senior market analyst for Oanda, Jeffrey Halley, said it could take a few weeks to see if surging cases in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and other Asian countries would disrupt the earnings recovery that investors were expecting to see. Indias uncontrolled outbreak was also weighing on sentiment. One thing is for sure, markets have priced in the pandemic as a sprint and not a marathon, Mr Halley wrote in a note to clients. That premise could come under stress in the weeks to come, although I sorely hope I am completely wrong on this front. US-based United Airlines resumed flights from New Delhi to America from Sunday, April 25. "United Airlines is scheduled to resume flights from Delhi to the United States from Sunday 25 April," United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement. The announcement came after the airline suspended services to Delhi on April 23. United Airlines' spokesperson stated that the reason for the suspension of flights was because it was seeking clarity over COVID related travel requirements to India. Also Read: Second COVID-19 wave: List of countries that have banned flights from India "As we seek clarity regarding COVID-19 travel requirements to India, we have temporarily suspended service to DEL for April 22 and cancelled the corresponding return flights. We are working to provide alternate options to our customers and plan to resume our scheduled service as soon as possible," the spokesperson had stated. Meanwhile, the US government has advised an advisory to American citizens to avoid all travel to India, citing an unprecedented surge in the COVID-19 cases in the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the top medical body of the US, issued the advisory earlier this week stating that even fully inoculated travellers may also be at risk of contracting and spreading variants. Also Read: United Airlines introduces Delhi-Chicago daily non-stop flights "Because of the current situation in India, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to India. If you must travel to India, get fully vaccinated before travel. All travelers should wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, and wash their hands," the CDC said in a statement. The US medical body also issued travel recommendations for travellers who are fully vaccinated. "If you are fully vaccinated, then do not have to get tested before leaving the United States, unless your destination requires it and you do not have to self-quarantine after you arrive in the United States," it added. NEWINGTON, Conn., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenbriar Equity Group, L.P. ("Greenbriar") today announced that it has acquired PCX Aerosystems ("PCX" or the "Company") concurrently with the completion of the previously announced acquisition by PCX of Senior Aerospace Connecticut ("SAC"). PCX, together with SAC, is a leading supplier of highly engineered, precision, flight critical assemblies for rotorcraft and fixed wing aerospace platforms. Founded in 1900, the company serves industry leading OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers including Boeing, Bell, General Electric and Sikorsky. PCX focuses on producing complex parts and large assemblies for flight critical applications where tight tolerances and quality are imperative. Noah Blitzer, Director at Greenbriar, said "PCX has a long and successful track record supporting its industry leading customers with differentiated capabilities in complex mission critical components. We look forward to partnering with the Company and its excellent management team and employees to support the Company in its next phase of growth." Jeff Frisby, CEO of PCX, said "Greenbriar is a deeply experienced and knowledgeable investor in our sector and we will benefit greatly from their access to capital and insights and other resources. Greenbriar and management have a shared vision of accelerating PCX's growth and expanding its capabilities to support our customers and we could not ask for a better partner to realize that vision." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. About Greenbriar Founded in 1999, Greenbriar is a private equity firm managing over $6 billion of total committed capital focused on investments in market-leading services and manufacturing businesses. Greenbriar looks to identify companies with proven management teams capitalizing on strong long-term growth prospects that can benefit from Greenbriar's deep sectoral expertise and strategic insight alongside our proven operating capabilities and network of senior executive relationships. www.greenbriarequity.com About PCX To learn more about PCX please visit http://www.pcxaero.com For more information : Trevor Hartman Vice President Sales & Marketing (860) 594-4388 SOURCE PCX Aerosystems Candles were shielded from the evening breeze during a vigil to honour mother-of-three Kelly Wilkinson, whose burnt body was found in the backyard of her Gold Coast home. The vigil for Kelly Wilkinson was held on Monday afternoon. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia Ms Wilkinsons body was found last week after a neighbour reported a disturbance at the house in Spikes Court in Arundel. Police later charged a 34-year-old man, from New Beith in Logan, with murder and breaching a domestic violence order. A crowd of people flooded into the Titans training oval on the Gold Coast on Monday. Advertisement Daniel Kaluuya left his mother mortified as he made a joke about his parents having sex during his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor at the 2021 Oscars on Sunday. The 32-year-old British actor, who won the category for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah, made the awkward comment as he excitedly declared to the audience at the Union Station in Los Angeles that he was planning to celebrate after the ceremony. 'We gotta celebrate, we gotta celebrate life,' he said as his mother Damalie Namusoke and sister watched his speech from the UK. Eh? Daniel Kaluuya's mom Damalie Namusoke couldn't believe what she was hearing when the actor made a sex joke during his acceptance speech at the Oscars on Sunday 'We're breathing, we're walking. It's incredible. Like, my mum, my dad, they had sex -it's amazing! I'm here. I'm so happy to be alive and I'm gonna celebrate that tonight.' he added jokingly as the star-studded audience giggled. After the comment, the camera cut to Kaluuya's family members and his mother was seen looking completely puzzled as she appeared to say 'What is he talking about?'. Beside her, the Get Out star's sister appeared to be embarrassed as she bowed her head in her hands. Unsurprisingly, Damalie's reaction became an instant viral hit, with Oscars viewers retweeting images of her puzzled response and joking about the awkward family moment. Even actress Issa Rae helped cement Kaluuya's mom's meme status by sharing a screen grab of her hilarious Oscars moment. Cringe! Kaluuya gave the memorable acceptance speech as he took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah 'We're breathing, we're walking. It's incredible. Like, my mom, my dad, they had sex -it's amazing! I'm here. I'm so happy to be alive and I'm gonna celebrate that tonight.' Kaluuya said as he talked about celebrating after the ceremony Tuning in: The actor's mom and sister were watching his acceptance speech from the UK Oh no! Damalie raised her hands to her face as her son made the awkward joke and his sister looked mortified As he began his speech, Kaluuya said, 'I'd like to thank my mum. Thank you so much for pouring into me. You gave me everything, you gave me your factory settings so I could stand at my fullest height,' The Black Mirror star also thanked his family and friends 'from London town to Kampala,' the capital of Uganda where the actor's father is from. He also thanked Fred Hampton, the late American activist he plays in his Best Picture-nominated movie, as well as the Black Panthers for their impact on his life. 'They showed me how to love myself, and with that love, they overflowed to the Black communities and to other communities,' he said. 'They showed us that the power of union, the power of unity, that when they play divide and conquer, we play unite and ascend.' Speaking to reporters backstage after his memorable speech, Kaluuya said his mum is 'not going to be very happy' about his joke. One reporter noted that because of the London-born star's comments, his speech would live on in infamy. 'Is that going to live on? I think that's pretty obvious that all parents have sex, man, you know? What's going on? It just came out my mouth, I know my mum's probably going to text me some stuff, but here we are,' Kaluuya responded. Asked whether he'd spoken to his mother after the win, Kaluuya said he was taking a break from his phone. 'No, bro, no, I'm gonna avoid my phone for a bit, mate, trust me, going to avoid my phone for a bit. I think my mom's not going to be very happy. But she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool,' he said. 'She's got a sense of humor so she's like we give it to each other, so it's cool.' Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the Florian Zeller-directed The Father. However, the 83-year-old Welsh star was a no-show at the ceremony. Joaquin Phoenix presented the award at the close of the show. Hopkins beat out fellow Brit Riz Ahmed for his role in Sound of Metal, the late Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Gary Oldman in Mank and Steven Yeun in Minari. Damalie's reaction became an instant viral hit, with Oscars viewers retweeting images of her puzzled response and joking about the awkward family moment Elsewhere during the night, another British star, Emerald Fennell, scooped a major gong. Fennell, 35, won Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Promising Young Woman, which is also nominated for Best Picture. The achievement makes her the first woman to win Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars since 2008. In her acceptance speech, the Hammersmith-born star said: 'The only speech I ever wrote was when I was 10 and I had a look to see if there would be anything useful from it but unfortunately I mostly thanked Zack Morris from Saved By the Bell. 'He was my very first husband,' she joked. 'Unfortunately, he hasn't been a part of my life as much as I had hoped so that speech is not that useful. But all I can say is I'm trying very hard not to cry, which is very difficult as an English person, because I don't cry ever this film was made by the most incredible people in the world.' Speaking to reporters backstage after his memorable speech, Kaluuya said his mom is 'not going to be very happy' about his joke but said his mom has a good sense of humor 'I'm gonna avoid my phone for a bit, mate, trust me, going to avoid my phone for a bit. I think my mom's not going to be very happy. But she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool,' Kaluuya said when asked if he'd spoken to his mom after the win Absent: Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his role in The Father - but was a no-show at the awards show On the red carpet, the actress and writer made the astonishing revelation that she shot the movie in less than a month. 'We made this movie in 23 days... We never expected it to get to this stage I think what's been so moving is people's candor and the conversations it's opened up for lots of people.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. During a year that saw movie theatres closed due to the pandemic, there were eight new films that did manage to impress Academy voters enough to be in contention for Hollywood's biggest award, the Oscar for Best Picture (last year there were nine nominees in the category.) Elsewhere during the night, another British star, Emerald Fennell, scooped a major gong. Fennell, 35, won Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Promising Young Woman, which is also nominated for Best Picture In her acceptance speech, the Hammersmith-born star said: 'The only speech I ever wrote was when I was 10 and I had a look to see if there would be anything useful from it but unfortunately I mostly thanked Zack Morris from Saved By the Bell Feat: On the red carpet, the actress and writer made the astonishing revelation that she shot the movie in less than a month While blockbusters may be absent this year, there have been a wide range of movies that have caught the attention of Academy voters, including the lavish Mank, Netflix's ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. Another strong contender is Minari, an indie drama about Korean immigrants scraping out a living off the land in rural America, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and starring Steven Yeun. The eight films in the top category this year are The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. It is the first time that two female directors have ever been nominated in the Best Director category, with Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) both receiving nods. Only five women have ever been nominated in the category before. An official spokesperson called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate.' (Natural News) Amazon is requiring its delivery drivers to sign new contracts permitting the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered camera technology meant to monitor them while they conduct their deliveries. The new contract affects some 75,000 drivers in the U.S. who will lose their jobs if they do not consent to the intrusive new biometrics technology. The technology identifies and stores information about the driver, including face, location, movement and driving style. It will also record if the driver yawns or shows signs of drowsiness on-shift. Information collected is then shared with their dispatcher. I had one driver who refused to sign, the owner of an Amazon delivery company in the Pacific Northwest told news site Motherboard. The business owner requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from Amazon. 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. Motherboard was able to obtain a copy of the Vehicle Technology and Biometric Consent Agreement. The form states that failure to comply with the request for consent will result in the termination of the drivers employment with Amazon or the related third-party delivery service partner that employs the driver. Amazon disclosed in the form that vehicles will be video-monitored by cameras that are both internal and external and that operate while the ignition is on and for up to 20 minutes after the ignition is turned off. The form also states that the technology may create biometric information, as well as collect, store and use biometric information from a drivers photo. The technology tracks vehicle location and movement, including miles driven, speed, acceleration, braking, turns and following distance. The technology is being provided by Netradyne, a fleet management AI-technology start-up from San Diego. In a February announcement, Amazon said the companys four-lens Driveri camera would be installed in its delivery vehicles for safety reasons, as well as improving the quality of the delivery experience. A presentation from Netradyne demonstrates the capabilities of the technology, including identifying a drivers seatbelt compliance and distraction level, which ranges from using a mobile phone to simply looking down. Driving style is also closely monitored, with events like hard acceleration and stop sign violations being recorded and swiftly reported to dispatchers. Amazon claims surveillance is meant to keep drivers and communities safe Deborah Bass, a spokeswoman for Amazon, stated that the decision to implement round-the-clock surveillance on their drivers was made to help keep drivers and the communities where we deliver safe. Bass related that Amazon tested the technology from April to October last year on over two million miles of delivery routes and the results produced remarkable driver and community safety improvements accidents decreased 48 percent, stop sign violations decreased 20 percent, driving without a seatbelt decreased 60 percent and distracted driving decreased 45 percent. Dont believe the self-interested critics who claim these cameras are intended for anything other than safety, she said. (Related: Amazon rolling out police state surveillance cameras on delivery vehicles to spy on people who arent even customers.) But some drivers working for the worlds largest e-commerce firm didnt see it that way from the moment the company announced that it would roll out cameras powered by AI. Henry Search, a 22-year-old delivery driver in Washington state, said drivers saw cameras capturing their workday as an invasion of privacy. We are out here working all day, trying our best already, Search told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview. The cameras are just another way to control us. Another driver in Massachusetts, who asked not to use his name to protect his identity, noted that drivers already use an app called Mentor that tracks the location and movements of the vehicle. He said that he would welcome a camera outside his van to record evidence for any accident, but not a camera in front of him all the time. I dont see how that keeps me safe. Its too much, he said. One driver from Michigan, who also asked not to use his name, said at the time of the camera rollout announcement that he would look for other work because he does not want to be subjected to surveillance. The footage recorded could be shared with a future possible employer who can then decide to reject you before even knowing you, he said. Largest expansion of corporate surveillance in human history Privacy advocates warned that equipping Amazons fleet of delivery vehicles with AI cameras could set a dangerous precedent for privacy. This appears to be the largest expansion of corporate surveillance in human history, said Evan Greer, deputy director of tech nonprofit Fight for the Future. If this becomes the norm, we are talking about the extinction of human privacy. Amazon has come under scrutiny in the past for accidents involving delivery drivers, but Greer didnt think the AI-powered cameras would solve the problem. The first thing Amazon should do to improve safety is to not have such outrageous delivery quotas that force people into unsafe conditions, Greer said. Rights activists pointed out that Amazon already had an extensive surveillance system in its warehouses to track workers movements and boost productivity, including navigation software, item scanners, wristbands, thermal cameras and recorded footage. There are no laws in place to meaningfully limit what Amazon can do with the footage they collect, said Greer. Andrew Ferguson, a professor of law at Washington, D.C.s American University, said Amazons private surveillance networks would boost the snooping powers of the government. (Related: Bezos the SPY master: Amazon now powering facial recognition surveillance technology for police.) While the inclination to use AI technology to enhance driver safety is commendable, the failure to think about the privacy and surveillance issues and equities is troubling, he said. Ferguson explained that while police may not have direct access to the footage, authorities will be able to access it in an investigation. Amazon is quite literally building mobile surveillance vans to film our neighborhoods, something that we would be rightly horrified about if our government did it, Ferguson said. I dont think we want to join dystopia prime. Follow Surveillance.news for more news and information related to surveillance, spying and invasion of privacy. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com Vice.com News.Trust.org Los Angeles, April 26 : The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony will go down in history as one that celebrated inclusivity as never before. From an all-black producing team being nominated for Best Picture, to Asian origin actors taking home the trophy, to deaf and mute presenter Marlee Matlin -- the Oscars this year made space for life in all its diversity. The awards themselves held little surprise. Chloe Zhao expectedly won the Best Director honour and her film "Nomadland" won the Best Picture award. Zhao said: "My entire Nomadland company, what a crazy lifetime journey..." Veteran actor Anthony Hopkins, who portrayed an ageing man battling dementia in The Father", won the Best Actor award. The octogenarian was not present at the ceremony or on video, and his award was accepted by the Academy on his behalf. Others nominated in the category were the late Chadwick Boseman,Mads Mikkelsen, Riz Ahmed, Steven Yeun and Gary Oldman. "Nomadland" actress Frances McDormand won Best Actress. She was competing against Viola Davis, Andra Day, Vanessa Kirby and Carey Mulligan. Oscars 2021 were held from two locations in Los Angeles -- Union Station and Dolby Theatre. Dolby Theatre has been a venue for Oscars since 2001. However, this year, the live audience capacity was limited to 170 people and the guests were rotating in and out of the ceremony. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" made history by taking the award for Best Hair and Make-up. The winners, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson, became the first Black women to win in the category. The film also took home the Best Costume Design award, for Ann Roth. Pixar's "Soul", toplined by Jamie Foxx, won Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score honour. South Korean actress Yuh-Jung Youn won the Best Supporting Actress for the film "Minari". She was called on stage by Hollywood star Brad Pitt. Last year's Best Supporting Actress Laura Dern presented the nominees for the Best Supporting Actor, which went to Daniel Kaluuya for "Judas And The Black Messiah". While accepting the golden statuette, Kaluuya said: "Thank you god. I can't be here without guidance and protection.. Thank you mom. Thank you for giving me everything. It is so hard to make a film and to make a film on a man like this. I am going to celebrate life. We are standing and breathing." The Danish film "Another Round", starring Mads Mikkelsen, won Best International Feature Film, while Christopher Nolan's "Tenet", which features Indian actress Dimple Kapadia, bagged the Best Visual Effects award. Actress Reese Witherspoon named "If Anything Happens I Love You" as Best Animated Short Film. "Two Distant Strangers" took home the Best Live Action Short Film award. David Fincher's "Mank" took home the honours for Best Production Design and Best Cinematography. The award for Best Original Screenplay was given to Emerald Fennell for "Promising Young Woman". "Colette" bagged the honour for Best Documentary Short Subject. "My Octopus Teacher" received the Best Documentary Feature Oscar while the award for Best Film Editing went to "Sound Of Metal." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 23:28:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers from China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh will hold a meeting on coping with COVID-19 on Tuesday via video link. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the meeting, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday. The six foreign ministers will exchanges opinions on such issues as consolidating consensus of fighting the pandemic through solidarity, deepening anti-pandemic cooperation, and advancing the post-pandemic economic recovery, according to the spokesperson. Enditem PHILIPSBURG:--- Grant Thornton St. Maarten presented its latest publication of the Fiscal Lawbook 2021 "Fiscale Wetgeving 2021" to the Minister of Finance of St. Maarten, Mr. Ardwell Irion. The publication was handed over by Paul van Vliet, Tax Partner, and Herbert Beldman, Partner Assurance & Advisory Grant Thornton. The firm has been publishing an overview of current and relevant tax laws of Aruba, the BES islands, Curacao and St. Maarten for more than 10 years now. Ambitious organizations need to consider their tax affairs carefully, to gain trust and stay ahead of their competitors. In our local market many entrepreneurs, investors, and individuals operate in several parts of the Dutch Kingdom in the Caribbean. With all the annual changes, it remains a challenge even for tax experts to have all the tax laws available in one place in our region. With the annual release of an up-to-date edition of tax legislation, we try to accommodate this. In addition, our ambition is to have publications like this available that can help our clients and society broaden their knowledge, so they can go beyond business as usual. The return of the publication fits this objective well and the publication will also be available online free of charge. This year, the most important fiscal changes for the island of Aruba are the provisional support measures due to the Corona pandemic and the introduction of the substance requirements for companies that perform exempt activities and companies that are taxed at the rate of 10%. Moreover, Aruba introduced the Burgerlijk Wetboek Aruba boek 2 on 1 January 2021, and therefore, its no longer possible to establish Aruba tax-exempted companies in Aruba starting from 1 January 2021. In Curacao, there were only slight changes as per 1 January 2021, except for the major changes in the area of sales tax as per 1 January 2020. The scheduled replacement for sales tax by the General Expenditure Tax (Algemene Bestedingsbelasting (ABB) in 2020 has been postponed till further notice in 2021. In addition, just like previous years, there have been many minor changes across all islands too, amongst other, fiscal tariffs. The Fiscal law bundles can be bought at the reception of the Grant Thornton office for $40. Heavily armed Somali opposition fighters held positions in parts of Mogadishu on Monday, a day after clashes with government troops erupted over the president's bid to extend his mandate, in the country's worst political violence in years. Fighters used mounds of earth to barricade roads, while armed men and vehicles mounted with machine guns were stationed in opposition strongholds after the fighting that left three dead. "Both the Somali security forces and the pro-opposition fighters have taken positions along some key roads," witness Abdullahi Mire told AFP. The fragile nation has not had an effective central government since the collapse of a military regime in 1991 led to decades of civil war and lawlessness fuelled by clan conflicts. For more than a decade, conflict has centred on an Islamist insurgency by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab. The political clashes in the streets of Mogadishu mark a dangerous new phase in a dispute triggered by the failure to hold February's planned elections. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, best known by his nickname Farmajo, earlier this month signed a law approved by parliament that extended his mandate by two years. On Sunday night, sporadic bursts of heavy gunfire rang out across the capital after fighting broke out between government forces and soldiers allied along clan lines to various opposition leaders. Three people -- two police officers and one opposition fighter -- were killed in the clashes, police said Monday. Tensions remained high, with soldiers supporting the opposition vowing to remove the president by force. "Former president Farmajo is a dictator... he wants to stay in power with force. We are against that, we will continue fighting until he leaves," said military commander Abdulkadkir Mohamed Warsame, who backs former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and was running against Farmajo for the presidency. "Now we want to take over the presidency," said Warsame, adding the opposition controlled the northern Hawle Wadag district. Story continues "We will not stop our fighting -- we can stop only when we die." - Heightened clan divisions - The fighting had "sharpened" clan divisions in the capital and set the stage for more violence along those lines, said Somalia analyst Omar Mahmood. "Any sort of miscalculation could happen... it just takes one trigger-happy soldier to fire on the other side, and that's going to erupt those dynamics," the senior analyst for the International Crisis Group told AFP. Some residents in tense neighbourhoods had begun leaving their homes. Former president Hassan Sheik Mohamud said Sunday that "forces loyal to" Farmajo had attacked his house. The government denied this, saying security forces had foiled attacks by an "organised militia". While schools and universities were closed, life in some of the unaffected neighbourhoods proceeded much as usual. Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble expressed disappointment Monday with the violence during Ramadan, and urged security forces to "fulfil their national commitment and protect" Mogadishu's people. - 'Violence is unacceptable' - Farmajo's four-year mandate expired in February before fresh elections could be held, leading to a constitutional crisis and to opposition leaders refusing to recognise him. The crisis mushroomed from a long-simmering disagreement between Farmajo and the leaders of Puntland and Jubaland, two of Somalia's five semi-autonomous states, over how to conduct elections. Multiple rounds of UN-backed talks failed to find a solution, and parliament pushed through the bill extending his mandate for two years. The crisis has dismayed Somalia's foreign backers, who have urged Farmajo to resume dialogue with the federal states. "The problem is, every time you have an outbreak of violence like this, it just further widens the gulf between the parties and really makes getting to any sort of agreement that much harder," said Mahmood, the ICG analyst. The British embassy and European Union envoy in Mogadishu expressed alarm over the violence, while the UN Mission in Somalia tweeted that "violence is not the solution". UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added he was "deeply concerned" about the clashes, urging "all Somali stakeholders to resume negotiations immediately". The US State Department also expressed worry, adding that they were "prepared to consider all available tools, including sanctions and visa restrictions," to tackle the instability. nur-fb-np/kjl/to/rbu/qan New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has clarified on the issue of vaccines after concerns were raised from various quarters including the Congress. The clarification came on late Sunday (April 25) night. The Union Health Minister said, as per the new policy, even after the launch of the third phase of vaccination starting May 1, the Government of India will continue giving vaccine doses from its 50 percent quota to the states and UTs for free. These vaccines shall continue to be administered by states and union territories. Harsh Vardhan also added that the balance 50 percent quota grants flexibility for states. Adding that many states had requested that the vaccination process be opened up for them and now this balance 50 percent quota shall give them the freedom to vaccinate groups that they deem as priority. "It is a fact that health is a state subject, where the Centre essentially coordinates and facilitates the states. After we received requests from nearly all states to liberalise the vaccine distribution policy and pass on the control to the states, we decided to go ahead," Harsh Vardhan said. The Union Health Minister also emphasised that the balance 50 percent quota is also open for the corporate and private sector to pool in their resources so that the combined effort of Team India can be deployed to vaccinate every adult in the earliest possible time. The vaccination process through GOI route will continue as before and the entire expense of this will continue to be borne by the Centre. As the eligibility criteria to get vaccinated through this route evolves further, GOI will continue to provide full support to the states to vaccinate all eligible people free of cost. Undoubtedly, the private and corporate sector route will empower a large number of people to get themselves quickly vaccinated outside the government route. In essence, those who can afford to get them at the private and corporate sector rates, shall go ahead, the minister said. The states, therefore, as per their own priority and commitments, have to vaccinate only those remaining people who have not been administered vaccines either through the GOI free route or through the private route. "It is thus important to note that for the common people at large, there is and will always be an option to get vaccinated for free, to ensure that the price of vaccines does not become a burden for them." he said. "The 50 percent quota, that is at Government of India`s pricing, is for free distribution of vaccines and distribution of all of this will be done through the states only. Hence the allegation that the Centre is getting it cheap and States are not is patently false," he further said. The minister clarified that the actual situation is that states are getting one guaranteed channel of free vaccine supply, while it can simultaneously procure vaccines from another channel as per its aspirations and commitment to its people. "I see no reason why the states must complain now. They were demanding removal of restrictions on vaccine supplies to them. Under the new policy, they have the liberty to directly procure from the manufacturers and even negotiate prices based on volumes. This will also cut the delays. I empathise with the states because they are leading this battle from the front and need fast replenishment of vaccine stocks. They need to decide when, how, how much and to whom. This is exactly what the Centre has done by easing the process," the Union Health minister said. Meanwhile, on Monday, India registered 3,53,991 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. The death toll and total recoveries now stand at 1,95,123 and 1,43,04,382, respectively, and the active count has mounted to 28,13,658. Live TV Thiruvananthapuram, April 26 : Even though the second wave of Covid has dealt a severe blow to Kerala and various sorts of lockdowns are in place at several places across the state, it has not deterred the political fronts from continuing with last minute calculations on who will eventually turn winners, when the votes are counted on May 2. A media critic pointed out, just as people are fighting the pandemic, for the traditional rival fronts in the state, all eyes are on 'Super Sunday'. "Even though nothing is to be done now, as their fate has been sealed on April 6, each time the ruling CPI-M led Left or the Congress led Opposition or the also ran BJP led NDA, pull out their notebooks to make one last calculation, all of them stay positive, which is much needed for them," said the critic. Incidentally, the latest calculations from the three political fronts show that while both the traditional rivals have concluded that they are going to be the winners and surprisingly, both of them predict around 80 seats out of the 140 in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, the BJP predicts 12, while their ideological mentor RSS says it's not going to be more than six. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who for the first time in his eventful political career was the sole star campaigner for the Left when asked what's in store, pat came the reply, "none needs to waste time building castles in the air,", clearly implying that he is on course to create electoral history by becoming the first in the state to retain power through the ballot. Not to be left behind one of the two candidates set to become the Chief Minister should the Congress led UDF regains office, the other day Ramesh Chennithala's tone and tenor sounded, when speaking about on how to tackle the surge in Covid cases, as if he has already 'got' the coveted post. And not to be left behind, the ever confident and hugely positive youthful State BJP president K. Surendran who contested from two seats, continues to air his stock statement that for the BJP to come to power, all they need is 35 seats, clearly indicating the way the party has engaged in horse trading, which took place in a few states. So from Monday to 'Super Sunday', irrespective of what's going to happen in the Covid situation in Kerala, each of the three political fronts is certain to pull out their note books and assessment sheets which were prepared after the April 6 polls, to make sure, that 'they' are sure to breast the tape. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) British director and actress Emerald Fennell won the Oscar for best original screenplay last night. UK stars reeled in an impressive 29 nominations at the 93rd awards. Miss Fennell, 35, who was nominated for Promising Young Woman, debuted her baby bump on the red carpet in Los Angeles, where she was also nominated as best director. The film's star, Carey Mulligan, 35, was nominated as best actress. The ceremony was dubbed the 'Odd-scars' a ceremony unlike any other in Academy Awards history. Golden girl: Carey Mulligan in Valentino Haute Couture Purple haze: Halle Berry in striking lavender gown My Favourite night: Olivia Colman at London screening But even though stars were collecting their awards in person, celebrations were muted, with only around 170 guests a fraction of the usual 3,000. The nominees were banned from accepting awards via Zoom. Instead, they dressed up to collect their gongs from Covid-safe locations across the globe. Stars had to socially distance, wear masks and take Covid tests and temperature checks. For the first time the event was split across two venues in Los Angeles the Dolby Theatre and the Union Station railway terminus. Classic Hollywood: Mank star Amanda Seyfried in Armani Great success: Borats Maria Bakalova in Louis Vuitton UK nominees attended the British Film Institute at London's Southbank, while French ones were at a studio in Paris. Maria Bakalova, 24, nominated as best supporting actress for the mockumentary Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, went full princess, wearing a white Louis Vuitton gown with a deep V, subtle sequins and lots of tulle. Mank star Amanda Seyfried, 35, looked stunning in Armani, while Halle Berry, who joined stars such as Brad Pitt to present awards, posed in lavender. Olivia Colman, 47, an Oscar- winner two years ago, hoped for a double as she was up for best supporting actress in The Father at the London ceremony. The movie won Best Adapted Screenplay. Glenn Close paired a jewel-tone blue embellished caftan from Armani Prive with dark slacks and gloves. She was nominated for best supporting actress for Hillbilly Elegy making it the eighth time she has been nominated for an Academy Award. Its been only two months since the corporate regulator laid out new rules restricting the sale of high risk financial betting products but savvy sellers and leverage-hungry traders have already found a (legal but potentially dangerous) workaround. Amid fears the new rules will drive away customers, some big contracts for difference (CFD) and margin FX sellers are telling retail investors they can still access ultra-high leverage products by becoming a wholesale investor, as they spell out the Australian Securities and Investments Commissions (ASIC) new rules on their websites. ASIC is concerned that most small retail players trading CFDs lose money. Credit:Jim Rice The operators are telling retail customers they can avoid the traditional test used to classify a wholesale investor (that they have assets exceeding $2.5 million or an income of more than $250,000 a year) by becoming a professional trader. Operators explain that retail clients need to pass a short knowledge quiz on the products and prove they have used CFDs regularly to be classified as a sophisticated investor and access high leverage products. Some operators also add an additional income test, requiring customers to show they have an income of more than $100,000 a year or assets exceeding $500,000. New Delhi, April 26 : Sushila Verma, a 45-year-old housewife in the capital, who tested Covid positive recently, had developed breathing troubles. The pulse oximeter showed her oxygen levels going below 90. While the family scouted for hospitals, her neighbour helped her breathe again with an oxygen concentrator. Her oxygen levels have now reached a healthy 96. The second Covid wave, which began hitting India in March this year, has left more patients gasping for breath. The severe breathlessness has been a common feature observed this time that has led to a spike in demand for oxygen. The surge in demand, observed in many states including Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, led to acute shortage of oxygen in the country, with many hospitals sending SOS messages. Lack of oxygen support has also led to several deaths in the national capital. At this juncture, oxygen concentrators have become a necessity. Concentrators are a small device supplying supplementary oxygen-enriched air to people requiring oxygen therapy. They are generally used for patients with lung and other respiratory diseases. "In the case of Covid-19 patients, who feel breathless when their oxygen saturation drops below 94 per cent, then he or she must be put on Oxygen Therapy immediately to avoid damage to other body parts. Oxygen concentrators play an important role as they supply supplemental oxygen to patients via nasal cannula," Sunil Khurana, MD and CEO at BPL Medical Technologies in New Delhi, told IANS. "Oxygen concentrators work like the air conditioning machine. It takes the oxygen from the air, modifies it and releases it in a different form. Oxygen concentrators concentrate the ambient oxygen," added Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, HOD and Senior Consultant Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad. How does these machines work? An oxygen concentrator is an electronically operated device that separates oxygen from room air. It provides high concentration of oxygen directly to you through a nasal cannula. "Clinical studies have documented that oxygen concentrators are therapeutically equivalent to other types of oxygen delivery systems," Khurana said. Oxygen concentrators are widely used for oxygen provision in healthcare applications, especially where liquid or pressurised oxygen is too dangerous or inconvenient, such as in homes or in portable clinics. "They work on the principle of 'rapid pressure swing absorption' which is where the nitrogen is removed from the air using zeolite minerals which absorb the nitrogen, leaving the other gases to pass through and leaving oxygen as the primary gas. Once the oxygen is collected, the pressure then drops which allows nitrogen to desorb and be expelled back into the air through silencers," Khurana explained. Oxygen concentrators are portable and easy to use, and are thus better than the oxygen cylinders. Although at Rs 40,000-Rs 90,000, they are more expensive than cylinders (Rs 8,000-20,000), they require very minimal maintenance. The only maintenance cost is power consumption and the disposable filters and sieve beds that need to be replaced over years of usage, Khurana said. While oxygen concentrator devices can be used at the convenience of patients under the supervision of doctors or healthcare workers, the stand-alone cylinder needs to be refilled and needs utmost care and monitoring as there are chances of leakage and can cause fire accidents. "Oxygen concentrators do not have limitations of refilling. It takes oxygen from air itself, which enables unlimited supply of oxygen till electricity is available. Oxygen concentrator is a more safe option compared to the Oxygen cylinders, because cylinders can sometimes leak and oxygen saturation increases the risk of fire," Jha told IANS. Oxygen concentrators produce up to 95 per cent pure oxygen. It also has in-built oxygen sensors which can indicate if purity levels go down, Khuranna said. While the total market size in India is 40,000 units, the sudden peak in demand is likely going to affect the quality as there are not enough manufacturers in the country. "Most of the devices are manufactured in China and part of raw material is manufactured in the US. India Inc was never prepared to cater to this huge surge in demand," Khuranna said. (Rachel V Thomas can be reached at rachel.t@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 18:34:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Shengxiong) HANOI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday respectively met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. Extending congratulations on China's success in fighting COVID-19 and achieving economic development, Trong called on the two countries to maintain and promote their traditional friendship, and advance the relationship between the two militaries of the two countries. Regarding the issue on the South China Sea, Trong said the two countries should properly handle the issue based on mutual trust and respect, and prevent any related negative effect on bilateral relations. In his remarks, Phuc said Vietnam firmly upholds the one-China principle and opposes any forces' interference in China's internal affairs. Vietnam will stay on guard against and firmly resist any schemes to undermine the Vietnam-China relations, and will never follow other countries in opposing China, Phuc noted. For his part, Wei said China and Vietnam are a community with a shared future of strategic significance, and have both achieved success in economic development as well as combating the pandemic, demonstrating the strengths of the leadership of the communist parties and the socialist system. The two sides should implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, improve strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust and deepen military cooperation to further advance the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he said. On the South China Sea issue, China and Vietnam should take a broad and long-term perspective, properly handle differences, plan maritime cooperation well, resolutely stand against the interference from powers outside the region, and jointly protect the peace in the South China Sea. On Sunday, Wei met and held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang. The two witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on strengthening international military cooperation between the ministries of national defense of China and Vietnam. Enditem WASHINGTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --NASA and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on an initiative to open new avenues to engineering careers for communities underserved and underrepresented in STEM, through Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). Engineers are essential to America's goals to send humans back to the Moon and, eventually, on to Mars. Successful innovation depends on an array of ideas and skillsets to further discoveries in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through this new initiative, called "Building MSI-Led Coalitions to Strengthen Broadening Participation in Engineering," NASA and NSF will develop engagement activities benefiting both agencies and create funding opportunities for institutions and organizations to plan and build coalitions with the specific focus on diversifying the engineering workforce. NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) is developing a national network of educational institutions, alliances, pilot programs, federal agencies, individuals and other entities committed to increasing participation and inclusion in all STEM fields. "NASA and NSF have benefited from a partnership spanning decades that advances space and science research," said Mike Kincaid, NASA associate administrator for STEM Engagement. "This new collaboration enables NASA to leverage substantial NSF INCLUDES investments for the next generation of future explorers and innovators. Working together, our agencies can further strengthen a diverse STEM workforce that will achieve missions beyond our imaginations." The NSF INCLUDES National Network is grown through planning grants, partnerships, and other activities, building on each success and scaling up to reach underserved populations nationwide. With its Broadening Participation in Engineering program, NSF funds research, planning grants, and workshops, with special interest in research activities that provide connections to the NSF INCLUDES National Network. NASA's Office of STEM Engagement Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) will amplify these efforts. MUREP is taking a two-phased approach, called MUREP INCLUDES, to fund partnerships between organizations that are positioned to connect underrepresented and underserved students to opportunities in engineering. First, MUREP-funded planning grants will enable each organization to come up with a concept for a future collaboration. In the second phase, MUREP intends to fund competitively awarded grant proposals aimed at making those concepts a reality. "The goal with this new agreement is to leverage NASA and NSF programs to build coalitions of public and private organizations who use evidence-based concepts for broadening participation of underrepresented groups in engineering," said NSF Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources Karen Marrongelle. "NSF's investments in engineering research and education build and strengthen a national capacity for innovation that leads to greater prosperity and a better quality of life. Through this partnership with NASA, NSF aims to build on and scale up broadening participation programs in engineering to reach underrepresented populations nationwide, a much-needed effort to build the STEM workforce of the future." NASA and NSF will collaborate in the review of proposals submitted during each phase of MUREP INCLUDES, as well as proposals submitted to the NSF Directorate for Engineering. Together, NASA and NSF will track the initiative's progress. NASA will encourage awardees to participate in the NSF INCLUDES National Network, an online community where members can share resources, best practices, successes, and more related to broadening participation in STEM. The initiative builds on a long history of successful collaboration between NASA and NSF. This follows another NASA and NSF MOU that was signed earlier this year, in which the two agencies affirmed their intent to continue working in partnership through mutually beneficial research activities advancing space, Earth, biological, and physical sciences to further U.S. national space policy and promote the progress of science. For more information on OSTEM, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/stem Learn more about NSF and its programs at: https://www.nsf.gov SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov FRANKFORT, Ky., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With so many excellent colleges and universities to choose from in Kentucky, the challenge for prospective students isn't selecting just any school but choosing the right school from among the state's very best institutions. AcademicInfluence.com announces the release of its series "The Best Colleges & Universities in the USA," which ranks every state's schools in multiple categories. The top higher education institutions in Kentucky are ranked here: What are the top colleges and universities in Kentucky? See where AcademicInfluence.com ranks them in a variety of categories Kentucky's Best Colleges & Universities of 2021 Kentucky's page includes breakdown rankings and links in the following categories: 7 Research Universities 20 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities 9 Graduate Schools 8 Public Colleges & Universities 19 Private Colleges & Universities 15 Christian Colleges & Universities 18 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students) 10 Affordable Colleges (below national average of $16k /yr) /yr) 16 Community Colleges Attending an in-state college or university remains a major priority for many students. The tuition benefit students receive from attending a school in their state can be the deciding factor in pursuing a college degree. A local school within driving distance can also make a major difference in the cost, saving commuters money by providing an alternative to the costlier on-campus, residential experience. What are the top Kentucky colleges and universities overall? Asbury University ( Wilmore, Kentucky ) ) Bellarmine University ( Louisville ) ) Berean College ( Berea ) ( ) Centre College ( Danville ) ( ) Georgetown College ( Georgetown ) ( ) Thomas More University ( Crestview Hills ) ) Transylvania University ( Lexington ) ( ) University of Kentucky (Lexington) University of Louisville ( Louisville ) ( ) Western Kentucky University ( Bowling Green ) Baseline eligibility for selection: four-year undergraduate degree offerings, full accreditation, and a minimum graduation rate of 50%. Visit the link above to see where these schools place in each ranking, along with additional details about each and rankings of all other Kentucky colleges and universities. For those students with specific needs and who want greater customization, AcademicInfluence.com's rankings provide greater detail through 26 customizable filters available using Custom College Rankings for Kentucky . "We believe that students today want more than a degreethey want a college experience that meets their personal needs," says Dr. Jed Macosko, academic director of AcademicInfluence.com and professor of physics at Wake Forest University. "College can be costly, so students are right to have high expectations. AcademicInfluence.com helps students meet these expectations with the best tools on the internet, from our College Strategist and Desirability Score to our Custom College Rankings and fact-packed articles. Visit our site and see how we can help make your college search more effective and satisfying." AcademicInfluence.com uses its InfluenceRanking Engine to generate unbiased rankings that resist manipulation. This innovative machine-learning technology scours the web's leading data repositories to map and measure the influence of a school's thought leadership. Students now can access a superior, trustworthy ranking resource found at no other site. See the AcademicInfluence.com About page for further details on the unique capabilities and advantages of this ranking technology. AcademicInfluence.com is the preeminent technology-driven rankings site dedicated to students, researchers, and inquirers from high school through college and beyond, offering resources that connect learners to leaders. AcademicInfluence.com is a part of the EducationAccess group, a family of sites dedicated to lifelong learning and personal growth. Contact: Jed Macosko, Ph.D. Academic Director AcademicInfluence.com [email protected] (682) 302-4945 SOURCE AcademicInfluence.com Related Links http://AcademicInfluence.com Honda New Interior Design Philosophy TORRANCE, Calif. April 26, 2021; Honda previews new interior design philosophy for future Honda models Simplicity and "something" concept serves as a guidepost for the future of Honda design New approach inspired by Honda's classic human-centered interior designs with uncluttered and expansive outward visibility In the video, Honda showcases a new interior design philosophy that will shape the interior design of future Honda models. Johnathan Norman, Creative Lead for Honda Interior Design in the U.S., provides insight into the new philosophy behind the interior design direction. Inspired by the classic human-centered designs of early Honda vehicles, the brand's new simplicity and "something" philosophy helps enhance the driving experience by eliminating complexity and advancing the user experience through thoughtful and pleasing design elements. The new design philosophy features a renewed focus on Honda's classic "Man Maximum/Machine Minimum" approach that maximizes cabin space, while minimizing space required for mechanical components. "Simplicity in design requires not only a strong philosophy, but a discipline toward the user experience," said Norman. "We've heard from designers working for other brands who say they were inspired by the simple, human-centered design of old Hondas. Well, so are we!" For Honda, this means interior design is about the people inside the vehicle, leading to interiors free of visual clutter with a focus on thin pillars, a low cowl and a large greenhouse for excellent visibility, enabling the driver and occupants to see the road and the environment around them. The "and something" is the personality and character of the design meant to invoke a positive emotional response from the driver and passengers, expressed through design details such as the careful knurling of a knob or charm of a material. Norman notes the "simplicity" philosophy will be the design language of Honda, while the "and something" is the personality and appeal unique to each model. "We are pursuing this design language with the new Hondas we're designing in the studio now," he said. "It's our 'simple' approach to design with the 'and something' that will help differentiate each product and make your future Honda vehicles something you want to drive and are excited to use." About Honda Honda offers a full line of clean, safe, fun, and connected vehicles sold through more than 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. Honda has the highest fleet average fuel economy and lowest CO2 emissions of any major full-line automaker in America, according to the latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Honda lineup includes the Civic, Insight, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup, and the Odyssey minivan. Honda's electrified vehicle lineup includes the Accord Hybrid, CR-V Hybrid, Insight hybrid, and the Clarity Fuel Cell and Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. Honda has been producing automobiles in America for 38 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2020, more than 95 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally-sourced parts. For More Information Additional media information including detailed pricing features and high-resolution photography of 2020 and 2021 Honda models is available at hondanews.com . Consumer information is available at automobiles.honda.com . To join the Honda community on Facebook, visit facebook.com/honda . # # # YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Ara Aivazian says almost six months have passed since the end of the war in Artsakh, but the Republic is still facing humanitarian problems. He expressed hope that the international community will respond to the humanitarian call on helping Artsakh. To date issues requiring urgent solutions in the context of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict have not been fully solved: first of all, it relates to the immediate repatriation of prisoners of war and civilians who are held captive. Armenia, of course, stands with Artsakh in addressing the humanitarian disaster, however, we also need the support of the international community here. I hope our international partners will respond to this humanitarian call, which will also be an important contribution to mitigating the consequences of the 44-day war, he said at a joint press conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in Yerevan. Commenting on the Lithuanian FMs official visit to Armenia, acting FM Aivazian said Armenia and the Armenian people highly appreciate Lithuanias key investment in the agenda of preventing genocide crime. We have to record with a deep sorrow that today, in line with the efforts made by the international community, we again meet extremism, gross violations of human rights and norms of international humanitarian law, human life and dignity, the extreme manifestation of which became the Azerbaijani military aggression unleashed with Turkeys direct participation against the Armenians of Artsakh, the committed war crimes and atrocities and the humanitarian-crisis situation caused by it, Ara Aivazian said. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambridge Health Alliance nurses and healthcare professionals, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, will hold informational pickets on Tuesday, April 27 at CHA locations in Cambridge, Everett, and Somerville to call attention to CHA executives turning their backs on frontline healthcare workers, instead opting to drag out lengthy and unfair contract negotiations that ignore much-needed improvements to staffing, pay, and benefits. Informational Picket Details All pickets will be on Tuesday, April 27. Attendees will don masks and maintain responsible social distances. Picket speakers will include nurses, healthcare professionals, elected official and community supporters. The Cambridge Hospital Outside the hospital on Cambridge Street from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Everett Hospital Outside the hospital on Gardner Street from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Somerville Hospital Outside the hospital on Highland Avenue from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. "We were called heroes by CHA management during the pandemic but now we are forced to fight to be respected and valued as nurses and healthcare professionals," said Suzy Dailey, RN, and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee at Cambridge Hospital. "We are advocating for reasonable staffing improvements to ensure safe, high-quality care and are seeking a fair contract that will benefit patients and our community." "Despite our critical contributions to our patients and community during the pandemic and beyond, CHA management refuses to treat Everett Hospital healthcare professionals equally," said Sharen Froilan RN, and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee at Everett Hospital. "Reaching a fair contract with CHA will mean Everett Hospital nurses and healthcare professionals receive the support we need and deserve as we care for our community." "We put a hold on negotiations during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide life-saving care, and yet CHA management refuses to agree to retroactive pay raises that our nurses and healthcare professionals deserve," said Lisa Valley Shah RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee at Somerville Hospital. "Many of us are exhausted and traumatized from the past year and nurses are leaving CHA as a result. CHA must get back to the bargaining table and agree to a fair contract that demonstrates real commitment to supporting nurses and healthcare professionals." Contraction Negotiations Background Negotiations began in January 2019 over three separate MNA contracts for Cambridge, Everett, and Somerville. Currently, there are approximately 500 MNA nurses and healthcare professionals at Cambridge, 200 at Everett and 60 at Somerville. The parties had to cease negotiations for about six months at the height of pandemic so nurses could focus on saving lives. Despite the prolonged negotiations and suspension for a pandemic, CHA refuses to provide any retroactive pay increases for the excellent care provided during the worse pandemic in a century. CHA also refuses to negotiate over the proper role and safe assignments for charge nurses. Charge nurses should have no patient assignment or a limited patient assignment to ensure they can coordinate the overall needs of patients, nurses, and the flow on each individual floor/unit. A charge nurse should also be available to assist less experienced nurses with more complex cases, while also picking up patient assignments when staff become overburdened. CHA wants to move from a tradition time off accrual system with sick, vacation and personal days to earned time and change the rate of accruing such ET. The MNA will agree to move to an ET system but those RNs with 5-9 years and 15-19 years of service cannot be forced to give up 58 hours of accrued time each year as part of the transition. CHA refuses to treat healthcare professionals (HCPs) as full members of the MNA bargaining unit. Instead, it wants to keep the HCPs in a different system than the one offered to the RNs and refuses to grant the HCPs many of the scheduling and shift differentials. In May 2020, when negotiations were suspended due to the pandemic, CHA nurses and healthcare professionals delivered a petition to senior management and held a public event urging CHA to better support them with personal protective equipment and other safety and support policies. MassNurses.org Facebook.com/MassNurses Twitter.com/MassNurses Instagram.com/MassNurses Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association Related Links http://www.massnurses.org New Delhi April 26 : From Intelligence Bureau(IB) to various state police organisations, almost all major law enforcing agencies in the country are trailing criminal gangs, peddlers, hoarders, stockists and black marketeers, suspected of amassing doses of Remdesivir, the most potent drug for treating coronavirus. In UP and MP, special squads have been formed while in Maharashtra and Gujarat, police commissioners of several districts are working round the clock to prevent pilferage of the wonder drug. "Our STF teams and district police squads have busted several modules in the state, arresting more than 46 people accused of hoarding Remdesivir and even medical oxygen cylinders," said Prashant Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Law and Order, Uttar Pradesh, where acute shortage of Remdesivir resulted in deaths of many patients. Lure of huge profit margins, often five times of the actual value of a Remdesiver vial, have even tempted hospital staff to dupe patient. "We unearthed an ongoing racket in a prominent medical college, where ward boys were selling Remdesivir in black market. The medical staff administered distilled water injections to patients, and instead sold their genuine Remdesivir injections at a whopping price of Rs 25,000," an SP rank officer said. There have been similar complaints from attendants of patients in other private hospitals too." On involvement of local distributors and stockists of such drugs, ADG, UP, Prashant Kumar, said that nexus between certain chemists shops or a few stockists cannot be ruled out. "We are verifying specific inputs, where stockists concerned with distribution of these injections are involved in hoarding. Once booked we will slap NSA (National Security Act) against such culprits," the ADG told IANS. Each injection of Remdesivir costing around Rs 3,400 to Rs 5,400 is being sold for over Rs 30,000 to 40,000 in black market. In Nagpur, the acute shortage of these life saving drugs saw a steep rise in the prices. The police arrested five persons in Nagpur's Beltarodi area on Saturday for selling Remdesivir at price of Rs 45,000 per vial in the black market. Obviously, the hoarders were making profit ten times higher than the actual MRP of the injection. "As the gap between supply and sudden demand of this potent drug has widened, immediate audit of stocks of distributors, stockists and big retailers is necessary. The government agencies have to plug the pilferage of this drug at all costs," said Rajnikant Mishra, former Joint Director of CBI and DG of Border Security Force, adding, "it's a shame that some people have stooped so low to steal life saving drugs. The crime is awful than a murder." In yet another shocking incident in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, eight people including three hospital staffers were arrested on Sunday for allegedly stealing and black-marketing Remdesivir. The police revealed that staffers would cart away injections meant for patients for a private hospital and then, through a network of agents, sell it at exorbitant rates amid huge demand for the antiviral drug. Police said that as cases of COVID-19 spike sharply, the demand of the injections have resulted in acute shortage in MP. Seeing the rampant hoarding of the drug in the state, DGP Vivek Johri had formed a task force to check the black marketing of injection, used at large scale for treating critical covid positive patients. As Ramdevpir is being used to treat critically sick Covid patients, some attendants now want to ensure that the drug should be administered to the patients in their presence. "I requested the Medical Superintendent that Remdesivir should be given to the patient in front of me. The injection is so expensive that I cannot rely on the ward boys alone," said Adil Rizvi, a bank officer who was looking after a batchmate admitted in a private hospital near Amausi in Lucknow. "There could be a few exceptions, but nursing staff in all our hospitals, private or government are very reliable. I feel because the injections are being sold at a very high price in black market, there may be instances where attendants want to ensure that patients get the right dose in their presence," said Dr Sandeep Sharma, a radiologist, associated with several leading hospitals in south Delhi. On rampant stocking of Remdisvir, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), had to issue a statement on Sunday saying that there was no need to panic and stock oxygen and medicines like Remdesivir. "Due to panic, people are stocking injections at their homes, hoarding Remdesivir drug and oxygen cylinders... Remdesivir is not a magic bullet and is given only to patients who are hospitalised, have moderate to severe disease and whose oxygen saturation is below 93... Don't misuse oxygen and Remdesivir," Dr Guleria said, whose statement was endorsed by leading doctors including famous cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh government is likely to take a decision on whether to conduct or cancel Class 10 Board examinations. In a high-level meeting to be chaired by MP School Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar, a decision will be taken about Class 10 and 12 Board exams. Class 10 exams are likely to get cancelled. The final result of these students will be prepared on the basis of internal assessment, sources told Zee News Madhya Pradesh. Board examination for Class 10 was earlier scheduled to commence from April 30. It was however postponed due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation. A decision regarding Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) Class 12 Exams 2021 can also be taken on Monday in the meeting. On April 14, the MPBSE had deferred board exams for Class 10 and 12 in view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the state. Earlier, the CBSE had also postponed Class 12 board exams. It cancelled the Class 10 board exams altogether while deciding to promote students on the basis of internal assessment. Live TV If Ashli Babbitt were a liberal activist protesting abortion, wed know who shot her: police assoc. spokeswoman The American public deserves to know more about Babbitts death Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment If Ashli Babbitt had been a liberal activist protesting abortion, the American public might know the name of the officer who shot her, and he might be facing criminal charges for killing an unarmed woman, according to Sgt. Betsy Smith, spokeswoman for the National Police Association. Smith expressed concern about the lack of public information about the killing of 35-year-old Babbit, a U.S. Air Force veteran, who, while she was unarmed and surrounded by armed Capitol police standing nearby, attempted to climb through a smashed door pane into the House chamber during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. She was shot in the neck by a plainclothes officer from inside the chamber. Babbitt was the lone person killed that day by lethal force. The American public, Smith said, deserves to know the details about the circumstances of her death. Appearing on NTD Televisions The Nation Speaks last Saturday, Smith primarily discussed the officer-involved shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on April 11 and the unrest and violent riots that have broken out in response to Wrights death and that of George Floyd last May. Toward the end of the conversation, Smith was asked to address the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, who was among a few hundred Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol as Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Three others who died at the Capitol that day include a woman who sustained injuries after being trampled on by the crowd, an individual who suffered a heart attack, and another individual who had a stroke. While the corporate media had claimed for months that Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick had died as a result of injuries he suffered when responding to the riot, specifically alleging that he was hit in the head by a fire extinguisher which was also cited by Democrats at former President Trump's second impeachment reports now say medical examiners "did not find signs that the officer sustained any blunt force trauma." Since Sicknick responded to the riot where he was sprayed by an irritant, possibly bear spray, it's speculated that that might've contributed to his death, along with any preexisting condition. More than three months after the Capitol riot, the Capitol police officer who shot Babbitt has yet to be identified. Its been announced that they will not be laying any charges against that officer. Whats your take on that? NTD host Cindy Drukier asked Smith. I think what we have to look at is the continued politicization of law enforcement in this country, Smith responded. Describing Babbitt as an unabashed conservative who did a wrong thing by being part of that group that broke into the Capitol, Smith said her death was unjustified and condemned the secrecy surrounding the identity of the Capitol police officer who killed her. She was not armed and to my knowledge, no one there was armed. You also see another video, taken by a citizen journalist, where you see police officers, some of them in riot gear, that are ... behind Ashli Babbitt and some of them are walking down the stairs, theyre kind of getting out of the way and that is very confusing to me as a police officer as to what was happening there, she said. So now weve got this double standard and I find that very dangerous, Smith asserted. I think that if the Justice Department has said that that officer should not be charged, then thats fine. But I think that the American public deserves to know the details of why deadly force was deployed, because there are very strict rules when we use deadly force. And I think we also deserve to know that officers name. There was really no reason to know the name of the officer that shot Daunte Wright, but yet, it was released, Smith added, noting that Kim Potter, the officer who shot Wright, has had to flee her home for her own safety. Smith mentioned that Potters home is now surrounded by barricades and police officers just to try and keep the activists from burning down her home and burning down her neighborhood. Thats one of the most remarkable things about this, how they have not released the officers name and it seems like, in every single one of these cases, its instantly released, Drukier noted. Smith acknowledged that it makes sense for the officer to have reservations about people finding out his name, stressing that other officers in similar situations who've had their names released, like Potter, probably felt the same way. Smith lamented the complete lack of curiosity by the legacy media that does not seem to really care why Ashli Babbitt was killed, they dont seem to care. Theyre so concerned about police tactics and why we do what we do until it comes to Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed woman shot and killed by law enforcement. I think the American public deserves to know and we need to have that discussion. NTD Television is an affiliate of The Epoch Times, which reported that Smith implied that had Babbitt been a liberal activist protesting abortion or perhaps protesting Brett Kavanaughs confirmation at the Supreme Court, we might be dealing with a very different issue, and that is not how the American justice system operates. Expanding on her allegations of a double standard, Smith contended that the DOJs failure to prosecute the officer who shot Babbitt says that if you are protecting our wealthy politicians at the United States Capitol, you have different rules of engagement than you do if youre trying to protect a small town or an urban area. She characterized that idea as very dangerous. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The early sun was rising over Stephens Lake Park as potted trees and flowers were being set up on fold-out tables. Leaves of plants, all different colors, branched out in different directions, hoping to be taken to new homes. Columbia Parks and Recreation hosted its second annual plant sale Sunday at Stephens Lake Park in Columbia. The department laid out a variety of plants native to Missouri as well as ornamental trees, flowers and shrubs that were all grown by the staff in the Stephens Lake Park Arboretum. Although the event officially began at eight in the morning, the early start did not stop enthusiastic plant buyers from showing up while the plants were still being unloaded from the truck. Staff and volunteers of the department guided the prospective plant parents to different species, suggesting the best climate for certain plants and pointing out the beauty in each pot. The Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation hosts a plant sale Grounds technician Matthew Pierce unloads a variety of plants Black-eyed Susan sprouts lie on one of the many tables filled with plants Potted trees hang over the front seat Erica Shadwell, left, and Brad Mitchell look at the labels of potted trees Labradors Fergie, 2, and Shamus, 7, wander around The first-ever Paws for a Cause will give an inside look at how the NHS supports pets and their new families from intake to adoption and beyond, says Larissa Schenck, Director of Marketing at 1-800-PetMeds. Were honored to sponsor adoption week to help make success stories possible. Nevada Humane Society (NHS) cares for over 16,000 pets in need each year at its Reno and Carson City adoption centers, providing training, rehabilitation, and medical care until each pet is matched with their forever home. The organization also helps reduce the number of animals surrendered by providing low-cost spay and neuter programs and pet food assistance to low-income families. Through the month of May, NHS will host Paws for a Cause, their first-ever online fundraising event. The educational campaign will take its virtual audience on the four week journey of a pets transition from intake at the shelter to finding their forever home. NHS hopes to raise $100,000 to help them get closer to their ultimate goal to make Washoe County & Carson City no-kill communities. 1-800-PetMeds is sponsoring the Paws for a Cause for Adoption Week, the first week of the month-long virtual event during which NHS will highlight the story of a long-term pets journey to her forever family. Funds raised during Adoption Week will help the organization provide life-saving care and find new homes for pets at Reno and Carson City shelters. The first-ever Paws for a Cause will give an inside look at how the NHS supports pets and their new families from intake to adoption and beyond, says Larissa Schenck, Director of Marketing at 1-800-PetMeds. In Carson City alone theyve increased the life-saving success rate from 55% to 95%. Were honored to sponsor adoption week to help make even more success stories possible. About 1-800-PetMeds Founded in 1996, Petmeds.com is America's Most Trusted Pet Pharmacy providing fast, easy and helpful service to over ten million customers across the U.S. by delivering prescription and non-prescription medications and pet supplies for less, direct to the consumer through its 1-800-PetMeds toll-free number, on the Internet through its website Petmeds.com, or with the 1-800-PetMeds mobile app available for free at Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS. About Nevada Humane Society Nevada Humane Society is a 501c3 non-profit organization and the only open-admission, no-kill shelter in the state of Nevada. Incorporated in 1932, it was originally created to address the suffering of local stray animals. To date, NHS has saved over 100,000 animals and is dedicated to continuing to grow their life-saving programs and ultimately making Washoe County & Carson City no-kill communities. Access Garage Doors, an industry leader with more than 15 years of experience in residential and commercial garage door repair and installation, is growing its presence in the Northeast. The company is proud to welcome William Tompkins as its newest franchise owner of Access Garage Doors of South Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania. William is an experienced entrepreneur with a background in the commercial excavating industry and as a general contractor in the crane and rigging industry. Hes excited to bring his knowledge of building and construction to the residential garage door industry in the South Pittsburgh area. Good customer service is the key to being a successful business owner, said Tompkins. When youre working with commercial customers, there are a lot of people to make happy, so I understand the value of providing good communication and quality products and services. Im looking forward to using my experience to help homeowners in my community, so at the end of the day, they really love the work weve done to improve their homes. The potential for growth in the residential garage door industry and with the Access Garage Doors brand were important factors in Tompkinss decision to join the Access team. If a homeowners garage door needs to be repaired or replaced, its not something theyre going to put off for long because the garage door plays an important role in a homes security and functionality, said Tompkins. Theres a big demand for companies that can do a great job and provide high-quality garage doors and opener systems. Access Garage Doors is a successful and growing brand with industry-leading training that sets ups new franchise owners for success. Im looking forward to hitting the ground running with my new business. Access Garage Doors President and CEO, Jesse Cox, is confident Tompkins will build a profitable franchise in the South Pittsburgh market. Williams business management background, work ethic, and dedication to providing exceptional customer satisfaction will help him thrive in this industry, said Jesse Cox, William is a great fit with the Access brand, and we look forward to helping him grow his business in the years ahead. Access Garage Doors offers homeowners a comprehensive selection of services on garage door opener systems and garage doors, as well as a wide selection of high-quality new garage doors and openers. Access Garage Doors is a Master Authorized Clopay dealer and an Authorized Service Provider for LiftMaster, Home Depot, Genie, Clopay, and Amarr. To learn more about Access Garage Doors, please visit: https://accessdoorcompany.com/. The Access Garage Doors franchise is a low-overhead business model for entrepreneurs who are searching for a recession-resistant business opportunity. For more information about franchise opportunities, please visit: https://accessdoorcompany.com/franchise/. ### ABOUT ACCESS GARAGE DOORS Founded in 2005, Access Garage Doors provides service, installation, and sales of state-of-the-art residential and electric openers. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Access is a top-tier Master Authorized Dealer for one of the largest garage door manufacturers, Clopay, and is a top-tier LiftMaster ProVantage Dealer. Access also carries brands such as Amarr Doors, Genie, Craftsman, Chamberlain, Marantec, and Sommer, and also services Hormann, Wayne Dalton, CHI, Raynor, Sears, Linear, Lynx, Overhead Door, Ideal Door, Windsor Door, Stanley, Door Link, and Ryobi brands. Access is a long-term member of the International Door Association, as well as the Homebuilders Association of Greater Chattanooga. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-25 23:47:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TAIPEI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Two more cargo pilots with Taiwan-based China Airlines were confirmed with COVID-19 on Sunday, taking the total number to seven, the local epidemic monitoring agency said. The source of their infections so far remains unclear. The island's epidemic monitoring authority will expand COVID-19 testing to cover the infected pilots' contacts and the employees of the airlines, for which the seven pilots work. So far, Taiwan has recorded 1,100 COVID-19 cases, of which 1,045 have recovered, 12 have died and 43 remain in hospital. Enditem Thailand's prime minister was fined for not wearing a mask Monday after new Covid-19 restrictions came into force to try to halt the country's spiralling outbreak. Wearing masks is now compulsory in public spaces in 49 provinces and the capital, Bangkok -- where the latest outbreak has been traced back to a nightlife district. Some locations are backing up that requirement with a 20,000 baht ($640) fine. After a picture of a maskless Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha attending a meeting emerged on social media Monday, the Bangkok governor said the premier had been fined 6,000 baht ($190). "As Bangkok governor, I filed a complaint against the prime minister who accepted the fine," Governor Aswin Kwanmuang wrote on Facebook. Some 2,048 new cases were announced in Thailand on Monday. The day before, the country recorded its highest single-day death toll of the pandemic, with 11 fatalities. Until the latest outbreak, Thailand had managed to keep infections down thanks to strict travel restrictions and swift action to isolate confirmed cases. But there have been complaints about the slow rollout of vaccines, with the kingdom lagging behind other countries in the region. "It's a failure in management from the health ministry," said 61-year-old restaurant manager Pracha, who only gave his first name. Prayut said on Facebook the government was trying to source more doses and ramp up the programme to inoculate 300,000 people a day. In addition to the mask requirement, authorities in the capital have closed a raft of venues including cinemas, parks, gyms, swimming pools, spas and nurseries. The new restrictions come a week after bars and nightclubs were ordered closed and restaurants banned from serving alcohol. Pranee Namrat, a 48-year-old seafood vendor, told AFP she was frightened the situation would get worse. "If I got infected... I'm scared of not having a place for treatment," she said. - Outbreaks in Cambodia, Laos - Story continues In neighbouring Cambodia, also in the grip of a new coronavirus wave, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged factory owners in the key garment sector to help protect workers. "The current outbreaks in factories and markets serve as a painful reminder of the importance of investing in mitigation measures before cases occur," Li Ailan, the WHO representative in Cambodia, said in a statement. Li urged factory owners to do more temperature screening and rearrange workshops to allow social distancing. The capital Phnom Penh has been under lockdown for 12 days -- and the measure has now been extended until May 5, authorities announced late Monday. Officials had also previously ordered all wet markets in the city to close for a two-week period. Around 1.3 million Cambodians have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The country, which has a population of 16 million, is using China's Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines as well as AstraZeneca. On Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed to countries "not to hoard the vaccine more than needed as well as not to use the vaccine as a political tool". Cambodia has reported 10,555 cases in total and 79 deaths including 10 on Saturday -- a single-day record for the country. Laos -- which appeared to escape the brunt of the pandemic last year -- is also undergoing a surge, jumping from 58 cases to 436 in less than a week. Its capital Vientiane was placed under a snap lockdown last week, with authorities prohibiting residents from leaving their homes except for groceries and going to the hospital. burs-aph-dhc/sst Pittsfield Finance Review Reflects Impact of the Pandemic PITTSFIELD, Mass. The state of the city's current budget reflects a disadvantage in areas affected by the pandemic but also a significant influx of cannabis tax dollars. Director of Finance Matthew Kerwood presented a review of the third quarter of fiscal 2021 to the Finance Committee on Thursday. In the quarter that ended on March 31, the city collected 74.3 percent of its overall commitment on property taxes totaling $59,482,137 and 74.1 percent of personal property taxes at $8,690,148. The city's General Stabilization account is at $4,478,112 and the Public Works Stabilization Account has a sum of $243,633. The Public Works Stabilization Fund was created in October 2019 and is where 25 percent of marijuana tax revenue is deposited. The certified amount of free cash stands at $5.3 million because there were no appropriations from the free cash account in fiscal 2020, Kerwood explained. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the city's local receipt collections in the hospitality industries, as it has only received around 50 percent of estimated taxes for hotels/motels and meals in the third quarter. Hotel/motel tax collections came in at $397,975 and meals tax at $490,007. "For hotel motels, the estimated is $710,500. As of March 31, we collected 56 percent, this is concerning, given the fact that it's the third quarter, and we're roughly only 50 percent of this estimated receipt, this is a direct result of the pandemic," Kerwood said. "For meals, $751,100 as of March 31, we collected 65.2 percent, this is concerning as well, a little less concerning but again, I think tonight, I know that we are going to be short, in our hotel/motel and meals most likely, which I figured out." Though Pittsfield is lacking in collections from the hospitality industry, cannabis tax dollars in the third quarter surpassed the set goal by 238 percent, as the city only estimated a $196,925 collection and received $469,266. "While we suffer in other areas of local receipts, this is not one of them," Kerwood said. "And we have done very well, in the collection of marijuana tax." Kerwood reported on account expenses to watch, which include the emergency manning costs for the Fire Department and overtime costs for the Police Department. The Pittsfield Fire Department was given an original appropriation of $375,000 that was adjusted to $815,000. As of March 31, it has used $727,444, which Kerwood attributed to the department having 20 vacancies. "I had a conversation with the fire chief today on what's driving this, why are we here," Kerwood said. "They currently have 20 vacancies out on injured on duty, they recently just hired nine, so they're trying to cut back at that." The Police Department's schedule overtime was originally set at $1,275,000 and was adjusted to $1,281,129. As of March 31, it has used $667,575 or around 52 percent. Kerwood said this number is "tracking really well." Because of the pandemic, the budget has been "completely blown" for unemployment insurance expenses as the original budget was $150,000 and $644,578 was spent as of March 31. A lot of that is based on fraudulent pandemic-related unemployment claims, Kerwood said, specifically on the school side. His office has been able to identify around $220,000 worth of fraud out of the amount that was expended. "Early in the pandemic when schools were not open, bus drivers, cafeteria workers paraprofessionals had all filed for unemployment and July bills alone charged the school department for $196,000," he explained. "I will be having to do a barrel transfer to try to address that shortfall in the budget, but there is good news reported on this and that is of the $644,000 that has been extended, we've received $220,000 in credit so we haven't had to pay some bills, we've been getting credits, and we will continue to get credits." The state Department of Unemployment has also indicated that the city will get reimbursed for 50 percent of legitimate claims associated with COVID-19, Kerwood added. "Clearly COVID created a huge opportunity to take advantage of not only the system in Massachusetts but across the country," Kerwood said, adding that an individual tried to use his information to file a false claim in the state of Kentucky. "This is not a Massachusetts problem." Councilor at Large Earl Persip III queried Kerwood on whether he believes the marijuana revenue will be affected by the legalization of cannabis in the bordering states of Vermont and New York and the possibility of losing out-of-state customers. "We'll have to see, I'm still gonna be conservative in my estimates and what I'm going to adjust them to is kind of where we're tending right now," Kerwood replied. "So if we stay within that area we are now, then my estimate will hold true and we'll still be able to meet that mark." Commissioner of Public Utilities Ricardo Morales weighed in on the city's winter maintenance and overtime spendings, which were appropriated for $800,000 and cost the city $1,049,514 as of March 31. He explained that the biggest costs are contractors, salt, sand, and overtime expenditures, which had to be used the previous night because of icy conditions that were caused by the freezing temperatures Berkshire County received. The biggest decreases that the city experienced in terms of winter maintenance even with the past winter being harsher than the previous year were the indirect expenses such as fuel, equipment, repairs, and maintenance. This was solely because of the acquisition of newer equipment, Morales added. Hill College Boots & Suits Gala Deemed A Success The 16th annual Hill College Boots & Suits Gala was held Friday, April 16, at the Hilltop Barn in Cleburne and raised over $40,000 to benefit Hill College district-wide scholarships for students. More than 50 guests from the Hill College service area attended the come-and-go event and enjoyed hors doeuvres, drinks and fellowship. Hill College Fire Academy students provided free valet services to event guests. Music was provided by Nathaniel Earhart, adjunct guitar instructor. Hill College Director of Development Leigh Ebner said the event would not have been possible without the generous support of sponsors. The sponsors for Boots & Suits really came through this year, she said. Because of them, students will have opportunities to start or further their education that they may not have had without these wonderful people, organizations and businesses. It was wonderful to see people working together for such a great cause and raising money for student scholarships. This years Presenting Partner was Southwest Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and the Gold sponsor was Pinnacle Bank. Silver sponsors included: Texas Tech University, Great Western Dining, Citizens State Bank, Citizens National Bank of Texas, Mike Terry Chrysler Jeep Ram and the Mustang Foundation. Bronze sponsors included: Hillsboro ISD, Grandview Bank, John Turman, SSC Services for Education, Hazlewood Barkley Foundation and an anonymous donor. Fund a Future sponsors included the Texas Heritage Museum, Akademos, United Cooperative Services, David Murdoch, Dr. Alisa Carter and Dr. Michael Hibbs, Lyness Construction, Pape Services LLC and Jolene Lehmann. The Hill College scholarship application for the fall semester is available online through June 1. Scholarships are based on available funds and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Students should apply as early as possible. For more information about scholarship opportunities and to access the application, visit https://hillcollege.academicworks.com/. Thought Leaders Dr. Laurence Slutsker Senior Technical Advisor Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, PATH In support of World Malaria Day, News-Medical spoke to Dr. Laurence Slutsker, an internationally recognized expert in malaria, about fighting this disease in 2021. Please can you introduce yourself and tell us about your career in research into malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)? I would describe myself as a medical epidemiologist and public health researcher and practitioner. I began in 1987 at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and over the next 30 years focused on malaria and many of its challenges. I began working with PATH in 2016. I have had the opportunity to conduct research and support programmatic work in malaria across a variety of areas including evaluations of insecticide-treated nets, development of interventions to reduce malaria in pregnancy, assessments of antimalarial drug resistance, and malaria vaccine evaluations. In addition, I have had the chance to work on some other critical global health issues in the areas of child and maternal health, HIV/AIDS, and diarrheal diseases, where I saw how malaria interacts with other conditions, as well as the wider health system. Reaching the zero malaria target is the theme of World Malaria Day 2021 and it aims to celebrate countries around the world that are reaching or approaching malaria eradication. Malaria Zero is a campaign within the CDC Foundation that aims to eliminate malaria from Hispaniola, creating a malaria-free zone across the Caribbean. How far off do you think this is? Hispaniola is the last remaining focus of ongoing malaria transmission in the Caribbean. The two countries on the island, Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR) have made great strides in building their programs and working with partners to pursue the goal of elimination. The needs are many and include the need to strengthen the primary health care system to better deliver case management and conduct surveillance, as well as improving vector control coverage - all in the context of overcoming catastrophic events such as disruptions due to earthquakes, hurricanes, and civil unrest. Despite these challenges, malaria cases have declined substantially over the last decade. Through Malaria Zero, the Ministries of Health in Haiti and DR have been working with a number of partners to expand community-based treatment, improve surveillance and mapping of disease risk, refine stratification and allocation of intervention packages, enhance vector control, and assess the value of new tools and approaches such as targeted mass drug administration in higher burden areas. Exact timelines for malaria elimination are hard to predict, but both countries have maintained their commitment to achieving this milestone. With continued country leadership and focus, adequate resources, and good data to inform and refine program actions, Haiti and DR may be able to achieve the kind of success recently enjoyed by another country in the Region of the Americas El Salvador - which was certified as malaria-free earlier this year. Draw The Line Against Malaria | Zero Malaria Play Your career has included almost 30 years with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has an incredibly important role in communicating valuable scientific information and advice to the public, something which has been especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic. How important do you think science communication is and how does it make a difference in terms of malaria and NTDs? It is absolutely critical, whether for COVID-19, malaria, and NTDs, or any other public health problem. The success of our tools and approaches, whether we are talking about social distancing, mask-wearing, bednet use, health care seeking for fever, or vaccine acceptance, is largely dependent on how well we engage and communicate with individuals and communities. We can have the most wonderful tools developed from state-of-the-art science, but they will have little impact if they are not accepted and taken up by end-users. And that communication must be clear, accurate, honest, and continuously re-evaluated to ensure it stays relevant and effective. Your current role is Senior Technical Advisor for both the Malaria and NTDs Program and the Center for Malaria Control and Elimination at PATH, an organization focused on achieving global health equity. This concept is particularly prevalent today, in a pandemic where no one is safe until everyone is protected. How do you think the world can collaborate to make health fairer and more accessible to all? At PATH, we like to focus on person- or community-centered care. That means that every person, regardless of where they live or what they do for a living, has access to quality health care across their lifespan. Strong health systems should create health, not just respond to illness. Doing this equitably, delivering care to hard-to-reach communities, requires intentional, targeted approaches. There is not and will never be a silver bullet. It requires a multilateral approach, political will, consistent investment, and committed partners. This is possible. We have eradicated smallpox, and last year the African continent was certified as wild polio-free. Global cooperation is key in the pursuit of health equity. Global Healthcare. Image Credit: ssguy/Shutterstock.com In current times, much of the world and its resources are focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, and so it is more important than ever to raise awareness for neglected tropical diseases that continue to have devastating effects on the worlds most vulnerable populations. What needs to be done to ensure these diseases still get the funding and research that they need? This is important for a few reasons. We cannot address COVID-19 at the expense of progress against malaria, a preventable and treatable disease. We have learned from past outbreaks and crises such as the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, that disruptions in essential health services resulted in as many as 10,000 additional preventable deaths due to malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. Huge progress has been made in the fight against malaria in the past two decades 7.6 million lives saved and 1.5 billion malaria cases prevented. Taking our foot off the gas now would have negative implications on those efforts and investments. Even before the pandemic, progress towards eliminating malaria in the highest-burden countries had begun to stall due to a plateau in funding and political will. We must not think of this as a zero-sum game. It is not either focus on COVID-19 or malaria; rather, we must focus on both. It is important to remember that both diseases present with fever, so approaching the diagnosis and management of febrile patients in an integrated way while ensuring health care workers are protected is critical in the fight against both. Further investments in ending malaria will reduce the burden on health systems and better equips them to prevent, detect, and respond to future epidemics and pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic has almost been a case study into the alignment of international agendas and has shown how quickly scientific and medical progress can be made when all areas of society collaborate. How can we learn from this pandemic and use global collaboration to fight NTDs successfully? There is no doubt COVID-19 has shifted the way the world thinks about preventing, detecting, and responding to disease outbreaks. We talk about breaking the cycle of panic and neglect, where resources surge when an epidemic occurs, but then diminishes as the world goes back to normal. I am hopeful that COVID-19 has made clear the importance of continually investing in health systems and needed research. We do not know what the next health threat will be, but we do know that strong surveillance systems, reliable supply chains, equipped health care workers, and the development of needed tools will once again be the backbone of any successful response. All of these things are also critical for eliminating malaria. The community health systems, supply chains, and even genomic surveillance capacities that we use to fight malaria were leveraged to also fight COVID-19. Across disease areas, geographies, and sectors, the COVID-19 response has proven that the sum is greater than its parts. One of PATHs goals is to prepare countries across the world for outbreaks of disease, helping them to build strong health systems and providing the resources to stop diseases before they reach the epidemic or pandemic stage. It is predicted that both environmental damage and climate change will contribute to an increase in vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in the coming years. How can the world work together to support this goal of PATHs, prepare for the increased spread of disease, and stop preventable death? The WHO estimates that we could see an additional quarter million deaths from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress each year between 2030 and 2050 because of climate change. Shifting climatic conditions affect both mosquitoes and the malaria parasite, sometimes in unpredictable ways. Changing malaria transmission and climate-forced human movement will make it even more important to target the delivery of malaria interventions to ensure they have the biggest impact possible. Just as in the COVID-19 response, mathematical models help us take in new information and make the best decision possible to save the most lives from malaria. Investing in proven interventions, research and development of new tools, and strong surveillance systems is key to adapting to changing situations, including in countries previously certified malaria-free. PATH's Manifesto Play You are an internationally recognized expert in malaria and have been a part of more than 250 publications throughout a very successful career. What part of this journey are you most proud of? It has all been rewarding, in different ways. It has been my privilege to contribute to the development of new tools in the fight against malaria, for example through the conduct of research to assess insecticide-treated nets, prevention of malaria in pregnancy and infants, antimalarial drug efficacy, and vaccines. At the same time, I have had the opportunity to live in an endemic setting and work in support of national program efforts to deliver services, conduct surveillance, and evaluate how programs can be adjusted to improve impact. It has been gratifying to see how far we have come over the past 30 years. But malaria is a formidable opponent- we have seen massive resurgences in disease when funding and attention wanes, so there is no time to become complacent. Do you think a world without malaria is possible in our future and what funding and research are critical to making this happen? I certainly believe it is possible and should be the ultimate goal of the malaria community. Eradication, defined as the permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide incidence of infection caused by human malaria parasites as a result of deliberate activities will save millions of lives and billions of dollars once achieved. There have been wonderful recent national elimination success stories; in fact, over the past two decades, eleven new countries have been certified as malaria-free by WHO. But, at the same time, our progress in high burden countries has plateaued, and so we must be realistic about where we are in the fight, and what it will take to get to eradication. As summarized in a recent WHO report on malaria eradication, we cannot likely get there using our current tools and approaches. While continuing progress towards elimination in lower transmission countries, we concurrently need to refocus efforts in high burden countries to deliver more targeted intervention packages customized to the local situation to reduce morbidity and mortality. We will also need to revitalize and increase investment in research and development for new tools for vector control, additional options for treatment and chemoprevention, and vaccines so that we will have what we need to get to zero in the highest-burden areas. And of course, we will need political leadership and advocacy to make the case for domestic and international funding to support these critical research and program efforts. Where can readers find more information? You can learn about PATHs work in malaria, and epidemic preparedness and response on our website. Read the WHO Zeroing in on malaria elimination report here. About Dr. Laurence Slutsker Senior Technical Advisor, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, PATH Dr. Laurence Slutsker joined PATH in May 2016 as the Director of the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Program and the Center for Malaria Control and Elimination. Dr. Slutsker has a B.S. from the University of Michigan, a medical degree from Case Western Reserve University, and a Masters in Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed his medical training at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is board certified in internal medicine and preventive medicine. Dr. Slutsker joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1987 and has more than 20 years of experience with CDC in malaria. He has also held staff positions in the HIV/AIDS and diarrheal diseases programs. Dr. Slutsker has conducted epidemiologic research on a broad range of topics including malaria, causes of infant mortality in developing countries, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal diseases, and reproductive and general tropical public health. He has served in a number of leadership positions at CDC including Director of the KEMRI/CDC Research Station in western Kenya (2001-2005), Chief of the Malaria Branch (2005-2010), Associate Director for Science, Center for Global Health (2010-2012) and Director, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (2012-2016). He has held past or current senior advisory roles with a number of organizations including WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NIH, FDA, and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. He has authored or co-authored more than 240 scientific journal articles, book chapters, and other publications. The McMurray Lab in Miami University plans to conduct IND-enabling, animal studies to verify the antidepressant, anti-addictive effects of the alkaloids produced in the Jones Lab The collaboration with Miami University is anticipated to expediate progress" towards the filing of an IND application with the US FDA PsyBio Therapeutics Corp ( ) (FRA:PSYB) announced that it has amended its master-sponsored agreement with Miami University based in Oxford, Ohio for the continued advancement of its neuropsychiatric drug discovery platform. The Coconut Creek, Florida-based biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of targeted psychoactive medications, explained that the move expanded the research efforts of Dr J Andrew Jones lab in the Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, to include additional research work done by the McMurray Lab, run by Dr Matthew McMurray in the Department of Psychology. The company said it would provide an additional US$1.5 million in funding until May 2023 to Miami University to support all such research. PsyBio noted that the collaboration with Miami University is anticipated to expediate progress towards the filing of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). PsyBio co-founder and CEO Evan Levine said the initial collaboration between PsyBio and Miami University has resulted in the discovery and scaled production of two medically-relevant tryptamine molecules that are naturally present in psychoactive magic mushrooms, psilocybin and norbaeocystin. The compounds have been efficiently synthesized and studied in our labs and have now moved out of our labs into venerated commercial development facilities," added Levine. "PsyBio believes that it can synthesize these molecules cheaper, faster, and greener than any other published method, and is unaware of any other company synergistically developing these natural alkaloids with the intent of commercial medical use. Levine said the company has filed intellectual property on the preliminary synergistic properties of these natural alkaloids. PsyBio is developing a portfolio of similar and various intermediates and combinations thereof in multiple plants, fungi and non-natural substrates, with the endeavor for the study of and testing for improved human clinical treatment," added Levine. "We are extraordinarily fortunate to have the resources and relationships at Miami University to attract institutional investment capital that is interested in advancing a paradigm shift in the potential treatment of mental health," said Dr Jones, who is chairman of PsyBio's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), and Assistant Professor at Miami University. "Our work with the McMurray Lab and PsyBio is expected to enable the Jones Lab's discoveries to advance from discovery to in vivo validation and industrial application, ultimately with a goal of shortening the time between potential discovery and treatment of patients." As a result of the initial master sponsored agreement with Miami University dated May 14, 2020, PsyBio acquired the global, exclusive, and perpetual right to license a platform technology developed in the Jones Lab that enables the rapid generation of its formulation for its lead compound psilocybin, biosynthetic psilocybin, and other targeted tryptamines through a biosynthetic process using genetically modified bacteria. Under the amended agreement, the Jones Lab plans to develop elite microbes, capable of producing a range of medically relevant alkaloids. The compounds originate from plants and fungi, including magic mushrooms. Significantly, the McMurray Lab plans to conduct IND-enabling, animal behavioral studies to verify the antidepressant, anxiolytic, anti-addictive effects of the alkaloids produced in the Jones Lab using both adult and adolescent animal models of disease. These studies will be performed at the university and will screen leading drug candidates for human trials, said the company. Preliminary studies have already detected evidence of an unexpected synergy between psilocybin and norbaeocystin, and the company has advanced both drug candidates to commercial process development, PsyBio. Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive Gail: How about masks? This may be a point of agreement, but I am really tired of wearing a mask when I walk the dog at 9 p.m. Bret: So heres a subject that will get me into even deeper trouble . Gail: My neighborhood jumped into the mask moment fast, possibly because it seemed like something that would drive Donald Trump crazy. And I was proud of everyone for being so responsible. Now the situations evolved. I fully understand why none of them including me wants to be the unmasked civil disobedience pioneer. But I also hate walking around not being able to recognize my neighbors because all our faces are covered. Bret: Yes! This is a subject that drives me nuts. The weight of scientific evidence suggests the risk of getting Covid while walking outdoors is very, very low, at least if youre not in some kind of crowd. And yet many state and local governments along with an army of busybodies insist on it because there is still a theoretical risk, which might also be said of being crushed by falling jet engine debris or attacked by a rabid bobcat. Gail: Im not sure those comparisons work unless your town had an epidemic of jet-part showers. Or was invaded last year by a pack of bobcats on a regular basis. Sorry, go on. Bret: You must have missed the bobcat attack video that went viral last week. Anyway, it irks me when people who otherwise insist they are following the science suddenly choose to ignore the science because their gut tells them that they should be wearing a mask when they dont need to, or because they like to parade their virtue. I also note that there are 13 states that have lifted mask restrictions and most have not seen major upticks in Covid infections. Since we are on the subject, whats your feeling about vaccine passports? Gail: Well, our government doesnt seem to have any plans to require them. I can understand why private businesses might want their work force to have proof of inoculation. Or if I was going on God protect me a cruise ship, Id want to be confident the other passengers had been vaccinated. You? Bret: I get the argument for them. Israel, which has done better than most countries when it comes to Covid, has used them to return to more-or-less normal life. Mumbai, April 26 : Shivalik Small Finance Bank Ltd has commenced operations as a small finance bank with effect from Monday. The Reserve Bank of India has issued a licence to the bank under Section 22 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on the business of small finance bank in India, said an RBI statement. Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank Limited was granted an in-principle approval for transition into a small finance bank, under the "Scheme on voluntary transition of Urban Co-operative Bank into a Small Finance Bank" issued on September 27, 2018. The financial institution was registered as a Co-operative Society under the Uttar Pradesh Co-operative Societies Act, 1965, in 1997. It was granted license by the RBI to conduct banking business as a primary urban co-operative bank in the state's Saharanpur district. As per the company website, it is the first urban co-operative bank in the country to transition into a small finance bank. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in favor of expanding the number of participants in the Normandy format to resolve the situation in Donbas (Ukraine, Germany, France and the Russian Federation) by attracting the United States, Canada and the UK, Ukrainian president said in an interview with the Financial Times. The FT reported that Zelensky called for the expansion of the Normandy group, saying that not only the United States should reset the group, but that the UK and Canada should also participate. Also, the Ukrainian leader called for a revision of the Minsk agreements in order to end the war in Donbas. "Now I am participating in the process that had been developed before me. The Minsk process in this situation should be more flexible. It should serve the goals of today, not the past," Zelensky said in an interview. "There are two options: we can change the Minsk format, adjust it. Or we can use some other format. Speed matters. The speed of this process matters, because we are losing people every day," added the President of Ukraine. In addition, Zelensky welcomed the prospect of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden. "I am sure that they cannot leave the meeting without results, because if the summit takes place, there will be some result, even a small one," Zelensky said. At the same time, the Ukrainian leader said that he wants to hold a bilateral meeting with Putin, noting that "we are not worried about the venue, but the content." However, according to Zelensky, he would not agree with the proposal of the Russian leader to first hold negotiations with representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO). "I am not going to talk to terrorists, and in my place it is simply impossible," the President of Ukraine stressed. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidsons relationship with British actress Phoebe Dynevor was confirmed Sunday in photos published by the Daily Mail. Rumors about their relationship had been circulating for weeks. The photos show Davidson, 27, and Dynevor, 26, visiting a supermarket in the Greater Manchester area of the United Kingdom. Other photos from the publication show the couple embracing in a field in England. Pete must like her if hes flying off to quaint little English villages to hang out with her on set, an insider told the New York Post. American audiences have become familiar with Dynevor through her work on the Netflix series Bridgerton. Coincidently, Davidson, who lives in St. George, recently starred in a Bridgerton-themed skit on SNL. In the past three years, The King of Staten Island star has been romantically linked to Ariana Grande, Margaret Qualley, Kate Beckinsale and Kaia Gerber. Davidson recently appeared to confirm his relationship with Dynevor during a Zoom interview with Marquette University students. Im with my celebrity crush, he responded to a students question about who his celebrity crush is. The two also were spotted wearing the same PD necklace in separate public appearances. The EU is suing AstraZeneca over shortfalls in Covid vaccines which it blames for slowing the continent's jab roll-out to a crawl. Legal action was launched against the British-Swedish drug-maker on Friday last week, a spokesman for the EU commission said today, adding that all 27 member nations supported it. 'Terms of the contract have not been respected and the company has not... come up with a reliable strategy to ensure timely delivery of doses,' the spokesman said. The lawsuit comes after AstraZeneca delivered just a third of the jabs it promised in the first half of this year, with the EU arguing it has a right to vaccines made in the UK to make up the numbers. But Astra has previously argued that the two supply chains are separate and today described the EU's legal claim as being 'without merit'. The EU has announced it is suing AstraZeneca for failing to live up to the terms of its Covid vaccine contract after deliveries fell short (file image) AstraZeneca's contract with the EU foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among member countries, with an option for a further 100 million. But only 30million doses were delivered in the first quarter of 2021, and the firm says it can provide 70million in the second quarter, rather than the 180million it promised. News of the shortfalls led to an almighty row between the EU and Astra boss Pascal Soriot back in January, which saw allegations of vaccine nationalism thrown around after it emerged all UK orders had been filled. Soriot strongly denied favoritism, saying the UK had been given its doses first because it signed a contract earlier and had a separate supply chain that was not affected by issues in Europe. In response the EU published the contract it signed with Astra - claiming it showed that factories in Britain should be used to make up the numbers. But a legal analyst who examined the contract for MailOnline said the paragraph is misleading and does not say what the EU claims it says. Instead, it showed the EU's legal position to be 'unsustainable' and their public statements to be 'false', Steven Barrett, a respected commercial lawyer with the Radcliffe Chambers, told MailOnline. Nevertheless, it appears the EU has decided to advance its argument in court in the hopes of securing more jabs for its vaccine drive - which is lagging far behind both the UK and US. The UK has run one of the fastest jab programmes in the world and has given at least one dose to around half its total population, or more than 65 per cent of adults. The Netherlands, alongside a number of EU countries, has crippled its own vaccine programme with a series of stops and starts in its roll-out The US, meanwhile, has fast been catching up and has now vaccinated some 42 per cent of its population, with a goal of offering every adult a jab by July. The EU has managed just 20 per cent of its total population, though insists it is on track to vaccinate 70 per cent of adults by the end of the year. 'The Commission has started last Friday a legal action against AstraZeneca,' the EU spokesman told a news conference today. 'Some terms of the contract have not been respected and the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure timely delivery of doses,' the spokesman said, explaining what triggered the move. 'We want to make sure there is a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that European citizens are entitled to and which have been promised on the basis of the contract,' he said. But supply issues are far from the only problem affecting Europe's roll-out. Bureaucracy, red-tape and over-cautious regulators have also combined to make the continent's jab drive one of the world's slowest. AstraZeneca jabs are currently restricted across much of Europe due to fears about blood clots, while Denmark has stopped using the jab entirely. In Holland that has led Jaap van Deldon, who heads the vaccination department at Holland's public health institute, to warn that most of the country's 11million AstraZeneca jabs will likely go un-used. 'But at some point it is of course true that we are done with AstraZeneca,' he told the AD newspaper. 'That moment will come a bit faster than expected, because Pfizer has started to deliver more. 'We estimate that we will largely no longer need the AstraZeneca deliveries that we will receive from the second half of May.' It comes as the Netherlands battles soaring cases of coronavirus with new infections topping 8,000 in recent days. Intensive care doctors in the Noord-Brabant province have warned that wards at some hospitals are at breaking point. Ursula von der Leyen, who was responsible for signing the EU's contract with AstraZeneca, has previously argued that jabs made in Britain should be used to make up the shortfalls The Netherlands, alongside a number of EU countries, has crippled its own vaccine programme with a series of stops and starts in its roll-out. The country introduced age restrictions on its use amid a 'possible link' between the jab and very rare blood clots - even though the European Medicines Agency saying it is 'firmly convinced' the benefits of the jab outweigh the risks. First the vaccine was halted in Holland, then permitted, and then banned for those under the age of 60 due to the blood clot fears resulting in many losing confidence in the jab. While the Netherlands has ordered 11 million doses of the jab, which is only being given to people between the ages of 60 and 64, only 1.5 million doses have been handed out so far to the population of around 17 million. The Commission has ordered 300 million doses from AstraZeneca as part of a contract that included 400 million doses, of which 100 million was optional. However, in recent weeks the EU has stepped up the pace of its roll-out. It has fully vaccinated 7 per cent of the population, compared with 15 per cent of the UK. Last week, the Netherlands averaged 0.77 vaccines per 100 people per day, the highest of any country in Europe. France, Germany and Hungary are also picking up the pace. Whether they will be able to fully repair the damage done by raising fears over blood clots remains to be seen. Countries like Italy and France have very high levels of anti-vax sentiment compared to in the UK. Before the vaccine safety row, 43 per cent of French people considered the vaccine to be unsafe, now that proportion has risen to 61 per cent. In January, the European Medicines Regulator (EMA) approved the AstraZeneca jab for all age groups, but a number of EU countries, including France and Germany, refused to recommend it to people over 65. At the beginning of March, France and Germany were forced into humiliating U-turns and approved jab for 65 to 74-year-olds. Then just weeks later, they were among 13 countries which suspended use of the vaccine after sporadic reports of blood clots. Most countries then restarted use of the vaccines after the EMA came out and said that the incidence of blood clots was actually lower among those who had received a jab than it was in the general population. On April 7, the regulator conceded there was a 'possible link' between AstraZeneca and blood clots, but said neither age group nor gender were a defining risk factor. But the damage was done. Countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany have limited use of the jab to those older than 55 or 60, while Denmark has entirely suspended its use. A divide on the right More Republicans have recently joined Democrats in agreeing that families with children need government support, as the problems families face have shifted. Teen parenthood has sharply declined. But the opioid crisis has ravaged rural families. Wages have stagnated for many families even when they have two working parents. Thats definitely created a degree of working-class consciousness on the right, said Samuel Hammond, the director of poverty and welfare policy at the Niskanen Center. Maybe in the 90s, when you talked about single moms, that was disproportionately a dog whistle for Black single moms. Now, if youre a Republican, you have plenty of single moms in your constituency. The pandemic has further made clear how much parents rely on outside support when raising children, and how quickly any family can fall into an economic or health crisis. A deeper divide has also emerged on the right between social conservatives, who want to preserve traditional families, and economic conservatives, who want to limit government spending. Theres always been a lot of overlap between social and economic conservatives: Two-parent families are better off economically, said Angela Rachidi, who studies poverty and safety net policies at the American Enterprise Institute. But the last few years, social conservatives have become more open to using government spending in ways that make economic conservatives uncomfortable. She aligns with the economic conservatives, who cite evidence that work requirements can decrease child poverty and model a strong work ethic for children. She does not want government aid to encourage people to forgo work. (The previous child tax credit was not available in full to families with no or low income; the earnings threshold to start benefiting from that credit was $2,500 when the tax law passed in 2017.) By lessening the importance of work, she said, were harming the most vulnerable families. Social conservatives have become more open to government spending if it encourages more women to have children and enables them to stay home with them. They cite research that children benefit from strong attachment to their parents. The UK's premier share index closed up over 24 points, or 0.35%, at 6,963 FTSE 100 closes up 0.35% US stocks higher enjoys successful market debut 5pm: FTSE finishes ahead FTSE 100 finished ahead on Monday as traders await big tech earnings from the US, starting with Tesla ( ) after the bell in New York. The UK's premier share index closed up over 24 points, or 0.35%, at 6,963. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, added around 18 points at 34,061, while the S&P 500 gained over nine points, at 4,189. The Nasdaq added around 75 points at 14,092. "Markets remain quiet ahead of Tesla earnings tonight, which mark the shift to reports from a vital part of the market the big tech names," noted Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG. "As such a large part of the S&P 500, the data from FANG stocks could prove vital to the durability of the current bullishness in stocks; as the first mover, Tesla has the burden of lots of attention and will set the tone for the days to come." 3.55pm: Solid afternoon With US indices putting their second-best foot forward, the Footsie has had a solid afternoon session. The index of Londons leading shares was up 28 points (0.4%) at 6,967 entering the last hour of trading. Sentiment has been boosted by signs that London-listed companies are feeling a bit more flush with cash, with dividends and share buybacks firmly on the agenda. IMIs announcement of a 200 million cash return to its investors, alongside an upbeat trading statement, takes the total value of share buybacks announced in the UK this year over the 4 billion mark, said AJ Bells investment director, Russ Mould. A bounce in IMIs shares suggest that shareholders are happy about the prospect of the windfall and the confidence in the future that it signifies, Mould said. Buybacks do seem to be coming back into favour. In some ways, investors desire to see efficient balance sheets once more, that carry little, low-earnings cash, is remarkable just a year after they were craving financial solidity above almost all else but the London-quoted Global Buyback Achievers Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), which aims to deliver the share price performance the NASDAQ Global Buyback Achievers index, plunged last year but has almost doubled from its lows, easily outpacing the FTSE All-Share in the meantime, Mould noted. Meanwhile, dividend payments from companies are starting to reflect the opening up of the UK economy after Covid-19, according to the latest data from registrar Link. Annual payments are still running below the previous year, with the first quarter of 2021 down 26.7% to 12.7bn on a year earlier but the decline was the lowest since the pandemic started and half of the companies either raised or restarted payments. 3.10pm: Proactive North America headlines: ( ) launches metallurgical pilot test program at Baptiste nickel project in British Columbia ESE Entertainment Inc ( ) (OTCQB:ENTEF) appoints former Rogers Media president Rick Brace to its board of directors Newrange Gold Corp ( ) ( ) (FRA:X6C) selects drill targets from IP survey for North Birch Project in Ontario Corp ( ) announces exploration drill results showing mineralization at Scarlet in Nevada Ltd (NASDAQ:SEFT) (TASE:SFET) says its ZoneZero cybersecurity solution approved for federal government purchase by US General Services Administration FPX Nickel Corp ( ) launches metallurgical pilot test program at Baptiste nickel project in British Columbia ESE Entertainment Inc ( ) (OTCQB:ENTEF) appoints former Rogers Media president Rick Brace to its board of directors Newrange Gold Corp ( ) ( ) (FRA:X6C) selects drill targets from IP survey for North Birch Project in Ontario Fortitude Gold Corp ( ) announces exploration drill results showing mineralization at Scarlet in Nevada Safe-T Group Ltd (NASDAQ:SEFT) (TASE:SFET) says its ZoneZero cybersecurity solution approved for federal government purchase by US General Services Administration PlantX Life Inc ( ) ( ) ( ) to sell more than 2,000 of its products online at Hudson's Bay Marketplace ( ) enters into $15M registered direct offering with single institutional investor A/S (CPH:BIOPOR) (FRA:2P4) launches search for new CFO following Ole Larsen's resignation ( ) (OTCQX:NTTHF) (FRA:NE2) expands and optimizes pilot ponds at its 3Q lithium brine project in Argentina Inc ( ) ( ) CEO outlines successful first quarter for company and notes recent M&A in the Abitibi PsyBio Therapeutics Corp ( ) (FRA:PSYB) and Miami University broaden partnership agreement to advance its neuropsychiatric drug discovery platform DGTL Holdings Hashoff subsidiary inks software service deal with the worlds third-largest alcohol maker Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc ( ) (FRA:AGW) ( ) files end of Phase 2 meeting request with FDA for its coronavirus trial of Ifenprodil Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc ( ) (OTCMKTS:CCWOF) (FRA:4T9B) hits high-grade silver with drilling at second vein at Robinson Zone project ( ) (OTCMKTS:SOHFF) (FRA:TSGN) marks major step with closing of Campo Morado royalty purchase; construction accelerated at Tahuehueto Victory Square Technologies ( ) ( ) (FRA:6F6) inks binding LOI to invest in renewable energy company Stardust Solar Arizona Silver Exploration Inc ( ) (OTCMTS:AZASF) (FRA:A9J) continues to hit good gold and silver values in Philadelphia project drilling Loop Insights Inc ( ) ) venue management platform enjoys successful deployment at PGA tournament in Las Vegas Numinus Wellness Inc ( ) ( ) ( ) announces Phase 1 clinical trial of Psilocybin extraction 2.41pm: Wall Street opens in the green Wall Street managed to open on the front foot on Monday as traders awaited the start of a busy week for company earnings. In the first minutes of trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.17% at 34,101 while the S&P 500 climbed 0.2% to 4,188 and the Nasdaq rose 0.26% to 14,052. Investors may be hoping to get into the market ahead of earnings from Tesla, which are due after todays close and will be followed by numbers from Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon later this week. Back in London, the FTSE 100 was holding onto its gains into later afternoon and was up 20 points at 6,958 at around 2.40pm. 1.00pm: FTSE 100 heads higher over lunchtime Londons index of leading shares is close to its high for the day but dont get too excited; its only up 22 points. The FTSE 100 index is at least now closer to 7,000 than it is 6,900, at 6,960. Its not exactly a raging bull market but it is fair to say that defensive stocks are finding little favour, with the likes of ( ) and British American Tobacco ( ) from the booze and fags sector and United Utilities PLC ( ) and ( ) from the utilities sector among the main laggards. Among the FTSE 250 stocks, engineering group ( ) is leading the way with an 11% rise at 1,551p after it raised earnings and margins guidance. Group PLC ( ) had a successful market debut on Monday, rising 5.8% to 178.5p. The companys shares were floated at 165p, at which price the company was valued at about 365mln. That valuation has now risen to 395mln. 1.05pm: US markets to open mixed Picking up the baton from indecisive European markets, US indices are set to open (mostly) lower. The Dow Jones index, having only 30 shares, is more susceptible to a couple of rogue gainers and is expected to open 35 points higher at 34,078 but the broader-based S&P 500 is tipped to fall 4 points to 4,176 while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 is seen sliding 49 points to 13,892 at the start of what is a big week for tech company results. Tesla, Googles parent company Alphabet and Apple are all set to update the market this week with ( ) getting the ball rolling this afternoon after the market shuts. Teslas stock price is little changed since the start of 2021, but that stat is misleading. Worth about $736 at the time of writing, the shares have traded as high as $900 and below $600 over the past few months, demonstrating a level of volatility that investors have grown accustomed to,2 saidLee Wild, the head of equity strategy at interactive investor. There are multiple drivers of the share price, not least growing optimism around the electric vehicle revolution, particularly in China, but also globally as governments accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. US president Joe Bidens green agenda should provide a significant boost to Tesla. We already know Tesla achieved record production in Q1, and further interest in the Model Y in China should mean a massive increase in sales in 2021. Assuming no more major pandemic disruption, expectations are for Tesla to far exceed 800,000 deliveries this year, up from around 500,000 in 2020. Tesla could confirm expectations of at least 50% growth in annual deliveries alongside Q1 results. Tesla must keep up its rapid progress, even as competition intensifies, to even begin to justify the current valuation. The shares are already priced for perfection, so any slip-up will be punished, was the Wild assertion. On the macro front, US durable goods orders numbers for March are out soon. Following an unexpected decline in February, the headline orders are expected to rise 2.5% during the reported month. Core durable goods orders, which exclude transportation items and tend to have a broader impact than the volatile headline figures, are anticipated to have increased by 1.6% in March, according to Fxstreet.com. In the UK, aerospace stocks continue to attract support but not much else is floating investors boats if youll forgive the inappropriate metaphor. The EU decision to allow US vaccinated travellers does highlight a gradual willingness to wake international air travel from its drawn-out slumber. Unfortunately, India highlights the risks involved when vaccination levels are low, with daily cases rising from 47k to 321k in the space of a month. Until vaccinations build a strong base layer of protection, countries will have to continue the fine balancing act that involves knowing greater economic freedom will often come with higher risk of widespread infections, said Joshua Mahony at IG. ( ) and International Consolidated Airlines SA ( ) are holding on to gains of close to 4% while among the mid-caps, ( ) is up 4.2% at 405.5p, easyJet PLC ( ) is 3.6% heavier at 1,021.5p and Plc ( ) is 2.3% to the good at 4,796p. The FTSE 100 is up 9 points (0.1%) at 6,948. 12.40pm: Bk 2 sq 1 as investors mock Standard Life Aberdeen's proposed name change The Footsie is now back to square one after an uneventful morning. Such has been the lack of activity this morning, investors have been busy having fun at the expense of ( ), which has announced its intention to change its name. Apparently not content with its proud Scottish heritage, the company has gone all Welsh on us and dispensed with vowels in its news name, which is to be Abrdn. Some wags have already suggested that mobile phone network EE should do the same and expunge all vowels from its name. The new Abrdn name is pronounced Aberdeen, as indeed is the word Aberdeen. The name change will be part of a modern, agile, digitally-enabled brand that will also be used for all the company's client-facing businesses globally, the companys statement said. Going back to Standard Life Aberdeen, the company said a subsequent announcement will be made when the company's name change becomes effective with a revised stock ticker. I wonder what the ticker will be? Shares in Stndrd Lf Abrdn were up 1.0% at 275p. 10.15am: Resurgence of aerospace-related stocks London has got off to a quiet start to the week despite the best efforts of PLC ( ), which has issued three releases. The FTSE 100 was down 7 points (0.1%) at 6,932, despite investors deciding that aerospace-related stocks are back in favour again. Aeroplane engine builder and maintainer ( ), up 3.8% at 105.66p, was the top blue-chip riser, followed by British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines SA ( ), which is up 3.3% at 203.25p. Meanwhile, PLC ( ) falls 0.2% to 7,553p, pretty much in line with the wider market after it said Selumetinib has been recommended for EU approval for paediatric patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 and plexiform neurofibromas. The pharma giant also said its Tagrisso (osimertinib) treatment has been recommended for marketing authorisation in the European Union for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early-stage (IB, II and IIIA) epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after complete tumour resection with curative intent. Finally, it said the MELODY Phase III trial for nirsevimab met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of medically attended lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) caused by a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) compared to placebo in healthy late preterm and term infants (35 weeks or more) during their first RSV season. All good stuff but the market seems entirely focused on s COVID treatments at the moment, even though the company is selling the vaccine at cost. Shares in Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC ( ) are 0.4% firmer at 280p ahead of the release of market share data for the grocery sector tomorrow. Over the weekend, Paula Vennells, the former boss of the Post Office, resigned from the board (and also from the board of another retailer, Dunelm) in the wake of the decision on Friday by judges to quash the convictions against 39 sub-postmasters who were accused by the Post Office of theft and false accounting; the discrepancies were in fact the result of faults in the information technology (IT) system designed by Fujitsu, the Japanese IT firm that keeps getting lucrative government contracts despite a reputation for incompetence that would discourage even Frank Spencers wife. It is obvious that my involvement with the Post Office has become a distraction from the good work undertaken by the boards I serve, Vennells said. Paula Vennelss decision to step down from the boards of Dunelm and Morrisons demonstrates the influence of three little letters and should fire a warning shot across the bows of all companies, said Danni Hewson, a financial analyst at AJ Bell. ESG [Environmental, Social and Governance] has power, and whilst much of the focus has been on the environmental credentials of businesses its the S and G that have quietly been taking hold. s IPO [initial public offering] might have been a different tale if it hadnt been caught up in a row about employee rights and companies considering large pay rewards will find the shareholder bar this year is considerably higher than in the past, Hewson said. Its no longer enough to talk the talk on ESG, companies have to walk the walk and they will be judged harshly by investors and consumers if they fail to own up to or learn from their mistakes, she concluded. 8.50am: Footsie slips The FTSE 100 nudged into the red as local political issues trumped global recovery hopes on the first session back after the weekend. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is playing Westminster whack-a-mole as pressure mounts over the funding of his Downing Street flat with Labour calling for an inquiry. The PM also faces the prospect of a Dominic Cummings tell-all at a Commons committee next month, while his former armed forces minister continues to chip away at the Johnson administration. Not only that, there is the continuing fall-out from David s lobbying on behalf of failed Greensill Capital, which has also blown up to taint the PM. Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, is less interested in what happens in that patch of land slightly south and west of central London and says the week ahead is all about data. Quite apart from a raft of corporate earnings [see below] with the tech sector being in particular focus, the latest US GDP reading is expected, while the Federal Reserve meeting could provide further clues on the economic direction they are anticipating, he said. The data will follow on from more strong readings in factory activity and new housing sales which helped the S&P500 to another record closing high on Friday. As comparatives become easier over this quarter and indeed the next, as the full effects of the pandemic last year are lapped in company numbers, a meaningful return towards normality is expected. At the same time, companies will have nowhere to hide if they miss expectations, especially set against share prices will have been reflecting hopes of a strong return to form. On the market, publisher Pearson ( ) delivered a reasonably solid increase (5%) in underlying revenues during the first three months. The shares advanced 3.4% on the back of the update. Among the mid-caps, ( ) was the top performer with a 6.2% advance after it confirmed it was in talks to sell a controlling stake in the sweeteners business. Proactive news headlines ( ) said it has signed a new contract with Naples Zoo in Florida, USA, for its BRICKLIVE Supersize tour which will take place from November 2021 to April 2022. ( ) notified that three prominent hospitals in the southeast of England have signed to use and deploy its Zesty patient appointment app. ( ) produced 16,174 ounces of gold equivalent from its mine in Armenia during the quarter to 31 March 2021. All-in-sustaining costs rang in at US$1,024, a comfortable margin on the current gold price of over US$1,750. ( ) said its PrimeVigilance business, a global provider of pharmacovigilance and medical information services, has established a new legal entity and regional office in Japan and is fully operational from today. ( ) revealed that its cloud-based video editing platform is being used by 18 more US TV stations for digital news production following the latest TownNews deployment. (LON:AGL, ) has completed patient enrolment of 200 women to its ovarian cancer clinical verification study. ( ) said revenues increased 8% and its order book rose to 19mln in the past six months despite the disruption caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19). CentralNic Group PLC ( ) confirmed the strong revenue and earnings figures for its 2020 financial year while also announcing plans to release a first-quarter trading update on June 1. Seeing Machines Limited ( ) said it has added another top-notch vehicle manufacturer to its FOVIO Driver and Occupant Monitoring System customer list. Mass production is scheduled from late 2022 with an initial lifetime award value of A$7mln. ( ) confirmed that it has posted its annual report and accounts for 2020 ahead of its annual general meeting on Thursday 20 May 2021. Shareholders are invited to send questions in advance. ( ) announced that its annual general meeting will be held on 26 May in Cambridge. Shareholders are encouraged to vote by proxy and are invited to call in and listen to proceedings of the meeting. 6.50 am: Subdued start predicted The FTSE 100 looks set to make a subdued start to proceedings, with traders ignoring the upward pull of Asia and instead focusing on the political turmoil at home. Chickens appear to be coming home to roost for Boris Johnson with former chief of staff, Dominic Cummings, reportedly ready to use his appearance before a Commons committee next month to challenge the PMs handling of the pandemic. There is then the immediate issue of how the upgrade to his Downing Street flat was paid for along with criticism from former armed forces minister, Johnny Mercer, which has also played out in the weekend press. In Asia earlier, the markets were buoyant as recovery hopes continued to drive sentiment in this part of the world. US futures, meanwhile, pointed to a positive start on Wall Street. Looking ahead, the weeks big corporate news will be out of Silicon Valley. There are quarterlies from Google owner Alphabet (NADAQ:GOOG), Microsoft ( ), Apple ( ), Facebook ( ), Tesla ( ) and Amazon ( ). Here it home we have updates from Shell ( ), BP ( ), GlaxoSmithKline ( ) and Whitbread along with the major banks. Around the markets Pound US$1.3903 (+0.19%) Bitcoin US$52,513.63 (+5.26%) Gold US$1,782.60 (+0.28%) Brent crude US$65.77 (-0.51%) 6.50am: Early Markets - Asia / Australia Stocks in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed on Monday as India recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths, at 352,991 and 2,812, respectively. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong rose 0.10% while the Shanghai Composite in China slipped 0.01%. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% and South Koreas Kospi gained 0.67%. Shares in Australia dipped, with the S&P/ASX 200 trading 0.13% lower. READ OUR ASX REPORT HERE Proactive Australia news: ( ) is trading higher as it welcomes the start of drilling by Red Pty Ltd at the Gipsy Creek Copper-Gold Project in the Cloncurry district of northwest Queensland. Red River Resources Ltd ( ) has received encouraging initial results from its first-pass reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the New Homestead and Don gold prospects, part of its Thalanga Operations in northern Queensland. ( ) has started reverse circulation (RC) drilling at its 100%-owned Mt Palmer Project, about 40 kilometres east-southeast of Southern Cross in Western Australias Goldfields. ( ) ( ) (FRA:NV9) recently announced an agreement with Evotec SE (FRA:EVT) to in-license the global rights to EVT801, a novel inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3). ( ) is progressing its JWD West Wiluna Iron Ore Project in Western Australia, having begun work this week to refurbish offices and other infrastructure at the existing exploration camp with the goal to begin early site works by the end of the month. ( ) is making headway with its investigational new drug (IND) application for its proposed pivotal clinical trial treating subjects with Zilosul for pain associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA). ( ) shipped a total of 220,000 tonnes of iron ore from the Iron Ridge Project at an average price of US$156/tonne during the March quarter with the ramp-up now complete. ( ) (FRA:MA3) is seeking to broaden its investor base by listing on multiple international platforms to complement its Australian Securities Exchange listing. Coronation Street star Will Mellor revealed he feels 'absolutely horrendous' on Sunday after having the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The actor, 45, took to Instagram to discuss how he had been feeling after being inoculated with the Oxford AstraZeneca version of the vaccine, claiming he was 'aching' and felt like an '80-year-old man'. Talking from his bed and looking visibly unwell, Will told his followers: 'I had the Covid jab yesterday and I feel absolutely horrendous. 'I feel absolutely horrendous!' Coronation Street star Will Mellor revealed on Sunday he has been left 'aching' and is bedridden after having the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine 'I can barely lift my head off the pillow and my arms are like lead. I have aching bones, all my back is aching, it's like I've literally got the full blown flu. 'When I try to walk it's like I'm an 80-year-old man, I'm not joking, it's horrendous. 'Obviously not everyone is going to get it like this, but just to let you know there's a possibility.' Giving some advice, he concluded: 'So if you're going to have the jab don't plan nothing for the day after just in case.' Struggle: Will claimed, 'I can barely lift my head off the pillow and my arms are like lead. I have aching bones, all my back is aching, it's like I've literally got the full blown flu' Reaction: Talking from his bed and looking visibly unwell, Will said he was 'aching' and felt like an '80-year-old man' AstraZeneca jabs are currently restricted across much of Europe due to fears about blood clots, while Denmark has stopped using the jab entirely. In January, the European Medicines Regulator (EMA) approved the AstraZeneca jab for all age groups, but a number of EU countries, including France and Germany, refused to recommend it to people over 65. Most countries then restarted use of the vaccines after the EMA came out and said that the incidence of blood clots was actually lower among those who had received a jab than it was in the general population. On April 7, the regulator conceded there was a 'possible link' between AstraZeneca and blood clots, but said neither age group nor gender were a defining risk factor. The NHS vaccination programme opened up to people in their late 40s on Monday, with everyone over 44 now eligible for a jab which they can book online or by phone. Britons in their 30s could receive their call-up for the jab as early as next week, with officials close to securing tens of millions of jabs. WHICH VACCINES ARE BRITAIN USING? AND HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THEY? Pfizer-BioNTech Approved: December 2, 2020 Doses dished out: 10.8million* Doses ordered: 40million Phase 3 trials data Efficacy at blocking symptoms : 95% Efficacy against severe illness: 100% Real world data: Efficacy at stopping transmission : 66% : 66% Efficacy at blocking symptoms (one dose) : Between 57 and 61% Efficacy against severe illness: 80% How it works: mRNA vaccine Genetic material from coronavirus is injected to trick the immune system into making 'spike' proteins and learning how to attack them. Oxford-AstraZeneca Approved: December 30, 2020 Doses dished out: 15.8million* Doses ordered: 100million Phase 3 trials data Efficacy at blocking symptoms (one dose) : 70% Efficacy against severe illness (one dose): 100% Real world data: Efficacy at stopping transmission : 70% : 70% Efficacy at blocking symptoms : Between 60 and 73% Efficacy against severe illness: 80% How it works: Adenovirus vaccine To make the vaccine, the common cold virus is genetically modified to trigger it to make the Covid spike protein which the virus uses to invade cells. When the vaccine is administered the patient's immune system attacks the spike protein by building antibodies, priming it to fight off Covid before it leads to an infection. Moderna Approved: January 8, 2021 Doses dished out: Zero Doses ordered: 17million Phase 3 trials data Efficacy at blocking symptoms : 94.1% Efficacy against severe illness : 100 % Real world data: Efficacy at stopping transmission : Not known : Not known Efficacy at blocking symptoms : 90%** Efficacy against severe illness : Not known How it works: mRNA vaccine both Moderna's and Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccines work in the same way. * the latest data goes up to March 21 ** data taken from a US study, joint with Pfizer. Other real world data comes from Public Health England in the UK Advertisement In March, Will admitted that he was 'terrified' of his late dad Bill's temper as he reflected on their difficult relationship. The soap star candidly discussed his upbringing with his dad, who passed away last year, and told how despite his father loving his family, he struggled to show affection. Will noted that despite Bill's firm hand keeping him on the straight and narrow, he wouldn't do the same to his own children as he said: 'The way he disciplined me as a kid I wouldnt do that to my son.' Looking back: In March, Will admitted that he was 'terrified' of his late dad Bill's temper as he reflected on their difficult relationship The actor was speaking on the Sixteen Summers podcast, which asked the question: 'If you had to choose between your childhood and the one you're giving your kids, which would you pick?' Reflecting on his relationship with Bill, he said: 'The way he disciplined me as a kid I wouldnt do that to my son. But different times call for different measures, he was struggling.' He added: 'His dad was horrendous. So as I see it he was an improvement. I knew his shortcomings werent his fault. And he loved us. He didnt really know how to show it a lot of the times; he never really hugged us that much. Relationship: Will candidly discussed his upbringing with his dad, who passed away last year, and told how despite his father loving his family, he struggled to show affection Reflection: Will noted that despite Bill's firm hand keeping him on the straight and narrow, he wouldn't do the same to his own children as he said: 'The way he disciplined me as a kid I wouldn't do that to my son' 'If he give me a crack for something hed come up and say sorry at the end of the night and I could sleep after that.' Will was left devastated when his father Bill passed away in April last year, with the star unable to even hug his dad due to Covid-19 restrictions. Will shares son Jayden, 17, and daughter Renee, 13, with his wife Michelle. New Delhi: The 'Black Panther' actor Chadwick Boseman's fans were quite upset when the Academy Award for Best Actor was given to Anthony Hopkins instead of the late actor. On April 25, Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 93rd Academy Awards for his role in the film 'The Father', winning against the nominee and late actor Chadwick Boseman. Although Hopkins secured a historic win by becoming the oldest person to win an Oscar, Boseman's fans were unhappy as they believe the 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' actor deserved it more. Some even called it 'disrespectful' for Boseman's family who attended the event. Many fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment and anger over the snub and cheered on the late actor Chadwick. Have a look at their reactions: Me when Chadwick Boseman didn't win for Best Actor#Oscars Siobhain (@summer0001) April 26, 2021 The Oscars were so sure that Chadwick Boseman was going to win that they REARRANGED THE ENTIRE CEREMONY so his category could be last, and then they gave the award to Anthony Hopkins instead...the most chaotic and unhinged thing I've ever seen. Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) April 26, 2021 They build the entire show around a Chadwick Boseman ending and then Anthony Hopkins won and didn't show up Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 26, 2021 So were really gonna snub Viola Davis AND Chadwick Boseman? Thats crazy... (@rhyscarr__) April 26, 2021 NO ACADEMY AWARD FOR CHADWICK BOSEMAN? I'M PISSED. REST IN PEACE, KING. YOUR MOVIES WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/tsv1h0tTF9 Denizcan James (@MrFilmkritik) April 26, 2021 its sick how transparent the academy was in using chadwick boseman just for clicks and views, building everything up to the best actor award and inviting his family and giving him a tribute AND putting his head in gift bags and not giving him ANYTHING.... he deserves more respect gwen (@phqntomthrd) April 26, 2021 An absent Anthony Hopkins winning over Chadwick Boseman during a ceremony built to end around a Boseman win while Joaquin Phoenix awkwardly stumbles through it all is...wow. Chaos! Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) April 26, 2021 Chadwick Boseman may not have won a oscar this evening but he won our hearts and thats what really matters. hope youre doing good up there Chad.#Oscars pic.twitter.com/bwkEa9UMs8 mrti ceo of paul rudd (@IR0NLANG) April 26, 2021 CHADWICK BOSEMAN GOT SNUBBED POSTHUMOUSLY?! I feel like... the entire goodwill of the evening just went down the tubes. He will now never win an Oscar, thats horrible...#Oscars Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) April 26, 2021 Chadwick Boseman was posthumously nominated for the Best Actor Oscar and was the first black actor to be nominated posthumously in the category. The actor breathed his last on August 28, 2020, and died due to cancer. Hopkins, 83, won the second Oscar of his storied career for a heart-wrenching performance as a man with dementia in The Father. He did not attend the ceremony. With Sunday's win, Hopkins became the oldest actor ever to win an Academy Award. The 93rd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, was held from two locations in Los Angeles - Union Station and Dolby Theatre. In India, it was viewed on April 26 from 5:30 am to 8:30 am. There were many historic wins at the ceremony. Frances McDormand was honoured with her third Best Actress award while filmmaker Chloe Zhao`s "Nomadland" was named the Best Film. Zhao won Best Director for the film. Just two weeks ago, Bari Weiss published two open letters, one from a teacher at a fancy New York private school and one from a parent whose daughter attended a different fancy New York private school. Both letters castigated the schools over their deep dives into Critical Race Theory (CRT), which was overtaking education entirely in those institutions. Since then, events are snowballing in a way that might lead to CRT's overthrow. It turns out that lots of parents in New York find offensive the anti-white racism of the misnamed "anti-racism" programs in New York City schools, and they're beginning to act. On April 13, Bari Weiss published a statement from Paul Rossi, a teacher at Grace Church High School in Manhattan. He explained how CRT had become the central pillar of the school's educational philosophy and was damaging the students. Three days later, Weiss published a similar letter that Andrew Gutmann, whose daughter attended Brearley School, another expensive private school, had written to other parents. In subsequent days, we learned that Rossi lost his job and that the head of the school had admitted that he was harming his white students by calling them racists only to deny that charge later. Thankfully, Rossi had him on tape. We also got to see the head of Brearley completely ignore the substantive charges against her school and, instead, claim that Gutmann was victimizing students by insisting that CRT is a problem. It turns out that Rossi and Gutmann aren't the only ones upset by the prevailing leftist wisdom in their communities. The New York Post reports that other parents are beginning to speak up and speak out: Until last summer, Harvey Goldman had no idea that his 9-year-old daughter was learning about George Floyd's death and Black Lives Matter as well as her own "white privilege" at the $43,000-per-year Heschel School in Manhattan. Now he's part of an underground network of parents in NYC and around the country, many of whom are left-leaning, fighting what they believe is the undue focus on race by schools as part of the new "woke" culture. Many are reluctant to identify themselves publicly for fear of being labeled racist. But more are coming forward after Andrew Gutmann, the father of a 12-year-old girl at Manhattan's posh Brearley School, wrote a scathing screed to administrators about their "anti-racism" obsession and went public in The Post last week. Goldman reached out to the school but, he said, administrators were "arrogant and dismissive." He then wrote the school a letter stating his position. The school told him in no uncertain terms that neither he nor his daughter was welcome there. The Post had other tales of parents pushing back: Many parents, like Goldman, and Bion Bartning, whose kids were enrolled in the $54,000-a-year Riverdale Country School, only got wind of the situation after Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin killed Floyd in police custody last May or when they overheard evidence of it during their kids' Zoom classes. Bartning was so upset by what he said was the divisiveness and harm done to children as a result of Riverdale's new "orthodoxy" about race that he pulled his kids out of the school. Last month he formed the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) to combat CRT in schools and promote a "pro-human" agenda. More than 20,000 people have already joined, Bartning told the Post. Bartning is an especially good messenger for this new movement, because he's Mexican, Yaqui, and Jewish. He is the wonders and vigor of the American melting pot. But wait! There's more. According to the Post, even public-school parents are starting to complain and get actively engaged in the situation, either setting up their own FAIR chapters or getting into local politics. The problem with conservatives is that they are...conservative. That is, conservatism infuses not just their politics, but their approach to life. They have families to raise, jobs to do, bills to pay, and laws that they're not inclined to break, so they're...not complacent, but passive. They also don't like to make waves in social or business settings. However, if conservatives can be brought to understand what is being done to them and, especially, to their children, they will fight back. And they're certainly going to gain courage as they see other parents speaking up. I cannot encourage American Thinker readers enough to go beyond reading this wonderful site and, in addition, to start acting. We're not leftists, so our actions will be polite and legal. However, we can boycott woke companies (Coke, Kellogg's, etc.), intelligently challenge foolish ideas, get involved in local politics, and generally just cease to be passive. These New York parents are proving to be a model for how it's done. What school looks like when children are free to be themselves. Image: Elementary school children by rawpixel.com. Advertisement World-famous travel bloggers who earned a six-figure salary from sharing their enviable lifestyle on Instagram have revealed they are planning on putting their $1.2 million three-storey Balinese mansion up for rent following their shock split in March. Australian traveller Lauren Bullen, 28, best known as @gypsealust, said she and her ex-boyfriend Jack Morris, 30, from Manchester, also known as @doyoutravel, will list their dream home on the rental market, 'unless a really good offer comes through to sell'. 'Our Bali villa will be turning into a rental sometime later this year. We will still keep the house together, but neither of us will live in it,' Lauren wrote on her Instagram Story. 'Hope to be welcoming you all soon.' Travel bloggers Lauren Bullen (right) and Jack Morris (left) who earn a six-figure salary from sharing their enviable lifestyle on Instagram have revealed what they're going to do with their $1.2 million Balinese mansion following their shock split Lauren previously revealed to her followers she had always planned on moving back to Australia sometime this year after her twin sister Ellie, who lives in Queensland, gave birth her son. 'I just felt this pull to wanting to be there more,' Lauren said late last year, adding: 'I just started to crave living in Australia again'. Last year, Lauren revealed the couple had built their mansion with the 'plan to turn it into a rental'. 'It was never our intention to live in this house forever. Bali pre-covid has great rental return. It was always a business plan with the build. We thought we'd live here for two to three years and then rent it out,' she said. 'Bali will always be our second home.' The couple announced they had quietly parted ways in March after they used their income from social media to build their million dollar home - complete with a sunken lounge room, marble swimming pool, designer kitchen and a home cinema theatre in 2019. The couple announced they had quietly parted ways in March, shocking millions of their followers on Instagram Lauren said the decision to go their separate ways was 'for sure the hardest' she has ever made, before cryptically adding: 'Sadly the last year, we let our relationship slip away from under us.' Jack, a former carpet cleaner who left the UK to travel the world in 2012, said he spent 'by far the best years' of his life with Lauren, claiming no one has inspired him the way she has. 'It's really hard for me to find words for this post, and a post I really never thought I'd be making.. but life happened and Jack and I decided to separate last month. This for sure was the hardest decision I've ever made,' Lauren began. 'Sadly the last year we let our relationship slip away from under us. I know from the outside it looked like we had everything you could want and more, but one thing was missing, something more important to me than anything, happiness.' She continued: 'Jack you were the best thing to come into my life.. we had an instant and inseparable connection. I'm so proud of everything we achieved together it's more than I could have ever imagined for my life, which I thank you for. 'You pushed me to work harder and dream bigger and I was always so inspired by your dedication and determination to succeed.' Lauren revealed the pair had spent the past few weeks in tears, opening up about troubles they had been hiding from one another and reminiscing on the past five years of 'love, adventure and fun' which ultimately led them to agree they should end their romantic relationship. The duo famously used their income from social media to build a $1.2million three-storey Balinese mansion (pictured) complete with a sunken lounge room, marble swimming pool, designer kitchen and a home cinema theatre in 2019 They built their dream home (pictured) from scratch using only the money they make off the photo-sharing platform Jack (pictured with Lauren in happier times) took a leap of faith nine years ago and quit his job as a carpet cleaner after deciding he needed more adventure in his life '[It] brought us both so much closure and understanding of why we couldn't make it work as a couple any longer,' she wrote. 'Many of you have followed our full journey together but for sure it's the moments no one else sees, just us being us and the Jack that only I really got to see, that's what I'll miss more than anything.' Jack echoed his ex-love's words, starting his post by saying: 'It was a real difficult decision for both of us, but a decision we know is for the best. 'I spent by far the best years of my life with this girl, and I'll cherish those memories forever. It's pretty rare to find someone you instantly click with, share the same dreams with, and then be fortunate enough to go out and take on the world together.' The former carpet cleaner addressed Lauren directly, saying while it is difficult for him to understand why they grew apart, he will 'always be there' for her. Lauren said the decision was 'for sure the hardest' she has ever made, before cryptically adding: 'Sadly the last year, we let our relationship slip away from under us.' News of the split sent shockwaves through the couple's combined 4.5million follower base, with hundreds of friends and fans responding with messages of support 'I remember meeting you and feeling like I hit the jackpot, cuddling up during our first movie night in Fiji, the first time we held hands whilst walking in Sri Lanka, telling you I love you for the first time and you not hearing me... damn, where did the time go?' he wrote. Jack paid tribute to their time together, saying that despite the glamorous lifestyle they portray online, it's the 'little day by day moments that aren't shared with the world' that he will miss the most. 'Who knows where this next chapter will take us, wherever it does, I'll always be so thankful for the years we spent together, and for our friendship that we'll always continue to share,' he added. The exes - who sell Lightroom presets which fans and fellow content creators can use to edit photos, as well as enjoying sponsorship deals with global brands such as Royal Caribbean Cruises, Disney, Air NZ, Airbnb and Tiffany & Co. - ended their posts by promising to remain close friends and business partners. Jack said the break-up was 'a real difficult decision for both of us, but a decision we know is for the best' Jack and Lauren last made headlines at the start of the pandemic when they were criticised for 'bragging' about self-isolating in their Balinese mansion while millions in their home countries lined up for welfare payments. Lauren had wanted to fly home in accordance with government instructions for Australians to return but said she was not prepared to leave her partner and their dog Oreo behind. Photos of their time in isolation showed Jack playing Mario Kart on a lavish cinema-style screen in a palatial living area that boasts views of their pool outside. 'What our self-isolation looks like here in Bali. Netflix and Mario Kart is pretty much my life right now! What are you guys doing to keep entertained at home? Hope everyone is staying safe,' he wrote in the caption. Jack and Lauren last made headlines at the start of the pandemic when they were criticised for 'bragging' about self-isolating in their Balinese mansion (pictured) while millions in their home countries lined up for welfare payments Photos of their time in isolation showed Jack playing Mario Kart on a lavish cinema-style screen in a palatial living area that boasts views of their pool outside .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... As Central New Mexico enters an unprecedented drought year, we are at risk of losing one of our most important tools for monitoring the health of the Rio Grande. For the past quarter century, the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program BEMP to its friends and supporters has collected data on 160 miles of Rio Grande riverside. Formed through a partnership between the University of New Mexico and Bosque School, BEMP has also brought more than 100,000 K-12 students into the bosque, collecting important scientific data while learning about their natural world. Students count bugs and measure fallen leaves and the depth to groundwater. The data helps us understand the evolution of the bosque, while they gain hands-on science experience. It is hard to overstate the importance of the results. Students in my own program the University of New Mexico Water Resources Program have leveraged BEMPs work to study the threatened riverside ecosystem. But that is only the tip of the BEMP iceberg. Much of our understanding of how Albuquerques precious riverside ecosystem functions is due to the careful, diligent, ongoing data collection by BEMP staff and the students they bring to the bosque. The threat to BEMP comes from a shift in federal priorities. For much of its life, BEMP has been dependent on the generosity of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that operates Cochiti Dam and carries the bulk of the responsibility for Rio Grande flood control. Corps funding provides two thirds of BEMPs budget. At the end of the current fiscal year, shifting budget priorities mean the Corps funding will go away. Without that money, BEMPs staff will have to be cut from 16 scientists and educators to just five. The number of long-term monitoring sites will drop from 33 to 10. BEMPs scientific importance, the thing that makes its data so valuable, lies in the continuity of its datasets. From a scientific and land management perspective, this would be a devastating loss. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ But even more important may be the community value we all receive from the steady flow of K-12 students into the bosque learning about science and the natural world firsthand. Some students would still get the BEMP experience, but far fewer. Some have criticized the Corps for its decision to shift its funding away from BEMP, but I think that is unfair. Instead, we should praise the agency for the support it has provided for all these years. We all have benefitted from the Corps generosity. We need to find a solution before the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30. In the long run, members of the states congressional delegation are pursuing alternative sources of funding. But, in the short term, the only option may be to impose on the generosity of the Corps for one more year while we put together sustainable, long-term funding. Visiting the bosque one recent Saturday, as I watched river flows dropping because of this years drought, I was pondering the fate of the cottonwood. Former UNM Water Resources Program student Tom Heller used BEMP data to study how the groundwater beneath my feet declined as the river dropped crucial to the fate and future of our beloved bosque. Without BEMP, we would not have known what Tom helped us learn. The thoughts, verses and ideas of Solomon Ibn Gabirol have become a fundamental pillar of the Sephardi legacy to the world and they have been kept alive for 1,000 years. His work is essential in Jewish studies, but many people will never have heard of him. This influential 11th century Andalusian poet and philosopher was born in Malaga but became an orphan at a young age and was taken in by a prominent political figure of the time. He became a prolific writer who published over a hundred poems, as well as works of religious explanation, philosophy, ethics and satire. To prevent him being forgotten, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain recently organised a two-day conference in Malaga to mark 1,000 years since he was born. Many local institutions took part, including Malaga council, the university, the Picasso Museum, the Unicaja Foundation, the Tres Culturas Foundation, the Federation of Jewish Communities and the recently-created Ibn Gabirol Association, which is headed by Salomon Castiel. The aim was to pass on the message of tolerance and community which lies behind the poems and writings of the Sephardi poet, and the conference featured different aspects of his life, in the form of round-table discussions. Expert opinions On the first day, three experts talked about the figure of Ibn Gabirol as a philosopher: Dr Miguel Angel Espinosa, professor of History and Culture of the Jewish People at Granada University; Dr Angel Galan, a professor of Medieval History at Malaga university, who gave the historical context of the time in which Gabirol lived, saying that in the 11th century Malaga already had a sizeable port and commercial activity; and Dr Amparo Alba Cecilia of the Complutense university of Madrid, who revealed that Ibn Gabirol is known by three names, a Jewish one, a Christian one and a Muslim one, and that his poems differed greatly from his philosophical works. "For Judaism, he is one of the greatest religious poets in the world," she explained, while his philosophical thought captivated Christian scholars in the 13th century. Also participating in the round table discussions was Line Amselem, professor at the Hauts-de-France polytechnic university. She spoke of "the different identities" that can be seen in the writings of Gabirol, and pointed out that centuries went by before it was finally realised that the works he published under his Christian name and his Sephardi writings were by the same person. The president of the Malaga provincial authority, Francis Salado, said that the ideas of this philosopher are as vital today as they were 1,000 years ago. The mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, stressed the importance of the city embracing the values of "tolerance and respect" which Gabirol had promoted in his writings. The president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, Isaac Benzaquen, defined Gabirol as "a great man who was relegated to a second place in culture". Concha de Santa Ana, director of the Tres Culturas Foundation pointed out that "knowledge is the greatest antidote to hatred" and Maria Jesus Morales of Malaga university described Gabirol as "a mirror" for academics to look into. New Delhi: The Indian Air Force carried out a full war drill at the Agra Lucknow expressway in Uttar Pradesh. The expressway witnessed a barrage of fighter jet and cargo planes displaying various manouvers and formations. The war drill is a standard exercise undertaken by the Air Force for making it operationally prepared for war time. IAF would also look into the feasability of using the expressway as ad-hoc landing / take-off strip for undertaking flying sorties during war time. The IAF exercise has commenced its drill with an impressive short landing by the C-130 which on its landing roll itself will start off loading the Garud Commandos and their vehicle. Immediately on disembarking from the C-130, the Commandos have taken up positions on either side of the airstrip to cordon it off for the fighter operations. #WATCH Indian Air Force planes land on Lucknow-Agra expressway https://t.co/fi0qwE6d6h ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2017 This will be followed by three Jaguar Deep penetration strike aircraft, 2 formations of three aircraft each of Mirages and 2 formations of three aircraft each of Sukhoi-30. All fifteen fighter aircraft will carry out a roller/touch and go manoeuvre on the expressway. The C-130 will then return for another short landing to extricate the Garud Commandos. The Agra-Lucknow Expressway is 302-km six-lane Expressway which can be expanded to 8-lane. The expressway starts from Agra to reach Lucknow via Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Oraia, Kannauj, Hardoi,Kanpur Nagar and Unnao. The 302 kilometer-long expressway was completed in a record time of 22 months at the cost of Rs 13,200 crore. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. BECKET A Connecticut tractor-trailer driver has been charged with motor vehicle homicide after he plowed into two cars on the Massachusetts Turnpike, killing a Ludlow man and injuring a Ludlow woman and a Springfield driver. Gary Litwin, 69, of Ludlow, was killed and Diane Litwin, 66, of Ludlow, was injured after Stanley Kardys, 67, crashed into their Toyota Camry at about 4:35 p.m., Friday, on Interstate-90, said Andy McKeever, spokesman for Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington. Kardys, who faces a single count of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, was heading eastbound toward mile marker 15 when traffic slowed. He crashed his Freightliner tractor-trailer truck into the Camry. The Camry was then pushed into a Toyota Sienna van, he said. (Kardys) allegedly failed to brake properly when approaching slower traffic, McKeever said. The driver of the van, Marinalva Silva, 39, of Springfield, was brought to Berkshire Medical Center with injuries that are not life-threatening. Diane and Gary Litwin were brought to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where Diane Litwin was treated for injuries, McKeever said. The West Granby, Connecticut, resident was officially charged on Monday. His arraignment has not been scheduled yet, he said. The crash is being investigated by multiple Massachusetts State Police units including the detective unit for Berkshire County, the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the Crime Scene Services Section and the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section. The Berkshire District Attorneys Office is also investigating the collision, he said. Lee Fire and Rescue and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation also responded to the scene, McKeever said. Related content: Kamala Harris will hold a virtual bilateral meeting on Monday with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei to finally discuss the border crisis with a leader in the Northern Triangle. This is Harris' first substantial step toward addressing the growing humanitarian crisis since being named border 'czar' 33 days ago. During the vice president's meeting with Giammattei, the two will talk about 'working together to address immediate relief needs of the Guatemalan people as well as deepening cooperation on migration.' Since being put in charge of the White House response, Harris has held two sessions with experts and philanthropists to talk about why people are emigrating in much larger numbers from Northern Triangle countries than in the past. Harris and the administration have reiterated the vice president's role is to address 'root causes' in Central America to try and quell citizens from fleeing and migrating to the U.S. en masse. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki continued that walk back on the vice president's role, claiming that Harris' focus is on 'diplomacy' in the region. 'Her focus is not on 'the border,' Psaki said during her briefing Monday. 'It's on addressing the root causes in the Northern Triangle.' Vice President Kamala Harris will also hold a bilateral meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday to discuss addressing the border crisis Harris has received a slew of criticism for traveling across the U.S. since being named border 'czar' 33 days ago and not yet stopping at the border to assess the crisis for herself She then previewed Harris' upcoming meeting with Giammattei on Monday and with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador next week. 'She's working with them to make sure there are systems in place to reduce the amount of migration coming from these countries, but also to address the root causes and that's really what the president has asked her to,' Psaki said. The White House is planning for Harris to visit Guatemala and Mexico in June for her first trip in her role addressing the border crisis. To the ire of critics and Republicans, the vice president has not and does not plan to visit the U.S. southern border. Harris said in an interview Sunday that her trip to Central American is further complicated due to the prevailing pandemic. Record-numbers of illegal crossers and asylum-seekers have overwhelmed U.S. border and immigration facilities.There are more than 21,000 unaccompanied minor migrants in federal custody, causing many agents to act as babysitters rather than patrol the border. In March the southern border saw an all-time high number of encounters and apprehensions. The White House touted striking a deal earlier this month with Guatemala and other countries to send more troops to their borders to stop migrants from getting into Mexico and crossing into the U.S. there. Guatemalan officials denied this, claiming their troops at the border was not part of any new deal made with the Biden administration. Harris will also address the United Nations on Monday where she will make the case that now is the time for global leaders to begin putting serious work into how they will respond to the next global pandemic. The virtual address, Harris' second to a U.N. body since her inauguration January 20, will come as the U.S. makes progress on vaccinating the public and much of the world struggles to acquire vaccines. 'At the same time that the world works to get through this pandemic, we also know that we must prepare for the next,' Harris will say, according to excerpts of the speech obtained by The Associated Press. The speech will be co-hosted by U.N. permanent representatives of Argentina, Japan, Norway and South Africa. The Biden administration will mark its first 100 days in office this week. President Joe Biden will address Congress on Wednesday where he is certain to highlight the headway his administration has made in responding to the worst public health crisis in the U.S. in more than a century. Harris is planning to visit Guatemala and Mexico this summer as mass amounts of illegal crossers and asylum-seekers continue to arrive in the U.S. Migrant families disembark an inflatable raft in Roma, Texas after crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico to the U.S. He is also expected to unveil the American Family Plan, the second part of his American Jobs Plan, which could have a price tag of at least $1.5 trillion. This part will focus on childcare, paid family leave, and other social welfare issues. The first portion was centered on infrastructure. Harris, according to the excerpts, will broadly outline Monday how the administration thinks the U.S. and other nations should consider focusing their attention for another global pandemic. The steps include improving accessibility to health systems, investing in science, health workers and the well-being of women, and surging capacity for personal protective equipment and vaccine and test manufacturing. Harris says much has been learned over the last year about pandemic preparedness and response but that it would be unwise to rest easy 'We have been reminded that the status quo is not nearly good enough, and that innovation is indeed the path forward,' Harris will say. Biden's ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is also scheduled to deliver remarks at Monday's virtual event and intends to call on nations to 'build the pandemic preparedness architecture for the future.' 'The takeaway from this past year is clear: The world barely withstood this pandemic,' Thomas-Greenfield says in excerpts of her prepared remarks. 'We must be ready for the next.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) A group of doctors on Monday appealed to the Duterte administration to listen to the recommendation of healthcare workers on the ground who can truly see the COVID-19 situation before deciding on the community quarantine classification for May. The Philippine College of Physicians and the Philippine Hospital Association have recommended the extension of the modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ over Metro Manila and other provinces amid the ongoing COVID-19 surge. Despite the slight decrease in daily COVID-19 cases, PCP Vice President Dr. Maricar Limpin said hospitals haven't seen the effect of the two weeks of ECQ then another 14 days of MECQ, so it's only prudent to extend the lockdown. She told CNN Philippines that most of the hospitals in Metro Manila are working beyond their capacity due to the sheer number of COVID-19 patients seeking help. Beds for COVID-19 patients remain fully occupied, while emergency rooms are accepting patients beyond their capacity with hospital workers having to intubate patients in the ERs while waiting for COVID-19 beds to free up. "We are not feeling that yet because if you notice, the number of cases everyday is still very high, around more than 8,000. This did not make a dent as far as the number of people that are being seen in the hospitals. It is still too early to lift the restrictions that we have right now," she said in an interview. The Health Department and OCTA Research Group are also batting for an extension of the MECQ over Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan before it expires on April 30. Limpin urged the government to listen to the plea of doctors and health experts before making its decision for the month of May. "If the current restrictions will be lifted right now in this coming May, from MECQ to GCQ, then that means we expect more cases to come in the next few weeks," she said. "We pray that the government, particularly the top leaders of the country, will heed the call of the health professionals that it is really not yet time to immediately lift the MECQ that we have." IATF, the government's pandemic task force, said it will look at the healthcare utilization in NCR Plus bubble and the "economic health" of the country before issuing the quarantine status for next month. The Philippine College of Physicians also proposed to fix the foundation of COVID-19 response, which is contact tracing, in order to address the dire health situation. "The start of everything is really in the contact tracing. That is the basics we need to do. That is still lacking. The first step is what we need to improve on and we need to improve it right now," Dr. Limpin said. Monday, April 26, 2021 Journalist Haynes Johnson spoke to Jack Martin and David Lewis in early March 1967 and this article shows the craziness of these two so-called witnesses. Here is his article from the Evening Star (Washington D.C.) of March 3, 1967: This is a new low for Martin - claiming that Ferrie mentioned Shaw. Interesting that Martin was "not sure" if Oswald had been in Banister's office. Good decision on the Evening Star not to retain Jack Martin. Here is an earlier Haynes Johnson story from The Evening Star of February 26, 1967: I like the comment at the end, "I'll tell you how this investigation is conducted. It's the craziest damn thing in the world." The quote was from either Carlos Quiroga or Carlos Bringuier. Ten years in the making, My Octopus Teacher initially was only a personal project to South African filmmaker Craig Foster who wanted to rekindle his connection with nature. He would free-dive near Cape Town and observe a female mollusk. Now, the documentary has won the Best documentary feature award at the Oscars 2021. Netflix The film directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed documents a year that filmmaker Foster spent with the octopus. The Netflix Original documentary had released in September last year. Netflix For the unversed, Foster is married to the Indian documentary filmmaker and environmental journalist Swati Thiyagarajan, who was the production manager. We won!!!!!! Best documentary feature Oscar!!! https://t.co/0A7pyWTWWx Swati Thiyagarajan (@SwatiWild) April 26, 2021 The movie narrates the relationship between a man and an animal and leaves you to think how meaningful it can be for the sustainability of the world. The movie was a sleeper hit and has won the BAFTA award and was named top documentary at the Producers Guild of America Awards. Other winners at the Oscars include Nomadland director Chloe Zhao who made history becoming the first woman of colour to win the Best Director trophy at the actors. She is also only the second female director to lift the trophy. The Father actor Anthony Hopkins became the oldest actor to bag the Best Actor trophy at the Oscars. Mank, Sound of Metal, animated film Soul, and Judas And The Black Messiah also swept the awards in the major categories. An event dedicated to the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the memory of the Holy Martyrs was held at Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet today. Among the attendees were third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, former Minister of Defense of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Levon Mnatsakanyan, hero of Artsakh Samvel Karapetyan, several military and political figures, as well as representatives of the intelligentsia. When entering the Opera, reporters asked Sargsyan if he has made a decision on the upcoming elections, Serzh Sargsyan gave a negative answer. The event was organized under the sponsorship of Luys Foundation. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK government is "working very hard" to secure the release of an Iranian-British woman who has been sentenced to another year of prison in Iran. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has already served a five-year prison sentence in the Islamic Republic. Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani told The Associated Press on Monday that she received the second sentence on a charge of spreading propaganda against the system for participating in a protest in front of the Iranian Embassy in London in 2009. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) ADVERTISEMENT The Imo State Police Command has confirmed Sundays robbery attack on motorists in Orji area of Owerri, which left four persons with bullet injuries. The commands spokesperson, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri. Mr Ikeokwu said the victims of the attack had been taken to the Federal Medical Center, Owerri, for treatment. NAN reports that the incident took place near the Orji Divisional Police Headquarters on Owerri-Okigwe Road around 10.30 p.m. It was learnt that the hoodlums, who were trailing an unmarked security vehicle, double-crossed it at Orji and opened fire on the driver. Eyewitness account said the gunmen also robbed other motorists and commuters in commercial vehicles at the same spot. The account further said the robbers shot sporadically after the operation to scare away people, before making their escape. It was during the sporadic shooting that three more persons around area were hit by bullet, the witness said on the condition of anonymity. The incident caused tension and panic in the area, forcing residents and passersby to run helter skelter for their lives. NAN reports that the robbery, which came barely one day after the attack on Governor Hope Uzodinmas country home in Omuma, had further heightened the fear of insecurity in the state. In another development, the police spokesman has debunked the report of alleged attack on the Imo House of Assembly. In a statement made available to NAN, he described the online video, showing the assembly complex under fire, as false. According to him, the building, which was on fire in social media post, was neither the state house of assembly nor any building in Imo. (NAN) FLINT, MI - Flint residents gathered Sunday afternoon to commemorate seven years since the beginning of the Flint water crisis, reflecting over those lost, the citys progress and what remains to be done. A few dozen residents, some standing outside and some remaining in their cars, attended the April 25 event held at the old farmers market at 420 E. Boulevard Drive. The water crisis was triggered in Flint nearly seven years ago when the city, while being run by state-appointed emergency managers, changed Flints water source to the Flint River. The resulting elevated levels of lead, bacteria and chlorination byproducts in city water led to local, state and federal emergency declarations and required the replacement of all lead and galvanized water service lines in the city. Related: Former Flint mayors object to water crisis settlement, ask to speak at fairness hearing Bishop Bernadel Jefferson of Faith Deliverance Center Church served as the events emcee and was the first speaker, taking the microphone after a performance from Jazz on Wheels. Jefferson emphasized that the event was a commemoration - not a celebration - of the water crisis, caused by a cost-cutting effort by state-appointed emergency managers. We still are mindful whats going on in our city, we still are mindful that we are in the struggle, we are still mindful that we got a long ways to go, Jefferson said. This water crisis just didnt happen, it was man-made. And because it was man-made, were gonna make man fix it. They broke it, they gon fix it. Jasmine Hall, a Flint epidemiologist and health chair of the local NAACP, read from a letter to public figures including President Joe Biden, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp., expressing concerns about the states settlement with water crisis victims. U.S. District Court Judge Judith E. Levy has given a $641-million settlement preliminary approval, but as of Friday, more than 100 objections had been logged in federal court for a variety of reasons, including objections to the formula being used to divide the money and the amount of the settlement attorneys have requested. Levy has scheduled a July 12 fairness hearing to hear those objections. As of March 30, the claims administrator for the settlement had received approximately 45,422 registrations that had been screened and initially reviewed, the first step in making a claim for part of the settlement. Among the potential snags ahead for the settlement is the potential for one of the settling defendants -- McLaren Regional Medical Center -- to pull out of the agreement and fight the cases in which it has been named in court. Attorney Geoffrey Fieger said last week that 25 clients with pending water crisis lawsuits dont want to settle their cases against McLaren, which has the ability to walk away from the deal if any of the individual lawsuits against it continue. In addition to McLaren, which contributed $20 million to the settlement, the state of Michigan ($600 million), the city of Flint ($20 million) and Rowe ($1.25 million) have agreed to settle, contributing to the settlement fund in exchange for being excused from the pending cases in state and federal courts. The letter, also signed by Flint Councilman Eric Mays and former mayor Karen Weaver, called on the officials to express solidarity, demand a second registration period for the settlement and provide health coverage for life to all residents affected by the contaminated water through Medicare. Pastor Monica Villarreal of Salem Lutheran Church said shes looking toward the future Flint residents are building together, which includes holding accountable those responsible for the water crisis so that nothing like it ever happens again. She also criticized Michigans emergency manager law, saying Flint was not only by man, but by bad policy. Two of Flints former emergency financial managers -- Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose-- are among those charged with criminal wrongdoing related to the crisis. Nine criminal cases tied to the water crisis, including one charging former Gov. Rick Snyder with two counts of willful neglect of duty, have started in Genesee County District and circuit courts, but have been slow to take shape, partly because of a review of grand jury documents by Chief Circuit Judge Duncan Beagle. In February, Beagle ordered grand jury records and transcripts from 45 witnesses in the cases to be delivered to him for in-chamber review and set a June 14 review date to give him time to inspect and decide what records should be turned over for discovery in the cases, seven of which are pending before Circuit Judge Elizabeth Kelly. Snyder and former Flint Department of Public Works Director Howard Croft had their cases assigned to Genesee District Court because they do not face felony charges. In addition to Snyder, Croft, Ambrose, and Earley, those charged with criminal wrongdoing related to the water crisis include the governors former senior advisor Richard Baird, former Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, former Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eden Wells, former Snyder Chief of Staff and Communications Director Jarrod Agen and Nancy Peeler, Director of the MDHHS Program for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting. Flint is still not whole, Villareal said. Flint is still not fixed, Flint is still broken. We are still fighting for justice. Yes, our city has made progress, replacing lead service lines, but were not done yet. Rick Freeman of Rowe Professional Services told the City Council April 14 that he hopes the final approximately 500 service lines that still need to be excavated in the city will have been checked and replaced if needed by June or July. After two months of delays, the council approved an extension of Rowes contract with the city through a $500,000 change order by a vote of 7-0. During a moment of silence, participants lit floating lanterns in recognition of those who have died over the course of the crisis, whom Jefferson likened to fallen soldiers. The price that they paid, the Bible says no greater love can you have than to lay down your life for a brother, Jefferson said. They laid their lives down for their brothers and sisters. So we recognize that today. Read more on MLive: 7 years after Flint water crisis started, pipe replacement nears end but other issues drag on Attorney Geoffrey Fieger says 25 clients wont be strong-armed into joining Flint water settlement Flint water service line manager gets contract extension, says work could be complete by early summer [April 26, 2021] Cambiar Opportunity Fund Honored With Refinitiv Lipper Award Recognizing Risk-Adjusted Performance Cambiar Investors, a leading independent global relative value manager, announced that the Cambiar Opportunity Fund - Institutional Class (CAMWX) has received a 2021 Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award. The Fund was named Best Fund Over 3-Years in the Multi-Cap Value Funds category. According to Refinitiv Lipper, winning funds excelled in providing consistently strong, risk-adjusted performance relative to peers based entirely on objective, quantitative criteria. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005010/en/ Refinitiv Lipper Award - Cambiar Opportunity Fund (Graphic: Business Wire) "We are extremely proud of this recognition for delivering strong returns to our investors," said Cambiar President and CIO Brian Barish, who manages the Opportunity Fund. "While we offer a number of domestic, international and global investment products this award is especially gratifying since the Opportunity Fund is an extension of our Large Cap Value strategy managed by Cambiar since the firm's founding in the early '70s." The Cambiar Opportunity Fund -which invests in 35-45 stocks, primarily large-cap companies domiciled in the U.S.-is also accessible to most individual investors via the Cambiar Opportunity Fund (CAMOX). About the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards The 2021 Lipper Fund Awards are based on data as of Nov. 30, 2020. For more than 30 years and in over 17 countries worldwide, the highly respected Refinitiv Lipper Fund wards have honored funds and fund management firms that have excelled in providing consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers and focus the investment world on top funds. The merit of the winners is based on entirely objective, quantitative criteria. This coupled with the unmatched depth of fund data, results in a unique level of prestige and ensures the award has lasting value. The Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards, granted annually, highlight funds and fund companies that have excelled in delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers. The Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards are based on the Lipper Leader for Consistent Return rating, which is a risk-adjusted performance measure calculated over 3, 5, and 10 years. The fund with the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value in each eligible classification wins the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award. For more information on the methodology, please click here. Although Refinitiv Lipper makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Refinitiv Lipper. The awards listed are for the indicated share classes only. Other share classes of the funds may have different results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards, 2021 Refinitiv. All rights reserved. Used under license. About Cambiar Investors Cambiar Investors is a Denver-based, investment management firm founded in 1973. Cambiar utilizes a 'Relative Value' investment philosophy across a wide range of strategies. Our disciplined, research-driven investment approach, coupled with being a 100% employee-owned organization, creates a corporate culture that shares a common pursuit of excellence with our clients. Disclosure Mutual fund investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Cambiar Opportunity Funds may invest in derivatives, which are often more volatile than other investments and may magnify the Fund's gains or losses. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its stated objectives. Diversification does not protect against market loss. A company may reduce or eliminate its dividend, causing loses to the fund. To determine if a Fund is an appropriate investment for you, carefully consider the Fund's investment objectives, risk factors and charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund's summary or statutory prospectus which can be obtained by clicking here or calling 1-866-777-8227. Please read it carefully before investing. There is no guarantee that the Funds will meet their stated objectives. Cambiar Funds are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co., 1 Freedom Valley Dr. Oaks, PA 19456, which is not affiliated with the Advisor or Refinitiv Lipper. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005010/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] This is just screaming, We fear your activity, we fear your protests, we fear smart voting, Ivan Zhdanov, a top aide to Mr. Navalny, wrote on Twitter, referring to a voting strategy in which the opposition coalesces around the single strongest candidate in a given race. Until now, Mr. Navalny has still been able to get his word out through his various organizations. Just days ago, he ended a hunger strike in jail after the authorities relented amid an international outcry and allowed independent doctors to examine him. His personal doctors had feared that what they called ill treatment in jail and the hunger strike could kill Mr. Navalny unless he received proper medical care. Though overshadowed by the assassination attempt on Mr. Navalny last year and his imprisonment and recent hunger strike, the legal onslaught against his movement also carries potentially far-reaching implications. Mr. Putins system of governance is sometimes called a soft authoritarian approach, because it allows open opposition and more internet freedoms than in China. Political parties exist in Russia that are ostensibly in the opposition, but in fact they back Mr. Putin and most of his policies while criticizing officials lower down the pecking order, such as regional governors. The prosecutors request singled out Mr. Navalnys nongovernmental groups, saying they posed a risk to state security. To propagandize their actions, to exchange information and attract new participants, members of the movement use multiple information resources on the internet, prosecutors wrote in their request. The sites distributed extremist materials, calls to carry out extremist activities and mass disturbances, and to participation in public activities not sanctioned by empowered government bodies. The prosecutors request, which was published online by Mr. Navalnys aides, said the ban could be appealed but would otherwise be in effect until a court ruling in the extremism case. It asked that the nongovernmental groups be prohibited from gaining access to their bank accounts except to pay overhead costs and fines. To complement Vodafone Ghanas passion to empower girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM), Vodafone Ghana Foundation has organized a mentorship program to commemorate this years International Womens Day. The program hosted some Executive Team including, CEO of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai; Human Resource Director, Hannah Ashiokai Akrong; Director of Legal and External Affairs, Geta Striggner-Quartey; Director of Commercial and Digital Operations, Angela Mensah-Poku; and Director, Enterprise Business Unit and Wholesale, Tawa Bolarin, aimed at encouraging young girls to pursue their career goals and give them first hands-on training on Coding, Robotics and Website Development. Speaking during the panelists session, Patricia Obo-Nai urged participants to choose careers they are passionate about and use technology to make them efficient and effective. Follow your passion but take advantage of digital skills because there is so many automation going on now. Again, find people who will encourage and support you in your career path and build your confidence as well, she said. For her, Director of Legal and External Affairs, Geta Striggner-Quartey advised the young women and girls to be patient in their endeavor. According to her, its imperative for women and young girls to be patients in making career decisions. We need to be patient in our career paths. Trust the process. Develop your own career plans and paths and diligently follow them. Have work ethics, work hard, take advantage of opportunities, learn more, and develop yourself, she noted. Speaking of the importance of having a good working experience, Human Resource Director, Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, explained that when people have good working experiences, they dont sometimes need interviews to be hired. I encourage you to be open to working experiences. Be open to learning from people and organizations. Get out of your comfort zone and build many experiences as you can. Because if you have them, people just recommend you. She added, Also, during recruitments, sometimes, you wouldnt even be interviewed because of your working background. Earlier, Director of Commercial and Digital Operations, Angela Mensah-Poku advised that young women should not substitute hard work for other options. Hard work pays. Prove yourself by working very hard, take advantage of opportunities, equip yourself with technological know-how, and master digital tools. Finally, Director, Enterprise Business Unit and Wholesale, Tawa Bolarin outlined some business startup tips to encourage young women to be entrepreneurs. Be passionate and train your skill; start with some apprenticeship or be an employee for a period; draw inspiration from others who have made it; create a standard; work as if you are being paid overtime and be punctual; use technology to be more efficient. The program also formed part of the Foundations monthly Birthday Stars project which seeks to execute monthly projects tied to employees birthday celebrants to mark selected international days, in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals within the month. The month of March focused on celebrating International Womens Day. The program hosted Women and Girls in Tech and ICT from 10 Universities and other Basic Schools. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Western Australias Premier has signalled he will extend aspects of his states COVID-19 lockdown after Monday as he lashed the federal government for allowing people to travel too freely overseas and return to endanger Australians. Mark McGowan also on Sunday maintained his message that WAs hotel quarantine system was not sustainable, after saying on Saturday he was getting to the end of my tether with the Commonwealths refusal to help states by quarantining some returning travellers at facilities such as Christmas Island. Mark McGowan has indicated some restrictions will be extended beyond Monday. Credit:Peter de Kruijff This is why my request to the Commonwealth government to reduce the international arrivals cap is vital, he said. If we are going to crush this virus ... we need to slow the flow of returning travellers. Mr McGowan said it was wrong that some Australians were allowed to go abroad for weddings, athletics meetings and funerals. Flash The death toll from a huge fire that broke out in a hospital treating coronavirus patients in Baghdad rose to 82 killed and some 110 wounded, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Sunday. "The fire of Ibn al-Khatib Hospital resulted in the killing of 82 patients and health workers and the wounding of 110 others," Khalid al-Mahana, spokesman of the ministry, told the official Iraqiya channel. "Many of the wounded are still in critical conditions," al-Mahana said. The incident occurred late on Saturday night when several oxygen cylinders exploded, setting a huge fire at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, which is dedicated to treating coronavirus patients on the eastern side of the capital, said a statement released by the country's civil defense. Civil defense teams and firefighting vehicles arrived at the scene to put out the fire and were able to prevent the fire from reaching the upper floors, the statement said. They also rescued some 90 patients and health workers who were surrounded by flames in the building, the statement said. "Many patients were affected by the cut of oxygen cylinders during their evacuation from the hospital, and others suffocated by the smoke," the statement added. A statement by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that al-Kadhimi has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and that the families of the victims should be compensated and treatment is provided for the wounded. The incident came hours after the country's Health Ministry reported 6,967 new COVID-19 cases, taking the national tally to 1,025,288. It also reported 43 new COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the national total to 15,217. After Real Madrid dropped points against Real Betis and Barcelona held firm against Villarreal, Atletico Madrid surrendered their lead in the title race with defeat at San Mames. While Antoine Griezmann fired the Catalans to a second consecutive victory to take them to 71 points, level with second-placed Real Madrid, they have a game in hand on their rivals at the top of the table. Should Ronald Koeman's side beat Granada on Thursday, they will go top of LaLiga Santander with a one-point lead. The result in Bilbao on Sunday night has changed the complexion of the title race completely, meaning that Atletico will have to win at Camp Nou to lift the league title, unless their rivals drop points elsewhere. Sevilla are also in the race, having beaten Granada in strange circumstances as the referee mistakenly blew the final whistle a minute early. On 70 points, one behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, they could still win the league should the top three suffer disappointment in any of their fixtures. Conditions for crossing borders change again, several exceptions from quarantine added Conditions for cross-border commuters who have permanent or temporary residence in Slovakia and work in a neighbouring state will not change. Font size: A - | A + From Monday, April 26 at 6:00, the distance limit for cross-border commuters from neighbouring countries changes from 30 to 100 kilometres. As a result, people who have permanent or temporary residence in the neighbouring state up to 100 kilometres from Slovak borders and who work in Slovakia, also up to 100 kilometres from the border, will not need to go into quarantine. CORRECTION: Conditions for crossing borders change from April 19 Read more A negative result of an antigen or RT-PCR test no older than seven days will be required, according to the ordinance of the Public Health Authority. Slovak citizens who live in the neighbouring state up to 100 kilometres from the open border crossing do not have to go into home isolation either. But they will need a negative test too. Conditions for cross-border commuters who have permanent or temporary residence in Slovakia and work in a neighbouring state do not change, Dasa Rackova, spokesperson for UVZ, told the TASR newswire. More exceptions for animal keepers The exception from quarantine without the need to show a negative test result will include people who maintain the operation of fields with agricultural activities. People who work in the food industry, forest management and those who ensure veterinary care for farming animals will also be exempt. In addition, people who own or keep animals in need of a specialised diagnostic veterinary examination, surgery or treatment offered by specialised veterinary workplaces in other member states of the EU are exempt. Obligatory isolation and testing do not apply to EU citizens and their family members passing through the Slovak area while travelling to another EU country. They must pass through Slovakia without stopping (except for necessary refuelling) within eight hours after entering the country. 24. Apr 2021 at 9:11 | Compiled by Spectator staff ICQPodcast - The Not So Simple Dipole In this episode, Martin (M1MRB) is joined by Chris Howard M0TCH, Dan Romanchik KB6NU and Edmund Spicer M0MNG to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and in this episode we feature The not so simple Dipole ICQ AMATEUR/HAM RADIO PODCAST DONORS We would like to thank Kevin Strishock (N3KA) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate News stories include: - Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on 3rd May 2021 New 122GHz DX Record Amateur Radio has a New Census Radio Amateur Helps Rescuers to Locate Lost Hiker YOTA Summer Camp Croatia Postponed to 2022 GB5UTA Active in June for U3A Event 60 Metres in New Zealand The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com This is the Monday, April 26, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia. Learn about politics, business, and other notable events of the day in Slovakia in less than five minutes. If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you. For a deeper insight into current affairs, read our Last Week in Slovakia, published earlier today. Heger cabinet rediscovers governments lost compass, expels three Russian diplomats Read more Coalition to discuss national emergency The national emergency is set to end on Wednesday, April 28. While the pandemic commission recommends that the cabinet prolong it by a further 30 days, there are some opposing voices, also from the coalition. Sme Rodina chair and Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollar, and the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party led by Economy Minister Richard Sulik, have already said that they disagree with extending the national emergency, but admitted that they might be convinced with good arguments. The last coalition partner, Za Ludi led by Veronika Remisova, wants to follow the instructions of the pandemic commission and the health minister. PM Eduard Heger (OLaNO) said on Sunday that the coalition had agreed on prolonging the national emergency, but changed his statement a day later, claiming that they should make a final decision later on Monday. Meanwhile, several new rules came into force. The outdoor terraces of restaurants as well as fitness centres have reopened, following strict hygienic rules, while hygienists modified some rules for travelling across borders, related to cross-border workers and exemptions from self-isolation. At the same time, schools started following the district tier system, meaning that in five districts with the best situation, all pupils and students could return to their school desks. Slovakia is gradually opening up. What measures are in place after April 26? Read more More on the virus and vaccination Only 99 PCR tests out of 10,622 carried out on April 25 came back positive, which represents 0.93 percent. At the same time, 484 of 287,331 antigen tests (or 0.17 percent) were positive. carried out on April 25 came back positive, which represents 0.93 percent. At the same time, (or 0.17 percent) were positive. The number of people who have received the first Covid vaccine shot has exceeded 1 million . The current statistics show that altogether 1,024,688 received the first jab as of April 25, and 419,596 were vaccinated with the second dose. . The current statistics show that altogether 1,024,688 received the first jab as of April 25, and 419,596 were vaccinated with the second dose. The Health Ministry will change its vaccination strategy again , giving preference to patients suffering from chronic diseases. The amendment, which also proposes allowing the vaccination of people who accompany people older than 70 years, may come into force on May 1, but has not been finalized. , giving preference to patients suffering from chronic diseases. The amendment, which also proposes allowing the vaccination of people who accompany people older than 70 years, may come into force on May 1, but has not been finalized. The Russian producer of the Sputnik V vaccine tweeted during the weekend that it has no objection to publishing the deal between Russia and Slovakia. the deal between Russia and Slovakia. The Moje ezdravie app will not be working during the night between April 26 and 27, specifically from 21:00 to 4:00. This means that people will not be able to register for Covid testing or fill in the eHranica form. Volkswagen suspends SUV production Bratislava-based carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia has confirmed that it will suspend the production of its SUV vehicles due to the shortage of semiconductor components. The production lines will be halted from this Thursday, April 29, until next Friday, May 7. Its representatives confirmed the suspension of production already last week. The company claims that its production of small city cars will continue to follow plans. Volkswagen in Bratislava will suspend production of SUV models Read more Picture of the day The outdoor terraces of restaurants as well as fitness centres reopened on April 26, as part of a further lifting of Covid-measures. Feature story for today The world remembers the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion. The tragedy was described to a more contemporary audience through the HBO series that aired two years ago. Read the review in one of our archive materials. From our archives: From our archives: Power, politics and catastrophe: HBOs Chernobyl is explosively real Read more In other news The prime ministers of the Visegrad Group (V4) grouping, i.e. Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, have expressed their solidarity with Czechia and condemned the inappropriate Russian response to the formers decision to expel Russian diplomats. and condemned the inappropriate Russian response to the formers decision to expel Russian diplomats. About one third of people in Slovakia think the Eduard Heger (OLaNO) government will last only a few months , and about one quarter say it will stick together until the end of the current election term, according to the recent Focus poll. think the Eduard Heger (OLaNO) government will last , and about one quarter say it will stick together until the end of the current election term, according to the recent Focus poll. The state-run railway passenger carrier ZSSK will gradually restore select international trains . Trains to the Czech Republic will be restored in late April and trains to Hungary in early May. . Trains to the Czech Republic will be restored in late April and trains to Hungary in early May. As many as 50 percent of Slovaks trust the EU, the highest percentage in 10 years. The latest Eurobarometer data shows that Slovakia is the country whose inhabitants are the third-least satisfied with the governmental solutions to the pandemic. (Euractiv) Also on Spectator.sk: Consumers want healthier food in shops Read more Lonely protector: Pusty hrad Read more Archeologists find graves from the Great Moravian era Read more If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk. He is the worlds doctor, and for months he has tirelessly led the global response to the coronavirus pandemic while privately nursing a piercing anguish. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, has largely kept his pain secret, maintaining a stoic public front. But when I probed, he wept. Tedros is from Tigray, a part of Ethiopia that since November has endured crimes against humanity by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has properly described atrocities in western Tigray as ethnic cleansing, but the world has largely been indifferent. Tigrayan children are starving to death, men have been clubbed to death, and women and girls have been subjected to mass rape. Ethiopian opposition parties claim that more than 50,000 people have been killed that is not verifiable, and the toll is unknown and the scale of torture, starvation, murder and destruction in the past few months may have been the worst in the world. Hunger is weaponized, rape is weaponized, there is indiscriminate killing, Tedros said. The whole region is hungry. Its so painful, he added. I dont have words. His cousin, a 68-year-old woman, was killed while trying to shelter in a church, he said. Another relative, a 16-year-old high school student, was shot in the street. Internet and telephone links have been cut off, so Tedros cant reach family members in Tigray to get more information about who has been tortured or murdered. My Times colleague Declan Walsh has reported on atrocities such as a 26-year-old man being beaten to death with beer bottles and girls as young as 8 being sexually assaulted. Even though Tedros is one of the worlds most recognized public servants, he may have become a refugee. He is now based at WHO headquarters in Geneva, but he would probably not be safe if he tried to return to Tigray. Ethiopias military chief has denounced him as a criminal. Ive known and admired Tedros for 15 years, but we have periodically tangled over his deference to dictators. I asked Tedros about that, but he didnt want to discuss politics of any kind including whether countries should pressure Ethiopia to stop the slaughter of Tigrayans. He seems deeply conflicted, torn between what he sees as a professional duty to his organization to be impartial, and the horror of an ethnic cleansing of his own people. Presiding over these crimes against humanity in Tigray is Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, who came to power in 2018 and was initially hailed as a great reformer; he even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. Abiy is a pro-Western figure over whom the United States has considerable influence if we will only use it. The Tigray crisis is rooted in ethnic tensions and a power struggle. For almost three decades, people from Tigray dominated Ethiopias central government; Tedros became Ethiopias highly regarded health minister in that period, then foreign minister. This Tigrayan-led government ruled effectively, greatly raising living standards, but it was also repressive, torturing critics, imprisoning journalists and stirring deep resentments among other Ethiopians. After taking power, Abiy reined in Tigrayans and dispatched troops in November to crush what he said was a mutiny in the region. That triggered a civil war with Tigray fighters, and Eritreas army entered to back up Ethiopias forces. There is also a risk of a wider war involving Sudan. All sides in the conflict have committed atrocities, but by far the most serious and credible allegations are against the Ethiopian and Eritrean armies and their allies. As WHO chief, Tedros has tried to get vaccines distributed more equitably around the world, while dealing with President Donald Trumps appalling decision to pull the United States out of the WHO (overturned by President Joe Biden on his first day in office). In public, Tedros is focused on COVID-19 and has mostly kept quiet about atrocities in Tigray. Tedros was reluctant to give this interview, but when he did his torment was unmistakable. We have COVID and are doing our best. On top of that, to have this pain, he began, and then the stoic broke down. For more than a minute, he couldnt speak and sobbed. I respect a man who loses it when contemplating war crimes. I wish more would. And I hope President Biden and other world leaders will hear that agony, on behalf of so many in Tigray who are being starved, raped and murdered, and will use their influence to end this catastrophe. Kristof is a columnist for the New York Times. In a made-for-TV moment, Anthony Hopkins pulled off an unexpected Best Actor Oscar victory last night for his turn in Florian Zeller's The Father, winning over the late Chadwick Boseman, who starred in a different stage-to-screen adaptation, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Boseman's posthumous win for his glorious last performance was heavily expected in breaking with Oscars tradition, they even saved the category for last, perhaps to send the home viewers out on an emotional high. However, that's not how it went, and watchers, prognosticators, and even Hopkins himself, who was asleep in Wales at the time of the announcement, were left scratching their heads in disbelief. But they needn't be shocked if they had paid attention to the trajectory of Zeller's material. The protagonist of The Father is a role that has long proved unbeatable. Zeller, who, with Christopher Hampton, earned a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar last night, created a shape-shifting drama that takes audiences into the mind of an older man suffering from dementia. It premiered in 2012 at the Theatre Hebertot in Paris, and leading actor Robert Hirsch, for whom the role was written, took home the Moliere Award (the French equivalent of the Tony) for Best Actor. Upon its West End premiere in 2015, actor Kenneth Cranham earned the Olivier for Best Actor. And Frank Langella, who starred in the work's Broadway production for Manhattan Theatre Club, took home the Tony for Best Actor in 2016. It has also earned an Irish Times Theatre Award for Owen Roe (2017), and a Fleur du Cap Award for Marius Weyers (2017, Cape Town), and various others. Hopkins, who was richly deserving of the award, did a short acceptance speech on Instagram, shouting out Boseman, whom he clearly thought was going to win. But let this be a lesson to the producers of the Oscars pay attention to history, and maybe look at the envelopes in advance before you take a gamble at the expense of two great artists. A Turning in the American Political Road Is Almost at Hand Commentary The only way to make any sense of the fierce crosscurrents sweeping over American political life now is to watch two trends that are only slightly connected. First is the continuing great national sense of relief that the chaos and pandemonium of the Trump era is over. There are not nightly cascades of provocative and frequently outrageous tweets and the days are not filled with confrontations in which the presidents enemies assault him like picadors, and he rises to every challenge like a compulsive single combat warrior. To Trumps scores of millions of admirers, he was merely returning fire from those who attacked him unfairly. To Trumps enemies, his opponents were only doing their duty to assist in retarding the progress and hastening the departure of the Great Ogre. To the independent voters, a beleaguered minority in the Trump era, it was Trumps America, regardless of blame, and to the majority of Americans, the indignity inflicted upon the presidency and the strain of the constant din of needless and often witless combat became insufferable and had to end, whatever the policy consequences. At its most acidulous, this was the Trump-hate vote, more benignly, it was the Trump-abatement vote. But the majority of people, including probably a majority of Trump voters, didnt like it and simply could not stand the tumult of the Trump presidency. Even thoughtful Americans who do not have confidence in Joe Biden and dont approve of most of what he is doing, are still deeply grateful to be relieved of the nerve-racking cacophony of the Trump presidency. This is what is chiefly supporting the Biden honeymoon 100 days into his presidency. Most of the polls remain politicized, inaccurate, and largely unprofessional, as they were in the late presidential election of ineradicable and horrifying memory (and result). But the average of them seems to give this president approximately a 53 percent approval rating to about 42 percent negative. This is a solid and respectable result and a better showing than President Trump had any point in his term. Though given that he was the subject of a completely unprecedented consistency and intensity of media and celebrity assault, his performance in the almost uniformly nasty and stacked polls entitles him to a special achievement award for carrying nearly 48 percent of the vote and probably forcing the Democrats to steal the Electoral College with harvested ballots in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and for producing so taut a political crisis that the Supreme Court ducked it (in the Texas challenge supported by 18 other states), assumedly under the mistaken assumption that that would spare them the threatened effort to pack the high court. This total, the anti-Trump share of the honeymoon approval rate, as in all presidential honeymoons, is slowly declining. But it is also more vulnerable than other presidential honeymoon poll results, because it is not really based on any enthusiasm for Biden, but rather on the passage of something that has gone and is not threatening to return imminently. The last time we saw anything of this kind was in the first year of President Nixon as the antiwar and race riots of the late Lyndon Johnson era faded, and in the Ford and early Carter years, when there was no longer any reason to think of Watergate. Policy and Reconsideration The second indicator of political opinion is the independent policy areas where the new administrations performance is measured. Here, the sands are running out in the hour-clock for the Biden administrations attempt to smoke far-left legislation through on the threadbare flying carpet of anti-Trumpism. The vulnerability of President Bidens position is underscored by the fact that apart from his handling of the coronavirus and related problems, the majority disapprove of his performance in all other areas, most markedly the southern border and immigration, but also including the economy, foreign policy, and law and order and public security. Approximately 90 percent of Americans believe that there should be a border and a process to entering the country; over 80 percent unconditionally oppose violent demonstrations and riots, the overwhelming majority support adequate police protection, if with more sophisticated rules in armed confrontations, and there is little enthusiasm for increased taxes or profligate spending. The principal anti-Trump television networks seem to have lost about 50 percent of their viewers and the public clearly is not much interested in an indefinite continuation of mudslinging and defamation against the former president, either as a substitute for the new administration presenting and executing its policies, or for the national political media restoring a substantial element of professional reporting where for the previous four years it had self-righteously substituted Trump-hate. It is of the nature of polling that unpleasant memories of former presidents recede and the prestigious fact of them having been presidents and in many cases the highlights of their presidencies remain comparatively well fixed in the public mind. Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon were generally reviled when they left office, but after some years they came again to be recognized as outstanding figures of American public life. President Trump was not generally a quick learner in the art of public relations while he was president, but it must be said that he has played his hand skillfully these last three months. The initial post-inaugural efforts to torment him endlessly, portray him as an advocate of insurrection and to suborn and extort evidence against him in all manner of ubiquitously alleged imminent proceedings while pretending there was some comparison to be made between Jan. 6 and 9/11, has been a complete failure. All the headlines and television news introductions that the Trump mob had killed capitol police officer Brian Sicknick have been exposed as pure fabrication, a campaign of outright lies. All the allegations against the Trump campaign organization of incitement of the vandalism at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 have proved to be unfounded. And throughout these three months the former president has issued press releases without hyperbole and has given relatively few interviews and only one major speech and on every occasion he has been judicious. Joe Biden does well with the public as an apparently amiable personality, and he probably deserves credit for at least bringing to serious consideration a far more radically left agenda than the public would approve of, in a way that has not squandered the general perception of him as a likable person. But we are almost at the point where this administrations attempt to revolutionize American elections by practically abolishing any verification process for ballots and turning election day into a weeks-long orgy of ballot-harvesting, while packing the Senate and the Supreme Court and gagging congressional minorities, will collide with public opposition to all of these measures. In those circumstances, the Supreme Court, its attempt at appeasement of the Democrats by abdicating as head of a co-equal third branch of government having failed, might also reassert the legitimacy of the Constitution. A turning in the road is almost at hand. Conrad Black has been one of Canadas most prominent financiers for 40 years, and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world. Hes the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most recently, Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other, which has been republished in updated form. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. By Tim Barsoe COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A bar in Copenhagen has started offering customers a COVID-19 test and a beer while they wait for the result to help get business moving again after months of restrictions. Punters hand over about $25 to get tested in a booth at Warpigs Brewpub. After about half an hour, if they get the all-clear, they are allowed inside. It works under Denmark's "corona-passport" system where people can either use a mobile app or a government-approved form to show if they have been vaccinated, previously infected or have had a negative test in the past 72 hours. Under the scheme that started on Wednesday, staff at museums, bars, cafes and restaurants check customers' status before they let them in. Denmark is also offering free COVID-19 tests - but customers at the bar said the paid-for versions, sold by the company Practio, let them avoid the queues. "We saw the line (at the closest testing centre) which was maybe an hour or two," Nicolai Marteens said. (Reporting by Tim Barsoe; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Thanks to a desktop planning exercise for a global pandemic that leaders of Greylock Federal Credit Union ($1.4B, Pittsfield, MA) conducted in January 2020, the Massachusetts cooperative was as ready as could be when reality arrived. Today, 65% of Greylocks staff is working remotely and three of its 14 branches remain closed as the 90,000-member cooperative works to sustain service and culture in a hybrid in-person/virtual reality. Were blessed to have a proactive risk management team, says CEO John Bissell, who joined the credit union in 2003 and has been at the helm since 2015. Even though COVID-19 was not detected in our area until March 2020, their forethought helped us to move quickly soon thereafter. Here, Bissell describes the moves the credit union made in the early days of the pandemic and how it is positioning itself to move forward in this new environment. The Justice Department is launching a broad inquiry of the police department in Louisville, Ky., the second such investigation into a local law enforcement agency in the last week and a further sign that the Biden administration is taking an aggressive approach in seeking to enact police reforms. U.S. Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland announced the probe, saying it will examine whether the Louisville police force engages "in unconstitutional staff searches and seizures, as well as whether the department unlawfully executes search warrants on private homes. It will also assess whether [Louisville Metro Police Department] engages in discriminatory conduct on the basis of race." Garland disclosed last week that the Justice Department would be conducting an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, a day after a former city police officer there was convicted of murdering George Floyd, a Black man whose death sparked widespread protests of police conduct. The investigations represent a sharp turn in police oversight from the Trump administration, which had sharply curtailed such "pattern or practice" inquiries. Former President Trump's first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, argued that broad civil probes and resulting court-overseen legal agreements, known as consent decrees, hampered police departments' efforts to fight crime. Outside experts, however, have said pattern or practice investigations and consent decrees are critical tools in ensuring deep-rooted problems are addressed. The Obama administration launched 25 pattern or practice investigations into law enforcement agencies that resulted in 14 consent decrees. But such oversight can be costly and last for years. The Los Angeles Police Department entered such a decree in 2001 and didn't escape its oversight for more than a decade. The Louisville Police Department has been under close scrutiny since the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, in March of last year. Taylor's death did not initially garner as much attention as Floyd's in May, but as protests grew nationwide over racial injustice, "Say her name. Breonna Taylor!" became part of the rallying cry to ensure women were not left out of the national reckoning over the treatment of people of color by law enforcement. Story continues Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was asleep with her boyfriend when police swarmed into her Louisville apartment. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired his licensed gun once at the officers, believing the police were intruders. The officers, who had obtained a "no knock" warrant to enter the apartment, fired a fusillade of bullets in return, at least six of which struck Taylor. Police were searching the house as part of a narcotics investigation into Taylor's ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover. No drugs were found in Taylor's apartment. Three Louisville police officers were fired as a result of the shooting, one of whom was indicted on state charges of endangering Taylor's neighbors for firing recklessly in the apartment. No police officers have been charged in Taylor's death. The Justice Department was already conducting an investigation to see whether any civil rights laws were violated during the encounter. The inquiry announced Monday by Garland is a separate civil probe of the entire Louisville force. The Justice Department will seek to determine if officers routinely engage in behavior that violates the Constitution. The probe is expected to explore such matters as recruitment, training, policy and technology. Garland, who did not take questions from reporters during his video announcement, said the Justice Department briefed Louisville's leaders on the investigation. "It is clear that the public officials in Minneapolis and Louisville, including those in law enforcement, recognize the importance and urgency of our efforts," Garland said. A senior Justice Department official said department attorneys had examined a broad range of publicly available information about the city's force before deciding to initiate the inquiry. "No single incident will ever trigger the opening of a pattern or practice investigation," the official said, referring to Taylor's death. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Click here to read the full article. What was marketed as what if the Oscars were a movie? the end result was more like, What if the Oscars were a glossy version of the Golden Globes but with more Black people in attendance? In an unconventional year, the Oscars delivered an unconventional ceremony, making history, and even rearranging the show so that the biggest prize of best picture wasnt handed out last. This small tweak undid an aesthetically rich ceremony and made it into a jaw-dropping and ill-advised decision to end the evening on best actress and actor, which saw Frances McDormand win her third acting (and fourth overall after winning best picture) for Nomadland, and Anthony Hopkins winning his second Oscar for The Father over presumed frontrunner Chadwick Boseman for Ma Raineys Black Bottom. I sounded the alarms early on that Hopkins and The Father were surging in the middle of final Oscars voting. To see it fully executed might have been easier for people to swallow if it hadnt been tacked on to the end of the evening following what would have already been historic with Nomadland winning best picture and director. In the case of the latter award, they decided to have Zhao accept her prize as only the eighth award of the evening, before Yuh-Jung Youn and documentary short. For the past few weeks, Ive been sharing in multiple columns and news interviews that the Oscars were given a get out jail free card this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its actually quite baffling how that carte blanche seemed to have been revoked in seconds following an envelope opening by Joaquin Phoenix and an abrupt cut to black similar to the finale of The Sopranos. While the Oscars didnt mirror the historical representation and diversity of the SAG awards, there were things well worth celebrating. Chloe Zhao became the second woman to win for directing Nomadland, following Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2009). As the first woman of color, and first Asian woman, her win is historic with her film also picking up best picture. On a personal note, this also marks the first time in my career, where my year-in-advance predicted winners for picture and director came to pass. Another big surprise came in cinematography, where Erik Messerschmidts Mank upset Joshua James Richards Nomadland, mirroring its ASC win in the middle of Oscar voting. The wide-open original song race went to songwriters DMile, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas for the song Fight for You from Judas and the Black Messiah. Many expected either Speak Now from One Night in Miami or Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga to reign supreme; instead, the winning trio celebrates winning an Oscar and a Grammy the same year. Their song I Cant Breathe won song of the year in February. To no ones surprise, Daniel Kaluuya, who portrays Fred Hampton in Judas, won best supporting actor, making a clean sweep of all the televised award shows. Hes the seventh Black actor and first of Ugandan descent to win in 93 years. We had first-time Black winners in some categories including makeup and hairstyling with Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson (alongside Sergio Lopez-Rivera) winning for Ma Raineys Black Bottom. Trayon Free, (alongside his co-director Martin Desmond Roe) became the first Black winner for live action short for Two Distant Strangers. Jon Batiste became the second Black composer to ever win best original score for Soul, sharing his win with co-composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross who net their second win following The Social Network (2010). Emerald Fennell won original screenplay for her debut Promising Young Woman, making her the first solo woman screenwriter since Diablo Cody for Juno (2007). Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller picked up a trophy for Sony PIctures Classics The Father in adapted screenplay, repeating its BAFTA win, which many had dismissed (we didnt). This marks Hamptons third nomination and second Academy Award, previously winning for Dangerous Liaisons (1989). Zeller, who makes his directorial and screenwriting debut, is the third consecutive writer and director to win this award following Spike Lee (co-writer for BlacKkKlansman) and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit). History would have been made if two solo women screenwriters had won both screenplay categories, but it wasnt to be this time around. As can be expected, the shorts either make or break your Oscar pool. The documentary short category was given to the Holocaust film Colette over Kris Bowers moving ode to his grandfather, A Concerto is a Conversation. Other winners were more predictable in this strange year. Amazon Studios Sound of Metal took home awards for editing and sound, while Tenet won visual effects. Mank added production design to its two-win tally while Ma Raineys Black Bottom also walked away with costume design for Ann Roth, the oldest woman to ever win an Oscar at 89. On to Oscars 2022. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Bulgaria's new antiestablishment party, There Is Such A People (TSN), says that it will not try to form a government, increasing the odds that the southeastern EU member will hold fresh elections. The announcement on April 26 came after the center-right GERB party of longtime Prime Boyko Borisov recognized on April 23 that it had failed to form a government after coming first in parliamentary elections with just 26 percent of the vote. TSN, led by television personality Slavi Trifonov, took second place in the elections with 18 percent of the vote by tapping into frustration with endemic corruption and poverty. Two other antiestablishment parties also made gains. In a Facebook post, Trifonov said his party does not have the necessary number of deputies or partners to form a stable government and will not accept support from the traditional parties that it blames for Bulgarias problems. "The support offered is from political entities that are harmful, greedy, and proven to be compromised. And this is not their support, but dependence," he said. Former world chess champion Antoaneta Stefanova, who had been appointed by Trifonov for the post of prime minister, would immediately return the mandate to form a government to President Rumen Radev, Trifonov wrote. Radev will now ask a third and final party to try to form a government, something analysts say is unlikely. A third failure would lead the president to call new elections within two months. Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters Egypt is readying to launch what it claims is the worlds largest textile factory, according to local reports. The countrys Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli recently held a meeting with ministers of trade and public enterprise to follow up on the construction of a textile factory in Mahala which is meant to be the largest in the world. According to a report published by Egypt Today, Minister of Public Enterprise Hisham Tawfik said the factory spans more than 62,000 square metres and its daily production is estimated at 30 tonnes. The inauguration is scheduled for March 2022. Madbouli is also said to have instructed farming incentives to grow high-quality cotton to the extent that fulfills the needs of local factories. Egypts plans to attract significant foreign investment in its garment and textile manufacturing sectors were recently delayed due to the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic prompting the government to step in to spur development. The governments Vision 2025 strategy had targeted attracting some US$17.5bn in foreign investment to quadruple textile and garment exports. But with the pandemic leaving the global clothing sector in the doldrums and Egypts exports down 20% last year the government has earmarked some US$600m in public money to be invested in two tranches this year. A focus of this spending routed by the ministry of public enterprises is previously allocated land and infrastructure for two major industrial park projects for clothing and textile manufacturers, one in El Minya, in upper (southern) Egypt, and in Sadat City, outside of Cairo. In early 2019, Cairo had hoped to attract 50 textile companies from China, South Korea and Bangladesh to the parks. Jason Momoa was snapped filming his upcoming Netflix movie Slumberland with costar Marlow Barkley in Toronto on Monday. The Aquaman leading man, 40, was clad in a shimmering suit with green and purple floral patterns, with a large pink bow tie and ruffled tuxedo top. He wore purple boots and black gloves with a pair of horns attached to his head. The 6ft4 screen star sported a beard and wore his brown locks down as he worked on the Canada set of the forthcoming Netflix motion picture, as he was seen posing alone and giving Barkley, nine, a piggyback ride. The latest: Jason Momoa, 40, was snapped filming his upcoming Netflix movie Slumberland with costar Marlow Barkley, nine, in Toronto on Monday The Honolulu, Hawaii native in the movie portrays a nine-foot tall outlaw character named Flip, who helps Nema (Barkley) navigate a dreamworld as she searches for her late father. The A-list action star headlines the Francis Lawrence-directed film, with Kyle Chandler, Chris O'Dowd, India de Beaufort and Weruche Opia rounding out the cast. Insiders told The Hollywood Reporter that Opia plays the subconscious's agent and De Beaufort plays a school counselor. The movie is based off the Winsor McCay comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, which ran from 1905 to 1927. Focused: The Honolulu, Hawaii native in the movie portrays a nine-foot tall outlaw character named Flip The actor was seen posing alone as cameras rolled on the Netflix movie Momoa made headlines last week as he helped friend Dwayne Johnson give his daughter Tiana a birthday surprise as she turned three. The Aquaman star filmed a personalized message Tiana was seen watching with sister Jasmine, five. He said in the clip, 'I'm sorry I couldn't be there but I love you and tell your papa that I love him too. I'll see you soon, happy third birthday. Bye Jazzy, bye Tia, love you.' Momoa's other upcoming film includes Dune, which will debut in October, and Aquaman 2, which production commences on this summer. Slumberland is set to debut next year on Netflix. The US decision to pull out of its longest war is an admission of the wars hopelessness. Announcing the end to 20 years of allied occupation of Afghanistan, Joe Biden said as much himself: We went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago. That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021. So why should the US and its allies remain? Not sure, really, the US President suggested: We delivered justice to bin Laden a decade ago, and weve stayed in Afghanistan for a decade since. Since then, our reasons for remaining in Afghanistan are becoming increasingly unclear, even as the terrorist threat that we went to fight evolved. The US switches its military resources to the Indo-Pacific to prepare for any potential conflict with China. Credit:AP So what was everyone waiting for? We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal, and expecting a different result. Putting it all together: We dont really know why were in Afghanistan; its not going to get any better; so we may as well leave now. This amounted to a thoroughgoing admission of strategic pointlessness after the deaths of more than 3500 coalition troops including 41 Australians, an estimated 100,000 Afghans and a total bill of well over $US2 trillion. Highlights Nokia X50 may be the next high-end smartphone from HMD Global. The Nokia X50 may come with a 120Hz display and a 6000mAh battery. Powering the Nokia X50 may be a Snapdragon 775 SoC. A new Nokia smartphone is reportedly in the works. This phone may be the Nokia X50 and pack a 108-megapixel camera, a 120Hz screen, and 5G connectivity. A new report has claimed to offer the specifications of what could be the successor of the Nokia 8.3 5G that was launched last year. HMD is long-rumoured to introduce a flagship phone. For a long time, it has been the Nokia 9 PureView successor, but it seems the Nokia X50 may be the answer. A report by NokiaPowerUser has said that HMD is working on Nokia X50 and it may be the successor of the Nokia 8.3 5G. This phone will be a first for the company as far as the cameras are concerned. For instance, the Nokia X50 is supposed to come with a 108-megapixel camera. Of course, there will be 5G on this phone as the company is probably looking to expand its portfolio of 5G phones. Apart from these specifications, the Nokia X50 may come with a 6.5-inch 120Hz display with QHD+ resolution and sport a 6000mAh battery inside with 22W fast charging. For 5G, the Nokia X50 may use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 775 processor that has not been launched yet. Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon 875 processor as a slightly tweaked version of last year's Snapdragon 865 SoC. This 108-megapixel camera may be a part of a Penta-lens system that will include an ultra-wide, a depth, a macro, and a telephoto camera. This camera system will be powered by ZEISS Optics and use the OZO Audio tech among other features that are rife on top-end Nokia smartphones. There is no information on when the Nokia X50 or whatever this phone will be called will be launched. HMD recently held a grand event to launch as many as six smartphones under the new X-series, G-series, and C-series. The highest-end smartphone from this lot is the Nokia X20, which comes with 5G. Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 processor, making it the affordable 5G phone from HMD Global. But despite being a lucrative offering from the company, the smartphone is not very exciting when you look at other options on the market. With that in mind, HMD will have to be cautious about the price of the Nokia X50. The Nokia X50 is likely not the Nokia 9 PureView successor we have become tired of waiting for, but it will definitely be something for those who want a high-end Nokia smartphone. L1521E: A map of the average line-of-sight dust temperature (color scale) and column density (contours) determined from SED fitting of Herschel Space Observatory. Credit: Scibelli et al., 2021. Using the ARO 12-m telescope, astronomers have investigated a young starless core known as Lynds 1521E (or L1521E). The study resulted in the detection of complex organic molecules in this object. The finding is detailed in a paper April 15 on the arXiv pre-print repository. Starless cores are dense, cold regions within interstellar molecular clouds. They represent the earliest observable stage of low-mass star formation. Observations show that even in such cold environments, complex organic molecules can be present. Finding these molecules in starless cores could help us better understand the processes of stellar formation and evolution. L1521E is a dynamically and chemically young starless core in the Taurus Molecular Cloud, one of the two known in this cloud. It has a modest central density of around 200,000300,000 cm3 and it is assumed that it can only have existed at its present density for less than 100,000 years, which makes it one of the youngest starless cores so far detected and an excellent object to study how complex organic molecules form. So a group of astronomers led by Samantha Scibelli of the University of Arizona searched for complex organic molecules in L1521E using the 12-meter telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO), with promising results. "Molecular line observations were made with the ARO 12m telescope during three separate seasons, two years apart, using two different backend receivers. The first observing shifts between January 12, 2017 and April 27, 2017 with 10 tunings between 84 and 102 GHz (3.6 2.9mm)," the researchers explained. The observations detected dimethyl ether (CH 3 OCH 3 ), methyl formate (HCOOCH 3 ), and vinyl cyanide (CH 2 CHCN). Additionally, the study identified eight transitions of acetaldehyde (CH 3 CHO) and seven transitions of vinyl cyanide. The study confirmed that the estimated chemical age of L1521E is indeed young, as complex organic molecules rst peak at about 60,000 years. This is consistent with the carbon monoxide (CO) depletion age of this starless core. The astronomers note that the detected abundances of complex organic molecules for L1521E are in general underestimated. This suggests that a desorption mechanism is missing, or the current description of the already considered mechanisms should be revised by further studies. All in all, the results obtained by the team seem to suggest that complex organic molecules observed in cold gas formed not only in gas-phase reactions, but also on surfaces of interstellar grains. The new findings could also have implications for future studies of starless cores. The detection of a rich COM [complex organic molecules] chemistry in young cold core L1521E presents an interesting challenge for future modeling eorts, requiring some type of unied approach combining cosmic-ray chemistry, reactive desorption and non-diusive surface reactions," the astronomers concluded. Explore further Ingredients for life appear in stellar nurseries long before stars are born More information: Detection of Complex Organic Molecules in Young Starless Core L1521E, arXiv:2104.07683 [astro-ph.GA] Detection of Complex Organic Molecules in Young Starless Core L1521E, arXiv:2104.07683 [astro-ph.GA] arxiv.org/abs/2104.07683 2021 Science X Network The Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) has awarded a team of scientists at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) a prestigious grant to determine why having prior knowledge on a topic affects how we learn new, related information as we age. This research will pave the way for optimizing the use of prior knowledge to preserve and improve memory as we get older, ultimately helping older adults live life to the fullest. "Prior knowledge has been shown in animals to transform the cortex - that is, the outer layers of the brain - from being a 'slow learner' to a 'fast integrator' of new knowledge related to old knowledge. With our research, we aim to determine whether a similar process takes place in the human brain and whether this can help offset age-related memory decline," says Dr. Gilboa, a senior scientist at the RRI, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the principal investigator on the study. In their research program, Dr. Gilboa and his team, led by RRI post-doctoral fellow Dr. Erik Wing, will recruit younger and older bird experts as well as non-experts to learn new birds while the researchers use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe their brain activity. They will also use electrical currents to help activate prior knowledge in the cortex. The results will show how prior knowledge of birds can accelerate learning of new birds in the cortex and offset age-related memory decline. Other RRI scientists contributing their expertise to this study are Drs. Jean Chen, Jed Meltzer and Jennifer Ryan. Most studies of how the brain makes new memories use unrealistic stimuli that separate information from its broader context - for example, participants may be asked to memorize a list of random words that are unrelated to each other. By recruiting bird experts and non-experts, this research program will be one of the first to look at memory formation in a realistic condition: namely, bird watching. "The advantage of studying bird expertise is that there is a clear structure of bird knowledge. For example, experts consistently understand the concepts of 'field sparrow' and 'song sparrow,' as well as the relationship between these concepts. This structure can be examined in detail using behavioural and brain-based measures, and we can then see how the organization of this knowledge helps experts learn new information," says Dr. Wing. "Similar processes take place in new learning across a range of domains, from music to language to art." While we know that learning something new is easier if we already have related prior knowledge, Drs. Gilboa, Wing and their team will be some of the first to identify the brain mechanisms responsible for this effect and provide a systematic account of the impact of prior knowledge on memory in the aging brain. "Unlike memory functions that tend to decrease with age, prior knowledge continues to accumulate as we get older, making it an area of strength in older adults. In the long term, our research will determine how to optimally harness this strength to mitigate age-related memory decline, improving quality of life for older adults everywhere," says Dr. Gilboa. ### About Baycrest Baycrest is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Baycrest is home to a robust research and innovation network, including one of the world's top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute; the scientific headquarters of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, Canada's largest national dementia research initiative; and the Baycrest-powered Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals. Through these initiatives, Baycrest has remained at the forefront of the fight to defeat dementia as our organization works to create a world where every older adult enjoys a life of purpose, inspiration and fulfilment. Founded in 1918 as the Toronto Jewish Old Folks Home, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information please visit: http://www. baycrest. org About Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute Now in its 31st year, the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest is a premier international centre for the study of human brain function. Through generous support from private donors and funding agencies, the institute is helping to illuminate the causes of cognitive decline in seniors, identify promising approaches to treatment and lifestyle practices that will protect brain health longer in the lifespan. People wait at the vaccination center in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Monday, April 26, 2021. Germany's COVID-19 vaccination program will be discussed at a meeting with Germany's state Governors and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that Germany will open up COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults in June, based on projections that the country will receive 80 million doses from manufacturers in the second quarter of the year. Speaking after a meeting with the governors of Germany's 16 states, Merkel said that depending on the actual number of vaccines delivered, the existing system of prioritizing the most vulnerable would be dropped in June (asterisk)at the latest." "This doesn't mean that everyone will immediately be able to get vaccinated," she said. "But everyone will be able to try for a vaccine appointment." Like in other European Union countries, Germany's vaccine campaign got off to a slow start in December, with only 10% of the population getting their first shot by the end of March. Due to limited supply, the elderly, people with with pre-existing conditions and people in the medical and care professions were prioritized. The rollout has picked up speed significantly in recent weeks. Official figures show 23.4 % of the population had received at least one dose of vaccine by Sunday and about 7.2% of Germany's 83 million inhabitants had received both shots. After supply problems and concerns over efficacy and rare blood clots involving the AstraZeneca vaccine, Germany has relied heavily on the shots made by local company BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer. About 50 million doses of that vaccine are expected to be delivered in the second quarter, Merkel said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a press conference after the vaccination summit in the Chancellery, Berlin, Monday April 26, 2021. (Michael Kappeler/Pool via AP) She and the governors also discussed whether people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should be exempt from restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the virus, though no decision was made. The issue of special privileges for vaccinated people has been hotly debated in Germany, as in other countries. Some in Germany have argued it's unfair on those who haven't been able to get the shot yet. Others say restrictions on civil liberties are justified while people pose a risk to others. Merkel cited a recent report from Germany's disease control agency, which concluded that people pose "no relevant risk" to others 14 days after they've received a second dose of vaccine. This would mean that they could be treated like people who test negative for the coronavirus or who have recovered from infection. People are on their way to their vaccination at the vaccination center in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Monday, April 26, 2021. Germany's COVID-19 vaccination program will be discussed at a meeting with Germany's state Governors and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a press conference after the vaccination summit in the Chancellery, Berlin, Monday April 26, 2021. (Michael Kappeler/Pool via AP) In a family doctor's practice, a man receives his first vaccination against the coronavirus with the active substance from Astrazeneca in Potsdam, Germany, Monday, April 26, 2021. In the afternoon, the vaccination summit of the federal and state governments takes place. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP) She cautioned, however, that at some point Germany would find itself in a "transition phase that also won't be easy," when about half the population has been vaccinated and the other half hasn't. Figures on the weekly infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants, to which many of Germany's pandemic restrictions are linked, would then effectively be much higher than they appear because they apply to a smaller share of the population, Merkel said. Germany is considering buying the Russian-made vaccine Sputnik V, she said, but that would depend on when the European Medicines Agency approves the shot for use in the European Union. "The documentation isn't yet sufficient for authorization," Merkel said. "If this authorization is received very soon, then it will of course still make sense to buy doses of Sputnik. If this only happens in several months then we'll already have enough vaccine." 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. ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) Trial has been set for two prison inmates accused of using a hammer to kill a prison nurse and correctional officer during an escape attempt last month. Station WHO-TV reports that Michael Dutcher and Thomas Woodard Jr. are scheduled to go on trial June 22 in Jones County for the March 23 deaths of nurse Lorena Schulte and correctional officer Robert McFarland. Authorities say the workers were killed during a failed escape attempt by Dutcher and Woodard. Both inmates were serving time for armed robbery convictions at the time of the killings, and both pleaded not guilty earlier this month to two counts each of first-degree murder and other charges. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) plans to troll the Republican legislative retreat in Orlando, Florida, on Monday with a mobile billboard targeting Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Why it matters: Democrats are going into the belly of the beast, and continuing to highlight some of the more controversial members of the Republican Party amid their quest for a boost in the 2022 midterms. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. For its part, the National Republican Congressional Committee released its own series of digital ads targeting five Democrats it accuses of favoring cuts in police spending. The traveling billboard will circle the city for eight hours and highlight some recent GOP House controversies through a 20-second video on a repeated loop. One segment highlight a Gaetz tweet supporting the America First Caucus, a congressional group meant to promote "uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions." Another segment highlights Greene's committee stripping by Democrats, after she promoted a series of conspiracy theories. Republican House members are meeting in Florida for three days. The NRCC ads target Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) and Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.). Spokesman Michael McAdams said in a statement: We are going to ensure every voter knows Democrats want to Defund the Police." Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 00:01:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday refuted fallacious remarks by the chair of the Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA) Paul Harris, saying he backed up lawbreakers, slandered law enforcement agencies and put pressure on the judiciary. Responding to the remarks made by Harris concerning a legal case of anti-China disruptor Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and others over unlawful assembly, a spokesperson in a statement said Harris used the term of "peaceful protest" to gloss over the illegal nature of the violent incidents which happened during the social unrest of 2019 in Hong Kong. The sentences for Lai and others are based on clear facts and solid evidence, thus being recognized by various sectors of the Hong Kong society, and many of the defendants have pleaded guilty in court, the spokesperson noted. The spokesperson said the remarks made by Harris went against professional ethics and the spirit of the rule of law. While being keen on commenting on the Hong Kong affairs, Harris did not utter a word when the British government pushed for a legislation under which demonstrators who vandalized memorials could be jailed for up to 10 years, according to the spokesperson. After becoming the HKBA chair, Harris has repeatedly made unwarranted remarks on the national security law in the HKSAR, challenging the authority of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress as well as Hong Kong's rule of law and constitutional order, the spokesperson said. As the HKBA chair, Harris should himself comply with the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", the spokesperson said while pointing out that Harris has served the interests of Britain's Liberal Democrats party, of which he is a member. The spokesperson raised the question whether Harris, as an anti-China politician with close connections with foreign forces, can genuinely work for maintaining the rule of law and the HKSAR Basic Law and supporting "one country, two systems" as promised in an HKBA statement. The Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor with Harris as a co-founder, according to media reports, has received donations from the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy, and Harris was suspected to have concealed his status as an Oxford city councilor when running for the HKBA chair, the spokesperson said. It would be extremely ironic if Harris continued to serve as the HKBA chair, the spokesperson said. Hong Kong's return from chaos to stability has demonstrated clearly that only by firmly safeguarding the constitutional order set by the Constitution and the Basic Law and implementing the national security law in the HKSAR and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," will Hong Kong's rule of law and its overall interests be well protected, the spokesperson said. Any act to damage the rule of law and justice in Hong Kong and undermine Hong Kong's prosperity and stability will meet with strong counter measures, the spokesperson said while urging the HKBA to stop going down the path of politicization. Enditem South Korea on Monday welcomed the joint statement by Southeast Asian leaders that called for an end to violence in Myanmar and pursuit of a peaceful solution. Nine of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) issued the statement under the name of its secretary general after a summit in Indonesia, demanding its member Myanmar immediately end civilian killings that began after its military seized power in a coup in early February. The statement came as Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing apparently agreed that violence must stop and said he will find a solution. The general was among those who attended the two-day face-to-face summit in Jakarta over the weekend. The statement also called for ASEAN members to provide humanitarian aid to Myanmar. "Our government views that the agreements will lay the grounds for the restoration of democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar and we expect a faithful and continued implementation of the agreements," South Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary. "We, in particular, call for an immediate end to the violent crackdown against demonstrators by using weapons of destruction and hope that a special ASEAN envoy can visit the country at an early date for a constructive dialogue that will embrace all concerned parties," the commentary read. The South Korean government also again urges the immediate release of political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi, it said. The ASEAN bloc consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (Yonhap) The FBI is breaking into corporate computers to remove malicious code smart cyber defense or government overreach? The FBI has the authority right now to access privately owned computers without their owners knowledge or consent, and to delete software. Its part of a government effort to contain the continuing attacks on corporate networks running Microsoft Exchange software, and its an unprecedented intrusion thats raising legal questions about just how far the government can go. On April 9, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas approved a search warrant allowing the U.S. Department of Justice to carry out the operation. The software the FBI is deleting is malicious code installed by hackers to take control of a victims computer. Hackers have used the code to access vast amounts of private email messages and to launch ransomware attacks. The authority the Justice Department relied on and the way the FBI carried out the operation set important precedents. They also raise questions about the power of courts to regulate cybersecurity without the consent of the owners of the targeted computers. As a cybersecurity scholar, I have studied this type of cybersecurity, dubbed active defense, and how the public and private sectors have relied on each other for cybersecurity for years. Public-private cooperation is critical for managing the wide range of cyber threats facing the U.S. But it poses challenges, including determining how far the government can go in the name of national security. Its also important for Congress and the courts to oversee this balancing act. Exchange server hack Since at least January 2021, hacking groups have been using zero-day exploits -- meaning previously unknown vulnerabilities -- in Microsoft Exchange to access email accounts. The hackers used this access to insert web shells, software that allows them to remotely control the compromised systems and networks. Tens of thousands of email users and organizations have been affected. One result has been a series of ransomware attacks, which encrypt victims files and hold the keys to decrypt them for ransom. On March 2, 2021, Microsoft announced that a hacking group code named Hafnium had been using multiple zero-day exploits to install web shells with unique file names and paths. This makes it challenging for administrators to remove the malicious code, even with the tools and patches Microsoft and cybersecurity firms have released to assist the victims. The FBI is accessing hundreds of these mail servers in corporate networks. The search warrant allows the FBI to access the web shells, enter the previously discovered password for a web shell, make a copy for evidence, and then delete the web shell. The FBI, though, was not authorized to remove any other malware that hackers might have installed during the breach or otherwise access the contents of the servers. What makes this case unique is both the scope of the FBIs actions to remove the web shells and the unprecedented intrusion into privately owned computers without the owners consent. The FBI undertook the operation without consent because of the large number of unprotected systems throughout U.S. networks and the urgency of the threat. The action demonstrates the Justice Departments commitment to using all of our legal tools, Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement. The total number of compromised firms remains murky given that the figure is redacted in the court documents, but it could be as many as 68,000 Exchange servers, which would potentially affect millions of email users. New malware attacks on Microsoft Exchange servers continue to surface, and the FBI is continuing to undertake court-authorized action to remove the malicious code. Active defense The shift toward a more active U.S. cybersecurity strategy began under the Obama administration with the establishment of U.S. Cyber Command in 2010. The emphasis at the time remained on deterrence by denial, meaning making computers harder to hack. This includes using a layered defense, also known as defense in depth, to make it more difficult, expensive and time-consuming to break into networks. A case that began with two Rensselaer County men challenging the ruling of a state justice on their firearm permits is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a potential landmark decision on the issue of whether citizens have a right to carry guns outside their homes for protection. The nation's top court on Monday agreed to hear the case of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Robert Nash and Brandon Koch against former State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett and state Supreme Court Justice Richard McNally, who is the licensing officer for Rensselaer County. In 2016, McNally rejected applications for concealed-carry permits from Koch and Nash, the latter of whom requested one citing a string of robberies in Averill Park, where he lives. Both men had received gun permits to hunt but not to carry them outside for protection. "I have and continue to be a law abiding citizen of Rensselaer County," Nash wrote the judge. In 2018, Nash, Koch and the Rifle & Pistol Association filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of New York's state regulations arguing that their Second Amendment rights were violated when McNally and then-State Police Superintendent George Beach refused to grant them licenses to carry guns outside their homes for protection. In December 2018, U.S. District Judge Brenda Sannes, based in Syracuse, dismissed the plaintiffs' suit. Nash, Koch and the Rifle & Pistol Association appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, based in Manhattan. Last August, Second Circuit judges Jon O. Newman, Rosemary S. Pooler and Peter W. Hall upheld Sannes' decision. A Dec. 17 petition, filed by attorneys for the rifle association and complainants, asked that the Supreme Court grant the request to hear the case. "The time has come for this Court to resolve this critical constitutional impasse and reaffirm the citizens fundamental right to carry a handgun for self-defense," stated the petition requesting a writ of certiorari. "The question presented is: Whether the Second Amendment allows the government to prohibit ordinary law-abiding citizens from carrying handguns outside the home for self-defense." The Supreme Court, which receives more than 7,000 requests a year to hear cases, only accepts 100 to 150, according to information on the federal court system's website. On Monday, the rare opportunity was granted. Attorney General Letitia James, whose office defends the state in litigation, said in a statement: We will vigorously defend any challenge to New York states gun laws that are intended to protect public safety. We look forward to presenting the states arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court and to showing how New Yorks laws protect public safety in a manner consistent with the Second Amendment. Jason Ouimet, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, its lobbying arm, noted in a statement that the court rarely hears Second Amendment cases. "Now its decided to hear one of the most critical Second Amendment issues," he said. "Were confident that the court will tell New York and the other states that our Second Amendment right to defend ourselves is fundamental, and doesnt vanish when we leave our homes. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." New York prohibits open carry of guns except for when someone is hunting or on a shooting range. State law generally prohibits gun owners from carrying their guns in public areas without judicial approval. Citizens need a license to possess a concealed gun, which comes from licensing officers who are usually judges. They also can get approval from State Police. Applicants need to show "proper cause" to be approved. That can include use of weapons for target practice, hunting or self-defense if applicants show a special need for self-protection "distinguishable from that of the general community or of persons engaged in the same profession. Lawyers for the Rensselaer County plaintiffs have pointed to past Supreme Court rulings to buoy their arguments. In 2008, a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller authored by the late Justice Antonin Scalia loosened strict gun control laws in Washington D.C., finding that there was a constitutional right to own a gun at home for personal protection. Two years later, in another 5-4 ruling, in the matter of McDonald vs. Chicago, the Supreme Court established that the same protections for gun owners at the federal level extend to state and localities. That laid the groundwork for a potential victory in court for the plaintiffs. Instead, Sannes rejected their efforts. In a brief to the Second Circuit, attorneys for Nash, Koch and the Rifle & Pistol Association highlighted the 2008 Supreme Court ruling. "Because New Yorks restrictions on carrying firearms in public severely impinge on the right of ordinary, law-abiding citizens to carry arms for self-defense, they are unconstitutional per se," stated Washington, D.C., attorney David H. Thompson in the brief. He said the 2008 ruling "makes clear that a restriction on core Second Amendment conduct so severe that it is akin to a total ban is unconstitutional categorically, without regard to the traditionally expressed levels of scrutiny." In turn, James' office laid out its case for the Second Circuit. "New York has conditioned the issuance of an unrestricted license to carry a concealed firearm in public on a showing of 'proper cause' for over a hundred years," stated Assistant Solicitor General Jennifer Clark, noting a law passed in 2011 and amended in 2013 to respond to gun violence. "And New Yorks regulation of concealed firearms stretches back farther. Like many states in this Nation, New York has a longstanding tradition of regulating the use of firearmsand, especially, concealed firearms carried in public that dates back centuries and draws on preexisting English laws tightly restricting the public carrying of firearms." The government had protocols in place to move hotel quarantine guests away from the rooms of COVID-infected guests prior to the Mercure cluster, but they were only being applied in higher-risk cases. WA Chief Health Officer Dr Andy Robertson said the protocols were in place before a returned traveller from India tested positive on April 13 and spread the virus across the floor he was staying on. WA Premier Mark McGowan before announcing the end of the Anzac Day long weekend lockdown on Monday. Credit:Hamish Hastie One guest who was infected by the traveller went on to infect two others in the community, triggering Perths snap three-day lockdown over the Anzac Day long weekend. Dr Robertson said the protocols would now require the movement of guests away from positive cases but prior to the Mercure cluster, they were only being applied to high-risk cases. How do you stop a pandemic before a vaccine arrives? Contact tracing is key, the first step in a process that has proven effective: trace, test, and isolate. Smartphones can collect some of the information required by contact tracers--not just where you've been but also who's been near you. Can we repurpose the tracking technology that we carry with us--devices with GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and social media connectivity--to serve public health in a pandemic? In "People Count: Contact-Tracing Apps and Public Health" (on sale now from The MIT PRESS), cybersecurity expert Susan Landau looks at some of the apps developed for contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that issues of effectiveness and equity intersect. Landau explains the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of a range of technological interventions, including dongles in Singapore that collect proximity information; India's biometric national identity system; Harvard University's experiment, TraceFi; and China's surveillance network. Other nations rejected China-style surveillance in favor of systems based on Bluetooth, GPS, and cell towers, but Landau explains the limitations of these technologies. She also reports that many current apps appear to be premised on a model of middle-class income and a job that can be done remotely. How can they be effective when low-income communities and front-line workers are the ones who are hit hardest by the virus? COVID-19 will not be our last pandemic; we need to get this essential method of infection control right. About the Author: Susan Landau is Bridge Professor of Cyber Security and Policy at The Fletcher School and at the School of Engineering, Department of Computer Science, at Tufts University. She is the coauthor of" Privacy on the Line"(MIT Press) and the author of "Surveillance or Security?"(MIT Press) and "Listening In: Cybersecurity in an Insecure Age." ### Medife Asociacion Civil Chooses Red Hat to Modernize and Scale Telemedicine Offering as Demand for Remote Healthcare Services Soars Red Hat (News - Alert) , Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that Medife Asociacion Civil, a leading non-profit healthcare insurance organization in Argentina, worked with Red Hat to implement a new digital application architecture to support the changing needs of its members and better respond to the unique market dynamics that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Medife and other healthcare organizations, the pandemic has underscored the need for more flexible and resilient technologies and processes. The company serves more than 300,000 members throughout Argentina, offering a variety of medical plans that include both in-person and telemedicine services. When a country-wide stay-at-home mandate was issued to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, demand for Medife's remote healthcare offerings soared a hundredfold. The company's existing infrastructure was incapable of delivering the scale and agility needed to respond to these changes, and many of Medife's core business operations relied on paper-based processes. Working with Red Hat Consulting, the insurer laid the groundwork for its digital transformation by implementing a new infrastructure based on Red Hat's open hybrid cloud technologies, including Red Hat OpenShift, Red Hat Integration and Red Hat Process Automation. Together, Medife and Red Hat defined the new architecture, outlined methodologies that would allow Medife to maximize the new platform, and migrated core business processes. With the new architecture in place, Medife cut time-to-market by up to 92%, quickly rolling out a host of new digital services for tasks such as scheduling appointments, accessing medical records, authorizing treatment plans, and billing and payment processing. These web-based services have also made it possible for Medife to increase access to healthcare for remote patients and at-risk communities throughout Argentina. As a result of its work with Red Hat, Medife has been able to continue meeting the needs of its members-offering new contactless services and scaling to meet the drastic change in demand-while giving its own associates flexible new ways of working safely during the pandemic. Supporting Quotes Paulo Bonucci, vice president and general manager, LATAM, Red Hat "Open source technologies have the power to change the world for the better. Medife's use of our open hybrid cloud technologies to help respond to the global pandemic is an example of this. Even before COVID-19 hit, the organization understood the need to digitize its infrastructure to better serve patient needs and we are pleased to have helped Medife digitally transform to better serve constituents." Facundo Trillo Quiroga, CIO, Medife Asociacion Civil "Medife's mission is to give people the highest quality health insurance possible and to help them take better care of heir health. Red Hat helped us achieve this goal by building an agile and more adaptable digital platform to enhance patient care. Through our work with Red Hat, we've seen improved innovation and response to our customers, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the digital capabilities provided to us by Red Hat's open hybrid cloud technologies." Additional Resources Connect with Red Hat About Red Hat, Inc. Red Hat is the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted adviser to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company or its parent International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM (News - Alert) ) may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Red Hat, the Red Hat logo, and OpenShift are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005451/en/ Why cant the New York Yankees get players like this? Former Yankees left-hander J.A. Happ took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in the Minnesota Twins 2-0 win Friday vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. Catcher Jacob Stallings doubled with one out in the eighth inning to break up the no-hit bid. Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers Happ, in his first season with the Twins, was immediately removed by manager Rocco Baldelli and replaced by Tyler Duffey. Happ walked two batters, both in the second. He threw 95 pitches, with 51 strikes. In the process, Happ lowered his ERA to 1.69 over three starts this season. Happ, 38, signed a one-year, $8-million contract with the Twins as a free agent in January after being with the Yankees from July 2018 through last season. He left the Yanks on bad terms, as he felt his innings and starts were cut short last season to prevent him from vesting a $17-million option for 2021. Happ was 2-2 with a 3.47 ERA in nine starts during the shortened 2020 season and 21-10 with a 4.13 ERA in 51 outings during his time with the Yankees. For his career, the 14-year vet has a 124-92 record with a 3.96 ERA and represented the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2018 All-Star Game. (NJ Advance Medias Randy Miller and the Associated Press contributed to this report.) Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. ROME, APR 26 - A 50-year-old Italian lay missionary woman was hacked to death in her sleep in Peru in what police think may have been an attempted robbery last Tuesday, sources said after she died in hospital at the weekend. Nadia De Munari, from Schio in the province of Vicenza, died after four days in the hospital after the machete attack. In Peru with the Mato Grosso operation, De Munari was head of the 'Mamma Mia' Centre at Nuevo Chimbote. The attack took place at the centre, where she worked to help needy mothers and children. She had been working for 30 years in the Mato Grosso operation, which was created by Father Ugo De Censi. (ANSA). Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 18:01:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Fishing boats are seen at the seaport of Gaza City, April 26, 2021. Israel closed Gaza Strip's offshore fishing zone early Monday, following overnight rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, amid the worst flare-up in the region in recent months. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) JERUSALEM, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel closed Gaza Strip's offshore fishing zone early Monday, following overnight rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, amid the worst flare-up in the region in recent months. Israel's Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories Ghassan Alian said in a statement that Gaza's fishing area will be "completely closed" starting from 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Monday until further announcement. He said that the move was made in the wake of rocket fire from Gaza overnight between Sunday and Monday and following a security consultation. He warned that Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian group that runs Gaza, should be held accountable for the violence and "will bear the consequences for any violence against the citizens of Israel." Overnight, militants in the Gaza Strip fired three rockets towards southern Israel, triggering sirens in the southern city of Sderot and communities in the vicinity of Gaza. Two rockets were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-rocket system, according to a statement by the Israeli military. A failed launch attempt was also detected. The rocket landed inside the Gaza Strip, the army said. Israel's medical emergency services reported that four people in Sderot, including a pregnant woman, fell down and were lightly injured while running to take shelter as the sirens were heard. Violence in the region has been escalating since last week, with dozens of rockets fired at Israel and Israeli airstrikes against Hamas sites in Gaza. The escalation came amid tensions in east Jerusalem sparked by restrictions Israel imposed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Gaza has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since Hamas took power in 2007. Enditem Siti was just 14 when a teacher made her queue up with her classmates for a period spot check, a purportedly common practice in schools to make sure nobody was lying about having their menses to escape the daily Islamic prayer. There were times when her schoolmates would falsely confess to lying about having their period out of fear of physical harassment, said Siti, who would squirm at the thought of her ustazah invading her body under the guise of school discipline. I will grope your vagina to check if you are wearing pads or not, Siti quoted the teacher during a recent Coconuts interview, shuddering as she spoke those words. The checks would happen at least thrice a week, said the former student of Penangs St. Georges Girls School, where Muslim students were required to perform evening prayers during Islamic studies. In Islam, Muslim women who are menstruating are not allowed to pray and were required to rest. In Sitis school, however, those who had their period were at risk of being groped. Penangs St. Georges Girls School did not respond to requests for comment. Siti, now 25, recalled feeling super grossed out at the thought of her teacher feeling her up. Because if I am menstruating but I use a tampon.. then how? Would she then finger me and feel me up? she said, declining to elaborate further on what happened next. Whenever someone admitted to lying about having their period when they werent, the teacher, with a triumphant, smug expression on her face, would escort that person to the prayer room, Siti recalled. Praying during menstruation is also considered sinful in Islam. I remember feeling very indignant, you know? But also not feeling pressed enough to tell my parents, she said, adding: I think its intimidation and horrible that it comes from a teacher to young women. Period-checks in schools across Malaysia For years, female students in Malaysia have been making allegations about being forced to show proof of their menstruation. Besides being groped, some mentioned being subjected to vaginal swabs or exposing themselves in front of teachers. Story continues Since last week, Twitter users @TerryDieHeiden and @Nalisaa shared over a hundred screenshots of conversations about the so-called period spot checks that apparently came from students all over Malaysia, including those claiming they were accused of conspiring with their schoolmates to share period blood. Some of the exchanges also alluded to sexual harassment, molest, and sexual grooming at the hands of teachers and boarding-school wardens. More than a dozen schools, including boarding schools, were named in those exchanges, such as MRSM. Mara, the governing body behind MRSM boarding schools in Malaysia, has begun an internal investigation into allegations of period spot checks and sexual harassment. Other schools that have been outed on social media were located in various states including Johor, Pahang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan. There were also students from Perlis, Sarawak, and Melaka that came forward. Coconuts was not able to independently verify the claims in those screenshots. Its clear that its not just happening in boarding schools, but also public schools, both urban and rural, Izza Izelan, 33, executive director of the Women:girls nonprofit told Coconuts. These cases are not discriminatory of their origin. Izza herself was subjected to period spot checks more than 10 years ago. File image of blood in between a persons legs. Photo: Monika Kozub The teachers or warden dont believe the girls who say they have periods because, for them, it is an excuse for the girls to skip praying, the former Pahang boarding school student said. So in order for them to kind of verify [a persons] period, they touch your butt to see whether you have your pad on, and actually give you tissue paper for you to swipe your vagina or your panties to show that theres blood. Daily prayers werent the only excuse for such checks, according to Izza. For boarding schools, you have to participate in sports every Monday to Friday, at 5pm. Some girls get terrible cramps when they are on their periods, and because they cant participate, they will be checked too, she said. Another former student from a Terengganu boarding school, SMK Mak Lagam, who wishes to be known as Mawar, claimed that the warden from her dormitory would poke their private parts with a clothing hanger. Our dorm warden was a woman who terrified us. She would use a hanger and poke our vagina to see if we were really wearing a pad, which usually happens to people who didnt go for maghrib (evening) prayers, she told Coconuts, recounting the 2006 incident. Some of my dorm mates had to show if their pad had blood. They would be reluctant and ashamed to show it. As a student, I just felt scared and ashamed, Mawar, now 30, said. Seeking help For students who may still be at risk of period checks and sexual harassment in schools, Izza urged them to confide in someone they trust or confess anonymously online. Find someone that you trust, confide in that person, and tell them so at least you are not carrying this burden of guilt, embarrassment, and humiliation all by yourself, she said, noting that NGOs like Women:girls, Sisters In Islam, and Awam are also here to help. Make the NGOs your friends. Tell them, this is happening to me, what can I do? Whats the next step? I want to remain anonymous, but what can what kind of actions can I take? she said, advising victims to come forward or write to an NGO. The Women:girls nonprofit is currently working on a nationwide campaign to educate both students and teachers on the matter. We need a nationwide campaign in education, not just for students, but also for adults, because as you can see, the adults are the perpetrators, Izza noted. Adults like the teachers, are mostly the ones being given the power and also to care for these children. Although we have our personal and religious views, no matter what it is, you should not impose them on the students. As for persecuting the perpetrators, Izza admits that the lack of evidence makes it difficult to hold people to account, which is why a lot of cases are not being solved. But help may be on the way for students, starting with those in boarding schools. Mara will not compromise on any misconduct involving those working for Mara, especially when it involves the safety of students at Mara educational institution, Mara chairwoman Azizah Mohd Dun was quoted as saying on Thursday, while announcing the launch of an investigation into allegations of period spot checks in Maras schools. The Ministry of Education has been silent about the matter. It did not respond to Coconuts requests for comment via email and phone since Friday. Other stories to check out: Johor school accused of segregating students to restart co-curricular activity registrations This article, Malaysian women denounce period spot checks in schools, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Revieve, a beauty technology company, has announced a partnership with Babor to virtually bring consumers to in-store consultants. Related: Skin Match Technology Partners with Men's Grooming Brands Through Babor's website, consumers will have access to the Revieve AI Skincare Advisor, an AI-powered self-diagnostic tool that analyzes the users skin and provides tailored recommendations to suit their skin needs. To use the platform, consumers take a photo of themselves and answer a few questions related to their skin type and any personal skin concerns they would like to improve. Within two minutes, they receive AI-driven product recommendations and personalized skin care advice based on more than 100 different metrics and 30,000 images of demographically representative people. This technology is accessible via desktop, tablets or mobile devices in any browser as well as in three of Babor's concept shops including Aachen, Hamburg and Frankfurt. Andreas Wolf, director of business development at Babor, said, As a leader in the global beauty industry, we are always looking for ways to create an innovative experience for our customers. We look forward to working with Revieve as their technology will make it easy for our customers to get a personalized skin care experience both online and in our concept stores. Sampo Parkkinen, CEO of Revieve, said, Were excited to work with Babor to deliver a personalized beauty and wellness experience to their customers. Babor's embrace of our AI tool demonstrates their keen understanding of the way that consumers shop today, while also providing them with the flexible shopping experience they desire. By Benjamin Jumbe The European Commission has announced new funding of 149m, an equivalent of Shs649bn in aid for the wider Horn of African region in 2021. Uganda is to receive Shs139bn to help address the increasing humanitarian needs in countries like Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda and efforts against the Desert Locust infestation. The Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, says with millions in need of urgent assistance in the region, the EU is ensuring that emergency life-saving support, such as food, nutrition, health and protection, reaches those in need. In Uganda, EU humanitarian funding will focus on providing assistance to the most vulnerable refugees and their host communities, as well as strengthen disaster preparedness in addressing multiple crises, including epidemics. Uganda is currently a home to over 1.4 million refugees. Pictured: Lordy Ramadan A woman whose decomposing body was found inside a furniture chest after a suspected murder-suicide has been mourned by her heartbroken sister. Lordy Ramadan's remains were discovered in her Sapphire apartment complex in Labrador on the Gold Coast about 10.20am on Friday after her concerned family, who live in Victoria, raised the alarm. Police found the corpse of her fiance and carer Craig Bouma upon arrival, but did not discover the 49-year-old's concealed body until an hour later during a wider search of the home. As detectives investigate the suspected hideous crime and believe Bouma stayed with his partner's dead body for days before taking his own life, Ms Ramadan's distraught little sister Marina said her heart was broken. 'A life taken away too soon. Lordy was beautiful, kind and a generous loving soul, always putting others' needs before hers,' she told the Brisbane Times. 'Nothing breaks our hearts more than having a world that no longer has her in it.' Lordy Ramadan, 49, was found dead inside a furniture chest on the Gold Coast on Friday morning Forensic officers were seen at the scene on the Gold Coast on Friday after the suspected murder suicide of Craig Bouma, 53, and Lordy Ramadan The siblings were close growing up, shared the same friends, and had an 'unbreakable bond'. Marina said he sister was unable to have children due to a series of health conditions including fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes pain throughout the body, and loved her nephew Ethan like he was her own. She set up a GoFundMe to help bring her sister's body back to Victoria to 'give her the farewell she deserves'. Their brother Alex said Ms Ramadan was his best friend. 'She was amazing. She could do anything, she could accomplish anything,' he told the Gold Coast Bulletin. Lordy Ramadan (pictured) was unable to have her own children and loved her nephew like a son Ms Ramadan asked for pictures of her niece's first birthday party on the Saturday night before her death, the newspaper reported. When her father sent them to her, she replied 'thank you'. The family never heard from her again. But it wasn't until her mother tried to phone her on the Sunday, like she did every day, that the family started to worry. '[Our mother] rang her partner on the Sunday, he answered and said she was in bed sick, sleeping and "I'll get her to call you back", and he never answered his phone again,' Alex Ramadan said. He tried calling again on the Wednesday and sent a message, and called for a welfare check when he still had no response. The apparent murder-suicide happened at the upmarket Sapphire at the Broadway on the Gold Coast Police have not yet confirmed Ms Ramadan's time of death, but her family believe she was dead when they tried to phone. Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn said on Saturday that her body was so decomposed it was likely she had been dead for a week. Mr Ramadan said his family were left baffled by her death, claiming there were no signs of domestic violence, but did say Bouma was controlling her medication. He also explained there was a note found near Bouma's body suggesting he 'wanted to get rid of her pain and suffering and that's what he's done'. 'That's what we've been told. I'm still waiting to see the letter but it's f**king stupid. It doesn't give him the right to do that,' he said. Inspector Ahearn said there were indications Bouma may have been responsible for her death. Residents said Bouma was a 'really nice guy' and they were shocked to hear of something so horrific happening in their neighbourhood 'The male doesn't appear to have any injuries so we are interested in the results of the post-mortem examination to give us an indication as to his cause of death,' he said. The couple were in a de facto relationship for the past 10 years and moved to the Gold Coast three years ago because the climate was better for her health. 'Queensland police have not had contact with these people in that time,' he said. 'There are no domestic violence orders in place,' Inspector Ahern said. Police are still investigating the deaths and trying to determine if the couple had a history of domestic violence. Residents said the man was a 'really nice guy' and they were shocked to hear of something so horrific happening in their neighbourhood. 'He was always really happy and really smiley,' she said. 'I only knew them to say hello to but he was always lovely.' 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Press Release 26 April 2021 Today, UK boutique hotel brands Malmaison and Hotel du Vin, alongside Fraser Suites and Fraser Place properties across the UK, are partnering with The Burnt Chef Project, a non-profit campaign committed to removing the stigma and raising awareness of mental health issues within the hospitality industry. Advertisements The three brands, operating under Frasers Hospitality's global business, have committed to a range of fundraising initiatives for the project within their properties. All donations made will go directly to help fund mental health training and resource materials, including The BurntChef 24/7 support service and The Burnt Chef Academy, to help open up and normalise conversations around mental health within the UK hospitality industry. Guests dining at a Chez Mal Brasserie & Bar or Bistro du Vin across the country will be able to donate directly through an order of invisible "Burnt Chips'', which will add a set amount onto the bill as a direct donation to the Burnt Chef initiative. Similarly, guests at Fraser Place and Fraser Suites serviced apartments across England and Scotland will be able to purchase an invisible "Cup of Tea and a Chat", which will donate 2.50 directly to the cause. Round up payment options will be activated across all properties within the properties and a donate button has been added to all relevant websites. Additionally, a post-COVID eco-friendly option for guests to opt out of certain housekeeping offerings is set to activate a direct donation from property to project. Frasers Hospitality has also invested in a range of training initiatives for staff to help increase understanding among its teams. From mental health first aid training to appointing wellbeing champions and internal senior ambassadors across the group, the creation of such employee assistance programmes will help assure staff that they too have a platform to reach out to, and help reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues or concerns. According to a survey undertaken by TBCP, 84% of hospitality professionals in the UK were reported to have experienced at least one mental health issue during their career, with 46% stating they would not feel comfortable talking about their health concerns with their colleagues. "We're thrilled to be partnering with The Burnt Chef Project and to be an active force in raising awareness of mental health issues within our industry. The pandemic has been tough for the whole industry and we're passionate about coming back stronger, with a workforce who feels empowered and heard," says Guus Bakker, CEO EMEA at Frasers Hospitality. "In addition to dedicated training for our staff, we have added the topics of mental health and wellbeing to all employee committee meeting agendas. This partnership is a natural fit for us as we are closely aligned with TBCP's drive in promoting mental health and well being amongst our team and community." Kris Hall, director and founder of The Burnt Chef Project adds: "It's never been more important for us to recognise the stresses and unique issues that our hospitality workforces are facing and actually do something about it. We are so excited to have Malmaison, Hotel du Vin and Frasers Hospitality UK on board with us, with their presence across all four corners of the UK helping us to spread the word across the country. The project is committed to burning away the stigma and shame associated with mental health for hospitality professionals worldwide and we're thrilled to have these brands come on this vital journey with us." About The Burnt Chef Project The Burnt Chef Project is a registered non-profit within the UK which challenges mental health stigma within the hospitality industry. It was founded in May 2019 by Kris Hall, a hospitality professional with over 12 years' experience of working directly with the trade. Through personal experience of mental illness and through regular contact with those who have experienced it within hospitality Kris feels it is his moral obligation and duty to improve the industry and the health of those that work within it. More information available upon request. Volunteers from the United Cajun Navy searched the coastal areas of Terrebonne Parish on Monday after "many items" from the capsized Seacor Power were found in the marsh there, including life jackets labeled "Seacor." Debris has been washing up along the coast, with life jackets being found as far away as Whiskey Island about 33 miles west of the wreckage, according to Christifer DeRouen, who is helping with the search as a part of the United Cajun Navy. A new debris field was also found on Coon Island, DeRouen said, and that area was being searched Monday. The volunteer search efforts have generally focused on the barrier islands around Chauvin. According to volunteers in Chauvin on Monday, 51 boats had registered there to join the search. Conditions became choppy Monday afternoon, so the search was abandoned for the day. But before it was called off, volunteers said they had found 12 life jackets. Three cadaver dogs and an airplane was involved in the search as well, but none of the crewmembers' bodies were found. +3 Remembering the victims of the Seacor Power lift boat disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Five people were killed and eight others are missing and presumed dead after the lift boat Seacor Power capsized April 13 during a storm in th Seven crew members are still missing from the lift boat after it flipped during bad weather on April 13 south of Port Fourchon in the Gulf of Mexico. Six crew members were rescued from the water the day it flipped, but none have been found alive since. The bodies of six crew members have been recovered in the days since the vessel capsized, and two wrongful death lawsuits have since been filed against Seacor Marine Holdings Inc., the owner of the vessel, and other entities. 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 U.S. Coast Guard called off its search on April 19, but since then, volunteers with boats and airplanes have canvassed the waters along the Louisiana coast, an effort that one search leader said was aimed at bringing some sense of finality for the families of the missing crew members. 'Swamp People' star gets emotional about Seacor Power search as families' frustration grows With hope diminishing with each passing day, the loved ones of the still missing Seacor Power crew members have taken to social media to expre Ronnie Adams from the television series "Swamp People" was part of a search Sunday in Chauvin, according to his Facebook page. He said about 300 boats were involved in searching after the debris was found by helicopters. The United Cajun Navy, on its Facebook page, said Monday's search included boats, airboats, drones, seaplanes, helicopters, marsh buggies, drones, ATVs, search dogs and people walking in the marsh. Photographer Sophia Germer contributed to this report. Here's what searchers found Sunday in the marsh at Cocodrie: GalaxyClub.nl has learned that the Galaxy S21 FE will have a 4,500 mAh battery, the same capacity as the battery found in last year's Galaxy S20 FE 5G . While a device having the same battery capacity as its predecessor would not usually be noteworthy, Samsung has released the Galaxy S21 in the interim, a device with a 4,000 mAh battery. According to a leaked roadmap, Samsung will announce the Galaxy S21 FE in August. The company is expected to equip the device with a 120 Hz and 1080p AMOLED display, matching the display used in the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. Samsung's recent behaviour suggests that the Galaxy S21 FE will miss out on a microSD card reader, which would be a shame. It is unclear if Samsung will use the Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888 in this year's Fan Edition, though. 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Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Acting Prime Minister vows to administer first shots to 70 percent of population by September By Jun Ji-hye, Nam Hyun-woo The government sought to dismiss concerns over a possible shortage of COVID-19 vaccines and their safety, Monday, which could hamper its efforts to meet the goal of achieving herd immunity by November, amid growing fears over another wave of infections. President Moon Jae-in urged critics to refrain from creating exhausting debates about the vaccine, something he claims has caused anxiety among the public, and called on them to concentrate on the national effort to overcome the public health crisis as soon as possible. "The government has secured a sufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines, and pushed ahead with its vaccine rollout plan without a hitch under its clear goal of achieving herd immunity by November," Moon said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae. "We are mobilizing all possible diplomatic and administrative means to brace for any uncertainties in the procurement of vaccines." Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki also stressed that claims the government was suffering procurement difficulties were untrue, noting it has secured 192 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 99 million people, an amount almost double the nation's 52 million population, following a new contract signed with Pfizer over the weekend to import additional doses for 20 million people. "With the latest deal with Pfizer, we will be able to preemptively prepare for expanding inoculations to people under 18 years old and meet additional demand for booster shots in response to new variants of the coronavirus," Hong said in a public statement. "The government is aiming to administer the first shots to 3 million people by the end of April, 12 million by the end of June and finally 36 million 70 percent of the entire population by the end of September." In November when these people have received their second shots, the country would achieve herd immunity, he added. Hong denied the government has been mired in difficulties in procuring vaccines, saying that uncertainties have been comparatively low, while almost all countries around the world, except for the United States and United Kingdom, which developed the vaccines, and Israel that secured them in the early stages, have been facing similar situations. "As of Sunday, there have been no delays in deliveries of vaccines that the country has secured," Hong said. A fire fighter gets a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a hospital in Gwangju, Monday, as the nation began administering vaccines to "essential workers," such as fire fighters and police officers. Yonhap A BARBERS shop has opened in Wargrave. 2 Tone Barbers in High Street started trading on Monday last week, the first day that non-essential businesses were allowed to open under the coronavirus roadmap. The business is located at the former village post office and run by Kieran OConnor, who lives in Charvil with his fiancee Emily Hatt and their children Roman and Jenson. He said: It is something I had been thinking about for a while and the village was nearby. Its a nice community village and I like the area. There are lots of new things, like the coffee shops which have opened recently. The salon, which has a ska theme made famous by the 2 Tone record label of the early Eighties, currently has three chairs, but Mr OConnor says there is room for another one. He said: I think the date for hairdressers opening was about right and I just hope we dont go backwards. 2 Tone currently has three staff and Mr OConnor plans to offer womens hairdressing too when Miss Hatt finishes her maternity leave and joins the business. We will give it six months or so and then we will slowly start to do womens hair, he said. It has gone really well so far weve had about 40 people per day. I myself am fully booked for the next couple of weeks but were still doing walk-ins because we have the other two barbers. Weve had lots of great feedback and everyone loves the team. As long as we keep our clients happy and offer a great service then they will keep coming back. The barbers is open from 9am to 6pm on weekdays with an extra hour on Thursday evenings, and from 9am to 4pm on Saturdays. It offers classic cuts, beard trims, wet shaves and nose waxing. Clients receive complimentary hot towels and drinks and there is a loyalty card scheme with every sixth visit half price. Mr OConnor said: This is my first business, but Ive been barbering for 10 years. I worked in Malta for a year and in Crete for a year. I was offered jobs there and my family live in Greece. The post office closed in June 2008 and since then the premises has been used as a florist, coffee shop and pop-up Christmas shop. It was empty for about a year before Mr OConnor leased it. The premises was used as a post office for more than 150 years before it closed. The village is now being served by a mobile Post Office van which visits Victoria Road twice a week. Each year on the first Thursday in May the National Day of Prayer is held in cities across the country with over three million participants nationwide. Locally, Chattanooga House of Prayer, in partnership with several local churches and ministries, will host A Day of Prayer for Metro Chattanooga on Thursday, May 6 from noon-1 p.m. on the front lawn of the Hamilton County Courthouse, 625 Georgia Ave. The hour-long event will feature representatives from various denominations, ethnicities and backgrounds. Last year we saw our country divide further into polarized camps over all sorts of issues: race, politics and the pandemicto name just a few, said Adam Whitescarver, executive director of Chattanooga House of Prayer. In response to this, churches and ministries from all over Chattanooga gathered to hold the two largest prayer and worship gatherings in our city with 1,500 and 1,000 people in attendance. Leaders in Chattanoogas churches still believe we have work to do and much prayer is needed. Thus we are organizing again to give a public display of both unity and humility, acknowledging our need of God and one another. To learn more about Chattanooga House of Prayer or the National Day of Prayer, visit www.chatthop.org and www.nationaldayofprayer.org. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is in favor of the recent proposal by the military to put up structures in parts of the West Philippine Sea to assert the country's sovereignty over the disputed territory. Drilon supported on Monday the claim of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana that they are entertaining the idea of constructing structures in the WPS to enforce its territorial claims which China continues to reject. "I endorse that idea" the senator said. "Actual occupation is an element of ownership, of jurisdiction." "Building structures on these islands only strengthens and provides proof of our claim for jurisdiction over this area that is a part of our exclusive economic zone," he also said. "I fully support that proposal." READ: AFP pitches building PH structures in disputed waters, but no joint patrols in WPS yet with US Sobejana earlier said the proposal has already been sent for consideration to the National Task Force in the West Philippine Sea, an inter-agency body headed by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. Sobejana previously noted there has been a previous agreement that no claimant will build structures on the disputed areas, but China has clearly reneged when it proceeded with its massive construction there. Drilon and ten other senators filed a resolution on Monday condemning China's illegal activities in the WPS and other areas within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Aside from Drilon, the other co-authors of the resolution are Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima, Grace Poe, Richard Gordon, Nancy Binay, Joel Villanueva, Lito Lapid, and Bong Revilla. The resolution also supported the positions of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who both asked Beijing to withdraw the Chinese militia vessels in the West Philippine Sea. "China should not be allowed to rewrite or nullify the UNCLOS, which was painstakingly negotiated and ratified by various States, as such blatant disregard of established international law not only has serious ramifications on a rules-based international order but likewise deprives Philippine fishermen of livelihood, prevents the Philippines from fully taking advantage of the resources within its exclusive economic zone, causes irreparable damage to the marine environment due to pollution and destruction of coral reefs, and serves to militarize the South China Sea," the senators said. Aside from the Philippines and China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the South China Sea. Manila had earlier protested Beijing's "illegal" building of artificial islands and structures in parts of the Kalayaan Island Group, an area claimed by China but considered by the Philippines as part of Palawan. Beijing continues to reject the landmark ruling of the arbitral tribunal in The Hague which recognized in 2016 the Philippines' sovereign rights in areas within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. A total of 78 diplomatic protests have already been filed against China under the Duterte administration due to its continued incursions, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier warned that there is no way for the Philippines to assert its rights in the disputed territory without bloodshed. But Sobejana said a war with China should be the last option. The AFP is only conducting "unilateral patrols" in the WPS for now even as experts urge holding joint patrols with the United States. He said other allies may step up to take this challenge with the Philippines since that area is a navigational route. - By GF Value The stock of Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI, 30-year Financials) is believed to be modestly 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 $189.98 per share and the market cap of $32.2 billion, Motorola Solutions stock is believed to be modestly overvalued. GF Value for Motorola Solutions is shown in the chart below. Motorola Solutions Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly Overvalued Because Motorola Solutions is relatively overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be lower than its business growth, which averaged 2.8% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 2.22% annually over the next three to five years. Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk. Since investing in companies with low financial strength could result in permanent capital loss, investors must carefully review a company's financial strength before deciding whether to buy shares. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage can give a good initial perspective on the company's financial strength. Motorola Solutions has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.22, which ranks worse than 89% of the companies in Hardware industry. Based on this, GuruFocus ranks Motorola Solutions's financial strength as 4 out of 10, suggesting poor balance sheet. This is the debt and cash of Motorola Solutions over the past years: Story continues Motorola Solutions Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly 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. Motorola Solutions has been profitable 9 years over the past 10 years. During the past 12 months, the company had revenues of $7.4 billion and earnings of $5.45 a share. Its operating margin of 19.09% better than 92% of the companies in Hardware industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks Motorola Solutions's profitability as strong. This is the revenue and net income of Motorola Solutions over the past years: Motorola Solutions Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly 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 stock performance of a company. A faster growing company creates more value for shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. The 3-year average annual revenue growth of Motorola Solutions is 2.8%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Hardware industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 1.3%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Hardware 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, Motorola Solutions's ROIC is 13.52 while its WACC came in at 5.93. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Motorola Solutions is shown below: Motorola Solutions Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly Overvalued In summary, The stock of Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI, 30-year Financials) appears to be modestly overvalued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is strong. Its growth ranks in the middle range of the companies in Hardware industry. To learn more about Motorola Solutions 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. A U.S. spy plane was spotted taking off from England last week as it embarked on another reconnaissance mission in Europe amid growing tension between Russia and Ukraine. Photographs of the Lockheed U-2, nicknamed the Dragon Lady after its CIA codename, were captured at RAF Fairford on April 16, Daily Mail reported. The high-altitude, reconnaissance aircraft has often been seen above the Gloucestershire base in recent weeks, but both the Ministry of Defence and the U.S. Air Force have refused to reveal the reason for the movement. A statement added: 'The deployment of ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) assets to the European theater demonstrates U.S. commitment to our allies and partners in the region.' The purpose of the recent movement is unclear, but the U-2's presence in Europe could present a warning to Moscow, the newspaper reported. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Ryan and Cody Dudgeon both grew up in northwest New Mexico, and both left for greener pastures in Missoula, Montana. But after working as river guides in Montana and Idaho for 14 years, the married couple came to see the rivers that flowed through their New Mexico homes differently. They moved back to Farmington in 2015, and are planning to start leading river-rafting expeditions on the Animas and San Juan rivers in May through their new company, Desert River Guides. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ We really fell in love with the lifestyle and the whole scene when we were in Missoula, so we wanted to bring that to Farmington, Ryan Dudgeon said. She said the scene around rafting in Farmington was very different from outdoor-happy Missoula. There was limited river rafting knowledge, and they would often draw stares as they drove through town with rafts in their truck trailer. Still, she said people were excited to have a new option to explore the rivers. When we float through there, its amazing how many people are so excited to see us on the river, Dudgeon said. Desert River Guides is far from the only outdoor-centric business to launch in or expand to New Mexico in the last several years. After years of siloing and underinvestment, New Mexicos outdoor recreation ecosystem, which includes everything from hunting to hiking to snowshoeing, has grown quickly in recent years. Between 2018 and 2019, the number of outdoor recreation jobs in New Mexico grew 5.3%, compared to 0.4% growth nationwide, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. A state office of outdoor recreation and a business association New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Business Alliance, also known as endeavOR New Mexico have both sprung up since 2019. Theres a lot of (businesses) out there in the far corners of the state doing their thing, and theyve never really thought about being part of a larger effort, said James Glover, co-director of endeavOR. Still, New Mexico has a long way to go to catch up with other western states, including Utah, another relatively small state that boasts an outdoor recreation economy far larger than New Mexicos. As New Mexico looks to build up its outdoor recreation ecosystem, its neighbor to the northwest offers hope, as well as some cautionary tales. A beehive (state) of activity Despite the sectors growth, outdoor recreation remains a small part of New Mexicos economy. The BEA analysis shows that the industry comprised just 2.2% of New Mexicos gross domestic product in 2019, the third-lowest percentage among western states. The two states where the percentage is lower California and Washington each have massive, tech-heavy economies. Utah, by contrast, has a much larger outdoor recreation industry than New Mexicos, even adjusting for its larger population. The industrys economic impact totaled $6.36 billion in Utah in 2019, more than 2 times the total in New Mexico, according to the BEA. Tom Adams, former director of Utahs Office of Outdoor Recreation and COO for outdoor recreation company Petzls North American operations, said the state has historically had a strong outdoor industry, thanks to its natural beauty and central location. We love to refer to Salt Lake (City) as a mountain town with an international airport, Adams said. We can get product out of Salt Lake really quick to the major retailers in the outdoor space. In 2013, Utah became the first state to add a dedicated statewide office of outdoor recreation, and Adams said doing so helped the state coordinate its efforts, and kept Utahns from taking their natural landscape for granted. It needed work, it wasnt just staying there, Adams said. Trails needed to be worked on and expanded. Current Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Pitt Grewe said the agency has a variety of responsibilities, from economic development to land management. Utah funded 59 outdoor infrastructure projects via grants in 2020, using local matches so that more than $6 million in state grants funded projects totaling just under $43 million. The office also manages Utahs Every Kid Outdoors Initiative, which funds programs that encourage kids to go outside, helping them understand the importance of land stewardship from an early age. There are kids who grow up within the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains who have never actually visited, Grewe said. Adams added that the creation of the office also sent a message to the state and its universities that it needs to build up a workforce. Adams said universities across the state now offer programs training students in different elements of the outdoor industry, from public lands management to product design. One such program, Utah State Universitys Outdoor Product Design and Development program, offers students a four-year degree while teaching them how to design, build and market a wide range of outdoor products. Professor Sean Michael said industry leaders in Utah wanted to create a more intentional path for students to succeed in the industry. According to data provided by the university, 27 of 31 graduates in 2019 got jobs in the industry, at companies like Under Armour, L.L. Bean and Cotopaxi. I think the validation seems pretty darn clear there, Michael said. Every stakeholder acknowledged that the growing industry also brings challenges. As more people travel to Utahs public lands, popular areas suffer from degradation and overcrowding. Michael said those effects have only been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and state and federal agencies have struggled to keep pace. COVID, as any land manager will tell you, has thrown blindside punches at them, Michael said. Where do things stand in NM? New Mexico doesnt have Utahs roster of massive outdoor gear companies, but it is developing a unique collection of long-running local companies, entrepreneurs trying new things, and established companies looking to expand into a new market. One newcomer is Rail Explorers, a Rhode Island-based tour company offering guided tours along railroad tracks using pedal-powered rail bikes with an electric assist. Rail Explorers CEO Mary Joy Lu told the Journal that the company is expanding to Lamy, and will begin offering tours from Lamy Depot in June. Were looking to be a very good part of the offering that already exists there, Lu said. New Mexico will be Rail Explorers fifth market, and Lu said the company makes an effort to engage the community and reuse materials to create a unique type of tour. The company tends to appeal to hikers and bikers, but Lu said the tours stand out because they appeal to families of all ages and abilities. Besides hikes, theres not that much to do with all ages, and all generations that have varying levels of fitness, she said. Another tour company, Free-to-Roam eBiking, is starting up tours in Albuquerque next month. Founder Susan Gautsch, a New Mexico native, said she grew to love e-bikes in Los Angeles, and wants to bring the experience back home. When youre on the bike, you start discovering things youd drive past all the time, Gautsch said. Gautsch has plotted several tour routes through open spaces in and around Albuquerque, and said she could eventually expand to other communities around the state. New Mexicos so full of these places I never went as a kid, she said. New Mexicos outdoor ecosystem is less advanced than Utahs, but local stakeholders agree that many of the same resources are falling into place. Axie Navas, who was named the first director of New Mexicos Outdoor Recreation Division in 2019, said Utahs infrastructure grant program helped inspire a similar program in New Mexico. After a $75,000 pilot program launched last year, Navas said the funding has grown to $500,000 to help fund trail improvements, outdoor pavilions and other projects. I think it speaks to the fact that we have a governor and lawmakers who see a benefit, she said. Navas praised Utahs focus on outdoor recreation at the university level, but also pointed to work being done at New Mexico schools, particularly at Western New Mexico University in Silver City and New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, to focus on forest management and other outdoor industry-adjacent programs. I think there are schools in New Mexico that are doing that really well, Navas said. And Id love to see every single community college and university in the state offer some sort of outdoor recreation industry program. Craig Johnson, outdoor recreation program manager at the New Mexico State Land Office, said overcrowding in states like Utah and Colorado could work to New Mexicos benefit. As hikers and bikers get sick of the crowds in places like Moab and Durango, New Mexicos forests and mountains can offer a welcome reprieve. I think we can parlay that into an advantage, to say do you want to avoid the lines, do you still value solitude,' Johnson said. Because thats what New Mexico can offer. Johnson and Navas both acknowledged that the state needs to work now to avoid overcrowding down the road. Navas stressed the importance of educating people recreating outdoors, and promised to look beyond simple job and sales growth when evaluating the impact of more visitors to New Mexico lands and communities. I think success and growth is really predicated on this holistic approach, Navas said. Patrick Henry and his team at GroGuru have demonstrated outstanding leadership and the company is making great progress in the market with innovative technology and a platform for strategic water management. GroGuru recently launched its Series Seed Preferred stock offering on StartEngine, an equity crowdfunding platform. Agri-Food VC, The Yield Lab, is one of the early leading investors in this financing round. "The Yield Lab has been a tremendous supporter of GroGuru over the years and we are grateful to have them participate as an early investor in our current Series Seed Preferred Stock financing," said Patrick Henry, president and CEO at GroGuru. "The managing directors at The Yield Lab bring an unprecedented level of insight and agriculture industry access for emerging companies like GroGuru, and we're excited to continue to work with them as we work to accelerate the growth of GroGuru." Equity crowdfunding has become an emerging source of capital for early stage startups, and allows both accredited and non-accredited investors to become part owners of startup companies historically reserved for high net worth individuals and venture capital firms. The Yield Lab was an early investor in GroGuru, and they have continued to show their support by participating as a leading investor in GroGuru's current financing campaign. "The Yield Lab is excited to make another investment in GroGuru," said Pat Pinkston, Managing Director at The Yield Lab. "Patrick Henry and his team have demonstrated outstanding leadership and the company is making great progress in the market with innovative technology and a platform for strategic water management." Mr. Pinkston was a 40 year veteran of John Deere where he served in several senior roles including VP, Technology & Information Solutions, Intelligent Solutions Group. This group managed John Deers efforts in precision agriculture, which is the target market segment for GroGuru. Pat's colleagues at The Yield Lab have held senior management roles at other agri-food industry leaders like Monsanto, now Bayer, and Novus International. For those interested in investing, details can be found at http://www.startengine.com/groguru About GroGuru: GroGuru, Inc. is a privately held company based in San Diego, CA, founded in 2014. GroGuru supplies precision soil and irrigation monitoring and management systems to the commercial agriculture industry. GroGuru is all about strategic irrigation management, helping farmers make more money by increasing crop yield and more efficiently using water in a sustainable way. GroGuru has a patented wireless underground system (WUGS) for soil monitoring, an AI-based recommendation engine in the Cloud, and an intuitive farmer-friendly user interface that farmers can access on their tablet, computer or mobile device. GroGuru sells an innovative hardware-enabled subscription-based solution to farmers that enables optimal irrigation, as well as a software as a service (SaaS) marketed as GroGuru InSites. GroGurus patented WUGS technology enables a permanent installation of soil sensors, even in annual field crops. GroGuru has been a part of the OCTANE LaunchPad, EvoNexus, AgLaunch, the Yield Lab, SVG-Thrive and Plug & Play AgTech accelerator programs. About The Yield Lab: The Yield Lab's mission to enable entrepreneurs to sustainably revolutionize agri-food systems. They do this by investing in and accelerating high-impact early-stage companies all around the world. In parallel, The Yield Lab provides educational resources and ecosystem building support through its non-profit branch, the Yield Lab Institute. Vietnams defense minister said the Vietnamese standpoint is to resolve maritime disputes via peaceful means while well controlling differences in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Hanoi on the weekend. Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Vietnamese Minister of National Defense, on Sunday hosted a welcome ceremony for Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Sen. Lt. Gen. Wei Fenghe, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from April 24 to 27. Both engaged in a meeting following the ceremony, with the participation of their entourages, in Hanoi. Fenghes visit exhibited Chinas interest in promoting its friendly relationship with Vietnam, for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and development, Sen. Lt. Gen. Giang said at the meeting. Both sides hailed the defense ties between Vietnam and China, with flexible and effective exchanges maintained despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Vietnam and China should continue implementing the agreements they have signed, especially a joint declaration on the shared vision of their defense ministries for cooperation from now till 2025, the two defense chiefs agreed. Military dialogue and border exchanges should be on the agenda of cooperation, both said, adding that the two countries need to maintain teleconferences and phone talks when the coronavirus has not been thoroughly controlled. Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang (R), Vietnams Minister of National Defense, shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Hanoi, April 25, 2021. Photo: Phuoc Dat Sen. Lt. Gen. Giang and his Chinese guest also candidly discussed differences in the relations between Vietnam and China. Vietnams consistent viewpoint is to resolve conflicts by peaceful means on the basis of respect for each others proper rights and interests, the Vietnamese defense minister underscored. International law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea should be the foundation for settling maritime disputes between the two countries, he added. Both Vietnam and China should control differences over the waterway, avoid complicating the situation, and refrain from threat or use of force, Sen. Lt. Gen. Giang emphasized. Following their meeting, the defense chiefs witnessed the signature of an MoU on the establishment of a relationship between friendly units in military cooperation between Vietnams Ministry of National Defense and Chinas Ministry of National Defense. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! London: Dominic Cummings has not been cleared in the chatty rat leak inquiry, Britains top civil servant is expected to make clear on Monday (Tuesday AEST) as Number 10 fights back against his claims. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will be grilled by MPs about a string of allegations made by Cummings, Boris Johnsons former chief adviser, in a blog post. A Cabinet Office source said that, if asked, Case will undercut two core claims made by Cummings in his 1000-word blog on Friday night (Saturday AEST). Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson' senior aid, Dominic Cummings, leaves his house in London. Credit:AP Cases office argues that the inquiry into who leaked plans for a second national lockdown in October is ongoing and nobody has been exonerated. That counters Cummings claim that he was cleared by Case of being the source described as the chatty rat who told reporters about the imminent lockdown. MILFORD Two suspects burglarized Valentines Diamond Center around 3:30 a.m. on Monday, taking off with tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry. Marilisa N. Anania, the citys crime prevention officer, said the two suspects entered the store, and one remained outside as a lookout. She said the two took approximately $50,000 worth of items. Owner Mark Valentine said he is still trying to get an exact estimate. By Monday afternoon the inside of the store had been cleaned up and the store window boarded up, he said. Many cases were smashed, and lots of jewelry was taken, but it is yet to be determined what and how much was taken; we are going through that now, said Valentine. The burglary comes more than 30 years after the 1988 robbery that ended with the death of Valentines father, Michael. At that time, Carlton Jolly, then 19, and Joseph Kane, then 18, stole about $70,000 worth of jewelry. Most of the items were never recovered. The men, two former Jonathan Law High School students, were later convicted of felony murder. Thank God that this was nothing like last time, said Mark Valentine. Valentine said the family still owns the jewelry store, but now its run by him, his wife and son. Anania said the investigation of the burglary is still ongoing at this time. Kolkata, April 26 : Anticipating the increasing demand of oxygen in the coming day due to steep rise of Covid in the state, the state health department has asked all the government hospitals to demarcate land for developing oxygen plant within the hospital premises so that the hospitals can become self-sufficient and negotiate their demand for oxygen and not depend on outside help. The state health department issued a notification on Sunday asking all the government medical colleges, state general hospitals and super specialty hospitals to earmark 152 square metre of land for the purpose of developing an oxygen plant. "There are some medical colleges that have their own oxygen plant but in most of the cases there is no oxygen plant in many medical colleges, state general and super specialty hospitals. In this condition we would like to make the hospitals self-sufficient so that they can meet their requirement," a senior official of the state health department said. Presently the requirement in the state is 300 MT and we can produce 450 MT. So, apparently there should not be any shortage of oxygen but with the steep rise of the covid cases in the state and the central government's decision to divert oxygen to the more deserving states might lead to a crisis of oxygen in the state. "We are trying to increase the supply so that the increasing demand of oxygen can be negotiated. This will lessen the dependence on cylinders because oxygen will reach the patients through pipeline directly from the plant," the official added. At present there are 22 medical colleges and 12 hospitals in the state. Apart from that there are state general hospitals in most of the sub-divisions and health centres in the blocks. According to the senior state health department officials, the government is keen to install an oxygen generating system in most of the state general hospitals, medical colleges and super specialty hospitals. "It will be taking some time but we have taken a target of installing the oxygen generating plants in all the hospitals within a span of two months," the official added. Apart from that the government has asked all the private hospitals to install liquid oxygen tanks and oxygen generators according to their requirement. The state government to activate the continuous flow of oxygen has decided to open a control room at the state health department where apart from the health department officials and engineers, police and officials of the transport department will also be round the clock to meet the requirement of the patients and the hospitals. (Saibal Gupta can be reached at saibalgup@gmail.com) Tirupati Graphite plc, a fully integrated specialist graphite producer and graphene developer with operations in Madagascar and India, has opened its second mine in Madagascar at the Vatomina Project, where it remains on track to start commissioning the first 9,000 tpa processing plant in Q2 2021. Madagascar offers weathered, low-cost saprolite-hosted graphite deposits with a large concentration of high-quality jumbo and large flakes and crystalline structure. (Saprolites are chemically weathered rocks formed in the lower zones of soil profiles.) This combined with free dig mining, easy liberation and flake size retention, makes Madagascar an ideal location for primary graphite mining and provides the potential for efficiency and lean mining processes, Tirupati says. The company has begun excavation of overburden and mined the first ore for the upcoming 9,000 tpa Vatomina processing plant. A new 12km interconnecting road runs between Vatomina and Sahamamy, which will save around 5% in current OPEX towards logistics costs. Tirupati has also begun preparations to commence the accelerated construction of Sahamamys next plant, which has a planned capacity of 18,000 tpa. Sahamamy, which is producing and shipping graphite globally with a product basket of >85% jumbo and large flakes with up to 96% purity, reached 97% of its current 3,000 tpa capacity in Q1 2021. Overall, Tirupati aims to increase production capacity to a globally significant 84,000 tpa by 2024. The opening of the mine marks the beginning of commercial operations at the greenfield Vatomina project, taking us one step further towards our goal of increasing capacity in Madagascar to 30,000 tpa by Q1 2022 and 84,000 tpa by 2024. Furthermore, we are equally delighted that our new road between our two projects, Vatomina and Sahamamy, is now complete, providing them direct access to the National Highway and thereby helping us reduce our OPEX. As demonstrated by the huge support we received for our oversubscribed 10-million placing last week, investors are increasingly cognizant of graphites role in the green economy and energy transition. Given its unique properties that enable a multitude of green applications including its use in Li-ion batteries and flame retardants, the high-tech graphite industry continues to experience growing demand and tightening supply. We therefore believe a prolonged supply shortage is likely; the opening of our new Vatomina mine will go some way to plugging the supply gap with our high-quality natural flake graphite. We will continue to achieve milestones and update the market further as we focus on fast-tracking our developments across our three businesses. Shishir Poddar, CEO of Tirupati Graphite Over the next 4-6 weeks, the company will strip the overburden and mine ore to commence stockpiling of feed stock for the upcoming 9,000 tpa processing plant. Vatomina currently has a defined Mineral Resource Estimate under JORC (2012) of contained graphite of 852,000 tons, resulting in a mine life of around 14 years based on the originally planned 63,000 tpa production capacity. Given only a third of the mineralized zones have been explored to date, with the established exploration targets of between 8 to 10 million tonnes within the explored areas, and the second stage exploration program having commenced in February 2021, the company is looking to update the Mineral Resource Estimates; SRK Consulting has been engaged in this regard. The United States has said it will "immediately" provide the raw material required to ramp up production of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine by the Serum Institute of India (SII). The raw material for the vaccine, along with other medical supplies and protective gear, will be sent to India on an urgent basis, said a top official in the US government. The country's long request has finally been addressed following a huge outrage over the US wavering on providing vital supplies to India when the country is facing an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases. Emily Horne, spokesperson for the US National Security Council (NSC), confirmed the development in a statement. She also affirmed the same when asked about a telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his US counterpart, Jake Sullivan. Also Read: Covishield price row: Centre says will procure vaccine at Rs 150, provide for free to states "To help treat COVID-19 patients and protect front-line health workers in India, the United States has identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India," said Emily Horne. SII CEO Adar Poonawalla sent out several tweets to US President Joe Biden over the last month, urging him to permit the export of raw materials needed for the production of COVID-19 vaccines to India. Biden had on February 5 invoked the Defense Production Act to scale up America's supply of materials required to produce vaccines, PPE (personal protective equipment), and COVID-19 tests. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had raised the issue as it knew this could hinder imports of critical drugs and supplies to India. During his telephonic conversation with NSA Ajit Doval on Sunday, Jake Sullivan reaffirmed America's solidarity with India and dwelled upon the battles the two nations fought together against polio, smallpox, and HIV. Also Read: The lever India is NOT using against US arm-twisting of local vaccine makers "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its time of need," said a statement by the US NSC. It goes on to further state that the US is considering options to provide India with oxygen generation and related supplies immediately. The Biden administration has also deployed an expert team of public health advisors from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and US Aid to work closely with the US Embassy in Delhi and India's health ministry and Epidemic Intelligence Service staff. The US National Security Advisor and Secretary of State had also tweeted earlier on Sunday expressing solidarity and extending assistance but had not clarified whether India's particular demand concerning the vaccine raw material would be fulfilled or not. Two former Serco chiefs have been cleared of defrauding the Ministry of Justice in a 12million electronic tagging scam after the Serious Fraud Office dropped the case mid-trial. Nicholas Woods, 51, and Simon Marshall, 59, were alleged to have encouraged a man, who cannot be named, to submit fictional costs to the MoJ between 2011 and 2013. Mr Woods was the former finance director of Serco Home Affairs and Mr Marshall was the former operations director of field services. The pair were accused of reducing Serco's profits from a Government-awarded prisoner tagging contract from 27million to 15million. This meant more than 12million in profits were concealed, the court heard. But the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today offered no evidence against Marshall and Woods three weeks into their trial at Southwark Crown Court. Today, Mr Woods said the verdict was 'vindication' and an 'enormous sense of relief'. Nicholas Woods (pictured left), 51, and Simon Marshall (pictured right), 59, were alleged to have encouraged a man, who cannot be named, to submit fictional costs to the MoJ between 2011 and 2013 Jurors had heard customers for Serco's electronic tagging included the courts, the UK border agency and the Home Office. When defendants were granted bail, Serco field officers would attend their address, install a monitoring device and fit them with a tag. Throughout the UK, thousands of suspects were daily monitored, with Serco managing every step of the tagging process. The MoJ then paid them a fee for each action. But in 2012 the MoJ noticed that the system was not performing as well as it should be and suspicion fell on the equipment Serco was using. The ministry asked Serco to fix the equipment, eventually serving a rectification notice which threatened to withdraw the contract from them. Jurors heard costs were falsely repeated on behalf of Serco, reducing the company's true profits from 27million to 15million. The pair allegedly encouraged their co-conspirator to declare costs to the MoJ which never actually occurred. As part of the contract, Serco was obliged to submit a regular financial report on the project to the ministry, the court heard. The pair allegedly encouraged their co-conspirator to declare costs to the MoJ which never actually occurred. As part of the contract, Serco (pictured: A library image of a Serco van) was obliged to submit a regular financial report on the project to the ministry, the court heard But the information in that report was 'false, misleading or fictitious', the jury was told. The court heard that those reports were important to the MoJ in order ascertain whether the contracted companies gave realistic reports of their costs. Mr Marshall, of Ascot, Berkshire, and Mr Woods of Ickford, Bucks, both denied fraud by false representation. Mr Marshall denied two additional counts of fraud by false representation. No evidence was offered and both have now been discharged. It brings to an end an investigation which was launched in October 2013 and involved some 1.3 million documents. Serco was fined more than 19million in 2019 as part of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA). The company's UK subsidiary, Serco Geografix, took responsibility for three offences of fraud and two of false accounting committed between 2010 and 2013 relating to understating profits from the contracts with the MoJ. Mr Woods' solicitor, Andrew Katzen, partner at Hickman & Rose, said: 'Although the SFO's decision to drop its prosecution is a welcome vindication of my client, the fact that it has done this after an eight year long criminal investigation - and three weeks into a trial - should be a matter of profound concern to everyone concerned with justice. 'Nicholas Woods was accused by the SFO of devising a serious fraud by which false charges were created to reduce Serco's profit margin on Government contracts. 'However, the evidence in this case clearly showed these charges were, in fact, company policy. 'Mr Woods was directed by senior management to implement them, and trusted his bosses believing the practice to be completely legitimate. 'Mr Woods - who is a man of impeccable character - gained nothing from this policy. 'He was completely honest, open and transparent about his actions with colleagues and to the external auditors.' Mr Katzen said the SFO 'singled out' Mr Woods and Mr Marshall, who he said had been 'instructed by high ranking company executives' to carry out the procedures. He added: 'The fact that the SFO pressed on with its doomed prosecution despite this should be a matter of grave concern for everyone concerned for justice in this country. 'It is notable that in this case - just as in other similar recent failed fraud prosecutions - the SFO signed a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with Serco in which the company, in return for avoiding corporate prosecution, admitted wrongdoing and co-operated with the investigation. Today the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) offered no evidence against Marshall and Woods three weeks after the trial began at Southwark Crown Court 'A narrative was thus created in which the responsibility of Serco and its senior officials were marginalised, and blame was instead cast on Mr Woods, a small cog in a big wheel. 'It is hard to avoid the conclusion that, once again, the narrative created by the DPA drove this investigation, and did so in defiance of the facts.' Meanwhile, Mr Woods added: 'This verdict is a vindication and brings an enormous sense of relief knowing that I had never committed any offence and that I had been transparent in my actions from the very start. 'I am grateful to Southwark Crown Court for this verdict. This has been a very difficult period for me both financially and emotionally. 'I now look forward to getting back to work and re-paying the support of my wonderful family and friends.' A spokesperson for the SFO told MailOnline: 'The SFO has offered no evidence against Nicholas Woods and Simon Marshall. The Judge has directed the jury to return verdicts of not guilty. 'This follows a prosecution review of its disclosure process for the trial, which uncovered errors made in the non-disclosure of certain materials. 'The SFO sought an adjournment to remedy the position so that it could pursue a retrial, but this was rejected by the Judge. 'We are considering how best to undertake an assessment to prevent this from happening in the future. MailOnline has contacted Serco, who declined to comment. UW Libraries to Partner in $10 Million National Library of Medicine Cooperative Agreement University of Wyoming Libraries will partner with the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library (EHSL) at the University of Utah to implement a five-year, $10 million cooperative agreement from the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The award solidifies EHSLs national distinction as a regional medical library (RML), one of only seven in the nation. Since 2001, EHSL has served as the RML for Region 4, which encompasses Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. UW Libraries will serve as a subsite, continuing its 20-year support of the RML program. The renewed cooperative agreement will focus on improving access to quality health information, giving special attention to underserved communities. We are thrilled to continue our long-term participation in supporting increased access to health information for the citizens of Wyoming and the region, says Cass Kvenild, associate dean of UW Libraries. Regional and national programs will be implemented to support the NLMs mission to provide researchers, health professionals, educators and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data. These efforts will include training, funding and engagement opportunities for member libraries and other organizations to carry out regional and national programs. As a subsite, UW Libraries will assist with all of these initiatives, with a special focus on Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota. David Brown, an assistant librarian at UW Libraries, will serve as a public health engagement specialist for the region. This is an exciting time for the NLM as the regions are changing, and the desire for health information is at an all-time high due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown says. Also, this is a great opportunity to work with similar states to enhance the health information access in the region. For more information about the cooperative agreement and the other institutions selected, go to www.nlm.nih.gov. KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS) announced today that its reported net income attributable to UHS was $209.1 million, or $2.43 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2021, as compared to $142.0 million, or $1.64 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2020. Net revenues increased 6.5% to $3.013 billion during the first quarter of 2021 as compared to $2.830 billion during the first quarter of 2020. During the first quarter of 2021, we received approximately $188 million of additional funds from the federal government in connection with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act"). We have begun coordinating the return of the funds with the appropriate government agencies and expect to return the $188 million during the second quarter of 2021 utilizing a portion of our cash and cash equivalents held on deposit. Therefore, our results of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 include no impact from the receipt of those funds. Also, and as previously announced earlier this year, in March of 2021 we funded the early repayment of $695 million of funds received during 2020 pursuant to the Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program. These funds were returned to the government utilizing a portion of our cash and cash equivalents held on deposit. As reflected on the Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule"), our adjusted net income attributable to UHS during the first quarter of 2021 was $210.1 million, or $2.44 per diluted share, as compared to $150.2 million, or $1.73 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2020. As reflected on the Supplemental Schedule, included in our reported results during the first quarter of 2021, was a net aggregate unfavorable after-tax impact of $1.1 million, or $.01 per diluted share, consisting of the following: (i) an after-tax unrealized loss of $2.1 million, or $.02 per diluted share, ($2.8 million pre-tax which is included in "Other (income) expense, net"), resulting from a decrease in the market value of shares of certain marketable securities held for investment and classified as available for sale, and; (ii) a favorable after-tax impact of $1.1 million, or $.01 per diluted share, resulting from our adoption of ASU 2016-09, "Compensation Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting" ("ASU 2016-09"). As reflected on the Supplemental Schedule, included in our reported results during the first quarter of 2020, was a net aggregate unfavorable after-tax impact of $8.1 million, or $.09 per diluted share, consisting of the following: (i) an after-tax unrealized loss of $7.4 million, or $.08 per diluted share, ($9.6 million pre-tax which is included in "Other (income) expense, net"), resulting from a decrease in the market value of shares of certain marketable securities held for investment and classified as available for sale, and; (ii) a unfavorable after-tax impact of $0.8 million, or $.01 per diluted share, resulting from our adoption of ASU 2016-09. As calculated on the attached Supplemental Schedule, our earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation & amortization ("EBITDA net of NCI", NCI is net income attributable to noncontrolling interests), was $426.3 million during the first quarter of 2021, as compared to $349.1 million during the first quarter of 2020. Our adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation & amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI"), which excludes the impact of other (income) expense, net, was $427.1 million during the first quarter of 2021 as compared to $358.7 million during the first quarter of 2020. Acute Care Services Three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020: During the first quarter of 2021 adjusted admissions (adjusted for outpatient activity), at our acute care hospitals owned during both periods ("same facility basis"), decreased 12.1% and adjusted patient days decreased 0.7%, as compared to the first quarter of 2020. At these facilities, net revenue per adjusted admission increased 26.3% while net revenue per adjusted patient day increased 11.8% during the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the first quarter of 2020. Net revenues generated from our acute care services on a same facility basis increased 11.7% during the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the first quarter of 2020. Behavioral Health Care Services Three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020: During the first quarter of 2021 adjusted admissions, at our behavioral health care facilities on a same facility basis, decreased 4.9% and adjusted patient days decreased 3.8%, as compared to the first quarter of 2020. At these facilities, net revenue per adjusted admission increased 6.2% while net revenue per adjusted patient day increased 4.9% during the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the comparable quarter in 2020. Net revenues generated from our behavioral health care services on a same facility basis increased 0.9% during the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the first quarter of 2020. COVID-19 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began during the second half of March, 2020, has had a material unfavorable effect on our operations and financial results since that time. The COVID-19 vaccination process commenced during the first quarter of 2021 and, while we expect the administration of vaccines will assist in easing the number of COVID-19 patients, the pace of distribution and the portion of the population that will ultimately become vaccinated is difficult to predict. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken in response thereto impact our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on numerous factors and future developments, most of which are beyond our control or ability to predict. The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We are not able to fully quantify the impact that these factors will have on our future financial results. Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities and Liquidity: Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities: For the three months ended March 31, 2021, our net cash provided by operating activities was $72 million as compared to $502 million during the first quarter of 2020. The $430 million net decrease in our cash provided by operating activities during the first quarter of 2021, as compared to the first quarter of 2020, was due to: (i) an unfavorable change of $509 million resulting primarily from the above-mentioned $695 million of Medicare accelerated payments repaid during the first quarter of 2021, net of the $188 million of CARES Act grants received during the first quarter of 2021; (ii) a favorable change of $72 million resulting from an increase in net income plus depreciation and amortization expense and stock-based compensation expense, and; (iii) $7 million of other combined net favorable changes. Liquidity: As of March 31, 2021, we had $997 million of aggregate available borrowing capacity pursuant to our $1 billion revolving credit facility, net of outstanding letters of credit. In addition, as of March 31, 2021, we had approximately $765 million of cash and cash equivalents. Quarterly Dividend and Stock Repurchase Program: As previously announced, during the first quarter our Board of Directors approved a $0.20 per share cash dividend that was paid on March 31, 2021 to shareholders of record as of March 15, 2021. In addition, in April, 2021, our Board of Directors approved a resumption to our stock repurchase program, effective immediately. Pursuant to our $2.7 billion stock repurchase program, which had an aggregate available repurchase authorization of $559.6 million as of March 31, 2021, shares of our Class B Common Stock may be repurchased, from time to time as conditions allow, on the open market or in negotiated private transactions. Since inception of the program in 2014 through March 31, 2021, we have repurchased approximately 18.02 million shares at an aggregate cost of approximately $2.14 billion (approximately $119 per share). Conference call information: We will hold a conference call for investors and analysts at 9:00 a.m. eastern time on April 27, 2021. The dial-in number is 1-877-648-7971. A live broadcast of the conference call will be available on our website at www.uhsinc.com. Also, a replay of the call will be available following the conclusion of the live call and will be available for one full year. General Information, Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors and Non-GAAP Financial Measures: One of the nation's largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Growing steadily since our inception into an esteemed Fortune 500 corporation, our annual revenues were approximately $11.6 billion during 2020. In 2021, UHS was again recognized as one of the World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune; in 2020 ranked #281 on the Fortune 500; and listed #330 in Forbes ranking of U.S.' Largest Public Companies. Our operating philosophy is as effective today as it was over 40 years ago, enabling us to provide compassionate care to our patients and their loved ones. Our strategy includes building or acquiring high quality hospitals in rapidly growing markets, investing in the people and equipment needed to allow each facility to thrive, and becoming the leading healthcare provider in each community we serve. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has approximately 89,000 employees and through its subsidiaries operates 26 acute care hospitals, 335 behavioral health facilities, 39 outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services located in 38 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. It acts as the advisor to Universal Health Realty Income Trust, a real estate investment trust (NYSE:UHT). For additional information on the Company, visit our web site: http://www.uhsinc.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Numerous factors, including those disclosed herein, those related to the anticipated impact of COVID-19 on our operations and financial results, those related to healthcare industry trends and those detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (as set forth in Item 1A-Risk Factors and in Item 7-Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020), may cause the results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and therefore actual results may differ materially. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Many of the factors that could affect our future results are beyond our control or ability to predict, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our future operations and financial results will likely be materially impacted by developments related to COVID-19 including, but not limited to, the length of time and severity of the spread of the pandemic; the volume of cancelled or rescheduled elective procedures and the volume of COVID-19 patients treated at our hospitals and other healthcare facilities; measures we are taking to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of government and administrative regulation and stimulus on the hospital industry and potential retrospective adjustment in future periods of CARES Act and other grant income revenues recorded as revenues in prior periods; declining patient volumes and unfavorable changes in payer mix caused by deteriorating macroeconomic conditions (including increases in uninsured and underinsured patients as the result of business closings and layoffs); potential disruptions to our clinical staffing and shortages and disruptions related to supplies required for our employees and patients; and potential increases to expenses related to staffing, supply chain or other expenditures; the impact of our substantial indebtedness and the ability to refinance such indebtedness on acceptable terms, as well as risks associated with disruptions in the financial markets and the business of financial institutions as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic which could impact us from a financing perspective; and changes in general economic conditions nationally and regionally in our markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not able to fully quantify the impact that these factors will have on our future financial results, but expect developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic to materially affect our financial performance in 2021. We believe that adjusted net income attributable to UHS, adjusted net income attributable to UHS per diluted share, EBITDA net of NCI and Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI, which are non-GAAP financial measures ("GAAP" is Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America), are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. In addition, we believe that, when applicable, comparing and discussing our financial results based on these measures, as calculated, is helpful to our investors since it neutralizes the effect of material items impacting our net income attributable to UHS, such as, our adoption of ASU 2016-09, unrealized gains/losses resulting from changes in the market value of shares of certain marketable securities held for investment and classified as available for sale, and other potential material items that are nonrecurring or non-operational in nature including, but not limited to, impairments of long-lived and intangible assets, changes in the reserve established in connection with our discussions with the Department of Justice, reserves for various matters including settlements, legal judgments and lawsuits, costs related to extinguishment of debt, gains/losses on sales of assets and businesses, and other amounts that may be reflected in the current or prior year financial statements that relate to prior periods. To obtain a complete understanding of our financial performance these measures should be examined in connection with net income attributable to UHS, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and as presented in the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in this report or in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Since the items included or excluded from these measures are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance under GAAP, these measures should not be considered to be alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or profitability. Since these measures, as presented, are not determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Investors are encouraged to use GAAP measures when evaluating our financial performance. Universal Health Services, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Income (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Three months ended March 31, 2021 2020 Net revenues $3,012,987 $2,829,667 Operating charges: Salaries, wages and benefits 1,497,773 1,432,669 Other operating expenses 709,708 689,790 Supplies expense 347,110 317,827 Depreciation and amortization 131,403 124,394 Lease and rental expense 31,324 28,293 2,717,318 2,592,973 Income from operations 295,669 236,694 Interest expense, net 21,957 36,351 Other (income) expense, net 835 9,560 Income before income taxes 272,877 190,783 Provision for income taxes 63,807 46,323 Net income 209,070 144,460 Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests ("NCI") (21) 2,423 Net income attributable to UHS $209,091 $142,037 Basic earnings per share attributable to UHS (a) $2.46 $1.64 Diluted earnings per share attributable to UHS (a) $2.43 $1.64 Universal Health Services, Inc. Footnotes to Consolidated Statements of Income (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Three months (a) Earnings per share calculation: ended March 31, 2021 2020 Basic and diluted: Net income attributable to UHS $209,091 $142,037 Less: Net income attributable to unvested restricted share grants (552) (373) Net income attributable to UHS - basic and diluted $208,539 $141,664 Weighted average number of common shares - basic 84,782 86,212 Basic earnings per share attributable to UHS: $2.46 $1.64 Weighted average number of common shares 84,782 86,212 Add: Other share equivalents 1,014 243 Weighted average number of common shares and equiv. - diluted 85,796 86,455 Diluted earnings per share attributable to UHS: $2.43 $1.64 Universal Health Services, Inc. Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule") For the Three Months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Calculation of Earnings/Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization ("EBITDA/Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI") Three months ended % Net Three months ended % Net March 31, 2021 revenues March 31, 2020 revenues Net income attributable to UHS $209,091 $142,037 Depreciation and amortization 131,403 124,394 Interest expense, net 21,957 36,351 Provision for income taxes 63,807 46,323 EBITDA net of NCI $426,258 14.1% $349,105 12.3% Other (income) expense, net 835 9,560 Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI $427,093 14.2% $358,665 12.7% Net revenues $3,012,987 $2,829,667 Calculation of Adjusted Net Income Attributable to UHS Three months ended Three months ended March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 Per Per Amount Diluted Share Amount Diluted Share Net income attributable to UHS $209,091 $2.43 $142,037 $1.64 Plus/minus after-tax adjustments: Unrealized loss on marketable securities held for sale 2,137 0.02 7,350 0.08 Impact of ASU 2016-09 (1,079) (0.01) 770 0.01 Subtotal adjustments 1,058 0.01 8,120 0.09 Adjusted net income attributable to UHS $210,149 $2.44 $150,157 $1.73 Universal Health Services, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (in thousands) (unaudited) Three months ended March 31, 2021 2020 Net income $209,070 $144,460 Other comprehensive income (loss): Foreign currency translation adjustment (10,346) (39,201) Other comprehensive income (loss) before tax (10,346) (39,201) Income tax expense (benefit) related to items of other comprehensive income (loss) (1,466) (2,108) Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax (8,880) (37,093) Comprehensive income 200,190 107,367 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests (21) 2,423 Comprehensive income attributable to UHS $200,211 $104,944 Universal Health Services, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) (unaudited) March 31, December 31, 2021 2020 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 764,502 $ 1,224,490 Accounts receivable, net 1,668,650 1,728,928 Supplies 193,961 190,417 Other current assets 157,052 138,034 Total current assets 2,784,165 3,281,869 Property and equipment 10,119,037 9,885,888 Less: accumulated depreciation (4,623,435) (4,512,764) 5,495,602 5,373,124 Other assets: Goodwill 3,886,973 3,882,715 Deferred income taxes 23,514 22,689 Right of use assets-operating leases 326,703 336,513 Deferred charges 4,782 4,985 Other 574,590 574,984 Total Assets $ 13,096,329 $ 13,476,879 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current liabilities: Current maturities of long-term debt $ 107,281 $ 331,998 Accounts payable and other liabilities 1,779,700 1,668,671 Medicare accelerated payments and deferred CARES Act and other grants 189,320 376,151 Operating lease liabilities 60,812 59,796 Federal and state taxes 102,266 44,423 Total current liabilities 2,239,379 2,481,039 Other noncurrent liabilities 476,377 458,549 Operating lease liabilities noncurrent 267,707 278,303 Medicare accelerated payments noncurrent 0 322,617 Long-term debt 3,505,822 3,524,253 Deferred income taxes 735 5,582 Redeemable noncontrolling interest 4,470 4,569 UHS common stockholders' equity 6,513,862 6,317,146 Noncontrolling interest 87,977 84,821 Total equity 6,601,839 6,401,967 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 13,096,329 $ 13,476,879 Universal Health Services, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) (unaudited) Three months ended March 31, 2021 2020 Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net income $209,070 $144,460 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation & amortization 131,403 124,394 Stock-based compensation expense 18,022 18,047 Changes in assets & liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions and dispositions: Accounts receivable 56,851 69,763 Accrued interest 10,133 (4,412) Accrued and deferred income taxes 53,769 45,200 Other working capital accounts 82,663 73,929 Medicare accelerated payments and deferred CARES Act and other grants (509,448) 0 Other assets and deferred charges (17) 11,084 Other 2,623 (3,038) Accrued insurance expense, net of commercial premiums paid 35,467 49,559 Payments made in settlement of self-insurance claims (18,741) (26,924) Net cash provided by operating activities 71,795 502,062 Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Property and equipment additions, net of disposals (247,459) (184,102) Inflows (outflows) from foreign exchange contracts that hedge our net U.K. investment (14,264) 51,691 Decrease in capital reserves of commercial insurance subsidiary 100 0 Costs incurred for purchase and implementation of information technology applications (575) (1,857) Investment in, and advances to, joint ventures and other (129) (751) Net cash used in investing activities (262,327) (135,019) Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Reduction of long-term debt (251,830) (185,098) Additional borrowings 0 5,453 Repurchase of common shares (7,464) (172,092) Dividends paid (17,018) (17,344) Issuance of common stock 3,357 3,002 Profit distributions to noncontrolling interests (4,525) (5,735) Purchase of ownership interests by minority members 7,603 0 Net cash used in financing activities (269,877) (371,814) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 423 (1,673) Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (459,986) (6,444) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period 1,279,154 105,667 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period $819,168 $99,223 Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information: Interest paid $11,421 $39,483 Income taxes paid, net of refunds $8,654 $6,783 Noncash purchases of property and equipment $60,124 $58,935 Universal Health Services, Inc. Supplemental Statistical Information (unaudited) % Change 3 Months ended Same Facility: 3/31/2021 Acute Care Hospitals Revenues 11.7% Adjusted Admissions -12.1% Adjusted Patient Days -0.7% Revenue Per Adjusted Admission 26.3% Revenue Per Adjusted Patient Day 11.8% Behavioral Health Hospitals Revenues 0.9% Adjusted Admissions -4.9% Adjusted Patient Days -3.8% Revenue Per Adjusted Admission 6.2% Revenue Per Adjusted Patient Day 4.9% UHS Consolidated Three months ended 3/31/2021 3/31/2020 Revenues $3,012,987 $2,829,667 EBITDA net of NCI $426,258 $349,105 EBITDA Margin net of NCI 14.1% 12.3% Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI $427,093 $358,665 Adjusted EBITDA Margin net of NCI 14.2% 12.7% Cash Flow From Operations $71,795 $502,062 Days Sales Outstanding 50 48 Capital Expenditures $247,459 $184,102 Debt $3,613,103 $3,805,320 UHS' Shareholders Equity $6,513,862 $5,413,209 Debt / Total Capitalization 35.7% 41.3% Debt / EBITDA net of NCI (1) 1.87 2.37 Debt / Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI (1) 1.87 2.23 Debt / Cash From Operations (1) 1.87 2.52 Net Debt / EBITDA net of NCI (1) (2) 1.48 Net Debt / Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI (1) (2) 1.48 Net Debt / Cash From Operations (1) (2) 1.48 (1) Latest 4 quarters. (2) Debt, net of approximately $749,000 of short-term cash investments as of March 31, 2021. Universal Health Services, Inc. Acute Care Hospital Services For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands) Same Facility Basis - Acute Care Hospital Services Three months ended Three months ended March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 Amount % of Net Revenues Amount % of Net Revenues Net revenues $1,671,836 100.0% $1,497,123 100.0% Operating charges: Salaries, wages and benefits 706,811 42.3% 658,929 44.0% Other operating expenses 393,207 23.5% 375,531 25.1% Supplies expense 296,478 17.7% 264,530 17.7% Depreciation and amortization 81,184 4.9% 77,928 5.2% Lease and rental expense 20,112 1.2% 16,020 1.1% Subtotal-operating expenses 1,497,792 89.6% 1,392,938 93.0% Income from operations 174,044 10.4% 104,185 7.0% Interest expense, net 246 0.0% 618 0.0% Other (income) expense, net 0 - 0 - Income before income taxes $173,798 10.4% $103,567 6.9% All Acute Care Hospital Services Three months ended Three months ended March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 Amount % of Net Revenues Amount % of Net Revenues Net revenues $1,694,542 100.0% $1,521,049 100.0% Operating charges: Salaries, wages and benefits 707,218 41.7% 658,959 43.3% Other operating expenses 416,007 24.5% 399,457 26.3% Supplies expense 296,479 17.5% 264,530 17.4% Depreciation and amortization 81,362 4.8% 77,928 5.1% Lease and rental expense 20,112 1.2% 16,020 1.1% Subtotal-operating expenses 1,521,178 89.8% 1,416,894 93.2% Income from operations 173,364 10.2% 104,155 6.8% Interest expense, net 246 0.0% 618 0.0% Other (income) expense, net 0 - 0 - Income before income taxes $173,118 10.2% $103,537 6.8% We believe that providing our results on a "Same Facility" basis (which is a non-GAAP measure), which includes the operating results for facilities and businesses operated in both the current year and prior year periods, is helpful to our investors as a measure of our operating performance. Our Same Facility results also neutralize (if applicable), the effect of material items that are nonrecurring or non-operational in nature including items such as, but not limited to, reserves for various matters, settlements, legal judgments and lawsuits, cost related to extinguishment of debt, gains/losses on sales of assets and businesses, impairments of long-lived and intangible assets and other amounts that may be reflected in the current or prior year financial statements that relate to prior periods. Our Same Facility basis results exclude from net revenues and other operating expenses, provider tax assessments incurred in each period. However, these provider tax assessments are included in net revenues and other operating expenses as reflected in the table under All Acute Care Hospital Services. The provider tax assessments had no impact on the income before income taxes as reflected on the above tables since the amounts offset between net revenues and other operating expenses. To obtain a complete understanding of our financial performance, the Same Facility results should be examined in connection with our net income as determined in accordance with GAAP and as presented herein and the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto as contained in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. The All Acute Care Hospital Servicestable summarizes the results of operations for all our acute care operations during the periods presented. These amounts include: (i) our acute care results on a same facility basis, as indicated above; (ii) the impact of provider tax assessments which increased net revenues and other operating expenses but had no impact on income before income taxes, and; (iii) certain other amounts including the results of facilities acquired or opened during the last twelve months. Universal Health Services, Inc. Behavioral Health Care Services For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands) Same Facility - Behavioral Health Care Services Three months ended Three months ended March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 Amount % of Net Revenues Amount % of Net Revenues Net revenues $1,292,042 100.0% $1,281,052 100.0% Operating charges: Salaries, wages and benefits 701,567 54.3% 690,375 53.9% Other operating expenses 245,373 19.0% 242,366 18.9% Supplies expense 50,746 3.9% 51,561 4.0% Depreciation and amortization 45,302 3.5% 42,715 3.3% Lease and rental expense 11,274 0.9% 11,020 0.9% Subtotal-operating expenses 1,054,262 81.6% 1,038,037 81.0% Income from operations 237,780 18.4% 243,015 19.0% Interest expense, net 338 0.0% 364 0.0% Other (income) expense, net 413 0.0% 889 0.1% Income before income taxes $237,029 18.3% $241,762 18.9% All Behavioral Health Care Services Three months ended Three months ended March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 Amount % of Net Revenues Amount % of Net Revenues Net revenues $1,315,337 100.0% $1,306,109 100.0% Operating charges: Salaries, wages and benefits 703,975 53.5% 693,272 53.1% Other operating expenses 269,297 20.5% 266,182 20.4% Supplies expense 51,009 3.9% 51,639 4.0% Depreciation and amortization 46,482 3.5% 43,889 3.4% Lease and rental expense 11,683 0.9% 12,158 0.9% Subtotal-operating expenses 1,082,446 82.3% 1,067,140 81.7% Income from operations 232,891 17.7% 238,969 18.3% Interest expense, net 1,153 0.1% 397 0.0% Other (income) expense, net 413 0.0% 889 0.1% Income before income taxes $231,325 17.6% $237,683 18.2% We believe that providing our results on a "Same Facility" basis (which is a non-GAAP measure), which includes the operating results for facilities and businesses operated in both the current year and prior year periods, is helpful to our investors as a measure of our operating performance. Our Same Facility results also neutralize (if applicable), the effect of material items that are nonrecurring or non-operational in nature including items such as, but not limited to, reserves for various matters, settlements, legal judgments, lawsuits and reserves established in connection with the government's investigation of our behavioral health care facilities, cost related to extinguishment of debt, gains/losses on sales of assets and businesses, impairments of long-lived and intangible assets and other amounts that may be reflected in the current or prior year financial statements that relate to prior periods. Our Same Facility basis results exclude from net revenues and other operating expenses, provider tax assessments incurred in each period. However, these provider tax assessments are included in net revenues and other operating expenses as reflected in the table under All Behavioral Health Care Services. The provider tax assessments had no impact on the income before income taxes as reflected on the above tables since the amounts offset between net revenues and other operating expenses. To obtain a complete understanding of our financial performance, the Same Facility results should be examined in connection with our net income as determined in accordance with GAAP and as presented herein and in the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto as contained in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. The All Behavioral Health Care Servicestable summarizes the results of operations for all our behavioral health care facilities during the periods presented. These amounts include: (i) our behavioral health results on a same facility basis, as indicated above; (ii) the impact of provider tax assessments which increased net revenues and other operating expenses but had no impact on income before income taxes, and; (iii) certain other amounts including the results of facilities acquired or opened during the last twelve months as well as the results of certain facilities that were closed or restructured during the past year. Universal Health Services, Inc. Selected Hospital Statistics For the Three Months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 AS REPORTED: ACUTE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 3/31/21 3/31/20 % change 3/31/21 3/31/20 % change Hospitals owned and leased 26 26 0.0% 335 331 0.9% Average licensed beds 6,515 6,451 1.0% 24,018 23,634 1.6% Average available beds 6,343 6,279 1.0% 23,918 23,531 1.6% Patient days 392,391 370,513 5.9% 1,534,162 1,592,611 -3.7% Average daily census 4,359.9 4,071.7 7.1% 17,046.2 17,501.2 -2.6% Occupancy-licensed beds 66.9% 63.1% 6.0% 71.0% 74.1% -4.2% Occupancy-available beds 68.7% 64.8% 6.0% 71.3% 74.4% -4.2% Admissions 72,924 77,768 -6.2% 115,408 121,017 -4.6% Length of stay 5.4 4.8 12.9% 13.3 13.2 1.0% Inpatient revenue $9,119,184 $7,821,472 16.6% $2,473,565 $2,525,539 -2.1% Outpatient revenue 4,580,720 4,681,741 -2.2% 246,764 259,739 -5.0% Total patient revenue 13,699,904 12,503,213 9.6% 2,720,329 2,785,278 -2.3% Other revenue 143,265 116,278 23.2% 62,208 56,390 10.3% Gross hospital revenue 13,843,169 12,619,491 9.7% 2,782,537 2,841,668 -2.1% Total deductions 12,148,627 11,098,442 9.5% 1,467,200 1,535,559 -4.5% Net hospital revenue $1,694,542 $1,521,049 11.4% $1,315,337 $1,306,109 0.7% SAME FACILITY: ACUTE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 3/31/21 3/31/20 % change 3/31/21 3/31/20 % change Hospitals owned and leased 26 26 0.0% 319 319 0.0% Average licensed beds 6,515 6,451 1.0% 23,689 23,397 1.2% Average available beds 6,343 6,279 1.0% 23,589 23,294 1.3% Patient days 392,391 370,513 5.9% 1,525,725 1,582,445 -3.6% Average daily census 4,359.9 4,071.7 7.1% 16,952.5 17,389.5 -2.5% Occupancy-licensed beds 66.9% 63.1% 6.0% 71.6% 74.3% -3.7% Occupancy-available beds 68.7% 64.8% 6.0% 71.9% 74.7% -3.7% Admissions 72,924 77,768 -6.2% 114,426 120,082 -4.7% Length of stay 5.4 4.8 12.9% 13.3 13.2 1.2% SOURCE Universal Health Services, Inc. Related Links https://www.uhsinc.com ADVERTISEMENT The Commissioner for Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisition in Imo State, Iyke Ume, was among the victims of Sundays robbery attack on motorists in Orji area of Owerri, a government official has said. The Special Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodinma on Inter-party Affairs, Dominic Uzowuru, confirmed this to reporters in Owerri on Monday. Mr Uzowuru said he was in the company of the commissioner, who was driving home in an unmarked security vehicle, when the robbers struck. He said they were returning from a service of songs in the area when the gunmen double-crossed their vehicle, shooting the commissioner in the leg and arm. The governors aide said: I was not shot. The commissioner was shot. My handset and that of the commissioner were snatched. The commissioner was dropping me off, when the robbers struck. I am fine and the commissioner is responding to treatment to the glory of God. The police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed that four motorists, who sustained gunshot wounds, were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the attack occurred around 10.30 p.m., near the Orji Divisional Police Headquarters. Imo, like other states in the South-east, has been grappling with severe security challenges, including spate of attacks on police and other security agencies. A few hours ago, five police officers were killed when unknown gunmen attacked a police station in the state. A police officer was abducted by the gunmen during the attack. Two days ago, the country home of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, was attacked and set ablaze by gunmen suspected to be members of IPOB, a pro-Biafra group that has been proscribed by the Nigerian government. The group has not claimed responsibility for the attack. (NAN) [April 26, 2021] Policygenius Welcomes Chad Angle as Vice President of Sales, Life Operations NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial services leader Policygenius announced today the hiring of Chad Angle as the company's Vice President of Sales, Life Operations. Angle will oversee the company's life insurance sales function, with the goal of continuing to scale Policygenius as the nation's leading online insurance marketplace. Angle brings more than 15 years of experience in sales, operations and strategy consulting to Policygenius. Most recently, Angle was the Chief Operating Officer of Safety Services, where he was responsible for the organization's daily operations and overall revenue strategy, including launching multiple new products. Previously, Angle served as the Vice President of Operations at Televerde, a global marketing BPO, where he opened three new offices to keep up with customer demands. Before that, he was Head of Inside Sales and Sales Operations for Comcast, where he oversaw four sales centers and was recognized as Executive of the Year and a Top 25 Most Influential Inside Sales Professional. Angle joins Policygenius at a critical phase in the startup's rapid growth. The company recently reached a new milestone of 550 employees and expanded to a second headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. In 2020, Policygenius nnounced $100 million in Series D funding as well as an exclusive accelerated underwriting life insurance product in collaboration with Brighthouse Financial. The company also expanded beyond insurance for the first time to offer digital estate planning, bringing its focus on digital convenience and customer education to a new aspect of financial services. "We're very excited to welcome Chad as the leader of our life operations sales function," Jennifer Fitzgerald, Policygenius CEO and co-founder, said. "From day one, helping the American consumer understand and secure the life insurance they need has been critically important to us. Chad's extensive experience in sales and operations will be invaluable as we scale our business to the next level." "Policygenius takes a unique, values-driven approach to sales that is focused on helping the consumer and providing consumer education," Angle said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to help advocate for people looking for the financial protection they need." Prior to Comcast, Angle ran boutique consulting firm Modern Consulting, where he supported Fortune 500 companies including Google and Microsoft. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Liberty University and a certificate in executive leadership from Yale University. About Policygenius: Policygenius is the nation's leading online insurance marketplace, with headquarters in New York City and Durham, North Carolina. We've helped more than 30 million people shop for all types of insurance like they shop for everything else online and have placed over $75 billion in coverage. Policygenius launched in 2014 and is one of the early insurtech pioneers. Policygenius launched wills and trusts through a new mobile app in 2020. Policygenius was named to Forbes' list of Best Startup Employers (2020, 2021), Crain's Fast 50 (2019) and Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces (2018, 2019, 2020). To receive Policygenius announcements, email press@policygenius.com . Subscribe to the Easy Money by Policygenius newsletter here . For more information: Brooke Niemeyer Associate Director of Media Relations brooke.niemeyer@policygenius.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/policygenius-welcomes-chad-angle-as-vice-president-of-sales-life-operations-301276585.html SOURCE Policygenius [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] TN to allow Sterlite to produce oxygen An all-party meeting convened by the Tamil Nadu government on Monday resolved to allow Vedanta's Sterlite Industries in Tuticorin to produce oxygen for a four-month period amid surging covid cases, paving the way for the partial reopening of the copper smelter closed in 2018 over pollution concerns. The unit was sealed by the state government in May 2018, days after 13 agitators were killed in police firing during a violent anti-Sterlite protest in the southern district. Read here RBI imposes ceiling of 70 years for MD, CEO of bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday fixed the tenure of MD, CEO and whole-time director (WTD) in a private sector bank at 15 years and prescribed the maximum age of 70 years for such functionaries. These directives form part of the instructions issued by the RBI with regard to the chair and meetings of the board, composition of certain committees of the board, age, tenure and remuneration of directors, and appointment of the WTDs on Monday. Read here Mask up even inside your homes, says govt As a second wave of the pandemic rips through the country, the government on Monday said it is time people start wearing masks inside their homes as well, and refrain from inviting guests. Addressing a press conference here, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said if there is a Covid-positive person inside the house, he or she must wear the mask so as to prevent other family members from getting infected. Read here Govt asks Serum, Bharat Biotech to lower price of vaccines The central government on Monday asked the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech to lower price of their Covid-19 vaccines amid criticism from various states who accused the companies of profiteering during such a major crisis. The issue of vaccine pricing was discussed at a meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. Now the two companies are expected to come up with revised pricing for their vaccines. Read here (CNN) The Biden administration will deploy additional supplies and support to India as the country deals with a spike in coronavirus cases, the White House announced on Sunday. "To help treat Covid-19 patients and protect front-line health workers in India, the United States has identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India. The United States also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis," a readout of a call between the two countries' national security advisers said, in part. India reported 349,691 new cases Saturday, the fourth day in a row the country has set a world record for daily infections, according to government and scientific tallies. During the call between US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, Sullivan expressed "deep sympathy for the people of India following the recent spike in Covid-19 cases." "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its time of need," the readout said. The release went on to say that the US has identified "specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine that will immediately be made available for India." The White House also announced that the US Development Finance Corporation will fund a "substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for BioE, the vaccine manufacturer in India, enabling BioE to ramp up to produce at least 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2022." The US will also send an "expert team of public health advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID to work in close collaboration with the US embassy, India's health ministries, and India's Epidemic Intelligence Service staff," according to the White House. National Security Council officials held meetings over the weekend on how to aid the country, and the Health and Human Services Department did as well, according to a source familiar. Discussions have revolved around providing more vaccine components and materials for administering vaccines, in addition to oxygen and personal protective equipment. Dr. Anthony Fauci described those discussions in an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," saying, "Right now, even as we speak, George, there's discussions about really ramping up what we can do on the ground -- oxygen supplies, drugs, tests, PPE, as well as taking a look in the intermediate and long run about how can get vaccines to these individuals." But the latest statement from Biden's national security adviser did not mention sharing AstraZeneca vaccine doses, of which the US has tens of millions stockpiled. The doses have gone unused, with the exception of a few million sent to Canada and Mexico, because AstraZeneca has not been granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration yet. The administration has faced pressure to release AstraZeneca vaccines to India. A person familiar with the matter said the issue has come up in meetings but a final decision is still up in the air. Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for Covid response, would not say Sunday whether the US plans to send vaccines to India. "When we make decisions on what we're gonna do with additional vaccines, about exporting them, we'll announce them," he told CNN's Pamela Brown on "Newsroom." "We're evaluating all these options." In March, the US loaned around four million doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to Mexico and Canada. Fauci said in his interview that sending vaccines is a possibility. Currently, the CDC is consulting with the country and providing technical assistance. "I think that's going to be something that is up for active consideration," he said. "We really do need to do more. I don't think you can walk away from that. And we are." Fauci told Reuters earlier this month that the US likely won't need the AstraZeneca vaccine even if it is authorized for emergency use. This story has been updated with additional developments Sunday. 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Saffire took to Instagram with a lengthy message on Monday to confirm the couple is 'fine' despite his recent run-in with the law last week. Ronnie was arrested on Thursday in Playa del Rey on suspicion of violating a California law covering violence against intimate partners, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Speaking up: Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's girlfriend, Saffire Matos, slammed 'misleading information' circulating about his recent arrest for 'domestic violence' 'Ronnie and I are fine,' Matos wrote on her Instagram Story. 'There is a lot of misleading information floating around out there. With anybody who reached out with concern I appreciate it with all my heart, but everything that's being portrayed out there are not facts.' The couple reportedly met in February 2020 and began dating shortly after, before going Instagram official with sexy swimsuit snaps from their vacation to Puerto Rico last summer. She added: 'I don't think it's fair that people are using false accusations to gain attention. Please leave Ron and I alone. You don't know what someone is going through at the end of the day. Don't believe everything you hear or read online.' They eyelash technician also asked her 200,000 followers for 'privacy' and thanked them 'for all your support.' Talk about it: Saffire took to Instagram with a lengthy message on Monday to confirm the couple is 'fine' despite his recent run-in with the law last week Giving gratitude: Ronnie finally spoke his peace on Monday morning with a long message shared to Instagram Ronnie finally spoke his peace on Monday morning with a long message shared to Instagram. 'I am grateful for all of my real friends,' he wrote. 'Thank you for being by myself the last few week. I take all experiences as lessons. You learn who really cares about you when your down and out and than you see who doesn't!' He added: 'But I guess they call it the weeding process. Thank you to my real friends who haven't left my side and haven't betrayed me!' Ronnie was released at 7:18 p.m. on Thursday after posting $100,000 bail and was whisked away in a white Mercedes convertible, TMZ reported. 'He was arrested on April 22 at 11:50 a.m. for domestic violence, but due to victim confidentiality, I can't go into detail,' Officer Rosario Cervantes, a spokesperson for the LAPD, told CNN. Love is in the air: The couple reportedly met in February 2020 and began dating shortly after, before going Instagram official with sexy swimsuit snaps from their vacation to Puerto Rico last summer 'Ronnie and I are fine,' Matos wrote on her Instagram Story. 'There is a lot of misleading information floating around out there. With anybody who reached out with concern I appreciate it with all my heart, but everything that's being portrayed out there are not facts' 'He was arrested on April 22 at 11:50 a.m. for domestic violence, but due to victim confidentiality, I can't go into detail,' Officer Rosario Cervantes, a spokesperson for the LAPD, told CNN His attorney, Scott Leemon, told TMZ: 'We have just learned of the new allegations against Ronnie and need some additional time to further investigate. As such, we will not be making any other statements at this time.' Ronnie was previously charged with felony domestic violence after a physical altercation with on/off girlfriend Jen Harley on Oct. 4, 2019, and later pleaded no contest to domestic battery and resisting arrest. He's currently on probation after he pled to seven misdemeanor counts that included criminal threats, brandishing a weapon and resisting arrest. Harley was in Las Vegas at the time of his recent arrest and drove to Los Angeles to pick up their three-year-old daughter Ariana Sky, who was in Ronnie's custody at the time of the incident. Falun Dafa practitioners hold photos of some of those who were killed during the 22-year persecution by the Chinese Communist Party in China, at a candlelight vigil in Los Angeles on April 23, 2021. (Debora Cheng/The Epoch Times) Candlelight Vigil at Los Angeles Chinese Consulate Commemorates 10,000-Person Appeal in 1999 LOS ANGELESOver 150 practitioners of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong gathered for a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate on April 23. April 25 marks more than two decades since around 10,000 practitioners of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, quietly gathered near the Central Appeals Office in Beijing in 1999 to petition the government for the release of 45 practitioners illegally arrested in Tianjin, a city 60 miles east of Beijing. At that time, up to 100 million people in China were practicing Falun Gong, according to official estimates. Since then, adherents have been arrested and tortured within the countrys prisons, labor camps, and psychiatric wards in an effort to force them to renounce their faith. You can see the sharp contrast between Falun Gong practitioners peacefulness and the brutality of the persecution, Michael Ye, the host of the vigil, told The Epoch Times. The vigil commemorates those who appealed for the right to practice their faith without being harassed by the government. On the same day, Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. The practice of Falun Gong has helped millions recover from illnesses and become better people; these people are very kind and peaceful, yet they have been brutally persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime, Ye said. Practitioners wore the colors yellow and blue and held up signs that read truthfulness, compassion, tolerancethe core tenets of Falun Gong. Most of the practitioners were silent with solemn expressions as they meditated during the rally. Many attendees of the vigil held photos of their family members and loved ones who lost their lives during the persecution. Several speakers called for an end to the brutal persecution of Falun Gong, which has been carried out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1999. Weve come here almost every year for the past 22 years to raise public awareness. The persecution has lasted for too long, and the tragedies have been too many, Ye said. Human rights and freedom are the founding principles of this great country. We sincerely hope that the U.S. government and media can do more to help these innocent people and help end the persecution as soon as possible. Wu Yingnian, a UCLA professor of statistics, said Falun Gongs peaceful resistance is an example of how to make change and how to seek justice with completely peaceful means. In that appeal, Falun Gong practitioners were extremely peaceful and orderly, and completely, absolutely nonviolent, Wu told The Epoch Times. More than two decades and untold thousands of unnatural deaths later, the CCP continues to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Many have been subjected to state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting in China. An Eye-Witness Account The chain of events leading up to the April 25, 1999, appeal was sparked by an article slandering Falun Gong, published in a youth journal by the Tianjin College of Education. The news media in China is controlled by the CCP. Therefore, when a newspaper or journal voices a position on a particular issue, it indicates that the CCP has taken a particular stance. After the article was published on April 11, 1999, many practitioners went to the state-run media outlets office to protest the biased coverage. The appeal lasted for 11 days, until about 300 police officers in riot gear arrested 45 Falun Gong practitioners on April 23, 1999. Many practitioners were beaten while in custody. When these kind people were arrested simply because they went to express their opinions, their viewsthat was totally wrong, Zhang Yong, a witness to the appeal 22 years ago, told The Epoch Times. Zhang was attending the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing when he learned of the arrests in Tianjin. He recalled feeling quite shocked upon learning of the arrests. As a practitioner of Falun Gong, Zhang decided to go to the Central Appeals Office on April 25, 1999, with about a dozen of his fellow practitioners attending the Chinese Academy of Sciences. We wanted to express ourselves to clarify to the authorities who could help to resolve this issue. They arrived at 8 a.m. on April 25. Practitioners attending the appeal had three requests: Release the practitioners in Tianjin, allow the publication of Falun Gong books (which had been banned since 1996), and allow practitioners the freedom to practice their faith without harassment. Zhang and his fellow practitioners from the Chinese Academy of Sciences also wrote a letter to the authorities. Some of the practitioners attending the rally were led into Zhongnanhai, the CCPs headquarters, by a senior leader, and the letter was brought into the compound by a practitioner. Zhang and his colleagues stood outside the offices waiting quietly until around 9 p.m., when the protesters were told the practitioners in Tianjin had been released. When facing tyranny, the Falun Gong practitioners appealed to express themselves in such a peaceful and rational way. It is a reflection of kindness, fearlessness, selflessness, he said. The event set a precedent in Chinese historytens of thousands of people petitioning without violence and waiting patiently to be heard. At first, the protesters thought it was a win for freedom of belief in China, until three months later when a brutal crackdown on the practice was initiated, resulting in thousands of deaths, torture, and forced organ harvesting. We found out that some of the government officials, along with their affiliates, were trying to use this as a way to bring benefits to their own political career, Zhang said. Zhang believes the persecution was initiated because the CCP felt threatened by the practices popularity. Its paranoid that any large number of people together would pose a threat to its power, he said. He hoped the candlelight vigil would inspire people around the world to bring out the courage to face the evil CCP regime. RALEIGH, N.C. - Apple is expanding spending in the U.S. and announced plans Monday to build its first East Coast campus, in North Carolina. FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, file photo, the logo of Apple is illuminated at a store in the city center in Munich. On Monday, April 26, 2021, Apple announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in North Carolina to build the company's first East Coast campus, in a move that is expected to bring at least 3,000 new jobs to the state. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File) RALEIGH, N.C. - Apple is expanding spending in the U.S. and announced plans Monday to build its first East Coast campus, in North Carolina. The iPhone maker is boosting U.S. spending to $430 billion over the next five years and doubling its hiring plans by 20,000 jobs. It had said it would spend $350 billion in January 2018, just after Congress approved a big tax overhaul that cut corporate taxes. Apple says it is stepping up investment as the U.S. begins rebuilding from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company for years has emphasized its role in the U.S. economy to help counter criticism about its reliance on overseas factories, often taking advantage of local tax breaks. Apple will invest $1 billion in North Carolina and the campus, in the Raleigh-Durham areas Research Triangle Park, is expected to bring at least 3,000 new jobs to the state in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering and other fields. The workers will have an average annual salary of about $185,000. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said that once Apple creates the jobs, the tech giant will be eligible for incentives he considers transformational. Under an agreement approved earlier Monday by a state incentives panel, Apple would get $846 million in cumulative cash payments over the next 39 years if the company meets job-creation and investment thresholds. The payments are calculated based on the income tax the state withholds from paychecks of the new workers. The state Commerce Department estimates the project will generate nearly $2 billion in additional state revenues through 2061. Cooper defended the hefty price tag on the incentives, arguing that Apples announcement will encourage other companies to move to North Carolina and have a positive ripple effect on local businesses in the Raleigh area. Once this campus is up and running, its expected to generate more than $1.5 billion a year in economic impact to our state, Cooper said in a news conference Monday morning. The construction timeline is not yet clear, though state officials said Apple has told them it wants to get the new campus up and running as soon as possible. A summary of the incentives agreement notes the 3,000 jobs will be created from 2023 until 2032. This is an important milestone that strengthens our position as a tech hub, said Michael Haley, executive director of Wake County Economic Development. Apple also said it plans to establish a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives in the Raleigh-Durham area. The incentives agreement also means $112 million will go to a state account designed to help rural areas improve infrastructure to attract companies. The company is also expanding its teams in Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, New York, California and other states. Apple announced Monday it is planning a $100 million distribution centre near Indianapolis that could employ nearly 500 workers by the end of 2024. State Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders said the 3,000 positions Apple will create will be in addition to the companys existing 1,100-worker footprint in the state. In a blow to Cooper and top Republican state lawmakers, Apple unveiled plans in 2018 to expand operations in Texas. Cooper said he believes the companys decision not to move to North Carolina at the time may have stemmed in part from the passage of a 2016 law that required people to use the restroom of the sex assigned to them at birth. That law was partially repealed a year later. This time, Apple considered Ohio as the principal competitor to North Carolina to land the new campus, but other unnamed states were still in the running, according to the incentives summary provided by the Commerce Department. The governor said he privately spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Saturday, who explained that he feels good about our diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination landscape. He feels good about this project, and they are just as excited as we are to build it, Cooper said. Submit an Obituary Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. Obituaries submitted by family members are also accepted pending proper verification of the death. Submit an Obituary An American comedian shared about his new book that tells about inspiring stories of people he met on his shows, lessons from his father and his own personal reflections on life. Michael Jr. released the book, "Funny How Life Works," early this year and sold out on its initial release. Speaking to The Christian Post, the comedian hoped that his latest book would inspire readers to embrace the purpose God has for them, adding that the stories were written in such a way that people could identify themselves, laugh and learn lessons. "It's the same thing I do on stage and in comedy. I try to use my talents and resources to ensure that the audience is moving in one direction and it causes revelation, fulfillment, and joy expressed through laughter," he added. He said that one of the stories that inspired him to write the book was an incident wherein he met a fugitive who went to watch his comedy show in Sacramento, California and requested to have a conversation with him. The Caucasian man revealed that he has been hiding from authorities in several states and just attended his show to release some of the pressure he felt inside. Later on, the guy asked him for help to be turned to the police. "So that's what we did; we called the police. They showed up, I prayed with the dude, I gave him a hug, and he got into the back of the police cruiser, and they drive off," the comedian stated. Michael Jr. explained that it is important to listen to people and look for ways to help. "In your life, there are gaps. The question is, what questions are you asking in between the gaps? Are you asking, 'What can I get?' or are you asking, 'What can I give?' If you change the question, you'll get different answers," he said. In the book, he also wrote about the lessons he learned from his father, whom he attributed with in his success as a comedian from being an oil change technician in Michigan. To talk about important issues, he said that his father "would never sit [him] down" but would bring him to an interesting activity like fishing. While participating together, they would have conversations and he was able to present his questions without the "weird awkwardness". "It was very, very strategic on his part to instill those things in me," he continued. Michael Jr. went on by saying that his father taught him and his siblings the relevance of prayer, as well as their God-given value while also giving them the freedom to decide on their own. The comedian disclosed that he also uses the same principles in parenting his own children. Moreover, he stated that he has also written about his reflections on perseverance and forgiveness in the book. He recalled about a terrifying encounter with the police wherein he was falsely accused of selling illegal drugs, pointing a gun at his head. "I've had encounters with the police since then and don't hold a grudge with any of them. I talk about bitterness and how anger actually perpetuates pain. The sooner you can let that go, the faster your healing will come," he further said. "What you do is you keep telling your story, and use those stories as leverage to help people really live a better life," he suggested. The comedian sees his platform as an avenue to minister to people, bringing hope. He also said that his goals changed after he met the Lord Jesus Christ, always considering what he can offer to others. "When people laugh, their hearts open and when your heart is open, I want to make a deposit into it that could make a positive change and help you to discover your God-given purpose," he concluded. Michael Jr. is known as one of the most gifted comedians today, touring the country and inspiring audiences to discover their purpose. He and his wife have five children together. The United States will send doses of the AstraZeneca COVID1- vaccine, dispatch a strike team and offer other supplies to India, officials announced Monday, as President Joe Biden pledged to 'be there' for that nation in its hour of need. India is facing a second wave of the deadly virus sweeping its country with a million new cases in just three days. For the past two weeks, medical facilities have been running out of oxygen and ICU beds, with patients left outside hospitals waiting for care. To help, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent will 'urgently deploy' a 'strike team,' Biden administration officials said, to help public experts in India combat the rising tide of cases. Additionally, the Biden administration will ship doses of remdesivir, which is used to treat coronavirus patients hospitalized with severe symptoms; personal protective equipment; and rapid COVID tests. 'We're prepared to provide therapeutic, personal protective equipment, and tests,' a senior administration official said on a briefing call with reporters. 'In the United States we've identified US commercial suppliers of remdesivir that are immediately available to help relieve the suffering of COVID-19 patients in India, and we've identified rapid diagnostic testing supplies as well as personal protective equipment that will be available to be transferred to India immediately.' The United States will send doses of the AstraZeneca COVID1- vaccine, dispatch a strike team and offer other supplies to India, officials announced Monday, as President Joe Biden pledged to 'be there' for that nation in its hour of need The US also announced its intention to send supplies and AstraZenec, which is not authorized in the country and will likely not be required to vaccinate Americans given the US has enough doses of the other options to inoculate its citizens. 'We will be providing raw materials for the production of the AstraZeneca,' the official said on the call. Critics have accused the US of 'hoarding' its supply of AstraZeneca, which has not yet been approved for use in United States Critics have accused Washington of 'hoarding' the British-developed vaccine. The issue has risen to the fore in recent days as India faces the flood of cases that has overwhelmed its health care system and driven crematoriums to full capacity. 'U.S. to release 60 million Astra Zeneca doses to other countries as they become available,' tweeted Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to the White House on Covid response. An administration official told reporters the first 10 million doses could be available 'in the coming weeks' after they pass a quality inspection by the Food and Drug Administration. 'Further, there's an estimated additional 50 million doses that are in various stages of production, and these could be completed in stages across May and June,' she added. India will receive some doses, officials said after Biden held a telephone call with his counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pledging US support to fight the COVID surge. 'Today, I spoke with Prime Minister @narendramodi and pledged America's full support to provide emergency assistance and resources in the fight against COVID-19. India was there for us, and we will be there for them,' Biden tweeted. The vaccine announcement greatly expands a US action from last month to loan four million AstraZeneca doses to Mexico and Canada. It also comes as US domestic supply appears increasingly assured, making it unlikely AstraZeneca will be required. Pfizer and Moderna say they are on track to deliver 600 million doses between them by the end of July. Both are two-dose regimens. The country has also resumed vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson single shot, the third authorized injection, after a brief pause over suspected links to a rare form of clotting. More than 53 percent of adults in the United States have so far received at least one dose of vaccine, according to official data, and domestic demand has begun to taper off as many people who wished to get vaccinated have already done so. The rate of new daily Covid cases in the United States is also in decline, dipping below a seven-day average of 60,000 for the first time in a month. Health workers and relatives carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in Jammu, India, as the country faces a second wave of the disease A health worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carries a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease outside the casualty ward at Guru Teg Bahadur hospital in New Delhi A dead body waits to be cremated as multiple funeral pyres of those who died of COVID-19 burn at a ground that has been converted into a crematorium for mass cremation of coronavirus victims, in New Delhi Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, said one of the main hurdles to sending AstraZeneca doses abroad had been the issue of legal liability, since the original contract was formulated between the company and the United States. 'There may be some adverse events and there may even be events that are not related to the vaccine,' Jha said during a webinar, adding the maker was worried about being sued without the indemnity it enjoyed in the United States. 'These are solvable in my mind by India, offering indemnity and protection to AstraZeneca,' he added. But he predicted the issue might be politically sensitive in India if the AstraZeneca vaccine comes to be viewed as a second-tier or 'discarded' shot. (Natural News) A Mississippi man experienced a blood clot and a stroke just four hours after getting Johnson & Johnsons single-dose Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. His family believes the vaccine is responsible for his ordeal. Brad Malagarie, 43, of St. Martin, Mississippi, was admitted to a hospital in Louisiana following a stroke. (Related: New Jersey man in critical condition with coronavirus less than a month after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.) [His family] called me and said he had that vaccine and something is wrong, we think its a stroke, said Malagaries aunt, Celeste Foster OKeefe. According to her, Malagarie, a father of seven, was a young and healthy man. He took blood pressure medication but had no other significant health concerns that could explain the stroke. He cant talk. He cant read. He cant write. He cant really put everything together yet. OKeefe said that Malagarie first experienced adverse effects while he was at work. He informed his co-worker that his arm was in pain but this was shrugged off as a normal post-vaccination symptom. About an hour after this, he fell unconscious and was rushed to the hospital. OKeefe and other members of Malagaries family are certain the Johnson & Johnson vaccine caused his stroke. He didnt jump out of a plane that day. He didnt eat anything different. He took the vaccine, said OKeefe. That was what I think was the contributing factor for him having the stroke. We want him to be able to communicate, to be able to walk and talk again, even if its not perfect, she added. OKeefe reported Malagaries stroke to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. His doctor has not ruled out the possibility that the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine caused the stroke. As of press time, Malagarie was stable but still in critical condition in the neurological intensive care unit of the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. He is paralyzed on his right side but is able to eat and drink with support. His family says he needs at least one year of therapy and rehabilitation before he can return to his old self. Health authorities deny stroke was connected to Johnson & Johnson vaccine According to the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), Malagaries case is different from the other blood clotting incidents connected to the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The Mississippi State Department of Health is saddened to hear about the recent illness of Mr. Malagarie and wishes him well, wrote Liz Sharlot, a spokesperson for the MSDH. The Agency is certainly investigating the situation. It is difficult, if not impossible, to assign cause and effect at this time. Sharlot pointed out that strokes are not associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. She added that severe adverse reactions to the vaccine usually occur between six and 13 days after its administration, not within hours. Of the six noted cases [of blood clotting], all are women between the ages of 18 and 38, continued Sharlot. Yesterday, the Mississippi State Department of Health paused all administration of the [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine until further guidance from the [Food and Drugs Administration]. As of Monday, April 12, nearly 7 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the United States. Health officials have stressed on multiple occasions that the risk of developing blood clots is very low. These statements have frustrated OKeefe. So, its really upsetting when you hear them say it only happens to a few people, said OKeefe. Yeah, its a few people, until it happens to your own family. Learn more about the dangers associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, such as blood clotting, by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Fox10TV.com ClarionLedger.com Rogers Communications President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Natale tests his microphone with parliamentary staff as he waits to appear virtually before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology in Ottawa, Canada, on March 29, 2021. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) MPs Urged to Remove Red Tape, Reform Laws to Boost Canadas Competitiveness Experts recently testifying before a Commons committee called for lowering interprovincial trade barriers, reforming Canadian laws on competition, and improving preparedness for the digital economy to boost Canadas competitiveness. The experts were invited by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, which has been meeting over the past few weeks to undertake a series of studies on competitiveness in Canada. Interprovincial Trade Barriers Trevor Tombe, an associate professor at the University of Calgary, told the committee on April 20 that interprovincial trade barriers have dragged down Canadas national productivity, competitiveness, and economic prosperity. According to Tombe, while internal trade costs are not observable in a tangible way, the tens of thousands of individually modest but collectively significant differences in rules, regulations, standards, certifications have added costs to businesses operating across provincial boundaries. Examples can be seen in agriculture inspections, labelling requirements, and differences in provincial standards and certifications for trade and services. Tombe said interprovincial trade barriers could add up to 8 percent to shipping costs from one province to another for the manufacturing sector. When services are included, the average cost of trade between provinces is between 8 percent and 15 percent. Economist Trevor Tombe at the Taylor Family Digital Library at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada, on Nov. 23, 2017. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press) There are hundreds of professional associations and occupational licensing authorities that largely operate at the provincial level. And that means that for an individual wanting to provide their service to a buyer in a province other than where they reside and are regulated, there may be barriers to doing so, Tombe said. Internal trade may also lower Canadas overall productivity. According to Tombe, if Canada is to liberalize internal trade in goods, the countrys productivity could increase by roughly 4 percent, which represents an increase in Canadas economy by nearly $90 billion per year. That represents over $2,000 per person, or $5,000 to $6,000 per household. Competitiveness in Digital Economy Jim Balsillie, chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators, told the committee at the same meeting that Canada must develop institutional and policy capacity to boost competitiveness in the intangibles economy. Balsillie said Canada only has policies for the traditional production-based economy, which is shrinking in importance due to the digital transformation throughout industries. He stated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadas GDP per capita was 3 percent lower than the 2010 level, while the United States had experienced a 35 percent increase over the same period by aligning its economic policies with digital transformation. Jim Balsillie, Council of Canadian Innovators, appears as a witness at a Commons privacy and ethics committee in Ottawa on May 10, 2018, which heard witnesses on the breach of personal information involving Cambridge Analytica and Facebook. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) In the traditional economy, competitive was synonymous with low cost. To attract multinational investors, companies cut red tape, offered land at concessional rate, provided tax benefits, etc., knowing this economic activity would generate a fair return to the host, Balsillie said. However, as economic returns increasingly shifted to owners of IP, and more recently data, this strategy amounted to capturing the low-rent district in the global economy. To improve Canadas competitiveness, Balsillie suggested rebuilding the Economic Council of Canadaa former Crown corporation owned by the federal governmentwhich conducted economic and policy analysis for the federal government. Proper regulations of the IP- and data-driven economy can restore competitive market dynamism, which is why IP and data giants are under investigation for anti-trust behaviour by U.S. federal and state authorities, EU, and others, Balsillie said. Reforming the Canadian Competition Act Balsillies call for more preparedness for the digital economy echoed that of Vass Bednar, executive director of the Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University, who suggested a reform to Canadas Competition Act. It has been said that Canada doesnt treat competition policy seriously and that we tolerate high corporate concentration in an effort to be competitive internationally, Bednar told the committee at its meeting on April 15. To my mind, what it comes down to is that there are structural limitations in our legislation that hinder our ability to curb anti-competitive practices, especially for todays digital economy. Bednar said the lack of reform may lead the government to overlook anti-competitive mergers or conducts, and it would not be able to administer effective fines to curb such behaviours. Bednar gave the example of Loblaw, a Canadian supermarket chain that has admitted to fixing the price of bread and may have been colluding on wages with other grocers in the pandemic. A customer loads her groceries at a Metro store in Montreal, Canada, on April 15, 2019. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) She said the companyfollowing the playbook of Amazon and Facebookhas been using a proprietary advertising platform, Loblaw Media, to grow its market share through targeted adsa strategy that could impact competition and also harm consumers by limiting their ability to access everyday essentials at a cheaper price. According to Bednar, the Canadian competition policy is silent on such activities because the legislation and policy guidelines are unable to adequately comprehend how data creates a competitive advantage. Put simply, Canadas Competition Bureau does not have the tool kit for a digital economy, Bednar said. As part of any modernization, were going to have to critically think about how we can redefine dominance via volume and maybe even richness of data, and also understand the competitive harms that can flow from dominant firms that hold large volumes of information, she said. Press Release April 26, 2021 ANC @ANC Matters of Fact Interview of Sen. Win Gatchalian with Christian Esguerra on defunding NTF-ELCAC Q: I'm curious about your reaction when you heard that statement coming from Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., a man in uniform, calling the criticism coming from certain senators, including yourself, of the red baiting of community pantries, basically, he used the term stupid. SEN WIN: That's very disappointing, Christian considering that we both work for the same government, we both work for the same people, and we both want the best for our country. And just because we have a difference of opinion, we will start degrading one another. The problem is Parlade. That's why all of these things are now becoming a hot topic. The community pantries is an inspiration to many, especially to ordinary Filipinos. Even here in Valenzuela, in our city, we now have about 30 community pantries, all launched by ordinary Filipinos, and none of them, which a lot of them are personal friends of mine, none of them are connected with any, NPA or any terrorist. So in other words, the name calling and the red tagging of community pantries is uncalled for. Now is not the time to divide the country. Q: The gag order issued by Secretary Esperon on Gen. Parlade and Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, is that enough? Or do you still believe that they should be or do you believe that they should be removed or that that the NTF-ELCAC should be abolish? SEN. WIN: First of all, Christian, I would like to thank General Esperon for recognizing that the statements made by General Parlade were not helpful and the gag orders is a step forward. However, there are still merit to look into the funding of the NTF and the anti-insurgency program. This is a big amount, Christian. It's not small it's something's about 16 billion. And if we have people like Parlade making decisions, we're not confident that they will make the right decision and spend the money judiciously. Q: Do you think he should stay? SEN WIN: I think, in my personal opinion, he should go back to his original post in our constitution Article 16 says that uniformed military personnel cannot hold civilian post. Even before, in the committee report of Senator Lacson, he already made the recommendation, few months ago, that Gen. Parlade cannot act as a spokesperson of a civilian office because he is still active in the military. So that alone is a violation, and should be corrected immediately. Q: How about Undersecretary Badoy? SEN. WIN: Undersecretary Badoy should also be very careful with her statements because she stands to represent an agency who's given a huge amount of money to fight the insurgency, so we cannot use that sum of money to hear lies and abuse people or red tag people without any basis. Q: Because one of the statements were made by Undersecretary Badoy pertain to the demand for the organizer of the Maginhawa Community pantry to basically account for some of the financial contributions that she had received? But you're talking here of a private individual, we're not talking here of a government official, but even then, people can always account for whatever donations that they are receiving. But how about the budget that was allocated for the NTF-ELCAC, you said that there's still a need to review? Is that correct? Or to reallocate some of the budget that was given to that particular task force? But have you actually seen any particular accounting of how that budget is being spent? P19 billion and P20 million for each barangay that is cleared of the communist insurgency? SEN. WIN: Christian, Usec. Badoy has no business, and no right to demand on the accountability in so far as a community pantry is concerned, whether it's a community pantry is known or the community pantries in Venezuela or others. This is a purely private matter. Let them be accountable to their donors, and that is happening because the donors properly monitor what's happening, and the donors will not give to people they don't know. So let them operate on its own. Government cannot step in to this manner because it's none of our business. It's a private matter. Q: So in this case, despite the statements coming from the two officials of the NTF-ELCAC and despite the gag order specific to what they have been saying regarding community pantries, these somehow get the sense that, despite everything that they had said prior to this controversy regarding community pantries that somehow there was this preference or support on the part of the leadership to keep them because they were still serving good purpose for the NTF-ELCAC, meaning perhaps we're seeing this in movies right, the good cop, bad cop scenario, and they are, those are playing bad cop and they're serving a particular purpose for this insurgency campaign by the government. SEN. WIN: I don't want to venture into that yet, Christian. I am not privy to the inner workings of NTF. But one fact remains, P16 billion in terms of anti-insurgency program was allocated to the NTF-ELCAC and that's taxpayers money, and they have to be accountable. Number one, how do they appropriate those sums of money, and number two, who are making the decisions. This is also, Christian, I have to emphasize, this is also a question of trust. Trust among those who are implementing the program. And if you have the likes of General Parlade herding lies and accusations without any basis. You will now raise the issue of trust, and question the people who are implementing the program because the program again, it's not a small program and this program is meant to help alleviate the barangays who are now clear of insurgency. Q: What was your stand before, during the budget deliberations, were you in favor of allocating that much budget to the NTF-ELCAC and were you in favor of that NTF-ELCAC in the first place? SEN. WIN: Yes, Christian I voted in favor of that program, the anti-insurgency program, precisely because my view is we need to bring peace to the entire country. And there are a lot of barangays which are being disturbed by terrorist, by insurgency and we cannot bring true progress to the countryside without peace. That's why I voted in favor because this is a vehicle to bring progress and to bring peace to those 800 barangays targeted by the anti-insurgency program. Q: Now with all the red-baiting that we have been seeing, with the pronouncements or accusations coming from some of the officials of NTF-ELCAC, do you regret supporting it? SEN. WIN: I have now my doubts. Because, like I said, what's also important here are the people implementing the program. The people spending 16 billion, allocating the 16 billion is one action. The next action is looking at those who are implementing, but if you are now seeing that people are using this sums of money to baselessly accuse other people, red tagging without evidence, maligning the credibility of organizers, now this will raise a lot of doubts whether the people there are in fact qualified to spend 16 billion. Q: You're talking of a huge amount allocated NTF, but if you really want to provide development to the communities, the barangays, I think this is also part of the debate during the budget deliberations, why not just allocate that big amount to the different agencies that are actually, by law, in position to implement those projects, to make the communist insurgency in the countryside irrelevant because development is already coming to the communities? SEN. WIN: That is possible, Christian. There are already existing agencies like for example, under insurgency programming, you have livelihood, which is now being implemented by the DSWD. You have infrastructure which is now being implemented by DPWH. But let me emphasize, Christian that enemy is the insurgents. The enemy are the terrorist and we need to move forward together in order to bring progress to the countryside and all of this stemmed from baseless accusations and irresponsible statements. That should be corrected because that is painting the image and the management of the NTF and its programs. Q: Finally, Senator Gatchalian, I'd like you to respond to this observation by a good number of people regarding the criticism that we all have been hearing now from some senators, including yourself, that somehow you're getting this courage now to stand up to the certain policies by the administration, supposedly because by next year it's election, and somehow there's need to disassociate to the administration over policies that may be deemed divisive and controversial. SEN WIN: No, I don't share the same view, Christian because it's part of our job to make sure that agencies are accountable, no matter what political cycle it is. It's part of our responsibility to make sure that the people assigned to that office and assigned to implement that program should be qualified and should be trustworthy, especially if you are assigned to dispense huge amounts of money, and to bring to the countryside. So it's part of our ongoing responsibility, in my view, it's important to make sure that we exercise oversight over all programs and over all offices. Press Release April 26, 2021 11 senators introduce resolution 'strongly condemning' China's illegal activities in West Phl Sea Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon and 10 other senators crossed party lines Monday in filing a strongly-worded resolution denouncing the illegal activities of China in the country's exclusive economic zone (EZZ) and other parts of the West Philippine Sea. In filing Senate Resolution 708, principally authored by Drilon, the senators stressed that the continued presence of Chinese vessels into the country's territories violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Aside from Drilon, senators both in the minority and majority blocs co-authored the resolution, including Senators Ralph Recto, Nancy Binay, Leila De Lima, Richard Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Lito Lapid, Francis Pangilinan, Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, and Bong Revilla. The strongly-worded bipartisan resolution supports the position of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, according to Drilon. "We must contribute our share in generating public opinion against this unlawful act of the Chinese government. We will file this resolution to express the sentiment of the Senate as a partner of the executive insofar as foreign policy is concerned," Drilon said in an interview with CNN. "What China is doing is contrary to the arbitration award and does not promote stability int the region," he stressed. "China should not be allowed to rewrite or nullify the UNCLOS, which was painstakingly negotiated and ratified by various States, as such blatant disregard of established international law not only has serious ramifications on a rules-based international order but likewise deprives Philippine fishermen of livelihood, prevents the Philippines from fully taking advantage of the resources within its exclusive economic zone, causes irreparable damage to the marine environment due to pollution and destruction of coral reefs, and serves to militarize the South China Sea," the senators stressed. They added that China's illegal activities in the WPS threaten the peace and security in this region and the world. The move by the 11 senators came as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has lodged a series of diplomatic protests over the continued presence of the Chinese ships within the Philippine EEZ. Notwithstanding the diplomatic protests filed and the strong public statements made by Secretaries Locsin and Lorenzana, the sovereignty patrols conducted by the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea last April 11 revealed that an estimated 240 vessels continue to linger in the Philippine EEZ, with 136 Chinese vessels spotted at Burgos Reef, and various other vessels in the Ayungin Shoal, Mischief, Chigua, Panganiban, and Zamora Reefs, Pag-Asa, Likas, and Kota Islands, along with two Houbei class missile warships at Panganiban Reef, one corvette-class warship at Kagitingan Reef, one navy tugboat at Zamora Reef, Chinese Coast Guard vessels in Pag-Asa Islands, and Chinese maritime militia vessels in Bajo De Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), the resolution states. "The acts described are in clear violation of Article 60 of the UNCLOS which states that "in the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State shall have the exclusive right to construct and to authorize and regulate the construction, operation, and use of artificial islands, installations and structures" and as such the reclamation and construction undertaken by China within the Philippine EEZ are illegal, and no legitimate claims may emanate from such illegally constructed artificial islands or structures," the senators asserted. Once approved by the Senate, it would condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal activities of the People's Republic of China, in violation of the United Nations United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. "Neither close diplomatic and political ties nor promise of donations, aids or loans, whether they actually materialize or not, should be mistaken as acceptance of China's creeping hegemony over our region and country, and no promise of economic largesse often undelivered should soften our resolve against these illegal and unwarranted incursions," the 11 senators stressed in the resolution. They further stressed: "The UNCLOS serves as the Constitution for the oceans and is an international treaty codifying customary international law, which does not regard the display of military might or strength as a valid means for appropriating or claiming maritime areas and resources, the same having been ascribed to coastal states based only on an established legal framework which was agreed upon when the Convention was adopted on December 1982, entered into force in November 1994, and ratified by One Hundred Sixty-Seven (167) States and the European Union." Britain's top civil servant will be quizzed over the lavish refurbishment of Boris Johnsons Downing Street flat today amid claims that the Prime Minister has had to take out a personal loan to pay for it. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will be grilled by MPs this afternoon about a string of explosive allegations made by Dominic Cummings. Mr Case is expected to deny claims that he cleared Mr Cummings over involvement in the chatty rat leak last year, which led to revelations in the Daily Mail that Mr Johnson was poised to order a second national lockdown. It has been suggested Prime Minister Boris Johnson has had to take out a personal loan to pay for the work to the flat he shares with Carrie Symonds A government source said last night the inquiry, conducted with the assistance of MI5, was ongoing, adding: It has neither found anyone responsible, nor ruled anyone out. But Mr Case is also expected to face detailed questions about the refurbishment of the flat above No 11 Downing Street used by Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will be questioned by MPs this afternoon Adding to the controversy, one senior Tory said last night: Boris had to take out a personal loan to cover the cost. You have to be pretty wealthy to have 60,000 lying around. He has just emerged from an expensive divorce. The Electoral Commission said yesterday it was still seeking answers from Tory chiefs about whether party funds or donations were used. Labour last night wrote to the commission calling for a full investigation. On Friday, Mr Cummings said Mr Johnson wanted donors to secretly pay for the renovation which he said was unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules. The Mail had revealed that Mr Johnson asked Tory donors to help with the cost of the makeover which is said to run to six figures. The Electoral Commission says it is still seeking answers from Tory chiefs about whether party funds or donations were used in the refurb (pictured) On Friday, the Cabinet Office said the cost of painting, sanding and floorboards had been paid from a 30,000 maintenance allowance, but any costs of wider refurbishment have been met by the Prime Minister personally. Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the claims made by Mr Cummings were tittle-tattle and the PM had met the cost of the flat. Downing Street made no comment last night. SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living (SFCJL) opened the new Lynne and Roy M. Frank Residences last Fall, the newest in Assisted Living community in San Francisco and is now offering the most innovative memory care for seniors in the Bay Area possibly the country. Serving at the forefront of senior care for more than a century, SFCJL's experience is providing a firm foundation for the new community at Frank Residences, including innovating programming and services. The 270,000 square foot, $140 Million addition includes Frank Residences, 113 modern assisted-living apartments and 77 memory care support suites utilizing the latest in technology for older-adult care. The new community also features, cafe, full-service restaurant and bar, a fitness center and pool, cinema, and performing arts center. It will eventually include medical offices and care navigation through Byer Square, a new take on the JCC models of the past. Also included at the new community is programming tailored to provide life-long learning and experiences in a multi-generational community space. Robert Sarison, SFCJL Director of Campus Programs, felt it was important to create a residential feel as part of the memory care offering at Frank Residences. This effort includes creating five different neighborhoods as well as camouflaged medication carts, no nursing stations, and medical staff wearing regular clothes instead of scrubs. Dining areas look and operate just like a restaurant. These details matter for the overarching sense of wellness that residents at Frank Residences will enjoy. Memory care programming focuses heavily on creative arts therapies including music, art, dance, storytelling, improvisation, poetry, and drama. Memory care support groups for caregivers and family members will be available on campus and online to provide tools to manage memory challenges. In addition, SFCJL has created partnerships with Creative Aging SF, Medical Clown Project, Alzheimer's Association, UCSF, Family Caregiver Alliance, California Institute of Integral Studies, tailored to MA Psychology student interns in expressive arts and drama therapy. "We know that people retain their social sense even with memory challenges such as dementia and Alzheimer's. Therefore, our programming is geared toward interaction instead of simply filling time. We are dedicated to creating an environment where caregivers and residents are at their best and choose to focus on strengths not deficits. One of our most intriguing built-in programs is 'Experience Stations' which offer Virtual Reality, sensory experiences for residents where realistic environments are created through scents and sounds to evoke memories," said Sarison. "The secret ingredient to the SFCJL philosophy is properly training caregivers and hiring the right people for the job. Every resident has an identity, and we focus on creating individualized programming to support every individual's unique needs," he concluded. For more information, or to schedule an appointment for a tour, please visit https://www.frankresidences.org. San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living (SFCJL), located in San Francisco's Excelsior District offers a modern housing model for older adults to receive higher levels of care. A $140-million community including 270,000 square feet of new construction and renovations on SFCJL's 362 skilled nursing, short-stay rehabilitation and behavioral health units includes the new Frank Residences - 113 assisted living apartments and 77 memory care suites. Byer Square, the "downtown" campus epicenter, will feature a primary, specialty and integrative health care clinic, fitness and aquatics center, library, cafe, cinema, and a cultural and performing arts center. Programs for healthy aging and wellness, along with support for caregivers are available on-site, in-home, and virtually for older adults and their families. To schedule an appointment for an introduction to Frank Residences and a virtual tour, contact the Preview Center at 415-562-2020 or visit https://sfcjl.org/ . Contact: Marcus Young 415-505-2524 [email protected] SOURCE San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living ROCHESTER, Minn. A plea deal is struck over a robbery/kidnapping in Rochester. Chauncey Williams, 20 of Rochester, has entered a guilty plea to first-degree aggravated robbery. Charges of kidnapping, tampering with a witness, and theft will likely be dismissed when Williams is sentenced on June 14. Rochester police say Williams pulled a gun on a 26-year-old man in the 10 block of 7th Avenue SE on April 22, 2020. Williams was accused of taking the victims phone, wallet, and keys and then forcing the victim into a car. Investigators say the victim was let go after the car traveled seven blocks and it turned out the weapon used by Williams was a BB gun. DUBAI, April 26 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched a drone attack on a military base in the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait at dawn on Monday, the group's military spokesman said on Twitter. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military coalition that has been battling the group for more than six years. The Houthis, who ousted the Saudi-backed Yemeni government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014, have repeatedly launched cross-border drone and missile attacks on the kingdom. The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepts the majority of assaults. The United States and the United Nations are pressing for a nationwide ceasefire deal to help end the war in Yemen, which has caused what the U.N. calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis. (Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Artist Uses Driftwood to Create Gnarly Sculptures That Seem to Have a Life of Their Own Washington-based artist Jeffro Uitto has made a career of turning natures rubbish into art. Collecting pieces of driftwood he finds washed up along the shoreline, Uitto creates majestic composite sculptures of animals and other formssome functional, some aestheticbringing new life to dead wood. The artist has been collecting driftwood since high school, with the varied, versatile material fast becoming his favorite medium for sculpture. By collecting driftwood, the artist is also clearing away natural debris from the shores of Tokeland, the banks of Smith Creek, or the valleys between the Willapa Hills. Its really nature-inspired, the love and curiosity for the subjects and the infinity of materials, the artist told Bored Panda. Its really humbling to see how many people connect with these sculpture artworks. Uitto cures his foraged driftwood to prepare it for use and then composes the work using custom tools. He combines hundreds of fallen limbs, logs, and fragments of various shapes and sizes. The patterns beaten into the worn wood by waves inform the artists direction as the pieces progress. As a finished project comes together you can finally see what Jeffros had in his mind all along, the artists website musesgoing on to note some of his functional furnishings in addition to his art: A gnarly rocking chair, elegant bed frame, or even a burl-topped bar ready for drinks. Natures flora and fauna are the bulwark of the artists inspiration. Besides his joy of the art itself, Uitto, who works under the moniker Knock on Wood, is also keen to raise awareness for critically endangered animals which he depicts, such as lions and rhinos. Some of Uittos most memorable pieces portray life-sized animals, such as an eagle commissioned in 2020 by a dear friend who only had months to live. The work so inspired him, he had his bed turned to face the window to gaze out upon the majestic bird. Driftwood comes alive in the hands of this talented creator. While much of Uittos works are commissions, displayed publicly or in private across the country, the artist also shows his sculptures at a shop near the Tokeland Hotel, as well as on his website and on Instagram. 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 Chennai, April 26 : The Madras High Court on Monday lashed out against the Election Commission and said "it is the most irresponsible institution in the country" who have done nothing to prevent political parties from breaching Covid-19 protocol. The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy while hearing a plea moved by state Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskhar said: "You (EC) are the only institution responsible for the situation we are in today and You have been singularly lacking any kind of exercise of authority. You have not taken measures against political parties holding rallies despite the court saying "Maintain Covid protocol, maintain Covid protocol." The court observed: "We assure you that we will stop counting if we do not find before May 2 a blueprint on how proper maintenance of Covid protocol is assured so that this state does not succumb to the idiosyncrasies any further." The Chief Justice also observed that Public health is of paramount importance and that it was distressing to remind constitutional authorities on the counting and possibilities of a further surge after May 2. The Tamil Nadu state transport minister had petitioned the court seeking direction to the Election Commission, to follow a slew of measures in ensuring fairness during the counting of votes on May 2 for Karur constituency where he had contested the elections as an AIADMK candidate. There were 77 candidates in fray at Karur constituency. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) A Catholic society at one of Australia's top universities has come under fire after asking students whether disabled people are a burden on society. The Sydney University Catholic Society posed the question on Monday during their Life Week event, described as 'a week to celebrate the dignity and beauty of all human life', and provided 'yes' and 'no' buckets for students to place their answer. 'Today we posed two questions: "Is it worth enduring suffering?" and "Are disabled people a burden on society?" Students had a chance to engage with the question by placing a stick in a "yes" or "no" bucket,' the Catholic Society posted on Facebook. 'In response to the question, "Are disabled people a burden on society?" students were unanimous on the fact that disabled people are not a burden on society.' The Sydney University Catholic Society asked students to answer the question 'Are disabled people a burden on society?' during their Life Week event The Sydney University Catholic Society (members are pictured) said during Life Week they engage 'students on campus about the important life issues in our society' But the Catholic Society was forced to remove a sign plastered with the question after they 'encountered a few people who took offence at the question posed'. 'We understand that this is a sensitive topic as many members of our community are living with a disability, including members, friends and relatives of the Sydney University Catholic Society,' the Catholic Society wrote on Facebook. 'Many of us would be aware of prominent intellectuals who would assert that disabled people are a burden. 'As Catholics, we believe in the fundamental dignity of every human life and the invaluable contribution of every member of society, including those living with a disability.' The university's Disability Collective took to Facebook, where they said they 'strongly condemns this action' and demanded the Catholic Society issued a public apology. 'Disabled people are not burdens and disabled students should not be confronted with questions like this on campus,' the Disability Collective wrote. When the Sydney University Catholic Society posted about their Life Week event and the questions they posed to students, they received a barrage of comments Another question posed by the Sydney University Catholic Society on Monday was 'Is it worth enduring suffering?' 'We should not have to encounter debates on the worth of our existence on campus.' The Catholic Society's Facebook post also attracted a barrage of comments, many of which slammed the group for posing the question. 'You should be absolutely ashamed. What kind of deranged student society posits the notion that disabled people are somehow a burden?,' one person commented. Another said: 'This is beyond inappropriate. Apologies should be issued to all students with disabilities and the community at large.' 'This is absolutely disappointing and disgusting,' was another comment. One person commented: 'Nothing wrong with revisiting the reasons for our basic commitments, and teasing out those reasons in the public square, especially if they have greater implications for such important issues as life issues.' Three Winnipeg schools have closed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Three Winnipeg schools have closed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Ecole St. Norbert Immersion, a kindergarten to Grade 8 school, will switch to remote learning until at least May 10. The Seine River School Division said in a letter to parents Sunday that there are six active COVID-19 cases in one cohort. Holy Cross School, a Roman Catholic pre-kindergarten to Grade 8 school in St. Boniface, is closed Monday and Tuesday while it awaits information from health officials. There is one case of COVID-19 among the school community, and eight people have been identified as close contacts of that person, the school said in a letter Sunday. Ecole Marie-Anne Gaboury, a K-8 school in St. Vital, said Friday it will switch to remote learning for at least two weeks starting Monday. Another Winnipeg school, College Louis-Riel, closed temporarily because of COVID-19 last fall. The coronavirus pandemic has shortened Europes energy transition. What was initially perceived as a gradual movement towards fewer emissions and greener generation has now become an unprecedently ambitious endeavour by the time Europe recovers from the COVID-triggered slump, its fuel demand will have already dropped to the point where some downstream assets are no longer needed. This process of refinery backsliding that ultimately leads to the closure of less-efficient assets, be it due to lower refining complexity, geographic remoteness or other institutional factors, has already started. In this article we will look at those refineries that have announced their shutting down in the upcoming years or are on the brink of doing so, providing an explanation as to what exactly has worn it away. Antwerp Refinery, Belgium (108 kbpd) Operator: Gunvor. Future: Import terminal. The Antwerp Refinery was at a competitive disadvantage compared to other assets in the region, being a relatively simply hydroskimming plant with no cracking capacity, wielding a Nelson complexity of 4.5. Being primarily configured for medium sour grades, Antwerp was also financially frustrated by the appreciation of heavier grades on the back of OPEC+ production cuts. As opposed to Gunvors other refinery in Ingolstadt, southern Germany, Antwerp is open to international competition from the seas and has seemingly lost that battle, amassing losses from year to another. Not all of the Antwerp refinery shall be discontinued, availing itself of the robust trading market in the North Sea area, Gunvor intends to use the refinerys 7 MMbbl storage capacity in the future, presumably for both own and third-party deals. The Belgian city of Antwerp will not be bereft of refineries, it will still have Totals massive 360kbpd refinery, Europes second-largest. Related: Oil on Guard over Yemen as Saudi, Iran Meet in Secret Grandpuits Refinery, France (101 kbpd) Operator: Total. Future: Conversion into Biorefinery. The Grandpuits Refinery is not the largest in France, it is not the most sophisticated either, however throughout all these years it has played an important role, being the closest downstream asset to Paris and thus satiating its needs. Differing a bit from the usual COVID story, Grandpuits did not plunge into loss-making territory per se, however the refinery has been struggling to repair the Ile-de-France Pipeline (PLIF) that connects it to the Atlantic port of Le Havre. The pipeline has had several instances of leakage, the most recent in 2019 forced Total to shut down the refinery for 5 months. An internal audit found that in its current condition the pipeline could only be operated at reduced capacity or, alternatively, could be rebuilt for a whopping 600 million. Confronted with such a dilemma, Total decided that Grandpuits stop refining in Q1 2021 and will stop storing petroleum products by the end of 2023, paving the way for a biorefinery that would focus on renewable diesel and bioplastics. Europoort Refinery, Netherlands (88 kbpd) Operator: Gunvor. Future: Permanent Closure / Import Terminal. Gunvor happens to feature more prominently than other companies in our list of COVID-shattered refineries, announcing the closure of both its Antwerp and Rotterdam refineries. Despite it being the smallest refinery in the Netherlands, closing the Rotterdam Refinery is perhaps a less evident decision, considering that the Cyprus-based trading firm only bought in 2016 from Kuwait Petroleum International and has been entertaining ambitious plans to boost Europoorts already existing units (Nelson complexity of 7.8) with a delayed coker unit. As the plans never really materialized, Gunvor struggled to keep the refinery competitive. In fact, Europoorts first crude distillation unit went offstream even before the COVID pandemic in November 2019 the second CDU first ceased operations for maintenance in March 2020 and was never brought back. As of today, there is no clear understanding of how Europoort would look in the mid-to-long term, with Gunvor stating that it would prefer to focus on sustainable fuels. Related: Get Ready For Big Oils Most Important Earnings Season Ever Porto Refinery, Portugal (110 kbpd) Operator: Galp. Future: Permanent Closure / Import Terminal. Portugal wielded two refineries in Porto (Matosinhos) and Sines, adequately located in the north and south so as to cover the totality of national demand. In the last days of 2020, the Portuguese national oil company Galp announced that it would shut down Porto in 2021, first the fuels production, to be followed subsequently by the bitumen, base oils and aromatics units at some point in the future. Galp stated that Portos closure was on the cards in the medium term, however it would be a wild overstatement to say that the Portuguese firm planned anything before the mid-2020s. Yet when the second wave of COVID hit Portugal again, Galp halted refining operations on October 10, as it turned out subsequently, for good. Interestingly, Matosinhos is much more complex than Sines (Nelson at 10.7 as opposed to 7.7), despite being a decade older. The closure of the Porto Refinery will mean that pre-2020 flows of Arab Light and Angolan grades like Clov or Girassol will cease. Naantali Refinery, Finland (58 kbpd) Operator: Neste. Future: Import terminal. Naantali, the smaller of Finlands two refineries (Nelson complexity of 7.1), stopped refining in March 2021 and will now transition towards its future role as an import terminal, having some 50 MMbbls of aggregate storage capacity across the site. The future of Finlands refining will thus hinge on the 197kbpd Porvoo Refinery which, however, will also see its fair share of transformation it will co-process crude and renewable feedstocks. In Europes vanguard in terms of sustainable aviation fuel and sustainable diesel production, Neste is betting big on become the prime European pioneer of sustainable fuels. All the while cutting conventional downstream assets at home, Neste has bought Bunges Rotterdam-based specialty oil and fat-producing refinery in November 2020 and is actively looking into building another renewables refinery in Rotterdam. By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Chewing gum is the simplest way to distract your brain and get 'annoying songs' out of your head, according to scientists. Earworms, which effect 92 percent of all adults, can last days leaving the sufferer agitated and sick of whatever song it is that has 'got stuck in their head'. Australian scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, who has degrees in medicine and biomedical engineering, revealed the quick hack to banishing repetitive songs is to chew gum. Australian scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, who has degrees in medicine and biomedical engineering, revealed the quick hack to banishing repetitive songs is to chew gum Earworms, which effect 92 percent of all adults, can last days leaving the sufferer agitated and very sick of whatever song it is that has 'got stuck in their head' 'For some unknown reason the same pathways in your brain that are used for programming your repeated jaw movement are also used for replaying music in your mind,' he said. The topic came up after a young woman called Triple J during the popular scientist's regular question-answering segment. Hearing her complaint led the doctor to start singing his own version of Lady Gaga's song 'Bad Romance' which he says is one of the world's most successful earworms. 'Our brains are kind of pre wired to embrace music,' he said, explaining the annoying habit most people contend with at some point. He said earworms are driven by spontaneous cognition which is something which helps humans keep a high level of background alertness. The scientist said other methods include 'rinsing the brain' of the song by playing it over again, or to go completely cold turkey and not listen to it at all. What is an earworm? An earworm is the term given to a set of lyrics or tune which gets stuck, usually on loop, in your head. Also known as Involuntary Musical Imagery, is a catchy and/or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person's mind even after it is no longer being played or spoken about. Most people experience an earworm once a week. Advertisement The caller phone back ten minutes after being given the advise and said chewing gum did actually get the song out of her head, but complained the doctor's rendition of Lady Gaga's song had replaced it. Dr Karl said earworms have several characteristics. They are usually songs from your culture, they are usually faster than regular songs, have a certain degree of repetition and has 'unusual features'. For thousands of years these catchy, unforgettable songs, were used to tell stories and share survival techniques. Generations of knowledge would be passed down, the doctor said. The scientist said other methods include 'rinsing the brain' of the song by playing it over again, or to go completely cold turkey and not listen to it at all Scientists believe earworms are a benign form of rumination - the intrusive and repetitive thoughts associated with depression. Which means these could also be switched off by chewing gum. Other tactics to get rid of earworms include reading to yourself, listening to a different song or playing an instrument. This is because they also uses the same section of the brain - distracting it from the song loop. Recently, Dr Karl revealed the theories behind getting stitches, known as transient abdominal pain, during exercise, and it has nothing to do with your fitness level. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, who has degrees in medicine and biomedical engineering, recently explained the three theories behind stitches, or exercise related transient abdominal pain The first theory is that the body hasn't got enough blood pumping through it during intense exercise and the second is that the bouncing of the body cause strain on ligaments 'holding everything together'. The third is that the slippery lining of the gut is being irritated by the organs as they move around. Dr Karl carefully explained the three theories and why two of them don't quite fit the bill. Theory number one - a lack of blood. The much-loved scientist said that this theory sprung up because of the idea that when you are running you are not getting enough blood into your diaphragm muscles. 'So your lungs go up and down and therefore it begins to hurt, and it is what they call an angina,' he said. The real reason behind why we get stitches when we exercise has been revealed - and it is nothing to do with being unfit as 20percent of professional runners suffer with the medical phenomenon What is a stitch? A stitch, or ETAP (exercise related transient pain) is an uncomfortable pain many people feel during exercise. It is still not known why we get stitches but the latest theory suggests it is due to irritation of the parietal peritoneum, which is the slippery lining of the gut cavity. Stitches can effect anyone, even professionals, up to 20 per cent of professional runners still experience them. Not all stitches are the same, 80 per cent are sharp pain while 20 per cent are dull pain. Scientists aren't sure why this is. Advertisement The only problem is you can get stitches when doing activities that don't involve heavy breathing - for example camel or bike riding. So the second theory was born. Theory number two - mechanical stress in the visceral ligaments. The visceral ligaments help to keep your gut, which starts below the lungs and finishes at the top of the legs, contained and in its place. 'In theory when you are pulling on these back and forwards you do get some irritation hence the stitch or the exercise related transient abdominal pain,' Dr Karl said. This would account for pain in running and also with activities like motorbike riding. But there are still problems with the theory - because swimmers get stitches too, but their body isn't being bounced around. So this leads the current idea. Theory three - the irritation of the parietal peritoneum. The parietal peritoneum is the slippery lining of the gut cavity, which runs from the bottom of the lungs to the top of the legs. This membrane is smooth and slippery 'so all your ten metres of gut and everything else can sort of slip around and slide inside it,' Dr Karl explained. 'And if a stomach is really full it can press on this peritoneum and irritate it in two different ways, of course the extra physical pressure plus when you have had a big meal your stomach will suck water out of anything thats around and that will also dry things out,' he said. This current theory leads to solutions - or ideas on how to prevent stitches from occurring, Dr Karl said. Avoiding exercise for two hours after a heavy meal can help reduce the risk of getting a stitch, as can avoiding highly sweetened drinks. Dr Karl also recommends drinking 'those isotonic drinks which have 6% carbohydrates' during exercise. Job Title: Fleet and Distribution Assistant Organisation: Baylor College of Medicine Childrens Foundation -Uganda (Baylor-Uganda) Duty Station: Uganda About US: Baylor College of Medicine Childrens Foundation -Uganda (Baylor-Uganda) is an indigenous not-for-profit child health and development organisation affiliated to the Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative (BIPAI), a Network of pediatrics HIV/AIDS care and treatment Childrens Clinical Centers of Excellence and international program offices in 11 countries across Africa, Easter Europe and North America. Job Summary: The Fleet and Distribution Assistant will provide safe driving support, general administration and logistical support in line with the fleet management policy. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Maintain the motor vehicle in a road worthy good mechanical condition, track insurance and arrange regular maintenance in line with Baylor Uganda fleet management policy and the Road Safety Act. Transport staff and authorized person(s) under approved safety conditions to official meetings and field missions in accordance with the Baylor Uganda fleet management policy and Road Safety Act. Monitor safety and custody of supplies carried to minimize losses and damage of property while in transit in accordance with the Baylor Uganda fleet management policy and the Road Safety Act. Maintain records of motor vehicle, official trip movement, daily mileage logs, fuel consumed and preparation of fuel accountabilities in line with Baylor Uganda fleet management policy. Maintain the cleanliness of the vehicle and the image of Baylor-Uganda to the public through road discipline in line with the Baylor Uganda fleet management policy and the National Road Safety Guidelines Collect, deliver official mails, packages, equipment to respective destinations and ensure they are signed for and acknowledged by the recipient Provide assistance to administration with office management tasks such as photocopying, handling Delivery of goods; and hard paper mails, documents and correspondences Participate and offer administrative support in workshops, working groups, trainings and meetings, especially ensure all participants who are entitled to any payments are registered on the Mobile Money Form plus supporting photo/video documentation Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant for the Baylor Fleet and Distribution Assistant job placement should hold an O level certificate with a valid driving permit, A basic administrative & transport management course Defensive driving training with Knowledge of basic mechanics Five years of related working experience NOTE: Applications should include a cover letter, CV, daytime telephone contact, three traceable professional references and certified UNEB certificates as well as certified University Transcripts You must have at least a credit 6 in MATHEMATICS and ENGLISH at Ordinary Level (UCE). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview. Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. How to Apply: All qualified and interested candidates should apply online at the link below. Click Here Deadline: 30th April 2021 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline The government of Ukraine has granted an operating licence to the Interim Spent Fuel Facility 2 (ISF-2) at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. On the 35th anniversary of the nuclear accident, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree permitting the operation of the new plant, which has been financed by the international community and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The ISF-2 is a key project in the decommissioning of the Chernobyl site, as it will provide safe and secure storage for the more than 21,000 spent fuel assemblies of Chernobyl reactors 1, 2 and 3, currently stored in an ageing facility. In the coming years, they will be transported to the ISF-2, where they will be processed, packaged in double-walled canisters and stored in concrete modules. Balthasar Lindauer, EBRD Director, Nuclear Safety, said: We welcome this major step forward in the transformation of the Chernobyl site. The safe storage of the spent nuclear fuel is crucial in creating a safe and secure environment. Todays decision is also a big boost to the efforts of the international community and the EBRD, who remain committed to supporting Ukraine in the next steps of the decommissioning process. The first waste canister containing highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been successfully processed and will now be safely stored for at least a 100 years. More videos The ISF-2 is the largest dry spent fuel storage facility in the world and has a minimum lifespan of 100 years. The facility cost 400 million and was financed with contributions from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The EBRD manages the international donor communitys funds to transform Chernobyl into a safe and secure environment and has also made financial contributions to this effort. STORY LINK Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) Exchange Rate Rises as Canadas Covid-19 Situation Reaches Critical Levels GBP/CAD Exchange Rate Edges Higher as Canada Faces Critical Stage of Covid-19 Pound (GBP) Exchange Rate Rises as UK Optimism Returns Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) Exchange Rate Forecast: Could a Hawkish BoC Boost the Loonie? Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate rose today because of rising concerns over Canadas Covid-19 resurgence. The pairing is currently trading around CA$1.73.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently commented that Canadas Covid-19 situation has become critical.Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam also commented:Elevated case counts and severe illness trends remind us we are still in a right race between vaccines and variants and our actions matter.As a result, the Canadian Dollar to Pound exchange rate has suffered from fears that the nation could be facing another spik in Covid-19 cases.The Bank of Canada (BoC) has also become more hawkish about the outlook for the Canadian economy.Greg Taylor, a portfolio manager at Purpose Investments, commented:The fact that the Bank of Canada is now starting to take the foot off the gas... it is the first sign of what's going to happen and be the big story for the second half of the year.Consequently, we could see the CAD/GBP exchange rate head higher if the outlook for Canadas economy continues to improve.The Pound (GBP) rose today as UK Covid-19 cases and deaths remains relatively low, with bars, restaurants, and non-essential shops remaining open.Jeremy Thomson-Cook, chief economist at international business payments firm Equals Money, commented on Britains economic situation:The dichotomy of rising Covid-19 cases globally but a UK that is enjoying reopened bars, restaurants and shops should continue to work in the pounds favour should the vaccination program continue to progress, the hospitalisation rate remain low and border controls stay in place to eliminate the risk of further outbreaks.As a result, Sterling has benefited from rising optimism in the nations ability to recover its economy to pre-pandemic levels by next 2022.Growth next year is now predicted to reach its highest levels since the Second World War.Ian Stewart, the chief economist at Deloitte, explains:The UK is primed for a sharp snapback in consumer activity. High levels of saving, the successful vaccination rollout and the easing of the lockdown set the stage for a surge in spending over the coming months.Canadian Dollar (CAD) investors will be awaiting Tuesdays speech from the Bank of Canadas (BoC) Senior Deputy Governor Tiff Macklem.Any bullish comments about the Canadian economy would be CAD-positive.The oil-sensitive Loonie would also benefit from any indications that oil prices could head higher in the coming weeks or months.The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate could head higher this week if the outlook for the UKs economy continues to improve. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Canadian Dollar Forecasts Pound Canadian Dollar Forecasts The Board of Public Utilities will decide Tuesday if it will continue to award hundreds of millions in subsidies to PSE&G, the operator of New Jerseys three nuclear power plants. And if it does, youll see the money come out of your pocket even if youre not a PSE&G customer. The question before the board is whether or not the power company needs the money as nuclear plants become increasingly less profitable. Critics and consumer advocates say the company should take the financial hit itself, but PSE&G insists the plants present a situation so dire it will be forced to shutter them without assistance. A shutdown would put New Jersey farther from its carbon-neutral energy goals. This wont be new money on your bill, but a continued rate hike. PSE&G first won about $300 million in annual subsidies in a controversial 2019 BPU decision. The subsidies are zero emissions credits, known as ZECs for short. They became available under a law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018 to promote clean energy. But things have changed, critics say. The coronavirus shutdowns have put many out of work and hampered local businesses. The extra charge tacked on to each bill means more to consumers. And electric usage is likely up now as many people work and spend more time at home. With more people struggling financially, the estimated $41 a year per customer takes new significance. Theres already a moratorium on energy shutoffs through the end of June to help those who are struggling. These are profitable plants, we didnt think they deserved this handout from the beginning, said Stefanie Brand, director of the Rate Counsel, the body that advocates for utility customers. We now have about a million households in this state that are struggling to pay their bills. Their plants may not be as profitable as PSE&G would like, theyre still as far as were concerned profitable. Because the companies are unregulated, much of the financial information is private. That leaves outsiders guessing how much the energy company really needs a handout. The plants include Salem 1 and 2 reactors owned by PSE&G and Exelon, as well as the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station owned solely by PSE&G. All are in Lower Alloways Creek in Salem County. If the plants didnt need help, we would not be asking for help, said Rick Thigpen, a senior vice president at PSE&G. This option actually is less expensive to ratepayers than the option these rate payers are proposing. Its a simple case of supply and demand, he said. If the plants close, more customers will be pushed to other energy sources, causing a price jump. The nuclear plants have seen their heyday. They were profitable over the years, but the falling price of natural gas has made it difficult for them to compete. Keeping the plants in place until 2050 also assumes they will function past their expected lifespan. That means costly repairs that will continue to threaten their profitability. But fossil fuels, like natural gas, are priced artificially low, Thigpen said. Their impact becomes costly to consumers over time. The prices will rise in that scenario higher than they would if you just continue the program to keep nuclear alive, he said. This program is actually a friend of the consumer, not an enemy of the consumer. Murphy signed a law in 2018 creating the subsidies. It came alongside a measure that set aggressive goals for the state to turn away from greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the goal of 50% clean energy for the state by 2030, New Jersey needs the nuclear plants. They produce 90% of the states carbon-free energy and around 40% of the states total energy and employ about 1,600 people, according to PSE&G. PSE&G has spent millions in lobbying and threatened to shutter the plants or neglect repairs without the subsidies. Exelon shut down another plant, the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Facility, in Ocean County in 2018. In nearly 50 years of operation, it offset 143 million metric tons of carbon and had a $3.43 billion local economic impact. But environmentalists tend to oppose the plants and favor putting resources into clean and renewable energy, like solar and wind. While nuclear plants dont produce carbon emissions, they do produce toxic waste that is piling up from decades of use. Holtec, which took over the Oyster Creek site, said earlier this year it is exploring a modern nuclear reactor at the site. It has received $147 million, most of it from the federal government, to research and develop such a reactor. For the average residential customer, Thigpen said, the cost of the plants comes out of about $3 a month. Its determined by mega kilowatt hour used. Those add up for commercial customers. Steven Goldberg, an attorney who represents large energy consumers, says the subsidies cost his clients an average of $575,000 per year. For some, the bills go as high as $1 million extra. The large energy consumers include heavy industries, but also pharmaceutical companies and colleges. He sees PSE&Gs tactics before the board as bullying. Whats frustrating is in order to get their way, were seeing a pattern develop that the companies threaten to close the plant if they dont get the subsidy or the amount of subsidy that theyve demanded, Goldberg. Even after collecting the subsidies and coming back for more, theres no guarantee the plants will remain open. But a recent new court decision favors PSE&G and the board. A state appellate court in March upheld the 2019 decision, bringing the end to a two-year lawsuit brought by Brand and dashing arguments that claimed PSE&G did not need the subsidies to keep the plants afloat. The Rate Counsel appealed, asking the state Supreme Court to review the decision. To Brand, the latest attempt by PSE&G to secure more money is just another shakedown. Theyre using the fact that they have these power plants that dont emit greenhouse gases, and theyre holding us hostage to get more money, Brand said. We dont get any assurances for it. They are not guaranteeing that theyre going to keep these plants open. Editors note: This story has been corrected to show Oyster Creek was located in Ocean County. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Amanda Hoover may be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. An Olyphant volunteer firefighter pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges filed over his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Michael J. Rusyn, 35, Olyphant, who had not spoken publicly about his arrest, said little during the detention hearing in Washington, D.C., which took place via Zoom before U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey. Yes, your honor, Rusyn said several times from his Olyphant home in response to Harveys questions, including whether he understood the conditions that allow him to remain free until his trial. The conditions include no travel to Washington, D.C., except for matters related to the criminal charges; no travel outside the 33-county Middle District of Pennsylvania federal court territory without approval from a federal pretrial services officer; no international travel without a judges approval; no possession of guns or other dangerous weapons; no illegal drug use; no excessive alcohol use; no drunken driving; mandatory drug testing and substance abuse treatment as directed by a pretrial services officer; weekly calls to a pretrial services officer to verify his address; and compliance with all local, state and federal laws. I do, Rusyn said when a court officer asked if he swore to comply with the conditions, virtually identical to those set by Magistrate Judge Joseph Saporito in the Middle District when Rusyn was arrested April 9. Assistant Federal Public Defender Andrea Dechenne Bergman, who normally works in a New Jersey federal court district, was appointed Rusyns lawyer. Bergman said the next hearing date for Rusyn is June 22 at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson. Reached by telephone after the hearing, Rusyn again declined to comment. He is charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, the Capitol; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, the Capitol; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Rusyn, a volunteer firefighter with Liberty Hose Company 6, joined a group of people who tried to enter the U.S. House chamber and called Capitol Police fending them off traitors. They chanted threateningly against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and stop the steal, a rallying cry that falsely claims vote fraud cost President Donald Trump re-election. Rusyn held a cellphone and recorded the encounter, according to a criminal complaint. Rusyn told investigators he was pushed into the building by the crowd and was injured trying to take broomsticks with hooks and nails in them and other weapons away from other people. As the protesters tried to enter the House, Rusyns congressman, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, and many other House members fled down a narrow stairway elsewhere in the chamber. The rioters, Trump loyalists, tried to stop Congress from certifying Scranton native Joe Bidens election as president. Five people died that day, four of natural causes, including a Capitol officer who was attacked by rioters but who died of strokes later. The other death was a rioter who died when another Capitol officer shot her as the crowd tried to bash doors and windows to get inside. Investigators have charged more than 350 people in the riot, including two others from Northeast Pennsylvania former Old Forge School Director Frank Scavo, 58, and Annie Howell, 30, of Swoyersville. The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond isnt just a celebrity chef. Shes a mother of four who lives and works on a ranch with her husband, Ladd Drummond, and it just so happens she became a celebrity chef in the process. But Drummond will be the first one to say that she doesnt always have it as together as it seemed on TV including the time a controlled fire came a bit too close to the Drummonds lodge. The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond poses with her husband, Ladd Drummond | Monica Schipper/Getty Images Ree Drummonds family owns more than 400,000 acres of land Drummond has made a massive name for herself through her cooking show, but in Oklahoma, the Drummonds are known for much more. Ladd Drummond and his family are some of the top landowners in the country. The Drummond ranch is a whopping 433,000 acres or about half the size of Rhode Island. The Drummonds own a cattle company, which explains the massive amount of land. Drummond films her show at the familys lodge, and when cameras pan to the lodges exterior, viewers catch a small glimpse of the vast land. Plenty of work goes into maintaining that land, though, including controlled fires. But things once got a bit out of hand. The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond poses with her husband Ladd (far right) and three of their kids | Monica Schipper/Getty Images RELATED: The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Once Spoke On Her Feelings Toward All the Fame: Im Not the Famous Type Ree Drummond once explained how a controlled burn caused visitors to evacuate her ranch Drummond is used to the activity on the ranch, but ranch life can be dangerous. While speaking with Oklahoma Horizon TV, Drummond revealed why she was a few hours late to the interview. Her husband mainly oversees the activity on the ranch, but the lands controlled burning gave them a surprise that day. We had controlled burning on the ranch, and the fire jumped the road that it wasnt supposed to jump, Drummond said. We actually had some lodge tours going on out on the ranch So I wound up rounding them all up and having them follow me out the back door, Drummond said. Drummond said the fire jumping is something that happens a lot. Thankfully, everyone made it out safely, and they were able to get the fire back under control. However, it did make Drummond late for that interview. This is my life for the past 20 years, Drummond says of her authenticity in being a ranchers wife. The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond in 2019 | Tyler Essary/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank Ree Drummond wasnt planning to become a rancher Though Drummond has grown accustomed to her lifestyle, she wasnt planning on marrying a rancher and settling down in the middle of Oklahoma. Drummond, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, had attended school in California. Following her graduation, she was planning to attend law school in Chicago. Things changed when Drummond met her husband in an Oklahoma bar. And once they started dating, she knew she was in it for the long haul. Drummond opted to forego her law school plans and settle down with Ladd. The two were married in 1996, and the rest is history. In many parts of Germany, nursing staff have been working at their limits for over a year now. But now, in the middle of the countrys third wave of the pandemic, doctors, nurses and caregivers are faced with a new threat: clinics are laying off personnel to boost profits. This is a slap in the face of caregivers and nursing staff, for whom this will mean increased workload and even greater stress. For days now there has been a steady stream of news in the German media about planned layoffs and clinic closures. In Bremen, the municipal clinic association Gesundheit Nord (Geno) is in the process of cutting 440 full-time position. In order to get in the black, the Bremen senate coalition of Social Democrats, Left Party and Greens wants to cut more than one in five jobs in the clinic association by 2024. Striking nursing staff at the Berlin Charite hospital Bremens health senator Claudia Bernhard (Left Party) is also chairwoman of Genos supervisory board. She has defended the decision and glossed over the job cuts by claiming that nursing staff are not affected by layoffs. In reality, among those laid off are many nurses currently on temporary and contract work, nurses in their probation period as well as nursing assistants. In Cologne, the municipal hospitals are to be merged with the university hospital forming a Charite of the West in order to save 40 million euro. Several hundred jobs will be eliminated through synergy effects. Here, too, it can be assumed that the service sector union Verdi, which claims to be against compulsory redundancies, will support the reduction of non-permanent employees, just like the Left Party does in Bremen. In the city of Bernkastel-Kues on the Moselle river, the Median Group is in the process of closing one of four rehabilitation clinics, initially for two months. Together, the four clinics 630 employees care for more than 800 patients. In the last eight years, Median has already cut one in ten jobs in the Kueser Plateau region and closed one of its original five clinics. For weeks, nursing staff in Bernkastel-Kues have been fighting this exploitation and the reduction in wages. Every Thursday they march through the parks with banners and posters pointing out that they have not received a pay raise in seven years. Not even a promised one-time special pandemic payment of 1500 euro has been disbursed by the Median Group. Many nursing staff now assume that the closure of the rehabilitation clinic is a deliberate lockout and an act of intimidation to forestall a strike in May. In Ingelheim on the Rhine, a specialized COVID-19 clinic was closed in December, even though it remains sorely needed during the pandemic. But economic consultants at the Bertelsmann Foundation deemed Ingelheim expensive and inefficient. The closure liquidates 190 jobs. In Goppingen in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, nursing staff are currently demonstrating against the planned closure of the Helfenstein Clinic. There, 135 jobs are threatened in the medical and nursing fields alone. Last year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, numerous hospitals were closed. In the state of Saarland, the Marienhausklinik Ottweiler was shuttered. In Bavaria, both the Schon-Klinik in Furth as well as two hospitals of the Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG (Waldsassen and Vohenstrauss) were closed. In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, two hospitals in the city of Essen were closed including Marienhospital Altenessen and St. Vinzenz in Essen-Stoppenberg. In the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in addition to the Ingelheim Clinic, the two Loreley Clinics in St. Goar and Oberwesel were closed, just like the Diakonissen Hospital in Lehnin in the state of Brandenburg. Numerous further closures are also expected to follow this year. One example is the hospital in the Dresden city district of Neustadt/Trachau, 97 percent of which will be shuttered. In almost every case, furious residents have protested the closures, which are always justified by economic reasons. Each time, dozens if not hundreds more caregivers are thrown out of their jobs. The program plusminus of the German broadcaster ARD said of the wave of clinic closures: In the shadow of Corona, the dismantling is being driven forward. It went on to explain, Novembers second hospital bailout is only for clinics with emergency levels 2 and 3 - which are almost exclusively the 400 or so large maximum care providers. The smaller ones will come away empty-handed. Primarily the large, private health care groups, such as Fresenius-Helios will survive the crisis. One of the worlds largest hospital groups, Fresenius-Helios is a screaming example of how private hospital chains are enriching themselves during the pandemic at the expense of nursing staff and patients. In pandemic year 2020, the Fresenius-Helios Group in Germany made a profit of 602 million euro. The company had weathered the Corona pandemic well, explained CEO Stephan Sturm at the annual press conference in February 2021, as reported by the ARD magazine FAKT on April 13 in a feature on the Herzzentrum (Heart Centre) Leipzig, which belongs to Fresenius. Herzzentrum Leipzig generated a net profit of 23 million euro in 2020, an increase of seven million euro or 43 percent compared to the previous year. Despite this, Fresenius is exerting even more pressure on nursing staff in the interests of its shareholders. Profits are expected to grow by a further five to nine percent per year until 2023. To this end, an additional ten percent of physician positions are to be cut and temporary contracts are to be phased out. FAKT quotes anonymous doctors, who already provide 140 percent of the normal service, as saying: Many of us already cant do any more. And, We are seen as part of a machine, and the patients as a product. Thats what were fighting back against. According to the financial paper Handelsblatt, Fresenius is one of the few German companies to belong to the illustrious circle of dividend aristocrats. The companys dividend has climbed steadily for 28 continuous years. The Handelsblatt writes: The health care group Fresenius has increased its dividend by an average of almost 25 percent over the past ten years. At first glance, the yield of one percent is modest. But the reason for this is a pleasing one: The share price rose rapidly over the same periodfrom 10 euro to over 90 euro. This pleasing return is literally being generated from the bones of the nursing staff. The job cuts are not only affecting hospitals: increasingly the red pen is being applied to senior citizens and nursing homes, too. There are several current examples of this from Switzerland. The Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten reported succinctly on the wave of layoffs in nursing homes: The strain on nursing facilities during the first wave was great. Nursing staff suffered as a result. Now it is going to the other extreme. There is under-occupancy in the homes. As an example, the report points to layoffs at the Uzwil (St. Gallen) senior centre. Another example is a retirement home run by the Amalie-Widmer Foundation in Horgen, which has just laid off 45 nursing staff, almost one in six. Sixty percent of nursing homes in Switzerland are complaining of under-occupancy as a result of the pandemic. Quite a few will respond by slashing jobs, an example that Germany will increasingly follow. It is the height of cynicism that nursing positions in homes and hospitals are being cut as a result of the impact of the pandemic last fall and winter. Even before the pandemic, nurses repeatedly protested staffing shortages, but went unheard. Then two waves of pandemic increased the work pressure unspeakably. Many nursing staff were infected with COVID-19 at work. According to a study by the insurance provider AOK, geriatric care and health care are the two occupational groups most affected by COVID-19. The current twelve-month balance sheet shows that for every 100,000 care workers insured with AOK, 5409 in geriatric care and 5338 in nursing were on sick leave due to a coronavirus infection. This means that more than one in twenty caregivers has experienced moderate to severe COVID-19. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports that in Germany nearly 82,000 health care workers and nearly 62,000 nursing home workers have contracted COVID-19. About three percent of them had to be hospitalized. The real numbers are far higher. As the RKI itself acknowledges, it should be taken into account that this information is only available for a subset of COVID-19 cases. Many caregivers have paid for their efforts with their lives. The RKI lists 81 cases of staff who died of COVID-19 after working in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, doctors offices, dialysis facilities, or emergency medical services. For employees in nursing facilities, the figure rises to 168 deaths. This means that, according to officially known figures, nearly 250 caregivers in hospitals or nursing homes have died after being infected with the virus. Globally, an average of one health care worker has died from COVID-19 every 30 minutes, according to Amnesty International. At the same time, tens of thousands of nursing home residents and patients have also died a sad coronavirus death, which many pension funds, one must assume, were none too sad about. And now, the bottom line is that caregivers are being made to pay once again for the pandemic in the form of layoffs and ever greater work stress. A female soldier has been sacked from the Army after throttling and headbutting her wife in a series of drunken rages. Gunner Renee Mulcahy pleaded guilty to beating up her civilian wife Sophie Penfold on several occasions at their home on Thorney Island in West Sussex. The 32-year-old admitted five counts of assault by battery and one charge of misconduct through alcohol and was dismissed from the military at a court martial. Gunner Renee Mulcahy (left) pleaded guilty to beating up her civilian wife Sophie Penfold (pictured together before their split) Mulcahy (pictured) admitted five counts of assault by battery and one charge of misconduct through alcohol and was dismissed from the military at a court martial The pair met in 2012, before Gnr Mulcahy (left) joined the Army in 2017. Pictured, the couple on their wedding day Mulcahy (right) beat her wife (left) at their service accommodation at Baker Barracks on Thorney Island, West Sussex Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard the pair met in 2012, before Gnr Mulcahy joined the Army in 2017. They moved into service accommodation at Baker Barracks on Thorney Island, West Sussex in 2018 and married later that year. Prosecutor Lyndsay Zalkin said the first assault happened after an argument about how much Gnr Mulcahy had drunk that night. She then grabbed Ms Penfold's throat while calling her a c**t. During the summer of 2019, Gnr Mulcahy came home at 2am 'drunk and angry' and gripped her wife by the throat then headbutted her while she lay in bed. In December 2019, Ms Penfold packed her bags to leave but Gnr Mulcahy pushed her before 'swinging full force' to punch her in the head, missing and hitting a door. The couple spent Christmas apart, but by March 2020 they were living together again when Gnr Mulcahy came home drunk and slammed her wife against the wall and grabbed her by the throat. Ms Penfold called the on-site guards but once they left Mulcahy proceeded to punch and kick her wife. The following morning Ms Penfold reported the soldier, who was removed from the house before the relationship ended. Months later Gnr Mulcahy broke into her estranged wife's accommodation while drunk to take one of their dogs. In August 2020, Gnr Mulcahy stayed at Ms Penfold's home to look after the dogs while she was away. When she returned, Gnr Mulcahy pushed her into a kitchen cupboard and poured a cup of cold coffee over her. Judge Advocate General Alan Large dismissed Gnr Mulcahy (right) from the military Ms Zalkin read a witness statement from Ms Penfold, in which she expressed her shock 'that someone you thought loved you could lay their hands on you' and said she was no longer a 'confident, fun and bubbly person'. Judge Advocate General Alan Large dismissed Gnr Mulcahy, who was serving in the 12th Royal Artillery regiment at the time, from the military. She was also handed an 18 month service community order, requiring her to fulfil 60 rehabilitation days and 90 days of an abstinence monitoring programme. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs participation in the ASEAN Leaders Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 23 and 24, his first overseas trip as the Government leader of Vietnam, has reflected the countrys great endeavour to contribute to the blocs common efforts in resolving many emerging issues. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the ASEAN Leaders Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia This meeting was the first in-person event among ASEAN leaders in 2021 and after nearly 18 months ASEAN meetings had to take place via videoconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with the media after the trip, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung said the meeting was held amid new and very complex COVID-19 outbreaks in many regional countries. However, regional leaders were still determined to meet face-to-face, showing the member states commitment and enormous efforts to overcome difficulties and deal with urgent issues emerging. The Vietnamese PM attended the meeting less than 20 days after he took office, which demonstrated the countrys proactiveness, activeness, and responsibility for regional issues. With its stature in ASEAN, especially after serving as Chair of the grouping in 2020 and now the only ASEAN member in the United Nations Security Council and the Council President for April, Vietnams participation and contributions were highly expected by the international and regional community, and the Vietnamese delegation led by PM Chinh has met that expectation. Dung elaborated that the PMs opinions and proposals received support from other ASEAN leaders as they matched the blocs current concerns and priorities, especially COVID-19 control, recovery promotion, and ways to effectively respond to new matters. The PM took the occasion to promote the outcomes achieved during the 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship, and integrate the issues Vietnam has interests in like the East Sea and the Mekong River ones into ASEANs cooperation orientations. He asked ASEAN to pay attention to narrowing the development gap in sub-regions, including the Mekong sub-region, and ensuring that no regions or areas are left behind, particularly when COVID-19 impacts are widening the development gap in ASEAN, Dung noted. The Vietnamese leader held that the trust and goodwill of relevant sides should be reflected via actions in reality and the avoidance of any move that may escalate tensions or complicate the situation. He emphasised that ASEAN should sustain its principled stance on the East Sea issue, including maintaining peace, stability, security, and safety of navigation and overflight; complying with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); seriously implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and soon finalising an efficient and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters, according to Deputy Minister Dung. Sharing other leaders viewpoints on international and regional issues of common concern, including the Myanmar situation, PM Chinh affirmed the respect for the principle of not intervening in other states internal affairs, but noted that with the spirit of solidarity of a community, ASEAN could not neglect the issues affecting the regions common stability and development. According to Deputy FM Dung, the Vietnamese PMs proposals about ways ASEAN can assist Myanmar have many things in common with other ASEAN leaders opinions, which are sending the blocs representatives to this country to learn about the situation and meet related parties to promote dialogue and seek solutions, while augmenting humanitarian aid for people. Talking about efforts by Vietnam, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and President of the council for April, in maintaining balanced dialogue about Myanmar at the council, the PM recommended ASEAN countries and Myanmar coordinate closely together to join Vietnam in calling for partners to support the blocs role in seeking suitable, feasible, fundamental, and substantive solutions to the Myanmar issue, Dung went on. On the sidelines of the meeting, PM Chinh had a series of bilateral meetings with other ASEAN leaders, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo (host of the ASEAN Leaders Meeting), Bruneian Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (Chair of AEAN in 2021), Cambodian PM Hun Sen, Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong, and Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin. He also met with heads of other countries delegations like Laos, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar who congratulated Chinh on his new post and expressed their hope for his attention to enhancing bilateral ties. Via PM Chinhs first high-level diplomatic meetings with important partners in ASEAN, Vietnam reiterated the foreign policy issued at the 13th National Party Congress, which is attaching importance to developing the cooperation and traditional friendship with neighbouring and ASEAN countries, Dung said. The leaders of Vietnam and other countries discussed many strategic issues with important visions and orientations for their relations. They also agreed to work closely and support each other at international forums, including in strengthening ASEANs centrality and reinforcing links between the bloc and the UN. PM Chinh also reiterated Vietnams consistent stance on the East Sea issue, stressing the importance of adhering to international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. Deputy FM Dung concluded that the outcomes of the bilateral activities have created a solid foundation for implementing Vietnams foreign policy towards important partners right from the beginning of the new Government term, noting that they were also a positive start helping to set up the cooperative ties and friendship between PM Chinh and other ASEAN leaders./. VNA dnata, one of the worlds largest air and travel services providers, has enhanced its global leadership team, announcing key senior management appointments. The new set-up will help the company decisively adapt to changing global trends, drive synergies and efficiencies across its operations, and continue to deliver excellent services and value to customers. John Bevan has been appointed Divisional Senior Vice President for Travel and will oversee all aspects of dnatas travel business, managing a portfolio of over 30 reputable B2B and consumer brands across more than 20 countries. Bevan has been with dnata for over three years, most recently leading dnata Travel Europe as Chief Executive Officer. Before joining dnata he held a number of senior positions within the travel industry in the UK and US. Bevans appointment is effective June 1. Stewart Angus has been appointed Divisional Senior Vice President for Airport Operations. Angus has been managing dnatas international ground handling and cargo business since 2004. In his new role, he will also lead the companys extensive airport operations at the two Dubai airports in the UAE, ensuring world-class quality and safety for airline customers in a total of 14 countries. Robin Padgett, who has been leading dnatas global catering operations for seven years, will also expand his responsibilities and become Divisional Senior Vice President for Catering and Retail. The expansion of Padgetts role is in line with the companys strategy to promote buy on board and further diversity of its catering operations. Padgett will manage a team of dedicated culinary and retail professionals delivering superior, innovative products and services to customers across various industries in 12 countries. All of dnatas three Divisional Senior Vice Presidents will report to Steve Allen, Executive Vice President. Allen said: Im pleased to announce enhancements to our global leadership team. The appointment of John to the management team and the expansion of our experienced leaders roles will help us emerge from the current, challenging environment as a fitter, leaner business that consistently provides service excellence to customers across the globe. With our highly-trained, customer-oriented team we will continue to work hard and enhance our operations to be the worlds most admired air and travel services provider. A trusted partner of over 300 airline customers, dnata provides quality and safe ground handling, cargo, catering and travel services in 35 countries. In the financial year 2019-20 dnatas customer-oriented teams handled 681,000 aircraft, moved 2.9 million tons of cargo, uplifted more than 93 million meals and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of $3 billion. - TradeArabia News Service Officers across North Wales to carry life-saving spray for drug overdoses Officers across North Wales are set to be equipped with a nasal spray which acts as an antidote to a drugs overdose after two lives were saved during a pilot project The use of Naloxone has been championed by outgoing North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, who said it was one of his proudest achievements ahead of standing down at the election on May 6. According to North Wales Police, nobody will be forced to carry or use the spray but there was no shortage of volunteers who wanted to participate. Officers will use personal protective equipment and face masks if they need to administer it. The spray can be used to treat overdoses of drugs including heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers. Mr Jones, a long-time drug reform campaigner, said the reason he was so passionate about the rollout being expanded across North Wales was that the UK already had more drug deaths than anywhere else in Europe. The Covid-19 pandemic had made the situation even more urgent because people with problematic drugs use were going to be taking more dangerous alternatives if their drug of choice was in short supply. Flintshire saw 21 deaths due to drugs in the most recent two-year period, from 2016-2018, more than a fifth of the North Wales total. The first life saved in the trial happened a month earlier when another of the volunteer team, Sergeant Gill Roberts, based in Mold, was called to a hotel car park by officers who had found a man unconscious. Sergeant Roberts, a policewoman for 23 years, said: A firearms unit had found a man lying in the car park of the Holiday Inn in Northop after his family reported him missing with concerns around his mental health. Within 30 seconds after she used the spray, he regained consciousness and was taken to hospital. The Commissioner, a former police inspector, said: My vision had always been to rollout out this initiative across North Wales. Seeing this happen is one of my proudest moments during my term of office. Naloxone has already saved two lives in North Wales and it will now save many more lives in future. Thats incredibly important because the first principle of policing is that were there to save lives and protect people. Its part of our core business. Naloxone is like a defibrillator and I see no difference between it and using a defibrillator on someone who has had a heart attack. Im glad to say other forces are now looking to follow suit while Police Scotland have trained and deployed over 200 officers who can administer Naloxone and look to extend this to beyond 700. Mr Jones added: Id also like to thank Gill Roberts from Mold who has been at the forefront of sourcing the FFP3 masks for officers trained to administer Naloxone while Inspector Iwan Jones has been instrumental in getting this important initiative off the ground. Inspector Iwan Jones said: Getting the naloxone spray gives us something we can use to prevent a death. Its a simple nasal spray, theres no injections involved, and the officers have all undergone training in its use. Its something weve all volunteered to do. The victim probably wont be breathing and you simply put it into the nose and spray and it works virtually instantly, in two or three minutes. Deputy Chief Constable Richard Debicki has also played a key role in making the rollout happen. He said: The science behind Naloxone is well researched and its effectiveness in preventing death from overdoses is comprehensively documented. I am really grateful that some officers in Flintshire have been voluntarily carrying Naloxone over the past six months or so by way of a pilot, and Naloxone was used operationally on two occasions, both of which we believe resulted in saving of lives there was rightly a real sense of satisfaction from those officers deploying it on these occasions. The pilot in Flintshire has captured the attention of not only the UK media but also of other forces. North Wales Police is now seen as the flagship in this area of harm reduction and one and many other forces are now following our lead and exploring the use of Naloxone. We are really clear that at this time only officers who volunteer to do so will carry Naloxone. Anyone who does volunteer will get full training and support and can withdraw from the scheme at any time. This initiative undeniably supports the core priority for officers in protection and preservation of life. It will in no way replace or interfere with the ambulance service who will still be required to attend to the patient, however officers equipped with the Naloxone spray will be able to immediately administer as part of the initial first aid response and potentially save the patients life. Sample Reporting CMBS Surveillance Special Servicing We make it easy for our clients to extract the full value from the Intex data they license. Thetica Systems, long-time provider of custom pricing and analytics for structured finance, announces development of a new method of access to its proprietary infrastructure. Clients can now choose an Excel interface for CMBS, in addition to the web portal launched in 2020 or design of a fully custom interface to client specifications. Our goal is to provide the maximum in flexibility for our clients, said CEO and Founder Ariel Yankilevich. As an experienced Intex partner, we make it easy for our mutual clients to extract the full value from their licensed data. Whatever they imagine, we can help them to quickly implement. This additional functionality gives users the convenience of Excel in a flexible interface for the robust Thetica infrastructure that stores, processes, and delivers their licensed data, calculations, and scenarios. CMBS traders and portfolio managers can more easily visualize critical changes using their licensed Intex data integrated into Thetica analytics tools. The Excel interface gives users a friendly and familiar way to work, with a simplified installation and security process, added John Schaffner, Head of Production. We are beginning with database query access and plan to launch capability to run cashflows from the Excel interface in the third quarter of the year. The companys pricing and analytics platform can include a range of bond types in the same system. In addition to increasing efficiency, this unique benefit may reduce overall expense for CMBS, CLO, RMBS, and ABS portfolios. Clients are able to quickly design and implement individualized reports and obtain real-time alerts on key changes such as special servicing, delinquency, new appraisals, and so on. About Thetica Systems Thetica Systems provides powerful, flexible infrastructure for bond pricing and analytics systems. An experienced Intex partner, the company can implement any business logic, models, or client-licensed data from any source for CMBS, CLO, RMBS/CRT, and ABS portfolios. Clients include investment banks, hedge funds, accounting firms, professional services providers, asset management, brokers, dealers, and others that invest in or monitor structured finance securities. Users range from traders and trading desks, project managers, research and product controllers to risk managers, regulatory reporting, and IT. The word Thetica was created from the Greek letter theta, representing thought or reason, and etica, representing ethics. Thought, reason and ethics are essential elements of any successful business and commitment to this concept is embedded in the companys name. For more information visit the company website and LinkedIn page. Country Delight, a consumer-centric daily essential brand, has brought an end to the search of Indias best Tender Coconut Water through their engaging digital video commercial, featuring Sanjay Mishra. The brand aims to eliminate major consumer pain points that one faces while buying and consuming tender coconut water. The commercial titled The Hunt creates a sense of curiosity with a mysterious coconut man looking out for something unique, nudging the audience to a crescendo towards the end of DVC. Sanjay Mishra takes the audience through this journey, talking about his mission, walking through different cities, clearly showcasing disappointment with every tender coconut water he is offered. His search finally ends once he is introduced to Country Delights Country Coconut Water The DVC tries to bring forth all the hassles associated with a tender coconut, from taste to quantity of water to ease of opening, positing Country Coconut Waters exquisite packaging as the solution. Delivering right from the source, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu Country delight assures approximately 300 ml of fresh tender water, natural sweetness with an innovative packaging for easy consumption. As a part of the campaign, Country Delight has also shared their newly launched product with influencers to share their moment of delight with Country Coconut Water with their audience. Sharing thought on the campaign, Chakradhar Gade, Co-Founder, Country Delight, said, "We realized that a lot of our customers want to consume natural coconut water but are not able to because of issues like uncertainty in the amount of water, unpredictability of taste, lack of direct-to-home daily access and most importantly the struggle of opening a coconut. It is our obsession to give our customers 100% Natural products that has helped us solve all these problems and launch Indias best Coconut Water. We hope each and every Country Delight family enjoys this product and we will continue to disrupt many more traditional product categories like this to give our customers Naturally Acha & Naturally Sacha products." With the current restrictions in movement, Consumers can order the Country Coconut water through a first-of-its-kind mobile application that completely takes away the hassle of managing ones daily essential requirements. President Joe Biden was commended by Christians, as per a report, for deciding to call Turkey's murder of Armenian Christians a "genocide" during Saturday's 106th anniversary of the said tragic event. The Christian Post reported that the International Christian Concern released a statement that applauded Biden as being the "only president since Ronald Reagan" to condemn the said massacre for what it is. "President Biden is the only president since Ronald Reagan to refer to this mass atrocity perpetuated by Ottoman-era Turkish authorities against Armenian Christians as a genocide. The Turkish government has failed to take responsibility and has actively denied their role in this, allowing them to pursue genocidal policies against Armenians such as in Nagorno-Karabakh," ICC said in their statement. In the said statement, ICC noted Biden "mourned the many Armenians who had suffered and lost their lives during the genocide." ICC went on to say that past American presidents "opted not to use the word genocide" during the celebration of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day since they were pressured by the Turkish government. ICC also pointed out that Biden even took the effort to call the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, regarding his decision. "We at ICC commend President Biden for standing up to Turkey with this designation. Armenian Christians continue to suffer because of the systematic Ottoman campaign of 1915, and the United States owes it to the Armenian community to stand with them in solidarity by recognizing their suffering," said ICC Advocacy Director Matias Perttula in the statement. As heirs to the oldest Christian nation, Armenians are an integral part of the global community of Christians and ought to enjoy freedom from persecution," Perttula continued. ICC also pointed out that the Turkish government condemned Biden's statement and continued in denying the matter. They cited Turkey Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Mevlt Cavusoglu in tweeting for rejecting Biden's statement that he termed as "based solely on populism." The Christian Post added that, besides ICC, there were other individuals and organizations that welcomed Biden's statement such as the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Rutgers University Center For The Study Of Genocide And Human Rights Director Alex Hinton. Hinton was quoted as describing Biden's affirmation of the genocide as "absolutely momentous for the victims" and "for all of us" for "it's centered around respect for the dignity of the person." In addition, the Christian Post quoted USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins in commenting on the matter. Manchin said through a statement that Biden's statement "recognize the tireless efforts of survivors, their decendants" and all those who worked "on the right side of that terrible history". Perkins added that this decision of Biden would bring "some solace and consolation to Armenians around the world" while giving everyone a "renewed commitment to speak up and stand against the perpetration of crimes against humanity everywhere". Evangelist Franklin Graham praised Biden, on the other hand, in Facebook for finally doing something right. "President Joe Biden did something right today. He called what happened in 1915 when the Turkish Ottomans slaughtered over a million Armenians 'genocide'-and he's absolutely right. Thank you for this stand Mr. President. I believe when someone does something right, they should be commended for it, even if you don't agree with them about other things," Graham said on Sunday. Biden released on Saturday the statement on the Armenian Remembrance Day acknowledging the Armenians who died of genocide during the Ottoman-era and highlighted that the event is meant to "honor the victims" so that everyone will "remain ever-vigilant against the corrosive influence of hate in all its forms." The company is building 20% more pond capacity and changing the initial design to emulate the future operation to final pond design The pilot pond expansion is also designed to deliver the volumes of lithium concentrate required by the system to have the pilot plant operating on a continuous basis ( ) (OTCQX:NTTHF) (FRA:NE2) has provided an update on the pilot pond expansion and operations at its Tres Quebradas lithium brine project (3Q Project) in Catamarca Province, Argentina. The company said the operational work continues to demonstrate its single-minded commitment to project-level advancements towards operations in the fastest time possible. Neo Lithium said it has been pumping brine to evaporation pilot ponds since late 2016 and two sets of ponds have been built. The first set of pilot ponds were 1:1,000 scale and were built in the alluvial fan near the salar. Operations in these pilot ponds were discontinued in 2018 and a new set of pilot ponds were built in the core of the salar. The new pilot ponds were larger, 1:600 scale, with a different design, and had a thickener system to separate the calcium chloride crystals at the end of the process and a physical parameter 24/7 automated monitoring system. The company said these pilot ponds operated for three years and produced concentrated brine to run all the experimental tests and produced an excess of 20 tonnes of concentrated brine, equivalent to about 2 tonnes of lithium carbonate that remains to be processed through the pilot plant. Since the capacity of the pilot ponds exceeds the pilot plant for now, the concentrated brine is stored until the pilot plant starts to run continuously. Currently, Neo Lithium said it is taking one step further in optimizing the pilot pond system by building 20% more pond capacity and changing the initial design to emulate the future operation to final pond design. This step will firm up operations and ramp-up times in the future mine and result in specific employee training towards the operation of production scale ponds. We also confirmed with this operation that the ponds will take the raw brine from the wells from 1000 mg/l Lithium to 4000 mg/l Lithium in 200 days by solar evaporation in the pre-concentration ponds, the company said in a statement. From this composition the brine achieves the final 3.6% Lithium concentration in less than 60 days thanks to a process called Reactive Dehydration. Reactive Dehydration is a process whereby water is lost by crystallization of calcium chloride with six molecules of water as the main driver, rather than evaporation. The process is so efficient at cold temperatures in the salar that it is expected that less ponds would be required than those described in the pre-feasibility study (PFS). The company noted that this system accelerates dramatically the time of the brine in the ponds and is unique to the 3Q Project due to the chemical composition of the brine. "As we get closer to completing the Definitive Feasibility Study, we move our pilot system to a final piloting system that is efficient, lower cost, consumes no fresh water or reagents and requires less capital cost to produce than other comparable projects," said Gabriel Pindar, COO and director of Neo Lithium. The pilot pond expansion is also designed to deliver the volumes of lithium concentrate required by the system to have the pilot plant operating on a continuous basis. Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham The new travel orders aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in British Columbia appear to have worked with most people. Last Friday, Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth introduced new restrictions prohibiting B.C. residents from travelling between health authorities for non-essential reasons. The rules are in place until the end of the May long weekend (May 25). "I'm taking further action to carry us through the current spike of COVID-19 cases until more of the population can be vaccinated, Farnworth said at the April 23 press conference. If someone is contravening the new order, they will be fined $575. "We've all made great sacrifices to protect our collective health and to keep our health-care system functioning safely. While I'm disappointed, additional measures are necessary," said Farnworth. As part of the new travel restrictions, BC Ferries is restricting non-essential vehicle passage, deterring non-essential bookings and is limiting sailings. Ticket staff members are asking customers about whether their travel is essential and accepting their word. Deborah Marshall, a spokesperson for BC Ferries, says this past weekend was smooth sailing without incidents. She tells Glacier Media some people were turned around for not following the rules. There were a handful of customers denied travel on the six routes that cross the regional zones as per the provincial order, she says, adding police did not need to be called and the individuals were not trying to be rule-breakers. It was more a matter of a few people not being fully aware of the order. According to Farnworth, the new restrictions are being brought in using the extraordinary powers of the Emergency Program Act, and that the province is working very closely with the RCMP to establish enforcement to allow officers to issue fines. BC RCMPs media officer says as of Monday morning, he is not aware of any $575 fines being issued over the last 72 hours anywhere in the province. Complaints of violations will be followed up on, based on the availability of police officers and priorities at the time, and based on investigation, fines may be issued, says Cpl. Chris Manseau. Manseau adds Mounties across the province did not conduct any random checks or stops to conduct travel restriction enforcement related to the new order. Under the advice of Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, there are three regional zones people are asked to stay in: the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and the Northern/Interior region. Passenger numbers on BC Ferries were also down significantly. Our traffic was already down significantly, so these further reductions indicate British Columbians are avoiding non-essential travel, says Marshall. The Tsawwassen-to-Swartz Bay route was down 34 per cent in passengers and 24 per cent in vehicles compared to last weekend. The Horseshoe Bay-to-Departure Bay route was down 42 per cent in passengers, 37 per cent in vehicles. A busy commercial route (essential travel) from Tsawwassen to Duke Point was down 17 per cent in passenger and seven per cent in vehicle traffic, compared to last week. All of the routes were down at least 60 per cent in vehicle traffic compared to 2019. The province also claimed they would be working with police to establish periodic road checks at key travel corridors during times associated with leisure travel to remind people of the new order. Months after former President Donald Trump's election defeat, legislative Republicans in Arizona are challenging the outcome as they embark on an unprecedented effort to audit the results in the state's most populous county. The state Senate used its subpoena power to take possession of all 2.1 million ballots in Maricopa County and the machines that counted them, along with computer hard drives full of data. They've handed the materials over to Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based consultancy with no election experience run by a man who has shared unfounded conspiracy theories claiming the official 2020 presidential election results are illegitimate. The process is alarming election professionals who fear the auditors are not up to the complex task and will severely undermine faith in democracy. I think the activities that are taking place here are reckless and they in no way, shape or form resemble an audit, said Jennifer Morrell, a partner at Elections Group, a consulting firm advising state and local election officials, which has not worked in Arizona. Conspiracy theories about the election have proliferated across the country even before President Joe Biden's victory but have had particular staying power in Arizona, which flipped to the Democratic column for just the second time in 72 years. Trump on Friday predicted the audit would reveal fraud and would prompt similar reviews in other states he lost. Thank you State Senators and others in Arizona for commencing this full forensic audit, the former president said in a statement. I predict the results will be startling! Cyber Ninjas began a manual recount of ballots Friday, a day after Democrats asked a judge to put an end to the audit. The judge ordered the company to follow ballot and voter secrecy laws and demanded they turn over written procedures and training manuals before a hearing Monday on the Democrats' request. He offered to pause the count over the weekend if Democrats posted a USD 1 million bond to cover added expenses, but the party declined. On a since-deleted Twitter account, Cyber Ninjas owner Doug Logan used hashtags and shared memes popular with people promoting unsupported allegations casting doubt on Biden's victory. Logan insists that his personal views are irrelevant because he's running a transparent audit with video streamed online. There's a lot of Americans here, myself included, that are really bothered by the way our country is being ripped apart right now, Logan told reporters Thursday night. We want a transparent audit to be in place so that people can trust the results and can get everyone on the same page. But Logan refuses to disclose who's paying him or who's counting the ballots, and he won't commit to using bipartisan teams for the process. The GOP-dominated Senate refuses to let media members observe the count. Reporters can accept a six-hour shift as an official observer, but photography and notetaking are prohibited. It would be a violation of journalistic ethics for reporters to participate in an event they're covering. The Senate has put up USD 150,000 for the audit, but Logan acknowledged that's not enough to cover his expenses. The right-wing cable channel One America News Network has raised money from unknown contributors for the project, and the money goes directly to Cyber Ninjas. Logan would not commit to disclosing the donors and would not provide an estimate for the total cost of his audit. Cyber Ninjas plans to have teams of three people manually count each ballot, looking only at the presidential and US Senate contests, which were won by Democrats. Logan said the counters are members of law enforcement and the military as well as retirees. He would not say how many are Democrats or Republicans and would not commit to ensuring the counting teams are bipartisan. The process is overseen by volunteer observers. As of a week ago, 70 per cent of observers were Republicans, according to Ken Bennett, a Republican former secretary of state who is serving as a liaison between the Senate and the auditors. Cyber Ninjas also plans to review ballot counting machines and their data, and to scan the composition of fibers in the paper ballots in search of fakes. It plans to go door-to-door in select precincts to ask people whether they voted. Logan was vague about how the precincts were chosen but said a statistical analysis was done based on voter histories. The audit has been beset by amateur mistakes that critics view as evidence the auditors are not up to the task. Hand counters began the day using blue pens, which are banned in ballot counting rooms because they can be read by ballot machines. For days leading up to the audit, a crew from a group of Phoenix television stations, azfamily, had unfettered access to the supposedly secure facility as auditors were setting up equipment and receiving ballots and counting machines. Election experts said hand counts are prone to errors and questioned a lack of transparent procedures for adjudicating voter intent when it's not obvious. Image Credits: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) If theres one thing most filmmakers find irresistible, its the story of an unlikely friendship, from Felix and Oscar to Riggs and Murtaugh to Rick Blaine and Capt. Renaud. Rarely, however, are such stories as emotionally laden as that told in Lucy the Human Chimp, a documentary ostensibly about a science experiment but which quickly evolves into something both heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. Its built around an experiment started in the 1960s by psychologist Maurice Temerlin and wife Jane, who decided to test the limits of nature vs. nurture by raising a newborn chimp as their daughter. Lucy, as they named her, lived with her new parents. She dined with them. She played with them. She spoke with them, using sign language. She also, its worth noting, groomed them like chimpanzees in the wild do, but she did it instinctively, without ever being shown how to do so. That should have been the first warning. Youve probably heard similar stories about similar situations; the 2011 documentary Project Nim tells one particularly memorable such tale. If so, you probably know where this is headed and you probably know its not all bananas Foster and rainbows. By the time Lucy reached adolescence, she was too aggressive, too impulsive too much of a chimpanzee, when you get right down to it to live like a human anymore. The heartbroken Temerlins, however, werent about to turn over their daughter to some fly-by-night chimp rescue. Instead, they kept her in a cage on the roof of their Oklahoma home. Thats where Janis Carter comes in. Its also where Lucy the Human Chimp takes an extraordinary turn. Initially hired by the Temerlins to feed Lucy and clean her cage, with strict instructions not to engage her socially, Janis eventually and probably inevitably formed a bond with her chimp charge. That relationship is the focus of filmmaker Alex Parkinsons documentary, told first-person-style through interviews with Carter herself then a naive young woman, now a knowing sage with the wisdom and the haircut of Jane Goodall. Her unlikely friendship with Lucy would take Carter on a journey half a world away, to The Gambia in West Africa. But this journey isnt so much about the mileage as it is about the emotional stakes. Carter is the first to admit that Lucy was not and, of course, could not be a human chimpanzee. But their story is nonetheless a fascinating twin portrait of both nature and nurture at work and at odds with one another. The interviews with Carter are the backbone of the film, carrying it along with both economy and pathos. Almost as crucial to the film are the vintage photographs and film footage of Lucy and Carter during their time together. Less compelling are the re-created scenes, of which there are many, and which always tend to cheapen a documentary. To be fair, theyre something of a necessity here, to keep Lucy the Human Chimp from becoming an hour and 20 minutes of Carter sitting in a chair. Theyre also reasonably well-produced. But none of that changes the fact that such re-creations are less than ideal. Emotionally, Lucy the Human Chimp is a complicated film. First and foremost, it should be pointed out that it is ultimately a tragedy compounded by tragedy, starting with the fact that Lucy was kidnapped from her drugged mother at just 2 days old. Then theres the inherent cruelty of depriving her of a natural upbringing, including relationships with other chimps. These sorts of experiments, exploring the relationship between apes and humans, werent uncommon in the mid-20th century. That doesnt make them any less heartbreaking, though. Watching footage of Lucy is to watch footage of a confused and, one has to believe, a profoundly sad being, the damaged product of human arrogance. At the same time, it also must be pointed out that the selflessness and genuine compassion shown for Lucy by Carter who entered the picture long after the damage had been done is nothing short of beautiful. So is their relationship, in a Rick-and-Renaud kind of way. So theres a yin-and-yang element at work here: sadness, that humans can be so thoughtless, but also hope that they can show such compassion and kindness. **************** 3 stars, out of 4 SNAPSHOT: A documentary about the bond between Lucy, a chimpanzee raised by a scientist in the 1960s and 70s to be human, and what would end up being a profound friendship with her human handler. FEATURING: Janis Carter, Lorna Nickson Brown. DIRECTOR: Alex Parkinson. UNRATED: Warrants PG. RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 20 minutes. WHEN AND WHERE: Begins streaming Thursday (April 29) on HBO Max Mike Scott can be reached at moviegoermike@gmail.com. State officials urged senior citizens and others unable to leave home to call local agencies to sign up for COVID-19 vaccines. With the state closing in on enough vaccine supply for everyone, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday state and local governments must more aggressively search for people having a tough time getting to a place where they can get the vaccine. On March 25, when the Department of Health issued an amended order indicating that vaccine providers must work with local area agencies on aging to schedule appointments for older adults, we started seeing positive results right away, Wolf said during a news conference in Reading, according to a recording. Area agencies on aging were able to work with dedicated vaccine providers to offer direct appointment assistance to callers and clear their waiting lists. Wolf noted state acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam amended the earlier order Monday to require vaccine providers to work with area agencies on aging and Medicaid-managed care organizations to target adults age 60 and older and adults with disabilities. Lackawanna County residents can call 211 to find out about vaccines. Wolf cited examples of special efforts to get vaccines to homebound senior citizens. Pike County has implemented a strategy with the countys emergency management agency and volunteer drivers who deliver meals. They have compiled the names of seniors most in need, and (paramedics) are going door to door to vaccinate them, Wolf said. Pike County spokeswoman Krista Gromalski said the county reached about 30 people who couldnt get out to get a vaccine on April 14. If they get enough of a list together, theyll do it again, Gromalski said. The state reported another 1,881 cases and no deaths Monday, increasing the case total to 1,136,057 with deaths remaining at 25,988. The seven Northeast Pennsylvania counties added 131 more cases, bringing their total to 72,566. Deaths remained at 1,775. By county: Lackawanna added 28 cases for 17,471 total, including 2,733 probable, and remained at 454 deaths. Luzerne added 43 cases for 29,895 total, including 2,310 probable, and remained at 788 deaths. Monroe added 36 cases for 13,577 total, including 394 probable, and remained at 300 deaths. Pike added nine cases for 3,668 total, including 368 probable, and remained at 53 deaths. Susquehanna added four cases for 2,359 total, including 282 probable, and remained at 58 deaths. Wayne added eight cases for 3,801 total, including 388 probable, and remained at 76 deaths. Wyoming added three cases for 1,795 total, including 316 probable, and remained at 46 deaths. Skeptical about a defense of science? Posted on 26 April 2021 by doug_bostrom On April 21 US House Representative Frank Lucas (3rd District, Oklahoma) transmitted an urgent inquiry to the White House concerning the abrupt reassignment of Dr. Betsy Weatherhead, out of her position as head of the Fifth United States Climate Assessment and into another role at the United States Geological Survey. Rep. Lucas expressed dismay with this decision while asking for background information, writing: "While Administrations are free to hire their own political appointees, penalizing and removing civil servants represents disturbing political interference in the federal scientific enterprise." He went on to express that it was "difficult to think of a more clear example of political interference and bias than this leadership change." Representative Lucas' claims and complaints are puzzling in light of his personal context of career, experience and habits of attention. Representative Lucas assumed office in 2003, and as with the rest of us has just emerged from a period of interference in the scientific activities conducted by the federal government unequaled in modern history and arguably during any period since congress and the executive branch first began integration of science into the apparatus of national government. This meddling significantly degraded scientific capacities and capabilities intended to help improve the lives of US citizens. The previous administration's tampering was breathtaking in its sweeping scope and brazen nature, widely publicized, impossible to ignore. Mr. Lucas was a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology while this maelstrom swept over the federal scientific enterprise, on watch. By his office, by his party affiliation, and by his deep experience with affairs and practices of the federal government Mr. Lucas was ideally positioned to monitor the rough handling of scientific integrity during a period of exceptionally transgressive actions. Thanks to the efforts of previous administrations, protection of scientific integrity within federal departments and agencies is a formally recognized, codified priority throughout the federal government. The performance of the government in respect of this is monitored both within the government and by independent organizations. Representative Lucas has enjoyed continuous, easy access to multiple channels of surveillance of scientific integrity prior to April 21. Graph: Tallies of assaults on functions and integrity of federal government scientific endeavor during first two years of previous administration, unnoticed by Representative Lucas. Source: Union of Concerned Scientists. The pattern of priorities and choices made during this concerted campaign of injecting narrow concerns into scientific practice and communication leaves no doubt that improvements to science and public information were not the objectives of this activity. There is a clear trail of subordination of the public good to needs of special interests discernible in the previous administration's arc of behavior visible now that the entire record is available to view. Below is a list of examples* of political interference during the prior administration directly germane to Mr. Lucas' concern, that of performing climate science work in connection with the federal government and communicating valuable scientific information about climate to the US public. Patterns and biases in direct conflict with scientific underpinnings of departmental and agency missions are easily visible in this recap. In the purely political vein, an attempt to shape public perception and hence public influence by withholding information from the public is crisply apparent, consistent government-wide. A notable item from that list, impossible to ignore in light of Rep. Lucas' specific worry and complaint: On November 6, 2020, the Trump administration removed Michael Kuperberg from his position as the director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The USGCRP oversees the preparation of the Congressionally-mandated National Climate Assessment. The USGCRP had been led by Mr. Kuperberg since July 2015, and he was widely expected to remain director through the production of the fifth version of the assessment, which is due to be released in 2023. White House officials did not offer any explanation for Mr. Kuperberg's removal. Where was the concerned letter sent to the White House about this exact analogue to Dr. Weatherhead's reassignment from Representative Lucas when it was needed, not half a year ago? After all, this is the same fellow who as of the day this post was written - not a week ago - stated that it was "difficult to think of a more clear example of political interference and bias than this leadership change." For reasons we can't know or describe, Mr. Lucas was silent at the time. Beyond their common connection to climate science, the dismal litany of events shown below is distinguished by another feature: somehow U.S. House Representative Frank Lucas failed to notice this methodical assault on public understanding and scientific practice while it was happening beneath his nose, in plain view and much remarked. Mr. Lucas' concern for the integrity of science and science communications seemed to be asleep at the switch, for years. It's entirely appropriate and healthy for a well-functioning member of congress to hold the feet of the executive branch to the fire, should there be intimations of misbehavior. On the other hand, when we're confronted with a glaring, prolonged and inexplicable inconsistency of behavior on the part of this particular congressperson, we must wonder where Mr. Lucas' concern is truly rooted. A cynic might call this concern politically expedient. Is Representative Lucas practicing politics with his missive to the White House? One cannot help but wonder if Representative Lucas' own congressional web site tells us something about how sincerely invested he is in accurate communications of our best information on climate change. As well the circumstance of Rep. Lucas' acceptance of oodles of fossil fuel industry campaign cash support from entities simultaneously retarding progress on remedying our climate problem needs accounting for, in the mind of a circumspect, judicious person. Mr. Lucas has created a history for us to look at. One must reconcile Representative Lucas' obligations, stated preferences and record of failure as a science integrity watchguard with his unusual attention to Dr. Whitehead's experience, this particular choice to intervene. As to the absolute importance of the matter at hand, if Representative Lucas is truly concerned about scientific integrity in the US government, he has an enormous backlog of inquiry to dig through as indicated by the list below, which is in chronological order starting a little over four years ago. Dr. Weatherhead's reassignment is a minor detail compared to the chronicle of damage caused by the late administration, again leaving the question "why this, and now" hanging. By piping up with his admonishments only now, Representative Lucas has provided us a reason to compare his longitudinal record of attention with this sudden, highly unusual and very belated fixation on politics colliding with scientific integrity. This is helpful in assessing his seriousness of purpose and adequacy as a steward of efficiently functioning government. That record and this unusual discontinuity in Mr. Lucas' behavior together are an unfavorable signal; Mr. Lucas seems a markedly unsteady, unreliable champion of scientific integrity in the US government. Doubtless Representative Lucas will receive a reply and information from the White House. What we will never learn is exactly what aroused this politician from such a deep, oblivious sleep, a slumber lasting for years during a conspicuous, loud clamor of public protests and pleas about attacked, failing scientific integrity in the federal government. Parsimony suggests there are simpler explanations than a prolonged coma, to explain Mr. Lucas' startled eruption from somnolence and into action. Sadly, sunlight on government doesn't reach some of the most important places. For Dr. Weatherhead, herself a scientist widely described as having built an admirable, unimpeachable record, this is an unfortunate outcome of lousy timing and falling into bad company despite what are surely good intentions. Dr. Weatherhead's appointment came during a frenzy of actions and appointments to further hobble our ability to deal with climate change, a desperate last-ditch push to dump more sand in the gears of policy progress conducted during the last days of the recently departed administration. This hasty push devolved to a panicked shambles, resulting in an abortive, clownish attempt to rewrite the reality of climate science and climate change on official stationery, employing a warmed-over crew of "usual suspects" from the retail market of professional climate science misinformers (tragi-comic buffoonery becoming the subject of a Skeptical Science special project). Representative Lucas' astonished mystification at Dr. Weatherhead's dismissal from her brief appointment is itself a mystery. Confronted by extensive wreckage created by a spectacular collision of bad faith and incompetence, a complete systems crash of sorts, the new administration's pressing the equivalent of "CTRL-ALT-DEL" at the upper levels of late appointments is hardly surprising. It's worth remembering: all the faulty, sloppy pilotage leading to this catastrophic wreck was in the hands of Mr. Lucas and his party colleagues; this smoking hole in the ground is entirely owned by the previous crew, not the relief. Dr. Weatherhead is yet another bystander victim of an administration unbeaten in its reckless disregard for facts and telling the truth, thereby careless about the welfare of the United States. That administration is the former administration, not the present one. The former administration's astoundingly poor record won't easily be erased or forgotten, and certainly won't be vanished via distractions thrown up by suddenly "woke to science" Frank Lucas. Partial list of Trump administration transgressions against scientific functions of the US federal government, 2016-2020 References to Climate Change Removed from DOE Documents Climate Change References Removed from EPA Documents Climate Change Pages Removed from State Department Website CDC Climate Change Summit Cancelled EPA Scientists Participation in Public Events Restricted Climate Change References Removed from White House Website NPS Climate Change Tweets Deleted Impact of Fossil Fuels Downplayed by DOI DOE Website Rewritten to Downplay Impact of Fossil Fuels EPA Staff Prevented from Attending Climate Conference USDA Staff Told to Avoid References to Climate Change DOE Staff Told to Avoid References to Climate Change Word Science Removed from EPA Science Office Website DOE-Funded Research Paper Subject to Additional Review Due to Climate References Climate Change Resources Removed from DOE Website Release of Climate Change Study Blocked by Amtrak Climate Change Information Removed from DOI Website EPA Climate Change Website Removed Climate Change Page Removed from BLM Website Word Climate Removed from BIA Program Name Climate Change References Removed from FHWA Website Climate Change References Removed from USGS Press Release DOE Grantee Directed to Remove References to Paris Agreement from Report EPA Climate Change Staff Reassigned DOE Office of International Climate and Technology Closed DOI Scientists Involuntarily Reassigned EPA Adaptation Staff Reassigned References to Climate Change Removed from NIH Website Human Role in Climate Change Downplayed by NOAA Climate Change Information Removed from USDA Website DOE-Funded Scientists Told Not to Reference Climate Change EPA Grants Reviewed by Political Appointee Climate Change Omitted from White Houses List of FY2019 R&D Priorities National Climate Assessment Advisory Committee Disbanded Forest Service Scientist Prevented from Attending Conference References to Climate Change Removed from EPAs International Website References to Climate Change Removed from DOI Strategic Plan EPA Scientists Speaking Engagements Cancelled NPS Staff Reprimanded for Climate Change Tweet 10 Year Research Project Cancelled by DOE References to Climate Change Removed from FHWA Program Climate Change Dropped from National Security Strategy Climate Change Documents Removed from NPS Website References to Climate Change Removed from Amtrak Strategic Plan NPS Scientist Asked to Remove References to Climate Change from Paper References Climate Change Removed from FEMA Documents EPA Talking Points Misrepresent Climate Science References to Humans Role in Climate Change Removed from NPS Report DOE Researchers Prevented from Publishing Work NASA Climate Research Program Cancelled References to Climate Change Removed from DOD Report EPA Research Grants Cancelled at Direction of Political Appointee Public Communication by USGS Scientists Restricted References to Climate Change Removed from Treasury Department Report Impacts of Climate Change Downplayed by FEMA References to Climate Change Removed from USAID Report Scientific Research Subject to Political Interference at NOAA USGS Scientists Prevented from Researching Politically Contentious Topics FWS Scientists Prevented from Discussing or Researching Politically Contentious Topics USDA Scientists Prevented from Researching Politically Contentious Topics References to Climate Change Removed from EPA Regulatory Impact Analysis References to Climate Change Removed from NPS Report Climate Change Omitted from National Biodefense Strategy References to Climate Change Removed from EPA Document Climate Change Materials Removed from DOT Website Climate Change Omitted from List of EPA Research Objectives Climate Change Omitted from Oceans Research Plan EPA Staff Prevented from Updating Climate Change Indicators Website NASA Pressured to Remove Climate Change Information from Website References to Climate Change Removed from EPA Document National Park Service Sent "Cease and Desist" Letter to Climate Scientist USGS Scientists Ordered Not to Model Long-Term Climate Impacts State Department Scientist Prevented from Submitting Written Testimony to Congress Studies Showing Damages from Climate Change Buried by USDA References to "Climate Change" Removed from USGS Press Release References to "Climate Change" Removed from Forest Service Document USGS Removes Climate Change Links and Page from its Website OSHA Removes References to Climate Change from Page About Heat-Related Illnesses EPA Removes Climate Change References from Heat Island Effect Webpage DOE Removes References to Climate Change from Biological and Environmental Research Group Webpages EPAs Website Reclassifies Research Groups to Remove Climate Change Group USGCRP Removes Sections on Climate Change from its Website USFS Removes References to Climate Change from Wilderness Webpage DOI Removes References to Climate Change from WaterSMART Program Webpage U.S. Navy Shuts Task Force on Climate Change Interior Department Arctic Drilling Study Concludes there is not a Climate Crisis White House Strikes Climate Change Language from Vehicle Emissions Proposal Climate Change Omitted from FEMA Report USGS Scientist Prevented from Publishing Research in Official Capacity Scientific Research Subject to Political Interference at EPA NOAA's Acting Chief Scientist Reassigned Presentation Slides Misrepresenting the Causes of Climate Change Published by EPA Head of U.S. Global Change Research Program Removed * List derived from Columbia Law School's Sabin Center for Environmental Law Silencing Science Tracker. Leading infection-control experts say they are frustrated and angry about a federal government panels reluctance to accept the dangers of airborne spread of COVID-19, warning it is putting frontline workers and the community at risk. A controversial recommendation from the Australian governments Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG) allows surgical masks with protective eyewear to be used in the routine care of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and those in quarantine, rather than fitted N95 masks. Australian Society of Anaesthetists president Dr Suzi Nou holds an N95 mask, which are required in Victoria for hotel quarantine staff and other frontline workers. Other states are still using surgical masks and face shields. Credit:Jason South That has raised the ire of other experts, who say it has led to some hotel quarantine staff being given just surgical masks to protect them. They argue this approach is ineffective at shielding staff from the disease. The dispute between some of Australias foremost infection-control experts has spilled onto social media, with Burnet Institute professor Mike Toole replying to a tweet from federal government adviser Dr Nick Coatsworth that praised Australias hotel quarantine system: 14 leaks in 5 cities in 5 months is not just a few. Its negligence and ICEG is responsible, Professor Toole wrote. Apple CEO Tim Cook. Karl Mondon/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images Apple said it plans to invest $430 billion in tech, engineering, and manufacturing across the US. This includes a new campus and engineering hub in North Carolina. In total it expects to create around 20,000 new jobs across the country across the next five years. See more stories on Insider's business page. Apple plans to invest $430 billion in the US over the next five years, it announced Monday. It said that this would create around 20,000 new jobs in industries including silicon engineering, 5G, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing. The iPhone maker said the investment would include direct spend with more than 9,000 American suppliers and companies, alongside data-center investments and capital expenditures. It also said it would make "dozens" of Apple TV+ productions across 20 states. Read more: Senator Josh Hawley's bill to ban all acquisitions by companies with a market cap above $100 billion will hurt startups more than Big Tech Apple said it planned to invest more than $1 billion in North Carolina, including building a new campus and engineering hub that would create at least 3,000 new jobs. Alongside other investments in the state, including funding for schools, infrastructure, and community initiatives, Apple said its investments would generate more than $1.5 billion in economic benefits annually for North Carolina. Apple also said that construction for its $1 billion Austin campus was underway, and that it expected employees to start moving in in 2022. Apple added that it plans to keep expanding its teams in California, too. It said it expected to have more than 5,000 employees in San Diego by 2026, as well as more than 3,000 in Culver City. The investment, and the number of jobs created, are higher than Apple committed to in 2018, when it said it would spend $350 billion and create 20,000 over the next five years. Hiring is rebounding in the US as the economy reopens, but the unemployment for March was around 6% - nearly double the 3.5% rate for March 2020. Story continues "At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states," Apple CEO Tim Cook said. Apple said that it was the largest taxpayer in the US and had paid almost $45 billion in domestic corporate income taxes over the past five years. This is a developing story. Read the original article on Business Insider 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. Last Thursday, New Zealands biggest public transport company, NZ Bus, announced an indefinite lockout of about 280 drivers in Wellington who were to hold a 24-hour strike the following day against attacks on wages and conditions. The Tramways Union filed an injunction with the Employment Court, which on Saturday ordered that the lockout be lifted. The court ruled that there was an arguable case that NZ Buss lockout notice was unlawful. Bus drivers picketing outside the Wellington depot Bus services have resumed but the pay dispute remains unresolved. The company said it would not rule out more lockouts if there was not significant progress on pay talks this week. The talks will be mediated by the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), chaired by the Labour Partys Daran Ponter, which contracts NZ Bus for services in the capital. Public transport workers throughout New Zealand have faced continuous attacks on their wages and conditions by private corporations and local councils seeking to slash costs and maximise profits. Internationally, the onslaught against the working class has accelerated over the past year, with companies seizing on the coronavirus pandemic to restructure at the expense of workers. In New Zealand, big business has collaborated with the unions and the Labour-led government to slash thousands of jobs and freeze wages. In the 12 months to June 2020, the median weekly income dropped by $43, or 6 percent, while the cost of living, especially housing, soared. Deborah NZ Bus, owned by Australian private equity firm Next Capital, is seeking to reduce Wellington drivers annual leave from five weeks to four, slash overtime rates from time-and-a-half to time-and-a-quarter, and end penalty rates for weekend work. Currently drivers make time-and-a-half on Saturdays and double time on Sundays. The company is promising a small pay increase that would not make up for the loss of overtime pay. On April 14, after pay negotiations had broken down, drivers voted overwhelmingly to take strike action. In response to the strike notice, NZ Bus chief executive Jay Zmijewsk declared on Thursday that drivers would be locked out until the offer is accepted. The World Socialist Web Site spoke with locked out drivers picketing outside the Kilbirnie depot in Wellington on Friday. There was considerable public support, with vehicles tooting as they went past. Malcolm, who has been driving buses for seven-and-a-half years, explained: Most of us are being underpaid. Personally Im on $19.89, which is 11 cents below the legal minimum wage. Malini on the right. The minimum wage went up to $20 an hour on April 1, but workers said NZ Bus has delayed passing on the increase. One driver, Deborah, asked: How does this happen and why doesnt someone step in? It is disgusting, Im so angry about it. Malcolm said the government hasn't done very much since promising in the 2017 election to improve transport workers wages. I think its pretty disgusting, coming from a Labour government, he said, pointing out that Labour had retained the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) introduced by the previous National Party government. This allows private companies to compete for council contracts by promising the lowest labour costs. Drivers also highlighted the gruelling split shifts that can cause dangerous levels of fatigue. They often have 12-hour working days, but are paid for eight hours. Malini, a driver with 10 years experience, said the job had a massive level of responsibility for minimum pay. Its not right. He described the lockout as a prime example of people above controlling the power. Theyre the ones that get the profit, thats all theyre interested in: how much they can get out of their portfolio. They dont worry about the people theyre affecting. Malcolm on the left. The GWRC (Greater Wellington Regional Council) has offered to pay NZ Bus to increase its wages to just $22.75 an hour. Michael, an older worker, said he felt sorry for his co-workers who had families to support. Youve got to stand up and be counted, he said. Taking away a weeks holiday: whats that all about? People have fought for years for these rights. A worker from a different bus company who joined the picket said NZ Bus was trying to starve people into accepting the attack on their conditions. A prolonged lockout would cause severe hardship, with some drivers unable to pay their rent. Seeking to divert workers anger in a nationalist direction, Council of Trade Unions (CTU) leader Richard Wagstaff stated on April 23: NZ Bus, and their owners Australian company Next Capital, have shown themselves to be quite out of touch with the way we conduct business in New Zealand. The portrayal of local capitalists as more benign is a fraud. NZ Buss actions are the latest in a string of attacks imposed by councils and transport companies with the collaboration of the union bureaucracy. In July 2018 the GWRC tendered out over 60 percent of the regions routes to Tranzit Group, which resulted in NZ Buss share of routes being reduced from 73 percent to 28 percent. Hundreds of drivers retired as a result of the restructure, leading to a major driver shortage. The New Zealand-owned Tranzit, which operates as Tranzurban, proceeded to eliminate weekend and overtime rates, setting a benchmark for the attacks by NZ Bus. In a statement on February 20, 2019, Tramways Union defended NZ Bus, depicting it as an employer who has dealt with its drivers in good faith, while Tranzit refused to engage with the union. NZ Bus has recently told the media it wants the same pay and conditions in Wellington that were accepted by Tramways in Auckland last year in a deal covering 800 drivers. The unions Gary Froggatt told Stuff on September 16, 2020 that the agreement contained overtime rates of 1.25 times the ordinary rate, and 1.5 times when a sixth day is worked, i.e. significantly lower than the Wellington rates. More than 18,600 people have signed an online petition posted by the CTU, denouncing NZ Buss attempt to slash wages and conditions as unacceptable. The unions have made no effort to unite workers throughout the country in an industrial campaign against government austerity and corporate attacks. They instead encourage support for the Labour Party, which is responsible for the privatisation of services and the resulting poverty-level wages. The WSWS warns that drivers cannot place any confidence in the Ardern government, the councils or the unions. In opposition to the nationalism promoted by the unions, bus workers should broaden their fight by linking up with other workers in New Zealand, Australia and internationally who are facing similar attacks. For this fight to proceed new organisations are needed: rank-and-file committees controlled by the workers themselves and independent of the unions and the Labour Party. Workers need to unify on the basis of the fight for a workers government and socialist demands, including the nationalisation of essential industries, such as transport, under workers controlwith a major boost to wages and conditions funded by expropriating the funds of billionaires who are profiting from the impoverishment of the working class. The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan has celebrated its new state holiday honouring the native Alabay dog breed. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov established the holiday to be observed on the same day that Turkmenistan lauds its Akhla-Teke horse, a breed known for its speed and endurance. Mr Berdymukhamedov aims to make the Alabay as well-known as the horse. A man and his Alabay dog (AP) Last year he unveiled a 15-metre (50-foot) golden statue of the dog in the capital, Ashgabat. Alabay, traditionally used for guarding livestock herds, are among the worlds largest dogs, weighing as much as 80 kilogrammes (175lb). (AP Photo) Sundays observance included a competition of 10 examples of the breed in which they were judged on appearance and agility. New Delhi, Apr 26 (UNI) Revising its order for total ban of liquid oxygen for industrial purpose, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday exempted three sectors Defece, Ampules and Pharma companies use this for commercial purposes. The MHA communications to all Chief Secretaries of the States and Union Territories (UTs), the Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, in the capacity of being the chairman of the Executive Committee under National Disaster management Act (NDMA), said, exceptions in cases of Ampules vials, Pharmaceutical and Defence forces could be allowed for the use of liquid oxygen other than the medical purposes. In the letter Mr Bhalla directed the top officials the states and UTs to accordingly communicate to the district authorities in this regard. Hundreds of the 26-year-olds close and casual contacts were ordered to complete 14 days of isolation to ensure they were not incubating the virus. Not a single other community case was detected. That lockdown cost the hospitality industry an estimated $500 million, state coffers $120 million, and a $43 million small business stimulus package was provided by the state government afterward to try to ease the blow. Less than three months later the virus seeped out of hotel quarantine again, this time through a returned traveller who completed his two-week stint at the Mercure Hotel and then spent five days in the Perth community being a tourist before flying back to his hometown of Melbourne. Perth was plunged into lockdown for the second time in three months on Friday. Credit:Sharon Smith Health authorities realised there had been a potential breach in hotel quarantine on Wednesday and the man returned a positive test early Friday. By that afternoon his friend, a woman from Perths southern suburbs, had tested positive for the virus as well, prompting Mr McGowan to announce a three-day lockdown. During that time another case was detected, a man who had dined at a table near to the infected Victorian at a Malaysian restaurant on April 18. Both the man and the womans infections linked directly back to the initial case. And both would have been required to quarantine and get tested regardless of whether or not the rest of the city was placed into lockdown. Simpler put, these two cases would have been detected, and isolated from the community from Friday with or without a lockdown. They are among the more than 350 close contacts identified as high risk who are now in 14 days quarantine. Loading It remains to be seen if there are other cases in the community lying undetected from this outbreak. If there are, then that is only further proof snap lockdowns do little to combat the spread, other than buying contract tracers a couple of days to try and find these mystery cases. The expected cases, such as the ones detected last week, are always going to be isolated and found with good contact tracing. In the past six months, Australia has had 14 breaches within its hotel quarantine system - two in Perth, one in Adelaide, two in Melbourne, six in Sydney and three in Brisbane. On each occasion the virus has been controlled and eliminated often without a mass lockdown. Loading Victorian Premier Dan Andrews earlier this year approached a single case with whats known as third ring contract tracing - which requires close contacts and contacts of close contacts to isolate for 14 days. He referred to it as inconveniencing or locking down many hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people, but not having to put in place rules that affect millions more. Perth, during its first lockdown, chose not to adopt this method. With Perth and Peel coming out of lockdown 2.0 on Monday at midnight, of most concern was that of the 354 highest risk contacts of the three confirmed community cases, test results were not yet known for one third of the cohort. Hyderabad, April 26 : Telangana on Monday received five tankers loaded with medical oxygen from Odisha, and despatched them to various hospitals in the state treating Covid-19 patients. Out of nine empty tankers which were airlifted from Hyderabad to Odisha on Friday, five returned with oxygen from the Rourkela Steel Plant of the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). The tankers were sent to the Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS), the District Hospital, King Kothi, the Chest Hospital and Are Hospital in Cherlappaly, all in and around Hyderabad and to government hospitals in Khammam and Karimnagar. Four more tankers are expected to reach Hyderabad on Tuesday. The empty tankers were specially flown to Odisha in two C17 cargo aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Begumpet Airport to cut down the travel time by three days. Officials had said they will bring back about 150 tonnes of oxygen to the state. Telangana Health Minister E. Rajender had said that the airlifting of the tankers to Angul and Rourkela steel plants in Odisha will save three days in transportation. The Centre had allotted close to 360 tonnes of oxygen to Telangana from 12 steel industries spread across the country. Apart from Odisha, the oxygen was allotted from steel plants located at Hospet and Bellary in Karnataka, and at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Telangana government had claimed on Sunday that it showed the way to the country by using war planes to airlift oxygen tankers. Realising that a lot of time would be wasted moving oxygen from distant places through tankers, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao decided to move oxygen cylinders by air. Telangana claimed that it is the first state in the country to use aircraft to transport oxygen tankers. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said for the first time, vacant oxygen tankers were sent by aircraft from Hyderabad or anywhere in the country to another place to save time and lives. "The Government of India allotted us oxygen at places which are very far off. The tankers take six days. By airlifting the tankers, we will not only be saving three days' time but we can save many lives," he said. 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. With the high school entrance exam over two months away, final-year students at middle schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are cramming for the test in back-to-back extra classes, hoping for a good performance in the pivotal assessment. The high school entrance exam, held every year around June for ninth-grade students as well as independent candidates, acts as a standardized placement test for high schools in the two cities' K-12 system. The exam is deemed pivotal for middle schoolers there, as it is still believed by Vietnamese parents that a slot at top schools is a golden ticket to future success. Coupled with the immense peer pressure from classmates, middle school students feel the need to fill their schedule with extracurricular classes to avoid being left behind in the placement race. Five in the morning This year, ninth graders in Hanoi are fraught with concerns as a myriad of changes have been introduced in the upcoming high school placement test. Around 91,000 students are expected to sit for the exam in the Vietnamese capital in 2021, but public high schools there only announced around 60,000 slots, according to reports from local news site VnExpress. Roughly one-third of the candidates will have to settle for private schools, vocational schools, and further education facilities, which are often considered inferior and low-quality by Vietnamese parents. Compared to the 2020 test, which only includes math, literature, and foreign languages, the 2021 high school entrance exam will assess students knowledge of one more subject, namely history. The rather unexpected addition came as displeasure to many students who now had to squeeze time in their already tight class schedule to catch up on history lessons. Ha, a parent in Hanois Hoang Mai District, said her ninth-grade child has signed up for an extra history class taught by a professor at the Hanoi National University of Education. The class started in April with ten students, but its count has gone to around 30 now, she reported. While some parents anticipate the history test to be less challenging as it was not a K-12 staple like the remaining three, others are worried that it could still drag the total average score of their children down, Ha said. A difference of as nominal as 0.25 points in the total average can decide who gets the spot, she remarked. Huong, another parent in the capital whose child is attending Trung Hoa Middle School in Cau Giay District, said she recently had to send her child to a history class on his only free evening on Sunday, as his evening schedule through the week was already filled with literature, math, and English classes. As Huong revealed, she also signed her kid up for a special math class of a purportedly good teacher, whose schedule is so tight that the only time she can teach Huongs child is between 5:30 am and 7:00 am in the morning. The shift is reserved for those who have personal connections with the teacher, as well as kids living near her house," the mother divulged. "It starts with around 15 students, but about half dropped out due to the inconvenient hours. In order to attend the class, my kid has to wake up at 5:00 am and then bicycle a few kilometers to the teachers house. Parents talk while waiting for their children outside a private tutoring center in Ho Chi Minh City at 7:00 pm on April 22, 2021. Photo: N.Hung / Tuoi Tre Tuition fees galore As these students timetable is tighter than ever, several private tutoring centers in Hanoi, who have after-hours classes for all four subjects of the high school entrance exam, have opened catering services to the desks so that their students can sit through several lessons without having to move. Such services are also meant to help students who travel from school to tutoring centers, or vice versa, to save time, as they no longer have to drop by along the way to search for food. A tutoring facility in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi that runs high school exam preparation program involving training in literature, math, foreign languages, and history charges VND350,000-500,000 (US$15-22) for each lesson lasting three hours, according to its announcement. Each subject requires two or three lessons per week. A two-month tutoring course at these centers can cost as much as VND20 million ($871) per student, meals and service fees included, parents said. That is not to mention the fees from extracurricular classes organized by the school of the student, which drive up the financial pressure even further. Students wait inside a prep class in a private tutoring center in Ho Chi Minh City, April 22, 2021. Photo: N.Hung / Tuoi Tre Exclusive classes Meanwhile in Ho Chi Minh City, where students will sit for tests on math, literature, and foreign languages, many intensive prep classes for the high school entrance exam have popped up since mid-April. Mai, a parent in District 3, said she feels obliged to send her ninth-grade child to after-hours classes, even when the kid is already attending prep sessions for the upcoming placement test at school. I signed my child up for math and literature classes run by two well-known teachers in the city," Mai said. Students registering for these must take an entrance exam and only those who score eight [on a 10-point scale] and above would be admitted." Hung Anh, a ninth-grade student in Tan Binh District, said he had attended extra classes since the start of the school year back in August 2020 to prepare for the high school entrance exam. However, he was pressured into attending literature and English classes as well, as all of his friends are doing all three subjects outside of school. For the moment, Anhs schedule is chock-full throughout the week, even on Saturdays and Sundays. I do three shifts every day: lessons at school in the morning and afternoon, plus the extra classes in the evening," the student said. "Sometimes, I have to do four, with another shift at night-time." For students, intensive classes can be a double-edged sword, according to Nguyen Duc Tuan, a math teacher in Ho Chi Minh City. It will work with students who already have solid foundation knowledge and are looking to hone test-taking skills, Tuan said. For those who take too many classes to the point that knowledge cant 'be absorbed into them, intensive classes will do no good. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Biden admin. to allow US embassies to fly LGBT pride flags, reverses Trump-era policy Franklin Graham criticizes move: 'Only US flag should be flown' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The U.S. State Department has authorized embassies worldwide to display the rainbow pride flag on embassy flagpoles along with the American flag, which reverses the Trump-era policy. In a State Department cable reviewed by news outlets, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the diplomatic outposts are not required to fly the LGBT pride flag but can decide if it is appropriate to display on the flagpole in light of local conditions. The rainbow pride flag can be displayed before May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, through the end of June, according to the cable and a State Department official who spoke with the New York Times. June is officially recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, which are viewed by many as the beginning of the gay rights movement. In the cable reported originally by Foreign Policy, State Department officials were told to follow the do no harm policy to prevent backlash against the local LGBT population. Posts should support efforts to repeal [criminalization] legislation, while ensuring that do no harm remains our overarching principle so U.S. efforts do not inadvertently result in backlash or further marginalization of the LGBTQI+ community, the cable was quoted as stating. Though the flag would be relatively non-controversial in some countries, in many Middle Eastern or North African countries where same-sex relationships are banned, the pride flag could stir up contention. Franklin Graham, a prominent conservative evangelical leader and president of Samaritans Purse, criticized the decision on Facebook. He said just because something is authorized does not make it right. Why should a flag representing one group of people and a specific agenda be literally raised up above all others and allowed to fly at our embassies and consulates? Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, wrote. The embassies represent the United States of America on foreign soilonly the U.S. flag should be flown. Not the gay pride flag, not the Christian flag, not any other flag. The previous administration had a one-flag rule that the Biden administration has rescinded, he continued. Our U.S. flag represents the sacrifice, the honor, the unity, the patriotismand the bloodthat made America great. Pray for our nation and our leaders. The Trump administration denied requests from U.S. embassies to display the rainbow flag on the embassy flagpole to celebrate LGBT Pride Month and only allowed the American flag to be flown on the flagpole. In defense of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeos one-flag rule, former Vice President Mike Pence told NBC News in June 2019 that he and the president believe only the U.S. flag should be displayed on the embassy flagpole. "We both feel that way very passionately, but when it comes to the American flagpole, and American embassies, and capitals around the world, one American flag flies," Pence proclaimed. The Trump administrations State Department reportedly denied requests from U.S. embassies in Brazil, Germany, Israel and Latvia to fly the rainbow pride flag for LGBT Pride Month. Embassies were still allowed to display the pride flag outside of the embassy under Trump, and some embassies displayed the flag elsewhere. South Korea, for example, displayed the pride flag on the building instead of the flagpole until embassy officials removed it and a Black Lives Matter banner, the New York Times reported. During the Obama administration, embassies were allowed to fly the rainbow flag under the American flag on the embassy flagpole. Blinken pledged to support the LGBT agenda by flying the pride flag at U.S. embassies and reinstating the special envoy for the human rights of LGBTI persons upon being sworn in this January. The State Department is yet to make a formal announcement regarding this decision. Scottish farmers and land managers will benefit from staycations while curbing 'dirty camping' if permitted development rights are extended, groups say. Rural business group Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) and NFU Scotland have wrote to John McNairney, the Scottish government's chief planner, calling for a PDR extension. The two organisations have called for Scotland to follow England and Wales and extend permitted development rights to 56 days until the end of the year. This, they say, would give greater security to land businesses and farms who are diversifying to get through difficult economic times. It would also help farmers and land managers combat 'dirty camping', a term which describes the behaviour of a small number of campers who fail to adhere to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Planning controls in England and Wales have already been relaxed in response to the coronavirus lockdown. This means a policy of non-enforcement is now in place towards farmers using land for non-agriculture purposes for more than the statutory 28 days. Gavin Mowat, SLE policy adviser said: Dirty camping is more than just an eyesore. It can have serious social, economic and environmental implications. During the pandemic farmers have been able to ameliorate the impacts of dirty camping by setting aside parts of their holdings to allow for visitors to camp safely and in a way that respects nature. In doing so they have provided a service for those looking to take a staycation and brought in much needed capital to the rural economy." Mr Mowat said that by extending permitted development rights to 56 days until the end of the year, the government could offer 'much needed certainty and security'. "Without this extension, there is a concern that the policy of non-enforcement could end abruptly and have serious repercussions for our members ability to plan for a busy summer period. US Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd has directed the to provide all necessary support to Indian healthcare workers battling the worsening situation in the country. The move comes soon after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris directed towards mobilisation of American resources to assist India to tackle the unprecedented health crisis in the wake of the deadly second wave of The men and women of the Department of Defense stand by our Indian partners in their hour of need. We are in this fight together, Austin said in a statement on Sunday. Austin was the first high-level Biden administration's official to visit India last month. Austin said he has directed the department to use every resource at its disposal, to support US interagency efforts to rapidly provide India's frontline healthcare workers with the materials they need. We are currently assessing the equipment we can both procure and draw from our own inventory in the coming days and weeks. In the next few days, we will provide transportation and logistics assistance to deliver needed supplies to India, including oxygen-related equipment, rapid testing kits, and personal protective equipment, Austin said. We will continue to work closely with other US agencies and departments, as well as with industry, to support our Indian partners in their effort to combat this outbreak, 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.) Advertisement Nomadland triumphed as the drama earned Best Picture in addition to a historic win for Frances McDormand as Best Actress at perhaps the wokest Academy Awards ever - which was virtually mask free amid the COVID-19 pandemic - in Los Angeles on Sunday night. McDormand, 63, howled as the Chloe Zhao directed film won Best Picture and before she won the top honor for an actress for the third time, at the event held at the iconic Union Station. The cry - which mimicked a wolf - was a tribute to Michael Wolf Snyder, the sound mixer for Nomadland, who committed suicide last month at the age or 35. What a moment: Nomadland triumphed as the drama earned Best Picture in addition to a historic win for Frances McDormand as Best Actress at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night Milestone: The 93rd Academy Awards marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year for a three-hour show amid the Covid-19 pandemic The award show - which was celebrating its 93rd annual event - broke tradition as Best Picture was not announced last as McDormand explained in her brief speech before howling: 'We give this one to our wolf.' As the film was released on Hulu due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McDormand also urged film fans to go out of their way to watch it in theaters. She said: 'Please watch our movie on the largest screen possible and one day very, very soon take everyone you know into a theater shoulder-to-shoulder in that dark space and watch every film that is represented here tonight.' Golden: Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey (seen from left to right) in the press room after their big win Quite the tale: Nomadland follows a woman (McDormand) in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad The movie only made $2.5 million at the box office and is the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner in Academy Award history. And while the battle was on for the Best Picture gong, a year of cinema closures during the pandemic meant the other seven nominees also suffered the biggest box office flops of all time. Six out of the eight movies earned a combined total of $39.3million worldwide- an average of $6.5million each. Emerald Fennells Promising Young Woman thriller made the most, earning $12.66million following its Christmas Day release, with Minari coming second with $11million. Judas and The Black Messiah earned $6.12million, while Olivia Colman and Anthony Hopkins The Father made a measly $3.7million and Sound Of Metal only grossed $17,6566. It has been the lowest grossing year in the box office since 2015, where the Oscars nominees made $204million- which was still five times more than this year. Interesting: The award show - which was celebrating its 93rd annual event - broke tradition as Best Picture was not announced last Sweet: The cry - which mimicked a wolf - was meaningful as it was a tribute to Michael Wolf Snyder who was the sound mixer for Nomadland and tragically died by suicide at the age or 35 last month Gone too soon: Michael Wolf Stewart is seen working on set 'Please watch out movie on the largest screen possible': As the film was released on Hulu due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McDormand also urged film fans to go out of their way to watch it in theaters Safety first: An official spokesperson called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate' 93RD ACADEMY AWARDS WINNERS Best Picture The Father Judas and the Black Messiah Mank Minari Nomadland - WINNER Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7 Golden: Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey (seen left to right) as Nomadland won Best Picture Best Actress in a Leading Role Viola Davis Ma Raineys Black Bottom Andra Day The United States vs Billie Holiday Vanessa Kirby Pieces of a Woman Frances McDormand Nomadland - WINNER Carey Mulligan Promising Young Woman Best Actress in a Supporting Role Maria Bakalova Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Glenn Close Hillbilly Elegy Olivia Colman The Father Amanda Seyfried Mank Youn Yuh-jung Minari - WINNER Sweet: Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress for Minari Best Music (Original Score) Da 5 Bloods Mank Minari News of the World Soul - WINNER Best Animated Short Film Burrow Genius Loci If Anything Happens I Love You - WINNER Opera Yes-People Best Live Action Short Film Feeling Through The Letter Room The Present Two Distant Strangers - WINNER White Eye Best International Feature Film Another Round - WINNER Better Days Collective The Man Who Sold His Skin Quo Vadis, Aida? Talented: Thomas Vinterberg accepted Best International Film for Another Round Best Sound Greyhound Mank News of the World Soul Sound of Metal - WINNER Best Cinematography Judas and the Black Messiah Mank - WINNER News of the World Nomadland The Trial of the Chicago 7 Best Music (Original Song) H.E.R. - Fight for You Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER Hear My Voice The Trial of the Chicago 7 Husavik Eurovision Song Contest Io Si (Seen) The Life Ahead Speak Now One Night in Miami... H.E.R. won Best Original Song for Judas and the Black Messiah's Fight for You Best Director Thomas Vinterberg Another Round David Fincher Mank Lee Isaac Chung Minari Chloe Zhao Nomadland - WINNER Emerald Fennell Promising Young Woman Trailblazer: Chloe Zhao is the first woman of color to win Best Director Best Actor in a Leading Role Riz Ahmed Sound of Metal Anthony Hopkins The Father - WINNER Chadwick Boseman Ma Raineys Black Bottom Gary Oldman Mank Steven Yeun Minari Best Actor in a Supporting Role Sacha Baron Cohen The Trial of the Chicago 7 Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER Leslie Odom, Jr. One Night in Miami Paul Raci Sound of Metal Lakeith Stanfield Judas and the Black Messiah Best Animated Feature Film Onward Over the Moon A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Soul - WINNER Wolfwalkers Dynamic: Dana Murray (L) and Pete Docter won Best Animated Feature for Soul Best Costume Design Emma Ma Raineys Black Bottom - WINNER Mank Mulan Pinnochio Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm The Father - WINNER Nomadland One Night in Miami The White Tiger Best Writing (Original Screenplay) Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman - WINNER Shaka King and Will Berson - Judas and the Black Messiah Lee Isaac Chung - Minari Darius Marder and Abraham Marder - Sound of Metal Aaron Sorkin - The Trial of the Chicago 7 Blooming lovely: Emerald Fennell won Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman Best Documentary Feature Collective Crip Camp The Mole Agent My Octopus Teacher - WINNER Time Best Documentary Short Subject Colette - WINNER A Concerto Is a Conversation Do Not Split Hunger Ward A Love Song for Latasha Best Film Editing The Father Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal - WINNER The Trial of the Chicago 7 Best Production Design The Father Ma Raineys Black Bottom Mank - WINNER News of the World Tenet Best Visual Effects Love and Monsters The Midnight Sky Mulan The One and Only Ivan Tenet - WINNER Best Makeup and Hairstyling Emma Hillbilly Elegy Ma Raineys Black Bottom - WINNER Mank Pinocchio Advertisement Frances tied Meryl Streep and Ingrid Bergman with three victories in the Best Actress category as they all trail behind the record-hold, Katharine Hepburn, who has four wins. During her speech, McDormand joked there should have been a karaoke bar at the ceremony before going on to quote a line from Macbeth. She said: 'I have no words: my voice is in my sword. We know the sword is our work, and I like work. Thank you for knowing that, and thanks for this.' McDormand scored the win over Viola Davis for Ma Raineys Black Bottom, Andra Day for The United States vs Billie Holiday, Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman, and Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman. Legend: After that Frances tied Meryl Streep and Ingrid Bergman with three victories in the Best Actress category as they all trail behind the record-hold, Katharine Hepburn, who has four wins 'I have no words: my voice is in my sword': During her speech, McDormand joked there should have been a karaoke bar at the ceremony before going on to quote a line from Macbeth Let the Oscars begin! Regina King opened the show, with the audience who sitting in socially-distanced booths Venue: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles which allowed safety procedures to be enforced amid the pandemic Impressive: During normal times, when COVID restrictions haven't crimped travel, more than 100,000 people a day walk through its halls, but it was transformed for the ceremony Nomadland also faced heavy competition for Best Picture including: The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Nomadland follows a woman (McDormand) in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. Zhao also made history as she became the first woman of color to ever win Best Director. The 39-year-old filmmaker also became the first Chinese woman and second woman to ever win an Oscar for directing. Trailblazing: Chloe Zhao made history as she became the first woman of color to ever win Best Director at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night Goals: If that wasn't already enough trailblazing, the 39-year-old filmmaker also became the first Chinese woman and second woman to ever win an Oscar for directing Shining moment: She beat out a field including: Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round, David Fincher for Mank, Lee Isaac Chung for Minari, and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman She beat out a field including: Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round, David Fincher for Mank, Lee Isaac Chung for Minari, and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman. She said as she was growing up in China she and her dad would play a game in which they would memorize classic Chinese poems and texts and recite them together including a phrase which means 'people at birth were inherently good.' Zhao explained: 'And those six letters had such a great impact on me when I was a kid. And I still truly believe them today. Even though sometimes it may seem like the opposite is true. But I have always found goodness in the people I met. 'Everywhere I went in the world. So this is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves. And to hold on to the goodness in each other. No matter how difficult it is to do that. And this is for you, you inspire me to keep going. Thank you.' Sweet story: She said as she was growing up in China she and her dad would play a game in which they would memorize classic Chinese poems and texts and recite them together including a phrase which means 'people at birth were inherently good' Zhao explained: 'And those six letters had such a great impact on me when I was a kid. And I still truly believe them today. Even though sometimes it may seem like the opposite is true. But I have always found goodness in the people I met' Icon: Bong Joon-ho, who won the same award for Parasite last year, presented Best Director from South Korea with the help of a translator Dynamic duo: McDormand and director Zhao seen holding their shiny new Oscars in the press room after the gala event As Best Picture was not announced last, it made for a very awkward moment as it ended with a bit of an upset after Anthony Hopkins beat the late Chadwick Boseman to win Best Actor, but Hopkins, 83, was a no-show at the ceremony. Last year's winner Joaquin Phoenix announced the award and awkwardly said: 'The Academy congratulates Anthony Hopkins and accepts the Oscar on his behalf'. Anthony won the coveted gong for his role in The Father, becoming the oldest person ever to win an acting Oscar. It is the second Academy Award for the British icon, who first won 30 years ago for his role as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of The Lambs. Hopkins has since been nominated a five further times, but he was not expected to take home this year's award. Boseman - who died of colon cancer aged just 43 last August - was widely tipped to win a posthumous award for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Uh oh: As Best Picture was not announced last, it made for a very awkward moment as it ended with a bit of an upset after Anthony Hopkins beat Chadwick Boseman to win Best Actor leaving for a very awkward conclusion Icon: Boseman - who died of colon cancer aged just 43 last August - was widely tipped to win a posthumous award for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom The Best Actor category was the last award of the night, and Hopkin's win caused upset on social media. Boseman is pictured in four of his different film roles He's still here: To make matters worse, Hopkins skipped the awards ceremony and did not deliver an acceptance speech and presenter Joaquin Phoenix accepted the prize on his behalf The Academy Awards usually ends with the Best Picture award being announced, but this year it was decided that Best Actor would be the last award of the night. Many theorized that was because Boseman would be announced as the winner, and the awards show would end with a tribute to his illustrious career. When that did not happen, Hopkin's win caused upset on social media. Dozens blasted that it was 'the worst TV ending since Game of Thrones'. To make matters worse, Hopkins skipped the awards ceremony and did not deliver an acceptance speech with Joaquin accepting the prize on his behalf. Before that Youn Yuh-jung became the first ever Korean to win an acting award as she earned Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Minari. The 73-year-old South Korean actress delighted with a fun acceptance speech which began with her thanking Brad Pitt who presented her with the award. She said: 'Oh, Mr. Brad Pitt, it's so nice to meet you. ... Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa? It's so nice to meet you.' Historic: Youn Yuh-jung became the first ever Korean to win an acting award as she earned Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Minari at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night Sweet: The 73-year-old South Korean actress was overcome with emotion during her acceptance speech Sweet: She will surely be one of breakout stars of the event as she delighted with fun acceptance speech which began with her thanking Brad Pitt who presented her with the award A24 financed the film with 57-year-old actor Pitt's company Plan B also producing. Yuh-jung beat out white the impressive field including: Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Glenn Close for Hillbilly Elegy, Olivia Colman for The Father, and Amanda Seyfried for Mank. 'I cannot believe I'm here. Okay, let me pull myself together. Tremendous thanks to the academy members who voted for me,' she continued. 'Thank you to the wonderful Minari family.' She said: 'Oh, Mr. Brad Pitt, it's so nice to meet you. ... Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa? It's so nice to meet you' Connection: A24 financed the film with 57-year-old actor Pitt's company Plan B also producing Cute: Yuh-jung not only got to meet Pitt but they also posed for a snap together in the press room Sweet: The actress looked ecstatic to be in the press room with her shiny new trophy World famous: People are shown watching a TV screen showing South Korean actress Yuh-jung at the Seoul Railway Station live on Monday Sweet: Minari is centered around a Korean family who starts a farm in 1980s Arkansas with Yuh-jung playing the loving, yet mischievous grandmother Soonja A Korean actor had never been previously nominated for an Academy Award and only one Asian had previously won Best Supporting Actress as Japanese-American actress Miyoshi Umeki won for Sayonara in 1957. Minari is centered around a Korean family who starts a farm in 1980s Arkansas with Yuh-jung playing the loving, yet mischievous grandmother Soonja. Earlier in the night, Daniel Kaluuya was ecstatic as he earned Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on Judas And The Black Messiah. The 32-year-old London native beat out an impressive field including castmate Lakeith Stanfield, Sacha Baron Cohen for The Trial of the Chicago 7, Leslie Odom, Jr. for One Night in Miami, and Paul Raci for Sound Of Metal. Kaluuya could not wait to start celebrating as he said: 'And I'm going to get back to work Tuesday morning. Because tonight I'm going up. We're going up, you know what I mean? We're enjoying ourselves tonight. You got to celebrate life, man. We're breathing, walking, it's incredible. What a moment: Daniel Kaluuya was ecstatic as he earned Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on Judas And The Black Messiah Impressive: The 32-year-old London native beat out an impressive field including castmate Lakeith Stanfield, Sacha Baron Cohen for The Trial of the Chicago 7, Leslie Odom, Jr. for One Night in Miami, and Paul Raci for Sound Of Metal Legend: Judas And The Black Messiah tells the story of the betrayal of Illinois Black Panthers chairman Fred Hampton (played by Kaluuya) who was murdered by the FBI Praise: Kaluuya could not wait to start celebrating as he said: 'And I'm going to get back to work Tuesday morning. Because tonight I'm going up. We're going up, you know what I mean? We're enjoying ourselves tonight. You got to celebrate life, man. We're breathing, walking, it's incredible' He joked: 'It's incredible. My mom, my dad, they had sex. It's amazing. You understand, I'm here. You know what I mean? I'm so happy to be alive. So I'm going to celebrate tonight. I appreciate everyone in the room, everyone watching at home. You know, peace, love, and onwards. We go again. Appreciate you' Oh no: Daniel's mother and sister were in attendance as they couldn't help but react in disbelief as he made mention of his parents getting intimate 'It's incredible. My mom, my dad, they had sex. It's amazing. You understand, I'm here. You know what I mean? I'm so happy to be alive. So I'm going to celebrate tonight. I appreciate everyone in the room, everyone watching at home. You know, peace, love, and onwards. We go again. Appreciate you.' Daniel's mother and sister were in attendance as they couldn't help but react in disbelief as he made mention of his parents getting intimate. They also covered their faces in shock as his name was announced before he thanked them during his acceptance speech as he said: 'Thanks to my mum for pouring into me, you gave me everything, you gave me your factory settings so I can stand at my fullest height. Epic: Daniel had the crowd in stitches during his acceptance speech Support system: Daniel's mother and sister were in attendance as they covered their face in shock as his name was announced Sweet: They also covered their faces in shock as his name was announced before he thanked them during his acceptance speech as he said: 'Thanks to my mum for pouring into me, you gave me everything, you gave me your factory settings so I can stand at my fullest height' Leading man: Daniel proudly posed with his trophy in the press room 'My sister, my niece, my friends and family, everyone I love I'd like to thank my team for incredible support.' Judas And The Black Messiah tells the story of the betrayal of Illinois Black Panthers chairman Fred Hampton (played by Kaluuya) who was murdered by the FBI. He thanked the man he portrayed as he said: 'To Fred Hampton, what a man. How blessed we are to live in a lifetime he existed. Thank you for your light. He was on this earth for 21 years and he found a way to feed kids breakfast, educate kids, give free medical care, against all odds.' Incredible: Emerald Fennell took home the first Oscar of the night in the Best Original Screenplay category as the 93rd Academy Awards kicked off in Los Angeles on Sunday night Honest: She began her acceptance speech by saying: 'Oh, my gosh. Oh, they said write a speech' She earned it: Fennell faced stiff competition including: Judas and the Black Messiah's Shaka King and Will Berson, Minari's Lee Isaac Chung, Sound of Metal's Darius Marder and Abraham Marder, and The Trial of the Chicago 7's Aaron Sorkin Blooming lovely: Emerald looked stunning as she arrived in the press room with her shiny new trophy Beaming: She was all smiles while holding her new hardware Surprised: She looked shocked as she arrived in the press room wearing a pair of Gucci sneakers Shining star: Promising Young Woman is centered around Carey Mulligan's character Cassandra who is traumatized by a tragic event in her past and seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path Earlier in the night, Emerald Fennell took home the first Oscar of the night in the Best Original Screenplay category. The 35-year-old actress, writer, and director was honored for her work in Promising Young Woman as she was also nominated for Best Director. Fennell faced stiff competition including: Judas and the Black Messiah's Shaka King and Will Berson, Minari's Lee Isaac Chung, Sound of Metal's Darius Marder and Abraham Marder, and The Trial of the Chicago 7's Aaron Sorkin. She began her acceptance speech by saying: 'Oh, my gosh. Oh, they said write a speech. Pinay pride: H.E.R. also made history as the first ever non-production Oscar winner of Filipino descent as she won the Best Song award for Fight For You. She is half-Filipina and half-Black Epic: Taking the stage, she gushed about how 'grateful' she was to not only win, but to be part of a 'important, important story' like Judas And The Black Messiah Heavy competition: She won over Celeste's Hear My Voice for The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Laura Pausini's Io si (Seen) for The Life Ahead, Leslie Odom Jr.'s Speak Now from One Night In Miami, and Molly Sanden, Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell's Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga Golden: She proudly posed with her shiny new trophy in the press room 'And I didn't, because I just didn't think this would ever happen. I'm going to be in trouble with Steven Soderbergh. I'm so sorry. I don't want him to be cross with me. Oh, my god, he's so heavy and so cold.' Promising Young Woman is centered around Carey Mulligan's character Cassandra who is traumatized by a tragic event in her past and seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path. H.E.R. also made history as the first ever non-production Oscar winner of Filipino descent as she won the Best Song award for Fight For You. She is half-Filipina and half-Black. Taking the stage, she gushed about how 'grateful' she was to not only win, but to be part of a 'important, important story' like Judas And The Black Messiah. Joking about her influences on the funky track, the Best Part artists said: 'All those days of listening to Sly And The Family Stone and Curtis Mayfield, they really paid off.' She won over Celeste's Hear My Voice for The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Laura Pausini's Io si (Seen) for The Life Ahead, Leslie Odom Jr.'s Speak Now from One Night In Miami, and Molly Sanden, Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell's Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga. H.E.R. - full name Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson - also used the moment to address fellow artists, saying: 'Musicians, filmmakers, I believe we have an opportunity and a responsibility to me to tell the truth. And to write history the way that it was. And how it connects us to today. And what we see going on in the world today... Golden: Thomas Vinterberg accepted the International Feature Film award for Another Round Touching: The 51-year-old Danish director held back tears as he honored his late daughter after winning the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Another Round Tragic: Ida was only 19-years-old when she died following a car collision in Belgium when a distracted driver slammed into the vehicle his ex-wife, Maria Walbom, was driving; from left to right in 2016, daughter Nana, Thomas, Ida and wife Helene Reingaard Neumann Powerful: Another round is centered around four friends, all high school teachers, test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood, Mad Mikkelsen is pictured 'Knowledge is power,' she went on. 'Music is power. And as long as I'm standing, I'm always going to fight for us. I'm always going to fight for my people and what is right. That's what music and storytelling does.' Thomas Vinterberg paid tribute to his late daughter Ida in a moving acceptance speech early on in the show. The 51-year-old Danish director held back tears as he honored his late daughter after winning the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Another Round. Ida was only 19-years-old when she tragically died following a car collision in Belgium when a distracted driver slammed into the vehicle his ex-wife, Maria Walbom, was driving. Squad: Jamika Wilson, Sergio Lopez-River, and Mia Neal won The Oscar for Hair And Make-up for Ma Raineys Black Bottom Amazing: Neal and Wilson became the first Black women to win the award Gone too soon: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom revolves around tensions that rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player, and white management determined to control the uncontrollable 'Mother of the Blues' during a recording session Stay winning: Soul became Pixar's latest Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature Golden: Dana Murray (left) and Pete Docter proudly showed off their trophies in the press room Tremendous trio: Soul also picked up Best Original Score as Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross accepted the honor, as they are seen left to right in the press room Fun for the whole family: The animated film is centered around a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife after landing the gig of a lifetime She was set to play the daughter of the character Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) in Vinterberg's film about a group of high school teachers who test a theory about improving their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood. Another round is centered around four friends, all high school teachers, test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood. Jamika Wilson, Sergio Lopez-River, and Mia Neal won The Oscar for Hair And Make-up for Ma Raineys Black Bottom. History was made again as Neal and Wilson became the first Black women to win the award. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom revolves around tensions that rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player, and white management determined to control the uncontrollable 'Mother of the Blues' during a recording session. Soul became Pixar's latest Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature, and also picked up Best Original Score as Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross accepted the honor. The animated film is centered around a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife after landing the gig of a lifetime. Tyler Perry told audiences to 'refuse hate' while being awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the gala event. The filmmaker, 51, was emotional as he accepted the honor from Atlanta, Georgia, where he reflected on how he learned the power of compassion from his mother, who rejected resentment even as she grew up in the segregated South. Changemaker: Tyler Perry sent a powerful message about compassion while accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Rising above: Perry told viewers to 'refuse hate', a lesson he learned from his mother Middle ground: He also urged people to find the 'middle' and let 'healing' begin Giving: This past Thanksgiving Perry donated 5,000 boxes of holiday meals to families in need. Car stretched for miles to the donation site, seen above 'She taught me to refuse hate and blanket judgment,' Perry said, while urging everyone to start 'meeting in the middle' to let 'healing begin.' The actor/director/producer's generosity has been unparalleled during the COVID-19 pandemic. This past Thanksgiving Perry donated 5,000 boxes of holiday meals to families in need. And in April, the billionaire partnered with a local Atlanta hospital to turn his studios into a vaccination site, covering all the costs himself. Political: Meanwhile, director Travon Free turned his Oscars acceptance speech into a condemnation of police killings The 35-year-old won Best Live Action Short for their drama Two Distant Strangers Meanwhile, director Travon Free turned his Oscars acceptance speech into a condemnation of police killings. The 35-year-old won Best Live Action Short along with co-director Martin Desmond Roe for their drama Two Distant Strangers - a 29 minute movie that examines the deaths of black Americans during encounters with police. 'Today, the police will kill three people,' Free stated as he took to the stage to accept his award. 'Tomorrow, the police will kill three people. And the day after that, the police will kill three people. Because on average, the police in America every day kill three people. Which amounts to about 1,000 people a year. ' He continued: 'Those people happen to be disproportionately black people. I just ask that you please not be indifferent. Please don't be indifferent to our pain. Ma Raineys Black Bottom won for both costume design and make-up and hair styling, while the Best Film Editing Oscar was awarded to Sound of Metal, which also won for Best Sound and Mank triumphed in both the Best Production Design and Best Cinematography categories. Kicking it off: Regina King opened up the show with an epic introduction which found her strolling into the iconic Union Station Making it clear: She addressed the fact that there were no protective face masks that could be seen in the audience as she explained 'think of this like a movie set' Beautiful in blue: Regina stunned in a light blue floor-length gown which was embellished with silver detailing Regina King, meanwhile, opened up the show with an epic introduction which found her strolling into the iconic Union Station. She addressed the fact that there were no protective face masks that could be seen in the audience as she explained 'think of this like a movie set.' In perhaps the wokest Oscars ever, the host also hailed the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd during her opening speech, while Mia Neal spoke about 'breaking the glass ceiling' for trans and minority ethnic people in her acceptance speech for the best hair and makeup award, and director Travon Free showed off a jacket emblazoned with the named of black people killed by police on the red carpet. The event marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh has described as being 'like a movie.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars went mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Monochrome madness: Laura Dern caught the eye in an extravagant white feathered gown while presenting Built in 1939, the national historic landmark and its main terminal is 161,000 square feet, creating plenty of room for theatrics on Hollywoods biggest night. During normal times, when COVID restrictions haven't crimped travel, more than 100,000 people a day walk through its halls. Comparatively the Dolby Theatre, where the glitzy event is usually held, can only seat around 3,300 people which would have created difficulties in putting on an award show amid the pandemic. But in the spacious station, believed to be large enough to accommodate social distancing requirements with its soaring main hall featuring windows that are 40-feet high, stars have more room to mingle and maneuver. What a moment: The 54-year-old actress had the honor of revealing the winner of International Feature Film Sticking to a 'No Zoom' policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organizers also hosted a 'British hub' for UK actors who are unable to make it in person. An official spokesperson had previously called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate.' The Academy and ABC will certainly be hoping that their ambitious plans will have drummed up more excitement than they have elsewhere during a dismal award seasons, after the virtual Golden Globes plunged to 6.9 million viewers this year - a 64 percent drop from 2020. Hollywood's biggest night! Carey Mulligan, Zendaya, Amanda Seyfriend and Regina King kicked off the glitz and the glamour at the 93rd annual Academy Awards in striking designer gowns Absolute stunner: The Promising Young Woman actress, 35, dazzled in a strapless gold ballgown with cut-out detailing along her torso What a look: Carey flashed her midriff in the stunning gown, which featured a large cut-out Fashion! The British beauty hit the red carpet with her husband, Mumford and Sons musician Marcus Mumford Flawless: Zendaya looked like a goddess in her neon yellow Valentino Couture gown and cascading hair Glittering: The Euphoria star, 24, showcased her flat midriff in the strapless, cut-out frock by the design house; the brunette stunner paired the astounding frock with over $6 million of Bvlgari jewerly Amazing: Amanda's custom Armani Prive gown had a plunging v-neckline and a voluminous skirt Iconic: The star, 35, flashed her cleavage in the low-cut frock, which featured layers of tulle Statement: Regina King stunned in a blue Louis Vuitton gown with vertical crystal stripes All in the details: The dress took 140 hours to make, with over 62,000 sequins and 4,000 crystals Spring chic: Margot Robbie donned a Chanel gray and silver gown featuring delicate floral detailing What a dress! Laura Dern donned a long sleeved Oscar de la Renta gown that had a black torso with a white feathered skirt Glamorous: Maria Bakalova donned a stunning Louis Vuitton gown; the white frock had a plunging neckline and a tulle skirt. The dress features 100 meters of tulle Neutral tones: Maria, Viola Davis and Jena Friedman chose white gowns while Chloe Zhao donned a knitted beige frock Delicate: Vanessa Kirby wore a Gucci pale pink gown, complete with a cut-out detail along her midsection and a v-neckline Ladies in red: Reese Witherspoon, Olivia Colman and Angela Bassett all wore different shades of crimson Lovely: The actress wore Chopard jewelry, including a 14.04 carats bracelet. She also wore a ring featuring an oval shaped pink tourmaline (14.62 carats), 2 half-moon diamonds (totaling 1.36 carats) and diamonds (1.02 carats), set in platinum Unique: Celeste Waite chose a red and black patterned custom Gucci silk crepe gown with a fringed accent; Her heels and ring were also Gucci Closer look: The star carried a purse in the shape of a heart from Gucci's Fall 2021 Aria collection runway New haircut: Halle Berry sported a short haircut and a purple strapless Dolce & Gabbana gown with a large bow detail in the center and a sheer skirt Closer look: Halle's hair featured very short bangs with an angled overall cut Lovebirds: Halle arrived with her boyfriend, musician Van Hunt Chic: Rita Moreno, Youn Yuh-jung, Glenn Close and H.E.R. all posed up a storm on the red carpet Newlyweds: Riz Ahmed and his wife Fatima Farheen Mirza hit the red carpet for their red carpet debut after tying the knot at the end of 2020 So cute: Riz and Fatima met at a New York cafe while he was prepping for his Sound of Metal role Glamour: Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell looked incredible in a soft green, purple and gold gown with ruffle details all over. She is wearing Gucci Gorgeous: The director, 35, sported lavender eye shadow for a spring touch What a cheek! Andra Day flashed her derierre in a Vera Want Haute with Tiffany and Co. jewels. She worked with a welder on this dress because it is completely made of metal, according to reports Lovebirds: Aaron Sorkin pictured on the red carpet with Paulina Porizkova, who donned a silky gold dress. The Oscars marked the new couple's red carpet debut Good looking duo: Leslie Odom Jr arrived with his wife Nicolette Robinson. Nicolette is wearing a black taffeta ball gown with a leg slit and bow details by Zuhair Murad. The couple welcomed their second child - a baby boy named Able Phineas or 'Abe' for short on March 25, 2021. They are parents to three-year-old Lucy Glitz: Minari director Lee Isaac Chung arrived with his wife Valerie Chung, who looked lovely in a patterned gold Simone Rocha gown Best fashion foot forward! Steven Yeun with wife Joana Pak (in LA at Union Station) and Sacha Baron Cohen with wife Isla Fisher (in Sydney) Elegant: Actress Marlee Matlin chose a glittering gown with a cape detail Sleek: Tiara Thomas and Diane Warren both chose white suits for the awards show, with Tiara opting for a racy version while Diane opted for a sparkling element Handsome: British actor Daniel Kaluuya chose a Bottega Veneta suit with Cartier jewelry Suited and booted: Lil Rel Howery arrived at the Oscars in a velvet black blazer with matching shirt and bow tie Low key: The Oscars red carpet was quiet this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The red carpet seen just before the show kicked off Another angle: The normally buzzing awards show - and the last one before the end of awards season - appeared deserted just before the show began Richard Shotwell/Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Reality television star Caitlyn Jenner is running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall election likely to be scheduled for the fall, and her campaign launch last week appeared to serve as a gift to the governor. Newsom's team shared with Politico that in the 36 hours following Jenner's announcement, Newsom's anti-recall campaign raised a whopping $300,000 in online donations, likely buoyed by liberals who revile Jenner for her support of then-President Donald Trump in 2016. THE Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) has announced an increase in budget support to the countrys national university by providing $48 million this year. This is an increase of $4 million from $44 million last year. Solomon Islands education Minister Lanelle Tanangada. Photo by Solomon Star This was announced in Parliament last week by the Minister responsible Lanelle Tanangada during her contribution to the motion moved by the Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to offer sincere thanks to His Excellency- The Governor General for the Speech from the Throne. She said governments support to the university will be through grants for its (SINU) operating and capital development. Let me assure you that the Government through my ministry has made a commitment to increase grants to SINU for its operating and capital development budgets commencing this year, she added. In announcing the funding support, she said this year the SINU is receiving $30 million dollars for its capital budget (from $20 million in 2020). Unfortunately, it will only receive $18.7 million dollars for its operating budget (instead of $22 million dollars it was allocated in 2020), she added. The other operating costs will be supported through revenues collected from tuition fees and other income generating incomes. The Government through the ministry is also supporting SINU to collect debts owed by sponsors including Members of Parliament (MPs). She also took the opportunity to inform Parliament that the SINU Council has addressed the impasse between the SINU Staff Associations and the incumbent Vice Chancellor pending of course on the outcome of the Judiciary Review on the Vice Chancellors work permit. For your information, the Solomon Islands High Court has ruled against all orders of the Trade Disputes Panel which ordered the Vice Chancellor to be suspended as Vice Chancellor of the SINU, the minister said. Meanwhile, she said a special committee has been established by the SINU Council to support the senior management team to rebuild SINU with a specific terms of reference. The support provided to SINU through the team would include but not limited to reinforcement of; good governance processes and mechanisms; administrative implications and creating better communication with the lecturers and general staff and setting risks and control measures related to better financial management and operational procedures and protocols in operating the university. Solomon Star / ONEPNG I had a conversation with Mads and the rest of the crew, Vinterberg told the newspaper, And we were like, Ida would hate if we stopped. So, we will do the movie for her. And we somehow got through it. As some recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to evolve and change throughout the coronavirus pandemic, people may wonder what they can do to stay healthy and safe. The Rotary Club has the answer: Get vaccinated! Sleeves up is the Rotary motto as World Immunization Week the last week of April nears, and the Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club encourages all adults to check with their doctors and see which vaccines they may need. Helping eradicate preventable diseases is something the Rotary Club has a long history with. Its most recent efforts have helped to rid most countries of polio, a disabling and life-threatening disease that has seen cases only in two countries in the past few years. Often, adults dont think of vaccinations outside of childhood shots, says Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club member Marty Audiffred, who is heading the clubs efforts to get the word out on how vaccines can keep us safe from diseases such as the flu, shingles, pneumonia, hepatitis A and B and tetanus. These diseases can be prevented, or their effects seriously diminished, by receiving scheduled vaccines. Go get them all. We want our businesses to grow and prosper, he said, suggesting that keeping people and their communities healthy is a way to help keep businesses healthy and growing as well. The Northlake Mandeville club is sending out informational posters and letters to businesses and organizations to spread the word and remind people that adults, as well as children, need regular vaccines to remain healthy as they age. Audiffred said with face-to-face options not a possibility to spread the word, they are hoping to reach as many people through word-of-mouth, social media and an email campaign to local businesses and organizations. According to Audiffred, the CDC has noted a decline in adult immunizations and reminds the public that a disease is always just a plane ride away and no one should become complacent with the eradication of a disease. The rise in measles cases is a good example of that. According to the CDC, the disease was eradicated in the United States by 2000, but there were almost 700 cases in 2019 in 22 states. Sharon Newton, president of Rotary Club Slidell Northshore, is a retired nurse who came out of retirement to help with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout through Ochsner Health System. It was the one thing I could do to help with COVID, she said, adding that she understands and can appreciate that people are often weary of vaccines. But Newton said she believes in them and feels the more she can help promote them, the better off we will all be. The Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club asks everyone to take these steps- Bringing Christianity to Your Health As Christians, the unity of our faith is a strong bind that brings us together in various aspects of our lives. Coming together with fellow Christians not only allows us to strengthen our faith in the Lord but also provides us with a sense of community where we can feel comfortable exercising our faith freely and openly. While many of us Christians are always looking for areas of our lives where we can act on our faith, there are a few areas we may not have considered. Oftentimes, these areas can be some of the most important areas of our lives. There are few things in life as important as our healthcare, which makes it all the more troublesome that this area of our lives is not one in which many Christians look for a religious option. However, thanks to organizations known as healthcare sharing ministries, the possibility of having a community of faith supporting us in this important area of our life is possible. Originally formed by individual churches as a way to help their members pay for medical expenses which they would not have been able to afford on their own, healthcare sharing ministries have grown significantly in size since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. The statute, which was signed into law on March 23, 2010, required all Americans to have membership in a qualifying healthcare program or face a financial penalty when filing their federal income taxes. However, since healthcare sharing ministries were already in operation prior to the enactment of the ACA and had proven to be effectively serving their members, an exemption was given to healthcare sharing ministries established prior to 1999. The concept of healthcare sharing is a simple one. Each month, members submit an agreed upon amount and that monthly amount is directed towards the medical expenses submitted by their fellow members. Likewise, when a member submits a medical bill to the ministry, their fellow members monthly contributions are used to share the medical expense. And the best part of all is that all healthcare sharing ministries remain rooted in Christian principles. A great example of how firmly rooted in Christian principles these ministries truly are comes from the Member Handbook of Share HealthCare. In this handbook, a section entitled The Shared Beliefs of Share HealthCare Members outlines the core beliefs that guide their membership community. Among this section are several Bible verses that Share HealthCare asks each member to affirm when becoming a member. These Bible verses highlight the need for Christians to assist one another especially in times of need, which is exactly what Share HealthCare strives to do with its healthcare sharing ministry. For many of us, times of health complications for us or our family members can be some of the hardest times we face in our lives. Health issues come not only with physical challenges but also emotional and financial challenges. Thats where healthcare sharing ministries such as Share HealthCare can make a massive difference in the lives of their members. When a member of a healthcare sharing ministry is facing a health issue, they know they are never alone. Indeed, they have the support, both emotionally and financially, of their fellow members. Weve already discussed how members contribute to the medical expenses of fellow members, but Share HealthCare members can also support each other emotionally by sending prayers and well wishes through their online member portal to fellow members facing a difficult time. This allows a sense of community to be built with a group of Christians who share the same values and beliefs. Additionally, Share HealthCare members support more than just their fellow members. Each month, a portion of each members monthly contribution goes to the Soweto Academy which provides safe housing, clothing, clean water, and medical care to orphaned and abandoned children in Kibera, Kenya. As followers of Christ, this is an important feature to Share HealthCare members and one that they do not take lightly. As religious and non-profit organizations, healthcare sharing ministries, such as Share HealthCare, are able to provide their members access to their healthcare programs at a much more affordable price than they may have come to expect. For example, membership in Share HealthCare begins at only $149 per month for a program that shares eligible expenses related to doctor, hospital, urgent care, and emergency room visits, as well as medical imaging and testing, wellness screenings, physical therapy, maternity expenses, and more. Furthermore, Share HealthCare allows members to choose what portion of their medical expenses they want to submit to the Share HealthCare community, by providing a per event option as well as an annual option. In a world where Christians face an ever-growing challenge in incorporating their religion into many aspects of their life, healthcare sharing offers an effective and simple way to bring Christianity into our healthcare. And with the level of flexibility, the wide range of eligible expenses, and sense of community with fellow Christians offered by Share HealthCare, its no wonder so many Christians have taken an interest in their healthcare sharing program. If you would like to join Share HealthCare or simply learn more about their program, please visit their website at ShareHealthCare.com or give them a call at (844) 742-7342 to speak with one of their experts. Announcement: Moody's: Government of Maldives proposed tap issuance has no rating impactGlobal Credit Research - 26 Apr 2021Singapore, April 26, 2021 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") says that the Government of Maldives' (B3 negative) announcement of a tap issuance on its existing $200 million 9.875% sukuk certificates due April 2026 will carry the B3 rating of the outstanding certificates.The certificates are issued through the Maldives Sukuk Issuance Limited, a special purpose vehicle, which is wholly-owned by the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of Maldives and whose debt and trust certificate issuances are, in Moody's view, ultimately the obligation of the Government of Maldives.The assigned rating to the sukuk mirrors the Government of Maldives' current issuer rating. According to the terms and conditions available to Moody's, the trust certificates will constitute direct, unconditional and unsubordinated obligations of the Government of Maldives. In Moody's opinion, the payment obligations represented by the securities to be issued by Maldives Sukuk Issuance Limited rank pari passu with all of the Government of Maldives current and future senior unsecured external debt.Moody's notes that its sukuk ratings do not express an opinion on the structure's compliance with Shari'ah law.Maldives' B3 issuer rating is supported by healthy economic growth prospects and a competitive tourism sector. However, the ongoing shock from the global coronavirus outbreak has led to a material slowdown in economic growth given the economy's reliance on tourism.Twin fiscal and current account deficits and a ramp-up in debt with the planned implementation of large public-sector infrastructure projects have resulted in increased government liquidity pressures and external vulnerability risks, which have been exacerbated by the outbreak and weaker government revenue intake amid depressed tourism activity. Further credit challenges stem from weak institutional capacity and significant exposure to environmental risks.ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNANCE CONSIDERATIONSMaldives' highly negative (CIS-4) ESG Credit Impact Score reflects very high exposure to environmental and social risks. While governance generally remains weak, particularly with regards to fiscal management, recent improvements have been made in the areas of control of corruption and institutional reforms.The E issuer profile score is very highly negative (E-5). Environmental considerations continue to threaten lives and livelihoods. With its average ground level elevation being only less than five feet above sea level, Maldives is acutely vulnerable to climate change. Maldives also faces the threat of increasing temperatures, including more frequent extreme weather events, changes in monsoon patterns and coral bleaching. The government's approach to improving the archipelago's resilience to climate change has been to retain and enhance islands' existing natural flood protection features, strengthen emergency responsiveness, carry out conservation efforts and invest in research capacity. Carbon transition risks are negligible, while Maldives' natural capital of the archipelago, despite a source of economic concentration, continues to drive its globally competitive tourism industry.Maldives' S issuer profile score is highly negative (S-4). Given the small and dispersed population, demographic challenges are also a prevalent concern, manifested in a dearth of skilled labor and technical capacity. According to UNICEF, large wealth gaps also exist between Male and the atolls. Compounded with inclusion issues, this contributes to relatively elevated levels of youth unemployment and low rates of female labor force participation. The government continues to invest in building housing developments, as well as improving educational opportunities and outcomes. Access to basic services remains limited outside of the capital city, while health & safety considerations, including mortality rates and levels of undernourishment, are relatively elevated.Maldives' institutions and governance profile constrain its rating, as captured by a highly negative G issuer profile score (G-4). Our assessment considers challenges with respect to fiscal management, although improvements have been made with respect to improving fiscal transparency and increasing budget accountability. Moreover, some progress has been made in addressing other governance issues, including corruption. Tackling financial crimes and money laundering remains a concern.FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGWhile an upgrade is unlikely in the near term given the negative outlook on the Government of Maldives, Moody's would likely consider stabilizing the outlook if access to external and domestic funding sources looks increasingly secure, reducing government liquidity risk. Particularly as it relates to external financing, greater certainty over multilateral financing flows from a variety of lenders at affordable rates that cover the sovereign's funding needs durably would support stabilizing the outlook. Such an outcome, combined with steps towards improving public financial management, would improve visibility and planning around the government's borrowing requirements.Downward pressure on the ratings could materialize should there be a more pronounced deterioration in fiscal and/or external metrics beyond Moody's baseline assumptions. Moreover, a more protracted and prolonged period of weaker tourism activity, leading to more severe impacts on government revenue and foreign exchange earnings, would threaten macroeconomic stability and likely lead to a downgrade of the rating.This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Michael Higgins Analyst Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Marie Diron MD - Sovereign Risk Sovereign Risk Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. 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MJKK and MSFJ are credit rating agencies registered with the Japan Financial Services Agency and their registration numbers are FSA Commissioner (Ratings) No. 2 and 3 respectively.MJKK or MSFJ (as applicable) hereby disclose that most issuers of debt securities (including corporate and municipal bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper) and preferred stock rated by MJKK or MSFJ (as applicable) have, prior to assignment of any credit rating, agreed to pay to MJKK or MSFJ (as applicable) for credit ratings opinions and services rendered by it fees ranging from JPY125,000 to approximately JPY550,000,000.MJKK and MSFJ also maintain policies and procedures to address Japanese regulatory requirements. LAS VEGAS (AP) Aging multi-unit and extended-stay buildings in Las Vegas that have been converted from motels or hotels to apartments will be regularly inspected as a legacy of the deadliest residential fire in city history, officials decided. A program approved this week by the City Council calls for code enforcement visits at least once a year to properties built before 1981 that have four or more units, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The building and safety inspections can be more frequent if violations are found. The move comes 16 months after six people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in a smoky pre-dawn fire in December 2019 at the Alpine Motel Apartments. Some residents reported having used ovens for heat and climbing out of second- and third-story windows to escape smoke and flames. Several perished trying to escape through locked exit doors. The fire in the low-budget rental property near the downtown casino corridor led to finger-pointing, investigations and legal fights that are still pending _ including felony charges against the building owner, Adolfo Orozco Garcia, and building manager Malinda Mier, and civil negligence lawsuits against Orozco Garcia and his property company, Las Vegas Dragon Hotel LLC. Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Wednesday called the fire a tragedy that prompted a review by city staff members. It was a very deep and intense look at everything, the mayor said during a council meeting, to make sure that we were protecting the lives of residents. We do not like slum landlords that dont keep their property up and put peoples lives at risk, she said. City Operations and Development Chief Tom Perrigo said the inspection program will focus on 28 properties, mostly downtown, that had been overlooked after being converted to apartments. The Alpine, built as a motel in 1972, had a history of fire code violations and police calls for service before the deadly fire. An award-winning investigation by the Review-Journal found the property had not been inspected by fire officials for nearly three years, and that despite many calls for police service, officials declined to designate the Alpine a chronic police nuisance that could have been shut down. Inspectors found the fire started with an unattended stovetop in a first-floor apartment. Residents later complained there had been a lack of heat in the building on a chilly winter night with temperatures in the 40s. The newspaper documented that the audible fire alarm had been silenced a month before the blaze and that a property manager had ordered an emergency exit door bolted shut. Perrigo said properties getting new scrutiny were constructed before the adoption of stringent building codes that required safer fire and structural systems. The city will be able to issue notices of violations and orders to comply, which could lead to civil or criminal citations for properties that are not up to standard, according to the ordinance. It will be illegal to rent a unit that had not passed inspection, and property owners would face sanctions if they dont adequately respond following numerous police calls. The city will promote training property owners and tenants about their rights and responsibilities, and each floor of a property will have to have at least one sign saying that concerns about fire and safety issues can be reported by phone to the city. Council members Stavros Anthony and Victoria Seaman voted against the inspections ordinance, saying they wanted the city to first address concerns from property owners. Council members Cedric Crear and Olivia Diaz joined Goodman in the 3-2 vote. Crear, whose district includes the Alpine, termed the law a call to a response of some tragic incidents that have taken place over the last few years in (the) downtown corridor. The inspection program follows reforms passed in September, when city lawmakers agreed to increase inspections and fines for neglected apartment buildings and extended-stay hotels. Of 13 people injured in the Alpine Motel Apartments, five were initially hospitalized in critical condition, including a pregnant woman. The fire was the deadliest in the Las Vegas area since November 1980, when 87 people died and more than 700 were injured in a spectacular blaze at the MGM Grand Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel is now Ballys Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. A fire three months later at the Hilton Hotel killed eight people. Those two fires led to public policy changes and upgraded safety standards including requirements for fire sprinklers in high-rise buildings throughout the state. About the photo: Anthony Todd Meadows, second left, walks from his residence after a fire displaced him from a three-story apartment building early Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019 in Las Vegas. The fire was in first-floor unit of the Alpine Motel Apartments and its cause was under investigation, the department said. Authorities say multiple fatalities were reported and many more were injured. (AP Photo/David Becker) Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 17:14:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- As designated by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Monday marked the 21st World Intellectual Property Day, which encourages small and medium-sized enterprises to take their ideas to market. Falling on April 26, the World Intellectual Property Day aims to increase public awareness of intellectual property (IP) and its contribution to the flourishing of creative arts and innovative sectors. Chinese President Xi Jinping has attached great importance to global IP development and protection. Here are some of his remarks. July 25, 2018 Xi addressed the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, where members of five emerging economies that group Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) met. -- "When new rules are made on such issues as innovation, trade and investment and intellectual property protection or on new frontiers including cyberspace, outer space or the polar regions, we should make sure that the views of emerging markets and developing countries are heeded, their interests and demands are taken into consideration, and there are sufficient opportunities for their development," Xi said. -- "China will continue to develop itself with its door wide open, build a more investment-friendly environment, strengthen protection of intellectual property rights, increase imports, and vigorously pursue the Belt and Road Initiative to create new opportunities of social and economic development for participating countries and for them to implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Xi said. August, 2018 Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the 2018 high-level conference on intellectual property for countries along the Belt and Road. -- The IP system plays a crucial role in promoting the joint development of the Belt and Road, Xi noted. -- "China unswervingly provides strict IP protection, ensures all enterprises' IP rights are protected according to law, and is working to build a favorable environment for business and innovation," Xi said. Xi hoped that parties at the conference can enhance communication and cooperation for mutual benefits, push for more effective protection and use of IP rights, and jointly develop the road of innovation to benefit people of all countries. Nov. 18, 2018 Xi delivered a keynote speech at the 26th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting. -- "China will continue to pursue its fundamental policy of opening-up by significantly expanding market access, better protecting intellectual property rights, and making our investment and business environment more attractive," Xi said. April 26, 2019 Xi delivered a keynote speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. -- "We will intensify efforts to enhance international cooperation in intellectual property protection. Without innovation, there will be no progress. Full intellectual property protection will not only ensure the lawful rights and interests of Chinese and foreign companies; it is also crucial to promoting China's innovation-driven and quality development," Xi said. -- "China will strengthen cooperation with other countries in intellectual property protection, create an enabling environment for innovation and promote technological exchanges and cooperation with other countries on the basis of market principles and the rule of law," he added. Nov. 14, 2019 Xi addressed the 11th BRICS summit. -- "Going forward, China will open up still wider. We will import more goods and services, ease market access for foreign investments, and step up intellectual property protection. With these efforts, we will break new ground in pursuing all-dimensional, multi-tiered and all-sectoral opening-up in China," Xi said. Nov. 4, 2020 Xi delivered a keynote Speech at the Opening Ceremony of The Third China International Import Expo. -- "Good progress has been registered in concluding high-standard free trade agreements, developing demonstration zones for creative promotion of import trade, protecting intellectual property rights, and advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation," Xi said. -- China will continue to make its foreign-related legal framework more open and transparent, strengthen intellectual property protection, better protect the lawful rights and interests of foreign investors and provide them with more high-quality services to further improve the business environment, Xi said. Nov. 19, 2020 Xi delivered a keynote address at the APEC CEO Dialogues. -- "We will accelerate the building of a modernized economy, strengthen protection of property and intellectual property rights, set up a high-standard market system and improve mechanisms for fair competition. All this will fully motivate all types of market entities," Xi said. Feb. 1, 2021 Xi published an article in the Qiushi Journal on comprehensively strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and stimulating the vitality of innovation to foster a new development paradigm. -- "Innovation is the primary driving force behind development, and protecting IPR is equal to protecting innovation," Xi wrote in the article. -- "China is changing from a big IPR importer to a big IPR producer, and from pursuing IPR quantity to improving quality," Xi said. Enditem Executive Order on measures (countermeasures) in response to unfriendly actions of foreign states Text of the Executive Order: To protect the interests and security of the Russian Federation. Putin signed the Executive Order On Measures (Countermeasures) in Response to Unfriendly Actions of Foreign States.ration and in accordance with the federal laws of December 30, 2006, No 281-FZ On Special Economic and Coercive Measures and of June 4, 2018, No 127-FZ On Measures (Countermeasures) in Response to Unfriendly Actions of the United States and Other Foreign States, I hereby resolve: 1. To restrict (including the imposition of a complete ban if necessary) the signing by diplomatic missions and consular agencies, representatives of government bodies and government agencies of foreign states that take unfriendly actions towards the Russian Federation, citizens of the Russian Federation or Russian legal entities, of labour contracts, employment agreements with workers (personnel) and of other civil-law contracts leading to labour relations with individuals on the territory of the Russian Federation. 2. To establish that the number of individuals on the territory of the Russian Federation with whom contracts may be signed shall be determined by the Government of the Russian Federation. 3. Contracts signed with individuals in excess of the number determined by the Government of the Russian Federation prior to the entry into force of this Executive Order shall be subject to termination. 4. Provisions of items 1 and 3 of this Executive Order shall not apply to citizens of unfriendly foreign states that arrive (have arrived) from such states as employees of diplomatic missions and consular agencies, representatives of government bodies and government agencies of the relevant unfriendly foreign states. 5. The Government of the Russian Federation shall: ) compile a list of unfriendly foreign states towards which the measures (countermeasures) established by this Executive Order apply; b) determine the number of individuals that are on the territory of the Russian Federation and with whom contracts may be signed; c) submit proposals, as necessary, to alter the measures (countermeasures) established by this Executive Order and the duration of such measures; d) ensure control over compliance with the labour rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation following the termination of their contracts in accordance with item 3 of this Executive Order. 6. This Executive Order enters in force on the day of its official publication and shall be valid until the cancellation of the measures (countermeasures) it has established. WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear an appeal to expand gun rights in the United States in a New York case over the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defence. FILE - In this June 20, 2019, file photo, the Supreme Court is seen in Washington as a storm rolls in. On one side of an upcoming Supreme Court case over a proposed natural gas pipeline in New Jersey are two lawyers with more than 250 arguments between them. On the other is Jeremy Feigenbaum, a lawyer for New Jersey who will be making his first Supreme Court appearance.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear an appeal to expand gun rights in the United States in a New York case over the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defence. The case marks the courts first foray into gun rights since Justice Amy Coney Barrett came on board in October, making a 6-3 conservative majority. The justices said Monday that they will review a lower-court ruling that upheld New Yorks restrictive gun permit law. The court's decision to take on the case follows mass shootings in recent weeks in Indiana, Georgia, Colorado and California and comes amid congressional efforts to tighten gun laws. President Joe Biden also has announced several executive actions to combat what he called an "epidemic and an international embarrassment" of gun violence in America. The case is especially significant during the coronavirus pandemic, said Eric Tirschwell, the legal director of Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group backed by former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. "Gun violence has only worsened during the pandemic, and a ruling that opened the door to weakening our gun laws could make it even harder for cities and states to grapple with this public health crisis," Tirschwell said. The court had turned down review of the issue in June, before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death. New York is among eight states that limit who has the right to carry a weapon in public. The others are California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. In the rest of the country, gun owners have little trouble legally carrying their weapons when they go out. Paul Clement, representing challengers to New Yorks permit law, said the court should use the case to settle the issue once and for all. "Thus, the nation is split, with the Second Amendment alive and well in the vast middle of the nation, and those same rights disregarded near the coasts," Clement wrote on behalf of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and two New York residents. Calling on the court to reject the appeal, the state said its law promotes public safety and crime reduction and neither bans people from carrying guns nor allows everyone to do so. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that gun laws have made New York the "safest big state in the country" and that the "NRA-backed case is a massive threat to that security. Imagine someone carrying a gun through Times Square, onto the subway, or to a tailgate outside of a Bills game." Federal courts have largely upheld the permit limits. Last month, an 11-judge panel of the federal appeals court in San Francisco rejected a challenge to Hawaiis permit regulations in an opinion written by a conservative judge, Jay Bybee. "Our review of more than 700 years of English and American legal history reveals a strong theme: government has the power to regulate arms in the public square," Bybee wrote in a 7-4 decision for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The issue of carrying a gun for self-defence has been seen for several years as the next major step for gun rights at the Supreme Court, following decisions in 2008 and 2010 that established a nationwide right to keep a gun at home for self-defence. In June, Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, complained that rather than take on the constitutional issue, "the Court simply looks the other way." But Barrett has a more expansive view of gun rights than Ginsburg. She wrote a dissent in 2019, when she was a judge on the federal appeals court in Chicago, that argued that a conviction for a nonviolent felony in this case, mail fraud shouldnt automatically disqualify someone from owning a gun. She said that her colleagues in the majority were treating the Second Amendment as a "second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees." SEOUL: South Korea will ramp up the Covid-19 vaccination rollout as the country has secured adequate doses amid supply shortage concerns to achieve herd immunity by November, the country's acting Prime Minister said on Monday. In the weekend, the country administered its first available shots of coronavirus vaccines to people at long-term care facilities, launching a mass immunization campaign that health authorities hope will restore some level of normalcy by the end of the year. Over the weekend, South Korea clinched a deal with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to import additional vaccines for 20 million people. In a public message, Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki reportedly sought to allay public concerns about a shortage of vaccines and slow progress in the inoculation rollout as the country is bracing for another wave of infections. With the latest deal, the country has secured 192 million doses in total, enough to inoculate 99 million people, an amount almost double the nation's 52 million population. "With the latest deal with Pfizer, the country has laid the ground for advancing the timetable of herd immunity. We've also prepared for expanding vaccinations to those under age 18 and booster shots in response to virus variants," Hong said. The country aims to vaccinate 3 million people by this month and 12 million by end-June, with a goal of attaining herd immunity by November. South Korea has secured Covid-19 vaccines through the COVAX global vaccine project and separate deals with five pharmaceutical firms -- AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen and Novavax. Returning to pre-pandemic life, Ireland and Scotland ease lockdown restrictions COVID Updates: UK reports lowest daily cases since early Sept, half a million given second jabs Indonesia: 53 crew members of lost naval submarine declared dead DUBAI, U.A.E and MADRID, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lleida.net (BME: LLN) (OTCQX: LLEIF) (EPA: ALLLN) has been recognized as the first private entity to become UAE Pass Service Provider, the National Digital ID system promoted by the UAE government. Companies requiring to sign electronic contracts with the country's citizens and residents in a registered and reliable way will be able to do so using Lleida.net's technology, which Emirates Post, the country's National Postal Operator, distributes exclusively in the UAE. Through an agreement signed between Lleida.net and the Smart Dubai City Office, the Spanish multinational company has become the first private provider whose eSignature, eContracting and Registered eNotification digital services are fully integrated with UAE Pass and legally admissible and accredited in the country. The agreement opens the door to the mass adoption of UAE Pass for Digital Signature, Digital Contracting and Registered Notifications in the country. The UAE PASS is the Emirates' national digital identity program. It allows its citizens and residents to digitally sign all official documents in an officially recognized manner. The Smart Dubai City Office recently added a remote facial biometrics mechanism for Identity Verification, allowing this digital ID to be obtained remotely from any Internet connected user device. It s sponsored by the Dubai Smart City Office, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority. Lleida.net has been operating for years in the Middle East, where it has two subsidiaries located in Dubai. The first one is Lleidanet Information Technology Network Services LLC, whose primary purpose is to support business in the UAE through its exclusive UAE Partner, Emirates Post. The second, Lleidanet SaaS Middle East DMCC, aims to boost the marketing of the company's Registered Communications Services in the Middle East and Africa. In the country, Lleida.net and Emirates Post are exclusive partners, for an indefinite period, for signature, contracting and registered electronic notification services. Emirates Post Group Company is a public limited company under the Emirates Investment Authority (EIA) that operates as a commercial entity. Lleida.net, which has over 3,300 shareholders, is listed on BME Growth in Madrid, the OTCQX index in New York and Euronext Growth in Paris. The company has been awarded 203 patents worldwide for its inventions in certified electronic notification, contracting and signature, and its intellectual property portfolio is one of the largest in the world. Media contact: The Paloma Project Media, [email protected] +356-7946-7486 SOURCE Lleida.net The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. President Joe Biden has recognized that the systematic killing and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago was genocide. As VOA Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports NWS Weather Alert NOTE: This information is provided by the National Weather Service. Forecast may differ from local information provided by our own 69News Meteorologists ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR SUNDAY JUNE 6... The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert Sunday for The Lehigh Valley/Berks County area. A code orange air quality alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include children...people suffering from asthma... heart disease or other lung diseases...and the elderly. The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding strenuous activity or exercise outdoors. For more information on ground-level ozone and fine particles...visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us 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 high impact on the medical marijuana market. Frequently Asked Questions: What are the major trends in the market? The increasing number of awareness campaigns is a major trend driving the growth of the market. The increasing number of awareness campaigns 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 over 19% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be $ 27.72 bn. The market will accelerate at a CAGR of over 19% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be $ 27.72 bn. Who are the top players in the market? Aphria Inc., Aurora Cannabis Inc., Cannabis Sativa Inc., Canopy Growth Corp., Cronos Group Inc., DEMECAN Holding GmbH, GW Pharmaceuticals Plc, Medical Marijuana Inc., Tilray Inc., and VIVO Cannabis Inc., are some of the major market participants. Aphria Inc., Aurora Cannabis Inc., Cannabis Sativa Inc., Canopy Growth Corp., Cronos Group Inc., DEMECAN Holding GmbH, GW Pharmaceuticals Plc, Medical Marijuana Inc., Tilray Inc., and VIVO Cannabis Inc., are some of the major market participants. What is the key market driver? The plans to increase production and availability of medical marijuana by governments is one of the major factors driving the market. The plans to increase production and availability of medical marijuana by governments is one of the major factors driving the market. How big is the North American market? The North America region will contribute to 46% of the market share. Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include: Botanical Extracts Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025- The botanical extracts market has the potential to grow by USD 2.19 billion during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 8.42%. Get FREE sample report in minutes The botanical extracts market has the potential to grow by during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 8.42%. Tree Nuts Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025- The tree nuts market size has the potential to grow by USD 6.16 billion during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 4.12%. Get FREE sample report in minutes Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. Get Free sample report in MINUTES The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Aphria Inc., Aurora Cannabis Inc., Cannabis Sativa Inc., Canopy Growth Corp., Cronos Group Inc., DEMECAN Holding GmbH, GW Pharmaceuticals Plc, Medical Marijuana Inc., Tilray Inc., and VIVO Cannabis Inc. are some of the major market participants. The plans to increase the production and availability of medical marijuana by governments will offer immense growth opportunities. In a bid to help players strengthen their market foothold, this medical marijuana 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. Medical Marijuana Market 2021-2025: Segmentation Medical Marijuana Market is segmented as below: Application Chronic Pain Nausea Others Geography North America Europe APAC South America MEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: Get Free sample report in MINUTES Medical Marijuana 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 medical marijuana market report covers the following areas: Medical Marijuana Market Size Medical Marijuana Market Trends Medical Marijuana Market Industry Analysis This study identifies an increasing number of awareness campaigns as one of the prime reasons driving the medical marijuana market growth during the next few years. Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Get Free sample report in MINUTES Medical Marijuana Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist medical marijuana market growth during the next five years Estimation of the medical marijuana market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the medical marijuana market across North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and MEA , , APAC, , and MEA Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of medical marijuana 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 Application Market segments Comparison by Application Chronic pain - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Nausea - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by Application Customer landscape 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 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 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 Aphria Inc. Aurora Cannabis Inc. Cannabis Sativa Inc. Canopy Growth Corp. Cronos Group Inc. DEMECAN Holding GmbH GW Pharmaceuticals Plc Medical Marijuana Inc. Tilray Inc. VIVO Cannabis Inc. 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. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ Download PDF : Get Free sample report in MINUTES SOURCE Technavio Related Links http://www.technavio.com Turkeys lira neared an all-time low on Monday after U.S. President Joe Biden recognized the mass killing of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide in a move that further soured bilateral ties, Ahval reports. The lira dropped by as much as 1.2 percent to 8.48 per dollar. That compared with a record low of 8.58 per dollar reached in early November. The troubled currency later reversed the losses, trading up 0.6 percent at 8.32 per dollar in early afternoon local time. Strategists including Tim Ash at BlueBay Asset Management in London said that the Turkish authorities were probably behind the buying, in a repeat of currency interventions conducted last year. Bidens decision on Saturday to label the deaths of Armenians during World War I as genocide comes at a low point in relations between the two NATO members. His announcement prompted the Turkish foreign ministry to summon the U.S. ambassador to Ankara for a rebuke. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kaln said there would be a political response in the coming months. Vanessa Hudgens had plenty of fun in Miami during a beach vacation this month. And on Monday the 32-year-old High School Musical star shared a flashback bikini image from the state of Florida as she was seen standing in the crystal blue ocean. A dark two piece made the most of her curves as she propped her hands behind her head. 'If the waters warm, you know where to find me,' wrote the Grease: Live star in her caption. Pinup! Vanessa Hudgens had plenty of fun in Miami during a beach vacation. And on Monday the 32-year-old High School Musical star shared a flashback bikini image as she was seen standing in the crystal blue ocean She looked sensational in her little swimsuit, accessorizing with jewelry and a white bucket hat. Last week she shared a video to social media while in the same brown swimsuit and white hat. The hat, jewelry and smile all matched as she posed away and made a cute video for her followers. Vanessa glammed up her two-piece with a necklace, earrings and several rings, adding a fashionable flourish with shades. In the sea: She looked sensational in her little swimsuit, accessorizing with jewelry and a white bucket hat Introducing herself as 'Outback Nessie' she vamped: 'We are in new territory, were in the ocean - and if you look over here, you will see pelicans.' She gestured over to one side and the camera panned over to show several pelicans floating around in the shallows near her. Theres fish all over the water here and, you know, were trying to make contact with these guys. We might just make them our best friends. Just you wait!' she crowed. Looking fab: Last week she showed off her assets in the same bikini while splashing around In a recent Insta Stories selfies Vanessa showed off one of the unfortunate side effects of her days out at the beach. She could be seen wearing a sleeveless white top that allowed her to demonstrate how sunburnt her shoulders had become. 'I DON'T NEED SUNSCREEN I SAID,' wrote Vanessa alongside the selfie which showed her wearing a mask in the car. 'LOL SMH.' Vanessa's upcoming movie releases include the musical Tick, Tick...Boom! directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield. Wow: She gestured over to one side and the camera panned over to show several pelicans floating around in the shallows near her The original stage piece was written as a one-man off-Broadway show by Jonathan Larson who went onto achieve national fame for Rent. Tick, Tick... Boom! is Lin-Manuel's first turn at film directing since the 1996 comedy Clayton's Friends, which was only 59 minutes long. Production on the film was shut down last March on account of the coronavirus lockdowns but it resumed in the autumn. Lin-Manuel announced the wrap of the shoot in late November and the movie is now slated for a Netflix release on an undisclosed date this year. Disability employment policy takes center stage on Capitol Hill during virtual Grassroots Conference VIENNA, Va., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The SourceAmerica Grassroots Advocacy Conference will bring over 50 nonprofit agency leaders and people with disabilities from across the United States together to advocate on disability employment-related issues. SourceAmerica logo (PRNewsfoto/SourceAmerica) A platform for essential members of the workforce to showcase how having employment options has changed their lives. From April 26-30, self-advocates will gather online to discuss barriers to employment in their communities and how the AbilityOne Program, one of the nation's largest sources of employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities, has played a role in their careers. Through self-advocacy, story-sharing, and training, these individuals will be empowered to share their employment journey with peers and members of Congress. "The SourceAmerica Grassroots Advocacy Conference is a unique, but critical, way for self-advocates to directly reach members of Congress who are making the very decisions that affect job opportunities for people with disabilities," said Richard Belden, SourceAmerica Interim President and CEO. "I am thankful for all the members of Congress and their staff who have chosen to spend their valuable time engaging with our passionate advocates on this important topic." Connect. Create. Change. This year's theme, "Connect. Create. Change." highlights the importance of collaboration between hundreds of nonprofit agencies in the SourceAmerica network, the talented individuals they employ, and the members of Congress who decide on national disability employment policy. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, (D-N.J.), an active supporter and advocate for the rights and employment of people with disabilities, shared a pre-recorded statement with conference attendees. "The work of SourceAmerica and the work you've done over the past 45 years including championing the rights of individuals with disabilities and creating a more inclusive workforce, is truly inspiring," said Sherrill. Story continues During the conference, self-advocates have the chance to share their experiences with other attendees and the virtual audience during a "Celebration of Stories." This event provides a platform for these essential members of the workforce to showcase how having employment options has changed their lives. The conference, emceed by disability advocate and Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte, will also provide advocacy training sessions for nonprofit agency leadership and self-advocates. Nearly 200 congressional meetings are scheduled to take place over the five-day conference. For people like Candace Hartley, the SourceAmerica Grassroots Advocacy Conference means she can tell her story directly to members of Congress. Hartley, who is employed by Palmetto Goodwill in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of more than 50 people with disabilities selected to take part in the virtual conference. "Our nation's lawmakers need to know that their decisions have a profound effect on the employment prospects of people with disabilities." About SourceAmerica SourceAmerica connects government and corporate customers to a national network of approximately 700 nonprofit agencies that hire a talented segment of the workforce people with disabilities. Established in 1974, SourceAmerica is committed to increasing economic and social inclusion and advocating for a more accessible future of work for people with differing abilities. As a leading job creator within the disability community and distinguished as an AbilityOne authorized enterprise, SourceAmerica harnesses the momentum and boosts the capability of its network and customers. To learn more, visit SourceAmerica.org and follow the organization on Facebook (@SourceAmerica), Twitter (@SourceAmerica), Instagram (@SourceAmerica), and LinkedIn (@SourceAmerica). Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/people-with-disabilities-share-their-stories-with-federal-lawmakers-301276440.html SOURCE SourceAmerica Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 22:03:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- India's COVID-19 tally reached 16,960,172 on Sunday with 349,691 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours. This is the fourth consecutive day when over 300,000 daily cases were registered in the country. -- The situation in India was a "devastating reminder" of what the deadly disease could do, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). -- To augment the supply of oxygen, the Indian government has decided to run special trains to ferry oxygen and import 50,000 MT of medical oxygen. by Peerzada Arshad Hamid NEW DELHI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- India in the past days has witnessed a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases, placing mounting pressure on the populous country's already overburdened healthcare system. In this South Asian country, patients gasped at the crowded, crisis-hit hospitals, where a shortage of medicines as well as non-availability of beds and oxygen continued to be worsened. People cried for help as their family members lay motionless inside cars, on stretchers and in beds. Amid the overwhelming outbreak, the international community has extended a helping hand to India. China, for example, said on Friday it "is ready to provide support and help according to India's need, and is in communication with the Indian side on this." Meanwhile, the United States has triggered mounting anger on social media for its behavior of hoarding vaccines. MISPLACED FAITH On Sunday, India's COVID-19 tally reached 16,960,172 with 349,691 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours. This is the fourth consecutive day when over 300,000 daily cases were registered in the country. India's federal government has been caught off guard despite warnings of a possible second wave. It launched the first vaccination drive against the coronavirus on Jan. 16. Healthcare and frontline workers were then inoculated, followed by those above 60 years of age or 45 years with co-morbidities. People line up for the COVID-19 vaccine at a stadium in Guwahati, India, April 22, 2021. (Str/Xinhua) However, about two months into the drive and having vaccinated just more than 20 million out of the country's more than 1.38-billion population, the government claimed it was in the "endgame" of the ongoing epidemic. When new infections showed an upward trend, India seemed to have lowered the guard, resuming activities similar to the pre-pandemic phase, like the re-opening of cinema halls, malls, bars and restaurants to full capacity, as well as the allowing of religious festivals, sporting events, etc., which saw full participation. Images of the public flouting COVID-19 protocol and taking a ritual bath in the Ganges river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand drew caution from health experts to call off the event, a suggestion scorned by the local government. In five states, the country went ahead to conduct elections, allowing election rallies, which witnessed huge participation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held huge rallies across the election-bound states and addressed the jam-packed audience without wearing a face mask. In an election rally in West Bengal, Modi said it was heartening to see people all around wherever he looked. "We had misplaced faith in illusory herd immunity and unrealistic mathematical models which were over-optimistic," said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). "The urgency to revive the economy made policymakers across the country believe this and people too welcomed a return to an unrestrained life." "Very few governments across India planned for a second wave. So, old neglect of the health system and recent indifference to planning resulted in the serious challenges that health systems are facing," he added. "WE ARE HELPLESS" The situation in India was a "devastating reminder" of what the deadly disease could do, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With a new "double mutant" variant named B.1.617, the ongoing devastating second wave of outbreak has wreaked havoc across the country. In the past weeks, social media in India have been flooded with doctors breaking down. Some urged the public to take precautions and home remedies to avoid hospitalisation. A nadir was reached when hospitals announced dwindling oxygen supplies, urging attendants to take their patients to other facilities. A COVID-19 patient with oxygen support is transported inside Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in New Delhi, India, April 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar) "We are helpless. Have never seen such a situation before. People are panicking," Dr. Trupti Gilada, a specialist in infectious diseases from Mumbai, can be heard in her five-minute video post as saying while breaking down and wiping tears. "We have to manage so many patients. Critically ill patients are being treated at home because there are no beds and we are not enjoying this," she added. On the evening of April 16, Vinay Srivastava, a journalist from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh who contracted COVID-19, pleaded for a hospital bed and took to social media to inform audience about his deteriorating condition until his oxygen level fell down and he died. Hospitals one after another in the Indian capital reported that their oxygen supplies have been exhausted and sought immediate intervention of the government in replenishing them. On April 25, 20 COVID-19 patients admitted at the Jaipur Golden Hospital died from a shortage of oxygen. One day before, at least 25 critical patients admitted at New Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital died under similar circumstances. A worker fills medical oxygen cylinders used in hospitals in Prayagraj, India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, April 19, 2021. (Str/Xinhua) The oxygen crunch came at a time when the supplies of Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug, vanished. Local media carried reports about the shortage of Remdesivir in hospitals, sale of the injections in the black market, and arrest of people at the hands of local police for trying to sell it at exorbitant rates. When deaths spiked, crematoria were overwhelmed. They worked round-the-clock to keep up with the pace of bodies arriving. Relatives had to wait with the bodies of their dear ones outside crematoria for their turn. Though the authorities said the situation is under control, disturbing images of mass cremation and burning funeral pyres have hogged headlines. Reports said that in the Indian state of Gujarat, gas and firewood furnaces at crematoria have been running so long without a break that metal parts have begun to melt. TOUGH FIGHT To augment the supply of oxygen, the Indian government has decided to run special trains to ferry oxygen and import 50,000 MT of medical oxygen. It also announced that import duty was removed from Remdesivir active pharmaceutical ingredients, injection and specific substances used in the manufacture of Remdesivir. The federal government has asked all states to ensure judicious use of Remdesivir, stop the black marketing or hoarding of drugs and facilitate the smooth inter-state supplies of medicines. As hospitals continue to turn away seriously ill patients, pharmacies struggle to supply basic medicines such as Paracetamol or Favipiravir, an antiviral tablet approved for treating mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. "What is happening around us is soul crushing," said Dr. Indu Bhushan, former CEO of Ayushman Bharat, an Indian government agency providing national healthcare coverage. Relatives of a COVID-19 victim console each other as they reach to collect the body outside the mortuary of Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, April 21, 2021. (Str/Xinhua) "Everyone I know has at least one COVID-19 positive family member or has one who died of COVID-19," he added. "I dread receiving calls from family or friends these days as mostly it is to seek help in finding a bed. In most cases I have failed." "We need to build a futuristic health security system that integrates the one health approach, strong surveillance platforms, and an autonomous agency to coordinate public health actions," said Giridhara R Babu, head of lifecourse epidemiology at the PHFI, in an interview with a local newspaper. "So far, there is no empirical evidence to suggest whether eliminating COVID-19 is feasible in any near term," he added. With the case surge in India, countries across the world have expressed their concern and offered to extend a helping hand. "China expresses sincere sympathies to India over the deteriorating situation in the country recently. The Chinese government and people firmly support the Indian government and people in fighting the coronavirus," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday during a press briefing. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed solidarity with India, saying they must fight together this global challenge confronting humanity. "Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood and the world," Khan wrote on social media. France, Australia and the European Union have also come out to help India in its anti-virus fight. Saudi Arabia has shipped 80 MT of liquid oxygen to India. In this chorus of unity, the United States has hit a wrong note. "Anti-U.S. and anti-Western sentiment exploded across social media with growing criticism directed at the Biden-Harris administration for sitting on stockpiles of unused vaccines and jealously guarding patents," the Times of India said Sunday in a report. It added that Washington has turned a deaf ear to the severe epidemic situation in countries like India and Brazil, which rank second and third respectively in the global chart of infections. Citing a report by the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, the media noted that the United States will have "an oversupply of up to 300 million or more vaccine doses as soon as July," while many developing countries have to wait for years before they can complete mass vaccination. This behavior is "undermining the WHO's effort to forestall vaccine inequity," it added. (Video reporter: Jiang Lei; video editor: Yang Zhixiang) Washington: China-born filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who told the story of financially stretched van dwellers in the U.S. recession-era tale Nomadland, on Sunday became the first Asian woman and second woman ever to win best director at the Academy Awards. It was the first Oscar for Zhao, 39, who featured real-life nomads alongside actress Frances McDormand to show the lives of older Americans who travel from job to job trying to scrape together a living. Zhao was born in China and lived in Beijing until age 14, when she went to boarding school in London and later finished high school in Los Angeles. But her big moment was not seen live on television in China, where she has come under criticism. Posters on Chinese social media said Zhou has insulted China in comments in the past. Hong Kong TV audiences were also unable to watch in real time because free-to-air broadcaster TVB declined to air the Academy Awards for the first time in more than 50 years. TVB, which has broadcast the Oscars every year since 1969, said it would not carry the ceremony 'for commercial reasons. The decision not to air the Oscars has raised concerns about dwindling freedoms in Hong Kong, which has taken an authoritarian path since China imposed a sweeping national security law last year in response to the financial hubs pro-democracy protests of 2019. But her comments upon winning were apolitical and evoked fond memories of her childhood in China, recalling a game she played with her father trying to memorize classic Chinese poems. She recalled one entitled, Three Character Classic, in which a character says "people at birth are inherently good," Zhou said, an apparent reference to her casting non-actors in her films. "I still truly believe them today," Zhou said of the letters in the poem. "Even though sometimes they might seem like the opposite is true, but I have always found goodness in the people I met everywhere I went in the world." Casting real people adds a realism to her films, which tell real and somewhat simple stories with an understated feel. That is why there is great anticipation in Hollywood about her upcoming films including the Marvel Studios big-budget action flick Eternals, scheduled for release in November, and a sci-fi Western version of Dracula. After attending film school in New York, Zhao won acclaim for independent movies Songs My Brothers Taught Me, about the bond between a Native American brother and sister, and The Rider, the story of a young cowboy recovering from a serious head injury. Just two women have won best director in the 93-year-old history of the Academy Awards. Kathryn Bigelow took the prize in 2010 for war thriller The Hurt Locker. Zhao competed this year against "Promising Young Woman" director Emerald Fennell, marking the first time two women were nominated in the category at the same time. She went into the Oscars ceremony as the front-runner after picking up trophies from the Directors Guild of America, the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and multiple film critic groups. Help India! The second wave of the coronavirus has taken India by a storm, with over 300,000 new Covid infections reported every day. The scenes of bodies piling up at cremation grounds have shook citizens as well as the government. The workers at one of the cremation grounds in New Delhi are working in extreme conditions to provide last rites to the deceased Covid-19 victims. A TCN Ground Report. Suprakash Majumdar, TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles New Delhi: Scores of dead bodies sealed in medical hazard bags were lying in a neat line at the gate of New Delhis Nigambodh Ghat cremation ground. The bodies are of the people who died of Covid-19. Grief and sadness were visible on the faces of people standing beside the dead bodies of their deceased loved ones. A few men with torn masks and cloths wrapped around their necks stand with the relatives of the Covid-19 victims. These are the cremation ground workers who have been working in extreme conditions to provide last rites to the deceased Covid-19 victims. According to a priest in the cremation ground, these men are the last companions of the deceased on their way to moksha. Navraj, 40, was preparing the firewood for the cremation of a 65-year-old man who died of coronavirus. This is a tough job but it is an important job. If we dont do it, then who will? he said while poking a pyre with his long wooden stick. Navraj is a migrant from Nepal and has been working at Nigambodh Ghat for four years. He has a wife and a six-year-old daughter back at home. While working, he is not wearing any protective gear except a torn mask, which one can see has been stitched. Of course I am scared of this disease or whatever it is. I take proper precautions as I was told by our seniors. I dont touch the body (of the deceased victim) and I dont get too close to the body as well, he said. It was easy to distinguish the cremation ground workers from the general public as none of the workers was wearing any kind of protective gears but the others were wearing proper PPE kits. New Delhi, Indias national capital, is witnessing a huge boom in Covid-19 cases for the last few weeks. The capital reported 23, 933 new Covid-19 cases and 350 deaths on Sunday (April 25). The severity of Covid-19 cases in New Delhi is such that a park was turned into a cremation ground in south-east Delhi. It has been a busy week for all of us. There are 60-70 workers here in total and we are all working overtime to complete the cremation of all these bodies, Navraj said. Navraj alleged that none of the workers was given any PPE kits. Even if we were given those kits, none of us would wear it. We cant work while wearing those PPE kits because we work in conditions like a furnace. It gets too hot and if we wear it, many of us would faint, he added. Another worker, working on the other side of the cremation ground told TwoCircles.net that workers here dont wear the kits. But after coming to know that he was talking to the media, the worker said that has just arrived for duty. I was in a hurry so didnt get a chance to wear it, he said. For Navraj, there was no time to rest. After finishing with one dead body, he immediately moves on to the other. Yesterday was a busy day, he said. He said there were too many bodies and there was no place left to cremate them, as a pyre needs 4-5 hours to burn off to make room for another cremation. We had to take the remaining bodies out on the river bank and then cremate them, he said. Standing nearby, a man whose mother died of Covid-19 said they (cremation ground workers) are very helpful and if they werent here, I wouldnt have a clue about what to do. Following the cremation of his mothers body, he gave a tip to the priest who helped him with the religious ceremony and Navraj, who did all the work from getting firewood and making a pyre. The priest received Rs 2000 while the cremation ground worker Navraj only got Rs 300. Most of the cremation ground workers at Nigambodh Ghat are from Dom caste, a Dalit caste in northern India. Most of them come from North Indian states like Bihar and Jharkhand in search of better work opportunities and to escape casteism which is very prevalent in those areas. I have worked in Gulf countries as a labourer but I get the most satisfaction from the work I am doing there, Navraj said. One of my relatives passed away a few years ago and I came to this place. I found out that this place needs a 24 hours service and it is important too. I feel like I am doing something good for society by working here, he added. Navraj sleeps for six hours and works for the rest of the day. I like to help people and I get a sense of importance here. I am not well educated but I think I can help people by doing this work. I console the grieving family members and I guide them with the procedures as it is important to me, he said. When this reporter asked him if he is comfortable being pictured, Navraj got up to tuck his shirt in his loose trousers and brushed his hair with his bare hands and asked with a smile, With or without a mask?. Among the many new twists Sunday evening's Oscars had in store included eliminating the preemptive music the band plays to curtail acceptance speeches running over the allotted time. Questlove, the Oscars' musical director, explained to Variety last week that producers Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins changed the format to eliminate music ushering out speeches during the 93rd annual Academy Awards. 'The one thing I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to do is my favorite all-time thing, which is the play-off music when the speeches get too long,' the musician, 50, said. 'I'm not allowed to do that.' The latest: Questlove, the Oscars' musical director, said that producers Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins changed the format to eliminate music ushering out speeches during the 93rd annual Academy Awards He said, jokingly, 'They were like, "No, you can't interrupt speeches," so if [eight-year-old Minari actor Alan Kim] won Best Supporting Actor, I would just interrupt his speech. Not really. But one day I'll cross that off the bucket list.' The evening featured a litany of moving speeches from winners including Nomadland's Chloe Zhao (Best Director), Another Round director Thomas Vinterberg (Best International Feature) and Judas and the Black Messiah's Daniel Kaluuya (Best Supporting Actor). Zhao, after becoming the first woman of color ever to win the honors, said in her speech, 'This is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves and hold onto to the goodness in each other, no matter how difficult it is to do that - this is for you. You inspire me to keep going.' Vinterberg noted that his daughter Ida had died in an auto accident when he began shooting his film, dedicating his honors to her. Sunday's show was held from Union Station in Los Angeles to adhere to proper social distancing protocols for the first major Hollywood gathering in a year Memorable: Nomadland's Chloe Zhao, after becoming the first woman of color ever to win the honors, delivered an optimistic speech while accepting the honors Emotional: Another Round director Thomas Vinterberg paid memorial to his late daughter Ida in accepting the honors for Best International Feature 'We ended up making this movie for her, as her monument,' he said. 'So Ida, this is a miracle that just happened, You are a part of this miracle ... this one is for you.' In claiming his honors, Kaluuya paid tribute to his mother Damalie, who wept in the crowd. 'Id like to thank my mom,' he said. 'Thank you for pouring so much into me. You gave me everything. You gave me your factory settings so I could stand at my fullest height.' Sunday's show was held from Union Station in Los Angeles to adhere to proper social distancing protocols for the first major Hollywood gathering in a year, allowing attendees to go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, a diverse group of advocates joined together to launch the Ohio Climate Justice Fund (OCJF), an emerging initiative that will invest in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) organizations in Ohio, working at the intersection of racial justice and climate action. The OCJF was created to provide resources and build the power necessary to influence policy change and help move Ohio toward a just and inclusive clean energy economy. Efforts to advance a clean energy future have historically excluded diverse voices, and nonprofit organizations led by people of color receive only a fraction of the philanthropic investment that White-led organizations receive. Launched with seed funding and support from the George Gund Foundation, Energy Foundation, and the Cleveland Foundation, the OCJF will award competitive, one-time grants between $15,000-$30,000 to BIPOC led organizations across Ohio to host listening sessions and lead communities in conversations about the best and most effective ways to address climate and environmental justice in their communities. Grantmaking decisions for the OCJF will be made by an advisory board comprised of Ohio environmental advocates and leaders who advise and guide investments. Grant applications are due by COB on May 19, 2021. "The OCJF is not just for organizations that have climate or the environment specifically mentioned in their missions. It is for any organization in Ohio led by a person of color who has proven their ability to build trust in their community and advocate for change," said Leah Hudnall, Director of the Ohio Climate Justice Fund. "Energy, climate and environmental issues at large affect us all, and we will need all voices at the table to help design Ohio's equitable clean future." With resources provided through grant funding, organizations will implement the Listen. Lead. Share. (LLS) Campaign. Partner organizations will prioritize intentional and authentic community listening as the first step in organizing grassroots power in support of equitable clean energy policies. Conversations facilitated through the LLS Campaign will also put quality jobs and economic opportunity at the forefront of discussions about a clean, equitable energy future. The solutions to climate change offer major new economic opportunities in clean energy and transportation technologies that offer Ohioans most especially those who have historically been denied access the opportunity to work in emerging industries that can't be outsourced. "As a member of the advisory board of the OCJF, I am excited to be a part of an effort that intends to center, respect, and honor the lived experience of community members and trusted nonprofit partners, while promoting the impact a clean energy future could have in Ohio," said Leo Almeida, Senior Policy Associate with The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. A pre-recorded informational session which shares more about the OCJF grant opportunities, the Fund's advisory board, and goals is currently available for review, and additional information about the Fund can be found on the Ohio Climate Justice Fund website. "Environment incubates life and environmental equity begins with climate and clean energy conversations in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by inequities," said Michael Jeans, President and CEO of Growth Opps., a Cleveland-based community development capital group focused on growing small businesses primarily located in underserved, low and moderate income communities in Ohio. "We are thrilled to join the launch of Ohio Climate Justice Fund (OCJF), housed at Growth Opps, to provide resources and amplification to BIPOC led organizations working at the intersection of racial justice and climate action." Want to know more? Stay connected to the Ohio Climate Justice Fund online at: Facebook: @OhioClimateJusticeFund Twitter: @OhioCJFund LinkedIn: Ohio Climate Justice Fund Website: www.ohioclimatejusticefund.org SOURCE Ohio Climate Justice Fund WWE ATTORNEY JERRY MCDEVITT ON TODAY'S SUPREME COURT DECISION The Associated Press picked up the story of the Supreme Court in Connecticut declining to hear arguments that the dismissed concussion-related lawsuit against WWE should be resurrected. "We're glad its finally over,'' WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt told the AP. "We were completely vindicated.'' The article noted that Konstantine Kyros, the attorney who brought the civil lawsuits against WWE, did not return request for comment. Kyros is now facing over $500,000 in sanctions ordered against him by the court. 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! Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu, has said that he has no ambition to become Nigerias President. Kalu, however, said he wil... Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu, has said that he has no ambition to become Nigerias President. Kalu, however, said he will not reject the offer if he was given, adding that he is capable mentally and otherwise to lead the country. Uzor Kalu also insisted that it is the turn of a Southeasterner of Igbo extraction to become President if Nigerians want to be fair. The former Abia Governor spoke during an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, adding that he does not believe that prophecies will take him to Aso Rock. He waved aside prophecies from some clergymen that he will be Nigerias next president. I am not having that kind of ambition, the former Abia State governor said in an interview on Channels Televisions Sunday Politics. But if I am given, why not? I can take it. I am a Catholic. In the Catholic church, we dont see visions. Well, if visions are being seen, and people say this and that, if it is the will of God that I will become president, why not? I am very capable mentally and otherwise to do whatever Nigerian people want me to do but not through prophecy, the lawmaker noted. I believe if Nigerians and the Nigerian people want to be fair, a Southeast president from Igbo extraction will be the next thing to do, he explained. A train carrying three tankers loaded with liquid medical arrived at Kalamboli near Mumbai from Jamnagar in Gujarat on Monday, railway officials said. The train, carrying about 44 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen, nearly 15 tonnes in each tanker, reached Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai at around 11.30 am, covering a distance of about 860 km in over 17 hours, they said. This is the second ' Express' to arrive in Maharashtra, which is facing shortage of the liquid medical due to a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases. The first 'Oxygen Express' carrying seven tankers of the liquid medical oxygen reached the state from Visakhapatnam on April 23. Four of those tankers were offloaded at Nashik and three at Nagpur, considering the local need. Informing about the 'Oxygen Express' which arrived on Monday, Western Railway officials said the Ro-Ro (Roll on-Roll off) goods train carrying three tankers of the liquid medical oxygen on BWT wagons left from Hapa at Jamnagar in Gujarat around 6 pm on Sunday. After an overnight journey via Viramgam, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat, the train entered in the morning, they said. "It is the first 'Oxygen Express' run by the Western Railway," WR's chief public relations officer Sumit Thakur said, adding railway authorities provided an uninterrupted 'green corridor' to the train for swift movement. The three oxygen tankers are supplied by the Reliance Industries in Jamnagar, he said. "Necessary arrangements were made at the Hapa goods shed in a short time for the smooth movement of the train," he said. According to the Western Railway, authorities followed all safety parameters, keeping in mind the height of the gas tankers and monitored their pressure from time to time. "As liquid oxygen is cryogenic, there are many limitations, like the speed at which it can be carried, acceleration and deceleration and loading restrictions," Thakur said. On April 18, the Railways had announced it will run 'Oxygen Express' trains over the next few days to transport liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country. (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.) Romania will receive, on Monday, the largest tranche of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which consists of 725,400 doses, as well as 40,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the National COVID-19 Vaccination Coordination Committee (CNCAV) announced, reports agerpres. The vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech will be delivered by air and will arrive at the airports in Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara, according to a CNCAV release sent to AGERPRES on Sunday. Transport to the storage centers in special containers with carbonic ice and sealed foil is ensured by the manufacturing company, including by land.The vaccine doses will be distributed as follows: Bucharest National Storage Centre - 175,500 doses; Brasov Regional Storage Centre - 85,410 doses; Cluj Regional Storage Centre - 93,600 doses; Constanta Regional Storage Centre - 92,430 doses; Craiova Regional Storage Centre - 91,260 doses; Iasi Regional Storage Centre - 93,600 doses; Timisoara Regional Storage Centre - 93,600 doses.According to CNCAV, so far, Romania has received 4,397,309 doses of the vaccine produced by Pfizer, and 3,843,269 have already been used.The new 40,800-dose Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) vaccine tranche will be transported to Romania by the manufacturing company. The vaccine doses will be brought to the Capital by land and will be stored at the National Storage Centre of the "Cantacuzino" National Institute for Medical-Military Research Development. They will be distributed to the existing regional centres at national level in the next period.To date, Romania has received 1,517,200 doses of the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, and since February 15 a number of 533,125 doses have already been used to immunise the population. A Japanese astronaut handed over a mission sash to a compatriot who arrived with three other astronauts aboard a SpaceX capsule on Saturday, joining him and several others on the International Space Station (ISS). Japan's Soichi Noguchi handed over to Akihiko Hoshide who had lived at the ISS before. The International Space Station's population swelled to 11 on Saturday with the jubilant arrival of SpaceX's third crew capsule in less than a year, carrying four astronauts, including Hoshide. It's the biggest crowd up there in more than a decade. The astronauts are from the US, Russia, Japan and France. The capsule arrived a day after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The newcomers will spend six months at the space station. Theyll replace four astronauts who will return to Earth in their own Dragon capsule Wednesday to end a half-year mission. NASA deliberately planned for a brief overlap so the outgoing SpaceX crew could show the new arrivals around. The current population includes six Americans, two Russians, two Japanese and one from France. It will shrink by four on Wednesday when three Americans and Noguchi depart for home and a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Boris Johnson has charged the head of the civil service to look into the nature of donations being used for the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, MPs have been told. During a wide-ranging grilling that encompassed the Chatty Rat leak inquiry, allegations made by Dominic Cummings and others, Simon Case said he had been asked to ensure the money used to renovate the Prime Minister's residence was "sound from a propriety point of view". That would include establishing that donations "aren't being used to seek preferment or any such" and "ensuring that such donations are declared in the proper way", he added, but could not confirm whether they were political donations. Mr Case was repeatedly unable to give MPs a straight answer, apologising for being "very constrained in what I can say" on leak inquiries and other topics - to the visible frustration of those asking the questions. But he admitted that the so-called Chatty Rat - the source of the leak about plans for a second lockdown - may never be named. "What I can say is the investigation is ongoing and this is a clear indication that the source or sources haven't been identified," he added. "In the time that has now passed, I think it is probable that the team will not successfully identify the source or sources but work is ongoing." Follow the latest updates below. 04:20 PM Who is Simon Case? With his neatly trimmed beard, sharp blue suit and impeccable manners, it is little wonder bespectacled Simon Case is described as the respectable face of No 10, Camilla Tominey writes. Story continues When the Cambridge-educated former royal adviser was appointed the UKs most senior servant last September, he was hailed as the only man in Whitehall who could rescue the Governments erratic handling of the coronavirus crisis. Initially seconded from Kensington Palace, where he was the Duke of Cambridges right-hand-man, the mandarins promotion to Cabinet Secretary seven months ago was designed to make Downing Street less contingent on Dominic Cummings. Read more about the man behind today's grilling from our associate editor. 04:13 PM What did we learn from Simon Case's grilling? Brief Case: The Cabinet Secretary dodged many of the MPs' questions this afternoon - TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS The questions put to Simon Case, the UK's most senior civil servant, were certainly wide ranging. But the answers were not. So much so that a frustrated Labour MP used the Committee's last fifteen minutes to ask Mr Case whether he thought he had been "hung out to dry" by being sent before MPs without any briefing papers on the key issues. Here is the best of what we learnt: On Greensill , Mr Case said he did not understand exactly how Lex Greensill and Bill Crothers had been allowed to work for Greensill Capital and the Government's procurement service at the same time. Most of the detail will be handled by Nigel Boardman, the lawyer that Downing Street has instructed to conduct an inquiry into the issue. But Mr Case said he thought the appointment had been overseen by Sir Jeremy Heywood, the late former Cabinet Secretary, and that it did not seem "appropriate". On the Downing Street refurb, Mr Case said he had been charged by the Prime Minister to investigate the nature of donations being used for the renovations. That investigation will involve "ensuring that such donations are declared in the proper way" . There has been concern that Tory donor involvement in the flat's funding could lead to "preferment" - or (in the language of a non-civil servant) straightforward corruption. On the so-called "Chatty Rat", Mr Case said the source behind the leak of plans to impose a second lockdown will probably never be identified . Mr Case said he was "constrained" by confidentiality but "it is probable that the team will not successfully identify the source or sources". On mandarins' second jobs, Mr Case said he was aware of fewer than 100 civil servants who had another role, but said they were generally "yoga instructors and sports instructors" rather than high-level business appointments. 03:52 PM Gove: I never heard PM say he would let bodies pile up Michael Gove is facing urgent questions in the Commons from MPs - JESSICA TAYLOR/AFP Michael Gove is facing questions from MPs in the Commons. On the "bodies pile high" quotation reported in this morning's Daily Mail, Labour's Wes Streeting asked Mr Gove to be "absolutely categorical that he's never heard the Prime Minister say those words, that the Prime Minister didn't say those words and that prior to arriving in the House this afternoon he received assurances from the Prime Minister that he didn't use those words. "Can he be absolutely clear and straightforward and honest about that?" Mr Gove replied: "Totally... I made the point that I'd been in a meeting in the Cabinet room with the Prime Minister, I wouldn't ordinarily go into discussions that take place in Cabinet committees for reasons that he would well understand. "But I never heard the Prime Minister say any such thing. We were all wrestling with an incredibly difficult decision, the decision to lock down necessarily imposes costs in other ways as we're all aware. "But the Prime Minister not only concluded at the end of the discussion that we had, which was a sober, serious and detailed discussion, that it was necessary to have that second lockdown. "He also concluded of course that it was necessary sadly to have a third lockdown as well." Sharp-witted observers will notice that Mr Gove has denied ever hearing Mr Johnson say those words, not that he ever said them. In answer to an earlier question Mr Gove replied he had ""never heard language of that kind". 03:47 PM What would happen if the Prime Minister died? Mr Case is asked whether more work has been completed on what would happen if the Prime Minister was to die. The Cabinet Secretary alludes to Mr Johnson's illness last year, and suggests that more thinking has been done on the succession plans since then. He says the Cabinet would meet and attempt to nominate an "interim" Prime Minister within 48 hours. The Chief Whip and Cabinet Secretary would act as an "honest broker" to mediate discussions on the Prime Minister's successor. The governing party could then elect a new leader, he says. 03:42 PM No-comment Case hits back at claim he has been 'hung out to dry' Mr Russell-Moyle says Mr Case was unable to answer questions on "almost all" topics MPs have wanted to speak about. "Have you been hung out to dry?" he asks. Mr Case says he and Mr Tierney have "made clear where the limits of our knowledge are". Mr Russell-Moyle replies: "At the moment, it feels like you might be verging on saying nothing." The Cabinet Secretary hits back: "I simply don't accept that". 03:39 PM Delays and more delays: Why are releases taking so long? Lloyd Russell Moyle, a Labour MP, points out that a raft of transparency releases have been delayed and says the civil service is "treading water" on cronyism and lobbying. He asks whether there is an issue with capacity in the Cabinet Office. Mr Case replies that his team is "hard pressed" and "hard working" but that he is willing to expand its size if necessary. 03:25 PM Ministerial interests are 'self regulating,' says MP Jackie Doyle Price, an MP on the committee, says the system of regulating the civil service and ministerial interests is "self regulating". She says that ministers are scutinised when they are given their roles but afterwards are expected to regulate their own interests and declare them when appropriate. She points out that Matt Hancock has share interests in a family firm that has done business in the NHS, and shares in other companies are also held by Lord Agnew. Mr Tierney replies: "The duty is on ministers to keep their conflicts updated if there are any." 03:19 PM Private sector hires to the civil service need to be taught its 'ethos', says Case Simon Case says that in light of the Greensill scandal, "mid career arrivals" to the civil service need to be taught the "ethos" of the organisation when they arrive from the private sector. "When you come in and you grow up through it, and you have training courses and what have you, it can be imbued. "But the ethos you describe that is underpinned by the principles on public life...as people come in we need to help them better understand the underpinning ethos." 03:13 PM Government's civil service reformer Lord Maude dragged into questioning John McDonnell, who sits on the committee, says Lord Maude was involved in Mr Crothers' and Mr Greensill's appointments in the civil service. Lord Maude has since been taken on as a consultant to help the Government reform the civil service, and has also consulted with Mr Crothers procurement since he left the Government. Mr Case said Lord Maude's long experience in Government meant that he was an appropriate choice for a review into "functional reform" but that his potential conflicts of interests had been managed by the civil service. 03:10 PM Bill Crothers' movements on Greensill board was 'deplorable,' says MP Mr Case says he and Mr Tierney "can't explain may of these things" but that they do not look "appropriate". Mr Tierney says that Mr Crothers did not seek approval from Acoba when he moved from a role as a board adviser to a board member at Greensill. David Jones asks: "Don't you agree that that is deplorable?" Mr Tierney says it was not within the rules. 03:06 PM Bill Crothers appointment was Jeremy Heywood's decision, says Case David Jones, a Tory MP, asks Mr Case about the appointment of Bill Crothers, a civil servant, to the board of Greensill at the time he was involved in public sector procurement for the Government. Mr Case says it "looked like a pretty extraordinary set of circumstances" that Mr Crothers was effectively allowed to work for both sides. Asked who approved Mr Crothers' two jobs, Mr Case said the decision had been taken by Sir Jeremy Heywood, the former Cabinet Secretary and Jon Manzoni, the former chief executive of the Civil Service. Mr Tierney and Mr Case said there was no ministerial oversight of that decision. "I personally have never heard of anything like it before [...] no one else seems to have seen anything quite like it," the Cabinet Secretary adds. 02:58 PM No 'conflicting' second jobs in civil service - but there are some yoga teachers Simon Case has confirmed there are no civil servants with outside interests that "conflict with the code" - but admitted there are "some things need to tighten up". The Cabinet Secretary said there were "fewer than 100" senior officials who hold paid employment, but noted these were "roles like tutoring, yoga instructors and sports instructors". These roles have been considered by the various permanent secretaries and "there is no conflict under the code". But Mr Case said he was looking at new structures required to monitor the situation but he is waiting for the Boardman Review to conclude. 02:53 PM Lack of evidence on Greensill appointment 'doesn't look right', says Cabinet Secretary Simon Case during the PACAC hearing - PA Simon Case has admitted there are unexplained issues relating to Greensill Capital and a lack of evidence about Lex Greensill's appointment that "doesn't look right". The Cabinet Secretary told MPs that he could not "explain" what had happened with the supply chain finance fifirm. "I don't think it's acceptable, I don't believe it is a common practice, I certainly don't think there is anything happening the moment that is equivalent," he added. Asked if he thinks predecessors may have acted inappropriately, Mr Case said: "There are things that happened under Greensill that we can't explain, that look like conflicts and we can't explain how they were managed. "There doesn't appear to have been, certainly from our cursory look... we can't see the evidence that you are looking for. "That doesn't look right, but equally Mr Boardman will go through this in detail and there may be things he can discover that show those things were there, but we haven't seen them at the moment." 02:36 PM Sir Jeremy Heywood brought Lex Greensill into Cabinet Office for 'policy issues' advice Simon Case has said they are "not entirely clear" if Lex Greensill ever worked in Downing Street, although has confirmed he had "access" to the building. Asked if he was just "popping in for a cup of tea", the Cabinet Secretary says he has "no idea" because it pre-dated him. Challenged over the "alarming" lack of knowledge Mr Case has about the situation, he says he is also alarmed. "We are reasonably clear that Sir Jeremy Heywood was seeking to bring Lex Greensill into the Cabinet Office to bring his expertise of supply chain finance to bear, to some policy issues that were around at the time," adds Darren Tierney, director general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office. 02:32 PM Lex Greensill 'not special adviser' and no contract has been found, MPs told Lex Greensill was "not employed as a special adviser", Simon Case has confirmed, as MPs questions turn to the revelations around David Cameron and Greensill Capital. Darren Tierney, the director general of propriety and ethics at the Cabinet Office adds that "his exact status is unclear" and is being looked at as part of the Boardman Review. However he was unpaid and left in 2016. "His status as an adviser it is unclear what basis that has - that is something we have asked Nigel Boardman to look at. "We have been unable to find a contract," Mr Tierney adds, noting that an appointment letter containing "some conditions" has been found. He tells MPs the initial appointment letter was signed by "a director of the efficiency and reform group in the Cabinet Office", and there is some evidence that it was signed off by Ian Whatmore and Francis Maude. Mr Case agrees to publish the appointment letter. 02:26 PM Changing Boris Johnson's phone number 'a red herring', says Simon Case Simon Case has refused to comment on whether he asked Boris Johnson to change his phone number, amid concerns that it was too well-known. The Cabinet Secretary told MPs that the question of whether ministers should use their personal mobile phones "is a good one", but insisted that they needed to be in touch with "a large number of people". He added: "The communications security is important - ministers get advice on that and we regularly do sessions at Cabinet on security. The committee will understand, by long-standing convention, I wont go into the detail of advice I have given to the PM, or my predecessors have. "But changing numbers can be a bit of a red herring if I'm honest.... Most parliamentarians, the reality is your number would become quite widely known because of how you have to do your business." The processes around lobbying were "well established", as evidenced by Boris Johnson last week, he added. 02:07 PM New adviser on ministerial interests to be named in 'days rather than weeks' Simon Case has defended the failure to appoint a new adviser on ministerial interests, despite the previous incumbent resigning five months ago. The Cabinet Secretary told MPs that the Greensill scandal related to "former ministers" and therefore would not have come the remit of that role. "Given the scale of issues that have come up through the revelations it certainly would have taken a good deal of our time under any circumstances, but I don't think the independent adviser would have been particularly involved," he adds. Mr Case said the new appointment would be announced "very shortly," saying Boris Johnson was in the "final stages of discussions with the leading candidate". Asked if that too would take 'weeks rather than months', he said he hoped "days rather than weeks - but don't hold me to that". 01:59 PM Cabinet Secretary's probe into cash for Downing Street flat to consider 'propriety' of donations Simon Case has said his review of any donations used to fund the cost of the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat will include whether they are "sound from a propriety point of view". That would include establishing that donations "aren't being used to seek preferment or any such" and "ensuring that such donations are declared in the proper way". The Cabinet Secretary said the Prime Minister was "committed to in his own declaration of interests". He could not confirm whether they were political donations. But William Wragg, PACAC chair, said he was surprised at the lack of detail that has been shared with him thus far. Mr Case says he wants to avoid "misleading the committee by giving you partial insights". He confirms he will come back to the committee with more details, including a timeline for the review. 01:55 PM Simon Case repeatedly dodges question about donations for Downing Street flat Two senior Tory MPs pressed the Cabinet Secretary over the use of donations for the Downing Street flat refurb - PA David Jones has pressed Simon Case on the question of whether any private donations were used to cover the cost of Downing Street - but the Cabinet Secretary has dodged specifics. "The Prime Minister has asked me to conduct a review into how this has been done and asked that I share the details of those conclusions with the committee," he tells MPs. William Wragg then interrupts to ask how long it will take given the length of time that other reviews have taken. Mr Case says it will be "a matter of weeks". But Mr Jones returns to the original question, leaving the Cabinet Secretary to admit "I do not have all the facts and details at my disposal on this, which is why the Prime Minister has asked me to conduct the review". 01:52 PM Charitable trust can't be used to pay for Downing Street flat refurb David Jones, the Conservative MP for Clwyd West, asks if the cost of the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat will be paid for through private donations. Simon Case says "for decades" there has been an annual allowance of up to 30,000 for the residences but any costs beyond that "are met by prime ministers privately". He says there has been work going on for more than 12 months on the idea of a charitable trust for the purpose of preserving Downing Street's heritage, noting that similar trusts exist for Chequers and other estates. He added: "This is a genuinely complicated legal, policy, propriety issue... a charitable trust can't cover private areas of Downing Street, so it's clear it can't be done." Both William Wragg and Mr Jones try to steer Mr Case back to answering the question, which results in him saying it will be declared "in the usual way". 01:47 PM Propriety and ethics one of most difficult challenges of Cabinet Secretary, says Simon Case William Wragg, chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, reveals that he is aware of a leak inquiry dating back to August 2020 and asks if this will ever see the light of day. Simon Case says he is unaware of this but will look into it. The Cabinet Secretary then turns to the nature of his job in relation to propriety and ethics. "Propriety and ethics is actually the responsibility of everybody in public office," he tells MPs, saying it is "as much about culture as it is about observing rules". Mr Case says he speaks to his predecessors, who note this is "one of the most difficult" parts of the job. 01:41 PM Chatty Rat may never be named, says Simon Case Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary and the UK's most senior civil servant, giving evidence - PA The so-called Chatty Rat, the source behind the leak of plans to impose a second lockdown will probably never be identified, the Cabinet Secretary has admitted. Simon Case, the UK's most senior official, told MPs he was "very constrained in what I can say given the security classification of the exercise, of the leak inquiry. "What I can say is the investigation is ongoing and this is a clear indication that the source or sources haven't been identified. "In the time that has now passed, I think it is probable that the team will not successfully identify the source or sources but work is ongoing." 01:37 PM Chatty Rat leak never deprioritised, says Simon Case The UK's most senior official has insisted the Chatty Rat leak inquiry was "at not point deprioritised", stressing it is "in the hands of professional investigators". Simon Case told MPs he could not detail what techniques were being used, but said such probes were "incredibly complicated", saying it was "painstaking and patient work, done by professional investigators". The leak has been under investigation since October last year. This morning Lord Barwell said a leak during Theresa May's tenure, with potential national security implications, had been resolved in a matter of days. Mr Case acknowledged a "sense of frustration that we are unable to catch more people responsible for leaks". 01:28 PM Chatty Rat leak not a criminal offence, Cabinet Secretary confirms Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary walks to Portcullis House to be questioned at a committee - AFP Simon Case has repeatedly refused to comment on whether he told Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain they had been exonerated in the Chatty Rat leak inquiry. The top mandarin told MPs he "can't go into these sorts of details relating to an ongoing inquiry. "It is not out of rudeness or disrespect to the committee, but there are constraints as to what I can say." He added that Number 10 had taken the "exceptional step" of updating Sir Lindsay Hoyle throughout the process, confirming the Speaker had been given his last update a fortnight ago. Asked if the Chatty Rat had broken laws or if this was a question of "embarrassment", Mr Case said the leak "did not meet the threshold for offences under the Official Secrets Act or the offence of misconduct in public office". Challenged as to why he is therefore reticent, the Cabinet Secretary adds: "Just because something isn't a criminal offence doesn't mean there aren't national security issues - or classified issues I should say... that is why I am unable to comment." 01:25 PM Fewer than 100 officials have second jobs, says top mandarin Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has said that he is "aware of fewer than 100 senior civil servants who hold paid employment alongside their civil service role" following an investigation. Mr Case also said he had "not been made aware" of any senior civil servants holding "outside interests which are considered to conflict with their roles" or their obligations under the Civil Service Code. The UK's most senior civil servant gave the update to William Wragg, chairman of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, before his appearance before the committee. "I have so far been made aware of fewer than 100 senior civil servants who hold paid employment alongside their civil service role," Mr Case wrote. "For context, examples of such roles include tutoring or fitness instruction. In each case, the Permanent Secretary has considered the outside role alongside the individual's obligations under the Code, and found there to be no conflict." 01:23 PM Top mandarin rejects claims that Boris Johnson intervened in Chatty Rat probe Henry Newman, No.10 aide and friend of Carrie Symonds, was accused by Dominic Cummings of being the 'Chatty Rat' - Jeff Gilbert The UK's most senior civil servant has rejected Dominic Cummings' claim that Boris Johnson intervened to halt the inquiry into a leak about plans for a second lockdown. When asked about claims that the Prime Minister had sought to stop the Chatty Rat probe for fear it would implicate a friend of his fiance, Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, told MPs of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee (PACAC) he was "not entirely sure what press report that is - but no." "In relation to this particular leak or others, the Prime Minister has always been clear that the very determined to see these inquiries complete. Asked why the probe has taken so long, he added: "These investigations are complex, there are many threats to them, usually range of people to interview, data... the team moves - these are professionals who do this work, they move as fast as they can." "I am not trying to frustrate you or other members of the committee here but going into details of investigation and who knew what and I am constrained." 01:16 PM Chatty Rat leak inquiry to conclude in 'weeks not months' The UK's most senior official has said it will take "weeks rather than months" before the so-called Chatty Rat leak inquiry has been concluded - at which point Boris Johnson will make the findings public. Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, told MPs that the probe had taken five months and counting because "these investigations are complex", but stressed there was "very legitimate public and parliamentary" interest in the case. Updates have been passed onto the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle "on privy council terms". Asked if an outcome was "actually desired" by PACAC chairman William Wragg, Mr Case said: "Yes. This one related to the matter of vital public concern. There was widespread anger, not only in government but beyond at this leak." However Mr Case has refused to comment on specifics, including whether it was usual for a potential suspect to be told he was out of the frame - something which Dominic Cummings has claimed. 01:10 PM Boris Johnson has 'degraded the office he holds', says Labour Boris Johnson has "degraded the office he holds", Labour's deputy leader has said. Angela Rayner said allegations that the Prime Minister said he would rather 'let the bodies pile high' than impose another lockdown was "disgraceful". She added: "The Prime Minister has degraded the office he holds with rampant and overwhelming sleaze. But making light of the more than 127,000 deaths that happened on his watch and then trying to cover it up is a new low. This must now end. "The Prime Minister should apologise to all those who have lost someone during the pandemic." 12:56 PM Boris Johnson: Public not interested in 'bodies pile high' comment Boris Johnson has suggested the public were not interested in reports alleging he said let "the bodies pile high" during internal discussions about coronavirus lockdowns. He said: "I know why you've got to focus on this sort of stuff, but I really think, I really think that that is not where the public are, I'm talking to, today. "What they want to hear about is our plans for jobs, growth, bouncing back, for delivering on the road map, going from the April the twelfth step to the May the seventeenth step, going through to June the twenty-first, what's the world going to look like on June the twenty-first? "To what extent are we really going to be powering through this? As things stand I think we've got a very good chance of really opening up totally on June the twenty-first. "But we've got to be cautious and go on the data not the dates. I think that is what people are interested in. They are interested in that." 12:54 PM Lord Frost to face grilling over Brexit's 'irreparable damage' to live arts Lord Frost will go in the hot seat - PA Boris Johnson's adviser-turned-minister Lord Frost will face a grilling by MPs over what is being done to prevent "irreparable damage" on the performing arts sector, caused by post-Brexit red tape. The Cabinet Office minister, who has responsibility for EU relations, has agreed to appear before the DCMS committee on 10 June, to answer questions over "the Government's failed negotiations" to secure visa-free travel for British creatives, crews and vehicles working in the EU. MPs will also be seeking answers on why, as it had been reported, the Government appeared content to allow this whole sector to suffer when the EU refused to accept the opening offer. 12:33 PM Grieving families told there is 'no capacity' for Covid inquiry The Government has "no capacity" at present to launch a public inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, it has told bereaved families. An inquiry "now is not appropriate" and people who would need to give evidence are "working round the clock" to keep society safe, families were told in a six-page letter from the Government Legal Department. Members of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group were told that the Government is "focused entirely" on responding to the pandemic, in particular on the vaccination rollout and preparations for a third wave. The letter, sent on April 1, says the Government's response is at a "critical phase" and all efforts are focused on this "monumental challenge". It adds that the Prime Minister "has already made clear that there will be an independent inquiry at the appropriate time, which is not now". It reads: "There is simply no capacity for Government to pause these efforts and divert resources to an intensive independent inquiry. 12:31 PM Lobby latest: Boris Johnson did not discuss ESL with Man Utd boss Downing Street said the idea of a European Super League was not discussed when the Prime Minister was introduced to Manchester United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward. It follows a report suggesting Boris Johnson may have given the impression he would back the proposal just four days before its launch following a meeting between Mr Woodward and the Prime Minister's chief of staff Dan Rosenfield. On Mr Johnson meeting Mr Woodward during a visit to Downing Street, the Prime Minister's official spokesman added: "There was a very brief introduction to Ed Woodward, I think they crossed paths. "But the European Super League was not discussed." Pressed on whether Mr Rosenfield spoke with Mr Woodward about the super league concept, the No 10 spokesman said: "No, that's not correct. "The meeting was to discuss the safe return of fans and Covid certification as part of the events pilot work." 12:20 PM Have your say: How damaging will the war with Dominic Cummings be for Boris Johnson? Boris Johnson is coming under renewed pressure today, amid reports he said he would rather 'bodies pile high' than enter another lockdown. The Prime Minister has flatly denied it, while ministers have gone so far as to call it a "lie". But opposition MPs have seized on the allegation, saying Mr Johnson must submit to questioning over this and several other claims that have been leaking in recent weeks. Former No 10 aide Lord (Gavin) Barwell has warned it "has the potential to be extremely destabilising" for the Government, and the threat of further leaks is occupying the minds of many in Westminster, not least coming days before the local elections. But what do you think? Have your say in the poll below. 12:18 PM Lobby latest: No 10 deny 'bodies pile high' comment - as further sources emerge Reports that Boris Johnson said he would rather 'bodies pile high in their thousands' than impose another lockdown are "untrue", Downing Street has said - despite further sources claiming they heard the statement. ITV's Robert Peston says he has heard from two individuals - both of whom say they are not the Daily Mail's source - backing up the original story. But the Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters: "No, this is untrue and, as you say, he has denied that in his clip." Asked whether anyone else in No 10 made the remark, the spokesman said: "No. All I can confirm is that the Prime Minister did not make that statement. I'm not aware of anyone else making that statement." Pressed on suggestions that Mr Johnson shouted the comment while in his study and that a number of people overheard it through an open door, the No 10 official added: "We are denying it, that the Prime Minister said that. "He has made that clear that he did not say it." 12:12 PM Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's extra sentence 'totally inhumane and wholly unjustified', says Raab The Foreign Secretary has said Iran's decision to impose a further jail term on British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is "totally inhumane and wholly unjustified". Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has already completed a five-year sentence on charges levied by Iranian authorities, the last year of which was spent under house arrest due to the pandemic. Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani said she received the second sentence on a charge of spreading "propaganda against the system" for participating in a protest in front of the Iranian Embassy in London in 2009. As well as the one-year jail term she has also been banned from leaving the country for a year. Dominic Raab said: "This is a totally inhumane and wholly unjustified decision. "We continue to call on Iran to release Nazanin immediately so she can return to her family in the UK. We continue to do all we can to support her." 12:04 PM Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe being 'used as bargaining chip', claims MP Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has said Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's new jail sentence was a "terrible blow", adding that the mother of one was being "used as a bargaining chip". The aid worker's constituency MP added: "This is a terrible blow for Nazanin and her family, who have been hoping and praying that she would soon be free to come home. "It is devastating to see Nazanin once again being abusively used as bargaining chip. "We've been told the Government has been working behind the scenes to secure Nazanin's release. "These efforts have clearly failed and we deserve an urgent explanation from minsters about what has happened." 12:00 PM Boris Johnson must set out 'original arrangements' on Downing Street flat costs, says Starmer Sir Keir Starmer has told Boris Johnson to set out what the "original arrangement" was for covering the costs of the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat. Ministers including Ben Wallace and Liz Truss have insisted that the Prime Minister paid for the work "personally" - but today Mr Johnson did not deny discussing using donations to cover the costs. Asked about Labour's calls for an Electoral Commission investigation into the matter, Sir Keir said "it's very important we have answers". "It's all very well the Prime Minister saying, now, 'well, I paid for it'," he added. "The critical question was what was the original arrangement - and why is it so complicated? "If there's a straightforward answer, then give it. If there isn't, then there are very serious questions to be asked." 11:55 AM Boris Johnson: Government will redouble efforts to secure Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a mother of one, has been sentenced to an additional year in prison in Iran - Shutterstock The Government will be "working very hard" to secure Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release, Boris Johnson has said, after the British-Iranian mother of one was sentenced to an additional year in prison in Iran. The Prime Minister told reporters during a visit to Wrexham: "Obviously we will have to study the detail of what the Iranian authorities are saying. "I don't think it is right at all that Nazanin should be sentenced to any more time in jail. "I think it is wrong that she is there in the first place and we will be working very hard to secure her release from Iran, her ability to return to her family here in the UK, just as we work for all our dual national cases in Iran. "The Government will not stop, we will redouble our efforts, and we are working with our American friends on this issue as well." 11:52 AM More sources back up 'bodies pile high' claim Boris Johnson has given a firm denial that he said he would rather see 'bodies pile high' than impose another lockdown - but that has statement has been questioned before it was even delivered. Robert Peston, ITVs political editor, says he has spoken to two sources who heard the Prime Minister make that very claim. I am told he shouted it in his study just after he agreed to the second lockdown in a rage. The doors to the cabinet room and outer office were allegedly open and supposedly a number of people heard.I am bothering to repeat this assertion about what the prime minister said because two eyewitnesses - or perhaps I should say ear witnesses - have corroborated the Daily Mails account to me.Also these sources insist they did not brief the Mail, so that suggests there are three sources. 11:42 AM Boris Johnson denies saying he would rather let 'bodies pile high' than impose lockdown Boris Johnson has denied saying he would rather let 'bodies pile high' than impose another lockdown. During a visit to Wrexham as part of his May 6 election campaigning, the Prime Minister was asked if he made such a comment. He responded: "No, but I think the important thing that people want us to get on and do as a Government is to make sure that the lockdowns work, and they have." But Mr Johnson did not deny discussing using donations to fund the Downing Street flat refurbishment. Asked if he had ever discussed using donors to fund the work, he said: "If there's anything to be said about that, any declaration to be made, that will, of course, be made in due course." 11:38 AM Labour leader calls for full investigation into 'pattern of behaviour' at Downing Street Sir Keir Starmer has called for "a full and transparent investigation into everything that's going on", as Labour applies more pressure over the series of hostile leaks against Downing Street. Speaking on a visit to the West Midlands, he said: "We've got lots of investigations, but we haven't got anything looking at the pattern of behaviour. "Day after day there are new allegations of sleaze, of favours, of privileged access. "We need a full investigation to get to the bottom of that and, most importantly, to make recommendations about changes, because we need to change the rules." 11:29 AM Sir Keir Starmer: Grieving families deserve response over 'bodies piled high' claim Labour Party leader Sir Kier Starmer canvasses in Hartlepool ahead of the by-election - Getty Sir Keir Starmer has said he was "astonished" by the claim that Boris Johnson said he would rather let 'bodies pile high' than impose another lockdown. Speaking during a visit to the West Midlands, the Labour leader said: "Its for the Prime Minister, I think now, to make a public statement about that. "If he did say those things, hes got to explain it. If he didnt, go on the record and publicly explain what was said and what wasnt said because I think everybody will be deeply concerned, not least all those families that have lost someone during this pandemic." 11:24 AM EU has had 'no contacts' with UK over Covid vaccine passports The European Commission has said there have been "no contacts" with the UK over mutual recognition of coronavirus passports but that Brussels "would be open towards the UK" on this issue. Ursula von der Leyen gave an interview to NYTimes suggesting Europe would be open for US tourist business and there have been talks between the US and EU. Southern European countries such as Greece and Spain have been pushing for a digital vaccine passport in the hope of bolstering their tourism-dependent economies. However others including France have argued that it is premature, and have expressed concerns regarding discrimination. Last month the bloc revealed plans to introduce a Digital Green Certificate to allow 450 million Europeans to travel freely by summer. 11:14 AM Patrick O'Flynn: The public is far more concerned by the bigger picture than the court politics of No 10 Political journalists were last night excitedly sharing details on social media of a new poll by Opinium that found 37 per cent of voters would describe Boris Johnson as mostly or completely corrupt, writes Patrick O'Flynn. Given that the same poll showed the Conservatives stretching their lead over Labour to a crushing 11 points, this leaves two distinct possibilities. First, that the 37 per cent is made up almost exclusively by the third of the electorate which intends to vote Labour, with a few Lib Dems, Greens and Celtic nationalists making up the numbers. This would indicate that Boris Johnson is a particularly triggering figure to left-wing, pro-EU types. I mean, who knew? The second possibility is that a big chunk of the electorate is so cynical about politics that it simply assumes most politicians are corrupt and therefore focuses on other things when choosing for whom to vote. Read the rest of Patrick's latest column here. 10:56 AM Cummings will 'keep this up until Boris is out of No 10', says former adviser Dominic Cummings will keep applying pressure until Boris Johnson is "out of Number 10", according to a former colleague and adviser. The source, who spoke to the Telegraph on the basis of anonymity, said while he believed Mr Cummings was "bluffing" about having audio, he had more than enough dirt to maintain the drip-drip of hostile leaks. "There's been lots of surreptitious briefing since Christmas," he noted, ranging from the "countless Dilyn stories" to the more recent - and rather more serious - briefings that have emerged. "The 18 months he was in No 10 was like a decade of normal politics. Lots happened, Boris trusted him and he has no compunction to hold back. "He'll keep this up until Boris is out of No 10." 10:41 AM Rare sighting of lesser-spotted Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak has not been seen in Westminster for several days - Getty The lesser-spotted Chancellor has temporarily paused his Scarlet Pimpernel act. Rishi Sunak, who has not appeared in the Commons chamber since March 9, has been seen in Westminster for the first time in many days. Labour have repeatedly claimed he is "running scared" from allegations of sleaze, after it emerged that he had told David Cameron he would "push" Treasury officials on Greensill. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak leaves 11 Downing Street - Getty 10:28 AM Michael Gove summoned to answer questions on 'the ministerial code' Michael Gove is being summoned to the Commons chamber today to answer questions on the "ministerial code", as opposition parties seek to apply further pressure over allegations of sleaze, Details of the precise question have not been made available yet, but the SNP's Alison Thewliss will be asking the Cabinet Office minister to "update the House on the Ministerial Code" . He will appear from about 3:35pm - crossing over with the appearance of Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, who is giving evidence to the public administration and constitutional affairs committee (PACAC) from 2:15pm. Ian Blackford has given a glimpse of the tone of questions we should probably expect. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 10:15 AM Alan Cochrane: Nicola Sturgeon still can't answer the same old questions about Scotland and the EU Nicola Sturgeon insisted Scotland would seek to negotiate a free trade deal with the rest of the UK after breaking away - PA It's a very strange party, the SNP, writes Alan Cochrane. The only issue its activists and members want to talk about all the time is Scottish independence, while the one thing its leader doesn't want to talk about all the time is yes, Scottish independence.Or at least if she does talk about it, Nicola Sturgeon prefers it to be in the broadest of terms not too much detail. That was as clear as crystal on Sunday when the First Minister was put on the spot by Andrew Marr about the effects of her plan to put Scotland back into the EU after it gains independence. Read the rest of Alan's column here. 09:57 AM Johnny Mercer: Trial of veterans is 'unfair' Johnny Mercer arrives at Laganside Court in support of two former paratroopers accused of murder - Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer said the trial of two former soldiers is "unfair". Speaking on his way into Belfast Crown Court, the Conservative MP said: "I think in any conflict, it is messy, it is unpleasant, it is a horrible process to go through for both sides. What I don't think is - 50 years later - you get a truly accurate picture of what happened. "I think it is unfair to try and apply today's standards of operations and retrospectively apply them to that time and try to get justice. I have huge sympathy on all sides but we need to move on in Northern Ireland. "What is happening today, I don't think is fair and that's why I am here. "The reality is today, as we stand here, there are two individuals in court for something that happened 50 years ago. They served their country, they did their best. War is messy and we need to find a solution for everybody." Mr Mercer denied he is "interfering" in the trial, adding he is there to "learn about the process". 09:53 AM England vs Scotland: Minister wades into row over rule discrepancy English pubs "didn't go down that road" of allowing people to have non-alcoholic drinks indoors because "it's about ventilation", a minister has said. Today in Scotland, cafes, restaurants and beer gardens, are now permitted to open; though alcohol may only be served outside and indoor hospitality must close from 8pm. Essex publican Adam Brooks had tweeted that the new rules suggested it was "safe to go into a pub in Scotland, sit & drink, BUT no Alcohol. So indoor transmission is now not a thing... but we still cant have ordering points inside". But Paul Scully, the small business minister, replied: "That's why we didn't go down that road in England." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 09:44 AM Scotland reopens to fellow Britons as restrictions ease Donning the beer coat: alcohol may only be served outside from today - AFP Scotland has reopened its borders to visitors from the rest of UK today as the country further eases restrictions. Tourist accommodation, along with cafes, restaurants and beer gardens, are now permitted to open; though alcohol may only be served outside and indoor hospitality must close from 8pm. Non-essential shops and indoor attractions such as galleries, museums and libraries can also reopen. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MPs hailed the success of the vaccine programme, and is "very hopeful, of seeing sustained progress" which would allow Scotland to move from level 3 to level 2 by May 17 the date Boris Johnson says will be the earliest that international travel can resume and level 1 by June 7. She said life should look "much more like normality" by July. It comes as the UK Government's health secretary Matt Hancock praised "the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history", having delivered 45.5 million doses so far across Britain and stated: "We are on track to offer a jab to all adults by the end of July." We have reporters stationed in Scotland today as the country takes its biggest step towards freedom in four months. You can get all the latest updates in our dedicated blog here. 09:36 AM Zac Goldsmith attacks 'unforgiveable lie' about Boris Johnson It is an "unforgiveable lie" to suggest that Boris Johnson said he would rather the 'bodies pile high' than impose another lockdown, a close ally has said. Lord (Zac) Goldsmith, the environment minister, said while smears were to be expected by those "at the top of politics", it was entirely wrong to suggest the Prime Minister had ever been "casual about deaths". This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 09:30 AM 90pc of people self-isolate after contact with Covid-positive case Nine out of 10 people who were required to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus said they fully adhered to the rules, new figures have shown. Experimental data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found 90 per cent of respondents reported being fully adherent to self-isolation requirements throughout their 10-day self-isolation period. Of respondents who were not adherent to self-isolation requirements, 78 per cent reported they left the house for non-permitted reasons, the ONS said. The data - collected between April 1 and April 10 and published on Monday - also found six per cent of all respondents had contact with people outside their household during their isolation period, with 57 per cent allowing visitors into their home and 55 per cent having contact somewhere outdoors. 09:17 AM ICYMI: Dominic Cummings to accuse Boris Johnson of blocking border closure plan Dominic Cummings will say that the border plans were overruled by Boris Johnson - PA Dominic Cummings will accuse Boris Johnson of blocking plans to close Britain's borders and putting lives at risk by failing to prevent the spread of Covid from abroad early in the pandemic. The Prime Minister's former chief adviser is expected to tell MPs next month that he backed plans by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, to ban flights from Covid hotspots such as Iran or impose quarantine on passengers. However, he will say the plans were overruled by Mr Johnson, who his allies say took the "ideological and libertarian" view that he wanted to keep "global Britain's borders open" despite the risks of importing the virus. Mr Cummings and his allies are said by sources to feel "vindicated" by the Government's subsequent border crackdown, which banned foreign travel from "red list" countries and imposed hotel quarantine on UK residents returning from them to the UK. 09:14 AM Have your say: How damaging will the war with Dominic Cummings be for Boris Johnson? Boris Johnson is coming under renewed pressure today, amid reports he said he would rather 'bodies pile high' than enter another lockdown. Downing Street has denied it, as have ministers such as Ben Wallace and Nadine Dorries - and we will hear from the PM himself later today, who will no doubt also reject such claims. But opposition MPs have seized on the allegation, saying Mr Johnson must submit to questioning over this and several other claims that have been leaking in recent weeks. Former No 10 aide Lord (Gavin) Barwell has warned it "has the potential to be extremely destabilising" for the Government, and the threat of further leaks is occupying the minds of many in Westminster, not least coming days before the local elections. But what do you think? Have your say in the poll below. 09:04 AM Green's Caroline Lucas: PM should resign if report is true The Green Party's sole MP Caroline Lucas has said Boris Johnson should resign if the claim that he said would rather see "bodies pile high" than impose another lockdown is found to be true. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 08:59 AM Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer arrives in Belfast Johnny Mercer was forced out of his role amid a row over the treatment of veterans - Geoff Pugh Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer has arrived at Belfast Crown Court to attend the trial of two former paratroopers charged with the murder of a man almost 50 years ago. The former Army officer left his ministerial role last week after expressing frustration at a lack of progress on legislation to protect British veterans who served during the Troubles from prosecution. Mr Mercer was accompanied into court by Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner Danny Kinahan. The two soldiers have been charged in relation to the murder of official IRA man Joe McCann, 24, who died after being shot in the Markets area of Belfast in 1972. They will remain anonymous during the trial, which is expected to last for four weeks at Belfast Crown Court. 08:56 AM 'First of several' deliveries to India sent, says Foreign Secretary The "first of several urgent deliveries" of medical equipment has been sent to India, as the country grapples with the highest rate of Covid cases in the world. India recorded another 352,991 new coronavirus cases and 2,812 deaths today, breaking its own global record for the fifth straight day. Worst-hit in the country of 1.3 billion people is the capital New Delhi, with reports of overwhelmed hospitals, severe oxygen and medicine shortages, and patients' families pleading for help on social media. The UK is supplying oxygen compressors and ventilators, while the US is making vaccine-production material, therapeutics, tests, ventilators and protective equipment available. "No-one is safe until we are all safe," said Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 08:40 AM Carrie Symonds defended over 'sexist fabrication' that she tried to get minister fired The latest dispute between "Team Carrie" and "Team Dom" has led to new claims about Ms Symonds' alleged influence on government policy - Getty A minister has denied that Carrie Symonds pressured her fiance Boris Johnson to sack the Environment Secretary because she disagrees with his views. Ms Symonds, 33, is now at the centre of a major row between the Prime Minister and his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings, who named her in an explosive blog post on Friday night. Lord Goldsmith, a close friend of Ms Symonds, said claims she tried to have George Eustice removed over his record on animal rights were "fabrications" borne of "1950s sexism". The Tory peer and junior environment minister said it was "the opposite of the truth". Caroline Nokes, who chairs Parliament's women and equalities committee, also defended Ms Symonds, saying she had been a victim of "vile spite" and "jealousy" as a "competent, clever, attractive woman". 08:34 AM SNP joins calls demanding PM face questioning over 'bodies pile high' comment The SNP is joining forces with Labour to pile pressure on Boris Johnson over the latest hostile leak. Ian Blackford, the party's Westminster leader, said the allegations that the Prime Minister said he would rather see 'bodies pile high' than impose another lockdown were "abhorrent". He added: "The Prime Minister must now come to Parliament to give a statement, and face questioning, on these shocking claims and the growing Tory sleaze scandal engulfing Westminster." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 08:27 AM What's on the agenda today? Simon Case, the most senior civil servant in the country, will give evidence today from 2:15pm - NurPhoto Westminster is bracing itself for yet another day of drama after Number 10 went to war with ousted former adviser Dominic Cummings - here is what to expect today. From noon: Former Cabinet secretaries Lord Sedwill and Lord O'Donnell will be questioned by the Lords constitution committee. From 2:15pm: The UK's most senior civil servant Simon Case will be questioned by the public administration and constitutional affairs committee about the so-called "chatty rat" leak of plans for a second lockdown, the extent of second jobs within Whitehall and the Greensill affair. From 2:30pm: The Commons' main chamber opens with Gavin Williamson answering education questions. That will be followed by any ministerial statements or urgent questions, with Labour likely to be seeking answers on the weekend's allegations about the PM's flat expenses and others. Boris Johnson is on the campaign trail in Wales today, and we are expecting the Prime Minister to give his customary brief interview. Sir Keir Starmer is in the West Midlands - and he will presumably also give his thoughts on the row. 08:12 AM Boris Johnson must respond to 'sickening' allegation as soon as possible, says Labour It appears to be another salvo in the war of words between Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings - AFP Labour has called for Boris Johnson to respond personally "as soon as possible" to the claim that he said he would rather see 'bodies pile high' than enter another lockdown. The allegation, reported in the Daily Mail this morning, has been rejected by Downing Street while ministers including Nadine Dorries and Ben Wallace have said it is a "lie". However a spokesperson for the opposition said:If this report is true, then these are truly shocking and sickening comments from Boris Johnson. "It is hard to imagine how families who have lost loved ones to Covid will feel reading them. Boris Johnson must make a public statement as soon as possible in his response to this report. 08:00 AM Tim Stanley: Cummings, the man who played by his own rules, can't throw stones at Boris All we have learnt from the silly sleaze stories of the past few days is that David Cameron is a rubbish lobbyist and Carrie Symonds hates John Lewis furniture. The big reveal is yet to come, writes Tim Stanley. Dominic Cummings, the PMs former and now very angry chief adviser, is expected to use his Commons committee grilling next month to blame the PM personally for failures during the second wave of Covid-19 that potentially cost thousands of lives. No 10, which seems to have started this row by briefing that Dom is a leaker, is described as being terrified of whatever he might have on them. I am told that is a polite paraphrase for an almost total loss of control of both bowel and bladder. Dom is keen on history. He would like it to read Dominic Cummings won the Brexit referendum and gave the Tories a majority, but the Johnson government was so stupid and so corrupt that it kicked out the best man it ever had. It is an attractive narrative, for obvious reasons, but falls down on the point that Cummings was a mess in No 10, and that the integrity of the anti-Covid effort was dented by his own actions, namely driving his family to Durham, then Barnard Castle, in the middle of lockdown. Read the rest of Tim's column here. 07:45 AM War with Dominic Cummings is 'distracting' from priorities, Labour says The "very troubling allegations" that have been surfacing since Boris Johnson went to war with Dominic Cummings are "distracting" from the Government's real priorities, Labour has said. Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today: "I'm glad they (the Electoral Commission) are looking into it because clearly these are very troubling allegations and they go to the heart of ethics and integrity in our Government, and transparency. "It seems to me that as long as there is uncertainty, there is doubt and innuendo and rumour about who is getting contracts, who is paying for the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, who is in and who is out. "This is distracting the Government. They are not getting on with the right priorities for the country because they are busy fighting among themselves and seeking to throw up smokescreen." Ministers had been "fighting like rats in a sack" with Mr Cummings and his allies, she noted. 07:43 AM Jeremy Corbyn leads calls for Boris Johnson to publish messages with pharma lobbyists Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is among several MPs calling for the Prime Minister, ministers, and senior civil servants to publish all email, text, and WhatsApp messages exchanged with pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists. Mr Corbyn, who made the supposed 'sale' of the NHS the centrepoint of his failed election campaign in 2019, is joined by former colleagues Diane Abbott, Richard Burgon and Clive Lewis as well as the new Labour MP Zarah Sultana in making the call. Green MP Caroline Lucas, the SNP's Kenny MacAskill and Baroness Sheehan, the Liberal Democrat International Development spokesperson in the House of Lords, have also signed the statement, as they look to put pressure on the Government to waive IP on the Covid vaccines. The statement notes that factories capable of producing vaccines are sitting idle as intellectual property rules have restricted production of Covid-19 vaccines to the supply chains of patent-holding pharmaceutical companies, restricting production. 07:35 AM Claim that Boris Johnson said let 'bodies pile high' instead of lockdown is 'outright lie', says Nadine Dorries Nadine Dorries has hit out at the claims - Andrew Crowley Health minister Nadine Dorries dismissed claims that Boris Johnson had said he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands" than face a third lockdown. She tweeted: "This is an outright lie. Not one named source or substantiated fact. "Days before Hartlepool by election and a wide set of local/PCC/Mayoral elections. "It's mendacious, vexatious co ordinated gossip given in order to negatively influence the outcome," she claimed. 07:32 AM Claims that Boris Johnson said bodies should 'pile high' are 'deeply unfair', says minister Ben Wallace said the story was based on 'he said, she said' - Reuters Claims that Boris Johnson said he would rather have "bodies piled high" than enter another lockdown is "just untrue" and "deeply unfair", a Cabinet minister has said. Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, told the Today programme: "If you read the front of the newspaper, there is no source. It's all just 'who said, he said, she said', and there is almost no evidence. "To keep repeating it is deeply unfair." 07:22 AM Boris Johnson 'paid personally' for flat refurb, minister insists A Cabinet minister has insisted that Boris Johnson "paid personally" for the refurbishment of the flat above Downing Street, saying the Prime Minister has "at all stages complied with rules". Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said the Government had "engaged with the Electoral Commission" on the matter, and was "subject to all sorts of transparency rules, and will soon will publish transparency reports." "The action he did was he paid for the money, for the flat, out of his own pocket... he paid out of his own money for the flat." "Do I think the Prime Minister is sleazy? No, I don't." Mr Johnson had been an "absolutely first class Prime Minister, who has led the country in a pandemic", he added. 07:19 AM Cummings' war of words could be 'extremely destablising', says former adviser Lord (Gavin) Barwell: The Cummings war could be 'extremely destabilising' - Rex Lord Barwell, who served as Downing Street chief of staff under Theresa May, said the briefing war between No 10 and Dominic Cummings "has the potential to be extremely destabilising". The former Conservative minister told Times Radio: "I think there will be huge frustration among Conservative MPs, councillors and candidates with the elections approaching in early May that this appears to be an entirely self-inflicted wound, that this story that we're all talking about was prompted by either someone in No 10 - or the Prime Minister himself allegedly - accusing Dominic Cummings of being behind all the recent leaks. "There are some significant unanswered questions still and we've seen further revelations over the weekend and in this morning's papers - clearly, potentially there is more information that might get released." Lord Barwell said the inquiry into the so-called "chatty rat" leak regarding last year's November lockdown had taken "a long time", noting that a "very serious leak" during Ms May's tenure was resolved in "a matter of days". 07:16 AM Johnny Mercer's support of veterans in Belfast trial 'not embarrassing', says minister The Defence Secretary has said it is "not embarrassing" that Johnny Mercer is in Belfast today, after the former junior minister was recently sacked over the treatment of Northern Ireland veterans. Two former paratroopers will appear before a court in Belfast later, charged with the murder of a man almost 50 years ago. Official IRA man Joe McCann, 24, died after being shot in the Markets area of Belfast in 1972. The veterans are referred to in court proceedings as soldiers A and C. Mr Mercer, who claims to have been sacked by text after he went public with his grievances over the Government's failure to protect ex-soldiers, is attending to support the veterans. Ben Wallace said he was a "valued colleague", although stressed: "I don't agree with any of his observations about government. "I don't think it's embarrassing. He is doing the right thing in his eyes, he is doing what all MPs do... he is a very doughty advocate of their cause." 07:11 AM UK to help "friends" in India from "unbearable pressure" caused by Covid wave The Government has acted swiftly to help "our friends" in India, a Cabinet minister has insisted, as the UK prepares to send ventilators and oxygen compressors to the Covid-hit country. Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, told Sky News that the UK was acting because "the pressure is getting unbearable and we are going to do our part to help our friends. It's only right we share and help them in their time of need." Challenged over the delay, he stressed ministers had been in touch with the Indian government throughout, adding: "It isnt like we just woke up this morning and thought we would do it." The equipment will be sent on military planes, or charter flights "if necessary", he added. 07:10 AM Cabinet minister rubbishes 'comedy chapter' of hostile leaks A Cabinet minister has said the series of hostile leaks aimed at Boris Johnson has entered the "comedy chapter now". Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, compared the row that has erupted in recent days between the Prime Minister and his former adviser to "the Oscar gossip columns". He told Sky News: "We are getting into the sort of comedy chapter now of these gossip stories - unnamed sources, by unnamed advisers talking about unnamed events. "None of this is serious. The Prime Minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid." He added: "All the 'who said, what said', I'll leave that to the Oscar gossip columns that are now being rolled out today after last night. "I'll leave that to the Hello magazines of the world but Government is focused on delivering for the citizens on its Covid response." 06:55 AM Dominic Cummings warned he is not in clear over 'chatty rat' leak Dominic Cummings has not been cleared in the "chatty rat" leak inquiry, Britain's top civil servant is expected to make clear on Monday as Number 10 fights back against his claims. Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, will be grilled by MPs about a string of allegations made by Mr Cummings, Boris Johnson's former chief adviser, in a blog post. A Cabinet Office source said that, if asked, Mr Case will undercut two core claims made by Mr Cummings in his 1,000-word blog on Friday night. Mr Case's office argues that the inquiry into who leaked plans for a second national lockdown in October is ongoing and nobody has been exonerated. That counters Mr Cummings' claim that he was cleared by Mr Case of being the source described as the "chatty rat" who told reporters about the imminent lockdown. "His position will be that the inquiry is still open. With the inquiry still open, it would be wrong to say that anyone is absolutely in the clear," a Cabinet Office source said. Chads new ruling junta has vowed to root out a rebel leader it accuses of war crimes, after the countrys 30-year president Idriss Deby Itno died in combat with his forces last week. The Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) is the largest of several armed rebel groups with rear bases across the border in Libya or Sudan. Here is a snapshot: FACT FACT emerged in April 2016 from a split in the Union for Democracy and Development (UFDD) group, led by Debys former defence minister, Mahamat Nouri. As with many rebel groups before it, FACTs stomping ground is northern Chad, a vast, restive and lawless desert region abandoned to illegal gold miners and gangs of traffickers. Its base, though, is in the Fezzan region of southern Libya, where it has a deal with Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman of the countrys east. According to the UN, FACT fighters have been used to protect forces affiliated to Haftar as well as certain oil installations. Their leader is Mahamat Mahadi Ali, who once lived in France, where he was previously a member of the Socialist Party. He was a leader in the 1990s of the biggest rebel group at the time, the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJT). He is a Goran, a clan of the ethnic Toubou community. FACT launched a major incursion on April 11, the day of the election in which President Idriss Deby Itno secured a sixth term. According to the army, several columns of heavily armed vehicles rolled in from Libya, attacking a customs post at the border in the province of Tibesti, some 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the capital. Deby, who himself came to power in 1990 at the head of a rebel force which rolled into the capital, went to the region to lead the fighting. According to the authorities, he died on April 19 from combat injuries. Experts believe FACT has between 1,500 and 2,000 fighters. The Chadian army claim to have killed several hundred last week and taken nearly 250 prisoner. Other groups Among other groups, the biggest is the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR), an alliance created in 2009 from 10 rebel groups. Its fighters are mainly members of the Zaghawa ethnic group, from which Deby hailed, and are led by Debys nephew, Timan Erdimi, who fled to Qatar for a decade after falling into disgrace. In 2019, the UFR mounted an attempt to oust Deby by sending a column of fighters in pickup trucks from Libya via Sudan. They were beaten back by French air strikes, requested by Deby, a major ally in Frances anti-jihadist campaign in the Sahel. On April 18, the UFR gave its verbal support to FACT. Another group, also based on the Chad-Libya border, is the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic, or CCMSR. Created in 2016, the CCMSR launched an assault on Kouri Bougoudi in the gold-rich Tibesti region in northern Chad, triggering a violent response from the armed forces. Its operational capacity fell back sharply after that, with splits and desertions in its ranks, according to a recent UN assessment. In March, the CCMSR allied with three other rebel groups, including the National Front for Democracy and Justice (FNDJT) led by Abakar Tollimi. Chad has been the theatre of coups and attempted coups since it gained independence from France in 1960. Deby himself took power after mounting an attack on the capital NDjamena from Sudan in 1990. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called on international organizations to mobilize efforts to close the Armenian Metsamor nuclear power plant in its statement for April 26 - International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl disaster, which took place 35 years ago. "In connection with the 35th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl disaster, we express our solidarity with all countries and people affected by this tragedy," the statement reads. The threats posed by the Metsamor plant in Armenia must be comprehensively considered by the international community, the ministry said. The ministry also noted that this nuclear power plant was built in 1976-1980 using the same technology as the nuclear power plant in Ukraines Chernobyl, and is located in a seismic zone. According to the ministry, outdated technology and location make the Metsamor nuclear power plant one of the most dangerous nuclear power plants in the world. "Despite the fact that various international organizations call this facility a threat to the entire region, Armenia still operates the Metsamor nuclear power plant, despite the fact that its service life has expired, the ministry further said. In 2020, the EU again called on Armenia to close the nuclear power plant, noting that "this nuclear power plant cannot be upgraded to a level that fully meets international nuclear safety standards, and so it must be closed immediately and safely decommissioned". Outdated technology and non-observance of safety rules during the operation of the Metsamor NPP create serious environmental problems for the region. The ministry called on all relevant international organizations, civil society institutions dealing with nuclear safety and the environment, as well as the countries of the region to mobilize efforts to close the Metsamor nuclear power plant. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, Monday, April 26, 2021. The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville after the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police during a raid at her home. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP) PHOTO:Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP Justice Dept. Opens Police Probe Over Taylor Death By The Associated Press WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor , who was shot to death by police during a raid at her home, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday. It's the second such probe into a law enforcement agency by the Biden administration in a week; Garland also announced an investigation into the tactics of the police in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The attorney general has said there is not yet equal justice under the law and promised to bring a critical eye to racism and legal issues when he took the job. Few such investigations were opened during the Trump administration. The 26-year-old Taylor, an emergency medical technician who had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from sleep by police who came through the door using a battering ram. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired once. A no-knock warrant was approved as part of a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home. The investigation announced Monday is into the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department. It is known as a pattern or practice examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing and will be a more sweeping review of the entire police department. Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Breonna Taylors family, posted a celebratory message on social media shortly after the announcement. Boom. Thank you, he wrote. Aguiar and other attorneys negotiated a $12 million settlement in September with the city of Louisville over Taylors death. The investigation will specifically focus on whether the Louisville Metro Police Department engages in a pattern of unreasonable force, including against people engaging in peaceful activities, and will also examine whether the police department conducts unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures and whether the department illegally executes search warrants, Garland said. The probe will also look at the training that officers receive, the system in place to hold officers accountable and assess whether LMPD engages in discriminatory conduct on the basis of race, among other things, he said. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted last week of murder in Floyds death, but no one has been charged in Taylors, though her case, too, fueled protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Her death prompted a national debate about the use of so-called no knock search warrants, which allow officers to enter a home without waiting and announcing their presence. The warrants are generally used in drug cases and other sensitive investigations where police believe a suspect might be likely to destroy evidence. But theres been growing criticism in recent years that the warrants are overused and abused. Prosecutors will speak with community leaders, residents and police officials as part of the Louisville probe and will release a public report, if a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct is discovered, Garland said. He noted that the department has implemented some changes after a settlement with Taylors family and said the Justice Departments investigation would take those into account. It is clear that the public officials in Minneapolis and Louisville, including those in law enforcement, recognize the importance and urgency of our efforts, Garland said. Louisville hired Atlantas former police chief, Erika Shields, in January. She became the fourth person to lead the department since Taylors death on March 13, 2020. Longtime chief Steve Conrad was forced out in the summer after officers responding to a shooting during a protest failed to turn on their body cameras. Two interim appointments followed before Shields was given the job. Shields stepped down from the top Atlanta post in June after the death of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was shot in the back by police in a restaurant parking lot. Shields remained with the Atlanta department in a lesser role. Kentuckys lawmakers passed a partial ban on no-knock warrants last month. The measure would only allow no-knock warrants to be issued if there was clear and convincing evidence that the crime alleged is a crime that would qualify a person, if convicted, as a violent offender. Warrants also would have to be executed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After funding for resurfacing was slashed in the past year as a result of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it appears the citys roadway restoration efforts will soon be back on track. On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled the Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2022, which includes $1.4 billion to resurface 1,150 lane miles annually over the next 10 years. We are continuing a strong commitment to repaving roads and keeping this city moving, de Blasio said. In recent weeks, various Staten Island elected officials, including Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island), Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) and Borough President James Oddo, have urged the city to restore funding for roadway resurfacing as Staten Island streets continue to crumble. Earlier this month, Matteo and Borelli penned a letter to de Blasio and Department of Transportation (DOT) commissioner Hank Gutman calling for a full restoration of resurfacing funds following a year in which the number of lane miles paved dropped citywide, with Staten Island baring the brunt of the reduced resurfacing efforts. Prior to last year, the City was resurfacing approximately 1,200 lane miles per year citywide and 200-210 lane miles on Staten Island. By contrast, in 2020, the City resurfaced 910 lane miles citywide and a minuscule 115 lane miles on Staten Island, the councilmen wrote. Yesterday, @JoeBorelliNYC & I stood at City Asphalt to talk about road conditions. We called on the Administration to agree to the City Councils budget request to fully restore resurfacing funding, which would allow DOT to again pave 215 lane miles a year on Staten Island pic.twitter.com/pmbZOgIGhE Steven Matteo (@StevenMatteo) April 21, 2021 Last week, the councilmen visited the City Asphalt plant on Staten Island to discuss the boroughs deteriorating roadways and the urgent need for the resurfacing budget to be restored to pre-COVID levels. The de Blasio administration doubled the amount of lane miles the city was paving, and instead of taking a victory lap this final year of his term, we are back to fighting to keep it funded, even though the federal government bailed us out, Borelli said. Paving will certainly be a top priority for Steve Matteo and I in this budget negotiation. Its a real problem, he added. For a long time we paved too few of Staten Island streets. @nycmayor and I changed that. The disparity is striking. We have 1 last budget together and there is more work to do. We need to get Fiscal Year 22's resurfacing numbers back to Pave, Baby, Pave levels. 215 or bust! pic.twitter.com/Ix1sEpLInB Jimmy Oddo (@HeyNowJO) April 19, 2021 Borough President James Oddo, who has long advocated for increased roadway resurfacing to deal with Staten Islands pesky potholes, praised the resurfacing work that has taken place under the de Blasio administration, but cautioned that much more remains to be done here on Staten Island. The decade and a half before we got to Borough Hall, we saw an underinvestment by New York City in street resurfacing. We made the case to Mayor de Blasio to Pave, Baby, Pave and he responded with unprecedented levels of repaving, resulting in 42% of Staten Islands streets being resurfaced over a several year period, said Oddo. But the hole we inherited was so big, that 58% of our streets remained untouched, have become several years older, and are in worse condition. My hope is that in this, our last budget together, the Mayor exceeds the 1,000 lane mile mark once again, so that we send a strong message to the next mayor that this commitment to smooth streets requires a continued heightened effort, he added. While funding for the restoration of the citys roadway resurfacing efforts has been included in the Executive Budget, it will not be finalized until the city official adopts the budget prior to the July 1 deadline. The need for increased roadway resurfacing has become evident to Staten Island drivers, with many of the boroughs major roadways, including Richmond Avenue, near the Staten Island Mall in New Springville, and Richmond Terrace, near the St. George Ferry Terminal, rapidly deteriorating in recent months. The reduction in resurfacing, paired with the harsh winter weather experienced this year, has left hundreds of roadways, from major thoroughfares to small, residential streets, badly battered and in desperate need of repair. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Texas lawmakers are rallying in support of a female Capitol staffer who recently accused a lobbyist of drugging her during an off-site meeting. The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed it was investigating the incident over the weekend, as first reported by the Austin American-Statesman. In the days since, lawmakers have vowed to support the woman, and, in some cases, cut ties with the lobbying firm at the center of the allegations. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, opened Mondays session with a promise to establish an email hotline for members, staffers and Capitol visitors to report any accusations of sexual misconduct. All House members will be required to advertise the email account on a sign in their offices. The Houses sexual harassment training will also soon take place in-person, rather than online, Phelan said. These allegations shake our Capitol family to its core, and I am disgusted that this sort of predatory behavior is still taking place in and around our Capitol, he said. We can and we must do better when it comes to changing the culture in this building. TEXAS TAKE: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday On Monday, more than 30 female Texas House members signed onto an open letter in support of Capitol staffers, praising the womans decision to report what happened to her despite the stigma and retaliation that has stymied such reporting in the past. We will continue to monitor this incident and will be focused on ensuring appropriate actions are taken to support this complainant(s) and hope that this sends a clear message that we will not tolerate sexual harassment or abuse, wrote the members, led by state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin. We believe you. State officials have withheld details about the allegation, including the names and employers of the Capitol staffer and the lobbyist involved, when and where the incident occurred; and how long the investigation is expected to take. DPS declined to answer those questions, saying in a statement: This is an active and ongoing investigation, and no additional details can be released at this time. HillCo Partners, a prominent Austin lobbying group, confirmed that one of its employees is a person of interest in the investigation. After receiving a tip from law enforcement late Friday or early Saturday that an employee might have been involved, founder Bill Miller said the group immediately hired outside counsel and a former law enforcement official to conduct an investigation. The person accused was asked to not come in, and they havent been in and wont be in, and thats kind of where we are, Miller said in an interview. He would not confirm whether the person is still employed by HillCo Partners, which has a legislative staff of about 30 people. Over the weekend, the firm sent a message to lawmakers saying it takes the accusation extremely seriously. The firm promised to terminate any employee found to be involved in such abhorrent conduct. Everything will be more clear shortly, Miller added, saying that the firm in part hired the third-party counsel to light a fire under law enforcement efforts. DPS has not yet reached out to HillCo Partners, said Miller, who added he is not sure whether the firms employee is the only person of interest in the DPS investigation. When we learned of this, we turned on a dime to aggressively get to the bottom of it and act on it, he said. Im proud of the firm for its aggressiveness in its pursuit of this, its feelings toward this kind of bad behavior. ... When this thing is all done, we want people to say, Those men and women did the right thing, and they did it fast and they did it properly. In the meantime, lawmakers are expressing their support for the woman on social media; some, at the request of state Rep. Shelby Slawson, have pledged to wear pink on the House floor on Tuesday in a show of solidarity. While we do not know who the woman is, I respectfully urge that we need not who she is for her to know who we are as a Capitol community, the Stephenville Republican wrote in a letter to members on Sunday. Slawson said that while the investigation is pending, her office is off limits to all lobbyists. (Is [the] lobby community closing ranks to damage control or protect its own? she posted on Twitter.) State Rep. Duston Burrows, R-Lubbock, similarly said the accused lobbyist and their employer would be barred from his office while the investigation continues. If the allegations are proven, the group will be permanently banned, he wrote. Several lawmakers have pledged the same. Miller said those statements unfairly punish people who have no connection to the alleged incident, and one individuals actions do not reflect the values of the firm. It doesnt make any sense to me, he said. It seems like a broad brush that you would want to condemn 28 other men, women and people of color because one persons been identified as a person of interest. A spokeswoman for Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed that his office has also been made aware of the accusation. A spokesman for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. For some, the allegations call back to 2017, when several media outlets reported on a culture of sexual harassment in the state Capitol. Two years later, the Texas House began the legislative session by adopting a slate of new rules to identify and report misconduct. It is my sincere hope that our efforts and enhanced training protocols played some small role in bringing these brave young women a sense of confidence in knowing they would be supported and protected, former House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who led the chamber when those new rules were approved, said in a statement Sunday. Phelan, the current House speaker, emphasized in his Monday remarks that survivors of sexual misconduct should not have to choose between coming forward and potentially harming their reputation or career. He called the most recent accusations disgusting and detestable and a symptom of a culture that has been festering in this building for far too long. Today, lets all renew our commitment to making sure that every single person who works so hard in this building feels safe and protected, he said. cayla.harris@express-news.net Hawaii is sending more Marines to Australia this year as part of an annual rotational deployment intended to increase combat capability west of the international date line as a counter to China and while the Corps tries to keep a lid on COVID-19 cases. The aviation combat element for Marine Rotational Force-Darwin 2021 includes approximately 450 Marines from Hawaii from a tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey squadron, a detachment of UH-1Y Venom utility and AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, and a detachment of RQ-21A Blackjack drones. The Australian Department of Defense said about 2,200 Marines would arrive by June to take part in the 10th iteration of the interoperability training that's held between April to October during the dry season in the Northern Territory. As of April 15, 1,700 Marines had arrived for this year's rotation, according to the Australian government. Four Marines have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, Capt. Thomas deVries, a spokesman for Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, said in an email. "[They] were recognized in quarantine and procedures put in place by Northern Territory Health had identified, retested and isolated the Marines for the safety of the community and our service members," he said. The Marines had received a negative COVID-19 test in the United States prior to deploying to Australia. All deployed U.S. service members will continue a mandatory 14-day quarantine period and obtain a documented negative test prior to exiting quarantine, the Marine Corps said. CNN, citing data provided by the Marine Corps, reported earlier this month that nearly 40% of Marines were declining coronavirus vaccinations. The news outlet said the Marines were the first branch to disclose servicewide numbers on vaccine acceptance. In March 2020, the U.S. and Australian governments delayed the year's rotation due to coronavirus restrictions, but by June, they allowed a smaller contingent of about 1,200 Marines to participate. Hawaii sent a Blackjack drone detachment. Interoperability got a boost in a scenario that focused on a small naval expeditionary force's ability to rapidly deploy, integrate with foreign partners and coordinate airstrikes, the Marine Corps said. Marines and the Australian Army worked with armed Australian Tiger reconnaissance helicopters and Marine Corps Blackjack drones to identify targets. Airstrikes then were coordinated with Air Force B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. Australia's Defense Department said the force "has grown in size and complexity since the first rotation of 200 U.S. Marines through Darwin in 2012, through to reaching the milestone of 2,500 Marines in 2019." In 2019, Hawaii sent 10 Ospreys, four AH-1Z Vipers, three UH-1Y Venoms and 800 infantry Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Adm. Phil Davidson, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on Oahu, said in a statement submitted to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee at a hearing in March that Australia is a "critical ally, partner and leading contributor to international efforts promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific." Under its "Pacific Step-Up " policy, Australia is enhancing assistance and infrastructure investments in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Davidson said. The United States and Australia are concerned about China's investment in the South Pacific islands and the influence it brings. The U.S., Australia, Japan and India are part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known simply as "the Quad, " a coalition "with a common platform of protecting freedom of navigation and promoting democratic values in the region, " according to the Congressional Research Service. During the Pacific posture hearing in March, Davidson called it a "diamond of democracies." "I have great hope that our ministerial-level meetings with the Quad ... will build into something much bigger for the sake of the globe, " he said. This article is written by William Cole from The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com. Erik Mellon joined My Alarm Center in March 2019 as Director of Information Technology. In this role, he led the company's technology teams in delivering cutting-edge solutions, including the rollout of a new call center phone system and software to support MAC's customer care team. He also developed and launched key cybersecurity initiatives and migrated the company's on-premise technology infrastructure to cloud-based providers AWS and Azure. In the last year, Mellon's most impressive feat was successfully moving the entire organization to work remotely at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. His strategic vision, pragmatic implementation, and incredible dedication to the organization enabled the company to maintain business continuity during the unprecedented event, with no interruption to customers. Mellon communicates and works effectively with all of MAC's internal departments, supporting their staff and serving their customers. Anastasia Bottos, President & COO, says, "Erik has helped transform our IT team and technology infrastructure, making a substantial impact in just a few years. Because of his efforts, our organization could execute on a fully remote work plan during the COVID pandemic in just three days without any interruption in the business." Ms. Bottos went on to say, "He is a proactive, strategic thinker with a strong sense of ownership and has been a fantastic leader to work with." Before joining My Alarm Center, Mellon worked as Director of IT and Ecommerce in the IT sector for companies such as Comcast and DataQDirect. Other industries include apparel (Jofit Apparel) and financial sector companies such as FirstStates Financial Services. Mellon holds a BS Degree in Computer Science from West Chester University. About My Alarm Center My Alarm Center is a leading provider of security and smart home automation to residential and small business customers throughout the United States. With a primary focus on providing best-in-class security and alarm monitoring, My Alarm Center offers a range of services to help protect customers. In addition to intrusion, fire and carbon monoxide protection, My Alarm Center delivers smart home integration, expanding security services to a total lifestyle solutionand keeping customers connected to home and family from anywhere. Ranked as the 7th largest residential security provider in the United States, regional brands for My Alarm Center include Hawk Security Services in Texas, ACS Security in Los Angeles, Alarm Monitoring Service Of Atlanta (AMSA), and My Alarm Center in WA, PA, NJ, and DE. For more information, visit www.myalarmcenter.com. SOURCE MY ALARM CENTER Related Links www.myalarmcenter.com PHILADELPHIA, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CARISMA Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, today announced it has established a multi-year scientific collaboration with Bruce Blazar, MD, Regents Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at the University of Minnesota to investigate and develop allogeneic macrophage therapies. Allogeneic macrophage therapies may prove successful in providing a solution forged in cell therapy to a broader population of patients, further extending the potential benefits of CARISMA's CAR-Macrophage (CAR-M) platform beyond oncology and into other disease states with unmet clinical needs. "The collaboration with Dr. Blazar marks the initiation of the development of allogeneic, universal donor derived monocyte and macrophage cell therapies at CARISMA," said Michael Klichinsky, PharmD, PhD, Scientific Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Research at CARISMA Therapeutics. "The focus of this multi-year collaboration will be optimizing and developing iPSC derived allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor macrophages, further expanding the potential of macrophage-based cell therapy for cancer and other diseases." The announcement follows the recent dosing of the first patient in CARISMA's Phase 1 multi-center clinical trial for CT-0508, a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) targeted CAR-M. It is the first time CAR-engineered macrophages are being studied in humans. "For more than 35 years, I have focused on transplantation immunobiology in my lab in order to develop new therapies that may improve patient health," said Dr. Blazar. "I look forward to working with the company to develop allogeneic CAR-Ms to help patients with hard-to-treat cancers and other severe diseases." About CARISMA Therapeutics Inc. CARISMA Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing a differentiated and proprietary cell therapy platform focused on engineered macrophages, cells that play a crucial role in both the innate and adaptive immune response. The first applications of the platform, developed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, are autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-macrophages for the treatment of solid tumors. CARISMA Therapeutics is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please visit www.carismatx.com Media Contact: Christina Khoury-Folkens (929) 299-5962 [email protected] SOURCE CARISMA Therapeutics Inc. Approximately 70 media workers at the New York City-based publisher Ziff-Davis staged a 24-hour strike on April 15 to demand that the company address their paltry wages. The online strike began at 9:00 am and was launched as part of the campaign by the NewsGuild of New York to negotiate its first contract since being voluntarily recognized by Ziff Davis as the bargaining agent of the employees. In a tweet posted on the day of the job action, the Ziff Davis Creative Union stated the employees walked out in protest of managements egregious and insulting wage proposals. After over two years of bargaining, management has not worked with us in good faith to secure a fair contract for our members. #WereWorthMore Ziff-Davis Creators Guild Logo In response, the company denounced the strike and claimed, We have and continue to make enormous progress and have reached tentative agreements on a wide range of issues. Ziff Davis is a content property of the publicly traded technology and media monopoly J2 Global, Inc. with a market cap of $5.34 billion. Along with its numerous publications, the corporation also owns dozens of cloud service platforms such as eFax, Onebox and eVoice. Among the online publications impacted by the job action were Mashable, PC Mag, Ask Men, and Geek. While the CEO of J2 Global Inc., Vivek R. Shah, earned a reported $45 million in 2019, one of the media workers described their income at Ziff Davis as poverty wages, The free food in the kitchen wasnt just a nice perk, it was the daily source of two out of my three meals every day. One employee, who is a reporter for Mashable, tweeted, My coworkers and I walked out today because management continues to underpay us, refusing to implement salary minimums that would literally change lives. Were worth more. Hundreds of others posted messages of support for the editorial workers, including one who wrote, Solidarity to my former colleagues as they take action for fair pay! I sure as hell didnt get it when I was there. Its one reason I left!! Content and tech workers are increasingly fighting back against the corporate consolidation and financialization of the publishing and media industries. Beginning with the acquisition of TimeWarner by AOL in 2001, a convergence of the tech and publishing industries has created enormous monopolies that have simultaneously carried out an assault on the jobs, incomes and working conditions of the workers. According to a report in Axios, a record number of journalistsapproximately 1,800 at 30 publishing companiesorganized into unions in 2020, a 20 percent and 50 percent increase over 2019, respectively and another 200 employees have been organized so far in 2021. Among the publications where unions have been formed include Vice, Slate, Vox, BuzzFeed and Insider. Among those who recently joined the NewsGuild of New York are 650 technology employees at the New York Times. The group of software engineers, designers, data analysts and product managerswho are part of increasingly valuable aspects of the 170-year-old publisher which has morphed into a multimedia empire over the past two decadesannounced on April 13 that they had formed The Times Tech Guild with a series of demands related to pay equity, health care costs, job security and career advancement. On Thursday, The New York Times Company said that it would not voluntarily recognize the tech workers union, which means that a vote will likely be organized by the National Labor Relations Board to determine if the NewsGuild of New York will be authorized to start contract negotiations with the employer. A representative of the NewsGuild said that the Times decision not to voluntarily recognize the union was deeply disappointing and a sign of disrespect to the companys union members. The NewsGuild already has 1,400 members in the newsroom and business office staff at the Times. The move exposes the staggering hypocrisy of the New York Times, which heavily promoted the unsuccessful unionization effort of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) at Amazons BHM1 warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. This demonstrates that the Times campaign was not motivated by any concern for workers rights, but definite class interests. The newspaper supported the RWDSU because they saw in it, above all, a means of controlling opposition among Amazon workers. Such considerations permeate the Times writing on the trade union bureaucracy. Earlier this year, the Times ran a fawning profile of American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten as The Union Leader Who Says She Can Get Teachers Back in Schools. The push to reopen schools, which began under Trump but deepened under Biden, was motivated above all by financial considerations, reopening the economy and sending parents back to work producing profits. The paper cited favorably Weingartens claims to spend 15 hours per day on the phone trying to figure out how to reopen the three-quarters of school systems that remain fully or partially shuttered. The fact that NewsGuild attempted to get the Times to voluntarily recognize it suggests it was making a similar pitch to the Times as regards its own internal operations. Its response is to concentrate workers attention on the working out of byzantine US labor regulations, rather than to organize a struggle. This is in keeping with its calling harmless, 24-hour walkouts designed to have limited to no impact. The NewsGuild of New York is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) as Local 31033. The CWA has a long history of collaboration with the telecom industry in slashing jobs and increasing productivity. Over the past decade, the union has isolated and shut down multiple strikes by tens of thousands of workers at AT&T, Verizon and Frontier Communications and forced through sellout contracts. As with the rest of the American trade unions, the CWA is tied to the capitalist Democratic Party and fraudulently tells workers to place their confidence in politicians such as President Joe Biden, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio who are the representatives of the corporate and financial elite. Highly exploited media workers need organization, but they cannot find it from the CWA. Instead, they must take matters into their own hands by forming rank-and-file committees, independent of the union officialdom, to develop their own independent initiative in opposition to the behind-the-scenes horse trading between management and the union. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, say goodbye to law and order Joe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Burma Myanmars Junta Continues to Arrest Journalists Ma Tu Tu Tha (left) and Ko Thura Soe (right) Junta forces arrested a former cameraman of Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) at his house in Yangons Pazundaung Township on Sunday evening and sent him to an interrogation center. When I checked with Pazundaung police station, police told me that he was sent to Shwepyitha interrogation center this morning, said a colleague of Ko Thura Soe. According to witnesses, some ten junta troops came to their residential neighborhood about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, firing shots in the air. They went straight to his house and arrested him, saying they came to check for overnight guests, said a resident of the neighborhood. Junta forces reportedly took his computer and other items from his house. On Saturday night, writer and media trainer Ma Tu Tu Tha and her family members were arrested at her home in Thanlynn Township in Yangon by the juntas forces. According to local residents, soldiers and police searched her house and arrested four, including her son, brother and one of their friends. A relative said the troops found anti-regime pamphlets in the house and confiscated phones and laptops. They were reportedly taken to a military interrogation center in Shwepyitha. Ma Tu Tu Tha was editor-in-chief of Thanlyin Post, a local weekly journal, and used to work for The Irrawaddy (Burmese Edition). On March 8, five weeks after the Feb. 1 coup, the military regime banned five domestic media outlets including DVB Multimedia Group, 7Day News, Mizzima, Myanmar Now and Khit Thit Media. The following day, DVB abolished its domestic branch, DVB Multimedia Group, and terminated the employment of all employees working for that branch, compensating them with two months salaries, said operation director U Toe Zaw Latt of the DVB. DVB, however, remains in operation as an exile media, covering anti-regime protests nationwide. They are intentionally arresting journalists to silence opposition voices. We are working in accordance with media law that journalists have the right to cover for public information. We object to such arrests, he said. Junta forces are also confiscating PSI satellite dishes, which enable the people to access anti-regime protest news from DVB and Mizzima. In the weeks since the coup, the military has arrested four crew members of DVB and has issued arrest warrants for five others for sedition. Since seizing power, Myanmars military has detained 70 journalists. Thirty of them have been released, but 40 remain in detention. The military junta opened cases against more than 40 journalists for sedition under Section 505 (b) of Penal Code. Half of them have been detained and the other half have gone into hiding. You may also like these stories: Detained Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Still Cant Meet Lawyers in Person Illegal Rare Earth Mines on China Border Multiply Since Myanmars Coup Myanmar Junta Forces Abduct and Torture Three More in Tamu Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG In 2018, the superintendent of a Chester County school district wrote to Gov. Tom Wolf, beseeching him to conduct a risk analysis of a pipeline system called Mariner East, running volatile, natural gas liquids roughly 500 feet from some of her schools. The district, she said, did not know how to safely evacuate its 3,400 students should an accident occur. This month, almost three years later to the date, a judge in a case brought by residents of Chester and Delaware Counties found Sunoco, which operates the pipeline system, had failed to properly disclose all of the risks posed by a potential leak or rupture, and was intentional and negligent in refusing to meet with local emergency officials in need of more information. In the 212-page ruling, administrative law judge Elizabeth Barnes for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission found that Sunoco a subsidiary of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, a $33.8 billion company with 90,000 miles of pipelines in the U.S. and Canada had violated several state and federal regulations. According to the decision, it failed to disclose risks such as property damage, personal injury, asphyxiation, burns, death or fatality in its public information mailers. Similarly, in mailings to emergency responders, the company failed to properly disclose the hazards of a leak, in particular the possible ignition of a chemical vapor cloud that could result. Natural gas liquids are uniquely hazardous. They are colorless, odorless, and heavier than air. When the chemicals leak, they expand rapidly, pooling low to the ground in a flammable mist that can be difficult to detect. In both mailers, only the hazard of possible ignition of (highly volatile liquid) is lightly touched upon and that the product in the line can be a skin irritant, Barnes wrote. The judges findings were consistent with those of a year-long Spotlight PA investigation of emergency preparedness along the Mariner East system, which spans 350 miles under 17 southern Pennsylvania counties. The investigation found that secrecy and a patchwork of emergency plans have left communities in the dark about what to do in case of an accident. INTERACTIVE: Explore the Mariner East pipeline system and its history Barnes ordered Sunoco to update its public information pamphlets to reflect the significant ramifications of an accident, update emergency notifications to include police departments and school districts, as well as share non-confidential inspection and testing reports with local officials. The company was also ordered to meet with local stakeholders to develop additional emergency training, to share emergency planning documents, and to ensure all of its pipelines are spaced far enough from other underground pipelines or utilities and buried at a safe depth. Barnes also issued a $2,000 administrative fine. Mixed reactions The ruling was far from a total victory for residents. Barnes noted in the decision that Sunoco had implemented a public awareness program mostly consistent with its plan. She also said there was not enough evidence or legal jurisdiction to grant key actions residents had sought, including to move pipeline valve sites, which control the flow of gas, or to shut down pipeline operations altogether. The judge also did not address many of their safety concerns, like adding scent to the pipeline chemicals or mass emergency notification systems. Instead, Barnes suggested these problems could be addressed through an ongoing utility commission rule-making, in federal court, or by the state legislature. Lisa Coleman, a spokesperson for Energy Transfer, Sunocos parent company, said they are pleased the judge ruled in favor of the pipelines continued operation in Delaware and Chester Counties. She said the ruling affirmed the safety of transporting natural gas liquids by pipeline, compared to railway or truck transport, but did not comment on the violations. READ MORE: Chester County DA to Sunoco Pipeline: No more Mariner East nuisances, or else The ruling was the latest in a long line of violations and fines levied against Sunoco for its construction and operation of the Mariner East system. The state has already fined Sunoco roughly $16 million for environmental violations, including numerous issues with water contamination and sinkholes that occurred during construction. Sunoco has long contended that local governments, under state law, are in charge of planning for emergencies, but Barnes found that its representatives had been unwilling to meet with schools and first responders in the face of reasonable requests for help. The ruling came after several weeks of hearings in 2019 and 2020, in which residents of Chester and Delaware Counties showed pictures of exposed pipes, some carrying chemicals, visible in the dirt of shallow river beds. School leaders and county emergency planners testified the company withheld valuable information that could help keep children or the public safe. Some of the plaintiffs, commonly referred to as the Safety Seven, said they felt a muted victory, seeing many of their concerns affirmed by the judge after years of lobbying for transparency. It took three years, but we got there, said Laura Obenski, who lives 700 feet from the Mariner East route in Chester County and has two children in nearby schools. She, along with attorneys and community advocates, said the ruling was disappointing because it still places much of the burden to enforce the order on local communities, and it only applies to the two counties. In Pennsylvania, there is no centralized, statewide blueprint for communities to follow for potential accidents with such a pipeline system, creating inconsistent and uneven levels of preparedness from one county to the next. Fox owning the hens Attorneys for the residents said the ruling exemplified hurdles members of the public face when they present any case against powerful utility companies operating across federal, state, and local jurisdictions. The burden of proof is difficult without access to complete information, and in the face of laws that give companies such as Sunoco wide latitude to keep details such as the blast radius should an explosion occur confidential. In Pennsylvania, Sunoco frequently cites a law passed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to prevent the release of safety information key to developing a robust emergency response. The law gives state regulators and the public little recourse to challenge such secrecy. State Public Utility Commission officials have conceded they have little oversight, and cant say how many times documents have been deemed confidential and withheld by utility companies. What you have is the fox owning the hens, said Rich Raiders, an attorney for the Andover Homeowners Association, a Delaware County community that abuts the pipeline and is an intervenor in the case. And the hens are helpless. READ MORE: Sunoco floats Mariner East 2 pipeline reroute plan to avoid more Marsh Creek Lake spills Barnes acknowledged this challenge, citing in her decision the testimony of Chester Countys deputy director of emergency management, Bill Turner, who said that despite attending numerous Sunoco meetings and trainings, he did not have enough information to plan for a serious accident. Sunoco provided boilerplate information via PowerPoint and the company would not allow its internal emergency response plans to be viewed or referenced in trainings, he said. Barnes also noted the company has a responsibility to assist in emergency planning, even if it is not explicitly required by law or regulation. Stakeholders such as emergency planning agencies, first responders, residents, school districts and municipalities are confused and concerned and are seeking information necessary to protect themselves and their communities, Barnes wrote, finding the criticisms of Sunoco credible. With the right to do business in Pennsylvania comes responsibility. In requiring the company to meet with schools and first responders to help develop emergency plans, Barnes emphasized a state law, signed by Wolf in November, that allows emergency planners to request documents from the company or utility commission as long as they abide by non-disclosure agreements. School officials told Spotlight PA this is still limiting because they cannot use confidential information in actionable, public plans. The most vulnerable As part of its investigation, Spotlight PA calculated that up to 345,000 people statewide could be impacted by a leak or serious accident, as well as up to 340 schools, child care centers, places of worship, and mobile home parks. Sunoco advises people to leave uphill on foot and not operate a cell phone until they reach a safe distance, but does not say in public mailers just how far is safe from the pipeline in an accident, or how to protect people with disabilities, children, and elderly individuals with limited mobility. There is a considerable amount of credible testimony and photographs showing individuals with disabilities residing in close proximity to the Mariner East pipelines will take considerable time to escape, Barnes wrote. But requests to help resolve these issues add an odorant to the natural gas liquids in the Mariner East lines, or implement a public alarm system to help notify people would need to go through a new regulation process, she said, or be dealt with in federal court, which is the proper venue to hear claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act. READ MORE: Fracking ban in Delaware River Basin is a historic win, but its time to look downstream | Editorial The residents who brought the case and their attorneys said the Public Utility Commission was side-stepping its responsibility to keep residents safe. It feels like this is not a position that ordinary community members should have to be in, Obenski said. And the fact that we have to continue to point out the states obligation to provide for safety and the operators obligation to meet certain standards, it feels really misplaced. Christine Marshall lives at the Hersheys Mill retirement community in Chester County and is a legal guardian for her sister, Laura, who relies on a wheelchair and has partial use of one arm following a car accident in 1986. Evacuating Laura in a pipeline accident, Marshall said, could take an hour, far longer than the minutes it can take for a leak to find an ignition source. Also, Marshalls husband, Jeremiah, has Parkinsons Disease and would also need help evacuating. The most vulnerable among us are at greatest risk from this ruling, she said, requesting that lawmakers and the governor intervene. To alert us to the inherent dangers does not solve in any way the issue of escaping those dangers once they occur. WHILE YOURE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. Image via Getty/Scott Olson An Iowa woman who injured two children with her car has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges. The Hill reports that 43-year-old Nicole Poole Franklin told police she purposely drove her vehicle into the children because of their race. She was charged with two counts of violating the U.S. Hate Crime Act for trying to kill the children due to their skin color and could be hit with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors have suggested that Franklin should be handed a 27-year sentence in prison. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The two separate incidents happened on Dec. 9, 2019, when Franklin first struck a 12-year-old Black boy, driving onto a curb, running him over, and injuring his leg. She reportedly said she thought he was Middle Eastern and a terrorist, with a witness telling police that when operating the car, Franklin gunned its engine before driving into the child. An hour later, she hit a 14-year-old girl with her vehicle, reportedly telling police she thought the girl looked Mexican. Police say she also made a series of derogatory statements about Latinos. The girl spent two days in the hospital. Another hour-and-a-half later, Franklin went into a corner store and spewed racial slurs at an employee and customer, and threw store items at the employee. Poole says she suffers from schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder, and reportedly told authorities she was high on meth during the hit-and-runs. Related Articles More Complex Sign up for the Complex Newsletter for breaking news, events, and unique stories. Follow Complex on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok The European Union has launched legal action against the coronavirus vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca. The European Commission - the EU's executive branch - said it was suing the company for not respecting its vaccine supply contract, and for not having a "reliable" plan to ensure timely deliveries. AstraZeneca said the move was "without merit". It said it would "strongly defend itself in court". The legal action marks an escalation in a long-running dispute between the two sides over the supply of coronavirus vaccines. The EU is struggling with the slow pace of its vaccine rollout. Some in the bloc have claimed that AstraZeneca has shown preferential treatment to the UK - but the company has denied this. Meanwhile, the US has announced that it will share up to 60 million doses of its AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries as they become available. The doses will be able to be exported in the coming months after a federal safety review, AP news agency reports. What do we know about the legal action? A European Commission spokesman said the action was launched on Friday, with the backing of all 27 member states. It stems from a deal the commission signed last August for 300 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, with an option for 100 million more. Earlier this year, AstraZeneca said its supplies would be reduced because of production problems. Of 80 million doses planned for delivery in the first quarter of 2021, only about 30 million were sent. According to the European Commission, the company is set to provide 70 million doses in the second quarter of 2021 instead of the 180 million that were initially arranged. "The terms of the contract, or some terms of the contract, have not been respected," the spokesman said. "We want to make sure that there's a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses... which have been promised on the basis of the contract." Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides tweeted that the commission's priority was to "ensure Covid-19 vaccine deliveries take place to protect the health of the European Union". "Every vaccine dose counts. Every vaccine dose saves lives," she wrote. One EU official told Reuters news agency that the move was taken to "send a message" to AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Creditors of Greensill Capital Pty, the Australian parent of the collapsed British supply chain financier, voted on Thursday to liquidate the company, its administrator said, triggering deeper investigations into the conduct of its directors. Grant Thornton (GT), the liquidator appointed for the Australian parent and its operating companies in Britain, said the majority of 26 creditors owed A$4.6 billion ($3.6 billion) by the collapsed financier voted for liquidation. The liquidators will continue to identify and realize available assets, monitor developments in relation to the administrations of Greensill UK and the Greensill Bank AG, and continue their investigations in relation to Greensill Capital Pty, GT said in a statement. Greensill Capital Creditors, Led by Softbank, Submit More Than $1.4 Billion in Claims Credit Suisses Greensill Insurance Mystery Involves Tokio Marine, Marsh The creditor vote comes as prosecutors in the German city of Bremen raided the offices and homes of Greensill bankers, including the residences of five officials suspected of possible wrongdoing. In March, German regulator BaFin filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors over an audit that found Greensill Bank, a standalone entity owned by the Australian parent, could not provide evidence of receivables on its balance sheet. The German lender collapsed days later. As part of the liquidation of the Australian parent, further investigations will be prepared into the conduct of Greensill officers, and their findings reported to the Australian corporate regulator, GT told creditors in an April 15 report. Founder and Chief Executive Lex Greensill, a director since 2011, was appointed company secretary in February, the report added. Greensill did not immediately respond to a LinkedIn message seeking comment. Seven other directors, including his brother Peter Greensill, who is also a secured creditor, resigned from their roles in the month before the appointment of administrators, as the company began considering contingency planning, it added. Reuters could not immediately trace contact details for these directors, however. Other secured creditors include Credit Suisse and BOQ Finance, while unsecured creditors include Softbank, vendors of companies Greensill bought in 2020, employees and trade creditors, according to the report. The Association of German Banks has also put a contingent liability of 2 billion euros ($2.41 billion) on the Australian parent that might be payable if available insurance and bank assets prove insufficient to indemnify it for deposit protection payments. The association has already paid out about 2.7 billion euros to more than 20,500 Greensill Bank customers in a deposit guarantee scheme after the collapse. ($1=0.8313 euros) ($1=1.2922 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Paulina Duran in Sydney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Topics Oklahoma Australia Comparison of the open skull roof of Danionella (above) and the closed roof in zebrafish Danio (below). Credit: Kevin Conway Senckenberg scientist Ralf Britz has joined forces with US researchers Kevin Conway and Kole Kubicek, Texas A&M, to study the evolutionary skeletal development of Danionella dracula, a tiny, transparent fish. The fish lacks several bonesincluding the skull roofand at the same time possesses highly specialized organs for communication. Because of these features, Danionella is currently becoming an important model organism in neurophysiological research. The study was recently published in the journal Developmental Dynamics, where it is featured on the cover. What could be more suitable for neurophysiological vertebrate research than an organism whose skull is transparent and thus provides a view of its brain in a living state? The species of the genus Danionella meet these requirements perfectlythey are less than 11 to 17 millimeters in size and part of the carp family, and include Danionella dracula, the subject of this study, which was discovered and described as recently as 2009. "The dwarf-like fish is transparent and lacks a skull roof, allowing the study of the brain in the living animal," explains Dr. Ralf Britz of the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden, and he continues, "The miniaturization of Danionella and the absence of many bones, including those that normally cover the brain, are a consequence of what we call heterochrony, a term coined by German zoologist Ernst Haeckel." When the temporal sequence of developmental steps in the process of evolution changes, the beginning or end of a developmental process may shift, or the speed of such a process may change. In Danionella dracula, this heterochrony leads, among other things, to an acceleration of sexual maturity, so that these fishesalthough resembling larvae anatomicallyare mature at about 10 millimeters in length and are able to reproduce. Scanning electron microscope image of the tiny fish. Credit: Senckenberg Using a series of 43 stages of this species, Britz, along with the study's lead author, Kevin Conway, and his colleague, Kole Kubicek of Texas A&M University, studied the development of the animals from newly hatched, 3.4-millimeter-long larvae to adults with a length of 16 millimeters. "We were able to show that the fishes are missing more than 40 bones compared to their close relative, the zebrafish Danio rerio!" explains Britz, and he adds, "In contrast, other parts of their skeleton are exceptionally well developed. Of particular significance in this respect is the "Weberian apparatus," which is responsible for the animals' intraspecific communication." With the aid of three small bones that resemble the middle ear ossicles in humans, the "Weberian apparatus" increases the fish's hearing ability and transmits sound waves from the swim bladder to its inner ear. However, male Danionella also use this auditory apparatus to produce various sounds with amplitudes of 140 decibels and 60 to 120 hertz to communicate with their conspecifics. "This particular part of the skeleton of Danionella developed not just normally, but rather at an accelerated speed during development," adds the ichthyologist from Dresden. The animal thus combines both the characteristics of a larval zebrafisha small brain, lack of skull bones and pigmentation of the skinas well as the neuronal complexity of adult animals in terms of hearing and intraspecific communication. The fish Danionella dracula, about as long as a fingernail, is an ideal model organism for neurophysiological vertebrate research. Credit: Kevin Conway "This enormous difference in the developmental speed of different organ systems within one and the same organism is very unusual for vertebrates. It is precisely this anatomical outcomelarval and yet highly specializedthat has made Danionella a model animal for neurophysiology," adds Britz in summary. More information: Kevin W. Conway et al. Extreme evolutionary shifts in developmental timing establish the miniature Danionella as a novel model in the neurosciences, Developmental Dynamics (2020). Kevin W. Conway et al. Extreme evolutionary shifts in developmental timing establish the miniature Danionella as a novel model in the neurosciences,(2020). DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.280 Singapore, April 26 : Using a type of antiseptic throat spray, and an oral drug used to treat malaria and arthritis, have been found effective in curbing the spread of coronavirus, according to a new study. The six-week long study, led by researchers from the National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore, involved more than 3,000 migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, China and Myanmar living in Tuas South dormitory, the Channel News Asia reported. The results showed that among those who used throat spray thrice a day, only 46 per cent contracted the disease. This is compared to 49 per cent among those who took hydroxychloroquine and 70 per cent who took vitamin C. The two drugs were chosen because they are easily available, said Seet, adding that they protect the throat, the "key entry" for viruses.A The findings are published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, the report said. "We concluded that povidone-iodine throat spray was associated with a statistically significant reduction in infection by an absolute risk of reduction of 24 per cent while oral hydroxychloroquine was associated with a statistically significant reduction in infection by an absolute risk of reduction of 21 per cent," lead author Raymond Seet, Associate Professor at the NUH was quoted as saying. However, the researchers stressed that the drugs are not meant to be used for Covid-19 prevention in the general community if it is a lower-risk setting, the report said. "This is a very simple intervention with virtually minimal side effects where we could actually cut the transmission rates in a meaningful way," Mikael Hartman, Associate Professor from the NUH was quoted as saying. "This is the first study to demonstrate the benefits of prophylactic, or preventive therapy with either oral hydroxychloroquine or povidone-iodine throat spray in reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection among quarantined individuals living in a closed and high exposure setting," Seet said. Pittsfield Teen Killed in Motorcycle Accident PITTSFIELD, Mass. A 19-year-old Pittsfield man was killed Saturday afternoon after his motorcycle crashed into a guardrail on Government Avenue. Police say the young man, whose name is currently being withheld, was operating his 2017 Kawasaki EX650 north just past 10 Francis Ave. at about 12:16 p.m. when it appears the operator lost control and crashed into the guardrail on the east side of the roadway. Police, Fire and County Ambulance responded and the operator was transported to Berkshire Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Government Drive was closed to traffic for approximately two hours as a result of this incident. This incident remains under investigation by Officer David Hallas of the Police Traffic Unit. Any witnesses are asked to contact Hallas at 413-448-9700, Ext. 560. In 1784, Connecticuts Act of Gradual Abolition stated that children born into slavery after March 1, 1784, would be freed at 25 years of age for men and 21 years for women. This gradual approach to abolishing slavery allowed the practice to persist for nearly 65 more years. In 1834, Connecticuts General Assembly passed the Black Law, restricting African Americans from coming to the state to get an education and barring anyone who was not a Connecticut native from establishing a school to educate Black people without the permission of the respective town. The legacy of the Black Law continues in Connecticuts $2,300 per-student spending gap. Thats how much more white communities spend per student than communities with a student population that is at least 75 percent Black, brown and/or Indigenous. Today, nearly 200 years after the Black Law, the General Assembly is once again presented with an opportunity to be on the right side of history. Although historically it has failed to make decisions that benefit Black communities, the General Assembly could rectify that by adopting Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 6662. Each bill designates racism as a public health crisis. Thus the General Assembly could lay the groundwork to reconstruct a system that was never designed to meet the needs of the many people it now serves. Racism is a problem because access to opportunity and a persons value are determined by the color of his skin. We witness the harmful effects of racism daily, from the violence directed toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the inadequate immigration laws that have Latinx children languishing at the southern border. Black women are up to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women. Black men are more than twice as likely to be killed by police as white men. And the average life expectancy of African Americans is four years lower than the rest of the U.S. population, writes Christine Vestal, a staff writer for Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. As 2020 showed us, the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism raged in real time and compounded one another. For Black, brown and Indigenous communities, there is no bootstrap that can pull one up out of a swamp of multisystem bias and into parity with white health and wealth outcomes. This is a crisis that must be addressed with the same fervor and intentionality as any economic catastrophe. It is promising that, according to the American Public Health Associations national tracker of declarations of racism as a crisis, of the 185 designations to date, 19 have originated from local communities throughout Connecticut, but these declarations are largely symbolic usually without tangible outcomes and without appropriate budget allocations. To this end, CT Equity Now (CTEN) is joining those 19 communities and calling upon the General Assembly to pass, and for Gov. Ned Lamont to sign into law, such legislation during this legislative session. Because neither bill goes beyond making a declaration, establishing a commission and requesting a study of the crisis, neither comes close to providing a path to remedying structural racism; as such, we implore the General Assembly to pass a version that makes clear the states commitment to resolving this crisis in the short term and go beyond symbolic gestures. CTENs mission is to advance policy and political goals that work in concert to reconstruct longstanding systems that have allowed institutional racism and inequity to persist throughout the state of Connecticut. After a thorough analysis of existing and proposed policy, CTEN concluded that advocating for the passage of SB 1 and HB 6662 is Connecticuts best chance at a vehicle for fixing racisms harm to our state, but only if the General Assembly is willing to be bold and call for amendments that, at a minimum: mandate state and municipal data collection to measure Connecticuts racism health crisis; implement accountability mechanisms and incentives to hold state and local leaders responsible for providing data; and call for immediate equitable distribution of COVID-19 relief funds that take into account that Black, Latino and Indigenous communities have been disproportionately impacted by sickness and death, as well as food, housing and employment insecurity throughout the pandemic It is incumbent upon the people of Connecticut to instruct the General Assembly on what we want for our state. HB 6662 passed out of committee recently, and can now be voted on by the full General Assembly. And so we invite fellow coalitions to join us in calling for changes to SB 1 and HB 6662 that clearly define the problem, mandate data collection and accountability procedures, set appropriations, and require the formation of a standing commission to oversee implementation and immediate action. Over 200 years ago, the state of Connecticut chose a slow progression to granting freedom to thousands of enslaved human beings. This decision had destructive ramifications that have yet to be properly addressed. Today, the General Assembly has the opportunity to rectify far-reaching wrongs, and nothing should be gradual about it. Ala Ochumare is the president of CT Equity Now, a coalition of grassroots and grasstops community organizations, faith leaders and community activists working to dismantle structural racism within Connecticut. A complete list of the coalitions Declaration Pillars that they are calling on the General Assembly to add to SB1 and HB6662 can be found on their website, https://ctequitynow.org/. Scott Morrison Extends Condolences to Indonesia Over Lost Submarine Crew Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has extended his deepest sympathies to Indonesia after the Indonesian authorities confirmed the loss of submarine KRI Nanggala and its 53 person crew. In a post on Twitter on April 25, Morrison conveyed his deepest sympathies to President Joko Widodo and all our Indonesian friends on the loss of the sub. A tragic reminder of the ultimate sacrifice our service people make for their country. It was an honour to contribute to search efforts. Australia stands by you in your time of loss, Morrison said. Deepest sympathies to President @jokowi & all our Indonesian friends on the loss of KRI Nanggala. A tragic reminder of the ultimate sacrifice our service people make for their country. It was an honour to contribute to search efforts. Australia stands by you in your time of loss. Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 25, 2021 The Indonesian vessel was found at the bottom of the Bali Sea, in three pieces. Its resting location was hundreds of metres beyond its diving range. The Indonesian authorities have said all of the crew died, including experienced submarine fleet commander Harry Setiawan. Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala sails in the waters off Tuban, East Java, Indonesia, on Oct. 6, 2014. (Eric Ireng/AP Photo) The submarinewhich was 44 years old and had been upgraded in 2012was in the process of conducting a torpedo drill and had been given clearance to dive, meaning it could have sunk to a depth of between 600 and 800 metres. The chief of the Indonesian military, Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, told a press conference late on Sunday evening that search equipment from Singapore had captured photos of the wreck, which showed the rear vertical steering wheel, anchor, and a safety suit that had been taken out of its box as though it was about the be worn, report The Australian. Due to that, with great sadness, as military commander I declare the 53 crew members of Nanggala are dead. The best soldiers have died while carrying out their duties in waters north of Bali, Tjahjanto said. On behalf of the entire military family, I convey my deepest condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers. According to the Indonesia military commander, all those on board would also receive a posthumous military honour for their service. The news of the sub-maritime disaster comes after an Australian frigate equipped with sonar systems and a submarine-hunting helicopter joined with the United States, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and India in the search area in Indonesian waters on Friday. The BBC reported on April 26 that President Joko Widodo had called the crew of the submarine Indonesias best patriots, and added: All Indonesians convey their deep sadness over this incident, especially to the families of the submarine crew. AAP contributed to the article. Dubai: What if a piece of satellite or space junk suddenly falls on your head? Its indeed a nightmare, but can come true. The Progress module made by Russia broke up into smaller pieces followed by a disintegration in October 2016. They created a spectacle at night in the UAE after burning up like fireworks. And now, Chinas defunct Tiangong-1 space lab is crashing out of the orbit, according to space-tracking site Satview. The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1 ("Heavenly Palace") with a Norad ID No 87820 was launched in 2011. As of 8:32 am on Tuesday, it was hovering at an altitude of about 300km above the North Pacific. Chinese astronauts used Tiangong-1 space lab measuring 12 meters in length and 3.3 metres in diameter for a series of spacecraft docking tests and visits. The space lab broke down in March 2016. Chinese officials told the UN in May 2017 that the satellite was likely to re-enter the atmosphere of the Earth between October 2017 and April 2018. However, as of October 24, the satellite was still orbiting at a high altitude (300km, which varies depending on which part of the globe it floats over). According to the tracking site SatFlare, Tiangong-1 wasn't expected to come down immediately. No threat Popular astrophysicist Dr Jonathan McDowell, who works at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, confirmed in a tweet that the Tiangong-1 doesnt pose any threat to us. Dr McDowell says there's nothing to fear about Tiangong-1 which is about to fall. "It's big, but our planet is bigger," he twitted on October 20. China will monitor Tiangong-1s descent and will post its orbital status on the China Manned Space Agency website. Chinas space agency said it will issue an "early warning in a timely manner" by informing the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and the world body's secretary general once it obtains a final forecast for the time and region of re-entry. 4 more satellites about to fall on Earth According to satview.com, four more satellites are hovering and are about to burn up and fall on Earth between October 26 and November 13, 2017. On March 30, 2017, a piece of fabric shield the ISS DEB also known as 1998-067BA or NORAD 31928, was lost in space from the International Space Station. The fabric shield needed for ISS was accidently lost by NASA astronauts during a spacewalk. This fabric shield is expected to re-enter Earths atmosphere at about 5.20am UTC (9:30 am in Dubai) on October 26. "Firely" is expected to fall on November 1, at 11.05 UTC (3.05pm in Dubai); Flock 2E'-4 is expected on November 13, at 22h47 (2.47am in Dubai, on November 14); and CZ-4B DEB on November 14 at 16h27 (8.27pm in Dubai). Whats the risk? According to McDowell, the risk of any damage or injury to Earths inhabitant is very low because most of it will burn up before it touches down on Earth. "Very low", says Dr McDowell, since most of it will burn up in the atmosphere as it falls. He confirmed that Tiangong-1 has started dropping more quickly as it reaches denser parts of the Earth's atmosphere. He said that pieces of up to 100 kilograms of the Tiangong-1 could come crashing down on the surface of the Earth. In terms of size, Tiangong-1 is similar to other objects that fell to Earth in 2012 and 2015. But it is just a fraction of the size of NASAs Skylab space station weighing 77-tonee, which went down in July 1979 and fell on southeast of Perth, in western Australia. Also it was the 2014 dataset and not the 2017 one, not that they look super different Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) October 20, 2017 Space Junk There are numerous disabled satellites hovering around in space. According to experts, there are tens of thousands of pieces of space junk more than 10cm in size moving up t0 30,000 kph. More than 500,000 pieces larger than a marble and several million smaller ones are present in space. These space junk are moving so fast that they could burn a hole in satellites or could even end up breaking the window of the International Space Station. Conditions for observing a burn-up According to experts, several conditions must be met in order to observe a satellite burn-up. To observe it directly, the sunshine must reach its structure and reflect into the people observing on Earth. According to SatView, for observing a burn-up, following factors must be present all at the same time. 1. It should be observed during the night time only, when the sky is dark. 2. The height of the Sun (or the "solar disk") should be between 10 and 25 degrees below the line of the horizon. 3. The sun rays should reach the satellite directly. 4. The satellite should be at least 25 degrees above the horizon. Quick facts Nasa's Skylab space: 77 tonnes (went down in 1979). Russia's Mir space station: 130 tonnes (went down in 2001). China's Tiangong-1: 8.5 tonnes (Chinese space agency to inform UN about final re-entry) Preparing for my talk on space junk https://t.co/39eM619eeE made this plot which some of you will find interesting pic.twitter.com/Pk9zwv4QOf Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) October 19, 2017 The Soyuz-2-1a third stage rocket from the Progress MS-07 launch reentered over Dubai at 1528 UTC Oct 16; the reentry was widely observed Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) October 17, 2017 For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Joaquin Correa ensured Lazio kept their hopes of Champions League qualification alive on Monday with a double in a 3-0 win over AC Milan while Napoli jumped up to third thanks to a 2-0 triumph at Torino. Correa opened the scoring for Lazio with only a minute on the clock at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome and added the second five minutes after the break. Ciro Immobile struck the third with three minutes left as Lazio moved five points off the Champions League spots with a game in hand on their rivals. "This was like a final for us, the last chance to stay in with a shout for the top four... it was a clear and dominant victory," Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia. Inzaghi's side sit sixth, behind AC Milan who are level on 66 points with Napoli and Juventus -- third and fourth respectively -- but have dropped down to fifth after their second straight league defeat. They are 13 points behind leaders Inter Milan, who can win their first league title since 2010 on Saturday if they beat Crotone and second-placed Atalanta fail to win at Sassuolo on Sunday. Stefano Pioli's Milan, who started the weekend in second place, could have been beaten by a larger margin as Manuel Lazzari was denied a goal just before the break by the tightest of VAR offside calls and Italy forward Immobile struck the post seven minutes before he scored his 18th league goal of the campaign. Pioli was however left frustrated by Correa's second, which was given after a lengthy VAR check following what he felt was a foul from Lucas Leiva on Hakan Calhanoglu. "I don't understand how it wasn't given as a foul on Calhanoglu, said Pioli. "He looked at it again and from the replay you cannot say Leiva doesn't catch Calhanoglu and completely miss the ball." Napoli moved into third thanks to first-half goals from Tiemoue Bakayoko and Victor Osimhen earlier on Monday. They could have been further ahead at the break following a dominant opening period in which Piotr Zielinski hit the post and Matteo Politano was unlucky to see his deflected shot slide wide. Story continues Lorenzo Insigne, playing his 300th Serie A match for Napoli, also hit the upright with a curling shot just before the hour mark. They failed to add to their tally but ran out winners to put pressure on their rivals. Torino meanwhile are staring at the prospect of relegation following the defeat, which leaves them hovering above the drop zone. They sit 16th, level on 31 points with Benevento, who occupy the final relegation spot, and 17th-placed Cagliari who boosted their chances of survival with a 3-2 win over Roma on Sunday. td/iwd/kjl The New York Times It was 9 a.m. on a Sunday in May, and Chloe Mead was already worn out. In her living room, she cradled her 7-year-old son, Henry, supporting his head with one hand and helping him toss a ball with the other, careful not to disturb the ventilator that was keeping him alive. A nearby monitor tracked his blood-oxygen levels and a pump was at the ready should his tracheotomy tube need cleaning. In the corner, her 4-year-old daughter was building a pillow fort. I need, like, five extra arms, she sa YEREVAN. Lithuania is ready to further deepen relations with Armenia. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Monday stated about this to a press conference in Yerevan. To note, Landsbergis' current official visit to Armenia takes place in the year of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Lithuanian FM noted the friendly relations between the two countries and the fact that there were difficult moments for Armenia 30 years ago, too. "The purpose of my visit is to provide assistance. We would also like to expect more help from the EU. I believe we can find ways to expand our assistancein the political as well as the humanitarian and economic spheres. [But] Europe needs a clearer message from Yerevan," Landsbergis said. And as examples of collaboration, the Lithuanian FM noted the coronavirus vaccinations, the import and maintenance of these vaccines, and assistance in training the health care providers. Gabrielius Landsbergis added that there is no universal security unless everyone is safe. April 24, 2021 At Idaho State Universitys first in-person commencement ceremony since December 2019, President Kevin Satterlee told graduates he was proud of their Bengal grit and tenacity. The class of 2021 persevered through tremendous adversity, Satterlee said, raising families, facing financial difficulties and continuing their studies, all through a pandemic. You represent our success story, he said. We believe in education here. Its what we do. But while we all believe in it, you are all the living proof of that belief. A total of 2,111 spring and summer 2021 graduates received 2,250 degrees and certificates during Idaho State University spring commencement ceremonies on April 24. Spring, Summer, and Fall 2020 graduates, who celebrated virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were also honored at the events. To ensure appropriate spacing and other health protocols, graduates celebrated at three ceremonies divided by college. All ceremonies were also streamed live on the Universitys YouTube channel. Student speaker Dr. Olivia Theresa Ngadjui congratulated graduates for persevering even when times were difficult. We are finished. Congratulations to us, the resilient class of 2021, said student speaker Dr. Olivia Theresa Ngadjui. We lived through a pandemic that really tried to shake us. And we made it through. And we made it look good. Really good. State Board of Education member Linda Clark addressed the graduates, congratulating them and encouraging them to continue to support education. As I urge you to join me in actively supporting education, the greatest tool we have for lifting people up and changing our world for the better. Student speaker Tye Hobson, a first-generation graduate, urged his fellow graduates to use their education to help bring success to others. I can see no greater goal in my life than using my education to further the success of those that follow me., he said. Ayush Jha, student speaker and Idaho States first international student body president, also asked his colleagues to continue to grow, learn and be ambassadors of peace for others. Our degree symbolizes our ability to persevere to learn and grow and to become the better versions of ourselves, Jha said. NASA has shared a remarkable nine-second timelapse video of the successful SpaceX Crew-2 rocket launch from Friday. Crew-2 carried four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), and can be seen rising into the air and spreading a plume of light through the sky. As Crew-2 disappears over the horizon, the landing plume of the returning first stage of the Falcon 9 is seen falling towards a SpaceX pad in the Atlantic Ocean, allowing it to be reused for future missions. SpaceX Crew-2 launched on Friday just before 11am BST from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The capsule successfully docked with the ISS more than 260 miles above the Indian Ocean, just a day after launch. The four astronauts on-board Crew-2 Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur (from the US), Thomas Pesquet (France) and Akihiko Hoshide (Japan) will now spend six months at the space station. They will help conduct, among other tasks, drug tests using tissue chips small microfluidic chips that simulate human organs that run rapidly in ISS's microgravity. Scroll down for video NASA shared the video of the launch on 'Astronomy Picture of the Day' a website provided by the space agency and Michigan Technological University. 'The pre-dawn sky first seemed relatively serene yesterday morning over Indian Harbor Beach in Florida, USA,' said NASA. 'But then it lit up with a rocket launch. Just to the north, NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 Mission blasted into space aboard a powerful Falcon 9 rocket.' The time-lapse video which compresses 12 minutes into eight seconds shows the bright launch plume starting on the far left. The astronauts from the US, Japan and France, blasted off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:49 BST The rocket rises into an increasingly thin atmosphere, causing its plume to spread out just as it is lit by the rising Sun. 'As the Crew-2 capsule disappears over the horizon, the landing plume of the returning first stage of the Falcon 9 descending toward the SpaceX barge in the Atlantic Ocean can be seen,' NASA says. About 10 minutes after launch, travelling at about 10,000 miles per hour, Falcon 9's second stage delivered the Crew Dragon and its astronauts into a nominal orbit. Images shows, from left, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, inside the capsule at launch pad at Launch Complex 39A ahead of the Crew-2 mission, April 23, 2021 They arrived at the International Space Station at about 10:10 BST on Saturday, where they were warmly welcomed by the existing crew. Their arrival brought the total number of people on the ISS to 11, which will fall to seven when the four members of Crew-1 make their journey back to Earth and splash down this Wednesday. Eleven is the most people ever on the ISS. Eight of the 11 arrived on a commercial spaceship (SpaceX Crew Dragon), while the other three arrived in a Russian Soyuz capsule. The ISS, orbiting 253 miles above the planet, is designed to hold seven astronauts, but that can increase when a capsule is docked, such as the Crew-2 mission capsule that took the new foursome to the station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon, and its four astronauts, is seen safely docked in this impressive picture from Nasa TV Friday's mission became the first SpaceX launch to reuse both a capsule and Falcon 9 from previous launches. The same rocket took Crew-1 to the ISS and the capsule was used in 'Launch America' in May 2020. Although this was SpaceX's third crew flight for NASA, it was the first to use a vehicle that has flown before, an essential part of Musk's push to the Moon and Mars. One of the team Thomas Pesquet, the French astronaut representing the European Space Agency plans to dine like a king with a smorgasbord of treats that are unlike any space food before. He and his crewmates will feast on dishes prepared by three separate French culinary institutions, but the meals are only for special occasions. Pesquet brought with him lobster, beef bourguignon, cod with black rice, potato cakes with wild mushrooms and almond tarts with caramelized pears, The New York Times reports. 'There's a lot of expectations when you send a Frenchman into space,' Pesquet said during a European Space Agency news conference last month. 'I'm a terrible cook myself, but it's OK if people are doing it for me.' This picture taken in Pouldreuzic, near Brest, western France, on April 20, 2021 shows a low-temperature cooked salmon prepared at the canning factory Henaff by the French chef Alain Ducasse's team (R) for the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet Inspira Health nurses and staff members put more than 250 Covid-19 vaccination shots into the arms of high school students and district staff during an on-site clinic at Washington Township High School on Friday, April 23. The first doses of the Pfizer vaccinations were given inside the schools 9/10 gymnasium as part of a district/Inspira pushout over the course of the week. Students ages 16 and older were eligible, with 16- and 17-year-old students requiring parental consent to receive the vaccine. The second dose of the vaccine will be hosted on the high school campus on or about Friday, May 14. On behalf of the high school and the district, I cant say enough about how grateful we are for the amazing gift and service that Inspira Health has been able to provide for our students and staff, WTHS executive principal Jonathan Strout said. This collaborative effort between Inspira and so many amazing staff members here . . . to put this together in such a short period of time and achieve this level of success is nothing short of remarkable. Strout said he received messages of thanks and appreciation from a number of families, including many who said their children already had appointments prior to the schools announcement. WTHS custodian Vinny Carbone receives his vaccination from Inspira Health nurse Ann Marie Dennino.Washington Township School District The on-site process was run by registered nurse and Inspira employee health manager Tina Robinson. Inspira Health Mullica Hill pharmacy director Ed Dix and Inspira Health chief financial officer Tom Baldosaro also were on hand to observe the facilitation of the vaccines. Send community news to south@njadvancemedia.com. FLINT, MI -- The city is expecting a $99.3-million windfall from the COVID-19 relief package signed into law by President Joe Biden last month and is asking residents for their opinions on how to spend it. Mayor Sheldon Neeley will host a virtual community update on funding priorities at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, a meeting that will focus on the federal funding the city expects to receive through the American Rescue Plan Act. The community update will be streamed on the city of Flint Facebook page and YouTube channel. Following the event, the meeting will be shared on the citys website, according to a news release from the city. The update meeting will include detailed information on how residents can submit their ideas to be considered as part of the planning process for the ARP funding, per the announcement. In addition to Neeley, Flint Chief Financial Officer Shelbi Frayer is scheduled to participate in the meeting. Read more on MLive: Flints share of COVID-19 relief bill tops $99M, Genesee County to get $78M Flint schools will receive $114M or $36,000 per student from COVID-19 relief bill Flint mayors proposed budget is balanced, but forecasts rough financial waters ahead JERUSALEM (AP) One of Israel's biggest energy companies plans to sell its share of a large offshore gas field to a firm based in the United Arab Emirates for an estimated $1.1 billion, the biggest such deal since the two countries normalized ties last year. Delek Drilling, owned by the Israeli billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva, said Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Mubadala Petroleum, part of a conglomerate owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. The proposed deal was detailed in a notification filed with Israeli authorities. Delek Drilling is required to sell its 22% share of the offshore Tamar gas field by the end of this year as part of a 2015 gas framework agreement aimed at introducing more competition to the Israeli gas sector, which has grown in recent years with the discovery of large offshore reserves. The Tamar field, which went online in 2013, is believed to hold more than 300 billion cubic meters of gas. Chevron and the Israeli-American company Isramco each own around a third of Tamar, with the remainder held by smaller firms. Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations last year in a U.S.-brokered deal. Since then, Israelis have flocked to the UAE, home to the bustling futuristic cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and companies have pursued partnerships in a wide range of sectors. The normalization agreement, which was followed by similar accords with Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, eroded the long-standing Arab consensus that recognition of Israel should only be granted in return for advancing the peace process with the Palestinians. The Palestinians cast the agreements as a betrayal of their cause, and the criticism has flared again in recent days as Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police in Jerusalem. The UAE has expressed concern about the violence and called on Israel to take steps to calm tensions. An investigation by independent watchdog Transparency International UK (TI-UK) into the Johnson governments awarding of contracts during the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the corruption and outright criminality that has pervaded the entire process. The TI-UK report, Track and Trace, was published on April 22. It examined 18 billion worth of contracts awarded between February and November 2020, concluding that one in five raised red flags for possible corruption. The 73 flagged contractsworth 3.7 billionaccounted for 20 percent of the value of all reported pandemic-related contracts. Red flags were triggered by uncompetitive tendering, politically connected contractors, or contractors with no proven experience in providing the goods and services under contract. The way the UK Government handled bids for supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 response contracts appears partisan and systemically biased in favour of those with political access, the report found. Safeguards designed to prevent corruption were removed without adequate justification. The report singles out for particular concern the VIP channel, later renamed the high priority lane. This was supposedly aimed at triaging the governments emergency pandemic response by circumventing normal tendering procedures. The report states it was used to fast track and select PPE bids based on referrals from MPs, peers and senior officials. The clandestine nature of the governments tender award process has already led to censure by the parliamentary watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO). Its own investigation into a tranche of 17.3 billion worth of contracts awarded to the private sector, showed that 10.5 billion (58 percent) was awarded without any tendering process. NAO found the government had violated transparency rules and failed to publish documents in a timely manner. In February, the High Court ruled the government acted unlawfully in relation to its failure to meet strict time limits mandating that any state contract award notices must be published within a 30-day period. The verdict reflected concerns by the judiciary that the governments secretive process was producing widespread public distrust, with Mr Justice Martin Chamberlain stating, One unfortunate consequence of non-compliance with the transparency obligations (both the public and for the government) is that people can start to harbour suspicions of improper conduct, which may turn out to be unfounded. Health Secretary Matt Hancock was completely dismissive of the High Court verdict, telling Sky News, If I had my time again, absolutely I would do exactly the same thing. Health Secretary Matt Hancock speaking at a government Covid-19 press conference inside No10 Downing Street (credit: picture by Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street--Flickr) Hancock gained notoriety over 30 million worth of contracts for vials and plastic funnels awarded to his former pub landlord Alex Bourne, who ran The Cock Inn in Thurlow, Essex. Bourne had no expertise in the manufacture and supply of medical equipment and his company is currently under investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency over allegations he did not have adequate facilities from a health and hygiene perspective. The Johnson governments new tendering regime amounted to a bonanza for pandemic profiteers. Some of the reports key findings include: 1.6 billion worth of PPE contracts (comprising 14 tenders) was awarded to entities with known connections to the Conservative Party. Three contracts worth 536 million went to politically connected companies for testing-related services. 98.9 percent of COVID-19 related contracts (17.8 billion) were awarded without any form of competition. Contracts were awarded to suppliers without any proven proficiency. Fourteen companies incorporated in 2020 received contracts worth more than 620 million, of which 13 contracts totalling 255 million went to 10 firms that were less than 60 days old and which could have had no track record of actual business. Contracts awarded to politically connected companies were more likely to be published late. Details of 93 percent (28) of the 30 contracts awarded to politically connected companies were published late, compared to 70 percent (688) of the 970 without. Seven of these late contracts awarded to politically connected suppliers went unpublished for more than 100 days. TI-UKs report lists 10 recommendations, consisting of calls for further investigation, transparency and improved regulation, but its own Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) over the award of COVID-19 contracts have been denied. A November 18 request for details about 493 companies referred for consideration under the high priority lane between January and June 2020including the source, decision and status of the contractswas rejected on grounds of cost. A second request on December 16, narrowed to the names of the companies involved, was equally unsuccessful. Initially stalled on the pretext of reviewing whether the FOI request was in the public interest, the DHSC later cited commercial sensitivity.. The DHSC has breached the statutory response time, reneging on the full response it had promised by April 14. The blatant efforts by the state to conceal industrial-scale corruption and criminal profiteering exposes the decomposition of democratic rule. The Johnson government stands above the law and openly proclaims it is accountable solely to speculators and profiteers on whom it has showered 18 billion worth of contracts, equivalent to one eighth of the entire annual NHS budget. The corruption and criminality of the government is matched only by the hypocrisy of the Labour Party, which attempts to present such profiteering as the outcome solely of Tory cronyism. Labours Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves declared of the TI-UKs report, The scale of corruption risk to vast amounts of taxpayer money revealed in this report is shocking, as is the evidence of endemic cronyism flowing through the government's contracting. In fact, the Labour Party provided the Tories a free pass for this orgy of jobbery and political graft through the emergency exemptions it granted to awarding COVID-19 contracts as part of the Coronavirus Act 2020 it voted to support and repeatedly renewed. The exploitation of the pandemic for the self-enrichment of a grasping layer of economic and social parasiteswhether directly connected to the Tory party or otherwisehas underpinned the entire ruling class response to the pandemic in the UK and internationally. The wealth of the worlds billionaires has increased collectively by 60 percent over the last year with Forbes magazine commenting, COVID-19 brought terrible suffering, economic pain, geopolitical tensionand the greatest acceleration of wealth in human history. The Labour Party has invoked the national interest to justify its role as de facto coalition partner with the Johnson government. Behind this smokescreen, the ruling elite has glutted itself through a 350 billion bailout of the corporations, 895 billion of quantitative easing, and the evisceration, privatisation and looting of the NHS and other forms of pandemic profiteering. The price paid by workers has been over 150,000 preventable deaths, the imposition of fire and rehire contracts based on massive pay cuts, the slashing of jobs, and the ongoing destruction of essential services. Nothing remains of the myth of concern within the ruling class for the NHS and the heroes that work in it. The failure to provide adequate PPE through the private sector has been a major factor in the deaths of around 1,000 health and social care workers during the pandemic. The clap for carers and other cynical displays of gratitude to National Health Service (NHS) staff have been replaced by the imposition of a pay cut and state repression. The same Coronavirus Act used to enrich big business was recently renewed unopposed and used to break up protests by NHS workers against the governments miserly 1 percent pay award. The Johnson government also confirmed that it will not even match the 500 one-off bonus for nurses granted in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for their services during the pandemic. The fight against the pandemic demands the international co-operation and organisation of the working class, with health and social care workers playing a key role. The claim that there is no money to fund an emergency response is disproven by the ill-gotten gains of the corporations and the huge transfer of public funding into the coffers of big business. This must be reversed through a socialist programme, which seizes this wealth as part of a reorganisation of society to serve social need, not the profit motive. All NHS and health care workers are invited to attend the May Day 2021 on-line rally organised by the International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site which will launch the initiative for the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees. By Swati Bhat and Nupur Anand MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India said on Monday chief executive officers and managing directors at Indian private-sector banks will be eligible to hold these posts for up to 15 years, as it unveiled a series of rules on term limits. Analysts welcomed the new rules and said they may be extended to the shadow banking sector as well. "These are some learnings from the banking crisis that unfolded last year from the Yes bank case, so the RBI is putting these steps in place to ensure that such kind of issues don't arise in future," said Asutosh K Mishra, analyst at a domestic brokerage house, Ashika Stock Broking. In March 2020 the central bank rescued Yes Bank, then the country's fifth-largest private lender, as it reeled under a mountain of bad loans due to its exposure to shadow lenders and real estate companies. The central bank also said on Monday that a CEO, MD or whole-time director (WTD) who is a promoter or major shareholder of a bank as well will not be eligible to hold these posts for more than 12 years, with an extension of up to 15 years permitted at its sole discretion. Bank chiefs who are not promoters will be eligible for a second-term, even after the 15-year period. "Thereafter, the individual will be eligible for re-appointment as MD and CEO or WTD in the same bank, if considered necessary and desirable by the board, after a minimum gap of three years," it added. During this three-year gap, the individual shall not be appointed or associated with the bank or its group entities in any capacity, directly or indirectly, it added. RBI also said the chairman of the board must be an independent director. It also listed some other guidelines on the pay of non-executive directors, age limits and setting up of audits, remuneration and risk-management committees. The RBI has given banks until Oct. 1 to comply with the rules. See the full notification here: https://bit.ly/3tNDpcJ Story continues However, the chairpersons, MDs, CEOs who have already completed 12 or 15 years, will be allowed to complete their current term as already approved by the RBI, it said. Mishra said lenders like Kotak Mahindra Bank may be affected though the impact will not be felt immediately as RBI has allowed CEOs to complete their current tenure. Promoter Uday Kotak who has been at the helm of the bank for over 12 years had been re-appointed for a term of three years starting January 2021. "The central bank may extend these rules even to the shadow banking sector, which will be a step in the right direction," said Prakash Agarwal, head of financial institutions at India Ratings and Research. (Editing by Hugh Lawson) Dripping small flames from handheld fuel canisters, two dozen trained volunteers began setting fire to 35 acres of dense brush near homes atop a ridgeline rising out of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County the other day. They were part of a major push in Californias forested communities to burn overgrown thickets around homes and roads before the state runs headlong into another fire season one with the potential to surpass last years record devastation. Even with the rain that fell Sunday, a dry winter season and worsening drought conditions are narrowing the window to safely light prescribed fires, one of the most efficient methods of creating defensible space in forested areas. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Marshall Turbeville told some of the volunteers assembled last week that he used to be comfortable lighting fires through May. Then he snapped off the tips of a chamise brush, thin branches that should have been supple with white flowers by now. But they were brittle, a sign of how bad things could be, he said. Thirty-five acres seems like a lot, but look how many acres are out there, Turbeville said, gesturing to a green blanket of redwood and conifers unfolding from the exposed ridge. If its not going to burn now, its going to burn sometime. Alvin A.H. Jornada / Special to The Chronicle Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed about $65 million out of his $1 billion wildfire budget toward prescribed burns, fires lit intentionally to create buffers between wildlands and places where people live. And state lawmakers are taking steps to make it easier to conduct critical preventative measures such as prescribed burns and manual clearing of vegetation. Proposed legislation would protect state-certified burn bosses and private property owners from being sued if things go wrong. Introduced by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, SB332 would hold burn organizers and property owners personally responsible only if they were found to be grossly negligent in cases where fires escaped containment lines and damaged property or caused injuries. In the last decade weve almost had $150 billion in fire losses in the state of California, Dodd said. We all know prescribed burning has provided enumerable public benefits, reducing hazardous fuels, for habitat restoration, invasive species control and upholding (indigenous) cultural values. Dodd said escaped fires are rare, yet hes heard burn bosses are having a tough time getting the type of insurance they need to conduct prescribed burns. The insurance industry is so far the main opponent of the legislation, he said. Alvin A.H. Jornada / Special to The Chronicle Last August, the Walbridge Fire converged on the Dry Creek Valley ridgeline and its homes from three sides, part of an extraordinary dry lightning siege. Some homes burned, but Barb Stuckeys house and most of her 10-acre property were spared. Stuckey and several other property owners organized Wednesdays burn through the Good Fire Alliance, a group of Sonoma and Marin landowners that helps property owners and land managers conduct controlled fires and other vegetation management projects. The alliance is among a growing number of groups across the state created to help property owners burn vegetation in fire-prone areas, a sign of the strong interest in reintroducing fire as a way to clear pests, invasive species and create safer communities. They often work in concert with local fire agencies and Cal Fire, which also works with landowners to clear vegetation through prescribed fire. Stuckey said shes grateful for the alliance because property owners like herself dont have the expertise to do it on their own. This is a vaccine for our land, said Stuckey, 53, who splits her time between homes in Sonoma County and San Francisco. She watched as smoke from the growing fire began clouding the view. A little bit of fire to prevent bigger fire. Last year more than 4.2 million acres burned in California, the worst year on record. That included the states first gigafire, the August Complex that burned more than 1 million acres, heavily impacting the Mendocino National Forest. Alvin A.H. Jornada / Special to The Chronicle Already this year, firefighters have been unusually busy battling flames across the state. As of April 17, about 1,200 fires burned 1,894 acres about double the number acres burned by this time last year. A 200-acre fire that ignited April 18 in the coastal range of Mendocino County is showing me the fuels are already in critical levels and the potential for a difficult fire season, Mendocino County Cal Fire Division Chief George Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said the area is rich with water, making it an unlikely site for such an early season blaze. The area has a high water table, theres water all over the place, Gonzalez said. Its known for its water, but it burned like an inland fire. Interactive California Fire Tracker This interactive map provides information on wildfires burning across California and lets you explore coverage of past fire seasons. Cal Fire forester Sarah Collamer said fire managers are imagining worst-case-scenarios and using controlled burns and vegetation clearing to create tactical advantages. In San Mateo County, fire crews last week burned piles of vegetation cleared from a narrow, 10-acre band of brush on Cahill Ridge, a high backbone of the Santa Cruz Mountains and a strategic area for preparations to protect South Bay residents from wildfires. That would be a really good place to stop a fire, Collamer said. Ken Pimlott, who retired as Cal Fire director after leading the state fire agency through two fire disasters the 2017 Wine Country fires and the 2018 Camp Fire says forest maintenance is like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. You go from Fort Point to the Marin Headlands, then you have to start over again, Pimlott said. Its the same with this. Vegetation grows. Pimlott said this is a pivotal time for property owners and fire districts to make a significant dent in overgrowth. As Cal Fire director hed focus on maintenance projects and looking ahead to fire season, and in retirement hes on the same cycle but focused on his own patch of forestland. Pimlott and his wife, Karen, bought 71 acres in southern El Dorado County six years ago, and now almost work full-time to restore the forest to a healthy balance after the land burned in the 2014 Sand Fire. They have been removing brush, cutting low limbs from trees and clearing vegetation near roads. Pimlott said preventative measures need to be taken now. Anyone doing work on their land knows that right now is the time, Pimlott said. Youre out there with a chain saw, a tractor trying to get this done. Its not easy work. Julie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: julie.johnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @juliejohnson Speaking at a review meeting on the rural internet connectivity and laptop scheme for students, the Chief Minister laid stress on providing internet connectivity with unlimited capacity or at least 20 GB capacity in villages to help the people adapt to the new Work From Home model. (Photo: Twitter@AndhraPradeshCM) Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday directed officials to ensure that all villages in the state have internet connectivity in the next two years. Speaking at a review meeting on the rural internet connectivity and laptop scheme for students, the Chief Minister laid stress on providing internet connectivity with unlimited capacity or at least 20 GB capacity in villages to help the people adapt to the new Work From Home model. He also called for providing internet connectivity in the upcoming YSR Jagananna Colonies and instructed the authorities to come up with an action plan accordingly, keeping in mind the addition of 31 lakh houses. He directed the officials to lay underground cables in 108 cyclone-affected villages to ensure uninterrupted internet connectivity even during the storms. The Chief Minister called for setting up YSR Village Digital Libraries at village secretariats and asked the officials to arrange six computers at each library by the time the construction of libraries was completed. With regard to the Amma Vodi scheme, the CM said laptops must be provided to the students who opted for it on January 9. Earlier, the state government provided an option to the students pursuing Classes from IX to XII to either receive a laptop or money. He said the laptops that are being provided to the students should come with a proper guarantees and warranty cards, along with service support. If a laptop wasnt functioning well, the Chief Minister said the student should be able to hand it over to the concerned village secretariat, which will get it repaired. Energy secretary N. Srikanth informed the CM that they could complete the provision of internet connectivity in all the villages in the state by March 2023 and said that so far 14,671 km distance of aerial cable was laid in 3,642 villages of 307 mandals in the state. Rural development commissioner M. Girija Sankar said that each YSR Village Digital Library would be coming up at 690 square feet area at an estimated cost of Rs 16 lakh with 20 seats. School education principal secretary B. Rajasekhar said that they were offering two models of laptops with high-end versions for engineering students. OCUS, a Paris, France-based provider of an API for Imagery, closed a $24M funding round. The round was led by Ring Capital and joined by A/O PropTech and Expon Capital. The company will further invest in product development and engineering while expanding its market presence worldwide. Led by Thibaud Lemonnier, Co-founder and CEO, Ocus has developed an API-first platform augmented with machine learning and image recognition to deliver optimized images which automate and streamline operations for their clients. The result delivers intelligent images within hours or days. Combined with a community of 30,000 global image creators in photography, videography, and drone, the company can service its clients in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Focusing on enterprise clients, Ocus is the technology partner to Google, Radisson, Grubhub, Yemeksepeti and Foodpanda around the world in producing images for their brands. FinSMEs 26/04/2021 [April 26, 2021] KBR Wins $48.5M U.S. Air Force Task Order for Optoelectronic Technology Research HOUSTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR) won a $48.5 million recompete to support optoelectronic technology research for the U.S Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate's Optoelectronic Technology Branch (RYDH). KBR will perform analyses of military and commercial developmental devices with emphasis on emerging electronic, plasmonic, electro-optic, and photonic technology. These devices will include lasers, waveguides, detectors, and focal plane array. KBR will also perform analyses on materials, such as semiconductors, nonlinear crystals, and laser gain media; and more broadly, applications of the subject devices and materials. Applications for this research exist for nearly every airborne platform, including the F-35 Lightning II, spacecraft such as Wideband Global SATCOM and Global Positioning System satellites, as well as ground based and modular sensing packages. "Our team will advance optoelectronic technology research through this recompete," said Byron Bright, KBR Global Government Solutions President. "We're excited to continue our collaborative relationship with RYDH, which has already produced 45 conference presentations and four patents awarded as a direct result of our ongoing work over the last five years." KBR will perform this work over a five-year period in Dayton, Ohio. The Air Force's 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron awarded the cost-plus, fixed fee task order under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's Multiple Award Contract. Since 2010, KBR has supported researching and developing laser systems for the Air Force's RYDH. KBR's expertise and agile approach allows it to rapidly produce high-quality research to drive state-of-the-art photonic and quantum substructure technologies and innovation. KBR's in-depth experience extends to high-efficiency laser materials and devices, optical fiber and waveguide confined light sources and multi-physics computer models of advanced laser systems. About DoD IC Program The DoD IAC, sponsored by DTIC, provides technical data management and research support for DoD and federal government users. Established in 1946, the IAC program serves the DoD S&T and acquisition communities to drive 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 KBR We deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 29,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries. KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long- term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver. Forward Looking Statement The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the significant adverse impacts on economic and market conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic; the company's ability to respond to the challenges and business disruption presented by the COVID-19 pandemic; the recent dislocation of the global energy market; the company's ability to realize cost savings and efficiencies relating to the streamlining of its Energy Solutions business; the company's ability to manage its liquidity; the company's ability to continue to generate anticipated levels of revenue, profits and cash flow from operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and any resulting economic downturn; the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company. KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kbr-wins-48-5m-us-air-force-task-order-for-optoelectronic-technology-research-301276068.html SOURCE KBR, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] SPOKANE, Wash. - Touching patients while providing care is an important and unavoidable aspect of the nursing profession. Nurses can also transform touch into a useful therapeutic tool to improve patients'-- and their own--wellbeing. That is the topic of a study, "'Permission to Touch': Nurses' Perspectives of Interpersonal Contact during Patient Care," published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research.The authors include two Washington State University College of Nursing faculty, Associate Professor Marian Wilson and Assistant Professor Tullamora Landis, former faculty member Michele Shaw, and lead author Enrico DeLuca, of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, who visited WSU in 2018 to work with Wilson on the study. Nurses touch patients frequently for tasks and to provide comfort and emotional support. Studies have looked at physical contact occurring during nursing care, offering several definitions. "Expressive" touch, for example, is spontaneous and used to establish contact, reassure or give comfort, such as laying a hand on a patient's shoulder. Most previous studies have looked at the effect of such touch on patients; this study looks at how interpersonal contact is perceived by nurses. Nurses were also asked about their view of massage as a form of intentional touch in a clinical setting. Through focus groups and interviews, participants said they found touch and massage helpful when providing patient care and saw them as especially important resources in providing emotional care. Said one participant, "... there are also times when your patient needs extra emotional support and putting a hand on a shoulder, holding a hand, that can be really, really effective and that's something I use quite often." Participants, however, also expressed concerns about boundaries and discussed how they assessed whether a patient was open to interpersonal touch. The study noted that touch and massage techniques are useful tools that are already being employed by many nurses, but that it would be helpful to clarify the types of interpersonal contact used by nurses and possibly include touch as a competency in nursing education. ### Click here to read the full article. Julie Townsend, head of communications for ABC News since the fall of 2014, will leave the Disney unit as it prepares to welcome a new president. Townsend, a VP who has supervised outreach on behalf of flagship news programs ranging from Good Morning America to World News Tonight, will leave May 14 to lead global consumer communications at an iconic American company that she said in a memo to staffers would be revealed at a later date. This was not an easy decision to make, especially knowing a new president of ABC News will start in a few weeks, she said in a memo reviewed Monday. But one of the things Ive loved about working in news is the opportunity to learn new things and now, after the last decade at ABC News and 14 at the company overall, I have the chance to learn a whole new business in an entirely different industry. It was simply too good and fascinating an opportunity to pass up. ABC News is a division in transition, with a new president, former CBS News executive Kim Godwin, expected to take its reins in May. It is also without a top producer at GMA, its flagship program. During Townsends tenure, two of ABC News most prominent programs, World News Tonight and 20/20 saw new increases in viewership and outmaneuvered competitors on rival networks. She has also steered ABC News through moments of crisis, such as a mammoth lawsuit filed against the news operation by a South Dakota meat producer that resulted in a landmark settlement and the departure of Barbara Fedida, a senior ABC News executive whose alleged behavior toward staffers came under scrutiny. Julie has been a steadfast and passionate champion of ABC News throughout her time here, said Derek Medina, executive vice president of ABC News, in a note to employees. Shes helped launch new programs and strategic initiatives, celebrate every important milestone in the news division and been a trusted advisor to me and so many of us. Townsend has been with ABC News since 2011. Prior to that, she worked with NBCUniversal in its corporate communications department. Townsend started her career with ABC as a PR coordinator for Nightline and This Week in the ABC News Washington Bureau in 2001. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Lawmaker Vladimir Vardanyan from the ruling My Step bloc says the constitution allows the incumbent prime minister to continue serving as caretaker prime minister in the event of tendering resignation. There is no restriction or prohibition, Vardanyan, the Chair of the parliamentary committee of state-legal affairs told reporters in response to opinions that Pashinyan cant be the caretaker prime minister. In many countries, when a prime minister and the government resign, the countrys sovereign or the president tasks the prime minister and cabinet members to continue fulfilling their duties until the formation of a new government. This practice exists in many countries, he said. Vardanyan stressed that the fact that Pashinyans resignation isnt an ordinary resignation but rather a move required to pave way for the dissolution of parliament must be taken into account. He said the government must continue functioning in order to avoid a power vacuum. However, he noted that perhaps there is an absence of constitutional convention in Armenia. At the same time, he noted that the constitution doesnt prohibit the prime minister to designate another person to be an acting prime minister. There is no constitutional dispute at this moment between constitutional bodies, the process is proceeding normally, he said. Vardanyan mentioned however that a problem of compatibility might arise during campaigning in terms of state resources, noting that this must be avoided. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on April 25 a move intended to pave way for snap election. The entire Cabinet also resigned. Holding early elections requires the dissolution of parliament, which in turn can happen when the legislature fails twice to elect a prime minister after the incumbent steps down. Pashinyan said in his address to the nation that after parliament is dissolved his Civil Contract party will run in the June 20 elections and he will be re-nominated for prime minister. Pashinyan and his Cabinet are now the caretaker government until the new government is formed. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Fire swept through a building at the Kimbrough Homes public housing community on Birminghams west side Monday afternoon, leaving one person dead. The fire broke out in one of the buildings near SJ Bennett Drive and John Bryan Road. Battalion Chief Sebastian Carrillo said firefighters received the first call at 2:04 p.m. The fire quickly spread and flames were shooting through the roof of the building. Eight apartments were heavily damaged, and some destroyed. The building is the same one where young Major Turner was fatally shot earlier this year. It wasnt immediately clear whether that apartment received any smoke or water damage. Fire swept through an apartment building Monday, April 26, 2021 at Kimbrough Homes public housing community in west Birmingham. One person was found dead in an upstairs apartment. Carrillo said when they arrived on the scene, they learned a woman was trapped inside. Firefighters successfully rescued her from the flames and she did not require any medical treatment. A primary search of the burning apartments did not turn up any other victims. However, it was about 3:30 p.m., with the fire still burning strongly, that firefighters conducted the secondary search and found a man dead. Carrillo said he is believed to be 39 years old. His identity has not been released, but multiple family members and friends were on the scene when they received the tragic news. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. FPX Nickel (CVE: FPX) CEO Martin Turenne joined Steve Darling from Proactive to bring news the company has initiated a metallurgical pilot test program as the Companys Baptiste Nickel Project in central British Columbia. Turenne telling Proactive this program will be the largest and most comprehensive program conducted to date on Baptiste mineralization and is being designed to validate and optimize the flowsheet parameters of their September 2020 Preliminary Economic Assessment. Three journalism majors from Louisiana were the first up to be interviewed Monday by the committee vetting candidates for LSUs top leader. But the first of two days of interviews saw the only woman among the eight semi-finalists, Mary Rankin, the former chancellor of the University of Maryland, remove her name from contention. LSU wouldnt say why and Rankin did not return calls. Meanwhile, the provost at the University of South Carolina, William F. Tate IV, put in his application at the last minute. He will be among the five semi-finalists interviewed Tuesday. A chancellor is responsible for a campuss academic, fiscal, and administrative matters. A provost is the campuss chief academic officer. In Louisiana, the president of the system is the chief executive officer of the colleges and universities associated with the system, which in LSUs case includes four-year universities, one two-year institution, two medical schools, a law school, the agricultural center, research facilities and the flagship Baton Rouge campus, educating about 50,000 students. LSU is looking for a combination president to run the LSU system and chancellor for the Baton Rouge campus. But Monday was for the two best known candidates to rank-and-file Louisiana taxpayers: Jim Henderson runs the University of Louisiana Systems nine state colleges with 90,000 students and a $1.3 billion operating budget. And Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne has been elected to two statewide offices and now drafts the states $37 billion budget plus is in charge of the day-to-day operation of state government. The first candidate interviewed was Laurence Alexander, who has been has been chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an historically Black college and university, since 2013. Alexander was a widely published and tenured professor while dean of the journalism school at the University of Florida for two decades before moving to Arkansas. Alexander grew up in New Orleans 9th Ward, graduated from the University of New Orleans and juris doctorate from Tulane University Law School. He worked as reporter for the Times-Picayune and the Houma Courier before heading into an academic career. Unsurprisingly, one of the key questions asked during the interviews was about the ongoing scandal at LSU in which administrators failed to properly handle and often covered up complaints of sexual misconduct raised young female students. +6 Former, current LSU students file lawsuit against university over assaults, sex discrimination Seven women who have come forward in recent months with stories about being sexually assaulted or beaten on LSUs campus and then failed by ad Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The national attention to the mishandling of allegations has led to litigation and legislative hearings. LSU Board of Supervisors and interim President Tom Galligan are putting together detailed protocols for handling such complaints and strict punishments for those who do not, along with spending $1 million to open an enlarged office staffed by more investigators and experts in Title IX, the federal regulations that govern sexual harassment. But the new LSU president/chancellor will be walking into a volatile situation, probably in the summer. Each candidate was asked how they would handle it. Alexander said: We must break through the size of the institution and the bureaucracy of an institution and get to the heart of the matter with empathy and with caring and with follow up, keeping victims and folks who report these informed and engaged with the process. Henderson graduated with a journalism degree from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, which he later led. He pointed out that Title IX were regulations for institutions to follow, but the problems of sexual harassment go beyond a checklist of rules. We cannot comply ourselves into the culture we should be, Henderson said. You have to have an apparatus within your university, outside of the regulatory that is truly advocating for the victim with that claimant and providing them with the restorative work that needs to take place with trauma intervention. Dardenne was president of student government and graduated with a journalism degree followed by a law degree at LSU. He said the Title IX office and protocols being developed need to be centralized at the system level. Replay: Watch Kim Mulkey's introductory LSU press conference, complete with a mask throw Kim Mulkey has been hired, she has arrived in Baton Rouge, and at 5 p.m. LSU's new women's basketball coach will speak publicly for the first All this has got to be done in the in the context of remembering it's a cultural issue, Dardenne said. The culture needs to change. And it needs to change in a way where people understand men more than women, because they're more often the perpetrators that this is not acceptable behavior, and a university campus is the place where that needs to be magnified. Tuesdays schedule of interviews includes: 9:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m.: Kelvin Droegemeier, Ph.D., Former Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, U.S. Government 10:15 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Break 10:30 a.m. 11:45 a.m.: Ronald (Ron) Clark, M.A., Major General & Chief of Staff, United States Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, United States Army 11:45 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Lunch 12:30 p.m. 1:45 p.m.: Lt. Gen. (Ret) Jeffrey (Jeff) Talley, Ph.D., President & CEO of The P3i Group, LLC 1:45 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Break 2:00 p.m. 3:15 p.m.: Rustin M. Moore, DVM, Ph.D., Professor and Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University 3:15 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Break Until: Final Discussion 3:30 p.m. 4:45 p.m. William Tate IV, Provost, University of South Carolina. 4:45 p.m. Final Discussion For Zoom webinar information for each of the candidate interviews, please visit https://www.lsu.edu/president-search/candidates/index.php Australians are being urged to holiday in South Australia over winter as the state launches a fourth round of its widely popular tourism vouchers, giving vacationers access to cheaper accommodation. Premier Steven Marshall announced on Monday the Great State Experience scheme will kick start a new round from late May after the 'magnificent' success of the program's earlier stages. About 50,000 vouchers will be up for grabs, offering either $100 off eligible CBD hotels or $50 off participating accommodation providers in regional and suburban areas for use over winter. 'We think it's really important - for June, July, August; months which are traditionally slower - to do everything we can to maintain and grow the number of people employed in this sector,' Mr Marshall told reporters on Monday. The South Australian government has announced a fourth round of tourism vouchers will be up for grabs from late May. Pictured: A woman walking down iconic Port Noarlunga boardwalk in South Australia 'It's all a part of making these small changes, these interventions, to keep the accommodation volumes up across the state and take advantage of this situation where more people are getting out, exploring their own backyards and seeing what they love in SA. 'We think there's going to be a permanent pivot where people holiday at home more post-coronavirus, so we want as many people to visit our great state.' The majority of vouchers will be offered to South Australians, but a limited number will be put forward to tourists. Mr Marshall said it has not yet been decided whether participants will be assigned vouchers via the ballot system used in round three, or whether they will need to flock online as soon as they become available. A decision will be announced on a later date. SA Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said he is working with accommodation providers. Around 50,000 registrants were gifted experience vouchers last week as part of the scheme's third round. Pictured: People walking through Moseley Square, Adelaide 'What we've seen with the accommodation programs is it stimulates expenditure well beyond the hotels and filters right through the economy,' he said. 'We're looking at midweek proposition - [and] how do we get people to stay longer mid week - so we're working with hoteliers on that.' Like previous rounds, Saturday nights will be excluded from use in the vouchers. The first two rounds of the program provided a $32million boost to the local economy, while the third - which is currently underway, saw more than 100,000 people sign up for the random electronic ballet. Last week, about 50,000 registrants were contacted and gifted $50, $100 or $200 voucher to use on tours and experiences. Recipients will be able to start booking experiences from Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: Indonesian President Joko Widodo gestures during an interview with Reuters at the presidential palace in Jakarta CELUKAN BAWANG, Indonesia (Reuters) -The Indonesian navy was on Monday trying to work out how it could salvage the remains of a submarine from the bottom of the Bali Sea and retrieve the bodies of the 53 sailors who died onboard. The German-built KRI Nanggala-402 was discovered lying on the seabed on Sunday broken into at least three parts, four days after it lost contact while preparing to conduct a torpedo drill. Grieving relatives gathered on the seashore in Bali on Monday to pay their respects to the sailors who perished, and urged the authorities to bring up their bodies from the depths. Experts say it will be a daunting task to lift the submarine to the surface from the deep water, requiring specialised salvage equipment. A spokesman for Indonesia's navy said a retrieval operation was still being discussed with experts and international bodies. "We will analyse the under water pictures and video, the current etc to decide the technology that will be used," First Admiral Julius Widjojono said. A sonar scan detected at least three parts of the submarine at a depth of 850 metres (2,789 ft), far beyond Nanggalas diving range. Relatives of crew member I Gede Kartika congregated at Celukan Bawang on Bali's north coast on Monday. Some carried incense and flowers as they clutched framed photographs of him in his naval uniform. Others rowed out to sea to ceremoniously scatter petals in the water. "We have already given our son to the government. Now that he has fallen in this operation, we hope the government will return his remains to us after all the official ceremonies," said Wayan Darmanta, the uncle of the submariner. Family members of another lost crew member also gathered at the port town of Banyuwangi, which is home to the naval base on Java island where the Nanggala was stationed, to pay their respects. President Joko Widodo offered his condolences to the relatives and pledged the state would fund the education of the dead sailors' children. Story continues An international search and rescue effort involving aircraft and specialised naval vessels, including from Singapore, Australia and the United States, had raced against the clock to find the submarine in case it was still intact and before oxygen ran out. But on Sunday Indonesia's military chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed the Nanggala had sunk and all of it crew had died. (Additional reporting by Yuddy Cahya Budiman in Banyuwangi; Angie Teo and Agustinus Beo Da Costa in Jakarta; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Ed Davies and Angus MacSwan) By Makiko Yamazaki and Scott Murdoch TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp's second-biggest shareholder called on the Japanese conglomerate to undergo a strategic review and explicitly solicit suitors, saying potential acquirers were deterred by the company's comments on wanting to remain listed. The comments by 3D Investment Partners, which owns a 7.2% stake in Toshiba, come as a $21 billion buyout offer from CVC Capital Partners earlier this month has sparked expectations for a bidding war for the Japanese company. While Toshiba dismissed that offer citing a lack of details, CVC has not thrown in the towel and sources have said some other private equity investors are also considering making bids. "We call upon the board to openly welcome interest from suitors who could enhance corporate value and ask the board to conduct a formal review of strategic alternatives," 3D said in a letter sent to Toshiba's board on Monday and made public. "To conduct a fair and proper process, Toshiba should explicitly indicate that it is open to alternative ownership structures and correct media speculation that Toshiba's management team and board have a strong preference for remaining a listed company," 3D said. The industrial conglomerate has said it believed that being publicly traded provided a "capital structure suitable for enhancing long term value creation" but added that its board would not disregard various proposals, including those to take the company private. In response to a request for comment on 3D's letter, Toshiba reiterated that stance on Monday. "This letter may be the starting point of multi-party dialogue ... other shareholders certainly feel the same way, and addressing the board publicly puts them on the spot," Quiddity Advisors analyst Travis Lundy, who writes on Smartkarma, told Reuters. "I expect more shareholders will come forward with similar letters" Earlier this month, U.S. hedge fund Farallon Capital Management, Toshiba's third-largest shareholder with a stake of around 6%, also called on the Japanese conglomerate to seek other offers from potential suitors. Story continues Singapore-based Effissimo Capital Management, Toshiba's top shareholder with a stake of around 10%, has not commented since CVC's offer was made public. Bain Capital, KKR & Co Inc and Canada's Brookfield Asset Management are also looking at potential bids for Toshiba, Reuters has reported. A senior executive at one of Toshiba's main lenders said that several private equity funds have contacted his bank for potential financing, but no talks are in progress. In the letter, Singapore-based 3D suggested it would take further action if the Toshiba board fails to consider its request, saying shareholders "will have no choice but to seek a more significant and ongoing role in governance". It estimated Toshiba's fair stock value in excess of 6,500 yen. Toshiba shares closed 1.3% higher on Monday at 4,465 yen, compared to the broader Tokyo stock market's 0.2% gain. "Shareholders will hold management accountable if they try to block these interests to buy the company," said another Toshiba investor, who could not be named because of confidentiality constraints. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Additional reporting by Yuki Nitta in Tokyo and Scott Murdoch in Hong Kong; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) A predawn shooting in east Birmingham left one man with critical injuries. Jefferson County sheriffs deputies were dispatched at 2:30 a.m. Monday to UAB Hospital on a report that someone had shown up with a gunshot wound. The victim, whose identity has not been released, arrived in a personal vehicle and was in critical condition. Sheriffs Sgt. Joni Money said deputies, after speaking with a witness to the shooting, were able to determine that the shooting had occurred in the 1100 block of Parkway East in Birminghams city limits. Early reports indicate that shortly after midnight, the victim and a friend were at the Bama Gas Station on Parkway East. The victim and an individual at the convenience store may have exchanged words. The other individual left the store. The victim and his friend left the store and were traveling on Parkway East, in the City of Birmingham, when shots were fired at their vehicle, Money said. One of those shots struck the male victim. The investigation is ongoing by the sheriffs office. Anyone with information is asked to call 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2021 / Proxymity announced today that its connection with Citi to provide proxy voting services to institutional clients in ten markets: United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Austria, Spain, France, Portugal, and Australia, is now live. Proxymity was spun out of Citi's Securities Services business last year, backed by a consortium of the world's largest issuer and investor services firms. Citi is the first consortium member to fully implement the Proxymity platform, with other members due to follow later this year. Proxymity now manages Citi's clients' proxy announcements and voting across 10 key international markets Citi's institutional clients will have faster access to information and improved deadlines, with more time to research and execute their votes Continued drive toward electronic voting reflects the increasing global focus on transparency and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agendas Launched in time for the 2021 annual general meeting (AGM) season, Citi's connection with Proxymity PV will deliver "golden source" AGM announcements directly from issuers to Citi's institutional clients in real-time. Global investors will now be able to cast their ballots electronically and receive instant confirmation of their votes. To facilitate compliance with recent regulations like SRD II, Proxymity's solutions use the latest industry-standard electronic messaging formats (ISO 20022). Among the many benefits of digital proxy, issuers will receive votes as soon as they are cast, allowing them an earlier sight of voting intentions than via any other market solution. Previously, votes might arrive at the last moment before meeting close. The ability to determine who voted - and how - gives issuers the opportunity to actively engage and communicate with end-investors, promoting better governance. Chris Cox, Global Head of Data, Digitalization and Strategic Projects and EMEA Head of Securities Services at Citi said: "We're delighted to be going live with Proxymity. Our digital investments are about creating value for clients and radically re-imagining user journeys. Proxymity offers users new levels of transparency and efficiency in the proxy voting process, essential against a challenging social backdrop and expectations of improved ESG standards. This is exactly what new technologies are supposed to achieve and it's great to be able to partner with the Proxymity team to share this benefit with clients." As the global pandemic enters its second year, the ability to vote remotely and safely may afford ESG conscious investors a silver lining, with less pressure on the environment due to reduced AGM travel requirements and a significant reduction in paper waste. Jonathan Smalley, COO and Co-Founder of Proxymity, said: "In a challenging year of firsts, connecting with Citi has been a remarkable and exciting first step for Proxymity. We are proud of the progress made to date and are looking toward a successful and productive season for Citi and its clients, as we continue to roll out our platform globally." For any media enquiries: Proxymity Kobi Omenaka k.omenaka@proxymity.io About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com. About Proxymity Proxymity's pioneering investor communications platform connects issuers, intermediaries and investors in real-time via its unique digital pathway, bringing efficiency, accuracy and transparency to every participant in the global custody chain. Our solutions give public companies confidence that their AGM/EGM agendas are transmitted as "golden source" and provide institutional investors with the time they need to research and vote on corporate decisions, as well as actual digital confirmation that their votes have been received. Proxymity promotes enhanced environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) by improving communication between issuers and investors and making it easier for intermediaries to be efficient, timely and compliant when servicing their clients. The company is backed by a global consortium of the industry's most influential financial institutions (BNY Mellon, Citi, Clearstream, Computershare, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, J.P. Morgan, State Street). For more information, visit www.proxymity.io. SOURCE: Proxymity View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/642117/Proxymity-Delivers-Digital-Proxy-Services-in-Ten-Markets-With-Citi Boris Johnson texted Dominic Cummings to say allegations that he was the 'chatty rat' who revealed details of the second lockdown were 'bull****', it was claimed last night. It came as Britain's top civil servant admitted that the person responsible for the leak may never be found. The Prime Minister is said to have sent a text message to Mr Cummings, his former No10 chief of staff, to put him in the clear. Boris Johnson texted Dominic Cummings to say allegations that he was the 'chatty rat' who revealed details of the second lockdown were 'bull****', it was claimed last night Mr Cummings also reportedly received a text absolving him of culpability from Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, who is said to have told him that he authorised the Downing Street press office to say he was not the 'chatty rat'. Mr Case told MPs yesterday that the leak inquiry is still ongoing, almost six months on, and has not yet identified the culprit. He insisted that Mr Johnson had been determined to find the leaker, however, after Mr Cummings claimed the Prime Minister had considered blocking the probe. The leak inquiry was triggered last autumn after newspapers were tipped off by a source later dubbed a 'chatty rat' that new Covid restrictions were being considered. It forced Mr Johnson to announce the national lockdown earlier than planned in a press conference late on October 31. At the time, he told Tory MPs: 'Let me assure you that the leak was not a No10 briefing and indeed we have launched an inquiry to catch the culprit.' But when asked about the progress of the Cabinet Office investigation yesterday, Mr Case told MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: 'What I can say is the investigation is ongoing and this is a clear indication that the source or sources haven't been identified. The Prime Minister is said to have sent a text message to Mr Cummings, his former No10 chief of staff, to put him in the clear 'In the time that has now passed, I think it is probable the team will not successfully identify the source or sources but work is ongoing.' He said he hoped the investigation would be finished within 'weeks rather than months'. Questioned on whether the Government had actually wanted to find out who had been behind the damaging leak, he insisted: 'I think there was widespread anger not only in Government but beyond this leak that related to a vital part of our Covid response. Certainly from the outset the Prime Minister, other ministers, teams and everybody was determined to try and find out who was responsible.' Asked if any investigations had been stopped because the outcome could have been embarrassing, Mr Case said: 'No, in relation to this particular leak and others, the Prime Minister has always been clear, very determined to see these inquiries complete.' He also denied the inquiry had been kicked into the long grass, saying: 'I can assure you that this hasn't been de-prioritised in any way, but as you picked up these things are incredibly complicated, complex inquiries, usually with a range of threads to them.' However, he admitted the leak was not a crime, as it was judged to be neither a breach of the Official Secrets Act nor the offence of misconduct in public office. In this file photo taken on September 3, 2019, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings leave from the rear of Downing Street in central London, before heading to the Houses of Parliament He would not say if MI5 had been involved in the investigation. And Mr Case repeatedly declined to comment on Mr Cummings's claim that he had been exonerated of being the 'chatty rat'. The Cabinet Secretary replied: 'I am constrained in what I can say because it's in the context of an ongoing investigation.' Asked if it was acceptable for him to have appeared before the committee but refused to answer questions, he said: 'I'm afraid it's necessary to protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, and the techniques involved.' He said the Government Security Group, which oversees physical and cyber security across Whitehall, had advised he should not provide detail on the leak inquiry. But he confirmed Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had been given an update on it in recent weeks. A noxious gaseous smell coming from St. Croixs recently reopened refinery that caused schools to close was caused by excess emissions of hydrogen sulfide, U.S. Virgin Islands officials said on Friday. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) is advising people with respiratory ailments such as allergies, lung disease and asthma to consider taking protective actions such as staying indoors or relocating to less affected areas. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration describes hydrogen sulfide as a colorless gas known for its pungent rotten egg odor at low concentrations. It is extremely flammable and highly toxic. The odor was caused by an operating upset overnight and into the early morning hours which has been corrected, according to a Limetree Bay spokesperson. The executive management of Limetree Bay sincerely apologizes for the impact to the public, the spokesperson said, adding that the company would continue to monitor impact to the outside community. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources told Reuters it is investigating to what extent Limetree exceeded permitted hydrogen sulfide levels. Local grammar schools and a career and technical education center closed in-person learning after students and staff reported feeling nauseous due to a noxious odor affecting air quality on the campuses on April 22, according to a notice from the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education. A St. Croix community coronavirus vaccination center was also closed on Friday due to the odor, a representative told Reuters. The smell has been observed west of the island in Fredricksted for several days and has prompted citizen complaints, according to the DPNR. The refinery recently resumed producing fuel following an entire plant shutdown earlier this month due to an undisclosed operational issue. (Reporting by Laura Sanicola Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Aurora Ellis) The domestic equities pared gains in early afternoon trade as profit booking emerged at higher levels. The Nifty index traded tad below its 14,500 mark. Barring the Nifty Pharma index, all the sectoral indices on the NSE were in the green. At 12:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 553 points or 1.16% at 48,431.45. The Nifty 50 index gained 154.60 points or 1.08% at 14,495.95. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.68% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.86%. The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1,894 shares rose and 933 shares fell. A total of 193 shares were unchanged. Derivatives: The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, jumped 3.27% to 23.4325. The Nifty 29 April 2021 futures were trading at 14,506.10, at a premium of 10.15 points as compared with the spot at 14,495.95. The Nifty option chain for 29 April 2021 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 58.8 lakh contracts at the 15,000 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 64.6 lakh contracts was seen at 14,000 strike price. Buzzing Index: The Nifty Metal index gained 2.15% to 4,542.45. SAIL (India) (up 6.07%), Vedanta (up 3.31%), NMDC (up 3.03%), JSW Steel (up 2.93%) and Jindal Steel & Power (up 2.40%) were the top gainers in Metal segment. Stocks in Spotlight: Biocon fell 0.33%. Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary of Biocon, announced that Abevmy, co-developed with Viatris Inc., has received marketing authorization approval from the European Commission following the positive recommendation by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency. Abevmy, a biosimilar of Bevacizumab, is approved for the treatment inmetastatic colorectal carcinoma, metastatic breast cancer, non-small-cell lung carcinoma, glioblastoma, ovarian, cervical and renal cancer as part of a specific regimen. Dhampur Sugar Mills slipped 1.28% after the company's consolidated net profit fell 12.1% to Rs 91.44 crore on 0.9% decline in net sales to Rs 1,056.95 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20. Coronavirus Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 14,71,94,897 with 31,09,449 deaths. India reported 28,13,658 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 1,95,123 deaths while 1,43,04,382 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The US government has decided to lift the export ban on the essential raw materials required by the vaccine manufacturer in India for production of COVID-19 vaccine. This development comes after several US lawmakers voiced their concerns over the COVID-19 situation in India. They exerted pressure on the Biden administration to extend assistance, release vaccines and other raw materials critical for India. White House said, US has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine that will immediately be made available for India. Meanwhile, the government will continue giving COVID-19 vaccine doses from its 50% quota to the states and Union Territories for free during the phase three of the vaccination drive. These vaccines will continue to be administered by States and Union Territories. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alaska Airlines Bans State Senator for Refusing to Follow Mask Rules Alaska Airlines has banned Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold (R-Eagle River) from flying on the airline for repeatedly refusing to follow mask mandates. We have notified Senator Lora Reinbold that she is not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy, Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tim Thompson told The Epoch Times via email. This suspension is effective immediately pending further review. Federal law requires all guests to wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times during travel, including throughout the flight, during boarding and deplaning, and while traveling through an airport. Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, holds a copy of the Alaska Constitution during a committee hearing in Juneau, Alaska on Jan. 27, 2021 (Becky Bohrer/AP Photo) The length of the ban is to be determined after a review. The airline had banned 506 people as of April 23. In a statement, the senator said the story should have stayed confidential until a thorough review of both parties. Ak Air: Until there is a fair determination, after thorough review of both sides, I believe this should be confidential. I learned about Ak Air decision before I knew there was even an inquiry and before I had a chance to talk to or discuss this with anyone at Alaska Air. I never received a warning via a yellow card per their policy either, Reinbold wrote. She said there was no due process before the incident was made public, noting that Alaska Airlines gave her information to the media without her knowledge or permission. I do believe constitutional rights are at risk under corporate covid policies, she wrote. Videos on Twitter appear to show the senator discussing the incident with the airline staff. Reinbold said, in a statement: I was reasonable with all Alaska Airlines employees. I have been flying on Alaska Air for decades and am an MVP gold. I inquired about mask exemption with uptight employees at the counter. The timing of complaint and a specific employee is of keen interest. The most divisive disaster bill hb76 is up Monday. I have been assured this be looked into. I was respectful of Alaska Airlines policies. We had a pleasant safe flight with happy flight attendants and great talented pilots. I hope to be on an Alaska Airlines flight in the near future. Reinbold, who was in southcentral Alaska this weekend, decided to travel by land and sea to Juneau, where the legislative session resumed on April 26. Lawmakers can participate in committee meetings by teleconference but cant vote on the House or Senate floor remotely under current procedures. Alaska I went to new heights to serve you & have a new appreciation for the marine ferry system. I am keenly aware of the monopoly in air transport to Juneau that needs reviewed! Reinbold wrote. Please thank my husband for giving up his birthday to make a long unexpected trip to Juneau by road/ferry system! Alaska I went to new heights to serve you & have a new appreciation for the marine ferry system. I am keenly aware of Posted by Lora Reinbold on Sunday, April 25, 2021 Reinbold has been a vocal opponent of COVID-19 mitigation measures and has repeatedly objected to Alaska Airlines mask policy, which was enacted before the federal governments mandate. Last year, she referred to Alaska Airlines staff as mask bullies after being asked by flight attendants to wear a mask aboard a flight. After the incident, she reportedly sent a cake to flight attendants bearing the inscription, Im sorry if I offended you. The Associated Press contributed to this report. [April 26, 2021] New Study Shows Measurable Organ Impairment in Long COVID Patients New research published in BMJ Open outlines findings from a study on multiorgan impairment in individuals with persistent symptoms following recovery from COVID-19 infection- a condition referred to as long COVID. The study included characterization of organ function using global medical technology company Perspectum's non-invasive imaging technology. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005122/en/ Figure 1. Multiorgan impairment in low-risk individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome by gender and hospitalisation (from Dennis et al. (2021). BMJ open, 11(3), e048391). Of the individuals, 71% were females (female icons) and 19% had been hospitalised with COVID-19 (red icons). 70% had impairment in at least one organ and 29% had multiorgan impairment, with overlap across multiple organs. Impairment in the liver, heart or lungs was associated with further organ impairment in 63%, 62% and 48% of individuals, respectively. (Graphic: Business Wire) Long COVID, also referred to as post-COVID-19 yndrome, is yet to be fully understood, but has wide-ranging and fluctuating symptoms, which can include breathlessness, chronic fatigue, "brain fog", anxiety and stress. The research examined associations between hospitalization, severity of COVID-19 symptoms and multiorgan impairment (in heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen), and demonstrated a physiological basis for long COVID. Although the study population were considered to be at low risk of COVID-19 mortality but with ongoing symptoms, seventy percent showed impairment in one or more organs up to four months after initial COVID-19 symptoms. "Early in the pandemic, research and clinical practice focused on pulmonary effects of COVID-19, but as we scanned patients using Perspectum's quantitative MRI, we found evidence of multiorgan impairment," says Dr Amitava Banerjee, Associate Professor in Clinical Data Science and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist, University College London. "Because our research demonstrated physiological effects in a majority of patients, we believe major organ systems must be assessed in all patients recovering from COVID-19 - to help define long COVID, determine its aftereffects and develop multidisciplinary care pathways." "There are tremendous implications for healthcare and public health, which have assumed low risk in young people with no comorbidities," adds Dr Banerjee. "While our research examined patients hospitalized with COVID-19, future research should address longer-term follow-up of organ function beyond symptoms and blood investigations, even in lower risk individuals who were not hospitalized with the disease; and prioritization for imaging, investigation and referral." About Perspectum Perspectum, a global medical imaging technology and AI company with offices in the U.K., the U.S. and Singapore, delivers leading digital technologies that help clinicians provide better care for patients with liver disease, diabetes and cancer. With a strong focus on precision medicine using advanced imaging and genetics, our vision is to empower patients and clinicians through quantitative assessments of health enabling early detection, diagnosis, and targeted treatment. With a diverse team of physicians, biomedical scientists, engineers and technologists, Perspectum offers a way to manage complex health problems at scale. For more information, visit perspectum.com. About Long COVID Long COVID affects 10-30% of people who have symptomatic infection with Sars-CoV-2 and is defined as symptomatic disease lasting longer than 12 weeks. Patients typically have extreme fatigue, chest pain, breathlessness, muscle aches and brain fog, but there are many reported symptoms. Many of these patients have organ damage or impairment, and ways of managing this are currently being researched. Patients with Long Covid are often unable to work for long periods of time, posing a significant burden to the economy and public services. About CoverScan MD CoverScan MD is a software suite that provides a comprehensive, one-stop-shop assessment to detect damage in the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, and spleen. This single, quick MRI exam eliminates the need for multiple individual or invasive tests. The use of CoverScan MD has been approved by the U.K.'s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005122/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] What to do if someone is at risk of dying by suicide Tension heightened in Imo State, on Monday, as unknown gunmen razed the Okigwe South Police Area Command situated in Orieagu in the Ehime ... Tension heightened in Imo State, on Monday, as unknown gunmen razed the Okigwe South Police Area Command situated in Orieagu in the Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. A police officer at the headquarters, who spoke to our correspondent in the evening, said that on arrival, the gunmen opened fire on the cops who challenged them. It was learnt that the invaders freed all the suspects in the cells and carted away arms. The source said that no fewer than five policemen were shot dead by the attackers as they torch the security facility. The source said, Our area command headquarters in Okigwe south is on fire. Six policemen shot dead. They also freed the suspects before igniting a fire on the facility. When contacted, the police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, said that five policemen were killed while one was missing during the attack. He disclosed that the command had launched an investigation into the onslaught. Details later The FBI has produced 68 pages relating to a Democrat National Committee (DNC) worker who was shot dead in 2016 in Washington, including an investigative summary that appears to suggest someone could have paid for his death. Seth Rich, the worker, was shot dead in the early morning hours on July 16, 2016, near his home in the nations capital. The murder, which is unsolved to this day, fueled widespread media coverage, especially after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange suggested that Rich was the person who provided internal DNC emails to WikiLeaks. Richs family has called the notion that Rich leaked documents to WikiLeaks a conspiracy theory. The newly released files show top Department of Justice officials met in 2018 and discussed Richs murder. They reviewed Richs financial records and did not identify any unusual deposits or withdrawals. Additionally, none of the witnesses interviewed during the investigation reported to authorities anything unusual about Richs life prior to the homicide. One witness saw an individual walking away from the location where Rich was killed but thought Rich was merely drunk so did not alert authorities. They realized something bad had happened when they saw a bloodstain on the ground in the same place the following day, as well as police tape surrounding the scene. A person whose name was redacted took Richs personal laptop to his house, according to one of the newly released documents. The page also indicates that authorities were not aware if the person deleted or changed anything on Richs personal laptop. The FBI came into possession of Richs work laptop, the bureau previously revealed. On another page, it was said that given [redacted] it is conceivable that an individual or group would want to pay for his death. That doesnt sound like a random street robbery, Ty Clevenger, a lawyer, told The Epoch Times. Law enforcement officials have suggested Rich was the victim of an attempted robbery, according to news reports, though none of his belongings were stolen. They have said no evidence links the shooting to Richs employment by the Democratic National Committee. The files were released this week in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Texas resident Brian Huddleston, who Clevenger represents. Seth Rich, the voter expansion data director for the Democratic National Committee, in a file photograph. (LinkedIn) Huddleston sued the FBI after it told him it would take 8 to 10 months in June 2020 to respond to his Freedom of Information Act request. Huddleston asked the FBI to produce all data, documents, records, or communications that reference Seth Rich or his brother, Aaron Rich. A federal judge earlier this year ordered the FBI to produce documents concerning Rich by April 23. The FBI identified 576 relevant documents but only produced 68 of them to Huddleston. The FBI has declined to speak about the lawsuit. Attorneys for Richs parents did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The documents show that some reporting on Richs death was wrong, such as an ABC News report that claimed the FBI was not involved in investigating the murder. Clevenger said he found concerning how the government apparently does not know whether anything was deleted from Richs personal laptop. The documents were largely redacted but the information that did get through shows that their whole narrative is falling apart, he added. Its a step in the right direction. The attorney plans to ask U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant, an Obama nominee, to produce unredacted copies for his perusal. The judge could rule that some redactions were improper. Defendants could also face repercussions for not producing all of the documents they have concerning Rich, including fines. U.S. Attorney Andrea Parker, who is representing the FBI, told the judge in a court filing this week that the bureau can only process 500 pages per month for each Freedom of Information Act request. She asked the court to give the bureau additional time to produce all of the relevant records. Clevenger told the judge in a court filing this week that the private sector routinely processes 500 pages or more per day and that the government should be afforded no more than two weeks to produce the remaining 1,063 pages. In a calculated display of class violence, striking Debenhams workers in Dublin, Ireland, were manhandled and arrested late Thursday night as up to 60 Gardai (police), some in paramilitary gear, dragged four workers, mostly older women, from the loading bay of the store in which many of them had worked for decades. The workers, part of a group of around 30, were trying to prevent Debenhams liquidator, KPMG, from removing stock from the store where they worked until April last year. One of the workers, shop steward Jane Crowe, described to RTE what happened, We were forcibly lifted up. I was carried out. While they were carrying me out my jacket came off over my head, my jumper came off over my head. I was left with no clothes from the waist up and my under garments were broken as well. It was demoralising to be left half naked in front of 50 or 60 Gardai, as well as the public and colleagues. There was no need for the heavy handedness. Video footage shared on Twitter showed a clutch of police around one of the workers, while her terrified daughter shouted in protest. Gardai attacking workers outside Debenhams Henry street store (Image credit Alice Richardson Twitter/@alrichards0n) Carmel Redmond, a Debenhams worker for 24 years, expressed deep shock at her experience, Everything we do is peaceful. When the guards arrived, there were all these Garda vans and some of them were three-deep. We didnt expect any of this, to be physically removed. It was a bit overwhelming. We just want to keep going with our picket. We have that right. The following night Gardai broke up picket lines outside the company's Tralee store, where workers had been picketing for 380 days to prevent stock removal. Four removal trucks then entered the loading bay. Over previous weeks similar scenes took place in Blanchardstown and Cork. Despite this state violence ordered by the Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party coalition government, the Mandate trade union and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) have refused any measures in the workers defence. Mandate, which covers 40,000 retail workers across Ireland, has left its members isolated for more than 12 months, leaving them at the mercies of the Labour Court, the Irish government and the Gardai. Gerry Light, Mandates General Secretary, issued a statement Friday making clear his union was in the process of ending the dispute. He said of the violent actions by police, This incident should never have happened. The workers had decided to ballot for a potential resolution to this dispute at 4:30pm yesterday. While details of Mandates agreement with KPMG have not been released, two previous deals were rejected outright by workers. Debenhams Retail Ireland Ltd collapsed last April at the same time as Debenhams in Britain (nominally a separate company) went into administration. Over 2,000 workers lost their jobs in Ireland, while in Britain 22,000 staff at 142 stores were placed on furlough. The Irish company announced it would not reopen after lockdown, while some UK stores have re-opened temporarily for fire sales in the middle of a deadly pandemic, prior to permanent closure. Although their jobs have already gone, Debenhams staff in Ireland have been on strike since May last year, pursuing redundancy payments under terms previously agreed by the company with Mandate in 2016. Workers at the company's 11 Irish stores are seeking four weeks redundancy pay for every year worked, significantly more than the state redundancy payout. Repeated protests have been held both online and outside Debenhams stores and at the Dail Eireann (Irish parliament). In August, 200 demonstrated at the Dublin store. In September, workers briefly occupied stores in Cork and Dublin in response to derisory offers from KPMG, with some workers arrested. KPMGs offer, agreed by Mandate, was reportedly worth a mere 1 million covering all staff. It was also met by protests outside KPMG's offices, with Debenhams in Waterford occupied for five days. Late last year, the Irish Labour Court rejected demands for better compensation. Labour Court chair Kevin Foley, after talks with Mandate, KPMG, and various government agencies, concluded their 2016 agreement did not apply. Other creditors, mainly the Department of Social Protection and the Revenue Commissionerswho are owed around 18 millionwould take precedence. This time, Debenhams workers were offered 3 million to retrain, which they again rejected in a 91 percent vote of 430 workers. KPMG was granted an injunction last October against anyone obstructing the removal of assets. It is this injunction that was enforced by Gardai against workers over the last weeks. The Irish government, the courts, the police, employers and trade unions are doing everything they can to ensure that as little as possible of whatever Debenhams assets remain in Ireland are transferred to the workers. The Irish state is sending a clear message to international capitalism that no obstacle will be placed before Irelands status as a lucrative platform for the extraction of surplus value from the working class. Irelands pseudo-left groups, including People Before Profit (PBP), have played a central role in politically straitjacketing the working class throughout the year-long dispute. PBP hailed Debenhams workers struggle while systematically blinding them to the isolation imposed by Mandate and the ICTU. PBP has promoted submissiveness to the state, encouraging illusions that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail could be pressured to legislate against asset strippers and other financial parasites represented by KPMG. Brid Smith, Solidarity-People Before Profit TD, issued a statement marking one year of the dispute, declaring it would benefit all workers if promised legislation to implement the Duffy/Cahill report is implemented. The Duffy-Cahill report was submitted to the Irish government by Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy and Senior Counsel Neasa Cahill in 2016 and has gathered dust ever since. It proposed minimal protections for workers in the event of company insolvencies where assets have been separated from the operating entity (i.e., where assets have been hidden to protect wealthy shareholders and investors). Its recommendations included a 30-day consultation period with unions prior to redundancies, some redress if no consultation takes place, along with enhanced redundancy payments. Its recommendations have been ignored by successive Irish governments. Smith claimed the report would have given some[!] protection to the Debenhams workers, before complaining that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail did nothing to implement legislation to facilitate the implementation of the Duffy-Cahill Report. People Before Profit advances no independent programme for the working class, such as the fight for expropriation and workers control of the banks and corporations. Instead, Smith stated, We urgently need to reorder the priority of creditors in a liquidation so that workers are at the top of the queue. PBPs defence of capitalism was underlined by Richard Boyd Barrett TD. Referencing the bailout of companies during the pandemic, he declared In these extraordinary times the government has taken extraordinary measures to support businesses, some of whom remain profitable. It must now take similar measures to support workers made redundant in these difficult times. As police and strike breakers were being mobilised at Debenhams, Solidarity & Socialist Party TD Mick Barry moved his Companies (Protection of Employees Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021 in the Dail. A brief amendment to the 2014 Companies Act, it seeks preferential creditor status to employees in collective redundancy situations; to provide for recognition of redundancy payments in a winding up. It has no chance of being passed. As for the Duffy-Cahill report, when Barry asked its authors in parliament whether their reports recommendations would have protected Debenhams workers, Cahill and Duffy refused to be drawn. The government, a coalition of the main bourgeois parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael along with the Green Party, is moving now against the Debenhams workers because of rapidly escalating class tensions in Ireland. Thousands more jobs in retail and across the Irish economy are threatened. Last September, Ryanair warned that 140,000 aviation jobs are under threat, along with 325,000 in tourism. Carphone Warehouse stores are due to close with immediate effect at the cost of 480 jobs. Much of the retail economy is due to open next month in Ireland despite the ongoing threat from COVID-19. 20,000 building workers are also due to recommence work, while Intel's huge Leixlip site outside Dublin has never stopped despite COVID-19 outbreaks. At the time of writing, power workers for ESB Networks are planning two days of strikes this week against privatisation. The company has declared the strike unlawful. Simon Case today dodged saying whether Tory donations were used to fund an overhaul of Boris Johnson's grace-and-favour flat. The Cabinet Secretary ducked as he was grilled on the process for the lavish overhaul of the Downing Street residence - believed to have cost around 90,000 in total. Instead he stressed that the Prime Minister had asked him to carry out a review of what had happened. Mr Johnson has insisted he has now paid for the works to his Number 11 living quarters out of his own pocket. Mr Case's failure to answer questions prompted fury from MPs who said he sounded like a 'badly scripted version of Yes Minister'. Simon Case today dodged saying whether Tory donations were used to fund an overhaul of Boris Johnson's grace-and-favour flat Mr Case was grilled on the issue this afternoon as he gave evidence to Parliament's powerful Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Asked whether he was aware of private donations being used to cover the costs at first, Mr Case told MPs: 'What I'm happy to tell you is that the Prime Minister has asked me to conduct a review because I've not been involved directly with this.' He added: 'The Prime Minister has asked me to conduct a review into how this has been done and asked that I share the details of those conclusions with the committee.' The Cabinet Secretary said he expects the review to take 'only a matter of weeks'. Pressed on whether he was personally aware of any donations contributed towards the renovations, Mr Case added: 'I do not have all the facts and details at my disposal on this, which is why the Prime Minister has asked me to conduct this review.' He said Mr Johnson would be making the 'relevant declarations' in regard to spending on his Downing Street flat. Mr Case's failure to give detailed answers to questions about the refurbishment of the flat sparked anger among the committee's members. William Wragg, the chairman of the committee, told the Cabinet Secretary: Mr Case, you have known you have been coming to this committee for some weeks now. 'There are a number of topical issues about the place at the moment, one of which is the vexed question of the flats refurbishment. I am surprised that you havent been better furnished with the answers to give to the committee. Mr Case replied: What I really want to avoid doing is actually misleading the committee in anyway by giving you partial insights. The Prime Minister has asked me to do this review which I will do and as I say he has asked me to share those conclusions with you. Labour's former shadow chancellor John McDonnell then compared Mr Case's answers to the British political satire TV programme 'Yes Minister'. Mr McDonnell said: I dont wish to be rude Mr Case but this is coming across like a badly scripted version of Yes Minister. While visiting Wrexham today, Mr Johnson did not deny discussing using donors to fund the work, saying: 'If there's anything to be said about that, any declaration to be made, that will, of course, be made in due course.' Boris Johnson, pictured during a visit to Wrexham today, has insisted he has now paid for the works out of his own pocket Labour has called for a full investigation by the Electoral Commission into the situation. The commission, which first raised the issue with the Conservatives more than a month ago, confirmed at the weekend it was still looking into whether any of the sums relating to the work on the flat should have been declared. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: 'It's very important we have answers.' He added: 'It's all very well the Prime Minister saying, now, "well, I paid for it". 'The critical question was what was the original arrangement and why is it so complicated? 'If there's a straightforward answer, then give it. If there isn't, then there are very serious questions to be asked.' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a statement after a meeting of the college of commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels, on April 14, 2021. (John Thys/Pool via AP) European Union to Lift Travel Ban for Vaccinated Americans: EU Official A top European official said Sunday that American travelers who are fully vaccinated against the CCP virus will likely be allowed to travel to the European Union this summer, with the caveat that a final decision on resumption of travel will depend on the status of the outbreak. Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times in an interview, adding, This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union. Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA, the official added. The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the blocs drug regulator, has approved all three vaccines being used in the United Statesones produced by Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. European Union member countries restricted nonessential travel from the United States over a year ago to curb the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Von der Leyen did not provide further details about the possible resumption of travel from the United States, but noted that it would depend on the epidemiological situation, which she assessed is improving in the United States, as it is, hopefully, also improving in the European Union. Individual EU member countries will still have the final say on whether American tourists can cross their borders. It is unclear what forms of proof of vaccination would be required from U.S. travelers to enter the European Union, but officials in the bloc are at an advanced stage in talks about launching vaccine passports for intra-EU travel. The European Commission has proposed a Digital Green Certificate, which is to be available in digital or paper format, and will serve as proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19. European Union parliamentarians will debate the proposal at a plenary session scheduled for April 2629, after which they will vote on the issue, paving the way for negotiations on the adoption of the measure with individual member states. Pilot schemes for Europes vaccine passport are expected to be launched at the beginning June, according to Didier Reynders, the European commissioner for justice, Euronews reported. Pandemic-driven travel restrictions have ravaged tourism in Europe, with tourist-dependent countries like Greece pushing for early adoption of vaccine passports to ease entry for visitors. The issue of vaccine passports has drawn controversy, with civil liberties groups arguing they would potentially violate privacy rights while denying key services to people who are not vaccinated. Several governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Republicans, have issued executive orders barring the use of vaccine passports in their states. New York, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proactive, provider of real-time news and video interviews on growth companies listed in the US and Canada, has covered the following companies: About Proactive With six offices on three continents and a team of experienced business journalists and broadcasters, Proactive works with innovative growth companies quoted on the worlds major stock exchanges, helping executives engage intelligently with investors. Proactive s platform delivers the right message to the right audience, digitally and in real time, leveraging a range of media, investment research, digital investor targeting and website development services to support over 1,000 fast-growing companies globally. Proactives network reaches over 12 million engaged private, professional and institutional investors looking for opportunities. Our written and video content is published on Proactive sites that collectively attract up to 10 million views per month. We syndicate our content to hundreds of mainstream and specialist news sites that expand our reach into networks that can be difficult for press releases to penetrate. We custom build corporate websites from the ground up, empowering clients and their brands with a modern online presence and the latest insight on effective SEO strategy Our news coverage ranks high on the worlds most popular search platforms, and we can further amplify online presence and outreach with sophisticated digital investor targeting. We help the world understand what makes companies stand out from the crowd with in-depth investment research from a team of experienced analysts. For more information on how Proactive can help you make a difference, email us at action@proactiveinvestors.com Centre has extended the validity period of current airfare cap as well as the capacity utilisation of airlines till May 31. In one of the two separate orders, the Ministry of Civil Aviation extended the time period of airfare cap till May 31 from April 30. Till recently, the Centre had expanded the airfare cap by increasing the lower and upper limit. These fare bands came into force with effect from May 21, 2020. Under the fare structure, air routes are divided into sections based on travel time. Each section has its minimum and maximum fare. Similarly, in another order, airlines will be allowed to deploy only 80 per cent capacity of the pre-Covid levels. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON - A Quebec woman accused of mailing poison last year to former United States president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to added charges in a Washington, D.C., court today. WASHINGTON - A Quebec woman accused of mailing poison last year to former United States president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to added charges in a Washington, D.C., court today. Pascale Ferrier, who was previously charged with threatening to kill and injure the U.S. president, now also faces charges of sending threats through the mail and violating biological weapons prohibitions. This photo provided by the Hidalgo County (Texas) Sheriff's Office, showing the booking photo of Pascale Ferrier. The Quebec woman accused of mailing poison to former United States president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to additional charges in a Washington D.C. court today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, HO - Hidalgo County (Texas) Sheriff's Office All three charges stem from a letter containing the poison ricin that U.S. federal prosecutors allege Ferrier sent to then-president Trump at the White House, with a note that if the poison didn't work, the writer would use their gun. David Bos, a public defender representing Ferrier, asked U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich to recommend that Ferrier, who is currently being held in a regional jail in Virginia, be transferred to another facility. Bos and Eugene Ohm, a public defender also representing Ferrier, say the video conference system used by the jail makes it difficult to share evidence with Ferrier and that it is too far away to visit her easily. Ferrier was arrested at the U.S. border on Sept. 20, and U.S. authorities say she had a loaded semi-automatic handgun and nearly 300 rounds of ammunition in her vehicle. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2021. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. LA JOLLA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2021 / TONOGOLD RESOURCES, INC. (OTC:TNGL) ("Tonogold" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Metzenheim as interim CEO and the acceleration of its ongoing drill exploration program on the southern portion of the Occidental/Brunswick Lode. The company is also pleased to provide an update on its ongoing drill exploration of the Gold Hill section of the Comstock Lode. Tonogold aims to prove the existence of a substantial mineable resource of gold and silver in the Comstock Mining District. Corporate Update Over the past 12 months, Tonogold has transitioned from a company consolidating its holdings in the historic Comstock Mining District to one focused on exploration and development of its assets. For this new chapter, the Board of Directors has determined that the Company requires more technical expertise in its executive management. Effective as of April 22, 2021, Mark Ashley was terminated as CEO and Travis Miller resigned as COO. Mr. Ashley and Mr. Miller remain members of the Board of Directors. On that same date, Tonogold elevated Brian Metzenheim from his position as VP of Exploration to serve as the Company's interim CEO until Tonogold identifies a permanent replacement. Mr. Metzenheim has been on the ground in Virginia City leading the Tonogold drill program since September 2020, which will ensure continuity during the transition period. Alan Edwards, Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented: "We wish to thank Mark and Travis for their hard work transforming Tonogold from a company searching for a project to one with the opportunity to develop a world-class asset at the site of one of the most historic mining districts in the world. Development of the site will be an exciting undertaking, and I look forward to the Company identifying exceptional technical talent to lead its efforts. Like all shareholders, I am excited to see what the future holds for Tonogold at the Comstock Mining District." Occidental/Brunswick Lode In light of the encouraging results obtained thus far in the ongoing initial drill exploration of the southern section of the Occidental/Brunswick Lode, Tonogold has decided to accelerate that exploration campaign. Tonogold has requested that the drill contractor mobilize an additional reverse circulation (RC) drill rig to the project. The contractor is in the process of acquiring the RC drill rig and hopes to have it in operation by the first half of May 2021. If successful, the additional RC drill rig will be exclusively devoted to completing the company's initial drilling in the Occidental/Brunswick target area. The proposed drill program covers approximately 620 meters of strike length extending north from the boundary between Storey and Lyon counties. Beyond the northern limit of proposed drilling, Tonogold is mapping and sampling to define the extension of the zone and identify targets for additional drilling. Tonogold has changed its original drill plan at the southern section of the Occidental/Brunswick Lode from predominantly core drilling to predominately RC drilling. Favorable ground conditions in the Occidental/Brunswick Lode allow for the efficient and accurate employment of RC drilling. Tonogold projects that using RC instead of core will lower the cost of the drill program by approximately 25 to 30 percent. The switch to full-time RC drilling will also greatly accelerate completion of the program. To date, Tonogold has completed five holes in the Occidental/Brunswick Lode, two core holes, and three RC holes. The completion of the two core holes-TC-003D and TC-004D-was reported in Tonogold's "Corporate Update" of Feb. 2, 2021. As reported in that update, hole TC-003D intersected 25 meters of 13.5 g/t Au and 38.4 g/t Ag. At the time of the update, assay results for hole TC-004D were still pending. Tonogold has now received the results of TC-004D. Those results are summarized below. Hole No From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) AuEq 60:1 (g/t) TC-004D 13.11 40.23 27.13 0.800 6.4 0.91 Assays for the three recently completed RC holes are still pending. Since its last update, Tonogold has adjusted and expanded its drilling targets in the southern portion of the Occidental/Brunswick Lode. In addition to the five holes already completed, Tonogold envisions completing 23 additional holes, for approximately 2,400 meters of additional drilling. Six of those 23 holes aim to test the down dip mineralization at greater depths than previously tested along the southern portion of the Occidental/Brunswick Lode. From commencement of the expanded program, Tonogold anticipates completing the 23-hole program within two months and receiving the bulk of the assays within two and a half months. As part of the effort to expand and define the Occidental/Brunswick zone to the north, Tonogold recently collected 16 rock chip samples from the northern extension of the target area. The aim of the sampling was to extend the known mineralized zone and help define additional drill targets north of the area of proposed drilling. The sampling covered an area up to 550 meters to the north of the northernmost proposed drill holes. Preliminary assays ranged up to 4.95 g/t Au. Additional infill sampling is planned to fully define the area's potential and to connect the zone currently under exploration to the historic Occidental Mine that lies approximately 1 kilometer along strike to the north. All of Tonogold's results to date on the southern portion of the Occidental/Brunswick Lode are consistent with previous exploration work completed in the area. This includes RC drilling completed in 2018 by the owner of the claims with whom Tonogold has an option agreement, underground and surface sampling conducted by the claim owner, and Tonogold's historical and economic analysis of the small mines that worked the zone in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All the data Tonogold has accumulated points toward the existence of a wide, near-surface mineralized zone in the southern portion of the Occidental/Brunswick Lode. Evidence suggests that the mineralized zone dips east-southeast at approximately 35 degrees and averages between 15 and 35 meters thick. The zone remains open along strike and down dip below the deepest drilling, which is approximately 120 meters down dip. If successful, the results of the drill program will be utilized to generate a preliminary resource estimate for the zone. In conjunction with development of a resource, exploration will continue to the north along the Occidental/Brunswick Lode, where Tonogold controls more than three uninterrupted kilometers of the Lode's strike. The Comstock Lode Tonogold's Ongoing Exploration of the Gold Hill Section of the Comstock Lode Since the previous announcement, the company has completed two additional deeper tests along the Comstock Lode and a third precollar. While average deviation of the drill holes was estimated and utilized in hole planning, the actual deviation turned out to be far more erratic and extreme than forecasted. As a result, both of the recent core tails intersected the Lode at least 80 meters away from their respective historic reference locations. Although assays have established the presence of gold and silver in all intercepts, mineralization has not been as strong as hoped. High confidence remains in the company's 3D model as the quartz bodies encountered that host the strongest mineralization have been in almost the exact positions as predicted. The third precollar also experienced significant deviation in the opposite direction than anticipated, sending the hole away from its intended target. Once the deviation was detected and it was clear that there was no chance of the hole hitting in the area of the target, the hole was discontinued. Given the difficulty experienced in accurately testing the deeper targets, the deep targeting portion of the program has been discontinued. Two of the holes (including the deviated precollar) have been maintained to allow the option of wedging off of the existing hole and utilizing directional drilling to steer a new hole toward the target area. Over the next several months the viability of this option will be evaluated. One advantage is that the overall costs of a shorter directional hole would be 30 to 50 percent cheaper than drilling a new hole. Drilling along the Comstock Lode has shifted to the Segregated Belcher portion of the Lode, now that drill permits have been received. The Segregated Belcher represents one of the company's highest priority drill targets in the district based on a number of favorable historic references and the limited extent of historic mining that was carried out on the claim. Initially, Tonogold has two to three holes planned for the Segregated Belcher target area. If results are favorable, additional holes may be added within the framework of the permit. Following completion of drilling at the Segregated Belcher target, the drill rig will be moved to targets further north along the Lode. A video available on the company's website ( www.tonogold.com ) features Gregory Crouch and Kiersten Briggs's presentation for the Geological Society of Nevada, in which they discuss the potential of the district and the details of the Segregated Belcher target. Website Tonogold is also pleased to announce the revision of its website to more accurately reflect its focus on proving the existence of a substantial minable resource of gold and silver in the Comstock Mining District ( www.tonogold.com ). Mil-Ler Asset The Company has not been pursuing the Mil-Ler project since 2015, when it wrote down the assets to $1. Tonogold has recently become aware that it does not hold title to the Mexican assets it believed it had acquired in the Mil-Ler Resources and Energy SA transaction in 2014. The Board of Directors has begun an investigation into why and how this occurred and will seek to cure the issue in the manner most favorable to the Company. Depending on the results of the review, Tonogold may need to revise or restate some of its prior press releases and financial reports. The Company will provide updates on this matter as appropriate. Tonogold's QA/QC procedures : Drill core is logged for geology, photographed, and marked for sampling on breaks averaging 1.52 meters in length. Following logging, the core is sawn in half with one half placed in labeled sample bags and sealed for delivery to the assay lab. RC samples are collected on 1.52-meter intervals in labeled sample bags and generally contain a 1/4 split. Representative chips from the intervals are logged for geology. Both core and RC samples are stored at a secure facility prior to transport to the assay lab. Certified standards, blanks and duplicate samples are inserted in the sample series at the rate of one each per every 20 samples. Samples are delivered to ALS Minerals' lab in Reno, Nevada where they are dried, crushed and pulverized. Gold analysis is performed at the Reno facility utilizing a 30-gram fire assay with an AA finish (Au-AA23). Samples containing greater than 10 g/t Au are reanalyzed utilizing fire assay with a gravimetric finish (Au-GRA21). Silver analyses are completed at ALS Minerals' Lab in Vancouver, Canada, using a four-acid digestion with an AAS finish (Ag-AA61). Samples containing greater than 100 g/t Ag are reanalyzed utilizing a four-acid digestion with an ICP-AES finish (Ag-OG62). Results for standards, blanks and duplicates are monitored for precision, accuracy, and contamination upon receipt of assays. Qualified persons : Brian Metzenheim, (MMSA-QP), interim CEO for Tonogold Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has designed and supervised the work completed for Tonogold Resources outlined in this news release. The technical content disclosed in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Metzenheim. Mr. Metzenheim is not independent of Tonogold as he is in the position of interim CEO and holds incentive warrants. Forward-Looking Statements : This press release and any related calls or discussions may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about Tonogold. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements about matters such as: capital raising activities and negotiations; market conditions; future changes in exploration activities, production capacity and operations; future exploration, production, operating and overhead costs; production of feasibility studies, technical reports or other findings related to estimated mineralization; operational and management restructuring activities; capital expenditures (by Tonogold or other parties) and their impact; investments, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business combinations, asset sales; consulting, operational, tax, financial and capital projects and initiatives; contingencies; environmental compliance and changes in the regulatory environment; 2 offerings, sales, equity dilution, and other actions regarding debt or equity securities; including a redemption of the debenture, and future working capital, costs, revenues, business opportunities, debt levels, cash flows, margins, earnings and growth. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "plan," "should," "intend," "may," "will," "would," "potential" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of doing so. These statements are based on assumptions and assessments made by Tonogold management in light of their experience and their perception of historical and current trends, current conditions, possible future developments, and other factors they believe to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, representations or warranties, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments, and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Occurrence of such events or circumstances could have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, or the market price of Tonogold's securities. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements by or attributable to Tonogold or persons acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Tonogold does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement. Neither this press release nor any related calls or discussions constitutes an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any other securities or Tonogold. Contact Information for Tonogold Mark Ashley President M: +1 310 409 6504 E: mjashley3@gmail.com Related Images SOURCE: Tonogold Resources, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/642364/Tonogold-Appoints-Brian-Metzenheim-Interim-CEO-and-Accelerates-Exploration-of-the-OccidentalBrunswick-Lode Oregon will gain a sixth congressional seat thanks to population growth over the last decade, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday. The development had long been expected, as the states population was projected as early as 2016 to have increased enough to justify another vote in Congress. Census figures released Monday showed the states population grew by 392,894 from 2010 to 2020, which warranted the additional seat. There are 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives, and at the same time Oregon is increasing its clout in the House, other states with less strong population growth are losing some of their members through the once-a-decade process known as reapportionment. The process does not affect senators, because each state has two senators regardless of population size. Each U.S. House member will represent approximately 761,169 people after congressional seats are reapportioned. Oregon is among six states that gained a total of seven congressional seats, with Texas picking up two seats and Montana, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina each gaining a seat. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia each lost a seat. New York lost a seat by an incredibly small margin: census officials said if federal workers had counted just 89 more residents in New York, the state would not have lost a seat. Oregon currently has four Democrats and one Republican serving in the U.S. House, and the addition of a sixth seat, along with the once-a-decade redrawing of district lines, has the potential to shake up future elections. Some long-serving lawmakers in Oregon and elsewhere could potentially lose their seats in the 2022 midterm elections for the new districts. Oregon had just three congressional seats until the 1940s, then four until the 1980s, according to the Census Bureau. In general, states in the South and West have gained seats in Congress since the 1940s and states in the Northeast and Midwest have lost seats, said Census Bureau acting director Ron S. Jarmin. The Legislature has been holding public hearings to prepare to redraw the congressional districts as well as state legislative boundaries. Todays data provides just a single data point the total population count for each state, with no detail about where in the state those people live. Census data to needed inform new state representative and senatorial district lines is expected to be released in August, due to pandemic related delays. The state Supreme Court recently granted the Legislature an extension of its constitutional July 1 deadline to complete the new legislative maps. Oregons constitution does not contain a deadline for the Legislature to complete congressional redistricting, but state law allows any elector to petition the Marion County Circuit Court if lawmakers fail to produce new congressional districts by Aug. 1 or the governor vetoes the plan. Electors can also petition the court if they dislike a plan passed by the Legislature. The secretary of state, Democrat Shemia Fagan, would respond to such a lawsuit as set out in state law. -- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; 503-294-4034; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. DAKAR (Reuters) - Health authorities are reallocating around 75% of Democratic Republic of Congo's 1.7 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses to other African countries to make sure they're used before they expire, a UNICEF representative said on Monday. Congo received the doses from the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility on March 2, but delayed the rollout after several European countries suspended use of the AstraZeneca shot in response to reports of rare blood clots. The country began its vaccination campaign on April 19, but had administered doses to just 1,265 people out of its population of over 85 million as of Saturday, according to the state biomedical research laboratory. Some 1.3 million of its remaining doses will now be sent to countries including Ghana, Senegal and Togo to ensure they are used before their June 24 expiry date, said Susie Villeneuve, senior health specialist for the U.N. children's agency (UNICEF) in West and Central Africa. "Process to re-allocate these doses to other countries in Africa is underway," Villeneuve said at a vaccination conference in Ghana. There was no immediate comment from health authorities in Congo. COVAX, which is backed by the World Health Organization, aims to deliver 600 million shots - most of them from AstraZeneca - to some 40 African countries this year. That would be enough to vaccinate 20% of their populations. But the situation in Congo illustrates the challenges many African countries face rolling out such large-scale vaccination campaigns despite their experience battling deadly infectious diseases. Some health authorities do not have sufficient personnel and training to distribute vaccines at short notice and lack vital equipment because of funding shortfalls that could total billions of dollars, according to experts. (Reporting by Bate Felix; Additional reporting by Hereward Holland in Kinshasa; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Richard Pullin) Mom Gives Birth to Angry-Faced Baby, Thankful She is Healthy After Oligohydramnios Diagnosis A baby who defeated the odds to survive after she was born with no amniotic fluid delighted her mom with her angry face shortly after her birth. Now, the 21-month-old is a healthy, happy child but still continues to have a grumpy face. When Hollie Wallis was pregnant with Winter Josephine, she was in absolute disbelief as shed been told by doctors that she would require fertility medication in order to fall pregnant. Id had 2 surgeries the previous year to remove a very large mass from my uterus, Hollie told Love What Matters, I almost ended up with a hysterectomy, but I was incredibly lucky the surgery was a success and I was given the opportunity to have another baby. Hollie had a mostly uneventful pregnancy. Even when her due date passed, Hollie didnt worry, as she had late births with her two previous children. However, when she visited her OB to take a 41-week ultrasound, she found out something was wrong. I could tell by the look on his face that it wasnt good news, Hollie said. I cant find any amniotic fluid, he said. My heart sunk. I didnt have any signs that something was wrong so I was completely shocked. Soon thereafter, Hollie was diagnosed with Oligohydramnios. Oligohydramnios is a condition of having too little amniotic fluid. It can cause complications in about 12 percent of pregnancies that go past 41 weeks. The amniotic fluid is essential for the development of muscles, limbs, lungs, and the digestive system, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Before this pregnancy I had never even heard of it and had absolutely no idea how serious it was, Hollie said, adding that after a second ultrasound, doctors confirmed that there were small pockets of amniotic fluid in the womb. [That] was such a relief, she said. The baby was really healthy on the monitor and had a great heartbeat and I was experiencing lots of movement, so I was booked in for an induction. As much as a relief this news was, the delivery didnt go as smoothly as Hollie had hoped. While she was getting ready to be induced, the babys heart rate was drooping and then accelerating. It was then decided that a C-section would be the only safe way to get the baby out and had to be done immediately. A nurse then hit an emergency button, and before Hollie could gather what was happening, she was surrounded by 10 people. In the midst of being hooked up to an IV, doctors and nurses tried to stabilize the babys heart rate, and she received news that would make any parents heart seemingly stop. An OB came in to talk to me about the possibility of my baby being brain dead due to her heart rate, Hollie recalled. However, after the babys heart rate stabilized, the frantic mother was rushed into the operating room for a C-section. Fortunately, Hollie says after what felt like forever, the doctors pulled the little infant out safely, and the grateful mother heard her daughter cry for the first time. Luckily, the baby was healthy and they were able to initiate skin-to-skin contact right away. The OB said that he didnt find one single drop of amniotic fluid during my C-section and hed never seen that before, Hollie recalled. As soon as Winter was whisked from recovery back to the hospital room, Hollie stared at Winter. As perfect as she was, said Hollie, I couldnt help but laugh because she looked so angry. If I had to guess what she was thinking at that very point in time, it would have been, I was comfortable in there. Put me back! Everyone that saw her said the exact same thing. She looks so mad! However, it was only after Winter was 2 weeks old, and when Hollie was looking for a newborn photographer, that Hollie realized how dangerous Oligohydramnios was. I told her about Winter being born with no amniotic fluid and she told me that a lot of the angel babies she photographs are due to the exact same condition, Hollie said. It made me realize how lucky I am to have Winter here and how strong and determined she is. Hollie now delightedly shares Winters angry faces on her Instagram page, called Moods Of Winter. As for Winter, who is currently 21 months old, Hollie told The Epoch Times via social media that shes healthy, happy, but still has a grumpy face. Every time I look at her little angry face, I think about how close I was to not having her and I am just so thankful shes healthy and strong, Hollie told Love What Matters. She continues to make the angriest faces and they are absolutely hilarious. I have never met a baby with more personality. 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 ROME - Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who met on Sunday with his Emirati counterpart in Abu Dhabi, sheik Abdallah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said he discussed with the minister "new opportunities we will have during this year through our Italian and Emirati companies, also thanks to the Expo of Dubai that will allow many countries to share their technologies and their culture and put together their objectives for the next 20 years". "This morning - the minister said Monday from Dubai - I took part in a meeting with startups that, thanks to investments of the foreign ministry and ICE, today have the opportunity of seeing their innovative idea funded by the Innovation center of Dubai" and see it "also affirmed in foreign markets". "Over the last two years, the Global Start-up Program launched by ICE has been an important element of collaboration between Italy and the United Arab Emirates. I personally promoted the Memorandum of agreement that permitted to launch this program. I am convinced that the attention to innovation, together with entrepreneurial intuition, are a winning strategy", stressed Di Maio, intervening in the Dubai Future Foundation, during his visit to the Emirates where he will also inaugurate the Italian pavilion of the Dubai Expo. "The last report of ICE on Italian innovative startups presents very promising numbers in this sense. And I see with great satisfaction that an important component of start-uppers here is Italian. There are nearly 12,000, with an overall nominal capital exceeding 700 million euros. We have startups active in many and different sectors: services to companies, manufacturing trade", added the minister. He highlighted the "important presence of women and youths" with 42.6% including at least a businesswoman and 19% mainly managed by young entrepreneurs. "The presence of foreign entrepreneurs is also on the rise, proving that a market of startups is increasingly integrated. I believe it is fundamental, in this sense, to favor international cooperation. We must create occasions of reciprocal exchange, especially with dynamic countries like the Emirates", also highlighted Di Maio. He said that he is "certain that our national incubators will be happy to welcome Emirati startups". Nearly four years after the Crans-Montana talks failed, rival Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders headed to participate in a 3-day UN talk in Geneva to find common ground on the divided Mediterranean island. The talks, expected to be held between April 27-29 will be convened by United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres, spokeswoman for the UN Information Service (UNIS) said in a statement. We go to Geneva steadfastly committed to resuming negotiations for reunifying Cyprus in a bi-zonal bi-communal federation, in line with UN resolutions, international and EU law, said Nikos Christodoulides, foreign minister of the Greek Cypriot-run Republic of Cyprus. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades described the Geneva meeting as an important new effort. Our effort is not to usurp anyones rights. Our effort is to find a way for both communities to feel safe, and for the human rights of both communities of the entire Cypriot people to be guaranteed, Anastasiades said at the start of his meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Cyprus rivals will hold a dialogue in line with UN resolutions, international and EU law to reach a resolution for the two entrenched sides. The Cyprus dispute has been existent since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the northern third of the Anatolian peninsulas extension, dividing the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean into the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. While there never has been a "Cypriot nation" established due to the distinct nationals, religious and cultural differences, the Cyprus issue an International conflict lies in the unrecognized Turkish-Cypriot North. Cyprus islands Nicosia would be the only divided capital worldwide since EOKA-B the paramilitary forces were directed by the Greek junta in 1974 to overthrow President Makarios administration in a coup. Under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, Turkish armed forces invaded, occupying 36 percent of the islands overall territory to protect Turkish Cypriots. EU 'strongly committed' Last month, the UN invited Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders and the guarantor states Turkey, Greece, and the UK to resume informal talks in Geneva on April 27-29. Upcoming UN informal 5+1 talks will provide opportunity towards the urgently needed resumption of talks, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had said in a tweet. The UN work on the ground is essential for confidence building, he said, adding that the EU was strongly committed to support these efforts. Borrell also met Ersin Tatar, the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). He announced in a social media post, that he underlined the "importance of reaching agreement on settlement negotiations & of the relaunch of UN process" under the established parameters. EU is ready to provide full support to the benefit of all Cypriots, he said. "The meeting in Geneva will be informal. There will be no new negotiations to be held there," Mevlut Cavusoglu had said at a joint news conference with Ersin Tatar, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), following their talks in Lefkosa. "We believe that we will no longer waste time on the federal solution and that new ideas and new vision should be discussed," he said. A spokeswoman for the UN Information Service (UNIS) said in a statement that talks are expected to be held from Tuesday to Thursday next week, and UN head Antonio Guterres is expected to be there with both Cypriot parties and the guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK. Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a presser that the upcoming Geneva talks on the Cyprus dispute would be informal. The Crans-Montana conference was held in 2017 in Switzerland, which was attended by guarantor countries. The talks failed after the Greek Cypriot side left the table. The partners in the Tamar project are Delek Drilling (22%), Chevron (25% and operator), Isramco (28.75%), Tamar Petroleum (16.75%), Dor Gas (4%) and Everest (3.5%). 2P reserves in the Tamar lease, after production of more than 69.3 BCM, is approx. 300 BCM of Natural Gas and 14 million barrels of condensate (Source: NSAI, January 2020). Under the Gas Framework, outlined by the Government of Israel, Delek Drilling is obliged to sell all of its holdings in Tamar by the end of 2021. The Tamar field was discovered in 2009 and is located c. 90 km west of Haifa, offshore Israel, at an overall depth of c. 5,000 meters below sea level, and in waters that are 1,700 meters deep. Production began in 2013, where the Natural Gas in Tamar is extracted through five production wells. The gas flows through two c.140 km pipelines to the primary and main processing facility on the Tamar Platform where most of the gas processing takes place. The Natural Gas is then transmitted from the platform through a pipeline to the onshore terminal in Ashdod, and into the Israeli market through the INGL national gas pipeline with a proportion being exported on to Jordan and Egypt. Gas from Tamar is playing a critical role in de-carbonising the region as gas-produced electricity rapidly replaces electricity derived from coal. If finalized, the transaction will also complement Mubadala Petroleum's gas-biased portfolio strategy in line with its proactive approach to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) considerations and its energy transition goals. Mubadala Petroleum is a leading international, upstream oil and gas exploration and production company with a primary geographic focus on the Middle East and North Africa, Russia and Southeast Asia, with assets in 10 countries. Mubadala Petroleum was established in 2012 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, which is owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi. Post-sale of Tamar, Delek Drilling will own a 45.3% stake in the giant Leviathan gas field offshore Israel which has 2P reserves of 22.8 tcf (649 bcm) of gas and 41m mmbbl of condensate, production capacity of 1.2 bcf/d and the multi-decade reserve life; and a 30% stake in the Aphrodite field offshore Cyprus with 2C resources of 3.5tcf. The Company has a low risk growth strategy to grow reserves and production from its existing asset base. The Company will also expand its exploration portfolio in the Mediterranean region to grow resources and invest in energy transition technologies. Yossi Abu, CEO of Delek Drilling said: "This transaction has the potential to be another major development in our ongoing vison for Natural Gas commercial strategic alignment in the Middle East, whereby Natural Gas becomes a source of collaboration in the region. We are proud to have signed this MoU following the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement between Israel and the UAE. The development is not only a significant endorsement of the quality of the Tamar reservoir and the Levant basin but also a major support for the East Mediterranean Natural Gas sector. I would like to thank my counter party at Mubadala Petroleum and our clients in Israel, Egypt and Jordan." For further information, please go to the Investor section of the Delek Drilling website: https://www.delekdrilling.com/investor-relations/immediate-reports About Delek Drilling Delek Drilling is the leading Israeli energy partnership in the exploration, development, production and sale of natural gas and condensate. Delek Drilling, together with Noble Energy, Inc., have led the natural gas revolution in Israel. Following decades of enormous and fruitless investment in financing gas and oil exploration by successive Israeli governments, a government decision was taken to let go of its involvement in oil and natural gas exploration and transfer this activity to the private sector, a move that led to significant discoveries off the coast of Israel. Today Delek Drilling is partner in several major gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean including, among others, Tamar (306 billion cubic meters - BCM), Leviathan the largest deep water discovery in the world at that time (621 BCM), Aphrodite in Cyprus (129 BCM), and others. https://www.delekdrilling.com/ For further information, please contact: Nadav Peri Delek Drilling +972 9-9712424 Li-or Avnon Together +972 50 2111008 Billy Clegg / Owen Roberts / Violet Wilson, Camarco +44 (0)203 757 4983 SOURCE Delek Drilling Therese Gaughan MacKinnon enlisted in the Army in 1989 because it seemed like the best option for her at the time. We were in a time of peace, so I didn't really think much of it, she said. After taking time off to complete her military training, MacKinnon was enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro as a dance and music major. A classically trained pianist, she dreamed of going to New York City and becoming a full-time musician. But midway through her fall semester, her idyll was shattered. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and the United States, along with the United Kingdom, France, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, rushed to Kuwaits aid and expelled the Iraqi forces in what became known as the Gulf War. MacKinnon was called to duty, which she immediately answered. Setting aside her studies, she deployed to the Persian Gulf. When she returned two years later, her university told her that since she had missed out on so much, including her final exams, she wouldnt be able to continue her studies there. She decided not to give up on her dream and moved to an Army National Guard unit in Troy. But soon she realized that what she had seen during her time in the war wouldnt leave her. It stayed in her and she didnt want to acknowledge that part of her life or that she was even a part of the military anymore. No matter how much she repressed them, memories came back to haunt her. Years later, at a poetry reading when she heard another veteran perform, something in her changed. She said something in her poem, and it made me freeze, said MacKinnon. And it was like I was speaking, telling part of my story, and I couldn't believe that I couldn't believe it was so similar. And her poem was so profound. So, I decided, I'm going to talk to this veteran. The veteran, Penny McGinnis ran an art therapy group for veterans at the Joseph E. Zaloga American Legion Post in Albany. It was there that Therese Hikari was born. MacKinnon chose Hikari as her artist name because it meant light in Japanese. It was also a nod to her mothers Japanese heritage. She has been making art since she was a child, but only very recently started using it as a part of her recovery. MacKinnon began art therapy in the beginning of 2020, and has finally been able to acknowledge her past, by putting a veteran sticker on her car. This has been the healthiest year I've ever had as an adult, because it's real, but it doesn't have to bind to me anymore. Other veterans also acknowledge the power of art therapy. Mary Jo White, also a veteran of the Gulf War, found solace in art and in knowing that there were other people going through the same thing that she had. Its been very, very good for me, said White. There's really no judgement. And we're all there and supportive of one another and helping each other learn how to do different techniques and not every technique is for everyone, but you certainly can pick things out of it and enjoy other people's joy as they're finding that they can come out of things like this. Christine Mikolajczak began art therapy when she was at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Campus of the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System in Montrose, Westchester County. She joined the service in 1984, graduating from the Naval Technical Training Center in Meridian, Miss. She was stationed at the Pentagon at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and with the chief of naval operations and later under the surgeon general of the medical command. However, while in the military, she was sexually assaulted on two occasions. Mikolajczak then quit the military, making the difficult decision to retire early. I loved my job. And I miss it to this day, said Mikolajczak. It gave me great satisfaction and basically fit my personality. But then that happened and that kind of ruined everything. So that's why I got out. I wish it didn't happen. She then began art therapy for her trauma. Art had always interested her and she found it to be one of the most effective forms of therapy. It's extremely helpful when it comes to what happened to me. And it just provides therapy that I can't get with anything else. And you can just do whatever, there's no rules really. You can just create whatever art comes to mind, said Mikolajczak. Art has gone from a form of therapy to a full-time vocation for many of these veterans. Their art has been displayed in galleries across the region as well as in veterans memorials in Washington D.C. They use a variety of mediums from oil paints to photography and their art ranges from abstract to expressionism. Mikolajczak has her work displayed at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt museum at Hyde Park. Her work has been displayed at the New York state Capitol, Arlington Cemetery and at Dulles International Airport in D.C. Mackinnon had her work in a show at the Art Associates Gallery in honor of Womens History Month last year, and both these artists will have work displayed at the Military Womens Memorial at the Arlington Cemetery. This gives you a voice, said MacKinnon. The most important part is sometimes we need to hear ourselves to really feel heard. And I think the bottom line here is we hold space for each other, so we can be heard, and we acknowledge that. Just by simply just being. A newsreader for KIIS 101.1 Melbourne has claimed Bryce Ruthven already had a bad reputation in the radio industry before he emerged as the 'villain' of this year's season of Married At First Sight - and this may prevent him from getting another job. Sacha Barbour, who delivers news bulletins for the Jase & PJ breakfast show, hinted during a podcast on April 16 that she'd heard rumours about Ruthven, 31, that put her off working with him again. Ms Barbour did not specify what she'd heard about the former Canberra hit104.7 afternoons host, but said it was enough for her to be relieved that Ruthven wasn't joining KIIS 101.1. For his part, Ruthven says he and Barbour barely know each other, and that her claims are just another example of people in the media trying to drag him down. Rumours: A newsreader for KIIS 101.1 Melbourne has claimed Bryce Ruthven (pictured) already had a bad reputation in the radio industry before he emerged as the 'villain' of this year's season of Married At First Sight - and this may prevent him from getting another job She made the comments after KIIS 101.1 content director 'Chatty Tony' Aldridge claimed Ruthven had asked him about job opportunities at the station. (Ruthven claims he did not seek employment.) Mr Aldridge said he expressed reservation about hiring Ruthven given his bad reputation from MAFS, but claimed the main reason he couldn't offer him any work was because there weren't any vacancies for DJs. This prompted Ms Barbour to reply: 'I know things about him but I'm obviously not going to say them because that's very unprofessional.' 'But yes, I'm glad that maybe there isn't a position [at KIIS 101.1] for him at the moment,' she added. Claims: Sacha Barbour (pictured), who delivers news bulletins for the Jase & PJ breakfast show, hinted on April 16 she'd heard rumours about Ruthven, 31, that put her off working with him When contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia, Ruthven confirmed he had spoken to Mr Aldridge, but said it 'wasn't about a job'. 'Tony was kind enough to free up some time and offer some advice on how I can move forward in radio from my portrayal on MAFS,' he said on Monday. As for Ms Barbour claiming she was glad he wasn't joining KIIS 101.1, Ruthven said they barely knew each other. 'I worked in the same building as Sacha in Sydney for about nine months and never once did she ever have a conversation with me,' he said. 'I find it interesting she "knows things" about me when she didn't [make] any attempt to get to know a fellow work colleague. I didn't know who she was until the end of my stint there.' He continued: 'It's disappointing that media personalities attempt to bring down others in their industry instead of supporting each other - particularly when they don't know the first thing about the person they're making comments about. 'I worked closely with Jonesy and Amanda, not Sacha, and I believe they've described the opposite to what Sacha's comments portray.' Looking for work: She made the comments after KIIS 101.1 content director 'Chatty Tony' Aldridge (pictured) claimed Ruthven had asked him about job opportunities at the station Meanwhile, it's no secret the outspoken MAFS groom has ruffled feathers in the workplace in the past. One of his former colleagues at Canberra hit104.7, radio announcer Jason Roses, infamously threw him under the bus on MAFS by revealing he had a 'secret girlfriend' outside the experiment. Mr Roses then sensationally announced the pair were no longer friends. WSFM host Amanda Keller has also said she disliked Ruthven's blokey bond with her co-anchor Brendan 'Jonesy' Jones when he was a studio producer for their breakfast show for nine months. However, Jonesy and Amanda have also said nice things about Ruthven on air, and believe his negative portrayal on MAFS was at least partially the result of a bad edit. Pictured: KIIS 101.1 hosts Jason 'Jase' Hawkins (left) and Polly 'PJ' Harding (right) Ruthven is hoping to return to broadcasting following his divisive portrayal on Married At First Sight, and already has some high-profile backers in the industry. He recently struck up a friendship with Kyle Sandilands, the host of Sydney's most popular FM breakfast show on KIIS 106.5. Sandilands, 49, has even described Ruthven on air as a younger version of himself. His last regular radio job was hosting the afternoon shifts and weekend breakfast for Hit104.7 with Ellie Mobbs and Jason Roses. Before moving to Canberra, Ruthven had been the studio producer for WSFM's Jonesy and Amanda for less than a year. His partnership with Melissa Rawson on MAFS was controversial to say the least, with viewers accusing him of gaslighting and manipulating his on-screen wife. But despite their tumultuous journey in Nine's social experiment, the couple are still together months after filming wrapped. The U.S. Department of Defense has given a private company control over a massive part of its unused internet space. The Florida-based company, identified in news reports as Global Resource Systems, now controls more than 175 million IP addresses belonging to the military. An IP address is a number given to each computer when it is connected to the internet. The addresses have long been owned by the Defense Department, but were not being used by the agency. Experts in the computer networking industry had been wondering about the change, which happened the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office in January. Military officials made no official announcement about the move. The huge number of IP addresses involved has been estimated to be about 1/25th the size of the current internet. It is also thought to be more than twice the size of the internet space actually used by the Pentagon. It is massive. That is the biggest thing in the history of the internet, expert Doug Madory told The Associated Press. He is the director of internet analysis at Kentik, a company that designs and operates computer networks. The Defense Department confirmed the change in a statement by Brett Goldstein, chief of the Pentagons Defense Digital Service, which is running the project. The military hopes to assess, evaluate and prevent the unauthorized use of agency IP address space, the statement said. It added that the pilot project also aims to identify possible vulnerabilities that could lead to internet attacks by international groups attempting to break into U.S. networks. In addition to attempted attacks, the Defense Department has also experienced problems with outside groups or individuals taking over and using its internet space without permission. This happened, in part, because there has been a shortage of first-generation internet addresses since 2011. Kentiks Madory said advertising the address space will make it easier to get rid of unauthorized users. It should also permit the military to collect a massive amount of background internet traffic for threat intelligence, he added. Some cybersecurity experts have suggested the Pentagon may be using the newly advertised space to create so-called honeypots. These are machines set up with vulnerabilities to draw in internet attackers, or hackers. The project could also be the start of a new system of software and servers set up to search internet traffic for suspect activity, the experts say. This greatly increases the space they could monitor, Madory said. A Defense Department spokesman did not comment on why the military chose Global Resource Systems to oversee the IP addresses. The company, which operates an office in Plantation, Florida, did not return phone calls or emails from The Associated Press seeking information. A Defense Department spokesman told the AP that even with the current shortage of IP addresses, the Pentagon has no interest in selling any of its unused space. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand 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 assess v. to make a judgment about (something) evaluate v. to study or consider unauthorized adj. without someones official permission vulnerable adj. able to be easily hurt, influenced or attacked monitor v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check over a period of time China's state-run Sichuan Airlines has suspended all its cargo flights to India for 15 days, causing major disruption to private traders' efforts to procure the much-needed oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies from China despite Beijing offering "support and assistance" to the country to deal with the latest surge of COVID-19 cases. In a letter to the sales agents on Monday, the Sichuan Chuanhang Logistics Co. Ltd, the company which is part of the Sichuan Airlines said the airline has suspended its cargo flights on six routes, including Xian to Delhi, amid hectic efforts by private traders from both sides to procure oxygen concentrators from China. In the letter seen by PTI, the company said "in the face of sudden changes in the epidemic situation (in India), in order to reduce the number of imported cases, it is decided" to suspend the flights for the next 15 days. "Indian route has always been the core strategic route for Sichuan Airlines. This suspension has also caused great losses to our company. We are very sorry for the unchanged situation", the letter said and sought the "understanding of its sales agents", it said. The letter also said the company will review the situation after 15 days. The suspension of cargo flights came as a surprise to agents and freight forwarders who are frantically trying to procure the oxygen concentrators from China. There are also complaints of Chinese manufacturers jacking up the prices by 35 to 40 per cent. The freight charges have been increased to over 20 per cent, Siddharth Sinha of Sino Global Logistics, a Shanghai-based freight forwarding company. He told PTI here that the Sichuan Airlines decision to cancel flights has caused severe disruption to attempts by private traders in both the countries to secure quick supplies of the Oxygen concentrators to rush to India in view of the dire situation. Now it becomes very challenging to rush the supplies as they have to be rerouted through Singapore and other countries through different airlines, which delays the much-needed supplies, he said. The suspension of the flights owing to the coronavirus situation in India is surprising as there is no crew change in India and the same crew flies the aircraft back, he said. India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. The Chinese cargo flights besides the shipping services have been operational throughout the pandemic rushing supplies of lucrative mobile phone equipment as well as a lot of other Chinese exports to India. Sinha also said the Chinese suppliers also resorted to "inhuman" practice of heavy jacking up of prices to cash in on the pandemic emergency. The suspension of flights also came as a surprise to the Indian officials here as it came in the backdrop of official statements offering support and assistance to India. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian told a media briefing on April 23 that China is in communication with India to provide necessary support and assistance. "China expresses sincere sympathies to India over the deteriorating situation in the country recently," he said. "The Chinese government and people firmly support the Indian government and people in fighting the coronavirus. China is ready to provide support and help according to India's need, and is in communication with the Indian side on this", he said. "We believe that the Indian people will defeat the virus at an early date", he said. India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. Also read: COVID-19 crisis: EU to send oxygen, medicines to India Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Germany to send oxygen, medical aid to India On Wednesday, April 28, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host an online press conference entitled "Hot April 2021. Is Ukrainian politics entering perfect storm zone?" Participants include expert of Hardarika Strategic Consulting Corporation Kostiantyn Matviyenko; Director of the Institute of Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov; Director of the Ukrainian Barometer sociological service Viktor Nebozhenko; political consultant, analyst Valentyn Hladkykh (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Details by phone: (096) 344 9267, (063) 374 9233. During the period the restrictive measures introduced in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic in Kyiv are in effect, the presence of media representatives is not allowed in the press center of the agency, only speakers are present in the hall. During the broadcast, it is possible to follow the event and ask questions to the speakers in the broadcast chat. A real estate sign on flooded land in Carteret County, North Carolina. Credit: Miyuki Hino Buyer beware: single-family homes in floodplainsalmost 4 million U.S. homesare overvalued by nearly $44 billion collectively or $11,526 per house on average, according to a new Stanford University-led study. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, suggests that unaware buyers and inadequate disclosure laws drive up financial risks that could destabilize the real estate market. The threat is likely to grow as climate change drives more frequent extreme weather. "The overvaluation we find is really concerning, especially given the increases in climate risk that are coming our way," said study lead author Miyuki Hino, who was a Ph.D. student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth) at the time of the research and is now an assistant professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's department of city and regional planning. "Improving how we communicate about flooding is an important step in the right direction." Water hazard In some states, such as Florida, as many as one in six homes are in floodplains. As more people have built more homes in areas exposed to cyclones, sea-level rise and other inundation hazards, flooding damage costs have skyrocketed. Since 2000, overall flood damages have quadrupled in the U.S. More frequent extreme weather could magnify the trend. In the next 30 years, flood damages to U.S. homes are projected to rise more than 60 percent, from $20 billion to nearly $32.2 billion a year, according to nonprofit research group First Street Foundation. While some states, such as Louisiana, require detailed flood risk disclosures, others require no risk disclosures of any kind. Only two states require that sellers disclose the cost of their insurance policyan additional cost burden for the buyer. Most states only require disclosures by the time the contract is signed, making them unlikely to inform buyers' decisions. Unlike many past studies, which focused on single counties or cities in only a few states, the new analysis casts a nationwide net to paint a clearer picture of whether markets effectively account for publicly available information about flood risk. Hino and study senior author Marshall Burke, an associate professor of Earth system science in Stanford Earth, pored over historical and current floodplain maps as well as detailed real estate transaction data to estimate the effect of regulatory floodplain maps on property values or what the researchers call the flood zone discount. To better understand the drivers of flood zone discount, the researchers examined what happened to property values when floodplain maps were updated, causing some houses to be rezoned from outside to inside the floodplain. Getting soaked The analysis revealed that single-family homes zoned into a floodplain lose roughly 2% percent of their value, which works out to $10,500 for a $500,000 home or $21,000 for a $1 million home. In contrast, had buyers factored in the cost of fully insuring the floodplain home against damage, it should have pushed prices down 4.7 percent to 10.6 percentas much as $53,000 for a $500,000 home or $106,000 for a $1 million home, according to the researchers. "We like to think that markets work efficiently and incorporate all known information about risk," said Burke. "But here we find clear evidence, in an incredibly valuable market, that the market is underpricing flood risk." Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results suggest that a buyer's flood risk awareness shapes the value they perceive in a property. This awareness is likely informed by a combination of disclosure laws and the extent of flood risk within the community measured by the percentage of homes located in floodplains. More sophisticated commercial buyers, such as corporations that rent out single-family homes, discount flood zone properties by about 5 percentage points more than other buyers. The urgency of informing homebuyers about hazards from floods and other climate change-driven hazards will only grow. This past year was the tenth in a row with eight or more billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. Policymakers can help by passing legislation that promotes access to information about the extent of past flood events and strengthens real estate disclosure requirements, according to the researchers. Broader risk communication effortsrequiring sellers to disclose flood risks and insurance costs before buyers make offers, for examplecould help rebalance real estate markets and significantly increase buy-in for flood insurance coverage, something the National Flood Insurance Program has failed to do. "We spend a lot of time and energy trying to map climate hazards and how they are changing, and we need to make sure that people can access and understand that information when they need it," said Hino. Explore further How could rising sea level impact the National Flood Insurance Program? More information: Miyuki Hino et al, The effect of information about climate risk on property values, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Miyuki Hino et al, The effect of information about climate risk on property values,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2003374118 Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is seen in an undated photograph handed out by her family. (Ratcliffe Family Handout via Reuters) UK Condemns Inhumane Sentencing of Dual Citizen in Iran The British government has condemned the Iranian regime after British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was given a further one-year jail term for spreading propaganda against the regime. Zaghari-Ratcliffe completed a five-year sentence in March on spying charges, the last year of which was spent under house arrest due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani told The Associated Press on Monday that she had been given a new jail term on a charge of spreading propaganda against the system for participating in a protest in front of the Iranian Embassy in London in 2009. This is a totally inhumane and wholly unjustified decision. We continue to call on Iran to release Nazanin immediately so she can return to her family in the UK. We continue to do all we can to support her. Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 26, 2021 UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Zaghari-Ratcliffes additional one-year jail term was totally inhumane and wholly unjustified. We continue to call on Iran to release Nazanin immediately so she can return to her family in the UK. We continue to do all we can to support her, he wrote on Twitter. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also promised to work very hard to secure her release. The government will not stop, it will redouble our efforts, and we are working with our American friends on this issue as well, he told reporters. Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and their daughter Gabriella protest outside the Iranian Embassy in London, on March 8, 2021. (Andrew Boyers/Reuters) Tulip Siddiq, Zaghari-Ratcliffes local MP representing Hampstead and Kilburn, said the news was absolutely devastating and that it was shocking that her husband was only just notified. Another abusive use of her as a bargaining chip. Im speaking to the family & will update when I know more, she said on Twitter. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at a Tehran airport in April 2016 as she prepared to head back to Britain with her daughter after a family visit. She was later sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of plotting to overthrow Irans clerical establishment. Her family and the foundation, a charity that operates independently of media firm Thomson Reuters and its news subsidiary Reuters, deny all charges against her and say she was only visiting relatives in Iran. She was released from jail in March last year and put under house arrest in Tehran in response to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in Irans prisons, but her movements were restricted and she was barred from leaving the country. PA, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A woman receives the Covid-19 vaccine in Argentina. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP We are immuno-privileged. You might think this adjective is a neologism applicable to bodies vaccinated against Covid-19, but that is not quite it. We were already immuno-privileged before, when we started working from home and did not sink into poverty from losing our income, when we were not frontline workers providing care during the pandemic, or simply when we did not catch the coronavirus because we were living in the halfway world of social isolation. And now that we are vaccinated, we have added another layer of privilege to the term. As documented Latin American women living in the United States, we received the vaccine before our elderly parents in Argentina and Brazil. We feel a dual sense of unease and relief because we are bodies rendered immuno-privileged by lifes inequalities. While it is true that every privilege is a form of immunization, not every immunization comes in the form of a vaccine. Being a man in a patriarchal society is a form of immunization for misogyny, just as being a white body offers immunization against police violence. The vaccine merely makes a product out of what our bodies had already experienced as privilege, naturalized by the policies of life. And like all products, there are disputes over access, control, and distribution. While 26% of the US population has already been fully vaccinated (that is, received all required doses), Argentina has only immunized about 2% of its population and Brazil has reached only 4%. Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas and the Caribbean, has not even begun its vaccination drive. To date, less than 2% of all Covid-19 vaccines administered worldwide have been distributed on the African continent, which is home to 16% of the worlds population. It is obvious that unequal vaccine distribution has global consequences since it allows new variants to emerge and thus means even the vaccinated may be infected Here are the geopolitics of immuno-privilege: by early April, 87% of administered vaccines had gone to inhabitants of high- or middle-income countries, whereas only 0.2% had been administered in low-income countries. If global vaccination rates remain at these levels, it will take four to five years to reach herd immunity that is, full vaccination of 70% to 85% of the population. It is readily obvious that unequal vaccine distribution has immediate global consequences since it allows new variants to emerge and thus means even the vaccinated may be infected. But from the other ways we experience privilege, we know that addressing inequality does not mesh well with distributive policies, and countries will begin disputing these products. Hoarding becomes a way to exercise control, and selfish nationalism takes the reins in negotiations between countries. Wealthy countries have secured vaccine reserves well beyond what is needed to vaccinate their populations. Vaccine development was contingent on this surplus because no vaccine could have been developed this quickly without government investment. But rather than negotiating intellectual property agreements to facilitate equitable vaccine access for middle-income countries with production capability, the governments of rich nations have opted to guarantee their own surplus, under the mattress. Save your own people first, and then think about others. In keeping with this logic, the United States has donated doses to Mexico and Canada, while China is negotiating with Brazil. Countries are concerned about their own borders or their own trade agendas about folks whose access to this immuno-privilege matters not because of the genteel values of dignity or right to life, but rather because they are trade partners or political allies. From this twisted perspective of who gets immunized and who is left to die, we find ourselves as privileged bodies not because of who we are, but as the lawful inhabitants of a territory that is not our homeland. Sad to say, there is no way we can distribute our immuno-privilege; it becomes inalienable individual property. This is yet another piece of property for bodies who have survived thanks to privilege and are now privileged because of something we had not seen as property: legitimately and temporarily inhabiting a country that hoards vaccines. Debora Diniz is a Brazilian anthropologist and researcher at Brown University. Giselle Carino is an Argentinian political scientist and IPPF/WHR director. New Delhi, April 26 : Centre has extended the validity period of current airfare cap as well as the capacity utilisation of airlines till May 31. In one of the two separate orders, the Ministry of Civil Aviation extended the time period of airfare cap till May 31 from April 30. Till recently, the Centre had expanded the airfare cap by increasing the lower and upper limit. These fare bands came into force with effect from May 21, 2020. Under the fare structure, air routes are divided into sections based on travel time. Each section has its minimum and maximum fare. Similarly, in another order, airlines will only be allowed to deploy 80 per cent capacity of the summer schedule 2020. City Council Discusses Planned Projects, Grants The Hillsboro City Council met in a regular session Tuesday, April 20, and discussed upcoming projects in the city. The council approved a recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission to replat property on the south side of Mark Street between Pine and Locust streets for the purpose of constructing single-family homes. Mike Easter with Prescher Custom Homes told the council that he purchases vacant or abandoned lots and constructs new homes to improve neighborhoods. The existing property includes five 100-foot-wide lots, and the developer is proposing to divide that into ten 50-foot-wide lots. There were no responses received from residents in the project's notification area. City Manager Megan Henderson also updated the council on a Community Development Block Grant that the city is seeking from the Texas Department of Agriculture. She explained that the city is using a targeted approach to seek grants that will help Hillsboro achieve its goals. Henderson said that city staff worked nights and weekends to survey residents and meet the requirements of the grant application after an eligible project was identified. The city identified a section of Park Drive that needs road work along with water and sewer improvements. Henderson said that the project would fit within the budget and time frame of the grant requirements, and it would check off one of the areas in town that needs attention. The city manager said that meeting with residents was a rewarding experience, and they were receptive to conversations with city staff. The council authorized submission of the grant application. The council also authorized a slightly amended funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the Safe Routes to School sidewalk project. The plan includes the construction of a sidewalk and pedestrian safety improvements along Walnut Street from Abbott to Park streets to connect to a sidewalk that was previously constructed under the program. The Texas Transportation Commission authorized funds for the project last year, and minor changes in wording were deemed necessary after the council first approved the agreement last month. A rate increase request from Oncor Electric was denied by the council, and the city's membership in the Alliance of Oncor Cities will be continued. Oncor is seeking to increase its annual revenues by approximately $97 million and raise rates on September 1. Hillsboro and other cities in the alliance will be represented by Herrera Law & Associates and are denying the request to allow more time for the legal team to review the proposed increase. A request from Carroll Estes to close portions of Elm Street for the Elm Street Rod Run on June 25 and 26 was approved by the council. Estes said that planning for this years event is going well, and he is looking forward to resuming the Rod Run after it was canceled due to the pandemic last year. The council convened in closed session for deliberations about real property and to hear an update on Johns Manville project numbers. No action was taken when the council reconvened in open session. Students from across Villanova University came together for the first annual Health Hackathon, a three-day, virtual event hosted earlier this semester by Villanovas Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Institute (ICE). The goal of the Villanova Health Hackathon was to create opportunities for cross-school collaboration in innovative projects, and to give Villanova Nursing students more experiential learning opportunities outside of their typical clinical work, said Ann Miller, the Daniel J. Hogarty, Jr. 61 Director of the Institute for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. We know that the more interdisciplinary the teams are, the more creative and innovative their ideas are. Miller added, While not all Villanova students think of themselves as innovative or entrepreneurial, we know that all Villanova students want to make a difference in the world and we believe that they can use the design thinking frameworks they learn in the hackathon throughout their lives and careers to make great impact. Miller created five hackathon themes related to COVID-19 in the workplace, healthcare technology, and vulnerable populations, and then selected the teams and introduced them the night before the hackathon began. Although everyone was separated and off campus, each team worked together at the same time using technology that included Mural, a virtual white board with Post-it Notes. Though we couldnt have an in-person event, the students and advisors impressed all of us with how much can be accomplished in just three days, Miller said. She then gathered a team of judges, academic experts, and staff from across the University to support the students. Participants included students from the Villanova School of Business, the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering. The Independence Blue Cross Center for Innovation in Philadelphia provided additional support for the Health Hackathon. During the three-day event, students learned design thinking frameworks, conducted design research, and built prototypes. Faculty from the schools and colleges shared expertise and experiences, providing guidance to the participants, who worked as teams in virtual breakout rooms. In addition to Mural, the students used technology such as Groupme, an app that provided a private chat room feature for group work. On the events last day, the teams pitched their concepts and answered questions from a virtual audience that included Donna Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN, Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor of the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, and Michelle Marcolongo, PhD, the Drosdick Endowed Dean of the College of Engineering. Nurses are inherently strong problem solvers, collaborators and communicators and there is no more appropriate place for us than in health care innovation. We understand both the nurse and patient user experience and possess knowledge and solutions for complex issues, said Havens. Nursing was delighted to partner with ICE, Independence Blue Cross, and campus colleagues to conceive and launch this inaugural Health Hack. It was encouraging to see both undergraduate and graduate nursing students participate, dive into design thinking, and move from ideas to products and programs. The best part is that they want to keep evolving with their innovation skill set. Faculty involved in the health hack included Fitzpatrick College of Nursings Sunny Hallowell, PhD, PPCNP-BC, IBCLC, Assistant Professor of Nursing, and C. Nataraj, PhD, the Moritz Endowed Professor of Engineered Systems. Undergraduate nursing students rarely consider themselves scientists, researchers, or innovators, says Hallowell. The curriculum is intensely focused on healthcare content and acquisition of clinical skills leaving little to think creatively. Yet, nurses have been healthcare innovators since the early days of the profession. In every setting, from hospitals to public health, nurses are constantly finding creative ways to solve health care delivery and patient care problems with simple, elegant, scalable solutions. Hallowell shared with student participants the parallels between the steps of the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation) used to provide patient care and principles of design thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test). Dean Marcolongo, whose areas of expertise include biomaterials and engineered biomedical solutions to treat disease, says It is important for students to recognize that technological advancements are best achieved with contributions from those with a variety of perspectives. The Health Hackathon provided both undergraduates and graduate students with an opportunity to experience first-hand this successful approach to innovation. The College of Engineering looks forward to many more cross-college collaborations for both students and faculty. Dr. Nataraj shared with students his work during the COVID-19 pandemic in developing NovaVent, a low-cost ventilator, as well NovaMed, the Villanova Laboratory for Affordable Medical Technologies, an interdisciplinary lab dedicated to developing open source, affordable, and globally available medical technologies for people in communities where the cost of such resources remains out of reach. The fact that we can make medical technology cheaper means that patients can get their diagnoses faster, cheaper and easier says Nataraj. Our goal is about equity. There are entire countries in Africa that dont have a single ventilator. We can make a ventilator that can treat 90% of people for 10% of the cost. The winning teams of Villanovas first-annual Health Hackathon included: The first-place team, Theia Sanitation System, designed a cylindrical sanitation device for healthcare practitioners to use to sanitize their Personal Protective Equipment. The PPE would be placed in the device and ultra violet light would be used to kill any virus particles. The team did research, which showed that hospitals use approximately 30,000 PPE gowns every day and then throw them away after each use. They proved how their invention would offer market protection and save money, but would also produce less trash and help combat the PPE shortages. designed a cylindrical sanitation device for healthcare practitioners to use to sanitize their Personal Protective Equipment. The PPE would be placed in the device and ultra violet light would be used to kill any virus particles. The team did research, which showed that hospitals use approximately 30,000 PPE gowns every day and then throw them away after each use. They proved how their invention would offer market protection and save money, but would also produce less trash and help combat the PPE shortages. The second-place team, COVID Clear, created a social media marketing campaign to address COVID education and vaccine distribution for the Latinx community, which has highest death rate in the U.S. One of the reasons for the high death rate is that much of the educational messaging is in English. The teams campaign included outreach to Latino celebrities to post information in Spanish on social media as a way to remove disinformation that is widely spread. created a social media marketing campaign to address COVID education and vaccine distribution for the Latinx community, which has highest death rate in the U.S. One of the reasons for the high death rate is that much of the educational messaging is in English. The teams campaign included outreach to Latino celebrities to post information in Spanish on social media as a way to remove disinformation that is widely spread. The third-place team, Count Me In, developed a device to monitor the number of individuals within a physical space to assist with social distancing. Miller noted that the academic experiences of some participantssuch as the Villanova Nursing studentsprovide them the opportunity to see real world problems in action. This allows students to use their experiences to focus in on an area they want to concentrate on. While students tend to see a world of problems because of their wide and diverse interests, Miller aimed to bring in experts to teach them about concepts that they can apply to a variety of problems. Im always looking for alumni and faculty who can speak with Villanova students in a way that inspires them to do new and innovative and interesting things, added Miller. "They get inspired and are able to narrow down their own ideas. I was so impressed by the makeup of the teams and how they were able to come up with such innovative projects. The Institute for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship hopes to make this program an annual in-person event with current and relevant themes and topics that inspire more students to participate. With all that is happening in life, with all the goals and ambitions we set for ourselves, with all the hopes and things we plan and strategize to achieve, it becomes very easy for us to get caught up in our own lives and forget those around us. This reality hit home recently while listening to a sermon where the speaker delved into the story of Jonah. In examining the true reason Jonah fled from God, the speaker sought to compare Jonahs lack of compassion to our modern day reality and how it hinders us from really making an impact around us. Our Concerns After running from God, and having to return in obedience to warn the people of Nineveh, the people repented and Jonah was angered. He prayed to the Lord, Isnt this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Jonah chapter 4 verse 2 So easily, we become preoccupied with our own lives, so easily we become judges of those around us who we believe should be punished for the wickedness that they commit. In reflection, I can easily remember instances where I would have wanted someone who treated me unfairly to reap the harsh consequences for their actions. But, when did we become God, the righteous judge who decides the consequences for peoples actions? Our world is increasingly becoming and may I dare say it, like Nineveh, where the sins of our countries and people are becoming harder to ignore. Increasingly our hearts are burdened by the news of missing girls, gang violence, domestic and child abuse and the list goes on. We are becoming more concerned, more burdened and less compassionate. Without Compassion Compassion as I understand it, moves individuals past empathy into action. Ironic isnt it, that Jonah, a prophet and servant of the Lord, would be angered that the warning from God would move the people to repentance; The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth (Jonah Chapter 3 verse 5). Why do we become heartbroken about the wickedness that happens around us, the death of young men because of gang involvement, the stealing that occurs in our nation and the poverty that keeps rising in our communities? Why do we discuss it amongst ourselves and become burdened as we reflect on its impact but we are never moved by compassion to act? Many of us may have read the story of Jonah and never really envisioned just how Jonahs response continues to be our response to the ills of our nations. Our Humanity Naturally, we are quick to condemn wickedness. Recent activities around the world showcase how easy it is for people to protest against what they consider to be injustice toward mankind. As humans we feel, we hurt and we believe that if we are wronged, people must pay. Of course there are consequences for every action and yes if you do the crime you should pay the time. Christs outlook however, is very different and must characterize our Christian living. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah chapter 3 verse 10). Compassionate in Action The God we serve is compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love. Should we, as followers of Christ, not personify these characteristics? Absolutely. We are stewards of what belongs to God. We are His hands and feet. It is my belief that as the world evolves; as it continues to promote self-achievement and self-love; we will hear more stories of hurt, desolation and violence. We will become more isolated and depressed with no moral guide to direct our actions hence separating us from community of Christ which exists to strengthen, encourage and transform us. I also believe that even then, our God will continue to speak to the hearts of those who serve him, to proclaim the gospel and the message of repentance. My hope is that as our compassionate God beckons to us, like Jonah, we will not seek to flee because of our own judgements and belief of punishment. Instead, my prayer is that we would be filled with Godly compassion that pushes us into action. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their leftand also many animals? (Jonah chapter 4 verse 11). Let us see our neighbours, our communities and our nation as Christ does. May our empathy our feeling of awareness toward people, push us to have compassion - an emotional response that creates a desire to help, so that we will be the change we want to see, by the transformative power of Almighty God. GAZA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) Israel has slashed Gaza's offshore fishing zone after multiple rocket launches carried out over the weekend, head of Gaza's fishermen's union Nizar Ayyash told Sputnik. "The occupation authorities have informed us through the civil affairs office about the reduction of the fishing zone in the sea of the Gaza Strip, from 15 miles to 9 miles, starting at 6:00 a.m. this Monday [03:00 GMT]," Ayyash said. Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed via Twitter that a rocket fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip late on Sunday night ended up exploding inside Gaza. Over the weekend, more than 30 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, several of them were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome Aerial Defense System. The escalation of hostilities began on Friday, when three rockets were fired toward Israel from Gaza (one of them was intercepted by the Iron Dome). Israel has targeted Hamas infrastructure in Gaza in response to the rocket launches. "Viola's Oscars dress stood out for its intricate open weaving and we wanted to echo that in her jewelry. I knew that Forevermark had the perfect diamond pieces that I wanted to try, and I'm thrilled with how the finished look made Viola shine her brightest for her big night. Paired with Viola's white dress, the simplicity of beautiful natural diamonds created an incredibly special moment," said stylist Elizabeth Stewart of Davis' Oscars look. Nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mank, Seyfried effortlessly channeled old Holllywood glamour with a contemporary twist in a pair of Forevermark yellow diamond earrings and ring and Forevermark Black Label bracelets. "We loved the simple strength of the natural yellow diamonds and think they stand out so beautifully against the grandness of the red gown. The clarity of these gems truly reflects the importance of this moment to me," said Seyfried. Seyfried's stylist Elizabeth Stewart said of her look, "Amanda loves yellow diamonds so we knew we wanted to accentuate the dramatic red of her dress with these special yellow and white Forevermark diamond earrings and ring. For me, sustainability is as important as the design of the jewelry so working with natural diamonds that are both beautiful and responsibly sourced is the dream scenario." Forevermark is part of De Beers Group, with diamond expertise spanning more than 130 years. Building Forever is De Beers Group's commitment to creating a positive lasting impact that will endure well beyond the discovery of their last diamond. From the De Beers operations in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada, through to the glamorous red carpets where Forevermark diamonds are worn, Building Forever is at the heart of everything the company does. Oscars presenter Regina King was radiant in a dazzling blue gown and accessorized with a pair of 36 carat asscher cut diamond earrings and multiple studs for a multi-earring look paired with a delicate, classic line bracelet and multiple rings. "We were thrilled to partner with Forevermark on Regina's incredible Academy Awards look. Choosing diamonds that shine as brightly as Regina isn't easy, but we feel we came pretty close! We selected silhouettes that felt fresh and modern while still leaning into the traditional glamour of the Oscars," said styling duo Wayman + Micah of King's Oscars look. Forevermark diamond looks at the 93rd Academy Awards include: Nominee and Actor Amanda Seyfried in Forevermark at the 93rd Academy Awards Forevermark by Premier Gem Yellow Radiant Double Drop Halo Earrings set in Platinum, 10.45 ctw Yellow Radiant Double Drop Halo Earrings set in Platinum, 10.45 ctw Forevermark Black Label Collection Square Diamond Bangle set in 18k Yellow Gold, 2.20 ctw Square Diamond Bangle set in Yellow Gold, 2.20 ctw Forevermark Black Label Collection Square Diamond Bangle set in 18k Yellow Gold, 2.21 ctw Square Diamond Bangle set in Yellow Gold, 2.21 ctw Forevermark Black Label Collection Square Diamond Bangle set in 18k Yellow Gold, 2.28 ctw Square Diamond Bangle set in Yellow Gold, 2.28 ctw Forevermark Exceptional Diamond Radiant Vivid Yellow Ring with Halo and Split Shank set in Platinum, 5.03 ctw Nominee and Actor Viola Davis in Forevermark at the 93rd Academy Awards Forevermark by Rahaminov Dream Drop Diamond Earrings set in 18k White Gold, 4.78 ctw Dream Drop Diamond Earrings set in White Gold, 4.78 ctw Forevermark by Rahaminov Diamond Bypass Ring set in 18k White Gold, 2.70 ctw Diamond Bypass Ring set in White Gold, 2.70 ctw Forevermark Stackable Diamond Bangle set in 18k White Gold, 5.29 ctw Stackable Diamond Bangle set in White Gold, 5.29 ctw Forevermark Stackable Diamond Bangle set in 18k White Gold, 9.21 ctw Presenter, Actor and Director Regina King in Forevermark at the 93rd Academy Awards Forevermark by Rahaminov Asscher Diamond Drop Earrings set in Platinum, 36.10 ctw Asscher Diamond Drop Earrings set in Platinum, 36.10 ctw Forevermark by Rahaminov Diamond Cluster Bracelet set in 18k White Gold, 5.55 ctw Diamond Cluster Bracelet set in White Gold, 5.55 ctw Forevermark Avaanti Asymmetric Arc Earring Diamond Stud set in 18k White Gold, 1.39 ctw Asymmetric Arc Earring Diamond Stud set in White Gold, 1.39 ctw Forevermark Avaanti Bypass Diamond Ring set in 18k White Gold, 1.74 ctw Bypass Diamond Ring set in White Gold, 1.74 ctw Forevermark Avaanti Open Diamond Ring set in 18k White Gold, 1.65 ctw Open Diamond Ring set in White Gold, 1.65 ctw Forevermark Avaanti Closed Diamond Ring set in 18k White Gold, 1.63 ctw Closed Diamond Ring set in White Gold, 1.63 ctw Forevermark by Premier Gem Cushion Diamond Stud Earring set in Platinum, 4.03 ctw Cushion Diamond Stud Earring set in Platinum, 4.03 ctw Forevermark Cornerstones Diamond Eternity Band set in 18k Oxidized Gold, 2.80 ctw Notes to Editors: ABOUT FOREVERMARK Forevermark is a diamond brand from De Beers Group, and benefits from over 130 years of diamond expertise. Every Forevermark diamond undergoes a journey of rigorous selection. The company goes beyond the standard 4Cs to select diamonds that are natural, genuine and untreated. Cut and polished by master craftsmen to reveal their ultimate beauty and natural brilliance, less than one per cent of the world's natural diamonds are eligible to be inscribed as Forevermark. Each diamond is responsibly sourced and embodies our principles of integrity, underpinned by our Building Forever commitment to leading an ethical industry, partnering for thriving communities accelerating equal opportunities, and protecting the natural world. The unique inscription is an assurance that every diamond meets the exceptional standards of beauty and rarity is responsibly sourced. forevermark.com @forevermark SOURCE Forevermark Migrants: 'we don't like EU plan, harsh talks', Amendola European affairs undersecretary says 'we need to change system' (ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 26 - Italian undersecretary for European Affairs, Enzo Amendola, told RAI's Agora program that "this is a present we need to change because there are no European missions, we are negotiating, the talks aren't easy, we don't like the agreement that Europe is proposing on migrations and we absolutely need to change the system". He added that "it is absolutely not a theme for observes, it is a harsh negotiation and we want Europe to organize and structure itself in terms of solidarity and responsibility in its borders". "Enrico Letta - continued Amendola - spoke about a next generation on immigration, we want an agreement at a European level, like we want, as far as Libya is concerned, not to discuss generic interest but to help that country now that it has exited war to prevent these tragedies to make a comeback in all their drama". (ANSAmed). Ride-hailing company Lyft has sold off its autonomous vehicle unit to Toyota's Woven Planet Holdings subsidiary for $550 million, the latest in a string of acquisitions spurred by the cost and lengthy timelines to commercialize autonomous vehicle technology. Under the acquisition agreement announced Tuesday, Lyft's so-called Level 5 division will be folded into Woven Planet Holdings. Lyft will receive $550 million in cash, with $200 million paid upfront. The remaining $350 million will be made in payments over five years. About 300 people from Lyft Level 5 will be integrated into Woven Planet. The Level 5 team, which in early 2020 numbered more than 400 people in the U.S., Munich and London, will continue to operate out of its office in Palo Alto, California. The transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, officially ends Lyft's nearly four-year effort to develop its own self-driving system. The transaction will remove a costly annual expense from Lyft's budget. The ride-hailing company said that by offloading Level 5 it expects to be able to remove $100 million of annualized non-GAAP operating expenses on a net basis. Those savings will be critical for Lyft as it pursues profitability a point co-founder and president John Zimmer made special note of in the announcement. "Assuming the transaction closes within the expected timeframe and the COVID recovery continues, we are confident that we can achieve Adjusted EBITDA profitability in the third quarter of this year," Zimmer said in a statement. Free from this annual expense, Lyft will dedicate its resources to what the company says it was really was aiming for all along: to become the go-to ride-hailing network and fleet management platform used by any and all commercial robotaxi services. Lyft already has partnerships with AV developers, notably the $4 billion Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture known as Motional, as well as Waymo. The intent is to lock up the rest. As part of the acquisition agreement, Woven Planet signed commercial agreements to use the Lyft platform and fleet data. Story continues Lyft said that the agreement with Woven Planet is not exclusive, and it will continue its partnership with Motional and others. Motional and Lyft have been partners for more than three years, a relationship that kicked off with what was supposed to be a weeklong pilot program to offer rides in autonomous vehicles on the Lyft network in Las Vegas during the 2018 CES tech trade show (the partnership actually predated the joint venture with Hyundai.) That temporary experiment, which has always included a human safety driver, was extended and still exists today. As of February 2020, the program had given more than 100,000 paid self-driving rides in Aptivs now Motionals self-driving vehicles, per the Lyft app. Motional announced in December plans to launch fully driverless robotaxi services in major U.S. cities in 2023 using the Lyft ride-hailing network. Lyft is making some structural organizational changes to reflect this renewed focus. Lyft will retain its team of engineers, product managers, data scientists and UX designers that have been working on the consumer experience of hailing and then riding in an autonomous vehicle, which will be headed up by Jody Kelman. This team, now known as Lyft Autonomous, will be folded into the company's fleet division that manages more than 10,000 vehicles via its rental and express drive programs. Lyft Fleet, which was founded in 2019 and is led by Cal Lankton, is also the group spearheading the company's transition to 100% electric vehicles on the network by 2030. The idea is to bring all of these efforts shared, electric and self-driving under one roof. Other strategic shuffling is happening over at Toyota's Woven Planet. The Level 5 workforce, researchers from Toyota Research Institute and Woven Planet will be combined into one team of about 1,200 employees. The company said the acquisition of Level 5 is a carve-out of Lyft's self-driving division with a specific focus on accelerating the safety of automated driving technology and does not directly affect Toyota's relationship with other partnerships such as AV startup Aurora. Woven Planet Holdings is a new entity that has already made a splash. The holding company, which folded in Toyota Research Institute -- Advanced Development Inc. or TRI-AD, also includes an investment arm known as Woven Capital and Woven City, a testing ground for new technologies set in an interconnected smart city prototype. In February, Toyota broke ground at the Higashi-Fuji site in Susono City, Japan, at the base of Mount Fuji. Earlier this year, Woven Capital kicked off off its new $800 million strategic fund by announcing an investment into autonomous delivery vehicle company Nuro. [April 26, 2021] MathWorks Announces MATLAB EXPO 2021 Online Conference - Participants can select from 70+ sessions, keynote presentations, and interactive workshops highlighting the latest features and capabilities of MATLAB and Simulink BENGALURU, India, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MathWorks today announced the agenda for MATLAB EXPO 2021 which is to be held live across multiple international time zones between May 4-5, 2021. The event will feature more than 70 sessions and interactive workshops spanning 10 focus areas including AI, autonomous systems, modeling and simulation, predictive maintenance, 5G and radar, and teaching with MATLAB and Simulink. Attendance is free and registration is now open at: www.matlabexpo.com/online.html. MATLAB EXPO will highlight the latest features and capabilities of MATLAB and Simulink through real-world examples and hands-on demonstrations, while providing a forum for engineers, scientists, and researchers to share knowledge, network with peers, and talk to MathWorks experts. The conference also will offer interactive MATLAB and Simulink workshops as well as a digital exhibition area showcasing more than 20 MathWorks partners and affiliates. Included: MathWorks Automotive Conference New for 2021, MATLAB EXPO will incorporate the MathWorks Automotive Conference (MAC), the flagship event for MathWorks automotive customers worldwide. With two dedicated tracks in the EXPO, MAC 2021 will offer 15+ industry-specific sessions on topics including automotive megatrends, automated driving, electrification, and virtual vehicles. The MAC keynote, "Transforming the Software Development Paradigm to Meet the Unique Needs of Our Industry and Customers," will be presented by Jeff Daiker, Executive Director at Cummins. MATLAB EXPO Program Highlights The COVID-19 pandemic was unlike anything we have ever experienced. Scientists and engineers around the world responded to this monumental challenge and quickly developed solutions - from detection to containment to treatment - using MATLAB and Simulink. In his keynote, "Scientists and Engineers Save the World," MathWorks Vice Presient of Marketing, Rich Rovner, will highlight transformative projects and surprising applications of MATLAB and Simulink in the fight against the pandemic. The agenda also includes keynotes from renowned MathWorks customers. "Advancing 5G for a New Decade," John Smee, Vice President of Engineering, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. The talk will explore how 5G supports a variety of industries, including industrial IoT, automotive, and extended reality (XR). It will highlight the state of 5G technology today and what the recently completed 3GPP 5G NR Release 16 specifications include. "The Interactions Between Natural and Artificial Intelligence," Prof. Dr. Moritz Helmstaedter, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt. What can next-generation AI learn from new insights into the neural network architecture of our brains? This talk reports how researchers are using neural network mapping ("connectomics") in the brain to learn how biological computers work. "Electrification in the Aerospace Industry," Dr. Amit Gupta, Head of Rolls-Royce Electrical Singapore Pte Ltd. Electrification is being hailed as a pillar of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution. Rolls-Royce Electrical's vision is to be a world-class supplier of electrical power and propulsion systems to drive electrification. This presentation offers insight into the direction electrification will take in the aerospace industry. Flexible Access to Interactive Presentations As an online event, MATLAB EXPO 2021 is open to participants from around the world. On each day of the show, the event will be repeated in four blocks of 3.5 hours each for participants in four time zones. Those located in Asia (start 09:00 a.m. IST), Europe (start 10:00 a.m. CEST), U.S. East (start 08:30 a.m. EDT) and U.S. West (start 09:30 a.m. PDT) will have the opportunity to select sessions from any block to suit their personal schedules. For a detailed agenda and registration, visit: www.matlabexpo.com/online.html About MathWorks MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software. MATLAB, the language of engineers and scientists, is a programming environment for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and numeric computation. Simulink is a block diagram environment for simulation and Model-Based Design of multidomain and embedded engineering systems. Engineers and scientists worldwide rely on these products to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation, and development in automotive, aerospace, communications, electronics, industrial automation, and other industries. MATLAB and Simulink are also fundamental teaching and research tools in the world's universities and learning institutions. Founded in 1984, MathWorks employs more than 5000 people in 16 countries, with headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, USA. For additional information, visit mathworks.com. Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | XING Learn more about interesting projects with MATLAB and Simulink in our Blog . MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. Additional trademarks are listed at mathworks.com/trademarks. Other product or brand names are trade names or registered trademarks of their respective owners. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "I wanted to create a way for people to celebrate Diwali and their customs fully without having to use Christmas lights," said an inventor, from Langley, British Columbia, Canada, "so I invented FESTIVAL LIGHTS. My design offers a special and symbolic light display for the festival of lights." The invention provides a symbolic and ornate way to decorate for Diwali. In doing so, it offers an alternative to using traditional holiday lights and decorations. As a result, it could make a Diwali celebration more festive and it can be displayed indoors or outdoors. The invention features an eye-catching design that is convenient and easy to use so it is ideal for individuals who celebrate Diwali. Additionally, it is producible in design variations. The original design was submitted to the Toronto sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-TRO-382, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp Related Links http://www.inventhelp.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Residents of Elm Park still dont have sidewalk along a busy stretch of road, and the city and state remain short on answers for when that might change. The office of Borough President James Oddo shared an update on the work theyve been doing to bring a paved sidewalk to Trantor Place between Forest and Dixon avenues. A spokeswoman for his office said that in their research, they were unable to identify deeds for the three small lots where the sidewalks would need to be installed, but that they believe they are vacant outlying lots under State DOT (Department of Transportation) jurisdiction because of their proximity to the Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway, which is a state highway. The spokeswoman said they did not identify any temporary or permanent easements associated with the properties. A state DOT spokesman said they are continuing their review of the properties ownership, and that once that process is complete we will discuss the neighborhoods concerns with the city and local community members. Until the review process is complete, we will have no further comment, the spokesman said in a Friday email. Everett Wattley, one of the neighborhoods most vocal residents on the issue, and the Port Richmond Strong Civic Association have long advocated for sidewalks at the location. Dirt covers the three lots in question. When the area becomes muddy or overgrown with weeds in the summer, pedestrians are forced into oncoming traffic on Trantor Place, right next to the highways onramp. Photo composite shows the year-round conditions that can make an unpaved Elm Park sidewalk unnavigable. (Photos courtesy: Everett Wattley) Oddos office suspects the three properties to be gores leftover from previous subdivisions of adjoining lots. In surveying, gores are irregular portions of land, often triangular in shape, that dont conform to conducted surveys. Publicly available city tax maps dating back to 1973, show the three small lots at the site, and Oddos office said city Department of Finance (DOF) alteration books have the properties assignment to state DOT. The city DOF have not responded to multiple requests for comment about the ownership of the properties, but their publicly available records going back to 2015 list NYS DOT as the property owner with a billing address of 50 Wolf Rd. in Albany the address for the main headquarters of the state DOT. Before 2015 and back to 2009, DOF records list the property owner as not on file, and for mailing purposes list a bad address. A spokeswoman for state DOT previously said that they do not have the titles to the properties. A 1973 tax map shows the Elm Park area and the three highlighted lots in question. (Map Courtesy: New York City Department of Finance; Illustration: Paul Liotta/Staten Island Advance) Oddos office said it shared its research with the city Department of Transportation (DOT), which oversees sidewalk maintenance, and city DOT Borough Commissioner Roseann Caruana, and that they informed the office they would be reaching out to state DOT asking for installation of sidewalks. Neither the city DOTs press office nor Caruana responded to requests for comment about the sidewalks. A spokesman for the agency previously said they were investigating the properties ownership. In New York City, owners are responsible for the maintenance of sidewalks in front of their properties, but Oddos office noted that the citys administrative code does not require sidewalk construction for vacant properties. His office said that city DOT usually issues a violation to property owners when the agency decides that a specific portion of an existing sidewalk connection is in the public interest like a contiguous sidewalk providing access to a school. [April 26, 2021] Reorg and Moody's Analytics Collaborate on Resources for CLO and Loan Investors NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reorg , a global provider of credit intelligence, data and analytics, and Moody's Analytics , a global provider of analytic tools and risk assessment capabilities, announced today that they have entered into a data-sharing agreement. Reorg will supply subscribers of Moody's Analytics structured finance solutions with real-time notifications of credit events from Reorg's intelligence platform in exchange for Moody's Analytics data on CLO portfolio holdings and collateral. "Access to reliable, timely information on CLO portfolio positions is crucial for successful decision-making by CLO market participants. Our customers will benefit from the speed and breadth of Reorg's global credit intelligence," said Arthur Kleynerman, Senior Director at Moody's Analytics. "This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to continual innovation to better support CLO investors." Reorg will receive underlying holdings and collateral data of the CLO universe from Moody's Analytics to map to their default data and research. Moody's Analytics CLO data covers $872 billion in total CLO assets. Reorg's new offering will give its subscribers access to syndicated loan ownership data in a searchable, sortable format to enhance investment and advisory decision-making. Kent Collier , founder and CEO of Reorg. "Given the growth of the leveraged loan market, having an understanding of who owns what loans will be incredibly valuable to our subscribers, and reflects Reorg's data-focused approach to leveraged finance workflow solutions." Reorg's product range includes intelligence, data and analysis of high-yield and distressed credits along with specialized workflow for credit market participants across North America and Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. About Reorg Founded in 2013, Reorg has fundamentally changed the way financial and legal professionals access complex and opaque business information. Our unique editorial approach combines reporting with financial and legal analysis to provide a holistic view of topical situations and delivers that view in real time through our proprietary platform, which is powered by machine learning and natural language processing. Today, with offices on three continents, Reorg serves more than 23,000 professionals across the world's leading hedge funds, asset managers, investment banks, law firms, professional services, advisors and corporations so they can make better business, investment and advisory decisions. To learn more, visit Reorg.com. About Moody's Analytics Moody's Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moody's Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moody's Corporation reported revenue of $5.4 billion in 2020, employs approximately 11,400 people worldwide and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1038800/Reorg_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1495593/Moodys_Analytics.jpg View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reorg-and-moodys-analytics-collaborate-on-resources-for-clo-and-loan-investors-301276720.html SOURCE Reorg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Australia is expected to ban all international flights from India after a man returning from a wedding in the South Asian nation contracted Covid and sparked a snap three-day lockdown. The national security committee will hold urgent meetings on Tuesday to discuss harsher travel restrictions and decide on assistance for India, which is currently in the midst of a catastrophic coronavirus outbreak. There are an expected 8000 Australians currently trying to get back from India. Repatriation and direct flight arrivals from India were cut by 30 per cent last week, with those who have been in the nation during the past two weeks required to test negative for Covid within three days of boarding a flight to Australia. Health minister Greg Hunt on Monday afternoon confirmed stopping all flights from India could be an option if health authorities advised the move was necessary. 'If those additional measures are recommended, we will take them with the heaviest of hearts but without any hesitation,' he said. Australia will decide on Tuesday whether to stop all international flights from India as the nation battles a catastrophic coronavirus outbreak. Pictured, a returned traveller arriving at a quarantine hotel in Melbourne earlier this month Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) on Monday afternoon confirmed stopping international flights from India was on the table The infected man that led to Perth and the surrounding Peel region being plunged into a three-day lockdown had provided 'profound' reasons that saw him granted a travel exemption to go to India and then return back to Australia. The lockdown is set to end at midnight AWST on Monday. The man is understood to have left Perth and headed to India on December 12 for a wedding and returned to the city with his new bride on April 10 before he tested positive while in quarantine at the Mercure hotel three days later. The virus was passed to his wife and spread into other rooms on the same floor, infecting three others. Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the infected man's travel was approved months ago under the old criteria, which have since been dramatically tightened. 'A wedding would be very unlikely to be approved,' she told 6PR radio. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said public sentiment was against allowing Australians to head overseas for social events. But she also argued states must pull their weight in helping Australians return from overseas, arguing NSW has done more than its share regarding hotel quarantine. India recorded 352,991 confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday. Pictured, exhausted workers, who bring dead bodies for cremation, sit on the rear step of an ambulance inside a crematorium, in New Delhi There is growing outrage over the decision to let an infected man back into Australia from India on April 10. He tested positive while in quarantine at the Mercure Hotel in Perth (the hotel is pictured) Australian Medical Association WA president Andrew Miller said innocent people who were arriving without coronavirus were being infected in quarantine. Dr Miller described the system as an abuse of human rights, calling for mining camps to replace hotels as quarantine centres. 'The issue is that hotel quarantine isn't fit for purpose,' he told ABC radio. WA Premier Mark McGowan wants the federal government to open military bases and Christmas Island to quarantine overseas travellers. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has pushed back against the idea, saying such facilities are not fit for purpose. But Christmas Island was used in March and April last year for people returning from China and Japan. Repatriation and direct flight arrivals from India to Australia were cut by 30 per cent last week. Pictured passengers at Perth Airport in December 'Our quarantine system is in a mess. Scott Morrison has got to stop pretending that it's not his job to fix it,' Labor health spokesman Mark Butler said. India recorded 352,991 cases on Monday, the fifth-straight day of setting a grim world record for most new infections. Mr Hunt said India's request for oxygen would be considered on Tuesday, while non-invasive ventilators are likely to be provided. 'India is literally gasping for oxygen,' Mr Hunt said. He said India's humanitarian crisis was unfolding on an unimaginable scale. 'We remember the agony that our own Indian community is faced with. It's very important that we are sensitive to the suffering that they face, and their friends and their family and their loved ones overseas face,' Mr Hunt said. In a blow to Cooper and top Republican state lawmakers, Apple unveiled plans in 2018 to expand operations in Texas. Cooper said he believes the companys decision not to move to North Carolina at the time may have stemmed in part from the passage of a 2016 law that required people to use the restroom of the sex assigned to them at birth. That law was partially repealed a year later. Dominic Cummings is still considered a suspect in the hunt for the government's 'chatty rat' leaker, sources have claimed. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will be grilled by MPs this afternoon about a string of explosive allegations made by Mr Cummings. The PM's former-svengali denied being the 'chatty rat' and on Friday accused Henry Newman, a No10 adviser and close friend of Carrie Symonds, of being the most likely culprit. Mr Cummings said Mr Case told Boris Johnson that the leak came from 'neither me nor the then Director of Communications (Lee Cain)'. But Mr Case is expected to deny claims that he cleared Mr Cummings over involvement in the 'chatty rat' leak last year, which led to revelations in the Daily Mail that Mr Johnson was poised to order a second national lockdown in October. Those plans were later leaked to the press than night, forcing Mr Johnson to bring forward an announcement that a four-week closure would happen in November. Dominic Cummings (pictured) is still considered a suspect in the hunt for the government's 'chatty rat' leaker, sources have claimed Cabinet Secretary Simon Case (pictured with Mr Johnson) will be grilled by MPs this afternoon about a string of explosive allegations made by Mr Cummings A government source last night said the inquiry - conducted with the assistance of MI5 - was ongoing, adding: 'It has neither found anyone responsible, nor ruled anyone out.' A separate Whitehall source told The Times that while Cummings' claims he was cleared 'could well have been true some week in November last year' - this was no longer the case. They added: 'Things change. No one has been exonerated and the investigation is still active.' Mr Johnson's former top-aide Mr Cummings resigned in November last year after the PM's fiancee Carrie Symonds reportedly blocked the promotion of his right-hand man Lee Cain following months of civil war on Downing Street. Mr Case is also expected to today face detailed questions about the refurbishment of the flat above Number 11 Downing Street used by Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds. Mr Cummings said Mr Case (pictured) told Boris Johnson that the leak came from 'neither me nor the then Director of Communications (Lee Cain)' It comes amid claims that the Prime Minister has had to take out a personal loan to pay for it. Adding to the controversy, one senior Tory said last night: 'Boris had to take out a personal loan to cover the cost. 'You have to be pretty wealthy to have 60,000 lying around. He has just emerged from an expensive divorce.' The Electoral Commission said yesterday it was still seeking answers from Tory chiefs about whether party funds or donations were used. Labour last night wrote to the commission calling for a full investigation. On Friday, Mr Cummings said Mr Johnson wanted donors to secretly pay for the renovation which he said was unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules. The Mail had revealed that Mr Johnson asked Tory donors to help with the cost of the makeover which is said to run to six figures. On Friday, the Cabinet Office said the cost of 'painting, sanding and floorboards' had been paid from a 30,000 maintenance allowance, but 'any costs of wider refurbishment have been met by the Prime Minister personally'. The former chief aide, who quit in November, has denied being the 'chatty rat' and on Friday accused Henry Newman (centre), a No10 adviser and close friend of Carrie Symonds (right), of being the most likely culprit. Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the claims made by Mr Cummings were 'tittle-tattle' and the PM had 'met the cost of the flat'. Downing Street made no comment last night. Mr Cummings earlier denied being the 'chatty rat', adding: 'Last year there was a meeting between the PM, Cabinet Secretary, the Director of Communications and me regarding the leak of the decision for a further lockdown on the Friday evening immediately after the meeting in the Cabinet Room that made the decision (known in the media as "the chatty rat story"). 'The Cabinet Secretary told the PM that the leak was neither me nor the then Director of Communications (Lee Cain) and that ''all the evidence definitely leads to Henry Newman and others in that office, I'm just trying to get the communications data to prove it''. 'The PM was very upset about this. 'He said to me afterwards, ''If Newman is confirmed as the leaker then I will have to fire him, and this will cause me very serious problems with Carrie as they're best friends [pause] perhaps we could get the Cabinet Secretary to stop the leak inquiry?'' 'I told him that this was ''mad'' and totally unethical, that he had ordered the inquiry himself and authorised the Cabinet Secretary to use more invasive methods than are usually applied to leak inquiries because of the seriousness of the leak. 'I told him that he could not possibly cancel an inquiry about a leak that affected millions of people, just because it might implicate his girlfriend's friends.' (CNN) President Joe Biden is set to unveil the next phase of his massive plan to rebuild the American economy this week, and a collection of Democratic senators from a broad ideological spectrum are asking the President to make sure the proposal includes improvements to the health care system. In a letter obtained by CNN, 17 senators specifically ask for Biden to lower the Medicare eligibility age, expand Medicare benefits to include hearing, dental, and vision care, implement a cap on out-of-pocket expenses under traditional Medicare, and allow the program to negotiate lower drug prices. Biden's plan is expected to include proposals related to education, child care and climate change. What remains an open question is what plans the administration has to include health care in the package. Health care could be a dicey negotiating point with some Democrats in Congress hoping for expansions to Medicaid and Medicare while others are looking for changes to the Affordable Care Act. There could also be a fight over reigning in the cost of prescription drugs, a goal Democrats share but have different views on how to make happen. All of that could lead the White House to hold off on adding another complicated policy to an already overloaded package and instead try to make a run at health care later in the year. But these 17 Democrats want Biden to make that move now. "Medicare has been one of the most successful and popular federal programs in our nation's history since it was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. Now, 55 years later, the time is long overdue for us to expand and improve this program so that millions of older Americans can receive the health care they need, including eyeglasses, hearing aids and dental care," the letter reads. The letter is led by Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Ben Cardin of Maryland. It has a broad range of Democratic support from both progressives like Sanders and Warren, as well from Democrats in leadership like Stabenow and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are also signatories. While the White House has teased bits and pieces of the plan, officials insist that it is still a work in progress and aspects of it could be dropped our added before it is formally released. The specifics are expected to be unveiled ahead of Biden's address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday to mark his first 100 days in office. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and members of his Cabinet are expected to hit the road to sell the plan immediately after. The White House declined to say if health care would be part of this particular proposal, but press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday that expanding access to health care and making it more affordable remain a priority for Biden and his administration. "Even as he's making these decisions, that the American Families Plan and his speech on Wednesday, will not represent the totality of every priority item for him and every item on his agenda that he wants to move forward as president," Psaki said. But the Democratic senators -- nervous about their party's tight margins in both the House and the Senate -- believe Biden needs to act quickly to enact meaningful change and that these changes to health care are urgent. "We have an historic opportunity to make the most significant expansion of Medicare since it was signed into law," the letter reads. "We look forward to working with you to make this a reality and, in the process, substantially improve the lives of millions of older Americans and persons with disabilities." This story was first published on CNN.com "Democratic senators push Biden to include health care in American Family Plan". Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Nova Scotia hit a new single-day record number for COVID-19 cases on Sunday, even as there were hints that Canada's two biggest provinces were making fragile progress in the fight against the pandemic. A digital sign with the message "Do Not Travel" sits on the median as motorists travel on the Sea-to-Sky highway between Horseshoe Bay and Lions Bay, B.C., on Friday, April 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Nova Scotia hit a new single-day record number for COVID-19 cases on Sunday, even as there were hints that Canada's two biggest provinces were making fragile progress in the fight against the pandemic. Nova Scotia reported 63 new cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day figure recorded since the onset of the global pandemic. Most of the cases were found in the provinces central zone, which includes Halifax. Premier Iain Rankin introduced a month-long lockdown for the city and its surrounding communities last week. Rankin took to Twitter on Sunday to urge residents to get tested for the virus. "The more we test, the better we protect our families, communities (and) province," he wrote. He also announced the province would double fines for breaking public health orders from $1,000 to $2,000 as he expressed anger over a party that was broken up by Halifax police on Friday night. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you put yourself at risk? And worse, someone else?" While the virus appeared to be gaining steam out east, the news was more positive in two of Canada's biggest COVID-19 hot spots. New cases in Ontario were once again below the 4,000 mark on Sunday after hitting record highs throughout mid-April. Hospitalizations also declined by 151 over the last 24 hours, although the number of people in intensive care remained dangerously high, rising by 18 over the same period. Numbers show 851 of the province's 2,126 hospitalized COVID-19 patients are in intensive care. Quebec, meanwhile, reported its fourth straight decline in hospitalizations, as the province's seven-day average continued to drop slightly with the report of just over 1,000 new infections. Health Minister Christian Dube said the situation in the province remains fragile, "but hope is on the horizon." "Let's stick together in the coming weeks," he wrote, noting that the province expects to open vaccination to the remaining adult population at the end of May. Health officials in Manitoba reported a "trend of concerning case numbers" in the Chemawawin Cree Nation on the north shore of Cedar Lake. The province said that in response, the First Nation's chief and council have banned public gatherings and residents must stay at home except for work, medical care, or to get essential supplies. The province reported 259 cases on Sunday, but no deaths. Saskatchewan reported two new deaths among COVID-19 patients, as well as 249 new cases, while Alberta logged 1,437 new infections and three virus-related deaths. In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick reported four new cases and Newfoundland and Labrador recorded two. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, issued a statement saying the escalating national vaccination effort has already had a positive impact on COVID-19 caseloads in a number of groups. Those include older populations, health-care workers and Indigenous communities, she said. Health Canada, meanwhile, reiterated past reassurances from Procurement Minister Anita Anand that Canada's vaccine supply was not affected by quality control issues at a key facility in the United States. Canada had received 1.5 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot from the Baltimore-based plant run by Emergent BioSolutions, and the federal department said all of them passed muster. Health Canada said it reviewed the test results of all of the vaccine doses that entered the country, and all meet quality specifications. The facility also manufactures Johnson & Johnson shots, but none have yet entered Canada. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2021 WASHINGTON California will lose a representative in Congress for the first time in the states history, according to new numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday. California will still have the largest delegation in the House of any state by a large margin for the next decade, though its closest competitor, Texas, gained two seats, making the margin 52 to 38. But Californias population growth lagged behind that of the country as a whole since 2010, and with the House capped at 435 members, it joined Rust Belt and Northeastern states including West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York in surrendering seats to states that have grown far more in the past decade. The announcement kicks off what could be a contentious redistricting in California over the next year, a process that will reshape congressional maps and will leave the states 53 lawmakers in a game of musical chairs to keep their jobs. It will be a new experience for California, which gained congressional representation after virtually every census from when it joined the union in 1850 until 2010, when it remained flat. The redistricting process will still take time, as the data necessary to redraw districts will be delayed for several more months. The Census Bureau has promised it will arrive by Sept. 30. Outside experts who have analyzed population data expect that the Bay Areas delegation will remain largely intact, with Los Angeles County the likeliest to lose a seat. Slow growth rates in parts of Los Angeles County mean those regions are likely to see their influence reduced in Sacramento and Washington, while relatively high growth rates in the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Bernardino/Riverside County Inland Empire mean those areas are likely to increase their influence after the 2021 redistricting, Rose Institute fellow Douglas Johnson said in a statement accompanying a report he helped author for the Claremont McKenna College organization. Californias population in 2020 was 39,538,223, a growth of 6.1% over 2010. But that was the smallest increase for the state going back to 1910, the period for which data was readily available. It also trailed the national gain of 7.4%. Californias political lines for the 2020s will be redrawn through a nonpartisan process for the second time, thanks to a ballot measure that state voters approved in 2008 to take reapportionment out of the hands of the Legislature. A 14-member citizens redistricting commission, consisting of five Democrats, five Republicans and four unaffiliated members, has already been selected and is holding meetings. Still, politicians may attempt to influence the redrawing process. When the nonpartisan system was used for the first time in 2011, ProPublica reported that Democrats organized groups that claimed to be local community members to testify representing party interests. Democratic officials denied the report. ROBYN BECK / AFP via Getty Images Forty-three of Californias 53 congressional seats are now held by Democrats, with only a handful of true swing districts located mainly in Orange County and the Central Valley. Mondays announcement starts a sprint to redraw the districts in time for the February 2022 candidate filing deadline for the June primary elections. While the California Constitution requires maps to be redrawn by Aug. 15, the state Supreme Court extended the deadline to Dec. 15 in light of census data delays. The 2020 census was beset by problems, including lengthy litigation over policies by the Trump administration that attempted to exclude undocumented immigrants from being counted toward state populations. They ultimately were stopped from going into effect. The coronavirus pandemic further delayed census takers from conducting the decennial population count. California spent a record $187 million on outreach to ensure an accurate tabulation, more than six times what it spent in 2000 and 2010 combined. In a news conference announcing the results, census officials emphasized they were confident in their counts despite the problems. Overall, the nations population growth was the second-lowest in history, the Census Bureau said. It now totals nearly 331.5 million. Seven congressional seats shifted between 13 states, the smallest such change in the history of the apportionment process. Many of the changes were smaller than predicted, with several states holding onto seats they were expected to lose. California was joined by Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia in losing one seat apiece. Texas gained two seats and Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon each gained one. The competition was close: Census officials said that if New York had just 89 more people, it would have kept the House seat it lost and Minnesota would have dropped one instead. California Republicans were quick to cast the results as a referendum on Democratic policies, though the states that gained and lost seats were a mix of blue and red ones. It is not surprising that California would lose a seat in Congress for the first time in state history because years of failed Democrat policies have taken our state backward, said state GOP Chair Jessica Millan Patterson. Californians will have one less voice to speak for us in Washington, which proves yet again that its time for change and real leadership. While Republicans control state governments and the redistricting process in more states than Democrats, including some of the states that picked up seats in Congress, its not clear how redistricting will affect the makeup of Congress. Some of the flows of migration within the U.S. are also likely to affect the makeup of the voting population in those states. Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan At a time when North Koreas recovery depends on Beijing, Pyongyang bans anti-Chinese racial slurs and criticism of its northern neighbor. Chinese visitors look on from the Broken Bridge as a train travels on the Friendship Bridge across the Yalu river from North Korea to China, in Dandong, Liaoning province, China June 10, 2018. Authorities in North Korea have threatened to punish citizens caught criticizing China or acting in a discriminatory manner toward the countrys ethnic Chinese residents, sources told RFA. Called Hwagyo in Korean, the ethnic Chinese residents are not North Korean citizens. Though their families have lived on the Korean peninsula for many generations, Hwagyo are still seen as foreigners in the homogenous North Korean society and are the targets of prejudice during times when anti-Chinese sentiment is running high. The exact number of Hwagyo in North Korea is unknown as the countrys last census in 2008 classified people as Korean or other. Estimates published in South Koreas Chosun Ilbo newspaper put the ethnic Chinese population at around 10,000 as of 2009. The coronavirus pandemic has hurt the economic fortunes of both North Koreans and Hwagyo alike, with some Hwagyo hit harder by Beijing and Pyongyangs January 2020 decision to close down the 880-mile Sino-Korean border and suspend all trade on virus concerns. The move was a disaster for North Koreas economy, especially for those who made their living in ways connected to cross-border trade. Though the border remains closed, North Korea has received Chinese aid by both rail and ship. Sources said that Pyongyang could be concerned that the people are acting hostile to China and Chinese people at a time when the government is looking to Beijing with its hand out. A resident of the northwestern border city of Sinuiju told RFAs Korean Service April 21 that neighborhood watch units in the city held meetings to tell the people that the provincial party committee would start punishing people for slanderous criticism of China and Hwagyo residents of North Korea. It is true that there have been various forms of criticism and slander against Hwagyo over the years because of latent prejudice and fear. The Hwagyo bundle merchants sell Chinese goods, but there have been conflicts and disputes, so North Koreans often call them by racial slurs, said the source. Some North Koreans really dislike Chinese leadership for saying publicly that China is part of a socialist brotherhood with North Korea, but Beijing does very little to support us even though we are living through economic hardship due to the coronavirus. Even the authorities in the past have been wary of our unconditional dependence on China and the expectations that theyll take care of us, saying Dont trust China too much, said the source. The central government is worried about optics at a time when North Korea needs help from China in the form of aid to get back on its feet, according to the source. This is why it ordered the lecture meetings nationwide. The authorities banned any form of demeaning of Chinese people, saying they would put North Koreans on the stage of the ideological review sessions and make examples out of them if they were found to be using racial slurs against Hwagyo, said the source. Soon a lot of Chinese aid will come in, which is said to have been made possible on the direct orders of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Central Committee banned the criticism of China and the Chinese as it became apparent that there is no way for North Korea to solve her own problems, such as shortages of food, construction materials, and agricultural resources, the source said. Another source, a resident of nearby Ryongchon county, told RFA that the countys party branch ordered people not to use racial slurs against Hwagyo. This is the first time that the party legally banned prejudice against Hwagyo, or criticism against China. The people are spreading rumors that the Highest Dignity has formed a brotherhood with Chinse President Xi Jinping, said the second source, using an honorific term to refer to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Given the current economic situation in the country, all the people know that North Koreas lifeblood is in Chinas hands. Some say that the North Korean people are like children with bad parents who cannot avoid suffering because they have to rely on China all the time, the second source said. The second source said it is unfair to the Hwagyo that they should be targeted for North Koreans gripes with the Chinese government. The Hwagyo in Ryongchon county also suffered the same hardships as North Koreans over the past year. Its enough to say that the Hwagyo have been living with even more difficulty than North Koreans, the second source said. North Korean authorities banning the use of specific words is very common, but usually the banned terms are an attempt to prevent South Korean speech and mannerisms from infiltrating the language spoken in North Korea. That North Korea banned a specific racial slur may be a callback to the Chinese governments 2016 ban of the irreverent nickname Jin San Pang, which has been translated as Kim Fatty III in reference to Kims weight and status as the third generation of the Kim family dynasty to rule North Korea. North Korea has historically depended on China to bail it out of crises and shield it from international criticism. China came to the aid of North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, losing as may as 400,000 soldiers. Beijing has used its clout in the United Nations largely to protect Pyongyang from tough penalties sought by the United States and others, although at times supporting UN Security Council resolutions over Pyongyangs nuclear tests. China for decades has been North Koreas largest trading partner and provider of aid that props up the North Korean government, preventing the countrys collapse. Reported by Jeong Yon Park for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the government will provide COVID-19 vaccine for free to everyone above 18 years of age in the national capital. He said the Delhi government has approved purchase of 1.34 crore vaccines. "We will try to buy these vaccines as quickly as possible and ensure that the people are vaccinated soon," the chief minister said. Kejriwal also raised questions on different prices for vaccines for the Centre and state governments, and said the price should be same for everyone. While Serum Institue of India, which is manufacturing Covishield, will sell the vaccine for Rs 400 per dose to state governments, Bharat Biotech will charge Rs 600 per dose to states for Covaxin. Both the vaccine manufacturers will supply the vaccines for Rs 150 per dose to the Centre, Kejriwal said, and appealed to them to bring down the cost to Rs 150 per dose. "This is the time to help humanity, not make profits," the chief minister said. He also urged the Centre to cap the price of the vaccines, saying that the government has already done it for many medicines. He also highlighted that many children below 18 years of age are also getting infected by COVID-19 and some deaths have also been reported. "If these vaccines are safe and effective for them, they should be given these. If not, then I hope new vaccines will be developed soon that will be effective and safe for children." The Delhi government is working to increase the number of oxygen beds in the national capital for COVID-19 patients, the chief minister said, adding that ITBP's Radha Soami COVID care facility in Chhatarpur has become operational today with 150 beds. He said the number of beds would be increased to 500 in few days and then to 5,000. A 200-bed ICU facility is also being created at the site. Delhi reported 22,933 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with positivity rate at 30.21 per cent. Also read: Natco Pharma seeks approval for phase-3 trial of antiviral drug Molnupiravir for COVID-19 treatment Also read: RIL-BP ahead of schedule in KG D6; MJ field will start production next year NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WWD and Unilever Prestige have launched a new, $15,000 grant initiative, Project Connect, designed to support and uplift the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders at the forefront of the movement to humanize technology for the future marketplace. As COVID-19 triggered unwanted social isolation, this program is looking for innovators whose product or service can create connection by bridging the gap between people and product via technology. The ideal grant applicant, will find technological solutions that allow for more meaningful social interaction, support new ways of exchanging goods and services or simply help enhance people lives during this time. WWD and Unilever Prestige have launched a new $15,000 grant initiative, Project Connect. Tweet this Project Connect is now accepting applications for this unique grant opportunity. Whether you are a student, a start-up founder or already running an established business, we encourage you to apply. Project Connect offers a chance for entrepreneurs of all kinds to receive grant funding and access a robust package of resources including access to mentorship, opportunities to help scale business and exposure to new industries and audiences. Applications must be submitted by May 28, 2021 and will be reviewed by a full panel of industry experts that include: Vasiliki Petrou, EVP of Unilever Prestige; Amanda Smith, President, Fairchild Fashion Media; Vicky Tsai, Founder of Tatcha; Carla Nelson, founder of the Black Fashion World Foundation, Kevin Fried, Director of Retail at Google; and John Webo, President & CEO, Amyris. Applicants should have: A scalable business model that serves to humanize technology for the future. Innovative products & services that demonstrate a connection between human touch and virtual communication. Social Impact at the core of the business with efforts that promote an inclusive platform and shifting marketplace values. A future-focused mindset and clear vision to advance the industry. Why this initiative, and why now? COVID-19 has undoubtedly accelerated the adoption of technology into every aspect of life proving that in a post-pandemic world, (remote) technology and virtual communication will be core elements of our daily lives and interactions. Although technology continues to allow progress amid disruption and enable near-constant communication, research shows that 50 percent of people are reporting feeling isolated this year, compared to 23 percent just two years ago. With Project Connect, Unilever Prestige and WWD aim to harness sector-wide expertise and the power of storytelling to highlight the "heart and soul" behind technology with a human-centered approach to digital integration. With a goal to help bridge the digital divide for the future marketplace, the innovative products and services showcased in this program will serve as solutions to humanize virtual communication and keep us connected even as the pandemic moves us into a more isolated state. By scaling innovations in technology that help people around the world engage in today's tech driven market, Project Connect hopes to build a bridge to the future across industries. A post-pandemic world will require collaboration, new connections and partnerships. Together, with a unified goal to bridge the digital divide and strengthen the connection between technology and virtual communication, WWD and Unilever Prestige will guide a journey of connection across all industries. Partnership perspectives "Having spent my career raising awareness of future focused brands, I'm excited to find new and innovative entrepreneurs whose business models push the boundaries of what we're used to," said Vasiliki Petrou, Executive Vice President of Unilever Prestige. "Brands with passion and purpose tackle a mission bigger than life, and there's no escaping that digital experiences have been the future for a long time now. But COVID has really expedited that process, and personally for me, coming from brands where human touch and face-to-face interactions are so vital to the customer experience, it's felt like there is a missing piece. To truly serve our consumers now and in the future, we need to enrich that space at the intersection of our digital lives and our need for human connection." "As we look forward to a post-COVID-19 world, we need to pivot and rely on innovative technology more than ever," said Amanda Smith, president of Fairchild Media, a division of PMC. "There is nothing more exciting for WWD than partnering with Unilever Prestige to power our portfolios with purpose and celebrate trailblazers who are the next generation of business leaders." Link to application https://www.research.net/r/UPxWWD For more information about this project, or to schedule an interview with Unilever Prestige's Vasiliki Petrou or Fairchild Media Group's Amanda Smith, contact Fairchild Media Group's VP of Marketing, Stephanie Siegel at [email protected] About PMC PMC is a leading independent global media and information services company whose award-winning content attracts a passionate audience. Since 2004, Penske Media has been a pioneer in digital media and a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens across its ever-growing constellation of iconic brands, which includes Variety, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, WWD, SHE Media, Robb Report, Deadline, Sportico, BGR, ARTnews, Fairchild Media, Vibe, IndieWire, Dirt, Gold Derby and Spy.com, among many others. PMC's journalists and content creators deliver daily the most comprehensive news and information in their industries and areas of coverage, unequaled in ambition, depth and courage. Headquartered in New York and Los Angeles with additional offices in 14 countries worldwide, PMC believes companies should not only be profitable but also forces for good. To learn more about Fairchild Media Group and PMC, visit: https://pmc.com/ SOURCE WWD Aurangabad has added 1,081 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the district to 1,18,569, an official said on Monday. Besides these new cases recorded on Sunday, 27 more people also succumbed to the viral infection, pushing the death toll in the district to 2,373, he said. Out of the 1,081 fresh cases, 470 were detected in Aurangabad city and 611 in rural parts of the district. The official said 1,693 patients also recuperated from the disease on Sunday, taking the total number of those who recovered in Aurangabad to 1,02,581. As of now, there are 13,615 active COVID-19 cases in the district, he said. Aurangabad municipal health officer Dr Neeta Padalkar told PTI that the number of new cases reported daily was decreasing in the city. "Various measures, including restrictions as part of the government's 'Break the Chain' initiative, and vaccinations are helping. Earlier, around 1,200 cases were reported per day in the city, but now the number has come down," she said. The official said early diagnosis of the infection, quick isolation and timely treatment go a long way in controlling the spread of COVID-19?. "We have empty beds in the COVID-19 care centres as well as oxygen beds. There is some shortage of ventilator beds, but the situation is manageable," she 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.) Union Health Minister has clarified on the issue of vaccines after concerns were raised from various quarters including the Congress. The clarification came on late Sunday night. said, as per the new policy, even after the launch of third phase of vaccination starting May 1, the Government of India will continue giving vaccine doses from its 50 per cent quota to the states and UTs for free. These vaccines shall continue to be administered by states and union territories. He said, the balance 50 per cent quota grants flexibility for states. Many states had requested that the vaccination process be opened up for them. Now, this balance 50 per cent quota shall give them the freedom to vaccinate groups that they deem as priority. "It is a fact that health is a state subject, where Centre essentially coordinates and facilitates the states. After we received requests from nearly all states to liberalise the vaccine distribution policy and pass on the control to the states, we decided to go ahead," said. The balance 50 per cent quota is also open for corporate and private sector to pool in their resources so that the combined effort of Team India can be deployed to vaccinate every adult in the earliest possible time, he said. The vaccination process through GOI route will continue as before and the entire expense of this will continue to be borne by the Centre. As the eligibility criteria to get vaccinated through this route evolves further, GOI will continue to provide full support to the states to vaccinate all eligible people free of cost. Undoubtedly, the private and corporate sector route will empower a large number of people to get themselves quickly vaccinated outside the government route. In essence, those who can afford to get them at the private and corporate sector rates, shall go ahead, the minister said. The states, therefore, as per their own priority and commitments, have to vaccinate only those remaining people who have not been administered vaccines either through the GOI free route or through the private route. "It is thus important to note that for the common people at large, there is and will always be an option to get vaccinated for free, to ensure that the price of vaccines does not become a burden for them." he said. "The 50 per cent quota, that is at Government of India's pricing, is for free distribution of vaccines and distribution of all of this will be done through the states only. Hence the allegation that Centre is getting it cheap and States are not is patently false," he further said. The actual situation is that states are getting one guaranteed channel of free vaccine supply, while it can simultaneously procure vaccines from another channel as per its aspirations and commitment to its people, the minister clarified. "I see no reason why the states must complain now. They were demanding removal of restrictions on vaccine supplies to them. Under the new policy, they have the liberty to directly procure from the manufacturers and even negotiate prices based on volumes. This will also cut the delays. I empathise with the states because they are leading this battle from the front and need fast replenishment of vaccine stocks. They need to decide when, how, how much and to whom. This is exactly what the Centre has done by easing the process," the Union Health minister said. --IANS miz/skp/ (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 basic rule of international relations is that you do not impose sanctions without an end state in mind. You also need to be able to muster strong international support by providing clear proof of the charges you are bringing. Does the U.S. have that support? When you levy charges against another country and then apply sanctions, there will invariably be pushback. The situation can easily escalate into a major crisis. Has Biden thought through his dealings with Russia and President Vladimir Putin? What does he intend to accomplish with the latest round of sanctions against the Russian Federation? In just four months, President Biden has managed to ratchet up tensions with Russia to new heights not seen since 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine. Last Thursday, Biden made good on his threats, announcing new sanctions to Russia for interfering in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and involvement in the SolarWinds hack of federal agencies activities Moscow has denied. The Biden White House now admits that one provocative claim against Putin, Biden's repeated accusations that Russia put bounties on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, relies upon very shaky intel from the CIA. In remarks to a state news agency on Monday, Zamir Kabulov, President Putin's special envoy for Afghanistan and a former ambassador in Kabul, dismissed the Taliban bounties report as "outright lies" generated by "forces in the United States who don't want to leave Afghanistan and want to justify their own failures." Putin is particularly irritated at the idea that he would hire killers from a radical Islamist group that is banned in Russia as a "terrorist" outfit, the same Afghan fighters who killed so many Red Army soldiers during their war there. So, despite this admission from the White House, Putin has not forgotten the slight. As Russian news service Interfax reported on April 21, "[l]ast week, the United States unveiled a new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, which included the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats from the embassy in Washington and a ban on American financial institutions from participating in the initial placements of the Russian government debt denominated in rubles." Putin has now decided to mirror the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Washington. That same Wednesday, the deputy head of the U.S. Mission to Moscow, Bartle Gorman, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to be handed a note announcing that ten employees of the U.S. Embassy were now "persona non grata," ordered to leave Russian territory by the end of the day. In addition, U.S. ambassador John Sullivan was advised to travel to Washington for "consultations," recalling yet another slight against Putin perpetrated by President Biden. When Putin's demand for a direct talk with Biden was rebuffed by Jen Psaki on March 18, the Russian ambassador to Washington was immediately recalled to Moscow for consultations. According to Interfax, "further steps" may be expected in the near future, "within the framework of the statement announced by the RF Foreign Ministry on April 16, a set of responses to the latest 'wave' of illegal U.S. anti-Russian sanctions." In his lengthy address to the country on April 21, after numerous fatuous promises of enhanced social welfare programs, environmental protections, support for education, and the like promises meant to divert attention from the genuine grievances behind the countrywide protests planned for that day Putin proceeded to warn "organizers of provocations against the Russian Federation" against "crossing the red line in relation to Russia." As he continued, it became clear that the United States is included in these warnings, especially considering that the expulsion of ten American diplomats was to take place that same day. Putin appears to see the U.S. behind today's nationwide protest marches. He is also clearly incensed by Biden's unrelenting diatribes against Russia. Prior to Tuesday, Ambassador John Sullivan had given a statement that he would return to the United States this week to discuss U.S.-Russian ties with members of President Joe Biden's administration, suggesting that he followed the example of Anatoly Antonov, recalled last month, who had not yet returned to Washington. Now that Putin has expelled the ten American diplomats, however, despite being "advised" by the Kremlin to leave Russia, Sullivan is digging in his heels. He says he will not be leaving any time soon. "Putin will have to force me out." Meanwhile, Putin is linking the current aggressive actions of the United States against Russia to the activities of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation. Putin insists that this foundation and its activities are somehow being steered by the United States. His "proof": a Russian expat living in Florida says he donated $50 to an opposition politician seeking to run for a Moscow city council seat. Putin's regime has used this fact to establish Navalny's foundation as an "organization performing the functions of a foreign agent in Russia," which adds teeth to any official actions taken against Navalny and his supporters. In an official government statement regarding Wednesday's national protests, the R.F. Ministry of Internal Affairs warned that like everyone, they "remember that calls for provocations are heard from abroad." Putin wasted no time going after Navalny's supporters and otherwise interfering with the protests that were planned for April 21. In the evening of April 20, parts of Kostroma as well as Yekaterinburg were blocked off for "insect spraying." On Primorsky Kray's municipal "Telegram" channel, a post warned local residents about the "dozens of phones, cameras, and camcorders" that would post images of "participants in unauthorized actions," plus the "criminal liability, fines, forced labor, and prison terms" that would be used to punish them. Students across Russia, including Krasnodar, Omsk, and Yekaterinburg, were issued social media messages warning of "liabilities" for participating in "an uncoordinated event." In Moscow, all students of the state university there were required to take a listening test in a foreign language in the middle of the day on April 21 even students who had already taken such a test. In Omsk, the local Technological College student residents of the city hostel were required to take part in a "cleanup day" on April 21, something usually scheduled for a Saturday, even though they paid for janitors to keep the facility clean. In his April 21 speech, Putin complained that "unfriendly actions" against Russia have not stopped. Putin maintains that he is restraining his behavior "to the highest degree": "We are not often responding, not only to unfriendly actions, but also to outright rudeness." According to Putin, the Russian Federation wants to have "good relations" even with "those with whom, of late, relations have not developed." Putin ended with this warning: "But if someone perceives our good intentions as indifference or weakness, and he himself intends to finally burn these bridges (in relations with the Russian Federation IF) , then he should know that Russia's response will be asymmetrical, quick and tough. ... All sorts of whimpering Tobaccos are spinning around those who cling to us, like around Shere Khan" an interesting allusion to a Jungle Book character. Who knew that Putin was a Kipling (or is it Disney?) fan? Lynn Corum is a translator who studies developments in the Russian press that affect America's national interests. She has been researching and writing on Putin's stated plans since 2009 and is a world expert on Project Russia, the Kremlin's published state ideology. Image: Vladimir Putin via Flickr, CC BY 3.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Daniel Kaluuyas history-making Oscars win will mean so much to so many, fellow star Noel Clarke has said. Kaluuya, 32, who was born in London to Ugandan parents, took the award for his portrayal of Black Panther party leader Fred Hampton in Judas And The Black Messiah. It made him the first black Briton to receive the best supporting actor award, and was the latest marker of a meteoric rise since his breakthrough in the UK TV series Skins. Several British stars were among those sharing their delight at his recognition, with Clarke writing on Twitter: Nothing to be said but congratulations. Correct me if Im wrong, but is this the 1st ever black British male actor to win an Oscar? Will mean so much to so many, he added. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Actor, writer and director Clarke, 45, was recently recognised for outstanding British contribution to cinema, and used his own acceptance speech to pay tribute to my young black boys and girls out there who never believed that this could happen to them. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Game Of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel tweeted that she was proud of Kaluuyas success, writing: Yes Daniel!!! what wonderful news to wake up to. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. And rapper Ghetts, a fellow Londoner, wrote: Every time one of the man dem break barriers I feel energised, so to wake up to the news of Daniel Kaluuya winning an Oscar has got man spring stepping. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Camdens Torriano Primary School, which Kaluuya attended in the 1990s, tweeted that it was incredibly proud, adding: What an inspiration for our children! To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. British comic actor Steve Pemberton, with whom Kaluuya starred in the early years of his career in the BBCs dark comedy Psychoville, also offered a message of congratulations. Ill be using my Club biscuit to congratulate Daniel Kaluuya on his amazing win, Pemberton wrote on Twitter, referencing a joke from the show. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Politicians also got in on the act, with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and Labours David Lammy both offering their congratulations. PITTSBURGH (April 26, 2021) ... Anna C. Balazs, an award-winning University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor in the Swanson School of Engineering, has added one of the nation's top honors to her portfolio. The National Academy of Sciences announced today that Balazs is among its 120 newly elected members, recognizing distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Balazs, who also holds the John A. Swanson Chair of Engineering in the Swanson School's Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, is internationally recognized for her theoretical and computational modeling of polymers. For the past decade, her research has focused on mimicking biological processes in polymeric materials which could contribute to the advancement of soft robotics or "squishy robots." "Throughout her career, Anna has advanced the field of materials and computational modeling, and we are so proud that the National Academy of Sciences has bestowed her with this honor," said James R. Martin II, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering. "Her research has built the foundation for future materials and their use in ways that even only a decade ago were science fiction. She has fulfilled the passion of every engineer - to create new knowledge that one day will benefit the human condition. I congratulate her on this exceptional achievement and look forward to one day celebrating with her in person." Balazs, a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Materials Research Society, has also received some of the leading awards in her field, including the Royal Society of Chemistry S F Boys - A Rahman Award (2015), the American Chemical Society Langmuir Lecture Award (2014), and the Mines Medal from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (2013). In 2106 she was named the first woman to receive the prestigious Polymer Physics Prize from the American Physical Society. "The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh could not be more proud of Anna's selection to the National Academy of Science, which is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a U.S. scientist," noted Steven R. Little, Department Chair of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. "There is no one more deserving than Anna. She has envisioned (and continues to envision) the materials that future generations will use to create a better world, and she continues to lead scientists to make these materials a reality. She is a role model to our faculty and our students. Her work in her field is truly unparalleled in its breadth, quality and impact." This year's NAS member cohort includes 59 women, the most elected in a single year. "The historic number of women elected this year reflects the critical contributions that they are making in many fields of science, as well as a concerted effort by our Academy to recognize those contributions and the essential value of increasing diversity in our ranks," said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt in the announcement. ### About Dr. Balazs Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh in 1987, Anna C. Balazs held a postdoctoral position in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Balazs' research involves theoretical and computational modeling of the thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of polymer blends and composites. She is also investigating the properties of polymers at surfaces and interfaces. Her awards and recognitions include the Polymer Physics Prize (2016); S. F. Boys-A. Rahman Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry's (RSC) Faraday Division (2015); ACS Langmuir Lecture Award (2014); Greater Pittsburgh Women Chemists Committee Award for Excellence in the Chemical Sciences (2014); Fellow, Materials Research Society (2014); South Dakota School of Mines' Mines Medal (2013); Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2010); Donaldson Lecturer, University of Minnesota (2007); Honoree, "Women in the Material World," Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (2006); Maurice Huggins Award of the Gordon Research Conference for outstanding contributions to Polymer Science (2003); Visiting Fellow, Corpus Christi College, Oxford University (2000 - 2001; 2007- 2008); Special Creativity Award, National Science Foundation, (1999-2001); Fellow, American Physical Society (1993); and Invited Participant, National Academy of Sciences' 6th Annual Frontiers of Science Symposium (November 3-5, 1994). Salman Khan Steps Out During The Lockdown To Oversee Food Packet Distribution To Frontline Workers, Tries The Food Himself The list of Salman Khan charitable work keeps growing with each day that passes. The Bollywood star who has been devoted to lending aid to the less fortunate during the pandemic recently decided to do something kind for the frontline warriors who battle day and night against the coronavirus by being devoted to their line of duty. The Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor distributed 5000 food packets to the frontline workers in collaboration with the popular restaurant, Bhajaanz Kitchen, which is named after him. The star personally visited the restaurant to check the quality of food that was being sent out to the front-line workers. A video of his visit to the restaurant is now going viral where Salman can be seen standing behind the counter where food packets were been put together. The actor tries out the food and nods his approval and then quickly put his face mask back on. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rising Indore (@risingindore.news) In a few pictures, he can also be seen talking to a few workers outside the restaurant. View this post on Instagram A post shared by being_bhaijaan_1312 (@being_bhaijaan_8385) Salman was also in the news recently for re-launching his food truck service, Being Haangryy, for migrant workers, which had started last year to provide free ration to stranded workers. On the work front, Salman will next be seen in the film Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai on Eid in mAy. The film will release simultaneously on both OTT and theatres. I've never been on a protest march in my life. They usually cause chaos for hardworking folk attempting to go about their day to day business and usually include smelly troublemakers who would be much better off attempting to make changes via channels that are more likely to lead to real change. But I respect people's democratic right to protest under any circumstance and appreciate it's a cornerstone of a free political system. That's why I've been so disturbed to see the virtual media blackout of the massive anti-lockdown protests in London over the weekend. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News have devoted hundreds of hours over the past year to less well attended demonstrations by Black Lives Matter, anti-statue, Extinction Rebellion and women's rights supporters. Yet the thousands of folk who turned up to march against the biggest erosion of our freedoms and civil liberties in modern history are given short shrift. I've been so disturbed to see the virtual media blackout of the massive anti-lockdown protests (pictured on Saturday) in London over the weekend, writes DAN WOOTTON It seems our broadcasters, which claim to be impartial, have made a decision to only accurately cover the demonstrations of causes that the London metropolitan elite believe in. In fact, the only significant reportage provided by the BBC was to denigrate those marching as QAnon-supporting anti-vaxxers. That would be the same as trying to describe all those marching for BLM as Antifa anarchists, rather than folk who believe in racial equality. I've watched multiple videos of the anti-lockdown protests. There was some despicable violence against police officers, which I utterly condemn. Those responsible should be arrested and feel the full force of the law. Take the tiresome woketopian BBC presenter Sue Perkins, writes DAN WOOTTON. She tweeted: 'Dear Everyone Marching in Oxford Street, please go home, switch on the news and look at the footage coming out of India. That is what happens when the virus overruns a health system. We've been trying so hard to stop that happening here. Don't p*** on all our chips. Ta' That's funny, writes DAN WOOTTON. Because on March 13 it was the same Sue Perkins who tweeted a picture of a mass gathering for the murdered Clapham woman Sarah Everard, which she described as an 'extraordinary image' Were there cranks and conspiracy theorists in attendance? Probably, like at every protest march. But it's very obvious to me that the vast majority of people were Brits from all demographic groups peacefully protesting their right to reclaim freedoms that a year ago seemed impossible to believe the Government could take away from us. The right to visit an elderly relative in a care home. The right to attend a funeral and hug a grieving widow. The right to invite a loved one over to your house. The right to get married in front of all your nearest and dearest. The right for your child to go to school without wearing a mask. The right to run your business at a profit to feed your family. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News have devoted hundreds of hours over the past year to less well attended demonstrations by Black Lives Matter (pictured in London last summer), anti-statue, Extinction Rebellion and women's rights supporters, writes DAN WOOTTON The zealotry is not coming from sensible people like me and the protestors looking at the data and pushing against lockdown, it's owned by those who believe we should remain perpetually in one, even though the facts on the ground clearly shows us it is time for all restrictions to be lifted. But that didn't stop the pious virtue signallers online attempting to disparage those who decided to protest against lockdown, even though they were strangely silent about other similar marches. Take the tiresome woketopian BBC presenter Sue Perkins. She tweeted: 'Dear Everyone Marching in Oxford Street, please go home, switch on the news and look at the footage coming out of India. That is what happens when the virus overruns a health system. We've been trying so hard to stop that happening here. Don't p*** on all our chips. Ta.' That's funny. Because on March 13 it was the same Sue Perkins who tweeted a picture of a mass gathering for the murdered Clapham woman Sarah Everard, which she described as an 'extraordinary image'. There was no criticism of the thousands who had turned up at that vigil (which I also believe should have been allowed to go ahead) without any social distancing. Police are seen surrounding the Extinction Rebellion pink boat that had been parked in Parliament Square, London, on the last day of 10 days of demonstrations in 2020 What's changed, Sue? Are there only certain types of democratic protests you think are acceptable? Further, to raise India is ridiculous and misleading. It doesn't take into account our highly successful vaccine programme, which this weekend saw over half the population jabbed, including the vast majority of those with any realistic chance of dying or getting seriously ill from Covid-19. Sadly, there was only one broadcaster that accurately reported on the peaceful anti-lockdown march in London and they were on the other side of the world. Actress Emma Thompson speaks to the media at Oxford Circus in London during an Extinction Rebellion protest in 2019 In a one minute and 51 second report, which has now gone viral online, Sky News Australia accurately summed up the event, without a hint of bias. The excellent Rita Panahi reported: 'Yes, massive crowds. Peaceful, which is lovely to see. They are wanting their freedoms reinstated. 'They are wanting to be able to see their family, hold funerals where numbers aren't limited and people aren't socially distanced, and get businesses back to operating at full capacity, particularly given how well they've gone with their vaccine rollout. 'So the masses were out today and there is a fightback. 'There (in the UK) you've had Boris Johnson's government and Labour very pro-lockdown. You've had the media be pro-lockdown. 'So there's a lot of people who feel they've been voiceless throughout this pandemicincluding medical experts who've come out and said: 'What we're doing is actually not based on the evidence and it has all sorts of unintentional consequences that are negative, particularly when you look at the rates of cancer, heart disease and serious illnesses not being diagnosed early.' People gathered at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, London, in March following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard 'They feel like they've been voiceless.' And they remain voiceless, thanks to our broadcasters whose coverage of protest events is so steeped in their own biases they can no longer be taken seriously. What there will be no shortage off in the broadcast media today, however, is infinite coverage of a private comment the Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to have made after being bullied into a second national lockdown last October. According to an agenda-setting exclusive in today's Daily Mail, the PM said in a candid moment to a handful of key advisers and ministers: 'No more f***ing lockdowns let the bodies pile high in their thousands.' Now that clearly was not a wise comment to make around some Downing Street snakes who cannot be trusted. But what is most fascinating about today's excellent reporting by Simon Walters and Andrew Pierce is that it showed the massive frustration Boris felt to be forced into locking the country down for a third time, given the tidal wave of non-Covid deaths and explosion of poverty that he knew would come with such a decision. I'm glad to finally hear Boris was doing everything possible to resist such a move and was angry about having to lock down the country again. What a shame he feels unable to express himself honestly in public, where his narrative suggests he has become a lockdown zealot. Lockdowns have huge costs and, looking around the world, evidence of their effectiveness to do anything other than temporarily supress the virus is far from clear. Here's the fascinating thing: If Boris Johnson wasn't in a straightjacket thanks to the SAGE extremists and professional scaremongers surrounding him, he might have been on the anti-lockdown protest march himself. But the PM has betrayed his libertarian instincts for political expediency, the cost of which the UK will feel for many years. As Manitoba plunged deeper into a third wave of COVID-19 with more than 500 new cases announced over the weekend hundreds of demonstrators descended on The Forks Sunday to urge residents to ignore public health orders aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly virus. As Manitoba plunged deeper into a third wave of COVID-19 with more than 500 new cases announced over the weekend hundreds of demonstrators descended on The Forks Sunday to urge residents to ignore public health orders aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly virus. At 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Manitoba reported 259 new cases of the virus, 188 of them in Winnipeg. The test-positivity hit 7.1 per cent provincewide and 7.6 per cent in Winnipeg the highest its been since early February. Less than two hours later, several hundred people gathered in close proximity at The Forks, where they spread conspiracy theories about the virus and spoke out against wearing masks, getting tested or vaccinated. There have been 1,460 new cases of COVID-19 identified in Manitoba in the last week, including 535 in the past two days. There are currently 2,024 active cases in the province, with 139 people in hospital and 37 in intensive care. Last Monday, Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitobas chief public health officer, said the current restrictions were a "last shot" at staving off another lockdown. Anti-mask activist and conspiracy theorist Chris Saccoccia, also known as "Chris Sky, speaks at the rally. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press) On Sunday evening, that lockdown appeared inevitable. A bulletin released at 8:30 p.m. said Roussin and Premier Brian Pallister will be holding a news conference Monday to announce additional public health measures. The rally on Sunday drew roughly 300 to 400 people set against the backdrop of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights where speakers railed against public health orders, and spread conspiracy theories and misinformation about the pandemic. The headline attraction was Chris Saccoccia, also known as "Chris Sky", a leading Canadian anti-mask activist and conspiracy theorist who has risen to online prominence and infamy during the pandemic. Saccoccia is currently on a cross-country tour to protest against lockdowns and public health restrictions. He did not follow Manitoba's self-isolation requirements when he arrived in Winnipeg for Sundays event. "This is war and I dont use that word lightly," Saccoccia told the crowd of supporters, shortly after encouraging them to go into stores in large groups while not wearing masks. "We will win." Rally attendees speak to a person wearing a mask. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press) Amongst the sea of demonstrators gathered at The Forks, numerous placards stood out from the crowd, including one that read: "No mamma I cant breathe mask off." The sign was a reference to George Floyd, the Black man murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Another placard referenced a discredited conspiracy theory film that argues the pandemic is a ploy by the elites to make money and erode civil liberties. At least one speaker compared the current situation in Canada to 1940s Germany under Nazi rule. At one point during the afternoons event, a local Winnipeg anti-mask activist led the crowd in a chant of "Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up!", referring to Pallister and Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman. After the chant ended, the speaker said Roussin and Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitobas deputy chief public health officer, should also be imprisoned. Tobias Tissen, the minister of Church of God Restoration, a congregation in rural Manitoba that has been repeatedly fined for breaching public health orders during the pandemic, also spoke at the event and led those gathered in an opening prayer. The Forks did not give permission to the rally organizers to hold the event, and shut down its facilities for the afternoon "out of an abundance of caution and to protect the safety of guests, tenants and employees." While numerous speakers at the rally said they were breaching public health orders in order to support small, independent businesses that need to be open, the result of their demonstration was that several stores at The Forks had to shut down for the day. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe Islamabad, April 26 : As the Biden administration announced pulling out its troops from Afghanistan, Pakistan may be the worst affected as regrouping of terrorist would be its biggest concern, a United States General has warned. "After the US withdrawal, the biggest threat would be the regrouping of Al-Qaeda and IS militants, who will be able to regenerate if pressure is not kept on them. That's very concerning to all the neighbouring states, biggest concern to Pakistan", said General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. Commander US Central Command (Centcom). General Mckenzie also revealed that his command, along with the American diplomats were in contact with neighbouring nations around Afghanistan, to base its troops and aircrafts, assigned to counter terrorists after the US withdraws from Afghanistan. "That would be ultimately a decision made at the national level by the United States if we were to seek basing rights in those countries," said the general. "I'm actually conducting detailed planning, by the direction of the secretary, to look at those options rights now. I will report back to him by the end of the month with some alternatives", he added highlighting that the US is weighing workable options of being able to conduct anti-terrorism activities without being in Afghanistan. General Mckenzie insisted that regrouping of terrorists groups was not only a threat to the US and Pakistan only, adding that "it is a concern to all the Central Asian states to the north". "It is even of concern to Iran in the West, I believe. Everyone has vested interest in a stable Afghanistan", he said. It is pertinent to mention here that the US forces have operated their drone missions from Pakistan during the early phase of the war in Afghanistan. They were operating from the Shamsi airfield in Balochistan. As per details of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in concerned, reports claim that Pentagon has already started the process and had approved deployment of hundreds of maritime, air and land forces to the region, aimed at ensuring security of American and NATO forces. A Budapest man who earlier this year knifed a passenger on a bus for wearing a face mask expressing support for the students of Budapests University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE) was sentenced to six years in prison in an expedited procedure. Budapests 20th, 21st and 23rd district court also banned the man from participating in public affairs for a period of seven years, a spokeswoman of the Budapest chief prosecutors office said. According to the non-binding verdict, the victim was travelling on a bus on Feb. 25 wearing a face mask expressing support for the students and staff members protesting against recent changes introduced at SZFE when she was confronted by the defendant. The defendant first got into a verbal altercation with the victim over the mask and then stabbed her in the face with an 8cm knife. He then got off at the next stop and fled the scene. In his court testimony, the defendant partially confessed to the crime and apologised to the victim, who accepted the apology. The court found the defendant guilty of violence against the member of a community, arguing that he had been motivated by his sentiments against a group represented on the victims mask. Both the prosecution and the defence have appealed the sentence. MTI Photo At least one New Jersey law enforcement agency now has cryptocurrency in the bank. On Monday, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office said it is the first law enforcement agency in New Jersey to complete the forfeiture and liquidation of cryptocurrency assets, which were seized during an illegal narcotics distribution bust out of Long Branch three years ago. In 2018, investigators executed search warrants at two Long Branch locations used by 39-year-old Giddel Gonzalez-Estrada, who has since pleaded guilty to drug charges in the case and is completing a 10-year prison sentence, officials said. Authorities seized three vehicles, about $32,000 in cash, 500 grams of cocaine, marijuana, a handgun and drug paraphernalia and also found financial documents which revealed Gonzalez-Estrada had Ethereum, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin worth $57,000 in a U.S.-based exchange. The cryptocurrency was frozen and seized after authorities determined it was the earnings from narcotic distribution activity, the prosecutors office said. Its now worth $198,000. I am proud of the work our investigators did uncovering these modern methods used to conceal assets derived from criminal activity in the cyberworld. This will serve as an effective template for the state law enforcement agencies in the cryptocurrency market a place where we can expect proceeds from crimes to continue to be concealed, Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said. The net proceeds are being sent from Coinbase a cryptocurrency exchange platform to Monmouth Countys forfeiture account, authorities said. Law enforcement say forfeited funds are often spent on training, community programs, equipment upgrades and other initiatives. The prosecutors office said it was also the first state agency in New Jersey to seize cryptocurrency in 2017, following the arrest of Terry Kou, 28, of Colts Neck. The cryptocurrency was initially valued at around $200,000, and is now worth more than $1.25 million, the prosecutors office said. Though a volatile asset, the price of Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, has increased about seven-fold over the past year, according to digital currency website Coindesk. One Bitcoin is currently worth over $54,000. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Vistra, the largest power company in Texas, slashed its earnings forecast for the year after reporting a $1.6 billion financial hit from the February winter storm. The Irving power giant on Monday said it expects to lose as much as $1.2 billion this year after incurring sky-high natural gas costs during the February winter storm. The company previously forecast a profit as high as $860 million for the year. Vistra CEO Curtis Morgan in a call with investors and analysts Monday said he was disappointed in the losses, which he said didn't reflect the companys performance. He pointed a finger at the natural gas industry, which he said failed to deliver adequate supplies to power plants when demand for electricity was at its peak during the storm. What we didnt expect is a gas system that did not function properly, Morgan said. That was the thing that nobody on the electric side was prepared for. GAS FAILURE: Regulators knew of freeze risk to Texas' natural gas system. It still crippled power generation. Power companies are expecting billions of dollars in losses after natural gas prices skyrocketed as near-single digit temperatures and power outages caused gas production to fall by nearly half during the storm. Natural gas power plants, which generate about half of Texas electricity, received inadequate gas deliveries during the storm and were forced to buy natural gas at exorbitant rates, power company executives said. The lack of natural gas coming from the states system of wells and pipelines forced the company to reduce its power generation by 2,000 megawatts, enough to power 400,000 homes. As a result, Vistra said it was forced to spend $1.1 billion on natural gas in the spot market at a price of $700 per million British thermal units during the storm. The typical contract price is about $3 per million British thermal units. In one week alone, Vistra spent more than twice the amount on natural gas than what we usually spend in one full year to power our Texas generation fleet, Morgan said. We never would have imagined that the gas infrastructure system in Texas would face power outages, freeze-offs and operational issues, and that gas fuel supply -- not operational challenges -- would have been a significant driver of our financial loss. The Texas Oil and Gas Association, the states largest oil and gas trade group, last week pushed back against power companies claims, arguing that power outages were to blame for the steep production decline during the storm. The association said the supply of natural gas didn't fall below demand during the storm, and that the state had sufficient in storage. BLAME GAME: Natural gas trade group blames power outages for production decline during winter storm Gas companies, however, began to tell Vistra that they couldnt deliver their contracted natural gas as early as Friday, Feb. 12, the energy company said, two days before Texas power grid manager began rolling power outages across much of the state. Vistra said it is taking steps to prevent another power crisis and reduce its risk of failure by investing in further weatherization and measures to gird its fuel supply against freezing weather. It also is evaluating making more of its natural gas power plants capable of running on fuel oil if necessary. In addition, the company said it will advocate for legislation requiring natural gas producers and pipelines to weatherize and register with power companies as critical infrastructure exempt from rotating power outages during emergencies. Vistra said it does not see the political appetite this legislative session to change the electricity market system or charge consumers additional fees to ensure grid reliability. We simply cannot expect to run a grid where nearly 50 percent of the supply stock is composed of gas assets without confidence that the gas fuel supply will be available, Morgan said. We had millions of people without power during (the storm), countless disruptions of lives in the aftermath and over 100 deaths. We must take appropriate actions to harden Texas integrated gas and power systems. Thomas Vinterberg paid tribute to his late daughter Ida in a moving acceptance speech at the 93rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday night. The 51-year-old Danish director held back tears as he honored his late daughter after winning the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Another Round. Ida was only 19-years-old when she tragically died following a car collision in Belgium when a distracted driver slammed into the vehicle his ex-wife, Maria Walbom, was driving. Honored: Thomas Vinterberg paid tribute to his late daughter Ida in a moving acceptance speech at the 93rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday night She was set to play the daughter of the character Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) in Vinterberg's film about a group of high school teachers who test a theory about improving their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood. 'Mads, you gave us your finest. Not just for the film, but for my daughter as well,' Vinterberg said about Mikkelsen. 'And I'll never forget it. So we wanted to make a film that celebrates life.' 'And four days into shooting, the impossible happened. An accident on a highway took my daughter away. Someone looking into a cell phone. And we miss her, and I love her.' Tragic: Ida was only 19-years-old when she died following a car collision in Belgium when a distracted driver slammed into the vehicle his ex-wife, Maria Walbom, was driving; from left to right in 2016, daughter Nana, Thomas, Ida and wife Helene Reingaard Neumann Tribute: The 51-year-old Danish director held back tears as he honored his late daughter after winning the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Another Round 'And four days into shooting, the impossible happened,' he said. 'An accident on a highway took my daughter away. Someone looking into a cell phone. And we miss her, and I love her' 'Two months before we shot this movie, two months before she died, she was in Africa,' he continued. 'She sent me a letter, she had just read the script, and loved it. She felt seen by this. And she was supposed to be in this. And if anyone dares to believe that she's here with us somehow, you'll be able to see her clapping and cheering with us. We ended up making this movie for her, as her monument.' 'So, Ida, this is a miracle that just happened, and you're a part of this miracle,' he said. 'Maybe you've been pulling some strings somewhere, I don't know. But this one is for you. Thank you so much.' He previously told CNN that working on the film helped him navigate through the grief of his daughter's death. 'Two months before we shot this movie, two months before she died, she was in Africa,' he continued. 'She sent me a letter, she had just read the script, and loved it. She felt seen by this. And she was supposed to be in this' 'If anyone dares to believe that she's here with us somehow, you'll be able to see her clapping and cheering with us,' he said. 'We ended up making this movie for her, as her monument' 'So, Ida, this is a miracle that just happened, and you're a part of this miracle,' he said, seen with his family in 2010. 'Maybe you've been pulling some strings somewhere, I don't know. But this one is for you. Thank you so much' 'It gave a me purpose in life and kept me away from the freefall,' he told CNN. 'And I felt there was a higher purpose in making a movie for her. Before her death it was an ambition to make a life-affirming film; that became a necessity. I wanted to celebrate the life that we lose so easily.' Vinterberg also credited the actors in his film for supporting him through the difficult time. 'They granted their entire life to this, and so did the film crew, and hopefully it's on the screen and the hopefully it's there to honor her memory,' he said. Family: He was joined on the pink carpet by wife Helene Reingaard Neumann at the 93rd annual awards show at Union Station in Los Angeles Downtown venue: The 93rd Oscars were held at Union Station in Los Angeles and other locations via satellite The company expects a surge in production and shipments in the coming quarters in line with the streamlining of steady output at the project along with a likely fall in capital expenditures. Cash at the end of the quarter was $26.7 million and the company has no bank debt. ( ) shipped a total of 220,000 tonnes of iron ore from the Iron Ridge Project at an average price of US$156/tonne during the March quarter with the ramp-up now complete. C1 costs averaged A$93/tonne and are expected to progressively decline to approximately AS$85/tonne now that the ramp-up is complete. Steady-state production of 1.25 million tonnes per annum has been achieved after four shipments were loaded in February and March 2021 from the Port of Geraldton. With steady-state production achieved, the company expects that shipping and other costs will decline in coming quarters. Cash flows are also expected to improve in the coming quarter with a reduction in capital expenditure together with a full period of shipping and sales. "Strong start" Fenix Resources managing director Rob Brierley said: Fenix has made a strong start to life as an iron ore producer, with four shipments in the March quarter and ore grades in line with our forecasts. With steady-state production achieved, we look forward to a solid production performance and a reduction in costs in the June quarter. Iron Ridge Project operation During the quarter, the company sent four shipments of iron ore resulting in 112,716 wmt of lump and 107,183 wmt of fines being exported from the Iron Ridge Project. On February 19, 2021, the company made its first iron ore shipment from the project through Geraldton Port. This maiden shipment was delayed by several days owing to mechanical issues with the bulk carrier vessel Ya Tai 2. Once resolved, the issue resulted in a reduced cargo quantity allowance limiting the first shipment to 37,157 wmt of product, consisting of 11,001 tonnes of lump and 26,156 tonnes of fines. Subsequent to the maiden shipment, three additional ships were loaded during the quarter ended March 31, 2021, with departure dates of March 2, March 22 and March 31. Correlating with ore reserve Average grade shipped was 61% iron for fines and 63.2% iron for lump product, correlating closely with the ore reserve model. The current lump to fines ratio of 49:51 is much higher than the life-of-mine assumed average of 25%:75%. Whilst Fenix expected a higher ratio when mining the near-surface zone of the orebody, the company is encouraged by results thus far, particularly in view of the recent trend of strong demand for lump product among Chinese steel mills with a supporting pricing premium. Production during the quarter During the quarter, the company achieved a steady-state production of 1.25 million tonnes per annum with 102,277 wmt of fines and 112,658 wmt of lump hauled from Iron Ridge to the Port of Geraldton. Finex also executed a farm-in and joint venture agreement with Scorpion Metals Ltd to earn a majority interest in 33,954 hectares of tenements adjoining the flagship Iron Ridge operation. These tenements lie contiguous and adjacent to the tenements comprising Fenixs project and contain numerous known iron ore targets. The terms of the farm-in and joint venture agreement include: Scorpion grants to Fenix the right to earn a 70% interest in the Iron Ore Rights in the tenements during the farm-in period of four years (Farm-In Period); and For the remainder of the Farm-in Period, Scorpion grants to Fenix the sole and exclusive right to carry out exploration for iron ore on the tenements for the purpose of exercising the iron ore rights as required to satisfy the farm-in Requirements. During the March quarter, Warwick Davies was appointed interim non-executive chairman on February 19, 2021 following the resignation of Garret Dixon. Financial operations During the March quarter, the company received $1.7 million and issued a total of 23.05 million fully paid ordinary shares in the capital of the company upon the exercise of unlisted options. C1 cash cost for the project to date is A$93.20 per wmt shipped, which is equivalent to US$72/wmt. According to the company, these costs include those incurred in the ramp-up in late 2020 and the early months of 2021, as well as marketing fees that were deducted from the revenue line in the feasibility study. Now that steady-state production has been achieved, Fenix expects that C1 costs will progressively decline to the A$82-88/wmt range. Operating cash flow for the March quarter was $21.8 million. A portion of the initial capital expenditure, amounting to approximately $7.2 million, was deferred to the March quarter. Cash at the end of the quarter was $26.7 million and the company has no bank debt. Free cash flows are anticipated to improve in the coming quarter with a reduction in capital expenditure together with a full period of shipping and sales. [April 25, 2021] Shoolini University to implement NEP from this year CHANDIGARH and SOLAN, India, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a pioneering move, Solan-based Shoolini University is all set to fully implement the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from the coming academic session beginning from August this year. The University, which would be among the few in the country to implement the policy from the ensuing session, has drawn up a detailed plan which includes introduction of four year undergraduate programmes in various disciplines. Students would have the option to exit and re-enter at different stages, as provided in the policy. Among the new skill-based programmes developed are B Tech. in Defence Technology and Advanced Manufacturing, four-year B Tech (Research), four-year BA (Hons.) in Liberal Arts, Enhanced Master and Doctoral Programmes in Liberal Arts, four-year B.Sc. (Hons.) through Research, Research based M.Sc. Programmes and enhanced Ph.D. programmes across University as per NE 2020. Vice Chancellor Prof Atul Khosla said that the newly developed programmes are in line with the policy document released last year and mandated by Himachal Pradesh Governor Mr Bandaru Dattatreya. He said Shoolini University has modified some of the existing programmes and has added several new skill-based programmes to successfully implement the policy. The University has already started enrolment of students to under graduate programmes in the basis of Class X and pre-Board Class XII examinations. The four year programmes include those in agriculture, biotechnology, engineering and Bachelor of Arts. Specialisations would be offered, among others, in microbiooogy, bioinformatics, Automobile Engineering, Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. "As a leading institution of management, we have launched 4-year BBA programme in aviation, design, rural management and advanced manufacturing," Prof Khosla said and added that the University was offering under graduate research programmes in food tech, defence tech, biology, chemistry and biotechnology. Prof Khosla said the University has been a pioneer in implementing new programmes and pedagogy. "The University had switched over to online classes within a week of the declaration of lockout last year. It has enhanced and updated online teaching infrastructure through investments worth Rs 11 crore in faculty, infrastructure, research and student support. There are also sizeable plans in the pipeline," he added. About Shoolini University: Set up in 2009, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences is a research-driven private university with full-recognition from the UGC. A leading university of India, it is recognised for its focus on innovation, quality placements, and world-class faculty. Nestled in the lower Himalayas, the university has received accreditation from NAAC and it is ranked by the NIRF. For further information, please visit: https://shooliniuniversity.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/792680/Shoolini_University_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] US Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), together with 18 more senators, sent a letter to US Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to urge her and the rest of the Biden Administration to undo "unlawful attacks" done to the Antiquities Act. Originally signed by Theodore Roosevelt into law in 1906, the US Antiquities Act gives the president the authority to designate national monuments in order to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features on federal lands. It has been used more than a hundred times, by sixteen US Presidents from both parties, to protect significant locations. READ ALSO: Interior Department Breathes New Life Into Climate Accountability, Social Justice Overturning Changes in the Antiquities Act "From Chaco Canyon in New Mexico to Harriet Tubman's house in Maryland, the Antiquities Act has long protected key landscapes and historical sites," the senators wrote in the letter. They argued that national monuments like the two locations in Utah protect the country's "most previous natural, cultural, and historical resources," adding that threats made to monuments protected by the Antiquities Act also threaten all monuments in the nation. Under President Trump's administration, the United States lost 2 million acres of protected area for Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments - now identified as the largest rollback of federally protected lands in the history of the US. A press release from the office of Senator Heinrich noted that the previous administration pushed through with the rollback despite the Americans' resounding support for keeping both national monuments intact. "During your confirmation process, you committed to undertaking a thorough review of the Antiquities Act proclamations of the previous administration. Former President Trump illegally attempted to reduce the protections provided by proclamations that previous presidents issued," the senators continued. They then reiterated the call for the new administration to defend the Antiquities Act, starting with a recommendation to the president to undo President Trump's actions. Now, the validity of this decision has been brought to the judiciary but temporarily put on hold as the newly-inaugurated Biden administration has been reviewing the actions and decisions of its predecessor. However, Interior Secretary Haaland has already visited Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County, southeastern Utah, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Southern Utah - with proponents of the call expecting a recommendation from the Department of Interior to President Biden soon. Protecting the Lands Means Protecting Its People National monuments, as well as other federally protected lands across the United States, are responsible for keeping an $887 billion outdoor recreation industry afloat, which in turn supports 7.6 million jobs and turns over $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue on top of the $59.2 billion local and state tax revenues. In New Mexico alone, where Senator Heinrich serves, the industry is responsible for the jobs of 99,000 people. The letter also includes Democrat senators Dic Durbin of Illinois, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (Massachusetts), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), Ron Wyden (Oregon), Tina Smith (Minnesota), (=Ben Ray Lujan (New Mexico), Cory Booker (New Jersey), Mazie K. Hirono and Brian Schatz (Hawai'i), Alex Padilla (California), Tim Kaine (Virginia), Chris Van Hollen (Maryland), Michael Bennet (Colorado), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), and Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen (Nevada). New Delhi : The American public is getting a chance to view newly discovered Jewish documents that had beenpresumed destroyed during the Holocaust. Ten documents on loan from Lithuania's national library went on display today at New York's YIVO Institute for JewishResearch, which is working with the Lithuanian government to archive the 170,000-page collection. A librarian in Lithuania hid the documents in a church basement to protect them from the Nazis during World War II.They resurfaced during a move in 2016, and YIVO confirmed their significance this year. The wide-ranging collection includes manuscripts by famous Yiddish writers, religious writings, poetry and recordbooks of shuls and yeshivas. There are letters by Sholem Aleichem, whose writings inspired the "Fiddler on the Roof"character Tevye, and a Yiddish postcard written by the artist Marc Chagall in 1935. Another major cache of historical artifacts was found in the church in 1991. "The troves discovered in Lithuania are the most important body of material in Jewish history and culture to be unearthed in more than half a century, since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls," said David Fishman, professor of Jewish history at The Jewish Theological Seminary, who went to Lithuania in July to evaluate the documents. They are "startlingly large in volume, and remarkably diverse in character and subject matter," Fishman said. "All of East European Jewish life passes through your eyes. It will take researchers many years to digest and analyse thesedocuments." Highlights of the Manhattan exhibition, which can be seen by appointment until January, include a 1751 astronomymanuscript with descriptions and drawings of the solar system and an 1883 Russian censor's copy of a theatrical poem byAbraham Goldfaden, founder of the modern Yiddish theater. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Minneapolis: Nice no more By Greg Strange Congratulations, Minneapolis! You just dodged a bullet for now. But only for now. What you will eventually learn, the hard way, is that the race-obsessed Marxist mob cant be placated, satisfied or bought off. Its depravity is bottomless and its appetite for destruction knows no bounds. But for now, you bought yourself some time. The mob said jump and the jury on the Chauvin case said how high? The mob said guilty on all charges and the jury said sir, yes sir! Look, we already have a juror confirming what we basically already knew in an interview : I did not want to go through rioting and destruction again and I was concerned about people coming to my house if they were not happy with the verdict. Case closed. The Black Lives Matter mob owns Minneapolis. Bow before BLM or else. And lets not forget, Minneapolitans, there is this matter of Daunte Wright yet to be dealt with. Daunte was yet another in an endless line of violent criminal thugs produced by the toxic culture who got himself killed while resisting arrest. So all that boarding up of property in anticipation of riots if Chauvin wasnt convicted . . . Well, you might not want to take it down just yet. In fact, you might want to keep it up as a permanent fixture. In any case, lets take a brief tour of left-wing reaction to the Chauvin verdict. (Spoiler alert: theyre not satisfied!) Kamala Harris: It will not heal the pain that existed for generations . . . The NFL: Todays outcome in the Derek Chauvin trial . . . does not undo the loss of life. Mr. George Floyd should be here with us today. Farrakhan apologist and Attorney General of Minnesota, Keith Ellison: I would not call todays verdict justice. . . San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin: The verdict yesterday . . . was an aberration . . . an anomaly. We have these kinds of cases happening every day, all day. Michael Moore: YES!! In handcuffs! Now on to the work! All of us demand an end to white supremacy and white privilege. How many innocent black and brown ppl are in prison? Free them all! . . . End policing as we know it. It doesnt work. You just have to love his enthusiastic recommendations for actions that would totally destroy any civilized society. Wow, absolutely breathtaking! AOC: Its not justice. Ill explain to you why. Yeah, I think well just skip it. This Marxist twit couldnt explain her way out of a wet paper bag. Hollywood: Not even worth the key strokes. BLM: Blah, blah, blah . . . systemic racism . . . blah, blah . . . white supremacy . . . blah, blah. Killer cops . . . black bodies . . . blah, blah, blah. Well, later homey! Gotta go buy another posh property in a nice safe white neighborhood. The basic thing to realize here is that the American neo-Marxist left has brought the country into a psychotic delusion about so-called systemic racism that is so incurably tenacious . . . Well, lets put it this way. You can no more talk them out of their psychosis than you could the schizophrenic homeless guy waving his arms and shouting obscenities on any Democrat-controlled city street corner In the meantime, the relentless crime, chaos and violence will continue and likely accelerate due to the lack of policing in the black sections of every Democrat-controlled city in the country and no one on the left will bat an eyelash, or if they do, it will all be blamed on white supremacy, 1619, voter ID laws or what-the-hell-ever. So, teenage girls will continue to have their knife fights. (Leave em alone, its just one of their rites of passage!) Bullets will continue to fly, some at their intended targets, others that just go astray and hit innocent people at random, including children in their houses, babies in strollers, old ladies walking down the street, etc., etc., ad infinitum. All brought to you by Black Lives Matter, Inc., and supported by virtually every institution in the country, all of which have been engulfed by the cancerous malignancy of leftism, which is currently the worst social plague ever visited on civilized humanity, short of war, communism and genocide (any of which could still be in the offing for us). If you have a biblical world-view, you understand that man is a fallen creature, that his depravity is virtually unlimited, and that there is nothing so good and beautiful that he wont wilfully and gleefully destroy it. So, while dismayed, youre not surprised that post-Christian America is being destroyed in front of your very eyes. You understand that evil and foolishness is the default setting of humanity, not goodness, and that even the greatest country in history is not immune to destruction. You pray for the salvation of America, while understanding that prayer may not be answered affirmatively. But if theres one thing you can bank on, its this. In the next election cycle the majority of Minneapolitans will keep right on voting for the destruction of their own city by electing and re-electing BLM-loving, police-defunding, neo-Marxist Democrats. How is that possible? Its because leftists simply seem incapable of understanding the most fundamental aspects of human nature and are incapable of learning anything from history. Well, buh-bye Minneapolis. It was nice knowing ya. You went from Minnesota nice and Prairie Home Companion to Mogadishu on the Mississippi. You know what most of us would call that? An epic fail! Cant wait to see how many roads, bridges and libraries are named after the sainted George Floyd (and soon to be sainted Daunte Wright). And good luck with defunding the police. Cant wait to see how the social workers will handle the anarchy that will consume every inch of your hapless and injudicious city. As for all of you who voted for this and will continue to in the future, you deserve every last bit of what you will get. Unfortunately, those rational and decent citizens who did not vote for it, do not deserve it, but what can they do? Sad to say, but their only recourse at this point is to leave. Minneapolis is a fallen city now held hostage by the BLM mob. A minority of good people cant save it, nor should they go down with it. It may be heartbreaking and it may be supremely difficult, but they should make their way to a better place. Greg Strange can be reached at gpstrange30341@yahoo.com . (c) 2021 Greg Strange. Home Although it is almost always cooler near Lake Michigan, by Thursday winds will again be moving in from the north and the portion of the city that remains cooler is expected to push much further inland, Leatherwood said. The high temperature should be in the mid-50s, he said. KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Health Realty Income Trust (NYSE:UHT) announced today that for the three-month period ended March 31, 2021, net income was $5.6 million, or $.41 per diluted share, as compared to $4.6 million, or $.33 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2020. As calculated on the attached Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule"), our funds from operations ("FFO"), were $12.7 million, or $.92 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2021, as compared to $11.2 million, or $.82 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2020. The increase in net income of $1.0 million, or $.08 per diluted, generated during the first quarter of 2021, as compared to the first quarter of 2020, was due to: (i) an increase of $315,000, or $.02 per diluted share, in bonus rental earned on the three hospital facilities leased to subsidiaries of Universal Health Services, Inc. ("UHS"); (ii) an increase of $176,000, or $.01 per diluted share, due to a decrease in our interest expense resulting primarily from a decrease in the average cost of borrowings pursuant to our revolving credit agreement, and; (iii) an increase of $541,000, or $.04 per diluted share, resulting from an aggregate net increase in the income generated at various properties, including the income recorded in connection with the newly constructed Clive Behavioral Health facility, a 100-bed behavioral health care facility located in Clive, Iowa, that was completed in late December, 2020. During the first quarter of 2021, as compared to the first quarter of 2020, our FFO increased $1.5 million, or $.10 per diluted share. The increase was due primarily to the increased net income, as discussed above, as well as an increase in depreciation and amortization expense, largely due to the deprecation expense recorded in connection with the recently completed Clive Behavioral Health facility. Dividend Information: The first quarter dividend of $.695 per share, or $9.6 million in the aggregate, was declared on March 3, 2021 and paid on March 31, 2021. Capital Resources Information: At March 31, 2021, we had $247.7 million of borrowings outstanding pursuant to the terms of our $350 million credit agreement and $96.7 million of available borrowing capacity, net of outstanding borrowings and letters of credit. The credit agreement has a scheduled maturity date of March, 2022, however, we have the option to extend the maturity date for up to two additional six-month periods. Disclosures Related to Certain Hospital Facilities: Southwest Healthcare System, Inland Valley Campus: As previously disclosed, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS has notified us that it is planning to terminate the existing lease on Southwest Healthcare System, Inland Valley Campus, upon the scheduled expiration of the current lease term on December 31, 2021. As permitted pursuant to the terms of the lease, UHS has the right to purchase the leased property at its appraised fair market value at the end of the existing lease term. However, UHS has proposed exchanging potential substitution properties, with an aggregate fair market value substantially equal to that of Southwest Healthcare System, Inland Valley Campus, in return for the real estate assets of the Inland Valley Campus. The proposed substitution properties consist of one acute care hospital (including a behavioral health pavilion) and a newly constructed behavioral health hospital. The Independent Trustees of the Board have approved the proposed property substitution subject to satisfactory due diligence and completion of definitive agreements. The effective date of the property substitution is expected to coincide with the scheduled lease maturity date of December 31, 2021. Pursuant to the terms of the lease on the Inland Valley Campus, we earned $1.1 million of lease revenue during the three-month period ended March 31, 2021 ($662,000 in base rental and $454,000 in bonus rental) and $4.4 million of lease revenue during the year ended December 31, 2020 ($2.6 million in base rental and $1.8 million in bonus rental). Kindred Hospital Chicago Central: The existing lease on Kindred Hospital Chicago Central, a 95-bed specialty hospital located in Chicago, Illinois, is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2021. The tenant of the facility has recently notified us that they do not intend to renew the lease upon its scheduled expiration. We have begun marketing this property to potential new tenants. However, should this property be vacant for an extended period of time, or should we experience a decrease in the lease rate on a future lease as compared to the current lease, or incur substantial renovation costs to make the property suitable for another operator/tenant, our future results of operations could be unfavorably impacted. Pursuant to the terms of the lease, we earned approximately $390,000 of lease revenue during the three-month period ended March 31, 2021 and $1.6 million of lease revenue during the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2020. General Information, Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors and Non-GAAP Financial Measures: Universal Health Realty Income Trust, a real estate investment trust, invests in healthcare and human-service related facilities including acute care hospitals, behavioral health care hospitals, specialty hospitals, medical/office buildings, free-standing emergency departments and childcare centers. We have investments in seventy-two properties located in twenty states. This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Numerous factors, including those disclosed herein, those related to the anticipated impact of COVID-19 on our financial results, as well as the operations and financial results of each of our tenants, those related to healthcare industry trends and those detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (as set forth in Item 1A-Risk Factors and in Item 7-Forward-Looking Statements in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020), may cause the results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Many of the factors that could affect our future results are beyond our control or ability to predict, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future operations and financial results of our tenants, and in turn ours, could be materially impacted by developments related to COVID-19. Such developments include, but are not limited to, the length of time and severity of the spread of the pandemic; the volume of cancelled or rescheduled elective procedures and the volume of COVID-19 patients treated by the operators of our hospitals and other healthcare facilities; measures our tenants are taking to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of government and administrative regulation and stimulus on the health care industry; declining patient volumes and unfavorable changes in payer mix caused by deteriorating macroeconomic conditions (including increases in uninsured and underinsured patients as the result of business closings and layoffs); potential disruptions to clinical staffing and shortages and disruptions related to supplies required for our tenants' employees and patients; and potential increases to expenses incurred by our tenants related to staffing, supply chain or other expenditures. There may be significant declines in future bonus rental revenue earned on our hospital properties leased to subsidiaries of UHS to the extent that each hospital continues to experience significant decline in patient volumes. We believe that the underlying businesses operated by certain of our other tenants have been, at various times, either temporarily closed entirely or operating at substantially reduced hours. These factors may result in the inability or unwillingness on the part of some of our tenants to make timely payment of their rent to us at current levels or to seek to amend or terminate their leases which, in turn, would have an adverse effect on our occupancy levels and our revenue and cash flow and the value of our properties, and potentially, our ability to maintain our dividend at current levels. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and its impact on the economy, we may experience a decrease in prospective tenants which could unfavorably impact the volume of new leases, as well as the renewal rate of existing leases. The COVID-19 pandemic may delay our construction projects which could result in increased costs and delay the timing of opening and rental payments from those projects, although no such delays have yet occurred. The COVID-19 pandemic could also impact our indebtedness and the ability to refinance such indebtedness on acceptable terms, as well as risks associated with disruptions in the financial markets and the business of financial institutions as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic which could impact us from a financing perspective; and changes in general economic conditions nationally and regionally in the markets our properties are located resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not able to quantify the impact that these factors will have on our future operations, but developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our future financial results. We believe that, if and when applicable, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share (as reflected on the Supplemental Schedule), which are non-GAAP financial measures ("GAAP" is Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America), are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. In addition, we believe that, when applicable, comparing and discussing our financial results based on these measures, as calculated, is helpful to our investors since it neutralizes the effect in each year of material items that are non-recurring or non-operational in nature including items such as, but not limited to, gains on transactions. Funds from operations ("FFO") is a widely recognized measure of performance for Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"). We believe that FFO and FFO per diluted share, which are non-GAAP financial measures, are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. We compute FFO, as reflected on the attached Supplemental Schedules, in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"), which may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs that do not compute FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition, or that interpret the NAREIT definition differently than we interpret the definition. FFO adjusts for the effects of gains, such as gains on transactions during the periods presented. To the extent a REIT recognizes a gain or loss with respect to the sale of incidental assets, such as the sale of land peripheral to operating properties, the REIT has the option to exclude or include such gains and losses in the calculation of FFO. We have opted to exclude gains and losses from sales of incidental assets in our calculation of FFO. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered to be an alternative to net income determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, FFO should not be used as: (i) an indication of our financial performance determined in accordance with GAAP; (ii) an alternative to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP; (iii) a measure of our liquidity, or; (iv) an indicator of funds available for our cash needs, including our ability to make cash distributions to shareholders. A reconciliation of our reported net income to FFO is reflected on the Supplemental Schedules included below. To obtain a complete understanding of our financial performance these measures should be examined in connection with net income, determined in accordance with GAAP, as presented in the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in this report or in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Since the items included or excluded from these measures are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance under GAAP, these measures should not be considered to be alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or profitability. Since these measures, as presented, are not determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Investors are encouraged to use GAAP measures when evaluating our financial performance. Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Statements of Income For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Revenues: Lease revenue - UHS facilities (a.) $ 7,132 $ 5,881 Lease revenue - Non-related parties 13,092 12,842 Other revenue - UHS facilities 226 214 Other revenue - Non-related parties 249 270 20,699 19,207 Expenses: Depreciation and amortization 6,787 6,380 Advisory fees to UHS 1,062 1,016 Other operating expenses 5,602 5,383 13,451 12,779 Income before equity in income of unconsolidated limited liability companies ("LLCs") and interest expense 7,248 6,428 Equity in income of unconsolidated LLCs 471 435 Interest expense, net (2,133) (2,309) Net income $ 5,586 $ 4,554 Basic earnings per share $ 0.41 $ 0.33 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.41 $ 0.33 Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic 13,750 13,736 Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Diluted 13,771 13,758 (a.) Includes bonus rental on UHS hospital facilities of $1,695 and $1,380 for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Universal Health Realty Income Trust Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule") For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) Calculation of Funds From Operations ("FFO") Three Months Ended Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 Amount Per Diluted Share Amount Per Diluted Share Net income $ 5,586 $ 0.41 $ 4,554 $ 0.33 Plus: Depreciation and amortization expense: Consolidated investments 6,787 0.49 6,380 0.47 Unconsolidated affiliates 362 0.02 286 0.02 FFO $ 12,735 $ 0.92 $ 11,220 $ 0.82 Dividend paid per share $ 0.695 $ 0.685 Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Balance Sheets (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) March 31, December 31, 2021 2020 Assets: Real Estate Investments: Buildings and improvements and construction in progress $ 608,366 $ 605,292 Accumulated depreciation (222,521) (216,648) 385,845 388,644 Land 55,157 55,157 Net Real Estate Investments 441,002 443,801 Investments in limited liability companies ("LLCs") 9,087 4,278 Other Assets: Cash and cash equivalents 6,171 5,742 Lease and other receivables from UHS 3,252 3,199 Lease receivable - other 7,780 7,504 Intangible assets (net of accumulated amortization of $19.0 million and $19.5 million, respectively) 11,013 11,742 Right-of-use land assets, net 8,907 8,914 Deferred charges and other assets, net 8,582 8,829 Total Assets $ 495,794 $ 494,009 Liabilities: Line of credit borrowings $ 247,650 $ 236,200 Mortgage notes payable, non-recourse to us, net 58,403 58,895 Accrued interest 346 351 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 11,375 19,802 Ground lease liabilities, net 8,907 8,914 Tenant reserves, deposits and deferred and prepaid rents 10,446 10,842 Total Liabilities 337,127 335,004 Equity: Preferred shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding - - Common shares, $.01 par value; 95,000,000 shares authorized; issued and outstanding: 2021 - 13,772,095; 2020 - 13,771,287 138 138 Capital in excess of par value 267,667 267,368 Cumulative net income 686,313 680,727 Cumulative dividends (794,984) (785,413) Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)/income (467) (3,815) Total Equity 158,667 159,005 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 495,794 $ 494,009 SOURCE Universal Health Realty Income Trust China mulls law banning defamation of military personnel Xinhua) 16:09, April 26, 2021 BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers are considering a new law that bans the defamation of military personnel. The draft law on the protection of the status, rights and interests of military personnel was on Monday submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for review. No organization or individual may in any way slander or derogate the honor of servicemen, nor may they insult or slander the reputation of members of military forces, according to the draft. It also bans the desecration of honorary plaques of military personnel. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) After a years long hiatus, Aziz Ansari's Master of None is finally returning on May 23. Netflix dropped an emotional new season three trailer for the critically acclaimed series, which will focus on Lena Waithe's character Denise, on Monday. Fans have been waiting since 2017 for new episodes of the dramedy but following the show's sophomore season, Ansari had said he needed to take an extended break before considering coming back for more. A change of pace: Netflix dropped an emotional new season three trailer for the critically acclaimed series, which will focus on Lena Waithe's character Denise, on Monday Season three has a more somber vibe as compared to seasons one and two. The trailer is set to melancholic opera music and opens with Denise and her wife Alicia [Naomi Ackie] sitting at the dinner table. Denise poses a hypothetical question: 'Let's say we're at a party. Maxwell's playing. You don't know me, I don't know you ... and I ask you out on a date. Would you say yes?' As viewers wait for Alicia to answer the question, glimpses of their marriage flash on the screen. Simple tasks like laying in bed, doing laundry and taking a bath together. Those are then followed by darker times: ignoring each other, screaming matches and tears. Season three: Season three has a more somber vibe as compared to seasons one and two. The trailer is set to melancholic opera music and opens with Denise and her wife Alicia [Naomi Ackie] sitting at the dinner table Denise poses a hypothetical question: 'Let's say we're at a party. Maxwell's playing. You don't know me, I don't know you ... and I ask you out on a date. Would you say yes?' Ups and downs: The trailer sees the couple's marriage go on a roller coaster of emotions 'Yeah, I said yes then,' Alicia responds, flashing back to the initial scene, 'I'd say yes now.' While this season has been touted as focusing on the character of Denise, rather than Aziz Ansari's character Dev, the actor will still be featured in season three in front of the camera. There is a brief shot of Dev interacting with Denise in the trailer. The two play best friends in the series. According to Netflix, new episodes will see 'Denise and her wife, Alicia, take center stage this season, grappling with doubts and heartache when a rift emerges in their happy marriage.' New stars: While this season has been touted as focusing on the character of Denise, rather than Aziz Ansari's character Dev, the actor will still be featured in season three in front of the camera According to Netflix, new episodes will see 'Denise and her wife, Alicia, take center stage this season, grappling with doubts and heartache when a rift emerges in their happy marriage.' 'Yeah, I said yes then,' Alicia responds, flashing back to the initial scene, 'I'd say yes now.' Ansari directed season three and co-wrote the episodes alongside Waithe. 'This new season is a modern love story that intimately illustrates the ups and downs of marriage, struggles with fertility, and personal growth both together and apart,' Netflix said. 'Fleeting romantic highs meet crushing personal losses while existential questions of love and living are raised.' It came as a big surprise to fans when it was quietly revealed last week that Master of None was finally returning. Dev and Denise: There is a brief shot of Ansari in the trailer fist bumping Denise who played his best friend in the first two critically acclaimed seasons The show, created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, debuted in 2015 to acclaim from fans and critics alike, following Ansari's character Dev, a stand-up comedian from New York City. Production started in London last year, though it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 2017, Ansari suggested he would need a long break after Season 2, if he ever wanted to do a third season. The beginning: The show, created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, debuted in 2015 to acclaim from fans and critics alike, following Ansari's character Dev, a stand-up comedian from New York City Hiatus: Back in 2017, Ansari suggested he would need a long break after Season 2, if he ever wanted to do a third season 'I don't know if we're going to do a season three. I wouldn't be surprised if I needed a looonng break before I could come back to it,' he told Vulture. 'I've got to become a different guy before I write a third season, is my personal thought, I've got to get married or have a kid or something. I don't have anything else to say about being a young guy being single in New York eating food around town all the time,' he joked. Ansari made headlines in 2018, a year after Season 2 debuted, when a woman shared an account from a date with Ansari, claiming he was aggressive and he pressured her into sex. Headlines: Ansari made headlines in 2018, a year after Season 2 debuted, when a woman shared an account from a date with Ansari, claiming he was aggressive and he pressured her into sex (pictured in earlier seasons) The story went viral and set off a controversy of its own, with some claiming it was just a bad date and others criticizing the comedian for his behavior. Ansari ultimately moved to London in 2018 and briefly addressed the sexual misconduct controversy in his 2019 Netflix special Right Now. 'Theres times I felt scared. Theres times I felt humiliated. Theres times I felt embarrassed. And ultimately, I just felt terrible that this person felt this way,' he said. Master of None season three streams May 23. Horror fans rejoice. "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" has officially been announced with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprising their roles as the iconic Connecticut-based paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren. The eighth movie in the franchise follows the now-internationally famous demonologists as they return to Connecticut to solve one of their most complex cases. Based on a true story, the demonologists travel to Brookfield for the trial of 19-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson. Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter of his landlord Alan Bono. However, Johnson claimed that he was possessed by the devil at the time of the murder. Known to the press at the time as the "Demon Murder Trial," this became the first time in the American court system where a defendant claimed demonic possession. According to an article from the New York Times from March 23, 1981, Johnson and Bono got into an argument which resulted in Bono being fatally stabbed. In the article, it was detailed that Johnson claimed he was possessed through his fiancee Debbie Glatzel, after trying to exorcise a demon out of Glatzel's younger brother, David Glatzel. David reported having visions of a demonic creature and shortly afterward, his mother reported that David would act erratically and experience "strangling attempts by invisible hands which he tried to pull from his neck." Catholic priests worked alongside the Warrens to uncover the source behind the possession and according to Warrens, four exorcisms were able to cast of 43 demonic entities from David. However, Johnson reportedly began to also show signs of possession shortly after the exorcisms on his fiancee's little brother. A few months later, the State Of Connecticut Superior Court convicted Johnson of manslaughter and sentenced him to upwards of 20 years in prison. Johnson ended up only serving five years before being released. The courts have dealt with the existence of God, Johnsons attorney Martin Minnella told the court in 1981, according to the New York Times article.. Now theyre going to have to deal with the existence of the Devil. "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" is scheduled to release on June 4 in theaters and simultaneously on HBO Max. Dallas, Texas, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDGs CIO, an executive-level IT media brand providing insight into business technology leadership, recently announced winners of the 2021 FutureEdge 50 Awards, which recognize the top 50 organizations raising the bar with new technologies. This prestigious award honors technology advancements and the innovative groups stopping at nothing to make change happen. This years class of FutureEdge winners demonstrated enormous innovation, creativity, and resilience as they grappled to advance their businesses during a challenging 2020, said Anne McCrory, Group VP, Customer Experience & Operations, IDG Communications, Inc. and the FutureEdge 50 Awards chair. We are honored to showcase their initiatives and recognize the teams that made them happen as they create a future edge for their organizations through technology. Parker University Innovations Parker University is creating the first-ever augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) simulations, as well as making many other impressive technological advances for use with chiropractic education and health science programs. Parker University is poised to do nothing less than change the nature, quality, and availability of chiropractic education. Creating truly immersive and interactive educational experiences, both in the classroom and online, can energize and empower students, engaging them both intellectually and experientially. This is how cutting-edge technology can not only help students advance their knowledge but also develop and sharpen their professional skills, says Senior Director of Academic Informatics and Compliance Lisa Gabriel. Im thrilled that Parker University has made such an absolute commitment to realizing this vision, and we have a strong partner in SimX, who is helping us bring it to life. Parker University is proud to be listed among the other winners of the 2021 FutureEdge 50 Awards. It is wonderful to be recognized for the innovative technologies the university uses to enhance the student experience. Congratulations to all of the other prestigious organizations included on this years list! About the FutureEdge 50 Awards Award winners will be celebrated at the CIOs Future of Work Summit online event on September 21-23, 2021. This semiannual event focuses on organizations adapting to the changing business landscape with advances in automation, cloud-native applications, and digital innovations. Innovations in this years class include technologies advancing organizations across various industries. The FutureEdge 50 awards recognize established initiatives driving business success and early-stage projects pursued for watershed potential. These initiatives may be in R&D, proof of concept, or pilot phases. With this, the FutureEdge 50 awards aim to recognize the most cutting-edge trials and applications of emerging technologies. Awards will be conferred at CIOs Future of Work Summit, to be held online September 21-23, 2021. About Parker University Parker University, the fourth-fastest growing college in Texas and the fastest-growing college in Dallas, was founded in 1982 by Dr. James William Parker (formerly Parker College of Chiropractic). Today, Parker University has more than 1,800 students and 36 academic programs, including its famed chiropractic program, as well as masters degrees in neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, strength and human performance, and functional nutrition. Currently, Parker Universitys chiropractic cohort is the second largest of any campus in the world. Attachments An American woman died and two others became seriously ill after traveling to Tijuana for liposuction and other procedures on the same day, operated on by the same doctor. The three women, lured by the promise of cheap procedures, crossed from California into Mexico for the January 29 operations, carried out by Dr Jesus Manuel Baez Lopez. Baez, who is not a member of the professional group Asociacion Mexicana de Cirugia Plastica, Estetica y Reconstructiva, had a different clinic shut down in April 2015 for 'failing to meet the minimum requirements to operate legally.' State law in Baja California since 2014 has stipulated that only certified plastic surgeons can perform liposuction and a range of other procedures such as tummy tucks. Baez is not a plastic surgeon, according to his website at the Arte Siluette clinic, and only qualified for cosmetic surgery. Keuana Weaver, 38, travelled to Tijuana with her friend Kanisha Davis for cosmetic surgery Weaver, a mother of two, never returned home to California. A T-shirt in her memory is pictured One of his patients, Keuana Weaver, a 38-year-old mother of two from Long Beach, died on the operating table when her liposuction and tummy tuck went wrong. Her friend Kanisha Davis, a nurse, underwent the same procedures and was left with hemorrhaging and a hematoma, requiring two weeks in hospital in Pomona. The third women Baez operated on that day, Esmeralda Iniguez, had to be rushed across the border to Chula Vista, suffering from septic shock. Dr Jesus Manuel Baez Lopez operated on all three women on January 29: one died, and two were left seriously ill in hospital 'He tightened my abdominal muscles too much, squishing all my organs together and cutting off blood supply to my kidneys, causing something called Abdominal Compartment Syndrome,' said Iniguez. She told The San Diego Union Tribune: 'I was so septic by the time I reached the ER in Chula Vista on February 3, I was literally hours from death. My kidneys were shutting down.' Iniguez was again hospitalized in April after her wounds became re-infected. She said she has been too busy fighting for her life to consider what legal options she may have, or find an attorney. Weaver's mother, however, is demanding answers. The three women's decisions to go to Tijuana for medical procedures is not unusual. An estimated 2.4 million medical tourists crossed from California into Tijuana and the surrounding area for procedures in 2018, according to Baja California's Secretary of Sustainable Economy and Tourism (SEST) - up from 800,000 in 2014. Medical tourism generates annual revenues of more than $1.7 billion, SEST said. Arte Siluette, Baez's clinic, is in Las Torres de Tijuana (pictured), along the main avenue Keuana (left) with her mother Renee, who believed that Keuana had gone to Florida Weaver's procedures cost $6,700 - a tummy tuck alone in San Diego will cost in excess of $8,000. Her final Facebook post, on January 22, read: 'This year is so personal. Anything that makes me happy I'm doing it!!!!' Davis said the pair knew it was risky, but thought it was an acceptable risk. 'Did we know we were taking a risk being in Mexico?' said Davis. 'Yes. 'But did we ever, at any time, think that risk would be death? No.' Weaver's mother Renee told the paper that the clinic offered to refund the money for her daughter's procedure. She did not even know her daughter was in Mexico; she thought she had gone to Florida. Keuana's mother Renee at a memorial to celebrate her daughter's life She is now seeking further answers, but experts warn it could be difficult. 'If a relative wants to know more about what went wrong, then they have to file a criminal complaint against the doctor,' said Dr. Gilberto Montfort, a longtime plastic surgeon in Baja California and member of the professional association. He added medical malpractice lawsuits are rare, as are investigations into doctors who practice without the proper credentials. 'There are organizations that are supposed to (provide oversight) but they do not really do it. They don't really do their jobs.' Weaver's cause of death was recorded as 'secondary hypoxic encephalopathy,' which refers to damage to the central nervous system by inadequate oxygen and blood supply. The document was signed by David Ignacio Gutierrez Inzunza, the director of COEPRIS - a division of the health service that typically would be responsible for investigating medical malpractice or medical offices operating without the correct license. Baez did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. Baja California authorities have said they are looking into the women's cases. 'We're working very hard to make sure that doctors who are practicing without the proper credentials are immediately shut down and are investigated by the Attorney General,' said Atzimba Villegas, the state director of medical tourism. 'It's essential for the entire industry that patients feel safe and are well cared for and get the results they are looking for.' DAFM chooses Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat 3scale API Management to create new platform to speed up processes while improving user experience and data security and meeting compliance regulations Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that the Government of Irelands Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has developed a real-time machine learning text analysis platform using Red Hats open hybrid cloud technologies to serve more than 120,000 farmers in Ireland. DAFM leads, develops, and regulates Irelands agrifood sector, which receives more than 130,000 grant applications from farmers and their agents each year and issues more than 1 billion of payments through its Basic Payment System (BPS). Its applications often include Personally Sensitive Information (PSI), which means DAFM places a high priority on security to protect that information. Developers from DAFM worked with Red Hat Consulting and public and private IT service provider Version 1 to develop a machine learning solution, SmartText, to replace its manual grant application processes and improve compliance with the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The platform uses real-time machine learning (ML) capabilities, optical character recognition, text analytics and natural language processing to scan documents and images for sensitive information. When SmartText identifies a potential data privacy breach, access to the document is limited to authorized DAFM individuals who can review the content and take corrective action. To meet GDPR requirements for data ownership, DAFM deployed SmartText on Red Hat OpenShift, the industrys leading enterprise Kubernetes platform, on-premises in its datacenter. With integrated DevOps capabilities, OpenShift has enabled DAFM to take SmartText from a proof of concept to production in a matter of weeks, has reduced the time it takes to develop new features from weeks to days, and also provides a common platform for applications to be managed and scaled across the department. DAFM is also using Red Hat 3scale API Management to manage access to SmartText APIs, which is critical for both security and compliance, and to connect the platform to its citizen-facing application. Story continues Finding an enterprise open source solution was a key consideration for DAFM, which would bring standards-based technologies that could be better tailored to its specific needs, and which could also provide strong security capabilities. DAFM and its developers were already users of open source and saw the culture of collaboration and sharing that comes with open source as an important part of the project. With intelligent, automated scanning of funding grant application documents, SmartText has helped DAFM increase overall confidence in the system while improving GDPR compliance, protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and reducing the time spent on manual administration and management of grant applications. Now, DAFM can focus on reviewing grants and proactively discovering, designing, and applying new ML models to meet internal and customer needs. Using Red Hats open hybrid cloud technologies, DAFM has created a fully digital application process, giving farmers and their agents the ability to upload documents and easily check the status of their application. Supporting Quotes Keith Lynch, country manager, Ireland, Red Hat "Powering the complex infrastructure behind the Basic Payment System requires a solution thats simultaneously open and more secure. With an open hybrid cloud foundation provided by Red Hat, DAFM has the flexibility of the cloud and the security of keeping data on-premises. The department has developed a scalable service which helps meet GDPR regulations whilst also improving and digitalizing the grant application process for Irelands farmers and their agents." Gareth Sheerin, enterprise architect, Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine "Being able to rely on Red Hat Consulting to help us bring the best of breed applications into production is very important and with it, they bring a culture of sharing and learning that we find invaluable. Red Hat has enabled us to get applications and features into production incredibly quickly compared to what we could deliver prior to introducing the platform, which means were helping make sure that the Departments work will be able to serve Irelands farmers for many years to come." Additional Resources Connect with Red Hat About Red Hat, Inc. Red Hat is the worlds leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted adviser to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company or its parent International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Red Hat, the Red Hat logo, and OpenShift are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005115/en/ Contacts Gaby Berkman Red Hat, Inc. gberkman@redhat.com 802-318-5682 Drag-racing Washington DC police officers wrote off two patrol cars after crashing into one another at speeds of up to 60mph in a quiet residential street. Four DC cops were injured in the crash after the on-duty officers from the capital city's Sixth District challenged each other to a drag race, FOX 5 reported. The Ford cruisers took out a fence before crashing into each other on Anacostia Ave, 9 miles east of the White House, with stunned residents capturing footage of the crash site. Details of last Thursday's incident were revealed in internal police emails written by the city's Sixth District Commander Durriyyah Habeebullah and obtained by FOX 5. 'Yesterday two 6D scout cars were totaled because officers decided instead of fighting crime, patrolling their beats, or engaging the community they decided to drag race each other on Anacostia Avenue at 5 pm in the evening,' Habeebullah fumed in the email. 'What does this say to all the members of (Metropolitan Police Department) who are passionate about their job and work hard every day to make a difference. This is not fair to any of us,' Habeebullah said. Two Washington DC Scout patrol cars collided after drag-racing down Anacostia Ave, in a quiet residential neighborhood of the city Four officers were taken to hospital to be treated for injuries after the crash, and all four have been relieved of their duties pending the outcome of an internal investigation Sixth District commander Durriyyah Habeebullah blasted the officers involved in the crash in an internal email. 'This is not fair to any of us' In a statement issued by the Washington DC police department to FOX 5, police confirmed it appeared the officers had been racing prior to the crash. 'Preliminarily, it appears the members may have been racing the vehicles, resulting in an accident.' Police say four officers from the Sixth District were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Fox 5 reported that all four officers involved in the crash have been placed on non-contact pending the outcome of an internal investigation. One of the officers was said to be a female officer who had recently joined the Washington DC force. Witness Jaylah Jennings told FOX 5 she saw the two police cars going 'really really fast' just before they crashed. She said the officers were 'stupid' and 'irresponsible'. 'This is our community, people walk over there. It's a small community,' said Jennings. Journalism, its said, is the first draft of history. And as a journalist who sometimes works in the worlds trouble zones, camps are a good place to search for that draft refugee camps, internally displaced peoples camps, detention camps. Camps are where people lay down a first draft of their own: the first draft of their memories. Ten-year-old Sabeen, from Mosul at Qayyarah camp in northern Iraq in 2017. She was on her way to school when a car bomb killed her brother and injured her leaving scars on her face. Credit:Kate Geraghty They are where desperate, frightened people go because they have no choice. Once they have settled and arrayed their meagre belongings, they have time, for the first time, to think. Front lines are dangerous and dynamic, and you find there human courage and terror, and too often what an editor of mine described as a Grand Old Duke of York style of reporting. But in the camps, you get a richer account. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 16:16:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- They fought for the same British Empire alongside their white counterparts during World War I. Yet tens of thousands of African and Asian troops who perished during the fighting have barely been commemorated - or not at all - while their white counterparts received headstones. Those soldiers, who died fighting for Britain, went largely unremembered simply because of their race. According to a report from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is tasked with commemorating those who died in the two world wars, between 45,000 and 54,000 named casualties are or were in some way deliberately treated differently to those killed in Europe. In addition, it is estimated that at least 116,000, but potentially as many as 350,000, casualties may not be commemorated by name or may not be commemorated at all, primarily across East Africa and Egypt. The reason behind the inequality is the "entrenched prejudices, preconceptions and pervasive racism of contemporary imperial attitudes." According to the report, there were cases where the commission "deliberately overlooked evidence" that would have allowed it to find the names of the dead. A governor of a British colony said in 1923 that "The average native ... would not understand or appreciate a headstone." The British government on Thursday apologized for failures to properly commemorate black and Asian troops who died in World War I fighting for the British Empire. But London's apology is far from enough and long overdue given the gravity of their sacrifice. The colonies and dominions of the British Empire had paid a substantial price to bring about Britain's victory during World War I. Enormous amounts of money and human lives were lost in securing it. It is fair to estimate that well over 3 million British colonial and dominion subjects served, and that potentially upwards of 500,000 perished. Britian's legacy of racism lives on today, with deep-seated and persistent inequality experienced by African descendants in such areas as health care, education, employment, housing, law enforcement and criminal justice. Black children have far fewer opportunities for schooling than white children, while black people are four times more likely to be arrested than white people. Unfortunately, a recent British government-backed report tried to deny the existence of institutional racism, calling Britain "a model" for white-majority countries regarding racial equality in education and the workplace. Last Monday, a group of UN human rights experts condemned the report, saying it further distorted and falsified historical facts, and could even fuel further racism. "The report's conclusion that racism is either a product of the imagination of people of African descent or of discrete, individualized incidents ignores the pervasive role that the social construction of race was designed to play in society, particularly in normalizing atrocity, in which the British state and institutions played a significant role," the statement said. The UN experts added that it is "stunning" to read such a report in the year 2021. "This attempt to normalize white supremacy despite considerable research and evidence of institutional racism is an unfortunate sidestepping of the opportunity to acknowledge the atrocities of the past and the contributions of all in order to move forward," the statement said. Labour MP David Lammy, who was critical to bringing the war dead issue to light, said: "Whilst we can't change the past, we can make amends and take action." Compared with granting the dead with the dignity they deserve, ensuring the rights of the living is no less important. The British government has much to do to live up to its commitment to defend human rights and set an example for the world community. Enditem New Delhi, April 26 : In panic, Indian embassies have reached out to their host nations in Europe for help as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has triggered a massive crisis across India. Official sources told IANS that embassies are seeking empty, refillable Oxygen cylinders with 10 litres and 45 litres Liquid Medical Oxygen capacity; Oxygen concentrators; in situ Oxygen manufacturing plants for hospitals; and Remdesivir from the European Union member states. The embassies, sources said, have asked India's allies in Europe to gift all the medical aid to the Indian Red Cross, which will further ship it to India. In all, India has had 17 million people infected with Covid-19 so far, out of which 14.1 million have recovered. Till Sunday, India reported 192,000 deaths due to the contagious disease since the pandemic hit the world last year. Of all the states, Maharashtra has reported the largest number of cases and deaths, followed by Kerala and Karnataka. In Maharashtra alone, 4.23 people tested positive for Covid-19 and around 64,000 people have died so far due to the contagious virus. India's capital New Delhi was placed under a lockdown last week after the second wave hit it badly. The lockdown in the national capital has been extended by another week. The second wave, according to virologists, has been caused by a virulent mutation which attacks all age groups with severe ferocity. India has so far administered 140 million vaccine shots to its people. As the second wave crisis unfolded in the country, India's allies across the world like Israel, France, Saudi Arabia, Singapore came forward to help even as the US sat on the Indian request for waiving the ban on export of raw material for vaccine manufacturing for weeks. As against the US, UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson was swift in offering medical assistance to India. After public pressure and worldwide criticism with many calling it "crime against humanity", the Joe Biden administration on late Sunday decided to lift its ban on the raw material for vaccine production. New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced results of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) Assistant Commandants examination on Monday. To check the results, candidates can visit the official website upsc.gov.in and those students who have qualified the written examination will now appear for physical standard and medical standard tests. Candidates who have cleared the test have to get themselves registered before filling up the Detailed Application Form (DAF) online. The DAF will be available on the website from October 25 to November 13. Candidates have to produce their original certificates at the time of personality test to verify their age, educational qualifications, community etc. A total of 64 posts in Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare etc. will be filled with this recruitment drive. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington DC: Fourteen-year-old Brandi Levy was having that kind of day where she just wanted to scream. So she did, in a profanity-laced posting on Snapchat that has, improbably, ended up before the Supreme Court in the most significant case on student speech in more than 50 years. At issue is whether state schools can discipline students over something they say off-campus. The topic is especially meaningful in a time of remote learning because of the coronavirus pandemic and a rising awareness of the pernicious effects of online bullying. Arguments are on Wednesday, via telephone because of the pandemic, before a court on which several Supreme Court justices have school-age children or recently did. Brandi Levys school suspended her from the cheerleading team over her profanity-laced Snapchat post. Credit:American Civil Liberties Union The case has its roots in the Vietnam-era case of a high school in Des Moines, Iowa, that suspended students who wore armbands to protest the war. In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court sided with the students, declaring students dont shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. Burma Myanmar Regimes Violence Continues Unabated Despite Plea From ASEAN Young protesters staged a protest on Saturday morning calling ASEAN not to endorse military regime in Yangon. / CJ The Association of South East Asian Nations called for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar on Saturday, but the juntas brutality has continued unabated. Even as the ASEAN leaders sat with coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Jakarta on Saturday, his troops killed at least three civilians, including a student, and continued brutal crackdowns on peaceful demonstrators demanding the restoration of democracy. University student Kaung Htet Naing, 22, was shot dead by plainclothes officers in Mandalays Chanmyatharzi Township on Saturday morning while he was setting tires on fire to distract regime troops. He was shot at least twice and beaten in the head before being dragged away, according to a witness. Soldiers and police washed his blood off the street. His shoes were left behind. His family, who confirmed the death of their son by identifying his shoes and hearing a witnesses account, performed a memorial service Sunday morning though the body has not yet been returned. In Naypyitaws Pyinmana Township, an anti-regime protester was shot dead when juntas troops fired on a motorbike strike protesting against military rule. After the regional meeting, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told the media that he [Myanmar junta leader] said he heard us. The coup leader was urged by leaders from neighboring countries to end the violence against civilians, but his security forces continued their brutal behavior both day and night. Daw Win Kyi, 63, a resident in a town in Sagaing Region located on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, died in custody after being abducted from her house. She was arrested at around 4:30 p.m. and relatives were informed of her death at 5 p.m. Police claimed that she passed away due to a heart attack and epilepsy. The 63-year-old was arrested under three charges including incitement. The regime forces also raided a monastery in Sagaing Regions Yinmabin Township in search of a monk involved in anti-regime protests. Junta forces also rammed into a motorbike strike rally by residents in the town of Phayathonzu (Three Pagoda Pass) in Karen State on Saturday, injuring a woman and arresting four. According to witnesses, the injured woman was severely wounded in the face when her motorbike was run over. In one case of night raids across the country following the summit, the regimes troops dragged about 10 residents from their homes in Thamine ward in Mayangone Township, Yangon, for banging pots and pans about 8 p.m. on Saturday. Troops forced them to continue to hit their pots and made two women in their pajamas dance for them for two hours in the street. Some male civilians were also beaten. About 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, the writer and media trainer Ma Tu Tu Tha and her family members were arrested by the juntas troops. According to a relative, soldiers and police searched her house in Yangons Thanlyin Township, and arrested four, including her son, brother and one of their friends. The troops found anti-regime pamphlets in their house and confiscated phones and laptops, the relative said. They were taken into a military interrogation center in Shwepyitha. Ma Tu Tu Tha was editor-in-chief of Thanlyin Post, a local weekly journal, and used to work for the Irrawaddy (Burmese Edition). Another media personnel, who had previously worked for Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), was arrested on Sunday night. At around 8:30 p.m., soldiers and police raided the house of a former cameraman for DVB, Ko Thura Soe, in Yangons Pazundaung Township and arrested him. According to witnesses, the troops opened fire as they broke into his house and also confiscated some of his belongings and a computer. Operation Director U Toe Zaw Latt told The Irrawaddy that they learned Ko Thura Soe was sent to an interrogation center. Ko Thura Soe was one of the staff members terminated from the news outlet after the junta revoked its license along with four other media. DVB has continued running its operations in exile. More than 70 journalists have been arrested since the Feb. 1 coup and of them, 40 are still under detention. Another 22 journalists also face arrest warrants on incitement charges. Several arrests were made on Sunday and Monday. According to regime-controlled state TV, the regime arrested at least 34 on a single day on Sunday. Six, including three women, were arrested in Shan States Muse. One man and two women were arrested in Yangon Regions Tamwe and three in Chin States Mindat. Fourteen men and two women were arrested at a farm beside the Yangon-Mandalay highway in Bago Region. Two more were arrested in Mandalay Regions Myingyan. Single arrests were reported in Ayeyarwadys Pathein, Bago Regions Pyay, Naypyitaws Pyinmana and Mandalays Meikhtila. State TV, however, didnt include the arrests of four Grade 9 students in Tamwe Township, five anti-regime protesters in North Dagon Township in Yangon Region and a striking teacher in Bago Region for joining the civil disobedience movement. The regime is increasingly detaining the relatives and friends of those who are in hiding. In Mogoke, Mandalay Region, its troops arrested family members of anti-regime protester Thaw Thaw on Monday. Mogoke General Strike Information Group confirmed the arrests. According to the group, soldiers and police surrounded the young activists house at around 3 p.m. and, when they couldnt find her, arrested both of her parents and her sister-in-law. In Tamu of Sagaing Region, three villagers were also arrested by the juntas forces on Monday. There were reports of looting by soldiers and police in several locations. Since the coup, the regime has killed at least 751 people including 50 children, and arrested 4,462. Of those, 3,431 remain under detention. You may also like these stories: Thousands of Sagaing Region Villagers Flee Myanmar Military Myanmars Junta Continues to Arrest Journalists Detained Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Still Cant Meet Lawyers in Person Late Friday night, a Winnipeg jury convicted Edmond Wayne Chartrand of second-degree murder in the July 2017 stabbing death of 29-year-old Rohn Conan Abraham. Late Friday night, a Winnipeg jury convicted Edmond Wayne Chartrand of second-degree murder in the July 2017 stabbing death of 29-year-old Rohn Conan Abraham. Chartrand, 33, was convicted of a second count of attempted murder in the stabbing of his sister, Abrahams girlfriend. Edmond Chartrand: convicted of murder Chartrands name is likely less familiar than a lot of convicted killers who come through the Winnipeg Law Courts. Abrahams death inside his Euclid Avenue apartment suite didnt occupy much in the way of news space in 2017, nor did Chartrands arrest in Edmonton four months later. Every murder is a tragedy, every life has value and most everyone who dies leaves someone in pain and mourning. But its a sad truism that, in the news business, not all murders are created equal. Police at the scene of the homicide in July 2017. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files) In 2019, Winnipegs bloodiest year, the city recorded 44 homicides, a sobering number far higher than any comparable city in Canada. But as high as our homicide numbers can be, we arent New York or New Orleans, where the pace of killings can be so unrelenting many wont even merit a mention in a newspaper briefs package. But still we make choices. Its the stories and the victims that resonate with us that guide our decision what to cover. Child victims like Tina Fontaine, Phoenix Sinclair, and Candace Derksen. Their deaths united the community in sorrow and shone a light on our common humanity. The murders of others, like 54-year-old Judy Kenny, killed April 10, 2017, just hours after meeting her Wolseley neighbour Brenda Schuff, shock us with their seeming randomness and inexplicability. Its a grim bit of mercenary reality that others, whose deaths are no less sorrowful, but for want of circumstance lack a compelling news hook, can be forgotten. No reporters sat in the court gallery for Chartrands two week trial, Abrahams parents the only constant watchful presence. The circumstances of the case, as laid out by the Crown in a closing address to jurors Thursday, were almost mundane in their simplicity. Chartrand had been staying with Abraham and his sister when, after a day "relaxing and enjoying each others company," Chartrand stabbed his sister three times in the chest, abdomen and arm, and then stabbed Abraham once in the chest, killing him, Crown attorney Eric Hachinski said. The case against Chartrand was entirely circumstantial. Chartrands sister did not respond to a court subpoena, meaning jurors heard no evidence from anyone who witnessed the attack. Three witnesses testified to seeing Chartrand fleeing the house after hearing screaming coming from Abrahams suite. One witness told police he saw Chartrand lose his sandals running away and discarded a knife and cellphone. Blood found on the sandals matched Abrahams DNA and the cellphone had an app registered in Chartrands name, jurors heard. Chartrand posted comments on Facebook "that suggested he may have been responsible for what happened" and fled the city, Hachinski said. He was arrested in Edmonton the following December. Chartrand will be sentenced at a later date. The minimum sentence for second-degree murder is life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years Chartrand is Indigenous, as was Abraham. That Abrahams violent end might seem indistinguishable from the deaths of so many in the citys marginalized population makes it no less worthy of mourning. That so many might see it as such isnt just a tragedy. Its a disgrace. dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 27, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Supreme Court Declines to Hear Religious Liberty Dispute Between California, Texas The Supreme Court said on April 26 it wont hear a dispute between Texas and California over the latters ban on state-funded business travel. The nations top court delivered the decision in an unsigned order. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in February 2020 asked the Supreme Court to strike down Californias ban of state-funded travel from Texas, enacted in response to a law passed in Texas that allows foster care and adoption agencies to decline placements that dont align with their religious beliefs. The law California opposes does not prevent anyone from contributing to child-welfare; in fact, it allows our state to partner with as many different agencies as possible to expand the number of safe and loving homes available to foster children. Boycotting states based on nothing more than political disagreement breaks down the ability of states to serve as laboratories of democracy while still working together as one nationthe very thing our Constitution intended to prevent, he said in a statement at the time. Nineteen states filed a brief in support of Texas. The law in question, HB 3859, lets agencies place children only in houses with a married mother and father, among other provisions. California asserted the law does protect agencies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. For example, it would not protect an agency that declines to provide adoption services to an interracial couple on religious grounds; it would, however, protect an agency that declines to provide the same services to a same-sex couple on religious grounds, the state said in a filing (pdf) to the Supreme Court, arguing that the measure effectively authorized discrimination against gay and lesbian couples hoping to adopt or foster children, which would violate California law. The Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on May 7, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) In its unsigned order, the Supreme Court didnt explain why justices rejected Paxtons challenge. In a dissent (pdf), Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, wondered why the court wouldnt allow the filing. Alito conjured up a situation in which where a Texan and a Californian were involved in a traffic accident in California. He said when the Texan tried to sue the Californian in federal court, he invoked the diversity jurisdiction and the district court refuses to allow the filing of a complaint. Alito imagined the court saying: I know that the Constitution and a federal statute give me jurisdiction over diversity cases, and I know that the Framers of the Constitution and the Congress that enacted the statute thought that diversity jurisdiction was important because it provides a neutral forum for out-of-state parties. But in my opinion, thats not really so important anymore, and if I have to handle diversity suits, I wont have the time I need to deal with more important matters. Therefore, in the exercise of my discretion, I am ordering that the complaint not be accepted for filing. The State of Texas wishes to sue the State of California and invokes our original and exclusive jurisdiction of all controversies between two or more States,' the George W. Bush nominee wrote. Can we justify our refusal to entertain Texass suit on essentially the same ground that we would reject out of hand in the hypothetical diversity case just described, that is, on the ground that our original jurisdiction no longer seems as important as it was when the Constitution was adopted, and that a proliferation of original cases would crowd out more important matters on our appellate docket? Paxtons office did not respond to a request for comment. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times that the Supreme Court decision is a win for California and its a win for our commitment to respecting LGBTQ+ rights. Bottom line: Texas cant dictate how the State of California uses its own resources. At the California Department of Justice, we will keep doing our job and keep pushing back against LGBTQ+ discrimination because thats exactly what California law requires, he added. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Protecting long-term care residents from outbreaks requires different infrastructure, proper staffing conditions and a culture of quality assurance, researchers have found. The experts further determined that designing smaller, more homelike spaces would minimize the spread of viruses while promoting better health and quality of life for residents. "Community outbreaks and lack of personal protective equipment were the primary drivers of outbreak occurrence in long-term care homes, and the built environment was the major determinant of outbreak severity," said George Heckman, a professor in Waterloo's School of Public Health and Health Systems and Schlegel Research Chair in Geriatric Medicine with the Research Institute for Aging. "We need to distinguish between small-scale living and small-scale housing, using architectural features to create uncrowded and home-like spacesbut within a sufficiently resilient infrastructure to avoid critical staff shortages such as those experienced by some very small homes in Italy and the United States." In the U.S., data from geospatial analysis and cellphone tracking showed that outbreaks were more likely when staff commuted from neighborhoods with high viral circulation, and in large homes with more staff traffic. The researchers said that in the case of Ontario, simulations found that 31 percent of infections and 31 percent of deaths could have been prevented if all Ontario long-term care residents had had single rooms. However, 30,000 new private rooms would have been needed. "Policymakers need to reimagine long-term care infrastructure in a post-pandemic world, keeping in mind that smaller homes support better resident outcomes and are more resilient against infectious outbreaks," Heckman said. "New large-scale long-term care home developments should be strongly discouraged." Other factors that would improve resident well-being and curb the spread of viral infections include a dedicated infection control officer in all long-term care homes, proper staffing conditions and high-quality assurance frameworks. Hong Kong, for example, learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak and implemented several policies that led to success when it came to COVID-19. They developed guidelines for the prevention of communicable diseases in long-term care, including that all homes have an infection control officer, conduct annual outbreak drills and have a permanent stockpile of personal protective equipment and establish visitation rules that address hygiene and PPE use. In addition to robust infection control and communication technologies used in Hong Kong, Heckman believes full-time positions, paid sick leave and mental health and well-being supports for staff would make a big difference. The Hong Kong experience underscores the critical importance of learning health systems, of which a culture of quality assurance is an intrinsic component. Ontario, and most Canadian provinces, already have the required information infrastructure to achieve a learning health system. Based on standardized international Resident Assessment Instrument systems, developed by an international consortium of which Waterloo is a principal leader, their use by communities of practice has led to reductions in inappropriate antipsychotic use and better health outcomes for long-term care residents. "Reflecting on the COVID-19 Themes from Long Term Care" was published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 404 The new location will be playing a key role in Arcondis's global strategy to support disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapies Arcondis Group, a global consulting company with a unique focus on the Healthcare and Life Science industries, announced the opening of its new subsidiary in Singapore. Group CEO Stewart Spears says: This is a good day both for Arcondis and for our existing and potential clients in the APAC region. This new location will be playing a key role in our global strategy of expansion and growth, and were excited to be here. Stefan Muller, Global Industry Lead for MedTech, adds: We evaluated several potential locations across the region, and have been very impressed with the infrastructure and the efficiency of the processes for setting up a new business. We feel very confident about our choice of Singapore. Dana Leitman, Head of APAC, says: " As new digital technologies converge into traditional healthcare, it creates infinite opportunities for better prevention, diagnosis, and therapies. Its an honour to join Arcondis here in Singapore, and Im keen to deliver on the promise of our company motto: We make healthcare better. ARCONDIS is a global consulting company with an exclusive focus on the healthcare and life science industries, with their particularly demanding requirements on quality and regulatory affairs. The company addresses challenges and solves problems in the areas of compliance, business processes, information technology, and digital transformation since 2001. Arcondis is headquartered in Switzerland and also has offices near Frankfurt and Munich, Germany, and in Boston, USA. An industry survey conducted by Statista ranked Arcondis as one of the Top 10 Healthcare consultancies in Switzerland. A COUPLE who moved to Henley just weeks before the first coronavirus lockdown began were the first to marry at St Marys church after restrictions were lifted for the third time. Jonathan Morgan and his wife Penny, nee Taylor, tied the knot at the historic Hart Street venue on April 10 with just four guests, in line with Government guidance which came into force almost a fortnight earlier. The rules were relaxed again on April 12 to permit up to 15 guests but the couple were happy to have a more intimate ceremony because, with a larger group, they would have struggled to choose who to invite. Also present were the grooms friend Paul Bateman and his wife Moira, at whose wedding Mr Morgan was best man in 1969, and Mrs Morgans children James Taylor, 35, and Claire Kelly, 33, each of whom have two children of their own. The service was conducted by Rev Jeremy Tayler, the vicar of Henley and Remenham, who gave the address while organist Sebastian Thomson played some of the music. The Morgans, who have lived in St Andrews Road since the end of February last year, enjoy choral and classical works so the service included Mendelssohns Opus 61, to which the bride entered, John Rutters For The Beauty Of The Earth and The Lord Bless And Keep You, If Ye Love Me by Thomas Tallis and Air on a G String by Bach as well as The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. Afterwards, a reception was held on board Hobbs of Henleys Edwardian launch Enchantress with tea provided by Phyllis Court Club, of which the Morgans are members. Mr Morgan said: We were absolutely delighted with how it went. We formed a nice semi-circle in front of the altar and had the organ playing as well as some recorded music, so it was a thoroughly warm and intimate occasion with a lovely address by Father Jeremy. Weve got fairly large families so the limit of six made inviting guests far easier. It wasnt the wedding wed anticipated but we were very pleased even if the weather wasnt as kind as we might have liked. Weve always felt very welcome at St Marys and our guests felt the same. The couple met on a sailing holiday in Turkey some years ago and Mr Morgan, a retired banker from Bristol, proposed to his wife, a retired educational psychologist, over dinner at the Ivy restaurant in her native York. They wanted to move in together so chose Henley as it was closer to London, where they both have family, but still surrounded by countryside. Mr and Mrs Morgan always intended to have a church wedding and settled on St Marys after getting a warm welcome from the congregation on their first visit. They hoped to marry last year but once a third lockdown appeared likely, they were advised to pick a later date in the hope that restrictions would lift by the time this came around. Mr Morgan said: We moved here in anticipation of marriage but it took us a little longer than wed planned to get there. Now we cant wait to see more of the town as almost all of our experience to date has been during the pandemic. It hasnt been a hardship but we were only just starting to get out and about when things went into lockdown. We wanted to have a big family get-together at one of the village pubs but that had to be put off. Despite that, its been quite pleasant weve been doing our daily country walks and enjoying visits to places like Greys Court. Hopefully well get a better idea of what life is like over the coming weeks and months. Rev Tayler said this was his first wedding since October last year. He said: There was a really joyful atmosphere and because it was so stripped down, it put a very powerful focus on the couple whereas a bigger gathering with lots of people brings a very different dynamic. We had another wedding later in the same day with people who just wanted to get married quickly whereas others are waiting until there arent any restrictions. I even have bookings in 2023. Its great that weddings are starting again because theyre naturally forward-looking its a sign that the people taking part have confidence in the future, which is uplifting after a difficult year. Ive also started to get enquiries about baptisms, which I havent done for more than a year, and thats another sign of life slowly getting back to normal. The church shut during the first lockdown but Government guidance was revised so it could stay open under the most recent one. Services are currently held with social distancing, the wearing of face masks and a restriction on congregational singing, with music performed by the organist and a small distanced choir. - The Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market is expected to rise due to increasing stroke incidences and the growing geriatric population globally LAS VEGAS, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's " Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market and Competitive Insight Report " provides the current and forecast market and comprises Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market trends and key competitors. DelveInsight estimated the market to rise at a high CAGR over the study period of 2018 - 2026. Key Highlights of Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market report : Thrombectomy is a procedure to reduce the blood clots in the blood vessels. These devices are used to treat the brain's blockage, which may occur for many reasons, such as atheroma and thrombus in one or more arteries. Stroke is the leading cause of disability, and 80% to 85% of stroke cases are ischemic . The blood clot may cause fatal complications if left untreated, as per the World Health Organization (WHO) . is a procedure to reduce the blood clots in the blood vessels. These devices are used to treat the brain's blockage, which may occur for many reasons, such as atheroma and thrombus in one or more arteries. is the leading cause of disability, and 80% to 85% of stroke cases are . The blood clot may cause fatal complications if left untreated, as per the . Mechanical Thrombectomy is one of the treatment procedure needed to treat ischemic stroke patients using neurovascular thrombectomy devices such as aspiration catheters or stent retrieval, or a combination of both. is one of the treatment procedure needed to treat ischemic stroke patients using neurovascular thrombectomy devices such as or or a The COVID-19 impacted the neurovascular thrombectomy devices heavily in 2020. The market saw a steep decline from 2019 to 2020. Due to nationwide lockdowns in every country, market access was at a high-time low. Still, the market is expected to recover to its previous size by 2026. impacted the neurovascular thrombectomy devices heavily in 2020. The market saw a steep decline from 2019 to 2020. Due to nationwide lockdowns in every country, market access was at a high-time low. Still, the market is expected to recover to its previous size by 2026. Fogarty arterial embolectomy catheter (Edward LifeSciences Corporation), the Penumbra System (Penumbra), and PRIORITYONE Aspiration Catheter (Terumo) are some of the neurovascular thrombectomy devices in the market. Most of these available devices are FDA approved and are CE marked . are some of the neurovascular thrombectomy devices in the market. Most of these available devices are and are . The FDA approved Edwards Lifesciences's Fogarty Arterial Embolectomy Catheter on June 12, 2020 . This will help Edwards Lifesciences expand its product portfolio, making it the most significant player in the market. on . This will help Edwards Lifesciences expand its product portfolio, making it the most significant player in the market. On February 7, 2020 , Stryker received FDA approval for the Trevo NXT ProVue Retriever , expanding its portfolio in Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. , received FDA approval for the , expanding its portfolio in Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. On April 30, 2019 , Medtronic announced the commercial launch of Solitaire X revascularisation device in the United States , expanding its footprint in the US. Medtronic also introduced the Phenom 21 catheter to facilitate the delivery of all sizes of the Solitaire X device. Request for Sample Pages @ Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Competitive Landscape Report Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Epidemiology According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke every year. more than 795,000 people in the have a stroke every year. The total eligible patient population for Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices in 7MM was 30,179 cases in 2018 . The largest patient pool for neurovascular thrombectomy devices was found in the United States . was cases in . The largest patient pool for neurovascular thrombectomy devices was found in the About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes in the U.S. The people taken into consideration are 45-80 years of age to calculate the eligible patient population for neurovascular thrombectomy devices. The incidence of stroke is higher in the older age population than in the younger generation. Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market The treatment algorithm for this calculated patient pool, as mentioned in the 2019 updated Guidelines from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, states that anticoagulant such as intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) should be administered to all eligible acute stroke patients within 3 hours of a stroke. As with IV tPA, treatment with mechanical thrombectomy should be initiated as quickly as possible. Administration of aspirin is recommended in acute stroke patients within 24 to 48 hours after stroke onset. For patients treated with IV tPA, aspirin administration is generally delayed for 24 hours. The Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market growth is estimated to increase due to the growing geriatric population, increased incidence and prevalence of neurovascular diseases, advancements in healthcare technology, high healthcare expenditure, and available reimbursement policies in developed countries. Along with this, technological advancements and demand for minimum invasive surgeries are the factors responsible for the Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market size at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Key Competitors in Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market : Edward LifeSciences Corporation Stryker Terumo Europe NV Boston Scientific Corporation Medtronic Acandis GmbH Perflow Medical Phenox GmbH Penumbra Johnson and Johnson MicroVention, Inc. Know more about the key companies involved @ Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Key Companies The report proffers valuable insight for clients venturing into the Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. It acts as the source of guidance for taking strategic business decisions in the field of Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices by providing a descriptive overview of pathophysiology, various diagnostic approaches, and treatment algorithm, including detailed chapters for marketed products and emerging therapies. The report has a thorough review of the market containing historical and forecasted market size in 7MM by understanding the trends shaping and driving the global Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market size. DelveInsight's analysts have prepared this report after a thorough secondary and primary research into the Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market. Analysis and estimations are done by considering the share of top companies and industry expert viewpoints of Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices and eligible patient pool for Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. Table of Contents 1 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Background and Overview 2 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Company Profiles 3 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Competitive Analysis 4 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Eligible Patient Pool Analysis (2018-2026) 5 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Analysis in the 7MM (2018-2026) 5.1 Total Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Size 5.2 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Share by DevicesType 6 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Case Study: Devices Type 7 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Drivers and Barriers 8 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices: PEST Analysis Visit to know more about the report offerings @ Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Related Reports Airway Management Devices Market DelveInsight's 'Airway Management Devices -Market Insights, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecast - 2025' report delivers an in-depth understanding of Airway Management Devices and the historical and forecasted Airway Management Devices market trends in the US, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom) and Japan. 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It also proffers Healthcare Consulting Services , which benefits in market analysis to accelerate the business growth and overcome challenges with a practical approach. Contact Us: Shruti Thakur info@delveinsight.com +1(919)321-6187 www.delveinsight.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082265/DelveInsight_Logo.jpg More than 5.1 million people in Pennsylvania have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Monday. The department reports that 47.3% of eligible Pennsylvania residents have received their first dose of a vaccine. More than 3.2 million Pennsylvanians are now fully vaccinated, while more than 1.9 million have received the first dose of a two-shot vaccine. Pennsylvania ranks 10th in the nation in first doses, according to The New York Times daily vaccine tracker. (The state data doesnt include Philadelphia, which is handling its own vaccine distribution). Even as the state has ramped up efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Tom Wolf said last week Pennsylvania is facing a new reality: a decline in demand for the shots. Wolf and state officials are working to combat vaccine hesitancy. At a news conference in Reading Monday, Wolf noted the increasing reports of providers reporting open appointments. Wolf and other state officials also outlined plans to help get vaccines to those that cant leave their homes due to their age or some type of disability. We need to ensure that no Pennsylvanians are left behind, Wolf said. Pennsylvanias Area Agencies on Aging can assist seniors with scheduling appointments for COVID-19 vaccines and transportation to health care providers. The health department also has the states mobile vaccine unit bringing COVID-19 vaccines into Harrisburg today and again on Wednesday. In Philadelphia, more than 470,000 people are fully vaccinated while more than 716,000 have received at least one dose, according to the citys health department. Hospitalizations drop Fewer people are being treated in hospitals for COVID-19, according to data from the health department. Statewide, 2,495 people are hospitalized due to the coronavirus, down from more than 2,800 last week. The number of hospitalizations had been climbing steadily since mid-March, when about 1,400 were being treated in hospitals for COVID-19. Hospitalizations remain well below the peak of about 6,300 in December. But health care providers and state officials have expressed concern over the uptick in hospitalizations this spring. New cases On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 5,043 new coronavirus cases over a two-day period (the department doesnt issue news releases on new cases on Sundays). The state reported 1,881 additional positive cases of COVID-19 Monday, along with 3,162 new cases reported Sunday. The new cases bring the statewide total to 1,136,057. The health department reported 5 new fatalities Saturday and no new deaths on Sunday. Statewide, 25,988 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. More from PennLive COVID-19 hitting younger people harder; Pa. experts say vaccination offers the way out German companies have shaped the optical landscape with iconic brands like Leica and Zeiss for decades. Nowadays, our everyday digital life relies on optical technologies: We use smartphone cameras to submit documents, stream movies online via optical fibres, weld cars with lasers and diagnose illnesses with 3D imaging. At Leibniz University Hannover (LUH), around 120 scientists of the Cluster of Excellence "PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering - Innovation across Disciplines" are working on the next evolutionary step - novel integrated optics. With the advanced technology, the researchers plan to take mechanical engineering and production processes to a new level and build a production platform. Now they have come one step closer to reach this goal. On 23.04.2021, the German Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat) recommended the funding of the research building "OPTICUM - Optics University Center and Campus". LUH shares first place on the funding list with the universities in Marburg and Munster. The OPTICUM will be financed - subject to the Joint Science Conference's final decision (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz - GWK) - with 54.2 million euro. The federal government and the state of Lower Saxony will each contribute half of the funding. "I congratulate our scientists on this outstanding success," says Leibniz University President Prof. Dr. Volker Epping. "LUH already demonstrates the importance of optical technologies through its own research focus and its own research school, which is comparable to a faculty. I am glad that this future topic is also underpinned by a new research building and receives appreciation and support from science policy. The funding recommendation for the OPTICUM also means a further strengthening of our Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD, Leibniz University and Hannover as a science location." Research building enables to set up a networked production platform "Our OPTICUM will be the research building for all scientists from the disciplines of physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, computer science and chemistry working together on the digitalisation of optics research and optics production," says Prof. Dr. Uwe Morgner. The physicist is the spokesman of the board of the PhoenixD Cluster of Excellence. "We are very pleased about the Science Council's decision. Now, with the support of the federal government, the state and the state capital, we can build the optics campus in the Hannover-Marienwerder Science Park." The 120 optics researchers are investigating how they can realise complex optical systems in a short development time and for a fraction of today's price. To achieve this aim, Leibniz University Hannover's scientists join their forces with project partners from Technical University Braunschweig and Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. Two trends trigger the desired paradigm shift in optics production: more powerful data processing and improved (additive) manufacturing methods. These trends enable scientists to realise a digitally and physically networked production platform for optical components and systems. It requires measurement and production technology and a great deal of computing power, and the development of algorithms and new types of optical composite materials consisting of glass and plastic, among other things. With the production platform to be set up in the OPTICUM, the scientists can check the optics' quality during ongoing production. Still, production defects can also be corrected in real-time. The research goals include an increase in precision and a reduction in resource and energy consumption than the current state of the art. Many fundamental questions still need to be answered over the next ten years to achieve these goals. At present, the optics researchers are working decentrally on individual production sections. The new research building will then have enough offices, laboratories and experimental halls to assemble the fully networked production platform in one place and work on it together, interdisciplinary. Until completing the OPTICUM, Leibniz University Hannover is procuring up to twelve million euro for the large-scale equipment for the production hall with funds from its Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD and the European Structural Fund, among others. The Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD is part of Germany's Excellence Strategy to strengthen Germany's position as an outstanding place for research and further improve its international competitiveness. Between 2019 and 2025, PhoenixD will receive approximately 52 million euro of funding from the federal government and the State of Lower Saxony via the German Research Foundation (DFG). The cluster is a collaboration of TU Braunschweig, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt and Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. Hannover has a long tradition in optics research With the OPTICUM, LUH brings together under one roof research activities in the fields of optics, production technology, materials development and computer science that have existed for decades. In spring 2020, LUH founded the Leibniz School of Optics & Photonics (LSO), which has a structure equivalent to a faculty. The LSO is closely linked to the Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD and will manage the new OPTICUM. Close links exist with quantum physics at the Hannover Institute of Technology (HITec) and Quantum Valley Lower Saxony (QVLS). "The OPTICUM is another milestone in the extraordinarily successful development of optical technologies as a connecting focus topic between applied physics and production technology at Leibniz University Hannover, and it will sustainably advance the strategic development of Leibniz University Hannover. We are very pleased about this," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ludger Overmeyer, member of the board of the Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD. Opportunities for students, PhD candidates, and two open professorships Students can already prepare for a career in this growth industry at LUH with the English and German Master's degree programme in Optical Technologies. A doctorate at the PhoenixD graduate school offers an entry into a scientific career. Excellent Master students can submit their applications for the PhoenixD Research School all year long or apply for one of the open PhD positions regularly announced on the PhoenixD website (http://www. phoenixd. uni-hannover. de ). The Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD will advertise two vacancies for full professorships in the upcoming months in the fields of Quantum Systems Engineering/Integrated Optics and Inorganic Materials. Members of the Cluster regularly build up their teams and advertise PhD and postdoc positions. 2022 PhoenixD will host the 10th Europhoton conference, organised by the European Physical Society. The conference on solid-state, fibre, and waveguide coherent light sources will take place from 28th of August till 2nd of September 2022 in Hannover. Research building to be constructed in the north of Hannover The OPTICUM will be built in the Hannover-Marienwerder Science Park. The location on Pascalstrae will be easily accessible via its own tram stop and is near the Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. and the participating institutes on the Mechanical Engineering Campus of Leibniz University Hannover in Garbsen. Also, the Technology Centre, the Institut fur Integrierte Produktion Hannover (Institute for Integrated Production) and the Technopark Hannover, which is currently under development and where numerous innovative companies from the research and science sectors have already settled, are located in the neighbourhood. "The establishment of the OPTICUM is a great success for excellent research in Hannover. It demonstrates the advantages of the Hannover-Marienwerder Science Park as an ideal location for innovation and research settlement," explains Lord Mayor Belit Onay. "With its outstanding landscaping, the Science Park offers students and company employees an attractive environment that is widely used". At the same time, the state capital has other areas available for research settlements. The planned OPTICUM has four floors and a usable area of just over 4,000 square metres. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2022. Completion is planned for 2026. ### Aris Gold CEO Neil Woodyer commented: "Awarding the EPCM contract to Wood who is commencing the detailed front-end engineering and design work is a key step to ensure the successful development and construction of the Lower Mine at Marmato, with construction scheduled to start in Q4 2021. I am very pleased to welcome back Peter Burger and Greg Moss to our team with their extensive operations and mine building expertise, at this timely moment. Peter and Greg will also be able to support the modernization process of our current operations in the Marmato Upper Mine. With these steps, we are making steady progress advancing the Lower Mine project which will see Marmato develop into a major long-life mine in Colombia. We are also pleased to continue to support our local communities." About Aris Gold Aris Gold is a Canadian mining company listed on the TSX under the symbol ARIS. The Company is led by an executive team with a demonstrated track record of creating value through building globally relevant gold mining companies. Aris Gold operates the Marmato mine in Colombia, where a modernization program is underway and new mine is in development, and the Juby project, an advanced exploration stage gold project in the Abitibi greenstone belt of Ontario, Canada. Aris Gold plans to pursue acquisition and other growth opportunities to unlock value creation from scale and diversification. Additional information on Aris Gold can be found at www.arisgold.com and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" or forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation statements relating to receipt of the remaining funds under the stream financing, expected timing of completion of the community centre, and timing of the commencement of construction of the Lower Mine project are forward-looking. Generally, the forward-looking information and forward looking statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "will continue" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Statements concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward looking information to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered. The material factors or assumptions used to develop forward looking information or statements are disclosed throughout this presentation. Forward looking information and forward looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Aris Gold to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or forward looking statements, including but not limited to: the ability of the Aris Gold management team to successfully integrate with the current operations, risks related to international operations, risks related to general economic conditions, uncertainties relating to operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, actual results of current exploration activities, availability of quality assets that will add scale, diversification and complement Aris Gold's growth trajectory; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; the ability to convert mineral resources to mineral reserves; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, risks associated with holding derivative instruments (such as credit risks, market liquidity risk and mark-to-market risk), possible variations in mineral reserves, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada or Colombia, accidents and operations, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals including obtaining required environmental and other licenses, or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in countries in which the Company operates, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Aris Gold's most recent AIF available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Aris Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information or statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information or statements. The Company has and continues to disclose in its Management's Discussion and Analysis and other publicly filed documents, changes to material factors or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements and to the validity of the information, in the period the changes occur. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and Aris Gold disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor may any securities referred to herein be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration as provided in the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 as amended (the "Securities Act") and the rules and regulations thereunder. The securities referred to herein have not been registered pursuant to the Securities Act and there is no intention to register any of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. SOURCE Aris Gold Corporation HH/Getty Images En espanol | Europe plans to allow Americans who are fully vaccinated to visit this summer under certain conditions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times. "All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA, she said in an interview, referring to the European Medicines Agency, the European Commission's drug regulating body. The EMA has approved all three vaccines currently used in the U.S.: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Von der Leyen did not say what date the countries will reopen, but on May 3, the European Commission, the EUs independent executive arm, announced a proposal that could allow vaccinated U.S. tourists to visit by the end of June. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to reopen France by June 9. Von der Leyen cited the U.S.'s huge progress toward achieving herd immunity, or immunizing 70 percent of the population to significantly stop the virus's spread; the Biden administration is aiming to reach this milestone by mid-June. As of April 24, nearly 95 million, or 28.5 percent of the total population (67.5 percent of adults 65 and older), had been fully vaccinated in the U.S. Europe has banned visitors from the U.S. and other countries considered high-risk during the pandemic for a year, freezing the usual flow of visitors (in 2019 more than 17 million Americans traveled to Europe, continuing a steady upward trend until the pandemic hit). Tourism officials on both sides of the Atlantic not to mention Europe-starved American travelers have been eager for the removal of barriers to U.S. visitors. Some countries have already announced plans to welcome fully vaccinated Americans. As of April 26, U.S. travelers can visit Greece with proof of a negative COVID-19 test or vaccination. Iceland also has opened to vaccinated Americans, requiring only that they take a rapid test upon arrival. Before you rush to book a European vacation for July or August, consider these things: 1. Neither the U.S. State Department nor the CDC is recommending that Americans travel to Europe. Just days ago the state department moved 80 percent, or 130, of the countries on its travel advisory to do not travel status, including nearly all of Europe. (Iceland is considered slightly less risky, where you should reconsider travel.") The CDC also says do not travel for all of Europe. 2. Just because the European Commission president says Europe will welcome visitors doesn't mean that all, or even any, genuinely will be welcoming. In many of the more cautious countries such as Italy, vaccination rates are still low and more contagious variants are threatening spread. And admittance to some countries may not be easy. Ireland, for instance, has strict rules for visitors from the U.S. and dozens of other countries it considers to be high risk, requiring them to quarantine for two weeks. The Assembly members in Ablekuma West constituency have appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to retain their Municipal Chief Executive, George Cyril Bray. The renomination of Mr. Cyril Bray as MCE has courted controversies as some group calling itself ''Concerned Patriots of Ablekuma West'' has vehemently kicked against the decision. The group is calling for the removal of the MCE. They say the MCE has a bad interpersonal relationship with the Assembly members. Chairman of the group, Eric Mensah in an interview with TV3, explained why they want the MCE removed. "He has a bad interpersonal relationship with the assemblymen, who are party members and also does not recognize them as honourable members...He embarked on unnecessary demolition exercise, leading to massive vote reduction in Ablekuma West. The MCE does not have a listening ear for the grassroots. He categorically stated that the municipality is autonomous [and] not there to serve the party members. This unfortunate statement discouraged most of the members which led to vote reduction against the target set by the Constituency in the just ended elections. He does not have an iota of respect for the Constituency officers and therefore calling them useless who have sold our time, freedom and right to our party", the group alleged. But the presiding member of the Assemblies in the constituency, Emelia Agyemfra Donkor has refuted the allegations. She said; ''It's not true that the MCE has a bad relationship with us. George Cyril Bray is a very humble person. He is approachable; we don't have any problems with him.'' Speaking on behalf of the Assembly members, she noted that the Assemblies are in favor of Mr. Cyril Bray, hence calling on the President to re-appoint him to be MCE for the area. 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. Featured Video A medical worker checks the blood pressure of a patient who received a dose of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a high school in Manila, March 30, 2021. The Philippines on Monday surpassed the 1 million mark in coronavirus cases recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020, as the Southeast Asian country and others in the region struggle to contain surging waves in the global outbreak. The Philippine health department said it had recorded 8,929 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours that took the country past the grim milestone. The department also logged 70 virus-related deaths, bringing the total to 16,853. The surge has placed hospitals under siege, the Philippine Red Cross said, noting it was urgently setting up field hospitals, quarantine facilities and scaling up existing testing laboratories. Urgent extra medical care is a matter of life and death as this pandemic sets alarming new records, said Richard Gordon, a senator who heads the Red Cross. Our volunteers are working day and night, but we urgently need more medical volunteers to assist COVID-19 patients in emergency field hospitals and quarantine facilities, Gordon said. We must bring this virus under control. Elsewhere in Asia, officials in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have restricted travel from India as that nation faces an exploding coronavirus pandemic. India recorded nearly 353,000 new infections on Monday, marking the worlds highest jump in infections for the fifth straight day, according to media reports. Indias total of more than 17.3 million infections is second only to the United States, which has recorded nearly 32.1 million. Worldwide, more than 147 million infections and 3.1 million deaths have been recorded since the pandemic began, according to disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III urged the public to follow minimum public health standard so the country does not end up mirroring India. We have breached the 1 million mark, but we have to look at recoveries also, Duque said over ABS-CBN television. He said hospital occupancy rates remained at critical risk levels. After setting a national daily record of 15,310 infections on April 2, Philippine government officials announced a strict lockdown for Metropolitan Manila and four adjacent provinces, whose total population is about 24 million. The lockdown led to about 30 percent fewer cases through April 24, spokesman Harry Roque said, adding that President Rodrigo Duterte would announce new quarantine classifications on Wednesday. Roque on Monday blamed the new uptick on variants of the disease, noting that while the Philippines had reached 1 million cases, the number recoveries had also been high. I dont think it is a negative reflection, of the governments efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, Roque told reporters. We were not remiss, there were just new variants that caused a rise in numbers, he said. It is not a positive milestone to be proud of, said Dr. Tony Leachon, a health advocate who previously advised the Philippine government on its COVID-19 response. We need to find out solid solutions to end the pandemic. Among others, mass testing and contact tracing need to be strengthened, he said, adding the Philippines should look at Israel as a model country for controlling the virus by introducing a rapid vaccination campaign. A Bangladesh man wearing an oxygen mask is wheeled into the Dhaka College Medical Hospital by family members, April 24, 2021. [BenarNews] Travel restrictions On Sunday, Bangladesh sealed its border with India as New Delhi stopped importing medical oxygen in the wake of its own acute crisis, officials said. Bangladesh has not suffered from an oxygen shortage, but that could change if COVID-19 infections rise, Dr. Farid Hossain Mia, who heads the hospital division at the Directorate General of Health Services, told BenarNews. Linde Bangladesh Limited, the nations major oxygen producer, had already suspended production of industrial oxygen to deal with the demand for medical oxygen that had tripled, company General Manager Saiqa Mazed said. Meanwhile as Bangladesh faced a shortage and uncertain deliveries, the government suspended first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations on Sunday after giving initial jabs to 5.8 million people. Indias Serum Institute could not guarantee that it would supply an additional 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine after delivering 7 million, authorities said. Elsewhere, the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi announced on Sunday that all certificates of entry for non-Thai citizens from India would be cancelled as of May 1 and will be suspended until further notice. The embassy noted that Air India flights scheduled to fly to Thailand next month would not accommodate any non-Thais seeking to enter the country. Indonesia and Malaysia issued similar bans on travelers. On Friday, the Indonesian government announced it had stopped issuing visas to foreigner who had been in India during the previous two weeks. Indonesian officials announced that they expected as many as 3.8 million doses of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to arrive on Monday night, according to the government-run Antara news agency. So, the plane will come tonight with 3.8 million vaccines from AstraZeneca under the GAVI scheme, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said during an online news conference. He said another 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were expected to arrive next month along with between 10 million and 15 million doses from Chinas Sinovac Biotech Ltd. In Malaysia, the National Security Council ordered a temporary freeze on flights originating anywhere in India starting Wednesday, but exempted Malaysian citizens and non-citizens married to Malaysians from the order. Those who return home from India are to be subjected to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days upon arrival. On Monday, the government offered an explanation for dipping into the nations trust fund to cover costs related to the pandemic. The Malaysian Ministry of Finance explained that the government would use 5 billion ringgit (U.S. $1.22 billion) from the National Trust Fund in the fight against COVID-19 because of debts tied to the gross domestic product and the 1Malaysia Development Berhad financial scandal. Finance Minister Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said 3.5 billion ringgit ($853.8 million) would be used to purchase vaccines while another 1.5 billion ringgit ($366 million) was earmarked for the national immunization plan. Mohamad Hasan, deputy president of the UMNO party, a member of the ruling bloc, called the government action to dip into the trust fund worrying. This should be discussed with all parties and all things need to be weighed in under the highest transparency because this involves national interest, he said on Saturday. Ray Sherman in Kuala Lumpur and Ahammad Foyez in Dhaka contributed to this report. Virgin Australia has launched a massive sale and is offering one way flights to Melbourne for as little as $75. Holidaymakers can buy the cheap tickets from the Ready. Set. Melbourne sale for any flight between July 14, 2021 and March 16, 2022. A flight from Launceston is on sale for $75 while a trip from Adelaide is priced at $79. Sydney residents wanting to escape to the capital of Victoria can fly for as low as $78 while Hobart locals can buy tickets for $99. Virgin Australia has launched a massive sale and is offering one-way flights to Melbourne for as little as $75 Sydney residents wanting to travel to the capital of Victoria can fly for as low as $78 A trip from Brisbane will cost $119 and a flight from the Gold Coast will set travellers back $95. Airfare prices have also been slashed for Melbourne residents who want to explore other parts of the country. A flight to Perth costs $189, a trip to Darwin is priced at $169 and a ticket to Alice Springs is going for $219. A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the airline was slashing prices in a bid to revive the domestic tourism industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'We're continuing to support the recovery of Australia's tourism industry by offering our guests a premium experience at irresistible prices, and our massive sale blitz on flights to Melbourne start from only $75,' the spokesperson said. 'There's never been a better time to visit Victoria or explore its incredible capital city Melbourne offering high-end restaurants, cool laneways and first-class cultural and sporting events. Prices for the one way tickets include baggage, seat selection and Velocity frequent flyer points. Keen holidaymakers will have to be quick to buy a ticket as the sale will end at 11.29pm next Monday. Head to the Virgin Australia website for more details. Ready. Set. Melbourne has slashed one-way flights from Brisbane to Melbourne to as low as $119 A flight from Launceston is on sale for $75 as part of the massive Ready. Set. Melbourne sale Malayalam thriller Drishyam 2 was a smash hit when it directly premiered on Amazon Prime early this year. The Mohanlal-Meena starrer won critical acclaim as well. Venkatesh didnt take much time to green light for its remake and quickly allotted the dates for the remake which has almost wrapped up the shoot. Directed by Jeethu Joseph, Drushyam 2, the Telugu version, is now ready for release. However, the makers have now decided not to wait for theatrical release. Like the Malayalam version, it will directly stream on the OTT platform. A decision seems to have already been taken. An official statement will come out shortly, say our sources. The Telugu version was filmed in just 40 days. Venkatesh and Meena are the lead pair. Nadiya is returning to play the IPS officers role. For more stories click here: Kollywood l Malayalam l Bollywood l Telugu Moscow, April 26 : A court in Moscow has suspended the work of the organisations of imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny while it considers banning them permanently, lawyers and the director of Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, Ivan Zhdanov, said on Monday. The court barred the organisations of the leading opposition figure from working until it decides whether they should be classified as extremist, Zhdanov said, the dpa news agency reported. The prosecution in Moscow had filed a lawsuit requesting that Navalny's organisations, including his anti-corruption foundation and his network of regional offices, be classified as extremist and therefore permanently banned. The prosecution said the organisations "destabilise the socio-political situation in the country" as they call for "extremist activity, mass unrest - also with attempts to implicate minors in illegal activities". The prosecutors alleged that the accused organisations were acting "on behalf of different foreign centres carrying out destructive actions against Russia" with the aim of a revolution to topple President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with news portal znak.com over the weekend, Navalny's ally Leonid Volkov said authorities were freezing the organizations' bank accounts, sealing off their properties and making their "offline work in Russia overall impossible". He said perhaps a break was needed to see what the work of the opposition could look like in the future. He said there was "feverish" work being done to reorganize. Volkov and other heads of the opposition movement continue to work from abroad and publish popular online videos with revelations about corruption in the Russian power apparatus. There are also repeated calls to the population to protest and vote for opposition parties during Duma elections in the autumn, promoting "smart voting" to destabilise Putin's monopoly on power. "We are the last defence line against Putin," said Volkov. He said if the extremism case went the wrong way, it could be difficult to uphold Navalny's network of offices. Volkov has repeatedly warned that all of Putin's opponents could be classified as extremists. Volkov however also viewed it as a positive development that civil doctors were finally allowed to visit Navalny, who is being detained at a prison camp outside Moscow, calling this "a strange form of public compromise" from the Kremlin's side. "I think this is a good result," he added. At the end of last week, Navalny ended a three-week hunger strike after doctors urged him to resume eating, fearing for his life. Navalny was sentenced to imprisonment at the penal camp in early February for violating parole requirements related to an earlier sentence. He could not meet the terms of the parole because he was in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack. Navalny has blamed the poisoning on Putin and said his imprisonment was a personal act of vengeance for surviving the attack. The Kremlin denies the accusations. The German government criticised the court ruling and again demanded that Moscow release Navalny, as well as provide him with adequate medical care and access to doctors. "Using the tools of the war on terror against political opinions you do not like is totally at odds with the principles of rule of law," said German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert. The Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches celebrates the Divine Liturgy to mark the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. By Vatican News staff writer Saturday, 24 April, marks the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, known as the Metz Yeghern, or the Great Evil Crime. To commemorate this tragic event, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Pontifical Armenian College in Rome. In his homily, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches called the Metz Yeghern a stain on humanitys history. Bu, he added, the Armenian people who fell victim to a systematic, planned suffering did not lose the treasure of faith. Armenian Genocide Up to 1.5 million Armenian Christians lost their lives in what historians say was an ethnic cleansing carried out by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. In 2016, while visiting Armenia, Pope Francis called the tragedy a genocide. This tragedy, this genocide, said the Pope on 24 June while speaking to Armenias civil authorities, was the first of a deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological, or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples. Inhuman violence During Saturdays Divine Liturgy, Cardinal Sandri recalled the pain inflicted upon the Armenian people, who endured inhuman violence to the point of death. Yet, he praised their work ethic and intelligence and called them a people who produced saints like St. Gregory of Narek, who enlightened humanity far beyond the boundaries of Armenia. The Cardinal likened the Armenian genocide to the Shoah, which saw millions of Jews exterminated in concentration camps. He said tragedies such as these lead us to ask ourselves where God was. Consolation of God At times like these, he said, Divine Mercy comes to our aid through Gods consolation. The Gospel gives us the consolation in considering that the sons and daughters of the Armenian people who fell victim to the extermination of 106 years ago are friends of God, conformed to the selfsame existence of Christ. Cardinal Sandri concluded his homily recalling the hope embodied in Jesus parable of the wheat. The lives of our brothers and sisters, he said, was like that of Jesus: a grain of wheat which fell to the ground and in death gave life to the entire world, saving it. Their fruit endures, and it is we in the world today who celebrate in the faith. A rally driver killed in a horrific crash during Targa Tasmania only walked his daughter down the aisle a few months before his death. Leigh Mundy, 68, died along with his co-driver Dennis Neagle, 59, when their Porsche 911 GT3 RS hit a tree on Wattle Grove Road in Cygnet. The veteran driver gave his daughter Sarah away at her wedding to Kristian Farrow in December last year. Ms Farrow on Sunday shared two photos of herself and her father on her wedding day to social media, captioned with a simple heart as a tribute to her father. Leigh Mundy (left) died only months after walking his daughter Sarah Farrow (right) down the aisle Hobart racer Leigh Mundy (left) walked his daughter down the aisle in December last year, who recently bought a home with her husband Kristian The crash that killed Mr Mundy and Mr Neagle on Saturday came just a day after another fatal crash during the rally on the same track. Veteran driver Shane Navin, 68, from NSW died when his red 1979 Mazda RX-7 rolled on the Lyell Highway in Tasmania's remote west. Mr Mundy's three children Sarah, James and Natalie called their dad 'good-humoured' and 'ever-generous'. 'Our dad absolutely loved Targa and was thrilled to be competing again,' they said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia. 'We're having an impossible time understanding life without our good-humoured, ever-generous, fix-anything, fondly mischievous dad and his brilliant smile.' Tom Wilkin's posted a tribute for his friend Mr Neagle, calling him 'a pure gentleman to every meaning of the word'. 'It was a privilege and you will never be forgotten, I am forever grateful for everything you have taught me,' he wrote. Mr Narvin was called a 'quintessential gentleman' and 'an absolute pleasure to deal with' by his friend Kelly Hunt. Much-loved racer and experienced car racer Shane Navin (pictured) has died in a horror crash at the Targa Tasmania rally on Friday Leigh Mundy (pictured left) from Tasmania, and his Queensland co-driver Dennis Neagle (right) were killed in a horror crash on Saturday Friends and family of Dennis Neagle (pictured) have posted heartful tributes on social media A special tribunal will investigate the deaths, which occurred over in two days, but organisers insist the annual fixture will continue. 'Everyone who gets in these cars appreciates the risks involved,' Targa Australia chief executive Mark Perry told reporters on Sunday. Perry described the deaths as a tragedy that had rocked the motorsport community. 'We can all learn, and we will learn, from this,' he said. In accordance with Motorsport Australia protocol, a tribunal will investigate the circumstances of the three mens' deaths, but Perry did not expect a change to future events. 'The future remains bright from our perspective. The event has got a very long history of success,' he said. 'It's trying times and we will work through it but we still feel there is big demand for this sort of activity - thousands of cars travelling hundreds of thousands of kilometres, thousands of officials, it's an industry within itself. 'This is a set back no doubt, but we will work through it.' Similar Targa events are staged in Victoria and Queensland and the routes are endorsed by an international motorsport body each year. The 68-year-old rally driver from New South Wales rolled his 1979 Mazda RX7 amid heavy rain and slippery conditions Their 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS hit a tree (pictured) near Cygnet in the state's south The latest fatalities take to five the number of people killed in the Tasmanian event's 26-year history. In 2013, 71-year-old NSW driver John Mansell was killed when his Porsche ran off the road and into a tree. Melbourne navigator Ian Johnson died in 1996 after a crash in the state's northwest. Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said the future of Targa Tasmania would be the subject of further discussions. 'What we need to do is understand what has occurred and work with Targa Tasmania, but also the police, in terms of what a future event looks like,' he told reporters on Sunday. South Africa: SIU welcomes arrest of businessman in Eskom corruption case This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) Deputy Minister, Nomalungelo Gina, has commended a KwaZulu-Natal company for being a shining example in local procurement. Gina praised Bata, an Escourt based shoe-manufacturing company in Loskop, during her visit on Thursday. Her visit to Bata was part of the departments national Siyahlola Progr... See more Getting children to eat their vegetables is a thankless chore for most parents. But kids might be tempted to chow down on crayons made entirely from vegetables and rice. A Japanese mom launched her edible crayon business when she noticed her infant daughter kept putting her toys in her mouth. Not only are 'Vegetable Crayons' safe to eat, they're eco-friendlyderiving their color from cabbage leaves, apple peels, blackcurrants and other disused produce. And instead of wax, the crayons themselves are made from the rice byproducts created when brown rice is milled to make it white. Japanese designer Naoko Kimura has launched a Kickstarter for her 100 percent edible Vegetable Crayons, made from rice byproducts and discarded fruits and vegetables Naoko Kimura, a designer in Japan's northernmost Aomori Prefecture, came up with the idea after observing her young daughter's oral fixation. Though non-toxic, wax crayons can give a kid an upset stomach. And a 2018 report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group found asbestos in some brands. 'Whenever children take an interest in something, they put it in their mouth,' Kimura said. 'So why do crayons, something so close to most children, not seem all that safe?' Instead of paraffin, the crayons are made from rice bran oil and wax (pictured), byproducts of the rice polishing process A chart indicating which produce is used in Vegetable Crayons and how they're acquired, including residue left over from squeezing blackcurrant juice, irregular pieces of corn and and apple skins peeled off while making dried fruit chips She began development on Vegetable Crayons in 2013 and the first pack went on sale the following year. Now she's working on going big through her company, Mizuiro Inc: This month she launched a Kickstarter that's reached about $4,000 of its $9,283 goal. While her initial concern was safety, Kimura realized there was an opportunity to be more environmentally friendly, too: Her crayons are made from rice bran wax and oil, byproducts of the rice polishing process. The coloring come from fruits and vegetables, mostly 'odd lots' that don't make the grocery shelf or that are discarded during productionlike apple skins from apple chips, the outer leaves of cabbage, and the squeezed residue of blackcurrant juice (cassis). The coloring come from discarded fruits and vegetableslike apple skins from apple chips, the outer leaves of cabbage, and the squeezed residue of blackcurrant juice (pictured) The rice bran and blackcurrant mixture being poured into molds to create Vegetable Crayons' cassis crayon She also snuck in messaging about nutrition by naming the crayons after the veggies that color them'Cabbage' instead of green and 'Cassis' instead of 'purple.' 'Every child has their favorite (and not so favorite) fruits and vegetables,' she says on her Kickstarter. 'Through touching and interacting with these colors as they draw, perhaps they'll be inspired to feel more of an affinity for the veggies they dislike.' No fragrances were added to the Vegetable Crayons, though some do smell a bit like the veggies they're made from. 'Try picking up a pack of Vegetable Crayons and drawing a big picture with the Green Onion color,' Kimura said. No fragrances were added, though some crayons do smell a bit like the fruits or veggies they're made from. Pictured: Vegetable Crayons' cassis crayon before the wrapper is added Kimura is also selling a 28-pack Vegetable Crayon box, with coloring book, postcards and a special carrying case 'You might detect that faint, yet unmistakable green onion aroma as you do. With the rough feel of the crayon on paper, you may feel like you're interacting with the soil and veggies themselves.' A box of 10 Vegetable Crayons costs a little under $20 plus shipping, but if you kick in more to the crowdfunding campaign there is bonus swag including postcards, drawing books, and a special carrying case. Mizuiro does have some competition stateside: After years of Marines being teased as being so dumb they eat crayons, a leatherneck baker cooked up some edible crayons made from chocolate and wafers. You can't draw with them but Tashina Coronel, owner of Okashi Sweets, told Military Times her 'Marine Corps' edible crayons have 'spread like wildfire!' The crayons are named after the veggies that color them'Cabbage' instead of green and 'Cassis' instead of 'purple' 'The crayons started as an inside joke between services,' said Coronel, an ex-Marine. 'It was actually a jab at Marines from other services, trying to make fun of us. But as Marines, we can laugh along with them and own it as our own.' Crayola hasn't rolled out tasty crayons just yet, but the company did recently release a 24-pack of crayons, pencils and markers representing a diverse range of skin tones. The 'Colors of the World' pack, developed with MAC chief chemist Victor Casale, take undertones into account and have names like 'light medium rose,' 'very light almond,' 'extra deep golden,' 'deep rose,' and 'deepest almond.' The names are printed on the crayons in English, Spanish, and French. Highlights Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced Rs 135 crore in new funding. Around Rs 20 crore is coming from the Google.org foundation. Over 900 Google employees have also donated to the funding. As the Covid-19 crisis intensifies in India, tech companies are coming forward to offer help. Google has now announced Rs 135 crore in new funding for India, including two grants from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the tech giant. The total amount from these grants is Rs 20 crore. The first one will go to GiveIndia while the second fund is for UNICEF, both of which will help in procuring medical supplies and help families affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. Not only the company, but many Google employees, called Googlers, have donated to the fund. In a post, Google has announced GiveIndia will "provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses." The global agency, UNICEF, will utilise the funds from Google to "get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it's needed most in India." India is facing an acute shortage of medical supplies, including oxygen concentrators, as the Covid-19 positive cases are piling up by the hundred on a daily basis. Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, tweeted Monday saying, "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India." This comes right after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella committed support to India during the crisis. The new funding from Google includes Rs 3.7 crore from over 900 Googlers, who have come forward to help India at a time when the Covid-19 cases are rising dramatically. Google has said that the funding also includes increased Ad Grant support for public health campaigns, which are aimed at educating and informing people about Covid-19. "Since last year, we've helped MyGov and the World Health Organization reach audiences with messages focused on how to stay safe and facts about vaccines," Google has said in the statement. With the new funding, the Ad Grants are getting Rs 112 crore. This fund will be directed at local health authorities and nonprofit organisations "for more language coverage options." As a part of the new funding, Google will improve localisation and highlight authoritative information in community apps such as Google Maps, Google Search, YouTube, and Google Ads. This would mean that the content in these apps will be available in more local languages with more useful information. These apps already support eight Indian languages, besides English. And after the outbreak, Google revamped apps such as Google Maps and Google Search to include information on Covid-19 testing centres, vaccination centres, and other details issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In addition to partnering with the Indian ministry, Google is working closely with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Galveston, TX (77553) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 10:59:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A new draft law submitted to China's top legislature for review has proposed imposing more requirements related to personal information protection on the country's big internet platforms. The draft law on personal information protection on Monday returned to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) for a second reading. According to the draft, big internet platforms that possess the personal information of a large number of users must set up an independent body mainly composed of outsiders to supervise how the information is handled. The internet giants are also required to publish social responsibility reports on personal information protection on a regular basis. Lawmakers will deliberate the draft in group discussions during the ongoing session of the NPC Standing Committee, which runs from Monday to Thursday. Enditem ADVERTISEMENT The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Musa Nuhu, on Monday, said Emirates airline will soon resume its flight operations in and out of Nigeria. Mr Nuhu while speaking during a briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 said there are ongoing discussions with the airline and the outcome would be disclosed within the next 48 hours. The Nigerian government had in March banned the airline from operating in the country over its continuous refusal to fly passengers without a pre-boarding rapid diagnostic test (RTDs). As regards the issue of emirates airline resumption of flight to Nigeria, the PSC deliberated extensively on this matter and the gap has been significantly closed between the position of Nigeria and the United Arab Emirate (UAE), he said. They have met some of our requirements and we are just waiting for one confirmation. Mr Nuhu also said Port Harcourt and Enugu international airports will soon resume international flights. Three airports: Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, were declared by the PTF to resume international flights. Kano has resumed, Port Harcourt is almost there, just a few things to go and in the next couple of days, we expect Port Harcourt to be released for resumption of international flights. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu will join the list making a total of five international airports that will resume international flights. Back in 1985, if you wanted a fresh, piping-hot slice of San Francisco-style pizza, there was only one place you could get it: Clear Lake, Iowa. A small city of about 7,500 people both now, and back in the '80s Clear Lake is a popular stop along Interstate 35 and its biggest claim to fame is that it was the last place Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper played before their tragic plane crash on February 3, 1959 (better known as The Day the Music Died). In January of 1985, a new restaurant opened in Clear Lake named Third St. Station. It closed sometime around 1989, but while it was open, it served sandwiches, soups, salads and pizza. The last of those items seems to have been their premiere offering. Newspaper ads from the time highlighted their San Francisco Style Pizza in bold, italicized letters. The Des Moines Register As curious as it may seem, these ads in The Des Moines Register appear to be the very first mention of San Francisco style pizza anywhere in but print. In all 644 million pages of newspapers at Newspapers.com and the 40 million books on Google Books, no earlier reference seems to exist. But while the question of Why Iowa? probably comes to mind first, the greater mystery is what the restaurant meant by San Francisco Style Pizza. After all, even to this day, San Francisco-style pizza is an ambiguous phrase, meaning different things to different people and with no discernable consensus on the matter. While there are some other random pizzas that people have labeled as San Francisco style, there are primarily two different kinds of pizza that have received that moniker. The first of which is any pizza with a sourdough crust and the second is basically California style pizza, which does have some of its roots in the Bay Area. The case for sourdough pizza as being the rightful San Francisco style has more to do with the bread than it does with pizza. San Francisco and sourdough are synonymous with each other and theyve been that way since the Gold Rush. Because sourdough is made with a fermented culture that grows on its own, commercial yeast isnt needed, which is what made it more sustainable on the rugged new frontier. Since then, the city and the bread are so intertwined that many people believe that it was invented in San Francisco and that it can only be made here (both of which arent true). So, because San Francisco equals sourdough, then San Francisco pizza must be sourdough pizza. Its a simple, logical equation that just happens to be mostly incorrect. While there are some sourdough pizza places in San Francisco, it certainly isnt the norm and its unlikely that it would ever be. Neal DeNardi, co-owner of San Franciscos Long Bridge Pizza, explains that, Sourdough pizza isnt for everyone. Here at Long Bridge, we do kind of an artisan, New York-style pizza, but we offer it with a sourdough crust, so it has that acidic tang that you find in sourdough. A lot of people love it, but Ive had people tell me that it tastes spoiled because its just not what theyre used to. Zeene Ni, a local who has covered the San Francisco pizza scene on her YouTube channel, tells me that, Some people consider San Francisco style to be anything with a sourdough crust, and while there are some great places that offer sourdough, like Arizmendi, local people would not consider sourdough to be San Francisco style. Generally speaking, Id say that only people overseas would consider sourdough crust to be San Francisco style, but I dont think anyone in the United States actually knows San Francisco for sourdough pizza. To Zeenes point, none other than Pizza Hut offered a pizza back in 2019 that they touted as having a hand-crafted San Francisco style sourdough base that had a light, crispy base that's big on taste, but they only sold this pizza overseas in places like New Zealand and the UAE. More than likely, sourdough pizza didnt originate in San Francisco either. While the earliest reference I can find to sourdough pizza was four hours south in Santa Maria in 1962, sourdough pizza really could have come from anywhere. Professor Carol Helstosky, author of Pizza: A Global History, tells me that, Sometime after World War II in the United States like in the 1950s pizza was constructed out of all kinds of breads. There was French bread pizza, pizza bagels, English muffin pizzas and things like that, so its possible that someone could have tried out sourdough bread as well. What did originate in San Francisco though, at least in part, was California-style pizza. Back in 1980, two restaurants Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Prego in San Francisco simultaneously began doing something new with pizza. They both made traditional crusts, but began to experiment with seasonal and locally grown toppings. At Prego, chef Ed LaDou who would later become known as The Prince of Pizza began putting things like truffles and goat cheese on pizza. As for Chez Panisse, The History and Science Behind the World's Best Pizzas author Jeffrey Merrihue explains that, Alice Waters the famous chef who owns Chez Panisse started using local farm ingredients on her pizzas. One of her most notable pizzas included nettles, and shed always change things and alternate what kinds of vegetables were on her pizzas. Enter Wolfgang Puck, who was served one of LaDous unique pizzas at Prego and decided to run with it. In 1982, Puck hired LaDou for Spago, the restaurant that would make him famous. Together they developed a menu of over 250 unique pizzas. A few years later, in 1985, La Dou then helped carry his style of pizza from elite dining to the mainstream, when he helped found California Pizza Kitchen, which offered many of the same types of nontraditional pizzas for far lower prices (most notably the barbecue chicken pizza). With Prego in San Francisco and Chez Panisse in Berkeley, it would make a great deal of sense that this new kind of pizza would be called San Francisco style. The only problem was that both Spago and the first California Pizza Kitchen opened in Beverly Hills. So, as Merrihue explains, It was born in San Francisco but blossomed in Los Angeles. Also, since California Pizza Kitchen is how most people heard of this style, and because the restaurant has California in its title, the pizza that could have been named San Francisco style instead became known as California style. While the San Francisco pizza scene has no single, dominant style of pizza, California style is extremely popular in the city. According to George Matelich, a New York transplant who runs the pizza-oriented Instagram account Slice of SF, he says "the toppings on pizza here vary by season, so you might get ramps or asparagus in the spring and root vegetables in the fall. Also, many times theres no sauce. Its just cheese, the best vegetables you can find and some meat that works well, though many dont have meat at all. San Francisco pizza feels seasonal it feels like California food reflected on a pizza. Its about using the very best ingredients and you know where theyre from and you care where theyre from. You can find that kind of pizza in places like Pizzeria Delfina, Gialina and Pizzetta 211. Thats what San Francisco style is to me. To that same point, Merrihue says that, If you were going for a primary definition and a secondary definition of San Francisco style pizza, Id say California style is the primary and sourdough is the secondary because sourdough hasnt had a big influence. You cant go into any pizzeria and get a sourdough pizza, while California style has spread all over the world with all kinds of gourmet pizzas. Really though, San Francisco style isnt a thing and if you were to say that to someone, a lot of people wouldnt really know what you meant. But while California style is extremely popular in San Francisco, the fact that their pizza was usurped by the entire state leaves them without an official pizza of their own. So, rather than try to reclaim California style which, thanks to California Pizza Kitchen, would be impossible maybe San Franciscans should combine their inventive toppings with their sourdough-making roots. Combining California-style toppings with sourdough crust has already been done by some pizzerias, the most famous of which is probably The Cheese Board Collective, a co-op that offers one type of pizza per day on sourdough with really creative toppings. Ridwan Schleicher, one of the pizza makers there, tells me that, We use good produce thats in season and we use a lot of good cheeses because we have the cheese stop next door. Yesterday, for example, we had asparagus with spring onion with baby arugula and lemon vinaigrette, then we put parmigiano on top of that. We started doing this in 1985 and we were inspired by Chez Panisse, which is just across the street, but we decided to do it with sourdough to differentiate it and give a bit more character to the dough. While sourdough pizza may be a bit of an acquired taste, its history with the city is undeniable and San Francisco along with Berkeley started the California pizza movement, so why not combine the two? After all, San Francisco is a city defined by its bridges, so, perhaps by joining these two styles, San Franciscans will finally have a pizza that cant be taken away by the likes of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or even Clear Lake, Iowa. Brian VanHooker is New York-based writer specializing in pop culture, food and in-depth oral histories. His work has appeared at MEL, Maxim, Men's Health and more. He's the co-creater of the comic book "Barnum & Elwood" and co-created the pilot "The Tramp" starring John O'Hurley. He also hosts a podcast about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and was once called a "good guy" by Mr. T. The innovate Creative Roscommon Young Visitor Project aims to encourage families and young children to celebrate and explore a series of outdoor heritage sites in the county through a collection of fun and creative resources. The project is being launched this week by Roscommon County Council to coincide with the reopening of outdoor heritage sites under revised Government guidelines from today, Monday, April 26. The project which is aimed at primary children throughout the county has been developed by Roscommon County Council, through the Creative Ireland Creative Communities Jobs Stimulus Measure 2020. Through a collaboration with artist Catherine Fanning and writer Maura Gilligan, the Young Visitor Project features a number of resources including drawings, stories and information which are available as printable downloads on www.visitroscommon.ie. The project features Rossie the Heritage Duck as the main character and encourages children to visit, colour and read about a number of key heritage sites in County Roscommon namely, Roscommon Castle, Roscommon Abbey, Lough Key, Boyle Abbey, Elphin Windmill and Tulsk Abbey. The printable resources include interesting facts and stories about each heritage site, colouring pages featuring images of the tourist site and a map of County Roscommon detailing the key locations of heritage sites in the county. The project is being spearheaded by the Arts, Tourism and Heritage Officers on the Culture Team at Roscommon County Council and Arts Officer, Rhona McGrath has encouraged families and young children to become involved. This is a wonderful project which allows children to engage creatively with some key heritage sites in their own county and will allow them to learn some interesting historical facts in a fun and engaging way by reading, colouring and visiting sites such as Boyle Abbey or Roscommon Castle for example. By downloading the resources, children can learn for example the fact that Boyle Abbey was the first successful Cistercian Abbey in Connacht founded in 1161 on the banks of the Boyle River, where the monastery became a famous centre of learning for more than 400 years, said Rhona. The Arts Officer has also encouraged primary schools throughout the county to become involved in the exciting project by placing a link to the downloadable resources of Creative Roscommon Young Visitor Project on their school websites. We are spreading the message through local press and social media and I would also encourage parents or guardians to take a photo of childrens finished artwork and post it on social media with the hashtag #visitroscommon, said Rhona. Heritage Officer Nollaig Feeney highlighted the fact that County Roscommon features a wealth of fascinating key heritage sites. Through the fun and entertaining medium of Rossie the Heritage Duck, children can be introduced to some of the top heritage sites in County Roscommon. For example, did you know that Elphin Windmill is one of the oldest working windmills in Ireland, and the only fully restored working windmill in Connacht or the fact that the sculpted stone tomb of Felim OConor, King of Connacht, stands close to the High Altar of Roscommon Abbey- these are just some of the fascinating facts waiting to be discovered and introduced to a new younger generation. County Roscommon has a plethora of top heritage sites just waiting to be discovered, said Nollaig. Rossie the Heritage Duck was the brainchild of artist Catherine Fanning and writer Maura Gilligan has brought the heritage sites to life through a series of short stories on each location. A visual artist on the Roscommon Artist Panel, based in Sligo with over 20 years experience, Catherine Fanning is a community arts development worker and she was delighted to collaborate with Roscommon County Council on this innovative project. Catherine developed a series of drawings of a number of heritage buildings to encourage children to explore through colour. Catherine asked writer Maura Gilligan, a published writer and poet, with vast experience of working with children, adults, and older people to work alongside her. With the reopening of outdoor heritage sites under revised Government guidelines from Monday, April 26th, Tourism Officer with Roscommon County Council Eimear Dowd has advised people to plan ahead and enjoy the many heritage sites throughout the county. Now that many of the outdoor heritage are re-opened and travel restrictions being revised to allow people travel within their own county, this is the ideal time to get out and about and enjoy the many great tourist sites we have throughout County Roscommon. The days are getting longer and the weather is improving, so why not pack a picnic and make a day of it, by visiting some of our amazing heritage sites such as Roscommon Castle, Tulsk Abbey or Lough Key. There is so much waiting to be discovered right here in County Roscommon, said Eimear. Printable resources are available to download through www.visitroscommon.ie Motili, a leading property and HVAC technology company, today announced a new collaboration with Energy Efficiency Resources, (EER) a provider of energy reduction products and services, to bring energy efficient HVAC to property owners in need in the rural Midwest United States. Motili and EER have come together and developed a heating and cooling system replacement program to service low income homeowners in parts of the upper Midwest where clients have depended on more expensive options such as propane or fuel oil. Motili and EER are providing and installing modern, highly-efficient heat pumps and electric systems. These systems, not historically utilized because of their inability to warm homes sufficiently in extremely cold weather, today are now highly capable. Motili and EER have begun to electrify the grid by helping these homeowners convert their heating systems to energy efficient systems, capable of heating and cooling in a robust and effective manner. Motili has been able to provide such scalability to service our clients, it has enabled us to complete this project with a higher efficiency than what we initially expected. In fact, the scalability has been so effective, the possibility exists for converting significantly more homes to electric systems in the near future, said Jeffrey Filek, Co-Founder, Energy Efficiency Resources. Its been a rewarding project. This year were helping hundreds of underserved households primarily heat, but also cool, in a way that is good for their budgets and the planet. HVAC systems are some of the largest energy consumers and emitters of carbon dioxide. Tackling climate change and supporting green energy initiatives is a key aspect of President Biden's green power revolution plan, with a call to shift to greener energy over the next 8 years. EER and Motilis efforts to help customers in need are ongoing, with an aim to convert inefficient and expensive oil and gas systems to energy efficient and significantly cost-effective electric systems into the future. We are pleased to be working in the local community to provide high efficiency systems for low-income residents, said Matthew Sallee, VP Sales at Motili. This program provides quality equipment at no cost to these residents, providing them with lower monthly bills without any large expense. Its truly a great program. Motili is transforming property management systems by combining people, process and technology into a unique, nationally supported, locally provided solution. Motili has achieved ground-breaking HVAC efficiency and performance, delivering new levels of savings, simplicity and strategic insights for a growing roster of well-known residential and commercial property customers. Motilis predictive analytics improves budgeting accuracy by predicting project equipment lifecycle, heading off reactive repair jobs before they happen. # # # About Motili Motilis technology platform allows property managers, owners and investors to easily manage repair and replacement jobs. Motili handles all aspects of the job from scheduling to ordering equipment to invoicing, making Motili the single point of contact for all property maintenance and equipment replacement. Visit: http://www.motili.com to learn more. About EER EER's hub of solutions helps homeowners and businesses achieve energy savings they never thought possible by bringing together national account resources and scalability coupled with utility rebates for everyone. From Fortune 500 companies down to homeowners in underserved and seemingly forgotten communities, our mission stays the same; provide energy-saving solutions without compromising comfort to the consumer while keeping customer service a top priority. He missed out on two awards at the Oscars on Sunday. And Sacha Baron Cohen didn't appear too pleased about it as he left a screening of the 93rd Academy Awards in Sydney. The Borat star, 49, and his wife, actress Isla Fisher, 45, were spotted leaving the event early. Sad Sacha! Borat star Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher left an Oscars screening party in Sydney early on Monday morning, after the British actor missed out on two Academy Awards Sacha was nominated for his role in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and his screenplay for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. But he lost out to Best Supporting Actor winner Daniel Kaluuya for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah, while The Father was named Best Adapted Screenplay. The couple made an early exit from the screening event with face masks on. They jumped into a black chauffeured car before they were whisked home. Earlier in the day, the pair were all smiles as they glammed up in the early hours of Monday morning (AEST) to attend the screening party for the awards show, which was help in Los Angeles. There's always next time! Sacha was nominated for his role in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and his screenplay for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, but he lost out to Best Supporting Actor winner Daniel Kaluuya for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah, while The Father was named Best Adapted Screenplay Off they go! The couple made an early exit from the screening event with face masks on. They jumped into a black chauffeured car before they were whisked home Glam: It wasn't hard to miss Isla as she jumped in a lift in her black sweeping gown Oscars, Sydney style! Earlier in the day, the pair were all smiles as they glammed up in the early hours of Monday morning (AEST) to attend the screening party Dapper: Borat star Sacha, 49, looked dapper in a handmade mocha suit from Ralph Lauren Purple Label and matching bow tie, a white shirt and cream trousers Doting wife: Isla playfully used a lint roller to spruce up her husband's jacket The Wedding Crashers star, 45, showed off her cleavage in elegant low-cut black Dior gown, which she accessorised with a stunning diamond choker necklace and matching earring by Bulgari. Her signature red hair was coiffed in loose waves and she added a pop of colour with some bright red lipstick. Meanwhile, Borat star Sacha, 49, looked dapper in a handmade mocha suit from Ralph Lauren Purple Label and matching bow tie, a white shirt and cream trousers. Sign of the times: The awards show was very different as it was be a socially distanced event held not in Hollywood but in downtown Los Angeles at Union Station with only 170 people and not the usual 3,000. Isla and Sacha celebrated at a special screening in Sydney Stunning: The Wedding Crashers star, 45, showed off her cleavage in elegant low-cut black Dior gown, which she accessorised with a stunning diamond choker necklace and matching earring by Bulgari The British actor also wore some brown linen loafers on his feet. The awards show was very different as it was a socially distanced event held not in Hollywood but in downtown Los Angeles at Union Station with only 170 people and not the usual 3,000. The presenters list was small but included many big named such as Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, Regina King, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Marlee Matlin, Laura Dern, Joaquin Phoenix and Harrison Ford. Selfie: The couple posed for a selfie in front of the Sydney Harbour ahead of the screening Across the pond: Isla and Sacha relocated from Los Angeles to Sydney late last year The event may be one of the least seen Academy Awards of all time due to the lack of celebrities attending the event. In contrast with the largely virtual Golden Globes, Zoom boxes were closed out though numerous international hubs and satellite feeds were connected for nominees unable to travel. Isla and Sacha relocated from Los Angeles to Sydney late last year. And while it's been widely speculated that they moved Down Under to escape the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the US, new reports claim they were actually fleeing America's tumultuous political climate. 'They didn't want to raise their kids in Trump's America,' an insider told The Sydney Morning Herald of the couple's decision to move to Australia on Sunday. The couple relocated to Australia in December, and have since enrolled their three children at a school in Sydney. Kolkata:People stand in a queue at a polling station to cast their vote at Kolkata Port Constituency during the 7th phase of State Assembly election in Kolkata on April 26, 2021.(Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata:People stand in a queue at a polling station to cast their vote at Kolkata Port Constituency during the 7th phase of State Assembly election in Kolkata on April 26, 2021.(Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, April 26 : The penultimate phase of the eight-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal spanning across five districts with 11,376 polling stations ended peacefully on Monday. The data released by the Election Commission till 5 p.m. showed that the overall voting percentage was 75.06 per cent with Murshidabad recording the highest turnout at 80.30 per cent. According to the data, Murshidabad, where nine constituencies went to the polls, recorded the highest turnout of 80.30 per cent, while the four seats in South Kolkata reported the lowest turnout of 59.9 per cent. Malda with six constituencies recorded 78.86 percent polling, while South Dinajpur reported 80.21 per cent turnout in six constituencies. The nine constituencies in West Burdwan recorded 70.24 per cent polling. As far as individual constituencies are concerned, Raninagar in West Burdwan district recorded the highest polling of 84.35 per cent, while Rashbehari in South Kolkata recorded the lowest turnout of only 53.93 per cent. Among the four Assembly constituencies in the state capital, including Kolkata Port, Rashbehari, Bhowanipore and Ballygunge, Rashbehari had the lowest turnout of only 55.9 per cent, which was around 66.9 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Bhowanipur, from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had won last time, recorded a turnout of 60 per cent, which was 66.8 per cent in the 2019 general elections. Similarly, Kolkata Port and Ballygunje recorded a voter turnout of 64 per cent and 59.5 per cent, which was 64.2 per cent and 66.2 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, respectively. As far as vote share is concerned, Trinamool had an edge over the saffron brigade in the last Lok Sabha polls. Despite a strong BJP wind in the state that helped the saffron party win 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, Trinamool was successful in holding back its forte in these four seats in South Kolkata. The Assembly seat-wise analysis shows that Trinamool's Mala Roy maintained her lead in three of the four Assembly constituencies. Rashbehari was the only constituency where BJP candidate Chandra Bose was able to win over his Trinamool counterpart. Major Trinamool Congress, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool youth wing leader Abhishek Banerjee, state Power Minister Shovondeb Chattopadhayay and Urban Development Minister and former Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim, exercised their franchise on Monday. Banerjee, a resident of Harish Chatterjee Street in South Kolkata, exercised her franchise at a polling booth in Mitra Institution school at around 3.50 p.m. Sitting on a wheelchair, she briefly paused before the photojournalists while coming out amid shouts of 'Didi, Didi', before boarding her car. She also flashed a victory sign towards the cameras. However, former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is a resident of Palm Avenue and a voter in the Ballygunje Assembly constituency, failed to cast his vote owing to poor health condition. A few incidents of scuffle were reported from the Asansol area, where Trinamool candidate Saayoni Ghosh claimed that BJP activists tried to jam the booths in the constituency. The allegation was dubbed as baseless by BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul. In the Jamuria constituency, Left Front candidate Aishe Ghosh alleged that her party agents were stopped from entering the booth by Trinamool workers, a charge which has been denied by the ruling party. As many as 742 arrests made by the police during the elections with 12 arrests in specific cases and 11 for violation of Section 144. The rest of the arrests were all preventive. Also, 57 bombs were recovered, including 22 in Murshidabad and 35 in Kolkata. Kolkata South had 380 sensitive booths. Both Murshidabad and Malda had a previous history of poll violence and as per the Election Commission, there were 1680 sensitive booths in Murshidabad and 1,120 in Malda. "Not a single bomb exploded anywhere in the state during the seventh phase of elections, which was the most peaceful among all the phases conducted so far. The police and the central forces have done excellent work," said Jagmohan, ADG (Law & Order). Illegally obtained digital identities traded on Genesis Market increase by 250% in two years Manchester, UK ? 22nd April 2021 ? Netacea, the bot detection and mitigation specialist, has today published new research into the Genesis Market, the world?s largest invite-only deep web marketplace that trades digital fingerprints and enables buyers to impersonate a victim online. Netacea?s report ?Buying Bad Bots Wholesale: The Genesis Market? reveals that since April 2019, the number of stolen digital identities available to purchase on the marketplace has increased from 100,000 to over 350,000 today, with more than 18,000 being added each month. The tasks that the Genesis Market bots undertake involve large-scale infection of consumer devices to steal the digital fingerprints, cookies, saved logins and autofill form data available on them. That data is packaged up and put up for sale, with prices for these bots ranging from less than $1 to $370 for bots that contain more significant amounts of embedded data. The report reveals that upon purchase of a Genesis bot, buyers receive a custom browser into which they load the data. This enables those buyers to represent themselves online as the individual whose personal information has been stolen. The bot user is able to browse the internet as the victim, use saved logins to access the victim?s accounts or continue a victim?s session if login cookies are available ? all without access to the original device. ?We?re caught in a Catch-22. With more companies making the digital leap and an increasing amount of data available online, there?s been a surge in data breaches as hackers look to cash in on consumer?s data. As hackers invest more and profit more from attacks, the number of attacks increases?, said Matthew Gracey-McMinn, Head of Threat Research at Netacea. ?The significant growth of the Genesis Market represents a huge step forward for attackers challenging client-side detection mechanisms and is making that Catch-22 harder to break.? As a result of the findings, Netacea has invested ?250,000 ($300,000) into hiring new threat research analysts to expand its threat research team and increasing training for new and existing team members. Part of the investment will also be dedicated to the creation of a standardise bot management framework for businesses to capture all automated bot threats and their life-cycle in a series of comprehensive kill chains. ?As attackers advance, so will cybersecurity defences,? continued Matthew Gracey-McMinn. ?It?s an arms race, but automation can and must be used as our secret weapon. Our investment into more research and the creation of a bot management framework will help ensure businesses and their customers remain protected.? The report includes: ? Analysis of the tactics used by Genesis Market bots to mimic genuine users; bypass defences; and access large amounts of private, financial or political information. ? In-depth research into the Genesis Security plugin and Genesium Browser, which allow buyers to browse the internet as the victim. ? Exploration of anti-detect browsers and how the Genesis Market technology ensures anonymity online. The report ?Buying Bad Bots Wholesale: The Genesis Market? can be downloaded here: https://www.netacea.com/genesis-market-report-2021/ CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has awarded more than $1 million to organizations across North Carolina that are helping students rebound from the effects of pandemic learning loss. "After a difficult year for North Carolina's students and families, we're investing in programs that address the disproportionate learning loss among vulnerable communities and help put students on a path to academic success," said Stephen De May, North Carolina president, Duke Energy. Fifty-one organizations received grants from the Duke Energy Foundation to fund summer learning, tutoring and other supplemental learning opportunities in underserved and minority communities to combat learning gaps created by the pandemic. Among this year's recipients is Durham Public Schools (DPS), which received $25,000 to provide students with experiential outdoor learning opportunities this summer at The Hub Farm, a 30-acre farm, forest and outdoor learning center in Durham, N.C. "This grant is going to allow DPS to continue to help students reach their limitless potential through innovative education opportunities," said Dr. Pascal Mubenga, superintendent of DPS. "I'm excited about the way the grant will bring so many partners together to provide these breakthrough outdoor learning experiences for students who have fallen behind due to the COVID-19 pandemic." Click here for a list of grant recipients with awards greater than $10,000 or more. These grants are part of Duke Energy's ongoing commitment to support critical needs in the communities it serves. In 2020, Duke Energy donated $20 million in North Carolina, with more than 450 grants focused on social justice and racial equity, COVID-19 relief, K-12 education, workforce and nature. Duke Energy Foundation The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts, and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the Foundation can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit. Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects. Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Media contact: Meredith Archie 800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy Related Links www.duke-energy.com Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. An overwhelming bipartisan vote has pushed a new bill combating anti-Asian American hate through the Senate for final approval at the House of Representatives. The United States Senate on Thursday passed a bill to prohibit anti-Asian American hate crimes, which saw a spike following the COVID-19 pandemic. Titled "The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act," the new measure received overwhelming bipartisan support with a vote of 94-1. Only one senator voted against S. 937: Republican Representative Josh Hawley of Missouri. "The vote today on the anti-Asian hate crimes bill is proof that when the Senate is given the opportunity to work, the Senate can work to solve important issues," Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said, as per NPR. According to Christian Headlines, S. 937 requires that the Justice Department not only accelerate the review of anti-Asian American hate crimes, but also appoint a department official to oversee it. Also in the works is an online hate crime reporting system with multiple languages for easy accessibility. The new measure against anti-Asian American hate crimes was sponsored by Hawaii's Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono. "We will send a powerful message of solidarity to the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community that the Senate won't be a bystander as anti-Asian violence surges in our country," Sen. Hirono declared on the Senate floor on Thursday. Following its smooth passage through the Senate, the bill against anti-Asian American hate crimes is heading to the House of Representatives led by Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York, who is most likely to pass it. When it does, S. 937 will then head to President Joe Biden's desk for a swift signature. The president had previously expressed his desire to pass hate crimes legislation following the attack on Asian American citizens in Georgia back in March. "Crimes motivated by bias against race, national origin, and other characteristics cannot be tolerated," Republican Senator Susan Collins declared. The 68 year-old senator championed to broaden the scope of the original proposal to go beyond hate crimes committed during the pandemic. She explained, "Our amendment both denounces those acts and marshals additional resources toward addressing and stopping these horrible crimes." According to Voice Of America, S. 937 was initially introduced as the "Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act'' in honor of Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer, who were victims of racist hate crimes but was changed after discussions between Hirono and Collins concluded that it had to "broaden support" for COVID-19 hate crimes. The report revealed that there was a 150% spike in anti-Asian hate crimes in major American cities since 2020, as shown in data compiled by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University. S. 937 hopes to remedy the situation and many are hopeful it will see a swift passage through the House and on President Biden's desk. "The Senate makes it very clear that hate and discrimination against any group has no place in America. Bigotry against one is bigotry against all," Sen. Schumer warned. Advertisement Michael Gove today stopped short of categorically denying claims Boris Johnson said he would rather see 'bodies piling up' than lock the country down again. The Cabinet Office minister appeared to leave himself some wriggle room despite the PM flatly rejecting the allegation that he made the remark in a fit of pique after agreeing the second round of brutal coronavirus restrictions last Autumn. The claims emerged in the Daily Mail amid an increasingly damaging battle with Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson's former chief aide - although the identity of the source was not disclosed. ITV's Robert Peston said two other 'ear-witnesses' - who say they did not brief the original story - had confirmed to him that Mr Johnson made the remark. The BBC also said its sources had backed up the allegation. A number of aides apparently overhead the PM 'in a rage' shouting the words in his study - which had the doors open at the time. After being dragged to the Commons to answer questions from MPs this afternoon, Mr Gove was pressed repeatedly on the issue and stressed that Mr Johnson had signed off the second and later a third lockdown. 'This is a Prime Minister who was in hospital himself in intensive care. The idea that he would say any such thing I find incredible,' Mr Gove said. 'I was in that room, I never heard language of that kind.' Pushed again by Labour MP Wes Streeting to be 'absolutely categorical that he's never heard the Prime Minister say those words', Mr Gove said: 'I made the point that I'd been in a meeting in the Cabinet room with the Prime Minister, I wouldn't ordinarily go into discussions that take place in Cabinet committees for reasons that he would well understand. 'But I never heard the Prime Minister say any such thing. We were all wrestling with an incredibly difficult decision, the decision to lock down necessarily imposes costs in other ways as we're all aware.' Asked on a visit to Wales this afternoon whether he had made the comment, Mr Johnson said: 'No.' A clearly frustrated PM quickly tried to change the subject: 'The important thing that people want us to get on to do as a government is make sure that the lockdowns work, and they have. 'And I really pay tribute to the people of this country that have really pulled together and, working with the vaccination programme, we've got the disease under control.' Michael Gove appeared to leave himself some wriggle room in the Commons today despite the PM flatly rejecting the allegation that he made the remark in a fit of pique after agreeing the second lockdown last Autumn Mr Johnson visited a warehouse in Wrexham today as the election campaigning continues Boris Johnson is embroiled in an increasingly damaging briefing war with former aide Dominic Cummings (pictrued together in September 2019) Mr Cummings has accused Mr Johnson of seeking to block a leak investigation after learning that a close friend of his fiancee, Carrie Symonds (left), had been implicated, a claim the Prime Minister denied. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case (right) is appearing before a powerful committee this afternoon A poll today found Tory support has slipped five points over the past month - dramatically narrowing the lead over Labour 'Chatty rat' leak inquiry will probably NEVER find culprit, civil service chief admits The Cabinet Secretary today admitted an inquiry into the 'chatty rat' lockdown probably will not find a culprit as he gave evidence to MPs. Giving evidence to a powerful committee, Simon Case said the probe into who revealed plans for renewed restrictions last year was 'complex'. But Mr Case did not back up Dominic Cummings's claims that he had been cleared over involvement in the leak, which led to revelations in the Mail that Boris Johnson was poised to order a second national lockdown in October. The emergence of the details forced Mr Johnson to bring forward an announcement that a four-week closure would happen in November. Mr Case said he hoped the conclusions of the inquiry - which has been going on for months - could be given in 'weeks rather than months'. But he stressed that the culprit had not yet found. 'Given the time that has now past I think it is probable that the team will not successfully identify the source or sources. But work is ongoing,' he told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Mr Case rejected an allegation from Mr Cummings that the PM suggested the inquiry could have been quietly dropped after initially pointing towards an aide who is a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds. 'My knowledge is limited to my time I'm afraid but no, I'm not aware of any incidents,' he said. 'No, in relation to this particular leak, and others. The Prime Minister has always been clear, very determined to see these inquiries complete.' The civil service chief also refused to rule out another leak inquiry into claims Mr Johnson said he would rather see 'bodies piling up' than lock the country down again. Aides are said to have overhead the premier shouting the words 'in a rage' in his study last autumn after agreeing to the second wave of restrictions. Advertisement Tories are alarmed that the spate of briefings could mean 'mutually assured destruction' and harm the party at crucial elections next week. Allies of Mr Cummings have upped the threats by indicating he has tapes of key conversations from his time in government. A poll today found Tory support has slipped five points over the past month - dramatically narrowing the lead over Labour. The government is now under huge pressure on a series of fronts. Mr Johnson has rejected accusations he tried to get Tory donors secretly to pay for redecorating his Downing Street flat. There have also been a slew of negative stories surfacing about contacts between ministers and David Cameron, who was lobbying on behalf of Greensill. The decision on the second lockdown last autumn was leaked and is the subject of a long-running inquiry to find the so-called 'chatty rat' who tipped off the press. Appearing before a powerful committee this afternoon, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case is expected to indicate he has not cleared Mr Johnson's former adviser Dominic Cummings over that leak, despite the ex-aide's claims to the contrary. The civil service chief is also set to be grilled by the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) about the lobbying furore. Mr Cummings has accused Mr Johnson of seeking to block the investigation after learning that a close friend of his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, had been implicated, a claim the Prime Minister denied. In an incendiary blog post, Mr Cummings went on to say that Mr Case had told Mr Johnson that neither he nor the then No 10 director of communications, Lee Cain, was the culprit. However officials familiar with the investigation said that it had neither 'landed' on any one individual nor exonerated anyone. Both Mr Cummings and Mr Cain left Downing Street before Christmas after an extraordinary power struggle with allies of Ms Symonds. The disclosure is likely to further anger Mr Cummings, who released his onslaught after he was accused by No 10 of a series of damaging leaks, including text message exchanges between Mr Johnson and the entrepreneur Sir James Dyson. Ministers are now concerned at what he may say when he gives evidence to MPs investigating the Government's response to the pandemic next month. Mr Cummings is widely known to have been critical of Mr Johnson's delay in launching a second lockdown in England when cases began rising last autumn, and there is speculation he will seek to blame him for the high death toll. In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News: 'We are getting into the sort of comedy chapter now of these gossip stories unnamed sources, by unnamed advisers talking about unnamed events. 'None of this is serious. The Prime Minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid.' Health minister Nadine Dorries said it was 'mendacious, vexatious, co-ordinated gossip' aimed at destabilising the Tory campaign ahead of the May 6 elections. The Cabinet Secretary today admitted an inquiry into the 'chatty rat' lockdown leak probably will not find a culprit as he gave evidence to MPs. Giving evidence to a powerful committee, Simon Case said the probe into who revealed plans for renewed restrictions last year was 'complex'. But Mr Case did not back up Dominic Cummings's claims that he had been cleared over involvement in the leak, which led to revelations in the Mail that Boris Johnson was poised to order a second national lockdown in October. The emergence of the details forced Mr Johnson to bring forward an announcement that a four-week closure would happen in November. Mr Case said he hoped the conclusions of the inquiry - which has been going on since last year - could be given in 'weeks rather than months'. But he stressed that the culprit had not yet found. 'Given the time that has now past I think it is probable that the team will not successfully identify the source or sources. But work is ongoing,' he told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Mr Case rejected an allegation from Mr Cummings that the PM suggested the inquiry could have been quietly dropped after initially pointing towards an aide who is a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds. 'My knowledge is limited to my time I'm afraid but no, I'm not aware of any incidents,' he said. 'No, in relation to this particular leak, and others. The Prime Minister has always been clear, very determined to see these inquiries complete.' The civil service chief also refused to rule out another leak inquiry into claims Mr Johnson said he would rather see 'bodies piling up' than lock the country down again. On a visit to Wales today, Boris Johnson denied claims he made a remark about 'bodies piling up' in a fit of pique after agreeing the second round of brutal coronavirus restrictions last year In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace dismissed the briefings as a 'comedy chapter of gossip stories' An Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard today found that the Tories have slumped five points over the past month on Westminster voting intention. The survey, conducted between April 16 and 22, put the party on 40 per cent, just three points ahead of Labour. One former minister told MailOnline of the latest leaks: 'This needs to stop because it is damaging both sides. 'Cummings may think that now that he is no longer in government he has less to lose, but he needs to remember that he spent a lot of time in senior positions, and without doubt there will be things that he will not want to leaked out. 'He may feel that he has nothing to lose, but he is wrong.' 'It is also time for Carrie Symonds to back off, because it is clear in all of this that her name comes up regularly in the issues that are causing the PM difficulty - whether it is appointments, personnel, or having the flat redecorated.' However, another bullish Conservative MP said they had barely received any correspondence, and the civil war was not coming up on the doorstep. The comment by Mr Johnson allegedly came after Michael Gove warned Mr Johnson that soldiers would be needed to guard hospitals overrun with Covid victims. He agreed to fresh restrictions but his frustration is said to have boiled over after the crucial meeting at No 10 in October. 'No more ****ing lockdowns let the bodies pile high in their thousands!' he is alleged to have raged. Cummings 'has key No 10 tapes' Dominic Cummings kept audio recordings of key conversations in government, an ally claimed last night Dominic Cummings kept audio recordings of key conversations in government, an ally claimed last night. The former chief adviser is locked in an explosive war of words with Boris Johnson after Downing Street accused him of a string of damaging leaks. No 10 attempted to rubbish his claims on Friday night, saying it was not true that the Prime Minister had discussed ending a leak inquiry after a friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds was identified as the likely suspect. But an ally of Mr Cummings said the PM's former chief adviser had taken a treasure trove of material with him when he left Downing Street last year, including audio recordings of discussions with senior ministers and officials. 'Dom has stuff on tape,' the ally said. 'They are mad to pick a fight with him because he will be able to back up a lot of his claims. 'He used to tell advisers to record things all the time discussions with officials. He has also kept a lot of his correspondence.' A Whitehall source yesterday said officials did not know the full extent of the material Mr Cummings has. He has denied leaking and has already told MPs that aspects of the Government's approach to Covid went 'catastrophically wrong'. Advertisement Ministers and Cabinet Secretary face grilling over claims PM tried to get Tory donors to fund lavish makeover of Downing Street flat Ministers and the Cabinet Secretary face a grilling today over claims Boris Johnson tried to get Tory donors to fund a 60,000 Downing Street flat renovation. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will appear before MPs following a string of explosive allegations made by Dominic Cummings. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is also set to answer an urgent question in the Commons as Labour seeks to capitalise on the meltdown. Mr Cummings has accused the PM of wanting donors to 'secretly pay for the renovation' of his official residence, in a move the former No10 aide branded 'unethical, foolish, possibly illegal'. Downing Street insists the premier funded the work himself in the end, and all ministerial and electoral rules have been followed. Asked about the row during interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Mr Johnson had paid 'out of his own pocket' for the Downing Street upgrade. Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Do I think the Prime Minister is sleazy? No, I don't. Britain's top civil servant will be quizzed over the lavish refurbishment of Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat today amid claims that the Prime Minister has had to take out a personal loan to pay for it 'Do I think the Prime Minister is an absolutely first-class leader who has led this country in a pandemic? 'Let's not forget, while we are getting into Oscar-type gossip columns there is an awful lot of gossip going around. 'He paid out of his own money to refurbish the flat. He paid for his flat.' Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted an urgent question laid by Labour, with Mr Gove understood to be planning to respond. Appearing before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Mr Case is expected to deny claims that he cleared Mr Cummings over involvement in the 'chatty rat' leak last autumn about the impending second lockdown. A government source said last night the inquiry, conducted with the assistance of MI5, was ongoing, adding: 'It has neither found anyone responsible, nor ruled anyone out.' But Mr Case is also expected to face detailed questions about the refurbishment of the flat above Number 11 Downing Street used by Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds. Adding to the controversy, one senior Tory told the Mail last night: 'Boris had to take out a personal loan to cover the cost. You have to be pretty wealthy to have 60,000 lying around. He has just emerged from an expensive divorce.' One former minister told MailOnline of the latest claims: 'This needs to stop because it is damaging both sides. 'Cummings may think that now that he is no longer in government he has less to lose, but he needs to remember that he spent a lot of time in senior positions, and without doubt there will be things that he will not want to leaked out. 'He may feel that he has nothing to lose, but he is wrong.' 'It is also time for Carrie Symonds to back off, because it is clear in all of this that her name comes up regularly in the issues that are causing the PM difficulty - whether it is appointments, personnel, or having the flat redecorated.' The Electoral Commission has said it is still seeking answers from Tory chiefs about whether party funds or donations were used. Labour has written to the commission calling for a full investigation. Sir Keir said: 'Like everybody reading that, I was astonished to see those words. 'It's for the prime minister, I think now, to make a public statement about that. If he did say those things, he's got to explain it. 'If he didn't, go on the record and publicly explain what was said and what wasn't said because I think everybody will be deeply concerned, not least all those families that have lost someone during this pandemic.' On Friday, Mr Cummings said Mr Johnson wanted 'donors to secretly pay for the renovation' which he said was 'unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules'. The Mail had revealed that Mr Johnson asked Tory donors to help with the cost of the makeover which is said to run to six figures. On Friday, the Cabinet Office said the cost of 'painting, sanding and floorboards' had been paid from a 30,000 maintenance allowance, but 'any costs of wider refurbishment have been met by the Prime Minister personally'. Lonely losing battle of PM who'd resisted the clamour for lockdowns: Yes, his outburst was shocking. But libertarian Boris knew it wasn't just Covid lives at stake, writes ANDREW PIERCE As No10 officials and senior ministers joined Boris Johnson in the Cabinet Room the mood was bleak. For weeks the Prime Minister had been rejecting calls to impose a second lockdown, not just from Cabinet colleagues but also from the scientists. But, with the number of Covid infections and deaths on an obstinately upward curve, the pressure to take decisive action was becoming irresistible. Gathered in the room alongside Boris on Friday, October 30, last year were Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor: the so-called Quad directing the fight against Covid. Dominic Cummings, then Johnson's chief adviser, was also present. Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific officer, and Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, were given the floor and they proceeded to rehearse their well-worn arguments for total lockdown in England. But the Prime Minister was still in no mood to acquiesce. 'I will never be able to sell it to the Tory Party,' he said. It was at this point that Gove jumped in to make a short but passionate speech. 'If we don't do this now we will have to go into a much harder lockdown in three or four weeks,' he argued. He then conjured up a dystopian image of what the streets would look like if immediate action wasn't taken. 'We will be forced to put the Army on the doors of hospitals to turn the sick away as the NHS will be overwhelmed. We will not be forgiven and the Tories will be driven from power.' You could have heard a pin drop in the Cabinet Room. Sunak, who had traditionally been very hawkish about lockdowns because of their devastating impact on the economy, sided with Gove. Hancock, who had always been in favour of more draconian restrictions, made it three to one against the PM. Tired and irritable, his hair even more dishevelled than usual, Boris looked utterly deflated. Only ten days earlier he had told the Commons that the idea of another lockdown was 'the height of absurdity'. It would 'turn the lights out'. If he ordered a U-turn, he knew his political opponents especially on the Tory benches would have a field day. Cummings, who has always held Tory MPs in total contempt, urged him to ignore the carping and do the right thing. After five weeks of trench warfare in Downing Street, Boris reluctantly agreed. It was shortly after this meeting that he allegedly uttered the phrases that have turned out to be such hostages to fortune: 'no more ****ing lockdowns' regardless of the 'bodies'. Boris who once said the real hero of the film Jaws was the mayor of Amity who kept the beaches open despite the presence of a killer shark was devastated that he had lost the battle. 'He said he hadn't gone into Downing Street to shut down the economy,' said the source, 'but he was in a minority of one.' The harsh reality is that despite his rhetoric Boris had been fighting a lonely losing battle for some time. Only six weeks earlier, in an attempt to placate his Tory critics, he had told the Commons that a second national lockdown would have 'disastrous' financial consequences for the country and that the Government would do 'everything in our power to prevent it'. Yet just three days after that speech the lockdown moved closer when the Government announced that people who did not live in the same household, or who were not in a support bubble, could not gather in groups of more than six. Boris agreed the rule of six as a compromise. His scientists had put him under pressure to go even further. And that pressure did not let up. Within 48 hours, the Quad was urged by Sage the committee of scientists that advised the Government to urgently introduce a two-week 'circuit-breaker' lockdown to reduce the spread of coronavirus. It warned the UK faced a 'very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences' on its current course. The seven-day average of daily cases stood at 4,964; there were 1,502 Covid patients in hospital; and daily deaths stood at 28. The Sage group proposed the circuit-breaker a short period of lockdown to drive new infections down to head off a second wave of the virus that 'would fall disproportionately on the frailest in our society, [people on] lower incomes and BAME communities'. In the Quad meeting the scientists had Cummings safely onside but even Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor who had been an implacable opponent of inflicting any more harm on the economy, was coming round to the idea of more restrictions. 'Ever the pragmatist, he didn't want to be lumbered with any political damage if Covid soared and he was seen to have argued for putting jobs before lives,' said one insider. But Boris, true to his libertarian instincts, was opposed to once more shutting shopping malls, pubs and restaurants. The source added: 'He warned of the huge impact it would have on the economy, on the mental health of people, and reminded everyone enforcing lockdowns comes with huge costs.' He also knew politically there would be trouble among restive Tory MPs who were increasingly opposed to talk of more restrictions. It is a tribute to Boris's force of personality and it has to be said the power of his office that his view prevailed. Three days later, in another compromise with the scientists, the tier system was brought in. This divided England into medium, high and very high zones. Even as he announced the new rules Boris was clear they would go no further. 'The social and economic trauma of a full lockdown, shuttering our lives and our society would do such damage to our economy as to erode our long-term ability to fund the NHS and other crucial public services,' he said. The very next day the news that Boris had overruled the scientists the previous month on the circuit-breaker was leaked to the media. The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who had ordered his MPs to abstain in a Commons vote on the rule of six, saw his opportunity to score political points. He urged the Government to impose a circuit-breaker of between two and three weeks to prevent a 'sleepwalk into a bleak winter'. While the Tories attacked Starmer's opportunism, the public backed him, with 54 per cent surveyed by YouGov saying they felt the Government should have introduced a national lockdown in September, while just 28 per cent of the 4,222 adults polled disagreed. Despite the growing pressure, Boris was sticking to his guns and at a press conference two days later said the Government 'cannot rule anything out', but expressed his desire to avoid a national lockdown because of 'the damaging health, economic and social effects it would have'. His stance won the backing of senior Tory MPs, including Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs. A few days later in the Commons, he uttered the phrase that would return to haunt him, when he condemned the idea of a second national lockdown as 'the height of absurdity' that would 'turn the lights out'. So the scene was set for the PM to announce the biggest U-turn of his premiership. He knew he now faced a greater political challenge than the first lockdown in March when much of the country was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He had been told months earlier by the scientists that a second wave in the winter would be more deadly and that he should manage the public's expectations. But he had ignored that advice. 'Typical Boris, he wanted to be bullish and optimistic, which is his nature. He couldn't face dishing out a negative message all year round,' says the source. 'He wanted to be positive. He thought people were already fed-up without him adding to it, so decided to try to be upbeat.' An admirable sentiment, and just like the mayor in Jaws. But things didn't end well for the citizens of Amity. PM: No, I didnt make bodies remark. BBC & ITV: But we have sources who say the Mail story is right By Daniel Martin Policy Editor for the Daily Mail The political editors of the BBC and ITV yesterday corroborated Boris Johnsons alleged remarks over the coronavirus death toll. The Mail had reported that after reluctantly agreeing to a second national lockdown, the Prime Minister had apparently said he would rather see the bodies pile high in their thousands than order a third round of curbs. Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, joined ministers taking to the airwaves yesterday to insist the reports were untrue. Mr Johnson himself went before TV cameras to issue a flat denial, saying the claims were total, total rubbish. The political editors of the BBC and ITV yesterday corroborated Boris Johnsons (pictured) alleged remarks over the coronavirus death toll But the two respected political editors of the BBC and ITV Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston both reported yesterday afternoon that they had heard the same allegations of Mr Johnsons comments from their own sources. Later, in the Commons, Michael Gove declined to completely reject the reports, saying only that it was incredible to suggest that the Prime Minister could have said such a thing. The Cabinet Office Minister insisted he was not in the meeting room when the alleged comment was made. It is understood, however, that the remark was made in the Prime Ministers study. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer yesterday said he was astonished by the reports. He added: Everybody would be deeply concerned, not least all those families who have lost someone in the pandemic. In the afternoon, Mr Gove (pictured) told MPs he never heard language of that kind in the meeting where Mr Johnson ordered the second shutdown in England. He also said: The idea that he would say any such thing, I find incredible. I was in that room. I never heard language of that kind Sources told the Mail that Mr Johnson resisted a second lockdown last October even as Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Mr Gove argued it was necessary. When he finally agreed to new restrictions after Mr Gove warned him that soldiers would otherwise have to be deployed to protect overwhelmed hospitals, he is alleged to have said: No more f***ing lockdowns let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Asked yesterday if he made the comments, Mr Johnson told reporters in Wrexham: Total, total rubbish. What I certainly think is that this country has done an amazing job with the lockdowns. And theyve been very difficult. And theyve been very tough for people. And theres no question about that. He insisted the stuff that people are talking about in Westminster were not issues being raised on the doorstep ahead of the May 6 elections. The Prime Minister added: Nobody wants to go into a lockdown but theyve helped us. The discipline the public has shown has helped us to get the numbers of cases down very considerably. However, the Mails report was later backed up by the BBC, which said it had been told so by sources familiar with the conversation. Miss Kuenssberg said that at the time, Mr Johnson was reported to have had big concerns about the implications of another lockdown on the economy and non-Covid related health issues. But the two respected political editors of the BBC and ITV Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston both reported yesterday afternoon that they had heard the same allegations of Mr Johnsons comments from their own sources This does take us back to that moment and back to the very serious claims made by some people who were involved in the decision making including some ministers that the hesitancy around the second lockdown did cost lives, she said. Mr Peston also said that he was told Mr Johnson shouted the phrase in his study after he agreed to the second lockdown in a rage. He said he was told that the doors to the Cabinet room and outer office were allegedly open, meaning that a number of people heard. Yesterday morning, Mr Wallace said the bodies allegation was ludicrous and that anonymous briefing had reached the comedy chapter now of these gossip stories. The Prime Minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid, he said. In the afternoon, Mr Gove told MPs he never heard language of that kind in the meeting where Mr Johnson ordered the second shutdown in England. I was in the meeting that afternoon, with the Prime Minister and other ministers, as we looked at what was happening with the virus and with the pandemic, he said. We were dealing with one of the most serious decisions that this Prime Minister and any government have had to face. People have been pointing out, quite rightly, that tens of thousands of people were dying. The Prime Minister made a decision in that meeting to trigger a second lockdown. He made a subsequent decision to trigger a third lockdown. This is a Prime Minister who was in hospital himself, in intensive care. The idea that he would say any such thing, I find incredible. I was in that room. I never heard language of that kind. Mr Gove added: These decisions are never easy, but the Government made the decision, and the Prime Minister made the decision, to have a second and third lockdown, and I think we can see the evidence of the leadership that he showed. Nadine Dorries, the mental health minister, said the quote claim was a lie not one named source or substantiated fact. She tweeted that it was vexatious coordinated gossip given in order to negatively influence the outcome of the May elections. Mr Johnsons biographer Andrew Gimson said the Prime Minister may well have made the tasteless remark about allowing dead bodies to pile up but suggested the row would not damage him. Mr Gimson told Sky News: In some ways it will strengthen his reputation as a man who talks as a man in the pub would, not in the prissy way that some members of the political class think one should always talk about terrible things like the pandemic. Last night sources close to Mr Gove said he was very clear the PM did not say the alleged remark. Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! UOG has emerged as a low-cost producer poised for significant growth this year, SP Angel analyst Sam Wahab said. Investors in ( ) will be encouraged that the recent recovery in oil prices has significantly enhanced cashflows and improved the economics of s ( ) operations in Egypt, thats according to Stockbroker SP Angel. The broker, following the companys financial results statement, in a note said that United continues to maintain strong operational momentum following the success of the ASH-3 and ASD-1X wells. Against the backdrop of an unprecedented year for the sector, UOG has emerged as a low-cost producer poised for significant growth this year, SP Angel analyst Sam Wahab said in a note. Cash generation is expected to continue strongly throughout 2021 in line with increased production and pricing, particularly in the second half of the year as the capital expenditure associated with the drilling campaign is phased almost entirely in the first half. Wahab added: Shareholders will also be encouraged that the recent recovery in oil prices has significantly enhanced operational cashflows and improved the economics of additional development wells and there will be further drilling activity with the AJ-8 development well in the near term. On Monday, United reported US$9.1mln of revenue and a US$0.85mln profit for the year. It generated some US$4.8mln of cash from operating activities whilst it has cash capital expenditure of US$2.5mln. The company ended the year with US$2.2mln of cash. The company described it as a landmark year as chief executive Brian Larkin highlighted that United had positioned itself as a full-cycle oil and gas company with strong production, diverse assets, and clearly defined avenues to deliver further material growth. Uniteds acquisition of Rockhopper Egypt was a key event in the year, as it established a production base which exceeded expectations. Julia Graziano, a graduate of Ichabod Crane Central School in Columbia County and FIT in Manhattan, has completed her new book Jewel: a gripping and potent story about a sexual assault survivor who has faced multiple traumas throughout her life, only to find herself in the present day with a great job, good friends, and a stalker. Julia writes, After a pretty severe car accident, she learned that writing masked the pain of having two spinal surgeries. Thirty days in a rehab hospital and she learned from a doctor that she was right. The brain cannot think of two things if you are concentrating hard enough. Published by Page Publishing, Julia Grazianos thrilling tale is a story about a young woman, Jewel, with too many emotional scars to count, who after giving up her job as a fashion designer with one of the most promising firms of the time, decided it was time for a change in her life. Jewel moved away from New York city after the fallout from the drama of her fashion job to go to upstate and open a quaint quilt shop. For a time, she enjoyed living a simple life in a small town with her pet dog, Rocky, but her life would take a sudden turn after finally deciding to put herself out there and meeting someone new, all while the scars from the sudden death of her fiance are still fresh in her mind. Readers who wish to experience this gripping work can purchase Jewel at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. New Delhi: The voting for the seventh phase of the eight-phase West Bengal assembly election 2021 will take place today (April 26, 2021) across 34 constituencies in five districts. The polling will begin at 7 AM and will decide the fate of 284 candidates. More than 86 lakh electorates, including 42.33 lakh women and 229 third gender persons, are registered to cast their vote, but the total turn out is likely to be affected due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The votes will be cast at over 12,000 polling stations. Security measures have been heightened in view of the violence in the previous phases, particularly after the death of five people in Cooch Behar in the fourth round of polling on April 10. The poll panel has deployed 796 companies of central forces in the seventh phase to ensure free and fair voting. It will also put in place measures to ensure that COVID-appropriate behaviour is followed. This is to be noted that West Bengal on Sunday recorded its highest single-day spike of 15,889 COVID-19 cases that took its total tally to 7,43,950. The death toll also rose to 10,941 after 57 more people succumbed to the disease. Following the surge in coronavirus cases across the country, the Election Commission has banned roadshows and vehicle rallies in the state and noted that the COVID safety norms were being flouted in West Bengal during campaigning. It also disallowed any public meeting with more than 500 people. Voting will be held at assembly constituencies each in Murshidabad and Paschim Bardhaman districts, six each in Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda and four in Kolkata. All eyes will be on the Bhabanipur constituency, of which the incumbent West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, Mamata Banerjee, is the sitting MLA and a resident. Banerjee, however, has opted for Nandigram to contest the elections this time. Polling for two assembly seats in Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad district has been declared void following the deaths of two candidates there. The EC has fixed May 16 for the polling in these two seats. (With inputs from PTI) User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale Contribute: Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it. Flag as inappropriate. Mark as helpful or interesting. Send your own user report! Pollock Pines, CA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s : Floor shaking back and forth and freestanding ding objects were swaying slightly | One user found this interesting. Tahoe City, CA (10 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Light shaking. Ive never felt an earthquake before and the whole house shook and sounded like upstairs was coming into the downstairs | One user found this interesting. Stateline, NV / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : felt like slamming doors | One user found this interesting. Foresthill, CA (68.2 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short Incline Village. NV / not felt Carson City / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I felt it! CARSON CITY / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short Stateline / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short 27.4 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Woke me up. Felt like a couple cats jumped on the bed and I dont have any cats. Shook for a few seconds after that too. 2471 Havenwood Ct, Carson City, NV 89706 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : I was sitting on the floor of my house and felt vibrating/shaking and saw the clothes in my closet swaying. Mokelumne Hill / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s Truckee, CA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : hard to say if it was actually a "vertical" bump, but "bump" could describe it best. To be honest it felt like a sudden, sharp and powerful gust of wind it the house...yet there was absolutely no wind whatsoever. About half a second in duration. Twin Bridges Ca 95735 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I thought it was a tree the fell in the forest. Lake tahoe nv (16.1 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s Carson city, NV (24.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / very short : a rumble in the house felt like floors roiling Dollar Point (9.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Super short barely felt like an earthquakd Kings beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s At this stage in my career, I want to devote all of my energy to showcasing how RMI is changing how we consume, conserve and create energy to avert the climate crisis. As someone who bridges both science and communications, RMI is an ideal place for me. At a time when the stakes couldnt be higher, RMI is gaining a transformative communications and marketing leader uniquely suited to advancing its mission to transform energy for a zero-carbon future. The global non-profit announced today that it has hired veteran energy and environmental journalist and former Edelman Editorial Director and Executive Vice President Dina Cappiello to join as Managing Director, Communications and Marketing. Cappiello will oversee RMIs integrated internal and external communications and marketing function, which includes media relations, social media and website content and is responsible for promoting dozens of reports each year on the clean energy transition. Her hire comes at a pivotal moment for RMI and the climate movement domestically and globally. RMI recently committed all its programs to the goal of keeping warming to 1.5C and announced the formation of Canary Media, an independent media outlet devoted to coverage of the energy transition. RMI is comprised of some of the foremost experts in the world when it comes to clean energy solutions to address climate change. We now have a person to lead our communications team who is an expert in her own right, said RMI CEO Jules Kortenhorst. Dina is not only an expert in RMIs subject matter, but she is also a pro in translating complex and scientific topics in ways that move audiences. Cappiello spent nearly six years at the global communications firm Edelman in Washington D.C., where she developed and led the first combined Editorial and Media Strategies team. Comprised of former journalists and media relations experts, the team specialized in finding and executing stories for brands, companies and associations in multiple formats across earned, owned and social channels. Her innovative approach was recognized by the firm locally and globally. Prior to Edelman, Cappiello spent 15 years as an award-winning energy and environmental journalist for the Times Union in Albany, N.Y., the Houston Chronicle, Congressional Quarterly, ClimateWire and the Associated Press, where she led energy and environmental coverage in D.C. A scientist by training, Cappiello was one of the first graduates of Columbia Universitys Earth and Environmental Science Journalism program, where she earned masters degrees in environmental science and journalism. She also holds an undergraduate degree in biology from Georgetown University. At this stage in my career, I want to devote all of my energy to showcasing how RMI is changing how we consume, conserve and create energy to avert the climate crisis, Cappiello said. As someone who bridges both science and communications, RMI is an ideal place for me. As part of her role, Cappiello will also sit on the board of Canary Media, where she will serve as an advisor to the online media company. Cappiello is a former board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Given the deadline we are on to solve the climate crisis, the environmental beat is the most important one on the planet right now. I couldnt be prouder to work for an organization that is supporting top-notch journalism on this critical topic at a time when the number of journalists is declining, said Cappiello. To be a part of this new media company even at arms-length is an honor, and for me, coming full circle. Media Inquiries please contact: Alex Chin, Associate - Media Relations, T: +1 973-262-0002, E:achin@rmi.org About RMI RMI is an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. We work in the worlds most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent by 2030. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. More information on RMI can be found at http://www.rmi.org or follow us on Twitter @RockyMtnInst. DANBURY At Danbury Hospital, far fewer people have been dying from COVID-19. Its an intermittent phenomenon here, said Dr. Jeffrey Nicastro, chief medical officer for Nuvance Health, which includes Danbury, Norwalk and New Milford hospitals. We still have an occasional death with COVID. There is no doubt. The state reported one death of a Danbury resident on Wednesday the first death in the city since April 12. Thirteen towns surrounding Danbury have not reported any deaths since April 12, when the state recorded four for the area. Comparatively, the Danbury area saw 37 deaths linked to COVID-19 on April 15, 2020. Deaths are down substantially because cases have fallen and vaccinations have increased, especially among senior citizens, Nicastro said. While both [deaths and cases] are down, I think its very important for people to understand that the disease is still with us and it can be quite severe, even in younger patients, he said. The older population that used to make up the bulk of hospitalizations and deaths has largely been vaccinated, so hospitals are seeing more COVID patients and deaths in younger age groups, Nicastro said. At Stamford Hospital, Dr. Maher Madhoun has noted a similar trend. A year ago, there were deaths occurring nearly very day at the hospital, said Madhoun, an infectious disease specialist and member of Ridgefields COVID task force. Were not close to what we were seeing. Were not having them on a daily basis. Its become less frequent for sure. Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo urged residents to still be cautious. The problem I see with the virus is it's so unpredictable, he said. What happens with it and how it affects people is so unpredictable. I don't know that anyone wants to take that chance to see if theyd be the next statistic. H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Why have deaths declined? The state has surpassed 8,000 COVID deaths, but the death rate has slowed considerably. Connecticut went from 6,000 to 7,000 deaths in less than a month, but took about 11 1/2 weeks to go from 7,000 to 8,000 deaths. The state hit 1,000 deaths a month after the first death last March. Deaths have fallen because treatment has gotten better and because the older, high-risk population has been largely vaccinated, doctors said. About three-quarters of people 65 and over are fully vaccinated, compared to 56 percent of people 55 to 64, 32.1 percent of the 45 to 54 age group, 21.9 percent of the 35 to 44 age group, 18.4 percent of the 25 to 34 group, according to state data. The older people, over the age 65, have done a very good job getting vaccinated and protecting themselves, while the younger age group lags behind, Madhoun said. As younger age groups get vaccinated, the death rate should decline, Nicastro said. More Information Danbury area total COVID deaths Bethel: 51 Bridgewater: 0 Brookfield: 17 Danbury: 186 Kent: 0 New Fairfield: 5 New Milford: 32 Newtown: 66 Redding: 19 Ridgefield: 61 Roxbury: 1 Sherman: 3 Southbury: 60 Washington: 2 Danbury area total: 503 *Per the state Department of Health data as of April 21 See More Collapse A number of COVID patients in the hospital have not been vaccinated, but some have had only a single dose or are not two weeks after their second shot, when the vaccine is in full effect, said Dr. Kevin D. Dieckhaus, chief of the division of infectious diseases with UConn Health. There may be some partial immunization in the latter cases, he said. The answer to that is vaccinate more and vaccinate more quickly, he said. Improved treatment methods have helped health care workers save lives. Over the course of the last 14 months, we have learned a lot more about this disease, Nicastro said. Part of the continued decrease in deaths and death rate is as a result of early application of certain therapies that can be helpful. Hospitals no longer rely on ventilators and use different methods to provide oxygen to sick patients. Steroids, medications like Remdesivir, convalescent plasma from former COVID patients and medicines to treat blood clots help, doctors said. Keeping patients in the prone position when supplying oxygen is also more effective. There is always going on be a defined mortality rate, but we're pushing against that, Dieckhaus said. The type of care weve been able to advance has been on multiple fronts. Contributed photo / Hearst Connecticut Media Why are people dying? Yet, treatment isnt perfect. Better care is not necessarily a cure, said Dieckhaus. Were still dealing with a pretty significant viral illness. Younger age groups in the hospital may get just as ill as older people did, Nicastro said. Those who are (in the hospital) are as sick as those who we saw before, he said. There are just fewer of them, Nicastro added. But Dieckhaus said he has seen younger patients do not get as sick as older ones, on average. There is just an incredible amount of variability in terms of how one individual will respond to this, he said. Experts are not sure why some people get sicker than others. Everyones immune system is slightly different and people all respond to the same stimuli differently, Nicastro said. Its one of the areas of continued investigation, not just in COVID, but generally. The biggest problem for COVID patients is respiratory failure, he said. People with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity or bad asthma often get sicker, Madhoun said. That's putting you at risk because your immune system is not going to be able respond as well, he said. Healthy people are discharged quickly and recover, he said. Some people with no prior health issues have gotten severely ill or died, but thats become less common, he said. Its unclear why, Madhoun said. Last year, because I think it infiltrated the population so much in the spring, it really affected a wide net of people. Social distancing and mask wearing have protected people, he said. The virus variants are more contagious and have led to increased spread, but have not been linked to more severe illness and death, Madhoun said. Residents 45 and over have had more time to get their vaccines than those 16 to 44, who became eligible on April 1. But Madhoun does not expect to see an increase in hospitalizations from those in their 20s and 30s. That age group is more likely to spread the virus to their parents, he said. Doctors said they dont know what COVID deaths will look like over the long term. Itll depend on how many people get vaccinated, including with potential booster shots, and whether variants emerge that the vaccine is ineffective against. It will become a viral illness that we live with, Nicastro said. People refusing to get the vaccine could lead to outbreaks, as has occurred with the measles and polio, Dieckhaus said. The lag in distribution worldwide is another problem, he said. Were not all safe until everybody is safe, he said. But the decline in deaths has been a relief for health care workers. The mood is much better, Madhoun said. We were feeling helpless last year because people were dying no matter what we were doing, and now there is at least some sort of accomplishment that were not in that mentality. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday took strong note of black marketing in oxygen cylinders, reportedly being sold at Rs 1 lakh per unit in the national capital for treating seriously ill COVID-19 patients, and asked the AAP government to take action against those indulging in it, saying distribution of gas cylinders is "your baby". With regard to the distribution of oxygen cylinders, "there is a major major issue in Delhi", the high court said while sharing the incident of a senior advocate who had personally informed the judge that people were demanding Rs 1 lakh per oxygen cylinder. "Oxygen cylinder distribution is your (Delhi government) baby. You have powers, exercise them. If someone is engaging in black marketing, take action. They need to be taken to task. Bring them before us and we will take action," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said during three-and-a half hour-long hearing on escalating the oxygen crisis in various hospitals in Delhi. The court was informed by the Delhi government counsel that refillers of oxygen cylinders were not providing details of supplies and refills. Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the Delhi government, said that before taking any action it will need the information from the refillers with regard to the deliveries made by them, but if it sends a show-cause notice seeking such details, it is viewed as harsh. Taking note of this, the bench directed all the refillers of oxygen cylinders in Delhi to be present at the hearing on Tuesday following complaints of non-availability of gas cylinders and black marketing. The bench said it has received information that refillers were selling oxygen sellers at high rates, like Rs 1 lakh, in the black market and directed the Delhi government to take action against such persons. The court also directed that refillers have to comply with its earlier order to provide details of the deliveries made by them to hospitals and others, failing which "we shall be compelled to take strict action against them". During the hearing, Siddharth Jain, Director of INOX which is a major supplier of medical oxygen to Delhi, informed the court about the difficulties faced by suppliers in making the supplies. He said his factories are working 24X7 even when a lot of staff members are down with COVID-19 infection. "When my truck leaves, it is working like a milkman who drops off small quantities of milk at several places. Earlier, it was not this but now the demand is much more than the supply. Our trucks are diverted midway. Why would I not want to give oxygen? It is my business and I am supplying oxygen to Delhi for the last 20 years. Nobody has complained except for Delhi hospitals," he said. He said some clarity should be given to them regarding supplies and so much of paperwork being asked by the Delhi government will affect its functioning in making oxygen supplies. The court then asked Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev, who was present at the hearing, to hold a meeting with oxygen suppliers, refillers, and hospitals, and nursing homes during the day to work out a distribution plan. The bench said that just like the central government has worked out an oxygen distribution plan for the whole country, the Delhi government can have such a plan for the national capital. It said the meeting could be held in the evening at around 5 pm and asked the authorities to place the resolution before the court by Tuesday. Live TV By Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi I had interacted with corona at a distance, as we continually advised the people of Meru to wear masks, wash hands, avoid shaking hands and keep social distance. I had followed CS Mutahi Kagwe, and his deputies, every day in the media giving statics of those tested, those who had turned positive, those being treated in hospitals, those under home care, and those who had died. I always wore a KN95 mask in all my public gatherings. I had taken Covid-19 tests thrice, and they had all turned negative. I had no usual Covid-19 symptoms. No cough, no sneezing, no fever. I felt relatively safe. Little did I know that I would soon be part of those statistics. My encounter with corona was most unexpected. It was a most frightening experience. Corona was no longer merely an issue of statics and emotional debates. It was now about ME, and whether I would live or die. My entire life, my family, my work, and my future were suddenly at stake. My Corona cycle was in three phases. The first phase was marked by denial. I had mentally refused to accept that I was sick. I forced myself to work until I couldnt work anymore. I had extreme fatigue, fever, confusion, and general weakness of the body, but I didnt think it was Covid-19. For over one week, I tried to survive, on over-the-counter medicine, such as Panadol, Claritin, and Augmentin. I proceeded with my normal action-packed days, with a lot of difficulties. I continued to feel feverish, extremely tired, sore throat, headaches, and confusion in my head. I did not have the usual Covid-19 symptoms like coughing or sneezing, but I was feeling extremely tired, severe backache, indigestion and I had a bloated stomach. To put it in laymans language, I was not really myself. I just pushed and forced my body to work. On Tuesday 9th March, I took the AstraZeneca vaccine. Although I was not feeling very well, I had to convince the people of Meru that the vaccine was safe. It was my political duty as a leader to give our people confidence in the vaccine. I had been told that the side effects of the vaccine were high temperatures, fever, and a slight headache, which would disappear in a day or two. I experienced fever, headache, and very high temperatures that night. I thought they would disappear the following day but they didnt. The side-effects did not go away. Extreme fatigue, headaches, sore throat, and confusion of the mind persisted unabated. My self-prescribed antibiotics, Claritin and Panadols didnt work either. I was in a lot of pain and suffering. Deep inside me, I was still convinced that all this was the continued side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine which would go away with time. On Saturday 13th March, I stayed indoors at my home at Nkubu, feeling feverish, weak, and generally confused. My wife came, and we travelled to Nairobi the following day. Our children had prepared an exciting surprise birthday for my wife, who was turning 60. I had great difficulty surviving the party. I was feeling extremely fatigued and drowsy. I had to insist on the cake being cut prematurely so that I could go and rest in my bedroom. On Monday 15th March, I saw a doctor who ordered several tests to be done on me, including a Covid-19 test. The Covid test was negative but the fever, fatigue, and high temperatures persisted. At 3 am at night, Priscilla had to rush me to Aga Khan Hospital because my temperatures had shot up to 39c. The hospital tests found nothing. Surprisingly, the temperature was normal at 37c. So we returned home. On Tuesday 16th, my brother Dr Kiraitu came to see me at home and found me in a terrible state. I was drowsy and always felt like being left alone to sleep. He called Dr Mwongera and arranged for me to be admitted to Nairobi Hospital, the same day. At the hospital, I took numerous tests including malaria antigen test, blood culture, stool and urine, an ultra-sound, head and lungs CT scan, and of course Covid-19. The results came out the following day, I had Covid pneumonia. The second phase in my Corona cycle was acceptance and treatment. The doctors gave me hope but I could see they were not definite. They were trying their best. This was a scientific and medical phase involving consultants, doctors, nurses, and the medicines they prescribed. I had no real fight against Corona. I become fatalistic, ready for any outcome. I was taken through a very strict regimen of treatment and drugs like Vitamin D 360k, Zinc Remdesivir, Parafusiv, Ivermectin, Dexamethasone, Chlorhexidine, Xarelto, and Novarapid. The nurses kept a round-the-clock vigil. They kept monitoring my oxygen uptake, temperature, blood sugar, and blood pressure every two hours for six days. For me at this point, nothing really mattered. Corona had disconnected me from everything. It put me out of action. I felt weak and useless. The news of Magufuli funeral ceremonies on TV only reminded me of the possibility of my own death; my final exit from this world. Magufuli had a great send-off. How would my exit be? I kept asking myself. Is this my final un-ceremonial exit from the world? I kept praying that I dont die, until 2022 when I will be 70. At least I would have attained the optimum biblical age. My phone was full of emails, SMSs and WhatsApp get well messages from family, friends, workmates, political colleagues, and even from my political opponents. Corona had brought us together. When you fall sick or dead, suddenly you become everyones friend. But a few Facebook posts said I was in ICU, and some said I was dead. It didnt matter since I was alive. I got to read, most of the goodwill messages after I was discharged. I was informed by my staff that the churches and clergy in Meru had held prayers for me. One message read that God would restore my health and heal my wounds and I would go out leaping like calves released from the stall. Their prayers were answered on Monday 22nd March, when I was discharged, to continue my treatment at home, but I was not yet out of the woods. The test still showed I was Covid positive, but I was not in any pain. I owe my life to God, Dr Mwongera, my brother Dr Miriti, Dr Silverstein and the team of doctors and nurses who performed the scientific miracle. I have heard some people being congratulated for winning a heroic battle against Covid-19. This is self-delusion, I did nothing. I didnt fight. At the hospital, I just followed the doctors and nurses orders. I didnt even know what they were giving me. I was too weak and subdued. It was a very humbling experience for me. If I died, that would be it. Everything would be irrelevant to me. You cannot defeat death. Even Lazarus who was raised from the dead eventually died again. The third Corona cycle was more friendly. It was in home isolation because I was still positive. I continued with treatment and convalescence. I was put under a home-care nurse who continued to administer my drugs and monitor my oxygen, blood pressure and blood sugar levels every three hours. I found it difficult to sleep on my tummy with oxygen tubes in my nostrils, but after a week I got used to it. The beautiful thing about this phase is that the pain, fatigue, fever and confusion were gone. Apart from confinement at home, and the frequent interruption by the nurse, life was almost normal. Corona should not only be seen in negative terms. It turned out to be one of the best, and most fulfilling times of my life. I enjoyed a Corona Holiday for the first time in many years, I found myself all alone, reflecting on my life and my future. I enjoyed the warmth, love, and friendship of my wife Priscilla, my children, and my close family members, without any external interference. I also had time to read, watch TV, and follow politics on social media, like other ordinary Kenyans. I took time to take stock of my political life and to tidy up some loose ends in my thinking. This phase of Corona turned out to be one of the most creative, inspirational and revelatory moments of my life. I read some interesting materials on history and philosophy. I read a booklet by a Roman philosopher, SENECA ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE which argued that our lives are not short; we only waste them, with irrelevant things. He showed how we allow our lives to be stolen by others, and how gripped by an insatiable greed for money and power, we dedicate our lives to useless tasks. He showed how political leaders are worn out by political ambitions, self-imposed servitude, and the life of display. He said our lives are caught on the whirlwinds and storms, carried hither and hither, and driven round and round in circles by the rage of opposing winds. This is very true of my life. My life had been stolen from me by politics and social pressures. As I read this book, I watched with pity, a frail-Raila Odinga, who was being treated for a Covid-19 attack being literally dragged out of bed so that he and the President could be seen together opening roads in Nairobi and Kajiado, for political optics, to show Kenyans that the Handshake Deal between the two was still intact. Railas health came second. Politics came first. His life had been stolen from him. He was living a life of display. He was caught up in the endless winds and storms of politics. This was a clear demonstration of how politics has robbed politicians of their lives. Our lives are no longer our own. We have been estranged and alienated even from ourselves. We are permanently on stage, making impressions, seeking to be liked, and approved by others. We live a life of endless pretenses. We are too psychologically terrified to think and act independently. I felt sad we have lost our own authenticity and freedom. Even our thoughts and our voices are no longer truly our own. We live a life of fear and suspense always worried about what others will think or say about us. We are constantly listening to rumours, and scanning the political weather so that we can always be politically correct and always be on the winning side. Corona break gave me an opportunity to take stock of my own personal political journey. Politics had robbed me of my life and my voice. Sometimes, it had robbed me of my freedom of thought. I had become obsessed with winning. In doing so, I had advocated and fought for ideas and anxieties which were not genuinely my own. I had given in too much to the political and social expectations of others. If I had died of Corona, I would have died alone. All that noise and bustle of politics would continue without me. I made a decision to appreciate myself and to reclaim my life. From now on, I would follow the desires of my heart. I would ignore all the noise, the psychological burdens of friendship and idiocies of politics. I too have a fundamental duty to live a happy and decent life in the remaining years of my life. I promised myself to pursue my dreams without seeking approval from anybody. I thank Corona for helping me to find myself and to liberate me from others. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Vagharshak Harutyunyan received Ambassador of Canada to Armenia Alison Mary LeClaire on April 26 (residence in Moscow) and Colonel Craig Fowler, the Canadian Embassy's Military Attache (residence in Moscow). As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, during the meeting issues related to the regional security were discussed. The Armenian Defense Minister presented details over the military operations against Artsakh and the situation following the aggression, mentioning new security challenges that have emerged in the region. The Ambassador of Canada informed that Canada seriously examines the issue of limitations on sales of equipment to Turkish UAV-producing companies. During the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, Turkey actively supported Azerbaijan, including by using UAVs with Canadian equipment. BOSTON, April 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GeneLeap Biotech, a subsidiary of Luye Life Sciences specializing in the development of nucleic acid therapeutics, presented an e-poster entitled 'Design and synthesis of novel GalNAc linker moieties, conjugation to antisense oligonucleotides and evaluation in mice' at the Spring Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) 2021. The study reported new synthetic methodologies for the synthesis of novel tri-antennary GalNAc units and their evaluation for delivery and efficacy as GalNAc-antisense oligo conjugates in mice. The results showed that the novel GalNAc moieties are more convenient and affordable. Compared with the traditional GalNAc, the novel GalNAc has a similar effect on hepatic delivery in rodents and can be used for clinical development of ASO, siRNA and other nucleic acid-based drug candidates for liver diseases. As one of the world's largest scientific organizations, ACS is at the forefront of evolving worldwide chemistry, and the premier professional home for chemists, chemical engineers and related professionals around the globe. The ACS Spring 2021 is being held online from April 5 to 30. GalNAc is an amino sugar derivative of galactose. Tri-antennary GalNAc has a high affinity for the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) that is selectively expressed on hepatocytes. The ASGPR delivers the corresponding ligands into the hepatocytes through endocytosis. Therefore, the incorporation of the current novel tri-antennary GalNAc units into oligonucleotide-based drugs selectively delivers to the liver. However, the synthesis of tri-antennary GalNAc, currently applied in clinical trials, is time-consuming and expensive due to the multistep process. The new facile methodologies developed at GeneLeap Biotech facilitate faster access to less expensive GalNAc moieties for bringing liver disease targeted nucleic acid therapeutics to patients with unmet medical need. The preclinical study conjugated the new tri-antennary GalNAc to gapmers and evaluated their efficacy in mice as antisense oligonucleotide conjugates. The results demonstrated that the new tri-antennary GalNAc conjugates of ApoB antisense gapmers showed potent knockdown of ApoB protein in the mice plasma following subcutaneous administration. The knockdown efficiency and the duration of the new GalNAc-oligos are similar to or better than a standard tri-antennary GalNAc moiety that is currently used in clinical trials. "We are glad to see that GeneLeap Biotech has developed synthesis of single units of GalNAc and their convenient incorporation as clusters of three during oligonucleotide synthesis, which is less time-consuming, more affordable, and more convenient," said Dr. Jason Zhang, CSO of GeneLeap Biotech. "This study could be of great value in developing liver targeted oligonucleotide-based drug candidates. In the longer term, this might lead to the clinical development of more affordable products, such as ASO, siRNA and other nucleic acid-based drug candidates for liver diseases." GalNAc technology is the mainstream nucleic acid delivery technology. GeneLeap Biotech has built a self-developed GalNAc delivery technology platform, and mastered advanced liver-targeted delivery technology in the field of nucleic acid drug therapy, which can effectively deliver nucleic acid drugs to liver lesions and bring benefits to patients. "We are delighted to see that this new technology adds value to the company's IP portfolio, and we are looking forward to external collaboration to further develop this technology. With the advance of clinical practice and the maturity of GalNAc technology, GeneLeap Biotech will actively explore the development of nucleic acid-based drugs for unmet clinical needs, and bring breakthrough treatment solutions for patients with liver disorders all over the world," said Dr. Sean Fu, CEO of GeneLeap Biotech. About GeneLeap Biotech GeneLeap Bio., a subsidiary of Luye Life Sciences, specializes in developing gene therapy drugs for cancer and severe infectious diseases, including mRNA and oligonucleotides. Currently, GeneLeap Biotech has R&D operations in both the USA (Boston) and China (Nanjing, Yantai). SOURCE Luye Life Sciences The Senate plenum adopted, on Monday, the bill regarding the unfair commercial practices between businesses within the agricultural and food supply chain. The bill, initiated by National Liberal Party (PNL) MP Cristian Buican, aims to transpose into national legislation the provisions of Directive (EU) 2019/633 of Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on unfair commercial practices between businesses within the agricultural and food supply chain, "in order to establish a list of unfair commercial practices prohibited in the relations between buyers and suppliers within this supply chain, regulation of payment terms, regulation of competences and powers of the competition authority, designated to ensure the national application of the directive's provisions, the regulation of sanctions applicable to the infringer," according to the joint admission report with the accepted amendments, drawn up by the Committee for the Economy and that for Agriculture. The representatives of the PNL, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (USR PLUS) parliamentary groups supported, in plenary, the need for this normative act, specifying that the vote to combat these "unfair practices will stop the abusive way in which supermarket chains treat Romanian farmers, producers and processors". PSD Senator Lucian Trufin said that the EU "shows us that there are these types of unfair trade practices and that we must ban them." In this context, USR PLUS senator Sebastian Cernic said that this law aims to help Romanian producers. "A component that we cannot legislate is that of consumption towards traditional products. We cannot, by law, condition Romanians, but we can convince them to consume Romanian products, so as to consume products with added value and we do not end up importing products from other countries," pointed out Cernic. The legislative proposal on unfair commercial practices between enterprises within the agricultural and food supply chain is part of the category of organic laws, the Senate being the first notified Chamber. Ryan Wilson had been held at the Manhattan Detention complex for less than a month when he fell into a deep depression last November. After an argument with another person at the jail, Mr. Wilson fashioned a noose out of a bedsheet and attached it to a light fixture. He told an correction officer that he would hang himself if he was not allowed out of his cell, according to court documents. But Capt. Rebecca Hillman, who was supervising the area where Mr. Wilson was being held, did not appear to take his threat seriously. When he tired of waiting for her and jumped off a stool with the sheet around his neck, Captain Hillman told others at the jail that he was playing, prosecutors said. When another officer asked if he could enter the cell to cut Mr. Wilson down, she said no, leaving him to hang from the light fixture for nearly 15 minutes. Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, on Monday, said that he is "heartbroken" by the current COVID-19 situation in India. The Indian-American corporate mogul also went onto express his gratitude towards the Biden administration for helping India tide over the coronavirus crisis. Taking to Twitter, Nadella stated that Microsoft will also continue to aid relief efforts and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the US government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief effort and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," tweeted Nadella. I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. Im grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 26, 2021 Meanwhile, Indian-American non-profit organisation Sewa International USA has raised $1.5 million and is sending a shipment of 400 oxygen concentrators along with other emergency medical devices and supplies to India. India reported a total of 3,52,991 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the number of active cases to 28,13,658 on Monday. The total number of COVID-19 cases in India currently stands at 1,73,13,163 while the death toll stands at 1,95,123 with 2,812 deaths in the last 24 hours. Oxygen shortage across the country has forced the Narendra Modi government to ramp up the production of medical oxygen and import oxygen from countries like Saudi Arabia, the EU, the US, and Germany. Edited by Mehak Agarwal Also read: US Prez Joe Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris assure India of support amid COVID-19 crisis Also read: US to send India Covishield raw material, medical supplies 'immediately The American evangelist, Rev. Franklin Graham, will not keep mum about Blinken's approval of the gay pride flag being flown alongside the American flag in June. "Just because something is "authorized," that doesn't make it right! Why should a flag representing one group of people and a specific agenda be literally raised up above all others and allowed to fly at our embassies and consulates?" That's what the Rev. Graham wrote on Facebook in response to a report saying the U.S. State Department has approved flying the flag used by the LGBT on a pole meant for nothing but the United States of America's very own flag. Graham contended that since embassies embody the U.S. in other nations, they can fly only the American flag. Other flags supporting causes such as gay pride or a Christian movement should not even be flown next to the flag representing a nation. "Our U.S. flag represents the sacrifice, the honor, the unity, the patriotism-and the blood-that made America great. Pray for our nation and our leaders," said Graham. Blinken Overrides Another Trump-era Policy Fox News reports that American embassies and consulates around the world are now allowed to display the rainbow flag alongside the American flag on the same mast. According to The New York Times, citing a cable and a department spokesman, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken's decision preempts a Trump administration move that rejected requests from embassies to display the pride flag during Pride Month in June. The flag can be displayed before May 17, the "International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia," and until the end of June with Blinken's permission. According to the cable, diplomatic outposts are not mandated to fly the flag, and it's the leaders' discretion to determine if "such a display is acceptable in light of local circumstances." Michael Pompeo, Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, fought to keep LGBTQ Pride flags, like the one at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, from being flown alongside American flags. Former vice president Mike Pence was also in agreement with Pompeo. He said that he and President Trump are "proud to be able to serve every American, and we both feel that way very passionately." At least four U.S. embassies - in Israel, Germany, Brazil, and Latvia - were allegedly refused permission to fly the LGBTQ flags. Notwithstanding, according to the Times, some embassies did it anyway. One outpost in South Korea reportedly hanged it on the building but was soon pulled down. Netizens Asked Why Reactions from those who maintain conservative stances were aplenty. Several, like Franklin Graham, made little reference to their moral convictions in their opposition. They simply stated that flags other than those of nations could not be flown above government buildings. According to one comment, whenever one party is allowed to fly their own flag, that is discriminatory against those other groups that have flags to also show. "Best to honor America thus representing all Americans and not signaling one group only," said the person who wrote the comment. Another concurred, arguing that if the current government would play as a patron, the flagpole would then be clogged with flags serving diverse interests. "Let's just keep it simple. One flag, one America!!" she declared. One was outraged that the Democrats seemed to be rescinding anything from the prior government only because it was carried out by the then President Trump. (Alliance News) - The EU said Monday it has launched legal action against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC over coronavirus vaccine delivery shortfalls that hampered efforts to kickstart inoculations across the bloc.A "The Commission has started last Friday a legal action against the company AstraZeneca on the basis of breaches of the advanced purchase agreement," EU spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said. "Some terms of the contract have not been respected and the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure the timely delivery of doses." De Keersmaecker said the action was launched by the EU executive "on behalf of the 27 member states that are fully aligned in their support of this procedure". "What matters to us in this case is that we want to make sure that there's a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that European citizens are entitled to, and which have been promised on the basis of the contract," he said.A UK-Swedish firm AstraZeneca dismissed the legal action as "without merit" and insisted "we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible". "AstraZeneca has fullyA complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court," it said in a statement.A The commission and company have been locked in a feud over a major shortfall in deliveries that hobbled early efforts in the bloc to roll out jabs.A AstraZeneca said it is due to have delivered about 50 million doses to Europe by the end of April, but that is far lower than the amount Brussels insists should have come.A The commission said the firm only provided 31 million of 120 million expected doses in the first three months of this year.A The company has warned it will send just 70 million from another 180 million doses initially promised by June.A AstraZeneca's CEO Pascal Soriot has argued that his company's contract with the EU binds it only to a "best reasonable efforts" clause.A But the commission says the rest of the contract shows greater legal responsibility than that, and EU diplomats and lawmakers have pointed out that the company has largely delivered promised doses to Britain, where it is headquartered. The commission a which has been responsible for procuring vaccines for all of the bloc a informed member states last week of its plans to take the company to court and pressed for support from national governments.A Diplomats said any lawsuit against AstraZeneca would begin in a Belgian courtA -- the jurisdiction agreed under the commission's contract with the firm. The EU initially intended to use the AstraZeneca jab as the main workhouse to power the bloc's inoculation drive a but has now switched to the more expensive BioNTech SE/Pfizer Inc vaccine as its mainstay.A Pfizer is expected to deliver 250 million doses across the EU during the second quarter of this year as the 27 nations look to meet a target of vaccinating 70% of adults by July.A The bloc is hoping an uptick in deliveries a which also includes the Moderna Inc and the single-shot Johnson & Johnson jabs a can help it gain ground on inoculation pacesetters like the US and Britain.A Public confidence in the AstraZeneca jab has also taken a blow over worries of links to very rare blood clots in the brain. A Some member states have restricted use to older people despite the bloc's medicines agency insisting the jab's benefits outweigh the risks.A Shares in AstraZeneca were down 0.4% at 7,534.00 pence on Monday in London. By Julien GIRAULT source: AFP Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The authorities of Sa Pa town in Lao Cai province have asked AnSaPa tourism company to temporarily close its tourist site after netizens complained about the tourist site showed an ugly and inaccurate version of the Statue of Liberty. Replica of Statue of Liberty in AnSaPa tourist site. The local authorities on April 20 established an inspection team to check the AnSaPa tourist site after it set up a small version of the Statue of Liberty on its campus and the statue was "stoned" on social networks because it was seen as ugly. On social networks, particularly tourism forums, netizens posted pictures of what they called the error version of the Statue of Liberty at AnSaPa tourist site, and complained that the statue is ugly and totally different from the original statue. They called it a mutant and an error version of the Statue of Liberty. According to local officials, the half-length Statue of Liberty was built in AnSaPa a private tourist site in Sapa in 2020. The photos posted online are of the first version, which is less aesthetically appealing compared with the original version. The statue has been fixed and isnt as bad as it was. In addition to this statue, the tourist site also has another "error version" similar to the American sculptures on Mount Rushmore (portraits of four US presidents on the cliff). These two works in Sapa were made by unskilled workers, so the proportions of the statue's faces are deformed. Sapa authorities said they will conduct an inspection and review all tourist sites in the area. Besides there two works, the AnSaPa tourist site also built other models of famous works in the world such as the Eiffel Tower (9m high) in Paris, the leaning tower of Pisa (8m high) in Italy, and the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, and others. Nguyen Ngoc Dong, the owner of AnSaPa, said: We are tourism service providers, so we always want to give tourists the best value. The half-length Statue of Liberty is a simulation only. We follow the direction of the local government and respect the comments of travelers with goodwill." An official in charge of tourism management in Sapa told VietNamNet that there are more than 20 private check-in points in Sa Pa town. Some of them built works to serve tourists to take photos that are quite offensive, lack aesthetic appeal, and are not safe. Replica of Statue of Liberty in AnSaPa tourist site The copying and building of statues should have correct proportions and the original prototype. Copying of famous artworks should ensure the aesthetics and must respect the copyrights of the creators, said the head of Sapas Department of Culture. AnSaPas owner Nguyen Ngoc Dong told VietNamNet that he would change the Statue of Liberty to a statue of a HMong man playing a khen (a type of wind instrument of HMong people). My tourist site is located in Sa Pa, which is the home of most of the H'Mong people. The modification of the statue from the Statue of Liberty to an image of a H'Mong man suits the local culture, Dong said. AnSaPa is one of many famous check-in sites in Sa Pa. The tourist site was the dream of Dong and his wife. They bought a 1,700 square meter land plot in Sa Pa town to build AnSaPa. In addition to the Statue of Liberty, the site also has the leaning tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, the Japanese flower street, the Japanese old town, Chinese bamboo road, the old Vietnamese village, the red maple leaf road, and others. Explaining that the Statue of Liberty "sits" rather than stands like the Statue of Liberty in the US, Dong said he did not want to "copy the original", because there were many in Vietnam. He wanted to make a half-length version similar to half-length snow statues made in snow festivals. That is why the statue is snow white, not ivory-green like the original version. Dong said that he had invested a lot of money in these works. Confirming that the local authorities had asked him to temporarily close AnSaPa to complete the requirements of the local government to ensure safety for visitors, Dong said he would strictly comply with the decision. Over the past two years, the country has been affected by the Covid pandemic. Not only my tourist site but many other sites in the country were affected. In order to nurture our passion and ensure income for local workers at the tourist destination, we have to try our best. So, I wish to receive sincere public opinion to do better, not for some other reason or purpose, Dong said. Other replicas at AnSaPa tourist site: Thai Binh (Newser) A Black man who says he was repeatedly called a racial slur and physically attacked outside a Michigan bar by a customer, an incident he says left him with brain damage, is now free to sue the bar after a lower court initially kept him from doing so. The Detroit Free Press reports that, in a ruling released Friday, the Michigan Court of Appeals cleared the way for Edward James Tyson's suit to continue against David Dawkins, the man who pleaded guilty to assaulting him, and Unthank LLC, the owner of the BS & Co. bar in Wolverine. Per Tyson's complaint, he says he arrived at the bar with a friend on Sept. 12, 2015, to pick up a takeout order, but before he could even go inside, two people started calling him the n-word. Tyson says he "expressed his offense at the word," then tried to enter the bar, which is when he says Dawkins stepped in front of him, also called him the n-word, and then hit him, knocking him unconscious "for at least a minute," per the suit. story continues below Tyson's friend says in the suit that Tyson's head "[bounced] on the concrete" sidewalk. Tyson says he doesn't remember anything else from that nighthe says he was left with bleeding on the brain and frontal lobe damageincluding after he says he regained consciousness and was attacked again by Dawkins before finally picking up his pizza and leaving. The bar, meanwhile, says it shouldn't be held responsible for the attack because it took place outside. Tyson's lawyer isn't buying that, especially since a bartender working that night testified that Dawkins, who was later arrested, had a reputation as a racist, and because no one at the bar called police (though one night-shift manager says she offered to, but Tyson declined). "It was so obvious that a horrible, despicable act of racial violence was unfolding right in front of them," George T. Sinas tells the Washington Post. "And it was obvious that unless somebody did something this was gonna end badly." (Read more Michigan stories.) Mumbai, April 26 : Positive global cues, along with healthy quarterly results, pushed the Indian equity markets higher on Monday. The two key indices had a gap up opening in line with positive global cues. Globally, Asian stocks climbed to six-week highs on Monday amid signs the world economic recovery was still well on track, though rising Covid-19 cases in the region, especially India and Japan, weighed on sentiment, pushing oil prices lower. Besides, European equities drifted on Monday morning as investors balanced bets of a global recovery from coronavirus with caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve's latest meeting this week. On the domestic front, metals, banks and realty were among the largest gainers, while pharma was among the loss leaders. Consequently, the S&P BSE Sensex closed at 48,386.51, higher by 508.06 points, or 1.06 per cent, from its previous close. The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange ended the day's trade at 14,485, up 143.65 points, or 1 per cent, from its previous close. "Falling volumes on an up-day denotes caution while a healthy advance decline ratio and relatively better performance of broader indices means that the traders or investors are focused more on the broader markets than the largecaps, where there is a risk of selloff by institutions," said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities. "In the near term, 14,339-14,405 band could offer support to the Nifty while a breach of 14,526 could take the Nifty up to 14,698." Siddhartha Khemka, Head, Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said "Positive global cues along with medical support from across the globe to help India fight the pandemic, boosted market sentiments." "In addition, good results from ICICI Bank and strong management commentary led to rally across the banking and financial stocks." Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 17:51:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A local worker operates on MV Pamba vessel being repaired at Luzira Portbell, Kampala, Uganda, on April 21, 2021. Moses Muwonge, chief engineer and manager of Mango Tree Group said the repairs are at 85 percent complete and the ship is expected to start operating in June 2021. (Photo by Joseph Kiggundu/Xinhua) KAMPALA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- It was a sunny mid-morning on the shores of Lake Victoria in the Ugandan capital Kampala and 33-year-old Henry Bahemuka was busy welding parts of MV Pamba, the country's biggest ferry that broke down some 15 years ago following an accident. Bahemuka, an employee of Chinese-owned Mango Tree Group, has been working on MV Pamba for nearly a year as a welder. He came all the way from the western district of Hoima after being told by a friend that there could be job opportunities during the repair of the vessel. Bahemuka and about 50 other skilled and semi-skilled Ugandans are now part of the team tasked with ensuring that MV Pamba returns to the water by the end of June this year. Moses Muwonge, chief engineer and manager of Mango, told Xinhua in a recent interview that the repairs are 85 percent complete. "By June we shall be back on the water," Muwonge said, adding that what remains to be done is "fitting the radars, shafts and bearings." "We are also doing some painting, and we need to change the railings. Other than that, all the heavy work has been done," Muwonge added. MV Pamba is owned by the Ugandan government and being repaired using private resources by the Chinese company which will operate the ferry between Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania on Lake Victoria. The resources invested in the repairs will be recouped through a concession, according to the government. For Bahemuka, it is more than just returning MV Pamba to the waters. The skills he has learned while working with Chinese marine engineers will go a long way. "They are highly professional. They make sure you learn each and everything they do, from fixing the engines, fitting various parts to welding," Bahemuka told Xinhua in an interview. "I have also learned from them special skills of fabricating pipes and installation of other parts of the ship," he added. Apart from the skills, Bahemuka has been able to start up personal ventures back home. "I have started building my own house using the money I earn from Mango Tree Group. I have also managed to buy a few domestic animals," he said. As the country moves towards the construction of the 1,445-km crude oil pipeline to the Tanzanian seaport of Tanga, Bahemuka does not want to be left behind. "What I want to do next is enroll at an institution where I can learn coded welding. Then I will be sure of being taken on when the pipeline project gets underway," Bahemuka, who holds a certificate in metal works and fabrication, said. For John Patrick Odwedo who is over 60 years old, age has not stopped him from learning new skills from the Chinese. Odwedo used to work as a mechanic on MV Pamba before the accident. He was then retrenched by the government. However, when his former bosses heard that the ferry was set for repair, they contacted him and suggested he work for Mango. "I love my job. I'm still strong, and I am learning very many new things from the Chinese," Odwedo told Xinhua. "When you work with these guys, work moves smoothly. They correct you where you go wrong, and they don't use abusive language," Odwedo said, adding, "their fabrication skills are outstanding." While inspecting the vessel recently, Joy Kabatsi, Ugandan state minister for works, said he appreciated the work being done by Mango. "I prefer dealing with private investors because when they are given work, you get results in time," she said. Kabatsi said that once the work is finished, the company will be given concessions to manage the vessel. The minister said the vessel would help ease the burden of transporting cargo by road from Kenya and Tanzania into Uganda. MV Pamba can carry 22 wagons, according to Muwonge, the chief engineer. Odwedo advises the young people in Uganda to acquire new skills on their own to be more competitive in the job market and snatch up work when it becomes available, like with the MV Pamba project. "When they get the job, let the youth not be proud," Odwedo said. "They should aim at acquiring new skills that are not taught at school." Enditem In extraordinary comments on national television yesterday morning, Australias newly-installed Defence Minister Peter Dutton declared that the prospect of a near-term war with China over control of Taiwan should not be discounted. Duttons statement formed part of a broader discussion within the Australian political and media establishment, which is openly canvassing participation in a catastrophic war in the Indo-Pacific. The themes of military preparedness, regional threats and the glorification of recent army campaigns were prominent in yesterdays commemorations of Anzac Day. The nationalist holiday, which celebrates the disastrous landing of Australian and New Zealand troops in Turkey in 1915 during World War I, is a focal point of the promotion of militarism. Australian Defence Minister PetterDutton at the 2018 Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter Terrorism in Indonesia. (Image Credit: Australian Embassy Jakarta/ Flickr) Dutton made the comments in an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corporations Insiders program. His exchange with one of the programs hosts, David Speers, demonstrated the extent to which the official media, including its nominally liberal wing, is actively campaigning for stepped-up Australian military activities in the region. Speers repeatedly asserted that Beijing was responsible for growing tensions, declaring that weve seen a lot of aggression from China. The thrust of his questions was to demand to know how Australia was prepared to counter this threat. Speers uncritically cited recent statements by former Liberal-National Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and past Prime Minister Tony Abbott, forecasting a war with China. Pyne, who has worked as a lobbyist for weapons manufacturers since leaving parliament, told a University of Adelaide gathering earlier this month that there was a greater chance of kinetic war in the Indo-Pacific today than when he was in office two years ago. Declaring that Taiwan was the most likely flashpoint, Pyne chillingly stated that he was speaking of not a cyber war, but a real one involving loss of life, destruction of military platforms, with aggressors and defenders on different sides. This isnt rhetoric, this is something that you and I may well have to confront in the next 5 to 10 years. Abbott, during a speech in New Zealand last week which was prominently published in the Australian, canvassed whether China [is] likely to try to retake Taiwan by force; in that event, what should fellow democracies do; and, perhaps the hardest one, the extent to which countries such as ours have it in us any more to make big sacrifices in a good cause. Abbotts conclusion was that a battle for Taiwan could start quite soon. He cited recent statements by US military commanders to that effect, noting: The latest Australian defence update has dropped the longstanding assumption of a 10-year strategic warning time for major conventional war. Asked by Speers if there would be such a battle for Taiwan, Dutton replied: I dont think it should be discounted... China has been very clear about the reunification and thats been a long-held objective of theirs. They have been very clear about that goal. People need to be realistic about the activity. There is militarisation of bases across the region. While the defence force hoped for peace, Dutton said, there was a high level of preparedness... for our Australian defence force to meet the threats that we see in our region toward our country, against our allies. The presentation of the mounting tensions turns reality on its head. For the past decade the US, under the Obama and Trump administrations, has been conducting a vast military build-up against China which has gone hand in hand with the cultivation of aggressive military alliances in the region as well as diplomatic and economic provocations. The aim is to reverse the decline of American capitalism amid Chinas rise including, if necessary, through war. As part of this campaign, the Trump administration expanded relations with Taiwan. This has been further escalated under his successor, Joe Biden, including with an announcement earlier this month that his administration would ease restrictions on contact between US and Taiwanese officials. It is these US moves to establish diplomatic and military relations with Taiwan that are overturning the status quo by calling into question its decades-long acceptance of the One China policy under which Beijing is the recognised government of all China, including Taiwan. The US is recklessly inflaming the most dangerous flashpoint for conflict in Asia. None of this is acknowledged by the Australian political and media establishment, nor are the disastrous implications of a conflict that would inevitably involve the use of not only ballistic and other missiles, but also nuclear weapons. Instead, propaganda about Chinese aggression is being pushed to justify Australias alignment with the US-led drive to war which has been deepened by every government, Labor and Liberal-National, since Obama unveiled his aggressive pivot to Asia against China in 2011. Duttons installation as defence minister late last month was tied to a further integration of Australia in US preparations for conflict. His appointment was hailed by the most hawkish sections of the media who bemoaned the lack of a strategic focus and an aggressive public presence of his predecessor Linda Reynolds. Since taking over the role, Dutton has announced that Australia will begin its own missile building program, for the first time since the 1960s, as part of a broader $270 billion spend on military hardware over this decade. He has declared that he will resolve the issues with other crisis-ridden defence projects, including the repeatedly delayed plans to build 12 Attack Class submarines. The task, Dutton has stated, is to ensure we have adequate supply of weapon stock holdings to sustain combat operations if global supply chains are disrupted. In his ABC interview, Dutton also foreshadowed a broader crackdown on economic deals with China. Last Thursday, the Coalition government cancelled agreements between the state government of Victoria and the Chinese authorities for economic cooperation on vague national security grounds. Thousands of other deals are reportedly being scrutinised, with the list of blacklisted projects tipped to grow. The other thrust of the government statements on Anzac Day was a full-throated glorification of the protracted occupation of Afghanistan following the announcement of a US and Australian withdrawal by the end of the year. Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared that Australian troops who had fought in the conflict were the bravest of their generation. Dutton stated that Australian troops had fought with distinction and honour in a conflict supposedly waged to defeat terrorism, ensure stability and advance human rights, including those of Afghan women. These statements continue a provocative government campaign to dismiss the significance of war crimes committed by Australian special forces that were documented in the official Brereton Inquiry, which found credible evidence of the murder of at least 39 Afghan civilians, torture and other atrocities. In the lead-up to Anzac Day, Dutton overruled a recommendation from the Brereton Inquiry for the removal of a meritorious citation awarded to the Special Operations Task Group. The award honoured the group for its activities over the same period during which the alleged war crimes took place. He and his other ministers have insisted that it is necessary to focus on rebuilding troop morale and on the core business of the military, which his assistant minister Andrew Hastie described as the application of lethal force. Dutton also hailed Australias participation in the Afghan occupation for having strengthened the military alliance with the United States. By this logic, involvement in other US-led wars, including in the Asia-Pacific, would further improve the alliance. While some sections of business may be fearful of the economic consequences of confrontation and conflict with China, the political and media establishment is fully committed to it. Duttons statements about a possible military conflict have been reported as matter of fact, without any critical commentary. For its part, the Labor Party opposition is no less committed to the US alliance and has pitched itself as a more reliable partner for the Biden administration as it escalates its war drive. UN chief commends all countries reaching zero malaria goal Xinhua) 11:00, April 26, 2021 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the joint hybrid press conference to launch the State of the Global Climate in 2020 Report at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie E) "We commend all countries that have reached the ambitious target of zero malaria," said the secretary-general in his message for the World Malaria Day. UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday commended all countries that have reached the target of zero malaria. "We commend all countries that have reached the ambitious target of zero malaria," said the secretary-general in his message for the World Malaria Day, which falls on April 25 annually. "Together, they are showing the world that a malaria-free future is possible," he added. Between 2000 and 2019, the number of countries with fewer than 100 indigenous malaria cases increased from six to 27, the top UN official cited the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO) as showing, calling it "a strong indicator" that malaria elimination is within reach. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the multiple crises it has sparked, a growing number of countries are approaching and achieving malaria elimination, the UN chief said. Countries with zero malaria have reached the people at risk with the necessary services, from prevention to detection and treatment, regardless of citizenship or financial status, Guterres said. "Sustained funding, surveillance systems and community engagement have been the key to success," he added. Yet, while these achievements deserve celebrating, it is important to remember the millions around the world who continue to suffer and die from this deadly illness, the secretary-general noted. Each year, malaria claims the lives of more than 400,000 people, mainly young children in Africa. And, every year, there are more than 200 million new cases of this fatal parasitic disease. With robust political commitment, adequate investment and the right mix of strategies, "malaria can be defeated," said the secretary-general. In 2019, Africa shouldered 94 percent of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide, with more than half of all cases occurring in five countries including Nigeria, 27 percent; Democratic Republic of the Congo, 12 percent; Uganda and Niger, 5 percent each; and Mozambique, 4 percent, according to WHO. During that same period, about 3 percent of malaria cases were reported in Southeast Asia and 2 percent in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The Americas and Western Pacific region each accounted for fewer than 1 percent of all cases. Certification of malaria elimination is WHO's official recognition of a country's malaria-free status, which it grants when a state has proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission has been interrupted nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years. Following 50 years of solid commitment by the government and people of El Salvador to end the disease, in February it became the first country in Central America to receive the distinction. Meanwhile China, which zero registered indigenous cases in 2016 and has stayed malaria-free to date, applied last year for the WHO malaria-free certification. World Malaria Day is an international observance commemorated every year on April 25 and recognizes global efforts to control malaria. The international day was established in May 2007 by the 60th session of the World Health Assembly, WHO's decision-making body. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) The Massachusetts Digital Games Institute has a new home. MassDigi celebrated its 10th anniversary by announcing it will be moving to Worcester Polytechnic Institute. MassDigi was established in 2011 as a statewide center for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship and economic development within Massachusetts video game ecosystem. The organization had been closely tied to Becker College, which announced its permanent closure last month. Were great at putting our swords and shields down in Worcester and collaborating, said Timothy Loew, MassDigi founder and executive director. The partnerships will extend within Worcester and outside of Central Massachusetts. Loew said Clark University and UMass Dartmouth will also collaborate with MassDigi. UMass Dartmouth has worked with MassDigi in the past to help the organization reach a statewide audience. The new partnership with WPI came with a birthday present for MassDigi. The organization will expand its work with students and companies through a MassTech Game Prototype Matching Fund grant of $100,000 grant. The funding was awarded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The grant will supply funds over the next two years to match private-sector investment in MassDigis Summer Innovation Program Extension. The grant was announced by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who was one of a handful of public officials on hand during the announcement at the Colleen C. Barrett Center on the campus of Becker College. City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., Mayor Joseph Petty and Congressman Jim McGovern were all on hand for the announcement. Since 2011, MassDigi has secured more than $4.6 million in public and private support for its programs and activities, including those aimed at preparing young people for careers in the video games industry. During the press conference to announce the new partnership, Loew first thanked Becker College. We wouldnt be here without Becker College, Loew said. MassDigis new home, WPI, started its Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD) program in 2004 as one of the nations first undergraduate degree programs in game design. WPI is proud to provide a new home for MassDigi at this essential moment in their history. Together we are committed to enabling rapid acceleration of MassDigis critical work to catalyze connections across academia, industry, and government to foster innovation in gaming and digital media for our commonwealth and our world, said WPI President Laurie Leshin. Global video game revenue totaled an estimated $180 billion in 2020, and actually surged amid pandemic lockdowns. More than 214 million people in the United States play video games, supporting an industry that accounts for 428,000 jobs across the country, according to MassDigi. In Massachusetts, the video game industry supports about 1,970 jobs and $455.6 million in direct economic activity. The commonwealth is home to about 80 video game publisher, developer, or hardware company sites. Well all be back in another 10 years to say thank you, Petty said. Related Content: Just as other industries are rolling back some consumer-friendly changes made early in the pandemic think empty middle seats on airplanes so, too, are health insurers. Many voluntarily waived all deductibles, copayments and other costs for insured patients who fell ill with Covid-19 and needed hospital care, doctor visits, medications or other treatment. Setting aside those fees was a good move from a public relations standpoint. The industry got credit for helping customers during tough times. And it had political and financial benefits for insurers, too. But nothing lasts forever. Starting at the end of last year and continuing into the spring a growing number of insurers are quietly ending those fee waivers for Covid treatment on some or all policies. "When it comes to treatment, more and more consumers will find that the normal course of deductibles, copayments and coinsurance will apply," said Sabrina Corlette, research professor and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Even so, "the good news is that vaccinations and most Covid tests should still be free," added Corlette. That's because federal law requires insurers to waive costs for Covid testing and vaccination. Guidance issued early in President Joe Biden's term reinforced that Trump administration rule about waiving cost sharing for testing and said it applies even in situations in which an asymptomatic person wants a test before, say, visiting a relative. But treatment is different. Insurers voluntarily waived those costs, so they can decide when to reinstate them. Indeed, the initial step not to charge treatment fees may have preempted any effort by the federal government to mandate it, said Cynthia Cox, a vice president at KFF and director for its program on the Affordable Care Act. In a study released in November, researchers found about 88% of people covered by insurance plans those bought by individuals and some group plans offered by employers had policies that waived such payments at some point during the pandemic, said Cox, a co-author. But many of those waivers were expected to expire by the end of the year or early this year. Some did. Anthem, for example, stopped them at the end of January. UnitedHealth, another of the nation's largest insurers, began rolling back waivers in the fall, finishing up by the end of March. Deductible-free inpatient treatment for Covid through Aetna expired Feb. 28. A few insurers continue to forgo patient cost sharing in some types of policies. Humana, for example, has left the cost-sharing waiver in place for Medicare Advantage members, but dropped it Jan. 1 for those in job-based group plans. Not all are making the changes. For example, Premera Blue Cross in Washington and Sharp Health Plan in California have extended treatment cost waivers through June. Kaiser Permanente said it is keeping its program in place for members diagnosed with Covid and has not set an end date. Meanwhile, UPMC in Pittsburgh planned to continue to waive all copayments and deductibles for in-network treatment through April 20. What it all means Waivers may result in little savings for people with mild cases of Covid that are treated at home. But the savings for patients who fall seriously ill and wind up in the hospital could be substantial. Emergency room visits and hospitalization are expensive, and many insured patients must pay a portion of those costs through annual deductibles before full coverage kicks in. Deductibles have been on the rise for years. Single-coverage deductibles for people who work for large employers average $1,418, while those for employees of small firms average $2,295, according to a survey of employers by KFF. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.) Annual deductibles for Affordable Care Act plans are generally higher, depending on the plan type. Both kinds of coverage also include copayments, which are flat-dollar amounts, and often coinsurance, which is a percentage of the cost of office visits, hospital stays and prescription drugs. Ending the waivers for treatment "is a big deal if you get sick," said Robert Laszewski, an insurance industry consultant in Maryland. "And then you find out you have to pay $5,000 out-of-pocket that your cousin didn't two months ago." Costs and benefits Still, those patient fees represent only a slice of the overall cost of caring for a hospitalized patient with Covid. While it helped patients' cash flow, insurers saw other kinds of benefits. For one thing, insurers recognized early on that patients facing stay-at-home orders and other restrictions were avoiding medical care in droves, driving down what insurers had to fork out for care. "I think they were realizing they would be reporting extraordinarily good profits because they could see utilization dropping like a rock," said Laszewski. "Doctors, hospitals, restaurants and everyone else were in big trouble. So, it was good politics to waive copays and deductibles." Besides generating goodwill, insurers may benefit in another way. Under the ACA, insurers are required to spend at least 80% of their premium revenue on direct health care, rather than on marketing and administration. (Large group plans must spend 85%.) By waiving those fees, insurers' own spending went up a bit, potentially helping offset some share of what are expected to be hefty rebates this summer. That's because insurers whose spending on direct medical care falls short of the ACA's threshold must issue rebates by Aug. 1 to the individuals or employers who purchased the plans. A record $2.5 billion was rebated for policies in effect in 2019, with the average rebate per person coming in at about $219. Knowing their spending was falling during the pandemic helped fuel decisions to waive patient copayments for treatment, since insurers knew "they would have to give this money back in one form or another because of the rebates," Cox said. It's a mixed bag for consumers. "If they completely offset the rebates through waiving cost sharing, then it strictly benefits only those with Covid who needed significant treatment," noted Cox. "But, if they issue rebates, there's more broad distribution." Even with that, insurers can expect to send a lot back in rebates this fall. In a report out this week, KFF estimated that insurers may owe $2.1 billion in rebates for last year's policies, the second-highest amount issued under the ACA. Under the law, rebate amounts are based on three years of financial data and profits. Final numbers aren't expected until later in the year. The rebates "are likely driven in part by suppressed health care utilization during the Covid-19 pandemic," the report says. Still, economist Joe Antos at the American Enterprise Institute says waiving the copays and deductibles may boost goodwill in the public eye more than rebates. "It's a community benefit they could get some credit for," said Antos, whereas many policyholders who get a small rebate check may just cash it and "it doesn't have an impact on how they think about anything." NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's largest suicide prevention organization, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project, today released this statement: "As two of the leading suicide prevention organizations in the United States, we urge lawmakers to seriously consider the mental health impacts of legislation that seeks to restrict transgender and nonbinary young people's access to medically necessary, gender-affirming care, which can be life-saving. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens and young adults and we know transgender and nonbinary youth are more likely to attempt suicide than their cisgender peers. However, we also know that trans youth are not prone to suicide simply because of their gender identity. Increased experiences of victimization and discriminatory policies contribute to higher risk for anxiety, depression, and attempting suicide among trans youth. Access to appropriate mental health support and health care are critical to addressing these disparities, and to ensuring the well-being of transgender and nonbinary youth. The Trevor Project's research and direct experience serving youth in crisis reveals many trans youth actively want medical and mental health support but cannot get it for various reasons, including cost. State laws should not become one more, often insurmountable, barrier to care. Gender-affirming medical care, such as hormone therapy, is associated with positive mental health outcomes including showing promise for reducing suicide risk. Medical providers have derived these standards of care from decades of scientific research and on-the-ground experience, and that's why they're endorsed by every major medical association. Additionally, we need more research about suicide risk among trans people, and we must make the evidence-based treatments that do work more accessible, rather than limiting access to care. To support and protect trans youth, legislators and others with decision-making power need to improve access to best-practice medical care for trans patients and their families, including mental health care." The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with an Advocacy office in Washington, DC, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report , and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube . The Trevor Project is the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline , TrevorText , and TrevorChat as well as the world's largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace . Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide. SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Related Links www.afsp.org BRANFORD Investigators recovered 196 spent shell casings and 13 firearms none of them secured from Matthew Lee Walkers second-floor apartment at 241 Main St. after his seven-hour standoff with police, police said. Had Walker continued shooting bullets out of his apartment overlooking the Richlin store and Country Plaza, he had thousands of rounds left, said police Lt. Dominick Eula, who is supervising the investigation. The armed standoff in the neighborhood off Main Street and Cherry Hill Road during which Walker, son of a Darien minister, shot one neighbor in the leg as the man stood in front of his own business ended with Walker, 38, dying by suicide , according to authorities. Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media The spent shell casings were all from .223-caliber rifle bullets and 9 mm bullets that are mostly used in handguns but also are used in some of the rifles Walker had on hand, Eula said. Of the 196 spent casings, I cant even tell you thats how many rounds he fired, but thats how many we seized, Eula said. Police recovered eight handguns and five rifles from Walkers residence. They also recovered one lower section of a rifle, which had a serial number but wasnt a fully-assembled gun, Eula said. Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media The handguns all appeared to be semiautomatic, as were all five of the rifles. Three of the rifles were AR-style rifles that used .223-caliber bullets and two were 9 mm. None of the rifles was classified in Connecticut as an assault rifle and none of the rounds I heard fired were from an automatic gun, said Eula, who supervises the detective bureau and was at the scene as the drama unfolded April 13. All of the firearms in Walkers apartment were immediately accessible, Eula said. There were safes in his apartment but they were open. The bystander who was wounded by a gunshot, Ashwin Patel, owner of Shoreline Wine & Spirits at 181 Main St., two doors down from Walkers home above the Leon James International Hair Salon, was shot in the leg. He was whisked to safety by the owner and employees of Pepes Service Station, located just west of his package store at 177 Main St. Patel was released from Yale New Haven Hospital last Friday and is recovering at home, his family has said. Michael Lawlor, an associate professor of criminal justice at University of New Havens Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, who during a 24-year career in the state House of Representatives wrote the 1999 red flag law that resulted from the March 6, 1998, Connecticut State Lottery shootings, said that law was intended to head off situations such as Walkers. Lawlor, a former state prosecutor, said he considers 13 guns to be a whole bunch. There are a lot of people who have more than that, but its still a lot, he said. With the knowledge that a neighbor previously had complained to police after receiving a troubling text from Walker three days before he sprayed his neighborhood with bullets and then died by suicide, Lawlor said police could have at least temporarily removed Walkers guns and gotten him help. These are classic red flags. Thats why they call it a red flag law, said Lawlor, who represented East Haven and was chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 1995-2011 before serving as former Gov. Dannel P. Malloys undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning. You should at that point start investigating. Why check it out? Lawlor asked. Because this guy might start shooting out his window at some point at people walking by. Thats why you should investigate. It may turn out you dont have enough you bring it to a judge and the judge says you dont have enough, Lawlor said. But you have an obligation to investigate. The law, which has been used thousands of times since being passed, gives police a tool when someone has guns and there is reason to believe theres imminent danger to themselves or other people, Lawlor said. Asked about Lawlors comments, We have an independent investigation thats commenced, Police Chief Jonathan Mulhern said Friday , and until we have a full report, Im not going to comment. All I can do is the right thing, said Mulhern, who is bringing in an outside attorney to look at the case after a neighbor of Walker said she complained to police three days before the incident that a text from Walker that made her wonder whether he posed a threat to himself or others. Were going to have an independent investigation and that investigation is just beginning, Mulhern said. Meanwhile, the Branford Counseling Center, which offered counseling to anyone in the neighborhood or in town who was having trouble processing what happened, has handled more than a dozen calls from residents seeking help, said Executive Director Peter Cimino. In some cases, the help involved was just a phone call, while others required more help. Cimino said he wouldnt be surprised if the center received more inquiries as time goes on. People want to kind of process what was going on, Cimino said. While the counseling center continuously receives calls from residents needing help, This is a little different, because were dealing with people who had a traumatic event, he said. We just try to acknowledge that some of the things that they are feeling are a part of this event. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 14:18:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Adan Chavez, vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), receives an interview with Xinhua in Havana, capital of Cuba, April 1, 2021. (Xinhua) by Yosley Carrero HAVANA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has been fundamental for the social and economic development achieved by China over the past decades, Adan Chavez, vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), has said. Speaking of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, Chavez, who is also Venezuelan ambassador to Cuba, told Xinhua that for the Chinese ruling party, "it has been 100 years of fruitful work, great victories, and huge progress for the happiness of the Chinese people and humanity." Chavez, who visited China four times between 2017 and 2019, said that the strong leadership of the CPC and its leaders have played an essential role in eradicating absolute poverty across China and in the country's scientific development. "We have witnessed how the Chinese people have rendered huge support for their government and the CPC while working together in keeping with principles of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said. Referring to the third volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," the senior Venezuelan party official said the book portrays steps to be taken to succeed in the construction of socialism and a new vision of the Chinese leadership. He said that China is an inspiration for nations fighting for freedom and sovereignty, adding that the huge progress made by the Chinese people is a clear proof that socialism is an effective solution "to the problems affecting humanity." The CPC is a pillar of the scientific and technological development made by China, and achievements attained by its people are not only a "role model for the rest of the world, but a symbol of hope," Chavez said. Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that China, under the guidance of the CPC, has effectively managed the health emergency by putting people "at the very heart" of measures adopted to contain the spread of the virus nationwide. "The Communist Party of China has strongly shown its determination to defend the fundamental principles of international relations between the peoples of the world," he told Xinhua. "In addition," he added, "it has always been in line with the principle of self-determination, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, solidarity and respect for international law." He said that "the role the CPC can continue to play is crucial for years to come" as a reference to other political parties and progressive movements across the world, highlighting the good relations between the CPC and the PSUV. "The United Socialist Party of Venezuela aims to continue strengthening cooperation links and joint work with the CPC," he said. Enditem Early in its history Mars may have had a thin layer of icy clouds creating a greenhouse effect that kept conditions warm enough for water to flow, study finds. As seen in images shared by NASA's Perseverance rover, Mars is a dust covered desert planet with no clear signs of life, but the SUV-sized vehicle is currently exploring an area that was once a river delta, formed by flowing water. At a time when Mars had rivers and lakes the sun was weaker than it is today, with the Red Planet receiving a third as much sunshine as we enjoy on Earth today. Despite extensive evidence of water flowing 3.7 billion years ago from multiple rover missions, very little is known about how Mars held and lost its water over time. The new study led by University of Chicago proposes that Mars could have had a thin layer of icy, high-altitude clouds that caused a greenhouse effect. 'There's been an embarrassing disconnect between our evidence, and our ability to explain it in terms of physics and chemistry,' said study author Edwin Kite,' adding that 'this hypothesis goes a long way toward closing that gap.' Early in its history Mars may have had a thin layer of icy clouds creating a greenhouse effect that kept conditions warm enough for water to flow, study finds As seen in images shared by NASA's Perseverance rover, Mars is a dust covered desert planet with no clear signs of life, but the SUV-sized vehicle is currently exploring an area that was once a river delta, formed by flowing water. JEZERO CRATER: HOME TO NASA PERESEVERANCE Jezero crater on Mars was chosen as the landing point for NASA's Perseverance rover due to its history as a river delta. It is a 30 mile diameter crater that was once flooded with water billions of years ago in the earliest days of the Red Planet. It is thought that the lake inside the crater was formed during a period in which there was surface water runoff happening continuously. Researchers from Brown University predict there was once a whole lake system within the crater, with water completely filling the region on at least two distinct occasions. More than 3.5 billion years ago, river channels spilled over the crater wall and created a lake. Scientists see evidence that water carried clay minerals from the surrounding area into the crater lake. Conceivably, microbial life could have lived in Jezero during one or more of these wet times. If so, signs of their remains might be found in lakebed or shoreline sediments. Advertisement Over the course of its mission the SUV-sized Perseverance rover wil drill rocks that may contain telltale signs of microbes from billions of years ago. Mars is the only known alien world where they could have flourished - despite getting less than a third as much sunshine as Earth. A 3D computer model of its atmosphere, as it would have been more than three billion years ago, revealed it would have had a series of wispy, high altitude clouds similar to contrails from aeroplanes. These cloud-like plumes occur where the sub-zero temperature freezes water droplets before they have a chance to evaporate. The discovery also has implications for climate change on Earth - and the search for extra-terrestrial life on other planets and moons, explained Dr Kite. Mars has been dubbed 'the other blue planet' - believed once to have looked a lot like Earth. But theories for it being a 'waterworld' have never quite worked. One theory suggests a large asteroid hit the planet, releasing enough kinetic energy to heat it up and allow for water to flow freely, however, calculations show this would only heat it long enough for water to flow for up to two years. Tracks of rivers and lakes seen by various NASA rovers and orbital observations have shown the liquid water likely persisted for at least hundreds of years. Contrails - or cirrus clouds - are playing a considerable role in global warming on Earth, allowing visible sunlight to pass almost unhindered while at the same time absorbing infra-red radiation from the surface below. Even a small amount of cloud in the atmosphere can significantly raise a planet's temperature, explained Dr Kite. The expert on planetary climates said the greenhouse effect on Mars is similar to CO2 in the atmosphere of Earth. The idea was first proposed in 2013 - but set aside. He said: 'It was argued it would only work if the clouds had implausible properties.' Experiments suggested water would have to linger in the atmosphere much longer than it typically does on Earth - so the whole prospect seemed unlikely. The US team have now identified the missing piece in the jigsaw - the amount of ice on the ground, finding that large portions would creation surface humidity that favours low-altitude clouds that can cool planets by reflecting sunlight away. However, if there are only patches - such as at the poles and at the tops of mountains - the air on the ground becomes much drier. The model suggests that once water moved into the early Martian atmosphere, it would stay there for quite a long time - closer to a year - and that creates the conditions for long-lived high-altitude clouds.' Perseverance should be able to test the idea by analysing pebbles to reconstruct past atmospheric pressure on Mars MARS 2020: THE MISSION TO SEARCH FOR LIFE ON THE RED PLANET NASA's Mars 2020 mission will search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet in a bid to help scientists better understand how life evolved on Earth. Named Perseverance, the main car-sized rover will explore an ancient river delta within the Jezero Crater, which was once filled with a 1,600ft deep lake. It is believed that the region hosted microbial life some 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago and the rover will examine soil samples to hunt for evidence of the life. The $2.5 billion (1.95 billion) Mars 2020 spaceship launched on July 30 with the rover and helicopter inside - and landed successfully on February 18, 2021. Perseverance landed inside the crater and will collect samples that will eventually be returned to Earth for further analysis. A second mission will fly to the planet and return the samples, perhaps by the later 2020s in partnership with the European Space Agency. Advertisement Those conditions create a high layer of clouds that tend to warm planets more easily. Dr Kite said: 'In the model, these clouds behave in a very un-Earth-like way. Building models on Earth-based intuition just won't work. 'This is not at all similar to Earth's water cycle - which moves water quickly between the atmosphere and the surface.' On Earth - where water covers almost three-quarters of the surface - it moves quickly and unevenly between ocean and atmosphere and land. Swirls and eddies mean some places are mostly dry - such as the Sahara - and others like the Amazon are drenched. In contrast, even at the peak of its habitability, Mars had much less water on its surface. In the model, when water vapour ends up in the atmosphere it lingers. Dr Kite said: 'Our model suggests that once water moved into the early Martian atmosphere, it would stay there for quite a long time - closer to a year - and that creates the conditions for long-lived high-altitude clouds.' Perseverance should be able to test the idea by analysing pebbles to reconstruct past atmospheric pressure on Mars. Understanding the full story of how the Red Planet gained and lost its warmth and atmosphere can help inform the search for other habitable worlds in the universe. Dr Kite added: 'Mars is important because it's the only planet we know of that had the ability to support life - and then lost it. 'Earth's long-term climate stability is remarkable. We want to understand all the ways in which a planet's long-term climate stability can break down - and all of the ways it can be maintained. 'This quest defines the new field of comparative planetary habitability.' The findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. According to a development plan released by the provincial government in March, the added economic value of Fujian's digital economy will reach 2.6 trillion yuan ($398 billion) by 2022, with an annual growth rate of 15 percent, accounting for more than 50 percent of the province's GDP. Efforts will also be made to build Fujian into a model zone for the construction of a "Digital China," a new hub for the development of digital economy, and a core area for Digital Silk Road construction, according to the development plan. Fujian will accelerate its pace in setting up the innovation center for BRICS Partnership on the New Industrial Revolution in Xiamen, as well as deepen cooperation in policy coordination, talent training, and project development. New forms and modes of business involving digital trade, such as digital marketing and cross-border e-commerce, will be cultivated in Fujian. A number of important carriers and industrial clusters for digital trade will also be set up. Official statistics show that Fujian's trade with countries involved in the BRI increased 7.2 percent year-on-year to 488.19 billion yuan last year, while Digital Silk Road construction will drive the province to boost cooperation with economies participating in the BRI, according to Huang Maoxing, dean of Fujian Normal University's Economics School. Action will be taken to promote the construction of a "Silk Road Maritime" informatization platform to advance information and resource integration among ports, shipping enterprises, as well as logistics companies. Efforts will be made to increase the service level of integrated pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce, while cooperation in cross-border e-commerce between BRI countries and regions will be expanded, aiming to set up a core area for the development of Silk Road e-commerce. Fujian has also set up digital education platforms in BRI countries and regions to deepen education cooperation. An integration center for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry and education was established in Nanping to carry out AI talent training, as well as exchange projects. Authorities also said that the local government will support the integrated development of the digital economy between Fujian and Taiwan. Fujian will help Taiwan businesses better integrate into the mainland, while Taiwan companies will be encouraged to participate in construction projects related to digital economy. SOURCE China Daily.com.cn State Rep. Seth Grove, R-196th, represents a portion of York County and chairs the House State Government Committee. Since late November, the House State Government Committee has been actively providing sorely needed oversight of the Commonwealths election law and election administration. Pennsylvania is the only state in the country to take a comprehensive review of its entire election process from voter registration to election day operations. This deep dive into our states election law dating to 1937 was more than needed. The committee heard from balanced testifiers of which the committee prioritized county election directors to ensure we address their issues first and foremost, as county election directors are the boots on the ground. I believe Pennsylvanians should be proud of the nationally recognized, non-partisan testifiers who all applauded our process. Legislative oversight is much like maintenance of your car. If you do not complete oil changes, tire rotations, change out the spark plugs and other maintenance to keep your car in good working order, it will break down. From 1937 until late 2020, the Commonwealth has not done much maintenance on our election laws. There were many undiagnosed problems and in 2019 with the passage of Act 77 and later by Act 12 of 2020, we put superchargers on an engine that was not designed to handle it. While the updated laws did well during the primary election of 2020, the unilateral legal changes made by the Pennsylvania Department of State through its guidance documents and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court through its legal renderings changed Act 77 of 2019 and Act 12 of 2020. These changes destroyed the engine. Throughout the 10 election hearings, the committee received testimony from more than 50 experts and local and state election officials, including officials from other states. Through the testimony, we found numerous fatal flaws within our election code and within its implementation. It is no secret the last-minute court rulings and often unclear guidelines from the Department of State caused confusion among voters and led to nonuniformity among the 67 counties, which goes against the Pennsylvania Constitution for elections to be uniform across the Commonwealth. This election cycle, the Department of State is pushing a false narrative that Pennsylvania has early in-person voting. This is not the case as early in-person voting has not been approved in any law adopted by the General Assembly. Many states have successfully operated early in-person voting, which has far greater integrity provisions and convenience for voters than vote-by-mail systems. But these decisions were accomplished through the passage of laws, not by unelected bureaucrats through guidance. One of the areas the Pennsylvania election law fails are for those voters with disabilities. When our elections law was written in 1937, it did not provide adequate voting processes for our disabled. This led to numerous lawsuits, which provides inconsistency and chaos. We can and must do better to provide statutory accessibility and modernization to help our disabled voters. We also heard how nearly $21 million in third-party grants, typically from big businesses, contributed to the lack of uniformity when the money was disproportionately distributed. About half of that money was directed to Philadelphia, which equaled to about $10 per voter while most other counties received less than a $1 per voter. Election security must begin at the voter registration process, the most important part of our election process next to the casting of ballots. We learned county governments are registering individuals without validating information on their voter registration application. We need better data analytics to help our counties perform their voter registration verifications, but we also must ensure voter applications are verified prior to approval. We also heard that individuals have not been disenfranchised from Pennsylvanias current voter identification requirements, which allows 16 different forms of ID and applies only to first-time voters of a polling location. Election data has shown states with stronger voter identification requirements have increased voter turnout among all demographics. Recent polling shows support for voter identification policies with 75% of voters, including a majority of Republican and Democratic voters, in favor. Local election officials told us they would like to see a change to the election timeline so they can better manage the election process. They requested changing the voter registration deadline from 15 days before an election to 30 days, absentee ballot application deadlines from seven days before an election to 15 days before an election and allow for pre-canvassing of ballots seven days before an election. The goal of the State Government Committee is to rebuild our election system. While other states struggle with this, because our election law is old and antiquated, improving accessibility and increasing integrity are much easier for Pennsylvania. Elections must be held to the highest integrity while also being accessible to all legal voters. The House Republican Caucus is committed to ensuring it is easy to vote and hard to cheat. Police said a burglar was caught after leaving behind a piece of ID during a Lookout Valley break-in. Harrison Voiles, 25, of 6407 Fairest Dr., Harrison, is charged with aggravated burglary and theft of property over $1,000. Initially, there was nothing to go on in connection with the incident at a residence on Brown's Ferry Road last Dec. 20. A couple said they returned home to find the air conditioner had been pushed out and items were missing, including several guns. Taken were a 380 Glock handgun, a PS4, $30 cash, a Remington 1100 shotgun, a 308 Ruger rifle and a PS4 Call of Duty game. Value of the items was listed at over $3,000. The next day a woman at the residence found a piece of ID for the uncle of Harrison Voiles under the doormat outside the front door. Police said they believe it was used to try to pick the front door for entry. It was found that Harrison Voiles on Dec. 22 pawned the Call of Duty game. When Voiles was contacted by police, he admitted carrying out the burglary and hiding the three firearms. He gave a location on Raccoon Mountain, but no firearms were found. In this Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, file photo, the logo of Apple is illuminated at a store in the city center in Munich. On Monday, April 26, 2021, Apple announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in North Carolina to build the company's first East Coast campus, in a move that is expected to bring at least 3,000 new jobs to the state. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File) Apple is expanding spending in the U.S. and announced plans Monday to build its first East Coast campus, in North Carolina. The iPhone maker is boosting U.S. spending to $430 billion over the next five years and doubling its hiring plans by 20,000 jobs. It had said it would spend $350 billion in January 2018, just after Congress approved a big tax overhaul that cut corporate taxes. Apple says it is stepping up investment as the U.S. begins rebuilding from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company for years has emphasized its role in the U.S. economy to help counter criticism about its reliance on overseas factories, often taking advantage of local tax breaks. Apple will invest $1 billion in North Carolina and the campus, in the Raleigh-Durham area's Research Triangle Park, is expected to bring at least 3,000 new jobs to the state in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering and other fields. The workers will have an average annual salary of about $185,000. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said that once Apple creates the jobs, the tech giant will be eligible for incentives he considers "transformational." Under an agreement approved earlier Monday by a state incentives panel, Apple would get $846 million in cumulative cash payments over the next 39 years if the company meets job-creation and investment thresholds. The payments are calculated based on the income tax the state withholds from paychecks of the new workers. The state Commerce Department estimates the project will generate nearly $2 billion in additional state revenues through 2061. Cooper defended the hefty price tag on the incentives, arguing that Apple's announcement will encourage other companies to move to North Carolina and have a positive ripple effect on local businesses in the Raleigh area. "Once this campus is up and running, it's expected to generate more than $1.5 billion a year in economic impact to our state," Cooper said in a news conference Monday morning. The construction timeline is not yet clear, though state officials said Apple has told them it wants to get the new campus up and running as soon as possible. A summary of the incentives agreement notes the 3,000 jobs will be created from 2023 until 2032. "This is an important milestone that strengthens our position as a tech hub," said Michael Haley, executive director of Wake County Economic Development. Apple also said it plans to establish a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives in the Raleigh-Durham area. The incentives agreement also means $112 million will go to a state account designed to help rural areas improve infrastructure to attract companies. The company is also expanding its teams in Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, New York, California and other states. Apple announced Monday it is planning a $100 million distribution center near Indianapolis that could employ nearly 500 workers by the end of 2024. State Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders said the 3,000 positions Apple will create will be in addition to the company's existing 1,100-worker footprint in the state. In a blow to Cooper and top Republican state lawmakers, Apple unveiled plans in 2018 to expand operations in Texas. Cooper said he believes the company's decision not to move to North Carolina at the time may have stemmed in part from the passage of a 2016 law that required people to use the restroom of the sex assigned to them at birth. That law was partially repealed a year later. This time, Apple considered Ohio as the principal competitor to North Carolina to land the new campus, but other unnamed states were still in the running, according to the incentives summary provided by the Commerce Department. The governor said he privately spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Saturday, who explained that "he feels good about our diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination landscape." "He feels good about this project, and they are just as excited as we are to build it," Cooper said. Explore further Apple boosts US investment pledge to $430 bn 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 26 denounced U.S. President Joe Bidens recognition of the Armenian genocide, saying the move would have a destructive impact on relations between the two countries. In a televised address following a cabinet meeting, Erdogan told Biden to first look in the mirror before blaming the Turkish nation for committing genocide, pointing to the deaths of millions of Native Americans. You cannot get up and put the genocide label on the Turkish nation, Erdogan said in his first major remarks on the issue. Biden on April 24 became the first U.S. president to use the word genocide in a formal statement to describe the World War I-era massacre and deportation of Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The date commemorates the anniversary of when on April 24, 1915, thousands of Armenian intellectuals suspected of hostility toward Ottoman rule were rounded up in Istanbul. Previous U.S. administrations have avoided using the term genocide for decades in order not to provoke Turkey, a NATO ally and important regional power. But Biden felt an opportunity to make an "historical acknowledgement of what took place in 1915" based on a "deep respect for the importance of universal human rights," U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy said in an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian Service on April 26. Describing Bidens position as unfounded and contrary to facts, Erdogan repeated the Turkish position that the issue should be left to historians and not politicians. For years, Turkey has said it will open its archives to a joint history commission to address the issue. "We believe that these comments were included in the declaration following pressure from radical Armenian groups and anti-Turkish circles. But this situation does not reduce the destructive impact of these comments, Erdogan said. He added that he will meet with Biden during a NATO summit in June to discuss opening a new door on relations. Now we need to look at how we will take steps toward the future. Otherwise, there will be no other choice but to put into effect the policies required by the new low to which our relations have sunk, he said. Tense U.S.-Turkish Relations Biden's statement came at a time of already tense relations between Turkey and the United States over Ankaras purchase of Russias S-400 missile system, U.S. ties with Kurdish forces in Syria that Turkey considers linked to its own Kurdish militants, and a host of other matters. Erdogan also criticized the United States for having failed to find a solution in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh -- where the United States, Russia, and France were mediators -- and said Washington had stood by as massacres unfolded. Unfortunately, more than 1 million Azeri brothers were forced from Karabakh. All of Karabakh was burned and destroyed, he said, referring to displacement that occurred nearly three decades ago. Turkey backed Azerbaijan in the conflict last year, in which Azerbaijan took back swathes of lands in the Nagorno-Karabakh region it had lost to ethnic Armenian forces in the early 1990s. Weaving through Turkeys view of history, Erdogan went on to describe numerous Armenian lies and criticize the West for double standards. During and immediately after World War I, Armenians and many historians say as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed, in what Armenians call "The Great Crime." Armenians have documented mass murder, banditry, raping of women, pillaging of property, and other atrocities. As the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey objects to the use of the word genocide and says that hundreds of thousands of Muslims also died in Anatolia at the time due to combat, starvation, cold, and disease. The official Turkish position is that Armenian revolutionaries constituted a fifth column allied with Russia during World War I, and that the mass deportation and accompanying Armenian deaths were not premeditated or intentional. Turkey puts the number of Armenian dead at a couple of hundred thousand. You can find mass graves of Turks who were murdered in our country, but nowhere you can find an Armenian mass grave, Erdogan claimed. A million Turks and Kurds are said to have been massacred by Armenian gangs. April 24 is the day when the leaders of Armenian gangs were arrested [in Istanbul]. In fact, nothing in the sense of human tragedy has happened on this day, Erdogan said. Erdogan also said that as many as 10 million ethnic Turks and Muslims were killed or expelled from the Balkans and Caucasus in the final decades and years of the Ottoman Empire due to Western-backed ethnic nationalism and Russian expansion. Half of our nation has its origins in being exiled, he said. As Turkey, we never seek to exploit our own pain. With reporting by AP, TRT Haber, Anadolu Ajansi, and Yeni Safak The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia on April 24 called on Vietnamese people in the country not to return home via illegal channels. Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh (middle) at a working visit to support the Vietnamese community in Cambodia on April 24 The call was made amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the neighbouring country when the numbers of infections and deaths have continued to rise since the February 20 community incident. The Cambodian Government has locked down Phnom Penh capital city as well as Ta Khmao and Preah Sihanouk cities, while applying social distancing in many areas, and closing many markets, factories and production facilities, causing great difficulties to both Cambodian people and Vietnamese Cambodians in the country. In its message sent to the Vietnamese community in the country, the Vietnamese Embassy advised them to keep calm and strictly abide by all pandemic prevention and control policies and regulations of local administrations. Expressing sympathy to the community over the difficulties they are encountering, the embassy asked Vietnamese Cambodians and Vietnamese citizens in Cambodia not to attempt to travel to Vietnam through illegal transportation rings. Currently, border gates and the shared borderline are being tightly controlled by public security and border guard forces of both sides, while strict punishments, including cash fines and imprisonments, are being applied for those who pass the border illegally, the embassy noted. It added that last week, Cambodias Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued an announcement reaffirming that it would not fine expired tourist passport holders and visitors who are stuck in Cambodia due to the closing of all international flights. Vietnamese citizens with legal documents, even expired, can still leave Cambodia and enter Vietnam without being requested to pay any fees, according to the embassy. Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh said that when Cambodia removes lockdown and travel restrictions, Vietnamese citizens can easily enter Vietnam through the land border gates and undertake quarantine in line with the regulations at low costs and no fines. Those who cross the border illegally will be arrested and strictly punished, and even brought to trial if spreading the virus to the community in Vietnam. He said that in emergency cases when Vietnamese citizens stuck in Cambodia need to immediately return to Vietnam during the lockdown period, or seek support, can contact the following addresses for help: The Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh - Phone number: 855 975116789. The Vietnamese Consulate General in Preah Sihanouk: 855 882248888. The Vietnamese Consulate General in Battambang: 855 979636636./. VNA A Parisian mayor, George Tron, has been allowed to continue the running of his suburb from his prison cell after being convicted of raping a junior member of his staff. The 63-year-old - who was conservative Secretary of State under conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy and is now the Mayor of Draveil, near Paris - was sentenced to five years in prison with two suspended in February. Tron was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a colleague after coaxing her into sex with a third woman using foot massages at his town hall office. He was found guilty by the Paris Appeal Court after originally being cleared of the charges in 2018. He has denied the charges and lodged an appeal with the French Supreme Court. A Parisian mayor, George Tron, (pictured) has been allowed to continue the running of his suburb from his prison cell Yet despite this Tron has refused to step down from his role as the Mayor of Draveil, a town of 30,000 people, and has continued to carry out mayoral duties from prison for the past two months. According to a report from The Guardian this week's municipal council meeting in Draveil heard a letter written by Tron in prison, which contained his directions on the town's budget. In a letter Tron reportedly described his incarceration as an 'impediment'. Opposition leaders and feminist groups have stood against Trons' involvement in running the town from prison. Gabrielle Boeri-Charles, of Transition Democratique, Ecologique et Sociale, said Tron had no 'moral authority' to run Draveil. Outside of the municipal council meeting protestors from Nous Toutes (We All) gathered with placards which pictured Tron behind bars. Outside of the municipal council meeting in Draveil, near Paris, protestors from Nous Toutes (We All) gathered creating a scene depicting Tron behind bars on April 21 A petition to remove Tron from the post, by feminist group Osez le Feminisme and the European Association Against Violence Against Women at Work, has gained more than 35,000 signatures. The groups are calling on the Council of Ministers to revoke Tron's position as mandated through the General Code of Territorial Communities, however government officials have yet to act. Eric Dupond-Moretti, the French justice minister, said it would be 'heresy' if the government stepped in as there is an active appeal, The Guardian reports. Tron had used work meetings in Draveil to prey on a female colleague who cannot be named for legal reasons. Protestors from Nous Toutes (We All) gathered with placards which pictured Tron behind bars on April 21 Trons co-accused, Brigitte Gruel, a former aide in Draveil, was also convicted of aiding and abetting gang rape and sexual assault and given a two-year suspended prison sentence. Tron and Gruel were said to have offered foot massages to their victim, and then had sex with her. Both Tron and Gruel were entered into a national register of sex offenders in France, and banned from holding a public office for six years. Judges acquitted the defendants of the rape and sexual assault of a second complainant, who left the courtroom in tears. She cannot be named for legal reasons. In February Tron released a press statement through Draveil council stating that he would be appealing to prove his innocence and would not step down, Insider reports. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Kingdom of Bahrains Nawras electronic system was among the winners in the E-Environment category of the United Nations Prize competition for the World Summit on the Information Society 2021 (WSIS). Nawras, which was chosen among 1,200 global entries, is a programme for issuing aircraft permits. The Kingdom is represented in the competition by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Nawras was launched in early February 2018 and won the Excellence Award in the Government Forum in 2019. The programme is a first of its kind in the region and has been fully developed and managed internally by a working group consisting of representatives of the Information Technology Department in the Ministry and the Air Transport Department in Civil Aviation Affairs. Transportation and Communications Minister Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed said that the Nawras programme has been included in the electronic environment category due to its connection with the sustainable development goals. The system has transformed the work environment for permits and scheduling of aviation into a fully electronic environment and this initiative comes within the strategy of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. It supports the vision His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in moving towards a digital economy and implementing the economic vision led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The Nawras project (www. fps.gov.bh) provides airlines operating at Bahrain International Airport and aircraft operators from all over the world to apply for permits, landing and transit schedules for their flights through this programme and to obtain the necessary approvals from all parties concerned and using the system automatically without any interference. This reduces paper consumption on all sides, making it environmentally friendly. ROME, APR 26 - The Italian foreign ministry, the Farnesina, said Monday "we have learned with deep regret of the Russian Federation's decision to expel the naval attache at the Italian Embassy in Moscow with 24-hour notice. We consider the decision unfounded and unjust because in reprisal for a legitimate measure taken by Italian authorities in defence of their own security". Italy recently expelled two Russian embassy officials after an Italian navy officer, Walter Biot, was allegedly caught handing one of them military secrets. (ANSA). Louisiana's House Committee on Appropriations on Monday advanced a resolution directing the governing authorities in New Orleans and four suburban parishes to devise a plan to pay off the state's share of the $14.5 billion post-Katrina hurricane levee system. The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Jerome "Zee" Zeringue, R-Houma, asks officials in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Charles parishes to report back to the Legislature with a plan by Dec. 1. That takes a softer approach than another proposal which would up the region's sales tax without seeking input from local residents. Louisiana agreed to contribute to the costs of constructing the levee system when Congress first authorized the project, and that bill is now coming due. An initial payment of $400 million is owed by September, followed by similar-sized payments for the next few years. The resolution argues that citizens of the five southeastern parishes that benefit from the project should contribute to those payments, instead of saddling taxpayers statewide with "the cost for a storm drainage and protection system that does not directly impact them, their property, or their livelihoods." A separate proposal, Senate Bill 226, from Sen. Mack "Bodi" White, R-Central, would create a new taxing district for the five parishes and levy a 1-cent sales tax to pay for the costs. The measure hasn't been scheduled for a committee hearing yet, but it already faces opposition from officials in Jefferson, New Orleans and St. Charles. At Monday's hearing, New Orleans Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, a Democrat, asked Zeringue the value the state gets out of the assets protected by the levee system, echoing criticism from others that taxpayers statewide have, in fact, benefited from the project. She pointed to the Port of New Orleans as critical to the state's economy. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Zeringue said that New Orleans is indeed a vital part of the state's economy, but said that other regions that are just as important are using their own local sales taxes to help build or rebuild levees such as the 92-mile Morganza to the Gulf levee system in the Houma region. Zeringue suggested that the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection authority sell off its airport and marina to make the payments. "Were not asking to treat New Orleans differently. You're asking New Orleans to be treated the same," chimed in Speaker Pro Tem Tanner Magee, R-Houma. "Its kind of insulting to me, at least, for Orleans to put up this front that were so important, like Terrebonne isnt, like were not a speedbump on the way to New Orleans." To make the $400 million payments, the state is expected to sell bonds, a move that will make it harder in the future to finance other large-scale projects elsewhere in the state. "Ive been hearing from other legislators who have been saying, 'Were paying for a system that doesnt necessarily protect us ... it's also potentially going to limit our ability to go out and get additional dollars for projects to protect our area as well'," Zeringue said. The resolution passed out of committee without objection and now heads to the House floor. Freeman clarified that she doesn't think of Terrebone or Lafourche parishes as "speed bumps to anywhere," noting that she has a lot of family that lives there. Staff writer Mark Schleifstein contributed to this report. Jun Kwang-woo, chairman of the Institute for Global Economics, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, April 20. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk This article is the first in a series of interviews with ESG experts intended to make suggestions for Korea's financial, industrial and public sectors to come up with better ESG strategies for sustainable growth. ED. Government urged to guarantee independence of pension fund's management By Park Jae-hyuk The popularity of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) in the Korean market has been considered somewhat overheated lately, leading some skeptics to call it another passing fad, just as previous movements of emphasizing sustainability and inclusive capitalism vanished in the wake of past economic recoveries. The government policies that have been made hastily to catch up with the global trend of prioritizing ESG criteria have also been widely viewed as shortsighted measures that could impose heavy burdens on businesses. Institute for Global Economics (IGE) Chairman Jun Kwang-woo, who previously led the National Pension Service (NPS) and the Financial Services Commission (FSC), advised policymakers to be wary of overly pushing ESG policies, although he also emphasized that the pursuit of the values-based standards will become a "megatrend." Known as one of the pioneers of ESG in Korea for organizing an ESG team when he was the NPS chairman a decade ago, Jun has opposed some non-governmental organizations that are pressing the financial authorities to hasten a mandatory ESG disclosure measure that will force all KOSPI-listed firms to disclose how they adhere to ESG principles starting in 2030. "The mandatory disclosure measure is a significantly sensitive issue," he told The Korea Times in a recent interview. "It will have direct impacts on businesses, so the government should control the speed of its implementation, so that businesses can endure it." He cited the 2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy as one example of a long-term ESG policy. "There are many issues that should be pursued with a long-term perspective," he said. "But at the same time, we should depart at the right moment to make the long journey." On a related note, the IGE chairman was a bit skeptical about the "K-ESG index" that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy developed last year to enable the assessment of efforts for sustainable management. Jun Kwang-woo, chairman of the Institute for Global Economics, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, April 20. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Kelly Wilkinson is dead. Her children were inside the family home while she was killed outside on Wednesday. Their father and her former partner has been charged with murder. The police have announced an internal review of what went wrong. Kelly had contacted the police several times: she knew she and her children were unsafe. Kobi Shepherdson, at nine months old, was killed on Thursday allegedly by her father, Henry David Shepherdson, jumping off the Whispering Wall in South Australia. Her mother had called police to seek help. Earlier that day Henry had been in court seeking greater access to his family. He had a history of family violence offences. Gold Coast mother Kelly Wilkinson was found dead in her backyard. Just two weeks ago NSW Police accepted responsibility for the deaths of Jack and Jennifer Edwards who were killed by their father with a gun he had been granted a licence for, despite his history of family violence. Their mother, Olga Edwards, ended her own life five months after her children were killed. These cases are horrific, but they are not unique. This is Australias national crisis. A mother and son have been charged with the murder of a 'loving and intelligent' disabled teenager who was stabbed to death in south-east London. Nicola Leighton, 36, allegedly drove her son, Tyreese Ulysses, 19, and three other youths to the scene of the killing, a court heard. Armed with machetes, the four teenagers allegedly stabbed Levi Ernest-Morrison, 17, to death near his home in Sydenham on April 10. Leighton, of Sydenham, Ulysses, of nearby Catford, and three youths, aged 14, 15, and 17, have been charged with Levi's murder. Nicola Leighton, 36, allegedly drove her son, Tyreese Ulysses, 19, and three other youths to the scene of the killing, a court heard. Armed with machetes, the four teenagers allegedly stabbed disabled 17-year-old Levi Ernest-Morrison (pictured with his younger brother) Forensic officers attended the scene in Sydenham, south London, after Levi was stabbed Ulysses today appeared at the Old Bailey for his first appearance at a Crown Court, and was also charged with possession of an offensive weapon. Judge Angela Rafferty QC set a timetable for the case, with a plea and case management hearing for all the defendants on July 2. Ulysses, who appeared in court by video-link from Thameside Prison, was remanded in custody. A GoFundMe page set up to pay for Levi's funeral told of his final moments. A GoFundMe page set up to pay for Levi's funeral says: 'He was a beautiful son, a playful brother, a loving grandson, godson and nephew, a devoted boyfriend and a loyal friend' Police were called to Hazel Grove, junction with Sydenham Road, on April 10, 2021 It says: 'Levi was an intelligent and loving boy. He was a beautiful son, a playful brother, a loving grandson, godson and nephew, a devoted boyfriend and a loyal friend.' It continued: 'Popular culture glorifies and glamorises the violence and hardship that faces young men living in cities everyday. 'But what most don't know is that when these young people die they do so in pain and alone. 'Gasping on the pavement. Clutching for their phone. Praying someone will find them, help them, heal them.' The description added: 'And yet it happens everyday to so many families. So many lives lost.' A post-mortem examination gave Levi's preliminary cause of death as a stab wound leading to a catastrophic bleed. Lee joined The Hanover in 2003, supporting the company's commercial lines business within information technology. During his tenure, he has managed the company's innovation efforts, led the integration of acquisitions within corporate development, and managed the core commercial product group. He has served in various roles, including chief operating officer of specialty lines at The Hanover and most recently was appointed senior vice president, deputy chief information officer and a member of our senior executive team in 2020. Prior to The Hanover, Lee spent more than 10 years as a consultant in both startups and Fortune 500 companies, covering a broad set of industries including manufacturing, telecom, financial services and pharmaceuticals. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in information systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "Will has been instrumental in the advancement of our company's technology and innovation efforts over the past 18 years," said John C. Roche, president and chief executive officer at The Hanover. "He brings to this role his strong leadership skills and deep knowledge of our industry and our company. We are excited to have Will lead our technology efforts into the future." Lee succeeds Mark L. Berthiaume, executive vice president, chief information officer and chief technology innovation officer, who retired this month after seven years at The Hanover. "We thank Mark for his tremendous contributions over the years," said Roche. "Under his leadership, we have made great strides to modernize and innovate our technology infrastructure and capabilities, building a highly talented and committed team. Mark also has been a thought partner to members of our leadership team and me, as well as a trusted ally and advocate for our company's inclusion and diversity efforts. We wish him the very best in his retirement." For more information about The Hanover, please visit hanover.com. About The Hanover The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is the holding company for several property and casualty insurance companies, which together constitute one of the largest insurance businesses in the United States. The company provides exceptional insurance solutions through a select group of independent agents and brokers. Together with its agents, The Hanover offers standard and specialized insurance protection for small and mid-sized businesses, as well as for homes, automobiles, and other personal items. For more information, please visit hanover.com. SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. A popular children's toy has been exposed as a hidden firearm after some models may now be registered as weapons in one Australian state. Nerf guns will now be registered as firearms in South Australia after enthusiasts discovered that certain designs of the child-friendly toy operate identically to prohibited gel blasters. The gel blasters - toy guns that generally shoot a super-absorbent polymer as bullets - are considered a 'regulated imitation firearm' under the South Australian Firearms Act. Some models of popular children toys Nerf guns (pictured) will need to be registered as firearms as they operate identically to prohibited gel blasters in South Australia Blaster owner Brad Phillips revealed he registered his $35 Nerf Mega Big Shock model (pictured) to his local police station as a firearm Since October last year any gel blasters must be registered and the operator must hold a firearms licence - but some Nerf gun models have found a loophole in the legislation. Gel blaster owner Brett Herbert said the nerf guns fire in the 'exact same way' as a gel shooter. 'You can put gels in these things without any modifications and use them as a gel blaster,' he told 7News. Another blaster owner, Brad Phillips, revealed he registered his $35 Nerf Mega Big Shock model to his local police station as a firearm. 'It's only if you load it with a gel ball then you'll be breaking the law,' Mr Phillips said. Brett Herbert said the legislation is 'frustrating' as 'Blasters' are seen as participating in a recognised sport in Australia. Gel blasters (pictured) are considered a 'regulated imitation firearm' under the South Australian Firearms Act and owners must register the gun and have an operating license 'There is no logic behind it so we are looking at firearms charges for anyone just going down to the shops to buy a nerf gun'. Since the six month amnesty period ended in April to surrender any gel blasters, only 460 people have registered their guns. SA Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that 'Nerf Blasters are toys and there is no requirement to register any model of nerf blaster'. 'During the 6 month gel blaster amnesty 3882 gel blaster firearms were surrendered. No nerf blasters were surrendered as there was no requirement to do so,' a SA Police spokesperson said. '460 applications were made for new firearms licences and 136 variations to current licences relating to gel blaster firearms. 1522 applications were made to acquire gel blaster firearms.' YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. European lawmakers at Euronest Parliamentary Assembly emphasized that Azerbaijan must fulfill its obligations and release the Armenian prisoners of war, the Armenian delegation to the forum said at a news conference presenting the April 19-20 online meetings. Four committee meetings took place on April 19. Armenian delegate Viktor Yengibaryan, a member of the political committee, said that issues related to European integration in Eastern Partnership countries were addressed. Special attention was drawn on the fact that the Armenia-EU agreement came into force from March 1, he said. The coronavirus-related problems were also discussed, as well as security matters. For us it was a priority to make emphases regarding the issue of returning our prisoners of war under the November 9 trilateral statement. The Azerbaijani side, unfortunately, hasnt fulfilled its obligation to date. There is a broad consensus among the European partners over this issue. A group of European lawmakers delivered remarks, noting that Azerbaijan must unconditionally fulfill its obligations, Yengibaryan said. The Armenian delegates also delivered remarks about the Azerbaijani Armenophobic policy, mentioning the infamous military trophy park in Azerbaijan. Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mizroyan and his Ukrainian and Georgian counterparts delivered speeches during the opening of the plenary session. The Azeri Speaker of Parliament, however, did not. This shows that the Azerbaijan side is unhappy over the Euronest work because all the anti-Armenian items which they had pushed for in different resolutions failed. Armenian delegate to the Euronest Arman Yeghoyan informed that during the energy committee session, the Azeri-authored initiative seeking to push forward the issue of closing the Armenian nuclear power plant failed. He said that this shows that even at the Euronest PA level it was stated that there are no problems related to the operations of the Armenian NPP. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Im in a mixed marriage, tweeted David Thomas, 51. I got Pfizer, and my wife is getting the Moderna vaccine today. How will this affect our kids? Thomas, who works in printing and lives in Plymouth, Michigan, was clearly joking. Just pretending like we care which vaccine we got makes it fun, he said. Its like a game to say, Im on Team Pfizer' or 'Im on Team Moderna. But, suffused with relief after a year of isolation and loss, many people are getting quite attached to the companies that made their shots, some even buying T-shirts that broadcast the tribe theyve joined (call it pharmcore). The three COVID-19 vaccines available in America are remarkably effective. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts it, The best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one that is available to you. Most people arent even in a position to choose which one they get. Its like the sorting hat in Harry Potter, said Thomas. Still, a friendly rivalry has taken hold across America with vaccinated people professing loyalty to the brand they happened to have received. Selfies with vaccine cards now come with the caption #TeamPfizer or #TeamModerna. TikTokers making fun of the brands they didnt receive are going viral. And some people joining in the playful rivalry are questioning their privilege, asking themselves why they care and how their posturing might look to others in the world who have no vaccine at all. When Beth Wilensky, 48, a law professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, was given a last-minute vaccine slot at a nearby Walmart last month, she didnt care which vaccine she received. The numbers were going up here, she said. I was thrilled to get any of them. A few weeks later, the CDC announced it would pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the one she received. Rather than feel fear, however, Wilensky felt defiant. As someone who got the J&J, I want to shout to rooftops how happy I am, she tweeted. Maybe I should start a J&J fan club to show some love to this unfairly maligned vaccine? She believes her loyalty comes from deep gratitude for relief from worry. I got the shot, and two weeks later, I felt very confident I wasnt going to get severely ill, she said. There is also loyalty. There are so few people who got J&J compared to the other vaccines, that there is a little bit of a We are small but mighty thing, she said. When people announce they have received a COVID-19 vaccination, others usually respond by asking which one. Wilensky has a theory about why people even bother to ask. Vaccine clinics are these amazing sites where people feel relief after a year of anxiety and devastation, she said. People are looking for a way to keep talking about such a positive thing. Linda Hirshman, whose book Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution explores the AIDS pandemic, is fully on team Pfizer. I am a complete fan girl of science. As to the Pfizer brand, I love them, she said. Its funny. I am not fussy about which pneumonia vaccine I get. Unlike the flu shot, which seems to just appear at the end of the summer, many in isolation have been following every move of these pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic eagerly awaiting every trial result, every announcement to see if they could pull off the scientific marvel that would bring us life back to something like normal. It was the race for the cure, Hirshman said. We will now cheer for whoever got it done for us. What do people do when they get a miracle? Its a little weird to go to the temple and thank God for the mRNA vaccine, so they thank Pfizer or Moderna instead. Sam Lee of San Diego and Luke Brewer of Lansing, Michigan, opened a shop on Etsy named ViralMerchCo three weeks ago, mostly to sell T-shirts and sweatshirts that advertise a vaccine brand. The items say phrases such as Pfizer alumni and come in a range of colors. We saw vaccinated posts all over social media. Many of the people posting also posted which vaccine they received, and it seemed like people took a lot of pride in this, Lee said. We gave the people what they were looking for. They said they have almost 100 items, and other Etsy shops provide similar apparel. Ellyn Marsh, a Broadway actress, knew she struck a chord when she posted a video on TikTok in which she was pretending to dance in a club and bragging over the music about which vaccine she got. It got a million and a half views really quickly, she said. I was like, 'OK, this is something people want to talk about. She has continued the parodies. A clip she posted last week showed Pfizer and Moderna as frenemies, gossiping on the phone about Johnson & Johnsons pause. Im just delivering, announced Pfizer, looking glamorous while sipping Champagne. Marsh made these videos after observing the behavior of people around her. People were talking on social media about their symptoms, their first dose, the second dose, which vaccine they got, she said. I just found it all really funny. She also noticed she felt loyalty to her vaccine. I did get Pfizer, she said. I am happy, I am lucky, I am grateful. TikTok users as far away as Germany, Brazil, Croatia and Portugal left comments. Here's the gist of them: You should feel lucky you got any vaccine. I was Google translating some of them, and they were such an eye-opener for me, she said. In other countries, they were crossing a finger for any vaccine, and here we are comparing our vaccines and our symptoms. Its like, OK, we need to check our privilege. Still, turning something that is ultimately a medical procedure involving needles into a trendy bragging right might serve a higher purpose. I think it helps counter the anti-vax people, Thomas said. It gets people to do something by making it cool, fun, and visible. I think my wife and I should get different shirts that say Pfizer and Moderna, he added. It will get the word out that Hey, we got vaccines, and they are all good.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. A teenage girl has been airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after she was trapped underneath a 4WD buggy. The 15-year-old crashed the buggy at the Upper Colo Reserve campsite, north of Windsor on Sydney's northwest fringe, just after 12.30pm on Sunday. The girl suffered serious pelvic and arm injuries as she was trapped under the 4WD buggy The girl was flown to hospital in the CareFlight helicopter in a serious but stable condition 'The young patient suffered serious pelvic and arm injuries and was flown in the care of the Careflight specialist medical team to Westmead Children's Hospital,' NSW Ambulance Inspector Joe Ibrahim said. Two ambulance crews and the CareFlight helicopter attended the scene and the girl was freed from under the buggy. The paramedics performed a clinical assessment involving an ultra sound and administered pain relief. The CareFlight clinical team continued ongoing observation as the girl was transported to the hospital. The crash occurred at the Upper Colo Reserve, north of Windsor, NSW Inspector Ibrahim praised the paramedics who attended the 'confronting' scene. 'It's always confronting when treating a young patient but our paramedics did an excellent job in difficult circumstances,' he said. The Inspector reminded the public of the dangers involved when driving off-road. 'This is a timely reminder that circumstances can change quickly and we encourage those enjoying offroad activities to take all necessary safety precautions.' Westmead Children's Hospital has today confirmed that the girl has remained in a 'stable' condition. The Upper Colo Reserve Campsite is located just under two hours drive north-west of Sydney and is a popular site for campers. Two ambulance crews and the CareFlight helicopter attended the scene ADVERTISEMENT Nigerias ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has admitted that the current security situation across the country is worrisome, describing it as the current realities of this administration. The party also said while its government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, is achieving a lot in infrastructural development across the country, Only in safety can we enjoy the current infrastructure revolution The APC, in a statement by its interim National Secretary, John Akpanudoedehe, said it will not play politics with the security situation. The issue of insecurity in the country has found expression in terrorist and criminal activities of Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers, rustlers and recently the highly condemnable attacks on security formations in some states. These are current realities and the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not play politics with matters of life and our collective wellbeing as a nation, the APC scribe said in a Monday statement. The security situation across Nigeria got worse last week with over 200 people killed and 44 others kidnapped across Nigeria, according to a PREMIUM TIMES analysis. Apart from the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east, armed bandits kidnap and kill at will in many North-west and North-central states, while kidnapping for ransom is also rampant in many states in Southern Nigeria. There have also been repeated attacks on security officials in the South-south and South-eastern part of the country. In its statement, the APC said the President Muhammad Buhari-led administration is working to identify and bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to book. The party called for unity, saying it is needed to ensure the safety that all Nigerians crave. Only in safety can we enjoy the current agriculture revolution which has seen Nigeria achieve self-sufficiency in rice and other staple food items. Only in safety can we enjoy the current infrastructure revolution that has witnessed the rehabilitation, construction and reconstruction of over 13,000 kilometres of critical federal roads, construction of thousands of affordable and acceptable housing and of course the ongoing national railway projects gainfully connecting cities and towns across the country, the party admitted while encouraging Nigerians to shun opportunists and unpatriotic partisans and their divisive rhetorics. From the Ogbomosho taxi driver who was born and lives his productive life in Kaduna State; the Igbo trader who is the Chairman of the Ladipo spare parts market association in Lagos state to the Kano-born Hausa businessman investing and building sugar, cement, petrochemical plants around the country and employing thousands. Despite our natural differences in culture, religion and ethnicities, we are more patriotic, alike and united than bigots, sectarian opportunists and unpatriotic partisans try to make us believe. We have a collective stake in our countrys security and ensuring that Nigeria works for all, the party said. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. The new work week begins with a new Amazon sale on a bunch of wireless headphones and earbuds. A number of our favorite devices are down to record- or near-record lows, including Sony's excellent WH-1000XM4. The headphones alone are back down to their all-time low of $278, but you can get a bundle with the cans, a protective case and a 20,000mAh battery pack for $300, or $50 off its normal price. There's also a bundle that includes the WH-XB900N Extra Bass headphones, a protective case and a 10,000mAh battery pack for $178, or $100 off its normal price. Buy Sony WH-1000XM4 at Amazon - $278 Buy WH-1000XM4 bundle at Amazon - $300 Buy WH-XB900N bundle at Amazon - $178 The XM4 have topped our best wireless headphones list since they came out last year. They took everything about the XM3 that we loved and added to it features like multi-device connectivity and Speak-to-Chat, which automatically pauses audio when you start talking so you can hear your conversation. They remain comfortable cans with great sound quality and even better active noise-cancellation as well, making them the wireless ANC headphones to beat right now. The 900N start off more affordable than the XM4, but they're even better when on sale like this. We gave them a score of 83 for their solid audio quality, clear microphones and optional voice assistant button that works with Alexa or the Google Assistant. Also discounted in this Amazon sale are Sony's WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds, which are down to $178 not a record low, but close to it. The same can be said for Sony's WH-CH710N and Bose's 700, which are down to $128 and $329, respectively. And for those are tight budgets, Anker's Soundcore Life Q20 wireless ANC headphones are down to $41.45. While you won't get the same level of sound quality in those as you would in a pair of Sony or Bose headphones, Anker's cans still pump out decent tunes and the ANC strength is good enough to block out household noises while working from home. Buy WF-1000XM3 at Amazon - $178 Buy WH-CH710N at Amazon - $128 Buy Bose 700 at Amazon - $329 Buy Soundcore Life Q20 at Amazon - $41.45 Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. Any threat to Romania is in fact a threat to NATO, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu said on Sunday, reports agerpres. He referred to recent tensions in the Black Sea region and stressed that NATO "is the strongest political-military alliance". "The fact that Romania is part of this alliance is a guarantee for the security of Romania and its citizens, without any doubt, that is why I told you that there is no danger for Romania and its citizens during this crisis that took place in the past days. But we have to be very clear here: any threat to Romania is in fact a threat to NATO and we take these issues seriously," the head of Romanian diplomacy told Antena 3 TV station.He also spoke about a recent message posted on the Facebook page of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest."I briefly read a reaction that the Russian Embassy posted on Facebook these days and I saw there a kind of warning more or less veiled to Romania of not following in the footsteps of some military adventurers from the NATO leadership. It is unfortunate that it is not yet known within the Russian diplomacy that, 17 years after Romania's accession to NATO, that Romania is NATO," Bogdan Aurescu said.He emphasized that "Romania is NATO, we participate in decision-making within NATO, we do not follow anyone in NATO, because we are part of the decision within the North Atlantic Alliance, which at the same time is nothing else but a defensive alliance." Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Considerable cloudiness. High 89F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. With the country witnessing a storm surge in infections, the government has suggested wearing masks at home, especially when people are around and surely when theres a Covid-19 patient nearby. The time has come (for everyone) to start wearing masks at home. We used to say wear it outside but the way the infections are, it will be useful to wear a mask when sitting with someone at home; definitely wear it if someone is positive, said V K Paul, member-health, Niti Aayog, while addressing a press briefing on Covid-19 situation in the country on Monday. If wearing mask at home was a new recommendation from the government in view of the current crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modis review meeting with the armed forces also revealed unusual measures. After the meeting, a statement from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) said the armed forces had recalled all medical personnel who retired in the last two years to work in Covid facilities near their residence. Armed forces are also creating military medical infrastructure to be made available to civilians. The chief of defence staff General Bipin Chandra Rawat informed the PM that nursing personnel were being employed in large numbers to complement the doctors in hospitals and that the oxygen cylinders available with armed forces would also be released for hospitals. In the backdrop of continued oxygen shortage, the government asked citizens not to panic. Theres adequate quantity of oxygen but the challenge is to transport it. States are working together shoulder to shoulder with industry, transporters and suppliers to minimise transportation time, said Piyush Goyal, additional secretary, ministry of home affairs. Medical oxygen production in the country stood at 9,103 tonnes on April 24, up from the earlier capacity of 7,259 tonnes per day. While calling for judicious use of oxygen, the government has instructed state governments to ensure that liquid medical oxygen is not given for industrial use, so that its available to patients. States have also been asked to convert nitrogen and argon tankers for oxygen use. We are getting tankers from other countries as well. We are trying to mobilise as many tankers as possible quickly by airlifting empty containers, Goyal said. The railway ministry has deployed 2,670 Covid care beds across nine stations in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. India is registering almost four times the daily number of cases it witnessed during the first peak of September, crossing 3,50,000 infections in a single day. The however pointed at a rise in the number of recoveries--over 82 per cent of the patients have been cured so far. Most states are seeing almost three to five times the number of daily cases in the second wave compared to the first. On the shortage of RT-PCR tests and delays in results, Randeep Guleria, director, AIIMS Delhi, said any clinical diagnosis of the patient was important based on other reports such as chest CT, blood reports and symptoms under current circumstances. Seeing the way cases are rising, such patients should get Covid treatment and people should not wait for a report to come to isolate themselves, Guleria said. The coroner concluded lack of compliance with Capacity Act was 'unlawful' Inquest finds inadequate management of her feeding was 'gross failure of care' The 21-year-old was at Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, for eye operation Laura Booth suffered malnutrition and died after going to hospital for operation A coroner has today slammed doctors over the 'gross failure of care' of a disabled woman who suffered malnutrition and died in hospital after being admitted for a routine eye operation. An inquest heard Laura Booth was 'neglected' by doctors, who 'inadequately managed' the 21-year-old's nutritional needs while she was a patient at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield in 2016. Family members say Ms Booth, who suffered from partial Patau's syndrome, was living off 'rice milk and blackcurrant' juice while in the hospital. Parents Patricia and Ken Booth claim doctors 'ignored' their daughter, who had difficulty communicating due to her condition. And they allege doctors excluded them from any decision making, despite them raising concerns about their daughter not eating. Today coroner Abigail Combes ruled that Ms Booth's death was 'contributed to by neglect' and that doctors acted 'unlawfully' in their lack of compliance with the Mental Capacity Act. She offered to give up her own time to teach staff at the hospital about the act - a legal guide to making decisions on behalf of adults who are unable to themselves. And in a 'bold' move, she said she would be writing to the UK's chief coroner to urge better training for coroners on the Mental Capacity Act and Liberty Protection Safeguards. Mr and Mrs Booth would be invited to help draft the the recommendations, Ms Combes added. Parents Patricia and Ken Booth claim doctors 'ignored' their daughter, who had difficulty communicating due to her condition. Pictured: Patricia and Ken with daughter Laura Laura (pictured) was first admitted to Hallamshire Hospital in September 2016 and died at the hospital in October that year Laura was first admitted to Hallamshire Hospital in September 2016 and died at the hospital in October that year. What is Patau's syndrome? Patau's syndrome is a serious genetic disorder caused by having an additional copy of chromosome 13 in some or all of the body's cells. For that reason, it is also called trisomy 13. Patau's syndrome affects about 1 in every 5,000 births - and occurs randomly during conception. Each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, which carry the genes inherited from your parents. But a baby with Patau's syndrome has three copies of chromosome 13, instead of two. This severely disrupts normal development and, in many cases, results in miscarriage, stillbirth or the baby dying shortly after birth. Only 1 in 10 babies survive beyond their first year and those who do survive are life-limited. In Patau's the brain often does not divide into two halves - a condition known as holoprosencephaly. When this happens, it can affect facial features. People with Patau's often have abnormally small eye or eyes and a cleft lip or palate. There may also be abnormalities of the hands and feet, such as extra fingers or toes. And their brain development is often heavily disrupted, making communication difficult. Source: NHS.co.uk Advertisement Ms Booth's parents had previously told the inquest in Sheffield how doctors ignored their daughter and excluded them from decision making after she was admitted. Her mother Patricia told the inquest that her daughter had stopped eating shortly after she was admitted to hospital. She told the inquest: She (Laura) never had anything to eat all the time she was in the hospital. All Laura lived on was her rice milk and blackcurrant juice. 'We kept telling the doctors 'this isn't right, she can't survive on no food'. Ms Booth told the inquest that doctors ignored her 'lovely, kind, caring' daughter, despite her being able to communicate to some extent, including using Makaton signing. Mrs Booth told the inquest: 'They never discussed anything with Laura. They just ignored her. 'She couldn't speak but she could understand everything.' The inquest heard that, although Ms Booth's nutritional intake was flagged as a 'concern', that feeding charts to ensure she was receiving proper nutrition were not commenced. On Monday, following a two-week long inquest, Ms Combes ruled: 'On the basis of the evidence I have heard and on the balance of probabilities, I am satisfied that the decision not to adequately manage Laura's nutrition was a gross failure of her care.' In a narrative conclusion, Ms Combes said: 'Among other illnesses, she also developed malnutrition due to inadequate management of her nutritional needs. Her death was contributed to by neglect.' She said that on this basis she would be amending the medical cause of Booth's death to include malnutrition. She said attributing Booth's death to natural causes did not 'adequately reflect the circumstances'. Ms Combes concluded that the hospital had acted 'unlawfully' in the decisions it made about Ms Booth's feeding, and said she had 'significant concern' about senior doctors' understanding of the Mental Capacity Act. Mother Patricia told the inquest that doctors ignored her 'lovely, kind, caring' daughter (pictured), despite her being able to communicate to some extent, including using Makaton signing Ms Combes concluded that the hospital (pictured) had acted 'unlawfully' in the decisions it made about Ms Booth's feeding, and said she had 'significant concern' about senior doctors' understanding of the Mental Capacity Act She said: 'Where I do remain gravely concerned is in the hospital's approach to the Mental Capacity Act and those individuals who do not have capacity to make decisions for themselves.' The coroner said she felt Ms Booth's parents were 'overburdened and undervalued' by the hospital and 'at the same time they were completely excluded from decisions, if indeed there were decisions, made about Laura nutritional status during her admission'. Ms Combes also apologised to Ms Booth's parents for having to fight for an inquest into their daughter's death. She told the couple: 'Probably the hardest but most important bit, Mr and Mrs Booth, is to try and put into words the admiration I have got for you.' Ms Combes said Mr and Mrs Booth were completely devoted to their daughter 'who lived her life to the full'. Mrs Booth had earlier described how, after she was born, Ms Booth was diagnosed with partial trisomy 13 and had a number of different life-limiting complications, including learning disabilities. Kirsten Major, Chief Executive, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust today admitted that the processes in caring for Ms Woods were 'not robust enough'. Ms Major said: 'Laura was an exceptional individual who has left a deep impression on all who met her. 'She was gravely ill with sepsis and this was the cause of her death, but we acknowledge that the decisions on the best method of feeding her were a contributory factor to the timing of her death. 'Laura was not starved during her stay and our staff worked hard to try and do what they thought was the right thing. 'However, our processes at the time were not robust enough which meant that there was not clear decision making and consequently, Laura and her family were let down. 'We regret what happened and we have already overhauled our nutrition service and processes so there is now a clear lead decision maker to review and expedite actions for patients with complex nutritional needs. 'We are truly sorry for what happened, and we will be responding to all of the Coroners recommendations to prevent this situation happening again.' Today is National Pretzel Day and pretzel makers and servers are offering some deals for you to celebrate. Auntie Annes Auntie Anne's customers can get a free original or cinnamon sugar pretzel on National Pretzel Day today by signing up through the Pretzel Perks app. (Provided by Auntie Anne's) In addition to offering some soft pretzel fun facts, Auntie Annes is offering free pretzels today. First, the free stuff. Customers can get a free original or cinnamon sugar pretzel today by signing up through the Pretzel Perks app. Today through Friday, April 30, Auntie Annes will host contests on Instagram. All you have to do is comment on the post to be entered to win free pretzels for a year. Five winners will be selected each day. And, one more you can get free delivery through April 30 on any order of more than $12 placed through the app. The fun stuff? According to Auntie Annes, consumer data reveals that pretzel nuggets have bested classic pretzels as the favorite snack. The number one ordered item is Original Nuggets with Cinnamon Sugar Nuggets and Original Pretzels tied for spots 2 and 3 in the US, the company said. But here in Pennsylvania, which is Auntie Annes home state BTW, we prefer full-size salty pretzels. The state that loves Auntie Annes the most, however, is New York. The most popular dip for pretzels is cheese customers selected it four times as much as the next most popular dip the sweet glaze. Snyders of Hanover Snyders of Hanover will celebrate National Pretzel Day by giving away 1,000 free Crave Kits through a contest on Instagram. (Snyder's of Hanover) Snyders of Hanover will celebrate the day by giving away 1,000 free Crave Kits. The Crave Kit includes the new Twisted Pretzel Sticks available in three flavors Extreme Seasoned, Sour Cream and Onion and Jalapeno Ranch. To get a Crave Kit you must follow Snyders of Hanover on Instagram. Today, the company will ask fans to tag their boldest friend on the giveaway post comments. Winners will be selected at random. If you dont win, the Twisted Pretzel Sticks are available from stores at a suggested price of $3.89 for a 12-ounce bag. Philly Pretzel Factory Philly Pretzel Factory will give away one free pretzel to customers all day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. No purchase is required. Wendys On National Pretzel Day Monday, April 26, 2021, Wendy's customers can buy one Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger and get another one for $1 via the Wendys Mobile app. (Provided by Wendy's) Customers who buy a Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger can get a second one for $1 when ordering using the Wendys mobile app. The deal is good through May 23. And, for an additional charge, you can get any sandwich on a pretzel bun. In case you forgot, the Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger includes a quarter pound of beef topped with Muenster cheese, three strips of applewood smoked bacon, smoky honey mustard, warm beer cheese sauce, fried onions and pickles. In this aerial photo taken on April 26, 2021, burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to COVID-19 at a cremation ground in New Delhi. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images) A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed Commentary In the 3rd century BC, the Roman poet Quintus Ennius wrote Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur, which translated means a sure friend is known when in difficulty. After two millennia, this statement is now being discussed from Delhi to Washington by those who are wondering whether the current U.S. administration is really a true friend to the people of India. Recent events have Indians wondering if, rather than build on the previous administrations whole-of-government approach to the Indo-Pacificwhich perforce showed the importance of the United States and India drawing closer togetherthe Biden administration may instead be indulging in siloed, bureaucratic decision-making that risks undermining carefully built trust. The first major event was earlier this month when the USS John Paul Jones conducted a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) in the western Indian Ocean near the Maldives. The United States has conducted similar FONOPs in the region. Unfortunately, given that this occurred so soon after the Quad Leaders Summit, the 7th Fleets standard press release needlessly generated undue negative attention. While the United States FON program, which has been in existence since 1975, is designed as a legal challenge to U.S. assessed excessive maritime claims and isnt directed toward any one nation, Delhi still has been left wondering why the current administration in Washington is treating India the same as the Peoples Republic of China, a stated strategic competitor. Two other actions from the current U.S. administration also caused bewilderment, and even growing resentment, among the people of India. The first was the recent announcement by the State Department putting India on notice that it will face potential sanctions for not allowing religious freedomsomething that is especially galling for India, which has a tradition of religious liberty and has been a courageous host to the Dalai Lama for over sixty years. Second, the administrations Treasury Department added India to its currency manipulation watch list. While India has been on this list before, the timing of this announcement, given all the other seemingly adversarial decisions and actions, is threatening to undo the trust that had been built up these past four years. However, by far the worst decision involved the current deadly surge of the COVID-19 virus across India. With hundreds of thousands of new cases and thousands of deaths each day, Indias medical infrastructure has been pushed to the limit, with reports of overflowing hospitals and critical shortages of oxygen, medical supplies, and ICU beds. While the Modi administration will face its own public for this situation, there was a clear need for urgent international support. Very quickly, the UK, France, Germany, and even China and Pakistan all offered help. Unsurprisingly, Russia swiftly announced it was arranging for shipments of oxygen and medicine. Meanwhile, on the U.S. side, the February 2021 implementation of the Defense Production Act (DPA) resulted in a ban on the export of the raw materials (some 35 that come from America) used for the making of antivirus vaccines. This ban adversely affected Indias pharmaceutical industry and degraded, if not prevented, it from producing vaccines for its own people and saving lives. While the Biden administration has justified the blanket export ban as being part and parcel of the DPA, Delhi was left wondering why the Biden administration had not sought to exempt India from this law, especially after many requests by Indian diplomats. When asked why the United States blocked the already-agreed-upon delivery of raw materials for making vaccines to India, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said: Number one, we have a special responsibility to the American people. Number two, the American people, this country has been hit harder than any other country around the worldmore than 550,000 deaths, tens of millions of infections in this country alone. It is not only in the U.S. interest to see Americans vaccinated, but it is in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated. One can understand why Indians would be stunned. India has been a team player in the fight against COVID-19. During the surge of the virus in the United States in 2020, at the request of the United States, India exported 50 million capsules of hydroxychloroquine to America and has exported tens of millions of free vaccine doses worldwide, in part on the assumption that raw materials would continue to flow. Its not surprising that one respected and normally U.S.-friendly Indian news panel show anchor said, The Russians are sending us oxygen; now convince us we shouldnt buy their missiles. Over the weekend, the Biden administration suddenly woke up, and now there are tweets of support and promises of delivery of needed supplies. Apart from the lives needlessly lost, its unclear how much reputational damage has been done. Will this be considered a new administrations beginners mistake (even though this is supposed to be a tried and tested foreign policy team), or will it be taken as a glimpse at the true thinking of the leadership? To get through this, the Biden administration will have to realize that it cant treat India in a siloed fashion, with each department making its own points for its own reasons, possibly influenced by specific lobbies. In Delhi, swipes from the Navy, or the departments of the Treasury or State arent seen in isolation, theyre seen as a pattern. The short-term gain of treating India as a true friend is clear saving lives. The long-term gain is the furtherance of a strategic partnership that saves the world from the destructive ideology and actions of the Chinese Communist Partysomething we can only do together. Its time for America to demonstrate that those words from over 2,000 years ago remain true today: A friend in need is a friend indeed. India was there when the United States was in need, now its Americas turn. Jim Fanell, a retired U.S. Navy captain, is currently a government fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy in Switzerland, and a former director of intelligence and information operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. His nearly 30-year career as a naval intelligence officer spanned an unprecedented series of afloat and ashore assignments across the Indo-Pacific, specializing in the Peoples Republic of Chinas navy and its operations. A recognized international public speaker and accomplished writer, Fanell also is the creator and manager of the Indo-Pacific Security forum Red Star Rising/Risen. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. background image Rating Action: Moodys affirms Seguros Sura (URUGUAY) Baa3 rating; outlook changed to stable 23 April 2021 New York, April 23, 2021 Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has affirmed the Baa3 global local-currency insurance financial strength (IFS) rating of Seguros Sura S.A. (URUGUAY) (Sura Uruguay). The outlook was changed to stable from negative. RATINGS RATIONALE The affirmation of Sura Uruguays rating reflects its important market presence in Uruguays Property and Casualty (P&C) insurance industry, its good asset quality -mostly composed of investment grade securities- a good product diversification, and its relatively good track record of underwriting profits despite the drop in 2018. Sura Uruguays capital adequacy has fallen below peers due to steep dividend payouts in the last few years. However, it is still adequate and supports its overall credit profile. As of December 2020, the companys Moodys adjusted Gross Underwriting Leverage stood at 4.4x, from 4.2x in 2019 and 5.0x in 2018. Furthermore, the change in the companys rating outlook to stable from negative reflects the recovery in its underwriting results in the last two years from the losses reported in 2018. Also, this change considers Moodys expectations that Sura Uruguay will be able to keep a stable credit profile consistent with its Baa3 rating over the coming 12 to 18 months. Competitive pressures in the Uruguayan automobile insurance industry -Sura Uruguays main line of business- continue to be significant. However, we expect that the measures taken by the company to recover its profitability will likely lead to more stable underwriting results. Furthermore, the company will likely benefit as well from strong earnings from other lines of business, which would in turn support its capital adequacy. Sura Uruguay, similarly to many peers in the Uruguayan insurance industry, had suffered in 2018 steep losses in its automobile portfolio. This was mainly caused by price competition and increased Story continues claim frequency and severity, which led to net losses and a reduction in its capital adequacy. Since then, the company has adjusted premium rates and its underwriting standards, which have all led to a gradual recovery of its profitability metrics. Despite the fact that the companys underwriting losses are still high in the automobile segment, its overall profitability metrics have benefited from solid underwriting performance in its other lines of business. As of December 2020 the companys Return on Capital (ROC) increased to 21.2% form 15.6% in 2019 and a negative 20.9% (-20.9%) in 2018, the latter being adjusted for inflation. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING Sura Uruguay's ratings could be upgraded if: 1) combined ratios improve, with metrics persistently below 100% for its main business lines, 2) a recovery on its capital metrics, with gross underwriting leverage consistently below 3.5x, or 3) an upgrade of Uruguay's sovereign rating. Sura Uruguay's ratings could be downgraded if: 1) profitability declines, with combined ratios consistently above 100%, 2) its capital adequacy weakens, with gross underwriting leverage background image consistently above 5.0x, or 3) a downgrade of Uruguay's sovereign rating or a deterioration of the country's operating environment. Headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sura Uruguay reported net profit of UYU 238 million and gross premiums written of UYU 3.7 billion for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2020. As of that date, the company reported total assets of UYU 4.4 billion and shareholders' equity of UYU 1,085 million. The principal methodology used in this rating was Property and Casualty Insurers Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/ researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1187352 . Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. 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Moodys general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx? docid=PBC_1243406 . background image The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moodys affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moodys Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moodys office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com. The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moodys affiliates outside the UK and is endorsed by Moodys Investors Service Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FA under the law applicable to credit rating agencies in the UK. 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Panaji, April 26 : The police and the district administrations in Goa have been directed to crackdown on crowded weddings and other functions, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday, after a record 38 persons died within 24 hours due to Covid-19 related complications. Sawant, however, has ruled out a lockdown in Goa, but added that if the Covid-19 footprint spreads further in the state, some "harsh decisions" would be taken. "We have not decided on lockdown. We will crackdown on the Covid protocol violators strictly now. The police have been instructed to take action to ensure that there are no crowds at functions, including weddings. People should not say we have stopped (events) then. Before going into lockdown, we will have to stop functions," Sawant said. The Chief Minister, however, refused to take questions related to a wedding attended by Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar, where guests, including the minister himself, were seen dancing at the packed event held last week. The video of the event has gone viral. Sawant said that he "felt sad" over the record 38 deaths which were recorded on Monday, but added that the steep increase in Covid-19 infections over the last two days -- 2,321 persons tested positive on Monday -- was on account of clearance of a backlog of test samples. "The Covid case count is 2000-plus today because we have cleared the backlog. The second wave is very dangerous. Those who have symptoms should get admitted as soon as possible. We are providing all the facilities. We have increased bed capacity, provided oxygen," the Chief Minister said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Larsen had served as CFO and a member of the companys management team since 2018 A/S (CPH:BIOPOR) (FRA:2P4) announced that it has begun a search for a new CFO after Ole Larsen resigned to pursue opportunities outside the company. Larsen had served as CFO and a member of the companys management team since 2018. He will officially leave the company by the end of May and remain available for the company until the end of October. It is with regret that we received Oles resignation, CEO Peter Mrch Eriksen said in a statement. He has been a truly important asset for . During his three-year tenure, he has established a strong performing finance organization while focusing on broadening our investor reach and dialogue, which has been pivotal in execution of our funding strategy. I am grateful for his strong contribution and wish him all the best in his future endeavors. The search for a successor will be initiated immediately, and BioPorto said it will make an announcement as soon as it has concluded on the search process. This announcement does not alter BioPortos financial guidance for 2021, as presented in its 2020 annual report, the company added. BioPorto is an in-vitro diagnostic company based in Hellerup, Denmark, that provides healthcare professionals in 80 countries a range of diagnostic tests and antibodies to treat obesity and diabetes, innate immunity, allergies and infectious diseases. Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel Pham Quang Linh, 24, from the central province of Nghe An, has "painted" a beautiful story in Africa. Five years ago, Linh decided to go to Angola to create a new life as a building worker. After a period of working in the African country and accumulating some capital, Linh opened a small construction stone enterprise in 2019, which was the time he began his YouTube channel. Pham Quang Linh At first, Linh launched his own YouTube channel just to share information about his life far from home to his friends and family. But after two years posting clips about his life and work in Africa, Linhs channel Quang Linh Vlogs - Life in Africa", has more than 1.77 million subscribers. Most of Linhs clips reflect the normal life of people in Angola and Linhs charity activities in the country. Linh often presents gifts to poor kids in Bailundo where he is living. Linhs activities have been warmly supported by Vietnamese around the world. He has also tried to introduce Vietnamese culture to Angolan people. Recently, Linh organized an engagement party in traditional Vietnamese style for a poor Angolan couple. He covered the entire cost for the event. During the process of building his YouTube channel, Linh formed a group of both Vietnamese and Angolans to do charity and introduce Vietnamese culture. Linh built houses for four Angolan men in his group. Besides the channel "Quang Linh Vlogs - Life in Africa", Linh and his team developed a YouTube channel named "African Cuisine", which has had more than 600,000 subscribers. This channel is about Vietnamese and African food. Linh and his group have helped local people learn how to plant vegetables. The group is about to assist local people in raising cattle and poultry. Linh said that the biggest barrier is language. Based on initial success of his social projects, Linh and his group launched the latest project called "5,000 children go to school". The project aims to assist 5,000 needy kids to go to school by repairing schools and providing schools with equipment. This project is enthusiastically supported by the community. The group will sell shirts to raise funds for charity. Each shirt will help one kid go to school for a year. The group has sold more than 1,000 shirts. Funding for Linh and his groups charity activities all come from his YouTube channels, Linh said. According to Linh, the charity journey in Angola comes from the heart of each member of his group. Linh was enthusiastically helped by locals when he first arrived and now, he wants to offer something good to them. The traditional Tet atmosphere of Vietnam in Angola. A Vietnamese style engagement party held by Linh and his friends in Angola. Beds of vegetable on dry, rocky soil Linh and his friends repair schools to implement the project "5,000 children go to school". Cong Sang Man collects vintage timepieces from far and wide After 15 years of research, he now owns dozens of valuable vintage clocks that fill his cozy house. Thai industrial park operator Rojana Industrial Park is joining forces with US based Evlomo to build an electric vehicle (EV) battery production plant in Chonburi, just east of Bangkok. The two partners planned to invest just over US$1bn with the Thai listed company taking a 55% stake and Florida-based Evlomo owning the remaining 45%. The plant, to be built in Nong Yai district, would ultimately have a production capacity of 8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of batteries and is expected to create some 3,000 jobs. The plan would supply manufacturers of electric and hybrid-powered passenger and commercial vehicles across the ASEAN region. It would also target the stationary energy storage market. Under the agreement, the first stage of the project involved investing US$143m to build 1GWh of capacity within 18-24 months. In March Evlomo announced plans to roll out a network of fast charging EV stations across Thailand in collaboration with Australian DC charger manufacturer Tritium. Evlomos local joint venture, Evlomo Technologies Company, wants to build Thailands largest EV charging network based on fast charging points with capacities of up to 350kW compatible with all major EV models. Earlier this month, the US company signed an agreement with Thailands PTT Oil and Retail (PTTOR) to build a network of EV fast charging stations in the Eastern Economic Corridor. Thematic Reports Are you worried about the pace of innovation in your industry? GlobalData's TMT Themes 2021 Report tells you everything you need to know about disruptive tech themes and which companies are best placed to help you digitally transform your business. Find out more PTTOR, the retail unit of Thailands largest energy company PTT, has 2,290 petrol stations, 3,440 coffee shops under its Cafe Amazon brand and manages 2,040 convenience stores nationwide. Trailer: World's largest Miao village takes you on incredible journey of indigenous culture in China 10:40, April 26, 2021 By Liu Ning, Zhang Ruohan, Annemarie Li ( People's Daily Online A thousand households tell a thousand stories. Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, located in Leishan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, is home to 1,432 families and a population of over 6,000 people. It is the largest Miao minority village in the world. Its a hidden paradise showcasing thousands of years of Miao history and traditional culture. Leave all your troubles behind and come join People's Daily Online for a grand feast of Miao ethnic folktales at this majestic retreat deep in the river valley. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Hongyu) Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the top online programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 1,280 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school. Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Online MBA In Marketing Degree Programs. Intelligent.com analyzed 129 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 54 making it to the final list for Online MBA In Marketing Degree Programs. To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-online-mba-in-marketing-degree-programs/ 2021 Online MBA In Marketing Degree Programs featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order): American University Arizona State University Arkansas State University Averett University Azusa Pacific University Babson College Ball State University Bellevue University Benedictine University Brandman University Bryan College California Lutheran University Central Michigan University City University of Seattle Colorado State University Columbia Southern University Columbus State University Dallas Baptist University Drexel University Florida Atlantic University Florida Institute of Technology Fort Hays State University Golden Gate University Lehigh University Liberty University Mercer University Messiah College Montclair State University New Jersey Institute of Technology Northeastern University Nova Southeastern University Pepperdine University Regis University Southeastern Oklahoma State University Southern Illinois University Syracuse University Temple University The University of Alabama at Birmingham Touro University Worldwide University of Cincinnati University of Houston-Victoria University of Kansas University of Maryland University of Massachusetts Amherst University of New Hampshire University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Dakota University of North Texas University of Texas at Tyler University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Villanova University Walden University Washington State University Wichita State University About Intelligent.com Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/. The mysterious case of two elderly secret lovers who vanished on a camping trip in the remote Victorian bush over a year ago continues to generate wild theories about their fate. Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, went missing from the Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps in March last year. Investigators from the missing persons squad have long maintained the pair, who had been carrying on a secret affair for many years, were set upon by unknown attackers. Victorian police announced on Monday they would return to the remote area, having uncovered two shovels during a search of bushland hours away near Mt Hotham following a tip-off. The search will now focus on the area along the Dargo High Plains Road, Cynthia Range Track, Herne Spur Track and the Wonnangatta Track. 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 Russell Hill and Carol Clay (pictured) were last heard from on March 20 last year and had told friends she was heading away and was expecting to return by March 29 Detective Acting Inspector Tony Combridge of the Missing Persons Squad said at the time police believed 'somebody was involved' in the pair's baffling disappearance. They continue to investigate whether the pair met foul play. Mr Hill left his home in Drouin, in Victoria's Gippsland region, on March 19 last year and collected Ms Clay from her home in the southeastern Melbourne suburb of Pakenham in his Toyota Land Cruiser. They travelled through Licola, spending one night at Howitt High Plains before heading into Wonnangatta Valley and vanishing without a trace. Mr Hill was last heard from on March 20 over high frequency radio telling friends he was in Wonnangatta Valley, while Ms Clay had told friends she was heading away and was expecting to return by March 29. Authorities found the couple's campsite burnt out near Mr Hill's car days later, before it was discovered their sleeping bags, phones, and his drone were also missing. Detectives have believed since December that their attackers torched their campsite to destroy forensic evidence of a crime. The pair went missing in the Wonnangatta Valley, more than 200km north east of Melbourne Fire forensics expert Greg Kelly experimented with tent fibres and ropes to see if the fire could have taken hold accidentally, but said those materials burned slowly and extinguished themselves. There were also no burn marks across the doors of the nearby car doors, the rubber tyres weren't melted, and the esky - which was underneath the car - was intact. An earlier school of thought from police was that Mr Hill and Mrs Gray were ambushed or shot by deer hunters Mr Kelly said the scene suggested the fire was short and hot, which was likely caused by an accelerant - such as the gas canisters inside the tent. Cadaver dogs, which specialise in locating human remains, were sent to the region but failed to find any trace of the pair. 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 last month said officers were chasing all leads and had 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. The ute remains unaccounted for, along with the couple's sleeping bags, prompting speculation they may have been used as body bags. MISSING CAMPERS THEORIES SHOT BY HUNTERS Locals believe the pair may have been shot and killed after Mr Hill's drone unwittingly caught illegal hunters in the act. Large numbers of deer carcasses were found near the burnt out campsite. MURDERER STALKING THE AREA A friend of Mr Hill said hunters in the area has seen a 'sinister' figure lurking near their campfire. THE 'BUTTON MAN' An 'oddball loner' expert bushman known as the 'button man' for his habit of making buttons out of deer antlers became a person of interest after the disappearance, but there is no evidence he is linked to the disappearance. KILLED BY UNKNOWN ATTACKERS Police maintain the campers were killed by unknown attackers Advertisement The vehicle was spotted at a public 'long drop' toilet in the Valley the day before the camping companions last made contact with friends. Police have also noted the toilet at the campsite had been unused, suggesting the couple had not had time to settle in before they disappeared. Mr Hill's best friend Rob Ashlin speculated the pair could have been slain by illegal hunters after his drone - which Mr Hill was flying that day - unwittingly captured illegal activity. The drone, though to be a breakthrough in the year-old case, was handed in to Victoria Police at East Gippsland last weekend but officers confirmed it wasn't the DJI Mavic belonging to Mr Hill. Police are confident the pair did not fake their own deaths and do not believe it is case of murder suicide High country musterer, Lachlan Culican, who helped police during the search, also believes the pair may have accidentally witnessed illegal hunters in the area. He was shocked by the the sheer quantity of dead deer in the area where their scorched campsite was found, explaining he saw a new carcass every '200m or 300m'. Mr Ashlin, who was friends with Mr Hill for 30 years, also suggested there might be someone sinister lurking in the mountains. He had a friend who was hunting deer in the region and set up camp for the night with someone else. As they sat around the fire, they saw a person standing at the edge of the light, staring at them. 'One of them shot over to his vehicle and this person who was standing there just wandered behind the shadow of a tree and was gone,' he said. In May last year, a bizarre theory surfaced when locals made a connection between the couple's disappearance and an 'oddball loner' living in the Victorian Alps, who had been questioned over a number of mysterious disappearances. Known as 'Buttons' or ominously, 'the Button Man', the expert bushman became a person of interest after concerns about his odd behaviour was raised by locals. He is understood to have earned his nickname due to his hobby of using deer antlers to make buttons - which he then uses as large ear piercings. 'Being creepy is not illegal,' a police source told Daily Mail Australia at the time. The source confirmed there was nothing to indicate the mysterious loner had killed the couple. 'We don't think they're in Queensland living (a secret) life. They're too old really to drop off the grid and why would they?' the source said. A number of searches have been conducted in and around the Wonnangatta Valley during the past 12 months. Police are confident the pair did not fake their own deaths and do not believe it is case of murder suicide. Detectives continue to appeal to anyone who was in the Wonnangatta area around the time of the campers' disappearance to make contact. They also want to speak to anyone who was in the Howitt Plains and Zeka Spur Track area on March 19-20, and the Wonnangatta Valley and Wonnangatta Station area from March 20-24. But in the interim, it is possible that a low-tech solution could be used before a broader program is launched to enable people to travel freely on the basis of vaccination. For example, an adult traveler to Europe could get an equivalent to an E.U. vaccine certificate on arrival, after showing a bona fide certificate issued by his or her own government. The hope, officials said, is that this step would soon be unnecessary as vaccine certificates issued by foreign governments would be acceptable and readable in the European Union, and vice versa. Questions have already begun about whether children traveling to the bloc would need to be vaccinated. Children in the United States and Europe are not currently being vaccinated for the coronavirus. Since E.U. authorities would likely try to write any travel policy in a way that was reciprocal, it seems unlikely children traveling into Europe would have to provide proof of vaccination. Will people from outside the U.S. be allowed to travel to the E.U. this summer? So far, the blocs leaders have only weighed in publicly on the conditions for travelers from the United States, and have not mentioned any other countries that could benefit from such a reopening. The European Commission, responding to questions about the interview Monday during a news briefing, did say that a mutual agreement on how to recognize vaccine certificates, the use of vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency and a positive virus situation in both the European Union and the country of interest would be required to take that step. It also said that it was not yet engaged in discussions with the British authorities about a similar arrangement. Florida commemorated Confederate Memorial Day on Monday by moving one step closer to passage of a bill that critics say will disproportionately restrict the ballots of Black voters in the state. The state is one of five in the country that still officially observes as a holiday the April 26, 1865 surrender at Bennett Place, North Carolina, of the last large field army of the Confederate forces that fought to destroy the United States and maintain slavery. This year, Florida marked the occasion with passage in the state Senate of a controversial measure that would restrict mail-in ballots and drop box hours, make it illegal to give water to voters in line, and allow partisan poll observers to object to votes during the ballot count. Advertisement Voting advocates in Florida have noted that these measures are likely to disproportionately affect the votes of the elderly, minority voters, and disabled voters. Advertisement Advertisement The people who are the descendants of the people of who were affected by Jim Crow, they know that during that time the people didnt say that these Jim Crow laws are designed to keep you in place, state Sen. Perry Thurston of Broward County said during a committee hearing to consider the legislation last week. They didnt say these Jim Crow laws are designed to stop you from voting. Nobody came out and said poll taxes are designed to do this. When you look at that history, then you have to say, well, Im going to analyze this legislation under those lights. Advertisement Its Floridas long history of white supremacycelebrated by Confederate Memorial Day, which state legislators tried and failed to eliminate earlier this yearthat voting rights advocates say the measure hearkens back to. Its also part of a pattern of Republican state legislatures attempting to restrict the franchise following Donald Trumps loss in the 2020 election to Joe Biden, which the outgoing president claimed without evidence was stolen. Trump won Florida, and senior Republican officials in the state have bragged about its election administration in 2020, but that has not stopped them from following the lead of officials in neighboring Georgia with efforts to make it harder to vote in ways that will likely disproportionately affect voters of color. Advertisement Advertisement Republican state legislatures are falling all over themselves to enact new voting restrictions to please a Trumpian base that believes the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, UC-Irvine election law expert and Slate contributor Richard Hasen told me. Hasen, though, thinks that some of the changesparticularly those that make it harder for elderly voters to cast absentee ballotscould backfire. Many of these changes could end up hurting Republicans, both as a matter of PR by becoming the party of voter suppression and making it harder for their own supporters to easily cast a ballot, Hasen wrote. Still, given the states history, a bigger concern seems to be that such laws will be used to disenfranchise Black votersor simply to hobble the states election administration in the case of a contested election, as Trump supporters sought to do across the country after his 2020 loss. Indeed, Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley, who runs elections in the state capital of Tallahassee, testified last week that the measure allowing election observers to challenge every ballot for which he or she has a reasonable objection could result in chaos. Advertisement The number of people were talking about that would be allowed to get in and be in very close proximity to the ballot duplication process, I think presents very grave security risks for many offices, Earley testified. Some offices will be able to handle this process; very many will not be able to handle this. Creativity is great, but we dont have the funding to buy new buildings to have the space sufficient to do this, or the technology to be able to set this up so that it can be potentially viewed remotely. Advertisement While some states other than Florida already have similar ballot observer measures, it does not take much imagination to see this new one weaponized against Democratic votes in the future. During Trumps attempt to undermine the 2020 election results, his would-be ballot observers swarmed counting sites, beating on the doors, convincedon zero plausible basisthat hundreds of thousands of ballots should be overturned. As Hasen wrote last week in the New York Times, one of the most concerning aspects of the new Republican assault on voting rights is that it specifically targets election administration in ways that we cant definitively say will be used to undermine the vote, but could be easily be turned in that direction during extremely close elections. Advertisement Floridas bill also emulates some of the worst aspects of Georgias controversial package, including a section making it illegal for people who arent voting officials or volunteers to give water to those standing in lengthy lines during Election Day. It also limits the hours that ballot drop boxes are open during the early voting period and makes it so that Floridians have to apply for a mail-in ballot every election cycle instead of every four years. Georgias voting measure was met with a fierce public backlash that resulted in public criticism from major corporations and the eventual loss of the MLB All Star Game in Atlanta. Its unclear whether Floridas new voting restrictions will meet a similar resistance if they are passed into law in the House and signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, but state Republicans have already gone on the offensive against potential critics. DeSantis has railed at length against corporate critics of Republican measures to restrict the franchise, while Sen. Marco Rubio on Monday published an op-ed in the New York Post criticizing corporations that have issued statements in defense of voting rights, such as Delta Airlines. The Florida House is considering its own version of the election law. It would be more restrictive than the version just passed by the Senate, adding a provision forcing countless Florida voters to update their signatures on public file. The state legislature has until Friday to complete passage of and reconcile the two bills before the end of its legislative session. Two days after federal regulators lifted the temporary nationwide pause on administering Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine, UCSF on Sunday reported the first known case of a male in the United States developing a clot after receiving the shot. All 15 similar cases the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had learned about and examined after they emerged from about 7 million Johnson & Johnson shots administered involved women who developed rare blood clots after their vaccinations. The UCSF case was a Bay Area resident in his early 30s who got a clot in his leg and was hospitalized, officials said. The CDC just gave the green light Friday for Johnson & Johnsons shot after reviewing the 15 cases. The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, of which California is a member, then seconded CDCs decision Saturday after its own review. The Bay Area patient received his Johnson & Johnson shot on April 8 and began to experience escalating pain in the lower back and leg on April 16, UCSF said. His bloodwork showed signature low levels of platelets and fibrinogen, a blood-clotting factor made in the liver, which had been seen in other patients with vaccine-induced clots, according to details from UCSF. The Bay Area patient is doing very well, according to Dr. Andrew Leavitt, a hematologist who oversaw his care at UCSF. I would expect him to leave the hospital in the next few days, Leavitt said in an interview Sunday night. I saw him today, and he was doing beautifully. When I saw him he was in good spirits chatting with his dad. The mans city of residence and the location where he was vaccinated were not disclosed. Leavitt said he hopes to provide the facts of the case to peer-reviewed medical journals as quickly as possible to help unravel the science of how the coronavirus vaccine interacts in the body. Despite the reaction of a single male patient, Leavitt said that the CDC made the right decision on lifting the temporary pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The CDC did a great job with the pause, he said. Absolutely this should not preclude people from getting vaccinated. UCSF knew of no other men having experienced the clotting issue except one believed to have been in a clinical trial outside the United States, a spokeswoman said. After Saturdays announcement that the Western States group had concluded that the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine should resume in the Western States, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health authorities affirmed the safety of the companys one-shot vaccination for Californians. In the Bay Area, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Friday that the city would be resuming its use of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine, and both Marin and Alameda counties said they were ready to do so once the state gave the go-ahead. County officials did not immediately reply to requests for comment Sunday night. Johnson & Johnsons vaccine accounted for just a small percentage of the coronavirus vaccine used throughout California. But because it entails just one shot, rather than the two doses required for full vaccination with Moderna and Pfizers products, it was seen as important in making it more convenient to vaccinate hard-to-reach populations. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen By this point, almost everyone has heard of QAnon, the conspiracy spawned by an anonymous online poster of enigmatic prophecies. Starting with an initial promise in 2017 that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be imminently arrested, a broad group of interpreters divined a conspiracy that saw President Donald Trumps Democratic opponents as a global cabal of Satanic pedophiles. Perhaps the greatest success of the conspiracy is its ability to create a shared alternate reality, a reality that can dismiss everything from a decisive election to a deadly pandemic. The QAnon universe lives on now largely through involvement in local, not national, Republican politics. Moving on from contesting the election, the movements new focus is vaccines. The influence of QAnon on pandemic denialism is significant, though the spread of Q in local politics is a source of conflict in many states. SOUNDS FAMILIAR?: Texas GOP denies links to QAnon after online criticism resurges Tug of war The conspiracy may have begun on an obscure web forum, but it is now influencing the Republican Party at all levels. A recent Daily Kos/Civiqs poll found that 55% of Republicans believe some element of the conspiracy is true. And in many parts of the country, QAnon supporters are winning elections. From local school boards to city councils, QAnon now has dozens of advocates at nearly every level of local government. While many of these positions hold sway far outside Washington, D.C., the breadth of this movement shows its influence is not likely to wane any time soon. Not all Republicans are happy with this shift. In South Carolina, Indiana, Michigan and other states, Republican politics are fraught with tensions between QAnon supporters and more traditional conservatives. For instance, in Indiana, local newspaper The Herald Bulletin published a story on March 21, 2021, headlined Republican tug-o-war: Factions vie for influence, reporting that QAnon believers showed their support at the Indiana Statehouse in January, holding signs bearing the QAnon phrase #WWG1WGA" for Where we go one, we go all." Kyle Hupfer, chair of the Indiana GOP, was quoted as saying, I dont think QAnon is part of the Republican Party. Leaders need to lead in a fact-based, solution-oriented manner and stick to the actual facts that are proven. Not opinions and not conspiracy theories. State GOP politicians have promoted QAnon in Arizona through social media posts, although one later apologized for doing so, saying, Now I think half of them are rather nuts. In January 2021, the Twitter account of the Republican Party of Hawaii tweeted a defense of QAnon believers. The account also defended a Holocaust denier. The official who posted the tweets was later forced to resign. A similar confrontation has played out in Huntington Beach, California, where the appointed mayor pro tem or vice mayor inspired a vote of no confidence for supporting QAnon along with conspiracies against mask-wearing and vaccines. Part of the conversation Many QAnon proponents post-election have worked to reframe the COVID-19 vaccines not as the solution to a global pandemic but as an attempt by a cabal to control the minds of a hapless world. Opposing mask mandates, vaccines and lockdowns have been effective campaigns for QAnon as it mobilizes anti-government sentiment common among the conservative base of the Republican Party. These efforts appear to be coalescing around bans on making vaccines mandatory. Missouris Republican-led Senate recently voted to ban so-called vaccine passports, and Texas, Florida, Idaho and Utah have all passed similar legislation. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking for similar legislation. It is unclear to what extent these bans were influenced by QAnon. But they do echo the opposition to masks and vaccines that have shaped the conspiracy. COURTING Q: Louie Gohmert, Allen West to speak at QAnon conference in Dallas In California, a recall campaign against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has targeted his COVID-19 response. The campaign was initially organized by people affiliated with both right-wing militias and QAnon supporters. Not going away Yotam Ophir, a communications scholar at the University at Buffalo, has studied QAnon. He told me that he doesnt see a reason to believe the conspiracy will go away anytime soon. Part of this is that QAnon has deep historical roots in a variety of other conspiracies, including a centuries-old anti-Semitic conspiracy of a blood libel. The flexibility of the conspiracy has also proved resilient within a shifting political landscape. [Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.] Perhaps the biggest threat posed by QAnon is articulated by Lindsay Schubiner, a program director at the Western States Center in Portland, Oregon, which works to support democracy and challenge white nationalism. Bigoted conspiracy theories like QAnon have an enormous influence on the context in which local government operates, Schubiner told me. Democratic governance is hard to achieve if we dont live in a shared reality, and thats as true on the local level as it is on the national level. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/qanon-hasnt-gone-away-its-alive-and-kicking-in-states-across-the-country-154788. Prime Minister Florin Citu declared on Monday that a negotiation process of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) is currently underway, and Minister of Investments and European Projects Cristian Ghinea "couldn't have done anything wrong". "At the moment, and it must be clear to everyone - we are in the process of negotiating this plan. We have some priorities in Romania that the coalition supports, but it is clear that these priorities must be set in this system that the European Commission has the money of giving this money. We are in a period of negotiations, you know that only one country has submitted this program so far, I don't see any problem at the moment. (...) There have been online negotiations and the relevant ministers were alongside Minister Ghinea," said Florin Citu in Parliament, where he participated in a meeting of the governing coalition. Asked if Minister Ghinea was wrong, he said: "He couldn't have done anything wrong." "At the moment we are negotiating, you know very well the structure, there is a mandate for the ministry to negotiate this form of the PNRR (...), and the coordination of the negotiation - I am the one who coordinates, is done under my supervision. This project has over-contracting, it was a decision of the coalition to go for a larger amount and now we are negotiating. (...) We do not have a final form yet. (...) We will prioritize depending on how these [financing - ed.n.] sources come and we will do all the projects in the government program," the prime minister explained. He mentioned that all the ministries were involved in this process and the governing coalition will continue to be involved, namely both deputy prime ministers. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested at least 40 crime suspects in Edo this year including those who have instigated crisis between herders and farmers. The Commandant of the corps in the state, George Edem, told reporters on Monday in Benin City that those arrested were suspected to have engaged in illegal mining or vandalism of national assets. Others were arrested on suspicion of their involvement in farmers-herders conflicts, armed robbery or impersonation, he said. Mr Edem explained that 20 suspects were arrested over alleged vandalism of national assets, while 10 suspects were arrested for alleged car theft. Six suspects were arrested for alleged illegal mining, while four suspects were arrested for instigating conflicts between farmers and herders in Edo State, he added. The commandant said NSCDC also resolved more than 56 cases of clashes between farmers and herders in the state during the same period. The Agro Rangers Unit of the Corps has also put in so much effort towards ensuring that farmers returned to their farms. The state command is also currently working out modalities to sensitise students on their personal safety and security. The NSCDC is playing its role to ensure that there is peace in the state and the nation at large. Stakeholders should give security institutions intelligence reports regarding movements of strangers around them because intelligence sharing is vital in neutralising bandits and other criminals, he said. Mr Edem also urged people in Edo to be law abiding. (NAN) Amazon.com's BHM1 fulfillment center is seen before sunrise in Bessemer, Ala., on March 29, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) PRO Act Could Mean US Will Determine Winners of Unionization Drives More than 70 percent of the employees of Amazons Bessemer, Alabama, facility voted against joining a union, but thats not the last word by far, especially if the Democrats PRO Act becomes law. A total of 3,215 of the Amazon warehouses 5,800 employees cast mail-in ballots in the April 9 election, with 1,798, or 70.9 percent, voting against unionizing under the banner of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The union needed 50 percent plus one to win. The vote was closely watched by political observers as it represented an effort to achieve a union breakthrough in the Big Tech industry, which is largely nonunion. Under current law, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) could order a new election if the RWDSU files an unfair labor practices charge against Amazon concerning the election. But under the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO) that passed the House with vigorous support from President Joe Biden and is now before the Senate, the NLRB could unilaterally set the election results aside and impose the union on the Amazon employees regardless of how they voted. The House voted March 9 for the proposal, with 220 Democrats and five Republicans in favor of it and 205 Republicans and one Democrat opposed. The PRO Act vastly expands the power of the NLRB to use its regulatory authority to reinforce organized labors efforts to expand its membership after decades of decline. It also would nullify the 27 state Right-to-Work laws presently on the books and enable unions to collect mandatory dues payments from employees who dont wish to join a trade organization. Only 6.3 percent of all private-sector workers were union members as of 2020, compared to 18 percent in 1985, according to Department of Labor data. Referring to the prospect of an NLRB-mandated revote in an April 22 analysis, Capital Research Center Research Director Michael Watson weighed in on the potential impact of the PRO Act. This maneuver spotlights one of the worst provisions of the [PRO Act], the massive expansion of union coercive power endorsed by the Biden administration and sitting before the Senate as of writing, he wrote. But the PRO Act would allow this partisan body to simply declare a union organized if the employer committed a technical infraction, even if the union lost the vote. And the PRO Act would substantially increase the list of technical infractions. The unions president, Stuart Applebaum, said on the eve of the election: Our system is broken. Amazon took full advantage of that, and we will be calling on the labor board to hold Amazon accountable for its illegal and egregious behavior during the campaign. As promised, the union filed 23 objections on April 16, claiming Amazons actions prevented a free and uncoerced exercise of choice by the employees. Among the objections were the unions claims that Amazon: Sent multiple messages to workers unlawfully threatening loss of business at the facility if workers voted for the union, which would incur significant layoffs or full facility closure. Threatened workers with losing their pay rate, health insurance, time off, and retirement benefits if the union was voted in. Identified and removed workers who supported the union from mandatory captive-audience trainings that made the case for a vote against unionization. An Amazon spokesman denied the unions accusations, saying: The fact is that less than 16 percent of employees voted to join a union. Rather than accepting these employees choice, the union seems determined to continue misrepresenting the facts in order to drive its own agenda. We look forward to the next steps in the legal process. National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix told The Epoch Times on April 26 that the Alabama Amazon employees decisive vote against unionization is hugely significant. When you look at the metrics around that election, its fascinating. I mean, you had 5,800 people who were eligible to vote for unionization and of that 5,800, 12.7 percent voted for unionization, Mix said. That 12.7 percent comes after a national, an international, campaign by union officials trying to convince the world that these workers were so overwhelmed and so abused that there was no other way than unionization. Mix said union efforts prompted discussion of the alleged plight of the Alabama Amazon workers across the nation and in Europe, and he pointed to Bidens craftily worded video, a craftily acted video, that basically was saying youve got to vote for a union at Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama. Mix said he expects union advocates now to use the Bessemer outcome as evidence for the PRO Act as the Senate considers the proposal. Now the narrative is that they have moved on from the vote results and the only way this could have happened is if there was abuse of the workers, so they are now going to launch a campaign that says the defeat at Bessemer is why we need the PRO Act, Mix said. The Senate version of the PRO Act was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott may be contacted at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc (Newser) What do U-Hauls in Hawaii and the semiconductor chip shortage have in common? A pandemic. Now that Americans are getting vaccinated, theyre ready to travel again, and there just arent enough rental cars to go around, Hawaii News Now reports. With car rental prices rising as a result, enterprising island tourists are renting U-Haul pickups, vans, and box trucks instead. They dont have any box trucks today because I wanted to rent one," says a resident of Kihei. "So, I guess theyre all out with tourists." Rental car companies saw demand cut nearly in half by stay-home orders, and they sold off part of their fleets to stay afloat, the New York Times reports. Now that states are opening up, the chip shortageand its effect on car productionmight make it harder to restock. story continues below How high are the rental prices? Forget about two-digit deals. A tourist on Maui lucky enough to find a rental could expect to pay about $200 per day, Car and Driver reports, though it notes the case of a Toyota Camry that rented for $700 per day in March. Meanwhile, the U-Haul lot a few blocks from the airport lists pickup trucks for $20 per day, plus mileage. Travelers shouldnt give up hope, thoughjust shop around. Tourists with flexible schedules can find deals by reversing the typical order of finding a flight, then a car. Shop well in advance for a rental, Hertz advises. Or check prices a little farther from the airport. Demand is highest near airports in resort areaslike Hawaii. (Read more pandemic stories.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) Several members of the Senate filed a resolution Monday calling for an investigation into the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's performance, including its activities and budget, following incidents of red-tagging. Resolution No. 707 said the review is needed to see whether the task force has been fulfilling its mandate and whether its 19 billion budget for 2021 would be better off used for the needs of the public during the pandemic. The resolution was introduced by Senators Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Sherwin Gatchalian, Ralph Recto and Joel Villanueva. READ: Senators push to defund NTF-ELCAC amid red-tagging issue It noted incidences of red-tagging involving the task force, particularly those concerning community pantries. "Reports of baseless and malicious red-tagging, profiling, and police interference of community pantries led to a halt in operations in several community pantries, and instilled fear in the organizers and volunteers for their safety and lives," it said. It also mentioned previous incidents involving actresses Angel Locsin, Liza Soberano and former Miss Universe Catriona Gray. "There is a need to draw the line between legitimate government counter-insurgency strategies against internal armed conflicts and threats on the one hand, and the silencing and crippling of innocent civilians with baseless and unsubstantiated claims, on the other," it added. Given the challenges brought about by the pandemic, it also said all government agencies must use their budget wisely. "There is a need to review the performance of the NTF-ELCAC in fulfilling its mandate vis-a-vis the need for judicious use of scarce government resources, and whether its Php19.1 billion appropriation for 2021 should be used instead to help address the needs of our citizens during this pandemic," the resolution said. On Sunday, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. said the task force was not misusing its funds, following calls from some lawmakers to realign its budget. The NTF-ELCAC has a 19-billion budget for 2021, with around P16 billion to be spent for its BDP as incentives for barangays that were cleared of insurgency threats. Esperon said taking back the barangay development fund would put the communities that needed it most at a disadvantage, as well as affect anti-insurgency efforts. NEW RINGGOLD People with pets know that they are not just pets, they are family, and what to do in an emergency was taught at a class on Sunday sponsored by the Schuylkill County Animal Response Team. The special class, which also covered pet CPR, was held at the Char-Will Kennels Training Center near New Ringgold. More than 20 people paid a registration fee of $20 to SCART for the session that lasted about two hours. The training center is operated by Diane Buhl, whose mother founded the center and worked with animals throughout her life. Buhl has carried on her love and care for animals. Buhl is also deputy coordinator of SCART. The class was basically about first aid, which is immediate and temporary care given to a sick or injured animal until it can receive care from a veterinarian. The main goals of the class were: Protect yourself from harm. Protect the animal from further harm. Administer first aid to maintain life until further treatment. Buhl made it clear that the information is not a training course to become a veterinarian, but to provide information to a layperson reacting to an emergency with an animal, whether it be some type of injury, bleeding, choking or poisoning. SCART is a nonprofit all-volunteer organization dedicated to protecting pets in an emergency or disaster and is a part of the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team. SCART sets up and maintains an emergency animal shelter near an American Red Cross shelter so those who need to be evacuated do not have to leave their pets behind. In order to help emergency first responders, SCART has provided oxygen masks of different sizes to assist in resuscitating pets at fires and accidents. The assistance is not limited to small four-legged creatures, but also horses and livestock at a farm. The attendees sat at tables with proper social distancing. The information part of the class was a PowerPoint presentation done by SCART Coordinator Diane Sharpless. Assisting during the program was SCART safety officer Beth Bialek and her pet Chihuahua, Max. Sharpless said that the organization has held similar programs, though the COVID-19 restrictions halted such classes since last year. In addition to Max, there was another dog in attendance. Her name was Ruby, a sable German Shepherd owned by Alesia Rhone, of Harrisburg, who volunteers with Buhl each Tuesday at the kennel. Ruby is part of a big family at the Rhone house that includes six rabbits, a guinea pig and a cat that Rhone recently found. We have a really good zoo at my house, Rhone said with a laugh. When asked if she had to deal with any animal emergencies, Rhone said, Some of my rabbits have had seizures. Ive never taken a course like this. She (Ruby) has had bloody paws before and Ive had to carry her and wrap her feet up. This is a great chance to learn stuff. Buhl was asked about pets and COVID-19 while she was preparing the canine and feline veterinary training mannequins for the CPR demonstration. We cant pass COVID on to pets so there is no danger that way, and my dog cant pass it along to me, Buhl said. There are such things as zoonotic diseases that can be passed from pets to people and from people to pets, but COVID is not one of them. Buhl added, The biggest thing is to keep yourself safe when dealing with people you dont know. Buhl said before COVID-19 hit, those people learning some of the emergency procedures were able to try mouth-to mouth using the mannequins, which resembled stuffed animals and checking pulses while doing it in succession one after another. Since then the demonstrations are not held that way. The demonstration was held at a table where Buhl was observed as she explained the procedures without having people touching the mannequin. To learn more about SCART, go to its Facebook page. New volunteers are welcome. The 2021 GG Spring Festival has all but concluded and one of the last high-stakes tournaments to determine a champion has done so in just over three hours of play. Out of a field of 172 entries in Event H-109: $25,500 Sunday Millions, it was American poker pro Seth Davies who walked away with the biggest portion of the $4,300,000 prize pool. Davies came out on top to earn a payday of $956,440 after sending his final three contenders to the rail in consecutive hands. His victory may have seemed unlikely when the final table kicked off, as Davies was at the bottom of the counts with just 16 big blinds. However, he doubled several times to get back into contention. Finnish pro Sami Kelopuro laddered to a consolation prize of $717,228, which more than made up for the nine bullets he fired in the joint most expensive tournament of the series. Elio Fox added another big payday to his resume and earned $537,846 for his efforts while the comeback from half a big blind with four remaining by Niklas Astedt was cut short for a $403,327 prize. Joni Jouhkimainen entered the final table with nearly two times as many chips as Fox but had to settle for sixth place. Among the other finalists were also the High Roller regulars Andras Nemeth, Joao Vieira, Isaac Haxton, and Artur Martirosian. Final Result GGSF Event H-109: $25,500 Sunday Millions Place Winner Country Prize (in USD) 1 Seth Davies United States $956,440 2 Sami Kelopuro Finland $717,228 3 Elio Fox United States $537,846 4 Niklas Astedt Sweden $403,327 5 Andras Nemeth Hungary $302,453 6 Joni Jouhkimainen Finland $226,808 7 Joao Vieira Portugal $170,082 8 Isaac Haxton Canada $127,543 9 Artur Martirosian Russia $95,644 The action of the final day It was a very tense affair at the start and no player busted in the first hour. Nearly one dozen double-ups occurred and Davies survived two times. Sami Kelopuro became the short stack only to double twice and even take over the lead. Eventually, the fortune had to run out for one of the contenders and it was Artur Martirosian who became the first casualty. Soon after, Isaac Haxton busted to Davies, who took over the lead with seven remaining. Joao Vieira and Joni Jouhkimainen lost the race with their short stacks to reduce the field to the final five. Davies then won a pivotal clash against Andras Nemeth when he had to come from behind with a dominated ace. From there on out, Davies went on a hot run to establish an overwhelming lead. Astedt managed to spin back a fraction of a big blind to double twice through Davies, who retained his lead. The next key hand was the elimination of Astedt in fourth place, who called it off with a set on a straight and flush board, as Davies turned over the nut flush. Elio Fox was gone the very next hand and Davies then made it three knockouts in as many hands to also dispatch Kelopuro. One more tournament of the GG Spring Festival will determine a champion and that's Event H-108: $10,300 Super MILLION$. The largest Super MILLION$ in the history of GGPoker is live-streamed on Tuesday, April 27 and the PokerNews team will be back then to provide all key hands. All $25,500 High Rollers during the GGSF New Orleans police are searching for an unusual subject: Chewbacca. Police say a street performer, dressed as the Star Wars character Chewbacca, got into a disagreement with someone in the 700 block of Toulouse Street around 8:50 p.m. Saturday. The man in costume stabbed the victim. The performer's costume head came off during the fight, a witness told police. The suspect appeared to be a man, possibly in his 20s, police say. NOPD investigators released an image of the performer with the costume head still on. They are trying to identify him. Three sought as 'persons of interest' in Bourbon Street shooting that injured 5 people Three people are being sought as "persons of interest" for questioning about the Bourbon Street shooting that left five wounded when gunfire e The condition of the victim was not released. 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 Police ask anyone with additional information to contact NOPD Eighth District detectives at (504) 658-6080 or call anonymously to Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at (504) 822-1111 or toll-free 1-877-903-STOP. The stabbing was one of multiple violent incidents in the French Quarter this weekend. Five people were injured in a Saturday morning shooting. Another person was injured in a shooting on Sunday. French Quarter residents on Saturday passed a sales tax to fund more police patrols in the area. Peru's former president, Martin Vizcarra, announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The president's announcement regarding his health follows the event of Vizcarra being barred by Peru's congress from taking public office for about 10 years after allegedly cutting the line to get a COVID-19 vaccine along with several other officials. The former president announced that he was COVID-19 positive through his Twitter account, garnering different sympathies from the social media community. RELATED STORY: 'Vaccine-Gate' Scandal: Over 400 Peruvian VIPs Secretly Got COVID-19 Shots Before Official Rollout Peru's Former President Having COVID-19 Martin Vizcarra announced on Sunday that he and his wife had tested positive for the deadly respiratory disease. "My wife and I have tested positive for COVID and are symptomatic," said the former president in his translated tweet. Pese a los cuidados necesarios para evitar llevar el virus a casa, mi esposa y yo hemos dado positivo al COVID y somos sintomaticos. Mi familia esta tomando las medidas de aislamiento necesarias. No bajemos la guardia. Martin Vizcarra (@MartinVizcarraC) April 25, 2021 Vizcarra added that the coronavirus infected them both despite their necessary care to avoid bringing the virus home. Cuidese mucho y cuide mucho a sra. esposa !! Muchas bendiciones Pdte !!!! Se le extrana mucho!! Julio (@Julio89137472) April 25, 2021 Numerous sympathies have surfaced on Vizcarra's tweet. One netizen has expressed support to the couple, reminding them to take good care of themselves. Y SUS VACUNAS CLANDESTINAS, ENTONCES, LES JUGARON MAL? Gladys VallVal (@GladysVallVal) April 25, 2021 La vacuna no es para que no te de covid es por si te da, que te de leve!! Martha Vasquez (@martha_vasquezc) April 25, 2021 Some users have been questioning the effectiveness of the vaccines. One user asked if the vaccine did not work. Another user replied to this tweet and shared knowledge that the vaccine does not avoid having COVID. Instead, it works to make the disease mild if in case it affects an individual. It can be remembered that Vizcarra has been involved in the "vaccine-gate" scandal, where he was reported to receive COVID-19 jabs in October 2020 along with his family, government consultants, cabinet members, and lobbyists despite the vaccine queue. Because of this, Vizcarra was barred by Peru's congress from holding any public office for about 10 years. The former health minister and former foreign minister were also banned from holding public office for eight years and one year, respectively. Martin Vizcarra has denied that they jumped the waiting line to receive the vaccines, BMN Express reported. Apart from the "vaccine-gate" scandal, Al Jazeera noted that the former president also faced criticism for not wearing a mask and not adhering to the social distancing rules during his election campaign ahead of Peru's April 11 polls. Martin Vizcarra also tweeted that his family is taking the necessary isolation measures. Peru Amid COVID-19 Like other countries in Latin America, Al Jazeera reported that Peru had witnessed a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths in recent weeks. Around 11,049 COVID-19 infections in Peru were recorded by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the last seven days. No additional cases were recorded in the past 24 hours. On the other hand, 408 new deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded in the previous 24 hours. Because of the surge, the Peruvian government has issued measures on Saturday. The government will require Peruvians to wear two masks inside business establishments like groceries, pharmacies, and shopping centers. The mandate will start on Monday. In Lima, a mandatory quarantine has been reimposed. Al Jazeera reported that 41 of the 196 provinces in Peru have also implemented the said quarantine. Meanwhile, Peru's former president is now encouraging the people not to lower their guard amid the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE: Ancient Mural in Peru Depicts a Knife-Wielding Spider God Associated with Fertility WATCH: Peru Food Markets Are Hotspots For COVID-19 - From CGTN America With 2021 continuing to witness the rise of COVID cases every day, people, especially in India, are feeling helpless, mostly because of the lack of health infrastructure arrangements in the country, which is taking a toll on the Covid victims. Among other issues, people have been questioning the PM-Care fund as a lot of concerned Indians donated large sums last year, however, it was never revealed as to how the money would be put into use. Reuters This year, we are again back to square one and struggling with the lack of medical equipment and other vital items amid the surge in Covid cases. Seeing the situation, Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday said that he was devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India and pledged Rs 135 crore for medical supplies and support in the country. "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information," Pichai wrote on Twitter. Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information.https://t.co/OHJ79iEzZH Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 26, 2021 However, soon after the announcement went viral, people started to raise valid questions and asked to reveal where their money would be put in use. They also advised that Google shouldnt donate money but instead send supplies to the hospital. Viral Bhayani Instagram Viral Bhayani Instagram Viral Bhayani Instagram In a blog post, Google India Country Head Sanjay Gupta has revealed that the company will work with local governments in India to support them during the crisis. "Our Google community and their families are feeling the devastating impact, too. Were asking ourselves what more we can do as a company to ensure people get the information and support they need to keep their families and communities healthy and safe," Gupta wrote in the blog post. "Today were announcing Rs 135 Crore ($18 million) in new funding for India. This includes two grants from Google.org, Googles philanthropic arm, totalling Rs 20 Crore ($2.6 million). The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where its needed most in India. It also includes donations from our ongoing employee giving campaign so far more than 900 Googlers have contributed Rs 3.7 Crore ($500,000) for organizations supporting high-risk and marginalized communities", he wrote. What do you have to say about this scenario? Let us know in the comments section below. The Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB) has launched a national fraud prevention awareness campaign to promote the awareness of several electronic fraud operations targeting bank customers. The campaign will depend mainly on broadcasting awareness messages through various channels directed to all segments and ages of users of banking services in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This campaign was launched under the hashtag (#be_careful), including awareness messages through videos and photos that are mainly published on the associations Instagram, in addition to television and radio messages in different languages, including Arabic, English, and Urdu. Moreover, the campaign offered prices to encourage people to interact positively with the campaign. The campaign includes holding many remote seminars with partners and specialists to find out the latest data on issues of financial fraud and piracy, and how to prevent them. And because fraudsters always resort to developing their methods of hacking into the accounts of their victims this requires the awareness process to be permanently updated. The campaign is launched in partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain, General Directorate of Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security at the Ministry of Interior, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, and members of the Association from financial and banking institutions. This campaign also received golden sponsorship from Standard Chartered Bank, and silver sponsorship from Arab Bank, SICO Bank, Khaleeji Commercial Bank, NBB, BBK, NBK, and KFH. The campaign received bronze sponsorship from American Express, Benefit Company, Bank ABC, Ithmaar Bank, Habib Bank, CrediMax, HSBC, Meem Digital Banking, and Al Baraka Islamic Bank. Adnan Ahmed Yousif Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB) stated that this campaign comes in line with the esteemed governments efforts in promoting the digital transformation in Bahrain and adhering to the highest levels of security, privacy, and reliability. This campaign is launched following Bahrain Vision 2030 in a way that enhances the prominent role that the financial sector plays in leading this transformation and supporting the national economy, Yousif said. Dr Waheed Al Qassim, CEO of the Bahrain Association of Banks, affirmed that the association launched this campaign after unifying the efforts of financial and banking institutions in Bahrain to achieve the maximum possible effect. He extended his thanks and appreciation to all the sponsors, the media, Bahrain Radio, and Bahrain International TV for their great cooperation in implementing this awareness campaign and protecting citizens and residents from fraud. The recent directives of the Central Bank of Bahrain urged banks to prepare awareness programs for their clients to warn them of the risks related to electronic fraud operations and the need to preserve their data and not to share it with anyone, Dr Al Qassim added. Abdulla Bukhowa, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, stated that the banks support for this campaign comes within the framework of its keenness to boost the great efforts of the concerned authorities to maintain the Kingdom of Bahrain position in the ranks of advanced countries in the field of electronic security, and to promote efforts aimed at developing digital banking services.-- Tradearabia News Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 13:18:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHARAN, Afghanistan -- A district police chief was killed during a fighting with the militants in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on Sunday night, a local government spokesman confirmed on Monday. (Afghanistan-Militants) - - - - SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell 0.9 percentage points from a week earlier to 33.8 percent last week, a weekly poll showed Monday. It stayed near the lowest since Moon took office in May 2017, according to the Realmeter survey. (S. Korean-President-Rating) - - - - LISBON -- Thousands of people paraded on the Liberty Avenue in the center of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship and instituted democracy in the European country in 1974. The traditional Liberty Parade was held under health security rules imposed by the Directorate-General of Health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the widespread use of masks and distance between the participating groups. (Portugal-Parade) - - - - ACCRA -- Ghana is committed to reducing malaria mortality by 90 percent by 2035, a senior health official said here Sunday on the occasion of World Malaria Day. "Malaria elimination is possible and critical for fighting against other current and future diseases," Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, director general of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) said in a press release. (Ghana-Malaria) Enditem New Delhi: A 30-year-old Pune techie was found dead in Gurugram. The deceased has been identified as Mayura Sode. She had recently moved to Gurugram after getting job with American Express. According to police officials, she had committed suicide and left a suicide note in which she had apologised to her parents stating that her love life had failed. After the repeated attempts to reach her over the phone, two of Mayura's friend visited her flat on Monday evening which is located at Mahindra Aura in New Palam Vihar. After reaching the flat, friends found lights were on but there was no response when they knocked the door. They called guard who through an open window found Mayura hanging from a ceiling fan. Police said Mayura had been working with the Amex for the last four months. She had leased EWS flat number 213 on the second floor of a tower at Mahindra Aura in Sector 109, one of the city's new sectors. Her friends Ankur Mishra and VK Mishra reached her apartment around 9 pm on Monday to check on her. Police found one -page suicide note near her body. "In her note, she said sorry mummy-papa, I cannot carry forward. She said she had failed in her love life," inspector Deepak Kumar, the SHO of Bajghera police station, said. "After getting information, her father Manohar Ramdas Sode and family members reached Gurgaon on Tuesday. They too did not blame anyone. We handed over her body after an autopsy. She might have committed suicide during the day. When we reached her flat, her body was found hanging from a dupatta from the fan," Kumar added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) The current lack of vaccines is making it difficult for the country to achieve herd immunity. "For now I can honestly say it is still not possible based on the supplies," said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in an interview with CNN Philippines' News Night on Monday. Vergeire said the global vaccine supply shortage contributed to the issue, but that the country could still ramp up local vaccination efforts because of the scheduled arrival of doses in the coming months. "If we say that we can speed up and scale up in the next coming months, yes. I can say that because there would be vaccines that are coming in these coming months although it is not going to be sufficient for us to say that we'll reach herd immunity in two or three months. But we can already cover the classification of priorities of government like A4 and A5," she added. Epidemiologist Dr. John Wong, who is part of the national COVID-19 task force's subgroup on data analytics, said in a Palace briefing on Monday that 350,000 people should be inoculated daily for the country to reach its target. "The basis for the 350,000 is if we started (the vaccine rollout) March 1, and we hope to achieve 70% vaccination of the population after a year, let's say February 28, 2022, that's the rate that we should be doing it," Wong said at a Palace briefing. The government earlier eyed up to 1 million vaccine recipients weekly by April, but it hit a snag when the vaccine supply dwindled. Around 4 million additional doses from different brands are expected to arrive next month, while some 7 to 8 million are seen to arrive in June. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. previously said they hope to ramp up weekly vaccination capacity to 3 to 5 million in June and July to keep up with the year-end goal. Last week, with the second wave of Covid-19 ravaging the country, the government belatedly announced steps to increase the supply of vaccines, expanding access to those above 18 years, and allowing states and the private sector to buy directly from manufacturers. The moves, though long overdue, have provoked protests from opposition parties principally at the manufacturers charging a higher price for vaccines they supply to the states and a still higher one for private hospitals. This criticism does not stand up to scrutiny, writes Mihir Sharma. With the government programme creaking under the strain, private health care must come to the rescue, and it will only do so at scale if it is not a money-losing enterprise, he points out here. Other views today examine the recent virtual summit, the banking sectors absurd imposition of KYC norms, Indias currency management and the payments bank model The two-day virtual climate summit revealed that the obstructionist attitude of the previous US administration when it came to global cooperation on was a thing of the past. But it will not be taken seriously across the world unless it is matched by legally binding frameworks that cannot be easily dissolved by some successor to Joe Biden who shares Donald Trumps views on the environment, the top edit argues here Debashis Basu makes the case for banks to end the arbitrary freeze on accounts when customers fail to update t routine KYC details. Read it here Analysing the performance of payments banks, Tamal Bandyopadhyay points out that they do not enjoy a level playing field with commercial banks and pure-play payments service providers. Read it here. The US Treasury in its latest assessment of currency practices and macroeconomic policies has kept India on the monitoring list along with countries such as China, Japan, and Germany. The second edit explains why India is not using its currency for to gain unfair advantage. Read it here BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday exchanged congratulatory messages with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and Lao president, over the 60th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In his message, Xi said China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors and an unbreakable community with a shared future. Since the two sides established diplomatic relationship 60 years ago, China and Laos have maintained mutual understanding and enjoyed sincere exchanges, with both sides sticking to the practice and promotion of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, said Xi. That has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries, set up a model for inter-state relations, and made positive contributions to pushing ahead the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said. After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China and Laos have stood together and worked hand in hand fighting the pandemic, vividly illustrating the spirit of a community with a shared future which features supporting each other through thick and thin. Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Laos bilateral relations, Xi said that he stands ready to work with Thongloun to implement the action plan on the China-Laos community with a shared future as the main line, promote high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation, and consistently promote the building of such a community in the next 60 years, so that people of the two countries can forever be good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners. In his message, Thongloun warmly congratulated the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi as the core on its great achievements in promoting the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and sincerely thanked China for its valuable assistance and vigorous support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the social and economic development. Noting that the Laos-China relations are at their best in history, Thongloun said that Laos is ready to deepen its comprehensive strategic cooperation with China, expand friendly exchanges in various fields and promote constant development in building the Laos-China community with a shared future. On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulations with his Lao counterpart, Phankham Viphavanh. In his message, Li said that standing at a new historical starting point, the Chinese side is willing to consolidate political mutual trust with the Lao side, enhance win-win cooperation of mutual benefits, successfully conduct celebratory events for the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties and the Year of China-Laos Friendship, constantly enrich the China-Laos community with a shared future, and inject strong momentum into the comprehensive strategic cooperation with Laos. For his part, Phankham said that Laos has always cherished the Laos-China friendly relations, and is willing to carry forward the fine traditions with China, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and make concrete progress in building the Laos-China community with a shared future. [ Editor: WXY ] The Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), a research and advocacy organisation, has urged smaller political parties in the country to restrategise to reverse their dwindling fortunes in national elections. A Senior Research Fellow of IDEG, Mr Kwesi Jonah, said since 1992 there had been a consistent pattern of poor performance of the small parties in national elections, which was not good for Ghanas democratic dispensation. The last time the small parties had seats in the Ghana Parliament was probably 2012; the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and the Peoples National Convention (PNC) had one seat each; since then, the small parties have lost their seats in Parliament, Mr Jonah said. Workshop He made the call at a workshop last Thursday at a post-election evaluation workshop with smaller political parties in Accra. The workshop, which was on the theme Strengthening Smaller Parties in Multiparty Local Governance Which Way Forward?, was to evaluate the performance of the smaller parties, the reasons for their abysmal performance in the last election, and to understand why the smaller parties campaigned against multiparty local governance reform which was intended to strengthen them and make them more functional in Ghanas multiparty politics. It was organised by IDEG and attended by smaller political parties such as the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the United Front Party (UFP) and the All Peoples Congress (APC). Out of the 27 registered political parties in Ghana, 25 are smaller parties but they have no seat in Parliament. Ghanas multiparty democracy has become a two-party or duopolistic system. Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021 The duopolistic political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which is the current ruling party, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which is the opposition in Parliament, have alternated roles as government and opposition. No representation Mr Jonah recounted that the records showed that there was a time that the smaller parties had nine seats in Parliament, however consistently they had lost the seats gradually until 2016 when they had no seats, and the same thing in the 2020 elections. If you check the presidential election results, it is the same story; there, it is even worse; the percentage of votes that the small parties account for has been declining since 1992, he said. Mr Jonah recalled that in 1992, the small parties all together had about 11 per cent of the valid votes cast in the presidential election, but, Today what do they have? In the 2020 presidential election, just about one per cent of the valid votes cast. Local elections He said their assumption had always been that if the parties were not doing so well in national election, then perhaps if they were allowed to partake in local elections, it would be good for them. That, he said, was because some of the smaller parties were so strong in some districts and constituencies and that if they were allowed to participate in metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) elections, they would probably be able to perform better. Mr Jonah said the smaller parties were relevant because democracy was about inclusiveness, getting everybody involved. If we had a few smaller parties represented in Ghanas Parliament, maybe the situation that we are having now will be slightly different. Infiltration The General Secretary of the GCPP, Mr Citizen Ato Dadzie, told the GNA that one of the reasons for the underperformance of the smaller parties in national elections was that their camps were being infiltrated by the two leading parties. He, therefore, urged the smaller parties to align themselves to contest future national elections. 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 Image supplied Overstated gains Job creation greatly exaggerated Our research shows that the development of an oil and gas industry is likely to further entrench South Africa as a minerals resource-based exporter, exacerbating the negative features documented by the National Planning Commission (NPC). We find that there is little evidence from elsewhere in Africa that the exploitation of oil and gas resources naturally leads to improvements in the lives of those living and working in oil and gas rich areas. In fact, the report reveals that it normally leads to a wholesale deterioration in living conditions for the vast majority of citizens who live and work in such areas," says Gillian Hamilton, the Green Connections economic researcher.The report cites a number of examples, including Nigeria, Uganda, and Mozambique, where the only real beneficiaries were the companies that were awarded the drilling rights and corrupt government officials, while the surrounding communities were left to suffer devastating environmental impact and governments were left in more debt as a result of the projects.Operation Phakisa, launched in 2014, was designed to boost economic growth and create jobs within the context of the governments National Development Plan (NDP). One of its focus areas is the oceans economy. But rather than focus on the stewardship of the ocean and the sustainable use of these resources, Operation Phakisa seems to have prioritised the establishment of a potentially devastating offshore oil and gas industry," says Hamilton.She says that it was predicted that governments fast results delivery programme would contribute R177bn to South Africas GDP, and create one million jobs by 2033, but it has far from delivered these economic gains. However, the contribution of the oceans economy to South Africas GDP has declined as a percentage of GDP, from 4.4% (R110bn) in 2010, to 4.2 % (R130bn) in 2019.An economy-wide model to determine the economic impacts of oil and gas, was developed by Wait et al (2015). It indicates that a 20% short or long-run increase in the production of crude oil, petroleum, and gas in the country will increase real national GDP by 0.15% in the short run, while decreasing GDP by 0.12% in the long run. This decrease in real GDP raises concerns around the economic viability of South Africa investing in an oil and gas industry.The model points out that investment in the countrys oil and gas industry will not deliver significant tax revenue for the fiscus. In the short term, it may form a platform for job creation and employment, with minor wage increases, but only if the capital equipment necessary for extraction is produced in South Africa. A report by Standard Bank, that assumes an oil price of $110/per barrel of oil, notes that 20,500 skilled and 33,000 unskilled jobs would be needed to service the oil and gas sector. However, it is more likely that in the long run, real wages will decrease marginally and there will be a long-term shift to skilled rather than unskilled labour, says Hamilton.She says that multiple studies show that the oil and gas industrys promises of job creation from the drilling of natural gas have been greatly exaggerated. Many of the jobs that are created are short lived or have gone to out-of-area workers who have the necessary skills. In addition, up to 75% of workers will likely become redundant in the future due to automation. The gender-bias of the oil and gas industry with only 3.6% female representation amongst the total offshore workforce should also be noted.Experience closer to home indicates that job projections and actual job creation do not necessarily match. In terms of jobs creation to date, Phakisa is a failure. Between 2014 and 2019, while over R40bn had been invested in targeted maritime sectors, less than 10,000 of the 77,000 direct jobs promised, had been created, says Hamilton.There are several other pitfalls for South Africa. Economic analysts caution that there is a substantial decline in demand for fossil fuels, together with an excess in supply. Moreover, the climate-related financial risks such as transition risk, stranded assets, and the negative impact on our trade and competitiveness, as well as the physical climate risks, should all be taken into account before investing in resource extraction.The localised influx of capital and labour can lead to serious social issues. Extensive migration into oil-producing areas places strain on public infrastructure, resulting in more poverty and poor healthcare, high rates of child mortality, and an increase in gender and economic inequality, along with more crime. And while a growing population clearly needs more infrastructural support in terms of basic municipal services such as health, education, emergency services, water and sanitation, electricity, and transport the sad reality is that most affected municipalities in the country will be entirely incapable of dealing with the increases in demand for public services that will come with the emergence of an oil and gas sector.Evidence shows that, where they exist, non-renewable resource booms both entrench existing weak governance institutions and weaken effective governance institutions. These research findings do not bode well for South Africa, especially since we live in a country that has been characterised by looting, incompetence and malfeasance in recent years, she says Students need to be taught the lost art of how to 'disagree well' a university head has suggested, after an onslaught of cancel culture from woke learners. Provost of University College London Dr Michael Spence spoke out after a slew of politicians and academics found themselves axed from talks and appearances just because their views opposed some students' own beliefs. Dr Spence's remarks follow the prestigious Russell Group of universities declaring they would protect the right to give opinions on challenging subjects. And the government has also said it will fine places that stifle free speech as part of its own crackdown. Dr Spence said: 'The core issue is we have forgotten how to disagree well,' he said. Provost of University College London Dr Michael Spence said disagreeing well had been lost University College London has stressed its commitment to free speech and opinions 'Part of what we have a responsibility at universities to do is to model and to teach students how to disagree well across really sometimes quite profound barriers of disagreement,' he added to the Sunday Telegraph. The academic had previously suggested a holocaust denier could address students as an example of his belief in free speech. But after the comments in March he apologised and said he would do his 'utmost' to make sure no-one like that would ever be invited to do a talk. In his latest remarks he said when UCL was founded in 1826 people were taught the 'art of having a good coffee-room debate'. He added that moderns times meant they had to be able to expand that ability to online settings as well as face-to-face environments. Both Amber Rudd and Nigel Farage have been hit by cancel culture in recent times Four days ago the Russell Group which represents 24 universities released a statement underlining its commitment to free speech. It said: 'Academic freedom and freedom of speech anchor the commitment of our universities to the open and rigorous contestation of ideas. 'They are fundamental to our purpose as academic institutions, helping to drive knowledge and discovery in research and education. Freedom of speech extends to all who wish to seek, receive or impart information and ideas of all kinds, and includes the right to protest peacefully. 'Russell Group universities work closely with staff, students' unions and other organisations to defend and maintain freedom of expression on campus. Speaker events addressing diverse views on complex issues go ahead every week at universities across the UK.' There have been a number of recent cases where figures have been cancelled over their views clashing with some students. Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd was snubbed by Oxford University students over her links to the Windrush scandal. Miss Rudd, who was Home Secretary when the scandal broke in 2018, had planned to deliver a speech encouraging young women to get involved in politics before International Women's Day on Sunday. But she arrived last night to an empty hall after Felicity Graham, president of an Oxford student society supporting the work of UN Women UK, which organised the event, was forced to cancel amid severe criticism from fellow members and students. Nigel Farage has also previously hit out at the President of the Cambridge Union for saying he wouldn't be trusted to speak on his own, but could be considered as 'part of a panel' on Brexit. Union President Abdullah Shah said in 2019 he hasdtaken an approach to 'no-platforming' some speakers who 'say controversial things for the sake of it', adding he would not invite Nigel Farage to speak on a 'solo platform' but might be included in group panel discussions on Brexit. Farage said the move demonstrated how students are not being allowed to 'make up their minds' on social, economic and political issues. In September Caroline Farrow, a Catholic journalist and member of the Free Speech Union, was no-platformed by the University of Exeter Debating Society. She was due to speak in a debate on whether prostitution should be legalised, but she was notified she had been disinvited because of her religious beliefs on a range of LGBT issues. She was later reinvited to speak. Avalon Airport is no longer the preferred site for Victorias purpose-built regional quarantine facility. The state government is to announce the successful bidder soon, and two sources with knowledge of the selection process who were not authorised to comment publicly told The Age the Linfox-backed Avalon proposal was unlikely to be chosen. Leaks of COVID-19 from quarantine hotels have driven Victorias plans for a cabin-style facility similar to the one at Howard Springs near Darwin, and the nations latest lockdown in Perth has again highlighted the risks of the hotel system. Victoria is planning to build a facility similar to Howard Springs. Credit:Louise Radcliffe-Smith One proposal still being considered, according to three sources, is a western suburbs site at Cherry Creek, where the government owns land and is building a youth prison. That site is near Werribee and about 20 minutes drive from Avalon, meaning flights could still arrive there if the government chose Cherry Creek. The Malala Fund, a girls' education non-profit, with the aid of analytics vendor SAS has uncovered countries where girls are most at risk of experiencing educational interruption due to the ripple effect of catastrophic weather events. There is a lot of talk about climate change, with increasing global temperatures, the destruction of ecosystems, and increasing volumes of erratic weather. However, beyond the obvious effects of the climate crisis there are less evident but far-reaching ripple effects. One such effect is the access to education, especially to young female students. When access to water is scarce, girls are most often responsible for travelling long distances to collect water, keeping them out of the classroom. When temperature rises and income-producing agriculture is lost, girls most often leave their schooling behind to save family costs. To shine a light on this issue during Climate Month and this year's education-themed World Creativity and Innovation Week, global analytics software company SAS built the Girls Education and Climate Challenges Index with Malala Fund. Malala Fund is a girls' education non-profit that was co-founded by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani education advocate who defied the Taliban. A death threat was issued against her and she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 walking home from school. Fortunately, Malala survived and continued her work and advocacy. In 2013 she spoke at the United Nations and released a book, I am Malala. In 2014 at the age of 17 - she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the youngest person to receive this accolade. The Malala Fund works for a world where all girls can learn, go to school, and reach their potential. It's a remarkable organisation with a remarkable founder, working to uplift the lives and potential of millions upon millions of young ladies globally. The analysis performed by SAS identified countries where girls are most at risk of experiencing educational interruptions and predicts lowering of completion rates of girls primary and secondary education due to climate change. The index predicts by year which countries are most at risk of such disruption based on grade-level completion rates and environmental factors, including the likelihood of flooding, tsunamis, and earthquakes. The data is broken down by education level. Malala Fund will use the index to inform where technical and financial support should be targeted, and to encourage leaders at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, and beyond, to take action and bring education into the wider ongoing global climate change discussion. According to the index, the region most affected is sub-Saharan Africa. The Philippines, Mongolia and Kiribati, are also strongly affected. Unless progress is made, Malala Funds report estimates that in 2021 at least four million girls in low- and lower-middle-income countries will be prevented from completing their education due to climate-related events. Without action, this will expand to 12.5 million girls by 2025 unable to complete their education. We continue to witness the impact of climate change on our environment, whether in the form of drought, shifting ecosystems, the severity of storms or the devastation caused by forest fires that are double or triple in size of those weve experienced in the past, said Susan Ellis, Brand Director at SAS. Industries are also attempting to calculate the risks associated with climate change. Climate change will affect the most vulnerable populations first. We want to do everything we can to support organisations like Malala Fund to ensure that the education of girls remains a priority. "Our new report confirms that girls education is one of the most powerful strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change," said Naomi Nyamweya, Research Officer at Malala Fund. "But as this data project with SAS shows, climate-related events are keeping millions of girls from learning. To create a greener, fairer future for us all, we need leaders to take urgent climate action and support girls' education." You can learn more about the project partnership online and explore the findings of the impact of climate change on girls education hands-on with the GatherIQ SAS Data for Good data quiz. Other SAS Data for Good projects include analytics for the Black Dog Institute and the Kid's Cancer Project. The law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been monitoring the social media activity of the US public and sharing its findings with local, state and federal police agencies and private security firms connected to the state. The covert surveillance programknown as the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP)involves USPS analysts combing through the social media pages and events looking for inflammatory posts, according to a March 16, 2021 Situational Awareness Bulletin obtained and published by Yahoo News on Wednesday. The iCOP program has been operating under the direction of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and specifically monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021, according to the bulletin, which is marked law enforcement sensitive. The document was circulated through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fusion centers, which serve as a primary conduit of federal law enforcement information to states and major urban areas as well as private sector partners across the US. United States Postal Service delivery truck in San Francisco residential area. Location: San Francisco, CA. (Image Credit Alexander Marks aomarks / Wikipedia/Public Domain) The significance of March 20 is that this is the date that two national and international political demonstrations were being planned. One was a far-right anti-vaccine Worldwide Rally for Freedom promoted by QAnon groups. The other was a global campaign called Stop 5G promoted by radical anti-science groups decrying the alleged harmful effects of radio waves used by the latest generation of wireless networks. The bulletin included details about both events as they were promoted on social media, including the date that the events were first published on Facebook and the hashtags used on Twitter to promote them. The iCOP report also provides the number of Facebook followers for each as of March 16. It states, Locations and times have been identified for these protests, which are being distributed online across multiple social media platforms. The document provides screenshots of both Facebook event pages and says, Online inflammatory material has been identified, which suggests potential violence may occur; however, there is currently no intelligence to suggest specific threats. The report says that a prominent Proud Boys North Carolina based member [name redacted] known as NobleBeard made a comment regarding the event stating it would take place at Every state capital on March 20th. This information was found on the right-wing platform Parler. While most of the detailed information in the iCOP bulletin pertains to inflammatory or violent messages from participants in the extreme right-wing demonstration who discussed plans to confront BLM and do some serious damage, the document also states that the Global Action to Stop 5G rallies were being held in California, Denver, Virginia and Vermont. When asked about the iCOP program by Yahoo News, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service responded with boilerplate language saying, The Internet Covert Operations Program is a function within the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which assesses threats to Postal Service employees and its infrastructure by monitoring publicly available open source information. The statement went on, In order to preserve operational effectiveness, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service does not discuss its protocols, investigative methods, or tools. Screen capture of the March 16 Situational Awareness Bulletin from the US Postal Inspection Service [Image Credit: Yahoo News] Yahoo News also spoke with Rachel Levinson-Waldman, deputy director of the Brennan Center for Justices liberty and national security program. She questioned the legal authority of the USPS to monitor social media activity, saying, If theyre simply engaging in lawfully protected speech, even if its odious or objectionable, then monitoring them on that basis raises serious constitutional concerns. University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone, one of President Barack Obamas advisers involved in reviewing the National Security Agencys bulk data collection in the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks said, Its a mystery. I dont understand why the government would go to the Postal Service for examining the internet for security issues. Going back to 2001, with the creation of the Mail Isolation and Control Tracking System (MICT), the USPS can retroactively track mail correspondence at the request of law enforcement. Since that time the USPS has been scanning every piece of mail that is delivered to each mailbox. With the integration of digital technologies into the process, the USPS has been capturing exterior images of letter-size mail and storing these images in a database. Among the information being captured are names, addresses, return addresses and postmark locations, and this information is very similar to the email and phone call metadata that was previously being captured and stored as part of the NSA mass surveillance program. The existence of the MICT system was inadvertently revealed on June 7, 2013 when the FBI was discussing an investigation into the ricin-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The program was confirmed by Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in an Associated Press interview nine weeks later. In 2014, the USPS began marketing the MICT system to the public as Informed Delivery, a service that enables individuals to view the exterior of the mail arriving in their mailbox before it arrives or before they have a chance to check their mailbox. By 2017 this program had been rolled out to the majority of ZIP codes in the US. Concerns raised by privacy advocates about the surveillance were dismissed with the explanation that the information is only kept for 30 days and the integrity of the data is guaranteed by the USPIS, the very same postal department agency in charge of iCOP. Given that millions of people have been using end-to-end encryption technologies on their smartphones and computers following the Snowden revelations, the surveillance apparatus has been working on alternative methods of gathering information in violation of basic democratic rights, such as AI-based facial recognition cameras and systems located in public and private spaces across the country. The scanning and monitoring of the USPS mail being delivered to homes and businesses is another way to continue such surveillance. Fraudulently posturing as upholders of democratic rights, 30 House Republicans are calling for a briefing from the USPS about its social media monitoring. Among the Republicans on the House Oversight Committee demanding a hearing by April 28 are those who attempted to block the congressional certification of the 2020 elections and abetted the January 6 fascist insurrection at the US Capitol, including Representatives Jim Jordan (Ohio), Matt Gaetz (Florida) and Mo Brooks (Alabama). As with all previous references to extremism, the exposure of a social media surveillance operation by the USPS shows that an effort is underway to brand all political opposition and protest as inflammatory and violent. While nothing is being done to expose the political, organizational and financial connections between the Republican Party and Donald Trump with fascist groups such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters militia, the real target of the surveillance and attack on democratic rights is the working class, left-wing and socialist political organizations and individuals. Although the revelations of USPS spying on the public and the surveillance itself has taken place during the Biden administration, no statements have been issued by Democrats or by the White House as of this writing. A man arrives at a polling station to cast his ballot in the Montreal municipal elections in Montreal, Canada, on Nov. 1, 2009. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Granting Voting Rights to Non-Citizens Could Endanger Foundations of Nation State: Historian A proposal by Montreal officials to allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections could endanger the foundations of the nation state, a historian says. Montreals committee on social development and diversity urged the city in an April 19 report (pdf) to grant voting rights to over 100,000 non-citizens, saying that the move would improve immigrant integration and motivate a racially diverse group of people to participate in politics at the municipal level. Granting voting rights to permanent residents is one of the ways to foster political participation and ensure better representation of the various groups that form society, the report said. The committee, made up of mostly elected officials, wants Montreal to affirm its willingness to grant those rights to permanent residents who have lived for at least 12 months on the territory of the city of Montreal and to urge governments at provincial and federal levels to change laws, allowing non-citizens to vote in municipal elections. Chris Erl, doctoral candidate in McGill Universitys geography department who researches municipal politics, supports the idea, saying it would provide people, including communities of colour who he says have been excluded from politics, a platform to get involved. Erl also questioned the issue of fairness by not allowing non-citizens who are engaged in urban life to vote for those who represent them in office. People need to look at this from the very basic idea that their neighbours, who might not have citizenship, are paying the same property taxes, they use the same services and they have the same ideas and opinions about how the city could be better run, so why shouldnt they be able to send people to city hall to make decisions? Erl told The Canadian Press. People walk along a street in Montreal, Canada, on Jan. 31, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes) But Frederic Bastien, a historian and an expert in Canadian international relations and constitutional matters, criticized the idea as undermining the foundations of the nation state. It is important to remind the city that being a citizen of a country is not just an administrative formality, said Bastien, who is also a researcher at Montreals Dawson College, on his Facebook page. Becoming a citizen of a country means belonging to a community of destiny and history. For those born elsewhere, citizenship is earned It is a privilege you get, by not committing crimes, by learning language, by assimilating common values like gender equality and so on. All of this takes time. Obviously the proponents of diversity see discrimination in all this. Theyre right. Citizenship serves to discriminate between those who are citizens and those who are not. This is one of the foundations of the nation state in which, among other things, only citizens can run or vote in elections, he added. Moreover, Bastien said the proposal is a fantasy that ultimately dreams of abolishing borders and citizenship and would transform Quebec into a globalist melo. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Bastien said the proposal could be a strategy by Mayor Valerie Plante to get ahead of next Novembers municipal election. It is part of a series of gestures from the Plante administration, Bastien said Its a woke trend among Projet Montreal and its a toxic vision of social and public life, he added, referring to Plantes political party. Daphne Bramham, a columnist with the Vancouver Sun, wrote in an article last year that voting is a right of citizenship, not of residency. If permanent residents can vote in municipal elections and participate in provincial and federal politics at the party level, it means the only advantage of Canadian citizenship is a passport and the expectation of consular assistance if you travel abroad, Bramham wrote. Voters stand in line t cast their ballot in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan) She also cautioned about the possibilities of foreign interference. But Canadians apathy coupled with politicians disinterest in protecting citizenship rights opens the door to foreigners using the democratic process itself to subvert it. In the 2020 annual report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the agency warned that foreign state actors use clandestine influence operations to support political agendas or to deceptively influence Government of Canada policies, officials, or democratic processes. Montreal isnt the first city in Canada to propose modifying the voting rights for non-citizens. Cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Saint John, N.B, have over the years debated about it but none have successfully convinced provincial or federal governments to make the changes. Regardless, Montreals city administration told The Canadian Press it is keen to allow non-citizens to vote to attract more involvement in the political processparticularly from immigrants. The voter turnout rate, according to Elections Montreal, dropped to 42.46 percent in 2017, from 43 percent in 2013, reported Global News. Permanent residents in Montreal made up about nine percent of the citys population, totaling about 170,000 people, of which an estimated 105,000 of them would qualify as voters, the diversity committee noted. The Quebec and federal governments have yet to express their thoughts on the proposal to date. On the federal level, Corinne Havard, a spokesperson for Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, said that the government has no role in municipal elections and so directed the questions of reforming voting laws to the Quebec government. Genevieve Jutras, a spokeswoman for Plante, said the city will take its time to examine the report, adding that its up to the provincial government to modify voting rights. With files from The Canadian Press Feature Article DOE announces $11M for research on quantum information science for fusion energy sciences Projects span quantum computing for fusion plasma science, quantum behavior at high-energy-densities, and fusion-relevant quantum sensing DOE/US Department of Energy WASHINGTON, D.C.--Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $11 million for ten projects in Quantum Information Science (QIS) with relevance to fusion and plasma science. Fusion energy research seeks to harness the same energy that powers the sun and stars as a clean, safe, and abundant source of energy on earth. This is accomplished through the study of plasma, the fourth state of matter, and how it interacts with its surroundings across wide ranges of temperature and density. QIS research explores forms of computing and information processing to bypass "classical" physical limitations by relying on quantum effects. Through joint research in fusion energy and QIS, these awards have the potential to accelerate progress in fusion energy research through advances in QIS, and to advance QIS through innovative techniques enabled by plasma science. "We are excited to continue our efforts to build a community of QIS researchers for our program" said James Van Dam, DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences (FES). "These awards enrich our QIS portfolio and address many of the priority research opportunities in this area identified through our engagement with the fusion energy sciences and QIS communities." Projects funded in this announcement will explore opportunities for quantum computing to advance fusion and plasma science, investigate using quantum sensors to enhance the range and accuracy of fusion plasma measurements, and apply innovative quantum techniques to examine new materials in extreme conditions. "I'm pleased that the University of Maryland will be receiving new funding from the Department of Energy for projects in fusion energy sciences," said House Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer, whose district includes the University of Maryland, one of the awardees. "With this funding, the University of Maryland will help lead critical research on fusion energy, which is vital in our work to combat the climate crisis and move our nation toward cleaner sources of energy. I congratulate the University on this exciting funding and look forward to seeing the research they produce." The projects were selected by competitive peer review under the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement for Quantum Information Science Research for Fusion Energy Sciences and a companion National Laboratory Announcement. Total funding is $11 million for projects lasting up to three years in duration, with $4.8 million in outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. The list of projects can be found on the FES homepage under the heading "What's New." ### [April 26, 2021] Steven Shelgren Joins Korn Ferry as Senior Client Partner Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY) today announced that Steven Shelgren joined Korn Ferry as a senior client partner for the Global Microsoft (News - Alert) Ecosystem in the firm's Technology and Digital practices. He is based in New Hampshire. Shelgren joins Korn Ferry from a global management consulting firm. There, he was the Microsoft Alliance leader, assisting in strategy and growth development of the firm's services in a newly formed Microsoft Alliance partnership program, focused on assisting clients in their digital transformation agenda with clear business outcomes. Previously, Shelgren spent more than 25 years at Microsoft, most recently in the Financial Services practice, in a succession of leadership roles. His responsibilities included implementing efective go to market strategies and account management, as well as sales leadership and account management. "Steven is a strategic leader skilled at developing and executing effective solutions for niche to broad technology clients' needs. He has vast experience in partner alliance programs, and we are thrilled he is bringing his depth of knowledge to Korn Ferry," said Esther Colwill, president, global Technology practice, Korn Ferry. "Steven will help grow Korn Ferry Digital's relationship with Microsoft, greatly expanding our scope and opportunities. We are very pleased to have Steven join the team." Shelgren holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Bentley College. About Korn Ferry Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005013/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian government, on Monday, said it will not accept vaccines from private and unverified sources. Health minister Osagie Ehanire while speaking during a briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 said this is due to the high rate of fake COVID-19 vaccines in circulation. Due to warnings by international police organizations of the high rate of fake covid19 vaccines said to be in circulation, and reports of risks of adverse events reported after vaccination, Nigeria will not accept vaccines from private and unverified sources, Mr Ehanire said. He, however, said the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is pursuing initiatives to test and authorise more vaccines for use in Nigeria. Nigeria has received approximately 4.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which is quite insufficient considering the target of its population eligible for vaccination in the first phase. The Nigerian government had said it plans to vaccinate 109 million people against the COVID-19 virus over a period of two years.Health authorities said only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated in four phases. Due to the low availability of vaccines, states across the country were recently directed to halt vaccination once they use half of the doses allocated to them to ensure those who have taken the first dose receive the second dose. We believe that in a situation where, we still cannot specifically determine when the next batch of AstraZeneca vaccines will arrive, then I think wisdom only dictates that it is better for us to vaccinate people fully, Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora had said. The head of Nigerias immunisation agency, Faisal Shuaib, on Monday admitted the global scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines due to high demands. This, he said, will further affect the remaining phases of the vaccination campaign in the country. We are aware of the global scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines due to high demands especially in countries where vaccines are being produced, he said. We therefore anticipate a delay in vaccine supply to Nigeria which may also affect and impact the remaining phases of the vaccination campaign. Meanwhile, Nigeria has signed off to receive about 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines through the African Union, Mr Shuaib said. He said the country is also expecting deliveries of vaccines through the COVAX facility by the end of May or early June. The J&J COVID-19 single-dose vaccine is compatible with standard vaccine storage and distribution channels with ease of delivery to remote areas. The vaccine is estimated to remain stable for two years at -4F (-20C), and a maximum of three months at routine refrigeration at temperatures of 36-46F (2 to 8C). FILE PHOTO: A view of the Citibank corporate headquarters in New York By Anshuman Daga, Sumeet Chatterjee and Nupur Anand SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Banks including DBS Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), OCBC and Standard Chartered are set to bid for parts of Citigroup's consumer business in Asia, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The sale process will start within a couple of weeks, they added, declining to be named as they were not authorised to speak to media. The move comes after Citi said it would exit from its consumer franchises in 13 markets, 10 of which are in Asia, as it refocuses on its more lucrative institutional and wealth management businesses in these markets. Potential bids from the regional banks and StanChart, which makes most of its profit in Asia, underscores their growing appetite for businesses like credit cards and mortgages in a push to lock in long-term income growth. The businesses Citi is exiting had $82 billion in assets and were allocated $7 billion in tangible common equity last year. Citi has plans to reposition its Asian consumer banking business from its "wealth centres" of Hong Kong and Singapore. As Citi is not giving up its banking licences in most of the markets it is exiting, the sale of the consumer banking portfolios and branches will only appeal to lenders with existing presence in these countries, the people said. "Asia is critical to our firm's strategy, and we will allocate resources to drive profitable growth," a Citi spokesman in Hong Kong said, declining to comment on the sale process. Representatives at Japanese lender MUFG and StanChart, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, which the sources said was another potential bidder, declined to comment. "DBS has always been open to exploring sensible bolt-on opportunities in markets where we have a consumer banking franchise (China, India, Indonesia and Taiwan) and where we can overlay our digital capabilities," Southeast Asia's biggest lender said in a statement. Story continues In 2016, DBS bought ANZ's wealth management and retail businesses in five Asian markets for about $80 million. Citi's sprawling India consumer business, comprising retail deposits, mortgages and credit cards, and its Taiwan business would be among the most valuable parts of its Asian consumer portfolio, the sources said. Citi's consumer banking business in the 13 markets accounted for $4.2 billion of the bank's $74.3 billion revenue in 2020. All the markets it is exiting made a combined loss of $40 million in the consumer banking business in the same year. INDIA 'JEWEL IN THE CROWN' DBS, the only big foreign bank with a fully owned Indian subsidiary, is eyeing Citi's India business, which is also set to attract StanChart and local lenders Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank, the sources said. SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd, a unit of State Bank of India, is also weighing a bid for Citi's credit card portfolio in India, two of the sources said. Citi's India consumer business is valued at over $2 billion, according to four sources. "India is the jewel in the crown and will command a better price than the other markets," one of the sources added. Citi has been in India for decades and was among the first to introduce Indians to credit cards in 1987. It ranks as the sixth largest local card issuer with nearly 2.7 million cards. Sources say Citi has a significant share in the premium segment, commanding higher spends per card of 10-25% versus the industry average. It is also among the top five wealth management players, with 35 branches and about 4,000 staff in the consumer banking segment. Kotak Mahindra declined to comment, while Axis Bank and SBI Cards did not respond to a request for comment. The other markets Citi is exiting as part of its new CEO Jane Fraser's strategy include South Korea, Australia, mainland China and Thailand - countries where it does not have the necessary scale to compete with local rivals. Singapore's DBS and OCBC, Britain's StanChart, and the Japanese lenders are also weighing bids for some of Citi's Southeast Asia businesses, the people said. Citi's businesses in Australia and South Korea could attract interest from domestic banks, they added. ($1 = 1.3271 Singapore dollars) (Reporting by Anshuman Daga in Singapore, Sumeet Chatterjee in Hong Kong and Nupur Anand in Mumbai; Additional reporting by Takashi Umekawa in Tokyo, Editing by Himani Sarkar) The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that a general contractor has no private right of action against an insurance company for a violation of a Tennessee statute requiring the insurance company to include the contractor as a payee on the insurance payment to the property owner. Under Tennessee Code Annotated section 56-7-111, when an insured property owner has a loss of more than $1,000 to a home or other structure under a policy of property or casualty insurance, the insurance company must name the general contractor of an uncompleted construction contract as a payee on the insurance proceeds check. Owners Insurance Company insured property owned by Grand Valley Lakes Property Owners Association in Saulsbury, Tennessee. After severe weather damaged the property, the Association hired Affordable Construction Services, Inc. as the general contractor to make repairs. Owners Insurance paid the Association for its property loss, but failed to include Affordable Construction on the check as required by the statute. After the Association failed to pay Affordable Construction, it sued the Association in the Hardeman County Circuit Court to collect for the repair work. The circuit court dismissed the lawsuit because there was no enforceable contract between Affordable Construction and the Association. Affordable Construction then sued Owners Insurance in the Hardeman County Chancery Court, claiming Owners Insurance violated Tennessee Code Annotated section 56-7-111 by not including Affordable Construction on the check to the Association. The case was removed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, and Owners Insurance moved for judgment in its favor. The federal court asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to answer certain questions of state law to help resolve the case. The primary question was whether the Tennessee Legislature provided a general contractor with a private right of action under the statute. There was no express grant of a right to sue in the statute. Thus, the Court had to determine whether the contractor had proven that the Legislature intended to imply a private right of action based on the structure of the statute, legislative history, and a series of factors. The Tennessee Supreme Court held that although the Legislature intended for the statute to benefit general contractors, it did not give a contractor the right to sue an insurance company for noncompliance. The Legislature intended for the statute to be enforced through a criminal penalty and made no mention of a private right of action in a civil suit. Thus, Affordable Construction had no right to sue Owners Insurance Company for violating the statute. To read the unanimous opinion of the Court in Affordable Construction Services, Inc. v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, written by Justice Sharon G. Lee, visit the Opinions section of TNCourts.gov. Inside an SUV, a white Dodge Journey, officers located a woman with gunshot wounds to the head and body, said police spokeswoman Kellie Bartoli. The woman, who police said was 30 years old, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition. She was pronounced dead at 11:07 p.m., according to preliminary information from the medical examiners office. Samsung Biologics' plant in Incheon, west of Seoul / Courtesy of Samsung Biologics By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim Czech President Milos Zeman on April 25 took a rare swipe at Moscow and compared two deadly blasts on Czech soil to terror attacks. While speaking on Sunday TV debate, Zeman even compared the Russian suspected culprits to bumbling cartoon characters and further demanded a thorough investigation of the blasts. It is worth mentioning that Zeman has been widely seen as having close links to the Russian government and in 2017, he was hosted by President Vladimir Putin. Czech President said, What were the Russians, Pat and Mat, who are also suspected of having poisoned Skripal, doing on our soil? No sovereign country can allow two agents of a foreign country to cause a terror attack on its soil. Rising tensions between Russia and Czech It is worth mentioning that popular Czechs cartoon characters Pat and Mat are do-it-yourself enthusiasts whose exploits often end in calamity. Zemans comments come after the Czech intelligence last week said that it suspected two Russians orchestrated two explosions in a military depot in the Czech Republics east which killed two people in 2014. The country linked two Russian diplomats suspected of carrying out a nerve agent attack in the UK in 2018 with the blast. While demanding a probe, he talked about two working theories over the 2014 blast one involving Russian sabotage, the other involving an accident due to the mishandling of explosives. He said that he will take both of these theories "seriously". Czech said that its intelligence unit identified at least 18 Russian diplomats in Czech as being intelligence operatives, as it asked the said diplomats to leave Prague immediately on April 19. Moscow, on the other hand, kicked out 20 Czech embassy staff in retaliation and called the Czechs move a hostile act. While The Czech republic gave Russian envoys 48 hours to exit the country, Moscow threatened the Czech to leave within 24 hours as tensions between the two nations escalated. After expulsions by Moscow, the Czech government also ordered a further 63 diplomats and Russian staff to leave by the end of May. Some fellow European Union members also acted in solidarity and expelled Russian embassy staff. The row between Moscow and Prague is the biggest between the two countries since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 and comes amid growing tensions between Russia and the West. (Image: AP) After falling below 1 million barrels per day (bpd) last week, Libyas oil production could be set for recovery above that mark again, as the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Monday that it had lifted a force majeure on oil terminal loadings. Last week, the Arabian Gulf Oil Company, a subsidiary of NOC, said it had decided to halt production because of the delays in the budget that is planned to allocate money to the oil firm to repair and maintain infrastructure and keep oil production online. Arabian Gulf Oil Company is the operator of the oilfields Sarir, Mesla, al-Bayda, Nafoora, and Hamada, which, combined, can pump 300,000 bpd. Days later, NOC declared force majeure on the port of Hariga due to lack of funds for infrastructure repairs, pushing the countrys crude oil production below 1 million bpd for the first time in months as NOC was forced to suspend production at several fields. The company blamed the shortage of funds on Libyas central bank. While the National Oil Corporation understands the motives of the suspension which is outside the control of the company and seeks an excuse for the government of National Unity due to the delay in approving the budget for the year 2021, it places full legal responsibility on the Central Bank of Libya, which refused to liquidate the financial arrangements approved in accordance with the decision of the former Government of National Accord, NOC said in a statement on April 19. On April 26, NOC said it had lifted the force majeure on loadings from the Hariga oil terminal after reaching an agreement with the new unity government over the allocation of funds, Reuters reported. The first unity government of the war-torn country since 2014 will extend US$223 million (1 billion Libyan dinars) as part of the agreement that ended the force majeure at Hariga, NOC said, as carried by Reuters. Libyaexempted from the OPEC+ cutssurprised many oil market observers, and probably the OPEC+ group itself, after managing in just a few months to restore its oil production back to 1.25 million bpd from less than 100,000 in September 2020, when an eight-month-long blockade on its oil ports ended. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: President Moon Jae-in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a wooden bridge during their summit at the truce village of Panmunjeom in this April 27, 2018, photo. Yonhap By Jung Da-min Three years have passed since the April 27 Panmunjeom inter-Korean Declaration was made at the first summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but inter-Korean relations have since made little progress, due to uncertainty over the domestic and international situations of both countries, North Korea watchers said Monday. Since the failure of the Hanoi summit between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim in February 2019, not only U.S.-North Korea relations, but also inter-Korean relations, have been stalemated. Since then, North Korea has conducted at least 21 missile tests, mostly short range ones. The Moon government has continued its diplomatic efforts to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, but to no avail, with the North Korean side calling for sanctions waivers for the resumption of inter-Korean projects, such as the Gaesong Industrial Complex and the Mount Geumgang tourism program. The South cannot unilaterally push ahead with these projects without consent from the international community. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic situation has impaired the domestic situations of both Koreas since early 2020, with the North closing its borders to prevent the virus from spreading there. Inter-Korean relations have deteriorated in the meantime, with the North blowing up the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaesong in June 2020 to protest anti-Pyongyang leaflets being sent across the border from the South by North Korea rights activists, many of whom are defectors from the North. The inter-Korean liaison office in Gaesong had been set up in September 2018 as an outcome of the Panmunjeom Declaration. Jeong Eum-mee, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification's North Korea Research Division, said that two factors are responsible for the stalemate in the Moon government's North Korea policy. "First of all, North Korea has no intention to receive any support from the South or proceed with any exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it has put a priority on quarantining," Jeong said. "Secondly, there are political uncertainties in the South concerning the next presidential election, which is slated for March next year, as well as in the U.S., as it has yet to announce the outline of its North Korea policy." Jeong said that the North has repeatedly delivered its message to the South that it would not resume any exchanges. Jeong said that if there is any room left for the government in terms of its North Korea policy, it should adjust its policy direction to the current situation, considering Pyongyang's needs. "North Korea is now focused on the education, health and information sectors, and the South could present an agenda for such sectors, in order to engage the North in talks," Jeong said. Moon Sung-mook, a senior researcher at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said that the North Korean leader does not have any wish to improve inter-Korean relations if they threaten the very stability of the Kim regime. "As the so-called Korean Peninsula peace process is not a realistic goal, the Moon administration should focus more on the area of defense, as diplomacy is about pursuing the national interest," senior researcher Moon Sung-mook said. "As the nuclear and missiles threats from the North are becoming more visible, South Korea should ensure its security by strengthening its alliance with the United States." Jung Dae-jin, a professor at Ajou University's Institute of Unification said that, as there is only one year left before Moon's presidential term ends, the administration should focus on keeping consistent in its North Korea policy. It should not break the current momentum, at the same time as preventing any further escalation of tensions. "The Moon administration should send the consistent message that it wants talks and peace with the North both domestically and internationally until the next administration takes power," Jung said. Czech President Milos Zemans statement on the 2014 Vrbetice blasts Russia was allegedly involved in was the first step towards debunking the highly likely principle and all other fake accusations against Russia will soon be dispelled as well, Pyotr Tolstoy, first deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house and head of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said on Sunday. "Czech President Milos Zeman recognized that there is no evidence of the involvement of Russian intelligence services to the Vrbetice blasts, the investigation is not yet over and its results will be made public," he wrote on his Telegram channel. However, he noted, Russian diplomats have already been expelled from the Czech Republic over this incident, TASS reported. "Zemans statement is the first case when the notorious highly likely principle that was used to accuse Russia of all deadly sins in the recent hears was actually debunked," he noted. "I am sure that all other fake accusations against our country will be dispelled sooner or later." Czech President Milos Zeman said earlier on Sunday that the Czech Security Information Services reports had no mention of any evidence of the presence of any "Russian agents" at the munitions depot in Vrbetice and this theory had surfaced only in the recent weeks. Moreover, according to the Czech president, the countrys law enforces found evidence that Bulgarian arms trader Emilian Gebrev had been involved in the explosions at munitions depots in the village of Vrbetice, in the Czech Republics east, in 2014. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Australian authorities on Monday lifted a snap three-day lockdown of Perth, but faced pointed questions about how the coronavirus leaked from a quarantine hotel for returning travellers. Stay-at-home orders for Perth and surrounding areas will expire at midnight Monday, after just two people contracted COVID-19 out of thousands tested in the region. "It was a circuit breaker we needed to limit community spread and keep our community healthy," Western Australia state premier Mark McGowan said. The virus reportedly spread from a man who recently returned from his wedding in India to other travellers at a quarantine hotel, including one who then unknowingly infected people in the community after being released from isolation. The cases have prompted a fresh debate over the effectiveness and fairness of Australia's hotel quarantine system, which is now being copied in several countries around the world. Australia closed its international borders to most non-citizens in March 2020, with those allowed to travel subject to 14 days in quarantine, a policy that effectively curbed the spread of COVID-19. But quarantine hotels have been the source of each outbreak in Australia since early in the pandemic, leading to a series of snap lockdowns across the country and ever-tightening travel rules. Canberra last week reduced the number of flights from virus-hit India, while some are pushing to ramp up already strict limits on international travel for Australian citizens. McGowan has slammed the quarantine system, saying hotels were "not fit for purpose" and calling on the conservative federal government to find alternative sites away from populated cities. His demand was backed by the Australian Medical Association's Western Australia branch president Andrew Miller, who described the system as a "human rights catastrophe". But the federal government has so far resisted calls to take over quarantinedespite having responsibility for border controlwith Health Minister Greg Hunt saying the system was among "the best in the world". And other leaders, such as New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, said "we have to accept" there would be inevitable failures with the system "from time to time". Australia has recorded less than 30,000 cases and 910 deaths since the pandemic began, with no major outbreaks since last year and most regions enjoying few restrictions. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2021 AFP The four-year term in office of Somalias President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmaajo, ended on February 8, but he has remained in office due to a protracted stalemate with the countrys Federal Member State leaders over how to hold elections. On April 12, the lower house of Somalias Parliament voted to effectively extend the mandate of the Federal Government and Parliament by two years, short circuiting efforts to resolve the impasse and hold elections immediately. Just one day later, President Farmaajo signed the bill. The international community, including the United States, is objecting to a mandate extension, calling it a grave threat to the peace and stability of Somalia and its neighbors, warning that the al-Shabaab terrorist group could take advantage of the resulting disunity. The United States and others in the international community are also warning that a mandate extension and continued political gridlock will obstruct Somali leaders ability to meet the pressing needs of Somalias people. We have made clear that the United States does not support mandate extensions without broad support from Somalias political stakeholders, nor does the United States support parallel or partial electoral processes, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a written statement. Such actions would be deeply divisive, undermine the federalism process and political reforms that have been at the heart of the countrys progress and partnership with the international community, and divert attention away from countering al-Shabaab. They will also further delay holding the promised elections awaited by the Somali people. Secretary Blinken warned that the United States may impose sanctions and visa restrictions. The United States may also reevaluate U.S. assistance to Somalia, a country that depends heavily on outside aid for basic needs such as food, as well as to train and equip its security forces Secretary Blinken called on Somalias Federal Government and Federal Member State leaders to return to the negotiating table and find a way to resolve the electoral crisis. We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, continue dialogue, and avoid further unilateral actions that will inflame tensions and undermine Somalias democratic processes and institutions. Pepco, the owner of Poundland, has announced plans to list its shares in Warsaw in a blow to the London Stock Exchange. The group is headquartered in London but has over 3,200 stores in 16 countries, including more than 1,000 in Poland, where the business first started in 2004 and which is still its largest market. Pepco, which owns Poundland in the UK and PEPCO and Dealz in Europe, had announced in March that it was considering stock exchanges in the UK and Poland. But it has now settled for Warsaw, Poland, for the listing, which is reported to be worth about 4billion. Stock market float: Poundland owner Pepco will list on the Warsaw stock exchange Pepco chief executive, Andy Bond, said: 'Today's announcement of our intention to float on the Warsaw Stock Exchange marks an important milestone for the group. 'We are strongly positioned to deliver significant long-term growth, given our market leading customer proposition in the most attractive sector of retail, the scale of opportunity ahead of us as we expand across the entirety of Europe and the investment in strengthening the infrastructure of the business over recent years.' The move comes despite a jump in London listings in 2021, including the likes of Deliveroo, Dr Martens and Moonpig. And it comes almost two years after its South African owner, Steinhoff, started assessing options for the retail group following the fallout of its own 2017 accounting scandal. Steinhoff has said it will sell at least 15 per cent of its shares in the company. Bond, a former chief executive of supermarket Asda, said the group has opened more than 300 stores per year since 2017 and plans to open 'at least' 70 per year going forward. It recently launched in Italy and Serbia, and will launch in Spain this spring under its Pepco brand, as it continues to expand across the continent. 'We now have the opportunity to target the whole of Europe for PEPCO, leading to even greater growth and scale,' he added. The group, which does not have online operations, is targeting more than 1billion in core profits within five to seven years by trebling its number of stores. Revenues rose by 4.4 per cent in the six months to the end of March, reflecting the opening of 225 net new stores. However, like-for-like sales fell 2.1 per cent during the period as stores remained close for months due to lockdown and the company does not sell online. WASHINGTON Texass population grew by nearly 4 million people over the last decade, more than any other state in the nation, and the state is on track to gain two seats in Congress as its national influence continues to expand. Texas had more than 29 million residents in 2020, according to new population data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday, an increase of 3.9 million, the biggest in the nation. The state will also gain more seats in Congress than any other as seven states, including California and New York, are set to lose seats. It was the second decade in a row that Texas had led the nation in population growth. And while the increase was smaller than the 4.3 million residents gained from 2000 to 2010, Texass rate of increase still outpaced all other states but Utah and Idaho. THIS IS THE TIME: Rep. Lizzie Fletcher pushes for Ike Dike in Biden infrastructure bill The influence of Texas will grow, more than that of any other state, said Mark P. Jones, a political scientist at Rice University. That growing clout will only further the outside interest in the states elections, which saw an unprecedented level of money flowing in from other states in 2020. While the figures released on Monday dont drill down into demographics, estimates until now have shown communities of color and young people drove the vast majority of the population growth in Texas something progressive groups were touting on Monday. This is only likely to raise interest in the state as its already becoming increasingly competitive, said Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research at the University of Texas at Austins Texas Politics Project. The national results are largely good news for Republicans, experts said, as red states, including Texas and Florida, will gain the most congressional seats and electoral votes, which are also based on population, while blue states, including California and New York, are set to lose them. The shift comes as Democrats hold just a six-seat majority in the House. With Republicans mounting an effort to take control in the midterms, Texas where the GOP controls redistricting will almost certainly be key to those efforts. But the new population figures also reflect the shifting politics of many states, including Texas, which has grown more competitive as its demographics have shifted and residents have moved from other states, including California. Right now, the nation is witnessing seismic change in Texas, said Charlie Bonner, a spokesman for MOVE Texas, a group focused on mobilizing young voters. Long overlooked, our eligible voters be they young, disenfranchised, marginalized or minority are driving growth and building political power from the ground up. The final census figures also put the states growth below what the bureau had estimated, leading some to question whether there was an undercount fueled by the pandemic, former President Donald Trumps failed effort to include a citizenship question, and Texas Republicans decision not to spend money on a public campaign pushing the census. Texas was just 190,000 residents shy of gaining a third seat. Well have to wait for more granular data, but it certainly looks like the Texas Legislatures decision not to budget money to encourage census participation combined with the Trump administration efforts to add a citizenship question cost Texas a congressional district, noted Michael Li, an expert on redistricting who serves as senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. Census Bureau officials said Monday they were confident in the results, noting the states actual population was within 1 percent of the estimates. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The new population figures come as lawmakers in Texas prepare to redraw political boundaries, including for the states congressional delegation, which will remain the second-biggest in the nation as it adds two more members, for a total of 38. That trails California, which is set to lose a seat for the first time in state history, and will have 52 members. Republicans will control the redistricting process and are expected to use it to reinforce their control of the delegation. Jones at Rice University said the party now just has to decide how safe or risky it wants to be with the new seats. Republicans can play it safer by tossing the new districts to Democrats while shoring up GOP votes in the 22 seats they hold now, which would keep them in control of the delegation. Or they could use the new seats to break up Democrat districts and try to gain ground. One Texas Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of San Antonio, was already warning against gerrymandering attempts. Doggetts district, which stretches from Austin to San Antonio, has been called one of the most gerrymandered in the nation. With these two additions, there is no valid reason for Texas Republicans to engage again in extreme partisan gerrymandering that distorts the true diversity of our state and divides communities of interest, though there is every reason to believe that, in the current political climate, they will, Doggett said in a statement. Extreme gerrymandering dilutes our democracy and just means that representatives are less accessible and less accountable for both Republicans and Democrats. Li expects the two additional seats to bring demands for increased representation of communities of color, which will be at odds with the party that will control redistricting. Li said chances are high that the maps Texas Republicans draw will end up in court for that exact reason, something that has happened each of the last five decades. Thats almost a certainty, Li said. Every decade, Texass maps get changed a little or a lot because its never managed to fairly treat communities of color. But its not just control of Congress on the line. The population figures are also used to dole out funding for federal programs like the Childrens Health Insurance Program. And a larger state delegation will give Texas more sway in D.C. The larger your home states delegation, the more power you should be able to wield, said Renee Cross, senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. Oftentimes that power is bipartisan. Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, a word was wrong in the quote from Renee Cross. Jordan Rubio contributed reporting from Houston. ben.wermund@chron.com Watch: Daniel Kaluuya already has regret over his viral remark during Oscars acceptance speech Daniel Kaluuya has made history after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2021 Oscars. The London-born actor is the first non-white Briton to win an acting Oscar in the show's 93-year history. He landed the gong for playing Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton in Judas And The Black Messiah. Read more: All the winners at the Oscars 2021 He is only the sixth non-white actor to win the award. Denzel Washington was the first, for the film Glory in 1990. Yuh-Jung Youn, Daniel Kaluuya and Frances McDormand backstage at the Oscars. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool) The Crown star Emerald Fennell also had a history-making night. Fennell who plays Camilla Parker-Bowles in the Netflix drama is the first British woman to win Best Original Screenplay since the category was established in its current form at the 1958 Oscars. She picked up the award for Promising Young Woman, for which she also bagged a nomination for Best Director. Emerald Fennell accepts the Best Original Screenplay award for Promising Young Woman onstage during the 93rd Annual Academy Awards. (Todd Wawrychuk/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images) Before 1958, the Oscars had separate categories for original screenplay and original story; during this era, British writer Muriel Box became the first ever woman to win Best Original Screenplay, for The Seventh Veil in 1946. Read more: Kaluuya shocks with funny speech Welsh-born actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, 83, also set a new record as the oldest Best Actor winner in Oscar history. He won for his performance in The Father. Anthony Hopkins pretends to eat his first Oscar backstage at the 64th Annual Academy Awards in 1992. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) It is Sir Anthonys second Oscar, coming 29 years after he won Best Actor in 1992 for The Silence Of The Lambs. This is the longest gap between wins by any actor in this category in the history of the Academy Awards. Kaluuya, 32, who first came to notice as Posh Kenneth in the British TV series Skins, has recently been making a name for himself in Hollywood. Daniel Kaluuya and Jessica Brown Findlay in Black Mirror. (C4) His first film role was in the 2006 BBC Films feature drama Shoot The Messenger, after which he joined the cast of Skins for the first two series and wrote two of the episodes. He made his stage debut at the Royal Court Theatre in Sucker Punch in 2010, which won him newcomer prizes, and in 2011 he landed a role in Black Mirror, in the Fifteen Million Merits episode, opposite Downton Abbeys Jessica Brown Findlay. Story continues Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out. (Universal) He went on to appear in Welcome To The Punch, Kick-Ass 2 and Sicario, but it was his role in Jordan Peeles 2017 horror satire Get Out that launched him into the big time, landing him his first Oscar nomination. Since then he has become an international star, with roles in Marvel film Black Panther, Steve McQueens heist thriller Widows and drama Queen & Slim. Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya in Queen & Slim. (eOne) But it was his role as the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther party that has brought him his first Academy Award. Watch: Daniel Kaluuya talks to Yahoo about his Oscar-winning role UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a statement on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl NPP disaster, noting the efforts of Ukraine, as well as Belarus and the Russian Federation, to recover the territories affected by this man-made disaster. His statement was published on the UN website on Monday, April 26. This anniversary is an occasion to recognize the recovery efforts led by the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, and the work of scientists who sifted through the evidence to provide important analysis that has informed emergency planning and reduced risks, Guterres said. He also recalled that the suffering of the people affected by the Chornobyl disaster "must not be forgotten." Guterres added that since 1986, the United Nations had helped to address the needs of people in the areas surrounding Chornobyl. The number of small- and medium-sized businesses operating in areas directly affected by the disaster has risen from 2,000 in 2002 to 37,000 today. Thousands of local residents, community leaders and doctors have been trained on health risks and promoting healthy lifestyles, he stressed. In addition, the UN secretary-general emphasized the importance of cooperation between governments and academics, civil society and others to eliminate the consequences of the accident in today's conditions. International Chornobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is marked on April 26. ish The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stressed that African countries should focus on building systems and data driven economies through digitization for economic transformation. In a tweet on Sunday, Dr. Bawumia said ''many African countries have tried, and failed to develop because they did not put in place the required micro-foundations and systems." Most African countries have tried to develop without the micro-foundations and systems to drive it. That has not and will not work," Dr Bawumia tweeted. It is like trying to get to Mars on a bicycle. We have to be systems and data-driven economies." Dr. Bawumia noted that Ghana is on course with its digitization drive and urged African countries to adopt same because it "is the key". Dr. Bawumia has led government's digitization agenda, and he has earned lots of commendation for his passion and commitment to it. With a national ID, digital addressing system, mobile money interoperability, universal QR code payment system, and online services for passports, drivers license and other government services, Ghana is highly rated as an example in Africa as far as digitization of the economy is concerned. Source: Office of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia 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 Turkmenistan observes new holiday honoring the Alabay dog View Photo ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan on Sunday celebrated its new state holiday honoring the native Alabay dog breed. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov established the holiday to be observed on the same day that Turkmenistan lauds its Akhla-Teke horse, a breed known for its speed and endurance. Berdymukhamedov aims to make the Alabay as well-known as the horse. Last year he unveiled a 15-meter (50-foot) golden statue of the dog in the capital, Ashgabat. Alabay, traditionally used for guarding livestock herds, are among the worlds largest dogs, weighing as much as 80 kilograms (175 pounds). Sundays observance included a competition of 10 examples of the breed in which they were judged on appearance and agility. The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor says his office will go all out to ensure that illegal mining popularly known as Galamsey will come to an end. According to him, in order to ensure that the fight was won, there was the need to touch base with agencies under his ministry to ascertain first-hand information of what is happening in the sector and to bring everyone on board. On the first day of his three-day official working visit to the Western Region, Hon Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Damongo, called on the Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, and reiterated his determination to address the galamsey menace, irrespective of whose ox is gored. With your assistance, we can halt galamsey activities.....I will stop the illegalities without fear or favour. No matter which political party is involved, he noted. The minister appears keen on fighting against the illegal operation which has left major waterbodies mud-spattered. Nana Kobina Nketsia who warmly received the minister and his entourage was very optimistic the Damongo MP's resolve, coupled with a non-parisan approach can save Ghanas natural resources. The president trusted you and I believe you will save Ghana, He said. The Esikado-Omanhene also urged Samuel Abdulai Jinapor to be firm in his decisions to fight against Galamsey and deforestation. The Lands Minister is expected to interact with the mining communities in Tarkwa before proceeding to inspect a Mineral Development Fund (MDF) infrastructural projects at the University of Mines and Technology. He will also visit the AngloGold (Iduapriem Mines) and also engage the small-scale miners association in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The supplementation of vitamin D3 did not reduce length of stay or affect the proportion requiring intensive care. Credit: Rosa Pereira Can a high dose of vitamin D administered on admission to hospital improve the condition of patients with moderate or severe COVID-19? The answer is no, according to a Brazilian study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The article reports a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the kind of study considered the gold standard to evaluate drug efficacy. It was conducted with FAPESP's support by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP), who recruited 240 patients treated at Hospital das Clinicas (HC), the hospital complex run by FM-USP, and the Ibirapuera field hospital in Sao Paulo City in June-August 2020. "In vitro studies or trials with animals had previously shown that in certain situations vitamin D and its metabolites can have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects, as well as modulating the immune response. We decided to investigate whether a high dose of the substance could have a protective effect in the context of an acute viral infection, reducing either the inflammation or the viral load," Rosa Pereira, principal investigator for the project, told Agencia FAPESP. The volunteers were randomly divided into two groups, one of which was given vitamin D3 in a single dose of 200,000 units (IU) dissolved in a peanut oil solution. The other group was given only the peanut oil solution. All participants were treated according to the standard protocol for hospital treatment of the disease, which includes administration of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. The main purpose was to see if acute supplementation would affect the length of hospital stay for these patients, but the researchers also wanted to find out whether it would mitigate the risks of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), intubation and death. No significant difference between the groups was observed for any of these clinical outcomes. According to Pereira, the study was designed above all to assess the impact on hospital stay and a larger number of volunteers would be needed to achieve a scientifically acceptable estimate of the effect on mortality. "So far we can say there's no indication to administer vitamin D to patients who come to the hospital with severe COVID-19," she said. For Bruno Gualano, a researcher at FM-USP and penultimate author of the article, the findings show that at least for now there is no "silver bullet" for the treatment of COVID-19. "But that doesn't mean continuous use of vitamin D can't have beneficial effects of some kind," he said. Ideal dose Pereira is currently leading a study at FM-USP to find out whether subjects with sufficient circulating levels of vitamin D combat infection by SARS-CoV-2 better than those with insufficient levels of the nutrient. The ideal level of vitamin D in the blood and the daily supplementation dose vary according to age and overall health, she explained. Older people and patients with chronic diseases including osteoporosis should have more than 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/mL). For healthy adults, 20 ng/mL is an acceptable threshold. "The ideal approach is case-by-case analysis, if necessary dosing the substance periodically by means of blood work, with supplementation if a deficiency is detected," Pereira said. Explore further High dose of vitamin D does not cut COVID-19 hospital stay More information: Igor H. Murai et al, Effect of a Single High Dose of Vitamin D3 on Hospital Length of Stay in Patients With Moderate to Severe COVID-19, JAMA (2021). Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association Igor H. Murai et al, Effect of a Single High Dose of Vitamin D3 on Hospital Length of Stay in Patients With Moderate to Severe COVID-19,(2021). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.26848 President Joe Biden on Saturday plans to follow through on a campaign pledge to formally recognize that atrocities committed against the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire more than a century ago in modern-day Turkey were genocide, according to U.S. officials familiar with the presidents deliberations. Biden spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday in anticipation of his plan, in a presidential proclamation to mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, to use the term genocide to describe the killings and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Armenians. U.S. presidents for decades have acknowledged Remembrance Day to mark the events of 1915 to 1923 but have avoided using the term genocide to sidestep alienating Turkey. The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Friday's call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. The White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries' relationship and find effective management of disagreements. The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June. Biden pledged as a candidate to recognize the massacre of Armenians as genocide, arguing that silence is complicity. Biden wanted to speak with Erdogan before making the formal recognition, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe Biden's deliberations and plans. Friday's call between the two leaders was their first since Biden took office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden. Erdogan on Friday reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group's ties to the Syrian Kurds. Erdogan also raised concerns about the presence in the U.S. of cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup attempt, according to the Turkish government statement. Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since the late 1990s, denies involvement in the coup. Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkeys opposition against autocrat Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump's decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey's border with Syria. Lawmakers and Armenian American activists have been lobbying Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which presidents typically mark with a proclamation. Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern Californias Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia as Biden insists that respect for human rights will be a central principle in his foreign policy. Within the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades, she said. It is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that Americas aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had warned the Biden administration earlier this week that recognition would harm U.S.-Turkey ties. White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment Friday on Biden's deliberations on the issue. ___ Bilginsoy reported from Istanbul. A woman, 40, was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man after passing out during a medical episode. The man allegedly assaulted the woman at a home in Ultimo, in Sydney's inner city, in February while she was unconscious. On Monday the 27-year-old was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault victim with cognitive impairment. The 27-year-old man allegedly assaulted the woman at a home in Ultimo, in Sydney's inner city, in February while she was unconscious (stock image) Police said the woman - who is known to the man - has a medical condition that requires ongoing treatment. The Lakemba man was refused bail and will appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday. Daniel Kaluuya wins supporting actor, his 1st Oscar View Photo LOS ANGELES (AP) Daniel Kaluuya used a lead role to win a best supporting actor Oscar. Hell take it. Kaluuya won his first Academy Award on Sunday night for playing one of the two title roles in Judas and the Black Messiah. In a quirk of the nominating process, LaKeith Stanfield, who played the Judas of the title William ONeal who betrayed Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton to the FBI competed in the same category. I share this honor with the gift that is LaKeith Stanfield, Kaluuya told the small audience gathered at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The London-born Kaluuya portrayed the fiery Hampton, who was killed in an FBI raid in 1969. He already earned Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild awards for the role. To Chairman Fred Hampton, what a man. How blessed we are that we lived in a lifetime where he existed, Kaluuya said, clutching his trophy. He was on this Earth for 21 years and he found a way to feed kids breakfast, educate kids, get free medical care against all odds. Kaluuya name-checked Hamptons fellow Black Panthers Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. They showed me how to love myself, he said. With that love, they overflowed into the Black community and into other communities. They showed us the power of unity. Kaluuya admonished his fellow nominees, saying, Theres so much work to do guys and thats on everyone in this room. This aint no single-man job. The 32-year-old actor was cheered by his Ugandan mother, Damalie, and his sister, who sat socially distanced in seats away from the nominees at tables. Id like to thank my mom, Kaluuya said, as she teared up. Thank you for pouring so much into me. You gave me everything. You gave me your factory settings so I could stand at my fullest height. He got laughs and a confused look from his mother with a light-hearted comment before leaving the podium. My mom and my dad, they had sex. Its amazing, he said, crediting them for his existence. In the virtual backstage, Kaluuya said his mother wouldnt mind his cheekiness. Shes got a sense of humor, he said. We give it to each other. Kaluuya broke out in 2018 after starring in Get Out, which earned his first Oscar nod. It led to roles in the Marvel superhero film Black Panther and Queen & Slim. The other nominees were Paul Raci of Sound of Metal, Leslie Odom Jr. for One Night in Miami and Sacha Baron Cohen as Hampton contemporary and 1960s activist Abbie Hoffman for The Trial of the Chicago 7. ___ For complete coverage of this years Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards By BETH HARRIS Associated Press The House of Representatives risks not meeting the constitutional threshold of a minimum of 181 plenary sessions in a year, unless it changes the the current trend of its sittings. The House held only 14 plenary sessions in the first quarter of this year, less than half of the minimum of 36 sessions. The expected minimum number was arrived at, by counting the Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in January, February and March in line with the provision of the standing rules of the House. Plenary Sessions Order 5, Rules 4 and 5 of the Standing Rules of the House allow it to sit from Monday to Friday. Rule 4 reads: On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the House shall sit at 10 a.m. and unless previously adjourned, shall sit until 6 p.m., provided that at 1:30 p.m., the Speaker may suspend the sitting until 2 p.m. On Fridays, the House may meet at 9 a.m. and if not previously adjourned, may sit until noon. However, Rule 6 gives the Speaker of the House the discretion to determine sitting days. It reads: Without prejudice to the above, the House shall sit on such a day as the speaker, having regard to the state of business of the House may from time to time direct. Over the years, the two chambers of the National Assembly have adopted Tuesday to Thursday as sitting days. However, since the outbreak of COVID-19 in February 2020 in Nigeria, the Senate and House of Representatives have been adjourning their plenary sessions for various reasons. The House embarked on Christmas and New Year break on December 21 and was scheduled to resume on January 26. However, it postponed the resumption by two weeks. The lawmakers subsequently resumed on February 6. This means the House did not hold a plenary session in January. Upon resumption, the spokesperson of the House, Ben Kalu, announced that the House will be holding only one plenary session a week due to the outbreak of a new variant of COVID-19. In February, the House had five plenary sessions. Out of these legislative days, one was used to mourn the death of a member, Ossy Prestige, hence suspending all items on the Order Paper. However, the lawmakers had a busy schedule in March, holding nine plenary sittings out of a possible 12. But the House dedicated one of those sittings on March 9 to mourning another member, Kila Yuguda, who passed away. House and Holidays The 9th Assembly under Femi Gbajabiamila is becoming notorious for embarking on holidays despite not meeting the deadlines it had set on certain important legislations, such as the amendment to the Electoral Act and the Petroleum Industry Bill. ADVERTISEMENT Despite the long Christmas and New Year holidays, the House again embarked on an 18-day Easter break, adjourning plenary on March 25 until April 13. While on the holiday, the House lost two more members, Suleiman Lere of Lere Federal Constituency of Kaduna State and Haruna Mataila of Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency of Plateau State. The two chambers were expected to adjourn their plenaries on Tuesday, April 13, that they resumed, in honour of the two late lawmakers; but the House decided to take the entire week for the mourning. The implication is that the lawmakers have started the second quarter of the year with another flurry of holidays. Pending legislations The House had set for itself March 31 as the deadline for passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). The Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on PIB and Chief Whip of the House, Mohammed Monguno, had said the bill would be passed in the first quarter of the year. But that deadline passed while the lawmakers were on holiday. The Electoral Act amendment bill also suffered several postponements, while the Constitution Alteration bills are still at the committee level. More holidays The 9th Assembly of the House will clock two years on June 9. In line with tradition, it will take a two-week holiday to mark the occasion. Before that, the lawmakers will also adjourn for the Eid Fitri holiday. The annual recess is another holiday awaiting the lawmakers. The annual recess usually lasts about six weeks. Section 63 of the Nigerian Constitution provides that the House or Senate shall each sit for a period not less than one hundred and eighty one days in a year. However, as of March 31, the 9th House only had 14 of the stipulated minimum of 181 sittings for the year 2021. The spokesperson of the House, Mr Kalu, did not respond to a request for his comments for this report and whether or not the House will be able to meet up with the constitutional provision. Twitters censorship of anti-globalist content is global and not limited to the United States. This article chronicles Twitters blatant censorship in India. Technocracys coup detat is global and intends to control the entire population of the earth. TN Editor On Saturday, Twitter admitted that it is actively working with the Indian government to censor criticism of its handling of the pandemic as the number of cases and deaths continues to skyrocket. There are widespread reports that the Indian government has misrepresented the number of deaths and the true rate of cases could be as much as 30 times higher than reported. The country has a shortage of beds, oxygen, and other essentials due to a failure to adequately prepare for a new surge. Not surprisingly, the Indian government has moved to crackdown on criticism. This included a call to Twitter to censor such information and Twitter has, of course, complied. With the support of many Democratic leaders in the United States, Twitter now regularly censors viewpoints in the United States and India had no trouble in enlisting it to crackdown on those raising the alarm over the government handling of the crisis. Buried in an Associated Press story on the raging pandemic and failures of the Indian government are these two lines: On Saturday, Twitter complied with the governments request and prevented people in India from viewing more than 50 tweets that appeared to criticize the administrations handling of the pandemic. The targeted posts include tweets from opposition ministers critical of Modi, journalists and ordinary Indians. The article quotes Twitter as saying that it had the power to withhold access to the content in India only if the company determined the content to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction. Thus, criticism of the government in this context is illegal so Twitter has agreed to become an arm of the government in censoring information. Keep in mind that that some of this information could be true and actually protect lives. It is not fake news but efforts by journalists and others to disclose failures by the government that could cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Twitters policy states: Content that is demonstrably false or misleading and may lead to significant risk of harm (such as increased exposure to the virus, or adverse effects on public health systems) may not be shared on Twitter. This includes sharing content that may mislead people about the nature of the COVID-19 virus; the efficacy and/or safety of preventative measures, treatments, or other precautions to mitigate or treat the disease; official regulations, restrictions, or exemptions pertaining to health advisories; or the prevalence of the virus or risk of infection or death associated with COVID-19. In addition, we may label Tweets which share misleading information about COVID-19 to reduce their spread and provide additional context. Here critics are saying that Twitter is acting in coordination with the Indian government to censor criticism of its response criticism that could expose significant risks of harm from government neglect. Moreover, Twitter does not appear to be merely flagging the tweets but blocking them at the behest of the government like an out-sourced censor bureau. This is the face of the new censors. The future in speech control is not in the classic state mdia model but the alliance of states with corporate giants like Twitter. Twitter now actively engages in what Democratic leaders approvingly call robust content modification to control viewpoints and political dissent. When Twitters CEO Jack Dorsey came before the Senate to apologize for blocking the Hunter Biden story before the election as a mistake, senators pressed him and other Big Tech executive for more censorship. In that hearing, members like Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., HI) pressed witnesses like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey for assurance that Trump would remain barred from speaking on their platforms: What are both of you prepared to do regarding Donald Trumps use of your platforms after he stops being president, will be still be deemed newsworthy and will he still be able to use your platforms to spread misinformation? Rather than addressing the dangers of such censoring of news accounts, Senator Chris Coons pressed Dorsey to expand the categories of censored material to prevent people from sharing any views that he considers climate denialism. Likewise, Senator Richard Blumenthal seemed to take the opposite meaning from Twitter, admitting that it was wrong to censor the Biden story. Blumenthal said that he was concerned that both of your companies are, in fact, backsliding or retrenching, that you are failing to take action against dangerous disinformation. Accordingly, he demanded an answer to this question: Will you commit to the same kind of robust content modification playbook in this coming election, including fact checking, labeling, reducing the spread of misinformation, and other steps, even for politicians in the runoff elections ahead? Robust content modification has a certain appeal, like a type of software upgrade. It is not content modification. It is censorship. If our representatives are going to crackdown on free speech, they should admit to being advocates for censorship. What is fascinating is how social media companies have privatized censorship. These companies now carry out directives to censor material deemed unlawful or fake or misleading by those in power. The company also shows no compulsion to protect free speech. When India calls for censorship, it just shrugs and say that the dissenting views are now illegal. In the meantime, liberals now support crackdowns on free speech and corporate power over viewpoint expression. We have have been discussing how writers, editors, commentators, and academics have embraced rising calls for censorship and speech controls, including President-elect Joe Biden and his key advisers. Even journalists are leading attacks on free speech and the free press. This includes academics rejecting the very concept of objectivity in journalism in favor of open advocacy. Columbia Journalism Dean and New Yorker writer Steve Coll has denounced how the First Amendment right to freedom of speech was being weaponized to protect disinformation. Liberals now embrace censorship and even declared that China was right on Internet controls. Many Democrats have fallen back on the false narrative that the First Amendment does not regulate private companies so this is not an attack on free speech. Free speech is a human right that is not solely based or exclusively defined by the First Amendment. Censorship by Internet companies is a Little Brother threat long discussed by free speech advocates. Some may willingly embrace corporate speech controls but it is still a denial of free speech. This is why I recently described myself as an Internet Originalist. Twitter is now unabashedly and unapologetically a corporate censor. The question is whether the public will remain silent or, as some, actually embrace the new Orwellian order of robust content modification. Read full story here The 2020 National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate for Awutu Senya Esst, Phylis Naa Koryoo Okunor, has launched a foundation aimed at offering succour to the vulnerable and less privileged Ghanaians. The Naa Koryoo Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Ghana which seeks to render selfless service to humanity especially the vulnerable including women, children and persons with disabilities (PWDs) and unlocked the potential of the youth in the country. The Foundation also aimed at promoting education especially inclusive education in both formal and informal. It also seeks to ensure proper protection for the marginalised and socially-excluded who can be lifted out of poverty and squalor. In her address, the founder of the foundation Mrs. Phyllis Naa Koryoo stated that the phenomenon of street children has become problematic due to a number of factors. Among these causal factors she said are rural-urban income disparities, rapid urbanisation, breakdown of the extended family system, single parenthood and physical and sexual abuse. According to her, any country that does not protect and cater for its children and women is digging its own grave adding that it is the duty of families and all stakeholders to ensure that, the youth are adequately catered for and given all the opportunities for them to unearth their talents. She revealed that by the close of the 20th century, the majority of the people in the world were living in poverty, others who were socially-excluded and marginalised were mostly children and women and the story has not radically changed since the beginning of the 21st century. She said the situation of children and women is getting worse hence the need for all to put shoulders to the wheel to ensure that a similar story is not told by the end of this century. "In Ghana, the common feature in our busy cities is seeing children between the ages of 10-15 roaming and criss-crossing the streets and engaging in menial jobs for their survival" she noted. Touching on the achievements of the Foundation, Naa Koryoo stated that the foundation has achieved a lot in its short existence even before being legally registered as an NGO. Some of the achievements she mentioned as providing counselling services to 500 youth in Kasoa and its environs between 2015 and 2017. The Foundation also held career guidance programmes in 5 basic schools in Kasoa, Opeikuma and Ofaakor. The foundation she said has further organized health and reproductive clinical services for five communities to ensure that the youth especially girls are made aware of the negative effects of teenage pregnancy and other reproductive health challenges. According to her the foundation is will extend its services to communities within the Central Region in particular and the nation as a whole since a well-educated youth guarantees development. She added that the foundation will offer these valuable services to more vulnerable children and youth in the Central Region and across the length and breadth of the country. She said the foundation will as well train community members in the basic skills of healthy living and how to generate income for their wellbeing and partner with other local and international NGOs to reach out to the wider population. The foundation will as well work in partnership with all government agencies mandated to handle children and women issues in the country and rescue the youth from a life of crime and make them responsible and productive citizens. "We are launching this Foundation at a point when the youth of our country are facing so many challenges and it is the duty of the current generation to ensure that the welfare of our youth is catered for. Clearly, no one foundation or the government can do it alone because it is a collective responsibility and the Naa Koryoo Foundation is bringing new ideas and programmes on the table to enable us deal with issues that are confronting the youth, women and persons with disabilities" she noted. 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. Featured Video DUBLIN, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "E-Cigarette Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global e-cigarette market reached a value of US$ 17 Billion in 2020. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that are considered less toxic than traditional cigarettes. Also known as e-cigs, e-vaping devices, vape pens and electronic cigarettes, these cigarettes consist of three main components, namely, a heating coil, battery and an e-liquid cartridge. These components help in delivering dosages of vaporized nicotine or flavored solutions to the users. E-cigarettes are gaining popularity, especially among young adults and adolescents, due to the rising awareness about the harmful effects of traditional tobacco-based cigarettes. However, researchers are still assessing the impact of e-cigarettes on the human body, which is not yet known. Market Drivers: The willingness of consumers to quit smoking tobacco products and their perception of e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes have led to the increased demand for these devices across the globe. In line with this, the manufacturers are introducing new-generation e-cigarettes which offer different strengths of nicotine and allow the users to refill the cartridge. Moreover, the leading manufacturers are acquiring or entering into partnerships with small and domestic vendors. For instance, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) acquired the UK-based e-cigarette brand E-Lites to develop new products and to commercialize its vaporizers worldwide. These players are also introducing an extensive range of flavors, such as tobacco, fruits and botanicals, in response to the evolving consumer preferences. Further, they are developing the designs of and technology used in e-cigarettes to improve their functioning. According to the publisher, the global e-cigarette market is expected to exhibit strong growth during 2021-2026. Report Market: Historical, Current and Future Market Trends Market Breakup by Product: Modular E-Cigarette Rechargeable E-Cigarette Next-Generation E-Cigarette Disposable E-Cigarette Next-generation e-cigarettes currently represent the most popular product type in the market as they provide significant technology upgrades and extended battery life. Market Breakup by Flavor: Tobacco Botanical Fruit Sweet Beverage Others Amongst these, tobacco is the most preferred flavor among consumers since it offers a similar taste as that of conventional cigarettes. Market Breakup by Mode of Operation: Automatic E-Cigarette Manual E-Cigarette At present, automatic e-cigarettes dominate the market since these cigarettes have emerged as a user-friendly option for smokers and gives them the feel of an actual cigarette. Market Breakup by Distribution Channel: Specialist E-Cig Shops Online Supermarkets and Hypermarkets Tobacconist Others Presently, e-cigarettes are majorly distributed through specialty e-cigarette shops as the majority of customers are individuals who have quit smoking. The staff of these shops plays a central role in providing customers with product information and many provide smoking cessation advice. Breakup by Region: Asia Pacific Europe North America Middle East and Africa and Latin America Region-wise, North America enjoys the leading position in the market, accounting for majority of the total global market. Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the market is characterized by the presence of several manufacturers who compete in terms of price and quality. Some of the key players are: Philip Morris International Inc. Altria Group Inc. British American Tobacco PLC Japan Tobacco, Inc. Imperial Tobacco Group International Vapor Group Nicotek LLC NJOY Inc. Reynolds American Inc. VMR Products LLC MCIG Inc. ITC Limited J WELL France Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the global e-cigarette market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What are the key regional markets in the global e-cigarette industry? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global e-cigarette market? What is the breakup of the market based on the product type? What is the breakup of the market based on the flavor? What is the breakup of the market based on the mode of operation? What is the breakup of the market based on the distribution channel? What are the various stages in the value chain of the global e-cigarette industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the global e-cigarette industry? What is the structure of the global e-cigarette industry and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the global e-cigarette industry? What are the profit margins in the global e-cigarette industry? For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fm20a4 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission set the 2021-22 migratory gamebird hunting seasons, heard a preview of the hunting season regulations, and updates on Asian carp and chronic wasting disease (CWD) at its April meeting which concluded Friday at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. The migratory gamebird seasons are set each year. All changes are within the federal framework and include simple date changes for the 2021-22 calendar. There is a modification to the crow season which will allow it to coincide with phase 1 of the dove season. All sandhill crane tags will be issued by computer drawing. The changes include additional language for veterans and active military personnel waterfowl hunting days. During the veterans and active military personnel waterfowl season, non-veteran or non-active military personnel may be present, however, only veterans or active military persons may hunt. When other migratory bird seasons (e.g. goose seasons) are open during the veterans and active military waterfowl season, any properly licensed youth or adult not accompanied by veterans or active military may harvest legal game. The 2021-22 crow season is June 12-July 12 (phase 1), Sept. 1-first Sunday in September (phase 2), second Friday in September-Dec. 20 (phase 3, Friday, Saturday, Sunday only) and Jan. 1-Feb 28 (phase 4, no day restrictions). Slight adjustments to the hunting seasons proposals include adding Henderson County and applicable WMAs therein to Unit CWD, clarification of eligible test results to the Replacement Buck Program, and the addition of Beech River and the Henderson County portion of Natchez Trace State Forest to the August deer hunt. The other items on the proclamation included the addition of events at Buffalo Ridge Refuge in Humprheys County and the movement of a youth dove hunt from Owl Hollow WMA to the nearby Mingo Swamp WMA for safety reasons. The full proposals will be posted soon on the TWRA website. A comment period will be open to the public and the TFWC will vote on the proposals at its May meeting. Hunting seasons are set every two years. However, the commission is allowed to make amendments to the proclamation. With five new commissioners on board, a review of CWD was given. Since CWD was discovered in Tennessee in late 2018, a response team was enabled. Goals for management include to keep the disease from spreading, keep the number of infected deer to a minimum, and reduce prevalence rates where available. Dr. Krysten Schuler, from Cornell University, joined the meeting via Zoom to provide an overview of a collaborative CWD-modeling project of which TWRA is a member. TWRA Chief of Fisheries Frank Fiss presented an overview of the Asian carp problem and ongoing control efforts. Asian carp are still abundant in the Mississippi River and its tributaries, and in the lower reservoirs of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. There are no new reports of carp in upper Tennessee River reservoirs. Control of carp by commercial harvest continues on Kentucky and Barkley lakes, where more than 7 million pounds have been removed through TWRAs Asian Carp Harvest Incentive Program (ACHIP) since September of 2018. Recent grants for the construction of additional cold storage have increased purchasing capacity. As a result, commercial fishers harvested 930,000 pounds of carp in March 2021, which is nearly double the highest harvest recorded in previous months. TWRA and its partners continue to monitor carp populations and their movements while developing strategies to reduce or stop their upstream movement through locks. A report was given from the Boating and Law Enforcement Division. The process will begin soon to interview candidates for six current wildlife officer positions. Representatives from the Tennessee Wildlife Federation made a presentation on the Scholastic Clay Target Program. Award-winning past participants Eli Christman and Minmay Pup also spoke of the benefits they have experienced as a result of the program. The School of Business in Amsterdam University, Netherlands, has come under criticism for devaluing bachelor degrees from Africa, apart from South Africa and Ghana. The school recently said a Bachelors degree from an African country is not enough to secure admissions for its Masters degree programme. For eligibility, applicants with an African bachelors degree (except for South-Africa and Ghana) will need a bachelors degree and a Masters degree in the field of economics and business, an information on its web page read. Information for students with an African bachelors degree. An African bachelors degree is generally the equivalent of 2 years of academic education in the Netherlands. Discriminatory The controversial requirement has, however, been tagged discriminatory and an attempt to undermine the capabilities and potentials of Africans in academics. A Nigerian and former assistant professor at the university, Michael Eze, described the usage of African Degree as an abuse of the African pedigree. Shame on you Amsterdam University Business School! First, Africa is not a country! Theres nothing like an African Degree. Second, the sheer arrogance of epistemic superiority is an intellectual fraud! I used the so-called African degree to get a PhD from Cambridge! This universal discrimination is racist!!! he wrote on Facebook. Polly Pallister-Wilkins, an assistant professor in international relations and conflict resolution and governance in Amsterdam University also called out the school on Twitter. Errrr hello @UvA_Amsterdam maybe you can answer what this is doing on the webpage of the Business School? What pray tell is an African bachelors degree? And how did you come to such a descriptor from assessing the university offerings of *checks notes* 54 countries. Errrr hello @UvA_Amsterdam maybe you can answer what this is doing on the webpage of the Business School? What pray tell is an African bachelors degree? And how did you come to such a descriptor from assessing the university offerings of *checks notes* 54 countries. https://t.co/eVhLYxL4I2 Polly Pallister-Wilkins (@PollyWilkins) April 23, 2021 Furaha Asani, a PhD holder in the United Kingdom, also questioned the generalisation in the description of an African degree. My bff (best friend) brought this to my attention and Im really wondering what an African bachelors degree is? And what evaluation gave rise to the confidence in this generalisation? Interesting. My bff brought this to my attention and I'm really wondering what an "African bachelor's degree" is? And what evaluation gave rise to the confidence in this generalisation? Interesting. pic.twitter.com/GD221o91Rs Furaha Asani (@DrFuraha_Asani) April 23, 2021 Another Twitter user, Tracy Kadessa, alleged that it is a move targeted at discouraging International students from Africa. I find that Netherlands and Denmark have polite racism and this is one of the ways they do it, to discourage a certain group of international students because theyre trying so hard not to have immigrants from the dark continent. I find that Netherlands and Denmark have "polite" racism and this is one of the ways they do it, to discourage a certain group of international students because they're trying so hard not to have immigrants from the dark continent Tracy Kadessa (@kadesatracy) April 23, 2021 Patronising characterises the attitude nicely. ADVERTISEMENT #Africa should be intensifying her efforts to sharpen the quality of what we produce. We need to aim to be the standard. The world should look to our universities were research and academic excellence is concerned. We can do this, another user, MP_Author tweeted. Patronising characterises the attitude nicely.#Africa should be intensifying her efforts to sharpen the quality of what we produce. We need to aim to be the "standard". The world should look to our universities were research and academic excellence is concerned. We can do this. Maruping Phepheng (@MP_Author) April 24, 2021 Apology, retraction However, Marja Meer, a spokesperson of the school told PREMIUM TIMES that the information on the schools website was incorrect, then apologised for the inaccuracies. Thank you for bringing to our attention that there are inaccuracies on our masters programme website. The information that is currently there, is indeed incorrect. We deeply regret this and will amend it as soon as possible, Ms Meer said in response to the email enquiry sent by our reporter. Meanwhile, in the amended version of the information on its website, the school gave an obscure explanation on how a bachelors degree obtained in certain African countries differs but did not rescind its earlier stance. The only difference, when compared to the previous post, is that the school failed to name specific African countries whose Bachelors degrees guarantee a direct entry to its programme. While it explained the major difference between the Dutch system of higher education and other international systems of higher education, it was silent on the superiority of some African degrees. The most important difference is that in the Netherlands we uphold a difference between a university of applied sciences and a research university, like the University of Amsterdam. In order to be eligible for an academic masters degree at our research university (the majority are one-year Master programmes), all students, both Dutch and international, need to have completed an academic bachelors degree from a research university. In general, although this differs per country, a bachelors degree obtained in certain countries on the African continent does give direct entry to a programme at the Amsterdam University of Applied Science. However, depending per country, a completed bachelors degree (with the exception of some countries where they offer 5- or 6- year bachelors degrees) does not give direct entry to one of our academic Master programmes at our research university. Usually, an additional completed masters degree in the field of economics and/or business is needed for direct entry, it said. For further clarifications, the school advised prospective applicants to consult the country specific details on Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education in the Netherlands. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Here is a milestone to be proud of since mid-December, New Mexico has administered more than 1.48 million vaccine doses. More than 56% of New Mexicans aged 26 and older have received their first vaccine; 38% are fully vaccinated. Thankfully, our vaccine rollout is working; New Mexico is leading the nation in the percentage of residents fully vaccinated. New cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 have dropped significantly, although we unfortunately still see new cases and New Mexicans dying from the disease. Still, hope is in the air. We are seeing patients return for check-ups, immunizations and postponed surgeries. We are memorializing and closing our dedicated COVID-units. We are contemplating summer barbecues and long-awaited family trips. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In New Mexico, we have all focused for months on the logistical challenges of providing vaccines to as many New Mexicans as possible. At the same time, our community cant forget about the tremendous suffering we experienced with COVID-19. In November, we saw our highest number of COVID-19 patients in Presbyterian hospitals. Our health care teams saw families decimated. They saw patients spend months in the hospital and cheered as they were finally well enough to go home, with months of recovery still ahead. This is why we vaccinate to avoid the destruction that COVID-19 can bring to our families. We vaccinate for each other. This month, federal agencies took the cautious step of pausing distribution of Johnson & Johnson vaccines due to six cases of a rare and serious blood clot condition. With 6.8 million doses already provided, that is a rate of less than 1 in a million. As we await further guidance, it is important to consider what we should take away from this pause. It does not mean that if you have already received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine you should be worried. It does mean that scientists are reviewing evidence, and health systems like ours will adjust our approach based on their guidance. If you are still on the fence about getting a vaccine, here is what is most important all available options are extremely effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19. Getting any of these vaccines offer our best hope of coming out of this pandemic, together. And that, as nurses and physicians on COVID-19 units across New Mexico will tell you, is exactly what we want to see. Hong Kong: Govt support for book fair exhibitors The Government today said it will allocate $10 million under the Anti-epidemic Fund to provide a one-off $15,000 financial assistance to each local exhibitor registered with the Hong Kong Book Fair 2020. The event, originally scheduled for July last year, was deferred twice due to COVID-19. The Commerce & Economic Development Bureau said the annual book fair is the main sales and promotional platform for the local publishing and printing sector. The Book Fair 2020 being deferred twice has seriously affected the exhibitors. The financial aid could help them explore online sales and other sales channels before the book fairs next edition, thereby helping tide the trade over this challenging time, the bureau added. Around 610 eligible local exhibitors except government departments will benefit from the measure. Book fair organiser the Trade Development Council, will soon follow up with the exhibitors concerned on the disbursement arrangements. The majority of payments are expected to be made in May. Subject to the epidemics development, the next edition of the book fair is tentatively scheduled for this July. This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. (CNN) The United States plans to share millions of doses of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine with other countries in the coming months, the White House announced on Monday. "Today we announced that the administration is looking at options to share American-made AstraZeneca vaccine doses during the next few months," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during Monday's White House press briefing. Psaki indicated that the decision was made because of the US' available supply of other Covid-19 vaccines approved for use. The US has tens of millions of AstraZeneca vaccines stockpiled but none have been used because it has not yet been granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration. "Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the United States has already authorized and that is available in large quantities, including two two-dose vaccines and one one-dose vaccine, and given that AstraZeneca is not authorized for use in the United States, we do not need to use AstraZeneca in our fight against Covid over the next few months," Psaki said. Psaki said the FDA will conduct a quality review of doses before they can leave the country and that the US' plan to distribute the vaccine is still being developed. The White House has not said which countries will get the vaccine. A senior administration official said later on Monday that there could be up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine available to be shared with other countries in the next two months, assuming the FDA issues an emergency use authorization for the vaccine. "We expect that there are approximately 10 million doses that could be released, if and when FDA gets gives its concurrence, which could happen in the coming weeks. Further, there's an estimated additional 50 million doses that are in various stages of production and these could be completed in stages across May and June," the senior administration official said. Multiple world leaders have pressed Biden to share doses as other countries have struggled to ramp up vaccinations. One of those countries is India, which is currently going through one of the worst Covid surges in the world. Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on Monday. Modi did not make a specific request for vaccines when he spoke with Biden, according to senior administration officials. One official said that the US is looking at ways it can bolster vaccine production in India and other countries, focusing specifically on mRNA vaccines. And Psaki stated on Monday that as "requested by India," the US would provide "raw materials for the production of AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine," but she did not answer if actual doses of that vaccine would go to the country. The Associated Press was first to report on the administration's plan to distribute AstraZeneca doses with other countries. It could be some time before other countries receive these vaccines, the White House cautioned Monday. "Just to be clear, right now, we have zero doses available of AstraZeneca," Psaki told reporters. Following a FDA quality review, there could be 10 million available in the coming weeks, but it will likely be May or June before closer to 60 million are finished. "So, this is not immediate." Countries have been eagerly petitioning the US for shipments of vaccines as doses are snapped up by wealthier nations. Biden administration officials have described near-daily phone calls from allies -- poor and rich alike -- seeking help securing vaccine doses. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said the company could not comment on specific details of the distribution plan, but underscored that the doses "are part of AstraZeneca's supply commitments to the US government." "Decisions to send US supply to other countries are made by the US government," the spokesperson added. The US is expected to have a surplus of vaccines in the hundreds of millions of doses. Some of those doses have already been sent to Mexico and Canada as part of what the US has referred to as a "loan." Psaki would not say on Monday whether the US would distribute its additional trove of AstraZeneca vaccines to the international community on a loan or gifted basis. The US has taken initial steps to help other countries ramp up vaccinations, including by boosting global manufacturing and appointing Gayle Smith, a former director of the US Agency for International Development, to coordinate the international response to the coronavirus pandemic. But "vaccine diplomacy" has been sharply limited by concerns among Biden administration officials that unforeseen factors may necessitate a stockpile of doses, including requiring boosters, the spread of variants, and the still-uncertain nature of which vaccine works best among children. Political concerns have also weighed on officials, who are wary of sending doses abroad before every American can access them. So far, nearly 54% of adults in the US have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to data published Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Biden said in March that if there was a surplus of vaccines, "we're going to share it with the rest of the world." However, he has repeatedly underscored that vaccines will not be sent without taking care of the American population first. "We're looking at what is going to be done with some of the vaccines that we are not using. We got to make sure they are safe to be sent. And we hope to be able to be of some hope and value to countries around the world," Biden said earlier this month. Other countries like Russia and China -- regimes where the political downside of sending vaccines abroad have little bearing on leaders' decision-making -- have far outpaced the US in distributing vaccines, expanding their influence in places like Southeast Asia. This story was first published on CNNcom, "US to begin sharing AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine doses soon." BEIJING, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mr. Zhang Yuzhuo, chairman of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (HKG: 0386, "Sinopec"), shares his perspective on carbon neutrality, the development prospects of carbon neutrality and the overall strategic layout of hydrogen energy, during an interview with well-known media on April 17. Logo (PRNewsfoto/Sinopec) To watch the show, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZoUGFawsKE. "It's our goal to become the No.1 hydrogen enterprise in China, to achieve a systematic layout of the entire hydrogen energy industry chain that will make hydrogen refueling as convenient as gas refueling," said Mr. Zhang. "In the future, Sinopec will gradually expand our hydrogen energy operations as well as other renewable energy sources to advance the development of a combined 'petroleum, gas, hydrogen, electric and non-petroleum service.'" Sinopec's confidence in creating the leading hydrogen enterprise stems from the current scale of its hydrogen production, which is the largest in China, as well as its acceleration in building the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen energy that lays a solid foundation for all elements of hydrogen energy including transportation, storage, filling and application, as well as having a firm grasp of the relevant laws, costs and safety aspects. In recent years, Sinopec has continuously increased investment in the field of hydrogen energy and devised plans to develop it as an key emerging strategic business. Sinopec has integrated the entire hydrogen energy industry to cover fields including capital operations, technology R&D, production, logistics, network building and social cooperation, and has achieved breakthroughs in constructing hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen production technologies, hydrogen fuel batteries and hydrogen storage materials. Currently, Sinopec has an annual hydrogen production capacity exceeding 3.5 million tons, which accounts for 14 percent of the national total. The company plans to build and operate 100 hydrogen refueling stations in 2021, and 1,000 in next five years, to lead the high-quality industrial development of hydrogen energy. Story continues About Sinopec Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest integrated energy and chemical companies in China. Its principal operations include the exploration and production, pipeline transportation and sale of petroleum and natural gas; the sale, storage and transportation of petroleum products, petrochemical products, coal chemical products, synthetic fiber, fertilizer and other chemical products; the import and export, including an import and export agency business, of petroleum, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemical and chemical products, and other commodities and technologies; and research, development and application of technologies and information. Sinopec sets 'fueling beautiful life' as its corporate mission, puts 'people, responsibility, integrity, precision, innovation and win-win' as its corporate core values, pursues strategies of value-orientation, innovation-driven development, integrated resource allocation, open cooperation, and green and low-carbon growth, and strives to achieve its corporate vision of building a world leading energy and chemical company. For more information, please visit: http://www.sinopec.com/ Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mr-zhang-yuzhuo-chairman-of-sinopec-talks-about-hydrogen-development-301276554.html SOURCE Sinopec Frances McDormand let out a wolf howl as Nomadland won best picture at the Oscars in one of the most bizarre moments of Sunday night's ceremony - and now director Chloe Zhao has revealed why. Zhao, who won best director, said the wolf howl was intended as a tribute to the film's sound engineer Michael Snyder, who went by his middle name Wolf to friends and died by suicide in March this year at the age of 35. 'We give this one to our Wolf,' McDormand said before throwing her head back and imitating a wolf's cry. Speaking after the ceremony, Zhao elaborated: 'The howling is for our production sound mixer who you saw in the memorial. 'We unfortunately lost him recently... He's part of the family.' Frances McDormand's howl during last night's Oscars was revealed to have been a tribute to the film's late sound engineer Michael Wolf Snyder (pictured) Snyder (right) is pictured with actress Frances McDormand on the set of their Oscar winning film Nomadland Snyder, born in New York was the son of a psychiatrist and graduated from New York University with a BFA in Film/Cinema/Video Studies. His debut credit came on the 2011 thriller Occupant. In 2014, he co-wrote, co-produced and mixed a short film called Jodie's Way about a highschooler questioning their gender identity who has a run in with a group of girls. Snyder's other credits include the Amazon series Good Omens starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen, and mini-series HodoBuzz. He also worked on Zhao's breakthrough feature film The Rider which was released in 2017. Zhao honored Snyder last month, dedicating her Critics Choice Award for best director to him. Snyder, born in New York was the son of a psychiatrist and graduated from New York University with a BFA in Film/Cinema/Video Studies His debut credit came on the 2011 thriller Occupant. In 2014, he co-wrote, co-produced and mixed a short film called Jodie's Way about a highschooler questioning their gender identity who has a run in with a group of girls 'I remember on 'The Rider,' because we only had five people on our crew, and after a really hectic day, Wolf came to me and said, 'Hey, Chloe, how about I just record room tone a little bit longer than I need so I can buy you some time to think, to hear yourself better?'' she said. 'And that's what we did. And we did the same thing on 'Nomadland,' Zhao said. 'And these were the best moments of our day. The whole crew together, watching Wolf, and he would say, 'All right, everyone, get ready. Let's go to your Zen place.' And we did. So thank you, Wolf. We honor you and we'll see you down the road, my friend.' Snyder's death was announced by his aunt, Cathy Snyder, who shared a message from Snyder's father David in a Facebook post last month. At the end of the acceptance speech for Nomadland's Oscar win for best film, actress Frances McDormand let out a howl in tribute to Snyder 'Michael took his own life sometime in the last week and wasn't discovered until I went to check on him Monday after he had dropped out of contact for several days. He has suffered from Major Depression for many years. For most people, this is an illness that waxes and wanes over the years. 'I'm sure it was difficult for Michael that he spent most of the last year alone in his small, Queens apartment, being responsible about dealing with the coronavirus. In spite of this, we all believed he was doing well, and for most of this past year I think he was. 'He seemed especially joyful and invigorated in these last few months since he was able to return to work on several different film projects. He was certainly thrilled about all of the accolades for Nomadland and told us many happy stories about his work on the film and the amazing people he got to spend time with.' 'We have always known how much Wolf loved his work in film; it was the brightest spot in his life.' This year, Michael was nominated for best sound/effects at the CinEuphoria awards for Chloe Zhao's Nomadland. 'His additional credits in the sound department include Zhao's The Rider, mini-series HodoBuzz and Good Omens, and numerous short films. On set over the last decade, his roles ranged from sound mixer to boom operator, location sound recordist and sound director.' In the message, Snyder's father urged others struggling with depression to seek support. 'I hope that the shocking nature of Michael's death will alert others to speak up, risk being vulnerable, and seek the help that they need,' he wrote. When life is difficult, Samaritans are here day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch. In the United States, help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can call them for free 24/7 on 1-800-273-8255. Chennai, April 26 : The Greater Chennai Corporation is planning to open a 500-bed Covid care centre with an Oxygen facility as the pandemic surges in the city. The corporation is looking to open the centre at Guindy trade centre, Kilpauk Indoor stadium or KP Park. The preparations to convert these places into Covid centres have already begun, an official with the corporation told IANS. The management of Oxygen pipeline and supply will be entrusted with senior medical professionals and these centres which are used for asymptomatic patients will be converted to full-fledged centres once a green signal is obtained from the government. At present, there are 11,645 beds available at 13 Covid care centres and Chennai corporation has tied up with hospitals and medical colleges for medical staff to these centres. Jerusalem Engineering College, Mohammed Sahtak Nursing College and St Joseph's staff will be allowed this week. The public health department and hospitals will be in charge of the medical facilities while the Civic body will provide food, housekeeping and other staff. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) KYIV. April 26 (Interfax-Ukraine) Some 68% of Ukrainian citizens believe that the direction of events in the country is wrong, according to the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF) with the assistance of New Image Marketing Group from April 9 to April 18 and presented at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday. According to the survey, only 17% of respondents say that Ukraine moves in the right direction, and another 15% cannot decide. One of the most pressing problems in Ukraine, 40% of those polled called the war in Donbas, 36% linked the problems with low wages and pensions, 31% with corruption, 29% with high utility rates, and 27% with a pandemic. At the same time, it is noted that in March it was the problem of the war in Donbas that ranked first in the anti-rating. Some 56% of citizens are sure that their rights and freedoms are not violated, and 44% noted that such violations are present. In case of violation of their rights, citizens would choose mostly peaceful and non-violent methods to protect their rights and freedoms. First of all, this is the collection of signatures (26%), sanctioned rallies and actions (22%), and electronic petitions (16%). Road closures (15%) are the single most popular protest methods that go beyond the sanctioned limits. In general, radical actions gain no more than 5-6% and lag significantly behind moderate measures. The number of citizens who are not ready to defend their rights has remained almost unchanged since March (41%). The sociological survey was conducted by the "face-to-face" method using a structured interactive questionnaire. Audience included the population of Ukraine aged 18 and over in all regions, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. The sample was 2,400 respondents. The error of the representativeness of the survey with a confidence level of 0.95 does not exceed 2.05%. Xi exchanges congratulatory messages with Lao president on 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties Xinhua) 08:20, April 26, 2021 Photo taken on May 31, 2020 shows the construction site of the China-Laos Railway in northern Laos. (Photo by Pan Longzhu/Xinhua) Since the two sides established diplomatic relationship 60 years ago, China and Laos have maintained mutual understanding and enjoyed sincere exchanges, with both sides sticking to the practice and promotion of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, said Xi. BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday exchanged congratulatory messages with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and Lao president, over the 60th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In his message, Xi said China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors and an unbreakable community with a shared future. Since the two sides established diplomatic relationship 60 years ago, China and Laos have maintained mutual understanding and enjoyed sincere exchanges, with both sides sticking to the practice and promotion of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, said Xi. That has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries, set up a model for inter-state relations, and made positive contributions to pushing ahead the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said. Workers unload China-donated vaccines at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, on Feb. 8, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China and Laos have stood together and worked hand in hand fighting the pandemic, vividly illustrating the spirit of a community with a shared future which features supporting each other through thick and thin. Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Laos bilateral relations, Xi said that he stands ready to work with Thongloun to implement the action plan on the China-Laos community with a shared future as the main line, promote high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation, and consistently promote the building of such a community in the next 60 years, so that people of the two countries can forever be good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners. In his message, Thongloun warmly congratulated the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi as the core on its great achievements in promoting the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and sincerely thanked China for its valuable assistance and vigorous support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the social and economic development. Noting that the Laos-China relations are at their best in history, Thongloun said that Laos is ready to deepen its comprehensive strategic cooperation with China, expand friendly exchanges in various fields and promote constant development in building the Laos-China community with a shared future. Aerial photo taken on Dec. 20, 2020 shows a view of the Vientiane-Vangvieng section of the China-Laos expressway in Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulations with his Lao counterpart, Phankham Viphavanh. In his message, Li said that standing at a new historical starting point, the Chinese side is willing to consolidate political mutual trust with the Lao side, enhance win-win cooperation of mutual benefits, successfully conduct celebratory events for the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties and the Year of China-Laos Friendship, constantly enrich the China-Laos community with a shared future, and inject strong momentum into the comprehensive strategic cooperation with Laos. For his part, Phankham said that Laos has always cherished the Laos-China friendly relations, and is willing to carry forward the fine traditions with China, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and make concrete progress in building the Laos-China community with a shared future. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. In a break from the America First policy, President Joe Biden's administration is "working round the clock" to immediately send India raw material needed for making Covishield and other products needed in the fight against the COVID-19 surge overtaking the nation, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Recalling the assistance sent by India to the US in the early phase of the pandemic last year, he told India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in a phone call on Sunday that "the United States is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplie", Sullivan's Spokesperson Emily Horne said. Sullivan told Doval that Washington "also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis," she said in a readout of their conversation. The US will also send India anti-COVID supplies like test kits, ventilators, medications and personal protective equipment used by frontline workers. The National Defence Production Act invoked by former President Donald Trump banned the export of vaccine raw materials and some other COVID-related products and have continued under Biden. The decision to lift the embargo for India on the export of vaccine raw materials comes after nearly two weeks of requests from Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India, and others in India. But as recently as Friday various US government spokespersons would not say if the Biden administration would lift the embargo. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday that the "first obligation" was to the American people and added, "It's in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated". But as calls grew for helping India, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken gave a hint on Saturday that India may get the material to fight the pandemic surge. He tweeted, "We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India's health care heroes." Horne said in the readout, "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its time of need." After some physicians had said that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) could be a treatment for COVID-19, last April Trump had personally asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift his ban on its exports and supply the drug to the US. India sent about 50 million doses of HCQ to the US and thanking Modi, Trump said, "We will remember it." Now the next president's administration is remembering it, even though the emergency use authorisation for HCQ's in hospital settings in the US was withdrawn and a huge cache of it sits unused while Modi's decision was crticised in India. India has been sharing its vaccine production with countries around the world, sending nearly 65 million doses to 86 countries. Horne said, "Sullivan affirmed America's solidarity with India, the two countries with the greatest number of COVID-19 cases in the world" and they both "resolved that India and the United States will continue to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic together." The readout, listing what India will receive, said, "The United States has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine that will immediately be made available for India. To help treat COVID-19 patients and protect front-line health workers in India, the United States has identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and personal protective equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India." The US is also deploying an expert team of public health advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID to work with the embassy in Delhi, India's Health Ministry, and India's Epidemic Intelligence Service, the readout said. USAID, which is the international assistance arm of the US, "will also quickly work with CDC to support and fast-track the mobilization of emergency resources available to India through the Global Fund," it said. The Global Fund is an international collaboration to fight epidemics and serious diseases. Looking ahead, the readout said, "The U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding a substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for BioE (Biological E), the vaccine manufacturer in India, enabling BioE to ramp up to produce at least one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022." Biological E, a Hyderabad-based company, is set to conduct Phase 3 trials for a vaccine developed by Baylor University and Dynavax Technologies Corporation in the US. At the March summit of Quad, Biden and Modi, along with Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Scott Morrison of Australia agreed on a joint plan to help other countries with vaccines that would be made in India with US and Japanese finance and distributed using Australian logistics. Democratic members of the House of Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ro Khanna asked Biden to open the spigot on the excess vaccines for India, but from the readout of the Sullivan-Doval meeting it did not appear that as yet there was an agreement on the vaccines. Krishnamoorthi pointed out that the US had about 40 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is distributed in India under the Covishield brand name, and had begun supplying some of it to Canada and the US. He said that he would "strongly call on the Biden Administration to release millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses to countries hardest-hit by the spread of COVID-19, including India, Argentina, and potentially others." "I applaud the Biden Administration's decision to put people over profits," Khanna said welcoming the decision to give India the raw materials and other supplies, and added, "The Biden Administration can still do more, like give India our stockpile of AstraZeneca vaccines that won't be used in the US." Biden's chief adviser on the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony Fauci, said on a TV programme on Sunday that sending vaccines to India was under consideration. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2021 / Further to our March 2nd, 2021 news release, JNC Resources Inc. ("JNC" or the "Company") and Southern Precious Metals Limited ("SPML") are pleased to announce the closing in escrow of the Definitive Agreement in which JNC has effectively acquired a 100% interest in SPML, and its subsidiary which hold 100% interests in the Malebo and Solomons Properties in New South Wales (NSW) Australia. The Company issued six million (6,000,000) common shares (the "Purchase Shares") to the shareholders ("Shareholders") of SPML in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding shares of SPML. The SPML Shareholders have entered into undertakings wherein the Purchase Shares, which are otherwise free-trading, will be released as to 25% on closing (the "Closing"), 25% on October 23, 2021, an additional 25% on April 23, 2022 and the balance on October 23, 2022. The Purchase Shares are currently being held in escrow pending New South Wales ministerial approval ("Ministerial Approval") of the change in control of SPML. The Company has made application to the minister for such approval and provided prescribed due diligence information on the Company as part of such application process. Once Ministerial Approval is obtained, the definitive Closing of the acquisition will occur and the escrow closing documents will be released from escrow. About JNC Resources Inc. JNC is a North American-based junior mineral exploration company with a goal to develop under-explored properties and benefit from deal flow generated by strategic partnerships and growth opportunities. Currently the Company is developing its 100% optioned Triple 9 Project in South Central British Columbia. The Triple 9 Project is a gold property with a new discovery of high levels of base metals, located 20 km from the town of Sicamous. JNC also has an option agreement with Great Basin Resources to acquire 100% control and interest in the Imperial Project in Nevada. The Imperial Property is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, which has been a prolific mining area in the state. The Property is in close proximity to the town of Goldfields, where gold production occurred in the early part of the 20th century. JNC has recently acquired the Malebo and Solomon claims in the province of New South Wales, Australia, with an exploration program planned in 2021. For further information please contact: Michael Mulberry T: 778-855-5001 info@jncresources.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in applicable forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in such statements. NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: JNC Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/642011/JNC-Resources-Closes-Definitive-Agreement-with-Southern-Precious-Metals-Ltd-in-Escrow Authorities in Washington County arrested a man they believe shot and killed a man in Midvale earlier this month. The man arrested is a person police interviewed and released after the shooting. Terry Ash, 41, of Midvale, was booked into the Washington County Jail on suspicion of murder, according to a news release from the Washington County Sheriffs Office. Ash is accused of shooting and killing 43-year-old Matthew Banning on April 11 in the 100 block of S. School Road in Midvale. Deputies interviewed Ash shortly after the shooting, and he was later released after claiming he acted in self-defense. Washington County Sheriff Matt Thomas told the Statesman shortly after the incident that Ash allegedly admitted to shooting Banning. Ash is being held at the Weiser jail in lieu of a $1 million bond amount, according to the Sheriffs Office news release. As of Monday morning, court records do not show that Ash has been officially charged in connection with Bannings death. Utah man extradited to Idaho A Salt Lake City man was extradited back to Idaho to face charges after DNA linked him to a sexual assault that took place in 2018 in Ada County. Nicholas Campbell, 30, was booked into the Ada County Jail around 4:30 a.m. Monday on felony counts of battery with intent to commit a serious felony and a count of infliction of great bodily injury, according to the jails online booking report. Court records show Campbell was charged earlier this month on the two counts, as well as a felony count of destroying, altering or concealing evidence. Campbell is accused of attacking a woman who was jogging in a neighborhood near Lake Hazel and Maple Grove roads south of Boise. The attack took place on Nov. 30, 2018. Investigators gathered DNA evidence shortly after the attack and recently linked it to Campbell. Police say he is a person of interest in at least one other sexual assault case. He is being held at the jail in lieu of a $1 million bail. Court records show Campbell is set to appear for a video arraignment hearing Monday afternoon. The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor believes a non-partisan approach will win the battle of protecting Ghanas natural resources. He made this known during his two-day official working visit to the Western Region which commenced from Monday, April 26 to Wednesday, April 28. The minister, on Monday, paid a courtesy call on Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Regional Minister as well as the Regional Security Council (REGSEC). The Damongo MP is also scheduled to visit the palace of Nana Kobina Nketsia V, the Esikado-Omanhene before he starts his meetings with the Regional Land and Forest sector agencies. He is accompanied by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands, Forestry and Mines Speaking to regional heads, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor said expressed happiness to be in the region which has the larger portion of Ghana's natural resources. He reiterated President Akufo-Addos commitment to protecting Ghanas natural resources to benefit the entire country. Hon Abu Jinapor further indicated that to ensure the country's natural resources are adequately protected, a non-partisan approach is cardinal and lauded the leadership of the relevant Committee of Parliament (Committee of Lands and Forestry and Mines and Energy) for their single purpose of mind. Since he took office, the Minister has been touching base with agencies under his ministry to familiarize himself with them and have first-hand knowledge of happenings within the sector. On his part, the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, was delighted to receive the minister and his entourage, and expressed optimism that with their collaboration the region and the country will be a better place to live with no environmental concerns. He assured the minister he will do his best together with chiefs and people in the region to help him execute and achieve the mandate assigned him. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video GF has invested more than $15 billion in its Fab 8 facility over the last decade to support innovation and manufacturing capacity. In 2021, the company is doubling its planned investment to expand global capacity, with $500 million targeted for Malta, NY alone. The move from GF's previous headquarters to its state-of-the-art fab in New York is part of the company's commitment to address the soaring global chip demand, with a focus on semiconductor manufacturing innovation. GF will maintain a substantial presence in Santa Clara, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, where many of GF's leading U.S. customers and ecosystem partners are based. "Today, GF's Fab 8 in New York is a $15 billion advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility and one that is playing a key role in the transformation of our industry to meet rapidly accelerating demand," said GF CEO Tom Caulfield. "As a native New Yorker, son of a NYC firefighter, and manufacturer at heart, I am personally proud to be making upstate New York GF's new headquarters. Our amazing 3,000-person workforce, in partnership with our local, state, and federal leaders, will together build on GF's success, solidifying the Empire State's place as one of a few world-class semiconductor manufacturing hubs at a time when our national and economic security depends more and more on what we can make here at home." Caulfield added, "I would like to thank Senator Schumer for his steadfast support for GF over the years and his tireless leadership in forging a bipartisan coalition in Congress that together with the Administration fully appreciates the need for a secure and resilient domestic semiconductor supply chain. The time for the Endless Frontier Act is now, and once approved by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, GF stands ready to do our part by expanding in upstate New York and creating many more high-paying American jobs. Our ambitious goal is to double our capacity at this site in the years to come in partnership with our customers, local, state and federal governments. We can do this." "GlobalFoundries' transition of its headquarters to Fab 8 in Malta is further indication of the company's commitment to growth in New York and to the Empire State's leadership in the semiconductor industry," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who successfully passed into law new federal semiconductor manufacturing and R&D incentives in last year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). "The chips that GlobalFoundries manufactures here in Malta are critical to our national security and to our economic competitiveness across key industries. I have worked closely with GlobalFoundries over the years to look for opportunities to expand their presence in New York and I am now pushing to secure the federal funds necessary to implement programs we passed into law last year to support further expansion of domestic chip production by companies like GlobalFoundries, accelerating even more growth in the semiconductor industry across Upstate New York." GF company employs more than 15,000 globally with 7,000 people across the U.S., and nearly 3,000 at its Fab 8 in Malta, New York. In 2020, GF announced a land purchase option to provide additional flexibility to expand Fab 8's footprint to support growing demand from the U.S. government and industry customers. Semiconductor chips are more pervasive than ever, becoming one of humankind's most vital resources, from smartphones and automobiles to technology in schools and hospitals, modern society can no longer survive without them. GF is a trusted provider to 250 customers worldwide including the US Government. About GF GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) is one of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers and the only one with a truly global footprint. GF delivers feature-rich chips solutions that enable its customers to develop pervasive chips for high-growth market segments. GF provides a broad range of platforms and features with a unique mix of design, development and fabrication services. With an at-scale manufacturing footprint spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of its more than 250 customers across the globe. GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit www.globalfoundries.com . SOURCE GLOBALFOUNDRIES A couple wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the CCP virus walks in the rain at the Gyeongbok Palace, the main royal palace during the Joseon Dynasty, in Seoul, South Korea, April 17, 2020. (Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo) 620,000 Koreans Call for End to CCPs Cultural Aggression in South Korea Anti-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) sentiment among the South Korean people is rising. More than 627,000 Koreans have signed a petition demanding the government cancel a Chinatown project in the resort city of Gangwon following last years Han clothing vs. hanbok and kimchi incidents. On March 29, a petition was registered on the South Korean governments website asking Gangwon province to cancel its Chinatown project. Why do we want to build a little China in Korea? the petition asked. The public doesnt understand why we would want to offer Chinese cultural experience on our own land. We resolutely oppose. As of the early morning of April 21, the petition had received 627,000 signaturesthe highest number of signatures ever received by the Blue House. On April 16, the Blue House also received another petition calling for the impeachment of Gangwon Governor Choi Moon-soon over his pro-Beijing role in the Chinatown project. Belt and Road Initiative Denounced as Cultural Invasion The Gangwon China Town project is an agreement that was signed in 2019 between the Gangwon government and China, reported the Chinese Communist Partys mouthpiece the Peoples Daily. Under the agreement, China and South Korea are to build a Chinese complex cultural village between Hongcheon and Chuncheon, the capital city of Gangwon province. Covering 296 acres, the project is 10 times the size of Incheons Chinatown. In an interview with the Peoples Daily in December 2019, Choi described the proposed Chinese Cultural City as a cultural Belt and Road. South Korean media reported that the projects official name was China-Korea Cultural City. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2022. However, the project has aroused strong resentment among Koreans, who believe the CCP is carrying out cultural imperialism in Korea to expand its political influence. We are opposed to the building of a hotel for Chinese tourists in Gangwon Province, which is the largest historical site in the world with a large number of excavations, the petition said. People are upset about losing their culture. We should stand up to China, which is trying to steal our unique culture like kimchi and hanbok. Kimchi, Hanbok Disputes The kimchi dispute was sparked by the Global Times, the CCPs overseas mouthpiece. The Global Times claimed that the CCP was in charge of setting international standards for the pickled vegetable industry, and that Koreas status as the suzerain state of kimchi existed in name only. The comments prompted an immediate outcry from South Koreans, who regard kimchi as a sacred food taken with almost every meal. The South Korean government replied that the Chinese standard for international certification is limited to Sichuan pickles, and has nothing to do with Korean kimchi. In November 2020, Sichuan pickles of China were certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The dispute followed heated debate on the relationship between Han clothing and hanbok among netizens of the two countries. Comic blogger Old Xian from mainland China created a series of cartoons about Han clothing. South Korean netizens questioned whether the dress in the picture copied elements of Koreas hanbok. Chinese netizens, however, said the style had existed in China since the Ming Dynasty and that hanbok itself was derived from Han clothing. In addition, a Korean drama, Joseon Exorcist, was accused of distorting Korean history. The inclusion of Chinese elements, such as dumplings, moon cakes, and a Chinese zither, sparked protests in South Korea. The screenwriters were criticized for being pro-CCP and the show was eventually taken off the air. Moon Jae-ins Popularity Rating Plummets Amid Rising Anti-CCP Sentiment Koreans who have a negative view of Chinathanks to Beijings politicshave risen from 37 percent in 2015 to 75 percent in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. South Korean President Moon Jae-ins approval rating has also fallen to its lowest point since he took office. According to data released by Korean pollsters on April 12, Moons latest approval rating was only 33.4 percent. After the outbreak of CCP virus in Wuhan, China, in early 2020, more than 500,000 Koreans signed a petition demanding the Moon government deny entry to Chinese citizens for pandemic prevention. Meanwhile, 1.45 million people, dissatisfied with Moons pro-CCP policies, launched an impeachment petition against him. President Moon Jae-ins policy toward the novel coronavirus shows that he is more like the president of China than the president of the Republic of Korea, the impeachment document said. The CCP Helped Elect Moon Jae-in Since taking office in 2017, Moon has been openly pro-CCP. In 2019, Hong Kongs pro-democracy anti-ELAB campaign won support from many democratic countries, but South Korea was not among them. Even under the current of current global backlash against the anti-CCP, led by the United Statess fair trade policies, South Korea is still sitting on the fence, reflected by its unwillingness to participate in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the United States, India, Japan, and Australia against the CCPs growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. In February 2019, a former CCP cyber warrior and member of the Korean nonprofit organization Turn Right wrote an article saying that the CCP manipulated public opinion to help Moon Jae-in win the presidential election, aiming to make South Korea a CCP ally to compete with the United States. According to internal documents obtained by The Epoch Times last October, after taking office, Moon set pro-CCP economic policies, elevating the Saemangeum Seawall to a project of national political importance, and integrating it into the Northeast Asia Economic Hub for cooperation with the CCP so as to strengthen economic and trade relations between South Korea and China. The CCP, on the other hand, uses the partnership to exert influence and control over the Moon administration. Li Yanming, a U.S. based commentator, said, At a time of tension in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States is working with its allies and partners to contain the CCP. South Korea used to be an ally of the United States, but Moons government is controlled by the CCP and does what Beijing says. Now, the anti-CCP sentiment among the Korean people is rising. They openly oppose the pro-CCP behavior of the Moon Jae-in government. The attempt by the CCP to infiltrate Korea has been met with a severe roadblock. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. As every year on April 24, this year also the Armenian people will commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide. However this year, the Armenian people commemorate the lose of 1,5 million victims and their homeland in such a conditions, as it seem to have taken them back to the post-genocide period, when Turkey began to commit the cultural genocide of the Armenian people. The history seems to be repeating after the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, supported by Turkey. As a result of the war, Azerbaijan destroys and desecrates the Armenian cultural and historical heritage in the territories under its control. This raises reasonable concerns among Armenians, that after the deprivation of homeland in 2020, Azerbaijan will pursue the same policy of annihilation of the Armenian heritage, which Turkey continues to pursue since the 1915 genocide. The policy of erasing the traces of the Armenian people was implemented systematically in the historical homeland of the Armenian people and in various cities of Turkey in the years following the genocide. Combining the fact-finding work of various structures, it turns out that before the Genocide, Armenians had more than 4600 churches, monasteries, schools, cemeteries and hospitals in the Ottoman Empire, particularly in the Western Armenia. Most of them, more than 2000, were places of worship. Most of these historical and cultural monuments have either been destroyed or irreparably damaged due to Turkeys 100-year-old targeted policy. Armenian churches and monasteries were destroyed deliberately, or were handed over as property to individuals and those far from settlements were abandoned to the whims of time and nature (1, 2). Some of them were used as ready-made buildings for other purposes, such as a stable, library, museum, cinema, but more frequently, they were turned into mosques, the Armenianness of which is denied (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Treasure hunters have rendered an invaluable service to the state in the issue of the destruction of the Armenian heritage. Obsessed with the thoughts of finding the hidden gold of Armenians, they irreversibly destroyed the Armenian churches, cemeteries and even houses left by Armenians with the permission of the state (1, 2). In the last decade, Turkey created an illusion of a state-level responsibility for the preservation of cultural and religious sites of minorities, including Armenians, by partially restoring one or two institutions of religious significance, whose Armenianness is undeniable even in the face of systematic Turkish denial. Such an example is the Surb Khach Church on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van, the restoration of which was actually a political and propaganda step, aimed at covering up the destruction of 1000 churches. And the real narrative is that the destruction of the Armenian heritage continues today, which obviously violates the clause of the Treaty of Lausanne signed in 1923, according to which Turkey is obliged to preserve and renovate the religious and cultural heritage sites of the minorities. Over the last 10 years, the Armenian districts of Mush and Malatya in Turkey were destroyed and Armenian standing or half-ruined churches were put up for sale (1). It is the policy of Turkey, that 106 years after the Genocide, April 24 forces Armenians to draw parallels between the ongoing anti-Armenian policy pursued by Turkey-Azerbaijan alliance in the 21st century that began in Turkey a century ago. Following the example of Turkey, Azerbaijan adopted the same systematic policy to cleanse the territories from Armenianness, which were under its control after the 2020 war. It uses almost the same toolkit as Turkey: everything that is Armenian is either completely destroyed or is presented as a property of other ethnic-religious groups by erasing the Armenian inscriptions from the walls. In just a few months after the war, many such cases were reported with the direct participation of the states top leadership. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev has taken the lead in this issue. In March, he visited Surb Astvatsatsin Armenian Church in Tsakuri village of the occupied region of Hadrut, in Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming that it is an Albanian church and that the Armenian inscriptions of 12th century are falsified. The policy of appropriation of the Armenian heritage is pursued in almost all of the most important religious structures of Artsakh. The relatively new and not so famous churches are completely destroyed. A vivid example of this is the mysterious missing of the Armenian Church of St. Mariam Astvatsatsin in Jabrayil, under the control of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, on which the British BBC prepared a report. In the same way, the Azerbaijani authorities destroyed the medieval Armenian khachkars of Jugha without leaving a trace in 2005-2006. Only 6 months have passed since the war, but there are numerous videos spread on the social networks, where encouraged by impunity Azerbaijani soldiers vigorously demolish, desecrate and trample on Armenian cemeteries, houses, icons, presenting their deed as a great heroism. However, it seems that Azerbaijan decided to surpass Turkey in the policy encouraged by the state. Everything that Turkey did to eliminate the Armenian trace in 100 years, Azerbaijan wants to do in a shorter period of time. Perhaps, this is the reason why since now Azerbaijan has been delaying the visit of UNESCO independent experts to the region after the war, to assess the state of cultural values and inventory of Armenian cultural, religious and historical monuments under the control of Azerbaijan. This targeted policy probably has a clear goal to eliminate the Armenian trace from this part of the historical homeland of the Armenian people as much as possible. Rafayel Sahakyan Anahit Veziryan The New Zealand Olympic Committee is calling Kiwis to get on board and show their support for the New Zealand Team as they gear up for the Tokyo Olympic Games by giving a name to a giant 12-metre long, 800-kg skateboard. The super-sized skateboard celebrates six newly added events at the Olympic Games, including skateboarding, surfing and three-on-three basketball. Set to break records by entering the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest fully operational skateboard in the world, the board is a symbol of the changing face of the Olympics. The skateboard is travelling the length and breadth of Aotearoa for the Great Olympic Skate Roadshow and will visit 40 towns in 41 days starting in Kaikohe on Monday, May 10, but first it needs a name. People can enter their suggestion for a name through The NZ Team Facebook and Instagram Pages or via this link: https://woobox.com/egcwqg. Entries close on Wednesday, May 5. The winner will receive a money-cant-buy New Zealand team experience which includes being flown to Auckland on Sunday, May 9, to attend a naming ceremony where Barbara Kendall will announce the name. She will also present the winner with a replica of the skateboard featuring the winning name. The deck of the NZOC's Super-sized Skateboard. Four runner-ups will receive a $200.00 voucher from Noel Leeming or The Warehouse. Former Olympic gold medallist Barbara Kendall is chairing the prestigious judging panel which includes Olympians and President of Skateboarding New Zealand Chris Curran. Kendall says the judges are looking for a uniquely New Zealand name one that captures all the spirit, mana and pride of New Zealand. Were looking for an inspiring name for the skateboard that gets Kiwis excited and makes them feel proud to be waving the New Zealand flag during the Games, says Kendall. New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Kereyn Smith says with no international spectators allowed at the Tokyo Olympic Games, its more important than ever for our Olympians to feel support on their home turf by Kiwis naming and visiting the skateboard. We cant wait to see the names that come in for this very special skateboard that carries the hopes of our Kiwi athletes. During the Great Olympic Skate Roadshow, Kiwis will have the opportunity to meet the skateboard and have some fun by getting involved in some of the new sports on show. Following the roadshow, the skateboard will be a centrepiece at the new New Zealand Team HQ Fan Zone where Kiwis can gather together to celebrate the 2020 Olympic Games, connect with the NZ Team live in Tokyo and show their support for the New Zealand Team. More than 200 athletes are expected to represent New Zealand at the Games, which will run from July 23 to August 8. NZOC's Super-Sized Skateboard with New Zealand Team Athletes. State and federal tensions over hotel quarantine remain unresolved as West Australians emerge from a snap coronavirus lockdown. Perth and the Peel region completed the three-day lockdown overnight after a second straight day of no new community cases. Interim restrictions remain in place until 12.01am on Saturday, including the mandatory wearing of face masks and limits on gatherings. Two locally acquired infections were found from more than 29,000 tests after the virus leaked out of the Mercure quarantine hotel. WA's health department was aware of ventilation issues at the Mercure but had believed the risk could be mitigated. The outbreak has renewed hotel quarantine concerns and prompted calls for the federal government to invest in purpose-built facilities. Interim restrictions remain in place until 12.01am on Saturday, including the mandatory wearing of face masks and limits on gatherings Perth and the Peel region completed the three-day lockdown overnight after a second straight day of no new community cases Premier Mark McGowan has urged the Commonwealth to open air bases and Christmas Island to accommodate returned travellers. He accused the federal government of wanting the states to 'do all the work' in managing returned travellers. 'If they are not prepared to do it, we will just have to drop the number of returning people into Australia,' he said. 'And that will be sad for many families but we can't go through these sorts of events.' The premier apologised for the lockdown but said he would not hesitate to implement such a response again. WA's cap on international arrivals will be halved to 512 a week for the next month and Mr McGowan has not ruled out extending the reduction. Federal leaders insist facilities such as air bases are not suitable for quarantine. Premier Mark McGowan apologised for the lockdown but said he would not hesitate to implement such a response again Two locally acquired infections were found from more than 29,000 tests after the virus leaked out of the Mercure quarantine hotel The prime minister's office released figures showing 140,355 people had entered hotel quarantine in the past six months. Thirteen breakouts were recorded across the nation, fewer than 0.01 per cent of quarantine travellers. The guest at the Mercure whose infection led to the outbreak had secured an exemption to travel to India last December to attend his own wedding. He and his bride tested positive in hotel quarantine upon returning to Australia earlier this month. Genomic testing has confirmed the virus spread from the couple to several other guests in nearby rooms, including a Melbourne man who did not test positive until after he had completed quarantine and spent five days in the community. He went on to infect two other people in the community. Authorities have identified 354 close contacts of confirmed cases and 222 have so far returned negative test results. Students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) in Anambra, living off the Igbariam campus, have fled their lodges over fear of reprisal. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that this followed the killing of nine people, including minors, in Ukpomachi community, Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area, by unknown assailants on Monday morning. A student, who pleaded anonymity, said the gory sight of some of the victims, who had their heads decapitated by the assailants, instilled fear in students residing off campus. As you can see now, many students have fled their hostels because nobody knows what may happen next. I am packing my things to leave my lodge too because this incident might result in a reprisal attack and I dont want to be caught in the middle of it all. As for now, I cannot say this is the reason for the murder, the student said. Another student, Grace Ifediora, seen with a traveling bag, said she was heading home and would only return when normalcy is restored in the area. My parents heard of the attack and asked that I come back home, that is why I am leaving, she said. Reacting, the spokesperson of the school, Christian Chukwueloka, urged students and parents not to entertain any fear as the incident never occurred within the university. The incident happened far away from the university community. After the incident, the Vice Chancellor had given out a lot of assurances that security is everywhere to protect students. So parents, students and concerned citizens entertaining any fear should not, because no student was killed and the incident happened far away from the community and therefore, nobody should panic. As far as the university community is concerned, there is no need for fear. Lecturers are there teaching and security has been beefed up just in case, he said. Meanwhile, the police spokesperson in Anambra, Tochukwu Ikenga, while confirming the incident, said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Kuryas, has ordered discreet investigation into the matter. In a statement, made available to NAN on Monday, Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said adequate security had been put in place to forestall further occurrence. Mr Ikenga said the assailants, armed with machetes and other dangerous weapons, invaded the community in their numbers and attacked the residents, resulting in the death of nine persons, whose identities are yet to be ascertained. According to him, the victims had visible injuries on their bodies while their buildings and livestock were also destroyed. Mr Ikenga, who restated the resolve of the police to get to the root of the incident, called on residents to remain calm and volunteer useful information that would help the police in its investigation. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT Worcester Public School students from pre-K to eighth grade will return to in-person learning next week. In anticipation of the move from the hybrid learning model, a virtual meeting will be held on Tuesday to answer the questions of parents and guardians. The Zoom webinar will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Those interested can join the meeting here. Questions can also be submitted before the webinar through multiple languages. The questions submission form can be accessed through this link. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is requiring districts to have full-time in-person learning for K-5 students by April 5 and for grade 6-8 students by April 28. Parents are allowed to keep their children at home for remote learning for the rest of the school year. Boston Public Schools returned to in-person learning on Monday for students kindergarten through eighth grade. The state granted Worcesters request to delay in-person learning until May 3. The students transitioned to a hybrid model on March 29. Part of the request for the delay involved concerns that 13 schools, in particular, wont be able to fit all students for learning five days a week at a distance of 3 feet. Worcester has been sticking to a distance of 6 feet in schools, though DESE requires a 3-foot minimum, which was also recently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Related Content: The Indian armed forces will bring retired medical personnel back to assist with handling the surge in coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office said on Monday NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) The Indian armed forces will bring retired medical personnel back to assist with handling the surge in coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office said on Monday. Earlier in the day, Modi reviewed the military's efforts to counter the pandemic with Gen. Bipin Rawat, the chief of the defense staff (CDS). "The CDS briefed the PM that all medical personnel from the armed forces who have retired or taken pre-mature retirement in the last 2 years are being recalled to work in Covid facilities within proximity of their present place of residence. Other medical officers who retired earlier have also been requested to make their services available for consultation through medical emergency help lines," the office said in a statement. Meanwhile, all medical officers serving at various military headquarters will be deployed to hospitals. To assist doctors, large numbers of nursing personnel are being employed as well. "PM was also briefed that oxygen cylinders available with armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals. The CDS also said that they are creating medical facilities in large numbers and where possible military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians. PM also reviewed the operations being undertaken by IAF to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad," the statement added. With 17.3 million cases, India comes second in terms of the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections, following the United States with more than 32 million cases. India's COVID-19 tally has been increasing rapidly since mid-February, continually setting daily records in new cases. The outcome of the assembly elections in West Bengal, which will be declared on May 2, 2021, will have a profound impact on the political future of India. In March and April, we spoke to a cross-section of individuals representatives of political parties, civil society organisations, scholars, journalists and creative artists cutting across ideological lines, to put together this 22-minute documentary film. The main language of the film is Bengali (with English subtitles). via: paranjoy.in .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Scott McLaughlin was the kid who brought a transistor radio to class so he wouldnt miss a minute of the nations first space shuttle launch. He built model rockets in his familys garage and did some electronics while growing up in Las Cruces. We lived out in the country a little bit and had a lot of land to run around, but I was always involved in something, McLaughlin says. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ McLaughlin, the new executive director of Spaceport America, has a career path that includes working at Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston (he didnt like it and stayed for only five months) and developing a new version of a radar system to measure winds aloft. He has marketed the system to customers ranging from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to Albuquerques Double Eagle airport, which uses it to support the Balloon Fiesta. A native New Mexican and a dedicated musician, McLaughlin met his wife when the two played in the New Mexico State University Pride Marching Band. He plays trombone, drums and sometimes baritone horn and has performed with a symphony and community concert bands, including the Mesilla Valley Concert Band and the Mesilla Valley Swing Band. McLaughlin took over the top job at the spaceport in March, after his predecessor, Dan Hicks, went on administrative leave following allegations of financial mismanagement and abuse of power. McLaughlin describes it as a dream job. I like the interface of government and business and technology, he says. I think thats kind of a miraculous place, especially in the United States, right? Where we have funding so readily available for new and exciting things. And I have always loved space. Tell me about the radar system you developed. I designed and worked on radar systems that measure wind. The business was making a product called wind profiling radar. Its just a unique kind of radar that points up into the clear sky. Believe it or not, you can get this itty bitty reflection from the turbulence and you can then measure the Doppler shift and you can measure the winds. Describe an interesting project you have worked on. I would say there were two. One is the Kennedy Space Center radar, which was a unique application of a big radar to support space launch. Another project was a very much smaller system we built to go on a ship. I got to ride on a NOAA ship for one project, and then several years later we won a contract to develop another radar and I rode on a container ship, which was quite interesting. For someone who loves space, Mission Control would seem to be the perfect job. What happened? That was a really hard decision in my life. When I got the job, it did seem like a dream job, and I loved learning everything I could about space. They have an incredible library there and any question you could have ever wanted to ask about NASA was in that library. But it became obvious to me that I needed to keep using my hands. I either needed to become an astronaut, or I needed to go do design. Mission Control folks are very smart people, but theyre not designing hardware. How do you spend your free time? Music has always been a big part of what Ive tried to do. It keeps me sane. My wife and I have always camped, ever since we met. We tent camp. Theres a family cabin in the Pecos wilderness that we share with my brothers, so we go up there quite a bit. I definitely feel lucky to have that. We just like to get outside, you know, get a nature bath. Whats on your bucket list? One of the benefits of where I was in my companies over the last 15 years was quite a bit of travel, either it was business development, going to conferences, visiting customers or actually working on the radars. And for a reasonable amount of that, I was able to bring my wife, so weve gotten to go to many places around the world. Theres still several more places wed like to travel together. So theres a lot of focus on just trying to stay healthy. This is kind of a stressful job, but so was running a company. The interesting thing is I feel like I know how to take care of myself. I know there are times where you just have to dive in and every minute counts at the job, but I feel like Ive already had a lot of practice learning how to back up and take a little bit of time away to make sure I stay healthy and that I stay healthy with my wife. Pet peeves? One of the things Ive studied a lot over the years is trying to understand ego and what makes each of us tick, right? We have to have enough self-control and enough ego to move forward in life, but then there are those who go way beyond that. So I think its really important to work with people who are working hard for the organization and not just for themselves. Another one is, humans are technologists so I like people to figure out how to use the technology around them, whatever it is. For some people, its harder than others and I understand that, but were running a spaceport, (and) were helping our customers do the highest-end stuff, so I have an expectation that everybody will do the best they can with the tools they have. Whats something about you that few people know? When I cant sleep at night, I read poetry. I downloaded poetry anthologies on my Kindle, and I can just quietly get out of my thoughts, get out of the stress of the day if I cant sleep. Some Ill read many times; other times, I just like passing through a poem for five minutes and then moving on to another poem for five minutes. Whats your favorite book? One of the books Ive returned to over and over again is The Genius in All of Us (by David Shenk). Thats a book about our innate ability to get good at something. You know, theres this belief that were innately good at something, like were born with it. And I think theres a little bit buried in there, but I think thats incredibly self-restricting. I like the idea that available to all of us is simply, through a lot of passion and a lot of learning and a lot of listening, you could do anything you want to do. You can go start your own company, you could go be a rocket engineer, or whatever. I think, getting back to New Mexico and not just New Mexico were sometimes so limiting in so many ways. But thats not what America is about, right? America has always been about entrepreneurship and discovering new things. Luxury home sales are increasing throughout the U.S., and San Antonio's market is among the hottest in the country, according to a new Redfin report. The real estate company's analysis found that in the first quarter of 2021, luxury home sales grew 55% compared to the same time period last year. Homes in the top 5% of the market by price were considered "luxury." The Alamo City ranked 10th among the country's 49 most populated metropolitan areas. The average growth nationwide was 41.6 percent. San Antonio also saw a 30 percent boost in new luxury listings, with homes spending an average of 44 fewer days on the market than last year. Flexibility with remote work and low mortgage rates due to coronavirus have contributed to the increase in luxury home sales for affluent Americans especially in vacation hotspots according to Redfin. San Antonio is the only Texas city in the top 10, coming in behind major markets like Denver, Las Vegas, Miami and San Jose. Houston ranked no. 13; Fort Worth no. 16; and Austin no. 18. The median sale price for a luxury home in the San Antonio area is $712,500, according to the analysis more than $260,000 less than the national average. While the national housing market is experiencing a record deficit of homes for sale due to high demand, the luxury market saw the smallest drop, with only 5 perfect fewer homes for sale year-over-year, according to Redfin. By contrast, mid-priced home listings fell nearly 90 percent. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net Its an undeniable fact that a lot of women do feel unsafe in many parts of our country and the horrific incidents of molestations just add more to the horror. Bollywood Fatima Sana Shaikh recently opened up on one such incident wherein she was eve-teased by a man while she was returning from the gym. Recalling the incident, she shared how her father has been supportive and when she was eve-teased by someone, he chased the man after he punched her. Speaking to a daily, Fatima recalled how she had noticed a man staring at her and confronted him. "Main raste mein jaa rahi thi gym ke baad. Ek ladka aaya aur wo ghoor raha tha. Toh maine bola, 'Kya ghoor raha hai?' (He said) 'Ghoorunga, meri marzi.' Maine kaha 'Maar khaana hai?' (He said) 'Maar'. (I was on my way back from the gym when I noticed a man starring at me. I confronted him and asked why he was staring. He said 'it is my wish'. I asked him if he wanted a slap. He replied, 'slap me'." The two got engaged in a verbal spat and then Fatima slapped him as she was extremely uncomfortable with his presence. "I slapped him, he punched me. I blacked out. Of course, I called my father first and informed him about the incident. He came with two-three other men. You know how fathers are. That man ran into a street. My father, my brother, and their friends went all, 'kaun tha jo meri beti ko haath lagaya? (Who touched my daughter)", she added. Last year, in an interview, Fatima had also revealed that she has faced the casting couch too. "Of course, I have faced the casting couch. I have been in situations where I have been told that the only way I get the job is by having sex. There are several times people have taken away work from me. There have also been times where I knew I was doing a film and I was replaced because of someone's reference." Just recently, Fatima has announced that she will be taking a break from social media. She took to her Instagram to share the news with her fans. The actor chose not to divulge details as to why she is taking a break from the platform. Fatima Sana Shaikh Instagram On the work front, she was last seen in Ajeeb Dastaans, where she played the role of a woman seeking love outside her marriage. Though Shashank Khaitans short film in Ajeeb Daastaans falls short on expectations, her character of Lipakshi was appreciated by the audience. (Natural News) The New York State Department of Health issued new guidance on April 15 that requires nursing homes to offer an opportunity to receive the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) jab to all consenting residents and staff by April 29, and within two weeks of a new hire or a new admission. Those turning down the offer will need to sign paperwork acknowledging that they are begging off. Facilities that dont comply with the new rules may be penalized by as much as $2,000 per violation. The new guideline has been viewed by critics as the state health departments way of putting more pressure on the facilities to bridge the gap between vaccinated and unvaccinated staff as nearly half of New Yorks nursing home workers havent gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. This has been an ongoing trend among health workers since the early stages of the countrys vaccination drive. The Los Angeles Times reported on December 31 last year that many health workers in California were refusing to take COVID-19 vaccine with over half of frontline workers at one hospital unwilling to take it. At St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Tehama County, fewer than half of the 700 hospital workers eligible for the vaccine were willing to take the shot when it was first offered. COVID-19 vaccination demand tapers off nationwide The demand for vaccinations has tapered off nationwide with more states reporting growing stockpiles of unused jabs. As many as one in three doses are unused in some states. Appointments for shots often go untaken, with few people signing up. Bloomberg analyzed state and federal data from April 12. This provided a snapshot of vaccine use before Johnson & Johnson shelved millions of shots pending federal health officials investigation into rare cases of blood clots. Bloomberg calculated rates of unused doses using one-week averages, which are less volatile than day-over-day numbers. Over the week ending just before April 12, West Virginia failed to use 26 percent of its COVID-19 vaccine supply for a daily average of 352,000 unused doses. The state has been lauded for its rollout of shots early on, using all but a tiny percentage of its supply up until mid-February. Early in the vaccine drive, West Virginia focused on its older population and has now shifted to those in their teens to mid-30s, where most new COVID-19 cases are turning up, said Clay Marsh, the states COVID-19 czar. Were seeing more incidents of more people needing more convincing or needing more time to make their decision, he said. ?????? Were right on that interface of having more vaccine than arms to put them in. (Related: Biden launches $10M ad campaign to push coronavirus vaccine propaganda, alongside confusing mask contest.) Some states dont control all of the distribution inside their own borders. Mississippi claimed that it has used 77 percent of the doses it had requested. But according to Bloombergs analysis, only 65 percent of doses in the state have been used after counting the doses sent directly by the federal government to pharmacies and other locations in the state. The worst-performing quartile of states holds 14.1 million unused doses, representing 31 percent of doses delivered in those states. In the best-performing quartile of states, only 11 percent of doses were unused. Bloombergs analysis also shows that the number of people getting shots in a particular state differs sharply from city to city. In Virginia, for example, there is a glaring difference in the respective vaccination drives of Charlottesville and Lynchburg. In Charlottesville, a mostly Democratic area, vaccine appointments are tough to snag even with two mass clinics right in town. In Lynchburg, 70 miles south and dominated by conservatives, open appointments are easy to find. Disparity in demand leads to in-state vaccine tourism Bloomberg reported that the disparity has led to in-state vaccine tourism where residents in northern Virginia flock south to snap up shots that would otherwise go unused. The wide availability of vaccines also signals that areas like Lynchburg may be running out of residents willing to get vaccinated. Virginia is sort of a microcosm of the country, said Costi Sifri, director of epidemiology at UVA Health in Charlottesville. Were going to have this same type of challenge played out in every state in the country. How do we close the vaccine gaps that are going to occur geographically? About 45 percent of Charlottesvilles 47,200 residents have received at least one dose, according to Virginia Department of Health data. The Blue Ridge Health District, which includes Charlottesville, had to restrict access as COVID-19 vaccine demand remained high. In Lynchburg, only about 29 percent of the citys 82,000 residents have received at least one dose, according to health department data. If it were a state, Lynchburgs vaccine rate would rank near the bottom, just above Alabama and Mississippi. At first we didnt have enough vaccine, and now that we have a pretty good supply, the demand isnt there, said Kerry Gateley, health director for the Central Virginia Health District where Lynchburg falls under. Federal officials are in the early stages of rethinking distribution. Vaccines have so far been doled out based on population. Were going to go through stages, as we vaccinate higher and higher portions of populations, where it will make sense for us to continue to watch where vaccines are needed, how vaccines are distributed, the best way to reach more people, said Andy Slavitt, senior adviser for the White Houses COVID Response team. According to the latest numbers from Bloomberg, 195 million doses have been distributed in the U.S. The countrys vaccination rate is 3,346,301 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another three months to cover 75 percent of the U.S. population. Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines. Sources include: InfoWars.com LATimes.com Bloomberg.com ZeroHedge.com The New York State Workers Compensation Board has launched its first-ever legal assistance project to help injured workers obtain medical treatment, the Injured Workers Legal Assistance Project (IWLAP). Now, injured workers can complete an online form maintained by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) to directly request a match to a NYSBA member attorney who will represent workers pro bono in certain workers compensation claims. The form, hosted by NYSBA along with resources and information for attorneys interested in volunteering with NYSBA, is available at the Workers Compensation Injured Workers Legal Assistance Pro Bono Project webpage. The board is partnering with the NYSBA to connect volunteer attorneys looking to assist injured workers with these claims. The partnership with NYSBA will allow for faster processing of representation referrals thanks to use of client intake and referral digital platforms. In addition, this partnership will expand upon recent collaboration between New York state and NYSBAs COVID-19 Pro Bono Network, which has offered New Yorkers free legal assistance when seeking unemployment insurance benefits and in probate and estate proceedings. The Injured Workers Legal Assistance Project gives injured workers better access to justice when they have difficulty obtaining medical care for their work-related injury or illness, said Clarissa M. Rodriguez, Chair of the NYS Workers Compensation Board, in a press release. The project helps workers with medical-only claims find legal representation, which also improves the overall operation of the workers compensation system. In November 2020, IWLAP launched initially in partnership with the New York State Unified Court Systems Attorney Emeritus Program (AEP) and two host legal service non-profit organizations, The Legal Project, based in Albany, and the Worker Justice Center, which has offices in Rochester, Kingston and White Plains. More than 60 injured workers across New York state have been offered free legal assistance and more than a dozen have consulted with and retained pro bono counsel in that effort. The AEP, administered in part by Fordham University School of Law, helps recruit volunteer attorneys who assist injured worker clients through one of the host organizations. AEP, The Legal Project and the Worker Justice Center will collaborate with NYSBA and the board to continue identifying volunteer attorneys and injured workers in need of assistance. After identifying the need for representation of injured workers in medical-only claims, the board created IWLAP and invited legal service organizations to partner with it. In these medical-only claims, the insurance carrier or self-insured employer who pays the medical benefits has accepted liability but is disputing the medical treatment sought by the injured worker. The board provides training and support to host legal service organizations and their volunteer attorneys. New Yorkers who are injured at work deserve legal representation, said Scott M. Karson, president of the New York State Bar Association, in the release. But often, workers whose only desire is to make sure their medical bills are paid cannot find an attorney. That is why we are partnering with the Workers Compensation Board to help injured workers focus on healing rather than worrying about how they will pay their medical bills. It is the highest calling of our profession to take on pro bono work and ensure that all New Yorkers have access to justice. Source: New York State Workers Compensation Board Topics Claims Workers' Compensation New York The family of Andrew Brown Jr. said his killing at the hands of North Carolina cops was an 'execution' after they were allowed to watch just 20 seconds of the fatal shooting on Monday. Brown Jr, 42, was killed in his car last Wednesday morning in Elizabeth City, while officers were serving a drug-related search warrant. His family were finally allowed to watch the police body cam from the incident Monday. But speaking outside the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office, attorney Ben Crump told reporters they had been allowed to see just 20 seconds of the shooting. Attorneys for the family said he was shot in the back of his head and had his hands on the car steering wheel as up to eight officers fired at him. They said the clip they saw began as shots were already being fired, adding that Brown complied with officer commands throughout. After watching the footage Brown's son Khalil told reporters: 'My dad got executed just trying to save his life. It is messed up how this happened. He got executed.' Commenting on the length of the video shown to the family Crump said: 'They are trying to hide something.' Court documents released Monday show deputies obtained the search warrant that brought them to Brown after investigators recorded him selling small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine to an informant. Seven deputies have been placed on leave amid indications, including emergency scanner traffic and an eyewitness account, that Brown was shot in the back as he tried to drive away. The city's mayor earlier had declared a state of emergency over the shooting. County officials indicated that showing family the clip had been delayed because they were working on blurring some faces in the recording. Attorney Ben Crump holds the arm of Khalil Brown, who called his dad's death an execution Andrew Brown's youngest daughter listens to attorney Benjamin Crump Monday, left. Harry Daniels, right, who is representing the family of Andrew Brown, speak outside the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office in Elizabeth City Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, center left, joined the Brown family Monday Brown, 42, father of 10 children, was shot and killed in his car at around 8.30am in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, while police were executing search-and-arrest warrants for drug offenses, officials said Describing the footage in more detail Monday afternoon attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter said Brown had been in his driveway when he was blocked in by officers who were in a marked police vehicle. She said they 'lost count' on how many shots were fire. She also said deputies 'rode up to his car while shooting'. When Brown 'finally tries to get away to get out of danger' he backs out, away from officers who were allegedly shouting obscenities at him. The attorney added: 'At no time was he threatening officers.' When his car runs into a tree, Cherry-Lassiter said the officers continued shooting at him, leaving his vehicle 'riddled with bullets'. The family noted that despite multiple officers being at the scene they were allowed to see just one clip from an officer who was farthest from the scene. Gunfire already had started in the clip they were shown, they said, and it was unclear what had happened in the moments before the shooting. Cherry-Lassiter, who watched the video multiple times and took notes, said some deputies were wearing tactical uniforms and some in plainclothes. 'They're shooting and saying let me see your hands at the same time,' she said. Crump confirmed a press conference Tuesday at 11am to discuss autopsy results. He had earlier said: 'It's clear to us there is something bad on that bodycam video. Transparency is essential.' Witnesses said Brown got into his car (pictured) and was driving away when the deputy opened fire Crump had said Monday: 'Now, you all may have noticed that they released a warrant saying all kinds of things about Andrew Brown, but they want to redact the face of the ... officers that killed Andrew Brown. He added that law officials blurring deputies' faces are 'going to protect them and not show their face and not say their names ... because what they want to do is assassinate the character' of Brown. Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II has said that multiple deputies fired shots. Elizabeth City police were not involved in the shooting. Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools are operating remotely until at least Friday 'due to the continuously evolving state of civil unrest'. Wooten has said 'only a judge can release the video', adding: 'That's why I've asked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to confirm for me that the releasing of the video will not undermine their investigation.' He said he hopes to file a motion for its release Monday. Brown's death spurred an outcry from community members who demanded law enforcement accountability and the immediate release of deputies' body camera footage. Demonstrators gather outside a government building during an emergency city council meeting April 23, 2021 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina Protestors block an intersection after an emergency city council meeting April 23, 2021 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina The arrest warrant released Monday was obtained by the Pasquotank County sheriffs office and signed by a local judge to allow the search of Brown's Elizabeth City home. It said that an investigator in nearby Dare County was told by the informant that the person had been purchasing crack cocaine and other drugs for over a year from Brown. The informant described purchasing drugs at the house that was the target of the search. The warrant said that in March, local narcotics officers used the informant to conduct controlled purchases of methamphetamine and cocaine from Brown on two separate occasions. It says both drug transactions were recorded using audio and video equipment. The search warrant said investigators believed Brown was storing drugs in the home or two vehicles. The document, which indicated the search wasn't completed, didn't list anything found. The arrest warrants, which were released last week, charged him with possession with intent to sell and deliver 3 grams of each of the drugs. Racial justice advocates had joined Andrew Brown's relatives on Saturday in reiterating calls for police to release bodycam footage of his fatal shooting in North Carolina this week On Saturday, Brown's family was joined by the local clergy and civil rights leaders including the Rev. William Barber II in Elizabeth City as they put further pressure on officials to make the videos public. Barber said at the news conference attended by several of Brown's children and other family members: 'America, here is the issue: A warrant is not a license to kill, even if a suspect supposedly drives away. 'A warrant is not permission to shoot someone.' 'We're sick and tired of all these deaths happening that don't have to happen,' Barber added. 'Release the tapes!' Keith Rivers, president of the Pasquotank County branch of the NAACP, also spoke at the conference to call for Wooten's resignation. Wooten has said deputies from his department including a tactical team were attempting to serve drug-related search and arrest warrants when Brown was shot. He said multiple deputies fired shots but he disclosed few other details. Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II (right) said he will ask a judge to allow the release of bodycam footage of Wednesday's shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr next week In a video statement released later on Saturday, Wooten responded to 'false claims' that his office had the power to release the footage and said he plans to ask a local judge as early as Monday to make the videos public. Asked for comment on Wooten's remarks, SBI spokeswoman Anjanette Grube referred back to a statement earlier in the week that said 'it is not the SBI's decision as to when and how body camera video is released.' The statement directed questions about the footage back to the sheriff and local prosecutor. Under North Carolina law, a judge must generally sign off on the release of law enforcement body camera footage. Leaders of the Elizabeth City government had also demanded the release of the footage, and a coalition of media filed a petition in court to make it public. Andrew Brown, 42, was shot and killed by sheriffs in North Carolina on Wednesday morning On Friday, the state's Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement calling for the swift release of the footage. 'Initial reports of the shooting in Elizabeth City and death of Andrew Brown, Jr. this week are tragic and extremely concerning,' Cooper tweeted. 'The body camera footage should be made public as quickly as possible and the SBI should investigate thoroughly to ensure accountability.' Police described Brown as someone who was well known to police, with a criminal history dating back to the 1990s, including past drug convictions. On Friday, newly-released dispatch audio revealed Brown had been shot in the back while driving away from sheriff's deputies. 'Be advised EMS has one male, 42 years of age, gunshot to the back,' the dispatcher says in the recording obtained by Broadcastify. Kirk Rivers, president of the Pasquotank County chapter of the NAACP, leads a group of demonstrators as they block Ehringhaus Street, a main retail avenue in Elizabeth City, N.C., on Friday Demonstrators march on Thursday in Elizabeth City in reaction to the death of Andrew Brown A demonstrator wears a shirt with an image of Andrew Brown Jr. on it during a march, Thursday They added: 'We do have a viable pulse at this time.' Later on, another transmission shared that Brown, a father of 10, had suffered 'gunshot wounds.' Neighbors Demetria Williams, who witnessed part of the shooting, said she never saw Brown carry a gun, and that deputies fired into his car as he was trying to get away from them. He crashed his car moments later, with Williams saying she saw Brown 'slumped' in his vehicle as he died of his gunshot wounds. Wooten on Friday told WAVY-TV that footage from multiple body cameras would be released 'in the next couple days' after protesters took to the streets for two nights in a row demanding that officers release the footage. Protesters gathered across North Carolina Friday night as police in Raleigh declared one protest an 'unlawful assembly' at 8pm after a group allegedly threw trash cans into the street, WRAL reported. 'We appreciate protestors resuming peaceful demonstrations and ask that they continue to do so until the end of the protest,' Raleigh police tweeted. ADVERTISEMENT Security forces in Italy on Monday detained dozens of people across the country in a crackdown on Mafia organisations. In the morning, Italian police executed 99 arrest warrants in the southern city of Bari as part of an anti-Mafia operation, news agency ANSA reported. The suspects were leaders and associates of the Strisciuglio Mafia clan, according to the police. They face charges including extortion, drug trafficking and Mafia association, among others, ANSA reported. Police had already staged raids targeting the same clan on similar accusations in March. The majority of those arrested were to be placed in custody. Police were set to release further details during a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. (0900 GMT). Meanwhile, officers in 14 provinces conducted raids targeting the Nigerian Mafia organisation Black Axe, investigators in the city of LAquila, east of Rome, said. The suspects were accused of drug trafficking, exploitation through prostitution, fraud and money laundering through cryptocurrency. Italian Mafia investigators have recently conducted several large-scale operations with dozens of detentions. In January, a massive trial of more than 300 suspected members of the Nrdrangheta Mafia organisation began in the city of Lamezia Terme. (NAN) Two former paratroopers accused of murdering IRA commander Joe McCann nearly 50 years ago came face to face with his relatives today - as the court heard he told them as he died 'You got me cold, I've no weapon.' Father-of-four Mr McCann, 24, was shot in the back in the Markets area of Belfast in 1972. Two veterans - anonymised in court as Soldiers A and C - who are both in their 70s are on trial for killing him in Belfast Crown Court. Both of them appeared face to face at the hearing as Mr McCann's relatives, who were also attending, looked on. The pair are the first to go to court in front of Mr Justice O'Hara since the Good Friday Agreement and their case is expected to last four weeks. Critics have branded the such historic cases as political witch-hunts to appease Sinn Fein. The decision to have no jury for the case - over fears one could be tampered with to frustrate justice - has also been controversial, with the defendants only recently dropping their opposition to it. It is one of a number of legacy cases, examining incidents which took place before the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998, on which Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service has taken decisions. Father-of-four McCann, 24, died after being shot in the Markets area of Belfast in 1972 The family of Joe McCann arrive at Laganside Court with Solicitor Niall Murphy this morning Photograph said to show Joe McCann with an American M1 carbine during a gun battle for Inglis Bakery in Eliza Street in The Markets area of Belfast in 1972 Today the Crown lawyer - who has not been named - said the men had opened fire on Mr McCann in the back as he ran away in an action which was unlawful and not justified. 'On any view of the facts, the level of force used was unreasonable,' he said. The QC added: 'Both soldiers shot Mr McCann in order to stop him from getting away and avoiding being arrested. 'The prosecution case is that in all circumstances that shooting was not legally justified.' Cpl Bob Bankier (pictured) who was aged 25 when he was shot dead by the Official Ira in 1971 The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated two 6-pound gelignite bombs at two pubs in Guildford, England. Police escort members of one of the families from the Old Bailey. IRA terrorist suspects are rounded up by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry Attempts are made to shore up a collapsed roof at the Royal Marines School of Music in Walmer, Kent today after an IRA bomb tore apart the recreation centre, killing 11 people Joe McCann: 'The Che Guevara of the IRA' Joe McCann was well-known as an IRA commander during his short life in Northern Ireland. After his death his reputation only grew and at one point he was described as 'the Che Guevara of the IRA. He joined the Republicans and became notorious for his roles in the gun battles on Falls Road and at Ingliss bakery in Belfast's Markets district. The first British soldier to die at the hands of the Official IRA, Robert Bankier of the Royal Green Jackets, was killed by a unit led by McCann. In early February 1972, he was involved in the attempted assassination of politician and Northern Ireland Minister for Home Affairs John Taylor. McCann and another gunman fired on Taylor's car, hitting him five times in the neck and head, but he survived the attack. History Ireland reports that by the time of his death he was 'the most wanted man in the North'. IRA Belfast command had told him to return to Dublin, but he ignored the request. Advertisement During the opening statement, he said both soldiers believed Mr McCann would have been armed. But they said no weapon was found when they searched him as he lay wounded on the ground. The court heard that in a statement provided in the aftermath of the shooting, soldier A said Mr McCann spoke to them as he lay dying. The soldier said Mr McCann said: 'You got me cold, I've no weapon.' The former soldiers will remain anonymous throughout the proceedings. Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer, who is also attending, left his ministerial role last week after expressing frustration at a lack of progress on legislation to protect British veterans who served during the Troubles from prosecution. The two defendants wore suits and face masks and were seated at the side of the courtroom, in an area usually reserved for the jury. Opening the case, a prosecution lawyer told the court that Mr McCann was a senior member of the Official IRA who was suspected of involvement in a number of attacks carried out by the republican group. He said the shooting took place after an RUC Special Branch Officer attempted to arrest him on Joy Street in the Markets area of Belfast. Mr McCann evaded detention and ran away. The Crown lawyer said at that point soldiers A and C, and another now deceased paratrooper - solider B - opened fire. They had been manning a checkpoint in the area at the time. The lawyer said shooting Mr McCann in the back as he ran away was unlawful and not justified. 'On any view of the facts the level of force used was unreasonable,' he said. MP Jonny Mercer is also attending the trial, which is being heard by a judge with no jury Supporters of Two former paratroopers at Laganside Court this morning ahead of the trial Why is this a No Jury Trial? Northern Ireland and the reason for NJTs Unusually the case is being heard by a judge with no jury. It came after the Director of Public Prosecutions issued a certificate for a non-jury trial. Trials by judges alone are only usually held when there is a fear that a jury could be tampered with in cases concerning paramilitary organisations. In this case, the two defendants had begun processes to challenge the decision, but abandoned the procedure. Their lawyers had originally claimed the no-jury decision was wrongly based on the 2007 Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act. Previous to 2007 the 'Diplock system' let NJTs carry on because the terrorist intimidation of jurors in Northern Ireland was an obstacle to dealing effectively with terrorist crime in the courts. Now the Act gives statutory provisions that allow no jury if is is 'deemed necessary for a small number of exceptional cases' where the jurors could impair justice. The most recent figures on record show during 2019, 14 non-jury trials took place in Northern Ireland. Advertisement MP Mr Mercer was accompanied in court by Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner Danny Kinahan. Mr Mercer said the trial of the two former soldiers is 'unfair'. 'I think in any conflict, it is messy, it is unpleasant, it is a horrible process to go through for both sides,' he added. 'What I don't think is - 50 years later - you get a truly accurate picture of what happened. 'I think it is unfair to try and apply today's standards of operations and retrospectively apply them to that time and try to get justice. 'I have huge sympathy on all sides but we need to move on in Northern Ireland. 'What is happening today, I don't think is fair and that's why I am here. 'The reality is today, as we stand here, there are two individuals in court for something that happened 50 years ago. 'They served their country, they did their best. War is messy and we need to find a solution for everybody.' Mr Mercer denied he is 'interfering' in the trial, adding he is there to 'learn about the process'. A small group of protesters, some dressed in military uniform, were picketing outside the court in Belfast ahead of the trial. Demonstrators held banners expressing opposition to historical prosecution of former British soldiers. Veterans and legal experts claim that the prosecutions of soldiers over incidents in Northern Ireland are 'political' and an attempt to appease Sinn Fein. They cite a focus on shootings involving the security services even though many of those at the hands of the Provisional IRA, who were responsible for most of the deaths during the conflict, remain unpunished. Who decides to prosecute? The Legacy Investigations Branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland reviews all murder cases linked to the Troubles. It does not prioritise military cases, which account for approximately 30% of its workload. Any decision by the LIB to prosecute is referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland. The MOD, and the British Government, is entirely independent of this process. Advertisement Mr Mercer said he believed the Government was guilty of a 'gross betrayal' by failing to do more to protect British veterans who served during the Troubles. He said: 'The reality is that for these people, their experiences after having served this nation, 50 years later, they are constantly being dragged over to Northern Ireland, and asked to relive their experiences, it is people are drinking themselves to death. 'It is breaking up families, it is ruining our finest people. And all they did was serve at the behest of this government at the behest of the House of Commons, to uphold the rule of law on the peace and when the peace in Northern Ireland. 'And yet now we're happy to cut them off to people who want to rewrite history. And that is all that's going on, you know that nothing's changed here. 'But the politics, and for me, it's a gross betrayal of people who signed up to serve in the military.' Mr Mercer has been heavily involved in the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, which was being considered by MPs this week as it went through its final stages in Parliament. The legislation was developed in response to legal claims made after operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but does not cover incidents in Northern Ireland. A police officer receives his first shot of the coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca at a hospital in Sejong, Monday. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin The government will maintain its stance that individuals will not be able to choose the type of COVID-19 vaccine they receive, although Korea has secured an abundant supply of doses from five pharmaceutical companies. Following the latest deal with Pfizer for additional doses for 20 million people announced Sunday, Korea has so far secured enough doses to inoculate 99 million people, double its entire population, and 2.75 times the 36 million, or 75 percent of the population that must be vaccinated in order to reach herd immunity. This has raised speculation that the government may allow the public to choose the vaccine type they would like to receive to encourage more active participation in the nationwide immunization plan. China's President Xi Jinping (R) is greeted by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing (L) before a photo session during Xi's visit in Hong Kong on June 30, 2017. (BOBBY YIP/AFP via Getty Images) Hong Kongs Richest Man Marginalized for Not Actively Supporting CCP A recent photo of Li Ka-shing, Hong Kongs richest man, receiving a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine instead of a China-made alternative has drawn renewed attention to the relationship between Li and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On April 16, the Li Ka Shing Foundation posted a photo of Li receiving the vaccine on its Facebook page, captioned, I am getting my vaccination today, have you got yours? That led Patrick Nip, secretary for the Civil Service of Hong Kong, to quickly thank Li for his support of Hong Kongs vaccination program. However, people noticed that the 92-year-old Li chose not to get the China-made Sinovac vaccine that the Hong Kong government has been pushing. Prior to Hong Kongs mass protests, Li had been a longtime favorite of the CCP, with the Party seeking his help to expand its influence. He not only invested heavily in mainland China, but also helped the CCP to secure many international projects. However, during the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong in 2019, Li failed to show his support for the CCP. That was when the CCP began to marginalize the property tycoon, who was seen as no longer obedient to the Party. Lis Organization Excluded From New Electoral Committee Earlier this month, Hong Kong began to implement reforms approved by the CCPs National Peoples Congress for the citys electoral system, widely seen as a move by the CCP to marginalize the local business elite. The new rules reduce the number of directly elected lawmakers to the citys Legislative Council, while expanding the total number of seats to 90 from 70, as well as boosting membership on Hong Kongs electoral commission, which selects the citys chief executive, to 1,500 from 1,200. A day after Beijings rubber-stamp legislature approved the new patriot election law, the pro-Beijing Hong Kong government under Chief Executive Carrie Lam took the lead in actively stating its support. But of the four major property developers in Hong Kong, Lis CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. was a day late to express its support, making its position known on April 1April Fools Day. Meanwhile, as many patriotic and Hong Kong-loving organizations were added to the newly expanded electoral commission, the Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizationsof which Li is honorary presidentwas excluded. Disappointed by the decision, the federation sent a letter to Lam expressing its views. Li Had Pivotal Role in CCPs Global Investment Projects The CCP has been using Hong Kongs capital to invest in its strategic projects around the world. As Hong Kongs richest man, Li could hardly avoid the fate of acting as an agent for the CCPs global expansion. Lis investments have focused on strategic projects in Europe and Australia in communications, power, ports, and natural gas pipelines. However, several of his attempts to invest in the United States were blocked because of his dealings with the CCP. As of October 2015, Li controlled nearly 30 percent of the natural gas market, a quarter of the electricity distribution market, and 5 percent of the water supply market in the United Kingdomhis main country of investment. Meanwhile, Lis CK Hutchison consolidated its position in the European telecommunications market with a major acquisition spree that unified his telecommunications businesses in six European countries, Hong Kong, and Macau. In November 2020, CK Hutchison sold its European wireless towers business for 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion) to improve its operational efficiency and accelerate 5G rollout. In July 2018, it acquired the remaining half of Wind Tre, an Italian telecommunications company, for 2.45 billion euros ($2.95 billion). Last May, CK Hutchison bid $1.5 billion to build and operate the worlds largest desalination plant in Israel, although the offer was rejected by Israels defense minister. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also opposed Chinese involvement in Israeli infrastructure. Had that bid not failed, CK Hutchison would have controlled nearly a quarter of Israels water industry; desalination is a key project in the CCPs Made in China 2025 program. The plants proximity to an empty military base and nuclear research facilities was another reason for the strong opposition by Israels defense minister. Back in 1997, Lis Hutchison Whampoa acquired the 25-year rights to operate two major ports on the Panama Canalone of the worlds major trade routes. Hutchison Whampoa also has invested heavily in development near the ports. That set off alarm bells in U.S. security circles because of Lis personal friendship with several top Chinese officials, including senior figures in the Peoples Liberation Army. Hutchison Whampoas connection with the inner circle of Beijings ruling elite was especially highlighted during a U.S. House hearing on the Panama Canal in 1999. With the exit of American security forces, the situation in Panama is deteriorating, then-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California said at the hearing. I recently visited Panama and it was very evident. The mainland Chinese criminal triad gangs, some of whom have ties to Chinese intelligence agencies, are active throughout Panama. The year that Hutchison Whampoa acquired the ports, Panama broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan and switched its alliance to the CCP. By 2006, Hutchison Port Holdings had assumed control of scores of potential economic choke points, including 169 berths at 41 ports worldwide. These facilities control about 15 percent of global maritime container traffic. Also, 10 percent of the Hutchison Panama Ports Co. is owned by China Resources Enterprise (CRE), which is the commercial arm of Chinas Ministry of Trade and Economic Cooperation. In its investigation into the CCPs attempts to influence the 1996 U.S. presidential campaign, the U.S. Senate Government Affairs Committee identified CRE as a conduit for espionageeconomic, political and militaryfor China. Former Republican Sen. Trent Lott described Lis Hong Kong firm as an arm of the Peoples Liberation Army. Lis Long-Standing Relationship With CCP The relationship between the Li family and the CCP began during the Deng Xiaoping era, and entered a honeymoon period after Jiang Zemin took power, when he received special treatment because of his investments in China. In May 1996, Lis eldest son, Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, was kidnapped by crime boss Big Spender Cheung Tze-keung for $1 billion in ransom. According to Apply Daily, after Cheung successfully collected the money and escaped to mainland China, Li managed to appear very calm while secretly reporting the matter to Jiang. Jiang expressed deep sympathy and indignation, and ordered Cheung arrested. The CCP police in Guangdong successfully found and caught Cheung, who was later sentenced to death and executed at gunpoint on Dec. 5, 1998. During the 2019 anti-extradition protests, the CCP forced Hong Kongs elite from all walks of life to show support for the CCPs crackdown. Almost all Chinese language newspapers in Hong Kong, with the exception of Apple Daily and The Epoch Times, published pro-CCP content. However, on Aug. 16, 2019, Li placed an advertisement in the name of a Hong Kong resident, with the main message the melon of Huangtai cannot bear the picking again. The ad was based on a poem written by Crown Prince Li Xian during the reign of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty. Li Xian advised Wu Zetian not to drive the Li familys descendants to extinction. The advertisement was widely interpreted to be a subtle shoutout to Beijing. On May 27 last year, the Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao asked Li about his attitude toward the CCPs intention to enact the Hong Kong national security law. He responded, I hope the passage of the national security law will ease the Central Governments worries about Hong Kong and play a positive role in long-term stability and development; the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is duty-bound to consolidate Hong Kong peoples confidence in one country, two systems and strengthen the trust of the international community. But the next day, the Ta Kung Pao report, titled Li Ka-shing: National Security Law Plays a Positive Role in Long-Term Stable Development, described Lis hopes for the national security law as certainty. Following the Ta Kung Pao article, many media outlets sought to interview Li. He declined all requests, claiming that he was sick with the flu. Dont Let Li Ka-shing Run Away Since 2013, Li has been selling assets in China and Hong Kong, cashing in at least HK$250 billion (US$32.19 billion). The sales include Beijing Pacific Century Place, Metropolitan Plaza in Guangzhou, the Oriental Financial Center in Shanghai, Shanghai Shengbang International Building, his property in Hong Kong, and his 20 percent stake in Hongkong Electric. After Li began selling his assets in China, the Liaowang Institutewhich is the Xinhua news agencys think tankpublished an article titled Dont Let Li Ka-shing Run Away, labeling any attempt by Li to leave China as an act of moral failure. The article begins: Business is like a stream of water in the first place, and it is the nature of capital to seek profit. Li can go wherever he wants to go. However, given the nature of how Li gained his wealth in China in the last two decades, his affairs seem to be more than simply business. As we all know, in China, the real estate industry is very close to power. Without power resources, it is impossible to do real estate business. The wealth of real estate, thus, does not come entirely from a thoroughgoing market economy. In this regard, it is inappropriate for Li Ka-shing to just run away as long as he wants to. The article asserted that as a person who has gained much from his partnership with China, Li had three missions to fulfill before he could turn his back on China: 1. Paying back the poor by being responsible to society. 2. Stabilizing Hong Kong and assuming the responsibility of a business leader. 3. Doing more good deeds, and running businesses for society. On May 27, 2019, the major Chinese website Sina.com published an article titled Li Ka-shing Really Ran Away. The article reads: A group of businessmen led by Li Ka-shing, who enjoyed the dividends of Chinas reform and opening up, started to cash out in the process of Chinas economic transformation and upgrading. There is nothing wrong for businessmen to pursue profits, but dont let those businessmen who used all the under-the-table rules to gain profits to damage the credit of business and erode the foundation of Chinas economy. 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 around 3 p.m. On Monday, the Advance/SILive.com visited The Original Goodfellas at 1718 Hylan Blvd., which is open for indoor dining, pickup and delivery from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Original Goodfellas will move to the Great Kills area in the coming weeks, according to owner Scot Cosentino. Visit Goodfellas.com for more information and future updates. 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. Detox Juice Bar & Kebab Grill, 1612 Forest Ave. Ritas Italian Ice, 2655 Richmond Ave. Baya Bar, 2381 Hylan Blvd. Family Man Empanada Cart, Richmond and Nome avenues Filled Cafe and Silogan, 701 Bay St. Taste of India II, 287 New Dorp Lane Il Sogno, 26 Jefferson Blvd. Genki Sushi, 150 Greaves Lane Beso, 11 Schuyler St. Filoncino Cafe, 4569 Amboy Road President Biden claimed that Derek Chauvin's conviction on Tuesday "ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism" of police. With the police shooting that same day of 16-year-old girl in Columbus, Ohio, the White House again pushed the racism claim, noting that this was just another example of how "police violence disproportionately impacts Black and Latino people." But where is the evidence for these claims? In Chauvin's trial, the prosecution never once mentioned evidence that the now-former officer is racist. A day after the verdict, the Biden administration announced plans for a pattern-or-practice investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department to determine if there is such racism, but the administrations comments sure sound as if they have already determined the studys outcome. In the other case, body camera footage released by police revealed that Ma'Khia Bryant was fatally shot as she charged another girl with a knife. The officer shot one black girl in an attempt to save what appears to be another black girl from being stabbed. Politicians such as Biden as well as the media have helped create a biased perception that is far from the reality of shootings by police. In a study, the Crime Prevention Research Center (where I serve as president) found that when a white officer kills a suspect, the media usually mention the officer's race. When the officer is black, news coverage rarely mentions that detail. And there's evidence that blacks aren't all that fed up with the police. A July 2017 Quinnipiac University poll in New York City found that blacks strongly support the cops in their neighborhoods 62% approved compared to just 35% who disapproved. That approval rating was 11 percentage points higher than for the New York City Police Department as a whole. It makes sense that people only know their local cops, and rely on media reports to form impressions about other areas they are less familiar with. A 2020 Monmouth University poll found that 72% of both blacks and whites are satisfied with their local police. There is other evidence. If blacks don't trust the police, they presumably won't turn to them as frequently as whites when a crime occurs. Yet, blacks report violent crime to police at a higher rate than either whites or Hispanics, even when controlling for income levels. Low- and middle-income blacks are about 11 percentage points more likely to report violent crimes to police. Through extensive research, we found 2,699 police shootings across the nation from 2013-2015. That's far more than the FBI found, since its data is limited to only 1,366 cases voluntarily provided by police departments. The FBI data has other shortcomings, too: It disproportionately includes cases from heavily minority areas, giving a misleading picture of the frequency at which blacks are shot. Our database keeps track of characteristics of both the suspect and the officer involved in each shooting, local violent crime rates, demographics of the city and police department, and many other factors that help determine what causes police shootings. Officers kill blacks at a higher rate than their share of the population: 25% of the suspects killed were black, 45% white, and 16% Hispanic. As for where the deaths are occurring, black suspects tend to die in heavily black larger cities with populations averaging over 600,000, while whites are killed in smaller cities with an average population of 250,000. White suspects were slightly more likely to be holding a firearm than blacks (63% to 61%). Black and white suspects were both equally likely to be involved in violent crime when they lose their lives at an officers hands, though blacks who died were more likely to be involved in drug or property offenses. But police generally have more challenging jobs in cities where blacks are killed. The average city where blacks are killed had a 61% higher violent crime rate and 126% higher murder rate than where the average white was killed. After accounting for these and other factors, including averaged cultural differences in police departments, we found that black officers were at least as likely as their white peers to kill black suspects, but that black officers were more likely to kill unarmed blacks than were white officers. The data offered some clues for how to reduce these fatal incidents. It cant explain all instances, such as George Floyds case where Floyd resisted arrest by four officers, or possibly the Columbus case where an attack by a knife-wielding suspect was already in process. But, usually, when more police are present at the scene of a confrontation with a suspect, the odds of a fatality decline. There is about a 14% to 18% reduction in the suspect's chances of being killed for each additional officer present. Officers feel more vulnerable if they are alone at the scene, making them more likely to use deadly force. Also, suspects may be emboldened and resist arrest when fewer officers are present. It is a dangerous fiction that prejudiced white officers are going out and disproportionately killing black men. But that doesn't mean that measures can't be taken to reduce shootings by police. The most obvious step would be to increase the number of officers responding to a call, to avoid forcing lone, vulnerable officers to make life-or-death decisions. WASHINGTON Republicans may be ready to back as much as $900 billion in infrastructure spending, according to a senior senator, though that would still be less than half of President Joe Bidens proposal. Theres a deal to be done on infrastructure, I think, Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Fox News Sunday. Rather than an increase in the corporate tax rate to 28% that Republicans flatly reject, he suggested to not pay for some of the infrastructure spending, because I think it over time pays for itself. Democrats and Republicans are laying down markers while sounding out bipartisan approaches to Bidens $2.25 trillion plan before its taken up by Congress. The administration needs every Democratic vote in a Senate split 50-50. The president plans to address Congress on Wednesday night, a speech likely to focus on a second, longer-term economic recovery plan that goes beyond projects regarded as quintessential infrastructure to expanding social safety-net programs. Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat whos a key moderate in the bargaining, said last week that Biden and Congress should focus on traditional infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges, an approach broadly favored by Republicans. Theres probably an $800 (billion) to $900 billion infrastructure bill that we could all agree on, Graham said. Watch Joe Manchin. I think theres a sweet spot on infrastructure where we can find pay-fors that wont hurt the economy. Manchins support will be critical for Biden. Hes suggested a two-track approach that deals first with physical infrastructure, including transportation systems, water projects and communications networks. Elements involving whats been dubbed human infrastructure, such as funding for child care and education, should be split off, Manchin said on CNNs State of the Union. I do think they should be separated, he said. Manchin said he and others in a group of 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats who tried to broker a deal on the previous stimulus bill passed with only Democratic votes are now discussing an infrastructure proposal. Along with the coalition of House moderates known as the Problem Solvers Caucus, theyre seeking a bipartisan way forward. An ABC News-Washington Post poll released Sunday showed such an approach would have broad support among the American people. By a 2-to-1 margin, respondents said Biden should be willing to make major changes to his proposal to win GOP support, rather than going it alone. A group of senior Senate Republicans last week gave few specifics on how to pay for the spending beyond possibly taxing electric cars and repurposing unspent funds. They rejected rolling back former President Donald Trumps 2017 tax cuts or adding to the national debt. The House group has suggested measures such as raising the fuel tax to help pay for roads and bridges, an annual registration fee on fully electric or hybrid electric cars, or broadening the air cargo tax to trucking services. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican involved in the negotiations, said there have been encouraging signs from the White House. We are circling back on Monday to figure out the best strategies, she said on CNN. This is an active conversation. And I think that its a good beginning. A friendly collie named George frolics around Jana Dosztan-Reisss backyard with his foster siblings, a lively group of dogs Dosztan-Reiss and her husband, Steve Reiss, refer to as their pack. Right now, the pack is made up of 12 dogs, nine of them their own. In 2018, the couple founded Seventh Heaven Rescue, a foster-based rescue. That year, they took in about 20 dogs, operating out of their home in Syracuse. In 2019, the first full year of rescues, they took 98. Last year, they took in 245. This year, to date, they are at more than 50 rescues, including an influx of dogs with serious medical conditions as well as local surrenders, like George. Echo is adopted . This little peanut came all the way from south Texas where she had been abandoned. She went into... Posted by Seventh Heaven Rescue on Sunday, April 25, 2021 George is what the couple refer to as a pandemic puppy, a dog that was adopted during the early days of COVID-19 but not given the tools needed to succeed, resulting in behavioral problems and surrender. George was scheduled to be euthanized before Dosztan-Reiss took him in, and hes just over a year old. Hes so much fun, and he loves to play with our dogs. And his energy level is just, I mean, I just wish I could harness a quarter of his energy, Dosztan-Reiss said. To help him find a new home, the rescue is sending him to a trainer for three weeks to work on his anxiety, but the cost of training on top of the medical bills for other fosters is adding up. Weve got, you know, a $2,000 training that were looking at, probably, for this dog. But its going to save this dogs life because hes a year and three months. Hes a puppy, Reiss said. The couple has taken in lots of puppies this year, most of which come from the Rio Grande area, South Texas, the Mexican border and the West Texas area. Lately, these puppies have come into foster care with either Parvo or distemper. These are serious ailments that require almost 24-hour care from fosters and frequent trips to emergency veterinary centers. For a puppy with distemper, Dosztan-Reiss said they get frequent feedings, medications, IV fluids and plasma. The plasma is the most expensive component of treatment, which, if they are lucky, starts at about $1,000 a day per dog. People just think that, you know, puppies are easy. You take them you get them vetted, they get adopted and everybody lives happily ever after. And thats not the case, Dosztan-Reiss said. The rescue is strictly not-for-profit, and every donation goes directly to the animals in their care. To help fund these medical bills, Seventh Heaven Rescue has been relying on donations from their social media following on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. When the pandemic curbed their in-person fundraising efforts, they hosted a virtual 7k walk to fundraise, and they hope to do an in-person 7k in the future. An unwritten slogan The name of the rescue, Seventh Heaven, and the 7k fundraising campaign are in honor of Dosztan-Reisss former rescue dog, Seven. The senior pitbull was left at a New York City shelter with a broken back leg, set to be euthanized. After being pulled from the shelter, Seven was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. Despite the odds, Seven flourished after chemotherapy. Two years later, his cancer returned and Dosztan-Reiss lost him. Seven still lives in her heart, and she hopes to give all rescue dogs a chance at life like Seven had. 3 years ago today , Seven lost his battle with cancer and went to the rainbow bridge. He Lived in New York City with... Posted by Seventh Heaven Rescue on Thursday, February 25, 2021 Right now, the rescues greatest need is finding people to aid in fundraising efforts, including professionals with experience in grant writing and organizing campaigns beyond social media. As Dosztan-Reiss and Reiss said, Facebook pleas can only go so far. They are seeking other outlets. We know dogs. We know dogs, and how to take care of them. But you know, this is the part of the rescue that we dont have a lot of experience with, Dosztan-Reiss said. Seventh Heaven Rescue is also looking for foster families. Liz Persons, the foster director, said its difficult to find local foster families because people are concerned they will get too attached. Its just hard because people, when they talk to me about fostering, theyre like, Oh, how do you it? I would want to keep them all. Like, yes, I do. But at the same time, I can see their journey, and I get to be a part of that movement to a new home and then help another one, Persons said. Foster owner Kathy Dwyer said that in the end, its all about the dogs. You just have to keep reminding yourself of what youre doing to help these dogs, Dwyer said, leaning down to pet Noah, another foster dog Dosztan-Reiss had taken in. Noah is an American bulldog with a heart condition. He was in heart failure and estimated to live three months when Seventh Heaven Rescue took him in. Its been 18 months now, and watching him run around the yard with George, no one would ever know it. Through foster-based rescues, foster families give dogs a home environment and opportunity to thrive without kennel of shelter anxiety. Seventh Heaven Rescues goal is to give these dogs a chance at knowing unconditional love, but financial hurdles of the pandemic and providing dogs with the care they deserve is threatening those chances. Whats right for the dogs comes first, Reiss said. Thats our unwritten slogan. How to help Right now, Seventh Heaven Rescue is looking for help from the local community, so they have the resources to give dogs like George and Noah a second chance. Donate: The nonprofit accepts donations via Paypal (donate@seventhheavenrescue.com), Venmo (@seventhheavenrescue) and by check, Seventh Heaven Rescue, P.O. Box 15213, Syracuse, NY 13215. Dog Daze Pet Shop in North Syracuse also collects donations and will match a percentage of each gift. Shop: Purchase an item from the rescues Amazon wishlist, including pet blankets, chew toys, flea and tick medication, harnesses, leashes, collars and crates. The nonprofit also can be a recipient of donations using Amazon Smile program. Volunteer: The nonprofit is looking for help with fundraising, event planning, grant writing, bookkeeping and accounting, website maintenance, and application processors. Foster or adopt: Dogs available for foster and adoption can be found on the groups website, SeventhHeavenRescue.org. For more information: Email info@seventhheavenrescue.org for more details or check out the groups Facebook page. More on Syracuse.com He learned to brew at home in CNY. Now hell open a brewery in one of the worlds beer capitals Visit a fairy village on a magical trail in Upstate New York Safe Travels: 20 historical sites to visit for a weekend road trip in Upstate NY New modern general store expands Brae Loch Inn familys legacy The lead prosecutor in the Derek Chauvin trial says he felt bad for the police officer as the guilty verdicts in the George Floyd murder trial were delivered. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told 60 Minutes host Scott Pelley his initial reaction upon hearing the guilty verdict was 'gratitude, humility', followed by sympathy for the defendant. 'I will admit, I felt a little bad for the defendant,' Ellison told the CBS current affairs show. 'I think he deserved to be convicted. But he's a human being.' Ellison told 60 Minutes that his 16 years as a defense attorney led him to try to feel compassionate for defendants. 'I'm not in any way wavering from my responsibility. But I hope we never forget that people who are defendants in our criminal justice system, that they're human beings. They're people. I mean, George Floyd was a human being. And so I'm not going to ever forget that everybody in this process is a person.' Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter at the conclusion of the three week trial. He faces a maximum term of 40 years in prison and minimum 12.5 years when he is sentenced on June 16. But when asked for his opinion on an appropriate custodial punishment, Ellison said he didn't want to see a heavy sentence meted out to Chauvin. 'I think it is important for the court to not go light or heavy. I don't know if it's right for a judge to send a message through a sentence because the sentence should be tailored to the offense, tailored to the circumstances of the case,' Ellison told 60 Minutes. 'Look, the State never wanted revenge against Derek Chauvin. We just wanted accountability.' Minnesota Attorney-General said his initial reaction to the guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin trial was to feel 'a little bad' for the former police officer George Floyd, left, pictured with his daughter Gianna, who is now 6 years old. Floyd died on May 25 last year after Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than 9 minutes Mobile phone footage of Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck during the arrest that ended in Floyd's death was crucial to securing a conviction, Keith Ellison said Derek Chauvin, left, in his booking photo on April 21, will be sentenced on June 16. Keith Ellison, right, the Attorney-General of Minnesota, led the prosecution of Derek Chauvin. He said he doesn't believe Chauvin should get a heavy sentence Ellison also told CBS's flagship current affairs show that there no evidence to suggest Floyd's death constituted a racist hate crime. 'I wouldn't call it that because hate crimes are crimes where there's an explicit motive and of bias,' he told 60 Minutes. Hate crimes would typically involve the use of racist language, Ellison said. 'We don't have any evidence that Derek Chauvin factored in George Floyd's race as he did what he did.' To bring a race hate charge would have required evidence to show Chauvin targeted Floyd because of his race. Ellison, a former Congressman who was elected as state Attorney-General in 2019, said he didn't feel certain of securing a conviction until the jury returned the verdict. 'I remember what happened in the Rodney King case when I was a pretty young man, young lawyer,' he told 60 Minutes. 'And I remember how devastated I felt when I heard that the jury acquitted those officers.' 'Whenever - an officer is charged with an offense, particularly when the victim is a person of color, it's just rare that there's any accountability. 'And so, there was every moment of this case, I thought, 'What are we missing? What haven't we done?' Central to the case was the video, filmed by Darnella Frazier, of Floyd's arrest, and Ellison said they carefully weighed how much to use it. Ellison admitted that without the footage, he was unsure if they would have been able to secure a conviction. He explained that his team worked on prosecuting the case on the assumption the video would be ruled inadmissible as evidence, in the hopes of building the most watertight case possible. Chauvin is led handcuffed from the court after being found guilty on all three charges relating to George Floyd's death The guilty verdicts were met with jubilation by crowds outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota Chauvin is currently in Oak Park Heights prison - Minnesota's only maximum security facility - and will be sentenced on June 16. The prosecutors will be back in court in August, pursuing the conviction of the other three officers involved in Floyd's fatal arrest - J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. Ellison led the prosecution, with assistance from two other assistant attorney generals - Matthew Frank and Erin Eldridge. His team was further bolstered by two lawyers hired especially for the trial, Jerry Blackwell and Steve Schleicher. The Chauvin murder trial took on enormous significance as the nation waited on tenterhooks for the verdict. The tension that had gradually mounted during the three-week trial had been on the verge of boiling over into widespread civil unrest. After the guilty verdicts were returned, President Joe Biden weighted in to say they sent a message that no one is 'above the law', as he demanded new action to honor Floyd after a killing he called a 'stain on the nation's soul.' Chauvin invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify in his own murder trial 'No one should be above the law. And today's verdict sends that message. But it's not enough. It can't stop here,' Biden said. The Department of Justice is now investigating whether they will charge Derek Chauvin over a 2017 incident where he knelt on a black 14-year-old boy's neck for nearly 17 minutes. Federal prosecutors had witnesses testify before a grand jury two months ago regarding the 2017 incident. The DOJ probe is still ongoing and the Minneapolis Police Department recently was briefed on it. Chauvin has never faced any charges over the 2017 arrest. The details regarding the 2017 emerged late last year when state prosecutors tried to convince a judge to let them use Chauvin's prior use-of-force incidents. The nation had been on edge in the lead-up to the guilty verdicts, with fears an acquittal could lead to widespread rioting in Minneapolis, above, and other cities The judge banned prosecutors from telling jurors about the 2017 incident. In court documents, prosecutors said body cam video showed Chauvin and another officer responding to a domestic assault September 4, 2017 in which a mother said she was assaulted by her teenage son and daughter. The body cam footage has not been released. The officers arrived to find the 14-year-old boy lying on the floor of his bedroom while on his phone. They ordered him to get up because he was under arrest. When he refused, Chauvin grabbed him and struck the teen in the head with his flashlight, the court documents say. Chauvin then grabbed him by the throat before hitting him again with the flashlight. Prosecutors had argued this all occurred less than a minute after the officers first encountered the boy. Chauvin applied a neck restraint to the boy, who briefly went unconscious, and then placed him in a prone position with a knee in his back for about 17 minutes until paramedics arrived. The major gorse fire in the Mourne Mountains is believed to have been started deliberately, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) has said. The fire in the Slieve Donard area was declared a major incident by the fire service on Saturday and it took more than 100 firefighters until Sunday evening to get the blaze, which covered 3.5 square kilometres, under control. The PSNI has appealed for anyone with information about the fire to come forward. Detective Inspector Handley said detectives were working to establish the circumstances of the blaze. It is believed the fire may have started off the main walkway along the Bloody Bridge path, possibly late on Thursday night (April 22), DI Handley said. We want to hear from anyone who was in the area, and who may have information which could help our investigation, to get in touch with us. In particular, we want to hear from the owner/occupants of a black/dark coloured saloon-type car that is understood to have been present in the Bloody Bridge car park when NIFRS arrived just after 1am on Friday morning as they may have vital information which could assist us. Scene of the blaze in Co Down (Rebecca Black/PA) Anyone with information can call 101 and quote reference 491 of 23/04/21 or submit a report online using the PSNIs non-emergency reporting form. Northern Irelands chief fire and rescue officer Michael Graham said firefighters had worked in intense conditions to extinguish the fire and prevent it spreading to threaten human life or property. Mr Graham said: While I am proud of the work our people did, we are all saddened by the destruction this fire has caused to our natural environment. He thanked everyone involved in assisting them and said he had simply lost track of the number of people who had contacted the team offering help. Firefighters used beaters, jets and specialist 4x4s to extinguish the flames. Their efforts were supported by police, Coastguard, Mourne Rescue Team, Forestry Service, National Trust, NIEA and Sky Watch Patrol, as well as coastguard helicopters from the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. He added that while they were responding to the fire on the mountain, firefighters also responded to 400 other incidents. For everyone out there who watched the fire this weekend with horror, there is one thing we ask of you help us prevent these fires starting in the first place, he said. Dont start fires in the countryside. Dont be careless with smoking materials or glass. Dont be careless with barbecues or any other flames. The National Trust said it was devastated to see the impact the fire has had on the fragile habitat of upper Slieve Donard. This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has been completely destroyed and will take years to recover, it said. The heather landscape, which is a designated Special Area of Conservation, once alive with flora, fauna and diverse wildlife is now charred earth and ash. The trust thanked everyone involved for their incredible efforts in bringing the fire under control. Without their efforts the fire could have reached the upper blanket bog area, increasing the damage to the biodiverse environment on the mountain, it continued. The trust appealed to anyone walking in the countryside to stick to the paths to prevent ground erosion, bring their litter home and not to light fires or barbecues as they pose a huge risk to nature, wildlife and local communities. Environment Minister Edwin Poots, who visited the scene on Saturday, told the Assembly on Monday he was heartbroken and sickened at the sight that unfolded. It is hard to grasp the scale of the fire and the devastation that occurred and, while we do not know at this stage the full extent of the impact, we do know that it will be significant for our environment and our tourism economy that thrives on the unique natural beauty of this renowned area, he said. Stormont Environment Minister Edwin Poots meets firefighters (Rebecca Black/PA) Mr Poots paid tribute to all of the responding organisations and said that over the coming months, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency will ensure that there is a full assessment of the biodiversity loss and the necessary recovery action. It is absolutely wrong and illegal to start a fire and we will work closely with the PSNI and others to make sure that those who cause such damage are held to account. This is not a victimless crime lives and property are put at risk and the environment is damaged. Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard has called for a full and rigorous investigation into the causes and consequences of the fire. The South Down MP said: While nobody will be surprised that the fire was deliberate, the fact that somebody would act in such a reckless and careless manner is sickening. Fundamentally a cultural shift is required on the burning of land for agricultural purposes. Not only is the current prescribed period of burning far too late in the year (mid April) but we need to urgently reassess the environmental impact of burning especially peatland areas which play a vital role in the storage of carbon. So the Environment Minister must look urgently at the issue of the burning of peatlands and look to promote unprecedented rewilding and high nature value schemes to benefit farmers and landowners. I am almost speechless, so I am quoting CWBChicago, essential reading for all who care about the unraveling of civil society in the Second City: A suburban man who's accused of running onto the field during a White Sox game Friday evening got a good taste of Chicago's judicial system priorities when a judge ordered him held on a higher bail than some accused gun offenders received during the same felony bond court session. Now, you might think that judges in Chicago where just under 1,000 people have been shot already this year, 178 fatally might consider illegal gun possession to be a greater concern to the community than a Sox fan's rollick across Guaranteed Rate Field. But Judge David Navarro apparently disagrees. Navarro on Saturday ordered 19-year-old Liam Wolfer held in lieu of $5,000 bail on a charge of criminal trespass to a place of public amusement after prosecutors said the Plainfield resident dodged security officers while dashing from one foul pole to the other as the South Siders faced the Texas Rangers. Wolfer, who prosecutors said has a pending misdemeanor DUI case in Will County, had to post a $500 deposit to get out of jail. Here is a tweet with video of Wolfer's stunt: He almost made it...Fan on the field at the White Sox. pic.twitter.com/xSxgnyBUbe armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) April 24, 2021 Wolfer sounds like a jerk, and DUI is an offense that can kill innocents. But in this instance, for disrupting a ball game, why does his offense merit higher bail than these people on the same day in the same courtroom? During the same hearing, Navarro released no fewer than three men accused of felony illegal gun possession on their own recognizance no money down, according to court records. Or the same bail as: Navarro allowed three other alleged gun offenders to go home for the same amount Wolfer had to pay. These bail decisions have real consequences: Records maintained by CWBChicago show that at least 17 people have been charged with murder, attempted murder, or shooting someone while out of jail on affordable bail amounts set by Navarro since 2019. That's far more than any of the other five judges who handle Chicago's felony bond court hearings. President Biden's handlers tell him to say we need new gun laws to stem criminal shootings of people. How about simply enforcing existing laws and taking those who violate them off the streets? Or would that be "systemic racism"? Photo credit: Twitter video screen grab (cropped). Some students in Boston are returning to the classroom on Monday after more than a year on remote learning. Boston Public schools began welcoming students in kindergarten through eighth grade to in-person learning on Monday, although some students can continue to choose to be remote. After more than a year remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education began requiring districts to have full-time in-person learning for K-5 students by April 5 and for grade 6-8 students by April 28. Boston Public Schools was one of 74 areas that requested waivers to delay in-person learning. In March, the school asked DESE to delay the return to in-person learning because the states largest district needed more time to address operational and logistical challenges to a full-time return, including adjusting staff and student schedules, including transportation; setting up classrooms in compliance with updated guidance; and planning for a physically distant breakfast and lunch at full capacity. Worcester Public Schools also requested to delay in-person learning. The district is expected to allow K-8 students to return on May 3. On April 15, Massachusetts education officials have reported 1,279 new cases of COVID-19 in schools, the highest weekly total so far through the pandemic. Springfield saw the most student cases during this time with 38. Related Content: WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville, Kentucky over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police during a raid at her home. The 26-year-old Taylor, emergency medical technician had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from sleep by police who came through the door using a battering ram. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired once. A no-knock warrant was approved as part of a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home. Monday's announcement was made by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Former Member of Parliament(MP) for Ayensuano constituency, Samuel Ayeh Paye has appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo to ban all flights from countries where COVID-19 is prevalent from entering Ghana to prevent a spike in the country's cases. Ghana's COVID-19 cases have increased again. A data published by the Ghana Health Service on Monday, April 26, 2021, indicates that the nation has recorded 1469 with daily new case count standing at 129. Seven hundred and seventy-seven (777) people have sadly passed away. It is believed that the sudden increase is due to the travelers entering Ghana. The Frontiers Healthcare Service (FHS) in a letter addressed to the Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited, Yaw Kwakwa and copied to the GHS indicated that on "24th of April, 2021, we recorded 75 positive cases. This exceeds the previous highest rate of 45 positive cases on the 21st of April, 2021" and that "it has become imperative to implement new guidelines to curtail the influx of positive cases into the country. Recent news reports also disclose that India's daily Covid-19 death toll has hit new world record as hospitals beg for oxygen. Coronavirus infections in India have risen by 346,786, the Health Ministry in the country said on Saturday. Reacting during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Samuel Ayeh Paye asked the President to protect Ghanaians by placing a ban on India, Japan and Korea among other countries where their cases have overwhelmingly shot up. He also called on the government to intensify the measures at the Kotoka International Airport to detect the disease in travelers before they mingle with the general public. "The President and the COVID-19 National Taskforce should ban people traveling from countries where the disease is prevalent from entering Ghana . . . any person who is in Korea, Japan or India and wants to come to Ghana must be told to wait for a while but if it's not possible, then we should quarantine and test them before we allow them to go home," he said. 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. Featured Video 17 Shares Share Joseph B. Fraiman is an emergency medicine physician currently practicing at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center and three other regional hospitals in Louisiana. This interview, conducted by journalist Martha Rosenberg, has been edited for clarity and length. Rosenberg: Working at ERs in Louisiana hospitals that serve bayou communities, how seriously were you affected by COVID-19? Fraiman: When COVID-19 began, as the only physician overnight, I was pronouncing or intubating patients two or three times during a shift. Previously this would happen every two to three shifts. There were freezers outside the hospital for the overflow. Now we are no longer seeing this. Rosenberg: What caused the improvement? Fraiman: I have stopped pretending that I know what is going on or that we know what to do when it comes to the pandemic. Like the Dunning Kruger effect, you start out confident, and confidence falls as one gains experience. Studies of interventions and government policies for COVID-19 show very mixed benefits. Why, for example, does Vietnam have a 500-fold lower COVID-19 rate than Finland and a 3,500-fold lower rate than the U.S. despite having fewer resources? Rosenberg: It is interesting that few scientists say they are confused about this. Fraiman: Thats the problem. Scientists who are certain they are correct are censoring those who dont agree with them. For example, authors of the only randomized controlled trial of mask-wearing (The Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers) could not initially even get published because no one liked the results. Carl Heneghan, director of Oxfords Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, wrote a review of the study, which Facebook branded as false information. Rosenberg: What other research is unwelcome? Fraiman: Anything addressing the vaccines. The Pfizer and Biotech Vaccine trial had 3,410 suspected but unconfirmed cases of COVID-19, and it was unclear if these cases were all tested. If the vaccine group was tested less frequently than the placebo group, this raises questions about the efficacy of 95 percent they claimed to have found. These are important questions, but multiple other concerned physicians and I could not find a medical journal or lay press willing to allow us to raise this issue. We were only able to point it out on the NNT, the physician review site. Rosenberg: What work have you done related to COVID-19 diagnostic testing? Fraiman: Since early in the pandemic, I advocated for more aggressive testing and contact tracing. Early studies showed the COVID-19 PCR test had a poor sensitivity of 70 percent, causing a high number of false negatives. Some other nations solved this by testing at multiple sites multiple times and using CT scans to greatly reduce the false-negative rate. In the U.S., we simply pretended the test was good and never made any adjustments in testing. It is not logically possible to control COVID-19 with testing and contact tracing if this low sensitivity problem is not addressed. Rosenberg: Your research has now taken a different turn? Fraiman: Yes. While I initially had been researching and advocating for a more aggressive approach to COVID-19, I have begun questioning, with my co-authors, how effective even the best approach can be. Currently, we are attempting to understand how nations can have 1,000 fold differences in rates of COVID-19. Our data is not published yet, but it appears that whereas island nations are able to use aggressive policies to control COVID-19 rates, the majority of the variability seen with other nations is explained by their demographics which we cant change. With our current model, we can explain approximately 70 percent of differences in COVID-19 rates between countries. But about 40 percent of the worlds nations have a combination of demographics that are so protective they will never see high rates of COVID-19 regardless of their pandemic policies. It would be wise for these nations to avoid any COVID-19 policy that harms their most vulnerable populations through harsh lockdown measures. Rosenberg: So government-led COVID-19 interventions have limited value? Fraiman: Yes and no. In nations with protective demographics, COVID-19 is already at such low rates, the policies might not be worth it to the population. In nations with highly susceptible demographics, aggressive policies are likely able to reduce COVID-19 cases somewhat, but they should not expect to achieve the impressively low COVID-19 rates seen in some nations. Essentially Finland, even with its highly effective COVID-19 control measures, should not expect to achieve the low COVID-19 rates Vietnam has been able to achieve. Rosenberg: As you compile your research, do you feel that the climate of censorship will ease as COVID-19 abates? Fraiman: I believe it is getting worse. When you read scientific papers published during Einsteins time, they would not be published today. As Karl Popper said, a scientific theory can never be proven, it can only be falsified, but today the status quo is so fiercely defended that no breakthroughs are possible. People should be more concerned about that than Qanon conspiracies. When scientific truths are declared by anointed experts, you dont have science you have a religion. Just because the leading experts agree that the sun revolves around the earth, that doesnt make it true. Joseph B. Fraiman is an emergency physician. Martha Rosenberg is a health reporter and the author of Born With a Junk Food Deficiency. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Infantry Marines get specialized training to operate specific weapons, but that could change as the service experiments with a model to create generalists who can use several different systems in combat. Three infantry battalions are spending two years testing new models that could revolutionize the Marine Corps' ground combat element. The effort is part of a 10-year plan to reshape the service as it prepares for possible conflict with near-peer threats -- mainly China. The model that could perhaps lead to the most dramatic changes to the Marine infantry battalion is called the "arms room concept," which Brig. Gen. Benjamin Watson, head of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, describes as "an armory of many different systems." Read Next: The Marines Need Volunteers to Help Them Reassess Body Standards "Your Marines would be trained in all of them, and then you pick the weapons suited to the mission," Watson said. "... It's producing a more mature, sort of multidimensional utility infielder as an infantryman." Commandant Gen. David Berger released his annual update on Force Design 2030, a directive for sweeping servicewide changes he says are necessary to prep the force for its next fight. Those plans call for a redesigned infantry battalion. "I am not confident that we have adequately assessed all of the implications of the future operating environment on the proposed structure of our future infantry battalion," Berger wrote in March 2020. Now, he has directed a battalion in each of the three Marine Corps divisions to begin experimentation. The "arms room" concept was the model originally proposed to redesign the infantry battalion, Watson said. One of the battalions is experimenting with that model, while the others are testing out a modified version and an alternative. The concept, officials said, could eventually eliminate infantry battalions' weapons companies, shifting those weapons -- 81mm mortars and the Javelin portable anti-tank missile, for example -- into headquarters or rifle companies. But infantry Marines need different training to employ those weapons. Grunts traditionally attend basic infantry training before they're given specialized instruction on a specific weapon system. Now, as part of the experimentation, the Schools of Infantry that train enlisted grunts on both coasts are running 14-week test courses -- 50% longer than the current nine-week course. During the longer course, Watson said, Marines are learning how to operate a host of weapons rather than specializing in one. "What this would do is increase the duration of the entry-level infantry training pipeline [and] train the infantry Marine in a variety of crew-served weapon systems, such that they are capable of operating more than just one," he said. "Then, the unit would make the decision -- based on the mission they're assigned, based on the threat, etc. -- what weapons systems they'd want to assign to their Marines." Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, deputy commandant of Combat Development and Integration, said they recognize there are critics of the "arms room" concept. He said he points those who say it won't work to the infantry automatic rifle with improved optic. "You have basically trained Marines hitting targets all day long at 500, 700, 800 meters that used to be the range of school-trained snipers," Smith said. "[They're] hitting them all day long because the weapon system and its heavier barrel and the optic that goes with it means basically trained Marines can pick it up and pop individual targets out at ranges that used to be the sole domain of a sniper." Similarly, with the new Organic Precision Fires-Infantry loitering munitions, or OPR-I, Smith said Marines can strike targets "well beyond what a 60mm or 81mm mortar can do." "You may not need that mortarman to do that," he said. "... So I would tell the ['arms room'] naysayers, 'Hey, give it a minute.'" The change could ultimately lead to a single military occupational specialty for all infantry personnel. Military.com reported in December that the Marine Corps was considering merging its infantry specialties -- which include riflemen, reconnaissance Marines, machine gunners, mortarmen, snipers, anti-tank missile gunners and light-armor vehicle Marines -- into a single MOS. Leaders stressed this week that no decision has been finalized about how the infantry battalion will be organized. "We'll come out of this [experimentation] with a recommendation to the commandant on what the future will look like," Watson said. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the identification of the person quoted. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Related: The Marine Corps Is Considering Merging All Infantry Jobs Into Just 1 MOS A former student at Colonial Academy claims staff dragged him into the schools calming room, where they slammed him into walls and furniture. The assault left Dillon Sajudin with a torn shoulder that required surgery to repair, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month in federal court. The lawsuit says Sajudin, of East Stroudsburg, was a sophomore at the school for at-risk children in Bushkill Township when the attack allegedly occurred Sept. 10, 2019. The lawsuit says Sajudin was asked by his teacher to stand in the hallway. He was standing in the hall when he was approached by staff members Matthew Giovanni, Ryan Pysher and Corey Nahf, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit says they dragged him to the calming room, where they attacked him. Colonial Academy attorney John E. Freund III denies the allegations in the lawsuit. Our investigation has shown that the allegation against the I.U. and its employees in this complaint are false, Freund said. We categorically deny that I.U. employees caused this young man the injuries alleged in the complaint. Moreover, the Stroudsburg Area School District has no involvement whatsoever with this alleged incident. Stroudsburg Area School District is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. That was Sajudins sending school district and hes now a junior in the high school in that district, the lawsuit says. Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 oversees Colonial Academy. Giovanni, Pysher and Nahf are named as defendants in the lawsuit along with the intermediate unit. Freund represents all the defendants. Philadelphia attorney Michael H. Gaier represents Sajudin and his father, Dino Sajudin. He said a surveillance camera shows Dillon Sajudin being dragged down the hall. He said there was no camera in the calming room, however. He said the defendants offered no apology and no help with Sajudins medical bills. When (Dillon Sajudin) went to school that day and was standing in that hallway, he had a perfectly functioning shoulder. When he left that room less than half an hour later he had a torn labrum in that shoulder, Gaier said. The lawsuit says Dillon Sajudin suffered bruises, scarring, anxiety and mental anguish. The lawsuit seeks more than $150,000 on each of 10 counts for a total of $1.5 million. It was filed April 14 in federal court in Philadelphia. Colonial Academy provides educational/treatment-oriented alternative placement for identified at-risk children, serving alternative education, emotional support, life skills support, autism and partial hospitalization students, its website says. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a potentially fatal blow to supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana under certain circumstances. The justices ruled that the initiatives ballot summary is misleading in part because it does not spell out that recreational marijuana possession and distribution remains a federal crime. The point is that a summary should not contain language that is affirmatively misleading and creates a risk that voters will be confused, the majority justices wrote in a 5-2 ruling. The ruling came after Attorney General Ashley Moody requested an advisory opinion on whether the marijuana initiative was valid. A group called Make It Legal Florida had been gathering petition signatures in hopes of placing the initiative on the 2022 ballot. Now, they will have to start all over again. The group would need more than 891,000 signatures to get the marijuana measure on the 2022 ballot. The proposal would permit Floridians 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces (70 grams) of marijuana for personal use, with some restrictions over where it could be used. The court majority objected to the summary because they said it implies Floridians would be completely free of criminal exposure despite federal law. The court reasoned that the ballot summary affirmatively misleads voters into believing that the recreational use of marijuana in Florida will be free of any repercussions, criminal or otherwise. State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, strong proponent of marijuana reform laws, issued a statement saying the courts ruling effectively nullifies the will of the people. Florida voters have taken this into their own hands because the Florida Legislature failed to do right by the people in taking legislative action on legalization, said Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat. My advice is that they listen to the will of the people or theyll be out of a job soon. Justices Jorge LaBarga and Allen Lawson dissented, with Lawson filing an opinion saying the ballot summary accurately describes what the proposed amendment would do. Lawson said he would have approved it. Florida voters in 2016 approved a constitutional amendment permitting medical use of marijuana. Topics Florida Cannabis International Holding Company PJSC (IHC), one of Abu Dhabis leading conglomerates, has acquired 40% stake in Response Plus Medical Services (RPM) through one of its subsidiaries. RPM was established in 2010 and has become one of the UAEs largest provider of on-site healthcare management and medical emergency transfers from remote work sites. It provides medical support for oil and gas sector, chemical industries, construction sites, site clinics and ambulance services. In 2019, RPM established a presence in Saudi Arabia and Oman and has further strategic plans to expand across the GCC and Africa (Ghana and Nigeria) and India over the next five years. RPM now operates more than 200 site clinics as well as the largest fleet of ambulances in UAE. RPM is a unit of VPS Healthcare Group of Companies. Syed Basar Shueb, CEO and Managing Director of IHC, said: IHC has a mission to transform healthcare and this acquisition expands our reach, scale and expertise to pursue our commitment on a truly regional and international level. RPM had more than 2 million people visit their 200 site clinics in 2020. With our own primary and secondary care companies and clinics, we will be able to create considerable synergy and support a significant push into the GCC and Africa in the next five years where this type of on-site healthcare management and medical emergency transfers is needed. Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, Chairman and Managing Director VPS Healthcare, RPM's parent company, said: "In over a decade, we have built RPM into a trusted and reliable brand. Our strength and presence have grown such that we are capable of handling on-site healthcare management and medical emergency transfers throughout the Middle East. IHC shares these values, and we firmly believe that this strategic partnership will benefit both of us. Combining the strengths and visions of both entities, we look forward to making a meaningful difference in today's complex healthcare landscape. Over the last six months, IHC and its subsidiaries announced the pre-launch of the UAEs first virtual wellness and prevention platform, HealthyU; investments in UK-based DNA sequencing firm Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Quantlase Lab and Tamouh Healthcare, which recently developed the concept of Containerised Aid for Respiratory Emergencies (CARE), turning modular containers into fully equipped medical field hospitals such as Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Field Hospital was completed in early March near Darfur, Sudan. -- Tradearabia News Service Drill-ready assets in producing mining districts globally Nevada battery metals projects located near Teslas Gigafactory 1 Experience management team What Global Energy Metals does: Global Energy Metals Corporation ( ) (OTCMKTS:GBLEF) (FRA:5GE1) provides investors with exposure to the growing rechargeable battery and electric vehicle market by building a diversified global portfolio of exploration and growth-stage battery mineral assets. The Vancouver, British Columbia- based junior holds interests in several precious and battery metals projects globally. Global Energy Metals owns an 85% interest in the Lovelock Mine and Treasure Box cobalt, nickel, and copper projects in Nevada. The properties had limited mining in the 1880s, extracting grades as rich as 14% cobalt and 12% nickel. The Nevada projects are also located just 150 kilometres east of Teslas Gigafactory 1, the worlds largest battery factory. As well, its 100% owned, exploration-stage Millennium cobalt project in Australia is a promising cobalt-copper deposit of significant size that remains open for expansion. An historic resource estimate on the property from 2012 showed an Inferred resource of 3.1 million tonnes of 0.14% cobalt, 0.34% copper, and 0.12 grams per tonne (g/t) gold using a copper equivalent cutoff of 1.0%. Also in Australia is the companys 100% owned Mount Isa cobalt-copper-gold projects, which resides in a district that hosts many producing copper-gold and lead-zinc-silver ore bodies. Global Energy Metals is led by CEO Mitchell Smith, an accomplished executive and business development professional with deep experience executing corporate strategies as well as building marketing relationships. He has a strong understanding of the natural resources sector, capital markets and current market trends particularly within the battery/energy metals space. How it is doing: It has been an active 2021 thus far for Global Energy Metals. In April, the company received a $550,000 investment from two New York-based institutional investment management firms, which will be directed primarily towards an accelerated exploration program at its Lovelock Mine project. Earlier in the month, Global Energy Metals announced a definitive agreement to acquire a strategic interest in the Rana nickel-copper-cobalt project in Norway, which includes the past-producing Bruvann nickel mine. As part of the transaction, the company will also acquire a 1% net smelter return (NSR) royalty on the property from Chincherinchee Nominee Pty Ltd. Global Energy Metals will issue 3.3 million of its shares in exchange for 10% interest in Rana in addition to the 1% NSR. The company will also have a carried interest on the project and will not be responsible for any project costs until the vendor incurs more than C$1.5 million in project expenditures. The shares will be released in batches over a 12-month period. The vendor or royalty holder has the right to purchase 50% of the NSR for C$1 million before commercial production starts. Global Energy Metals noted that Rana is one of the few drill-ready Class-1 nickel projects globally with low capex anticipated to get it up and running, while also being located in close proximity to a growing end-user market including FREYR AS, a Norwegian incorporated company that is developing environmentally friendly lithium-ion based battery cell facilities in Norway. In March the company revealed it expected to start drilling at the Lovelock project beginning in May. It has proposed eight targets for the maiden 1,400 metres (m) short-hole drill program, which is aimed at confirming intersections of cobalt-nickel-copper-bearing structures within historical workings. Also in March, Global Energy Metals announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 50% interest in three North American battery metal projects: the Monument Peak copper-silver-gold project in Idaho; Chance Lake nickel-copper-cobalt project in Quebec, and Amiral nickel-copper-platinum group elements (PGEs) in Quebec. The company said the acquisition is part of an ongoing effort to amass battery metals-rich projects in top-tier mining jurisdictions with exploration and development upside. To acquire a 50% stake in each project, Global Energy Metals will make a cash payment of C$200,000 and issue 1.75 million shares and an additional 1.75 million warrants exercisable at $0.30 for a two-year period. And in February, Global Energy Metals closed the sale of a 0.5% gross metal royalty on a trio of Australian-based cobalt projects to ( ) (OCTMKTS:ELECF) in exchange for 1.15 million Electric Royalties shares plus a cash payment of C$150,000. Inflection points: Drill results from the past-producing Lovelock Mine Resource expansion at its Millennium project Merger & Acquisition opportunities What the boss says: Commenting on the companys deal to acquire an interest in the Rana project, Global Energy Metals CEO Mitchell Smith said in a statement: The signing of this definitive agreement for a strategic interest and royalty on the Rana Project and past-producing Bruvann nickel mine is a major milestone for the company and an active step towards our goal of serving the green energy value chain. Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com A study by a University of Illinois Chicago pediatric dentist has shown a novel way to track potential COVID-19 cases -- testing children who visit the dentist. The study also showed an over 2% positivity rate for the asymptomatic children tested. Dr. Flavia Lamberghini, UIC clinical assistant professor in the department of pediatric dentistry, has co-authored the article, "Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in asymptomatic pediatric dental patients," in the April 2021 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. Co-authors are Dr. Fernando Testai, UIC professor of neurology and rehabilitation, and Dr. Gabriela Trifan, UIC assistant professor of neurology and rehabilitation. The study looked at pediatric patients who visited UIC dental clinics for emergency dental procedures from April 1 to Aug. 1, 2020. Children with COVID-19 are typically asymptomatic but have the potential to carry substantial viral loads and be a source of infection. The patients were screened over the phone prior to their scheduled visits and were asymptomatic when they arrived for their appointments. They were given a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test for SARS-CoV-2 infection at their visit, Lamberghini said. "The kids tolerated the test just fine. We were trained by a pediatrician on how to conduct the test. We used the nasal swab. We told the kids, 'We are putting a butterfly in your nose,''' Lamberghini said. The patients, between the ages of 2 to 18, with a median age of 6, were tested. Sociodemographic characteristics were abstracted, and positivity rates were calculated. With the sample size of 921 patients, the overall SARS-Co-V-2 positivity rate was 2.3%. Positivity rates were statistically higher for Latino patients (3.1%), and 63% of the children studied were Latino. Lamberghini notes the study did not extend to include variables, and questions about social distancing and exposure to the virus were not asked. However, when a child tested positive for COVID-19, researchers followed up with the child's pediatrician and caregivers and encouraged them to follow recommended advice. "For most of them, it was a surprise to learn their child tested positive. It was good for families to know because these kids can transmit the virus, especially in communities where extended families tend to live together," Lamberghini said. It's also important information for the oral health care providers as well, she added. "As dentists, we are more exposed to the COVID-19 disease because we work close to the mouth, and our tools generate aerosols that can infect the dentist and dental assistant -- whoever is around," Lamberghini said. Prior to the study, children receiving dental procedures were not required to undergo PCR tests. The study concluded that PCR testing for COVID-19 of asymptomatic patients in pediatric dentistry adds value to the use of screening questionnaires for the identification of infected people who could be contagious. The study, the first to look at the prevalence of COVID-19 in pediatric dentistry, also serves as a reference for pediatric dentists who closed during the pandemic and are considering reopening, Testai said. "Despite these children being COVID-positive, we did not observe transmission to clinic staff, supporting the notion that personal protective equipment works," Testai said. ### A Florida woman who was on probation over a fatal 2014 traffic crash has been arrested following another dramatic high-speed crash that killed one of her passengers. Jennifer Carvajal, 24, was clocked driving 111 mph along a highway near Interstate 4 in Tampa on Sunday. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper started pursuing her and tried to overtake Carvajal to pull her over. Dashcam video captured the moment Carvajal made a hard right turn that sent her Hyundai Elantra onto the road's shoulder and down an embankment before going airborne. Jennifer Carvajal, 24, was arrested following the crash along a highway near Interstate 4 in Tampa, Florida on Sunday that killed one of her passengers Her car struck a concrete light pole and a palm tree before overturning in the parking lot of a car dealership. She has been charged with reckless driving involving a serious injury, DUI involving a serious injury, DUI manslaughter, driving without a license and multiple counts of DUI property damage A 19-year-old front seat passenger was thrown into the backseat and two rear passengers, a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old, were ejected from the car. The passengers were all taken to a hospital. The 22-year-old later died from her injuries. Carvajal, who suffered minor injuries, was the only one in the car wearing a seat belt, according to the trooper. She was later arrested and charged with reckless driving involving a serious injury, DUI involving a serious injury, DUI manslaughter, driving without a license and multiple counts of DUI property damage. Court records show that Carvajal is currently on probation after serving prison time for a previous fatal wreck when she was 16. Carvajal was clocked driving at 111 mph when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper started pursuing her and tried to overtake to pull her over Dramatic dashcam video captured the moment Carvajal made a hard right turn that sent her Hyundai Elantra onto the road's shoulder and down an embankment before going airborne In that incident, she ran a red light, and struck and killed 52-year-old Keith Allen Davis, who was in another vehicle, in Plant City in 2014. She was charged then with DUI manslaughter and driving without a valid license. Carvajal was sentenced to five years in prison. The maximum sentence for DUI manslaughter is 15 years in prison. When she was released in October 2019, Carvajal was placed on five years probation. The fiancee of the man she killed, Susan Blain, told Fox13 at the time that she believed the sentence was sufficient. 'I want her to get help,' Blain said. 'I'm not at the stage of forgiving her yet, but I want her to get help. He was a good person. He would help anybody, give the shirt off his back.' You are here: China A revised draft law intends to establish a data classification system and key data catalogs to safeguard China's data security. The draft law on data security was submitted on Monday to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China's top legislature, for the second reading. According to the draft, data shall be classified based on varying levels of importance to economic and social development. The levels of damage to national security, public interests, and the legitimate rights and interests of individuals and organizations caused by data tampering, corruption, leaks and unauthorized access and utilization shall also be taken into consideration in the data classification process, the draft reads. It stipulates that key data catalogs shall be compiled for different regions, departments, industries and sectors to enhance the protection of important data. It also includes new stipulations on penalties for unauthorized data disclosure, which provide a more sufficient legal basis for relevant organizations and individuals to refuse unreasonable demands from foreign countries. China solicited public opinion on the draft data security law following its first review at the sessions of the NPC Standing Committee in June 2020. The situation of intensive care beds for patients with COVID-19 is "better" than in previous weeks, Health Minister Ioana Mihaila told a Monday's press conference, who added that on Sunday, at 17.00, as many as 247 ICU beds for adults and 32 for children were available nationwide, reports agerpres. "Indeed, the situation is better than in the previous weeks. At the moment, we have 247 unoccupied intensive care beds nationwide, according to the reports verified yesterday, at 17.00. (...) At national level, 247 free beds for adults, 32 free beds for children. In Bucharest, 55 free beds for adults and 10 free beds for children," the minister explained. Mihaila said that the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections reported daily "is in line with reality"."The number of infections reported daily is in line with reality and we check it, together with the number of beds, from several sources. For example, for the number of beds we requested the pieces of information yesterday for 17.00 and they were consistent. The two sources of information were the Command Center from the Ministry of Health and the National Center for Intervention Coordination and Management that helps to transfer patients between health units," the health minister mentioned. VILNIUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) disaster in then-Soviet Ukraine that Belarus' modern Astravets NPP posed a threat to the safety of all EU citizens. Lithuania has been protesting the Astravets NPP construction since day one, claiming it to be dangerous. Minsk and Moscow maintain that their joint project meets the highest safety standards, dismissing the Baltic nations' allegations as politically-motivated. "Today I pay tribute to the victims of the Chernobyl tragedy, including the Lithuanians ... who died 35 years ago," Nauseda wrote on Facebook. According to the president, the new NPP in the neighboring country did not comply with international conventions. "This is a threat to the safety of all EU citizens," Nauseda argued, adding that the Belarusian NPP would be discussed at the next meeting of the Council of Europe. The Belarusian NPP is a joint Russian-Belarusian project, which is being constructed under the supervision of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. The plant has two reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 megawatts. The first unit is expected to become fully operational this year, and the second one in 2022. We have been hearing a lot of rumors regarding the launch of the Nokia 5G smartphones for weeks now. Post the launch of the Nokia X10 and X20, the company is planning to launch yet another smartphone, which is expected to be the Nokia 8.3 5Gs successor. The purported Nokia smartphone, which is widely expected to be the Nokia X50 is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 775 Mobile Platform and may feature a Penta-camera setup with 108MP as primary sensor. Nokia X50 rumoured specifications 6.5-inch QHD display with PureDisplay V4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 775/775G Penta camera setup with 108MP featuring Zeiss optics, Ultra-wide Android 11 OZO Audio 5G SA/NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/ GLONASS/ Beidou, USB Type-C 6000mAH battery with 22W fast charging Nokia is expected to launch the phone somewhere around Q3 2021. Recently, HMD Global introduced new X10 and X20 5G smartphones. The X20 5G packs 6.67-inch FHD+ punch-hole displays are powered by Snapdragon 480 5G SoC and runs Android 11 with three years of software upgrades and three years of security updates. Source Serbia on Monday received a shipment of 500,000 dozes of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine from China. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo were at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport overseeing the arrival of the vaccines shipment. "With this shipment, we have received in total 3 million vaccines that Sinopharm delivered," Brnabic said. Serbia has vaccinated more than 1.9 million people with at least one doze of the vaccine, she added. Most people have received China's Sinopharm vaccine, followed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Russia's Sputnik V and AstraZeneca. Brnabic said that they expect to have around 37% of the adult population vaccinated by the end of April. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) As separate companies competing in the same space, we realized that as a group we'd be stronger and better together. Bridgeport Benefits, Churchill & Associates Insurance Services, Inc., and Corporate Benefit Marketing have merged to form BAIS. This alliance is a powerful union of insurance professionals. BAIS, a full-service national insurance brokerage, expanded its risk management solutions through broadening their offerings in employee benefits and property & casualty insurance. The resulting synergies meant a 500% volume growth in the last five years. As separate companies competing in the same space, we realized that as a group we'd be stronger and better together. Forming this alliance of companies creates a mind trust of thought leaders within the insurance industry, able to serve clients more completely, says Principal, Wayne Blasman. To learn more about BAIS and their work call: 800-532-5941, visit our new web site at http://www.BaisIns.com or contact direct: cory@BaisIns.com. Along with their new name, BAISs new state-of-the-art offices are now located at: 31248 Oak Crest Dr. Suite 140 Westlake Village, CA 91361 BAIS has a total solution approach with roots in multi-generational, family run businesses with over a century of industry experience. As one of the original founding members of the national brokerage Patriot Growth Insurance Services, LLC., Patriots continuous and rapid growth now represents one of the largest insurance brokerages located throughout the United States, managing over $2 billion in insurance premiums. Patriot established a unique collaborative model that allows BAIS the reach, scale and resources of a national platform combined with the personal customer service and autonomy only a local agency can deliver. In addition, their purchase of TRUE Network of Advisors expands their presence into every metropolitan market in the country. We have been working with the leadership and teams that formed BAIS for over 20 years and in one word they are superb! They have worked with us through tough renewals and have always found a way to help us continue our great benefit plans and always recommend new products while remaining very cost effective. The support and added value services they provide to our company, and our employees over the years, has been above our expectations and far beyond the industry norms. Jackie Deimel, Sr. Director of Human Resources Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. About BAIS: BAIS was first conceptualized when Corporate Benefit Marketing and Bridgeport merged recognizing that just being a great regional broker was not enough in todays marketplace. Together they increased organic growth, expanded services, and secured a series of mergers and acquisitions. This expansion and M&A activity resulted in the opportunity to reinvest in additional services, including the latest enrollment technology, communications, compliance, and global services. Benefits Alliance Insurance Services, LLC License # 0I72690 Patriot Growth Insurance Services, LLC License # 0M56067 On LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3xaB11V President Joe Biden. Alex Wong/Getty Images President Joe Biden is creating a task force to strengthen unions and their membership. The task force will look into existing and new policies to strengthen worker power. The rate of unionization has fallen in the past 40 years, and Amazon workers recently led a failed union drive. See more stories on Insider's business page. President Joe Biden is creating a task force to help promote and strengthen union membership through an executive order today. According to the White House, the task force - which will be chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris, with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh serving as vice chair - will focus on helping to bolster union membership and worker organizing and bargaining. The task force will examine both existing policies and the need for new ones, and report back recommendations within 180 days. The group will also include Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. "Since 1935, when the National Labor Relations Act was enacted, the policy of the federal government has been to encourage worker organizing and collective bargaining, not to merely allow or tolerate them," the White House release said. "In the 86 years since the Act was passed, the federal government has never fully implemented this policy." The main focuses of the task force include setting up the federal government as a "model employer," helping to bolster worker organizing - especially by increasing power for marginalized workers, and those in industries where organizing is difficult - as well as generally upping the number of workers in unions. Union membership has fallen A report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a left-leaning think tank, found that the number of workers who are represented by a union declined by 444,000 from 2019 to 2020. However, the rate of unionization - the share of workers represented by one - actually increased in 2020, to 12.1% from 11.6%. The report attributes that to the power that unions give their workers, potentially resulting in those unionized workers having more of a say in how their workplaces functioned during the pandemic and its economic impact. And industries that are less unionized - the report cites leisure and hospitality - also saw the most job losses. Story continues On the whole, according to EPI, the unionization rate is highest for Black workers, coming in at 13.9%. Throughout the pandemic, both that rate and the number of Black workers represented by a union increased. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also found that "Nonunion workers had median weekly earnings that were 84 percent of earnings for workers who were union members ($958 versus $1,144)." However, in a historical context, unionization rates are still very low. EPI said 2020's rate is still below half of what it was 40 years ago. Amazon workers had a recent high-profile union loss, as workers in a Bessemer, Alabama warehouse voted against forming a union. That unit would've been the first union for the company. "Amazon didn't win - our employees made the choice to vote against joining a union," the company said in a statement after the vote, over which the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) has filed official objections. But with Biden's task force, union membership could see a boost. The president has also backed a labor-rights bill called the PRO Act. "As America works to recover from the devastating challenges of deadly pandemic, an economic crisis, and reckoning on race that reveals deep disparities, we need to summon a new wave of worker power to create an economy that works for everyone," Biden said in a March statement on the bill. Read the original article on Business Insider AUSTIN, Texas The Texas Department of State Health Services on Saturday gave vaccine providers the OK to resume administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine after a pause on its use earlier this month. The state's instruction came a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration ended their own 11-day pause, which was put in place when a handful of patients developed a rare blood clotting disorder after receiving the vaccine. A CDC advisory committee determined the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine outweigh its risks. State Health Services said Saturday that Texas is lifting its own vaccine suspension, which began April 13, after the findings. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is an important tool in our fight against COVID-19, and the scientific review over the last 11 days has affirmed its safety and effectiveness, Dr. John Hellerstedt, State Health Services commissioner, said in a statement. We know some Texans prefer the simplicity of a single-dose vaccine, and the ease of storing and handling this vaccine gives providers more flexibility. Resuming the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will prevent hospitalizations and save lives in Texas. Nationwide, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been attractive to some people and providers because it requires only a single dose and can be more easily stored. Providers have also been using the vaccine for hard-to-reach populations, including people experiencing homelessness, homebound residents and inmates. The vaccine had been paused out of caution after six people who received it were found to have developed a rare but serious blood clot in combination with a low blood platelet count, a condition known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS. Upon further investigation, the CDC found that 15 out of nearly 8 million patients who received the vaccine had developed the condition, and three had died. The CDC estimates that using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the U.S would prevent more than 2,200 intensive care admissions and 1,400 deaths in the next six months. A CDC staffer said by comparison, restarting use of the vaccine could cause about 24 cases of TTS nationwide, USA Today reported. CDC data also show that COVID-19 itself causes 200 hospitalizations and 30 deaths for every 1 million Americans. As of Saturday, 48,946 people in Texas had died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to state health data. The Texas Department of State Health Services said providers should give an updated fact sheet to anyone who receives the Johnson & Johnson vaccine with information to monitor for the rare blood clotting disorder. Federals officials said Thursday that they were investigating whether a Texas woman was hospitalized because of a similar adverse reaction to the vaccine. At the time, Imelda Garcia, associate commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services' Division for Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services, said the case "seems similar to the profile of the others." TTS remains rare, Texas health officials said, but they warned that people should seek medical attention if they experience any of the following symptoms within three weeks of receiving the vaccine: shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision, easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection. State Health Services said providers should give an updated fact sheet to anyone who receives the Johnson & Johnson vaccine with information to monitor for the rare blood clotting disorder. The side effect is not the same as initial reactions to the vaccine, which usually start a day or two after receiving a shot and are short-lasting. Nearly, 500,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in Texas before its use was paused. Pfizer and Moderna, which require two doses to be fully effective, remained authorized for distribution during the pause. TTS has not been connected to the two-dose vaccines. Garcia also said Thursday that the state health agency is still pushing to vaccinate more Texans as demand slows across the state. All Americans 16 and older are currently qualified to be vaccinated. Austin and Travis County health officials on Tuesday urged residents to keep getting vaccinated and maintaining practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as cases have been inching up and hospitalizations increasing for the first time in months. About 10.4 million Texans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and roughly 31% of eligible Texans are fully vaccinated. In Travis County, about 50% of residents 16 and older have received at least one dose, and about 33% are fully vaccinated, according to State Health Services. The Maldives Tourism took to their Twitter handle to announce that they are suspending tourists traveling from India to the Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands from April 27 onwards. As per a directive issued by the Maldivian government, "With effect from April 27, (Maldives health authorities) suspends tourists travelling from India to the Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands". Maldives Tourism Board on Monday clarified that "the restriction is for islands which have local population. All resorts (as they are on standalone islands) are welcoming guests from India." Indian tourists (including many Bollywood celebrities) flocked the Maldivian islands in the last couple of months and became a talking point. Celebrities like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and others slammed the industry over their favourite holiday spot the Maldives, asking celebrities to 'have a heart' and not taunt those suffering from the global health crisis. With effect from 27 April @HPA_mv suspends tourists travelling from #India to #Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands. We thank you for the support in our endeavour to make tourism safest possible with minimum inconvenience. Ministry of Tourism (@MoTmv) April 25, 2021 #Maldives resorts and liveboards continue welcoming tourists from all countries, including tourists traveling from #India. Hotels and guest houses in inhabited islands continue welcoming all tourists except those traveling from India.@visitmaldives Ministry of Tourism (@MoTmv) April 26, 2021 Honourable President of the Republic of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, its Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Honorary Consul (Mumbai) of the Republic of Maldives Bobby Mohanty in January this year had expressed their sincere gratitude and appreciation and have praised the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for providing COVID-19 vaccine to their country as part of India's grant assistance. Bobby Mohanty called it a noble and memorable Republic Day gift! India supplied 100,000 doses of CoviShield (Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine) manufactured by SII (Serum Institute) to the Maldives. The Maldives was among the first countries to receive COVID-19 vaccines from India. Prior to this, in December 2020, India even contributed BCG vaccines to the Maldives where Hon. Consul Bobby Mohantys office played a vital role in managing the logistics along with various agencies. (With PTI inputs) Middlefield Canadian Income PCC Net Asset Value Middlefield Canadian Income PCC Middlefield Canadian Income - GBP PC (a protected cell company incorporated in Jersey with registration number 93546) Legal Entity Identifier: 2138007ENW3JEJXC8658 Net Asset Value As at the close of business on 23 April 2021 the estimated unaudited Net Asset Value per share was 117.05 pence (including accrued income, which excludes an amount of 1.275 pence per share in respect of the quarterly dividend to be paid on 30 April 2021). Investments in the Companys portfolio have been valued on a closing price basis. Enquiries: JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited 01534 700 000 Lets start with Mr. Laschet. A practicing Catholic from Aachen, an old city that borders the Netherlands and Belgium, he shares with Ms. Merkel a Christian, humanitarian worldview. He takes the C in C.D.U. very seriously, Cem Ozdemir, a Green Party lawmaker who has known Mr. Laschet for decades, told me. And like Ms. Merkel, Mr. Laschet is described as personally modest and mostly fair in political discussions and negotiations. You usually get along with him quite well, said Ulla Schmidt, a Social Democratic lawmaker who has known him for 35 years. Open to new ideas and different positions, Mr. Laschet is notable for having many friends across the political spectrum. As a young lawmaker in the early 1990s, he was among the first in his party to meet with representatives from the Green Party at a time when many in the C.D.U. still thought of the Greens as a bunch of eco-punks who could not be trusted to run anything, let alone a country. Mr. Laschet was also one of the first in his party to openly embrace the idea that Germany is a country of immigrants. He has earned himself a lot of respect in migrant communities, because he has listened to what they had to say, Serap Guler, a Christian Democrat born to Turkish immigrants who serves in Mr. Laschets administration in North Rhine-Westphalia, told me. Along with his broadly pro-immigration stance, Mr. Laschet is enthusiastic about education, a tough combatant of organized crime and a vocal opponent of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, with which he has vowed never to cooperate. A true man of the political middle, he could be expected to govern the country competently and fairly. But his candidacy, already weakened by his poor ratings, is a gamble that Germans want more of the same. Ms. Baerbock, by contrast, offers something truly new. Born in 1980, she represents the generation that came of age after the countrys reunification. Raised in Hanover in the west, she now by way of a stint in Brussels, where she was an office manager for a Green Party lawmaker in the European Union holds a seat in Brandenburg in the east. Her approach is refreshingly relatable: A mother of two young children, who has spoken about the struggles of being a working mom, shes unafraid to bring together the personal and the political. [April 26, 2021] Eventus Systems wins Best in RegTech for second consecutive year in Markets Media's 2021 Markets Choice Awards AUSTIN, Texas and NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, has won the award for Best in RegTech at Markets Media's 2021 Markets Choice Awards. This is the firm's second consecutive win in the category and the second major award win this month for Eventus. The ninth annual Markets Choice Awards recognize the best in capital markets trading and technology across the market ecosystem. Following public online polling about the shortlist in each category, Markets Media determines winners from online responses, editorial interviews with leaders in financial markets and consultation with its MCA Advisory Board. Eventus CEO Travis Schwab said: "We're grateful to Markets Media and the financial market community for this fantastic recognition once again. Following up on the firm's most successful year to date, we have worked tirelessly this year to continue our global growth initiatives, our constant enhancement of the Validus platform and our ongoing collaboration with clients to meet their evolving compliance and risk challenges. We've also further established our position as a global leader in providing trade surveillance and anti-money laundering / transaction monitorin capabilities to cryptocurrency exchanges around the world, in addition to our broad reach into more traditional asset classes. I'm incredibly proud of our team for all of the achievements and accolades over the last year, as we continue winning mandates to replace legacy surveillance and risk platforms." Terry Flanagan, Markets Media Editor, said: "Eventus continues to stand out among RegTech providers, with a very flexible, customizable trade surveillance platform that the firm is continuously updating to meet the needs of market participants, exchanges and regulators. Its new automation and analytics tools are among hundreds of features and enhancements over the past year that distinguish the platform, which meets the rigorous security requirements of many of the largest crypto exchanges." Eventus earlier this month won the award for Best Sell-Side Market Surveillance Provider in WatersTechnology's 2021 Sell-Side Technology Awards, following numerous awards last year, including the FOW International Award for Market Surveillance Solution of the Year (second consecutive year); the Markets Media Market Choice Award for Best in RegTech and the RegTech Insight Award for Best Trade Surveillance Solution for the Dodd-Frank Act (second consecutive year). The firm was also named to the global RegTech100 list for the third year running and in late 2020 secured a spot on the Chartis Energy50 2021 list, ranking the world's major technology players in modern energy markets. In addition, Business Insider featured Eventus as one of its "Breakout B2B Fintech Stars," and Harrington Starr's Financial Technologist magazine last month named the firm one of the Most Influential Financial Technology Companies. Markets Media was launched in 2007 with one mission: to be the pre-eminent provider of news and information about trading and technology in capital markets. The coverage remit spans equities, fixed income and foreign exchange (FX), and covers buy-side investment managers, sell-side broker-dealers, exchanges, trading platforms, technology providers and regulators. Markets Media Group publishes Markets Media and Traders Magazine in the U.S., Best Execution and The DESK in Europe, and GlobalTrading in Asia. About Eventus Systems Eventus Systems is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets. Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventussystems.com . Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/635481/Eventus_Systems_Logo.jpg SOURCE Eventus Systems [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The final edition of the $25,500 Sunday Millions as part of the 2021 GG Spring Festival has reached the final table. Out of a field of 172 total entries (78 unique players who re-entered 94 ), only nine players remain to battle for the lion's share of the $4,300,000 prize pool. Joni Jouhkimainen ended up as the chip leader with a stack of 5,344,169 which is almost double that of Elio Fox's 2,872,603 second place chip stack. Among the finalists is also Sami Kelopuro, who required nine bullets to run up the stack and finish Day 1 with 1,357,246, good enough for the fourth position. Final Table Line-Up GGSF Event H-109: $25,500 Sunday Millions Position Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Joni Jouhkimainen Finland 5,344,169 133 2 Elio Fox United States 2,872,603 71 3 Joao Vieira Portugal 2,325,872 58 4 Sami Kelopuro Finland 1,357,246 34 5 Artur Martirosian Russia 1,350,142 34 6 Niklas Astedt Sweden 1,248,792 31 7 Isaac Haxton Canada 1,040,386 26 8 Andras Nemeth Hungary 1,016,890 25 9 Seth Davies United States 643,900 16 The Action of the Day Just a little over 30 players were seated when the cards went in the air and the action was fast-paced from the get-go. Marius Gierse became the first of many casualties and the list of notables on the rail kept growing during the registration period. Many other well-known pros came up short of the cash prizes such as Fedor Holz, Anatoly Filatov, Guillaume Nolet, Roman "RRomashka" Emelyanov, Lev "LevMeAlone" Gottlieb, Connor Drinan, and Jason Koon to name all but a few of poker's superstars in contention. Zhuang Ruan went on a hot streak during the final stages of the registration period but his fortune ran out on the money bubble when he lost to Jouhkimainen who flopped quads. The frantic post-bubble stage saw the remaining players race to a conclusion with rapid-fire eliminations happening on each table until Jouhkimainen rivered a full house to eliminate Wei Zhao in 10th place. The final table will commence on Monday, April 26 just after 3 p.m. EDT. Action will pick-up from Level 33 where blinds are 35,000/70,000/8,500. Remaining Payouts Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Can training help prevent police officers from shooting unarmed Black men? Maybe not, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder, which found that inducing cognitive loadtaxing the brain's working memory resourceserased the benefits of practice in a first-person shooter simulation. In a paper recently published in the journal Social Cognition, researchers at CU Boulder, McGill University and the University of Chicago unveiled the results of their study into whether training helps reduce racial bias in a shooter simulation, a proxy for the real-world dilemma police officers face when deciding whether to shoot suspects. The researchers found that practicing the simulation helped improve participants' accuracy in determining when to shoot and when not to shoot armed and unarmed Black and white men shown on a screen. But when trained participants also had to think about something else while performing the simulation, the benefits of practicing the simulation disappeared. Participants incorrectly shot unarmed Black targets more often than unarmed white targets, and they failed to shoot armed white targets more often than armed Blacks. From these results, researchers posit that deciding whether or not to shoot a suspect is a multifaceted, cognitively difficult process and, unless police officers are working in optimal conditionsthat is, they're not under cognitive loadtraining likely won't help reduce racial bias on the job. "This study really suggests that this type of processof very quickly looking at whether the object is a gun or a cellphoneis relatively inefficient," said Balbir Singh, a CU Boulder social psychology graduate student and the paper's lead author. "That could and should help inform further research in this field to really understand how these complex cognitive processes occur." The findings are bleak and seem to challenge the value of training intended to reduce racial bias among police officers, the researchers note. But the results also offer some insight into the types of police training that could be more effective. Namely, that police departments should consider training their officers under the same conditions they're likely to face in the field, when they're scared and tired. "Realism may provide officers with an opportunity to practice handling the full cognitive, physical and emotional complexity of a potentially lethal encounter," the researchers wrote. Studying racial bias Police killed roughly five times as many Black suspects as white suspects per capita between 1978 and 2001, federal statistics show. Researchers believe racial bias is to blame, with police officers drawing on stereotypes that Black men are dangerous in deciding to use lethal force. Since the early 2000s, researchers at CU Boulderled by psychology and neuroscience associate professor Josh Correllhave been studying racial bias with a video game-style, first-person shooter task. During these simulations, participants view digital images of Black and white men holding objectslike cell phones, wallets and gunswith realistic backgrounds. As the targets appear on the screen, participants must press buttons labeled "shoot" or "don't shoot" as quickly as possible. When they conduct these experiments with undergraduates and members of the community, researchers see clear evidence of racial bias in both reaction time and accuracy. Participants "shoot" armed Black targets more quickly than they "shoot" armed white targets, and they select "don't shoot" for unarmed white targets more quickly than unarmed Black targets. They also incorrectly select "shoot" for unarmed Black targets more often than they do for unarmed targets and select "don't shoot" for armed white targets more often than they do for armed black targets. When researchers run the same experiment with police officers, though, they see different results. Police officers show racial bias in their response times, but not in their accuracy. These findings suggest that racial stereotypes influence the speed of officers' responses, but not their ultimate decision to shoot or not shoot. Researchers saw similar results with undergraduate participants who were given an extra opportunity to practice the first-person shooter simulation before starting the experiment. "This is a really peculiar pattern," Singh said. "We wanted to understand: What is going on in that discrepancy? Why do we have no bias in error rates, but we do have bias in reaction timesand maybe that's because it's a relatively inefficient process. If so, we should be able to undermine it with a level of cognitive load or distraction." Increasing cognitive load To test their hypothesis, researchers randomly assigned 139 non-Black undergraduates to either be trained or novices (one group got to practice the first-person shooter task and the other did not). Both groups then performed the first-person shooter task under low, medium and high levels of cognitive load, completing 50 trials under each load level. To induce the varying levels of cognitive load, the researchers added auditory cuesa male voice saying a single-digit numberto the first-person shooter task. In the low-cognitive-load condition, participants simply heard the numbers while performing the shooter task. In the medium condition, participants indicated whether the number they heard was greater or less than five by saying "high" or "low" out loud. In the high cognitive load condition, participants indicated whether the number was greater or less than the previous number they heard by saying "high" or "low" out loud. As cognitive load increased from low to medium to high, the benefits of practice disappeared. Under cognitive load, trained participants showed just as much racial bias as novices in the accuracy of their decisions. "The benefits of practice were completely erased," the researchers wrote. This paper makes an important contribution to the scientific literature, but it also provides fodder for further research, the researchers commented. Singh noted that one next step could be to run the experiment with police officers instead of undergraduates, as well as study the effects of training regimens that mirror test conditions. Other future research could explore how practice affects the different cognitive processes involved in the first-person shooter simulation. "These are all future questions that the field should ask: Can we train officers in ways that actually replicate their environment? Does that reduce bias?" Singh said. More information: Balbir Singh et al. When Practice Fails to Reduce Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot: The Case of Cognitive Load, Social Cognition (2021). Balbir Singh et al. When Practice Fails to Reduce Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot: The Case of Cognitive Load,(2021). DOI: 10.1521/soco.2020.38.6.555 The position of presiding judge has taken on particular importance in recent years. While Congress created the court in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, or FISA to review evidence in individual wiretap applications for national security investigations, the presiding judge also handles oversight of the National Security Agencys warrantless surveillance program. The program grew out of the once-secret Stellarwind project, which President George W. Bush started after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, based on a claim that his executive powers could override the FISA warrant requirement. In 2008, Congress legalized the practice, enacting a law known as Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. That law authorizes the government to gather, without warrants, the phone calls and internet messages of noncitizens abroad with assistance from American companies, like Google and AT&T even when the foreign target is communicating with an American, raising the question of what the rules should be for Americans messages that get swept in. The surveillance is carried out by the National Security Agency, but three other entities the C.I.A., the National Counterterrorism Center and the F.B.I. also receive access to streams of raw messages intercepted without a warrant for their analysts to use. Of those, the F.B.I. is the only one that also has a law enforcement mission, heightening the stakes. The F.B.I. receives only a small portion of the messages that the National Security Agency vacuums up: The bureau gets copies of intercepts to and from targets who are deemed relevant to a full and active F.B.I. national security investigation. Presently, that amounts to about 3.6 percent of the National Security Agencys targets, a senior F.B.I. official told reporters in a news briefing on Monday. (That could still be a sizable amount of information. In 2019, the most recent year for which data is public, the program had more than 200,000 targets.) In early 2018, when Congress extended Section 702, it amended the law in part to require approval every year by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of procedures limiting how and when analysts may query the repository for information about Americans. Yao Pan Ma was pushing a grocery cart and collecting bottles in East Harlem on Friday evening when a man dressed in black approached him from behind and struck him in the back. The blow left Ma, 61, motionless on the sidewalk as his attacker repeatedly kicked him in the head before walking away, a 13-second video released by the New York Police Department shows. Ma, a Chinese immigrant, remained in a medically induced coma as of Sunday night, his wife, Baozhen Chen, told the New York Daily News. Now the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the case and searching for the suspect seen in the video, police told The Washington Post. Police told PIX 11 it is unclear whether the man yelled any anti-Asian slurs during the beating. "I am very worried that my husband is not going to make it," Chen, 57, told the Daily News. "I want the police to capture the person as soon as possible." The incident is the latest violent attack amid a nationwide surge of harassment and physical assaults against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In recent months, Asian Americans in New York have been punched on subway cars, spit on, stomped in the head and subjected to anti-Asian racial slurs at work. Ma's attack prompted dozens of New Yorkers to march on Sunday to the site of the incident to condemn anti-Asian violence, and drew the attention of local officials who vowed to capture the suspect. "Make no mistake, we will find the perpetrator and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," tweeted Mayor Bill de Blasio, D, who called the incident "outrageous." Ma and his wife, who have two adult children, moved to New York from China's Guangdong province in 2019 looking for better work opportunities, Chen told the Daily News. Ma, who was a dessert chef in China, found a job in a Chinatown restaurant. But like millions of other kitchen workers, Ma lost his job in the pandemic, his wife said. So last September, Ma began pushing a shopping cart across the city and stuffing it with recyclables for an extra income. That's what Ma was doing near his East Harlem apartment last Friday around 8:20 p.m. when a man ambushed him from behind, hit him and stomped his head at least half a dozen times, surveillance video shows. A bus driver who saw Ma unconscious on the ground called the police, WABC reported. Chen, meanwhile, grew concerned when Ma did not call as usual that night to check that she'd made it back safely from her job as a home attendant, she told the Daily News. When Chen dialed his number, she said, police picked up. "The police told me what happened - my husband was hit and sent to the hospital," she said. Ma, who sustained significant injuries, was taken to NYC Health & Hospitals in Harlem in critical condition, police said. By Sunday, Ma was still breathing through a ventilator, Chen told the Daily News. On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, denounced the attack and ordered the state's hate crimes task force to assist in the investigation. "I'm sickened to learn of yet another bigoted act of violence," Cuomo said in statement. "This is not who we are as New Yorkers, and we will not let these cowardly acts of hate against members of our New York family intimidate us." Chen said she fears for her life as an Asian woman living in New York and worries her husband may never recover from the brutal assault. "I'm very scared right now," Chen told WCBS. "I'm so worried that my husband might never come back. . . . This should not happen to my husband or anyone else. This is America. I wish the criminal can be arrested and put in jail for good." Samsung is set to release its new budget Galaxy M12 smartphone for W198,000 on Wednesday (US$1=W1,117). It is the cheapest phone so far in the flagship Galaxy series. Samsung is rushing to fill the void left by LG, which is pulling out of the smartphone business. Besides the Galaxy M12, Samsung will keep expanding its mid-priced lineup with the Galaxy A42, A32, and A22 this year. Samsung already made the M12 available online in 2019, targeting the millennial generation in India, the world's second largest smartphone market. Thanks to its popularity there, Samsung also put it out in the Southeastern and Latin American markets recently. The phone has four cameras on the back and an 8-megapixel camera at the front. With a massive 5,000 mAh battery, users do not have to worry about recharging all day long. It also has a 15W fast charger and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Nashville- Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, along with the attorneys general of 38 states, is urging Congress to pass the EAGLES Act, a national program to prevent targeted school violence. The legislation is named after the mascot of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 people were killed February 14th, 2018. The Act would expand the U.S. Secret Services National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) with a greater focus on school violence prevention. The Acts safe school initiative contains research and training components, allows dissemination of evidence-based practices, and authorizes the NTAC to work with state and local officials to develop research and training. Click here to read the bill: In the letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the attorneys general write, It is unfortunate we have to turn to the threat assessment expertise of the Secret Service in order to keep educators and students safe at school, but gun violence in schools has become all too commonplace. Whenever these tragic events occur, and they are all too frequent, we agonize over what could been done to prevent it, said General Slatery. The EAGLES Act is a bipartisan effort to use what we know, to have additional, top level expertise and training at hand, and to say all of us are doing everything we can to stop targeted violence before it happens. NTAC was created in 1998 to provide information on threat assessment to the Secret Service and those who work in criminal justice and public safety. NTAC started studying targeted violence in schools after the Columbine High School Shooting in 1999 which led to the establishment of school threat assessment programs. The letter is sponsored by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and is joined by the attorneys general of: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, N. Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. To read the letter, click here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2021/pr21-17-letter.pdf ### #21-17: AG Slatery Urges Congress to Support Bipartisan Bill to Prevent School Violence The Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) last month published details of a leaked Department of Education internal review that accused teachers at Greater Shepparton Secondary College (GSSC) of racism and cultural exclusion. The ABC article, which appeared without a by-line, came just days after violent brawls at the school in regional Victoria. These involved an emergency lockdown, with police and paramedics called and one student hospitalised. The leaked report has all the hallmarks of a government organised provocation. There can be little doubt that the Department of Education review was leaked with the knowledge and approval of figures within the state Labor government. Shepparton community protest against the school amalgamation in 2019 (Photo source: Facebook) The aim was to provoke a racialist furore as a means of diverting public attention away from the disastrous situation within GSSC that the government is responsible for creating. Its forced merger of four public secondary schools into a new so-called super-school, despite widespread community opposition, has triggered an enormous crisis (see Australian state Labor governments disastrous Shepparton super-school plan). The leaked reviewundertaken by Georgia Birch, a so-called cross-cultural consultantwas commissioned in May 2020, took six months to complete, and was presented to the Department of Education in November last year, outlining 47 recommendations. The ABC article quoted from Birchs review, accusing teachers of racialising underachievers and trouble makers in the classroom, of victim blaming Aboriginal and multicultural families for their actions and behaviours towards the school, and being complicit in racism experienced by students. The report complained that the school had a 16-person all-white wellbeing team, all-white leadership team and all-white teacher staffing team, and claimed that the school was a culturally unsafe workplace for multicultural and Aboriginal staff. It also reported that about 300 teachers were offered training to assist students who have English as an Additional Language (EAL), but only three took this up. The ABC report quoted selected extracts from Birchs review but provided no evidence of the allegations and gave no opportunity for teachers to respond. Most Shepparton teachers had no knowledge that an internal review into alleged racism was being carried out, and had not seen or been told about the reports contents prior to the ABC article. The World Socialist Web Site has spoken with several Shepparton teachers. One stated: I was really angry with the ABCthey need to get their facts right. I know that not one teacher was interviewed at one of the schools. Shepparton is very multi-cultural and we are very good at looking after refugees and other community groups. [] Claims of racism going back years are not true. We had 19 different nationalities at Shepparton High School, and occasionally you might be called into the yard over a student dispute, but it was dealt with. In reference to allegations that only three teachers took up EAL training, another teacher explained: I believe the training was voluntary and as you know everyone is totally overworked. They dont want to do extra work, and you cant blame the teachers for that. Also, knowing the breakdown in basic communication at the school, staff probably didnt even know about the training. Another teacher told the WSWS: I dont understand why teachers havent been given the report from the Department. I find it interesting that this report gets leaked after the student fights have startedits like they are saying racism is the problem to divert attention. It becomes a racial argument, and not about what the real issue is, which has nothing to do with race at all. The real issues in Shepparton are not racial but class issues. The regional Victorian city is afflicted by an enormous social crisis. In 2019, official youth unemployment was 17.5 percent and this has since escalated amid the pandemic-induced economic slowdown. The city has a severe homeless crisis, widespread poverty, and associated social problems including drug and alcohol addiction. Approximately 3.4 percent of the population identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait islander. In addition, about 10 percent of Sheppartons population is made up of humanitarian refugee entrants, largely from Afghanistan, as well as Iran, Sudan, Iraq and Congo. The government provides refugees with grossly inadequate social support, such as English-language classes and psychological health treatment. The crisis in Shepparton public schools reflects the wider social crisis in the city. Staff are not provided with the necessary resources to manage the complex intellectual, social, and psychological needs of the student body. The government and media are instead scapegoating teachers and school staff for the situation. The forced merger of four schools into one super-school, a process initiated by the state Labor government in 2018, has exacerbated the crisis. The amalgamations have seen special needs programs and student well-being programs eliminated. Critical relationships nurtured within the schools have been destroyed as teachers and students are shunted around different locations. Experienced teachers with decades of knowledge of students and the community have resigned, transferred or taken early retirement, unable to tolerate the destruction of arrangements that had been established to engage and nurture disadvantaged children. At least 80 of the schools nearly 300 teachers have left the school, and another 12 are on stress leave. The staffing crisis has seen reports of teachers having to supervise 60-80 students in a study session. Student enrolments have declined by over 100 students in the first few weeks of the 2021 school year. Parents who have the financial resources are withdrawing their children and sending them to private schools. The dismantling of public schools that were once regarded as a safe and stimulating environment for teachers and students has created fear, anxiety and growing conflict among students. In the schools, teachers were silenced by what staff have described as a dictatorial management, intimidating them from expressing their concerns, and threatening teachers positions if they spoke publicly. Complicit in this entire process has been the Australian Education Union (AEU). The unions role has been to isolate and stifle teacher opposition, ensuring that the unbearable and appalling working conditions remain unexposed. In December 2020, AEU bureaucrats discouraged teachers from taking action against what teachers described as a bullying and toxic culture. The bureaucracys only concern is that they continue to be treated as partners in the various governing bodies implementing the super-school. Union bureaucrats from the beginning sat with government officials, business representatives and principals as part of the governments Strategic Advisory Committee. The AEU has repeatedly made clear that they are collaborating with school management to make this amalgamation work. One former teacher in Shepparton told the WSWS: It was completely as though the union represented the departmentthe union didnt even pretend that they were there for us. In line with the AEUs active collaboration with the government in enforcing the new Shepparton super school, the union endorsed the leaked report accusing staff of systematic racism. Victorian branch President Meredith Peace responded to the scurrilous ABC article by declaring that there were significant issues that would concern our members and insisting that teachers must be engaged properly in the work required to address the issues raised. The government-media-union effort to provoke racialist divisions within Sheppartons public school must be opposed. Its purpose is to divert attention from the real source of the crisis, scapegoat teaching staff, divide the working class in Shepparton, and block a unified struggle of teachers, students and parents. A political struggle must be developed to halt the disastrous Shepparton amalgamation, involving a fight against the Labor government and the corporate elite it represents. Parents, teachers and students in Shepparton need to form rank and file committees, independent of the AEU. They need to join their struggle with other public school teachers confronting similar issues of under-staffing and under-resourcing. A new perspective is required that rejects the dominance of the capitalist market over education, and defends the right of all to a high-quality public education. Newly-discovered Shepherd Zone contains coarse visible gold in two major veining horizons TORONTO, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or the "Company") (TSX: MND, OTCQB: MNDJF) is pleased to provide preliminary details on the newly-discovered structural domain below the Youle deposit named the Shepherd Zone at its Costerfield Operation (Victoria, Australia), containing coarse visible gold in two major veining horizons. Drilling highlights: Eastern Veining 23.6 g/t gold over true width of 6.27 m in BC187; and in BC187; and 426.7 g/t gold over a true width of 0.77 m in BC193 Western Veining 231.0 g/t gold over a true width of 0.18 m in BC187; and in BC187; and 460.5 g/t gold over a true width of 0.11 m in BC176 (previously reported) Note: Further intercept details including a breakdown of the aggregated 6.27m intercept in BC187 can be found in Table 1 in the Appendix to this document. Dominic Duffy, President and CEO of Mandalay, commented: "Follow-up drilling on the recently released Youle depth discovery has yielded extremely exciting results, which verified the grade and continuity of the initial discovery, and also intercepted further significant-grade veining just below the currently planned depth extent of Youle development." Mr. Duffy continued, "The orientation of the new veins is east dipping and due to the location of Youle's access development, this target although anticipated, had not been able to be adequately tested until now from newly developed drilling platforms to the east of Youle." Mr. Duffy continued, "This discovery could mark yet another step change for Costerfield, which is already one of the world's highest-grade producing gold mines with a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves grade of 12.8 g/t gold and 3.5% antimony. With this discovery, we see that the endowment of gold increases within the diffuse fracture network, and the system continues to grade towards comparable veining at the nearby, word-class Fosterville deposit." Mr. Duffy continued, "In light of these results, we are accelerating our underground drilling to expedite our understanding of this veining along strike and at depth. Our mine engineering team has accessed additional underground drilling platforms within the Youle infrastructure, which will allow us to increase the number of underground drill rigs in the coming months." Mr Duffy concluded, "Alongside this exploration release, a video has been prepared by Mr. Chris Davis, Vice President of Operational Geology and Exploration, to further explain the information in this release. The video can be found on Mandalay's website or by clicking here." A New Structural Domain - Shepherd Zone In January 2021, an initial step-out hole intercepted what the Company now refers to as the Western Veining within the Shepherd Zone. This initial intercept in BC176 (0.11 m @ 460.5 g/t gold) was a subvertical to east dipping quartz vein. Follow-up drilling was undertaken, however, due to its orientation the vein could not be properly targeted until another underground drilling platform was developed in March (Figure 1). BC187 was the first hole drilled from this new footwall location and, while it confirmed the targeted Western Vein (0.18m @ 231.0 g/t gold), it also intercepted a parallel swarm of veins proximal and adjacent to the Youle orebody. This new horizon currently consists of 5 major quartz veins, all exhibiting coarse gold with intense sulphide alteration surrounding the veins. The composite grade of this veining is 23.6 g/t gold over a true width of 6.27 m. The presence and orientation of this veining is an exciting discovery that confirms Mandalay's targeting strategy, which was updated following completion of the 2019 Costerfield Deeps drilling. This ambitious program completed a 1.7 km drillhole (CD001) that swept underneath the Youle orebody, with the objective of developing a better understanding of the relationship between geological structure and mineralization at depth. Detailed geochemical analysis and mineralogical speciation of this drill hole identified a large hydrothermal zone at a vertical depth of ~900 m (300RL). Structurally this system is interpreted to be the feeder zone to the new discovery and the Youle orebody. This updated interpretation directly led to the new discovery, and with this understanding the Company can infer an additional 300 m depth potential to this find. Figure 1. Cross section of Youle illustrating the orientation of the newly discovered domain as well as new drill holes and intercept locations is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72a1badc-21ab-4a9d-a011-d1d3092bff52. Recent drilling presently covers an area of approximately 10,000 square metres in the Eastern Vein and 20,000 square metres in the Western Vein. Additionally, only one existing hole passes though the target zone approximately 200m south of the BC187 intercept. Although drillhole BC086 accessed the target zone at an acute angle, it successfully intercepted sub-vertical auriferous veining, which provides indications of a significant strike extent. Figure 2. Longitudinal section of Youle illustrating the location of the new structural domain and recent drill intercepts is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/87698c3d-5040-4268-aa8c-d1a21228b666. Eastern Vein Array The eastern vein array is interpreted to extend up to meet the west dipping Youle orebody. Within BC187, sub-vertical veining occurs over 6.27 m ranging from 1 cm to 20 cm in width with gold grades ranging up to 522 g/t gold (Figure 4). BC193 and BC194 were drilled from the hanging wall side of Youle and so it is currently unclear whether they passed through the entire mineralized zone or not. Despite this, BC193 intercepted a more discrete yet higher grade intercept (0.77 m @ 426.7 g/t gold) approximately 40 m to the south and above BC187. Further at depth, BC194 intercepted a wider zone of 3.54 m at 10.9 g/t gold including singular veins grading up to 164 g/t gold. Within BC192 and BC190 veining existed over a width of approximately 3m however they only contained trace amounts of mineralization. The disparity in grade could be due to the presence of a quartzite band which historically appears to attenuate grades where it is intercepted in other Costerfield orebodies. Figure 3. Longitudinal section with the Eastern Veining of the Shepherd zone in focus is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4406acb3-6607-442e-8247-d068f5c135fd. Figure 4. Photograph of 2 veins within the Eastern Vein Array intersected in BC187 highlighting significant individual assays is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d6028f79-8a98-46a5-98fb-18aa4fcbee9c. Figure 5. Photomicrograph of gold within the vein at 193.21m of BC187 highlighting the spatial relationship with quartz, carbonate, stibnite and siltstone is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e71cbc82-a735-4d0f-9a3e-0ad9ec2e61c3. Western Veining BC187 also successfully verified the intended target intercepting a 0.18 m wide vein grading 231 g/t gold. This vein correlates with, and is about 30m from, the original intercept in BC176 (0.11 m at 461 g/t gold). This vein was also targeted by BC179 approximately 50 m vertically below BC187, and successfully intercepted multiple veins over a width of 0.87 m at a composited grade of 6.9 g/t gold. Figure 6. Photograph of BC187 core through the Western Veining is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a5ce1f18-6f90-4d8a-a61b-416dbf6c798d. Flat lying laminated quartz structures have also been intercepted though the zone. It has been previously noted within the upper levels of Youle that these laminated quartz veins act as pooling environment for gold and indeed act as the host for the Youle orebody. As yet the nature of the interplay between these structures and the mineralized veining is unclear and the Company continues to investigate their significance. Figure 7. Longitudinal section with the Western Veining of the Shepherd zone in focus is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f85c59da-7e29-4a7c-8e1c-c45e005197f7. Drilling and Assaying All diamond drill core was logged and sampled by Costerfield geologists. All samples were sent to On Site Laboratory Services (OSLS) in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, for sample preparation and analysis by fire assay for gold, and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) for antimony. Samples featuring coarse grained visible gold were assayed using a variant of fire assay known as screen fire assay. This method is routinely used to mitigate potential problems associated with heterogeneity in the distribution of coarse gold within drill samples. The procedure collects all coarse heterogenous coarse gold by screening at 75m after crushing and pulverisation, and subsequently fire assays the resultant mass to extinction. A mass weighted average of gold grade of the sample is subsequently calculated from the +75m and -75m fractions of the sample. Site geological and metallurgical personnel have implemented a QA/QC procedure that includes systematic submission of standard reference materials and blanks within batches of drill and face samples submitted for assay. Costerfield specific reference materials produced from Costerfield ore have been prepared and certified by Geostats Pty Ltd., a specialist laboratory quality control consultancy. See Technical Report entitled "Costerfield Operation, Victoria, Australia NI 43-101 Report" dated March 30, 2020, available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) for a complete description of drilling, sampling, and assaying procedures. Qualified Person: Chris Davis, Vice President of Operational Geology and Exploration at Mandalay Resources, is a Chartered Professional of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM CP(Geo)), and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific information provided in this release. For Further Information Dominic Duffy President and Chief Executive Officer Edison Nguyen Manager, Analytics and Investor Relations Contact: 647.260.1566 About Mandalay Resources Corporation Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia and Sweden, and care and maintenance and development projects in Chile. The Company is focused on growing production at its gold and antimony operation in Australia, and gold production from its operation in Sweden to continue being a significant cash flow generating company. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securitieslaws,includingstatementsregardingtheexplorationanddevelopmentpotentialof theYouledeposit(Costerfield).Readersarecautionednotto place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things,changesincommoditypricesandgeneralmarketandeconomicconditions.Thefactors identifiedabovearenotintendedtorepresentacompletelistofthefactorsthatcouldaffect Mandalay.Adescriptionofadditionalrisksthatcouldresultinactualresultsanddevelopments differingfromthosecontemplatedbyforward-lookingstatementsinthisnewsreleasecanbe foundundertheheading"RiskFactors"inMandalay'sannualinformationformdatedMarch 31, 2021, a copy of which is available under Mandalay's profile at www.sedar.com. In addition, there can be no assurance that any inferred resources that are discovered as a result of additionaldrillingwilleverbeupgradedtoprovenorprobablereserves.AlthoughMandalayhas attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differmateriallyfromthosedescribedinforward-lookingstatements,theremaybeotherfactors thatcauseactions,eventsorresultsnottobeasanticipated,estimatedorintended.Therecan be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results andfutureeventscoulddiffermateriallyfromthoseanticipatedinsuchstatements.Accordingly, readersshouldnotplaceunduerelianceonforward-lookingstatements. Appendix Table 1. Youle Extensional Drilling Composites DRILL HOLE ID FROM (M) TO (M) DRILL WIDTH (M) TRUE WIDTH (M) AU GRADE (G/T) SB GRADE (%) AU (G/T) OVER MIN. 1.8M MINING WIDTH VEIN NAME BC086 639.73 640.44 0.71 0.21 2.4 LLD 0.3 Eastern Veining BC179 230.74 233.42 2.68 0.83 7.2 LLD 3.3 Western Veining BC179 241.09 241.51 0.42 0.14 4.8 LLD 0.4 Unnamed BC179 247.80 248.01 0.21 0.08 6.8 0.1 0.4 Unnamed BC180 292.48 292.88 0.4 0.17 0.0 0.1 0.1 Western Veining BC182 189.75 190.23 0.48 0.24 1.4 LLD 0.2 Unnamed BC187 181.00 181.11 0.11 0.09 1.1 LLD 0.1 Unnamed BC187 184.00 184.26 0.26 0.20 2.1 LLD 0.2 Unnamed BC187 186.13 194.78 8.65 6.63 23.6 0.1 23.6 Eastern Veining INCLUDING 186.13 186.26 0.13 0.10 145.0 LLD INCLUDING 188.77 188.87 0.10 0.08 522.0 LLD INCLUDING 189.21 189.37 0.16 0.12 154.0 LLD INCLUDING 193.21 193.39 0.18 0.14 425.0 LLD INCLUDING 194 194.32 0.32 0.25 39.3 LLD INCLUDING 194.67 194.78 0.11 0.08 18.1 7.07 BC187 258.20 258.39 0.19 0.09 1.2 LLD 0.1 Unnamed BC187 289.00 289.56 0.56 0.18 231.0 LLD 23.4 Western Veining BC187 291.13 291.33 0.2 0.10 1.6 LLD 0.1 Unnamed BC188 187.61 187.76 0.15 0.11 10.5 LLD 0.6 Eastern Veining BC188 294.87 295.08 0.21 0.11 1.0 LLD 0.1 Unnamed BC189 153.91 154.14 0.235 0.17 34.5 LLD 3.2 Eastern Veining BC189W1 296.23 296.35 0.12 0.10 0.4 LLD 0.0 Unnamed BC189 370.07 370.36 0.29 0.09 0.0 LLD 0.0 Western Veining BC190 201.00 212.34 11.34 4.79 0.03 LLD 0.0 Eastern Veining BC192 219.00 225.45 6.45 5.28 0.02 LLD 0.0 Eastern Veining BC192 317.30 317.50 0.20 0.10 5.5 LLD 0.3 Western Veining BC193 67.64 68.84 1.2 0.77 426.7 LLD 182.9 Eastern Veining INCLUDING 67.81 68.21 0.40 0.26 1180.0 LLD INCLUDING 68.61 68.84 0.23 0.15 172.0 LLD BC194 76.36 84.73 8.37 3.54 10.9 0.0 10.9 Eastern Veining INCLUDING 76.36 76.77 0.41 0.17 65.4 LLD INCLUDING 77.86 78.06 0.20 0.08 90.1 LLD INCLUDING 84.24 84.46 0.22 0.09 65.2 0.01 INCLUDING 84.61 84.73 0.12 0.05 164.0 0.02 Note: LLD signifies an undetectable amount of antimony. Detection limit for the analysis used is 0.01% New Delhi: Noting that existing infrastructure "might not be able to cope" with the surge in COVID cases, the Centre on Sunday suggested that states should identify geographies with higher positivity or bed occupancy rate, and take local containment measures for 14 days. Local containment will primarily focus on restricting intermingling of people and on three strategic areas of intervention, which include containment, clinical management and community engagement, the health ministry said in a statement. Noting that a very high number of daily new COVID cases being reported for the past few days, the Centre said there is an urgent need for states to consider strict COVID management and control measures to bring the situation under control. "The existing infrastructure may not be able to cope with this kind of surge, it has been stressed," the statement reads. In this regard a letter has been written to health secretaries of all states by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. Underlining the need for "prompt and targeted action" focused on specific areas to flatten the current curve, the Centre suggested that states, identify those areas which are having test positivity of 10 per cent or more in last week or more than 60 per cent of oxygen supported or ICU beds are occupied. "Districts fulfilling any one of the above two criteria are to be considered for taking intensive action and local containment measures. Local containment primarily focused on restricting intermingling of people for a period of 14 days to break the chain of transmission by duly following epidemiological principles," the health ministry said. Elaborating the local containment measures, the Centre said it will essentially focus on containment, clinical management and community engagement. Identification of areas for local containment should be a dynamic exercise aiming to break and suppress the chain of transmission of COVID and save precious lives in areas reporting higher surge in cases and deaths and exhibiting overstretched healthcare systems, it said. The Centre has also suggested a monitoring mechanism for states in this regard. As the situation is dynamic, a daily review should be taken up at the highest levels in the state, it said. The Centre also said local administration shall decide the duration of the night curfew hours and issue orders, in the entire area of their jurisdiction, under appropriate provisions of law, such as under Section 144 of CrPC, and ensure strict compliance. The Centre also said local administration shall decide the duration of the night curfew hours and issue orders, in the entire area of their jurisdiction, under appropriate provisions of law, such as under Section 144 of CrPC, and ensure strict compliance. Gunmen have reportedly kidnapped one Olukunle Oyedokun, a hotelier, and his wife from a hotel in Ajaawa, Ogbomoso, Ogo-Oluwa LGA of Oyo st... Gunmen have reportedly kidnapped one Olukunle Oyedokun, a hotelier, and his wife from a hotel in Ajaawa, Ogbomoso, Ogo-Oluwa LGA of Oyo state. The incident was said to have occurred around 10:30pm on Saturday. The gunmen were also said to have kidnapped Oyedokuns three children, five relatives, and a guest. It was gathered that when the gunmen invaded the area, they shot sporadically into the air, before carrying out the abduction. When contacted, Adewale Osifeso, the Oyo state police command spokesperson, he confirmed the development, saying a team of operatives is on the trail of the perpetrators. However, Osifeso did not confirm the number of persons kidnapped during the incident, noting that he will reach out after the police completes its investigation. It is confirmed that an unfortunate abduction happened in Ajaawa over the weekend. As we speak, our team of operatives are actively on the case, he said. There has been a series of kidnapping incidents across Oyo state in recent times. Last Wednesday, Suleiman Quadri, an Amotekun operative, was shot dead by unknown gunmen, following an attack on a community in Fiditi in Oyo. On April 22, 18 passengers travelling along Eruwa/Igbo-Ora road, Ibarapa area of the state were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen. On April 8, four persons were abducted after an attack on several communities across Igangan in Ibarapa area of the state. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Archer Materials Ltd (ASX:AXE) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Archer Materials strategically expands access to institutional deep tech infrastructure Archer Materials Ltd (ASX:AXE) (OTCMKTS:ARRXF) (FRA:38A) has strategically expanded its commercial access to institutional deep tech infrastructure as part of its biochip development. This is expected to help overcome commercial and technological barriers to biochip development. Archer is now directly accessing world-class analytical facilities with state-of-the-art, atom-scale quality control capabilities. The infrastructure access is necessary to carry out the company's biochip development and allows Archer to qualify its semiconductor device production processes as the company advances towards sub-10 nm biochip feature sizes. "Access to world-class facilities" Chief executive officer Dr Mohammad Choucair said: "We are very pleased to secure access to world-class facilities that would otherwise be extremely costly to purchase and operate ourselves. "Archer's growth has involved integrating the company's early-stage tech development within institutional scale operations, and this ultimately translates to maintaining a strong cash position and no corporate debt." Shares have been almost 5% higher intra-day to A$0.90 while Archer's market cap is approximately A$194.4 million. COVID alert for Phuket passengers on buses to and from Bangkok PHUKET: All passengers who were on two different buses between Phuket and Bangkok last week have been advised to contact Phuket health officials now that they are deemed to have had high-risk contact (HRC) for infection with COVID-19. COVID-19Coronavirushealthtourismtransport By The Phuket News Monday 26 April 2021, 05:41PM The passengers are asked to contact the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) immediately by calling 089-8740994. The news came by a notice, issued jointly by no less than five Phuket government agencies, posted online this afternoon (Apr 26). The first bus, from Phuket to Bangkok, operated by Bus Express Co Ltd, departed Phuket bus station at 6:30pm on Apr 21, said the notice. The bus has the license plate number 15-4053 and is marked as bus 63-2, it added. The second bus, from Bangkok to Phuket, operated by BorKhorSor999 Co Ltd, departed Mor Chit bus station in Bangkok at 6:30pm on Apr 22. The bus has the license plate number 16-1005 and is marked as bus 949-1431. All passengers, please contact the PPHO by calling 089-8740994, urged the notice. People with general queries about the COVID-19 situation in Phuket were advised to call the general Phuket hotline numbers 094-5938876 or 062-2435116. LOGANSPORT, Ind. (AP) Whats the first step in saving a historic house thats been condemned? For Laina Molaski and Matt Sartori of Carmel, it was filling two 40-yard dumpsters of trash and junk from the old Greensfelder house at 806 E. Market St. in Logansport. That wasnt the planned first step, but it was what was necessary as they had to remove two refrigerators, two water heaters and a bandsaw, plus debris from squatters who lived in the attic for part of the two years the house lay vacant. If we ever do this again, were going to put an ad in for scrappers, said Molaski. The couple closed on the house Jan. 29, and theyre dividing restoration into initial projects, including repairing the porch so that the roof and the rest of the outside can be improved to the quality of the houses well-preserved insides. They also want to replace the lead plumbing (they only have one toilet and one faucet working), improve the HVAC system and add air conditioning (the furnace already needed replacing, said Sartori). But for now theyre concentrating on remediating lead thats the source of 16 lead dust violations and 14 lead paint violations that led to Cass County condemning the house. Our first goal is to get the house un-condemned, she said. So they spent much of February wrapping up the fireplaces, sinks and fixtures of the house for protection when the lead is removed. Sartori said the state inspector has been extremely helpful in directing them in what to do. Quite the crazy undertaking, Molaski said about the entire renovation. However, its not hopeless. For as scary as the outside is, the inside is in good condition for a 100-year-old house, she said. An example of late Queen Anne/Early Edwardian Architecture, the interior has an encaustic tile dining room and period fireplaces, according to Paul Willham, Communications Director for Logansport Landmarks and an experienced renovator. The 2016 Logansport Landmarks endangered buildings list listed the houses Lincrusta wallpapers, inlaid mosaic and tile floors and inlaid, patterned hardwoods. It also has original light fixtures and a beautiful staircase, and the houses intricate tile work is intact, as are its pocket doors, said renovator George Petzel, who sold the house to Molaski and Sartori. The interior is well-preserved because the couple isnt the first to try to renovate the house. In 2016, Eric and Tia Justice had moved in and began restoration attempts, focusing on the inside. However, the Justice family was forced to move out after the county condemned the building around the end of the last decade and said they couldnt stay there with children because of the lead. This will be Sartori and Molaskis first time renovating a property, and its a major renovation compared to many houses. But the Greensfelder mansion had all that they desired. We are close to being empty nesters, Molaski said. They had always wanted to get away from the city (Indianapolis, which Carmel is a suburb of) and return to a small town like the ones they grew up in. She originally came from Michigan, and he started life in Wisconsin. I love old houses. My mom was in antiques forever and still is, Santori said. I wanted something like this, in a small town like this. Theyre both into history but also have no renovation background except for his familiarity with antiques through his mother, The truth is, its scary that I dont have any (experience), he said. Petzel, a house restorer whod bought the Greensfelder place at a tax auction in December 2020, saw the couple as the best possible new owners. He realized after buying it that the house required more work than his MGP Acquisitions LLC could do while not in town, but he was looking for someone whod want to restore it. One previous buyer never showed for closing, another wanted to renovate but not retain the character and a third wasnt open about his plans. However, Molaski and Sartori had already spoken to local preservation sources, and Petzel checked into their backgrounds. Everything about them seemed to be a perfect fit for a home restoration that will certainly be more of a journey than a project, he stated by email. They bought the house for $40,000, and Willham estimates that it will take $150,000 to $200,000 to renovate the place, possibly more for a museum-level renovation. Molaski said, Luckily, we have jobs that are remote, so we have the flexibility. Shes an English professor and a writer of romances and mysteries, while hes a web developer. She has been able to be there on a regular basis, and he had Wi-Fi put in early on so he could be there and work. Our goal is to keep as much of the aesthetic and history that we can while making it a modern living space, he said. Were very fortunate that a lot of the hardware remains, she said. Theyre only missing a few heating grates, and the old radiators are still there, just not functional. The kitchen doesnt have anything original to save because its all modernized, she said. For period features they want to keep and upgrade, theyve found things around the property like extra tiles in the attic, she said. Other things theyve found include old window weights (counterbalances hidden in the window frames that allowed windows to be easily opened by a pulley system) and a newspaper article from 1904 about the Greensfelders having guests over. In the basement, there are wood beds in cramped quarters that were for servants. In that rooms corner, the couple found the top of a wooden crate from Italy and addressed to the Greensfelders at the house. Theyre keeping the old radiators, even if theyre no longer needed. On the bedroom walls are some writings that were under the wallpaper, listing the occupants and one stating Florence Greenfelder, April 19th, 1904, Eighth St, 5B grade school. Sartori and Molaski are hiring contractors for major work, and during a Feb. 26 walk through the house, a structural engineer let them know that the slate roof was likely not salvageable. There was a gap at the decorative ridge where snow came in, and the concern is what damage it did between the slate and the decking, Sartori said. The verdict is the slates too far gone, which we kind of figured, he said after conferring with the engineer. Its too expensive to replace. When they first got here, they advertised for help from the Indianapolis Craigslist because they didnt have any connections here. Since arriving, theyve found everyone to be very friendly, they said. They also have the help of the family. Caden Molaski, her 19-year-old son, has helped with the demolition and cleaning procedures. A lot of work, and theyre making me do a lot of it, he said. He and their other children will have rooms in the house when its done. Before anyone sees outside improvements, though, theres a lot of work to be done. To sum it up, things are happening, and itll start inside and go into outside, Sartori said. It mightve been different if theyd bought it in summer, she added. Theyre also looking for photos of the house in its earlier days, although searches by them, Cass County Historian Thelma Conrad, other historians, Willham and the newspaper have not yielded results. __ Source: Pharos-Tribune What The Study Did: COVID-19 rates in children and teenagers to age 19 before and after reopening schools in Israel are examined in this observational study. Authors: Eli Somekh, M.D., of the Mayanei Hayeshuah Medical Center in Bnei Brak, Israel, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https:/ / media. jamanetwork. com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.7105) Editor's Note: The article includes conflicts of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support. ### Media advisory: The full study is linked to this news release. Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time http://jamanetwork. com/ journals/ jamanetworkopen/ fullarticle/ 10. 1001/ jamanetworkopen. 2021. 7105?utm_source= For_The_Media&utm_medium= referral&utm_campaign= ftm_links&utm_term= 042621 About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is the new online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication. The United Kingdom on April 26 announced that the Carrier Strike Group, which is the largest concentration of maritime and air power in a generation, will set sail next month and visit more than 40 countries. According to a press release, the 3bn aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will visit India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore. The carrier will head for Asia with eight RAF F35B stealth fighter jets on board, accompanied by six Royal Navy ships, a submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, 14 naval helicopters and a company of Royal Marines. UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, When our Carrier Strike Group sets sail next month, it will be flying the flag for Global Britain - projecting our influence, signalling our power, engaging with our friends and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the security challenges of today and tomorrow. Wallace added, The entire nation can be proud of the dedicated men and women who for more than six months will demonstrate to the world that the UK is not stepping back but sailing forth to play an active role in shaping the international system of the 21st century. HMS Queen Elizabeth and six other Royal Navy ships will visit more than 40 countries for more than 70 engagements - projecting our influence and engaging with our allies pic.twitter.com/Jg7MVcpU0u Conservatives (@Conservatives) April 26, 2021 'A truly global deployment' As per the press note, during the 28-week deployment, ships from the group will visit more than 40 countries for more than 70 engagements, including an exercise marking the 50th anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. HMS Queen Elizabeth will be accompanied by a surface fleet made up of Type 45 destroyers HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, Type 23 anti-submarine frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring. Alongside will also be four Wildcat maritime attack helicopters, seven Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters and three Merlin Mk4 commando helicopters. CSG21 will be a truly global deployment, from the North Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific, the press release read. The forthcoming deployment will bolster already deep defence partnerships in the region, where the UK is committed to a more enduring regional defence and security presence. Moreover, the Carrier deployment will also take integration with NATO allies and other global Allies to a new level. It is worth mentioning the UK Carrier Strike Group will be NATOs first 5th generation Carrier Strike Group, underlining the UKs leading role in the Alliance. (Image: Twitter) Highlights BigBasket acknowledged the massive user data breach in November last year. The same user data is now being made available on the dark web for a fee. The data breach includes personal information of the users including their email IDS, phone numbers, addresses and more. Yet another user database has been leaked to the dark web and this time the victim is the popular online grocery delivery platform BigBasket. The massive data leak is said to comprise the data of 20 million BigBasket users, including their email ID, home address, phone number, IP address and more such personal data. The data leak from the company servers was first acknowledged by the service back in November last year. The hacker behind the leak has now published the user data on a cybercrime forum and has made it available for anyone to download. The hacking group reported to be responsible for the data leak is known by the name ShinyHunters. As per threat intelligence SaaS provider Cyble, the cyber group has been active since 2015 and has been leaking such user databases on the dark web for long. The group has leaked a combined total of 73.2 million user records from over 11 different companies to date. Cyble was the first to point out the BigBasket data breach back in October last year. The cybersecurity firm informed BigBasket of the same in the month to follow, to which the company acknowledged a data breach at the time. Cyble says that the data was put up for sale on the dark web for as much as $40,000. (Image: Twitter/ Alon Gal (Under the Breach)) Users of the service have been receiving notifications of a potential data leak from portals like ' have I been pwned' and ' am I breached'. The online services tell people if their data has been a part of a data breach in the past. All they require is the user ID to find out all the incidents in which data pertaining to the ID has been leaked before. Such tech-enabled services have been the victims of such massive data leaks in the past. Most recently, Dominos had allegedly been hit by such a data breach, with the credit card details of allegedly 1 million users having been compromised at the time. Popular social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn have also been the targets of such attacks. Earthquakes and volcanoes in subduction zones may cause great human catastrophe. Previous studies on subduction zone structure and causal mechanisms of giant megathrust earthquakes (M 9.0) have mainly focused on aspects like subducting plates and plate interfaces. In contrast, the oceanic asthenosphere structure beneath the subducting slab (at depths of 100-250 km) and its influence on the nucleation of giant megathrust earthquakes have not been well studied. Recently, Dr. FAN Jianke from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) and Prof. ZHAO Dapeng from Tohoku University turned their attention to this problem by investigating the oceanic asthenosphere structure of six subduction zones where giant earthquakes have occurred. Their findings were published in Nature Geoscience on April 26. The researchers adopted P-wave tomographic inversions and compiled updated tomographic models. The tomographic images clearly reveal subslab low-velocity (slow) anomalies beneath forearc regions in the six subduction zones. "The giant earthquake hypocenters are generally located above the edges of the slow anomalies or above the gaps between them. Large coseismic slips of the giant earthquakes mainly occur above gaps between the slow anomalies," said Dr. FAN. The buoyancy force of a subslab slow anomaly can increase interplate shear stress by enhancing interplate normal stress. Interplate shear stress increases the critical stress threshold for rupture, and the critical shear stress above the slow anomaly gap is slightly smaller than that above the slow anomaly. However, critical shear stress is still large enough and relatively easier to reach. As such, it can induce a giant megathrust earthquake above the slow anomaly gap, which is primarily controlled by structural heterogeneity on and around the plate interface. In addition, the buoyancy force of the slow anomaly can cause a morphological response from the subducting slab, thus increasing the shear stress on the plate interface. Thermal conduction or thermo-mechanical erosion from the slow anomaly may result in transformation of the interface rheology from frictional to viscous shear. This transformation may partly account for the occurrence of slow-slip earthquakes above slow anomalies. The slow-slip area can impede rupture propagation and host afterslip of a giant megathrust earthquake. "It's necessary to conduct seismic tomography to investigate more detailed asthenospheric structures beneath a subducting slab, which may pinpoint the potential location of a future giant megathrust earthquake," said Dr. FAN. ### This study was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. ADVERTISEMENT Four Nigerian soldiers were killed on Sunday by suspected IPOB gunmen in a community in Rivers State, Nigerias South-south, in one of the most daring incidents in the ongoing vicious attacks on security agencies in the region, as well as in the South-east. The attack occurred at about 11:30 p.m. in a hotel, Edibe Hotel, in Abua- Odual Local Government Area of the state where the soldiers, attached to an oil company, Starling Global Ltd, were on an escort duty, a source familiar with the incident told PREMIUM TIMES, Monday. The soldiers were drawn from 16 Brigade Garrison, 6 Division, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. One of the soldiers sustained gunshot wounds, while five others were unhurt in the attack which the source said took the soldiers by surprise. The gunmen are alleged to be members of IPOB, a pro-Biafra group that has been proscribed by the Nigerian government. The suspected IPOB gunmen, during the attack, stole five rifles and a pick-up truck belonging to the Nigerian Army. The chief security officer of Starling Global Ltd is said to be missing since after the attack. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately get the armys reaction on the incident, as the spokesperson for the 6 Division, Charles Ekeocha, a major, did not respond to calls and a text message from our reporter. Starling Global Ltd did not also respond to calls from this newspaper. IPOB Attacks on security agents getting worse There is concern by government officials, security experts, and ordinary Nigerians that the ongoing attacks on security agencies in the South-east and South-south, which appeared to be coordinated, is getting worse by the day, and has already worsened the security challenges in the two regions. Apart from the killing in Abua- Odual, soldiers were said to be among eight security officials killed on Sunday by gunmen along the Omagwa/Isiokpo/Elele Owerri Road in Rivers State. In Imo State, Nigerias South-east, gunmen suspected to be IPOB members attacked and set ablaze the country home of the state governor, Hope Uzodinma. Within the past one week, there have been deadly attacks on police facilities in Enugu and Anambra states. With Boko Haram insurgency raging in the North-east, and banditry, kidnapping, and the ongoing bloody conflict between herders and farmers in different parts of the country, Nigerias security agencies seem to be losing ground, while the country bleeds New Delhi: The Karnataka government on Monday (April 26) announced what it termed as a 'close down' across the state for 14 days from Tuesday (April 27) night in a bid to contol the huge spike in COVID-19 cases in the state. The government announced the decision in order to break the chain of coronavirus transmission in the state. People in the state will be allowed to buy essential items from 6 am to 10 am. The decision was taken after a Cabinet meeting held this morning as the state registered a record high of 34,000 COVID-19 cases on a single day on Sunday. According to PTI, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa while announcing the lockdown in the state, stated that home delivery of food will be allowed and liquor shops will operate for takeaways only. However, exact details on the availability of liquor is still awaited. During this period, all construction, manufacturing, agriculture and medical sectors will continue to operate. However, no permission has been granted to garments under the manufacturing sector, the intention being that there should not be any problem as about seven to eight lakh people in very close proximity to each other in the factories. The night curfew, which is in place now between 9 PM to 6 AM, will continue, CM Yediyurappa said. Transport services would not ply during the closedown period, but there would be no restrictions on the movement of goods and essential services. The Chief Minister said essential services like banking among others would continue to operate, as also take-aways at hotels, restaurants and liquor shops. "It has been decided to postpone all elections for six months," he added. CM Yediyurappa said the cabinet took the decisions on imposing strict restrictions after consulting the expert committee, as the covid case numbers in Bengaluru and surrounding areas have surpassed that of Maharashtra. On COVID vaccination, the Chief Minister said it would be given free of cost at government hospitals for those aged between 18 and 44 years. "The health department will draw up the guidelines required. For those above 45 years the Centre is giving vaccines free of cost," he said. (With PTI inputs) Live TV Eddie Marsan has been seen sporting a grey beard and thick glasses while filming his new role as canoe conman John Darwin. In first look snaps from a shoot for ITV's upcoming drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, the actor, 52, takes on the role of the fraudster who faked his own death. The show will also feature Monica Dolan, 52, as his wife Anne Darwin, with the actress also seen out filming alongside her co-star in Hartlepool on Monday. Anne and John Darwin, who are now divorced, were both jailed for more than 6 years after they tried to convince family, friends, the police and insurance companies, that John had gone missing in 2002 while canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew. FIRST LOOK: Eddie Marsan sported a beard (left) while Monica Dolan (right) donned a blue coat while filming new ITV show about canoe conman John Darwin in Hartlepool on Monday Real life: John and Anne Darwin tried to convince the world that John had gone missing in 2002 whilst canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew. However their secret was exposed by the discovery of a photo of them posing in a Panama real estate office in July 2006 (pictured) Eddie was seen walking around the set in a long grey jacket styled with jeans and a khaki green beanie hat. He stood out from the crew as he held onto a walking stick and sported thick glasses for the scene which seemed to involve him travelling on a bus. The actor also sported a grey beard - just like John did in the picture used on his fake passport - however in a 2008 mugshot he was clean shaven. Elsewhere during filming, Monica was seen for the first time as Anne as she held onto a tabbed script and carried a black handbag over one shoulder. At work: It is not know what scenes or time period Eddie, who was announced as having been cast in the upcoming show on Monday, was filming Transformation: The actor also sported a grey beard - just like John did in the picture used on his fake passport and shared by Cleveland Police Clean shaven: John had ditched the beard by the time this 2008 shot was shared by police She was seen with a grey bob cut, similar to the real life Anne's short hair in photos from the time of the real life case, and wearing a blue rain jacket. The ITV drama will focus on how Anne became complicit in her husband's deception to convince the world he'd gone missing in an attempt to claim life insurance and avoid bankruptcy. However, the deception was to take its toll on Anne who lied to their sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years whilst her husband, in the early days of the fraud, secretly lived in a bedsit next door to the home he shared with Anne. Devastated by the loss of their father, neither son had an inkling their parents were capable of such treachery and being involved in a 679,000 insurance scam. Inspiration: Actress Monica (left) was seen with a grey bob cut, similar to the real life Anne's short hair in photos from the time of the real life case (right in December 2007) Well prepared: Monica held onto a tabbed script and huge bottle of water as she arrived on set On the move: Eddie stepped onto a bus while carrying a green bag at one point during filming Off he goes: Eddie was seen walking around the set with a brown walking stick and wearing a long grey jacket styled with jeans and a khaki green beanie hat Real story: John Darwin was jailed for more than 6 years after he tried to fake that he'd gone missing in 2002 while canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew Anne and John, now 70, eventually decided to leave Seaton Carew and move to Panama City to start a new life together before their secret was exposed by the discovery of a photo of them posing in a Panama real estate office in July 2006. John had been travelling back and forth between Panama and the UK and turned up at a London police station in 2007 claiming he'd been suffering from amnesia. At her trial Anne pleaded not guilty, arguing that she had been coerced into the plot by her husband, but the jury didn't believe her. John was ordered to serve six years and three months in prison while his wife, who police described as a compulsive liar, got six years and six months. She was released from prison in 2011. Wrapped up: Eddie sported several layers for the outside shoot in Hartlepool on Monday 'It's fascinating': Eddie (pictured filming on Monday) previously said he's 'thrilled' to be playing the role of John and that 'if it weren't fact, you'd think it unbelievable' Don't think they were around in the 00s! Eddie handed a member of the crew his iPhone while taking a quick break between shoots Chatting away: Monica seemed to be in good spirits as she spoke with a crew member while walking past a yellow and green bus Staying safe: Monica donned a face shield while working on the hotly-anticipated ITV series Spitting image: The actress looked eerily like the real Anne with a very similar hairstyle Outfit change: Monica was later seen wearing grey trousers with the same blue jacket while making a call from a phone box Urgent: The actress put on an animated display inside the booth Since the astonishing case, the couple have divorced, with John remarrying, and Anne opting for a quiet life away from the headlines. And in January 2021 it was reported that the former teacher has settled into a new life in the Philippines with new wife Mercy May, who at 47 is 23 years his junior. The couple married in 2015 after striking up a romance online. John receives a state pension of around 134 a week, while his wife, a mother-of-three, sub-lets a clothing stall and owns another shop. Waiting around: Eddie was seen sitting on a bench as he appeared to wait for a bus Early shoot: He seemed comfortable using the walking stick prop during the shoot Wrapped up: The actor donned several layers including a blue polo top, brown jumper, grey jacket and khaki hat Comes in handy: While chatting to some of the crew during the day, Eddie threw his walking stick up into the air as if to point in that direction Exciting role: ITV confirmed the four-part drama was happening on Monday morning On screen: Monica and Eddie (pictured filming) will be joined in the cast by Mark Stanley and Karl Pilkington, whose roles have not yet been revealed Bus ride? Eddie's character John travelled between Panama and the UK for several years She told The Mirror: 'I have a new business. I've had it for three years now. Boom. Making money.' While in 2016 his ex-wife Anne wrote a book about the scandal, revealing she been disowned by their two sons. Writing in Out of my Depth, the so-called 'Canoe Wife,' wrote: 'Why did I do it? That is the question I still ask myself today. Why, when I got home, did I make that phone call to the police? 'I was never motivated by money. That wasnt the reason. Incredible though it may sound, the only reason I had was my loyalty to John.' She has since reconciled with her sons, and was last known to be working for the RSPCA in York after gaining qualifications in IT and business while in prison. Conman: John was sentence to more than six years in prison and is now thought to be living in the Philippines with his second wife (Eddie is pictured filming in Hartlepool on Monday) Family: Devastated by the loss of their father, both of John's sons Mark and Anthony didn't had an inkling their parents were capable of lying about his death (pictured at the trial in 2008) Hidden: John used a secret passageway (pictured) in the bedsit in which he lived for five years after he faked his own death, which connected to Anne's house next door Shocking: Anne lied to their sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years whilst her husband, in the early days of the fraud, secretly lived in a bedsit next door to the home he shared with Anne ITV's drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is based upon the unpublished manuscript written by journalist David Leigh who was the first journalist to track down Anne as she was on the verge of setting up a new life in Panama. Stars Monica and Eddie will be joined in the cast by Mark Stanley (White House Farm) and Karl Pilkington (Sick of It, Derek), whose roles have not yet been revealed. Speaking about his new role, Eddie said: 'I'm so thrilled to be working with Chris Lang, one of our greatest writers and to get the chance to work with Monica Dolan. 'The story of how and why John Darwin faked his own death to defraud insurance companies is fascinating, and if it weren't fact, you'd think it unbelievable. 'I can't pretend to understand what was going on in his head when he made those choices, but I'm going to do my absolute best to portray him, and I can't wait to get started.' And Monica added: 'The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe tells the story of surely the most outrageous fraud of modern times - and my favourite kind of drama is when the outrageous comes from the prosaic. 'As breath-taking as their managing to pull this deception off in the first place, is how spectacularly the couple wrecked it for themselves as soon as they had got away with it.' The real life story is written by acclaimed screenwriter Chris Lang, who said: 'I am beyond delighted to be working with two of the finest actors of their generation. 'I have admired them both from afar for many years (not in a creepy way though) and cannot wait to see them bring Anne and John Darwin to life.' Famous face: Eddie famously starred as Inspector Lestrade in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes alongside Robert Downey Jr The four-part drama is produced by Story Films, the company founded by three times BAFTA-winner David Nath and fellow award-winning director Peter Beard. Susie Liggat (Giri/Haji) also executive produces, with Alison Sterling (The Windermere Children) producing. They will be joined by the celebrated screenwriter of Unforgotten and Innocent Chris Lang who also executive produces the four part series. BAFTA winning director, Richard Laxton, (Honour, Mrs Wilson, Mum) directs each of the four episodes. The drama has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama Polly Hill and will be produced in association with All3Media International. A POPULAR Limerick Hotel is running project for Transition Year students to get them involved with the hospitality industry. Due to Covid-19, Transition Year students in Limerick have been unable to go on work placement as they normally would. The Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare usually take in several TYs on their placement and they felt their absence this year. Normally every year, we would have several TY students on placement which gives them a nice insight into the hospitality industry and a little bit of practical training, said proprietor Louis Murphy. This, we find, is a great way to get young students interested in the Hospitality Industry and we find a student or two every year decide to pursue a career in the industry. To combat this issue, they have decided to bring the hospitality industry to them. The Dunraven Arms is hosting training modules, all via Zoom, for Transition Year students over the course of several days. They are working in conjunction with the Shannon College of Hotel Management to deliver this project. They will deliver three modules to the students, each an hour long and over the course of three days. The aim of the modules is to provide an insight into the hospitality industry. They aim to do this with fun practical demonstrations, interviews with their Shannon College interns and interviews with their head chef and sous chef and also some insight from a Shannon College graduate, a nephew of one of the staff. Each module will also finish with a Q&A session. They already have 140 students signed up for the modules and each student who participates will receive a certificate of participation. To keep the students engaged, they will be hosting a fun competition which is supported by Laura Ryan from Limerick.ie. The project, which started last week, continues this week and into early next week. The Dunraven hopes this will create a new force in the hospitality business, students have selected to join this course so hopefully they will show some interest in the hospitality industry for the future. Disabled pastor, wife severely injured after radical Hindu mob broke into their home during prayer Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A disabled pastor and his wife who serve the Dalit people, formerly known as the untouchables in eastern India, were severely beaten by a group of Hindu nationalist men who broke into their home and attacked them with sticks, according to a report. Pastor Ram Niwas and his wife, Pinky, who live in Bihar states Sitamarhi city and are converts from Hinduism, were attacked as they were praying in their home last week, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported. The suspected attackers included the pastors four brothers and a villager who are all supporters of the Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council, or the VHP). A church member, identified only as Narender, was praying with the pastor and his wife at their home when the men used a hammer to break into the property. The church member was also injured as he attempted to protect the pastor. Pastor Niwas, who is disabled because of a childhood accident, had been a target of the VHP for some time and frequently accused of converting Hindus and forcing others to eat beef. Cows are considered sacred by many Hindus. The pastor ministers to Dalit people who are considered the lowest individuals in the Hindu caste hierarchy. Last year, a mob of about 20 people from the Bajrang Dal group (VHPs youth wing) attempted to attack the pastor. Many states in India have anti-conversion laws, which presume that Christians use money or other fraudulent means to convert Hindus. These laws have been in place for decades in some states, but no Christian has been convicted of forcibly converting anyone to Christianity. These laws, however, allow Hindu nationalist groups to make false charges against Christians and launch attacks on them under the pretext of the alleged forced conversion. Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, noted Open Doors World Watch List last year, which ranked India as the 10th worst country for Christians. The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith including Christianity is viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities, Open Doors said at the time. India was not named by the U.S. State Department last year as being among the countries of particular concern that have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. In a statement to The Christian Post, advocacy group The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America said it was deeply disappointed India did not receive the CPC designation in 2020. The national government allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity and engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence, FIACONA said. The Indian government headed by the Hindu nationalist BJP party continues to claim so conveniently that all such violence against Christians in India is isolated incidents and not the policy of the government. A former executive at mobile payments company Square has launched a financial technology startup in Vancouver. The business, Embedded Financial Technologies, is building software to add stock-trading capabilities into mobile apps. The company said Monday it has raised $20 million and CEO Michael Giles told The Wall Street Journal that investors valued the business at $80 million in February. Before starting Embedded, Giles had been CEO of Square subsidiary Cash App Investing. That business emerged from another company Giles ran, Third Party Technologies, which also provided online investing features for financial technology firms. Third Party, too, was based in the Portland area. It wasnt clear how many people Embedded employs and Giles didnt immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment. In an online posting, he said his backers include Propel Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures and startup incubator Y Combinator. The Portland area has been home to a number of prominent financial technology companies, among them Vesta, online banker Simple and Nvoicepay. For many years, ambitious startups rarely chose to locate in Vancouver even though its just a few miles from downtown Portland. Clark Countys tech industry has been on a steady upswing for much of the past decade, though, with laser manufacturer nLight expanding to a new headquarters in Camas, HP Inc. planning a new campus in east Vancouver, and marketing data company ZoomInfo holding the Portland areas biggest-ever IPO last June. Washington has no personal income tax, which has helped make the state attractive to entrepreneurs. On Sunday, though, the Washington Legislature voted to establish a capital gains tax on stocks and other valuable assets doled out by startups. Update, 4/29: Giles says Embedded employs 13, six of them in the Portland and Vancouver area. He lives in Vancouver, which is why the company is based there -- on Main Street: A tip of the hat to the end users of our platform once we launch. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Catalytic converter thefts are at an all-time high, with a 44 per cent increase in claims in 2020, compared to 2019, new research has revealed. Thefts remain high so far in 2021 with a 57 per cent increase in claims for catalytic converter thefts in March this year compared to the same month last year, according to data from Admiral Insurance. The insurer is warning motorists to be vigilant as the figures show no sign of slowing down. Prices can be high with the average cost of a claim for a stolen catalytic converter coming in at more than 1,500, depending on the amount of damage the thieves caused and the type of car targeted. Thefts of catalytic converters are at an all-time high, with a 44% increase in claims in 2020 Why are catalytic converters stolen? Catalytic converters make up part of the exhaust system in some cars and they process the emissions from a combustion engine into less harmful gases. Thieves target them for the precious metals including gold, platinum and palladium that are used within the catalytic converters in some cars, which are then sold on for profit. Currently, palladium is more valuable than gold, and platinum is worth around two thirds the value of gold. Despite the high value of the precious metals used within catalytic converters, they are relatively simple to steal as the exhaust is exposed beneath most cars, making them an easy target. Lorna Connelly, head of claims at Admiral, explains: 'The theft of catalytic converters is often carried out by opportunist thieves who may be working their way around different neighbourhoods. 'This isn't always the case, however, and there is evidence to suggest that criminal gangs are involved in these types of thefts. 'The precious metals used within catalytic converters are sold at a profit, and that profit could be used to fund even bigger crimes not just in the UK but also abroad. 'We believe that many stolen catalytic converters are taken abroad by criminal gangs, which could explain why the thefts dropped off during the first lockdown last year.' Theft: Honda Jazz is one of the most popular cars for catalytic converter thieves to target The cost of repairing a vehicle after a catalytic converter theft will depend on how the thieves have removed it. Insurers say that as the thefts often take place in a hurry, the damaged caused to the vehicle in the process can result in a more expensive claim. Lorna adds: 'Many of the cars targeted are older models, maybe because the quantity of precious metals their catalytic converters contain is higher. Unfortunately, if the damage to these cars is too severe, they may need to be written off. 'When the car can be repaired, the work can be delayed as there is a shortfall of replacement catalytic converters given the sheer volume of the thefts taking place and supply just can't keep up with the demand. This can cause additional distress as motorists have to wait longer for their car to be repaired.' Cars including the Honda Jazz, Toyota Prius, Toyota Auris and Lexus RX are targeted most often, with older models in particular being singled out. Hybrid cars are targeted the most because their catalytic converters contain a higher concentration of precious metals and are generally less corroded. Catalytic converter crime wave 'explosion': The AA says it has seen was called out to almost 4,000 cases where the emissions controlling device had been stolen from the underside of cars, which is a 6,780% jump in instances compared to 2017 AA sees 6,760% 'explosion' in catalytic converter thefts The AA has also described the rise in catalytic converter thefts from vehicles as an 'explosion' after separate research showed its patrols attended almost 4,000 cases last year where emissions devices had been ripped from the underside of cars. The vehicle recovery service said it was called to just 57 instances of broken down motors found to have had their catalytic converters stolen in 2017. That figure rose to 3,910 in 2020 - a leap of 6,760 per cent over just four years. The motoring group said it is now working with police and vehicle manufacturers to combat the crime wave, which has turned into a lucrative swindle for organised thieves, especially in the capital. The number of breakdowns attended by the AA due to catalytic converter thefts has been increasing in recent years, rising from fewer than 60 in 2017 to nearly 600 in 2018 and over 3,000 in 2019, the motoring group said. And although cases plummeted during the first lockdown, they soon rallied, reaching nearly 4,000 in 2020. More than half of incidents occur within Greater London, though the problem is now spreading outside of the capital. AA Patrol leader Iain Gillespie said his team of 27 technicians receive three or four reports per week of damage caused by catalytic converter thefts - a scale of cases he has never witnessed before. Iain said: 'Thieves are targeting cars in workplace car parks which they know will be there all day, so they're striking during daylight or at night at people's home address. 'It will normally come through as a 'noise from under vehicle'. The patrol will call the member and say that they're on the way but suspect the cat has been taken, at which point the customer often checks under the car and sees wires hanging down. 'Watching people fall apart in front of you is horrible. It's not what a patrol is used to as normally with a breakdown, somebody hasn't been the target of a crime. 'It also leaves people with anxiety about where to park; if it was taken in a place they normally park, such as at home or work, they have little choice but to continue parking there.' Handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of a number of stolen catalytic converters recovered by officers after more than 300 officers took part in an early morning operation on Tuesday 23 March to smash what is believed to be a criminal network fueling an increase in the thefts of catalytic converters across London The resulting damage can cost thousands of pounds to repair, and lead times for replacement parts can be up to two months. It is usually possible to claim for the damage on insurance, but in some cases the vehicle may be a write-off. 'The AA is determined to help stop this crime explosion and is working with police and manufacturers to help get more cars water marked so that cat cops can target rogue dealers and organised gangs and prove that the cats were stolen,' says AA president, Edmund King. 'The motor industry is helping by offering replacement cats and cages at cost price and helping the national roll-out of smartwater marking of cats.' Motor insurance provider Zurich also revealed this week that it has seen a five-fold increase in two years for claims made by customers whose catalytic converters have been stolen. Worryingly, it says the situation appears to have worsened during lockdown, due to the economic backdrop and as demand for these materials has intensified because of the pandemic's impact on mining. Commenting on the data, Gillian Ferguson, head of motor claims at Zurich said: 'Our data does confirm a worrying trend which is likely to increase given the ongoing shift we're seeing towards people buying less polluting hybrid vehicles. 'We urge our customers to take safety precautions ideally parking cars in a locked garage or well-lit area and speak to their dealership for advice on approved alarms and other security measures they have developed to help curb the problem. 'Toyota for example has started a national catalytic converter marking programme having worked with police forces to help reduce this type of crime.' A study led by researchers at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm shows that the last remaining populations of the Sumatran rhinoceros display surprisingly low levels of inbreeding. The researchers sequenced the genomes from 21 modern and historical rhinoceros' specimens, which enabled them to investigate the genetic health in rhinos living today as well as a population that recently became extinct. These findings are published today in the journal Nature Communications. With less than 100 individuals remaining, the Sumatran rhinoceros is one of the most endangered mammal species in the world. Recent reports of health issues and low fecundity have raised fears that the remaining populations are suffering from inbreeding problems. However, very little has been known about the genetic status of these enigmatic rhinos. To investigate whether the Sumatran rhinoceros is threatened by genetic factors, the researchers sequenced the genomes from 16 individuals representing the present-day populations on Borneo and Sumatra and the recently extinct population on the Malaysian Peninsula. This enabled them to estimate inbreeding levels, genetic variation, and the frequency of potentially harmful mutations in the populations. Moreover, by also sequencing the genomes from five historical samples, the researchers could investigate the genetic consequences of the severe population decline of the past 100 years. "To our surprise, we found relatively low inbreeding levels and high genetic diversity in the present-day populations on Borneo and Sumatra", says Johanna von Seth, PhD student at the Centre for Palaeogenetics and co-lead author on the paper. The researchers think that the comparatively low inbreeding levels in the present-day rhinos is due to the decline in population size having happened very recently. This means that inbreeding hasn't yet caught up with the current small population size. This is good news for the conservation management of the remaining populations, since it implies that there is still time to preserve the species' genetic diversity. However, the researchers also found that there are many potentially harmful mutations hidden in the genomes of these individuals, which could spell bad news for the future. "Unless the populations start increasing in size, there is a high risk that inbreeding levels will start rising, and consequently that genetic diseases will become more common", cautions Nicolas Dussex, postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics who also co-led the study. The research team's findings from the recently extinct population on the Malaysian Peninsula serve as a stark warning of what might soon happen to the remaining populations in Borneo and Sumatra. A comparison of historical and modern genomes showed that the Malaysian Peninsula population experienced a rapid increase in inbreeding levels before it went extinct. Moreover, the researchers observed changes in the frequency of potentially harmful mutations that are consistent with inbreeding depression, a phenomenon where closely related parents produce offspring that suffer from genetic disease. These results imply that the two remaining populations could suffer a similar fate if their inbreeding levels start to increase. "The Sumatran rhino is by no means out of the woods. But at least our findings provide a path forward, where we might still be able to rescue a large part of the species' genetic diversity", says Love Dalen, professor of evolutionary genetics at the Centre for Palaeogenetics. In order to minimize the risk of extinction, the researchers say that it is imperative that the population size increases. They also suggest that actions can be taken to enable the exchange of genes between Borneo and Sumatra, for example by translocating individuals or using artificial insemination. A comparison of genomes from these two islands provided no evidence that such genetic exchange could lead to an introduction of genes that are less well adapted to the local environment. The researchers also point out that genome sequencing could be used as a tool to identify particular individuals with low amounts of potentially harmful mutations, and that such individuals would be especially well-suited for this type of genetic exchange. In a wider perspective, the study highlights the potential of modern-day genome sequencing technology in guiding conservation efforts for endangered species across the globe. The study was supported by the National Genomics Infrastructure at SciLifeLab in Sweden, and was a collaboration between researchers from several different countries that included geneticists as well as experts on conservation management and reproductive biology. The Centre for Palaeogenetics is a joint research centre funded by Stockholm University and the Swedish Museum of Natural History. ### In the tombs of Saqqara, new discoveries are rewriting ancient Egypts history Seated in a yellow plastic laundry basket attached to two thick ropes, I was lowered into the earth. The light got dimmer, the temperature colder. A musty smell filled the air. The only sound was from the workmen above handling the ropes and yelling, shweya! (slowly). One miscue and I could fall 100ft. I was inside a burial shaft in Saqqara, the ancient necropolis roughly 19 miles south of Cairo. In recent months, a series of discoveries has captivated the world of archaeology. The most significant find came in January, when archaeologists found inscriptions showing that the temple they were unearthing belonged to a previously unknown ancient queen, Queen Neit. She was the wife of King Teti, the first pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty, which ruled more than 4,300 years ago as part of Egypts Old Kingdom. I was descending into the cemeterial netherworld below her funerary temple. With every discovery, the governments hopes rise that more tourists will arrive, bringing much-needed foreign currency and creating new jobs for millions Midway down the shaft, the walls took on a honeycomb pattern, with large shelves carved into them. Thousands of years ago, they held painted coffins and mummies wrapped in linen and reeds. The shaft narrowed as I passed through a wood frame that supports the walls. Just above the bottom, water glistened on the walls like jewels. The basket touched the ground. My eyes adjusted to the dark. On the floor were two limestone coffins. Both damaged, their contents looted, perhaps more than 2,000 years ago. Who had been buried here? How and why were their coffins lowered so far into the earth? And how did the thieves know where to look? Our civilisation is full of mysteries, NeRmeen Aba-Yazeed, a member of the archaeological team, said afterwards. And we have discovered one of these mysteries. Zahi Hawass at the site where he and his team discovered evidence of Queen Neit (For The Washington Post) Before the inscription was found, King Teti was thought to have had only two wives, Iput and Khuit. But the realisation he had a third, Neit, with her own temple, was prompting a rethink of those ancient days. We are rewriting history, Zahi Hawass, Egypts most well-known archaeologist and its former antiquities minister, would say later in the day. Ancient history is being revealed in many parts of Egypt these days. In early February, archaeologists found 16 human burial chambers at the site of an ancient temple on the outskirts of the northern city of Alexandria. Two of the mummies had golden tongues, which Egyptian Antiquities Ministry officials say was to allow them to speak in the afterlife. That same month, a massive 5,000-year-old brewery believed to be the worlds oldest was discovered in the southern city of Sohag. The beer, researchers hypothesise, was used in burial rituals for Egypts earliest kings. One of the archaeologists is winched out of a shaft using a pulley and basket (For The Washington Post) Last month, ruins of an ancient Christian settlement were discovered in the Bahariya Oasis, nestled in Egypts Western desert. The find sheds new light on monastic life in the 5th century AD. And just last week, archaeologists announced they had unearthed a 3,000-year-old lost golden city in the southern city of Luxor, a discovery that could be the biggest since the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun. With every discovery, the governments hopes rise that more tourists will arrive, bringing much-needed foreign currency and creating new jobs for millions. Egypts tourism-dependent economy has suffered in the past decade from the political chaos that developed after the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. The excavated bones of an ancient Egyptian child (For The Washington Post) The Saqqara necropolis is at once a centre of the countrys aspirations and of its subterranean secrets. It was part of the burial grounds for the ancient capital, Memphis, its ruins now a Unesco World Heritage site. In Saqqara, 17 kings built pyramids to house their remains and possessions for what they believed was the transition to the afterlife. These pyramids include the worlds oldest, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built in the 27th century BC. Recent finds have drawn the worlds attention, depicted in the Netflix film Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb and National Geographics Kingdom of the Mummies TV series. In November, for instance, archaeologists dug up more than 100 ornately painted wooden coffins, some with mummies, and dozens of other artefacts, including amulets, funeral statues and masks. Some of the coffins had been found on those shelves I had passed during my descent. Sarcophagi of ancient Egyptians found by Zahi Hawasss archaeologists (For The Washington Post) After I emerged from the burial shaft, Hawass, 73, explained how the discoveries were reshaping the understanding of Pharaonic times. Now we are writing a new chapter in the history of the Old Kingdom by adding the name of a new queen of Teti that he never announced before, he says, standing in the temples ruins, wearing his trademark wide-brimmed Indiana Jones hat and a cream-coloured safari jacket over a denim shirt and jeans. But there was more to consider than just the emergence of a new queen. Could Neit have also been Tetis daughter? Hawasss team had found inscriptions that referred to Neit as the daughter of a pharaoh. The view up the shaft that led to the newly discovered sarcophagi (For The Washington Post) Incest would not be new for the ancients. In Egyptian lore, the god Osiris had married his sister Isis. Pharaohs were widely believed to have married their sisters and daughters but that was during reigns later than Tetis Sixth Dynasty. Hawass asks: Is she a daughter of a king of the Fifth Dynasty, or is she a daughter of Teti? If she is a daughter of Teti, it would be the first time in Egyptian history to have a king marrying his daughter. A short walk across the sand was another burial shaft where even more had been discovered about Tetis legacy. I followed Hawass down a ladder, 36ft into the ground. At the bottom, in a space the size of a walk-in closet, were wooden coffins stacked in piles. They were painted in hues of blue and red, some with intricate images of gods and goddesses. They still contained mummies, Hawass says, and the names of the deceased are written on the decaying wood. His team found 54 coffins here. Archaeologist Zahi Hawasss dig site at Saqqara where the discovery of a queen has reshaped the understanding of ancient Egyptians (For The Washington Post) From inscriptions on the coffins, the team has traced the subterranean cemetery to the 18th and 19th dynasties of Egypts New Kingdom, from more than 3,000 years ago. The discoveries were shedding light on a little understood period of Saqqara between 1570 and 1069 BC. Teti, it appears, had been worshiped as a god in the New Kingdom. Many of his followers wanted to be buried around his pyramid, often visiting coffin and mummification workshops in Saqqara, Hawass says. The poor were placed in simple wooden coffins but the colourful, ornately decorated ones that I was seeing had belonged to Tetis wealthy followers. Placed inside the coffins were miniature wooden boats, games, pottery and tiny gold pieces to carry and use in the afterlife. Little statuettes and amulets carry the shapes and names of gods and pharaohs. Among the artefacts discovered were pieces of a 15ft papyrus that included texts of the Book of the Dead, a collection of spells written by priests to help the deceased pass through the underworld and into the afterlife. Pottery, some imported, shows the ancient citys importance as a centre for trade (For The Washington Post) Inside a store room, Ahmed Tarek and Maysa Rabea are placing the jagged pieces of the papyrus together, like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle. They are also restoring and studying artifacts to gain more understanding of how Egyptians prepared themselves for the afterlife. Shards of pottery found in the rubble unveil new details of ancient life. Many were imported, evidence that trade flourished between Egypt and Palestine, Cyprus, Crete and Syria. Mohamed Mahmoud reassembles pieces of pottery to make them whole. In the tent next door, Asmaa Massoud analyzes skulls and other bones to determine age and cause of death. Next to her, in a small wooden box, is the mummy of a child. The excavations and artefacts show how much Saqqara was important in the New Kingdom, Hawass says. They tell us more about the beliefs, not only for the rich, but also for the poor. Some of the discoveries, however, defy explanation. Read More: In a burial shaft, this one 63 ft deep, a 20-ton sarcophagus the size of a truck and made of granite sits at the bottom. How did it get there? It, too, was looted by thieves. How did they know where to look? Hawass expects to encounter more mysteries. It will take 20 years to fully uncover the secrets here, he says. In Saqqara, we have found only 30 per cent of whats underneath, he says. It is a site that if you dig in any place, youll find something. The Washington Posts Heba Farouk Mahfouz in Cairo contributed to this report. The Washington Post Gov. Gavin Newsom said said California will stop issuing fracking permits by 2024 and halt all oil drilling by 2045, using his authority to take on the states powerful oil and gas industry in a year he will likely face voters in a recall election. Newsoms order is the beginning of a lengthy rule-making process that, if successful, would make California the largest state to ban fracking and likely the first in the world to set a deadline for the end of all oil production. California needs to move beyond oil, Newsom said in a news release, arguing it would create a healthier future for our children. California was once one of the largest oil-producing states in the nation, with a robust industry centered in the Central Valley just north of Los Angeles. But by 2020, the states oil production fell to its lowest level in state history, down 68% from its peak in 1985. Now, one of the states top exports is electric cars. The state has ordered automakers to sell more electric work trucks and delivery vans and, last year, Newsom ordered state regulators to ban the sale of all new gas-powered cars by 2035. Still, California is the seventh-largest oil producing state in the country, with an industry that directly employs about 152,000 people and is responsible for $152.3 billion in economic output, according to a 2019 study commissioned by the Western States Petroleum Association. Friday, WSPA President and CEO Catherine Reheis-Boyd vowed to fight this harmful and unlawful mandate. Banning nearly 20% of the energy production in our state will only hurt workers, families and communities in California and turns our energy independence over to foreign suppliers, she said. Eliminating Californias oil and gas industry wont be easy. The state has more than 60,000 active oil wells, and industry executives and their allies have lots of influence at the state Capitol. But in the first quarter of 2021, permits for all types of oil drilling in California plunged 90%, according to an analysis of state data by FracTracker Alliance, an environmental advocacy group. The transformation is already happening in front of our eyes, said Jared Blumenfeld, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Newsoms order directs the California Air Resources Board to figure out how the state can end oil production in a very rigorous, open, transparent, analytical process. The board could decide to do it before 2045, but not after. When you look at the science, we cant be extracting oil after 2045, he said. Thats the only way we are going to achieve our carbon goals is by significantly reducing and ending extraction of oil. Fracking short for hydraulic fracturing, the process of extracting oil and gas embedded in rock deep underground accounts for a small portion of the states oil and gas production each year. But environmental advocates have long sought its banishment because of its harmful effects on the environment and public health. Last year, Newsom said he did not have the authority to ban fracking on his own and asked the Legislature to do it instead. Two state senators, both Democrats, tried to do it. But last week their bill died in the Legislature because not enough lawmakers supported it. Now, Newsom says he can do it himself, but its unclear what changed his mind. California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said Friday that Newsom believes the best way to ban fracking is to change the law. But, when it became clear that wouldnt happen, Crowfoot said Newsom directed us through our regulatory authorities to protect the environment and public safety to end the practice of fracking. Newsom did temporarily halt new fracking permits in 2019 after he discovered a sharp increase in new permits since he took office, which also prompted him to fire the states top oil and gas regulator. That ban lifted in April 2020 after a team of independent scientists reviewed the states permitting process. Since taking office, the Newsom administration has issued 291 fracking permits, according to an analysis of state data by FracTracker Alliance. Still, some environmental groups were hoping Newsom would act faster. Its historic and globally significant that Gov. Newsom has committed California to phase out fossil fuel production and ban fracking, but we dont have time for studies and delays, said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversitys Climate Law Institute. Every fracking and drilling permit issued does more damage to our health and climate. The Newsom administration said the states rule-making process, while lengthy, is needed to make sure any new rule survives a lawsuit. We want this prohibition to be durable, Crowfoot said. The California League of Conservation voters praised Newsom, saying the announcement is the consistent leadership our state needs if we stand a chance of preventing major climate catastrophe. But some in Newsoms own party were critical, including state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Democrat from the Central Valley, who said the fracking ban would lead to higher energy prices that would in turn increase food prices. The governors actions could not come at a worse time for the Central Valley, which is already reeling from a drought that together with this decision may cause a national food crisis, she said. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Trends .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider Texas challenge to Californias ban on state-funded business trips to Texas and other states deemed to discriminate against LGBTQ people. California adopted the ban following a 2017 Texas law that allows foster care and adoption agencies to deny services for religious beliefs. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have allowed the lawsuit to go forward at the high court. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sought to file the suit at the Supreme Court, which hears disputes between states. He has called the California law an effort to punish Texans for respecting the right of conscience for foster care and adoption providers. In 2017, then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said, Discriminatory laws in any part of our country send all of us several steps back. Thats why when California said we would not tolerate discrimination against LGBTQ members of our community, we meant it. Becerra now heads the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ American border inspectors intercepted an alleged shipment of $4.3million worth of methamphetamine that was hidden inside 114 packages of cucumber pickles. US Customs and Border Protection said that the alleged attempt to smuggle narcotics was foiled on April 17 by officers manning the border crossing at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, which spans the Rio Grande river between Tamaulipas in Mexico and Pharr in Texas. This substantial quantity of hard narcotics will not make its final destination in the United States, said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. This interdiction reinforces our officers role in advancing CBPs border security mission by preventing dangerous drugs from entering and negatively impacting our communities. American border inspectors intercepted an alleged shipment of $4.3million worth of methamphetamine that was hidden inside 114 packages of cucumber pickles US Customs and Border Protection said that the alleged attempt to smuggle narcotics was foiled on April 17 by officers manning the border crossing at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge. The image above is a file photo of methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth The South Texas division of CBP tweeted a photo showing the stash of drugs, calling it funny pickles. In total, the tractor-trailer that was intercepted was carrying 217 total pounds of suspected contraband, according to CBP. This substantial quantity of hard narcotics will not make its final destination in the United States, said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez. This interdiction reinforces our officers role in advancing CBPs border security mission by preventing dangerous drugs from entering and negatively impacting our communities. Earlier this month, Transportation Security Administration screeners at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston detected what authorities alleged to be crystal meth wrapped inside a breakfast burrito This is the second time this month that suspected narcotics were found inside a package that appeared to be food. Transportation Security Administration screeners at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston detected what authorities alleged to be crystal meth wrapped inside a breakfast burrito. On Friday, April 2 during the routine X-ray screening of carry-on luggage, a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) saw what appeared to be an unidentified lump inside of a travelers breakfast burrito, the TSA said in a news release. Due to the unusual nature and size of the lump, the TSO requested additional inspection of the food item. After putting the item through an X-ray machine, TSA agents summoned Houston Police Department officers, who inspected it and determined that it was crystal meth. The unidentified traveler was placed under arrest. And in January 2017, border officers found some two tons of marijuana camouflaged as limes at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge. The DEA made the biggest methamphetamine bust in American history this past October, seizing more than 2,200 pounds from stash houses in California along with huge hauls of cocaine and heroin. Pictured the haul displayed at a press conference in October in Montebello, California Last October, the Drug Enforcement Administration made the biggest methamphetamine bust in American history this month, seizing more than 2,200 pounds from stash houses in California along with huge hauls of cocaine and heroin. Federal agents seized 2,224 pounds of meth, 893 pounds of cocaine and 13 pounds of heroin worth a total of $8.2 million during raids on several homes in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County on October 2 as part of Operation Crystal Shield. Operation Crystal Shield is a nationwide operation launched back in February to clamp down on nine major meth trafficking hubs across America including Atlanta, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Diego and St. Louis - which together made up more than 75 percent of all meth seized by the DEA last year. The record bust is tied to the notorious Sinaloa cartel in Mexico that is allegedly involved in the distribution of cocaine and meth across Southern California, from where it is then distributed nationwide. On October 9, US Customs and Border Protection agents also seized more than 3,100 pounds of meth at San Diego's Otay Mesa border crossing. Officials said the haul had a wholesale value of $18million and its street value would be even greater. Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in 2010, without which democracy is doomed. Scalia would be aghast at arguments on display at the Supreme Court on Monday in Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta. The case constitutes a challenge to a California disclosure law that requires tax-exempt charities to disclose their high-dollar donors to the state attorney general. It does not involve censorship or compelled expression; no one is being silenced or forced to speak against their will. It does not even involve public disclosure; the attorney general is obligated to keep the information confidential. The only alleged infringement on the First Amendment is the possibility that an inadvertent leak by the California attorney general will reveal donors names, and they will face accountability for their donations. And yet Mondays arguments revealed that a clear majority of the Supreme Court is plainly prepared to either block the laws application to the plaintiffs or strike it down altogether. If Scalia was correct in 2010, then this case is an ominous sign for a democracy thats already under stress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The California law at issue in Americans for Prosperity is modest. It requires nonprofits to provide a Schedule B disclosurewhich contains the names, addresses, and total contributions of substantial contributorsto the state attorney general. A substantial contributor is defined as someone who gave more than $5,000 to the nonprofit in a single year. But if a nonprofit receives at least a third of its overall support from government grants and public contributions (and many do), the threshold is much higher: Only individuals who contribute more than 2 percent of the organizations total support are listed. So, for example, a donor to the plaintiff Americans for Prosperity would have to donate $341,000 to be listed on the disclosure form. Advertisement Nonprofits are already required to submit Schedule B disclosures to the IRS. California wants the information as well, so the state attorney general can ensure that charities are following through on their promises to donors and not engaging in deceptive practices, including fraud. It keeps the forms in a confidential registry, though its security protocols were not initially airtight: Americans for Prosperity hired an expert who was able to circumvent safeguards and obtain less than 1 percent of the registrys confidential documents. The expert exploited a vulnerability that Citibank and Delta Air Lines also had to patch. Although the state has fixed this flaw and improved the registrys security, Americans for Prosperity claims that the information is not confidential at all, insisting that it is effectively available for the taking. Advertisement Advertisement These details, omitted from the plaintiffs account of the case at arguments, illustrate why it is not just inapt but perverse to compare Americans for Prosperity to 1958s NAACP v. Alabama. (Unfortunately, the NAACP itself filed a brief that fell into this trap, a fact that several conservative justices gleefully pointed out on Monday.) In that case, Alabama directed the NAACP to turn over its entire membership list to the state; the Supreme Court found this demand unconstitutional, ruling that it infringed on the NAACPs freedom of association. As a group of legal historians have explained, the court decided NAACP amidst pervasive private and public violence against Black Americans and white racists efforts to prevent them organizing. The decision was rooted in thick evidentiary records of violence against NAACP members, violence often sponsored or tolerated by the state itself. Against this backdrop, the court found that disclosure would subject NAACP members to bodily harm, and that this reasonable fear of violence would have a repressive effect on the organizations ability to speak and organize. Advertisement Analogizing NAACP to Americans for Prosperity is like analogizing World War II to a playground brawl. Americans for Prosperity is not a vulnerable association of minorities facing violence and oppression; it is a Koch-backed behemoth with a budget of nearly $100 million, a top-notch legal team, and countless allies in the Republican Party. What the group is really seeking is not freedom from violence, but freedom from accountability. Its donors do not want to face scrutiny from the California attorney general or the public. They do not want to face boycotts, protests, and condemnation for financing a conservative organization that helps elect Republican politicians. Advertisement Analogizing NAACP to Americans for Prosperity is like analogizing World War II to a playground brawl. Scalia understood the desire of political activists to shield their activities from the public eye, and he scorned it. The justice believed there was no general right to anonymous political speech; anonymity, he wrote, facilitates wrong by eliminating accountability and leads to a coarsening of the future. He wrote that evil corporate (and private affluent) influences are well enough checked only so long as adequate campaign-expenditure disclosure rules exist. And in his 2010 opinion in Doe v. Reed, the justice minced no words, writing of the push to topple disclosure laws, This does not resemble the Home of the Brave. Advertisement Todays conservative justices take a different view. Time and again on Monday, the conservatives fretted that high-dollar donors might face criticism if their identities are revealedas if this consequence were constitutionally unacceptable. In this era, Justice Clarence Thomas warned, there seems to be quite a bit of loose accusations about organizationsfor example, an organization that had certain views might be accused of being a white supremacist organization or racist or homophobic, something like that, and, as a result, become quite controversial. He fretted about the chilling effect on contributions that would result from accusations that a particular organization is racist or supports white supremacy. He asked California Deputy Solicitor General Aimee Feinberg if she thought it would be reasonable for a donor to worry about making a substantial contribution to an organization that has been accused of being racist or homophobic or white supremacist because they fear public disclosure and reprisals. Advertisement Advertisement Justice Samuel Alito picked up this thread. He noted the well-known case of Brendan Eich, who stepped down as Mozillas CEO after it was revealed that he gave money to the campaign for Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. Alito also noted that other proponents of Proposition 8 faced backlash for their contributions. Justice Neil Gorsuch asked Feinberg if the government could require private associations to reveal any manner of informationtheir Christmas card lists, their dating lists, their whatever, unless they could prove a reasonable probability of reprisal. Chief Justice John Roberts raised the hypothetical of a charity that supports a cause that is controversial. People have said they will make life miserable for anybody who supports that charity, Roberts continued. Theyll picket outside their house. They will boycott anybody doing business with them. Could California give a 100 percent assurance that big donors identities wont be leaked? Advertisement What is bizarre about all of these questions is that the reprisals envisioned by the justices are themselves free expression protected by the First Amendment. Boycotts are free speech. Picketing is free speech. Signing a petition telling a company to fire its CEO is free speech. The conservative justices are not only worried about the actual violence that NAACP members faced in 1958. They are not only worried about extreme threats and harassment that give rise to prosecution and civil liability. They are, rather, wringing their hands over plain old constitutionally protected expression. And, even worse, they are favoring the ostensible free speech rights of big donors to give money in secret over the free speech rights of the public to criticize those donations. In the conservative justices eyes, anonymous funding of controversial nonprofits merits generous First Amendment protections; the speech that might result from the disclosure of donors, by contrast, is an evil that somehow undermines the First Amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This position is almost certainly a reaction against cancel culture, which some conservative justices perceive to be a growing threat. And it shows how an obsessive hatred of cancel culture flips constitutional values on their heads. Criticism is not censorship; the constitutional right to free speech does not include a guarantee against hurt feelings. There are laws against threats and intimidation; and harsh criticism, short of unlawful action, is a price our people have traditionally been willing to pay for self-governance, Scalia wrote 11 years ago. But a majority of todays Supreme Court sees harsh criticism as an unacceptable assault on free expressionspecifically, the kind of free expression favored by this court. There is another alarming aspect of Americans for Prosperity. As Justice Stephen Breyer put it, summarizing an argument that surfaced in the briefs, this case is really a stalking horse for campaign finance disclosure laws. Many of the organizations that want to conceal the names of their donors are allied with politicians and openly partisan groups that also want to keep their donors secret; a ruling against California in Americans for Prosperity could open the door to new lawsuits challenging state and federal laws that force politicians and political organizations to reveal their contributors. A key premise of decisions like Citizens United is that campaign spending does not corrupt elections as long as we know who, exactly, is funding them. Now the court might undermine that promise, using Americans for Prosperity as a stalking horse to take down campaign finance disclosure rules. Based on Mondays arguments, its obvious that the conservative justices are prepared to block the application of Californias law to some groups. Its not yet apparent, though, how far theyll go. The details of the decision will determine how many other disclosure rules, including those governing election spending and contributions, can survive at this Supreme Court. But the early signals suggest that the conservative majority is heading in a direction that, according to Scalia, spells nothing less than doom for American democracy. Will the agreement on Sputnik V be published? Producer has no objections The Health Ministry will wait for the official statement of the Russian side. Font size: A - | A + The agreement between Slovakia and Russia on the Sputnik V vaccine may be published soon. Several Slovak officials who have seen the agreement have said that it needs to be published. This includes President Zuzana Caputova and Justice Minister Maria Kolikova (Za Ludi), the latter of whom even participated in a legal analysis of the deal. In her opinion, the agreement needs to be published to become effective. Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky (OLaNO nominee) told journalists on March 23 that Slovakia would publish the agreement even if Russia disagreed, the TASR newswire reported. Meanwhile, the vaccines producer wrote on Twitter during the weekend that they do not object to Slovakia publishing the Sputnik V contract, adding that the Pfizer contract should clearly be published as well and compared. Publishing other contracts will be analysed Finance Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO), who negotiated the supplies of Sputnik V when he served as the prime minister, was quick to respond on Facebook, expressing hope that other vaccine producers will allow Slovakia to publish the agreements as well. President: Lab certification not the reason why Russians want Sputnik V back Read more The Health Ministry has not received any official information yet, its spokesperson Zuzana Eliasova told TASR. She stressed that Lengvarsky will publish it only after receiving the consent of the Russian side. The ministry will comment on the possibility to publish an agreement with other pharmaceutical companies only after a proper analysis. Read more about the Covid vaccination in Slovakia: 26. Apr 2021 at 11:13 | Compiled by Spectator staff She is one of the most beautiful celebrities in Australia. And over the weekend, AFL WAG Bec Judd showed just where she gets her good looks from. On Sunday, the mother-of-four, 38, shared a photo of her mother Kerry when she was a teenager - and she looked just the same as her glamorous daughter does today. It's all in the genes! Bec Judd shared a photo of her mother Kerry when she was a teenager (left) - and she looks just the same as the glamorous WAG (right) The pair share many of the same features - including high cheek bones, beautiful brown eyes and flawless skin. Good genes clearly run in the family. Bec recently shared several pictures of herself and her lookalike Perth-based sister Kate Twigley over the Easter break. The two siblings, who bear a striking resemblance to one another, worked off the holiday calories together during an intense Pilates class. Bec and Kate posed for a selfie as they took part in a group session lead by Keep It Cleaner founder Lauren Henshaw, to celebrate the fitness guru's collaboration with Bec's activewear line, Jaggad. Twinning! Bec recently shared several pictures of herself and her lookalike Perth-based sister Kate Twigley over the Easter break. The pair posed at a group Pilates session, lead by Keep It Cleaner founder Lauren Henshaw, to celebrate the fitness guru's collaboration with Bec's activewear line, Jaggad The pair looked like twins as they smiled for the camera while posing in several items from the new collection. Bec showed off her washboard in a crop top and leggings, while Kate modelled a multi-coloured sweater. Both women also flaunted their matching hazel eyes, high cheekbones and perfect white teeth in the snap. Walking advertisement: Mother-of-four Bec showed off her washboard in a crop top and leggings, while Kate modelled a multi-coloured sweater Bec and her sister are very close, but have been separated for most of 2020 thanks to the Covid pandemic. Kate is based in Perth with her husband and their two children. Meanwhile, Bec and her husband, former Carlton captain Chris Judd, live in a $7.3million mansion in Brighton, Melbourne, with their four children - son Oscar, nine, and daughter Billie, seven and twins Darcy and Tom, four. In January, Chris and Bec celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, with the WAG sharing a touching tribute to her husband. Slender: Bec also modelled a sweater from the Lauren Henshaw x Jaggad line The TV and radio presenter posted a series of professional photos from her special day, alongside a gushing caption, to Instagram. 'Ten years married yesterday. I love, love, love you. Always have. Always will,' she wrote. In the photos, Bec stunned in her J'Aton Couture wedding gown, while Chris looked handsome in a navy suit. The Judds met at a pub in Perth 17 years ago when they were both teenagers, and wed on December 31, 2010, at Melbourne's Albert Park. Lookalikes: Bec and Kate share matching hazel eyes, high cheekbones and perfect white teeth The anniversary tribute came after Chris was mysteriously absent from his wife's popular Instagram account for almost six months. While his absence was never explained, it's possible he was taking a break from Rebecca's social media to focus on more serious business matters. The retired Carlton captain runs Chris Judd Invest, which specialises in producing 'finance media content by interviewing some of Australia's leading fund managers'. He returned to Rebecca's Instagram profile on Christmas Day, when she posted a family photo featuring their four kids. ASC Acting President Krista Terrell (pictured) condemned critics of the report and accompanying apology in a blog post last week entitled 'The Uncomfortable Truth' An arts advocacy group in Charlotte, North Carolina, is facing backlash after it apologized for funding 'white, Western Eurocentric organizations' including the city's symphony, ballet and children's theater. The Arts & Science Council, which has been a main source of funding for arts and cultural groups in the Charlotte area since 1958, issued the extraordinary apology in a February report examining its funding practices. The group receives more than $3 million a year directly from the city, along with getting funding from philanthropies. It gave out $4.3 million in grants to 37 arts and culture organizations last year, according to the Charlotte Business Journal. The nonprofit group has an endowment of nearly $40 million. The report said black- and minority-focused groups have historically received far less funding from ASC than 'white' organizations, while highlighting the steps the council has taken to alleviate those 'inequities.' 'ASC has been complicit in upholding funding practices that elevate certain cultures, creative traditions, identities and art forms above others,' it read. The report drew outrage from leaders at the so-called 'white, Western Eurocentric organizations' and others who said it perpetuated the stereotype that certain art forms are only for certain people and diminished the work of those organizations. Meanwhile, there was no acknowledgement in the report that people from minority groups participate in the symphony, opera and children's theater. And there has been a proposal by some on the Charlotte City Council to get more involved in the distribution of its arts funding - a move that could end ASC's role in doling out city money. Still, the acting president of the Charlotte group, Krista Terrell, the black woman who commissioned the report, defended it. She said people who have a problem with it simply have a problem with facts. She wrote a blog post last week entitled 'The Uncomfortable Truth'. 'While I knew the facts in the report were startling, I never thought I would experience so intimately the uncomfortableness, the defensiveness, and the scaredness of white people reacting to the unvarnished truth,' Terrell wrote. Charlotte's Arts & Science Council is facing backlash after it apologized for giving disproportionate funding to 'white, Western Eurocentric organizations' including the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Ballet and the Children's Theatre of Charlotte (pictured) Terrell, who has worked at the ASC for nearly two decades but took over as its acting president this year, said most of the backlash centered on a chart that showed the nine 'legacy' institutions that received the most grant money from the council between 1991 and 2020. Of those nine - which include the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Opera Carolina, Children's Theatre of Charlotte and Charlotte Ballet - only one is minority-run: The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. The graph highlighted the fact that each of those nine institutions received more in operating support than all ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American) institutions combined. The report argued that the finding exemplified decades of 'inequitable funding practices' by the ASC, which it said 'was created to fund 8 white, Western Eurocentric organizations with unrestricted dollars to support their operations'. Terrell explained how the report was compiled in her blog post, writing: 'It was important to the team to not focus the report on the 'new and shiny' things ASC has been doing over the past eight years in the equity space. 'We wanted to share, as in the words of author, songwriter, and educator Alice Randall, 'the untold story, the rest of the story, the suppressed story.'' Randall wrote a re-interpretation of 'Gone with the Wind' from a black perspective. Terrell said most of the backlash centered around a graph which showed the nine legacy institutions which received the most grant money from the council between 1991 and 2020 Terrell went on to rail against those who criticized the report's findings. She did not identify anyone by name, but told the Charlotte Observer the backlash was 'solely from white cultural leaders'. 'One president of a legacy organization told me: 'I'm all for changing inequities as it relates to access,' but when I asked their thoughts about changing inequities related to funding, I was met with a long pause,' she wrote. 'If ASC wants its funding to go further, I was told, it should invest more in legacy organizations with existing infrastructure instead of grassroots organizations. 'This is 'the lie' at work. Think about what was said through the lens of equity. Equity is about everyone having the resources they need to move along together.' Terrell also noted a Letter to the Editor that Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors Mike Rutledge wrote to the Observer. 'I applaud, and share, the Arts & Science Council's deep commitment to cultural equity, Rutledge wrote. 'However, I worry that their labeling of the Charlotte Symphony as a 'white, Western Eurocentric organization' in their Cultural Equity Report could undermine that goal by perpetuating the stereotype that orchestral music is only created by, and for, certain people.' The Charlotte Ballet (pictured) was among the 'white, Western Eurocentric' organizations cited in the report as having received more money than all black and minority groups combined Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors Mike Rutledge wrote a Letter to the Editor in the Observer complaining about the ASC report Terrell said some critics accused her of not being inclusive by refusing to allow them to read the report and provide feedback before it was released. 'I kept thinking, 'You are not reading the report. You are uncomfortable with the truth and being defensive,'' she wrote. 'What I know for sure, based on their behavior and reactions, is they would have tried to whitewash the truth for their comfort. I, nor the team, was not going to let that happen.' Terrell's predecessor received $230,286 in total compensation in 2019, according to the organization's tax forms, which are public record. It's not clear how much she is being paid as acting president of the group; the records haven't been made public. The median income for a household in Charlotte, a city of around 890,000, is $62,800, according to Census data. Terrell pulled back slightly in her interview with the Observer, saying that 'some' of the nine institutions highlighted in the controversial chart 'really champion this work and what we're doing'. She also said the ASC still has a good relationship with all nine institutions it has provided funding to since its founding. Terrell said the ASC will host community listening sessions about the report next month, called 'Beyond the Soundbites'. 'We are using that title because people are hanging on to sound bites like '8, white, Western, Eurocentric' and our apology in the Introduction section of the report, and are not reading the report,' she wrote. She concluded her blog post: 'There is great fear with change and the truth, especially playing out in the public realm. 'As a Black woman leading a legacy organization, I know I am seen as the manifestation of that fear.' Scientific advances in cancer research and new means of diagnosis and treatment have made it possible to cure many patients. The probability of cure depends largely on the type of cancer tumor and the stage at which the disease is discovered. Accurate means of diagnosis in the early stages is key to saving lives. New Israeli research is being conducted to develop a hypoxia radioactive marker (a phenomenon of lack of oxygen in cells) based on the Copper 64 isotope to identify oxygen-deficient cells. Studies have shown that oxygen concentration in the cell is directly related to the aggressiveness of cancerous tumors. The hypoxia radioactive marker will not only determine if the tumor is malignant or benign, but also how aggressive it is through a single image, eliminating the need for a biopsy. The research is being conducted by Isotopia Molecular Imaging Ltd., and led by Prof. Sharon Ruthstein from the Department of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University, Quantification of oxygen concentration in cancer cells is necessary in order to characterize how aggressive the tumor is and to better tailor treatment. To date, no radioactive marker has been developed that allows the monitoring of oxygen-deficient cells since the marker has to undergo a reduction process and therefore both its chemical process and its biological mechanism must be well understood. Prof. Ruthstein's laboratory developed a radioactive marker based on copper that actively integrates within the copper ion cellular cycle and is therefore largely absorbed by the cell. Hypoxia is found not only in cancerous tumors but also in blood vessel blockages (stroke) and aggregates of amyloids (neurological diseases). "In recent years, Isotopia has invested its resources in finding innovative technologies and in collaborations with universities in Israel and around the world to help them reach clinical research. Our knowledge and the accessibility to various isotopes constitutes fertile ground for supporting the development of the next radio-drugs," says Keren Moshkoviz, Director of Business Development at Isotopia. "Developing an effective radioactive marker is a challenge that requires a multidisciplinary group which has biological capabilities, chemical capabilities and biophysical methods for understanding at the molecular level both the chemical and biological processes. The collaboration between Bar-Ilan University and Isotopia was initiated through BIRAD Research and Development Company Ltd., the commercialization company of Bar-Ilan University. The research is being carried out as part of the Innovation Authority's Magneton Program. ### ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. Despite appeals from the governor and other elected leaders, community activists and the family of a man who was killed by sheriffs deputies, the authorities in a North Carolina coastal county had not publicly released body camera footage of the deadly encounter as of Monday evening. Days of demands for the footage continued after family members of the man, Andrew Brown Jr., and one of their lawyers were shown a 20-second snippet of Mr. Browns final moments. The lawyers said the private viewing inside the Pasquotank County government building on Monday afternoon amounted to a sliver of the footage that must exist of last weeks shooting. What the video did show, said Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, the lawyer who watched with the family, was the execution of Mr. Brown, 42, who she said was sitting inside his car, hands firmly on the wheel, when the gunfire began. Mr. Brown, who was Black, did not appear to be holding a weapon and was driving away from the deputies when they continued shooting, she said, while trying to arrest him on a drug warrant on Wednesday morning. In an impassioned news conference after seeing the video, Ms. Cherry-Lassiter and other lawyers for the family decried the lack of transparency, saying the footage was only from one body camera when there were several deputies on the scene. Seven deputies were placed on administrative leave after the shooting. Ms. Cherry-Lassiters description of the footage offered the closest glimpse yet of a fatal shooting that took place one day after a Minnesota jury found a former police officer guilty of murder in the death of another Black man, George Floyd. It also came on the heels of several other police killings, including the shooting deaths of Adam Toledo, 13, in Chicago and MaKhia Bryant, 16, in Columbus, Ohio. After at least 105 Palestinians were wounded in East Jerusalem in confrontation with the 300 far-right Jewish extremists on Thursday who launched an attack on Palestinians chanting death to Arabs, Jordan on Sunday slammed Israel for inept actions to douse the tensions in the city. Asking the Israeli authorities to end 'provocations and aggression against East Jerusalem's Palestinians, Jordan said that Israel was allowing extremists to attack Palestinians' in East Jerusalem, according to Hareetz. The US, meanwhile, called to end the incitement as violent attacks flared outside the walled Old City between the Palestinians and far-right Israelis where police barred the entrances to spots where Palestinians congregated. A group of extremist Israelis, meanwhile, threatened to burn the city, injuring at least 22 so badly that they were rushed to emergency service for medical intervention. In order to bring the situation under control, police used stun grenades, tear gas, and water cannons on the Palestinian protesters, the Arab News reported. The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas berated "the growing incitement by extremist far-right Israeli settler groups advocating for the killing of Arabs". Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned "racist attacks" by Israelis against Palestinians in East Jerusalem in a statement, and called for "international action to protect them"."Jerusalem is a red line, and touching it, is playing with fire," he warned. In a statement, Palestinian minister of Jerusalem affairs, Fadi Hidmi denounced the violence, demanding immediate protection to lives in East Jerusalem against Jewish aggression. The intention of the extremists was known beforehand, yet the Israeli police failed to provide the most basic of protection to the Palestinian people of East Jerusalem, Hidmi said. Palestines Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called the anti-Palestinian violence in Jerusalem state terror. Israeli deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, told Arab News that the aggression started after viewers watched a TikTok video showing the Arab men assaulting an ultra-orthodox man. The video caused an escalation that has brought Jewish and Arab extremists to riots, she said. Furthermore, Hassan-Nahoum, called the Jewish group, Lahava, a bunch of extremists that confronted the police and making quelling of protests difficult. Israel PM asks for 'restraint' The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday called for "calm on all sides" in response to the Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem unrest. However, in a Twitter update, Netanyahu warned that Israel remains "prepared for all scenarios". Several rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, who, in turn, launched a retaliatory military response. As many as thirty-six rockets were shot into Gaza overnight by the Israeli army as clashes between the Palestinians and police in Jerusalem raged on. "First of all we want to ensure that law and order are respected, now we demand compliance with the law and I call for calm on all sides," Netanyahu said in a statement, after the emergency security meeting with senior officials, including army chief Aviv Kohavi. "We uphold freedom of religion for all residents and visitors of Jerusalem," he added. The US, meanwhile, called for "calm and unity between Palestinians and the right-wing Israelis. "The rhetoric of extremist protesters chanting hateful and violent slogans must be firmly rejected," State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted. This is the comical moment a cat sticks its paws through the mail slot and tries to put a halt to the post. Footage shows the feisty feline extend its paws through the slot of the front door and try to stop the mail carrier from delivering letters at a home in Wisconsin. The moggie continues to take a swipe at the letters as the carrier makes repeated attempts to deliver the mail. The feisty cat sticks its paws through the mail slot and tries to stop the mail carrier from delivering letters in Wisconsin During the clip, which was filmed this month, the mail carrier begins to insert the letters through the mail slot when the cat suddenly extends its paw through the narrow hole. The feline takes a swipe at the letters as the carrier tries to slide the mail through the slot. The carrier told Viral Hog: 'I work as a mail carrier and every time I go to this specific house, the sweetest cat is always waiting for me to reject all the mail I try to slide through the mail slot. 'Makes my day 100 times better!' The moggie waves its paws in the direction of the mail and continues to block them The mail carrier makes repeated attempts to deliver the letters as the cat continues to take a swipe at them In 2017, another feisty feline was filmed taking issue with her mail carrier in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Debra Anderson was left startled when the mischievous moggie jumped straight at the window where Ms Anderson was stood and began to hiss and pounce as she delivered the mail. The mail carrier later described the cat as 'scarier than any dog' but said it was also the highlight of her route. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2021 / Adcore Inc. (the "Company" or "Adcore") (TSX:ADCO)(FSE:ADQ), a leading e-commerce advertising management and automation platform to leverage digital marketing in an effortless and accessible way ("Effortless Advertising"), has announced that it has renewed its advertising contract with the Israeli Government Advertising Agency ("IGAA") for another year at a potential value of CAD$25 million in ad-spend. Adcore is currently starting its fourth year of a five-year CAD$125 million contract with the IGAA to manage, jointly with Maple Team Ltd., a potential budget of CAD$25 million in online advertising spend per year subject to the reopening of the Israeli border. The contract is renewable annually without requirement of further government tendering. The Company began managing the IGAA's online advertising budget in 2017. Between 2017 and 2019, prior to the pandemic, visitor arrivals to Israel increased by 25% to 4.5 million. "We are excited to renew our contract with the IGAA to manage its online advertising budget for another year," stated Omri Brill, Adcore's CEO. "IGAA is a valued long-term client with whom we have had considerable success driving results. We look forward to continuing to work with them to attract more visitors to Israel as the pandemic subsides. While borders remain partially closed, there is general optimism that as vaccine rollouts globally continue to progress, Israel can be one of the first countries to fully reopen its borders to tourists. With this in sight, we anticipate a strong resumption in ad spend from IGAA and other tourism related clients, ultimately driving additional growth in calendar year 2021. This, in conjunction with the accelerated growth of our ecommerce business directly resulting from the pandemic, puts us in a prime position to continue growing by re-engaging industry verticals that exhibited high levels of growth historically but were impacted by COVID-19." ABOUT ADCORE Adcore is empowering entrepreneurs, advertisers, and the future of e-commerce through its advertising management and automation platform. By combining extensive industry knowledge and experience with its proprietary artificial intelligence engine, Adcore offers a unique digital marketing solution that empowers entrepreneurs and advertisers by managing and automating their e-commerce store advertising, and monitoring and analyzing the performance of their advertising budget to ensure maximum Return on Investment. In addition to being named numerous times on Deloitte's Fast 50 Technology list, Adcore is a certified Google Premier Partner, Microsoft Partner, Facebook Partner and TikTok Partner. Established in 2006, the Company employs over fifty people in its headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel and satellite offices in Toronto, Canada, Melbourne, Australia, Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. For more information about Adcore, please visit https://www.adcore.com/investors/ FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements about the Company. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors, including the fulfillment of the contract by the parties and the reopening of the Israeli border in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. For further information please contact: ADCORE INC. https://www.adcore.com/investors/ Martijn van den Bemd, GM North America Telephone: 647-497-5337 Email: martijn@adcore.com U.S. Investor Relations: John Nesbett/Jennifer Belodeau IMS Investor Relations Telephone: 203-972-9200 Email: jnesbett@imsinvestorrelations.com Canada Investor Relations Virtus Advisory Group Telephone: 416-644-5081 Email: info@virtusadvisory.com SOURCE: Adcore Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/642172/Adcore-Announces-One-Year-Renewal-with-Israel-Government-Advertising-Agency-with-a-Potential-Annual-Budget-of-25-Million Due diligence is underway ahead of an investment decision that could effectively greenlight the Phase 1 project. Tlou Energy Ltd ( ) said Phase 1 financing for its Lesedi project is at an advanced stage with due diligence presently underway. The counterparty is presently confidential but the company described it as a very reputable Botswana-based entity and it is proceeding with a third-party technical review of the project. The review is a part of the due diligence and it is a precursor to an investment decision. Tlou intends to fund the Lesedi coal bed methane gas-to-power project in two phases, with the first requiring around US$10mln of funding, received in stages if necessary, to establish an operation capable of 2 megawatts of power generation. For Phase 1, Tlou will need to install a transmission line, substations, grid connection, electricity generators and possibly drill additional gas wells. Phase 2 will require US$20mln to expand up to a 10 MW capacity with more gas wells and further electricity generation assets. In the quarter, which ended 31 March, the company raised 2.625mln in a share placing priced at 3.5p. The capital injection is earmarked for the start of the transmission line construction. The transmission line will be 100 kilometres, overhead, in length crossing predominantly flat arid terrain, with the last 5 kilometres going through the outskirts of the Serowe township. A power purchase agreement is in place for the 2MW Phase 1 capacity and work is advancing to secure a PPA for the 10MW project. The company also noted its intention to integrate renewables. Initial development of the Lesedi project is planned to be up to 10MW of power. With plans for solar and gas-fired power, these can be standalone operations or a hybrid solution with gas-fired power able to provide back-up power when solar is not available. 'Catwoman' Jocelyn Wildenstein enjoyed a high-heeled stroll in the sand with her fiance Lloyd Klein while attending the World Polo League Beach Polo event in Miami, Florida, over the weekend. The 75-year-old socialite, who earned her nickname after spending millions on plastic surgery to make her look feline, was dressed to impress in an all-black outfit paired with a tan leather belt and matching stack-heeled sandals. Wildenstein was joined by her 54-year-old husband-to-be, who protectively held onto her arm likely to keep her steady as she navigated the South Beach sand in her sky-high heels. Outing: Jocelyn Wildenstein, 75, and her fiance Lloyd Klein, 54, attended the World Polo League Beach Polo event in Miami, Florida, over the weekend Careful: Klein protectively held onto the socialite's arm as she navigated the South Beach sand in her sky-high heels Glam: Jocelyn, whose plastic surgery transformation has been well documented, wore dark eyeliner to emphasize her cat-like eyes Despite the blazing temperature, Wildenstein had on a long-sleeve black button-down blouse that she wore open over a figure-hugging tank and black skinny jeans. She cinched her waist with her thick leather belt and topped off her look with a large statement necklace, a small black evening bag, and dark sunglasses. Her blonde hair was parted on the side and styled in bouncy curls. Klein, who is a fashion designer, opted for a preppy white and navy polo, a navy cap, matching pants, and brown leather riding boots. He accessorized his sporty look with a pair of black shades and a Gucci belt. When they weren't walking on the beach, the couple posed for photos together on the green turf at the polo event. The plastic surgery queen wore her sunglasses most of the time, but she removed them to take a photo with Klein and another male attendee. The couple has been engaged since 2017, when Klein presented the New York socialite with a 32-carat diamond ring, which is reportedly 'worth millions.' Look: Wildenstein was dressed to impress in an all-black outfit and tan leather accessories, while Klein opted for a preppy polo outfit Smile: The socialite removed her dark sunglasses to pose for a photo with her fashion designer husband-to-be and another male attendee at the event Wildenstein and Klein are believed to be living in Miami since she filed for bankruptcy. A few months ago, her creditors sold off one of her three Trump World Tower units in Manhattan for just under $2 million. The apartment on the 51st floor of 845 United Nations Plaza has been completely gutted and looks drastically different from the lavish associations it once had. The unit sold for $1,980,000, according to property records. The apartment was sold in February with Jason Haber of Warburg Realty as the broker for the listing. Wildenstein had three apartments in the building but was forced to relinquish them as creditors sought money she owed. Her other two apartments are still for sale and were put on the market by her creditors for $5.59 million for both, though they can be sold separately, the New York Post reported. The Swiss-born socialite filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2018, according to federal court papers. Wildenstein first became a fixture in the New York press around the time of her 1999 split from her husband Alec N. Wildenstein as she bragged about the high costs of her lavish lifestyle and penchant for plastic surgery. She won a reported $2.5 billion divorce settlement. Through the years: earned the nickname 'Catwoman' as a result of her exaggerated feline features, which have become much more pronounced over time Love: Wildenstein and Klein have been engaged since 2017, when Klein presented the New York socialite with a 32-carat diamond ring, which is reportedly 'worth millions' Two decades later, the woman who once purchased a capuchin monkey as a pet found herself with no checking or savings accounts, no retirement fund or pension plans, and no investments, according to her filing. The bankruptcy filing came after an involuntary petition was filed against Wildenstein by three of her creditors, including the Board of Managers at Trump World Tower Condominium. The other two petitioners were the law firms of Carter Ledyard & Milburn and Matalon Shweky Elman, who claimed to be owed $124,605.46 and $78,474.23, respectively, for unpaid legal services. Meanwhile, Wildenstein's longtime beau Klein was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2013. He had a tumor the size of an orange removed from his armpit and underwent three rounds of grueling chemotherapy. In 2017, he was told the cancer had spread to his spine and liver and he only had six months to live. Two years later, in January 2019, he reported to DailyMail.com that he was in remission. Broke: Wildenstein, who won a reported $2.5 billion divorce settlement in 1999, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2018. She is pictured in August 2017 Going, going, gone: In February, her creditors sold off one of her three Trump World Tower units in Manhattan (pictured) for just under $2 million. Her other apartments are still for sale Wildenstein is said to be in talks to produce a 'docu-series' about her life, the New York Post reported last month. 'She now really wants to talk about her life, what drove her, how she built a business with her fiance in the craziness of their life together in New York,' spokesman Brandon Cohen told the publication. Wildenstein and Klein made headlines in 2017 as they dismissed claims of a late-night fight. They insisted they injured themselves having passionate sex after a dish of beef bourguignon exploded. Neighbors had heard screaming coming from their apartment and police arrested. both of them after they arrived at 1 a.m. to find a shattered casserole dish on the kitchen floor, bruises to Wildenstein's neck and arms, and a cut to Klein's forehead. Klein said he had raced to the shower to wash the scalding broth off his legs where he says he slipped and fell, suffering a small cut to the forehead. Wildenstein joined him in the bathroom to check he was okay, but before long they moved to the bedroom and started to have sex. New look: The apartment on the 51st floor of 845 United Nations Plaza has been completely gutted and looks drastically different from the lavish associations it once had Debt: The filing came after an involuntary petition was filed against Wildenstein by three of her creditors, including the Board of Managers at Trump World Tower Condominium They told DailyMail.com that neighbors overheard their noisy lovemaking and wrongly leaped to the conclusion that Wildenstein was being attacked. In December 2016, Wildenstein was arrested for sinking her claws into Kleins face and scratching him with scissors in a now-notorious catfight. The designer escaped by bundling her into a closet before Wildenstein called the police herself only to be arrested when they saw her partner's wounds. Klein would face the ignominy of arrest himself just days later when police accused him of pushing Wildenstein when he went back to collect his belongings. However, the bickering pair later said the headline-grabbing tussle that ended with both of them being thrown behind bars only made them realize how much they couldn't bear to be apart. They were reconciled as soon as authorities dropped all charges, and Klein popped the question that July, presenting Wildenstein with her diamond engagement ring. by Michael Liss There was a time when we had no political parties. It was brief, like the glow of a firefly on a warm late summer evening, but it occurred. There were no political parties at the time of the American Revolution, or when the newly freed colonies joined in the Articles of Confederation. None at the time they went to Philadelphia to hammer out the Constitution, and none when it was ratified (although the supporters of it were called Federalists and Alexander Hamilton eventually organized them as a party). For the first three years of the new government, until May of 1792, when Thomas Jefferson and James Madison founded the Democratic-Republican Party, the Federalists were the only political party in the land. When we 21st Century Americans, out of desperation, look to the Constitution for a way out of intractable and pernicious partisanship, we often look in vain for the answers because they really arent there. The Constitution was not intentionally designed to compensate for party-based partisanship. Rather, it was a balancing act between regional forces, between economic interests, between small and big states, between slave and free, and between political philosophies. The Framers needed to find enough compromises to get the states to agree to the new framework. No interest got everything, but all got something, because they had to. Why join otherwise? Obviously, the Framers were aware of political parties (Englands Parliament had its Whigs and Tories). They were also aware of the dangers of partisanship (most notably, Madison in Federalist No. 10). But they hadnt yet made the leap to only negotiating governance through the synthetic framework of a multiparty system, nor to the idea of candidates for Chief Executive differentiating themselves by party identification. The model for a President was in front of everyoneGeorge Washington. They also, as would soon seem obvious, didnt really have an agreement on what we think of as a core question: just how much reach the national government should have. Madisons exquisitely designed mechanism assigned (tolerably well) responsibility and created a modality for action, but it didnt, and couldnt, resolve the fact that any system of government creates winners and losers. He assumed compromise would be necessary and hoped that the dynamic equilibrium he created would foster it. Federalist No. 10 tells us he wasnt naive, but he still had hopes. Finally, the Founders assumed that men (and they were all men) would, in the aggregate, find it within themselves to act simultaneously in their self-interests, their state and regions interests, and in the national interest. They could be a bit optimistic because they had just done this: put aside enough of their parochial interests to act in a Burkean manner and make a Grand Bargain. In retrospect, this confidence might seem to have been misplaced, but it was not inherently irrational. Whatever their political differences, they understood one another. The best type of leadership would come from people like them: men of education, of property, of experience in leading other men. The fears they had about representative democracy came less from concern about their fellow aristocrats, and more from the rabble. Sensitive to those concerns, Madison and his fellow drafters created plenty of distance between actual authority and the rank-and-file voters. Still, it was all just a theory that men could govern themselves. These men hadnt even lived in a Constitutional monarchy. They were just a bunch of colonies under the thumb of the most powerful nation on Earth, one that did not faint at the use of coercion to get its way. Meaningful representation had been denied them; they had been taxed, imprisoned, even forced to quarter their own captors. The colonial assemblies they did have had little real influence. Now they were free, but what did that really mean? Its hard to govern, and to accept governance, when no prior guidebook has been internalized. At the very beginning, the nation had the enormous advantage of having George Washington as its first President. It is not possible for us to grasp the hold Washington had on the population when he began his Presidency in 1789. His prestige was enormous. His blessing was necessary for the Constitution; he gave eminence and legitimacy to the Office of the Presidency that it created; he was, in many respects, the benevolent King that George III had never been. Yet those assets came at a price: Washington would be a strong Chief Executive heading a strong central government, when so many in the country thought the Constitution said otherwise. And, because he was technically unaffiliated (although presumed to have views similar to Hamilton), he couldnt be attacked as a factional leader. In fact, he couldnt really be openly criticized at all because of the reverence with which the people treated him. This meant you could only oppose the governments actions in the abstract, or by going through proxies. It didnt take all that long for those proxies to become well-defined. By the middle of Washingtons first term, Hamilton (as Secretary of the Treasury) was continuously facing off against Jefferson (as Secretary of State). These two men found virtually nothing that they could agree upon, especially in the key areas of foreign policy (with Hamiltons wanting closer relations with England, and Jeffersons tilting towards his beloved France) and the authority of the Federal government (Hamilton was for a great deal, while Jefferson barely recognized it). In the beginning, Jefferson was at a considerable disadvantage because Hamilton had a huge head start in both organization and patronage. By creating the Federalist Party, Hamilton accomplished three major goals: giving it the imprimatur of leading the country, creating an infrastructure at the state level for expressing influence and attracting votes, and distributing patronage. Jefferson, in contrast, effectively had on golden handcuffswhile he could argue his case inside the Cabinet, he couldnt publicly oppose the government of which he was a part. Enter, James Madison. Madison had undergone something of a political conversion. Where he was once concerned about the central governments (and the Presidents) not having enough power to be effective, now he pivoted and professed to understand the Constitution he had largely written as having much more of a states-rights emphasis. Madison was an unexpected example of what happened to many American leaders when faced with the reality of the new government. A theoretical framework was just that, and, if the end product took them in an undesirable direction, they had no problem reading their own preferences into its vast ambiguities. Madison then partnered with Jefferson (quietly at first, more openly when the Democratic-Republican Party became public) in opposition to the Federalists. As inspirational and charismatic as Jefferson could be, it was Madison who did much of the spadework of putting together the party apparatus. Where was John Adams in all of this? Absent for much of the period from 1777 to 1788, working on behalf of his country. First, in Paris with Benjamin Franklin to negotiate an alliance with France and later the end of hostilities (a more mismatched pair it was hard to imagine), then with Jefferson trying to establish legal recognition and diplomatic relations with foreign nations, and finally in London, in the critical job of first Ambassador to the Court of St. James. It is one of those ironies of history that neither Adams nor Jefferson attended the Constitutional Convention, and so played at best an indirect role in drafting the Constitution. If they had been there, then perhaps they would have suggested a viable work-around for something that would bedevil them both in the future. John Adams felt the pain first, as the nation would honor his service by giving him the worst job in government, the most insignificant office that even the Invention of Man contrived or his Imagination conceived. Adams became George Washingtons Vice President. Then, as now, the job contained its expectant undertakers aspectthe Vice-President should be ready to serve when duty called. And then, as now, the Vice-President played a role in breaking ties in the Senate. Finally, then, as now, thats all there was. Adams being Adams, he thought his Senate role should include speaking (actually, a lot of speaking). And, Adams being Adams, obnoxious and disliked, he quite quickly wore out his listeners, who then voted to silence him. Apparently, the decisive moment occurred when he allowed himself to argue, endlessly, that a President should be called His Majesty or His Highness. Its hard to imagine this prickly, opinionated, deeply flawed, but utterly loyal and truly great man being muzzled at a time when even his eruptions might have added something of value, but Adams was. His position in the Administration became even more marginalized because his silent presence in the (substantially smaller) Senate was often actually neededhe cast a tie-breaking vote over 30 times. This meant he was unable to attend Cabinet meetings regularly, and he found himself outside of Washingtons inner circle (the President feeling that the job was largely legislative and that too-close consultation between him and Adams might therefore violate separation of powers). As to Washington himself, he found himself frustrated and angered by the emerging partisanship and, perhaps, to the emerging resistance to his decisions. The country was still weak; its political institutions were new and fragile; it was still somewhat diplomatically isolated; and England and France were still potentially hostile behemoths. He had always intended on serving only one term, but the old General could see that the enemy was not only at the gates, but might also be within. The great lesson that Washington had learned in fighting the British was that time mattered more than even geography. As long as he could field an army, the American Experiment would go on. He was confident in his own abilities, less so in those of the men who surrounded him. They didnt look ready to him. At this critical juncture, he decided to stand for re-election, knowing the challenges ahead might be even greater than those already faced. He was largely rightthe Jay Treaty, his Proclamation of Neutrality, and his forceful ending of the Whiskey Rebellion were in the future, as was Jeffersons resignation from the Cabinet to pursue his own ambitions. But he was still George Washington, still first in the hearts of his countrymen (if not all of the politicians who aspired to higher office). It was a quirk of the pre-political party Constitution that the two highest Electoral College vote-getters would be President and Vice-Presidentthere was no consideration given to a ticket. This was to lead to some serious mischief in the two elections to follow, but, here, there was only a harbinger. Washington was essentially unopposed and re-elected unanimously. Adams, however, found himself in a tighter-than-expected race for the Vice-Presidency. The newly minted Democratic-Republican Party fielded a candidate against him, New Yorks Governor George Clinton. Clinton won his own state and a few southern ones, including North Carolina and, of course, Jefferson and Madisons Virginia. In Congress, there was a very tight split between supporters of the Administration and those opposed. That split, and others, would manifest themselves constantly over the next few years, and Washingtons frustrations would grow. Even his own Teflon began to fray a bit, as more of the Administrations opponents would start to whisper that he wasnt really in control any more, and was perhaps growing a bit feeble. He was still a giant, though, as Madison was to find out when he opposed the Jay Treaty and was routed. As for Adams, he remained locked in circumstantially required silence, tagged with the blame for policies he had little influence over. Because of his thin skin, he was an easy target, perhaps even easier than the hated Hamilton. Jefferson, on the other hand, grew more and more voluble in opposition, less and less disciplined in language. The two sides began to think of each other not merely as disagreeing on policy, but fundamentally mortal enemies who must be defeated. Washington the Hedgehog had grasped that, and more. In 1792, despite an abundance of talent, we werent really ready for the implications of the choice of government we made in adopting the Constitution. The next four years were to prove more of the same. We wouldnt be ready in 1796, as the war between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicansand between former collaborators and friends, Adams and Jeffersongot even hotter. All this Washington knew as he prepared to leave office. The unhappiness he expressed in his Farewell Address said it well, but only hinted at something that was obvious: the chalice he would be handing over to his successor, whomever that might be, was not exactly filled with the smoothest of wines. More on thaton the battle between the two parties and between former collaborators and friends Adams and Jefferson, the role of the French, the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Judiciary Act of 1801 and Adams appointment of Midnight Judges, Jeffersons extraordinary road to the Presidency (on the 36th ballot), and the Second Revolutionnext time. ADVERTISEMENT A divisional police officer and eight other officers on Sunday lost their lives in Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State while repelling an attack by bandits. Two vigilante members were also killed by the bandits in the incident. The police spokesperson in Kebbi, Nafiu Abubakar, told PREMIUM TIMES that the officers responded to distress calls following the attack on Sunday night. Mr Abubakar said the bandits launched the attack at Makuku and surrounding villages in Sakaba council area. Upon arrival in the area, the police engaged the criminals in a fire fight. Unfortunately, the the DPO and eight of his men and two vigilante members paid the supreme call defending their fatherland, Mr Abubakar said. The police spokesperson said details of the attack were still sketchy on Monday, so he could not say if there were causalities among the locals. Sakaba Local Government Area had witnessed recent attacks by bandits in Kunduru, Bajida and Rafin Gora where the gunmen reportedly rustled many livestock. Sakaba LGA shares boundary with the troubled Zamfara and Niger States Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif listens joint statement at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on Dec. 18, 2018. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) Leaked Recording of Irans Top Diplomat Offers Blunt Talk DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesA recording of Irans foreign minister offering a blunt appraisal of diplomacy and the limits of power within the Islamic Republic has been leaked, providing a rare look inside the countrys theocracy. The release of the comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif set off a firestorm within Iran, where officials carefully mind their words amid a cut-throat political environment that includes the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, ultimately overseen by the countrys supreme leader. Zarif has been suggested as a possible candidate for Irans June 18 presidential election as well. Outside of Iran, Zarifs comments could also affect talks in Vienna aimed at keeping the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran together. Already, sabotage targeted Irans nuclear facility at Natanz during the talks as Tehran has begun enriching a small amount of uranium up to 60 percent purity, which edges the country closer to weapons-grade levels. After the leak became public, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh did not dispute the tapes authenticity. He told journalists on Monday that the recording represented just a portion of a seven-hour interview Zarif gave to a well-known economist that was to be held for posterity by a think tank associated with the Iranian presidency. Khatibzadeh called the release of the recording illegal and described it as selectively edited, though he and others did not offer opinions on how it became public. Zarif, visiting Iraq on Monday after a trip to Qatar, took no questions from journalists after giving a brief statement in Baghdad. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) arrives to meet his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein (C) in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 26, 2021. (Khalid Mohammed/AP Photo) Portions of the leaked interview first aired overnight on Iran International, a London-based, Farsi-language satellite news channel once majority-owned by a Saudi national. Tehran has criticized Iran International in the past for its airing of a militant spokesman who praised a 2018 militant attack on a military parade in Ahvaz that killed at least 25 people, including a child. British regulators later rejected an Iranian complaint about the segment. Iran International shared a file with a little over three hours of the interview with an Associated Press correspondent based in the United Arab Emirates on Monday. In the interview, Zarif describes Russia as wanting to stop the nuclear deal, something apparently so sensitive that he warns the interviewer: You definitely can never release this part. Russia had a frosty relationship with then-President Barack Obama, whose administration secured the deal with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Russia and Iran also at times have strained relations, despite being battlefield allies in Syria. If Iran hadnt become Mr. (Donald) Trumps priority, China and Russia would have become his priority, Zarif said. If, because of hostility with the West, we always need Russia and China, they dont have to compete with anyone, and also they can always enjoy maximum benefits through us. Both China and Russia have been vocal proponents of returning to the nuclear deal. Their missions in Vienna did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Zarif sounded relaxed and chatty during the interview, at one point joking that he should have sold the expensive liquor he and others found when they took control of the Iranian Consulate in San Francisco in 1979. The economist conducting the interview repeatedly suggested Zarif should run for president as Rouhani is now term-limited from running again. Zarif dismissed the suggestion. However, the state-owned polling center ISPA has put the diplomat as fourth in a theoretical matchup with the hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi leading. Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf came in second and third respectively. However, ISPA warned of the possibility of a turnout as low as 39 percent, based on its April telephone survey of over 1,500 people. It offered no margin of error. Irans theocracy partially bases its legitimacy on turnout numbers, so such turnout could be a threat. In the interview, Zarif repeated an earlier claim by officials around Rouhani that they had not been told by the Revolutionary Guard that it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner in January 2020, killing all 176 people on board. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 5, 2019. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo) The recordings also include Zarif offering criticism of Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimanis separate relations with Russia as well. A U.S. drone strike in 2020 killed Solemani in Baghdad, an attack that at the time brought the United States and Iran to the brink of war. Soleimanis funeral processions in Iran drew millions of people to the streets. I have sacrificed diplomacy for the battlefield more than the price that (those on) the battlefield (led by Soleimani) paid and sacrificed for diplomacy, Zarif said. He added that Iran gave up much of what it could have achieved from the nuclear deal for the sake of advancement on the battlefield. He added that Soleimani refused to stop using the national carrier Iran Air for Syrian operations despite Zarifs objections. Iran Air has been sanctioned by the United States, exacerbating a long-running crisis that forced it to fly decades-old aircraft, often lacking parts for repairs. Despite his criticism, Zarif acknowledged Soleimanis importance in Iran. I believe that the U.S. by hitting Martyr Soleimani dealt a blow to Iran that would not have been as bad even if they had hit one of our towns, he said. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who pushed the Trump administrations pressure campaign on Iran, later linked to a story about the leaked tapes on Twitter. He described it as an exquisite strike that had a massive impact on Iran and the Middle East. You dont have to take my word for it, Pompeo wrote. By Jon Gambrell Residents and some front-line employees in Winnipeg's Seven Oaks West neighbourhood where COVID-19 has infected hundreds and devastated a care home last fall became eligible for immunization on Monday. Residents and some front-line employees in Winnipeg's Seven Oaks West neighbourhood where COVID-19 has infected hundreds and devastated a care home last fall became eligible for immunization on Monday. Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for the COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force, announced Monday all adults who live in Seven Oaks West can be vaccinated. People who work in kindergarten to Grade 12 schools, grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, food processing plants, places that serve food to the public, or as child care providers, public-health inspectors and workplace safety and health officers in the area are also eligible. "Seven Oaks West has had higher case counts compared to many other communities in the second wave, and then were seeing that again now, with higher rates in this third wave," Reimer said. The prioritized area includes much of The Maples, Amber Trails, Mandalay West and an area north of Templeton Avenue called Rosser-Old Kildonan. The boundary is roughly from Pipeline Road west to Keewatin Street, and north of Inkster Boulevard to Mollard Road, as well as the Rosser-Old Kildonan area. A map of the area is available at http://wfp.to/GNV More than 2,800 people who live in the Seven Oaks health district a larger geographic area which also includes Garden City, West Kildonan, Riverbend and West St. Paul have been infected with COVID-19, provincial data shows. About half of the health district became eligible for immunization on Monday. The district makes up about 13.6 per cent of cases reported in Winnipeg and 81 people have died from the disease. A COVID-19 outbreak at the Maples Long Term Care Home last October infected 231 people, including 157 residents and 74 staff. Fifty-six residents died. The scale and severity of the outbreak sparked an external investigation into how the provincial government, the regional health authority and the care home operator responded to the crisis. Reimer said the area also has a higher proportion of residents who are Black, Indigenous or identify as a person of colour compared to other parts of the province, in addition to challenges related to housing and income. "All of those together helped us identify Seven Oaks West as a high-risk community that we wanted to immunize as quickly as we could," Reimer said. Meanwhile, all adults who live and work in the Northern Regional Health Authority are now eligible to be vaccinated. Previously, select communities in the north had been prioritized for immunization with everyone 18 or older offered a shot. The campaign to immunize all adults living on First Nations reserves and adjacent communities in the north and throughout Manitoba, continues. "The rationale for the north is really no different than any other priority community that weve identified in this process, with the additional challenge of remote geography and access to health care," Reimer said. She noted that additional pop-up clinics will be staged in Flin Flon and The Pas to support the expanded criteria and work is ongoing with the regional health authority to ensure there are enough staff and resources in the region to meet demand. Reimer said with the expanded eligibility criteria for Seven Oaks West and the Northern health region, about 30,000 people between the ages of 18 and 49 became eligible for vaccination. Last week, the province changed eligibility criteria to include all adults and select front-line workers in two communities in the core of Winnipeg, dubbed Downtown East and Point Douglas South, as well as the northwest community of Inkster East, which borders the Seven Oaks West area. Reimer said she will likely announce additional prioritized communities later this week. Currently, the general age-eligibility criteria for vaccination includes people 50 years of age or older and First Nations people aged 30 or older. Age eligibility for the AstraZeneca vaccine is 40 years old or older. Reimer said the province is considering the recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization to extend eligibility for the AstraZeneca product to people 30 years of age or older based on a risk assessment issued by the federal committee. "Even if we met the criteria that theyve set out for going down to age 30, we dont have the doses available to offer to those folks," Reimer said. As of Monday, Reimer said the federal government has not yet told Manitoba when it will receive more AstraZeneca supply. Likewise, she said the province does not yet know when the first shipment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will arrive or how many doses it will contain. The federal government is set to receive 300,000 doses this week that will be distributed to the provinces. Its expected the single-dose, fridge-stable Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be provided to doctors and pharmacists who will offer the immunizations, but the province has not yet finalized its plans, Reimer said. To date, Manitoba has received 524,250 doses of vaccine and has administered 429,319 of them, according to the provincial government. On Sunday, the province administered 4,631 doses. Provincial data shows that the single highest day for immunizations was April 21, when 14,399 doses were given to people. Another 37,440 doses of Pfizer and 22,100 doses of Moderna vaccine are expected to arrive this week. danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expressed that he was "heartbroken" about the current situation of his country, India in the middle of the worsening COVID-19 pandemic. The second wave of the crisis has brought out a lot of challenges in the country. As of Sunday evening, Apr. 25, India has recorded at least 16,960,100 COVID-19 cases. At that time, 192,311 were reportedly dead in the wake of the virus. To help his countrymen with this problem. Nadella promised assistance to the country through the relief efforts. Most importantly, he would also help in alleviating India's urgent need for oxygens which is critical at the moment. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's Response to India's Alarming Case In his recent tweet, Nadella said that he was heartbroken at what happened in India. He expressed gratefulness about the US government's action to extend help in his country. I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. Im grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 26, 2021 For assistance, he decided to reach out to the Indians by distributing necessary COVID-19 supplies. Additionally, the nightmare of the pandemic-ravaged country when it comes to the oxygen supplies continues. To extend more help, Nadella would also buy oxygen concentration devices to address the oxygen shortage. The 53-year-old Hyderabad native added that Microsoft will also be a part of his large-scale COVID-19 action. The company will make use of its technology and resources to make the distribution of relief faster, as well as the purchase of the devices needed to allay the oxygen emergency. Read Also: Microsoft Moves Schedule for Annual Build Conference, to Start on May 25 US to Offer Assistance in India Amid COVID-19 Fiasco Livemint reported that US President Joe Biden showed urgency to "help" India in its tight battle against the COVID-19. In his tweet, Biden recognized the efforts of India to America when they are struggling amidst the COVID-19 crisis. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," Biden posted on his Twitter. It did not take long for the US government to release a statement about their incoming help to India. On early Apr.25, it stated that several raw materials will be provided for the Indian manufacturer so they could produce more Covishield vaccine in the country. A Glimpse of What is Happening to India Now According to a report by AP on Apr. 24, the oxygen shortage persists in India. During the time of writing, the authorities said that numerous COVID-19 patients succumbed to the virus due to a lack of oxygen tanks. The government was slammed for its negligence in addressing this health catastrophe. What's alarming is the successive records of new infections which continuously rise daily. At that time, there were 346,786 cases which were now close to becoming over 16 million. For the past 24 hours, there were another 2,625 deaths recorded, as per India's Health Ministry. The fatalities totaled 189,544 during that time, but experts said that some are underreported that's why the numbers could be higher than the actual count. Now, the Indian government is using its air force planes, huge trucks, and trains to quickly deliver oxygen packages to the hospital. The country is at the critical stage of needing oxygen supplies since hospitals reported that they could not serve patients anymore due to the unexpected tank shortage and beds. Batra Hospital executive director Dr. Sudhanshu Bankata said that every hospital needs enough supply of oxygen. The surge in COVID-19 infection and the threat of oxygen shortage has been called the "tsunami" in India. Related Article: Satya Nadella's, Microsoft CEO: How He Became the Top Tech Giant Boss in 2020 This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. OTTAWA The federal industry minister says Ottawa has not turned its back on contributing to the expansion of a Winnipeg biomedical firm that hopes to produce COVID-19 vaccines. OTTAWA The federal industry minister says Ottawa has not turned its back on contributing to the expansion of a Winnipeg biomedical firm that hopes to produce COVID-19 vaccines. "Were very interested in improving our capacity," Francois-Philippe Champagne said Friday. Emergent BioSolutions, a U.S. company, runs a facility near the University of Manitoba campus. It signed a contract late last year to produce a vaccine developed by Calgary-based Providence Therapeutics, which is pending approval. Providence has financial support from the Pallister government. The deal would involve the Winnipeg production centre conducting the final mixing of chemicals and inserting them into vials, whats known as "fill and finish." Last month, the Globe and Mail quoted Champagne as saying the federal government wants to support the plants expansion, so Canada can shore up its ability to manufacture vaccines. "Were expanding their facility with them," Champagne said in March. His office backtracked hours after the comment was published. "Our government is exploring all options to increase domestic capacity," Champagnes spokesman wrote. On Friday, when asked where things stand, Champagne said he did not have a recent update, but said Ottawa is still in talks with Emergent. "The beefing up of our fill-and-finish capacity across the country is much needed," he said, adding that drug companies expect a country to be able to produce 150 million doses a year before investing, while Canada has capacity for about 30 to 35 million doses. Last weeks federal budget did not reference Emergent, while promising $60 million for a Saskatoon vaccine developer. "This is about how can we rebuild the whole ecosystem," said Champagne, arguing Canada needs to be able to create vaccines and have capacity to manufacture them. "Not only could we serve our domestic market, but also be a powerhouse when it comes to life sciences, and help export to other countries," he said. Champagnes office has said federal support for any vaccine production, including at the Winnipeg facility, could only involve shots approved by Health Canada. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Bay Areas hottest condiment right now: inventive takes on spicy, crunchy salsa macha Local chefs are going all out with the nutty salsa originally from Veracruz, Mexico Bay Areas hottest condiment right now: inventive takes on spicy, crunchy salsa macha Local chefs are going all out with the nutty salsa originally from Veracruz, Mexico A bottle of salsa macha can be a stunning sight: It has layers of bright red chile oil, crunchy bits of dried chiles, golden-hued sesame seeds and crunchy, toasted pepitas. Each spoonful emerges with multiple textures, serious heat and notes of smoke, raisin and garlic and this salsa style is becoming a go-to for Bay Area chefs and home cooks looking for an easy way to jazz up dishes. Originally from Veracruz but popular all over Mexico, salsa macha is typically a spicy oil made with dried chiles and often nuts or seeds. But there arent too many rules limiting how its made or what its used for. Chefs recommend spooning macha onto just about anything, from fried eggs to avocado toast to congee. While many Bay Area cooks with roots in Mexico say they grew up eating salsa macha, they rarely ever saw it in local restaurants. Even just a few years ago, it seemed obscure. You might find it as a chile oil pooling below charred broccoli at a Tacos Oscar pop-up in Oakland or on the side of a veggie quesadilla at Nopalito in San Francisco. But now, its suddenly everywhere and local makers are getting creative with the genre, bottling salsa machas with different nuts and seeds, and even blending them into emulsified, mole-like sauces. Its one part of a growing salsa movement in the Bay Area, with makers saying theyre tired of the subpar selections at many local markets and taquerias, where often the only options are red or green. We have amazing Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area, but they never deliver on the salsa, said Janeen Mendoza Cruz, co-owner of Oakland salsa company Kuali. For us, salsa is the most important thing at any meal when youre eating Mexican food. Cruz started Kuali in 2019 after countless coworkers and friends suggested her husband, Rodrigo Cruz Ayala, sell his homemade salsas like roasted chipotle morita, creamy avocado and salsa macha. But Kuali didnt immediately take off, and no one seemed to be interested in salsa macha. Next to a fresh salsa, salsa machas chile-oil appearance might have confused some, said Cruz, who suspects most people in the Bay Area had never heard of macha before and didnt understand it. So they took a break and relaunched Kuali during the pandemic with an emphasis on their classic salsa macha with pumpkin seeds, something Ayalas mom always paired with pozole at home in Mexico City. Cruz put more effort into marketing and social media this time around, and macha quickly became their best-seller 68% of customers said in a survey that theyd never tried any salsa macha before buying from Kuali. Now, a wait list for salsa macha keeps growing; Ayala is cranking out 100 to 200 jars every week. I understood the potential of salsa macha. The shelf life is amazing, said Cruz. And it goes with everything. You marinate with it. You cook with it. Salsa macha seemed to take on a life of its own during the pandemic. Since salsa macha lasts six months in the fridge and makes just about anything taste better it became a secret weapon for beleagured home cooks. In that sense, its rise feels similar to another spicy, crunchy condiment that soared in popularity during the pandemic: Chinese chile crisp. While chile crisp might be more widely known now, its salsa macha that the New York Times named the most valuable condiment of 2020. Fittingly, many Bay Area restaurants and pop-ups have begun bottling salsa macha, too. San Franciscos eclectic Sons Addition tops charred cauliflower tacos with a peanut-laced salsa macha and now sells it by the jar. Oakland pop-up Tacos el Precioso started pairing salsa macha with fried egg tacos a couple of years ago, but the jars truly flew during the pandemic. We have a hard time keeping it in stock, said Devin Gonzalez of Tacos el Precioso, who makes about three gallons every two weeks. People are just addicted to it. Whats remarkable is how the new salsa machas in the Bay Area are often totally different from one another a true showcase of chefs creativity. Chris Chapman of pop-up Tacos Everywhere said this is typical of salsas in general. Salsa macha just happens to be the chosen canvas right now. If youre making a bechamel in France, theyd say theres only one way to make it whereas salsas in general can be more expressive of the individual time and place, he said. At its most basic level, salsa macha comes down to chiles and oil but there can be a lot of variation with just those two ingredients. Most chefs prefer a neutral oil like grapeseed or sunflower to let the chiles shine, but Gonzalez enjoys the fruitiness extra-virgin olive oil adds to the mix. And the temperature of the oil is key, Ayala said. You want the chiles to fry so they release their truest, toastiest expression of themselves, but if the oil is too hot, you can easily burn the batch. Then chefs figure out how to blend chiles like ancho, arbol, cascabel, morita and pasilla to create the desired flavor profile, with each chile offering its own fruity, smoky, sweet and spicy notes. While some chefs willingly share what chiles they use, others keep them a closely guarded secret. The proportion of chiles to oil makes a difference, too. Some chefs prefer it more oily, others like a fudgy paste. In a rare move, Chapman whirls his in a blender until its emulsified like mayo, though hes also experimenting with a salsa macha chile crisp version. Most chefs build up flavor with aromatics like garlic and shallots. In the case of Gonzalezs almond salsa macha, flakes of smoked single-origin salt from Mexico contribute crunch in addition to heightening flavor. Chapman adds apple vinegar and honey for sweet, tangy complexity. From there, many like to add nuts and seeds for texture. Sesame seeds and peanuts are classic. Kuali and Tacos Everywhere both make versions with pumpkin seeds. For Eder Ramirez of Oakland pop-up Cocina Maiz, changing up the nuts felt like the best way to make his macha stand out in an increasingly crowded field. His recipe is based on the version his Oaxacan parents made, though he swaps out the peanuts and almonds for sweet, piney pistachios. I love pistachios and theyre used in a lot of different cuisines, but I dont see them a lot in Mexican food, he said. I think the flavor of the pistachios just made it pop in a different way. Most of these chefs want to see their salsas populating small markets, to dramatically improve the meals home cooks throw together without much time or forethought. But its often a deeply personal effort, too. Ramirez pushed himself to re-create his mother's and grandmothers recipes when he left the Central Valley for Oakland, alone for the first time and wanting to connect to his Oaxacan identity. For Ayala, Kuali conjures memories of his mom, who died three years ago. The way I connect with my mom is the way I cook, he said. Making the salsa brings her back into my life. Salsa macha makers in the Bay Area Cocina Maiz: $8-$15. Pop-ups first and third Mondays at Ghost Town Brewing, 1960 Adeline St., Oakland. Otherwise, order through Instagram at instagram.com/cocinamaiz Kuali: $18. Order for shipping or local pickup near the Fox Theater in Oakland through Instagram at instagram.com/kualisalsas Sons Addition: $13. 2990 24th St., San Francisco. toasttab.com/sons-addition-24th-street/v3 Tacos El Precioso: $9. 272 14th St., Oakland. Preorder by Wednesday for Saturday pickup at tacoselprecioso.square.site Tacos Everywhere: $10, delivery available. 2326 Fifth St. Berkeley. Order through Instagram at instagram.com/tacoseverywheresf This information was updated. Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker UNI NEWS DIGEST AT 2000 HRS FOR JUNE 6, 2021 06 Jun 2021 | 8:11 PM New Delhi : Kejriwal appeals to PM to lift blockade on doorstep delivery of ration scheme (DI10) Chandigarh: Haryana gets proposal of 6 cr doses of Sputnik V COVID vaccine: Vij (DR22) Mumbai : Mah Cong to agitate against unjust fuel prices (BY5) Ranchi : BJP hands over memorandum to Guv demanding CBI probe into death of SI Rupa Tirkey (CA21) Bengaluru : Kumaraswamy demands apology from Amazon, urges Karnataka govt to take legal action (MS24) Colombo : Strong winds, floods cause 14 deaths in Sri Lanka (DF7) Jammu : Expedite work on Arun Jaitley Memorial Stadium, says Jitendra after taking review at Hiranagar (SPD1) UNI JAL SHK2011. see more.. Kejriwal appeals to PM to lift blockade on doorstep delivery of ration scheme 06 Jun 2021 | 5:51 PM New Delhi, Jun 6 (UNI) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift the blockade on the doorstep delivery of ration scheme initiated by the Delhi government, saying the scheme was in the interest of the nation. see more.. Delhi: 381 test +ve, 34 die 06 Jun 2021 | 4:27 PM New Delhi, Jun 6 (UNI) The cases and deaths in National Capital continue to decline as according to the daily health bulletin on Sunday, 381 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours while 34 people lost their lives. see more.. Central team visits West Bengal to access the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas 06 Jun 2021 | 4:20 PM New Delhi, Jun6 (UNI) The Centre on Sunday dispatched an inter- Ministerial team, headed by a Union Home Ministrys Joint Secretary level officer to West Bengal to access the damage caused by the recent Cyclone Yaas, a Home Ministry official confirmed here on Sunday. see more.. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children generally appear to be less severely impacted by COVID-19 than adults. But a new study from Children's Hospital Los Angeles shows that the pandemic could be affecting children's health in unexpected ways. The study reveals a surge of patients presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe complication of type 2 diabetes. Published today in Diabetes Care, these data offer additional insights into how the pandemic may be impacting the nation's children. Diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, is life-threatening. "DKA happens when insulin levels in the blood drop too low for too long," says Lily Chao, MD, MS, Interim Medical Diabetes Director at CHLA. "Insulin helps the body utilize glucose. So when there's not enough insulin, the body starts breaking down fat as a source of energy." This process, she says, causes dangerously high levels of acids in the blood. If untreated, this can lead to cerebral edema, coma, or even death. "Kids are coming in with dehydration and DKA. But DKA is preventable and reversible if we treat it early and appropriately," says Dr. Chao, who is lead author on the paper. Dr. Chao and her colleagues noticed back in March of 2020 that more and more patients were coming in with DKA and type 2 diabetes. "We used to see a few DKA cases in type 2 diabetes a year," she says, "and all of a sudden we were seeing a spike, so we began keeping track. Now we have the numbers to confirm that there are more children with type 2 diabetes who present with this very serious complication of DKA." Yet the question remains: What is the cause of the increased incidence of Type 2 diabetes with DKA? A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many children are used to wearing masks and attending online classes. But other changes have affected them, too. Fewer children may be making it to the doctor's office for their routine well-child exams, possibly due to the fear families may feel about exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. "Parents are worried about going outside of the house," says Dr. Chao. "Some families have to take public transportation to go the pediatrician and they are hesitant to do so during the pandemic." This, she says, may be one of the reasons for the shift she and her colleagues have seen. In addition to missing doctor visits, other factors may be involved, such as less physical activity during lockdown or reduced access to fresh, healthy foods. But there may also be a biological relationship between exposure to the virus and diabetes. "There is definitely a link between COVID-19 and diabetes," says Senta Georgia, PhD, an investigator in The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and senior author on the paper. Dr. Georgia runs a basic and translational research program aimed at understanding the cellular biology of diabetes and developing novel therapeutics. "We don't know whether SARS-CoV-2 infects insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas," she says. "There are some reports of a link between COVID-19 and diabetes in adults, but no pediatric studies have been published to date." As a physician scientist and a laboratory scientist, respectively, Dr. Chao and Dr. Georgia come with unique perspectives--but their objectives converge on getting answers to help children diagnosed with diabetes. "Our work together at Children's Hospital Los Angeles allows us to address pediatric health on multiple levels," says Dr. Georgia. "I help Dr. Chao design her clinical studies and she works with me on our basic and translational research. So we're coming at the problem of increased incidence of diabetes with both a clinical and a scientific perspective." Future translational and clinical studies may determine whether increased DKA in patients could be caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2. But for now, the data clearly point to an emerging trend toward more severe diabetes complications during the global pandemic. The team hopes that these findings will increase vigilance. "It's critical for pediatricians to recognize that when a child presents with symptoms of diabetes, the child needs to be evaluated right away," says Dr. Chao. "The sooner we see these kids, the better chance we have to prevent DKA." ### Alaina P. Vidmar, MD, was a co-author on the paper. The study was funded by NIH/NCRR SC-CTSI Grant number UL1 TR000130; American Diabetes Association 7-20-COVID-173; The Homer and Gloria Harvey Foundation. About Children's Hospital Los Angeles Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the highest-ranked children's hospital in California and fifth in the nation on the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of Best Children's Hospitals. U.S. News ranks Children's Hospital Los Angeles in all 10 specialty categories. Clinical care at the hospital is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. The hospital also operates the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children's hospital in the Western United States. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles is home to all basic, translational, clinical and community research conducted at the hospital, allowing proven discoveries to quickly reach patients. Our mission: to create hope and build healthier futures. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, and visit our blog at CHLA.org/blog. Falun Gong practitioners hold a rally in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco on April 24, 2021, to raise awareness of the persecution happening in China. (David Lam/The Epoch Times) Bay Area Falun Gong Practitioners Commemorate Peaceful Appeal SAN FRANCISCOBay Area Falun Gong practitioners and supporters on April 24 commemorated the anniversary of a historic appeal by practitioners in China and sought to raise awareness that followers of the meditation discipline are still being persecuted by the regime in China, at a rally in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. On April 25, 1999, about 10,000 people gathered peacefully at the Chinese communist headquarters at Zhongnanhai to appeal for their right to freely practice Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa). The appeal took place after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to perceive Falun Gongs enormous popularity as a threat. The Tian Guo Marching Band, consisting of Falun Dafa practitioners, plays at a rally in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco on April 24, 2021, to raise awareness of the persecution occurring in China. (Christian Lambert/The Epoch Times) [The practitioners] had the heart to go to talk to the leadership of their country, to peacefully explain why they should not be interfered with, said Chris Kitze, a participant at the rally. Falun Gong practitioner Chris Kitze speaks at a rally in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco on April 24, 2021, to raise awareness of the persecution occurring in China. (Jason Blair/The Epoch Times) Before the 1999 appeal, a few practitioners had been arrested in China after a magazine reported false information about the practice. Practitioners believed it was their duty to tell their government the truth about Falun Gong and why it shouldnt be persecuted. WeiQun Hua, a rally participant, remembers what it was like to stand among thousands of others who shared the same faith. She and her neighbor, who also practices Falun Gong, took their then two-year-old children with them. We stood on the side of the road quietly. There wasnt even a sidewalk. It was very quiet. People were reading or meditating, Hua told NTD Television. Someone told us to stand here because there are too many people inside. We stood with our children. Our children were not rowdy or anything, just standing there quietly. WeiQun Hua (R) explains to pedestrians that the rally is to commemorate the peaceful appeal and raise awareness about the persecution still happening in China today, in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco on April 24, 2021. (David Lam/The Epoch Times) Before they left, they were told that things would return to normal. But it didnt happen that way. Soon the CCP forbade the practice of Falun Gong On July 20, 1999, the CCP began a large-scale violent persecution against the tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Since then, practitioners overseas have held public rallies and candlelight vigils annually to remember those who were tortured and died for their beliefs. Falun Gong practitioners hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on April 23, 2021, to raise awareness of the persecution happening in China. (Christian Lambert/The Epoch Times) Falun Gong consists of five sets of meditative exercises and teachings that guide people to live according to truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Due to its health benefits, word spread quickly in the 1990s until an estimated 70 million to 100 million people in China were practicing Falun Gong. But there are a lot of people that still dont know the persecution is still going on, and innocent lives are being killed. And a lot of people are being persecuted and they cannot practice their spiritual belief, Alicia Zhao, a rally participant, told NTD Television. Pedestrians passing by the rally expressed their support. Im in complete solidarity with the movement and the desire to remove the Communist Party from China. The oppressive practices are inhumane and deserve to be sanctioned across the world, Walter Kaweski, a passerby from Sacramento, told NTD Television. Falun Gong practitioners meditate during a rally in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco on April 24, 2021, to commemorate the peaceful appeal and raise awareness about the persecution still happening in China today. (David Lam/The Epoch Times) Lucia Arreola, a passerby from San Jose, told NTD Television, I think its horrible where you dont have this freedom to practice [something] as simple as meditation. It brings awareness to the American people, Scott Nelson, a passerby from Salt Lake City, told NTD Television. To understand that were not isolated in our own little bubble. That were all one people, and what everyone does affects everyone else. Farmers markets help Stohrs introduce goat dairy products to SD Stohr Diary invests in the dairy goat industry. Helps grow awareness to the benefits of goat dairy within South Dakota. [April 26, 2021] NCR Commits to Increased ESG Disclosure with Launch of ESG Hub NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) today announced it is increasing disclosure of the company's ongoing environmental, social and governance ("ESG") initiatives with the launch of its ESG Hub on the NCR.com website. NCR is committed to becoming an ESG leader among peer technology companies, while addressing key areas that its employees, customers, stockholders, suppliers, and communities care about most. The ESG Hub includes NCR's ESG priorities and will provide information on the company's progress as it continues to do its part in creating a more sustainable future. "The launch of our new ESG hub is an important validation of NCR's commitment to ESG and keeping our stakeholders informed of our progress while increasing transparency and accountability," said NCR President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Hayford. NCR has increased Board-level focus on ESG matters and appointed senior leaders to oversee its ESG initiatives, including the important work of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure NCR is a truly inclusive company. NCR also began the work of charting a metrics-based pathway to become an ESG leader among its peers. As part of its ongoing commitment to embed ESG into NCR's operations and business decision making, NCR's Board of Directors formed a Risk Committee in 2020. The Risk Committee oversees the Company's ESG activities and assists in managing ey priorities, including diversity, equity and inclusion ("DE&I"), employee health and safety, environmental impact, sustainable operations, and data privacy and security. NCR also enhanced its leadership team by appointing a Chief Risk Officer, who provides senior-level ownership and execution of ESG priorities and reports on those activities to the Risk Committee, as well as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader to oversee NCR's DE&I programs and goals. Additionally, the company worked with a noted third-party ESG partner to help identify future opportunities, quantify ESG targets, and enhance ESG disclosures, reporting and transparency. NCR's Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team firmly believe that by measuring what the Company does against ESG principles, it will mitigate risk, drive strong talent development, and produce long-term value for all its stakeholder groups. NCR encourages all stakeholders to visit its ESG Hub at https://www.ncr.com/about/esg. Additional materials and information will be published periodically. About NCR Corporation NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leading software- and services-led enterprise provider in the financial, retail and hospitality industries. NCR is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with 36,000 employees globally. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries. Website: www.ncr.com Twitter (News - Alert) : @NCRCorporation Facebook (News - Alert) : www.facebook.com/ncrcorp LinkedIn (News - Alert) : www.linkedin.com/company/ncr-corporation YouTube (News - Alert) : www.youtube.com/user/ncrcorporation View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005742/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Former Big Brother star Skye Wheatley has drawn a mixed response after asking her Instagram followers to help choose a middle name for her baby son. The 27-year-old influencer created an Instagram Story poll on Sunday asking fans to vote on whether they preferred 'West' or 'Wild'. By Monday, her account was flooded with comments from fans questioning why she was letting other people make such an important life decision. Scroll down for video What will she choose? Former Big Brother star Skye Wheatley has drawn a mixed response after asking her Instagram followers to help choose a middle name for her baby son Explaining her decision to choose her son's middle name via an Instagram poll, Skye said: 'The name will be announced in the labour vlog, but we have to decide on a middle name, so that's why it's taking so long. 'Maybe you guys can help me decide on a middle name?' Several fans said it wasn't appropriate to outsource naming a child, with one writing: 'I don't think you should let your followers influence a name for your child. Just follow your heart.' 'An influencer asking their followers to name their child,' another commented with a string of crying-with-laughter emojis. Poll: The influencer, 27, created an Instagram Story poll on Sunday asking fans to vote on whether they preferred 'West' or 'Wild'. By Monday, her account was flooded with comments from fans questioning why she was letting other people make such an important life decision A handful of users noted the unfortunate connotations of the word 'wild', which is associated with unruly behaviour and feral animals. 'Please don't give your baby the middle name Wild,' one fan wrote. 'West is really nice! Or what about a play on wild? Maybe like wydler?' Another suggested: 'How about Tom, Jack or Harry?' Response: Fans said it wasn't appropriate to outsource naming your child, with one writing: 'I don't think you should let your followers influence a name for your child. Just follow your heart' Mockery: 'An influencer asking their followers to name their child,' another commented with a string of crying-with-laughter emojis Traditional: Another follower suggested: 'How about Tom, Jack or Harry?' Meaning: A handful of users noted the unfortunate connotations of the word 'wild', which is associated with unruly behaviour and feral animals Guessing game: The overwhelming response from fans was that it's impossible to choose which middle name is better without knowing the first name. Fitness queen Ashy Bines thought the same, commenting: 'Depends on the first name!' Good thinking! Influencer Belle Lucia proposed alternative spellings or variants, such as 'Wyld' and 'Quest' Meanwhile, fellow influencer Belle Lucia proposed alternative spellings or variants, such as 'Wyld' and 'Quest'. However, the overwhelming response from fans was that it's impossible to choose which middle name is better without knowing the first name. However, Skye is delaying announcing this until she's finished editing her labour vlog for her YouTube channel. Apple of their eye: Skye and her boyfriend, tradesman Lachlan Waugh, announced the arrival of their second son on Friday. Pictured: the couple's relatives meeting the baby in hospital Snapshots: Skye also uploaded these two Polaroids of herself bonding with her newborn child Skye and her boyfriend, tradesman Lachlan Waugh, announced the arrival of their second son on Friday. The couple shared a series of photos to Instagram of their older son, two-year-old Forest, meeting his newborn brother in hospital. Skye rose to fame on Big Brother Australia in 2014 and began dating Lachlan in 2017. After being asked by a traffic court defendant to recuse himself due to a potential conflict with his son being involved in an unrelated hit-and-run accident, Leeds Municipal Judge Clifton S. Price II, lost his temper, yelled profanity, called the defendant multiple disparaging names and threatened the defendant, according to a complaint filed against the judge last week by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission. I will bust your ass, Judge Price said, the complaint reads. This Complaint charges Judge Price with violations of the Alabama Canons of Ethics for indecorous and discourteous behavior for allowing family relationship to improperly influence his judicial conduct, the complaint states. Judge Prices conduct has, not only brought the judicial office into disrepute but also degraded the public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary. This conduct has compromised the dignity and decorum of the court, the complaint continued. On February 21, 2020, Kimberly Farranto sat in Leeds Municipal Court waiting to represent herself in an alleged traffic violation: driving with a suspended license, the complaint says. She didnt know the name of the presiding judge until seeing it on the nameplate resting atop the elevated bench. According to a complaint, Judge Price is a part-time municipal judge, serving three Fridays each month. The name struck a chord with Farranto, a former waitress at Waffle House. Two years prior, a car belonging to her was struck by someone in the restaurants parking lot. The driver immediately left the scene, states the complaint. Based on the credit card receipt from the meal, Farranto determined the name of the passenger in the vehicle, though she never located the person or the driver. As Farranto waited to be called for her case, reads the complaint, she researched whether there was any connection between the passenger (who is not named in the complaint) and Judge Price and determined the person was probably Judges Prices son. When called to the lectern, Farranto attempted to explain to Judge Price, a local attorney, that she thought [he] should reuse from her case due to a potential conflict. [She] asked Judge Price if a certain individual was his son, for which Judge Price answered affirmatively, according to the complaint. After Judge Price asked why he should recuse, Farranto explained details of the accident and she probably was going to sue Judge Prices son to obtain the name of the driver of the vehicle. At that juncture, the complaint states, Judge Price interrupted Farranto and was very angry. He screamed at her that, if she went after his son, he would sue her ass. I dont have anything against your son, Farranto responded, according to the complaint. I just need to know the name of the driver and the only name I have is your sons. Continuing in a loud voice, the complaint reads, Judge Price responded, Oh, yeah, I know who you are. Youre that lady that likes to flim-flam people. [Farranto] replied that she was not, states the complaint, and then stated that she was going to sue Judge Prices son. Judge Price yelled at her threateningly, If you sue my son, I will bust your ass, according to the complaint. While further discussion of the Waffle House accident, Judge Price yelled at [Farranto}, Youre a G*d d**n liar, the complaint reads. Among those in the courtroom, according to the complaint, were Leeds City Prosecutor Lee Barnes and Court Clerk/Chief Magistrate Laura Roberts. They tried to intervene and diffuse the situation but to no avail, reads the complaint. Ms. Roberts tried twice. Mr. Barnes even got up and walked toward Judge Price, but he could not divert Judge Prices attention, so he backed down. Farranto told the judge she would do whatever is necessary to obtain the information she needed, according to the complaint. To which Judge Price shouted at her, Let me tell you something lady. If you mess with my son, Ill bust your ass. Do you hear me? Ill bust your ass. Moments later, states the complaint, Farranto asked the drivers name. All I want is who was driving the car., she said, according to the complaint. This time, Judge Price said, Ill give you the name of the driver, but you better not mess with my son. After he provided Ms. Farranto a name, he said, Youre nothing but a scam flim-flam artist. You can leave. Just go on. Well get you another judge, he said, reads the complaint. Judge Price recused himself from the case and Ferranto received a new court date, according to the complaint. After a series of meetings involving city officials who were in the courtroom and were asked to submit statements about what occurred, City Attorney Johnny Brunson, and Judge Price met privately in a meeting with [Leeds] Councilman Eric Turner and [Brunson], the complaint states. In that meeting, Councilman Turner conveyed to Judge Price a verbal reprimand from the City Counciland notified him that any future incidents would result in his removal as the municipal judge, reads the complaint. Under rules governing judiciary complaints, Judge Price is suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case. Read the complaint here. The launch will ensure much-needed access to a novel fixed-dose combination nasal spray for this chronic condition This marks Glenmark's first innovative product approval in the European Union MUMBAI, India, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited, a research-led, global integrated pharmaceutical company, is concluding the final, national phase of its marketing approval application process to enable launch of its innovative nasal spray in 17 countries in the European Union. Ryaltris (olopatadine hydrochloride 665 mcg and mometasone furoate 25 mcg), will shortly be available in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the UK. Glenmark will commercialise Ryaltris on its own in select markets. In some countries such as France, Italy, Spain and the Balkan region, Menarini Group will lead the commercialisation effort, as part of an exclusive licensing agreement signed with Glenmark in 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, Glenmark is responsible for the continued development and regulatory approval of Ryaltris in these markets, while Menarini will lead the scientific information and commercialization of Ryaltris, following regulatory approval. Glenmark has received an upfront payment and will additionally receive launch & sales based milestone payments from Menarini for Ryaltris sales. Ryaltris, developed by Glenmark, is a novel fixed-dose combination nasal spray of an anti-histamine and a steroid, indicated for treatment of symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis (AR) in patients over 12 years of age. It relieves symptoms of allergic rhinitis, including stuffy nose, runny nose, nasal itching, sneezing, as well as itchy, red and watery eyes. Achin Gupta, Executive Vice President, Business Head EMEA-L (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latam) Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, said, "Despite many treatments being available for allergic rhinitis, Glenmark is excited to launch Ryaltris as the only first line combination inhaler treatment option for patients across Europe. Upwards of 25% of the population in Europe suffers from the debilitating symptoms of allergic rhinitis, so we hope that Ryaltris will bring some of these real benefits - a simple inhaler, offering fast and effective relief." Glenmark has also partnered with Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC and Bausch Health for the commercialisation of Ryaltris in the US and Canada respectively. Ryaltris sales continue to progress well in Australia, after the successful launch in 2020 by Glenmark's partner, Seqirus Pty. Ltd. Ryaltris was also recently launched in South Africa, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. So far, Glenmark has received approval for Ryaltris in Australia, South Korea, Cambodia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, and Ecuador. Ryaltris is currently under regulatory review in Canada, Brazil, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and several other markets. Glenmark's partner in China, Grand Pharmaceutical (China) Co. Ltd., plans to submit an IND in this financial year. About Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (GPL) is a global research-led pharmaceutical company with presence across Generics, Specialty and OTC business with operations in over 50 countries. Glenmark's key therapy focus areas globally are respiratory, dermatology and oncology. It is ranked among the top 80 Pharma & Biotech companies of the world in terms of revenue (SCRIP 100 Rankings published in the year 2019). The company has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), under the category of emerging markets for the third consecutive year in a row. DJSI is one of the world's most respected and widely accepted sustainability benchmarks globally with only the top ranked companies in terms of Corporate Sustainability within each industry are featured in the index. For more information, visit www.glenmarkpharma.com SOURCE Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd In the 1980s, Arthur Severio was pioneering gender-fluid fashion on the streets of the French Quarter, though at the time he didnt know it. Thats because back then, there wasnt a term yet for his gender-defying style. At the time, Severio, now 54, fashioned his hair into a shoulder-length bob, dyed what he describes as red-red-red-red. He would often wear skirts with mens button-down shirts. Makeup, hoop earrings and leather were also popular at the time, influenced by the punk scene. People would sometimes approach Severio in a store and say, Excuse me, maam, only to correct themselves to sir, after he lifted his head. I was just me, Severio says. I wasnt thinking of this, that, or the other. For decades, the mixing of traditionally gendered clothing and accessories was considered at best a niche style and at worst, an excuse to target people with anti-LGBTQ abuse and harassment. For much of society it was a quirky signifier of punks, glam rockers and queer culture. But over the last decade those conventional notions of the intersection of fashion and gender have increasingly been left behind. Now, gender-fluid fashion is trending with young pop culture icons Billie Eilish, Jaden Smith, Ezra Miller and Harry Styles come to mind as they appear in clothes at photo shoots, on stage, and in their everyday lives that defy conventional, gendered fashion. Predictably, those trends have seeped into the lives of the non-rich and famous as well, particularly with younger people who have begun bringing gender-fluid styles into the mainstream. While this fashion movement may simply appear to concern the arrangement of fabrics, its ultimately a fight for creative expression and identification. It enables freedom to make choices and is a platform for not just a fashion statement, but a political statement and often one of acceptance. Unsurprisingly, New Orleans has been at the forefront of gender-fluid fashion. After all, costuming here isnt something only done on Halloween or Mardi Gras. On any given Tuesday, youre as likely to see someone decked out in sequins and glitter as you are to see a three-piece suit. Its a city well-known for artists, entertainers and musicians who showcase a melange of colorful, eclectic styles. For example, Big Freedia, a gay man with a feminine stage persona and fluid pronouns, has become the de facto face of bounce music in the city. Add that to the social-barrier-breaking nature of Carnival, and its no small wonder that the city naturally blurs the lines of gender in fashion. But various generations of New Orleanians have approached their own particular brand of gender-fluid fashion in completely different ways. We really need to pay homage to the people that came before me our ancestors, Severio says of gender-fluid dressing Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation. As late as the mid-20th century, New Orleanians were jailed for even approaching a form of gender-fluid fashion as part of the broader persecution of the LGBTQ community. In 1952 on Halloween night, 21 men were arrested because city ordinance 3121 prohibits a person from wearing clothing of the opposite sex in public, according to a story in The Times-Picayune at the time. The only exception for that rule, the city claimed, was for Fat Tuesday. Back in the day, the girls wouldnt even talk to the gays because theyd get clocked, Severio says, referring to people outing others gender and sexual identity. In that way, they would know their tea. The terms and gender identification from those days have evolved dramatically since the 1950s. "I think that gender fluidity, even though it's not really a new concept, is suddenly being talked about on a larger scale, designer Melanie Reupke says. And people don't really know what to do with that. Reupke, 37, spent her childhood poring over fashion magazines, playing dress-up and drawing, so it was only natural that she was drawn to fashion. A few years ago, Reupke found herself at a fashion show where Daquine, a non-binary drag princess, announced that The Material Institute of New Orleans was accepting new students. She jumped at the opportunity and has been with the institute for a year and a half. Reupkes inaugural collection, Dreamweaver, drew inspiration from elegant, drapey materials, showcased with male or non-binary models. She drew inspiration from pop culture icons and people who embody a genderless vibe. But she also made sure to keep it local by conversing with New Orleanians who operate outside of social norms. "Why does elegance and grace and beauty have to be attributed to a specific gender? Reupke says. I don't think it needs to. I want the clothes I design to be for everybody." With her own wardrobe, Reupke tends to sport thrift shop finds not super girly, she says, but not quite tomboy, either. She gravitates toward old Boy Scout shirts paired with cargo shorts, although she sometimes favors vintage dresses. Reupke describes her style as eclectic, choosing clothes based on what feels natural to her at a particular time she always dresses for herself. Sam Springston, a 33-year-old studio artist and drag queen, loves to dazzle in clothes that he selects and designs for himself. He describes his style as "trashionista meets body glover; a Kmart version of Leigh Bowery," and isn't subtle on his outfit details. Springston doesnt require a process when designing his outfits, per se. He simply thinks to dress as a person before anything else for him, its more about maintaining an aesthetic. Springston looks to more androgenous designers like Iris van Herpen, Manish Arora and Gareth Pugh. One could say that Gen-Z is fortunate to have had the boundaries of gendered fashion lowered by the generations before them, but theyre also trailblazing on their own. Niko Brown, a 15-year-old student at Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle-Orleans High School, draws her style from both goth and drag culture. She says its important to be able to outwardly project her interests and passions through clothing because it makes her feel complete. It also enables her to express herself in a platform she uses in her daily life. Typically, Brown prefers to contrast a tight article of clothing with a loose article for a balanced look. She suggests creating things that are "boxier" to hide the figure, noting some gender-fluid people aren't completely comfortable with tight-fitting, revealing clothing. And not all gender-fluid people present as gender-fluid. She says that designing gender-fluid and inclusive clothing calls for variance: it should include feminine, masculine, and gender-neutral aspects in its color palette, shape and overall design. Walker Argao, a 16-year-old student, also at Lycee, says he wears whatever makes him comfortable. He doesn't put much thought into his outfits but wears what he gravitates to in the moment. Although he describes a good bit of the clothes he wears as leaning more toward the masculine side, hes open to both clothes found in the female and male section. Fashion, for Argao, is such an everyday, basic way to show others another side of himself without the need to participate in something grandiose. "It's pretty surprising to see Mardi Gras fashion, Argao says. Not in a bad way; I like the chaotic nature of Mardi Gras fashion. It makes me feel proud to live in a city with all these awesome crazy people who make these extravagant costumes. New Orleans drag culture and Mardi Gras in particular certainly have had such a large impact on gender-fluid fashion across generations. Both have welcomed in the LGBTQ community and provide events and platforms for a diverse assortment of people to express themselves in unapologetic ways. Like the Bourbon Street Awards, for example, which dishes out prizes to the best in leather, group, and drag, among other categories. "This is kind of a mix between gender and sexuality, Springston says. Something along the lines of peacocks, male peacocks having the brightest feathers and like flying that plumage to flag what they're looking for. And I feel like that's something I resonate with in my fashion: trying to find that otherness, that flamboyancy in dress." Springston says he feels his drag helps him understand how he can push boundaries. Everyone has that right, and I think it's really beautiful because you see so many people walking down the street dressed so differently, Brown, the 16-year-old, says of New Orleans. Clothing can be a mask but it can also be a reflection of one's inner self. Severio looks back to his time growing up in rural Louisiana in the 1970s and 80s as a young, gay man a particularly painful time as he was the brunt of judgment and bullying during his time in school. I wasnt trying to be feminine, Severio says. I tried to be male, but there were even pictures of me in the yearbook where they labeled me as a girl. Severio thankfully had the guidance from an older generation in his big brother, a gay man 20 years his senior. His brother brought him to New Orleans, where he was introduced to drag culture and gay people, and he felt like there was a bit of salvation for him. It was such a different culture than what I grew up in, Severio says. There was one of everything and that was so cool for me. Despite his hardship growing up, Severio says that hes optimistic about the direction younger generations of New Orleanians are going in not just in terms of their open sexuality, gender and fashion sense, but also in their sense of identity as humans. Im hoping that with the internet, that their generation found freedom for themselves and acceptance, Severio says. I hope that the kids in the country dont have to go through what I went through. Just be yourself and live out loud. Spring Fashion 2021: Gen Z takes over, B-Mike's new clothing line, fashion tips from local celebs & more JRNOLA dives into the fads weve all come to embrace including athleisure, the rise of gender-fluid fashion, drag culture and the emergence and importance of supporting Black-owned clothing lines in New Orleans. [April 26, 2021] Ethereum Bond WISE Selects BSCstarter to Support BSC Token Launch April 26; Offers $START Community Exclusive Discount British Virgin Islands, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via Blockchain Wire) - BSCstarter (https://www.bscstarter.finance), the first community-focused fundraising platform for Binance Smart Chain (BSC), today announced the launch of the $WISB token, through an exclusive partnership with WISE (https://wisetoken.net/), an asset-backed cryptocurrency designed to be a highly secure store of value that can be staked to earn trustless interest, similar to an Ethereum bond. As part of the partnership, BSCstarter native token ($START) holders will receive first access to participate in the sale and receive an exclusive 10% discount. The sale will begin on April 26, 2021 at 2 pm EST (18:00 UTC). Cryptocurrency and decentralized finance are often associated with high volatility and new investors are concerned their assets are not secure. WISE offers a solution to this dilemma as the only ownerless, asset-backed crypto in DeFi with a truly unique model in that it is not pegged. To become a safe and price-protected store of value, $WISE is backed by Ethereum tokens (ETH) and $WISB will be backed by Binance tokens (BNB). As a result, $WISB moves with BNB as well as independently, circumnavigating fears of extreme volatility, whale manipulation, and bringing an unparalleled level of security. Recently, $WISE launched on Ethereum andraised a notable 55,900 ETH (valued today at approximately $142.5M) through a 50-day fair-launch presale. Ninety percent of the ETH raised was locked in the LP on Uniswap, rocketing WISE into the Top 10 Tokens, ranked by liquidity on Uniswap. WISE token is the ethical standard for all DeFi projects. It is a fairly launched, fairly distributed, fully decentralised, audited, crypto-backed and a highly liquid asset, said Lionel Iruk, Special Counsel at BSCstarter. The BSCstarter community is excited to support such an innovative project that also allows for exponential rewards. WISE aims to bring a highly liquid lending protocol to Binance Smart Chain. Token utility is already live and allows for staking lending/borrowing and liquidity provision, with more features to come including leveraged lending or collateral staking contracts for earning interest on long positions, and integration with Casper Labs, Polkadot, and Cardano. As the leading platform where the community votes which BSC projects to list using collective due diligence and Do Your Own Research (DYOR) skills, the BSCstarter community supports the best opportunities launching on Binance Smart Chain. In the last two weeks, the platform has funded NFT platforms in FomoLabs ($FOMO), and the revolutionary and renowned Wall Street Bets ($WSB) token launch. For information about how to participate in the $WISB IDO, view BSCstarters Medium post and visit the WISE website. About BSCstarter BSCstarter (https://www.bscstarter.finance) is the first community-driven launchpad for Binance Smart Chain (BSC), providing projects access to funding opportunities without the hassle of bureaucratic hurdles, complex KYC requirements and a manual selection process. BSCstarters solution allows the community to determine which projects to list using collective due diligence and DYOR skills. BSCstarter provides a decentralized fundraising platform as it was intended to be: community-driven, open and free with equal opportunity for all, ultimately empowering investors to filter through the messy landscape where rug pulls overshadow the potential of BSCs growing ecosystem. About WISE WISE (https://wisetoken.net/) is an innovative cryptocurrency designed to be a highly secure store of value that can be easily staked to earn trustless interest. Like bonds, certificates of deposit, and time deposit bank accounts, longer stakes provide higher yields. Media Contact: Transform Group, start@transformgroup.com Company Contact: BSCstarter Telegram Group, https://t.me/bscstarter [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] For Nigeria it was a double celebration as she joined the comity of nations to observe the 2021 World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21. It was noteworthy that Nigeria had substantial grounds to commemorate the day with the funfair it deserves. Creativity and innovation makes the world go round. Nature recognises innovation as a core aspect of human existence. From the beginning of creation, the combination of these two phenomena have continued to transform the universe from the rustic/traditional to the highly refined/modern today. In fact, without creativity and innovation, humanity will not be able to achieve any meaningful progress in the course of its existence. The growth of any nation is determined by the levels of creativity and innovation, because these two are the pillars of all human growth and development. Creativity helps to expand the scope of different human perspectives, generate a variety of ideas/innovations and provide the means for addressing societys numerous problems. It lays the foundation for the creation of something innovative and valuable for the benefit of all. Innovation is a vital element for the prosperity and economic growth of any nation. This means that a nation can only thrive when it innovates, invents and applies such resources to drive entrepreneurship for the creation of jobs and wealth. For Nigeria it was a double celebration as she joined the comity of nations to observe the 2021 World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21. It was noteworthy that Nigeria had substantial grounds to commemorate the day with the funfair it deserves. This years WC&ID fell within the week in which the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) marked its 20th anniversary as the agency responsible for development, regulation and implementation of Information Technology (IT) policy in the country. But instead of rolling out the drums, it was rather observed as a day of stocktaking. This was heralded by a press conference to observe the day while also assessing NITDAS contribution to the digital economy within the past 20 years. Apart from celebrating creativity and innovation, the day is also aimed to raise awareness on the importance of embracing these phenomena towards advancing the commonwealth and prosperity of Nigeria. Advanced economies of the world are known to be heavily driven by technology-innovation initiatives and policies, which are facilitating tremendous growth for its different sectors. Those economies are powered by market-creating innovations. These market-creating innovations stimulate entrepreneurship and commercialisation, thereby attracting investments and infrastructure for economic growth. Such innovations create new markets and profitable opportunities for citizens. The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, while enumerating the performance of the agency since its inception on April 18, 2001, reaffirmed the agencys commitment to the proliferation of Innovation-Driven Enterprises (IDEs) in the country. Kashifu said that: We are deeply committed to fostering digital innovation culture among Nigerians. We have several programmes and initiatives aimed at boosting the innovative capacity of our youths, which include catch-them-young programmes targeted at orienting Nigerian kids to become active players in the digital technology space. We are recalibrating our activities to focus on strengthening the innovation ecosystem, promoting the adoption of emerging technologies for sustainable development, digital job creation, and promoting Nigerian content development and adoption. At NITDA, we have identified innovation as a critical tool for implementing the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). We have taken bold steps to drive our nations prosperity by boosting digital innovation and entrepreneurship, he added. Several key initiatives supporting the innovation ecosystem are Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation Support (TIES) Scheme; Bridge to Mass Challenge Nigeria and MIT-REAP Abuja; as well as the Entrepreneurship Mentoring Initiative (EMI), for Nigerian innovators and entrepreneurs. Also, there are the Community Access Venues (CACs), Knowledge Access Venues (KAVs), Digital Capacity Building Centres (DCBCs), Digital Job Creation Centres (DJCCs), Digital Divide Bridging Centres (DDBCs), and Digital Economy Centres (DECs). Others are IT Infrastructure for Higher Institutions, Wide Area Network for Higher Institutions, Virtual Library, IT Innovation and Incubation Parks, IT Community Training Centres, IT Innovation Hubs, and IT Skills Acquisition and Computer-Based Testing Centres. Currently, the NITDA Academy for Research and Training is delivering online programmes for the benefit of women, people living with disabilities, the military and paramilitary, public officers, students, youth corps members, artisans, primary school children and others. ADVERTISEMENT So far, more than 2.5 million citizens have benefitted in different areas of IT training on software and hardware conducted in over 1,560 centres across the country. A minimum of two centres are located in each of the 774 Local Government Areas. Through the approval of its supervisory ministry, NITDA is coordinating the operations of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, established to position the country for the Fourth Industrial Revolution led by emerging technologies. Similarly, the Federal Governments commitment to fast-track digital entrepreneurship and job creation in the country is made manifest through the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDIEC), also under its purview. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, who has also served as a Director-General of the agency, saluted NITDA for its critical contributions to national development by providing the legal framework for the growth of IT and pioneering important projects in the sector. As part of the double celebrations, NITDA presented N10 million to five winners of the 2021 Creativity and Innovation Challenge, who emerged from 800 contestants that participated from all states of the federation and the FCT. Each of the five winners was rewarded with the sum of N2 million for their brilliant and novel ideas that could solve numerous problems in different spheres of human endeavour. As we celebrate two decades of NITDAs positive performance, it is hoped that the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy would further empower the agency to enable it successfully drive the diffusion of digital innovation across different sectors of the economy. Lastly, consistent collaborative engagements should be created among stakeholders in the IT sector to ameliorate cybersecurity threats and ensure safer cyberspace for users. Inyene Ibanga writes from Wuye District, Abuja. A YOUNG Cork woman whose father was shot dead is to seek a meeting with the Minister for Justice to call for rights for victimss families. Deirdre Coakley from Macroom is planning to write to the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, to request a meeting with her. It follows a letter she wrote to the minister last October, just days after a court hearing was told that the man who was accused of shooting her father Derry near Macroom town in October 2018 had died before entering a plea in the case. The late Gerard Lynch (68) from Curraheen, Raleigh North, Macroom, had been charged with the murder of the 60-year-old plant hire contractor at Curraheen, Raleigh North, between October 23 and October 24, 2018. A nolle prosequi was entered in the case last October when he died from a terminal illness before the case came to trial. Deirdre, aged 22, said she now wants to ensure her experience of the criminal justice system will help bring changes for other families. She is currently in her final year of college and said she will then be focusing on campaigning for changes for families like her own. She said: The pain that was caused will never be healed. I am doing this for my dad. I dont want other families to go through these horrendous feelings. She told The Echo: I want families to be able to give a victim impact statement even if the case is closed. No chance to read victim impact statement She had written a victim impact statement ahead of the trial she expected following her fathers death but she did not get the chance to read it because of the nolle prosequi being entered. She said: It would give a family the chance to feel that they are being listened to and it would give an insight into the impact the crime has left on them. She added: Mine is still there on my computer. She believes that a victim impact statement helps a family to give people a clear picture of who their loved one was before they became a statistic because of how they died. She is very thankful to Support After Crime Services in Cork for helping her to finalise her own victim impact statement, adding that she had just two days to write it. She recalls of her father: Dad thought me how to drive. He had such patience. She also wants an accused person, or their counsel, to be required to provide medical records to gardai if requested to do so, and believes that investigation files on cases should be accessible to families, particularly in situations where both the victim and the accused have died, to help bring closure to a family. Deirdre explains that because the case did not go to trial, she will never know exactly what happened to lead to her father being shot. She is also concerned about the length of time it takes for a case to come to trial, pointing out that the nolle prosequi in the case about her fathers death came two years after the shooting. Awaiting conclusion of inquest The Business Information Systems final year student is also concerned about the length of time it takes for cases to come to inquest, and says she is still waiting for the conclusion of her fathers inquest. The inquest was opened in April 2019, during which medical evidence was heard. The inquest was told Mr Coakley bled to death after he was shot in the left arm when dumping building rubble at a site at Curraheen, Raleigh North. Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the inquest that Mr Coakley died from haemorrhage and shock due to a single gunshot wound to the arm. The inquest was then adjourned until criminal proceedings concluded and has not since been reopened. Deirdre said: I am still waiting for the full inquest. It is another thing to get through. She recalls the opening of the inquest as horrendous, likening hearing her fathers injuries being listed out like a shopping list. She recalls having to wait for more than two days to be able to see her fathers body after his death and is still tormented by the memory of his body having to remain at the scene of the shooting for several hours. ICCL report critical of coronial process A recent report published by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, called Left Out In The Cold, was critical of the coronial process in Ireland and called for families to be placed at the centre of the process. It raised concerns about the lack of dedicated offices for coroners, and locations for inquests. It said: Required to live in the district to which they are appointed, coroners remain in post until they reach the age of 70. Except for Dublin and Cork, coroners do not have dedicated offices and in most circumstances inquests are held in public buildings, halls or hotels. The report outlined that not all families interviewed as part of the research were aware when they were attending their loved ones inquest that they could have legal representation at the hearing. The report also called for legal aid and counselling to be made available to the bereaved. This was welcomed by Deirdre Coakley who said that the accused are often granted free legal aid, while victims or victimss families have no such access. She elaborates: I never got the option of counselling with somebody trained in dealing with homicide events. Something like this consumes you losing such a huge figure in your life. As an only child, your parents are huge to you. The report from the ICCL has identified 52 recommendations, under a number of umbrella categories. In relation to families, the report recommends that there should be a consultation with bereaved families and a Charter for the Bereaved established which would clearly address their needs and rights. It also recommends the appointment of a Chief State Coroner and full-time Senior Coroners in each region; all coroners should have legal training and experience as a legal professional, and counselling to be made available to all staff, and they should be trained in trauma-informed practice. Recommendations of report The report has identified 52 recommendations, under a number of umbrella categories. Other recommendations include: Establish maximum acceptable time lapses at all stages, including for medical examinations, provision of information, and holding of inquests. The needs of families should be anticipated and provided for. Recommendations by juries should be followed up. There should be follow-up procedures where systemic failings are identified. Jury selection should be randomised. Director of the Cork-based Support After Crime Services, Sally Hanlon, welcomed the report and says there is a need to tighten the system when it comes to victims, including families affected by homicides. She explains: For people who are new to this, there is a lack of understanding about how the process works. Some people think that a murder case will be done in three or four months but it could take two years. And dates for court hearings can change too for example. She also said simple language is needed to help people understand the process better, given that most victims have never been involved in the criminal justice process before. My father should have felt great satisfaction in his role; he was, after all, avenging the gassing deaths of his cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, making men pay for the terror that haunted his parents. Yet, the shadow of his own familys lies quickly made him question the governments tactics. It turned out that the immigration trespasses of those who could have marched my great-grandparents to their deaths, from a legal perspective, were often not so different from those of my grandparents. Both were guilty of material misrepresentation. My father did not prosecute Nazis based on their wartime crimes, but rather because they had lied on immigration forms about their role in assisting in persecution of civilians. Never mind that many were low-level Nazi collaborators who faced death if they did not follow the sergeant in charge. The consequences of deporting someone labeled a Nazi to the Soviet Union, where many of those prison guards recruited from formerly Nazi occupied countries would have been returned, were not considered. Misrepresentation in visa and citizenship applications is a matter of U.S. immigration law, and few if any of the normal due process rights accorded to defendants in criminal trials apply, my father wrote in his memoir, Lies That Matter, which will be published next month. And so deportations to the U.S.S.R. followed by a firing squad were seen as not really punitive, as if lives were not at stake. To my father this was not justice: The immigration system did not take into consideration whether the punishment fit the crime. He left O.S.I. after 18 months. Make no mistake, my neoconservative father was no bleeding heart backer of open borders. In 1986, the year President Ronald Reagan provided permanent legal status for 2.7 million immigrants, my father left his job as senior counsel to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and moved to the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, but immigration does not appear in his writing on the period. I do remember a moment, a few years later, as we watched nightly news reporting on asylum seekers on boats coming from Haiti. We cant let them all in, said my father, as he explained the situation to me. Yet, in his later years, he identified increasingly with the plight of minors without legal status, brought to the United States like him under the cover of their parents lies. I was an illegal immigrant, he wrote in The Washington Post in 2017. I was little different from those who bear the designation dreamer today. It wasnt the first time he saw himself in these stories. A few years earlier, he took on the case of a Honduran asylum seeker acquaintance who maintained he would face extortion and execution by the local police if deported. My father lost the case, shocked by the lack of discretion judges have in immigration court and the overall chaos of the system. My father had come to recognize that in contrast to what so many of todays most vulnerable immigrants face, the system his family encountered ultimately supported them. He also knew intimately that lives are at stake. As my father warned us in his final writings, if the United States does not create a legal system for immigration that understands what desperation pushes people to do, and creates just responses, everyone loses. Daniela Gerson is an assistant professor of journalism at California State University, Northridge, and a co-founder of Migratory Notes, a weekly immigration newsletter. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. AN absolute gent is how Adrian McNamara, the late husband of Limericks Euro Millions winner Dolores McNamara, has been remembered. Mr McNamara, who was in his late 60s, passed away peacefully last Thursday morning at his son Lee's home. He was laid to rest in the new cemetery in the parish of Ogonnelloe on Saturday afternoon following a private funeral Mass in St Flannan's Church, Killaloe, at noon. A true gentleman, is how one person summed up Mr McNamara in the condolences section on the RIP website. Another used the words, an absolute gent. Heaven has gained an angel, wrote another acquaintance. Mr McNamara was also described as a very friendly neighbour. The McNamara family of Patricks Road in Limerick city became the focus of international media attention in 2005 when Dolores McNamara won 115 million from a 2 Quickpick ticket purchased at Garryowen Stores. It was the biggest lottery prize ever won in all of Ireland. It was also reported at the time that it was the first ever EuroMillions ticket Ms McNamara had purchased. The mother-of-six celebrated the news in her local pub at the time, The Track Bar near Limerick's greyhound stadium. Despite the public interest surrounding the family, Adrian McNamara had maintained a low profile since his wifes big win. A bricklayer by trade, Mr McNamara was recovering from a triple cardiac bypass operation at the time of the famous win. The father-of-six who resided in Lough Derg Hall, Killaloe in more recent years, had a keen interest in horses and got a great thrill when his seven-year-old mare, Carraig na gCapall, won the Tim Kelly Electrical Maiden Hurdle at Ballinrobe in 2007. Mr McNamara had been on the look-out at the time for a potential national hunt horse and after he bought Carraig na gCapall, he went to many meetings that the horse raced in. Apart from spending time with his family in Limerick and Clare, Mr McNamara also enjoyed his sun holidays in Turkey. Due to Covid-19 restrictions on gatherings in public spaces, only close family members were able to be inside in St Flannan's Church in Killaloe for the funeral Mass on Saturday afternoon. Mr McNamara was laid to rest in splendid spring sunshine following the Mass. Mr McNamara is sadly missed by his loving wife Dolores, sons Gary, Dean and Lee, daughters Dawn, Kim and Kevanne; grandchildren Nicole, Jadye, Luke, Katelyn, Rhys, Tori, Tegan, Lexi and Tiernan, son-in-law Jeffrey, daughters-in-law Michelle and Vicky; nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. May he rest in peace. Millions of Americans are not getting the second doses of their COVID-19 vaccines, and their ranks are growing. More than 5 million people, or nearly 8% of those who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, have missed their second doses, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is more than double the rate among people who got inoculated in the first several weeks of the nationwide vaccine campaign. Even as the country wrestles with the problem of millions of people who are wary about getting vaccinated at all, health authorities are confronting an emerging challenge of ensuring that those who do get inoculated are doing so fully. The reasons vary for why people are missing their second shots. In interviews, some said they feared the side effects, which can include flulike symptoms. Others said they felt that they were sufficiently protected with a single shot. Those attitudes were expected, but another hurdle has been surprisingly prevalent. A number of vaccine providers have canceled second-dose appointments because they ran out of supply or did not have the right brand in stock. Walgreens, one of the biggest vaccine providers, sent some people who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to get their second doses at pharmacies that only had the other vaccine on hand. Several Walgreens customers said in interviews that they scrambled, in some cases with help from pharmacy staff, to find somewhere to get the correct second dose. Others, presumably, simply gave up. LYNDON FRENCH/NYT From the outset, public health experts worried that it would be difficult to get everyone to return for a second shot three or four weeks after the first dose. It is no surprise that, as vaccines are rolled out more broadly, the numbers of those skipping their second dose have gone up. But the trend is nonetheless troubling some state officials, who are rushing to keep the numbers of partly vaccinated people from swelling. In Arkansas and Illinois, health officials have directed teams to call, text or send letters to people to remind them to get their second shots. In Pennsylvania, officials are trying to ensure that college students can get their second shots after they leave campus for the summer. South Carolina has allocated several thousand doses specifically for people who are overdue for their second shot. Mounting evidence collected in trials and from real-world immunization campaigns points to the peril of people skipping their second doses. Compared with the two-dose regimen, a single shot triggers a weaker immune response and may leave recipients more susceptible to dangerous virus variants. And even though a single dose provides partial protection against COVID, it is not clear how long that protection will last. Im very worried, because you need that second dose, said Dr. Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory panel. The stakes are high because there is only one vaccine authorized in the United States that is given as a single shot. The use of that vaccine, made by Johnson & Johnson, was paused this month after it was linked to a very rare but serious side effect involving blood clotting. Federal health officials on Friday recommended restarting use of the vaccine, but the combination of the safety scare and ongoing production problems is likely to make that vaccine a viable option for fewer people. The CDCs count of missed second doses is through April 9. It covers only people who got a first Moderna dose by March 7 or a first Pfizer dose by March 14. While millions of people have missed their second shots, the overall rates of follow-through, with some 92% getting fully vaccinated, are strong by historical standards. Roughly three-quarters of adults come back for their second dose of the vaccine that protects against shingles. In some cases, problems with shipments or scheduling may be playing a role in people missing their second doses. Some vaccine providers have had to cancel appointments because they did not receive expected vaccine deliveries. People have also reported having their second-dose appointments canceled or showing up only to find out that there were no doses available of the brand they needed. Some people can be flexible about being rebooked. But that is harder for people who lack access to reliable transportation or who have jobs with strictly scheduled hours, said Elena Cyrus, an infectious disease public health researcher at the University of Central Florida. Walgreens booked some customers for their second appointments at places that did not have the same vaccine that they had received for their initial doses. The company said it fixed the problem in late March. Susan Ruel, 67, was scheduled to get her two vaccine doses at different Walgreens stores in Manhattan. She said she got her first Pfizer dose without incident in February, but when she arrived for her second appointment, she was told that the store only had Moderna doses in stock. A Walgreens pharmacist told Ruel that there was another Walgreens pharmacy less than 2 miles away with Pfizer doses in stock. While Ruel was waiting for the subway to take her there, she got a phone call: That Walgreens store had run out of Pfizer doses, too. Ruel managed to get the Pfizer dose at yet another Walgreens the next day. But she said many people in her situation probably would not have tried so hard. All you need is hassles like this, she said. In the Chicago area, for example, pharmacists at two Walgreens locations said the problem was causing headaches. They said that Walgreens appointment system was sending each pharmacy anywhere from 10 to 20 customers a week who need a second Pfizer shot, even though both pharmacies stock only the Moderna vaccine. It is not clear how widespread the Walgreens dose-matching problem has been or how many people have missed their second doses because of it. Jim Cohn, a spokesperson for Walgreens, said that the problem affected a small percentage of people who had booked their appointments online and that the company contacted them to reschedule in alignment with our vaccine availability. He said that nearly 95% of people who got their first shot at Walgreens have also received their second shots from the company. Walgreens has also come under fire for, until recently, scheduling second doses of the Pfizer vaccine four weeks after the first shot, rather than the three-week gap recommended by the CDC. Pharmacists have been besieged by customers complaining, including about their inability to book vaccine appointments online. In other cases, though, access to vaccines is not the sole barrier; peoples attitudes contribute, too. Basith Syed, a 24-year-old consultant in Chicago, nabbed a leftover Moderna vaccine at a Walgreens in mid-February. But when the time came for his second shot, he was busy at work and preparing for his wedding. After the first shot, he had spent two days feeling drained. He did not want to risk a repeat, and he felt confident that a single dose would protect him. I didnt really feel the urgency to get that second dose, Syed said. By early April, his schedule had calmed down a little, and he went looking for a second Moderna shot. But by then, the Walgreens where he had gotten his first shot was only offering Pfizer shots. He could not find slots at other Walgreens stores. Syed is no longer actively looking for a second shot, though he still hopes to eventually get one. The CDC said there is limited data on the vaccines effectiveness when shots are separated by more than six weeks, although some countries, including Britain and Canada, are giving shots with a gap of up to three or four months. Syeds experience is part of a broader shift in Illinois. When vaccines were mostly being given to health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities and people older than 65, almost everyone was getting their second shots. In recent weeks, though, the number dipped below 90%, though it has since rebounded slightly, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. In Arkansas, about 84,000 people have missed their second shots, representing 11% of those eligible for those shots, said Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, the state public health researcher. Workers recently began calling people who are due or overdue for their second shots. College students pose a particular challenge. Many recently became eligible to be vaccinated and are getting their first shots, but they will have left campus by the time they are due for their second doses. In Pennsylvania, health officials have instructed vaccine providers to give second doses to college students even if they did not receive their first doses from that location. Some vaccine providers have put on special clinics for people who need a second dose. In South Carolina, the health system Tidelands Health started a program specifically for people who received their first Pfizer doses more than 23 days earlier but had not been able to find a second shot. The state health department sent the health system 2,340 doses for the effort. Demand has been strong, and Tidelands only has a few hundred doses left. The majority of takers have been people who were having difficulty navigating all the various scheduling systems and providers, said Gayle Resetar, the health systems chief operating officer. In many cases, vaccine providers had canceled second-dose appointments because of bad winter weather. It was up to the individual to reschedule themselves on a web portal or web platform, and that just became difficult for people, Resetar said. There are rare cases in which people are supposed to forgo the second shot, such as if they had an allergic reaction after their first shot. Zvi Ish-Shalom, a religious studies professor from Boulder, Colorado, had planned to get fully vaccinated. Then, an hour after his first shot of the Moderna vaccine, he developed a headache that has not gone away more than a month later. There is no way to know for sure whether the vaccine triggered the headache. But after weighing what he saw as the risks and benefits of a second dose, Ish-Shalom reached a decision about how to proceed. At this point in time, I feel very clear and very comfortable, given all the various elements of this equation, to forgo the second shot, he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. As India is witnessing a grave tussle with the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries have expressed their solidarity. A day after the United Kingdom (UK) announced to have dispatched hundreds of vital medical equipment to India, External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S Jaishankar paid his gratitude to UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab. Dr. Jaishankar held talks with the UK government official in relevance with ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Foreign Affairs Minister spoke of reviewing and strengthening bilateral agendas and cooperations between India and the UK. Thank Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab of U.K. for the call today. Discussed our cooperation to address different aspects of the COVID challenge. Also reviewed progress in our bilateral agenda. Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 26, 2021 In view of providing support to Indian medical infrastructure, earlier this week UK PM Boris Johnson had said, We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against COVID-19. Vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus." The first batch of life-saving equipment is due to arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday, followed by further shipments through the week. The UK government said its Department of Health and Social Care has worked closely with the National Health Service (NHS), as well as suppliers and manufacturers in the UK, to identify reserve medical equipment from surplus stocks that can be transported to India. Aforementioned, medical supplies which are currently in transit, have been described in the UK's official statement as oxygen concentrators that can extract oxygen from air in the atmosphere. This takes the strain off hospital oxygen systems and allowing oxygen to be provided in situations where hospital oxygen supplies have run out. The announcement came as India recorded another day of devastating COVID-19 figures, while hospitals continue to defy oxygen supply shortages. COVID-19 situation in India In the highest single-day spike, India on Monday reported 3,52,991 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the case tally to 1,73,13,163. While 2,812 people died of the virus, taking the death toll to 1,95,123. According to the health ministry, 14.19 crore vaccine doses have been administered till now. Earlier in the day, about 318 medical oxygen concentrators had arrived at Delhi from the United States of America. 2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning -- 4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS. We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover. We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come. After more than two weeks of delays and hundreds of hours of negotiations, sponsors of House Bill 1232, the Colorado Health Benefit Option Plan, are moving ahead with another new version of the bill. I would like to congratulate Gregory on his well-deserved retirement and thank him on behalf of my family for his extraordinary achievements. His leadership has been instrumental to our growth, and my family and I are forever grateful." - Frederic Rouzaud, President & CEO of Maison Louis Roederer Gregory Balogh will step down on June 30th, 2021 after 27 years at the helm of Roederer's US operations, including five Northern California wineries and Maisons Marques & Domaines (MMD USA), the Champagne house's distribution subsidiary. He will remain as Strategic Advisor to the Chairman and to the President/CEO until the end of 2022. Gregory steered the family-owned company's US operations since 1994, spearheading a growing imports and domestic portfolio, as well as strategic acquisitions in California. In 2019, Gregory received Wine Enthusiast's Importer of the Year award in San Francisco, the city he has called home for more than two decades. Guillaume Fouilleron, a 24-year company veteran and current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will step in on July 1st and take the position of President/CEO of MMD USA and CEO of Roederers US ventures. A consummate wine professional, Gregory started his career in Paris in the hospitality sector before moving to the wine industry, first as a young entrepreneur based in Oregon, and later a GM position at the largest negociant in Burgundy. He moved back to the US in 1994 to join MMD USA as VP of Marketing & Sales, becoming its CEO a few years later. His good nature, unstoppable energy and long-term vision combined with an exceptional business acumen have made for longstanding friendships and recognition in the wine industry. Frederic Rouzaud, President & CEO of Maison Louis Roederer and 7th generation of the family, commented: I would like to congratulate Gregory on his well-deserved retirement and thank him on behalf of my family for his extraordinary achievements. He joined us when our US company was still very young and smalltoday, it is one of the leading players in the super-premium and luxury categories. His leadership has been instrumental to our growth, and my family and I are forever grateful." Gregory Balogh added: I have been blessed with a great career in one of the very last industries where personal relationships still matter. I owe to my mentor Jean-Claude Rouzaud a lot of my expertise spanning viticulture to management, and I thank his son Frederic for his long-term vision and confidence in me to run their US operations with his unwavering support. I would like to extend to both of them and to my dedicated team my deepest gratitude for all these years together, growing a successful organization with strong enduring values. I wish them all, from the bottom of my heart, continued success and happiness in our wine world." Guillaume Fouilleron stated: I want to thank Frederic Rouzaud for giving me this opportunity. Our portfolio, centered on strong European and Californian appellations, complemented by Canadian ice wines and South African imports, brings a unique focus on quality, vineyard ownership and authenticity. Over the last year, in a challenging context, we have shown resilience and reinforced our strong partnerships with our major distributors. As we move towards a post-Covid environment, we are well-positioned to bring growth to all our suppliers and I am very enthusiastic about our prospects going forward. Maison Louis Roederer Originally founded in 1776, Champagne Louis Roederer continues as one of the very rare Champagne Houses to remain firmly in the hands of the same family since 1832. For three centuries, seven successive generations have been responsible for building a reputation for unparalleled quality and continuity. Its focus on meticulous viticulture, best demonstrated with an ongoing conversion to organic and biodynamic vineyards, as well as precise winemaking, account for the House's enduring excellence and success. Since 1990, Maison Louis Roederer has strategically acquired esteemed family-owned wineries with an approach centered around identical core values, long-term vision and continuity. Ramos Pinto (1990), Champagne Deutz and Delas Freres (1993), Chateau de Pez (1995), Domaines Ott (2004), Scharffenberger Cellars (2004), Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (2007), Merry Edwards Winery (2019) and Diamond Creek Vineyards (2020). Roederer has also established new ventures: Roederer Estate (1982) and Domaine Anderson (2012) and owns Descaves, an historic wine merchant on the Place de Bordeaux. Guillaume Fouilleron Guillaume Fouilleron began his career in New York working for the French Trade Office. After several years spent in financial consulting, he joined Roederers US operations as Chief Financial Officer when he was 29 years old. He was promoted to Executive Vice-President in 2010. Over the years, he took on various additional responsibilities: opening the New York office of Maisons Marques & Domaines in 2005, overseeing its sales in the North East markets from 2005 to 2013 and spearheading the growth of its Bordeaux portfolio. He also played a leading role in the various winery acquisitions of Louis Roederer in the US. Guillaume holds a Masters degree from LEcole Superieure de Commerce de Paris. The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry! Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now. Location: San Francisco, California A critical part of our vision of PlayStation as The Best Place to Play is to ensure that every member of our community should be able to enjoy positive online gaming experiences, free from discrimination, and without risk of being exposed to toxic behavior or inappropriate content. Accordingly, we are always hard at work on finding new ways to keep our community safe by continuing to invest in building out a best-in-class online safety platform. At the same time, were always striving to create a diverse and versatile team within a learning and supporting environment, where every team member is empowered to do their best work. The Role The Senior Product Manager for Online Safety will be responsible for leading the definition of product requirements and deliverables for our online safety and moderation products to help realize our ambition to be the worlds most safe and friendly gaming environment. Responsibilities Develop requirements for new online safety features, products, tools and services for PlayStation, working with stakeholders and partners across the global business. Work with customer support and moderation team to understand the needs and provide strategic directions for online safety. Work with PlayStation product teams to guide and ensure online safety features/initiatives are integrated appropriately across all PlayStation experiences. Work with design teams to create solutions that are compelling, easy to use, and realistic to implement. Work with engineering teams to ensure we build the right thing and ship it at the right time. Work with corporate Legal team to understand the safety regulation landscape and decide on the product approach together with different partners. Articulate business and consumer rationale to the teams building the product. Prioritize features based on product strategy and global business goals Maintain and communicate the roadmap for your features and product Understand how your product is used in market, based on customer feedback, research and data, feeding back into future requirements and product roadmap Communicate the competitive landscape as it affects PlayStation and its social strategy in particular Required Qualifications & Experience 5+ years experience in product planning / management capacity Confirmed experience building phenomenal online safety products or working to build safe online communities Strong knowledge of the regulatory landscape around online safety Understand specific challenges to online safety seen in the online gaming domain. Ability to absorb and make decisions based on many different types of information (quantitative and qualitative user/consumer/market research, technical and design trade-offs and schedule implications). Great communication skills to articulate specification detail, strategic rationale, and everything in between. Attention to detail. Excellent people skills, with compassion to listen, communicate and identify problems and opportunities from all angles. When appropriate, ability to travel to Japan, UK, and other PlayStation locations for collaboration with partners and other product/engineering teams. BA/ BS Degree or equivalent Interested? Apply now. About the Gamasutra Job Board Whether you're just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what's out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers. Gamasutra's Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A. Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here. She is never shy showing off her youthful figure in sizzling ensembles. And Carol Vorderman was at it again on Monday as she took to Instagram to share a racy throwback snap of herself posing in yet another tiny piece of swimwear. The former Countdown star, 60, put on a very busty display in a skimpy Welsh Dragon bikini top for the sizzling mirror selfie, which she'd taken two years earlier, Goodness! Carol Vorderman was at it again on Monday as she took to Instagram to share a racy throwback snap of herself posing in yet another tiny piece of swimwear with Welsh Dragons Carol captioned the 2019 throwback photo with: 'Maybe it's time to get this one out now that I'm home #WelshDragon #BikiniRummaging.' The presenter's late mother Edwina hailed from Wales and Carol regularly shows her support for Welsh team Dragons Rugby. Carol, who was 58 when she posed for the raunchy image, lives in Bristol although she also owns a property in Wales, the star is currently enjoying a getaway to Pembrokeshire. Cheeky! The former Countdown star, 60, put on a very busty display in the sizzling mirror selfie, which had been taken in 2019 Getaway: Carol lives in Bristol although she also owns a property in Wales, the star is currently enjoying a getaway to Pembrokeshire Taking to Instagram to share updates from her trip, the TV star revealed that she was staying in a yurt while she later shared a picture of a lavish balcony overlooking the sea. Carol shared her love for the country after growing up in North Wales and that returning after lockdown restriction eased had filled her heart to 'bursting point'. She penned: 'Good morning gorgeous peeps from Wales. Finally after the lockdown has been lifted slightly, I could come home. Idyllic: Taking to Instagram to share updates from her trip, the TV star revealed that she was staying in a yurt Happy: Carol shared her love for the country after growing up in North Wales and that returning after lockdown restriction eased had filled her heart to 'bursting point' Alright for some! Carol later shared a picture of a lavish balcony overlooking the sea 'I grew up in North Wales and to see the sea and the mountains and the cows and sheep and green green grass (cue @realsirtomjones ).....it fills my heart to bursting point. 'I've always been "a morning girl" so I was up early again this morning to catch another dawn. The full moon was large and yellow in the sky and was setting #MOONSET while the sun came up Bright and SHINY #SUNRISE. 'Only me on this beach at dawn.....it's ALWAYS worth getting up early.... Have a lovely day everyone.' Dewch ymlaen Cymru! The presenter's late mother Edwina hailed from Wales and Carol regularly shows her support for Welsh team Dragons Rugby (pictured earlier this year) Carol has treated her fans to some of her bikini snaps in the past and previously shared a throwback photo taken 12 years ago where she likened herself to Gwyneth Paltrow. Alongside it, she wrote: 'Sunbathing on Earth. Gwyneth Paltrow... pic when I was 46 on one of my favourite holidays.' The former Better Homes presenter's now famous curves have made headlines in the past. Speaking recently on Good Morning Britain, Carol revealed that she was 'shocked' when pictures of her sensational physique 'went everywhere' as she was quizzed about the snaps by host Susanna Reid. Stunning: Carol has treated her fans to some of her bikini snaps in the past and previously shared a throwback photo taken 12 years ago where she likened herself to Gwyneth Paltrow Discussing the snaps, Carol said: 'I had a very long breakfast with the boss.... it went everywhere that was a bit of a shocker, I hadnt put makeup on in ages.' It comes after the former Countdown star put on a very busty display in a beige bikini as she made the most of the UK's warmer weather last week. Carol looked incredible in the two-piece which she wore under a brown sarong while beaming at the camera. The beauty was looking ready for summer in a pair of huge gold-tinted sunglasses as she soaked the rays. She captioned the sizzling post: 'Happy SUN-day.....I can't wait for summer ......I think it's going to be one to remember!' At it again! It comes after the former Countdown star put on a very busty display in a beige bikini as she made the most of the UK's warmer weather last week Carol recently received her first coronavirus vaccine at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol last month. The broadcaster lauded the staff and volunteers for their hard work and meticulous organisation. In a lengthy Instagram post, the TV star wrote: 'I've had my vaccine jab this morning. This was so well organised and really quite an emotional experience. Glowing: Carol looked incredible in the two-piece which she wore under a brown sarong while beaming at the camera Excited: She captioned the sizzling post: 'Happy SUN-day.....I can't wait for summer ......I think it's going to be one to remember!' 'From the smiley lady directing people in the car park and putting everyone at ease to the volunteers and staff at @ashtongatestadium Bristol. 'A huge coincidence happened tho. I love chatting and was blathering away to the wonderful Dr Susan Clompus who gave me my jab. And it turns out we were at school together HUNDREDS of Miles away in Rhyl, North Wales. 'I went to her brother's birthday party and apparently I was a very nice Prefect cos I didn't tell anyone off... oh I do love this world'. (sic) She won the prize for the best director and best film with Nomadland. She is the second woman to ever win Best Director award. Chinese netizens: she is "the light of China". The boycott and censorship of Beijing. Los Angeles (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Chloe Zhao triumphed yesterday at the Oscars. Born in Beijing, educated in Great Britain and residing in the US, the 39-year-old director won the award for best director and the one for best film with the film "Nomadland". Zhao is the second woman to ever win the Oscar for best director: the first was the American Kathryn Bigelow 11 years ago. In her acceptance speech, she recited the first passage of a classical Chinese poem (San Zi Jing): "When they are born, men are good by nature". Her tribute to the culture of her country of origin was widely appreciated byChinese netizens. Some users of the Weibo social network celebrated her as "the light of China". Positive reactions towards her were not taken for granted in China. Chinese authorities boycotted the Oscars ceremony, banning its broadcast. They contested the nomination of the documentary "Do not split", which chronicles the violence suffered by democracy protesters in Hong Kong in 2019. Zhao herself is not in the good graces of the Beijing regime. Referring to her early years in China, in 2013 she said she grew up in a society where "there were lies everywhere". Because of this comment, the Chinese authorities censored and pulled the Nomadland film from cinemas. Thousands of livers donated for transplantation are discarded or turned down every year due to concerns about organ quality and function. New insights into why these organs are considered unusable and how they function during external perfusion could help save lives by greatly increasing the number of livers that are transplantable. After a liver is removed from a donor's body, it undergoes a process known as perfusion which flows blood or a blood replacement though the organ's blood vessels to keep them open and active before the transplantation surgery. "Our new findings will allow us to design therapies that could be used during external perfusion to improve the quality of organs so that these livers can be transplanted instead of being discarded," said Jennifer Sanders, PhD, from Rhode Island Hospital. "This could potentially increase the number of transplantable livers by hundreds to thousands per year." Sanders will present the research at the American Society for Investigative Pathology annual meeting during the virtual Experimental Biology (EB) 2021 meeting, to be held April 27-30. The work was conducted through a collaboration between the Organ Preservation Laboratory in the Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Sanders' laboratory in the Department of Pediatrics at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University. Siavash Raigani, MD, a surgical resident at Massachusetts General Hospital and Anders Ohman, a graduate student at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, led the study. Previous research has studied the function of livers in animals such as mice or rats, but newer machine perfusion technology that keeps livers alive for longer outside the body allowed the researchers to directly study human livers. "This is the first study to closely examine the gene expression and response mechanisms in a group of human livers undergoing perfusion outside the human body," said Sanders. "This is a significant advance because it will allow us to more rapidly translate our research findings into usable treatments for patients awaiting organ transplantation." For the new study, the researchers perfused 12 human livers with oxygen, blood and nutrients using an external perfusion device that mimics the human body's circulation. They then compared livers from donors with fatty liver disease to those without. "When we examined the differences in gene expression during perfusion, we found that both types of livers had similar responses," said Sanders. "This was unexpected, since the prevailing opinion is that fatty livers behave differently than non-fatty livers." The researchers also found that being perfused outside the body introduced injury in the livers that activated self-repair mechanisms that allowed the liver to heal and continue functioning. Based on their findings, the researchers are testing an experimental drug therapy to see if it can be used during external perfusion to improve the function and quality of livers originally turned down for transplant. If the new drug therapy is successful in livers that would otherwise be discarded, the researchers plan to begin a clinical trial to test the efficacy of the drug in a transplant setting. Jennifer Sanders will present the findings in poster R4157 (abstract). This work will be featured in a virtual press conference from 1-1:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 26 (RSVP by Friday, April 23). Contact the media team for more information or to obtain a free press pass to access the meeting. Image available. ### About Experimental Biology 2021 Experimental Biology is an annual meeting comprised of thousands of scientists from five host societies and multiple guest societies. With a mission to share the newest scientific concepts and research findings shaping clinical advances, the meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity for exchange among scientists from across the United States and the world who represent dozens of scientific areas, from laboratory to translational to clinical research. http://www. experimentalbiology. org #expbio About the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) ASIP is a society of biomedical scientists who investigate mechanisms of disease. Investigative pathology is an integrative discipline that links the presentation of disease in the whole organism to its fundamental cellular and molecular mechanisms. ASIP advocates for the practice of investigative pathology and fosters the professional career development and education of its members. http://www. asip. org Vaccination against coronavirus among the edlerly in Spain is beginning to pay off. For weeks hospitals have been detecting a significant decrease in the average age of patients admitted with Covid-19. The immunity achieved in care homes and among those over 80 years of age, the first vaccinated groups, has changed the profile of hospitalised patients. This is claimed by the two main hospitals in Malaga: the Regional (formerly the Carlos Haya) and the Virgen de la Victoria (Clinico). Patients are now younger, with an average age of 60, and have less severe clinical diagnoses say the doctors. This does not mean that the virus has lost virulence, but rather, being younger, people who are admitted with the infection have fewer previous health problems and recover more quickly. But there is still an age range that worries doctors: the group between 60 and 80 years old, who are still considered at risk due to their age and the low percentage fully protected against the disease. Their vaccinations began a few weeks ago and they are far from reaching the immunity offered by the two doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna. A medical expert said that proof that vaccines work is that now the majority of the elderly admitted for coronavirus had decided not to be vaccinated. Jose Luis Velasco, deputy medical director of the Clinico explained, "Over 80 years old, we only have six patients and they were not vaccinated." Of the 15 patients in hospital with Covid-19 over the age of 70, 14 had not received the vaccine: "When you discuss it with them, they tell you that they had fears and that is why they had not been vaccinated". Currently the age group with the highest percentage of admissions corresponds to people between 70 and 79 years old, for whom the vaccination campaign has just started: "The average age has dropped a lot, and it continues to fall," said Velasco. The deputy medical director said, Now the elderly don't come from care homes, and the infection rate among health workers has also dropped a lot. The vaccine is the way out of the pandemic, but we still have to protect ourselves. He added, There is still a long way to go to reach herd immunity, with the goal of vaccinating at least 70 per cent of the adult population, but the end of the epidemic no longer seems like a pipe dream. Marcial Delgado, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Regional Hospital, also said, "We see that when the vaccination campaign is extended to a certain group, the hospital admissions of that group drop a lot." "Age is the main risk factor. The older you are the more likely it is that the disease will complicate things. Many of the older age groups are already vaccinated. That is why the risk of death has decreased, because the patients are younger and have fewer previous pathologies. Delgado said that the vaccines "reduce the risk of infection by up to 95 per cent and above all makes it milder and even asymptomatic and they are so effective that, eventually, the virus will no longer be a problem. But, until that longed-for moment arrives, we will have to continue protecting ourselves as before. Incredible Pictures Show UKs 2nd-Largest Secondhand Bookshop That Has 100,000 Books A series of incredible pictures show one of the United Kingdoms largest secondhand bookshops, which houses around 100,000 books inside an 18th-century church. Charles Leakey, 69, opened Leakeys bookshop in 1979 after falling in love with a secondhand bookshop he worked at in Birmingham. The university graduate who studied history in college was an assistant at the shop. It was a rare and intoxicating period of my life which I got great pleasure from, Charles said. I found it endlessly fascinating to be working in the book shop and see how it all happened. Charles moved to Scotland in 1976 and started selling books in a small shop. In 1993, the avid reader noticed the church premises in Inverness, Scottish Highlands, was up for sale, and right then he knew it would make for a fantastic bookshop. Charles now has 100,000 books ranging from fiction to art and history. The prices of his books are from 5 pounds (approx. US$7) to 25 pounds (approx. US$35) and he sells each paperback for half the price of the new one. We are without doubt Scotlands largest secondhand book shop, Charles said. Charles also houses rare books in his library but states that he doesnt put some of them out on the open shelves as they are fragile, and very valuable. He is also not keen on selling his rare books, saying: I think I would rather have them than the money I would make from selling them, its nice to keep a hold of precious once-in-a-lifetime items. Charles believes he has an inborn aptitude for the business as it all worked out really well in the end and he enjoys it now as much as he used to back in the past. Despite the advent of technology, Charles has not been concerned about the future of printed books, as they have never been under threat to the likes of Kindles, he believes. Around 15 years ago people predicted the internet and digital books would see the demise of the printed word, but it hasnt transpired, Charles said. Books are a proven technology in themselves and are beautiful objects to hold and have. I have always been and remain confident about the future of books. Charles also stresses the importance of literature. Literature illuminates lives, if youre reading good books its teaching you about life, he said. There are enormous benefits in reading, especially for young people. Due to the lockdown, Charles said his business has been impacted. However, since the beginning of the pandemic, online sales have quadrupled, and he predicts the internet success will continue. I am now selling four times as many books online as I was pre-COVID and I would expect that to continue, Charles said. He said that the summer tourism season was hugely affected but now he is looking forward to opening the doors of the secondhand bookshop once again on April 26. As for what the future holds, the father of two who has managed the business for 42 years has no plans of slowing down. He hopes to hand over the family business to his sons whenever he retires. I am still going strong and planning to carry on, but my two sons are involved in the shop so I am very pleased to know it will continue in the family, Charles said. Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter When Jason Beecher and his wife Chris were seeking out ideas for a food truck, he immediately thought of pretzels. Its hard to find a good pretzel, and a lot of breweries dont serve food, said Beecher, who is based in Wyoming, Michigan, and started Beechers Pretzels for takeout and catering in 2018, then opened the food truck in May of 2020. With nearly 400 breweries in Michigan, and not many pretzel food trucks in the area, he saw an advantage and a point of differentiation. Plus, who doesnt love a good pretzel with a Michigan-made beer? They both have a pronounced malty flavor, and the coarse crunchy salt enhances both the pretzel and the beer flavors, said Beecher, who studied at the prestigious Johnson & Wales University and has a masters degree in food science from North Carolina State University. Im sure people also like carbs to help absorb their beer. In honor of National Pretzel Day, which is today, April 26, Beecher is setting up from 4-6 p.m. at Burlingame Dip, 3555 Burlingame Ave. SW, in Wyoming. He says for pretzels and ice cream, which is another great pairing. With a history dating back centuries ago, pretzels got their start in the Catholic Church, according to nationaltoday.com. Sometime around the 7th Century A.D., monks presented their students with treats of baked dough twisted in the shape of crossed arms, they said, and it was perfect for Lent. What makes a good pretzel? A good pretzel requires a healthy dose of art and science, said Beecher, who makes his pretzels the traditional German way, dipped in an alkaline soda bath. When you look at a great pretzel, you see the rich mahogany color, with some sheen to it, generously sprinkled with coarse white salt that livens up each bite. The pretzel aromatics and how they are characterized is fascinating. But its a challenge because changes in temperature and humidity make a big impact on baking, he said. It takes experience to look at a piece of dough and understand where it is in its lifespan, he said. ...Much of this is learned through a lot of practice over time. Jason and Chris Beecher of Beecher's Pretzels in Wyoming, MichiganProvided by Arianna Pepper/A. Pepper Photography and Design Beecher is one of many places making great pretzels in Michigan. We looked back at some of our travels for Michigans Best and identified some of the essential pretzels to try the next time youre out and about. Some of these places are not open today, but, heck any day can be National Pretzel Day! 10 Great Pretzels in Michigan The famous pretzel at Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, Michigan, is available at all of its restaurants, including Michigan on Main, as well as The Bake Shop.Provided by Amy Zehnder-Grossi/Bavarian Inn Bavarian Inn, Frankenmuth A top 10 pick for Michigans Best Pie (2014), as well as a finalist in for Best Fried Chicken (2016), the Bavarian Inn Restaurant knows a thing or two about pretzels. What makes them so good? Pretzels really consist of very simple ingredients, but our recipes secret ingredient is our special Bavarian Inn Dark Beer, said general manager Amy Zehnder-Grossi. The 7 oz. pretzel is served with their Bavarian Inn Franconian Mustard, sweet Bavarian Mustard or a cheddar cheese sauce. They are baked fresh daily and available in the Bake Shop, as well as bar and dining rooms. We bake them in small batches throughout the day so that they are always fresh, she added. National Pretzel Day: Buy 2 Bavarian Pretzels, Get One Free or enjoy a Michigan Craft Beer and large pretzel with cheese at the Michigan on Main Bar and Grill for $10. More info at bavarianinn.com/dine or facebook.com/MichiganonMain Beecher's Pretzels is a food truck in West Michigan that features great pretzels.John Gonzalez Beecher Pretzels Food Truck, Wyoming Jason and Chris Beecher, as well as daughters Corrina and Stella, have been busy building the food truck business since opening last May. Jason Beecher said a a good pretzels color and aroma should be indistinguishable. This is because pretzels are dipped in an alkaline soda solution that accelerates browning and helps to release an abundance of wonderful aromatic compounds that do not develop in regular bread, he said. You can get a beer cheese with his, but its not needed. A great pretzel can be thoroughly enjoyed naked (no salt), or salted, or in any number of ways, but good pretzels can also stand on their own. At the same time, pretzels make great sandwich carriers where mustard might make a lot of sense. Cheese dip has become customary and tastes pretty good, so we always have cheese dip. Sometimes we will make the cheese dip with any. number of different local beers and even cider. Guests to Farmhaus Cider in Hudsonville love the cider cheese dip. He added that pretzels are also great with butter, sliced cheeses and meats, and more. National Pretzel Day: Open 4-6 p.m. at Burlingame Dip, 3555 Burlingame Ave. SW, in Wyoming. Learn about Beechers Pretzels at beecherspretzels.com or at instagram.com/beecherspretzels. Cedar Springs Brewery in Cedar Springs, Michigan, is known for having a great pretzel.Provided by Dave Ringler Cedar Springs Brewery, Cedar Springs On our searches for Best New Brewery, Best Fried Chicken and Best Fries, Cedar Springs Brewery is one of those breweries that does everything well. Its no surprise they would also excel at pretzels, too. Owner Dave Ringler is a history buff, so if you ever run into him, be sure to ask him any question about the brewing process or history of German beer. Hes faster than Google: Pretzels date to the 7th century, some tales originating in Italy, where the shape and ingredients had religious connections, as symbolizing the cross, marriage connections, treats for children (appearing as if arms were crossing in prayer), and the ingredients - water, flour, and salt - were acceptable during Lent, he said without thinking. He added: Monestaries also were the beer makers of the dark ages, and it is no mystery that a sweet and malty beer pairs wonderfully with a salty pretzel. He said they use soda water to create a nice, lightly crunchy crust and a soft, chewy inside that is dense, without being heavy. Theres a certain flavor to an authentic Bavarian pretzel that just doesnt exist in modern, hard pretzels or the soft, chewy fast food pretzels that always leave you wanting just a little bit more...and pair wonderfully with a Kusterer Bier by Cedar Springs. They use an authentic, imported German Mittlescharfer Senf (or medium mustard) and an herbed butter to compliment their pretzel. They also do a creamier version of Obatzda, which is a southern German-style cheese spread. Their pretzel is just over one pound. Open Noon-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and Noon-8 p.m. Sunday. More info at csbrew.com. Read: Michigans Best New Brewery: Our Top Ten revealed The pretzel at Crust in Fenton, Michigan.Provided by Lauren Gruber/Crust Crust, Fenton Our pick for Michigans Best Bakery in 2018, Crust is known for having some of the sates best pastries, as well as doughnuts, breads, sandwiches, beingets, pies and pretzels, of course. They use traditional artisan techniques to shape and bake the pretzels, said employee Autumn OConnor. Theyre made fresh each day, but they sell out quickly, so get them early. In addition to their huge carnival size pretzel, which you can order with a side of cheese, customers can get pretzel knots topped with everything seasoning and served with mustard or cheese, or the fan favorite, a hand-craved turkey sandwich with applewood-smoked bacon, barbecue sauce, fresh red onions, and Vermont cheddar cheese, and served on a homemade pretzel bun. The sandwich is served in the restaurant everyday until 4 p.m. Closed Mondays. Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. More info at crustandbeyond.com/menu. The King Kong pretzel at D'Angelo's in Bay City is 1 1/2 pounds.Provided by Kellie Berry/D'Angelo's DAngelos, Bay City Most recently a Top 10 pick for Michigans Best Burger, DAngelos has been a longtime favorite of Michigans Best. Whether its wings, pizza, burgers or Vegan items, they always deliver quality and creativity. Now, add King Kong, a 1 1/2-pound pretzel ($12) that includes nacho cheese, ranch and mustard or peanut butter and chocolate to the list. We put it on the menu about a year ago, said Berry, who runs the restaurant with her partner/owner David Baranowski. We sell out of them every week. Last time I advertised it we sold over 100 of them in three days. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and only open for dinner as we no longer have enough staff to be open for lunch, she said. In a recent article with MLives Amy Sherman, the couple shared their challenges of operating a restaurant during Covid-19, and Baranowskis need for a kidney transplant. Berry is his kidney donor. He was officially approved for transplant, she said in an update. We go back for my testing the first of June . (Its) taking longer than we anticipated. The restaurant is expected to be closed for a month at the time of the surgery. Its open now. Learn more at dangelostakeout.com or facebook.com/1305ColumbusAveBayCity. READ: Well-known Bay City restaurant couple to undergo transplant: shes giving him a kidney READ: These are the 10 best burgers in Michigan In addition to great doughnuts, DJ's Bakery in Ann Arbor, Michigan, makes some absolutely fabulous pretzels, and ham and cheese buns. DJs Bakery, Ann Arbor A Top 10 pick Michigans Best Doughnut, owner Kim Yam is well known in the area for making great doughnuts, dating back to the early 90s when she and husband/baker Saing Yam owned the Dexter Bakery in Dexter. It was there they learned to make pretzels from the former owner, who had a German recipe. She makes them every day, including a popular ham and cheese stuffed pretzel that made Amy Shermans list of the Top 21 things to eat in 2021. I couldnt agree more. Ive almost made the drive from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor to try that ham and cheese pretzel sandwich. Sherman said in her post: Kim brought out her famous pretzels to try, and they are top of the line. She said many people will order them by the dozen for U of M tailgates. She also brought out her ham and cheese stuffed pretzel, and we gobbled it down. Tender golden pretzel dough gets wrapped around salty ham and cheddar cheese. You can order these cold, or they are ready to grab and go hot, with the cheese melted and oozing. Open seven days a week. More info at facebook.com/djsbakeryAA. READ: These are the best doughnuts in Michigan: A bakers dozen of winners The pretzel at Five Shores Brewery in Beulah, Michigan, has been a popular item on the menu.Provided by Oliver Roberts Five Shores Brewery, Beulah Co-owner and brewer Oliver Roberts said they wanted to offer a house-made pretzel when they opened a year ago, but with Covid-19, and struggles with operating a kitchen, they opted to find one they liked from a provider. Their German-style pretzel has been been a big hit with customers. Its a hand-crafted pretzel with an earthy rye flavor, he said. Its coated with everything bagel seasoning and served with spicy brown or yellow mustard. You can get a side of craft beer cheese for an extra cost. Current hours are 3-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 3-9 p.m. Friday, 1-9 p.m. Saturday, and 1-7 p.m. Sunday, but will expand in the summer. Five Shores made my list of Top 10 beers in 2020. Learn more at facebook.com/fiveshores. Read: Gonzos Top 10 Michigan beers of 2020 Nantucket Baking Co. in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is known for having one of the state's best pretzels.John Gonzalez Nantucket Baking Company, Grand Rapids Our No. 2 for Michigans Best Bakery in 2018, Nantucket Baking Co. offers a little bit of everything, including about 12 varieties of artisan breads each day. The top-selling San Francisco Sourdough takes four days to make, but is a great example of quality. Its the same attention to detail that makes their pretzels some of the best in the state. The soft German pretzels are dipped in a food grade lye solution for maximum color and flavor. You cant find these anywhere in Grand Rapids but here, they say online. Although they are open daily from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., pretzels are available Thursday through Sunday beginning about 9 a.m. Pre-orders are available for your convenience. More info at nantucketbaking.com/products/bread/pretzels. READ: Michigans Best Bakery: Our Top 10 revealed Twist in Detroit is known for its twist pretzel, this one topped with sesames. It is open on the weekend's at Olin Bar & Kitchen, in Parker's Alley behind Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit.Provided by Holly McClain/Twist Twist, Detroit Since opening in September of 2020, Twist Pretzels in downtown Detroit has gained an intense following for it tasty flavor and distinctive twist presentation, said owner Holly McClain. The shape of our pretzel is super unique, she told MLive. Each pretzel is hand rolled into three sections and then hand braided. This shaping is not only beautiful, but eats very light and fluffy because of the braid and the style of the dough. Open as a concept off the side of her Olin Bar & Kitchen in Parkers Alley, behind Shinola Hotel, she said she always wanted to open a restaurant in Detroit. The location of our space was perfect to add this additional concept off of the alley, adding that warm soft pretzels have always been something that I have loved, and my two little girls love them as well. Currently they offer their twist original soft pretzel with sea salt, a sesame and sea salt pretzel, a cinnamon sugar pretzel, and a truffle pretzel. Dipping sauces include beer cheese, grain mustard, sweet and sour mustard, and veggie cream cheese. It is a traditional Bavarian pretzel with a a slow fermentation with a wheat and rye base, she said. It is a high hydration with a fast cooking time, which yields a very soft texture. She feels a great soft pretzel is warm, with a soft texture, with delicious dips to accompany. I feel like our distinct and beautiful shape only adds to the experience. In addition to pretzels, customers can also order cocktails to go. Open only Friday-Sunday. More info at facebook.com/twistpretzelsdetroit or olindetroit.com. The Village Baker in Spring Lake, Michigan, is known for having a great pretzel. The Village Baker was a pick for Michigan's Best Bakery in 2018.John Gonzalez Village Baker, Spring Lake We met Sara Rathbun and Oran Rankin in 2018 on our search for Michigans Best Bakery. Immediately we were impressed with their scratch kitchen cafe on one side, and quality baked goods on the other side, all in the small town of Spring Lake. The have a tasty pizza, too. The breads are so good that each day fans rush in to check a huge variety of offerings. But we left impressed with that pretzel. We are stating right here that Village Baker makes the best soft pretzel in the state, wrote Amy Sherman in her story about Michigans Best Bakery. They pretzels are so popular that in the summer they can twist, by hand, more than 1,000 a day. Overall, Village Baker was our No. 5 pick as best bakery. Closed Mondays, they are open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and Saturday; 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday; and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Learn more at villagebaker.us. READ: Michigans Best Bakery: Our Top 10 revealed Did we miss your favorite pretzel? Do you want to tell us about more Michigans Best foods, craft beverages and destinations? Were always looking for ideas and future searches. Email us: John Gonzalez: gonzo@mlive.com Amy Sherman: asherma2@mlive.com Chicken and waffles is the the No. 2 seller at Lula's Louisiana Cookhouse in Owosso, Michigan. Lula's top menu item is fried chicken, which was picked by John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman as Michigan's Best in 2016. Lula's plans to reopen on June 12, 2021.Provided by John Beilfuss More Michigans Best Chicken and waffles go beyond brunch, get creative Michigan-based hot sauce goes bananas Taste the Dragons Share with these new barrel aged seltzers This Michigan beer celebrates Black-owned businesses, family A beer 10 years in the making will be a first from Virtue Cider Build-your-own BBQ bowl food truck debuts this weekend Northern Michigan brewery closes its kitchen: We are all bummed to abandon such a killer menu Michigans first gluten-free brewery to open this summer Follow our Michigans Best adventures on social media: @mlivemibest on Twitter @mlivemibest on Instagram Facebook at MLiveMIBest. Join in by using the hashtag #mibest. Our current search is for Michigans Best Vacation Spot. In addition: Amy Sherman is on Twitter @amyonthetrail, as well as Facebook and Instagram @amyonthetrail. John Gonzalez is on Twitter @michigangonzo, as well as Facebook and Instagram @MichiganGonzo. Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov, Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk and Verkhovna Rada Deputy Chairwoman Olena Kondratiuk have attended a flower-laying ceremony at the Warriors of Chornobyl memorial sign and the Heroes of Chornobyl memorial mound on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "Today is another anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. Thirty-five years. [...] But this tragedy continues today. It has taken many lives within 35 years and it continues to take them today. The human factor has played a huge role in this tragedy, so we must remember that the peaceful use of nuclear energy depends on us," Razumkov said. He also said that the Verkhovna Rada planned to consider legislative initiatives to improve social protection for victims of the Chornobyl disaster. Razumkov said that as of now, payments to Chornobyl clean-up workers could be delayed due to technical problems "on the ground." On April 26, 1986, a powerful chemical explosion occurred at the fourth nuclear reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, causing the destruction of the reactor unit and the engine room. As a result of the explosion, a fire broke out and spread to the roof of the third nuclear reactor. After the explosion and the fire, a radioactive cloud covered not only the territory of modern Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, but also the territory of many European countries Sweden, Austria, Norway, Germany, Finland, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Latvia. According to the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), the Chornobyl accident was rated at the highest, seventh level of danger. op New York, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "North America Drag & Drop App Builder Software Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis By Type, and Application" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06065006/?utm_source=GNW The rising digital transformation has influenced small and medium-sized businesses, with the growing awareness regarding the role of drag-and-drop app builder software in lowering the dependence on hard-to-recruit technological skills. The software also allows small and medium-sized companies to gain protection against technology churn, along with reducing IT backlogs and eliminating legacy debts. Moreover, the drag and drop app builder software platforms are also expected to make the operations of many SMEs easier, particularly considering the cost of hiring large number of developers or outsourcing the app development task. Thus, the app builder software solutions help them develop customer-centric applications at lower costs. Furthermore, SMEs are exploring cloud-based app frameworks to save money, time, and resources. A few of the drag and drop app builder software used by enterprises are swing2app, Zoho creator, appypie, AppSheet, and Bizness. The adoption of these apps helps automate business workflows and processes. Additionally, flourishing internet infrastructure as well as increasing trend of building apps using user interface are further expected to fuel the demand for drag & drop app builder software in North America in the coming years. Based on type, the North America drag & drop app builder software market is segmented into cloud-based and web-based; the cloud-based airport segment led the market in 2019.Cloud-based software delivers end-to-end encryption to ensure rapid scalability, greater computing power, and high storage capacity. It provides highly productive service and management capabilities to an organization without incurring the cost of setting up and maintaining its own IT infrastructure.The data is safely stored on the cloud and can be retrieved whenever needed. The relevant data is not lost even in the cases of system failure.Despite the numerous advancements brought by the ever-growing IT sector, it also creates a fair number of challenges, especially with regard to user data security. Vast volumes of user information are stored online through cloud services due to the increasing availability of internet access, leading to a rising number of internet users. Therefore, the drag and drop app builder software developers are continuously investing in the development of robust and secure cloud-based products with an objective to provide highest possible protection to customer data against cyberattacks. As a result, a large number of North American enterprises plan to migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud for boosting customer delivery experience. The COVID-19 is severely impacting North American countries.The region is at the forefront of the adoption and introduction of new technologies due to favorable government policies aimed at encouraging innovation, existence of a wide and well-versed industrial base, and high purchasing capacity of people and enterprises, especially in developed countries such as the US and Canada. Consequently, any impact on the growth of industries in this region hinders the economic development of North American countries.The US is a significant market for drag and drop app builder software, primarily due to high smartphone and internet penetration, and well-developed retail and e-commerce sectors. Massive increase in the number of confirmed cases and deaths in the US amid the COVID-19 pandemic has affected both manufacturing and sales of smartphones and digital cameras.The factory and business shutdowns across the US, Canada, and Mexico in 2020 further resulted in the limited adoption of the drag and drop app building software. The impact of the pandemic on the business development of drag-and-drop builder software vendors in North American countries is likely to persist in the next few quarters of 2021. The North America drag & drop app builder software market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources.To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the North America drag & drop app builder software market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region.Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants of this process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managersalong with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leadersspecializing in the North America drag & drop app builder software market. Appy Pie; Bizness Apps; BuildFire; Mobirise; Salesforce.com, inc.; Thunkable, Inc.; WaveMaker, Inc.; and Zoho Corporation are among the key players operating in the market in this region. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06065006/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 14:31:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Pakistani soldiers patrol in a market to ensure the compliance with the anti-epidemic measures announced by the government to control the spread of COVID-19 in Lahore, capital city of Pakistan's Punjab province on April 26, 2021. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has increased to 800,452 as the country has been battling a third wave of the coronavirus, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Monday. To strictly enforce COVID-19 related measures, the Interior Ministry has issued a notification allowing the provinces and federal territories to seek help from the army. (Photo by Sajjad/Xinhua) ISLAMABAD, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has increased to 800,452 as the country has been battling a third wave of the coronavirus, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Monday. In the last 24 hours, the country reported 4,825 new cases and 70 deaths, taking the nationwide death toll to 17,187, according to the NCOC. A total of 694,046 people have recovered from the disease. With 290,788 confirmed cases, the country's eastern Punjab province remained the worst-hit followed by southern Sindh province where 278,545 people have tested positive, said the NCOC. Amid growing cases across the country, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said the standard operating procedures against COVID-19, if followed in letter and spirit, would help contain the virus. If the situation continues to get worse, the government will have to impose lockdowns in cities, something the government does not want and cannot afford because in that case the poor laborers and the daily wagers will suffer the most, Khan said in a televised address recently. To strictly enforce COVID-19 related measures, the Interior Ministry has issued a notification allowing the provinces and federal territories to seek help from the army. Other than restrictions already in place, Pakistan has recently taken fresh measures by closing schools in cities with over 5-percent positivity rate, banning indoor and outdoor dining, and reducing market and office timings. An inter-provincial transport ban and inbound travel restrictions on 23 countries have also been extended. On Friday, Pakistan saw a record number of 157 deaths from COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in February of last year, forcing officials to deliberate on stricter measures to be implemented in the coming days if the situation further deteriorates. The proposed measures include complete closure of less essential services, educational institutes and ban on inter-city public transport. Meanwhile, the government has been actively pursuing a vaccination campaign, which was launched soon after Pakistan received China-donated vaccines in early February. Health experts in the country warned that the continuous spike in the number of coronavirus cases could push Pakistan's healthcare system to the brink of collapse. "The recent rise in COVID-19 has put immense pressure on our healthcare system. Presently, over 80 percent of the country's total oxygen capacity is being utilized by the hospitals, and if the situation worsens, we may need to import it from other countries," Lubna Ansari Baig, a public health expert in the southern city of Karachi, told Xinhua. Irresponsible behavior and carelessness on the part of the masses has been one of the major reasons behind the spread, she said, adding that "wider adoption of precautionary measures by the general public is an essential solution." Enditem A student from China University of Petroleum experiences traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) culture at the TCM cultural base in Traditional Chinese medical hospital of Huangdao District, Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 23, 2021. In an effort to promote the international exchange and sharing of the TCM culture, the Traditional Chinese medical hospital of Huangdao District, Qingdao, established a TCM cultural base for international students in cooperation with China University of Petroleum recently. Students from Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Zimbabwe and other countries have paid visit to it. They learned about the TCM culture here, by experiencing TCM treatments, like massage, acupuncture, moxibustion, and etc., and participating in TCM cultural activities, such as making sachets, drinking herbal tea and doing traditional physical exercises. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) Albania: Rama towards third mandate -preliminary results Ballots counted in 33% of polling stations, Ps at 49.4% (ANSAmed) - TIRANA, APRIL 26 - Albania's Socialist premier is heading towards a third mandate, according to preliminary results of the election. Contrary to exit polls last night pointing to a close call between the majority and opposition, after ballots had been counted in 33% of polling stations, Rama's party had obtained 49.4%, 10 points ahead of the Democratic party, the main center-right movement led by Lulzim Basha. With the votes of the Socialist movement for integration, the opposition would reach 46%. The regional proportional system however doesn't translate the percentage at a national level in a precise number of seats. In fact, out of 12 electoral colleges, the Socialist party would lead in nine, and it would currently hold 76 seats out of 140 of which the Albanian parliament is composed, or two seats more than it obtained in political elections in 2017.(ANSAmed). Aurania Resources (CVE: ARU- OTCQB: AUIAF) President Richard Spencer joined Steve Darling from Proactive with news of the company's first drill hole at the Tsenken N1 target at its Lost Cities Cutucu Project in southeastern Ecuador. Though the intersection was modest with grades below economic levels, Spencer says the occurrence of native copper beneath the impermeable layer within the red beds is a key piece of evidence supporting the exploration model that the company is using for sediment-hosted mineralization. The second drill hole on the target is now underway. By Marton Dunai and Anita Komuves BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungary's parliament passed legislation on Tuesday setting up foundations to take over the running of universities and cultural institutions in a move critics say extends the ideological imprint of the ruling right-wing government. Currently, most Hungarian universities are owned by the state but have a large amount of academic autonomy. The bill, drafted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's deputy, says the universities need to be reorganised and run by foundations because modern conditions require a "re-thinking of the role of the state" and the foundations will manage institutions more efficiently. Orban's Fidesz party, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament, voted for the legislation on Tuesday. His government will appoint boards of trustees to run the foundations, which will control substantial real estate assets and benefit from billions of euros worth of EU funds, while also having considerable influence over universities' everyday life. The government will endow several of the foundations using its stakes in blue chip companies MOL and Richter. It will also allocate over 1 trillion forints ($3.3 billion) in EU recovery funds for the revamp of universities. "You are planning to give away the remains of the nation's wealth to these foundations for free," opposition MP Erzsebet Schmuck from the LMP party said in parliament on Monday. In reply, Orban said state-run universities were not being privatised and that his government was investing in higher education by giving these foundations substantial assets. Orban, who came to power in 2010, has tightened his control over much of Hungarian public life, such as the media, education and scientific research. CHRISTIAN VALUES His government, promoting what it calls Christian, conservative values, has strongly opposed immigration and limited gay adoption and legal recognition of transgender people. Story continues Critics say the new legislation is a government power grab aimed at extending its ideological influence. Attila Chikan, a professor at the Corvinus economics university in Budapest and a former minister in Orban's first government in 1998, said the move was part of an "ideological war" declared by the prime minister. "They make it no secret: they want to assume intellectual power after political and economic power." He noted the move came after the government boosted controls over academic research and forced a top liberal school, Central European University, to move to Vienna in 2019. The bill says "the fundamental expectation is that the foundations actively defend the survival and well-being of the nation and the interests of enriching its intellectual treasures". The foundations running some of the cultural institutions would be tasked with "strengthening national identity." The opposition said with supporters of Orban's ruling Fidesz party, and even government ministers, sitting on the boards, Orban could retain a degree of control over universities beyond the 2022 election and could undermine their autonomy. Gergely Arato, an MP from opposition party Democratic Coalition, said the bill would take away "the property, traditions, community, knowledge" of Hungarian people and give them to government allies controlling the universities. The government says universities would benefit from the new model. Istvan Stumpf, government commissioner in charge of the changes, declined an interview with Reuters. In October, students at Hungary's University of Theatre and Film Arts blockaded their school in a row over the imposition of a government-appointed board that protesters said undermined the school's autonomy. (Reporting by Marton Dunai and Anita Komuves; Editing by Toby Chopra and Giles Elgood) This undated selfie photo provided by family members Don Bryant and Paula Bryant shows Ma'Khia Bryant and her mother Paula. The 16-year-old Bryant was shot and killed by police as she swung a knife at two other people on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (Ma'Khia Bryant/Don Bryant and Paula Bryant via AP) Cousin Says MaKhia Bryants Family Weighing Legal Action After Shooting The family of MaKhia Bryant, who was fatally shot during an officer-involved shooting in Ohio, is considering legal action, according to a family member. Deja Torrence, a cousin, told Business Insider that Bryant called the police when two women showed up at her home in Columbus and fought with her. Officials in Columbus have not confirmed whether Bryant, 16, made the 911 call. Torrence stated that her mother, Hazel Bryant, and Bryants biological mother, Paula, are speaking with a lawyer and are seeking to take legal action. Torrence did not elaborate on the details about what agency or official will be sued. Someone has to be held accountable, Torrence told Business Insider. The family just doesnt want this to be another senseless killing that goes under the rug and gets overlooked. Torrence appeared to respond to the video footage showing Bryant with a knife and apparently ready to attack the other young woman before she was shot. Were talking about a kid. Shes a kid. Shes 16 defending herself from 20-something-year-olds, Torrence, 29, said. If I felt threatened, if I felt that a group of individuals was coming on my property where I lived to fight me, I would get whatever I needed to protect myself. Meanwhile, she claimed that the foster care system in which Bryant was using failed her. In an image from police bodycam video that the Columbus Police Department played during a news conference, MaKhia Bryant wields a knife while attacking another girl before being shot by a police officer, in Columbus, Ohio, on April 20, 2021. (Columbus Police Department via WSYX-TV via AP) Theres been some talk about the foster family in the past, of how shes had issues with the foster family. So as a family, weve tried to kind of navigate that over the years, Torrence told the website. I havent been in contact with them, but I want people to know that we should be holding somebody accountable for the 16-year-old kids death. Its not clear whether Bryants family has retained an attorney. Over the weekend, Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), a former police chief in Florida, said the officer who fatally shot MaKhia Bryant, 16, last week appeared to have been responding as he was trained to deal with the chaotic situation. I also was a patrol officer who was out there on the street having to make those split-second decisions, Demings told CBS News on Sunday. You know, now everybody has the benefit of slowing the video down and seizing the perfect moment. The officer on the street does not have that ability. He or she has to make those split-second decisions, and theyre tough. She added: But the limited information that I know in viewing the videoit appears that the officer responded as he was trained to do with the main thought of preventing a tragedy and loss of life of the person who was about to be assaulted. Prices for popular secondhand SUVs and utes have begun to decline after a year of sharp increases brought on by Covid-hit supply lines for new vehicles. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, used Holden Colorado prices have surged by 56 per cent to $33,800 when February 2020 values were compared with March 2021. But that strong run of price growth has been interrupted with prices for the Thai-built ute falling by 3.2 per cent last week - the most dramatic decline for utes in the latest Datium Insights data. Prices for popular secondhand SUVs and utes have begun to decline after a year of sharp increases brought on by Covid-hit supply lines for new vehicles. Pictured is a Toyota HiLux, which saw a 2 per cent weekly drop in values The Toyota HiLux saw its weekly value fall by 2 per cent, following a 29 per cent increase since the start of the pandemic that last month took average prices for a three-year old example to $37,200. Popular SUVs have also taken a dive with Mazda CX-5 prices dropping 3.2 per cent as Subaru Forester used values fell 2.5 per cent. Datium Insights head of product Tanim Ahmed said these were the biggest weekly drops among the 15 most traded used cars. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, used Holden Colorado prices have surged by 56 per cent to $33,800 when February 2020 values were compared with March 2021. But that strong run of price growth has been interrupted with prices for the Thai-built ute falling by 3.2 per cent last week The price fall for some car models came as the supply of used cars rose sharply after the Easter long weekend. The supply of used utes can increase when government agencies and local councils sell late-model vehicles to update their fleets, and that reduces prices. Popular SUVs have also taken a dive with Mazda CX-5 prices dropping 3.2 per cent The drop in values for popular utes and SUVs is hardly a sign used cars are set to get a whole lot cheaper, as the overall average secondhand prices last week climbed by 2.4 per cent. During the past year, average used car prices have still increased by 40 per cent, a record since the Datium Insights series began in 1999, as buyers wanting a highly sought-after new car turn to the secondhand market in frustration. 'Stock still remains considerably low,' Mr Ahmed said. The price fall for some popular models highlights the volatility on the secondhand market, as Covid restrictions and a global shortage of computer chips from Taiwan hamper the worldwide supply of new cars. The machines that sell mobile phones or collect used phones, and the apps that connect scrap sellers and buyers are useful solutions at a time when "living green" and "going digital" have become more common. VECA has two versions for scrap sellers and scrap buyers Ngan left her home village, a difficult area with low average income per capita, for HCM City some years ago. In the large city, she earns her living by collecting scraps (chicken and duck feathers, broken sandals and used items) for sale. Ngan and two acquaintances live in the same rented room. They ride bicycles on alleys and side streets every day, crying out to people about their wares. Ngan has to work every day, including sunny and stormy days. Sometimes they cry themselves hoarse, but cannot collect anything. If we dont work hard, we wont have money to feed our children, she said. In an effort to connect scrap collectors and dealers, Do Trang and Bui Bao have invented an app, VECA, which can solve their problem. The idea of a scrap collecting ATM was based on a machine in South Korea which sells phones automatically. VECA was created after one year of research and design. It was one of 15 startups chosen to enter the NINJA Accelerator Program in HCM City early this year. Instead of riding to every corner of the city and yelling to passersby about their wares, scrap collectors now can find sellers via affordable smartphones thanks to VECA. VECA has two versions for scrap sellers and scrap buyers. With the version for collectors, they find the positions of sellers located in the same areas and collect information in a transparent and easy way. The prices of the scraps are publicized, which helps collectors make decisions more easily. Sellers can take the initiative in arranging their time by setting time on the app, or scheduling specific appointments with collectors. VECA, which has been operational for 10 days, has 6,000 installations, and the figure is increasing rapidly. The app is being implemented on a trial basis in Phu Nhuan district, HCM City, and will be available in other districts as well. The inventors of the app hope they can build VECA into an ecosystem specializing in recyclable product trading, thus benefiting the involved parties and promoting waste classification. About 50,000 tons of waste are discharged every day in Vietnam, including 35,000 tons in cities. The figure is 7,000-8,000 tons in Hanoi and HCM City. Over 80 percent of waste is buried. Waste classification at source is one of a number of burning issues that need urgent solutions. Diep Luu Creator of 'rice ATMs' remains humble about his newfound fame Hoang Tuan Anh, the creator of the rice ATM which dispensed rice to the poor to help them survive the Covid-19 pandemic, is one of the 14 people nominated by VietNamNet as Inspiring Characters. Daymond John has been criticized for a tweet praising a speech the controversial religious leader Louis Farrakhan gave at rapper DMX's funeral. In the now-deleted tweet, the Shark Tank investor said Farrakhan's speech on Sunday, in which he hailed the rapper for his ability to connect with people through his music, was 'powerful'. 'What a powerful speech from Minister Louis Farrakhan for the #dmxfuneral,' John wrote. 'His deep understanding of the Bible and respect for other people's religions was truly inspiring. #RIPDMX'. Many social media users took exception to the final statement, pointing out that the Nation of Islam leader has a long history of making offensive and controversial remarks. Daymond John has faced criticism for a tweet praising a speech the controversial religious leader Louis Farrakhan gave at DMX's funeral (File photo) 'Wait, what? He's made dozens of anti-Semitic statements,' one Twitter user wrote. 'Respect for other religions? He's a vicious anti-semite and seems proud of it,' another wrote. John deleted his tweet praising Farrakhan's speech later on Sunday and released a follow-up statement. 'In regards to my tweet regarding DMXs funeral, my comments on Minister Farrakhan were only related to what I witnessed tonight, unbeknownst to his prior stances. 'As someone who was fortunate enough to have a step dad of the Jewish faith, I do not condone and never would condone any anti Semitic, prejudice or any remarks of hatred,' he said. Farrakhan has frequently made controversial remarks during his decades in public life, including repeating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories John deleted his tweet praising Farrakhan's speech and issued a statement later on Sunday Farrakhan has frequently made controversial remarks during his decades in public life, including repeating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Farrakhan has always denied claims of anti-Semitism, racism or misogyny. As the leader of the Nation of Islam, he has preached about black superiority over white people and once described Judaism as a 'dirty religion'. He later claimed that he was referring to what he called the state of Israel's use of the religion as a political tool, rather than the religion itself. Farrakhan has always denied claims of anti-Semitism or racism. As the leader of the Nation of Islam, he has preached about black superiority over white people and once described Judaism as a 'dirty religion.' He later claimed that he was referring to what he called the state of Israel's use of the religion as a political tool, rather than the religion itself [File photo] Farrakhan has also publicly praised Adolf Hitler and spouted conspiracy theories related to 9/11. He was accused of sexual discrimination for banning women from a speech held at a New York City-owned venue in 1993 and enjoyed a business relationship with former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He has been accused of involvement in the assassination of Malcom X, who left the Nation of Islam and began speaking out against the religious organization and its then leader Elijah Muhammad in the last year of his life. Farrakhan has denied ordering the assassination but acknowledged that, in defending Muhammad, he and others 'created the atmosphere that ultimately led to Malcolm X's assassination'. DMX, real name Earl Simmons, died two weeks ago from a heart attack following an apparent drug overdose During the private funeral service for DMX on Sunday, which followed a memorial service a day earlier, Farrakhan spoke via video link, praising the rapper's ability to connect with people through his music. 'DMX is who he was and who he is, and the reason he has affected the people in the hip-hop genre and human beings across the globe is because he was genuine,' Farrakhan said. DMX's fiancee Desiree Lindstrom (right) gets hugged by the rapper's ex-wife Tashera Simmons at a private family service on Sunday Hyderabad, April 26 : The Indo American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), the apex bi-lateral chamber synergizing India-US economic engagement, has urged the US authorities to provide raw material required to India in vaccine production. IACC's national president Purnachandra Rao Surapaneni appealed to the US government to reciprocate India's goodwill towards the US by accelerating raw materials supply for manufacture of vaccines in India. "Also, both India and USA must go beyond protocol to meet this pandemic challenge to humanity by making available the vaccine doses to those needy in both countries", he said in a statement. IACC is the principal bilateral chamber committed to the promotion of industrial, economic, business and commercial activities between the United States of America and India. IACC encourages bilateral trade, investment and technology transfer, facilitates business collaborations, joint ventures, marketing tie-ups and strategic alliances through a set of proactive business-oriented initiatives. The US administration must immediately deploy supplies that are urgently required in India to augment the vaccine production to continue without any interruption. India is the going through a very unexpected and devastating second wave. Cooperation between the countries to fight the dreaded virus is very important. Together we can fight Covid very efficiently, Rao added. He pointed out that India is in need of the raw material to help tackle the crisis caused by a second wave of infections. IACC has 2000 members, representing cross section of US and Indian Industry.. It has been working hard with a major objective to promote Indo-American business, trade and economic relations. IACC acts as a catalyst for sustainable growth of business between India and the US. In its five decades of existence, IACC has established operational connectivity with a host of business, research and developmental institutions in India and US in order to leverage each other's capabilities for enhancing Indo-US business relations, Rao said. By Tina Bellon and Eimi Yamamitsu AUSTIN, Texas/TOKYO (Reuters) -Toyota Motor Corp will acquire Lyft Inc's self-driving technology unit for $550 million, the companies said, as the Japanese firm steps up its automation ambitions with the newly created Woven Planet division. The acquisition of Level 5 automation will also provide Toyota access to the U.S. ride-hailing firm's more than 300 employees of the essentially complete autonomy technology. "This is the first step of establishing and bringing together the people. Obviously building technology and product requires people, and that's much what this acquisition is about," Woven Planet chief executive James Kuffner told reporters on Tuesday. It will also give Toyota a direct presence in Silicon Valley and London and expand smart-city project "Woven City" at the base of Japan's Mt. Fuji, effectively helping it ride through dramatic changes expected in the mobility industry and major centres, he said. For Lyft, the deal will allow it to become profitable sooner and takes away the burden and risk of developing a costly technology that has yet to enter the mainstream. Kuffner said Woven Planet, which was set up in January, intends to continue investing and growing the team, although he refrained from commenting about any timeline or future acquisition plans. Takaki Nakanishi, analyst and chief executive of the Nakanishi Research Institute, said by expanding partnerships, Toyota is "moving a step towards realizing its goals", including self-driving technology. Toyota, which currently offers Level 2 automation with advanced driver assistance technology, has other self-driving projects including a joint venture with SoftBank Corp and is forming a consortium with General Motors Co , suppliers and semiconductor companies. It has also been working closely with ride-hailing firms and owns a stake in top Chinese firm Didi Chuxing and Southeast Asia's Grab. It had a stake in the self-driving unit of Lyft's larger rival Uber Technology Inc, but transferred the stake when Uber sold the unit in December to car startup Aurora. Story continues Toyota said in February it would develop and build autonomous minivans for ride-hailing networks with Aurora and longtime supplier partner Denso Corp. The Japanese carmaker will likely make more deals, even if they do not ultimately lead to self-driving vehicles to "actively gather software and people who have knowledge", said Seiji Sugiura, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute. CASH BURNING BUSINESS Lyft's sale allows it to offload cash-burning side businesses and focus on reviving their core divisions following a bruising pandemic year. It will receive $200 million cash upfront, with the remaining $350 million paid over five years. Lyft did not immediately say how it plans to invest the funds. But the sale will allow Lyft to report third-quarter profit on an adjusted basis of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization as long as the company continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, it said. The sale will also remove $100 million in annual net operating costs, Lyft said. Lyft will now focus on what it can do best with autonomous vehicles by offering services such as routing, consumer interface and managing, and maintaining and cleaning partners' autonomous vehicle fleets, which could mean added revenue, it said. Lyft already allows consumers to book rides in self-driving vehicles in select cities in partnerships with Alphabet Inc's Waymo and Motional, the joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co and Aptiv. It will continue to collect real-world driving data through some 10,000 vehicles it rents out to consumers and ride-hail drivers. The data is valuable for the development of self-driving vehicles that Woven Planet will have access to under the deal. But Lyft also believes human ride-hail drivers will remain important for the foreseeable future to serve customers during peak demand periods, bad weather, or in areas that self-driving cars are unable to navigate. (Reporting by Tina Bellon in Austin and Eimi Yamamitsu in Tokyo; Editing by Miyoung Kim & Shri Navaratnam) VANCOUVER, BC, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickel Rock Resources Inc. ("the Company") (TSX-V: NICL), (OTCQB: NICKLF) is pleased to announce that an exploration program with a budget proposal totaling $600,000 has been awarded to Hardline Exploration (https://www.hardlineexploration.com/). Hardline, headquartered in Smithers, BC, was founded in 2014, and is a local consulting firm for the Golden Triangle and western Canada. Hardline work directly with local contractors and First Nations to ensure their projects receives the most efficient & dedicated exploration services available. They specialize in executing programs on complex exploration projects to generate new discoveries and have a proven track record of successful projects incorporating highly skilled geologists and team members with vast experience across Canada on a variety of deposit types. Please refer to the Technical Report for The Nickel Project, dated January 21, 2021, prepared by Jacques Houle, P. Eng. and Jeremy Hanson, P.Geo. (filed on SEDAR and on our website at: https://3xk9ce3437wd1rjqcn12zzpm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Technical-Report-for-the-Nickel-Project-final-signed.pdf About the Project The Nickel Project ("project") consists of four non-contiguous mineral claims groups held by Nickel Rock Resources Inc. ("company') through three separate agreements. The exploration stage project is in the Takla Lake area of central British Columbia , partially adjacent to FPX Nickel Corp.'s Decar Nickel Project. , partially adjacent to FPX Nickel Corp.'s Decar Nickel Project. The Decar Nickel Project is an advanced project targeting awaruite, a nickel-iron alloy mineral, hosted by serpentinized ultramafic intrusive rocks of the Trembleur Ultramafic Unit within the Permian to Triassic age Cache Creek Complex. All the claim groups of the project are partially underlain by variably serpentinized ultramafic intrusive rocks of the Trembleur Ultramafic Unit. Metallic mineralization discovered to date on the project includes nickel, cobalt, and chromium, and some of the nickel mineralization occurs as the nickel-iron alloy awaruite, and as sulphide minerals including heazlewoodite, bravoite and siegenite. The principal target on the project is nickel occurring as awaruite, but at the exploration stage all other styles of mineralization should be considered. Systematic, ground-based exploration work began within the area of the claims now covered by the Nickel Project under the direction of Ms. Ursula Mowat , P.Geo. in 1987, continuing intermittently until 2012. This work established the presence of elevated nickel, cobalt and chromium values in rocks, soils, and stream sediments. , P.Geo. in 1987, continuing intermittently until 2012. This work established the presence of elevated nickel, cobalt and chromium values in rocks, soils, and stream sediments. The area of the claim groups of the project were included in Geoscience BC's QUEST and QUEST-West projects, including multiparameter regional geophysical surveys, and regional stream sediment reanalyzes and data compilations between 2008 and 2009. R. Britten's technical paper "Regional Metallogeny and Genesis of a New Deposit Type - Disseminated Awaruite (Ni3Fe) Mineralization Hosted in the Cache Creek Terrane published in 2017 in Economic Geology should be utilized as an interim mineral deposit model or profile for the Nickel Project. The Nickel Project is worthy of phased, systematic exploration programs designed and implemented to delineate areas with known or high probability metallic nickel mineralization, and to discover new areas of similar mineralization. 2021 Work Program The proposed work program consists of trenching, surface exploration diamond drilling, camp construction, and exploration activities to support drilling and trenching such as soil sampling, rock sampling, prospecting, and geological mapping. The company proposes a 12-man camp to be built in a cirque on the north slope of the un-named mountain west of and adjacent to Mount Sydney Williams and will be built next to a sub-alpine lake at the headwaters of Van Decar Creek. The location of camp was selected based on past exploration camps at this location and is suitable for exploration support. Camp will be used to accommodate field personnel and will be accessed with helicopter. Clayton Valley Project, Silver Peak, Nevada The Company is exploring for lithium clays and brines within its project area of 118 claims covering over 930 hectares (2,300 acres). The property stretches in a northwest direction from the evaporation ponds of Albemarle Corporation NYSE: ALB. It has been widely reported that Albemarle is planning to double its lithium production by 2025 by committing between US$30 million and US$50 million in additional investment on the property. In 2021, Albemarle plans to commence exploration of clay and evaluate technology that could accelerate the viability of lithium production from clay resources in the region. Qualified Person Jacques Houle, P.Eng., a qualified person as defined by NI 43 - 101, is responsible for the technical information contained in this release. Readers are cautioned that the information in this press release regarding the property of FPX Nickel Corp is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the property of interest. About Nickel Rock Resources Inc. The Company is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company active in the exploration for nickel-iron alloy in British Columbia and lithium in Nevada. Nickel Rock Resources Inc. is a Canadian based exploration company whose primary listing is on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's maintains a focus on exploration for high value battery metals required for the electric vehicle (EV) market. (http://www.nickelrockresources.com/) On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Robert Setter" Robert Setter, President & CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements which include, but are not limited to, comments that involve future events and conditions, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Except for statements of historical facts, comments that address resource potential, upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt and security of mineral property titles, availability of funds, and others are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may vary materially from those statements. General business conditions are factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from forward-looking statements. Jaipur, April 26 : Storytelling sessions in jails? This might leave you flabbergasted but it is true that the women prison here has become a regular witness to the storytelling sessions where women prisoners exchange their stories with other inmates to grow morally stronger and come out enriched with knowledge. "Amid spike in Covid cases, lockdown has been enforced in the state, that resulted in the restrictions to the jail's visit by the inmates' family, friends or trainers. Hence, the prisoners here have occupied themselves in a very creative and engaging activities, said Monica Agrawal, DIG, Prisons, Rajasthan. "Unable to do any other task, they are collecting books from the library and reading out stories for other inmates. Also, there are other females who are learning to read and write from these inmates," she added. "One Saraswati (name changed) is an illiterate woman who has been here on dowry charges. She could not read or write anything. However, the inmates have taught her basics of Hindi language and now she can read the alphabets," Agrawal said. Jaipur prisoners last year too had contributed during lockdown in a big way. They had donated their one-time chapati for have-nots and made containers for birds which could be kept outside with water to quench their thirst. Reverend Lo Hing-choi, the leader of the Baptist Convention in Hong Kong, has left the region with his wife to start a new life in the United Kingdom. Rev. Lo, who led a congregation of more than 80,000, expressed his sadness about the decision. but feared for his life amid the "shrinking freedom" he experienced in Hong Kong. According to the International Christian Concern, the 70 year-old pastor resigned from the Baptist Convention just 10 days before his term expired. Despite making him feel regretful and sad, Rev. Lo felt that he had to leave for fear of the CCP law and the repercussions from the authoritarian Hong Kong government that is controlled by China. Asia News reported that Rev. Lo led the Baptist Convention to publicly campaign against the Hong Kong government's extradition law. The Baptist Convention leader also personally criticized the national security law imposed by the CCP, arguing that the new legislation ends the principle of "one country, two systems," deprives Hong Kong citizens of the right to speak, and abolishes the city's judicial system. Rev. Lo was also publicly criticized by pro-Beijing newspapers such as Ta Kung Pao, which observers believe is a precursor for heavier punishments from the Hong Kong authorities. In a letter published in the Christian Times, the Baptist Convention pastor, who led the congregation as President between May 2018 until April 2021, first thought that Hong Kong authorities would not see him as a threat. Referring to himself as a "little potato," Rev. Lo wrote, "No one would notice this little man." Rev. Lo also mused about "the most turbulent period in Hong Kong in recent years" and how "difficult problems, huge challenges" lie before Hong Kong as a nation. He called upon Christians in Hong Kong to see "opportunities to preach the gospel message," which will "not only appear on peaceful days" but also on the days "when the disciples are drawn into the government and tortured." "When the disciples faced the interrogation of the princes and kings, they had to know that this was the golden opportunity to 'bear witness' for Christ," Rev. Lo wrote. The reverend wrote this in reference to Matthew 10: 18, wherein the Lord Jesus says to His disciples, "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." Following the implementation of the new national security law, several Christian leaders who were opposed to the system have left Hong Kong. Others who have fled for safety are evangelical pastors Wong Siu-yung and Yeung Kin-keung, who signed the "Evangelical Declaration," in which they called upon their followers to continue denouncing the and resisting CCP's totalitarian regime. In December, the Los Angeles Times reported that CCP law enforcers were cracking down on Christian church leaders, going so far as to freeze the account of Pastor Roy Chan, who led Good Neighbor North District Church volunteers to participate in pro-democracy demonstrations. Safely tucked away in Great Britain, the pastor later found out that his Hong Kong bank accounts, as well as his wife and his congregation's, were all frozen. Victor Shih, a UC San Diego expert on China's financial policies, explained that the CCP law's newfound power is being exercised in a "wide-ranging way," targeting innocent pastor leaders and cracking down on Christian churches. [April 26, 2021] Bank of America Announces $1.5 Million Commitment to Advance Racial Equality and Economic Opportunity in Massachusetts Bank of America today announced a $1.5 million commitment as part of its work to advance racial equality and economic opportunity in Massachusetts. King Boston, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Boston, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which offers support and assistance to the state's 52 community health centers, will both receive funding. The grant funding is aligned to the bank's $1.25 billion, five-year commitment, which further accelerates work already underway to address racial inequality and catalyze similar efforts across the private sector. King Boston, founded in 2017 to create a memorial and related programming honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King's legacy, will receive a $1 million grant from Bank of America. The grant will support: the creation of the memorial, named The Embrace, on the Boston Common; a new Center for Economic Justice in Nubian Square to promote solutions to further racial and economic justice; and a public ideas series that engages the community in anti-racist discourse through the arts and humanities. "It is with generous contributions from large, established institutions that we are able to interrogate racism and advocate for the issues that Dr. and Mrs. King fought for over 50 years ago - wealth, housing, racial equity and public education," said Imari Paris Jeffries, executive director of King Boston. "Thanks to our corporate partners like Bank of America for investing in change, and for their ongoing commitment to everything King Boston represents - convening, learning, healing, appreciating and honoring." The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which together serves more than one million people across the state, has been awarded a $500,000 grant from Bank of America to address critical health equity concerns with COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The state's community health centers are uniquely positioned in communities of color to address these gaps as the vaccine rollout expands and accelerates. "Bank of America's generous contribution recognizes the need for both an urgent ifusion of funds and support for building longer-term responses to inequities. Immediate funding will go far in helping us meet expanding demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in the communities we serve - the same communities that have been unduly battered by the pandemic," said Michael Curry, President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. "At the same time, the flexibility of this funding will give us room to respond to community-specific needs and support social, health and economic recovery as we work our way out of this pandemic." "The health and humanitarian crisis has demonstrated just how far we have to go in correcting longstanding inequities in our society," said Miceal Chamberlain, President of Bank of America Massachusetts. "The time for action is upon us and our hope is that by continuing to take specific steps to address economic and racial disparities, we can serve as a catalyst for a broader response across the private sector." To date, the bank has made more than $350 million in various investments from its initial $1 billion commitment, announced in June 2020, across the primary focus areas of health, jobs/reskilling, affordable housing and small business, including providing support to Pine Street Inn, Innovation Studio, Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, La Colaborativa and Asian American Civic Association locally in Boston. About Bank of America At Bank of America, we're guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We're delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It's demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (News - Alert) (@BofA_News). For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005475/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Indonesia finds missing submarine, all 53 crew members dead Xinhua) 08:35, April 26, 2021 An Indonesian Navy ship departs to carry out the search and rescue operation of submarine KRI Nanggala-402 at Tanjung Wangi Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. The wreckage of the missing Indonesian submarine was located on the sea floor off Bali Island on Sunday, and all the 53 crew members were dead, Indonesian Military Chief Hadi Tjahjanto and Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua) JAKARTA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The wreckage of the missing Indonesian submarine was located on the sea floor off Bali Island on Sunday with all 53 crew members aboard dead, top military officers said. The Nanggala-402 submarine was broken into three parts at the depth of 838 meters under the sea, Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said. "There, the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine was found in three big parts," he told a joint press conference, saying the next step is to lift the wreckage of the vessel with the help of foreign navies. Indonesian Military Chief Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed that all the 53 crew members aboard the submarine were dead after some other components of the vessel were found. "Based on the authentic evidence, it can be stated that all the crews of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine have been dead. For that, I express a deep condolence," he said. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced the start-up of the first section of an expansion to the companys Al Taweelah smelter. The 26 new reduction cells at potline 1 at Al Taweelah will now ramp-up to produce some 30,000 tonnes of aluminium per year. In total EGA is building 66 new reduction cells to extend all three potlines at Al Taweelah. The project will increase production capacity at Al Taweelah by some 78,000 tonnes of hot metal per year. The start-up of the extension to potline 2 and then potline 3 will take place later this year, the company said. Overall project completion stands at 70 per cent, on schedule despite the challenges of Covid-19. Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: This project to expand our production at Al Taweelah is part of our ongoing debottlenecking of production and investment in high return growth opportunities. The world requires aluminium to build back better after Covid-19, and this expansion will enable us to supply even more of the metal we all need. Some 950 people are currently working on the Al Taweelah smelter expansion project, with over 2.1 million hours of work completed so far with a world-class safety performance. There have been zero injuries leading to time off work. Like all EGAs aluminium production lines, the extensions use EGAs proprietary aluminium smelting technology developed in the UAE. The new reduction cells in potline 1 and 2 are EGAs DX technology, whilst the new reduction cells in potline 3 are EGAs DX+ Ultra technology. Both technologies are amongst the most energy efficient in the world. EGA has developed its own technology in the UAE for more than 25 years. In 2016 EGA became the first UAE industrial company to license its core process technology internationally, exporting its DX+ Ultra technology to Aluminium Bahrain. EGA has early stage agreements with companies in both Indonesia and Colombia that could lead to exports of EGA technology to build aluminium smelters. The start-up of the 26 new reduction cells takes EGAs total number of reduction cells in both Jebel Ali to Al Taweelah to 2,803. EGA makes one-in-every 25 tonnes of aluminium produced worldwide, and is the largest premium aluminium producer. Last year EGA sold some 2.52 million tonnes of cast metal. EGAs metal is the biggest UAE export after oil and gas. Sales to local customers support a domestic aluminium sector that produces everything from car parts to electricity transmission cables. The aluminium sector as a whole is one of the UAEs largest industries, accounting for 1.4 per cent of the economy and supporting 60,000 UAE jobs. - TradeArabia News Service Kathmandu, April 26 The Ministry of Health and Population has informed that the countrys Covid-19 tally has reached 303,561 as of Monday afternoon. The ministry says 3,442 new cases were confirmed in the country in the past 24 hours. In this period, 12,400 swab samples were tested. So far, 2 million and 417,417 people have been tested in the country. Likewise, in this period, 893 people underwent antigen tests for the virus, of which an additional 114 were found infected. As of today, 22,434 cases are active. In the past 24 hours, 378 people have been discharged whereas 12 deaths were reported. Of the total cases so far, 277,951 people have achieved recovery. Likewise, 3,176 died, according to the ministry. Over 90 people are quarantined across the country. Pakistani villagers living on one of the world's most militarized frontiers in the disputed Kashmir region Monday hailed a two-month-long cease-fire between nuclear rivals Pakistan and India. But residents also demanded a solution to the decades-old issue of Kashmir and a durable peace for the Himalayan region. Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Villagers spoke with journalists who were taken to Salohi village in Pakistan-administered Kashmir by the military. The visit came two months after the Pakistani and Indian armies pledged to halt cross-border fighting and adhere to a 2003 accord that has been largely ignored in Kashmir. Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both in its entirety. Since February's landmark announcement, the cease-fire has been holding. It has enabled residents to freely harvest crops, do their business and move around in the region. We are happy because of this ceasefire but we also want to see a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem," said farmer Mohammad Razaq. Standing beside him, villager Afzal Ahmed suggested the resumption of peace talks between Pakistan and India but he said Kashmiris should be included in any discussions. He said they have spent most of their lives in fear of war. Prior to the cease-fire, residents were caught in the cross-fire of clashes between Pakistani and Indian troops that caused civilian casualties. This job expired on 25 May 2021. Investigations editor Larry Parnass, investigations editor, joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and CommonWealth Magazine. Alexander Spatari/Getty Images It's that time of the year where Houston will soon be unendingly and inhospitably hot. And the only relief for Houston summer: Literally any body of water you can dunk your suffering and sweating self into. THE first time I encountered Aherns Raw Milk, they were stacked in a cool box behind a coffee machine at Douglas Farmers Market. I love my coffee so the glistening glass bottles piqued my interest as I hadnt seen anyone using milk from a glass bottle to serve me coffee ever. The barista whipped a fresh one from the cool box, flicked the tinfoil lid from the top of it, and glugged some into a silver steaming jug. Aherns Raw Milk, which can be purchased at Mahon Poin Farmers' Market every Thursday. Picture: Richard Gordon As he did so, a glorious plop of cream fell from the bottle and into the jug. The milk got steamed, my coffee got poured, and I was sold. I actually went onto work at that very coffee stall for a spell and customers would routinely ask for that milk, and if we ran out they were gutted. Tales of childhood and how it reminded people of their school days were often shared. Amongst the other stallholders it was a beloved ingredient and a necessity in their coffee, too. The red branding stood out in my mind, on those little pint-sized bottles of white goodness, and it was only fitting that I included them in this series. Jersey cows grazing at Aherns farm, in East Cork. Picture: Richard Gordon MY VISIT TO THE FARM Rolling down the long laneway into Aherns farm, 6km outside Midleton, I passed a gate with two cows standing just inside it, with the rest of the herd at the far end of a picturesque valley. I was immediately struck by how this didnt look like an ordinary field for a dairy herd. Maybe it was the low sun hazing golden light across the field, and the high trees that encased the perimeter in the distance, or the rows of flower beds that were just next to the gate. It felt like I had stepped into a bovine paradise. I was met by Dan Ahern and his son Seamus. Dan bought the land in 1983 and they were commercial dairy farmers until 1999. Dan then decided to make the switch to a fully organic operation, which was met with trepidation by onlookers. It was thought that after four or five years, without spreading the different fertilisers, the land would be drained of all nutrients and white and be no more good. But sure its not the case at all. We went for a walk through the sheds out into a field where another, much larger herd could be seen at the bottom of a slope. They were clustered to one corner of the field where the grass was clearly longer. Seamus, who works full-time on the farm, explained to me that thats how they allocate their feeding times as well as managing the growth of grass. Theyll cordon off a portion of a field and let them eat it down to the soil, and once its grazed right down to the soil, it actually regenerates far better, which takes 30 days or so. If it doesnt get grazed down to the soil, the quality isnt as good when it grows back. The grass on the farm has pink roost, which is a good sign, of nutrients. Picture: Richard Gordon Seamus pulled a tuft of grass from the soil and showed me the pink roots, which are a really good sign. The glossy grass with pink roots indicates theres a high sugar content in the sward and itll grow well and be nutritiously dense. The milking cows are always fed grass as its a superfood for them. They explained to me how the cows I saw when I drove in, who are dry cows and arent currently being used for milking, were grazing on a field of kale and sometimes theyll graze on turnips, too. Theyll rip the full turnip from the ground and eat it, as well as the leafy part on top. It just provides them with some different nutritional benefits and, depending on the stage in their development, we feed them differently. But the milking cows always get grass. The herd started to ramble over towards us. Jersey cows are known to be very curious, and I felt that first-hand, as Mrs Brown, whos a seven year-old and was named by Anne Ahern as shes the most inquisitive of the bunch, came trundling over to lick and sniff at my hands and pockets. I noticed their coats were shedding and I didnt realise this would actually happen to cows, but much like dogs, theyll shed their shaggy winter coats once the seasonal change occurs. From March to October, theyll be permanently outdoors, unless theres a drastic change in weather conditions. The goal at the farm is to imitate nature as best they can. The shed is also very open aired so the transition between indoors and outdoors is an easy one. The East Cork farm. Picture: Richard Gordon The reason Jersey cows were chosen to be farmed is for their efficiency. Theyre a lot smaller than other cows, weighing in at approximately 400kg, whereas Friesian cows can weigh up to 600kg. For every kg of mass, they can produce 1.1 kg of milk solids per annum in the form of butterfat and protein. This is called the milk solids yield. For their organic certification, the fields are never sprayed. It is understandable why farmers spray their fields, Seamus explained to me: See the dock leaves over there, they could make up for ten percent of the field, which they probably do in our case, and sacrificing ten percent of your grazing land to a plant that is nutritionally useless is a big sacrifice that affects your profit margin. They accept the dock leaves on their 160 acres for 120 cows. Their herd is comparatively small considering the acreage. Other farms could probably have 30% more cattle, but they keep it small and allow the herd to graze and move, graze and move. Whats so unusual about their product is the fact that its raw unpasteurised, unhomogenised. For this reason, they have to send batches regularly to be put through a plethora of rigorous testing, which is a costly endeavour, but a necessity. Theres an awful lot of paperwork involved in any dairy farming, but a particularly large amount in organic dairy farming. The quality of the product is a direct result of the quality, passion and expertise thats infused into their enterprise. Anne Ahern can be found selling milk, eggs and chickens at Mahon Point Farmers Market every Thursday. See Facebook/Instagram: @ahernsorganicfarm and Ahernsorganicfarm.com For more on the market follow @mahonpointmarket A Cork hotel has paid tribute to a staff member who lost his life in a tragic accident in West Cork at the weekend. Conor King, from Douglas, died after he fell down a 50 foot cliff blow-hole near the Old Head of Kinsale on Saturday evening. The 22-year-old was a third year student at Munster Technological University (MTU) studying for his Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. He was also a part-time lifeguard in the leisure centre at Rochestown Park Hotel. Today, the hotel paid tribute to the young man, describing him as a hugely popular figure amongst members and staff alike. Saying Conor was a lifeguard is doing him an injustice because Conor as well as looking after the safety of patrons using the pool, treated any minor scrapes that would happen from time to time in a busy pool, helped to look after the Leisure Centre plant room, did health and safety chemical tests on the pool and last but by no means least, looked after his beloved fish tank, the hotel wrote on social media. The hotel went on to describe him as a completely dependable guy who was entrusted to make sure chemical levels, pumps and the heating of the pool were regulated while the leisure centre remains closed to the public due to Covid restrictions. He will be sorely missed by all hotel staff members but particularly the team he worked with in the Leisure Centre. Working in the centre since he was 18, staff members past and present are in shock with his untimely passing. Club members will no doubt miss the enthusiastic way he went about his work, his happy disposition and his can do attitude, the hotel continued. Tragically, Mr King was to celebrate his 23rd birthday this week. He is survived by his parents, Maura and Eamonn, and his sister Aine. Mr Kings Requiem Mass will take place on Wednesday at 11am in St Patricks Church in Rochestown, followed by a cremation service. The funeral will be private in accordance with current government guidelines but it will be streamed online. Neighbors woke to a woman's cries for help just after 2 a.m. in Bawan Kheri, a village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Sleepily, they emerged from their homes to find a horrific scene of mass murder. Lateef Ullah Khan, one of the first to arrive at the two-story family home on April 15, 2008, found villager Shabnam lying unconscious on the floor near her father, Shaukat Ali, whose neck was slashed. The bodies of Shabnam's two brothers, her mother, sister-in-law and 14-year-old cousin lay almost beheaded in a blood-splattered room, court documents showed. Her baby nephew, who they would later discover had been strangled to death, appeared to be asleep between his parents' bodies. The case hit headlines -- not only had Shabnam murdered seven of her family members, including a 10-month old child, but she was eight weeks pregnant at the time. Shabnam and her lover, Saleem, were found guilty of the murders and sentenced to hang. If she is executed, Shabnam -- who, like Saleem, is only referred to in court documents by one name -- will be first woman given the death penalty in India since 1955. But with her execution looming, Shabnam's legal team is trying to halt it -- and is arguing that she is a victim, too. Lawyer Shreya Rastogi says her client, who has never admitted to the crime, is a casualty of a patriarchal society that puts caste above all else. Aside from the people who died that night, the couple's crime created another victim --- their son, Bittu, not his real name, who Shabnam raised in prison before giving him up. Now 12, Bittu is appealing to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to show his mother mercy. Why they did it Shabnam and Saleem were young lovers who lived in the same village -- but their families didn't approve of their union. Shabnam, who was 22 at the time of the murders, was an educated teacher from the Saifi community. Saleem, then 24, was an unemployed Pathan youth. Although Indian castes are often associated with the Hindu community, similar social hierarchies exist among Muslim families, based on their historical occupation or which part of the Arab world they come from. Families often pressure children to marry within their own communities. Failure to do so can lead to violence and, in extreme cases, honor killings, when family members are murdered for bringing alleged shame onto the family. Before the killings, Lal Mohammad, the father of Shabnam's deceased sister-in-law Anjum, tipped off police about the couple's relationship. "Shabnam is going in the wrong direction, she wants to marry Saleem and the atmosphere at home is very tense," Mohammad recalled Anjum as saying, according to his witness statement at Shabnam's 2008 district court trial. A fellow teacher at the school where Shabnam worked, Nischay Tyagi, testified that Shabnam had told him she wanted to marry Saleem, but her family opposed it. Sukkhan Ali, Shabnam's cousin, told the court Saleem would often come to Shabnam's house to meet her. Her father did not like this and beat her, he said. But there was something Shabnam's family didn't know, the court heard. Shabnam was already pregnant with Saleem's child. In his ruling, the district court judge SAA Husaini observed that locals "would not have been able to accept the 'haram' (illegitimate) act," referring to their unborn child. However, the judge said the couple had other options to escape the "conservative society" of Bawan Kheri, beyond murdering seven people. It's not clear if Shabnam knew she was eight weeks pregnant at the time of the murders. The prosecution said she did, and that partly motivated the murders. They argued Shabnam wanted to kill her family so she would be the sole heiress of their property and could live in comfort with Saleem and their newborn. Her lawyer, Rastogi, says the prosecution did little to prove that theory. Her defense team said Shabnam only found out about the pregnancy during a routine medical check after she was arrested. How it happened The massacre began with a cup of tea. On April 14, 2008, Shabnam laced her family's evening drinks with a sedative Saleem bought with the help of a fruit seller, the court found. Then, as the family slept, Shabnam called Saleem -- who arrived with an ax. "Shabnam held up the heads of each member one by one and I slashed their throats and killed them," Saleem confessed the day after the murders to Bilal Ahmad, a tea seller with connections to the district police chief. The court heard Saleem had hoped Ahmad's connections would help him evade punishment. Instead, Ahmad reported Saleem's confession to the police and recounted in court what Saleem had told him: "I have made a mistake, I am in love with Shabnam, a girl from my village, and she loves me too. We have vowed to live and die together. We cannot live without each other. Because of this, Shabnam's family beat her up and said that they won't let her marry me." Other witnesses placed Saleem at a pharmacy on the day before the murders, but the pharmacist declined to sell him any sedatives. Typically in India, strong sleeping pills can only be sold with a prescription from a doctor. Saleem then asked for help from a fruit seller outside the shop, who helped him buy the pills, the court heard. Saleem also confessed the crime to a village administrative official, Mahender Singh, the day after the massacre, asking him to use his political connections to keep him out of jail, Singh testified in court. After the police arrested him, Saleem retrieved a blood-stained ax from a pond that was consistent with the murder weapon. Empty packets of the pills used to sedate the family were recovered from Shabnam, according to court documents. Shabnam initially claimed some hoodlums had entered their home and committed the crime, but police dismissed the theory because of the impossibility of them having scaled the high roof. The home's iron door had been locked from inside, and there were no fingerprints or other evidence suggesting the presence of unidentified assailants, according to testimony from forensic official Manveer Singh. When Khan, the neighbor, arrived at the house, he said he found Shabnam unconscious. However, the Supreme Court noted in its 2015 judgment that Shabnam had "feigned unconsciousness and laid by the side of the deceased father's mutilated body, to callously insinuate that the crime had been committed by an outsider." Yet, while Shabnam and Saleem had allegedly murdered so they could be together, they turned on each other in the trial. Shabnam alleged Saleem alone had killed everyone. Saleem said Shabnam had been drinking wine and called him after she had killed her family, asking him to get rid of the evidence. The district court found the pair guilty of murdering seven people, and sentenced them to death by hanging. They appealed to the High Court of Uttar Pradesh, as well as the Supreme Court of India -- the country's highest court -- but each time, their claims of innocence were dismissed. Giving birth behind bars Shabnam and Saleem's son, Bittu, was born in prison in December 2008 -- eight months after the murders. Bittu is not his real name. The boy's foster father requested that CNN use his nickname, as he has to deal with the social stigma of being the son of convicted murderers. Shabnam raised Bittu in a women's prison, where she shared barracks with other inmates. Other children came and went, as their mothers were freed. But Bittu stayed, waiting for the day he turned six, when he would be sent to live with someone on the outside, in accordance with Indian prison rules. In prison, Shabnam doted on her son, said her lawyer Rastogi. "She tried to teach (Bittu) a little bit to the extent that she could," Rastogi said. "She used to take classes for him, she used to get him to learn the alphabet, numbers, also the children of the other female inmates that were there she would teach them as well." Usman Saifi, a former college friend of Shabnam, offered to take Bittu once he turned six. Saifi, a journalist, had contacted her in prison as he wanted to write a book about the murders. "Initially she dismissed me because the very first question I asked her is the one I shouldn't have," said Saifi. "I asked her why she killed her family." Saifi said it took time to convince Shabnam that Bittu would be safe living with him and his wife. In 2015, when Bittu was six, they took custody of the child and are raising him as their own. "Bittu respects everyone and treats everyone with love," said Saifi. "He never says anything hurtful to anyone -- this is like the blooming of a lotus in muddy water." But life is not easy for Bittu -- media attention was disrupting Bittu's life and his ability to focus on his studies, Saifi said. He also struggles with being the child of murderers, he added. "One day, when he had gone to the mosque, someone told him that he was the son of that Shabnam who is going to be hanged. This incident affected him a lot and he was in bed all day," Saifi said. For the sake of Bittu, Saifi and his wife have joined the fight for Shabnam to be taken off death row. Plea for mercy While Saleem swung the ax, Shabnam's role in slaughtering her own family shocked the nation. "She served them tea with the love that a father would not suspect his daughter was giving him poison, a mother would not suspect her daughter is giving her poison," the trial judge said in 2010. "Her brother, sister-in-law, cousin, no one suspected, but Shabnam knew that the last sip of this tea would be the last sip of their lives." But Rastogi believes Shabnam has been unfairly demonized and her death penalty should be commuted. Her view is backed by research from the Cornell Law School's Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide that found women who violate entrenched norms of gender behavior are more likely to receive the death penalty. Its 2018 report, "Judged More Than Her Crime," found women facing the death penalty were cast as the "femme fatale," the "child murderer," or the "witch." According to the Cornell report, women are judged for what society considers to be their "moral failings," beyond the crime itself. Shabnam and Saleem contested the death sentence, however the Supreme Court held that the punishment was proportionate, and the crime fulfilled the conditions of "rarest of rare," which is required when imposing the death penalty. Death warrants were issued in May 2015 -- under Indian law, these need to be issued a minimum of two weeks before the execution. However, they were later revoked after a legal challenge by Project 39A, a collective opposed to the death penalty in India. The court found the warrants had been issued in "haste" as the prisoners still had legal remedies pending. But there's still a risk new death warrants will be issued. In February this year, lawyers for Shabnam and Saleem filed a mercy plea with the governor of Uttar Pradesh state, as a representative of the President, and the President himself. According to Rastogi, as per case law, when conferring a death sentence a court must look at the criminal beyond the crime, to see whether there exists a possibility of reformation and rehabilitation. "What better way to understand a young mother than to see her through the lens of her relationship with her son?" Rastogi asked. Waiting for execution Shabnam's death sentence made headlines again in February after one of the last remaining hangmen in India visited Mathura Jail, the only one in the country with a hanging house for women. That prompted speculation Shabnam's execution date was fast approaching. "We are fixing it up and making sure everything is in working condition, but we can't do anything until the death warrant is issued, once we have the date, then we can order the ropes," said Akhilesh Kumar, Deputy Inspector General of Prisons for Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, the superintendent of the Mathura Jail confirmed that hangman Pawan Kumar, who also hanged four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, visited the prison in February to inspect the female hanging house. "He did visit ... If there is something in my possession, it is my duty to ensure it is in the best shape, so if I feel that there may be something that needs to be fixed, I have to call the expert to take a look at it," Mathura Jail superintendent Shailendra Maitreya said. Those in the country who have been campaigning to abolish the death penalty feel that executing a woman for the first time in 66 years would be a step in the wrong direction. "Shabnam today stands in the death row queue, and if the death sentence is carried out it would further reinforce that the death penalty disproportionately falls upon the most marginalized," said lawyer and activist Vrinda Grover. Since it was introduced in 2007, support for a United Nations resolution for a global moratorium on the death penalty has grown from 104 countries to 123 in 2020, Amnesty International figures show. India has consistently voted against it. While 2020 saw a drop in the number of death penalties imposed in India, the decline can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic which disrupted the court calendars, according to Project 39A. As of March 31, 15 women were on death row in India, the group said. Saifi hopes Shabnam's life can be spared, for the sake of her son. "When I told him about the sentence his mother had received from court... he prepared a message on his own and appealed to the President through the media to forgive his mother," Saifi said. In February, after rumors of Shabnam's impending hanging made headlines, Bittu held up a blackboard to reporters with a chalk message written in neat, cursive writing. "President Uncle Ji please forgive my mother Shabnam," it said, using an Indian term of endearment for Kovind. So far, there has been no response. Saifi knows time is running out. He fears for Bittu, if Shabnam is hanged. "Not only will Shabnam be gone, but this kid will be lost, and if he is lost, we will be lost," he said. "We don't have any other children. He is everything to us." New Delhi, April 26 : Xiaomi once again led the India smartphone market with 26 per cent market share in Q1 2021, as total shipments grew 23 per cent (on-year) to reach over 38 million units in the January-March period, a new report said on Monday. The report cautioned that the second quarter is likely to be impacted owing to the lethal second Covid wave. Samsung with 20 per cent market share was second, growing the highest at 52 per cent (YoY) while Vivo was third with 16 per cent share, according to the latest research from Counterpoint's Market Monitor service. realme was fourth with 11 per cent market share. "Continuing with its stellar run, India's smartphone market registered a third consecutive quarter of record shipments in Q1 2021, riding on pent-up demand. Consumer confidence also increased due to the beginning of a vaccination drive in the country," said Senior Research Analyst Prachir Singh. "But these numbers should be taken with caution as a second and more virulent wave of COVID-19 is currently on in the country and is likely to impact the coming quarters," he cautioned. The Chinese brands held a 75 per cent share in the March-ended quarter. "Samsung maintained a high number of new product launches in its Galaxy M-series, Galaxy F-series as well as the Galaxy S21 series during the quarter. Besides, realme launched its 8 series, OnePlus announced its 9 series and Xiaomi launched its Redmi Note 10 series that has started well," said Research Analyst Shilpi Jain. Xiaomi logged 4 per cent YoY growth in Q1 2021 driven by the Redmi 9 series. The Redmi 9A was the best-selling model during the quarter. OPPO grew 12 per cent YoY and had an 11 per cent market share in Q1 2021. OnePlus grew more than 300 per cent YoY for Q1 2021 driven by the OnePlus Nord and OnePlus 8T shipments. India's mobile handset market grew 19 per cent YoY in Q1 2021 due to the strong performance of both feature phone and smartphone segments. itel led the feature phone market in Q1 2021 with a 21 per cent market share. The feature phone market registered a 14 per cent YoY growth during the quarter driven by strong shipments of JioPhone under its new model and subsequent promotions. [April 26, 2021] Oclean X Pro Elite Sold Out Worldwide; Buyers Ask for More SHENZHEN, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Oclean recently launched its latest model super smart electric toothbrush X Pro Elite on eBay and AliExpress across Germany, Russia, Poland, France, Italy, Spain, South Korea, and Slovakia. During the launch promotion from March 29 to April 20, orders flooded in on AliExpress and eBay. Oclean X Pro Elite is now out of stock on eBay and available only for pre-order. https://bit.ly/3dQwIAW The launch promotion is proven to be a huge success with thousands of machines sold out within 7 days. Oclean X Pro Elite has ttracted great attention across the web since it hit the market. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are full of praise for its cutting-edge technologies, super cleaning performance, quietness, and fabulous look, etc. Oclean X Pro Elite has won the recognition of professional dentist, recommendation from tech influencers, and praise of consumers. Oclean integrates advanced technologies including maglev brushless motor, noise reduction, and blind zone detection. Working under 45db, it is the first electric toothbrush to have won the Noise Abatement Society Quite Mark. It's equipped with upgraded cleaning system for stronger cleaning efficiency. Many users have reported 'obviously cleaner teeth' after using for a while. The induction wireless charging technology enables 3.5-hour fast charge for a 35-day battery life. Unlike other electric toothbrushes, users don't have to check their phone all the time to see blind zones with Oclean X Pro Elite. Instead, it reports real time and all around blind zone detection results to help users establish better brushing habits. Even though loaded with a touch screen, smart custom brushing plans, and silicone tongue coating brushes, it comes at a surprisingly low price. Oclean has always been highly recognized by customers for excellent product performance. The Oclean X Pro Elite selling out is, without doubt, more evidence of that. SOURCE Oclean [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] She's known for being one of the most well-styled judges on MasterChef. And on Saturday, Melissa Leong looked effortlessly chic as she ran errands in Melbourne. The 39-year-old food critic cut a stylish figure in a cream ensemble and brown coat as she visited her local shops. Dressed to impress: MasterChef's Melissa Leong (pictured) cut a stylish figure in an all-white ensemble and designer coat as she stepped out in Melbourne on Saturday Melissa wore wide-leg trousers and a matching coloured T-shirt for the outing. She teamed the ensemble with a pair of $1260 Gucci Black Floral Embroidered Leather and Fur Lined Princetown Mules, a checkered fiddler cap, a grey clutch and gold earrings. The MasterChef judge styled her brunette locks in curls and wore a neutral palette of makeup for the outing. Flare for fashion! Melissa wore white wide-leg trousers, matching coloured T-shirt and brown coat for the outing Melissa's outing comes days after the new season of MasterChef Australia premiered last week. During the episode, Melissa seemingly alluded to her personal struggles including her split from her husband Joe Jones, in an emotional speech to the contestants. 'Last year, our world turned upside down,' began the food writer. 'And although it was tough, it forced us all to reassess what is most important in our lives. Last year may have been a time of change but this year is a time of opportunity,' the TV personality continued. Accessories: She teamed the ensemble with a pair of black Gucci slides, a checkered fiddler cap, a grey clutch and gold earrings Addressing the show's new social distancing regulations, Melissa said, 'Now usually you'd be here surrounded by your family and friends, but sadly this year that's not possible.' 'So I would like to invite you to take a look around at each other because as of today, we welcome you to the MasterChef family.' Melissa then said, 'Support each other, celebrate each other's successes, have each other's backs when things are not so great. We want to see you grow and thrive and be the best that you can be.' 'That's what makes us so proud to be part of this family together,' she concluded. MasterChef continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 (Natural News) Those in need of medical assistance may soon be able to ride on an electric ambulance thanks to a partnership between Lightning eMotors and REV Group, Inc.s subsidiary Leader Emergency Vehicles (LEV). The upcoming electric ambulance is based on the Class 3 Lightning Electric Transit Van that was launched back in December 2020. The 2020 Class 3 Lightning Electric Transit Van features the fourth-generation or Gen 4 of the companys battery-electric and fuel cell electric platform based on the Ford Transit 350HD chassis. The Gen 4 powertrain features new battery technology that provides up to 105 kWh of battery capacity. It has up to 40 percent more range than Gen 3s 120-mile range as a battery-only vehicle. The Gen 4 van also has fuel cell configurations that extend its range to 250 miles based on EPA-certified dynamometer testing. Pricing for the 2020 Gen 4 powertrain also suggests that its more cost-effective compared to a gasoline van. While the electric ambulance doesnt have an official name yet, reports say it will be delivered to initial customers by the end of 2021. Prospective customers for the vehicle include hospitals, government agencies, municipalities, commercial operators, and non-profit organizations that require ambulances. Ambulances would benefit from electrification Since ambulances spend most of the day parked and are mostly limited to certain jurisdictions that limit how far they are going to travel for a single trip, it makes sense to develop electric ambulances. After all, electric ambulances wont have multiple stops, nor will they carry multiple passengers that require them to travel across the city. (Related: Novel electric motor brings electric passenger airplanes a step closer to reality.) Electric ambulances only need to travel from the hospital to a patient and back again as fast as possible. Once an electric ambulance has safely taken patients back to the hospital, it can be charged for as long as it needs to before being taken on another trip. When the fourth-generation Class 3 electric van was launched in December 2020, Lightning eMotors CEO Time Reeser, explained that Class 3 vehicles like ambulances, cargo vans and passenger vans, often used by commercial and government fleets, would benefit from electrification. Reeser also said that as the only manufacturer to offer a CARB-certified (California Air Resources Board) electric van in the Class 3 segment, REV Group gas sold more all-electric commercial EVs than any other vehicle manufacturer in America to date. He added that electrification is reaching all different types of fleet vehicles, and ambulances are a logical next step. Reeser continued that, unlike gas cars, electric cars are zero-emission. Theyre also powerful, smooth, and quiet, something that drivers will appreciate. And because the electric ambulances are fully electric, they dont have tailpipe emissions, making them a healthier choice for the environment. Reeser concluded that this new battery technology and other upgrades give the electric cars the range, power and features at a price that allows customers to efficiently scale up their electric fleets. Rod Rushing, President and CEO of REV Group, shared that the company aims to continuously help improve the quality of life for its customers and communities. REV Group is committed to investing in innovative technology and leading in the electrification of commercial vehicles, said Rushing. The electric ambulance chassis for the partnership will be produced by Lightning eMotors in Loveland, Colorado. The rest of the vehicle will be assembled at a Leader factory in South El Monte, California. Lightning eMotors is increasing production capacity at its Colorado facility this 2021. The company aims to reach a production capacity of 1,000 electric commercial EVs per year by the end of 2021, with an ambitious mid-term goal to reach a production capacity of 20,000 vehicles per year by 2025. Visit Inventions.news for more articles about electric vehicles and other eco-friendly inventions. Sources include: CleanTechnica.com BusinessWire.com Key Market Insights: Glass sealants have created a niche market in various applications. Several types of glass sealants are present in the market. The types include a variety of materials such as silicones, polyurethane, and polysulfide resins. In construction, glass sealant is widely used in glazing. Glazing overall, refers to a part of the window, facade panels, rain screens, walls, doors, storefronts, and entrance ways made of glass, that are sealed with this material. Glass sealants for glazing are used to enhance building design, flexibility, visual aesthetics, durability, longevity, UV protection and weather resistance, load-bearing capacity, thermal stress, and low shrinkage. The extensive use of these sealants in the overall construction and transportation sectors has given a massive boost to the glass sealants market. The rapid growth in economies across the globe and the increasing per capita income among consumers in developing countries are increasing the demand for transportation. This, in turn, is increasing the demand for glass sealants in automobiles. The commercial construction sector is presently leading the market and is expected to remain the same during the forecast years. Emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil are looking forward to taking advantage of the benefits of glass sealants. Further, the industrial and infrastructural market growth is expected to foster the glass sealants market. You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/9907/Single The Asia Pacific is the largest glass sealants market globally, primarily due to the presence of export-oriented manufacturing capacities and intense domestic demand from various end-user industries. The increase in automobile manufacturing and architectural construction is further driving the market growth in the region. The anticipated economic stability in Europe is expected to boost its manufacturing sector, complementing the growth of the glass sealants market. North America is likely to remain the key region with a significant contribution coming from the US. Few of the prominent companies operating in the glass sealants market are BASF SE, 3M, Dow Corning Corporation, General Electric, and Evonik Industries AG. Request For Report Discounts @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/9907 Material Types: Silicone Polyurethane Polysulfide Others End-users: Commercial Construction Non-Commercial Construction Transportation Others Geography: The Prime Minister has a problem with his personal finances. That is the easiest explanation for why Boris Johnson attempted to get Conservative Party donors to help pay for an expensive refurbishment of the Downing Street flat in which he, his fiancee Carrie Symonds and their baby son Wilfred live. It would have been an unprecedented arrangement which the PMs former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, said last week was unethical, possibly illegal, and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations if conducted in the way he intended. Following Mr Cummingss remarks delivered on his personal blog in retaliation for Boris Johnsons idiotic move to brief newspapers that Cummings had been the source of various disobliging leaks about the matter the PM decided, after all, to cough up the 58,000 bill which was to have been given by benefactors. But how much of a scandal is it? And how dangerous, in terms of arousing the anger of voters? Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) with his partner Carrie Symonds leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey Unorthodox According to the former Conservative Attorney General for England and Wales, Dominic Grieve, it was a further demonstration of the fact, as he put it, that Boris Johnson is a vacuum of integrity. And Grieve pointed out on Radio 4s Today programme: Ministers cannot accept gifts from individuals in their ministerial capacity. A stern point well made, although I found myself giggling during this lecture, as the BBCs Nick Robinson repeatedly addressed Grieve as Sir Dominic (which he isnt) and the normally punctilious former chief law officer repeatedly failed to correct his over-promotion. It made him appear all the more pompous, even though, as I say, his argument was sound. According to the former Conservative Attorney General for England and Wales, Dominic Grieve, it was a further demonstration of the fact, as he put it, that Boris Johnson is a vacuum of integrity' The great war leader spent his adult years prior to the conflict in a constant and growing state of indebtedness, peaking at almost 2 million (in todays money) And what of the publics view of the leaks? Boris Johnson has said they dont give a monkeys despite the fact that Mr Johnson clearly gives lots of monkeys, or he wouldnt have earlier briefed newspaper editors about how disgraceful it was that Cummings had, allegedly, been leaking stories about the unorthodox financing of his domestic refurb. Some have compared it to the parliamentary expenses row of 2009, and there is a superficial similarity. That was about how a large number of MPs (well, almost all of them) had found ways of getting approval from the House of Commons fees office to pay for home improvements not obviously relevant to their parliamentary duties, including moat-dredging and ornamental duck houses. But there is a crucial distinction: these excesses were all funded by the taxpayer without us having known what had been going on, still less having any say in it. At worst, I suppose those not already ill-disposed towards the PM would see his behaviour as that of someone who doesnt know how to live within his means, or who cant say no to his fiancee when she wants to break the household budget on interior decoration. If it is the former, the most obvious precedent is Boris Johnsons political hero, Winston Churchill. The great war leader spent his adult years prior to the conflict in a constant and growing state of indebtedness, peaking at almost 2 million (in todays money). This was described with extraordinary detail in the book No More Champagne: Churchill And His Money, by David Lough. The author gave the full lowdown on Churchills extravagance, the gambling that he engaged in to pay for it, and the outrageous schemes he engineered to escape the consequences: such as borrowing from his childrens trusts, having assigned some of his earnings from his writing to his son, Randolph, as a tax avoidance measure. It was only when, in 1938, Churchill negotiated a colossal secret gift of cash from a retired multi-millionaire banker and businessman called Sir Henry Strakosch that he managed to escape from the clutches of imminent bankruptcy and public disgrace. But even as a successful war leader, Churchill found a most unorthodox way of guaranteeing his familys financial future, by accumulating many documents which properly belonged to the state. Scorn As the Cabinet Secretary Sir Robin Butler put it in a memo to his then boss, Prime Minister John Major, Churchill took away with him a vast collection of papers . . . which comprised both personal and official records and set up a trust fund to ensure that any financial benefit from the use of the archives accrued to his heirs. Butler wrote this memo because Major was weighing up whether to approve the use of 12.5 million of the lottery-funded National Heritage Memorial Fund to buy this archive from Churchills grandson also called Winston, and also a former Conservative MP rather than let it be sold to foreign buyers (most likely an American university library). John Major agreed to the deal, to the scorn of a newspaper columnist called . . . Boris Johnson. In an article in April 1995, Johnson questioned whether 12.5 million of lottery funds should find its way into the pockets of Churchills grandson, concluding: This is the most elegant means yet devised of taking from the poor to give to the rich. However, the Boris Johnson I have long known does not have any extravagant tastes; and I am sure the idea to get the Downing Street flat done up by Lulu Lytle (in a style which looks, by the pictures I have seen, more like an upmarket Turkish brothel than anything else) would not have been his. (Pictured, Lulu Lylie London flat) And we know from his ex-mistress Petronella Wyatt that he has none of Churchills pampered palate: [Boriss] idea of fine dining was Pizza Express' Almost 20 years later, Johnson would write a rather more eulogistic biography of his prime ministerial predecessor, Sir Winston. As far as the two mens money-related habits are concerned, however, there are both similarities and differences. A similarity is that the two have a history of anxiety in the matter. At the age of 24, Churchill wrote to his brother, Jack: The only thing that worries me in life is money. And Boris Johnsons behaviour, since he was a similar age, evokes the same fear. A friend who was at Oxford University with Johnson told me that the young Boris had for ages not paid him some money he owed. Then, some years later, this friend saw Boris stuffing his face in a restaurant he happened to be walking past. So he went in and confronted Johnson over the long-unpaid debt. Embarrassed, he agreed to pay. Days later, a cheque arrived . . . signed by someone other than Boris. But my friend had better luck than Johnsons former boss at the Daily Telegraph, Max Hastings. After his columnist lost a bet they had over the result of the 2010 general election, Boris Johnson, after much cajoling, sent his ex-editor a letter with the words, cheque enclosed. But there was no cheque. It is said that Johnsons financial delinquency owes much to the costs of his divorce from his second wife, Marina, and of funding his children (he has six, at a minimum). But the incidents recounted above long predate those circumstances. Furious However, there is a significant difference from the case of Winston Churchill (apart from the fact that he was completely faithful to his only wife, Clemmie). Churchill had very expensive tastes. He drank only the best champagne (in vast quantities); he would have all his shirts and suits made bespoke; he purchased a financial sink hole in the form of the Chartwell estate, where he lived on a grand scale. However, the Boris Johnson I have long known does not have any extravagant tastes; and I am sure the idea to get the Downing Street flat done up by Lulu Lytle (in a style which looks, by the pictures I have seen, more like an upmarket Turkish brothel than anything else) would not have been his. Well, fair enough, most men leave such matters to their partners. Boriss own style is better captured by the fact that his car (as we learned when it was snapped, with unpaid parking tickets, outside Carrie Symondss flat in 2019) was a 1994 Toyota Previa. And we know from his ex-mistress Petronella Wyatt that he has none of Churchills pampered palate: [Boriss] idea of fine dining was Pizza Express. One of the worst crises of our friendship came when I cooked him a seafood risotto . . . [costing] a good deal of money . . . [Boris said:] I cant eat that. Do you have any crisps? So, whatever the PMs sins, I dont think extravagance can be numbered on that (long) list. But hes clearly a tightwad and will be furious hes now having to pay up for Carries Downing Street makeover. A private school in the fashionable Design District of Miami sent its faculty and staff a letter last week about getting vaccinated against Covid-19. But unlike institutions that have encouraged and even facilitated vaccination for teachers, the school, Centner Academy, did the opposite: One of its co-founders, Leila Centner, informed employees with a very heavy heart that if they chose to get a shot, they would have to stay away from students. In an example of how misinformation threatens the nations effort to vaccinate enough Americans to get the coronavirus under control, Ms. Centner, who has frequently shared anti-vaccine posts on Facebook, claimed in the letter that reports have surfaced recently of non-vaccinated people being negatively impacted by interacting with people who have been vaccinated. Even among our own population, we have at least three women with menstrual cycles impacted after having spent time with a vaccinated person, she wrote, repeating a false claim that vaccinated people can somehow pass the vaccine to others and thereby affect their reproductive systems. (They can do neither.) The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mpraeso constituency in the Eastern Region, Mr. Davis Opoku Ansah, has urged the government to fix the deplorable Adawso-Amanfrom road. Mr. Opoku Ansah argued that given the output of the onion farmers in the surrounding communities, repairing the road, which links their farms to major markets, will help to significantly reduce the need to import onions from other countries. He also believes it will boost employment within the Mpraeso constituency. I want to plead with the father of the nation, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to help us with the construction of the Adawso-Amanfrom road to help our farmers and also aid in curbing the importation of onion into our country. Our farmers here produce the best and highest-quality onions but due to the nature of the road, their activities and farm produce do not get to the markets on time for sale. I know the President is a listening president and I plead with him and our honourable Roads Minister to construct this road for my people and Ghanaians at large. The Mpraeso lawmaker made the plea as part of his community engagements today, Friday, April 23, 2021. The community engagement is to afford him the opportunity to account for his stewardship as the MP in his first 100 days in office and also to receive feedback from his constituents. He also used the opportunity to inspect some projects he has initiated in the constituency and explain government policies to his constituents. Source: Citinewsroom 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 Elliott Wright's restaurant has burned down (Photo: Ian West/PA Wire) Former Towie star Elliott Wright has told how his Malaga restaurant has been devastated by a fire. The ex-reality TV star and cousin of Mark Wright owns Olivia's La Cala in Malaga, an upmarket seafront restaurant which was engulfed by a huge blaze in the early hours of Monday morning. Read more: Mark Wright says family has been 'torn apart' by coronavirus Sharing a picture of the fire's aftermath on Instagram, Wright showed that just the shell of his restaurant was left - but vowed to rebuild it and make it better than ever before. He wrote: "So I will get this out there as no doubt this news will spread fast... unfortunately its with regret that @olivias_la_cala had a fire in the early hours of this morning... its too soon to say why, all that matters is it has. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "More importantly in life you get tested.. its been a very testing couple of years.. especially recently.. but if you know me, you know I will rise from this.. I will rebuild it big and better then before.. I will never be beaten." Wright lost his father Edward to COVID at the beginning of March after an eight-week battle with the virus, which had infected a number of members of the Wright family including Mark's dad. The restaurant took inspiration from Edward's career in the pub industry, with Wright explaining on its website: "Welcome to whats been a dream of mine for almost 20 years. Named after my beautiful daughter Olivia; Olivias has been built around my passion for food, which derives from my amazing Mum who taught me the basics of cooking from a young age. The party atmospehre is driven from my incredible Dad, who has owned some of the best pubs in the east end of London." Sadie Stuart and Elliott Wright at the National Television Awards 2018 (Photo: Matt Crossick/PA Images via Getty Images) Wright's family and famous pals rallied round to offer him support over the news. Jess Wright wrote: "If anyone can come out of this even better its YOU! It will be even more amazing." Mario Falcone added: "Sorry to see this bro... thinking of you and I am sure you will bounce back stronger." Story continues James Argent wrote: "Love you so much Elliot, If theres one man that can turn this around its you! We will be back & better than ever." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The restaurant was a favourite for Elliott's cousin Mark Wright and his wife Michelle Keegan when they travelled to the area. Former Towie co-star Megan McKenna commented: "Im so sorry Elliott. This is awful news. Sending my love. You got this mate!!" Ferne McCann added: "Oh devastating news ell. So sorry youll be back bigger and better x x x" And Lisa Maffia wrote: "Dont give up the faith you had in the beginning the come back is always sweet." Watch: Michelle Keegan denies her marriage to Mark Wright is in trouble New Delhi, April 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed Covid-19 preparations and operations being undertaken by the Armed Forces to deal with the pandemic. The Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat briefed Modi that all medical personnel from armed forces who have retired or taken pre-mature retirement in the last two years are being recalled to work in Covid facilities in the proximity of their present place of residence. Other medical officers who retired earlier have also been requested to make their services available for consultation through medical emergency help lines. The Prime Minister was also informed that all medical officers on staff appointments at Command headquarters, Corps headquarters, Division headquarters and similar headquarters of Navy and Air-Force will be employed at hospitals. The CDS informed the PM that nursing personnel are being employed in large numbers to compliment the doctors at the hospitals. PM was also briefed that oxygen cylinders available with armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals. The CDS also said that they are creating medical facilities in large numbers and where possible military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians. Modi also reviewed the operations being undertaken by IAF to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad. He also discussed with the CDS that Kendriya and Rajya Sainik Welfare Boards and Officers posted in various headquarters in veteran cells may be instructed to coordinate their services to extend the reach to maximum extent possible including in remote areas. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) The cast of Minari arrived in style to the 2021 Academy Awards on Sunday. Steven Yeun looked debonair in a jet black tuxedo as he arrived to the glitzy Hollywood event alongside his stunning wife Joana Pak. Even with a black face mask covering his face at times, the actor, 37, oozed sophistication as he posed upon the socially-distanced red carpet. Man of style! Steven Yeun looked debonair in a jet black tuxedo as he arrived to the 2021 Oscars alongside his stunning wife Joana Pak on Sunday Steven added another suave touch with his slicked back hairstyle, courtesy of stylist Anh Co Tran, who used Dyson's Supersonic Hair Dryer, and the Dyson Corrale Straightener to achieve the style, while his wife opted for long, loose waves. The glamorous night out was a bit of a shock to the system for the actor, who admitted it was 'crazy' meeting so many new people all at once following a year of self-isolation. 'I'll be honest with you, I haven't been outside in about a year,' he told E!'s Giuliana Rancic. 'I mean, I've been outside, but like to see you and all these people is kind of strange. I just did an interview about five seconds before this where I stumbled through the whole thing because I haven't talked to random people in a long time, so this is crazy.' Staying safe: The couple wore black face masks on the socially-distanced red carpet Suits him! Yeun oozed sophistication in his jet black tuxedo Simply stylish: Steven's co-stars, Youn Yuh-jung, 73, and Han Ye-ri, 36, were also dressed to impress for the big Hollywood event Steven's co-stars, Youn Yuh-jung, 73, and Han Ye-ri, 36, were also dressed to impress for the big Hollywood event. Youn looked incredible in a chic midnight blue dress while Han dazzled in a vibrant red dress adorned with gold accents. Alan S. Kim, nine, who plays David Yi, looked dashing in a mini tuxedo jacket, bow tie, and fashionably mismatched socks. The young actor arrived onto the red carpet alongside his mother, Vicky Kim, who also looked fabulous in a satin blue jumpsuit. Elegance: Youn dazzled in a satin midnight blue dress Looking good! Alan S. Kim, nine, who plays David Yi, looked dashing in a mini tuxedo jacket, bow tie, and fashionably mismatched socks Making their way: The young Minari star held hands with his mother on the red carpet Minari is up for a whooping six Academy Awards this year, including Best Actor for Steven, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Youn, and Best Director for Lee Isaac Chung. The indie drama follows Korean immigrants scraping out a living off the land in rural America, written and directed by Lee and starring Steven. Despite the pandemic, the red carpet was a who's who of Hollywood A-listers. Critically-acclaimed: Director Lee Isaac Chung is up for Best Director The red carpet kicked off early on Sunday afternoon for the highly anticipated 93rd Academy Awards. The red carpet looked similar to how it did last year except there were far fewer people as there are social distancing restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has allowed only 170 people to attend this year rather than the normal 3,000. This marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh has described as being 'like a movie.' Oscar hopeful: The indie drama follows Korean immigrants scraping out a living off the land in rural America, written and directed by Lee and starring Steven Prizes will be delivered to the health care workers on April 28, National Superhero Day, by a team of caped crusaders visiting mass vaccination sites located in Charlotte and Detroit. The digital-financial services company has a large presence in both cities, including its headquarters in Detroit. "At Ally, we're constantly looking for inventive ways to help people think about their money differently and ask how it can work harder for them. Gamification is a great way to do that," said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer, Ally Financial. "The benefits of our augmented reality mobile sweepstakes are twofold: by scanning even just one dollar bill, you're not only experiencing your own money working harder, but you're also giving back and rewarding an essential worker. It's the perfect way to reward yourself and say 'thank you' to health care workers." By visiting ally.com/digitaldollar and scanning any dollar bill using a mobile device, players will be entered to win one of $940,000 worth of instant prizes, ranging from digital gift cards to streaming and food delivery services to VIP tickets to professional sporting events. Every player is also entered to win the grand prize of $50,000, awarded to one lucky winner after the last day of game play, April 30. "Our Public Health staff have been working tirelessly since the beginning of this pandemic to protect Mecklenburg County residents and address the impact of COVID on the community. I am so proud of them and grateful for this recognition of their selfless efforts," said Gibbie Harris, Public Health Director, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Additional images and video from Ally's efforts on National Superhero Day will be available upon request. About Ally Financial Inc. Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial-services company with $181.9 billion in assets as of March 31, 2021. As a customer-centric company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions, we are relentlessly focused on "Doing it Right" and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. We are one of the largest full-service automotive-finance operations in the country and offer a wide range of financial services and insurance products to automotive dealerships and consumers. Our award-winning online bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender) offers mortgage lending, personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products, including savings, money-market, and checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Additionally, we offer securities-brokerage and investment-advisory services through Ally Invest. Our robust corporate finance business offers capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies. For more information and disclosures about Ally, visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures . For further images and news on Ally, please visit http://media.ally.com . Contact: Cristi Vazquez Ally Financial [email protected] SOURCE Ally Financial Related Links http://www.ally.com .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal A national study shows that Albuquerque is outside the top 200 metropolitan areas when it comes to spending money on new housing and it lags far behind metro areas in neighboring states. According to a study from the trade publication Construction Coverage, which examines how much money cities across the country spent per capita on new residential construction in 2020, Albuquerque spent $541.33 per capita on new residential construction. That figure ranked 201st among metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents. This relative shortage of new residential construction, along with strong demand for housing, has led to record-low inventory in Albuquerque and pushed home prices up in recent years. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ (Sellers) have a product thats in scarce supply, and that doesnt look like its going to change anytime soon, Albuquerque Realtor Tego Venturi said. Study author Jonathan Jones said in an email that researchers pulled annual data from the U.S. Census Bureaus 2020 Building Permits Survey, and cross-referenced that with data from the 2019 American Community Survey to come up with the findings. Metro Austin led the way, spending $3,141.75 on residential construction per capita. Elsewhere in New Mexico, metro Las Cruces spent $1,238.74 on housing per capita, which ranked it 84th among all metros. Santa Fe spent $817.46, putting it at 141st, according to the study. Jones noted that New Mexicos low ranking puts it at odds with regional trends. Neighboring states Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Utah each were among the states where per capita construction were the highest. Tucson, a similarly sized metro that Albuquerque is often compared to, spent $1,331.46 on residential construction per capita, more than 2 times Albuquerques total. Jones said growth was the main reason other more was spent on construction in cities in other Southwestern states than in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. He said New Mexicos neighbors have all experienced double-digit population growth over the past 10 years, while New Mexicos was a bit over 2%. Similar to New Mexico as a whole, the population of Albuquerque has remained relatively flat since 2010, Jones said. Despite relatively lethargic population growth over the past decade, Albuquerque home prices have spiked in the past couple of years, due partly to a shortage of available homes. Last year, the median sale price of a single-family home in metro Albuquerque increased by 10.7% compared with 2019. And things havent slowed down in 2021. During the first quarter of the year, the median sale price of a single-family home increased to $265,000, up 15.2% from $230,000 during the first quarter of 2020, according to a quarterly report from the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors published last week. During the same period, the number of new listings dropped by nearly 8% from 3,799 in the first quarter of 2021 to 3,499 in the first quarter of 2021. The average number of days each home spent on the market dropped from 53 to 24. Buying a house right now is like The Hunger Games, Venturi said. Venturi said New Mexico builders have been more conservative about new development than builders in other markets. He added that high permitting and material costs make it expensive to build housing in Albuquerque. Theres a reason theres so much building going on in Rio Rancho and not Albuquerque proper, Venturi said. They encourage it, where it almost feels like Albuquerque discourages it. Without more new construction, Venturi said, it will be a challenge for middle-income Burquenos and new arrivals alike to find affordable options. We have to find a way to make this work for everybody, he said. After initially opposing it, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz voted in favor of a Senate bill that aims to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate through a bipartisan 94-1 vote Thursday. In a previous statement to The Texas Tribune, Cruz lambasted the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which was introduced into Congress by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-New York, calling it a Democratic messaging vehicle designed to push the demonstrably false idea that it is somehow racist to acknowledge that Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China. RELATED: Ted Cruz among group of Republicans opposing bill to address hate crimes against Asian Americans A Cruz spokesperson said Thursday that he ultimately decided to support the bill during the final vote because of an amendment added by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in cooperation with Hirono. While it was unfortunate that Senate Democrats blocked Sen. Cruzs amendment to fight discrimination against Asian Americans in higher education, Sen. Cruz believes the adoption of Sen. Collins language made substantial improvements to this legislation and so he voted in support of the final proposal, the spokesperson told the Tribune in an email. Despite several failed Republican attempts to amend the bill, Hirono and Collins reached an agreement to modify the bills language to broaden bipartisan support while retaining the purpose of the bill, according to Hironos office. Before it was passed, Cruz and Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, tried to amend the bill to prohibit Federal funding for any institution of higher learning that discriminates against Asian Americans in recruitment, applicant review and admissions, which was narrowly rejected in a 49-48 vote. It was among other unsuccessful Republican-led efforts to amend the bill. Cruz previously accused Democrats of not taking racism seriously because they didnt call out the U.S. Department of Justice for withdrawing its Trump-era affirmative action lawsuit against Yale University for allegedly discriminating against Asian American and white applicants through race-based admission quotas. The lawsuit was dropped in February after President Joe Biden took office. In a joint statement, the two senators called the rejection of their amendment an unbelievably cynical move. Despite their calls to end racism, it is clear Democrats are only paying lip service to fighting discrimination against Asian Americans and will allow targeted discrimination against them to continue at Americas universities and colleges, they said in the statement. In response, Hirono said racial discrimination in higher education is already illegal and called the Cruz-Kennedy amendment a transparent and cynical attack on university policies that aim to promote diverse student bodies, according to Politico. READ ALSO: Ted Cruz says he's 'done' with wearing a mask at the U.S. Capitol If signed into law, the bill would expedite the processing of hate crimes by assigning an employee at the Justice Department for that task. The Hirono-Collins amendment extended the amount of time the department has in designating the official to oversee that review from one day to seven. The bill would also issue guidance to local law enforcement officials on making hate crime reporting more efficient through online reporting, which would be available in multiple languages. Additionally, the bill would expand public education campaigns aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes and reaching victims." Another key aspect of the bill is its plan to issue guidance that would be aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the amended bill. Former President Donald Trump regularly called COVID-19 the China virus while crimes against Asian Americans surged since the dawn of the pandemic. In San Antonio, an Asian restaurant was vandalized with anti-Asian racial slurs, and in Midland, an Asian American family was stabbed at a Sam's Club, according to WFAA-TV. According to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that tracks Asian American discrimination, there were 103 incidents in Texas from March 19, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021, which were among nearly 3,800 nationwide. The U.S. House will eventually take up the bill, where it is expected to pass because of the Democratic majority. Todays historic, bipartisan vote on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act sends a powerful message of solidarity to the AAPI communitythat the United States Senate rejects anti-Asian hate. Now, I urge the House to swiftly pass this legislation so the bill can go to President Biden to sign into law, Hirono said in a written statement. Disclosure: Politico has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. "For nearly half of a century, Lummus and PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim have had a strong and collaborative partnership," said Leon de Bruyn, Lummus Technology's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Lummus was selected for its superior technologies to help Nizhnekamskneftekhim extend their product slate, and we are grateful for the trust by this important client in our ability to support them for many years to come." Lummus' scope includes the technology license and basic engineering for the ethylbenzene, styrene monomer, ethylene dimerization and olefins conversion units. Once complete, the units will produce 250 KTA of ethylbenzene via the EBOne technology, 250 KTA of styrene monomer via the Classic SM technology and 150 KTA of polymer grade propylene production via olefins metathesis chemistry using Lummus' ethylene dimerization (DIMER) and olefins conversion technologies (OCT). PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim is one of the larger petrochemical companies in Europe and a leader in the production of synthetic rubbers and plastics in Russia. About Lummus Technology With a heritage spanning more than 110 years and a focus on innovation that has resulted in approximately 130 technologies and 3,400 patents, Lummus Technology is the global leader in developing process technologies that make modern life possible and focus on a more sustainable, low carbon future. We are a Master Licensor of petrochemical, refining, gasification, gas processing and sustainable technologies, and a supplier of catalysts, proprietary equipment and related services to customers worldwide. To learn more about the new Lummus, visit www.LummusTechnology.com. SOURCE Lummus Technology, LLC Related Links www.LummusTechnology.com Fans watching the 93rd Oscars on Sunday night made quite the surprise sighting when Supernatural star Mischa Collins was spotted at Hollywood's biggest night. Since the 46-year-old actor was not nominated this year - in fact, he hasn't starred in a movie since 2008's The Grift - many were quite confused why he was there, and it even became a trending topic on Twitter. Upon realizing that he was trending, the longtime Supernatural star took to Twitter to explain that he was there to support longtime friend Darius Marder, the writer-director of Best Picture nominee Sound of Metal. Spotted: Fans watching the 93rd Oscars on Sunday night made quite the surprise sighting when Supernatural star Mischa Collins was spotted at Hollywood's biggest night During the telecast, Collins retweeted a Twitter user dubbed @CubbyPau, who added a screengrab of Collins trending on Twitter, adding, '.@mishacollins is currently trending 17 in the US just for attending the #Oscars.' He also retweeted Page Six, which reported that his presence at the Oscars, 'confuses Twitter,' which he added, 'I love that the headline of me being at the Oscars is "confusing.' The actor also clarified things further by sharing a photo of him with Marder at their table at the ceremony, held this year at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Confusing: He also retweeted Page Six, which reported that his presence at the Oscars, 'confuses Twitter,' which he added, 'I love that the headline of me being at the Oscars is "confusing' 'My bff since I was 12 years old is nominated Oscars in 6 categories tonight and I couldn't be more proud (or jealous),' Collins said. 'So happy for him and for this incredible, inclusive film about the deaf community and addiction and the human condition. So full of love and pride tonight...' he concluded. He also shared a photo with Marder, Jeremy Lee Stone and sound editor Michelle Couttolenc with their first Oscar of the night, won for Best Sound. Proud and jealous: 'My bff since I was 12 years old is nominated Oscars in 6 categories tonight and I couldn't be more proud (or jealous),' Collins said 'The first of #SoundOfMetal's #oscars! (They wont let me touch it until I wash my hands, but I was allowed to point at it.)' Collins joked. He shared another shot of him hugging Marder while reiterating why he was spotted at the Oscars. 'I am at the Oscars tonight with my BFF since I was 12. He has won two Oscars tonight so far for his film, @SoundOfMetalUK. So proud of you, @dariusmarder,' Collins said. BFF: 'I am at the Oscars tonight with my BFF since I was 12. He has won two Oscars tonight so far for his film, @SoundOfMetalUK. So proud of you, @dariusmarder,' Collins said No touching: 'The first of #SoundOfMetal's #oscars! (They wont let me touch it until I wash my hands, but I was allowed to point at it.)' Collins joked He also retweeted Variety's tweet announced Sound of Metal's second and final Oscar win on the night, for Best Film Editing. Sound of Metal had been up for six Oscars going into Sunday night's telecast, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Riz Ahmed), Best Supporting Actor (Paul Raci) and Best Original Screenplay (Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, Derek Cianfrance). Nomadland ultimately won Best Picture, with Anthony Hopkins winning Best Actor for The Father, Daniel Kaluuya winning Best Supporting Actor for Judas and the Black Messiah and Emerald Fennell winning Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman. Second Oscar: He also retweeted Variety's tweet announced Sound of Metal's second and final Oscar win on the night, for Best Film Editing A woman and her daughter were killed while her son was seriously injured after they were hit by a truck in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An on Sunday. The woman was carrying her two children on a motorbike along N5 Street in Nghi Loc District, Nghe An Province at around 10:00 am, according to traffic police officers. The motorcycle then collided with a truck operated by Nghe An-based Thuy Danh cement company. The three family members fell off the motorbike and were run over by the truck. They were rushed to the hospital by local residents, but the woman and her daughter succumbed to their critical injuries. Her son is still receiving treatment for his serious injuries at the Nghe An Friendship General Hospital. N5 Street stretches 30 kilometers from Hoa Son Commune, Do Luong District to Nghi Thiet Commune, Nghi Loc District in Nghe An. Costing over VND1.2 trillion (US$52.2 million), the route was opened to traffic in April 2017. A lot of traffic accident hot spots have been recorded along this street, with local residents referring to it as the 'road of death.' Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Pfizer Inc. claims that it has discovered the first reported cases of fake copies of the Covid-19 vaccine it created with BioNTech SE in Mexico and Poland, the latest effort by traffickers to take advantage of the global vaccination program. Authorities of both countries confiscated the doses, which were later determined to be fake by testing. According to Pfizer, they had misleading labels in Mexico, while the substance in Poland was thought to be an anti-wrinkle product. Fake vaccines, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), "face a significant danger to global public health." Authorities demanded that they be identified and taken out of circulation. Vaccine Circulation in Poland and Mexico According to Poland's health minister, the chance of bogus doses entering official distribution is "practically non-existent." No one had received the fake vaccines confiscated at a man's flat, according to Polish officials. However, around 80 people were given a fake vaccine worth around $1,000 per dose at a clinic in Mexico. According to Dr. Manuel de la O Cavazos, the state's health minister, the vials that were found in beach-style beer coolers had different lot numbers and an incorrect expiration date than those shipped to the state. Hugo Lopez-Gatell, a spokesperson for Mexico's government on Covid-19, said the fake vaccines were discovered by cyber police after being advertised on social media for up to $2,500 (1,800) per shot. Several people are now under police custody. Related Article: Weird Skin Reactions from a Coronavirus Vaccine Can Take a Week to Appear, Doctors Say Pfizer's Respond Pfizer's head of global defense, Lev Kubiak, said the scam was caused by a global market for the vaccine and a stock shortage. "We have a small supply, which will hopefully increase as we ramp up as more companies join the vaccine market. Meanwhile, criminals have a chance to monopolize on the situation, " he said to the Wall Street Journal. US Taking Actions The US Department of Justice confirmed to ABC News that it was aware of the fake vaccines discovered in Mexico and Poland and that it would assist local authorities and Pfizer "as requested." Fake Vaccines, Results, and Cards Worldwide According to the World Health Organization, fake and stolen COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed on the dark web. False vaccine cards, as well as fake negative checks, are being offered to travelers going overseas. During a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the WHO is "aware of vaccines being redirected and reintroduced into the supply chain, with no assurance that [the] cold chain has been preserved." As demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has grown, supply has fluctuated, and scams have emerged as an almost unavoidable consequence. The WHO said it had received dubious requests to supply vaccines from many ministries of health and regulatory agencies worldwide, as well as allegations of "criminal organizations" reusing empty vaccine vials. According to the BBC, vaccine doses from AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinipharm, and Johnson & Johnson are being sold on the dark web for $500 to $750. Also Read: Covid Particles in the Dust May Help Predict Potential Outbreaks For more health & medicine news, don't forget to follow Nature World News! Brushing your teeth could lower the risk of falling seriously ill with coronavirus, scientists have claimed. An international team of experts have speculated that the virus may spread into the blood after infecting the gums. They came up with the theory after noting a number of patients had no inflammation in their airways yet severe infection in their lungs. Normally Covid enters through the throat or nose and makes its way through the respiratory system to the lungs. But the scientists said it was possible the infection could bypass the airways and go straight to the lungs after gaining entry through the gums. If correct, it would explain why a number of studies have found people with gum disease and poor dental hygiene are more at risk of severe disease. They said 'simple oral hygiene' such as brushing teeth twice a day for at least two minutes and using mouthwash after meals could cut the risk of severe Covid. The hypothesis, backed by NHS experts, was published in the Journal of Oral Medicine and Dental Research. University of Birmingham's Professor Iain Chapple, one of the lead authors of the paper, admitted more research was needed to shore up the link. Most people catch Covid by breathing in viral particles expelled by an infected person. The virus then makes its way down the nose or throat into the lungs. Birmingham University scientists suggested the virus could enter the body through the mouth and travel in the bloodstream. Their hypothesis is pictured above. This is not a proven route for Covid infection, and scientists said more evidence was needed People with gum disease are more at risk of suffering a severe Covid infection, studies have suggested. Experts say brushing your teeth more regularly should prevent this Initial observations of lung CT scans from patients suffering from Covid lung disease by NHS radiologist Dr Graham Lloyd-Jones led to a collaboration between medical and dental researchers from the UK, US and South Africa. Their review, published earlier this month, sets out evidence suggesting the virus enters the body via the mouth and travels in the bloodstream. They point to papers which have spotted the virus in the saliva and salivary gland, as proving that it is present in the mouth during an infection. And others showing that in people with gum disease bacteria from the mouth have been identified circulating in the bloodstream, suggesting it is also possible for the virus to enter the blood through this route. The illness weakens cells in the gums which, the experts suggest, allows bacteria in the mouth - which are much larger than viruses - to enter the circulatory system. To explain their theory that the virus travels in the bloodstream, they pointed to Covid damage around blood vessels in the lungs. They said blood clots in this organ - medically termed immunothrombosis - clearly suggested this area had been attacked by the virus. Experts say clots in the lungs may suggest the body is fighting the disease, as it traps the virus at affected tissue and stops it spreading further. WHAT IS GUM DISEASE? Gum disease, or periodontitis, is sparked when the gums become swollen, sore or infected. In severe cases, it can lead to tooth and bone loss if it isn't treated. It is sparked when there is a build-up of plaque - a sticky substance containing bacteria - on the teeth. Some bacteria in this concoction are harmless, but others can be damaging. Experts say that simply brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing will remove this plaque, and stop the disease. More than half of UK adults suffer from the disease, and 47 per cent of adults in the US are also thought to have the condition. Symptoms can include: Swollen or puffy gums; Bright red gums; Gums that feel tender to the touch; Gums that bleed easily; Bad breath; Pain when chewing; Loose teeth; Source: NHS England Advertisement In people dying from Covid, they added that studies have also observed sections of their lungs die after their vital blood supply is cut off due to clots. On the other hand, the key features of pneumonia - thickened lung walls and mucous in the small airways - are not present in Covid cases. 'In summary, the radiological findings are not consistent with dominant or primary airways disease but rather are entirely consistent with a disease of the lung blood vessels occurring first,' they write in the paper. Professor Chapple said gum disease and cavities make it easier for bacteria and viruses to enter the body. From there it is able to travel around the body through the bloodstream, which is why many patients have problems with other major organs following a severe bout of the disease. He implied the use of sterilising mouthwashes to prevent the virus entering the body through the gums could lower the risk of severe Covid, a theory which has been touted by researchers previously. Professor Chapple added: 'Gum disease makes the gums leakier, allowing microorganisms to enter into the blood. 'This model may help us understand why some individuals develop Covid lung disease and others do not. 'It could also change the way we manage the virus - exploring cheap or even free treatments targeted at the mouth and, ultimately, saving lives.' 'Simple measures, such as careful toothbrushing and interdental brushing to reduce plaque build-up, along with specific mouthwashes, or even saltwater rinsing to reduce gingival inflammation (gum inflammation), could help... mitigate the development of lung disease and reduce the risk of deterioration to severe Covid.' The research team comprised of experts from Salisbury District Hospital, UK; the University of Birmingham, UK; and the Mouth-Body Research Institute, Los Angeles, California and Cape Town, South Africa. Commenting on the research Professor Damien Walmsley, from the British Dental Association, said more evidence was needed. 'It is an interesting study but more research is needed to prove the link. 'The best way to maintain good oral hygiene is to brush teeth thoroughly twice daily with a flouride toothpaste, before going to bed and on one other occassion.' There is already some evidence that gum disease can lead to a more severe Covid infection among patients admitted to hospital with the disease. A College of Dental Medicine, Qatar, study followed 500 patients hospitalised by the disease, almost half of whom were suffering from gum disease. They found those with mouth problems were nine times more likely to die from Covid, and five times more likely to be put on a ventilator. But the scientists suggested patients' pre-existing condition may have triggered a more severe immune response, rather than their oral health. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. Gum disease affects more than half of people in the UK, according to estimates, and 47 per cent of adults in the US. It is triggered by damage to gums in the mouth, which may then lead to tooth and bone loss. This can be triggered by a build-up of bacteria due to failures to brush the teeth regularly. Scientists add this damage done to the gums can also open them up to infections from other organisms - like Covid - because they are inflamed and less able to withstand assaults from other organisms. More than 70 Democratic lawmakers have made their support for more direct payments public since January. With various efforts gaining traction in the House and prominent Senate Democrats sending a letter to President Biden urging him to consider the matter, the discussion on a fourth stimulus check is back on the table. Where may a fourth check be included? Some political analysts believe that President Biden may include a fourth round of stimulus checks in the American Families Plan (AFP) which has yet to be released. The AFP follows the American Rescue Plan and the American Jobs Plan as the third piece of legislation included under President Bidens Build Back Better economic agenda. The American Families plan is expected to contain many priorities Democrats campaigned on in 2020 including, funding to increase access to affordable child care, tuition free community college, paid family and medical leave, and free preschool for three and four-year-olds. Republican opposition Republicans provided insight into their willingness to negotiate with the president on 22 April, when they countered the American Jobs Plan, valued at around $2.3 trillion, with a proposal less than a quarter of the size. If their response to the American Jobs Plan indicates where the caucus stands on increased spending, it is unlikely the party would support an additional round of stimulus payments. Republican opposition to increases in spending to prevent increasing the national debt have resurfaced as Biden has released his proposals. However, Democrats have quickly called out the hypocrisy in this argument as many Republican lawmakers were silent when during the Trump administration the national debt increased by more than a third to $27 trillion. Where does the discussion stand? Before the political feasibility of sending a fourth stimulus check can be determined, there is one person we have yet to hear from, the President. President Biden has not yet made any public statement in support or opposition to sending a fourth round of direct payments. Lawmakers may need to wait until the President releases the American Families Plan to confirm where he stands on the issue. Both Democrats and Republicans have paid lip service to debate and negotiation on the plans put forward by the administration. Talks on both of the remaining pieces of the Build Back Better agenda will begin in the coming weeks, and until either party walks away from negotiating table there is a chance Democrats could trade another stimulus check for a Republican priority. If negotiations do not lead to consensus between the parties, the Biden administration and Senate Democrats can pass their proposed legislation through a process known as budget reconciliation. Budget reconciliation, allows bills to pass with a simple majority rather than the sixty votes needed because of the Senate filibuster. Democrats may be weary of this option because there are only a certain number of bills that can be passed using this parliamentary tool and the American Rescue Plan was already passed through this mechanism. LANE COUNTY, Ore. --- The mass vaccination site at Autzen stadium administered 2,400 Pfizer shots on Sunday, and Lane county officials will meet as soon as Monday to discuss the re-integration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination. RELATED: WESTERN STATES WORKGROUP RECOMMENDS LIFTING PAUSE ON J & J VACCINE "We're going to have to evaluate it and look at our strategy overall," said Lane County vaccine director Micah Brown "We have thousands and thousands of vaccines to do and J&J is part of that." The shots were paused when several people were diagnosed with life-threatening blood clots were discovered in several people after receiving the vaccine. However, those cases were a small percentage of people who got the vaccine. Now that the Oregon Health Authority has approved them to be given out again. Officials urge citizens to thoroughly research their options. "We of course are also doing that [research], and looking at ways to make sure our patients are educated in what they're getting," Brown said, "and that they can make a conscious decision about what vaccine to get." This weekend, Lane County distributed only Pfizer vaccine, primarily because it has been approved for the 16 and 17-year-old demographic. MARKHAM, ONTARIO, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xperigo, the Automotive industrys leading provider of Emergency Roadside Assistance and Call Centre services proudly announced today that it was named on the 2021 list of Best Workplaces for Women. Based on survey results provided by Xperigo Team Members and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work at least 90% of employees must agree that people are treated fairly, regardless of their gender. In March, I signed the Womens Empowerment Principles established by the UN Global Compact and UN Women on behalf of our organization, pledging our ongoing commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women says Dan Turner, President and CEO at Xperigo. Xperigos commitment to gender equality goes beyond just signing the Womens Empowerment Principles . Our entire senior leadership team is committed to taking the necessary actions to continually advance gender equality. adds Shelly Cohen-Bhamani, VP, Talent & Culture. With over 50% of our Team Members being female, it is critical that equal access is provided to women for professional development and career progression opportunities at Xperigo. All Xperigo Team Members should feel very proud of this recognition as it is embedded in our corporate DNA. shares Turner. We understand that companies that invest in Women and support gender equality have a competitive advantage and outperform other businesses. With locations in both Markham, Ontario and Moncton, New Brunswick, Xperigo is honoured to be recognized as a 2021 Best Workplaces for Women company. To learn more about Xperigo and why Life is Better Here visit: www.xperigo.com About Xperigo Xperigo provides premium, end-to-end customer experience management services including roadside assistance, tier 1 and 2 call centre services, telematics and e-call services to over 43 brands in North America. For over 29 years, Xperigo has worked closely with our clients as valued strategic partner providing world-class solutions tailored to our Clients. Xperigos goal is to transform negative events into positive brand experiences. Xperigo has developed a highly integrated service delivery platform that provides real-time access to a suite of automotive mobility services. These services include: Next Generation Roadside Assistance, Customer Experience Management, Connected Car Services, Telematics Solutions, EV Charging Network Services, Emergency 911 Services, Mobile Self-Serve Solutions, Data Analysis & Insights, Concierge and Professional Services. For more information, please visit www.xperigo.com. About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, GPTW recognizes the world's Best Workplaces in a series of national lists including those published by The Globe & Mail (Canada) and Fortune magazine (USA). Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. Visit us at www.greatplacetowork.ca or find us on Twitter at @GPTW_Canada . Attachments Portugal on April 25 marked the 47th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship and instituted democracy in the European country in 1974. To celebrate the occasion, thousands of people paraded on Liberty Avenue in the centre of Lisbon, the countrys capital. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has still tightened its grip across the globe, the traditional Liberty Parade was held under the coronavirus restrictions imposed by the Directorate-General of Health with participants wearing facemasks and maintaining distance. As per the news agency ANI report, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Sunday at the Assembly of the Republic that the country needs to learn lessons from history without fear" to "combat personal or social intolerance today." He further said, There will always be one Portugal that we love and are proud of. Long live the April 25, long live Portugal. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Portugal Antonia Costa celebrated the Carnation Revolution by inaugurating the nations largest health centre in Sintra municipality in the capitals Metropolitan region. "It was April 25 that allowed us to have the National Health Service public, universal, free and accessible to everyone, regardless of where they live or whatever their economic situation is," said Costa. What is Carnation Revolution? April 25, 1974, marks one of the most important days of modern Portuguese history because of the Carnation Revolution which is famous for the toppling of an authoritarian government and also ending fascism in Portugal without any significant violence. The military coup also led to a new democracy. Since then, April 25 in Portugal is celebrated as a National Holiday that ended the Estado Novo regime. The Estado Novo (Second Republic) regime reportedly began in 1933 under the leadership of Prime Minister and dictator Antonio Salazar. This was also after the prior coup overthrew the 16-year First Republic. Even one of Lisbons two famous bridges has been named after the revolution. The bridge that heads towards beaches of Costa da Caparica and Almada, has been nicknamed Portugals Golden Gate Bridge but it is officially called Ponte 25 de Abril (25 of April Bridge). 47 years ago the Carnation Revolution took place in Portugal pic.twitter.com/1q33eRAfyF Ines (@vnbrkl) April 25, 2021 Today is the 47th anniversary since the Portuguese Revolution of 1974 (Carnation Revolution), which overthrew the fascist Estado Novo regime and brought Portugal to the brink of a socialist revolution! #25deabrilsempre pic.twitter.com/9NmHuyeriq The Peoples Labour (@peopleslabour) April 25, 2021 On this day in 1974 the non-violent Carnation Revolution began in Portugal. The revolution led to the fall of the Estado Novo, the end of 48 years of authoritarian rule in Portugal. Bom #25Abril! pic.twitter.com/OktBeQhcC3 Xavi Ruiz (@xruiztru) April 25, 2021 Image credits: @vnbrkl/Twitter Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday that she feels a great, great sense of responsibility as the highest-ranking woman of color in the U.S. and that her boss has kept his promise to keep her closely involved in top decisions as their first 100 days in office milestone approaches. Harris confirmed that shes the last person in the room when President Biden makes an important decision, including his recent move to withdraw U.S. military forces from Afghanistan by this years 9/11 anniversary, she said in an interview broadcast by CNN. I carry a great, great sense of responsibility to be in this position and be a voice for those who have not traditionally been in the room, the veep said. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday that she feels a great, great sense of responsibility as the highest-ranking woman of color in the nation and that her boss has kept his promise to keep her closely involved in top decisions. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday that she feels a great, great sense of responsibility as the highest-ranking woman of color in the nation and that her boss has kept his promise to keep her closely involved in top decisions. (Evan Vucci/) Choosing her to be his running mate, Biden wanted her perspective and opinion, whether they agree or not, she said. He and I are in almost every meeting together, have made almost every decision together, she said, adding: Ultimately, of course, he is the president and he makes the final decision. The former California prosecutor pushed for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, saying that the recent conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was but a piece of boosting police accountability. Daily News front page of April 21, 2021. Daily News front page of April 21, 2021. The bill before the Senate, the most sweeping law enforcement reform legislation in a generation, would ban the use of police chokeholds and make it easier to sue cops, among other measures. There is no question that weve got to put an end to these moments where the public questions whether theres going to be accountability, questions whether there is going to be the kind of fairness that we should all expect and deserve in all of our lives, and in particular as it relates to people of color, Harris said. Congress needs to act, she said. The House of Representatives has passed the legislation twice, but GOP lawmakers have opposed proposed changes to police officers qualified immunity from lawsuits. Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat and lead author of the bill, said on Sunday that a compromise with Republican senators could come in the next few weeks. Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat and lead author of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat and lead author of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. (Carolyn Kaster/) On immigration, Harris said policies under the Biden administration like working with foreign community-based groups are aimed at giving people some sense of hope. Were making progress, but its not going to evidence itself overnight, she said. Under the previous administration, they pulled out, essentially, a lot of what had been the continuum of work We have to rebuild it. Meanwhile on Sunday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the U.S. is not a racist country because Americans elected former President Barack Obama and Harris. This attack on police and policing reform the police, yes, call them all racist, no, he said in a tone-deaf interview on Fox News Sunday. America is a work in progress. With News Wire Services Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. Asking people not to panic over the availability of medical oxygen, the Centre on Monday asserted that the country has enough stock of the life-saving gas and that the key issue of its transportation to high-demand areas witnessing mounting COVID-19 cases was being addressed in the best possible way, even by roping in the Indian Air Force (IAF). Addressing a media briefing here, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Piyush Goyal highlighted the efforts that have been undertaken by the government in providing oxygen to hospitals in areas with high COVID-19 cases at the earliest. "Ghabrayen nahin, panic mat karen (Don't worry, don't panic). We have enough stock of oxygen. The issue is transportation. Transportation is a major challenge which we are trying to resolve by active involvement of all stakeholders," he said. "There is absolutely no need to panic for oxygen as we are trying to resolve the issue of oxygen transportation from the producing states to high-demand areas," Goyal said, adding the oxygen producing states were mainly located in eastern and central India, indicating that it is far from the states where oxygen demand is high. Twenty people died at Delhi's Jaipur Golden Hospital last Saturday, their lives ebbing as the hospital waited for oxygen to be replenished. Last week, hospitals across the national capital and its suburbs, including Ganga Ram and Max Healthcare as well as smaller facilities, sounded the alarm about dwindling stocks on social media and other platforms. Desperate for help, some hospitals approached the Delhi High Court, which termed the mounting cases a tsunami. Goyal said that since it was not possible to ferry oxygen-filled tankers by air, the Indian Air Force transport planes were pressed into service to airlift empty containers to reduce the turn-around time from 4-5 days to 1-2 hours. He said special trains are being run for faster movement of oxygen tankers and since Friday, the home ministry has been coordinating efforts to deploy empty tankers and containers in various filling stations across the country to speed up its distribution. He said the central government is also monitoring the movement of oxygen-carrying tankers on real-time basis through GPS and making them available to the hospitals at the shortest possible time. He said states have been told to advise the hospitals for judicious use of oxygen and to plug leakage, if any. The central government has taken a number of steps to deal with the medical oxygen crisis in some parts of the country due to the increasing demand as the second wave of engulfed several states. The government is also getting cryogenic tanks from countries like Singapore and the UAE to transport oxygen, and sourcing oxygen concentrators from the United States. Also, Goyal said, security is being given to oxygen-carrying tankers besides providing "green corridors" for faster movement. The situation continues to be grim in India with 3,52,991 people testing positive and a record 2,812 deaths reported on Monday. Meanwhile, a day after putting a ban on the use of liquid oxygen for non-medical purposes, the government on Monday allowed three sectors -- ampules and vials, pharmaceutical and defence forces -- to use the commodity. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla had on Sunday imposed a ban on the use of liquid oxygen for non-medical purposes, amid a scarcity of medical oxygen in many parts of the country, particularly in Delhi, that have been hit by a fresh wave of the pandemic. In a letter to states and Union Territories, Bhalla said that three sectors -- ampules and vials, pharmaceutical, and defence forces -- have now been exempted from the ban order. The Centre has also asked all states and Union Territories to implement an intensive, local and focused containment framework, stressing on specific districts and areas to snap the chain of transmission. In a communication to all states and UTs, Union Home Secretary Bhalla reiterated the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's April 25 advisory on containment strategy and said the district authorities should be sensitised on the strategy for imposing restrictions and it should be widely disseminated to the public and to the field functionaries for their effective implementation. Bhalla said that in the recent past, a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases has been observed along with high positivity rate. Considering this unprecedented spike, he said, there is an urgent need for states and UTs to consider strict COVID-19 management and control measures in the surge areas to bring the situation under control. Accordingly, he said, the Health Ministry has advised all state and UT governments to implement an intensive, local and focused containment framework, focused on specific districts, cities, areas, and identified based on a prescribed criterion. All states and UTs have also been advised to consider a further graded response in accordance with local situation, requirements and resources. Seoul, April 26 : South Korea will increase the Covid-19 vaccination rollout as the country has secured sufficient doses amid supply shortage concerns to achieve herd immunity by November, the country's acting Prime Minister said on Monday. In a public message, Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki sought to allay public concerns about a shortage of vaccines and slow progress in the inoculation rollout as the country is bracing for another wave of infections, Yonhap reported. Over the weekend, South Korea clinched a deal with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to import additional vaccines for 20 million people. With the latest deal, the country has secured 192 million doses in total, enough to inoculate 99 million people, an amount almost double the nation's 52 million population. "With the latest deal with Pfizer, the country has laid the ground for advancing the timetable of herd immunity. We've also prepared for expanding vaccinations to those under age 18 and booster shots in response to virus variants," Hong said. Since South Korea began its vaccination campaign on February 26, a total of 2.26 million people, or 4.4 per cent of the 52 million population, have got at least their first shots. The country aims to vaccinate 3 million people by this month and 12 million by end-June, with a goal of attaining herd immunity by November. "The country plans to pump up efforts to vaccinate 1.5 million people per day by May," Hong said. Public anxiety about Covid-19 vaccines increased in recent weeks over safety concerns, and the country has witnessed spiking virus cases amid the fast spread of highly contagious variants and a global shortage of vaccines. South Korea has secured Covid-19 vaccines through the COVAX global vaccine project and separate deals with five pharmaceutical firms -- AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen and Novavax. In the first half, the country is expected to receive 18.09 million doses from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, according to health authorities. The country said it has no plans to share vaccines with other countries, including North Korea. Mindful of security concerns, the country has been administering AstraZenaca and Pfizer shots to people in specific groups, including patients and workers at long-term care hospitals and those age 75 and older. Health authorities said they may be able to relax overall antivirus curbs if the country completes the vaccination of those deemed to be highly vulnerable to infections by end-June. The number of daily virus cases shot up to near 800 last week on sporadic cluster infections after staying in the 300-400s in March. The country reported 500 more cases Monday, raising the total to 119,387, due to fewer weekend tests. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Lucknow, April 26 : Manoj Ranjan Dixit (56), who claimed to be a former RAW agent having spent a decade in a Pakistan jail, died of Covid-19 in Lucknow on Monday. Dixit waited for more than 18 hours to get admission into a hospital, but died before he could do so. Dixit's story, when it emerged in February this year, appeared to be the perfect material for a Bollywood thriller, being firmly ingrained in painful reality. He lived alone in a rented room in Gomti Nagar Extension. He had lost his job as a storekeeper during the lockdown and battled for survival since then. His routine included making visits to the offices of district officials in the hope of getting a roof over his head and also some much-needed financial help. The short-statured man claimed to be a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent. RAW is the premier foreign intelligence agency of India. "I belong to Najibabad. I was working for RAW since 1985 and after military training, I was sent to Pakistan. I was arrested in 1992 in Pakistan for spying. In 2005, I was released at the Wagah border. "I got married in 2007. After some time, I came to know that my wife has cancer. I came to Lucknow for her treatment but she died in 2013. I have been living here since then," he had told reporters. According to Dixit, he was arrested for spying on the Afghanistan border and had to face torture. After his return, he said that some of the RAW officers provided him financial help but after that he was left to fend for himself. "I have documents but no one is willing to listen to me," he had said pointing, to a sheaf of papers. In response to the SWACs Strategy and Policy Group (SPG) members request, the SWAC Secretariat had proposed incorporating regional co-operation into the DACs Peer Review Programme by adding new questions to the DAC Peer Review Content Guide. This guide has now been revised taking into account the SWACs set of questions. Austria, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland will undergo peer review in 2009 using this revised questionnaire. In addition, the SWAC Secretariat will conduct a regional aid mapping study on West Africa. Outcomes could feed into more general strategic thinking on regional aid effectiveness. >> download the DAC Peer Reivew Content Guide >> learn more: www.oecd.org/dac/peerreviews Regionally-focused Questions CHAPTER 1: Strategic Orientations Headquarter issues Does the agency address the regional development dimension when designing a bilateral programme and, if so, how? Is regional co-operation seen as a means to provide regional aid complementary to an aid programme focused on a small number of countries? Are there co-ordination mechanisms between units working on countries in the same region at headquarters level? Are there specific policies focused on building regional capacities and strengthening regional organisations? Field-level issues Are embassies within the region used to encourage and promote regional co-operation in response to shared challenges in areas such as the political, economic, environmental, trade, migration and security realms? If so, how? Are horizontal linkages across embassies within the region used to promote regional integration and/or to prevent regional conflicts and, if so, how? At a bilateral level, what are the challenges in implementing regional programmes/projects? To what extent does the country office support and/or work through regional organisations? CHAPTER 4: Management How is the programming process organised? How are partner country policies and strategies reflected in regional programmes? How does headquarters expect country programmes to take account of partner country policies and strategies? CHAPTER 5: Aid Effectiveness Field-level issues: Alignment To what extent does it harmonise approaches with other donors when national systems do not meet mutually agreed levels of performance or are not used? How, and by what means, does the donor promote the use of local and regional procurement? CHAPTER 6: Special Issues Field-level issues What approaches to capacity development does the country office use (e.g. technical co-operation, training, South-South or triangular co-operation) and how does it support capacity development through its programmes? What is the role and cost of foreign technical assistance in building institutional and human capacities in the partner country? How is technical co-operation designed and managed and to what extent is the provision of technical assistance by local and regional sources promoted? Have attempts been made to work with local consultants and/or local institutions to carry out the capacity development programme, rather than importing expertise? Does support for capacity development engage the private sector and civil society? Environment and Climate Change Headquarter issues Is there an overall policy on climate change? Has climate change been included in other crosscutting agency policies for example on sustainable development, disaster risk reduction or policy coherence? To what extent/how has climate change been incorporated into various sectoral policies (energy, transport, agriculture, education, health, credits, etc.)? Is there a requirement to include climate change aspects in regional and national strategies? Sushant Singh Rajput's Sister Shweta Looks Back At His Last Post Featuring Their Mother: 'So Much Pain Gets Stirred In My Heart' The year 2020 had lots of distressing news to offer but nothing was quite as shocking as actor Sushant Singh Rajputs untimely demise. The Chhichhore actors fans and family have for the past 10 months been trying to find out the truth behind his sudden death and have been patiently waiting for the law to take its course. The actors grieving sister Shweta Singh Kirti on Sunday evening took to social media sharing Sushants last shared post on Instagram that featured their mother. The Dil Bechara actor who was incredibly close to his mother lost her before entering showbiz at the age of 16. The post was a collage of his mothers picture placed next to his own as he had written in an emotional note, Blurred past evaporating from teardrops. Unending dreams carving an arc of smile. And a fleeting life, negotiating between the two... # View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shweta Singh kirti (SSK) (@shwetasinghkirti) Seeing the post again on the photo-sharing app, Shweta wrote, Last post of Bhai... so much pain gets stirred in my heart whenever I realize that I will never get to see you in flesh and blood again. How pain can just shatter you into pieces! The more we collect the pieces and try to put them together, the more we realize it to be an impossible task. Shweta has since the actors death shared many fond memories of him with his family. Right from sharing childhood photos to spearheading the demand for justice for the actors demise she has engaged with the fans quite a bit. Sushants death case was transferred from the Mumbai Police to the CBI and is still under investigation. The family of the actor had last year blamed Sushants housemates and actress Rhea Chakraborty for the actors demise. Fewer than one in 10,000 hotel quarantine guests cause coronavirus to escape into the community, new figures show after Mark McGowan called for a system overhaul. A total of 140,355 travellers have been through quarantine since October 27 but the virus has leaked only 13 times. In other words, Covid-19 has transmitted into the community from just 0.009 per cent of guests. A total of 140,355 travellers have been through quarantine since October 27 but the virus has leaked only 13 times, federal figures show Outbreaks from hotel quarantine since October 27, 2020 State NSW VIC QLD WA SA NT ACT TAS TOTAL Quarantine guests 57,467 11,661 29,015 21,870 11,107 8,652 435 148 140,355 Leaks 5 2 3 2 1 0 0 0 13 Percentage 0.009% 0.017% 0.010% 0.009% 0.009% 0% 0% 0% 0.009% However, some doctors say a better way to rate the system is to count the number of leaks resulting from Covid positive guests. Based on that method, about 1 in 200 cases lead to community transmission, or 0.5 per cent, according to a recent paper in the Medical Journal of Australia. The stats were released by the federal government after the WA premier slammed the hotel quarantine system as 'not fit for purpose' and demanded the Commonwealth use defence bases and migration facilities instead. Mr McGowan said he was 'at the end of his tether' with the prime minister over the issue after the hardline premier locked down two million residents for three days on Friday when the virus escaped from quarantine and caused three local infections. 'I think it's becoming more urgent and I suspect all the states are getting pretty heartily sick of it that they have these facilities that are available and they refuse to use them, so we're saying to the Commonwealth it's time they step up,' Mr McGowan said over the weekend. 'I'm getting to the end of my tether with the Commonwealth handing responsibility to the states and not helping with this responsibility.' Perth's snap lockdown - the city's second since January - cancelled ANZAC Day dawn services and confined residents to their homes Defence Minister Peter Dutton hit back, saying the states had previously agreed to the hotel quarantine scheme. A Commonwealth spokesman said defence bases are needed for our soldiers and migration detention centres are not appropriate because they contain criminals facing deportation. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who supports the hotel quarantine system, also lashed Mr McGowan and told him to stop playing the 'blame game.' 'Every time you have an outbreak, it isn't healthy to have these blame games. You have to get on with it and do the job,' she said on Monday. The federal government has agreed to halve the number of people coming in to Western Australia until May 30 - but Mr McGowan has insisted he will not agree to increase the caps again after that date, even as thousands of Aussies struggle to get home. Ms Berejiklian said refusing to increase the cap would be a selfish. 'I would be very disappointed if because of an indecent a Premier decided they didn't want to take as many people home because it does put extra pressure on New South Wales,' she said. Millions of Western Australians were plunged into a three-day lockdown after a local case of coronavirus. Pictured: Premier Mark McGowan 'But, look, these incidents are going to happen. We deal with it. New South Wales has been through more than anybody.' Perth's snap lockdown - the city's second since January - cancelled ANZAC Day dawn services and confined residents to their homes except for shopping, exercise, medical care and essential work until tonight. It was sparked after a 54-year-old man caught coronavirus in hotel quarantine from returned travellers from India who were in a nearby room. The man was released after testing negative but developed symptoms and tested positive five days later when he arrived in Melbourne. The man's friend, who he stayed with for one night in Perth, also tested positive on Friday, prompting Premier McGowan to order the lockdown that night. A third case was recorded when a man aged in his 40s tested positive on Saturday after dining at Kitchen Inn restaurant in Kardinya, where the other two cases had been. His household contacts have been cleared of the virus, but officials have extended the list of possible transmission sites, including a childcare centre, based on his recent activities. By Andrew Hammond While the eyes of many environmentalists across the world are already on November's U.K.-hosted COP 26 summit, the U.S.-hosted climate conference on Thursday and Friday was key too, in the most important year for global warming diplomacy since 2015. The U.S. event, which saw President Joe Biden and some 40 other world leaders convene on global warming, is important for at least two big reasons. Firstly, the United States is back leading on the climate agenda and announced plans to cut greenhouse emissions by 2030 to at least 50 percent below 2005 levels, approximately doubling the previous U.S. promise. While even the new U.S. commitment lags behind Europe, it is already spurring other large emitters to raise their game as U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres hinted recently when he said it "will have very important consequences in relation to Japan, in relation to China, in relation to Russia." This was borne out last week with a series of other countries raising their climate ambitions too. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshide Suga said last week his country is "ready to demonstrate its leadership" announcing a reduction of emissions by 46 percent in 2030 compared to 2013 levels. Previously, the country had pledged only a 26 percent cut in emissions over the same timeframe. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also promised to limit carbon emissions by 40 percent to 44 percent by 2030 too. Key emerging markets including Brazil, South Africa and India are also working to strengthen their so-called nationally determined contributions (NDCs) pledged at Paris in 2015 to cut emissions. In a joint statement earlier this month, they said that they had "already set forth climate policies and contributions reflecting their highest possible ambition." For instance, South Africa is consulting on deepening its 2030 emissions cuts by almost a third compared to its 2015 NDC pledge. Moreover, Biden is hoping to strike a climate-related deal with President Jair Bolsonaro on protecting the Amazon rainforest. The second reason why last week's U.S. summit matters is that it heralded the first moment since the Obama presidency where China and the United States are working together in partnership on this agenda. Earlier this month, Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry met in Shanghai. They agreed to "continue to discuss concrete actions in the 2020s to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned temperature limit within reach," and help developing countries finance a switch to low-carbon energy. The Kerry-Xie initiative is incredibly important because it will not be possible to stabilize climate change unless these superpowers pull together. It is sometimes forgotten that collaboration between the two in 2014 led to a bilateral agreement which proved the catalyst for Paris the following year. Kerry's trip to China shows that, despite, the chilliness of last month's bilateral talks in Alaska, the climate issue "stands alone" in the words of the U.S. climate chief. In coming weeks, Biden and Kerry will push Beijing hard for a new bold commitment to reciprocate the one given by Biden last week. At the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted that coal burning will be tackled in the next few years. Much is needed to be done by Beijing in this area as, according to the International Energy Agency, it will be responsible for around half the growth in coal consumption around the world this year. Providing the United States and China are broadly aligned on this agenda, again, the EU will provide a third leg of the stool. Collectively, the 27-nation European club, plus China and the United States account for around half of global climate emissions and the triumvirate are critical to positive global climate diplomacy. With last week's U.S. summit a success, this year's COP progress has been catalyzed. This is important because if the November summit is to "move the dial," massive momentum is needed in the months ahead. This is why a detailed 2021 run-in of pre-events to November has been devised that will culminate in the G20 leaders meeting in Italy in October. Moving into next month and June, there is the B7 business leaders climate meeting; the U.K.-hosted G7 leaders summit; plus the "Race to Zero" first anniversary and U.N. Global Compact leaders summit. Then this autumn, there is the U.N. General Assembly and Climate Week in New York in September, and the Global Green Investment summit in October. This week's U.S. climate summit was, however, potentially the most crucial event before November. If Biden can now help convince more key countries to reduce emissions faster and deeper, the prospects will increase significantly that Glasgow will become the most successful COP since Paris in 2015. Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics. Two teenage girls aged 16 and 17 were being treated in hospital today after both being 'stabbed in the back' in broad daylight in a South London suburb. Horrified eyewitnesses told how the girls were covered in blood as they were treated by paramedics at a bus stop in West Norwood yesterday afternoon. They were taken to hospital where the younger girl remains in a 'serious but stable' condition, while the older girl's injuries are not believed to be life threatening. Metropolitan Police detectives said four teenage boys had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remain in custody. Police officers at the scene today after two girls were stabbed in West Norwood, South London A police car next to a cordon in West Norwood today after four teenage boys were arrested Local residents said the girls were stabbed outside a car wash at around 4.40pm, and an air ambulance landed on the roof of a nearby B&Q store. Nawaz Mohammad, 64, who owns a shop near the scene, said: 'I was inside the shop and then I heard some shouting. 'There were two girls there at the bus stop who had been stabbed in the back. One was lying on the floor and the ambulance people were treating her wounds. 'The other was sitting at the bus stop. Then they put them in the ambulance and took them away. I think it happened at the back - where there's a car wash and a garage.' Police officers at the scene in West Norwood today following the stabbing yesterday afternoon The girls were treated by paramedics at a bus stop in West Norwood yesterday afternoon The double stabbing was one of several violent incidents on the streets of London over the weekend. Fares Maatou, 14, became the eleventh and youngest teenager to be stabbed to death in the capital already this year when he was fatally knifed in Canning Town. Another 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with murder and was due to appear in court today. A 22-year-old man was left fighting for his life after being stabbed during a street fight in Bermondsey, South East London, on Friday night. Police officers stand next to a cordon in place in West Norwood today as the probe continues A police car at the scene today following the stabbing which took place yesterday afternoon A 19-year-old man was shot and another 19-year-old stabbed in a double attack in Hackney, east London, on Saturday night. Detectives investigating the West Norwood double stabbing are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward. Detective Sergeant Rob Merrett, of the Met's Central South Command Unit, said: 'This is a shocking incident involving two young female victims, one of whom remains seriously ill in hospital. 'It has understandably caused considerable alarm in the community. Officers responded immediately when the 999 call was received. A police officer stands behind a cordon in place today at West Norwood in South London A bag believed to belong to a member of the emergency services is seen at the bus stop today 'Two boys were quickly apprehended near the scene, and urgent enquiries led to two other males being arrested later on at addresses in Lambeth. 'All four are now in custody and my team are conducting a thorough investigation to establish what has led to this unacceptable violence. 'I urge anyone who has information, pictures and video that could assist us to make contact immediately. 'It is imperative that we work with the community to fully establish what has happened here and bring any offenders to justice.' CENTREVILLE, Va., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) announced today that it's working with the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation on a new architectural lighting design and installation for the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Parsons will work with HLB Lighting Design to deliver this pro-bono project to illuminate the structure's regional and cultural importance as a National Historic Landmark. Spanning the Alabama River, the Edmund Pettus Bridge is a civil rights landmark, known as the site of Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, when Alabama state troopers attacked civil rights advocates crossing the bridge as they marched to Montgomery to win the right to register to vote. "The Edmund Pettus Bridge stands as a reminder of the never ending need to fight for racial equality and justice," said Mark Fialkowski, executive vice president and general manager of Parsons' mobility solutions business unit. "Illuminating this historic landmark will not only enrich the Selma skyline and advance community economic development goals for the region, but also reinforce our responsibility to continually represent the core values of diversity, equity and inclusion that connect humankind." Parsons will provide agency coordination and structural and electrical engineering design services in support of the architectural lighting design for the bridge. The company will work with the Alabama Historical Commission, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, and numerous other organizations and individuals to satisfy the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act. To learn more about Parsons' bridge expertise, visit Parsons.com/bridge/. Parsons (NYSE: PSN) is a leading disruptive technology provider in the global defense, intelligence, and critical infrastructure markets, with capabilities across cybersecurity, missile defense, space, connected infrastructure, and smart cities. Please visit parsons.com , and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to learn how we're making an impact. Media Contact: Bernadette Miller +1 980.253.9781 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact: Dave Spille + 1 571.655.8264 [email protected] SOURCE Parsons Corporation Related Links www.parsons.com The car scrappage schemes "Rabla Clasic" and "Rabla Plus" start on Monday, and individuals can go, starting at 10:00, to the validated carmakers in order to complete the registration formalities, while the legal entities can send acceptance files to the Environmental Fund Administration (AFM) in order to access the two schemes, reports agerpres. The lists of producers who have signed participation contracts with AFM are posted on the institution's website www.afm.ro, in the sections dedicated to the respective schemes. According to the data of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forestry (MMAP), this year's edition of the "Rabla Clasic" scheme will have a total budget of 440 million lei, by 35 million lei more than in 2020, which will allow the purchase of over 55,000 new, less polluting vehicles.For 2021, within this scheme, both the scrapping premium will be increased - from 6,500 lei to 7,500 lei, and the ecobonus for hybrid technology - from 2,500 lei to 3,000 lei, as well as the ecobonus emissions below 96 grams of CO2 per km - from 1,000 lei to 1,500 lei.The maximum amount that can be settled from the costs of a new car through the "Rabla Clasic" can reach approximately 2,250 euros, given that the eco-bonuses can be combined with each other and added to the scrapping bonus. CLEVELAND, Ohio In a relatively short time, Ohio has gone from a place where many struggled to find open vaccine appointments to one where some areas are scaling back, or even completely shutting down, mass vaccination clinics. You can listen online here. The sudden plunge in demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio has left some health officials scratching their heads. Of the more than 9 million Ohioans available for a vaccine, less than half are completely vaccinated. Still, appointments are now readily available in all parts of the state. In local news, four Ohio Congress members have asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to re-open the investigation into the death of Tamir Rice; FirstEnergy Corp. executives said Friday the utility will likely end up having to pay a financial penalty to avoid criminal charges related to the House Bill 6 bribery scandal. Hear cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn discuss these stories and more in The Wake Up podcast. The podcast is a summary of cleveland.coms morning newsletter The Wake Up. You can receive The Wake Up through email at 5:30 a.m. each weekday by subscribing here. You can get our podcasts delivered directly to your phone, and we have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here. Do you get your podcasts on Spotify? Find us here. If you use Stitcher, we are here. RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here. On Google Podcasts, we are here. On PodParadise, find us here. Burma Thousands of Sagaing Region Villagers Flee Myanmar Military Yinmabin Township villagers sheltering in a forest to avoid Myanmars military. / CJ Several thousands of Sagaing Region villagers have fled their homes since April 20 after Myanmars military deployed in the area following shootouts with civilians. Villagers across Yinmabin Township are living in a state of fear amid the military raids, residents told The Irrawaddy on Monday. On April 20, shootouts near Kapaing, Thigone and Thityarpin villages saw civilians fight hundreds of military troops passing through the area. Junta forces used artillery against villagers using traditional, homemade percussion firearms and slingshots, according to residents. More than 10 villagers have been killed and several dozen detained. Troops were based in Kapaing after raiding the village, residents said. They left the village on Friday but more than 200 troops and military medics returned in 21 vehicles on Sunday, saying they will restore order. Kapaing, Thigone, Kabyu and Paungwa villages have been empty since last Tuesday. A Kapaing villager told The Irrawaddy that the troops looted all food, chickens, pigs, motorcycles and money from the village last Tuesday. They even stole womens clothing. Most of the villagers are living in the forest and farmland away from their homes and lack health care, food and water, residents said. A Kapaing villager, who has been sheltering in a forest with his family for six days, said: We are really angry about the failure of the international communities to help us. We must depend on ourselves. We will run away from the troops and, if we are trapped, we will fight, the villager told The Irrawaddy. On Monday, troops raided the neighboring village of Lattkapyar and searched for villagers in the nearby forest, residents said. After being paid a ransom, junta forces on Saturday released about 50 Wingone villagers who were seized while trying to retrieve dead bodies after the April 20 clash. The rest of the villagers raised the ransom demanded by the soldiers, a villager told The Irrawaddy. On Saturday, troops raided Thapyay Aye village in the township, looting money, chickens and pigs as villagers fled, a resident told The Irrawaddy. Troops also raided the villages monastery, which was seen as a focal point for anti-regime demonstrations. The junta forces seized about 15 laptops used for vocational training and destroyed some buildings at the monastery. On April 2, a prolonged clash was reported near Thapyay Aye village in the township after residents from across the township fought nearly 100 troops approaching the village. Two villagers were killed and at least eight were detained by troops. By Sunday more than 750 civilian deaths had been reported by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Those killed include anti-regime protesters, National League for Democracy (NLD) members, bystanders and residents. More than 3,400 people, including elected leaders, NLD members, election commissioners, protesters, doctors, journalists, writers, artists and teachers, have been detained. Despite the violence, tens of thousands of people across Myanmar continue to protest against military rule. You may also like these stories: Myanmars Junta Continues to Arrest Journalists Detained Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Still Cant Meet Lawyers in Person Illegal Rare Earth Mines on China Border Multiply Since Myanmars Coup TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Embassy of the Philippines is calling on Filipinos in the Kingdom of Bahrain to register for the May 2022 Philippine national elections. All qualified Filipino citizens residing and working abroad better known as the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) should contact the embassy for details on how to proceed. More details can also be found on the embassys official website: https:// manamape.dfa.gov.ph/ Better yet, those who have not registered should visit the embassy located in Mahooz as personal appearance is required. The registration is part of the embassys efforts to gradually shift back to normal consular operations while strictly following the required safety precautions and protocols within its premises. Filipinos in the Kingdom have expressed their gratefulness to the embassy for the resumption of the registration, in which they have the chance to exercise their right and duty to choose the next leaders of the country, particularly the president. To encourage Filipinos to register, the embassy is utilising its social media accounts by posting infomercials and posters to increase awareness in Bahrain. In October last year, the embassy resumed the activity following a five-month suspension due to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Overseas registration started in December 2019 and will run until September 30, 2021. Click here to read the full article. In his 28 years with the Backstreet Boys and on his own, AJ McLean has pushed the boundaries of style and gender. Now, in another bold move, the 43-year-old musician dresses in drag while dancing around a dollhouse to celebrate the transgender community in the video for his new solo single, Love Song Love. Directed by Rene Elizondo and McLean and featuring a life-size Hollywood dollhouse dripping in pink, McLean appears alongside transgender models Nahla Wyld and Carmen Carrera, partying it up amid flowers and feather boas. Premiering on Variety, the video is part of the longtime LGBTQ+ allys efforts to promote discussion and awareness of the fight for equality. His support comes amid a wave of proposed anti-transgender legislation in the U.S. Now, more than ever, my trans and non-binary fans rights and very existence are being attacked in politics and in the streets, he says. Whats happening is unacceptable. Im an ally and this song, to me, screams love no matter what. Its about loving and respecting one another. McLean notes that the current climate serves as a reminder of how much work lies ahead, despite the progress thats been made towards equality. The transgender community has been getting pushback for years, he tells Variety. Things are starting to change and with the new administration, theres more open-mindedness, which is how it shouldve always been because it really doesnt matter if you were born a boy, but have always been a girl. But theres a long way to go. Having faced backlash in the past for painting his nails and being photographed in drag, McLean says that such prejudice can be so detrimental, adding: Luckily, this generations using their platforms to speak out about negativity, judgment, racism and hostile acts towards minorities and the trans community. It gives me hope for my kids generation. Love Song Love was written by Mitch Allan (whose previous credits include Backstreet Boys, Demi Lovato and Kelly Clarkson) Jesse Saint John and John Paulson, produced by Allan and mixed/mastered by Mitch Kenny. The single comes from the first of two EPs McLean plans to release this year. He teases a solo album and tour will follow in 2022. He has also commenced weekly social media takeovers, handing his Instagram to members of the transgender and non-binary communities. Together with friend Josh Naranjo, McLean has also co-founded nail polish line, Ava Dean Beauty, which he hopes will further defy gender stereotyping. Meanwhile, hes continuing his podcast, Pretty Messed Up, and reveals the Backstreet Boys will commence recording their first Christmas album with producer Tommy Brown (Ariana Grande) in May. We want to make a timeless album that will live on like Mariah Careys song and weve talked about working on new music beyond that, says McLean, adding the groups DNA World Tour dates remain up-in-the-air amid the pandemic. Tommys a freakin genius, so hopefully well develop a great relationship and do more music with him. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The woman accused of burning alive an entire family while they slept in their home has pleaded not guilty to their murders. Abbey Forrest, 19, Inda Sohal, 28, and their baby daughter Ivy had no chance of escaping the raging inferno that claimed their lives last December. The family were killed in the blaze at Point Cook in Melbourne south-west in the early hours of the morning. Jenny Hayes, 46, was arrested in December and charged with three counts of murder The bodies of Abbey Forrest, 19, Inda Sohal, 25, and their baby daughter Ivy (pictured together) were found inside a Point Cook townhouse after a blaze tore through the property Police tape remains across the gutted remains of the Point Cook property where three people died in December On Monday, their alleged killer Jenny Hayes pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and related arson offences. The 46-year old appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court via videolink from Dame Phyliss Frost Centre. A clearly distressed Hayes sobbed throughout the short hearing, placing her head down on the table in front of her. The alleged killer could barely utter her pleas of not guilty through her tears. Hayes will now front the Supreme Court of Victoria next month in anticipation of a trial sometime later this year. Hayes was arrested the morning after the alleged killings amid claims she had an argument with a house guest of the family. The exact allegations put against Hayes by police remain a mystery as the presiding magistrate refused to grant public access to court documents. At the time of the fire, the Herald Sun reported police were investigating whether it was in fact an alleged fight over sexual services that led to the fatal fire. The newspaper alleged a dispute broke out over sexual services which were to be provided by Hayes before she returned and set the house on fire. Police later confirmed Hayes did not know the family she has been charged with murdering. Abbey Forrest, 19, Inda Sohal, 25, and their baby daughter Ivy had no chance of escaping the inferno amid allegations the only exit had been torched Jenny Hayes, 46, was arrested and charged with three counts of murder Shattered friends and family attended the Point Cook property for days after the tragedy Detectives will allege Hayes used an accelerant to douse the stairwell of the Point Cook home before setting it alight. A source has told Daily Mail Australia that just hours earlier a 28-year old male and close friend of Mr Sohal had allegedly kicked her out of the property before heading out for the night. He was not even home when police allege Hayes got into the home and set her deadly trap. 'They had no chance of escape. They were trapped,' the source said. It is the first time Hayes has appeared in court over the allegations she is a killer. In December, Hayes declined to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court and was remanded in custody. Her lawyer Erin Byrt told told Magistrate Luisa Bazzini at the time she didn't know her client's connection to the young family. The court also heard Hayes was on pain medication for arthritis and restless leg syndrome and her state in prison was 'poor'. Emily Forrest visited the scene of the fatal house fire on Friday morning to lay flowers and a toy outside the remains of the home (Pictured left to right: Abbey Forrest, her sister Emily Forrest and their parents) Neighbours had tried to rescue the family, but the family perished in the house fire The death of the young family sent shockwaves across the nation in the lead-up to Christmas last year. Mum and baby were farewelled at St Mary of the Angels Basilica in Geelong, south of Melbourne just days before Christmas. Baby Ivy would have been just three weeks and not even have a chance to be baptised before her life was so cruelly cut short. Her grandfather Alan Forrest - Abbey's father - bravely paid tribute to the pair. He choked back tears as he spoke of the fun loving and generous Tomboy his daughter was. Mr Forrest said his family would not get a chance to gather at his daughter's 21st birthday and he would not be able to provide a speech as father of the bride. She wont make it to her 21st birthday speech, or her father of the bride speech. So this is one speech that I must take the honour of Abbey, Ivy and Indi. The shattered parent described his daughter's love of horses and her hopes of one day becoming a paramedic. 'She was a generous kid,' he said. 'She was always grateful to and respected all of her teachers.' Tributes poured in for the deceased family with Ms Forrest's (left) sister Emily (right) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III believes the modified enhanced community quarantine status over Metro Manila and nearby provinces should be retained until May, his office confirmed on Monday. He said in a television interview that the lockdown should not be relaxed for one or two more weeks to help ease the burden on healthcare capacity Health Department spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said Duque and the entire DOH support the extension of the MECQ over Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan when it expires on April 30. "Kami sa DOH, nakikita namin ang importansya na maituloy pa natin ang ganitong restrictions para mas magkaroon ng pahinga o mas magkaroon pa ng decongestion ang ating healthcare system," she said in a media briefing. [Translation: We see the importance of continuing this level of restriction to allow our healthcare facilities to decongest.] The official added that they have met with health experts who presented three options for community quarantine status come May: MECQ until end of May, MECQ then shift to general community quarantine by May 15, or shift to GCQ starting May 1. Vergeire said they have seen that the number of new COVID-19 infections are declining, but hospitals are still grappling to care for patients in critical condition. The Philippine College of Physicians and the Philippine Hospital Association have recommended the extension of MECQ over Metro Manila and other provinces since hospitals and healthcare workers are still struggling. The pandemic interagency task force is set to issue its recommendations to President Rodrigo Duterte this week. New Delhi, April 26: South Asia watchers appeared to have arrived at a consensus: A peaceful Bangladesh is a boon for India and the region. After members of Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI) members resorted to violence in Bangladesh last month, Prime Minister of the south Asian nation Sheikh Hasina has cracked down on the the outfit while promising to uphold the principles of inclusivity and culrutal unity. Her government has continued with unabated efforts to choke the radical outfit. In a major development, HeI's Brahmanbaria District Unit Joint Secretary Mufti Abdur Rahim Qasemi resigned as he sought justice over "the mayhem carried out by the Islamist group's leader and activists in the district," during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the south Asian nation, Dhaka Tribune (DT) reported. "The loss of life and property of the people cannot be approved by Islam in any way. So, I personally stayed away from all these activities (mayhem) and forced the teachers and students of all the madrasas under my supervision not to take part in those," he said in a statement. In the last few days, a total of 15 leaders of HeI have been arrested by the Bangladesh authorities. Not only have intelligence reports shown that HeI members have been actively involved in the violence in Bangladesh which coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, a few arrested members of the outfit have also confessed. The Bangladesh based Daily Star, in an article published in its Bengali section, noted that HeI has been attempting to bring down the Hasina government. The outfit also wants to make Bangladesh much like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Hasina has been cracking down on radical forces "In the years since, and against the odds, Bangladesh has prospered. And while Pakistan has remained fixated with India, Bangladesh hasn't manifested similar obsession vis-A -vis Pakistan, despite having borne unspeakable atrocities," the Spectator -a British weekly magazine-in a report last month said. However, the report also said the "Bengali identity, forming the basis of Bangladesh as a separate nation, rooted in millennia of Indic pluralism and religious co-existence, continues to be attacked by the perpetrators and collaborators of the 1971 genocide." "Weeding out of extremism in the region is absolutely essential for the development of India and the south Asian nations. There have been various radical elements that are working to destabilise development and peace in the region," Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, visiting fellow at ORF and a former ambassador told India Narrative. HeI, as a group also controls most of the madrassas in the country. "The recent crackdown comes as a boon for India, as extremist elements have the potential to create discord with the country, especially in the eastern and northeastern region. At a time when the geopolitical structure of the region is changing fast, it is key that India keeps a close watch on the developments," another analyst on condition of anonymity said. Hasina, in a bid to tackle other extremist groups such as the Jamaat E Islam and others however, has maintained "live and let live" policy with the HeI until recently when it broke onto violence. According to the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), in the early 1990s, the Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) was established with funds from Al-Qaeda. HuJI-B had strong links with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and at the peak of its operations in 2004, the group claimed that up to 15,000 members had been recruited from Madrassas (Islamic religious schools) in Bangladesh and Pakistan, the EFSAS said. In the Global Terrorism Index by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the country ranked 33rd out of a total of 163 countries. Though in 2019, Bangladesh was placed 30th and a year earlier grabbed the 25th position, it appears to have stemmed the tide of Islamic terrorism that was threatening the nation of over 161 million in the first decade of the 21st century. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/ Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 22:10:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - MOSCOW -- Russia confirmed 8,803 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 4,771,372, the official monitoring and response center said Monday. The national death toll rose by 356 to 108,588 in the past day, while the number of recoveries grew by 6,631 to 4,394,639. - - - - MINSK -- Belarus reported 896 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking its total to 353,846, according to the country's health ministry. There have been 649 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 344,206, the ministry added. - - - - NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally surpassed 17 million on Monday with as many as 352,991 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. - - - - GABORONE -- The Botswana government received a batch of COVID-19 vaccine provided by China's Sinovac on Sunday. Wang Xuefeng, Chinese ambassador to Botswana, said at the handover ceremony that the donation is a gift to Botswana from the Chinese government, a symbol of the two countries' time-tested friendship, and a new milestone in China and Botswana's joint fight against COVID-19. - - - - BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland on Sunday reported 11 new COVID-19 cases, all of which were imported, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Monday. Of them, three were reported in Yunnan, two each in Shanghai and Sichuan, and one each in Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong and Shaanxi. - - - - MANILA -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday said it approved 18.9 million U.S. dollars in grants to help four developing member countries in the Pacific in rolling out safe and effective vaccines against the COVID-19. The Manila-based bank said the grants to Samoa (8 million U.S. dollars), Tonga (5.5 million U.S. dollars), Tuvalu (1.5 million U.S. dollars), and Vanuatu (3.9 million U.S. dollars) will support their COVID-19 vaccination programs for a combined population of almost 600,000 people. Enditem Fijis capital Suva on April 26 entered a 14-day lockdown as the Pacific island nation is battling to contain the coronavirus spike. According to New Zealand Herald, about 100,000 residents of the city have now been asked to stay in containment zones and the officials have closed non-essential businesses. The permanent secretary for health and medical services, James Fong, informed that Fiji has detected 12 new cases as part of a growing outbreak in the country. The officials have been able to determine the source of the mystery transmission. They informed that the contact tracers have established that a woman from the Suva neighbourhood of Makoi caught the virus from her husband, who is a soldier. He works in Fijis Broder Quarantine facility and had tested negative for the virus on April 10. Fong said that the soldier, however, had close contact with another soldier who tested positive and he likely got infected shortly after swabbing. Further, the official said that five other family members have also tested positive for the virus. Fong said that they were in the community for several days and they had a large number of contacts and moved around extensively. Suva lockdown rules Fong added that the maintenance of the containment areas will help the officials to trace all their contacts more effectively and quickly. He informed that their potential window of transmission extends for almost a fortnight from April 12-25. Fong said that the ministry had not yet been able to pin down the movements of the people and identify all the contacts, therefore, the government is forced to take strict precautionary measures. According to reports, now, people can leave their homes and access essential services and supermarkets. They are urged to avoid large social gatherings and stay indoors, however, the government has not made it mandatory for people to stay indoors. Fong said that the interactions should be limited entirely to those already living in the household. He added that if one needs to walk around or exercise, one must do so but also wear masks and maintain social distance when they leave the house. Meanwhile, the emergence of community transmission is a blow for Fiji's hopes of opening quarantine-free travel bubbles with Australia and New Zealand. The island nation's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, which has been affected during the pandemic. According to ABC News, monthly visitor numbers were down about 99 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. (Image: Pixabay) As Line of Duty reaches its penultimate episode everything is still in play. Kate and Jo are caught in a trap as the League of Bent Coppers tries to make the duo their sacrificial lambs. Ted Hastings is raging against the imminent shutdown of AC-12. And James Nesbitts cameo as corrupt policeman-turned-exiled criminal Marcus Thurwell proves more short-lived than expected. Here are the talking points: 1: Ryan Pilkington loses his tussle with Kate Episode five concluded with DC Kate Fleming in a shoot-out to the death with rancid Ryan Pilkington. The discovery by Ted and his officers of Ryans pulseless body confirms the OCG infiltrator came off second best. But who pulled the trigger? Jo Davidson claims it was her and it looks as if shes about to go down for Pilkingtons murder. However, forensics indicates the shooter had firearms training, which would point to Kate. Is she really letting Jo take the fall? 2: Jos backstory is even darker than expected The meat of the episode is a grilling of Davidson by new anti-corruption chief Patricia Carmichael (a stooge of the thoroughly bent Chief Constable Philip Osbourne) with Ted Hastings reluctantly riding shotgun. The bombshells arrive thick and fast and things go slightly Game of Thrones. Jos mother, as we may have suspected, was the sister of Tommy Hunter, the OCG big cheese linked to the police paedophile ring in previous seasons. But DNA testing suggests Tommy is both Kates uncle AND father. Which makes Jo the Prince Joffrey of Line of Duty. She breaks down as the news is delivered (her mother told her shed been raped but never shared the attackers identity). The only substantial fact Jo reveals is that shed been groomed by Tommy to join the police and work her way up. 3: But she insists shes one of the good guys Jo swears she isnt corrupt. Its the reason she delayed the police raid on Terry Boyle in episode one. She didnt want an innocent man fitted up for the killing of Gail Vella. As we now know, Vella was piecing together the finer details of the conspiracy between the police and the OCG, as it interfaced with the racist killing of Christopher Lawrence. The OCG involvement here runs deep: Tommys son (and Jos cousin), Darren, is one of those suspected of the murder. But if Jo is innocent why was she keeping secret the fact that the OCG print-shop, from season five, was the dumping ground for Vellas old files? She claims she was, at time of apprehension by Carmichael, leading Kate to the stash to prove she (Jo) wasnt bent. Vicky McClure as DI Kate Fleming and Kelly Macdonald as DCI Joanne Davidson in Line of Duty. 4: Alas poor Thurwell we hardly knew ye All the evidence pointed to Thurwell as chief conspirator H. He was one of the three coppers who covered up the Christopher Lawrence killing to protect Darren Hunter. The other two members of the triumvirate were DI Buckells and Chief Constable Osbourne, who has just moved to shutter AC-12. Davidsons seized laptop meanwhile reveals the mysterious OCG figure giving her orders via email is based in Spain. Surely its Thurwell? Seemingly not. A raid on his home by Spanish police uncovers his mouldering corpse. He knew too much and (presumably) paid the price. Who, though, ordered the hit? Given Osbourne instructed Carmichael to put secret tracking devices on AC-12 officers cars, its hard not to conclude the Chief Constable must be involved at some level. 5: Is Steve In Line For Demotion? DCI Arnott has been ducking a mandatory medical check, as he knows it will reveal his painkiller addiction. But hes now on his final warning. Either he presents for a medical within five days, or hes suspended. Teds imminent enforced retirement courtesy of Chief Constable Osbourne means hes on borrowed time. But now so too is Arnott. Chip Somodevilla/Getty In the final months of the 2020 campaign, Rep. Paul Gosar recruited a consultant tied to a far-right website and a slew of extremist candidatesa figure so far on the fringe that neo-Confederate Senate candidate Corey Stewart fired him in 2018 over his racism and conspiracy-mongering online. Federal Elections Commission filings show the Arizona Republican, who himself recently appeared at a white nationalist conference and allegedly helped plan the rally ahead of the Capitol riot, paid $30,623 to the North Carolina-based Southern Pine Strategies between July and December 2020. Tar Heel incorporation records show the firm to have been administratively dissolved, but also reveal its owner to be Noel Fritsch. As The Daily Beast reported in 2019, Fritsch and partner Reilly ONeal came off the failed Senate campaign of accused Alabama child molester Roy Moore and took over Big League Politics, an alt-right website that has pushed conspiracy theories and ex-President Donald Trump. But Fritsch first came to national prominence in 2016 as a spokesman for Wisconsin white nationalist Paul Nehlens primary bid against then-Rep. Paul Ryan. FEC reports show that Fritsch got his first check from Nehlens campaign just a few months after the Tea Party-aligned businessman suggested deporting all Muslims from the United States. And he stuck with the candidate through December 2017, even as Nehlen promoted the deadly Charlottesville rally and the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, tweeted its okay to be white and other far-right memes, appeared on the white power podcast Fash the Nation, and unleashed a string of anti-Semitic comments social media posts that provoked even his former supporters at Breitbart into disowning him. The FEC records show Fritsch received his last payment from Nehlen one day after the candidate declared himself pro-white and complained about Jewish supremacy to the Washington Post. Fritschs own Internet invective would soon haunt him, too. In June 2018, CNN found that he had also propagated the Pizzagate fantasy on Twitter, repeated on multiple platforms the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton had late Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich assassinated, and made a slew of anti-Black, anti-gay, and Islamophobic online remarks. His comments led to his dismissal by Stewart, who was then running against Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia). Story continues Stewart himself was one of the most radical right-wing GOP candidates in recent memory, having swaddled himself in Confederate symbolism and reupped false claims that ex-President Barack Obama was not a U.S. citizen. Roy Moore Consultants New Project: A Conspiracy-Theorizing Pro-Trump News Site Since his unceremonious expulsion from the Stewart campaign, Fritsch has worked for an array of increasingly fringe figures. His recent clients include Delaware Senate aspirant Lauren Witzker, a former QAnon supporter and self-described flat-earther; trans-bashing Michigan House contender Tom Norton; and Big League Politics contributor Pete DAbrosca, a white nationalist-booster who ultimately failed to make the ballot for a congressional race in North Carolina. Gosar, an eight-year House veteran, appears to be the only recently successful candidate on Fritschs resumeat least on the federal level. A spokesman for the congressman, whose own siblings have denounced him as a racist, declined to respond to questions about why the campaign hired Fritsch given his background, but indicated they intend to keep him on the payroll. Noel has provided active and productive fundraising services, Gosar chief-of-staff Tom Van Flein wrote The Daily Beast. We will review whether he should get a raise. Fritsch hung up twice on The Daily Beast when called about his work for Gosar, after repeatedly refusing to divulge any details about exact services he provided the campaignand accusing The Daily Beast of conspiring with neoconservative commentator Bill Kristol to produce this article. The Daily Beast, which had no contact with either Kristol or with any of his associates while researching and composing this story, became aware of Fritschs work for Gosar while reviewing the congressmans publicly available campaign finance disclosures. In a third conversation, which Fritsch initiated, the consultant declined to comment on the record about his history, except to describe Stewart as awesome. He subsequently followed up with an email lauding Gosars vitriolic rejection of Bidens 2020 election victory, and repeating debunked claims of an international plot to rig the vote. Endorsed by Donald Trump, Paul Gosarthe first Congressman to stand up on January 6th to object to Biden's bogus electors which we're gifted to him in the most fraudulent election in U.S. historystands alone in Congress in fighting to close the border and against China-first oligarchic interference in U.S. elections and policies, he said. ONeal, Fritschs partner at Big League Politics, did not respond to a request for comment. The site has lavished Gosar with positive coverage, referring to him earlier this month as one of the best congressmen. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. By Kwak Yeon-soo The new mystery thriller series, "One Ordinary Day," featuring Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seoung-won, will be exclusively available for streaming on Coupang Play, the local streamer said on Sunday. "As our first exclusive content offering, we will present a high quality series to paid membership users," a Coupang Play official said in a statement. In December, e-commerce firm Coupang launched the video streaming service to compete with global and local streamers such as Netflix, Wavve and Watcha Play. A remake of BBC's "Criminal Justice," the 8-episode series revolves around a young man who is accused of murder, though he is unable to remember committing the crime. Kim plays a college student named Hyun-soo whose life turns upside down after being accused of murder, while Cha stars as a lawyer named Joong-han, who offers help to Hyun-soo. Director Lee Myung-woo, whose previous works include SBS's "The Fiery Priest" (2019) and "Backstreet Rookie" (2020), will helm the series with the script written by Kwon Soon-gyu, who is behind SBS's "Warrior Baek Dong-soo" (2011) and "Jackpot" (2016). "One Ordinary Day" will premiere on Coupang Play in November. Flash General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday respectively met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. Extending congratulations on China's success in fighting COVID-19 and achieving economic development, Trong called on the two countries to maintain and promote their traditional friendship, and advance the relationship between the two militaries of the two countries. Regarding the issue on the South China Sea, Trong said the two countries should properly handle the issue based on mutual trust and respect, and prevent any related negative effect on bilateral relations. In his remarks, Phuc said Vietnam firmly upholds the one-China principle and opposes any forces' interference in China's internal affairs. Vietnam will stay on guard against and firmly resist any schemes to undermine the Vietnam-China relations, and will never follow other countries in opposing China, Phuc noted. For his part, Wei said China and Vietnam are a community with a shared future of strategic significance, and have both achieved success in economic development as well as combating the pandemic, demonstrating the strengths of the leadership of the communist parties and the socialist system. The two sides should implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, improve strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust and deepen military cooperation to further advance the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he said. On the South China Sea issue, China and Vietnam should take a broad and long-term perspective, properly handle differences, plan maritime cooperation well, resolutely stand against the interference from powers outside the region, and jointly protect the peace in the South China Sea. On Sunday, Wei met and held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang. The two witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on strengthening international military cooperation between the ministries of national defense of China and Vietnam. Hyderabad, April 26 : The Telangana State Media Academy has decided to provide Rs 2 lakh each as financial assistance to the families of journalists who have died of Covid-19 in the state. Academy chairman Allam Narayana said on Monday that 200 journalists infected by Covid-19 will also be provided assistance. He said the decision was taken in view of the intense second wave of the pandemic. During the last 10 days, 15 journalists have succumbed to the virus. The Telangana Union of Working Journalists and other journalists' unions had made representations to the Academy, seeking financial help for the families of scribes who died of Covid and also to journalists who have tested positive. Narayana said for the Rs 2 lakh assistance, applications have to be submitted to the Academy before May 10. Families of the deceased have to submit certificates of death due to Covid from the concerned district medical and health officer, accreditation card, Covid positive report and also a letter from the district public relations officer concerned. He advised the journalists' unions to obtain the necessary certificates on behalf of the families of the deceased. The Academy chairman said that immediate financial assistance is also being provided to 200 journalists who have tested positive. He also urged the state government to recognise the journalists as frontline warriors and set up special Covid testing and vaccination centres for them. The Academy also requested the government to provide special healthcare facilities in hospitals for journalists infected by Covid. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has announced the launch of a series of nation-wide fintech innovation challenges, the Bahrain Supernova. The challenges will be hosted on FinHub 973, CBBs Digital Lab, which is powered by Fintech Galaxys FinX22 Open API platform. The challenges will be aimed at furthering the development of the fintech industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain within CBBs digital strategy to boost collaboration and integration between financial institutions and startups utilising open APIs. The Bahrain Supernova will see some of the financial institutions in Bahrain presenting real market challenges aimed at finding customer-centric solutions. Innovators and fintech startups will have access to an API sandbox with +330 APIs and simulated data sets from local and regional banks to enable rapid and seamless proof of concepts (PoCs). Addressing these issues in the post Covid-19 recovery phase will be critical as this will enable the financial services industry in Bahrain to break through silos, transform legacy banking systems, and enable the development of new solutions across fintech, regtech and insuretech. Innovative startups and tech firms from the Kingdom of Bahrain and the region will be able to submit their proposals via the FinHub 973 digital platform, addressing problem statements under the following themes: *Central Bank of Bahrain RegTech Solution: Account Blocking & Unblocking Automation Process; *Bank ABC Autonomous Finance; *The BENEFIT Company Extending Payment Services for Proximity/Wearables Devices; *ila Bank Banking, User Experience & AI; and *National Bank of Bahrain Connecting Customer Accounting system with NBB for Banking needs. Following the submission deadline on May 20, 2021, proposals meeting the requirements will be shortlisted and innovators will be invited to pitch their solutions to a panel of experts. A judging panel comprising of executives from each of the financial institutions, along with subject matter experts will then announce finalists on June 3, 2021 and the challenge will end on June 10, 2021. Commenting on the launch of the challenge, Yasmeen Al Sharaf, Head of Fintech & Innovation Unit at the Central Bank of Bahrain, said: We are pleased to announce the commencement of Bahrain Supernova on our digital lab, FinHub 973. The Covid-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated the introduction of technological changes and advancements in every aspect of our lives. And with the increase in technological adoption comes the need to develop financial services in line with customer needs as the work environment is changing. Al Sharaf added: There is no doubt that the latest technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, and cloud services are impacting economies around the world at an unprecedented pace. And we are very excited to see how Bahrain Supernova will help leverage these technologies, while enhancing the fintech industry in Bahrain, and further accelerating our transformation towards an AI-powered digital economy. This initiative reaffirms the vision of the Central Bank of Bahrain to expand infrastructure in financial technology, unlock innovation opportunities, and introduce new and innovative financial products to the market. Mirna Sleiman, Founder & CEO, Fintech Galaxy, said: We are proud to take part in the CBBs Bahrain Supernova, and we are confident that this initiative will succeed in helping forge partnerships, creating alliances, and bringing financial inclusion to the market. The launch of this challenge comes at a critical time, when governments and financial institutions from all around the world are focusing on transitioning from Open Banking to Open Finance. We at Fintech Galaxy, have interacted with more than 1000 cutting edge fintechs from around the world, many of whom have successfully designed apps and delivered proof of concepts (PoCs) that eliminate customer pain points for financial institutions across the industry. However, its time to get over our fascination with Open Banking and look towards the future of financial services as a whole; and without a doubt, that future is Open Finance. The Bahrain Supernova will be virtually hosted on the CBBs digital lab, FinHub 973, which is powered by Fintech Galaxys digital crowdsourcing and API platform, FinX22. The digital platform enables the screening, interaction and collaboration among innovators, financial institutions, and regulators, allowing them to crowdsource and prototype fintech solutions prospectively in Fintech Galaxys FinX22 Open API Sandbox. -- Tradearabia News Service Authorities are searching for five suspects wanted on murder charges in the killing of a woman whose body was found in north Georgia just days after her phone was tracked to a storage unit where a bloody face mask was recovered. Mother-of-two Rossana Delgado, 37, had been missing for four days when her body was found on April 20 in Gilmer County. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) obtained warrants accusing four suspects in Delgado's death, but they are still trying to identify a fifth suspect. According to the GBI, the four wanted suspects are Megan Alyssa Colone, 30, of Stone Mountain; Juan Ayala-Rodriguez, 35, of Gainesville; Oscar Manuel Garcia, 26, of Austell; Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez, 29, of Oklahoma City. Mother-of-two Rossana Delgado (left and right), 37, had been missing for four days when her body was found on April 20 in Gilmer County Footage released by her family in what they believe is the last time she was seen alive, shows Delgado in a Ross Store in the Mall Plaza Fiesta in Atlanta. In the clip, Delgado is seen checking out at a register According to a press release, the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office conducted a welfare check at a residence in Cherry Log, Georgia, on Tuesday at 7am. The victim found at the scene was later identified as Delgado. She was reported as a missing person in Barrow County, Georgia, on April 17. She was last seen in DeKalb County on the same day she was reported missing. Footage released by her family in what they believe is the last time she was seen alive shows Delgado in a Ross Store in the Mall Plaza Fiesta in Atlanta. In the clip, Delgado is seen checking out at a register in the store next to another woman. The two appear to know each other but it's unclear who the other woman in the footage is. Friends said Delgado spoke to her husband around 7pm on April 16 before she picked up a person for her job as a taxi driver. He reported her missing about eight hours later Two suspects identified by authorities are Megan Alyssa Colone (right), 30, of Stone Mountain, and Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez (left), 29, of Oklahoma City. Police believe Colone is traveling under the alias Grace Beda The other two suspects have been identified as Juan Ayala-Rodriguez, 35, of Gainesville, and Oscar Manuel Garcia (right), 26, of Austell Police also released these two images of a man they believe is the fifth suspect involved in Delgado's murder. He has not been identified as of Monday morning Timeline: Rossana Delgado disappearance and murder April 16: Rossana Delgado was seen shopping at a Ross Store in Atlanta with an unidentified woman April 16: Delgado last speaks with her husband at 7pm before going to pick up a passenger for her job as a taxi driver April 17: Her husband reports her missing around 3am in Barrow County, Georgia April 20: Delgado's body is found at a home in Cherry Log, Georgia April 24: GBI issues warrants for four suspects believe to be connected to Delgado's murder Advertisement Friends told 11Alive that Delgado spoke to her husband around 7pm on April 16 before she picked up a person for her job as a taxi driver. He reported her missing about eight hours later. Delgado's husband was able to track her phone to a home in DeKalb County. He told investigators that her phone was there for about an hour before it was tracked to a storage unit on Covington Highway. He arrived at the storage unit and reportedly found a face mask with blood on it, according to 11Alive. The mask is being analyzed for DNA, family friends said. Investigators said the suspects may no longer be in Georgia. Investigators also released two photos of a man they believe is the fifth suspect. The man in the photos appears to be wearing jeans, a dark hoodie, and a blue cap with a white logo on it. Colone may be traveling under the alias, Grace Beda. Colone is believed to be traveling with her minor children. 'Authorities nationwide have been alerted about these individuals,' the GBI said. Investigators haven't specified how the suspects were connected to the death. A motive has not been determined. A cause of death has not been released but an autopsy will be conducted. Police said anyone who spots the suspects should not approach them but call authorities immediately. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Colone, Ayala-Rodriguez, Garcia or Barbosa-Juarez are asked to call the GBI Tipline at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477). Denver, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Colorado Community College System (CCCS) Chancellor Joe Garcia announced the selection of Dr. Lisa Jones as the next president of Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC). Dr. Jones will assume the presidency on July 15, 2021. She will succeed Ron Granger, who is retiring at the end of July. Dr. Jones, a distinguished scholar who has led academic, equity, and innovation programs in her various roles in higher education, will be the first African-American woman to hold the presidency at CNCC and in the Colorado Community College System. We are excited to welcome Dr. Jones to the system and are confident she will step into the CNCC presidency with the experience and strength needed to lead the college forward as it continues to address challenges and embrace opportunities in a rapidly changing environment, said Garcia. At such a critical time in the colleges history, she brings both energy and an entrepreneurial mindset with over 30 years of experience as a leader in higher education, deep understanding of issues facing students from various backgrounds, commitment to reversing trends in generational poverty, and the executive experience to manage the intersection of sustaining financial health and innovation. Dr. Jones was selected after a six-month nationwide search, led by an 11-member advisory search committee who worked diligently to screen, interview, and conduct virtual community forums. The committee considered highly accomplished leaders from a pool of more than 60 applicants with diverse backgrounds. In her most recent role as Vice President of Student Development at Cedar Valley College, a Hispanic-Serving and Predominately Black Institution in Texas, she led a number of initiatives to support enrollment growth, increase college funding, and improve student success outcomes. During her tenure, she guided the institution through enrollment and retention strategies that yielded a 40% increase in overall enrollment and significant increases in target populations including veteran women, adults over the age of 25, and Hispanic and Black males. Prior to her role at Cedar Valley College, Dr. Jones served as Vice President of Student Affairs at Henry Ford College in Michigan, where she successfully designed and implemented a diversity, equity, and inclusion master plan and leadership training program that transformed the campus culture, streamlined budget efficiencies, and focused strategic enrollment management efforts. She was also hailed for turning around a $12 million budget deficit to a positive balance within 18 months. For Dr. Jones, the role and value of community colleges, especially in rural and under-resourced locations, is tantamount to providing supportive and empowering pathways for students to achieve upward social mobility and transforming the trajectory of futures for generations to come. As a first-generation, low-income, minority woman who came from an underperforming high school in Detroit, the odds were heavily stacked against me, but through my community college I was able to rewrite my story and achieve my American Dream, said Dr. Jones. These institutions play a pivotal role in transforming lives and communities, and I am excited to become a part of this important work at CNCC. With her official start date approaching this summer, Dr. Jones expressed her eagerness to work with CNCCs dedicated faculty, staff, community, and business partners to increase credentials earned by members of the community, close educational and economic opportunity gaps among students, and support the regions economic growth while elevating the profile of the institution. With over 80 years of rich history, CNCC is a jewel in Colorados northwestern region and no doubt will play an enormous role as the community prepares for its next chapter, said Dr. Jones. Through collective work, shared vision, and perseverance, I am positive that we will create new opportunities and overcome obstacles facing the region and college because that is The Spartan Way. ### About Colorado Northwestern Community College Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) is a leading point of entry to higher education for the northwest corner of Colorado. CNCC provides cost-effective, high-quality college education, along with access and opportunity for non-traditional students, workforce development, training resources for local organizations, and community partnerships. Learn more at www.cncc.edu. About Colorado Community College System The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the states largest system of higher education and workforce development, delivering thousands of programs to over 125,000 students annually through 13 colleges and 38 locations across Colorado. Our open-access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to high quality, affordable higher education opportunities. The System Office provides leadership, advocacy, and support to the colleges under the direction of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE). Join us in changing the way Colorado goes to college www.cccs.edu. Attachment The Madras High Court on Monday directed the and governments to consider declaring complete lockdown for two days on May 1 and May 2, when counting of votes polled in the April 6 Assembly elections will be taken up. The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy gave the suggestion while passing further interim orders on an issue relating to alleged shortage of Remdesivir drug, ventilators and beds and diversion of oxygen cylinders to other states. Based on newspaper reports, the judges took up the issue by themselves. On these two days, movement of vehicles used in connection with votes counting and emergency services alone shall be allowed. An announcement to this effect might be made in advance, preferably on April 28, so that the people of and the Union Territory would be put on alert, the judges said, adding, they might also publish certain basic guidelines to be followed on those days by the Covid-19 affected people. Both and have put in a series of curbs starting Monday, such as closure of places of worship, spas, beauty parlours and salons to stem the spread of coronavirus. Earlier, Advocate-General Vijay Narayan informed the bench that steps would be taken to convert all the 1,050 MTs of oxygen, to be generated at the Sterlite unit in Tuticorin, fit for medical use. An all-party meeting headed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had earlier in the day allowed the plant, closed since May 2018 over pollution concerns, to produce oxygen only for a four-month period. As regards the query from the bench on curbing sale of Remdesivir, used in Covid-19 treatment, in black market, the Health Secretary submitted that an exclusively authorised centre to sell the drug has been established in Kilpauk in the city. A vial would be sold for Rs 1,400, that too only to those who produce necessary documents. Special squads have been formed to nab the black-marketeers, he said, adding 2,400 more beds would be added by the first week of May. The Additional Solicitor-General told the judges that certain quantity of oxygen cylinders had been diverted to neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana only after consultation with the state government. The request of the state government not to divert oxygen anymore would be taken up with the Centre, he added. Seemingly convinced with the submissions, the bench adjourned the matter till Thursday. YEREVAN. Armenia attaches importance to Lithuania's contribution to the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian said this during Mondays joint press conference with the visiting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis. Aivazian said that the bilateral agenda, as well as regional and international security were discussed during the meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart. According to the FM, Armenia is ready to deepen relations. "Lithuania is one of the most important European partners, we appreciate the effective cooperation within the EU. Full implementation of the agreement with the EU opens new opportunities for deepening relations," he added. According to Aivazian, the Lithuania FMs visit to Armenia these days is symbolic. "Armenia attaches importance to Lithuania's contribution to the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. We face gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. A vivid manifestation of this was the aggression of Azerbaijan, with the direct military participation of Turkey, which led to a humanitarian crisis in Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)]. The issue of [Armenian] captives and detainees held in Azerbaijan is still unresolved. We need the assistance of the international community. We hope our European partners will respond," Ara Aivazian concluded. [April 26, 2021] H.I.G. Announces the Sale of WBB H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G."), a leading global alternative investment firm with $44 billion of equity capital under management, announced today the sale of its portfolio company, Whitney, Bradley & Brown, Inc. ("WBB" or the "Company"), to Serco Inc. ("Serco") for $295 million. WBB transforms, modernizes, and sustains major mission-centric defense and intelligence platforms that are critical to maintaining national security superiority. Through data-driven, knowledge-based solutions, WBB provides program management, advanced engineering and analytical support to the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies. H.I.G. acquired WBB in October 2017 as part of the firm's government services investment initiative. During H.I.G.'s ownership, H.I.G. invested alongside management in organic growth initiatives and completed two strategic and transformative acquisitions. These investments created new capabilities and provided access to new customers, markets and contract vehicles that enhanced growth, doubled revenue and tripled EBITDA during H.I.G.'s ownership. Robert Olsen, WBB's CEO, said, "We appreciate H.I.G.'s strategic guidance and commitment to the WBB platform over the last three years. They were a truly value-added partner and as a result of their involvement, WBB is better positioned to capitalize on the exciting growth opportunities ahead. We look forward to this next chapter working with Serco as we continue to serve as an integral partner to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies." Jeff Zanarini, Managing Director at H.I.G. Capital, commented, "It has been a pleasure working with Robert Olsen and the entire WBB team. The success of this transaction for WBB management, H.I.G., and its investors is a direct result of a near-perfect execution on the growth plan we devised together from the onset of our relationship. We expect WBB to continue setting new standards of excellence for our nation's most critical priorities, working with he newly-expanded Serco leadership team." About WBB WBB transforms, modernizes, and sustains major mission-centric defense and intelligence platforms that are critical to maintaining our nation's defense and national security superiority. Through data-driven, knowledge-based solutions, WBB provides program management and consulting services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies. WBB has supported the federal government for almost four decades on mission critical programs and has developed deep domain expertise within critical capabilities including systems engineering, lifecycle logistics, cybersecurity, data analytics and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions to complex problems for the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies. WBB's highly-specialized and experienced workforce provides services across the full lifecycle from program development to ongoing support and mission performance. The company has approximately 1,000 employees, the majority of which are veterans and greater than 75% possess security clearances. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, WBB is an ISO 9001-registered company operating at over a dozen strategically-located facilities across the United States and abroad. For more information, please visit https://wbbinc.com/. About H.I.G. Capital H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with $44 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach: H.I.G.'s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses. H.I.G.'s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance. H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com. * Based on total capital commitments managed by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005900/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Minerals Commission says it has not granted permits to any company to mine near the Mole National Park in the Savannah Region. This follows an allegation by three Civil Society Organisations, (CSOs) Centre for Public Interest Law and the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining, Centre for Environmental Impact Analysis that the government had granted rights to mining companies to explore gold near the Mole National Park. Tt said, It has come to the attention of the Minerals Commission that certain Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have alleged that mining permits have been issued for mining in or near the Mole National Park in the Savannah Region. This allegation and/or assertion is not the case. No such Mining Permit has been issued for this purpose, a statement signed the Acting Chief Executive of the commission, Martin Ayisi said. The Commission has therefore denied the claim. Below is the statement from the Minerals Commission REJOINDER: NO PERMIT ISSUED FOR MINING IN OR NEAR MOLE NATIONAL PARK. It has come to the attention of the Minerals Commission that certain Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have alleged that Mining Permits have been issued for mining in or near the Mole National Park in the Savannah Region. This allegation and/or assertion is not the case. No such Mining Permit has been issued for this purpose. The Commission as the repository of records of all Mineral Rights in Ghana, entreats the General Public particularly CSOs, who are partners and have been working closely with the Commission over the years, to seek clarifications from it before going public. MR. MARTIN AYISI AG CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MINERALS COMMISSION HEADQUARTERS ACCRA 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 Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Monday he has tasked chief of his office Andrei Yermak to organize a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I think the situation is tending towards such a meeting. Indeed, I suggested, and you have heard that, we meet in Donbass. The president confirmed his readiness and suggested we meet in Moscow," TASS cited him as saying. "I have already tasked head of the presidential office Andrei Yermak to get in touch with President Putins administration to find mutual understanding and agree a date and a venue for our meeting," Zelensky told journalists, adding that what matters most is the very fact of such a meeting "and where it will take place is just a detail." Putins press secretary Dmitry Peskov, in turn, told TASS there are no details of the potential meeting. Race has always been used by the left and the Democrats to divide us. As weve seen all too clearly in recent weeks, this strategy has now achieved critical mass and its moved into health care, the largest sector of the economy and one with critical influence on peoples lives -- and even survival. Ive been reporting on American medical care since the 1970s. Its an area rife with politics but I never thought that Id live to see anything like this. In early April, I became aware of a shocking new example of overt racism that proposes to remake health care on the basis of Critical Race Theory. On April 10, 2021, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet one of the most prominent scientific journals in the world published an article titled Racism is the public health crisis. You read it right: The most important public health crisis. This is just the latest article on this absurd claim published recently by this and other leading medical journals (including the equally prestigious New England Journal of Medicine), both here and abroad. (The Lancet is published in the UK.) The Lancet article praises Black Lives Matter, and before the trial of Derek Chauvin had even started the article maintained that the Minneapolis police killed George Floyd. The article was written by Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK who has no background or expertise in medicine. Andres latest book is The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World. His Lancet article concludes: Racism is a defining feature of western countries, creating a society where Black life is devalued. The hierarchy of white [sic] supremacy creates an uneven distribution of resources and means that the majority of those who are not white are subject to various health inequalities. Public health interventions must account for the structural racism that produces racialised health outcomes. It is only by understanding empire and its afterlives that we can begin to address the racial inequities and inequalities that plague the world. To make Black lives matter, we need to understand that racism is the public health crisis. Two weeks earlier an influential intellectual publication, The Boston Review, published a lengthy article by two medical doctors both of them also Harvard Medical School professors titled An Antiracist Agenda for Medicine. The subhead is Colorblind solutions have failed to achieve racial equity in health care. We need both federal reparations and real institutional accountability. The authors write: Our effort to understand and correct racial health disparities has led us to rethink the nature of the fight for racial justice in medicine. Their prescription? Offering preferential care based on race or ethnicity. They contend further that they hope their proposals will get the backing provided by recent White House executive orders one of which they link to (President Bidens January 20th directive Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government). Theory into practice Less than two weeks ago, it was reported that this policy of giving preferential medical treatment to individuals with the preferred racial or ethnic background Blacks and Latinx patients over Whites is going into practice, at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. That institution, affiliated with the Harvard University Medical School, is considered one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. Its part of Mass General Brigham, a network that operates a dozen hospitals in Massachusetts. Its sweeping system-wide approach outlining broad social justice and equity goals and strategies was announced last November right after the election. The plan is part of Mass General Brighams multi-million dollar United Against Racism campaign. In an article and a radio segment last fall titled How Mass General Brigham Plans To Dismantle Racism In And Outside Hospital Walls, one of the Boston NPR stations reported approvingly: The project, called United Against Racism, includes changes in leadership, culture and patient care. It also expands efforts to address hunger, housing and job opportunities outside hospital walls. We want this to be a major change in the culture of our organization, says Dr. Tom Sequist, MGBs chief equity officer, that we think about equity and anti-racism and treat them as the urgent public health crisis that they are. MGB leaders say this is a multi-million-dollar project, mapped over five years to start. They arent saying exactly how much theyll spend. The plan is a response to anger, frustration and calls for change within the hospitals that were heard following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others this year. Employees shared reactions and ideas in small discussion groups, hospital town halls, petitions, employee surveys and protests. [emphasis added.] These developments are among the results of the American medical communitys significant turn to the left. For example, after decades of opposition to socialized medicine, the American Medical Association has more recently softened its stand, supporting Obamacare and publishing articles in its influential medical journal supporting single-payer. In a Medscape poll two years ago, 49% of American M.D.s supported single-payer. The Service Employees International Union that represents over one million frontline health care workers has long supported universal health care. Two weeks ago, in a small handful of articles in the alternative media including AT, it began to be reported that Brigham and Womens Hospital was taking steps to prioritize Black and Latinx patients for care based on their skin color. On April 8, 2021, the Federalist described how this project might impact the clinical practice of medicine: The doctors are spearheading this and other equitable solutions as part of a pilot initiative at Brigham and Womens Hospital this spring. [The Boston Review articles authors] say that leftist economist William Darity Jr. provided a reparations framework that must be applied to the health profession to ensure black and Latinx patients are prioritized. One of the programs proposed. . . is something called Redress. The program is intended to discriminate against whites who require medical attention so other individuals can automatically be given treatment. A report on this noxious development made it to Tucker Carlson Tonight on the Fox News channel on April 13 when DePaul University professor Jason Hill, Ph.D. who is Black appeared on the program. Hill called what is taking place in Boston political eugenics in the medical field. He said that its using a reparations framework to advance Critical Race Theory. Its racist, he added. Its using health care to advance the socialist system. Hill also noted: I think for the first time, we are seeing hospitals that are being used by doctors as indoctrination centers and advancing their own politicized views that are using Critical Race Theory, which is a nefarious and quite racist kind of doctrine. Brigham and Womens Hospital has subsequently published a new page at its Web site denying that it is instituting racial preferences when it treats patients. The document makes no mention of Carlsons program but suggests that the hospital's attempt to take a step back from the perception that it is employing racial preferences is a result of recent stories published online. Another example of how this racist policy is coming to a hospital or health care provider near you was reported by KTTH 770 in Seattle: The Washington State Department of Health lets providers deny vaccines to white people in a race-exclusionary system they claim creates equity and removes barriers. . . The African American Reach and Teach Health Ministry (AARTH) is a vaccine provider in Washington state. Eligible recipients can sign up for vaccines using their online scheduler. But if youre white, youre not able to access any open vaccine appointments. By default, white people are put on a standby list one of two lists segregated by race for vaccine access. They will only provide their online appointments to people of color. . . If youre a person of color, you can move forward and schedule a vaccine appointment if there is an opening. But if youre white, you are automatically placed on a standby list. This bars you from continuing the process. AARTH says they will contact the white person if there is an opening. . . This policy effectively bars white people from accessing taxpayer funded vaccines set up through the state. . . Under the current process, an older white person with obesity and cancer is at a higher risk than a young and healthy Black person. Yet the white Washingtonian would be denied access based exclusively on his skin color at AARTH. Why? Because, according to [Franji] Mayes [Washington Department of Health spokesperson], dealing with racism is a stressor that is bad for health and life expectancy. Not enough focus on racism in medicine? It turns out that for some time now the American medical Establishment has been laying the groundwork to focus increasingly on the alleged prominent role of racism in medical outcomes. An article in Time (April 21, 2021), for example, maintains that a problem is that The Worlds Leading Medical Journals Don't Write About Racism. The four authors two of whom are M.D.s and two Ph.D.s represent the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Their titles and specialties include the relationship between structural racism, inequity, and health, Professor of Social Epidemiology, Director, Health Equity Research and Data Use, at the Center for Health Equity, and chief health equity officer. The authors write: Over the past year, rising deaths from COVID-19, police brutality, anti-Asian hate crimes, and the inequitable damage of climate breakdown, have made the manifold harms of racism easier for everyone to see. Harms that were once shielded from public consumption by segregation or shrouded from public scrutiny by stories depicting the U.S. as a nation of fairness and freedoms, are now the center of an ongoing national confrontation with racism and its impacts on health, safety, and justice. They then link to their new article (April 20, 2021) in a major peer-reviewed journal, Health Affairs: Medicines Privileged Gatekeepers: Producing Harmful Ignorance About Racism And Health. In that article, the authors express concern that in their review of 200,000 articles published during the past three decades in the worlds four top medical journals, only 1% of them (or about 2,000) mentioned racism. Just think about that, they write. The source of the problem they insist is that nearly all of the editors and chiefs [of the four journals] have been white men. They do see hope, however, now that Joe Biden is the president. On March 1, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced new initiatives to address the impacts of structural racism on biomedical research. On April 8, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared racism a serious public health threat. And as I wrote at AT last November 9 when Bidens Covid-19 Task Force was announced, one of the panels co-chairs fits this new bill perfectly: The second panel co-chair is Marcella Nunez-Smith, M.D., who grew up in the Virgin Islands and is now a physician at the Yale University School of Medicine, where she holds a variety of titles. Dr. Nunez-Smith specializes in race and health care and studies medicine through the prism of race, social justice, and identity politics. Her expertise in viruses, pandemics, or virology? Zero. My next article at AT (November 25, 2020) was titled Prominent physician advises Biden to prioritize people of color for COVID-19 vaccine. Do we see a fast-emerging pattern here? Back to the Sixties The aim of the original Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s was equality of opportunity. Over time, the legacy of that bipartisan effort, inspired by Christians like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., has morphed into a twisted new movement that is not about equality of opportunity at all but instead guaranteed equal outcomes, or equity, involving preferential treatment for people of color. This inversion began in the latter half of the 1960s when politicians, in order to placate radicals and street mobs rioting in Americas cities, came up with affirmative action, racial quotas, set asides, and huge federal agencies to enforce draconian civil rights regulations. Last year, Simon and Schuster published Christopher Caldwells The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties. The book was cited at length by Michael Filozof in an April 19 article at AT. Caldwells thesis is that the Civil Rights legislation of the 1960s, especially the 1964 Civil Rights Act, nullified our Constitution by replacing it with a new constitution that originated in, and reflects the values of, the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s. Filozof quotes Caldwell: The changes of the 1960s, with civil rights at their core, were not just a major new element in the Constitution. They were a rival constitution, with which the original one was frequently incompatible. The wokeness characterized by this rival constitution has now made it to American health care. Previous examples of this kind of reverse discrimination against whites including affirmative action, preferential hiring, racial quotas, and the proliferation of government regulations and bureaucracies to ensure equity in disparate areas of life are abundant. They are increasing in number now that the Democrats have attained total control of the federal and many state governments not to mention other centers of American life including academia, K-12 public and private schools, popular culture, sports, and the largest corporations. Several recent examples: ITEM: In Oregon: Last December, The $62 million Oregon Cares state Fund steered coronavirus relief money directly to Black Oregonians and Black-owned businesses and not businesses owned by Whites. As The Oregonian noted, the application [for funds] explicitly stated that the money was meant only for Black Oregonians. ITEM: The recently passed Covid-19 Stimulus included something called The Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act, introduced by Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA). The act provides $4 billion for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to forgive direct or guaranteed loans given to farmers of color. Another $1 billion is going to the USDA for farmer grants, college scholarships and other efforts for minority growers. ITEM: President Bidens 200 page Covid-19 plan (published on Jan. 21, 2021) is filled with references to race, inequality, equity, and the need to consider redress in virtually every federal department and program from now on. An Executive Order by Biden established a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force at the Department of Health and Human Services. And so it goes. At the outset of my journalistic career, I heard Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a speech on November 30, 1964, repeat his famous lines that he looked forward to a day when a person would be judged by the content of his character and not by the color of his skin. The left, now including leaders of the medical Establishment, has increasingly turned that axiom on its head. Notwithstanding the racialist nonsense arising from the D.C. Swamp and Medicine, Inc., Rev. Kings words represent a concept that every American should be able to agree with and, without qualification, hold to be true. Editor's note: Peter Barry Chowka discusses the subject of this article with Jamie Glazov on the latest edition of The Glazov Gang, available here. Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who writes about politics, media, popular culture, and health care for American Thinker and other publications. He also appears in the media, including recently as a contributor to OANN, BBC World News, The Glazov Gang, and Fox News. Peter's website is https://peter.media His YouTube channel is here. For updates on his work, follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. That their forebears were victims of genocide or if you prefer the laundered term, ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Turks. From 1915 to 1922, they knew from kinsmen that at least 1.5 million Armenians were massacred, endured starvation, tortured and interned in labor camps. They were told over the years that another 2 million of their countrymen had their ancestral properties seized and forced into mass migration, walking miles with few possessions in order to save their lives. By Yuka Obayashi TOKYO (Reuters) - fell on Monday on fears that surging COVID-19 cases in India will drive down in the world's third biggest oil importer and as investors adjusted positions ahead of a planned increase in OPEC+ oil output from May. Brent crude futures dropped 38 cents, or 0.6%, to $65.73 a barrel by 0507 GMT, following a 1.1% rise on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 31 cents, or 0.5%, at $61.83 a barrel, after rising 1.2% on Friday. Both benchmark crudes fell about 1% last week. "Market sentiment was dented on worries that surging number of COVID-19 cases in some countries, especially in India, will slash fuel demand," Kazuhiko Saito, chief analyst at commodities broker Fujitomi Co. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying on Sunday the "storm" of infections had shaken India, as the country set a new global record for the most COVID-19 infections in a day. In Japan, the world's fourth-largest oil buyer, a third state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures began on Sunday, affecting nearly a quarter of the population as the country attempts to combat a surge in cases. "Investors, including speculators, have been shifting funds from oil to grain recently as volatility has been much higher in prices of corn and other grains," Fujitomi's Saito said. Chicago corn, wheat and soybeans hit multi-year highs last week as concerns over cold weather damage to crops across the U.S. grain belt underpinned prices, along with expectations for more use of agricultural products for biofuels. "There were technical adjustments as the oil markets' rally has been overdone and as the OPEC+ is set to add supply from May," said Naohiro Niimura, a partner at Market Risk Advisory. "Brent could head down to around $60 a barrel going forward as a recovery in demand will likely be limited without active travel restrictions worldwide," he said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, known as OPEC+, surprised the market at its April 1 meeting by agreeing to ease production curbs by 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, another 350,000 bpd in June and a further 400,000 bpd or so in July. The producer group will hold a largely technical meeting this week, with major changes to policy unlikely, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and OPEC+ sources said last week. A technical committee meeting is set for Monday, where market fundamentals and compliance with production cuts will be discussed. U.S. firms, meanwhile, cut the number of oil rigs operating for the first time since March, as rigs fell by one to 438 last week, according to services firm Baker Hughes Co. (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by Richard Pullin) (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.) RENO, Nev., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Do NOT read this book if you want your passionate convictions admired or your enemy's stupidity mocked. Do NOT read this book if you have emotionally charged reactions to hot-button topics like trigger warnings, cancel culture, patriotism, fake news, internet thought police, and gun control. But if you ARE ready to think rationally and calmly about the opinions you hold as well as those held by your antagonists, it's time to read Wingnuts. Wingnuts Cover Photo Credit: Matt Bieker Pithy, humorous, and chock-full of shockingly commonsense wisdom, David Michael Slater strikes blow after devastating blow against the unreasonable thinking that now dominates our most critical political & cultural conversations. Conservatives and liberals, righties and lefties, Democrats and Republicans, all come in for an equal-opportunity flogging in this book on political freedom. In it, Slater identifies forty vitally important social ideas and compellingly articulates how and why they've been hijacked by three types of extremists. If his clarion call for a return to compromise in "the radical center" inspires enough people, it might just save democracy itself. David Michael Slater is a veteran middle and high school teacher who was named Educator of the Year by the City of Beaverton, Oregon. He is also an acclaimed author of over 20 books for children, teens, and adults. His work for children includes the picture books Cheese Louise!, The Boy & the Book, and Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus; the early chapter book series Mysterious Monsters, which is in development for animation; and the teen series, Forbidden Books. His young adult novel, Sparks, releases in the fall of 2021. David's work for adults includes the comic-drama Fun & Games, which the New York Journal of Books called "hilarious" and the highly praised We're Doing It Wrong: 25 Ideas in Education That Just Don't WorkAnd How to Fix Them. David teaches in Reno, Nevada, where he lives with his wife and son. You can learn more about Slater and his work at www.davidmichaelslater.com. Wingnuts: A Field Guide to Everyday Extremism in America Sunbury Press Release Date: May 4th, 2021 ISBN-13: 9781620065068 Available everywhere books are sold To receive a free PDF copy for review, email [email protected] Contact: David Slater 503-703-6010 Reviews: This is a delightful book, and I encourage the very few Americans who still have half a brain left to buy it immediately. -Morris Berman, Author of Why America Failed, Are We There Yet? and other works Bad thinking and unreasonable opinions are awarded more credibility now than at any time in recent history. Slater's book is a vital corrective to all manner of extreme and ill-conceived views of the political right and left. It should be required reading on every college campus and in the editorial offices of Fox News and MSNBC. - Steven Schier, Congdon Professor of Political Science, Carleton College, Coauthor of Polarized: The Rise of Ideology in American Politics SOURCE David Michael Slater Rome, April 26 : Countless cinemas in Italy reopened their doors on Monday after a month-long coronavirus-related closure. Milan's Beltrade cinema celebrated its reopening very early in the morning with Nanni Moretti's comedy "Caro Diario" ("Dear Diary"), the DPA news agency reported. Tickets were sold out, the ANSA news agency reported. People had queued up since dawn, one of the organisers, Monica Naldi, was quoted as saying. Only several dozen spectators were allowed into the venue. Masks and a minimum distance were required. The government in Rome has eased restrictions on cinemas, theatres, opera houses and concert halls in regions with moderate coronavirus infection rates from April 26. Venues can open at half capacity, with a maximum of 500 guests allowed inside and a maximum of 1,000 spectators allowed outside. Critics have, however, warned of the risks of opening up cultural institutions. Aviva Okeson-Haberman, a radio journalist from Kansas City, died from a gunshot wound A 24-year-old radio journalist based in Kansas City, Missouri, died from gunshot wound, her station, KCUR announced, after she appeared to be struck by a stray bullet over the weekend. The bullet came through the window of her first-floor apartment in the Santa Fe area of the city, police said. Her death comes as the city comes off its worst-ever year for homicides, with 182 killings reported by police in 2020. So far this year, there have been at least 71 homicides in the Kansas City area, according to data tracked by KSHB. A colleague of Aviva Okeson-Haberman found her in her apartment on Friday afternoon, bleeding from the wound. She hadn't responded to messages throughout the day. The police arrived on the scene at 3:17 p.m., and Okeson-Haberman was transported to a local hospital, where she was put on life support. She was pronounced dead on Sunday. Police are now investigating the shooting. 'We, at KCUR, join her family and friends in mourning her passing,' the station wrote in a statement. Okeson-Haberman graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in 2019. Okeson-Haberman lived in a first-floor apartment in the Santa Fe section of the city A bullet came through the window of her apartment on Friday, and struck her The far left window was shot through, police say, by a stray bullet, killing the young journalist A news report shows a picture of the window with the stray bullet, which can be seen on the lower left-hand side A colleague found Okeson-Haberman at her Kansas City, Missouri, apartment bleeding from a gunshot wound on Friday afternoon, after she failed to reply to messages While still a student at the school, she oversaw more than 40 of her fellow students as she produced weekly shows for the student-run television station, MUTV. She earned a Sigma Delta Chi award for investigative reporting. She and a colleague had found out that thousands of calls went unanswered at the Missouri Elder Abuse hotline. That story led to an investigation into the hotline's practices by the Missouri Attorney General. After graduating, Okeson-Haberman worked as a reporter for about a year at KBIA, the university's public radio station. Two of the stories she worked on there were picked up by 'Here & Now,' a public radio program carried by more than 450 public radio stations across the country. Okeson-Haberman graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism in 2019 Aviva Okeson-Haberman, middle, at her college graduation from the University of Missouri She joined KCUR, the NPR affiliate in Kansas City, in June 2019 as a Missouri politics and government reporter, having interned at the station a year before. 'Aviva was brilliant,' KCUR News Director Lisa Rodriguez said. 'Even as an intern, her approach to storytelling and her ability to hold those in power accountable paralleled many a veteran reporter.' Okeson-Haberman was particularly interested in the foster care system, the station reported, as she was in the system as an adolescent. 'She cared deeply about children in foster care, and she also wanted to do the most thorough possible job understanding the state's prison system and it's juvenile justice system,' said Scott Canon, managing editor of the Kansas News Service, who recruited Okeson-Haberman for her job at KCUR. 'She was brimming with ideas for stories that she thought just might improve the lives of people who were up against the worst circumstances.' Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted his thoughts on Okeson-Haberman's career Okeson-Haberman was supposed to start a new role covering social issues and criminal justice in May for the Kansas News Service, and was looking for an apartment in Lawrence, Kansas hours before she died. In her application, she wrote, 'Social services is a tough beat, but I'm a tough reporter.' 'I'll ask the hard questions, dig into the data and spend time building trust with sources. It's what's required to provide an unflinching look at how state government affects those entrusted to its care.' Some of the stories she has written over her short career exposed corruption at the county and the inequities in the distribution of COVID vaccines. 'Aviva was a creative, thorough, challenging and insightful reporter,' Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted upon hearing the news. 'Always prepared, she told the full and complex story of our city in one of the most challenging years in its history,' he wrote. 'Her life showed us her compassion for those who too often were voiceless.' 'Her death lays bare our gravest unsolved epidemic and the preventable tragedies too many families endure, the mayor continued, 'My heart and my thoughts go to her family, her friends, her colleagues, and a community that respected her and will miss out on all she had to share ahead.' The night that Okeson-Haberman was admitted to the hospital, the radio station reported, five other gunshot victims were also admitted. Okeson-Haberman is survived by her parents, two younger sister and her maternal grandparents. The on Monday castigated the over the COVID-19 second wave in the country, holding it 'singularly' responsible for the spread, called it the "the most irresponsible institution" and even said its officials may be booked under murder charges. The EC allowing political parties to take out rallies and meetings had led to the spread of the pandemic,the court said. The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made the stinging observation on a public interest writ from Karur AIADMK candidate and Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar for the April 6 Assembly polls, seeking a direction to authorities to ensure fair counting of votes on May 2 in Karur by taking effective steps and proper arrangements with COVID-19 protocols. Since as many as 77 candidates are contesting from Karur constituency, it would be very difficult to accommodate their agents in the counting hall. It may affect observance of the protocols, the petitioner alleged. When counsel for the EC told the judges that all necessary steps were underway, the bench shot back saying that by allowing the political parties to take out rallies and meetings, it (Commission) had paved the way for the resurgence of the second wave of the deadly virus. Irked over the submission of the EC counsel that all precautionary measures would be taken at the counting centres, the Chief Justice replied that the EC must be 'singularly' held responsible for the second wave of the pandemic spike in the country. The bench even said that EC officials may be booked under murder charges. The judges also orally warned that they would not hesitate to stop the counting of votes on May 2. On Sunday, Tamil Nadu reported 15,000 new covid cases, while its active cases are in excess of one lakh. Elections had been held in four states--Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal and the union territory of Puducherry and the counting of polled votes will be taken up on May 2. While voting is over in all the other states, the seventh of the eight-phase polling in West Bengal is underway on Monday, with the last phase scheduled on April 29. Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had expressed dissatisfaction with the EC over the enforcement of COVID-19 health safety norms during the ongoing West Bengal assembly election process, including campaigning. On April 22, hearing three public interest litigations (PILs) seeking enforcement of Covid protocol during the polls, a division bench presided by Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan had said issuance of circulars and holding meetings on Covid safety were not enough. It later directed the competent authorities to make the people of West Bengal abide by the restrictions imposed by the Commission on public behaviour regarding protective protocol for Covid-19 in the state, which also has witnessed an alarming rise in infections. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. This market research report identifies Abbott Laboratories, Biotronik Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic plc, and MicroPort Scientific Corporation as the major vendors operating in the global pacemakers market. This report also provides a detailed analysis of the market by product type (Internal pacemakers and External pacemakers), technology (Single-chambered, Dual-chambered, and Biventricular pacemakers), end-users (Hospitals, ASC, and Cardiac clinics), and region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World). Infoholics market research report predicts that the global pacemakers market will grow at a CAGR of 7.8% during the forecast period 20182024. The major drivers of the market are the growing aging population, increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, and good reimbursement facilities are few of the factors driving the pacemaker market growth. Increase in healthcare spending, use of electronic health records for monitoring outcomes of pacemakers, and increase in the number of outpatient procedures are providing an opportunity for the growth of the market. However, side effects of pacemakers, alternatives for pacemakers, lack of skilled healthcare professionals, and stringent regulatory approval process will hamper the growth of the market. Click Here to Get Sample Premium Report @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/9915 According to the pacemaker market analysis, in 2017, North America accounts for the largest share of the pacemaker market, followed by Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. More than 60% of the market is occupied by North America, with the US being the major contributor to the market growth. Competitive Analysis and Key Vendors New product development, geographical expansion, collaboration, mergers & acquisitions, and pricing strategies are vital for players in this space. For instance, in May 2018, MicroPort, a Chinese company acquired the cardiac rhythm management segment of the LivaNova company, which has made MicroPort a prominent player in the market. In January 2017, one of the major players in the market, St. Jude Medical was acquired by Abbott Laboratories for a total of $25 billion. This acquisition has strengthened the Abbotts position in the cardiovascular segment and increased its market share. The convenience of reimbursement for the pacemaker implantation treatment has lessened the monetary load on patients, thus prompting the procedure rate of such devices. For example, a single chamber pacemaker device costs nearly $10,000, and almost $7,500 is compensated under the US Medicare plan. Reimbursement settlement plans are available in most of the regions, particularly in developed nations such as the UK, the US, and Canada. You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/9915/Single Some of the Pacemaker Market key vendors are: Abbott Laboratories Boston Scientific Corporation Medtronic plc MicroPort Scientific Corporation Biotronik Inc. Other vendors in the global pacemakers market are Lepu Medical Technology Co. Ltd., Medico, S.p.A, Osypka Medical GmbH, Sree Pacetronix Ltd., and SORIN Group are the other predominate players in the pacemakers market. Pacemaker Market by product type Internal pacemakers External pacemakers The usage of internal pacemakers is extensive when compared to the external pacemakers, which makes it the largest segment in the global pacemaker market. Pacemaker Market by technology type Single-chambered Dual-chambered Biventricular pacemakers Cardiologists generally recommend the use of single chamber or dual chamber pacemakers bestowing to the medicinal requirement of the patient. Pacemaker Market by end-users Hospitals Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) Cardiac Clinics The hospitals dominated the market in 2017 due to the good reimbursement facilities and availability of skilled professionals and is expected to continue the same during the forecast period. Request For Report Discounts @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/9915 Benefits The report provides detailed information about the usage and adoption of pacemakers in various regions. With that, key stakeholders can find out the major trends, drivers, investments, and vertical players initiatives toward the product adoption in the upcoming years, along with the details of commercial products available in the market. Moreover, the report provides details about the major challenges that are going to have an impact on market growth. Additionally, the report gives complete details about the business opportunities to key stakeholders to expand their business and capture the revenue in the specific verticals. The report will help companies interested or established in this market to analyze the various aspects of this domain before investing or expanding their business in the pacemakers market. Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday hailed the Corona Warriors of the civil aviation sector saying that they have been diligently performing their duties despite great personal risks to ensure that we can continue to reach out to our people in their hour of need. Calling the civil aviation essential staff members relentless and undaunted, Puri informed that an Air India Flight AI1369 had urgently departed from Singapore with 500 BiPAPs, 250 oxygen concentrator, and other medical supplies for Mumbai, to tackle Indias upfront fight against the more transmissible COVID-19 variant surge, that sabotages health systems. Indias civil aviation minister also commended the repatriation efforts of the Air India crew, stating that in such dire times, the crew has been able to lift more than 80.2 lakh stranded citizens from other countries back to their homeland under Indias 'Vande Bharat Mission'. Relentless & Undaunted. Covid Warriors of civil aviation sector continue to lead Indias efforts against the pandemic. @airindiain Flight AI1369 has departed from Singapore with 500 BiPAPs, 250 oxygen concentrator & other medical supplies for Mumbai. @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/aziD6JWWN7 Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 25, 2021 Truly Commendable. Corona Warriors of civil aviation sector have been diligently performing their duties despite great personal risks to ensure that we can continue to reach out to our people in their hour of need. More than 80.2 lakh facilitated under VBM so far. #VandeBharat pic.twitter.com/gr6r2rRGX5 Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 25, 2021 'Strengthening efforts' against pandemic Indias private carriers are strengthening our efforts against the pandemic, Puri said, as he stressed that India is fighting novel coronavirus together with resilience. In positive news, Puri continued that the civil aircraft Spice Jet had airlifted 800 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong to India. He shared a photograph of SpiceXpresss B737 freighter aircraft which was at the time, lifting the consignment to fly it back to India. The aircraft was bound for Delhi via Kolkata and landed Sunday 7 pm. SpiceJet is firmly committed to the service of our fellow Indians in these most trying and difficult times, SpiceJets Chairman and Managing Director, Ajay Singh said. He added, in a Twitter post, We're working to bring more than 10,000 more oxygen concentrators from across the world in the next few weeks. Along with SpiceHealth, we have airlifted 800 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong for emergency use in India and we are looking at bringing more than 10,000 oxygen concentrators in the coming days from across the globe, said SpiceJets Chairman and Managing Director, Ajay Singh. Meanwhile, the civil aviations Airport Fire staff members were seen hard at work reducing the length of an oxygen tanker at the airport with equipment. Staff was seen cutting down rear mudguard attachment to fit the length of at least two empty oxygen tankers to be airlifted to Jamnagar, which would later be refilled with Oxygen supply to be transported to Madhya Pradesh to fight the oxygen crisis at COVID-19 dedicated healthcare facilities. harditthind Newbie Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Ludhiana Posts: 11 Thanked: 31 Times Used Skoda Superb L&K 2.0 TDI AT with 104,000 km on the odo? Plus I have never liked the idea of taking the massive hit in depreciation that a new car comes with. This ideology (for lack of a better word) has been reinforced by this forum. For the right price I always though the rewards should outweigh the risks. Few days ago, going through the local ads I happen came across a used Skoda Superb L&T 2.0 TDi AT, 2016, Diesel for sale. I like it enough that I went ahead and took a test ride. Things that I like about the car. 1. Single owner. (though its registered to a firm. more about that latter.) 2. Complete service record available. The car has always been serviced at the Skoda's dealership.). Though I haven't verified the records at the dealership yet I actually have never done that before, and I am not sure what the correct way is. Should I just show up at the dealership? Though the original owner has not issued with me going through the records. 3. Still under extended warranty. The standard warranty expires this month, however the owner did purchase Skoda's extended warranty (150k km/6yrs) at the time of purchase. 4. Open and upfront owner. He has shared a lot of details about the cars history itself, including details of a minor accident repair done to the front left bumper which includes the replacement of front left headlamp. 5. Major service hurdles including change of timing belt has been crossed. 6. Body is largely scratch free and without dents (Par one see pics below). 7. All original fitments and accessories are with the car. Spare tyre shows no/minimal use. Things I don't like or have concerns about. 1. High ODO. As it stands today after my test ride, it read 104k odd kms. Those are a lot of kms, for a 4 year old car. Having said that, my test ride was for a good 30 mins with a mix of city and highway driving. I don't feel any vibrations on the steering column, break/acc paddle or the gear column. I am really not sure how to 'read' the ODO reading. The car was reluctant to down shift between 3/4 at 40km/hr when one transitions between city to highway traffic. Other then that it responded well to accelerator inputs. 2. The left hand side steering wheel control is loose with a visible crack on the toggle wheel. (I dint notice this. The owner pointed it out to me mid way through the ride) Estimated repair bill 20k. Sorry about the pic quality. 3. Future cost of ownership. The car is intended for long distance/highway driving and will not see a lot of city use. And I intend to keep for 10 years if I can. Maybe a longterm Skoda owner can weigh in here on the costs involved. I would appreciate that. 4. RC in a firms name. This is not really a concern but more of a lack of knowledge/information. I am not sure about the paperwork involved with the change of owner in this particular case. Local RTO registered so that part is straight fwd. 5. Price? How do I arrive on a sensible residual value of this asset. I really am out of depth here. So there it is. My first serious dive into the world of second hand cars. Though my heart says yes my head is not so sure. What do you think? Is this worth the trouble or should I keep looking? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks. I have been looking for a replacement for my VW Vento Highline 2011 for a while, because she has started to look and feel her age now and has covered over 140k kms.Plus I have never liked the idea of taking the massive hit in depreciation that a new car comes with. This ideology (for lack of a better word) has been reinforced by this forum. For the right price I always though the rewards should outweigh the risks.Few days ago, going through the local ads I happen came across a used Skoda Superb L&T 2.0 TDi AT, 2016, Diesel for sale. I like it enough that I went ahead and took a test ride.Things that I like about the car.1. Single owner. (though its registered to a firm. more about that latter.)2. Complete service record available. The car has always been serviced at the Skoda's dealership.). Though I haven't verified the records at the dealership yetI actually have never done that before, and I am not sure what the correct way is. Should I just show up at the dealership? Though the original owner has not issued with me going through the records.3. Still under extended warranty. The standard warranty expires this month, however the owner did purchase Skoda's extended warranty (150k km/6yrs) at the time of purchase.4. Open and upfront owner. He has shared a lot of details about the cars history itself, including details of a minor accident repair done to the front left bumper which includes the replacement of front left headlamp.5. Major service hurdles including change of timing belt has been crossed.6. Body is largely scratch free and without dents (Par one see pics below).7. All original fitments and accessories are with the car. Spare tyre shows no/minimal use.Things I don't like or have concerns about.1. High ODO. As it stands today after my test ride, it read 104k odd kms. Those are a lot of kms, for a 4 year old car. Having said that, my test ride was for a good 30 mins with a mix of city and highway driving. I don't feel any vibrations on the steering column, break/acc paddle or the gear column. I am really not sure how to 'read' the ODO reading. The car was reluctant to down shift between 3/4 at 40km/hr when one transitions between city to highway traffic. Other then that it responded well to accelerator inputs.2. The left hand side steering wheel control is loose with a visible crack on the toggle wheel. (I dint notice this. The owner pointed it out to me mid way through the ride) Estimated repair bill 20k. Sorry about the pic quality.3. Future cost of ownership. The car is intended for long distance/highway driving and will not see a lot of city use. And I intend to keep for 10 years if I can. Maybe a longterm Skoda owner can weigh in here on the costs involved. I would appreciate that.4. RC in a firms name. This is not really a concern but more of a lack of knowledge/information. I am not sure about the paperwork involved with the change of owner in this particular case. Local RTO registered so that part is straight fwd.5. Price? How do I arrive on a sensible residual value of this asset. I really am out of depth here.So there it is. My first serious dive into the world of second hand cars. Though my heart says yes my head is not so sure. What do you think? Is this worth the trouble or should I keep looking?Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks. Only a few weeks after the countrys 3.6GHz spectrum auction finally took place, operator Telenor Bulgaria has announced that it has scheduled the commercial nationwide launch of its 5G service for 10 June. The plan is that by this summer the Telenor Bulgaria 5G network will cover all the major cities in Bulgaria. It will also be available in the countrys main seaside resorts, presumably in the hope that visitors from elsewhere in the country will be able to holiday there by that time. The company says it aims to continue to widen its coverage and add new locations. In fact, according to a statement quoted on the SeeNews website, Telenors goal is to become a market leader in terms of 5G coverage and network experience by the middle of 2022. The speed of this rollout is impressive considering that it was only in early April that, after an auction, the Bulgaria's Communication Regulation Commission (CRC) awarded 20-year 5G frequency licences with national coverage to the three main telecommunication companies operating in the country. As we reported at the time the 5G spectrum auction started and finished in a single day, raising some US$8.1 million for the state. It included seven rounds and saw all three operators Vivacom, A1 and and Telenor Bulgaria secure frequency spectrum in the 3.6GHz band. This followed a challenge by Vivacom to the regulators original plan to award 5G spectrum without an auction. The Man Who Sold His Skin, Africas 2021 Oscar contender on Sunday, lost out in the best international film race to Denmarks only entry Another Round. The riveting film, which was Tunisias first Oscar-nominated film, tells the story of a Syrian refugee who tattoos a European-Schengen visa across his back as a living work of art, enabling him to cross international borders. Comedy-drama Another Round, whose plot revolves around four friends who test alcohols ability to improve their lives, is the fourth Danish film to take home an Oscar. Other nominees in the best international film category this year were Hong Kongs Better Days, Romanias Collective, The Man Who Sold His Skin from Tunisia, and the Bosnian war drama Quo Vadis, Aida? Meanwhile, Hollywood legend, Anthony Hopkins had a shocking feat by winning best actor over Chadwick Boseman. The 83-year-old actor won the Oscar which critics had thought would be awarded Chadwick Boseman posthumously for his brilliant performance as a London patriarch struggling with dementia in the drama The Father. The feat makes him the oldest actor to ever win an Oscar. Hopkins last won an Oscar (best actor) in 1992 for his performance in The Silence of the Lambs. The late Boseman, according to AP, was expected to win the award, which, in a very rare move from the academy, was the last to be handed out this year instead of best picture. It was no doubt a night of history at the social distance oscar, as Chloe Zhao, who directed Nomadland, became the first woman of colour, the first Chinese woman, and the second woman ever to win an Oscar for directing. Nomadland, which is based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, explored the story of a woman in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. The film also won the best picture award. My Octopus Teacher, a story of a human-octopus friendship, however, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature category. The documentary premiered on Netflix on September 4, 2020, and immediately became a viral hit with the streaming platform tagging it a global success. See the full list of winners below Best actor in a leading role Anthony Hopkins, The Father winner Best actress in a leading role ADVERTISEMENT Frances McDormand, Nomadland winner Best picture Nomadland winner Best original song Fight For You, Judas and the Black Messiah winner Best original score Soul winner Best film editing Sound of Metal winner Best cinematography Mank winner Best production design Mank winner Best actress in a supporting role Youn Yuh-jung, Minari winner Best visual effects Tenet winner Best documentary My Octopus Teacher winner Best documentary short Colette winner Best animated feature film Soul winner Best animated short film If Anything Happens I Love You winner Best live-action short film Two Distant Strangers winner Best sound Sound of Metal winner Best director Chloe Zhao, Nomadland winner Best costume design Ma Raineys Black Bottom winner Best makeup and hairstyling Ma Raineys Black Bottom winner Best actor in a supporting role Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah winner Best international feature film Another Round winner Best adapted screenplay The Father winner Best original screenplay Promising Young Woman winner Hyderabad, April 26 : Asaduddin Owaisi led Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) on Monday launched a helpline to provide medicines and oxygen free of cost for Covid-19 affected undergoing treatment at home. The helpline has been set up by Majlis Charity Educational and Relief Trust in collaboration with Access Foundation. People can contact the helpline on 73066-00600 from 6 a.m. till midnight. A team of doctors will be present to guide patients and their attendants on treatment. The Hyderabad MP told said anybody in need of help relating to Covid-19 treatment can contact the helpline. The doctors will examine each case and will decide whether the patient needs medicine kit or oxygen. Owaisi said as per the advise of the doctors, the MIM volunteers including MLAs and corporators will deliver oxygen cylinders at the doorsteps of the patients. A total of 250 oxygen cylinders and medicine kits have been kept at the Covid War Room set up at a functional hall at Aghapura. Calling the helpline a small effort to help mitigate the suffering of people, the MIM chief said they would spend Rs 1.40 crore on this in the first phase. He said the money mobilized in the form of public donations by the MIM every year during Islamic month of Rabiul Awwal will be used for the helpline. "Every year we spend Rs 60-70 lakh to help poor students of government-run schools, especially Urdu medium schools and to give cash awards to meritorious students. Since, the funds are not being utilized due to closure of schools because of Covid, we are diverting them for Covid relief," he said. Owaisi said they purchased oxygen cylinders and medicines from these funds. The expenses for 24 call executives at the helpline will also be met from this money. The MP said the alumni of Deccan Medical College in North America will also become part of this effort. Deccan Alumni of North America (DANA) has come forward to help in the Covid relief by providing their services. They included experts who worked at Covid hospitals in North America. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) INDIANAPOLIS, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OneCause, a leader in event and online fundraising, was honored with the Pandemic Pivot of the Year Award for Small-Medium Businesses at the 22nd Annual TechPoint Mira Awards gala. The organization was also a finalist for Tech Product of the Year and Innovation of the Year. The Pandemic Pivot of the Year recognizes tech employers who responded to the health and economic crisis in remarkable ways to serve societal or customer needs, to seize opportunities created by market demand shifts, or simply to survive amidst difficult challenges. "2020 was a major turning point for OneCause and the nonprofit industry we serve," said Steve Johns, chief executive officer for OneCause. "We had to rapidly adapt and turn uncertainty into opportunity, not only for the future of our business, but to ensure the survival of nonprofits and their critical missions. We're so grateful for this recognition honoring the passion and dedication of everyone at OneCause." When the Pandemic hit at the peak of spring fundraising season, OneCause had to become "Virtual First" to deliver new technology, resources, and services to help nonprofits pivot to a radically changed philanthropic landscape. OneCause accelerated product innovation to launch the Virtual Event Center, creating a new multimedia giving experience to replace in-person fundraising galas and enable nonprofits to expand their reach beyond traditional geographic locations. In a year of disruption and digital transformation, OneCause helped their nonprofit customers capitalize on virtual fundraising, executing over 9,000 online fundraisers and raising more than half a billion dollars. "The innovations and advancements made are not short-term," added Johns. "As the lines between traditional and virtual fundraising continue to evolve, digital experiences will become a permanent part of the supporter experience beyond the pandemic. We have a new foundation to help nonprofits further expand their reach with hybrid and other online giving experiences." Judges noted, "OneCause has essentially created the gold standard model for the virtual and hybrid fundraising events industry, and they are expecting 2021 to be yet another record-breaking year for the company." The Mira Awards is Indiana's largest and longest running technology awards program, recognizing the "Best of Tech" in Indiana. This year, 16 award winners and honorees were chosen from a record-breaking 211 applications. Winners were selected by 52 independent, volunteer judges who evaluated applications and interviewed nominees. You can learn more about the Mira Awards and the full list of 2021 honorees on TechPoint Index. Additional Media: About TechPoint TechPoint is the nonprofit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana's technology companies and overall tech ecosystem. The team is focused on attracting talent, accelerating scale-up companies, activating the community and amplifying stories of success. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org . About OneCause OneCause creates user-friendly fundraising software that helps nonprofits engage donors, raise more money and save valuable time and resources. Our full suite of cloud-based fundraising solutions has powered 6,000 organizations, well over 20,000 fundraising events, and helped nonprofits raise more than $3 billion. OneCause has been recognized by Inc. Best in Business, is a TechPoint MIRA award winner for Mobile Technology Excellence & Innovation, and a Stevie Award winner for excellence and innovation in Customer Service. SOURCE OneCause Related Links https://www.onecause.com Woman Arrested after Metropolis Disturbance By West Kentucky Star Staff METROPOLIS - A Golconda woman was arrested Friday after a disturbance at a Metropolis business.The Metropolis Police Department said officers responded to call from a business owner on Coburn Drive.Police said 33-year-old Rebecca Mae Crenshaw-Williams was apparently seeing things that were not happening, and she was screaming and swearing at the business owner and customers. Officers learned she had been taken to Massac Memorial Hospital for treatment a few days earlier.Crenshaw-Williams was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and lodged in the Massac County Detention Center. We've heard the announcement by the Tourism Ministry that cultural workers are to get priority access to vaccines and travel exemptions. Texas lawmakers have vowed to 'change the culture' of the state Capitol after allegations that a lobbyist from major firm HillCo Partners drugged a legislative aide. Republican Dade Phelan, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, said in a rare speech from the floor of the chamber that the allegations surround a meeting that took place outside the Capitol 'in recent weeks' and that the staffer who made the allegations had reported the incident to law enforcement. 'I am disgusted this sort of predatory behavior is still taking place in and around our Capitol,' Phelan said. He told the 149 other House members that they all must work toward 'changing the culture of this building'. Republican Dade Phelan, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, said the allegations surround a meeting that took place outside the Capitol 'in recent weeks' and that the staffer who made the allegations had reported the incident to law enforcement It was the first time lawmakers were back at the Capitol since the allegations were first published over the weekend by the Austin American-Statesman. The Texas Department of Public Safety is now investigating, agency spokesman Travis Considine said, but he would not say when and where the incident occurred. One of Texas' most influential lobbying firms, HilllCo Partners, announced it had hired outside counsel and a former law enforcement official to conduct an internal investigation. Bill Miller, one of the founders of HillCo, said Monday the firm took those steps after 'we got a tip that we had a person of interest in our firm'. He said the firm had not been contacted by law enforcement. 'The reported incident is abhorrent and, once investigated and found to be accurate, should be dealt with in the strongest legal manner possible,' HillCo said in a statement. Phelan told the 149 other House members that they all must work toward 'changing the culture of this building'. Pictured is the Texas State Capitol in Austin Several took to Twitter to call on leaders to 'change the culture' Sen Jose Menendez sent a letter to Gov Greg Abbott, Lt Gov Dan Patrick and Phelan, requesting that the leaders take action against such 'predatory behavior' The report quickly put a new focus on the treatment of women and staffers at the Texas Capitol, where three years ago lawmakers revised sexual harassment polices in both the House and Senate as the #MeToo movement spread to statehouses around the country. On Monday, Phelan called for changing the required in-person sexual harassment prevention training for House members and staff, which he said would be more effective than the virtual training currently offered. State Rep Shelby Slawson, a Republican, was among a handful of lawmakers who said they would close their offices to lobbyists while the investigation was underway. 'Abhorrent. No excuses. Press ALL the charges,' Slawson tweeted. Slawson also said released a statement, saying: 'We dont need to know who she is for her to know who we are, standing with her.' She then invited other members to stand in solidarity by wearing pink on Tuesday. State Rep Dustin Burrows, a Lubbuck Republican who chairs the House Calendars Committee, tweeted: 'While the investigation is pending, the accused lobbyist(s) and their firm(s) are banned from my office; and, if true, will be permanently banned.' Sen Jose Menendez sent a letter to Gov Greg Abbott, Lt Gov Dan Patrick and Phelan, requesting that the leaders take action against such 'predatory behavior'. Menendez wrote: 'This weekend, the public was informed of the Texas Department of Public Safety invesigating the allegation from a female Capitol staffer that a lobbyist used a date-rape drug on her. 'Unfortunately, occurrences of sexual harassment are prevalent in the Texas Capitol and those in the building have little authority to offer protections. We cannot continue to allow this predatory behavior. I am writing to request the establishing and enforcement of regular training on sexual harassment, assault and predatory behavior for those who work in and around the Texas Capitol, including registered lobbyists. 'Moreover, I am requesting the Capitol establish a hotline where victims can report this type of predatory behavior anonymously. He continued: 'To combat this type of predatory conduct, it will take more than training, it takes action. 'We have a culture that offers little support for victims and many fear of speaking out, believing it would lead to retaliation or the ending of their career by the perpetrator.' No charges have been filed, and no arrests have been made. Rumours have emerged that wildly popular Bravo series Below Deck will begin filming in Australia at the end of this month. TV Tonight reports that several episodes of the show will be set in The Whitsundays, a cluster of islands which are located between the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef. The show has previously filmed in Greece, Thailand, Tahiti, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Below Deck Down Under! Rumours have emerged that wildly popular Bravo series Below Deck will begin filming in Australia at the end of this month Below Deck is an American reality television series on Bravo that debuted on July 1, 2013. The eighth season of Below Deck featured three Australian cast members. Francesca Rubi replaced longtime Chief Stewardess Kate Chastain, while Izzy Wouters joined as the boat's new deckhand and Ashling Lorger came on board as a stewardess. In March 2019, Bravo announced a new spin-off, Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Below Deck Sailing Yacht is currently streaming on Hayu and airing on Foxtel in Australia Cruising through: The show has previously filmed in Greece, Thailand, Tahiti, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Pictured are current cast members of Below Deck Sailing Yacht Dani Soares, Daisy Kelliher and Alli Dore, pictured left to right Meanwhile, former Below Deck Mediterranean star Hannah Ferrier, who lives in Sydney, is still feuding with her old boss and co-star Captain Sandy Yawn, one year after leaving the show. The 34-year-old recently slammed Sandy on social media after the super yacht captain criticised her in a recent interview. The pair famously fell out during the last season of Below Deck Mediterranean when Sandy fired Hannah for bringing undeclared prescription drugs on board during a charter. Drama: Meanwhile, former Below Deck Mediterranean star Hannah Ferrier, who lives in Sydney, is still feuding with her old boss and co-star Captain Sandy Yawn, one year after leaving the show In a recent interview, Sandy boasted about sacking Hannah before taking a jab at the stewardess. 'There is no competition with Hannah. I'm a captain and she waits tables,' she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. 'Theres no equal there professionally. I think thats the part that I think really disturbs her, is her ego,' Sandy continued. Firing back: The 34-year-old slammed Sandy on social media on Wednesday after the super yacht captain criticised her in a recent interview 'Its sad. I feel for her, this girls still hanging onto that sh*t I havent thought about until you asked me about it,' she continued. Sandy also said that Hannah was only on Below Deck 'for the camera' and that she 'didn't trust her'. She wasn't finished there, with the captain also claiming that the professional manner in which she'd fired Hannah on the show had inspired managers in the yachting industry. 'Imagine being a captain and then insulting and bringing down half of the yachting community (mostly the woman) while continuing to pretend you empower woman,' Hannah tweeted 'I met with a manager, a fleet manager that manages crew. And he said he wants to take the clip of the video, how I explained it, and show every captain on yachts that have to deal with crew,' she bragged. Hannah hit back on Twitter, writing: 'Imagine being a captain and then insulting and bringing down half of the yachting community (mostly the woman) while continuing to pretend you empower woman. 'At least she FINALLY vocalised how she feels about people who work on the interior...' she added. The mother-of-one also re-posted an Instagram post from fan account Blocked_By_Jax that said: 'Captain Sandy can f**k off' Feud: The pair famously fell out during the last season of Below Deck Mediterranean when Sandy fired Hannah for bringing undeclared prescription drugs on board during a charter The mother-of-one also re-posted an Instagram post from fan account Blocked_By_Jax that said: 'Captain Sandy can f**k off. 'Hasn't thought of Hannah at all but is making a training video about her. I cannot stand this woman.' Since leaving Below Deck Mediterranean last year after five seasons, Hannah has settled down in Sydney and had her first child with fiance Josh Roberts. [April 26, 2021] Juniper Research: eCommerce Losses to Online Payment Fraud to Exceed $20 Billion Annually in 2021 A new study from Juniper Research has found that the value of losses due to eCommerce fraud will rise this year, from $17.5 billion in 2020 to over $20 billion by 2021; a growth of 18% over a single year. The research found that fraudsters have targeted consumers as they have increased their eCommerce use; exposing insecure fraud mitigation processes from merchants who are unfamiliar and unprepared for the continuing fraud challenges in this market. The research identified that merchants need to do more to implement fraud prevention strategies across all of their eCommerce channels, or they will continue to experience large losses. The use of AI will enable behavioural biometrics in this area, which will increase security across all potential fraud channels. For more insights, download the free whitepaper: Fighting Online Payment Fraud in 2021 Increased Security Must Not Involve Increased Friction The new research, Online Payment Fraud: Emerging Threats, Segment Analysis & Market Forecasts 2021-2025, found that while merchants will be keen to reduce fraud rates from their current levels, they will be hesitant to introduce extra friction into the checkout process. The report identified that clear messaging around security checks and automated behavioural analytics leveraging AI are key capabilities in preserving the user experience. Research co-author Susan Morrow explains: "While the need for security is greater than ever, the competitive eCommerce environment means merchants will need to ensure that extra security checks are justified to the user, or they risk higher cart abandonment rates." China Will Be the Single Largest eCommerce Fraud Market The research also found that China will be the largest single eCommerce fraud market in the world; accounting for over 40% of eCommerce fraud losses globally in 2025, at over $12 billion. The research identified a massive eCommerce market and a relative lack of fraud detection and prevention platform deployment as the key drivers behind this. The research recommends that merchants operating in China should invest in fraud detection and prevention now, or they will increasingly face damage to their already slim operating margins. Whitepaper Download: https://www.juniperresearch.com/whitepapers/fighting-online-payment-fraud-in-2021 Online Payment Fraud market research: https://www.juniperresearch.com/researchstore/fintech-payments/online-payment-fraud-research-report Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector; providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210425005002/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Hundreds of military personnel in uniform secured key positions in northern Mogadishu as they exchanged fire with the opposition leaders, many of whom were aggravated about President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohameds extended stay in power in Somalias capital on Sunday. No casualties were reported. Sundays incident further destabilised the law and order in the country located on the Horn of Africa, as election feuds spiralled into violence and shots of live bullets were fired. According to the local African press, Somalias elections meant for early February had been stalled due to the diplomatic conflict between the federal government, the states of Puntland and Jubbaland and the opposition parties. Amid growing criticism of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajos extension of the mandate for two years after a bill was approved by the lower house of parliament, Senate leaders and critics engaged in a standoff, with Farmaajos party roping in the government loyal armed forces that arrived directly from their military bases. Supporters of former presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed looking to topple Farmaajos administration demanded to wait until the election delay or the Somalian Presidents resignation. Ive warned and am now repeating how dangerous it is to politicize security. (Mohamed) will shoulder the responsibility of whatever happens as a result of this, former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tweeted. We cannot accept another Siad Barre, one of the mutinous soldiers similarly said, referring to an autocrat who was toppled in 1991. [Demonstrators from Somali anti-government opposition groups burn photographs of the president. Credit: AP] Tonights unacceptable violence is instigated and led by forces that want to send Somalia back to its dark past, Somalias federal government said in a statement. Militia and foreign interference have combined to frighten the Somali people into submission. 'Dangerous' to politicize security Somalia's homeland security minister, Hassan Hundubey Jimale, took to his official Twitter handle to express condolence with lives lost. Although he did not give out any details of exactly how many were wounded or killed in the attack. He lambasted some people who are not interested in the security of their people. Mohamud in a tweet alleged that forces loyal to the president had attacked his house, adding that I've warned and am now repeating how dangerous it is to politicize security. (Mohamed) will shoulder the responsibility of whatever happens as a result of this. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators meanwhile took to streets chanting: We dont want dictatorship! The even set photos of current President ablaze. In light of the Central government decision to allow vaccination of everyone above 18 years of age, at least 16 states have decided to inoculate the maximum number of people against the disease their population against COVID-19 free of cost. COVID-19 has killed 1,89,544 and infected more than 16 million in India so far. India's biggest COVID vaccine maker Serum Institute of India announced a price of 400 per dose for its 'Covishield' vaccine for state governments and 600 per dose for private hospitals. TOI Here are the states which have made the vaccine doses free of cost: 1. Madhya Pradesh The Madhya Pradesh government announced that all people above the age of 18 years will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine free of cost. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "A detailed guidelines of the Government of India will be issued later, but the people above the age of 18 will be vaccinated for free in Madhya Pradesh." 2. Jammu and Kashmir The Jammu and Kashmir government announced free vaccine for people above the age of 18. "It has been decided that Covid-19 vaccination for people in the age group of 18 to 45 years will be free of cost in the Union Territory, and the cost of the vaccine will be borne by the government of Jammu and Kashmir,' a statement from the office of Jammu and Kashmirs Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha read. 3. Himachal Pradesh The Himachal Pradesh government also announced that the state will provide the Covid-19 vaccine free of cost to people between the ages of 18 and 44 years from May 1. 4. Goa Goa will vaccinate adults between the ages of 18 to 45 against COVID-19 free of cost, it announced on Thursday. "I am pleased to convey Government approval to provide Covid-19 vaccine doses to all population in the age group 18-45 through the state government free of cost," Gaunekar said in the letter. 5. Kerala Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government will provide the vaccine against Covid-19 free of cost for everyone in the state. 6. Chhattisgarh The Chhattisgarh government announced this week that free Covid-19 vaccine will be provided for all above the age of 18 in the state. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the state government will pay for the vaccination of people over 18 years of age. An official statement read, 'We will take all possible steps to protect the lives of our citizens.' 7. Bihar The Bihar government will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to everyone above the age of 18, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Wednesday. "The Bihar government will provide Covid-19 vaccine free of cost to all above 18 years of age in the state," Kumar tweeted. 8. Jharkhand The state government of Jharkhand will provide free vaccination to all above 18 years, Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced. "In Jharkhand, the corona vaccine will be provided free of cost to people above the age of 18 by the state government," Soren said in a tweet on Thursday night. 9. Uttar Pradesh BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh on Tuesday announced that Uttar Pradesh will vaccinate the population above 18 years free of cost. 10. Assam The Assam government will also provide free COVID-19 vaccine to its people above the age of 18. 11. Sikkim Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Wednesday announced that the state government will provide free Covid-19 vaccine to all citizens between 18 to 45 years. He said that the state government will bear the cost of the vaccine if the centre refuses to do so. 12. West Bengal West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced free vaccination for those who are above 18 in her state. 13. Tamil Nadu The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday said it will provide free Covid-19 vaccination for all when the next phase of inoculation drive covering all above 18 years would start. 14. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Alla Krishna Srinivas announced that the government has decided to provide the Covid-19 vaccine free of cost to all above the age of 18 years. 15. Telangana The Telangana government will give the Covid-19 vaccine free of cost to the entire population in the state irrespective of their age, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced on Saturday. 16. Haryana Everyone above 18 years of age will be vaccinated free of cost at government hospitals in Haryana, said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday. Pennsylvanias positive test rate for COVID-19 has dropped for the first time in six weeks, Gov. Tom Wolfs office said Monday. The positive test rate for COVID-19 dropped to 8.6%, a decrease from 9.6% percent the previous week. The rate had been on the rise since late March, although it remained well below the peak of 16% in December. This week we saw a decrease in reported cases and a lower statewide percent positivity which is encouraging news, Wolf said in a statement. We need all Pennsylvanians to stay the course. We need to get vaccinated, continue washing hands, wearing a mask and social distancing. There is substantial spread of the coronavirus across most of the commonwealth, but there was a slight drop in the number of counties with high transmission, Wolfs office said. Across Pennsylvania, 53 of the states 67 counties are showing substantial transmission of the coronavirus, according to the Wolf administration. Thats a drop of two counties from the previous week, but it is also the first time in six weeks there are fewer counties with substantial spread of the coronavirus. There are fewer people being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Statewide, 2,495 people are hospitalized due to the coronavirus, compared to about 2,800 a week ago. A closer look The Wolf administration uses three categories to gauge the transmission of COVID-19: low, moderate and substantial. Each week, the Wolf administration offers a report on the number of counties with substantial spread of COVID-19. Only three counties in Pennsylvania have low transmission, while 11 others are seeing moderate spread, according to Wolfs office. The counties in the Harrisburg region are all seeing substantial spread, along with the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas. Heres the full breakdown of COVID-19 transmission levels in each county. Low: Cameron, Forest and Fulton Moderate: Crawford, Elk, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Snyder, Tioga, Venango, Warren and Washington Substantial: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York Vaccine rollout More than 3.2 million Pennsylvania residents are now fully vaccinated, while more than 1.9 million have received the first dose of a two-shot vaccine. Pennsylvania ranks 10th in the nation in first doses, according to The New York Times daily vaccine tracker. The state data doesnt include the city of Philadelphia, which is handling its own vaccine rollout. In Philadelphia, more than 470,000 people are fully vaccinated while more than 716,000 have received at least one dose, according to the citys health department. State officials are increasing vaccine outreach efforts to underserved populations. The Latino Connection COVID-19 mobile vaccine unit stopped at Hadee Mosque in Harrisburg to provide shots Monday. The mobile clinic also visited Reading last week. State officials say they are also expanding efforts to get vaccines to those who cant easily leave their homes due to their age or a disability. At a news conference in Reading Monday, Wolf noted the vaccine supply is now catching up to the demand. State officials are increasingly concerned about persuading those who are refusing or reluctant to get the vaccines. After weeks of widespread reports of angry people struggling to get vaccinated, providers now say they have plenty of appointments. Were starting to see some vacancies and open appointments, Wolf said. More than 1.1 million coronavirus cases have been identified in Pennsylvania since the emergence of the pandemic and nearly 26,000 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the state health department. Most of those who are infected suffer relatively mild symptoms and many dont even get sick, health officials say. But doctors say COVID-19 poses potentially serious risks to everyone, particularly for seniors and those with certain medical conditions. More from PennLive COVID-19 hitting younger people harder; Pa. experts say vaccination offers the way out UPMC to host COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Steelton NORTH CHARLESTON After the city halted pay raises last year because of the pandemic's impact on the economy and budget, North Charleston hopes to resume salary increases this summer. The city's proposed $124 million budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year includes 3 percent salary increases for all full-time and part-time city employees. North Charleston has over 1,100 full-time and part-time workers. "I do think we need to let our employees really know how much we appreciate them," Mayor Keith Summey said. North Charleston reopened City Hall and resumed normal city operations in May, two months after the city declared a state of emergency amid the pandemic. Since that time, some city staff members have been exposed to the virus. Some of those still worked remotely, Summey said. The mayor said he is proud of the loyalty that has been demonstrated by employees. "I think morale has been, overwhelmingly, pretty darn good," Summey said. "I think it's because they know that they have been appreciated for what they've done." The proposal for pay raises came on April 16 as City Council's Finance Committee unanimously approved the proposed budget. The budget will go before City Council in May for final approval. If adopted, the pay increases would take effect July 1. The new $124 million budget is a roughly 3 percent increase almost $3.6 million from the city's current $120 million budget. Councilman Kenny Skipper, who pointed out that the $1.7 million in pay increases accounts for 47 percent of total increases in the new budget, said the city should wait to implement pay raises in January, when the city's salary increases usually take effect. That way, North Charleston could decide to give raises when the city knows it has the money to do so, Skipper said. Summey said he doesn't anticipate a budget shortfall. "I don't foresee that coming up," he said. There are other changes to the budget. The city expects an uptick of $1.5 million in property tax revenue as land values have continued to rise. In an effort to adjust expenditures, North Charleston will continue freezing about 85 vacant positions for the upcoming fiscal year in an effort to save over $5 million in the overall budget. Since June, the city has frozen and laid off 70 permanent positions. North Charleston has also laid off over 120 part-time employees. Some of those positions returned as city programs reopened. North Charleston has been closely monitoring its financials throughout the pandemic. The city currently has a $120 million budget that had to be adjusted a few times since the last year. The city initially adopted a $127 million budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year. As the coronavirus continued to impact the economy throughout the summer, North Charleston reduced its budget by $11 million to $116 million. The city's finances have begun to rebound, and North Charleston expects to end the fiscal year, which concludes in June, in the $120 million range. This is a stronger financial position than the city initially had anticipated. The United States will begin its final troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by May 1 and complete it by September 11 of this year, announced President Joe Biden in a White House address. Nearly 20 years ago, U.S. forces went to Afghanistan to root out al-Qaida and to prevent future terrorist attacks from originating in Afghanistan. Our objective was clear. The cause was just, said President Biden. But now, Its time for American troops to come home. Over the years the terrorist threat has changed and so must the U.S. response, said President Biden: The threat has become more dispersed, metastasizing around the globe: al-Shabaab in Somalia; al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula; al-Nusra in Syria; ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia." Thats why the U.S. is adapting its counterterrorism strategy explained President Biden: Well reorganize our counterterrorism capabilities and the substantial assets in the region to prevent reemergence of terrorists. Well hold the Taliban accountable for its commitment not to allow any terrorists to threaten the United States or its allies from Afghan soil. The Afghan government has made that commitment to us as well. And well focus our full attention on the threat we face today. President Biden expressed his respect and support for the valor, courage, and integrity of the women and men of the United States Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan. He also acknowledged the contributions and sacrifices of U.S. allies and partners who have stood beside us shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. While the U.S. will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily, the President made clear that assistance would continue: Well continue to support the government of Afghanistan. We will keep providing assistance to the Afghan National Defenses and Security Forces. And the United States is asking other countries in the region to help support Afghanistan, including Pakistan, Russia, China, India, and Turkey, which all have a significant stake in the stable future for Afghanistan, President Biden said. War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multi-generational undertaking, said President Biden. We were attacked. We went to war with clear goals. We achieved those objectives. Bin Laden is dead, and al Qaeda is degraded in Afghanistan. The relevance of the Oscars is increasingly questionable in a year where major cinematic releases have been minimal but dont tell Netflix. The streaming service had its best night ever at the Academy Awards, taking seven Oscars out of 31 nominations, including two wins for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and two for Mank. Best Picture, however, went to Disneys Nomadland. It didnt entirely go in Netflix's favor, though, despite the company giving a lot of effort (and money) to fielding its shows and movies at the biggest awards in recent years. It expected to win the Best Actor Oscar for the late Chadwick Boseman's performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, but the surprise winner was Anthony Hopkins in Sonys The Father. Next years Oscars, with a return (to some degree) to theaters, could still be more of the same. Netflix wont want to give up the success it found this year. Mat Smith The LVCC project is designed to solve a very specific problem. Getty The Boring Companys new project in Las Vegas was divisive pretty much from the outset. Digging mile-long tunnels for cars to shuttle people back and forth seemed like an expensive, wasteful project when there are so many simpler options. But just because it looks silly, doesnt mean it is. Senior Editor Daniel Cooper explains. Continue reading. The clock version is available for $40 in this limited-time sale. Engadget Amazon is running a sale that drops the price of the fourth-generation Echo Dot smart speaker to $30 (down from $50) for the basic model and $40 (down from $60) for its clock-equipped upgrade. This is very nearly a record low price for both and makes them easy picks if you want an entry-level smart speaker. Continue reading. Crew-2 is also the first SpaceX mission with people from three agencies. NASA SpaceX's Crew Dragon successfully docked with the International Space Station early Saturday morning, making it the firm's first reused crew capsule to reach the orbiting platform and the first crewed mission with a reused Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX already has crewed ISS missions lined up through 2023, including an all-private flight (AX-1) currently scheduled for January 2022. With cheaper launch costs, thanks to the reusable parts, the Crew-2 docking is a big step toward more frequent private spaceflights. Continue reading. It's just a test for now. Engadget An experimental Google Assistant feature codenamed Guacamole will give you the power to issue voice commands without having to preface it with "Hey, Google." That is if the tech giant decides to release it. According to 9to5Google, only employees testing the feature should have access to it at the moment, and even the FAQ linked in the option leads to an internal page. Tapping Guacamole in Settings will lead you to a Voice Shortcuts page, which says if you switch it on, you'll be able to "skip saying 'Hey, Google' for help with quick task." For now, however, you can't toggle it on, even if you see the feature on your device. Continue reading. But wait, theres more... Report: Russia 'likely' kept access to US networks after SolarWinds hack NASA's Mars helicopter travels farther and faster on its third flight Elon Musk will host 'Saturday Night Live' on May 8th California plans to end oil extraction by 2045 How to clean and organize your Mac Dane Swan was left red-faced on Monday morning after he failed to show up for his KIIS FM Melbourne breakfast radio show due to a painful Anzac Day hangover. The retired AFL star, 36, was meant to arrive at the radio studio at 8.30am, but when he didn't turn up his co-hosts Jason Hawkins and Polly 'PJ' Harding duo decided to call him up on air. When questioned upon his whereabouts, Dane admitted he 'got carried away' drinking at The Albion Hotel - a pub he owns - after watching Collingwood and Essendon play their traditional Anzac Day match at the MCG. 'I'm hanging on by a thread': Retured AFL star Dane Swan, 36, (pictured) was left red-faced on Monday morning after he failed to show up for work due to a painful Anzac Day hangover '[Albion is] a big trap for me. I can't just go there for one [drink], which [my partner] Taylor keeps telling me and once again she's been proven right.' 'I'm hanging on by a thread. It wasn't long before this phone call to be honest [that I woke up). I set my alarm for PM instead of AM.' Dane admitted he'd spent the night sleeping in his spare bedroom overnight. No-show: Dane star was meant to arrive at KIIS FM's Melbourne studios at 8.30am, but when he didn't arrive, his co-hosts Jason Hawkins and Polly 'PJ' Harding duo decided to call him up on-air 'I can't just go there for one': When questioned upon his whereabouts, Dane admitted he 'got carried away' drinking at The Albion Hotel - a pub he owns - after watching Collingwood and Essendon play their traditional Anzac Day match at the MCG '[Taylor is] going to be pumped. [I'm] looking forward to going in the main room,' he joked. 'Obviously it's an incredible day, I got a bit carried away,' he added. Dane has plenty to celebrate these days, having welcomed his first child with partner Taylor, a boy named Tate, in February. Baby joy! Dane has plenty to celebrate these days, having welcomed the arrival of his first child with partner Taylor (right) in February He announced the happy news during an interview with the Jase & PJ breakfast show, saying: 'We had [the baby] on Saturday. He's good. Mum and baby are healthy, happy and a little tired.' Dane went on to say that Taylor 'has also been amazing so far, which has been great'. 'She was only in labour for 90 minutes. Her midwife and the gynecologist didn't even make it. She did it all natural without any drugs. She was pretty incredible.' Confirmation: He announced the happy news during an interview with the Jase & PJ breakfast show, saying: 'We had [the baby] on Saturday. He's good. Mum and baby are healthy, happy and a little tired'. Pictured: Taylor holding newborn Tate Dane also described the experience as 'surreal', and revealed the couple hadn't yet decided on a name for their newborn son. 'It's crazy to stare at him in his little bed and to think we made him and he is ours. It's wild and I'm not sure it has sunk in yet,' he said. Dane and Taylor have been dating since 2010. Six piston cores and totally 42 pore-water samples were collected in the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea at water depths ranging from 22 to 68 m. In the active zones of methane release, concentrations of vanadium, thorium, phosphorus, aluminum are increased, while concentrations of cobalt, iron, manganese, uranium, molybdenum, copper are generally low. The behavior of these elements is determined by biogeochemical processes occurring in the pore-waters at the methane seeps sites (sulfate reduction, anaerobic oxidation of methane, secondary precipitation of carbonates and sulfides). These processes affect the geochemical environment and, consequently, the species of these elements within the pore-waters and the processes of their redistribution in the corresponding waterrock system. Credit: Water (2021). DOI: 10.3390/w13040397 Young scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University as a part of the team of Arctic researchers have studied pore waters in three areas of methane release on the surface. They first managed to define in details the composition of pore waters in the cold methane seeps of the Eastern Arctic seas. The research findings are published in the Water academic journal. The research was based on the samples obtained during the Arctic expedition aboard the research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in 2019. The scientists and students from 12 scientific institutions, including Tomsk Polytechnic University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and others took part in the expedition arranged by the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences jointly with the Ilichev Pacific Oceanological Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The TPU researchers completed a number of research tasks, including the study of conditions of sediments and pore waters. The pore waters are noteworthy due to their reflection of the composition of seawater and the composition of sediments. Researching the samples of pore waters from the point of view of geochemical, biochemical and hydrochemical data, it is possible to reconstruct processes occurring in the waters and sediments, as well as to forecast the development of the situation. "During the expedition, we focused on the methane yield areas and the changes of hydrochemical properties in these areas. In total, there were six test cores and 42 samples of pore waters collected at depths of 22 to 68 m. The main focus was on the methane yield areas on the surface. Thuswise, three areas with their features were studied: the Lena River Delta, the continental margin of the Laptev Sea and the central part of the East Siberian Sea. In fact, we compared three cold methane seeps together. Moreover, the samples were collected in the sampling points in the immediate vicinity of methane release on the surface," Yulia Moiseeva, research fellow of the TPU Division for Geology, one of the authors of the article, says. To collect the samples, the scientists used special filters and vacuum test tubes to exclude oxygen and obtain valid results. A part of the analysis was conducted aboard. For instance, rapidly changing indicators, i.e. biogenous elements such as nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, ammonia and total alkalinity were researched. A more detailed study of the samples was continued in the TPU laboratories. "Having come back from the expedition, we studied the macro- and microcomponent composition of pore waters that was conducted in the accredited TPU Research Laboratory for Hydrogeochemistry using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The data on 66 elements for every sample were obtained, it allowed us to define geochemical indicators of the presence of cold methane seep: in this context, what elements can be in higher or lower concentrations in comparison with background concentrations," says Darya Purgina, research fellow of the TPU Division for Geology. The scientists managed to define the regional features of the Eastern Arctic seas, including the features of the methane yield areas. For instance, the stations located in the East Siberian Sea are characterized by the high concentration of Mn, Al, Si, P, Fe, Cu, Ba in comparison with the stations in the Laptev Sea, where there was the high concentration of Li, B, V, Br, U and the low concentration of I, Mn. In general, the concentration of V, Th, P, Al is increased in the methane yield areas, while the concentration of Co, Fe, Mn, U, Mo, Cu is decreased. "Thus, we first defined a number of elements that can be used as indicators of methane yield. The research is still ongoing to confirm the results. The extended data have already been obtained on the results of the 2020 Arctic expedition. The materials are currently being processed, however, it is already possible to say that the part of the new data confirms the previously obtained results. Furthermore, the extended data will allow reconstructing processes more detailed, which occur in the methane yield areas. The uniqueness of the obtained data lies in the application of modern sampling methods, which allow minimizing failures, as well as obtaining a wide array of elements with high accuracy. The pore waters in the methane yield areas of the Eastern Arctic have not been studied so detailed and comprehensive yet," the scientists sum up. Explore further Testing waters of East Siberian Arctic Ocean suggests origin of elevated methane is reservoir located in Laptev Sea More information: Natalia Guseva et al. The Impact of Methane Seepage on the Pore-Water Geochemistry across the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, Water (2021). Natalia Guseva et al. The Impact of Methane Seepage on the Pore-Water Geochemistry across the East Siberian Arctic Shelf,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/w13040397 From left, NASA's Shannon Walker, Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins, and Japan's Soichi Noguchi hold a news conference aboard the International Space Station on Monday, April 26, 2021. They are winding up a six-month mission, after their replacements arrived Saturday on their own SpaceX capsule. (NASA via AP) The astronauts flying SpaceX back to Earth this weekend urged boaters to stay safe by staying away from their capsule's splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA and SpaceX are promising more Coast Guard patrols and fewer pleasure boaters for Saturday morning's planned splashdown off the Florida coastthe company's second return of a crew. The trip home for the four astronauts was delayed from Wednesday because of high winds forecast for the area. Last August, pleasure boaters swarmed the Dragon capsule carrying two astronauts. NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins said everyone is putting "a lot of emphasis" on keeping the area clear this time. "I don't think any of us are too worried in terms of landing on a boat," he said during a news conference Monday from the International Space Station. Leaking fuel from the capsule's thrusters could endanger people outside the capsule. A crowd could also hamper SpaceX's recovery effort. Hopkins is winding up a six-month mission, along with U.S. crewmates Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japan's Soichi Noguchi. Their replacements arrived Saturday on their own SpaceX capsule. When Hopkins and his crew launched last November, they hoped to return to a world where COVID-19 held less of a grip than it does. They will go into semi-quarantine for a while, Walker said, to give their space-weakened immune systems time to bounce back. In this Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020 file photo provided by NASA, support teams and curious recreational boaters arrive near the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Fla. For the Wednesday, April 28, 2021 planned splashdown, NASA and SpaceX are promising more Coast Guard patrols and fewer pleasure boaters off the Florida panhandle coast for the company's second return of a crew. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP, File) They'll roll up their sleeves for their first vaccine shot seven to 10 days after splashdown. "We definitely have enjoyed not wearing masks up here," Walker said. "And having to go back and wear maskswell, it's what we will do because that is the right thing to do." Explore further Old SpaceX capsule delivers new crew to space station 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. YEREVAN, 26 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 26 April, USD exchange rate down by 1.43 drams to 520.46 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.36 drams to 629.60 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 6.95 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.06 drams to 724.38 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 181.76 drams to 29815.17 drams. Silver price down by 4.14 drams to 437.15 drams. Platinum price up by 446.18 drams to 20816.07 drams. A New York City corrections captain is set to be charged after an inmate killed himself in his prison cell, according to reports. Ryan Wilson, 29, died on November 22 last year at Manhattan Detention Complex, which is known as The Tombs. Officers were accused of waiting 15 minutes to call for help despite seeing his body hanging from a noose. Now Capt. Rebecca Hillman faces unspecified charges over his death, The New York Daily News reports. She had already been suspended along with Correction officer Oscar Rojo. DailyMail.com has contacted the Department of Correction for comment. Ryan Wilson, 29, seen here with his sister Elayna Manson, died on November 22 last year at Manhattan Detention Complex, which is known as The Tombs. Officers were accused of waiting 15 minutes to call for help despite seeing his body hanging from a noose A New York City corrections captain is set to be charged after an inmate killed himself in his prison cell. Ryan Wilson, 29, died on November 22 last year at Manhattan Detention Complex, which is known as The Tombs (stock image) Wilson's sister Elayna Manson said: 'He should've been under watch. 'The extra care my brother needed because of his mental illness, he didn't get that. That wasn't provided for him at all . . . It's frustrating, it's hurtful. They should lose their jobs.' Wilson, who had bipolar disorder, had been arrested on robbery charges on October 27. In November a Manhattan District Attorney's Office spokesperson said a $1 parole hold on an open misdemeanor case was 'the only thing' keeping him locked up. They said he had otherwise been approved for release. Correction Officer Oscar Rojo, pictured, was suspended after the death of Ryan Wilson along with now-Capt. Rebecca Hillman. Hillman faces unspecified charges over his death, The New York Daily News reports. Following Rojo's suspension a GoFundMe was set up to fundraise for him. It read: 'This fundraiser is for our brother Officer Rojo who is currently suspended for unfortunate circumstances! He is a standup officer who always does his job and needs our help in this difficult time.' Black Lives Matter protesters demonstrated outside the detention center following Wilson's death with Hawk Newsome telling the crowd: 'An officer saw him hanging, informed his captain and they dismissed this man hanging in the cell as a joke. 'They said that he was just playing around.' Pipeline 26 April 2021 Four Seasons to expand its presence in Italy with brand-new beachside project in the enchanting Mediterranean region of Puglia. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, an international leader in luxury hospitality, and Omnam Group, a global real estate firm, announce plans for a brand-new resort in Puglia, the stunning coastal region of southern Italy. Located on a pristine beachfront property, the upcoming Four Seasons property in Puglia will be comprised of 150 rooms and suites. The exclusive seaside location will offer guests views of the Adriatic Sea and direct beach access, along with easy accessibility to the nearby historic town of Ostuni and countless other attractions in the region. Puglia makes up the heel of Italy's "boot" and is home to ancient towns with rich histories, national parks, soaring mountains, exceptional food and wine, pristine beaches and Mediterranean climate. Ostuni, the local city a short drive from the Resort, is also known as the "White City" for its white-washed houses and buildings carved into the cliffside, medieval streets, and its 15th century Gothic cathedral. An Exquisite Seaside Retreat Located within a 40-minute drive from popular destinations such as Ostuni, Alberobello and Monopoli, the upcoming Four Seasons in Puglia Italy will be one of few hotels in the region with direct beach access. Accommodations will be housed in villa-style units, all facing the sea, and is being designed by HKS Architects, an award-winning international design firm that has previously worked with Four Seasons on projects in the Bahamas, Tunis, and Egypt, while interior design is being led by ODA Architecture. Additional onsite facilities will include six restaurant and bar offerings, including an all-day restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a seasonal pool bar and grill, a lobby lounge bar, a signature bar and a beach club. The Resort will also include extensive meeting and event spaces including a ballroom and smaller meeting rooms in a designated building, as well as additional outdoor event offerings. The state-of-the-art destination spa will include a fitness centre, 10 treatment rooms, hammam, sauna, pool and yoga studio. The Resort will be located 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Brindisi International Airport and 95 kilometres (60 miles) from Bari International Airport, and is also accessible via direct train from Rome. Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke to Republic Media Network on Monday elaborating on the state's preparedness to tackle the current COVID-19 situation. Assuring that there were enough Oxygen beds and necessary supplies, Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed that the state would have close to 18 Oxygen plants in the next 2 weeks, which were enough to meet the demands of the state as well as its 7 sisters in the North-east. "Up to April 9, we had only 60 cases per day but then suddenly there was a spike and we are getting 200-300 per day. In Assam basically, we are following 3 things- we should have enough ICU beds, oxygen beds, Remdesvir and adequate Remdesivir supply. We have good enough beds and over 25,000 doses of Remdesivir in store. Our oxygen requirement is 20MT per day, our generation has gone up to 60MT/day so we have a surplus supply," said the Health Minister. "In Assam-Bhutan border, a promoter has developed an Oxygen plant but because of lockdown, it was closed for 4 months. Yesterday I requested our MEA to speak with the Bhutanese government. The Bhutanese government has now resumed construction and it will become operational. It will give us an additional of 50MT per day," he added. Himanta Biswa Sarma also promised to extend all necessary support to neighbouring states amid the COVID-19 pandemic revealing that it had already sent stocks of Remdesivir to states that had asked for it. "Assam is aligned with its 7 sister states and we are supplying stocks of Remdesivir to these states. We are considering North-eastern states as one region and we will exercise responsibility to our sister states," he said. Speaking on expanding its Oxygen production capacity, Sarma shared that Assam was adding up to 10 more plants through PM CARES and other initiatives to ensure adequate Oxygen demand is met in case the state witnesses a sudden upsurge. "Assam has also activated 8 oxygen plants with medical colleges. We will activate 3 more in the next few days. From PM CARES also another 6 plants work will be completed. We will have at least 18 plants in the next 20 days. We also have 2000 Oxygen concentrators at our disposal. We have taken enough measures as per the advice of the Central government," he said. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers finds that new mothers who receive opioids after uncomplicated vaginal births face an increased risk of serious opioid-related events regardless of the opioid dosage, a finding that could significantly impact care delivery. Andrew Wiese, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor of Health Policy in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology, authored the paper published online April 15 in Women's Health Issues, with Sarah Osmundson, MD, MPH, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and other researchers in the departments of Biostatistics and Health Policy. The study examined roughly 147,000 women enrolled in TennCareTennessee's Medicaid programbetween 2007 and 2014 who gave birth and had received one or fewer opioid prescriptions prior to delivery. The median age of the women was 23 years. Most women (68%) were white, and most were from Central and East Tennessee. The study found that receiving an outpatient opioid prescription within four days after vaginal childbirth was associated with an increased risk of developing a serious opioid-related event, including becoming a persistent opioid user, developing an opioid use disorder, or experiencing an opioid-related overdose or death. Even women prescribed less than 100 MME (morphine milligram equivalent)roughly equivalent to 20 hydrocodone or 13 oxycodone pills (5 mg strength)faced a 52% increase in the risk of a serious opioid-related event compared with those who did not fill a prescription. "We generally assume that higher dosages of opioids are associated with a greater risk of negative outcomes," Wiese said. "But we wanted to answer the question of whether low-dose prescriptions were completely safe, and it turns out even low dose prescriptions harbor some increased risk of bad outcomes." Although the absolute risk of these outcomes in the first year after birth is relatively rare, given the large number of births that occur annually, many women may be at risk for adverse outcomes with opioid exposure. This research also demonstrates that many of these negative events occur after the traditional 42-day postpartum period. Wiese also said their primary finding could affect how clinicians, particularly those in obstetrics and gynecology, consider prescribing opioids for women after vaginal births in the future, but establishing best practices is still unclear. "Our observation that no 'safe' opioid dose exists does raise some serious concern, and really should force researchers and clinical providers to take a hard look at what our routine opioid prescribing practices for uncomplicated vaginal births are, even at low doses, in Tennessee and beyond," Wiese said. Explore further Opioid prescriptions after childbirth linked to increased risk of overdose, persistent use More information: Andrew D. Wiese et al. Prescription Opioid Dose After Vaginal Delivery and the Risk of Serious Opioid-Related Events: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Women's Health Issues (2021). Andrew D. Wiese et al. Prescription Opioid Dose After Vaginal Delivery and the Risk of Serious Opioid-Related Events: A Retrospective Cohort Study,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2021.03.002 Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison are the co-creators of the First Conversations board book series from RISE x Penguin Workshop, which introduces tough topics to toddlers and the tools to discuss them. Their debut title, Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race (illustrated by Isabel Roxas), is now on bookshelves; and Being You: A First Conversation About Gender (illustrated by Anne/Andy Passchier) is due out in July. Ralli is also an early childhood educator, the coordinator of early childhood programs at the Brooklyn Public Library, a library advocate, a columnist, and a blogger. Madison is an early childhood educator, professional development and workshop facilitator for teachers on race, gender, and sexuality, a life-long student of radical Black feminism, and a doctoral candidate at Brandeis Universitys Heller School of Social Policy. PW spoke with the duo about the inspiration and research behind their new series, and their hopes that these books will spark conversations and ignite social change. Can you tell us how the idea for First Conversations first came to light? And, how did the two of you join forces? Jessica Ralli: The idea came when Megan did some workshops on race and gender for parents and educators at our library. Afterwards, there were many questions about how do we talk about race and gender with our kids and students, and what books could we suggest to help them. We started thinking about the kinds of books we could recommend; but most of them were for older kids, and were not accessible and did not approach these difficult discussions in very developmental ways. Then, when I pitched the idea of Our Skin to our editor, Cecily Kaiser, I wasnt thinking about writing the book myself. But, Cecily got it right away and asked me if I could write the book with someone. I told her that I knew the perfect person who understood and could translate this topic to children, parents, and teachers. So, I asked Megan if shed like to write the book with me. Megan Madison: And, of course, I said, YES! because I saw a real need. In addition to facilitating workshops and getting all kinds of questions, I was also in my PhD process, and had spent a whole lot of time reading all sorts of grown-up books about race, gender, and patriarchy. And, as an early child educator like Jessica, I have acquired the superpower of being able to translate difficult topics into simple language that young kids can understand. So, by combining our super powers, and trusting in our relationshipand believing in our abilities to do this together, we started writing First Conversations! How have your multi-layered backgrounds influenced the writing of this series? Ralli: Language development and early literacy in early childhood education has been a focus of mineand my lifes work. So, as the coordinator of early literacy programs at the Brooklyn Library, my work has been a huge source of both inspiration and research for these books in many ways. And, as an early childhood educator and a special education teacher in preschool classrooms, I have seen children bring up the subject of skin color, ask questions about gender, etc., and adults bristle, not knowing how to respond. Also, as a white mother raising white children, I wanted my kids to develop a vocabulary for recognizing and disrupting racismand other systems of oppression. I also wanted to give them language to describe the unfair patterns they are already noticing in our community, their schools, and the media. With First Conversations, we have created books that I have been looking for to support intentional, honest, and early conversations about race and racism with my kids. Its the reason I co-wrote this book and series. Madison: My professional training as an early childhood has given me the framework and the foundational concepts to help co-create these books. With this background knowledge of how young children can demonstrate critical thinking skills, and recognize patterns but dont yet have the language to communicate these things, we have the lens to write for the way they think. We know from our collective experience that young children have compassion, curiosity, and are ready for these conversations, and that their teachers and parents need help. Can you encapsulate the additional research that informed your writing? What were some of your resources for further reading? Ralli: The research came first from what Ive always known and observed as an early childhood educator and a librarian. Then, when we dug into the current research, it confirmed a lot of what Ive known. For instance, children are already noticing differences in skin color by six months, and by three years old theyre experiencing racial bias. Madison: The growing body of research underscores the importance of talking to young children about race, racism, and other forms of oppression. As Jessica said, we have learned that children of color are experiencing racism as early as 03 years. And, young white children are able to notice unfair treatment in social situations, as well as microaggressions. Since they are experiencing these things, the kids are ready to have the conversations about why they are happening, what they can do about it, and how to make it right. So, the question leads us to: are their parents and teachers ready? Through the research, weve also discovered that lots of grownupsespecially white grownups, havent had the experience or the greatest role models to have these conversations. The research also shows that white parents have some hesitancy in discussing these topics. And, while most believe they should do it, many dont know how, and some dont think its appropriate at an early age, or that it might be harmful. But, thats not what the research says. What the research does say is that talking about tough topics, like racism, brings greater self-awareness, self-esteem, and confidence in recognizing prejudice. One of our research resources in particular, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves [by Louise Derman-Sparks, Julie Olsen Edwards, and Catherine N. Goins] presents a framework with four core goals for young children: identity, diversity, justice, and activism. While writing, we kept each of these goals in mind and did our best not to fall into some of the very common misconceptions. What are your recommendations for when, where, and how to share Our Skin? Madison: We suggest that Our Skin can be used as early as 26 years old. However, we recently heard from someone who read the book to her young child, and her 15-year-old son happened to be listening. After she was finished reading, he told her that he thought it was the best explanation of systemic racism he had ever heard. So, our books can be read at any ageand also anywhere. I would love them to be shared all over the place: in the backseat of the car, at school, home, the library, grandmas house, the doctors office, in playgroupsyou name it! I want them to be shared in preschool classrooms with young children as well as professional development workshops with teachers. I really hope the books end up in all the places that kids and families and teachers need them. Ralli: We also suggest that while reading they take breaks, add stories of their own, and allow lots of room to share their thoughts and feelings, and discuss the open-ended questions. Recently, we had one mother write in a social media post that while reading this book with her five-year-old they said, I love my skin! for the first time! It was in response to our question, What do you like about your skin? We thought a great deal about the open-ended questions to get kids thinking and learning. What would you say to reluctant parents/teachers who might feel their children arent ready for either your booksor the conversations they inspire? Ralli: I would say they are ready! Young children are already seeing differences and noticing inequities. Young children of color are already experiencing prejudice and racism from toddlerhood. And, young white children are already noticing unfair patterns in our societyand may even be perpetuating racism. So, they are ready to have conversations about why the world is the way it is and what they can do to make it right. You cant change something that you dont acknowledge or dont have the language to talk about. So, parents and teachers must be at the ready, too. The challenge here is that grownups often dont know where to begin, have the right language to use, or know if its even OK to talk about. Grown-ups often shut down and/or postpone conversations about race, especially white grown-ups who have the luxury and privilege to do that. Finding the language and talking together are the first steps. These conversations need to happen earlyand often, if were going to build this world, as it should be. What are your hopes for Our Skin and your desired takeaways for its readers? Ralli: First, I hope that grown-ups actually read this book with their kids, library visitors, classes, and other grown-ups. I want peopleespecially white peopleto move through feelings of discomfort and/or fear, to know that its OK to feel uncomfortable, and to make mistakes. As a result of this, I would like white children and adults to develop the capacity to talk about race and racism, and to respond to racism and injustice when they see it happening. At first, these wont be perfect conversations, but you will have more than one chance to do it. Ultimately, I hope that our readers walk away from reading Our Skin feeling seen, safe, aware, and empowered. Madison: My greatest hope, too, is that every child sees themselves and feels affirmed. I also hope that Our Skin and our series will answer some of the real questions people have about why the world is the way it is, and inspire them to make the world better. I hope the books support grown-ups in being brave and having honest, important, healing conversations with the people they love most. And I hope that these conversations keep goingand turn into action. Can you tell us about the second title, Being You, and the importance of addressing gender at an early age? Ralli: Being You is about the first messages we receive about gender, which happen in early childhood. We learn from a young age that gender is an important social category and that there are things we should or shouldnt do/want/be based on the sex were assigned at birth. Being You is written to help young children make sense of what they are seeing, hearing, and feeling when it comes to gender expression, gender identity, and gender stereotypes, and to take an empowering look at movements for gender justice. Madison: Talking about gender is just as important as talking about race with young childrenand talking about their intersections is important too! Even before children are born, they are being impacted by patriarchy and the gender binary. Often, children are assigned a sex and a gender while they are still in the womb. And based on that assignment, their families and communities are developing a whole host of expectations about who they will become and how they should be in the world. So young children are confronted by these untrue beliefs and unfair experiences very early. Thats why its important that we support them to navigate all this by engaging them in ongoing, open conversations about their observations and feelings. We can give them language to describe themselves, others, and the unfair patterns they are observing in the world. We can also model strategies for resisting. Are their plans for additional First Conversations? Madison: Were planning to publish a book on consent and one on bodies next year. There are many more topics that wed like to write abouteverything from money and class inequality to borders and immigration. Im especially interested in LGBTQ families, ableism, religious diversity, and incarceration, too. Wed also love to hear from readers what they feel like they need. So, let us know what you think at FirstConversations.org or on Instagram @First_Conversations. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 16:17:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARBIN, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Dongning City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has recently released 600,000 salmon fry into the Chinese section of the Suifen River, known as the Razdolnaya River in Russia, in a bid to sustain stocks of the rare fish. The river is one of the major salmon spawning locations. The fish migrate to the Pacific Ocean and return three to four years later to spawn after they reach sexual maturity. In late April, the river temperature is suitable for the survival of salmon fry, most of which were cultivated for more than half a year and have reached lengths of about 6 cm. Fishery authorities in Dongning have released approximately 14 million salmon fry over the past 30 years in an effort to increase fish stocks in the border river. Enditem BOSTON The Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) will honor Community College scholars for their induction to the 2021 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-Massachusetts Academic Team through a virtual "PTK Community College Excellence Week." Berkshire Community College students Monica Bliss, Molly Gingras, and Ginger Zani will be recognized. Running on its social media pages from Monday, April 26 through Friday, April 30, MACC will highlight the student members of the All-Massachusetts Academic Team for their outstanding academic achievement and exemplary student service. "The Phi Theta Kappa community at Berkshire Community College embodies academic excellence, service, and dedication," said BCC President Ellen Kennedy. "We're so proud of our three students who were chosen for the PTK All-Massachusetts Academic Team, who are truly ambassadors for the college and the community." Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society of two-year colleges and has recognized and encouraged scholarship among community college students for more than 100 years while promoting the academic integrity of the associate degree program. Students with grade point averages of 3.5 or higher are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa. "Every year, we look forward to this opportunity to highlight the community colleges' commitment to access, opportunity, and excellence," Tom Sannicandro, Director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC), said. "The outstanding achievements of our students cannot be understated, especially given the additional challenges we all have faced over the past year. We are proud of all they have accomplished and celebrate the continued pursuit of their academic and career aspirations." In addition to membership on the All-Massachusetts Academic Team, three students earned additional recognition through scholarships from the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and the All-USA Academic Team. Berkshire Community College's Monica Bliss was named an All-USA Academic Team Scholar and a New Century Transfer Scholar. The All-USA Community College Academic Team recognizes high achieving two-year college students who demonstrate academic excellence and intellectual rigor, combined with leadership and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. Just twenty team members are named annually across the country, with each receiving a $5,000 scholarship. The student receiving the highest All-USA Community College Academic Team application score in each state is named a New Century Scholar and receives a $2,250 stipend. Traditionally, a celebratory ceremony is held at the Massachusetts State House to honor the highest academic achievers in the state's 15-member community college system. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration will take place online for the second year. MACC works on behalf of the Community College Presidents and their local Boards of Trustees to advocate, communicate, and collaborate to strengthen community colleges for the benefit of students, communities, and the Commonwealth. The Community Colleges currently represent more than 136,000 students in every region of Massachusetts, educating nearly half of all students in the state's public higher education system and serving the largest share of first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color. National Chairman of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu says government must stop its community mining because, to him, it won't help the country. Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor offered community mining as a lasting solution to illegal mining in Ghana. Government introduced the Community Mining Scheme, a mining model, last year and it's aimed at creating jobs for beneficiary communities. As part of the scheme, the government gave the green light for the commencement of regulated and sustainable mining at Adomanu in the Ashanti Region under the Community Mining Scheme. The scheme is to create about 16,000 jobs nationwide. The sector Minister, during his vetting by the Appointments Committee in Parliament on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, told the importance of the scheme saying " . . we need to pursue this concept of community mining. I think it's very important. I've looked at the literature. I've taken a lot of briefings. I've examined the situation and I'm more than fully persuaded that the perfection . . . of community mining in our country will go a long way in dealing with the incidences of illegal small-scale mining". "We have gotten to a point where we require a bi-partisan broad-based multi-sectoral effort in dealing with illegal small-scale mining. We need a broad-based support for the national policy on illegal small-scale mining. So, what's the policy? The policy is that we build here in Ghana a sustainable viable regulated small-scale mining which has regard for the environment and do away with illegal small-scale mining which degrade the environment," he added. Nana Ofori Owusu bemoaned the activities of illegal miners saying they are "destroying family. We are destroying the moral values. The education of our youth is in jeopardy. The respect for the elderly is in jeopardy. All of those things; it's not just the environment but it's the destruction of a people''. But, to him, although the government must adopt all measures to stop illegal mining,community mining isn't an option. This, in his view, is because community mining ''the worst thing ever the government has done. If they don't reverse that thing and find a way to put these children in school, the free SHS and so forth will all go to waste''. He made these submissions during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, 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. Featured Video LBPD Watch Commander Lt. Shaleana Benson says that ib April 24 at about 9:25 p.m. offficers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the area of 10th St/Termino Avenue. They found an adult passenger suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wounds; LBPD summoned paramedics who transported the victim to a hospital for treatment. The driver and victim were described as uncooperative with the investigation, only stating the shooting occurred in the area of 10th Street between Cherry Avenue and Orizaba Avenue. LBPD's investigation is on-going. It's the second shooting within a week in CD 2/Allen. On April 18, about six blocks south and a few blocks west of Cherry in the 400 block of Rose Ave. (North Alamitos Beach), officers found evidence of a shooting but couldn't locate any victims or witnesses. CD 4/Supernaw had an April 9 shooting in the neighborhood between the Traffic Circle and Redondo Ave. south of PCH (1700 block of Loma Ave.) Officers found evidence of a shooting including casings but were unable to locate a suspect or victim. On March 27, Supernaw's CD4 had a double-homicide in basically the same neighborhood (two men shot to death on Esther St. between Loma and Grand, a block south of PCH between Traffic Circle and Redondo Ave., a couple of blocks west of Community Hospital. It was followed by two CD 4 shootings a bit west of Redondo (2500 block of Spaulding St. and 2100 block of E. 15th St.) in which police found evidence of gunfire but no persons hit. . . Last week, four of the biggest problems facing Americapolice brutality, gun violence, the climate crisis, and the right-wing assault on voting rights and fair elections; each of them interlocked with systemic racismappeared concurrently in the news cycle. Each was pegged, in media-industry parlance, to a specific recent event, or events. Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis cop, was convicted of murdering George Floyd; the verdict came ten days after an officer in nearby Brooklyn Center fatally shot Daunte Wright, six days after police in Chicago released footage of an officer fatally shooting thirteen-year-old Adam Toledo, around thirty minutes after an officer in Columbus fatally shot sixteen-year-old MaKhia Bryant, and a day before sheriffs deputies in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, fatally shot Andrew Brown, Jr. A recent spate of deadly, non-police shootings continued, in Texas, Wisconsin, and elsewhere. On ThursdayEarth DayPresident Biden convened a (virtual) climate summit and pledged to at least halve US greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030. And Republicans in Arizona initiated an audit of presidential ballots in Maricopa County, entrusting the process to Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm whose leadership has suggested that Donald Trump actually won the state. He, still, did not. The news pegor the notion of hanging coverage of a broad topic on the narrower hook of a discrete event that just happened, is currently happening, or will soon happenis a hallowed media principle. There are logical reasons for this: the news, traditionally, is supposed to be, well, new; often, news creators justify pegs with reference to news consumers, asking why they care about issue X right now. This logic, though, is not infallible, as various journalists have pointed out over the years. In the 2000s, Andrew Revkin, who was then a reporter at the New York Times and is now with Columbia Universitys Earth Institute, referred to the tyranny of the news peg as a fundamental impediment to environmental journalismbecause science is a slow, grinding process, whereas news is something sudden. Last January, my CJR colleague Alexandria Neason called the news peg a euphemism which masks the unearned power we wield, as self-appointed gatekeepers, to decide which thrills matter, and in what ways, adding that it dilutes journalisms ability to fulfill the basic need to be surprised, and delighted. What role, Neason asked, do journalists play in failing to push people to care about things they think they do not, that abandon the flawed hierarchy of news judgment in favor of the interesting? New from CJR: Newsworthiness, Trump, and the Facebook Oversight Board Neason wrote about the news peg while extolling the delights of Cheer, a Netflix docuseries about a cheerleading program at a college in Texas (and so much more). But her points about media gatekeeping power apply, as well, to the crises that are in the news now but will likely struggle to stay thereeven though they are not only interesting beyond their immediate pegs, but enduringly urgent, too. The recent confluence of big stories about these crises is, to some extent, a random coincidence of the timing of events. But media bosses tendency to privilege events over trends is not a coincidence. Nor is the momentum that is generated when news organizations treat one, particularly strong news pegthe Chauvin trial, for instanceas justification to elevate related stories that otherwise might not have gotten as much attention. Absent the backdrop of the trial, how many of us would have heard the name Daunte Wright? Last week, the New York Times reported that since testimony in the Chauvin trial began, law enforcement officers had, on average, killed more than three people a day nationwide. That fact, rightly, drew fresh attentionbut it reflects a continuation of a much longer-term trend. Similar can be said of gun violence: some outlets cast the recent wave of shootings as having followed a pandemic-era lull, even though, according to the Gun Violence Archive, 2020 was the deadliest year for gun violence in two decades. Which stories cut through the news cycle, and why, depends on a web of factors. Race is a central one: shootings in marginalized communities often go practically uncovered on the national level, and even those we hear about filter through glaring disparities in coverage. (When a gunman killed eight people, six of them Asian women, in Atlanta in March, English-language coverage of the victims was deeply flawed, and it took a subsequent mass shooting, in Boulder, Colorado, to ignite a national debate about gun laws.) When it comes to the killings of Black Americans, the presence of video and social-media outrage can determine the extent of coverage, as Neason wrote separately last year. In general, what else has happened on a given dayand even the time of day, or time of year, when an event takes placeis a factor. So, too, is the dwindling of resources at a newsrooms disposal. Day-to-day news coverage has to be organized somehow; without any pegs at all, it would collapse into a shapeless mass of stuff. But we must collectively examine what we consider to be a compelling peg; often, assessments of what readers care about project what journalists care about, and who they are. And we should recognize that not every story needs a peg; indeed, much successful journalism already eschews them. Magazinesand, as Neason noted, streaming platformstypically have more latitude to offer up stories that lack clear pegs, and many specialist reporting teams, newsrooms, and initiatives work year-round to keep a spotlight trained, for example, on voting rights and election integrity. (My colleague Lauren Harris recently profiled one such initiative, Votebeat.) Sometimes, a particularly outstanding story becomes its own news peg, sparking a conversation to which rival outlets rush to contribute. More routinely, though, the idea of the peg privileges novelty over substance, and neglects problems whose broad contours tend not to change, or to change slowly: Poverty. Violence. The climate crisis. Sign up for CJR 's daily email If science is a slow, grinding process, its got nothing on the United States Congress. Lawmakers actions are considered news pegs in the purest sense of the term; their inaction, while much discussed in general terms, isnt typically thought of in the same way. The four crises I mentioned at the top of this newsletter are all the subject of current pushes in Congress, from Bidens infrastructure plan to a police-reform bill that carries Floyds name. Such bills often respond to a news peg, then become news pegs themselves, only to lose momentumand their status as news pegsas the event to which they were responding recedes into the background of the news agenda; nothing ends up changing, which in turn increases the likelihood of future tragic news pegs, and so the cycle churns on. News organizations taking a less rigid approach to news pegs would not, of course, fix American governance. But we have some power over the processeven if we might feel uncomfortable wielding it. Below, more on the news, and newsworthiness: Other notable stories: ICYMI: Andrew Cuomos Bad Press 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. Chennai: On a day that saw the number of fresh COVID-19 cases cross 3.5 lakhs in the country, the Madras High Court came down heavily on the Election Commission holding it responsible for the current mess the country is in. The High Court on Monday (April 26) said that the EC responsible for the second wave of the COVID pandemic by allowing political rallies in the country and that the officials should be booked for murder. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy called EC "the most irresponsible institution". "Your institution is singularly responsible for the second wave of COVID-19, Banerjee told the Election Commission's counsel. He went on to add, Your officers should be booked on murder charges probably. Were you on another planet when the election rallies were held? the chief justice said further. Banerjee said that Commission had failed to enforce COVID norms regarding wearing of facemasks, use of sanitizers and maintaining social distancing during election campaigns, despite several court orders. The court warned EC that it would not allow counting of votes of elections scheduled on May 2, unless it places a plan to ensure COVID-19 protocol is followed. "The situation now is of survival and protection. Everything else comes next, Banerjee said. The bench was hearing a public interest petition seeking direction to authorities to ensure fair counting of votes on May 2 in Karur by taking necessary steps to ensure COVID guidelines are followed. Notably, the EC had denied Trinamool Congress' requests to club poll phases in West Bengal. Live TV According to JLL, between January and March 2021, nearly 93,000 sqm of retail stock was delivered, a result comparable to the same period last year. The structure of new supply included only two large-scale formats: stand-alone retail warehouses (55% of new space) and retail parks (31%). Convenience centres claimed the [] KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Americas top general in Afghanistan said Sunday that the U.S. military has begun closing down operations in the country and that Afghanistans security forces must be ready to take over. I often get asked, how are the security forces, can the security forces do the work in our absence? And my message has always been the same. They must be ready. They must be ready, Gen Austin Miller told Afghan journalists at a press conference in the capital Kabul. He also said the Taliban not returning to peace talks does not make sense. His comments came just hours before Taliban negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai appeared to indicate a breakthrough in negotiations. In a terse tweet, Stanikzai said soon the Taliban leaders name will be removed from blacklist. And 7,000 Taliban prisoners will be released. Until now Afghanistans Council for National Reconciliation has tied the Talibans twin demands to a cease fire. Stanikazai made no mention of a cease fire and there was no immediate comment from the reconciliation council headed by Abdullah Abdullah. The Afghan government and President Ashraf Ghani has until now refused to release any more Taliban prisoners, charging the 5,000 his government released last year were at least in part responsible for the stepped up violence, having returned to the battlefield. The Taliban deny the charges. The 5,000 prisoners were released in keeping with the peace deal the previous U.S. administration negotiated with the Taliban, which the Biden administration reviewed and has largely followed. Meanwhile, peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government which were to begin in Turkey this weekend were cancelled after the Islamic militia dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests. From a purely military perspective, the idea of them not returning to a peace process is, again, does not make sense, Miller said. A return to violence would be one senseless and tragic. While the official start to the withdrawal of Washingtons 2,500 to 3,500 troops and NATOs 7,000 allied forces is May 1, Miller said at the same time, as we start taking local actions, weve already begun that. The U.S. military and NATO would be shipping some military equipment out of Afghanistan while deciding what would remain behind with the Afghan Defense and Security Force, he said. In February last year, the U.S. military began closing its smaller bases. In mid-April, the Biden administration announced that the final phase of the withdrawal would begin May 1 and be completed before Sept. 11. By KATHY GANNON Associated Press Baton Rouge's own Christopher John Rogers is back in the news, this time as one of three designers whose garments will be featured in the Designer Dress Collection at Target. Only months ago, Rogers made headlines as the designer of the bright purple dress and suit jacket Kamala Harris wore at her inauguration as vice president. Rogers is joining ALEXIS and RIXO in producing the limited-edition collections, in sizes XXS to 4X, which will be available on Target.com and in select Target stores this spring. In all, the collections feature more than 70 original dress designs, ranging in price from $40-$60. For more than 20 years, Target has partnered with some of the biggest names in the industry, and had the opportunity to introduce our guests to emerging designers who are shaping fashion and culture today, said Jill Sando, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for Target. With this collection, were celebrating three incredibly talented and diverse designers, all while creating our most size-inclusive collection of original, quality dresses that we know our guests will love. +3 Louisiana designer 'part of history' after VP Kamala Harris sworn in wearing dress he designed The bright purple dress and suit jacket that Kamala Harris wore at her inauguration as vice president this week was rooted in the women's suff Rogers, a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School, founded his eponymous label in 2016 and designs clothing with a focus on artful dressing. He was named the 2019 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)/Vogue Fashion Fund winner and the 2020 CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year, with numerous stars and notable figures having worn his designs. In addition to the vice president, former first lady Michelle Obama wore one of Roger's suits on "Becoming" book tour in 2019. His dresses for Target feature statement-making styles and bold, bright patterns that celebrate self-expression. Growing up as an artistic kid in the Deep South, I've always aspired to create designs that help the wearer feel their most self-expressive," Rogers said in a news release. "This partnership is a dream come true I've always admired the Target designer collaborations in the past, and I'm excited to be a part of that legacy. "Ive had a blast working with the Target team," Rogers added, "and I hope this collection of quality, declarative dresses helps Target guests across the country feel their most authentic. Director Travon Free turned his Oscars acceptance speech into a condemnation of police killings during the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night. The 35-year-old won Best Live Action Short along with co-director Martin Desmond Roe for their drama Two Distant Strangers - a 29 minute movie that examines the deaths of black Americans during encounters with police. 'Today, the police will kill three people,' Free stated as he took to the stage to accept his award. 'Tomorrow, the police will kill three people. And the day after that, the police will kill three people. Because on average, the police in America every day kill three people. Which amounts to about 1,000 people a year. ' He continued: 'Those people happen to be disproportionately black people. I just ask that you please not be indifferent. Please don't be indifferent to our pain,' Free continued. Earlier, as he walked the red carpet, Free also made a political statement, showing off the inside of his blazer which was emblazoned with the names of black people killed by police, including Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Rayshard Brooks and Daunte Wright. Director Travon Free turned his Oscars acceptance speech into a condemnation of police killings during the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night The 35-year-old (left) won Best Live Action Short along with co-director Martin Desmond Roe (right) for their drama Two Distant Strangers Free wasn't the only star at the show to make a political statement. Actress Regina King kicked off the night by hailing Derek Chauvin's conviction for murdering George Floyd during her opening monologue. The 50-year-old actress took to the stage at the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles' Union Station stating: 'It has been quite a year, and we are still smack dab in the middle of it. We are mourning the loss of so many. 'And I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis, I may have traded in my heels for marching boots.' King's comments prompted vocal agreement among the 170 people who were sitting in the audience. Actress Regina King kicked off the 93rd Academy Awards Sunday night by hailing Derek Chauvin 's guilty verdict for murdering George Floyd Last week, Derek Chauvin was convicted of second degree murder over the May 2020 death of black man, George Floyd The actress continued: 'Now, I know that a lot of you people at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you. But as a mother of a black son, I know the fear that so many live with, and no amount of fame or fortune changes. That okay?' The crowd responding with a loud applause, seeming to confirm their support for King's commentary. Last Monday, a Minneapolis jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree manslaughter, third-degree murder and second-degree unintentional murder over the May 2020 death of unarmed black man, George Floyd. Meanwhile, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, and Jamika Wilson also spoke about identity politics as they accepted the award for Oscar for Best Hair and Makeup. Neal and Wilson are the first two black women to win the award, with Neal speaking out about breaking barriers as she took to the podium. Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson and Sergio Lopez-Rivera, winners of the award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom 'I want to say thank you to our ancestors who put the work in. Who were denied but never gave up. And I also stand here, as we break this glass ceiling with so much excitement for the future,' she stated to cheers from the crowd. 'Because I can picture black trans women standing up here, Asian and Latina sisters, and indigenous women. And it won't be unusual or groundbreaking one day, it will just be normal'. This year's Academy Awards have been hailed as 'the most diverse' in history, with a record number of nominees who are BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color). Nine of the 20 acting nominees this year are actors of color and it is the first time in history that the best actor category isn't majority white. Nominations in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category include Steven Yeun (Minari) who is the first Asian American to receive a nod; Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) who received a posthumous nomination; and Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) who is the first Muslim actor to be given a nod in the category. It is also the first time two female directors have ever been nominated in the Best Director category, with Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) both receiving nods. Only five women have ever been nominated in the category before. Zhao is also the first woman of color to ever be nominated for best director. Far from being the work of a single political party, intelligence agency or country, the power structure revealed by the network connected to Epstein is nothing less than a criminal enterprise that is willing to use and abuse children in the pursuit of ever more power, wealth and control. This article was originally published on Mint Press News On August 10th, and for several days after, speculation swirled after it was announced that Jeffrey Epstein had been found dead in his cell. His cause of death has officially been ruled suicide by hanging. Epstein, the billionaire pedophile and sex trafficker with a myriad of connections to the rich and powerful in the United States and several other countries, had told those close to him that he had feared for his life prior to his sudden suicide, the Washington Post reported, while his defense lawyers claimed that he had planned to cooperate with federal authorities. Following the controversial conclusion by the New York Medical Examiner that Epsteins death was a suicide a conclusion contested by Epsteins attornies as well as by independent forensic pathologists, given the apparent evidence pointing towards strangulation corporate media coverage of the Epstein case has slowed to a trickle, save for sensationalist stories about his alleged co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and new salacious details of his past. Gone from corporate media are any hints of the larger scandal, revolving around the admission that Epstein had belonged to intelligence. In this four-part series, The Jeffrey Epstein Scandal: Too Big to Fail, MintPress has revealed that Epsteins activities a sexual blackmail operation involving minors and connected to intelligence agencies was one of many such operations that have taken place for decades, developing from the nexus forged between the CIA, organized crime and Israeli intelligence shortly after World War II. As Part II of this series revealed, these sexual blackmail operations proliferated during the Iran-Contra affair, which involved this same dark alliance between U.S./Israeli intelligence and organized crime. Though this series has thus far largely focused on the ties of Republican officials to those operations and associated crimes, the final installment of this series will focus on Democratic politicians, namely the Clinton family, and their ties to this same network as well as Jeffrey Epstein. The Clintons own involvement in Iran-Contra revolved around the covert activities at Arkansas Mena Airport, which involved the CIA front company Southern Air Transport and occurred while Clinton was governor. Just a few years into the Clinton presidential administration, Leslie Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein would play a major role in Southern Air Transports relocation to Columbus, Ohio, leading to concerns among top Ohio officials that both men were not only working with the CIA, but that Wexners company, The Limited, sought to use the CIA-linked airline for smuggling. During that same period of time, Epstein had already forged close ties to important Clinton White House officials and prominent Clinton donors like Lynn Forester de Rothschild and made several personal visits to the official presidential residence. Some of these ties appear related to Epsteins shady financial activities, particularly involving currency markets and offshore tax havens activities he began to perfect while working for prominent Iran-Contra figures in the early 1980s, several of whom were tied to the CIA-linked bank Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) and had known relationships with Israeli intelligence, namely the Mossad. The nature of Epsteins work for these individuals and other evidence strongly suggests that Epstein himself had a relationship with BCCI after leaving Bear Stearns and prior to the banks collapse in 1991. Of particular importance are Epsteins relationship to the Clinton Foundation and the alleged role of Epsteins Virgin Islands-based hedge fund and the Clinton Foundation in money laundering activity, a relationship still under investigation by MintPress. It is this tale of intrigue that fully reveals the extent to which this decades-old alliance between organized crime, the CIA, and Israeli intelligence has corrupted and influenced politicians of both political parties, both through the use of sexual blackmail and through other means of coercion. Far from being the work of a single intelligence agency or a single country, the power structure revealed by this network connected to Epstein is nothing less than a criminal enterprise that transcends nationality and is willing to use and abuse children in the pursuit of ever more power, wealth and control. Existing for decades and willing to use any means necessary to cover its tracks, this criminal racket has become so integrated into the levers of power, in the United States and well beyond, that it is truly too big to fail. Iran Contra, Mena Airport and the Clintons When one thinks back to the now-famous Iran-Contra scandal, names like Ronald Reagan, Oliver North and Barry Seal comes to mind, but former President Bill Clinton also played an outsized role in the scandal using his home state of Arkansas, where he was then serving as governor, as a sort of rallying point for the CIAs U.S.-side of the Central American operation. In fact, during Clintons reign as governor a small town called Mena, nestled in the Ozark Mountains west of Arkansas capital Little Rock, would be propelled into the national spotlight as a hub for drug and arms smuggling and the training of CIA-backed far-right militias. Under the close watch of the CIA, then led by William Casey, the Mena Intermountain Regional Airport was used to stockpile and deliver arms and ammunition to the Nicaraguan Contras. The arms were sometimes exchanged for cocaine from South American cartels, which would then be sent back to Mena and used to fund the covert CIA operation. Though efforts have been made to dismiss Clintons role in the scandal, his direct intervention in the Contras attempts to overthrow the Sandinista government of Nicaragua suggests Clinton had some sort of personal stake in the efforts and was unlikely aloof to the major smuggling operation taking place in his state while he had been governor. In fact, while governor, Clinton split with many other state governments in sending a contingency of the Arkansas National Guard to Honduras to train the Nicaraguan Contras on how to overthrow their Sandinista government. Clinton would also discuss his first-hand knowledge of the operation with now-Trump administration Attorney General William Barr. Much of this channeling of both weapons and drugs was carried out by notorious drug smuggler and alleged CIA/DEA operative Barry Seal. According to the book Whiteout: the CIA, Drugs and the Press by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair: A federal investigation aided by the Arkansas State Police established that Barry Seal, a drug dealer working for the Medellin cartel as well as with the C.I.A. and the D.E.A., had his planes retrofitted at Mena for drug drops, trained pilots there and laundered his profits partly through financial institutions in Arkansas. Seal, at this time was in close contact with [Oliver] North, who acknowledged the relationship in his memoir. These were the years in which North was constructing his covert supply lines for the contras. Seal was known to use aircraft that belonged to the company Southern Air Transport and he also employed flight crews that worked for that same company. Southern Air Transport, formerly Air America, was once directly owned by the CIA and today is remembered for being a CIA front during Iran-Contra. Less known is the relationship between the CIA-linked airline and Leslie Wexner and his then-close associate Jeffrey Epstein, which will be discussed in detail later in this report. Seal seemed to always operate with much less than six degrees of separation from Clinton while the latter served as governor. In his 1999 confessional expose, Cross-fire: Witness in the Clinton Investigation, former Arkansas policeman turned personal driver and security guard for Bill Clinton, L.D. Brown, recounts how Clinton encouraged him to seek out a post at the CIA. Clinton allegedly went so far as to edit the essay Brown wrote for this employment application. The essay topic was drug smuggling in Central America. Upon receiving his application, the CIA put Brown in touch with none other than Barry Seal. Seal would later be gunned down in 1986 while serving six-months probation for drug-smuggling charges. Seal was not the only affiliate of Oliver North running a Contra-connected operation in Arkansas. Terry Reed, who had worked for North since 1983, claimed to have been put in touch with Seal by North and established a base just 10 miles north of Mena in Nella, Arkansas where Nicaraguan Contras and other recruits from Latin American were trained in resupply missions, night landings, precision paradrops and similar maneuvers, according to Cockburn and St. Clair. Reed further asserted that drug money was being laundered through Arkansas financial institutions. After Clintons half-brother Roger was busted for cocaine smuggling (Clinton would later pardon him while president) the CIA sought to move Contra operations out of Arkansas, hoping to put a damper on the increasingly public and sloppy Arkansas-based operation. According to Terry Reed in his book Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA, co-written with John Cummings, a hushed meeting was held in a bunker at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas. During the meeting, William Barr, who represented himself as the emissary of then-CIA Director Bill Casey told Clinton: The deal we made was to launder our money through your bond business but what we didnt plan on was you and your n****r here start taking yourselves seriously and purposely shrinking our laundry. Barr chastised Clinton for his sloppy handling of the delicate operation and his half-brothers very public fall from grace. He would later tell Clinton, according to Reed, Bill, you are Mr. Caseys fair-haired boy You and your state have been our greatest asset. Mr. Casey wanted me to pass on to you that unless you fuck up and do something stupid, youre No. 1 on the short list for a shot at the job that youve always wanted. You and guys like you are the fathers of the new government. We are the new covenant. Attempts to investigate Clintons role in the Mena operations and more broadly in the Iran-Contra affair were allegedly axed by Clintons own confidantes, who consistently denied he played a role in the scandal. According to the Wall Street Journal, former IRS investigator William Duncan teamed with Arkansas State Police Investigator Russell Welch in what became a decade-long battle to bring the matter to light. In fact, of the nine separate state and federal probes into the affair, all failed. Duncan would later say of the investigations, [They] were interfered with and covered up, and the justice system was subverted, and a 1992 memo from Duncan to high-ranking members of the attorney generals staff notes that Duncan was instructed to remove all files concerning the Mena investigation from the attorney generals office. The attorney general, serving under George H. W. Bush, at that time was William Barr, who is currently attorney general under Trump. The Bank of Crooks and Criminals International Another Clinton connection to the CIA and the Iran-Contra affair runs through the familys connection to Arkansas financier Jackson Stephens and the CIA-linked Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), which critics nicknamed the Bank of Crooks and Criminals International. Stephens was among the richest people in Arkansas and was also a major donor and backer of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He also played a key role in the rise of Walmart. Jackson Stephens and other members of the Stephens family bankrolled Bill Clintons rise to political prominence, contributing large sums of money to both Clintons gubernatorial and his later presidential campaigns. In addition, Worthen Bank, which was majority-owned by Stephens, provided Clintons first presidential campaign a $3.5 million line of credit. In addition, Stephens many businesses were frequently represented by the Rose Law Firm, where Hillary Clinton was a partner. A redacted FBI report from 1998 describes Stephens as having lengthy and continuing ties to the Clinton administration and associates and also discusses allegations that Stephens has been involved in the illegal handling of campaign contributions to the Democratic National Party. BCCI had originally been founded by a group of bankers from Pakistan, though Newsweek later reported that CIA officials appeared to have been involved in the banks founding and that BCCI founder Agha Hasan Abedi had been encouraged by the CIA to found the bank after the agency realized that an international bank could provide valuable cover for intelligence operations. CIA documents that later surfaced during congressional hearings on the banks activities and related scandals stated that BCCI was directly involved in money laundering, narco-financing, gunrunning and holding large sums of money for terrorist groups. Though BCCI was known for its CIA links, Catherine Austin Fitts former Assistant Secretary for HousingFederal Housing Commissioner at HUD during the George H. W. Bush administration, and investment banker with the firms Hamilton Securities Group and Dillon, Read & Co. believes that those links went well beyond the CIA. Fitts who was placed on the board of the BCCI subsidiary First American Bank following BCCIs collapse told MintPress that, after reading through troves of documents regarding the banks activities prior to its implosion, it was clear to her that there was no way its clandestine activities were carried on without the full knowledge of the Federal Reserve, specifically the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the White House. BCCI also played a key role in the Iran-Contra affair and accounts of the bank were used to send payoffs to individuals linked to the scheme. Adnan Khashoggi, a key figure and intermediary in the scandal, used one BCCI account to move more than $20 million related to illegal arms sales and BCCI created fake documentation, including checks signed by Oliver North, allowing the sale to go forward. The bank later, when its activities subsequently came under congressional scrutiny, claimed it had no records of these transactions. In addition, BCCI appears to have been involved in the sex trafficking of underage girls, including girls that had not yet reached puberty. According to the report entitled The BCCI Affair, by then-U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Hank Brown (R-CO), BCCI officials were alleged to have obtained leverage with powerful individuals, including prominent members of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by providing them with young virgins. The report (page 70) specifically states: According to one U.S. investigator with substantial knowledge of BCCIs activities, some BCCI officials have acknowledged that some of the females provided some members of the Al-Nahyan family [one of the ruling families in the UAE] were young girls who had not yet reached puberty, and in certain cases, were physically injured by the experience. The official said that former BCCI officials had told him that BCCI also provided males to homosexual VIPs. BCCI was largely brought into the United States business community through the efforts of Jackson Stephens and Bert Lance, former budget director for Jimmy Carter, who assisted with BCCIs acquisition of First American Bank. The law firm involved in this effort was Arkansas Rose Law Firm and it involved several of the firms lawyers, including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Webster Hubbell and C.J. Giroir. Also involved in the effort was Clark Clifford, former Secretary of Defense under Lyndon B. Johnson, and Kamal Adham, former director general of Saudi intelligence. One of the men added to the BCCI board after the acquisition of First American Bank was Robert Keith Gray, whom Newsweek described as often having boasted of his close relationship with the CIAs William Casey; Gray used to say that before taking on a foreign client, he would clear it with Casey. As was discussed in Part II of this series, Gray was also an expert in homosexual blackmail operations for the CIA and was reported to have collaborated with Roy Cohn in those activities. Some of Grays clients at the powerful PR firm he led, Hill & Knowlton, included BCCI clients and Mossad-linked individuals, such as Adnan Khashoggi and Marc Rich. While the Rose Law Firm was assisting BCCIs entrance into the American financial system, it also represented the Stephens-owned financial services company, Stephens Inc., as well as the data-processing company Systematics Inc., which Stephens acquired in the late 1960s. According to James Norman in his book The Oil Card: Global Economic Warfare in the 21st Century, Systematics was a primary vehicle or front company for the National Security Agency in the 1980s and early 1990s to market and implant bugged software in the worlds major money-center banks and clearinghouses as part of the Reagan/Bush follow the money effort to break the Soviets. The late journalist Michael Ruppert asserted that this bugged software was none other than the Promis software, which both U.S. and Israeli intelligence had bugged in order to spy on intelligence and which had been marketed in part by Robert Maxwell, father of Jeffrey Epsteins madam, Ghislaine Maxwell. Ruppert cited Systematics as a primary developer of Promis for financial intelligence use. Promis had originally been leased by Inslaw Inc., a small software company founded by Bill Hamilton, to the Department of Justice which later stole it from Inslaw, forcing it to declare bankruptcy. According to a 1995 document sent on behalf of Inslaws founders to then-independent Counsel Ken Starr that asked him to review Inslaws case, Systematics had covertly implanted [software] into the computers of its bank customers that allowed allied intelligence agencies surreptitiously to track and monitor the flow of money through the banking system and had done so at the behest of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and its partner in Israeli intelligence. Inslaw also stated that the software was used by these same intelligence agencies in the laundering of money, especially drug profits. Systematics also had a subsidiary in Israel that, according to a former Israeli intelligence officer, was operated by contractors for the Mossad and sold software to banks and telecommunications companies. According to Richardsons letter, that Israeli subsidiary of Systematics also had a Massachusetts-based front company, which was partially owned by a former U.S. intelligence official. Two partners in the Rose Law Firm who would later serve in the Clinton administration, Vince Foster and Webster Hubbell, acquired significant financial interests in Systematics through ownership in Alltel, which purchased Systematics in the early 1990s. The Hamiltons also provide considerable evidence that Fosters distress prior to his death in 1993 appears to have been related to concerns about litigation involving Systematics and the on-going litigation over Promis theft. BCCI itself was known to employ the Promis software after its theft by the DOJ; and one of its subsidiaries, First American Bank, also filtered PROMIS money i.e., laundered the money generated from the sale of the stolen Promis software according to the late journalist Danny Casolaro. Casolaro had been investigating an international crime syndicate he termed the Octopus at the time of his death in 1991. Casolaro believed that this Octopus involved powerful individuals in the private and public sectors as well as the criminal underworld and that they were collectively responsible for some of the biggest scandals of the 1980s, including Iran-Contra, BCCI and the theft of the Promis software. Casolaro had told friends and family that he was close to concluding his investigation and several people close to him had seen documents involving money transfers involving BCCI and the World Bank to people involved in these scandals, such as Earl Brian and Adnan Khashoggi. Casolaro went to Martinsburg, Virginia to meet with some sources to get the final piece of the puzzle and bring back the head of the Octopus. Two days after arriving in Martinsburg, Casolaro was found dead in his hotel room and his briefcase full of his research notes and evidence was missing. His death was ruled a suicide. Many, including Casolaros family, do not believe that Casolaro committed suicide. A week before his death, Casolaro told his brother he had been receiving death threats and the manner in which he died, deep slashes in his arms, was not consistent with Casolaros well-known squeamishness around even minor amounts of blood. Speculation only grew following the FBI investigation, given that the FBI lied to Congress, pressured its own agents not to question whether it was a suicide and lost 90 percent of its files related to Casolaros death among other glaring inconsistencies. In a 1994 letter provided to MintPress by Inslaw Inc., Inslaw lawyer Charles Work told then-Assistant Attorney General John Dwyer that one of Inslaws confidential sources in government had stated that Casolaro had been injected with a substance that deadened his nerves from the neck down, explaining the apparent lack of struggle and that the substance used had come from the U.S. Army inventory. The person who had arranged Casolaros final meeting before his death was a U.S. military intelligence officer named Joseph Cuellar. The same year that Casolaro died, there were several other suspicious deaths involving people directly connected to the Promis scandal or involved in Casolaros investigation of the Octopus including Alan Standorf, one of Casolaros sources; Robert Maxwell, father of Ghislaine Maxwell, Mossad operative, and salesman of the bugged Promis software; and John Tower the former Texas senator who assisted Maxwell in selling the bugged Promis software to the Los Alamos laboratories. Jeffrey Epstein and The Dirtiest Bank of All While the role Arkansas played in Iran-Contra is one aspect of the scandal that is often overlooked, so to is the key role played by Israeli intelligence-linked arms dealers and smugglers who would later be connected to powerful individuals in the Mega Group and Jeffrey Epstein, such as Marc Rich and Adnan Khashoggi. One of the key players in the Iran-Contra affair was Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, uncle of the slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. One lesser known fact about Adnan Khashoggi is that, at the time of his Iran-Contra dealings, he was working for the Israeli Mossad, according to former Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky. Ostrovsky, in his #1 New York Times bestseller By Way of Deception, notes that Khashoggi had been recruited by the Mossad years before and that his private jet had been fitted in Israel. In relation to Iran-Contra, Ostrovsky claims that it was a $5 million bridge loan that Khashoggi provided that helped to overcome the lack of trust between Israel and Iran during the initial arms deals in the early 1980s, and thus his participation was critical to the success of the scheme. According to journalist Vicky Ward, Adnan Khashoggi was a client of Jeffrey Epsteins in the early 1980s, not long after Epsteins departure from Bear Stearns in 1981. The reason Epstein left the bank remains murky. Though some former Bear Stearns employees claim he was fired, others including Epstein himself claimed that he resigned of his own volition. Ward suggests that Epstein may have left the bank owing to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into insider trading in a case that involved a tender offer placed by the Seagrams corporation for St. Joe Minerals Corp. Seagrams owner Edgar Bronfman, son of Meyer Lansky associate Samuel Bronfman and member of the Mega Group, had tipped off several investors and bankers of the coming tender offer. Epstein resigned from Bear Stearns the day after the SEC opened the case and later claimed he had left the company as a result of a relatively minor Reg D violation and rumors that he had an illicit affair with a secretary. Yet, as Ward noted: The SEC never brought any charges against anyone at Bear Stearns for insider trading in St. Joe, but its questioning seems to indicate that it was skeptical of Epsteins answers. Some sources have wondered why, if he was such a big producer at Bear Stearns, he would have given it up over a mere $2,500 fine. Regardless of the exact reason for Epsteins sudden departure, it was immediately after he left the bank that the details [of Epsteins work history] recede into shadow. A few of the handful of current friends who have known him since the early 1980s recall that he used to tell them he was a bounty hunter, recovering lost or stolen money for the government or for very rich people. He has a license to carry a firearm. Writing in Salon, a former friend of Epsteins, Jesse Kornbluth, also stated that Epstein had claimed to be a bounty hunter for the rich and powerful: When we met in 1986, Epsteins double identity intrigued me he said he didnt just manage money for clients with mega-fortunes, he was also a high-level bounty hunter. Sometimes, he told me, he worked for governments to recover money looted by African dictators. Other times those dictators hired him to help them hide their stolen money. (emphasis added) One of Epsteins clients after leaving Bear Stearns, per Wards sources, was the CIA/Mossad-linked Khashoggi at the very time that Khashoggi was involved in Iran-Contra, an operation involving both U.S. and Israeli intelligence. British journalist Nigel Rosser reported in January 2001 in the Evening Standard that Epstein had claimed that he was also working for the CIA during this same time period. Since Epsteins arrest, records of Rossers article have been scrubbed from British newspaper archives, including the Evening Standards own. However, MintPress independently confirmed with Bob Fitrakis, whom Rosser had interviewed for the article in question, that the article did allege that Epstein used to claim he worked for the CIA. In addition, other reports from the time period cited excerpts of Rossers article, including the reference to Epsteins past claims of involvement with the CIA. Specifically, Rossers article had included the following passage: He [Epstein] has a license to carry a concealed weapon, once claimed to have worked for the CIA, although he now denies it and owns properties all over America. Once he arrived at the London home of a British arms dealer bringing a gift a New York police-issue pump-action riot gun. God knows how he got it into the country, a friend said. Though Epstein denied past connections to the CIA at the time Rossers article was published, it is worth mentioning that Robert Maxwell father of Ghislaine Maxwell and long-time Mossad operative also vehemently denied his now well-documented links to Israeli intelligence until his death. Furthermore, as will be shown later in this article, Epstein and his only known billionaire client, Leslie Wexner, would later forge a business relationship with the CIA front company Southern Air Transport and play a major role in the airlines relocation to Columbus, Ohio in the mid-1990s. During that period, two prominent Ohio officials believed that both Epstein and Wexner were working with the CIA, according to Ohio-based journalist Bob Fitrakis. Past claims and evidence of Epsteins involvement with the CIA, coupled with his time as a shadowy financial fixer for double-asset Khashoggi, strongly suggest that, whatever Epstein was doing for Khashoggi during this time, it likely involved BCCI. According to The BCCI Affair report, Khashoggi acted as the middleman for five Iranian arms deals for the United States, financing a number of them through BCCI and served as the banker for arms shipments as the undercover scheme developed. The report continued: Khashoggi and [another Iran-Contra arms dealer Manucher] Ghorbanifer performed a central role for the U.S. government in connection with the Iran-Contra affair in operations that involved the direct participation of CIA personnel [and both Khashoggi and Ghorbanifer] banked at BCCIs offices in Monte Carlo and, for both, BCCIs services were essential as a means of providing short-term credit for sales from the U.S. through Israel to Iran. This connection is even more likely given the fact that Bear Stearns Epsteins previous employer right up until he became a financial fixer for Khashoggi and other powerful people also worked directly with BCCI during this period. Indeed, Bear Stearns served as a broker to BCCI, a fact that remained hidden until a lengthy court battle in the U.K. concluded in 2011 and forced the governments Sandstorm Report about BCCIs activities to unredact the names of Bear Stearns and other institutions, individuals and countries that had done business with the CIA-linked bank. Furthermore, there is the additional fact that BCCI trafficked underage girls for sex as a means of obtaining favors from and gaining leverage over powerful individuals, something in which Epstein would later become deeply involved. As was shown in Part II of this series, several individuals who were running either sexual blackmail operations involving minors or child trafficking operations were connected to CIA front companies like BCCI, other organizations connected to the Iran-Contra scandal, and several individuals close to the Reagan White House. The CIA director at the time, Bill Casey, was a close friend of Roy Cohn, who also ran the sexual blackmail operation involving underage boys out of Manhattans Plaza Hotel, described in Part I of this series. According to Cohns long-time secretary Christine Seymour, Casey was one of Cohns most frequent callers. Another fact that further suggests that Epstein had connections to BCCI is that Epstein was known to have been close to other arms dealers of the period and BCCI was frequently used specifically for covert arms deals. After the banks collapse in 1991, an article in Time magazine entitled BCCI: The Dirtiest Bank of All noted the following: [T]he CIA may have used B.C.C.I. as more than an undercover banker: U.S. agents collaborated with the black network in several operations, according to a B.C.C.I. black-network officer who is now a secret U.S. government witness. Sources have told investigators that B.C.C.I. worked closely with Israels spy agencies and other Western intelligence groups as well, especially in arms deals. (emphasis added) One of the arms dealers that Epstein apparently knew quite well was the British arms dealer Sir Douglas Leese. Leese was involved in brokering the first of a series of controversial British arms deals that involved Khashoggi, known as the Al Yamamah Deal and allegedly involving bribery of members of the Saudi royal family and top Saudi officials. In addition to Khashoggi, several of those officials and royal family members had deep ties to BCCI. Later iterations of that arms deal were allegedly brokered with the involvement of Prince Charles of the British royal family, and corruption investigations into Al Yamamah were later shut down by the efforts of Tony Blair as well as Prince Andrew. Leese is said to have spoken of Epsteins genius and lack of morals when he introduced him to Steve Hoffenberg of Tower Financial, and soon after that introduction Hoffenberg hired Epstein. Two years after BCCIs fraud-driven collapse, Tower Financial imploded in 1993 in what is still considered to be one of the largest Ponzi schemes in American history. Hoffenberg later asserted in court that Epstein had been intimately involved in Towers shady financial practices and had called Epstein the architect of the scam. However, by the time Tower Financial had collapsed, Epstein was no longer working for the company. Despite Hoffenbergs testimony and abundant evidence regarding Epsteins role in the scheme, Epsteins name was mysteriously dropped from the case. Given that Epstein allegedly received his sweetheart deal in 2008 as a result of having belonged to intelligence, Epsteins activities in the 1980s and early 1990s suggest that his ability to avoid charges in relation to the Tower Financial Ponzi scheme may have been for similar reasons. Though Hoffenberg claims that he met Epstein through Leese, Epstein himself claimed that he had met the convicted fraudster through John Mitchell, former attorney general under Richard Nixon. As was noted in Part II of this series, Mitchell was a friend of disgraced Washington lobbyist Craig Spence, according to Spence before his fall from grace. Spence, for much of the 1980s, ran a sexual blackmail operation in D.C. involving underage boys and had taken some of those call boys on midnight tours of the White House that he said had been arranged by then-National Security Adviser Donald Gregg. Spence, after his trafficking and exploitation of minors was exposed, died under mysterious circumstances. His death was quickly labeled a suicide, not unlike Jeffrey Epsteins. With Epstein and Wexners Help, Spook Air Finds a New Home While the state of Arkansas became a hub for CIA activity during the Reagan years and the Iran-Contra scandal, another state appeared to take its place in the 1990s Ohio. Just as Arkansas oligarch Jackson Stephens helped attract the CIA to his home state during Iran-Contra, it was also an Ohio oligarch and his close associate that helped attract the CIA to the Buckeye State. Those men were Leslie Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein, respectively. In Part III of this series, MintPress detailed Wexners alleged ties to organized crime and his links to the still unsolved homicide of Columbus, Ohio lawyer Arthur Shapiro. Shapiro, who was representing Wexners company The Limited at the time of his death, was set to testify before a grand jury about tax evasion and his involvement with questionable tax shelters. Columbus police described the Shapiro murder as a Mafia hit and a suppressed police report implicated Wexner and his business associates as being involved in or benefiting from Shapiros death, and as having links to prominent New York-based crime syndicates. However, Wexner and The Limited also appear to have had a relationship with the CIA. In 1995, Southern Air Transport (SAT) a well-known front company for the CIA relocated from Miami, Florida to Columbus, Ohio. First founded in the late 1940s, SAT from 1960 until 1973 was directly owned by the CIA, which sought to use the company as a cover for covert operations. After 1973, the company was placed in private hands, although all of its subsequent owners would have CIA ties, including James Bastian, a former lawyer for the CIA, who owned SAT at the time of its relocation to Ohio. SAT was intimately involved in the Iran-Contra affair, having been used to funnel weapons and drugs to and from the Nicaraguan Contras under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid, while also sending American weapons to Israel that were then sold to Iran in violation of the U.S. arms embargo. In 1986 alone, SAT transported from Texas to Israel 90 tons of TOW anti-tank missiles, which were then sold to Iran by Israel and Mossad-linked intermediaries like Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Even though the airlines CIA links were well known, Leslie Wexners company, The Limited, sought to coax SAT to relocate its headquarters from Miami, Florida to Columbus, Ohio, a move that was realized in 1995. When Edmund James, president of James and Donohew Development Services, told the Columbus Dispatch in March 1995 that SAT was relocating to Columbus Rickenbacker airfield, he stated that Southern Airs new presence at Rickenbacker begins in April with two regularly scheduled 747 cargo flights a week from Hong Kong, citing SAT President William Langton. By fall, that could increase to four a week. Negotiations are underway for flights out of Rickenbacker to the Far EastMuch of the Hong Kong-to-Rickenbacker cargo will be for The Limited, Wexners clothing company. This is a big story for central Ohio. Its huge, actually, James said at the time. The day following the press conference, Brian Clancy, working as a cargo analyst with MergeGlobal Inc., told the Journal of Commerce that the reason for SATs relocation to Ohio was largely the result of the lucrative Hong Kong-to-Columbus route that SAT would run for Wexners company. Clancy specifically stated that the fact that [The] Limited Inc., the nations largest retailer, is based in Columbus undoubtedly contributed in large part to Southern Airs decision. According to documents obtained by journalist Bob Fitrakis from the Rickenbacker Port Authority, Ohios government also tried to sweeten the deal to bring SAT to Columbus in order to please powerful Ohio businessmen like Wexner. Orchestrated by Governor George Voinovichs then-Chief of Staff Paul Mifsud, the Rickenbacker Port Authority and the Ohio Department of Development created a package of several financial incentives, funded by Ohio taxpayers, to lure the airline to relocate to Ohio. The Journal of Commerce described the generous package of incentives from the state of Ohio as including a 75 percent credit against its corporate tax liability for the next 10 years, a $5 million low-interest loan, and a $400,000 job-training grant.In 1996, then-SAT spokesman David Sweet had told Fitrakis that the CIA-linked airline had only moved to Columbus because the deal [put together by the development department] was too good to turn down. Though SAT had promised Ohios government that it would create 300 jobs in three years, it quickly laid off numerous workers and failed to construct the maintenance facility it had promised, even though it had already accepted $3.5 million in taxpayer funds for that and other projects. As the companys financial problems mounted, Ohios government declined to recoup the millions in dollars it loaned the company, even after it was alleged that $32 million in the bank account of Mary Bastian, the wife of SATs owner and former CIA lawyer James Bastian, were actually company funds. On October 1, 1998, SAT filed for bankruptcy. It was the very same day that the CIAs Inspector General had published a comprehensive report on the airlines illicit involvement in drug trafficking. Furthermore, Fitrakis noted that in addition to Wexner the other main figures who were key in securing SATs relocation to Ohio were Alan D. Fiers Jr., a former chief of the CIA Central American Task Force, and retired Air Force Major General Richard Secord, head of air logistics for SATs covert action in Laos between 1966 and 1968, while the company was still known as Air America. Secord was also the air logistics coordinator in the illegal Contra resupply network for Oliver North during Iran-Contra. Fiers was one of the key individuals involved in Iran-Contra who was later pardoned by George H.W. Bush with the assistance of then-Attorney General Bill Barr. Barr currently serving as attorney general in the Trump administration, and top of the chain of DOJ command in the investigation of Epsteins death in prison has refused to recuse himself from the investigation into Epsteins network and his recent death. Despite the involvement of these CIA-linked men, as well as the organized crime-linked Leslie Wexner, the then-president of SAT told the Columbus Dispatch that the airline was no longer connected to the CIA. Notably, It was during this same time that Epstein exerted substantial control over Wexners finances; and, according to Fitrakis and his extensive reporting on Wexner from this period, it was Epstein who orchestrated logistics for Wexners business operations, including The Limited. As was revealed in the Arthur Shapiro murder file and in ties between SAT and The Limited, much of The Limiteds logistics involved figures and companies connected to organized crime and U.S. intelligence. It is also important to note that SAT was well-known for being a CIA front company prior to the efforts of Wexner et al. to bring the airline to Columbus, and that, a few years prior, Epstein himself had previously worked for intelligence-linked figures also involved in Iran-Contra, such as Adnan Khashoggi. In addition, during this time period, Epstein had already begun to live in the now infamous New York penthouse that had first been purchased by Wexner in 1989. Wexner had apparently installed CCTV and recording equipment in an odd bathroom in the home after his purchase, and never lived in the home, as was noted in Part III of this series. In an exclusive interview, Bob Fitrakis told MintPress that Epstein and Wexners involvement with SATs relocation to Ohio had caused suspicion among some prominent state and local officials that the two were working with U.S. intelligence. Fitrakis specifically stated that then-Ohio Inspector General David Strutz and then-Sheriff of Franklin County Earl Smith had personally told him that they believed that both Epstein and Wexner had ties to the CIA. These claims further corroborate what was first reported by Nigel Rosser in the Evening Standard that Epstein had claimed to have worked for the CIA in the past. Fitrakis also told MintPress that Strutz had referred to SATs route between Hong Kong and Columbus on behalf of Wexners company The Limited as the Meyer Lansky run, as he believed that Wexners association with SAT was related to his ties to elements of organized crime that were connected to the Lansky-created National Crime Syndicate. In addition, Catherine Austin Fitts the former investment banker and government official, who has extensively investigated the intersection of organized crime, black markets, Wall Street and the government in the U.S. economy was told by an ex-CIA employee that Wexner was one of five key managers of organized crime cash flows in the United States. As this series has noted in previous reports, Meyer Lansky was a pioneer of sexual blackmail operations and was deeply connected to both U.S. intelligence and Israels Mossad. Furthermore, many members of the so-called Mega Group, which Wexner co-founded, had direct ties to the Lansky crime syndicate. Marc Richs Pardon and Israels Leverage over Clinton Another shadowy figure with connections to the Mega Group, Mossad, U.S. intelligence and organized crime is the fugitive financier Marc Rich, whose pardon during the last days of the Clinton White House is both well-known and still mired in controversy years after the fact. Marc Rich was a commodities trader and hedge fund manager best known for founding the commodity trading and mining giant Glencore and for doing business with numerous dictatorships, often in violation of sanctions. He worked particularly closely with Israel and, according to Haaretz: In the years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the ensuing global Arab oil embargo, a period when nobody wanted to sell oil to Israel, for almost 20 years Rich was the main source of the countrys oil and energy needs. It was that trading on Israels behalf that would ultimately lead to Rich being charged in 1983 for violating the U.S. oil embargo on Iran by selling Iranian oil to Israel. Rich was also charged with tax evasion, wire fraud, racketeering and several other crimes. Haaretz also noted that Richs businesses were a source of funding for secret financial arrangements and that his worldwide offices, according to several reliable sources, frequently served Mossad agents, with his consent. Rich had more direct ties to the Mossad as well. For instance, his foundation the Rich Foundation was run by the former Mossad agent Avner Azulay. Rich was also friendly with prominent Israel politicians, including former Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Ehud Barak, and was a frequent provider of services for Israeli intelligence, services he freely volunteered. According to Richs biographer, Daniel Ammann, Rich also fed information to U.S. intelligence but declined to give specifics. He did not want to tell with whom he cooperated within the U.S. authorities or which branch of the U.S. government he supplied with intelligence, Ammann said in an interview with the Daily Beast. One clue as to the nature of Richs relationship to U.S. intelligence is his apparent ties to BCCI. The BCCI Affair report mentions Rich as a person to investigate in relation to the bank and states: BCCI lending to Rich in the 1980s amounted to tens of millions of dollars. Moreover, Richs commodities firms were used by BCCI in connection with BCCIs involv[ement] in U.S. guarantee programs through the Department of Agriculture. The nature and extent of Richs relationship with BCCI requires further investigation. Rich was also deeply tied to the Mega Group, as he was one of the main donors to the Birthright Israel charity along with Mega Group co-founder Charles Bronfman and Mega Group member Michael Steinhardt. Steinhardt was particularly close to Rich, first meeting the commodities trader in the 1970s and then managing $3 million for Rich, Richs then-wife Denise, and Richs father-in-law from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s through his hedge fund. In the late 1990s, Steinhardt would enlist other Mega Group members, such as Edgar Bronfman, in the effort to settle the criminal charges against Rich, which eventually came to pass with Clintons controversial pardon in 2001. Steinhardt claimed to have come up with the idea of a presidential pardon for Rich in late 2000. Richs pardon was controversial for several reasons, and many mainstream outlets asserted that it reeked of payoff. As the New York Post noted in 2016, in the run-up to the presidential pardon the financiers ex-wife Denise had donated $450,000 to the fledgling Clinton Library and over $1 million to Democratic campaigns in the Clinton era. In addition, Rich had hired high-powered lawyers with links to powerful individuals in both the Democratic and Republican parties as well as the Clinton White House, including Jack Quinn, who has previously served as general counsel to the Clinton administration and as former chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore. However, per Clintons own words and other supporting evidence, the main reason behind the Rich pardon was the heavy lobbying from Israeli intelligence, Israeli politicians and members of the Mega Group like Steinhardt, with the donations from Denise Rich and Quinns access to the president likely sweetening the deal. Among the most ardent lobbyists for Richs pardon were the Liaison office of central gov't in HKSAR criticizes bar association chief for whitewashing violence, challenging rule of law Xinhua) 09:26, April 26, 2021 HONG KONG, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday refuted fallacious remarks by the chair of the Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA) Paul Harris, saying he backed up lawbreakers, slandered law enforcement agencies and put pressure on the judiciary. Responding to the remarks made by Harris concerning a legal case of anti-China disruptor Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and others over unlawful assembly, a spokesperson in a statement said Harris used the term of "peaceful protest" to gloss over the illegal nature of the violent incidents which happened during the social unrest of 2019 in Hong Kong. The sentences for Lai and others are based on clear facts and solid evidence, thus being recognized by various sectors of the Hong Kong society, and many of the defendants have pleaded guilty in court, the spokesperson noted. The spokesperson said the remarks made by Harris went against professional ethics and the spirit of the rule of law. While being keen on commenting on the Hong Kong affairs, Harris did not utter a word when the British government pushed for a legislation under which demonstrators who vandalized memorials could be jailed for up to 10 years, according to the spokesperson. After becoming the HKBA chair, Harris has repeatedly made unwarranted remarks on the national security law in the HKSAR, challenging the authority of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress as well as Hong Kong's rule of law and constitutional order, the spokesperson said. As the HKBA chair, Harris should himself comply with the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", the spokesperson said while pointing out that Harris has served the interests of Britain's Liberal Democrats party, of which he is a member. The spokesperson raised the question whether Harris, as an anti-China politician with close connections with foreign forces, can genuinely work for maintaining the rule of law and the HKSAR Basic Law and supporting "one country, two systems" as promised in an HKBA statement. The Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor with Harris as a co-founder, according to media reports, has received donations from the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy, and Harris was suspected to have concealed his status as an Oxford city councilor when running for the HKBA chair, the spokesperson said. It would be extremely ironic if Harris continued to serve as the HKBA chair, the spokesperson said. Hong Kong's return from chaos to stability has demonstrated clearly that only by firmly safeguarding the constitutional order set by the Constitution and the Basic Law and implementing the national security law in the HKSAR and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," will Hong Kong's rule of law and its overall interests be well protected, the spokesperson said. Any act to damage the rule of law and justice in Hong Kong and undermine Hong Kong's prosperity and stability will meet with strong counter measures, the spokesperson said while urging the HKBA to stop going down the path of politicization. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) CVS and Walgreens are slated to begin administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine again after the federal government temporarily pressed pause on the use of the vaccine due to concerns about blood clots developing in a small number of inoculated women. Appointments are expected to become available starting this week at CVS stores currently holding Johnson & Johnson vaccines. All warnings and precautions will be appropriately communicated throughout the vaccination process, a spokesperson for the company said. A corporate spokesperson for Walgreens said the company continues to gather more information from the the federal government and plans to make Johnson & Johnson vaccines available early this week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration announced Friday the federal government will resume the use of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC and FDA had recommended the pause out of an abundance of caution due to the extremely rare but severe type of blood clot, called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or CVST, reported in six women nationwide. Above all else, health and safety are at the forefront of our decisions, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. Our vaccine safety systems are working. We identified exceptionally rare events out of millions of doses of the Janssen COVID-19 administered and we paused to examine them more carefully. As we always do, we will continue to watch all signals closely as more Americans are vaccinated. Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the two agencies determined the recommended suspension of the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is now notifying all vaccine providers they may resume administering the Johnson & Johnson shot immediately, according to Kate Reilly, a spokeswoman for the states COVID-19 Response Command Center. The number of vaccinated individuals who developed CVST and thrombocytopenia, or low blood platelet counts, has since grown to 15, according to the CDC. Three of the patients have died, and seven remain hospitalized, Bloomberg reported. All the women are between the ages of 18 and 59. Medical and scientific teams at the CDC and FDA examined available data to assess the risk of thrombosis involving the rare type of blood clot in the brain and other sites in the body, including the abdomen and legs. They also looked at information about the presence of thrombocytopenia. The teams conducted extensive outreach to providers and clinicians to ensure they were made aware of the potential for the adverse events and could properly manage and recognize them. The combination of the rare blood clot and low platelets, known as thrombosis-thrombocytopenia syndrome, requires a unique treatment, the agencies noted. The CDC and FDA found the data showed the Johnson & Johnson shots known and potential benefits outweigh its risks in people 18 years of age and older, noting theyre confident the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing the virus. At this time, the available data suggests the chance of TTS developing is very low, but the FDA and CDC said they will remain vigilant in continuing to investigate this risk. I continue to be encouraged by the growing body of real-world evidence that the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and they protect people from disease, hospitalization, and death, Walensky said. I urge anyone with questions about the COVID-19 vaccines to speak with their healthcare provider or local public health department. Related Content: A family accused of selling $1million of industrial bleach cooked-up in a backyard shed as a coronavirus cure through has been indicted on federal charges. A grand jury in Miami returned an indictment Thursday charging Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan, 34, Joseph, 32, and Jordan, 26, with one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts each of criminal contempt, according to court records. The four men face possible life sentences if convicted. Mark Grenon is the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Florida. Officials say that the church sold chlorine dioxide as a 'Miracle Mineral Solution' (MMS), which the Grenons claimed could cure a vast variety of illnesses ranging from cancer, to autism, to malaria, to COVID-19. A family accused of selling a toxic industrial bleach as a coronavirus cure through their Florida-based church has been indicted on federal charges. Patriarch Mark Grenon is pictured with his 'Miracle Mineral Solution' (MMS) during a demonstration Jordan and Jonathan Grenon are pictured in their police mugshots. They now face possible life sentences if convicted Officials say that the church sold chlorine dioxide as a 'Miracle Mineral Solution' (MMS), which the Grenons claimed could cure a vast variety of illnesses ranging from cancer to autism to malaria to COVID-19 The solution sold by the Grenons becomes a bleach that is typically used for such things as treating textiles, industrial water, pulp and paper, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Authorities warned that MMS products are extremely dangerous to drink, and can even prove fatal. The Grenons reportedly manufactured the solution in a backyard shed and were already selling the substance as a treatment for the other disorders prior to COVID-19 pandemic. Mark Grenon was even the subject of an ABC 20/20 expose back in 2016, but he continued to hawk the product for four more years. According to court documents, the family were making an average of $32,000 per month before COVID-19 pandemic reached America. However, orders skyrocketed as the coronavirus began to spread and their earnings reached $132,000 per month. Prosecutors say that, overall, the family made a whopping $1 million from their scheme. A Miami federal judge last April ordered the church to stop selling the substance. In separate documents filed last July, prosecutors said the Genesis II church was not a legitimate place of worship and and that Mark Grenon admitted the church was created with the sole purpose to 'legalize the use of MMS' and avoid 'jail' Mark Grenon reportedly admitted the church was created with the sole purpose to 'legalize the use of MMS' The Grenons' actions could have helped cause multiple deaths over the years, with the Federal Drug Administration saying it received numerous reports of people requiring hospitalization. In separate documents filed last July, prosecutors said the Genesis II church was not a legitimate place of worship and and that Mark Grenon admitted the church was created with the sole purpose to 'legalize the use of MMS'. Meanwhile, Grenon proudly took credit back in June for Donald Trump's bleach gaffe, where the president recommended injecting disinfectant as a possible treatment for COVID-19. The so-called church leader had written a letter to Trump just days before his comments where he said MMS was 'a wonderful detox that can kill 99 percent of the pathogens in the body' and 'can rid the body of Covid-19.' Days later, Trump baffled scientists and threw public health experts into damage control mode when he suggested disinfectant as a cure in his daily coronavirus briefing. 'I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs so it'd be interesting to check that,' Trump said in June. It is not clear whether Trump had read Grenon's letter prior to his comments. Alarmingly, one website that appears linked to the Gensis II church still seems to be selling MMC. The site lists 8 oz dropper bottles of the solution for sale for $40. Iran-Cuba COVID-19 vaccine enters phase three clinical trials 04/26/21 Source: Tehran Times Iran started on Monday the third phase of the human trial of the Soberana-02 coronavirus vaccine, jointly developed with Cuba. Manufactured by Cuba's Finlay Vaccine Institute and Pasteur Institute of Iran, the vaccine is a conjugate vaccine with two injectable doses. It consists of the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein conjugated chemically to tetanus toxoid, IRIB reported. The two first phases of the human trial have been conducted in Cuba, while the third phase will be performed on a population of 24,000 people aging 18 to 80 years in seven provinces and eight cities across the country. The Soberana-02 is one of the most successful vaccines in the world with few side effects; the quality control of this vaccine is done in Iran, Alireza Biglari, director of the Pasture Institute of Iran, said. The vaccine is to be produced jointly with Cuba after vaccinating 50,000 Iranians, and it is forecasted to be available for the public by early June amounting to 2 million doses, he concluded. Iran is currently producing vaccines jointly with three countries of Cuba, Russia, and Australia. Domestic vaccines COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine made by Iranian researchers, started the third phase of the human trial on Sunday by being administrated to 20,000 people. Developed by researchers at the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, the vaccine was unveiled on December 29, 2020, and started to be mass-produced on March 29. The line will produce three million doses a month, a capacity that is expected to be boosted to up to 15 million doses per month by the end of the spring (June 20). He went on to say that 11,500 people from Tehran and Karaj and the rest from four cities of Bushehr, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Shiraz will be vaccinated under phase three studies. Meanwhile, a vaccine developed by the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute (Razi Cov Pars) is expected to become the second Iranian-made vaccine to be administered among the population in early August; which started the clinical trial on February 27. Iran has also started human trials of Fakhra vaccine, the third domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, named after nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (he was assassinated in late November near Tehran), that was unveiled and started the clinical trial on March 16. "Osvid-19", the fourth domestic vaccine produced by Osvah Pharmaceutical Company is also undergoing human trials, which will also be available in early September. Danang High-tech Park welcomes many investors to set up business According to the latest figures from the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) 2020 offered by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Danang sits among the top five cities and provinces with a very good quality of economic management at 70.12 points. This is the third consecutive year that Danang has been in the top five of the PCI. Among ten sub-indices of the index, Danang placed itself in four top-ten indices third place for sound labour training policies (7.87 points); fourth for low entry costs for start-ups (8.75 points); seventh for easy access to land and security of business premises (7.35 points); and eighth for limited time requirements for bureaucratic procedures and inspections (8.62 points). Fruitful results Over 16 years after joining the PCI survey, Danang has topped the list on seven occasions, as well as three years at second rank and four years in fifth place. The statistics show that Danang is maintaining its attractive investment environment, with efforts helping the coastal city achieve fruitful results and attract a large number of prestiguous investors and entrepreneurs from both inside and outside the country. According to Danang Department of Planning and Investment, over the last four years the central city attracted 163 local projects with the total registered capital of $3.3 billion, and 530 newly-licensed foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with the total registered capital of more than $1 billion. The investment and production operation of domestic and foreign-invested enterprises contribute an average of over 9 per cent to the added value of the citys economy and creates jobs for more than 93,100 labourers. Additionally, these investment projects help effectively brand Danang as an ideal investment destination and promote the city in international integration and cooperation in many other fields. In the first quarter of 2021, Danang decided to approve an investment research policy and registered licences for two domestic projects outside industrial zones with the total investment capital of $13.9 million and three other projects in industrial and high-tech parks. Moreover, Danang has issued investment certificates for nine newly-registered FDI projects with the total registered capital of $146.4 million, of which five increased their investment capital by $9.4 million. Nguyen Trung Chinh, chairman of CMC Group, said that Danang owns various potentialities and has a vibrant and attractive investment environment to meet the demand of the business community. The group is developing its CMC Creative Space complex in the city with the total investment of VND12 trillion ($521.7 million) and targets to build up the city into an international digital hub following the national strategy. Danang has an important position with favourable conditions to become a hub of the region, so we have invested in developing our Creative Space complex following this approach, said Chinh. Danang is an ideal rendezvous for both local and foreign investors of various industries Facing the reality The fruitful results from investment attraction of the central coast city come from the efforts of the citys administrative system to improve the investment environment towards creating the best services for entrepreneurs. The citys authorities have issued 14 legal documents related to investment support policies and mechanisms, as well as revised and upgraded outdated ones. The city also completed the adjusted master plan for the city to 2030 with vision to 2045; thus enabling the setup of eco-friendly industrial parks (IPs) and investments in the IT Park in Hoa Vang district and other structures. The city meanwhile announced 31 sets of administrative procedures for the local authorities related to business and investment activities and reviewed more than 100 administrative procedures to help organisations, entrepreneurs, and individuals cut costs and time. Danang also diversifed its investment promotion channels in strategic and targeted markets while its leaderships enhanced promotion activities and campaigns inside and outside the country, where they worked directly with investors and businesses to resolve their requests and obstacles. However, the citys investment attraction mission still faces shortcomings. Most domestic projects invest in real estate like hotels and resorts while investments in industrial and high-tech sectors count for merely 10 per cent. Meanwhile, FDI attraction from large-scale transnational corporations is still limited, and most projects have small- and super-small registered capitals. Realising its shortages and current results, Danang has proposed a series of solutions to maintain investors confidence. The city will focus on six main solutions to improve its investment environment, such as issuing adjustments of its master plan for land use, approving the subdivision plans, and define types of projects needed to attract investment and create dynamism for the citys development. Meanwhile, the city continuously pushes the speed of schemes like the Masterplan to Develop High-tech Parks, the Experimental Enhancement of Innovation and High-tech Startups, and High-quality Human Resources Development. To solve its infrastructure problems, Danang is investing in developing its transportation and logistics systems. The city is also enhancing the selection of investors to complete infrastructure and put certain projects into operation, such as Hoa Cam, Hoa Nhon, and Hoa Ninh IPs. The citys authorities will also concentrate on solving all these obstacles of high-tech parks to construct the second phase of Danang IT Park. In its administrative renovation, the city is continuing to shorten processes related to investment procedures while completing its digitalisation scheme. According to Nguyen Van Quang, Secretary of Danang Party Committee, the city recognises its shortcomings to improve its investment environment. Danangs leadership will try its best to listen to the response of businesses on what issues they are facing, from obstacles of administrative procedures to negative behaviours of officials during their operation in the city, Quang said. Danang has a lot of potential and advantages for businesses so we commit to creating competitive conditions to attract investors, Quang explained. The city is determined to complete its logistics system, upgrade the international airport, build a cargo terminal at the airport, and increase the capacity of Tien Sa Port, among others. We always try to stay transparent, consistent, and committed in calling for investment, especially in land mechanisms and policies, while shortening the administrative documents and procedures for businesses, stressed Quang. By Holger Hansen BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government has raised its growth forecast for this year to 3.5%, compared with the 3% growth it was expecting back in January, a source said, adding that the upward revision was justified by a stronger-than-expected fourth quarter. The source added that the government expected Europe's largest economy to expand by 3.6% in 2022. The economy ministry declined to comment on the figures. The government is due to present its 2021 economic growth forecast on Tuesday. Germany's leading economic institutes said earlier this month they expected the gross domestic product to grow by 3.7% this year and 3.9% in 2022. German business morale improved only slightly in April as a third wave of COVID-19 infections and a semiconductor shortage in the motor vehicle sector slowed a recovery in Europe's largest economy, a survey showed on Monday. Export-oriented manufacturers are currently benefiting from higher demand from China and the United States, whereas domestically-focussed services are suffering under extended restrictions to contain a third wave of COVID-19 infections. (Reporting by Holger Hansen; Writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Mark John and Maria Sheahan) Dozens of senior civil servants have paid second jobs outside of Whitehall, an official review conducted by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has found. Mr Case today published the findings of a probe he launched on April 14 when he instructed all senior figures to tell him immediately if they had another form of paid employment alongside their civil service role. Mr Case said he had been made aware of 'fewer than one hundred senior civil servants' who have a paid second job. But he said he had 'not been made aware of any instances of senior civil servants holding outside interests which are considered to conflict with their roles' in Whitehall. Despite Mr Case insisting he was 'reassured that the overwhelming number of senior civil servants act in accordance with the rules' he announced plans to strengthen the system to better protect against potential conflicts of interest. He said from now on all senior figures will have to declare their interests 'on at least an annual basis' and even those with no outside interests will still have to fill out a 'nil return' form. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case today revealed he had been made aware of 'fewer than one hundred senior civil servants' who have a paid second job outside of Whitehall Mr Case today published the findings of a probe he launched on April 14 when he instructed all senior figures to tell him immediately if they had another form of paid employment alongside their civil service role Mr Case said he had been made aware of ' fewer than one hundred senior civil servants' who have a paid second job Mr Case launched the review into second jobs after the disclosure earlier this month that former government chief procurement officer Bill Crothers worked as a part-time adviser to the board of Greensill Capital while still in Whitehall. The move was approved via a Cabinet Office internal conflicts of interest policy. There is no suggestion Mr Crothers broke any rules. Mr Case said in his letter to permanent secretaries on April 14 there was 'acute concern' at the top of the civil service about the issues that had emerged as a result of the David Cameron Greensill lobbying row. The Cabinet Secretary set out the findings of his review in a letter to Parliament's Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. He said: 'I have not been made aware of any instances of senior civil servants holding outside interests which are considered to conflict with their roles, or with their obligations under the Code.' He added: 'I have so far been made aware of fewer than one hundred senior civil servants who hold paid employment alongside their civil service role. 'For context, examples of such roles include tutoring or fitness instruction. In each case, the Permanent Secretary has considered the outside role alongside the individuals obligations under the Code, and found there to be no conflict. Mr Case said that 'where senior civil servants do have outside interests, they are often providing contributions to wider public life', for example by serving as a magistrate or a reservist. 'I have been heartened to see that colleagues are making a contribution to wider society and I am sure the Committee would agree that in any changes we make to manage outside interests more effectively, we should ensure that civil servants are able to continue to contribute in such a way,' he said. Mr Case said that having completed the review he was 'reassured that the overwhelming number of senior civil servants act in accordance with the rules'. Despite Mr Case insisting he was 'reassured that the overwhelming number of senior civil servants act in accordance with the rules' he also announced plans to strengthen the rules on disclosing second jobs to better protect against potential conflicts of interest Boris Johnson, pictured during a visit to a farm in Wrexham today, has asked senior lawyer Nigel Boardman to conduct a review into the Greensill row But the probe had 'highlighted areas where we can make improvements'. Setting out proposed changes, Mr Case said: 'All senior civil servants will be required to declare any relevant interests to their permanent secretary on at least an annual basis. 'This will include providing a "nil return" should they have no relevant outside interests. 'Senior civil servants will of course continue to be required to declare any outside interests on appointment, or if their circumstances change, in real time.' Mr Case told the committee this afternoon that Mr Crothers' Greensill role had been approved in 2015 by then-cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood and then-chief executive of the civil service John Manzoni. The Cabinet Secretary said he could not explain the decision as he told MPs it does not look appropriate. He said the Nigel Boardman-led review into the Greensill row will look at the issue. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo denied wrongdoing in multiple scandals Monday as he held his first in-person press conference in months. On whether hed sexually harassed or assaulted anyone, Cuomo said he didnt do anything wrong. Regarding a New York Times report from April 13 that he used anti-semitic and anti-trans language, the governor also denied those allegations. I never said any such things, and I told the Times that I never said any such thing, he said during a press briefing in Syracuse. People say a lot of things in politics. Why do people say things? Who knows? People are venial, people want attention, people are angry, people are jealous. Who knows why people spread rumors? He said any subordinates who helped with his book, American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic, did so voluntarily, but said documentation was unavailable to prove that. As Attorney General Letitia James investigates the claims of impropriety against the governor, he expressed confidence in that outcome when asked if he would resign should the AG find evidence of wrongdoing. A previous report from the attorney general found death totals related to nursing homes undercounted by as much as 50%, because nursing home residents who had been passed away at hospitals werent counted. The states total death count has remained consistent. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is conducting what Cuomo described as a thorough review of the the states handling of nursing homes in the early days of the pandemic. The Department of Health issued an order last March that critics have said forced nursing home to admit COVID-positive patients from hospitals. The state has maintained that the virus entered the states nursing homes through staff and visitors. On Monday, Cuomo said that this controversy also boiled down to a political rivalry with former President Trump, and that nursing home death counts remain inconsistent around the country. Nursing homes were ground zero for COVID, he said. Everybody knows that we did everything we could to keep people in nursing homes and every other facility safe. Monday marked the first time since December that Cuomo took in-person questions from the press allowing reporters to consistently ask follow-up questions. Demand balance has always been an important input for the development planning of the power industry. It is necessary to carefully calculate future electricity demand to balance supply and demand and ensure energy security for the country. VietNamNet spoke recently with Executive Director of the Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition Social Enterprise (VIETSE) Ngo Thi To Nhien about the draft development plan of the power industry for the 2021-2035 period (Power Plan 8). Could you tell us about the most preliminary assessments in the Power Plan 8 that has just been announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade? Proper planning and harmonious balance of interests are always difficult for all countries, not just Vietnam. Photo: VGP The draft includes thousands of pages of explanations and appendices, which are very detailed and overall. It can be said that the document compilers listened to critics and put in the updates and corrections carefully. Certainly, given the general process of a national plan, this 3rd draft is not the final one. I think we have time to continue to research, consider and refine it. Balance the demand In your opinion, what should be considered first? Demand balance has always been an important input for the development planning of the power sector. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully calculate the demand for power in the future to handle the problem of balance of supply and demand and also ensure energy security for the country. How does the contribution of economic sectors affect electricity demand? We all know that the growth of the electricity industry needs to stick closely to the growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP is correlated with the proportion of three basic industries: industry - construction, trade - service, and agriculture. Industry - construction always has the highest demand for energy, especially in the previous period, when Vietnam developed heavy industries, which always accounted for approximately 50% of the country's electricity consumption. For a developing country like Vietnam, heavy industry development used to be an important consumer industry, so we are accepting a commercial electricity elasticity/GDP ratio of 1.24%, which goes with the burden on environmental impact It would be a big question for the future of the heavy industry. I think that the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress is an important milestone to define a strategic vision for the future. The goals up to 2035 such as becoming a modern industrial country, changing the growth model, applying technology achievements or developing the digital economy are timely and appropriate and a guideline for the development direction in the coming years. The question is, with that strategic vision of the political system, are the numbers given in the Power Plan 8 still relevant? For example, the ratio in GDP of industry - construction will be around 45%, while electricity consumption will increase to approximately 58% in the period 2030-2035. If the current pace of development and outdated technology are maintained, heavy industries will soon face a big problem: consumption of a lot of energy, but its contributions to the economy are inadequate, causing consequences and pressure on infrastructure systems, the environment and society. On the contrary, the commercial and service sectors, like information technology, are being oriented for future development. These are the fields that Vietnam is able to "take a short cut ", which bring about high economic efficiency, improve the quality of human resources, have little impact on the environment, and at the same time make use of the technology using energy efficiency. That is not to mention that agriculture is being re-invested in a methodical, synchronous way with new technologies from cultivation to husbandry to processing. I believe that these development directions need to be more clearly reflected in the Power Plan 8. The change of economic structure will be the driving force for Vietnam to use energy more efficiently and reduce the pressure on development of power generation, and promote high-tech development that consumes less energy for a cleaner environment. On the right track So, what are the sectors that the energy industry should pay attention to? There is a relatively new sector in Vietnam that is expected to be a large source of additional charge and has not been mentioned in this plan. That is the smart transportation system, electric vehicles such as electric buses, high-speed trains ... In Vietnam, some companies have invested in the production of electric vehicles such as buses, passenger cars, motorbikes and bicycles... In my opinion, this is an industry of high potential in the next 10 years but has not received adequate attention. Not being properly assessed on demand, there is no preparation for the distribution grid infrastructure. The potential explosion of these vehicles in the future is very great, and at the same time puts considerable pressure on the electrical system. Development of electric buses are planned and piloted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. With 100-200 vehicles with battery capacity of approximately 300kWh for the two cities, the demand for electricity and pressure on transmission lines is negligible. However, if more electric vehicles are put into use, the situation will be different. That is not taking into account personal cars that can reach up to hundreds of thousands of units being charged at the same time... Electric car battery charging will be a serious problem and we need to set out to have proper preparation. In addition, North-South high-speed train development policy is considered, but the issue of energy seems to have not been taken into account. Perhaps, the power sector development plan in particular and the energy transition in Vietnam will still have many obstacles? Proper planning and harmonious balance of interests are always difficult for all countries, not just Vietnam. However, I think we are on the right track and optimistic about the growth and energy transition in general. And during that process, it is necessary to listen to state management agencies, the constructive criticism of society and the companionship of the business. Tu Giang - Lan Anh Vietnam to develop wind, solar power, but safety concerns exist Wind and solar power continues to be prioritized but solutions are needed to ensure the safety of the electricity system when operating volatile sources of energy. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. The Post and Courier Food section since August has been checking in weekly with four downtown Charleston restaurants coping with the coronavirus pandemic and recovering from restrictions designed to contain it. The following three restaurants are still finding their way back to normalcy. For previous installments of the series, as well as more information about the featured restaurants and their chosen strategies for success, click here. Butcher & Bee: Crossing the bridge Butcher & Bee has just about passed the test. While the restaurant hasnt dropped its weekly COVID-19 testing requirement for employees, its starting to phase out the program for workers who provide proof of full vaccination. At this point, chief of staff Tara Pate said roughly 80 percent of employees should be able to satisfy that condition. Owner Michael Shemtov said it feels a little silly to keep up the testing pace established when vaccines statewide were reserved for health care workers and elderly South Carolinians. Shemtov in January collaborated with Scott Shor of Edmunds Oast to sponsor a Medical University of South Carolina testing station in their shared Half Mile North parking lot. He then referred to the weekly event as a bridge to vaccination, saying his team hoped it would reduce workplace spread and cut down on the agita around reported cases. Since its start, the weekly testing requirement has turned up several cases that might not have been located otherwise. But Pate said it was costly to reimburse workers for their time spent getting tested, whether in the parking lot or at another facility. The restaurants payroll cost for the initiative stands at about $7,500. She planned this week to outline the off-ramping process for eligible employees. Rescinding the requirement rates as a success, Shemtov said, since it recognizes the protections now available to all adults and consequent improvements in the areas COVID-19 case counts. Those factors havent gone unnoticed by patrons. The next few months seem very promising, he said. Business is back to pre-pandemic levels. Some weeks, he added, its even better. Harold's Cabin: Out of the box With restaurant traffic on a strong upswing, there are presumably fewer meals being cooked at home in the Charleston area. Harolds Cabin owner John Schumacher last week had an opportunity to reflect on the sometimes blurry boundary between the two. Schumacher has been making frequent trips to his hometown of Aiken to look after his mother. On a recent visit, he met up with a childhood friend and neighbor who used to invite Schumacher for supper. Schumacher never forgot the pizza that his friends parents served, which had the twin advantages of being both delicious and square. Come to find out it was the Chef Boyardee box mix, Schumacher said. Sign up for our food & dining newsletter. We publish our free Food & Dining newsletter every Wednesday at 10 a.m. to keep you informed on everything happening in the Charleston culinary scene. Sign up today! Email Sign Up! Still, Schumacher isnt dismissing or downgrading the fond food memory, even if it was built on a bed of instant crust. When it comes to memorable meals, feelings often surpass flavor, which might be a lesson for restaurant owners to keep in mind as they recreate their restaurants. As for Harolds Cabin next iteration, its still up in the air. Not much new on this end, said Schumacher, who continues to wait for the Small Business Administration to begin accepting applications for federal restaurant grants. Chasing Sage: Driven to frustration Even though Chasing Sage hasnt yet opened its dining room, the restaurant isnt immune to the employee shortage which has seized the Charleston areas food-and-beverage sector. Chasing Sages owners say theyre steadily rebuilding their staff roster, scheduling interviews and confirming arrangements with at least one worker whose status was previously uncertain. But theyve noticed that more business owners, struggling to hire drivers, are themselves showing up at the restaurant with bread and other scheduled deliveries. Its obvious to the Chasing Sage team that Uber Eats and DoorDash are running low on drivers, too. This poor lady ordered ramen and it was a total debacle, general manager Max Clarke said of one customers protracted experience last week. According to Clarke, the requested bowl of noodle soup sat for so long that Chasing Sage remade it, assuming a DoorDash driver would soon arrive to claim it. An hour after the customer placed her order, there still werent any drivers in the vicinity who wanted to tote a serving of ramen from Cannonborough-Elliottborough to North Charleston. When she called the restaurant around that time for an update, Clarke apologized and assured her the kitchen would remake the ramen again. We just kept making it, owner Cindy Edward said of the aggravating evening. Two hours later, the customer called back. Ill just come get it, she said. By the time she arrived, closing time had come and gone, but the restaurant supplied her with a fresh serving of ramen and a few make-it-right doughnuts. Clarke and Edward said the customer was exceptionally appreciative: She even called back the following day so she could rave to the manager about the handsome young blonde man, not realizing Clarke was both manager and young man. For a customer to show kindness in the face of a staffing crunch was cool, Edward said. Plus, DoorDash reimbursed the restaurant for all of the wasted ramen. The High Court has ruled that four publicans who won significant test actions over FBD's failure to pay out on business disruption claims caused by Covid-19, are entitled to their legal costs, but not on the highest scale. In his judgement Mr Justice Denis McDonald said that while it was accepted that the actions were important test actions. He said that the court, after considering various legal authorities on the issue could see no proper basis to order that the costs should be assessed on the legal practioner and client basis- the highest level of costs that can be awarded. The four test actions were taken by Dublin bars Aberken, trading as Sinnotts Bar; Hyper Trust Ltd, trading as The Leopardstown Inn' and Inn on Hibernian Way Ltd trading as Lemon & Duke. The fourth action was taken by Leinster Overview Concepts Ltd the owner of Sean's Bar, which is based in Athlone, Co Westmeath. In his decision earlier this year, the outcome of which affects claims made by some 1,000 Irish pubs and restaurants, the judge found that a policy sold by FBD covered losses pubs sustained by having to close due to the pandemic. The issue of quantifying the losses will be dealt with at a later date. Following last February's judgement the publicans asked the court for an order compelling FBD to pay the legal fees the publicans incurred on an enhanced solicitor-client basis. They claimed they had to engage in these actions, and argued that FBD had gained the benefit of a decision which has very wide implications for the insurer and its clients. The publicans also argued that if they were awarded costs on a lower scale, they would be left in a less advantageous position than policy holders who did not take part in the test cases, which was not a fair outcome. FBD argued the fact the cases were test actions, was not a reason for the court to award costs against it on the enhanced scale. Before the trial started FBD agreed to make a contribution towards the plaintiff's legal costs. The courts should only award the level of costs sought in scenarios including when the court is unhappy with the conduct of the case, or in exceptional circumstances which did not exist in this case, FBD argued. The judge said that the court was not prepared to award costs on the level sought by the publicans. He said that the appropriate way to take account of the test nature of the proceedings was to treat it as a relevant circumstance when the publican's costs are being assessed by a Legal Costs Adjudicator. The judge said if he is wrong on this, and the Central Bank which a regulatory role regarding the insurance sector, takes a different view over the level of costs that should be awarded then the court would revisit the issue. In addition to the costs issue the court also sought submissions on matters including the proper interpretation to be applied to the term 'closure' within FBD's Public House Policy of insurance, which is relevant to quantifying the losses. The publicans argued that the correct interpretation of the policy did not require the pubs to be fully closed in order for them to be covered. They also claimed the policy also indemnifies them during the periods when the pubs were partially closed or limited in what trade they could do while various government restrictions were in place. FBD argued that the court should interpret the section of the policy differently from the publicans. It claimed that the language contained in the policy clearly refers to the period when the plaintiff's businesses were "completely closed," and not partially closed, and when certain pubs were carrying on some trade on their premises. The judge ruled that he had come to the conclusion that the word closure is not confined to a total shutdown of the insured properties premises, but extends to a closure of part of the premises. In his February judgement the judge disagreed with FBD's interpretation of its business disruption policy regarding covid19. He said that cover is not lost where the closure is prompted by nationwide outbreaks of disease provided that there is an outbreak within the 25-mile radius and that outbreak is one of the causes of the closure. The publicans had challenged FBDs refusal to indemnify them, as well as the insurers claim its policies did not cover the disruption caused by Covid-19. They claimed that under their policies of insurance they were entitled to have their consequential losses covered by the insurer. They also claimed FBD's failure to pay out was a breach of contract. They claimed the policies contained a clause that states the pubs will be indemnified if their premises were closed by order of the local or Government Authority if there are "Outbreaks of contagious or infectious diseases on the premises or within 25 miles of same." FBD disputed the claims and argued that the closures did not occur as a result of an outbreak of disease at the premises or areas where the pubs are located. The actions will return before the court next month. By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists said on Monday they have detected a large gap, equal to about what the United States emits annually, between the amount of climate-warming emissions that countries report and the amount that independent models say reaches the atmosphere. The gap of about 5.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year arises not because any country is doing anything wrong. Rather, it is due to differences between scientific methods used in national inventories that countries report under the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change and methods used by international models. "If models and countries speak a different language, assessing country climate progress will be more difficult," said Giacomo Grassi, an author of a study on the gap and a scientific officer at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. "To address the problem, we need to find a way to compare these estimates." The emissions gap, explained in the study https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01033-6 published on Monday in the monthly journal Nature Climate Change, could mean some countries will have to adjust their emissions reductions. For instance, the country models done by the United States and other nations show more carbon-absorbing managed forest land than the independent models indicate. The study finds the national estimates, which allow more flexible definitions for those lands, show about 3 billion hectares more of managed forest land around the world than in the independent models. The risk is that some countries could claim managed forests are absorbing large amounts of emissions and not do enough to cut emissions from cars, homes and factories. "We are lucky to have those natural carbon sinks," Christopher Williams, an expert on forests at Clark University told the Washington Post, about the study. "However, that carbon uptake is a freebie from nature for which we do not really get to take credit in our battle against climate change." Story continues As countries work to keep their commitments to cut emissions as part of the Paris agreement to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the discrepancy could become a larger issue. The Biden administration is urging countries to advance their goals on cutting emissions ahead of U.N. climate talks in Scotland in November. Under the Paris agreement, countries will review their collective progress every five years, a process called "Global stocktake" that will start next year. The study said further work is required to develop country-specific adjustments, "but countries that had previously used an incomparable benchmark may eventually need to update their target." (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by David Gregorio) Bengaluru, April 26 : With the sharp surge in Covid infections, the Karnataka cabinet on Monday resolved to vaccinate all those between 18 and 44 years of age free of cost. It also allowed home delivery of liquor for the first time in the state's history. After the cabinet meeting here, Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa announced that Karnataka will vaccinate people above the age of 18 years and below 45 years free of cost at government hospitals across the state. The Union government will bear the cost of vaccination of those above 45 years in the state. "With both governments taking up vaccination drives, there will be free vaccination across the state in government hospitals," he said. The CM added that food and beverages take away is allowed this time. "We are allowing home delivery of liquor in the state," he said. He also announced that the cabinet decided to write to the State Election Commission to defer all upcoming polls for at least three months from now. Yediyurappa asserted that the cabinet took these decisions after deliberating with all ministers and experts. "Essential items like milk and groceries will be available for four hours in the day from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. during the lockdown period," the Chief Minister said. Bengaluru, a city of 1.2 crore people, reported more than 20,000 new infections on Sunday, its highest single-day tally so far. Among the major Indian cities, Bengaluru's daily surge is currently second only to that in the national capital Delhi. The CM added that both inter and intra-state public transportation will not function except goods transportation during the lockdown period. "The two-week lockdown will commence from Tuesday 9 p.m. onwards and end on May 10," he said and hinted that the window period for public transport will remain open till Tuesday 9 p.m. for those who want to leave for their hometowns. Yediyurappa said that these tough measures are required to contain the spread of the virus. "Covid virus is predominantly spreading in Bengaluru and its surrounding areas and it has surpassed even Mumbai, hence, we are forced to implement such harsh measures," he said. A watchdog will investigate whether race played a part in any police failings as they hunted for Richard Okorogheye following complaints by his mother. The 19-year-old, who had sickle cell disease, went missing from his home in Ladbroke Grove, west London, on the evening of March 22. His mother, Evidence Joel, contacted police the following day, but he was not officially recorded as missing until 8am on March 24. Mr Okorogheye's body was found in Epping Forest, Essex on April 5. His mother later said she had been 'disappointed' with the initial police response to his disappearance. On Monday, watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it will investigate Ms Joel's complaints about the way she was initially treated by police, and how her reports about her son's disappearance were handled. A watchdog will investigate whether race played a part in any police failings as they hunted for Richard Okorogheye following complaints by his mother Evidence Joel It will also look at the Met Police overall handling of the missing person report. IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said: 'Our thoughts are with Richard's family and friends and all those affected by this tragic loss. We have spoken to his family and explained our role. 'Our investigation will establish whether the police responded appropriately to the concerns raised that Richard was missing. 'We will examine whether the force appropriately risk assessed those reports, and if the amount of resources the Metropolitan Police dedicated to its enquiries were suitable based on the information known by the police and the risks posed. The 19-year-old university student was found dead in a pond in Epping Forest, Essex, on Monday. Pictured: Police at the scene Metropolitan Police officers at the scene at the Wake Valley pond car park in Epping Forest. April 6 Mr Okorogheye, who had sickle cell disease, left his family home in the Ladbroke Grove area of west London on the evening of Monday March 22 'As there is a mandatory requirement for police forces to refer to us incidents which result in a death or serious injury, we will examine the actions and decisions of the police when dealing with the missing person report made in respect of a vulnerable young man. 'We will also consider whether Richard's or his mother's ethnicity played a part in the way the initial reports of his disappearance were handled.' Mr Okorogheye left his family home at around 8.30pm on March 22 and headed in the direction of Ladbroke Grove. Police said further inquiries have established that he then took a taxi journey from the W2 area of London to a residential street in Loughton, Essex. He was last seen on CCTV in Loughton, walking alone on Smarts Lane towards Epping Forest at 12.39am on March 23. His mother Ms Joel, a nurse, said she was 'disappointed with the initial response by police' when she reported Richard missing. Mr Okorogheye left his family home at around 8.30pm on March 22 and headed in the direction of Ladbroke Grove Mr Okorogheye left his family home at around 8.30pm on March 22 and headed in the direction of Ladbroke Grove 'The following week, I could see that the police were actively searching for Richard and the investigation was picking up. 'Since then, I am very pleased with the way police have been working. 'I would like to thank the family liaison officers for being thorough, honest and open with us throughout the investigation. 'We hope to get closure on what happened to Richard.' She added: 'I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been involved with searching for Richard, and to the police for the way they have picked this up. 'I have been overwhelmed by kindness and I am grateful for all the love, support, prayers, food and flowers that everyone has been sending.' New Delhi, April 26 : The new production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme aimed at encouraging domestic production of white goods will reduce import dependence over the medium term, said India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). Accordingly, the scheme for ACs will provide an incentive of 4-6 per cent on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India over a period of five years. "The minimum investment varies depending on the nature of projects (i.e. large or small) as well as upon the nature of component. India's high reliance on imports in the sector exposes the companies to forex risks as well as supply chain disruptions, on account of dependence on select geographies," the agency said in a report. "As such, the scheme is likely to see increased investments from various domestic and global players in the sector," it added. According to the agency, the total budgetary allocation for the scheme is 'Rs 62.38 billion'; however, the split between air conditioners (ACs) and LEDs is not available. "Assuming that 60 per cent of the total budgetary allocation goes towards AC segment, Ind-Ra estimates the scheme has the potential to generate incremental revenues in the range of Rs 650 billion and Rs 750 billion," it said. "Furthermore, accounting for the benefit derived from PLI, the agency expects that the cost of manufacturing in India could be cheaper in the range of 8-12 per cent, depending on the component," the report added. As per the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association, out of the total 75 per cent components (by value) being imported, assembling is completely done in India. Also, critical components such as compressors, condensers, blower motors and PCB circuits, which account for 55-60 per cent of the total cost of a RAC, are largely imported. "Over the last few years, several players have been working towards indigenisation and backward integration for various parts such as compressors, motors, outdoor and indoor units, heat exchangers, among others and have established manufacturing units in India," the report said. "For instance, Highly Electrical Appliances (JV of Hitachi Group) and Midea Group (GMCC) have set up or are setting up their compressor facilities in India," it added. However, the agency said these are still small in size and inadequate to cover the entire industry. As such, the Indian RAC industry continues to depend on imports, especially from China and South East Asia, for majority of critical components, the report said. "Given the small size of domestic RAC industry and lower cost of imported components, it does not make economic sense for AC or component manufacturers to invest in local units. However, in view of various incentives or policies launched by the government, Ind-Ra believes that the industry could see increased investments by large players mainly to increase backward integration," it said. "Some global players could also consider India as their alternate supplying destination. Large contract manufacturers, which account for around 40 per cent of the total ACs manufactured in India, could also invest in this space as they are likely to achieve economies of scale faster than other players," the report added, Trinidad and Tobago can see a reduction in the number of people dying from Covid-19 on a daily basis if the drugAzithromycinis immediately stopped, says Dr Ravi Ramjanak. Ramjanak is a consultant in obstetrics gynaecology and pelvic reconstructive surgery. It is my view based on the pharmacodynamics of Azithromycin that the death rate will fall if we stop using this drug in Covid-positive cases. Azithromycin has no effect on viruses, yeasts and fungi, said Ramjanak in an interview with the Sunday Express last week. Die-hard members of gap nation were not pleased with Michael Strahans April Fools Day prank. Good Morning America host Michael Strahan appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show stage on Monday to let everyone know his signature gap is remaining intact. I truly did not think people cared that much about my teeth and I just did it as a little prank, thinking a few of my Instagram followers are gonna go, Oh, hes [being] crazy they would know it was fake, Strahan said. The 49-year-old talk show host and former New York Giants defensive end went on to say that he got Seven hundred text messages, 400 emails. Everybodys trying to FaceTime me to see, and I [fooled] everybody. Michael Strahan attends Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports 2019 at Barker Hangar on July 11, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images) On April Fools Day, Strahan posted a video on his Instagram account of him going through a dental procedure, supposedly to get the gap between his two front teeth closed. It appears that stunt was no laughing matter to members of Gap Nation, the community of people who share the signature look and/or dont want to see Strahan change it. Read More: Michael Strahan reveals closing of tooth gap was April Fools joke Good Morning America host Michael Strahan without his signature tooth gap (Twitter) On Mondays show, DeGeneres jokingly shared in the fun. I didnt realize there was a Gap Nation, she said. You would be the king of it, if theres a Gap Nation. You make it work. It looks good. On April 2, Strahan posted another video where he laughingly revealed the prank. I actually feel really bad about not closing it after everything that I saw, but the gap is here, the gap is not going anywhere for a while and my momma likes it. Thank you guys, April Fools. Strahan had tweeted about the love he has for his smile just a week before his April Fools stunt, saying I rock my gap with pride! Its who I am. He even poked fun at some of his friends, including Anthony Anderson, who recently closed his gap. I got tired of people saying, your gap looks like Michaels, Anderson joked on an episode of Good Morning America. Read More: Michael Strahan slams Bachelor host Chris Harrison for his surface response to racism scandal Story continues In an interview with Elle magazine in 2012, Strahan said he had previously considered closing his gap. Theres so much pressure to be perfect, Strahan told the publication. You can fix everything now. For me, I made the conscious effort to say, This is who I am. Im not perfect. I dont want to try to be perfect. At this point, I dont think my kids would recognize me without it. Theyd be like, Who is this stranger in the house? Call 911! Despite those hints, Strahan certainly had a chance to show off his acting skills and certainly had a lot of people fooled. The Grios Gerren Keith Gaynor contributed to this report. 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 Michael Strahan tells gap nation that his signature smile is here to stay appeared first on TheGrio. NYT Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury is retiring the term 'op-ed' at the paper The New York Times has said that it will retire the term 'op-ed' and replace it with 'guest essay', a rebrand that follows a string of furious controversies in the newspaper's Opinion section. Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury announced the change in a column on Monday, calling the term op-ed 'clubby newspaper jargon' and adding 'we are striving to be far more inclusive in explaining how and why we do our work.' Kingsbury explained that first op-ed page of guest contributions appeared in the Times in 1970, and was so named because 'it appeared opposite the editorial page and not (as many still believe) because it would offer views contrary to the paper's.' The bold rebranding comes after spectacular internal turmoil in the Times Opinion section, with editors James Bennet and Bari Weiss resigning over the demands of 'woke' colleagues, and columnist Bret Stephens expressing fury that editors spiked his column criticizing the ouster of health reporter Donald McNeil Jr. The bold rebranding comes after spectacular internal turmoil in the Times Opinion section, with editors Bari Weiss and James Bennet resigning last year In her column, Kingsbury said that in a digital age, the term 'op-ed' had little meaning and was potentially confusing to readers. 'It is a relic of an older age and an older print newspaper design,' she wrote. NYT Opinion section controversies June 2020: Opinion Editor James Bennet resigns after internal backlash over the publication of Tom Cotton's op-ed, 'Send in the Troops'. July 2020: Staff op-ed editor Bari Weiss resigns citing 'constant bullying by colleagues who disagree with my views.' February 2021: Times kills a column by Pulitzer-winning staffer Bret Stephens, which was critical of the executive editor's handling of a staffer who uttered the N-word. April 2021: Times Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury announces the term 'op-ed' is being phased out in favor of guest essay Advertisement 'So now, at age 50, the designation will be retired. Editorials will still be called editorials, but the articles written by outside writers will be known going forward as 'Guest Essays,' a title that will appear prominently above the headline,' continued Kingsbury. She went on to argue that the current atmosphere 'a time when the scales of opinion journalism can seem increasingly tilted against the free and the fair, the sober and honest.' Kingsbury said that the Times would continue to seek out opposing views for its guest essays, but noted 'we have our thumb on our scale in the name of progress, fairness and shared humanity.' The Times Opinion section has been embroiled in controversy for nearly a year, since Opinion Editor James Bennet was forced to resign last June. Bennet stepped down after furious internal backlash that he had allowed Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, to publish an op-ed arguing for the military to be used to quell Black Lives Matter protests. The op-ed, titled 'Send in the Troops', called for federal troops to respond if there was violent rioting in major U.S. cities. Publisher AG Sulzberger initially stood behind the decision to publish the piece, but the paper's leadership buckled in the wake of Twitter backlash, much of it led by the paper's own employees. Many Times employees tweeted that running Cotton's essay put 'black lives in danger,' including the lives of black reporters. Opinion Editor James Bennet was forced to resign last June after furious internal backlash that he had allowed a controversial op-ed from Senator Tom Cotton (above) Cotton's op-ed was eviscerated on Twitter by the New York Times community and many readers declared their intent to stop reading the publication altogether Then just weeks later, staff op-ed editor Bari Weiss resigned last July, citing 'constant bullying by colleagues who disagree with my views.' Weiss has described herself as a 'left-wing centrist', but her writing often critiques the perceived excesses of the left, and speaks out against 'woke' cancel culture. 'Twitter is not on the masthead of The New York Times. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor,' Weiss wrote in a furious public resignation letter. 'As the ethics and mores of that platform have become those of the paper, the paper itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space.' Weiss, in her resignation letter, said her opinions had resulted in her being bullied by coworkers. She described the Times as a 'hostile work environment' and criticized management for allowing her coworkers to 'publicly smear' her on Twitter and also on company-wide Slack messaging channels. Weiss said some employees would post an ax emoji next to her name on company Slack channels and others would discuss the need for her to 'rooted out' if the NYT was 'truly inclusive'. Editors James Bennet (left) and Bari Weiss (right) left the Times Opinion section last summer following intense criticism from colleagues over various controversies 'My own forays into Wrongthink have made me the subject of constant bullying by colleagues who disagree with my views. They have called me a Nazi and a racist; I have learned to brush off comments about how I'm 'writing about the Jews again',' Weiss wrote in her resignation letter. 'Several colleagues perceived to be friendly with me were badgered by coworkers. My work and my character are openly demeaned on company-wide Slack channels where masthead editors regularly weigh in. 'There, some coworkers insist I need to be rooted out if this company is to be a truly 'inclusive' one, while others post ax emojis next to my name. Still other New York Times employees publicly smear me as a liar and a bigot on Twitter with no fear that harassing me will be met with appropriate action. They never are.' She went on to describe that behavior as unlawful discrimination, hostile work environment and constructive discharge. 'I do not understand how you have allowed this kind of behavior to go on inside your company in full view of the paper's entire staff and the public. And I certainly can't square how you and other Times leaders have stood by while simultaneously praising me in private for my courage,' she wrote. Controversy struck again in February, when the Times killed a column by Pulitzer-winning staffer Bret Stephens, which was critical of the executive editor who initially said 'intent' doesn't matter after a star health reporter was forced out over his use of the N-word. Stephens wrote in a note to colleagues about his piece focusing on the saga surrounding Donald McNeil Jr's resignation, saying: 'If you're wondering why it wasn't in the paper, it's because AG Sulzberger spiked it.' In February, the Times killed a column by Pulitzer-winning staffer Bret Stephens (right), which was critical of the executive editor's handling of an N-word controversy Sulzberger is the chairman of The New York Times Company and the publisher of The New York Times. The Times had initially allowed veteran journalist McNeil Jr to keep his job after complaints he used the racial slur during a company funded school trip to Peru in 2019. But McNeil Jr was forced out after 150 Times employees out of 4,500 signed a letter saying they were 'deeply disturbed' by the paper's handling of the incident. Out of those 4,500, only 1,600 are journalists. Executive editor Dean Baquet and managing editor Joseph Kahn had initially said: 'We do not tolerate racist language regardless of intent.' Stephens had planned to question those comments by Baquet and Kahn in his column titled 'Regardless of Intent', which was published in full by the New York Post after getting killed at the Times. Amanda Holden made a seriously stylish exit from London's Heart FM offices on Monday as she strolled through the British capital in a polka dot jumpsuit. The presenter, 50, looked effortlessly chic in the ensemble which featured a smart Peter Pan collar and she teamed it with open-toe black heels. Amanda wore her blonde hair swept back into a ponytail, and kept her belongings safe in a black over-the-shoulder bum bag. Stylish: Amanda Holden made a seriously stylish exit from London's Heart FM offices on Monday as she strolled through the British capital in a polka dot jumpsuit Amanda kept the sunshine at bay with a pair of oversized sunglasses and made sure to flash photographers a smile as she went about her day. The blonde bombshell also showed off her outfit on Instagram, posing up a storm in the Heart FM offices before strutting her stuff in a playful black-and-white clip. It comes after it was reported that Amanda will step into Cilla Black's shoes and host her own version of Blind Date - 30 years after she appeared on the show looking for love herself. The Britain's Got Talent judge is believed to be working with the BBC on the 'special' project. Chic: The presenter, 50, looked effortlessly chic in the ensemble which featured a smart Peter Pan collar and she teamed it with open-toe black heels Hair up: Amanda wore her blonde hair swept back into a ponytail, and kept her belongings safe in a black over-the-shoulder bum bag 'It's always been a dream of mine to have my own dating show, so I'm excited that I'm working on something special with the BBC at the moment,' Amanda told Woman's Own magazine. Amanda, who was on Blind Date as a contestant in 1991 when she was 19, was rumoured to be in talks with BBC producers last month. 'Execs are thrilled to have Amanda on board. She is perfect for a dating show because she has a great sense of humour,' an insider told Daily Star Sunday. 'Everyone working on the show thinks she has the potential to be just like Cilla was years ago on Blind Date. There's a lot of excitement about this.' Happy: Amanda was in high spirits and also sported a timeless gold watch on her left wrist as she went about her day Fun! The blonde bombshell also showed off her outfit on Instagram, posing up a storm in the Heart FM offices before strutting her stuff in a playful black-and-white clip It's a busy time for the star who is stretching her judging wings with a stint on new show, I Can See Your Voice. On Saturday night's show Amanda was showing her off her incredible pins in a thigh-skimming pink dress as she posed back stage. Earlier this month, the mother-of-two opened up about her sex life during a very racy and candid interview. Speaking in April, Amanda revealed she and her husband Chris Hughes still have a 'primal' sex life after 12 years of marriage. She admitted her husband is 'always up for it' so it's usually down to her to decide when they get intimate. Reflecting on their romance, she told listeners: 'He can't keep his hands off me. I actually tell him off because I say, "I don't want to have a kiss and a grope while I'm trying to load the dishwasher".' Amanda and Chris - who tied the knot in 2008 - are doting parents to two daughters, Alexa, 15, and Hollie, nine. Republican states Texas and Florida have reported fewer COVID cases despite reopening their states. Meanwhile, Democrat-led states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York have seen more cases of COVID-19 after refusing to roll back COVID restrictions, and imposing statewide mask mandates, according to a Fox News report. On Mar. 10, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was criticized by the left after he decided to fully reopen the state and reversed the state's mandate. The same criticism was sent out to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after he reopened Florida. Critics accused him of endangering Florida residents when he allowed businesses to fully reopen in September. READ MORE: The Virus is Not a Hoax: Texas Man Dies After Attending COVID-19 Party COVID Cases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed that Michigan has faced worst COVID positive cases in recent weeks, with 449.2 cases of the virus per 100,000 in the last seven days. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania has reported 239.6 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days with a total of 30,678, according to a Breitbart News. New York City alone has recorded 208.1 new cases per 100,000 in the last seven days. New York's total cases were reported to be at 17,475. New Yorkers are getting frustrated with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's mask mandate. All three Democrat states have mask mandates in place, yet reporting a higher number of new cases per capita as compared to both Texas and Florida. In Texas, reported cases were 70.3 per 100,000 in the last seven days with a total of 20,374. Meanwhile, Florida has reported 195.5 cases per 100,000, with a total of 41,993 in the same period. Pennsylvania reported 221.4 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has urged local and state officials to impose mask mandates across the country. Biden earlier slammed Texas for lifting their restrictions in March, saying that it was a "Neanderthal thinking." States Reopening In March, Texas fully reopened their states, allowing business to operate. Abbott said at the time that it is time to open Texas 100 percent, adding that COVID has not suddenly disappeared but that state mandates are no longer needed, according to The New York Times report. Meanwhile, in Chicago, children returned to school this week. San Francisco announced that indoor dining, museum, movie theaters, and gyms could reopen on a limited basis. Florida have opened schools and businesses. Florida has the most reported cases of the British variant. The said variant was reported to have been more contagious and has the potential to be more deadly, according to a News4Jax report. However, federal health officials are worried that leaders might be deciding on the matter swiftly. "I know people are tired; they want to get back to life, to normal," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, was quoted in a report. She added that they are not there yet. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser for Covid-19, said this small groups of people who have been fully vaccinated have low risk in gathering at home. However, Fauci added that activities beyond that would depend on data, modeling, and good clinical common sense. READ NEXT: Florida Man Fights COVID-19 in Florida ICU After Being Exposed by Son WATCH: Experts struggle to make sense of Covid trends in some states Texas will continue to see its political clout grow as it gains two additional congressional seats following the 2020 census, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday. Thanks to its fast-growing population largely due to an increase in residents of color, particularly Hispanics the states share of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives will increase to 38 for the next decade. The new counts reflect a decade of population growth since the last census, which determines how many congressional seats are assigned to each state. More detailed data, which lawmakers need to redraw legislative and congressional districts to reflect that growth, isnt expected until early fall. But census estimates have shown its been driven by people of color. Through 2019, Hispanics had accounted for more than half of the states population growth since 2010, a gain of more than 2 million residents. And though it makes up a small share of the total population, estimates showed the states Asian population has grown the fastest since 2010. Estimates have also shown the states growth has been concentrated in diverse urban centers and suburban communities. With its gain of two seats, the states footprint in the Electoral College will grow to 40 votes. But Texas will remain in second place behind California for the largest congressional delegation and share of Electoral College votes. The states political heft has been growing steadily for decades. Texas has gained at least one additional congressional seat after every census since 1950, according to the Census Bureau. Its gained two or more seats after every census since 1980. The state's congressional delegation is currently made up by 22 Republicans and 13 Democrats, with one vacant seat following the recent death of Republican Ron Wright. Congressional and state House and Senate districts need to be reconfigured before the 2022 elections to account for the new population figures, and spread residents across districts that were drawn to be close to equal in population 10 years ago but are now significantly out of balance. But the Census Bureau is running far behind schedule in reporting detailed results because of delays forced by the coronavirus pandemic and interference from the Trump administration. The detailed population numbers lawmakers need to redraw districts to reflect the states growth will be delivered by Sept. 30 far past the end of the 2021 legislative session that ends next month. This will almost certainly require Gov. Greg Abbott to call lawmakers back to the Capitol for a rare special session in the fall to draw new political maps. The litigation that will inevitably follow is likely to upend the election schedule for the 2022 primaries, when voters pick winners from each party to face off in the general election. Decade after decade, federal courts have found that Texas lawmakers discriminated against voters of colors during their mapmaking by working to intentionally dilute the power of their votes, and their maps have regularly violated the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act. The 2021 round of political mapmaking will be the first in nearly half a century without federal oversight that was meant to shield voters of color living in states with a long history of discrimination like Texas from discriminatory maps. Dedicated volunteers and a community of collective minds can turn the tide and give hope to the less fortunate members of our society. The government cant do it all, but we can help the government achieve much more. A public agency-private enterprise joint operation could save many programs, find funds for the continuation of existing programs and, most importantly, unite the community to help those who have fallen on hard times. The United States was built in part by the tired, poor and huddled masses yearning to be freeas the Statue of Liberty reminds us. Since the 1770s, our nation has been defended by brave heroes fighting for our freedom. The wealth of knowledge our seniors possess has inspired a new generation to reach for the stars they themselves were unable to reach. However, this land of dreams, promise and pride has had its reputation tarnished by rising unemployment, exploding housing costs, increased poverty, crime and homelessness and despair for our nations workers, heroes, and seniors. Although this plight has become evident across the land, it has hit the nations most populous state, California, particularly hard. These negative changes are easy to see in Riverside County, where stats paint a bleak picture, explains Nick Saifan, an Army vet and CEO of the veteran-support company, Vendaval. Homeless numbers rose five percent last year. Those living in tents or under bridges exceed 2,155.Its the fourth year in a row that homelessness has increased in the county. Unemployment is at nearly 9 percent. (1) Nearly 18 percent of the countys residents face food insecurity.(2) Two cities in Riverside County, Desert Hot Springs and Hemet, were recently listed among the 10 worst places to live in California. (3) Were seeing people flee California in huge numbers, and were seeing unemployment rise, poverty rise, crime and homelessness continue to rise, says Saifan. In California, you see a few people become billionaires, while thousands live on the streets. Government alone cant change that, but a community working together can make a huge difference. Saifan, who spent 24 years in the military and decades more serving others, said a caring and involved community is paramount to the success of any well-intended public program. He has spent years working with experts and volunteer groups across the state to create programs for vets, job placement assistance for young adults, and GED training and childcare to those in need. Dedicated volunteers and a community of collective minds can turn the negatives into positives, Saifan said. Hes said the community should focus on those at the frayed edges and work as one to develop affordable housing for the poor, scholarships for students, work programs for the unemployed, and transportation options for those who need access to jobs, hospitals and community programs. Saifan is ready to lend his expertise and fundraising skills to enhance a current jobs plan in Riverside County. The program will help low-income residents affected by the coronavirus pandemic with training, temporary work assignments and assistance finding permanent placement. The county-funded program is temporary. Thats why theres need for a community approach. With deep ties to volunteer organizations across California, Saifan is poised to raise money and awareness for the program. Ive done this kind of community assistance work for 10 years, Saifan said. Weve raised more than $2 million for veterans. We can do this in Riverside County. Though some of the county sponsored programs are temporary, Saifan said his volunteer contacts and fundraising skills can help make the countys temporary plans permanent. He said his company can help, especially for any program that benefits the community. Saifan hopes Riverside County officials will allow him to assist with this initiative. As an expert in community building, housing development, fundraising and volunteer services, Saifan knows how to navigate the convoluted sea of red tape and get results. From his early years as student at Saint Thomas Moore High School, in Connecticut, where Saifan volunteered to clean the mess hall and the gym; to the U.S. Army awarding him a medal for his volunteering efforts while in service; to decades of blood drives (hes personally given over 15 gallons of his blood) to his current community enhancement work across California, Saifan is ready to lend his expertise to support the community. The government cant do it all, but we can help the government achieve much more. A public agency-private enterprise joint operation could save many programs, find funds for the continuation of existing programs and, most importantly, unite the community to help those who have fallen on hard times, says Saifan. Together, we can return the Golden to the Golden State and to our nation. About Vendaval Corporation Nick Saifan served in the U.S. military for 24 years, including time stationed in Riverside County, CA. He experienced firsthand the difficulties of transitioning from military life to civilian life and, as a co-founder of a community-based nonprofit, he watched the difficulty in getting donations increasing year by year. Today, hes putting his business savvy where his heart is. He sees a community that, like many, has struggled to evolve with a changing employment picture in the region. Today Vendaval Corporation visualizes a sustainable business structure creating the opportunity for helping those in need with successful community-based programs. The differentiator in the communities he visualizes is self-sufficient affordable housing in a mixed-use development that offers on-site programs for veterans, youth, education, childcare, on-the-job training, and job placement. These programs begin even before ground is broken. Rounding out the community are retail outlets such as bakeries/coffee shops, dry cleaning shops, a paid-membership fitness center, and financial institution. For more information visit http://www.vendavalcorp.com/ 1 State of California Employment Development Department; Last Updated Apri 2021; labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/file/lfmonth/rive$pds.pdf 2. Downey, David; Riverside Countys homeless population climbs 5%, Last updated May 2020; The Press-Enterprise; pe.com/2020/05/06/riverside-countys-homeless-population-climbs-5/ 3. James, Nick; The 10 Worst Places to Live In California for 2021, Last updated January 2020; Roadsnacks.net; roadsnacks.net/worst-places-to-live-in-california/ Akiesha Gilcrist Sainvil, an associate at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, PA, has been selected to The Florida Bar Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy Class of 2021-2022. Sainvil will join a select group of attorneys chosen throughout the state of Florida to serve as an Academy Fellow. The Leadership Academy cultivates a diverse network of emerging community leaders committed to improving the legal profession. During their one-year term, Academy Fellows follow a curriculum tailored to enhance their professional development, knowledge base, and experience, including attending The Florida Bar events and special educational programs. They are given the opportunity to network, interact, collaborate, and build relationships with state and national bar leaders, while developing and enhancing their personal leadership skills. The Academy notes that the purpose of the fellowship program is to identify, nurture, and inspire effective leadership within the Bar and the legal community, to build relationships among Bar leaders across disciplines within the profession, and to raise the level of awareness and engagement among lawyers regarding issues facing the legal profession through the study of ethical, professional, and public service issues. It is a true honor to be selected as a Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy Fellow, Sainvil said. Service to the community and the Bar is very important to me, and I look forward to learning from the various programs of the Academy to achieve this meaningful goal. Sainvil, who is based in Greenberg Traurigs Miami office, focuses her practice on defending medical device, pharmaceutical, and consumer products manufacturers in high-stakes complex products liability and mass torts litigation. Active in her community, she devotes herself to the advancement and promotion of diversity in the legal profession through her service as a mentor and advocate for young and aspiring lawyers. She currently represents the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization with that exact goal, as a City Lead for Miamis LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program and its Alumni Group. She also actively supports the Miami Childrens Museum. About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Whitehalls ethics chief has agreed that financier Lex Greensills appointment to a role inside government was a screaming, glaring conflict of interest. The head of the civil service, Simon Case told MPs on a parliamentary watchdog committee that he found the nature of Mr Greensills position in government unacceptable And he said it was extraordinary that Bill Crothers was allowed to work as the governments chief procurement officer at the same time as he was employed by the financiers company Greensill Capital, which went on to bid for lucrative public sector work. Mr Case told the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) that an unknown number of other individuals have been given roles as unpaid advisers to government, but said he was not aware of others in the same position as Greensill. Admitting he was alarmed by the situation, Mr Case told the committee: For me, I cant explain the Greensill case I dont think its acceptable, I dont believe it is a common practice, I certainly dont think theres anything happening at the moment that is the equivalent. Boris Johnson has ordered an inquiry by lawyer Nigel Boardman into the Greensill affair after former prime minister David Cameron lobbied Rishi Sunak for government support for the company, where he worked as a senior adviser after leaving office. Cabinet Office director general of propriety and ethics Darren Tierney told a PACAC inquiry that it was unclear how Mr Greensill had been appointed to an advisers role during Mr Camerons time in office, apparently on the recommendation of then cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood. He confirmed that the financier was given a pass to enter Downing Street and was given security clearance some months after beginning his work, but said it had not been possible to find a contract setting out his position. PACAC member David Jones said that while Greensill Capital had no public contracts at the time, its founders position within government put him in a position to acquire information that would have been of assistance to him in deciding the basis upon which he could offer commercial services to the government. And he asked Mr Tierney: Doesnt it look like a screaming, glaring conflict of interest? The Whitehall ethics chief replied: Yes, it does. Challenged that this appeared to be appalling incompetence by senior officials, Mr Tierney said: What we havent seen is the evidence of how the conflict was to be managed, and that is what we have asked Nigel Boardman to look into. Asked about the nature of Mr Greensills role, Mr Tierney told MPs: He wasnt a special adviser his exact status is unclear. Thats one of the things that we have asked Nigel Boardman to look into. He was appointed as an unpaid adviser on supply chain finance in January 2012, he did that until 2015. In 2013, he also became a crown representative, which lasted until 2016, when he left the Cabinet Office. Mr Greensills initial three-month appointment was approved by then minister Francis Maude - currently conducting a review of the Cabinet Office for Mr Johnson - and his senior civil servant Ian Watmore, but it was unclear who had signed off later extensions, said Mr Tierney. He added: We have been unable to find a contract. What we have found so far are an appointment letter, and then subsequent reappointment letters. Mr Case told the committee that it was a pretty extraordinary set of circumstances that Mr Crothers was permitted to remain as the governments chief procurememt officer after his appoinment at Greensill, a company whose business was selling services to government. His continuation in the post was approved by Sir Jeremy Heywood and the then head of the civil service Sir John Manzoni, without being signed off by ministers. Describing the situation as being of acute concern, Mr Case said: I personally have never heard of anything like it before and, having talked to current and former colleagues, no-one else seems to have seen anything quite like it. Mr Jones told him: It looks very much as if senior officials were putting in place an arrangement that would make it easier for Greensill Capital to obtain public sector work. LogiPoint, a Saudi logistics real estate company, said it has signed a strategic partnership deal with United Warehouse Company (UWC) to develop a Built-to-Suit multipurpose facility over a 15,000-sq-m area in Jeddah. The UWC facility will be set up in LogiPoints logistics hub located in the heart of Modon, Jeddah Industrial City 1. A globally renowned group, LogiPoint has become the kingdoms premier developer and operator of Logistics Parks and Zones, while UWC is one of the leading 3PL companies in the kingdom offering specialised logistics solutions to the market. The Jeddah Logistics Hub (JLH) is a 120,000-sq-m fully integrated logistics platform enabling industrial area users to optimise and streamline their logistics operations. This will be a state-of-the-art facility designed to include frozen, chilled, ambient and dry sections and will, therefore, enable UWC to cater to the full spectrum of warehousing clientele ranging from meat and poultry to dairy to foodstuff to raw materials for manufacturing. There are options to build specialized distribution centers and warehouses to serve factories and businesses located in industrial cities and help them leverage supply chain efficiencies. Parking spaces for over 350 trucks and distribution vehicles ensure seamless and efficient operations during even peak hours, said the statement from LogiPoint. Understandably, JLH will also be home to support services businesses like facilities management, heavy machinery and truck maintenance workshops, and other ancillary businesses catering to the logistics hub tenants and users, it stated. LogiPoint CEO Farooq Shaikh said the logistics landscape in the kingdom was transforming rapidly and that there was a growing need for developing logistics eco-systems which enabled agility and efficiency through reducing supply chain waste and related costs. "The JLH is a self-contained logistics eco-system, a value creation platform which enables our clients to set and achieve ambitious targets in speed, efficiency and operational excellence in supply chain," stated Shaikh. "Our agreement with UWC underscores the importance of strategic partnerships in designing and delivering next-generation advanced logistics solutions in the kingdom," he stated. "This aligns perfectly with our commitment to the Saudi Vision 2030 goal of transforming the kingdom into a futuristic supply chain and logistics hub in the region," he added. UWC Managing Director Engineer Fathi Baisa said the logistics sector and the industrial sector were twins in terms of integration in services, as the development in the logistics system has a great impact on the development of the industrial sector by raising efficiency and speed in supply chains." "The agreement is an important step in achieving the requirements of the Kingdom's 2030 vision for logistics services in terms of transforming the kingdom into a global logistics centre," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Apple is steeping up its investment plans in the United States with a pledge of $430 billion, saying this would double its expected creation of 20,000 new jobs Apple announced Monday it plans to boost its investment plans in the United States to $430 billion over the next five years, saying this would add some 20,000 jobs. The updated plan includes more than $1 billion for a new campus and engineering hub in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Apple also plans to invest "tens of billions of dollars for next-generation silicon development and 5G innovation across nine US states," a statement said. The California tech giant said it was increasing its 2018 goal of $350 billion in US investments after Congress passed a measure lowering taxes on repatriated profits for American firms. "At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states," said Apple chief executive Tim Cook. "We're creating jobs in cutting-edge fieldsfrom 5G to silicon engineering to artificial intelligenceinvesting in the next generation of innovative new businesses, and in all our work, building toward a greener and more equitable future." The news comes with Apple and other tech giants facing heightened antitrust scrutiny for their growing dominance of key economic sectors, which has increased during the pandemic. Big Tech firms are also being targeted for tax reform both in the United States and globally. Apple said it is "the largest taxpayer in the US" and has paid almost $45 billion in domestic corporate income taxes over the past five years. The company said it was on track to meet its 2018 goal of creating 20,000 new jobs in the US by 2023 and that with the latest commitment, expects to create another 20,000 over the next five years. The latest effort calls for expansion or new facilities in parts of California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington state, and Iowa. 2021 AFP COLORADO SPRINGS, CO / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2021 / Fortitude Gold Corp. (OTCQB:FTCO) (the "Company") today announced exploration drill results at Scarlet including 16.76 meters grading 2.23 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 24.38 meters grading 1.60 (g/t) gold. This mineralization is associated with the northwestern structural extensions of its Isabella Pearl mine located in Mineral County, Nevada. Fortitude Gold is a gold producer, developer, and explorer with operations in Nevada, U.S.A. During the first quarter of 2021, a ten-hole reverse circulation program targeted the south Scarlet area located approximately 650 meters northwest of the Company's operating Isabella Pearl mine (see map below). Substantial widths and gold grades intercepted oxide mineralization with potential to be processed at the Company's Isabella Pearl heap leach pad and gold process plant. Scarlet drill highlights include (m=meters, g/t=grams per tonne) (full drill table below): Hole # IPRC-254 19.81m of 1.56 g/t gold incl. 3.05m of 3.19 g/t gold Hole # IPRC-257 16.76m of 2.23 g/t gold incl. 3.05m of 4.52 g/t gold Hole # IPRC-262 24.38m of 1.60 g/t gold incl. 3.05m of 3.94 g/t gold "We believe this Scarlet drill program, northwest of the Isabella Pearl mine, appears to have intercepted the extension of the same structure of the mineralized Pearl zone in our operating Isabella Pearl mine," stated Mr. Barry Devlin, Fortitude Gold's Vice President of Exploration. "Multiple holes have returned sizeable widths of plus one gram per tonne gold with grades as high as 4.52 grams per tonne gold. We have now prioritized further delineation drilling of this Scarlet mineralization with the upcoming drill campaign targeted to commence during the second half of this quarter. The primary objective is to build on these exciting drill results and delineate another gold deposit." SCARLET DRILL SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS Hole # Angle Target From Interval Au deg Meters Meters g/t IPRC-251 -50 Scarlet 42.67 3.05 0.40 62.48 6.10 0.31 117.35 19.81 0.31 143.26 4.57 0.35 IPRC-252 -45 Scarlet 114.30 6.10 0.64 135.64 1.52 1.01 144.78 4.57 0.34 IPRC-253 -50 Scarlet 96.01 3.05 0.51 105.16 18.29 1.16 incl. 114.30 1.52 2.02 134.11 10.67 0.40 IPRC-254 -60 Scarlet 67.06 19.81 1.56 incl. 76.20 3.05 3.19 IPRC-255 -60 Scarlet 65.53 15.24 1.11 incl. 76.20 1.52 2.07 IPRC-256 -60 Scarlet 64.01 18.29 1.16 incl. 76.20 1.52 2.02 IPRC-257 -50 Scarlet 21.34 3.05 0.35 51.82 3.05 0.30 67.06 16.76 2.23 incl. 76.20 3.05 4.52 IPRC-258 -50 Scarlet 132.59 6.10 0.31 IPRC-259 -60 Scarlet 21.34 18.29 0.34 IPRC-262 -50 Scarlet 32.00 24.38 1.60 incl. 35.05 3.05 3.94 59.44 3.05 0.30 73.15 3.05 0.32 Assays by Inspectorate America Corp., Sparks, Nevada, USA. Meters downhole, not true width Mr. Jason Reid, CEO and President of Fortitude Gold, stated, "At least four deposits to the southeast of our Isabella Pearl Mine along this mineralized trend were mined historically as open pits. Our operating Isabella Pearl Mine is the fifth mine along trend. There is a good possibility Scarlet could be the sixth mine northwest of Isabella Pearl along trend. In addition, we have over ten kilometers of this northwest mineralized trend locked up with numerous additional targets to test beyond these exciting Scarlet drill results." Mr. Reid continued, "We are prioritizing Scarlet with the upcoming drill campaign looking to delineate enough mineralization to advance the project towards a production decision. Scarlet's very close proximity to our operating mine, with a short haul distance to both the heap leach and waste rock facility at Isabella Pearl, could allow for a project production decision based primarily on the economics of removing the overburden to access this mineralization. Scarlet's proximity effectively lowers the hurdles and minimizes the project capital needs to reach a production decision due to leveraging nearby process infrastructure. We expect to begin construction later this year on a heap leach pad expansion to accommodate the additional ounces discovered to date at the Isabella Pearl mine. This heap leach expansion permit could also facilitate additional heap leach expansions for Scarlet mineralization as well. We are optimistic that future discoveries located on our extensive Isabella Pearl mineralized trend will warrant additional heap leach pad expansions for more production adding to our mine life and production profile. We plan to continue to delineate and prioritize both Scarlet and our Golden Mile property in parallel with the goal to delineate deposits at both properties on an expedited basis." About Fortitude Gold Corp.: Fortitude Gold is a U.S. based gold producer targeting projects with low operating costs, high margins, and strong returns on capital. The Company's strategy is to grow organically, remain debt-free and distribute substantial future dividends. The Company's Nevada Mining Unit consists of five high-grade gold properties located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt, with the Isabella Pearl gold mine in current production. Nevada, U.S.A. is among the world's premier mining friendly jurisdictions. Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. If you are risk-averse you should NOT buy shares in Fortitude Gold Corp. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding the Company's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the Company on the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, the scope, duration, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mining operations, Company employees, and supply chains as well as the scope, duration and impact of government action aimed at mitigating the pandemic may cause future actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Also, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Contact: Greg Patterson 719-717-9825 greg.patterson@fortitudegold.com www.Fortitudegold.com SOURCE: Fortitude Gold Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/642116/Fortitude-Golds-Scarlet-Intercepts-Include-1676-Meters-of-223-gt-Gold Posters for tvN series "Vincenzo," left, and SBS series "Taxi Driver" / Courtesy of tvN and SBS By Lee Gyu-lee Vigilante-style series are seeing popularity on the small screen, reaching peak viewership ratings over the weekend 16 percent for SBS's "Taxi Driver" and 12.3 percent for tvN's "Vincenzo." The action series "Taxi Driver," which started with a 10.7 percent viewership April 9, saw its highest rating with the latest episode Saturday. It has been praised for offering a sense of catharsis through the dark hero characters' unconventional style of seeking vengeance against criminals. The series follows a taxi company that runs an unusual service offering to take revenge on behalf of clients. Led by the owner Jang Sung-chul (Kim Eui-sung) and driver Kim Do-ki (Lee Je-hoon), a group of people with a distrust of the legal system, band together to take matters into their own hands. When the clients who are victims of violence or injustice come to the company as a last resort, the group goes into action to seek justice, which oftentimes involves illegal acts such as hacking, theft, abduction and assault. The content is based on the experiences of real-life victims, such as forced labor, school bullying and abuse in the workplace. The series director Park Joon-woo noted that watching this series could scratch a viewer's itch for justice in a world that seems filled with crime. "Many people feel that appropriate justice has not been served on many notorious criminals, like child rapist Cho Doo-soon's case," he said during a media conference for the show. "So we intended to deliver an encouraging message through satisfying revenge stories." A scene from "Vincenzo" / Courtesy of tvN The comedy crime series "Vincenzo" also revolves around a dark hero, Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) who is a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer. The lead character, whose everyday business involves murder, is far from being a crusading justice-seeker. But when he travels to Korea on business to protect a derelict building and a hidden vault full of gold underneath it, his life changes. A conglomerate, led by the crooked, sociopathic villain Ok Taec-yeon, tries to buy the building to tear it down. This leads Vincenzo to form an alliance with its tenants and eventually to seek justice against the illegal deeds committed by the conglomerate. The cold-hearted Mafia consigliere uses his ruthless skills sparing no mercy for the bad guys, to take down the mastermind behind the notorious company. The series started with a one-digit viewership rating Feb. 20, but it soon surged, reaching over 10 percent after just four episodes. Story Highlights Economic Confidence Index +2 in April First time in positive territory since early March 2020 Majority confident in Biden's ability to handle the economy WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Gallup's Economic Confidence Index registered a score of +2 in April, the first time it has been net positive since early March 2020, just before then-President Donald Trump declared a national emergency amid rising coronavirus infections. The U.S. entered a brief but severe recession as business activity slowed amid stay-at-home orders, with the index dropping to -32 in early April. Americans' economic evaluations improved in the ensuing months, staying just inside negative territory at -1 immediately after the presidential election. Confidence slumped again amid rising COVID-19 infections and deaths in the U.S., dropping back to -21 in January, before improving in each of the past three months, including a nine-point increase this month. Line graph. Recent trend in Gallup's Economic Confidence Index. The index is +2 in April after being in negative territory since the pandemic began in the U.S. The latest results are based on an April 1-21 survey. Gallup's Economic Confidence Index summarizes Americans' ratings of current U.S. economic conditions and their belief in whether the economy is getting better or worse. It has a theoretical range of +100 -- if all Americans thought current conditions were excellent or good and that the economy was improving, to -100 -- if all Americans rated conditions as poor and said the economy was getting worse. Both index components are barely positive this month. Current Economy Evaluations Improved, but Have Been Better During Pandemic In the new survey, 28% describe current economic conditions as either excellent or good, while 26% say they are poor. Last month, 23% rated current conditions as excellent or good and 31% as poor. The April ratings are not the best they have been for this aspect of the index during the pandemic. In November, positive evaluations of current economic conditions exceeded negative ones by 13 percentage points -- 36% to 23%. Several other months last year, Americans' ratings of economic conditions were similar to what they are now. At their worst point during the pandemic, in late April and May 2020, negative evaluations exceeded positive assessments by 20 points. Line graph. Recent trend in Americans' ratings of current economic conditions. Currently, 28% rate conditions positively while 26% rate them negatively. Before the pandemic, Americans were far more positive than negative, with 62% rating conditions excellent or good and 8% poor. That changed quickly in April 2020, with 27% rating conditions excellent or good and 39% poor. Economic Outlook Net Positive for First Time Since Last Spring While ratings of the current economy have been better in some recent months than they are now, Americans' belief in where the economy is headed is more positive than at any time during the pandemic. Currently, 47% of U.S. adults believe the economy is getting better and 46% worse, the first rating that was not more negative than positive since March 2020. A year ago, when most of the country was living under stay-at-home orders, 22% said the economy was getting better and 74% worse. Even in November, when Americans were relatively upbeat about current economic conditions, a solid majority of 55% said the economy was getting worse. Line graph. Recent trend in Americans' economic outlook. Since the pandemic began, Americans have been significantly more likely to say the economy is getting worse than to say it is getting better. Now, 47% say it is getting better and 46% say it is getting worse. Majorities Confident in U.S. Economic Leaders As President Joe Biden prepares to address Congress this week and outline his economic proposals, the poll finds 57% of Americans expressing "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of confidence in him to "do or to recommend the right thing for the economy." His economic confidence rating matches his overall job approval rating in the April 1-21 survey. A majority of Americans also express confidence in two of the president's chief economic advisers -- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary (and former Federal Reserve Chair) Janet Yellen. Americans are somewhat less confident in Democratic leaders in Congress as a whole and much less confident in Republican congressional leaders. Majority Confident in Biden and His Key Economic Advisers to Take The Right Actions on the Economy As I read some names and groups, please tell me how much confidence you have in each to do or to recommend the right thing for the economy -- a great deal, a fair amount, only a little, or almost none. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]? Great deal Fair amount Only a little Almost none % % % % President Joe Biden 30 27 12 31 Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell 12 43 17 17 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen 17 37 17 20 The Democratic leaders in Congress 17 32 15 34 The Republican leaders in Congress 7 32 26 35 Gallup April 1-21, 2021 Biden's economic confidence rating is higher than those given to his predecessor, Trump, which ranged between 42% and 48% during his four years in office. This is the case even though Trump's approval ratings for handling the economy were mostly above the majority level. While Biden's first-year economic confidence rating of 57% exceeds Trump's first-year rating, from 2017, by nine points, it is not as strong as Barack Obama's (71% in 2009) and George W. Bush's (68% in 2001) first-year ratings. Powell's 55% rating is essentially unchanged from last year (58%). Meanwhile, Yellen's 54% confidence score is similar to that for her predecessor, Steve Mnuchin (51%), the Trump administration's chief negotiator in last year's stimulus legislation discussions with Congress. Perhaps the most notable change from a year ago is the decline in confidence in Republican congressional leaders to take the right economic actions, from 47% to 39%. Still, the current figure for Republicans is well above their low point of 24% in 2014. Confidence in Democratic leaders is essentially unchanged from last year, but the 49% measured this year is nominally the highest since 51% in 2009. Since 2007, Americans have typically been more confident in Democratic congressional leaders than in Republicans. The current 10-point gap in confidence for Democrats versus Republicans is one of the largest Gallup has measured. Line graph: Trend in confidence in Democratic and Republican leaders to do or to recommend the right thing for the economy. Americans have usually had more confidence in Democrats than Republicans. The current 10-point gap is among the largest measured. Bottom Line Americans' optimism about the economy's direction is improving, and for the first time in over a year, Gallup's Economic Confidence Index has a positive score. Many experts believe the series of economic stimulus actions taken in the past year helped limit the economic damage from the coronavirus, and many also expect 2021 to be a strong year of economic growth. Of course, those predictions rest on the assumption that the coronavirus will be largely under control this year as more Americans get vaccinated from it. If the spread of COVID-19 is kept to a minimal level, more businesses and public places can re-open or accommodate larger numbers of customers. Those developments could unleash a surge of pent-up consumer demand as the public has largely avoided traveling or attending events with large crowds for over a year. View complete question responses and trends (PDF download). Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. The U.S. will begin sharing its entire stock of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with the world once it clears federal safety reviews, the White House said Monday. (April 26) Video Transcript JEN PSAKI: The administration is looking at options to share American-made AstraZeneca vaccine doses during the next few months. Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the United States has already authorized and available in large quantity-- and that is available in large quantities, including two two dose vaccines and one one dose vaccine, and given AstraZeneca is not authorized for use in the United States, we do not need to use AstraZeneca in our fight against COVID over the next few months. Before any AstraZeneca doses are shipped from the United States, the FDA will confirm any such doses meet its expectations for product quality. This is being done in the context of the FDA's ongoing review of all doses made at the plant where these AstraZeneca doses were produced. And I anticipate in the near future, our team will share more details about our planning and who will be receiving doses from here but we're in the planning process at this point in time. Just to be clear, right now we have zero doses available of AstraZeneca. We're talking about what the-- the FDA needs to go through a review, right, to ensure the safety and it's meeting our own bar and our own guidelines. And we expect there to be approximately 10 million doses that could be released, if when the FDA-- if or when the FDA gives its concurrence which could happen in the coming weeks. So this is not immediate. And there is an estimated additional 50 million doses that are in various stages of production. These could be completed in stages across May and June. Our team, our national security team, our COVID team working with the State Department and others, we're going to assess a range of requests, a range of needs around the world. But that's the timeline just to give you a sense. We're working through what the process will look like and we will consider a range of options from our partner countries and of course, much of that will be through direct relationship. Ms. Choi credited a Korean television series called Reply, about a group of friends in the 80s and 90s. The three-part drama, one of the most successful shows from 2012 to 2016, is attributed with bringing back clothing from the era mom jeans, classic American-brand sneakers, oversize sweatshirts. It influenced Ms. Song, who was not actively following the newtro trend during her preparations for Minari. I am really excited to hear that Koreans are also adapting to this style, she said. Louis Park, 48, a former stylist who runs a vintage-style cafe in Seoul, said he wondered if Jacob, a character in the film played by Steven Yeun, was too stylish. I looked at Steven Yeuns character and thought, This is a man whod just be considered a fashionista today, he said. Myoung Jung-woo, 37, who opened a vintage shop called Bubu1206 in 2017, said her closet consists of items from the 70s to the 90s. She said that newtro is about understanding your parents generation and has found that many young women come into her shop looking for dresses that resemble what their mothers wore at their age. Not only is it a fun way to find your own style, it also helps you bond with your elders, she said. Lee Jin-soo, a GQ Korea editor, said her love of Hollywood movies like E.T. and The Cure resulted in her fondness for vintage American T-shirts. Much of whats considered trendy, in terms of newtro fashion, comes from the United States, she said. Mr. Park, who has followed Koreas vintage scene since he was a teenager, said that Korea does not have the culture of passing down household items to future generations. If you go to a vintage store in Korea, there arent that many Korean brands, he said. For most of our history, we never saw clothes, particularly old Korean clothes, as having value we just saw them as used. I hope this new trend means some of that can slowly change. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 00:24:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Jie on Monday said China's relations with Zambia cannot be told without mentioning the southern African nation's first president Kenneth Kaunda. The Chinese envoy said Kaunda was a pillar in building the relationship between the two countries. The envoy made the remarks when he visited the former president at his residence to wish him best wishes ahead of his 97th birthday which falls on April 28. On his part, Kaunda thanked the Chinese envoy for the best wishes. Enditem Indian authorities may be worrying how to inoculate all its citizens above the age of 18 due to COVID-19 vaccine shortage, but there is good news. While 11 COVID-19 vaccines, including India's Covaxin, have already reached the market, at least 17 new COVID-19 vaccines are in the final stage of trials, including two from Indian vaccine makers. Currently, 39 coronavirus vaccines are in different stages of clinical trials globally, out of which 6 are from India, 13 from China, and 20 from other countries. Of these, 39 vaccines, 12 are already launched in the market, comprising 5 from China, 1 from India, and 6 from other countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO)'s data on 'Landscape of candidate vaccines in clinical development' says a total of 91 vaccine candidates have reached the clinical development stage, which is three phases of clinical trials in humans. Apart from the five Chinese vaccines - Sinopharm (2 vaccines), Sinovac, Cansino and Anhui Zheifei, which are claimed to have completed three phases of trials, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, AstraZenaca's Covishield, Pfizer-BioNtech's Comintary, Moderna's mRNA-1273, J&J-subsidiary Janssen's Ad26.COV2.S, and RDIF-Gamalia Research's Sputnik V are the vaccines that are already there in the market. ALSO READ: 23 states to administer free COVID-19 vaccine from May 1. Check out full list here While China's another 9 vaccines are only in the first or second phase of human trials, the data says another 17 vaccines from different parts of the world are in the final Phase III stage, which means these vaccines are likely to be available commercially in the coming months. Prominent among them are Zycov-D from India's Zydus Cadila which is expected to be launched in the coming months and Hyderabad-based manufacturer Biological E's BECOV2, which got final phase trial clearance from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) last week. Serum Institute, in partnership with US-based Novavax is planning to launch a vaccine by September and its entire production and development was supported by Serum. The vaccine will be manufactured in Pune and at a facility serum sold to Novovax in Europe. The major US-European vaccines in final trial stages include Novavax-Serum Institute of India partnered vaccine CureVac, Germany's RNA vaccine CVnCov, US biotech firm Inovio's DNA vaccine, protein subunit vaccine from Sanofi-Pasteur and GSK, and a similar vaccine from Clover Biopharma-GSK-Dynavax combine. Besides a consortium of three biotech companies in Europe - ReiThera, Leukocare and Univercells has a vaccine with de-activated virus in Phase 2/3 stage. Canadian biotech firm Medicago Inc has a virus-like particle derived vaccine, while Ireland-based Vaxxinity has a protein subunit platform vaccine in Phase 2/3 stage of trials. ALSO READ: COVID-19 in UK: Britain to vaccinate everyone aged 44 years and above Other nations are also close to launch their vaccines. In Japan, the alliance of Osaka University, Takara Bio and AnGes is developing a DNA vaccine. Cuba has two vaccines in Phase III stage - a protein subunit vaccine from Instituto Finlay de Vacunas and CIGB-66(RBD+aluminium hydroxide) vaccine being developed by its Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB). Iran's Shifa Pharmed Industrial Company has an inactivated virus vaccine in final Phase 2/3 stage. EpiVacCorona vaccine by Russia's Vector Institute and QazCOVID-in by Kazakhstan's Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems are also in final Phase III trials. Australia, one of the top biotech research hubs in the world, has a protein subunit vaccine in final stages, developed by pharma giant CSL, along with Sequiris and the University of Queensland. ALSO READ: Centre will not import COVID-19 vaccines, leaves the decision to states Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 20:55:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Non-essential shops, gyms, swimming pools, pubs and restaurants reopened Monday in Scotland as the region further eases its COVID-19 lockdown. Early morning queues were seen at fashion retailers in major cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh as shoppers waited for doors to open, according to the BBC. Under the new measures, travel restrictions were scrapped and people in Scotland are allowed to travel to other parts of Britain for non-essential reasons. Meanwhile, nail salons, museums and holiday accommodation can also reopen in Scotland. Unlike England, pubs and restaurants will be able to open indoors until 20:00 BST (1900 GMT), but alcohol will have to be served to customers sitting outside. Scottish officials said the lockdown can be eased because coronavirus cases continue to fall in the region and the most vulnerable people have been offered their first vaccine dose. Scotland has been in Level Four lockdown, the toughest coronavirus restrictions, since Dec. 26 last year, with all non-essential shops, leisure facilities and hospitality venues closed. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that the majority of scientific experts are of the view that there will be another wave of COVID-19 at some stage this year and Britons must learn to live with the virus. However, he said there was nothing in scientific data to suggest Britain would have to deviate from the roadmap out of lockdown. In England, all shops reopened from April 12 as lockdown eased, along with hairdressers, beauty salons and other close-contact services. Restaurants and pubs were allowed to serve food and alcohol to customers sitting outdoors. Meanwhile, gyms, spas, zoos, theme parks, libraries and community centers can all open. On May 17, restaurants and pubs are expected to be allowed to resume indoor service and see most rules on gathering outdoors lifted. The British government's four-step plan is expected to see all legal restrictions in England being removed by mid-June. Experts have warned that despite progress in vaccine rollout, Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants, particularly those first emerged in South Africa, Brazil and India, and the third wave of pandemic on the European continent. 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 New Delhi: All medical personnel of the armed forces who have retired or have taken pre-mature retirement in the last two years are being recalled to work in COVID-19 facilities within proximity of their present place of residence, the government said on Monday. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat told Prime Minister Narendra Modi about this decision as they reviewed preparations and operations being undertaken by the armed forces to deal with the second wave of the pandemic raging across the country. Other medical officers who retired from the armed forces earlier than two years have also been requested to make their services available for consultation through medical emergency helplines, a statement said. Rawat also informed the prime minister that oxygen cylinders available with armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals. Modi was also informed that all medical officers on staff appointments at Command HQ, Corps HQ, Division HQ & similar HQ of Navy and Air Force will be employed at hospitals. "The CDS informed the prime minister that nursing personnel are being employed in large numbers to complement the doctors at the hospitals," the statement said. Rawat also said they are creating medical facilities in large numbers and military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians, where ever possible. Modi reviewed the operations being undertaken by Indian Air Force as well to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad. The prime minister also discussed with Rawat that Kendriya and Rajya Sainik Welfare Boards and officers posted in various headquarters in veterans cells may be instructed to coordinate the services of veterans to extend the reach to the maximum extent possible, including in remote areas. Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Mostly sunny skies this morning. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High 72F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Advertisement A haunting video has emerged showing the crew of the doomed Indonesian military submarine singing together on board just weeks before the craft sank. In the heartbreaking clip, some of the 53 sailors on the vessel can be seen smiling as they huddled around a man playing on his guitar for a rendition of the popular Indonesian hit 'Sampai Jumpa' that translates as 'goodbye' or 'until we meet again'. Just weeks after the happy scenes of camaraderie were captured on film, the KRI Nanggala-402 sank to the seabed and split into three pieces off Bali with all those on board killed. The video was released by devastated Indonesian military chiefs as more parts from the submarine were retrieved, including an anchor and fluorescent orange safety suits for emergencies, authorities said. The discovery comes a day after the navy had first confirmed the retrieval of fragments from the submarine and declared that it had sunk, effectively ending any chance of finding survivors. The Indonesian military has released a haunting video showing the crew of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine singing along to a hit song called 'Goodbye' The Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala (402) participates in a photo exercise during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training in Indonesia, 2015 Underwater photo released today by the Indonesian Navy shows parts of submarine KRI Nanggala that sank in Bali Sea, Indonesia Indonesia's military has also officially announced that all 53 crew members are dead. Pictured: Underwater photograph of the sunken vessel Among the earlier items recovered were a piece of the torpedo system and a bottle of grease used to lubricate periscopes. They also found a prayer mat commonly used in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. Warships, planes and hundreds of military personnel had led a frantic search for the submarine since it disappeared this week during training exercises, hoping for a miracle rescue before its known oxygen reserves ran out. But on Sunday, Indonesian military head Hadi Tjahjanto said there was no chance of finding any of the crew alive. He said: 'With deep sadness, I can say that all 53 personnel onboard have passed. 'We received underwater pictures that are confirmed as the parts of the submarine, including its rear vertical rudder, anchors, outer pressure body, embossed dive rudder and other ship parts. 'With this authentic evidence, we can declare that KRI Nanggala 402 has sunk and all the crew members are dead.' The navy previously said it believes the submarine sank to a depth of 2,000-2,300ft, much deeper than its collapse depth of 655ft, at which point water pressure would be greater than the hull could withstand. An underwater robot equipped with cameras and deployed by Singaporean vessel MV Swift Rescue provided the images, while the Indonesian vessel KRI Rigel had scanned the area where the submarine was believed to have sunk using multibeam sonar and a magnetometer, Tjahjanto said. The submarine was conducting a torpedo drill in waters 60 miles north of the island of Bali on Wednesday, but failed to relay the results as expected The discovery comes a day after the navy had first confirmed the retrieval of fragments from the submarine and declared that it had sunk, effectively ending any chance of finding survivors Among the earlier items recovered were a piece of the torpedo system and a bottle of grease used to lubricate periscopes Warships, planes and hundreds of military personnel had led a frantic search for the submarine since it disappeared this week during training exercises, hoping for a miracle rescue before its known oxygen reserves ran out The German-built diesel-powered KRI Nanggala 402 had been in service in Indonesia since 1981 and was carrying 49 crew members and three gunners as well as its commander, the Indonesian Defence Ministry said The cause of the disappearance was still uncertain. The navy had previously said an electrical failure could have left the submarine unable to execute emergency procedures to resurface. An American reconnaissance plane, a P-8 Poseidon, landed early on Saturday and had been set to join the search, along with 20 Indonesian ships, a sonar-equipped Australian warship and four Indonesian aircraft. The German-built diesel-powered KRI Nanggala 402 had been in service in Indonesia since 1981 and was carrying 49 crew members and three gunners as well as its commander, the Indonesian Defence Ministry said. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands, has faced growing challenges to its maritime claims in recent years, including numerous incidents involving Chinese vessels near the Natuna islands. Relatives of First Lieutenant Muhammad Imam Adi, a 29-year-old father of a young son, clung to hope earlier Sunday. 'My wish now is that my son and all the crew can be found,' Adi's father Edy Sujianto said from his home on Java island. 'My son had wanted to become a soldier since he was a child. That was his dream.' President Joko Widodo described the sailors as Indonesia's 'best patriots'. 'All Indonesians convey their deep sadness over this incident, especially to the families of the submarine crew,' he said. A military personnel holds an escape suit believed to be from the sunken Indonesian Navy KRI Nanggala-402 submarine during a media conference at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali today 'It was broken into three pieces,' said Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono. More parts from the doomed submarine were also retrieved, including an anchor and fluorescent orange safety suits for emergencies, authorities said Authorities have not given an explanation for the accident, but said that the submarine may have suffered a blackout that left its crew unable to resurface. They discounted an explosion, however, saying Saturday that the evidence suggested the submarine came apart as it was crushed by massive water pressure in the vast depths. 'Submarine hulls are pressurised... but when they're breached then water would come flooding inside,' said Wisnu Wardhana, a maritime expert at Indonesia's Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology. 'Can you imagine if water with that kind of pressure hits people?' Retired French vice-admiral Jean-Louis Vichot earlier told AFP that a submarine's hull could collapse 'like a folding accordion' if it hits depths way beyond its limits. Any salvage operation would be risky and difficult, navy chief Margono said. 'We'll discuss it to make a decision on how to lift the submarine in this condition,' he said Sunday. 'I want to lift it, but how do we bring it up from (these depths)?' Neighbouring Malaysia, as well as the United States, India and Australia, were among the nations helping in the hunt. Search vessels, reconnaissance aircraft and submarine rescue ships had been deployed to scour a zone of about 10 square nautical miles (34 square kilometres). The submarine - one of five in Indonesia's fleet - disappeared early Wednesday while it was scheduled to do live torpedo training exercises off Bali. The crew asked for permission to dive. It lost contact shortly after. Later, search teams spotted an oil spill where the vessel was thought to have submerged, pointing to possible fuel-tank damage, and a catastrophic accident. The submarine - delivered to Indonesia in 1981 - was seaworthy, the military said. The model has been used by more than a dozen navies around the world. But investigators would look at the Indonesian submarine's age as a potential factor, analysts have said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison contacted Indonesian President Joko Widodo after the vessel was found in three pieces at the bottom of the Bali sea, hundreds of metres beyond its diving range. 'Deepest sympathies to President Jokiwi and all our Indonesian friends on the loss of KRI Nanggala,' Mr Morrison said on Sunday night. 'A tragic reminder of the ultimate sacrifice our service people make for their country. It was an honour to contribute to search efforts. Australia stands by you in your time of loss.' Australia took part in an international search for the vessel, which involved dozens of helicopters and ships equipped with sonar systems. The search for the missing Indonesian submarine ended as navy crew members located the vessel and confirmed all 53 people on board have perished. Aerial photo taken on Oct. 18, 2018 shows tourists taking a boating trip on Lijiang River in Yangshuo County of Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) NANNING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Upon arriving at a scenic spot on the Lijiang River, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Li Fang took out a 20-yuan paper note to use in a photo with her husband. Printed on the back of the note is the landscape she and her husband stood in front of in Yangshuo County in the city of Guilin. The hot tourist destination was first printed on the 20-yuan note in 2000, one in the fifth set of China's currency banknotes. "The green mountains and lucid waters are picturesque, and I really enjoyed the environment while taking a raft downstream," said Li, 32. Hailed as one of the most beautiful rivers on earth, the Lijiang River stretches more than 400 km through scenic karst mountains, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. CNN once posted a travel article on the world's 15 best rivers for travelers, with Lijiang being listed along with the Amazon and the Danube. According to a national water assessment result released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in mid-April, the Guilin Lijiang River ranked among the top 10 in the country's water environment quality in the first quarter of this year. The idyllic scenery is a sharp contrast to some 20 years ago when the area suffered from pollution and deforestation. Pig farms and restaurants discharged wastewater in the river, and sand-mining vessels also contaminated the water. "We were not willing to wash vegetables in the river," Li Yingrong, a local villager, recalled. To pursue higher economic benefits, local villagers used to burn plants on unclaimed hills along the river to grow cash crops such as sugar orange trees. "Deforestation and reclamation harmed the soil and water. After heavy rains in the flood season, the river water became muddy," said Yang Lihua, Party chief of Xingping Township of Yangshuo County, recalling the scene years ago when he took office. In 2012, China raised the vision of building a "Beautiful China," with ecological progress included in its integrated plan for development. In the same year, the first regional regulations on ecological and environmental protection of the Lijiang River came into force, emphasizing the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. To protect the river, local governments rolled out a series of policies and measures and made all-out efforts to reduce pollution, including closing polluting plants and cracking down on illegal sand mining. Quarries, fish restaurants, piggeries and aquaculture farms near the river banks were shut down. Mo Bikun, an official in charge of sewage treatment from the Guilin Drainage Project Management Office, said the city spent 619 million yuan (about 95 million U.S. dollars) building and improving the sewage pipeline network from 2015 to 2020 to prevent dirty water from flowing into the Lijiang River. "After vigorous treatment, water in Guilin, including the Lijiang River, is getting cleaner and cleaner," Mo said. The improved environment has also brought tourists and revenue. In 2019, Guilin received 138 million tourists, generating consumption totaling 187.4 billion yuan, up 26.7 percent and 34.7 percent, respectively, compared with the levels in 2018. "The cleaner river has not only delighted tourists from home and abroad, but also improved citizens' living satisfaction," said Mo. Enditem 15 1 [ Editor: JYZ ] A cuckoo called PJ has finally returned home to his breeding grounds in Suffolk after completing his fifth migration and taking his total mileage to a staggering 50,000 miles. In 2016, he was caught and fitted with a satellite tag which lets scientists track his movements. Like all cuckoos - famed as the harbinger of spring - he spends the winter in the warmth of Africa and migrates to reach Britain in April to breed. The tracker shows that PJ has now arrived in Suffolk, making him a record breaker in the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) project which has seen dozens of cuckoos fitted with tags since 2011. Scroll down for video A cuckoo called PJ has finally returned home to his breeding grounds in Suffolk after completing a staggering 50,000-mile-journey that saw him cross the Sahara desert ten times PJ THE CUCKOO Status: Active Tagged: Tuesday, June 7, 2016 - 06:00 Tagging Location: King's Forest, Suffolk, England Sex: Male Age when found: Second-year Wing Length (mm): 225 Advertisement The BTO said: 'His arrival back in King's Forest, Suffolk, sees him complete his fifth annual migration cycle to, from and within Africa since he was tagged, amassing a distance travelled of well over 50,000 miles and making him the only satellite tagged Cuckoo to have achieved this since the project began in 2011. 'During this time he has crossed the Sahara desert ten times alone, not counting all of his sea crossings and navigating the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the Pyrenees on the Spanish-French border. 'PJ was one year old when tagged, so this summer he will be six years old, taking him to within a year of the British longevity record for a ringed cuckoo, which stands at six years and eleven months for a bird found dead in 1983.' Male cuckoos arrive in mid-April and are only here for a few weeks. In June or July, after finding as many females as possible to mate with, the they fly back to Africa. The tracker shows that PJ has now arrived in Suffolk, making him a record breaker in the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) project which has seen dozens of cuckoos fitted with tags since 2011 Then next April they'll be back again to start the breeding cycle all over again. The BTO said cuckoos are in decline, adding: 'It's a journey so full of hazards that it's always a relief when they get back to Britain every spring, no matter how fast or slow. 'These cuckoos have taught us so much about their lives, giving answers but also raising more questions as to what might be behind their decline.' THE CUCKOO TRACKING PROJECT The British Trust for Ornithology started tagging cuckoos in 2011 to understand why we've lost over half the number of cuckoos in the UK over the last 20 years. The tags have revealed lots of vital information, such as how the different routes taken are linked to declines, and some of the pressures they face whilst on migration. BTO is now looking more closely at how dependent they are on, and how much their migration is linked, to the drought-busting rains of the weather frontal system known as the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) as they move out of the Congo rainforest and begin to head back to the UK via West Africa. Source: British Trust for Ornithology Advertisement Cuckoos, swallows, house martins and swifts are among dozens of species which spend summer here to lay eggs and rear their young, but migrate to Africa for the winter. The BTO launched the tagging project to find what is causing the decline of the cuckoo population. We have lost over two-thirds of our breeding cuckoos in the UK as a whole and almost three-quarters of them in England during the last 23 years, according to the team. Dr Chris Hewson, lead scientist on the BTO project, said: 'We have been avidly tracking PJ since he began his journey back to the UK from Africa in late February, willing him to complete the journey. 'We can now heave a huge sigh of relief knowing he is safely back in Suffolk but of course, more than that I look forward to looking more closely at the information he has given us. 'He is an amazing and unusual cuckoo - they normally migrate to Africa via either Spain or Italy and keep to the same route every year. 'But PJ has used both routes, and one in between, over the five years and in fact last autumn he stopped in both Spain and Italy! 'Perhaps this flexibility has helped him survive so well, allowing him to escape bad conditions on one route and find better conditions on the other?' PJ was one year old when tagged, so this summer he will be six years old, taking him to within a year of the British longevity record for a ringed cuckoo Once a cuckoo has been fitted with a satellite tag and released it starts providing information straight away, allowing scientists to determine how well the birds fare no matter where they go. Anyone can follow them via the BTO website in near real time. This spring. the BTO will be tagging 12 more cuckoos and you can follow them at www.bto.org/cuckoos. A three-year-old boy has been shot and killed at his own birthday party in Miami's Golden Glades neighborhood. Elijah LaFrance was killed on Saturday night, according to Miami-Dade police, who said a 21-year-old woman had also been shot but is expected to survive her injuries. An altercation happened outside an Airbnb on NE 158th street after 8pm, police said. Shortly afterwards, shots were fired and the shooter fled the scene. Police were alerted to the shooting Saturday night by a system that detects and tracks gunshots. When they arrived at the home, officers found the toddler suffering from a gunshot wound and took him to a hospital where he died, according to a news release from the Miami-Dade Police Department. Elijah LaFrance was shot on Saturday night in Miami's Golden Glades neighbourhood and later died in hospital Adrian Annestor, LaFrance's uncle, told CBS Miami that this nephew child 'couldn't even say mom and dad'. 'They killed him. Oh God, he is still on my mind. I was just playing with him,' Adrian Annestor, LaFrance's uncle told CBS Miami. 'I wish it could have been me because I've lived long enough. He couldn't even say mom and dad,' Annestor, who had been at the party, said. A neighbor told NBC 6 that they heard 20 or 30 shots and that one of the bullets struck his car. He claimed his roommate saw the shooter, who they had described as male, but the roommate did not speak to the network. Police have not released any details about the suspected shooter and have appealed to the public for information. Family told NBC 6 that the party on Saturday was held for Elijah and his little sister. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a tweet that 'we will do everything we can to bring this murderer to justice.' 'Last night a three-year-old was shot & killed at a birthday party. There are no words to describe the immense loss & anger our community is feeling. 'We will do everything we can to bring this murderer to justice & we must stand together to demand an end to this cycle of tragedy,' Levine Cava wrote. Her tweet quoted an earlier post by Alfredo 'Freddy' Ramirez III, the director of the Miami-Dade police department. 'I am at another shooting where a toddler has fallen victim to gun violence. My heart hurts, parents should not have to bury their child! 'We will not rest and will utilize every resource available to bring this murderer to justice. We can't do it alone, community must step up!,' Ramirez wrote. In a Twitter post on Sunday, Miamie-Dade police wrote that detectives are 'working around the clock, using all available resources, to solve the murder of 3-year-old Elijah LaFrance. 'We are out in the community handing out flyers, asking for any possible leads,' the post said. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them on (305) 471-8477 or to get in touch with Crimestoppers. Natco Pharma rose 3.78% to Rs 911 after the company said that it is seeking an emergency approval of Molnupiravir capsules for Covid-19 treatment. Natco Pharma has applied to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in India for approval of Phase-III clinical trial of Molnupiravir Capsules for the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients. "Pre-clinical data have shown that Molnupiravir has broad anti-influenza activity, including highly potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication. Patients treated with Molnupiravir achieved response within 5 days of therapy indicating that the duration of treatment with Molnupiravir is short, with the additional advantage of being an oral therapy," the drug maker said in a statement. Natco is hoping that CDSCO would give emergency approval of this drug based on "compassionate use" for patients. "Compassionate use" approval is given for investigational drugs so a patient with an immediately life-threatening condition can gain access to the drug. The company is ready to launch the product this month if approval is given. The drug maker's consolidated net profit dropped 39.3% to Rs 63.40 crore on 26.3% fall in net sales at Rs 355.20 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20. Natco Pharma manufactures a comprehensive range of branded and generic dosage forms, bulk actives and intermediates for both Indian as well as International markets. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Islamist militia groups and terrorist organizations are increasingly active in central and southeastern Africa. The most notorious and largest in terms of manpower is the Ugandan Moslem ADF-NALU (Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda, often simply ADF). The ADF operates in eastern Congo, primarily in North Kivu province but has been reported in Ituri and South Kivu provinces. Intelligence estimates of ADF fighting strength run from 1,100 to 1,500 fighters. Thats a huge increase from the 2015 estimate of 200. Ugandan and Congolese intelligence believe Arab ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) extremists began sending the ADF money in 2017, which allowed the ADF to recruit more fighters and buy new weapons. The ADF, in some configuration, has been operating in the area for at least 30 years. Allegedly some of its original members were active in Ugandan Islamist groups in the 1990s. The ADF has ties to Somalias al Shabaab Islamic terrorists. Now ISIL also has cadres in central and east Africa. It is believed the ISIL cadres also have ties to Somalias al Shabaab. The African cadres now have a name: ISCAP (Islamic State-Central African Province). Think of it as an ISIL regional franchise. How many fighters does ISCAP deploy? Good question. It appears the largest contingent is in Mozambique, but ISCAP fighters have claimed credit for several attacks in eastern Congo, including an attack on a prison in October 2020. In late March the ISCAP gang in Mozambique raided the town of Palma, a seaport on the Indian Ocean and just south of the Tanzanian border. The group launched another raid in the area April 16. Mozambique authorities believe the majority of ISCAP-Mozambiques fighters are Moslems from Mozambiques northern Cabo Delgado province coastal zone. This is the only province with a Moslem majority. Only 20 percent of Mozambiques population is Moslem, the majority are Christian. Worldwide, that means the Islamic terrorists can survive as long as they get some outside help but without that are eventually overwhelmed by a coalition of non-Moslems and Moslems desperate to restore peace in their neighborhoods. Over 80 percent of those killed by Islamic terror groups are Moslems. Islamic terrorists often try to exploit tribal conflicts by providing the Moslem tribes with assistance against infidel (non-Moslem) tribes. This works until the Islamic terrorists go after Moslem tribal leaders who oppose demands for recruits and contributions of cash, goods and services. Tribal loyalties, governments and militias survive in many parts of the world because central governments have not been able to effectively replace the economic, judicial (settling disputes) and security services that tribes have long provided. In just about every major nation (China, India, Russia and even the United States) some tribes continue to function like this. In many more minor nations tribes constitute the main source of government services. Nation-states appeared when a central government could provide better services. This usually took place when one or more tribes were able to build urban centers (cities) and attract more people to their superior rule. Some tribes were conquered, but unless the conquerors could provide the essential services the tribe provided, the conquered tribe would evolve into rebels. Particularly stubborn tribes were exterminated, often by dispersing population to distant parts of the empire. Such tactics continue to be used. April 24, 2021: In northeast Congo (Ituri province) rebel violence during March forced 26,409 civilians to flee their homes. April 23, 2021: In CAR (Central African Republic) renewed fighting has led to another surge in displaced persons. The majority of those displaced this time because of fighting in northwestern CAR, near Cameroon border. Currently there are about 11,000 CAR refugees in Chad with over 100,000 more CAR refuges in Congo, Cameroon and The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). April 22, 2021: Uganda has responded to the ICJ (International Court of Justice) lawsuit Congo filed on April 20. Uganda told the court that the billions of dollars Congo seeks as reparations and restitution for Ugandan actions in eastern Congo would ruin Uganda. The Congos demands are described by Uganda as disproportionate. Congo contends that from 1998 to 2003 Uganda and armed groups it supported plundered eastern Congo, primarily in Ituri province. Congo claims it is due over $13.5 billion in damages. The claims break down like this: (1) $4.3 billion in reparations payments for victims of theft and violent attacks; (2) $2.8 billion for damage to wildlife; (3) $700 million for lost natural resources; and (4) $5.7 billion in what Congo calls macroeconomic damages. Congo first made accusations against Uganda in 1999. In 2005, the ICJ ruled that Uganda had violated international law when its forces occupied parts of Ituri province. At that time the ICJ also ruled that Congo had violated international law when its forces attacked Ugandas embassy in Kinshasa. It then ordered the Congo and Uganda to negotiate a settlement. The countries have failed to reach a settlement. April 19, 2021: In Rwanda a government report claims that France bears significant responsibility for the 1994 genocide. The report contends France enabled the foreseeable genocide and has since tried to cover up its role. The report accuses the government of former French president Francois Mitterrand of knowing that preparations were being made to commit large-scale massacres. France recently acknowledged that it failed to act to stop the genocide and was blind to indications that radical Hutus were plotting a genocide. April 18, 2021: The government of Malawi arrested 14 people on corruption charges related to the misuse, and possible theft, of funds to fight covid19. At least two of those arrested were identified as senior officials. One of the senior officials is Labor Minister Ken Kandodo who is accused of misusing funds. All of the accused were caught in an audit ordered by president Lazarus Chakwera. April 17, 2021: The United States announced it will impose sanctions in the form of visa restrictions on several Ugandan government officials the U.S. State Departments claims have undermined the democratic process in Ugandas January presidential election. The U.S. said that members of the Ugandan security forces who assaulted opposition supporters will be among those facing travel restrictions. A spokesman for the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, the major opposition group, said that the NUP appreciated the U.S. action. April 16, 2021: In southwest Congo (Kasai region) more Kuba and Luba tribal violence erupted. Disputes over farmland and farming rights have been going on for over five years. This time 21,000 civilians have been displaced by fighting in late March. The last major outbreak was in September 2020, followed by efforts to negotiate a settlement. That failed. April 12, 2021: In Congo the prime minister (Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde) named a new government cabinet. Removing supporters of former President Joseph Kabila from power has been one of president Felix Tshisekedi major goals and the new cabinet is a major step to achieving that goal. Lukonde himself became prime minister in February. April 11, 2021: In eastern Congo (South Kivu province) soldiers killed five rebels of the Makanika and Twigwaneho Coalition who attacked an army checkpoint near the town of Minembwe. Uganda and Tanzania signed agreements with two oil companies, one French and the other Chinese, to construct an oil pipeline that will transport Ugandan crude to a Tanzanian port. The pipeline will cost an estimated $3.5 billion. April 9, 2021: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) two people died during violent protests near Beni against the UN peacekeepers. One of the people was reportedly shot by a peacekeeper after protestors burned two bridges that lead to a UN base. The protestors had also blocked a road in the area. The protest began after a rebel attack in the area left seven local people dead. The protests are under investigation as well as the incident. There have been several demonstrations in Congo where protestors claim peacekeepers have not done enough to protect civilians from violent attack. April 8, 2021: Uganda and Egypt signed an agreement to share military intelligence. Egypt is seeking up river allies in its dispute with Ethiopia over filling the reservoir of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The dam is on the Blue Nile. The White Nile flows through Uganda. April 6, 2021: In CAR (Central African Republic) the UPC (Unity for Peace in Central Africa), the most powerful rebel faction, announced it was withdrawing from the CPC (Coalition of Patriots for Change) rebel coalition that is attempting to remove from power CAR president Faustin Archange Touadera. The UPC said that it remains committed to the Khartoum Accord process," also knowns as the February 2019 peace agreement signed in Sudan. April 5, 2021: Congos new state-run cobalt consortium EGC (Entreprise Generale du Cobalt) announced that unregulated miners have six months to shut down their operations. EGC now has a monopoly on all hand dug cobalt (cobalt extracted by individual miners, aka artisanal miners). EGC will limit hand dug extraction to a few approved mining sites which meet safety standards. Congo produces almost 70 percent of the annual global supply of cobalt. Accidents involving many individual miners working the same site are common. April 4, 2021: In southwest CAR (Ombella MPoko province) the government confirmed that that Sidiki Abbas, the founder and senior commander of the 3R (Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation) rebel group, had died in late March. In November 2020 Abbas was wounded while participating in an attack on the town of Bossembele. He died from those wounds on March 25 at a hospital in Kambakota (300 kilometers north of the capital, Bangui). Abbas claimed he formed 3R in 2015 to protect the predominately Moslem Peuhl tribe from attacks by Christian anti-balaka militia. The anti-balaka militias were organized to protect their tribes from attacks by the Moslem Seleka rebels which succeeded in overthrowing CAR president Francois Bozize in 2013. 3R, however, immediately began committing atrocities, primarily in Ouham-Pende province. Some of his attacks were indiscriminate and were against tribal minorities. Abbas was under sanctions from the UN and the U.S. for rape, torture and crimes against humanity. (Austin Bay) April 3, 2021: In Congo (Kinshasa, the capital) president Tshisekedi acted as host officials from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia began another round of talks to resolve their disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project on the Blue Nile. The AU (African Union) is mediating the talks. April 1, 2021: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) ADF Islamic terrorist rebels launched a night raid on the village of Manyama-Moliso near the city of Beni and murdered 23 civilians. Soldiers claimed they killed two ADF gunmen as they entered the village after the attack. March 31, 2021: In southwest Congo (Kasai region) Kuba and Luba tribal militias continued fighting in the town of Bakuakenge. This battle has been going on sporadically since March 28. After the first clash, investigators found the bodies of 13 Kuba, all of the victims beheaded with machetes. Over 100 homes were burned in the area. Bakuakenge is on the border of Kasai and Kasai Central provinces. Kasai is predominantly Kuba, Kasai Central predominantly Luba. Control of the town has been disputed since 2015. New Delhi: India recorded over 3.82 lakh new COVID-19 cases and 3,780 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday (May 5, 2021). The country, going through the second wave of coronavirus, now has a total of 2,06,65,148 COVID-19 cases, of which, 1,69,51,731 people have recovered, while 2,26,188 have succumbed to the virus. ALSO SEE: If you are looking for oxygen, hospital beds or COVID-19 medications, try these authentic numbers The unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases across India has resulted in the unavailability of beds and lack of oxygen supply in several hospitals. Check all details on current COVID-19 situation, oxygen and hospital beds: Mumbai: List of centres that will vaccinate 45+s. The vaccine will be administered to ones with online booking. Walk-in only for Health Care Workers and Frontline Workers. List of centres that will #vaccinate 45+s Please check the list for details of time & vaccine being administered at respective centres Vaccine will be administered to ones with online booking. Walk-in only for Health Care Workers and Frontline Workers #MyBMCVaccinationUpdate pic.twitter.com/ky7TZbeFCN Mumbai, BMC (@mybmc) May 9, 2021 ICMR's guidelines for Clinical Management of mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 cases: Check the Twitter thread below Searching for updated #ICMR guidelines for Clinical Management of Mild , Moderate and Severe #COVID-19 cases? we have got you covered! #IndiaFightsCorona #Unite2FightCorona (Thread) pic.twitter.com/Pe8ehHvcTf MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) May 5, 2021 Guide on how to take care of mild COVID-19 cases at home below: (Also, do consult a doctor) Haryana: COVID-19 lockdown is imposed in the state till May 10 (5:00 AM). Below is the list of all the essential services, for which you need to obtain the movement pass: COVID-19 illness guide: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Ministry has shared simple instructions to follow in case a person is infected with COVID-19. The simple guide tells what a patient must do in case of mild, moderate or severe symptoms. Check it out: #COVID19 patients suffering from mild disease must isolate themselves and follow the COVID appropriate behaviour Seek immediate medical attention if you have difficulty in breathing or fever lasting more than 5 days#Unite2FightCorona #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/mrXC2ihpaD PIB India (@PIB_India) April 30, 2021 Uttar Pradesh Helpline: The UP government has released a district-wise list of COVID Helpline numbers. People have been advised to connect to the 'Integrated Command Centre' through the helpline numbers provided for each district. Here is the list: Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, Delhi on Remdesivir: It is no panacea. It should be given only to those patients who are hospitalized or to the patients who have moderate and severe conditions and the oxygen saturation is less than 93. #Remdesivir is no panacea. It should be given only to those patients who are hospitalized or to the patients who have moderate and severe conditions and the oxygen saturation is less than 93: Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, Delhi. #IndiaFightsCorona @MoHFW_India @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/BwiYWJ4s2z MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 27, 2021 Jharkhand: The Ranchi District Administration has collaborated with an online medical portal- mDoc, to provide free e-consultation service for COVID-19 patients in home isolation. Check - http://mdoc.in Helpline numbers for Migrant workers: Check out the Twitter thread below for the Government's State Level Helpline Numbers for Migrant workers stranded in various States. To ensure uninterrupted services, the Government has State Level Helpline Numbers for Migrant workers stranded in various States. Don't panic, simply reach out to these numbers for any assistance. #StayHomeStaySafe #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/kYrtlzXhJG MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 26, 2021 Myth Buster: Reports stating that COVID-19 patients recover from the intake of rock salt along with raw onion are FAKE! Should menstruating women take the COVID-19 vaccine or not? Check the response below: #Fake post circulating on social media claims that women should not take #COVID19Vaccine 5 days before and after their menstrual cycle. Don't fall for rumours! All people above 18 should get vaccinated after May 1. Registration starts on April 28 on https://t.co/61Oox5pH7x pic.twitter.com/JMxoxnEFsy PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 24, 2021 Myth Buster: Reports stating that hospitalisation is necessary after testing COVID-19 positive are FAKE, clarifies the central government as hospitalisation is not required for all cases. Are smokers and vegetarians less vulnerable to COVID-19? See PIB's fact check below. Media reports claim that @CSIR_IND survey reveals smokers & vegetarians are less vulnerable to #COVID19 #PIBFactCheck: Presently, NO conclusion can be drawn based on the serological studies that vegetarian diet & smoking may protect from #COVID19 Read: https://t.co/RI3ZQA7ac6 pic.twitter.com/gQRVDvACfl PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 26, 2021 Myth Buster: Younger people and children are at high risk of catching the virus in the second wave of COVID-19 is a MYTH, the Government of India has clarified. Try these prone positioning methods as an aid to help someone breathe better during COVID-19: #Unite2FightCorona Proning as an aid to help you breathe better during #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/FCr59v1AST Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 22, 2021 Delhi: Delhi Police sets up a digital data bank ''Jeevan Rakshak'' for COVID-19 plasma donors and seekers. INITIATIVE| #JeevanRakshak #Plasma Donors & seekers data bank set up by #DelhiPolice on https://t.co/o3yP3uVGmw for needy #covid patients to save lives. 21 policemen registered within 24 hours. Covid warriors are urged to register by filling google form https://t.co/9rmosYCmPs pic.twitter.com/OeoasNalwK #DilKiPolice Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) April 24, 2021 Why you need to take the COVID-19 vaccine shot, go check this webinar by Dr Shekhar Salkar. Tamil Nadu: Tele Counselling Centre numbers - 044 4612 2300 / 044 2538 4520 for COVID-19 related queries and emergencies in Chennai. Dear Chennaites, Call our Tele Counselling Centre at 044 4612 2300 / 044 2538 4520 for Covid related queries and Covid-19 Emergencies in #Chennai. Share this with everyone.#Covid19Chennai #GCC#ChennaiCorporation pic.twitter.com/NCHi9ugKER Greater Chennai Corporation (@chennaicorp) April 18, 2021 Registered to get yourself vaccinated? Check the steps below #LargestVaccineDrive #Unite2FightCorona Heres a step-by-step process on how to register yourself on CoWIN portal for getting #COVIDVaccination appointments. Vaccination drive opens for everyone between 18-45 years from 1st of May, 2021. pic.twitter.com/e4NXL1ajCw Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 25, 2021 Myth Buster: Rumours claiming that new COVID-19 strains have made the virus deadly are FAKE, confirms Centre. Rumours claiming that new strains have made the virus deadly are FAKE! Do not fall prey to misinformation being spread online! Trust only authentic sources! For more updates, visit https://t.co/CKhgW2LA7d. #MyGovMythBusters #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/GmUFCOEhgz MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 26, 2021 How to check oxygen level on the pulse oximeter: Check how it works. The pulse oximeter is used to measure the oxygen level (oxygen saturation) of the blood. But do you know how does it work? Take a look! #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/YAToaH8hIq MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 24, 2021 Uttar Pradesh: Here is the list of 55 private hospitals in Lucknow where admission doesnt require any kind of permission The government is making sure that the Healthcare services reach the needy on time. Here is the list of 55 private hospitals in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh where admission doesnt require any kind of permission. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/iZ3P26rjqS MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 24, 2021 Delhi: Here is the list of Distributors of Remdesivir injections in the national capital. As the demand for #Remdesivir is exponentially increasing, the Govt. is ensuring the availability and distribution of the drug to Hospitals, Nursing Homes & admitted patients. Here is the list of Distributors of Remdesivir injections in Delhi. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/TaqrcA9grm MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 24, 2021 Maharashtra: Here are the contact details of the Ward War Room in Mumbai for COVID-19 beds and ambulance requirements. Here are the contact details of the Ward War Room in Mumbai, Maharashtra for COVID-19 beds and ambulance requirements. Take a look! #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/rNGIOZ1QJ8 MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 25, 2021 Plasma Donation do's and dont's: If you are planning to donate plasma to a COVID-19 positive patient, here are the government's do's and don'ts you should know about! If you are planning to donate plasma to a COVID positive patient in Delhi, here are the do's and don'ts you should know about! #IndiaFightsCorona #Unite2FightCorona pic.twitter.com/98mtaDmpZA MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 24, 2021 Delhi: Looking for Plasma from ILBS Plasma Bank? Here's what you need to know Are you looking for Plasma from ILBS Plasma Bank, Delhi? Here are the important instructions you need to know! #IndiaFightsCorona @MoHFW_India @PIB_India @MIB_India pic.twitter.com/otcIiqhQ2d MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 26, 2021 Myth Buster: Are smokers and vegetarians less vulnerable to COVID-19? The answer is NO. Here's what the government says: Media reports claim that @CSIR_IND survey reveals smokers & vegetarians are less vulnerable to #COVID19 #PIBFactCheck: Presently, NO conclusion can be drawn based on the serological studies that vegetarian diet & smoking may protect from #COVID19 Read: https://t.co/RI3ZQA7ac6 pic.twitter.com/gQRVDvACfl PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 26, 2021 Delhi: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) releases Helpline numbers at Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre, Radha Soami Beas, Chhatarpur, New Delhi. Live TV An Alabama appeals court has let stand the capital murder conviction and death sentence of a former U.S. Army soldier convicted in the 2008 abduction and killing of an Auburn University freshman. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals issued the ruling Friday against 36-year-old Courtney Lockhart. He was convicted in the slaying of Lauren Burk. Evidence at trial showed Burk, an 18-year-old from Georgia, was kidnapped from a campus parking lot March 4, 2008. She had just left her boyfriend and was headed to the library. About 8 p.m., authorities said, Lockhart saw Burk as she was walking to her black 2001 Honda Civic. He pointed a gun at her and ordered her into her own vehicle. A passerby later found Burk on Highway 147 in Lee County. Burk was naked and had numerous abrasions on her body. She was also suffering from a single gunshot wound to her upper body. Burk died shortly after she was discovered. This undated photo provided by The Auburn Plainsman, the Auburn University student newspaper, shows Lauren Burk, a freshman at Auburn who was found shot Tuesday night, March 4, 2008, along a highway several miles north of the campus in Auburn, Ala. Burk died later at East Alabama Medical Center. Police were investigating the death but had made no arrests by Wednesday. (AP Photo/Courtesy The Auburn Plainsman) ** NO SALES ** APAP Lockhart, who was from Smiths Station, was arrested March 7, 2008 by Phenix City police. He gave the law-enforcement officers a detailed confession that was recorded on video and shown to the jury at trial. Lockhart also gave the law-enforcement officers a signed, handwritten statement, which stated: On Tuesday of March I am not sure of the date, but I was in Auburn, Alabama, and I was on [Auburn University] campus and I rode around the Auburn/Opelika area all day, and that night, I saw my victim, Lauren, and I ran up to her while she was getting in the car and I pushed her in the car and told her to give me her money. And I got in the car with her and just talked to her. Then I drove her car off with her in it and was just riding, and I told her to take off her clothes and we kept riding. We were talking about how my life was over and how she could help me get a job and then after riding for about 30 minutes, we headed back to [Auburn University] campus, and on the way back we were still talking about my situation and how she could help me, and I was telling her that she couldnt help and that this was the end for me. And the gun went off, and she jumped out of the car. And I went to turn around, and at the turnaround point, there was already another truck turning around, so I just went straight to campus, but I stopped and filled her car up with gas. On the way to campus, I hear people standing on the street saying somebodys car is leaking gas, and I let the windows up and headed straight for campus. Set the car on fire. Left. Went to fuel my car up. Then went back to campus to make sure the car was burning. Saw that it was. Then headed to Atlanta. In addition to all of this, I threw her debit card out of the window on I-85 South, and I left her car keys in the car, in the ignition, and I also left her phone in the car. On March 9, 2008, Lockhart gave authorities another statement. He said he had been working for a contracting company for about a year and had been on a job site in Auburn. Right when it got dusk, I left and rode around to campus. Everybody was outside. I rode around campus for about an hour. I parked in the same parking lot as before and was talking on the phone. I parked there for a while. I see Lauren getting into her car. Shes already got her door open. She is doing it so slow. I get out of my car and walked over to her, behind her. When I saw Lauren, I hung up the phone, grabbed my gun, and came up behind her. I told her to get the fuck in the car. I asked her how much money do you have? She didnt say anything. She was still screaming. I was sitting in the drivers seat, and she was in the passengers seat. I was just sitting there, and she finally calmed herself down. When Lockhart was arrested, he had Burks iPod in his possession. Investigators also found three spent .38-special shell casings in Lockharts vehicle. Lockharts defense presented evidence that Lockhart served in combat zones in Iraq and was affected afterward by the experience. The defense said Lockhart did not intend to cause Burks death and argued that he accidentally fired the gunshot that killed Burk and that his prior military service caused him to suffer from a mental disease or defect that rendered him incapable of appreciating the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his acts. The judge cited Lockharts military experience and training in rejecting claims that he could have shot Burk accidentally. Lockhart was dishonorably discharged from the military. Lockhart was convicted in 2010. While the jury voted 12-0 to give Lockhart life without parole, but the judge overruled the recommendation and sentenced Lockhart to death. He remains on Alabamas Death Row. National security police in Hong Kong have apparently blocked the website of a church on the democratic island of Taiwan and hacked into its database after it raised funds to aid people fleeing arrest in connection with the 2019 protest movement, organizers told RFA on . Church member Hwang Chun-sheng said the site has been blocked for a week, and its database hacked. "It's pretty pointless just shutting down our public website; it's just tedious, and really it's all about scoring a big propaganda point with the domestic audience [in mainland China]," Hwang said. "But it is also an indicator of the mainlandization of Hong Kong ... maybe Hong Kong will be next [to be put behind the Great Firewall]," he said. According to the Wei Wei Po newspaper, which is controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Presbyterian Church had launched a fund-raising campaign to help people fleeing in the wake of the movement. "The Taiwan Presbyterian Church expressed support for rioters during the turmoil in Hong Kong over the [extradition] law, and was also implicated in investigations by the national security division of the Hong Kong Police Force into radio talk show host Giggs," the paper said. Wan Siu-yin, who is known by his nickname Giggs, was arrested on suspicion of "seditious intent," over comments he made during online radio shows he hosted from August to . 'Seditious intent' Wan, 52, has been charged with "acting with seditious intent" in online programs that he hosted between August and October last year, after he publicized the fund-raising campaign on his show. "In the event of a crime that endangers national security, the service provider may be required to remove [content or access to content] with the approval of the secretary for security," the Wen Wei Po reported, citing the national security law imposed on Hong Kong from , 2020, which outlaws public criticism of, or peaceful opposition to, the authorities. The crowdfunding campaign raised more than H.K.$10 million (US$1.29 million), H.K.$4 million of which was transferred to the Taiwan churchs bank account. The paper said the church was "an advocate of independence for Taiwan," a phrase used by the CCP to describe anyone who opposes its claim on the country, which has never formed part of the People's Republic of China, nor been controlled by the CCP. Hwang said the church is now communicating with activists in Hong Kong using VPNs and encryption, with regular email and Facebook Messenger too compromised. He said the church has been involved in ongoing fundraising for Hongkongers who fled to Taiwan to pursue college degrees as a way of avoiding repercussions for their role in the 2019 protests, but who have since run out of money and can't go home. "We try not to let them drop out after a year, and find ways to keep them in their study programs," Hwang said. "We find jobs for some of the students." CCP sends fake protesters Taiwan has meanwhile announced it will tighten the rules around applications from Hong Kong residents for its permanent residence card, requiring them to remain there for two years before applying. Media reports said the move was an apparent bid to prevent 'fake' Hong Kong protesters working for the CCP from infiltrating the island. In January, Hong Kong police blocked HKChronicles, a website dedicated to publishing first-hand accounts of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement. The block was the first indication that China may be exporting its Great Firewall to the city since the national security law took effect. Police have declined to confirm publicly that they took action, but responded by citing the relevant section of the law. Attempts to connect to the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan's website at www.pct.org.tw from the United Kingdom on resulted in a browser warning that the connection was "not private." "Attackers might be trying to steal your information from www.pct.org.tw (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards)," it said. "This may be caused by a misconfiguration or an attacker intercepting your connection." Social media users said the website of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was also failing to load from around the world, suggesting it had been hacked. The site failed to load, leaving a timed-out connection, when browsed from the U.K. on . Reported by Hwang Chun-mei for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Chung Kuang-cheng for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Man Charged in Girlfriend's Death Appears in Court By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - A Paducah man charged with the murder of his girlfriend appeared in court Monday.Twenty-year-old Jamell Diaz appeared for a pretrial conference. The McCracken Circuit Court Clerk said the hearing was continued to June 28.Diaz is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, 22-year-old Nikea Cope, during an argument on December 30. Police said he later admitted to shooting Cope while trying to scare her.He faces charges of murder, unlawful imprisonment, and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.On the Net: BECKET A tractor-trailer driver is facing charges in connection with a Friday afternoon crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike that killed a 69-year-old Ludlow man. The crash was reported at 3:22 p.m. in the highways eastbound lanes, near mile marker 15. Gary Litwin and a 66-year-old Ludlow woman who was a passenger in his car were both taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, according to a Massachusetts State Police account of the crash. Litwin was pronounced dead at the hospital. The woman, whose name was not released, suffered serious injuries. Police said traffic on the highway caused a slowdown ahead of the the tractor-trailer but, the truck struck Litwins sedan from behind and pushed it into a minivan. The truck driver a 67-year-old man from West Granby, Connecticut was not injured, police said. State police said the Berkshire district attorneys office will release the truck drivers name and information about the charges against him Monday. The minivan driver, a 39-year-old West Springfield woman, was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield for evaluation. The aftermath of the crash forced police to close lanes periodically for over five hours. The crash remains under investigation by several state police units and the Berkshire district attorneys office. The Lee fire department and Massachusetts Department of Transportation assisted state troopers at the scene of the crash. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ohio will have less say in Congress over the next decade. The number of congressional seats allocated to the state will be trimmed from 16 to 15 starting with next years election, the result of counting from census 2020 that showed Ohios shrinking share of the overall U.S. population, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday. Apportionment of the 435 seats in Congress is determined by the census each 10 years. This marks the sixth consecutive time that Ohio has lost seats, starting after the 1970 census, when the Buckeye State at the time had 24 representatives in the U.S. House. The Census Bureau pegged Ohios population last year at 11,799,448, up 2.3% from 11,536,504 a decade earlier. But the rest of the country grew at a faster rate, going up 7.4% from 308.7 million people to 331.4 million. Local population results and details on things such as breakdowns by race will be released later this year. The population shifts translated to continuing gains for states in the South and West, at the expense of Ohio and other states in the Midwest and Northeast. Texas will add two seats. One seat will be added for Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon. Losing one seat each will be California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. New York would not have lost a seat if it had 89 more residents, Census Bureau officials said. Ohio was next closest to keeping a seat. The Census Bureau did not immediately provide information on how many people Ohio was short of retaining 16 seats, but an apportionment calculator made available by the University of Michigans Population Studies Center showed Ohio fell 11,463 short. Only three states lost population - West Virginia (down 3.2% to 1,793,716), Mississippi (down 0.2% to 2,961,279) and Illinois (down 0.1% to 12,812,508). The biggest gain by percent was Utah (up 18.4% to 3,271,616). Texas grew by nearly 4 million people in picking up two seats. For Ohio, the combination of fewer seats overall and new constraints on the map-drawing process designed to limit gerrymandering is a double hit on Republican efforts to maintain control of their current 12 seats from the state, even during an era when the GOP has enjoyed wider support statewide. The reform approved overwhelmingly by Ohio voters in 2018 will be used for the first time later this year, setting the districts for next years elections. Though Ohio Republicans will control the process, as they did in 2001 and 2011, new rules imposed as part of the reform limit how many counties can been split and how. Plus, approval requires a buy in by several members in the minority party (the Democrats currently); otherwise additional tests must be met. Among those: The General Assembly shall not pass a plan that unduly favors or disfavors a political party or its incumbents. The reform requires efforts for one district to be wholly contained within each of the three largest counties - Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton, with the remainder split among neighboring areas. Cuyahoga is now home to four separate districts, none wholly in the county. Hamilton County has parts of two districts. One of Franklins three current districts is totally within the county. And as part of new limits, both Cleveland and Cincinnati cannot be divided, as currently is the case for both cities. This large-city rule doesnt apply to Columbus because Columbus is larger than a single district, but reform language requires a significant portion of Columbus to be in one district. Ohios congressional delegation currently has 12 Republicans and four Democrats - unchanged over the last five elections, as was intended by the design of the maps drawn by Republicans in 2011. No more than 13 of the current members will be on the ballot. One seat is now vacant awaiting a special election to replace recently appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge, a Democrat from Warrensville Heights. Columbus area Republican Steve Stivers is resigning, effective May 16, to head the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. And Warren-area Democrat Tim Ryan announced he will instead run for the U.S. Senate next year. That leaves one seat empty, one soon to be vacated, and the incumbent for a third seat has declared for another race. A cleveland.com analysis completed in 2018 ahead of the reform vote found it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to follow all the new rules and create more than nine safely Republican seats - leaving four safe Democrat districts and two competitive districts. But that was based on the detailed population data from the 2010 census and previous election results. The population has shifted since then and the state has become more Republican, as shown by Donald Trumps wide victories in both 2016 and 2020 and GOP control of all five statewide executive offices. The detailed local population data necessary for drawing the actual districts, and testing the maps versus the new rules, will not be available until late summer and perhaps as late as Sept. 30. Ohio's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives will be trimmed to 15, starting with next year's election, the result of a state population growing slower than the rest of the country.Rich Exner, cleveland.com Why 435, and Ohios history Ohios delegation stood at 24 seats following the 1960 census, but dipped to 23 after the 1970 census, then to 21, 19, 18, 16 and finally 15 with the most recent results. Congress grew as the country grew in the early years from the original 65 seats. But under law it has remained constant at 435 seats since the 1910 census (with the exception of a brief expansion to 437 after the addition of Hawaii and Alaska in 1959). This has meant the size of the districts continues to grow. Each of Ohios 15 seats will represent about 787,257 residents, up from 723,031 based on the 2010 census, and from 631,919 after the 2000 census. Following the 1930 census, each Ohio seat had just 276,943 residents. Ohio will have one U.S. House seat per 787,257 residents, according to the 2020 census. The size of districts has grown with population over the years.Rich Exner, cleveland.com In determining the number of seats for each state, all residents are counted - adults and children, citizens and non-citizens - plus overseas federal employees assigned based on their usual residence in the United States. Though the census has been conducted every 10 years, starting with 1790, a dispute over growing urban population amid mass immigration blocked the process after the 1920 census - leaving the apportionment unchanged for another 10 years. Representatives elected from rural districts worked to derail the process, fearful of losing political power to the cities, the Census Bureaus history page explains. Reapportionment legislation was repeatedly delayed as rural interests tried to come up with mechanisms that would blunt the impact of the population shift. The Census Bureau is required to deliver the apportionment results to the president. President Joe Biden will now deliver the results to the U.S. House of Representatives, which will then have 15 days to officially inform each governor of the results. State Seats 1992-2000 elections Seats 2002-2010 elections Seats 2012-20 elections Seats 2022-30 elections 2022 change Alabama 7 7 7 7 0 Alaska 1 1 1 1 0 Arizona 6 8 9 9 0 Arkansas 4 4 4 4 0 California 52 53 53 52 -1 Colorado 6 7 7 8 1 Connecticut 6 5 5 5 0 Delaware 1 1 1 1 0 Florida 23 25 27 28 1 Georgia 11 13 14 14 0 Hawaii 2 2 2 2 0 Idaho 2 2 2 2 0 Illinois 20 19 18 17 -1 Indiana 10 9 9 9 0 Iowa 5 5 4 4 0 Kansas 4 4 4 4 0 Kentucky 6 6 6 6 0 Louisiana 7 7 6 6 0 Maine 2 2 2 2 0 Maryland 8 8 8 8 0 Massachusetts 10 10 9 9 0 Michigan 16 15 14 13 -1 Minnesota 8 8 8 8 0 Mississippi 5 4 4 4 0 Missouri 9 9 8 8 0 Montana 1 1 1 2 1 Nebraska 3 3 3 3 0 Nevada 2 3 4 4 0 New Hampshire 2 2 2 2 0 New Jersey 13 13 12 12 0 New Mexico 3 3 3 3 0 New York 31 29 27 26 -1 North Carolina 12 13 13 14 1 North Dakota 1 1 1 1 0 Ohio 19 18 16 15 -1 Oklahoma 6 5 5 5 0 Oregon 5 5 5 6 1 Pennsylvania 21 19 18 17 -1 Rhode Island 2 2 2 2 0 South Carolina 6 6 7 7 0 South Dakota 1 1 1 1 0 Tennessee 9 9 9 9 0 Texas 30 32 36 38 2 Utah 3 3 4 4 0 Vermont 1 1 1 1 0 Virginia 11 11 11 11 0 Washington 9 9 10 10 0 West Virginia 3 3 3 2 -1 Wisconsin 9 8 8 8 0 Wyoming 1 1 1 1 0 Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. Find data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. Find previous census 2020 at this link. Previous coverage Gerrymandering reform: How a bad map could look Gerrymandering reform: How a good map could look Why using population estimates instead of census 2020 is a bad idea for drawing new congressional districts: Analysis Heres why census 2020 is taking so long to complete Census 2020 Q&A: Who gets counted, new chance to complete online, iPhone 8-equipped enumerators and more We Will Get to Bottom of This: MP Genuis on Transfer of Deadly Viruses From Canada to Wuhan Lab Conservative MP Garnett Genuis says he is committed to getting to the bottom of the case regarding the transfer of deadly viruses from a lab in Canada to the Chinese military-affiliated Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). Chinese scientist Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Keding Cheng, and some of Qius students from China, were escorted from the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) and stripped of their security access on July 5, 2019. The Winnipeg labCanadas only Level 4 labworks with some of the deadliest human and animal pathogens, such as Ebola. The official line-up till now has been that the expulsion of these scientists had nothing to do with the transfer of deadly viruses to Wuhan. And yet that expulsion took place a few months later [after the shipment], Genuis, a member of Canada-China parliamentary committee, told The Epoch Times on April 22. Their removal from the lab raises a lot of questions, Genuis said. If it wasnt related to the transfer of viruses, was there another reason that they were expelled, and what was that? the MP asked. Are we applying appropriate scrutiny in cases where dangerous viruses are transferred to the entities which are subject to Chinese state control? The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has said that their removal was due to a possible policy breach and administrative reasons, and the issue is being investigated by the RCMP. Through an access to information request, CBC obtained documents showing that Qiu had shipped samples of the deadly Ebola and Henipah viruses to Chinas WIV on March 31, 2019, four months before she and Cheng were escorted out from the lab in Winnipeg. But the PHAC said the eviction of the scientists had nothing to do with the shipment. The administrative investigation is not related to the shipment of virus samples to China, wrote Eric Morrissette, chief of media relations for Health Canada and PHAC, in an email to CBC last June. In February, Morrissette confirmed the two were no longer employed by the PHAC as of Jan. 20, but didnt elaborate further. We cannot disclose additional information, nor comment further, for reasons of confidentiality Morrissette wrote in an email to CBC. The National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada, in a file photo. (John Woods/The Canadian Press) The parliamentary Canada-China Relations Committee (CACN) summoned PHACs president, Iain Stewart, and acting vice-president of NML, Dr. Guillaume Poliquin, to testify before the committee on March 22 to answer more questions about the shipments to China and the removal of the scientists from the Canadian lab. Despite repeated questions by opposition MPs, Stewart refused to provide details about PHACs investigation and the reasons why the two scientists were removed from the lab. They are no longer with the agency, we undertook investigation, and I am not really at liberty to talk more about that, Stewart said. When asked by Genuis, who is also the vice-chair of CACN, if there has been any case of any government lab firing scientists due to security breaches or improper transfer of viruses, Stewart said thats a very difficult question to answer. The PHAC president continued to avoid the question despite Genuiss demand for a definite answer. I am not able to answer the question as it was structured, Stewart said. Genuis told The Epoch Times his questions were related to national security protocols. Parliament has a right to ask questions, and in fact, to demand answers, especially from senior officials, about government policy, because we need to be able to make recommendations about security protocols, how we protect information, protect work being done in Canadian labs, he said. Senior officials should not refuse to answer questions that are asked of them by parliamentary space, said Genuis. Because even on issues of national security, people need to be accountable for the work that theyre doing. Mistakes get made, problems arise if we dont have that work being scrutinized. And thats why we have Parliament having the powers to scrutinize on a broad range of issues, if necessary, to conduct that scrutiny in a private setting, he added. Security personnel gather near the entrance to the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a visit by the World Health Organization team in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 3, 2021. (Ng Han Guan/AP Photo) MPs also asked Poliquin from NML of the reason of shipping viruses to the lab in Wuhan. Genuis said Poliquins testimony seemed to imply that the lab had taken the stated purpose of the transfer at face value, instead of considering whether the lab in Wuhan was actually seriously following through on what they say the intended purposes were. Poliquin told MPs that the intention letter from the Wuhan lab indicated that they wanted to use the viruses for understanding the pathophysiologythe nature of infectionas well as the development of antivirals. Genuis asked Poliquin if WIV engages in gain-of-function (GOF) experiments related to coronaviruses. GOF experiments involve the manipulation of deadly viruses to increase their transmissibility or lethality. Poliquin noted that the Canadian lab has never shipped coronaviruses to the Wuhan lab, and that he couldnt answer the question if the Chinese lab conducts GOF experiments on coronaviruses. Asked if the Chinese lab conducts GOF experiments on the viruses shipped by Canada, Poliquin repeated that the Canadian side reviews the letter of intent from the Chinese side to ensure no such experiments move forward and that any risks associated with them are mitigated. Conservative MP John Williamson questioned Poliquin if the Canadian side trusted the word of the Chinese lab at face value. Is that what youre telling us here, that this letter goes into a file, the box is ticked and data is transferred based on the word of a government that is known to lie, not only to its people but to the world community? Williamson asked Poliquin. Poliquins responded that there is an extensive approach that is undertaken prior to the transfer of materials, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology is an organization dedicated to public health. Genuis said the failure of PHAC to provide the information sought by MPs led the committee to pass a motion on March 31, giving the agency 20 days to submit all information and documents related to the shipment of the viruses to the Wuhan lab. We have been told that some documents have been sent to the committee, Genuis told The Epoch Times. Were going to seek advice from the parliamentary law clerk about what is in those documents and what can be next steps. The committee will review the documents and identify what parts can be made public, then use the information in those documents to inform recommendations we make to Parliament with respect to policy around national security. The 2020 annual report of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service states that China is one of the foreign states often using nontraditional collectors including those with little to no formal intelligence trainingsuch as researchers, private entities, and other third partiesto collect information and expertise of value on behalf of the state. With reporting from Andrew Chen. Australia's most decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has taken prearranged leave from Channel Seven as he fights claims he is a war criminal. The former SAS trooper is suing Seven rival Nine for defamation over a series of newspaper articles and TV reports accusing him of being complicit in the killing of Afghanistan detainees. Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton on Monday told staff it was a 'mutual decision' to take prearranged leave ahead of the former corporal's trial. The high-profile legal battle will start in June and is expected to run for eight weeks - but Mr Warburton doesn't expect Mr Roberts-Smith to return to work until September. Ben Roberts-Smith has taken leave from Channel Seven amid his upcoming legal battle with rival Nine The Victoria Cross recipient will take leave from his role as general manager of Seven's Queensland bureau while the defamation case is afoot. Mr Warburton confirmed the leave in an all-staff email on Monday. He said Mr Roberts-Smith would take leave from Monday 'to focus on his upcoming legal matters'. 'Ben and I believe this mutual decision is best for both him and our company,' Mr Warburton wrote. 'We expect Ben to return to his role upon the completion of his defamation proceedings. 'As the trial is currently set down for eight weeks, it's likely that won't be until after August.' The decision to take leave came as Mr Roberts-Smith launched an extraordinary attack on the county's top brass for their 'disgusting' treatment of veterans. He also accused military commanders of running Australia's longest war in Afghanistan from the safety and comfort of Dubai, without ever having a campaign strategy. He scolded the 'staggering' lack of direction. Mr Roberts-Smith thanked the Australian public for helping push for a royal commission into veteran suicides in the face of resistance, warning it would uncover systemic failures and flaws. Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine News for defamation over articles accusing him of committing war crimes in Afghanistan Mr Roberts-Smith (pictured, with girlfriend Sarah Matulin) left the army in 2013 and began studying business at the University of Queensland 'It's what we need to do to protect the future of the military and more importantly, the people that are willing to sacrifice everything,' he told the Daily Telegraph. Mr Roberts-Smith landed in strife a few weeks ago after he was recorded in leaked audio praising boss Kerry Stokes but disparaging other Seven West Media staff. Stokes, who is worth an estimated $6billion, has openly financed the 42-year-old's legal defence. That figure had reached $1.9million as of November, 2020. In audio recordings obtained for an expose by 60 Minutes, Mr Roberts-Smith is openly dismissive of the claims against him, pointing to Stokes' loyalty and wealth as a cause for optimism. 'There's no f***ing way I'd be able to keep paying what I'm paying for until Kerry got into it,' Roberts-Smith says in the recordings. Mr Roberts-Smith landed in strife a few weeks ago after he was recorded in leaked audio praising boss Kerry Stokes but disparaging other Seven West Media staff Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Mr Ben Roberts-Smith at Buckingham Palace in 2018 'That's why now they're s****ing themselves now because he's prepared to run his bank down to do it.' Roberts-Smith directly referenced Stokes in the obtained recordings, admitting he is 'indebted' to the powerful media boss. 'Bottom line I'd be f***ed without him,' he says of Stokes in the audio. 'I probably won't leave the fold now. I think I'm indebted a little bit now to Kerry. 'I'd be f***ed without him.' Roberts-Smith hit back at the bombshell report, claiming the expose was 'not supported by any evidence' and part of a plan to 'intimidate' him to abandon a defamation suit against Nine and Fairfax journalist Nick McKenzie. Mr Roberts-Smith thanked the Australian public for helping push for a royal commission into veteran suicides in the face of resistance, warning it would uncover systemic failures and flaws Then-CEO of Seven West Media Tim Worner lauded Roberts-Smith's 'leadership' following his hiring, while former executive Neil Mooney described the soldier as an 'outstanding person' 'Mr Roberts-Smith has grave concerns as to whether the broadcast this evening by Nine is an attempt to intimidate him into not proceeding with his case against Mr McKenzie and Nine,' he said in a statement. Mr Roberts-Smith left the army in 2013 and began studying business at the University of Queensland. Channel Seven handed the VC winner a role as the Deputy Regional Manager of Queensland's regional network. Then-CEO of Seven West Media Tim Worner lauded Roberts-Smith's 'leadership' following his hiring, while former executive Neil Mooney described the soldier as an 'outstanding person'. 'Ben will be an excellent leader. He is an outstanding person. When it comes to leadership he ticks all the right boxes,' Mooney said at the time of Roberts-Smith's appointment to the role. On the heels of extensive media coverage and publicized comments surrounding the Derek Michael Chauvin murder trial, Huron County Chief Judge David Herrington said there are safeguards in place to prevent outside influences on jurors that would sway verdicts. Chauvin is a former Minneapolis Police Department officer who was charged in the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty April 20 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. In the days leading up to the jury's verdict in the Chauvin case, California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters attended a Brooklyn Center, Minnesota protest over the police killing of Daunte Wright April 17, saying she could not sleep due to continued police killings. Waters went on to speak at protests, saying they could not stop until they get justice for Daunte Wright." When questioned by a reporter about the Chauvin trial, Waters told the reporter, "We are looking for a guilty verdict, and said she believed he was guilty of first degree murder. Waters also told reporters if a guilty verdict was not reached, protesters needed to remain on the streets and get more confrontational. The comments were not well received by some, including Chauvins attorney, who moved for a mistrial, according to the Associated Press. Judge Peter Cahill denied the motion, but added that Walters actions, as an elected official, were disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch. Herrington told the Tribune mistrials are extremely rare, and for good reason. He said when juries are assembled, they are provided clear instructions by the judge of the presiding court on what they can and cannot do. Herrington said jurors are instructed not to look at anything on the TV, newspapers, and social media on anything related to the case. In high profile cases, jurors are often put up in hotels and sequestered until a verdict is reached. In recent years, especially since the dominance of social media, there has been debate over the particular venue for certain cases. Some people wonder how you can have such a high profile case but not have a change of venue, Herrington said. Changes of venue arent that common. Herrington said the jury selection process is designed so both the prosecution and defense are able to assemble an impartial jury they are pleased with. He said the jury selection process is the only time the lawyers have full interaction with the jurors. Known as the voir dire process, with a literal translation of to speak the truth, attorneys are permitted to delve deeper into the jury panels responses provided in their questionnaires. Herrington said this process can involve very specific and sometimes personal details of the jurors lives. I am not aware of any cases where a jury was not able to be selected, Herrington said. Attorneys are also afforded a number of challenges, including sometimes being able to remove someone from the jury selection process for no particular reason. Once the jury is selected and the case gets underway, the prosecution and defense get their opportunities to present their cases. Herrington said the prosecution needs to establish guilt beyond all reasonable doubt and juries are told that the lack of evidence cannot be considered as innocence in a case. Once trials are concluded, jurors retire to deliberate the case, which is the first time jurors are permitted to interact and communicate with each other about the case. Jurors are instructed to only consider what they have seen or heard in the courtroom, or during the official legal proceedings. Herrington said the process is what shields cases from suffering mistrials due to outside influences. In the case with the Chauvin trial and the timing of the case versus the media coverage, Herrington said he believed the jurors were able to operate impartially. Part of the sequestration process is to shield the jurors from hearing that stuff, Herrington said. It would be my belief the jurors didnt hear the noise outside the courts in terms of columns in newspapers and the talking heads on TV. I have to assume the judge ordered them not to watch any TV with any commentary, any news like Fox or CNN, and completely stay away from any newspapers, online or social media, he continued. Herrington said in the event someone was exposed, there are other balances in the system. There are some checks and balances within the juror body itself, Herrington said. I think that jurors take the process very seriously. I have never had the feeling that a juror ignored their instructions. Herrington said he understands that people believe everyone has an opinion, but the process is designed to weed out potential jurors and assemble that impartial panel. The jury system is a very ancient process and part of our heritage, Herrington said. "I have a great appreciation for the jury system and have every faith in it. I am always kind of amazed at how good of a job juries do, he continued. The words civil legal services may not mean much to someone who can easily afford an attorney. To someone who cannot afford one, however, the words represent a chance to overcome daunting legal obstacles in civil court disputes involving evictions, credit card bills, medical issues and cases of domestic violence, child custody and deportation. Even human trafficking. And the COVID-19 pandemic only created more of a dire need. On Wednesday, those in need heard good news in the form of $4.13 million included the 2021-2022 state budget, adopted earlier this month. Six state lawmakers in the Capital Region, joined by providers of civil legal services locally, announced the funding. The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, The Legal Project, Rural Law Center of New York and The Justice Center at Albany Law Center are among the recipients. Specific allotments were unclear. The states huge need for civil legal services for the poor was recognized for several years by former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman. It has remained a top priority under his successor, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, who has dedicated $100 million in her budget to it. That happened as former President Donald J. Trump put the Legal Services Corporation, which helps funds the services, on the chopping block for four consecutive years. Despite that, Congress kept funding going. The number of people in need of civil legal help is vast. For instance, the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, based in Albany, covers 16 counties. In a statement, the society's executive director, Lillian Moy , said she was delighted that we are recognized as the linchpin we are for ensuring access to justice whether its a secure home, personal safety, economic justice or the peaceful resolution of disputes. The Legal Project, based in Albany County, covers areas that range from domestic violence victims to bankruptcy and credit, affordable housing, homeowner protection and human trafficking. The project's executive director, Michele Pollock Rich, said in the money would "directly benefit victims of domestic violence and their children in the Capital Region in need of legal assistance to maintain their safety and security." The Rural Law Center, based in Plattsburgh, covers 44 counties, including several in the Capital Region, provides aid for seniors and youths, as well as educational assistance and promoting pro bono services. Its executive director, Heidi Dennis, stated in the news release that the need for more legal assistance throughout upstate "cannot be overstated." At the Justice Center at Albany Law School, which recruits students to represent hundreds of clients and offers technical assistance and community education, its director, Professor Sarah Rogerson, who also directs the school's Immigration Law Clinic, said the funds would help the center "continue our work connecting undocumented New Yorkers with the benefits they deserve. The announcement of the aid was announced by state Sens. Sean Ryan, Neil Breslin, Michelle Hinchey, and Assembly members Patricia Fahy, John McDonald and Phil Steck, a civil rights lawyer. "As a civil rights attorney who represents employees," Steck said in the release, "I appreciate the fact that getting legal representation is very hard because many people just plain cannot afford it." Jobs for lawyers in Albany Speaking of clients in need of attorneys, there appears to be a need for several new public defenders in Albany County. Albany County Public Defender Stephen Herrick's office is "seeking attorneys for multiple positions" ranging from entry-level assistants who start at $66,000-a-year, through experienced trial lawyers making higher salaries, according to classified advertisements on the website of the Albany County Bar Association. Ideal candidates, the ad said, would have a strong commitment to public defense and experience handling criminal cases in New York. Public defenders have a year to move into the county to comply with residency requirements. Herrick, a retired county judge, was also seeking a lawyer to work in Family Court. The person would need to make daily court appearances, represent different sides of custody cases, support confirmation cases and Family Court offense cases. Experience in Family Court was preferred, not required, an ad said. Among other ads, Mayor Kathy Sheehan is apparently seeking an assistant corporation counsel for the city of Albany, which requires city residency within six months from starting. And the office of Attorney General Letitia James is seeking a section chief for its Litigation Bureau in Albany, which represents the state and its agencies in state and federal court matters. California's legendary Highway 1 in greater danger amid climate change Xinhua) 14:47, April 26, 2021 LOS ANGELES, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Nearly three months later, a section of California's legendary Highway 1 that was washed out by atmospheric river storms in late January has reopened to traffic. The 84-year-old highway, one of the most celebrated scenic drives in the United States and a frequent destination for tourists, winds northward from San Diego to San Francisco along about 800 km of the magnificent California coastline. "There are few, if any, more iconic routes than Highway 1 -- not just in California but anywhere in the world," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, standing on the spot near Big Sur where the section once vanished into the Pacific Ocean to celebrate the reopening two months ahead of schedule. "What this road means to the local economy, to the people of this region and to all Californians is invaluable," Newsom told a small gathering of local officials and media. "As we rebuild, we do so with the knowledge that the conditions that washed out this section of roadway will become more common in the future," Newsom continued. "We must fortify our infrastructure with climate resiliency in mind." In fact, the highway's proximity to the sea has made it the beleaguered target of seasonal tempests and tidal surges. For example, in the wake of a massive landslide on May 20, 2017, a quarter-mile of the highway had been closed for 14 months before reopening. A total of 54 million U.S. dollars were spent on repair. Amid the atmospheric river storms in late January this year that triggered deadly debris flows, some 5,000 residents who "lived downstream of the burn areas" received evacuation orders, Kevin Drabinski, an official from the California Department of Transportation, told Xinhua. "California Highway Patrol asked us to stop traffic Thursday afternoon, and then it morphed into, 'Oops we're missing a lane,'" Drabinski recalled, adding "the second lane was also gone" the next day. While closures and repairs to Highway 1 are common, experts feared climate change will accelerate damage to the highway. In December 2020, an article by the Los Angeles Times quoted Brian Collins, a civil engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey, as saying that "the sides of these mountains could turn into jelly and slough off." "The region is bracing for more devastation, in the form of potentially deadly debris flows caused by winter storms," it added. On March 26, a travel article by U.S. magazine The Manual titled "11 Places To Visit in America Before They Change Forever" listed Highway 1 as the No. 1 place to see before it is too late. "Most of us have heard stories about how the clock is ticking with regards to iconic destinations like the Great Barrier Reef or Venice, Italy," the article noted. "Climate change is chipping away at them and one day they will be no more. The same can be said for a lot of great landmarks right in our very backyard," it said, adding "scenic stretches like those in and around Big Sur likely be the first to go." Gary Griggs, a renowned geologist and distinguished professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told Xinhua on Friday that the state's "most iconic tourist attraction will never be closed," adding the highway is "just too important." In the meantime, "more and more expensive Band-Aids" that cost some 200 million dollars a year will be applied to keep traffic flowing on the highway amid aberrant weather, the expert said. Reiterating that global warming may claim another landmark soon, Griggs urged people to "come and see it (Highway 1) while you can." (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) A Dutch official said the doses will be left behind once the country receives supplies from other manufacturers Most of 11mln doses of the PLC ( ) COVID-19 vaccine due to be shipped to the Netherlands will go unused, it has been revealed. Jaap van Deldon, head of the vaccination department of the countrys public health institute, told AD newspaper the supplies wont be needed because the government has restricted its use due to concerns over rare blood clots. It is currently only being administered to people aged 60 to 64 and 1.5mln doses have been distributed. But at some point it is of course true that we are done with AstraZeneca. That moment will come a bit faster than expected, because has started to deliver more. We estimate that we will largely no longer need the AstraZeneca deliveries that we will receive from the second half of May, he was reported as saying. The idea has always been: we buy more vaccines than we need, because vaccines could fail. If Europe is left with vaccines, they could be distributed to less wealthy countries. And maybe you could save some for later. The country has had a chaotic rollout of the inoculation, first developed by Oxford University, as it was first halted, then allowed, then restricted again. The National General Practitioners Association LHV in the Netherlands stressed it is important that people take the AstraZeneca jab if they are offered one. The policy changes surrounding this vaccine are making it more difficult for doctors to ensure high turnout [for the vaccination] the organisation said. This is absolutely not helping, the association told DutchNews. As far as we are concerned it is clear: if the choice is AstraZeneca now or possibly another vaccine later, then the choice should absolutely be for AstraZeneca now. Valneva seeks volunteers Meanwhile, Valneva is seeking 4,000 volunteers for a late-stage trial on its COVID-19 vaccine. The study will run from 20 sites in England and two hospitals in Scotland. If the results are positive, the French firm targets approval for the summer, which could potentially pave the way for booster shots in the autumn. Earlier this month it published results of the phase I/II study, where more than 90% of all study participants developed significant levels of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. As of this week, England has extended the vaccine rollout to 44-year-olds, after over 46mln people were given at least the first dose. The case could have consequences for the trial of the five men at Guantanamo who are accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11 attacks. Prosecutors in the case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other defendants have withheld those details from defense lawyers in the death-penalty case for national security reasons. The defense lawyers want that information to seek the testimony of eyewitnesses to bolster their argument that the United States has lost the moral authority to execute prisoners who have been tortured. Mr. Zubaydah, a Palestinian man whose real name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, was captured in Pakistan in March 2002 and was initially thought be a high-level member of Al Qaeda. A 2014 report from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said the C.I.A. later concluded that Abu Zubaydah was not a member of Al Qaeda. The Bush administration transferred Mr. Zubaydah, who is 50, to the Pentagons wartime prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in September 2006, after more than four years in C.I.A. custody. He is held as a law of war detainee, whom interagency review boards have deemed too dangerous to release. He was granted access to a lawyer for the first time in his sixth year of U.S. confinement, but unlike the defendants in the Sept. 11 case, he has never been charged with a crime. It is undisputed that Mr. Zubaydah was subjected to brutal interrogations at one or more black sites. On 83 different occasions in a single month of 2002, he was strapped to an inclined board with his head lower than his feet while C.I.A. contractors poured water up his nose and down his throat, bringing him within sight of death, Mr. Zubaydahs lawyers told the justices. He was handcuffed and repeatedly slammed into walls, and suspended naked from hooks in the ceiling for hours at a time. He was forced to remain awake for 11 consecutive days, and doused again and again with cold water when he collapsed into sleep, they wrote. He was forced into a tall, narrow box the size of a coffin, and crammed into another box that would nearly fit under a chair, where he was left for hours. He was subjected to a particularly grotesque humiliation described by the C.I.A. as rectal rehydration. AURORA, Ill., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Joined by Governor J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA), in partnership with the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA), today announced that the COVID-19 Pandemic Health Navigator Program (PHNP) is now live and Community Health Workers are available to help residents throughout the state of Illinois. The new program integrates community health centers, community-based organizations, and public health partners to coordinate Illinois resources for the most vulnerable populations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. "Illinois is well above the national average for getting first doses out to our residents, but making vaccines available is only half the battle," said Governor JB Pritzker. "I'm proud to announce our Pandemic Health Navigator Program is already hard at work building confidence among our unvaccinated residents, educating them on what COVID-19 is, what the vaccine can do for them, and how they can protect themselves and their families. These are local community organizations who know their peers, their students, their colleagues people who speak their languages and know their neighborhoods. In short, our Pandemic Health Navigators are a crucial part of keeping our most vulnerable residents safe, and I'm so grateful to all of them." "As we look toward recovering from the health, social and economic hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize the importance of providing Illinois residents with education, resources and guidance from people they trust," said Dr. Tracey Smith, Director of Programs and Community Health. "We're proud to be leading a network of Community Health Workers that are already making an impact by connecting vulnerable populations with vital education and resources - like access to food and health services - that are positioning these communities to move forward, stronger." In 2021, PHNP began efforts to equip community-based organizations (CBOs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) with funding, training and resources to provide local support to Illinois residents. To date, 65 CBOs and 23 FQHCs are participating in the program. These partnerships have helped hire more than 400 Community Health Workers and regional supervisors, with the goal to hire hundreds more in the next three months. The program has received more than 1,270 requests for resources and has a 96 percent completion rate for resource requests within 48 hours. To better understand the views and needs of Illinois communities during the pandemic, IPHA and IPHCA recently conducted a survey of more than 800 residents. The survey results showed that Illinois residents are in need of guidance and underscored the importance of sharing accurate information and dispelling common misconceptions. The survey revealed the following data: 1 in 5 indicated they were not able or unsure of their ability to tell the difference between scientific facts and misinformation or false claims on the Internet. 21 percent said they would not get the COVID-19 vaccine, 71 percent said they were willing to get the vaccine, and seven percent opted not to answer the question. More than half (57%) of respondents stated they would be open to working with a Community Health Worker. "This program is an important resource to support the healthcare needs of our communities, especially diverse communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Cyrus Winnett, Interim President and CEO, IPHCA. "By leveraging local health departments, community health centers and community-based organizations, we're providing on-the-ground, trusted support to ensure Illinoisans receive the health education, outreach, and resources they need to be healthy and safe." "Healthcare providers have been on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 from day one," said Linnea Windel, President and CEO of VNA Health Care. "The Pandemic Health Navigator Program will provide us with additional tools, resources and Community Health Workers to support our fight against this virus and help our patients and larger community get through this together." The IPHA, in partnership with the IPHCA, was awarded a grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to serve as the Regional Coordinator for regions 2-9 of the PHNP to ensure coverage for these activities through direct services and/or sub-awarding to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other community-based agencies. IPHA and IPHCA will sub-contract with FQHCs and community-based agencies in Illinois COVID-19 regions 2-9 to recruit the navigators for local COVID-19 education and outreach, to support contact tracing as needed, and to connect cases and contacts with critical services and resources. This may include resources for meals, medicine, mobility support, immigration matters, work and income resources, mental health support, support for unsafe living conditions (e.g. domestic abuse), etc., during isolation and quarantine. In addition, the PHNP team will collaborate and coordinate across the assigned regions with the public health system, including with local health departments (LHDs), to support contact tracing efforts and ensure all communities receive needed assistance and to help reduce disparities in health outcomes. For more information about the program and to connect to a local community health worker, visit HelpGuideThrive.org. About the Illinois Public Health Association The Illinois Public Health Association is the oldest and largest public health association in the state of Illinois. As one of the largest affiliates of the American Public Health Associations, IPHA is widely recognized as the leader in the field of public health advocacy, health education and promotion. For more information, visit https://www.ipha.com/. About the Illinois Primary Health Care Association IPHCA represents Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or community health centersentities created by Congress to meet the health care needs of underserved communities and high-risk patients. These centers fill a void by providing care for those whom other providers often do not serve. Since FQHCs must, by law, serve the medically underserved regardless of their ability to pay, CHCs are located in geographic regions designated as having a shortage of medical providers who serve this population. In addition, the medically underserved may be low-income, uninsured, homeless, affected by HIV/AIDS, struggling with substance abuse and/or have special needs. IPHCA is committed to fulfilling its mission of helping communities help themselves by advocating and expanding community primary care services across Illinois, and assisting member organizations in fulfilling their goal of community empowerment through health care choice. By advocating on behalf of members' interests, IPHCA also advocates for underserved citizens and communities. For more information visit https://www.iphca.org. SOURCE Illinois Public Health Association Related Links https://www.ipha.com For the third time in nine months a young child in the northern end of Miami-Dade County was killed by gunfire that police believe was intended for another target. This time a bullet took the life of Elijah LaFrance, a gregarious 3-year-old who enjoyed getting dressed up and posing for pictures with his younger sister. He was killed at a party celebrating his birthday Saturday night at a rented home in the countys north end. In January, Chassidy Saunders, 6, a child who was referred to by family and friends as the Tik Tok Princess for her joyous dancing videos, was one of three people hit by gunfire on a Saturday night outside a Model City home. Chassidy died. The two other victims survived. And last July, during a gathering with friends outside a North Miami-Dade home, 7-year-old Alana Washington was fatally shot in the head during a drive-by shooting. A 1-year-old was also injured by the gunfire that witnesses say came from a car parked at the curb in front of the home. Doctors removed the tubes that were keeping Alana alive after two days. The shooting death of Elijah, part of a countywide trend that has seen a rise in gun violence for the first time in decades, had family and local leaders reacting with anger and disgust, as they often do when a child is lost to gunfire. They also promised to use all available resources to capture the shooter. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava tweeted that we must stand together to demand an end to this cycle of tragedy. Police Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirezs Twitter feed said his heart hurts and he promised to use every resource to bring this murderer to justice. But it was Elijahs uncle who captured the real heartbreak, his words almost unintelligible as he fought back tears. I was just playing with him, Adrian Annestor told WTVJ Channel 6. I wish it could have been me because Ive lived long enough. He couldnt even say mom or dad. Miami rapper Zoey Dollaz also weighed in, posting pictures to his Twitter followers of Elijah posing in different dress with his sister. Dollaz, whose real name is Elvis Millord, said he cried when he learned of Elijahs death. He also asked his more than 50,000 social media followers to pass along information on the shooter to Elijahs family. Story continues Millord posted four pictures of Elijah in different outfits posing with the younger little girl, on his Twitter page. Police have upped the reward for information leading to the shooters arrest, to $25,000 from $5,000. Miami-Dade Police investigating the death of Elijah said they were alerted to the shooting at a short-term rental near the corner of North Miami Avenue and 158th Street at 8 p.m., when an electronic monitoring device picked up dozens of gunshots. Several bullet markings are clearly visible on the concrete fencing surrounding the home. When police got to the home, officers grabbed Elijah and set him in a patrol car and raced him to the hospital. It was too late. The child was dead. Police said a 21-year-old woman was also shot and taken to Aventura Hospital. She is expected to survive. A law enforcement source familiar with the shooting said as many as 70 rounds were fired and when police arrived they found Elijahs dad holding him in the front yard of the home. Casings from three different types of guns were found at the scene. The source also said on Monday, two days after the shooting, that police havent received much information and few people have been willing to cooperate. In January on the eve of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Chassidy, 6, also lost her life at a birthday party. A kindergarten student at Beacon College Prep Elementary in Opa-locka, she attended the school with her older sister who was in third grade. Chassidy was shot outside a house on the 5500 block of Northwest Sixth Place. The shooter was believed to be in a black car that drove past the party and investigators believe the target was a man and girlfriend who were sitting in a blue Hyundai outside the home. Bullets wounded them both. More than a dozen bullets were fired. Somebody who was at the party returned fire and Chassidy was caught in the crossfire as she was getting into the familys car to leave. Last summer, gunfire claimed the life of Alana, who was killed during a drive-by shooting in Brownsville. Two men were taken into custody not long after the shooting. Police said both confessed to their roles in Alanas death. Former US Senator Chris Dodd (L) speaks at a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei, April 15, 2021. Images of a falsified Taiwan Presidential Office memo circulated widely online this month, angering the islands democratic government by claiming that Taiwan had agreed to receive the nuclear wastewater from Fukushima, Japan. In a world of increasingly sophisticated fakes and forgeries, the bogus Taiwan Presidential Office memo posted on Twitter announcing the government will receive wastewater from Japan was sloppy with fingerprints from the communist mainland, experts said. Among the telltale signs, were the use of the mainlands simplified Chinese characters, terms that betrayed unfamiliarity with the government system of Taiwan, and improper memorandum terminology. Kolas Yotaka, Taiwans presidential spokesperson, wrote on Facebook that there were five obvious and ridiculous mistakes in the falsified memo, beginning with the fact that memo was dated April 16, but was already being circulated on Twitter on April 15. Whether it is the way the memo was dated or how the recipient agency is addressed, it is just not how we write our memos. Not to mention there are simplified Chinese characters used. Under no circumstances would this be an official document issued by our government, she told RFA last week. This is a fake memo. We urge our citizens not to believe in that disinformation and stop sharing the fake memo. This is absolutely not a memo issued by the Office of the President, Yotaka added. On April 16, the Presidential Office of Taiwan filed a report with the police, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and President Tsai Ing-wen posted respectively on Facebook that the widely circulated fake memo is a typical cognitive warfare tactic. Tsai noted that the fake documented was tweeted the day after she had received an unofficial U.S. delegation. 'Cognitive warfare' She wrote that cognitive warfare is spreading information in an attempt to influence the opponents thinking and actions. She wrote that she told the U.S. delegation that Taiwan is quite experienced in responding to disinformation from China, and that she looks forward to Taiwan-U.S. cooperation in countering it. The democracy and freedom in Taiwan are hard-earned, and we will not let cognitive warfare tear up Taiwans society, wrote the president. Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Liu Kang-yan said the DPP condemns cognitive warfare that directly targets Office of the President of the Republic of China with online rumors and opinion-swaying disinformation to sabotage the internal unity of Taiwan and to burn out democratic resources with grey-zone conflicts. The Office of the President further noted that any memo to the Department of Defense would simply address the recipient as Department of Defense, rather than Department of Defense, Republic of China, as in the fake memo. The office also said that while the memo referred to cabinet meetings in the Office of the President of Taiwan, there are no such things. Information warfare experts found that the same Twitter account that spread the disinformation had also carried bogus media reports carrying the fake memo that purported to be from RFA and Radio France Internationale. Puma (Pao Yang) Shen, assistant professor of Graduate School of Criminology at National Taipei University told RFA that mainland fake news purveyors regularly pose as credible media outlets as a typical example of Chinese Communist Party cognitive warfare tactics against Taiwan. Of course they would pick Radio Free Asia as their enemy, because RFA often report unfavorable news about China. They see RFA as the enemy, he said. In the past they would intentionally create fake Radio Free Asia accounts and lead readers to believe that RFA reported biased news. Most of these accounts shared fake RFA screenshots to other platforms, and then they came back to laugh at RFA, added Shen. Shen said a Twitter user surnamed Sun appears to be behind the fake Taiwan memo, its reproduction on RFA and RFI, and a series of accounts that tweet fake content. The Sun account has been actively targeting RFA for more than a year, he said. Little Pinks at work One of Suns accounts, with the handle @us_ned_chinese mimics the National Endowment for Democracy, a U.S.-backed foundation China views as its enemy, said Shen. Although tweets from Suns accounts are not sophisticated and are ridden with errors Shen called them low-level Little Pinks tricks after young Chinese jingoists on the internet they create chaos and confusion, serving Beijings purpose. Suns accounts also post about repression in Xinjiang to trick readers who are sympathetic to the plight of Uyghurs into believing that the fake accounts share the same point of view. Later these accounts post disinformation to mislead readers, said Shen. Shen says at least a dozen tweets that contain either disinformation or fake videos about Taiwan are posted daily, and some are so sophisticated that it is hard for the public to determine their authenticity. Sometimes those who spread fake news enlist local to produce misinformation, he said. Using the name of a foreign media outlet makes the disinformation more credible. The RFA is todays unfortunate victim, and tomorrow it could be Taiwans Central News Agency (CNA), said Hsiao-Huang Shu, assistant research fellow of the Chinese Politics, Military and Warfighting Concepts division at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research. The purpose may be to leverage the medias credibility to propel the spread of the fake news, because once the disinformation goes viral, it will be shared quickly on the internet or social media groups, said Shu. Shu said the CCP finds it particularly easy to carry out influence warfare because it is quite simple to copy and paste disinformation and share on the internet, where messages containing disinformation can last for as long as five years, before they are discovered and deleted. Meanwhile, those messages containing clarification or correct information may either not be shared as quickly as the original disinformation or not reach platforms where disinformation spreads far and wide, added Shu. Yotaka said attacks on Taiwans government agencies vary greatly, from disinformation, misinformation mixed with some truth, (to) incorrect information We could only urge the media to be cautious, she said. Reported by RFAs Mandarin Service. Translated by Min Eu. Edited by Paul Eckert. There are no COVID-19 variants yet identified in the United States that rise to the level of high consequence in terms of concerns such as being resistant to multiple treatments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, variants with certain genetic substitutions in the spike protein that is key to how the virus sticks to and infects cells are being monitored in particular for such resistance and interference with vaccines designed to provide immunity. These variants include ones found in New England with the L452R or E484K substitution in the spike protein of the original virus. According to CDC data, an estimated 7.8% of the COVID-19 virus in New England States contains the L452R substitution while the proportion nationally is estimated at 18%. The spike protein substitution is found in such lineages as B.1.429 and B.1.427, both first identified in California, and B.1.526.1, first identified in New York. An estimated 13.7% of the virus in New England States is said to contain the E484K substitution with the proportion nationally estimated at 10%. This spike protein substitution is found in such lineages as B.1.525, first identified in New York, P.1 and P.2, both first identified in Brazil, and B.1.351, first identified in South Africa. It is also said to be found in some strains of the B.1.1.7 lineage, first identified in the United Kingdom and now the most common variant in the United States. The CDC said that variants with these substitutions show either a marked reduction or lower sensitivity in laboratories studies to some therapies that use man-made proteins known as monoclonal antibodies to block the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 from infecting the bodys cells. The therapies are authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration in patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19. It is not uncommon for a virus to mutate and for a variant to have more than one mutation. Sometimes the genetic changes are harmless to a human host, but sometimes the changes benefit the viruss ability to invade cells even when an immune system has been primed by vaccination or a prior infection to recognize it. The variant may replicate or transmit more easily and may cause more severe disease and is why variants are monitored to help both health care providers be aware of this possibility and researchers to track its spread. The CDC list of viral groups that have evolved from the original virus includes variants of interest and variants of concern as well. These groups are also defined by how much their genetic changes enable the variant to escape detection by the bodys immune system, enhance sustained transmission, and cause more severe disease. Its definition of a variant of high consequence is of one clear evidence that prevention measures or medical countermeasures have significantly reduced effectiveness relative to previously circulating variants. The concerns around a possible variant of high consequence include those attached to the other two categories as well as others such as evidence to suggest a significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness, a disproportionately high number of vaccine breakthrough cases, or very low vaccine-induced protection against severe disease as well as more severe clinical disease and increased hospitalizations. Vaccines are key to stopping the virus ability to transmit and spread, but low effectiveness against a variant can also provide information on whether other steps are needed. The CDC said a variant found to be of high consequence would require it be reported to the World Health Organization. Related content: The Married Woman has been making headlines and creating waves amongst all sections of society in the country. People everywhere were waiting for an opportunity to watch the show. With the new features being available on Amazon Alexa, all one needs to do is say the magic words Alexa, Play The Married Woman and can be lost under the spell of the beautiful show's dialogues, songs and many more creative oneliners. Amazon India is working with collaborators to expand Alexa's India-focused skills, and ALTBalaji is very proud to be one of the early adopters to get on to the platform. The command to start watching the show plays the show for the audience, giving them an overview of the show and what can be expected. It also gives viewers access to the trailer, the soundtrack and other interesting facts and details about the show. Divya Dixit, SVP Marketing and Revenue at ALTBalaji, said, "Tying up with a market leader like Amazon Alexa will help us expand our reach to a larger audience and enable ALTBalaji to make it accessible to larger global audiences. While this shows has already been widely acclaimed by critics and masses alike, with additional reach through Amazon Alexa, we expect the fanbase to grow stronger. The Married Woman seems as if it will continue to be one of the top trending shows this year." The lead actor in the series, Ridhi Dogra shares her thoughts on the collaboration, "The Married woman is a series that is so dear to me. The success of the show wouldn't have been possible without the love and support of the viewers. I am so excited that more people now gain access to the beautiful story with ALTBalaji's partnership with Amazon Alexa. I look forward to hearing more of how the audience loved the show" Building on the legacy of creating iconic shows, ALTBalaji's exclusive content library has built a library of over 79 Originals like 'The Married Woman', 'Apharan 2,' 'Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu', 'The Test Case 2', 'Crashh' among others. Making it one of the largest content banks in the world, which continues to be lauded by audiences everywhere. Most of the 11 million AstraZeneca vaccines due to reach the Netherlands in the coming weeks will go unused, a top health official has revealed. Jaap van Deldon, who heads the vaccination department at Holland's public health institute, admitted that millions of the ordered Covid-19 doses will not be needed after the government restricted its use on under-60s due to concerns about incredibly rare blood clots. It comes as the Netherlands battles soaring cases of coronavirus with new infections topping 8,000 in recent days. Intensive care doctors in the Noord-Brabant province have warned that wards at some hospitals are at breaking point. The Netherlands, alongside a number of EU countries, has crippled its own vaccine programme with a series of stops and starts in its roll-out. The country introduced age restrictions on its use amid a 'possible link' between the jab and very rare blood clots - even though the European Medicines Agency said it is 'firmly convinced' the benefits of the jab outweigh the risks. First the vaccine was halted in Holland, then permitted, and then banned for those under the age of 60 due to the blood clot fears resulting in many losing confidence in the jab. While the Netherlands has ordered 11 million doses of the jab, which is only being given to people between the ages of 60 and 64, only 1.5 million doses have been handed out so far to the population of around 17 million. In the Netherlands, 8,013 Covid-19 cases were reported on Sunday while 11 people died The Netherlands, alongside a number of EU countries, has crippled its own vaccine programme with a series of stops and starts in its roll-out Mr Van Deldon has been criticised by doctors after telling the AD newspaper that millions of doses, due to be delivered next month, will go unused in favour of other vaccines. He told the newspaper: 'But at some point it is of course true that we are done with AstraZeneca. 'That moment will come a bit faster than expected, because Pfizer has started to deliver more. 'We estimate that we will largely no longer need the AstraZeneca deliveries that we will receive from the second half of May.' When asked what will happen to the millions of wasted doses of the vaccine, Mr Van Deldon said: 'The idea has always been: we buy more vaccines than we need, because vaccines could fail. 'If Europe is left with vaccines, they could be distributed to less wealthy countries. And maybe you could save some for later.' The National General Practitioners Association LHV in the Netherlands accused Mr Van Deldon of confusing the vaccine issue further and said it is important for people to take the AstraZeneca vaccine. 'The policy changes surrounding this vaccine are making it more difficult for doctors to ensure high turnout [for the vaccination],' the organisation told the Dutch News. 'This is absolutely not helping. Jaap van Deldon admitted that millions of the ordered Covid-19 doses will not be needed after the government restricted its use on under-60s due to concerns about incredibly rare blood clots A healthcare worker is vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Amsterdam on April 24 'As far as we are concerned it is clear: if the choice is AstraZeneca now or possibly another vaccine later, then the choice should absolutely be for AstraZeneca now.' While the Netherlands has ordered 11 million doses of the jab, which is only being given to people between the ages of 60 and 64, only 1.5 million doses have been handed out so far to the population of around 17 million. The European Medicines Agency on Friday said again that the use of the Oxford jab 'outweighs its risks in adults of all age groups'. In the Netherlands, 8,013 Covid-19 cases were reported while 11 deaths were reported. Intensive care doctors in the Noord-Brabant province have told the health ministry they have now reached their limits on wards in some hospitals, according to Dutch News. In a joint letter, they wrote: 'The physical and emotional strain on our teams (who, according to IC doctors, are also increasingly dealing with young patients) inevitably takes a toll. 'Team members have indicated that they will not be able to sustain this pace much longer and are considering stopping. The staff shortage will increase further, which will endanger the quality of our IC care in the (near) future. The development comes as the EU is suing AstraZeneca over its 'complete failure' to meet delivery deadlines and contractual agreements for its vaccine. Ursula von der Leyen's Commission is now mounting plans to sue AstraZeneca after not receiving doses outlined in its contracts. It comes after European leaders rashly claimed that the vaccine wasn't safe, which has crippled the woeful pace of their programmes to immunise Brussels also bitterly decided not to take up the option to buy 100 million more of the Anglo-Swedish firm's vaccine. The EU is seeking to save face in the courts after crippling its own vaccine roll-out by launching a war against Britain - and the rest of the world - first, by suggesting that the vaccines were ineffective, and then embargoing exports. Only a third of Germans now consider the AstraZeneca vaccine to be safe, while just 23 per cent of the French would take it. In Italy and Spain, most people had previously believed the jab was safe, with 54 per cent and 59 per cent backing it respectively. But since the row over safety, those figures have fallen to 36 per cent of Italians and 38 per cent of Spaniards, YouGov figures show. As a result, just 19 per cent of EU citizens have received their first dose of a jab, while 49 per cent of the British population has had a vaccine. The EU launched a vaccine war in January when it was notified by AstraZeneca to expect a shortfall in doses as Britain raced ahead with inoculations. Leaders like Emmanuel Macron lashed out at the UK, saying that the jab developed by Oxford University was only 'quasi-effective' - a claim later shown to be baseless scaremongering by the EU's own medicines regulator. The bloc meanwhile lurched to a policy of embargoing exports, condemned as 'stupid' even by Jean Claude Juncker, to force AstraZeneca into delivering supplies. A woman receives a shot of the Janssen vaccine, during a COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pamplona, northern Spain, Thursday By the end of the first quarter, AstraZeneca had supplied 30 million doses to the Bloc, instead of the 100 million it had pledged to deliver in its contract. The EU blamed the manufacturer, but the reason why Britain and the United States have had such successful vaccine roll-outs compared to the EU is because they were able to actually secure the doses by cutting red tape. Brussels, on the other hand, signed contracts with AstraZeneca much later due to its vast bureaucratic red tape. They were also more reliant on receiving doses from Pfizer and Moderna, which were hit with early production woes. The Commission has ordered 300 million doses from AstraZeneca as part of a contract that included 400 million doses, of which 100 million was optional. However, in recent weeks the EU has stepped up the pace of its roll-out. It has fully vaccinated 7 per cent of the population, compared with 15 per cent of the UK. Last week, the Netherlands averaged 0.77 vaccines per 100 people per day, the highest of any country in Europe. France, Germany and Hungary are also picking up the pace. Whether they will be able to fully repair the damage done by raising fears over blood clots remains to be seen. Countries like Italy and France have very high levels of anti-vax sentiment compared to in the UK. Before the vaccine safety row, 43 per cent of French people considered the vaccine to be unsafe, now that proportion has risen to 61 per cent. In January, the European Medicines Regulator (EMA) approved the AstraZeneca jab for all age groups, but a number of EU countries, including France and Germany, refused to recommend it to people over 65. At the beginning of March, France and Germany were forced into humiliating U-turns and approved jab for 65 to 74-year-olds. Then just weeks later, they were among 13 countries which suspended use of the vaccine after sporadic reports of blood clots. Most countries then restarted use of the vaccines after the EMA came out and said that the incidence of blood clots was actually lower among those who had received a jab than it was in the general population. On April 7, the regulator conceded there was a 'possible link' between AstraZeneca and blood clots, but said neither age group nor gender were a defining risk factor. But the damage was done. Countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany have limited use of the jab to those older than 55 or 60, while Denmark has entirely suspended its use. Syracuse, NY The lawyer for a Syracuse man charged with helping to organize the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol sought Monday to blame former President Trump for inciting the mob. Matthew Greene, 33, is accused of possessing three illegal guns including an AR-15 assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition when his house in Eastwood was raided Jan. 18, weeks after the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C. Greene was arrested Apr. 21 on a seven-count indictment accusing him and two other Proud Boys of coordinating an attack on the Capitol in a bid to overturn the Electoral College vote and undermine the peaceful transition of power. Greene appeared Monday for a two-hour virtual hearing as a judge determined whether he would remain jailed. An assistant federal public defender who spoke on Greenes behalf began by blaming Trumps incendiary call to resist the legitimate results of the 2020 election, creating a unique situation that the lawyer argued would never be repeated. The former president preyed upon the emotions and vulnerability felt by his ardent supporters including Greene by stoking their sense of patriotism and encouraging supporters to fight like hell during a rally hours before the insurrection, Assistant Federal Public Defender Gabrielle DiBella argued. Trump was the accelerant for a whole number of people, DiBella said. But federal prosecutors responded that Greenes arsenal of illegal weapons and ammo including 250 live rounds in eight high-capacity magazines made him uniquely dangerous among the hundreds of people charged so far in the Jan. 6 riot. Making things worse, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Green argued, was the fact that Greene had ordered much of his arsenal -- including thousands of rounds of ammunition, a gas mask, respirator and replacement kit -- in the days after returning from the insurrection to his Syracuse home. All told, Greene bought nearly $2,000 in ammo, war gear and other items after the insurrection, feds say. That included 1,560 rounds of ammo for a separate AK-47 assault rifle that has never been found, the prosecutor said. In addition, private chats with others in the Central New York Proud Boys group contained references by Greene to guerilla tactics, unconventional warfare and fighting like the Taliban in Afghanistan, the prosecutor said. Trump threw us all under the bus, Greene allegedly told others in the far-right extremist group, adding later: Sh*t has gotten real up in here. We have a rat. Be careful who you trust. Instead of reflecting on the mayhem and violence Greene and others caused, Mr. Greene equipped himself for heightened violence, the prosecutor said during a detention hearing Monday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric agreed that Greene was too dangerous to be released until trial. Greene will remain in custody as his case is transferred to the District of Columbia, where the more than 400 riot suspects so far are being adjudicated. As for Trumps impact on the riot, Lovric said that political rhetoric might be a motivation for what happened, but it was not a criminal defense. That rhetoric played only a small part in the judges evaluation of Greenes dangerousness, he said. More important was the grand jurys indictment alleging Greene and two other Proud Boys Dominic Pezzola and William Pepe were among the first rioters to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, running over trampled barriers, breaking a window to the building with a riot shield and confronting Capitol Police officers inside, the judge said. Lovric also pointed to evidence that Greene violated three state gun laws by possessing an AR-15 and detachable magazines, as well as two separate unregistered handguns, a Colt semi-automatic and a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semi-automatic. One of those guns, the Smith & Wesson, was concealed in a secret compartment in a drop-down shelf that folded up to look like a bookcase, said Green, the prosecutor. Greene, of 264 Burns Ave., faces up to 20 years in federal prison on one of the seven charges hes facing in the federal indictment from the insurrection. He has not been charged with state crimes in the illegal gun case. Because of the nature of the offenses, Greenes case was presumed to result in detention, the prosecutor and judge noted. But prosecutors still had to show that Greene was either a flight risk or a danger to the community. The judge ruled that Greene was not a flight risk, pointing to his family and business ties to Syracuse, as well as the fact he was willing to abide by strict rules that could have included electronic monitoring and other measures. But the guns, ammo and chat texts sent after the insurrection made it too risky to set Greene free before trial, the judge ruled. The judge called the chats very disturbing and suggested that Greene still had the same mindset even after the fallout from the Jan. 6 riots. Trumps rhetoric and the certification of the Electoral College vote on that day did not present unique circumstances that could never be repeated, given Greenes actions after the fact, the judge ruled. Here is a partial list of items found in Jan. 18 during a raid at Greenes house at 264 Burns Ave. in Eastwood: An AR-15 assault rifle, including a long-range optical lens and tactical lighting Tactical camouflage vest with eight high-capacity magazines for an AR-15. The magazines were loaded with 250 live rounds, prosecutors say. Camouflage backpack, which prosecutors say that Greene is seen wearing in photos at the Capitol riot. Inside the backpack was a Kevlar-grade ballistic helmet. A Remington 12-gauge shotgun. This item was not seized, as it is legal without a permit in New York. A bolt-action rifle. This item was not seized, as it is legal without a permit in NY. A Colt handgun. This unregistered weapon was apparently a ceremonial present to commemorate Greenes military service, including a tour in Afghanistan. A Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun. This unregistered weapon was found in a hidden drop-down compartment in a bookcase, prosecutors said. Several electronic devices, including Greenes cell phone, with evidence that included online orders for ammo and other gear, prosecutors say. A gas mask, respirator and replacement kit, allegedly purchased after the Capitol riot. Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 17:40:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday called for more open international trade and stronger support for a multilateralism system to rebuild a thriving post-COVID-19 global economy. In a pre-recorded speech delivered to the opening ceremony of the 77th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific held in Bangkok via videoconference, Hun Sen said Cambodia is a strong advocate of the principles of globalization. "Expanding greater openness of international trade and supporting stronger multilateralism system as well as providing preferential treatment to developing countries (are crucial) to ensure that the benefits of globalization are equitably and effectively allocated," he said. Meanwhile, the Cambodian prime minister also urged rich countries not to hoard COVID-19 vaccines. "Cambodia would like to emphasize the importance and urgency of the distribution and utilization of the COVID-19 vaccines in an equitable and affordable manner, especially for developing countries," Hun Sen said. "Besides that, Cambodia would like to appeal to a number of countries not to hoard the vaccine more than needed as well as not to use the vaccine as a political tool," he added. Hun Sen said Cambodia firmly believes that the fight against COVID-19 and the post-crisis recovery requires all countries to urgently address regional and global challenges in a responsible manner with the spirit of unity, collaboration and mutual respect. Enditem A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, has blamed Nigerians who knew the past pro-Taliban views of embattled Minister of C... A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, has blamed Nigerians who knew the past pro-Taliban views of embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, but yet didnt speak up during his ministerial screening in 2019. Gagdi, a member of the House representing Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam Federal Constituency in Plateau State, spoke on Monday while featuring on TVC breakfast show, Your View. The lawmaker, who is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Navy, said he was amongst those who screened Pantami in 2019. He noted that the Department of State Services didnt send any report to the National Assembly on the past extremist views of the minister during his screening two years ago. This pressure which some Nigerians who are privileged to know the commitment and disposition of Pantami when he was 34, why didnt they bring it up to the attention of the National Assembly during the screening of the ministerial nominees? These Nigerians that have access to this very important information, what stopped them from hitting the media with it at the time the screening exercise was being conducted? That was the time the National Assembly had the power to reject nominations of the President or to confirm nominations. If the information had gone out and the National Assembly had gone ahead to confirm Pantami, then I will accept responsibility that the National Assembly had done extremely bad, the lawmaker noted. Pantami, a former director-general with the National Information Technology Development Agency, is the only member of the Federal Executive Council from Gombe State. He has come under fire over his past controversial comments on terrorist groups including Taliban and Al-Qaeda. After initial denials, the minister later denounced his radical comments, saying he now knows better. The regime of the President, Muhammadu Buhari recently exonerated the minister, saying that he should be forgiven because he made the statements at a much younger age but Nigerians have been unsparing and relentless in the call for the sacking of the minister. But the lawmaker said the President has a right to sack or retain Pantami in his cabinet. He (the President) has the right to either give the man (Pantami) a prerogative of mercy or to sack the man. That is his own power just as President (Donald) Trump before the end of his tenure decided to forgive criminals in the United States which was unacceptable to some democrats. It is the same democracy that we practice in Nigeria, Gagdi stated. Thane, April 26 : At least four Covid-19 patients died at a private hospital in the city on Monday, allegedly owing to a shortage of medial oxygen, officials said. Taking serious note, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked for a detailed report on the incident from the district authorities and ordered a probe into the matter. The incident took place at the Vedanta Hospital where the deceased patients were in a critical condition since past few days, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde and Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad said. Awhad added that Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Pankaj Ashiya will conduct the probe and submit the report. "Given the situation, the state government is making all possible efforts to tide over the shortage of medical oxygen... We are also procuring oxygen from other states via road, train or flights," Shinde said. Targeting the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya claimed that 6 patients had died and called for sacking the Health Minister Rajesh Tope. "In Vedanta Hospital in Thane six persons died due to a defect in oxygen supply. Covid-19 patients dying Maharashtra hospitals due to lack of oxygen or fires is becoming routine in the Thackeray regime. Why Tope is not sacked?" he asked. Terming it as "a serious issue", BJP legislator Niranjan Davkhare said that it must be ascertained whether the Vedanta Hospital administration or the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) was responsible for the tragedy. The latest incident comes after a massive oxygen gas leak in a Nashik civic hospital killed 29 patients on April 21, and a fire in a private hospital in Palghar snuffed out 15 lives on April 23, taking the number of Covid facilities-related deaths to at least 48 in five days. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi: After the protests from Opposition Congress and her own partys lawmakers, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje asked state ministers to rethink the gag law. According to the sources, CM Raje has met state ministers at his residence to make changes in Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) bill which was tabled in the assembly on Monday. In a shocking move, BJP-led Rajasthan government had last month promulgated the new Ordinance that seeks to protect ministers, lawmakers and government officials from being investigated without its prior sanction. The move left Rajasthan BJP divided with some of the partys senior leaders joining Congress in opposing the gag law. Former State Education Minister and sitting MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari termed the law a Kala Kanoon (Black Law) and said he was against it. The Opposition Congress has also launched a black band protest led by the leader of the Opposition Rameshwar Dudi and Sachin Pilot outside the state assembly against the gag law. The governments move to bring the ordinance and now a bill clearly shows that it has no respect for democracy and is working against the principles of democracy, Dudi told reporters. Earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi taking a dig at CM Vasundhara Raje had said, "Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817." For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Streambank, a market leading advisory firm specializing in the sale of intellectual property assets and domain name brokerage, is offering for sale the premium domain name, SUV.com. "SUV is one of the most recognized acronyms in the world," commented Hilco Streambank Senior Vice President Richelle Kalnit. "The domain name has potential for multiple applications across the automotive industry, including direct-to-consumer automobile sales, automotive media, automobile aggregator websites, and automotive ratings and rankings websites." SUV is a high-volume search term, generating an average of approximately 1.9 million monthly searches over the last 12 months. A high cost per click on the "SUV" term also indicates a sought-after industry keyword. Parties interested in the SUV.com domain name should CLICK HERE or contact Hilco Streambank directly using the contact information provided below. Richelle Kalnit Senior Vice President [email protected] 212.993.7214 Ryan Brenner Analyst [email protected] 212.993.7213 About Hilco Streambank: Hilco Streambank is a market leading advisory firm specializing in intellectual property disposition and valuation. Having completed numerous transactions including sales in publicly reported Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, private transactions, and online sales through IPv4.Global, Hilco Streambank has established itself as the premier intermediary in the consumer brand, internet and telecom communities. Hilco Streambank is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate and strategic capital equity investments. SOURCE Hilco Streambank The number of new print magazines started in the U.S. fell by more than half in 2020 to 60, compared t Two bankers put in detention in Moscow on suspicion of $13.5 mln withdrawal flickr.com/ GotCredit 16:14 26/04/2021 MOSCOW, April 26 (RAPSI) A court in Moscow put a former chair of board of one of the commercial banks and his deputy in detention on suspicion of illegal takeaway of more than one billion rubles (about $13.5 million) through unsecured loans, the Interior Ministrys spokesperson Irina Volk told RAPSI on Monday. According to preliminary information, between Septeme 2018 and January 2020, the bank top managers siphoned off the clients money by the issuance of unsecured loans to their subdordinated individuals. As a result, a portfolio of potentially bad loans totaling over one billion rubles was formed on the balance sheet of the credit organization, Volk said. A criminal case was opened over large-scale fraud. Police conducted over 20 searches as part of it, she added. (Corrects to change attribution in paragraph 9.) By Tom Allard JAKARTA (Reuters) -A draft statement circulating the day before a Southeast Asian leaders' summit on the Myanmar crisis included the release of political prisoners as one of its "consensus" points, said three sources familiar with the document. But in the final statement at the end of Saturday's meeting, the language on freeing political prisoners had been unexpectedly watered down and did not contain a firm call for their release, two of the sources said. The absence of a strong position on this issue caused dismay among human rights activists and opponents of the coup, fuelling criticism by them that the meeting had achieved little in the way of reining in the country's military leaders. Activist monitors say 3,389 people have been detained in a crackdown on dissent by the military since the Feb. 1 coup, and nearly 750 people have been killed. The "five-point consensus" in the chairman's statement at the end of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting did not refer to freeing political detainees. However, the statement separately mentioned that the summit "heard calls" for their release. The summit was attended by Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. Among those held by the military are Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party was declared the winner of elections prior to the coup, as well as Myanmar's democratically-elected president and other lawmakers. There was confusion after the summit as some leaders and diplomats made comments suggesting consensus had been reached on calling for release of political prisoners. "Malaysia pushed for an end to the violence in Myanmar, the release of political detainees, and for an ASEAN Envoy to meet with all parties involved," said Malaysia's foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein on social media on Sunday. "The Leaders reached consensus on these." Story continues An official in Hishammuddin's ministry referred Reuters to the line in the chair's statement that there were calls for the freeing of detainees. Two sources who saw the draft of the consensus points, and requested anonymity, told Reuters they were surprised the language had been changed, but did not say how or when it was altered. Reuters has not seen the draft. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the foreign ministry of Brunei, which chaired the ASEAN summit. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch said political prisoners would need to be "involved in any negotiated solution to the crisis". The five consensus points, however, include an undertaking for "all parties" in Myanmar to be involved in dialogue. The other points of consensus were an end to violence, a special ASEAN envoy, humanitarian assistance and a visit by a delegation to Myanmar to "meet all parties concerned". At the summit, leaders and their representatives gave speeches on the situation in Myanmar, with coup leader Ming Aung Hlaing presenting his views last, said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsieh Loong. "He said he heard us, he would take the points in which he considered helpful," Lee said. (Editing by Kay Johnson and Frances Kerry) Read what is in the news today: Politics -- Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Sen. Lieut. Gen. Phan Van Giang hosted an official welcome ceremony in Hanoi on Sunday for Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Sen. Lieut. Gen. Wei Fenghe, who is paying an official visit to Vietnam from April 24 to 27. COVID-19 Updates -- Vietnam recorded three imported cases of COVID-19 in central Quang Nam Province and Da Nang City on Monday morning, raising the national tally to 2,846 infections with 2,516 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths. -- Do Thanh Hai, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Vietnam in India, told Vietnam Television (VTV) on Sunday that the embassy had brought nearly 1,000 Vietnamese home and would continue to support the remaining 100 citizens in the host country, which is being shaken by the coronavirus crisis. -- Vietnams Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has warned of a possible fourth wave of COVID-19 as regional countries reported a rapid surge of new cases and many citizens have failed to implement the ministrys preventive measures. Society -- Police in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City managed to arrest two men just a few hours after they stabbed another man to death due to conflict over so de, an unofficial yet popular form of lottery in Vietnam, at around 4:00 pm on Sunday. -- Police in Y Yen District in northern Nam Dinh Province said on Sunday evening that they were investigating a case where a robber had allegedly killed the son of the family that he had been trying to rob and staged his death as a drowning accident on Saturday. -- A blaze broke out at a factory of Doosan Electro-Materials Vietnam Co. Ltd. at Dai An Industrial Park in northern Hai Duong Province on Sunday afternoon, burning down thousands of square meters of facilities. -- A freight train derailed while running through south-central Binh Thuan Province, obstructing the entirety of the North-South railway route on Sunday afternoon. -- A source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday evening that police in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City were investigating a case where a police captain died at an office in Binh Hung Hoa A Ward that morning. Sports -- It almost felt like old times at Wembley on Sunday as a crowd of 8,000 watched Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final -- the biggest attendance at a UK sporting event since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Reuters reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 26th Apr, 2021) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) held a virtual workshop with European Union officials on 5th and 6th April, discussing the importance of a multi-agency approach to parallel investigations. The sessions explored ways to employ Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) intelligence to disrupt and dismantle illicit networks. The sessions also addressed cooperation among relevant institutional participants on the domestic and international levels. Key law enforcement entities across the UAE benefited from the skills and knowledge exchange, including the Ministry of Interior and the Public Prosecution. The workshops focused on the importance of knowledge and discussed building a standardised and comprehensive understanding of criminality and the individuals involved in organised crime across the country, in addition to the interconnectedness of international organised crime networks. Also, it focused on understanding the joint assessment and analysis of collective knowledge with the aim of maximising the understanding of organised crime at all levels. The workshop also discussed the aspect of response, using a common assessment approach to identify, prioritise, and coordinate a response at the tactical and strategic levels. Glenn McDowell, EU AML/CFT Global Facility expert, said, "Financial crime is growing in sophistication and complexity, so we are delighted to be able to share our respective knowledge, skills, and experience with the UAE. The reality across most countries is that different government agencies are involved at various stages of tackling financial or other serious crimes, including the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences and the recovery of the proceeds of crime. "Using parallel financial investigations and increasing cooperation and better information sharing between different government agencies and internationally at each stage of the fight against serious crimes is key to enhancing our ongoing prevention efforts. " Amna Fikri, Director of the Economic and Trade Affairs Department at MoFAIC, stated, "I would like to thank the European Union for partnering with us to host this important session. Financial investigations are data intensive. Parallel investigations enable us to bring together cross-sectorial and cross-jurisdictional expertise. This means that information is better shared and effectively used to avoid duplication and sharpen the pursuit of financial crime by accelerating the identification of links between where the money comes from, who receives it, when it is received, and where it is deposited." Fikri added, "The more information available in understanding criminal activity, the better we can become at spotting patterns and areas of interest. Key UAE agencies benefited from these informative sessions, especially the in-depth discussion on the framework for inter-agency collaboration, which is the cornerstone of an effective supervisory and enforcement architecture." The joint training sessions hosted with the European Union form a key part of the UAEs wide range of actions to strengthen its efforts in the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, including initiatives to facilitate domestic and international cooperation. In March, the UAE hosted similar workshops with the US Department of the Treasury, and Revenue and Customs of the United Kingdom. Established in 2017 by the European Commission, the EU Global Facility on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism aims to support third countries in their efforts to prevent money laundering and cut off access to funding for individual terrorists and terrorist organisations. Financed by the Commissions Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, the project is implemented by Expertise France, in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit and Northern Ireland Cooperation Overseas. Karnataka: Fishing boat owner files case for compensation April 26,2021 | Source: The Times of India The owner of the Beypore-based fishing boat, which capsized after a container ship rammed it off the coast of Mangaluru on April 13 leaving six persons dead and six other missing, has initiated legal proceedings against the owners of the Singapore-flagged vessel seeking compensation. The admiralty suit seeking compensation has been filed on behalf of boat owner Mamantakath Jaffar against the owners of the container vessel APL Le Havre at the Karnataka high court. Advocate C Unnikrishnan who filed the petition on behalf of the boat owner said that the owners of the foreign ship have come forward for talks regarding the compensation. As the shipping firm had filed a caveat in the court, when we filed an admiralty suit in the court, they were provided a copy of our petition and they approached us and asked whether we are ready to hold discussions regarding compensation. Now talks are underway regarding providing compensation to the affected persons, said Unnikrishnan. He added that the case was filed in Karnataka high court as the waters where the incident took place fell under its jurisdiction. Unnikrishnan said that the overspeeding ship had hit the fishing boat from behind. It is learnt that the ship was speeding and was moving at a speed of 19 knots as against the safe speed of 18 knots, he said. Kerala Boat Operators Association state vice-president Karichali Preman said that the boat owner had suffered losses of over Rs 1.3 crore. Also, of the 14 fishermen in the ill-fated boat, six persons have lost their lives and six others are still missing and two have survived, he said. The boat IFB Rabah, owned by Jaffar, had set off sail from Beypore on April 11 night with 14 migrant fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal on board. The boat had overturned after being hit by the ship around midnight the next day. Two fishermen were rescued by the crew of the ship. The ship was en route to Nhava Sheva port from Singapore when it collided with the fishing boat around 43 nautical miles off Mangaluru coast. Bengaluru, April 26 : A day after Bengaluru overtook Mumbai in terms of registering Covid positive cases, Karnataka on Monday decided to opt for enforcing lockdown like restrictions for the next fortnight starting from Tuesday evening onwards. Announcing this after the cabinet meeting here, Karnataka chief minister, B.S. Yediyurappa said that Karnataka will enforce lockdown measures to contain Indian variants of the deadly virus spreading like wildfire. "From Tuesday (tomorrow) till May 10, restriction on movement of traffic and human beings will be enforced. Except for essential services like selling milk, vegetables and grocery nothing will be allowed," he said and added that even the essential shops will be allowed to operate only between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on every morning till May 10. He added that from April 27 evening, strict measures will be in place. "Request vendors, shopkeepers to close right after 10 a.m. so the police don't have to compel them. Manufacturing sector constructions, agricultural activities will be allowed but garment factories will be prohibited," he said. The CM said that state run transport corporations will operate minimum fleet of buses that too to help transporting essential items. Prior to the cabinet meeting, Bengaluru Civic Body officers, members of Karnataka Technical Advisory Committee met Chief Minister Yeediyurappa at his home office Krishna where they briefed him about the necessity of enforcing lockdown for at least 15 days. Apart from these officials and epidemiologists, the Karnataka health minister, K. Sudhakar too argued in favour of lockdown in the cabinet meet. Whitehalls grandest fromage Simon Case looked affronted. Surprised, even. Dare I say it, perhaps a little hurt. The new(ish) Cabinet Secretary had just been accused by MPs of being evasive. Eh? Civil servants being tricksy? Choke! Cough! Splutter! Who could even think such a thing? Mr Case had been summoned before the public affairs committee to answer questions on sleaze. I use the word answer rather loosely the session was a two-hour tutorial in prevarication. A masterclass in obfuscation. Sir Humphrey Appleby would have been proud. Opening salvos concentrated on his hunt for the leaker of the decision last October to institute a second national lockdown the so-called chatty rat. Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary and the UK's most senior civil servant, giving evidence on the work of the Cabinet Office to the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) Sat with him was the head of the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team, Darren Tierney, who had tipplers cheeks and a neat line in Search me, guv expressions. Forty minutes into the session and we were yet to get a satisfactory reply on anything Case warned the committee that the culprit might never be found. Five months of rummaging had come to nothing. It seems that neither Mr Case nor any of his fellow Whitehall sleuths will be giving the Hercule Poirots or Miss Marples of this world a run for their money any time soon. Each time a question was raised about the matter, Case simply shot his cuffs, spread his arms wide and said it was an ongoing investigation and therefore couldnt possibly be commented on. Variations on that answer included: Im not at liberty to say; Im constrained by what I can say; I cant say; I cant discuss that; or more elusively Its very complex. Interesting study, Case. Everything about him screamed mandarin. Sharply tailored blue suit, closely mown hair, beard manicured with artisanal perfection. He also wears those cruel, ice-cube-shaped spectacles which seem to be standard issue among senior Westminster officials. Sat with him was the head of the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team, Darren Tierney, who had tipplers cheeks and a neat line in Search me, guv expressions. Forty minutes into the session and we were yet to get a satisfactory reply on anything. Worse was to follow as we segued into the thorny matter of the refurbishment of the Prime Ministers Downing Street flat. Three times David Jones (Con, Clwyd West) asked whether the original bill had been paid for with private donations. On each occasion, Case rabbited on about launching (yawn) an internal review into the matter. Jones eventually demanded a straightforward yes or no. Long pause... The Prime Minister has asked me to conduct a review. It was now the turn of committee chair William Wragg to get shirty. Mr Case, youve known youve been coming for weeks. Im surprised you did not come here better furnished with answers, he sighed. John McDonnell (Lab, Hayes and Harlington) frowned. I dont mean to be rude, Mr Case, but this is coming across like a badly scripted version of Yes, Minister. Get Lost, Minister, more like. Talk eventually turned to Lex Greensill, the Aussie businessman who wingled into David Camerons inner Downing Street circle before offering the ex-PM a job. Here, Case became more forthcoming. Possibly because it hadnt occurred on his watch. Although Greensill had been touting around a business card claiming to be a Downing Street adviser, Case made it clear he was nothing of the sort. What was he? asked Jones, eyeballs now popping with incredulity. Thats unclear, Darren Tierney piped up. Did he just pop round for a cup of tea? Wragg suggested, not entirely helpfully. More worryingly, there was no evidence of an employment contract. Case admitted it was all rather alarming. John Stevenson (Con, Carlisle) asked how many other unpaid aides such as Greensill were currently operating in the civil service. It was obvious Case had no idea. But he had a least managed to find out how many mandarins held second jobs. It was about a hundred, though they were mainly tutoring positions, such as yoga instructors, apparently. Which rather gives a whole new meaning to flexible working practices. Eventually, chairman Wragg wrapped things up and thanked Case for his time, possibly resisting the urge to add if nothing else. Meanwhile, over in the Commons, Michael Gove faced an angry wall of noise over the PMs alleged remarks that he would rather see bodies pile high than face another lockdown. In usual circumstances, Gove would make a first-class head of complaints at a lost luggage department. He radiates probity and coolness when the flak is flying. But even he was struggling for answers. I was in that room, I never heard language of that kind, he said. The idea he would say any such thing, I find incredible. Hmm. Considering Boriss aptitude for these sorts of loose-lipped, foot-in-gob remarks, many think it very credible. Cest le probleme. Bayer AGs strategy to get a favorable ruling in its Roundup litigation is a manufactured pay-to-appeal scheme that will erode the U.S. system of justice if its permitted, plaintiffs lawyers said in a letter to a court. Lawyers who are helping lead the nationwide litigation over allegations that the weed killer causes cancer responded Thursday to a deal Bayer entered into that essentially pays a Georgia man to keep fighting the company in court. The court should reject this brazen manipulation of our judicial system, according to the letter addressed to the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals. Bayer has defended its confidential settlement with Georgia doctor John Carson, telling the court that the accord is structured in a way thats been approved by other appeals courts. Bayers ultimate goal is to win a decision from the nations high court that would undermine a key claim in the lawsuits and curb the steady stream of new cases on top of the tens of thousands of claims the company has already resolved. The company has been completely transparent about its desire to appeal Roundup failure-to-warn cases on federal preemption grounds, and this settlement, which the plaintiff voluntarily agreed to, is an appropriate path for such an appeal, the company said in a statement. Bayer has agreed to pay as much as $11.6 billion to resolve existing Roundup lawsuits from about 125,000 consumers and farmers in the U.S. and yet-to-be filed claims. The litigation has been a lingering obstacle for Bayer from its 2018 purchase of Monsanto Co. More lawsuits are filed almost daily. The lawyers who signed the letter including Brent Wisner and Jennifer Moore have won Roundup verdicts against Bayer and themselves settled cases with the company. Their trial victories could be in jeopardy if the Supreme Court were to side with Bayer. While Bayer disclosed some details of the deal with Carson in a notice to the Atlanta court, it didnt reveal what the plaintiffs lawyers described as an onerous $100,000 penalty Carson must pay if he backs out of his appeal. The omission of that provision is on its face misleading, and speaks to the deceptive nature of this appeal, according to the letter. Bayer is paying Carson to appeal and then threatening him if he does not follow through, according to the letter. Carsons lawyer, Ashleigh Madison, said in an email that all allegations of impropriety are categorically denied and will be addressed in court. My clients best interests are my top priority, as they have been throughout my representation of him, she said. Here, my clients best interests are not served by unfounded public scrutiny. The case is Carson v. Monsanto Co., 21-10994, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit (Atlanta). About the photo: Weeds are sprayed with a bottle of Bayer AG Roundup brand weedkiller in this arranged photograph outside a home in Princeton, Illinois, U.S., on Thursday, March 28, 2019. Bayer vowed to keep defending its weedkiller Roundup after losing a second trial over claims it causes cancer, indicating that the embattled company isnt yet ready to consider spending billions of dollars to settle thousands of similar lawsuits. Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. An AI-powered computer system has been created which identifies the emotional state of farm animals and if they are happy or not. It is hoped that better understanding how animals are feeling can help improve their living conditions and quality of life. Thousands of images of cows and pigs from six farms around the world were used to train the network, called WUR Wolf, which was accurate 85 per cent of the time. Scroll down for video An AI-powered computer system has been created which identifies the emotional state of farm animals and if they are happy or not. Pictured one of the images the system was trialled on which reveals a pig which was classified as 'alert and neutral' Deep learning algorithms were used to identify 13 facial actions which included difference in an animal's ears, eyes and behaviour., Pictured, an excited cow The software was developed by Dr Suresh Neethirajan of Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the findings are published on bioRxiv. Deep learning algorithms were used to identify 13 facial actions which included differences in animals' ears, eyes and behaviour. These then correlated to nine different emotional states, including whether the animal is aggressive, calm, or neutral. For example, if the ears of a cow are upright it is likely excited, but if its ears are pointing forwards, it is probably feeling negative emotions, such as frustration. Markers for pigs also focus heavily on the ear and if they are twitching rapidly, they are probably feeling stressed, whereas if they are hanging and flipping in the direction of the eyes, the animal is in a neutral state. The 13 facial indicators fee data into the Ai system which then determines which of nine emotional states (pictured) best applies to an animal at a specific moment These indicators offer insights into how the animals are feeling and could be used to monitor farm animals to ensure they are as happy and content as possible. 'There is a need to move away from just eliminating negative emotional states to providing positive states, such as playful behaviour,' Dr Neethirajan told New Scientist. He believes the technology will take a number of years before it is ready to be used on farms. FEATURES OF COWS AND PIGS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING EMOTIONS Animal Indicators Emotional state Cow Upright ear posture longer Excited Cow Forward facing ears Frustrated Cow Half-closed eyes, ears backwards Relaxed Cow Eye white visible and ears forward Excited Cow Visible eye white Stress Pig High frequency ear movement Stress Pig Ears forward Alert Pig Ears backward Negative emotion Pig Hanging ears flipping in the direction of eyes Neutral Pig Standing upright ears Normal Pig Ears forward oriented Aggression Pig Ears backward and less open eyes Retreat from aggression to neutral state But he says continuous monitoring would help farmers consistently maintain higher welfare standards than the current system of inspections and audits. 'The ability to track and analyze how animals feel will be a breakthrough in establishing animal welfare auditing tools,' Dr Neethirajanwrites in his paper. 'Technological advances in 384 the field of animal behavior are a huge step in improving humans understanding of the 385 animals they share this world with, but there is still room to grow.' By Panu Wongcha-um and Kay Johnson BANGKOK (Reuters) - Few had high hopes that a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which counts Myanmar among its members, would produce any serious initiative to end the bloodshed after Myanmar's coup, with the junta leader himself in attendance. Yet the summit's concluding "consensus statement" - accepted by all member states including Myanmar - did stretch the bounds of ASEAN's longstanding principle of non-interference in members' internal affairs. It called for an end to violence and a dialogue among all parties - interpreted by some as an attempt to broker talks between the junta and Myanmar's parallel National Unity Government (NUG) - as well as the naming of an ASEAN envoy and a humanitarian aid mission. Myanmar activists say the ASEAN plan is still too weak and has little real chance to bring peace to Myanmar, where mass protests and strikes have continued despite the killing of hundreds of mostly peaceful protesters since Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government was toppled on Feb. 1. And the final statement removed language from a draft of the consensus points which had said more than 3,000 political prisoners detained since Feb. 1 would be freed. Still, for a grouping long derided as ineffective by its critics, the statement and action plan do amount to a shift in approach. "This summit and statement was more blunt," said Kantathi Suphamongkhon, former Thai foreign minister. "The level of violence was a factor." Activists say more than 700 protesters have been killed. Graphic footage posted online of security forces seemingly shooting to kill may have been hard for the leaders to ignore. Michael Vatikiotis, Asia director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, said that even if the statement had been couched in a need for humanitarian assistance, it "really pushes aside, for the first time, the reluctance to intervene". Story continues REGIONAL NERVOUSNESS In recent years, ASEAN has carefully steered clear of opining on Thailand's own military coups in 2006 and 2014 and the jailings of political activists in Vietnam, Cambodia and other member states, as well as other regional crises. Yet countries in the region may feel under increasing pressure from Chinese assertiveness, and uncertain whether they can still count on the United States and other Western powers to play the bigger role in the region that they once did. China has extensive economic interests in Myanmar, and has declined to condemn the coup. Even if ASEAN's dial has shifted slightly, the divisions among its members put any peace plan at a disadvantage before it even begins. While Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand all made strong individual statements condemning the violence, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for release of political prisoners, other members including Vietnam and Cambodia have been more muted. And many say ASEAN has no real leverage over coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and his generals - even if members were to go beyond words and take action such as economic sanctions, which most consider extremely unlikely. Kobsak Chutikul, a retired ambassador and former member of Thailands parliament, said the fact that ASEAN's leaders had managed to agree a consensus plan was "a pleasant surprise", before noting that little had changed on the ground: "The killings and abductions continued during the summit." Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations, welcomed ASEAN's change in tone and its action plan. "It is something of a departure from past ASEAN actions," he said. "But I'm still not super hopeful that this is going to lead to real change in Myanmar." (Additional reporting by Tom Allard in Jakarta; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Kevin Liffey) (@ChaudhryMAli88) China and Russia's aerospace authorities have invited all interested countries, international organizations and partners to cooperate in a moon station project NANJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Apr, 2021 ) :China and Russia's aerospace authorities have invited all interested countries, international organizations and partners to cooperate in a moon station project. The announcement was made by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos at a conference for the international moon station in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province on Friday. CNSA deputy director Wu Yanhua said China and Russia will build the moon station with other international partners. The station will be another important contribution by China and Russia to promote the long-term and sustainable development of United Nations (UN) outer space activities. The CNSA and Roscosmos will promote extensive cooperation in the station for the development of human space science and technology and socio-economic progress, Wu added. In a joint statement issued at the conference, the CNSA and Roscosmos said the moon station will be open to all interested countries, international organizations and partners in terms of planning, design, research, development, implementation and operation at all stages and levels of the project. The conference was a sideline event of the 58th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. More than 100 representatives from nearly 30 countries and international organizations attended the conference. China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building an international scientific research station on the moon in March. The two sides will later issue a road map for the station project and clarify the accession procedures of other interested countries or international organizations. Were doing everything we can, certainly, to address first the people who havent been vaccinated but have just been a little uncertain and unsure, and then, of course, finally, people who have been all along saying, Im not going to get vaccinated but may see that they have more opportunity available to them or that theyre going to be healthier and stronger if they get it, Pritzker said. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Monday held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif after after the latter's arrival in Baghdad. According to a statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two officials discussed relations between the two countries and regional developments. Zarif was also expected to meet Iraq's president, the parliament speaker, and the prime minister later in the day. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) University of Pittsburgh's Anna C. Balazs elected to National Academy of Sciences PITTSBURGH (April 26, 2021) ... Anna C. Balazs, an award-winning University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor in the Swanson School of Engineering, has added one of the nation's top honors to her portfolio. The National Academy of Sciences announced today that Balazs is among its 120 newly elected members, recognizing distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Balazs, who also holds the John A. Swanson Chair of Engineering in the Swanson School's Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, is internationally recognized for her theoretical and computational modeling of polymers. For the past decade, her research has focused on mimicking biological processes in polymeric materials which could contribute to the advancement of soft robotics or "squishy robots." "Throughout her career, Anna has advanced the field of materials and computational modeling, and we are so proud that the National Academy of Sciences has bestowed her with this honor," said James R. Martin II, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering. "Her research has built the foundation for future materials and their use in ways that even only a decade ago were science fiction. She has fulfilled the passion of every engineer - to create new knowledge that one day will benefit the human condition. I congratulate her on this exceptional achievement and look forward to one day celebrating with her in person." Balazs, a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Materials Research Society, has also received some of the leading awards in her field, including the Royal Society of Chemistry S F Boys - A Rahman Award (2015), the American Chemical Society Langmuir Lecture Award (2014), and the Mines Medal from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (2013). In 2106 she was named the first woman to receive the prestigious Polymer Physics Prize from the American Physical Society. "The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh could not be more proud of Anna's selection to the National Academy of Science, which is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a U.S. scientist," noted Steven R. Little, Department Chair of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. "There is no one more deserving than Anna. She has envisioned (and continues to envision) the materials that future generations will use to create a better world, and she continues to lead scientists to make these materials a reality. She is a role model to our faculty and our students. Her work in her field is truly unparalleled in its breadth, quality and impact." This year's NAS member cohort includes 59 women, the most elected in a single year. "The historic number of women elected this year reflects the critical contributions that they are making in many fields of science, as well as a concerted effort by our Academy to recognize those contributions and the essential value of increasing diversity in our ranks," said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt in the announcement. ### About Dr. Balazs Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh in 1987, Anna C. Balazs held a postdoctoral position in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Balazs' research involves theoretical and computational modeling of the thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of polymer blends and composites. She is also investigating the properties of polymers at surfaces and interfaces. Her awards and recognitions include the Polymer Physics Prize (2016); S. F. Boys-A. Rahman Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry's (RSC) Faraday Division (2015); ACS Langmuir Lecture Award (2014); Greater Pittsburgh Women Chemists Committee Award for Excellence in the Chemical Sciences (2014); Fellow, Materials Research Society (2014); South Dakota School of Mines' Mines Medal (2013); Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2010); Donaldson Lecturer, University of Minnesota (2007); Honoree, "Women in the Material World," Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (2006); Maurice Huggins Award of the Gordon Research Conference for outstanding contributions to Polymer Science (2003); Visiting Fellow, Corpus Christi College, Oxford University (2000 - 2001; 2007- 2008); Special Creativity Award, National Science Foundation, (1999-2001); Fellow, American Physical Society (1993); and Invited Participant, National Academy of Sciences' 6th Annual Frontiers of Science Symposium (November 3-5, 1994). This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SABECO is a trusted brand for domestic consumers and a company of international stature. It has also set sights on endeavouring to become the countrys leading beverage company by 2025. What kind of approach does SABECO need to take in human capital to realise this goal? Tran Kim Nga, a member of SABECOs Board of Directors Like other businesses, we at the SABECO Board of Directors (BoD) have always considered human resources the most important factor in our sustainable development strategy. In 2018, a business development plan including seven main pillars was submitted to the BoD. Human resources (HR) was one of the main pillars that would play an important role in the continued development of the business. We from the BoD strongly agreed with, and believe in, the direction of this HR-centric strategy. Given the current context of globalisation and the speed of development in the 4.0 era, we need dynamic and talented individuals who can be continuously trained to match the fast pace of our development. Many of SABECOs employees have undergone training over the years and have matured and accumulated enough knowledge to meet the requirements of their respective jobs. We are very proud of these employees because they are always ready to be engaged and work towards a common purpose. We have previously taken steps to standardise the salary and bonus scheme across the corporation and have also made sure that the right person is assigned to the right position. To motivate employees and help improve productivity, we have researched and aligned our salary and bonus scheme with the rest of the fast-moving consumer goods industry and have begun to evaluate employees based on their performance. With this, we hope we can now offer our employees one of the best and most attractive working environments. In addition, we are constantly improving our internal work culture, including implementing policies that enhance open and transparent communication with employees. I think the common mentality of human beings is that they want a job where they can make worthwhile contributions and dedicate themselves and, of course, be recognised for those contributions. Especially when the employees see themselves as part of the company and are properly encouraged and recognised, they will not only give 100 per cent, but they will devote themselves to the fullest and give 150-200 per cent. We have been doing a great job of motivating and recognising our employees achievements and motivating them to give their best. What do you think about the SABECOs current human resources, and are they ready to take on the greater responsibilities within SABECO? SABECO has a long history that spans across 146 years of constant development. From a small brewery, SABECO has grown into one of the leading beverage groups in Vietnam. These achievements are thanks to the right leadership strategy and the cooperation of SABECOs employees. Currently, we have more than 8,000 employees, and almost all of the directors of our factories and trading companies as well as our department heads are Vietnamese. They all make great contributions, and each has the ability to unite the employees who report to them. We are also proud to have a team of more than 50 skilled brew masters, all Vietnamese, most of whom have been with the company for a long time already, and who have the requisite experience to ensure that we bring the best quality beer to the market. I believe in our Vietnamese employees without reservations, as they continue to do a tremendous job each day. One of the most important characteristics of SABECOs HR approach is by assessing everyone on equal grounds and adjusting each persons promotion roadmap to their own abilities. Have there been any outstanding Vietnamese personnel who could rise above through sheer talent? When we are talking about outstanding individuals who have achieved a lot at SABECO, we cannot avoid mention of Lam Du An, who is considered the soul of SABECOs beer products. Having been with the company since graduating from university 30 years ago, An has been continuously striving and rose from a manufacturing engineer to deputy general director for technology and engineering. He is now responsible for beer quality, smooth factory operations, and so many other things. An has always treated the company as his life and prides himself as a contributor to the success of Bia Saigon. We really appreciate such a valuable employees and are confident that he will forever be part of Bia Saigon. Recently, SABECO appointed a foreigner as deputy general director, showing great attention to middle- and high-level talent. What can you say about what seems to be a growing disparity between the number of Vietnamese and foreign employees at the company, and the growing tendency to hire more foreign personnel? This is a sensitive issue and can be easily misinterpreted if we do not approach it with an open mind. Imagine a corporation as a train. The leadership team is like the locomotive steering the rest of the train. If the locomotive issues appropriate and correct policies, the train will run smoothly, reach the destination faster and easily overcome all obstacles. Within the current context of globalisation, I think we should gradually change the way we look at company executives and disregard whether they are foreigners or locals. What we should look at is if their work yields good business results and if they are able to improve the quality of the lives of employees. The main point is that, regardless of who sits on the board of directors, SABECO will always produce Vietnamese beer, which in turn will forever be a favourite product of the Vietnamese people. SABECO has always been a Vietnamese brand and a source of pride for Vietnam. With regards to our new hire, Venus Teoh has 20 years of experience in the beer industry. Previously, she worked for Asia-Pacific Brewery and Heineken in senior management positions, most recently as the international brand director for Tiger Beer. Teoh is intimately familiar with Vietnams beer industry, which is essential in helping SABECO meet the increasing demands and changing tastes of domestic consumers, as well as in fostering stronger bonds with the Vietnamese market. Recently, SABECOs marketing programmes have featured more innovative attractions. The brands corporate social responsibility programmes have also become more relevant such as the Rise with Vietnam relay which helped workers who encountered difficulties due to the pandemic and which supported people in the central region to overcome difficulties caused by recent storms and floods. With her superb marketing skills, I believe that Venus Teoh will bring the Bia Saigon brand to a higher level. In our development strategy, we will also roll out an exchange programme, where we will send employees to work for domestic and foreign partner companies and receive members from them to facilitate exchange of knowledge, learn new cultures, and gain skills and other qualifications. Understanding that the work environment is crucial for employees, we are working to make SABECO the happiest workplace where all employees are considered family members. Employees will cooperate even as they compete with one another and will participate in initiatives that will drive the company ahead. We are trying to create the best conditions that will encourage employees to work hard and become dedicated to their jobs. We are also striving to have all SABECO employees start each working day with a smile and fresh energy, eager to begin the days work at a good, supportive working environment. The Oscars came less a week after the fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, and just days after the murder conviction of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, who is white, for the 2020 killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man. The day Chauvin was convicted, Columbus teen Makhia Bryant was fatally shot by a cop as she apparently went at another person with a knife. Brussels, April 26 : The European Union has initiated legal action against British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca over alleged breaches of its Covid-19 vaccine supply contract, the European Commission said on Monday. The EU executive branch began the process on Friday because some terms of the contract have not been respected, commission spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaecker said on Monday, the dpa news agency reported.. Furthermore, "the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure the timely delivery of doses", the spokesperson told reporters in Brussels. "We want to make sure that there is a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that European citizens are entitled to, and which have been promised on the basis of the contract," he added. A total of 27 EU member states support the move, according to De Keersmaecker. The case is to be heard in Belgian courts. After repeatedly revising downward the amount of doses it expected to deliver, AstraZeneca is now aiming to deliver 70 million doses in the second quarter of the year, according to the EU executive. This is significantly less than the 180 million the commission says the company was aiming to deliver in that period, with the entire contract covering 300 million doses. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's vaccine tracker, only 31 million doses have been distributed to the European Union and European Economic Area since the deliveries began. The row about delivery shortfalls has been running since January, when AstraZeneca announced production hiccups were affecting their EU supply chain. Brussels was particularly frustrated that neighbouring Britain's supply of AstraZeneca shots remained unaffected, despite both purchase contracts dating from August 2020. The bloc even halted the export of 250,000 of the company's vaccine doses from Italy to Australia, arguing it must first honour its contractual obligations to the European Union. As a first step, the EU executive branch launched a dispute resolution process with AstraZeneca in March. New Delhi: The Karnataka government on Monday (April 26) announced a curfew for a period 14 days starting from Tuesday (April 27) night at 9 pm. During the lockdown-like restrictions, the time period for essential services has been limited to 6 am to 10 am. The state government has also announced free COVID-19 vaccination for all adults. Addressing a presser, CM BS Yediyurappa announced that a curfew will be implemented with strict measures in place across the state. The CM also informed that free COVID-19 vaccination will be provided for people above the age of 18 at government hospitals. "Above 45 years the central government is anyway providing vaccines free of cost," the CM said. Ration and groceries will be allowed to be purchased between 6 am to 10 am. During the curfew period, inter and intra-state travel will not be permitted. People will only be allowed to travel for emergency purposes. Meanwhile, weekend curfews will remain in place and essential services will continue as before. The District Collector (DCs) will have to take strict measures in order to ensure curb of COVID-19 spread. People will have to cooperate. If they do, then we can achieve our target, the CM added. Amid record-breaking rise in coronavirus cases, Karnataka on April 21 imposed night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am every day as well as a weekend curfew from Friday 9 pm to Monday 6 am. These curbs will last till May 4. This decision comes after state Karnataka registered 34,804 new COVID-19 cases in a day, of which Bengaluru accounted for 20,733 cases, according to the state health bulletin released on Sunday. The state's total caseload mounted to 13,39,201, including 2,62,162 active cases. Live TV Dhaka, April 26 : A court in Dhaka on Monday extended, by seven days, the custody of Hefazat leaders Mamunul Haque, Junaid Al Habib and Jalaluddin Kashemi, in a 2013 case of theft, vandalism and massacre as well as fresh cases in connection with the violence last month. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury extended the remand after the three were produced in court on Monday morning after their earlier seven-day remand ended. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Tejgaon Division arrested Mamunul, the main accused in the five-day violence orchestrated by his Hefazat and the Jamaate-e-Islami-BNP that left at least 17 dead, from Jamia Rahmania Arabia Madrasa in Mohammadpur on April 18. Besides, 63 cases have been registered against Mamunul in Narayanganj's Sonargaon on charges of assault and vandalism against the police and three cases have been registered against 600 unnamed people. Earlier, police disclosed Mamunul has close links with a Pakistani militant outfit. The Hefazat Joint Secretary General allegedly developed the links through his brother-in-law Mufti Niamatullah during his Pakistan visit in 2005. Niamatullah was later arrested in connection with the August 21 grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina and Awami League carried out by banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) in 2004. He also had close ties with Maulana Tajuddin, who was sentenced to death in the case. Tajuddin also confessed that the grenade was sent from Pakistan. A total of 19 top Hefazat leaders and around 800 cadre were arrested across the country over the March violence. Police said they found evidence of huge financial transactions involving Mamunul and other Hefazat leaders following their confessions and also by examining their mobile phones. DMP'S Deputy Commissioner, Tejgaon, Harun-ur-Rashid had told IANS on Sunday that Mamunul had stayed in Pakistan for 45 days in 2005 and studied setting up a module of a political party, which he later tried to apply it to Hefazat, as per his interrogation during the remand. "Mamunul was collecting money from Pakistan, Dubai and Qatar, selling the Babri mosque issue in India. He and other Hefazat leaders later used these funds to train students at different mosques and madrasas in the country," he added. At a separate briefing, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that different militant outfits that were crushed in the past are now again trying to create anarchy in the country again under the Hefazat's banner. [April 26, 2021] RAKwireless Closes $10M Series A Funding Round SHENZHEN, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RAKwireless Technology Co., Ltd. (RAK), a pioneer in LPWA end-to-end solutions, announces today the successful closing of a 10-million-dollar (USD) Series A Funding Round. The deal was led by Hong Kong NWS Holding Limited, followed by Shunwei, a leading venture capital firm from China, whose portfolio includes billions of investments in tech companies in East and Southeast Asia. This investment will be used to advance the production of high-performing infrastructure and edge devices, and further market the company's initiatives to make IoT simple. At RAK, our core motivation is to diversify the IoT world by making easy-to-configure devices. With this round of funding, RAK will build a one-stop service factory including assembly, enabling us to assist customers throughout all the production stages, from prototyping to commercial launch. Our goal is to help developers transition smoothly from prototype to commercial product. Since 2014, RAKhas been delivering simple but powerful tools that eliminate barriers in IoT connectivity and empower people to build a smart future. RAK's continuous development of these IoT solutions empower innovators and commercial enterprises to build the right environment for their property. The brand has held partnerships with some of the world's leading tech players such as: Apple, Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent, and Microsoft. These partnerships have fueled thousands of small and medium enterprises with best-in-breed IoT technology. "At RAK, our core motivation is to make things easier to build in the IoT world. We want to help developers to transition smoothly from prototype to commercial product. We understand what developers require to build a ready-to-use product: it's not just the tools that they need, they also need more value-added services like customized enclosure, assembly, labeling, provisioning, etc." says RAK CEO, Ken Yu. "With this round of funding, we aim to build a truly one-stop service factory, enabling us not only to create and produce better products, but also to provide custom design, assembly service and more to our customers." Starting with its LoRa modules that are the backbone of low-power wide-area networks, RAK engineers constructed robust indoor and outdoor gateways that enterprises use to boost their networking connections and operations. Its durable nodes, which help collect real-time accurate data from the environment, were the next step in paving the way for efficient maintenance of infrastructures. Through the years, RAK has attracted not only the local IoT community but also foreign leaders in information technology. From its headquarters in Shenzhen, R&D center and office in Xi'an and Beijing, China, the RAK brand has reached the rest of Asia, Europe, America, Australia and Africa. RAK's newest investment deal is a huge vote of confidence not only in the company but also in the ever-expanding IoT market. In 2018, the IoT market was valued at 190 billion USD, 75.4 billion of which come from the Asia Pacific region, specifically in China where RAK is headquartered. Now, the technology sector is projected to rapidly grow in agriculture and banking services, and obtain 1.6 trillion USD in revenue by 2025. About RAKwireless RAKwireless is a committed market leader in the globally evolving IoT landscape. The brand is passionate about eliminating design complexity and accelerating time-to-market for underserved and emerging markets, including open-source and industrial communities. Our goal is to create easy-to-deploy solutions and modular IoT products that are accessible for all. We are working to grow a community of system integrators, developers, and IoT solution providers, who are passionate about taking IoT solutions further than ever before. Media Contact: Shenzhen RAKwireless Technology Co., Ltd 551-795-5950 307415@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rakwireless-closes-10m-series-a-funding-round-301276301.html SOURCE RAKwireless [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that he is heartbroken with the current situation in India due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic . He also thanked the United States government that has assured help to India amid the crisis. "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. Im grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help," Satya Nadella tweeted. He has pledged support to aid relief efforts and purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. "Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," he added. I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. Im grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 26, 2021 The United States is determined to "help" India as it faces unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, said US President Joe Biden. In a tweet, Biden acknowledged last year's assistance from India to America when the latter was facing a healthcare crisis. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," Biden tweeted. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need. https://t.co/SzWRj0eP3y President Biden (@POTUS) April 25, 2021 Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted that his company will provide 135 crore funding to Unicef and non-profit Give India for medical supplies. Earlier on Sunday, the United States announced that it will provide the raw material required for the Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine to India. India logged a record 3,49,691 new coronavirus infections in a day taking it total tally of coronavirus cases to 1,69,60,172, while active cases crossed the 26-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll increased to 1,92,311 with a record 2,767 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. When Texas literally froze this February, some blamed the blackouts that left millions of Texans in the dark on the wind turbines. Others blamed them on the gas-fired power plants. The truth isn't so politically simple. In truth, both wind turbines and gas plants froze because of the abnormal weather. And when Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway said it had plans for additional generation capacity in Texas, it wasn't talking about wind turbines. It was talking about more gas-fired power plantsten more gigawatts of them. While the Texas Freeze hogged headlines in the United States, across the Atlantic, the only European country producing any electricity from solar farms was teeny tiny Slovenia. And that's not because Europe doesn't have any solar capacityon the contrary, it has a substantial amount. But Europe had a brutal winter with lots of snow and clouds. Despite the often-referenced fact that solar panels operate better in cooler weather, sub-zero temperatures are far more drastic than cool. This is not even to mention the cloud cover that, based on the Electricity Map data above, did not help. If we go back a few more months, there were the California rolling blackouts of August that state officials and others insisted had nothing to do with the state's substantial reliance on solar and wind power. The state's own utilities commission disagrees. Related: Canadas Oil And Gas Industry Must Innovate To Survive This is what the California Public Utilities Commission and the state's grid operator, CAISO, said in a joint letter to Governor Newsom following the blackouts: "On August 15, the CAISO experienced similar [to August 14] supply conditions, as well as significant swings in wind resource output when evening demand was increasing. Wind resources first quickly increased output during the 4:00 pm hour (approximately 1,000 MW), then decreased rapidly the next hour. These factors, combined with another unexpected loss of generating resources, led to a sudden need to shed load to maintain system reliability." Further in the letter, CPUC and CAISO also had this to say: "Another factor that appears to have contributed to resource shortages is California's heavy reliance on import resources to meet increasing energy needs in the late afternoon and evening hours during summer. Some of these import resources bid into the CAISO energy markets but are not secured by long-term contracts. This poses a risk if import resources become unavailable when there are West-wide shortages due to an extreme heat event, such as the one we are currently experiencing." These lengthy quotes basically say one thingand it is a well-known thing: wind and solar power generation are intermittent, and this intermittency is a problem. This problem continues to be neglected in the mainstream renewable energy narrative with only occasional talk about storage capacity. The reason? Battery storage is quite expensive and will increase the cost of solar and wind generation. Hence the blackout risk as renewable power capacity continues to rise. "People wonder how we made it through the heat wave of 2006," said CAISO's chief executive Stephen Berberich last August. "The answer is that there was a lot more generating capacity in 2006 than in 2020.... We had San Onofre [nuclear plant] of 2,200 MW, and a number of other plants, totalling thousands of MW not there today." In a recent article for Forbes, environmentalist Michael Shellenberger cited both the Texas Freeze and the California August 2020 outages as examples of why there should be less solar and wind capacity added to the grid, not more: because the more renewable capacity there is, the higher the risk of blackouts. Solar and wind are weather-dependent sources of electricity and, as the events in Texas and California show, they are unreliable, Shellenberger, who is the founder and president of Environmental Progress, a research nonprofit, wrote. He also pointed to Germany, where an audit of the country's energy transition plans showed that some of the projections were overly optimistic, while others were outright implausible. People in Germany, like people in California and New York, by the way, are paying more for electricity than people in places that are less dependent on renewable energy. While some may be perfectly fine with paying more for cleaner electricity, not everyone can afford it over the long term. And affordable energy is crucial for civilization, Shellenberger notes. Related: Oil on Guard over Yemen as Saudi, Iran Meet in Secret Affordability is one essential requirement for energy if it is to contribute to the improvement of living standards, even if we take economic growth out of the equation since it appears to be very passe these days amid the fight against climate change. Yet affordable energy is one of the driving forces of equality among different communities across the world. And so is reliable energy. Affordability and reliability, then, are the two things good energy sources need to be. Solar and windunlike hydropower, which is also a renewable sourcecan only be one of these two things, and that's if there is no storage included. They can be affordable, as we are often reminded. Yet, sadly, they cannot be reliable. This means that the more billions are poured into boosting renewable capacity, the greater the risk of further blackouts. Perhaps at some point, if wind and solar become the main sources of electricity, authorities will need to institute planned outages. The author of this article grew up in the 1980s in Bulgariaa time when the country's socialist government exported so much electricity for hard currency payments that blackouts were a part of life. It wasn't a particularly convenient life, but millions of people lived that way in both Bulgaria and Romania. Its worth mentioning, though, that back in the 1980s, people were not constantly online. Our energy consumption has soared since then. To be fair, the limited availability of electricity would have an incredibly positive effect on greenhouse gas emissions. That is, if the limitation comes from the limited amount of energy generated rather than from excessive exports. In the end, from an environmental perspective, an overwhelming reliance on wind and solar, and the planned blackouts that are quite likely to result from this reliance, would go a long way towards the Paris Agreement targets. Of course, it would cost people certain inconvenience and loss of economicand scientific, and medicalactivity. But if priority number one is fighting climate change, then the end must surely justify the means. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: An 81-year-old man known as Italy's Robinson Crusoe who has lived alone on an island for 32 years is finally moving after surrendering his eviction fight. Since 1989, Mauro Morandi has been the sole inhabitant of the Isle of Budelli near Sardinia, after he decided to ditch his life as a PE teacher and become the island's caretaker when he washed up on its iconic pink beach Spiaggia Rosa. The island's previous caretaker was on the verge of retirement when Morandi arrived so he abandoned his sailing plans, sold his boat and took over the role. Mauro Morandi has been living on the Isle of Budelli since 1989, when his catamaran engine failed and he washed up on its iconic pink beach Spiaggia Rosa The hermit, also known as Mauro of Budelli, gained a large following online after sharing pictures of the picturesque island More than 3,000 people signed a petition to keep Mauro da Budelli on the island, saying his pictures show the 'beauty and the miracle of uncontaminated nature' The island's previous caretaker was on the verge of retirement when Morandi arrived so he abandoned his sailing plans, sold his boat and took over the role He had been sailing to the south Pacific when his catamaran's engine failed and he headed towards the picturesque island. But five years ago, the Italian government made the island part of a national park and they have been attempting to evict the hermit. He has finally given up the fight will move into a small apartment on the nearby La Maddalena island, the largest in the archipelago, according to The Guardian. Morandi's current home is a former WWII shelter overlooking a bay and over three decades he has become acquainted with the island's animals, trees and rocks. He has finally given up the fight will move into a small apartment on the nearby La Maddalena island Mauro has lived as the sole inhabitant of Budelli since 1981, but authorities in Italy have been trying to have him removed since it became a national park in 2016 Mauro spends the winters editing and uploading photographs of the island, but can draw more than 1,000 tourists in the summer La Maddalena's national park authorities want to reclaim his home and turn the island into a hub for environmental education. The authorities have also argued he has made changes to his building without the necessary permits. Morandi said: 'I have given up the fight. After 32 years here, I feel very sad to leave. They told me they need to do work on my house and this time it seems to be for real. 'I'll be living in the outskirts of the main town, so will just go there for shopping and the rest of the time keep myself to myself. My life won't change too much, I'll still see the sea.' The Isle of Budelli rests in the Mediterranean Sea, between Corsica and Sardinia, near Italy La Maddalena's national park authorities want to reclaim his home and turn the island into a hub for environmental education The hermit is originally from Modena in central Italy but has for years guarded Budelli, cleared its paths, swept its beaches and taught day-trippers about the environment. Morandi, who has become popular online posting photos and videos from the desert island, has attracted thousands of signatures on petitions trying to keep him on the island. His role first came under threat when the private company that owned the island went bankrupt. It was originally going to be sold to New Zealand businessman Michael Harte who pledged to keep on Morandi as the island's careaker. The hermit is originally from Modena in central Italy but has for years guarded Budelli, cleared its paths, swept its beaches and taught day-trippers about the environment The Isle of Budetti passed through the hands of a series of private owners before the Italian government made it part of La Maddalena Park in 2016 In the quiet winter months, he spends his time editing his pictures and uploading them onto his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages But the Italian government intervened and a Sardinian judge ruled in 2016 the island should be returned to the public. The park's then president Giuseppe Bonanno warned Morandi's age and the standard of his home raised 'several legal problems' with him remaining on the island, adding: 'Morandi symbolizes a man, enchanted by the elements, who decides to devote his life to contemplation and custody. 'No one ignores [his] role in representing the historical memory of the place But it's hard to find a contractual arrangement for a person in his position.' In the quiet winter months, he spends his time editing his pictures and uploading them onto his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages. 'The pictures represents my mood and state of mind,' he told MailOnline in 2016. But while the colder months can be lonely, he draws more than 1,300 tourists to the island in the summer. Procter & Gamble today announced that the company will contribute towards the vaccination of over 5 lakh Indian Citizens by pledging INR 50 crore in partnership with government and local authorities in India. For every P&G employee in India, the company is contributing towardsthe vaccination of 100 Indians. In addition, the company will also cover the vaccination cost of its 5000+ employee force in India, and their eligible immediate family members. P&G brands Whisper, Vicks, Pampers, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders and Pantene are partnering in this vaccination drive through their brand programs and will also continue to raise awareness on safety and hygiene in the country. Madhusudan Gopalan, CEO, P&G Indian Subcontinent said, We recognize the urgent need for health experts, relief organisations, government and industries to come together as one in our fight against the pandemic. P&G is committed to playing an active role in Indias fight against COVID-19 and will contribute INR 50 crore towards 10 lakh vaccine doses covering vaccination of 5 lakh Indians, 100 citizens for every one employee we have in India. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, through our #PGSurakshaIndia program, we have stepped up to support the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees, our consumers and the communities. In the current situation and going forward, vaccines play a criticalrole in containing the spread ofthe virus. We strongly believe that partnering with various governments and local authorities, who are leading the inoculation initiatives for citizens will enable us to make a meaningful difference to the communities we operate in. This contribution towards vaccines will be on top of P&Gs earmarked CSR funds for the current year. As India fights the second wave of the pandemic, under its #PGSurakshaIndia program, P&G will also continue to extend its support to the broader community through the donation of products, in-house manufactured masks and sanitizers especially to aid frontline and essential workers who are tirelessly working to combat the spread of COVID-19. The company will also continue to leverage its advertising and brand voice responsibly to increase awareness on health, safety and hygiene measures among consumers and the community. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, P&G launched the #PGSurakshaIndia program and has been partnering with the government and relief organizations to serve frontline workers and the communities. Through this program, P&G has donated more than 35 lakhs of our health, hygiene and cleaning products (which include Whisper, Ariel, Tide, Vicks, Pampers etc.) to the communities we operate in. P&G stepped up its manufacturing capabilities to produce masks and hand sanitizers to donate more than 15 lakh masks in the country's fight against COVID-19. In addition to this, the company launched 'force for good' campaigns, like Gillette Barber Suraksha Program, Whisper, P&G #ThankYouMa, Vicks #ShowWeCare and Tide #AngelsInWhite to support Indias fight against COVID-19. In total, via these force for good campaigns and efforts from the companys trial/in-store teams; P&G has reached more than 5 crore Indians to spread awareness on safety, health and hygiene. P&G also partnered with the government and industries to kickstart an initiative called 'Suraksha Circles' and engaged with more than 1400+ organizations/SMEs to lay down the highest standards of hygiene and safety at manufacturing facilities. Phuket Town pharmacist angered by one-armed mans saliva antics PHUKET: A pharmacist in Phuket Town has gone public with her complaint against Phuket officials, including police, for the lack of action taken over a man who has been harassing her customers for money, and who has since intentionally wiped saliva on the door to her shop. policeCOVID-19economics By Eakkapop Thongtub Monday 26 April 2021, 01:15PM The man was recorded licking his finger and intentionally wiping on the shop door frame. Image: Supplied Amporn Boonyaudomsart, owner of Ying Pharmacy on Srisuthat Rd in Phuket Town, posted on her Facebook page on Saturday (Apr 24) that she had filed a complaint about the mans behaviour with the Phuket City Police on Apr 13. The man, who is missing more than half of his left arm, had continued to annoy herself and her customers by asking for money, Ms Amporn said. He has also annoyed customers at the 7-Eleven store nearby by asking them for money too, she added. I and my staff felt insecure, so we contacted Phuket City Police and other officials, such as the Phuket Center for the Protection of the Homeless under the Department of Social Development and Welfare, she said. Officers accepted the complaint and told us that they will take action on this, but no officer has contacted me back, she added. I filed a complaint with Investigator Capt Khuefa Pongsapan of Phuket City Police on Apr 13, but she told me that they can take the man in custody but need to release him in a few days. A relative of the man needs to take him to receive mental treatment by themselves, Ms Amporn explained. I was told that the mans name is Bank. He is about 20 years old and has a disabled left arm. He is living with his grandmother in a house in Saphan Ruam community in Phuket Town, Ms Amponr said. Before this, I had given him some money, but not often. However, after I did not give him [any money], he started standing in front of my shop and staring into the shop. He sometimes even asked my customers for money, making customers feel annoyed and afraid, she said. I want officers to take action on this man and take him to get the right treatment somewhere, Ms Amporn said. I am concerned about the safety of my relatives, staff and customers when he asks them for money. I have my grandmother staying above the shop and always take her home in the evening, which is when the man normally comes, she added. Im afraid that he will attack my grandmother one day, she said. He also smeared his saliva by his hand on my door frame once, Ms Amporn noted. From CCTV footage taken in front of the shop, the man can be seen licking his finger and intentionally wiping it on the door frame where people are likely to come into contact with it, while checking to see if anyone was looking, just before 9pm on Apr 22. Phuket City Police Chief Col Theerawat Liamsuwan told The Phuket News that he had not received any complaint describing the mans behaviour, and that police had not taken any such man into custody. Capt Khuefa of the Phuket City Police has been unavailable for comment. QINGDAO, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2021 SCO International Investment and Trade Expo & SCO Qingdao Forum on Local Economic and Trade Cooperation opened at Fangyuan Sport Center, Jiaozhou, Qingdao on April 26. A host of guests from home and abroad, including envoys from 30 countries, gathered to discuss cooperation and seek mutual development. Vladimir Norov, secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Zhang Shaogang, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and chairman of the SCO Business Council National Branch from China, and Saidzoda Zohir Ozod, ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to China, delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Li Kuiwen, spokesman and director of Department of Statistics and Analysis at the General Administration of Customs of China, released the China-SCO Members Trade Index. Statistics show that, following the increasingly tightened trade ties, the China-SCO Members imports and exports increased from US$17.14 in 2001 to US$244.85 billion in 2020, with an average annual growth of 15%. At the event, representatives from four sister cities and 19 sister parks in 17 countries signed MOUs with the authorities of Qingdao and the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation on site or online to establish friendly relations and launch cooperation in 20 projects with investment totaling RMB66.8 billion in such sectors as trade and logistics, new energy, high-end manufacturing, culture tourism and biomedicine. Liu Jianjun, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qingdao Committee, secretary of the CPC Jiaozhou Committee, and secretary of the CPC Working Committee and director of the Administrative Committee of the demonstration zone, gave the guests an introduction to the demonstration zone. Gabit Koishybayev, ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to China, Moinul Haque, Pakistan ambassador to China, and several other guests gave keynote speeches revolving around "enhancing bilateral and multilateral local economic and trade cooperation and promoting higher-level opening-up under new international circumstances". Xiang Zhiqiang, deputy director of the Administrative Committee of the demonstration zone, announced the "Qingdao Initiative" on enhancing local economic and trade cooperation. The initiative says the SCO members have pulled off remarkable successes in strengthening exchanges, deepening cooperation, fighting terrorism and driving economic development and cultural fusion since the founding of the SCO. It calls on the SCO-the largest regional organization in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population-to make greater contributions to the development of its members by promoting local economic and trade cooperation, providing more and better channels for international logistics and accelerating investment and trade facilitation. It is said in the initiative that the demonstration zone has opened a new page for economic and trade cooperation between the SCO members, and the expo has become an important platform for facilitating the cooperation. After the opening ceremony, the guests visited the pavilions of different countries in the exhibition zone. It is reported that, in addition to the opening ceremony and the SCO Qingdao Forum, the three-day expo will also include promotions of SCO members along with a project fair. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1496640/SCO_Forum_2021.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1245709/Qingdao_Logo.jpg Contact:Zhu Yiling Tel.:+86-532-85911619 Website:http://www.qingdaochina.org Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/qingdaocity Twitter:https://twitter.com/loveqingdao Lucknow, April 26 : The second Oxygen Express, loaded with 60,000 litres of liquid medical oxygen (LMO), reached Charbagh Railway Station in Lucknow on Monday to meet a shortage of the life-saving gas in hospitals treating severe Covid-19 patients across Uttar Pradesh. The train, loaded with four oxygen tankers, each 15,000 litres in capacity, had left Bokaro in Jharkhand at around 2 p.m. on Sunday, said officials. Two of the four tankers to have arrived on the Indian Railways' second Roll-On-Roll-Off (RORO) service, immediately left for Jhansi and Bareilly (one tanker for each destination) while the remaining two were stationed in Lucknow to meet the increased oxygen demand in the state capital. The first RORO Oxygen Express, loaded with 30,000 litres of LMO, had arrived in the state on Saturday, said Sanjay Tripathi, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Lucknow, Northern Railways. One more Oxygen Express, loaded with 75,000 litres of the life-saving gas is expected to arrive in the state on Tuesday as part of state government's Operation Oxygen, he added. Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh said the Central government had allocated 753 metric tonnes of oxygen for the state. Uttar Pradesh reported 35,614 fresh Covid-19 cases and 208 deaths. Lucknow alone logged 5,187 fresh Covid-19 cases and 14 more deaths on Sunday, pushing up the death toll in the city to 1,654. Railways' RORO service has also procured oxygen for Maharashtra and its services have also been requested by other states that are severely hit by Covid-19's second wave. Detailing the intricacies of the operation, Railways said in a statement: "Liquid oxygen, being a cryogenic cargo, has many limitations like maximum speed at which it can be carried, maximum acceleration and deceleration and loading restrictions like availability of liquid oxygen tankers and loading ramps. Route mapping also takes care of the maximum clearances available along the route." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Official state population counts are in, and the news for Alabama is good. Alabamas official population count came in at 5,030,053, significantly higher than population estimates from earlier this year. That number was enough to keep its seven seats for another 10 years. For much of the past decade, the state was projected to potentially lose one of its seats, as slow growth in Alabama trailed the population boom in states like Florida and Texas. The U.S. Census Bureau on Monday released the new data - the first official numbers from the 2020 Decennial Census. The state population counts are used for apportionment, a process that determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the accompanying number of electoral college votes. These population totals also determine the amount of federal funding each state gets for things like schools, roads and hospitals. [Cant see the map? Click here.] Alabamas official population reported Monday was nearly 109,000 people higher than the last state population estimate, released earlier this year. Some other states, like Texas and Florida, which estimates showed were growing very quickly, showed slower growth than expected. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey released a statement following the official count. This data reveals what weve known all along Alabama is a great state to call home, and many are choosing to do so, the statement read. I am extremely pleased that we will keep all seven of our current seats in the U.S. House to provide valued and needed voices to advocate for our state and our people for the next 10 years. Our success in the census was certainly a group effort across the entire state, and I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a part. Nyesha Black, director of socioeconomic analysis and demographics for the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, said she was struck by the difference in Alabamas apportionment population and the estimates, particularly from 2019. This is good news for Alabama, she said. The higher count means the state wont lose representation, and those numbers have a lot to do with federal funding. Before Mondays numbers were released, Alabama seemed to be firmly straddling the line on potentially losing a seat, Black said. Prior to this data release, estimates showed the states population had been essentially stagnant over the last decade, even as many of its neighbors have seen their populations boom. But the new numbers paint a slightly different picture. Alabamas population grew by 5.2 percent between 2010 and 2020, which is much faster than estimates indicated. The most recent estimates before the official count projected Alabama had grown by just 3 percent. [Cant see the map? Click here.] County population estimates released last year showed just three counties - Madison, Baldwin and Limestone - accounted for more than half of Alabamas growth from 2018 to 2019. Its unclear where the extra 100,000-plus people are in Alabama - county population totals wont be released until September. Previous estimates showed the majority of Alabama counties are losing people, and Black said lack of economic development in the states rural areas has meant population losses. Estimates from before the official count was released showed that without immigration, Alabamas numbers would be even worse, as more people have moved into Alabama in the last decade than have moved out. Steve Katsinas, head of the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama, praised Alabamas effort in ensuring everyone in the state was counted, but echoed many of Blacks concerns about rural population loss. The great effort to count all Alabamians made by the Ivey Administration paid off, he said. Losing a House seat would have cost our state untold billions. But Katsinas doesnt think Alabama is in the clear just yet. He also said Alabama needs a Marshall plan for its rural areas. But we better get serious about arresting the population decline in our small cities and Black Belt or we could lose two seats in 2030. Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Email Ramsey Archibald at rarchibald@al.com, and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday toured a city badly affected by the Chernobyl disaster, in a visit to mark the 35th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident. "It's difficult to say whether the pain about the Chernobyl disaster will stay in hearts of our children," Lukashenko said in a speech as he unveiled a memorial plaque in the city of Bragin, a little over an hour north of Chernobyl. "Therefore, whatever it takes, we must do everything to do give these lands a new life, reviving them," he added. Lukashenko planted a tree during his visit and held a meeting with regional authorities. Reactor No. 4 at the power plant 110 kilometers (65 miles) north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv exploded and caught fire deep in the night on April 26, 1986, shattering the building and spewing radioactive material high into the sky. Soviet authorities made the catastrophe even worse by failing to tell the public what had happened although the nearby plant workers' town of Pripyat was evacuated the next day, the two million residents of Kyiv weren't informed despite the fallout danger. The world learned of the disaster only after heightened radiation was detected in Sweden. Eventually, more than 100,000 people were evacuated from the vicinity and a 2,600-square-kilometer (1,000-square-mile) exclusion zone was established where the only activity was workers disposing of waste and tending to a hastily built sarcophagus covering the reactor. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) The world has been introduced ingenious ways to locate any objects, even if not an electronic or smart device, with Smart Trackers like the Apple AirTags, Tile Pro, and Chipolo One Spot. These devices offer a unique way to find an object and have it be located with the use of an application and its pairing with an app. Apple has recently debuted the AirTags via the April Spring Loaded event which brought the world an option to use the Find My iPhone and pair the object tracker; nifty for fans and Apple users. Read Also: Apple AirDrop Vulnerability: 1.5B Users in Danger Says Research-Here's How to Protect Your Phone and Data Apple AirTags vs. Tile Pro vs. Chipolo OneSpot However, Apple is not the only one with an object tracker that can pair with applications and search for a device ingeniously, as it has been debuted by start-up companies for the past years. Samsung's SmartTags also came earlier compared to the AirTags, releasing last 2020 to debut the South Korean's take on object tracking devices. In this tracker match-up, Apple would not go against fellow big tech Samsung, rather, would take on startup companies' take on tracking devices with Tile and Chipolo. Apple AirTags The AirTags is a round-shaped, white object tracker that is not magnetic, and also does not have an indicated slot in its body to be put on keychains or the like. Users would need to buy an accessory for it to be attached to an object which one needs to track. Also, it currently awaits iOS 14.5 for it to pair and be tracked by the iPhone. Price: $29 each, $99 for a four-pack Tile's Tile Pro TIle is the longest-running smart object tracker in the world, as it debuted its first products last December 2012, which is almost nine years ago, debuting different tile trackers along the way. The Tile Pro is the most advanced of the company's trackers and features the latest technology with 400 ft. of range, and waterproofing. Its design has a slot for keychain insertion. Price: $59.99 for a 2-pack of the 2020 model Chipolo One Spot The Chipolo One Spot is also a round tracker, but it features a keychain insertion point at the top so that it no longer needs accessories to attach it. Chipolo says it is the loudest among the rest, as it features a sound-sourcing feature to better locate a lost object. The One Spot is also waterproof and comes in a variety of different colors. Price: $24.99 each Who is the Winner? The Apple AirTags offer the cheapest price for a four-pack and the only one that offers these much in a bundle. However, it does require additional accessories for it to be connected to an object, additionally, users would have to wait for iOS 14.5. But Apple users may find it nifty as it offers to Find My iPhone as the partner app for this, and no longer requires an additional app. However, in terms of performance and range, Tile Pro certainly gives one of the best tracking features that can help in locating a lost object, and have it returned, provided it is within one's proximity. As a trusted company for this, Tile still gives a unique way of finding an object. Related Article: iOS 14.5: When to Download Sofware Update from Apple [GUIDE] This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Richard 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the issue of supplying Russian coronavirus vaccines to Syria in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, the Kremlin reported Monday following the conversation initiated by the Syrian leader. "Current issues on the bilateral agenda were discussed, primarily the prospects for further development of trade, economic and humanitarian ties as well as cooperation in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection, including supplies of Russian vaccines," the Kremlin noted in a statement. Assad also expressed gratitude to Russia for support and assistance for the Syrian people, TASS reported. On February 22, Damascus authorized Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to be used in the country. - The handle is made of FSC-certified bamboo, one of the most well-known sustainable materials. - Bamboo Hybrid Razor uses 59% less plastic than DORCO's three-blade disposable plastic razor by adopting a bamboo handle, a PCR connector and replaceable cartridge. SEOUL, South Korea, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DORCO, a trusted razor brand with over 65 years of heritage, announced its R&D achievements related to Bamboo Hybrid Razor, which is scheduled for release later this year. Amid tightening regulations on plastic use, Bamboo Hybrid Razor was developed in response to the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector's shift from plastics toward recyclable materials. Bamboo Hybrid Razor is a sustainable product designed to reduce plastic waste from disposable razors. It consists of bamboo for the handle, cartridge, post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials for the connector, and fully recyclable paper for product packaging. Bamboo Hybrid Razor also has a unique detachable structure that makes it easier to reuse the handle by separating the cartridge, the connector and the handle. Bamboo handle minimizing the risks of deforestation Bamboo Hybrid Razor's handle is made of 100% natural bamboo, which grows up to 30cm in one day, making it a sustainable option that can be collected without causing deforestation. Bamboo materials used for DORCO's hybrid products are carefully selected and FSC(Forest Stewardship Council)-certified. Moreover, the bamboo handle is incredibly durable and can be used up to five months based on up to 2 weeks of use per blade*. Notably, the logo on the handle is engraved with laser to avoid the use of chemical coating and ink. * 1 handle + 8 blades in a bundle; 2+ weeks of use per blade A hybrid razor incorporated with DORCO's core technology Bamboo Hybrid Razor's connector is environmentally designed with 97% of the product from recycled material. The handle, connector, and cartridge are all detachable, making it easier to reuse the handle. Bamboo Hybrid Razor's open-flow cartridge lets hair stubbles and foam rinse away more easily for a more hygienic shaving experience. The lubricating strips enriched with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera helps the razor glide to ensure a smooth shave. The rubber guard bar also delivers a closer and softer shave, and the cartridge with a pivoting head allows the razor to better follow the contours of the face for a clean shave. Fully recyclable FSC-certified paper packaging DORCO has been conducting R&D on packaging materials and methods for sustainable shaving. Bamboo Hybrid Razor takes a step further by adopting a fully recyclable FSC-certified cardboard packaging* to dramatically reduce plastic usage. As a result, Bamboo Hybrid Razor uses 59% less plastic than DORCO's three-blade disposable plastic razor*. Going forward, DORCO plans to roll out fully recyclable packaging across product lines. Indeed, DORCO has already been supplying all-paper-packaged products in some markets. Meanwhile, DORCO has already halved the plastic content in the packaging by changing the design from a clamshell double blister to single blister packaging. * 100% paper packaging, plastic dispenser * The comparison is with TRC200 (8 pcs), excluding packaging materials. All-out efforts for the best shaving experience DORCO has made extensive investments in both time and manpower to develop bamboo hybrid products. A total of five researchers were assigned for the development of prototypes and volume production technologies, and it took approximately 300 days to take the product from the initial concept stage to the package design. DORCO has made all-out efforts to deliver a product satisfies performance and environmental perspectives. With an unwavering commitment to the highest quality, DORCO tested approximately 3,300 samples to find the most optimal bamboo material and conducted 222 kinds of screening tests to detect harmful substances such as carcinogenic heavy metals and SVHCs (Substance of Very High Concern). "(The new product) highlights DORCO's longstanding efforts to realize sustainable management by taking environmental impacts into consideration at every step from product development to production and distribution," said DORCO representative. "DORCO will remain committed to making investments and efforts to deliver environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles as a responsible member of the international community." Meanwhile, in order to secure independent intellectual property rights related to Bamboo Hybrid Razor, a number of patents and design applications are in progress not only in Korea but also in countries around the world. About DORCO Founded in 1955, DORCO, a Korea-based company, has been leading the shaving industry for over 65 years, delivering the most premium shaving experience to millions of customers worldwide in over 130 countries. Boasting the world's first six blade razor with curved blades, ergonomically designed handles, and a common docking system, DORCO continues to lead the way with core shaving technologies. DORCO's in-house experts and engineers are constantly committed to putting best efforts into providing customers and partners a perfect new start every day. DORCO News Room: https://www.dorcoglobal.com:6541/bbs/board.php?bo_table=blog Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1495036/DORCO.jpg Our high-tech overlords are redefining the word "buy" when it comes to online purchases of digital content from them. They seem to conflate it with "rent." Class action lawsuits are challenging the two most valuable companies in the world on this point. Tim De Chant reports in Ars Technica: Apple is facing two class-action lawsuits over the meaning of the words "rent" and "buy." In the first suit, lead plaintiff David Andino argues that Apple's definition of the two words is deceptive since the company can terminate people's Apple IDs and, along with them, access to content they purchased using the "buy" button. Thus, Andino is arguing that Apple allows consumers to rent content rather than purchase it outright. If he had known that his access could be cut off at any time, he says he would have not spent as much on iTunes content. "Just like Best Buy cannot come into a person's home to repossess the movie DVD that such person purchased from it, [Apple] should not be able to remove digital content from its customers' Purchased folders," the suit says. Apple countered by arguing that "no reasonable consumer would believe" that content purchased through iTunes would be available on the platform indefinitely. But US District Court Judge John Mendez wasn't buying it, as first noticed by the Hollywood Reporter. He rejected a motion filed by Apple that sought to dismiss the suit. That means the suit can move forward with its claims of false advertising and unfair competition, though it could still be settled before going to trial. Apple is also up against a second class-action suit related to terminating Apple IDs. In this one, lead plaintiff Matthew Price claims he lost $24,590.05 in iTunes, the App Store, and in-app purchases, along with $7.63 in account credit, which became inaccessible when Apple terminated his account. Price's lawsuit was filed on Tuesday. Amazon is facing a similar lawsuit: Amazon is defending itself against a similar lawsuit filed last April by people who claim the company falsely advertised that they would have unlimited access to content purchased through Prime Video. They are concerned that Amazon "secretly reserves the right to terminate the consumers' access and use of the Video Content at any time," the suit claims. If people don't have the right to use the content forever, they did not "buy" it; they "rented" or "leased" it. The vendors need to change their terminology and avoid using the word "buy." Make it clear at the time of purchase that they can revoke the consumer's rights to the content and that the content is not portable away from the platforms the companies control. These tech lords may have the biggest lobbying budgets, but if any of their purchased pols try to change the law to excuse this sort of deception, they will be in trouble. It goes against common sense and against the self-interest of all consumers of digital content. If we bought it, they can't take it away. Hat tip: AoSHQ. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines protect against serious illness and death from the coronavirus variant first identified in New York City, two new studies show. The B.1.526 variant was first detected in November and accounted for nearly half of cases diagnosed in the city as of April 13. City officials have said the variant may be more contagious and may be able to avoid the immune response triggered by the vaccines, The New York Times reported. But the two independent studies showed that antibodies stimulated by the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are only slightly less effective against the variant than the original form of the novel coronavirus. The findingswhich have not been peer-reviewedare based on laboratory experiments with blood samples from small numbers of vaccinated people, The Times reported. The studies add to growing evidence that the two vaccines protect against all coronavirus variants identified so far. "The take-home message is that the vaccines are going to work against the New York variant and the South African variant and the U.K. variant," Nathan Landau, a virologist at N.Y.U."s Grossman School of Medicine who led the one of the studies, told The Times. Explore further Study finds two COVID vaccines effective against variant arising in California More information: The New York Times Article Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Dustin M. Czarny is the Democratic commissioner on the Onondaga County Board of Elections. It was welcome news that the American Rescue Plan had direct aid to local governments as part of its overall relief package passed into law in early March. This aid was meant to help restore vital services that were drastically cut during the Covid-19 crisis. In this revolutionary package, $89 million was given to Onondaga County with very few strings attached. The decision on how to spend this money resides with Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and the Onondaga County Legislature. I believe it is vital that they reserve some of these funds to restore and enhance democracy in Onondaga County. Unlike previous packages there is no delineation for local election boards to receive any of the money assigned to Onondaga County. Covid-19 upended the 2020 election season and the Onondaga County Board of Elections had to adjust. Comparing to 2016, our registration forms increased 250%; our absentee ballot applications increased 500%. We hired extra inspectors, temporary help, and worked 12-hour days in the weeks leading up to the general election and after to meet our obligations to the voters of Onondaga County. The Onondaga County Board of Elections relied on CARES grant funding, existing federal Shoebox and HAVA grants, as well as a private grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life to meet those needs and limit the impact on local dollars. As we head into 2021, we will continue to require additional resources to cover these costs. The epidemic continues in our community and nearly all of the mitigation factors put in place in 2020 will be needed in 2021. Our workload on absentees and registration forms will continue to grow. Extra staff will be needed for cleaning and securing polling places. Unlike 2020 though there are no federal grants we can rely on to cover those costs. It is up to Onondaga County to utilize some of the $89 million from the American Rescue Plan and the unexpected budget surplus of over $20 million to provide resources to the Onondaga County Board of Elections so we can continue to meet our mission. It is my recommendation we do the following: Restore the budget cuts for 2021. While much was made of the attempted salary cuts of both commissioners, this hid another more egregious issue. The Onondaga County Legislature reduced the proposed budget for the OCBOE by over $200,000. This bipartisan budget for 2021 was proposed by both me and my GOP counterpart and agreed to by the county executive. We were told at the time this cut was because of the dire budget outlook for the county but given no specific reason for the reduction. With the unexpected county surplus, it is imperative that the legislature restore these funds so we can hire the temporary staff and prepare for the anticipated needs of another election season under Covid-19. Invest in early voting expansion for 2021. The 2020 election season was a success in almost every way for Onondaga County. However, the unwillingness to expand early voting centers beyond the bare minimum was an abject failure. Two hour waits as well as massive traffic congestion plagued our sites as voters flocked to take advantage of this new reform. I give a great deal of credit to my colleague who agreed to expand hours in the face of this challenge in 2021. However, it is nearly impossible to address the demand in the early voting period adequately with so few locations. This is not a one-time event and we must plan for at least the same level of participation in the future. In fact, all evidence from other states continues show early voting usage grows over time. I will propose at our May organizational meeting at the Onondaga County Board of Elections to increase to 10 early voting sites adding Onondaga Community College, Lysander Town Hall, Cicero Town Hall, and downtown in the Civic Center complex. Adding sites in Lysander, Onondaga and Cicero will ease the burdens on our three largest suburban sites, Camillus Fire Station, Clay Town Hall, and Dewitt Town Hall. Adding sites at OCC and downtown will also take advantage of the thousands of Onondaga County residents that either commute to work downtown or work, attend classes or events at OCC. Putting sites where people congregate will reduce the burden on all sites throughout the county and accommodate the growing need of our electorate. New York state has once again included money in the 2021 budget to compensate for early voting operations. To qualify for this money we must agree to expansion in May. In 2019 Onondaga County passed up on these funds which Syracuse.com said was penny-wise, pound-foolish. Failing to take advantage of this opportunity a second time would be compounding this initial mistake. If we act in May, we can expand with no further cost to the county. Even without this funding source we can do this without much additional resources. More sites will mean reduced traffic at each site, decreasing the need for additional staffing. We can always surge staffing to meet increased need in certain locations as we monitor usage throughout the early voting period. Add four permanent positions to the Onondaga County BOE roster for 2022. This last week the Onondaga County Board of Elections released our Annual Report. Detailed in its pages is not only the massive additional workload we are experiencing each year but the inequities our board has had to face in terms of resources. The Onondaga County Board of Elections operates with just 16 full-time staff, including the two commissioners. For a county of over 307,000 voters that means we have just one full time staffer to every approximate 19,000 voters. This is the worst ratio of the 57 county boards of elections in the state. Further, our average dollar spent per voter annually ($9.28) is the fifth most austere budget as well. We are incredibly efficient and utilize technology and modernization to achieve our required duties. However, over the last few years our tiny staff has routinely had to work 12-hour days for weeks on end to be able to properly run elections. The human toll on this type of workload has caused turnover and burnout. Election work is specialized and must have bipartisan checks and consistency. Temporary workers are not a proper way to address this tidal wave of work on the horizon. Even if we add four full-time workers, an increase of 25% of our workforce, we still will be the worst ratio of full-time workers to voters in the state. Lack of resources is the leading cause of election day failures at boards of elections. We saw this in Oneida and the NY-22 congressional race this past election. We have avoided this in Onondaga County because our staff is dedicated to the ideal of free and fair elections. We desperately need the additional resources to continue that excellence and accommodate the growing needs of our community. The amount for preparing for and fixing our inequities pales in comparison to the price we will pay if our election process falters. We need to invest in our right to vote for it is the right that makes all other rights possible. BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China will strengthen IPR protection to guarantee high-quality development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), a senior intellectual property official said Sunday. The National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) will improve the top design of IPR protection according to the outline of the country's 14th five-year plan for national economic and social development, Shen Changyu, head of the NIPA, said at a press conference. The NIPA has basically completed the drafting of the IPR protection and application plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan period and is promoting a new round of research on revising the Trademark Law, Shen said. In 2020, China handled 31,300 trademark violation cases and over 42,000 administrative adjudication cases related to patent infringement disputes. It will continue to implement a strict IPR protection system and punitive compensation system, he added. Shen said that China will further improve its funding and reward policies on patents, highlight high-quality development, and protect and encourage high-value patents. The number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people has been included as an important indicator in the outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan, which would promote the shift from pursuing quantity to improving quality in IP work, Shen added. China moved up to 14th place in the Global Innovation Index of 2020 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ranking first among the mid-income economies globally. In 2020, China was the largest user of the WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty system, with nearly 69,000 applications. China will expand the autonomy of universities and research institutes in dealing with IPR issues and promote the commercialization and application of patents, Shen said. This year, China launched a three-year plan to offer monetary incentives to provincial-level regions that have made achievements in fostering patent technology transfers from small and medium-sized enterprises. China's total intellectual property pledge financing hit 218 billion yuan (about 33.57 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 43.9 percent, according to the NIPA. The NIPA now plans to improve IPR financial services and make intellectual property pledge financing accessible to more industrial parks and benefit more enterprises. Shen also pledged to expand IPR legislation to new fields and new forms of businesses, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. The NIPA is actively listening to the opinions of academia and industry experts on whether AI-generated works and inventions constitute new IPRs and who should claim their ownership, and will design relevant institutions accordingly, Shen added. [ Editor: WXY ] Indias medical oxygen shortage has become so dire that this Sikh temple began offering free breathing sessions with shared tanks to COVID-19 patients waiting for a hospital bed. Credit:AP Experts caution that the figures are underreported in the nation of more than 1.3 billion people. Analysts blame the surge on the arrival of new coronavirus variants in a country that had settled into a degree of complacency, lifted restrictions and returned to old habits. Covid is testing our patience and capacity to bear pain, Modi said Sunday. After successful tackling the first wave, the nations morale was high. However, this storm has shaken the nation. Calls for the United States to provide more help have mounted in recent weeks. The head of Indias largest vaccine manufacturer asked the United States this month to lift a ban on exporting raw materials for vaccines that was introduced under Trump and preserved by the Biden administration. Anthony Fauci, Bidens chief medical adviser, said that we really need to do more. I dont think we can walk away from that, Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told George Stephanopolous on ABCs This Week before the National Security Council announcement. National security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, according to National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne. The US Development Finance Corporation is funding a substantial expansion in manufacturing capability to enable the Indian vaccine manufacturer Biological E to produce at least 1 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2022, she said, and the government is sending a team of public health experts to work with Indian authorities. Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted late on Saturday (Sunday AEST). We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and Indias health care heroes. European Union Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen tweeted on Sunday that the bloc was pooling resources to respond rapidly to an Indian request for help. Janez Lenarcic, European commissioner for crisis management, wrote that the European Union was coordinating with member states to provide oxygen and medicine. Many countries have provided aid. Singapore sent oxygen containers to India on Sunday. Germany was airlifting 23 mobile oxygen-generation plants to the country. India worked with private companies to ship 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen from Saudi Arabia, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh announced on Sunday. China and Russia have offered help. And Pakistan is ready to give ventilators, digital X-ray machines, protective equipment and other supplies to India, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted on Sunday. We believe in a policy of #HumanityFirst, Qureshi wrote in what appeared to be a thinly veiled jab at the United States. The surge has devastated Indias health infrastructure. Hospital beds in the capital New Delhi and other hard-hit cities are scarce and patients have died when oxygen supplies have been disrupted or run out. Delhis Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal has extended the citys lockdown another week until May 3. Modi, in his radio address, spoke with a doctor from Mumbai, Shashank Joshi, who suggested that the surge was manageable and urged against panic. The second wave came very fast. It is spreading faster, the physician said. But the recovery rate is also faster. In this phase, young people and children are also being infected. Cities are reporting high positive rates for coronavirus tests. In Delhi, one in three people tested are positive; in the eastern city of Kolkata, its one in two. Loading The Indian government is moving to vaccinate people as quickly as possible, but the size of the population makes the task daunting. On Sunday, the Health Ministry said more than 140 million vaccine doses had been administered in 99 days. Modi said anyone over the age of 18 will be eligible for the vaccine starting May 1. The government has moved to silence critics on social media, according to documents published by the Lumen Database, a transparency initiative run by Harvard University. The documents show that officials filed requests Thursday and Friday, asking Twitter to remove 52 tweets, citing Indias Information Technology Act of 2000. The move was first reported by Indian news site MediaNama, which said users in India could no longer access the tweets. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Some of the tweets appeared to include false information about the virus, but many were critical of the government. One, by actor Vineet Kumar Singh, called attention to test shortages. Another, by West Bengal Minister Moloy Ghatak, juxtaposed photos of mass cremations with images of Modi speaking and a large crowd with the caption, When death bodies were burning, Nero was busy doing election rallies. India will never forgive PM @narendramodi for underplaying the corona situation in the country and letting so many people die due to mismanagement, he tweeted. Among the users whose tweets the government asked Twitter to block were a member of parliament and journalists. Another Italian town has begun offering houses from as low as one euro (roughly 0.87 pence). Sicilian town, Castiglione di Sicilia, is the latest place in Italy to sell off homes in an attempt to breed new life into the area. The town sits on the slopes of Mount Etna and is close to the eastern coast of the island. Around 900 abandoned homes are up for sale in some of the oldest parts of Castiglione di Sicilia. Approximately half of the homes are in a state of ruin and are being sold at the price of 1. Meanwhile, the homes in better condition are on the market from around 4,000 to 5,000. The initiative was introduced by the mayor to boost the area which has seen its population decline from 14,000 in the early 1900s to around 3,000 today. Similar schemes are in place in other parts of the country in an attempt to repopulate its ghost towns. Castiglione di Sicilias mayor, Antonino Camarda, said: We have a huge architectural heritage to rescue, packed with history. Over time, too many people have left, leaving behind a bunch of old, picturesque houses, many even dating back to the Renaissance. Unlike similar initiatives in other areas, the houses in Castiglione di Sicilia are being sold according to their condition. Camarda said: Weve carried out an in-depth study cataloguing each property based on maps and land registry data. According to their conditions buildings will be sold at different prices, starting from 1. However, should there be a lot of interest in a particular property, an auction will be held to determine the new owner. The scheme launched in Castiglione di Sicilia is the largest of its kind. It started in March 2021 and approximately 400 of the properties available are in good condition and require minimal, if any, renovation. The only catch is that buyers must complete any renovation works planned within three years. They can, however, take advantage of the Italian governments superbonus scheme that gives tax credits of 110% for renovation works that make a house more efficient and environmentally friendly. Senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah Asante has showered praises on the Minister for Local Government, Dan Botwe. Dan Botwe was vetted and approved by the Appointments Committee in Parliament after his appointment by President Nana Akufo-Addo. He is four terms Member of Parliament (MP) for Okere constituency. Speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Asah Asante believed Hon. Dan Botwe is a competent leader. He was very optimistic about the Local Government Minister's performance and prayed he succeeds in his efforts to revamp the sector. "Dan Botwe is competent. His eyes are like that of an eagle and sees everything. He is a very sharp brain," he extolled him. 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. Featured Video Australian supermarket Coles has tapped RELEX Solutions, a provider of retail optimisation software, to centralise its ordering systems, improve food freshness, and reduce food waste. Australian retailer Coles Group has partnered with RELEX Solutions, provider of unified retail planning solutions, to optimise their end-to-end supply chain planning for fresh produce, as well as their long-term inventor planning capabilities. The RELEX solution will service the supermarkets nationally and their seven fresh produce distribution centresdriving better customer service, reduced food waste, and improved supplier collaboration. The solution, part of the RELEX Living Retail Platform, will optimise Coles replenishment for fresh produce, utilising AI and high scale computation power. It also automates replenishment processes, giving planners time to focus on more critical and strategic tasks. Kevin Gunn, Coles Executive General Manager for Central Operations and Transformation, said Coles started the journey of centralising its replenishment model more than ten years ago. Fresh produce presents unique challenges compared to other parts of the grocery business: shorter shelf life, seasonality, price elasticity, along with the diverse and complex growing seasons and regions we are challenged with in Australia, he explained. He cited RELEX solutions benefits to the company. The solution centralises the control of the replenishment mode and allows Coles to provide increased efficiency in one of our most complex supply chains and improve the customer experience through more targeted ranges, improved availability, fresher products, and simpler processes for our team members and our suppliers, he said. Gunn said the centralised fresh produce will help reduce waste on our existing range and minimise waste on new ranges. This is important, Gunn felt, as Coles aims to become Australias most sustainable market. Roger Sniezek, Coles Chief Information Officer, said Coles had selected RELEX to deliver benefits across the Coles Group, including great value for customers, while reducing the amount of manual work by team members. He described RELEX as a modern, automated, cloud-based replenishment solution provider to leading grocers across Europe and U.S. It represents a best-in class technology solution that will deliver another major component of our technology-led strategy, he concluded. Warning: graphic imagery. New York: A 61-year-old Chinese American man was attacked by a man who kicked him repeatedly in the head in East Harlem, police said. The man was collecting cans when he was attacked from behind, knocked to the ground and kicked in the head shortly after 8pm Friday. He was taken to Harlem Hospital in critical but stable condition, police said, and remains in a medically induced coma. Surveillance video released by the police appears to show the attacker stomping on the victims head. The police departments hate crimes task force is investigating the attack, the latest in a troubling rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in New York and around the country. [April 26, 2021] New Research Finds Top Supply Chain Cyber Gap is Inadequately Protected Web Assets NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Panorays, a rapidly growing provider of third-party security risk management, today announced new research about the most common third-party cyber gaps and released a new automated, dynamic vendor security questionnaire functionality that helps resolve cyber gap issues in supply chains. Using data from Panorays external attack surface evaluations of tens of thousands of vendors from various industries, researchers determined the top five cybersecurity issues hidden in supply chains. They were: Significant web assets not protected by Web Application Firewalls (WAF) (48% of companies affected) Unpatched web server with severe vulnerabilities (40% of companies affected) Vulnerable default CMS configuration (34% of companies affected) Insufficient security team personnel (31% of companies affected) Supporting deprecated SSL protocols (25% of companies affected). To help resolve supply chain cyber gaps, Panorays now offers new automated, easy-to-use Smart Questionnaires that are typically completed in as little as nine days rather than the industry average of nine weeks, allowing organizations to significantly reduce time spent on the vendor evaluation process. They complement Panorays external attack surface evaluations, thereby providing a complete and accurate view of supplier risk. Unlike manual security questionnaires, Smart Questionnaires include only the questions that are relevant for each supplier based on the business relationship context. Customers can easily track the progress of hundreds of third parties at once, and can also immediately identify if there are any policy gaps that need to be addressed. Panorays Smart Questionnaires also offer: An overview page, providing visibility into the risk score of each category in the suppliers questionnaire response. Quick navigation of questionnaire responses using filters and color-coding of questions by risk level. Unparalleled SIG supprt, including the ability to auto-complete the Smart Questionnaire by uploading a past SIG. The ability to customize due dates and question weighting according to preference, and to check adherence to relevant regulatory requirements such as GDPR and NYDFS. Multi-language translation, allowing companies to send questionnaires in suppliers native languages, and then view responses in their own language. In-platform engagement, including the ability to comment on specific questions for more clarification. This past year, weve seen that more and more, organizations from every industry are realizing that comprehensive third-party security risk management is essential. Our latest research provides a glimpse of some of the most common vendor vulnerabilities that organizations need to be aware of and know how to address, said Matan Or-El, Panorays Co-Founder and CEO. We also created the Smart Questionnaire to help tackle the problem of third-party security. The Smart Questionnaires automate and change the way organizations communicate with vendors, resulting in a safer, quicker onboarding process. When combined with Panorays vendor cyber posture assessment and business context, the platform provides companies with a complete view of third-party cyber risk. Download a copy of The Top 5 Most Common Third-Party Cyber Gaps . About Panorays Panorays is a rapidly growing provider of third-party security risk management software, offered as a SaaS-based platform. Unlike other solution providers, Panorays combines automated, dynamic security questionnaires with external attack surface assessments and business context to provide organizations with a rapid, accurate view of supplier cyber risk. It is the only such platform that automates, accelerates and scales customers third-party security evaluation and management process, enabling easy collaboration and communication between companies and suppliers, resulting in efficient and effective risk remediation in alignment with a companys security policies and risk appetite. The company serves enterprise and mid-market customers primarily in North America, the UK and the EU, and has been adopted by leading banking, insurance, financial services and healthcare organizations, among others. Headquartered in New York and Israel, with offices around the world, Panorays is funded by numerous international investors, including Aleph VC, Oak HC/FT, Imperva Co-Founder Amichai Shulman and former CEO of Palo Alto Networks Lane Bess. Visit us at www.panorays.com . Yaffa Klugerman Director of Content Marketing yaffa@panorays.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a42324bc-0486-4670-8f15-98eed1ad4957 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] TORONTO, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Today the Honourable Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, introduced legislation to enable provincial oversight of the towing industry in Ontario, as well as to improve overall road safety. Following the announcement of the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 (MOMS Act), Kim Donaldson, Vice-President, Ontario, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), issued the following statement: "IBC commends Minister Mulroney and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones for introducing legislation that, if passed, would make roads and highways safer for drivers and tackle the rampant fraud that has driven up their auto insurance rates. Dangerous driving has no place on our roads, as it puts innocent drivers and pedestrians at risk. We are pleased to see that this legislation would combat high-risk driving through stiffer fines and increased penalties for dangerous drivers who engage in stunt driving, street racing and aggressive driving. The MOMS Act paves the way for safer roads ahead. With this proposed legislation, the Government of Ontario is also making significant progress on its commitment to establish oversight of the towing industry in the province. IBC and its members have long advocated for much-needed reforms in the towing industry and have been working with the government and other stakeholders as part of the technical advisory group. We congratulate the government for listening and taking this bold action for the benefit of drivers in the province. When it comes to Ontario's roads, our priorities are road safety and consumer protection for all drivers and pedestrians. We're committed to continuing to work with the provincial government and other stakeholders to make Ontario's roads the safest they can be." The MOMS Act would: Strengthen the province's oversight of the towing sector by creating the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021. This act would require tow operators, tow truck drivers and vehicle storage operators to be certified. It would also set new standards for customer protection and roadside behaviours and include penalties for non-compliance. If passed, the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021 would be stand-alone legislation. Introduce measures to combat high-risk driving and improve road safety, including higher fines, longer driver's licence suspensions and longer vehicle impoundment periods for drivers who engage in stunt driving, street racing and aggressive driving. Introduce measures to protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and highway workers, and improve truck safety. IBC works to educate consumers on road safety and their towing rights. For more information, drivers are encouraged to visit IBC's Know Your Tow page. About Insurance Bureau of Canada Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up 90% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. For more than 50 years, IBC has worked with governments across the country to help make affordable home, auto and business insurance available for all Canadians. IBC supports the vision of consumers and governments trusting, valuing and supporting the private P&C insurance industry. It champions key issues and helps educate consumers on how best to protect their homes, cars, businesses and properties. For media releases and more information, visit IBC's Media Centre at www.ibc.ca . Follow us on Twitter @IBC_Ontario or like us on Facebook . If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC. SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada For further information: Media Contact: Vanessa Barrasa, Manager, Media Relations, 416-550-9062, [email protected] Related Links www.ibc.ca SAN DIEGO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Himalaya Therapeutics ("Himalaya"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization in Greater China of a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumor cancer, which are based on the Conditionally Active Biologics ("CAB") technology platform, today announced the appointment of Brian Zhang, Ph.D., as chief executive officer. "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Zhang to our growing team. His extensive experience will help drive Himalaya towards its ambitious goals," said Carolyn Short, co-founder and president of Himalaya Therapeutics since its founding in 2014. "Dr. Zhang is our second executive hire this quarter as we ramp up, and will provide great leadership as we continue to build this world-class team." Dr. Zhang is a global pharmaceutical veteran, with decades of experience on the R&D side, overseeing products from discovery to commercialization, on the corporate side, leading and founding healthcare companies, and on the investing side, as a venture partner and an angel investor. While at Hoffmann-La Roche, he helped lead the development of Xenical and the discovery of Dorzagliatin, among others, and helped establish its bioinformatics group. More recently, he cofounded several biotechnology startups and invested in biopharmaceuticals. He received his Ph.D. from the UCLA School of Medicine and his B.S. from Nanjing University. He also conducted brain research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, earning a grant for further study abroad. "I am excited to join the Himalaya team and look forward to taking the impressive pipeline of a dozen drug candidates to move into the Chinese market as well as globally. The CAB platform has the potential to be truly groundbreaking and applicable to some of the most challenging problems we have faced in our battle against cancer." About Himalaya Therapeutics Himalaya is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company with operations in San Diego, California, and Hong Kong, China. Himalaya is advancing its pipeline of novel monoclonal antibody and other protein therapeutic product candidates, which are designed to have more selective targeting, greater efficacy, and more cost-efficient and predictable manufacturing than traditional antibodies, through clinical trials. Its product candidates have been developed using CAB technology, which is protected by more than 500 issued and pending patents. Himalaya has two CAB programs currently in Phase 2 clinical testing in Hong Kong and Taiwan: BA3011, a novel conditionally active AXL-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (CAB-AXL-ADC), and BA3021, a novel conditionally active ROR2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (CAB-ROR2-ADC). Himalaya has a co-development and collaboration agreement for an investigational CAB CTLA-4 antibody, BA3071, with BeiGene Ltd. for its development, manufacturing and commercialization in Greater China. Investor Contact: Nicholas Desjardins Himalaya Therapeutics [email protected] SOURCE Himalaya Therapeutics The pandemic has had a devastating human toll on our state and nation. While many businesses have suffered economic impacts, there have been bright spots for Connecticuts economy. After years of sluggish growth, our state has a new window of opportunity for economic development. This moment is threatened by proposed legislation that would add new costs to business and cast new nets of regulation all precisely at a time when we want to bring back business and bring back jobs. At the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, we are encouraged by the economic activity we are seeing in New Haven and our surrounding towns. It is slow, but people are returning to offices and supporting their favorite restaurants and stores. We are also seeing long-term business investments. Earlier this month in Branford, a manufacturing company broke ground on a new facility. Our biotech companies, heroes in the pandemic, are adding more jobs and looking for lab space. And as you have probably seen, housing markets across Connecticut are skyrocketing. It is exciting and overdue, but it is by no means time to declare victory. This economic boom could easily fade if it is not nurtured. Now several proposals are coming from the Legislature that would add to the cost of doing business in Connecticut. The first is an idea for Connecticut to become the only state to create a price-capping scheme on pharmaceutical and biotech drugs. We are all keenly aware of the high costs of health care, but this approach will not have the desired impact of delivering savings to consumers. Instead, it targets one group, research and innovation companies, like the ones we have in New Haven, and alters their funding formula. This one-sided approach flies in the face of ongoing efforts to attract and retain more bioscience companies. Limiting price increases may not lower your drug costs, but it will lower the enthusiasm of our bioscience industry. The high costs of research and development are paid for by successful drugs. By Connecticut, on its own, trying to change the pricing model without consulting the industry on better alternatives, it sends the wrong message to the businesses we are trying to attract and grow. It is a similar story with the states proposal for a public option. This bill would anoint the state as an insurance company using tax dollars as a backstop on plan overruns. Any lowered costs for some businesses would be borne out by Connecticut taxpayers. Again, the state would be pushing a plan that targets one of our homegrown industries, insurance, with a solution that results in no net cost savings. Connecticut should be focused on lowering costs, not increasing them. Through no fault of employers, the states unemployment insurance trust fund is deeply in debt to the federal government by approximately $700 million. Without relief, businesses will pay increased fees to cover the shortfall. We applaud the recent announcement of long-term reforms to the fund that will go into effect in 2024. However, we still urge the Legislature and Gov. Ned Lamont to follow other states and use a portion of Connecticuts federal stimulus money to pay down the debt. Doing so, will allow businesses to invest their money in bringing employees back to work. Other bills being considered would add new regulations for dealing with employees and shift liability to employers for any employee who contracts COVID-19. Combined with drug pricing and the public option, if these bills pass it will be a major setback for any Connecticut comeback. Please contact your legislators and let them know now is the time to grow Connecticuts economy lets bring back business and bring back jobs. Garrett Sheehan is president and CEO of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. RTHK: Thai PM fined for going mask-less Thailand's prime minister was fined for not wearing a mask on Monday after new Covid-19 restrictions came into force to try to halt the country's spiralling outbreak. Wearing masks is now compulsory in public spaces in 49 provinces and the capital, Bangkok, where the latest outbreak has been traced back to a nightlife district. Some locations are backing it up with a 20,000 baht (US$640) fine. After a picture of a maskless Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha attending a meeting emerged on social media, the Bangkok governor said the premier had been fined 6,000 baht (US$190). "As Bangkok governor, I filed a complaint against the prime minister who accepted the fine," Governor Aswin Kwanmuang wrote on Facebook. Some 2,048 new cases were announced on Monday. The day before, Thailand recorded its highest single-day death toll of the pandemic, with 11 fatalities. Until the latest outbreak, Thailand had managed to keep infections down thanks to strict travel restrictions and swift action to isolate confirmed cases. But there have been complaints about the slow rollout of vaccines, with the kingdom lagging behind other countries in the region. "It's a failure in management from the health ministry," said 61-year-old restaurant manager Pracha, who gave his first name only. Prime Minister Prayut said on Facebook the government was trying to source more doses and ramp up the programme to inoculate 300,000 people a day. In addition to the mask requirement, authorities in the capital have closed a raft of venues including cinemas, parks, gyms, swimming pools, spas and nurseries. The new restrictions come a week after bars and nightclubs were ordered closed and restaurants banned from serving alcohol. Pranee Namrat, a 48-year-old seafood vendor, told AFP she was frightened the situation would get worse. "If I got infected... I'm scared of not having a place for treatment," she said. In neighbouring Cambodia, also in the grip of a new coronavirus wave, the World Health Organisation urged factory owners in the key garment sector to help protect workers. "The current outbreaks in factories and markets serve as a painful reminder of the importance of investing in mitigation measures before cases occur," Li Ailan, the WHO representative in Cambodia, said in a statement. Li urged factory owners to do more temperature screening and rearrange workshops to allow social distancing. The capital Phnom Penh has been under lockdown for 12 days and last week the authorities ordered all wet markets in the city to close for two weeks. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday ordered tougher enforcement of lockdown measures. Around 1.3 million Cambodians have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The country, which has a population of 16 million, is using China's Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines as well as AstraZeneca. On Monday, Hun Sen appealed to countries "not to hoard the vaccine more than needed as well as not to use the vaccine as a political tool". Cambodia has reported 10,555 cases in total and 79 deaths including 10 on Saturday, a single-day record for the country. Neighbouring Laos, which appeared to escape the brunt of the pandemic last year, is also undergoing a surge, jumping from 58 cases to 323 in less than a week. Its capital Vientiane was placed under a snap lockdown last week, with authorities prohibiting residents from leaving their homes except for groceries and going to the hospital. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Eun Sung-soo, right, speaks during a National Assembly National Policy Committee meeting, April 22. Korea Times file Youn Yuh Jung has once again made history as she wins major category at Oscars 2021. The 73-year-old actress took home the Best Supporting Actress for 93rd Academy Awards for her spectacular performance in the movie "Minari." This made her the first-ever South Korean artist to win at the prestigious ceremony. Youn Yuh Jung Fangirled Over Brad Pitt Interestingly, the veteran actress started her acceptance speech by fangirling at Brad Pitt, saying, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Brad Pitt, very honored to meet you," she mentioned. Youn Yuh Jung continued by thanking the award-giving body and everyone who voted for her. Moreover, the "Minari" actress gave the audience a good laugh after saying that she "forgave" everyone who mispronounced her name. Still surprised with her Oscar win, Youn Yuh Jung says that she "cannot believe" that she's at the stage accepting the Best Supporting Actress award. "Me being here myself, I cannot believe. Let me pull myself together," she quipped. In addition, the actress also thanked and praised her "Minari" family, Steven Yeun, Han Ye Ri, Alan S. Kim, and Noel Cho, as well as the director Lee Isaac Chung, whom she described as their captain. Youn Yuh Jung then concluded her acceptance speech by lauding her fellow nominee and award-winning actress Glenn Close and left a heartwarming message to her "two boys who make me go out and work," adding, "this is the result because mommy worked so hard!" The South Korean pride managed to beat her co-nominees which includes Glenn Close for the movie "Hillbilly Elegy," British actress Olivia Colman for "The Father," Maria Bakalova in "Borat Subsequent Movie Film," and blonde beauty Amanda Seyfried for her portrayal in "Mank." Youn Yuh Jung Predicted to Win at the Oscars 2021 To recall, Youn Yuh Jung is predicted to win the 93rd Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress after topping the Gold Derby's Oscars race poll. She managed to score 4,500 votes, followed by the Bulgarian actress which came in the second spot with 582 votes. Youn Yuh Jung Oscar 2021 Red Carpet The veteran actress arrived at the Oscar 2021 red carpet together with her "Minari" co-star Han Ye Ri. Youn Yuh Jung wore an elegant long navy blue dress while the 36-year-old actress dons in a red Valentino dress with gold detail buttons. Youn Yuh Jung's Achievements Her recent achievement will surely make all countrymen proud after being the first South Korean actress to win the Academy Awards and the second Asian woman to ever take home a prestigious award. Aside from Youn Yuh Jung's Oscars, the "Minari" actress also scored several wins, including the Screen Actors Guild and the recently concluded British Academy Film Awards, also known as BAFTA, for bagging the Best Actress in a Supporting Role. "Minari" Family Congratulated Youn Yuh Jung's Oscar Win Over social media, fans celebrated the 73-year-old actress' win at the 93rd Academy Awards. With this, her "Mianri" family also lauded her astounding performance as the team congratulated her for her "Wonderful historic Oscar win." Wonderful, wonderful! Congratulations to the incomparable Yuh-Jung Youn on her historic Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress #Minari pic.twitter.com/onrdtGx9Wc Minari (@MinariMovie) April 26, 2021 KDramastars owns this article. Written by Geca Wills Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 21:35:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The third batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government was handed over to the Pakistani side during a ceremony here on Monday. Addressing the handover ceremony, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan, on behalf of the Pakistani government, thanked the Chinese government and people for providing the vaccine aid. Protecting life and the livelihood of the people is of the utmost importance for the Pakistani government, Khan said, adding that Pakistan is facing a serious third wave of COVID-19 and the newly-arrived vaccine doses will help the country to build immunity amongst its society to save life. The Pakistani minister said that Pakistan and China are "iron brothers," and the special friendship is between the two governments as well as the two peoples. On the occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said that Pakistan is not only the first country in the world that the Chinese government provided COVID-19 vaccine aid to, but also the country that has received the largest number of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines so far, which is a vivid manifestation of the ironclad friendship between the two countries. China will continue to support Pakistan's fight against the pandemic, Nong said, adding that the Chinese embassy will always serve as a bridge to promote bilateral friendly cooperation and forge a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era. The third batch of Chinese government-donated vaccines arrived in Pakistan on Saturday. Earlier, the Chinese government has aided two batches of vaccines to Pakistan, and the Chinese military also donated a batch of vaccines to the Pakistani army. And Pakistan has also purchased several consignments of COVID-19 vaccines from China. To control the third wave of COVID-19, the Pakistani government has been pushing forward the vaccination drive on the one hand, and tightening the anti-epidemic measures on the other, including closing educational institutes in areas with over 5 percent COVID-19 positivity rate. Enditem Abbey Quinn regrets the Easter dinner. The 29-year-old celebrated the holiday with her roommate's family five days after nabbing her first Moderna vaccine shot. Later that week Quinn, a restaurant worker in Asheville, N.C., woke up feeling her shirt hurt against her skin and knew it wasn't a typical cold. Everyone at the meal tested positive for coronavirus, she said. MORE COVID NEWS: Houston COVID-19 expert concerned about early stages of virus' fourth wave Quinn falls into an unlucky group of Americans exposed to the virus before their vaccine doses could offer them full protection. Their stories offer a reminder of the danger of people letting their guard down while highly transmissible virus variants circulate and a spring wave drives up hospitalizations across the country. "We are all had an collective, 'Oh man, you were so close,'" Quinn recalled after telling her family about testing positive after her first shot. "I understood I wasn't fully protected. I did feel some sense of relief not because I felt like I was immune, but just because it felt the end was near. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel." photo for The Washington Post by Kim Raff. There's no clear data on how many people contracted coronavirus before their vaccinations could take full effect. Based on a Washington Post analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Post estimates about 21,000 of 470,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus for the week ended Sunday already had their first dose. Michigan, where cases have been rising sharply with the rise of highly transmissible variants, accounts for about a tenth of that estimate. Experts warn these cases should not be interpreted as evidence vaccines don't work. The immune system needs several weeks to provide robust protection as the body learns the blueprint for stopping the virus before it can cause serious disease. They are not the same as "breakthrough infections" happening at least two weeks after the final dose - which are overwhelmingly mild and extreme outliers. With every American adult eligible for a vaccine this week, public health authorities and experts are pleading for vigilance and social distancing for a few more weeks to deliver a finishing blow to the pandemic in time for summer. Experts say the first dose may keep coronavirus infections mild, but the protection probably wouldn't start kicking in for at least a week.A CDC study of 4,000 vaccinated health care workers and first responders found the risk of infection was reduced by 80% two weeks or more after the first shot and protection increased to more than 90% two weeks or more after the second shot. "Even if you develop disease, you already have a head start form an immune system standpoint on controlling the virus," said C. Buddy Creech, the director of Vanderbilt University's vaccine research program. "The real challenge is we have to show the blueprint to the immune system with enough lead time." Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious-disease doctor in South Carolina, said most patients who tested positive after a first vaccine dose that she encountered had mild symptoms. "The thing people need to remember is the vaccine is not 100% protective, nothing is 100% protective," Kuppalli said. "We want this to become akin to it feeling like a nuisance cold if you get vaccinated. We don't want people having significant morbidity and mortality from covid." In other cases, a person may have been exposed to the virus before their first jab. Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte may be among the most high-profile of those cases after experiencing mild coronavirus symptoms three days after his first shot. Anuraag Routroy, a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Texas Austin, was excited for a shot on Jan. 25 through the university. Then he felt stomach pains, which he initially chalked up to bad dorm food, and tested positive for the virus on Jan. 24. "It felt like all the work that we had done since the pandemic begun being careful went to waste in a sense because you are so close to the vaccine, the final prize and you lose right before it," Routroy said. Kuppalli said vaccines for other viruses, such as Ebola, have been shown to effective as a post-exposure prophylactic that could prevent disease. MORE COVID NEWS: 'Game-changing' COVID-19 variant spreading fast among children, experts say But no studies have demonstrated a similar effect with the coronavirus vaccine, and the CDC advises people to wait until they are fully recovered before getting vaccinated. This is because the immune system could produce an "overly robust" response for people recovering from infection, Creech said. There's no clear cut guidance for people infected between shots, who are usually advised to consult their doctor. Zack, a 30-year-old Philadelphia entrepreneur, lucked out when a friend told him a mass vaccination site had leftover doses at the end of an early March evening. He wasn't particularly worried about the virus as a young adult without high-risk medical conditions. That weekend, he went to a restaurant to dine indoors for the first time in months and joined a small home dinner party with friends. He woke in the middle of the night with a fever a few days later. Tests confirmed he and a friend at the dinner party contracted the virus. "It's not like I was running around licking door handles or making out with random strangers, but I was thinking now I can eat indoors even though I knew I hadn't changed my risk profile that much at that point," said Zach, who asked his last name not be published to avoid harassment. His case was mild and he has since become fully vaccinated. Now he's trying to help others avoid his situation. "If I hear someone who says I got first vaccine, I say, 'Hey, just keep in mind you still got to behave safely and keep masking up," he said. "The first vaccine is not going to totally protect you." Others who tested positive for coronavirus after their first vaccine dose have been trying to make sure their bad timing does not fuel vaccine hesitancy among friends and family. Monica Martinez, a 25-year-old Utah resident, has been kicking herself for flying with her husband to visit relatives in Florida over the holidays. She tested negative five days before her vaccine appointment on Jan. 11, but felt feverish on the day of her appointment. Staff at the site told her she could get her shot anyway, but two days later, she tested positive. "I didn't tell everyone I got covid, at least not right away, and would say please get vaccinated - it's not the vaccine's fault," said Martinez, a psychology student. "I didn't want to add to any sensationalism that 'She just got vaccinated and she got covid two days later, I wonder what that's about.'" The disease hit her hard the first few days akin to a bad flu and leaving her with a high heartbeat. Her husband, who also tested positive, is just starting to recover his sense of taste and smell four months later. "The theme of this is we are trying to be as careful as we can during a pandemic and the one time we slipped up and went traveling is the time we paid the price," Martinez said. "We learned our lesson." Former U.S. President Donald Trump has hit back at President Moon Jae-in by accusing him of being a "weak leader and negotiator." "Kim Jong-un of North Korea, who I have gotten to know (and like) under the most trying of circumstances, never respected the current president of South Korea," Trump claimed. Trump was responding to Moon's accusation in an interview with the New York Times last week in which he said Trump in his dealings with North Korea "beat around the bush and failed to pull it through." Trump's fragile ego had been on display throughout his grotesque presidency, but since he was robbed of his Twitter platform for inciting riots, he had been relatively quiet. It took his former greatest fan to bring him out into the fray again. Ahead of the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore, Moon lauded Trump's decision to meet Kim as a "miraculous opportunity" and proposed nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. And ahead of Trump's meeting with Kim at the border truce village of Panmunjom in 2019, Moon hailed the U.S. leader for achieving "incredible changes." Moon also said Trump was the driving force behind "enormous transformation of world history" before North Korea had divested itself of a single nuclear weapon. Moon knew Trump to be pathetically susceptible to flattery, so he showered him with compliments to continue the North Korean publicity stunts. At the time, Trump also praised Moon's "excellent leadership" and added he was "always grateful" to South Korea for buying American weapons. Moon in turn boasted that his relationship with Trump went "beyond friendship." As the two treacherous allies patted each other's backs, Kim was busy reinforcing his nuclear weapons and missiles. But they were busy chasing photo ops rather than focusing on the North's denuclearization. Cheong Wa Dae knowingly exaggerated Kim's willingness to scrap his nuclear weapons and used that distorted information to lure Trump into yet another summit in Hanoi, and at the same time it lied to Kim that the U.S. would make massive concessions on international sanctions. When the two leaders realized that they had both been sold a dud, the summit collapsed and all communication was severed. But along the way, the vital U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises became a sacrificial lamb, and they did not resume even after North Korea made it clear it had absolutely no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons and wanted nothing more to do with Trump or Moon. The new U.S. President Joe Biden has already said that Trump's meetings with Kim were just for TV, and the White House said Biden has no plans to meet Kim. That prompted Moon to accuse Biden of making a mistake and urge him to "build on" what Trump "has left." The Moon administration still for some reason thinks that another photo op with North Korea can miraculously be brought about and will magically save its sinking ship. This just shows how removed from reality it has become. Vin Diesel shared a testing challenge he wants "Fast and Furious 9" to break. Ahead of the official release of "Fast and Furious 9" in June, Diesel recently spoke for the film and showed support for movie theaters. Since last year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused theaters to close down, crippling the productions of movies, as well. Only recently when some states began trying to open their big screens again to the limited public. Despite the ongoing rise of COVID-19 cases, the lead star has high hopes for the cinemas, primarily since "F9" dedicates its release in theaters only. Vin Diesel Prays for the Best In a new video for AMC Theaters, Diesel expressed his desire to break box-office records and bring the power of the film industries again. For 100 years we have come together to be entertained at the movies. @vindiesel is ready to make you believe in the power of the movies again with the newest installment of the #TheFastSaga. #F9 opens June 25th at #AMCTheatres, set your reminder now: https://t.co/2m1XVLiTP0 pic.twitter.com/Lejir6UeNv AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) April 25, 2021 On AMC Theatres' Twitter account, the 53-year-old action star appeared on the two-minute and twenty-two seconds video. The clip also highlighted several action scenes from "F9. "For 100 years we have come together to be entertained at the movies. @vindiesel is ready to make you believe in the power of the movies again with the newest installment of the #TheFastSaga. #F9 opens June 25 at #AMCTheatres, set your reminder now," the caption said. Meanwhile, the actor then got out of the car and talked about how overwhelming it would feel to see a movie in a theater. According to Diesel, the darkness of the place and the high-quality sounds make the film affect the viewers even more. "There's nothing like that moment when the lights go down, the projector ignites, and we believe," he said. His powerful message came after AMC almost lost the company due to bankruptcy. Meanwhile, California's ArcLight did not make it through the pandemic to close its theaters for goods. For months, they have been looking for movies that could invite moviegoers to the place again. Fortunately, the cinemas are gaining lives again in recent months. For instance, as of the writing, "Godzilla vs. Kong" and "Mortal Kombat" have been breaking records by establishing box-office records despite the pandemic. The increase in COVID-19 vaccine rollout helps people feel more at ease seeing movies in public, as well. Apart from delivering a positive message, Diesel's appearance on an AMC video seemingly revealed that the company and Universal already moved from their public feud last summer. "Fast and Furious 9" will arrive in theaters on June 25. See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles Margaret Sangers Racist Legacy Commentary In my movies Hillarys America and Death of a Nation, I portrayed Margaret Sanger, the founder and longtime leader of Planned Parenthood, as an out-and-out racist. My evidence for this was overwhelming: Sanger was never an advocate of birth control per se; she wanted birth control of the people she considered unwanted people in society, a group she termed undesirables and human weeds. Sangers goal was to create a race of thoroughbreds, a term evocative of the goals of the Nazis. She drew a sharp line not so much between black and white as between fit and unfit. By fit, she meant whites, but only educated, upper-class whites. By unfit, she meant pretty much everyone else. In 1926, Sanger spoke to the Womens Chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey about her ideas for reducing the black birthrate. The racists loved it; other speaking invitations followed. Sanger also created what she called the Negro Project at Planned Parenthood, designed, in her words, to get rid of human beings who should never have been born. She recruited black pastors and activists and paid them to convince black people to reduce their birthrates, by sterilization if necessary. In one of her letters, Sanger said, We do not want word to get out that we are trying to exterminate the Negro population. The Nazis based their racist sterilization laws on American models developed by Sanger and others; Sanger herself praised the Nazi laws as more advanced than anything passed in the United States. Its a crushing indictment. Even so, Planned Parenthood portrayed Sanger in glowing terms, downplaying her eugenic and racist positions and insisting she was a progressive champion of womens rights and human rights. Feminist authors such as Ellen Chesler wrote devotional biographies of Sanger, reinforcing Planned Parenthoods propaganda line. But now, Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, has decided to fess up. She recently wrote an op-ed in The New York Times, titled Im the Head of Planned Parenthood. Were Done Making Excuses for Our Founder. Johnson gave a partial, though sufficiently damning, list of Sangers racist positions and actions, and then concluded, We must fully take responsibility for the harm that Sanger caused to generations of people with disabilities and Black, Latino, Asian American, and Indigenous people. In effect, Planned Parenthood has now officially disavowed its own founder and most famous figure. Interestingly, the groundwork for this was laid around a year ago, when Planned Parenthood of Greater New York removed Sangers name from its Manhattan health clinic and also called on city leaders to remove Sangers name from a street sign that hung outside its offices. The removal of Margaret Sangers name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledged Planned Parenthoods contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color, remarked Karen Seltzer, chair of the New York affiliates board. What makes the New York groups, and now the national organizations, about-turn so significant is that theyre not only changing course but also admitting that theyve been lying and covering up for a racist founder for decades. In effect, theyre admitting that my portrait of Sanger as a bigot and Nazi apologist was basically right. Yet, some conservatives have ridiculed these apologies and dubbed them nothing more than a rebranding strategy of Planned Parenthood. Roland Warren, CEO of Care Net, said, For me, this was kind of like changing the name of Auschwitz. Thats a harsh analogy, but Warrens point is that Planned Parenthood still has its clinics concentrated in inner cities and barrios. It disproportionately terminates the lives of black and Latino babies. Although blacks and Latinos make up around 31 percent of the population, more than 40 percent of abortions done by Planned Parenthood end the lives of black and Latino infants. The good news is that Planned Parenthood is finally being honest about its racist origins. Think how ridiculous this makes previous Planned Parenthood leaderssome of them blackwho knowingly protected a vicious racist. Think of where this leaves Chesler, who pushed the old institutional propaganda and has now been exposed as a fraud. Or Hillary Clinton, who got the Margaret Sanger award from Planned Parenthood and gave a disgusting paean to Sanger, saying she regarded her as a mentor and a personal inspiration. She must be feeling very uncomfortable right about now. The bad news is that Planned Parenthood has no intention of changing its dedication to abortion rights or to making abortion easily availableperhaps even encouragedin minority communities. So the founders racist vision, although no longer pursued under the Margaret Sanger banner, is still being carried out in terms of her organization imposing disproportionate casualties on the very communities Sanger wanted to see shrink and eventually disappear from the face of the earth. Dinesh DSouza is an author, filmmaker, and host of the daily Dinesh DSouza podcast. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. This is the first time that Shenyang has released a list of scenario requirements for live broadcasts to more than 60 countries and regions at home and abroad, releasing CNY 1.1 trillion in investment opportunities. The release of the list of city opportunity scenarios focuses on the 8 visions of the city and the 36 scenario types such as smart manufacturing, digital credit creation and smart urban areas, accelerates the cultivation and enrichment of application scenarios in Shenyang, promotes "project clearance", and releases more development opportunities, to create the urban brand of the "Bellwether of Scenarios in Northeast China" to support the development of the new economy. Among them, the 8 visions of the city include: the construction of a national modern comprehensive hub, the construction of a comprehensive national science center, the construction of a national advanced manufacturing center, the construction of a regional financial center, the construction of a regional cultural and creative center, the construction of an international consumption center city, the construction of a livable and business-friendly high-quality city and the construction of a digital twin smart city. In order to promote high-level scenario construction and investment promotion, the press conference focused on the introduction of the first batch of the selected 30 major new economic scenarios. The development of Shenyang in an all-round way was announced to the public in the form of a list. All kinds of enterprises, talents, etc. are welcomed to participate in the development of the city. Overall 152 major projects were signed on the press conference with an investment amount of up to CNY 129.53 billion. Image Attachments Links: Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=389904 Caption: On April 23, the "Scene the Future with Scenarios" Shenyang City Opportunity Scenario List Release and Key Project Signing Ceremony on Cloud was held. SOURCE The Information Office of Shenyang People's Government The former chief executive of the Post Office has quit her board roles at Morrisons and Dunelm following the wrongful conviction of former subpostmasters. Both high street chains announced on Monday that Paula Vennells would leave her roles as non-executive director. She is also stopping her duties as an ordained Church of England minister. Ms Vennells was chief executive of the Post Office from 2012 to 2019 and was paid 89,000 by Morrisons and 30,000 by Dunelm in the past year. Ms Vennells said: It is obvious that my involvement with the Post Office has become a distraction from the good work undertaken by the boards I serve. I have therefore stepped down with immediate effect from all of my board positions. On Friday the Court of Appeal overturned the criminal convictions of 39 former Post Office workers after a defective software system was found to have shown shortfalls in their accounts which did not exist. Hundreds of subpostmasters were prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting based on data from the Horizon accounting system, which had bugs, defects and errors from the point it was installed in 1999. Ms Vennells had defended the system before MPs, insisting it was robust, despite knowing about its flaws. Last year, in a civil case brought by more than 500 subpostmasters, a judge described Ms Vennells actions as cruel and incompetent. Ms Vennells left the Post Office in 2019, months before another damning High Court judgment about the scandal. After stepping down from her board roles at Morrisons and Dunelm, Ms Vennells said she was truly sorry for the suffering caused to subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted. Ms Vennells said she intended to focus fully on working with the ongoing government inquiry to ensure the affected sub-postmasters and wider public get the answers they deserve. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21st May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters UK news in pictures 18 April 2021 Stephen Maguire (right) of Scotland interacts with Jamie Jones of Wales during day 2 of the Betfred World Snooker Championships 2021 at The Crucible, Sheffield PA UK news in pictures 17 April 2021 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburghs coffin, covered with His Royal Highnesss Personal Standard arrives by Landrover Defender at St Georges Chapel carried by a bearer party found by the Royal Marines during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Getty Images UK news in pictures 16 April 2021 Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, checks the teeth of "Dentosaurus" during a visit to the Thornliebank Dental Care centre in Glasgow, as she campaigns ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 April 2021 Myanmar's former ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, outside his residence in north west London. The ambassador has been barred from entering the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair after he was removed from office PA UK news in pictures 14 April 2021 People take part in coronavirus surge testing on Clapham Common, south London. Thousands of residents have queued up to take coronavirus tests at additional facilities set up after new cases of the South African variant were found in two south London boroughs. 44 confirmed cases of the variant have been found in Lambeth and Wandsworth, with a further 30 probable cases identified PA UK news in pictures 13 April 2021 The core of the Milky Way becomes visible in the early hours of Tuesday morning as it moves over Bamburgh Lighthouse at stag Rock in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 12 April 2021 Rebecca Richardson (left) and Genevieve Florence, members of the Aquabatix synchronised swimming team, during a practice session in the swimming pool at Clissold Leisure Centre in north London, which has reopened to the public. Many facilities have reopened in the latest easing of lockdown include pubs and restaurants who can serve outside, non-essential shops, indoor gyms and swimming pools, nail salons and hairdressers, outdoor amusements and zoos PA UK news in pictures 11 April 2021 A pub staff pins up a sign announcing the reopening of the Fox on the Hill pub on Denmark Hill in London EPA UK news in pictures 10 April 2021 The Death Gun Salute is fired by the Honourable Artillery Company to mark the passing of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the The Tower of London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 9 April 2021 A man arrives to lay a bunch of flowers outside Buckingham Palace in central London after the announcement of the death of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. - Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip, who recently spent more than a month in hospital and underwent a heart procedure, died on April 9, Buckingham Palace announced. He was 99. AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 8 April 2021 Cousin Pascal ridden by James King clears the chair on their way to winning the 4:05 Pool via REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 April 2021 Deliveroo riders from the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain outside Deliveroo headquarters in London, as they go on strike in a dispute for fair pay, safety protections and basic workers rights PA UK news in pictures 6 April 2021 Waves crash over the walls next to Seaham Lighthouse in Durham PA UK news in pictures 5 April 2021 Lusamba Katalay (third from left), the husband of Belly Mujinga joins activists at a vigil at Victoria station in London to mark the first anniversary of the death of railway worker Belly Mujinga who died with Covid-19 following reports she had been coughed on by a customer at London's Victoria station PA UK news in pictures 4 April 2021 People spend Easter Sunday at Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth Jake McPherson/SWNS UK news in pictures 3 April 2021 A woman looks into the camera as she attends a 'Kill the Bill' protest in London EPA UK news in pictures 2 April 2021 Members of the Bamburgh Croquet club play a game following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Northumberland, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 April 2021 A family walks in St Nicholas' Park in Warwick, the hot weather which baked much of the UK this week is set to give way to a chilly Easter weekend. PA UK news in pictures 31 March 2021 A woman adds a heart to the National Covid Memorial Wall in London EPA Dunelm chair, Andy Harrison, said: We respect Paulas decision to step down from the board and I would like to thank her for the positive contribution she has made to the business since her appointment in September 2019. Morrisons chair, Andrew Higginson, said: Paula has been an insightful, effective and hardworking non-executive director, and, on behalf of the board, I want to thank her for her significant contribution over the last five years. Ms Vennells, who was made a CBE for services to the Post Office and to charity in 2019, is an associate minister in Bromham, Oakley and Stagsden, Bedfordshire. The diocese said she had informed the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Alan Smith, who is the son of a former subpostmaster. The Bishop of St Albans said: As the son of a former subpostmaster, I express my distress at the miscarriage of justice that so many subpostmasters have suffered. They and their families are in my thoughts and prayers. I am glad that these and earlier appeals have overturned convictions that have been found to be unjust. On Friday, Court of Appeal judge Lord Justice Holroyde said the Post Office knew there were serious issues about the reliability of the Fujitsu-developed IT system, but continued to bring serious criminal charges against the subpostmasters on the basis of Horizon data. The Post Office effectively steamrolled over any subpostmaster who sought to challenge its accuracy, the judge said. The Criminal Cases Review Commission has encouraged other former Post Office staff to consider challenging their convictions. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE With more than 40% of New Mexicos population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, state health officials are focusing their efforts on reaching those who havent bared their arms quite yet. The Department of Health announced Monday it would start allowing residents age 16 or older to self-schedule vaccine doses. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The age cut-off for self-scheduling vaccine appointments under the states centralized vaccine registration system had previously been 40 years or older. In addition, state Health Secretary Tracie Collins said last week during a White House event with health officials from other states that New Mexico had entered a new phase of its vaccination campaign focused largely on reaching state residents who might be wary of getting the vaccine. She said virtual town halls targeted at specific groups including the states Black, Latino and Asian-American communities have proven successful at building vaccine confidence. Reaching people especially in a diverse state like New Mexico doesnt mean just publishing an English-language press release and hoping for the best, Collins said during her remarks. It means speaking to people in their languages and at the appropriate level of health literacy. As of Monday, roughly 57% of New Mexico residents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 40.8% of state residents were fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health. Those numbers were actually down slightly from Friday due to a methodology change aimed at ensuring vaccines administered by the federal Indian Health Service are not counted twice, an agency spokesman said. Only Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut have higher vaccine administration rates per 100,000 than New Mexico, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, while the state has paced the nation when it comes to vaccine administration rates, some New Mexico counties have lagged behind others and DOH spokesman Matt Bieber acknowledged state officials still have work to do when it comes to outreach efforts. He said that push could include turning to religious leaders and business owners to help raise awareness of the vaccine. In addition, he said the Department of Health would be reaching out to primary care doctors who might have established relationships with their patients as potential vaccinators. And on Tuesday, a state agency will hold a vaccination clinic in Albuquerque targeted at New Mexicans who are blind, deaf or those with developmental disabilities. Meanwhile, the state is currently ordering about 75% of its federal allotment of vaccine doses, Bieber said. Thats in contrast to the initial days after the vaccine was approved for public use, when the state was ordering its full allotment and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and other state officials were pushing to get larger shipments. Were ordering what we could use, Bieber told the Journal. At this point, theres no supply limitation. He also said large-scale vaccine clinics could be replaced by smaller efforts targeted at certain populations and zip codes in the coming weeks. Nationwide, vaccine rates have slowed as of late with many individuals eager to get vaccinated having already done so. But the virus continues to spread in New Mexico though at a much lower rate than during the peak of the pandemic last year and three additional deaths related to COVID-19 were reported Monday, including a woman in her 20s from Cibola County. Those deaths brought the states fatality toll to 4,027 since March 2020. However, a total of 177,866 New Mexicans or about 8.5% of the states population have also tested positive but fully recovered from the virus, according to state data. The combination of residents recovered from COVID-19 and the states brisk vaccine administration rate could eventually help the state reach herd immunity, or when a large portion of a community becomes immune to a disease. But with the virus still spreading, state officials say its too early to declare its vaccination campaign a success. We certainly want to vaccinate as many New Mexicans as we can, Bieber said. By Benjamin Jumbe The ministry of health has called for integration of the COVID-19 vaccination into the routine process in an effort to combat the new infection wave. This comes as experts warn that the country is experiencing new variants of COVID-19 similar to the ones in India, Brazil, South Africa and Kenya which are more dangerous than the earlier one. Meeting with health professionals in Kampala, the state minister in charge of primary health care Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu has called for patriotism and support to ensure the vaccines reach the intended vulnerable people without focusing on allowances. Meanwhile, the ministrys Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine warns that unless Ugandans change their attitude towards vaccination and embrace it fully, COVID-19 related death could sky rocket by July this year. The Covid-19 related death toll in Uganda currently stands at 341. Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki is convening an emergency meeting with the participation of the prime ministers of the Visegrad Group countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary) due to Russia's aggressive actions. First Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek wrote about this on Twitter. "As part of the Polish Presidency of the Visegrad Group, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is convening an emergency meeting in the format of a video conference with the participation of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Group countries at 13:00 (Kyiv time) today. The meeting will focus on Russian acts of sabotage in the Czech Republic, Russia's escalation of the situation in Ukraine and Belarus, and cooperation of the Visegrad Group in strengthening security in the region," the post reads. As reported, a diplomatic war between Russia and Western countries has been going on in recent weeks. In particular, the United State, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia expelled Russian diplomats for actions that contradict their diplomatic status. Russia gave a mirror-like response, declaring diplomats from these countries persona non grata. On April 22, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the General Staff of the Russian Federation and commanders to withdraw troops, which have recently been moved to Ukraine's borders, to their permanent bases. ish The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) wants the government to step up efforts at dealing with the issues of land guards, water pollution and sand winning in the country. Doing that, it said, would help bring about peace, restore and protect the environment, as well as safeguard the health of the people. The church said while in some parts of the country land guards were illegitimately taking lands and properties for which people had toiled, illegal mining and sand winning were degrading the environment and opening it up to both climate change and also health concerns. The Chairperson of the Ga West Presbytery of the PCG, Rev. Daniel Kwasi Amoako Nyarko, made the appeal when he, in the company of other senior officials from the presbytery, paid a courtesy call on the management of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) in Accra last Thursday. Meeting Rev. Nyarko was accompanied by the Clerk of the Ga West Presbytery, Rev. Joseph Kofi Antwi (PhD); the Lay Representative of presbytery to the General Assembly Council of the PCG, Mr Ben Botwe, and the Chairman of the Fifth Anniversary Planning Committee of the presbytery, Rev. Kwadwo Owusu Sarpong. The team was received by some management members of the GCGL, led by Mr Franklin Sowa, the Director of Marketing. The rest of the GCGL team were Mr Kwaku Ofosu, the Sales and Circulation Manager; Mr Isaac Yeboah, the Editor of Graphic Online; Ms Adwoa Serwaa Bonsu, the Editor of the Graphic Showbiz, and Ms Mavis Asiama Wiafe, a Senior Corporate Communications Officer. The Ga West Presbytery team was at the GCGL to officially brief the company on the fifth anniversary of the presbytery and seek the companys support for the event and other activities that it had been undertaking. Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021 Land guards Rev. Nyarko expressed concern over the fact that many people had been maimed by land guards in many places, particularly in the Ga West areas, saying that the situation needed the urgent attention of law enforcement agencies and the government. He said although there were laws to deal with land guards, the enforcement of such laws had become a problem, giving the land guards a field day to operate. We all know them (land guards); they are in society and they live in the communities, he said. He added that land guards ware not taking the lands of only individuals but also those of the church. Sand winning Rev. Nyarko also expressed concern about the increasing practice of sand winning in many parts of the country, noting that that practice, if not checked, would render many arable lands barren. He said because of sand winning, many farmers in the affected areas could not plant cash crops, as the top soil had been removed through sand-winning practices. Water pollution On water pollution, Rev. Nyarko said duty bearers ought to act swiftly to save people from water-borne diseases as a result of their dependence on polluted water. He said unlike in the cities where people had access to treated water, many residents of the hinterlands relied solely on water from rivers and streams which had been polluted through illegal mining activities, rendering such water bodies unsafe for drinking. Commendation Rev. Nyarko commended the GCGL for its key role in the development of the country, noting that the group had, over the years, become the channel through which the voices of the vulnerable were heard. He said the Ga West Presbytery of the PCG would continue to be a key partner to the GCGL as they both sought the improved welfare of Ghanaians. Development Rev. Antwi said the presbytery had, since its inception, undertaken a number of developmental projects in its catchment area, including the provision of toilets and bathrooms at Abossey Okai in the Adabraka Official Town District, a borehole at Tete Kofi in the Mission Field of the church and the cultivation of coconut, pawpaw and mango at Akweiman and Okaijaman. He said the presbytery had also been promoting healthy relations with people of other faiths, establishing peace clubs in schools, as well as extending evangelism programmes to palaces, markets, hospitals, prisons and mosques. GCGL Mr Sowa commended the Ga West Presbytery for its support to the Graphic Needy Fund, saying that when the company sought financial assistance from the church, the church readily came in to help. For him, there were many areas the church and the company could collaborate, pointing out that the GCGL alone could not foot the bills of all the needy people who sought assistance from the company, and that it would require the support of other benevolent organisations, such as the church, to be able to do that. Mr Sowa used the opportunity to invite the PCG, particularly the Ga West Presbytery, to join a sanitation campaign the company would soon launch to help clean the country. 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 The Japanese government has lodged a protest with China over topographical maps it published of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Japan's Foreign Ministry made the protest through diplomatic channels in Tokyo and Beijing after China's Ministry of Natural Resources posted the maps on its website on Monday. The Chinese ministry says it created the maps based on the latest satellite images and other survey results. Nine images on the site include the topographies of three islands --- Uotsuri, Kitakojima and Minamikojima in the Senkakus. Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them. China has been stepping up the activities of its government ships in waters around the islands. Observers say China posted the maps with the aim of stressing its claim over the islands. They were already financing the subtler and more sophisticated variety of mid-budget films that were struggling to find a place on the big screen and they gathered strength during the lockdowns. But other factors have weighed in. In 2018, the box-office success of the comedy Crazy Rich Asians suddenly alerted Hollywood to the potential offered by its Asian audiences; last year, COVID-19 put the spotlight on the streaming services. The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have both helped to accelerate the diversification push begun six years ago when restive members of the Academy took to social media with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. Chinese director Chloe Zhaos Best Director award for Nomadland points to the influence of a string of dramatic changes undergone by the film industry in the past few years. Big-name actors and directors gravitated to them and the stories they told grew bolder and less conventional. There is still a long way to go. Three of this years eight Best Picture nominations Nomadland, Minari, and Judas and the Black Messiah are by directors of colour but only two of the eight films are by women: Zhao and Promising Young Womans Emerald Fennell, winner of this years award for Original Screenplay. Loading Even so, given the glacial pace at which the Academy makes changes, this is revolutionary. It took 46 years to nominate a female director for an Oscar. This happened in 1975 when it looked kindly on the flamboyant Italian filmmaker, Lina Wertmuller, for her work on Seven Beauties. It was to be another 35 years, however, before it bit the bullet and voted for a female winner. The prize went to Kathryn Bigelow, whose reputation was based on her flair as an action director. For some of us, her victory with The Hurt Locker was made all the sweeter by the fact that she prevailed in a field that included Quentin Tarantino and her ex-husband, James Cameron, two directors renowned for their macho style. After that, Oscar retreated from any further signs of reform until 2015 when hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was born. In the wake of that campaign, the Academys membership gradually enlarged and became more diversified but the basics remained the same. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... DUBAI, United Arab Emirates A recording of Irans foreign minister offering a blunt appraisal of diplomacy and the limits of power within the Islamic Republic has been leaked, providing a rare look inside the countrys theocracy. The release of the comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif set off a firestorm within Iran, where officials carefully mind their words amid a cut-throat political environment that includes the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, ultimately overseen by the countrys supreme leader. Zarif has been suggested as a possible candidate for Irans June 18 presidential election as well. Outside of Iran, Zarifs comments could also affect talks in Vienna aimed at finding a way for Tehran and the U.S. to both come into compliance with Irans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Already, sabotage targeted Irans nuclear facility at Natanz during the talks as Tehran has begun enriching a small amount of uranium up to 60% purity, which edges the country closer to weapons-grade levels. After the leak became public, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh did not dispute the tapes authenticity. He told journalists on Monday that the recording represented just a portion of a seven-hour interview Zarif gave to a well-known economist that was to be held for posterity by a think tank associated with the Iranian presidency. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Khatibzadeh called the release of the recording illegal and described it as selectively edited, though he and others did not offer opinions on how it became public. Zarif, visiting Iraq on Monday after a trip to Qatar, took no questions from journalists after giving a brief statement in Baghdad. Portions of the leaked interview first aired overnight on Iran International, a London-based, Farsi-language satellite news channel once majority owned by a Saudi national. Tehran has criticized Iran International in the past for its airing of a militant spokesman who praised a 2018 militant attack on a military parade in Ahvaz that killed at least 25 people, including a child. British regulators later rejected an Iranian complaint over the segment. Iran International shared a file with a little over three hours of the interview with an Associated Press correspondent based in the United Arab Emirates on Monday. In the interview, Zarif describes Russia as wanting to stop the nuclear deal, something apparently so sensitive that he warns the interviewer: You definitely can never release this part. Russia had a frosty relationship with then-President Barack Obama, whose administration secured the deal with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Russia and Iran also at times have strained relations, despite being battlefield allies in Syria. If Iran hadnt become Mr. (Donald) Trumps priority, China and Russia would have become his priority, Zarif said. If, because of hostility with the West, we always need Russia and China, they dont have to compete with anyone, and also they can always enjoy maximum benefits through us. Both China and Russia have been vocal proponents of returning to the nuclear deal. The Russian mission in Vienna declined to comment, while Chinas did not respond to a request Monday. Zarif himself hasnt attended this round of talks, instead sending a senior deputy. Zarif sounded relaxed and chatty during the interview, at one point joking that he should have sold the expensive liquor he and others found when they took control of the Iranian Consulate in San Francisco in 1979. The economist conducting the interview repeatedly suggested Zarif should run for president as Rouhani is now term-limited from running again. Zarif dismissed the suggestion. However, the state-owned polling center ISPA has put the diplomat as fourth in a theoretical matchup with the hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi leading. Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf came in second and third respectively. However, ISPA warned of the possibility of a turnout as low as 39%, based off its April telephone survey of over 1,500 people. It offered no margin of error. Irans theocracy partially bases it legitimacy in turnout numbers, so such turnout could be a threat. In the interview, Zarif repeated an earlier claim by officials around Rouhani that they had not been told by the Revolutionary Guard that it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner in January 2020, killing all 176 people on board. The recordings also include Zarif offering criticism of Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimanis separate relations with Russia as well. A U.S. drone strike in 2020 killed Solemani in Baghdad, an attack that at the time brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. Soleimanis funeral processions in Iran drew millions of people to the streets. I have sacrificed diplomacy for the battlefield more than the price that (those on) the battlefield (led by Soleimani) paid and sacrificed for diplomacy, Zarif said. He added that Iran gave up much of what it could have achieved from the nuclear deal for the sake of advancement on the battlefield. He added that Soleimani refused to stop using the national carrier Iran Air for Syrian operations despite Zarifs objections. Iran Air has been sanctioned by the U.S., exacerbating a long-running crisis that forced it fly decades-old aircraft, often lacking parts for repairs. Despite his criticism, Zarif acknowledged Soleimanis importance in Iran. I believe that the U.S. by hitting Martyr Soleimani dealt a blow to Iran that would not have been as bad even if they had hit one of our towns, he said. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who pushed the Trump administrations pressure campaign on Iran, later linked to a story about the leaked tapes on Twitter. He described it as an exquisite strike that had a massive impact on Iran and the Middle East. You dont have to take my word for it, Pompeo wrote. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. The 93rd Academy Awards airs on Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. EDT. And there are a lot of nominated films released from throughout 2020 until Feb. 28, 2021 that you may or may not have seen in theaters, due to the coronavirus pandemic. No need to worry. Many of the films lauded by critics were released to streaming services or VOD. Heres how you can stream a bulk of the motion pictures nodded across the Oscars major categories. Judas and the Black Messiah Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: FBI informant William ONeal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton. A career thief, ONeal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell. Hamptons political prowess grows just as hes falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson. Meanwhile, a battle wages for ONeals soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover commands? Ratings: The film holds a fresh rating of 96% and an audience score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of publication. Trailer: Nominations: Judas and the Black Messiah is nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (both Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song (Fight for You) and Best Cinematography. Where to stream: The film was released on HBO Max on Feb. 12 for 30 days. Its no longer on the service, but you can catch the film on YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play and Prime Video for $19.99. Check your local listings to catch Judas and the Black Messiah in theaters. Sound of Metal Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career and with it his life is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Rubens experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world. Ratings: Sound of Metal holds a fresh rating of 97% and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of publication. Trailer: Nominations: Sound of Metal is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Riz Ahmed), Best Supporting Actor (Paul Raci), Best Sound, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Where to stream: You can stream Sound of Metal on Amazon Prime Video. Minari Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. Trailer: Ratings: Minari holds a fresh rating of 98% and an audience score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of publication. Nominations: Minari is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Steven Yuen), Best Supporting Actress (Yuh-Jung Youn), Best Director (Lee Isaac Chung), Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score. Where to stream: You can stream Minari . Check your local listings to catch Minari in theaters. The Trial of the Chicago 7 Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: In 1969, seven people were charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Ratings: The Trial of the Chicago 7 holds a fresh rating of 89% and an audience score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Trailer: Nominations: The Trial of the Chicago 7 is nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Sacha Baron Cohen), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Original Song (Hear My Voice). Where to stream: The Trial of the Chicago 7 is streaming on Netflix. Nomadland Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: A woman embarks on a journey through the American West after losing everything during the recession. Trailer: Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (Frances McDormand), Best Director (Chloe Zhao), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Cinematography. Where to stream: You can stream Nomadland via Hulu fo $5.99 monthly, $11.99 monthly with no ads, with Live TV for $64.99 monthly and Hulu no ads plus Live TV for$70.99 monthly. Promising Young Woman Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past. Ratings: Promising Young Woman holds a fresh rating of 91% and an audience score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of publication. Trailer: Nominations: Promising Young Woman is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress (Carey Mulligan), Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (Emerald Fennell) and Best Film Editing. Where to stream: You can stream Promising Young Woman on YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play and Amazon Prime Video for $5.99. The Father Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: Anthony (Academy Award Winner, Anthony Hopkins) is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the carers that his daughter, Anne (Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner, Olivia Colman), encouragingly introduces. Yet help is also becoming a necessity for Anne; she can't make daily visits anymore and Anthony's grip on reality is unraveling. As we experience the ebb and flow of his memory, how much of his own identity and past can Anthony cling to? How does Anne cope as she grieves the loss of her father, while he still lives and breathes before her? THE FATHER warmly embraces real life, through loving reflection upon the vibrant human condition; heart-breaking and uncompromisingly poignant -- a movie that nestles in the truth of our own lives. Ratings: The Father holds a fresh rating of 98% and an audience score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of publication. Trailer: Nominations: The Father is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design and Best Film Editing. Where to stream: You can rent The Father via Amazon Prime Video for $19.99. Mank Synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes: 1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing wit and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish "Citizen Kane." Ratings: Mank holds a fresh rating of 83 % and an audience score of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of publication. Trailer: Nominations: Mank is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Gary Oldman), Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfield), Best Director (David Fincher), Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Costume Design and Best Cinematography. Where to stream: You can stream Mank on Netlfix. READ MORE: 1500 SE Magnolia St, Suite 103, Ocala, FL 34471 To meet a growing demand for world-class pain care in north-central Florida, Physician Partners of America (PPOA) is pleased to announce the grand opening of its newest clinic location in Ocala, Florida. The clinic is located at 1500 SE Magnolia St, Suite 103, Ocala, FL 34471 and offers a continuum of care, from consults with interventional pain management specialists offering a wide variety of services. Services available at this Center include: virtual visits treatment of chronic neck, back, pain, pelvic, abdominal and neuropathic pain spinal cord stimulation pain pump technology image guided joint injections radiofrequency ablations trigger point injections, joint injections, epidural steroid injections, facet injections Tampa-based PPOA opened its doors in 2013 and has over 30 locations throughout Florida, Texas and California. It offers a wide variety of healthcare services under its umbrella, including pain management, laser spine procedures and other minimally invasive techniques. All of the PPOA clinics accept most insurance, as well as Medicare. PPOA Ocala can be reached at (352) 458-4485 or click here. Same-day appointments are available. About PPOA: Started in 2013 and headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Physician Partners of America (PPOA), is a national healthcare organization focused on strengthening the doctor-patient relationship and improving patient outcomes. PPOA, and its affiliates share a common vision of ensuring the wellbeing of patients and providing their physician partners the opportunity to focus on the practice of medicine. This model allows physicians to be physicians, caring about patients and their needs in the face of ever more complex administrative requirements. For more information about Physician Partners of America, visit ppoamedical.com. Australians have shared the items they would bring to a house gathering when they are told 'not to bring a thing' - including a pot plant, a bottle of wine, flowers or a fruit platter. Many hosts said one of their biggest pet peeves is when their guests turn up on their doorstep with a plate of food after they planned a curated menu. 'It's frustrating for me all the times I've put in a huge effort to make a dinner party meal, and guests bring nibbles for beforehand and fill up leaving little room for the meal I have prepared,' one woman wrote in a Facebook group. 'It's disrespectful to bring food when asked not to and an insult to the host... implying that whatever they have prepared isn't enough,' another said. To respect a host's wishes, many said there are other items you can bring - including a fruit platter and homemade or store-bought desserts or even a personal gift like a box of chocolate, alcohol or flowers. Australians have shared the items they would bring to a house gathering when they are told 'not to bring a thing' - including a pot plant, wine, flowers or a fruit platter (stock image) What items should you bring when you're told not to bring a thing 1. Pot plant 2. Bottle of wine 3. Box of chocolates 4. Fruit platter 5. Homemade desserts 6. Chips/dips 7. After dinner mints 8. Flowers 9. Tequila, salt and limes 10. Alcohol Advertisement 'I was taught that it is extremely poor form to go anywhere empty handed. A box of chocolates is appropriate. If you are dead set against taking food, take a good bottle of wine or alcohol you know they like to drink or some flowers,' one said. 'I don't think you should bring food. As a host, this annoys me when I say not to bring anything. Flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine would be appreciated and won't ruin the host's plans,' another said. And one suggested: 'It has to be something that is more of a host gift and can be used later. Chocolate or anything that has a decent shelf life.' While one woman added: 'I'd take a gift for the host. A face mask, cute hand wash, a bottle of jam I made... I honour the host who has planned the menu as I don't want to ruin their theme. I hope that they get some joy out of the gift as the days go by.' One of the most commonly mentioned items to bring is a pot plant (stock image) One woman said she would get 'stressed' if one of her guests brought a plate of food, especially after she asked them not to. 'I'd have to find time and room to heat it or find fridge space for it or find some China to serve it in or get their plate or container washed and back to them,' she said. Another woman said when she visited a friend after the coronavirus lockdown ended, she brought an amusing gift 'just for laughs'. 'I took a picnic basket full of toilet paper and pasta. It was used as the centrepiece of the food table and started a lot of conversations,' she explained. Meanwhile, others said they would simply bring 'nothing' if the host specifically said don't bring a thing. 'If I've asked and been told nothing then that's what I'm taking. However, I always take my own non alcohol beverages as I drink a lot so I like to supply my own,' one woman said. 'I'd bring nothing, respect their wishes,' another wrote while one added: 'Nothing. I love to do what I'm told on situations such as this.' Man found hanged in Baan Manik PHUKET: Police are hoping to identify the body of a man found hanged near the site of an old tin mine in Baan Manik, Srisoonthorn, yesterday (Apr 25). deathpolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Monday 26 April 2021, 09:23AM Rescue workers recover the mans body yesterday (Apr 25). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Lt Col Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police was called to the scene by local villages in the area, Moo 7, Srisoonthorn, at about 6:40am. Officers arrived along with Kusolharm Foundation rescue workers, a medical team from Vachira Phuket Hospital and forensic police to find the man hanged by a nylon cord tied to a branch several metres above the ground. The man, of Asian features, was about 30-35 years old and about 160cm tall. He had a large tattoo of a koi fish on his back, near the right shoulder. Officers found no wounds or bruises on the body indicating that the man had been in any altercation. The man was dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt with black stripes, military camouflage pants, and a black belt, but no shoes. In the right pocket of his trousers was an envelope containing two small bags of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice). They did not find any form of identification. Police believe he died at least six hours before his body was found. Supanee Kongkaew, 65, explained to police that she was foraging for mushrooms under trees when she found the body at 5am. She noticed the shape of something unfamiliar in the darkness and walked closer to see what it was, to discover the man hanged from the tree. Shocked, she rushed to inform her neighbours and the village headman. Still visibly upset by the discovery, Ms Supanee said that this type of thing doesnt happen in this area. The village headman said investigators at the scene were not sure whether the man was a foreigner or Thai. The man is believed to have been living nearby as no motorcycles were left parked near in the area and the man was not wearing shoes, leading officers to believe he had walked to the scene, he said. Also, the man would have had to have known the area, in order to avoid construction workers living nearby. A HOLLYHILL native has made his American dream a reality after being appointed artistic director of a prestigious New York theatre company. Michael Mellamphy replaces Limerick man George C Heslin in the Origin Theatre role following his departure for a new role with the New York Irish Centre. The Cork actor co-curated this years Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival in New York alongside fellow northsider Sarah Street from Blarney Road. The pair have appeared in US shows like Law and Order and The Good Wife and are well-known faces on New Yorks theatre scene. Michael also had a prominent role in one of the worlds best-known video games Red Redemption 2. Mr Mellamphy isnt fazed by the challenges of the pandemic. Having worked with the Origin team on an all-virtual 1st Irish Festival, which far-exceeded expectations and reached a significantly wider audience than past festivals, I am confident we can produce powerful theatre under these very unique and changing pandemic circumstances, he said. Michael is a member of the Irish Repertory Theatre as well as a founder of The Pigeon Theatre Company. The artist previously owned the Irish bar Ryans Daughter where he produced a number of theatrical productions. Adapting He described the ways in which the company is adapting since the onset of Covid-19. Using technology in theatre production is at the forefront of my thinking now, Michael said. Covid 19 has thrown many challenges at our community and many of us, including Origin, have responded creatively. I feel strongly about getting back to in-person productions, but in the meantime, we can use everything weve learned over the last 12 months and to create new paradigms, mix live and recorded elements, even mix formats like social media with live theatre. April 21 marks two years of the deadly Easter attacks in Sri Lanka led by Islamist groups like National Tauheed Jamaat (NTJ) and Jaamiyathul Millathu Ibrahim (JMI), drawing attention to the Islamic radicalisation in the island. Two years hence the attention is still on Islamic radicalisation. But what about other radicalisations in the island state? Post-independence Sri Lanka in fact witnessed three radical movements Sinhala, Tamil and Islamic that were primarily youth revolts. Sinhala radicalism was spearheaded by the JVP, firstly in the early 1970s and later in the late 1980s. Tamil radical movement that initially started in a moderate manner in the 1950s turned militant in the early 1980s, principally led by the LTTE. Islamic radicalism was in a non-violent mode since 1970s but got a taste of violence in the 1980s and the1990s in response to the LTTEs anti-Muslim attacks in the east. But it surprisingly slipped into terrorism in 2019. A basic distinction, however, among these radical movements is while Tamil militancy was ethno-nationalistic, the other two were ideological. Irrespective of the nature of these movements, they all rose principally due to the inability of successive Sri Lankan governments to address the socio-cultural, political and economic grievances of the concerned community, perceiving them as just law and order problems. All three stories of radicalisation in the island state clearly suggest that a lack of moderate political parties to articulate in the interest of the communities at the right point in time led to the rise of radical groups to fill the vacuum. It is an important lesson in the understanding of the radicalisation process in any community: it is vital to encourage moderate politics to articulate grievances; suppression of the same would give rise to radicalism. Communities at large should get the confidence that their grievances articulated through moderate means are being heard and addressed. The involvement of external actors and networks, especially in the case of Tamil and Muslim radicalisations, has made the issue more complex. The external actors have their own interests and dynamics that tend to exploit internal faultlines for their own advantage. This is what is happening to Sri Lanka as well. Although radicalisation was evident and manifested in a violent form in all three communities, one common denominator remains: the way in which the Sri Lankan State handled the issue. Military means of handling radicalisations would trigger a cycle of violence and counter-violence. There is a need to adopt socio-economic and political measures as well. In the process, it is important that deradicalisation measures put in place for one community should not radicalise the others. The State machinery should not be perceived as biased towards or against any community. Healing wounds Radicalisation in Sri Lanka is not going to stop with Eelam Wars or Easter attacks. Demonisation of Muslims after the attacks and instituting more restriction in the name of security is going to further radicalise a section of the minority community resulting once again in a cycle of violence and counter-violence. History suggests that any nation-building process that is exclusivist in nature; that happens at the cost of ignoring the sentiments of minority communities is doomed to be a failure. Playing to the gallery of Buddhist hardliners is not going to help in the long-run. It will push the country back to the decades of the Eelam Wars. Yet another community should not take up arms. One community that has been left untouched by violent radicalisation is the Plantation Tamil community. Sri Lanka should be in a position to adopt success stories of de-radicalisation, especially reconciliation among the ethnic communities, and heal the wounds. In this regard, the role of civil society groups is significant. Governments should be in a position to recognise their unique contribution and rope them in the process instead of hindering their activities. Most importantly, religious leaders could play a key role of reconciliation through interfaith dialogue. The Sri Lankan case also suggests the importance of developing what Ray Oldenburg calls third places for building relations at the community level. The government could consider periodic orientation of those reintegrated ex-militants to make sure that they do not slip away from the right path. Role of external actors in the radicalisation and de-radicalisation process comes out clearly in the Sri Lankan case. Instead of going alone, Colombo should be in a position to build cooperative networks at bilateral, regional and global levels to counter radicalisation and violent extremism. Only through such cooperation at all three levels, support networks to radical groups could be stifled. Countries could also learn from each others success stories. (The writer is Associate Professor, Department of International Studies & History, Christ Deemed to be University, Bengaluru) A Texas mother who has been missing for more than a week was recorded by a doorbell camera on the night she disappeared. Erica Hernandez, of Houston, was last seen in the early hours of 18 April in the southwest part of the city as she was leaving a friends house. Eldia Hernandez, sister-in-law of the missing woman, said Erica came to her house on the evening of 17 April at around 8.10pm. Erica Hernandez dropped off some food while her children waited in her car, a black 2020 GMC Acadia with Texas plates, according to officials. Eldia Hernandez told KPRC: She left her car on because her kids were in the car. Erica sat and talked to me for about five minutes and then left. Ms Hernandez then drove her children, aged three, 15, and 19, home before she later departed for a friends house. She left the friends home at around 2.30am local time. Her family says she hasnt been seen or heard from since. Doorbell footage from the home of Eldia Hernandez shows Erica Hernandez leave the house and get back into her car. We called the hospitals, we asked for her name and asked for Jane Does, the sister-in-law told Houston TV station KTRK. Were all frustrated. Were all in disbelief because this is not like her. This is not her routine. Her kids are her world, and she would never ever leave her kids, she added. Describing Ms Hernandez the last time she saw her, Eldia Hernandez said: She was fine. I mean, she was happy. She was a little tired, but that was about it. The Houston Police Department, Texas EquuSearch, and numerous volunteers have been looking for Ms Hernandez in the area she was last seen and along routes that she could have taken. We dont know what happened. Were at a loss for words, Eldia Hernandez told KTRK. The missing mother of three is described as a 53 Hispanic woman weighing around 200 pounds. She wears glasses and has dark brown hair with highlights down to her waist. She also has a nose piercing and a tattoo of three koala bears on her left shoulder blade, according to a flyer from Texas EquuSearch. Her car has an Aggie Mom bumper sticker on the back. Albert Flores of the Texas United Coalition donated a $1,000 reward for any information that could lead to finding Ms Hernandez or her car. He told KTRK: Prayers for the family and people that are willing to help and resources that are made available, especially to Texas Equusearch, they do a lot. I think combined and us unifying together will give us a better chance. Houston police say that foul play has not been ruled out. They added that their Missing Person Unit is working on the case. A GoFundMe has been set up to fund the search and has raised more than $3,500 of its $5,000 goal. The director of Texas EquuSearch, Tim Miller, told KPRC: We have eliminated a lot of areas, we covered a lot of miles. He added that nothing in the investigation as of yet is certain, and that all of the leads and tips have been dead ends. Anyone with information on Ms Hernandezs disappearance or whereabouts is asked to contact the Houston Police Department at 832-394-1840, the Texas Department of Public Safetys Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 512-424-5074 or Texas EquuSearch at 281-309-9500. From Swedens progress so far, Sunak will be able to gauge the sensitive issues that lie ahead, including how CBDC projects create anxiety in the commercial banking sector and the design difficulties that could lead to a compromise on privacy. Loading Like cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, CBDCs can be based on blockchain. But while bitcoins are generated by miners operating without central oversight, CBDCs would be issued by the central bank and pegged to a national currency to prevent wild swings in value. What we learnt from Sweden is [creating a CBDC] is more difficult than people believe, says Rainer Bohme, a professor specialising in virtual currencies at Austrias University of Innsbruck. Once you commit to one direction, theres often no way back, adds Bohme. Or the way back is very expensive and involves a loss of reputation and of course reputation and trust are the key assets a central bank has. Those risks have created a non-committal approach at the Riksbank, even after four years of research. The pilot project has sketched out several possibilities of how an e-krona could work, including a token system where e-kronor could be stored in a digital wallet and an account-based system where the central bank issues e-krona that people would still store in commercial bank accounts, meaning the difference would be barely noticeable to most. Sundberg emphasises these ideas are just for testing and the underlying technology could still dramatically change. Cautious approach to crypto Britain is so far copying this ultra-cautious approach, with task force documents describing the project more as a crash course in CBDC finance. The Government and the Bank of England have not yet made a decision on whether to introduce a CBDC in the UK, the taskforces remit reads. The main issue is that there is little consensus around how a CBDC should function, only loose agreement between the Bank of England and the Riksbank that CBDCs should complement cash, not replace it. British finance minister Rishi Sunak has told the Bank of England to look at the viability of a British digital currency. Credit:Getty Countries are turning to CBDCs in reaction to a litany of emerging problems. Alongside the decline of cash, theres the threat from private initiatives like Facebooks own digital currency project and fears of falling behind in a global CBDC race some say could create the next dominant currency. Venezuela also toyed with the idea of using a CBDC to sidestep sanctions while the Bahamas launched its CBDC Sand Dollar in October to try to reach the 20 per cent of its population who still do not have a bank account. Sundberg says: We have no decision on whether to issue e-kronor and if there is a decision to issue an e-krona, we dont know how it would be designed yet or what technology actually we would use. CBDCs would be more appealing if they could improve the current system and the Riksbank expects to test an e-krona system that could work without an internet connection later this year. Loading The offline functionality is something that is very intensively discussed in the central bank community right now, says Sundberg, adding she has already been in talks with the Bank of England. Banking challenge Offline payments would present a major challenge to commercial banks, which are already wary of the growing interest in CBDCs. Research by the Atlantic Council tracked 19 countries with CBDC pilots and a further 42 in research or development. Morgan Stanley has warned of CBDCs disruptive consequences and the likelihood they would increase competitive pressures on commercial banks. Swedish banks are also on edge. The 352-year-old Riksbank is the worlds oldest central bank. Credit:Bloomberg Niclas Arvidsson, who researches cashless societies at Stockholms KTH Royal Institute of Technology, says a future could be possible where: If people understood the difference and they didnt trust the banks for some reason, maybe more people would choose to store their money in central bank digital currency accounts. Sunak would likely have to replicate Swedens conciliatory tone, stressing collaboration, not competition. Sundberg, for example, emphasises banks could have a very important role in the e-krona network and several payment providers will be joining the pilot later this year. They will not be excluded, she says. We will need to co-operate with them and we hope they are interested in doing that. But one area where the two countries differ is on privacy. Any electronic system will leave traces so this will be possible to trace transactions, says Arvidsson, stressing the main way a CBDC is likely to differ from cash. In Sweden this hasnt been a big issue. People have a high trust in the banks and the systems. But as contact tracing and vaccine passports have shown, Britons are not so trusting. Sunak will have to emphasise that any CBDCs can balance privacy with the public benefits that come through reduced transaction costs across borders, a tension Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said was preoccupying him at this years World Economic Forum. Like the Riksbank, which expects to maintain its cautious tone at least until a parliamentary inquiry is concluded in 2022, the Bank of England would be right to leave the big decisions to politics. Loading But the Riksbanks main message to Rishi Sunak is more likely to be, there is still an awful lot to learn. Telegraph, London South Africa will resume administering Johnson & Johnsons coronavirus vaccines to healthcare workers on April 28, after putting their use on hold for two weeks due to concerns that they could be linked to blood clots. It has since been established there is a one-in-a-million chance of getting the clot after the vaccine, and that it appears that women between the ages of 18 and 48 years old are particularly at risk, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is effective, easy to use and it is still considered safer to get vaccinated with it than not to. The resumption of the inoculation program is a boost for President Cyril Ramaphosas administration, which has been contending with Africas worst coronavirus outbreak and criticism that it has not been proactive enough in securing vaccines. Almost 1.58 million Covid-19 cases have been detected in South Africa and more than 54,000 of those diagnosed with the disease have died. The single-dose J&J shots were given to 292,623 health workers as part of a drug trial that enabled normal regulatory procedures to be bypassed prior to their use being put on hold. The vaccine has since been approved for general usage, and the government intends to begin administering it and a two-dose vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE to those over the age of 60 from May 17. Sufficient vaccines have been secured for 45 million adults, with a first batch of 1.1 million of J&J shots that were produced at an Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. plant in the Eastern Cape province due to be dispatched in coming days, according to Mkhize. The country will receive 650,000 Prizer doses before May 17, and another 325,560 the week after that. It has been a difficult start for our country with the vaccination roll-out, the minister said. Despite all the challenges we have faced, we still have a positive outlook both for the recovery of public health. Geddes, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo is headed to the fairgrounds today for a public announcement, two sources have confirmed. It wasnt immediately clear what Cuomo would announce at 11:30 a.m. It did appear Cuomo would allow reporters at the event. That would be the first time Cuomo has taken questions from journalists in-person since December, according to Associated Press reports. He signaled late last week that he might reopen the news conferences. Cuomo has been taking questions through phone and video conferencing, formats that allow his staff to handpick reporters and make it harder for follow-up questions. Those interactions have become less frequent as Cuomo, a Democrat, is facing investigations and criticism on multiple fronts, from handling nursing home death data to accusations of sexual harassment at work. Cuomo has denied any intentional wrongdoing and has said he will not resign. Cuomos visit today comes as the states weekly positive rate for coronavirus cases has dropped to nearly 2%, the lowest since early November. On Sunday, the state reported confirming 4,087 new cases out of 217,972 tests, or a 1.88% positive rate. Hospitalizations across New York have dropped to 3,198, with 742 in intensive care. Fifty additional deaths were reported Sunday. The state has administered 1.1 million vaccine doses in the past week, according to Cuomos office. As of Sunday, 31.1% of New Yorkers were fully vaccinated. Got a story idea or news tip youd like to share with a Syracuse-area reporter? Please contact me through email, Twitter, Facebook or at 315-470-2274. Truro Raceway track photographer Kyle Burton captured Sunday's (April 25) USHWA Canada #BetTruroChallenge, beating six other harness handicappers on the track's 2021 opening day. "I thought I was going to win going into the 7th race, the feature of the day," he said. "I liked Imalookertoo, a lot. His lines in Ontario didn't show much, but just being fit and tight with only a 28-day layoff was a huge advantage for him. Everyone else hadn't raced since December. Garnet Barnsdale, who had the lead through race six, had #4 Dont Ask Logan and I was turned off by how he looked in last week's qualifier. I figured I had him beat before the wings opened and Imalookertoo delivered, big time." The top handicapper's total return on investment for hypothetical $2 win/place/show bets on each race of eight races was $53.90 (five winners). Barnsdale, a top handicapper for Ontario Racing, finished second with $43.30 (four winners). In a tight battle for show, Manitoba race caller Trey Colbeck ($36.80; three winners) beat out former Yonkers Raceway publicity director Frank Drucker ($35.70, two winners). Burton said there's no substitute for watching how horses train and qualify. "My biggest strategy was watching the qualifiers closely. I took a lot of mental notes about when and how much drivers were urging in the qualifiers. I wanted to see how fit to race each were and if they were going easy during their first charted line of 2021. That gave me a sense of who was at 100 percent for the first program. Another strategy was looking for horses who recently shipped in from Ontario. If they were tighter than the rest of the competition, then that was a big advantage. That's how I landed on Immalookertoo (Race 7) and Cliff Drummond (Race 2)." His vantage point is a definite advantage. "Being a track photographer helps in handicapping. Being able to pick up subtle differences in strides or maneuvers that most miss due to lack of image equipment is something that I incorporate into my handicapping strategy." Besides bragging rights, Burton got to select a charity to receive donations on behalf of the USHWA Canada chapter. He opted for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society, an organization that rehomes retired racehorses. "OSAS was an easy choice. They do great work and I was really moved by the Rambinlingamblinman story [on the OSAS site]. We need better options for retired racehorses and OSAS does a tremendous job in giving horses a new lease on life," he said. USHWA Canada Chapter President Ryan Clements and contest organizer Melissa Keith didn't play the contest ponies with Burton's or Barnsdale's success, but they ponied up for the winner's choice of charity on behalf of the chapter. Contest participant Mike Carter also made a donation to American racehorse adoption program New Vocations to settle a friendly side bet with Barnsdale. (USHWA Canada) Right now the angelic hotness of Brit hottie Kelz inspires this peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines. Kansas City Lacks Will To Vaxx Kansas City area COVID-19 vaccine planner for April 25-May 1 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - As the COVID-19 vaccine roll out continues in the Kansas City area, 41 Action News is compiling a list of vaccination events and where people can sign up for a vaccine interest form each week. Check back for updates.Vaccine slots fill up quickly and often are scheduled before each week. East Side Crash Report 1-year-old, 2 others hospitalized following crash in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) --- Multiple parties, including a 1-year-old child, were transported to the hospital following a crash at 84th and The Paseo. The crash happened at around 3:20 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Three people were inside a Jeep when it crashed into a tree in the neighborhood. Kansas Workers Crunched OR Chips On Their Shoulder?!?! Here's what you should know about the ongoing contract dispute between Frito-Lay and its workers Contract negotiations between union representatives and Frito-Lay have been ongoing for months, as workers in Topeka seek better conditions and better pay from the company. The two parties have been deadlocked in attempts to reach an agreement, and multiple rounds of negotiations have failed to produce a suitable compromise for both sides. Hotness Decides Kelly Brook says SHE plans to propose to boyfriend Jeremy Parisi Kelly Brook has revealed she's considered proposing to boyfriend of six-years Jeremy Parisi on the next leap year. Tradition dictates that women propose on leap years, and specifically the leap day itself, with the next one set to fall on February 29, 2024 And it seems the 41-year-old presenter has a plan in place if she isn't engaged by then as she'll take matters into her own hands. Marginally Approved Chuck Todd: Biden's 53 percent approval rating is 'the new 60' "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd praised President Biden for the 53 percent approval rating he received in a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, a number that Todd said is "the new 60" in an appearance on the "TODAY" show on Sunday. The numbers come just shy of Biden's first 100 days in office. Every Vote Counts?!?! Half a Year After Trump's Defeat, Arizona Republicans Are Recounting the Vote PHOENIX - It seemed so simple back in December. Responding to angry voters who echoed former President Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election, Arizona Republicans promised a detailed review of the vote that showed Trump to have been the first Republican presidential nominee to lose the state since 1996. COVID Still Plagues Planet U.S. Pledges Medical Aid To India, Where COVID-19 Is Overwhelming Hospitals The United States will make more medical aid available to India in an effort to fight an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases. The pledge came during a phone call between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval on Sunday, as India has become the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic and the country's health system is collapsing. No Second Chances?!? More than 5 million Americans have skipped second COVID-19 vaccine dose Nearly 8 percent of Americans - or more than 5 million people - have failed to get their crucial second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to federal health statistics. While more than half of all US adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, fewer than 30 percent have been fully vaccinated, CDC figures show. LGBT Politicos Leave Pioneer GOP Trans Leader Hanging Caitlyn Jenner's Campaign for Guv Has Excited Absolutely No One Caitlyn Jenner seems to have no one in her corner in her high profile run for governor of California. The Olympian, who would be among a small handful of transgender office-holders if she were elected, can't even bank on support from members of the LGBTQ community with several groups and activists slamming her campaign. Kangaroo False Idol Debuts UMKC to unveil large bronze kangaroo statue | University News An outsized, bronze-cast kangaroo statue will be formally revealed on April 26 by UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal on University Walkway near the Miller Nichols Learning Center. UMKC's Student Government Association commissioned local visual artist Tom Corbin to create the metal kangaro ... Royals Stay Winning Duffy shines again as Royals take the series victory Your league leader in ERA: Daniel Richard Duffy. I'm not sure if him wearing Yordano Ventura's #30 on his back is like a superman cape or what. But whatever the left-hander is doing; he should keep doing it. Duffy now has a 0.39 ERA through his first four starts. Katie Sneak Peek At The Week Breezy, sunny Sunday with highs in mid-70s Hide Transcript Show Transcript TICKETS GO ON SALE MAY 6 AND IT KICKS OFF SEPTEMBER 3. A BEAUTIFUL SPRING START TODAY. KATIE: I THINK SO, TOO. THERE IS A THIN VEIL OF CLOUDS CREATING A MILKY WHITE SKY, BUT IT WILL TURN A BRIGHT BLUE SKY AND A FEW HOURS. Take Me To The River covered by The Talking Heads was the Sunday song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD. MERIDEN A human trafficking operation conducted by the Meriden Police Department led to five adult females and two adult males being contacted on April 23. All five females were offered sexual assault crisis services, victim services, counseling/therapy and drug rehabilitation. The information gathered during the operation continues to be under investigation, officials said. IF YOU need evidence that the Democratic administration in Washington is hostile to the Granite State, look no further than its disposition toward our states lawsuit against Massachusetts over the Bay States bad faith policy of imposing its income tax on New Hampshire telecommuters who bot As we enjoy a burst of freedom following the coronavirus lockdown, theres a clear and present danger that remains in the air within closed spaces in our homes, offices, hotels and other private and public buildings. Leading the field to ensure we breathe clean and uncontaminated air while inside is a unique purifying system from HCI in Salford, Greater Manchester. The Air-Revive module kills Covid by using a patented bi-polar "Death Penalty, Still Racist and Arbitrary" | Main | Is it sound, just and wise to often question the competency of juvenile offenders? July 9, 2011 Why the Second Amendment is not (and should never be?) "part of normal constitutional law" Earlier this week, the Seventh Circuit issued a lengthy and detailed ruling in Ezell v. Chicago (available here), which issued a preliminary injunction against Chicago gun range ban based on the Second Amendment. The Ezell ruling is both interesting and intricate; in this extended new post over at The Volokh Conspiracy, Second Amendment scholar and fan David Kopel astutely explains how and why "Ezell v. Chicago is a tremendously important case for Second Amendment doctrine." I share Kopel's view about the importance of the Ezell opinion, and I recommend highly his summary and assessment of Ezell in his astute post. However, as evidenced by the title of my post here, I want to take issue with a key assertion Kopel makes at the start of the (otherwise astute) concluding paragraph of his post. Kopel finishes with these summary observation about what Ezell tells us: In short, the Second Amendment is part of normal constitutional law. The standard of review is not the absolutist What part of shall not be infringed dont you understand? Nor is the standard reasonableness as a euphemism for rational basis so long as all guns are not banned; nor the weak undue burden standard that was invented for one particular unenumerated right which is an extreme outlier in the weakness of its basis in history, tradition, and other sources for unenumerated rights. Intermediate scrutiny does apply sometimes, as with the First Amendment, and, also as with the First Amendment, stricter scrutiny applies at other times. As with much of the rest of 21st century constitutional law, the interpretive methodology includes both originalism and a practical analysis which some persons would call living constitutionalism. The problem I have is with the claim that Ezell demostratrates that the Second Amendment is "part of normal constitutional law," principally because Ezell distinguishes the Seventh Circuit's approval in Skoein of the federal crime prohibiting certain misdemeanants from possessing guns (basics here) by emphasizing that only "law-abiding, responsible citizens" get full Second Amendment protection. If Second Amendment rights and jurisprudence truly depends and pivots on who is deemed a "law-abiding, responsible citizen," then the Second Amendment is not part of normal constitutional law because I know of no other constitutional right that only protects "law-abiding, responsible citizens." Of course, a citizen's constitutional rights can and often are diminished or extinguished as a result of conviction and sentencing for a crime. Incarcerated prisoners, in addition to obviously losing many liberty rights, also generally have no Fourth Amendment rights and have very limited First Amendment rights. Similarly, duly imposed conditions of probation and/or parole that are part of a formal criminal sentence can lawfully result in restrictions on otherwise constitutional activities and liberties. However, as I have explained in some prior posts, I am not aware of any other fundamental rights expressly protected by the Bill of Rights which are forever lost or forfeited whenever a person has ever once previously broken the law or been less than "responsible" in their behavior. Indeed, I think we would be deeply troubled by a constitutional jurisprudence that held that once a citizen was ever convicted of any crime, even just a misdemeanor (e.g., speeding, littering), then that person never again has any First Amendment right to free speech or to attend church or any Fifth Amendment right to prevent the taking of their property or any Sixth Amendment to confront witnesses or to counsel in a criminal trial. In posts in the wake of Heller, I had predicted and feared that Second Amendment doctrine would start distinguishing between good "law-abiding, responsible citizens" people who get protected by this fundamental constitutional right and bad "other citizens" who get little or no constitutional protection. The important Ezell opinion suggests the doctrine is developing in just this way, and that reality leads me to balk when Kopel asserts that "the Second Amendment is part of normal constitutional law." Or, to cast my concerns in a different light, I suggest we all should be very concerned if and when "normal constitutional law" starts to embrace and enforce significant distinctions between good "law-abiding, responsible citizens" people who get protected by constitutional rights and bad "other citizens" who get little or no constitutional protection. I genuinely fear that this kind of "normal" constitutional doctrine, which is now emerging in the Second Amendment setting, very well could start a path toward the significant formal and/or functional reduction of many fundamental constitutional rights and liberties. A few related Second Amendment posts: July 9, 2011 at 02:22 PM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451574769e201538fc5deb3970b Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Why the Second Amendment is not (and should never be?) "part of normal constitutional law": Comments A very good observaion that I agree with. We better be good or we will have no const. rights. Posted by: James | Jul 9, 2011 3:41:02 PM The fix is to clarify and strictly limit existing law on what constitutes a disabling felony (it should be truly violent in that someone was hurt or at risk of being hurt through direct action and, not to diminsh unarmed assault, simple assaults without weapons or serious harm to teh victim should be on the edge, definitely not just crimes involving a car chase). That inclues scrapping Lautenburg on DV, if it was severe enough DV to apply there will be an uunderlying prosecutable felony as above. We also need to ensure that sound policies for having rights restored exists and is funded at the state and Federal (looking at you Congress) levels. Matthew Carberry Student and gun rights person Posted by: Matthew Carberry | Jul 9, 2011 4:47:39 PM Once again Professor Berman is right on target but there is much, much more to this. Defending the rights granted under the second amendment is but the tip of the iceberg. Because this is a fundamental right spelled out in the constitution the task, while difficult, is made somewhat less so simply because the constitution does address the issue. On the other hand, most ex-offenders especially those with felony offenses, are denied many of the avenues that they may use to regain their rightful place in society. To quote Congressman Steve Cohen who has just reintroduced his "Fresh Start Act": Even if you commit a non-violent offense, you could very well face a life sentence, Thats because the stigma of your conviction will follow you for the rest of your life. Employment, education and housing opportunities the very things necessary to start your life over can all be denied because of a past conviction. My bill (HR2449) would give non-violent offenders who have turned their lives around a real chance to start over again. While this bill only applies to first time non-violent offenders, it is a good start. In addition if the legislation, as the wording specifies, "restores the individual concerned, in the contemplation of the law, to the status such individual occupied before the arrest or institution of criminal proceedings" this should also include all rights guaranteed by the constitution that may have been stripped due to the conviction including second amendment rights. Posted by: Thomas | Jul 9, 2011 6:42:07 PM I may be new to constitutional law as a subject of intense study, but I have pretty good ideas when it comes to criminal law, sentencing, and policy. Given this lack of formal law school education, I have a question: When did the "shall not be infringed" part of the 2nd Amendment become infringed, and how did this law pass Supreme Court scrutiny in its time? I am not a (insert direction)-wing nut, but I am having a hard time logically coming to a conclusion which would permit a Constitutional Amendment to be infringed for life (On a side note, there is also the right to vote, but that can be reinstated quite easily most places). How is it that this is the single Constitutional guarantee which does not reinstate once incarceration and parole/probation/supervision expire? How did the language of "law abiding citizen" take precedent over "shall not be infringed"? Posted by: Eric Matthews | Jul 9, 2011 9:25:59 PM "How is it that this is the single Constitutional guarantee which does not reinstate once incarceration and parole/probation/supervision expire? How did the language of "law abiding citizen" take precedent over "shall not be infringed"?" An excellent question. I really hope someone can answer it. Posted by: Thomas | Jul 9, 2011 10:30:25 PM How is it that this is the single Constitutional guarantee which does not reinstate once incarceration and parole/probation/supervision expire? How did the language of "law abiding citizen" take precedent over "shall not be infringed"?" An excellent question. I really hope someone can answer it. Phillip Zimbardo wrote in the Lucifer Effect: "At the core of evil is the process of dehumanization by which certain other people or collectives of them, are depicted as less than human, as non-comparable in humanity or personal dignity to those who do the labeling. Prejudice employs negative stereotypes in images or verbally abusive terms to demean and degrade the objects of its narrow view of superiority over these allegedly inferior persons. Discrimination involves the actions taken against those others based on the beliefs and emotions generated by prejudiced perspectives. Dehumanization is one of the central processes in the transformation of ordinary, normal people into indifferent or even wanton perpetrators of evil. Dehumanization is like a cortical cataract that clouds ones thinking and fosters the perception that other people are less than human. It makes some people come to see those others as enemies deserving of torment, torture, and even annihilation." You see, Bill, Federalist, MikeinCT, etc see that they KNOW what is truth, what is a lie and what is good for this country. This is PRIDE out of control. I may not know the last vestiges of "THE LAW", (which is a serious study for those who choose to obstruct the obvious) but as a 30+ year scientist and engineer, I see where our countries political leaders lie every day. Why should judges, politicians, prosecutors, public unions and LE be any different? They have been suckling at the private largess so long that they have killed the goose that laid the golden egg (our wealth). Posted by: albeed | Jul 9, 2011 11:27:24 PM English correction, before I am seen as a libertarian barbarian: "our country's political leaders lie every day." PS: This is serious business, and our educators and main stream media are more than worthless, they are money grubbing w__res. WE DO NOT hold our elected representatives responsible for their actions. Why are so many Americans so stupid and ignorant? Posted by: albeed | Jul 9, 2011 11:59:52 PM personally i think that anyone who thinks like this! "The problem I have is with the claim that Ezell demostratrates that the Second Amendment is "part of normal constitutional law," principally because Ezell distinguishes the Seventh Circuit's approval in Skoein of the federal crime prohibiting certain misdemeanants from possessing guns (basics here) by emphasizing that only "law-abiding, responsible citizens" get full Second Amendment protection." WELL they need someone to come visit and who will EXERCISE THEIR 2nd Amendment right and remove them from this country! they SO OBVIOUSLY DON'T BELONG HERE! Posted by: rodsmith | Jul 10, 2011 12:41:59 AM The way I see it, politicians are trying to whittle away the Constitution is by transmogrifying the Bill of RIGHTS into the Bill of PRIVILEGES, which they then mold it in any shape, or form that they will, without actually passing a Constitutional amendment. The courts are only too happy to oblige the Congress. The disenfranchisement of citizens' Second Amendment right has been progressing (should I say retrogressing?) since the passage of Safe Streets Act, which originally applied only to violent and drug crimes, but later expanded under the Crime Control Act (?) to include even nonviolent, white-collar offenses. Congress has only been inexorably expanding the ambit of this disenfranchisement provisions. I believe (in fact, very strongly) all persons (i. e., convicted of a crime) should get ALL their rights back once they have paid their debt to society. The problem is the failure to recognize that there are only two kinds of persons in this world - convicted felons and unconvicted felons. The unconvicted felons are the ones who have undoubtedly committed offenses under the law (state, or Federal), but have not yet been caught. A good book to read is Three Felonies a Day by Harvey A. Silverglate. While that book could be seen an embellishment of the plight of the defendants represented by the authors, I personally know that a vast majority of the issues presented in this book are real. It is utterly disgusting to see how our laws (and most of all, our precious Constitution) is perveterd. Some jurists call the Constitution a "living, breathing document." Shame on them! Thomas: I guess by "law-abiding citizen" refers to someone who has CONTINUOUSLY (i. e., forever) abided by the law, rather than the present-continuous sense that the language purports to imply. I am afraid that the interpretation is in the eyes of the beholder, or more aptly, in the lacuna of the collective Congressional brain. Posted by: John Marsahll | Jul 10, 2011 1:31:40 AM I agree with you in part, and disagree in part. First, felons are denied the right to vote, and the Supreme Court upheld this in Romer (though this is not listed in the Bill of Rights, I would argue that it is quite fundamental). If the police know a person is a convicted felon, this knowledge can feed into the calculus for reasonable suspicion, and probable cause (weakening 4th Amendment rights). After an arrest, this information would be brought to the attention of a magistrate will usually result in a detention order (weakening 8th amendment rights). Even the right to speedy trial considers what threat a person may pose to the community. This bifurcation of rights, which at first blush may seem unfamiliar, finds a long pedigree in our constitutional law jurisprudenceprocess is varied with respect to fundamental constitutional rights based on a persons propensity for violence. This work builds on my article, The Constitutional of Social Cost (forthcoming in Harvard JLPP): http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1763830 More details here: http://joshblackman.com/blog/?p=7535 Posted by: Josh Blackman | Jul 10, 2011 2:28:19 AM Josh Blackman: I am afraid that you are making a sweeping statement that right to vote and right to bear arms are not listed on the Bill of Rights. I beg to differ with you, because whatever rights that were "not enumerated" are governed by the IX and the X Amendments to the US Fdereal Constitution. (Amendment IX: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.") The critical word and phrase are the the "rights" that are "retained by the people." Felons once had these "fundamental rights," before they were convicted and they cannot be "den[ied]" these "rights" by Congress, or anyone else, for that matter. Amendment X reserves the powers not delegated to Congress or prohibited to the states, are actually reserved to the people. (Amendment X: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.") As I see it, the ambit of the Commerce Clause has GOT to be significantly circumscribed to restore the true meaning of the Constitution, and not to mention its grandeur. The undue expansion of the Commerce Clause's legality is just spilling over to the fundamental rights and it should be declared unconstitutional. What I do not know, off the top of my head, is whether this disenfranchisement will withstand a Constitutional challenge on a strict-scrutiny review vis-a-vis the IX and X Amendments to the Constitution. (In my personal opinion, it should not.) The XIV Amendment "literally" speak of "priviliges and immunities: and not really the rights. I do not even understand why the State of Colorado would enact a constitutional amendment to arguably protect the "sexual-orientation minorities," when under the Federal Constitution, they are deemed to have equal protection as all other persons. Even if a local jurisdiction were to enact a law discriminating the minority, it could always challenge that law's Constitutionality. I think that the Romer vs. Evans case was a waste of the Court's resources. As you can clearly see, this Court's majority comprised the "living Constitutionalists." (Justice Kennedy has always been a wildcard and goes with his "thought of the day" - sometimes getting it right, and at other times, not.) Posted by: John Marsahll | Jul 10, 2011 3:19:48 AM Josh: I mistakenly included the "right to bear arms [is] not listed on the Bill of Rights" in my post. I only meant to refer to your statement "felons are denied the right to vote." I apologize for the mix-up. Mea culpa! Posted by: John Marsahll | Jul 10, 2011 3:27:22 AM Thomas: The phrase "rather than the present-continuous sense" should be corrected to read "rather than the present-continuous tense." Sorry! Posted by: John Marsahll | Jul 10, 2011 4:23:25 AM I go farther. Decent citizens should be made to take weapons training, and to carry concealed weapons. There should be a duty to kill upon coming on a violent criminal. If you fail to discharge the weapon at the criminal, there should be a civil fine. If you kill the violent criminal, there should be a substantial money reward, for example, $1000 for a regular gang banger, or up to $million for a serial killer. Unemployed people can make ends meet by killing violent criminals with their posted prices. Join a violent criminal gang, expect the neighbors to try to make some money. Right now, only the biased, pro-criminal lawyer is making money off criminals. The result, 20 million crimes a year, with 5 million being violent due to the utter failure of the criminal law. One may not even verbally criticize the criminal without being accused of verbal abuse and losing one's job. That is how far the pro-criminal lawyer has gone to intimidate the average citizen. Now, the implication is that violent criminals should not lose their right to carry guns. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jul 10, 2011 4:41:05 AM "The phrase "rather than the present-continuous sense" should be corrected to read "rather than the present-continuous tense." Sorry! LOL. No problem John and you know, it makes "sense" either way you say it. The bottom line is that, in the eyes of some, there is not nor should there ever be any redemption for anyone who has committed any crime. For these hardliners, seriousness of offense has no place in the discussion. Like you John, I spent the best part of a 40+-year career in my chosen field as an engineer. I think that the thought process of one with an engineering background is vastly different from many who post here. As a designer, the engineer starts with a firm foundation. Once the foundation is solidly in place, the engineer then begins adding increments supported by the rock solid foundation. If an increment does not meet the structural "integrity" test the engineer redesigns the increment. He does not chip away or "jury rig" the foundation in order to "justify" the failure of the increment to support its own weight. Of course, there will always be "end users" with a vested interest in the increment who will encourage the use of any method that will make their pet increment work. These end users, in general, have no clear understanding of the importance of the basics of "construction". They are more than willing to risk the total collapse of the structure as long as they, at least temporarily, achieve their goals. I very strongly believe that the "end users" analogy applies perfectly too many of those in the legal profession today. They stack law after law after law upon the rock solid foundation of the United States Constitution. A foundation that has pretty much stood the test of time despite the efforts of a few to chip away at its basic principles. This constant chipping away continues to this day and the second amendment issue is a prime example. This is especially prevalent in the federal criminal justice system where overcriminalization is rampant. This is borne out by the fact that the Heritage Foundation, a very conservative group, publishes a regular newsletter on the issue and that there have been at least two hearings on the subject in the last two years. There is little question that there are individuals who are just "Bad to the Bone" to quote a George Thorogood title and that there is little chance for their redemption. However it is a travesty that the legal system in this country continues to paint everyone who has committed an offense the same. Thos who prove themselves worthy of a second chance should be given every opportunity to regain a productive place in our society. That opportunity is exactly what legislation such as that introduced by Congressman Cohen does. No free ride, just an opportunity. Posted by: Thomas | Jul 10, 2011 10:53:14 AM "forever lost or forfeited whenever a person has ever once previously broken the law or been less than "responsible" in their behavior" If littering or a speeding ticket can lead to forever losing the right to own a gun, it's an absurd unconstitutional rule. I would need to see how this test (which speaks of "full" rights, suggesting -- as with others -- some people like felons can have restrictions, if the restrictions are legitimately drawn) is applied in practice. When the 1A was first given some real bite in the 1920s and 1930s, the courts went slow, leaving open for years many restrictions now deemed absurd. Now, any restrictions seems troubling to people. It would be a questionable policy not to take a similar "take it slow" technique for the 2A. This includes not dealing with hard cases such as the rights of lawbreakers until the case comes. When a state "forever" denies litterers the right to own a gun and a court upholds the ban (as compared to some petty drug dealer or domestic violence offender having a revokable ban put on them), come back to me. Posted by: Joe | Jul 10, 2011 11:03:52 AM a few points. The 14th am specifically permits the right to vote to be withheld from those convicted of crimes. It therefore is not a good comparison for rights set out in the Bill of Rights, none of which can be completely abrogated upon conviction. In fact, the eight amendment is designed to protect those convicted, as is the double jeopardy protection in the 5th am. Further, even unenumerated fundamental rights are not completely abrogated upon conviction, even while in prison! See Turner v. Safley. So 2nd am is shaping up to be very different Posted by: pat | Jul 10, 2011 1:06:23 PM Thomas: It is indeed very interesting to hear that you are an engineer. I do not know how many of the posters here know this secret - if you are an engineer, or a scientist (heck, for that matter, even a medical doctor), litigation counsel will try their damnedest NOT to pick you as a juror, lest you think highly rationally, analyze meticulously, and stick just to the facts; are dispassionate, and let the facts lead you, etc. (the list goes on like an Energizer bunny). They also bar attorneys from jury, because they are THOUGHT to know the law and lead (or mislead) the rest of jury. We really need more analytical people like these on the jury. I also noticed another poster on this blog - Alabeed - stated that he was an engineer/scientist. I can clearly understand his viewpoint. For the most part, engineers and scientists tend (of course, there are exceptions to everything) to be unbiased, factual, precise, and skeptical of everything. I say that all felons should get ALL their rights back (yes, including the right to serve on the jury). On the question ex-felons serving on the jury: They know what prison life is like; I believe that they would be very hesitant to hastily send someone to prison. Ultimately, I believe that they too will do the right thing under the law. On the question of felons with a history of violence and the fear of their getting their rights back, I offer this: If a person, who has previously been convicted of a violent felony, is subsequently convicted of another violent felony, then the offense of conviction could always include a mandatory minimum (as many of the narcotics and firearms offenses already do) sentences. By eradicating these fundamental rights altogether at one fell swoop, we are only lumping all the offenders in one broad category, which is not at all conducive to a productive society. It is not as if these violent felons cannot and do not get their hands on firearms anyway! Everyone knows the saying: Where there is a will, there is ALWAYS a way. (For one, Mexico is supposed to have one of the strictest gun laws in the world, but look at its crime rate.) Incidentally, goes anyone have statistics on how these firearms laws ACTUALLY help reduce the crime rate? (This is an honest question out of my ignorance.) In fact, I do not have a MAJOR problem with licensing (with strict circumscription) insofar as it is only used to track the guns. I used to be a longstanding card-carrying member of the NRAs, but quit it owing to its stand on certain issues. It does not mean that I disagree with everything that NRA stands for. I just feel that it is just a behemoth that has become unwieldy for the benefit of its members and the public at large. Some of the posters and readers may think that I am right-wing radical for my views on this topic (Second Amendment), while others may think that I am a left-wing nut for my views on such issues as death penalty, criminality, human rights, etc. Well, I am just a human who refuses to be branded and labeled as either. Supremacy Claus: I thoroughly fail to understand your logic; please do enlighten me. You always come across as gung ho about many things and your comments are laced (to put it mildly) with violence. Let me ask you this: Have you ever been under fire? Have you ever been actually shot? Have you, or anyone close to you, been accused and convicted of a crime that you know that is unjust? At bottom, you should ask yourself: What if the shoe were on the other foot? It is very easy to let ones emotions out without thinking (a la, shooting from the hip, apropos this topic here), but very difficult to actually understand and go through these circumstances personally. Before you say something, I request that you carefully consider what you are about to say and then do it without any need for violence. You know, the greatest warriors are always afraid of wars. They are the last persons to go to war; but once they do, they do not cower. That is what we need to do. Restraint in the face of provocation is very difficult to achieve. That is what distinguishes a warrior and a wannabe. Finally, I was not aware of Congressman Cohens bill. I am gratified to learn that somebody in Congress is doing something about this issue. It is a first step in the right direction. The more Congresspeople go to prison, the better we will be in terms of understanding the true nature of crimes and their consequences some of them just; and others not just at all. Posted by: John Marshall | Jul 10, 2011 1:37:14 PM Very good article. Having worked in four federal prisons, I know that the 1st and 4th Amendments of inmates are severely curtailed. The 4th Amendment is restricted after an inmate completes his sentence with post-sentence supervision. Some supervision, as in the case of child molesters, is life-long. Of course if we just executed the dirt-bags there would be no need for supervision. On another issue. I believe that Latenburg/Schumer/Fienstien et al. will try to take away 2nd Amendment rights through the expansion of the terror watch list. Posted by: John NRA Lifer | Jul 10, 2011 2:53:21 PM @John Marshall & Albeed Guess age is catching up faster than I thought LOL. Actually, I was responding to two comments. The first, John Marshall's "the phrase "rather than the present-continuous sense" should be corrected to read "rather than the present-continuous tense." The second in which I responded "Like you John, I spent the best part of a 40+ year career in my chosen field as an engineer" should have read "like You Albeed" and was intended as a response to Albeed's comment, "I may not know the last vestiges of "THE LAW", (which is a serious study for those who choose to obstruct the obvious) but as a 30+ year scientist and engineer," In any respect John, regarding your comment "if you are an engineer, or a scientist (heck, for that matter, even a medical doctor), litigation counsel will try their damnedest NOT to pick you as a juror", I have heard this before and could very easily see why some lawyers would not want an engineer on the jury. That is, lawyers that are trying to put something over on the jury. Posted by: Thomas | Jul 10, 2011 4:10:53 PM no offense josh but nobody who things ANYONE who lives in what is SUPPOSED to be an nation with a REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE govt! should have a vote in what happens there HAS NO BUSINESS LIVING IT INT! as for the so-called "right to bare arms!" well guess what. IF EVERYONE living here HADN'T HAD THEM! that statement would not have been written since THE REVOLUTION could not have been won without them! IN FACT if you check the writings of the time you will find that right was put in that document SPECIFICALLY to protect our right to have WEAPONS to protect ourself FROM OUR OWN NEW EXPERIMENTAL GOVT! Posted by: rodsmith | Jul 10, 2011 4:16:03 PM sorry should have been "SUPPOSED to be an nation with a REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE govt! should {NOT} have a vote in what happens there HAS NO BUSINESS LIVING IT INT! Posted by: rodsmith | Jul 10, 2011 4:17:40 PM John: My aim is to help the lawyer, now in utter failure. The failure is in all directions. They allow 90% of serious crimes to go unanswered. When they have the person, at some intolerable rate, they have the wrong guy. They deter, but only decent people, not criminals. They are in utter failure. So all your points make my point. I can discuss personal experiences, but people would use them to dismiss these substantive criticisms of the lawyer profession, and they do not mot matter in the huge statistics of failure. Why not the same intellectual exercise for you? I am going to guess that you are a government dependent worker, whose job depends on the protection of the criminal, and that you do better during high crime rates. Why don't you think about the 20 million crime victims a year, the 5 million victims of violent crime, the 17,000 murder victims, 2000 of whom are strangers killed by paranoid schizophrenics? Your protection of the criminal is devastating to large areas as big any storm or tsunami, including death, destruction, and elimination of real estate values. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jul 10, 2011 4:22:05 PM John: I have tried to find alternatives to the lawyer management of the criminal law. No other profession wants it. We are stuck with the lawyer profession, in utter failure. The only thing left is self help. If the public wants to end crime, it has to do that itself. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jul 10, 2011 4:25:49 PM Supremacy Claus: Thank you for understanding where I was coming from. (Well, almost, although not quite!) Hey, I do understand your points. I really do; the only thing that we diverge on is the possible pathways. No, I am not a government-dependent worker, by any stretch of the imagination. I doubt that I will ever be dependent on our government for anything, especially in the light of the economic crisis and the impending doom of social security, Medicare, etc. In fact, I have never even as much as collected unemployment for a single day, although I must have paid a huge sum toward that fund over the last few decades. While I understand and share in your anger about crime victims, I am afraid that your anger is misdirected and misplaced. My goal also is to reduce crime rate. My opinion is that the reduction in crime rate could only be achieved by the methods that involve humanistic approach, rather than just retributive justice. By the way, I take it that you have not read some of my posts on lawyers and their lack of empathy. (Perhaps, you did.) Posted by: John Marshall | Jul 10, 2011 5:30:33 PM Thomas: I figured that you were referring to Albeed. (:-)) Posted by: John Marshall | Jul 10, 2011 5:31:21 PM John: If you are not a government dependent worker, your arguments are not in your self interest and are in good faith. The lawyer's argument are self-dealing without disclosure of such conflict of interest. That makes lawyer arguments in bad faith. I oppose retribution as immature. It comes from a book written by Iraqi tribal people, the Bible, and violates the Establishment Clause as much as any attempt to impose Sharia on this secular nation. Very intelligent, Harvard educated, devout religious people are unable to see that. If any lawyer mentions retribution in a real world tribunal, that is an improper motive. A mistrial should be declared and all costs should be assessed to the personal assets of any lawyer with the improper motive, including the judge. The sole mature and effective goal of the criminal law is incapacitation. Crime will end when the criminals are ended. At this time, there are a million violent offenders, pretty much the current prison population. These should be executed, followed by about 10,000 people a year, the violent birth cohort. They can help themselves any way they wish, by treatment, by self isolation, by religion, but once their count of violence reaches 3, they have to go. This is an utilitarian view that will not discount costs to crime victims just because the lawyer makes no money off them. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jul 10, 2011 5:54:45 PM From the nature of the discussion I fear that the definition of Right has already been changed sufficiently to suit the purposes of those who would deny it. Posted by: tim rudisill | Jul 11, 2011 6:49:10 AM Supremacy Claus: It appears that you and I ultimately want the same thing. However, I view the purpose of criminal law as the reduction (if not elimination) of crimes and remediation of the wrongs, where elimination is not possible., or a better approach. In defense of lawyers, there are indeed some who would go to the ends of this earth to do the right thing; but they are few and far between. Tim Rudisill: Unfortunately, what you are saying is absolutely true. Posted by: John Marshall | Jul 11, 2011 11:27:21 AM Fighting old battles tends to distract attention from new and potentially more worrisome ones. From what I am hearing, the Administration -- nervous about the fallout from Operation Fast and Furious, and wanting to nudge the focus elsewhere -- is preparing yet more gun regulations. Whether they would be aimed at previously convicted felons I don't know, but it's very hard to believe such persons would be exempt. Stay tuned. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jul 11, 2011 12:43:57 PM John: Lawyers are human. So iron lung specialists should not set polio vaccination policy, since vaccination will end their job. Lawyers regulate themselves, and have dealt themselves unlawful, unfair, and unjustified immunities. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jul 12, 2011 5:14:37 AM Post a comment Anne Hegerty has revealed she stopped a couple of thieves from stealing her shopping and then shocked them with a foul-mouthed tirade. The Chase star, 62, told how she spotted two people trying to steal her bags as she was unloading and immediately started shouting at them. Speaking to The Sun, Anne also admitted that the couple even threatened to call the police on her for swearing at them. Fiery: Anne Hegerty has revealed she stopped a couple of thieves from stealing her shopping and then shocked them with a foul-mouthed tirade She said: 'The car was parked around the corner, and I came back at one point to find this rather rough-looking couple trying to make off with my shop. 'I yelled, "F***ing put them down, f***ing give me them back. They're not f***ing yours." They didn't recognise me but they didn't actually expect that sort of language.' The thieves then threatened to report Anne, who replied: 'I told them, "F***ing do it. F***ing tell them, I don't f***ing care" and they basically dropped the bags and ran.' Anne, who owns flats in Manchester and Watford, said it felt good to get her bags back and said other people may have cowed in fear from the thieves, which she said would be pathetic as they were 'a couple of crackheads'. Thieves: The Chase star, 62, told how she spotted two people trying to steal her bags as she was unloading and immediately started shouting at them It comes after Anne brushed off any suggestion of a romance with her The Chase co-star Mark Labbett, 55, saying she 'doesn't do younger men'. The quiz star had appeared to take a lingering look at Mark as he stripped down to his swimming shorts during a recent episode of The Chasers Road Trip. However she has insisted that there's no chance of a spark, telling The Sun: 'I always say we're not each other's type and I don't do younger men.' Anne also addressed the moment on the show, saying it was created in the editing lounge and she never really looked at Mark in his bathers. Anne said: 'I yelled, "F***ing put them down, f***ing give me them back. They're not f***ing yours." They didn't recognise me but they didn't actually expect that sort of language' She explained: 'Mark was not actually doing that at that time. Editors are wicked. Producers just like to do that sort of thing. 'I laughed and then I rolled my eyes and thought, "For God sake, now everyone's going to think I have a crush on Mark".' In the cheeky scene from the show, Anne was seen sitting on a porch as she got a text which asked if she was 'enjoying the view'. Anne then looked over her shoulder towards the beach as Mark stepped out of the water in his trunks. Not happening: It comes after Anne brushed off any suggestion of a romance with her The Chase co-star Mark Labbett, 55, saying she 'doesn't do younger men' Perfectly timed, Anne could then be heard answering 'yeah' as she turned back around to continue reading the message. Anne also revealed she didn't pay any attention to co-star Shaun Wallace as he walked around in a pair of tight budgie smugglers. She put not noticing down to 'just being used to not looking at the boys' during her interview with the publication. Mark was previously married to his second cousin Katie, 28, however they split last year. Anne is godmother to their four-year-old son. (Newser) Anthony Hopkins was apparently among the many people who expected Chadwick Boseman to win Best Actor. When Hopkins' win was announced at the Oscars Sunday night, it was 4am in Walesand he was fast asleep. Agent Jeremy Barber tells People that he woke up Hopkins to tell him the news. "After a year in quarantine, and being double-vaccinated, he was finally able to return to Wales, and age 83, it was a great relief after such a difficult year," Barber says. Hopkins, who won for his role in The Father, is the oldest-ever Best Actor winner. Reps tell IndieWire that he had "no desire to travel to hubs in Dublin or London" to travel to the US, and they had asked for an exception to the no Zoom rule. story continues below Hopkins' award was the last of the night, and many felt that with no speech from the winner, the ending was anticlimactic. Boseman, nominated for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, died last year at age 43. His widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, delivered the acceptance speech when he won a Golden Globe earlier this year. Deadline reports that Hopkins paid tribute to Boseman in a video posted on Instagram Monday morning. "At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award, I really didnt," Hopkins said. "Im very grateful to the Academythank you. I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early." (Click for a full list of winners.) As state lawmakers in Austin wrap up the latest legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday threatened to withhold their pay by vetoing a line item in the states budget because a Democratic walkout killed his priority elections bill. No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities, Abbott tweeted. Should the governor veto Legislature funding? You voted: - Mary Carol Alexander, Vice President for the South Region and the US sponsor for Energy at Microsoft. - Andra Milender, Chief Technology Officer, US Business Division at Equifax "We are so pleased to welcome these talented women to the WIT Board. Each new Board member brings a unique set of skills and talents to the organization, and will help us as we evolve what WIT offers in 2021 and beyond, said Patti Dismukes, WIT Board President Women in Technology (WIT), an Atlanta-based non-profit organization committed to empowering girls and women to excel in STEAM from the classroom to the boardroom, today announced the addition of two new WIT Board Members: Mary Carol Alexander, Vice President for the South Region and the US sponsor for Energy at Microsoft Andra Milender, Chief Technology Officer, US Business Division at Equifax Our 2021 WIT Board appointments are now complete. We are so pleased to welcome these talented women to the WIT Board. Each new Board member brings a unique set of skills and talents to the organization, and will help us as we evolve what WIT offers in 2021 and beyond, said Patti Dismukes, WIT Board President. With these new leaders representing a diverse group of companies and backgrounds, the WIT Board will remain squarely focused on supporting WIT President and CEO Penny Collins and her team as they bring powerful STEAM-based programs and education to girls and women throughout Georgia. Mary Carol Alexander, Vice President for the South Region and the US sponsor for Energy at Microsoft, I look forward to helping women continue to achieve great success and realize their goals in STEAM fields. Ive had the privilege of working in STEAM for most of my career, and I want to help women be successful and realize their career aspirations. This is a great opportunity for me to work with this amazing organization to help women achieve their goals. Andra Milender, Chief Technology Officer, US Business Division at Equifax, Having the opportunity to serve among some amazing women leaders on the WIT Board provides me the opportunity to shape the mission and direction of WIT and improve the positive impact it has on so many women's lives. The broad nature of influence from classroom to boardroom is truly remarkable and I have not found another organization that caters to such a vast array of audiences and generations to truly provide support and growth through every step of a woman's career journey." In 2020 alone, nearly 3000 girls and young women and 45,000 women and men in careers were inspired, motivated, and supported in their pursuit of a STEAM career by WIT. We donated over $180,000 in scholarships, and provided STEAM-based opportunities for girls and women to learn and grow. But with more than 35,000 new STEAM jobs opening each year, and a 4:1 ratio of men to women graduating in STEAM careers, there is still so much opportunity for us to make a difference. About Women in Technology (WIT) Women in Technology (WIT) empowers and educates women and girls about opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) by educating middle and high school girls, and young women in college, and by sharing the stories of successful professional women in STEAM. Our team of more than 300 volunteers delivers professional development and networking opportunities to our more than 3,000 professionals, and programs at no cost to more than 1,500 students. From the classroom to the boardroom, WIT is committed to bringing the best STEAM content and programming to women and girls in Georgia. To learn more about WIT, visit mywit.org. Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe has published new embedded generation regulations which could help businesses and private individuals reduce their reliance on Eskom. In the regulations, the government has proposed lifting the threshold for embedded generation capacity from 1MW to 10MW. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his state of the nation address that the government was considering lifting the threshold to reduce strain on the struggling national power grid. Recent analysis suggests that easing the licensing requirements for new embedded generation projects could unlock up to 5,000MW of additional capacity and help to ease the impact of load-shedding, he said at the time. We will therefore amend Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act within the next three months to increase the licensing threshold for embedded generation, Ramaphosa promised. The licencing requirements were a stumbling block for many businesses which aimed to help alleviate the electricity crisis in South Africa by supplying their own power from solar, wind, other self-generation platforms. New regulations Currently, the Electricity Regulation Act requires entities who want to build power plants greater than 1MW to obtain a licence from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). The new regulations state these entities will no longer have to obtain a licence for generation capacity up to 10MW. They will still need to register with Nersa, but its not clear exactly how this process will differ from the current regime. While the move will be welcomed by businesses, power experts and analysts have called for a bigger increase. Professor Anton Eberhard, who directs the Power Futures Lab at UCTs Graduate School of Business, told Reuters the new threshold was not high enough. He said the Economic Advisory Board had recommended that the threshold be raised to 50MW, and pointed out the new regulations did not apply to projects aimed at adding capacity to the transmission grid. The minister appears to have reluctantly taken a small step forward, but failed to recognise the profound innovations in distributed energy resources and how the regulatory system needs to adapt, Eberhard said. The Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG), which represents 29 of the largest industrial, manufacturing, and mining companies in South Africa, has echoed these views. EIUG CEO Fanele Mondi earlier this month told BusinessLive that lifting the cap for self generation to 10MW was a wholly inadequate response to the energy crisis. The quickest way to bring additional megawatts onto the grid is to unlock self generation, said Mondi. He said there was no technical reason why self generation up to 50MW could not be allowed, and Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyters calls for more generation systems supported this. Perhaps they think from a technical point of view there might be problems, but if Eskom is comfortable with 50MW then clearly as far as theyre concerned there are no technical problems with this level, Mondi said. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 03:27:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIGA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins on Monday ruled out any relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions as new cases continued to grow in the Baltic country for three consecutive weeks already. The prime minister told reporters that on Tuesday his government would hear experts' information on the epidemiological situation in Latvia. Karins said that with COVID-19 incidence remaining persistently high, the situation is "unstable and dangerous" and that he therefore does not see any grounds for easing the measures and restrictions introduced with the aim to curb the virus. Karins said that any relaxation of measures enabling people to come together, including opening outdoor cafes, would be unacceptable at this stage. "This is a situation where we cannot take further steps to ease the restrictions," he noted, adding that Latvia has to avoid the third COVID-19 wave, which would claim more victims, overwhelm the health system and damage the economy. The Latvian Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) informed on Monday that since the beginning of April, COVID-19 incidence in the country has increased by 22 percent, with the number of hospitalizations and severe cases gradually rising as well. Enditem We Armenians are no longer in the phase of waiting to see if the US President will use the word genocide in his April 24th statement every year. This is what Chair of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia Vladimir Vardanyan told reporters today, touching upon the fact that US President Biden used the word genocide in his April 24th statement. This will provide the opportunity to state the relevant claims concerning recognition of the Armenian Genocide and elimination of the negative consequences more clearly in the United States. This can also speed up the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by other countries, he said, adding that Armenia needs to continue to advance the process of international recognition. Of course, the situation will change, but Bidens statement shouldn't be overestimated or underestimated. I hope the US continues with this course in its foreign policy and Turkey isnt able to obstruct the legal processes that will be implemented in the United States in the future, he added. Advertisement You may think electric cars are a recent invention but in fact theyve been around since the dawn of the automobile in the Victorian era and Ive just had an exclusive drive in a replica of the very first one. Had it not been for the easy and practical availability of petroleum spirit, the restrictive range of batteries, and the shortage of electric charging points challenges which still exist to this very day - they might well have become the dominant motoring force even then. But they lost out in the race to dominate the 19th and 20th centuries because ubiquitous petrol gave a longer range at a cheaper price and had a more plentiful supply of its base product - oil. To get a little taste of what might have been, Ive just been driving a replica of what is believed to be the worlds first rechargeable electric carriage on a remote stretch of private road exactly 140 after the originals first outing the ground-breaking Tesla of its day. Test driving the world's first rechargeable electric car: Ray Massey, Daily Mail motoring editor, has taken to the controls of a replica of the original EV The replica vehicle, which took two months to create, pays homage to French inventor and electrical engineer, Gustave Trouve, who is believed to have driven the worlds first rechargeable electric vehicle down Rue de Valois in Central Paris in April 1881. The replica pays homage to Trouve's original, which he is believed to have driven down Rue de Valois in Paris in 1881 His pioneering zero-emissions electric car came about when he attached an electric motor and rechargeable battery to an English-made Coventry Lever tricycle. It was Coventrys dominance as a centre for bicycle production that later made the city the centre for car production as Britains Motown. The only 21st Century elements in the replica vehicle are a modern battery and an electric motor from an e-bike. Significantly, Trouves invention paved the way for a wave of late Victorian electric cars. Building a replica electric tricycle to recreate Trouves historic run and commemorate its anniversary was the brainchild of motoring expert and event specialist Jeremy Hart, who has created other world firsts such as arranging a Formula-E electric race car to drive on the Greenland ice cap and getting a Jaguar on a 300m high-wire over the River Thames. Over a century ahead of Tesla: Had it not been for the easy and practical availability of petroleum spirit, the restrictive range of batteries, and the shortage of electric charging points challenges which still exist to this very day - EVs might well have become the dominant motoring force from the late 1800s. Inset: A Tesla car dealership in Cambridge The replica vehicle, which took two months to create and was produced by Penny-Farthing builder, Christian Richards (pictured) The replica is produces less than 1 horsepower and the top speed is a restricted - and fairly pedestrian - 10mph Hart persuaded leading electric commercial vehicle specialists Maxus (formerly LDV) to back the scheme and brought on board Victorian cycle engineer Christian Richards to build the replica in his workshop in North Yorkshire. The finished cycle was then transported to France in an electric MAXUS eDELIVER 9 van, where the replica followed Trouves original first test-drive route in Paris at an average speed of 10mph. Then it came back to the UK where I had a chance to try it out. What's it like behind the controls of the first chargeable electric vehicle? Resembling a cross between a penny-farthing and an early Benz, this rickety and surprisingly strong though fragile-looking three-wheeler is dominated by one large rubber-rimmed driving wheel, a second wheel in front for steering by means of a tiller, and a third at the side for balance. The high-riding single wooden bench seat with metal surround for the driver is, it must be said, is a cosy squeeze and clearly designed more for snake-hipped French waiters. What's it like at the controls? Ray Massey smiles with delight as he takes the replica EV for a quick (or slow) spin The accelerator is a thin-black handle on the left which sits beneath a sturdier wooden and metal grab-handle Squeeze the throttle gently upwards and you can accelerate up to speeds that are the equivalent to a brisk walk or jog The accelerator is a thin-black handle on the left which sits beneath a sturdier wooden and metal grab-handle. Squeeze it gently upwards and, with the help of a little push to get you going, off you go trundling along at a steady speed equivalent to a brisk walk or jog. No seat-belts, crumple-zones, lights or dashboard open to the elements this is pioneering wind-in the hair motoring in the raw. Power is less than one horse-power and there are bicycle-style pedals to help give some extra help up steep inclines or if the battery gives out. The battery itself sits in a compact wooden box slightly bigger than one that might be used to present a bottle of fine wine. Will it fit in my garage? Replica of Gustave Trouves 1881 electric car Original built: 1881 Replica driven built: 2021 Replica created by: Christian Richards of Penny Farthing firm Richards of England, supported by: Maxus / The Harris Group Length: 7.5 ft Width: 2.5ft Height: 4ft Motor: Electric Battery: 24 volt battery from modern electric e-bike Power: Less than 1 horse-power Top speed: restricted to 10mph Emissions: Zero It certainly attracts attention too provoking curiosity and searching questions from passers-by and householders. Though a 21st century creation, the replica 19th century electric vehicle has been made with materials that closely match those of the original vehicle. Craftsman Christian Richards said: I was actually researching electric vehicles when I had the call to see if I would like to recreate the 1881 model. There are very few detailed images of the original EV available, but I think this is pretty precise and Ive tried to stay as true to the original as possible. The model was built using a Coventry Lever tricycle and the only 21st Century elements are a battery and motor from an e-bike. As with the original, the replica vehicle features solid rubber tyres that are not much wider than a thumb, brass trim, and a brake set-up made from a strip of leather. However, unlike the modern electric vehicles of today, the original EV model is not a comfortable carriage. Richards said: It is quite lively, especially with tiller steering. I have put a restrictor on the throttle, but even so, it has lots of power. I have kept the pedals on from the original tricycle and rather than help it go faster, they help to slow it down. An IT programmer by trade, his firm Richards of England (www.richardsofengland.co.uk), has a workshop in York creating hand-made Penny Farthings and replica vintage bicycles. He creates each bicycle from scratch, manufacturing every element including tubing, rims, spokes, pedals, and saddles, that replicate those made in the 19th century. To this day, early examples of electric cars take part in the London to Brighton Veteran car run. Mark Barrett, general Manager of Harris MAXUS which supported the event said: Its amazing to think that the future of motoring started some 140 years ago, and here we are today at the start of a new greener motoring revolution. Trouve was a true visionary and its ironic that a 19th Century invention, with just a few 21st century modifications quite a few actually - is now the powertrain of the future. Left: The battery powering the replica EV puts out 24 volts and is similar to those used on today's e-bikes. Right: The bicycle-style pedals to help give some extra help up steep inclines or if the battery gives out The finished cycle has already been transported to France in an electric MAXUS eDELIVER 9 van, where the replica followed Trouves original first test-drive route in Paris. It then returned to the UK where Ray had a chance to try it out Its creator says it is 'quite lively' to operate, 'especially with tiller steering'. Richards explains: 'I have put a restrictor on the throttle, but even so, it has lots of power' The new electric MAXUS eDELIVER9 van which transported the Trouve electric contraption has a 72Kwh battery and a range of up to 219 miles. Mr Barrett said: It is worth remembering how it all started, and that is why we are celebrating and honouring M. Trouve today. Since 2010 (formerly the Birmingham-based LDV) Maxus (www.saicmaxus.co.uk ) has been manufactured by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation(SAIC), the largest automotive company in China. In 2015, Dublin-based The Harris Group, secured distribution rights to LDV - now MAXUS - for the UK, Ireland and right-hand drive Europe. 'No seat-belts, crumple-zones, lights or dashboard open to the elements this is pioneering wind-in the hair motoring in the raw,' says Ray Massey Ray says the high-riding single wooden bench seat with metal surround for the driver is a cosy squeeze and clearly designed more for snake-hipped French waiters [April 26, 2021] Forbes Recognizes Lilt As One of the Top Artificial Intelligence Companies For Third Straight Year SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lilt, the modern language service and technology provider, today announced that it has been named to the 2021 Forbes AI 50 for the third consecutive year. The Forbes AI 50 recognizes the most promising privately-held companies using artificial intelligence to build business applications and services to transform industries. Lilt is one of only seven companies that have been included every year since the list's inception in 2019. "Our artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies enable our customers to provide exceptional global experiences to their customers around the world," said Lilt CEO Spence Gren. "We're proud to be recognized by Forbes for the third year in a row alongside other leading companies developing AI-powered solutions." Lilt's translation services are powered by the Lilt Platform, the world's most advanced translation technology that uses AI and automation to make every step of the localization process faster, more accurate, and simpler. Lilt's community of over 60,000 skilled human translators uses its AI-powered translation technology to translate content quickly, efficiently, and at higher quality than ever before. With Lilt, companies go-to-market faster, grow global revenues, and provide a personalized global experience to their customers in their language of choice. Forbes partnered with Sequoia Capital and Meritech Capital to evaluate hundreds of promising, privately-held North American companies that are using AI in ways that are fundamental to their operations. The list, which nearly 400 companies qualified for, focused on companies utilizing machine learning, natural language processing, or computer vision technologies. Of the qualifying companies, 100 were selected based on their qualitative score created by Forbes' data partners, followed by evaluation by a panel of expert AI judges to narrow the list down to 50. Along with the Forbes AI 50 list, Lilt was recently named to the CB Insights AI 100 list, showcasing the 100 most promising private artificial intelligence companies in the world, and was included in Gartner's recent Market Guide for AI-Enabled Translation Services. About Lilt Headquartered in San Francisco, Lilt is the modern language service and technology provider enabling localized customer experiences. Lilt's mission is to make the world's information accessible to everyone regardless of where they were born or which language they speak. Lilt brings human-powered, technology-assisted translations to global enterprises, empowering product, marketing, support, e-commerce, and localization teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences to global audiences. Lilt gives industry-leading organizations like Intel, ASICS, WalkMe, DigitalOcean, and Canva everything they need to scale their localization programs and go-to-market faster. Lilt has additional global offices in Dublin, Berlin, Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis. Visit us online at www.lilt.com or contact us at contact@lilt.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/forbes-recognizes-lilt-as-one-of-the-top-artificial-intelligence-companies-for-third-straight-year-301276873.html SOURCE Lilt [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In an effort to reboot and to consolidate management of his sales, the mega-artist Jeff Koons is moving from two mega-galleries to one. Pace Gallery on Monday announced that it will begin representing Jeff Koons exclusively worldwide. He is one of the great living artists, who changed the way we look at our culture and at each other, Marc Glimcher, Paces chief executive and president, said in a phone interview. Having been so committed to sculpture for 60 years, Glimcher added, we think we have something to contribute to the next phase of Jeffs career. Paces first collaboration with Koons will be an exhibition of a single sculpture at the gallerys space in Palo Alto, Calif., in 2022, followed by a major New York exhibition of new work in 2023. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal Film festivals have had to rethink how they present content during the pandemic. On Monday, MovieMaker Magazine unveiled its list of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2021. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Albuquerque Film and Music Experience was named to the list for the first time. Its a big accomplishment, said Ivan Wiener, AFMX executive director. Were in our ninth year and its taken tremendous effort by our entire team of volunteers and staff to create a festival with guest speakers and appearances, all to make it stand out in the public eye. According to MovieMaker, most of the festivals on the list went hybrid last year, combining a few socially distanced outdoor projections and drive-in screenings with full-coverage online platforms. The hybrid model had the unexpected benefit of making many festivals far more accessible. MovieMaker said AFMX is almost entirely submission-based, with an acceptance ratio last year of 70 films from 250 submissions. Albuquerque Film & Music responded to New Mexicos March lockdown orders by building a dinner and drive-in screening program in collaboration with ONiells Pub that stretched throughout the spring and summer to culminate in the fall fest, MovieMaker said. Wiener said he plans to retain its full virtual capacities for 2021, including the film program and the Intimate Conversation Series, which has hosted the likes of Marisa Tomei, Robert Redford and Sophia Loren. The 2021 festival will be held Sept. 20-26. MovieMaker determined the winners of the annual list using festival surveys, filmmaker testimonials and independent research. I expect film festivals to come roaring back in the coming months but smartly, and safely, balancing our love of film with our top priority, protecting everyones health, said Tim Molloy, MovieMaker editor-in-chief. But we didnt just choose these festivals based on their handling of the pandemic. They made this list by proving themselves to be of serious value to the next generation of moviemakers through awards, prizes, distribution deals, and meetings with future collaborators and friends. COVID-19 has shaken India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his monthly radio address Sunday, as he urged citizens to get their shots and not be swayed by what he called "any rumor about the vaccine." The remarks came as the capital city of New Delhi extended by one week a lockdown that was set to be lifted Monday. India's health ministry said 349,691 new cases had been recorded in the nation in the previous 24-hour period, yet another daily record. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus. The new infection figures are likely undercounted, public health officials have warned. Reports from the ministry of a string of days with more than 300,000 new infections represents "just a fraction of the real reach of the virus's spread," according to the New York Times. The United States is under pressure from the international community to release some of its warehoused vaccines to India and other countries that need the shots. India has administered almost 138 million doses of the vaccine, but only 1.6 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. U.S. President Joe Biden Sunday pledged to help India. From his Twitter account, he said, "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need." Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, spoke Sunday with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, and expressed sympathy about the recent spike in cases in India, according to a National Security Council spokeswoman. The U.S. has "identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine that will immediately be made available for India," the spokeswoman said. In addition, she said the U.S. is sending therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment to India. The Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013 was a wake-up call to Bangladesh and the entire garment industry that building and worker safety should be a priority. Eight years on and the country has one of the safest and most transparent apparel industries thanks to the remediation work that ensued. But while much has been achieved, there remains no room for complacency. When a multi-storey factory building complex collapsed on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, eight years ago in April 2013, killing at least 1,138 garment workers, the industry was shaken to the core. It was the worlds worst industrial accident in 30 years and came just five months after the Tazreen factory fire in the same city, where more than 120 workers lost their lives. The initiatives that were set up in the aftermath the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety and the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety worked to significantly improve safety conditions in around 2,300 ready-made garment (RMG) factories. But while much has been achieved, there are also concerns around what will happen when the tenure of the Accord comes to an end next month. Transforming safety In 2018, the five year terms of both the Alliance and the Accord finished, but for the latter, its remit was extended and remains in effect until the end of May 2021. Last year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the technical responsibilities of the Accord were transitioned to the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), a permanent national safety monitoring and compliance body for the sector. There are efforts to renegotiate the Accord to extend and expand its obligations beyond 2021 and maybe beyond Bangladesh but nothing concrete has yet been agreed. As we reflect on building safety in the last eight years, I think we can say with confidence the Accord has been successful in its efforts to really transform the industry, says Laura Gutierrez of the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC). The Accord has brought new levels of transparency, independent building inspections on fire, electrical and structural safety, worker rights trainings, and a trusted complaints mechanism. However, with safety an ongoing process, its work needs to continue, Gutierrez says. Thematic Reports Are you worried about the pace of innovation in your industry? GlobalData's TMT Themes 2021 Report tells you everything you need to know about disruptive tech themes and which companies are best placed to help you digitally transform your business. Find out more Its been incredibly successful but its work there is not done, and thats why efforts are underway between unions and brands to extend and expand the agreement to not only protect the progress in Bangladesh but also to expand it to other countries where we see building safety and worker safety threatened. For instance Pakistan. This opinion is shared by Clean Clothes Campaign, which raises concerns about the rushed handover to the RSC. We firmly believe that [the RSC] will not be able to uphold the standards of the previous Accord programme without an international binding agreement, says CCCs Christie Miedema. Brands and factories will only hold their promises if there are real consequences to not doing so. By choosing to put their faith in a national programme without an option of individually being held accountable in court, brands are denying workers and their representatives the power to hold brands legally accountable for their promises and are taking away the possibility of workers in other countries with death trap factories, such as Pakistan, to expect similar protection in the near future. Lessons learnt When it comes to driving change in the garment industry in Bangladesh, Miran Ali, director at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and STAR Network spokesperson, says: We can say, with a great deal of confidence, we have, if not the safest garment industry in the world, certainly the most transparent. No other country has anything coming remotely close to the organisations we have for industrial safety. The world in 2013 and the world in 2021 are completely different. There is no relation to the industry back then to the industry now. What we had was a national and international tragedy and we have learned from it. Not just the factory owners but the brands, the buyers, the workers. We have all learned from it. But building and worker safety has been the exception, Miedema believes, adding that while much was promised in many other fields, there has been very little progress. In the past eight years the minimum wage has only been revised twice and is now only half of what workers were asking for and less than a quarter of what they would need for a decent living. The right to freedom of association has only improved marginally and is still massively under pressure, with two major crackdowns happening since 2013. Miedema says the pandemic has exacerbated this, with many workers not being paid in full, not receiving compensation when they lose their jobs, and being forced to put their health at risk during lockdowns. Brands and retailers in the meantime are still squeezing the price, especially during lockdown, thereby causing these violations. The price of garments has only gone down since 2013; that does not sound like change to me. Providing support Through the RSC, which comprises representation from brands, workers and factory owners, Ali says Bangladesh is continuing the work done by the Accord. But the majority of that work will be financed by the industry itself. The lions share that has gone into the safety and remediation process in Bangladesh has been paid for by the factories themselves. Having said that, this has been a collaborative process and we are still, regardless of who paid for it, proud of what we have achieved. Part of the Accords initiative was to create local expertise in building safety so that the work could eventually be taken on by local government agencies. So far, however, the WRCs Gutierrez says the government has not yet proven capable of assuming all of those responsibilities. But brands will need to step up too. As weve seen across the supply chain on a number of issues, the law can be perfectly good, which in the case of Bangladesh it is, the building code is good itself, and even if the government is effective in overseeing it, there is still a role that brands should play in the safety of the factories. Gutierrez also points to the financial aspect of the work, and holding companies accountable. Putting work on hold There is unlikely to be any industry globally that hasnt been impacted in some way by the Covid-19 pandemic that hit in early 2020. For Bangladesh, its garment sector faced the challenge of factories having to temporarily close, meaning physical inspections could not take place, and then the cancellation or postponement of orders by brands and retailers. A report earlier this year by the Centre of Policy Dialogue (CFD) found that more than 350,000 workers in the countrys ready-made garment sector have lost their jobs during the pandemic, with many workers laid off without proper compensation. The pandemic forced a lot of things on hold for a while, Gutierrez explains. Practically speaking, it meant that for a certain period in the last year, inspectors werent getting out to factories and that renovations werent able to happen. So on a very practical level, [it had an impact]. There is another aspect, the brand responsibility. The brands are, like many other stakeholders, looking at other issues the WRC has spent a lot of time working on the cancellation of orders. That has meant workers having severance of wages, so I think that, like so much else going on in the world, our attention has been pulled in so many different ways. A digital mapping tool launched last August that tracks the development of ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh revealed 9% of facilities surveyed have permanently closed following the pandemic. This represented 2,334 of 3,342 factories in Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram. The BGMEAs Miran says the number is not as significant as reports suggest, and that remediation work hasnt been impacted by the pandemic. Safety is something which is an ongoing process. It doesnt start or stop on the basis of one single challenge, which in this case is the pandemic. And keep in mind that even during the pandemic, yes there was a period between April last year when our factories were all closed, and between May and August when the Accord and later the RSC could not do inspections. But since September the RSC has been doing factory inspections so there has been no slide whatsoever. Keeping in mind that last year was an existential crisis, the fact that we are still here is a cause for optimism. I dont think things are completely rosy prices have gone down, the volume of business has gone down, the market has gone down. A lot of the brands we work with are British and if you go through the high street that is a problem. Half of the people I knew are gone now, and we are not yet entirely clear on what the new world will look like. What is certain, however, is that there remains a lot of brands still who have not paid their suppliers, who have reneged on their payments, and who have used various legal strategies to avoid their liabilities. That still exists. Protecting progress Despite the challenges, Ali believes Bangladeshs garment industry is stronger now than it ever has been. Rana Plaza was a national tragedy and I will never belittle the lessons on that, but we are so far beyond that now. To speak about the lessons of Rana Plaza is honestly redundant. We need to talk about the lessons of the now, the present. And the present being, what are we doing about industrial safety today? What does Bangladesh have to teach the rest of the manufacturing countries? What can we do about fairer prices? These are the lessons of today that we need to look at. Gutierrez offers a similar opinion. While she describes Bangladeshs building safety as gold standard, she has concerns the industry will become complacent in continuing the work once the Accords tenure comes to an end next month. Building safety is not static, it requires regular follow-up, regular monitoring, and we cant go back to a self-monitoring world of factories. Thats what we saw before and what led to Tazreen and Rana Plaza. Just because the factories are safe now, after all the work that was done under the Accord, it doesnt mean theyre going to be safe tomorrow. You need a rigorous, independent monitoring agency like the Accord to maintain and protect that progress. Its very easy to slip back into the ways of the past. The World Socialist Web Site recently interviewed four teachers from the city of Shepparton in regional Victoria to discuss the amalgamation of four secondary public schools and their replacement by the state Labor government of a super-school aimed at enrolling 2,700 students onto one campus. Since the beginning of the governments plan, educators have been sidelined and gagged by the Victorian Department of Education with the support of the Australian Education Union (AEU), which has been complicit in the entire process. The amalgamations, despite ongoing opposition in the community, have led to an educational disaster, with resignations and early retirements of more than 80 teachers, mounting numbers of teachers on stress leave, and the dismantling of student well-being programs resulting in outbreaks of violence between students. Greater Shepparton Secondary School under construction (Source: WSWS Media) In early March, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) published sections of a report commissioned by the Department of Education alleging a high number of racist incidents by teachers towards students and cultural exclusion. The purpose of the article was to divert attention away from the failed amalgamations and shift the blame to teachers and students (see: Australia: Leaked report slanders Shepparton school teachers for alleged systemic racism). The teachers interviewed have decades of experience as educators and a rich knowledge of Shepparton schools and their students. They explain that the new model has driven out longstanding teachers and disrupted the educational engagement of students. Critical student and teacher relationships have been broken up, turning upside down schools that were regarded as safe places for many disadvantaged pupils. Families who can afford it are shifting their teenagers out of the public schools, to private schools or other schools in the district. The teachers wish to remain anonymous. We will name them by the pseudonyms Robert, Heather, Georgia and Danielle. Georgia, a long-standing teacher of several decades, explained how teachers had been sidelined. From the very beginning in 2019, we were told we werent to talk about the plan, she said. We only knew what was happening after things were reported in the newspaper. The consultation was a joke. All of a sudden it was announced there would be a super-school and as far as I know, no-one knew about it or voted for it. We were shocked when the principal reported it and could not answer our questions. The process was so fast you did not have time to digest the facts. Danielle, who has taught for more than a decade, explained how teachers were pressured not to speak publicly about what was taking place. The statements from the principal were always like this: You understand how much this has to work. If we are to continue, the school has to show significant growth, it has to be perfect in the public eye. Anyone who raised concerns didnt get promotion into leadership positions. Responding to the ABC report of alleged teacher racism, Heather, who has a broad knowledge of the Shepparton schools, said: I was really angry with the ABC. They need to get their facts right. I know that not one teacher was interviewed at one of the schools. To state there were no multicultural teachers in the school was a lie. Ive been teaching with a Japanese teacher for years. Shes been here 20 years now. Shepparton is very multicultural and we are very good at looking after refugees and other community groups. The claims of racism going back years are also not true. We had 19 different nationalities at Shepparton High School and occasionally you might be called into the yard over a dispute but it was dealt with. I enjoy having all those different kids in the classroom and previously every school had an Aboriginal aide. Robert, a teacher who was educated in Shepparton, described as misleading the ABCs claims that only 3 out of 300 teachers volunteered to be trained to assist students who have English as an Additional Language (EAL). I believe the EAL training was voluntary and as you know everyone is totally overworked and dont want to do extra and you cant blame the teachers for that, he said. Also, knowing the breakdown in basic communication at the school, staff probably did not even know about the training. Georgia commented: I dont understand why teachers havent been given the report from the Department. I find it interesting that this report gets leaked after the student fights have started. Its like they are saying racism is the problem, to divert attention. It becomes a racial argument, not about what the real issue is, which has nothing to do with race at all. There is always some sort of tension in schools but before the super-school you sensed when something was about to happen between kids, whether it was racist or someone upset. It may have been something that happened at the weekend or it happened at the footy. There is always something, but it is always between 1 or 2 kids. Frequently, the student would speak to a staff member and it would be defused before it started. A teacher would have a quiet chat, you knew the families and it was resolved. I can see why there is a gravitation of kids into gangs of the same culture or ethnic background. They feel so scared being thrown into something they dont know, where their teachers have been dragged out from one school and pushed into another. The teacher they used to communicate with is not there. Most new staff are young, inexperienced and on contracts and would not even know which kids had Koori backgrounds That is where there might be an issue because the new staff dont know the kids. You cant blame the kids. There was always a small group of kids who were disengaged, who had a difficult home life. They came to school every single day because school was their safe place. We had a breakfast program where they got food and someone to talk to. We would make sure they would get back into routine and some of them went on to complete their VCE [Victorian Certificate of Education]. Teachers commented on the toxic and intimidating working environment that was imposed to divide staff, students and eliminate valued programs. Robert described how a colleague had attempted to survey staff about their concerns in the early stages of the amalgamation, and how issues could be overcome. Within literally minutes of emailing staff, the principal redacted the survey, cut off his internet and allowed him only to contact seven people in the school that she hand-picked Everyone was saying we have no voice. This was not a one-off incident, but part of a series of occurrences that led to teacher complaints to the Department, including threats of industrial action. Programs that had been developed over years to engage students and support special needs pupils have been eliminated. Georgia explained: The school I was at was very popular. Kids in years 8, 9 and 10 changed their subject choices every six months, Maths and English was compulsory. We had a vertical teaching model, including a vertical home group system. The same two teachers worked together with a home group. We saw the kids twice a day every day for the whole of the school life from year 7 to 12. The home group would have 31 to 32 kids and 2 staff. Twice a week in home groups we had reading for 20 minutes, or private study. Other times we would have a home group activity, play games, do admin stuff. Sometimes we had a home group day where you would go out with your home group. Year 7 would have friends in year 12, so they would have a mentor to look after them. We had a big integration centre for kids with special learning needs, kids in wheelchairs and so on. Those kids were mixed up in the home groups. The integration staff had an office and there was a safe place for the integration kids to go at lunch-time. In the amalgamations all the integration staff were split up. They were devastated. We had a great art block that kids would visit every lunchtime and three wellbeing staff had a set of offices and a kitchenette where kids could go in and see staff. Danielle described the complex socioeconomic circumstances of some of the students, which were not considered in the amalgamations. We are dealing with students from families suffering generational poverty, drug abuse and violence. It was as though we were setting up a school for the wealthy. We fed kids. We put blankets out for kids in winter we knew slept there. There was no thought about any of those issues. The Department of Education claimed that the super-school was necessary because of school underperformance and low year 9 NAPLAN results. Danielle disagreed. The Department didnt show the NAPLAN growth data, they showed selected data, she said. The data I saw at meetings was compared to the rest of the state. The four Shepparton schools were pitted against each other, and then the data was shown combined. What they didnt show were growth figures, nor any differentiation between EAL kids and other students, nor socioeconomic data. It was just looking at the difference between [high-ranking] schools like Melbourne High, and Shepparton College. And besides, we all know year 9 students like to voice what they hate when they sit for NAPLAN tests. I love my Year 9 students, however I know that they will always vote with their actions. In 2018, a Strategic Advisory committee was established to oversee the amalgamation process consisting of some school principals, local business representatives and the vice president of the AEU. Danielle expressed frustration and anger toward the AEU. I remember going to meetings thinking, OK, the union will listen to our voice, and it was the opposite. They would say: Were working with the principal and we need to make this work. Therefore, we have to work with what the school wants, and then we will try and work for you. It was completely as though the union was representing the Department. And it became very clear that they were not the people to whom we could express ideas or dilemmas. I have been a union member for as long as I have taught. It was completely devastating. The union didnt even pretend that they were there for us. Similarly, Heather said the unions are in league with the government; they havent done anything. Robert stressed: The AEU is part of the problem. We have no voice on anything. This is what happens when other people decide. It doesnt surprise me that teachers were threatening to go on strike last year. It is terrible that the AEU would not support us. It seems they are part of the system and that is a problem. We have to have people who stand up and go against the Department. Our voice has to get bigger. All we have at the moment is the perspective of the government and the Department. [April 22, 2021] CORRECTED: Holberton partners with SAYNA in Madagascar SAN FRANCISCO, April 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Holberton , the software engineering education company, announced today that it has partnered with SAYNA, an online education & IT micro job company in Madagascar, to offer affordable, high-quality tech education in the country. Holberton will work with SAYNA to create three, tailored, full-stack web curricula using Holbertons OS of education , a set of tools that enable organizations to quickly create courses or curricula on their own. We are delighted to work with such an innovative education company in deploying our OS of education to create opportunities for students to join the digital revolution that is sweeping the world, said Julien Barbier , Holbertons CEO. The Republic of Madagascar is the worlds second-largest island country, located in the Indian Ocean about 250 miles West of Africa. With a population of nearly 30 million, per capita annual income of $450 and GDP of $13 billion, Madagascar has been a surprising hotbed of recent technology innovations, with high local demand for software engineering talent. The worlds first 3D-printed school is being uilt in Madagascar. The Holberton-SAYNA curricula in Madagascar include: The Fighter program: a 12-month, flexible, part-time program to become a web developer; The Student program: a 24-month, full-time program to become a software engineer; The Executive program: a 9-month program for developers to specialize in new technologies. SAYNA gives its students the opportunity for real-world work experience through IT micro tasks funded by companies such as Group AXIAN (global telecommunication - mobile banking - real estate - IT - energy firm), World Bank (institutions), Orange (telecommunications), Acces Banque (SMEs). Students not only progress through these IT micro tasks but earn money as well. The better students perform in their studies, the more access they have to high level IT micro tasks and future employment. As elsewhere in 2020, online education boomed In Madagascar as many people lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic and sought retraining. Meanwhile, Madagascars demand for software developers has exploded. With this partnership, SAYNA expects to train 500 new software developers this year alone and hopes for exponential growth from there. Giving everyone in Madagascar access to high-quality software engineering training will help Madagascars economy, says Matina Razafimahefa, CEO of SAYNA. That growth will also develop the local startup ecosystem. Are you in Madagascar and interested in becoming a software developer and participating in creating the future? Apply here ! 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 About SAYNA Founded in Madagascar in 2018, SAYNA , which means intelligence in Malagasy, is Africas first technology education and IT micro job platform. SAYNA links a community of developers it has trained with IT projects that have been broken down into micro tasks. SAYNA has already trained more than 200 students, and works with more than 150 qualified freelancers and more than 60 companies, including Groupe AXIAN, Orange Madagascar, World Bank, Access Bank and others. Editorial Contact Lonn Johnston for Holberton lonn@flak42.com +1 650.219.7764 [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] By Nandita Bose and Sofia Menchu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled an additional $310 million in U.S. aid to Central America after a virtual meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday, as the two countries agreed to work together to control migration. President Joe Biden gave Harris the job of leading U.S. efforts with Mexico and Central America's Northern Triangle countries - Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala - to stop a growing number of migrants from crossing into the United States. "We want to work with you ... in a way that will bring hope to the people of Guatemala, that there will be an opportunity for them if they stay at home," Harris said, adding she would visit the region in June. In a statement, her office said the funds would come from USAID, along with the Departments of State, Defense and Agriculture. For example, the humanitarian aid includes $125 million to deal with repeated droughts, food shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic, along with $104 million from the U.S. State Department to help with the safety and protection of refugees and asylum seekers. The U.S. Defense Department will provide $26 million to increase partnership activities in the region aimed at health, education and disaster relief services, according to the vice president's office. Back-to-back hurricanes and the economic impact of the pandemic in 2020 have increased the number of people facing hunger this year in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to 7.8 million, according to the World Food Programme. Following the Harris-Giammattei meeting, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo told a news conference that Guatemala and the United States agreed "to establish a new joint border protection task force," including a small number of officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He said about 16 DHS officials would initially travel to Guatemala to train local officials in strengthening border infrastructure. Story continues Under former U.S. President Donald Trump, a small group of DHS officials also operated in Guatemala for a time. Brolo said Harris also spoke of helping build centers for deportees and beefing up security at Guatemala's ports. Guatemala will send a team to the United States to help reunify unaccompanied Guatemalan minors with their parents, he said In March, Mexico said more than unaccompanied 18,000 Central American children crossed its territory en route to the United States. Brolo laid some of the blame for increased migration on Biden, saying people smugglers used expectations of "greater benefits" for migrants that emerged with the arrival of the new U.S. administration to persuade more people to travel. 'VERY HARD ROAD' Monday's meeting was Harris' second conversation with Guatemala's leader in less than a month - a sign of the best opportunity she has to build a partnership in the region. Harris has yet to speak with the leaders of Honduras and El Salvador. Giammattei said Guatemala was looking forward to her visit but wants to reach an agreement on issues before she travels. "I believe that we should build a road map between governments ... so that we can reach an agreement... (and) can work on this very hard road that we have ahead of us," he said. Challenges surfaced during their first call, when Giammattei asked Harris about the possibility of purchasing COVID-19 vaccines, officials told Reuters. The question was not included in the U.S. readout of the call. On April 5, Guatemala said it was purchasing 16 million Russian Sputnik V vaccines to inoculate about half its population. Harris' office did not comment on the issue, but an administration official said it was not politically tenable to assure vaccine supplies to other countries before inoculating every American. Other problems have also emerged. Guatemalan lawmakers recently refused to swear in a corruption-fighting judge, Constitutional Court President Gloria Porras, whom U.S. officials had seen as key to the country's fight against graft. Hours before the call with Giammattei, the United States and the UK imposed sanctions on a member of Guatemala's Congress over alleged corruption. Harris will participate in a virtual roundtable with representatives from Guatemalan community based-organizations on Tuesday. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington and Sofia Menchu in Guatemala; Additional reporting by Merdie Nzanga in Washington; Editing by Dan Grebler, Peter Cooney and Himani Sarkar) Chinas fast-moving campaign to rein in its internet giants is continuing apace with an antitrust investigation into Meituan, a leading food-delivery app. The investigation, which the countrys market regulator announced with a terse, one-line statement on Monday, focuses on reports that the company blocked restaurants and other merchants on its platform from selling on rival food-delivery sites. Earlier this month, the regulator imposed a record $2.8 billion fine on the e-commerce titan Alibaba for exclusivity requirements of this sort. In a statement on Chinese social media, Meituan said that it would cooperate with the authorities and that its operations were continuing as usual. Meituan is a powerhouse in China. It made more than 27 million food-delivery transactions a day last year and reported around $18 billion in revenue, making it larger than Uber by sales. Meituans main rival in takeout delivery in China is Ele.me, a service owned by Alibaba. [April 26, 2021] Vector Raises $12.5 Million in Series A Funding to Accelerate the Adoption of Digital Health and Remote Care in Cardiology Vector Remote Care, a pioneering cardiac digital health provider, today announced it has closed a $12.5 million Series A investment led by Updata Partners. The funding will be used to accelerate product, engineering, and patient engagement to support the rapidly growing demand for the company's remote cardiac monitoring solutions. More than 10 million people have implanted cardiac devices today. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when healthcare organizations were shut down, remote cardiac monitoring technology quickly became an essential tool for keeping cardiac patients safe. Vector's cardiac digital health solution makes it simple for care teams to accurately capture, manage, analyze and act on the growing volume of remote data generated from cardiac devices. The company combines patient-centered intelligent technology with expert human insight to improve cardiac patient outcomes, reduce cost and improve clinic efficiency. "The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of digital health technology. While health care providers worked to adapt and create solutions to address the urgent need for remote cardiac monitoring, Vector quickly established itself as a leader in this space with its unique, already proven patient centered approach to solving this problem," said Jon Seeber, General Partner at Updata Partners. "We are honored to be part of Vector's journey at a time when their solutions and support literally have become a lifeline to patients unable or unwilling to visit their doctor in-person." Vector helps monitor and manage the entire cardiac remote monitoring lifecycle-from patient set up and connectivity, to data transmission, to analysis and EHR integration-using purpose built technology designed to automate administrative tasks and drive patient engagement. Vector is unique as it is more than just a remote data management tool. Vector provides the software to manage device reporting, patient connectivity, and medical billing so cardiac teams can work efficiently without getting overwhelmed by multiple systems, manual processes or being at risk of missing important alerts. The company's proactive patient outreach software and services actively monitor daily device transmissions and proactively reaches out to patients when transmissions are missed. In doing so, Vector positively influences patient behavior through multi-touch engagement and education designed to keep them connected - the backbone of any successful remote monitoring program. This capability is critical to helping cardiology practices realize the full value of cardiac digital health. "Everyone who works for Vector, from sales to engineering, shares a patient-first perspective that supports our mission to improve the lives and safety of cardiac patients. We don't just manage data and devices-we connect with patients," says Kevin Hoffman (News - Alert) , Vector founder and CEO. "Adding growth funding from an industry visionary like Updata Partners is a huge vote of confidence in our team and technology. We're on a mission to connect every patient to their doctor through remote monitoring technology to help improve outcomes while driving down the cost of care." The investment comes on the heels of strong growth for Vector, which saw ARR increase 250 percent over the past two years, with Vector's software monitoring more than 910 billion heartbeats in 2020. Supporting the company's rapid growth, Vector aims to use this funding to double its headcount with strategic focus on engineering and product development building on current momentum. Recent executive-level hires include Tony Titus, SVP of Revenue, Ryan Michel, Vice President of Product, Sarah Fink, Vice President of Marketing, Mike Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Business Operations and Kristin Stitt, Chief Clinical Officer. Want to learn more about Vector? Visit https://vectorremote.com About Updata Partners Updata Partners is a leading technology growth equity firm based in Washington, DC. Led by an investment team averaging more than 25 years of technology experience, Updata invests in high-growth software and software-driven businesses where the combination of its capital and operating experience will help accelerate success. To learn more, visit updata.com. About Vector Remote Care Founded in 2017, Vector is a complete cardiac digital health solution that makes it simple for care teams to accurately capture, manage, analyze, and act on remote cardiac data. We help monitor and manage the entire cardiac remote monitoring lifecycle - from patient set up to data transmission to analysis - so teams stay focused on what matters most: delivering the best care. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005258/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access From left, Youn Yuh-jung, winner of the award for best actress in a supporting role for "Minari," British actor Daniel Kaluuya, winner of the award for best actor in a supporting role for "Judas and the Black Messiah," and American actress Frances McDormand, winner of the award for best actress in a leading role for "Nomadland," pose outside the press room at the Oscars, April 25. AFP-Yonhap A Republican state senator from Alaska who staunchly opposes COVID-19 restrictions has been banned from Alaska Airlines for refusing to wear a mask while flying. Alaska State Sen. Lora Reinbold was handed the no-fly order by airline management after she resisted multiple requests by staff to abide by its policies requiring masks for all passengers. She is not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy, spokesman Tim Thompson told the Anchorage Daily News. Reinbold was captured on video last week arguing with Alaska Airlines staff in Juneau International Airport over her refusal to wear a mask covering her nose and mouth. The Republican lawmaker from the Anchorage suburb of Eagle River claims she was simply inquiring about a mask exemption and accused airline workers of being uptight. Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold (R-Eagle River) Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold (R-Eagle River) (Becky Bohrer/) I was reasonable with all Alaska Airlines employees, she said. Reinbold was eventually allowed on the Anchorage-bound flight but the airlines probe resulted in the ban. Reinbold has been a vocal opponent to Covid-19 mitigation measures and has repeatedly objected to Alaska Airlines mask policy, which was enacted before the federal mandate was enacted by President Biden in his first days in office. The lawmaker last year branded Alaska Airlines staff as mask bullies after being asked by flight attendants to wear a mask aboard a flight, the newspaper reported. After the incident, she reportedly tried to patch things up by sending a cake to some flight attendants bearing the inscription: Im sorry if I offended you. Alaska Airlines has banned over 500 people for resisting their coronavirus restrictions. The length of the ban will be determined by a review, the airline said. Reinhold may have trouble shuttling back and forth to the state capital of Juneau if she remains banned for long. Its a 20-hour drive from her home to the capital city and Alaska Airlines offers the only scheduled air service. Alaska state lawmakers can participate in committee meetings by teleconference but cannot vote on the House or Senate floor remotely. Youn Yuh-jung flirted with presenter Brad Pitt after becoming the first ever Korean to win an Oscar acting award on Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The 73-year-old South Korean actress was presented the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress by Pitt, 57, for her role in Minari. She started her speech poking fun at Brad, the executive producer of the film, saying: 'Oh, Mr. Pitt, finally it's nice to meet you. Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa?' Fun speech: Youn Yuh-jung flirted with presenter Brad Pitt after becoming the first ever Korean to win an Oscar acting award on Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles Some took it as a sly dig at the heartthrob for not being hands-on with the film's making. But Youn was charmed either way, adding: 'Still nice to meet you,' while Pitt smiled at her from the sideline. A24 financed Minari with Pitt's production company Plan B also producing. Youn beat out an impressive field that included: Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Glenn Close for Hillbilly Elegy, Olivia Colman for The Father, and Amanda Seyfried for Mank. She told her fellow nominees during her acceptance speech that they were all winners. Backstage moment: Youn posed with Pitt in the press room after winning her Oscar Oscar presenter: The 73-year-old South Korean actress was presented the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress by Pitt, 57, for her role in Minari Nice meeting: She started her speech poking fun at Brad, the executive producer of the film, saying: 'Oh, Mr. Pitt, finally it's nice to meet you. Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa?' Socially distanced: 'Still nice to meet you,' Youn added while Pitt smiled at her from the sideline during the awards ceremony at Union Station held during the coronavirus pandemic Production partner: A24 financed Minari with Pitt's production company Plan B also producing 'How can I win over Glenn Close? I've been watching her for so many performances,' said Youn, who added they played different roles and could not compete with each other. 'Tonight I'm here, it's just I have just a little bit of luck maybe. I am luckier than you,' Youn said drawing laughter from the audience. 'Also maybe American hospitality for the Korean actor, I'm not sure,' she added drawing more chuckles. She also thanked her two boys 'who make me go out and work' saying, 'This is the result because mommy worked so hard'. Youn also dedicated her award to her late first director Kim Ki-young who died in 1998 at age 78. Impressive field: Youn beat out an impressive field that included: Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Glenn Close for Hillbilly Elegy, Olivia Colman for The Father, and Amanda Seyfried for Mank All winners: 'How can I win over Glenn Close? I've been watching her for so many performances,' said Youn, who added they played different roles and could not compete with each other Fellow nominee: Maria Bakalova was nominated for her stellar work in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Pitt clapped offstage showing off his ponytail and then escorted Youn backstage where he handed her the envelope naming her the winner. A Korean actor had never been previously nominated for an Academy Award and only one Asian had previously won Best Supporting Actress as Japanese-American actress Miyoshi Umeki won for Sayonara in 1957 Minari follows a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in the rural United States during the 1980s. Little luck: 'Tonight I'm here, it's just I have just a little bit of luck maybe. I am luckier than you,' Youn said drawing laughter from the audience Cool ponytail: Pitt showed off his ponytail while escorting Youn backstage The envelope: Youn was given the envelope naming her the winner by Pitt Downtown venue: The 93rd Oscars were held at Union Station in Los Angeles and other locations via satellite Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Definition: Calcium silicate is a powder procured from limestone and diatomaceous earth. It is extensively used across different end-user industries and is likely to witness rising applications in the years to come. Market Research Future (MRFR) has conducted an analysis recently which states that the global calcium silicate market is poised to expand at a moderate CAGR over the assessment period 2016 to 2023. The growth pace of the market can be accredited to the key advantages offered by the product such as passiveness towards the fire. Get a Free sample of This Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5712 Market Scenario and Growth Factors: Calcium silicate has paved its way across the construction sector which is poised to influence the revenue growth of the market primarily. It is anticipated to catalyze revenue creation for the players of the calcium silicate market over the next few years. In addition, the implementation of favorable regulatory laws for protecting the health of the workers at construction sites are also projected to support the expansion of the market in the forthcoming years. In addition, rapid industrialization has also unleashed developmental opportunities to the calcium silicate market. The use of the product for insulation in industries is likely to lead the proliferation of the market in the years to come. Calcium silicate is expected to observe an upsurge in demand for the production of sealants. It helps in sealing micropores which are anticipated to expedite demand generation across the projection period. In addition, it is also likely to gain popularity as an anti-caking agent in food preparation. Also, the product is poised to pave its way across the food & beverage industry as a food additive. These factors are poised to accelerate revenue creation for the participants of the Calcium Silicate Market Analysis over the next couple of years. The product is expected to witness proliferating applications across industries such as paints & coating materials, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers & insecticides, etc. The growth of these industries is anticipated to boost revenue growth over the next few years. Competitive Dashboard: The key players operating in the global Calcium silicate market and profiled in this MRFR report are: Promat International NV (Belgium) American Elements (U.S.) Morgan Advanced Materials (U.K) Spectrum Chemical Manufacturing Corp. (U.S.) Prochem, Inc. (U.S.), Materion Corporation (U.S.) Mil-Spec Industries Corporation (New York) Associated Ceramics & Technology, Inc. (U.S.) Pyrotek (India), ZIRCAR CERAMICS (India), Skamol (Denmark), Industrial Insulation Group, LLC (U.S.) Market Segmentation: The global Calcium Silicate Market has been segmented on the basis of application for a detailed segmental analysis. Based on application, the segments include insulation, building materials, sealants, pharmaceuticals, food additive, and others. Regional Analysis: On the basis of region, the global calcium silicate market has been segmented into five regions viz. Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East & Africa (MEA), and North America. Asia Pacific is expected to retain the leading position over the next couple of years. The regional segment resonates strong growth potential and is anticipated to strike a healthy growth rate in the years to come. Rapid industrialization and urbanization are the key factors expected to encourage the growth pace of the calcium silicate market in the region across the projection period. Fast-developing nations such as China and India are prognosticated to contribute significantly to the development of the regional segment in the foreseeable future. In addition, the growth of the end-user industries such as paints & coating, construction, adhesives & sealants, etc. is also anticipated to catapult the regional segment on upward trajectory. North America and Europe are also significant growth pockets expected to expand at a substantial pace in the forthcoming years. Technological innovations and increasing consumption levels are forecasted to favorably influence the expansion of the calcium silicate market in these regions. BROWSE RELATED REPORT @ https://www.abnewswire.com/pressreleases/fiber-optic-sensor-market-size-and-global-trends-2020-covid19-business-impact-industry-analysis-sales-revenue-opportunities-top-leaders-and-regional-forecast-to-2022_505731.html https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/fiber-optic-sensor-market-size-and-global-trends-2020-covid-19-business-impact-industry-analysis-sales-revenue-opportunities-top-leaders-and-regional-forecast-to-2022-2020-09-07 http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4797814 https://www.wboc.com/story/42598499/fiber-optic-sensor-market-size-and-global-trends-2020-covid19-business-impact-industry-analysis-sales-revenue-opportunities-top-leaders-and-regional-forecast-to-2022 By Andrew MacAskill and Andrew R.C. Marshall EDINBURGH (Reuters) - For candidate Angus Robertson, helping his Scottish National Party win a majority in May 6 elections would be a dream come true. Beyond that lies a far bigger prize - another referendum and the prospect of breaking from the United Kingdom. He only needs to look up for inspiration in his push for independence that would end the 314-year union between Scotland and England and profoundly change the course of British history. Around the lofty room that serves as his campaign headquarters in Edinburgh, a rallying cry to Scottish noblemen 700 years ago is written in cursive script. It is "not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting," it reads, "but for freedom." The prospect of independence is again in play. Opinion polls point to a persistent, though narrowing majority in favour of leaving the UK, with Brexit in 2016 - which Scotland opposed - forefront in many voters' minds. The SNP is also close to controlling the devolved parliament outright, and the last time that happened in 2011, Britain's then-Prime Minister David Cameron bowed to pressure and allowed a referendum in 2014 that ultimately rejected going it alone. Robertson hopes that a majority would force Boris Johnson to do the same, and few races will be watched more closely than his own to gauge the SNP's chances and, with them, the possibility of another referendum. The Scottish Conservatives hold the seat by just 610 votes, and the SNP needs four more seats to win a majority of 65 in the 129-seat parliament and claim the moral and political right to vote on independence. "Edinburgh Central is a hugely important seat for the SNP to secure a majority," said Robertson of his symbolic constituency at the heart of Scotland's capital. He grew up in the area that includes the Scottish parliament, an imposing castle perched on an extinct volcano and the richest parts of a city that voted emphatically against independence in 2014. Story continues The 51-year-old, who talks about independence with the quiet intensity of someone who thinks it's a question of when, not if, recalled a time when nationalists like himself weren't even elected as local councillors. "The fact that the SNP is in the running to win this seat is hugely symbolic of how strong the pro-independence movement has become." UPHILL BATTLE Were independence to happen, the United Kingdom - already grappling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit - would lose about a third of its landmass, a tenth of its population and a core ingredient of its identity. Opinion polls suggest that, for the first time, a small, sustained majority of voters in Scotland favour it. Anger over Brexit and approval of the Scottish government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic have bolstered support for independence, and demands for a second vote. That backing reached a record 58% of Scots at the end of last year. But underlining the challenge the SNP faces, support for independence has since dropped to 51%, excluding undecided voters, following a bitter feud between SNP leader and Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and her predecessor, Alex Salmond. Sturgeon has faced calls to resign for her treatment of her former mentor during an investigation of sexual harassment allegations against him. Salmond was acquitted by a court last year of 12 allegations of sexual assault and is suing the government over its handling of the complaints. The row has cast an unflattering light on the nationalist movement, tainted by in-fighting, self-interest, and conspiracy. Salmond started his own pro-independence party in March. Although the party, Alba, is expected at most to pick up a handful of seats, this could split the nationalist vote and deny the SNP its crucial outright majority. While the SNP is one of Europe's most successful political parties and is on course to win a fourth term in office, its membership is the most divided it has been in decades, according to James Mitchell, a professor of politics at Edinburgh University, who has written books on the nationalist movement. He said among activists there is growing frustration over Sturgeon's gradualist strategy for winning a new referendum and her centrist economic policies. A party that wins elections "tends to be happy", he said. "But the SNP has a bigger goal and that is independence. It hasn't made much progress on that and this is feeding a sense of betrayal. That is a strong term, but that is how some people feel." THE FIGHT FOR EDINBURGH In a close-fought constituency like Edinburgh Central, said Mitchell, disaffection with the SNP could divert votes to other pro-independence candidates and rob the SNP of a precious seat. Repeatedly besieged by English soldiers during the Middle Ages, Edinburgh has proved more resistant to independence than other parts of Scotland. It has the highest average earnings of any city in the United Kingdom after London. Many residents work in finance and higher education, which could be threatened by independence. About 60,000 people live in Edinburgh Central. A railway line bisects its richer areas, with their leafy Georgian squares and shops selling artisanal coffee or pheasant, from working-class areas where Polish, African and South Asian supermarkets serve a diverse community. Robertson was born in England to a Scottish father and German mother, and started out as a journalist with Austria's public broadcaster. He is a prominent ally of Sturgeon and a former deputy leader of the SNP. When Reuters visited, Robertson's mail bag contained a crude reminder that Edinburgh Central is no walkover. He opened an envelope and unfolded a note scrawled with expletives. "As I thought," he said. Robertson's Conservative opponent, a relative unknown called Scott Douglas, who works in public relations for a local college, was born in England to Scottish parents. Douglas believes independence is a distraction from reviving Scotland's post-pandemic economy. "Most people I speak to don't see the difference between being British and Scottish," he told Reuters. "You can be both." Under pressure to show progress is being made towards the goal of independence, the nationalists have pledged to hold a new referendum by the end of 2023 if they win a majority in the election. As the law stands, to hold another referendum legally, Scotland needs the permission of the British parliament. Johnson has repeatedly said he would refuse another independence vote and the next should not be held until the 2050s because the issue was settled in 2014. This could set the stage for a showdown: the nationalists say they will pass the legislation anyway, daring the British government to challenge the decision in the courts. But Robertson says the UK government will eventually back down if the SNP wins a majority. "The danger to Boris Johnson and the UK government, by blocking the legitimate wishes of people in Scotland, is that what has been an independence movement develops into a democracy movement," Robertson said. "This is understood by ministers in London." On Edinburgh's streets below the castle there is suspicion of both the SNP and Johnson's Conservatives. Johnson is particularly disliked in Scotland, where his English eccentricity is seen by some as arrogance. He is unlikely to campaign for the Conservatives, in apparent recognition that his presence could do more harm than good. "Boris doesn't care about a guy like me," said Stephen McKinlay, relaxing on a bench after a day working on a building site. McKinlay said he voted against independence in the 2014 referendum, but is now leaning the opposite way. "There are big risks," he said, "but maybe now we will be better off on our own." (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Andrew R.C. Marshall; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mike Collett-White) LONDON, April 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Huobi Group today announced the adoption of Spain-issued Visa and MasterCard, offering customers another option to buy crypto with low transaction fee in Euros. This service is provided by Huobi Technology (Gibraltar) Co., Ltd ("Huobi Gibraltar"), a regulated DLT service provider by Gibraltar Financial Services Commission ("GFSC"). From the 'Quick-Buy/Sell' page on Huobi, the users of Huobi Gibraltar can choose a fiat currency, and select the crypto asset and payment method they'd like to use for the purchase. Between 23rd of April and 19th of May, Spain-issued Master/Visa card holders are eligible to enjoy a 1.32% transaction fee when purchasing crypto assets. Users do not need to be Spanish nationals, as long as they use a Spanish issued Visa or Mastercard with enabled international transaction before they can make fiat to crypto purchases through Huobi Gibraltar. This is an ongoing strategy of Huobi Gibraltar's service expansion targeting a wider customer base in European market with a hassle-free platform to buy popular crypto assets with fiat currencies. Huobi has integrated points of access for users in UK, and the European Union looking to enter the crypto market. "As we bolster our global presence and expand into new markets, we will continue adding new fiat on-ramps to give all users a frictionless onboarding experience. And to effortlessly achieve our ambitious goal to empower 100 million households worldwide to own digital assets, so we want to ensure we make it faster, easier, and more secure for new users to get started," said Ciara Sun, Vice President of Global Markets at Huobi Group. About Huobi Gibraltar Huobi Gibraltar is a part of Huobi Group and has been licensed as a Distributed Ledger Technology ("DLT") service provider since 2018 by Gibraltar Financial Services Commission ("GFSC") with license number 24790. The firm is authorized to use DLT for storing or transmitting value belonging to others in connection with: 1) the operation of a secondary market venue for trading virtual assets; and 2) the provision of broker/dealer services. SOURCE Huobi Technology Considerable network investment has been undertaken in Serbia by incumbent and alternative operators in recent years, despite economic difficulties. This has helped to stimulate internet usage, which has also been bolstered by improved affordability as prices are reduced through competition. The pandemic has stimulated consumer take up of services, particularly mobile data. The governments various initiatives to improve rural broadband availability have also been supported by European development loans. Serbias high mobile penetration, partly the result of multiple SIM card use, has seen lower revenue in recent years, placing further pressure on operators to develop business models which encourage consumer use of mobile data services as also the continued substitution of fixed-line for mobile voice calls. In early 2021 Telekom Srbija agreed to provide Telenor Serbia with access to its fibre network. Despite accusations from United Group, which owns the principal cable broadband player SBB, that the deal could undermine SBBs market position, the Group has also agreed to share network assets. This could lead to a significant shift in the telecom market landscape. BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries. On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth. Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report. The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions. Key developments: MTS trials 5G services with Ericsson, Telenor with Huawei; Telenor Serbia and Telekom Srbija deny rumours of a merger; SBB delivers gigabit services to its eighth city; Serbia prepares for end of regional roaming by July 2021; Report update includes the regulator's annual reports, market data report to September 2020, telcos' operating and financial data to Q4 2020, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments. Get a Full Copy of this Report Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeCom, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service. The above article is a summary of the following BuddeCom report: Report title: Serbia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses Edition: February 2021 Analyst: Henry Lancaster Number of pages: 155 Companies mentioned in this report: Mobilna Telefonija Srbija (MTS), Telekom Srbija, Vip Mobile, Telenor Serbia, Serbia Broadband (SBB), I.KOM, Knight Development Support, Invest-Inzenjering, Beogrid, JET TV, Kopernikus Technology, BeotelNet, Sat Trakt, Telemark and Radijus vektor. Single User PDF Licence Price: US$750 For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Serbia-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83 Road movie Nomadland won the top prize at the Oscars, where director Chloe Zhao made history. The ceremony also saw Sir Anthony Hopkins win the best actor Oscar, defeating the late Chadwick Boseman, while Daniel Kaluuya won the best supporting actor prize. Zhao, who was born in China, is the first woman of colour to win the award for directing, and the second woman in history. The only other woman to win the directing prize is Kathryn Bigelow, who was honoured for The Hurt Locker in 2010. Nomadland, which tells the story of a woman travelling through the American West, also scooped a best actress prize for its star Frances McDormand. McDormand, who has now won three best actress Oscars, howled on stage as the film won the best picture gong. It was a tribute to Nomadland production sound mixer Michael Wolf Snyder, who died at the age of 35 earlier this year. Anthony Hopkins, winner of the best actor Oscar, in a scene from The Father. Picture: Sean Gleason/Sony Pictures Classics via AP Sir Anthony, 83, who did not attend the ceremony, is the oldest winner of the best actor category. He previously won an Oscar in 1992 for his defining role as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs. He won for his performance in The Father, about a man slipping into dementia, defeating presumptive favourite Boseman, who died last year aged 43 following a private four-year battle with colon cancer. He was nominated for his performance as an ambitious trumpeter in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Daniel Kaluuya, winner of the award for best actor in a supporting role for Judas and the Black Messiah. Picture: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool Kaluuya, who was born in London to Ugandan parents, is the first black British winner of the best supporting actor prize, as he was celebrated for his portrayal of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in Judas And The Black Messiah. In his acceptance speech, Kaluuya told of his admiration for Hampton, who was shot and killed by police in Chicago in 1969 when he was 21. He praised Hampton's work in the black community and took aim at the forces of the state that worked to bring him down. "When they played divide and conquer, we say unite and ascend," Kaluuya said. Addressing the star-studded audience, Kaluuya said: There's so much work to do guys and that's on everyone in this room. This ain't no single man job. We've got work to do. I'm going to get back to work Tuesday morning, because tonight I'm going out. Kaluuya, speaking with his mother in the audience, added: "My mum met my dad, they had sex, it's amazing. I'm here. I'm so happy to be alive so I'm going to celebrate that tonight." Emerald Fennell, winner of the award for best original screenplay for Promising Young Woman. Picture: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool British filmmaker Emerald Fennell won best original screenplay for her directorial debut Promising Young Woman and fought back tears as she delivered her improvised acceptance speech. Looking at her statuette, the pregnant filmmaker said: "He's so heavy and he's so cold." She paid tribute to the cast and crew, who made the film over a 23-day shoot. Fennell, who was pregnant during the shoot, joked she was crossing her legs during production. Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller won the prize for best adapted screenplay for their work on the agonising drama The Father. Yuh-Jung Youn, winner of the award for best actress in a supporting role for Minari. Picture: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool Korean star Yuh-Jung Youn won the best supporting actress prize for Minari and joked about meeting actor Brad Pitt in person, as he announced her win. Taking to the stage, she said: "Where were you while we were filming in person?" She also paid tribute to the other nominees in the category saying she "doesn't believe in competition", while questioning how she could win over fellow nominee Glenn Close. Referring to all the other nominees, she added that she had perhaps won because "I'm luckier than you... also maybe American hospitality for Korean actor, I'm not sure but thank you so much". Mentioning her children she said: "My two boys who made me go out and work... this is the result because mummy worked so hard...". The prizes were mainly handed out at Union Station in Los Angeles, where producers had said they wanted the broadcast to resemble a film. Attendees were not required to wear masks on camera but were asked to cover their faces when not on screen. Attendance was limited to 170 people, with audience members rotated in and out during the ceremony. International nominees who did not travel to the US accepted their prizes from remote hubs, with many of the British nominees gathering at the BFI in London's Southbank. The ceremony finally took place after a two-month delay and a bruising year for the film industry, with cinemas around the world closed for months on end and productions disrupted. SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged ruling party officials to wage another "Arduous March" of work and sacrifice, state media reported on Friday, linking the current economic crises to a period in the 1990s of famine and disaster. "Arduous March" was a term adopted by officials to rally citizens during a famine that killed as many as 3 million North Koreans after the fall of the Soviet Union, which had been a major backer of Pyongyang's communist founders. The period is often talked about as a historic event, but Kim's apparent comparison to current problems comes after he earlier in the week said the country faces the "worst-ever situation." His comments were made in a speech on Thursday at the closing of a conference for low-level Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) officials, where he had urged them to be more proactive and responsible in carrying out the country's new five-year economic plan, adopted at a party congress in January. "I made up my mind to ask the WPK organizations at all levels ... to wage another more difficult 'Arduous March' in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little," Kim said, according to a report by state news agency KCNA. The party must reward the people's loyalty and become a genuine "servant" to them, he was cited as saying. North Korea has not reported a single confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, but American and South Korean officials have cast doubt on the notion that it has escaped COVID-19. The country ended almost all cross-border travel, restricted trade to a trickle, and imposed other restrictions to prevent an outbreak. Those measures, combined with ongoing international sanctions imposed over North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, have taken a toll on the country's economy and raised concerns of humanitarian crisis. An independent panel of experts monitoring U.N. sanctions recently reported that international aid groups were struggling to reach vulnerable women and children inside North Korea because of the pandemic lockdowns, leaving potentially hundreds of thousands without access to needed nutrients. An official at North Korea's Ministry of Public Health released a statement on Tuesday denying that any children face malnutrition, and that such reports aim to tarnish the country's image. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Christopher Cushing) Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Kazakhstan on Monday rolled out its homegrown coronavirus vaccine, with the Central Asian country's health minister receiving the jab on live television. QazCovid-in, also known as QazVac, is a two-shot vaccine that is currently in third stage trials. The state broadcaster Khabar said that 50,000 doses of the vaccine developed by the state-backed Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems have been distributed across the vast oil-rich country. Health Minister Alexei Tsoi told Khabar that he felt "well" after receiving his shot and said the government was negotiating with partners in Turkey to produce future batches of the vaccine. In a tweet on Friday, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hailed the former Soviet republic's achievement in becoming "one of the few states" to develop and produce a national vaccine. Kazakhstan became the first foreign country to produce Russia's Sputnik V vaccine earlier this year, and the Russian jab has dominated the mass inoculation drive in the nation of nearly 19 million people. Health Minister Tsoi told Khabar that "one in 20" Kazakh citizens have been vaccinated against the coronavirus since the campaign began in February. As of Monday, Kazakhstan had registered 309,116 coronavirus cases and 3,570 deaths. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2021 AFP The highest, "red" level of epidemic danger is canceled on the territory of Lviv region from midnight on April 26, the corresponding decision was made at an extraordinary meeting of the State Commission on Environmental Safety, Manmade Disaster and Emergency Response on Sunday. According to the Communications Department of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the region is experiencing a stabilization of the epidemic situation with the spread of COVID-19 and there are all the prerequisites to transfer the region from red to yellow level of epidemic danger. New Delhi: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Tuesday accused the Modi government of misusing CBI and ED. She also charged BJP with conspiring to kill her. The BSP supremo said that Dalits are being persecuted by the BJP government and people of OBC category are not receiving their dues. She also alleged saffron party of being casteist. Mayawati said NDAs acche din is over. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the champion of making statements, she said, adding the chief minister keeps himself busy visiting temples. She said she was not allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha. While addressing a rally in Azamgarh, Mayawati slammed Congress party also for not implementing the report of Mandal commission. She said BJP is following the footstep of Congress party. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. MANTORVILLE, Minn. An Arizona man accused of dealing methamphetamine in Dodge County is pleading not guilty. Dusty Richard Bretches, 50 of Ajo, AZ, is charged with first-degree drug sales, taking a controlled substance across state lines, possession of a pistol in a public place without a permit, and a fifth-degree controlled substance crime. Bretches was arrested after a traffic stop in Kasson on January 17. Authorities say he was pulled over for failing to signal and for having his license plate covered with snow. The arrested officer says there was an open can of beer in a cup holder and an open case of beer on the floor of Bretches vehicle. Court documents state Bretches refused to allow a search of his vehicle and a K9 officer was brought and the police dog indicated the presence of drugs inside. Authorities say a search of Bretches vehicle found 16.12 grams of methamphetamine, $110,480 in cash, an automatic money counting machine, a loaded handgun, and drug paraphernalia. Bretches trial is scheduled for May 10 in Dodge County District Court. He remains in the Steele County Jail on $500,000 bond. The InterAmerican Commission of Human Rights said in a report that Mexico is suffering "critical" failures in law enforcement and the worst level of journalist killings on the outside of a war zone. The InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights is a body of the Organization of American States. On Sunday, the Mexican government said that it is working to strengthen its efforts in the areas mentioned by the commission, Associated Press reported. The cited areas reportedly include lack of access to justice, poor militarization of law enforcement, and weak police forces. The report lauded Mexico's efforts to search for people victims of forced disappearances. However, it argued that the government still relies heavily on volunteer efforts. "Threats, harassment, killings, and disappearances of those who seek truth and justice have intimidated the Mexican public... creating a big problem with under-reporting (of crimes)," the report noted. The commission has recommended that Mexico develop concrete plans for the slow withdrawal of the armed forces from civilian law enforcement and shift it over to civilian police. READ NEXT: Deadlier than COVID-19? Mexican Crime Rate Increases Journalist Killings A 31-year-old journalist was shot dead in November 2020 while he was reporting in Salamanca. His story focused on the discovery of human remains in the city. His name was Israel Vazquez Rangel. Vazquez worked for the news website El Salmantino. According to a BBC News report, over a hundred journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000, making the country one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. "You want to kill a journalist, you can do it without much of a chance that you'll be caught," Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico representative of the press freedom group the Committee to Protect Journalists, said as reported by The Guardian. Hootsen noted that the journalists' murders were directly related to their work in at least five cases. He added that there is an ongoing crisis of violence and impunity in the country. Hootsen said the Mexican government had not made any serious efforts to fight impunity, adding that the situation has become worse. The Committee to Protect Journalists said that Mexico suffered the highest number of killings in 2019, next to war-torn Syria. In 2012, Mexico established a journalistic program to aid threatened reporters. However, Sara Lidia Mendiola said that the protection program is not enough, according to an NPR report. Mendiola manages a legal advocacy organization for journalists. The organization is known to be called Propuesta Civica. She said that with the current climate violence taking over the country, it is not enough. Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had vowed to end impunity against journalists when he took office. However, press advocates said that the president had made no progress and might be exacerbating the situation. Local mayors and officials have different comments regarding the matter. The local mayor of Salamanca at the time of Vazquez's death released a statement, connoting that it was the journalist's fault for his death. Mayor Betty Hernandez said that everyone knows the place is dangerous. Veronica Espinosa, Guanajuato correspondent for the newsweekly Proceso, said that it implied that victims like Vazquez's are culpable for their own deaths. Espinosa said that it criminalizes him and makes him responsible for security conditions, which is not the liability of a citizen. READ MORE: After Teen Was Murdered, Mother Stalks Escaped Killers Across Mexico to Bring Her Daughter to Justice WATCH: No Longer Just Cartels: Criminal Groups Increasingly Seek Control of Mexican Territory - From Washington Post Attempted Murder Suspect Pleads Not Guilty By West Kentucky Star Staff MAYFIELD - A Mayfield man facing attempted murder and other charges has entered a not guilty plea.Thirty-year-old Charles Ahlfield pleaded not guilty Monday, and a pretrial conference was set for June 14.Ahlfield was arrested after police said shots were fired at an apartment complex on Feb. 22. He's charged with attempted murder, wanton endangerment and fleeing or evading police.He remains lodged in the Graves County Jail. BEIJING, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Beacon Education, the world's largest provider of online graduate degrees to China, is proud to announce its newest partner, Adrian College, and the introduction of an online MBA optimized to meet the massive and growing need for degree-based education among Chinese working professionals. Beacon's comprehensive services and technology suite will provide Adrian College a host of localized capabilities across program recruitment, delivery, technology, and student support in China. Adrian's expertise in high-quality content creation, instruction, and support will combine with Beacon's platform to deliver world-class educational experiences and outcomes. "Adrian College is excited to announce a partnership with Beacon Education, a premier provider of online graduate degrees in China. Our partnership will allow Adrian College to offer one of our newest M.B.A. programs to professionals in China who desire to study at a U.S. institution known for academic excellence. With Beacon's services, we will deliver a high quality program seamlessly across the globe, make valuable international connections, and expand our reputation while also maintaining the services and support our students desire." Beacon Education CEO Michael Wang notes with enthusiasm that the partnership will bring a valuable resource to companies across China: "instutitions of higher education like Adrian College that understand learners in China are important to meet the needs of those working professionals seeking professional and personal growth. We are proud to partner with Adrian to grow programs in China together that are based on outstanding content, instruction, and support." ABOUT ADRIAN COLLEGE Chartered in 1859, Adrian College is a private, liberal arts college located in Adrian, Michigan and is consistently recognized as one of America's most innovative colleges. Through values established from its first president, antislavery leader and educator Asa Mahan, Adrian College creates an active and creative learning community where students are challenged to achieve excellence in their academic, personal, and professional lives, and to contribute to a more socially just society. http://adrian.edu/ ABOUT BEACON EDUCATION Beacon is China's largest provider of online master's degrees, partnering with the world's leading universities to deliver a broad range of programs and resources. Our 30+ programs across 16+ university partners are transforming digital education in China. Beacon is proud to empower Chinese learners to achieve their goals. https://www.beaconedu.com/ Contact: Charles Iannuzzi, 856-437-0894, [email protected] SOURCE Beacon Education Related Links https://www.beaconedu.com/ The United States will release up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, a senior official said Monday, following mounting criticism that the Biden administration was hoarding shots while other countries suffered. "U.S. to release 60 million Astra Zeneca doses to other countries as they become available," tweeted Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to the White House on Covid response. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. IS more signage needed at the former Tullamore gaol on Cormac Street? Certainly UK Youtubers Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe think so. The two who enjoy posting their many train journeys under the name ' all the STATIONS,' attract thousands of viewers. On one of their trips in 2019 before Covid-19 restrictions, Geoff and Vicki stopped off in Tullamore on their way to Athlone. Vicki has a love of castles and was drawn to the Kilcruttin Business Park, but they were left puzzled as to what it was. "I can't tell what it is. There's a sign that says it's like a business park. It might be like local council offices. I think it's just like an old historic building, but Vicki, it's not a castle," laments Geoff. The video attracted over 58,000 views, so it was of interest to a wide audience. The former gaol was built between 1826 and 1830. It is located beside the courthouse in Tullamore. It replaced Daingean prison and accepted prisoners for over one hundred years. The site was eventually cleared in 1937 and became a spinning mill for Salts Ireland later known as Tullamore Yarns. The front wall remains. A plaque over the door reads that the first stone of the prison was laid by Charles William Baron Tullamore on the 13th day of September in the year of our Lord 1826. However, It's difficult to see this without going right up to the building. You can watch the full video HERE. People Power Party needs complete overhaul to recapture power Less than a month after scoring landslide victories in the April 7 mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is already showing signs of regression. As soon as the party's interim leader Kim Chong-in left the PPP after the elections, its senior legislators based in the country's southeastern Gyeongsang provinces began bickering with their younger colleagues over whether to seek special pardons for two former presidents and former members of the party serving prison terms on corruption charges. During an interpellation session at the National Assembly, April 20, Suh Byung-soo, the five-term lawmaker of the conservative party, virtually denied the legitimacy of former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment, saying, "It's hard to believe whether she committed an illegal act so serious as to deserve impeachment." During a luncheon meeting at Cheong Wa Dae the following day, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon asked President Moon Jae-to pardon the jailed presidents. It appears to be necessary to consider granting pardons to Park and her predecessor Lee Myung-bak sooner than later for the sake of national unity. However, the PPP's hasty push for amnesty might give the impression that the party has become complacent after its by-election victories. Furthermore, this contradicts the former PPP interim leader's formal apology for the "mistakes" of the two ex-presidents last December. A recent poll conducted by RnSearch showed that 50.2 percent of respondents oppose amnesty, while 44.8 percent favor it an indicator that requires the PPP to be cautious in seeking this. The PPP should remember that it won the mayoral by-elections not because it did well but because the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) did very poorly. To recapture power, the largest conservative opposition party needs a complete overhaul through a break from the past. This will enable the party to expand its support base among young and moderate voters. If not, the party's desire for government change next year might go up in smoke. Just after 1400Hr today UGFD was dispatched to a reported car fire on the 500 block of DeKalb Pike. Chief 80 arrived on... Posted by Upper Gwynedd Township Fire Department on Saturday, April 24, 2021 Captured by Bob Kellys camera for North Penn Now , the 765LT in the photo gallery burned to a crisp on Saturday afternoon right next to a gas pump in Upper Gwynedd Township. Firefighters were able to extinguish the vehicle, containing the blaze from extending to the adjacent pump.No injuries were reported according to the cited publication, and the cause of the fiery incident has yet to be released by the Upper Gwynedd Township Fire Department. One potential scenario would be static electricity, which may build up by re-entering the vehicle during fueling in dry weather.Its common knowledge to always touch a metal part of the vehicle before opening the fuel cap, but as its often the case with humankind, mistakes can happen. Turning our attention back to Bob Kellys photographs, the 765LT is a total loss in every respect. From the 4.0-liter engine to the dual-clutch transmission, rubber shoes, cockpit, and every single body panel, this car simply cannot be salvaged. The only hints of its former self are the four-tipped exhaust system and a couple of vents on the sides of the hood.Although the insurance company wont be happy to write off the vehicle, the owner should thank Lady Luck for smiling upon him. Not only did the owner walk away unharmed, but McLaren will probably invite him to place an order on the yet-to-be-revealed 765LT Spider . Accidentally previewed in August 2020 by British company Lanzante, the retractable-topped model is expected to roll out in the second quarter of 2021 for the 2022 model year.Like the fixed-head coupe, McLaren is expected to mirror the output figures with 765 PS (755 horsepower) and 800 Nm (590 pound-feet) of torque. The even more track-focused Senna matches the 765LT in terms of torque, but its a little more potent at 800 PS (789 horsepower). Speaking of the corner-carving Senna, it was three years ago when auto vlogger Salomondrin watched his limited-edition supercar burn down in L.A. This is probably the place to pause and say that Cusk tells us, in a short afterword, that her novel owes a debt to Lorenzo in Taos, Mabel Dodge Luhans 1932 memoir of the time D. H. Lawrence came to stay with her in Taos, New Mexico. Image Rachel Cusk Credit... Siemon Scamell-Katz You dont need to have read Luhans memoir (I hadnt until this week) to enjoy Cusks novel. Luhans book is a treat, though, and deserves to be better known. Lawrence was irritable and intense, as is the painter L in Cusks novel. Both books are addressed to Jeffers. In Luhans case, this was her friend, the poet Robinson Jeffers. In Cusks novel, Jefferss identity remains a mystery. Someone could write a term paper on the overlap between the books. My favorite overlaps are funny little ones. In Luhans book, for example, Frieda Lawrence, who visits with her husband, has a mouth rather like a gunman. Cusk gives Ls girlfriend, Brett, an unusual mouth, too (her strange letterbox mouth hung blackly open). Luhan rarely turned down the opportunity to smash a line home with an exclamation point, and its interesting to see her overheated tone bleed into Cusks cooler aesthetic. M catastrophizes nearly every moment. After an early conversation with L, she writes, in language that is not untypical in this novel: I would like to have burst into tears such strange, violent impulses were coming over me, one after another. I wanted to lie down and hammer my fists on the grass. M did not expect L to bring a girlfriend, especially not a beautiful young one. Her reaction to Brett is the readers first sign that M is close to the brink, mentally, and that this book will be a windswept affair. She wails that Bretts arrival changes everything. She is furious that L wants to paint portraits of everyone but her. She speaks of harming herself. This is the comical moment a trapped lamb is rescued from a drainage ditch before jumping straight back in just seconds later. Footage captured by mother Azieva Radima, from Grozny in Chechnya, Russia, shows her son try to free the helpless lamb as it lies trapped in the narrow ditch near their home. However just seconds later the freed lamb accidentally leaps straight back into the hole as it tries to flee the scene. Mother Azieva Radima, from Grozny in Chechnya, Russia, watches her son try to free the lamb trapped in the narrow drainage ditch The young boy pulls the animal's hind leg in an attempt to free the helpless creature During the clip, which was filmed on April 15, Ms Radima's son approaches the narrow ditch and begins to pull the lamb's hind leg. After a brief struggle, the animal is released and hops away from the scene. Just seconds later, the lamb attempts to leap over the ditch only to find itself plunging back into the very same hole it has just been released from. Ms Radima told Viral Hog: 'My son was returning home from school and noticed a lamb in a trench. He made several attempts to help but he did not succeed. 'He came home and asked me to help. 'We filmed the video for home viewing but then decided to upload it in order to encourage others not to leave animals in trouble.' Ms Radima later took to Instagram to reveal the trapped lamb had been saved. The lamb begins to run away after it is freed but it soon finds itself jumping straight back into the ditch The lamb finds itself trapped one again in the narrow ditch just seconds later Social media users took to Facebook to share their thoughts on the comical footage The comical clip has since been met with an array of comments from amused viewers on social media. One user wrote: 'It just hopped from one crack to another.' While another commented: 'Yeah spot on sums up my life in four seconds.' Another person added: 'Should have gone to Specsavers.' And one person said: 'Oh no, not again.' (Reuters) - GameStop Corp has raised $551 million through an equity offering as the videogame retailer accelerates its shift to e-commerce, sending its shares 15% higher in extended trading on Monday. The company, which was at the center of a Reddit-fueled trading frenzy earlier this year, said in a statement it had sold 3.5 million shares in the at-the-market offering. Based on Reuters calculation, the average price of the shares sold was $157.43. The company's stock has gained more than 850% this year thanks to a push by retail investors to drive up prices of heavily shorted stocks. GameStop said earlier this month George Sherman will step down as its chief executive officer in the biggest management shakeup at the retailer, giving top shareholder Ryan Cohen more control. Cohen, whose RC Ventures owns nearly 13% of GameStop, is leading the company's transformation into an e-commerce firm that can compete with big retailers such as Walmart Inc, as well as technology companies like Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp. (Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni) In brief: Due to the company's unexpected growth since 2018, Apple plans to spend over $430 billion to increase its workforce in the US with 20,000 employees during the next five years. The investment plan also includes expanding Apple's current infrastructure and the construction of a new campus and R&D center in North Carolina. In 2018, Apple announced a $350 billion investment to create 20,000 new jobs in the span of five years, but things went better than expected, leading to a revision of the original plan. Today the company presented it, and it seems Apple will increase its investment by $80 billion over the next five years. This investment will help stimulate the US economy by building and expanding more sites in the US, creating 20,000 job openings, and promoting the use of national suppliers. Apple's latest investment plan will allow the company to further develop its silicon engineering and 5G technology, but that's not all. The tech giant also plans to spend its capital on national suppliers, Apple TV+ productions, and increase its physical infrastructure with new data centers, office spaces, and campus, and expanding existing ones. Apple plans to spend over $1 billion in North Carolina to create a new campus and a development hub in the Research Triangle area. This investment will create over 3,000 new job opportunities in fields such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and more. Besides North Carolina, Apple will invest in other states, including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Washington, Iowa, and Texas, where it's building a new data center scheduled to open next year. The construction and operation of Apple's new facilities will adhere to the company's environmental-friendly objectives, promoting the use of green and renewable energies. The company will also create jobs in areas such as silicon engineering, 5G, and electronics manufacturing, working with over 9,000 suppliers and companies across the US. Moreover, Apple will keep promoting its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which has been quite successful in the creation of new technologies. Tim Cook, Apples CEO, said that "at this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states." He also added that Apple is "creating jobs in cutting-edge fields... investing in the next generation of innovative new businesses, and in all our work, building toward a greener and more equitable future." The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Chicago Chapter presents the 38th Annual Celebration of Achievement virtual conference on May 6 to honor and empower women business owners. In addition to powerful speakers who will help todays business owners stop striving and start thriving, Resilience & Reinvention will bring female entrepreneurs together to virtually converse, connect and collaborate." The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Chicago Chapter invites you to the 38th Annual Celebration of Achievement virtual conference, which will take place on May 6, 2021 to honor and empower women business owners. This years theme of Resilience & Reinvention focuses on advancing women entrepreneurs during challenging and uncertain times. The online event will attract 400+ viewers to attend educational workshops and virtual exhibit halls from the comfort and convenience of home. Topics will provide essential information for business owners to excel post-pandemic, including sessions about cybersecurity, managing a remote workforce, recruiting, wellness, marketing and much more. This full day of learning and inspiration will feature dynamic keynote speaker, Nina Vaca, CEO of Pinnacle Group. Nina is a trailblazing Latina entrepreneur and philanthropist, directing Pinnacle Group, a global leader in workforce solutions that provides multiple service lines to leaders in the telecommunications, financial, transportation and technology industries. Her story of Resilience & Reinvention over the past 20 years is enlightening, inspiring and very relatable in todays business environment. In addition to the keynote address by Vaca and the six workshops, Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut-Chocolat will take guests on a unique chocolate tasting experience while also explaining how her resilience has been instrumental in her entrepreneurial journey. In addition to powerful speakers who will help todays business owners stop striving and start thriving, Resilience & Reinvention will bring female entrepreneurs together to virtually converse, connect and collaborate. The sisterhood of NAWBO allows women business owners to support one another in a powerful way because we understand one another on a deeper level, explained NAWBO Chicago President, Elizabeth Colon who is the President and CEO of Metaphrasis Language & Cultural Solutions. The public is invited to attend the online conference. Dont delay. Visit http://www.nawbochicago.org for more information. WHAT: 38th Annual NAWBO Chicago Celebration of Achievement Conference WHERE: Online WHEN: Thursday, May 6, 2021 9 am to 6 pm COST: Member - $125.00 Non-Member - $150.00 10-Ticket Bundle - $1,250.00 Exhibitor Table - $500.00 Supporting Sponsor - $1,000.00 Chocolate Tasting Ticket - $55.00/$65.00 HONOREES: Woman Business Owner of the Year: Kimberly D. Moore, KDM Engineering Entrepreneurial Impact: Kenya Merritt, City of Chicago Entrepreneurial Impact: Lotika Pai, Womens Business Development Center Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz, JJR Marketing Member of the Year: Sue Harrawood, Peace of Mind Virtual Assistance, Inc. Corporate Woman of Achievement: Betsy Allen, Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd. Alicia Driskill, EvolveHer, Powered by AllBright, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Margaret Griffin, SomerCor Sylwia Grochowska, COUNTRY Financial Nadine Johnson, First Midwest Bank Shelley Peterson-Bourland, BMO Harris Bank Lindsay Swift, Yakkety Yak Melissa Widen, First Womens Bank WHY: NAWBO celebrates the courageous founders who joined to remove obstacles and create opportunities for other women entrepreneurs across the country. Today, NAWBO boasts 5,000 members and 60 chapters nationwide. It is the only member organization representing women entrepreneurs in all sectors, sizes and stages of their business development. With 400 members, the Chicago Area Chapter is one of the largest NAWBO groups in the country. For more information, visit http://www.nawbochicago.org WHO: Founded in 1975, NAWBO is the unified voice of America's more than 10 million women-owned businesses representing the fastest growing segment of the economy. NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries. NAWBO develops programs that help navigate women entrepreneurs through the various stages of their business growth. For more information about NAWBO Chicago, visit http://www.nawbochicago.org ### Developers behind plans for 50m greenhouse project in Wrexham appeal against refusal of proposals Developers behind plans worth 50m to build two large greenhouses in Wrexham have launched an appeal over the refusal of the proposals. Brighton-based Low Carbon Farming submitted an application in August last year to install two 7.6 hectare commercial greenhouses near Marchwiel. The company said the scheme would deliver 150 jobs and supply 40 per cent of the tomatoes consumed in Wales. The firm later hit out at delays by Wrexham Council in deciding on the plans, which it said meant it had missed out on UK Government tariffs. Planning officers announced they had denied permission for the project at the end of October because of concerns over the scale of the development, as well as the impact on traffic and local wildlife. The company has now lodged an appeal to have the decision overturned after highlighting the economic benefits of the scheme, which would be located next to Dwr Cymrus Five Fords waste water treatment works. In an appeal statement sent to the Planning Inspectorate, agents acting on behalf of Low Carbon Farming said: Planning policy recognises that there is a need for modern farm buildings such as that proposed and that farming practices need to change and grow. Support for innovative agri-tech proposals is provided through Future Wales and the proposals would contribute towards the circular economy having a productive and enterprising linkage with the adjacent waste water treatment works. Economic benefits weigh heavily in favour of the proposals with 150 new direct jobs being created in the clean and green economy at a time of mass redundancies in the local economy. Accordingly, whilst it is accepted that the site lies outside of settlement limits, it is considered that the principle of development is sound when considered against the development plan and other material considerations including national planning policy guidance. If the appeal is successful, the greenhouses would be used to capture both heat and carbon emissions from the Dwr Cymru facility. The intention is to then use the waste products to grow significant quantities of low carbon fresh produce at the site. Two similar developments by the company are already being constructed in East Anglia. The planning agents added: It has been demonstrated that the proposals can be technically delivered without any undue flood risk or biodiversity impacts and any landscape harm has been demonstrated as being of very limited and falling far short outweighing the benefits the proposals provide. It is therefore respectfully requested that full planning permission is granted, subject to conditions and a planning obligation. The appeal will be decided by an inspector appointed by the Welsh Government at a later date. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - If you're out and about on Monday evening, a coffee, treat, or meal could do a little bit of good. Federal Coffee and Fine Foods in downtown Terre Haute will host a 'Dine to Donate event. The owners will give 15 percent of their sales to Down Syndrome of Indiana. The group offers information and resources on Down Syndrome. A customer suggested doing this fundraiser, and the owners jumped at the opportunity. You have until 8:00 pm to help the cause. You'll find Federal Coffee at 7th and Wabash. German business groups file complaint over Apple privacy settings FILE PHOTO: The Apple logo is seen at an Apple Store, as Apple's new 5G iPhone 12 went on sale in Brooklyn, New York BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's media, internet and advertising industries on Monday filed an antitrust complaint against Apple Inc, alleging that new iPhone privacy settings represent a market abuse and a violation of competition law. The filing, to the German Federal Cartel Office, came as Apple was due to roll out a new transparency framework that would require users to opt in to being tracked for the purpose of advertising. "As a result of these one-sided measures, Apple is effectively shutting out all competitors from processing commercially relevant data in its ecosystem," several business associations said in a joint statement. The plaintiffs filing the complaint included Germany's main newspaper publishing lobby group and its advertising federation. Apple rejected their arguments, saying the new privacy framework to be contained in its iOS 14 software strongly upheld personal privacy, which it described as a human right, and the European Union's privacy laws. "A users data belongs to them and they should get to decide whether to share their data and with whom," Apple said in a statement. "With iOS 14, were giving users the choice whether or not they want to allow apps to track them by linking their information with data from third parties for the purpose of advertising, or sharing their information with data brokers." The Federal Cartel Office confirmed receipt of the complaint, first reported by the Financial Times, and said it would be examined. A similar complaint was rejected last month by the French competition regulator. (Reporting by Matthias Inverardi and Klaus Lauer, Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Bill Berkrot) A new guideline for reporting research results has been developed to improve reproducibility, replication, and transparency in life sciences. The new Research Materials, Design, Analysis and Reporting (MDAR) Framework will harmonise the recording of outcomes across several major journals, its developers say. Existing guidelines address specific parts of biomedical research, such as ARRIVE - which relates to animal research - and CONSORT, associated with clinical trial reporting. The MDAR Framework - developed by a team from the University of Edinburgh, the Centre for Open Science and six major journal publishers - complements these by establishing basic minimum reporting requirements and best practice recommendations. The Framework is outlined in a new publication in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. Experimentation with various guidelines has resulted in a fragmented landscape, which, even though it has improved reporting, has increased the burden on authors' and editors' time. According to the team, the flexibility of the Framework provides an opportunity for harmonization across journal publishing, making it easier for authors to know what is expected when submitting a manuscript and improve portability between journals. This flexibility will also make it simpler for publishers to adopt. They will be able to select sections of the Framework that are most appropriate to the scope of specific journals. The Framework includes an optional checklist for authors, editors or reviewers and explanatory documents to aid implementation. The checklist was piloted on 289 manuscripts submitted to 13 different journals. Feedback from authors, editors and external experts was then used to improve the Framework. The team hope that the Framework will also be helpful for other organizations, such as funders who can indicate reporting expectations to their grantees when studies are first designed. Professor Malcolm Macleod, Academic Lead for Research Improvement and Research Integrity, University of Edinburgh, said: "Improving research is challenging - it requires ongoing effort, adapting to the changing demands and circumstances of the time. No single intervention will be sufficient, but we hope that the MDAR framework can contribute to the range of initiatives which support improvement." The six publishers that worked on the Framework include Science/AAAS, eLife, Cell/Elsevier, PLOS, Springer Nature and Wiley. The full set of MDAR resources is available in a Collection on the Open Science Framework. It will be maintained and updated as a community resource. Veronique Kiermer, Chief Scientific Officer at PLOS, said: "As more journals adopt similar reporting guidelines, they collectively raise the bar and make it easier for authors to know what's expected. In time, as research and reporting practices change, we hope that journals will continue to evolve their guidance to authors, moving from minimum requirement towards best practice." Sowmya Swaminathan, Head of Editorial Policy and Research Integrity, Nature Portfolio, Springer Nature, said: "Through my work across multiple journals, I have learned that improving publication quality is a complex task, with each journal presenting its own set of challenges. The MDAR framework can be applied broadly and flexibly so that journals can choose a level of implementation appropriate to their needs. The MDAR framework can be applied broadly and flexibly so that journals can choose a level of implementation appropriate to their needs." David Mellor, Director of Policy from the Center for Open Science, said: "This framework will add clarity for researchers, readers, and journals in order to lower barriers to replicating empirical findings. We at COS are happy to steward MDAR so that it can remain a viable practice for the foreseeable future." ### Abu Dhabi: The External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday (April 26) morning thanked UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for expressing solidarity with India, amid unprecedented surge in deadly COVID-19 infections. Taking to his official Twitter handle, the External Affairs Minister wrote, Appreciated the call yesterday from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressing his solidarity with India. As always, deeply value good wishes and international cooperation. Appreciated the call yesterday from HH Sheikh @ABZayed, FM of UAE expressing his solidarity with India. As always, deeply value good wishes and international cooperation. Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 26, 2021 The UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Sunday (April 25) affirmed his confidence in the ability of India to overcome the challenging circumstances triggered by the resurgence in COVID-19 infections. He also reiterated that India has UAE's full support in these challenging health situations it is reeling under. Meanwhile, on Sunday, India registered 3,49,691 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the caseload to over 1.69 crore. The death toll and total recoveries now stand at 1,92,311 and 1,40,85,110, respectively, and the active count has mounted to 26,82,751. Live TV Burma Myanmar Activists, Observers Slam ASEAN for Failing to Hold Junta to Account -- ASEAN leaders met on April 24 in the Indonesian capital Jakarta to discuss the political situation in Myanmar following the military coup. The leaders expressed their views on the current situation in Myanmar, and coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was also given a chance to tell his side of the story for around half an hour. A five-point consensus was reached on ending violence, facilitating a constructive dialogue between all parties, a special ASEAN envoy to facilitate the dialogue, acceptance of aid and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar. ASEAN leaders reportedly proposed the release of all political detainees. However, the five-point statement did not mention political prisoners and people in Myanmar have responded by expressing their dissatisfaction. The Irrawaddy asked politicians, analysts and activists about their views on ASEANs stance on the Myanmar crisis. U Aung Myo Min Executive Director, Equality Myanmar I knew that ASEAN would release a statement like this. They talked only about their demands. But Myanmars military didnt give any promises. Considering the policy of ASEAN, the statement is an improvement in that goes beyond their policy of non-interference in the affairs of its members. But it is still a long way from implementing anything. The statement doesnt criticize or condemn the human rights violations and arrests. We can say their stance is too soft. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have called for the release of all detainees. I dont know why they didnt ask for that in the statement. ASEAN has called for a visit by the special envoy to Myanmar to be allowed to facilitate dialogue. This is what they always do and it has never been successful. It is just wasting time and delivers no result. Its a weakness that has existed for a long time. The United Nations has an independent investigative mechanism, fact-finding mission and a special envoy on Myanmar. But even they cant intervene. It seems like ASEAN is dreaming by appointing another envoy. ASEAN itself doesnt have a firm stance on Myanmar. The leaders of some ASEAN countries didnt even attend the summit. There are different views within ASEAN. They have different stances on the Myanmar crisis. Given those circumstances, it is unlikely that ASEAN will be able to handle the Myanmar crisis. U Bo Kyi Assistance Association for Political Prisoners I appreciate the efforts of ASEAN, but there is a question about for whom they are making those efforts. There were no important demands for the Myanmar people in the statement. And there is no timeframe for implementing the demands made. It amounts to buying time for Myanmar military. That is not a good sign for the Myanmar people. The release of political prisoners was not mentioned in the statement. So the demands only serve the military. If they are making demands in the interests of the Myanmar people, they should have demanded the release of all political prisoners including [State Counselor] Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint. And a timeframe must be set for their release. ASEAN must say what further action it will take if their demands are not met. The meeting was not a fruitful meeting for the Myanmar people or for democracy. It is quite frustrating. Speaking to the ASEAN Community, it is not just about harmony among the leaders of ASEAN. If the people of a member country are being oppressed, the people and leaders of other member countries have a responsibility to protect them. That is enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. U Kyaw Swar Tun Former Diplomat at the Myanmar Embassy, Washington On the surface, ASEAN has stepped in. But, in reality, ASEAN did not say a word about being sorry for the civilian deaths in Myanmar, and civilian deaths are unacceptable. Nor did they call for the release of those who have been unfairly arrested. They merely called for an end to violence. That ASEAN says they would like their envoy to visit Myanmar and facilitate negotiations breaches ASEANs non-interference policy. And when it comes to humanitarian aid, it would be better if any aid is delivered through non-governmental organizations. But the military regime will not accept that. As ASEAN is not the United Nations (UN), their negotiations and decisions will have been influenced by China. If Myanmar accepts their decisions, the countrys image will be tarnished to the lowest level and it will not be able to compete with countries in the region. In summary, the consensus reached at the summit is not the one Myanmars people aspire to. U Than Soe Naing Political Analyst As usual, ASEAN released a vague statement. We can say it is an improvement compared to statements in the past. But about its call for ending violence, it didnt state clearly who is committing violence against who. Again, although the statement says ASEAN will facilitate a dialogue among all parties, it didnt mention the release of political prisoners. How can Myanmars problems be solved without that? The statement also said nothing about the [2020] general election. But it says ASEAN will facilitate negotiations. How? So, the general consensus of ASEAN is the same old story of delaying rather than acting. ASEAN will continue to delay in the future. U Khin Maung Myint Legal advisor Although the actions of ASEAN and its latest statement appear to be helpful diplomatically, they are in fact impractical decisions given the current political situation in Myanmar. Without effective intervention from ASEAN or the UN, there is the potential for the situation to develop into a civil war. While Myanmar is faced with that risk, it is impractical to make decisions on diplomatic grounds without properly judging the situation based on reliable information. ASEANs decisions do not square with the current domestic political situation or the political wishes of Myanmars people. Myanmar needs strong intervention either from ASEAN or the UN that can immediately impact upon the two opposing forces in Myanmar. In other words, measures are needed to stop the imminent risk of a serious civil war. For that to happen, the most important thing is for all the detainees, including the political leaders, to be released. Only then can the negotiations proposed by the international community and ASEAN take place. U Aung Thu Nyein Director, Institute for Strategy and Policy ASEAN has described itself as a caring society. The coup in Myanmar has become a threat to the vision and influence of the whole bloc. Singapore has even said that the Myanmar crisis could become a regional crisis. Thats one of the reasons ASEAN held a special summit on Myanmar. ASEAN will take its usual approach. It will not pressure [the military regime] or intervene as we had hoped. But the military regime cant stand alone. There is no more absolute power. Their power is limited. One way or another, we will be able to reach our goal. U Yee Mon Defense Minister of the civilian National Unity Government What is sad about the ASEAN statement is that it didnt mention that the military council seized power from the democratically-elected government. It didnt demand the release of people unfairly detained, including the leaders of the elected government. It also failed to condemn Myanmars military for killing over 700 people. The National Unity Government will stand by Myanmars people. The people of Myanmar will not be excited by ASEANs statement. Myanmars people must decide the path they want to take. You may also like these stories: Aseans Next Move in Myanmar ASEAN Leaders Urge Myanmar Coup Chief to End Violence, Allow Special Envoy, Aid Regional Myanmar Protest Leader Appears in Court on Widely Derided Murder Charge BASEL, Switzerland, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The lifetime risk of breast cancer is 1/7, the most common female cancer. While curable in 70-80% of patients, treatment (including surgery, radio- and chemotherapy) often leave women physically and psychologically impaired. Breast reconstruction plays an invaluable role in recovery, increasing patients' self-esteem and quality of life. The European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery; the umbrella organisation of European national societies which has over 7,000 members; published the results of a ground-breaking survey about breast reconstruction across the Continent. The findings highlight a clear need for an international, evidence-based standard for best practice. The study - completed over two months by representatives of 29 countries - addressed: Structure/Access of Care; Immediate/Delayed Procedures; Symmetrizing; Radiation Therapy and Guidelines. According to ESPRAS President Rado Zic; "The aim was to survey the current trends and regional differences in the delivery of breast reconstruction, to initiate policy development and identify areas requiring research - ultimately resulting in evidence-based guidelines leading to a more equitable provision across Europe." Key findings: Incidence of reconstruction after mastectomy is generally low across Europe , and controversy still exists regarding the most appropriate techniques , and controversy still exists regarding the most appropriate techniques Plastic surgeons are involved early on in the mastectomy process only in a minority of countries. Reconstruction was also performed by other specialties, e.g., gynaecologists In most countries, preventative mastectomy is offered to high risk patients Rates of procedures to make both breasts symmetric were high, although 1/5 were not offered this option Responses varied greatly regarding the optimal timing for reconstruction in irradiated patients (immediate or delayed). There was a clear lack of evidence regarding this topic Only 45% of respondents reported the existence of national guidelines. Official recommendations regarding techniques were available in only 32% Almost all respondents would value European guidelines and requirements for best practice. There was great interest in multi-center studies and the launch of2 a task force Rado Zic concludes; "This study identifies a lack of coherence in international practice and strong demand for European guidance. What is clear is that there is a need for plastic surgeons to be included in the decision-making from the start of the process, as our profession has the broadest oncological and reconstructive expertise to achieve a uniquely tailored outcome for women who have suffered with breast cancer." Countries participating include: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak is retreating from his plan to introduce legislation that would have allowed tech companies to form local governments within the state. Per The Nevada Independent, the governor now instead plans to create a bipartisan committee made up of state Senate and Assembly members to study the idea. At the end of 2021, the group will present recommendations to Sisolak, with one possible outcome being that they suggest he abandon the proposal. "Innovation Zones is a bold proposal for our State that deserves additional attention and discussion and not under the pressure of less than 40 remaining days in the current legislative session," Governor Sisolak said in a statement. "I know that legislators, stakeholders and Nevadans still have questions, and I want those questions to be discussed and answered. I want people to be enthusiastic about this opportunity, not skeptical about a fast-tracked bill." Governor Sisolak first floated the idea during one of his State of the State addresses earlier in the year. He positioned Innovation Zones as a way for Nevada to attract tech businesses without the need for measures like corporate tax breaks. Draft legislation obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal laid out a system where companies in verticals like cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and renewables would have had the option to form local governments with the same powers and responsibilities as counties. That means those companies would have had to do things like collect taxes and operate school systems. While Governor Sisolak never introduced a formal bill, the proposal was contentious right from the beginning. In addition to concerns from tribal communities and environmental groups, there were questions about the organizations supporting the idea, particularly around a company called Blockchains LLC. According to The Nevada Independent, the firm had both run TV ads in favor of the proposal and lobbied the government. It had also contributed $10,000 to Sisolak's 2018 election campaign and $50,000 to a PAC affiliated with the governor in 2019. She's expected to welcome her first child with boyfriend Tommy Mallet next month. And Georgia Kousoulou marked her upcoming arrival by hosting a baby shower during filming for The Only Way Is Essex in the county on Saturday. The pregnant reality star, 29, looked radiant as she cradled her baby bump in a clingy blue dress, alongside her co-stars newly-single Demi Sims and Amy Childs. Oh baby! Georgia Kousoulou marked her upcoming arrival by hosting a baby shower during filming for The Only Way Is Essex in the county on Saturday Cutting a chic figure, the influencer, who is having a boy, teamed her clingy ensemble with a matching maxi cardigan. The media personality opted for comfort in the footwear department as she sported white trainers while posing alongside a baby shower calligraphy sign by Boards By Jess, as well as props by Boho and Bloom Prop Hire With her tresses worn in curls and a braid, Georgia complemented her beauty with matte make-up. Chloe Sims' younger sister Demi, 24 - who recently split from girlfriend Francesca Farago - nailed edgy chic in a quilted leather jacket, green-panelled black trousers with a slash across her thighs, and platform trainers. In good company: The pregnant reality star, 29, was joined by her co-stars newly-single Demi Sims (L) and Amy Childs (R) Beaming: The mother-of-one looked radiant as she cradled her baby bump in a clingy blue dress Watch her glow: Cutting a chic figure, the influencer, who is having a boy, teamed her clingy ensemble with a matching maxi cardigan Cosy: The media personality opted for comfort in the footwear department as she sported white trainers while posing alongside a baby shower calligraphy sign by Boards By Jess Effortlessly cool: Chloe Sims' younger sister Demi, 24, nailed edgy chic in a quilted leather jacket, green-panelled black trousers with a slash across her thighs, and platform trainers The make-up artist carried her essentials in a designer lime handbag, and accessorised with a quirky beret. OG castmember Amy, 30, rocked a bright yellow shirt dress, white sandalled heels and a Louis Vuitton bag. Earlier this month, Georgia revealed she was 'very emotional' after filming her final scenes for The Only Way Is Essex before she gives birth. The TV star took to Instagram in her pyjamas to update her followers about her role in the show after she becomes a mother. Glamorous: The group were joined by Frankie Sims, who stunned in smart co-ords in front of props by Boho and Bloom Prop Hire Pop of colour: OG castmember Amy, 30, rocked a bright yellow shirt dress, white sandalled heels and a Louis Vuitton bag Cheers! The Events Management graduate held onto a glass of champagne as she posed for the cameras Commanding attention: Model Chloe, 38, wrapped up in a fluffy cream coat, a leopard print blouse, jeans and cowboy-inspired boots She shared that she would likely have to take a step back from being a full-time cast member on TOWIE, saying it was the 'end of an era'. The blonde said: 'I've finished filming TOWIE. It's all happening now, it all feels very real. I'm not going to lie, it was a very emotional day for me. 'I know I'm not leaving for good, but it is going to be different. Life as I know it is changing. 'I don't think I'm going to be a full-time cast member anymore that is just carefree, does what she wants, films when she wants. 'I'm going to have a little bubba to add into the equation. It has been amazing, but next chapter, end of an era.' The reality star reassured viewers that it wouldn't be the end of her time on the show as she continued: 'Don't worry TOWIE fans, I will be back with the baby. I'm excited - who knows what it's going to bring or what's going to happen. Suave: Bobby Norris looked effortlessly cool in a ribbed T-shirt and denim jeans Having fun: The presenter joined his close friend Saffron Lempriere, who coordinated in a blue outfit Yummy! The group were treated to a candyfloss machine However, she concluded: 'It's like, I think I'm ready. I'm transitioning, I'm gonna be a mum. I feel like I've just realised that just before my due date. Not just a dog mum, a mum.' Georgia has recently been celebrating her beau's achievement of being featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list of most influential entrepreneurs. Tommy shared a screenshot from Forbes website on his social media and wrote: 'Honoured to be chosen for the Forbes 30 under 30 list!! FORBES LIST YOU KNOW Thank you, Forbes.' The mum-to-be congratulated her partner on his success, saying on his Instagram post: 'How lucky is our baby, he has you teaching him and showing him the world.' On the 'Gag Order' on the NTF-ELCAC's Spokespersons More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/04/26/on-the-gag-order-on-the-ntf-elcacs-spokespersons/ The issue goes beyond the attacks issued by Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. on the organizers of community pantries as well as against the members of the Senate. A temporary 'gag order' is thus not the appropriate response. In the first place, as an active member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Parlade "cannot be appointed or designated in any capacity to a civilian position in the Government," according to Art. XVI, Sec. 5, Paragraph 4 of no less than the 1987 Constitution. That said, the AFP/DND should have heeded the call of the Senate to immediately recall him back to the AFP more than a month ago. He should be censured for dabbling in politics instead of just focusing on his inherent mission as commanding general of the Southern Luzon Command - that is, to fight threats such as terrorism and insurgency. Meanwhile, as far as Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy is concerned, her political statements are her and the NTF-ELCAC's responsibility to the Filipino people. The 2021 Academy Awards were hit with an unexpected medical emergency on Sunday night, when a guest was rushed to hospital. Pictures from the socially distanced red carpet showed one attendee being taken away by medics on a stretcher before being drive away in an ambulance. It came as this year's Academy Awards saw the introduction of stringent new measures to ensure guests could be kept safe during the Covid pandemic, with much of the ceremony taking place at Los Angeles' Union Station. What's going on? The 2021 Academy Awards were hit with an unexpected medical emergency on Sunday night, when a guest was rushed to hospital with a suspected broken leg Images from the red carpet showed a male guest being taken away on a stretcher, with staff loading him into an ambulance to be drive to hospital. The attendee, whose identity is unknown, appeared to have his foot strapped up, with onlookers saying he'd suffered a broken leg. MailOnline has contacted representatives for the Academy Awards for comment. Drama: Pictures from the socially distanced red carpet showed one attendee being taken away by medics on a stretcher before being drive away in an ambulance Medical woes: Images from the red carpet showed a male guest being taken away on a stretcher, with staff loading him into an ambulance to be drive to hospital Questions: The attendee, whose identity is unknown, appeared to have his foot strapped up, with onlookers saying he'd suffered a broken leg The 93rd Academy Awards marked the first time Tinseltown's finest assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh described as being 'like a movie.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where socially distanced movie stars went mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. An official spokesperson called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritising the public health and safety of all those who will participate.' Unusual: It was a moment of unexpected drama during the red carpet, which has seen the introduction of stringent new measures due to the Covid pandemic New rules: Guests were ordered to wear masks and maintain their distance throughout the awards, with the ceremony also relocated to Los Angeles' Union Station Comparatively the Dolby Theatre, where the glitzy event is usually held, can only seat around 3,300 people which would have created difficulties in putting on an award show amid the pandemic. But in the spacious station, believed to be large enough to accommodate social distancing requirements with its soaring main hall featuring windows that are 40-feet high, stars have more room to mingle and manoevre. Sticking to a 'No Zoom' policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organizers introduced a 'British hub' for UK actors who were unable to make it in person, as well as another rumoured 'surprise location.' What a moment: Nomadland triumphed as the drama earned Best Picture in addition to a historic win for Frances McDormand as Best Actress at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles During a year that saw movie theatres closed due to the pandemic, there were eight new films that did manage to impress Academy voters enough to be in contention for Hollywood's biggest award, the Oscar for Best Picture (last year there were nine nominees in the category.) The award show broke tradition as Best Picture was not announced last, instead given out before the Leading Actor and Actress prizes, and was awarded to the hot favourite Nomadland. Frances McDormand scored the win for Best Actoress over Viola Davis for Ma Raineys Black Bottom, Andra Day for The United States vs Billie Holiday, Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman, and Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman. Chloe Zhao also triumphed with a win for Best Director, while Anthony Hopkins was awarded Best Actor in a shocking upset, beating out the late Chadwick Boseman who had been tipped by many for the coveted prize. Advertisement While audiences watched a host of stars collect their coveted prizes and put on memorable performances at the 93rd Academy Awards, there was also plenty of action going on away from the glare of TV cameras. Backstage at the show, which this year was held at Downtown Los Angeles' Union Station amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a host of celebrities were seen letting their hair down in candid fashion as they stepped offstage. Reese Witherspoon was seen beaming broadly as she posed for a series of selfies before a large cabinet of shiny golden Oscar statuettes, after presenting one of the awards on the night. Snap decision: Reese Witherspoon posed for a series of candid selfies backstage at the Academy Awards, held at Downtown Los Angeles' Union Station on Sunday evening While she wasn't up for an award on the night (she's had a Best Actress Oscar since 2005, darling!), the star got into the spirit of things as she celebrated the winners and nominees. Meanwhile, The Crown star Emerald Fennell appeared to be recovering from the shock of her Best Original Screenplay win for Promising Young Woman as she stood backstage clutching her statuette. Looking resplendent in a patterned green gown, the 35-year-old actress smiled as she stared off into the distance with her Oscar in hand, moments after delighting the audience with her off-the-cuff speech. Fellow British screen star Daniel Kaluuya fresh from leaving his mother in visible shock as he praised his parents for having 'had sex' showed off the Oscar envelope which showed him as a winner. Winners: (L-R) Daniel Kaluuya was seen showing off his prize-winning envelope, while Emerald Fennell clutched her statuette Snapshot: Fresh of his win, British actor Daniel was seen posing up a storm with (L-R) Yuh-Jung Youn and Frances McDormand Celebratory: The trio of Oscar winners were clearly in a celebratory mood as they chatted and Frances and Daniel hugged Dressed to impress: Frances was resplendent in a black gown while Yuh-Jung wowed in a flattering midnight blue number The 32-year-old actor, who scooped the Best Actor in a Supporting Role prize for his widely lauded efforts in Judas and the Black Messiah, donned a black double-breasted suit as he held the envelope aloft. Elsewhere, Angela Bassett was seen laughing raucously during a catch-up with friends, while Yuh-Jung Youn embraced Steven Yeun backstage after winning the Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role for Minari. All of the activity backstage stood in stark contrast to the broadcast, which showed the celebrities in attendance (mostly) on their best behaviour as they vied for top prizes on a notably unusual night. Nomadland triumphed as the drama earned Best Picture in addition to a historic win for Frances McDormand as Best Actress at perhaps the most bizarre Oscars ever, which was virtually mask free amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Chat: (L-R) Vanessa Kirby and Amanda Seyfried were seen deep in conversation as they crossed paths during the ceremony Masks: It made for an usual sight to see a masked Emerald chatting away with a masked Carey Mulligan as they sat backstage Legendary: Daniel was congratulated by legendary screen star Rita Moreno, who holds the distinction of holding EGOT status, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award Big moment: After posing with his Oscar for photographers, Daniel watched keenly as his coveted statuette was engraved Esteemed: The words of encouragement came rolling in, with esteemed actress Angela Bassett also greeting the Londoner Social butterfly: Doing the social rounds as she attended the prestigious event, Angela also chatted with actress Viola Davis McDormand, 63, howled as the Chloe Zhao directed film won Best Picture and before she won the top honour for an actress for the third time, at the event held at the iconic Union Station. The cry - which mimicked a wolf - was meaningful as it was a tribute to Michael Wolf Snyder who was the sound mixer for Nomadland and tragically died by suicide at the age or 35 last month. Earlier in the night, Emerald Fennell took home the first Oscar of the night in the Best Original Screenplay category. The 35-year-old actress, writer, and director was honoured for her work in Promising Young Woman as she was also nominated for Best Director. Fennell faced stiff competition including: Judas and the Black Messiah's Shaka King and Will Berson, Minari's Lee Isaac Chung, Sound of Metal's Darius Marder and Abraham Marder, and The Trial of the Chicago 7's Aaron Sorkin. Backstage: Hollywood actress was seen watching some of the telecast backstage before stepping out before the audience Maintaining the look: After dazzling on the red carpet, Halle Berry was seen getting her makeup touched up by a professional Dapper gent: Harrison Ford, who presented at the show, stepped out in dapper style as he entered the historic train station Hollywood heartthrob: With strict COVID protocols forcing participants to rotate in and out of the large venue, Brad Pitt was seen waiting to make his entrance. He was seen donning a face mask as he patiently waited Hugs: Yuh-Jung Youn embraced Steven Yeun backstage after winning the Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role for Minari Proud: Scott Fisher proudly posed with the Oscar for Visual Effects, after Tenet took home the top prize in the category She began her acceptance speech by saying: 'Oh, my gosh. Oh, they said write a speech. 'And I didn't, because I just didn't think this would ever happen. I'm going to be in trouble with Steven Soderbergh. I'm so sorry. I don't want him to be cross with me. Oh, my god, he's so heavy and so cold.' The event marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh has described as being 'like a movie.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars went mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Built in 1939, the national historic landmark and its main terminal is 161,000 square feet, creating plenty of room for theatrics on Hollywoods biggest night. Friendly chat: Stars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern were seen embracing as they chatted outside the sprawling venue Hitting all of the right notes: (L-R) H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, and Tiara Thomas marvelled at their Oscars for Best Original Song Joyous moment: The trio struggled to contain their joy as they were feted by friends backstage amid their victorious moment All smiles: Tiara, who served as a writer on the track Fight for You for the film Judas and the Black Messiah grinned broadly Good times: Mikkel E. G. Nielsen was guided backstage after scooping an Academy Award for Film Editing (Sound Of Metal) Emotional moment: (L-R) Mia Neal and Sergio Lopez-Rivera shared an emotional moment backstage after scooping the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Ma Raineys Black Bottom) Victorious: (L-R) Carlos CortAs, Michelle Couttolenc, Jaime Baksht and Phillip Bladh proudly posed with their statuettes Pouring their Soul into it: Pete Docter and Dana Murray posed backstage with the Oscar for Animated Feature Film (Soul) During normal times, when COVID restrictions haven't crimped travel, more than 100,000 people a day walk through its halls. Comparatively the Dolby Theatre, where the glitzy event is usually held, can only seat around 3,300 people which would have created difficulties in putting on an award show amid the pandemic. But in the spacious station, believed to be large enough to accommodate social distancing requirements with its soaring main hall featuring windows that are 40-feet high, stars have more room to mingle and manoeuvre Sticking to a 'No Zoom' policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organisers also hosted a 'British hub' for UK actors who are unable to make it in person. An official spokesperson had previously called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritising the public health and safety of all those who will participate.' Lady in red: Angela Bassett, 62, looked sensational as she ingled in a red dress with dramatic shoulders and a thigh-high slit Best director: Filmmaker Chloe Zhao was seen posing with her Oscar backstage after scooping the top prize for Nomadland Embracing the moment: Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free celebrated backstage after taking home the Oscar for Live Action Short (Two Distant Strangers) Elegant aesthetics: Thanks to the train station's elegant aesthetics, the glamorous ceremony still enjoyed an upscale feel Distance: The vastness of the venue allowed attendees to successful remain social distant during the glamorous ceremony Statuettes: A special cabinet containing the Oscar statuettes sat backstage, ahead of being handed out to the nights winners A 40-year-old man has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of assault after allegedly infecting 22 people with coronavirus. The man who has not been named by the police as yet has been reported to have gone to his office and gym despite having a temperature of over 40C or 104F. According to a BBC report, the man had been exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms for a number of days and had even taken a PCR test, however, he had still refused to abandon going out. In a statement released Saturday, Spanish law enforcers emphasized that the man was a regular at work and gym while awaiting the results of the COVID-19 test. Additionally, he is said to have walked around his place of work in Majorca, pulling his mask down, coughing and telling colleagues he was going to infect them. It was when his test came positive, that his colleagues raised an alarm and approached police, which has already been probing into the allegations since January. 22 test positive In the aftermath, five of his colleagues and three of his gym mates have tested positive for coronavirus. Another 14 members of the mans family, which also includes three one-year-olds, have contracted the deadly infection. However, the police said none of the infected people have shown serious distress and all were being treated effectively. The COVID-19 pandemic which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late December in 2019 has now spiralled to kill over 3.1 million people across the globe. A total of 147,194,897 have been infected with the US and India bearing the maximum brunt of the accidentally created disease. As per Johns Hopkins University, a total of 17,313,163 people have contracted the infection while 195,123 people have succumbed to the virus. Spain's government is optimistically sticking to its pledge to vaccinate 70% of its adult population by the end of the summer despite the latest setback to Europe's vaccinations effort. According to Associated Press, the country was expecting to receive 300,000 doses of Janssen last week but Johnson & Johnson has delayed delivery of its vaccine to European countries following the decision by the US Food and Drug Administration to pause the shots for possible links to very rare blood clots. Image: Pixabay/Unsplash/Fusion_Medical_Animation Authorities used the schools closed circuit TV to check the area where the parent found the powder. The parent said they located it around 4:30 p.m. on April 15. Police checked the video and at 4:12 p.m., saw the parent walking up the parking lot and then pick up something where they said they found the bag. gettyimagesbank Kazakhstan on Monday rolled out its homegrown coronavirus vaccine, with the Central Asian country's health minister receiving the jab on live television. QazCovid-in, also known as QazVac, is a two-shot vaccine that is currently in third stage trials. The state broadcaster Khabar said that 50,000 doses of the vaccine developed by the state-backed Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems have been distributed across the vast oil-rich country. Health Minister Alexei Tsoi told Khabar that he felt "well" after receiving his shot and said the government was negotiating with partners in Turkey to produce future batches of the vaccine. Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam AstraZeneca Vietnam has won the Great Contribution to Healthcare award by the British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam, presented by British Ambassador Gareth Ward. Could you tell us more about the impact the company has made in Vietnams healthcare sector? As a British-Swedish company, AstraZeneca Vietnam was honoured to receive this award, which is of great encouragement to our passion for advancing healthcare throughout our 27 years in Vietnam. Our aim is to support the Vietnamese government and Ministry of Health (MoH) to address the double burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and infectious diseases, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19 in the past year. Notably, our innovative, high-quality medicines are improving the lives of nearly 3 million Vietnamese patients struggling with NCDs each year, spread across all provinces. As part of our $220 million investment into Vietnam from 2020-2024, $25 million is dedicated to advancing research and development, and clinical trials, with more than 245 research sites. During the pandemic, 30 million doses of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine supplied through the bilateral agreement will help provide protection from this deadly virus for millions of people in Vietnam. In response to the damaging impact of COVID-19 on global health systems, we are partnering with the World Economic Forum, London School of Economics, and Vietnams Ministry of Health to strengthen Vietnams health system sustainability and resilience through the PHSSR initiative. Our community investment programmes are also making a big impact on Vietnams overall quality of health, with our Healthy Lung Programme and Young Health Programme having respectively benefited more than 215,000 patients living with respiratory diseases, and 146,000 youths and their communities. In addition, thanks to our solar power system donations in the Green Energy for Health programme, five local health facilities in Ha Tinh and Quang Nam are now significantly reducing their CO2 emissions and enjoying stable electricity that is critical for emergency services and surgeries. Vietnam and other countries worldwide are pinning high hopes on COVID-19 vaccines, including the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab. Could you share some updates about the rollout of your vaccine? This is a very timely question as today was World Immunization Week. AstraZeneca is committed to providing broad and equitable access to our COVID-19 vaccine, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, at no profit during the pandemic period. The vaccine has been granted a conditional marketing authorisation or emergency use approval in nearly 80 countries across six continents, and has also received Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization (WHO). It has been given to almost 200 million people around the world who can now begin to return to a truly new normal life. The WHO and European Medicines Agency have reaffirmed that the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 and the benefits of taking the vaccine outweigh the risks of potential side effects. Based on the data so far from clinical trials in up to 60,000 participants and real world evidence from tens of millions of people, our vaccine is well tolerated and highly effective against COVID-19 across all disease severities with consistent efficacy across all demographics and in particular all adult age groups. What are AstraZenecas plans to ensure supply of the vaccine for more countries, thus enabling them to fast-track the drive to reopen normally again? We truly believe that no-one is safe until everyone is safe. Although challenges are inevitable as we deal with a catastrophic, evolving pandemic, scientists, healthcare professionals, and the pharmaceutical industry are working around the clock and implementing new ways of working to accelerate vaccine production and reduce the time to reach communities, whilst maintaining the highest standards of quality. To produce a high volume at pace, we have built more than a dozen parallel regional supply chains and are collaborating with more than 20 partners across over 15 countries. To date, more than 900,000 doses of our vaccine have been delivered to Vietnam and its heartening to see that every day, thousands more Vietnamese people are getting the vaccine. Millions more doses are expected to arrive in the coming months, and we hope they will contribute to Vietnams efforts to protect public health, reopen borders and accelerate economic recovery. Vietnam is one of more than 100 countries that has received our COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX as part of our commitment to provide a vaccine made for the world, regardless of income level. We are thankful for the guidance, support, and collaboration from the Vietnamese government, the MoH, UNICEF, the WHO, Vietnam Vaccine JSC, and other partners that will allow us to deliver our vaccine and other life-changing medicines to Vietnamese people in the safest and fastest way possible. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks were little changed in cautious trade on Monday as a firmer pound weighed on heavyweight export-oriented companies. The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 2 points at 6,936 after ending on a flat note Friday. Consumer goods company Unilever, beverage company Diageo and tobacco firm British American Tobacco all fell over 1 percent as the pound strengthened on optimism about the economic outlook. Miners gained ground, with Antofagasta climbing 1.6 percent and Glencore adding 0.7 percent after copper prices hit their highest in over 10 years. Rolls Royce Holding shares soared 4.5 percent after the aerospace company said it was in constructive talks with Spain over the sale of its Spanish unit ITP Aero. Engineering firm IMI surged 7.7 percent after lifting its full-year earnings guidance. Travel-related stocks such as EasyJet and International Airlines Group jumped around 4 percent on hopes of a revival in travel demand. 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. [April 26, 2021] eToro offers exposure to crypto market with new stocks portfolio LONDON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eToro, the world's leading social investment network, today launches BitcoinWorldWide, a thematic portfolio based on the companies in the value chain behind bitcoin. While it includes some exposure to bitcoin itself, the portfolio's core focus is the companies operating to support further adoption. "As it crosses into mainstream awareness, bitcoin is increasingly in the spotlight" says Dani Brinker, eToro's Head of Portfolio Investments. "New all-time highs might make headlines, but the most significant change surrounding the world's largest crypto is not its price, but the companies building the value chain around it. From mining operations to chip manufacturers and those delivering services to support usage, payments, exchanges and custody, there's more to bitcoin than you might think." Released in 2009, bitcoin currently boasts a market capitalisation in excess of $1 trillion. Throughout the last decade, the first and most famous crypto has gone through multiple stages of adoption from unfamiliar tech to a household name attracting institutional investment and media headlines. Last year marked another milestone, with payments companies including Square and PayPal announcing plans to support bitcoin payments, setting the groundwork for millions around the world to easily transact in bitcoi. Now, only 12 years after its founding, you can pay with bitcoin in HomeDepot, buy a Tesla, grab a Whopper or KFC (in some countries), buy games in the Xbox Store and pay your AT&T phone bill. The portfolio includes companies such as Paypal, chip manufacturer Nvidia, mining hardware producer Canaan and newly public crypto exchange, Coinbase, as well as a bitcoin allocation. eToro considers bitcoin's value chain to include companies operating in the mining, semiconductor, payments, exchange, custodianship and insurance spaces, as well as the asset itself. It intentionally excluded organisations that are bullish on bitcoin but lack business units related to its activity. For example, MicroStrategy, will not feature in the portfolio as its treasury holdings are its only connection to bitcoin. "Our aim is to provide retail investors with an easy way to get exposure to companies that deliver a service or product essential to the further adoption of bitcoin," explains Dani Brinker. "It is a broader approach to bitcoin investing that offers a diversified investment, uncorrelated with the bitcoin itself, but maintains exposure to the growth potential of the crypto sector." BitcoinWorldWide is one of over forty thematic CopyPortfolios available on the social investment platform. eToro users can invest in BitcoinWorldWide from as little as $1,000 with no management fees. Other costs, including spread and conversion fees (for those not depositing in USD), do still apply. Notes to editors Click here for more information on BitcoinWorldWide . About eToro eToro is a multi-asset investment platform that empowers people to grow their knowledge and wealth as part of a global community of successful investors. eToro was founded in 2007 with the vision of opening up the global markets so that everyone can trade and invest in a simple and transparent way. Today, eToro is a global community of more than 20 million registered users who share their investment strategies; and anyone can follow the approaches of those who have been the most successful. Due to the simplicity of the platform users can easily buy, hold and sell assets, monitor their portfolio in real time, and transact whenever they want. Disclaimer: Cryptoasset investing is unregulated in some EU countries and the UK. No consumer protection. Your capital is at risk. CopyPortfolios is a portfolio management product, provided by eToro (Europe) Ltd., which is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. CopyPortfolios should not be considered as exchange traded funds, nor as hedge funds. Logo- http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/520426/eToro_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Floyd verdict: 'Systemic racism' not guilty By Mark Alexander "After viewing the video of Mr. Floyd's death , I didn't need to see any additional body-camera recordings to determine his death was negligent. He was handcuffed, there were three other officers present, and additional officers were on the way. Though Floyd was taken down after resisting arrest and becoming belligerent, once on the ground he appeared compliant , posed little further threat to the officers or bystanders, and indicated he was distressed and having trouble breathing ." No, that wasn't "expert witness" testimony in the trial of Officer Derek Chauvin , who was found guilty last Tuesday on second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd . Instead, it was the assessment of a former law enforcement officer two weeks after Floyd's death on 25 May, after reviewing the video of Chauvin keeping Floyd pinned face down to the ground. That former law enforcement officer was me. I wrote that as a lead-in to a comprehensive essay disabusing readers of a rapidly metastasizing lie the Left's latest collective race-hustling rally cry of " systemic racism ." I don't accept anything propagated by the Leftmedia at face value, and, having spent my early career as a uniformed police officer, I certainly do not accept the media's hyped "analysis" regarding interracial police-involved shootings. But in this case, I did not need to see anything further to know that Officer Chauvin's negligent use of a police tactic was, at best, a contributing factor in Floyd's death. According to the jury verdict, Chauvin's actions caused Floyd's death. Yes, Floyd was an ex-con with a violent criminal history. Yes, he was a habitual drug offender who at the time appeared to be under the influence. Yes, he was a powerfully built 6-foot 5-inch, 225-pound 46-year-old who towered over Chauvin's 5-foot-9 inch, 140-pound frame. But once subdued, Floyd's size and demeanor were no longer a primary factor, and they in no sense justified the negligent use of a police tactic. Neither Floyd's size nor his possible intoxication justify the officer's actions. Yes, Floyd's autopsy led Dr. Andrew Baker, the medical examiner, to conclude his blood contained a "fatal level of fentanyl," which, combined with other drugs and congestive heart failure, caused Floyd's lungs to fill with fluid which is why he could not breathe. And the autopsy memorandum also "revealed no physical evidence suggesting that Mr. Floyd died of asphyxiation." But again, once subdued, Chauvin should have turned Floyd on his side while waiting on paramedics. Fact is, Floyd may have died on the scene regardless of whether he was being held on the ground or in the patrol car, but we will never know. Whether this case goes to appeal or not, we will see, but it is highly questionable whether this verdict represented justice for Floyd or Chauvin or whether the jury's verdict can be trusted . Recall that as jury selection was underway, the city all but conceded the officer's guilt by cutting a check to Floyd's family for a historic $27 million civil settlement . And this case is evocative of mob cases (as in mafia mob cases), in which the jurors are made to know how they had better vote or else. In this trial, their ultimatum was: convict the cop, or face the riotous mobs. That notwithstanding, the judge did not sequester jurors the weekend prior to deliberation, when the death of another black man in Minneapolis was spawning mob riots. Even high-profile race-bait hustler Rep. Maxine Waters showed up to stir up the mob, and as a result was roundly rebuked by the Chauvin case judge, Peter Cahill. But he still did not sequester the jury. However, what should be made clear about the verdict is this: The negligent actions of a white police officer, convicted for the death of a black suspect, do not affirm the Left's fallacious constituent-appeasing assertion of "systemic racism." Our nation is a racist dystopia . In fact, the prosecution in the Chauvin case did not focus on race. But "systemic racism" is now the Left's diversionary catch-all claim for any perceived racial disparity in our system of justice. The claim has its roots in the Zimmerman/Martin race-bait hoax in 2013 and accelerated after the 2014 Michael Brown " hands up, don't shoot " hoax in Ferguson, Missouri. After Donald Trump's election , Democrats put their " division and hate political strategy " in high gear. The Charlottesville riot was the launchpad for the Demos' riotous hate surrogates, the Marxist so-called " Black Lives Matter " radicals and the " antifa movement " of self-styled "anti-fascist" fascists. But as soon as the Floyd video went public, race-bait hustlers Joe Biden and Kamala Harris , and their legislative branch parrots, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi , knew they could place their "systemic racism" bet on this case. "Hands Up, Don't Shoot!" morphed into "I Can't Breathe!" Before the jury had returned Tuesday, Biden declared, "I'm praying the [Derek Chauvin] verdict is the right verdict, which is it's overwhelming, in my view." Indeed, he was praying, as the Democrats' "systemic racism" constituent recruitment program depended on a guilty verdict. After the verdict, Biden addressed the nation, asserting : "The systemic racism is a stain on our nation's soul. ... Such a verdict is also much too rare. For so many people it seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors. ... In order to deliver real change and reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that a tragedy like this will ever happen to occur again. ... And this takes acknowledging and confronting head on systemic racism and the racial disparities that exist in policing and in our criminal justice system more broadly." Biden is spinning the BIG lie that the Chauvin conviction affirms, beyond a reasonable doubt, that "systemic racism" infests our criminal justice system from top to bottom. But this case was about individual justice, not the Left's assertion of collective or systemic justice. Biden's deliberate mischaracterization of this case is very deliberate but it was a conviction of one individual for negligently causing the death of another individual, and nothing more. Biden's lie also affirms that all his constituent participation in all the election-year burn-loot-murder riots were justified and their actions vindicated. For her part, Harris declared , "A measure of justice isn't the same as equal justice. ... We still must reform the system. ... America has a long history of systemic racism. Black Americans and black men in particular have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human." The fact is, "Black Americans and black men in particular" in fact, all black people have been treated "as less than human." For generations, they have been systemically enslaved on the Democrat Party's disgraceful urban poverty plantations , indisputably the direct result of Democrat social policies . But Democrats invoke " systemic racism " and " racist cops " as smoke-and-mirror diversions to keep their constituents "victimized" and their sympathetic base for those victims growing. So, what's next? Biden and Harris are using the Floyd case as an inflection point to promote their phony " police reform " agenda, asserting America has a police problem . And to that end, here is a much-needed reality check on cops and crime... The fact is, based on the findings of the nation's leading researcher on crime, Manhattan Institute fellow Heather Mac Donald , there is no epidemic of police killing black people. According to Mac Donald's exhaustive research : "The Washington Post's database of fatal police shootings showed 14 unarmed Black victims and 25 unarmed white victims in 2019. The number of unarmed Black shooting victims is down 63% from 2015, when the database began. There are about 7,300 Black homicide victims a year. The 14 unarmed victims in fatal police shootings would comprise only 0.2% of that total. Ideally, officers would never take anyone's life in the course of their duties. But given the number of arrests they make each year (around 10 million) and the number of deadly-weapons attacks on officers (an average of 27 per day in just two-thirds of the nation's police departments)," there is no evidence of an epidemic of racist police shootings. That is confirmed by a National Academy of Sciences study that found no such racial link. As Mac Donald concludes: "It turns out that white officers are no more likely than black or Hispanic officers to shoot black civilians. It is a racial group's rate of violent crime that determines police shootings, not the race of the officer. In fact, if there is a bias in police shootings after crime rates are taken into account, it is against white civilians, the study found." The Wall Street Journal's Jason Riley notes : "Police shootings have fallen precipitously since the 1970s. ... Empirical studies have found no racial bias in police use of deadly force, and that the racial disparities that do exist stem from racial differences in criminal behavior. The problem isn't a shortage of data but a race-based narrative that is immune to any data that challenge it." Indeed, as Mac Donald notes, "The anti-cop narrative deflects attention away from solving the real criminal-justice problem, which is high rates of black-on-black victimization." According to the latest data, "Nationally, African Americans between the ages of 10 and 34 die from homicide at 13 times the rate of white Americans." Further, the interracial crime disparity has been thoroughly documented. According to the latest Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of criminal victimization , Mac Donald notes: "There were 593,598 interracial violent victimizations ... between blacks and whites last year, including white-on-black and black-on-white attacks. Blacks committed 537,204 of those interracial felonies, or 90 percent, and whites committed 56,394 of them, or less than 10 percent." This disparity is perhaps better understood by considering that black Americans represent just 13% of our population but perpetrate 90% of violent interracial crimes. Equally alarming is the fact that, in the latest available data , where victim race was known, there were 4,884 white people murdered and 6,318 black people murdered and black-on-black assault is much more prevalent than white-on-white. The suspect in 88% of black murders is also black. This gross racial disparity in criminal assailants is not a new issue, as made clear by a 2015 Harvard study on black-on-black violence . In that study, former Democrat New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg noted: "Ninety percent of all people killed in our city and 90 percent of all those who commit the murders and other violent crimes are black and Hispanic. It is shameful that so many elected officials and editorial writers have been largely silent on these facts." Of course, leftists never let "facts" get in the way of their agenda. And a final quote exemplifying the sheer absurdity of the Democrats' faux "justice" agenda: After the Floyd case verdict, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared , "Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice." Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Fighting between forces of Yemen's internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels continued in the provinces of Marib and Taiz, killing at least 70 fighters on both sides. The increase in violence came over the past 24 hours and at least 85 others were wounded, military officials from the two sides said. The Iranian-backed rebels in February renewed their offensive on the oil-rich province of Marib, an anti-Houthi stronghold held by the government. But they have not made substantial progress amid fierce resistance and heavy losses, mostly the result of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition countering the advance. The attack on Marib stirred up violence in other areas, including government-held Tazi province, which is besieged by the Houthis. Clashes also took place in the province of Hajjah and the port city of Hodeida. The officials said at least 42 fighters were killed in Marib and 28 in Taiz. Most of the dead were rebel fighters, they said. The military officials from both sides spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media. The Houthi offensive on Marib has threatened to worsen the already severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The province is sheltering about a million Yemenis who have fled Houthi offensives elsewhere in the country. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa by the Houthis. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the exiled Hadi has been fighting the rebels since March 2015. The war in Yemen has spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical shortages. It has killed some 130,000 people, including fighters and civilians, according to a database project that tracks the violence. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) New details have emerged about Zac Efron's shock split from his Australian girlfriend Vanessa Valladares. Last week it was reported that the Hollywood hunk, 33, had abruptly ended their 10-month romance after discovering Vanessa, 25, was 'set to star in Netflix's controversial new reality show Byron Baes'. And US Weekly has now claimed Zac had actually been thinking about dumping Vanessa for some time, as their relationship had become a burden on his intense filming schedule. 'Zac is about to start a busy year of filming and wanted to make a clean break now': Zac Efron, 33, (left) reportedly dumped his Australian girlfriend Vanessa Valladares, 25, (right) because their intense relationship was becoming a burden on his intense work schedule 'Zac is about to start a busy year of filming and wanted to make a clean break now,' an insider told the publication on Friday. The High School Musical star is preparing to fly to Canada to film Stephen King's Firestarter for two months, and is reportedly feeling 'relieved' to be a single agent ahead of production. 'Zac is secretly relieved about this turn of events as he feels she would be a distraction to him during the filming of the intense drama,' the insider explains. 'Zac is secretly relieved': The High School Musical star is preparing to fly to Canada to film Stephen King's Firestarter for two months, and is reportedly feeling 'relieved' to be a single agent ahead of production The source also claimed that Zac's friends believed he was 'getting in too deep and spending too much time' with Vanessa, before their whirlwind romance eventually fizzled out. Further, a source told PEOPLE magazine on Friday that Zac dumped Vanessa because 'it just didn't feel right to him anymore' and is now focussing on several upcoming projects. 'He is happy, healthy and enjoying life,' they added. Whirlwind romance: The source also claimed that Zac's friends believed he was 'getting in too deep and spending too much time' with Vanessa, before their whirlwind romance eventually fizzled out Zac, who is currently in Australia filming filming his show Down to Earth with Zac Efron, met Vanessa in July 2020 while she was waiting tables at Byron Bay's General Store & Cafe. It's understood that he has since ended the brief relationship, sending Vanessa back to Byron Bay in April after seeing media reports that she was set to star in the forthcoming Netflix influencer reality series, Byron Baes. Furious residents in the celebrity-packed Australian town of Byron Bay have lashed out against the reality show amid fears will damage their beachside paradise. Finished: Last week it was revealed that Zac sent Vanessa back to Byron Bay in April after seeing media reports that she was set to star in the forthcoming Netflix influencer reality series, Byron Baes A source close to the star told Daily Mail Australia the couple have not only '100 per cent split' but revealed the 'final nail in the coffin' that led to him calling things off was sparked by her potential involvement in the show. 'He's a very good person who wanted a genuine, normal, down-to-earth partner,' an insider said. 'Zac sent her home from the set [Down to Earth with Zac Efron] last week. There still may have been a chance. Not happy: Furious residents in the celebrity-packed Australian town of Byron Bay have lashed out against the Netflix reality show amid fears will damage their beachside paradise 'I'm sure the final nail in the coffin was him seeing the story of her being possibly on Byron Baes and the claims that he was helping her get on it.' The source also claimed that Zac doesn't read media reports about him so was 'very hurt' when a friend showed him the story, adding: 'He is an absolutely down to earth person, not fancy, quite humble.' The reality show, set to be called 'Byron Baes', plans to follow the lives of social media influencers on the trendy town's beaches. Protest: Around 100 surfers paddled to sea on Tuesday to form a cancel symbol off the coast of the New South Wales state town in the hope that Netflix will can the 'Byron Baes' series Mayor Simon Richardson warned the town's opposition to the show was strong and 'you'd be struggling to find one person' who supported the plan, in an interview with ABC. Richardson said the 'vacuous, fake show' could damage the town's reputation and bring 'not just sensitivity challenges for us, but also economic challenges'. Locals have branded the concept 'tacky and trashy'. With its spectacular surfing beaches, the town of 9,000 people - in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales - has become a major draw for the rich and famous in recent years. Cancelled: 'I'm sure the final nail in the coffin was him seeing the story of her being possibly on Byron Baes and the claims that he was helping her get on it' a source claimed Acting couple Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky have built a mansion in the area while the likes of Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman are among international celebrities who have spent time in the area. Thousands have already signed a petition campaigning for authorities to cancel filming permits and some local businesses have refused producers permission to film at their venues. In a statement announcing the show on April 7, the streaming giant said the 'docu-soap' would follow Instagrammers without the filter of social media, promising 'fights, flings and heartbreak'. 'He doesn't look at the media': A source close to the star claimed he was left hurt by the recent claims According to Emerald City, Love Island Australia star Elias Chigros and plus-size model Jessica Vander Leahy are set to star on the upcoming series. The revelations of the Netflix show blow up comes after Australian radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands - who is good friends with Zac - confirmed the news on KIIS FM on Wednesday morning. Kyle confirmed the split 'wasn't just a rumour', saying: 'I can also confirm after speaking with him yesterday.' Pals: Kyle Sandilands confirmed the news of their break-up on live radio on Wednesday, after speaking to the Hollywood actor on the phone Kyle told his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson that he had phoned the actor to speak about the upcoming Netflix show, Byron Baes. There had been rumours published in Woman's Day that Zac was trying to get Vanessa on the influencer-focused 'docu-soap', that Kyle refused to believe. When he asked his pal about the rumours, Zac admitted that he and Vanessa were no longer together. Local: Zac has been in Australia for over a year, with a base in the New South Wales town of Byron Bay Kyle said their split was 'recent' but not 'yesterday recent', and that there was 'no drama' in their break-up. 'It's confirmed by Kyle,' Jackie concluded, as Kyle claimed Zac was simply getting back into the swing of work and their busy lives weren't in sync. Kyle and Zac have been friends for years, with the Australian personality even attending his 33rd birthday celebrations in Byron Bay back in October. Turkey's support for Ukraine is a strong signal, since this country is a NATO partner in the Black Sea region, MP of the Holos faction Rustem Umerov has said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "The issue of Ukraine's security, its territorial integrity and sovereignty is statist; therefore, support from Turkey is already a strong signal, since this state is a NATO partner in the Black Sea region. Therefore, for Russia it is quite a 'minus,' that is, they perceive it as a diplomatic victory of Ukraine," the parliamentarian said. At the same time, he said that Ukraine should study "other steps and countermeasures that Russia will take." " " (From left) Ackee, haggis, gooseberries and horse meat are just some of the foods forbidden in the U.S. Philip Dumas/John Craske/Laszlo Podor/Dougal Waters/Getty Images/HowStuffWorks There are foods enjoyed around the world that U.S. considers so risky that they're outright banned there. Some of these pose the risk of foodborne illness while others bring agricultural pests into the country. The process of determining which foods are safe is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), depending on the type of food in question. Here's a list of eight foods that are generally illegal in the U.S. Some of them are only banned in certain states. Advertisement 1. Horse Meat No one stateside is noshing on horse meat unless they're doing so illegally. This is because Mr. Ed and his equine buddies must be inspected for human consumption under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. However, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is not allowed to fund the inspection of horse slaughter for human consumption, since 2006 anyway, according to a representative at the FSIS. Since they can't inspect it, the slaughter can't happen. The ban on slaughtering horses for meat "has become an annual fight" in Congress, according to USA Today. There is bipartisan support for banning it permanently, something the Humane Society of the United States supports but the American Veterinary Medical Association does not. 2. Haggis OK, so haggis per se isn't banned, but one of the primary ingredients of the authentic dish is. That ingredient is animal lungs. Haggis, the national dish of Scotland, is traditionally made with a sheep stomach used as a sack to contain all the other ingredients (including chopped-up lungs). The FSIS isn't trying to be party poopers, however, the lung ban is for consumer protection. This is because gastrointestinal fluids can make their way into the lungs of an animal during the slaughtering process, leading to an increased risk of foodborne illness, according to an FSIS representative. So, many in the U.S. make haggis with ingredients like ground lamb and organ meats from other animals like beef kidneys or chicken livers. 3. Gooseberries This ban mainly applies to people in the Northeastern section of the country these days, a big relief to fans of sweet, sweet gooseberry jam. Maine, Delaware, New Hampshire and a handful of other states maintain the ban on the gooseberry and its cousin black currant because some species aid and abet a tree-killing disease known as white pine blister rust. Since the Northeast is pretty fond of its white pines, it's not hard to see why residents would want to minimize the risk. 4. Mechanically Separated (MS) Beef "Appetizing" as it sounds, you can't find mechanically separated beef in the U.S. because it could contain the agent Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, which you know better as "mad cow disease." MS beef is a paste-like meat product made when edible meat still attached to bones is forced through a sieve under high pressure. This separates the bone from the meat tissue, but the process was deemed unsafe in 2004 by the FSIS. The mad cow risk isn't limited to MS beef, however. Other cattle parts are also prohibited for human food, including cow brains, skulls, eyes, spinal cords, tonsils and various other bits. So, the next time you're in the U.S. and have a hankering for cow tonsils, you're out of luck. Advertisement 5. Sassafras It's fun to say, but it's dangerous to eat! Sassafras contains oils that are now-known carcinogens, although they were once used for flavoring all sorts of dishes, foods and beverages, including root beer, and even for treating eye inflammation. Because of the cancer connection, sassafras was prohibited for human consumption in 1960 in the U.S. by the FDA and remains taboo today. So, if great-grandma suggests some sassafras tea to cure what ails you, you know what to say. 6. Foie Gras The thought of foie gras (French for "fat liver") makes a lot of people's mouths water until they find out how it's produced. Ducks or geese are force-fed massive amounts of food through a tube until their livers swell to at least eight times the normal size. Foie gras has been banned in California since 2012, due to the way it's made. Now, other areas are hopping on board, but not without resistance from the foie gras industry, which argues that the ducks don't feel discomfort. New York City enacted a foie gras ban that goes into effect in 2022, and other cities and states may well follow suit. 7. Unpasteurized Milk Pasteurization is a process that heats milk hot enough to kill nasty, illness-causing bacteria (such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria). You know, bacteria that cause really bad stuff like listeriosis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, typhoid fever and other diseases. But some people prefer to drink their milk raw, which has caused many states to make it illegal to sell milk or other dairy products that haven't been properly pasteurized. Other states only allow raw milk sales on farms, but not at retail stores. 8. Fresh Ackee Here's a fruit you're not going to find at the farmers market. Ackee is native to West Africa and found in other tropical areas like Jamaica (where it is part of the national dish), but it can only be consumed in canned or frozen form in the U.S. This is because the red-skinned, vitamin-rich, pear-shaped fruit, produces a toxin called hypoglycin, when picked before it is fully ripened. This can cause dangerous drops in blood sugar and vomiting. In severe cases, it can even cause death. Now That's Unfortunate The purchase and sale of shark fins are next on the chopping block, if animal rights activists have anything to say about. Fins, which are acquired when cut right off the body of a live shark (which is then dumped back in the water to die), are considered an Asian delicacy, especially in soups. Many U.S. states have banned the practice of finning, but it is still legal to buy and sell fins. The 24 Cuban engineers the South African government has imported to help fix the countrys water crisis are not allowed to carry out engineering work unless their qualifications are thoroughly assessed and approved, or they are supervised by a registered engineer. This is according to the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the countrys official body mandated by the Engineering Profession Act (EPA) to accredit engineering programmes, register persons as professionals in specified categories, and regulate the practice of such professionals. ECSA was responding to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu welcoming the arrival of the engineers last week. The engineers were brought in to assist on a project to restore water infrastructure as part of a 2014 bilateral agreement between South Africa and Cuba. The highly-qualified Cuban specialists will assist as advisors at provincial and local levels across the country, sharing their vast skills in the areas of mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering, as well as project management, the department stated. The department told News24 the project would cost approximately R65 million in the current financial year. Regulatory issues ECSA CEO Sipho Madonsela said there are regulatory issues which prevent the government from using the Cuban engineers to carry out work on water infrastructure. South Africa through ECSA is a member and signatory of three International Engineering Alliance (IEA) Accords namely the Sydney, Dublin, and Washington Accords that govern the recognition of engineering educational qualifications and professional competence. Being a member of the IEA places ECSA and South Africa on par with its international counterparts in terms of the quality assurance of engineering education, registration, and professional practice, Madonsela stated. For this reason, the recognition of engineers from Cuba or any other country was not automatic. As Cuba is not a member of the IEA or a signatory of any of the agreements, its engineering qualifications were not officially recognised in South Africa. Madonsela said the Cuban engineers therefore had to first apply for professional registration with ECSA before they could perform engineering work on South Africas infrastructure. This would require that the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) evaluate the engineers qualifications according to the academic standards of the NQF Act. The council conducts education evaluation according to Policy E-17-P in order to determine if the application is substantially equivalent to BSc/BEng base qualifications according to ECSA qualification standards, Madonsela said. The ECSA assessment is technical in respect of the engineering components and to determine if the Cuban graduates are competent and eligible for registration, he said. Madonsela added while the EPA does not make ECSA registration mandatory in South Africa, failure to do so significantly limits the amount of work a person can carry out. Being a non-registered person limits the scope of engineering work because in the absence of ECSA registration an engineer cannot sign off on engineering projects and designs, as that work can only be performed by ECSA registered engineers, Madonsela stated. Furthermore, if an engineer is not registered they have to work under the supervision of a professionally-registered engineer across all professional categories Pr Eng, Pr Tech Eng, Pr Techni Enge and Pr Cert Eng, Madonsela added. Backlash Political parties and labour organisations have in recent days slammed the governments decision to obtain help from Cuba at the expense of local talent. Labour union Solidarity has sent the department a list of 120 South African engineers who it said were qualified, competent, and willing to help fix the countrys water infrastructure. Solidarity CEO Dirk Hermann said there was simply no excuse for the government not to use South Africas own resources. The union said it was unjustified to import foreign workers in the midst of an unemployment crisis, with South Africas official unemployment rate at almost 33%. It is a shame that the government itself does not take the presidents call earlier this year to support local employees and businesses seriously, Hermann stated. If the minister was truly unable to find local workers who wanted to do the work, then she did not search very hard. Thus, we will bring the engineers to her. Many commentators have also criticised the government for choosing professionals from Cuba in particular a country which itself is reportedly struggling to meet the water needs of its own citizens. A report from the New York Times claimed that Cuba was in a constant battle to supply clean water, with a vast array of workers including inspectors, fumigators, truck drivers, and pipe layers required to coordinate every day to bring clean water to Cubans. For much of the population, running water is available only sporadically in some cases, for one or two hours a day, every few days, the report stated. Sisulu has defended the decision, however, claiming that the Cubans had helped solve similar water problems in their country. She has maintained that no South African civil engineers were willing to work in rural areas for three years. However, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) last month said that no one from the government had approached it for assistance on addressing the water crisis. According to an investigative report from Netwerk24 journalist Jana Marx, there are currently around 1,000 unemployed civil engineers in the country. It was a bitterly cold January afternoon and rain was pinging sideways off the windows when John Stott emerged from his study. It was teatime, and a large pot was brewing on the small counter of the kitchenette of The Hermitage, Uncle Johns cozy living quarters in one of the old farm buildings at the Hookses, his rural retreat in Wales. Oh JY, John said to me, wearily, rubbing his temples, I have a terrible case of PIM. His acronym stood for pain in the mind. It was his way of describing what it felt like to wrestle over a difficult writing project or a seemingly intractable problem, and it was a phrase I knew well after 18 months working as Johns study assistant. Between 1977 and 2007, 14 young menmostly Americansserved Uncle John (as we called him) in this capacity. Our work was as wide-ranging as Johns own life, which was delightfully multifaceted. During my years as his study assistant, I completed research for several books; ran errands; and served as bodyguard, driver, and traveling companion, in addition to cooking, cleaning, and waiting on tables. Working hand in hand with Frances Whitehead, his incomparable secretary, John referred to us as the happy triumvirate. Frances was in London on that cold January afternoon when John and I were at Hookses. John had spent the day working through revisions for a new edition of his well-known book, Issues Facing Christians Today. Apart from a short break for lunch and his regular afternoon nap, he had been at his desk since 5:30 that morning. After a 15-minute tea break, he would return to his desk until 7 p.m. No wonder he was weary. Over tea, we discussed the progress he had made that day and the state of my research on the chapter he would tackle the following day. We also indulged in shortbread cookies (which were known to be an effective treatment for PIM). As he rose to return to work, he patted down the white tufts of hair he had disturbed at his temples and said: JY, there are certain tasks which cannot be done without acute pain in the mind. They are rarely fun, but always worthwhile. As we celebrate the centenary of Johns birth this week, I have been thinking about pain in the mind. John was an undeniably brilliant communicator, known for the clarity and conciseness of his thought. But his natural gifts did not relieve him of the struggle of careful study and the strain required for understanding Gods Word and applying it in the modern world. Another favorite acronym of Johns was BBC. He took delight in explaining that this did not stand for the British Broadcasting Corporation, but rather for balanced biblical Christianity. John was not afraid of taking an unpopular stance if Scripture required it. But he never rushed into an opinion. In his quest for a balanced and biblical Christianity, he worked tirelessly to understand every perspective on a topic before coming to a carefully considered judgment rooted in Scripture. In an age of sound bites and Twitter feeds, many Christian leaders are so busy trying to keep up with current events that few of us take time to stop, to study, and to struggle for the sake of teaching Gods people. All too often, we take a side and stick to it without the discipline of listening or questioning our instincts. The thin veneer of our discipleship is showing cracks as a result. In this complex and constantly changing world, we do not need more commentary. We need more pain in the mind. John was willing to endure this pain, not just in the quiet of his study, but also in the company of others. He understood that the work of preaching and teaching requires the steadfast suffering of careful thinking. Article continues below *** The living room in the small home outside of Nairobi, Kenya, was crowded with an eclectic assortment of people. An archbishop, an ornithologist, a seminary professor, young students, and a few old friends had gathered for morning coffee and conversation with Uncle John. For most of the morning, John was peppered with questions on topics ranging from bird watching to biblical interpretation. Throughout the ebb and flow, however, John engaged each person individually, drawing them out and getting to know those he was meeting for the first time. The study assistants job during these gatherings was to listen, learn every name, and take careful notes. That evening, before bed, John and I met in his room to review the day and to pray. We went over my notes from that morning, making a careful list of books that he had promised to send, a letter of reference he had agreed to write, a question he needed to ponder for a friend, and a pair of specialty pliers (used in banding birds) that he had volunteered to track down in England and ship to Kenya. During that three-week trip to East Africa, there were countless gatherings like this, many of which resulted in personal commitments from John. After a late-night return to London a week afterwards, John was up early the next morning dictating. When Frances arrived at the office, she had 15 letters to type, and I had a long list of books to package and specialty items to shop for. Those bird-banding pliers took me all over London. John was a shy and emotionally guarded Englishman, but he was extremely generous in friendship. He had a special concern for the under-resourced and under-privileged, and an abiding affection for young Christians. He would engage in a months-long correspondence with an undergraduate from Burundi just as quickly as he would with the archbishop of Kenya. And he would persist in these friendships over the years, delighting as they spilled over to the next generation. Such was the story of my own relationship with John, whom I first came to know when I was a young boy and he a frequent visiting preacher at my fathers church. Johns capacity for leadership was extraordinary. The impact of his work is felt around the world today and will continue to be felt for many decades to come. His influence, however, extends far beyond the institutions he founded and the movements that he shaped. It is seen most powerfully in the relationships he fostered. During this long season of isolation and separation caused by the pandemic, I have often thought of Uncle Johns capacity for personal relationships and his unstinting commitment to all kinds of people regardless of social, cultural, or racial barriers. By virtue of his generosity and steadfastness in friendship, he created a thick community around himself of astonishingly different people rooted in the grace of Christ. Its a marvelous image of what the church can be for a world plagued by division and indifference. *** The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students conference in Marburg, Germany, drew students from every corner of Europe and the former Soviet Union. John was the principal Bible teacher for the four-day gathering, speaking each morning for nearly an hour, with simultaneous translation offered through headphones in over a dozen different languages. The translators were all volunteers, students with little experience who had courageously stepped forward to help. Recognizing what a challenge it would be for them to translate on the fly, John volunteered to meet with these students each afternoon in order to go over his talk for the following day. These afternoon sessions became the highlight of the week for students and teacher. The eager translators asked for definitions and clarification, laughing often at Johns idiomatic English and occasionally indecipherable upper-class accent. John marveled at their energy and dedication and happily wore himself out making sure they were just as prepared as he was. When he spoke each morning, he slowed his cadence and paused after difficult sentences, allowing time for his new disciples to catch up. Article continues below Every evening, the other principal speaker, a noted evangelist, inspired the large crowd of students with amazing stories and incredible energy. English speakers were transfixed. The translators, however, were left behind and wrung dry, leaving non-English-speakers confused and playing catch-up. The talks were a tour de force understood by less than half of those in attendance. While many leaders are known for their egos, John is rightly remembered for his humility. One of the hallmarks of that humility was his deep sensitivity to the needs of others and his tireless commitment to caring for those needs. Undistracted by concern for himself, he had the mental and emotional energy to attend to those around him. While some leaders search for glimpses of themselves in the eyes of others, John looked into others eyes as windows instead of mirrors, seeking to catch sight of their hearts and minds. On the final morning of that Easter conference, John insisted that the young translators come out of their soundproof booths and join him on stage in order to be thanked by their peers. It was the loudest cheer of the week, during which John slipped quietly out of the spotlight. On this centenary of his birth, I pray that God would give the church more leaders like John Stott: leaders who understand the value of pain in the mind, who are generous in personal friendship, and who are humble enough not just to share the spotlight but to step out of its warm glow entirely in order to pass on the legacy of godly leadership to the next generation. John Yates is the rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He served as John Stotts study assistant from 1996 to 1999. CT offers a special collection of articles by and about John Stott. Xi says ideals, convictions key to success of Chinese revolution Xinhua) 10:37, April 26, 2021 Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a memorial hall in a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, in Caiwan, a town in Quanzhou County in the city of Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) NANNING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the secret to the success of the Chinese revolution lies in ideals and convictions. Xi made the remarks on Sunday when he visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s in the city of Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He presented a flower basket in homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle and visited a memorial hall in the park to pay his respect to revolutionary martyrs. Xi said that Xiangjiang battle is a heroic battle of the Long March and an important historical event that determined the "life-or-death" of the Chinese revolution. Red Army soldiers stayed fearless in the face of death, with strong ideals and convictions, he said. The secret to the success of the Chinese revolution is that "the revolutionary ideals soar above the clouds," and the soldiers stayed firm in the most difficult times, so as to continuously achieve miraculous victories, Xi said. "We should have such beliefs in achieving the second centenary goal and realizing national rejuvenation," Xi said. "In the face of even greater difficulty, think about the Long March and the Xiangjiang battle." (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) The Indochina Kajima joint venture will be assisted by VietinBanks know-how in financial services and more With an investment commitment of $1 billion in Vietnam, Indochina Kajima aims to develop a portfolio of resorts, urban hotels, residential areas, offices, and industrial projects. It is committed to creating innovative real estate, enriching the communities in which it operates. The companys first statement in Vietnam is Wink Hotels a chic, fun, vibrant hotel brand born in Vietnam for Vietnam with a pipeline of over 20 hotels across the nation. Indochina Kajima last month celebrated the opening of Wink Hotel Saigon Centre in District 1, which was followed by a groundbreaking ceremony for a luxury resort project in Bai Nom, in the central province of Phu Yen. The company is also looking to develop industrial and logistics real estate in major markets such as Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Bac Ninh, Danang, Vinh Phuc, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong. This partnership aims to strengthen cooperation at a higher level between Indochina Kajima and VietinBank in activities including financial services, banking services, branding, and communications, said VietinBank CEO Tran Minh Binh Both companies will leverage advantages and strengths to support one another in our business expansion and development, in compliance with the laws. Indochina Capital CEO Peter Ryder added, Indochina Kajima has a clear strategy that addresses the current and future demands of the market while maintaining unwavering commitment to architectural excellence, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility. We believe all our developments are more than just a building or a brand, but all part of a lifestyle movement, changing the way people travel, work and live. We are proud to have VietinBank join us as a strategic partner in this transformational journey. VietinBank is a leading commercial bank in Vietnam in terms of total assets and accounting for nearly 12 per cent of lending market share, with stable capital and a solid customer base. VietinBank has maintained its position as a key commercial bank, a major contributor to the development of Vietnams banking industry, and to the socioeconomic development of the nation. VietinBank has been a partner to Indochina Kajima in various projects and the bank will be providing banking and financial services to Indochina Kajimas future projects in Haiphong, Hanoi, and Phu Yen, among others Indochina Capital, founded in 1999, is one of Vietnams leading real estate advisory, investment, and development companies with a portfolio of iconic landmarks including the Four Seasons the Nam Hai, Six Senses Con Dao, Hyatt Regency Danang, Indochina Plaza Hanoi, and Indochina Riverside Towers Danang. Founded back in 1840, Kajima Corporation is one of Japans top contractors and real estate developers with a global footprint including some of the worlds most iconic properties, such as the Four Seasons Hualalai in Hawaii, Saint Endreol Resort in France, and Senayan Square in Jakarta. Indochina Capital first entered into a joint venture with Kajima Corporation in 2016. to launch real estate development platform Indochina Kajima. The venture is fully committed to creating innovative real estate developments that build value for partners, clients, and investors, while providing fulfilling opportunities for employees and enriching the communities in which it operates. In the near future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine will announce the expulsion of the Russian diplomat from the territory of Ukraine on the principle of reciprocity, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko has said. "Such a decision only confirms the course chosen by the Russian Federation for further escalation with Ukraine. The response of our state to this provocation will not be slow. In the near future, the Foreign Ministry will announce the expulsion of the Russian diplomat from the territory of Ukraine on the principle of reciprocity," Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday. He said that the expulsion of one employee of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Russian Federation is "another provocation of the Russian side against the employees of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions in Russia." "Declaring the diplomat of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow persona non grata is devoid of logic and has no grounds," the spokesperson said. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the employee of the Ukrainian Embassy in Russia has been declared persona non grata and will have to leave the country by the end of the day on April 30. The has booked group companies, including its flagship Housing Finance (IBHL), for allegedly siphoning off funds and for accounting irregularities committed by the promoters and directors of the company between 2014 and 2020. A first information report was registered by the Palghar police on April 13 under various sections of Indian Penal Code dealing with cheating, fraud and criminal conspiracy. The move comes after Palghars judicial magistrate passed an order under Section 156 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (power to direct police/agency to investigate the matter), following a complaint filed by Ashutosh Kamble, a shareholder of IBHL. In his complaint to the Palghar court, Kamble claimed that he suffered devaluation of his shares due to alleged misdealings between 2014 and 2020. He also made several allegations against the founder and promoter Sameer Gehlaut and other directors in connection with misappropriation of funds by the company. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is learnt to have reached out to the police team seeking details of the case, a senior official confirmed. When contacted, group said that since the matter is sub-judice, it cannot comment on the case. However, sources said the company had filed a petition last week seeking quashing of the proceedings in the Bombay High Court. The court is expected to hear the matter later this week. The case was sought to be quashed on two grounds, one that the Palghars magistrate did not have jurisdiction in the case and second that the complainant had fraudulently misled the court with an intent to harass and extort the company. Apart from Indiabulls group, the police report also named realty firm Chordia group, and Harish Fabiani, co-founder of Americorp Capital, among others. IBHL in its petition is learnt to have highlighted that Kamble, who had claimed to be resident of Palghar, actually resides in Mumbai, according to the record of Registrar and Transfer Agents certificate. His demat account has details of Dadar, Mumbai, as his address. Also, that he purchased 500 shares of IBHL on March 17 and moved court on April 3. The petition also said that Kamble claimed that he came to know about alleged mismanagement of the company on June 10, 2019, through a public interest litigation filed by Abhay Yadav. The company alleged that the complainant misled the court as he had not carried out even basic diligence of information widely available in public domain before relying upon the contents of Yadavs petition. The company in the petition also highlighted that Yadav had withdrawn his petition stating that the allegations and contents therein were false, frivolous and incorrect. The petition also alleged that other similar complaints and petitions filed by a gang of alleged extortionists were also withdrawn as they were false, incorrect and motivated. The company is facing similar charges in the Delhi High Court, which is hearing a PIL filed by the NGO Citizens Whistle Blower Forum, whose members include former Delhi HC chief justice A P Shah, former chief of naval staff Admiral L Ramdas (Retd), former IAS officer Aruna Roy and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan. At-Home In Pittsfield Program Now Accepting Applications PITTSFIELD, Mass. The City of Pittsfield's At-Home in Pittsfield Program has officially launched and is now accepting applications from interested homeowners in the city. At-Home in Pittsfield, an exterior renovation loan program, enables eligible homeowners to renovate the outside of their homes through a combination of funding from local lenders and the City of Pittsfield. The program is designed to assist residents who do not have access to traditional financing. Eligible repairs that can be funded through the program include roofing replacement; window and door replacement; porch repairs or replacement; chimney repairs; and siding replacement. Properties must be owner-occupied and may be single-family homes or owner occupied multi- family structure with up to two housing units. Applicants must have owned their home for at least two years prior to Jan. 21, 2021. The city is investing $500,000 towards the program, which will be managed by the Department of Community Development rehabilitation staff. Participating local lenders include BerkshireBank, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Lee Bank, and Pittsfield Co-op Bank. Homeowners that do not have a relationship with one of the participating lenders will be able to access At-Home in Pittsfield funds directly from the city. At the start of this year, the city assembled a team of qualified contractors who will work specifically on At-Home related renovation projects to ensure a streamlined process. Mayor Linda Tyer, who first announced the program in 2019, said At-Home in Pittsfield is a program that will serve as a catalyst for long-term, sustainable change in the city. "At-Home in Pittsfield has the power to transform our community house by house, block by block. We know that many in our city would like to embark on exterior renovations and other improvements, however, the unfortunate reality is that some lack the necessary financial resources," the mayor said. "This program actively works to remove those barriers, reduce the instances of deferred maintenance and widen the pathway of access. I am grateful to our lending partners for their belief, support and investment in a program that will reap benefits for all of us in the City of Pittsfield." As a Greenwich native and aspiring urban planner, I want to encourage my neighbors to explore the many reasons zoning reforms outlined in Senate Bill 1024, the legislation making its way through our state government after a 24-hour hearing last month, will benefit Greenwich and its single-family homeowners. This bill has been attacked as a state takeover of local control, but, as a Yale Law professor recently wrote an op-ed, authority over zoning is not an inherently local right in Connecticut. Just 100 years ago, our state legislature granted individual municipalities the power to make planning and zoning decisions. Rather than fixating on the issue of state vs. local authority, I urge you to instead focus on why the proposals outlined in this bill will bring a few modest changes to our town, without threatening any of what makes Greenwich great. While Greenwich has made progress, the effects of exclusionary zoning codes persist today not only here in Fairfield County, but in suburbs across the country. Regardless of how Greenwich compares to other towns across the state, we are a highly segregated town with zoning codes that continue to make it extremely difficult to expand access to affordable housing options. SB 1024 proposes modest actions Greenwich can take to remedy this. The bill standardizes inconsistent policies that have made development excessively bureaucratic and costly. This by no means implies that single-family neighborhoods in Greenwich will become urbanized. It encourages quite the opposite this bill allows our town to more easily develop in areas that are already amenable to denser housing. This includes middle housing (of just four units) around transit stations and as-of-right permission for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). According to the Connecticut Zoning Atlas, Greenwich already allows both. So whats the big deal? Both increase opportunities for those who work in town to live here, for seniors to age in place, and for young professionals to find attractive housing options near downtown and transit. All of this helps reduce sprawl, promotes walkability, and does not encroach on existing single-family neighborhoods. In terms of what projects actually get built, our local zoning commission will be able to determine height limitations and architectural standards of any new buildings. The primary change for Greenwich will be one that actually benefits single-family homeowners. In Greenwich, ADUs are only for the elderly, unless property owners deed-restrict their units to be affordable. Legalizing ADUs beyond those two narrow instances would benefit single-family homeowners because they could collect rents from people like me, a young person who would love to remain in town but cant afford a single-family home in Greenwich. The proposed legislation does not strip all the power from our local Planning & Zoning Commission. It does not eliminate single-family zoning. And, contrary to what some have said, Greenwich can still require that a certain number of units be affordable. I urge my neighbors not to instinctively oppose SB 1024 on these inaccurate, generalized grounds. The data-driven policies proposed within it are designed to efficiently bring economic and environmental resilience to a stagnated Connecticut and are backed by a broad coalition of partners, including industry experts like the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Architects. This bill was crafted through an extensive process of research, bipartisan community engagement, and compromise. More to address our states growing housing affordability crisis, and the effects of the exclusionary policies that are indisputably part of Greenwichs history can and should be done including at the local level. In the meantime, lets pass SB 1024. It is the logical way forward to ensure economic growth, environmental resilience, and progress toward racial equity. Jackie Bein is a Riverside resident. 1. Yes. Its important to keep my child as safe as possible. We plan to take advantage. 2. Yes. With the school district dropping its mask mandate, its a necessary step. 3. No. Local COVID cases are dropping. There is no good reason to vaccinate my child. 4. No. There hasnt been enough data on vaccinated children. I think Ill hold off. 5. Unsure. I havent decided yet whether to take part in the vaccine clinics. Vote View Results Good Girls stars Christina Hendricks and Manny Montana play unlikely partners in crime, Beth and Rio. Throughout the NBC shows four seasons, the characters play what Montana describes as a cat and mouse game. The tension between Rio and Beth ignited when they slept together in season 2. In 2019, Hendricks discussed her steamy scenes with Montana. The Mad Men alum also shared how the actors interact with each other when the cameras arent rolling. Good Girls: Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland, Manny Montana as Rio|Jordin Althaus/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Christina Hendricks and Manny Montana joined the Good Girls cast in 2018 Good Girls aired on NBC on Feb. 26, 2018. When the show came out, it reintroduced some viewers to several familiar faces. Hendricks, 45, appeared in movies in films such as Kevin Hill and Life As We Know It. Other actors, including Retta and Mae Whitman, starred in Parks and Recreation and Parenthood, respectively. RELATED: Good Girls: During What Episode Do Beth and Rio Sleep Together? Around 2018, Hendricks and Montana booked the roles of Beth and Rio. Beth is a mother of four living in the Detroit suburbs. Forced to find money, she decided to rob a grocery store in the shows pilot. The action led her to work for Rio, a young crime lord. Before joining the show, Montana said on The Neil Haley Show that he wasnt used to playing a villain on TV. According to IMDb, he played multiple cops on shows such as CSI: NY and Graceland. However, Montana said that Rios bad-boy appeal is fun to portray. The Rosewood alum also thinks the clashes between Beth and Rio have plenty to do with their strikingly different personalities. Its weird because opposites attract, Montana said. So they both dislike each other but love each other at the same time, so it just makes for a really complex relationship. Good Girls stars Christina Hendricks and Manny Montana have great chemistry working together Since Good Girls Season 1, many fans have shared their opinions about Beth and Rios relationship. While some viewers wrote on Reddit that the pair could be an endgame, others feel the chemistry between them is purely physical. RELATED: Good Girls: Mae Whitman Made 1 Big Purchase Once the Show Took Off: I Cried About It for Three Hours In season 2, Rio and Beth had sex in a bar bathroom after almost a year of tension. For the first time, viewers saw the business partners share a passionate on-screen kiss. Hendricks shared why she and Montana didnt have a problem locking lips for the scene. Easy, Hendricks told Medium about the kiss. I mean, hes a great actor and, we have great chemistry working together, andHes justits just a very sort of respectful work. The actor continued to say that she and Montanas professional relationship is less appealing than Beth and Rios. You know, its funny because I know people love, they love it, she said. We, of course, we love that. Its exciting and stuff, but its not asits much more professional than anyone would think. Did Beth Boland kill Rio? Although Hendricks and Montana respect each other, their Good Girls characters need some more work. Fed up with Rios demands, Beth hired a hitman to kill Rio in season 2. However, he survived the shooting and confronted Beth about the ordeal in Good Girls Season 3. Throughout seasons 3 and 4, Rio and Beth decide to continue working together. Good Girls showrunner Jenna Bans said his decision not to murder Beth is more personal than professional. They have a twisted obsession with each other, Bans told Distractify. I do think Deans right in that Rio wont kill anything he loves and/or that hes twistedly sort of obsessed with sexually and in terms of her potential in crime. What we see this season is a very sort of clear recognition of that. Chinese paramilitary police prepare to march on Tiananmen Square in Beijing on March 4, 2010. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Chinese Authorities Raid Church in Shenzhen City, Detain 10 Chinese police, national security agents, and religious affairs officials raided a church in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on April 25, just days after one of the churchs followers spoke to U.S. State Department officials. The raid took place at Trinity Gospel Harvest Church in Shenzhens Longgang District, during a worship service that was attended by about 20 people. According to Shi Mingleis Twitter posts, the Chinese officials didnt present any legal document for their raid, and a pastor and some churchgoers could be seen on video footage questioning why the police had entered their church. Eventually, 10 peopletwo pastors, a clergyman, and seven churchgoerswere arrested and taken to a local police station in Shenzhen. Shi had attended services at the church before she and her 5-year-old daughter escaped China and arrived in the United States on April 7, with the help of the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassy in China, and U.S.-based Christian nonprofit ChinaAid. Her husband, Cheng Yuan, was the head of a Chinese non-governmental legal services organization called Changsha Funeng, which he co-founded in 2016. In July 2019, Cheng and two other members of the organization, Wu Gejianxiong and Liu Yongze, were detained by Changshas national security agents. Changsha is the capital of Hunan Province. Cheng, Wu, and Liu were subsequently accused of subverting state power, a crime the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often uses to silence critics of the communist regime. In September 2020, they were put on a secret trial at Changshas Intermediate Peoples Court. In a Facebook post published on April 9, Shi explained her many ordeals after her husband was detained. One time, she was interrogated by Chinese secret police for over 20 hours while she was also accused of subverting state power. On July 22, 2019, an unnamed Changhas national security agent threatened Shi that her daughter would also be subjected to interrogation if she didnt cooperate. On July 23, 2019, Changshas national security agents froze Shis bank accounts and took away her identification documents, including her passport. Less than a month later, on Aug. 13, 2019, two of Changshas national security agents played Shi a video of her husband begging them to leave her alone. They wanted my daughter and I to become their hostages, hoping to silence me, and coerce Cheng Yuan into pleading guilty, Shi wrote. On April 20, Shi posted to her Twitter account to say that she and her daughter had a great meeting with U.S. State Department officials. I expressed our thanks and appreciation to them for their continuous attention & help, Shi wrote. In an interview with Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily on April 25, Shi said she suspects that Chinese authorities made the arrests in retaliation for her meeting with U.S. officials, since nothing like this had ever happened before at the church. However, she explained that the churchs pastors had long been under the surveillance of Shenzhens national security agents. The agents would call them or meet with them in person. Shi also said she received messages from her relatives still living in mainland China, telling her how they were worried about her and her daughters safety. The relative also warned her against meeting with U.S. officials again. The people who were detained have since been released, according to Bob Fu, a Chinese American pastor and founder of ChinaAid. Regional Assam cop among three held for alleged role in ONGC abduction Guwahati, Apr 26 (Agencies) | Publish Date: 4/26/2021 1:03:28 PM IST Three persons including a constable of Assam Police Battalion (APBn) were arrested on Monday for their alleged role in aiding the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) in the abduction of three employees of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) from Assams Sivasagar district on April 21. The arrests were confirmed by Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta in a series of tweets on Monday evening, The Indian Express reported. Three persons have been arrested so far who are found to be directly involved in the case in addition to some others linked with the banned organisation, he wrote. The accused include Biraj Chetia of Banipur, Dibrugarh district, Rahul Mohan of Sepon, Sivasagar district, and Basanta Buragohain of Sadia, Tinsukia district. Buragohain is a constable with the 25th AP(ONGC) Bn. DGP Mahanta wrote that Buragohain actively participated in the abduction and was part of the entire conspiracy. Chetia was responsible for purchasing the motorcycle used in the crime and Moran for providing logistical support for ferrying the motorcycle to the PO and providing other assistance. Buragohain was arrested in Bassagaon area of Sadia in Tinsukia district by the Sadia police on Monday morning, authorities confirmed. He is 23 and has been missing since Wednesday (April 21) which is when the abduction happened, an officer from the Assam Police confirmed. DGP Mahanta added: Investigation indicates involvement of only one police personnel so far but anyone found directly or indirectly involved in this case will be seriously dealt with as per law. All relevant facts are bound to come out on debriefing of the apprehended Basanta Buragohain. In the early hours of Wednesday, three ONGC employees, Mohini Mohan Gogoi, Alakesh Saikia and Retul Saikia were abducted from a rig site in Lakuwa field of Assams Sivasagar. The Assam Police later confirmed that the ULFA-I was behind the abduction and arrested 14 linkmen. On Saturday, Mohini and Alakesh were rescued by a joint team of security forces from the Mon district of Nagaland near the India-Myanmar border. While the ULFA-I has claimed that they do not have Retul in custody, the police said that the efforts to rescue Retul was still on. SACRAMENTO Anne Marie Schubert, the Sacramento County district attorney, said Monday that she will run for California attorney general next year and lashed out at progressive advocates of criminal justice reform such as San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Schubert, a conservative-leaning career prosecutor, said she will run against recently sworn-in state Attorney General Rob Bonta, a former Bay Area state legislator, because cities like San Francisco are in chaos due to liberal policies that endanger public safety. In San Francisco, you have a district attorney ... who is letting violent criminals out with little oversight or consequences, criminals who go on to victimize again, Schubert said. Although Bonta is her opponent, Schubert focused much of her attention Monday on Boudin and other progressive local prosecutors including George Gascon, a former San Francisco district attorney who now holds the same position in Los Angeles County. Schubert, a Republican-turned-independent, evoked harsh descriptions of crime in San Francisco as she announced her candidacy in a hotel conference room in downtown Sacramento, surrounded by relatives of murder victims. Major conventions are pulling out of San Francisco because their executives are worried that their guests safety is at risk, she said. Tourists think its too dangerous to visit that beautiful city. ... It is true and it is tragic that San Francisco is suffering. Schubert said she fears that Bonta, who was one of the most progressive state lawmakers as an Assembly member from Alameda, will bring the same type of polices to the rest of California if he wins a full four-year term. Boudin said Schubert is clinging to outdated views that increased incarceration numbers and exacerbated racial disparities in the justice system. District Attorney Schubert has always been committed to a failed, tough-on-crime approach where the powerful, and especially police who commit acts of violence, are never held accountable, Boudin said in a statement. Schubert entered the race just three days after Bonta was sworn in Friday following his confirmation by the Legislature. Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated him to replace Xavier Becerra, who resigned to become President Bidens secretary of health and human services. Schubert is perhaps best known for prosecuting Joseph DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer. DeAngelo was sentenced to life in prison last year after admitting to 13 murders and 13 kidnappings for robbery across California in the 1970s and 80s. More for you Politics Progressives place reform hopes on Rob Bonta as... Dana Williamson, a senior adviser to Bontas campaign, called Schubert a tremendously flawed candidate and noted that she is treasurer of a prosecutors group that is under investigation by the state attorney general for its use of funds. The California District Attorneys Association siphoned $3 million that was supposed to be used for public-advocacy litigation, such as environmental cases, and instead spent it on training and lobbying, according to an audit conducted by an accounting firm the group hired. Now she wants to lead the Department of Justice, the same entity that is investigating her organizations misdeeds, Williamson said. Schubert has been Sacramento County district attorney since 2015, and was a prosecutor in the county for 25 years before taking elected office. She left the Republican Party after she was re-elected in 2018 and registered as a no party preference voter. She is the second person to announce a challenge to Bonta, after Nathan Hochman, a Republican and former assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration. Schubert has long clashed with criminal justice reformers over her handling of police use-of-force cases and support for longer sentences for some crimes. In 2018, Schubert was criticized by some justice groups after she received campaign contributions from police unions days after Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old unarmed Black man, was shot to death in his grandmothers backyard by two Sacramento police officers. Schubert later decided not to charge the officers with any crimes. She said they believed that Clark, who was holding a cell phone, was armed with a gun and that they were in imminent danger. Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner A devoted mother has made her son a miniature street of shops from the popular Kmart cubby houses, and she spent less than $800 on the whole project. Kymberleigh Krzysztofiak, 28, from Perth, spent just $763 on the dream toy for her one-year-old son, Timmy, and the street encompasses a fire station, police station and a cafe in between them. 'We have both firemen and policemen in our little man's life so it was only fitting to create both in his town's Main Street,' Kymberleigh told FEMAIL. 'I had always wanted to try a cubby hack, and so when I became pregnant with my son, I had already started planning it.' A devoted mother has made her son a miniature street of shops from the popular Kmart cubby houses, and she spent less than $800 on the whole project (the street of shops pictured) Kymberleigh Krzysztofiak, 28, from Perth, spent just $763 on the dream toy for her one-year-old son, Timmy, and the street encompasses a fire station, police station and a cafe in between them (buildings pictured) To make the street of shops, Kymberleigh first of all bought two cubby houses at $199 each from Kmart. She then spent $365 on a mixture of paint, decorations, interior furniture and Kmart play sets, totalling $763. 'My son adores being outside and is so energetic,' she said. 'He doesn't own many toys so I thought an outdoor play space would be a great opportunity to encourage his passion for adventure and the outdoors.' To make the street of shops, Kymberleigh first of all bought two cubby houses at $199 each from Kmart (pictured) - and she then attached them together with extra wood The 28-year-old mum explained that she 'took inspiration from the old main streets you see in Disneyland' (the police station pictured) The 28-year-old mum explained that she 'took inspiration from the old main streets you see in Disneyland' and started dreaming up how she could make the most of two cubby houses for her son. 'I didn't really have any idea how I was going to join them together, however I've always loved a DIY project and I'm quite handy after watching my dad build things as a kid and watched my mum sew,' Kymberleigh said. 'I like to just throw myself in and have a go.' Kymberleigh explained that she is incredibly 'savvy' and so made as many of the interiors as possible by hand, and bought a lot of it off Facebook Marketplace and budget sites (pictured) The first step of the transformation was to build the first cubby excluding one side wall. Kymberleigh then turned this side wall inside out and attached it beside the front of the already built cubby, so it could later become the front panel for the cafe. 'I then constructed the second cubby only this time using one side wall as the back panel for the cafe,' Kymberleigh said. 'By this stage I had a long rectangular shaped cubby consisting of three front panels, three back panels and one panel at each end.' Kymberleigh said the hardest part was the roof, as while she had two parts for the rooves of the two cubby houses she had bought, there was still a large gap in the centre. Because she didn't want to spend money on expensive wood, she got her hands on some old floorboards from Facebook Marketplace, cut them to size and nailed them on to the roof. When Kymberleigh shared the results of her cubby on Facebook, more than five thousand people were impressed with her handiwork (interiors pictured) When it came to decoration, Kymberleigh said she did two full coats of $25 undercoat from Bunnings Warehouse. She then painted the outside with Taubmans exterior white and blue paint, before adding in the details with other areas. 'Once the painting was done, the interiors fun began,' Kymberleigh said. 'I'm a savvy shopper and hate paying full price. I got the fire house and door handles from Ali Express, the brackets, bell and awning from Bunnings and then made the fire hydrant using random PVC pipe fittings, a plastic plate for the base and a plastic bowl for the top.' Finally, she used grass table runners from Kmart to create the grass at the front, before finishing off the interiors. When Kymberleigh shared the results of her cubby on Facebook, more than five thousand people were impressed with her handiwork. 'Love it - it's beautiful. I'm almost 70 and I want one,' one commenter wrote. 'Wow this is absolutely amazing, well done and what an incredible play space. His imagination can go wild,' another woman added. PALM BEACH, FL, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Irelands 100 percent organic and 100 percent plant-based Aloe Vera fruit juices are coming to the United States. We are launching this year our 100 percent organic and plant-based Aloe Vera With Apple juice in America, said a spokesperson for the Dublin-based company, Veganic. Aloe Vera fruit juices date back to ancient Egypt where it was called, the plant of immortality. Veganics Aloe Vera With Apple Juice contains 100 percent organic Aloe Vera pulp with no added water or artificial ingredients. Veganic Aloe Vera juices are pure organic beverages. Organic food does not contain the chemicals and pesticides often used in regular farming. We do not spray spray our crops with chemicals or pesticides or feed them artificial fertilizers, a spokesperson said, adding that Veganic has a range of tasty, refreshing and pure organic plant-based juices arriving in the USA from Europe this year. What separates Veganic fruit juices from competitors is its high-quality ingredients and its commitment to developing only 100 percent organic and plant-based beverages. We also only use the highest-quality ingredients, a spokesperson said. Our Aloe Vera comes from our organic crops in Andalusia, Spain and the organic apples are juicy and fresh with the pulp of the apple providing an intense identifying fragrance. Aloe Vera With Apple has a sweet taste and unmistakable aroma, which enhances the texture of the Aloe Vera juices by adding a slight hint of acidity. Veganic is excited about entering the U.S. market. America is seen globally as a welcoming and inviting market for new products, ideas and being a country who takes their personal health and well-being very seriously, a spokesperson said. We believe American consumers will welcome Veganics organic and plant-based products. In addition to being healthy for consumers who drink Veganics Aloe Veras fruit juices, Veganic is committed to making the world healthier, as well. Our fruit juices are produced from nature within a certified organic food system and without the damaging effect of toxic sprays and fertilizers, a spokesperson said. Organic farming is more eco-friendly than conventional agricultural methods. Our farms produce less pollution and soil erosion, a spokesperson said. Birds, animals, and people are safer because we dont use pesticides. Consumers today appreciate and want organic and plant-based foods. Many people in America are looking for products that are made by socially-responsible companies like Veganic, a spokesperson added When we roll-out Veganic fruit juices in the next few months, American consumers will have a healthy, great-tasting new beverage, a spokesperson said. Consumers in Ireland love our fruit juices. We are sure Americans will love it, as well. For more information, visit veganic.ie. Attachment Advertisement The number of Americans skipping their second doses of two-shot COVID-19 vaccines has more than doubled since February, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Meanwhile, the number of people getting a first dose is falling off even faster than the decline in the number of people completing their vaccine regimens, a DailyMail.com analysis of CDC statistics shows. More than one billion COVID-19 vaccines have now been given worldwide, including over 228 million in the U.S. alone - but the data suggests an abrupt slowdown in the American rollout, before the nation reaches a third of its total population fully vaccinated. The CDC estimates that more than five million people who got a first COVID-19 shot had missed their second as of April 9. And last week, half as many Americans got a first dose of coronavirus vaccine compared to the prior week. In a statement emailed to DailyMail.com, the CDC said that about eight percent of Americans who had had a first dose as of April 9, and had had 'ample' time to get a second had not done so. The number of people getting a first dose (red) is falling off even faster than the decline in the number of people completing their vaccine regimens, a DailyMail.com analysis of CDC statistics shows. The number of Americans skipping second shots (blue) has doubled since February, according to the CDC By comparison, 3.4 percent of people who had gotten their first dose had missed the second as of a February CDC report. CDC spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for data on how the number of people getting second doses had declined from week to week. The overall rate of vaccinations has declined in the U.S. since the first week in April, when it peaked at nearly 4.2 million doses a day, according to CDC data. Due to reporting delays, the most recent five days of vaccinations are likely an undercount, according to the CDC. Even so, the seven-day rolling average of daily vaccinations on April 20 was 2.6 million - down from more than 3.2 million on April 11. The CDC has not released a breakdown of how many people each week have gotten a first and second dose of Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines respectively. However, it does release daily rates of first doses given and rates of people becoming fully vaccinated (with the second of either of those two vaccines, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson's shot). DailyMail.com has roughly calculated the gap between people who had a first dose of Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccines in the past month, and how many would have been expected to get a second dose. In total, about eight million people became fully vaccinated last week (ending in Friday) in the U.S. To-date, 52 percent of all shots given in the U.S. have been Pfizer's. Doses should be given three weeks apart. Another 43 percent of shots given in the U.S. so far were made by Moderna, for which the two doses should come four weeks apart. At those rates, last week should have seen 5.1 million second doses of Moderna vaccine, and more than 6.3 million second doses of Pfizer's shot, for a total of nearly 11.5 million people getting fully vaccinated. But according to the CDC's data, last weeks vaccinations fell more than 2.5 million short of that. It's a very crude estimate, but gives a rough idea of just how many second doses are being skipped. Some people have opted out of the second dose because they believe they're sufficiently protected with a single shot. Others are fearful of the flulike side effects. But the fault isn't just on the millions who haven't received their second dose. Vaccine providers have been forced to cancel second-dose appointments because they ran out of supply. Others have made administrative mistakes. In one example, several Walgreens customers were unable to get their second because they didn't have the right vaccine on hand, according to the Times. 'I'm very worried, because you need that second dose,' Dr Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told the newspaper. Some states are also finding that people aren't interested in getting the shots and are having to turn down vaccine deliveries. Louisiana has stopped asking the federal government for its full allotment of COVID-19 vaccine. About three-quarters of Kansas counties have turned down new shipments of the vaccine at least once over the past month. And in Mississippi, officials asked the federal government to ship vials in smaller packages so they don't go to waste. As the supply of coronavirus vaccine doses in the US outpaces demand, some places around the country are finding there's such little interest in the shots, they need to turn down shipments. More than five million people who have received their first COVID-19 shot have skipped out on their second dose That estimate represents nearly eight per cent of the American population who received the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines 'It is kind of stalling. Some people just don't want it,' said Stacey Hileman, a nurse with the health department in rural Kansas' Decatur County, where less than a third of the county's 2,900 residents have received at least one vaccine dose. The dwindling demand for vaccines illustrates the challenge that the US faces in trying to conquer the pandemic while at the same time dealing with the optics of tens of thousands of doses sitting on shelves when countries like India and Brazil are in the midst of full-blown medical emergencies. More than half of American adults have received at least one vaccine dose, and President Joe Biden last week celebrated eclipsing 200 million doses administered in his first 100 days in office. He also acknowledged entering a new phase to bolster outreach and overcome hesitancy. Across the country, pharmacists and public health officials are seeing the demand wane and supplies build up. About half of Iowa's counties have stopped asking for new doses from the state, and Louisiana didn't seek shipment of some vaccine doses over the past week. Some are urging federal officials to send more vaccine to places where there's demand rather than allocate them based on population including Massachusetts Republican Gov Charlie Baker, who said on Thursday they could administer two to three times more doses per day if they had more supply. More than half of American adults have received at least one vaccine dose, and President Joe Biden last week celebrated eclipsing 200 million doses administered in his first 100 days in office In Mississippi, small-town pharmacist Robin Jackson has been practically begging anyone in the community to show up and get shots after she received her first shipment of vaccine earlier this month and demand was weak, despite placing yard signs outside her storefront celebrating the shipment's arrival. She was wasting more vaccine than she was giving out and started coaxing family members into the pharmacy for shots. 'Nobody was coming,' she said. 'And I mean no one.' In Barber County, Kansas, which has turned down vaccine doses from the state for two of the past four weeks, Danielle Farr said she has no plans to be vaccinated. The 32-year-old said she got COVID-19 last year, along with her 5- and 12-year-old sons and her husband. Blood tests detected antibodies for the virus in all four of them, so she figures they're already protected. 'I believe in vaccines that have eradicated terrible diseases for the past 60, 70 years. I totally and fully believe in that,' said Farr, who works at an accounting firm. 'Now a vaccine that was rushed in six, seven months, I'm just going to be a little bit more cautious about what I choose to put into my body.' Barbara Gennaro, a stay-at-home mother of two small children in Yazoo City, Mississippi, said everybody in her homeschooling community is against getting the vaccine. Gennaro said she generally avoids vaccinations for her family in general, and the coronavirus vaccine is no different. 'All of the strong Christians that I associate with are against it,' she said. 'Fear is what drives people to get the vaccine plain and simple. The stronger someone's trust is in the Lord, the least likely they are to want the vaccine or feel that it's necessary.' Another challenge for vaccinations in a rural state like Mississippi is that in many cases, doses are being shipped in large packages with one vial containing at least 10 doses. During a news conference in early April, Republican Gov Tate Reeves said Mississippi officials have requested that the federal government send the vaccines in smaller packaging so it's not going to waste. 'If you're in New York City, and you're sending a package to one of the large pharmacies in downtown Manhattan, there are literally millions and millions of people within walking distance most likely of that particular pharmacy,' Reeves said. 'Well, if you're in rural Itta Bena, Mississippi, that's just not the case.' To combat the hesitancy, Louisiana continues to increase its outreach work with community organizations and faith-based leaders, set up a hotline to help people schedule appointments, and work to find free transportation to a vaccination center. The health department is sending out more than 100,000 mailers on Monday to encourage people to get vaccinated, and robocalls from regional medical directors are going out to landline phones around the state. In New Mexico, state officials are exploring the recruitment of 'community champions' trusted residents of regions with vaccine hesitancy who can address concerns about safety and efficacy. Question-and-answer style town halls are also a possibility. And video testimonials about coronavirus vaccines have already been recorded. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said now that everyone qualifies to get vaccinated, public health officials are encountering three groups: 'not able,' 'not now' and 'not ever'. The first group, he said, isn't able to get their shots because there's some kind of barrier. The 'not nows' have earnest questions about vaccine safety, efficacy and whether they need the shot. He said they're not prepared to write off 'not evers,' but instead are 'working to find trusted messengers like doctors, family members, community members' to give them good information. In Corinth, Mississippi, pharmacist Austin Bullard said a lot of people were waiting to become vaccinated until a one-dose shot became available. The news about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the risk for blood-clotting however slim has scared people about getting any type of vaccination. 'I do feel like there has been more hesitancy across the board since then,' he said. On Friday, health officials lifted the 11-day pause on COVID-19 vaccinations using Johnson & Johnson's single-dose shot, after scientific advisers decided its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clot. The government uncovered 15 vaccine recipients who developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot out of nearly 8 million people given the J&J shot. All were women, most under age 50. Three died, and seven remain hospitalized. But ultimately, federal health officials decided that J&J's one-and-done vaccine is critical to fight the pandemic and that the small clot risk could be handled with warnings to help younger women decide if they should use that shot or an alternative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the J&J vaccine has important advantages for some people who were anxiously awaiting its return. And the Food and Drug Administration updated online vaccine information leaflets for would-be recipients and health workers. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky added that the pause should increase confidence in vaccine safety, showing 'that we are taking every one of those needles in a haystack that we find seriously'. A drone attack set an oil tanker off the Syrian coast on fire, the countrys oil ministry said as quoted by various media, adding that it suspected the attack came from Lebanese waters. Al Jazeera quoted a report by an Iranian TV station, which said the tanker was Iranian and had sustained some damage from the strike. Another Iranian media, however, the Tasnim agency, said, The accident happened to another vessel and is not linked to a ship carrying Iranian cargo. TankerTrackers.com confirmed the tanker that was hit was not an Iranian vessel but a Lebanese one. The tanker seen burning today off the coast of Baniyas is not an Iranian vessel, but a Beirut-registered tanker called WISDOM. She has assisted the Iranian VLCC supertanker ARMAN 114 (ex. ADRIAN DARYA-1) by offloading 300-350K barrels at a time due to depth restrictions, the tanker-tracking company said in a tweet. Initially, suspicions were voiced by Syrian media that the attacks were carried out by the Israeli army, but Israeli media reported that the fire on the tanker was not the result of an Israeli attack. As for casualties, the Britain-based one-man operated Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three people were killed in the attack. The Times of Israel said there were no reports of casualties. The fire was extinguished quickly. Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Israeli army has been targeting Iranian oil tankers bound for Syria on numerous occasions, citing U.S. and Middle Eastern officials as saying that Tel Aviv was concerned that oil profits were funding regional extremism. Iran is the biggest supplier of crude oil to Syria. Israel has been fighting Irans influence in the Middle East for decades, and now with Irans alliance with Syria, the latter has become the target of frequent attacks from Israel. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: She's one of television's most prolific hosts, who is certainly accustom to the finer things in life. And now Sonia Kruger has revealed the essential items she would take into the Big Brother house if she was forced to enter the compound as a contestant. 'I'd sneak in food because I've seen the rations they live on and it would be great leverage to stop yourself being evicted,' says Sonia, 55. Lady in red: Sonia Kruger (pictured) has revealed the surprise items she would struggle to live without in the Big Brother house The Toowomba-born bombshell went on to reveal the luxury items she would miss the most would be 'Rose and Barbecue Shapes'. In an interview with Mumbrella on Monday, television bosses behind the hit Channel Seven reality series explained how they overhauled its image. According to Seven's director of production, Andrew Backwell, the recently revived reality show was in desperate need of a new brand image. Snack attack: 'I'd sneak in food because I've seen the rations they live on and it would be great leverage to stop yourself being evicted,' says Sonia, 55 Refined: The Toowomba-born bombshell went on to reveal the luxury items she would miss the most would be 'Rose and Barbecue Shapes' 'The perception was that it was a little bit tacky, it was young people sitting around the pool talking rubbish,' he said. 'If you looked at last year's series, and the same this year, it's completely not about that. 'It's about strategy, it's about gameplay and you engage with these characters. We had to overcome that brand perception, and that was successfully done last year.' Out: On Monday night's debut episode of Big Brother Australia, one housemate was shown the door. Controversially, Max Beattie (pictured) was evicted from the house after just one episode - and with just one single vote On Monday night, the thirteenth season of Big Brother premiered on Channel Seven - and it wasn't long before one of the housemates was sent packing. Max Beattie was evicted from the house after just one episode - and with just one single vote. Big Brother continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Seven Jersey Citys police unions have filed a lawsuit against the City Council over the wording of a resolution that supports the creation of a civilian complaint review board in the city. The city council on April 15 passed that resolution, promising to adopt a CCRB if and when the state passes a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, D-Jersey City, giving municipalities the power to create one with subpoena and investigatory powers. The Jersey City Police Superior Officers Association and the Jersey City Police Officer Benevolent Association in its complaint filed in Hudson County Superior Court said the resolution does more than support passing a CCRB, but directs the creation of a CCRB. The resolution, passed in an 8-0-1 vote (retired Detective Rich Boggiano abstained), reads, Assembly Bill 4656, as may be amended, (attached hereto as Exhibit A), shall be incorporated into the City Code and shall be adopted by the City of Jersey City upon the final passage by the New Jersey State Legislature and by the Governor of New Jersey. At that time, the City of Jersey City shall pass an ordinance amending the City Code to create a Civilian Complaint Review Board consistent with those powers granted to it by the State of New Jersey. The lawsuit asks that the resolution be rescinded, and also asks for the city to cease and desist from interfering with the terms and conditions of employment of city police officers. It also claims that a governing body cannot guarantee or promise to adopt in ordinance in the future, when that governing, elected body may consist of a different set of people. In January, Mayor Steve Fulop announced Jersey City joined Newarks bid to have the U.S. Supreme Court restore powers to its police oversight board after the state Supreme Court stripped Newarks CCRB of subpoena power and the ability to launch investigations at the same time that a department is conducting its own probes. In February, the council withdrew an ordinance creating a CCRB so it could work with the police unions. The council then announced it would not be able to pass an ordinance until it was negotiated through the unions collective bargaining agreement or until the state passed McKnights bill. McKnights bill was approved by the Assembly Community Development and Affairs Committee in March, but has not yet been voted on by the full Assembly. 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. Exit for Arline Drive? Some motorists noticed that a sign for Houstons Airline Drive on I-45 was missing a very important letter up until very recently. IN HOUSTON: 'Emily Takes Notes' project recaps Houston city council meetings for locals The sign advertised the upcoming exit 53 for Arline Drive obviously meant to be Airline Drive, since Arline Drive isnt a real place or even a real word. KHOUs Lisa Carter reports that the misspelled sign was up for about three weeks, according to TxDOT. A crew went out and replaced the sign overnight Saturday. But not before it became a bit of a joke on TikTok for one Houstonian It may have taken a few weeks, but we got it right eventually. Romania has not exceeded any deadline, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has not been rejected, Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor, leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), said on Monday. He added that coalition leaders continue to discuss the best solutions for each component. "Let's see what those mature projects are with which we can go before the Commission in the discussions that Minister Ghinea will have in the coming weeks. And somewhere on May 30-31 this document must be ready, as recommended by the Commission not only to Romania, to all the member states, when saying that April 30 is an indicative date. (...) What I discussed [with President Iohannis - ed.n.] was an absolutely open, correct discussion, without any resentment, because here nobody, neither Guinea, nor anyone else had any other opportunity to discuss than what it has been received from line ministries, and Romania has not exceeded any deadline, the plan has not been rejected and there is currently no delay in our relationship with the Commission. So there is no reproach and no resentment within the coalition over the talks so far," the deputy prime minister told Parliament at the end of a governing coalition meeting. According to him, very well-described, mature projects must be brought, "because Minister Ghinea cannot go unarmed to the Commission, either." "He receives ammunition from ministers. (...) Romania is not late and there is no problem in this respect. (...) All financial possibilities must be used and there is no delay. The Commission itself suggested to the Member States to continue the discussion and the preparations with national plans and there is time until May 31. So we're not late. We'll be late after May 31. Ratifications haven't been made in most Member States either, it's a very long process until we can say we're being late (...) In the coalition, we have put everything on a normal path and we will continue the talks in the coming days," Kelemen Hunor said. Advertisement Boris Johnson is under siege today as questions mounted over his personal conduct in a string of controversies. Fresh sources came forward to confirm he had made a crass comment about lockdown deaths even as he tried to deny it. In a second blow, he was facing further questions about the lavish redecoration of his flat after it emerged that the Conservative Party settled a 58,000 bill last summer. Whitehall sources suggested the Prime Minister, who has now paid the bill himself, may be forced to formally declare the loan over the coming days. Times Radio is reporting that if a Tory donor initially footed the cost, Mr Johnson could face a tax bill of up to 26,500 because HMRC would consider it a benefit in kind. In a further setback it was revealed that he had texted Dominic Cummings last year to exonerate him over the notorious 'chatty rat' leak inquiry undermining Downing Street's claims that the former aide was behind a string of damaging disclosures. Ministers tried to play down yesterday's explosive revelation in the Daily Mail that Mr Johnson had allegedly raged at officials that he would rather see 'bodies pile high in their thousands' than order a third lockdown. But the Mail's story was confirmed by both the BBC and ITV, citing their own sources. In a terse denial yesterday, Mr Johnson said he had not uttered the words. Asked if he made the comments, Mr Johnson told reporters in Wrexham: 'No, but I think the important thing I think people want us to get on and do as a Government is to make sure that the lockdowns work.' Mr Johnson will chair a cabinet meeting this morning as he tries to move on from the series of scandals and will tell ministers they 'must stay totally focused on the public's priorities', including 'fighting Covid, delivering vaccines and creating jobs as we proceed on the path back to normality', according to the Daily Telegraph. Boris Johnson (pictured enjoying an ice cream in Llandudno in Wales yesterday) was under siege last night as questions mounted over his personal conduct in a string of controversies In the Commons Michael Gove said it was 'incredible' to suggest the Prime Minister would have used such language and fellow minister Nadine Dorries branded it a 'lie' How the scandal over the Downing Street flat refurbishment unfolded July 2019: Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, pictured, move into the four-bedroom flat. Miss Symonds is reportedly keen to get rid of the 'John Lewis furniture nightmare'. July 2020: The Conservative Party pays 58,000 to the Cabinet Office for the cost of refurbishing the flat. October 2020: Tory donor Lord Brownlow emails party chairman Ben Elliot and head of fundraising Mike Chattey, saying he has given 58,000 to cover payments 'the party has already made on behalf of the soon to be formed 'Downing Street Trust'. Lord Brownlow says he chairs the trust, which reportedly planned to preserve the famous street's heritage and decor. March 6, 2021: The Daily Mail reveals that Mr Johnson wanted Tory donors to contribute to the cost of redecorating the flat, and that the party tried to launch a cover-up. No 10 insists there has been no wrongdoing. March 20, 2021: The Electoral Commission quizzes Tory chiefs over the funding of the makeover and has asked Mr Elliot to explain whether the Conservative Party complied with laws on political donations. April 21, 2021: The Mail publishes emails sent by Lord Brownlow to Mr Elliot. April 22, 2021: It emerges that Whitehall's most senior mandarin, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, is investigating how the refurbishment of Mr Johnson's flat was paid for. April 23, 2021: The Cabinet Office announces that beyond basic taxpayer-funded work on the flat any wider refurbishment costs 'have been met by the PM personally'. No 10 does not give details of how Mr Johnson paid the 58,000. Mr Johnson's former chief of staff Dominic Cummings says he warned the PM in 2020 he could be breaking the law if he asked Tory donors to pay for the refurbishment, calling proposal 'unethical, foolish and possible illegal'. April 26, 2021: Mr Case tells MPs the idea of setting up a trust to fund the upkeep of Downing Street has been looked into but it could not pay for refurbishments to the Prime Minister's flat. Advertisement In the Commons Michael Gove said it was 'incredible' to suggest the Prime Minister would have used such language and fellow minister Nadine Dorries branded it a 'lie'. But ITV political editor Robert Peston said two eyewitnesses, neither of whom had spoken to the Mail, confirmed that Mr Johnson had made the outburst following a tense meeting to agree the second lockdown in October last year. News of the Covid clampdown was leaked to the Mail last October just hours after the decision was taken. The leak infuriated the PM who told the Cabinet Office to launch an investigation to hunt down the so-called 'chatty rat' who leaked it. Last week, Mr Johnson ordered an extraordinary briefing war against Mr Cummings, in which his former aide was accused of being behind the leak. The former Vote Leave chief responded with an explosive 1,100-word statement in which he said both the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case had exonerated him of involvement. Mr Case did not dispute this claim yesterday. But he denied Mr Cummings's allegation that Mr Johnson had tried to block the investigation after learning that a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds had been implicated. He told MPs it was 'probable' that investigators would never be able to determine who leaked the story, despite bringing in MI5 to help track the mobile phone data of senior ministers and officials. Mr Case was earlier left squirming as he tried to duck questions from MPs over who paid for the refurbishment of the Prime Minister's flat in 11 Downing Street. In a further setback it was revealed that he had texted Dominic Cummings last year to exonerate him over the notorious 'chatty rat' leak inquiry undermining Downing Street's claims that the former aide was behind a string of damaging disclosures In a second blow, he was facing further questions about the lavish redecoration of his flat after it emerged that the Conservative Party settled a 58,000 bill last summer. Whitehall sources suggested the Prime Minister, who has now paid the bill himself, may be forced to formally declare the loan over the coming days. Pictured: A design by Lulu Lytle Boris Johnson 'said he would rather let coronavirus ''rip'' than impose a second lockdown' Boris Johnson told aides in September that he would rather let coronavirus 'rip' than impose another lockdown, it has been claimed. The PM is said to have argued that there was no evidence lockdowns worked and dubbed them 'mad' during an intense debate. According to the Times, Mr Johnson repeatedly made the 'let it rip' comments in this period and said further lockdown would cause businesses to close and people to lose their jobs. The PM also apparently suggested regret over the first national lockdown and even compared himself to the mayor in the film Jaws who kept the beaches open despite the risk of shark attacks. Mr Johnson has previously described the mayor as the 'real hero' of the film for resisting political pressure. A No 10 spokesman said: 'These are gross distortions of his position. Throughout this pandemic we've done everything we can to save lives and protect livelihoods.' Advertisement Britain's most senior civil servant refused to say whether political donations had been accepted to help settle the bill for the redecoration overseen by eco-designer Lulu Lytle last year. He confirmed revelations in the Mail that Mr Johnson had sought to establish a new charitable trust overseen by Tory donor Lord Brownlow to pay for the upkeep of the flat. But he said it was now clear that a charitable trust could not be used to renovate private areas of No 10, leaving Mr Johnson to pick up the bill. Mr Case claimed he could not comment further because he was now leading a new review of the issue for the Prime Minister prompting former shadow chancellor John McDonnell to describe his evidence as a 'badly scripted version of Yes, Minister'. In emails revealed by the Mail last week Lord Brownlow said he had given the Conservative Party 58,000 to cover payments 'the party has already made'. The Cabinet Office told Parliament on Friday that Mr Johnson had now settled the bill himself. A senior Tory told the Mail he had had to take out a personal loan to cover it. Whitehall sources last night suggested that the Prime Minister would declare the financial support he received in the next register of ministerial interests, which could come as soon as this week. But Labour yesterday stepped up calls for a full inquiry by the Electoral Commission. Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was time for 'a full and transparent investigation into everything going on' in No 10. The allegations of sleaze and cronyism may now be having an impact, with an Ipsos Mori poll for the London Evening Standard showing Tory support has fallen by five points in a month. The poll put them on 40 per cent, three points in front of Labour. Wallpapergate: Rules Boris may have breached ANALYSIS by Daniel Martin for the Daily Mail The Prime Minister has faced weeks of controversy over the refurbishment of his flat, consistently denying any wrongdoing. Here we look at the rules that may have been broken. POTENTIAL BREACH OF MINISTERIAL CODE It has been reported that Conservative Central Office solicited a 58,000 donation from Tory donor Lord Brownlow to cover the cost of the Downing Street refurbishment via a trust fund which, at the time, had not yet been set up. This could potentially be in breach of the ministerial code as getting a Tory donor to pay for the refurbishment may be seen as a potential conflict of interest for the PM. The code which Boris Johnson oversees states that ministers must 'scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest between their ministerial position and their private financial interests'. It could be argued that using a political donation to pay for private matters could influence policy decisions. POTENTIAL BREACH OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION RULES If it emerges that the Conservative Party solicited the donation for the flat but planned to record it with the Electoral Commission as a political donation, that could also fall foul of the rules. Donations are meant to be for party matters such as fighting elections, not funding decorating. In addition, all donations must be made on a quarterly basis to the commission. Leaked emails show Lord Brownlow offered to make a 58,000 donation last October, but it appears that this was not registered with the commission in January as part of the Tories' quarterly declaration. WHAT IF THE TORIES SAY THE MONEY WAS A LOAN, NOT A DONATION? Downing Street insists the 58,000 has now been paid out of Mr Johnson's own pocket. But it is now believed No 10 is preparing to say the money was actually a loan to the PM from the Tory party after it emerged yesterday that Conservative HQ initially settled the bill for the work with the Cabinet Office last year. Critics are likely to say that even if claimed as a loan, it is a donation under another guise. Advertisement PM: No, I didn't make 'bodies' remark. BBC & ITV: But we have sources who say the Mail story is right By Daniel Martin Policy Editor for the Daily Mail The political editors of the BBC and ITV yesterday corroborated Boris Johnson's alleged remarks over the coronavirus death toll. The Mail had reported that after reluctantly agreeing to a second national lockdown, the Prime Minister had apparently said he would rather see 'the bodies pile high in their thousands' than order a third round of curbs. Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, joined ministers taking to the airwaves yesterday to insist the reports were untrue. Mr Johnson himself went before TV cameras to issue a flat denial, saying the claims were 'total, total rubbish'. The political editors of the BBC and ITV yesterday corroborated Boris Johnson's (pictured) alleged remarks over the coronavirus death toll But the two respected political editors of the BBC and ITV Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston both reported yesterday afternoon that they had heard the same allegations of Mr Johnson's comments from their own sources. Later, in the Commons, Michael Gove declined to completely reject the reports, saying only that it was 'incredible' to suggest that the Prime Minister could have said such a thing. The Cabinet Office Minister insisted he was not in the meeting room when the alleged comment was made. It is understood, however, that the remark was made in the Prime Minister's study. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer yesterday said he was 'astonished' by the reports. He added: 'Everybody would be deeply concerned, not least all those families who have lost someone in the pandemic.' In the afternoon, Mr Gove (pictured) told MPs he 'never heard language of that kind' in the meeting where Mr Johnson ordered the second shutdown in England. He also said: 'The idea that he would say any such thing, I find incredible. I was in that room. I never heard language of that kind' Sources told the Mail that Mr Johnson resisted a second lockdown last October even as Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Mr Gove argued it was necessary. When he finally agreed to new restrictions after Mr Gove warned him that soldiers would otherwise have to be deployed to protect overwhelmed hospitals, he is alleged to have said: 'No more f***ing lockdowns let the bodies pile high in their thousands.' Asked yesterday if he made the comments, Mr Johnson told reporters in Wrexham: 'Total, total rubbish. 'What I certainly think is that this country has done an amazing job with the lockdowns. And they've been very difficult. And they've been very tough for people. And there's no question about that.' He insisted the 'stuff that people are talking about' in Westminster were not issues being raised on the doorstep ahead of the May 6 elections. The Prime Minister added: 'Nobody wants to go into a lockdown but they've helped us. The discipline the public has shown has helped us to get the numbers of cases down very considerably.' However, the Mail's report was later backed up by the BBC, which said it had been told so by sources familiar with the conversation. Miss Kuenssberg said that at the time, Mr Johnson was reported to have had big concerns about the implications of another lockdown on the economy and non-Covid related health issues. But the two respected political editors of the BBC and ITV Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston both reported yesterday afternoon that they had heard the same allegations of Mr Johnson's comments from their own sources 'This does take us back to that moment and back to the very serious claims made by some people who were involved in the decision making including some ministers that the hesitancy around the second lockdown did cost lives,' she said. Mr Peston also said that he was told Mr Johnson shouted the phrase in his study after he agreed to the second lockdown 'in a rage'. He said he was told that the doors to the Cabinet room and outer office were allegedly open, meaning that a number of people heard. Yesterday morning, Mr Wallace said the 'bodies' allegation was 'ludicrous' and that anonymous briefing had reached 'the comedy chapter now of these gossip stories'. 'The Prime Minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid,' he said. In the afternoon, Mr Gove told MPs he 'never heard language of that kind' in the meeting where Mr Johnson ordered the second shutdown in England. 'I was in the meeting that afternoon, with the Prime Minister and other ministers, as we looked at what was happening with the virus and with the pandemic,' he said. 'We were dealing with one of the most serious decisions that this Prime Minister and any government have had to face. People have been pointing out, quite rightly, that tens of thousands of people were dying. 'The Prime Minister made a decision in that meeting to trigger a second lockdown. He made a subsequent decision to trigger a third lockdown. This is a Prime Minister who was in hospital himself, in intensive care. 'The idea that he would say any such thing, I find incredible. I was in that room. I never heard language of that kind.' Mr Gove added: 'These decisions are never easy, but the Government made the decision, and the Prime Minister made the decision, to have a second and third lockdown, and I think we can see the evidence of the leadership that he showed.' Nadine Dorries, the mental health minister, said the quote claim was a lie 'not one named source or substantiated fact'. She tweeted that it was 'vexatious coordinated gossip given in order to negatively influence the outcome' of the May elections. Mr Johnson's biographer Andrew Gimson said the Prime Minister 'may well have' made the 'tasteless' remark about allowing dead bodies to pile up but suggested the row would not damage him. Mr Gimson told Sky News: 'In some ways it will strengthen his reputation as a man who talks as a man in the pub would, not in the prissy way that some members of the political class think one should always talk about terrible things like the pandemic.' Last night sources close to Mr Gove said he was very clear the PM did not say the alleged remark. Tory HQ paid flat bill: Money trail gets murkier as party says it stumped up 58,000 in July By Simon Walters and Jason Groves for the Daily Mail Boris Johnson's claim to have paid for the lavish makeover of his Downing Street flat faced fresh scrutiny last night after it was confirmed Tory HQ paid the 58,000 bill nine months ago. Conservative chiefs are understood to have secretly approved the payment to the Cabinet Office in July. The payment, confirmed to the Mail yesterday by Cabinet Office sources, undermines the PM's insistence that he paid the bill himself. Downing Street has refused to deny reports that Mr Johnson secured a loan from a Tory donor believed to be financier Lord Brownlow to pay for the decor. Whitehall sources last night told the Mail that Mr Johnson may now be forced to publicly declare exactly how the costly refurbishment was funded. Boris Johnson, pictured with fiancee Carrie Symonds, may have to declare how the costly refurb was paid for One source said further details were likely to be revealed in an updated register of ministerial interests, which could be released as early as this week. But Mr Johnson first has to appoint a new adviser on ministerial standards a post that has been vacant since Sir Alex Allen resigned in November in protest at the PM's refusal to sack Home Secretary Priti Patel over bullying allegations. The appointment was due to be announced last week but the preferred candidate is said to be 'wobbling' about whether to accept the post. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case yesterday confirmed Mr Johnson had wanted to set up a charitable trust more than 12 months ago to pay for the flat's refit. But he said it was now clear that it would be illegal for a charitable trust to pay for the upkeep of private quarters. He refused to say whether political donations had been accepted to help fund the project. Mr Johnson also ducked the question yesterday, telling reporters: 'If there's anything to be said about that, any declaration to be made, that will of course be made in due course.' There is a labyrinthine money trail used for the cost of the 58,000 renovations (pictured) The Cabinet Office informed parliament on Friday that the PM has now paid the bill for his renovations. A senior Tory told the Mail he had been forced to take out a loan to settle the bill. Mr Johnson's sister Rachel yesterday defended the overhaul of the 'light and airy' flat shared by the PM and his fiancee Carrie Symonds. 'They have a baby about to turn one and maybe it needed some spiffing up,' she said. The latest disclosures add another layer to the labyrinthine money trail used to meet the cost of the refurbishment. It is thought that the Cabinet Office, which oversees building work in Downing Street, forwarded the money from Tory HQ to the contractors, including upmarket designer Lulu Lytle. This newspaper revealed this month that Lord Brownlow paid the Tory Party 58,000 as a 'donation' to cover the sum it had paid for the refit. If, as Downing Street now says, Mr Johnson has paid the bill, there would appear to be two possible ways of doing so. Either Lord Brownlow's 'donation' to Tory HQ in October has been turned into a 'loan' to the PM. Or Mr Johnson has reimbursed 58,000 to Party funds to cover the payment Lord Brownlow made to it in October, which in turn was to cover the payment made last July to the Cabinet Office by Tory HQ. If, as some insiders are speculating, Lord Brownlow's 'donation' has become a 'loan' to Mr Johnson, the Party will face calls to reveal who authorised this. It is thought the Cabinet Office forwarded the money from Tory HQ to the contractors, including upmarket designer Lulu Lytle Critics may argue that in such hypothetical circumstances, the 'loan' is tantamount to being a Tory 'donation' in a different guise. The Electoral Commission watchdog is still in talks with the Tory Party to establish if it complied with strict rules on the use of party funds and donations. When the Mail first revealed the scandal, Mr Johnson's then press secretary Allegra Stratton said: 'Conservative Party funds are not being used to pay for any refurbishment of the Downing Street estate.' Asked whether donors had been encouraged to pay for the refurbishment, Miss Stratton said any donations would be declared through the Electoral Commission, the House of Commons' register of members' interests, or in ministerial transparency declarations. No such declarations have yet been made. A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'All reportable donations to the Conservative Party are correctly declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them and comply fully with the law. 'Gifts and benefits received in a ministerial capacity are, and will continue to be, declared in Government transparency returns.' Lord Brownlow did not respond to a request for comment. 'That's bull****': Boris Johnson texted Dominic Cummings denying allegations that he revealed details of second lockdown, it is claimed By Simon Walters and Martin Beckford for the Daily Mail Boris Johnson texted Dominic Cummings to say allegations that he was the 'chatty rat' who revealed details of the second lockdown were 'bull****', it was claimed last night. It came as Britain's top civil servant admitted that the person responsible for the leak may never be found. The Prime Minister is said to have sent a text message to Mr Cummings, his former No10 chief of staff, to put him in the clear. Boris Johnson texted Dominic Cummings to say allegations that he was the 'chatty rat' who revealed details of the second lockdown were 'bull****', it was claimed last night Mr Cummings also reportedly received a text absolving him of culpability from Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, who is said to have told him that he authorised the Downing Street press office to say he was not the 'chatty rat'. Mr Case told MPs yesterday that the leak inquiry is still ongoing, almost six months on, and has not yet identified the culprit. He insisted that Mr Johnson had been determined to find the leaker, however, after Mr Cummings claimed the Prime Minister had considered blocking the probe. The leak inquiry was triggered last autumn after newspapers were tipped off by a source later dubbed a 'chatty rat' that new Covid restrictions were being considered. It forced Mr Johnson to announce the national lockdown earlier than planned in a press conference late on October 31. At the time, he told Tory MPs: 'Let me assure you that the leak was not a No10 briefing and indeed we have launched an inquiry to catch the culprit.' But when asked about the progress of the Cabinet Office investigation yesterday, Mr Case told MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: 'What I can say is the investigation is ongoing and this is a clear indication that the source or sources haven't been identified. The Prime Minister is said to have sent a text message to Mr Cummings, his former No10 chief of staff, to put him in the clear In this file photo taken on September 3, 2019, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings leave from the rear of Downing Street in central London, before heading to the Houses of Parliament 'In the time that has now passed, I think it is probable the team will not successfully identify the source or sources but work is ongoing.' He said he hoped the investigation would be finished within 'weeks rather than months'. Questioned on whether the Government had actually wanted to find out who had been behind the damaging leak, he insisted: 'I think there was widespread anger not only in Government but beyond this leak that related to a vital part of our Covid response. Certainly from the outset the Prime Minister, other ministers, teams and everybody was determined to try and find out who was responsible.' Asked if any investigations had been stopped because the outcome could have been embarrassing, Mr Case said: 'No, in relation to this particular leak and others, the Prime Minister has always been clear, very determined to see these inquiries complete.' He also denied the inquiry had been kicked into the long grass, saying: 'I can assure you that this hasn't been de-prioritised in any way, but as you picked up these things are incredibly complicated, complex inquiries, usually with a range of threads to them.' However, he admitted the leak was not a crime, as it was judged to be neither a breach of the Official Secrets Act nor the offence of misconduct in public office. He would not say if MI5 had been involved in the investigation. And Mr Case repeatedly declined to comment on Mr Cummings's claim that he had been exonerated of being the 'chatty rat'. The Cabinet Secretary replied: 'I am constrained in what I can say because it's in the context of an ongoing investigation.' Asked if it was acceptable for him to have appeared before the committee but refused to answer questions, he said: 'I'm afraid it's necessary to protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, and the techniques involved.' He said the Government Security Group, which oversees physical and cyber security across Whitehall, had advised he should not provide detail on the leak inquiry. But he confirmed Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had been given an update on it in recent weeks. From a wow perspective, there arent many wineries in the mid-Atlantic that can match the grandeur of Chateau Bu-De Winery & Vineyard near Chesapeake City, Maryland. Theres the view from the tasting room and patio of the Bohemia River as it flows by the property and off into the distance, with picnic tables dotting the grounds on land that slopes down to the water. Then theres the extravagance of the winery and 15,000-square-foot tasting room that includes a wine library, private tasting room, 200-seat banquet room, barrel room, meeting space and administrative offices. All of this is located on the 440-acre Bohemia Manor Farm, just a piece of a historic property once belonging to a Bohemian explorer, merchant & cartographer named Augustine Herrman. Per the website, he produced a map of the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay in exchange for permission to establish a plantation on the grounds where the vineyard and winery are located. Brenda and Warren Dedrick purchased the mansion and property in 2013. Winemaker Jacques van der Vyver hails from Cape Town, South Africa, and oversees an operation that makes a mix of dry red, white and sparkling wines. You can click on this link to find the variety of wines he and his produce. Chateau Bu-De was one of a number of Maryland wineries rated by International Wine Review in 2018, with all four wines scoring 90 and above. That story can be found at this link. The winery is located at 237 Bohemia Manor Farm Lane (Md. Route 213), and is currently open Wednesdays through Sundays. Its around an hours drive from Philadelphia and less than two hours from Harrisburg and Washington D.C. It is a popular venue for weddings in addition to bringing in music on the weekends. You can view the events schedule here. Below is the latest in the 6 Questions series of interviews with winemakers and owners of East Coast wineries, which looks behind at what has been a turbulent year and, with optimism, looks ahead. Thanks to winemaker Jacques van der Vyver for taking these on. Chateau Bu-De Winery & Vineyard in Chesapeake City, Maryland. Q, Lets start with the vineyard I saw you picked your first Pinot Blanc last fall. What prompted the decision to plant it and how do you plan to use it? And, I might as well ask, how does that 2020 vintage look 6 months later? A, We really wanted something unique. Pinot Blanc is not something you find easily on the East Coast and we just loved what we saw in wines we tasted from around the world, great elegance with plenty of brightness and complexity. It will be featured as a singular wine, as well as in blends and maybe even in the sparkling program down the road. As for 2020, I aimed at making a wine of great purity so I could learn what the fruit is capable of. No oak, no malolactic fermentation, and I used a Burgundian yeast. Q, Are you doing any planting or replanting this year or next? Anything new beyond the Pinot Blanc? Im trying to remember the acreage youre farming. A, We have 20 acres under vine, 70 / 30 split, with white being dominant. Most are planted in 7-foot rows with 3-foot spacing. Single Guyot trained and spur pruned. We are not planting anything new right now but will have our first estate Gruner Veltliner this coming year and multiple clones of Sauvignon Blanc to look forward to. Q, What was the past year like just in terms of running the winery? Are there things you started that youll continue knock on wood after this pandemic fades? A, This past year, wine sales were at an all-time high and my team at the winery has grown as well. One big change we made as a business was that we did not offer wine tastings due to health and safety reasons related to COVID-19. The public has been extremely understanding and supported this change. We are also very fortunate to have expansive indoor and outdoor spaces, which allows people to safely visit and successfully social distance to enjoy our wines and property. We are looking to eventually resume wine tastings in a planned, structured and safe atmosphere. This will allow us to give more in-depth and unique tasting experiences while simultaneously enhancing customer experiences. The inside the of production area at Chateau Bu-De Winery & Vineyard. Q, And, that said, how much business is coming back now? And how much are you planning ahead? I know a lot of wineries have told me they were apprehensive to plan too far ahead because so much was in flux. A, We are grateful to our many customers who have supported us loyally through the uncertainty of COVID-19. They trusted us with their health and well-being as we complied with all local and state safety regulations. Thanks to them we are happy to report that the business never left Chateau Bu-De. No one could have planned for the COVID-19 curveball but we remained flexible and nimble through that experience and will continue to do so. We are absolutely planning ahead; excited for what the future holds, the wines that will reveal themselves, the repeat and new customers that will visit the 400-acre estate, and the socially distant events that we will host thanks to the size of the property and the multiple event spaces to choose from. Q, I saw a mention of the premier wine program on your website what is that? How many wines are part of it? A, The premier wine program is a descriptor of the elite level and quality of fruit the vineyard produces and the wines that we create. It also alludes to the formal processing methods used throughout the fruits growth and each wines creation and development. All the grapes grown on Chateau Bu-De are of noble variety, tended with immense care and resulting in top-tier fruit, which allows us to blend one-of-a-kind flavor profiles that continuously evolve. A glimpse of the banquet room at Chateau Bu-De, taken in summer 2018 during a Maryland winemakers summit. Q, I had your Cabernet Franc a couple of years ago and really like it. Do you like working with it? How much do you have growing? Do you like it as both a varietal and part of a blend? A, So happy you enjoyed our estate Cabernet Franc. I enjoy working with all of our grape varieties and coaxing their flavor profiles to maturity. We have 3 acres of Cabernet Franc 327 clone, on 101-14 rootstock, which will produce an average of 10-12 tons of fruit annually. This grape is fantastic; expressing aromatic elegance with age-worthy structure. I enjoy it as both a varietal and part of a blend, and several of our wines contain an expression of this grape. ALSO READ: A Virginia winery where Cab Franc is king, but its far from the only product there with a long reign of success ALSO READ: A winery, brewery and cafe all at one of the Finger Lakes oldest and best-known producers MINNEAPOLIS, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- You might think Fraser's Telehub sounds like it belongs in a children's weekend television line-up, but the work done there is serious business. The Golden Valley, MN, Telehub is home to one of Fraser's newest teams, the Fraser CARE (Connection. Access. Resources. Engagement.) Team, a multidisciplinary group of professionals that serves clients of all ages via telehealth. The Telehub also houses the Fraser Hope Line, a free, statewide resource and referral line that immediately connects callers with a care advocate. Pat Pulice, Fraser Vice President of Integrated Healthcare is leading staff to carry out the vision of the Fraser CARE team, Fraser Hope Line and Telehub. Fraser's Integrated Healthcare division is focused on treating the whole person and bridging the gaps between mental and physical care. The division works directly with area healthcare providers to develop greater connection to seamless care. Pulice wanted to take that model online, into the virtual world, to develop new models for team care and future state telehealth care, with the knowledge and skills of Fraser Care Coordination teams, led by Lindsey Brune. "Clinic-based healthcare has been integrating care for clients for the past decade," Pulice said. "The Telehub CARE team brings that model to telehealth. We've compiled a talented group of professionals with specialties in Mental Health, Autism, Pediatric Therapy, Care Coordination, Clinical Operations/Client Services, Fraser Family Consultants in one location. The Telehub brings a number of services Fraser already delivers, to a centralized hub where consultation, coordination, scheduling and support happens in real time. This reduces time and confusion for families, while increasing efficiencies and the value of care. Care advocates can quickly assess a client's needs and do a warm hand-off to a CARE team member, so each client accesses a continuum of services. The team works together to create care plans and collaborate on client care. Telehub staff meet weekly to share learnings and adapt the future of Fraser telehealth services based on the feedback from the families that are served. The Fraser Telehub has become a testing ground for piloting new ideas. For example, every Fraser staff in the telehealth program is highly qualified to provide clinical services in Spanish. The CARE team also recently began using interpreters to help coordinate services for our Spanish-speaking clients, and works to eliminate confusion by linking clients to Fraser Spanish-speaking professionals, whenever possible. More recently, the Telehub has also welcomed a Hmong-speaking mental health professional to the team. "Being able to talk to families in their preferred language makes families more comfortable and breaks down barriers that may interfere to the path to effective treatment," says Pulice. "We are happy to be able to reach more families through this service and are excited by the feedback." As Fraser works to develop plans for clinicians' return to clinic for face-to-face services, the Fraser Telehalth Hub staff will continue to deliver services across the state via telehealth. For more information about the Fraser CARE team and telehealth services, call 612-767-7222. To access the Fraser Hope Line, call 612-446-HOPE (4673) or email [email protected]. The phone line is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You do not need to be a current Fraser client to call. Fraser Hope Line is not a crisis hotline. In an emergency, please call 9-1-1. Fraser is the premier provider of a continuum of evidence-based services that help individuals navigate autism, mental health, and diverse intellectual, emotional, or physical needs at every stage of life. Our expert, whole-person, coordinated approach provides education, employment, healthcare, and housing that helps clients thrive from infancy through adulthood. Learn more at www.fraser.org. Contact: Nancy Baldrica Vice President, Chief Marketing and Development Officer 612-798-8355 [email protected] SOURCE Fraser Related Links http://www.fraser.org All of the passengers who tested positive flew into Hong Kong on a flight from Delhi, run by Indian airline Vistara on April 4 At least 52 people from a single flight from Delhi to Hong Kong have tested positive for Covid-19, despite all passengers presenting a negative coronavirus test before boarding. All of the passengers who tested positive flew into Hong Kong on a flight from India's capital, run by Indian airline Vistara on April 4. Hong Kong as a whole has been recording fewer daily new infections than the total number detected on the flight, since it brought a fourth wave of infections under control in January. Meanwhile in India, the country's healthcare system is collapsing under a devastating second wave of coronavirus that is killing more than 2,800 people a day in the nation that is home to 1.3 billion people. A total of 188 passengers could have been on-board the flight, but Hong Kong authorities did not disclose how many people were on the plane. Health experts have insisted that advanced plane ventilation systems make the risk of catching the virus from a fellow passenger is extremely low, and there are a number of theories to explain the Hong Kong flight cluster apart from transmission on the plane. Professionals have outlined four reasons why such a high number of people could have tested positive after the flight. First, they say the passengers could have been infected in India after their pre-flight Covid-19 test which had to be taken within 72 hours of the flight. Second, India's overloaded health system could have been unable to accurately detect the cases before they boarded the flight, or some passengers presented fraudulent test certificates, A third possibility is that the passengers could have picked it up in one of the quarantine hotels in Hong Kong. Or they say that there could have been passengers infected with a particularly severe strain of Covid-19 that which could have passed between the passengers despite the filters on the plane ventilation systems. At least 52 people from a single flight from Delhi to Hong Kong have tested positive for Covid-19, despite all passengers presenting a negative coronavirus test before boarding. Pictured: An earlier graphic showing the seating plan of 49 passengers who tested positive for Covid-19 - the figure has since increased to 52 Meanwhile in India, the country's healthcare system is collapsing under a devastating second wave of coronavirus that is killing more than 2,800 people a day in the nation that is home to 1.3 billion people Workers prepare to bury a person who died of Covid-19 in Gauhati, India, on Sunday STUDIES SUGGEST RISK OF CATCHING COVID ON A PLANE IS LOW Experts and studies suggest that the risk of catching coronavirus on a plane, despite potentially hundreds of people being cooped up in the same room, is not particularly high. Advanced ventilation systems and mask-wearing do a good job of minimising the risk of spread even if there is someone on board with the virus. A study by the US Department of Defense suggested that if a plane was full, everyone was wearing masks, and one person on board was infected, only around 0.003 per cent of air particles would have the virus in them. This is equal to one part coronavirus per 33,000 parts uninfected air. As a result it would take, they predicted, a 54 hour flight for someone to breathe in enough of the virus to get sick, Sky News reported. The current longest direct flight in the world is just short of 19 hours, from Singapore to New York. The study found that 99.99 per cent of infectious particles were filtered out of plane air by the ventilation system. Passenger aircraft have fans and vents that replace the air in the cabin every five minutes, pumping it in from above and sucking it out from the footwells. This air is then either vented out of the plane or filtered a process that would remove viruses and pumped back in. This, combined with the fact that people do not come into close contact with many others, means the risk of transmission is quite low. Although people in the seats immediately next to, and in the rows in front of and behind the person with the virus, might be at risk of catching it, people in other parts of the plane probably wouldn't get close enough to them to inhale an infectious dose. On land, 2m is generally the safe social distancing guide, and even 1m is accepted in some countries if people are wearing masks. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airlines union, said in its own research that the risk was 'extremely low'. It claimed to have detected only 44 confirmed or possible cases of Covid linked to a flight out of 1.2billion passenger journeys in 2020 one case per 27m journeys. The IATA said in its press release: 'Air is exchanged 20-30 times per hour on board most aircraft, which compares very favorably with the average office space (average 2-3 times per hour) or schools (average 10-15 times per hour).' A separate study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggested that leaving the middle seat empty in plane rows could halve the risk of the virus spreading. Professor Arnold Barnett estimated the risk of transmission on an Airbus 320 or Boeing 737 two of the most commonly used planes was one in 7,000 for a passenger in a window seat on a packed aircraft. But the odds dropped to just one in 14,000 under the 'middle seat empty' policy. Even if the risk of catching coronavirus on a plane is relatively low, however, there are still risks associated with the process of boarding and disembarking, as well as travelling through the airport. Advertisement The positive results have surfaced during the mandatory three-week quarantine period enforced by Hong Kong. It is one of the strictest entry measures in the world. Rashida Fathima, who boarded the flight with her husband and two children, is one of the 52 people who have tested positive at their quarantine hotel since. Speaking from hospital, Fathima told the Wall Street Journal that she believes she was infected on the flight, despite her family wearing masks for most of the flight and avoiding the bathroom on board. She revealed that some passengers were coughing repeatedly during the flight while others removed their masks to eat and families walked their crying children through the aisles. All passengers flying into Hong Kong must present a negative test that was taken within 72 hours before departing - and all of the passengers on the Hong Kong flight did so. All travellers entering Hong Kong must also take a mandatory Covid-19 on arrival to the country before entering the three-week quarantine. Several cases have also been detected on flights arriving into Hong Kong from Mumbai, according to authorities. 'Were shocked by this,' said Poonam Nanda, the director of Nanda Travel. 'This one flight appears to be an astonishing outlier and we are all confounded by these numbers.' Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist at the Federation of American Scientists, said on Twitter that only eight cases from the flight were detected before hotel quarantine began. The remaining cases were identified during the time in quarantine. 'If it werent for hotel quarantine [Hong Kong] would have completely allowed these [positive cases] to begin spreading in the community.' he said. 'This is why border quarantines are critical.' India recorded 2,812 Covid deaths overnight and infections in the last 24 hours rose to 352,991 on Monday - a record peak and a new global high for a fifth day running. Health experts, including Feigl-Ding, say there is a chance that some of the 52 passengers who have tested positive on the flight from Delhi were infected in India after their pre-flight Covid-19 test. 'Some may have occurred after the initial 72 hour pre departure time window after they got tested,' Feigl-Ding said. 'India cases increased 60% each week for the last 2 weeks. But this is why our border testing is leaky.' Scientists also pose the notion that the passengers could have picked it up in one of the quarantine hotels in Hong Kong. 'It could also be hotel transmission to some degree too,' said Fiegl-Ding. 'Hotel room cross infections have been observed in Australias hotel quarantine system too.' Health experts also said India's overloaded health system could have been unable to accurately detect the cases before they boarded the flight. Health experts also said there could have been those with a particularly severe strain of Covid-19 which could have easily passed around the plane in such a compact space with people taking off their masks to eat. Scientists from the University of Hong Kong are now working with the city's health department to sequence genomes from the passengers who tested positive to try and understand whether they were infected while on board. It is not known how many - if any - of the passengers on the flight had received a Covid-19 vaccine. At the time of the flight, less then five per cent of India's population had received at least one dose of the jab. Indian airline Vistara said they did everything they could to minimise transmission of Covid-19. Coronavirus infections in India over the last 24 hours rose to 352,991 on Monday - a record peak for a fifth day running India, with a population of 1.3 billion, has a tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, after 2,812 deaths overnight, health ministry data showed, although health experts say the death count is probably far higher. Pictured: A graph showing new Covid-19 deaths per-day Health experts, including Feigl-Ding, say there is a chance that some of the 52 passengers who have tested positive on the flight from Delhi were infected in India after their pre-flight Covid-19 test Relatives and municipal workers prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19 in Gauhati, India, Sunday, April 25, 2021. vital life-saving oxygen is in short supply and countries including Britain, Germany and the United States pledged to send urgent medical aid to help battle crisis collapsing India's tattered healthcare system 'The risks of air travel are generally quite manageable with staggered seating and consistent mask usage, especially when using toilet facilities,' said Siddharth Sridhar, a clinical virologist at the University of Hong Kongs Department of Microbiology. Hong Kong has since banned all flights from India, Pakistan and Philippines from April 20 to May 3 following detection of a mutant Covid strain called N501Y. Dr Leung Chi-Chiu, a specialist in respiratory medicine, argued that the two-week ban was not enough, reports RTHK. He said the ban should last until the situation in the three countries improves. 'We will have to keep this ban unless the situation there improves or unless we have devised other measures to reduce the chance of importation of these dangerous variants into Hong Kong,' he said. Hong Kong was one of the first areas hit by the pandemic but strict border controls and lockdown measures have kept infections to just over 11,000 with 209 deaths. But in contrast, India is on its knees. Daily Covid-19 deaths hit a record peak of 2,812 on Monday as morgues ran out of stretchers forcing medical workers to use blankets to transport corpses - and relatives of coronavirus patients are wandering the streets of the capital in search of a hospital with open beds. The percentage change in daily Covid infections by Indian state today compared to at their peak, most of which were recorded last year Trees from parks in the worst-hit areas are set to be chopped down and used to burn bodies because crematoriums are unable to keep up with demand. And Indian social media videos have depicted other hellish scenes including a body falling from an overloaded ambulance and a son abandoning his Covid-stricken mother on the street. Meanwhile, oxygen is in short supply as countries including Britain, Germany and the United States have pledged to send urgent medical aid to help battle the the second deadly wave that is collapsing India's tattered healthcare system. India recorded 2,812 Covid deaths overnight and infections in the last 24 hours rose to 352,991 on Monday - a record peak and a new global high for a fifth day running. Experts say the second wave will peak in May at up to 500,000 deaths a day, meaning around 5,000 people could die every day at the current case fatality ratio of 1.14% On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to get vaccinated and exercise caution, while hospitals and doctors have put out urgent notices saying they were unable to cope with the rush of patients. Nearly all intensive care unit (ICU) beds used to treat Covid patients in three of India's most populated regions - Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad - are full, meaning they are being forced to run away patients, leaving families to ferry people sick with coronavirus from hospital to hospital in search for treatment and patients dying on pavements outside. New Delhi: India is facing the second wave of coronavirus and the country is severely affected by the pandemic. The global community has come forward and extended its support to India. In a recent development, leading tech firms Google and Microsoft CEOs Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella have announced help to the country amid the COVID surge. Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted: "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia,@UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information". Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information.https://t.co/OHJ79iEzZH Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 26, 2021 The donation includes two grants from Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, totalling Rs 20 crore. "The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it`s needed most in India," said Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and VP, India. It also includes donations from Google's ongoing employee giving campaign so far more than 900 Googlers have contributed Rs 3.7 crore for organizations supporting high-risk and marginalized communities. Heartbroken at the grim Covid situation in India, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on Monday that the company is mobilising its resources to help the Covid-ravaged nation that saw 352,991 fresh infections, taking the cumulative caseload to 17,313,163. In a tweet, Nadella said that he is grateful the US government is mobilising to help. I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. Im grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 26, 2021 "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the U.S. government is mobilising to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," Nadella tweeted. In a break from the 'America First' policy, President Joe Biden's administration is "working round the clock" to immediately send India raw material needed for making Covishield and other products needed in the fight against the COVID-19 surge overtaking the nation, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The US will also send India anti-COVID supplies like test kits, ventilators, medications and personal protective equipment used by frontline workers. The US is also deploying an expert team of public health advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID to work with the embassy in Delhi, India's Health Ministry, and India`s Epidemic Intelligence Service. India on Monday (April 26, 2021) recorded, yet again, the highest single-day spike with 3,52,991 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total active cases to 28,13,658, as per the health ministry update on Monday morning. As per the union health ministry data, five states of the country, namely Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Kerala, contribute 54 per cent of the cases. Live TV The Post Office boss and part-time priest who presided over the cover-up of one of Britain's biggest miscarriages of justice has today announced she will step back from regular church duties as calls grew for her to be stripped of her CBE. Paula Vennells, an ordained priest, was in charge of the company from 2012 to 2019 and walked away with 4.9million in pay and bonuses at a time when her staff were falsely accused of theft. Today, the 62-year-old also resigned as a non-executive board member of high street retailers Dunelm and Morrisons, jobs earning her 140,000 a year. There were calls for Mrs Vennells to be investigated as 39 postmasters wrongly convicted of stealing from their branches were finally cleared at the Court of Appeal on Friday. The former postmasters were sacked, some bankrupted and others even jailed in one of Britain's biggest miscarriages of justice, with their boss Ms Vennells accused of treating them 'with contempt and derision'. They, and hundreds of others like them, were blamed for losses in Post Office branch accounts which were actually caused by serious flaws in the Fujitsu-developed Horizon computer system. Rather than admit the IT system was defective, the Post Office concealed evidence of the glitches and instead forced its own staff to plead guilty to crimes they knew they had not committed, lawyers representing the postmasters told the Court of Appeal last week. The Post Office, under Vennells' leadership, had spent 32million to deny any fault in Horizon before capitulating as the case against their own staff crumbled. It has since paid a 58million settlement to 557 postmasters following an acrimonious High Court battle. Some died from heart attacks or strokes before they had their names cleared, others were driven to suicide. Liberal Democrats including Sir Vince Cable all oversaw the Post Office while in Coalition with the Tories, and have been accused of failing in their duties. Paula Vennells, the Post Office boss who presided over the cover-up of one of Britain's biggest miscarriage of justice, has announced she will step back from regular church duties Postmaster Harjinder Butoy outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after the landmark ruling last week that overturned prosecutions for 39 postmasters wrongly accused of theft because of the Post Office's poor IT systems Mrs Vennells oversaw a failed mediation scheme and sacked a team of independent forensic accountants after they found the losses could have been caused by Horizon. How the part-time priest in charge of the Post Office made 4.5m and was handed a CBE while postmasters were put in the dock on false charges Part-time priest Paula Vennells, 62, stands accused of covering up the scandal and forcing postmasters into a High Court battle As the Post Office scandal unfolded, some bosses accumulated wealth, honours and directorships. Part-time priest Paula Vennells, 62, stands accused of covering up the scandal and forcing postmasters into a High Court battle. After she became chief executive in 2012 there was a pervasive failure to investigate complaints about the Horizon IT system, the Court of Appeal said yesterday. She received her CBE in the 2019 New Year Honours List for services to the Post Office and to charity. On leaving, she was handed roles advising the boards of Morrisons and Dunelm. Now she has been forced to quit in disgrace. Yesterday she said she was truly sorry. Ms Vennells was the chief executive during the period where hundreds of postmasters were blamed for losses from branch accounts because of errors in the Horizon computer system. An ordained priest, she joined the Post Office in 2007 and was promoted to CEO in 2012. She is said to have known that money could appear to be missing from the accounts. After leaving the Post Office, she landed roles as an adviser to the Cabinet Office and chairman of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London. She was given a CBE in 2019 for services to the Post Office and to charity. The married mother-of-two kept the 4.5million she earnt during her Post Office tenure, and receives 140,000 a year advising supermarket chain Morrisons and homeware retailer Dunelm. In June last year, she was forced to step back from the Church of England's ethical investment advisory group due to the furore over the scandal. In evidence to the Commons business committee she sought to shift the blame for the IT scandal, insisting she did not approve prosecutions of her staff and was misled by computer experts. She was accused of treating postmasters 'with contempt and derision'. Alice Perkins earned 100,000 a year as chairman from 2011 to 2015. The wife of Labour grandee Jack Straw was in charge when alarm bells started ringing and was in a position to demand the scandal be dealt with properly. Yesterday she apologised for the deep distress. Almost 150 postmasters were prosecuted between 2010 and 2012 when Dame Moya Greene was chief executive of parent company Royal Mail. In 2011, an audit found IT weaknesses could lead to... erroneous transactions. Dame Moya was Sunday Times Business Person of the Year in 2014. She has previously declined to comment. Chairman Tim Parker, 65 nicknamed the Prince of Darkness in City circles supported Paula Vennells when she took on 557 former staff in civil courts. He is now trying to rebuild relations with postmasters. Mr Parker, worth at least 200million, said the firm was extremely sorry. IT provider Fujitsu is said to have known there could be glitches as early as 1999. Police are investigating whether former Fujitsu IT experts Anne Chambers and Dr Gareth Jenkins misled trials, which could lead to charges of perjury. Advertisement The Post Office continued to recover debts and in 2017 Mrs Vennells chose to fight 550 postmasters through the civil courts. In a statement yesterday she said she was 'truly sorry' for the 'suffering' caused to the 39 subpostmasters. Mrs Vennells has informed the Bishop of St Albans that she would be stepping back from her regular parochial duties following the court's ruling. 'I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 subpostmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week,' she said. 'It is obvious that my involvement with the Post Office has become a distraction from the good work undertaken in the Diocese of St Albans and in the parishes I serve. 'I have therefore stepped back with immediate effect from regular parish ministry, and intend to focus fully on working with the ongoing Government inquiry to ensure the affected subpostmasters and wider public get the answers they deserve.' Mrs Vennells was awarded a CBE for services to the Post Office which unions argue should now be stripped from her. She is an associate minister in Bromham, Oakley and Stagsden, Bedfordshire. The Bishop of St Albans said it was 'right' that Mrs Vennells 'stands back from public ministry' following the ruling. He said: 'As the son of a former subpostmaster I express my distress at the miscarriage of justice that so many subpostmasters have suffered.' It came after it emerged Mrs Vennells was helped into a new job in the NHS by controversial Tory peer Dido Harding. Mrs Vennells had quit as Post Office chief executive just before a damning court ruling in 2019. She became chairman of Imperial College NHS Trust and Baroness Harding, chairman of NHS Improvement, headed the panel that judged Mrs Vennells a 'fit and proper' person. Last December it was announced she would leave the role in April 'for personal reasons'. NHS Improvement said it had 'followed a fair and open appointment process including application and interview'. The compensation bill for 39 postmasters whose lives were 'irreparably ruined' in the Post Office's Horizon IT scandal could run into tens of millions of pounds, MailOnline has been told. The wronged postmasters shed tears of joy and opened bottles of Champagne outside the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday, as they had their convictions for stealing quashed. Now the 39 vindicated postmasters could lodge compensation claims against their former employers. Post Office chiefs today admitted that the pays-outs must 'reflect what has happened'. And those close to the case today told MailOnline that the claims could run into the 'tens of millions of pounds'. The vindicated postmasters are now set to submit their claims, which experts say could range from tens of thousands of pounds to a million pounds each - depending on the specific circumstances. The Post Office will then have three months to respond. Today, Post Office chief executive Nick Read said: 'I am in no doubt about the human cost of the Post Office's past failures and the deep pain that has been caused to people affected. 'Many of those postmasters involved have been fighting for justice for a considerable length of time and sadly there are some who are not here to see the outcome today and whose families have taken forward appeals in their memory. I am very moved by their courage. 'The quashing of historical convictions is a vital milestone in fully and properly addressing the past as I work to put right these wrongs as swiftly as possible and there must be compensation that reflects what has happened.' In total, as many as 736 sub-postmasters who were convicted could claim damages, further pushing the compensation bill into the hundreds of millions of pounds. Close to 2,500 postmasters have applied for compensation from a new Post Office scheme, which is expected to pay out 153million of compensation. Many postmasters and postmistresses were prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting, while others were hounded out of work or forced to pay huge sums of 'missing' money, due to the scandal. The scandal blighted their lives, as former staff lost their homes and marriages, and suffered ill health as a result. One former postmaster, Martin Griffiths, killed himself after he was falsely suspected of stealing 60,000, while some have since died and 'gone to their graves' with convictions against their names. In a landmark ruling at the Court of Appeal today, Lord Justice Holroyde said the Post Office 'knew there were serious issues about the reliability of Horizon' but 'consistently asserted [it] was robust and reliable', and 'effectively steamrolled over any subpostmaster who sought to challenge its accuracy'. Outside the courts, former postmasters and postmistresses and their friends and families celebrated the historic event. Noel Thomas, who spent nearly a year in jail in 2006 after being accused of stealing from the Post Office in Gaerwen on Anglesey, burst into tears as he was embraced by his daughter Sian. 'It has been a long, long time. It's a big weight off everyone's shoulders really,' he said. Former post office worker Tom Hedges (centre) pops a bottle champagne in celebration outside the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday Former post office worker Wendy Buffrey (left), from Cheltenham, is hugged outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after having her conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal Former post office worker Noel Thomas, who was convicted of false accounting in 2006, celebrates with his daughter Sian outside the Royal Courts of Justice The shortfalls in the accounts of local branches were the result of flaws in the Post Office's Horizon IT system From wrongful imprisonment to strokes and even suicide: How the Horizon IT scandal devastated victims' lives Welsh postmaster jailed for nine months 'fell off the ladder' after conviction - before picking himself up and seeking challenge to Post Office prosecution Noel Thomas was jailed for nine months in 2006 after he was accused of stealing 48,000 Noel Thomas was jailed for nine months in 2006 after he was accused of stealing 48,000 while he was working for the Post Office in Gaerwen on Anglesey. He told the BBC that he admitted to the charge because he never reported discrepancies he noticed, but insisted he did not take the money and blamed the Horizon computer system. 'I want everyone to have their name cleared and to get to the bottom of what has happened and where the money has gone to,' Mr Thomas told BBC Newyddion 9. 'Thirteen years after jail, I must admit it was hard but I gradually got my confidence back through family, friends and work colleagues. 'Yes, I do feel bitter, and not just for myself - the Post Office have been coming and telling people that they have taken money, that they are a thief.' Family of postmaster who killed himself after being wrongly accused of theft demand Post Office bosses are held accountable Martin Griffiths, 59, took his own life in 2013 after he was falsely suspected of stealing money from Post Office Father-of-two Martin Griffiths, 59, took his own life in 2013 after he was falsely suspected of stealing money from a Post Office in Ellesmere Port, where he had worked for around 20 years. Mr Griffiths was one of hundreds of postmasters who were suspected of false accounting and theft, with some fired or wrongfully convicted, after amounts appeared to vanish from their tills. The family of Mr Griffiths said he delved into his own savings and those of his parents to pay back around 60,000 he was wrongly suspected of taking from the branch. The turmoil lasted for four years, between 2009 and 2013, and had a huge impact on the father-of-two's physical and mental health, his family said. In 2013, Mr Griffiths parked his car on the A41 in Ellesmere Port after leaving a note for his loved ones and took his own life. His family have called for a stricter line of review from the Government and asked for a judge-led enquiry to get to the bottom of the injustices behind the scandal. Postmaster caught up in major IT scandal which saw many falsely accused of accounting fraud suffered a STROKE after he was hounded for 65,000 Peter Murray said he suffered a series of breakdowns and a stroke after he was hounded for 65,000 Peter Murray said he suffered a series of breakdowns and a stroke after he was hounded for 65,000. The 53-year-old, from Wallasey in Merseyside, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He said he was suspended without pay and forced to take out loans and borrow from friends to make monthly repayments to the Post Office. He paid 1,000 a month before learning that he was among many sub-postmasters to face false accusations. 'It left me completely devastated,' added the father of three. 'It caused absolute havoc for my family, I have had several nervous breakdowns. It made me feel like a convict, but I'm not going to let it beat me.' Wife finally clears name of her postmaster husband after he died while still facing false Post Office claim he had stolen 46,000 Marion Holmes, 78, won justice for her late husband, Peter Holmes, who was a respected postmaster in Jesmond, Newcastle, before the Post Office Horizon scandal 'destroyed' his good name Marion Holmes, 78, won justice for her husband, Peter, who was a respected postmaster before the Post Office Horizon scandal 'destroyed' his good name. Ex-police officer Peter Holmes had successfully run a sub Post Office in Jesmond, Newcastle, for 13 years, before his world came crashing down due to issues with the Horizon computer system. When more than 46,000 went missing from his books in 2008, Peter found police at his door and shocking criminal accusations made against him. He was forced to admit four counts of false accounting in order to for prosecutors to drop charges of theft of the money, which could have seen him sent to prison. In fact, Peter was one of a number of people wrongly prosecuted by the Post Office over errors its own system had made. Family of one postmaster said he died a broken man after being forced to clean graves as punishment for a crime he did not commit Julian Wilson (pictured with his wife Karen) was shattered by injustice and exhausted by his attempts to clear his name Julian Wilson was shattered by injustice and exhausted by his attempts to clear his name, they said. He died in 2016, at the age of 67, of bowel cancer. His wife Karen says the disease had it roots in the trauma he endured and the all-consuming campaign for redemption. For years the Post Office had stubbornly insisted its IT systems called Horizon and designed by a company called Fujitsu never lied, calling them 'robust'. Last year, following a court case brought by 557 postmasters, Mr Justice Fraser branded Horizon not 'remotely robust'. He added: 'This approach by the Post Office has amounted, in reality, to bare assertions and denials that ignore what has actually occurred. 'It amounts to the 21st century equivalent of maintaining that the earth is flat.' Advertisement Tom Hedges, who was convicted of theft and false accounting and given a seven-month suspended sentence in 2011, opened a bottle of prosecco and bellowed: 'It's a wonderful afternoon. 'When I told my mother, who's 93, I was coming to court she said 'get yourself down to Aldi and get some prosecco'. 'She said: 'Just remember your name is Hedges not Rothschild, so get prosecco, not Bollinger!'' Tracy Felstead, who was sentenced to six months' imprisonment in a young offender institution in 2002, when she was just 19, cried when she heard that her conviction was being overturned. Ms Felstead, 38, said she was 'over the moon' by the ruling but remains 'angry that it even got this far and they have been allowed to do this'. She added that anyone who 'genuinely knew what was going on and they tried to cover it up' should face criminal prosecution themselves. For others, the victory was bittersweet. Julian Wilson, who ran a post office in Astwood Bank, Worcestershire, died before his name was cleared. His widow Karen Wilson, 66, said: 'I promised him I would kept on fighting. And today those judges said he was right. I'm not brave but this was such a massive wrong. 'For 13 years I have lived and breathed it. We almost lost everything.' Mr Wilson's daughter, Emma Jones, 47, said: 'This is a bittersweet day for us. Very unjust, very unfair.' Harjinder Butoy, subpostmaster in Nottingham who was convicted of theft and jailed for three years and four months in 2008, described the Post Office as 'a disgrace' after his conviction was overturned. He said his conviction and imprisonment 'destroyed my life for 14 years - that's not going to be replaced', and said those responsible for the scandal 'need to be punished, seriously punished'. Wendy Buffrey, 61, of Cheltenham, ran a Post Office branch in the Gloucestershire village of Up Hatherley. She admitted two counts of fraud and was handed a community sentence with 150 hours of unpaid work at Gloucester Crown Court in October 2010. She also had to pay the 26,250 shortfall and 1,500 towards the cost of her prosecution. Speaking after she was cleared on Friday, Ms Buffrey said: 'I'm very good, ecstatic is the word. 'I'm now no longer a criminal, I'm a victim of the Post Office.' Ms Buffrey said it had taken 'far too long' to get justice, adding: 'If they had investigated this properly in the first instance I would still be running a Post Office, because I enjoyed my job - I really loved it.' She said she has developed fibromyalgia as a result of the stress and sleepless nights she has suffered over the years, which means she in constant pain. She added: 'Compensation is a big thing, I will very happily accept compensation, but this was what mattered to me, getting my name cleared.' In a statement after the ruling, Post Office chairman Tim Parker issued a grovelling apology for 'the impact on the lives of these postmasters and their families that was caused by historical failures'. But lawyers representing the former postmasters claimed the Post Office 'still appears to care little about the people whose lives it has destroyed' and called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce a 'judge-led public inquiry', with the power to summons witnesses, into the prosecutions of postmasters. The Communication Workers Union called for criminal investigations into senior Post Office figures who 'oversaw the criminalisation of hundreds of postmasters' and called for former CEO Paula Vennells, who is said to have known that Horizon could cause money to appear to be missing, to be stripped of her CBE. Ed Miliband, Labour's shadow business secretary, called for 'a proper inquiry with teeth to get the bottom of how this scandal can have happened and who was responsible - to deliver the justice those impacted need and deserve'. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, also encouraged any former employees to consider challenging their convictions following the ruling. Mr Johnson said the wrongful convictions of the 39 former Post Office staff were clear evidence of an 'appalling justice' and called for lessons to be learnt to ensure 'this never happens again'. Speaking on a visit to a farm in Stoney Middleton, Derbyshire, the Prime Minister told reporters said: 'I know the distress many subpostmasters and their families have felt for a very long time now through the Horizon scandal and I'm pleased that we've got the right judgment. 'Our thoughts are very much with the victims and we'll have to make sure that people get properly looked after because it's clear that an appalling justice has been done. Everybody in my profession knows somebody in the Post Office world who has suffered from this and it's very sad what has happened. 'I think the Horizon thing has been really terrible for many families and I'm really glad the judgment has come, in I think, the right way. 'I hope that that will now be some relief for those families and for those people who, I think, have been unfairly penalised and suffered in an appalling miscarriage and we've got to make sure we look after them.' Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the Post Office 'must continue to reform' after the Court of Appeal's ruling. He tweeted: 'The court's decision to overturn 39 postmasters' convictions is welcome and marks another milestone for those affected by the Horizon IT scandal. 'The tragic impact this has had on postmasters and their families cannot be overstated. The Post Office must continue to reform.' In a statement Mr Parker said: 'The Post Office is extremely sorry for the impact on the lives of these postmasters and their families that was caused by historical failures. 'Post Office stopped prosecutions soon after its separation from Royal Mail a decade ago and has throughout this appeals process supported the overturning of the vast majority of convictions. 'We are contacting other postmasters and Post Office workers with criminal convictions from past private Post Office prosecutions that may be affected, to assist them to appeal should they wish. 'Post Office continues to reform its operations and culture to ensure such events can never happen again.' Nick Read, Post Office chief executive, said: 'The quashing of historical convictions is a vital milestone in fully and properly addressing the past as I work to put right these wrongs as swiftly as possible, and there must be compensation that reflects what has happened.' In a statement, Helen Pitcher, chairman of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) - which referred the 42 subpostmasters' convictions to the Court of Appeal - said: 'This has been a serious miscarriage of justice which has had a devastating impact on these victims and their families. 'Every single one of these convictions has clearly had a profound and life-changing impact for those involved. 'Six convictions had already been quashed which had been referred to Southwark Crown Court. 'The Post Office has rightly acknowledged the failures that led to these cases and conceded that the prosecutions were an abuse of process. 'We sincerely hope that lessons will be learned from this to prevent anything similar happening elsewhere in the future.' Neil Hudgell, from Hudgell Solicitors, who represented 29 of the former postmasters, said his clients were 'honest, hard-working people who served their communities but have had to live with the stigma of being branded criminals for many years, all the while knowing they have been innocent'. He said in a statement: 'The Post Office still appears to care little about the people whose lives it has destroyed. 'Ultimately, it has been found to have been an organisation that not only turned a blind eye to the failings in its hugely expensive IT system, but positively promoted a culture of cover-up and subterfuge in the pursuit of reputation and profit. 'They readily accepted that loss of life, liberty and sanity for many ordinary people as a price worth paying in that pursuit.' Mr Hudgell said the 'scandal' of the prosecution of subpostmasters 'will only deepen should those involved not now finally face a fiercely-run investigation into how these prosecutions were conducted, what exactly was known as to the unreliability of the Horizon system when it was being used to ruin people's lives, and whether people acted in a criminal manner'. He called on Mr Johnson to announce a 'judge-led public inquiry', with the power to summons witnesses, into the prosecutions of subpostmasters. Mr Hudgell added: 'The time has come now for people at the Post Office who were involved in any way relating to these unsafe convictions to feel the uncomfortable breath of the law on their necks as our clients did. 'If they are then found to have broken the law, they must then feel the full force of it too.' Former post office worker Noel Thomas, who was convicted of false accounting in 2006, celebrates with his daughter Sian outside the Royal Courts of Justice Former post office worker Janet Skinner (centre), with her niece Hayley Adams (right) and her daughter Toni Sisson, celebrating outside the Royal Courts of Justice Karen Wilson, widow of postmaster Julian Wilson who died in 2016, holds a photograph of her husband outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal What was the Horizon computer system and how did it go wrong? Between 1999 and 2015, hundreds of postmasters were sacked or prosecuted after money appeared to go missing from their branch accounts (file image) Horizon, an IT system developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu, was rolled out by the Post Office from 1999. The system was used for tasks such as transactions, accounting and stocktaking. However, subpostmasters complained about defects after it reported shortfalls - some of which amounted to thousands of pounds. Some subpostmasters attempted to plug the gap with their own money, even remortgaging their homes, in an attempt to correct an error. Between 1999 and 2015, hundreds of subpostmasters were sacked or prosecuted due to the glitches. The ex-workers blamed flaws in the IT system, Horizon, but the Post Office denied there was a problem. In case after case the Post Office bullied postmasters into pleading guilty to crimes they knew they had not committed. Many others who were not convicted were hounded out of their jobs or forced to pay back thousands of pounds of 'missing' money. The Post Office spent 32million to deny any fault in their IT system, before capitulating. However, the postmasters and postmistresses said the scandal ruined their lives as they had to cope with the impact of a conviction and imprisonment, some while they had been pregnant or had young children. Marriages broke down, and courts have heard how some families believe the stress led to health conditions, addiction and premature deaths. Advertisement He said that firm had also filed a further 34 appeals against convictions on Thursday and has another seven clients waiting in the wings. The CCRC also said anyone who 'believes their criminal conviction may be unsafe because of the impact on their case of performance issues with the Horizon computer system' should consider challenging their conviction. Andy Furey, CWU's national officer for postmasters, said: 'At long last, 39 innocent people have been exonerated for crimes they did not commit. 'This has been one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history. 'For years, decent and upstanding members of the community have been vilified through no fault of their own. 'Their lives and the lives of their families have been devastated, and some have even died carrying the shame of unjust criminality on their shoulders. 'The CWU is so glad that this long legal struggle has been won. But this isn't the end of it. 'Alongside appropriate financial compensation for all the victims of this injustice, there must be acknowledgement of the aggressive, despicable way that senior Post Office directors treated their loyal employees.' Mr Furey said the CWU wanted the Post Office's former CEO Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE. Mr Furey said: 'Our union is demanding that Paula Vennells, the former CEO, be stripped of her CBE - which was awarded to her for services to the Post Office in 2019 - for her part in this scandal. 'We also demand a criminal investigation against those who put loyal, decent workers in this diabolical situation. 'Many senior figures who are complicit in this scandal will now want to run from this situation, but we must not let that happen. 'Heads must roll for the humiliation and misery inflicted on decent, upstanding people who were simply providing much-needed local services and were pillars of their local communities. 'It will be only when justice is done that the suffering of so many can be mended and these decent, loyal postmasters can get real closure.' Della Robinson, 53, had her conviction quashed after she was sentenced to 140 hours of community service for false accounting in 2013. Standing outside the Royal Courts of Justice, she told the PA news agency: 'I feel we've achieved something, it's been a victory. We've not won anything to be honest, because we'll never get back what we lost, but it's just an achievement for everybody, it's so overwhelming. 'We've proved that we're innocent today, it's not a matter of winning, it's a matter of proving that we've done nothing wrong.' VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Vigo County students will have better access to the internet thanks to grant money and a collaboration between the City of Terre Haute and the county. The announcement happened at a Board of Public Works meeting on Monday. Officials will incorporate 40 new wireless hotspots. Superintendent Rob Haworth said the corporation applied for the 'Gears Grant' last year. The money went a long way in establishing internet hotspots, but not quite far enough. Now, thanks to a government partnership, the work can be completed. Joink crews will continue fiber-optic lines to reach more people. "Really, a great day for collaboration for students, for our faculty, and for our entire community," Haworth said. Haworth says roughly 200 internet hotspots will help students learn and connect with their teachers remotely. Furious Cornish shoppers are threatening to boycott their local Sainsbury's after the supermarket displayed a picture showing a scone with clotted cream on first underneath jam. Regulars at the Sainsbury's in Truro say they will take their money elsewhere after noticing an image of the treat on the store wall. People in Cornwall have always put jam on first - while Devon folk start with the clotted cream. Regulars at the Sainsbury's in Truro say they will take their money elsewhere after noticing an image of the treat on the store wall Some disgusted customers made a point of contacting Sainsbury's to complain. And, in response, the supermarket has now apologised and vowed to change the offending photograph. After spotting the furore on Twitter, Cornwall Live tweeted: 'Sainsbury's what's this? A fruit scone! 'With the cream on first! advertised in a Cornish store. The cheek of it! People in Cornwall have always put jam on first - while Devon folk start with the clotted cream 'Do you think this is acceptable?' The supermarket replied: 'An imposter! Which store did you see this please? We'll have a word with them about this blasphemy!' After learning of the store location, Sainsbury's subsequently tweeted: 'That'll never do at all Truro! 'I've logged some feedback to the manager of the store to ensure they are made aware of this imposter and repair it accordingly.' Andreas Drosiadis, 48, who took the original photo and runs the Mediterraneo deli in Truro, posted it on Facebook asking: 'How did this happen? Andreas Drosiadis, who took the original photo and runs the Mediterraneo deli in Truro, posted it on Facebook asking: 'How did this happen?' Andreas, 48, said: 'England is a country with strong local traditions that shape our everyday life. 'Jam first is a characteristic example of this and Sainsbury's should have known better.' After spotting the furore on Twitter, Cornwall Live tweeted: 'Sainsbury's what's this? A fruit scone! 'With the cream on first! advertised in a Cornish store. The cheek of it!' Others have commented on the long-standing debate. One said: 'Sainsbury's are correct. 'When you have jam on toast do you put the butter on after the jam...? 'NO you don't. And we all know the population of Cornish people in Cornwall is about 10%. Keep up the GOOD work Sainsbury's.' A Sainsbury's spokesman said: 'Our afternoon tea has all scone wrong in Truro! We are reviewing the customer feedback we have received.' Millions of Australians would be able to stop collecting receipts in shoeboxes under a proposal to reform the personal tax system as the federal budget bottom line recovers from the coronavirus recession more quickly than expected. The idea, first examined in detail in the 2009 Henry tax reform, would entitle all Australians to a $3000 annual standard tax deduction. Centrist think tank the Blueprint Institute argues this would benefit low and middle-income earners while delivering an economic stimulus. Up to 80 per cent of Australians would get a tax cut under a proposal to move to a $3000 standard deduction for the annual tax return. Credit:Virginia Star Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will in the May 11 budget extend for a single year the low and middle-income tax offset worth up to $1080 for more than 10 million people earning less than $126,000 a year. But even with the extension, these people still face a tax increase from 2022-23 until the third tranche of the governments tax reform package starts from 2024-25. Those mid-decade tax cuts, however, will overwhelmingly benefit high-income earners. An Afghan provincial governor says 16 people, mostly young boys and teenagers, were wounded after a rocket landed in his office compound in the eastern province of Kunar. Governor Mohammad Iqbal Saeed told RFE/RL that the attack in the provincial capital, Asadabad, took place at 9:30 a.m. local time on April 26 as a Koran reciting competition was under way between Islamic religious school students. He said that those wounded included 14 madrasah students and teachers, as well two security officers. The wounded students were between the ages of 10 and 18, according to a local RFE/RL reporter. Saeed said about 150 madrasah students and their teachers were gathered in a room during the attack. No group has claimed responsibility, but the provincial governor blamed the Taliban. Most of the districts in Kunar Province, which borders Pakistan, are controlled by the Taliban. Afghan officials have accused the insurgents of targeting gathering of religious scholars and students in government-controlled areas in the past. The Islamic State also regularly carries out targeted attacks. Violence has continued across Afghanistan amid stalled intra-Afghan talks between Kabul and Taliban representatives in Qatar launched in September 2020. A long delayed travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will begin on May 26, the two cities said on Monday, as they moved to re-establish overseas travel links and lift the hurdle of quarantine for visiting foreigners. The bubble between the two Asian financial hubs had been slated to begin last November but was suspended after a spike in coronavirus cases in Hong Kong. The scheme will start with one flight a day into each city, with up to 200 travellers on each flight, Hong Kong's Commerce Secretary Edward Yau and Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Ku said at simultaneous press events. Those wanting to travel from either city must test negative for COVID-19 before departure and on arrival. Hong Kong residents can also only fly to Singapore at least 14 days after they have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Travellers won't have to quarantine and there will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel. However, if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases is more than five for either Singapore or Hong Kong the scheme will be suspended, Yau and Ong said. "The re-launch ... signifies that gradual resumption of cross-border travel is achievable through mutual collaborations among different places," said Yau. For Hong Kong, which has banned non-residents since March 2020, the deal with Singapore is its first bilateral resumption of travel ties with another city. Singapore already has some pacts on essential business and official travel, and has opened unilaterally to general visitors from countries including Brunei Darussalam, China and New Zealand. Singapore has also been discussing an air travel bubble with Australia. Both Hong Kong and Singapore have brought the local virus situation largely under control compared with other developed cities. New cases, however, have inched up in the past week, with Hong Kong reporting local transmission of a COVID-19 variant with the N501Y mutated strain and Singapore investigating possible COVID-19 reinfection cases at a migrant worker dormitory. The dormitories were at the centre of Singapore's outbreak last year with thousands of cases. $550 Million Deal Unites Talent, Technology and Geographies to Propel the Industry Forward Lyft, Inc. (LYFT) announced today that the company has signed an agreement with Woven Planet Holdings, Inc., (Woven Planet), a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, for the acquisition of Lyfts self-driving vehicle division, Level 5. The transaction also includes multi-year non-exclusive commercial agreements between Lyft and Woven Planet to accelerate the development and enhance the safety of automated driving technology. Todays announcement launches Lyft into the next phase of an incredible journey to bring our mission to life, Lyft Co-Founder and CEO Logan Green said. Lyft has spent nine years building a transportation network that is uniquely capable of scaling AVs. This partnership between Woven Planet and Lyft represents a major step forward for autonomous vehicle technology. This acquisition assembles a dream team of world-class engineers and scientists to deliver safe mobility technology for the world, James Kuffner, CEO of Woven Planet said. The Woven Planet team, alongside the team of researchers at Toyota Research Institute, have already established a center of excellence for software development, automated driving, and advanced safety technology within the Toyota Group. I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Level 5s world-class engineers and experts into our company, which will greatly strengthen our efforts. The Level 5 team will join Woven Planet, a subsidiary of Toyota dedicated to developing autonomous driving and other advanced mobility technologies. In addition to the acquisition of Level 5, Woven Planet and Lyft have signed commercial agreements for the utilization of Lyft system and fleet data to accelerate the safety and commercialization of the automated-driving vehicles that Woven Planet will develop. Lyfts Open Platform team, which focuses on the deployment and scaling of third-party self-driving technology on the Lyft network, will become the new Lyft Autonomous team. We are excited about the transformative impact AVs will have on our world as we drive toward a future that is electric, autonomous and shared, Green said. With Lyft Autonomous, we can combine the power of Lyfts hybrid network, marketplace engine and fleet management capabilities to help our AV partners scale deployment with the highest revenue per mile at the lowest cost per mile. We look forward to continuing to partner with the best autonomous vehicle companies to bring this technology to market. Lyft will receive, in total, approximately $550 million in cash with this transaction, with $200 million paid upfront subject to certain closing adjustments and $350 million of payments over a five-year period. The transaction is also expected to remove $100 million of annualized non-GAAP operating expenses on a net basis - primarily from reduced R&D spend - which will accelerate Lyfts path to Adjusted EBITDA profitability. Not only will this transaction allow Lyft to focus on advancing our leading Autonomous platform and transportation network, this partnership will help pull in our profitability timeline, Lyft Co-Founder and President John Zimmer said. Assuming the transaction closes within the expected timeframe and the COVID recovery continues, we are confident that we can achieve Adjusted EBITDA profitability in the third quarter of this year. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, subject to the receipt of required regulatory approvals and customary and other closing conditions. Supplemental Materials Lyft Autonomous Fact Sheet Lyft Autonomous Investor Presentation Webcast Lyft will host a webcast today at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time) to discuss this transaction. To listen to a live audio webcast, please visit the Companys Investor Relations page at https://investor.lyft.com/. The archived webcast will be available on the Companys Investor Relations page shortly after the call. About Lyft Lyft was founded in 2012 and is one of the largest transportation networks in the United States and Canada. As the world shifts away from car ownership to transportation-as-a-service, Lyft is at the forefront of this massive societal change. Our transportation network brings together rideshare, bikes, scooters, car rentals and transit all in one app. We are singularly driven by our mission: to improve peoples lives with the worlds best transportation. About Woven Planet Group At Woven Planet Group, we are on a mission to design a happier planet through secure, connected mobility solutions. Starting business in 2021, Woven Planet Group is an expansion of the operations of Toyota Research Institute - dedicated to bringing its vision, Mobility to Love, Safety to Live to life. Under this shared goal, our four companies, Woven Planet Holdings, Woven Core, Woven Alpha and Woven Capital are transforming how people live, move, and play through new innovations and investment in automated driving, robotics, smart cities, and more. For more information, please visit: www.woven-planet.global/ Disclosure Information Lyft announces material information to the public about Lyft, its products and services and other matters through a variety of means, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts, the investor relations section of its website (investor.lyft.com), its Twitter accounts (@lyft and @Lyft_Comms), and its blogs (including: lyft.com/blog, lyft.com/hub, eng.lyft.com, medium.com/lyftself-driving, medium.com/sharing-the-ride-with-lyft and medium.com/@johnzimmer) in order to achieve broad, non-exclusionary distribution of information to the public and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Lyfts future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward looking statements because they contain words such as may, will, should, expects, plans, anticipates, going to, could, intends, target, projects, contemplates, believes, estimates, predicts, potential or continue or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern Lyfts expectations, strategy, priorities, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the proposed transaction with Woven Planet Holdings, Inc., including the benefits of the transaction and closing date, as well as the commercial collaboration; autonomous vehicle technology; Lyft Autonomous, including its capabilities and Lyfts autonomous vehicle strategy; and Lyfts future financial and operating performance, including its outlook for Adjusted EBITDA and expectations regarding reduced operating expenses. Lyfts expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks, uncertainties and other factors relate to, among others, risks and uncertainties related to the pending transaction and contemplated commercial collaboration with Woven Planet Holdings, Inc., including the costs, expenses or difficulties related to the transaction and such collaboration; the risk that the transaction or the commercial collaboration may not be completed within the expected timeframe or at all; failure to realize the expected benefits of the transaction or the commercial collaboration; the potential impact of the announcement, pendency or consummation of the transaction or the commercial collaboration and the agreements of the parties in connection with the foregoing on relationships with our employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners; and the technological development and commercialization of autonomous driving technologies. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Lyfts filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Lyfts Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 as filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Lyft as of the date hereof, and Lyft disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Non-GAAP Financial Measures Lyfts calculation of Adjusted EBITDA loss excludes interest expense, other income (expense), net, provision for (benefit from) income taxes, depreciation and amortization, costs related to acquisitions, stock-based compensation expense, payroll tax expense related to stock-based compensation, changes to the liabilities for insurance required by regulatory agencies attributable to historical periods, restructuring and related charges, and costs related to the transfer of certain legacy auto insurance liabilities. We have not provided an outlook for GAAP net income (loss) or reconciled Adjusted EBITDA guidance to GAAP net income (loss) because we do not provide guidance on GAAP net income (loss) or the reconciling items between Adjusted EBITDA and GAAP net income (loss) as a result of the uncertainty regarding, and the potential variability of, certain of these reconciling items, such as stock-based compensation expense. While we expect the transaction to close in the third quarter of 2021, we are unable to precisely estimate the date of regulatory approvals and fulfillment of other closing conditions. To provide investors with a representative savings datapoint for the third quarter and beyond, as long as the transaction closes in the third quarter, our non-GAAP results for Q3 will exclude any potential one-time gains or losses on the transaction, related transaction expenses and the expenses of the division being transferred for the full quarter. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure guidance to the corresponding GAAP measure is not available without unreasonable effort. Lyft records historical changes to liabilities for insurance required by regulatory agencies for financial reporting purposes in the quarter of positive or adverse development even though such development may be related to claims that occurred in prior periods. For example, if in the first quarter of a given year, the cost of claims or our estimates for our cost of claims grew by $1 million for claims related to the prior fiscal year or earlier, the expense would be recorded for GAAP purposes within the first quarter instead of in the results of the prior period. Lyft believes these prior period changes to insurance liabilities do not illustrate the current period performance of Lyfts ongoing operations since these prior period changes relate to claims that could potentially date back years. Lyft has limited ability to influence the ultimate development of historical claims. Accordingly, including the prior period changes would not illustrate the performance of Lyfts ongoing operations or how the business is run or managed by Lyft. For consistency, Lyft does not adjust the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA for any prior period based on any positive or adverse development that occurs subsequent to the quarter end. Lyft believes the adjustment to exclude the historical changes to liabilities for insurance required by regulatory agencies from Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors by enabling them to better assess Lyfts operating performance in the context of current period results. Lyft uses Adjusted EBITDA in conjunction with GAAP measures as part of Lyfts overall assessment of its performance, including the preparation of Lyfts annual operating budget and quarterly forecasts, to evaluate the effectiveness of Lyfts business strategies, and to communicate with Lyfts board of directors concerning Lyfts financial performance. Adjusted EBITDA is a key performance measure that Lyfts management uses to assess Lyfts operating performance and the operating leverage in Lyfts business. Because Adjusted EBITDA facilitates internal comparisons of our historical operating performance on a more consistent basis, Lyft uses Adjusted EBITDA for business planning purposes. Lyfts definitions may differ from the definitions used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. In addition, other companies may not publish these or similar metrics. Furthermore, these metrics have certain limitations in that they do not include the impact of certain expenses that are reflected in our consolidated statement of operations that are necessary to run our business. Thus, Adjusted EBITDA, should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Source: Lyft, Inc. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 20:53:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The French government will guarantee 11 billion euros (13.3 billion U.S. dollars) in equity long-term loans to bolster finances of struggling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Minister of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery Bruno Le Maire said Monday. "Manufacturers are regaining confidence and re-investing. And for those ready to kickstart their activities, we will make available 11 billion euros in equity loans at the beginning of May," Le Maire told the Europe 1 radio. "In the next two weeks, there will be more money for all companies that will be able to invest, hire and create jobs again," he said. The state will guarantee the loans with a duration of eight years and a four-year grace period, he added. Cinemas, theaters, cafes, bars, restaurants and non-essential shops in France have been closed, as the country entered its third anti-virus lockdown in late March. Last year, the French government mobilized 460 billion euros, representing 20 percent of the country's gross domestic product, to help companies stay afloat through the coronavirus outbreak. The fund consisted in large part of tax and payroll charge deferrals, in addition to specific plans to rescue the worst-hit sectors. (1 euro = 1.21 U.S. dollars) Enditem Share price of Vedanta rose over 5 per cent after the Tamil Nadu government allowed its shuttered copper smelter plant to produce oxygen for four months. The stock hit an intra-day high of Rs 239.60 on the BSE. "It was decided in an all-party meeting that Vedanta be allowed to operate the oxygen plant for a temporary period of four months," the Tamil Nadu government said in a statement. However, the production of copper would not be permitted. The decision was taken in an all-party meet in Chennai on Monday. The 400,000 tonnes per annum Sterlite copper plant was shut in March 2018, after 13 people were killed during a protest against Sterlite Copper. The company's plant in Thoothukudi contains two oxygen plants with a combined capacity of producing 1,000 tons of oxygen daily," Sterlite Copper CEO Pankaj Kumar had said in a letter to the Union Health Minister. "We would like to now offer these facilities for your use, towards ensuring that there is no lack of the vital commodity in the nation, and also to join hands with the commendable efforts of our PM at this critical juncture," he added. India recorded over 3.52 lakh new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours, taking the country's total cases to over 1.73 crore. Out of these, over 28 lakh cases are currently active while 1.43 crore people have recovered. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday informed that India has enough oxygen, stock but the issue is its transportation. "The Central government is monitoring the movement of oxygen-carrying tankers on a real-time basis through GPS and making them available to hospitals at the shortest possible time," said Piyush Goyal, MHA Additional Secretary. Also Read: Allow Sterlite Copper plant to reopen only to manufacture oxygen, Vedanta requests SC Also Read: Tamil Nadu govt allows Sterlite plant to reopen for 4 months to produce oxygen Ben Roberts-Smith has stood down from his role as general manager of media company 7Queensland and Seven Brisbane to focus on his upcoming defamation trial. Mr Roberts-Smith, a highly decorated former soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports he allegedly committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, and that he also allegedly punched his mistress in the face in Canberra in 2018. Former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith. Credit:Getty Images Mr Roberts-Smith denies the allegations and says the reports are defamatory because they portray him as a criminal. The media will defend the claim using a truth defence at a trial to start on June 7. Seven West Media chief James Warburton announced the decision in an email to staff on Monday morning, stating Mr Roberts-Smith would be focused on his upcoming legal matters. [April 26, 2021] Minister Carr highlights housing investments in Budget 2021 WINNIPEG, MB, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Budget 2021 is the Government of Canada's plan to finish the fight against COVID-19 and ensure a robust economic recovery that is inclusive of all Canadians. Today, the Honourable Jim Carr, Special Representative for the Prairies, met with Indigenous leaders to discuss housing investments from Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience. The COVID-19 recession is the steepest and fastest economic contraction since the Great Depression. It has disproportionately affected low-wage workers, young people, women, and racialized Canadians. For businesses, it has been a two-speed recession, with some finding ways to prosper and grow, but many businessesespecially small businessesfighting to survive. Budget 2021 is an historic investment to address the specific wounds of the COVID-19 recession, put people first, create jobs, grow the middle class, set businesses on a track for long-term growth, and ensure that Canada's future will be healthier, more equitable, greener, and more prosperous. The COVID-19 recession has widened gaps in Canadians' access to housing. These gaps, if not addressed, could deepen cleavages in our communities and exacerbate social inequalities. By contrast, investments in affordable housing can act fast to create jobs and prosperity. Investments in clean water, housing, and other community infrastructure will create good jobs and build healthier, safer, and more prosperous Indigenous communities in the long-term. The investments in the federal government's plan will accelerate its 10-year commitment to close the infrastructure gaps in Indigenous communities, which could include all-weather roads, northern airstrips, broadband, health care and educational facilities. The Government of Canada's top priority remains protecting Canadians' health and safety, particularly during this third, aggressive wave of the virus and its variants. Vaccine rollout is underway across Canada, with federal government support in every province and territory. Budget 2021 invests in Canada's bio-manufacturing and life sciences sector to rebuild domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, and has a plan to put in place national standards for long-term care and mental health services. Budget 2021 is a plan to bridge Canadians and Canadian businesses through the crisis and towards a robust recovery. It proposes to extend business and income support measures through to the fall and to make investments to create jobs and help businesses across the economy come roaring back. It will support almost 500,000 new training and work opportunities including 215,000 opportunities for youth; support businesses in our most affected sectors such as tourism and arts and culture; and accelerate investment and digital transformation at small and medium-sized businesses. Budget 2021 is a plan that puts Canada on track to meet its commitment to create 1 million jobs by the end of the year. Canada entered the pandemic in a strong fiscal position. This allowed the government to take quick and decisiveaction, supporting people and businesses, and put it in the position to make historic investments in the recovery. Quote "The COVID-19 recession has widened gaps in Canadians' access to housing. Through Budget 2021, the Government of Canada will invest in affordable housing to help families, young people, low-income Canadians, people experiencing homelessness, and women and children find a safe and affordable place to call home. This is part of building resilient, more inclusive communities." The Honourable Jim Carr, Special Representative for the Prairies Quick Facts Budget 2021 includes $101.4 billion over three years in proposed investments as part of the Government of Canada's growth plan that will create good jobs and support a resilient and inclusive recovery. Key measures include: over three years in proposed investments as part of the Government of growth plan that will create good jobs and support a resilient and inclusive recovery. Key measures include: Establishing a Canada -wide early learning and child care system, in partnership with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners, which will help all families access affordable, high-quality, and flexible child care no matter where they live, and no longer shoulder the burden of high child care costs. The budget proposes new investments totaling up to $30 billion over the next five years. Combined with previous investments, a minimum of $9.2 billion per year ongoing will be invested in child care, starting in 2025-26. -wide early learning and child care system, in partnership with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners, which will help all families access affordable, high-quality, and flexible child care no matter where they live, and no longer shoulder the burden of high child care costs. The budget proposes new investments totaling up to over the next five years. Combined with previous investments, a minimum of per year ongoing will be invested in child care, starting in 2025-26. Extending emergency supports to bridge Canadians and Canadian businesses through to recovery, including: Extending the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support until September 25, 2021 . Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support until . Extending the number of weeks for important income support for Canadians, such as the Canada Recovery Benefit and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit. Enhancing Employment Insurance sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks. Increasing Old Age Security for seniors age 75 and older to provide them with better financial security. Supporting small and medium-sized businesses through several transformative programs, such as: A new Canada Digital Adoption Program that will assist over 160,000 businesses with the cost of new technology. And it will provide them with the advice they need to get the most of new technology with the help of 28,000 young Canadians who will be trained to work with them. Allowing Canadian small businesses to fully expense up to $1.5 million in capital investments in a broad range of assets, including digital technology and intellectual property. This represents an additional $2.2 billion investment in the growth of Canada's entrepreneurs over the next five years. in capital investments in a broad range of assets, including digital technology and intellectual property. This represents an additional investment in the growth of entrepreneurs over the next five years. Revitalizing Canada's tourism sector through $1 billion to help tourism businesses recover and support festivals and cultural events that provide jobs and growth in many of our cities and communities. tourism sector through to help tourism businesses recover and support festivals and cultural events that provide jobs and growth in many of our cities and communities. Supporting women, Black Canadians, and other underrepresented entrepreneurs who face barriers to launching and owning businesses through $300 million to enhance initiatives like the Black Entrepreneurship Program and the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. Establishing a $15 federal minimum wage. federal minimum wage. Enriching the Canada Workers Benefit, which will support about 1 million more Canadians and lift nearly 100,000 people out of poverty. This will result in additional support of $8.9 billion over six years for Canada's low-wage workers. over six years for low-wage workers. Helping to build, repair, and support 35,000 affordable housing units for vulnerable Canadians through an investment of $2.5 billion and a reallocation of $1.3 billion in existing funding. and a reallocation of in existing funding. Investing $17.6 billion in a green recovery that will help Canada to reach its target to conserve 25 per cent of Canada's lands and oceans by 2025, exceed its Paris climate targets and reduce emissions by 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and move forward on a path to reach net-zero emission by 2050. in a green recovery that will help to reach its target to conserve 25 per cent of lands and oceans by 2025, exceed its climate targets and reduce emissions by 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and move forward on a path to reach net-zero emission by 2050. Closing the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, supporting healthy, safe, and prosperous Indigenous communities, and advancing meaningful reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and the Metis Nation through an historic investment of over $18 billion . Related Links Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience Budget 2021: Address by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Associated Links Fall Economic Statement 2020: Supporting Canadians and Fighting COVID-19 Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan SOURCE Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Saudi Arabia could save some $200 billion over the next ten years by switching from crude oil to natural gas and renewables for electricity production, Reuters reports, citing the Kingdom's Finance Minister. "Instead of buying fuel from the international markets at $60 and then selling it at $6 for Saudi utilities, or using some of our quota in OPEC to sell at $6, we're going to actually displace at least 1 million barrels a day of oil equivalent in the next 10 years and replace it with gas and renewables," Mohammed al-Jadaan said. OPEC's largest oil producer and world's largest exporter of crude is on a desperate quest to reduce its dependence on oil revenues by diversifying its economy away from the flagship export stock. Earlier this year, Crown Prince Mohammed, who appears to be the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, announced yet another investment program with a view to this diversification that he said would "unlock new local investments valued at SAR 5 Trillion through the end of 2030." This amount is equal to roughly $1.3 trillion, and its unlocking will be enabled by investments from Saudi Arabia's largest private companies, the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund, and a National Investment Strategy, for which the details have yet to be released. The total investment poured into Saudi Arabia's private sector will amount to some $3.20 trillion (12 trillion riyals). The Vision 2030 diversification plan that Mohammed launched a few years ago is also very much alive, according to Al-Jadaan. The minister said the Kingdom will be prioritizing fiscal discipline until all the targets of the Vision 2030 plan were achieved. "Between now and 2025, and possibly until 2030, fiscal sustainability is a priority for us. We believe that until we achieve all the targets that Vision 2030 has set, we need to maintain fiscal sustainability and control government expenditure," Al-Jadaan said. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The State of Email Security, an annual report published by Mimecast, discovered 79% suffered financial loss, and identified that ransomware was the chief culprit behind these disruptions. The State of Email Security, a report published by Mimecast, detailed how enterprises faced cybersecurity risk in 2020 from increasing attack volume, the pandemic-driven digital transformation of work, and generally deficient cyber preparedness and training. The fifth annual report is based on a global survey of 1,225 information technology and cybersecurity leaders, and supported by Mimecasts Threat Centre data, which screens more than one billion emails per day. Ransomware looms large 79% of respondents indicated their companies had experienced a business disruption, financial loss, or other setback in 2020 due to a lack of cyber preparedness. Respondents identified ransomware as the chief culprit behind these disruptions. Other insights include: 61% reported they had been impacted by ransomware in 2020, a 20% increase over the number of companies reporting such disruption Companies impacted by ransomware lost an average of six working days to system downtime, with 37% saying downtime lasted one week or more More than half (52%) of ransomware victims paid threat actor ransom demands, but only two-thirds (66%) of those were able to recover their data. The remaining one-third (34%) never saw their data again, despite paying the ransom. Threat actors exploit the pandemic Ransomware was not the only threat for organisations in 2020. The report also revealed additional threat trends, including: A 64% year-over-year increase in threat volume. An increase in email usage in eight out of 10 companies. 47% of survey respondents noted they saw an increase in email spoofing activity. 71% said they are concerned about the risks posed by archived conversations from collaboration tools. All of these can be attributed to the pandemic: work-from-home increased email and collaboration tool usage, and threat actors sought to capitalise on the new digital office with massive waves of COVID-19-related social engineering attacks. Cyber preparedness is lacking Despite facing an elevated threat volume, the report found that companies arent doing well in the area of threat prevention. In addition to the 79% of respondents who indicated a lack of cyber preparedness, other findings include: 40% of those surveyed said their organisations fall short in one or more critical areas of email security systems, leaving employees open to phishing, malware, business email compromise, and other attacks. 43% said that employee naivete about cybersecurity is one of their greatest vulnerabilities, and yet only one in five respondents indicated they have ongoing (more than once per month) security awareness training in place. The study was not surprised that 70% of survey respondents believe their business will be harmed by email attacks in the next year. In 2020, only 59% of respondents said they felt this way. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis will attend President Joe Bidens first joint congressional address on Wednesday, the congresswoman told the Advance/SILive.com. Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) said she is honored to have been invited to the event. Invitations to the event are limited due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. Bidens Joint Session of Congress address will take place on Wednesday, April 28, at 9 p.m. During his inaugural address, President Biden spoke about uniting our nation and bringing Americans together to move our country forward, Malliotakis said. Unfortunately, he and the other Democrats have yet to work in a bipartisan matter to pass legislation, but Im hopeful that the presidents outreach is a signal of his willingness to work together on transportation and infrastructure investment, reinstating the SALT deduction and securing our nations borders, she continued. Malliotakis has been critical of the presidents time in office thus far, specifically that schools in all state and across every grade level are not yet back to full-time in-person instruction five days a week for every student. One of Bidens campaign promises was that all schools would be open within the first 100 days of his presidency. She has also criticized Bidens absence from the humanitarian crisis at the border after she and other GOP members recently visited the Rio Grande Valley. The reality is that the president has given our borders over to the cartels, Malliotakis said. The policies that were put in place by Trump with Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico were repealed and the Remain in Mexico policy has been altered and thats what caused this.' Malliotakis said the way out of this humanitarian crisis is to repeal Bidens executive orders and reinstate Trumps Remain in Mexico program. More judges are needed to adjudicate these asylum cases of which less than 10% are legitimate asylum needs close the open areas where the cartels are trafficking drugs, guns, children and other nefarious activities and I think the federal government needs to look more into being proactive about how to stop the cartels, she said when asked about what her policy suggestions would be to resolve the situation. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. An F-35B lands onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 26, 2018 in Portsmouth, England. (Kyle Heller/Ministry of Defence via Getty Images) UK Carrier Strike Group to Embark on 6-month Indo-Pacific Deployment Britain will send a Carrier Strike Group to the Indo-Pacific region next month in a massive show of force aimed at countering the security challenges posed by the Chinese regime. The Carrier Strike Group, which will be led by the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, will be the largest concentration of maritime and air power in the UK, said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a press release. A new F-35B Lightning fighter jet takes off from the deck of the United Kingdoms new aircraft carrier, The HMS Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 27, 2018. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) During its 28-week deployment, the Carrier Strike Group will visit more than 40 countries and conduct engagements with Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and India as part of the UKs tilt towards the Indo-Pacific region, said the MoD. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: When our Carrier Strike Group sets sail next month, it will be flying the flag for Global Britainprojecting our influence, signalling our power, engaging with our friends, and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the security challenges of today and tomorrow. The entire nation can be proud of the dedicated men and women who for more than six months will demonstrate to the world that the UK is not stepping back but sailing forth to play an active role in shaping the international system of the 21st Century. Britains Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, leaves 10 Downing Street in London on Feb. 13, 2020. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) According to the MoD, the Carrier Strike Group will seek to achieve the UKs goal for deeper engagement in the Indo-Pacific region in support of shared prosperity and regional stability, which was set out in the governments recently published Integrated Review into foreign, defence, security, and development policy. The review, which was published in March, said the UK will invest in enhanced China-facing capabilities and improve its response to the systemic challenge that it poses to our security, prosperity and valuesand those of our allies and partners. HMS Queen Elizabeth, the most powerful surface vessel in the Royal Navys history, will be carrying eight F-35B Lightning II fast jets of the Royal Air Force, four Wildcat maritime attack helicopters, seven Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters, and three Merlin Mk4 commando helicopters. A company of Royal Marines Commandos will also be based on the carrier. The carrier will be joined by a surface fleet of Type 45 destroyers, HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, Type 23 anti-submarine frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliarys RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring. A Royal Navy Astute-class submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles will be deployed in support of the surface fleet. A U.S. destroyer, USS The Sullivans, will sail as part of the Group and providing it with air defence and anti-submarine capabilities. A squadron of 10 F-35B Lightning II aircraft from the U.S. Marine Corps will also be integrated into the fleet. The Royal Netherlands Navys frigate HNLMS Evertsen will be providing further air defence. Simon Veazey contributed to this report. "James' skillset complements our premier Private Equity and M&A practices both in Houston and globally," said Charles Ruck, Global Chair of Latham's Corporate Department. "As our clients' needs evolve, we continue to expand and strengthen our corporate capabilities. With a robust practice and experience spanning a variety of industries, James brings a unique perspective and proven record of client service." Garrett regularly counsels clients on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, growth equity and private financing transactions, joint ventures, and corporate reorganizations, as well as on general corporate matters. He works with clients across a broad range of industries, including energy, industrials, technology, software, digital infrastructure, renewables and healthcare, among others. Tim Fenn, Office Managing Partner of Latham's Houston office said: "The Houston market knows James to be a preeminent private equity and M&A lawyer with a diverse and sophisticated practice. His vast private equity experience further expands our offering in Houston and will help clients take advantage of high-growth opportunities. We are thrilled to welcome James to Latham." "Latham's reputation for excellence across practices and renowned global platform provide ideal conditions to grow my practice and better serve clients' needs," said Garrett. "I look forward to working alongside talented Latham colleagues, in Houston and around the globe, to leverage the full scope of Latham's services and expand the Houston office's private equity and venture capital client base." Garrett joins Latham from Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston. He received his JD, magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center and his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University. About Latham & Watkins (lw.com) Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world's largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability. Notes to Editors 1 Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Contacts Charles Ruck, Global Chair, Corporate Department, +1.212.418.7625 Tim Fenn, Houston Office Managing Partner, +1.713.546.7432 SOURCE Latham & Watkins Related Links http://www.lw.com Recognition and condemnation of the Genocide is important not only for the restoration of historical truth and justice, but also for the physical security of the Armenian people, FM Ara Aivazian told reporters on Monday. "Every [April] 24 is a special day. This is the first after the war, and it is characterized by a special international sound. This year, the day is marked by strong support for the Armenian people from the international community. High-ranking delegations arrived in Armenia, despite the borders on coronavirus. There were messages from partners, including at the highest level," the FM said. The Foreign Minister noted that he fully shares the idea, reflected in US President Joe Biden's message, that the international community should take effective steps to prevent the recurrence of such crimes. He also noted that Armenia is one of the foremost fighters in the prevention of genocides, and made a great contribution before Biden's message. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) Carmela Ellaga, a Filipina fisheries technologist, reminds her fellow youth active in the conservation of the environment to just continue what they are doing because even small things count. I can really see a lot of youth involved in environmental activities... Whatever your passion is, whatever you are doing kahit napakaliit na effort lang 'yan (even if it's just a small effort) that counts. Keep on doing what you love, Ellaga told CNN Philippines The Final Word. During the recent celebration of Earth Day, the environmentalist was recognized by former US first lady Michelle Obama for her efforts to protect the planet. Carmela grew up in a fishing village, where her passion for marine life pushed her to become a licensed fisheries technologist, despite the floods and typhoons that often closed her school, Obama said in an Instagram post. Honored about the recognition, Ellaga said her passion for marine conservation was fueled by her willingness to help the fishing village she grew up in. The fisherfolk, sila ang major food producers natin and sila rin ang (they are our major food producers, and they are also) mostly affected ng (by) typhoons and climate change. This drove me to pursue fisheries to also help my community, she said. The 21-year-old Filipina is currently part of the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Conservation Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization spearheading environmental efforts that focus on biodiversity conservation, nature tourism, science and research, and education among others. She is the foundations community officer for a project they started in three local governments in Negros Occidental. The goal of the initiative is to have sustainable coastal protection through biodiversity conservation of coastal ecosystem affected by typhoons in the Philippines, she explained. Through workshops and trainings for communities and local governments, Ellaga said they hope to strengthen efforts in the protection of marine areas. The invoice is coming, and it's going to be big. Last summer, cities from Portland to Minneapolis let mobs destroy their buildings and even kill police officers for no reason at all. The political class backed down and did not protect their citizens and businesses from criminals who used George Floyd's death as an excuse to burn and destroy. It was a pathetic display of weakness and irresponsibility. Well, Trump is gone, and reality is hitting everyone between the eyes. It's now time to clean up and do whatever they can to recover. It will be hard because the taxpayers are not going to buy the kiss and make up line. Portland is a good example of how to destroy a city, as we see in this report: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called Friday for the city's residents to assist authorities in their efforts to "unmask" members of the "self-described anarchist mob" who have engaged in acts of violence and vandalism in recent months. The Democrat extended a state of emergency in Portland through Monday amid concerns about potential unrest following the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty on all charges for the death of George Floyd. The Portland mayor asked the public to come forward with any information on members of the anarchist group. "The city is beginning to recover, but self-described anarchists who engage in regular criminal destruction don't want things to open up, to recover," Wheeler said. "They want to prevent us from doing the work of making a better Portland for everyone. They want to burn, they want to bash." Mayor Wheeler is a disgrace. He should resign, along with the entire city council, and call on adults to come in and straighten things out. Mayor Wheeler, and the absolutely worthless Governor Kate Brown, who did nothing, will face three problems: First, the taxpayers are angry. Second, the business-owners (AKA job creators) are in no mood to hear from a mayor who did not protect them. And last but not least, third, who wants to be a police officer in any of those cities? So goodbye Portland, Seattle, et al. This is what happens when you let Trump Derangement Syndrome and the 1619 Project guide you over the cliff. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). Image: Hcraddock. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum on Monday fueled outrage on social media stemming from comments he made about Native Americans and their contribution to the countrys cultural legacy. Santorum in the past couple of days raised the ire of pundits on social media after remarks he made on Saturday at a Young Americas Foundation event during which he suggested that Native Americans had contributed little to the United States. He said European settlers created a blank slate ... birthed a nation from nothing. I mean there was nothing here. The former Republican senator from Pennsylvania spoke about his views on the founding of America, acknowledging that while indigenous people had lived on the continent before European settlers arrived, (C)andidly, there isnt much Native American culture in American culture. Santorum has been widely condemned for his remarks, which some critics described as revisionist and examples of white supremacy. The social media storm was sparked after Jason Campbell, a writer with the watchdog group Media Matters, posted a video clip on Twitter showing Santorum making the remarks at the right-wing student conference. Santorum served in the Senate from 1995 to 2007 and at one time was the Senates third-ranking Republican before losing his seat to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. A CNN political commentator, Santorum made no mention of the atrocities and brutal policies carried out by the U.S. government against Native Americans. Instead he stressed the role that Judeo-Christian principles had played in the founding of the nation. If you think about this country, I dont know of any other country in the world that was settled predominantly by people who were coming to practice their faith, Santorum said. They came here because they were not allowed to practice their particular faith in their own country and so they came here mostly from Europe and they set up a country that was based on Judeo-Christian principles I say Judeo-Christian the Mosaic laws, Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ, the morals and teachings of Jesus Christ. Thats what our founding documents are based upon. Its in our DNA.. Santorum, a former GOP presidential candidate and a deeply religious conservative, in 2003 drew similar fire after he compared homosexuality to beastiality. In 2003, commenting on a Supreme Court case out of Texas, Santorum told the Associated Press in an interview: In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. Thats not to pick on homosexuality. Its not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. Santorums remarks on Monday drew calls for his ouster from CNN. Human rights lawyer Qasim Rashid on Monday tweeted: Legitimate question. Is @RickSantorum a white supremacist? How else do you explain him whitewashing the 500 year genocide of Native Americans and 400 year slavery, Jim Crow, & mass incarceration of Black Americans as faith & freedom & creating something out of nothing? PennLive on Monday reached out to Santorum for comment but did not immediately hear back. Partner with us for Press release distribution and get best in class service, guaranteed postings on tier 1 media and maximum reach The stock price of government contractor Emergent BioSolutions has fallen sharply since the disclosure at the end of March that production problems at the firm's plant in Baltimore had ruined 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine. Since then, AstraZeneca moved production of its own vaccine out of the facility, and Emergent temporarily halted work there altogether. Those developments came after Emergent's stock price had tumbled on Feb. 19, following the company's published financial results. Emergent stock has fallen since mid-February to about $62 a share from $125 a share, or 51%. But the decline has had less of an impact than it might have on the personal finances of Emergent's chief executive, Robert Kramer, who sold more than $10 million worth of his stock in the company in January and early February, securities filings show. Based on the market price, the stocks that Kramer sold would now fetch about $5.5 million. The transactions were Kramer's first substantive sales of Emergent stock since April 2016, according to a review of securities filings by The Washington Post. Those 2016 sales by Kramer, along with sales by other Emergent executives about the same time, were the subject of a lawsuit brought by investors who alleged that executives offloaded stocks after making misleading claims about the scale of an upcoming order from the government for an anthrax vaccine. When the order turned out to be smaller than analysts anticipated, the share price fell. Emergent denied the allegations, but the parties later agreed to a settlement in which Emergent paid the investors $6.5 million. Kramer made his recent sales by exercising stock options that Emergent had awarded him as part of his compensation package in past years. Those options allowed him to buy the stocks for about $2.5 million; he then sold them at market price. Kramer's remaining stake in Emergent is worth about $10.1 million, according to securities filings, and he has almost 60,000 stock options that he may begin exercising next year. Kramer's sales were made as part of a trading plan that he adopted on Nov. 13, according to securities filings. Such plans, which establish in advance when stocks are to be bought and sold, are intended to protect company insiders from suggestions that they traded on the basis of confidential information that would influence the stock price, which is unlawful. Citing internal logs, The New York Times reported this month that one batch of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine that was being prepared at Emergent's plant was discarded in October 2020 because of suspected contamination, and that a quantity of Johnson & Johnson vaccine was discarded at some point in November after an error by workers involving a gas line. Months earlier, in April 2020, a Food and Drug Administration inspector discovered violations at the Baltimore site, including inadequate training and a failure to follow testing procedures, The Post recently reported. In July 2020, a company that had hired Emergent to make an experimental ricin vaccine filed a confidential arbitration demand for $19 million in damages, saying Emergent had disclosed after study participants had already received doses that it had supplied drugs that were outside of specification, The Post also reported. Emergent has denied liability for the damages. The company that hired Emergent disclosed the arbitration demand in its securities filings. Kramer did not respond to an email seeking comment. Emergent spokeswoman Nina DeLorenzo did not directly respond to questions from The Post about whether Kramer was aware of problems in Emergent's coronavirus vaccine production or information from upcoming financial results when he adopted his trading plan. "All of Mr. Kramer's sales were previously scheduled under 10b5-1 trading plans," DeLorenzo said, referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission rule on trading by insiders. "Mr. Kramer, our executive team, and our board of directors are held to the highest ethical standards and follow strict compliance with all laws and regulations governing financial transactions. Any insinuation of wrongdoing is without evidence or merit," DeLorenzo said. Investors sued Emergent, Kramer and other executives in federal court in Maryland last week, alleging that the firm artificially inflated its stock price by boasting of its ability to make coronavirus vaccines and by not disclosing problems at the Baltimore site, which is known as Bayview. At least three other law firms announced this month that they were looking into the company's handling of the information about production problems. Kramer, 64, has led Emergent as chief executive since April 2019 and serves as the company's president and as a member of its board of directors. He was previously the firm's chief operating officer and, before that, its chief financial officer. Kramer joined Emergent in 1999, the year after the firm, then named BioPort, bought a state-run laboratory in Lansing, Mich., and took over its contract to supply anthrax vaccine to the government. Since 2012, the first year that his full pay package was publicly reported by Emergent, Kramer has received compensation totaling $20.1 million, according to the company's securities filings. Most of that has been awarded to him in the form of Emergent stock and stock options, which have grown in value as Emergent's share price has risen. Kramer received a 51% increase to his total compensation in 2020, the company disclosed this month. Unlike several of his fellow senior Emergent executives and directors, who have sold company stock more frequently, Kramer has rarely sold holdings in the company in recent years, a review of securities filings shows. For almost five years before his 2021 stock sales, Kramer disposed of comparatively small amounts of stock - about $161,000 worth every 12 months - apparently to cover taxes triggered when he received stock awards, according to the filings. Such transactions are common and have their own classification code in securities filings to distinguish them from ordinary sales. The last time Kramer made substantive sales of Emergent stock, in the spring of 2016, involved the transactions that were scrutinized as part of the lawsuit against the firm. The suit was filed in July of that year by a Connecticut-based investor named William Sponn, who sued Emergent, Kramer and three other senior Emergent executives in a federal court in Greenbelt, Md. Sponn was soon joined by a pair of pension funds for police officers and firefighters in Florida that also owned Emergent stock. In their suit, the group said the company made overly positive statements about a possible government contract for several months, culminating in a May 5, 2016, announcement that it had secured a government contract for "significantly increased deliveries" of anthrax vaccine. Emergent's share price increased by 15% in the weeks after that company announcement. On June 22, the company disclosed that the contract actually entailed a significant decrease in deliveries in the short term, and the company's share price subsequently fell by 20%. The investors noted in their complaint that the four senior executives had sold Emergent stock totaling more than $14.5 million between March and the disappointing news in June that dragged down the share price. Kramer, Emergent's chief financial officer at the time, sold 87,146 shares for $3.2 million in multiple transactions during the first six days of April 2016, securities filings show. The investors accused Kramer and his fellow executives of participating in a "fraudulent scheme" against ordinary shareholders, which Emergent and the executives denied. The investors said Daniel Abdun-Nabi, Emergent's chief executive at the time, tried to boost the share price by saying in a May 5, 2016, conference call with Wall Street analysts that the anthrax vaccine contract would be "one big, beautiful package." Emergent denied that assertion, saying that Abdun-Nabi's statement was merely "puffery" and that the company had warned that the government's demand for anthrax vaccine could change. Emergent asked U.S. District Judge Roger Titus to dismiss the lawsuit. Titus denied Emergent's motion, saying at a hearing that Abdun-Nabi's remark "created a false belief in the minds of the market and the plaintiffs" and that the investors' allegations were sufficient to proceed, according to a transcript filed in court. Titus said at the July 2017 hearing that the investors' allegation of deliberate wrongdoing was "bolstered by the insider trading that took place," adding that "to see these sales take place is disturbing." When asked by an attorney for Emergent to clarify how Abdun-Nabi's remark had figured in his decision, Titus said, "I think May 5th is where this case goes from puffery to fraud," according to the transcript. Attorneys for Emergent emphasized that Kramer and other executives had made their sales under a predetermined trading plan, as Kramer did for the transactions this year. But the investors said in response that plans were adopted by Kramer and another executive within the period that they were saying Emergent made misleading statements about the anthrax vaccine order, a point that Titus noted in court. Titus granted the investors class-action status, opening the door for other investors who had bought Emergent stock during the disputed period to make their own claims for compensation. Emergent appealed that decision at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which declined to hear the matter. In October 2018, Emergent and the investors settled the case, agreeing that Emergent would pay $6.5 million. The agreement emphasized that Emergent and its executives continued to deny any wrongdoing and that both sides had agreed to settle to save on judicial resources and litigation expenses. In the years since the lawsuit, Emergent's stock price has risen on the back of steadily increasing revenue that has been fueled by contracts with the federal government. Emergent has acquired new products, including a smallpox vaccine for which it signed a supply deal with the Strategic National Stockpile worth up to $2.8 billion in September 2019. The company reported total revenue of $1.56 billion in 2020, a 41% increase over 2019. The Post reported last year that the company had benefited as government health officials overseeing the stockpile prioritized defenses against biological and chemical terrorist attacks over preparations for a national pandemic, which many experts considered the more pressing threat. The Post reported that Robert Kadlec, the preparedness chief at the Department of Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump, had been paid as a consultant by Emergent and formed a start-up with the company's founder, Fuad El-Hibri, before joining Trump's administration. Kadlec did not mention either role in a questionnaire about his career that he submitted to the Senate as it considered his nomination. Kadlec and the firm said his past roles had no impact on the contracts with the government. Emergent also has contracts worth up to $195 million with the State Department and the Defense Department to supply injectors containing treatments for exposure to chemical weapons. The Post reported last year that Emergent's injector program suffered production problems and that the company had recalled tens of thousands of devices from foreign customers. Emergent said that a flaw in a small minority of devices had been discovered by the company's "rigorous quality processes" and that no injectors sold to U.S. authorities were affected. Emergent's rise continued last year when the company on June 1 announced a $628 million contract with the government's Operation Warp Speed, which helped fund the rapid development of coronavirus vaccines. Emergent signed additional deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars with Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca to make their vaccines at the Baltimore plant. The company's shares reached a record closing price of almost $135 on Aug. 13, before slowly falling and climbing again to reach more than $125 by Feb. 12 - its highest closing price in 2021. Kramer made all of his 2021 sales during the four weeks before that February high point, an analysis of the transactions shows. All of the sales involved Kramer promptly selling stock that he obtained by exercising stock options awarded by Emergent as compensation in past years. Under this system, company executives are given the right to buy a defined number of Emergent shares at a predetermined price before a specific expiration date. On Jan. 15, Kramer exercised his right to buy 19,026 Emergent shares at an average of $25.62 per share, according to a securities filing, then sold all 19,026 the same day for an average of $106 per share, netting him $1.5 million. On Jan. 20 and Jan. 21, Kramer exercised his right to buy 24,132 Emergent shares at $26.45 per share and sold them all for a little over $110 per share, netting him $2 million. Then, on Feb. 8, Kramer exercised his right to buy 45,397 Emergent shares at an average of $30.79 per share and sold them all for $120.03 per share, netting him $4.1 million. In all, the transactions appear to have brought Kramer gains of about $7.6 million before taxes and other possible costs and fees that are not detailed in public filings. The stock options that Kramer exercised on Jan. 15 were due to expire on March 10, meaning that he had to purchase the stocks by that date. The options that he exercised later that month and in February were not due to expire until dates falling between March 2022 and February 2024. In general, recipients of stock options may also choose to exercise the options and hold the stock rather than sell it. On Feb. 19, Emergent's stock price dropped by almost 12%. The firm published its annual report that day and had issued headline results the day before. Some Wall Street analysts said the firm's revenue - and projected revenue for the first quarter of 2021 - was lower than they had anticipated, according to reports. Emergent's share price slumped to $92.91 when markets closed on March 31, a few hours before news of the coronavirus vaccine contamination at Emergent's Baltimore plant. On April 1, the next day of trading, Emergent's share price fell by more than 13%. On April 19, when Emergent announced that it was temporarily shuttering the Baltimore facility while the FDA continued to investigate, the price fell by an additional 12.6%. The FDA on Wednesday issued a report on its inspection of the Bayview plant, stating that the firm had failed to adequately investigate the incident involving contamination of coronavirus vaccine. The report also cited unsanitary conditions at the facility, said waste material was not decontaminated and noted that inspectors had found peeling paint in sensitive manufacturing areas. Kramer defended Emergent in an opinion article for The Baltimore Sun this month in which he paid tribute to people who had made personal sacrifices to produce the vaccines that promise to bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic. "That includes our Baltimore-area workforce at Emergent, to whom I will be forever indebted," he wrote. IRVINE, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MRB Direct, Inc. announces a seed round investment by Fintech Fund II, a $125 million venture fund managed by Austin Capital General Partner, LLLP that targets companies in the financial technology sector. MRB Direct focuses on customer acquisition, customer service, and compliance while providing access to financial services for cash intensive clients. MRB Direct's Software-as-a-Service platform provides its clients with a comprehensive digital solution allowing them to efficiently process B2B and B2C transactions. MRB Direct Austin Capital Patrick Chung, President of MRB Direct said, "Cash intensive companies struggle to find financial institutions that are willing to be long term partners. Through our partnership with Austin Capital, we have been able to deepen and expand our partnerships with depository financial institutions, which allows us to rapidly increase the number of companies we work with across the country. In addition, Austin Capital's operational and technology experience, along with its deep knowledge of the financial services industry, has been invaluable. We are confident that Austin Capital will be an excellent partner to support our growth." Gregory Guggenheim, Vice-President and Business Analyst at Austin Capital added, "We are excited to partner with Patrick and his team to address the need for a compliance and payment solution for banks and non-financial services companies serving cash intensive industries. MRB Direct's easy to adopt API-based platform is well positioned to capitalize on the growth and federal legalization of the cannabis industry. We see tremendous opportunities to drive continued growth and our strategic investment will support the company's long-term vision and commitment to its clients." About Fintech Fund II, LLLP Fintech Fund II, LLLP is a venture fund managed by Austin Capital General Partner, LLLP ("Austin Capital"), a Southern California-based fintech-focused venture firm whose partners have an average of 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, technology, and operations. About MRB Direct MRB Direct, Inc. is a San Francisco, California based fintech firm dedicated to providing solutions to banks and non-financial institutions focused on cash intensive businesses. MRB Direct offers processing of payments and receivables, deposit services, and cash management. www.mrbdirect.com If you would like additional information contact John Alvarez at (214) 624-1022 or [email protected]. SOURCE MRB Direct, Inc. Cocaine and meth prices are climbing because of a tax being imposed by a shadowy group known as 'The Commission' run by an exiled bikie, police claim. Leader of the Comanchero Outlaw Motor cycle gang Mark Buddle is allegedly demanding a tax of up to $50,000 for each kilogram of illicit drugs smuggled from overseas into Sydney. NSW Police said in the last few months cocaine has jumped up by $50 a gram to $300 - which they suspect could be because of the bikie's tax. Comanchero Outlaw Motor cycle gang boss Mark Buddle (pictured) has formed 'The Commission' which he says will ensure the price of illicit drugs remains high During 2020 the price of some drugs tumbled leading the now international drug figure, after fleeing to Dubai in 2016, to take action to protect his profits. In January, Buddle declared he would be running 'The Commission' in an effort to establish a mafia-style drug cartel which could control the price of drugs on the street. The group is understood to be made up of himself, a number of senior Comancheros, and the leader of a Sydney crime family, The Daily Telegraph reported. He sent a message to via encrypted communication to a number of crime figures based in Australia and overseas. He has been exiled in Dubai (pictured) living off his millions since 2016 and running his gang via encrypted messages 'To ALL Main Players in Aus and Abroad all who land work in Sydney/NSW. As of 2021, there will be a Sydney commission that will be formed,' the message seen by the Telegraph said. 'As you seen in 2020 the price of Fry (street talk for meth) reached 250 and in a matter of 1 month it dropped to 80k. This is because there is NO STRUCTURE, no rules, no reasoning and to be honest there's NO SENSE'. The message included a warning that 'The Commission' would ensure that no one except those paying the tax would be able to import drugs through Sydney. With a large portion of Australia's street drugs being being trafficked into the country via the Harbour City, the tax would also affect prices interstate. Under the rules of the tax, those smuggling a kilogram, or 'stamp', into Sydney must tell the group what the shipment is and pay a fee. The payment could range from $5,000 to $50,000 depending on the importer's arrangement with the group. In exchange The Commission would ensure the stamp is protected and that rivals do not undercut their price. Under the tax each kilo of drugs being smuggled into Sydney would have to be given the nod by 'The Commission' who would then collect a fee (stock image) Buddle has numerous loyal bikie followers in Sydney to enforce his rules, despite living in luxury on his millions in Dubai for the past four years and running his organisation via encrypted devices. He fled the country in 2016 as a person of interest in the 2010 murder of Chubb security guard Gary Allibon who was shot while filling ATMs in the Sydney CBD. He told those not wanting to 'play ball' with his new tax had to 'land their work' somewhere other than Sydney. Senior NSW cops have said there will likely be resistance to the new tax resulting in a rise in the number of assaults, kidnappings and further bloodshed in the city - with some of their intelligence indicating this could already be happening. "With Highway 1's reopening, there is no better time for travelers to rekindle their sense of adventure in Monterey County," said Rob O'Keefe, president and CEO at Monterey County CVB. "Our unrivaled hospitality community has worked hard over the past year to put the highest health and safety protocols in place, and we are elated that now is the time to welcome visitors back to our breathtaking destination." The destination's 'Now is the Moment' campaign delivers exclusive offers, new itineraries made up of must-experience moments and fresh ways to take advantage of the boundless wide-open spaces and iconic experiences along California's central coast. The Monterey County CVB has curated a list of reasons 'Now is the Moment' to plan a soul-satisfying trip to Monterey County: NEW/LIMITED-TIME EXPERIENCES Book the new Bikes, Bites & Bevs Tour, offered by Carmel Food Tours and Mad Dogs & Englishmen Bike Shop, that includes an e-bike ride to picturesque Point Lobos State Park followed by a walking food tour in Carmel -by-the-Sea. -by-the-Sea. Seize the moment from 15,000 feet over the Monterey Bay with Skydive Monterey Bay's new Silver Package. The package celebrates Skydive Monterey Bay's 25 th anniversary and offers adventure seekers the chance to experience " California's Highest Tandem Jump." After jump completion, receive a framed first jump certificate, a gear store gift and mini gear bag. The special package offers visitors more than 35 percent off normal rates. Book now for $229 per person with an advance reservation. anniversary and offers adventure seekers the chance to experience " Highest Tandem Jump." After jump completion, receive a framed first jump certificate, a gear store gift and mini gear bag. The special package offers visitors more than 35 percent off normal rates. Book now for per person with an advance reservation. Stave Wine Cellar at Pebble Beach Resort's The Inn at Spanish Bay will offer an 'Exclusive Moments' tasting experience during the month of May, partnering with the best producers in California to create three unique wines exclusive to the resort. to create three unique wines exclusive to the resort. The Sardine Factory, located within Monterey's historic Cannery Row, is offering a new 'Monterey Moment' cocktail May through June. Made with limoncello, lemon juice, orange juice, blue curacao and topped with champagne, the refreshing drink has hints of blue to convey the Monterey Bay and comes complete with a personalized jingle from the award-winning restaurant's resident entertainer, David Conley . historic Cannery Row, is offering a new 'Monterey Moment' cocktail May through June. Made with limoncello, lemon juice, orange juice, blue curacao and topped with champagne, the refreshing drink has hints of blue to convey the Monterey Bay and comes complete with a personalized jingle from the award-winning restaurant's resident entertainer, . The new we. Art installations in Sand City have recently transformed the coastal town into one of the most accessible outdoor public art galleries on the peninsula. Take a self-guided walking tour around the West End to see the new public art, completed by local and national artists. RECENTLY REOPENED/SET TO REOPEN Big Sur's beloved Pine Ridge Trail recently reopened after being closed for five years. Located in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest, the 19.5-mile trail leads hikers from Big Sur Station to Sykes Camp with a cover of redwoods, pine and oak along the way. beloved Pine Ridge Trail recently reopened after being closed for five years. Located in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest, the 19.5-mile trail leads hikers from Big Sur Station to Sykes Camp with a cover of redwoods, pine and oak along the way. The famed Monterey Bay Aquarium will reopen to the public on Saturday, May 15 , ending a 13-month closure. Dedicated to marine research and conservation, the Aquarium features 35,000 creatures representing over 550 sea life and marine species. Be one of the first to revisit the Aquarium by reserving a general admission ticket. Advance tickets are now required, and reservations will become available online at 9 a.m. PT on May 5 . , ending a 13-month closure. Dedicated to marine research and conservation, the Aquarium features 35,000 creatures representing over 550 sea life and marine species. Be one of the first to revisit the Aquarium by reserving a general admission ticket. Advance tickets are now required, and reservations will become available online at on . The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas will reopen on Thursday, May 6 . The center is dedicated to legendary author John Steinbeck who was born and raised in Monterey County's agricultural hub. Steinbeck drew on his experience growing up in the region for novels such as "Cannery Row" and its sequel "Sweet Thursday." will reopen on . The center is dedicated to legendary author who was born and raised in agricultural hub. Steinbeck drew on his experience growing up in the region for novels such as "Cannery Row" and its sequel "Sweet Thursday." WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca announced its 2021 line-up of events kicking off with the GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey from July 9-11 . Tickets are on sale now with anticipation that spectators will be able to attend all events at the world-famous race track. SEASONAL SECRETS Spring is one of the best times to visit Pinnacles National Park where adventurers can enjoy mild temperatures and a variety of wildflowers. Hoping to spot a magnificent California condor? Set out for a hike on the strenuous 8.4-mile High Peaks-Balconies Loop or opt for the Bench Trail's spotting scopes in the early morning or early evening. condor? Set out for a hike on the strenuous 8.4-mile High Peaks-Balconies Loop or opt for the Bench Trail's spotting scopes in the early morning or early evening. Kayak Connection's Starlight Bioluminescence Tour in Moss Landing starts before sunset for easy viewing of resident marine life frolicking and feeding at dusk. Once the sun goes down, visitors enjoy the glow while paddling through the bioluminescent waters. starts before sunset for easy viewing of resident marine life frolicking and feeding at dusk. Once the sun goes down, visitors enjoy the glow while paddling through the bioluminescent waters. May is the prime month to spot Pacific Grove's majestic purple phenomenon, dubbed the "Purple Carpet." View thousands of magenta ice plants take over the coastline along Ocean View Boulevard by foot, bike, car or boat. majestic purple phenomenon, dubbed the "Purple Carpet." View thousands of magenta ice plants take over the coastline along Ocean View Boulevard by foot, bike, car or boat. A renowned whale-watching destination, Monterey County offers visitors the opportunity to see the great gray whale migration and the return of the humpback whales to the Monterey Bay this spring. The spring season also brings greater sightings of killer whales to the area as well. Book a whale watching tour from Monterey or Moss Landing . offers visitors the opportunity to see the great gray whale migration and the return of the humpback whales to the Monterey Bay this spring. The spring season also brings greater sightings of killer whales to the area as well. Book a whale watching tour from or . There is no better place to kick off the start of Rose season than sunny Carmel Valley . Located in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Carmel Valley wineries offer an abundance of varieties with several specializing in Grenache Rose. Must-tries include the sparkling Rose at Folktale Winery and Vineyards. LATEST LODGING OFFERS Monterey Tides is offering guests up to 30 percent off stays now through May 27, 2021 with its Spring Savings by The Sea promotion. The beach becomes guests' backyard during a stay at the centrally located boutique property. Head to nearby Monterey State Beach, Del Monte Beach or Sand City Beach to grab a moment in the sun. with its Spring Savings by The Sea promotion. The beach becomes guests' backyard during a stay at the centrally located boutique property. Head to nearby Monterey State Beach, Del or Sand City Beach to grab a moment in the sun. Book a stay at Carmel -by-the-Sea's Horizon Inn & Ocean View Lodge and enjoy the properties Mindful by the Beach program hosted in partnership with Monterey Bay Meditation Studio. Free to guests every Monday in April, the program includes a guided 45-minute Mindfulness Session at Carmel Beach followed by light refreshments and wine around a bonfire. -by-the-Sea's Horizon Inn & Ocean View Lodge and enjoy the properties Mindful by the Beach program hosted in partnership with Monterey Bay Meditation Studio. Free to guests every Monday in April, the program includes a guided 45-minute Mindfulness Session at followed by light refreshments and wine around a bonfire. Now through June 30, 2021 , the Hofsas House Hotel is offering a "sweet" deal to guests. Stay for at least two nights and receive a box of locally made Lula's Chocolates and a Hofsas House tote bag. Indicate "Sweet Internet Special" when reserving online or calling to make a reservation. , the Hofsas House Hotel is offering a "sweet" deal to guests. Stay for at least two nights and receive a box of locally made Lula's Chocolates and a Hofsas House tote bag. Indicate "Sweet Internet Special" when reserving online or calling to make a reservation. Nestled between Monterey Bay and the Marina Dunes Preserve, the ultra-romantic Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina is offering a Love, Stay & Namaste package including overnight accommodations, a private beach yoga session, chilled sparkling wine and breakfast delivered to the property's private beachfront cottages. is offering a Love, Stay & Namaste package including overnight accommodations, a private beach yoga session, chilled sparkling wine and breakfast delivered to the property's private beachfront cottages. Embassy Suites by Hilton in Seaside is offering a Stay & Play package complete with 36 holes of golf at Bayonet and Black Horse. Overlooking the Monterey Bay, the course was built in the 1950s by General Bob McClure and has since been the host site of two PGA Professional Championships. Visitors are encouraged to travel responsibly in Monterey County by following all current health and safety guidelines and respecting the area's iconic landscapes by staying on trails and leaving no trace behind. For more information on events, hotel special offers, promotions, and to learn more ways to grab your moment now, visit SeeMonterey.com/NOW. ABOUT MONTEREY COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Monterey County CVB) is a 501c6 non-profit organization that drives tourism for Monterey County. Tourism is the largest industry on the Monterey Peninsula and the second largest in the County. The MCCVB is a partnership of the hospitality community and local governments that aims to drive business growth through compelling marketing and targeted sales initiatives that maximize the benefits of tourism to its guests, members and the community. Travel spending in Monterey County was $3.24 billion in 2019, representing a 3.3 percent increase from 2018. This $3.24 billion in visitor spending supported 27,120 jobs, contributed $296 million in total taxes and generated $153 million local tax dollars that directly benefited the community. For more information, visit www.SeeMonterey.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Media Contact Rachel Dinbokowitz [email protected] 831-657-6434 SOURCE Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 13:37:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Tougher penalties for those who steal the identities of others to enroll in a school or college were highlighted in the latest draft revision to the Education Law, which is under consideration of the Chinese lawmakers. The draft amendment to the country's Education Law was presented to lawmakers on Monday for a second reading at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC). Holders of public office who organize identity theft, fraudulently use others' identities and take others' places in admission, or instigating others to do so, will be given sanctions in accordance with laws, the draft says. Violators will be prosecuted for criminal liability if the circumstances constitute a crime, it adds. The period of the ban for those imposters on participating in relevant national examinations will be extended to two to five years from the previous period of one to three years, according to the draft. Lawmakers are expected to deliberate the draft amendment in group discussions during the ongoing session of the NPC Standing Committee, which runs from Monday to Thursday. Enditem The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has directed the suspension of Channels Televisions Politics Today, after a leader of the pr... The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has directed the suspension of Channels Televisions Politics Today, after a leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was interviewed during the programme. In a letter addressed to the managing director of the TV station, Armstrong Idachaba, acting NBC director-general, said Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesperson, made inciting comments without being cautioned during the programme. Idachaba added that the station is also liable to a suspension of its licence and a fine of N5 million for breaching the broadcasting code. However, the only sanction imposed by NBC is the suspension of the programme. IPOB, which was formed in 2012 by Nnamdi Kanu, was designated as a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian government in 2017. On Sunday, Powerful was featured on the TV programme during which he spoke about the groups activities. The NBC DG said the IPOB programme content amounts to subversion of constituted authority. In the programme, a so called new leader of IPOB made several secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution or reprimand by your station. He also made derogatory, false and misleading statements about the Nigerian Army, the April 26 letter read. This is reprehensible, especially that IPOB remains a proscribed organisation as pronounced by the law courts of the land. This much Channels ought to know and respect. The programme was very clearly in violation of the provisions of the code, and extant provisions of the broadcasting act. Refer Sections 3.11.1(b) and 5.43 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code which state the following; 311 1(b) The Broadcaster shall ensure that no programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state. For obviously breaching the above provisions of the law, your station remains liable to sanctions provided in section 15 of the code which prescribes among others suspension of broadcast licence and a fine of N5 million. Idachaba added that the station needs to be ethical and professional especially at times of crisis. Please ensure an immediate stop to the programme, he said. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 26, 2021) - ScreenPro Security Inc. (CSE: SCRN) ("ScreenPro" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company, with its DAP accredited lab in Vancouver and Datametrex AI Limited (TSXV: DM) ("Datametrex"), has been selected to process Covid-19 testings for the world's largest film and television streaming company in Vancouver. ScreenPro and its labs have been offering flexible testing services delivering consistent and timely results ensuring that the client's productions start on time and ensure a safe working environment for all its staff. The labs have already begun processing tests for these productions in Vancouver, and this will increase the company's daily testing dramatically. Management is in on-going discussions with the client for the potential of additional projects. John McMullen, CEO, "I congratulate our partners at Datametrex and Labs in winning this business for the group. As a DAP accredited lab focused on testing for the coronavirus in Vancouver, together we deliver the necessary information film and television productions need to get people back to work." About ScreenPro ScreenPro provides turnkey coronavirus screening solutions to the private sector including testing, track and tracing with GoStop alerting software. ScreenPro's unique access to multiple manufacturers of high quality South Korean test kits and its strategic partnership with Canvas Labs in Vancouver and Integrated Explorations in Ontario. This platform allows ScreenPro to be a nationwide provider of a full-service testing solutions across Canada. In addition to providing test kits, ScreenPro has its own nursing professionals, and access to high quality PPE to ensure that its clients are protected in all aspects of their testing needs. GoStop's passport was developed with a privacy preserving approach that will enable individuals to use the alerting software and downloadable app with authentication certificates. The alerts can be scheduled on an on-demand, daily, weekly, or monthly basis and can be used also for vaccine scheduling. For additional information on ScreenPro and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.screenprosecurity.com. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor it's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "John A. D. McMullen" President and CEO For further information please contact: John McMullen Email: info@screenprosecurity.com Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements relating to expectations regarding the future development of ScreenPro's business. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The actual results of ScreenPro could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which ScreenPro operates, prevailing economic conditions, changes to ScreenPro's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of ScreenPro. Management of ScreenPro believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents ScreenPro's expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. ScreenPro disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation. ### To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/81708 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. As the heated debate continues about the role of school safety agents in New York City public school buildings, more than 50 people gathered on the steps of Borough Hall in St. George on Sunday to show their support for the safety agents. The attendees criticized the current proposals made in the City Council, which call for the transition of school agents from the NYPD to the city Department of Education (DOE), and for them to be stripped of the ability to carry restraints and make arrests. Speakers at the rally said that students, parents, and educators rely on school safety agents to de-escalate situations and maintain safety for the school, while also providing support, care, and guidance to students. Supporters of school safety agents say they work to de-escalate situations and keep students safe, while also providing support and guidance. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson) Quiann Simpkins, a school safety agent and parent, said she sees students in her school as her own children because thats what they are. We service the community, we service the parents, we service the students as well as our staff. We keep everyone safe, she said. I am a woman of color, Im a parent of a woman of color. The children that we service are children of color. They are our children, literally. They are us, and we are them. This whole thing about systemic racism and safety being a part of a pipeline that we have no knowledge of because we dont filter those children. We make sure we give those children love, guidance, all the social-emotional support that theyre asking. School safety agents in New York City are a diverse group of employees the majority are women, and are mostly Black, Hispanic and Asian, advocates at the rally said, and Simpkins said that school safety agents encounter people in all walks of life. Proposals by the City Council will affect inner-city youth, and many people of color not the affluent community, Simpkins said. Its affecting the people of color so as a woman of color, school safety agent, also as a mother of color, as a parent, Im appealing to all of these people, Simpkins said. I send my children to school not to be harmed, to be educated, but if they are harmed in any form or fashion, I expect that someone will rectify that expediently, professionally, and with the utmost extreme care that I know myself and my coworkers do every single day. School Safety Agent Quiann Simpkins (center) said changes proposed for school safety agents will disproportionately affect people of color. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson) TRANSITION TO DOE Last year, after expressing skepticism of calls to remove school safety agents a unit which comprises more than 5,000 employees from the jurisdiction of the NYPD, Mayor Bill de Blasio said a multi-year transition would move the group under the control of the citys Department of Education (DOE). One bill looks to cement that promise ensuring that the NYPD will be fully removed from school safety from and after June 2022, except as necessary to address an imminent risk to public safety or property. It also proposes significant changes to the everyday jobs of school safety agents, who would no longer make arrests, carry mechanical restraints, or wear law enforcement uniforms on school grounds as of August 2021. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and others have contended that school safety needs to be reimagined and that police infrastructure needs to be completely removed from the education system to be replaced by youth, parent and educator-led solutions that center around the concept of restorative justice a theory that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior. Williams published a detailed vision of school safety that would only rely on law enforcement in the most extreme circumstances. A coalition of supporters say a push would mark a fundamental shift in how crises are handled in school buildings and where funding would be allocated. Dawn Yuster, the director of the School Justice Project for the Advocates for Children of New York, recently told the Advance/SILive.com that the organizations belief is that the current proposals being made in the City Council are inadequate and that a substantial shift in personnel and resources are essential steps to correct issues in school policing that disproportionately affect children of color. We agree with young people that moving school safety agents from the NYPD to the Department of Education, and then giving them a couple of trainings is just not sufficient, said Yuster in an interview with the Advance/SILive.com. If youre really talking about reimagining the role of school safety, youre not automatically just moving over one type of role and saying everyone should be doing that role continued, said Yuster. Youre really rethinking it. Bills propose transitioning school safety agents from the NYPD to the DOE. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson) THEY KNOW WE CARE But Harold Wise, a school safety agent who was at Sundays rally, wondered why the city would limit or remove school safety agents if shootings and other crime are increasing among youth citywide. He added that students look to school safety agents for guidance and advice like if they are getting bullied, are in trouble, or need help. They work to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations, but still make sure they care for students, he said. They know that we care, and when you have an agenda that is detrimental to the community, I think you need to replan and re-strategize because were not going to let you sit back and destroy your community, Wise said, referring to the proposals. Were the ones who go to work every day and deal with a lot of nonsense across the board. We know were not police officers because our paychecks do not show it. So we do it because we love the kids, we love what we do and we are always going to be New Yorks realest. In order to fight against the City Councils proposals, rally-goers Leticia Remauro and Sam Pirozzolo, who are running for Staten Island Borough President and City Council respectively, shared phone numbers of elected officials that the community can call to oppose the proposals. Gregory Floyd, the president of Local 237, the union that represents the citys school safety agents and who has been in fervent opposition in transitioning agents to the DOE, told the school safety agents that it will be the parents who will rescue them. The parents know the job that you do for them and do for their children, he said. The parents call you when they cant find their children. The parents call you when their children have problems and they dont know whats going on. The parents depend on you. The city DOE said its on track to transition the approximately 5,000 school safety agents to the DOE by June 2022. We are bringing our current staff of SSAs [school safety agents] back to the DOE as part of our goal to provide students with complete safety, said DOE spokesperson Nathaniel Styer. SSAs are vital partners in ensuring our schools are safe and welcoming to all students, and we are working closely with stakeholders, including our labor partners, to ensure SSAs are fully incorporated into school communities. Community members were urged by activists to call their local elected officials to fight against the city council's proposals. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson) MORE COVERAGE ON SCHOOL SAFETY: Who should keep our children safe? Plan for school-safety changes ignites storm on both sides Reimagining the role of school safety: Advocates detail their vision for police-free schools Amid talks about role of school safety agents, dozens gather at Graniteville church to discuss concerns School Zone: A new newsletter with the updates you need as our schools try to get back to normal. Enter your email address here and hit "subscribe" to receive this weekly newsletter: FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. A Parade of Vanity? Why Internal Routing Is Superior What's not to love? I commend Focus. 8/10 Words: Henry Quinney You're Joking Right? No, I'm not. I'm fed up with internal routing being bashed. It's just far better. I admit it - I love internal cable routing. There, I said it. Whats more, I like it in the most basic form with only entry and exit ports. Its the cleanest looking and most functional. I think cable routing is like tyre inserts or bleeding brakes in that I often dont understand how people can go so wrong. Im not some bicycle rider-cum-technical-polymath its just putting a bit of foam in a tyre or pushing oil through a system. I do, however, follow instructions and tend to have a plan A, B, C and even a D or E on occasion. Obsequious adjective: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree. Bootlicker noun: an obsequious or servile person. Sycophant noun: a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage. Toady noun: toady; plural noun: toadies - a person who behaves obsequiously to someone important. Here is a pre-emptive selection of words you may wish to use in the comments. Ever here to help and inform, indeed. Due to my "moto" setup, the front end on my Enduro will never look as clean as this. I don't like it crossing the headtube but it's not the end of the world. 5/10 . Whenever people complain out of sympathy for mechanics I just think that if your chosen mechanic cant push a cable through a hole without significant difficulty then youre probably backing the wrong horse. With triathlon bikes and even some of the more aero-orientated road bikes, I kind of get it, especially when you have to cut hoses and cables the perfect lengths to not only fit in but also to keep them from forcing themselves out under tension, but for the lines we use in mountain bikes its just not a problem. What Has Been Seen Cannot be Unseen. not Whats WORSE, far worse, is that I can no longer heatwrap or affix my dropper and the rear brake lines together. Oh sweet Boris, the humanity. A lot of Fuss About Nothing? Possibly. Riding my bike is a pleasure and anything that inhibits that even slightly is to be avoided at all costs. I know this feeling could be denounced as mere shallowness or snobbery, and while I don't disagree with that, I would say my strong feeling of pro-internal routing is only as ridiculous as being vehemently against it. I think the optimisation of a bike is one of the things that got me hooked in bicycle mechanics in the first place. As soon as I rode a bike I was always curious how to maximize the experience. No. No. No. No. No. 1/10 This idea that we should be at the whims of the most mechanically inept is bizarre. I want my tires to thud and not prang, my gears to roll through with not so much as a gentle purr, and my bike to always be free from creaks or clacks. Should my bike develop a noise, it's not the end of the world by any stretch but I'm always very happy to remedy it at the first available chance. Ugly or excess cabling on an instrument of pleasure that literally costs thousands of Queen Liz's finest pounds is just... absolutely unthinkable. Tell me you don't care all you want, but if ever you rode a bike like ol' mate Dangerholm's I think you'd begin to appreciate it. 10/10 Admirable Efforts Aren't Always Enough. But where was I? Ah yes, the cables. Some companies make a very inoffensive stab at well-executed external cabling and honestly, its fine. Pole does a good job of it and GT manage to hide their cables in the silhouette of their bike. I mean, its fine. Its okay. It doesn't necessarily upset me. You might see some companies route their rear brake externally which is well I dont like it. As wed say in ol blighty, it just isnt my cup of tea. The argument that you might need to change your brake in case it gets damaged and the remedy is having the hose external to the frame... righto. And if you break a lever, for example, I would probably change the lever and not the whole system but maybe that's a luxury and finding compatible parts might be difficult, especially in the current climate. In fairness, this is very well executed. 6/10 To me, the "no nonsense" approach seems to be a little heavy on the non-sense. 2/10 . It might be said that it makes installing a new brake slightly easier, but does it really? Youre probably going to have to cut the new hose to length anyway. I suppose it does mean that you dont have to bleed the brake youre removing, which is a good thing I suppose. In a race situation maybe it has its merits but even then I seem to be immune to the ideas charms. I would contend that in that particular race situation, a downhill bike fork's often dont let you slip a caliper or lever between the stanctions and the headtube. So, youre kind of just making work for yourself at that point. You may also run into a similar situation depending on your linkage. Magura dabble with full integration. Not too bad although it seems somewhat bizarre to go to all that trouble with putting a brake inside a handlebar to then have a cable doing a loop-the-loop out of the steerer. 8/10 . What Do I Want? I should also mention that Ive spent the most part of my professional life working as a mechanic. This might support or indeed undermine my argument but, then again, a lot of my interactions with riders or customers en masse would suggest that many of them think that bicycles are simple beings. In a maintenance sense I would agree with this. There is undoubtedly a degree of nuance with some jobs but I'm not sure that extends to pushing a cable through a hole.My current main bike, a Specialized Enduro, is genuinely a remarkable bike but I have the gripe that I really strongly dislike fully guided internal routing and thats for a very simple reason - I run my rear brake on the left. Small potatoes, I know but it does bother me on a superficial level.The side that we run our brakes is often subject to the side of the road in which the traffic drives in your home country. There are different explanations for which side of the road one may drive on. Be it what style of horse-drawn carriage your ancestors used, Pope Boniface VIIIs declaration that pilgrims must travel on the left or indeed whether you may wish to keep your sword arm free and uninhibited should you find yourself in the midst of an impromptu enduro joust-off.Either way, us Brits, with our tea, our biscuits, Duran Duran, two world wars and one world cup, drive on the left and subsequently run our rear brake on the same side. I believe the blase term is export... and we certainly exported our culture elsewhere, and not just the driving-on-the-left thing, but maybe the less said about this the better. However, while I'm here, I would just like to take this opportunity to formally apologise to North America for Piers Morgan. To say the man is without redeemable traits would be unfair, as it doesnt entertain the possibility of harvesting his potentially life-saving organs, but Im sorry all the same.But yes, the cables. So, I drive on the left and use my brake on the left. I also like my cable tocross the headtube. It looks messy, in my opinion. I know some people feel or have felt in the past that longer curves in the cable translate to greater shifting performance or that it's the best way to keep cable off the headtube but I just don't buy it. The real problem then arises when you use a frame that has preordained entry ports for right hand rear braking. Honestly, there is currently a great deal of conversation in my own country regarding the realization that were actually not as important as might like to think. Shrinking violets and a lessening say in international diplomacy I can handle but it really hit home when I couldnt have my cable routing of choice.I suppose I do take pride in the way my bike looks, even if I am the only one to ever really take a close look at it. It's not totally dissimilar to being house-proud. I mean, we could live in holes in the ground with tarpaulin rigged over the top, label it as "highly ventilated semi-open plan" by way of justification, but personally, I'd really prefer to live somewhere nice even if maintaining it is either beyond me or labour intensive. For instance, I'm not a plasterer but I'm also not suggesting that I want all the guts of the house exposed just in case I want to have a stab at the plumbing. I'd rather just learn how to do it properly or pay somebody to do it well. This idea that we should be at the whims of the most mechanically inept is bizarre.My quest for the neatest routing even took me to try right-brake-rear. It's an interesting question - can one retrain your brain to use the brakes inversely to what you learned? Some people probably can but for me, I personally cant. I know this because I tried and was genuinely scared for my life. Road cyclists have long run their setup euro, ie. front brake a gauche. Not only does it lend to cleaner routing to the front caliper brake, but it also means that one can endo while flicking through the gears at traffic lights, should you be faced with a big hill straight out of the blocks that no amount of tokes on the ol asthma inhaler will account for.So yes, I tried it on my road bike as a hopeful youth coming down a not inconsiderable mountain and it was just awful. I persevered for another week or two but just couldnt do it. It was a strange thing in that if I had time I could remind myself to do the inverse to what I know. The problem is that when you increase a small element of danger a panicked brain might get confused and overcorrect to do the inverse of the inverse.Yes, I have a background as a mechanic but I dont think that means I have a third hand or pot luck. Common sense and methodical thinking will be your most reliable ally, in my opinion.I went riding with my friend the other day and upon seeing his bike with cables out every which way, I wondered if he was at risk from accidentally rustling some cattle by inadvertent lassoing or maybe after an OTB he would be found in the woods and the police would assume it had been some kind of auto-asphyxiation fetish gone wrong.I have never been sat in a car and thought "well, this dashboard is nice but do you know what would really set it off? Lots of exposed wiring". These aren't lawnmowers or agricultural machinery. These are fine vessels and should be able to be designed as such, without people complaining just because their sausage fingers are bereft of the most basic requirements of dexterity to complete a simple task.What I want is nice wide entry ports with malleable rubber grommets, including an option for a blanking plate and some borrowers-pipe-lagging. Installation only requires a small amount of patience and the red RockShox double barb tool (or you can use a cut spoke, some surgical tubing or a cut ferrule to great effect).So, its quieter, cleaner, and looks better. Whats not to love? I suppose I welcome greater levels of integration and cant wait to see what the next wave of bikes will have. Focus have got an interesting solution, as do Magura, and of course AXS is game changing. Im excited to see where this will lead next and the svelte bikes we could be riding in the next decade.If anyone has any queries regarding this article please feel free to handwrite me a strongly worded letter. BIWIN to Offer Predator-Branded Memory and Personal Storage Products MIAMI, FL, Apr 21, 2021 (ACN Newswire) BIWIN, a leading chip manufacturer for flash storage, reached an agreement with Acer to bring Predator-branded memory and personal SSD storage products to customers in the United States and Canada. The product offerings will take advantage of BIWIN\-\-s manufacturing capabilities and Predator\-\-s global brand recognition to provide the latest memory and storage solutions for both casual and professional gamers. The Predator brand is known for providing hardcore PC gamers and esports professionals with high-end gaming solutions that give them a competitive edge. The new high-end flagship memory and storage portfolio under the Predator brand begins with state-of-the-art memory modules and blazing fast solid-state drives. With a powerful \cyberpunk inspired\ design to match the power of its performance, the new Predator Apollo memory module series offers speed, style and special lighting. Its ultra-high frequency, ultra-low timing, and overclocking capabilities will satisfy even the most speed-thirsty gamers. The Predator Apollo series feature RGB lighting that synchronizes with most mainstream motherboard software to allow eight eye-catching independent lighting areas, 16 million RGB colour values and 10+ light effects. Built with the best components, the Predator Apollo memory modules come with an impressive 10-layer PCB, aluminium heatsink, 15m gold-plated contacts and the highest quality B-dies to ensure top-level performance. With Apollo as part of their gear (incorporating Intel XMP 2.0), gamers can now jump to overclocking with one click. To complement the Predator Apollo series, a range of Predator Talos memory modules are built with an 8-layer PCB, ultra-low timing, and high-efficiency zinc-alloy heatsink to guarantee better performance, higher endurance, and an extremely satisfying experience for users. In solid-state storage, the new Predator GM3500 delivers faster load times for games, applications, and movies. It\-\-s lighter than regular drives and better able to withstand movement and drops. It also uses less energy, allowing computers to run cooler. This high-performance GM3500 model is PCIe Gen 34, NVMe 1.3 compliant with 3400/3000 MB/s read-write speeds while the Advanced LDPC (Low-Density Parity Check) on-board improves performance using powerful error-correcting code algorithms. More customers now realize the benefits of solid-state drives and want to upgrade their current desktop and laptop systems. Predator-branded SSDs bring them the speed (and capacity) they need to make their work run faster and their gameplay stress-free. With the rapid growth in the gaming and esports industry, the Predator high-end storage and memory product lines will expand, providing consumers with even more options to upgrade. About BIWIN As one of the leaders in the global manufacture of flash storage devices, BIWIN expects exciting results as it brings Predator-branded products into the higher-end memory and consumer storage market. BIWIN focuses on providing customers with more competitive and high-quality hardware and software storage solutions. BIWIN products and services include SSDs, embedded storage chips, memory cards, memory modules, and customization services. The new BIWIN Huizhou Science and Technology Zone will offer more than 110,000 square metres of production lines for chip manufacturing and the production of memory modules, memory cards and SSDs. Please visit https://biwintech.com Media Contact: Pietro Luo, BIWIN E: Mkt.hq@biwintech.com A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, says she determined since 2007 that she would never accept a ministerial appointment again. ... A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, says she determined since 2007 that she would never accept a ministerial appointment again. Ezekwesili said this in a series of tweets on Monday, adding that she had rejected past ministerial appointments. The former ministers tweet comes barely two weeks after her former protege, Japheth Omojuwa, said in an open letter that Ezekwesili was expected to be appointed a minister by the new regime of the President, Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. Many Buhari supporters seized the opportunity to lambast Ezekwesili, accusing her of being a Buhari critic because the President failed to appoint her as a minister. But Ezekwesili, who is the Co-Convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Group, said she found nothing fascinating in being a minister, adding that when she was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the early 2000s, the appointment had put a strain on her family. The former Vice-President, World Bank Africa Division tweeted, I keep asking what is it about becoming a minister that these folks find so fascinating, considering the hardship my previous service to Nigeria including as a minister, cost my family and me? Finally, I got it. Such an attack is by all those who see public office as a meal. After 2007, I made a decision to never again accept any ministerial appointment in this country. Facts are all around that every time I was offered to be a minister since 2007, I swiftly turned down the offer. I know it kills some of you to accept this but it is what it is. SPRINGFIELD Natasha Valentin made the difficult decision to drop out of high school in 2019 to take care of her son. The pressures of being a new mother and keeping up with course work were too much. Before COVID I was a drop out. I didnt really have day care so it was hard to come to school in person, said Valentin, who is now 22 and will be graduating from high school this June thanks to Phoenix Charter Schools Remote+ program. " When they told me about remote I took the opportunity because I had dropped out my senior year so I was close to graduating, she said. It was great news to me because I could do stuff at home and when I had the time I could come in to the school for support. Principal Calvin Johnson said the school found ways to use the remote learning requirements to help some non traditional students including young mothers and fathers, older students and those who have to work full-time jobs. One thing COVID has done is that it has changed education in a real way. So many of our students are working now, so many are taking care of loved ones at a higher rate than when the pandemic started. What the school realized is that it had to design some new approaches for our students to engage with us and find success, Johnson said. Phoenix Charter Academy on Lincoln St. in Springfield. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) He said the traditional school model where a student attends class every day is just not feasible for some students who have taken on new responsibilities since the pandemic. I have had many students tell me they cant come to school five days a week because they have to work because a relative lost their job due to COVID and now that student has become the sole source of income for their family, he said, adding that students would ask if they could make up the work or come in just several times a week and do other work from home. So that has informed how we shaped our program to create various pathways for kids to come in and engage with us whenever it works for them, he said. In our new model they can pick up right where they left off the last time that they were in school, without the frustration of feeling like they are behind. The teachers in each course created virtual curriculums for the entire school year. Inside the curriculum format there are videos as well as other learning materials so students have access to a years worth of assignments that they can work on at any time. In the morning or afternoon or a Saturday night, whatever works for them. That has been critical for some of our students because they are not being constrained to the traditional timelines of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., he said. In order to ensure that students are not overwhelming themselves with too many assignments or not doing enough work every student is assigned a primary person, an advisor who works with them individually. This person works with the student to ensure that they are keeping up with the pacing of the assignments, Johnson said. They continuously check back in over the week with the student to see if they are falling behind, if they need additional teacher support. Giovanni Daniele, a senior at Phoenix Charter Academy in Springfield, works on his assignment Tuesday afternoon, Apr. 13, 2021. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Giovanni Daniele, 18, said remote learning was actually difficult for him. He prefers to be in class where he can focus his attention on his work. Still a traditional daily schedule conflicted with his job. This new system allows him to combine remote learning as well as in-class instruction on the days when he can get off work. I actually came in for summer school and once I completed all that work I was able to move on and get more work done for my senior classes because Im allowed to work at my own pace, he said. There were times that I fell a little bit behind, but you can just pick it back up where you left off and you never feel like youre being left behind in this school, ever. Daniele said he still struggles with remote learning so he and his primary person came up with an agreement that he would come into the school Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 p.m.-3 p.m. I would just do as much as I could and learn as much as I could during those time frames of the week. Instead of having to get half of an assignment done because I had to work or was having issues with the computer, he said. Before remote learning became an option for her Valentin had chosen to drop out of high school because caring for her son who is almost 4 takes up most of her energy every day and left little time for math homework and reading assignments. Now she works with her primary person to create a weekly schedule that allows her to care for her son while also working on school assignments from home. Sometimes during the day he is on his tablet and I am doing work, but mostly I wait until he is asleep and then I get on my laptop and finish my assignments, she said. It makes me feel good because I can be with him, but I can also do school this way. Johnson said that while some schools have mostly been dealing with the difficulties associated with remote learning Phoenix Charter has taken it as an opportunity to get more students in school and graduating. The school currently serves 205 students. The administration has decided this will be a permanent part of the curriculum options. The school has had its best year in fact. We have realized that for the students our school serves we have to design a program that will work for them and part of that means there is prime flexibility so they can learn at their own pace. Its just very important, he said. After rough starts in a traditional school system both students are now on track to graduate in June. This school has been willing to work with me and never gave up on me and that made me want to keep moving forward and earn my diploma, Daniele said. It makes a real difference for students who want to learn and want to graduate but just cant do it in a traditional school setting. Related content: Mr. Swain was becoming convinced that somebody else named Josh Swain might actually show up. And he didnt want to be the kind of Josh Swain who invited people to a fight and didnt show up himself. So, he bought an airplane ticket about a month ago and flew on Friday to Lincoln, Neb. On Saturday, he went to the designated location: Air Park Green Area. He arrived at the park around 11 a.m. to scope out the location. By noon, the others had arrived. By Mr. Swains estimation, about 1,000 people turned out, all prepared for a good-humored romp. About 950 were spectators, and 50 people had the first name Josh. But only one of those Joshes was a Josh Swain the name doppelganger whom Mr. Swain had initially set out to meet. So, on Saturday, there was not one Josh Fight, but two. The Josh Swain battled The Other Josh Swain in rock, paper, scissors. The Josh Swain wore a gray T-shirt and dark jeans. The Other Josh Swain wore a black jacket with no sleeves and metal studs. It was a one-game, winner-take-all fight. They tied the first round. And the second round. And the third. In the fourth round, The Josh Swain threw a rock, The Other Josh Swain threw scissors. Winner: The Josh Swain! Everybody erupted, The Josh Swain recalled. Graciously, he spared his rival the harshest of all punishments. As my first decree as the official Josh Swain, I think he shouldnt have to change his name. (Natural News) Canadian company Medicago has developed a plant-based vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The two-dose vaccine uses virus-like particles (VLP) grown in a tobacco shrub to confer immunity against COVID-19. VLPs are molecules that closely resemble a virus. They are not infectious since they do not contain genetic material. Vaccines that use VLPs train the immune system to recognize a virus and launch an attack if a person gets infected. Medicagos vaccine is different from all authorized COVID-19 vaccines. Whereas other vaccines target only the spike protein, the molecule used by the coronavirus to infect host cells, the plant-based shot uses VLPs that resemble the overall structure of the Wuhan coronavirus. A small Phase 1 study shows that recipients of the vaccine produce 10 times as many antibodies as people who have had COVID-19. The data also indicate no links to blood clots, which have been reported in people inoculated with the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines. Thus far, the safety profile from the Medicago pre-clinical data as well as the Phase 1 and Phase 2 data has identified nothing concerning regarding blood clotting or any other safety flags, Dr. Mark Carlson, the principal investigator for Be Well Clinical Studies, the Nebraska arm of the trial, told KETV. The vaccine can be distributed easily since it does not have to be stored at freezing temperatures. In addition, it can be manufactured quickly for less than the cost of other vaccines, according to Dr. Matthew Hong of Wake Research in North Carolina, which is also conducting trials for Medicago. All you have to do is extract the spike protein from the plant from the leaves, and you have the vaccine, Hong told ABC News 11. You dont need all the background and all the other support systems. The firm is currently recruiting 30,000 volunteers for a late-stage trial. To qualify, volunteers must be aged 18 years or older and have not had or been vaccinated for COVID-19. This is increasingly difficult because around 50.7 percent of the adult American population has received at least one dose. Our pool of potential subjects is shrinking daily, and so Medicago is trying to amplify this trial as quickly as possible, Carlson said. The firm hopes to have the results by fall for submission to American drug regulators. (Related: America has NO PLAN for coronavirus other than a vaccine what about nutrition and herbs?.) Herbs for treating the coronavirus Researchers are also looking into herbs to treat COVID-19. In Thailand, healthcare providers have been using an extract of the Asian plant fah talai jone to treat mild to asymptomatic infections. Multiple patients have recovered from the disease after taking the herbal extract for just five days. Also known as green chiretta or Andrographis paniculata, the herb has been used for centuries in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat lung infections. Its antiviral properties are attributed to the compound andrographolide, which also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. In a study last April, Thai researchers treated six COVID-19 patients with 180 milligrams of andrographolide. All participants had mild symptoms, such as sore throat, headache, cough and runny nose. Each participants condition improved after three days, and their symptoms were gone after five. In addition, none of the participants experienced any side effects. We are confident that fah talai jone can cure COVID-19 patients who have mild symptoms and are asymptomatic, said Dr. Kwanchai Wisitthanon, the director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, which led the study. Last December, Thailands Ministry of Public Health approved the use of the extract for treating the early stages of COVID-19. The use of the herbal treatment was on a voluntary basis and was available only for people between the ages of 18 to 60 years who exhibited minor symptoms. It should be administered within three days of confirming an infection, the ministry said. PlantMedicine.news has more on herbal treatments for COVID-19. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk BangkokPost.com MDPI.com Bloomberg.com Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy sits beside a case containing COVID-19 vaccine doses as he waits near a floatplane dock on Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Ketchikan, Alaska. State health officials have said Alaska has an ample supply of COVID-19 vaccines, and Dunleavy, who flew from Ketchikan to Hyder, Alaska, said he wanted to offer vaccines not only to residents of Hyder but also to Canadians across the border from Hyder in Stewart, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer) Frances supermajor Total declared force majeure on Monday on its US$20-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique following recent Islamist militant attacks in towns close to the site. 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. Last month Islamic State-affiliated militants raided the town of Palma in the Cabo Delgado province in attacks that have left dozens of people killed since March 24. Following the renewed attacks, Total said at the end of March 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. Just days before that, Total had said the Mozambique LNG Project would progressively resume construction activities at the site, following the implementation of additional site security measures. Total signed a pact in August last year with the government of Mozambique to bolster security for its LNG project. 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. After the attacks that began at the end of March, Total said today: Considering the evolution of the security situation in the north of the Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique, Total confirms the withdrawal of all Mozambique LNG project personnel from the Afungi site. This situation leads Total, as operator of Mozambique LNG project, to declare force majeure. The Total-led Mozambique LNG Project, for which the US$20-billion Final Investment Decision (FDI) was taken in 2019, is currently on track to deliver LNG in 2024, Total says. Earlier this month, a spokesman for the Mozambique army said that the project was beyond the reach of the insurgents. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Recordings of wartime speeches given by John Curtin, tapes of the Stolen Generation royal commission and even the records of the Bounty mutineers could disappear forever without an injection of cash into the National Archives. Years of funding and staff cuts have caught up with the archives, which is struggling to prevent the disintegration of unique pieces of Australian history, including the personnel files of RAAF non-commissioned officers from World War II and papers for suffragettes Adela Pankhurst and Celia John. National Archives Director-General David Fricker stands among the archives boxes at its Canberra repository in 2012. Credit:Colleen Petch Even surveillance films taken by ASIO, video of the 1998 Constitutional Convention and original films of early Australian Antarctic research expeditions are at risk as the Archives struggles to protect 384 kilometres of records that are growing rapidly every year. Nicola Laurent, president of the Australian Society of Archivists, of which the National Archives is an institutional member, says its highly concerning it has come to the point where such important records are at risk. CEDARVILLE, Ohio, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten years before she was born, the Wright Brothers made their first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The year of her birth, 1913, the city of Dayton, Ohio suffered a devastating flood. And when she was five-years-old, the country was in the grip of a different pandemic, the Spanish Flu. Geraldine Henry has seen and survived a lot. Cedarville University, where she graduated in 1934 (then called Cedarville College) with a degree in education, will celebrate her 108th birthday on April 28, honoring a life faithfully lived. Henry is believed to be Cedarville's oldest alumna. She is the only child of William and Cora Henry and lived in her family home in London, Ohio, until 2014, when she moved to Sisters on Elm Assisted Living Center in London. She taught American History at Catawba High School, then Northeastern High School both in Clark County, until her retirement. To honor Henry, Cedarville University leaders will deliver at least 108 birthday cards and gifts from current faculty, staff, and students Wednesday, April 28 at 10 am. In addition to the Cedarville gifts, a proclamation or letter of congratulations from Ohio Senator Bob Hackett (R-London) and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will be presented. Roscoe Smith, Cedarville's director of gift planning, noticed in January that Geraldine's birthday was coming up soon. "What can do you for somebody her age?" he shared. "We won't be able to take her anywhere, and I'm not even sure we will be able to see her. I thought, 'Let's overwhelm her with love through cards.'" Smith reached out to Cedarville School of Education Dean Dr. Kevin Jones and explained his plan. "He agreed immediately and was very excited about helping out with that kind of a project," Smith said. Smith started with 100 birthday cards dropped off on a Thursday morning. By Friday morning, all the cards had notes and birthday wishes, and the School of Education was asking for more. "The School of Education has been great," Smith said. "Some of the faculty took the cards to their classrooms and gave their students five minutes to write a note." Already, he is over his goal of 108 cards. In addition to being Cedarville's oldest alumna, Henry has been a long-time supporter of the university, establishing an endowed scholarship, the William and Cora Norman Henry Memorial Scholarship, to honor her parents. The scholarship is for students majoring in elementary education. Students from Clark County are given first preference. "Geraldine is our oldest living alumnus, and she holds an honored position at the university," Smith noted. "She has maintained close ties with Cedarville over the years and has shown a desire to support students today who are pursuing a career she gave her life too. That is worth honoring." Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, strong graduation, and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu. Story written by Clem Boyd SOURCE Cedarville University Related Links http://www.cedarville.edu By Yiming Woo PARIS (Reuters) - France sent primary and nursery pupils back to school on Monday, the first phase of reopening after a three-week COVID-19 lockdown, even as daily new infections remained stubbornly high. President Emmanuel Macron said a return to school would help fight social inequality, allowing parents who struggle to pay for childcare to get back to work, but trade unions warned that new infections would lead to a "torrent" of classroom closures. In the upmarket Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, pupils wore face masks and rubbed disinfectant gel on their hands as they filed through the front door of the Achille Peretti primary school. A poster reminded the youngsters to stay a metre apart. "They're young, they need an adult to help them, but most parents have a job and it's burdensome to ask them to do the school work," said teacher Elodie Passon. Middle and high school pupils are due to return to the classroom next Monday, when the government will also lift domestic travel restrictions that have been in place nationwide since early April. The open-air terraces of bars and restaurants, as well as some business and cultural venues, might be allowed to reopen from mid-May if the curbs have sufficiently slowed the spread of the coronavirus, the government has said. Some doctors and public health experts have warned it may be too early to ease restrictions. On Sunday, the seven-day average of new cases fell below 30,000 for the first time in over a month, from about 38,000 when the lockdown began, though the number of COVID-19 patients in critical care still hovered near a third-wave high of 5,984. (Reporting by Yiming Woo, writing by Richard Lough, editing by Estelle Shirbon) Greater Noida: Amid the rising COVID-19 infections, the Gautam Budh Nagar police have stepped up to help the residents in their fight against the deadly coronavirus. The Noida Police Commissioner, Alok Singh, on Monday (April 26) announced that strict action will be taken against the ambulance operators who are demanding extra money to transport the body of the COVID-19 patient. The Gautam Budh Nagar police have issued a statement for the welfare of the residents along with a helpline number. The statement stated that strict actions will be taken against the ambulance operators, if they ask for extra money from the COVID-19 patients family. If any resident faces such an issue they can ring the authorities on 9971009001 and lodge a complaint against the ambulance operator. ALSO READ: Noida police to deliver medicines, oxygen for COVID patients during weekend curfew, shares helpline number Meanwhile, the COVID-19 situation in India continues to remain grim as the country recorded more than 3 lakh coronavirus infections for the fifth day in a row. India on Monday (April 26, 2021) recorded, yet again, the highest single-day spike with 3,52,991 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total active cases to 28,13,658, as per the health ministry update on Monday morning. Live TV Skip to main navigation Arbor Day Commemorating Arbor Day While Social Distancing 2021 Arbor Day Poster - photo by Dave Marshall 2021 Arbor Day Poster - photo by Dave Marshall While Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated as a public community event, there are lots of ways to celebrate as a family and to connect with your neighbors remotely. Even though we may not be able to gather this year due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, we can still celebrate trees in our own yards and online. Here are some ideas for how to commemorate Arbor Day while social distancing: For individuals and families: Check in on your backyard trees. Any new cracks, fungal growth, or dead branches? View our tips for finding an arborist if your trees need help. Take a walk around your block and pick up trash, and don't forget to admire your neighborhood trees while you do. Check out the Arbor Day Foundation's 6 Ways to Celebrate Arbor Day in a Time of Social Distancing for more ideas (leaves DEC website). For communities: Want to host a socially-distanced tree planting? Use this checklist of things to consider and how to run one from the Alliance for Community Trees (leaves DEC website) Create an Instagram hashtag where community members can post photos of their families commemorating Arbor Day. Create a Facebook Live video so community members can watch your Arbor Day ceremony in real time. Label street trees with sidewalk chalk to introduce locals to the trees around them. Include species, native region, and a fun fact or two. Download our tree tags (PDF) and share photos of them on trees around town or in the local park. Community members will be shocked by the value and benefits of the trees in their neighborhood! Check out i-tree mytree (leaves DEC website), a simple web application that will calculate the benefits of trees in your neighborhood. You only have to know a few key facts about your tree: the species, condition, diameter and sun exposure. Share some photos of your town's most famous trees, and include some fun and educational facts about why trees are important. Have an online Arbor Day art or photography contest for all ages. It's important to remember that Arbor Day can be any day! While in New York State Arbor Day is officially celebrated on the last Friday in April, Arbor Day can be celebrated in the Summer, Fall, and even Winter! Trees are equally important and worth celebrating in every season. A Time to Celebrate Trees It's never too early to start thinking about planting a tree, especially if you would like to plant a tree for Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a national observance that celebrates the role of trees in our lives and promotes tree planting and care. First celebrated in 1872, it was established as a way to encourage farmers and homesteaders to plant trees that would provide shade, shelter, food, fuel and beauty to open areas. In New York, Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated the last Friday in April. However, communities around the state can celebrate Arbor Day any day of the year. Trees are essential to a healthy environment, helping to provide clean air and creating rich aesthetics for all. They are vital to our economy and contribute greatly to our everyday lives by providing paper for many different uses, lumber for the homes and businesses, maple syrup, fruits and nuts, decorations during the holidays, they add beauty to attract new business and tourism to our great state, as well as numerous other benefits. Unlike other holidays, many of which honor people or past events, Arbor Day promotes a better future. Young people are our future foresters and leaders. This day reminds us to share our knowledge with today's youth of the importance of trees and how to care for them. Traditional Arbor Day Celebration Ideas Please view the top of this webpage for ways you can celebrate Arbor Day during the COVID-19 situation. Celebrating Arbor Day is a great opportunity to promote tree planting and tree care within your school and community. Tree related activities, games and programs create excitement and promote participation in the event. Here are some examples: Hold an Arbor Day ceremony and honor the good stewards in your community. Organize a "Big Tree" or "Oldest Tree" search. Plant a tree. Encourage the fifth grade classes in your community to participate in the Arbor Day National Poster Contest. Display the posters in a public place. (See the 5th Grade Arbor Day Poster Contest page.) Participate in the DEC School Seedling program. Choose a public park or downtown area that needs cleaning up and pitch in to clear it of litter. Hold a read-in at the library and have all the tree books - both fiction and nonfiction - on display. Schedule local demonstrations on tree pruning techniques, tree selection, tree identification and tree planting. Order tree and shrub seedlings from the State Tree Nursery and plant a living snow fence instead of one tree. For more information about celebrating Arbor Day contact your local DEC office. More about Arbor Day: Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. She is already halfway to becoming the next EGOT winner. And Regina King looked positively resplendent on Sunday, when she arrived at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The Jerry Maguire star, 50, wore a custom powder blue satin Louis Vuitton gown, featuring bejeweled pinstripes and oversized capped sleeves that were reminiscent of butterfly wings. Showstopper: Regina King looked positively resplendent on Sunday, when she arrived at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony in Downtown Los Angeles Reginas dress sported a plunging neckline, and the scalloped hem was dusted in silver as it trailed behind her. The Watchmen actress complemented the soft and girlish ensemble with a strong and structural straight black bob, parted at the middle. She had on delicate Forevermark jewelry, including sparkly earrings, one silver bracelet and a smattering of rings. King also held onto a small clutch purse. Diva: The Jerry Maguire star wore a custom powder blue satin Louis Vuitton gown, featuring bejeweled pinstripes and oversized capped sleeves that were reminiscent of butterfly wings Statuesque: Reginas dress sported a plunging neckline, and the scalloped hem was dusted in silver as it trailed behind her Her makeup was subtle, including a delicate touch of blue eyeshadow to pick up the hue of her statement evening gown. Regina also graced Vogue Magazines Instagram account with a full-length shot of the look in all its glory. The actress has had a particularly successful few years, starting in 2015 when she won the first of four Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in American Crime. Perfection: The Watchmen actress complemented the soft and girlish ensemble with a strong and structural straight black bob, parted at the middle Old Hollywood glam: She had on delicate silver jewelry including sparkly earrings, one silver bracelet and a smattering of rings After winning the same award for the same show one year later, Regina picked up her third Emmy in 2018 for the limited series Seven Seconds, followed by her fourth trophy last year for the smash HBO show Watchmen. And in 2019, she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk. The actress also recently became a feature film director, having helmed this years Oscar-nominated movie One Night In Miami Seen here with current Oscar nominee Andra Day (right): In 2019, King won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk She posed at the Oscars on Sunday with one of the stars from that film, actor Aldis Hodge. One Night In Miami is nominated for three statuettes at the event Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Leslie Odom Jr., Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Achievement in Music, Original Song. Due to the pandemic, the 93rd Academy Awards marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh has described as being 'like a movie.' The actress also directed this years Oscar-nominated movie One Night In Miami: She posed at the Oscars on Sunday with one of the stars from that film, actor Aldis Hodge Due to the pandemic: The 93rd Academy Awards marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in LA, where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Sticking to a 'No Zoom' policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organizers have arranged for nominees and presenters to attend in-person and mask-free while cameras are rolling. During a year that saw movie theaters closed due to the pandemic, there were eight new films that did manage to impress Academy voters enough to be in contention for Hollywood's biggest award, the Oscar for Best Picture (last year there were nine nominees in the category.) Those films are The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. The 93rd Academy Awards begin at 8pm eastern, 5pm pacific on Sunday on ABC. Striking a pose: Regina also graced Vogue Magazines Instagram account with a full-length shot of the look in all its glory STAMFORD, Conn., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aircastle Limited ("Aircastle") announced today that it amended and closed a $1 billion senior, unsecured revolving credit facility with ten global financial institutions, and the expiration date of the facility has been extended by three years, from June 2022 to April of 2025. The facility participants consist of ten leading global financial institutions with Citibank N.A., Fifth Third Bank N.A., Goldman Sachs Bank USA, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Royal Bank of Canada as Joint Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners, as well as BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., MUFG Bank, Ltd. and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as lenders. Michael Inglese, Aircastle's CEO, stated, "We appreciate the continued strong support from our bank group and are pleased to have extended and expanded, from eight to ten banks, Aircastle's main revolving credit facility which will now expire in April of 2025." Mr. Inglese continued, "Aircastle's professional aircraft leasing platform along with our company's well-diversified portfolio and ready access to the capital markets, positions us well for the expected aviation market recovery and to grow in a profitable and disciplined manner in the years ahead." About Aircastle Limited Aircastle Limited acquires, leases, and sells commercial jet aircraft to airlines throughout the world. As of February 28, 2021, Aircastle owned and managed on behalf of its joint ventures 261 aircraft leased to 75 customers located in 43 countries. Contact: Aircastle Advisor LLC Frank Constantinople, SVP Investor Relations Tel: +1-203-504-1063 [email protected] SOURCE Aircastle Limited Related Links http://www.aircastle.com Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 05:06:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Intercommunal fighting in Ethiopia's Amhara region -- adjacent to restive Tigray -- has displaced at least 330,000 people, UN humanitarians said on Monday. "The security situation in the Amhara region remains tense and volatile due to intercommunal clashes that have resulted in massive population displacement," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday. The number of casualties is undetermined. There also were reports of looting and destruction of property and infrastructure. While humanitarians are not able to verify displacement figures because of insecurity, OCHA said, regional authorities estimate that at least 330,000 people have been displaced in North Shewa and Oromia Special Zones. The government, with the support of UN agencies, is providing water, sanitation and hygiene items to affected people. Once the security situation allows, needs and risks assessments will be conducted, OCHA said. Fighting erupted in Ethiopia's northernmost region of Tigray in early November, triggering mass displacement. Enditem .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... PHOENIX Arizona was among the fastest-growing states during the last decade, but its population of 7.1 million was not enough to give it a 10th congressional seat. U.S. Census Bureau data released Monday shows Arizona will continue to have nine congressional seats. It also will be unable to add a 12th presidential electoral vote as some had anticipated. Arizonas population increased by about 700,000 people over the past decade, from about 6.4 million in 2010, a jump of nearly 11%. The state had gained at least one U.S. House seat in every census since 1950. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Democrat Joe Bidens narrow victory in Arizona placed it among a handful of swing states that were instrumental in determining the presidential contest. Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton called the announcement disappointing and criticized state leaders for not encouraging better participation in the census, especially by Latinos. These poor efforts will do much more harm than cost Arizona a congressional seat and more influence on Capitol Hill, Stanton said in a statement on his Twitter. The failure will cost the state billions of dollars in federal funds for schools, childrens health care, emergency management, veterans, infrastructure, and much more over the next decade. The 435 seats in the House are decided on a proportional basis. New York trailed Minnesota by some 89 people for the final seat that was awarded. Arizona would have had to leapfrog New York and three other states to gain an additional seat. The census, which must happen every 10 years under the U.S. Constitution, was complicated by safety measures during the pandemic, such as the need for social distancing, and by last-minute litigation over efforts by then-President Donald Trumps administration to include a question on citizenship. The Census Bureau released only basic data Monday. The neighborhood-level numbers that will be used to draw new legislative and congressional district boundaries wont be released until late summer or fall. In Arizona, the maps will be approved by the Independent Redistricting Commission, comprised of two Democrats, two Republicans and an independent voter. The commission has hired senior staff, a law firm from each party and other consultants as it prepares for the contentious process. ___ Follow Anita Snow: twitter.com/asnowreports Commanders in the U.S. military decide whether to order trials for their troops, as they have since George Washington led the Continental Army but maybe not for much longer. Their role as the court-martial convening authority for serious felony crimes would be handed to prosecutors under legislation now being prepared in Congress. Defenders of the tradition say commanders ability to order trials (which until recently came with the power to set aside verdicts) is crucial to maintaining good order and discipline. But commanders weigh other considerations besides impartial justice, critics say, and the resulting rarity of prosecutions and trials in a long parade of sexual assault and harassment cases likely contributed to the high-profile disappearance and death of Pfc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood last year. Two veteran lawmakers say theyre confident of forcing a long overdue change this year after losing similar fights over the past decade. If a Senate vote were held today on her bill, it would be close, said U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. But it would have support from prominent Republicans, including Ted Cruz of Texas, Charles Grassley of Iowa and Kentuckians Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, she said. Gillibrands previous military justice reform effort drew 55 yea votes on the Senate floor in 2013, falling short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster as did another bill in 2015 by a wider margin. Now Playing: Video: San Antonio Express-News Ive talked to five senators who have indicated they will likely change their votes on this very issue, she said in a recent interview. I have planned meetings for at least 20 more senators to begin to develop even stronger bipartisan support for the bill. I think a couple of things have affected them. No. 1, that theyve given all the reforms that DoD was willing to put into place time to work and theyve not worked and second, the fact that these recent cases are so outrageous, Gillibrand said. Advocates, lawmakers and lawyers on both sides of the debate agree theres a good chance commanders will lose their convening authority, thanks partly to an annual Defense Department report required by law that has documented how few accused offenders are convicted by the military justice system. The Pentagon said 6,236 sexual assault and harassment reports were filed by service members in fiscal year 2019, a 3 percent increase over the previous year. The report said 1,630 sexual assault cases resulted in discipline, including 795 court-martial charges. Of those, 363 went to trial and 264 ended in convictions. Pentagon data also shows an estimated 13,382 servicewomen, 6.2 percent of the force, were sexually assaulted in 2018, up from 9,834 in 2014. The assault numbers and conviction rates are not an anomaly. Theyve long looked like that. Another reason Gillibrand and like-minded lawmakers such as U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., are more likely to succeed this year is the case of Guillen. Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images Guillen, 20, of Houston, had told her family about being sexually harassed, but investigators said she never reported it to authorities at Ford Hood. When she disappeared from her workplace on the post, social media erupted with testimonials from former service members who described sexual harassment and assaults. The case brought weeks of intense scrutiny of the Armys inability to combat sex offenses even before Guillens remains were found June 30 and Spc. Aaron David Robinson, her accused killer, shot himself as police closed in on him. Speier sponsored the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act last year but was unable to bring it to a floor vote. She plans to resubmit legislation this year. Weve spent close to $1 billion on one (sexual assault prevention) program after another, with no results that would suggest its been an improvement, Speier said. You cannot have 20,000 sexual assault cases a year, have 7,000 people report and then end up having a handful 250 that get convicted, she said. You cant tell me that those 7,000 that report, that 99 percent of them are lying. And the reason why the other 13,000 dont report is for fear of retaliation, so youve got a really sick culture. On ExpressNews.com: Air Force has sharpest jump in sex assaults among the service branches in annual report Pentagon reports have included findings from focus groups that concluded that military culture is heading in the right direction, albeit slowly and that male-dominated cultural norms are slowly changing, giving way to more inclusive attitudes. Outside observers have called that progress too slow. Nancy Parrish, founder of Protect Our Defenders, an advocacy group for military sexual assault victims, asked then-candidate Joe Biden last year if he would support allowing experienced military prosecutors to handle nonmilitary crimes serious felonies such as rape, murder and child abuse. The answer is yes, yes, yes, Biden told Parrish. On ExpressNews.com: Under sex crime spotlight, Army didn't take long to shake up Fort Hood command An outside investigation that followed Guillens death led to a shake-up at Fort Hood that included the sacking of the acting post commander and two top division leaders. The Army removed or suspended 14 people in all, down to squad level, after the probe found a deficient climate that raised risks for female soldiers at the post. Multiple proposals The push to strip commanders of their right to order trials in sexual assault cases has finally reached an inflection point because of Guillens death, the worsening case numbers and Bidens intervention, said retired Air Force Col. Don Christensen, president of Protect Our Defenders. William Luther /William Luther He noted that when the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2013 held the first hearing on Gillibrands legislation, top Pentagon officials pledged to make the problem their No. 1 priority and treat it with zero tolerance. But military leaders resisted any change in the legal system, and still do, Christensen said. Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will come out forcefully and make it clear to the generals and admirals that change is coming and that it will happen, Christensen predicted. I think its going to be close without their vocal support; with their vocal support I think it will be easier. But Gillibrand and Speier might still lose, he said. Austin, a former four-star general, has expressed no position on the legislation but has said hed support conclusions reached by the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military, a panel he created Feb. 26. The panel last week recommended taking decisions on certain special victim crimes, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, out of the hands of commanders and giving them to designated military lawyers called judge advocates under a civilian-led office of the Chief Special Victim Prosecutor. Under Gillibrands bill, serious felonies would be sent to judge advocates with a rank of colonel or higher who are outside the accuseds chain of command. Commanders still would be able to dispense justice for military-specific crimes, such as desertion, or crimes with a maximum sentence of a year in prison. Speiers bill would create a chief prosecutor within each military service branch to focus on sex-related offenses and establish a monetary claims process in cases of negligence in failing to prevent such crimes or respond to them. On ExpressNews.com: Air Force panel: Senior master sergeant convicted of sex crime should stay in the service Not all observers familiar with the military legal system want to uncouple it from discipline. The relationship between commanders and soldiers is integral to military justice, said retired Army Lt. Col. Dru Brenner-Beck, who was one of the first women to run an infantry brigade before she become a military lawyer. I think it would be sad to have it go, she said of commanders convening authority. I think we rue the day. I also think its the beginning of the end for a separate military justice system. South Texas College of Law professor Geoffrey Corn, a retired Army lawyer, said command authority anchors the modern military justice system. But he thinks this might be the year Congress changes that. Eugene Fidell, a senior research scholar at Yale Law School, said it makes sense to leave charging decisions in the hands of people who have law degrees and can evaluate evidence professionally and who are outside chains of command and their influence. You dont have the mayor deciding who gets prosecuted for things, Fidell said. Commanders may have interests that may get in the way of a solid legal evaluation. What is this trial going to cost? they may say. Or Gee, you know this guys a fabulous aviator. I cant afford to lose him even if theres some question about whether he committed a sexual assault. Or, I cant run all these trials because itll look like my command has a crime wave going on. Thats not good for me. Getting their attention Congress has tinkered with the military justice system before, including major reforms in 1951. It took away the right of commanders to overturn convictions in 2014. That came after Christensen successfully prosecuted Lt. Col. James Wilkerson for sexual assault at Aviano Air Base, Italy, only to see the conviction by a jury of five officers reversed by Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin, commander of the Third Air Force. The Air Force chief at the time, Gen. Mark Welsh, quickly relieved Franklin, a decision that has made commanders much more reluctant to do anything that might look like an abuse of their convening authority in the years since, said Wilkersons defense lawyer, Frank Spinner. On ExpressNews.com: AF general was warned not to toss conviction In this environment, because of the nature of sexual offenses in the military and the publicity theyve received in recent years I think commanders have reached the conclusion it would be easier to play Pontius Pilate and wash your hands of this thing, said Spinner, who is based in Colorado. He and Christensen agree that some commanders would welcome the changes sought by Speier and Gillibrand. They recognize theyre not qualified to be making decisions on complex cases with complex legal issues, Christensen said. Prosecuting sexual assaults is extremely difficult, and asking commanders to be making those decisions is unfair to them as well. Brenner-Beck pointed to the Wilkerson case as one example of Congress responding to high-profile cases that make news. The Guillen case might have exactly the same effect this year. In Congress, the opposition to the attempts to change convening authority will be led by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Republicans Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who is a former Air Force Reserve lawyer. One key consideration: A filibuster is less likely if its part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which funds the Pentagon. Gillibrand thinks she can get the votes even with a filibuster, saying Guillen has put the stakes in stark relief for senators who werent paying attention. I think because it was a news story that broke through and was something that people had to pay attention to, I think it perhaps created awareness where there wasnt real awareness previously, she said. For Vanessa Guillens family to tell their story and to be heard and to be so persistent absolutely will change the outcome of the next vote. sigc@express-news.net No, it's not an island full of Elvis Presley impersonators, but an island that's part of Tasmania, and it will benefit from an upgrade project that Telstra says will transform connectivity on the island, improve mobile coverage, boost capacity and data speeds and strengthen network resilience. King Island. It's a beautiful island in the Bass Strait of Australia, and it's about to get even better with improved mobile coverage, more mobile base stations, some 4GX upgrades, 37km of new fibre optic cable, up to six times more bandwidth and capacity, a new radio link and more, with work to start before the end of 2021. We're told the project is supported by a $9.8 million investment jointly co-funded by Telstra, King Island Council, the Tasmanian Government, and the Federal Government as part of the Regional Connectivity Program. Telstra Regional GM Michael Patterson joined the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts; Gavin Pearce MP, Member for Braddon, Cr Julie Arnold, King Island Council Mayor and locals in Currie to announce the once-in-a-generation project. Patterson said: This multi-million-dollar transformative project will future-proof connectivity on King Island, help bridge the digital divide experienced on the island and, importantly, improve digital inclusion. This investment will boost Telstras mobile network and improve coverage through new infrastructure, new and upgraded mobile sites and better network resiliency. Brand new infrastructure will deliver up to six times more capacity onto the island, bringing faster speeds so King Islanders can stream HD video content, do business, take online education, video calls and download data, just as well as anyone else in Tasmania or anywhere else in the country. King Islands newly upgraded mobile network will be more resilient than ever thanks to a brand-new high-capacity microwave radio link which will be built to connect Cape Wickham to Victorias Surf Coast. Stretching more than 110km across Bass Strait from King Island to Victoria, the new high-capacity link will be the longest radio link over water weve built anywhere on Telstras network, continued Patterson. The project includes: Brand new mobile coverage with two new mobile sites built at Naracoopa and Yambacoona Improved mobile coverage with two new small cell sites built at Currie and Grassy 4GX upgrades at Lymwood, Loorana and Cape Wickham 37km of new fibre optic cable laid on King Island as part of the infrastructure roll out A new radio link, connecting Cape Wickham to Victoria over Bass Strait to provide greater resiliency Up to six times more bandwidth and capacity onto the island, allowing for greater speeds and more capacity to do business, education and provide for HD services such as video calling. Patterson added: This is a great example of what can be achieved when Telstra partners with all levels of government to deliver valuable infrastructure to regional and remote communities across Australia. We are continuing to deliver for regional Australia through our own investments and also collaborative investments like the recently completed Flinders Island project, Mobile Black Spot Program and ongoing Telstra 5G roll out in regional areas," Patterson concluded. Telstra says detailed planning work is being finalised ahead of work starting before the end of 2021. Arizona Silver Exploration (CVE: AZS- OTC: AZASF) CEO Mike Stark joined Steve Darling from Proactive to shares news about the companys drill program at their Philadelphia Project in Arizona. Stark telling Proactive they have assays from 3 of their first 7 holes and the company feels they have identified a faulted extension to the west that should allow them to continue to test the vein system with relatively shallow drill holes. As a young man in high school, I was a dreamer. I dreamt of all of the things I wanted to accomplish for my life as a way to maintain hope during that time. As a low-income, first generation college student from Detroit, Michigan, the unconditional love from my mother replaced all the things I didnt have. From a young age, I was very passionate about becoming a teacher in my adult life and going to college was surely going to get me there. I was very grateful for how dedicated my teachers were to my future and I wanted to give that in return to future students. I was determined to be the first in my family to graduate college in order to change the quality of life for my family and make them proud. Receiving an invitation to become a Thompson Scholar in the PLA was my golden ticket to make all of my dreams a reality. When I learned of the generosity from Robert and Ellen Thompson, I knew that this opportunity would change my life forever. LAST week, we brought you Irelands Real Top 10 beaches all of them happening to be in Cork after a recent list by the Lonely Planet bizarrely didnt include a single one from the Rebel County But that only skimmed the surface. This week, we bring you another ten brilliant beaches. We still couldnt find a place for anything outside Cork though Owenahincha Less than ten minutes drive from Rosscarbery, this is easily one of Irelands top beaches with to-die-for white sand looking directly out into the wild Atlantic. There are nice low grassy dunes for the smallies to explore, lifeguards, a blue flag, a public jacks and a nearby shop that sells ice creams. Just be wide of the tide youd be in Manhattan before youd know it. Kinsale harbour with the Dock beach in the backround in Co. Cork. The Dock Beach Well-protected from the south-westerlies by small cliffs, this beautiful beach is often an oasis of calm on a day when everyone in nearby Garrestown is chasing bits of their picnic around the beach. Enchanting Jamesfort is a short walk above the beach too if you fancy a bit of 17th century history. Inch Beach Tucked away in a corner of east Cork, you might need Mrs Google to find your way here if you dont know your Guileens from your Goleens. A simple, sandy gem with clear water, great swimming and of course the predictable coffee hipster in a converted horse box. The wonderful walk out to Power Head with an ice cream seals the deal if you ever get a chance to take a kayak out along the head on a calm day, grab it. White Bay Dont let the fact this sandy surprise is actually inside Cork Harbour put you off this fantastic slice of beauty thats just over half an hour from the city. As well as a class view of Roches Point, its full of wonder for the little ones, with mini-caves, rock pools with crabs and other sea creatures that can be tormented, and the regular sight of giant cargo ships quietly gliding by. The walk back up to the car park is definitely in the Everest Base Camp category, but the lure of an ice-cream in Whitegate will help pump the hamstrings. Walking on the beach at Garryvoe, Co Cork. Garryvoe One of the things youve got to love about this old favourite is that its full of the type of Corkonians that are smugly content with the fact they live just half an hour from where they holiday. No need for torturously boring car journeys, seasickness on a ferry or the stress of airports. You dont even have to leave Cork! And who could blame them? Its a blue flag beach, the view out to Ballycotton island is magnificent, and the food in the hotel is top class. Theres a playground for smallies and sheltered picnic tables too. Theres even a reasonably credible public jacks that looks as old as Newgrange. Garry-Go! Red Strand This gorgeous beach, a short jaunt from Clonakilty, is tucked away into the eastern side of Galley Head, which acts like a giant windbreaker on breezy days. Its golden sand is perfect for picnics, but despite the stunning location, Red Strand still manages to have an off-the-beaten track feel, unlike its celebrity cousin, Inchydoney, 15 minutes up the road, where the traffic jams are all a bit Jack Lynch-tunnel on the Friday of a sunny bank holiday. Silver Strand If youre really after a hidden paradise that also ticks the Wild Atlantic box, the short ferry ride to Sherkin Island aboard the Yoker Swan is a real treat in itself. The walk across deserted island roads and narrow paths is magical, only topped when Silver Stand suddenly reveals itself in all its sandy glory with the splendour of Cape Clear glistening in the distance. Ballyrisode, Goleen, Co, Cork. Picture: Denis Scannell Ballyrisode West Cork has two enclaves for yachty types: Schull and Glandore. Its no coincidence that neither have beaches such public amenities might draw riff-raff who dont even own an SUV, not to mind a 40-footer. Schull does have a secret beach though, less than 15 minutes drive west of the village on the Goleen Road. Ballyrisode is a little hard to find, but the reward is an almost sickeningly stunning beach set in an epic landscape of grey rocks and wild, craggy, green hills. The sand is perfect, the water crystal clear, and the cosy east-facing location makes it an oasis of calm. Myrtleville, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan Myrtleville One of the closest beaches to Cork city, this is hugely popular on warm weekends. Despite some bad publicity in recent years, local volunteers religiously keep this beauty spot immaculate. Myrtla is a beautiful beach with golden sand that slopes down to the sea bubbling below. If they had this in Dublin, Bono, Enya and other celebs would be living here and writing songs about it. Lucky for us, it isnt! Rocky Bay Farther south along Corks coast is another secret nugget of beach gold. Parking is very tight and the addition of a sprawling concrete access ramp a few years back is an eyesore, but everything else about little Rocky Bay is truly amazing. Go for a dip and look back at the towering cliffs that rise up behind the flat powdery sand and work their way north along the coast. Dont be surprised if you spontaneously burst into a verse of DBanks. AWS Premier Consulting Partner, HeleCloud, launches Cloud Transformation Advisory Services specifically for Retail Brands LONDON. 23 April, 2021: HeleCloud, an AWS Premier Consulting Partner based in the UK, Bulgaria and the Netherlands, today announces the launch of Cloud Transformation Advisory Services specifically for retailers looking to migrate and benefit from Public Cloud. The Retail Architecture Review service has been designed to help retail organisations accelerate the adoption of new Cloud technologies to improve time to market, costs, and address the needs of their customers in the times of recovery from the global pandemic. Felix Shalom, Retail Account Manager, HeleCloud, comments: ?The pandemic hit the retail sector harder than most and has accelerated the growth of online retail. It is expected that the share of retail sales carried out online will reach 31% in 2021. To remain competitive in this new online world, retailers must adapt and digitally transform so they can engage with consumers via the most up-to-date digital channels. Migrating to the Cloud should be the first step on this journey.? The Advisory Services will consist of a conversation with one of HeleCloud?s retail consultants and will focus on understanding the retailer?s specific business challenges, before discussing the specific tools that the Cloud can provide to address their individual needs. Through the Advisory Services, retailers will be able to explore how the Cloud can help them across a range of areas, including: Customer Experience Customer experience trumps both price and product when it comes to consumers choosing which retailer to buy from. By leveraging the Cloud, retailers can implement new technologies that enable a seamless customer experience. Data Analysis Understanding customer needs and requirements is essential for retailers looking to enhance their customer experience. Migrating to the Cloud and centralising customer data into Data Lakes is the first strategic step in this process. Security The retail industry is one of the most commonly targeted by cybercriminals, and the rise in online retail has only increased the number of attacks. Security, therefore, needs to be at the forefront of retailers? minds as they look to digitally transform. Shalom adds: ?Retail organisations are already starting to make significant investments in the Cloud; with everything that has happened in the past year, brands can?t afford to get left behind. It is expected that retail investment in the Cloud will grow from $11 billion in 2018 to $48 billion in 2025. We therefore want to help retailers realise the full potential of the Cloud, from enablement to modernisation and security.? To book a Retail Advisory Service, please contact HeleCloud here: https://helecloud.com/contacts/. To find out more about how the Cloud can help retailers, visit here: https://helecloud.com/ebook-a-new-standard-for-retail/ The political situation in Armenia stays tense. Protests in Yerevan have been replaced by election campaigns of previous and current elites. Today Nikol Pashinyans opponents try to undermine his election campaign by force of spontaneous walkouts in various regions of Armenia. The most restless region is Syunik Province where Pashinyans cortege got the bird in the town of Agarak. As a result, the head of the government canceled scheduled visits to Meghri and Kajaran. Syunik unexpectedly became a region where all dissatisfied with the current authorities came to. It used to be one of the least political provinces situated in mountains and having the only single-option highway M2. Today it is a stage for discredit of the trilateral Statement on Karabakh on November 9th which includes lifting of a transport blockade and establishment of new transport corridors. Protests in southern Armenia are initiated by those who stand against new infrastructural projects as Pashinyan's opponents see this clause of the Statement as the most vulnerable position in the authorities policy and try to profit from the topic of national security. In fact, Pashinyans opponents foster an illusion of an anti-governmental attitude in Syunik Province because security of Armenian borders is provided by the CSTO while lifting of the transport blockade, including railways, is controlled by the Russian Railways. Economically, Syunik is a monopolistic affected area of Iranian assets as eastern and western borders of the province are blocked while the road connecting Syunik with other provinces of the republic runs through the arduous Vorotan Pass. Real problems of Syunik were mainly caused by the transport blockade because of which the province had no outlets for local goods. The internal market is far away from the province. Thus, it is hard to export finished products because of expensive transportation. So, the locals are oriented to Iran. However, such problems are beyond the political agenda of the opposition. The geographical location of the province and the border blockade (and corresponding emotional atmosphere) allow them to establish a wide anti-governmental front in the region and hope that Pashinyans election campaign will get stuck in Syunik. Pashinyan is a guarantor of committing the Statement on Karabakh. However, he also wants to show Russia that is it impossible to restore the transport corridor in southern Armenia. Yerevans policy is focused on postponement of implementation of the agreement till favored times or moving implementation of the project to the north of Syunik with an option to extend the transit through the republics territory. To achieve the goal, the Armenian government is forming a political line, according to which both Armenia and Russia will benefit more from de-blockade of all other routes built in Soviet times. Such a step is beneficial primarily for Armenia as it enables free connection with Russia and Iran. In this case, the restless situation in southern Armenia is favorable to Pashinyan because it should convince the Russian authorities that de-blockade of the single-option 45-km long railway route through Meghri is senseless as it is not connected to other operating transport communications of Armenia. An alternative to restless Syunik is reconstruction of Ijevan-Gazakh highway which connects Armenia and Azerbaijan and Turkey and Azerbaijan through the Armenian territory. To be where I am today as a doctoral candidate, I am extremely thankful for the Thompsons who have played a major role in my journey. I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Central High School. At the time, Central was one of the lowest performing high schools in the city of Detroit. Coming from a failing high school, I always wanted more and I saw college as my opportunity to achieve that. Upon graduating from Central as class president and valedictorian, I attended BGSU on a full-ride scholarship through the Presidents Leadership Academy as a Thompson Scholar. I entered college with the hopes of becoming a high school math teacher. I wanted to give students the opportunity to access a better quality of education than I had experienced myself. Without the Thompson scholarship, that dream would not have been made possible! Not having the financial worries allowed me to focus 100% on my academics. Beyond financial support, this scholarship helped shape me into the leader I am today. Furthermore, it has helped me develop relationships with people who also have strong leadership abilities, some of whom have become my lifelong friends. I am forever grateful for the opportunity that the Thompsons have provided for me and other scholars, simply by believing in us. That alone has given me courage to believe in myself. Viola Davis says the late Chadwick Boseman was 'authenticity on steroids.' The star of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom spoke about her co-star on the red carpet of the 93rd Academy Awards, telling E! News' Giuliana Rancic 'it feels right' to see the outpouring of love for Boseman, who passed away last August after a secret battle against cancer. Viola, who dazzled in a white cut-out Alexander McQueen number, said the star was the real deal, calling Chadwick a true 'artist' who she was honored to work with. The real deal: Viola Davis called the late Chadwick Boseman 'authenticity on steroids' while talking about him ahead of the 2021 Academy Awards on Sunday 'He was authenticity on steroids,' she said, with husband Julius Tennon at her side. 'Sometimes people honor people who actually were not really nice or really the persona did not match the real person. This [love] it matches a person.' 'I'm telling you, this person, this human being, this artist did not mistake his presence for the event,' Viola went on. 'He absolutely honored the work.' Davis celebrated Boseman's dedication to the craft, telling Rancic: 'A lot of people enter this business because they want to be famous actors. They don't want to be actors they want to be famous actors.' 'He entered it because he just wanted to be an artist.' True artist: Chadwick, who passed away last August, was posthumously nominated for Best Actor and is a favorite to win The craft: Davis celebrated Boseman's dedication to the craft, saying 'A lot of people enter this business because they want to be famous actors... He entered it because he just wanted to be an artist.' She's seen with hubby Julius Tennon above Chadwick earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for his role in Ma Rainey. He's a favorite for the category, already taking home the Golden Globe and Screen Actors' Guild honor for Best Actor. The Black Panther hero is competing against Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Anthony Hopkins (The Father), Gary Oldman (Mank) and Steven Yeun (Minari.) Viola is also nominated for a top gong, competing against Andra Day (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman), Frances McDormand ( Nomadland), and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) for Best Actress. The 2021 Oscars are a far more intimate affair than years past. This year COVID restrictions have whittled the VIP guest list down to only 170 people, from the usual 3,000. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Sticking to a 'No Zoom' policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organizers have teased a 'British hub' for UK actors who are unable to make it in person, as well as another rumored 'surprise location.' Glowing: Viola, who is nominated for Best Actress, wowed in white Alexander McQueen Artist: She's competing against Andra Day (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman), Frances McDormand ( Nomadland), and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) During a year that saw movie theatres closed due to the pandemic, there were eight new films that did manage to impress Academy voters enough to be in contention for Hollywood's biggest award, the Oscar for Best Picture (last year there were nine nominees in the category.) While blockbusters may be absent this year, there have been a wide range of movies that have caught the attention of Academy voters, including the lavish Mank, Netflix's ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. And there was also plenty of glamour on the red carpet, with Viola putting on an incredibly chic show in her cut-out white dress, while her hair was swept into a fun updo by stylist Jamika Wilson. According to Jamika, Viola wore the same style during a recent photoshoot, and loved it so much that the duo decided to recreate it using products from Matrix, including the Total Results Miracle Creator Multi-Benefit Treatment Spray which 'nourishes, boots shine, adds moisture and protects against heat'. The look was locked in place with the Matrix Style Link Super Fixing Strong Hold Gel and the Total Results Amplify Flexible Hold Hairspray. Viola, who is a celebrity ambassador for L'Oreal, put her best foot forward with her makeup look, too, courtesy of beauty pro Autumn Moultrie, who kicked off the look by applying the brand's new Age Perfect Midnight Serum to 'instantly hydrate the face and create a glowy complexion'. According to makeup artist Autumn, she and Viola wanted to create a 'soft, sophisticated, and dramatic' look, pairing a soft lip - created with the L'Oreal Age Perfect Anti-Feathering Lipliner in two shades - with a bold metallic eye, that was perfected with the L'Oreal Perfect Satin Glide Eyeliner and the brand's Voluminous Mascara. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has led to high morbidity and mortality worldwide, with newer, more infectious variants rapidly emerging and infecting more people in several countries. Thanks to a collaborative effort by scientists across the world, many vaccines have been developed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection with unprecedented speed. One of these vaccines, the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine by Johnson & Johnson and Janssen, is a recombinant, replication-incompetent human adenovirus type 26 vector that encodes full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a prefusion-stabilized conformation. An international randomized, controlled trial to assess the efficacy of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine An international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial recently conducted in several countries randomly administered a single dose of Ad26.COV2.S or placebo to adult participants in a 1:1 ratio. The trial is an ongoing, 2-year, multicenter, pivotal trial in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, South Africa, and the U.S. All study participants provided written consent, and the trial followed the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the Good Clinical Practice guidelines of the International Council for Harmonisation. The study is published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study's primary endpoints were vaccine efficacy against moderate to severe-critical COVID-19 with an onset at least 14 and 28 days post-administration among participants in the per-protocol population who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Safety was also assessed as part of the trial. The Ad26.COV2.S vaccine was efficacious against severe-critical COVID-19 The per-protocol population comprised 19,630 SARS-CoV-2negative individuals who received the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine and 19,691 participants who received placebo. The Ad26.COV2.S vaccine protected the participants against moderate to severe-critical COVID-19 with onset 14 days after administration - 116 cases in the vaccine group vs. 348 in the placebo group with an efficacy of 66.9% - and 28 days after administration - 66 cases in the vaccine group vs. 193 cases in the placebo group with an efficacy of 66.1%. Vaccine efficacy was higher against severe-critical COVID-19 -76.7% - for onset at 14 days and 85.4% for onset at 28 days. The Ad26.COV2.S vaccine recipients who had breakthrough COVID-19 reported fewer and less severe symptoms compared to placebo recipients with COVID-19. This suggests that the disease is milder post-vaccination. Efficacy increases through 8 weeks post-administration and did not wane for up to 15 weeks The onset of efficacy was apparent 7 days after administration in severecritical disease and 14 days after administration in moderate to severecritical disease. Efficacy continued to increase through 8 weeks post administration of the vaccine, especially in the case of severecritical COVID-19. There was no evidence of waning efficacy in the approximately 3,000 participants followed up for 11 weeks or among the 1,000 participants followed up for 15 weeks. This finding is consistent with the persistence of humoral immunity observed in a phase 12a trial. Efficacy against severecritical disease was consistently high overall and also in individual countries with sufficient cases for analysis. This is important because severe COVID-19 impacts individuals and health care systems more than mild to moderate disease. Despite 94.5% of cases in South Africa having a sequenced virus with the 20H/501Y.V2 variant, vaccine efficacy was 52.0% against moderate to severe-critical COVID-19 with onset at least 14 days and 64.0% with onset at least 28 days after administration, respectively. Efficacy of the vaccine against severecritical COVID-19 was 73.1% and 81.7%, respectively, for onset at least 14 and 28 days after administration. Reactogenicity of Ad26.COV2.S was higher than that of placebo and was mild to moderate as well as transient. The serious adverse events were balanced between the two groups. There were 3 deaths in the vaccine group, and none of them were related to COVID-19. A total of 16 deaths were reported in the placebo group, and 5 of them were COVID-19related. The results show that a single dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine offered protection against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19. It was also effective against severecritical COVID-19 disease leading to hospitalization and death. Safety was found to be similar to that in other phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials. Janssen Research and Development and others funded the trial. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia expelled an Italian diplomat on Monday and called in Italy's ambassador to its foreign ministry over what it said was a groundless move by Rome to expel two Russian diplomats last month. The expulsion of only one diplomat - Italy's deputy naval attache - may signal a desire by Moscow not to retaliate aggressively against a nation with which Russia traditionally has had warmer ties than with many other Western countries. The Italian foreign ministry said the Russian move was unfounded and unjust. Italian police said in March they had caught an Italian navy captain passing secret documents to a Russian military official in return for money. The incident was the latest in a series of spying accusations in recent months against Russians in European countries. Several former Soviet bloc countries have announced this month that they were expelling Russian diplomats, prompting Moscow to retaliate. Moscow's biggest diplomatic row right now is with the Czech Republic, which expelled 18 Russian diplomats and ordered Russia to remove most of its remaining diplomatic staff from Prague. Prague accuses Russian intelligence of being behind a deadly blast at an ammunitions depot in 2014. Moscow has dismissed the accusations as absurd. (Reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy in Moscow and Crispian Balmer in Rome; writing by Tom Balmforth/Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber; editing by Louise Heavens and Gareth Jones) [April 26, 2021] Building Pet Friendly Neighborhoods for Working Folks, One Connection at a Time: Popular 'Cuddly Tails' App Helps Pet Owners Continue to Create a Growing Network in New York City, New Jersey, Hoboken and Beyond NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Cuddly Tails (https://cuddlytails.com/) announced that the successful launch of its dog-walking and dog-sitting networking app continues to build strong neighborhood connections with each new pet-parent who registers. The Cuddly Tails app prescreens and approves dog-sitters from local neighborhoods, introducing them to other pet-parents in need of services. App users can read local reviews of pre-screened dog-sitters, meet up with them for walks and pet-centered activities, as well as offer their own pet-related services. Cuddly Tails charges a small fee to connect each pet-parent with a neighborhood-sitter, and sitters can earn cash for their work. Cuddly Tails offers a $15 coupon for booking the first walk or boarding, and the app is available via Google Play and the App Store. Speaking of her overall goal for creating Cuddly Tails, CEO and Founder Rashi Arora said: "I've been a dog lover my whole life, getting my first dog when I was just six years old. That was all it took: I was hooked. Once you experience the pure, unconditional love of a dog, you never look back. You become a pet-parent for life. After graduation, I moved to New York to find work and wanted to get a dog to share my new life. But I quickly realized how incredibly challenging it is to take care of a pet while working fulltime and living in a city. After I found my dog Sammy, friends and neighbors wee so helpful stepping up to pet-sit or walk him, if I needed. It was a community of like-minded pet-parents who wanted to do what they could, because they loved their pets just as much as I loved mine. And I realized: every pet-parent should have this we can build a whole community of pet support just like this. That's how C0uddly Tails was born." Of the future direction for Cuddly Tails, Chief Marketing Officer Rahul Arora said: "It's been very exciting and we have a lot going on right now. After attending a recent Blueprint Accelerator event by the Young Enterprising Society in Wisconsin with support from the City of Milwaukee, Cuddlytails received seed funding to help propel Cuddly Tails after its launch. We can happily report that we're now seeing huge customer success, and we're adding new pet-parents to the platform every day. The connections start happening organically after that as people meet, develop relationships, and begin to offer their services. We already have a burgeoning community, and we expect to grow exponentially with each passing week. We're also continuing our commitment to helping give back to those charities that help our pet-friends so much. So a portion of our profits are always returned to various at-need Pet Rescue operations." For more information on all the pet services provided by Cuddly Tails, go online. Or for up-to-the-minute information on events and pet meet-and-greets, follow Cuddly Tails on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. About Cuddly Tails Cuddly Tails is an online platform that allows dog owners to book pre-verified dog sitters and walkers located in the same apartment building, or within a user's general neighborhood. Pet-parents can book dog walks, boarding/sitting, day care, play dates and other services with other pet lovers in their area. And because Cuddly Tails verifies each pet-sitter, pet parents can rest assured that their fur babies will be treated love and care. Learn more at: www.CuddlyTails.com. Media Contact: Rashi Arora, CEO 1-551-226-1561 306652@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/building-pet-friendly-neighborhoods-for-working-folks-one-connection-at-a-time-popular-cuddly-tails-app-helps-pet-owners-continue-to-create-a-growing-network-in-new-york-city-new-jersey-hoboken-and-beyond-301276278.html SOURCE Cuddlytails [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The International Space Station is expected to offer two great, early morning, naked-eye-viewing opportunities as it passes over central Pennsylvania this week. The ISS is expected to appear in our sky at 5:12 a.m. Tuesday, April 27, about the width of 2 fists at the end of an outstretched arms (10 degrees) above the west-southwestern horizon. Over the next 6 minutes it will move toward the northeast, rising to a maximum height of 78 degrees before disappearing at 10 degrees above northeast. It will appear again at 4:27 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, about 56 degrees above the southern horizon, moving to east-northeast and rising to 60 degrees over 4 minutes and then disappearing at 10 degrees above east-northeast. NASA explains, The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is 90 degrees. If you hold your fist at arms length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees. Each additional fist-width above the horizon is roughly another 10 degrees of elevation. NASA doesnt issue one of its Spot the Station alerts for anything less than 40 degrees, and the space station is not expected to meet or top that point again this week. According to NASA, the space station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesnt have flashing lights or change direction. It will also be moving considerably faster than a typical airplane (airplanes generally fly at about 600 miles per hour; the space station flies at 17,500 miles per hour). Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. MOSCOW -- A Moscow court has increased from one minute to two hours the time allowed outside each day for three of the four editors of the student magazine Doxa, who are accused of "engaging minors in actions that might be dangerous" over a video related to unsanctioned rallies protesting opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's incarceration. The Moscow City Court on April 26 upheld a lower court's decision to impose pretrial restrictions for Armen Aramyan, Vladimir Metyolkin, and Natalya Tyshkevich, but mitigated the restrictions, ruling that the trio is allowed outside for two hours daily from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. A decision on the appeal of the fourth editor in the case, Alla Gutnikova, is expected to be made by the court on April 28. On April 14, the Basmanny district court in the Russian capital ordered the four editors not to leave their homes between midnight and 11:59 p.m. for two months, giving them only one minute to be outside each day. The four were detained for questioning at the Investigation Committee after their homes and the magazine's offices were searched over the video, which the magazine posted online in January. The video questioned teachers' moves to warn students about possible repercussions they could face for participating in unsanctioned rallies on January 23 and January 31 in protest of Navalny's arrest. Doxa editors say the video was deleted from the magazines website following a demand from Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor to remove it. More than 10,000 supporters of Navalny were detained across Russia during and after the January rallies. Many of the detained men and women were either fined or handed several-day jail terms. At least 90 were charged with criminal offenses and several have been fired by their employers. Human rights groups have called on Moscow repeatedly to stop targeting journalists because they are covering the protests or express solidarity with protesters since both are protected under the right to freedom of expression. "Instead of targeting journalists, the authorities should hold accountable police who attack journalists and interfere with their work," Human Rights Watch said in a statement on February 3. Navalny was detained at a Moscow airport on January 17 upon his arrival from Germany, where he was recovering from a poisoning, which several European laboratories concluded was a military-grade chemical nerve agent, in Siberia in August 2020. Navalny has insisted that his poisoning was ordered directly by President Vladimir Putin, which the Kremlin has denied. In February, a Moscow court ruled that while in Germany, Navalny had violated the terms of parole from an old embezzlement case that is widely considered as being politically motivated. Navalny's 3 1/2 year suspended sentence from the case was converted to a jail term, though the court said he will serve 2 1/2 years in prison given the amount of time he had been held in detention. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 06:07:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States has a population topping 331 million, marking the country's slowest growth rate since the 1930s and the second slowest ever, the U.S. Census Bureau announced on Monday. In total, the U.S. population rose to 331,449,281 in 2020, up by 7.4 percent compared to the growth between 2000 and 2010, according to the Census Bureau. Demographers said the United States may be entering an era of substantially lower population growth due to a number of reasons such as a leveling off of immigration, a declining birthrate, an aging population and the scars of the 2008 financial crisis forcing many Americans to delay marriage and starting families. Six states will gain more seats in Congress during the upcoming once-a-decade redistricting battles based on the new census results. Among them, Texas will add two seats while Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon will each gain one seat. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will all lose congressional seats ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. The new allocation of congressional seats shows that political power in the country is shifting from states in the Midwest and Northeast to those in the South and West, local media said. Census officials said they were "very confident in the quality of the data" that they collected last year despite a once-a-century coronavirus pandemic, wildfires, hurricanes, as well as controversy over former President Donald Trump's failed attempt to add a citizenship question to the census form. The Supreme Court eventually blocked Trump's plan. However, questions about its accuracy will most likely surface when the Census Bureau releases detailed demographic files for each state later this year, according to local media reports. Enidtem In recent months, the countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans have been particularly badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Across Europe, the number of new daily infections has exceeded 200,000 since March, as high as at the previous peak in November 2020. Before that, the numbers had dropped somewhat due to various uncoordinated national lockdown measures. Over one million people have died from COVID-19 in Europe so far. Under these conditions, all governments have made it clear they will no longer take any significant containment measures. Hiding behind a patchy rapid testing system and disastrous vaccination campaigns, they are relying on a naked policy of herd immunity. Despite incidence figures between 100 and 400 per 100,000, they are keeping schools, day-care centres, shops and businesses open. CAPTION: Picture from a hospital for the homeless in Budapest, which the right-wing Hungarian government wants to close (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh) It is striking that in all Eastern European countries between Estonia and Greece, the seven-day incidence rate for new infections per million is above 200. The worst-affected countries are Croatia (379), Serbia (271), Hungary (262), Poland (253), Slovenia (238) and Estonia (237). The region also stands out in terms of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Except for Belgium (206), only Eastern Europe and Balkan countries figure in the top 10. The Czech Republic (269) is followed by Hungary (266), Bosnia (245), Montenegro (232), Bulgaria (223), Macedonia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Italy (196) and Britain (192) follow, as the European countries with the next highest death rates. The Eastern European countries all have one thing in common: following the introduction of capitalism three decades ago, their relatively well-functioning health care systems were sacrificed on the altar of profit and ruined. The Stalinist regimes established after the Second World War repressed the working class and represented the interests of a privileged bureaucracy. However, the socialisation of the economy nevertheless made possible a wide range of basic medical and educational services that went far beyond the level of comparable capitalist countries. In terms of the number of doctors and beds per inhabitant, the economically weaker countries of Eastern Europe were at Western European levels, and thus higher than American and Asian countries. The destructive role of the Stalinist bureaucracy meant the economic potential of the planned economy was never fully realised. Mismanagement and corruption increased rapidly in later years. Added to this were the insoluble internal contradictions of the Stalinist regimes, which pursued a policy of economic autarky but were nevertheless dependent on the global economy. At the end of the 1980s, the Stalinist apparatchiks running these states finally reacted as Leon Trotsky had predicted in 1936, by introducing capitalist conditions and transforming the former peoples property into their own private property. The oligarchy that emerged in this orgy of self-enrichment has since imposed one reform after another for the benefit of the banks and corporations. With entry into the European Union, privatisation and cuts in state spending accelerated further. Until the 2000s, hospital bed coverage was still above the EU average of 660 beds per 100,000 inhabitants in many former Eastern bloc countries. In Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania it was about one third higher, in the Czech Republic and Lithuania even two thirds. In terms of staffing, however, these countries were already worse off than the European average, which was 390 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants. In Poland, Latvia, Hungary, and Slovenia the corresponding number was less than 300, in Romania only 189. The EU average for health expenditure as a share of gross domestic product in 2001 was 8.5 percent or $2,230 per inhabitant, whereas in most Eastern European states it was only between four and six percent, or $270 (Romania) and $900 (Hungary). Only Slovenia and the Czech Republic spent $1,200 per inhabitant. It is therefore not surprising that the statistics on life expectancy tell a clear story. For example, the life expectancy of a new-born child in Eastern Europe is 69 (men) and 79 (women) years, compared to 79 and 84 years in Western Europe. For men with lower educational attainment (and thus lower incomes), life expectancy is four years less than for upper-class men. Decades of persistent underfunding of hospitals is now making itself felt through chronic staff shortages and outdated equipment. Eastern Europes lead in the number of hospital beds as a percentage of the population has now also fallen victim to the cuts, with tens of thousands of beds being axed. The steady population decline, also a result of the ongoing social cuts, somewhat hides the actual decline in the statistics. But if many Eastern European countries are still above the EU average, this is mainly a result of serious cuts throughout European health systems. Ireland or France, for example, have halved their bed capacities since 1990 to 300 or 600 per 100,000 inhabitants. In Scandinavian countries such as Sweden or Finland, with their once highly developed social systems, only a fifth of the bed capacities of 1990 remains220 or 320 beds per 100,000 inhabitants. The cuts in East and West are closely interrelated. Cutback programmes and austerity measures are dictated by the EU and the major powers that set the tone within it, and these also impose cuts in their own health care systems at the expense of the former Eastern Bloc countries. For example, without the mass immigration of qualified medical personnel from Eastern Europe, the Western European health system would already have sunk much further because of the permanent pressure to save money. Tens of thousands of well-trained doctors, nurses or caregivers left their home countries in the East with the prospect of a better income and better working conditions in the West. But even at their new workplaces, they are caught in the downward spiral in health systems, whose murderous consequences have been made particularly clear by the pandemic. Drawing the mortality rate on a map of Europe, the Iron Curtain reappears, the Suddeutsche Zeitung noted years ago and asked: So is Europes unity failing when it comes to health? The clear answer is: No, Europes health and the unity are failing because of capitalism. The second wave of COVID is wreaking havoc in India with grim milestones being crossed everyday. The devastating reports and gut-wrenching images emerging from overrun hospitals and cremation sites speak volumes about the crisis the country is going through. The country of 1.3 billion is now the global epicenter of the pandemic. In this time of suffering, several countries from across the world are responding to the humanitarian crisis. Not just the expression of solidarity, countries, including Pakistan, are sending the much-needed medical equipment, oxygen, among other things. Pakistan The Pakistani government is sending ventilators, PPEs, and other relief material to India. As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators, Bi PAP, digital X ray machines, PPEs, and related items, a government spokesperson said in an April 25 statement. Pakistan's #EdhiFoundation - built by the great Abdul Sattar Edhi - writes to Indian PM with offer to send fleet of 50 ambulances to help fight #COVID19India pic.twitter.com/bj5xfeK0l0 Rezaul Hasan Laskar (@Rezhasan) April 23, 2021 Social welfare organisation Edhi Foundation has expressed to send a fleet of 50 ambulances manned by Pakistani health professionals to help in Indias pandemic response. They are awaiting clearance from the Modi government. Saudi Arabia The Saudi government sent 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen on April 24 via the Indian-owned shipping companies Adani Group and Linde. Thank you @IndianEmbRiyadh. Indeed, actions speak louder than words. We are on an urgent mission to secure oxygen supplies from across the world. This first shipment of 4 ISO cryogenic tanks with 80 tons of liquid oxygen is now on its way from Dammam to Mundra. (1/3) https://t.co/BLZ0SbQ499 pic.twitter.com/lFKnx0hIhX Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) April 24, 2021 Germany Germany sent 23 mobile oxygen generation plants for use in military units tending to Covid-19 patients. They are expected to arrive this week. Singapore The Indian Air Force picked up four cryogenic oxygen tanks donated by Singapore on April 24. Singapore sends oxygen tanks to India UK The UK rushed 140 ventilators and 495 oxygen generators to Delhi, according to the Guardian. Prime minister Boris Johnson said that hes determined to make sure that the UK does everything it can to support the international community in the global fight against pandemic. Opinion Article 26 April 2021 It's a lucrative and commendable effort for a hotel to investigate any and all means to implement technological solutions that will help to boost the guest experience, save costs, reduce direct human contact or a mix of the three. In what we're calling the 'great technology reset for hotels', the post-pandemic era will see the way hotels operate rapidly evolve from high touch and tech-phobic to widely no touch and tech-philic. But as the metaphorical blood for many of these systems and devices, your wireless internet must work. Advertisements This goes far beyond BOH processes. Yes, many properties are moving to a cloud-based PMS while IoT devices are allowing for new levels of product customization and energy savings. While all of these put more strain on your available bandwidth (as well as your security apparatuses, but that's a whole other topic), requiring diligent IT personnel to monitor them at all times, let's think about WiFi from the FOH perspective, especially in light of many of the travel behavior changes since COVID-19. The Rise of the Digital Nomad This past year has witnessed a profound shift in how, when and where people work. Digital nomadism was a trend well before 2020, but the pandemic accelerated this movement by making remote work mainstream. Although it's inevitable for the office commute to return, many will choose to keep the flexibility of staying home throughout the week. Whatever name you choose to call this now-common psychographic, the revenue opportunity for brands is in knowing that if a person can work from anywhere, then that means they can work from your hotel. But much like all of our BOH tech stacks, guests need a fast and uninterrupted internet connection in order to accommodate all those Zoom meetings then chill out afterwards with some Netflix, perhaps streamed poolside. No doubt you've already spent loads of capex to install a great onsite WiFi network and deploy a team to vigilantly monitor it every day. It's not just the system, however, but how confident these digital nomads are in your network prior to booking. An Example Scenario Suppose for next winter, and long after you've gotten your vaccine, you and your loved one opt to escape the drudgeries of the cold, gray urban life for a week in the Caribbean. Why a week? If your company policy going forward allows you both to work remotely and you have no in-person gatherings on the books, then you can in theory spend a whole month down south. After a quick check of the finances, you decide just that. Something is stopping you, though - a lingering fear on the back of your mind. You are hesitant to book a whole month rather than just a week because you aren't sure if the hotel will have good enough WiFi to support videoconferencing once you arrive. Most people in the modern, globetrotting, professional class can afford to go one week without going online for work. A month is Russian roulette. Therefore, a lack of confidence in your hotel's WiFi speed is a dealbreaker for travelers hoping to squeeze in some inbox clearing between mojitos on the beach. For you, the hotelier, it's a huge difference in the type of guests you can attract as well as how much you can increase LOS. There's also TripAdvisor. Given this third party's influence, one 'bad WiFi' comment can cost you many thousands of dollars in reservations as guests avoid properties where work may be compromised. With all this in mind, here are some concluding considerations: Srinagar, April 26 : The J&K Police in north Kashmir's Baramulla district have arrested two terrorist associates of proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and recovered incriminating materials and two Chinese grenades from their possession, the police said on Monday. The police said that acting on a specific input, Baramulla Police arrested two terrorist associates of HM at Boniyar Baramulla. The arrested persons have been identified as Liyaqat Ahmad Kakroo, a resident of Nambla Uri, and Akhtar Ahmad Mir, a resident of Barmnate Boniyar. The police said incriminating materials and two Chinese grenades have been recovered from their possession. "During the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that both the arrested terrorist associates were involved in trading, smuggling and arranging arms and ammunition for the terror outfit," the police said. Further investigation is underway. The Harris County District Attorneys Office has thrown its support behind a request to posthumously pardon George Floyd of a 2004 arrest made by ex-Houston police officer Gerald Goines disgraced and charged with murder in the wake of a botched no-knock drug raid. The request, made Monday by a Harris County public defender, comes nearly two decades after Floyds arrest at Cuney Homes on the drug-related charge in which Goines accused him of dealing a small amount of crack cocaine. Floyd, then a Third Ward resident, pleaded guilty to the delivery of a controlled substance charge to avoid a stiffer punishment. He was then sentenced to 10 months in a state prison. Last week, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of killing Floyd after confronting him on a possible counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store. Allison Mathis, of the Harris County Public Defenders Office, stated in her request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles that the pardon filed on behalf of his surviving family members had nothing to do with merit or worthiness, but rather, correcting the record. He was a good man who is missed dearly by friends and family, Mathis wrote. But this pardon is being sought because it is just and right to clear a conviction that is not supported by evidence with the new information that has come to light. Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyds daughter, learned of the pardon request hours after it was filed and expressed disappointment that the conviction had made it hard for Floyd to find work in Houston. He was convicted of five other felonies in Harris County and three misdemeanors from 1997 to 2007, court records show. The charges included aggravated robbery, trespassing and multiple drug-related offenses. I just hope that in the coming time, that maybe district attorneys and prosecutors and all those people, theyll look more into things when a person says theyre not guilty, Washington said. Because sometimes you just cannot fight when you dont have the means to fight. Mathis, in her request, goes on to say that the encounter between Goines and Floyd showed the vast unfairness of the United States criminal justice system, and specifically, the grotesque abuses of power by police officers. Prosecutors last year opened an investigation, with the potential to vacate the conviction, into Floyds arrest and hundreds of others involving Goines. The probe followed the scrutizined Harding Street drug raid in January 2019 when Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were killed and five police officers, including Goines, were shot. Fallout from the raid prompted criminal charges against a dozen current and former law enforcement officials, including the former narcotics veteran after it was revealed he may have fabricated evidence for that case and others. Records show prosecutors tried to reach Floyd in March 2019 more than a year before his death to alert him to the Goines probe but he could not be found. By that time, Floyd had moved to Minnesota and was struggling there as well to find work because of his felony convictions in Texas. District Attorney Kim Ogg on Monday said she supported the pardon request and added that her office had been seeking posthumous relief for the 2004 conviction. Prosecutors last year found an incomplete and suspect offense report from Floyds arrest and were then asked to verify Goines report. Prosecutors determined in 2019 that Floyd had been convicted on the lone word of Gerald Goines, a police officer we could no longer trust, Ogg said in a statement. We fully support a request that the governor now pardon George Floyd from that drug conviction. Officials with Gov. Greg Abbotts office as well as the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles did not respond to a request for comment. Pardons usually go before the panel first, and if approved for recommendation, then are forwarded to the governor for consideration. Among the charges that Goines faces are tampering with a government record, theft and federal civil rights violations. Mathis believes Goines fabricated a second suspect in Floyds case to set him up for an arrest. Details from the case show that Goines claimed to have handed $10 to a second suspect to buy crack cocaine from Floyd. The money was never recovered or submitted as evidence following Floyds arrest, the public defender wrote. Gerald Goines manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants, Mathis wrote, pointing to the unnamed second suspect that Goines described in Floyds charging documents. The second individual was never arrested and has never been identified. Goines incident report claims the man was let go in (an) attempt to further the narcotic (trafficking) in this area. He made up the existence of a confidential informant who provided crucial evidence to underpin the arrest, Mathis continued. And no one bothered to question the word of a veteran cop against that of a previously-convicted Black man. Mathis outlined Floyds criminal record in Harris County in her request, including some brushes with law enforcement in which Floyd was targeted by police officers, she said. In 2001, Floyd was arrested after failing to identify himself to a police officer who asked him to talk to them because he did not look like he was going anywhere in particular, Mathis wrote. She continues to specify that her pardon request does not apply to Floyds other arrests in Harris County. Mathis, in her ask to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles , pointed to the exoneration of two brothers, Otis and Steven Mallet, whom Goines framed in 2008 as drug dealers. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals recently declared the duo innocent. Julian Gill contributed to this report. nicole.hensley@chron.com Mexico City, April 26 : Mexico has received the seventh shipment of the Covid-19 vaccines produced by Chinese company Sinovac, which will help accelerate the national inoculation plan, the Ministry of Health reported. The CoronaVac vaccines arrived Saturday night at Mexico City's international airport, the ministry explained in a statement on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. Shipments of the vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company began arriving in Mexico in February after the Mexican health regulator, the Federal Commission for Protection Against Health Risks, authorized its emergency use. The Mexican government has given doses of the CoronaVac vaccine mainly to older adults, in accordance with the phased vaccination campaign that began in December. As of Saturday, Mexico had accumulated 2,326,738 cases of Covid-19, with 214,853 deaths, making it third in the world in number of deaths, after the United States and Brazil. HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) The first direct flight from Russia to Estonia landed in the Baltic nation's capital on Sunday, marking the end of a more than a year-long pause in travel, the Tallinn airport authority said. A Sukhoi Superjet airliner belonging to Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot touched down at 7:44 p.m. (16:44 GMT), according to the flight schedule. The return flight takes off at 8:40 p.m. Under coronavirus rules, travel from Russia to Estonia is restricted to residents, diplomats and people involved in international passenger and cargo traffic. Arrivals are expected to self-isolate for 10 days. COLUMBUS, Ohio Tucked into the states two-year budget bill passed last week by the Ohio House is a provision that allows 11th-grade students and their parents to decide whether to take college entrance exams, which for years have been mandatory in public schools. House Bill 110, which is now being considered in the Senate, would let parents or guardians choose to opt out of the SAT or ACT test. This would apply to students beginning the next school year. Rep. Jon Cross, a Hardin County Republican, pushed for the provision to be added to the budget bill. Earlier this year, he introduced a bill with a similar change. The tests cost the state $2 million a year to administer to all high school juniors, Cross said. But not all students are planning to go to college. Many go directly into the workforce, the military or career technical programs, making the tests unnecessary. And colleges are increasingly dropping the ACT and SAT requirement, Cross said from Texas Christian University to the University of California at Berkeley. Not all juniors want to take the ACT test, he said. You have a lot of juniors who will go in, in the first 10 minutes fill out all the circles and be done. The tests are a graduation requirement, and the Ohio Department of Education uses them as the college and career readiness assessment for school report cards. Students who dont take the ACT or SAT would nevertheless be allowed to graduate under the budget provision. Cross, who is no fan of the school report cards, said that the students who choose to take them would be more serious about it, and the overall college and career readiness scores would be higher. As the former CEO of the Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance, he said that low scores can hurt a communitys ability to attract new and expanding businesses. The state needs to have a discussion about the best way to assess whether high school graduates are ready for the workforce or higher education. To school district officials, the provision in the budget will provide more flexibility without completely ending the tests, said Will Schwartz, the Ohio School Boards Associations deputy director of legislative services. It still provides an opportunity for students to take the SAT or ACT at no cost to them and their parents, he said. Offering tests to students free of charge is important, said Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association president. Its been a way to remove a barrier from going into higher education, he said, though the group supports it being voluntary. There was no organized opposition to the provision in the House. There is no guarantee that the Senate will keep the provision that was passed in HB 110. Sometimes the legislative chambers budget proposals are wildly different. FASFA proposal nixed In addition to making the SAT and ACT voluntary, the Ohio House looked at -- but rejected -- another graduation requirement proposal: Gov. Mike DeWines administration wanted to require students to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, a form students and their parents complete to get loans, grants, scholarships and other financial aid for college. In early March, the Ohio departments of Education and Higher Education announced that they were going to use nearly $3 million in state funds for FAFSA completion projects over the next 18 months. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, FASFA completion rates in Ohio declined 8.9% this year compared to last year. Chancellor Randy Gardner said this represents millions in funding that goes unclaimed. We know that students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to earn a postsecondary credential or college degree and save significant money in doing so, Gardner said. We believe we owe it to young people and their families to provide as much information as possible about opportunity in Ohio opportunity enhanced through education and skills training. More coverage: Ohio coronavirus vaccine demand has slumped. Now comes the long slog toward herd immunity. Ohio vaccine providers can restart Johnson & Johnson coronavirus shots State board votes to increase Ohio medical marijuana dispensaries to 130 from current 57 Italy has joined other countries by imposing restrictions on travel from India to avert the spread of a Covid-19 variant as the Asian nation struggles with a surge in infections. Italy's Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Twitter he had signed an order barring foreign travellers who have been in India in the past 14 days from entering the country. India, which is facing a health crisis, is battling a "double mutant" strain of Covid-19. On Sunday, the country posted the world's highest single-day increase in cases for a fourth day. Italian residents will be allowed to return from India with a negative test result at their departure and one at their arrival and then have to go into quarantine, the minister said. Those already in Italy and who travelled from India in the past 14 days were requested to undergo a swab. "Our scientists are at work to study the new Indian variant," Speranza said. Also read: COVID-19 surge: Iran bans flights from India, Pakistan Also read: Second COVID-19 wave: List of countries that have banned flights from India Three people have died in a crash after a BMW smashed into a roundabout near to a pub this morning. The fatal collision took place in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, shortly after midnight. Police say a woman in her 20s and two men, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, died in the crash. It took place on East Prescot Road near to the Greyhound Pub - which closed in 2014. A Merseyside Police spokesman said: 'We are appealing for information following a fatal road traffic collision in Knotty Ash in the early hours of this morning, Monday, April 26. Three people have died in a crash after a BMW smashed into a roundabout near to a pub this morning. Pictured: Police at the scene 'At around 12.15am, emergency services were called to East Prescot Road, close to the Greyhound pub, to reports of a collision involving a BMW colliding with the roundabout. 'Three people, a man in his 20s, a woman in her 20s, and a man in his 30s, were all taken to hospital by ambulance and all have sadly passed away. 'Their families have been informed and an investigation continues at the scene, including CCTV, witness and forensic inquiries.' A road closure is currently in place on all approaches to the roundabout including Blackmoor Drive, Pilch Lane, and Brookside Avenue. A police spokesperson added: 'Diversions are in place and we would ask motorists to take an alternative route.' A road closure is currently in place on all approaches to the roundabout including Blackmoor Drive, Pilch Lane, and Brookside Avenue. Pictured: Police at the scene Anyone who witnessed the collision or captured anything on CCTV or dashcam is asked to contact (0151) 7775747, or via @MerPolCC on Twitter or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook, with reference 21000264565. The crash comes just 25 hours after the same road was closed due to a separate accident at 11pm on Saturday. An e-scooter rider was left fighting for his life after a crash involving a black Hackney cab at the junction of East Prescot Road and Blackmoor Drive. The Greyhound Pub was closed in 2014 after police found two kilos of cocaine, drug paraphernalia and 10,000 in cash in the living area above the premise. Planning permission was given to turn the defunct pub into a bargain alcohol store in 2019. Those behind the development promised to invest 120,000 into the building, which is said to have become 'run down' after not being used for several years. Vice President Kamala Harris will tell the United Nations that the world needs to start preparing for the next global pandemic even as COVID-19 rages on. Harris' virtual appearance at the UN on Monday - her second since becoming vice president - will offer ideas on how nations can better prepare themselves for the next global health crisis. Harris, according to the excerpts, will broadly outline how the administration thinks nations should consider focusing their attention including women's health and investing in vaccines, personal protective equipment and test manufacturing. Testing has been vital to identify COVID suffers, and try to isolate them to stop the disease spreading further. # PPE and vaccines are both seen as vital with helping prevent transmission, with vaccines also helping people suffer far less serious symptoms if they do still catch the virus. Harris, whose mom was an Indian-born scientists, also weighed in on the massive coronavirus crisis in India on Sunday where a second surge has killed nearly 3,000 people in 24 hours. 'The U.S. is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak,' Harris tweeted on Sunday. 'As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of Indiaincluding its courageous healthcare workers.' Vice President Kamala Harris will tell the United Nations that global leaders should immediately start planning how to respond to the next global pandemic Harris, the first-ever person of Indian descent to serve as vice president, also weighed in on the massive coronavirus crisis in India on Sunday A chart shows the total number of COVID-19 cases and deaths globally In her speech on Monday, Harris will say: 'At the same time that the world works to get through this pandemic, we also know that we must prepare for the next.' The speech will be co-hosted by UN permanent representatives of Argentina, Japan, Norway and South Africa. Biden's ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is also scheduled to deliver remarks at Monday's virtual event. Harris says much has been learned over the last year about pandemic preparedness and response but that it would be unwise to rest easy. 'We have been reminded that the status quo is not nearly good enough, and that innovation is indeed the path forward,' Harris says. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a call with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Sunday expressing 'deep sympathy for the people of India following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.' 'The two National Security Advisors agreed that the U.S. and India would stay in close touch in coming days,' National Security Council Spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement regarding the call. 'Mr. Sullivan affirmed America's solidarity with India, the two countries with the greatest number of COVID-19 cases in the world,' she continued. Horne said Sullivan affirmed the U.S. would deploy any 'available resources and supplies' to India to help with the spike. A statement from the White House on the call reads: 'Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its time of need.' 'To this end, the United States is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies. The United States has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine that will immediately be made available for India.' The statement added that the United States has helped India identify supplies of COVID-19 therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and PPE to help treat 'and protect front-line health workers in India.' 'The United States also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis,' the statement reads, The Biden administration will mark its first 100 days in office this week. President Joe Biden is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday and is certain to highlight the headway his administration has made in responding to the worst public health crisis in the US in more than a century. Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze resigns By Veronika Malinboym On Saturday, April 24, Parliament Speaker and Georgian Dream party member Archil Talakvadze announced his resignation. Talakvadze explained that his decision came shortly after the recent negotiations with the countrys opposition bloc and the EU-proposed agreement that followed it:Considering the fact that months of tense negotiations have now resulted in reaching an agreement, I think it would be appropriate for me to resign as a speaker of the parliament and have another person take on my role and handle parliamentary activities with more neutrality [...] Now that we have representatives of the opposition in the Parliament, I think my place is in the hall, side by side with my colleagues, Talakvadze said during the news briefing.Former speaker of the parliament will continue his activities in parliament as a vice speaker while his deputy Kakha Kuchava is currently introduced to Talakvadzes office. During a briefing, Talakvadze stated that it was an honour for him to act as a speaker of the parliaments 9th and 10th convocations:I would like to thank my colleagues and citizens of Georgia for their support and patience. We will continue to work together and fight for the countrys future success, and we will certainly achieve more victories and guarantee the success of our country, Talakvadze added.Kakha Kuchava was a deputy speaker of the 10th convocation of the Georgian parliament, as well as a member of the 9th convocation of the parliament when he served as Chairman of the Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources. Kuchava has been a member of the Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia faction since 2016. Canadian nationals Andrea and Gary Dyck lived in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) for 10 years, beginning in 2008, during which time they spent five years studying the Uyghur and Mandarin languages at Urumqi Vocational University in the regional capital Urumqi. In 2014, the couple moved to the eastern XUARs prefecture-level city of Turpan (in Chinese, Tulufan), where they ran a business helping farmers to raise organic produce and improve the quality of their soil through composting. The Dycks left China in 2018 as they noticed that restrictions on the daily lives of Uyghurs in the XUAR increased dramatically. The couple said that by then, Uyghurs were routinely subjected to discrimination, the prohibition of cultural and religious practices, and regular monitoring through a high-tech surveillance system comprised of facial recognition cameras and checkpoints that singled them out for searches and interrogations. Since they left China, a growing amount of evidence suggests that in addition to the crackdown, authorities have deployed a number of other measures targeting Uyghurs, including forced sterilizations, coerced labor, and a campaign of mass incarceration through which an estimated 1.8 million people have been held in a vast network of internment camps since early 2017. Together these rights violations have been labeled part of a policy of genocide in the XUAR by the U.S. government, as well as the parliaments of Canada, The Netherlands, and the U.K. RFA recently spoke with the Dycks, who last week moderated an online panel on The Uyghur Genocide in China in coordination with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Speaking on the panel were Uyghur Canadian activist Mehmet Tohti, who co-founded the World Uyghur Congress exile group and serves as executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project in Ottawa, and Adrian Zenz, a German researcher and Senior Research Fellow in China Studies at the Center of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, who was one of the first experts to collect evidence on the situation in the XUARs internment camps. The couple described to RFA how life changed for themselves and Uyghurs in the XUAR as Beijing began to tighten its grip on the region. Andrea Dyck: China did not directly ask us to leave but the restrictions were getting more and more difficult so that we would probably not be able to get the residence permit that we needed to keep staying. But at the same time, we actually made the decision a little sooner. We were living there with our children and we were seeing how much more difficult it was getting for everyone around us, and we also recognized that the others around us were being taken to the camps more and more frequently and they were all afraid and they could be taken away for very little reason. And so, we realized that for some of them to be seen with us could be risky. We realized that it wasn't worth it to stay if it was making it dangerous for our friends. We also found it very, very difficult to watch what was happening and we realized that for our children we needed to come back. Gary Dyck: It was the little things that we saw that stuck out to us every week in Turpan and probably every city in Xinjiang every week, starting in 2017, and even 2016there was a new rule, a new restriction, more security. Sometimes it was a new fence on the on the street so you cant cross the street, and now you're not supposed to have a beard, men cant have long beards, or it was a problem. Skirt length became a problem Other things like camerasall of a sudden there's cameras, they're supposed to be on every intersection, and then there was a checkpoint between Turpan and Urumqi and then between Turpan and the villages, there was one. And now there's two checkpoints between Turpan and the village too, and then just every week there was one new thing at least Three things to change are hard, but every week for months and months and months. It just was too hard for our minds to comprehend. Andrea Dyck: And we knew that these kinds of things are not without a purpose, we could see that this was going into a bad direction. Gary Dyck: It was very intentional by the government. It was just all fear Andrea Dyck: At first, some of my friends said, They're keeping us safe. And I'm thinking, What are they keeping you safe from? There is no danger. And the other thing that was happening at the same time is the people were expected to work many, many extra hours. A lot of my friends, they no longer could have a day to stay home. They had to stay late after work for meetings and more meetings telling them all the new rules. One of my friends was forced to stay at her work office to sleep when her son came back from Urumqi for the New Year holiday, she could not go home to cook him a meal even though it was only two blocks away. I had one woman tell me when she was alone with me for a few minutes that every day, all day, every official or their employers would say, if you don't do this, we will send you to the school So that fear is put in front of them all day. Also, the families were separated in so many ways. We saw the streets getting emptier. We saw there were less people on the streets, and we knew many of them have been taken to the camps By the end of our time there, we looked at ourselves and we thought our whole family is in our apartment, but we knew almost no other families where everyone was still in their house. It was late 2016 when we saw the police stations were set up on every corner of the major intersections and in the spring of 2017, we visited Urumqi and some friends said that at that time the police had to take six people away every day just for a quota And so, from there it became very, very alarming just police everywhere on the corners of streets, driving in vans around all the time And then it was the Islamic ceremonies and religious things that became problems and there were rules against those things, but then soon it was just normal Uyghur culture [that was prohibited]. There was one day where my friends said, Now were not allowed to have naan. The naan ovens outside were dismantled. You couldn't cook kabobs on the street. And the officials said it wasnt healthy and was bad for the environment. When we moved to Turpan in 2014, there was more joy on the streets, people were friendly, people invited us to their homes. We sat outside and had meals and I got invited to join for chai. Gary Dyck: But then, starting in 2017 It was all gone. It was just all fear. I cant just keep it to myself Andrea Dyck: We experienced Uyghurs as such gentle beautiful people. We have just been so blessed by the friendships that we had, the hospitality, the wisdom To me they're like the opposite of a terroristjust gentle, farming, educated people. To take away their books and their culture and their language. This isn't terrorism to have poetry and language and culture to pass on. It's the opposite. If you have a culture to teach your children, then they have a home and a place to be. I think what we can say is it really is happening. We were there, we saw it, and it was crazy because we asked ourselves every day, Is this really happening? And we were on the streets and talking with the people and we could not believe our eyes. Gary Dyck: There's no valid reason, there is no good reason enough for all of this and how it is happening and how much it's happening. When we came back it was like we had to find healing for ourselves. And then also [determine] how can we be advocates and bring healing for the Uyghurs and for the situation. And so, it's our duty. Andrea Dyck: We feel honored that we were allowed to live there. It was such a special time of our life. And I'm a shy person, I don't really like to be on camera or talk in public But I realize this is not my story. It's the story of the Uyghur people, so I can't just keep it to myself. Reported by Adile Ablet RFAs Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Millennial Liu Lurui quit her job and moved to the outskirts of Beijing, where she built a farm on three acres of land to create a healthier lifestyle for herself and five friends. The farm was completed in April 2020, and includes a house, a garden and an organic orchard. They hope that their hobo life can set an example for people looking to lead alternative way of life Jun 04, 2021 06:31 PM Part of the same parent company, the Hyundai Motor Group, these brands have made huge leaps in terms of quality and customer service in recent years. The cars they build are much more refined , their prices are competitive, and to sweeten the deal even more, they come with generous factory warranty packages.That said, there are still a surprising number of potential buyers who are skeptical about the advertised figures arguing that these days, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.To understand exactly what these standard warranties offer, were going to take a detailed look at the most important categories and compare them to other manufacturers on the market. Keep in mind that this is a purely objective guide that hasnt been endorsed by any of the brands we mention.Often called bumper-to-bumper warranty, it spans over five years or 60,000 miles (96,560 km), whichever comes first, and covers repair or replacement of any defective component constructed or originally installed by the manufacturer. That includes chassis, bodywork , interior, and various electronic components. One notable exception is the paint , which is covered for three years or 36,000 miles (57,936 km). Also, parts like brake pads, wiper blades, bulbs, or fuses benefit from a one-year or 12,000-mile (19,312 km) warranty.All three brands offer this type of warranty, and among the competition, only Mitsubishi and Jaguar match it when it comes to both years and miles. Next up is Infiniti with four years and 60,000 miles (96,560 km), followed by a wide range of other manufacturers, including Tesla, BMW, VW, Mercedes, Lincoln, Cadillac, Audi, or Lexus which offer four years or 50,000 miles (80,467 km).The 10-year or 100,000-mile (160,934 km) warranty covers the repair or replacement of engine, transmission , or transaxle components constructed or originally installed by the manufacturer. Items such as filters, spark plugs, belts, or clutch linings are limited to a single year or 12,000 miles (19,312 km).The same length applies to hybrid powertrain components, including motors, power control units, and batteries. Additionally, original owners of Hyundai hybrid vehicles manufactured between 2012 and 2019 benefit from a lifetime battery warranty.Like the previous category, Mitsubishi offers the same length or number of miles for these components. Teslas powertrain warranty covers eight years or 150,000 miles (241,401 km). Next up are Infiniti, Lincoln, Cadillac, Lexus, and Acura, as their vehicles come with six years or 70,000 miles (112,654 km).For Hyundai vehicles, this category covers seven years without any mileage limit and refers to potential rust holes that may appear through the vehicles original body panels. The manufacturers define these holes as perforations from inside to outside and exclude surface corrosion Genesis anti-perforation warranty only covers five years regardless of the mileage, whereas Kia offers the same length but limits it to 100,000 miles (160,934 km).Here, competing brands have varying conditions. For example, Mitsubishi provides customers with seven years or 100,000 miles (160,934 km) coverage, while Toyota and Ford offer five years without a mileage limit.In case the vehicles break down, get a flat tire, or drivers accidentally lock their keys inside , 24/7 roadside assistance is provided in all 50 states or Canada. Its worth noting that this service doesnt cover incidents that occur off-road or during an accident.Hyundai and Genesis owners get 5 years of coverage without a mileage limit, whereas those who opt for a Kia get the same number of years, albeit with a 60,000-mile limit (96,560 km).Currently, only Cadillac and Lincoln offer more years of coverage (6) whereas Jaguar, Mitsubishi, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Nissan, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram are the only other manufacturers on the U.S. market that also include 5 years of roadside assistance in their standard warranty packages.Few non-luxury brands include free basic services like oil changes and tire rotations. Among them are Toyota, VW, and Subaru who offer two years of coverage with limits that vary from 20,000 to 26,000 miles (32,186-40,233 km). However, Hyundai vehicles come with three years or 36,000 miles of coverage as part of their standard package. Genesis owners benefit from the same conditions, while Kia only offers this package on its upscale Cadenza and K900 sedans.As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, Hyundai Motor Group brands have made a tremendous effort to improve the visual appeal and quality of their products and the services they provide.So, those looking to buy a new vehicle who are drawn to one of these three carmakers should not be skeptical about the warranty packages, as they are unquestionably as good as advertised. Israel: UAE concerned for Jerusalem Calls to stop violence of the right, preserve historic heritage (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, APRIL 26 - With an unusual position just a few months after the signature of the 'Abraham Accords' with Israel, the foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates has expressed "deep concern" for the extensive incidents that occurred over the past few days in Jerusalem, warning about the possible consequences of violence attributed to right-wing Jewish extremists and stressing that it is "necessary to preserve the historic identity" of the Holy City. "The United Arab Emirates - the text said - express deep concern for the episodes of violence conducted in the occupied sector of East Jerusalem by far-right groups, after which several residents were wounded". The UAE, the statement continued, condemn every kind of violence that goes against values and human principles. They also called on Israeli authorities to "take responsibility to block the escalation". They finally highlighted the need to "preserve the historic identity of occupied Jerusalem" and to maintain a moderate attitude "to foil the risk that the region is dragged into instability that would threaten peace".(ANSAmed). Mumbai, April 26 : The key Indian equity indices surged on Monday morning with the BSE Sensex gaining over 750 points. Healthy buying was witnessed in banking, finance and metal stocks. Around 10.05 a.m., Sensex was trading at 48,631.00, higher by 752.55 points or 1.57 per cent from its previous close of 47,878.45. It opened at 48,197.37 and has so far touched an intra-day high of 48,667.98 and a low of 48,152.24 points. The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange was trading at 14,552.25, higher by 210.90 points or 1.47 per cent from its previous close. Manish Hathiramani, technical analyst with Deen Dayal Investments said: "The Index is venturing closer to its resistance zone which is between 14,500-14,700. If we are successful in getting past that, we will head closer to 15,000. If we turn from these levels, we might drift down to re-test the recent lows of 14,150-14,200." The top gainers on the Sensex were ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and UltraTech Cement, while the major losers were HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries. This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Channel Seven reporter David Woiwod didn't hold back when it came to getting the attention of actor Daniel Kaluuya at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday. The network's US correspondent was standing in the media pit when he spotted the nominated 32-year-old actor making his way down the red carpet. With COVID restrictions making it almost impossible for the media to get close to the stars, David began screaming out to Daniel from several metres away. Whatever it takes: Channel Seven reporter David Woiwod (far right) didn't hold back when it came to getting the attention of actor Daniel Kaluuya at the Oscars in LA on Sunday 'Hey, Daniel! Daniel, Australia mate! Daniel! Can we have a quick chat, mate? How you going?' he began to yell, while frantically waving an arm in the air. A seemingly unimpressed Daniel cautiously made his way over to David, leaving Sunrise anchors Natalie Barr and Matt Doran stunned. But after getting side-tracked on the red carpet, the British actor hesitated, prompting Matt, 37, to urge David to 'play the Australian card' again. Shout out: The network's US correspondent was standing in the media pit when he spotted Daniel Kaluuya (pictured) making his way down the red carpet 'Dan! Dan... You are live on air in Australia at the moment,' David continued as Daniel stepped up to the microphone that had been set up on the red carpet. The Black Panther star then began to relax and jokingly responded: 'Ooh, live! I can say what I want.' Daniel told David that this year's red carpet was 'so much more chilled and so much more relaxed'. 'Hey, Daniel! Daniel, Australia mate! Daniel! Can we have a quick chat, mate? How you going?' David yelled at Daniel before he stepped up to the microphone 'So I really stood out when I started yelling at you?' asked David, prompting Daniel to respond, 'Yeah, I was like, "Who's this guy?"' Daniel later won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah. Talking to David ahead of the awards ceremony, he said he was feeling 'blessed' and 'grateful' to have been nominated for the coveted award. 93RD ACADEMY AWARDS WINNERS Best Picture The Father Judas and the Black Messiah Mank Minari Nomadland - WINNER Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7 Golden: Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey (seen left to right) as Nomadland won Best Picture Best Actress in a Leading Role Viola Davis Ma Raineys Black Bottom Andra Day The United States vs Billie Holiday Vanessa Kirby Pieces of a Woman Frances McDormand Nomadland - WINNER Carey Mulligan Promising Young Woman Best Actress in a Supporting Role Maria Bakalova Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Glenn Close Hillbilly Elegy Olivia Colman The Father Amanda Seyfried Mank Youn Yuh-jung Minari - WINNER Sweet: Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress for Minari Best Music (Original Score) Da 5 Bloods Mank Minari News of the World Soul - WINNER Best Animated Short Film Burrow Genius Loci If Anything Happens I Love You - WINNER Opera Yes-People Best Live Action Short Film Feeling Through The Letter Room The Present Two Distant Strangers - WINNER White Eye Best International Feature Film Another Round - WINNER Better Days Collective The Man Who Sold His Skin Quo Vadis, Aida? Talented: Thomas Vinterberg accepted Best International Film for Another Round Best Sound Greyhound Mank News of the World Soul Sound of Metal - WINNER Best Cinematography Judas and the Black Messiah Mank - WINNER News of the World Nomadland The Trial of the Chicago 7 Best Music (Original Song) H.E.R. - Fight for You Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER Hear My Voice The Trial of the Chicago 7 Husavik Eurovision Song Contest Io Si (Seen) The Life Ahead Speak Now One Night in Miami... H.E.R. won Best Original Song for Judas and the Black Messiah's Fight for You Best Director Thomas Vinterberg Another Round David Fincher Mank Lee Isaac Chung Minari Chloe Zhao Nomadland - WINNER Emerald Fennell Promising Young Woman Trailblazer: Chloe Zhao is the first woman of color to win Best Director Best Actor in a Leading Role Riz Ahmed Sound of Metal Anthony Hopkins The Father - WINNER Chadwick Boseman Ma Raineys Black Bottom Gary Oldman Mank Steven Yeun Minari Best Actor in a Supporting Role Sacha Baron Cohen The Trial of the Chicago 7 Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER Leslie Odom, Jr. One Night in Miami Paul Raci Sound of Metal Lakeith Stanfield Judas and the Black Messiah Best Animated Feature Film Onward Over the Moon A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Soul - WINNER Wolfwalkers Dynamic: Dana Murray (L) and Pete Docter won Best Animated Feature for Soul Best Costume Design Emma Ma Raineys Black Bottom - WINNER Mank Mulan Pinnochio Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm The Father - WINNER Nomadland One Night in Miami The White Tiger Best Writing (Original Screenplay) Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman - WINNER Shaka King and Will Berson - Judas and the Black Messiah Lee Isaac Chung - Minari Darius Marder and Abraham Marder - Sound of Metal Aaron Sorkin - The Trial of the Chicago 7 Blooming lovely: Emerald Fennell won Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman Best Documentary Feature Collective Crip Camp The Mole Agent My Octopus Teacher - WINNER Time Best Documentary Short Subject Colette - WINNER A Concerto Is a Conversation Do Not Split Hunger Ward A Love Song for Latasha Best Film Editing The Father Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal - WINNER The Trial of the Chicago 7 Best Production Design The Father Ma Raineys Black Bottom Mank - WINNER News of the World Tenet Best Visual Effects Love and Monsters The Midnight Sky Mulan The One and Only Ivan Tenet - WINNER Best Makeup and Hairstyling Emma Hillbilly Elegy Ma Raineys Black Bottom - WINNER Mank Pinocchio Advertisement American tourists could soon be visiting continental Europe again, more than a year after the European Union restricted travel to the 27-nation bloc to a bare minimum to contain the coronavirus. EU officials said Monday they are completing plans to allow Americans back this summer, depending on the course of the outbreak on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU Commission, the EUs executive arm, will make a proposal soon to its member states but didnt say when exactly leisure travel could resume or whether a reciprocal approach will apply to Europeans wanting to visit the U.S., which has closed its doors to tourists from the continent. Also, it was not immediately clear whether all U.S. tourists would have to produce proof of vaccination for entry, or whether a negative test for the coronavirus or proof of recent recovery from COVID-19 would be acceptable instead. These are among the questions well still need to figure out, European Commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz said. Jahnz said the EUs executive body is hoping to restore trans-Atlantic leisure travel as soon as it is safe to do so. On Sunday, The New York Times quoted Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as saying that fully vaccinated Americans will able to visit EU countries this summer since all coronavirus vaccines used in the U.S. have also been approved by the EUs regulator, the European Medicines Agency. This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union, she said. Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA. With more than 15 million Americans a year visiting Europe before the crisis, the prospect of U.S. travelers once more flocking to such attractions as the Eiffel Tower, the canals of Venice or Germanys Brandenburg Gate is welcome news for the continents hard-hit tourism industry. But EU member states will have the final say on whether to adopt the guidelines. The International Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents 290 airlines in 120 countries, applauded the news. This is a step in the right direction, IATA General Director Willie Walsh said in a statement. It gives hope to people for so many reasons to travel, to reunite with loved ones, to develop business opportunities or get back to work. The group said people who test negative for COVID-19, not just those who get vaccinated, should be allowed to travel freely. IATA also said it is critical to develop globally recognized standards for vaccine certification. IATA is among groups testing a vaccine passport system. Jahnz said the EU has been following closely the vaccination drive in the U.S, where more than 94 million people 18 or older, or about 36.5% of the adult population, have been fully vaccinated. The slow rollout of vaccines in the EU has left the bloc lagging well behind the U.S. But Von der Leyen said Monday that the region, home to around 450 million people, has already passed 123 million vaccinations and is on track to have vaccinated 70% of all adults by July. The EU is putting the finishing touches to a system of certificates that would allow EU residents to travel freely across the region by the summer as long as they have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from the disease. Under the plan discussed with their U.S. counterparts, certificates issued in the United States could be integrated into the program. As for Britain, no longer an EU member, Americans visiting the United Kingdom have to isolate for 10 days and take coronavirus tests before and after travel. Travel to the EU is extremely limited, confined mostly to a few countries with low infection rates, such as Australia and New Zealand. But Greece, which is heavily reliant on tourism, has already lifted quarantine restrictions for the U.S., Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Israel, and non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that are part of a European travel pact. Uniliteral approaches, from our perspective should be avoided, Jahnz said. The objective is to continue to have a coordinated approach on the European level. Meanwhile, the EU said Monday it has launched legal action against AstraZeneca, accusing it of failing to meet its vaccine delivery commitments under its contract with the bloc. The slow pace of the EU vaccination campaign has been blamed in part on the delays. The British-Swedish drugmaker had hoped to deliver 80 million doses in the first quarter of 2021, but only 30 million were sent. According to the EU, the company is set to provide 70 million in the second quarter, rather than the 180 million it had promised. AstraZeneca said in a statement that it will strongly defend itself in court. Syracuse, N.Y. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer says the CEOs of three of the worlds major semiconductor makers have told him the White Pine Commerce Park in Clay is in the running to host a chip fab plant. Were in the running with all three, Schumer, D-NY, said during a news conference Monday at Syracuse University to promote a $160 billion plan to bolster the nations technology economy. Each one said we were seriously being considered. He declined to name the three companies, but Schumer has previously said he pitched the Clay site, as well as other locations in Upstate New York, to Intel. Onondaga County has long hoped to turn land at the northeast corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road into a business park for semiconductor makers, who typically employ more than 1,000 people and invest billions of dollars into their plants. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, said the CEOs of three major semiconductor makers have told him the White Pine Commerce Park in Clay is in the running for a chip fab plant.Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com The site was a finalist in 2019 for a $12 billion semiconductor plant to be built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., also known as TSMC, one of the worlds top semiconductor manufacturers, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon disclosed last year. The company wound up selecting a site in Arizona for the plant, which will employ 1,600. The countys efforts have picked up steam in recent months with chip makers looking to bring semiconductor manufacturing to the United States from overseas. The coronavirus pandemic has interrupted chip making in China and elsewhere around the world, creating shortages in the U.S. A chip fab in Onondaga County would be a game-changer for Central New York, said Schumer. He said his plan would provide financial incentives for semiconductor makers to build plants in the U.S. and create regional tech hubs for research, development and workforce training in areas other than traditional tech centers like Boston, New York City and San Francisco. This legislation will enhance American competitiveness with China and other countries by building up places like Central New York to lead in the innovation economy, creating high-tech American manufacturing jobs, strengthening R&D, and investing in workforce training capabilities, he said. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 BARI, APR 26 - Italian police on Monday arrested 99 people suspected of being members of the Puglian Mafia, the Sacra Corona Unita (United Holy Crown, SCU), in Puglian capital Bari. The alleged leaders and associates of Bari's Strisciuglio clan have been charged with mafia association, drugs and weapons offences, extortion, grievous bodily harm and affray. The arrest warrant for the 99 said they had exerted an "asphyxiating control" of local businesses with protection rackets. A prison riot involving 41 inmates in January 2016 helped change the balance between the clans, police also said. Bari Mayor Antonio Decaro hailed the police operation saying "today Bari is freer and can look to the future with more confidence". He said the police had landed a "very heavy blow" on the local Mob. The SCU is Italy's fourth and smallest mafia after Calabria's 'Ndrangheta, Sicily's Cosa Nostra and Campania's Camorra. (ANSA). Moscow has retaliated to Romes decision to expel Russian diplomats from Italy by declaring an Italian naval attache persona non grata, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted in a statement Monday. "On April 26, Italian Ambassador to Moscow Pasquale Terracciano was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry where he was handed a note by the ministry saying that aide to the defense attache and naval attache in the Italian Embassy in Moscow C. Pacifici is declared persona non grata in response to the hostile and unfounded actions of the Italian authorities against the defense attache office of the Russian Embassy in Rome." the ministry noted. "The staffer is ordered to leave Russia within 24 hours," TASS cited the statement as saying. The Government has told bereaved families it is too busy dealing with the coronavirus pandemic to launch an immediate public inquiry into its handling of the crisis. In a letter to lawyers representing families who have lost loved ones during the pandemic, the Government appeared to rule out starting an official probe for months. It said 'an inquiry now is not appropriate' because 'the very people who would need to give evidence to an inquiry are working round the clock'. It said that 'it is not anticipated that the Government's workload will ease in the coming months'. The comments come amid growing calls for an immediate statutory inquiry into the Government's handling of the crisis. Boris Johnson has previously committed to holding a probe but he is yet to set out a timetable for doing so. Boris Johnson, picture during a visit to Hartlepool on April 23, has previously committed to holding a probe into the Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis but he is yet to set out a timetable for doing so The letter, seen by The Guardian, was sent to lawyers representing the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group. The letter, sent on April 1, relates to potential legal action to force an inquiry to begin. Jo Goodman, co-founder of the group, said the Government's stance was 'an insult to the bereaved [and] prevents the government from protecting future lives to the best of their ability'. It comes just days after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, piled the pressure on Mr Johnson to launch an inquiry as he said the time for an independent probe 'must be coming close'. Mr Welby said during a visit to the National Covid Memorial Wall in central London that a probe should focus on 'lessons to be learned' and must be 'very independent' and 'very wide-ranging'. Justin Welby said earlier this month that the time for an independent probe 'must be coming close'. He made the comments during a visit to the National Covid Memorial Wall in central London A Government spokesman told The Guardian that an inquiry will be held 'at the appropriate time' but officials are currently 'rightly focused on protecting public health and saving lives'. Mr Johnson said in March this year that the Government will launch a public inquiry into the crisis 'as soon as it is right to do so'. He said the probe will take place 'as soon as it would not be an irresponsible diversion of the energies of the key officials involved'. Washington: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded SpaceX led by billionaire Elon Musk a $2.9 Billion contract to build a spacecraft to bring astronauts to the moon as early as 2024. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has gone ahead with Spacex over Blue Origin owned by Jeff Bezos and defence contractor Dynetics Inc. WATCH: NASA awarded billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company Space X a $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to bring astronauts to the moon as early as 2024 https://t.co/Gr3rycvHdE pic.twitter.com/wmGrVW2fvs Reuters (@Reuters) April 26, 2021 NASA and SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), the third crewed mission of the US commercial rocket company in less than a year. The Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts from three countries have safely reached orbit a few minutes after the liftoff from NASA`s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 5.49 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (0949 GMT), according to NASA's Twitter, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday (April 24). It was the first time that Elon Musk`s SpaceX reused a capsule and a rocket to launch astronauts. The spacecraft is due to arrive at the ISS early Saturday following a flight of over 23 hours. The four-member team includes US astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, France`s Thomas Pesquet, and Japan`s Akihiko Hoshide. "It has been an incredible year for NASA and our Commercial Crew Program, with three crewed launches to the space station since last May," said NASA Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk. "This is another important milestone for NASA, SpaceX, and our international partners at ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and for the future of scientific research onboard the space station. It will be an exciting moment to see our crews greet one another on station for our first crew handover under the Commercial Crew Program," he said. During Crew Dragon`s flight, SpaceX will command the spacecraft from its mission control centre in Hawthorne, California, and NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from Mission Control Center at the agency`s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Crew-2 mission is the second of six crewed missions NASA and SpaceX will fly as part of the agency`s Commercial Crew Program. The Crew-2 members will conduct science and maintenance during a six-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return no earlier than October 31, according to NASA. The launch was postponed for about one day due to unfavourable weather conditions. (Inputs from IANS) Live TV New Delhi: The second-largest Indian IT exporter Infosys today reported 3.3 per cent growth in consolidated net profit to Rs 3,726 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2017-18. It had posted net profit of Rs 3,606 crore in the July- September quarter of 2016-17, Infosys said in a BSE filing. Revenue of the Bengaluru-based firm grew 1.4 per cent to Rs 17,567 crore in the September quarter of the current fiscal, as against Rs 17,310 crore in the year-ago period. The company lowered its revenue growth forecast for 2017 -18 to the 5.5-6.5 per cent range, from the earlier 6.5-8.5 per cent in constant currency. "During the quarter, we responded quickly to the management and Board changes through proactive communication with all stakeholders minimising any negative impact to the business and allowing us to deliver growth across all our large industry units," Infosys Interim CEO and Managing Director UB Pravin Rao said in a statement. On a sequential basis, the company's net profit rose 6.9 per cent and revenues by 2.8 per cent in rupee terms. The Infosys board, under new chairman Nandan Nilekani, gave clean chit to Panaya acquisition, saying there was no wrongdoing. "After careful consideration led by our Chairman, the Board reaffirms the previous findings of external investigations that there is no merit to the allegations of wrongdoing," the statement said. It also concurred with stand of former CEO Vishal Sikka on not disclosing full investigation report on the Panaya deal. Infosys founder NR Narayanamurthy had demanded that the probe report on the Panaya acquisition be made public. In February, Infosys had said it will investigate claims levelled by a whistleblower in an anonymous mail to markets regulator Sebi, alleging wrongdoings by the company when buying Israeli automation technology firm Panaya. The company had also hired Gibson Dunn and Control Risks to conduct an internal investigation into the charges which had given clean chit to the deal. In February 2015, Infosys had announced buying the Israeli automation technology company for USD 200 million or Rs 1,250 crore in cash. The Infosys board has said appropriate and timely disclosures were made on severance payments to the former CFO -- an issue that was flagged by the founder. On the ongoing search for CEO, Infosys said: "The process of identifying the next CEO and shareholder consultation outreach have been initiated and are progressing well." For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. As India continues to battle a deadly second wave of (Covid-19) technology majors Google, and Amazon have pledged support through various initiatives that will help with te ongoing oxygen and medical equipment shortage and requirements in the country. Satya Nadella, CEO, in a tweet said: I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. Im grateful the US government is mobilizing to help. will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Meanwhile, Sundar Pichai, CEO, Alphabet, tweeted: Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information India's Country Head and Vice President, Sanjay Gupta, wrote in a blog post that the company is announcing Rs 135 crore ($18 million) in funding for India, including two grants from org, Googles philanthropic arm, totalling Rs 20 crore ($2.6 million). The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where its needed most in India, Gupta said in the blog It also includes donations from Googles ongoing employee giving campaign so far more than 900 Googlers have contributed Rs 3.7 crore ($500,000) for organisations supporting high-risk and marginalised communities. Right now India is going through our most difficult moment in the pandemic thus far. Daily Covid-19 cases continue to set record highs, with hospitals filled to capacity and in need of urgent supplies to cope with the increasing number of patients. Our Google community and their families are feeling the devastating impact, too. Were asking ourselves what more we can do as a company to ensure people get the information and support they need to keep their families and communities healthy and safe, said Gupta. The funding also includes increased ad grants for public health information campaigns. Since last year, weve helped MyGov and the World Health Organization reach audiences with messages focused on how to stay safe and facts about vaccines. Were increasing our support today with an additional 112 Crore INR ($15 million) in Ad Grants to local health authorities and nonprofits for more language coverage options, he added. Late Sunday night, Amazon India also pledged support to India through various initiatives by using its global logistics network to airlift oxygen concentrators. The company said it was joining hands with ACT Grants, Temasek Foundation, Pune Platform for Covid-19 Response (PPCR) and other partners to urgently airlift over 8000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines from Singapore. Covid-19 has severely impacted India in unimaginable ways. We stand firmly with the country, deploying our global logistics network to urgently airlift the needed oxygen concentrators to support the nations immediate need. We continue to explore other meaningful ways to help in saving lives and are committed to support the nation in this time of crisis. said Amit Agarwal, global SVP and country head, Amazon India, in a post. LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Election and campaign finance law firm Kaufman Legal Group announced today that Shareholder Stacey J. Shin has been selected as an honoree in the Los Angeles Business Journal special supplement recognizing the city's most influential women attorneys. The Journal's Publisher and CEO Josh Schimmels writes "during this challenging time battling the coronavirus, we are relying on our trusted advisers more than ever. In times of uncertainty, lawyers . . . are particularly needed to help our businesses respond and react to issues at hand." "Stacey is well-regarded in the political and legal communities as a leader in the field," said Stephen J. Kaufman, Managing Shareholder of Kaufman Legal Group. "She continually demonstrates her ability to provide the firm's clients with the highest degree of strategic advice and service. We are excited to also celebrate her today." Shin advises candidates, officeholders, labor unions, ballot measure committees, major donors, non-profits and other political organizations on compliance with federal, state and local campaign finance, election and governmental ethics laws. She also counsels lobbying organizations and lobbying firms on compliance with lobbying laws. Prior to joining Kaufman Legal Group, Shin served as Legal Counsel to then-Chairman Steven T. Walther of the Federal Election Commission. The publication cites her recent work providing counsel and representation to political candidates during the 2020 election cycle, including Vice-President Kamala Harris; numerous federal congressional candidates and officeholders including Adam Schiff, Karen Bass and Ted Lieu; Los Angeles County Supervisorial candidate Janice Hahn; and successful Los Angeles City Council candidates Nury Martinez, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Mark Ridley-Thomas. About Kaufman Legal Group With offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento, Kaufman Legal Group offers a full spectrum of legal services connected to the political process at the federal, state and local levels. The firm advises elected officials, candidates, ballot measure campaigns, labor unions, corporations, non-profits, major donors, political parties, PACs and government agencies on campaign finance, election and governmental ethics laws. For more information, visit KaufmanLegalGroup.com. SOURCE Kaufman Legal Group Related Links http://kaufmanlegalgroup.com One of Australia's top bakeries is now delivering delicious freshly baked goods to doorsteps in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Ox Rabbit first gained widespread popularity thanks to their dreamy brownies. Once labelled WA's best, the chocolatey delights are stuffed with classics including Tim Tam's, Oreos and Cookie Dough. Those in Sydney looking for an alternative gift option can now purchase the $45 Brownie Box filled with six of the award-winning brownies and presented in a sophisticated gift box. One of Australia's top bakeries is now delivering delicious freshly baked goods to doorsteps in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney Ox Rabbit first gained widespread popularity thanks to their dreamy brownies. Once labelled WA's best, the chocolatey delights are stuffed with classics including Tim Tam's, Oreos and Cookie Dough Foodies in Melbourne and Perth can order the Brownie Box as well as a range of other mouthwatering treats including Nutella cookies, brownie slabs, loaded cookies, rocky road brownies and giant cookies. Signature cakes exclusively to those in Perth and range in price from $50 - $80. Ox Rabbit offers same day delivery in Melbourne and Perth on all orders placed by 12pm and free delivery to over 150 suburbs across Melbourne and Perth's Inner Metro. Those in Sydney looking for an alternative gift option can now purchase the $45 Brownie Box filled with six of the award-winning brownies and presented in a sophisticated gift box Foodies in Melbourne and Perth can order the Brownie Box as well as a range of other mouthwatering treats including Nutella cookies, brownie slabs, loaded cookies, rocky road brownies and giant cookies Orders are delivered via AusPost by Express Mail to Sydney and usually take one day to arrive. For those wanting to bake their own tasty brownies instead, Eloise Head, a self-taught chef from London who runs FitWaffle Kitchen, recently shared one of her most popular recipes to date. Ms Head makes s'mores brownies - which have a chocolate biscuit base and a rich, fudgy centre topped with marshmallow - from simple supermarket ingredients such as butter, sugar, flour, eggs and cocoa. For those wanting to bake their own tasty brownies instead, Eloise Head, a self-taught chef from London who runs FitWaffle Kitchen, recently shared one of her most popular recipes to date 'The flavours and textures just work so well together! I'm a sucker for a fudgy brownie and toasted marshmallows,' she said. To make the base, Ms Head crushes a packet of chocolate Hobnob or Digestive biscuits and mixes the crumbs with 140 grams of melted butter. Once the two have combined, she pours another 170 grams of butter into a separate bowl with 250 grams of caster sugar and beats them with an electric mixer for about two minutes. Ms Head the cracks two eggs on top and whisks again until stiff peaks have formed in the mixture. She pours in 250 grams of melted dark chocolate, stirs, then gently sieves in 100 grams of plain flour, 30 grams of cocoa powder and one teaspoon of salt. The brownies (pictured) have a chocolate biscuit base and a rich, fudgy centre topped with marshmallow Once the base has cooled, marshmallows should be sprinkled over the top and grilled in the oven for two minutes Into a square baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, Ms Head presses the buttery biscuit base and dollops the chocolate mixture on top, spreading it out evenly to ensure it reaches the sides. She bakes the tray at 170 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes until the top has developed a shiny, papery texture. Once cooled, she sprinkles 200 grams of white marshmallows over the top and places the dish under the grill for two minutes until the marshmallows have melted to a golden brown. Photos of the treats, which have amassed almost 20,000 likes since they were uploaded online on February 26, have set mouths watering around the world. 'Your videos are literally the highlight of my day,' one woman replied, while a second added: 'Bet these taste unreal, I need to try them!' A third said: 'I HAVE to try these! It's not a want it's a need. Pending for this weekend!' Here's 12th & Oak pretending to listen . . . "We want your thoughts on Land Use for the #KCPlaybook! Land Use impacts available housing options in your neighborhood, placement of sidewalks & pedestrian areas & more. What land use would make travel easier & more convenient for you?" Tell us here . . . KCMO: Transportation and Land Use You decide . . . SEATTLE, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Suzuki Farm, a Delaware-based farm, announced that it has launched an updated logo and website. This rebranding strategy reflects the change of the ownership of the farm on February 9, 2021 where Food's Style USA Inc., a franchisee of Hokkaido Ramen Santouka restaurants, acquired the entire business of Suzuki Farm, the only producer of Japanese vegetables on the East Coast from Suzuki Farms LLC. Suzuki Farms LLC Food's Style The new logo came from Japanese family crests. The design contains the farm's founding year, the location, and images of fresh vegetables. Along with this change, a newly designed online store (suzukifarm-usa.com) was released on April 17, 2021. According to Food's Style USA, the new e-commerce site offers free recycle bags to the first 900 shoppers. Of the company's recent acquisition, Food's Style USA's President and Representative Director Jun Yoneda commented, "Our company mission is to provide a platform for conveying Japan's traditional gastro-culture to the world. This pandemic gave us a chance to look at a bigger picture, beyond the restaurant business. We will expand to the next stage in our business, an online-based 'Food DX' project, in order to realize our company mission." Food's Style will strive to produce fresh, delicious and safe Japanese vegetables. The company hopes the synergy between the new agricultural business and its existing restaurant business will drive further growth. In particular, the company's agricultural business will mainly include wholesale to retail stores and restaurants, while also providing vegetables to the company's existing restaurants. The acquisition is part of Food's Style broader technology strategy. The company plans to introduce the latest AI technology to its agricultural operation. Management also envisions utilizing customer data to offer vegetables via e-commerce, including a subscription service. The strategy is to leverage e-commerce to broaden Food's Style's fan base and customer data set. The company plans to share videos to introduce Japanese food recipes, its farm and more on social media platformswith vegetable sales linked to the video. Food's Style USA is confident that it brings the understanding and business expertise necessary to take over both Suzuki Farm as well as the agricultural industry as a whole. "Japanese food has become very popular in America. We want to help accelerate the trend as a producer of Japanese vegetables," Yoneda added. "Utilizing the know how we have built from operating restaurants as well as our own restaurants and assets, we are confident this acquisition will create great synergistic effects and can lead to the further expansion of our business." About Food's Style USA Inc.: With headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, Food's Style USA Inc. has aimed to expand overseas washoku-related businesses ever since its establishment in 2013. It operates franchised Hokkaido Ramen Santouka restaurants across the U.S. Learn more at: https://foodsstyle.com/en/ Media Contact Takahiro Igo Food's Style USA, Inc. 425-761-5267 [email protected] SOURCE Suzuki Farms LLC LISLE, Ill., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Navistar International Corporation ("Navistar") (NYSE: NAV), a leading U.S. truck maker, today announced that it delivered a Notice of Conditional Full Redemption (the "Conditional Notice") to the holders of its outstanding 9.500% Senior Secured Notes due 2025 (the "Notes"). The Conditional Notice called for redemption on June 25, 2021 (the "Redemption Date") of all the currently outstanding $600,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes, subject to the satisfaction on or prior to the Redemption Date of the Merger Condition (as defined below). The redemption price of the Notes is 107.125% of the principal amount redeemed, which amount is equal to $1,071.25 per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the Redemption Date. The redemption is subject to and expressly conditioned upon the consummation of the closing of the merger of a subsidiary of TRATON SE (the "Merger Subsidiary"), with and into Navistar, with Navistar surviving the merger (the "Merger"), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 7, 2020, among Navistar, TRATON SE and the Merger Subsidiary on terms satisfactory to Navistar and TRATON SE (the "Merger Condition"). The Redemption Date will be delayed until such time as the Merger Condition is satisfied (including more than 60 days after the issue date of this Notice of Conditional Full Redemption). Navistar will provide notice to the Trustee at least one Business Day prior to the Redemption Date in the event the Redemption Date is extended past June 25, 2021. Alternatively, in Navistar's discretion, the redemption may not occur and the Conditional Notice may be rescinded in the event that the Merger Condition is not satisfied on or prior to the Redemption Date or by the Redemption Date so delayed. The closing of the Merger is subject to a number of conditions. As a result, there can be no assurance that the redemption will occur on the Redemption Date or at all. About Navistar Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial trucks, proprietary diesel engines, and IC Bus brand school and commercial buses. An affiliate also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com . Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release, that are not purely historical, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, each as amended. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," or other similar expressions may identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed in forward-looking statements as a result of factors, risks and uncertainties over which Navistar has no control. These factors, risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) conditions to the completion of the proposed acquisition may not be satisfied or the regulatory approvals required for the proposed acquisition may not be obtained on the terms expected or on the anticipated schedule; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 7, 2020, by and among Navistar, TRATON SE, a Societas Europaea and Dusk Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Merger Agreement"); (iii) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the proposed acquisition on Navistar's business relationships, operating results, and business generally; (iv) risks that the proposed acquisition disrupts Navistar's current plans and operations and potential difficulties in Navistar's employee retention as a result of the proposed acquisition; (v) risks related to diverting management's attention from our ongoing business operations; (vi) potential and existing litigation that may be instituted, or has been instituted, against Navistar or its directors or officers related to the proposed acquisition or the Merger Agreement; (vii) the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and other charges related to the proposed acquisition; and (viii) such other factors as are set forth in Navistar's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including but not limited to those described under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Forward Looking Statements" in its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on December 17, 2020, the definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, which was filed with the SEC on January 29. 2021, in connection with the proposed acquisition and in its other filings made with the SEC from time to time, which are available via the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . Forward-looking statements reflect the views and assumptions of management as of the date of communication with respect to future events. Navistar does not undertake, and hereby disclaims, any obligation, unless required to do so by applicable securities laws, to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or other factors. The inclusion of any statement in this communication does not constitute an admission by Navistar or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are material. SOURCE Navistar International Corporation Related Links http://www.navistar.com In final budget talks, Florida lawmakers largely backed off from major cuts to Florida universities and colleges but remained insistent on slashing two long-standing college financial aid programs for the upcoming fiscal year. House and Senate budget leaders agreed to suspend a $600 stipend that top-level Bright Futures recipients get each year to offset the cost of textbooks, a move that will save $37 million. Lawmakers have also signed off on a $5 million cut that will eliminate the Access to Better Learning and Education (ABLE) grant program, which helps Floridians pay for private college tuition. State lawmakers contend the cuts to the financial aid programs were needed in a tough budget year in which they had to look at eliminating permanent expenses moving forward. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, said the ABLE program had to go because the state could not justify giving taxpayer-funded aid to for-profit schools, and that the textbook stipend was part of the recurring expense dilemma budget writers have been facing. But the higher-education budget includes some recurring expenses, and an early-session $2.7 billion budget gap has been more than filled with $10 billion in one-time federal money and an expected $2 billion in increased revenue forecasts. The overall spending plan, for example, includes $25 million for a buy one, get one free tuition and fee waiver for upper-level courses in programs that are aligned to the states workforce needs, something Republican leaders have tried to put more of an emphasis on in recent years. The BOGO waiver is a new proposal and is tucked in a wide-ranging higher-education measure being negotiated in the Legislature that would also shield universities from COVID-19-related lawsuits. The measure is ready for a vote on the Senate floor as early as Tuesday. The Senate also met the House on $75 million for the New Worlds Reading Initiative, a proposed book distribution program that would provide literacy support to elementary school students. The budget item is tied to legislation prioritized by House Speaker Chris Sprowls. Story continues If signed into law, the initiative would be administered by a state university, which is why spending for an elementary school reading initiative is lodged in the higher-education budget. The Senate has also offered an additional $125 million from the $10.23 billion pot of one-time federal money the state expects to receive from President Joe Bidens American Rescue Plan Act. Renovating with federal cash University and college construction projects also remain in play as lawmakers figure out how to spend the federal relief aid. The Senate and House on Friday were aligned on spending $263.7 million in higher-education construction projects, but the Senate scaled back its offer to $190.9 million on Monday. Included in the Senate offer: $7.1 million to renovate and remodel Florida International Universitys College of Arts, Sciences & Education building; $1.6 million to remodel and construct new labs and classrooms at Miami Dade College, and $384,026 for a building renovation project at the College of The Florida Keys. Bright Futures award amounts unchanged House and Senate budget leaders avoided operational budget cuts to the state universities and colleges, and lawmakers maintained a commitment that Bright Futures scholarships cover 75% or 100% of students tuition and fees. Groups of students and Democrats became concerned about Bright Futures funding after the Senate began pushing legislation that could have put those award amounts in jeopardy. The proposal, pushed by Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, initially sought to reduce scholarship amounts based on specific majors that did not lead directly to employment or based on how many college credits students earned through Advanced Placement classes and test results in high schools. The measure was significantly watered down but said lawmakers could set scholarship amounts through the budget process, rather than keeping them tied to the cost of tuition and fees. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jay Trumbull said on Monday that the budget item was final, and that the state would continue to cover 75% or 100% of students tuition costs, based on merit and high academic achievements. No changes, he said. Other budget issues In budget negotiations, the Senate also reversed course on an $83.9 million cut that would have impacted universities and colleges based on the courses that are not tied to programs aligned to the states workforce needs, which is now being reintroduced in a BOGO tuition and fee waiver. The House and Senate have also settled on an $18.5 million budget reduction that will lower the states contribution toward salaries of college and university administrators and faculty members who make more than $200,000 a year. Universities and colleges are currently barred from using state funds to compensate administrators who earn more than $200,000. But the new budget language would expand that to faculty members, too. That doesnt mean that a university cant pay faculty members more, that just means they cant use straight general revenue dollars in excess of $200,000 to pay their professors, Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, the Houses top higher-education budget negotiator, explained last week. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 11:12:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A leading whale expert in Australia has spoken out against that country's consideration of removing humpbacks from its list of threatened animals. Olaf Meynecke from the Griffith Center for Coastal Management in the Australian state of Queensland told Xinhua on Monday that the federal government's proposal held inherent dangers. "There are many threats and uncertainties," he said. "The delisting will mean less resources available for research and protection of the whales and it has consequences for many funding schemes that specifically favor work on threatened species." Meynecke said humpbacks, like many animals, face new and emerging challenges, including climate change. The whales are encountering warming waters, shifting currents and ocean acidification. Other threats include the commercial over-harvesting of krill, one of the whales' main food sources. Humpbacks can eat up to 1,360 kg of food daily. Between 1949 and 1962 Australian whalers killed about 8,300 humpbacks off the east coast, until only a few hundred were left. Meynecke said although their numbers have risen over the following decades, doing an accurate whale "census" remained very difficult as whales often moved between herds, meaning the same one could get counted two or more times. Whatever their numbers are, he argued the humpback whales must be safeguarded. The expert also pointed out the majestic mammals are economically valuable. "Humpbacks are Australia's number one whale watching species," he said. "They are worth millions of dollars to the economy through the whale watching industry." Enditem Mayor London Breed nominated City Attorney Dennis Herrera on Monday to be general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, a significant decision that will allow her to appoint someone to fill his position until the next election. Whoever Breed appoints to the city attorney job would oversee an ongoing probe into a sweeping City Hall corruption scandal, a local investigation that Herrera launched in January 2020. That puts pressure on Breed to tap someone whos seen as independent from her and others at City Hall. Herrera has been a longtime fixture in San Francisco politics, winning the city attorney position six times since he was first elected in 2001. News of his potential departure shocked many in City Hall, and some members of the Board of Supervisors criticized the decision and questioned the optics of the mayor appointing the next leader of the corruption investigation. Mondays announcement also made it increasingly likely that the board would call for a local election this year, which they can do due to the likely statewide recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom. That means Breeds appointment may have to immediately run to keep the seat but only if theyre appointed more than 120 days before the election. Such is the latest twist in the ongoing City Hall corruption scandal, which has led to the arrest and resignation of several city contractors and department heads and the shuffling of several public officials into new positions. Herrera launched his public corruption probe shortly before the U.S. Attorneys Office publicly announced it had charged former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru with fraud and lying to the FBI. Among the city officials indicted in a separate federal probe: former SFPUC general manager Harlan Kelly, who resigned Nov. 30 after the FBI charged him with accepting bribes from a city contractor and permit consultant. If the commission approves Herreras appointment, he would take over that department, which has been roiled by the scandal. If hes shot down by the commission, Herrera would remain city attorney. But he told the Chronicle on Sunday that its unlikely he would run for re-election in 2023. Its time for a new challenge for me, Herrera said. After several discussions (with the mayor), the prospect of putting the citys top watchdog at the head of the PUC was appealing to both of us. Herrera would manage a big department about 2,300 employees and an annual operating budget of about $700 million. He would oversee an agency with massive reach in the everyday lives of San Franciscans, managing contracts for water, power and sewer systems. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said Herrera is an institution in San Francisco politics, and hes confident the mayor will appoint someone in his place that the public has complete confidence in. He would not comment on whether he was interested in the city attorney position. Other supervisors and frequent critics of the mayor were more skeptical. It feels wrong, said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. This is the type of backdoor dealing that got us into the corruption probe in the first place, and it should be the last thing that were doing going forward. Supervisor Matt Haney said the independence of the City Attorneys Office is so essential, especially in the midst of an active corruption investigation. Breed said she nominated Herrera because of his work ethic, guidance and support of the city. The mayor also said recruiting someone to lead the PUC has been challenging amid the investigation, and shes grateful that Herrera is willing to take on the role. When asked about the optics of appointing the next person to lead the local investigation in the City Attorneys Office, Breed said, It is offensive to imply that someone like Dennis would take on a position like this, and not be confident in my ability to make the right decision for what is one of the most respected city attorney offices in the country. While the city attorney does not lead the investigations day-to-day operations, Herrera has been the face of the local probe. His office, along with the city controllers, has issued 24 subpoenas to various companies and nonprofits as part of the investigation. Herrera said hes absolutely confident that his successor will uphold the integrity of the investigation, and will also remain independent. David Anderson, the former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California who led the federal investigation into the corruption scandal, said he wouldnt expect any leadership change to influence the investigation. The line attorneys who actually drive the work of the office like the City Attorneys Office dont roll over just because theres a change in leadership, he said. Big investigations have deep roots inside these offices. It will still likely be several weeks before Breed can appoint anyone. The five-member commission that oversees the SFPUC must interview Herrera, then decide whether to formally recommend him to the mayor. While the city is not legally required to hold a local election at the same time as the statewide recall election, a majority of the Board of Supervisors can vote to call for one. On Monday, at least four supervisors said theyd be interested in doing so, particularly so that voters decide on Breeds appointment. Assemblymember David Chiu whose name, along with Mandelmans, was one of several City Hall insiders discussed as a potential city attorney pick said he didn't have the time Monday to give the news the consideration it deserves. I love representing San Francisco in the legislature, he said. Throughout my career I've always considered where I can best serve the city I love, and will continue to do that. Meanwhile, David Campos, chief of staff for the District Attorney and a former progressive supervisor, said he would certainly consider running for the position this year if hes able to. If the city does not hold a local election this year, whoever is appointed to replace Herrera would have to run during the June 2022 midterm election. The next city attorney will step into an office that has gained national attention for its work on cases related to climate change, gun control, same-sex marriage and sanctuary cities under Herreras leadership. Most recently, the city attorney grabbed headlines for suing the citys school board over what he said was a sluggish reopening plan. Herrera would take over the Public Utilities Commission at a particularly challenging time. But he said its more important than ever for the SFPUC to have a general manager who can bring ethical, responsible and decisive leadership to that role. He would take over from acting general manager Michael Carlin. Its unclear how much money Herrera would make in the new position. His compensation would be part of a contract negotiation if the commission confirms him. As city attorney, he made about $342,459 in 2019 in salary and benefits, according to Transparent California. Kelly made about $469,593 in salary and benefits. Herrera said the decision to step aside from the City Attorneys Office was incredibly difficult, and it has been an honor and a privilege to lead the office for nearly 20 years. I recognize that this is going to be a shock to some people, he said, his voice catching. But everybody has their time. And I think, for me, this is the right time for this move. Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani In June 1982, President Ronald Reagan delivered a fire-eating speech before the British House of Commons that is best remembered for his prediction that democratic nations would triumph and communism would end up on the ash heap of history. The speech also helped to popularize a relatively new English word: infrastructure. Mr. Reagan didnt predict victory by default. He said the United States would pursue the end of communism by investing in the infrastructure of democracy. Almost four decades later, the word is on everyones lips, at least here in Washington, but no one seems quite sure what it means. President Biden has proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that includes money for community college infrastructure, for care programs for older and disabled Americans and for electric-car charging stations. Republicans insist that none of this counts as infrastructure. They propose to spend a smaller amount of money on real infrastructure like roads and bridges. (Newser) For years now, any food that contains one of eight food allergensmilk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, or soybeansmust say so on the label. Now there's a ninth ingredient on that list: sesame, reports the New York Times. President Biden late last week signed legislation to that effect to help people with allergies to it steer clear. A sesame allergy isn't as common as, say, a peanut allergy, with an estimated 1.6 million people suffering from the former in the US, per Food Dive. However, those who do have sesame allergies tend to have serious ones. Roughly 40% of children and 45% of adults with sesame allergies have what qualify as "severe" reactions, meaning they involve at least two organ systems or anaphylaxis. The latter can be be fatal. Starting on Jan. 1, 2023, food labels must indicate sesame. story continues below At the Washington Post, food reporter Laura Reilly writes that the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act signed by Biden also ramps up research into food allergies in general and requires guidelines to be released more regularly to the public. Over the last 20 years, food allergies have risen 4% a year and now afflict about 32 million Americans. Reilly notes one unexpected factor: In 2000, a study suggested that parents could help their children avoid allergies by delaying the introduction of potentially troublesome foods. The advice became widespread among pediatricians and parents, but it turned out to be wrong. The opposite is true: Later studies showed that the careful introduction of potential allergens early actually reduces the risk of allergies. The new law is designed to help get such information out in improved fashion. (Read more sesame seeds stories.) Amid the devastating COVID-19 situation in the national capital, the on Monday requested the Delhi Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) to upgrade infrastructure related to testing labs and centres. This came after the lawyer representing the Centre informed the High Court that testing numbers had been reduced. Over the last week, Delhi's health infrastructure has crumbled under the pressure of the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases. Delhi recorded 22,933 fresh COVID-19 cases, with a positivity rate of 30.21 per cent on Sunday. 75,912 tests were conducted. In the 24 hours before that, 24,103 new cases were reported, out of 74,702 tests. On April 23, 24,331 positive cases were reported out of 75,037 tests. On April 22, 72,208 tests were conducted, out of which 26,169 were positive. On April 20, when 28,395 cases were reported, 86,526 tests were conducted. (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 look at some of the major movers in London on Monday Worsley Investors Limited (LONLWINV) rose 6.6% to 30.8p as it said the tenant of the Curno cinema in Italy has now paid its rent for 2021. The investment firm had previously agreed to waive the rental from March 1 to November 30 of last year, after the government ordered the closure of entertainment venues. The cinema is on lease to UCI Italia. 12.50am: creates a buzz with its market debut Group PLC ( ) had a successful market debut on Monday, rising 5.8% to 178.5p. The companys shares were floated at 165p, at which price the company was valued at about 365mln. That valuation has now risen to 395mln. The pension app developer offered 35.5mln shares in the flotation, of which 2.81mln were sold by existing shareholders. 11.55am: Haydale extends distributor agreement with Zirconia Haydale Graphene Industries PLC (LON:HAYS) climbed 8.0% to 7.875p after it signed an amendment to the original distributor agreement with US-based Zirconia Inc. The amendment extends the term from 31 December 2023 to 31 December 2030 and now allows Haydale full distribution rights of CeramycGuard ceramic geopolymers across all sectors in the UK. With authorisation from Zirconia, Haydale may now also distribute to additional territories outside of the US, for all markets and sectors. 11.00am: IMI lifts earnings and margins guidance ( ), the specialist engineering company, climbed 7.4% to 1,501p after its chief executive, Roy Twite, declared himself pleased with progress in 2021. In its interim management statement, the company said revenues in the first quarter totalled 421mln, some 7.7% ahead of last year on a like-for-like and constant currency basis, and 2.6% ahead of the same period in 2019. The company included the 2019 comparison because last years performance was affected a bit by the coronavirus pandemic. The company increased its full-year guidance range for earnings per share to 81-87p from 75-82p previously. The board added that it now has confidence IMI will become a sustainable 18% to 20% margin business over time. Our updated plans aim to deliver 20% through-cycle margins for IMI Precision, while IMI Critical now sees sustainable 20% margins, and IMI Hydronic has 20%+ margin potential, the company said. 10.05am: contemplating sweet deal PLC ( ) confirmed media speculation it is thinking of selling its Primary Products businesses. The shares were up 6.5% at 806p in early deals. The food ingredients company said it is contemplating selling a controlling stake in the Primary Products businesses to a new long-term financial partner, leaving the company focused on its Food & Beverage Solutions. continues to successfully execute its strategy and remains confident in the future growth prospects of the company; however, the board believes that if a transaction of this nature was completed it would enable and the new business to focus their respective strategies and capital allocation priorities and create the opportunity for enhanced shareholder value, the companys stock market statement said. 9.10am: trading ahead of expectations while React cleans up with another contract win Group PLC ( ), up 15% at79.8p, was the top riser in London after it said first-quarter trading was ahead of expectations. The recruitment and training group said the underlying operating profit in the first three months of 2021 was 133% higher than in the same period of last year. Revenues and underlying operating profit are both ahead of expectations with all three of s businesses units ahead of budget. Despite the hard national lockdown in the Republic of Ireland, Ireland also reported very positive momentum across the quarter, the company revealed. ( ) jumped 14% to 2.9p after it landed a three-year contract with a facilities management firm. The contract represents a material increase in business with one of REACT's existing customers to provide cover to a portfolio of over 2,000 site locations throughout mainland Great Britain and specifies REACT as the core vendor, or vendor of choice. The cleaning, hygiene and contamination company said it is difficult to place a value on the contract given the reactive nature of the work and the time required to replace the existing suppliers but the customer has historically spent in the region of 2mln per year on this specialist category of work, a figure that has expanded further due to COVID-19 and the result of the customer's own success in growing its portfolio of clients. Proactive news headlines ( ) said it has signed a new contract with Naples Zoo in Florida, USA, for its BRICKLIVE Supersize tour which will take place from November 2021 to April 2022. ( ) notified that three prominent hospitals in the southeast of England have signed to use and deploy its Zesty patient appointment app. ( ) produced 16,174 ounces of gold equivalent from its mine in Armenia during the quarter to 31 March 2021. All-in-sustaining costs rang in at US$1,024, a comfortable margin on the current gold price of over US$1,750. ( ) said its PrimeVigilance business, a global provider of pharmacovigilance and medical information services, has established a new legal entity and regional office in Japan and is fully operational from today. ( ) revealed that its cloud-based video editing platform is being used by 18 more US TV stations for digital news production following the latest TownNews deployment. (LON:AGL, ) has completed patient enrolment of 200 women to its ovarian cancer clinical verification study. ( ) said revenues increased 8% and its order book rose to 19mln in the past six months despite the disruption caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19). CentralNic Group PLC ( ) confirmed the strong revenue and earnings figures for its 2020 financial year while also announcing plans to release a first-quarter trading update on June 1. Seeing Machines Limited ( ) said it has added another top-notch vehicle manufacturer to its FOVIO Driver and Occupant Monitoring System customer list. Mass production is scheduled from late 2022 with an initial lifetime award value of A$7mln. ( ) confirmed that it has posted its annual report and accounts for 2020 ahead of its annual general meeting on Thursday 20 May 2021. Shareholders are invited to send questions in advance. ( ) announced that its annual general meeting will be held on 26 May in Cambridge. Shareholders are encouraged to vote by proxy and are invited to call in and listen to proceedings of the meeting. By Aram Roston WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Among the far-right groups whose members are suspected of planning the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are the Proud Boys. In March, the Federal Bureau of Investigations director told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he absolutely wished the agency had penetrated the group beforehand, or knew its plans. I do not consider what happened on January 6th to be an acceptable result, Director Christopher Wray said. We are focused very, very hard on how can we get better sources, better information, better analysis. The FBI had deeper insight into the group than Wray disclosed, however. Bureau agents maintained connections with key Proud Boys leaders starting as early as 2019, a Reuters examination has found. At least four Proud Boys have provided information to the FBI, Reuters learned. Often these leaders were sharing intelligence about Antifa, a loose movement of left-wing activists opposed by former President Donald Trump and right-wing media. The connections between the Proud Boys and the FBI do not mean the agency had thoroughly penetrated the far-right group. But some law enforcement veterans say the ties show the agency could have done more to prepare for the deadly Jan. 6 uprising, which sought to overturn the election of Democrat Joe Biden as president. This was a group committing violence in public and promoting themselves as a violent group, said Mike German, a former FBI agent who investigated domestic terrorism. German previously has criticized the bureau over what he says was a failure to focus on the Proud Boys ahead of Jan. 6. Told of the findings of this story, German said: Its hard to understand how the FBI could have had a relationship with four individuals in the Proud Boys and didnt understand the nature of the threat to the Capitol. The FBI declined to answer written questions for this story or to comment on the four Proud Boy connections detailed here. An FBI official said Wrays Senate testimony reinforced the need to detect and deter acts of violence. Story continues Reuters interviewed two Proud Boys members who spoke on the condition of anonymity about some members interactions with the FBI. Reuters also interviewed Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, examined court records and interviewed sources close to the federal investigation. The reporting showed: - One Proud Boy left the group in December after telling other members he was cooperating with the FBI by providing information about Antifa, say Tarrio and two other Proud Boy sources. The former member, whom Reuters was unable to identify, insisted to group leaders that he had not revealed information about the Proud Boys, these people say. - A second Proud Boy leader bragged in 2019 about sharing information with the FBI about Antifa, according to private chats leaked on social media. The chats authenticity was confirmed by a source familiar with the Proud Boys and the Jan. 6 case. - A third Proud Boy leader, Joseph Biggs, who was indicted and charged with conspiracy in the January attack, has said in court papers he reported information to the FBI about Antifa for months. Reuters spoke to Biggs two days before the riot. In that interview, he said he had specific plans for Jan. 6, but declined to disclose them. But, he volunteered to Reuters in that call, he was willing to tell his FBI contact of his plans for the coming rally, if asked. Reuters wasnt able to determine whether such a contact took place. - The fourth Proud Boy, Tarrio, previously had worked as a cooperating witness, sometimes undercover, for the FBI and local authorities in South Florida two years before the far-right group was formed, as Reuters reported in January. Tarrio told Reuters he continued intermittently to talk to the FBI, though he insists he never spoke about the inner workings of the Proud Boys. Instead, he said, he provided information about Antifa and about marching plans. Tarrio also spoke to the FBI in October, he said, when the Proud Boys were briefly accused of threatening Democratic voters via email. The Department of Homeland Security later alleged that Iran had spoofed Proud Boys email addresses, in a strange effort to disrupt the election. Iran denied it. Tarrio, who was arrested two days before Jan. 6 on vandalism and firearms charges, did not take part in the Capitol insurrection. He says the group had no plans for violence that day. We were actually looking forward to just having a fucking relaxing day, watching the president speak, he said, referring to Trump. Still, at least 18 Proud Boys members have been arrested since the Capitol riots, on charges ranging from conspiracy to assaulting police officers. At least six others associated with or accompanying the group have also been charged. Overall, over 400 hundred people have been arrested in the broader federal case. When Jan. 6 arrived, federal and local agencies were unprepared for the assault, in which rioters attempted to block U.S. lawmakers formal certification of Bidens election and keep Trump in office. The Capitol Police were unable to hold back the onslaught, law enforcement barricades were easily overrun, and five people died. MINISTRY OF SELF DEFENSE The Proud Boys have earned a reputation as right-wing protestors and street fighters who have clashed with leftists at rallies in Portland, New York, Washington and elsewhere. Founded in 2016, the avowedly male chauvinist organization challenges what it perceives as excessive political correctness. Its members have often embraced their reputation for violence. Proud Boys members, including Tarrio, have said they have told the FBI of protest routes, for instance, when planning rallies. They say they do not view such disclosures as informing or cooperating, but rather as a public safety protocol. On Dec. 12, 2020, a month before the insurrection, Proud Boys, many clad in tactical vests and body armor over their signature yellow and black shirts, were greeted with rousing applause by Trump supporters in a rally in Washington to protest the Republicans loss to Biden. Violence spiraled out of control. Clutches of Proud Boys prowled the streets, attacking people they claimed were aligned with Antifa. Four people were stabbed. Two of those reportedly injured were Proud Boys, by someone they clashed with on the street. Tarrio would later be accused by authorities of burning a Black Lives Matter banner; video showed Proud Boys squirting it with lighter fluid to make the flames grow bright in the dark. From that chaos grew the seeds of the Proud Boys planning for Jan. 6. After the violence of Dec. 12, the presidents of the 155 Proud Boy chapters held a vote to ban the organization from officially sponsoring such rallies. We voted against any more rallies until further notice, one Proud Boy leader said. The vote meant that Proud Boys could not wear their colors yellow and black paraphernalia adorned with various insignia, including roosters and laurel wreaths. The point was to rein in the bad publicity stemming from the rampant violence, and to prevent Proud Boys from getting injured. The vote has not been previously reported. It was an important decision, members said, because its the reason the Proud Boys went to Washington as they did on Jan. 6: without wearing their Proud Boy gear. No colors meant the Proud Boys would not be easily identifiable by the public and law enforcement; so long as they werent in official garb, they could still turn out for Trump despite the ban. To prepare for Jan. 6, Tarrio and other leaders set up a virtual rally chapter they called the Ministry of Self Defense, or MOSD, on a chat on the Telegram messaging platform, two Proud Boy sources say. That channel, say the sources, would become a planning tool for Jan. 6. By the end of December, prosecutors now say, Tarrio and Biggs were publicly announcing their instructions to Proud Boys to go to Washington, DC, incognito, as they called it. Tarrio promised they would turn out in record numbers. Before the presidential certification, in late December, a Proud Boy with the handle Danny Mac came forward to the group with a confession. He said he was an informant, one Proud Boy said. He said he was giving them information for two years. Danny Mac disclosed to the Proud Boys leadership the FBI had paid him for information about Antifa, two members told Reuters. But soon, he told the leaders, the FBI was demanding information about the Proud Boys group itself. Danny Mac said he was coming clean to the Proud Boys, and promised that he had not disclosed any secrets. Nevertheless, according to a Dec. 19 message on Proud Boys chat rooms that was read by a member to Reuters, Danny Mac was excommunicated from the group. His access was deleted from any chats. In an interview, Tarrio was cautious in discussing the former member. He communicated with me that he was in touch with law enforcement, Tarrio said, without elaborating. Tarrio said the member was rooted out over his leadership style, not his cooperation, but offered no further detail. Reuters was unable to contact the former member known as Danny Mac. The group deleted the Ministry of Self Defense chats after Tarrio was arrested Jan. 4 for his actions in the December rally. Tarrio faced a misdemeanor warrant for burning the Black Lives Matter flag and a felony charge for bringing two high capacity rifle magazines with him. He has not entered a plea and was released from custody after one night in jail. He is scheduled to appear in court in June. After his arrest, a new private chat group was set up, prosecutors say. It was called New MOSD. Proud Boys say that the FBIs interest in tapping into the far-right group appeared to stem from members conflicts with and knowledge of Antifa the loose collective of leftist activists who fight against forces they deem to be fascist. Fuck Antifa! Proud Boy members chant at rallies. Some wear Death to Antifa t-shirts. In January 2019, a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys who called himself Aaron PB was on a Telegram chat with fellow members to gather information about Antifa, according to leaked chat screenshots whose authenticity was confirmed by a source familiar with the Proud Boys. Aaron PB said in a chat that he was gathering info we want to send our FBI contact. PROUD BOY CHARGED Proud Boy member Biggs, an Army veteran with combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of conspiring to disrupt the certification of the presidential election. A judge has ordered him jailed until trial. Biggs was one of the most visible leaders among the Capitol rioters on Jan. 6. That day he was wearing black tactical gloves with reinforced knuckle protection, and a distinctive black, gray and white flannel shirt with a two way radio clipped to the upper right pocket. He strode at the head of the Proud Boys column that marched around the Capitol Building. In a court filing last month, Biggs lawyer argued that his client should not be jailed before trial. The lawyer wrote that the Proud Boy leader has, for years, cooperated with the FBI and developed ties with at least one agent. That cooperation started, the lawyer wrote, when Biggs would call or meet with the FBI and local authorities to explain Proud Boys march routes and plans. Biggs lawyer, John Daniel Hull IV, declined to comment to Reuters. By July 2020, the lawyer wrote, Biggs relationship with the FBI ratcheted up when the Proud Boy leader met with two special agents for two hours. Biggs spoke often on the phone with a Daytona Beach agent, the lawyer wrote. The filing said FBI agents wanted Biggs to tell them what he knew about Antifa. Two days before the Capitol insurrection, Reuters reached Biggs on the phone. He wouldnt say what the group had planned for the scheduled Jan. 6 protest. If I tell you right now, it will give away my play, he said in the Jan. 4 interview. But, he said, he was willing to tell his plans to a special agent in the FBI whom he knew, if he were asked. If the guy that I know called me and had any questions, I would respond. (Reporting by Aram Roston in Washington. Editing by Ronnie Greene) Lebanon asks Saudi Arabia to reconsider ban on its produce Lebanon's President Michel Aoun heads a meeting with Lebanese officials at the presidential palace in Baabda BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon said on Monday it hoped Saudi Arabia would reconsider a ban on its produce imposed over what Riyadh called a rise in drug smuggling, and tasked its interior minister to coordinate with the kingdom to uncover the culprits and prevent a repeat. The statement was issued after a meeting on the topic between President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab amongst others. They also asked Lebanon's public prosecutor to pursue investigations on the issue and keep Saudi officials informed of results, a presidency statement said. Blaming an increase in drug smuggling, Saudi Arabia announced the ban on Friday, a measure that will add to Lebanon's severe economic problems. The fruit and vegetables trade is worth $24 million annually. Lebanon is in the throes of a deep financial crisis posing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war. Aoun earlier asked Lebanon's security forces to step up operations against the smuggling, while Diab said Lebanon stood ready to fight trafficking networks with Saudi Arabia but that a ban would not prevent it. "We are confident that Saudi Arabia and all the Gulf countries know well that a ban on Lebanese produce will not stop drug smuggling and (that) cooperation between us will help stop these networks," he said. There was concern that the ban, which took effect on Sunday, would spread to other Gulf states after the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman all issued statements in support of the Saudi decision. The ban was announced after Saudi customs authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle in more than 5.3 million Captagon pills, a type of amphetamine, hidden in a pomegranate shipment from Lebanon, the kingdom's SPA news agency said last week. A Lebanese source who attended Monday's meeting at the presidential palace said the shipment was originally from neighbouring Syria and falsely labelled as Lebanese before being dispatched. The source said two people were detained in connection with the drug bust. (Reporting by Maha El Dahan and Ellen Francis Writing by Maha El DahanEditing by Alison Williams and Mark Heinrich) IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The man charged with fatally shooting an Iowa State Patrol sergeant earlier this month was later shot in the head and chest by other state troopers after he opened fire on them, a prosecutor said Monday. Three Iowa State Patrol troopers and a Hardin County deputy were entirely legally justified in shooting at Michael Lang during the April 9 confrontation at Lang's home in Grundy Center, assistant Iowa attorney general Scott Brown concluded. Because of Lang's actions officers had no other reasonable choice but to shoot Lang, Brown wrote in a letter to the Grundy County prosecutor, who had asked for an outside review of the shooting. Otherwise, responding officers or innocent bystanders would have been put in harm's way. Lang, 41, survived his gunshot wounds. Last week, he was released from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City and taken into custody. He's charged with murder in the death of Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith, attempted murder and assaulting a law enforcement officer. Brown is one of the prosecutors on the case, which could send Lang to prison for the rest of his life. Smith was only the second Iowa State Patrol officer shot and killed in the line of duty since 1936. Brown wrote that a Grundy Center reserve officer tried to pull Lang over for speeding on the evening of April 9 contradicting the initial report by authorities, who said it was for suspicion of driving while barred. Lang initially led the officer on a chase but then stopped, assaulted the officer and fled to his home, Brown wrote. Officers from multiple agencies responded to the home as did Lang's father, who told authorities that his son had multiple firearms inside. Lang had run for sheriff in 2020 and had a history of alcohol-related run-ins with police. Brown wrote that Smith, leader of the Iowa State Patrol's regional tactical team, and other officers made a plan and then entered the home roughly 90 minutes after the traffic stop. They went through a door attached to the home's garage and deployed a police dog into the basement. Story continues After clearing the basement, Smith led other officers who planned to enter the main floor of the home. Officers announced their presence and that a canine would be introduced into the home, Brown wrote. Shortly after the announcement, Sgt. Smith neared the doorway into the home, he stated that he observed a gun. Just after doing so, Sgt. Smith was shot once in the upper body and immediately fell to the floor. Smith, 51, was then shot in the leg while on the ground, and Lang admitted to be the shooter and threatened to shoot other officers, Brown wrote. Officers removed Smith from the garage, while two others who were still in the basement remained there for safety reasons. A standoff ensued. Hours later, officers in an armored vehicle entered Lang's home after negotiations for Lang's surrender broke down, Brown wrote. Lang began firing at the vehicle that contained several officers, who returned fire and struck Lang once in the head and twice in the chest, he wrote. Authorities said that Hardin County sheriff's deputy Mitch Kappel fired shots at Lang but missed, shortly after Smith was shot. Three troopers Joshua Guhl, Matt Costello and Spencer Baltes were identified Monday as those who later fired at Lang. They had been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of Brown's ruling that they were justified and will not face criminal charges. Lang has been transferred to the Black Hawk County Jail in Waterloo. A public defender assigned to represent him declined comment Monday. As researchers continue to study the neurological impacts of COVID-19, a Houston Methodist international collaboration has documented an unexpectedly frequent occurrence of acute transverse myelitis (ATM) - inflammation of the spinal cord - in 43 COVID-19 patients. Led by Houston Methodist neurologist Dr. Gustavo Roman, the study of existing scientific literature found that patients from 21 countries developed spinal cord lesions after contracting the virus. Symptoms included paralysis and sphincter/bowel dysfunction. The patients ages ranged from 21 to 73 and included about half-and-half women and men. ATM, a rare neurological condition, affects between 1.34 and 4.6 cases per million per year, and researchers believe the unusually high rate in post-COVID-19 patients merits additional investigation. Moreover, 3 ATM cases were reported during the trials of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. The study is published in Frontiers in Immunology. Dr. Roman collaborated with researchers from Hospital Paitilla, Interamerican University of Panama and Hospital Santo Tomas (Drs. Fernando Gracia, Antonio Torres, Alexis Palacios, Karla Gracia and Diogenes Harris). ### EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 Why Was Putin So Emphatic about the Plot To Overthrow and Assassinate Belarus President Lukashenko? April 25 , 2021 (EIRNS)Russian President Vladimir Putin reserved what were perhaps the sharpest words of his April 21 speech to the Federal Assembly, for the matter of the foiled assassination and coup attempt against Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. Putin began by making the speechs only direct allusion to the financial declaration of war against Russia issued by President Biden on April 15: Everyone in the world seems to be used to the practice of politically motivated, illegal economic sanctions and to certain actors brutal attempt to impose their will on others by force. But today, this practice is degenerating into something even more dangerousI am referring to the recently exposed direct interference in Belarus in an attempt to orchestrate a coup detat and assassinate the President of that country. Putin continued: Nobody seems to notice. Everyone pretends nothing is happening.... But the practice of staging coups detat and planning political assassination, including those of high-ranking officialswell, this goes too far. This is beyond any limits. Putin then warned that those who stage such provocations must know that Russias response will be asymmetrical, swift and tough. Those behind provocations that threaten the core interests of our security will regret what they have done in a way they have not regretted anything for a long time. For anyone wondering about the vehemence of Putins response to the Belarus developments, a brief glance at a map is useful. The country bordering western Russia on the south is Georgia: there was a failed coup detat there by pro-NATO forces in 2008. The country bordering Russia on the west is Ukraine: A successful pro-Nazi coup by NATO and the U.S. was carried out there in 2014. The country bordering Russia on the west, just slightly farther north, is Belarus: a failed coup by pro-NATO forces was just stymied there in 2021. Belarus President Lukashenko told the official BelTA news agency this weekend, according to a report in TASS, that $10 million had been allocated for his assassination. In Lukashenkos words, the conspirators had drawn up a few scenarios. First, they plotted to assassinate the President at the May 9 parade. Next, they considered an attack on the presidential motorcade, so they even bought grenade launchers and brought them to Belarus. Lukashenko continued that under the third scenario, armed people were tasked to attack the presidential residence in the countryside. Lukashenko went on that the conspirators planned to black out Minsk, call for a military uprising, and launch a civil war. He emphasized that such a cyberattack could be carried out only at the state level, since a handful of hackers would not be able to do the job. Lukashenko explained that foreign-backed opposition forces were supposed to allegedly come to power here for 24 hours and declare that we are in power. What for? To ask NATO to send troops into Belarus and to deploy them on the eastern border near Smolensk. It was a springboardI have always told youto attack Russia. It was the first step. Even though they would deny it, today we see that it is true, said Lukashenko. Asked about rumors that he had discussed with Putin the establishment of Russian military bases in Georgia, Lukashenko replied: We talked no bases. Why should Belarus set up a base?... Our area of responsibilityof the Belarusian armyis the west. If there is an act of aggression against us, we have enough forces to contain it at first while Russia is rolling out in the rear. They have two or three armies there to back up the Belarusian army in that direction. That is our strategy. What do these bases have to do with that? The Spirit of the Elbe As the world faces such grave dangers of renewed warfare, both military and economic, the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus performed a magnificent concert on Sunday, April 25, the 76th anniversary of the Spirit of the Elbe, the day that American and Soviet troops met at the Elbe River at Torgau, Germany and joined to put a rapid end to World War II. The concert, Beethovens Credo: Believe in the Future, a World Without War, was dedicated to renewing that Spirit of the Elbe, which is much needed today. In that spirit, we urge you to register for the Schiller Institutes May 8 online conference The Moral Collapse of the Trans-Atlantic World Cries Out for a New Paradigm. Entergy New Orleans chief executive David Ellis is stepping down from his post, taking a new job with Entergy's parent company as the local utility faces its latest round of criticism, this time for its handling of power outages on Mardi Gras. Ellis, who served as head of Entergy New Orleans for less than three years, will be replaced by Entergy Texas official Deanna Rodriguez, according to a press release from the company. The change is effective May 9. Rod West, Entergy Corp. head of utility operations, said in a prepared statement that Ellis was being promoted to the newly created post of "Chief Customer Officer," a role that will require him to "deliver extraordinary customer experiences, while also bringing to market innovative solutions to keep pace with evolving customer needs and expectations." +5 Entergy said it cut 3 times more power to New Orleans than needed during blackouts. It was even more than that. When Entergy New Orleans executives admitted to the City Council two weeks ago that it had shut off three times as much power as needed during The executive shake up comes two months after Entergy cut power to nearly four times as many New Orleans customers as it needed to during rolling blackouts on Feb. 16. The error, which left around 20,000 more New Orleans customers without power than necessary on a bitter-cold Mardi Gras night, was blamed on computer glitches. The mistake generated widespread anger from customers and the New Orleans City Council, the local utility's regulator. A week after the outage, irate councilmembers on a virtual call with Ellis's lieutenants demanded he join the call to explain what happened. The answer came at a follow-up meeting, where Entergy explained that computer issues had led to the outsized shutoff. Since then, consultants working for the council have recommended a comprehensive investigation to determine if fines should be levied against the utility. Ellis joined Entergy New Orleans from Global Power Technology of New Jersey and arrived with nearly three decades of experience in the energy industry. He was brought in to replace Charles Rice, who had led Entergy since 2010 but resigned after a scandal involving paid actors that were sent to public meetings to petition for the company's controversial natural-gas fired power plant. 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 council later fined Entergy $5 million over the incident; it fell to Ellis to try to restore public credibility in the utility. Rodriguez is a 27-year veteran of Entergy who West said had a track record managing external and regulatory affairs and other operations for the company. Before her work as vice president of regulatory and public affairs at Entergy Texas, Rodriguez served as vice president of regulatory affairs for Entergy New Orleans. In that position, Rodriguez helped the council create its Energy Smart program. As director of external affairs for Entergy Corp., she coordinated funding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. And as vice president of corporate contributions for the utility, she oversaw the creation of the Entergy Charitable Foundation and the company's employee volunteer program, the company said. "Throughout Deanna's career, a common thread in her nearly three decades of success has been her understanding and expertise in how proactive and sustained stakeholder engagement can positivity impact both business results and the livelihood of our customers and our communities," West said. A spokesperson for Councilmember Helena Moreno, chair of the council committee that regulates Entergy, said that Moreno was unaware of the change before Monday but that she looked forward to working constructively with Rodriguez. Ellis will report to West. According to the prepared statement, in the new role Ellis will, "partner with our customers at every touchpoint to enable us to meet their reliability, affordability and sustainability goals and to develop solutions that create sustainable value." Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A study comparing commonly used medications for type 2 diabetes has found that sulfonylurea drugs are associated with a reduced risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest compared with metformin. The research is published today in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and presented at EHRA 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The study was conducted as part of the European Sudden Cardiac Arrest network (ESCAPE-NET), an EU-funded project with 16 partners including the ESC's European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA). Dr. Hanno Tan, ESCAPE-NET project leader and cardiologist, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands said: "More research is needed to confirm the findings and patients with diabetes should not change or stop taking their medication." Sudden cardiac arrest causes one in five deaths in industrialized countries. Most sudden cardiac arrests occur in the community. They are triggered by an unexpected cardiac arrhythmia, which is lethal within minutes without treatment. ESCAPE-NET was set up to find the causes of these arrhythmias (e.g., medications) so they can be prevented. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest, partly due to an increased presence and extent of coronary atherosclerosis,5 and there is interest in minimizing this risk. Small studies have suggested that some sulfonylurea drugs, which are commonly used to achieve glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes, may reduce the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest but the evidence is inconclusive. This study examined whether the use of sulfonylurea drugs (alone or in combination with metformin, another common antidiabetic drug) is associated with reduced risk of cardiac arrest compared with metformin alone. The study enrolled 219 patients with diabetes who had experienced a cardiac arrest in 2005 to 2011 and were included in the Amsterdam Resuscitation Studies (ARREST) registry. Each patient was matched on age and sex with up to five diabetes patients who did not have a cardiac arrestfor a total of 697 control patients. The average age in the case and control groups was 71 years and more than three-quarters were men. Compared to the use of metformin alone, the overall use of sulfonylurea drugs was associated with a reduced risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50.9). Sulfonylurea drug useboth alone or combination with metforminwas associated with reduced cardiac arrest risk compared with metformin monotherapy (OR 0.6). Dr. Tan said: "Metformin is typically a first-line treatment which, if ineffective, is followed by a sulfonylurea drugsuggesting that patients taking metformin had less advanced diabetes. This provides additional support for the notion that sulfonylurea drugs reduce cardiac arrest risk." The investigators also compared individual sulfonylurea drugs to each other and found that gliclazide was associated with a lower risk of cardiac arrest compared to glimepiride, with an OR of 0.5. Dr. Tan said: "The results of this study bring us a step closer towards understanding how to avoid sudden cardiac arrest in the community. However, we need more studies to confirm our finding. One day we hope to personalize prevention by prescribing drugs according to an individual's genetic make-up." Explore further Commonly used heart drug associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest More information: Sulfonylurea antidiabetics are associated with lower risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: real-world data from a population-based study. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021. Journal information: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Sulfonylurea antidiabetics are associated with lower risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: real-world data from a population-based study.2021. DOI: 10.1002/BCP.14774 There may be some minor delays crossing the Delaware River over the next two months during inspections of the regions eight toll bridges, most of which date back to the 1950s or earlier. The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced it will begin the every-other-year study of its tolled spans in May, looking for any structural or safety issues. Most of the work will be out of sight, but the commission cautioned that lane restrictions may sometimes be needed. The commission conducts inspections every year: the free bridges in even-numbered years, the toll bridges in odd years. The toll bridges connect Pennsylvania and New Jersey from Milford on south to Trenton, including three in the Lehigh Valley. Here are the crossings to be inspected this year: Milford-Montague This two-lane bridge, opened in 1953, carries Route 206 near New Jerseys northern-most point. It was used by 7,000 vehicles a day in 2020. Delaware Water Gap I-80 traffic moves through the toll lanes after crossing at the Delaware Water Gap in 2007.Jerry McCrea | NJ Advance Media file photo I-80 and the Appalachian Trail use this four-lane bridge to cross the river through the scenic gap. Last year, 44,100 vehicle crossed here daily. The bridge opened in 1953. Portland-Columbia At the Portland-Columbia toll bridge, opened in 1953, Pennsylvania Route 611 meets New Jersey Routes 46 and 94 and I-80 four miles downriver from the Delaware Water Gap.lehighvalleylive.com file photo At this bridge, also opened in 1953, Pennsylvania Route 611 meets New Jersey Routes 46 and 94 and I-80 four miles downriver from the gap. At 6,400 vehicles a day in 2020, it was the lightest-used of the bridge commissions tolled spans. Easton-Phillipsburg A view of Phillipsburg to the east from above the Route 22 toll bridge over the Delaware River.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com The Route 22 bridge between Easton and Phillipsburg opened in 1938, the first of the commissions toll bridges, and its design makes it arguably the most distinct. It saw 30,300 vehicles a day in 2020. I-78 This is the bridge commissions most heavily traveled crossing. It saw 53,400 vehicles a day last year. It is also one of the most recent, having opened in 1989. New Hope-Lambertville The Route 202 bridge had 8,800 crossings a day in 2020. It opened in 1971. Scudder Falls The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission's new Pennsylvania-bound span and old New Jersey-bound span at its Scudder Falls (Interstate-295) Toll Bridge is seen looking toward New Jersey from Pennsylvania.Justin Bowers photo courtesy of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission | For lehighvalleylive.com I-295 carried 30,300 vehicles across this bridge daily last year. The bridge is in the process of being replaced. One new span is completed, the other is still under construction. Trenton-Morrisville The Route 1 connection to New Jerseys capital, built in 1952 and widened in 1965, hosted 47,400 vehicles a day in 2020, making it the bridge commissions second most-traveled span. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Dow High School senior Hannah Loiselle can name a lot of benefits from having immersed herself in music the past several years. One of them is being able to jam with her older brother, Josh, when he comes home to visit. "He'll come home and we'll do jazz improvisation sessions," Loiselle said. She has followed in Josh's footsteps in playing saxophone, one of her many instruments. Now, Josh mainly plays guitar. For Loiselle, the sky has been the limit in terms of her musical range. She started playing the flute in fifth grade, soon added the violin and the saxophone, picked up the bassoon last year, and just a month ago started playing the clarinet in jazz band. But wait, there's more. "I did some piano lessons over the pandemic. I'm not very good at that one yet," Loiselle admitted. "I'm not used to having to use two hands to play things. "I did a little bit of viola and cello last year. I'm a lot better at viola than I am at cello," she added. Loiselle is first chair flute in the Dow High symphonic band, has been a part of the first violins in the school's symphony orchestra, and plays saxophone in marching band, clarinet in jazz band and is first chair bassoon in gold band. No doubt, it takes a lot of energy to keep up with so many musical instruments. But it works both ways, Loiselle said. "It can be exhausting," she said. "But at the same time, I love music and it really gives me energy. It's been a lot of fun, but it has been hard, I won't lie about that." Loiselle said she has often played in five events for the annual solo and ensemble festival. You might see and hear her soon at the Farmers Market performing with "Sax to the Max," which is Dow High's saxophone ensemble that includes one soprano sax, two altos, two tenors and two baritones. "I've arranged two different pieces that we intend on playing for the public soon," Loiselle said. "I'm pretty excited about that." Loiselle plans to major in music composition at Central Michigan University and drew inspiration from Caleb Hammer, a composer and Michigan native who was commissioned to compose a piece for the Dow High symphonic band in honor of its 50th anniversary in 2018. Loiselle and the band played the completed piece, which was called "Yellow Fleet." In addition to composing, Loiselle also sees teaching as a possibility in her future. In fact, she already teaches private flute lessons and recently co-taught in the Jefferson Middle School orchestra class as part of a Delta College course. "I enjoy working with students one on one and digging into the music and helping them enjoy the music in their own way," Loiselle said. Dow High band director Steve DeRees said Loiselle is very talented. "Hannah is one of the most talented young musicians that I know. She has become an accomplished flute player. She also performs very well on the saxophone, bassoon and clarinet. With those skills, I hope she gets to play in some pit orchestras someday," DeRees said. New Zealand has blocked a teenage girl with Down syndrome from residency because the country believes she will be a burden on the healthcare system. The 17-year-old Indian citizen, referred to as JB, arrived in New Zealand on a visitor visa with her parents and younger sister in 2016. The girl's parents and sister were granted residency in 2017 and then permanent residency in 2019. But JB's application was rejected by Immigration New Zealand because it was deemed she is 'not of an acceptable standard of health'. Her appeal to the New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal was also unsuccessful. New Zealand has blocked a teenage girl with down syndrome from residency because they claim she will be a burden on their healthcare system (stock) The family in 2016 arranged for JB to stay with her grandparents in India, while her immediate family lived in New Zealand. Her father travelled between India and New Zealand to visit JB and help his parents, as his father was unwell and his mother required assistance. However Covid travel restrictions meant he was marooned in India with JB, while his wife remained in New Zealand. An application for JB's residence under the Family (Dependent Child) category was lodged on August 31 2019. The application included a psychological assessment report and a letter from a New Zealand paediatrician. Immigration New Zealand on February 20 2020 said a medical assessor reviewed JB's documentation and the noted the teenager had a 'moderate intellectual disability'. 'It was submitted that the appellant was not on any medication, was leading an active life, and would not be a burden on New Zealand's health services,' the tribunal decision read. 'The representative emphasised that Down syndrome was not a progressive disease but a congenital chromosome disorder and, given opportunities, Down syndrome people, such as the appellant, could lead valued and productive lives.' The girl had an IQ of 50, with a social age of nine years old. The girl's parents believed JB would not be a burden on New Zealand's special education services as it was no longer compulsory for children to attend school after the age of 16 in New Zealand. The girl's application was rejected by the Immigration New Zealand because they deemed she is 'not of an acceptable standard of health'. Her appeal to the New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal was also unsuccessful The assessor also found JB would be eligible for the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) - a support program - which would likely 'impose significant costs and demands on New Zealand's special education services'. Immigration New Zealand again wrote to JB on August 18, 2020 to advise her the final health assessment had been completed. The assessment found the teenager 'was considered likely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand's special education services and she remained not of an acceptable standard of health'. Immigration New Zealand declined JB's application for residence on October 12, 2020 because she did not meet the health requirements. The decision was appealed by the family just one week later. The Tribunal confirmed the decision of Immigration New Zealand to decline the JB's application for residence. 'The Tribunal accepts that the appellant would be able to receive a Disability Allowance and Supported Living Payment in New Zealand if she became a resident,' the decision reads. 'Overall, the Tribunal is unable to be satisfied that there are special circumstances arising through the prospect of permanent family separation or the best interests of the appellant or her younger sister for this family that warrant consideration by the Minister of Immigration of an exception to residence instructions.' Montreal officials are looking into extending voting rights to more than 100,000 non-citizens in order to better integrate immigrants and encourage more racialized people to participate in municipal politics. A man arrives at a polling station to cast his ballot in the Montreal municipal elections in Montreal, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes Montreal officials are looking into extending voting rights to more than 100,000 non-citizens in order to better integrate immigrants and encourage more racialized people to participate in municipal politics. The idea isn't new: for years, Canadian cities such as Toronto, Vancouver and Saint John, N.B., have debated or proposed giving the vote to permanent residents but none have succeeded in convincing provincial or federal governments to modify citizenship and voting laws. Montreal can "show leadership" on this issue and rekindle the debate in the country, according to an April 19 report by the city's committee on social development and diversity. "Granting voting rights to permanent residents is one of the ways to foster political participation and ensure better representation of the various groups that form society," the report said. "Montreal, the city that welcomes the largest number of immigrants to Quebec each year, should ensure it reflects the diversity of its population." The committee, composed mostly of elected officials from the two main parties at city hall, wants Montreal to publicly affirm its desire to grant voting rights to permanent residents who have lived "for at least 12 months on the territory of the city of Montreal." It also wants the city to lobby the provincial and federal governments to change laws to allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections. The idea has its critics. Frederic Bastien, history teacher at Montreal's Dawson College and former leadership candidate for the Parti Quebecois, says allowing non-citizens to vote could endanger the foundations of the nation state. He says citizenship comes with an understanding of the culture, language and history of a country, adding that the idea could be a political strategy by Mayor Valerie Plante ahead of next November's municipal election. It is part of a series of gestures from the Plante administration," Bastien said in a recent interview. "Its a 'woke' trend among Projet Montreal and its a toxic vision of social and public life," he added, referring to Plante's political party. Chris Erl, doctoral candidate in McGill University's geography department who researches municipal politics, disagrees that granting voting rights to marginalized communities would undermine the country's democratic values. Rather, he said, doing so would provide a voice for many people who have been excluded from politics. Where all the political parties have failed in the past is in recruiting candidates from communities of colour, Erl said. Something like this could certainly help inspire people that may feel isolated from the political system to get involved. He said he questions the fairness of refusing to allow people who are actively engaged in the urban life of a city the right to select those who represent them in office. People need to look at this from the very basic idea that their neighbours, who might not have citizenship, are paying the same property taxes, they use the same services and they have the same ideas and opinions about how the city could be better run, so why shouldnt they be able to send people to city hall to make decisions? Erl said. The city's diversity committee noted that permanent residents compose about 9 per cent of Montreal's population, equalling about 170,000 people roughly 105,000 of whom would qualify as voters. Montreal's city administration says it's interested in letting non-citizens vote in order to attract more people to the political process especially immigrants. Voter turnout in the 2017 municipal election was 22 per cent in Cote-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grace, the most ethnically diverse borough in the city, according to government data. But it's unclear what the Quebec and federal governments think of Montreal's idea. A spokesperson for Quebec's municipal affairs minister didn't return a request for comment. And Corinne Havard, spokesperson for federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, said Ottawa doesn't play a role in municipal elections and directed questions about reforming voting laws to the Quebec government. Montreal doesn't seem interested in pushing the issue at the moment at least not ahead of November's city election. Genevieve Jutras, spokeswoman for Plante, said the city will take its time to examine the report, adding that it is up to the provincial government to modify voting rights. The administration doesnt have the intention to request a modification before the next municipal election, Jutras said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 26, 2021. Stella McCartney's fashion house has allegedly failed to pay any rent at its Madison Avenue store in New York for the past year, costing the landlord around $1.4million (1million). The luxury label set up by Sir Paul McCartney's daughter which prides itself on ethics and sustainability has been renting from the rare stamps and coins dealer Stanley Gibbons since 2016. The store in the heart of Manhattan, one of 51 McCartney shops around the world, was forced to close last April due to the Covid pandemic and since then, Stanley Gibbons says it has not received any rent. Stella McCartney's fashion house has allegedly failed to pay any rent at its Madison Avenue store in New York for the past year, costing the landlord around $1.4million (1million) The store in the heart of Manhattan (pictured), one of 51 McCartney shops around the world, was forced to close last April due to the Covid pandemic The landlord has run down the security deposit which covered rent until September but has not received any extra funds to top up the deposit or pay the overdue rent, according to The Times. The fashion house, which designed the Duchess of Sussex's wedding reception dress, has sold from the New York store in the prime location on the upper east side near other labels including Christian Louboutin and Ralph Lauren. It was formerly leased by antiques dealer Mallett, which was also owned by Stanley Gibbons. The luxury label set up by Sir Paul McCartney's daughter has been renting from Stanley Gibbons, which was set up by the eponymous coins and stamps dealer Edward Stanley Gibbons, born in England in 1840 (pictured) The coin dealer retained the lease to the store after selling Mallett five years ago, and the current lease lasts until February 2027. The store is being sublet to Stella McCartney, which agreed to take on the lease until its expiry. Stella's stores around the world Stella McCartney operates 51 freestanding stores (with 1,400 employees) in locations including: Manhattans Soho Londons Mayfair and Brompton Cross LAs West Hollywood Paris Palais Royal Milan Tokyo Shanghai Beijing Her collections are distributed in 77 countries through 863 doors including speciality shops, and department stores, as well as shipping to 100 countries online. Source: stellamccartney.com Advertisement The building landlord is Solil Management, which is owned by the wealthy Goldman family. The daughter of the Beatle and his late wife Linda, who launched her fashion house in 2001, allegedly wants to walk away from the deal which has frustrated Stanley Gibbons. Her label has struggled in the past year with low footfall in the world's shopping capitals such as London, Paris and Milan due to the pandemic. In March, Stella McCartney's fashion brand saw losses reach almost $44million (31million). The drop was so big that accounts show that a dividend due to Stella two years ago of more than half a million dollars has not been paid, although she was paid more than $3million (2.16million) last year. Figures in the accounts show sales were down from $58million (41.8million) in 2018 to $52million (37.5million) in 2019. Rising costs and administrative costsman meant the company made the loss of $44million compared to a loss of $15million (10.8million) the year before. Her house was launched with Kering, the French luxury goods company which also works with Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, while LVMH hold a minority stake. Edward Stanley Gibbons was born in England in 1840 and set up the world's oldest stamp business in 1856. It opened its first shop in 1891 on The Strand in London where it continues to trade today, after opening a stamp counter at his father's chemist shop in Plymouth. Chief executive Graham Shircore said about Stella McCartney's alleged rent payments: 'Our sub-lessor, despite being backed by one of the largest and most profitable businesses in the world, is attempting to walk away from their lease commitments without making any form of restitution. Family: Sir Paul showed his support for his fashion designer daughter Stella as he proudly modelled one of her designs on Saturday 'We are challenging this and while the process is a long one, we are hopeful of a mediation-driven resolution in the coming months.' A third-party mediator is attempting to resolve the dispute. MailOnline has contacted representatives from Stella McCartney. It comes after Sir Paul showed his support for his fashion designer daughter as he proudly modelled one of her designs on Saturday. The Beatles superstar, 78, donned one of Stella's blue jumpers which is part of a collaboration line with the environmental charity Greenpeace. Paul took a selfie to show off the piece of clothing which was emblazoned with a natural world scene and rainbow. Impressive: Stella, the daughter of Paul McCartney, is a lifelong vegetarian and environmental activist who has built her brand around a cruelty-free ethos (pictured in 2019) Designer: Stella, 49, is launching a capsule collection supporting Greenpeace's campaign to stop deforestation in the Amazon Clearly thrilled her father was supporting her new line she shared the picture on her Instagram, writing that she was 'so incredibly proud' to see him wearing it. She wrote in the caption: 'So incredibly proud to see Dad @PaulMcCartney wearing our Stella x #Greenpeace limited-edition collab. 'My parents are why I learned to fight for Mother Earth especially vital, precious ecosystems like the Amazon. Now, I want to save it for my children. 'Join me in supporting @GreenpeaceUK's campaign to stop Amazon deforestation fuelled by industrial agriculture and meat production. Love you, Dad! x Stella' Tough times: In March, Stella McCartney's fashion brand saw losses reach almost 32 million (pictured with former Vogue editor Anna Wintour in 2019) Stella, 49, is launching a capsule collection supporting Greenpeace's campaign to stop deforestation in the Amazon. Stella is a lifelong vegetarian and environmental activist who has built her brand around a cruelty-free ethos. She has never included leather or fur in her collections and during lockdown, she published an 'A to Z manifesto' of her brand's values with V standing for vegan. Sir Paul shares daughter Stella with ex-wife Linda who died in 1998 aged 56. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott dispatched a top aide to the ERCOT operations center on the night the grid operator made the controversial decision to leave electricity prices at maximum levels a move blamed for creating a multibillion-dollar mess. Abbott has squarely placed the blame for the blackout boondoggle on ERCOT, which operates the power grid, and called for its CEO to resign right after the lights started coming back on across Texas on Thursday, Feb. 18. The ERCOT board eventually fired its CEO. Unmentioned while Abbott was distancing himself from the power outage fiasco and railing against ERCOT on TV: a top energy policy adviser, Ryland Ramos, spent the previous night and into early Thursday morning at the agencys operations center in Taylor, outside of Austin. Thats where ERCOTs high-tech control room, handling the flow of power to most Texans, is located. Also on hand at the previously undisclosed meeting were Public Utility Commission Chair DeAnn Walker, an Abbott appointee who later resigned under bipartisan pressure, along with representatives of four of the major electric transmission and distribution companies in Texas. Ramos returned to the operations center Friday morning, Feb. 19 right after the price cap was lifted and stayed there most of the day, according to ERCOT visitor logs obtained by Hearst Newspapers. Abbott spokesman Mark Miner said neither the governor nor Ramos were involved in any way in the decision to keep prices at the maximum, which contributed to bankruptcies and billions in losses that will reverberate in the Texas economy for years to come. He said Abbott wanted Ramos at the operations center because he felt ERCOT was spewing disinformation about the crisis. Ramos was in the room relaying information in real time, Miner said. These individuals were working the phones and scrambling to get power back on and keep it on. The visitor logs show that Ramos and Walker, along with top regulatory officials from Centerpoint Energy, Oncor, AEP and Texas-New Mexico Power Company signed in at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, and stayed there until 8:49 a.m. the next day. Cots were made available for those who needed to rest as the night wore on, officials said. The timeline in the visitor logs means the Abbott aide was on the scene when ERCOT decided just before midnight Wednesday to quit ordering rolling power outages and then, in the wee hours of Thursday, to leave the maximum prices for electricity in place. Centerpoint declined to comment and referred questions to ERCOT. ONCOR, the states largest transmission and distribution company, sent Liz Jones, vice-president of regulatory affairs, to the operations center that night to help officials navigate the grid challenges and manage impacts in ONCORs service territory, said spokeswoman Kerri Dunn. AEP and Texas-New Mexico Power Company confirmed they sent representatives to attend the meeting. Patrick Woodson, CEO of an electric retail provider that is going out of business after getting more than $65 million in bills it couldnt pay due to the government-ordered price hikes, said the public deserves answers about how and why electricity prices stayed so high for so long and who all took part in the decision making. Theres absolutely no justification whatsoever for prices to have been artificially inflated after the emergency conditions ended. That decision added billions of dollars of extra costs to the market, Woodson said. There needs to be a lot more light around how these decisions were made that led to such a massive transfer of wealth. $16B error Former utility regulator Arthur DAndrea, who resigned after he was caught on tape reassuring Wall Street investors that he was working to protect the profits they made during the storm, told a Senate committee in March that ERCOT CEO Bill Magness had the utility commission chairs blessing to leave the prices unchanged. He said that decision was made at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Magness told the same committee that he left the prices at the maximum level to ensure that generators had the proper incentives to keep the power flowing and also to discourage big electricity users loath to pay that much from starting up operations that could potentially overload the grid and start rolling blackouts all over again. We needed the maximum incentive to keep every bit of generation on and to keep every bit of load off that was responding to price, said Magness, whose last day leading ERCOT will be May 3. And that seemed like the best course we had to assure that we would stay out of rotating outages. But the highly-criticized decision to leave electricity prices at $9,000 per megawatt hour for 32 hours after the outages stopped 300 times higher than pre-storm prices led to what an independent market monitor described as a $16 billion pricing error, and $3 billion to $5 billion in unwarranted and potentially recoverable overcharges. It also sparked a public rift between Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who pushed for a repricing bill aimed at undoing some of the damage that occurred over almost a day and a half. Under pressure from the lieutenant governor, seen as a potential Abbott rival, the governor suddenly gave the Legislature emergency powers to reprice but didnt work the chambers to make it happen and at this point the initiative is dead. Miner said the ERCOT CEO was the one who made the pricing decision, but the Abbott spokesman said he was unable to answer whether Ramos was in the room at the time or if he told the governor about it. Nor could Miner say whether Abbott supported the decision, then or now, to leave rates at the cap of $9,000 per megawatt hour. Information withheld Abbott has been unrelenting in his criticism of ERCOT, despite his perch at the top of the regulatory org chart: His own appointees on the Public Utility Commission oversee every aspect of ERCOT and all three of his commissioners who oversaw the storm response resigned amid the fury over blackouts that have made the top energy producing state in America a national laughingstock. Barely two days into the disaster, and just a day before dispatching his aide to the ERCOT Operations Center, the governor tweeted that he was ordering an investigation into ERCOT and immediate transparency by ERCOT. About a month later, though, Abbotts office refused to release emails, text messages and other communications that he and his own aides including Ramos, the one who spent the night at the grid operations center exchanged with representatives of ERCOT and the PUC or that were otherwise related to the power outage and its aftermath. In their denial of a public information request from Hearst Newspapers for those records, Abbotts lawyers claimed a number of reasons they should not be disclosed. They say the messages include privileged communications with attorneys, information about secret incentive packages potentially offered to companies willing to expand in Texas and policy-related communications that, if released, would have a chilling effect on the frank and open discussion necessary for the decision-making process. ERCOT provided its visitor logs for the days Winter Storm Uri was bearing down on Texas five days after Hearst requested them. jay.root@chron.com She's the Australian fitness expert who is known for her incredible physique. And on Monday, Michelle Bridges gave fans a glimpse into her brutal workout regimen which she uses to help maintain her figure on Instagram. The 50-year-old - who is soon set to appear on Celebrity Apprentice - shared footage of the sweat-inducing routine with fans, which included five rounds of 10 box jumps and 10 burpees. Fighting fit: On Monday, Michelle Bridges gave fans a glimpse into her brutal workout regimen which she uses to help maintain her figure on Instagram She then added 10 goblet squats - the lower body exercise using a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of the chest while squatting - and 10 ball throws, which involve throwing a heavy medicine ball onto the ground. 'Nice to chat to your mates and have a laugh at the gym,' she wrote alongside the video. 'Not a lot of laughter at the end!' Michell looked at ease during the workout, wearing a pair of patterned leggings and a singlet. She appeared to wear no make-up on her face, and tied her hair into a casual up-do. Keep going! She then added 10 goblet squats, which is a lower body exercise using a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of the chest while squatting The exercise routine comes just weeks after Michelle opened up about being a single mother to her five-year-old son Axel, after splitting from her partner Steve 'Commando' Willis in 2020. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, she said: 'You've got to be pretty well organised and be able to do a lot of forward thinking with regards to how you're going to plan out things like the school holidays, camps... it's tough but there's so much joy.' Michelle made a point of saying Axel goes 'everywhere' with her, with her also trying to instill important values in him. Complete: She polished off by completing 10 ball throws, which involve throwing a heavy medicine ball onto the ground Struggles: Michelle recently about the difficulties of single motherhood to The Daily Telegraph [Pictured with son, Axel] 'You're going to be thinking about the kind of human that you want them to be the person that you want them to be in society. 'How they hold themselves and take care of their community and be kind and considerate and empathic and show compassion.' Michelle and Steve met while filming The Biggest Loser in 2007, at a time when they were both in relationships with other people. They began dating in 2015, after splitting from their respective partners, and the pair welcomed son Axel in December that year. Bucharest also summoned Russian Ambassador Valery Kuzmin to notify him of the decision made by the Romanian authorities. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to declare Alexei Grishaev, deputy military attache at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, persona non grata. In a press release published on Monday, the ministry explained that Grishaev's actions "contravene the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations". However, the authorities did not specify which activities they deemed as breaching the said convention. The Russian ambassador to Bucharest, Valery Kuzmin, was summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry at the request of Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu to be notified of the decision, the press release concludes. Last week, the Senate confirmed Vanita Gupta as Associate Attorney General, the number three position at the Department of Justice. Every Republican Senator except Lisa Murkowski, the Arlen Specter of the Klondike, voted against confirming Gupta. Had Guptas nomination been rejected, the post would very likely have been filled by someone equally radical. However, that nominee probably would have been less vicious and less dishonest than Gupta. Thats the downside of her confirmation. One upside is the closeness of the vote and the acrimony of the debate. Gupta, age 47, surely has her eye on even loftier jobs than Associate Attorney General. It is now clear that any Democratic administration would face quite a battle getting her confirmed. (Compare the vote on Gupta with the vote on Lisa Monaco, who was confirmed as Deputy Attorney General, the number two spot at DOJ, by a vote of 98-2, with only Sens. Cruz and Paul dissenting.) We can expect that, if anything, Guptas radicalism in office will make the case for confirming her to a higher position even more fraught. This time around, Gupta was able to garner some cover from supine police organizations that figured she would be confirmed and hoped for the best if they backed her nomination. In all likelihood, Gupta will quickly disabuse them of that hope. For my part, I hope that if the time comes that Gupta is nominated for higher office, Alaska and West Virginia will be represented by conservative Republicans. These are two of the more conservative states in the Union. Its sad that Senators from these states Murkowski and Joe Manchin gave Gupta the votes that put her over the top. The tactics of Sen. Durbin, the Judiciary Committees chairman, in pushing through Guptas nomination have produced more bitterness among Republicans than I can recall witnessing in connection with a Democratic nominee. I doubt that Republican members (such as Sen. Cotton whose questioning of Gupta the chairman cut off unceremoniously) will soon forget the way they were treated. This, too, is an upside of the confirmation battle. However, we should take no solace from the fact that Gupta reports to Merrick Garland, the Attorney General. For that to be comforting it would have to be the case that (1) Garland is much more than a figurehead at the DOJ and (2) Garland is appreciably more moderate than Gupta. I doubt that either of these conditions is satisfied, and Im pretty sure that at least one of them is not. Garland has already announced that the Biden Administration will initiate an investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department. In addition, he has decided to reverse a Trump-era memo and bring back consent decrees through which left-wing DOJ lawyers can police the police. According to CNN, Garland moderate that he is previewed the decision in a talk to Al Sharptons organization. With or without Vanita Gupta, the Biden Justice Department will be the most radically left-wing DOJ in American history. Gupta will make a useful symbol (though probably not the only one) of its radicalism. Berta Caceres, Isidro Baldenegro, Cristina Bautista, Paulo Paulino Guajajara, Yolanda Maturana, Homero Gomez... the long and macabre list of environmental leaders assassinated in the line of their work in the region has led Latin America to formulate a treaty that for the first time offers protection to those trying to protect the natural world. Following years of negotiations and despite the absence of key nations including Colombia, Brazil and Chile, the Escazu Agreement came into effect on April 22. The agreement has the potential to reverse a spiral of violence against ecologists that has made Latin America the deadliest region in the world for environmental activists. But the accord also runs the risk of becoming a worthless piece of paper if the 12 countries that have ratified it, including Mexico and Argentina, do not take the necessary measures to implement it. In that case, says Mexican environmentalist Leydy Pech, April 22 will become simply a photo opportunity for posterity. There are a lot of interests behind the occupation of indigenous lands. We cannot say: the agreement is now in place and now all of our problems are solved. We have to work to ensure it is turned into reality, says the courageous Mayan beekeeper, who last year received the Goldman Environmental Prize, the Nobel of ecological activism. Pech has plenty of first-hand experience of having laws and treaties on hand only to see them violated with impunity. Her fight to halt the planting of transgenic soybeans in the Mexican state of Campeche by agrochemical giant Monsanto resulted in an unprecedented victory in the courts in 2015, which led to the cancellation of Monsanto contracts in seven Mexican states. However, the illegal planting of these crops continues on land bordering her communities. What is missing? Why do they continue planting? What loopholes are they using? she asks. The same thing can happen with the Escazu Agreement. Trees felled by illegal logging in the State of Mexico. Recless Media / Getty In one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, and one replete with socio-environmental problems, the Escazu Agreement faces huge challenges. The text of the accord not only seeks to protect environmental activists but also to dampen potential conflicts by obliging private companies and governments to allow freedom of access to information and public participation in any project that could potentially have an impact on the environment. Even if the path to its full implementation and adherence will be a difficult one, both Pech and the civil society organizations that drove the treaty have applauded its entry into force. It is a partial celebration, one that is still under construction, but the important thing is that happened, because it could well have been that there was nothing to celebrate at all, says Astrid Puentes, co-executive director of the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense. The Escazu Agreement began to take shape in 2012 and negotiations went on for six years. Puentes recalls how the clause that demanded protection for environmental activists was on the verge of being omitted from the text due to the reticence of some countries. However, the outrage caused by the 2016 murder of activist and indigenous leader Berta Caceres in Honduras achieved the necessary pressure for it to be included. The tortuous process for the treaty to come into effect continued for three years after it was signed in 2018, as national congresses deliberated ratifying it. Eventually, the 11 necessary seals of approval were gathered by January 2021. There was a region-wide campaign in the industrial and private sectors to cause a stir. There have been many lies told about the Escazu Agreement, such as that it includes new rights that will hinder development, says Puentes. This was the case with such notable absentees as Chile, Peru and Costa Rica, who were initially among the principal backers of the accord but later declined to approve the text. Of the 24 countries that signed the Escazu Agreement, only 12 national governments went on to ratify it. Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), says that there is fear among some companies in the region over the agreement. But that should not be the case, because a better economy is constructed through transparency and providing information to the people. A project will perform better if it is carried out with the backing of local communities. Among the countries that have refused to sign up to the agreement, Colombia and Brazil - who account for the highest number of assassinations of ecologists in the region - stand out. Barcena hopes that now the accord has come into effect, it will act as an appeal to persuade other countries to ratify it and lend it the necessary weight to bring an end to the dangerous existence led by environmental leaders in the Latin American region. English version by Rob Train. When the first phase of Essex Crossing opens next year, nearly everything about the large development project will, of course, be brand new. One exception is the 77-year-old Essex Street Market, which is moving to an expanded space on the south side of Delancey Street. Whether the beloved public facility feels connected to its Lower East Side roots will help determine whether the larger residential and commercial development is embraced by the local community. At a recent meeting of Community Board 3, city officials began to lay out a vision for the new market, which is expected to open at 115 Delancey St. in September of 2018. The presentation was led by David Hughes, vice president and executive director of markets for the citys Economic Development Corp. (EDC) As The Lo-Down first reported in April, the EDC, along with the Essex Street Market Vendor Association and the Lower East Side Partnership struck a deal for operating the new facility after years of negotiations. During the community board meeting, Hughes outlined what he called, a kind of collaborative, hybridized management structure that I think really addresses the needs of this market. The city will continue to own and run the facility, while both the vendor association and the Partnership will take on expanded responsibilities for marketing, community relations and programming. The EDC is providing the LES Partnership with funding for a full-time manager to oversee market events and outreach in the neighborhood. The EDC is also extending an existing contract for a part-time staffer working directly with the vendors on special programs and social media. Hughes said the city will bring on an outside contractor to handle maintenance at the new market. The final piece of the puzzle is a community advisory committee, which will offer local feedback to the management team. All 28 vendors will be making the move from the current building at 120 Essex St. They have had their new stalls designed according to their specs, said Hughes. Delancey Street Associates, the Essex Crossing development consortium, is paying to build the new facility and is covering the vendors moving costs. As previously reported, there will be two stand-alone restaurants in the Essex Street Market. The city is accepting proposals for those spaces. The EDC is also seeking to add 11 new small-format vendors, and an outside consultant, Robert LaValva, has been hired to help with recruitment. LaValva, the founder of the New Amsterdam Market, is a well-known figure in the New York City food world and a passionate advocate for the citys public markets, past and present. There are things currently missing from Essex Street Markets lineup, said Hughes. Wine, a good sandwich shop, perhaps, flowers, pickles. There are things that we have to actually go after and find and fill those vacancies. Another goal, he explained, is to recruit local small businesses to join the market, as well as small start-ups. The new market covers 37,000 square feet, as opposed to 10,000 square feet in the current 1940s-era building. Theres a lot more potential and opportunity for programming and events in this new space, said Hughes. On the mezzanine, there will be a demonstration kitchen and flexible public gathering space. The mezzanine will be used for a wide range of programs, including cooking classes, workshops, talks, etc. Many events will be free, while other ticketed programs will help generate revenue for the market. The 6,000 square foot mezzanine will be available for rent by outside groups. The city has hired WXY Studio, a design and planning firm, to help reposition the new Essex Street Market. As Hughes put it, We have an opportunity now to rebrand, to think about who we are. One developing idea is to use old photos and iconic signage from the historic market to draw a link between the past and present. While Hughes said the market is and always will be geared for the local community, he added, Were leveraging tourism connections. Were thinking above and beyond the local community. We need to bring in other people. We want this market to be a draw. We want it to be like Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia). You want it to be a destination. After several Essex Street Market businesses shuttered in 2015, vendors were sharply critical of EDC management, and called on the city to hand over daily operations to an outside not-for-profit organization. That didnt happen, but the EDC did agree to delegate some responsibilities to the Partnership and the Vendor Association. The community board also stepped in, calling on the city to address to vendors concerns about the new facility. At last weeks meeting, Partnership President Tim Laughlin said the city clearly rose to the challenge. I think what the community board and the vendor association asked for happened, he said. Number one, get someone whos experienced and gets markets in charge of the portfolio (David Hughes, former head of the Union Square Greenmarket was hired). Make sure the vendors are moving over to a new state-of-the-art facility with no problems. Make sure we have a long-term road map (for operating the market). Laughlin argued, EDC has gone above and beyond what the community board requests were and what our requests were, and I think they deserve a lot of credit. Were excited to open a facility that is truly going to be a one-of-a-kind community asset. In an interview, Vendor Association Chairperson Anne Saxelby also offered encouraging words for the new management arrangement. I definitely feel positive about the new market, said Saxelby. It has taken a long time to get here (after many months of negotiations), she added, but I think were finally in a good spot, and I think the vendors are excited about the move and about the new space. Back in 2011, many local advocates, including Saxelby, fought a losing battle to save the original Essex Street Market building. That fight, however, was over long ago. Now the vendors and many locals are focused on making sure the new market retains its soul in a shiny new home. One drawback of the current historic building is that people walking by cannot see the businesses located inside. The new building, with its glass facade, will offer vendors good street-side visibility. Saxelby said most vendors, who have struggled in the years since the Essex Crossing project was announced, are looking forward to the boost that a new home will hopefully bring. The new market will serve as a companion to another Essex Crossing amenity, a large subterranean shopping pavilion known as the Market Line. It will begin in the space below the Essex Street Market and extend over three development parcels to the east. There are some fears that the historic markets unique identity will be subsumed by the Market Line. Both city officials and Essex Crossing developers tell us, however, theyre determined to keep that from happening. A spokesperson for EDC said the city sees the Market Line as a, great partner in our common purpose of providing quality food to the Lower East Side community. But at the same time, Essex Street Market will continue to be its own, distinct entity given that it is a mission-driven public market with a defined civic purpose. The goal of Essex Street Market will continue to be supporting small businesses and encouraging entrepreneurship, providing access to affordable, fresh food, and preserving the cultural tradition of public markets as strong community hubs with curated events and free programming in a safe and engaging public space. Rohan Mehra of the Prusik Group, part of Delancey Street Associates, agreed. Referring to the Essex Street Market and the Market Line, he said, they are distinct entities. Explaining that the nearly 80-year-old Lower East Side market was, our inspiration, Mehra said the new small format retail center is intended to complement the Essex Street Market. The idea, he said, is that between (the two markets), both located in one of the most diverse places in New York City, that shoppers can find anything imaginable, at all price points. Mehra added that the focus of the Market Line, like the Essex Street Market, is on serving the local community. He acknowledged a need to attract shoppers from outside the neighborhood, but explained, our feeling has always been that if the local community shops there, everyone else will go there, too. Tourists are looking for local flavor, history, character. If we are inclusive, the rest will follow. Construction of the new Essex Street Market is expected to be completed by June of next year. The vendors will make the move across Delancey Street in the fall. The developers and city officials have promised that the move will be seamless. The market will remain open until the debut of the new facility. Anne Saxelby said she hopes local residents will continue to patronize the market in the months remaining before the move. Im really excited, she told us. Its a great opportunity to grow our businesses. I would just encourage people in the neighborhood to keep supporting the market and well get through this transition together! CB3:Essex Street Market Presentation by The Lo-Down on Scribd The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control confirmed the COVID-19 death of a middle-aged Aiken County resident, who died on April 21. Cumulatively, DHEC has confirmed 177 deaths from the virus among Aiken County residents. Fifteen other South Carolinians were confirmed Sunday to have died of COVID-19. This brings the total number of South Carolinians with confirmed COVID-19 deaths to 8,304, according to DHEC. Statewide, DHEC reported 424 more confirmed cases as of Friday. Ten of these are in Aiken County, two in Barnwell County and two in Edgefield County. Aiken County has had a cumulative total of 12,744 coronavirus cases confirmed by DHEC. Statewide, 479,207 cases have been confirmed. Out of 15,833 statewide COVID-19 tests reported to DHEC Friday, 3.9% were positive. As of Saturday night, 87.7% of hospital beds in Aiken County were occupied. Five patients are on ventilators. According to DHEC, 40.8% of South Carolina residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, including the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, with 29.3% of residents having completed vaccination. To find a vaccine provider near you, visit vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov. This acquisition complements Doggett's existing Texas Freightliner dealerships in San Antonio, Laredo, Pharr, Brownsville and El Paso giving Doggett Freightliner of Texas distribution rights for all Freightliner and Western Star branded trucks, Autocar and Detroit Diesel for the Greater San Antonio Market with full service/sales/leasing dealerships. Doggett is also the Freightliner, Western Star and Autocar dealer for the State of Arkansas with dealerships in Little Rock, Van Buren, Searcy and Springdale/Fayetteville. Freightliner is the North American brand for the world's largest truck maker, Daimler Benz Trucks (German/Frankfurt Daimler AG). Additionally, Freightliner is North America's largest highway (18 wheeler) and vocational truck manufacturer with an unprecedented market share often exceeding 40% having more than double the market share of Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack and Volvo. Doggett is a Houston based diversified heavy equipment dealer/distributor for 7 first-tier manufacturers (www.DOGGETT.com) that are either number 1 or 2 in their respective industries: John Deere Construction and Forestry Equipment (18 dealerships), Toyota Industrial Equipment - forklifts & material handling (7 dealerships), Freightliner On-highway and Vocational Trucks (7 dealerships), Western Star On-Highway and Vocational Trucks (located in most of our Freightliner dealerships), Vernon Gene's Truck & Diesel Depot (1 dealership), Great Dane On-Highway Trailers (1 dealership), LinkBelt Cranes (4 dealerships) and one Ford Auto dealership reported to be the fastest growing Ford store in the nation. With all dealerships supported though Doggett's in-house retail financing entity, Diesel Finance & Leasing LLC. This acquisition, on the heels of Doggett's purchase of one of Houston's oldest and largest Ford dealerships (Lone Star Ford), boosts Doggett's dealership count to 35 which are located and/or have geographic responsibilities throughout Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and New Mexico. Doggett, founded by Leslie Doggett and Brady Carruth in 1993 with 17 employees, was ranked in 2019 by the Houston Business Journal as Houston's Largest Family Owned Business (without outside investors of any kind) with annual sales approaching $2 billion through its 35 dealerships. Media Contact Nikki Hart Phone: 281.878.4239 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Doggett Equipment Services Group Related Links https://www.doggett.com Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith yesterday hit out at 'sexist' attacks on Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds. The multi-millionaire Tory peer said 'fabrications' about Miss Symonds's influence in government were being used to 'pour hate and bile on her'. In a message on Twitter he said some of the attacks alleging she is the real power behind the throne smacked of '1950s sexism'. Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith and Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds are pictured canvassing on the streets of Richmond in South West London in June 2017 He dismissed as 'rubbish' an article in The Mail on Sunday claiming that Miss Symonds had 'pressed for the removal of' Environment Secretary George Eustice because he was seen as not tough enough on animal welfare issues. Lord Goldsmith, a close personal friend of Miss Symonds, was handed a peerage and a plum ministerial role by Mr Johnson despite being rejected by the voters in his Richmond Park constituency at the 2019 election. The PM and Miss Symonds are said to be incensed by a string of allegations about her influence behind the scenes, including claims that she has blocked the appointment of people she dislikes. No 10 pointed the finger for the leaks last week at Dominic Cummings, who she helped oust from government in a power struggle last year. Boris Johnson canvassing with Mr Goldsmith in East Sheen in South West London in June 2019 Last night it was claimed Mr Cummings kept audio recordings of key conversations in government. The former chief adviser is locked in an explosive war of words with Mr Johnson after Downing Street accused him of a string of damaging leaks. No 10 attempted to rubbish his claims on Friday night, saying it was not true that the Prime Minister had discussed ending a leak inquiry after a friend of his Miss Symonds was identified as the likely suspect. But an ally of Mr Cummings said the PM's former chief adviser had taken a treasure trove of material with him when he left Downing Street last year, including audio recordings of discussions with senior ministers and officials. An article in The Mail on Sunday claimed that Miss Symonds had 'pressed for the removal of' Environment Secretary George Eustice (pictured last month) because he was seen as not tough enough on animal welfare issues 'Dom has stuff on tape,' the ally said. 'They are mad to pick a fight with him because he will be able to back up a lot of his claims. 'He used to tell advisers to record things all the time discussions with officials. He has also kept a lot of his correspondence.' A Whitehall source yesterday said officials did not know the full extent of the material Mr Cummings has denied the leaks and has already told MPs that aspects of the Government's approach to Covid went 'catastrophically wrong'. Nomadland star Frances McDormand threw her head back and howled like a wolf Sunday as she accepted the Oscar for best picture. She prefaced the howl with a dedication. We give this one to our Wolf, said McDormand, the 2021 Oscar winner for best actress a producer of the film alongside director Chloe Zhao. Who is Wolf? Michael Wolf Snyder, a Nomadland sound mixer who grew up in Moorestown and went by Wolf. Snyder, 35, died by suicide this past winter and was included in the Oscars In Memoriam segment. Snyders father, psychiatrist David Snyder, discovered his son unconscious at his New York apartment March 1. Announcing his death on social media, he said Michael suffered from major depression. Michael Wolf Snyder worked with Chloe Zhao on "Nomadland" as well as her 2018 film "The Rider." Zhao and "Nomadland" star Frances McDormand both paid tribute to Snyder after his death. Searchlight Pictures For most people, this is an illness that waxes and wanes over the years, Snyder said in a Facebook post. Im sure it was difficult for Michael that he spent most of the last year alone in his small, Queens apartment, being responsible about dealing with the coronavirus. He was certainly thrilled about all of the accolades for Nomadland and told us many happy stories about his work on the film and the amazing people he got to spend time with, Snyder continued. Unfortunately, we believe he was gone before getting to see the Golden Globe awards. Hulus Nomadland is based on the Nomadland book by Jessica Bruder, a journalist who grew up in Montclair. The film also won best motion picture drama at the Globes on Feb. 28, where Zhao won best director. Frances McDormand in a scene that underscores the natural splendor shown in the film. Sounds that give the film its character include passing cars, campfire and gatherings of "nomads."Searchlight Pictures The film, which is inspired by Bruders reporting, is about Americans who hit the road in search of work, ditching rent and real estate to live in vans and RVs, aka wheel estate. McDormand plays a fictional character named Fern, but her story a meditation on grief, growth and community is informed by real events in Bruders book. Real nomads are McDormands co-stars in the film. On Sunday, Zhao made Academy Awards history as just the second woman to win the Oscar for best director and the first woman of color and first Asian woman to win the category. Zhao previously paid tribute to Michael Wolf Snyder at the Critics Choice Awards in March, where she dedicated her award for best director to the Nomadland crew member. Bravely shared just now by my brother, David Snyder, MD, in the hope that the truth might help someone else who is... Posted by Cathy Snyder on Thursday, March 4, 2021 Wolf, an alum of New York University, also worked with Zhao on her 2018 film The Rider. I remember on The Rider, because we only had five people on our crew, and after a really hectic day, Wolf came to me and said, Hey, Chloe, how about I just record room tone a little bit longer than I need so I can buy you some time to think, to hear yourself better? she said. And thats what we did. And we did the same thing on Nomadland, Zhao said. And these were the best moments of our day. The whole crew together, watching Wolf, and he would say, All right, everyone, get ready. Lets go to your Zen place. And we did. So thank you, Wolf. We honor you and well see you down the road, my friend. The down the road quote is from Bob Wells, one of the real-life van-dwellers in Nomadland. Nomadland was nominated for six Oscars and won three: best picture, best actress and best director. The film was released in February in theaters and on Hulu after winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter. Do you have a news tip? Want to share good news story, or do you have information that should see the light of day? Then we want to hear from you. More here Theres so much chatter about California tech companies moving to Texas. While a few have landed in San Antonio, many choose other cities, usually Austin. The avalanche of tech firms moving to, or expanding in, the capital is impressive: Tesla, Apple, Samsung, BAE, Google, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard the list goes on. Its going to be the biggest boomtown that America has seen in 50 years, at least megaboom, Elon Musk, head of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and other companies, said recently on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Megaboom? Can yall send some of that 80 miles south? Compared to Austins megaboom, San Antonios wins seem far and few between. In fact, San Antonio has even lost some tech companies recently. According to the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, the area lost bids to land three tech companies in 2020. Another got out of its real estate leases to go fully remote. While the misses pale in comparison to the trauma of the AT&T headquarters move to Dallas in 2008, they still sting. More like when Cisco Systems bought local cybersecurity firm WheelGroup in 1998 and moved it to Austin just two months later. On April 12, I reported about a New Braunfels-based tech firm, TaskUs, preparing to make an initial public offering. The buried news in that story is that TaskUs recently moved its headquarters from Santa Monica, Calif., to New Braunfels. The New Braunfels decision came despite the company already having 1,160 employees at its leased facility in Rackspace Technologys headquarters in Windcrest. Its the latest on a list of tech companies opting out of what the EDF calls Cyber City, USA. According to the New Braunfels Economic Development Corp., the TaskUs deal was in the works for more than a year. TaskUs didnt respond to my question of why not San Antonio, but there was a hint from a company exec when it opened an office in New Braunfels in 2018. The company had been outgrowing its San Antonio footprint, and with the downtown area falling short on needed employee parking, TaskUs had been looking around for room to grow, he said. The parking argument seemed shaky then, and it might be a different conversation today, especially in light of a pandemic that has more people across many industries working remotely. And its probably only one of the reasons the company opted for New Braunfels. Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, SAEDFs chief executive, said San Antonio and Bexar County didnt offer incentives to TaskUs. TaskUs was interested in New Braunfels because of the access to the talent that New Braunfels had, and then also the real estate play there, she said. From my perspective, the incentive ($300,000 in grants and tax breaks from New Braunfels and Comal County) was simply just icing on top of the cake. Even though TaskUs headquarters didnt land in San Antonio, Saucedo-Herrera sees it as a win in line with the EDFs new regional strategy. This is a great example of how that regional approach plays out. Its certainly not San Antonio or Schertz or New Braunfels competing, she said. If we can get that growth, and those jobs, to stay within the region, or to locate in the region initially, thats a win for us. Not only is it a win for the region we located them here and then they expanded here they doubled down on the region based off access to talent and, obviously, real estate. And, she said, the EDF did help TaskUs connect with Rackspace when it was looking to move from the Finesilver building on Camaron Street. Another tech firm, FunnelAI, made a splash in 2017 when it joined the RealCo accelerator in San Antonio. Apparently things went well for FunnelAI. But after it raised capital and grew here, it left the nest for Austin in the past year. Pat Matthews, founder and CEO of Active Capital, a firm that invested in FunnelAI, declined to comment on its move but said, Many of our companies, regardless of previous headquarters, have gone fully remote. Remote working isnt going away anytime soon, which bodes well for San Antonio. We have the opportunity to benefit from talented people moving from big cities like San Fran, New York and even Austin, Matthews said. Even if we dont get all of the company headquarters, I think we could benefit from individuals who are now working remote and prefer to live in San Antonio since they can now live where they want and work from anywhere. Weve also seen out-of-state companies gobbling up local firms. Most recently, Minnesota-based HelpSystems bought local cyber firms Digital Defense and GlobalScape. While both companies plan to keep their San Antonio operations, the little-spoken truth is that when ownership is somewhere else, it gets easier to make changes especially at the place thats 1,200 miles away. Megaboom aside, its tough to compare San Antonio to the techtropolis to the north. That means we need to be focused both on keeping and growing what we have, and working to bring in more companies that want to be here. Brandon Lingle writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. brandon.lingle@express-news.net China hands over emergency food assistance to Afghanistan Xinhua) 09:30, April 26, 2021 KABUL, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China has handed over a batch of emergency food assistance to Afghanistan. The assistance was handed over to Afghan State Minister for Disaster Management Ghulam Bahaudin Jailani by Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu during a ceremony in Kabul on Sunday. Wang said China and Afghanistan are good neighbors, friends and partners who have always maintained good-neighborly friendship and mutual assistance. China has provided more than 13,000 tons of food aid to Afghanistan in recent years, benefiting millions of people across the country, Wang said. To fight COVID-19, China has provided several batches of medical supplies to Afghanistan and will donate vaccine doses soon, the ambassador noted. Meanwhile, China encourages Chinese companies to actively participate in the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, so that the achievement of China-Afghanistan cooperation in building the Belt and Road will benefit the people of both countries, he added. At present, the Afghan peace and reconciliation process is at the critical and important stage. China has always supported the "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" principle, and will work with the international community to support and help Afghanistan for a better future, Wang said. Jailani expressed his gratitude to China's timely assistance, saying such aid represented the long-standing friendship between the two countries. He also pledged to distribute the food provided by China to the Afghans in need as soon as possible in a transparent and fair manner. It is hoped that the two countries will continue to deepen cooperation in the humanitarian field in the future, Jailani added. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 01:26:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's COVID-19 tally rose to 509,465 on Monday as 102 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours. The death toll rose to 8,999 with seven new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 400 people are in intensive care units, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 495,408 after 146 new ones were added, the statement said. The COVID-19 fatality rate in Morocco stands at 1.8 percent while the recovery rate is 97.2 percent. Meanwhile, 4,731,440 people have received so far the first vaccine shot against COVID-19 in the country, and 4,219,876 people have received the second dose. The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines. The campaign will be extended from Tuesday to those aged between 55 and 60, the ministry announced on Monday. Enditem There have been many columnists for The New York Times, many of whom I have only heard or read about, some legendary in their skill and influence. One of those who came before me was a man named Thomas Wicker, a Southerner like myself. Hed been the lone Times reporter accompanying President John F. Kennedy on a trip to Dallas, and dictated the details of the assassination from a phone booth. Wicker, who wrote under the byline Tom Wicker, went on to inherit the column of the retiring Arthur Krock, whom The Times called the dean of Washington pundits, who had covered every president since Calvin Coolidge. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act, one of the seminal pieces of civil rights legislation in the history of this country, was signed into law. Soon after, in August of that year, Wicker penned a most prescient column, one I have recalled often, which contained some wise caution, but also some naive optimism. In it he wrote: But since at best the Negroes can make themselves no more than a minority of the Southern electorate, Democratic leaders here are apprehensive on two counts. The least likely is the possibility that the Republican Party, newly resurgent in the South, might seek to isolate Negroes in a hapless Democratic Party and turn itself into a larger white mans party. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 06:16:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for efforts to promote the political settlement of the Abyei issue and for international humanitarian and development assistance. At present, the situation in Abyei, a territory contested by Sudan and South Sudan, is stable on the whole, thanks to efforts of Sudan and South Sudan, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations. Both Sudan and South Sudan have made positive progress in their domestic political processes, creating a favorable atmosphere for the political settlement of the Abyei issue, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. All parties should work together toward a political settlement. Sudan and South Sudan have the ownership of the Abyei question, and are expected to increase inputs in its solution by making speedy progress in establishing a joint institution, he told the Security Council, adding that China supports the AU's mediation efforts. Peaceful coexistence between the Misseriya and Ngok Dinka communities is the inevitable course toward maintaining stability in Abyei and resolving its final status. It is imperative to safeguard the rights and interests of the two communities and to promote dialogue, he said. Humanitarian aid and development hold a key to solving the current crisis. Abyei has been plagued by weak infrastructure, harsh living conditions, massive displacement of people, and yawning gaps in humanitarian needs, only to be exacerbated by COVID-19, said Dai. The international community should provide targeted assistance to help strengthen local health and education capacity building, increase investment in infrastructure development, and help the local people effectively fight the pandemic, he said. Enditem Caitlyn Jenner announced her bid for Governor of California on April 23 and is already taking to twitter to make her stance known on a cause very close to Kim Kardashian's heart: prison reform. As part of her 'Cait for California' push, she fired off a tweet about 'dangerous criminals' in the streets that reportedly 'disturbed Kim' per TMZ as her viewpoint undermines the SKIMS founder's work. 'This is horrible and also avoidable. Gavin's District Attorneys across California are releasing dangerous criminals back on to our streets. Enough is enough. #RecallGavin,' she wrote. Opposite sides: Kim Kardashian reportedly 'disturbed' by Caitlyn Jenner's tweets about prison reform as she fires off 'tough on crime' tweet about 'dangerous criminals'; seen in 2020 Tough on crime: The Cait for California campaign seems to take a harsh stance that stands in contrast to the work Kim's done It has been claimed in the past that the KKW Beauty founder finds Caitlyn's approach which is reminiscent of former president Donald Trumps' more detrimental, as it uses more of taxpayer's money and does not get to the root of why people commit crime in the first place. The outlet had previously reported that neither Kim nor her famous family would publicly endorse Caitlyn's bid. Jenner's right-leaning politics clash with Kim's approach to prison reform makes this even more polarizing. Kim actually agrees more with Newsom's approach to crime which favors rehabilitation and support for prisoners re-entering society, in addition to investing in crime prevention. And in the past she had said she was 'very supportive of Governor Newsom' and his work to remove the death penalty in California. He ordered a moratorium on executions in spring of 2019. 'Very supportive': And in the past Kim had said she was 'very supportive of Governor Newsom' and his work to remove the death penalty in California Firm stance: The I Am Cait stars firm stance with regards to crime completely contrasts all the work In agreeance: Kim actually agrees more with Newsom's approach to crime which favors rehabilitation and support for prisoners re-entering society, in addition to investing in crime prevention Round of applause: The SKIMS founder applauded Newsom's executive order to halt the death penalty 'I have met with and am very supportive of Governor Newsom and his decision to help bring an end to the California Death Penalty. Racial bias and unfairness run deep throughout the justice system but especially when it comes to the death penalty,' she wrote in March 2019. Jenner on the other hand has wasted no time laying into Newsom yet again even referring to him as the 'CEO of the state,' as he doubled down on crime in the street in response to congressman Ted Lieu who tried to point out that DAs are elected. To make matters worse, the famous sisters continue to promote their various brands and products on social media, with none of them even publicly acknowledging Caitlyn's campaign. By Kalonji Johnson Our mission at the Department of State is to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians through professional licensure. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was clear that we needed to act quickly to carry out our mission and ensure that Pennsylvanians continued to receive the health care and services they needed during a constantly evolving global crisis. The emergency disaster declaration has allowed us and those we license including nearly 500,000 health care professionals to continue serving commonwealth citizens through various temporary regulation waivers. The purpose of these waivers has been to reduce administrative barriers that would have otherwise stood in the way of responding to the pandemic. Since March 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of State has received approval for nearly 100 waivers of licensing regulations under the Governors COVID-19 Emergency Disaster Declaration. Focused on essential public health and safety needs and licensing requirements, the departments staff has worked with board members and other stakeholders throughout the commonwealth to identify the waivers that would quickly and safely free up every available healthcare professional who wanted to assist in any way, including retirees, military and out-of-state practitioners. Many of the waivers are specific to licensees, and while Pennsylvanians may not know about all of them, they are undoubtedly directly or indirectly benefitting from them. For example, the department extended multiple licensing renewal deadlines so that practitioners such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals could focus on treating patients during the pandemic. In addition, there are two types of waivers that have directly touched the lives of nearly every Pennsylvanian: a waiver that allows telemedicine, and more than a dozen waivers that allow more healthcare professionals to administer COVID-19 vaccines. If you have had a virtual visit with your doctor over the past year without having to leave home, you have benefited from the telemedicine waiver. In the early days of the pandemic, telemedicine was especially critical as cases were rising and measures such as social distancing were just being implemented. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 41% of adults in the U.S. avoided medical care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine is an option for patients to keep up with routine care while consulting their doctor from home. As the pandemic has evolved, the Department of State has kept up with the changing needs of licensed professionals and the public. Since December 2020, the department began issuing waivers related to COVID-19 vaccines. These waivers expanded the authority of healthcare professionals already licensed to administer vaccines and increased the number of professionals who could be temporarily licensed to assist at events like the mass vaccination clinics going on across the commonwealth. The temporary waivers that the Department of State has issued in the past 13 months have had positive benefits for licensees and in turn for all Pennsylvanians. None of this would have been possible without the governors emergency disaster declaration. From visiting with our doctors from home via telemedicine to getting vaccinated against COVID-19, we have all directly and indirectly been helped by Pennsylvanias ability to respond to this pandemic rapidly and flexibly. Kalonji Johnson is Commissioner, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Pennsylvania Department of State Montana passes state Religious Freedom Restoration Act despite opposition from 250 companies Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Montana passed a state-level version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, joining nearly two dozen other states with similar religious freedom protections. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 215 on Thursday, requiring that state agencies will need to show a "compelling governmental interest" to interfere with a persons religious beliefs. A spokesperson for the Governor's Office told the Montana Standard on Thursday that Gianforte signed the bill to protect the freedom of people of all faiths to exercise their sincerely held religious beliefs. Montana joins 21 other states with RFRA laws, where it has historically been used to allow Native American children to wear braids in school, Sikhs to wear turbans in the military, and Christian employers to refuse to cover abortions under their health insurance policies, the spokesperson said. Under the RFRA bill, state action should not burden exercise of religion without compelling justification and through the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest. The bill is modeled off of the federal RFRA law passed by Congress in 1993 with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. That bill was signed into law by Democrat President Bill Clinton. Matt Sharp, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which actively supported the legislation, celebrated the passage. This law provides a sensible balancing test for courts to use when reviewing government policies that infringe upon the religious freedom rights of Montanans, said Sharp. The law doesnt automatically decide who will win every disagreement, but it does ensure that every Montanan regardless of belief system or political power receives a fair hearing when government action forces a person to violate his or her religious beliefs. Although the Montana RFRA makes no mention of sexual orientation or gender identity, many claimed that the legislation will lead to discrimination against the LGBT community and others. In an action alert, the Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union claimed that the RFRA law would allow religious schools to fire unmarried pregnant teachers, businesses to deny insurance coverage for birth control products and bakeries to refuse catering gay weddings. This measure could undermine non-discrimination, child welfare, public safety, and public health laws and set Montana up for a flood of expensive litigation from those who claim they have a religious right to violate these laws, the progressive legal nonprofit group stated. In March, more than 250 national and Montana-based businesses, including Amazon, Google Molson Coors Beverage Co. and Verizon, signed a letter in protest against this and other pieces of legislation they argue will unnecessarily single out already marginalized groups for more mistreatment, harassment, and discrimination. New Delhi : The wonders of trade and social media are seen at full flow when on Monday, one of India's most prestegious brand reached out to the state owned Indian Railways (IR) with a business proposition. Amul's communications department took to micro blogging site Twitter to reach out to the Ministry of Railways to use its refrigerated parcel vans to transport Amul Butter across India. Please give name & contact detail of persons concerned , Our team will meet them @Gmwrly Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 23, 2017 The reply of the Indian Railways was rather prompt on Twitter and quoted the by saying,"IR will be utterly butterly delighted to get the taste of India to every Indian," the ministry's handle @RailMinIndia tweeted. IR will be utterly butterly delighted to get the taste of India to every Indian. https://t.co/dwUGzcBhBi Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 23, 2017 It should be noted that IR is very active on various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as a part of its passenger outreach exercise and constant endeavour to improvement of service. But instances of receiving a business proposition with the help of such platforms may be a rarity. As per official sources in the Ministry of Railways, most of the refrigerated parcel vans are lying defunct eversince the services has been introduced few years back. The purpose of the refrigerated van service is to carry perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, frozen meats/poultry and chocolates. However, this service exists only on specific routes. "We would certainly like to capture this traffic. Let us see what can be done," the official added. The senior divisional manager of the Ahmedabad Division will meet officials from Amul tomorrow to discuss further on the proposal. The South Western Railway has some refrigerated vans, they can be repaired and used by the Railways to assist Amul. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Filmmaker Chloe Zhaos Best Director Oscar win will not be celebrated in her birth country of China as politics gets in the way. The 39-year-old American-Chinese director is the first woman of colour to ever win the award for her work in the 2020 film Nomadland. When film magazine Watch Movies announced Zhaos win on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo, the post was censored a few hours later. Additionally, a hashtag Chloe Zhao wins Best Director was also censored on the platform showing an error message saying: According to relevant laws and regulations and policies, the page is not found. In her acceptance speech, the director said: This is for anyone who has the faith and courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves and in each other. This is for you; you inspire me to keep going. She likewise quoted a 13th-century Chinese poem, that she memorised as a child, titled: People are good at birth. Even though Chinese media did not acknowledge Zhaos historic win, locals took to the internet to congratulate her. One user posted a photograph of Zhao on Twitter with the caption: Its so good to hear Korean and Chinese being spoken at the Oscars. Comic Jenny Yang wrote: The three character classical Chinese poem?!?! Chloe Zhao really out here telling them how we were raised. One commentator wrote on Weibo: The four words of: Oscar, Chinese, female, and director, are finally connected in this moment, forming a very proud sentence. When Zhao won a Golden Globe for the best director category in March, she faced immense backlash as Chinese individuals started questioning whether or not she should be called Chinese. They also accused her of insulting her home country by commenting on the Chinese political framework. Reuters reported that a live stream of the ceremony hosted by Zhaos team ran into Chinas Great Firewall in Shanghai where the service was blocked for a little under two hours. They cut the VPN, event organizer Kevin Ke said. Media in China is strictly controlled by the ruling party through self-censorship and any online criticism about the authorities can result in cancelling and boycotts of brands and entertainers. A worker at a factory at Tema Community 20 in the Greater Accra Region has been found dead in the machine he was working with. The mutilated body of Emmanuel Azanmessou was found stuck in the machine last Thursday. A manager of the company, who pleaded anonymity, told the Daily Graphic that a metal from the running machine must have struck Azanmessou's head. The body of the 23-year-old worker has since been deposited at the Police Hospital in Accra. Investigations The Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic, and said officials of the company reported to the police that Azanmessou was found in the gum making machine about 10:10 a.m. last Thursday. She said police investigators went to the scene and found the body in the mixing machine. Preliminary investigations, she said, revealed that he might have failed to switch off the machine during some routine operations around it as required by the safety procedures of the company. As a result, the right arm of Azanmessou got stuck in the gum, and in the process of disentangling himself, his right arm got severed. When Azanmessou was found, his head and left arm had also been damaged severely. The police removed the body from the machine and conveyed it to the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy. Workplace hazard, safety Researchers, Dr Kwesi Amponsah-Tawiah and Dr Kwasi Dartey-Baah, in a publication on occupational health and safety in Ghana, estimated that the annual number of factory-related accidents and illnesses was more than two million. Some of these accidents were reported to arise due to exposure to workplace hazards, including cutting equipment, operation of machinery, collision with objects, falls, burns and contact with corrosive chemicals. 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 SAN FRANCISCO At a confab for tech and media moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho, in July 2019, Timothy D. Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook sat down to repair their fraying relationship. For years, the chief executives had met annually at the conference, which was held by the investment bank Allen & Company, to catch up. But this time, Facebook was grappling with a data privacy scandal. Mr. Zuckerberg had been blasted by lawmakers, regulators and executives including Mr. Cook for letting the information of more than 50 million Facebook users be harvested by a voter-profiling firm, Cambridge Analytica, without their consent. At the meeting, Mr. Zuckerberg asked Mr. Cook how he would handle the fallout from the controversy, people with knowledge of the conversation said. Mr. Cook responded acidly that Facebook should delete any information that it had collected about people outside of its core apps. Mr. Zuckerberg was stunned, said the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. Facebook depends on data about its users to target them with online ads and to make money. By urging Facebook to stop gathering that information, Mr. Cook was in effect telling Mr. Zuckerberg that his business was untenable. He ignored Mr. Cooks advice. A new London-based business is promising to support a diverse portfolio of managing general agencies (MGAs) with resources, as well as back office services and custom technology. NuVenture International Ltd., formed by industry veteran Andy Colbran in a strategic partnership with Xceedance, hopes to attract underwriting teams and influence change in the MGA market, based on a culture of transparency with capacity providers. Within the NuVenture enterprise, the interests of MGA founders and their financial rewards are inextricably linked to the value they create for capacity providers, the announcement said. With funding provided by NuVenture, founding underwriters will have a significant equity stake in their MGAs and be able to use MGA-customised technology from Xceedance that gives them 24/7 access to their underwriting data. With the right investment in technology and extensive professional services support, Ive long believed the MGA model can bring great value to brokers, capacity providers, and clients, said Colbran, founder and CEO, NuVenture. Additionally, by using relevant data sources, MGAs can effectively streamline the underwriting process without compromising on quality. He said NuVentures first MGAs will be operational within the next month and he aims to want to build a pipeline of experienced underwriters and businesspeople to join NuVenture in the coming months and years. Source: NuVenture Topics Mergers Tech London Insurance Wholesale Australia Calls Nations of the World to Pray & Fast for the USA 30 April - 6 May 2021 NEWS PROVIDED BY National Day of Prayer & Fasting April 26, 2021 UNANDERRA, Australia, April 26, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Australia, for the 9th year. is calling the nations of the world to join with them in 7 days of prayer and fasting for the United States of America, from 30 April - 6 May 2021. May 6 is America's National Day of Prayer. The theme is "LIFE, LOVE & LIBERTY" 2 Corinthians 3:17. www.nationaldayofprayer.org April 30 is America's National Day of Repentance. www.dayofrepentance1.org Promo YouTube Video: youtu.be/0NEOI7J-ysw The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of America's heritage as is the USA Day of Repentance. The first national call to prayer was in 1775 when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation. Commissioner James Condon, Chairman of the Australian National Day of Prayer & Fasting team, said, "We have been praying and fasting on an annual basis since 2013 for revival and transformation for USA, according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. We believe in faith our prayers, and the prayers of other nations are making a difference. God is good!" Andrew Scarborough, a member of the Australian National Day of Prayer and Fasting team said, "Both America and Australia desperately need to return to come back to God in repentance and humility. It is significant that these 7 days of Prayer and Fasting mark the beginning of GO21 in the month of May, a call for the Christians of the world to pray and share the Gospel with 5 people in the month of May. The simple goal is to reach a billion people with God's love. We encourage each believer to accept the 'Hope Story Challenge' and share a video of their testimony online. Let us pray for the release of the gospel." Ps Warwick Marsh, also from the Australian National Day of Prayer and Fasting team, said, "We in Australia are grateful for the protection that America gave Australia and the nations of the free world during World War II. As a nation under God, USA is in a spiritual battle for its very survival. We and the nations of the world now join with them in this battle too." SOURCE National Day of Prayer & Fasting CONTACT: James Condon: 61 478 301 468 Andrew Scarborough: 61 456 478 935 Warwick Marsh: 61 418 225 212 Related Links National Day of Prayer & Fasting. www.nationaldayofprayer.org.au Hope Story Challenge: www.hopestorychallenge.com Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. New Study: Majority of Websites Currently Fail to Meet User Experience Requirements in Google?s Forthcoming Core Web Vitals Update Searchmetrics research suggests 96% of sites in desktop searches and over 90% of those in mobile searches currently fail to meet Google?s three Core Web Vitals usability thresholds San Mateo/London April 20, 2021 ? New research suggests most websites that rank in Google?s top 20 search results do not currently pass the minimum requirements for a good page experience set out in the search engine?s new Core Web Vitals update which officially rolls out from mid-June [1]. 96% of sites tested in US desktop searches and more than 90% of those in mobile searches fail to meet Google?s three Core Web Vitals thresholds for good website performance and usability and risk their rankings being negatively impacted from June. Currently only the top 2 or 3 ranking websites in search results achieve the required ?good? score in most of the Core Web Vitals metrics according to the analysis by Searchmetrics. The study which analyzed over 2 million web pages appearing in the top 20 Google results in the US, UK and Germany, reveals that there is already a positive relationship [2] between pages that rank higher and those that perform well on Core Web Vitals metrics (suggesting Google already rewards sites that offer better usability). Once the update officially rolls out, the Core Web Vitals are likely to have even more influence on page rankings according to Searchmetrics. One notable exception to the general trend of the early findings was Google-owned YouTube, which was currently found to rank high in searches despite performing poorly for the Core Web Vitals related to speed of loading and responsiveness. This may change when the update officially rolls out in June, but YouTube might possibly be gaining an advantage from its strong brand recognition which is helping it overcome individual negative usability issues. On the other hand, online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, currently performs well for all the Core Web Vitals metrics ? it might be a good example of the type of user experience others should be aiming for. Its good scores are related to its lightweight approach to web design, using mainly text and optimized images and the fact that it avoids using too much dynamic content such as ads which can jump around on the page and create a negative experience. What are Core Web Vitals? Google is introducing Core Web Vitals to assess real-world web user experience in three areas: how quickly the content on a page loads, its responsiveness (the time taken to respond to a visitor?s first interaction, such as clicking on a button or a link) and its visual stability (does the layout or content jump around). These signals will be included in Google?s search algorithm with the search engine aiming to deliver a ranking boost to web pages that are delivering a good experience. ?The Google Core Web Vitals update is in many ways a response to websites not really living up to user expectations. It?s a clear message to website owners that not putting users first may have a negative effect on rankings,? said Marcus Tober, Founder and Chief Evangelist at Searchmetrics. ?Our initial findings suggest that there?s a lot of work to do for most websites to get their usability up to par. And, of course, ecommerce and other enterprises need to be aware that a good user experience will not just influence their Google rankings but have a positive business impact, it can help to drive conversions and encourage visitors to stay onsite longer, engage and keep returning.? According to Searchmetrics among the reasons behind the poor user experience highlighted by the study is the rise of ?Code Bloat? or unnecessary code on webpages built using templates included within website builders such as WordPress and Wix, as well additional code in web plugins, all of which slows pages down and creates optimization challenges. Another issue is dynamic content such as ads and newsletter opt-in boxes which can cause the layout of pages to shift if they are not implemented properly. The comprehensive study by Searchmetrics aims to offers a snapshot of how websites are performing ahead of the Core Web Vitals update. Five key findings based on the US findings of the research include: 1. Only sites ranked 1-3 deliver a good user experience for loading important page content quickly (Largest Contentful Paint) Largest Contentful Paint measures the time it takes for the largest image or block of text to become visible when a user clicks onto a page. For a good user experience, Google suggests this should happen within the first 2.5 seconds. But of the top 20 ranking websites in search results, only the first 3 positions are below this threshold. The average time for pages listed in the top 20 positions is 3 seconds (21.3% slower than Google?s benchmark). 2. Most sites can?t pass the test for controlling shifting elements on their pages (Cumulative Layout Shift) Cumulative Layout Shift tracks how much the elements on a page jump about or shift creating a negative user experience. And the analysis indicates most sites perform poorly on this. Google specifies a score below 0.1 as ?good?, while below 0.25 ?needs improvement? ? everything else is ?poor?. The main causes of layout shifts include dynamic content and media pop-outs such as ?subscribe now? boxes or ads. According to the data, only the position zero results (featured snippets) which Google places above the traditional organic results to provide quick answers to factual queries, achieves a ?good? score. Position one is close, but all other search results fall into the ?poor? bracket (below 0.25). The average score or the top 20 results is 0.38 (275.6% worse than Google?s required ?good? rating). 3. Majority of sites fall short of Google?s benchmark for good responsiveness (First Input Delay) First Input Delay measures the time it takes for a page to respond to a visitor interaction such as someone clicking on a button or a link. Because this can only be measured if a user actually interacts with a page, Google suggests using the Total Blocking Time (TBT) as a good proxy measurement. TBT assesses the total time taken by tasks that stop the user interacting with a page (such as retrieving images, videos, scripts etc). And the research suggests that the top 5 ranking results have an average total blocking time of 554 milliseconds ? 84.6% slower than Google?s ?good? benchmark of 300 milliseconds (the average for top 20 search results is 136.7% slower that the benchmark). Only sites that appear in the top 2 rankings are consistently below Google?s ?good? performance threshold, implying that there are a lot of asset-heavy websites with long loading tasks that delay user responsiveness. 4. YouTube ranks high despite currently showing poor Core Web Vitals YouTube was found to currently have poor Core Web Vitals scores around speed of loading (LCP) and responsiveness (FID). If other websites performed as badly, they would be judged to be offering a low-quality user experience. But YouTube is ranking high despite this, most likely because of the platform?s overwhelming popularity, which helps it deliver positive user signals. Most other sites could not afford to score so low on individual user experience metrics because they do not have the luxury of YouTube?s extreme brand recognition according to Searchmetrics. 5. Wikipedia could be the ?Poster Boy? of the new Core Web Vitals update Wikipedia currently meets or surpasses Google?s Core Web Vitals performance thresholds across almost all metrics, meaning it could serve as a good example to the web community. The encyclopaedia site?s lightweight approach to web design, using mainly text and optimized images means it tends to have a low score for Largest Contentful Paint on many web pages. It also has good responsiveness with a Total Blocking Time of 0 on a lot of pages which it achieves by avoiding long loading tasks created by plugins, excessive JavaScript or large video files. And because it uses a relatively fixed layout for the vast majority of its pages and limits dynamic content with no ads, it does not suffer from content or layouts jumping around. Searchmetrics? full whitepaper, ?CORE WEB VITALS Study ? April 2021? includes detailed explanations, data, insights and advice ahead of the Core Web Vitals update. In addition to the new Core Web Vitals, it includes an analysis of the impact on rankings of a broader set of page experience metrics that Google considers important. Download the study here: https://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-hub/studies/core-web-vitals-study-april-2021/?utm_source=public-relations&utm_medium=external-media&utm_campaign=2021-04-en-study-core-web-vitals-april-2021 [1] Google originally announced that Core Web Vitals would roll out in May but has since delayed the roll out until mid-June 2021 https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/04/more-details-page-experience [2] CWV metrics have positive correlation coefficients, ranging from 0.04 to 0.20. About the study Searchmetrics crawled over 2 million URLs, crunched the numbers, and performed correlation analysis across the top 20 organic Google search positions. in three countries: the USA, UK and Germany. The keywords were filtered based on relevance and the regional keyword sets were kept as distinct as possible. Core Web Vitals and other performance metrics for the search results were measured by accessing the PageSpeed and Lighthouse APIs. Once the data had been gathered, Searchmetrics performed a correlation analysis to calculate a correlation coefficient for each performance metric this value gives an impression of whether a good score in the selected metric is associated with good page rankings. Simple averages for the top 20 and top 5 positions were calculated per metric, as well as how close these values are to Google?s benchmarks. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 20:55:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Peerzada Arshad Hamid NEW DELHI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- India in the past days has witnessed a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases, placing mounting pressure on the populous country's already overburdened healthcare system. In this South Asian country, patients gasped at the crowded, crisis-hit hospitals, where a shortage of medicines as well as non-availability of beds and oxygen continued to be worsened. People cried for help as their family members lay motionless inside cars, on stretchers and in beds. Amid the overwhelming outbreak, the international community has extended a helping hand to India. China, for example, said on Friday it "is ready to provide support and help according to India's need, and is in communication with the Indian side on this." Meanwhile, the United States has triggered mounting anger on social media for its behavior of hoarding vaccines. MISPLACED FAITH On Sunday, India's COVID-19 tally reached 16,960,172 with 349,691 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours. This is the fourth consecutive day when over 300,000 daily cases were registered in the country. India's federal government has been caught off guard despite warnings of a possible second wave. It launched the first vaccination drive against the coronavirus on Jan. 16. Healthcare and frontline workers were then inoculated, followed by those above 60 years of age or 45 years with co-morbidities. However, about two months into the drive and having vaccinated just more than 20 million out of the country's more than 1.38-billion population, the government claimed it was in the "endgame" of the ongoing epidemic. When new infections showed an upward trend, India seemed to have lowered the guard, resuming activities similar to the pre-pandemic phase, like the re-opening of cinema halls, malls, bars and restaurants to full capacity, as well as the allowing of religious festivals, sporting events, etc., which saw full participation. Images of the public flouting COVID-19 protocol and taking a ritual bath in the Ganges river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand drew caution from health experts to call off the event, a suggestion scorned by the local government. In five states, the country went ahead to conduct elections, allowing election rallies, which witnessed huge participation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held huge rallies across the election-bound states and addressed the jam-packed audience without wearing a face mask. In an election rally in West Bengal, Modi said it was heartening to see people all around wherever he looked. "We had misplaced faith in illusory herd immunity and unrealistic mathematical models which were over-optimistic," said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). "The urgency to revive the economy made policymakers across the country believe this and people too welcomed a return to an unrestrained life." "Very few governments across India planned for a second wave. So, old neglect of the health system and recent indifference to planning resulted in the serious challenges that health systems are facing," he added. "WE ARE HELPLESS" The situation in India was a "devastating reminder" of what the deadly disease could do, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With a new "double mutant" variant named B.1.617, the ongoing devastating second wave of outbreak has wreaked havoc across the country. In the past weeks, social media in India have been flooded with doctors breaking down. Some urged the public to take precautions and home remedies to avoid hospitalisation. A nadir was reached when hospitals announced dwindling oxygen supplies, urging attendants to take their patients to other facilities. "We are helpless. Have never seen such a situation before. People are panicking," Dr. Trupti Gilada, a specialist in infectious diseases from Mumbai, can be heard in her five-minute video post as saying while breaking down and wiping tears. "We have to manage so many patients. Critically ill patients are being treated at home because there are no beds and we are not enjoying this," she added. On the evening of April 16, Vinay Srivastava, a journalist from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh who contracted COVID-19, pleaded for a hospital bed and took to social media to inform audience about his deteriorating condition until his oxygen level fell down and he died. Hospitals one after another in the Indian capital reported that their oxygen supplies have been exhausted and sought immediate intervention of the government in replenishing them. On April 25, 20 COVID-19 patients admitted at the Jaipur Golden Hospital died from a shortage of oxygen. One day before, at least 25 critical patients admitted at New Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital died under similar circumstances. The oxygen crunch came at a time when the supplies of Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug, vanished. Local media carried reports about the shortage of Remdesivir in hospitals, sale of the injections in the black market, and arrest of people at the hands of local police for trying to sell it at exorbitant rates. When deaths spiked, crematoria were overwhelmed. They worked round-the-clock to keep up with the pace of bodies arriving. Relatives had to wait with the bodies of their dear ones outside crematoria for their turn. Though the authorities said the situation is under control, disturbing images of mass cremation and burning funeral pyres have hogged headlines. Reports said that in the Indian state of Gujarat, gas and firewood furnaces at crematoria have been running so long without a break that metal parts have begun to melt. TOUGH FIGHT To augment the supply of oxygen, the Indian government has decided to run special trains to ferry oxygen and import 50,000 MT of medical oxygen. It also announced that import duty was removed from Remdesivir active pharmaceutical ingredients, injection and specific substances used in the manufacture of Remdesivir. The federal government has asked all states to ensure judicious use of Remdesivir, stop the black marketing or hoarding of drugs and facilitate the smooth inter-state supplies of medicines. As hospitals continue to turn away seriously ill patients, pharmacies struggle to supply basic medicines such as Paracetamol or Favipiravir, an antiviral tablet approved for treating mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. "What is happening around us is soul crushing," said Dr. Indu Bhushan, former CEO of Ayushman Bharat, an Indian government agency providing national healthcare coverage. "Everyone I know has at least one COVID-19 positive family member or has one who died of COVID-19," he added. "I dread receiving calls from family or friends these days as mostly it is to seek help in finding a bed. In most cases I have failed." "We need to build a futuristic health security system that integrates the one health approach, strong surveillance platforms, and an autonomous agency to coordinate public health actions," said Giridhara R Babu, head of lifecourse epidemiology at the PHFI, in an interview with a local newspaper. "So far, there is no empirical evidence to suggest whether eliminating COVID-19 is feasible in any near term," he added. With the case surge in India, countries across the world have expressed their concern and offered to extend a helping hand. "China expresses sincere sympathies to India over the deteriorating situation in the country recently. The Chinese government and people firmly support the Indian government and people in fighting the coronavirus," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday during a press briefing. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed solidarity with India, saying they must fight together this global challenge confronting humanity. "Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood and the world," Khan wrote on social media. France, Australia and the European Union have also come out to help India in its anti-virus fight. Saudi Arabia has shipped 80 MT of liquid oxygen to India. In this chorus of unity, the United States has hit a wrong note. "Anti-U.S. and anti-Western sentiment exploded across social media with growing criticism directed at the Biden-Harris administration for sitting on stockpiles of unused vaccines and jealously guarding patents," the Times of India said Sunday in a report. It added that Washington has turned a deaf ear to the severe epidemic situation in countries like India and Brazil, which rank second and third respectively in the global chart of infections. Citing a report by the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, the media noted that the United States will have "an oversupply of up to 300 million or more vaccine doses as soon as July," while many developing countries have to wait for years before they can complete mass vaccination. This behavior is "undermining the WHO's effort to forestall vaccine inequity," it added. Enditem A medical worker wears a protective suit at a locked down neighborhood in Quang Tri Province, August 8, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Tao. Three people in the central province of Quang Tri have been quarantined after coming in contact with a coronavirus case in Laos. Nguyen Tang, chairman of Dong Ha Town Peoples Committee in the province, on Monday said the three, aged 35-53, were drivers who had traveled from a border gate in Dakrong District to an industrial complex in Dong Ha. On April 21, they were doing their usual jobs, exchanging goods and switching vehicles entering from Laos. During the process, however, they made contact with a person who was later identified as a coronavirus case in Laos, said Tang. The three have now been quarantined at the Quang Tri Technical College, showing no symptoms of fever, coughing or breathing difficulties. Those that had come in close contact with the drivers have been requested to isolate themselves at home. Quang Tri has two border gates with Laos. For goods to be exchanged, transport vehicles must exchange drivers at the border. Since February, Quang Tri border guards have installed 84 monitoring stations with around 405 personnel to keep watch over 179 kilometers of the Vietnam-Laos border. Within last Friday and Saturday alone, Quang Tri border guards had arrested nine illegal entrants from Laos. Laos, which reported only a small number of cases from the pandemic last year, is undergoing a surge, jumping from 58 cases to 323 in less than a week. Its former capital city Luang Prabang has been locked down starting Sunday, just three days after capital Vientianne entered lockdown in an effort to contain the new Covid wave. New Delhi: India has ordered its armed forces to help tackle surging new coronavirus infections, as nations including Britain, Germany and the United States pledged urgent medical aid to try to contain an emergency overwhelming the countrys hospitals. The situation in the worlds second most populous country is beyond heartbreaking, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday (local time), adding that WHO is sending extra staff and supplies including oxygen concentrator devices. Family members perform the last rites for a COVID-19 victim at a crematorium in Jammu, India on Sunday. Credit:AP In a meeting with Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said oxygen would be sent to hospitals from armed forces reserves and retired medical military personnel would join COVID-19 health facilities. Where possible, military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians, a government statement said, as new coronavirus infections hit a record peak for a fifth day. BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Tajik ambassador and handed him a note protesting the detainment of two Kyrgyz men by Tajik authorities near a disputed segment of the border between the two countries. The ministry said on April 26 that Deputy Foreign Minister Nurlan Niyazaliev met with Tajik Ambassador Nazirmad Alizoda to express his concerns over the detainment of the two residents of Kyrgyzstans southern Batken region. "The Kyrgyz side has called upon the Tajik side to undertake immediate measures to find out all of the circumstances of the incident, hold all individuals responsible for the situation accountable, and inform the Kyrgyz side about the results," the ministry said in a statement. The statement added that Bishkek is ready to cooperate with Dushanbe in efforts to "form conditions in the areas close to the border to secure peace, safety, a friendly neighborhood, and stability." The two Kyrgyz nationals disappeared in the Batken region's Leilek district on April 24 while constructing a house close to a disputed segment of border. It later turned out that the missing men had been detained by Tajik law enforcement. On April 25, the men were released and handed to Kyrgyzstan. Earlier in April, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said during his visit to Tajikistan's Vorukh exclave within Kyrgyzstan that agreements on almost half of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border have been reached during more than 100 rounds of negotiations between Dushanbe and Bishkek since work on border delimitation started in 2002. Many border areas in Central Asia's former Soviet republics have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the volatile Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan meet. In recent years there have been numerous incidents along the border which in some cases involved deadly gunfire. Indonesian President, Joko Widodo expressed his "deep condolences" to the 53 crew members from a submarine that sank and broke apart last week. Indonesias military on Sunday officially said all crew members aboard the submarine had died and that search teams had located the vessel's wreckage on the ocean floor. The grim announcement came a day after Indonesia said the submarine was considered sunk, not merely missing, but did not explicitly say whether the crew was dead. Officials previously said the KRI Nanggala 402's oxygen supply would have run out early Saturday, three days after the vessel went missing off the resort island of Bali. "They are the best sons of the nation, the best patriots guarding the sovereignty of the country," Widodo said in a televised address. "Their devotion will continue to be imprinted in the hearts of all Indonesian citizens." The cause of the submarines sinking remains uncertain. The navy previously said an electrical failure could have left the submarine unable to execute emergency procedures to resurface. Widodo also paid tribute to a brigadier general who was killed in an ongoing clash between security forces and a rebel group in restive Papua province. Papuas intelligence agency chief Brig. Gen. Gusti Putu Danny Nugraha was shot in his head and died in a rebel ambush, said Col. Iqbal Alqudusy, the Operation Nemangkawis spokesperson. Flanked by the vice president and chiefs of military, police and intelligence agency, Widodo ordered government forces to hunt down the rebels. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed Covid-19 preparations and operations being undertaken by the Armed Forces to deal with the pandemic. The Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat briefed Modi that all medical personnel from armed forces who have retired or taken pre-mature retirement in the last two years are being recalled to work in Covid facilities in the proximity of their present place of residence. Other medical officers who retired earlier have also been requested to make their services available for consultation through medical emergency help lines. The Prime Minister was also informed that all medical officers on staff appointments at Command headquarters, Corps headquarters, Division headquarters and similar headquarters of Navy and Air-Force will be employed at hospitals. The CDS informed the PM that nursing personnel are being employed in large numbers to compliment the doctors at the hospitals. PM was also briefed that oxygen cylinders available with armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals. The CDS also said that they are creating medical facilities in large numbers and where possible military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians. Modi also reviewed the operations being undertaken by IAF to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad. He also discussed with the CDS that Kendriya and Rajya Sainik Welfare Boards and Officers posted in various headquarters in veteran cells may be instructed to coordinate their services to extend the reach to maximum extent possible including in remote areas. --IANS sk/skp/ (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.) Whether it is Jennifer Lawrence's on stage fall on her way to collecting the Best Actress Award for Silver Linings Playbook... Reuters John Travolta's awkward kiss incident with Scarlett Johansson or the La La Land-Moonlight mix-up for the Best Picture Award, the prestigious Oscars award ceremony is one thing that keeps on giving. Twitter The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony was no different with actor Daniel Kaluuya providing audiences with an absolute gem that will go straight into the vault. The 32-year-old British actor won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah, with the award being presented by the 2020 Best Supporting Actress winner, Laura Dern. Twitter Kaluuya won the award for his impressive performance as the Chicago Blank Panther leader Fred Hampton, who was killed in an FBI raid in 1969. After receiving the Oscar, the Get Out actor went on to thank his mother in his acceptance speech. "I'd like to thank my mom. You gave me everything. You gave me your factory settings. So I could stand at my fullest height." However, with his teary-eyed mother watching him with adoration from the audience, the actor hilariously mentioned how all of it would not have been possible had his parents not had sex. ABC It's incredible. My mom met my dad, they had sex, it's amazing. Do you know what I'm saying? I'm here, do you know what I mean? I'm so happy to be alive, so I'm going to celebrate that tonight. said Kaluuya. The reaction to the hilarious statement was apparent on the face of the actor's mother, who was left confused why her 32-year-old Oscar-winning son would go on global television to say something like that. Here's Daniel Kaluuya's mom and sister reacting to him saying "My mom and my dad...they had sex. It's amazing! I'm here!" at the end of his Oscar speech pic.twitter.com/4nLZxY0Jwc Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) April 26, 2021 Well, apparently, Kaluuya was hit by the curse that has taken down many before him. Whatever one says, the speech left fans in splits as they took to Twitter to share their reactions: His sister dropped her head like damn here he goes again Jess (@jdobleooh) April 26, 2021 #DanielKaluuyas mom like - wait, what did this boy just say in front of Jesus and all his angels?? pic.twitter.com/SjOFRhTgNM Tolu (@Tolu_Olubunmi) April 26, 2021 THIS MAY BE THE BEST (FUNNY) MOMEMT Stephanie McGann Jantzen (@stephjantzen) April 26, 2021 Daniel Kaluuya gonna learn today with a Oscar in his hand pic.twitter.com/currxTsyOE Main Hoon Gian (@MainHoon_Gian) April 26, 2021 Somebody's getting a gooooood talking to later. Spartacus (@Change4TO) April 26, 2021 A black American mother wouldve ran up on stage. Big Truss Issues (@KingNupian) April 26, 2021 "All my hard work raising these children and this is how they thank me: Embarrassing me in public." Anyone whose had an immigrant parent knows THIS look. Under (@electricliteart) April 26, 2021 She actually said it! Whats he talking about? Fed Up (@reader_jean) April 26, 2021 We won't hear from him until next year's Oscar's. He going to be on deep punishment!! steadyb89 (@jayhap2013) April 26, 2021 behind the stage after that pic.twitter.com/PnCJQdNgXh (@mirvls) April 26, 2021 Well done with the Oscars win, Daniel. But probably, stick to the script next time, yes? Meanwhile, a growing number of people are missing the second doses of their COVID-19 vaccines. More than 5 million people, or nearly 8% of those who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, havent gotten their second shots, according to recent data from the CDC. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus S.Aleinik participates in the commemorative event on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster On April 26, 2021 the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Sergei Aleinik, took part in the commemorative event on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The Deputy Head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry together with the representatives of the republican authorities, public associations and the diplomatic corps laid flowers at the memorials "To Victims of Chernobyl" and "Hiroshima Peace Memorial" in the park of Friendship of Peoples in Minsk. Thus paying a tribute to the memory of heroism and self-sacrifice of liquidators of the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. print version Exclusive Master Franchise and Development Agreement to see hundreds of new restaurants in the Kingdom over the coming years RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Today, Popeyes and Gulf First Fast Food Company ("Gulf First") are excited to announce a plan to develop and grow the Popeyes brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Gulf First entered into an exclusive Master Franchise and Development Agreement for the territory. With over 3,400 locations in more than 25 countries, today's news builds on Popeyes international expansions in China, Spain, Switzerland, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Most recently, the brand announced it will enter the United Kingdom, India and surrounding countries, and will be growing its presence in Mexico. "We are thrilled to announce the development agreement with Gulf First to increase the pace of growth for the Popeyes brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of our broader global expansion strategy," commented David Shear, International President of Restaurant Brands International Inc., the parent company of Popeyes. "Guests all over the world love our famous chicken and with its extensive experience in the market, Gulf First will accelerate our ability to reach guests across the Kingdom." Over the course of its 49-year history, Popeyes has been recognized in the global fried chicken market for its proprietary cooking techniques and authentic Louisiana flavors, including its now famous Chicken Sandwich and other iconic menu items. "We are proud to partner with Popeyes to grow the brand's presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It allows us to create hundreds of career opportunities and share the joy of Popeyes with the people of Saudi Arabia," said Madhav Kapur, the CEO of Gulf First. "We approach every aspect of life with an entrepreneurial spirit, with the aim to improve our lives and our world. We are eager to grow our share in the Saudi Arabia quick service restaurant market by continuing to focus on delivering exceptional service and great-tasting food to our guests. We believe this will position us well for success in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." About Restaurant Brands International Inc. Restaurant Brands International Inc. ("RBI") is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with approximately $31 billion in annual system-wide sales and over 27,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. RBI owns three of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands - TIM HORTONS, BURGER KING, and POPEYES. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for over 45 years. About Popeyes Founded in New Orleans in 1972, Popeyes has more than 45 years of history and culinary tradition. Popeyes distinguishes itself with a unique New Orleans style menu featuring spicy chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, and other regional items. The chain's passion for its Louisiana heritage and flavorful authentic food has allowed Popeyes to become one of the world's largest chicken quick service restaurants with over 3,400 restaurants in the U.S. and around the world. About Gulf First Fast Food Company Gulf First Fast Food Company is a dynamic enterprise with plans for growth and innovation in the food space. Gulf First has plans to be a leading foods brand franchise operator, offering a choice of well-loved international brands to customers. Modern and constantly evolving to reflect the consumer's choices and tastes, Gulf First will operate its restaurant chains in prestigious malls, drive-thrus, and online, driven by its commitment to offer authentic customer service and brand experience. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, which reflect management's current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, initiatives and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements about our expectations regarding the ability of the Popeyes business in Saudi Arabia to open hundreds of restaurants in the coming years; our expectations regarding our ability to replicate our successful international formula for Saudi Arabian guests; the ability of the Popeyes business in Saudi Arabia to create hundreds of career opportunities; or the ability of the Popeyes business in Saudi Arabia to grow its share of the Saudi Arabian QSR market. Other than as required under applicable laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, change in expectations or otherwise. SOURCE Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen The European Commission said on Monday it had launched legal action against for not respecting its contract for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and for not having a "reliable" plan to ensure timely deliveries. said in response that the legal action by the EU was without merit and pledged to defend itself strongly in court. Under the contract, the Anglo-Swedish company had committed to making its "best reasonable efforts" to deliver 180 million vaccine doses to the EU in the second quarter of this year, for a total of 300 million in the period from December to June. But said in a statement on March 12 it would aim to deliver only one-third of that by the end of June, of which about 70 million would be in the second quarter. A week after that, the Commission sent a legal letter to the company in the first step of a formal procedure to resolve disputes. AstraZeneca's delays have contributed towards hampering the bloc's vaccination drive, as the vaccine developed by Oxford University was initially supposed to be the main one in an EU rollout in the first half of this year. After repeated cuts in supplies, the bloc changed its plans and now relies mostly on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. "The Commission has started last Friday a legal action against AstraZeneca," the EU spokesman told a news conference, noting all 27 EU states backed the move. "Some terms of the contract have not been respected and the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure timely delivery of doses," the spokesman said, explaining what triggered the move. "AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible," AstraZeneca said. Under the contract, the case will need to be resolved by Belgian courts. "We want to make sure there is a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that European citizens are entitled to and which have been promised on the basis of the contract," the spokesman said. 'WE HAD TO SEND A MESSAGE' EU officials confirmed the purpose of the legal action was to ensure more supplies than what the company has said it would aim to deliver. The move follows months of rows with the company over supply issues and amid concerns over the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. Still, while the shot has been linked to very rare cases of blood clots, the EU drugs regulator has recommended its use to contain the spread of COVID-19. "We had to send a message to (Pascal) Soriot," an EU official said, referring to AstraZeneca's chief executive. Germany, France and Hungary were among EU states that were initially reticent to sue the company, mostly on the grounds that the move might not speed up deliveries, diplomats said, but eventually they supported it. After the announcement of the legal action, AstraZeneca said it was in the process of delivering nearly 50 million doses by the end of April, a goal which is in line with the revised-down target of supplying only 100 million shots by the end of the quarter. The EU wants AstraZeneca to deliver as many as possible of the promised 300 million doses, but would settle for 130 million shots by the end of June, one EU source familiar with the discussions told Reuters, adding the EU had launched an urgent legal procedure and was invoking financial penalties in case of non-compliance. In a further sign of its irritation towards the company, it has already forgone another 100 million shots that it had an option to buy under the contract signed in August. The spat with AstraZeneca has also stoked a dispute over supplies with former EU member Britain. AstraZeneca said it was prevented from exporting doses from UK factories to make up for some of the shortfalls in the EU, EU officials have said. Now the EU is opposing the export of AstraZeneca shots to Britain from a factory in the Netherlands. Israel examines inflammation cases after Pfizer shot Israel is examining dozens of cases where people experienced heart inflammation after receiving Pfizer Inc. and BioNTechSEs vaccine. Health officials are investigating whether the cases are connected with the shot which has been administered to more than 5 million people, Corona Commissioner Nachman Ash said in an interview with Radio 103 FM. The government identified 62 incidents of inflammation of the heart muscle, or heart-muscle membrane, Channel 12 reported last week, citing a health ministry study. Moderna to be reviewed for WHO emergency listing in April Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine will be reviewed on April 30 by technical experts for possible WHO emergency-use listing, a World Health Organization spokesman told Reuters. We are discussing the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on Friday...," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in reply to a query. A decision on the U. S. drugmaker's vaccine, now being evaluated under the abridged procedure on the basis of priorre view by the European Medicines Agency, was expected in one to four days after that, Lindmeier said. Astras vaccine designer seeks $613-million value in IPO The University of Oxford spin off that designed AstraZenecas Covid-19 vaccineis seeking a valuation as high as $613 million in its initial public offering in the US, a move to help fund trials for new directions in cancer and other diseases. Vaccitech is set to offer 6.5 million American depository shares for as much as $18 each and will be listed on the NSE, according to a filing. The company, which will trade under the VACC ticker, will use the proceeds to advance the development of vaccines for hepatitis B virus, human papilloma virus and prostate cancer. Thailand PM fined for not wearing face mask Thailand Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha was fined 6,000 baht (Rs 14,270) on Monday for not wearing a mask, as his government struggled to combat a new wave of cases in the country. Gen. Prayut was fined as he did not wear a mask during a meeting with his vaccine procurement advisers on Monday, the Bangkok Post reported. The Thai capital Bangkok has made mask-wearing compulsory from Monday. Thai officials are imposing fines of upto 20,000 baht (Rs 47,610) on people who fail to wear face masks in public. A journalist from Siberia who had to leave her native city of Kiselyovsk in the Siberian region of Kemerovo earlier this year after she was attacked says she has fled Russia fearing for her safety. Natalya Zubkova, the chief editor of the News of Kiselyovsk website, told RFE/RL on April 26 that she moved to an unspecified country a week ago after police and an investigator from Kiselyovsk visited her at her new residence in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg to question her as "a witness" in a criminal case. Zubkova said she refused to answer any questions and called her lawyer. According to her, the case might be an another move in ongoing attempts by Kiselyovsk authorities to take her daughter from her in retaliation for her articles criticizing authorities in the Kemerovo region for the "illegal widening of coal-mining territories" in the region. In late February, Zubkova said an unknown attacker pushed her down with her face in snow as she was walking her dog. The man threatened the journalist and her daughters with further violence if "you open your mouth again." Several days after the attack, Zubkova fled Kiselyovsk for Yekaterinburg, hoping that authorities in her native region will leave her alone. Russia's Investigative Committee said on April 6 that it had sent an investigator to Yekaterinburg to question Zubkova in the case. Zubkova told RFE/RL on April 26 that she will continue her journalistic activities, writing about the rights of Siberia's indigenous ethnic groups, environmental damage from mining activities in the region, and corruption among officials in Kiselyovsk. Last August, lawyer Anton Reutov physically attacked her in a courtroom during a hearing based on Zubkova's report about alleged fraud involving Reutov that led to an elderly woman losing her apartment. Zubkova said that following that incident she received several death threats. In August 2019, Mayor Shkarabeinikov accused Zubkova of inciting social discord for interviewing Kiselyovsk residents who had asked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide them with asylum after local authorities were unable to solve environmental problems they faced. Serhii Taruta, People's Deputy of Ukraine, Head of Donetsk Regional State Administration (2014) The head of the parliaments largest faction justifies the facts: one of their people's deputies is partying hard during the lockdown, and the other is discussing geopolitics and Donbas situation in Minsk, without having any authority to do so. According to the news feed, servants of the people live in a parallel reality with Ukrainian people. In my native Mariupol the agenda is different: escalation on the border with the aggressor. Only within the last week, there have been 60 violations of the silence regime on the front line, three deaths, and five Ukrainian defenders injured. I meet with security officers of the region. This is where they are discussing not Tyshchenko's wife's birthday, but hybrid actions aimed to destabilize the local situation. For example, in Talakivka (half an hour's drive from Mariupol), some people approach public transport stops and introduce themselves as journalists to ask provocative and frankly manipulative questions, such as, Don't you plan to go to Russian Federation, where it's safer? It is an obvious attempt to create panic attitude among local people, who know firsthand what Russian aggression is like. Escalation in Donbas is the only thing that Russians can speculate on today. Thus, one doesn't have to be a great strategist to predict the consequences of our sanctions. In terms of a hybrid response, sanctions are the right move. Ukraine has the right to fight the content which splits society. However, when introducing the sanctions, it was necessary to bring a point, as widely as possible, to the whole world community: how Russia will act. It was necessary to focus on further shelling intensifications, building their military forces up, killing our defenders. And then, believe me, the Russian Federation would think carefully about whether to do so, confirming the statements of Ukraine. Our experience of Mariupol defense, which we managed to retain in 2014, confirmed: people fight not only with weapons but also with brains. It is a pity that despite the escalation in the East of the country, today there are still parliamentarians in Verkhovna Rada whose brains are busy with anything but state security. Sitting in their booth at an IHOP this week, four Black Army soldiers received an offer to have their lunch paid for them by a customer appreciative of their service at nearby Fort Belvoir. The White woman ended up giving them just $6 after initially putting down $30 on their table as the men in uniform were wrapping up their meal, an Army spokesman said. But what began as a small gesture soon turned ugly on Monday when the woman, for reasons that remain unclear, went from offering to pay for their lunch to harassing the troops and accusing them of stealing her money. One of the officers alleged the White woman, who has not been publicly identified, called the group the n-word multiple times at the restaurant in Lorton, Va. The exchange, which was partially captured in TikTok videos recorded by one of the soldiers that have gone viral, caused the Army to announce this week that it had launched an internal review of the incident to gather more information on the woman and her motivations. Joe Richard, a Fort Belvoir spokesman, condemned the woman's "racially charged language" at the Black men. "A view of the video will show the Soldiers maintained their composure and military bearing throughout this shocking incident," Richard said in a statement to The Washington Post. Joe Jeffers Jr., one of the service members who was accosted by the customer and posted the clips to TikTok, summed up the experience in one caption: "I'm a U.S. Army soldier and I had my first encounter with a racist woman." The incident at IHOP comes weeks after a Black Army officer in Virginia, Lt. Caron Nazario, filed a federal lawsuit against police officers in Windsor, Va., for holding him at gunpoint and pepper-spraying and assaulting him during a traffic stop last December. The Nazario case, which led to the firing of one of the police officers, has triggered a civil rights probe from the Virginia attorney general. The fallout from the traffic stop in Windsor was a painful reminder to some Black troops and veterans in Virginia this month that even military service "is not going to save you in this country." At some point during their lunch Monday, the woman approached the four men and started chatting with them about life in the military, according to a statement from Fort Belvoir. After initially putting down $30 to help pay for their meal, she took $24 back before leaving, Richard said. In a Facebook video posted after the encounter, Jeffers claimed that when the woman returned to the table, she called them the n-word twice and used a homophobic slur. Jeffers then began recording the scene on his phone. The beginning of his TikTok video shows the antagonistic woman claiming the men took her money and calling them an expletive. "Ma'am, please walk away," Jeffers responded. But instead of walking away, she proceeded to sit down next to Jeffers in their booth. Three of the soldiers started to leave, but stopped when they realized the woman had blocked Jeffers. "I can't leave Jeffers," said one of the troops in the video. When the woman did not allow Jeffers to exit the restaurant, another customer attempted to intervene. The White man, purportedly an Air Force veteran, asked the woman to leave, according to video. "You're making a problem," he said to her, as he handed Jeffers's patrol cap to him. Then, the woman confronted the customer with obscenities, threatening to "drop" the man in a lunchtime fight at IHOP. "You wanna go? You wanna go?" she said, according to video. As a manager came over to help escort the woman out of the restaurant, video shows that she began yelling at customers, "Are you the thin blue line? Are you BLM? Are you antifa?" Before the four soldiers returned to Fort Belvoir and reported the incident to their chain of command, Jeffers took to Facebook to recount what just happened, muttering, "This is America." "We were just four soldiers who said, 'Man, let's go to IHOP, we want some lunch,'" Jeffers recalled from inside his car. "And then we dealt with that." An IHOP regional official would not say whether local law enforcement was involved or if the woman has been identified. A request for comment from the Fairfax County Police Department was not immediately returned Saturday. In a statement to The Post, an IHOP spokesman rejected the woman's actions, saying what happened at the Lorton location goes against the company's values. "IHOP and its franchisees do not condone the statements made by the guest in this video, and will not tolerate racism, bigotry or harassment of any kind," the spokesperson said. "For more than 60 years, we have strived to create a warm and hospitable dining experience for all guests, and this isolated incident is not reflected of that ongoing commitment." Elaine Baldwin, the mother of one of the soldiers at the IHOP, Jaime Crankfield Jr., told WUSA that her son was in tears and "didn't understand why it happened and why people act like that." Baldwin, an Army veteran who said she spent three tours overseas, noted to the outlet that the video "brings awareness to everyone about racism and issues in this world and here that we're going to have to fix." "No one should have to be treated like that, especially soldiers," Baldwin said to WUSA. Days after the lunch, Jeffers returned to TikTok to thank people for their support. He said he hoped the woman was watching the video. Jeffers had a message for her. "Whoever she is, if you're seeing this, ma'am, it's OK," he said. "I forgive you." - - - The Washington Post's Alex Horton and Meryl Kornfield contributed to this report. South Africa announced Monday it would shortly resume using Johnson & Johnson anti-Covid vaccines, two weeks after the jab was suspended to vet risks over blood clots. The vaccine will be included in South Africa's much-delayed anti-Covid vaccination campaign from Wednesday after being given the green light by SAHPRA, the country's health watchdog. "It has since been established there is a one in a million chance of getting the clot after the vaccine and that it appears that women between the ages of 18 and 48 years old are particularly at risk," Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said in a statement. "With such a low probability of developing a clot, all the regulators across the world have recommended the continued use of Johnson and Johnson." Many hopes have been staked on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to roll back the pandemic in developing countries, as it is just a single-shot jab that does not need to be kept at ultra-low temperatures. The vaccine was briefly put on hold after a handful of Americans developed blood clots. According to US data presented Friday, of 3.9 million women who got the Johnson & Johnson shot, 15 developed serious blood clots and three died. The majority of the confirmed cases, 13 of the 15, was aged under 50 years old. There were no reported cases among men. The resumption of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will target health workers in particular. The authorities say they have purchased enough doses of the vaccine, as well as of Pfizer, to immunise at least 45 million people. The deadline for achieving this has not been recently given. The government previously set a target of March 2022. South Africa earlier this year purchased AstraZeneca vaccines and then sold them to other African countries following fears that it would be less effective against a local variant of coronavirus. "It has been a difficult start for our country with the vaccination rollout, however despite all the challenges we have faced, we still have a positive outlook both for the recovery of public health and the economy at large," the minister said. Story continues South Africa has officially recorded more than 1.5 million cases of Covid, of which 54,000 have been fatal. The total number of people vaccinated, which used to be published daily by the ministry, has not been disclosed for several days. ger/jhd/ri/lth Like any other evening of the Oscars ceremony, the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony witnessed some career-defining moments for artists who enthralled worldwide audiences with their performances. Reuters Now, while the glorious award ceremony was a night to remember for director Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), Youn Yuh-Jung (Minari) others, it was a night of immense frustration for fans of late actor Chadwick Boseman. Boseman, who passed away last year after a four-year private battle with colon cancer was pegged by many to be the prime candidate for winning this year's Oscar for Best Actor for his stellar performance in George C. Wolfe's film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Reuters One of the biggest hints around Boseman's winning was the restructuring of the overall sequence in which various categories were presented at the Oscars. Since 1940, it has been a tradition that the Oscar for the Best Picture was presented as the final category due to its status of being the biggest award of the prestigious ceremony. However, for the very first time, the ceremony was to conclude with the Best Actor award, making even several commentators note that the show was probably designed to conclude with Boseman winning the award. Reuters With many thinking that the Oscars would indeed end on an emotional note with the victory of Boseman, who was nominated for the first time, it came as an absolute surprise when the award was eventually given to Anthony Hopkins for his role in The Father. In what made things worse for fans of Chadwick Boseman, the 83-year-old actor was not even present in person at the awards function. Angry fans surely led their feelings to be known for yet another chaotic moment at the Oscars. The Oscars were so sure that Chadwick Boseman was going to win that they REARRANGED THE ENTIRE CEREMONY so his category could be last, and then they gave the award to Anthony Hopkins instead...the most chaotic and unhinged thing I've ever seen. Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) April 26, 2021 They moved the category and presumably had his widow on standby all night. Of course, give the award to the person with the most votes. But they didn't move the best actor to last the year Heath Ledger passed. Why change the layout and get Boseman's fans hopes up? Aisling (@Ash_OLeary) April 26, 2021 If Boseman's widow and family were on standby to accept all night they should be aashamed. Aisling (@Ash_OLeary) April 26, 2021 Was it chaotic and unhinged though or did it just kind of end abruptly? ahsokatano (@ahsokatano24) April 26, 2021 I thought that Hopkins absolutely deserved the Oscar here but man, the way this played out was not a good look. The Movie Snob (@TheMovieSnob247) April 26, 2021 Its not that he doesnt deserve it. Its the way they shuffled the awards. Megan the Klutz (@msmeganl) April 26, 2021 Tbh, I can totally see this. And between this and the Lalaland/Moonlight fiasco, I'll choose this as the most unhinged thing. The Oscars ended up disrespecting themselves (more like clowning), Chadwick Boseman memory and Anthony Hopkins performance CamuUu (@MsCamuUu) April 26, 2021 I mean, do I think Hopkins deserved the Oscar? Yes. Do I think they should have just kept the traditional format instead of setting themselves up for this disaster? Holy fucking shit yes. Malena Renee (@MellieRenne) April 26, 2021 Well at least the Oscar for anti-climax of the year goes to the Oscars. Forbestonow (@forbestonow) April 26, 2021 The whole show was a disaster. Rebecca (@greenleeves) April 26, 2021 The Oscar win was the second of Hopkin's career, with the latest award making him the oldest person to receive an Oscar at the age of 83. Despite accepting the award over a video call from his homeland in Wales, the actor paid a tribute to Boseman in a video which he released on Instagram on Monday (April 26) morning. "Well, here I am in my homeland in Wales, and at 83 years of age I did not expect to get this award, I really didn't. And [I'm] very grateful to the Academy and thank you, and I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early, and again thank you all very much. I really did not expect this. So, I feel very privileged and honoured. Thank you." Sri Lanka: Fisheries bodies to present industry predicament soon April 26,2021 | Source: Sunday Observer A meeting comprising all fisheries association heads and representatives to raise concerns and present the state into which the fisheries industry has fallen into will be held shortly, All Ceylon Fisheries Association President Aruna Roshantha told the Sunday Observer Business during a media visit to view the state of the Negombo lagoon last week. He said there is no use in funding artificial prawn farming when the entire freshwater fisheries industry is in jeopardy. People of this country have consumed freshwater fish which is far more nutritious than the prawns from farms. Measures should be taken to develop the local fisheries industry looking into the plight of the fisherfolk who have fallen from the frying pan to the fire, Roshantha said. Local fisheries associations have been irked by moves to grant a licence to Indian fishermen to enter Lankan waters which will give them the green light to carry out bottom-trawling. At this rate the local fisheries industry will die a natural death very soon as fishermen have lost hope which is the worst thing that could happen to someone, Fernando said. Heads of Fisheries Associations have been insisting that there should be a proper national plan to develop the industry. How could there be a proper plan when people who are clueless about fishing are manning the desk and holding key positions in the Government. There has to be people with practical knowledge of the industry to steer it. If they lack expertise they should see the support of those who are knowledgeable, Fernando said. The need to protect marine life and the ecology was stressed during the visit which was an eye-opener to the environmental destruction to the Negombo lagoon which has been a ground for discharging factory sewage and other effluents. Lagoons and all freshwater resources should be protected first before farming, Fernando said, adding that at the rate marine resources are being exploited and destroyed within the country and outside and the absence of a consistent national policy to protect the industry fisher-folk will have to bid farewell to fishing soon, according to fisheries associations. The National Fisheries Association convening a media briefing recently called on the authorities to launch speedy action to put a halt to foreign vessels encroaching on our waters and exploiting resources. The Association said it was aware of moves by Sri Lanka to enter into a program with Indian authorities to allow Indian fishermen to fish in Sri Lankan waters. The association noted that encroaching Lankan waters by foreign vessels has been a practice for centuries but the use of sea-bed destroying technology and exploiting our resources is alarming. Bottom trawling, which was made an offence through the amendment of the Aquatic Resources Act in 2014, causes severe destruction to the ocean floor resulting in the depletion of aquatic resources. A maximum prison term of two years and a maximum fine of Rs. 50,000 was imposed on bottom trawling. However, what agitates the fisheries community is banning bottom-trawling by local fishermen while giving the green light to foreign vessels to exploit the countrys marine resources. The fisheries sector comprises over 300,000 direct and over one million indirect beneficiaries contributing around 1.5 percent to the GDP. Samsung Electronics is expected to build its second U.S. plant, estimated to be worth 20 trillion won ($17.9 billion), in Austin Texas. Korea Times file By Yi Whan-woo Samsung and Hyundai Motor Group are set to make massive investments in the United States ahead of a summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden in late May, according to industry sources, Monday. The sources said the spending by Korea's two largest conglomerates complements Biden's initiatives to rebuild U.S. manufacturing by focusing on strategic and green technologies for a sustainable future part of efforts to "outcompete" China. Samsung Electronics is in the final assessment stage for the construction of its second U.S. semiconductor plant in Austin, Texas, estimated to cost 20 trillion won ($17.9 billion). The first plant, also in Austin, produces processing semiconductors for top clients such as Apple, AMD and Qualcomm. Another Samsung affiliate, Samsung C&T, is considering investing $673 million in the U.S. to build solar power plants with a combined production capacity of about 700 megawatts in Milam County, Texas. Hyundai Motor Group plans to set up a new line at its Alabama factory to manufacture the IONIQ 5, the latest electric vehicle (EV) produced by affiliate Hyundai Motor. The groups and their relevant affiliates declined to confirm the investment plans or give related details. However, industry sources say consultations are underway between the Korean government and the respective business groups, adding that related announcements may be made shortly before or after the upcoming summit. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate from the White House, Friday. AP-Yonhap Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, 20, drowned in the River Thames after diving in to rescue a woman The family of a hero who died after jumping into the River Thames to rescue a woman who fell from London Bridge said the search for him ended too soon. Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, who was known as Jimi, saw the woman fall from the bridge when he was on his way home from work at around midnight on Saturday. After he dived in, the woman and another man who also jumped in the water to were rescued by the Coastguard and the Metropolitan Police's river unit, but Jimi was not found after a search which called off after more than an hour. Police then said a body which was believed to be that of Jimi was discovered at 6am on Saturday. His heartbroken father, Micahel Adewola, 63, today said the search effort was 'not enough'. He was speaking to Sky News along with his wife, Jimi's mother Olasunkanmi Adewole, 54, who said she wanted 'justice' for her son. It has since emerged that Jimi was the cousin of Malcolm Mide-Madaiola, who was stabbed to death at the age of 17 near Clapham Tube Station in 2018. Police marine units and the coastguard recovered Jimi's body from the water at around 6am on Saturday. It emerged later that the Nigerian-born Briton was a former pupil at the Harris Academy in Peckham, South East London, according to My London. Speaking to Sky News today Mrs Adewole said: 'I feel bad, because my son was trying to rescue a woman. 'I feel so bad.. and I want people to help me. I want justice for my son.' Mr Adewola said his son was a 'very nice guy, a good boy', while Britons on social media called him a 'selfless hero' and a 'very brave young man'. Commenting on reports of Jimi's death, the mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted that he 'was the best of us'. Mr Adewola said an officer knocked on the family home's door at 1am on Saturday to inform them of the incident. His heartbroken father, Micahel Adewola (pictured with Jimi's mother Olasunkanmi Adewole, 54), 63, today said the search effort was 'not enough' Jimi's father Michael Adewola (left), 63, and his mother Olasunkanmi Adewole, 54, (centre) said they are proud of their son (right) for trying to save another person's life - but they are devastated by his death Pictured: A police boat on the River Thames with London Bridge in the background during the search for the man who jumped into the river to save a woman Pictured: Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, known by friends as Jimi The rescuers' search was called off by the Coastguard more than an hour after it began, police said in a statement. They then found Jimi's body at 5.46am. Mr Adewola earlier told The Sun: 'Jimi was a very nice, kind young man, he was the heart of our family. 'He was full of live, he had his life to live, he was ambitious and he was so gifted. 'He was a previous boy, and so respectful and pure-hearted. Sometimes I don't know how these boys are like this together, he was just something else.' The grieving father also said he believes his son should be rewarded for his bravery. 'We want justice for him,' he said. 'We want his life to mean something, it will always mean something to us, but he should be rewarded for the bravery he showed, he deserves a medal for what he did. 'He is a very unique and angelic soul, and I am proud him, so proud, and I want to know the world he is the deepest and most wonderful man.' At around 3 p.m. on Saturday, the charity Malcom's World Foundation, set up after the death of Jimi's cousin, appeared to confirm that he was the man who died in the incident, tweeting a message along with a picture. 'Sad this family just lost another hero Folajimi Olubunmi- Adewole who died saving the woman [...] in River Thames yesterday,' the tweet read. 'Pure-hearted soul. Great helper. Loving boy. RIP #JimiTheHero,' it added. Officials are yet to confirm how or why the woman fell into the River Thames. A man who jumped into the River thames to rescue a woman who fell from London Bridge has died. Pictured: London Bridge Mr Adewola confirmed that Jimi was on his way home from working at restaurant The Cinnamon Club in Westminster when he spotted the woman on the bridge. After he saw her fall into the water, he and his colleague, Bernard, dived in to try and save her. He said: 'Him and his friend were coming from work together, and they called the police, and saw what was happening. They wanted to help and tried to speak to her but wanted to leave it to the police. 'He is a hero, and always will be, I can't bring him back but I want him to be remembered forever for what he did, it was just like him to want to always try and help others. 'He would help anyone that needed it. 'I am proud of my son, he is amazing, but as a family we are devastated. We are just glad the woman is alive too. 'I don't think I would be able to do it, I might be able to call the police, but I don't know if I could do it, but this was Jimi, you can't even describe the kind of heart he had.' Tributes poured in on social media from friends and strangers alike after Jimi's identity was revealed. 'Very sad to hear he died while bravely trying to save another person. He was a hero and should be remembered for his act of bravery. Sorry for his familys loss,' one person wrote on the social media site. 'So very sad, What an Amazing young man .. RIP Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole,' another tweeted. A third person wrote: 'This is incredibly sad. What a brave and selfless man Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole was to sacrificed his life to save a woman. May he sleep peacefully. My thoughts and prayers are with his heartbroken family.' Jimi's uncle, Olumide Wole-Madariola, 53, and Malcolm's father told The Sun: 'It's the kind of person he was, both him and Malcolm were the same. 'He was just coming back from work, and he saw the woman and he just felt 'no this can't happen' it's just Jimi for you. It's typical of both of them to want to help others. 'At home, it's what he displays the affection, he's always been ready to do anything to help people, he's kind, he's caring, he's loving, and he was amazing. 'This is so devastating right now, we are all heartbroken.' Tributes poured in on social media from friends and strangers alike after Jimi's identity was revealed Speaking about the relationship between the two cousins, he said: 'They are besties, they were besties. 'Jimi even had a tattoo of Malcolm's name and his date of birth, that's how close they are, and now it's like they both died the same way. 'Malcolm died tried to save a younger person, and Jimi tried to save another person too. 'It's so painful for the whole family, but we are glad that the woman is alive, but I think the parents need all the support in the world. 'But what were they both were thinking, I think of Malcolm and Jimi. When Malcolm stopped his friend, and the same with Jimi when he jumped in the water, what was going through his mind.' 'He is a hero, a true hero, and every part a hero.' It comes as the search for another person who fell in the Thames this week a 13-year-old schoolboy continues. A hero woman had jumped into the Thames to try and save the boy. She heard screams when he fell from Tower Bridge on his way to school on Tuesday, according to witnesses. A City of London Police spokesperson said: 'We were called at 12.12am on Saturday April 24 to reports of a woman in the River Thames close to London Bridge. 'Two men, who had witnessed the woman fall from the bridge, entered the river to try and save her. 'The Coastguard and Metropolitan Police Marine Units were able to rescue the woman and one of the men. Police have launched a search for a 13-year-old boy who went missing after falling into the River Thames from Tower Bridge on his way to school (emergency services at the scene) 'Sadly, following an extensive search involving police helicopters, marine units, LFB, LAS and City Police officers, the missing man was not located. 'At 6am the same morning, a body was found believed to be that of the missing man. 'His next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by officers from the City of London Police.' Witnesses say there was at least one police boat on the Thames and around six police cars and an ambulance were sent to the scene. The tide was high and the water was rough and choppy at the time. River police, firefighters, the RNLI (pictured) and a police helicopter were also involved in the search for the youngster The pupil was wearing his full uniform when he got off a bus as he made his way to The Ark Globe Academy in Southwark, London, at around 8am. He and a friend had boarded the bus together but the youngster got off near Tower Bridge ahead of his usual stop in Elephant and Castle before falling into the river, the school's principal said in a letter to parents. Witnesses described hearing screams before one woman jumped into the water to try and save the boy. Despite using a life-float to swim into the Thames, she was only able to recover his school jacket and school bag. City of London Police confirmed officers have launched an 'intensive search' for the boy involving helicopter and marine searches but he has not yet been found. The boy is thought to have celebrated his 13th birthday only last week. Emergency services (pictured on the River Thames) including the river police, firefighters, the RNLI and a police helicopter were all involved in the search Police confirmed officers have launched an 'intensive search' for the boy involving helicopter and marine searches but he has not yet been found (emergency services at the scene) The 13-year-old boy went missing after falling into the River Thames from Tower Bridge (police at the scene) as he was on his way to school, his headteacher said Officers have launched an 'intensive search' for the boy involving helicopter and marine searches but he has not yet been found (teams at the scene) A spokeswoman for City of London Police told MailOnline: 'City of London Police is leading an investigation into a missing person, working alongside our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Service. 'We believe this is linked to an incident where a child fell into the Thames from Tower Bridge. 'Despite an intensive search by City of London Police, the police helicopter and marine units, this person has not yet been found. 'We ask anyone who witnessed anything on Tuesday 20 April at 8.09am, to call us on 020 7601 2999, quoting reference 21000215310.' Sheena Alston gets quiet when she talks about the roughest parts of her job in one of the most dangerous professions in America. It wasnt the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, when she helped search for victims at the Pentagon, where the plane parts were still smoldering. Or how she and her colleagues are routinely knifed, punched, bitten, beaten and spat upon. Or how theyve been sent into deadly situations without the necessary protective gear. Alston isnt a police officer or prison guard, although those would be good guesses. No shes a nurse. And for Alston, who works at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, one of the biggest gut punches of the job is not what she faces, but what the patients she cares for do. Like the young mother who died of COVID-19 in the past year. Her last words were, um, to tell her kids that she loved them, she said haltingly, overcome with emotion. Alston herself has five children. She was young. They were young. Nursing always has been a demanding profession, emotionally, physically and mentally, she said. And even before the pandemic, nurses faced dangers in their workplace. Working in the emergency department, we never know whats going to walk into the door, Alston said. We dont know if its scabies, you know, we dont know if its bed bugs that we can take home to our families, we dont know if its coronavirus or patients who are under the influence of some substance and pretty violent. In Indiana last month, a nurse was violently shoved and injured by a patient who was trying to escape the hospital. A nurse in Boston was punched, hit with a chair and bitten by a violent patient in October. It was the second such attack the nurse endured last year. Were just human punching bags, the nurse, Jesse Telford, told a Boston TV station. And now, as the front-line field in the pandemic, nursing is also quickly becoming one of the most fatal professions, too. While the pandemic began with nightly cheers for health care workers and songs and signs and bang-on-the-pots-and-pans odes to nurses, more than a year later, their profession and their well-being is in peril. Health-care workers are violently assaulted on the job at about five times the rate of workers overall, according to a 2016 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Its heartbreaking to be doing your very, very best under extremely poor conditions, said California nurse and union president Deborah Burger. And then being treated as if we are expendable. Nursing is a field rarely associated with and acknowledged for its daily dose of violence. Its unions have been pushing for years to enact legislation that forces hospitals to make the workplace safer for them. A bill that requires hospitals to have violence-prevention plans in place finally has passed in the House. But the past year has brought new horrors to the profession, with at least 3,000 health care workers many of them nurses killed by COVID-19. One of them was Noel Sinkiat, 64, a veteran nurse at Howard University Hospital who died of COVID-19 last year. It was so fast, his wife, Lourdes Gerardo, told The Washington Post, after she saw him briefly, from behind a protective suit. He was supposed to retire in December. Meanwhile, theres an escalating retirement rate in the field that forecasts a massive shortage of nurses ahead. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 3 out of 10 health care professionals are considering leaving their professions the ones they studied years for because of the pandemic. Alston, 46, said shes a die-hard and isnt planning to retire anytime soon. But she sees the burnout and early retirements all around her. Especially when the pandemic highlighted the daily struggle in her field. Her union fought again and again in the early days of the pandemic for better protective equipment, which she had to recycle at first. Burger said its still happening. Take any country, look at any photograph, anyone, even in the poorest one, and youll see full body suits, zipper, covered hoods, said Burger, president of National Nurses United, which has about 150,000 members. Were still having nurses reuse face masks and wear trash bags ... We still have nurses that are having to deal with reusing PPE; this is now a year later. Over the past year, nurses who havent felt their protective gear was ample at work have lived separately from their families, some in RVs, Burger said. If firefighters dont have the safety equipment they need, they dont go into the fire, she said. Nurses are still going in, without all the proper equipment. The fight for safer working conditions has created a surge of interest in organizing. Burger said shes helping organize nurses in Maine and Chicago. They also have unionized in North Carolina, Philadelphia and Albany since the pandemic began, according to Kaiser Health News. Its been a hell of a year to be a nurse, Alston said. But when she was 10 years old and watched her grandmother die, with a nurse lovingly by her side the entire time, she knew thats what she was going to do her whole life. It feels like its what Im supposed to do, she said. I dont take it lightly; we have peoples lives in our hands. Thats how most of us feel. PETULA DVORAK writes for The Washington Post. Baramulla: Baramulla Police on Monday (April 26) arrested two over ground workers (OGWs) of Hizbul Mujahideen in Boniyar area. The police recovered two Chinese hand grenades from the duos possession. The two OGWs were identified as Liyaqat Ahmad Kakroo and Akhtar Ahmad Mir. Two Chinese hand grenades were recovered from their possession. Case under sections of Indian Arms Act and UAPA has been registered against them in Police Station Boniyar and investigation set in motion, the police said in a statement. The police further said that the duo was active in trading, smuggling and arranging of arms and ammunition for the militant outfit. Also Read: Al-Badr terrorist arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam, arms and ammunition seized Live TV Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The last month has been a nightmare for so many communities; the spa shootings in Atlanta, the attack just outside of Denver, and now the shooting in Indianapolis. Old wounds are very much still present, especially for Coloradoans, who vividly remember the events of the Columbine Shooting on April 20, 1999, 22 years ago this week. All of these attacks are tragic. It shows not only the sin and pure evil humanity is capable of, but how much our society so desperately is in need of a Savior. But out of all of the catastrophic events in March and April, the shooting last week at Austin East Magnet High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, seems the most troubling. Not because so many were injured or killed. In fact, only one student was killed Anthony Thompson, Jr. a 17-year-old who brought a gun to school and locked himself in a school bathroom. To date, no one knows Anthonys motives or what harm he may have intended inflicting on his classmates, teachers, or other individuals. Which certainly does bring out a very important question: How and more importantly, why would a teenager bring a gun to school? Thats a question I myself have been asked numerous times. Nearly forty years ago at the age of 18, I brought a fully loaded rifle into my high school, acting entirely out of pain, torment, and rage. I had one mission: to end the agony, darkness, and suffering and ultimately my own life. I grew up in Northern Virginia as the youngest of two sons. At a very young age, my mom and father divorced. My mom later remarried to my stepdad, who was a deeply troubled and angry man. He would routinely take his anger out on all of us especially my mother. Like most alcoholics, he was the most violent when he was drunk, becoming incredibly abusive both physically and emotionally. While I do not blame my stepdad or abuse for my desire to act out evil, growing up in that environment and without much of a father figure definitely played a role in the mental turmoil I felt for many years. Inevitably, I was swayed by a very strong and persistent evil force to use the pain I felt to harm both myself and others. Being that I was 18 and simply too immature to handle the anger and intense emotional pain, I was ripe for the picking. I completely isolated myself both physically and mentally and the result was much like a 6-year-old flying a 737 full of passengers. I was in my bedroom one early morning in November, about to commit suicide, when I was stopped out of the blue by dark and very distinct voice. You want real peace? the voice whispered loudly. If you do this my way, the voice continued, Ill give you real peace. Well show them. I listened. Just a few hours later, I walked into Lake Braddock Secondary High School in Burke, Virginia, with my loaded rifle and several rounds of extra ammo. While I cant speak to Anthonys motives nor entirely to the reason why any shooter would seek the destruction of human life in such a catastrophic way I see a common thread. All shooters are deeply troubled, lost, and hurting, much like I was at the age of 18. My life during that time was a dark void of emptiness. I truly believed that suicide, and subsequently harming others, was my only way out of the pain I deeply felt it was simply more than I could bear. Killing myself simply wasnt enough; I believed that others had to pay as well. I was a lost soul, completely bogged down in the fog of my own pain to see clearly. Too blind to see what consequences my actions would ultimately have on myself, my family, and the people who I took as hostages. I dont have all the answers to prevent another school shooting. But what I do know is theres only one person Who can save, redeem, and speak into the lives which are broken beyond repair: Jesus Christ. His love and work on the Cross is the only thing that can change their hearts. We must be the people to speak hope and Gods love into all people, but especially those who are hurting the most. Nothing reached me until someone a hostage negotiator got inside my head with me. It took someone to understand my pain, the circumstances I was wrestling internally with, and the reasons although incredibly flawed why I showed up to school with a loaded rifle, intending to kill the people I saw every day. It took another person a woman I took as a hostage to ask me why I was doing it; to see me as the lost and frightened kid instead of a cold-blooded murderer. Her choice that day to wear a cross was used by God and ultimately pulled me out of the flames. If it wasnt for Gods hand in my life and His choice to use a hostage negotiator, a hostage herself, and so many others, I would not be alive at this moment. We must allow ourselves to listen to the light of Jesus Christ and be used in the way we have been called. God redeemed not only my life, but my story. Because of Gods mercy and grace that day, I was the only person injured, and all hostages were released without being physically harmed. While I still wrestle to this day with the shame, guilt, and grief of my actions that fateful day, I am constantly reminded of Gods sufficient grace and that I am a new creation. In part of being made new, I have been called by God to share my story. And to share with you the power of understanding and loving people because theres always something in their lives we dont know about. Nearly everyone has a bigger story behind the facade we see from the outside. For anyone with a troubled past: There is light, no matter who you are, or even what youve done. Let my story be that example that God can redeem anyone, no matter what their past looks like. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 18:35:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SINGAPORE -- Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) announced on Monday that the country's manufacturing output increased 10.7 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2021. Excluding biomedical manufacturing, the output grew 13.9 percent year on year in the three months. (Singapore-Manufacturing Output) - - - - VIENTIANE -- China and Laos have been cooperating to build the Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone (SDZ) into a low-carbon demonstration model for the country and Southeast Asian countries at large. "After implementing the low-carbon demonstration zone project in (the) SDZ, we will install only solar lamps along the road. (You will see) neatly planted trees on both sides of the road," Khienkham Phoudchanthavongsa, deputy general manager of the Lao-China Joint Venture Investment Co., Ltd. (LCJV), told Xinhua on Saturday. (Laos-China-Low Carbon Cooperation) - - - - CANBERRA -- Australian governments are under pressure to end subsidies for fossil fuel after a report revealed they are costing billions of dollars every year. According to the report, which was published by think tank the Australia Institute on Monday, governments have spent 10.3 billion Australian dollars (about 8 billion U.S. dollars) subsidizing fossil fuels in financial year 2020/21, the equivalent of 19,686 AUD (15,312 USD) every minute in 2020. (Australia-Fossil Fuel-Ending Subsidies) - - - - SEOUL -- South Korea's corporate bond sale fell in single digits last month as industrial companies refrained from borrowing money amid the continued COVID-19 pandemic, financial watchdog data showed Monday. Debts, sold by industrial and financial firms, amounted to 18.37 trillion won (16.5 billion U.S. dollars) in March, down 4.7 percent from the previous month, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). (South Korea-Corporate Bond-Sale Fall) Enditem Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has condemned the attack on security personnel along Omagwa/Isiokpo/Elele Owerri Road in Ikwerre Local ... Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has condemned the attack on security personnel along Omagwa/Isiokpo/Elele Owerri Road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state. It was reported that unknown gunmen had on Saturday, attacked a military checkpoint in Omagwa community and set some vehicles ablaze in the area. Reacting, Wike in a statement by his Media Aide, Mr Kelvin Ebiri, said there is no justification for such a heinous and condemnable attack targeted against innocent security personnel on legitimate duty of protecting lives and property in the state. He expressed sadness over the unwarranted and callous attack on security personnel and sympathized with the relatives of those who lost their lives in the attack. We condemn this heinous act, share the grief of the security agencies and convey our sincere condolences. The governor, who charged the security agencies to be vigilant said that the government and people of Rivers, are in solidarity with security agencies at this difficult times of this unwarranted and mindless violence. He also demanded that perpetrators of the attack must be fished out and brought to justice. Two diplomats from the Pakistan Embassy in South Korea were caught shoplifting at a store in Seoul, said the police on Saturday. Yongsan Police Station said the two were caught stealing items worth 11,000 won (USD 10) and 1,900 won (USD 1.70), respectively, at the same store in Itaewon, Yongsan District, on different dates, reported The Korea Times. One allegedly stole chocolate treats worth 1,900 won (USD 1.70), on January 10, and the other a hat worth 11,000 won (USD 10), on February 23. Pak Embassy employees caught shoplifting in South Korea After the hat was stolen, an employee at the store filed a police report shortly afterwards, and the law enforcement authorities identified the suspect through CCTV footage as a 35-year-old diplomat of the Pakistan Embassy, reported The Korea Times. Following an investigation, officers closed the case without booking the suspect because of diplomatic immunity. Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats and their families may avoid arrest, detention, or indictment under certain laws of their host country. Pakistani diplomats abroad continue to embarrass Islamabad This is not the first time when diplomats of Pakistan have embarrassed their country by being accused of such crimes. In 2018, a Pakistani diplomat was caught stealing the wallet of his Kuwaiti counterpart. Due to the worsening image of the Pakistani diplomats, the United States government had imposed travel restrictions banning their movement beyond a 25-miles radius around Washington DC without approval between May 2018 and May 2019. Even Pakistans Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Munir Akram has been accused of domestic violence by his live-in partner. He was excused due to diplomatic immunity. In another incident, an Assistant Visa officer at Pakistan high commission, Bangladesh, Mohamed Mazhar Khan was arrested after his role in a syndicate was busted. The syndicate used to smuggle Fake Indian Currency Notes through Assam and West Bengal border. During the investigation, the documents recovered from his possession exposed his links with members of the terrorist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir. In a similar incident, another Pakistan diplomat Farina Arshad who was Second Secretary at the Pakistan High Commission in Bangladesh was charged after a militant of jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) Idris Sheikh admitted her links with the militant organization. (Image: PTI) Young people should get Covid vaccines to regain their freedom and bring an end to lockdowns even if they are at a lower risk of dying, a scientist has said. Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline younger people might not see as big a personal benefit to vaccination as older generations. But widespread vaccination across all adult age groups is vital to bringing an end to the constant restrictions that have ruled people's lives for the past year. The NHS vaccination programme opened up to people in their late 40s today, with everyone over 44 now eligible for a jab which they can book online or by phone, and it is expected to widen even further to people in their 30s next week. Experts are concerned that younger people will have lower jab uptake than elderly groups because they don't face a high risk of death from Covid, and they may be more likely to have seen anti-vaxx theories online or be worried about side effects. Dr Ali said: 'We are going to face an issue, particularly in young people who perceive the threat of Covid to be less. 'I'd say to these people, if you want to avoid another lockdown then vaccination is the best way to do it. Young people suffer from lockdowns most, with their mental and economic health. Vaccination is the only way to do it.' The Government will launch a new primetime TV advert tonight to urge people of all ages to get vaccinated, showing it in the ad-break on ITV's Emmerdale at 7.15pm. Another 641,000 vaccine doses were given out yesterday 498,000 of them were second doses and Britain has now given 33.67million adults at least one dose of a vaccine, with 12.6million fully protected with both. Everyone over the age of 44 in England can now get a coronavirus vaccine by booking online or by phone (Pictured: A woman gets her jab in Reading) Dr Raghib Ali, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Cambridge 'There's a degree of altruism versus personal benefit as you go down the age groups, particularly as you get below 30,' Dr Ali said. He added: 'The surveys I've seen suggest uptake is going to be about 85 per cent, which isn't as high as the current rate but no-one thought we'd get 95 per cent uptake before.' Dr Ali suggests a tricky element of young people getting vaccinated is that for many of them it is selfless and intended to protect other people rather than themselves. NHS data show that only 644 out of the 86,868 people in England to have died of Covid so far have been under the age of 40 just 0.7 per cent. Most people admitted to hospital with the disease are in middle age now that vaccines are protecting large proportions of elderly people. But although younger adults have a low risk of death, the virus spreads fastest among them and in higher numbers, meaning they keep outbreaks going and fuel new ones. Public Health England data last week showed that people in their 30s had the highest infection rate among adults at 34 positive cases per 100,000 people. This was followed by 20 to 29-year-olds, with 32 per 100,000. Teenagers had the highest positive test rate (42) but they are not yet able to get vaccines so younger adults must get jabs to reduce the impact of those outbreaks. Studies have suggested that the vaccines will prevent transmission as well as severe disease, meaning it is vital for everyone to get a jab. Oxford University research last week found that among those who had been given at least one dose of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine there was a 74 per cent drop in symptomatic infections. Crucially, the jabs also cut asymptomatic cases where the person infected has no signs of illness by more than 50 per cent. This is critical to stopping people unwittingly spreading Covid. Vaccine hesitancy in Britain is highest among 16 to 29-year-olds, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). An ONS survey carried out in February and March found some 12% of people in this age group said they had declined the vaccine, were unlikely to have the jab if offered or did not know if they would have a vaccination. This is the equivalent of around 1.2 million people, based on the weighted population figures used in the ONS survey. Hesitancy was nine per cent among those aged 30 to 49 the equivalent of 1.6 million people. A TV advert (pictured) will form part of a Government campaign urging people aged 50 and under to get their Covid-19 vaccine The ad (pictured) showcases the health workers and volunteers involved in the rollout across the UK, as well as some of the millions of people who have already had their jab PFIZER'S ANTI-COVID PILL 'COULD BE READY THIS YEAR' Pfizer's Covid-preventing pill could be available by the end of the year if human trials in the US and Belgium are successful. There are currently no drugs other than vaccines that can stop people developing Covid-19 but if one is discovered it could spell the end of lockdowns forever, one expert has said. Pfizer, the company that made one of the most-used jabs in Europe and North America, is already testing its experimental pill on people. The antiviral drug, named PF-07321332, could be given to stop the illness getting severe in people who have started showing signs of coronavirus infection. Although most people will get vaccinated against Covid, jabs aren't 100 per cent effective and some people can't have them or don't benefit as much, meaning coronavirus will still spread and still be dangerous for unprotected people. Pills could help to prevent severe illness in people for whom jabs don't work as well, or be a second line of defence in case an immune-resistant new variant emerges. Around 60 people are currently involved in the first phase of Pfizer's PF-07321332 trial, which is expected to come to an end on May 25. After this, if the pill turns out to be safe, larger trials with more people will be done to prove that it definitely does stop Covid, as lab tests suggested it will. Boris Johnson announced last week that the Government was setting up an antivirals taskforce to find and buy up antiviral drugs that could make Covid treatable at home by the autumn. Advertisement Tonight's advert will showcase the health workers and volunteers involved in the rollout across the UK, as well as some of the millions of people who have already had their jab. The campaign called 'every vaccination gives us hope' will make its debut during Emmerdale on ITV on Monday at 7.15pm. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the advert will predominantly be aimed at people under the age of 50 who will be offered their first dose, as well as the over 50s who are booked in for their second dose, to encourage vaccine uptake. It follows the news that Britons in their 30s could receive their call-up for the jab as early as next week, with officials close to securing tens of millions of Pfizer jabs. The new order of 40million roughly doubles the UK's original order and will arrive in time for a third booster dose to be given to elderly people in the autumn. If the negotiations are finalised, the extra stock could also be used for people in their twenties who will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine. The new ad campaign will run on multi-cultural media, social media, on the radio and on billboards across Manchester, Liverpool and London. The 60-second advert will feature a cover of Dinah Washington's What a Difference a Day Makes recorded by songwriter and artist Shells. The song will be released to the public through streaming services on Friday. The DHSC said the campaign also aims to highlight the 'significant' role the vaccine is playing in preventing infections, hospital admissions and deaths. It will urge the public to get their facts about vaccines from trusted sources like NHS.UK and their GP so they can make informed and evidence-based decisions. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Vaccines are helping us get back to doing the things we have missed they protect you and those around you. 'This campaign is a remarkable and poignant reminder of everything we've been through as a country and everything we have to look forward to as well as the tireless efforts of our volunteers, NHS heroes and the British people. 'Every vaccination gives us hope and I urge everyone to take up the offer of a vaccine when it comes, as we continue on the path back to normality.' The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the advert (pictured) will predominantly be aimed at people under the age of 50 who will be offered their first dose, as well as the over 50s who are booked in for their second dose, to encourage vaccine uptake The British Medical Association (BMA) said it welcomed the campaign, with BMA GP committee chairman Dr Richard Vautrey saying: 'Since the rollout of the programme the BMA has strongly encouraged everyone who is offered a vaccine to take it. 'It's important that younger and less vulnerable people don't confuse their lower risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus with no risk. 'We are all at risk of contracting the virus and, as we've seen throughout the pandemic, becoming seriously ill from it, including a growing number of people, both young and old, now suffering from long Covid. 'The fact is the pandemic will not be over for anyone until it is over for everyone and to achieve that we need high uptake across all groups of people throughout the entire country.' Over the weekend, figures confirmed more than half of the UK's total population has received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te recently stated that Taiwan does not come under China and it is a "sovereign state". The statement came amid increasing suppression from China on Taiwan. The Vice President was speaking at the "Global Taiwan National Affairs Symposium" 2021. Lai added that Chinese "bullying and aggression" is becoming "ruthless". He also marked China's step to block Taiwan from participating in World Health Assembly (WHA) and other such organizations. "China's bullying and aggression against Taiwan are becoming ruthless like smuggling Taiwan's allies and restricting Taiwan's participation from World Health Assembly (WHA) and other world bodies," mentioned Vice President Lai Ching-te In his opening remarks for the event, Lai added that it is the people of Taiwan who will decide the future of the nation. "No one else but the 23 million people of Taiwan are independent to decide the future of the nation as they are entitled to do so," added Lai Ching-te. He also added that there is no debate on the fact that Taiwan is not a subordinate to China. Boosted grey-zone approaches Since September 2020, the Jinping administration has boosted the grey-zone approach by regularly sending aircraft to Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), occurring mostly in the southwest corner of the zone and generally carrying one or more slow-flying turbojet. Earlier, Taiwan's premiere Tseng-Chang called the interference by Chinese warplanes into ADIZ "unnecessary" and "thoughtless". China over Taiwan Several times earlier China has claimed that Taiwan comes under the Chinese regime and a tussle between the two countries has been going on for a long time. China has even warned Indian media to not identify Taiwan as an independent nation. The two sides have been under separate governments for seven decades. Taiwan is located in the southeastern zone of mainland China. Taiwan has also claimed that China's increasing oppression is a result of a better strategic partnership with international democracies such as the US, but China has repeatedly denied that claim. China has warned Taiwan's independence as war. China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson, Wu Quian during January threatened people wanting Taiwan's independence. He also compared the situation with "fire" and stated not to play with it or else those interfering will be set on it. (inputs from ANI) Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Nanotechnology Market Overview accounted $50 billion in 2018 and estimated to grow at a CAGR of 18% during the forecast period 2019-2025. The market growth is attributed to increasing application of nanotechnology in various sectors including electronics and semiconductors. In electronics and semiconductors, nanotechnology is being used to improve display screens, decrease power consumption and thickness, and increase the storage capacity of memory chips; while reducing its physical size, which in turn leads to miniaturization of electronic gadgets. The Nanotechnology Market size wasin 2018 and estimated to grow at aduring the forecast period 2019-2025. The market growth is attributed to increasing application of nanotechnology in various sectors including electronics and semiconductors. In electronics and semiconductors, nanotechnology is being used to improve display screens, decrease power consumption and thickness, and increase the storage capacity of memory chips; while reducing its physical size, which in turn leads to miniaturization of electronic gadgets. Nanotechnology Market Report Coverage The report: Nanotechnology Market Forecast (2019-2025), by IndustryARC covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the nanotechnology market. By Type: Nanocomposites Nanoparticles , Nanotubes, Nano clays, Nano materials, Nano fibers, Nano ceramic Products, Nano magnetics, Nano tools, Nano devices, Others. By Applications: Medicine and Healthcare Diagnosis, Environment, Energy, ICT,Nano-EHS. By End Use Industry: Electronics and Semiconductor, Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Textile, Military and Defense, Healthcare, Food and Agriculture, Automobile, Telecom and Information Technology, Aerospace, Others. By Geography :North America, South America, Europe, APAC, RoW. Key Takeaways Key companies present in the market are seeking collaboration with companies that are active in R&D of Nanotechnology. The increasing demand for water purification is creating opportunities for nanotechnology based products i.e. through nano-fabric membranes. In the U.S., increased adoption of nanotechnology has changed the manufacturing scenario in the region, thus propelling the market growth. The major active startups are playing active role in the U.S. nanotechnology market, some of the companies are Moleaer Inc., NDB Inc., Rokk3r, Ike Scientific LLC, and Ligandal Inc. Nanotechnology Market Segment Analysis - By Type Nanocomposites segment dominate the market with a share of 65% , and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16% during the forecast period, attributed to innovation in nanotubes which increases the application scope of nanotechnology in medical and other sectors. Factors such as high tensile strength, better optical and magnetic properties; high resistance to corrosion; high thermal and electronic conductivity boost the demand for nanocomposites in electronics sector. Nanotechnology Market Segment Analysis - Application The usage of nanotechnology in drug development will witness growth in the future. Additionally, nanotechnology is also used in diagnostic techniques and anti-bacterial treatments, as gold nanoparticles coupled with infrared light can destroy bacteria. Furthermore, research are being carried to harness electricity produced by nano-generators that are worn by patients, it can be helpful to reduce blood loss and heal the wounds faster. These diverse applications of nanotechnology in healthcare sector will observe further developments, which will support the nanotechnology market growth. Nanotechnology Market Segment Analysis - By End Use Industry The Quantum Dot nanotechnology offer accurate color reproduction along with high resolution, and miniaturization of components result in light weight and slim end-products. Hence, listed traits are supporting the increased deployment of nanotechnology in electronics sector, further resulting in growth of the nanotechnology market. The electronics and semiconductor segment is anticipated to dominate the nanotechnology market by 2025, with growing at a CAGR of 19% during the forecast period. Nanotechnology Market Segment Analysis - By Geography North America dominated the global nanotechnology market with an estimated share of about 34% in 2018, which was majorly attributed to significant R&D investments in nanotechnology in the region. In the U.S., out of around 600 companies that manufacture Nanotechnology based products, 55 are from construction sector, this shows an interest of companies to cater the use of nanotechnology in construction sector, which will increase the adoption of nanotechnology in the construction sector during the forecast period. Nanotechnology Market Drivers High Growth in Electronics and Semiconductors Industry The electronics and semiconductor industry is one of the fastest growing industries globally that valued $467 billion in 2018, as per IndustryARCs analysis. Nanocomposites, nano-devices and other nanotechnologies are used in various electronic devices such as smartphones, home appliances, and other electronic gadgets for manufacturing MEMS, screen and different sensors. This results in production of energy efficient devices which are more durable, thereby escalating the demand of nanotechnology by electronics and semiconductor sector. Growing telecom and IT infrastructure The telecom and information technology industry has been growing at a rapid pace, owing to increasing commercial deployment of base station in countries such as South Korea, U.S., and China. Thus, the adoption of 5G is anticipated to increase further in next 3-5 years, thereby paving way for development of novel nanoscale computer technologies such as AR and VR, and IoT. Such technological advancements in telecom and IT infrastructure coupled with increasing demand for miniaturized products in small cells and others will open new avenues for nanotechnology market growth. Nanotechnology Market Challenges The most challenging aspect in the nanotechnology market is scalability of production. Even though nanomaterials impart an outstanding functional performance in the laboratory or prototype stage, the scalability factor is acting as a major challenge in growth of the nanotechnology market size. However, in future, significant developments such as miniaturization without compromising on product efficiency and various others are expected in nanotechnology with a profitable commercialization in the automotive, aerospace, and sporting goods industry. Market Landscape Partnerships and collaborations are key strategies adopted by market players in the nanotechnology market. In 2018, the market is consolidated with the top 5 players accounting for 57% of the market share. The major players in the nanotechnology market include Showa Denko KK, BASF SE, Pen Inc., Nanosys Inc., QD vision, Arkema, 3rd Tech Inc., ApNano Materials (NanoMaterials Ltd.), ELITechGroup, Bruker Nano GmbH, and QuantumSphere Inc., among others. Partnerships/Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements In 2018, L3 Harris Technologies, Inc. signed an agreement with Dallas-based nanotechnology firm, Peak Nano Optics, LLC (Peak Nano) to acquire a minority stake in the firm with an aim to access its optics technology to strengthen its existing product lines and services to military ISR and commercial customers. R&D Investments/Funding The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), the U.S. Government R&D initiative, received more than requested funds from the government in 2017 and 2018, accounting for $1.4 billion in 2018, and $1.2 billion in 2017. Federal organizations with the largest share of investments are the Department of Health and Human Science (HHS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Commerce (DOC). For 2019, NNI has provided an expenditure plan, which involves awarding 39% for foundational research, 28% for developing applications and devices, and 16% for infrastructure and instrumentation. Nanotechnology Market Research Scope: The base year of the study is 2018, with forecast done up to 2025. The study presents a thorough analysis of the competitive landscape, taking into account the market shares of the leading companies. These provide the key market participants with the necessary business intelligence and help them understand the future of the nanotechnology market. The assessment includes the forecast, an overview of the competitive structure, the market shares of the competitors, as well as the market trends, market demands, market drivers, market challenges, and product analysis. The market drivers and restraints have been assessed to fathom their impact over the forecast period. This report further identifies the key opportunities for growth while also detailing the key challenges and possible threats. The key areas of focus include the types of nanotechnology based products, and their specific applications in the healthcare, environment, energy and other sectors. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has filed Federal Court defamation proceedings against a refugee advocate over a tweet labelling him a rape apologist, making good on his threat to take legal action over social media posts. In a statement of claim filed on Friday, Mr Duttons lawyers say Shane Bazzi, who was knocked back in his bid to apply for a visa to visit asylum seekers on Nauru in 2016 by the Nauru Consulate-General, defamed the Morrison government minister in a February 25 tweet this year. Peter Dutton is the second Morrison government minister to launch defamation proceedings this year. Credit:Rhett Wyman Mr Dutton is seeking damages, including aggravated damages, and costs. He is the second federal Liberal minister to launch defamation proceedings this year, following Christian Porters highly-publicised case against the ABC. In the tweet, Mr Bazzi posted a link to a Guardian Australia article reporting Mr Duttons assertion on Sky News in 2019 that some women on Nauru have claimed that theyve been raped and came to Australia to seek an abortion because they couldnt get an abortion on Nauru. Mr Dutton suggested they were trying it on in order to secure a medical transfer to Australia. Scott Morrison will decide today whether to ban flights from India as the nation suffers a world-record 352,991 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours. Cabinet's national security committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss sending aid such as oxygen tanks and potentially banning flights altogether. Last week Mr Morrison cut the number of flights from India by 30 per cent after the virus leaked into the community from a traveller from India in hotel quarantine in Perth. Scott Morrison will decide today whether to ban flights from India (pictured) as the nation suffers a record 352,991 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours Poll Should Australia suspend ALL flights from India? Yes No Undecided Should Australia suspend ALL flights from India? Yes 814 votes No 33 votes Undecided 18 votes Now share your opinion Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote to Mr Morrison last Friday demanding that flights be halted. 'We're due to have a direct flight in the next week or so coming in to Brisbane. It's a high-risk proposition,' she said on Tuesday morning. 'Other countries have done the suspension. And I know that the federal government is considering it today. And I would welcome any response that they have to do that.' India has broken the daily record for Covid cases for the fifth day in a row. Ms Palaszczuk said all inbound flights from India must be halted to protect Australia from the mutant strain of the virus. 'Everyone understands that although this is a tough measure, it's actually a necessary measure, because what we are seeing in India is a huge second wave, some 300,000 cases a day,' she told Seven's Sunrise program. 'It's absolutely tragic what's happening there, and with a mutant strain I don't think Australia can afford that really high risk. Ms Palaszczuk said there was no way to safely quarantine arrivals from India in Australia's major cities. 'I'm quite sure the federal government's going to give this due consideration, but I don't think we can have these flights coming into our major cities across, across the nation,' she said. Relatives and family members carry the dead body of a Covid-19 victim for a cremation at Nigambodh Ghat Crematorium, on the banks of the Yamuna river in New Delhi 'I think they would have to go into a specially regional quarantine centre, whether it's Howard Springs, I know Mark McGowan has called for Christmas Island to be used as well.' Australia is considering a request for oxygen and is likely to send non-invasive ventilators to India, where the health system is in extreme crisis. 'India is literally gasping for oxygen,' Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters on Monday. Mr Hunt confirmed stopping all flights from India could be an option if health authorities advised the move was necessary. 'If those additional measures are recommended, we will take them with the heaviest of hearts but without any hesitation,' he said. India ordered its armed forces on Monday to help tackle surging new coronavirus infections, as nations including Britain, Germany and the United States pledged urgent medical aid to try to contain an emergency overwhelming the country's hospitals. The situation in the world's second most populous country is 'beyond heartbreaking', World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding that WHO is sending extra staff and supplies including oxygen concentrator devices. Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the situation in India was desperate. 'They are our good friends, we should be assisting in whatever way we can,' he told ABC radio. 'A breakout of this virus in one part of the world is a breakout everywhere.' Mr Albanese said the crisis also highlighted the need to establish dedicated quarantine facilities with open air for returning travellers. 'The Commonwealth needs to get quarantine right,' he said. With AAP New Delhi: Actor Sharon Stone had to be rushed to the hospital on September 29, 2001, after she suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and collapsed at her Los Angeles house. She had no choice but to take a break from acting. Recalling the stroke, Stone says it felt like she was 'hit by lightning bolt' it was so bad! Described as "massive brain hemorrhage and stroke" she was left with a "brain seizure condition" for which she still takes medication, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I had the kind of stroke where one minute you're standing behind the couch and the next minute you're flipped over the couch on the coffee table and everything is everywhere. "It's a little bit like you see in the movies when Zeus hits somebody with a lightning bolt and they just go flying. It's a little bit like I felt like I was hit by that lightning bolt. I don't know how long I was on the floor. It was three days before somebody took me to the hospital," said Stone. She added that the doctors wanted to send her home after six days in the hospital as they thought she was "acting." "This happens to me a lot. This happened to me when I had gallbladder disease, this happened to me with dental problems. People think that as an actress or a high-profile person that you're acting," she rued. Stone has appeared in super hits like Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Sliver, The Specialist, and Casino. Also read: Renee Zellweger to portray Judy Garland in Rupert Goolds film Also read: Cameron Diaz's outing made even more memorable by homeless woman For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. (Newser) On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case relatable to anyone who's ever vented some choice words on a bad day. What sets this one apart? It involves a young cheerleader's profanityand it just happens to be "the most momentous case in more than five decades involving student speech," Yale law professor Justin Driver (author of a book on the subject) tells the Washington Post. Coverage: The incident: In May 2017, then 14-year-old Brandi Levy was ticked after being told she'd have to spend another year on the JV cheerleading squad rather than moving up to varsity, explains Vox. She posted an image on Snapchat of her and a friend raising their middle fingers above her caption of "f--- school f--- softball f--- cheer f--- everything." In May 2017, then 14-year-old Brandi Levy was ticked after being told she'd have to spend another year on the JV cheerleading squad rather than moving up to varsity, explains Vox. She posted an image on Snapchat of her and a friend raising their middle fingers above her caption of "f--- school f--- softball f--- cheer f--- everything." The fallout: Like all Snapchat posts, it disappeared within 24 hours. But someone took a screenshot, school authorities got wind of it, and Brandi was suspended from the cheerleading squad. "I was a 14-year-old kid," Brandi, now a college freshman, tells the AP. "I was upset, I was angry. Everyone, every 14-year-old kid speaks like that at one point." story continues below The lawsuit: Brandi's family filed suit over her suspension with help from the ACLU, reports Reuters. Did the school overreach and impede on her right to free speech? Lower courts have wrestled with the question, and Supreme Court justices now get their chance in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. Brandi's family filed suit over her suspension with help from the ACLU, reports Reuters. Did the school overreach and impede on her right to free speech? Lower courts have wrestled with the question, and Supreme Court justices now get their chance in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. Precedent: The big case on this dates back to 1969. In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the Supreme Court sided with students suspended because they wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Students don't "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," the court ruled. But the ruling also declared that schools can punish students for speech that "would materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school." Courts have been sussing out the gray area since. The big case on this dates back to 1969. In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the Supreme Court sided with students suspended because they wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Students don't "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," the court ruled. But the ruling also declared that schools can punish students for speech that "would materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school." Courts have been sussing out the gray area since. Modern complications: Now factor in ubiquitous phones and social media, which make the idea of a "schoolhouse gate" almost quaint. Levi's former school district argues that schools must have enough leeway to punish cyberbullying or, say, a student who publishes answers to a test, per the Post. But the ACLU argues that too much leeway is a dangerous thing. Now factor in ubiquitous phones and social media, which make the idea of a "schoolhouse gate" almost quaint. Levi's former school district argues that schools must have enough leeway to punish cyberbullying or, say, a student who publishes answers to a test, per the Post. But the ACLU argues that too much leeway is a dangerous thing. The challenge: In his Vox post, Ian Millhiser writes that a "sensible" court will have "to construct a new set of legal rules that recognizes that off-campus speech is distinct from on-campus speech, but also that off-campus speech can sometimes impact the school community in ways that schools need to be equipped to handle." And that, he adds, "will not be an easy task." (Read more free speech stories.) USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbees christening ceremony took place in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where she was officially welcomed as the 73rd destroyer in the Arleigh Burke class. And, like most of the others ships in this class, theres also a significant history behind her name.Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee can be considered one of the Navy s pioneers. Back in 1908, she was one of the few women to enter the Navy Nurse Corps, which was a new institution in itself. In fact, the first 20 women who joined it, including Lenah, became known as the Sacred Twenty.Only a few years later, in 1911, she became the second Superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps and later went on to bring an important contribution during the Navys participation in the First World War. Plus, she is also known for being the first living woman to receive the Navy Cross.The first combat ship to ever be named after a woman that served in the U.S. Navy was, in fact, the USS Higbee (DD 806).Therefore, the USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) is the second ship named after her.The 509.5-ft (155-meter) long and 59-ft (18-meter) wide ship is designed to combine a quick reaction time with electronic countermeasures for modern warfare. Guided-missile destroyers are specifically configured for multi-mission combat, including anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare.Like the other ships in this class, the USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee is equipped with the MK-41 Vertical Launching System and the Aegis weapon system. Since the first DDG 51 has been delivered, all ships in the Arleigh Burke class (DDG 51) have gone through periodical upgrades for improved sensors, weapons, and support systems.The USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) will be joining the other ships in the San Diego homeport, and we look forward to her becoming as successful as the woman who inspired her name. More than 5 million Americans have missed the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, new government data shows. The trend seems to be growing. According to the latest data, the number of vaccine recipients who missed their second dose now stands at nearly 8%, more than double the rate seen among people who got inoculated during the first several weeks of the national vaccine campaign, The New York Times reported. Already, millions of people are wary about getting vaccinated at all, and now local health authorities are struggling to make sure that those who get their first shot also get their second. "I'm very worried, because you need that second dose," Dr. Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory panel, told the Times. Why the missed second shots? Some said they feared the side effects, which can include flu-like symptoms, while others said they felt they were sufficiently protected with a single shot. But a surprising hurdle has also surfaced: A number of vaccine providers have canceled second-dose appointments because they ran out of supply or didn't have the right brand in stock, the Times reported. Walgreens, one of the biggest vaccine providers in the United States, sent some people who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to get their second doses at pharmacies that only had the other vaccine on hand, the newspaper said. Several Walgreens customers said they scrambled to get the correct second dose, but others likely gave up, the newspaper added. Public health officials had worried from the start that it would be hard to get everyone to come back for their second shot, and now some state officials are scrambling to keep the tally of partly vaccinated people from swelling. In Arkansas and Illinois, health officials have directed teams to call, text or send letters to people to remind them to get their second shots. In Pennsylvania, officials are trying to ensure that college students can get their second shots after they leave campus for the summer, the Times reported. South Carolina has allocated several thousand doses specifically for people who are overdue for their second shot. Compared with the two-dose regimen, a single shot triggers a weaker immune response and may leave some people more susceptible to dangerous virus variants, the Times said. And though a single dose provides some protection against COVID-19, it's not clear how long that protection will last. While millions of Americans have missed their second shots, the overall rates of follow-through, with some 92 percent getting fully vaccinated, are strong by historical standards, the Times noted. As of Monday, nearly 140 million Americans had received their first shot, while nearly 97.8 million have gotten their second, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FDA lifts pause on J&J vaccine The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday lifted the temporary pause it had placed on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and said it will add a note to the shot's label warning of the potential for rare blood clots. The move came just hours after recommendations from a special panel of CDC experts supported resuming use of the vaccine. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) determined that the benefits of the vaccine in preventing deaths and hospitalizations far outweigh the risks of rare blood clots, risks that are mainly borne by younger women.The J&J vaccine has certain advantages over the Pfizer and Moderna shots also approved for use in the United States, because unlike those vaccines it requires only one dose and does not require super-cold storage. The panel vote was 10 in favor, 4 opposed and one abstention. The opposing votes favored a stronger warning for women younger than 50 that would give them the option of choosing another vaccine.The panel's recommendation comes more than a week after the CDC pressed "pause" on the rollout of the J&J vaccine. Just how much do the benefits of the J&J shot outweigh its risks? In coming to its decision, the ACIP considered a risk/benefit analysis that estimates that, for every 1 million doses of the J&J vaccine administered: 13 cases of blood clots will occur in women 18 to 49, but at the same time 12 COVID-related deaths, 127 ICU admissions for COVID and 657 related hospitalizations will be prevented. 2 cases of blood clots will occur in women 50 and older, but 593 deaths, 1,292 ICU admissions and 4,794 hospitalizations will be prevented. 2 cases of blood clots will occur in men 18 to 49, but 11 COVID deaths, 114 ICU admissions and 601 hospitalizations will be prevented. No cases of blood clots will occur in men 50 and older, but 708 deaths, 1,485 ICU admissions and 5,513 hospitalizations will be prevented. The pause in use of the one-dose vaccine came after six U.S. reports, one fatal, of a rare but severe form of blood clot tied to use of the J&J shot, all occurring in women. At Friday's meeting, a CDC scientist presented nine new confirmed cases of the disorder, bringing the total to 15, the Times reported. All the cases have been in women, and 13 have been in women between the ages of 18 and 49. Three women have died from the rare clots and seven remain hospitalized, four of whom are in the intensive care unit, the CDC scientist said. At the time of the pause, more than 7 million doses of the J&J vaccine had been administered in the United States. Dr. Joanne Waldstreicher, the chief medical officer of Johnson & Johnson, said the company has agreed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to add a warning label to the vaccine, which notes that "most cases" of the clotting disorder have occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 49. Biden pushes businesses on employee vaccinations In the meantime, with demand for COVID-19 vaccination in the United States showing signs of declining, President Joe Biden on Wednesday offered businesses new incentives to help more workers get their shots. He askedbut did not mandatethat businesses give employees paid time off to get vaccinated, and even offered special tax credits to businesses employing under 500 people, to help cover any costs. According to the Times, Biden said that "no working American should lose a single dollar from their paycheck because they chose to fill their patriotic duty to get vaccinated." Biden spoke during a White House briefing to announce that 200 million Americans had now gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. That milestone means Biden has already met a target he set for his 100th day in office, which is Thursday. But even harder work may lie ahead: Most of those Americans who were already eager to get a vaccine have already done so, and in the weeks ahead convincing the vaccine-hesitant to line up for a shot will be a harder sell. Michael Carney is the senior vice president for emerging issues at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Speaking with the Times, he said, "If you think of this as a war, we're about to enter the hand-to-hand combat phase of the war." Paid time off could be a major weapon in that battle. According to the Times, officials say that about 30% of unvaccinated workers said it could help convince them to get immunized. Some businesses are also contemplating their own vaccination education campaigns and immunization clinics. Reaching the unvaccinated will be crucial to boosting immunization rates to the 70% to 90% scientists believe is needed for herd immunity. Right now, about 40% of American adults have gotten at least one dose of vaccine, the Times said, but rates vary widely between states. The U.S. coronavirus case count passed 32 million on Monday, while the death toll topped 572,000, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, 147.2 million cases had been reported by Monday, with over 3.1 million people dead from COVID-19. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. by Nirmala Carvalho The disease has taken the lives of a young missionary from Kandhamal district and the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. For Archbishop Barwa, we are in God's hands, and must continue to serve our brothers and sisters. Mumbai (AsiaNews) The COVID-19 wave that is bringing India to its knees is hitting priests hard too. The Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar reported the deaths of two priests within hours of each. On Saturday we mourned the death of Father Bimal Nayak, a young missionary from Kandhamal district, the one most affected by the violence of Hindu fundamentalists in 2008. I had ordained him priest for the Indian Missionary Society, said Archbishop John Barwa. Then it happened to my vicar general, Father Prasanna Pradhan, the prelate added. Originally from the parish of Mondasoro, he had just turned 59. He was the son of a great catechist in the community and served his ministry in many villages. But he was also a respected scholar with a doctorate in Biblical Sciences from Rome. A simple, honest man, he was much loved by everyone, a pillar of the archdiocese. Father Bimal Nayak, who was only 35 years old, died in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where he had travelled for his ministry. Taken to the hospital of Banaras Hindu University, treatment proved hopeless despite his young age. He was buried in the cemetery of the mother house of the Indian Missionary Society in Christnagar. In these days of uncertainty we are called to be even more closely connected to God and surrender everything into his hands, said Archbishop Barwa. Our talents, our abilities matter less today. Our will must be only to do His will and be witnesses to His love by loving our neighbours. Let us obey the Golden Rule: love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself. In 2015, Father Nayak's priestly ordination was the first in the history of his parish in Pokari, Kandhamal district. Kiran, as the young man was then known in the village, was a talented young man, the son of a Baptist pastor. He was oriented towards and music and singing, and he released an album of his own. After his priestly ordination, he worked initially as a missionary in the Diocese of Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, at the mission near Bhagawanpura, a distant village where he actively involved in bringing back to the Church Catholics who had drifted away amid a thousand difficulties. Lately he had now been put in charge of the Nandganj mission, a few kilometres from Varanasi, where he was highly regarded, above all for his youth ministry. Everyone remembers him as a tireless missionary, as if he already knew he had little time. He knew how to work with everyone and had many Hindu friends. His parents are sad, said his mother's brother, Prados Chandra Nayak speaking to AsiaNews. They had already offered their son to God and knew he was no longer ours, but our sadness stems from the fact that they had not been able to see him since last March, due to the lockdown. Even in last few days when the disease developed, they could not take care of him. But Father Bimal was already in God's hands and this gives us peace. The deaths of priests in Odisha lengthens the list of Indian clergymen who have died from the virus. The website Matters India reported the death of 14 priests in the last four days alone in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. This is a disturbing number according to the site considering that India has just over 30,000 priests in total, both diocesan and religious. China reinforces confidence for global environmental governance 09:07, April 26, 2021 By He Yin ( People's Daily Children ride bikes and learn low-carbon transportation in a kindergarten in Tongling, east Chinas Anhui Province, April 20, 2021. (Peoples Daily Online/Pan Wei) Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time called for joint efforts of the world to build a community of life for man and Nature at the Leaders Summit on Climate held on April 22. He said we must be committed to harmony between man and Nature, green development, systemic governance, a people-centered approach, multilateralism and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. His proposals were extracted from the experiences of economic and social practices, and will in turn serve as guidance for future practices. The harmony between man and Nature concerns human subsistence and development. In recent years, the world has been hit by climate change, decreasing biodiversity, exacerbated desertification, and frequent extreme weathers. The fundamental reason for such changes is the increasingly sharpening contradiction between man and Nature. To revere, respect, comply with and protect Nature, and build a community of life for man and Nature, is the only road leading to the balance of the Earths ecosystem. Green development concerns the sustainable development of global economy and society. Ecological and environmental issues are indeed about development models and lifestyles. Both history and presence have proved that environmental protection and economic development are not contradictory. To protect the environment is to protect productivity, and to improve the environment is to boost productivity. Guided by Xis thought on ecological progress, China has applied a new vision for development and made solid steps in promoting green, low-carbon and sustainable development. It is obvious to all that the country has well explained the value of green development and set a model for the world with its persistent efforts. Systematic governance concerns the effective protection and utilization of all elements and aspects of Nature. Xi remarked that just as humans need the fields for food, the fields need the rivers, the rivers need the mountains, the mountains need the soils, and the soils need the forests and grasslands.This biotic community is the material basis for humanitys subsistence and development. To protect and utilize the material basis, the mankind must follow the innate laws of the ecosystem and properly balance all elements and aspects of Nature. This is a way that may take the world where it wants to be, an ecosystem in sound circulation and overall balance. The international community hailed that Chinas systematic planning for ecological progress is both inspiring and feasible. A people-centered approach concerns the wellbeing of all people in the world. To pursue a better life, mankind must correctly understand the dialectical relationship between environmental protection and economic development. The blue sky, lucid water, pure soil and lush mountains are all a source for peoples sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. As China spares no effort to green its economic and social development, the Chinese people are demanding more for better environment and ecology than just basic subsistence. The green transition itself is promoting social equity and justice, said some foreign observers. Multilateralism concerns to what extent the targets and principles of the world can be achieved and followed. Facing global environmental risks and challenges, all countries are in a community with a shred future. Unilateralism will never be supported by the people, and cooperation remains the only correct option. China has a consistent position of seeking solidarity and promoting cooperation, and firmly supporting multilateralism. From joining international cooperation on climate governance and leading a new process of global climate governance, China is playing a more and more important and constructive role in building a global environment governance system that is equal and pursues win-win results. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities concerns the future of global response to climate change. Any governance must be exercised based on principles. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is a bed rock for global climate governance. Theres no doubt that the international society shall fully recognize Chinas contribution to tackling climate change and take care of the country's particular difficulties and concerns. Developed countries shall show bigger ambition and launch more activities, and help developing countries accelerate their green and low-carbon transition. Proposing to build a community of life for man and Nature and pushing for international consensus, China has reinforced confidence for and strengthened global environmental governance at the critical stage. As a constructor of, contributor to and leader of global ecological progress, China is planning for a bright future shared by all humanity. What China shows is a major country responsibility that deserves to be welcomed by all. (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) [April 26, 2021] Envision releases first carbon neutrality report on Envision Net Zero Day, pledges to achieve carbon neutrality in operations by 2022 SHANGHAI, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Envision Group, a world-leading green technology company, today hosted its Net Zero Day event in Shanghai. During the event, Envision released its first carbon neutrality report and announced a time line to achieve carbon neutrality. It also launched the Envision Ark Carbon Management System and the green charging robot, Mochi. Sequoia Capital China and Microsoft, among other Envision net-zero partners, also attended the event to discuss the challenges, opportunities and solutions as the world undergoes the net-zero transformation. Zhang Lei, Envision Group CEO announced that the company will be carbon neutral in its global business operations by 2022 and across the value chain by 2028. In doing so, Envision has become the first Chinese company to pledge carbon neutrality across its entire value chain as early as 2028. "Addressing the challenges posed by climate change are critical to the survival of humanity. As a green technology company, Envision's mission is to solve the challenges for a sustainable future. We have set an ambitious target for ourselves: we will take the lead in achieving carbon neutrality, empower our partners to do the same, and help build a net-zero economy", adds Zhang Lei. With the support of Carbon Trust, an international independent consulting organization, Envision released its first carbon neutrality report, which presented environmental data across Envision Group's operations and value chain. The report analyzed Envision's business sectors and regions, and unveiled a detailed and science-based emission reduction road map for Envision to achieve operation-level carbon neutrality by 2022, and value chain carbon neutrality by 2028. At the event, Envision launched Envision Ark Carbon Management System and the world's first mass-produced green charging robot, Mochi. Based on AIoT technology, Envision Ark Carbon Management System can monitor real-time carbon footprints, and automatically generate carbon emission reports. The Ark system can also simulate and optimize emission reduction roadmap for future offset planning while allowing users to directly purchase green electricity, obtain green certificates, and trade carbon sinks. For enterprise users, Envision's Ark Carbon Management System is an end-to-end solution for carbon neutralization. Envision's greencharging robot, Mochi, is powered by 100% certified and traceable green electricity. It can automatically find and charge EVs, making 100% green and convenient travel a reality. Mochi will be commercially available in June this year. "It is not enough for Envision to be an industry pioneer, but to become a net-zero technology partner as well. We want to help more companies and governments to achieve carbon neutrality together," Zhang Lei said that Envision is helping partners including Microsoft, CapitaLand among others, accelerate the zero-carbon transformation. Sequoia Capital China, one of Envision's strategic net-zero partners, launched its "Move Forward to Net-Zero: A Green Transformation Based on Technological Innovation" report during the event. Fu Xin, Partner of Sequoia Capital China, highlighted 10 major technology trends that could accelerate commercialization, and announced Sequoia Capital China's 10 action plans for carbon neutrality. Fu said, "Carbon neutrality cannot be achieved without technology. We have identified ten technological trends that can speed up commercialization, create synergies, and accelerate industrial growth." Neil Shen, Steward of Sequoia Capital, and Zhang Lei jointly launched "Sequoia China & Envision Carbon Neutral Key Technology Eco-Partnership Program". The program covers a "3+N" system, including a report on breakthrough carbon neutral technologies, an invitation to carbon neutral technology innovators, and an eco-system that allows new tech application, and many more activities. Neil Shen, said, "We believe that the products and services that change the world must be rooted in technological innovation. To achieve carbon neutrality, we need new technologies. Technology is the most important element in energy transition, in which digital technology will play a critical role. Today we launched the Eco-Partnership Program together with Envision, hoping to provide funding, application scenarios, and other support to technology innovators, and contribute to achieving the '30/60' goal." Zhang Lei said Envision and Sequoia will create application scenarios in the net-zero industrial park, use innovative means to boost technological breakthrough, empower innovative enterprises, and help build a net-zero economy. Dr. Yang Hou, chairman and CEO of Microsoft Greater China, also attended the event and gave a keynote speech. Dr. Hou shared Microsoft's green commitment and practices. He said, "Microsoft and Envision have extensive cooperation in the fields of energy, sustainability and AloT. In the future, we will continue to deepen digital innovation and zero-carbon development. We hope that more zero-carbon partners will join to accelerate the global carbon-neutral transformation." A roundtable was followed with representatives from Kering, Novartis, Bosch, Schaeffler, and McKinsey, as net-zero partners, sharing their challenges and innovative practices. At the end of the event, Envision purchased green certificates based on real-time data, making the event carbon neutral. About Envision Group Envision Group is a world leading greentech company. With the mission of 'solving the challenges for a sustainable future'. Envision designs, sells, and operates smart wind turbines and smart storage system through Envision Energy; AIoT-powered batteries through Envision AESC; and the world's largest AIoT operating system through Envision Digital. It also owns Envision Virgin Racing Formula E team. Envision Group was ranked among the Top 10 of the 2019 'World's 50 Smartest Companies' by the MIT Technology Review. As an innovation powerhouse, it leverages global network of R&D and engineering centers across China, Unite States, Germany, Denmark, Singapore and Japan, leading global green technology development. Envision Group joined the global 'RE100' initiative and became the first company in mainland China committed to 100% renewable electricity by 2025. On April 22, 2021, Envision Group announced it will achieve carbon neutral in operations by 2022 and achieve carbon neutral throughout its value chain by 2028. For more information, please visit: www.envision-group.com SOURCE Envision [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Quarantine-free travel between Western Australia and New Zealand remains paused after Perth and the outer-metropolitan area of Peel were placed in a three-day Covid-19 lockdown. The region went into lockdown at 12:01am on Saturday, April 24 (Western Australia time). New Zealanders in Australia are asked to follow local guidance and check for places of interest outside of Western Australia, says a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health. "Passengers flying to New Zealand from other Australian states will be required to complete pre-departure and arrival declarations advising whether they have been in Perth or Peel since April 17, and whether they have visited any of the current locations of interest. "On Saturday, 1000 passengers who arrived in New Zealand on direct flights from Perth on April 19, 21 and 23 were being contacted and provided with advice. "Of those, two people from the same household have let health authorities know they were in the Perth domestic terminal at the time specified in the locations of interest page." The Ministry of Health says they are being treated as casual contacts and have both had their tests done on Sunday, with results due this week. "The risk to the public has been assessed again to be very low. They remain in isolation until their test results come back," says the Ministry. "New Zealand health officials remain in contact with their Australian counterparts and are closely monitoring the situation. "The current risk to New Zealand has been assessed as low. Updates will be provided if there are any changes to the current risk assessment or advice." Information for anyone who is in New Zealand and has been in Perth or Peel since April 17 is on the locations of interest page on the Ministry of Health website, and on the Western Australia Department of Health site. Locations visited by confirmed COVID-19 cases (healthywa.wa.gov.au) If you have been to a location of interest you should stay at home, or in your accommodation, get a test, and contact Healthline 0800 358 5453. "All people who have been in Perth or Peel since April 17 should watch for symptoms and if symptoms develop they should stay home and get a test," says the Ministry. "As per our framework travel to the rest of Australia will continue. If you're booked to travel between New Zealand and Western Australia in the next few days, check what you need to do with your airline." FILE -- In this Jan. 16, 2017 file photo, Richard Ratcliffe husband of imprisoned British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, poses during an Amnesty International led vigil outside the Iranian Embassy in London. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British woman long held in Tehran has been sentenced to another year in prison in Iran, her lawyer said Monday, April 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File) Belgium expressed concern Monday that Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda for what many saw as his heroism during the 1994 genocide, may not receive a fair trial in Kigali. Rusesabagina has been charged with nine offences, including terrorism, for starting a group that is accused of staging deadly attacks within Rwanda in recent years. The 66-year-old, who had been living in exile in Belgium, was arrested in August, after being tricked into getting onto a plane to Kigali when he thought he was going to Burundi. Belgium expects its citizen to receive a fair, equitable and transparent trial, Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes said in a statement after a meeting with her Rwandan counterpart Vincent Biruta. Wilmes expressed her concern that Mr Rusesabagina was clearly unable to prepare his defence properly, particularly in view of the time he was given and the fact that the confidentiality of documents exchanged with his lawyers was not respected. Wilmes also requested that Rusesabagina be allowed to meet with his Belgian lawyer in relation to a complaint over the affair in Belgium. In December, Rusesabaginas Brussels lawyer, Vincent Lurquin, told AFP he was denied access to his client, who he said was the victim of a kidnapping by deception by the Rwandan authorities working through a Burundian pastor. Rusesabaginas family insist his rights have been trampled and he is not being afforded a fair trial, as he has been denied access to attorneys of his choosing, and has not been given access to over 5,000 pages of documents in his case file. He is being tried alongside 20 others, who have all pleaded guilty and incriminated him. Rusesabagina is credited with sheltering hundreds of Rwandans inside a hotel he managed during the 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 mostly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus were slaughtered. But, in the years after Hollywood made him an international celebrity, a more complex image emerged of a staunch government critic, whose tirades against President Paul Kagames regime led him to be treated as an enemy of the state. Kagame has been in power since 1994 and is accused by critics of crushing opponents and ruling through fear. Rusesabaginas detractors claim he embellished his heroics, while some survivors groups accused him of profiting from their misery. Rusesabagina has admitted to helping form the National Liberation Front (FLN), but denied any role in its alleged crimes. Rwandan authorities blamed the FLN for a series of deadly attacks in 2018. He triumphed at this year's ceremony with a win for Best Supporting Actor. So it was no surprise Daniel Kaluuya was in high spirits as he celebrated his victory at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. In a video posted by his pal Dave, the Get Out star, 32, proudly posed with his engraved award, after leaving viewers in hysterics with his naughty acceptance speech in tribute to his mother Damalie Namusoke. He won! Daniel Kaluuya was in high spirits as he celebrated his victory at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday Dave shared a slew of videos to Instagram Stories of him celebrating Daniel's victory at an apartment in Los Angeles after he was recognised for his work in Judas and the Black Messiah. The star, who was dressed in a custom Bottega Veneta suit, proudly brandished his gold statuette as he celebrated with his friends Buck, and actor Damon Idris. Damon quickly joked that Brit Award winner Dave couldn't be far behind with his own win, shouting 'It's coming!' Thrilled: In a video posted by his pal Dave, the Get Out star proudly posed with his engraved award for Best Supporting Actor Elated: Dave shared a slew of videos to Instagram Stories of him celebrating Daniel's victory in an LA apartment after he was recognised for his work in Judas and the Black Messiah Honoured: The star proudly brandished his gold statuette as he celebrated with his friends Buck, and actor Damon Idris Look at that! They proudly displayed the intricate engraving on his award, which came for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah Amazing: Daniel was awarded the prize for his critically-acclaimed role as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah Handing the award back to Daniel, the group proceeded to applaud the actor for his incredible victory, with the star posing with his prize before eagerly embracing his pals. It came after Daniel left his own mother mortified as he made a joke about his parents having sex during his acceptance speech. He made the awkward comment as he excitedly declared to the audience at the Union Station in Los Angeles that he was planning to celebrate after the ceremony. 'We gotta celebrate, we gotta celebrate life,' he said as his mother Damalie Namusoke and sister watched his speech from the UK. Eh? It came after Daniel left his own mother mortified as he made a joke about his parents having sex during his acceptance speech 'We're breathing, we're walking. It's incredible. Like, my mum, my dad, they had sex -it's amazing! I'm here. I'm so happy to be alive and I'm gonna celebrate that tonight.' he added jokingly as the star-studded audience giggled. After the comment, the camera cut to Kaluuya's family members and his mother was seen looking completely puzzled as she appeared to say 'What is he talking about?'. Beside her, the Get Out star's sister appeared to be embarrassed as she bowed her head in her hands. Unsurprisingly, Damalie's reaction became an instant viral hit, with Oscars viewers retweeting images of her puzzled response and joking about the awkward family moment. Even actress Issa Rae helped cement Kaluuya's mom's meme status by sharing a screen grab of her hilarious Oscars moment. Cringe! Daniel gave the memorable acceptance speech as he took home the Best Supporting Actor award 'We're breathing, we're walking. It's incredible. Like, my mom, my dad, they had sex -it's amazing! I'm here. I'm so happy to be alive and I'm gonna celebrate that tonight.' Kaluuya said Tuning in: The actor's mother and sister were watching his acceptance speech from the UK Oh no! Damalie raised her hands to her face as her son made the awkward joke and his sister looked mortified As he began his speech, Kaluuya said, 'I'd like to thank my mum. Thank you so much for pouring into me. You gave me everything, you gave me your factory settings so I could stand at my fullest height,' The Black Mirror star also thanked his family and friends 'from London town to Kampala,' the capital of Uganda where the actor's father is from. He also thanked Fred Hampton, the late American activist he plays in his Best Picture-nominated movie, as well as the Black Panthers for their impact on his life. 'They showed me how to love myself, and with that love, they overflowed to the Black communities and to other communities,' he said. 'They showed us that the power of union, the power of unity, that when they play divide and conquer, we play unite and ascend.' Speaking to reporters backstage after his memorable speech, Kaluuya said his mum is 'not going to be very happy' about his joke. One reporter noted that because of the London-born star's comments, his speech would live on in infamy. 'Is that going to live on? I think that's pretty obvious that all parents have sex, man, you know? What's going on? It just came out my mouth, I know my mum's probably going to text me some stuff, but here we are,' Kaluuya responded. Asked whether he'd spoken to his mother after the win, Kaluuya said he was taking a break from his phone. 'No, bro, no, I'm gonna avoid my phone for a bit, mate, trust me, going to avoid my phone for a bit. I think my mom's not going to be very happy. But she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool,' he said. 'She's got a sense of humor so she's like we give it to each other, so it's cool.' Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the Florian Zeller-directed The Father. However, the 83-year-old Welsh star was a no-show at the ceremony. Joaquin Phoenix presented the award at the close of the show. Hopkins beat out fellow Brit Riz Ahmed for his role in Sound of Metal, the late Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Gary Oldman in Mank and Steven Yeun in Minari. Damalie's reaction became an instant viral hit, with Oscars viewers retweeting images of her puzzled response and joking about the awkward family moment Elsewhere during the night, another British star, Emerald Fennell, scooped a major gong. Fennell, 35, won Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Promising Young Woman, which is also nominated for Best Picture. The achievement makes her the first woman to win Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars since 2008. In her acceptance speech, the Hammersmith-born star said: 'The only speech I ever wrote was when I was 10 and I had a look to see if there would be anything useful from it but unfortunately I mostly thanked Zack Morris from Saved By the Bell. 'He was my very first husband,' she joked. 'Unfortunately, he hasn't been a part of my life as much as I had hoped so that speech is not that useful. But all I can say is I'm trying very hard not to cry, which is very difficult as an English person, because I don't cry ever this film was made by the most incredible people in the world.' Speaking to reporters backstage after his memorable speech, Kaluuya said his mother is 'not going to be very happy' about his joke but said his mother has a good sense of humor 'I'm gonna avoid my phone for a bit, mate, trust me, going to avoid my phone for a bit. I think my mom's not going to be very happy. But she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool, she's gonna be cool,' Kaluuya said when asked if he'd spoken to his mom after the win Absent: Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his role in The Father - but was a no-show at the awards show On the red carpet, the actress and writer made the astonishing revelation that she shot the movie in less than a month. 'We made this movie in 23 days... We never expected it to get to this stage I think what's been so moving is people's candor and the conversations it's opened up for lots of people.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. During a year that saw movie theatres closed due to the pandemic, there were eight new films that did manage to impress Academy voters enough to be in contention for Hollywood's biggest award, the Oscar for Best Picture (last year there were nine nominees in the category.) Elsewhere during the night, another British star, Emerald Fennell, scooped a major gong. Fennell, 35, won Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Promising Young Woman, which is also nominated for Best Picture In her acceptance speech, the Hammersmith-born star said: 'The only speech I ever wrote was when I was 10 and I had a look to see if there would be anything useful from it but unfortunately I mostly thanked Zack Morris from Saved By the Bell Feat: On the red carpet, the actress and writer made the astonishing revelation that she shot the movie in less than a month While blockbusters may be absent this year, there have been a wide range of movies that have caught the attention of Academy voters, including the lavish Mank, Netflix's ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. Another strong contender is Minari, an indie drama about Korean immigrants scraping out a living off the land in rural America, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and starring Steven Yeun. The eight films in the top category this year are The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. It is the first time that two female directors have ever been nominated in the Best Director category, with Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) both receiving nods. Only five women have ever been nominated in the category before. An official spokesperson called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate.' - WASHINGTON, April 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, U.S. President Joe Biden officially affirmed that the massacre of the 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish authorities between 1915 and 1923 was an act of genocide. This affirmation marks a watershed moment in U.S. history, as it reaffirms what has been U.S. policy since the creation of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, as reflected in the U.S. brief filed with the International Court of Justice, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). It is also a categorical rejection of a decades-long, well-funded denial campaign by the Turkish government and a signature moment for human rights. Releasing his statement on April 24, Armenian Remembrance Day, President Biden honored the symbolic date of the start of the Armenian Genocide, when the leadership of the Armenian community in the Ottoman Empire was arrested, imprisoned and eliminated. Thirty countries and 49 U.S. States have acknowledged the Armenian Genocide. Today's U.S. action is expected to create the room for more countries to follow suit and an opportunity for Turkey to come to terms with its past. The recognition of the Executive Branch results in all three branches of the U.S. government officially affirming the Armenian Genocide, following the overwhelming 405 to 11 vote in the House adopting an Armenian Genocide resolution in October 2019, and by its passage in the Senate via unanimous consent in December 2019. President Biden stayed true to his 30-year documented record of Armenian Genocide acknowledgement, from the time he began serving as Delaware's Senator, through his 2020 presidential campaign, when he pledged: "Joe Biden will recognize the Armenian Genocide and make universal human rights a top priority for his administration so that such a tragedy can never again occur." As a Senator, Biden was among the most informed and diligent supporters in using the term Armenian Genocide. His 1989 chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee's passage of such legislation was historic for its result but also as a reflection of his command of the historical facts. U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, alerted in his July 1915 report to the U.S. Department of State and the White House, that "a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion." Ambassador Morgenthau, who served from 1913-1916, appealed to the U.S. government and humanitarian organizations to stop the genocide and send humanitarian assistance to the survivors and refugees. Ambassador Morgenthau's cables, along with eyewitness reports of American consuls, missionaries and businessmen, make up part of the over 30,000 pages documenting the Armenian Genocide, as well as their heroic acts of intervention to save lives. Through his efforts, the Near East Relief was formed, and over $2.5 billion in today's dollars was raised at the time to help the survivors of the first genocide of the twentieth century. At the time, former President Theodore Roosevelt stated that the atrocities committed by the "Turks on the Armenians" was "so hideous that it is difficult to name thempeople whose little children are murdered and their women raped." In a letter to Cleveland Dodge, who led the congressionally chartered Near East Relief organization headquartered in New York City, President Roosevelt stated further that it "was the greatest crime of the war, and failure to act against Turkey is to condone it" Ronald Reagan was the first U.S. president who used the word genocide to describe the Armenian atrocities during his Holocaust Remembrance Statement on April 22, 1981: "Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the Cambodians which followed it and like too many other such persecutions of too many other peoples the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten." President Biden had the courage to say what his predecessors for the past 100 years have always known. "The Assembly, all Armenians and our friends around the world profoundly thank President Biden for this Armenian Genocide reaffirmation in honor of the victims, survivors, and the principle of universal human rights around the world," said Assembly Co-Chairs Van Krikorian and Anthony Barsamian. "We have been fortunate to have been helped by countless prominent and not so prominent but heroic individuals in advocating for Genocide awareness, education, and prevention. We are sad that they are not all with us today but know they, like all people who are sincerely committed to human rights, are smiling with pride on President Biden and today's historic statement." "President Biden's statement pays important tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and their families," added Assembly President Carolyn Mugar. In a September 2019 letter from President Biden to the Assembly, he stated: "The United States must reaffirm, once and for all, our record on the Armenian Genocide...We must never forget or remain silent about this horrific and systematic campaign of extermination that resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million Armenian men, woman, and children and the mass deportation of 2 million Armenians from their homes. If we do not fully acknowledge, commemorate, and teach our children about genocide, the words 'never again' lose their meaning. The facts must be as clear and as powerful for future generations as for those whose memories are seared by tragedy. Failing to remember or acknowledge the fact of a genocide only paves the way for future mass atrocities." "President Biden's affirmation of the Armenian Genocide marks a pivotal milestone in the arc of history in defense of human rights," stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "By standing firmly against a century of denial, President Biden has charted a new course. Affirmation of the Armenian Genocide enhances America's credibility and recommits the United States to the worldwide cause of genocide prevention." Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization. WASHINGTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Atlantic Council's Middle East Programs today announced a major expansion of its programming on Israel and its growing ties with Arab and Muslim world, with generous support from the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation. The recent normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco mark a transformational moment in the region. But for peace to truly succeed, it cannot be limited to the leaders who signed it or confined only to quiet meetings between security services. Peace must be broader, deeper, and warmer, cutting across the full range of civil and economic sectors, in order for it to be sustainable. Such an enduring peace will transcend personalities and set the stage for greater stability, connectivity, and prosperity across the region. The Atlantic Council will contribute to that effort by bringing together a group of decision-makers and thought leaders from Israel and the Arab and Muslim world. These private dialogues will foster meaningful personal connections, address issues of joint concern between the countries, generate practical policy ideas, and yield substantive partnerships, all while solidifying the warm peace that all seek. The avenues for cooperation are expansive, from common security threats to fostering wider, durable business-to-business and people-to-people ties. "We are grateful to the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation for partnering with us on this timely endeavor. The recent normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab neighbors, building on the previous normalizations with Egypt and Jordan, usher in a new era of hope at a time of great uncertainty in the Middle East. The Abraham Dialogues will help to deepen these agreements by promoting sustainable ties between the countries across sectors. The lasting, personal relationships that emerge will help ensure a more peaceful, prosperous region," said Fred Kempe, CEO of the Atlantic Council. This effort will build on the Atlantic Council's extensive work on Israel and its ties to the Arab world, including its trilateral partnership with the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv and the Emirates Policy Center in Abu Dhabi. The project will be led by Carmiel Arbit, senior fellow; Kirsten Fontenrose, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative; and William F. Wechsler, director of the Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs. The Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation share a mutual commitment to molding and leveraging the opportunities created by the Abraham Accords in order to build a more integrated and peaceful Middle East. Oren Eisner, President of the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation, said, "We are thrilled to be partnering with the Atlantic Council on this critical program. Advancing relations between Israel and her Arab neighbors will require sustained, meaningful, multifaceted engagement. This includes fostering deep personal ties among leaders. The Abraham Dialogues will help build the connections that will carry the parties into the future and help chart the course for a new Middle East." Through all of the Atlantic Council's Middle East programming, we work with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. SOURCE The Atlantic Council Related Links https://www.atlanticcouncil.org Davis said he came out in the interest of Markhams voters, because clearly, it was not a close race. He said he thinks young people, in particular, would be in favor of rules that strive for reform and second chances. He said for him it is about consistency. New York : Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella assured help to India as the country battles a ravaging coronavirus crisis. Sundar Pichai tweeted that Google will provide a Rs 135 crore funding to UNICEF and the non-profit Give India for medical supplies, supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information about the deadly virus. "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India," the Alphabet chief tweeted.Satya Nadella said he was "heartbroken" by the current coronavirus situation in India and added that his company will continue to use its resources and technology for relief efforts and support buying oxygen devices.In a tweet, the Indian-American CEO also thanked the United States government that has assured help to India amid the crisis."I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," his tweet read. South Africa: Middle-income earners urged to apply for housing subsidy Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, has called on those who seek to buy a home or property for the first time to apply for the Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP). FLISP was introduced as one of the many government housing programmes to encourage home ownership for those who earn between R3 501 - R22 000. In order to qualify for the subsidy, applicants must have been approved for a home loan by an accredited banking institution or a non-bank financial institution. In a statement on Sunday, the Minister said governments financial assistance for middle-income earners can be used as a deposit or to reduce the bond balance. The once-off financial assistance for qualifying beneficiaries ranges from R27 960 to R121 626, depending on the level of household income. We have designed this subsidy to assist low-income workers, both in the private and public sectors. I have directed the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) or Human Settlements Development Bank (HSDB) to make sure that they have a call centre and capacity to process all applications and to go on a roadshow to educate the public about this subsidy. This subsidy is to encourage home ownership [including] our teachers, factory workers, receptionists, nurses and police, among others, she said. R461m set aside for qualifying beneficiaries The Minister added that a budget of R461million, which is expected to benefit 7 600 qualifying beneficiaries and leverage about R3.2 billion from private sector financial institutions, has been set aside for this financial year. Our resolve to restore the dignity of our people through human settlements goes beyond us giving fully subsidised houses to the indigent. We are also committed to responding to the housing needs of our middle-income earners through FLISP. We call on our people to seize this opportunity and apply for financial assistance, Sisulu said. During the 2020/2021 financial year, the Minister said, HSDB processed 2 815 applications and of these, 2 120 were approved with a total value of R111 million. This has triggered over R1 billion home loans [being] approved by different banking institutions on the back of R111 million. For the year, over R60 million has also been disbursed to 1 136 beneficiaries. Policy to benefit non-mortgage applicants Meanwhile, Sisulu has expressed her satisfaction on progress made to develop policy to enable the non-mortgage applicants to benefit from the programme. She said the programme is at an advanced stage, and is expected to be concluded in the next few months. This will see people mainly in the rural areas applying for financial assistance to add to their home loans to build their own homes. The Minister has also been informed that the NHFC is in the process of signing a number of service level agreements with banking institutions, as well as signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA), once policy is approved in a few months. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Emotet, the notorious email-based Windows malware behind several botnet-driven spam campaigns and ransomware attacks, was automatically wiped from infected computers en masse following a European law enforcement operation. The development comes three months after a coordinated disruption of Emotet as part of "Operation Ladybird" to seize control of servers used to run and maintain the malware network. The orchestrated effort saw at least 700 servers associated with the botnet's infrastructure neutered from the inside, thus preventing further exploitation. Law enforcement authorities from the Netherlands, Germany, the U.S., U.K., France, Lithuania, Canada, and Ukraine were involved in the international action. Previously, the Dutch police, which seized two central servers located in the country, said it had deployed a software update to counter the threat posed by Emotet effectively. "All infected computer systems will automatically retrieve the update there, after which the Emotet infection will be quarantined," the agency noted back in January. This involved pushing a 32-bit payload named "EmotetLoader.dll" via the same channels that were used to distribute the original Emotet to all compromised machines. The cleanup routine, which was set to trigger itself automatically on April 25, 2021, worked by removing the malware from the device, in addition to deleting the autorun Registry key and terminating the process. Now on Sunday, cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes confirmed that its Emotet-infected machine that had received the specially-crafted time bomb code had successfully initiated the uninstallation routine and removed itself from the Windows system. As of writing, Abuse.ch's Feodo Tracker shows none of the Emotet servers are online. However, it remains to be seen if this "final" blow to the botnet will cause it to bounce back in the future or render it permanently inoperable, paving the way for other cybercrime actors to fill the void. "Historically, Emotet's operators used long breaks in activity to improve their malware," Redscan researchers noted on Friday. "This means there is a realistic possibility that Emotet's operators will use this opportunity to make the loader malware even more resilient, for example, by using polymorphic techniques to counter future coordinated action. They could also use the Emotet source code to branch off and create smaller, independent botnets." The mass action marks the second time law enforcement agencies have intervened to remove malware from compromised machines. Earlier this month, the U.S. government took steps to remove web shell backdoors dropped by the Hafnium threat actor from Microsoft Exchange servers located in the country that were breached using ProxyLogon exploits. Following the court-authorized operation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it's in the process of notifying all the organizations from which it had removed web shells, implying the intelligence agency accessed the systems without their knowledge. Russia begins testing reliability of its nuclear weapons Armenia acting PM: There is a future NATO kicks off BALTOPS exercise in Baltic Sea Armenian Catholicos patriarchal visit to Artsakh ends (PHOTOS) Iran loses right to vote at UN due to non-payment of dues Trump: All Joe Biden had to do was sit back and do nothing At least 88 people killed in Nigeria attacks Armenia former President Sargsyan visits memorial chess tournament in Jermuk (PHOTOS) Armenia acting PM's election campaign is carried out with large-scale use of administrative resources Mexico holding parliamentary, local elections Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Not safe today even in Yerevan (PHOTOS) 78,004 more passengers leave Armenia by air in first 5 months of 2021 than arrive Putin-Biden possible meeting place in Switzerland is named UN condemns "heinous attack" in Burkina Faso Prosperous Armenia Party leader: Only Russia can ensure security of our country Stoltenberg warns Russias Putin, Belarus Lukashenko against destabilization in NATO eastern flank Woman found dead in Yerevan Lake Catholicos of All Armenians presides over Divine Liturgy in Stepanakert Turkey airstrike kills at least 3 Kurdish refugees in Iraq Trump demands billing China $10 trillion for coronavirus damage Bright Armenia Party leader: We are on verge of civil war Several explosions occur in Syria Biden not seeking conflict with Russia Armenia acting PM sends congratulatory message on Sweden National Day Passenger flow at 2 Armenia international airports increase by 24% in May 37 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Apple employees are against returning to work in office Person dies in Armenia town mountains Kim Jong Un appears in public for first time since early May Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis fire at Gegharkunik Province village shepherd for about 30 minutes Iraq may face severe water shortages G7 countries sign deal to tax largest multinational companies 1st round of debates of presidential candidates takes place in Iran 6 die and 5 go missing in Sri Lankan flooding Powerful blast thunders in Somalia capital A body found in Artsakh Nearly 100 people killed in Burkina Faso Acting PM: It is necessary to create professional army in Armenia UN demands investigation amid discovery of mass grave of children at Canada school Acting PM: Armenia is a paradise for business ICRC representatives visit 6 captured Armenian soldiers Pashinyan: An absolute record for Armenia has been set for number of registered jobs Civil Contract party holding fundraising evening Nikol Pashinyan sends congratulatory message to Bashar al-Assad South Korean air force chief resigns amid scandal over female sergeant suicide Nikol Pashinyan visits morgue in Abovyan Acting PM announces interference of external forces in electoral processes in Armenia Pashinyan conducts procession in Abovyan MO: Azerbaijanis carry out engineering work on territories without crossing Armenian border 8 security officials killed in Taliban attack in Afghanistan Philip T. Reeker's visit to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia Biden gives prosecutors more freedom to terminate immigration cases 93 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Armenia per day Total of 1,557 bodies found in territories not controlled by Artsakh Twitter launches paid subscription Twitter Blue Robert Kocharyan: We are able to find solutions Tennessee boat merchant willing to pay $ 100,000 to anyone who catches specially marked fish Armenia ex-Ambassador to Vatican on Armenians' emigration and reasons Catholicos of All Armenians takes remains of St. Gregory the Illuminator to Artsakh Armenian ballet master Vilen Galstyan dies at 80 Putin shares expectations from upcoming meeting with Biden Armenia 2nd President: Number of people who emigrated without returning has grown, only solution is shift of power EU bans flights of Belarusian airline companies in its airspace US deals blow to major Chinese companies Armenia acting PM: 62% of weapons obtained were obtained between 2018 and 2020 Armenia acting PM: Meghri corridor issue and transfer of villages of Kazakh region were a topic in November 2020 Armenia ruling party MP drops mandate Citizens of Armenia's Artashat greet acting PM by chanting 'Turk' and 'traitor' Armenia Ombudsman reminds PM's ex-chief of staff about shortcomings in activities during war Armenia 3rd President: We must start bringing back people who know everything about troops Armenia MOD hosts consultation with deputy commanders and battalions' commanders Armenia Ombudsman says acting PM's plan won't ensure restoration of Armenian citizens' rights Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan's failure to return POWs is equivalent to war crime Armenia 3rd President receives Netherlands Ambassador Armenia Prosecutor General speaks at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum "Armenia" bloc: We plan to meet with residents of Shirak Province Armenian water resources come under Azerbaijani control, more on COVID-19 in Armenia, Jun. 4 digest Armenia acting PM: Health insurance is inevitable Armenia Investigative Committee launches criminal case regarding keeping of bodies and remains of deceased servicemen Opposition "Armenia" bloc representative: Authorities are actually busy bribing voters Armenia legislature passes law to help ease requirements for future teachers Russia ambassador visits Meghri, Armenia border checkpoint (PHOTOS) Armenia ruling party's candidate for anti-corruption commission member not elected Armenia acting premier: There will be statement in coming days about exposure of high treason Dollar loses value in Armenia Armenia acting PM: Our task is to support our farmers so that engaging in agriculture is planned activity China Daily: Water tribe prospers ashore in Fujian China calls for closer security, economic cooperation with Afghanistan Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: There was proposal from Azerbaijans Aliyev on Meghri issue CIS Observation Mission continues to monitor snap parliamentary elections in Armenia Nepal reports first death from 'black fungus' Armenian analyst: High-ranking US delegation's visit to Armenia can't be viewed as support to incumbent authorities "Armenia" bloc: Things can't get any worse in the country from the perspective of censure Edmon Marukyan calls on people to vote for Bright Armenia Party to establish unity in the country Armenia Ararat Province deputy governor sacked Russian Ambassador says Russia makes significant contributions to ensuring of Armenia's security Azerbaijan reports 3 deaths from mine explosion in Karvachar Sarkissian to Nigmatulin: Armenia, Kazakhstan have lot in common ECHR fails to accept Azerbaijan's application against Armenia Government as new and separate case Head of Armenia's Verin Shorzha: Azerbaijanis operating equipment to move from one military post to the other The Danish film Another Round took home best international feature film at last night's Oscars. And it looks like an English-language version of the drinking dramedy is already in the works, and with one big name attached according to Variety. Leonardo DiCaprio, 46, is reportedly being eyed for the lead role, which was played Mads Mikkelsen, 55, in the original. Bottom's up! Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly being considered to lead the English-language adaptation of the Danish dramedy Another Round, which won the Oscar for best international film at last night's ceremony. Leo is seen in 2020 above Connection: There is no official casting deal in place, but DiCaprio's production company Appian Way has the rights to the story There is no official casting deal in place, but DiCaprio's production company Appian Way has the rights to the story. Insiders report several big names bid for the title, with Jake Gyllenhaal's Nine Stories and Elizabeth Banks' production company also interested. Writer/director Thomas Vinterberg will executive produce along with Sisse Graum Jrgensen and Kasper Dissing, but he will not be behind the remake. Vinterberg co-wrote the original with Tobias Lindholm and was nominated for a best director Oscar for the film, which follows a gang of four friends who embark on a boozy-filled experiment to see if keeping up their blood alcohol content level could change their lives for the better. Along with Mikkelsen the movie features the talents of Danish actors Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang and Lars Ranthe. Winning Sunday's Oscar was an emotional experience for V interberg, who lost his daughter right before filming began. Cheers! The movie follows a gang of four friends who embark on a boozy-filled experiment to see if keeping up their blood alcohol content level would change their lives for the better. The original stars Mads Mikkelsen Moving: Winning Sunday's Oscar was an emotional experience for director Thomas Vinterberg, who lost his daughter Ida right before filming began The 51-year-old Danish director held back tears as he honored his late daughter Ida after winning the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Another Round. Ida was only 19-years-old when she tragically died following a car collision in Belgium when a distracted driver slammed into the vehicle his ex-wife, Maria Walbom, was driving. She was set to play the daughter of the character Martin (Mikkelsen) in the movie. 'Mads, you gave us your finest. Not just for the film, but for my daughter as well,' Vinterberg said about Mikkelsen. 'And I'll never forget it. So we wanted to make a film that celebrates life.' 'And four days into shooting, the impossible happened. An accident on a highway took my daughter away. Someone looking into a cell phone. And we miss her, and I love her.' Tragic: Ida was only 19-years-old when she died following a car collision in Belgium when a distracted driver slammed into the vehicle his ex-wife, Maria Walbom, was driving; from left to right in 2016, daughter Nana, Thomas, Ida and wife Helene Reingaard Neumann Tribute: The 51-year-old Danish director held back tears as he honored his late daughter after winning the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Another Round 'And four days into shooting, the impossible happened,' he said. 'An accident on a highway took my daughter away. Someone looking into a cell phone. And we miss her, and I love her' 'Two months before we shot this movie, two months before she died, she was in Africa,' he continued. She sent me a letter, she had just read the script, and loved it. She felt seen by this. And she was supposed to be in this. 'And if anyone dares to believe that she's here with us somehow, you'll be able to see her clapping and cheering with us. We ended up making this movie for her, as her monument.' 'So, Ida, this is a miracle that just happened, and you're a part of this miracle,' he said. 'Maybe you've been pulling some strings somewhere, I don't know. But this one is for you. Thank you so much.' 'Two months before we shot this movie, two months before she died, she was in Africa,' he continued. 'She sent me a letter, she had just read the script, and loved it. She felt seen by this. And she was supposed to be in this' 'If anyone dares to believe that she's here with us somehow, you'll be able to see her clapping and cheering with us,' he said. 'We ended up making this movie for her, as her monument' 'So, Ida, this is a miracle that just happened, and you're a part of this miracle,' he said, seen with his family in 2010. 'Maybe you've been pulling some strings somewhere, I don't know. But this one is for you. Thank you so much' He previously told CNN that working on the film helped him navigate through the grief of his daughter's death. 'It gave a me purpose in life and kept me away from the freefall,' he told CNN. 'And I felt there was a higher purpose in making a movie for her. Before her death it was an ambition to make a life-affirming film; that became a necessity. I wanted to celebrate the life that we lose so easily.' Vinterberg also credited the actors in his film for supporting him through the difficult time. 'They granted their entire life to this, and so did the film crew, and hopefully it's on the screen and the hopefully it's there to honor her memory,' he said. Operator stc Bahrain has announced plans to launch what it calls a first-of-a-kind camouflaged small cell solution across Bahrain. stc Bahrain is a telecommunications company based in Bahrain but owned by the Saudi Telecom Company. The aim of the rollout is to improve the coverage of stc Bahrains 4G and 5G networks across several areas. The new camouflaged small cell solution is built to support wireless communications in high-traffic areas such as school campuses and business districts. The small cells will be used to densify networks, improving overall network performance and capacity. But this initiative is not just about faster, more reliable and more widely available data services to meet growing data traffic demand in hotspots in Bahrain. This new solution will, stc says, provide aesthetically pleasing installation designs in line with public radio-communication stations (PRS) regulations that make it necessary to beautify the look of radio station towers. To make sure this will work, stc Bahrain has conducted a proof of concept of the new solution with the deployment of a camouflaged small cell on a street pole. The first phase of the project is to be completed by Q3 2021 in hotspot areas of Manama and Hoora. As industry association the Small Cell Forum has pointed out, in the 5G era, small cells will be deployed in a far wider range of scenarios, and the form factors and architectures will be much more varied than in the past. Some 5G frequencies require end users to be very close to cells particularly for broadband. Massive rollout of small cells suitably disguised is likely to be an answer. The U.S. will begin sharing its entire stock of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with the world once it clears federal safety reviews, the White House said Monday, with as many as 60 million doses expected to be available for export in the coming months. White House officials declined to say where the doses would go, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki instead saying the U.S. dose-sharing initiative is in the 'planning stages.' The move greatly expands on the Biden administration's action last month to share about four million doses of the vaccine with Mexico and Canada. The AstraZeneca vaccine is widely in use around the world but has not yet been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both Mexico and Canada have asked for additional doses, but have not been given an answer. Regardless, the aid won't come immediately, the White House said Monday. 'Just to be clear, right now, we have zero doses available of AstraZeneca,' said press secretary Jen Psaki. The U.S. has about 10 million doses of AstraZeneca that are filled and finished, but haven't yet been inspected for safety by the FDA. Another 50 million are slated to be finished in May or June. These too will have to undergo safety testing. Meanwhile, the Biden administration said it would send 'raw materials' for vaccine and other therapeutics and aid to India, which is running out of oxygen at its hospitals, and has vaccinated just 10 percent of its population. Biden officials have not indicated whether or not they will send doses of vaccine itself to the Covid-ravaged country. The White House said Monday it would ship 60 million doses of unused AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries - but they're not available to send just yet (file) Biden has touted administering 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine before his first 100 days in office and signaled it is time for the U.S. to begin sharing its surplus (file) The U.S. ordered 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine - but the shot is not approved in the U.S., and it is unclear what will become of the massive order, if it is no longer necessary to the American rollout. Most experts suspect the U.S.'s does of AstraZeneca's vaccine will only be used for international aid and support. The White House is increasingly feeling assured about the supply of the three vaccines being administered in the U.S., particularly following the restart of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot over the weekend. The U.S. has also been under mounting pressure in recent weeks to share more of its vaccine supply with the world, as countries like India experience devastating surges of the virus and others struggle to access doses needed to protect their most vulnerable populations. 'Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the U.S. already has and that have been authorized by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months,' said White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients. 'Therefore the U.S. is looking at options to share the AstraZeneca doses with other countries as they become available.' More than three million people worldwide have died of COVID-19, including more than 572,000 in the U.S. The U.S. has vaccinated more than 53 percent of its adult population with at least one dose of its three authorized vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and J&J, and it expects to have enough supply for its entire population by early summer. About 10 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been produced but have yet to pass review by the FDA to 'meet its expectations for product quality,' Zients said, noting the U.S. regulator is recognized as the 'gold standard' for safety around the world. That process could be completed in the next several weeks. About 50 million more doses are in various stages of production and could be available to ship in May and June pending FDA sign-off. The U.S. has yet to finalize where the AstraZeneca doses will go, Zients said. Neighbors Mexico and Canada have asked the Biden administration to share more doses, while dozens of other countries are looking to access supplies of the vaccine. 'We're in the planning process at this point in time,' said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, when asked where the doses would go. The AstraZeneca doses will be donated by the U.S. government, which has contracted with the company for a total of 300 million doses - though the company has faced production issues. The administration's move to share vaccines drew praise from nongovernmental aid groups, who encouraged the White House to develop plans to share even more doses. 'The Biden administration's decision to begin sharing AstraZeneca vaccines is welcome news and an important first step towards the US sharing more of its massive vaccine stockpile,' said Tom Hart, acting CEO at The ONE Campaign. 'The Biden administration should build on this welcome first step and start sharing more vaccines as soon as possible.' AstraZenecas doses in the U.S. were produced at an Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore that has come under increased regulatory and public scrutiny after botching batches of the J&J vaccine. The U.S. pressed J&J to take over the plant and, as part of the effort to ensure the quality of newly produced vaccines, directed the facility to stop making the AstraZeneca shot. AstraZeneca is still looking to identify a new U.S. production facility for its future doses. AstraZenecas vaccine was initially expected to be the first to receive federal emergency authorization, and the U.S. government ordered enough for 150 million Americans before issues with the vaccines clinical trial held up clearance. The company's 30,000-person U.S. trial didn't complete enrollment until January, and it still has not filed for an emergency-use authorization with the FDA. Claire Delight (Wilken) Doering, a retired executive assistant to the Vice President of Research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, died April 6, at age 90, after a battle with colon cancer. Although she was born in 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri, she spent much of her early life in Aruba where her father took a job in 1929 helping build a Standard Oil refinery. She was always proud of the distinction of having grown up in Aruba and having been the first baby in the Standard Oil colony there, her obituary states. After graduating from the Lago Colony High School, she left Aruba to attend college at Lindenwood and graduating from SMU. She met Loyd Alan Doering on a blind date (he was attending Texas A&M) and they were married in 1952. Together, they had four children, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He preceded her in death after 67 years of marriage. She retired from UAH in 1993 and was active with multiple civic organizations. Claire will always be remembered for her angelic smile. Through all of her trials and tribulations, including her battles with multiple cancers, she always had a smile for those around her. Claires life was focused on being a blessing to others and her smile was one way she could do so, even when she could do nothing else, her death notice stated. She is now pain and cancer free, in Heaven with Jesus and family and loved ones that preceded her. She left this world peacefully, asleep with her daughter by her side. There will be a Memorial Service this Saturday, May 1 at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Visitation is at 2:30 pm and the service will be held at 3 pm. Her body has been donated to the Medical School at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial donations be made to The Russell Hill Cancer Foundation at Clearview Cancer Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Here are more of todays obituaries from across Alabama. Im not trying to make anybody mad or nothing like that. Im just dont want yall to make me seem like Im a bad person, Washington told the court. This crime its not even me, he told the court, though he was advised not to speak during the hearing. LA PAZ (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) Bolivia is interested in the production of vaccines against COVID-19, including the Russian one, on its territory, Health Minister Jeyson Auza told Sputink. "We would be delighted to be able, like Argentina, to produce vaccines in the not too distant future," he said. Argentina will produce Sputnik V and AstraZeneca vaccines. Auza stressed that negotiations with Russia on the production of the vaccine had not yet begun. "However, there is a private business that offers us, as a state, the possibility that we, united, could very quickly receive the necessary funds that will allow the transfer of technology with Russia," he said. "It is important for us not to create any association with this or that private company, we are interested in the possibility of establishing relations with Russia or another country in the world in the near future, which would allow us to exchange knowledge in order to have sovereignty in the epidemiological sphere," he added. This is the shocking moment a moped-riding thief snatches a phone from an unsuspecting pedestrian before fleeing the scene. CCTV footage shows the thief mounting the pavement and driving up behind the victim as he pushes a bike along. The thief then appears to snatch the phone out of the pedestrian's hand before swiftly driving away. The incident, which took only a few seconds, reportedly occurred in Old Street in north east London just after 1pm on April 19. The moped-riding thief scopes out their next victim as they drive along Old Street in north east London just after 1pm on April 19 The thief mounts the pavement and begins to drive up behind the unsuspecting victim At the end of the clip, which was shared this month on social media, the victim watches on helplessly as the thief flees. The scenes come just weeks after a man, identified only as Max, had his phone snatched near Old Street roundabout by a youth riding a bicycle. The thief pulled onto the pavement and looped round before riding at speed towards his victim and grabbing his handset. However the youth dropped the phone as his victim began to chase after him and fled the scene without the device. The thief snatches the pedestrian's phone as he walks along the pavement with his bicycle The rider grabs hold of the phone from the unsuspecting victim and flees the scene on his moped In 2017, a gang of moped thieves were filmed careening down the pavement and snatching a mobile from a lone pedestrian on Junction road in Tufnell Park, north London. Also that year Jeremy Corbyn's son Tommy told of how he was mugged by a thief on a moped as he walked through Holloway in Islington. In November 2018, the police revealed they would use 'tactical contact' manoeuvres using their cars to stop suspected criminals on mopeds. Commander Amanda Pearson, of the Met's front-line policing unit, said the approach was needed to stop dangerous chases. MailOnline has approached the Metropolitan Police for comment. The capsized lift boat Seacor Power, seven miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico on April 18, 2021. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo) Trump Donates to United Cajun Navy for Search and Rescue Mission Former President Donald Trump recently made a donation to the United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit that spearheads search and rescue efforts across the nation, for its search and rescue mission for crewmembers of the Seacor Power. The group on April 23 confirmed Trumps donation, thanking him. We will bring every crewmember of the #seacorpower vessel home! the nonprofit wrote on Twitter. Todd Terrell, president of the United Cajun Navy (UCN), confirmed to local news outlets that Trump donated $10,000. He said the money would be used to bolster search efforts for crew members from Seacor Power, a 129-foot lift boat that capsized on April 13 off the coast of Louisiana. Trumps office didnt respond to a request for comment. A U.S. Coast Guard-led mission, including Good Samaritans, resulted in the finding of 11 people from the capsized vessel; five were dead. Eight crew members remained missing when the Coast Guard suspended its search on April 19. We extend our appreciation to everyone who volunteered to assist during the search effort. Suspending a search is one of the toughest decisions the Coast Guard has to make, Capt. Will Watson, commander of Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, said in a statement at the time. Seacor Marine said it was focusing on recovering those who were still missing, including supporting some of the most experienced and qualified salvors and divers in the world, who will not stop until they thoroughly search the entire vessel. The United Cajun Navy stepped in after the search suspension and launched what it has described as a massive search effort from the land, air, and water to try to find the remaining crew members. Darra Ann Morales, right, shows a photo of her son Chaz Morales and his family on her phone, as Chaz Jr., 10, comforts his grandmother at their home in Slidell, La., on April 14, 2021. (Max Becherer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP) The capsized Seacor Power is seen south of Grand Isle, La., on April 13, 2021. (U.S. Coast Guard via Reuters) While boats searched areas where debris was reported, other searchers took to the air for a different vantage point. At the same time, people on ATVs are covering beach areas. Christifer DeRouen, a UCN official, said in an April 25 video broadcast that he was hopeful some of the missing members were still alive. In my opinion, theres way too many coincidences going on with everybody thats involved in this search. I really do believe that something special is going to come of this, he said. Darra Morales, mother of Chaz Morales, one of the crew members who remained missing, urged people to donate to the Navy in a video filmed at her home over the weekend. She also wondered why some officials havent addressed the incident. The governors said nothing, the presidents said nothing. I just think the military should be helping or something, she said. The White House didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comments. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, after the capsizing, asked all Louisianans to hold a moment of silence for the crew of the Seacor Power. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) said last week that he has been in contact with the Coast Guard and Seacor Marine about the search and rescue, and we offered every measure of federal support deemed necessary to assist with the search, rescue, and recovery missions. I share the publics frustration and sadness with the outcome of the rescue missions. We are resolved to ensure last weeks tragedy is deeply reviewed. My office supports a thorough investigation into the events preceding and following the vessels capsizing. What caused the vessel to capsize remains unclear, but two lawsuits have been filed against Seacor thus far. One was filed by the wife of Dylan Daspit, a missing sailor, while the other was lodged by Krista Vercher, whose fiance remains missing. Both allege the ship shouldnt have sailed from Port Fourchon when it did because of warnings of intense winds. Talos Energy Inc., which commissioned the boat to travel to an oil platform it owns in the Gulf of Mexico, has said it was the decision of Seacor as to when to sail. At least two Native American nations in New York are taking active steps to get into the marijuana business in the wake of the states legalization of adult-use recreational weed this month. The Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island plans to break ground on a marijuana facility in the next few weeks with hopes of selling marijuana later this year, according to a report in Newsday. The Saint Regis Mohawks in Northern New York this week are discussing a tribal ordinance that would regulate legal marijuana on its territory near Hogansburg in Franklin County, according to the Plattsburgh Press-Republican. Its possible those operations could be up and running before the state is able to set up it own regulations for the legal sale of marijuana. Although possession of up to three ounces by those 21 and over is currently legal, state officials have estimated it might take 18 to 24 months for the legal production and sale of non-medical marijuana to begin statewide. Other New York Indian nations have not yet made public announcements on marijuana since state legalization took effect April 1. The Oneida Indian Nation in Central New York is studying the idea but has made no decision, according to Joel Barkin, the nations vice president for communications. Leaders of the Onondaga and Cayuga nations could not be reached for comment, but neither has issued a public statement on the topic since the state legalization took effect April 1. The Seneca Nation of Indians in Western New York has indicated in the past that it is interested in pursuing the legal marijuana business. Nation president Rickey Armstrong, Sr. said in 2019 that the Senecas could be ready to strike once the state legalized marijuana. Through a spokesmen, the Senecas declined comment today. Some of the states Indian nations are already in the legal industrial hemp business, in which they grow and process a form of cannabis that does not contain significant amounts of THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. Some also grow THC-cannabis for medical marijuana. Native American nations in some other states that have legalized recreational marijuana have entered that business. In Nevada, for example, the Paiute Nation is the largest dispensary (retail sales) operator in the state, said Heather Trela, a fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany and an expert in marijuana policy. In Nevada and Washington state, Trela said, the tribal nations operate the marijuana business under agreements with the states called compacts. Those are similar to the compacts under which New Yorks Indian nations operate casinos and other gaming facilities. In Michigan, Trela said, the Indian nations are set up in competition with the state-regulated legal marijuana program. In California, meanwhile, the tribal marijuana business has been stymied by issues over sovereignty, Trela said. New Yorks new marijuana legalization law does not specifically address marijuana on the states sovereign Indian nations, Trela said. Its a bit murky, she said, like a lot of things in the legalization. In general, the Indian nations appear to have the right, under federal law, to do what they want with marijuana on their own land. The question of local law enforcement can become an issue, Trela said. If New Yorks Indian nations do start selling recreational marijuana, it appears those sales would be legal to non-Native Americans, Trela said. But taking that marijuana off the sovereign Indian territory would be subject to the new law. You wouldnt be able to buy more than the legal amount and take it (off the territory) for example, Trela said. In the case of the Saint Regis Mohawks, the nations own internal laws currently prohibit marijuana sales. The nation last week issued cease and desist orders to several unlicensed and unregulated marijuana dispensaries found operating in the tribes jurisdiction, the Press-Republican reported. Those orders will remain in effect until the Saint Regis Mohawks can take a vote on their own marijuana ordinance, the newspaper reported. Legal marijuana in NY: What you need to know about possession, growing, business opportunities NY Cannabis Insider: Join this virtual event to explore the states new legal marijuana business New Yorks huge boost for medical marijuana: Heres what patients need to know now Are marijuana and weed the same thing? Pot nicknames, explained (video) CNY towns, villages, cities will have to decide: Should we ban retail marijuana sales? See all stories at syracuse.com/marijuana Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. Advertisement Canadian Feras Antoon is currently the CEO of Pornhub's parent company MindGeek Embattled Pornhub boss Feras Antoon's unfinished chateau in Montreal has burned down in a suspected arson after recently listing the sprawling property for CA$19.8million (US $15.9million), DailyMail.com can reveal. Exclusive photos show the charred remains of what was once Antoon's multi-million dollar dream home that sat on land next to the Bois-de-Saraguay nature park on the northern edge of Montreal. Montreal police were called around 11.30 Sunday night and responded to reports of two people breaking into the construction area of the home. It took nearly three hours and 80 firefighters to put out the three-alarm fire that raged on until 2.30am. There were no injuries and no arrests have been made as police continue to investigate the suspected arson. In December, DailyMail.com reported that Syrian-born Antoon, 45, bought two lots of land for CAN$2.3 million (US$1.8 million) cash four years ago and spent millions more building the home of his dreams that now sits in piles of rubble. The home boasted a nine-car garage, seven bathrooms and eight bedrooms before it went up in flames. Realtor Joseph Montanaro said Monday morning the damage was 'very extensive' and that 'everybody is in shock,' according to CTV News. Pornhub boss Feras Antoon's unfinished chateau in Montreal has burned down in a suspected arson just after listing the sprawling property for CA$19million, DailyMail.com can reveal In December, DailyMail.com reported that Syrian-born Antoon, 45, bought two lots of land for CAN$2.3 million (US$1.8 million) cash four years ago and spent millions more building the home of his dreams that now sits in piles of rubble Exclusive photos show the charred remains of what once was once Antoon's multi-million dollar dream home that sat on land next to the Bois-de-Saraguay nature park on the northern edge of Montreal Montreal police were called around 11.30 Sunday night to reports of two people breaking into the construction area of the home It took nearly three hours and 80 firefighters to put out the three-alarm fire that raged on until 2.30am There were no injuries and no arrests made as police continue to investigate the suspected arson at the Pornhub boss' home It took about 80 firefighters to put out the inferno that raged on into the early hours on Monday morning The property backs on to Montreal's 'Mafia Row' where many crime figures live. On the very spot that Antoon's home is being built, a gunman stood and fired a single bullet through a double-paned window, killing Nicolo Rizzuto 'The Canadian Godfather' in his kitchen in 2010. 'It's an area well-known as home to people who, let's say, didn't necessarily make their fortunes legally,' said one long-time Montreal when DailyMail.com visited the site last year. 'You ask anyone in the city about this area and they would say 'Oh, Mafiaville.' 'Antoon's home is very opulent and completely over the top in everything. The front alone has 20 windows.' he added. 'But it fits in perfectly with other homes in the area.' The previous owners of the site where his palace is being built went to court to win a planning battle to allow 220 trees to be felled to make room for it. The Montreal Heritage Council argued that the wooded land should be left alone as it played 'an important ecological roleparticularly with regard to biodiversity, the movement of fauna and the flow of water.' Antoon was only granted permission to build if he agreed to fund the planting of 160 trees elsewhere. The mansion was listed for sale on real estate website Centris for $19.8 million just weeks ago The house had seven bathrooms, four powder rooms and nine parking spaces When DailyMail.com visited in December, a two-story arch that forms the front door was in the process of being installed at Antoon's luxury chateau Antoon, the CEO of Pornhub's parent company MindGeek, faces a money crunch nightmare. His empire is in danger of crumbling following allegations that much of the content on his leading site contains videos of underage girls. 'Its site is infested with rape videos. It monetizes child rapes, revenge pornography, spy cam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags,' wrote Nicholas Kristof in a New York Times column that first exposed Pornhub. 'A search for 'girls under18' or '14yo' leads in each case to more than 100,000 videos. Most aren't of children being assaulted, but too many are.' Already major credit card companies Mastercard, Visa and Discover have cut ties with Pornhub forcing it to delete 80 percent of its content in a bid to clean up its act. It has also severely curtailed uploading of videos and completely banned downloading. And lawmakers in both the United States and Canada were drafting legislation to make it easier for child victims to sue companies that post videos of sexual acts. The property backs on to Montreal's 'Mafia Row' where many crime figures live. On the very spot that Antoon's home is being built, a gunman stood and fired a single bullet through a double-paned window, killing Nicolo Rizzuto 'The Canadian Godfather' in his kitchen in 2010 The arch in the doorway is one of the last pieces of the home that still remains standing Antoon runs MindGeek alongside his Chief Operating Officer David Tassillo. The two men were been called to testify before the Canadian parliament's ethics committee on the New York Times allegations and did so in February. Tassillo also has opulent taste in real estate. He lives in this house on a quiet cul-de-sac in Laval, just north of Montreal. The home backs onto the Prairies River. 'I would...like to ask them how they expect to remedy the harm caused to individuals who never provided their consent for images and videos to be shared,' said Member of Parliament, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who introduced the motion. Catch a glimpse of scenes filmed locally in the trailer for a new movie. "The Virtuoso" starring Anthony Hopkins, Anson Mount and Abbie Cornish filmed in downtown Scranton in April 2019, and a recently released trailer for the film includes parts of those scenes. The film will be released Friday, April 30, in select theaters and on-demand. It will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, May 4, according to Collider. Mount plays a hit man in the movie, and scenes were to depict him killing a man in the Hotel Jermyn, 326 Spruce St., from his perch high up in the former Dime Bank building, 400 Spruce St. An action sequence depicting a Mercedes-Benz speeding down the 200 block of Wyoming Avenue involved the film crew blowing up an RV. The crew also shot scenes at a Lake Ariel restaurant, Docs at the Rocks. Keystone Capital, Inc. is pleased to announce that its portfolio company Peak-Ryzex, Inc. (Peak) has been acquired by Sole Source Capital, LLC. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Keystone originally invested in Peak in October 2011, a leading provider of automatic identification, data capture (AIDC) and factory automation solutions. Keystone and Peak subsequently completed six add-on acquisitions over the past nine years, significantly growing the size of the business and establishing it as the industry leader. Peak represents another successful investment for Keystone within its Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Services efforts. Founded in 1981, Peak delivers innovative automated data collection solutions to Fortune 500 customers along with small and medium-sized businesses, providing critical technology that allows businesses to become more efficient and responsive. Peak is a technology systems integrator of barcoding, data collection, and factory automation equipment, delivering innovative digital supply chain and mobile workforce solutions across North America and Europe. Peak is headquartered in Columbia, MD and has seven locations in the U.S. and two in the U.K. We are extremely appreciative for the hard work, dedication and commitment from the Peak management team in building a market-leading business and delivering a successful outcome for shareholders, commented Chaoran Jin, Managing Director of Keystone. We wish the Peak management team the best for their new chapter with Sole Source. Juliann Larimer, Chief Executive Officer of Peak-Ryzex, added, Over the last 9+ years Keystone has been a true partner to Peak in every sense of the word, from sourcing acquisitions through helping to shore up our operations, enabling us to drive record profits and growth. As important, together we have built a customer-first culture that is ready to take the business to the next level, and our successful exit is a reflection of that partnership in action. Investment banking services were provided to Peak and Keystone by Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc., and legal services were provided to Peak and Keystone by Honigman LLP. About Keystone Capital: Keystone Capital is a private investment firm based in Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1994, its mission is to invest in and build a portfolio of exceptionally high quality, mid-sized businesses that are leaders in their markets. Keystone is differentiated by its investment of personal capital and investment horizon flexibility which has led to a distinguished track record of successfully entering into true long-term operating partnerships with the professional management teams of its companies. More information can be obtained from our website http://www.keystonecapital.com. Contact Information: Scott Gwilliam, Managing Partner (312) 219-7971 sgwilliam@keystonecapital.com Chaoran Jin, Managing Director (312) 219-7976 cjin@keystonecapital.com Brian Chung, CFO (312) 219-7975 bchung@keystonecapital.com Brian Prendergast, Associate (312) 219-7968 bprendergast@keystonecapital.com LIMERICK City and County Council has joined forces with local authorities in Clare, Tipperary and Cork for a new social media campaign to combat dog litter. This campaign, which begins on Wednesday, will coincide with the May Bank Holiday when more people than ever are expected to be out walking their dogs. The purpose of the campaign, which will run across a variety of social media platforms, is to raise awareness with dog owners of the importance of taking personal responsibility and cleaning up after their dog. Cllr Michael Collins, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick has welcomed the initiative targeting the scourge of dog poo on streets, footpaths, greens and other public spaces. "Dog litter is an issue throughout Limerick City and County. Everyone has an experience of stepping in it or wheeling in it with buggies, wheelchairs, bikes etcetera. I am asking citizens with dogs to be responsible, show you love your dog, your community and your city and county and protect public health. Please pick up after your dog and bag and bin the dog poo," he said. The campaign highlights that all bags, containing dog poo, are litter and this includes dog litter bags that are compostable. "It is not an uncommon sight to see bags containing dog litter left on our hedgerows and even left hanging from trees. The campaign emphasises the importance for dog owners of always controlling their dog and not allowing them to roam freely, leaving dog poo in public spaces," said a spokesperson for the local authority. The campaign, which will run until Monday, May 3, will also address the importance of dog owners bringing home their dogs poo waste if there are no public bins or if the public bins are full. "Dog poo is unpleasant, unsightly and smelly, as well as unhygienic and it can spread disease. It is estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million faecal coliform bacteria. These bacteria can cause cramps, diarrhoea, intestinal illness, and serious kidney disorders in humans," added the spokesperson. Dog owners are also being advised that E coli, a particularly nasty bacteria and parasites like roundworm and their larvae, which can cause loss of vision, are also found in dog poo. "Dog littering is not a dog problem, but it is a dog owner problem, and people are asked to take poo bags every time they walk their dog in a public place. Many responsible dog owners are doing this already and know that it is the law to bag and bin their dogs poo," said the council is a statement. You can follow the campaign on the Limerick City and County Councils social media channels @LimerickCouncil and @LimerickEnviron Selena Gomez was seen rocking her bold new hairdo on Sunday night while enjoying an evening with friends at at celebrity-hotspot eatery Nobu in Malibu, California. The Spring Breakers star, 28, were a super short black mini dress, which showcased her bare thighs. Blonde bombshell alert: Selena Gomez was seen rocking her bold new hairdo on Sunday night, when she was spotted outside of celebrity-friendly eatery Nobu in Malibu Selenas LBD came with a high neck, over which she wore a few delicate gold chains. The Wolves songstress also wore black suede knee-high boots, and FRAMEs shearling leather trench coat in Noir. Gomez kept her head down, with her platinum dyed blond hair and dark roots at the center of attention. She sported a standard blue surgical face mask and carried a can of Red Bull in one manicured hand. Face mask adjust: The Spring Breakers star, 28, were a super short black mini dress, which showcased her bare thighs, and she layered a FRAME shearling leather trench over it The starlet debuted her new hair look on Friday, on the Instagram account for her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty. 'New look. Need to pick new Rare Beauty lip and blush shades now,' she wrote in the caption. Selena looked at ease in the comfort of her home as she posed in a white T-shirt with the new icy hairdo, as many of her fans started dubbing her 'Blondelena.' Chic ensemble: Selena kept her head down, with her platinum dyed blond hair and dark roots at the center of attention Boom: The starlet debuted her new hair look on Friday, on the Instagram account for her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty She had previously dyed her hair blonde in 2017, but made the jump back to her classic brunette tresses after a brief stint. Her longtime colorists Nikki Lee and Riawna Capri co-owners of the Nine Zero One salon in West Hollywood spoke about her transformation with DailyMail.com, revealing it took a full eight hours. 'We've been doing Selena's color for over a decade now. She typically keeps it pretty natural, but this time she went for a big change. This blonde is unique to her as we had to make sure there was an equal balance of cool and warm for her skin tone. It's an edgier look and perfect for summer,' the ladies shared. 'The entire process took 200 foils, several bowls of bleach and 8 hours of hair magic! Definitely worth it! Her hair looks and feels amazing!' they added. DURHAM, N.C. - A digital app successfully detected one of the telltale characteristics of autism in young children, suggesting the technology could one day become an inexpensive and scalable early screening tool, researchers at Duke University report. The research team created the app to assess the eye gaze patterns of children while they watched short, strategically designed movies on an iPhone or iPad, then applied computer vision and machine learning to determine whether the child was looking more often at the human in the video, or objects. "We know that babies who have autism pay attention to the environment differently and are not paying as much attention to people," said Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, and co-senior author of a study appearing online April 26 in JAMA Pediatrics. "We can track eye gaze patterns in toddlers to assess risk for autism," Dawson said. "This is the first time that we've been able to provide this type of assessment using only a smart phone or tablet. This study served as a proof-of-concept, and we're very encouraged." Dawson and colleagues -- including lead author Zhuoqing Chang, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate in Duke's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering -- began collaborating with Dawson to develop the app several years ago. In this latest version, the researchers strategically designed movies that would enable them to assess a young child's preference for looking at objects more than at people. One movie, for example, shows a cheerful woman playing with a top. She dominates one side of the screen while the top she is spinning is on the other side. Toddlers without autism scanned the entire screen throughout the video, focusing more often on the woman. Toddlers who were later diagnosed with autism, however, more often focused on the side of the screen with the toy. Another movie was similarly designed and showed a man blowing bubbles. Differences in eye gaze patterns for toddlers with autism were observed across several movies in the app. Eye-tracking has been used previously to assess gaze patterns in people with autism, however, this has required special equipment and expertise to analyze the gaze patterns. This app, which takes less than 10 minutes to administer and uses the front-facing camera to record the child's behavior, only requires an iPhone or iPad, making it readily accessible to primary care clinics and useable in home settings. "This was the technical achievement many years in the making," Chang said. "It required our research team to design the movies in a specific way to elicit and measure the gaze patterns of attention using only a hand-held device. "It's amazing how far we've come to achieve this ability to assess eye gaze without specialized equipment, using a common device many have in their pocket," Chang said. To test the device, the researchers included 993 toddlers ages 16-38 months; the average age was 21 months, which is when autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often identified. Forty of the toddlers were diagnosed with ASD using gold-standard diagnostic methods. Dawson said ongoing validation studies are underway. Additional studies with infants as young as 6 months are investigating whether the app-based assessment could identify differences in children who are later diagnosed with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders during the first year of life. "We hope that this technology will eventually provide greater access to autism screening, which is an essential first step to intervention. Our long-term goal is to have a well-validated, easy-to-use app that providers and caregivers can download and use, either in a regular clinic or home setting," Dawson said. "We have additional steps to go, but this study suggests it might one day be possible." ### In addition to Dawson and Chang, study authors include J. Matias Di Martino, Rachel Aiello, Jeffrey Baker, Kimberly Carpenter, Scott Compton, Naomi Davis, Brian Eichner, Steven Espinosa, Jacqueline Flowers, Lauren Franz, Martha Gagliano, Adrianne Harris, Jill Howard, Sam Perochon, Eliana M. Perrin, Pradeep Raj, Marina Spanos, Connor Sullivan, Barbara K. Walter, Scott H. Kollins and Guillermo Sapiro. This work was primarily supported by the National Institutes of Health, Autism Centers of Excellence Award (P50HD093074) and the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH121329, R01MH120093). Additional support was from The Marcus Foundation, the Simons Foundation, the National Science Foundation (NSF- 1712867), the Office of Naval Research, (N00014-18-1-2143, N00014-20-1-233), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (HM04761912010), Apple, Inc., Microsoft, Inc., Amazon Web Services and Google, Inc. The funders/sponsors had no role in the design and conduct of the study. Authors Dawson, Chang, Sapiro, Baker, Carpenter, Chang, Espinosa and Harris developed technology related to the app that has been licensed to Apple, Inc., and both they and Duke University have benefited financially. Additional conflicts are disclosed in the study. New York Magazines March 1-14, 2021 cover Art: Ezra Stoller/Esto, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York. For New Yorks April 26-May 9, 2021 Yesteryear Issue, Remember the Office?, the magazine looks back at 150 years of cubicles, corner offices, all-nighters, and the holiday party, with Justin Davidson on how New York City made the office; Rachel Handler on office lighting; Molly Young on how deliciously complex office relationships were; Rebecca Traister on how the office protected tyrants; what its like to work with Toni Morrison, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Scott Rudin, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Michael Bloomberg, among others; and more. This issue resurrects a recent tradition of celebrating the magazines founding, in April 53 years ago, by dedicating a special issue to the citys past, says editor-in-chief David Haskell. All of us at New York have been working remotely for 13 months nowsomething we never thought possible before the pandemicand that made us especially curious to understand the history of the New York office, which for decades has been not only a place of business but also a stage for human dramas, a pressure-cooker, a gossip machine and, more broadly, an invention that transformed the city itself. High school seniors are on the cusp of graduating, and will soon progress on to new educational opportunities and career possibilities. However, the pandemic relegated many of these students to remote instruction, leaving them without some of the expected opportunities to grow as young adults. Taking from them their athletics, extracurricular activities, a sure-fire method of instruction and the social opportunities found at high school, students are now expected to plan out what they want their future to be. While students can reach out to their counselors or teachers online, it may not always be as engaging as a one-to-one conversation, especially when its in regard to going to college, into the workforce or enlisting in the military. Hector Gutierrez, UISD licensed chemical dependency counselor and school counselor, said that the students he has spoken with said that they have adapted well to the current circumstances. In some discussions, several students he has spoken with said that they may stay in Laredo, despite earlier plans to leave after graduation. However, he said that the pandemic has made the line of communication between counselors and students difficult, as some students may be working to support their families or have difficulties doing so remotely. The Texas Workforce Solutions program to help high school seniors begin the job search has been a boon to the district, Gutierrez said. By referring students who may be confused to Workforce Solutions, many find themselves working for $10 an hour and refining their skills in jobs such as phlebotomists or in the ER, he added. In the situation where a student graduates without knowing full-well what to do afterwards, Gutierrez recommends for them to take a personal inventory or a need-assessment. In some instances, students Gutierrez worked with said that they did not want to take the regular college route and in fact wanted to continue with the military after being a part of the Marine ROTC. According to Gutierrez, students equipped with the knowledge that the college route is not the only way to move forward after high school has opened them up to more possibilities. He recommends students gather volunteer hours and focus on their academics regardless of the route they choose. Rogelia Garcia, LISD director of college, career and military readiness said that the purpose of the department is to give students a plan and direction. Higher ed, workforce and the military are the starting points they work from. For example, students interested in enlisting in the military can start at their district by taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. The ASVAB is a timed multi-aptitude test that helps predict the future academic and occupational success in the military. Early colleges in Laredo have partnered with both Laredo College and TAMIU to allow students across the community to start their college career early. Both districts host specialized programs for students interested in specific fields or a general college experience. For example, LBJ High Schools early college centers on biotechnology and life science. At LISD, the Dr. Dennis Cantu Early College High School focuses on health science education, while the Nixon High School Business, Industry and Public Service Early College focuses on a plethora of options. These include law enforcement, cosmetology, welding and applied accounting, to name a few. Internship opportunities will be offered this summer, Garcia said, where students will have the opportunity to work in a number of fields. The goal for the department is to show students the opportunities, allow them to experience it through first-hand work experience, and if done well; see the student hired as a result of their internship. Thats the idea. That when a student graduates, theyre either career ready, college ready or military ready, Garcia said. While the year is coming to an end soon, seniors still have the remainder of the six weeks and summer to find out more information and guidance regarding their future plans. Dolores Barrera, UISD high school executive director, stressed the importance of seniors contacting their counselors as the days slowly creep on their graduation. The same can also be said for LISD students, as counselors will help guide students on topics such as graduation requirements, scholarship opportunities, financial aid, CCMR and more. Quang Ninh province has yet again topped the PCI rankings, for the fourth year in a row The Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) 2020 was announced on April 15, with Quang Ninh marking a fourth consecutive year at the top with 75.09 points. This is also the eighth consecutive year that Quang Ninh has been present in the top five cities and provinces with the best quality of economic management in the country. According to chairman Vu Tien Loc of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the PCI is a continuous race, requiring ceaseless efforts and persistence by every locality. The 16-year journey of implementing the index has recognised the non-stop efforts of Quang Ninhs authorities. Quang Ninh is one of the few localities able to build the next generation of leaders with a consistent development strategy, operation, and management mindset. That has created confidence among investors, he said. Le Quang Thang, chairman of Viet Long Investment and Construction JSC located in the province added, Quang Ninhs leaders now receive the great trust of residents and enterprises. Its unprecedented that residents agreed to hand over land before receiving compensation the way they did for the Van Don-Mong Cai Expressway project. This is also the project breaking the record of land clearance time in Quang Ninh. From the perspective of foreign investors, AMATA Group from Thailand, who has been deeply involved in Quang Ninh since 2013, said the management style of provincial authorities has become the decisive factor in AMATAs investment plans. Nguyen Van Nhan, general director of AMATA Halong Urban JSC explained, Its very rare that both the secretary and the chairman of the Provincial Peoples Committee speak with one voice, attend the same meetings with investors, and transmit the same message. This clearly showcases that the leaders of Quang Ninh understand investor sentiment well. Breaking new records Quang Ninhs 2020 ranking in the PCI is an increase of 1.69 points compared to 2019, and it is also the only province in the entire country to pass the 75-point mark in the results since 2010. A month after the 2019 results were revealed, Quang Ninh held an in-depth assessment and analysis conference about the issue. The provincial leaders did not focus on the remarkable results but admitted that while Quang Ninh is at the top of the rankings, it could still climb further. In 2019, six indices were increased in both point and rank, two indexes increased in point but fell in rank, and a further two indexes dropped in both. Seven of these particular indicators improved in 2020. The two leading indexes in the ranking are Labour Training (8.41 points) and Business Support Services (7.58) This change helped improve Quang Ninhs overall score compared to 2019. The province, which is a developed tourism and service industry, has been heavily affected by the pandemic. However, through flexibility in management and real-time analytics, Quang Ninh has successfully fulfilled its tasks of recovering the economy and batting away COVID-19. Socioeconomic stability and total product growth in the province for the whole of 2020 reached 10.05 per cent while state budget revenues reached VND49.3 trillion ($2.14 billion), exceeding the target assigned and the estimate at the beginning of the year. In the context of the pandemic, Quang Ninh persisted with administrative reform efforts to create a favourable environment for businesses. From the recommendations of the business community, Quang Ninh has promptly resolved problems arising from the translation of import and export procedures for enterprises. The total number of administrative procedures put into action at the provincial public administrative service centres reached 1,939 administrative cases, at the district level 293 cases, and at commune levels 111 administrative cases. The number of administrative procedures in the whole province at level 3 and 4 was 1,552 at provincial level 4, the number of completed procedures reached 36 per cent, an increase of 22 percentage points compared to 2019. The province also succeeded in connecting with seven specialised databases of ministries and central branches, and interconnecting the Provincial Smart Operations Center with the governments and the prime ministers steering centres. Smart decisions Investors and businesses are realising that the quality of enforcement of the government, departments, and agencies of all levels in Quang Ninh has been significantly improved. Huang Xing Jin, representative of solar cell producer Jinko Solar, spoke of the issue at a ceremony to hand over the investment registration certificate for its $500 million project at the end of last month. We were very touched and amazed by the performance of many agencies and departments in Quang Ninh. The working connection is very professional with the investor even during the Lunar New Year holiday. Our choice of Quang Ninh province after surveying more than 20 provinces and 30 industrial zones in Vietnam is completely correct. Nguyen Tuong Van, Chairman of Quang Ninh Peoples Committee said, Not only working through holidays, it is not uncommon for leaders of Quang Ninh to meet with enterprises and investors in late conferences, even starting after 10pm. The provincial authorities always focus on efficiency and satisfaction for local residents and enterprises. As an attendee of such meetings, Nguyen Van Nhan also shared, Around midnight, even if meetings are finished, provincial leaders stay and continue the discussions. Nguyen Tuong Van further explained, In order to monitor and issue timely instructions for the assisting apparatus, in the past six years, the assessment of the District and Departmental Level Competitiveness Index (DDCI) has also been practically implemented by Quang Ninh. With the effects of the pandemic ongoing, people are talking about recovery and getting back into action, but different directions may be taken differently. At this time, the business community is undergoing a strong reform, with a large capital flow shift, Vu Thi Kim Chi, senior vice director of Quang Ninh Investment Promotion Agency shared. Public administration has to be improved to keep up with and serve investors and businesses. By doing this, the big goal is to recover the economy and continue to develop in a sustainable direction. In order to closely monitor this transition in Quang Ninh, the DDCI in 2021 will continue to make innovations in assessment in order to be more practical, Chi added. This is the dramatic moment a motorist is karate-kicked by a passer-by through their car window after driving erratically in a pedestrian square in Albania. A silver car is seen reversing at speed in the middle of a public square - where vehicles are not allowed - in the Albanian capital of Tirana yesterday. Loud squeals can be heard coming from the tyres as they brake hard on the brickwork of the square. A member of the public runs towards the open window of a silver car in Skanderberg Square, Tirana, Albania, yesterday in an attempt to stop the driver who had been reversing at speed through a crowd of people Leaping into the air, the passer-by karate-kicks the motorist and enters the vehicle through the driver-side window, stopping the car A huge number of pedestrians are seen trying to approach the car to stop the driver who shows little regard for the people on foot. The driver-side door of the vehicle is seen flapping open, with one person even able to briefly reach inside the car and make a grab for the driver. Despite the large crowd that followed the vehicle, the driver continues to try and flee the scene by reversing at speed and turning sharply. However, the driver was brought to a halt after one member of the public jumped through his car window feet-first. Police later arrested the 32-year-old driver of the vehicle who had driven erratically in Skanderberg Square, where many people had been queueing to receive a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the time Albanian police say they believe the suspect was driving under the influence of drugs The flying karate-kick sent the pedestrian through the window and distracted the driver long enough for other members of the public to crowd the vehicle and bring it to a complete stop. Police later arrested the 32-year-old driver of the vehicle who had driven erratically in Skanderberg Square, where many people had been queueing to receive a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the time. Albanian police say they believe the suspect was driving under the influence of drugs. With the driver having been distracted by the brave passer-by, a crowd of pedestrians swarm around the car An Oregon State University professor is poised to become the head of the U.S. governments leading agency for weather, climate and ocean science. President Joe Biden picked Rick Spinrad to run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a role that could prove pivotal as the White House seeks to make climate action a top priority. An internationally recognized oceanographer with decades of policy experience, Spinrad previously served as the agencys chief scientist under President Barack Obama as well as the U.S. representative to the United Nations Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Spinrad would become the third person affiliated with Oregon State University to lead the 11,000-employee agency, which oversees the National Weather Service, conducts climate research and protects the nations coastlines and fisheries. He would also be the first person confirmed to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 2017 two nominees selected by President Donald Trump never received a Senate vote. Biden appears determined to bolster the size of the agency, which is part of the Commerce Department, as well as the scope of its work, particularly in the area of climate change. His administration has proposed the largest budget in the agencys history $6.4 billion, a more than 25% increase from its 2021 budget. Spinrad, who also earned his Ph.D. from Oregon State, has most recently been involved with the universitys wave energy testing facility off the Oregon coast, which aims to harness the motion of the ocean to generate electricity. In 2017, he attempted to walk from Delaware to Newport but had to end the trek after only 800 miles due to a severe case of plantar fasciitis. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632 Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. FTSE 100 swing in to the green after an early wobble as former Downing Street insider Dominic Cummings is expected to challenge Boris Johnson over his handling of the pandemic. Londons leading index rose 9 points to 6,948 in early trading. Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells has stepped down as a non-executive director from ( ) and ( ). On Friday, the Court of Appeal overturned criminal convictions for Post Office workers accused of theft because of a faulty IT system when she was in charge. is adopting a cautious approach with its IPO to avoid a flop similar to PLC ( ). The loss-making cybersecurity company is cutting its value to up to 2.7bn, though it was previously eyeing a 3.6bn float. PLC ( ) has confirmed it is in initial discussions to sell its Primary Products businesses. It would leave the company focused on its Food & Beverage Solutions. Seeing Machines Limited ( ) said it has added another top-notch vehicle manufacturer to its driverless software roster. Mass production by the OEM is scheduled from late 2022 with an initial lifetime award value of A$7mln. CentralNic Group PLC ( ) confirmed strong revenue and earnings for its 2020 financial year. The internet domain name specialist said revenue grew 121% to US$241mln. ( ) increased gold production by 21% in the quarter to March. Output from its mine in Armenia was 16,174 ounces of gold equivalent. DUBLIN, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TriNet Group, Inc . (NYSE: TNET), a leading provider of comprehensive human resources solutions for small and medium-size businesses, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021. The first quarter highlights below include non-GAAP financial measures which are reconciled later in this release. First quarter highlights include: Total revenues increased 1% to $1.1 billion and Net Service Revenues increased 9% to $309 million , as compared to the same period last year. and Net Service Revenues increased 9% to , as compared to the same period last year. Net income was $101 million , or $1.51 per diluted share, compared to net income of $91 million , or $1.31 per diluted share, in the same period last year. , or per diluted share, compared to net income of , or per diluted share, in the same period last year. Adjusted Net Income was $111 million , or $1.66 per diluted share, compared to Adjusted Net Income of $97 million , or $1.41 per diluted share, in the same period last year. , or per diluted share, compared to Adjusted Net Income of , or per diluted share, in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA was $163 million , representing an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 53%. , representing an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 53%. Total Worksite Employees (WSEs) decreased 3% compared to the same period last year, to approximately 326,000. Average WSEs decreased 4% as compared to the same period last year, to approximately 321,000. "Our business model continued to add significant value to our customers during these challenging times," said Burton M. Goldfield, TriNet's President and CEO. "Our customers sought help not just with traditional HR functions such as payroll, but also with strategic HR questions as they addressed the difficult economic environment. Through our vertical strategy, we have successfully aligned the right customers, with the right service model, at the right price. We once again leveraged our differentiated business model and financial performance to establish the 2021 credit program for the benefit of all of our stakeholders. We are encouraged by the economic reopening underway, and we are excited for a return to growth in 2021." TriNet's total revenues for the first quarter of 2021 increased 1% from the first quarter of 2020 to $1.1 billion, while Net Service Revenues (total revenues less insurance costs) for the first quarter of 2021 increased 9% to $309 million compared to first quarter 2020. Net Insurance Service Revenues consisted of insurance service revenues of $907 million, less insurance costs of $751 million. Professional service revenues for the first quarter of 2021 decreased 2%, and Net Insurance Service Revenues for the first quarter of 2021 increased 23%, each as compared to the first quarter of 2020. At March 31, 2021, TriNet had cash and cash equivalents of $500 million and total debt of $494 million. Second Quarter and Full-Year 2021 Guidance In addition to announcing our first quarter 2021 results, we provide our second quarter and full-year 2021 guidance. Non-GAAP financial measures are reconciled later in this release. Percentages reflect the increase or (decrease) from the prior year quarter and prior year end. Q2 2021 Full Year 2021 Low High Low High Total revenues 12 % 14 % 9 % 11 % Professional Service Revenues 10 % 14 % 8 % 10 % Net Insurance Margin 10 % 11 % 10 % 11 % Adjusted EBITDA Margin 35 % 39 % 38 % 40 % Diluted net income per share of common stock $ 0.59 $ 0.74 $ 2.86 $ 3.31 Adjusted Net Income per share - diluted $ 0.70 $ 0.86 $ 3.42 $ 3.90 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q We anticipate filing our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q ("Form 10-Q") for the three months ended March 31, 2021 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and making it available at http://www.trinet.com today, April 26, 2021. This press release should be read in conjunction with the Form 10-Q and the related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in the Form 10-Q. Earnings Conference Call and Audio Webcast TriNet will host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) today to discuss its first quarter results for 2021 and provide second quarter and full-year financial guidance for 2021. TriNet encourages participants to pre-register for the conference call. Callers who pre-register will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator. To pre-register, go to: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10154653/e69f504b4b. For those who would like to join the call but have not pre-registered, they can do so by dialing +1 (412) 317-5426 and requesting the "TriNet Conference Call." The live webcast of the conference call can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of TriNet's website at http://investor.trinet.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on this website for approximately one year. A telephonic replay will be available for one week following the conference call at +1 (412) 317-0088 conference ID: 10154656. About TriNet TriNet is a leading provider of a comprehensive human resources solution for small to medium-size businesses, or SMBs. We enhance business productivity by enabling our clients to outsource their human resources, or HR, function to us, allowing them to focus on operating and growing their core businesses. Our HR solutions include services such as payroll processing, human capital consulting, employment law compliance and employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans and workers compensation insurance. Our services are delivered by our expert team of HR professionals and enabled by our technology platform, with online and mobile tools, which allow our clients and their employees to efficiently conduct their HR transactions anytime and anywhere. For more information, please visit http://www.trinet.com. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to TriNet's financial results as determined in accordance with GAAP are included at the end of this press release following the accompanying financial data. For a description of these non-GAAP financial measures, including the reasons management uses each measure, please see the section titled "Non-GAAP Financial Measures." Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains, and statements made during the above referenced conference call will contain, statements that are not historical in nature, are predictive in nature, or that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or otherwise contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among other things, TriNet's expectations and assumptions regarding: TriNet's financial guidance for the second quarter and full-year 2021 and the underlying assumptions, and the extent, length and growth impact of economic reopening efforts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as, but not limited to, "ability," "anticipate," "believe," "can," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "guidance," "impact," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "seek," "should," "strategy," "target," "value," "will," "would" and similar expressions or variations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, but are based on management's expectations as of the date hereof and assumptions that are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from our current expectations and any past or future results, performance or achievements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include: the economic, health and business disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our clients and prospects, insurance costs and operations; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the laws and regulations that impact our industry and clients; our ability to mitigate the business risks we face as a co-employer; our ability to manage unexpected changes in workers' compensation and health insurance claims and costs by worksite employees; the effects of volatility in the financial and economic environment on the businesses that make up our client base, and the concentration of our clients in certain geographies and industries; the impact of failures or limitations in the business systems we rely upon; the impact of our Recovery Credit program; adverse changes in our insurance coverage or our relationships with key insurance carriers; our ability to improve our technology to satisfy regulatory requirements and meet the expectations of our clients and manage client attrition; our ability to effectively integrate businesses we have acquired or may acquire in the future; our ability to effectively manage and improve our operational processes; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the effects of increased competition and our ability to compete effectively; the impact on our business of cyber-attacks and security breaches; our ability to secure our information technology infrastructure and our confidential, sensitive and personal information; our ability to comply with constantly evolving data privacy and security laws; our ability to manage changes in, uncertainty regarding, or adverse application of the complex laws and regulations that govern our business; changing laws and regulations governing health insurance and employee benefits; our ability to be recognized as an employer of worksite employees under federal and state regulations; changes in the laws and regulations that govern what it means to be an employer, employee or independent contractor; our ability to comply with the laws and regulations that govern PEOs and other similar industries; the outcome of existing and future legal and tax proceedings; fluctuation in our results of operation and stock price due to factors outside of our control, such as the volume and severity of our workers' compensation and health insurance claims and the amount and timing of our insurance costs, operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; our ability to comply with the restrictions of our credit facility and meet our debt obligations; and the impact of concentrated ownership in our stock. Any of these factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results. Further information on risks that could affect TriNet's results is included in our filings with the SEC, including under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on our investor relations website at http://investor.trinet.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov . Copies of these filings are also available by contacting TriNet Corporation's Investor Relations Department at (510) 875-7201. Except as required by law, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements in this press release, and any forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. In addition, we do not assume any obligation, and do not intend, to update any of our forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Key Financial and Operating Metrics We regularly review certain key financial and operating metrics to evaluate growth trends, measure our performance and make strategic decisions. These key financial and operating metrics may change over time. Our key financial and operating metrics for the periods presented were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions, except per share and WSE data) 2021 2020 % Change Income Statement Data: Total revenues $ 1,060 $ 1,048 1 % Operating income 138 120 15 Net income 101 91 11 Diluted net income per share of common stock 1.51 1.31 15 Non-GAAP measures (1): Net Service Revenues 309 283 9 Net Insurance Service Revenues 156 127 23 Adjusted EBITDA 163 145 12 Adjusted Net income 111 97 14 Operating Metrics: Average WSEs 321,295 336,348 (4) % Total WSEs at period end 326,216 336,846 (3) (1) Refer to Non-GAAP measures definitions and reconciliations from GAAP measures under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures". (in millions) March 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 % Change Balance Sheet Data: Working capital $ 520 290 79 % Total assets 3,005 3,043 (1) Debt 494 370 34 Total stockholders' equity 653 607 8 Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2021 2020 % Change Cash Flow Data: Net cash used in operating activities $ (175) $ (282) (38) % Net cash used in investing activities (3) (94) (97) Net cash provided by financing activities 56 185 (70) Non-GAAP measure (1): Corporate Operating Cash Flows 131 119 10 (1) Refer to Non-GAAP measures definitions and reconciliations from GAAP measures under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures". TRINET GROUP, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions except per share data) 2021 2020 Professional service revenues $ 153 $ 156 Insurance service revenues 907 892 Total revenues 1,060 1,048 Insurance costs 751 765 Cost of providing services 64 64 Sales and marketing 46 46 General and administrative 36 33 Systems development and programming 13 9 Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets 12 11 Total costs and operating expenses 922 928 Operating income 138 120 Other income (expense): Interest expense, bank fees and other (5) (4) Interest income 2 5 Income before provision for income taxes 135 121 Income taxes 34 30 Net income $ 101 $ 91 Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of income taxes (1) 2 Comprehensive income $ 100 $ 93 Net income per share: Basic $ 1.53 $ 1.32 Diluted $ 1.51 $ 1.31 Weighted average shares: Basic 66 68 Diluted 67 69 TRINET GROUP, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited) (In millions) March 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 500 $ 301 Investments 71 57 Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments 1,081 1,388 Accounts receivable, net 5 18 Unbilled revenue, net 340 246 Prepaid expenses, net 58 63 Other current assets 105 87 Total current assets 2,160 2,160 Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments, noncurrent 184 210 Investments, noncurrent 130 138 Property, equipment and software, net 75 79 Operating lease right-of-use asset 51 51 Goodwill 294 294 Other intangible assets, net 17 18 Other assets 94 93 Total assets $ 3,005 $ 3,043 Liabilities and stockholders' equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable and other current liabilities $ 84 $ 50 Long-term debt 22 Client deposits and other client liabilities 151 134 Accrued wages 488 309 Accrued health insurance costs, net 165 172 Accrued workers' compensation costs, net 59 59 Payroll tax liabilities and other payroll withholdings 668 1,095 Operating lease liabilities 12 11 Insurance premiums and other payables 13 18 Total current liabilities 1,640 1,870 Long-term debt, noncurrent 494 348 Accrued workers' compensation costs, noncurrent, net 138 138 Deferred taxes 21 22 Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent 49 49 Other non-current liabilities 10 9 Total liabilities 2,352 2,436 Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock Common stock and additional paid-in capital 758 747 Accumulated deficit (108) (144) Accumulated other comprehensive income 3 4 Total stockholders' equity 653 607 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 3,005 $ 3,043 TRINET GROUP, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2021 2020 Operating activities Net income $ 101 $ 91 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 19 15 Amortization of ROU asset 3 4 Accretion of discount rate on lease liabilities 1 Amortization of premium of investments 1 Stock based compensation 11 9 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable, net 13 Unbilled revenue, net (94) (95) Prepaid expenses, net 5 (3) Accounts payable and other current liabilities 33 29 Client deposits and other client liabilities 17 (6) Accrued wages 179 38 Accrued health insurance costs, net (7) (2) Accrued workers' compensation costs, net 3 Payroll taxes payable and other payroll withholdings (426) (334) Operating lease liabilities (3) (5) Other assets (24) (28) Other liabilities (4) 2 Net cash used in operating activities (175) (282) Investing activities Purchases of marketable securities (82) (155) Proceeds from sale and maturity of marketable securities 84 67 Acquisitions of property and equipment (5) (6) Net cash used in investing activities (3) (94) Financing activities Repurchase of common stock (60) (40) Awards effectively repurchased for required employee withholding taxes (5) (3) Proceeds from revolving credit agreement borrowings 234 Payment of long-term financing fees (2) Payment of debt issuance costs (7) Proceeds from issuance of 2029 Notes 500 Repayment of debt (370) (6) Net cash provided by financing activities 56 185 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents, unrestricted and restricted (122) (191) Cash and cash equivalents, unrestricted and restricted: Beginning of period 1,643 1,456 End of period $ 1,521 $ 1,265 Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information Interest paid $ 2 $ 3 Income taxes paid, net 2 1 Supplemental schedule of noncash investing and financing activities Payable for purchase of property and equipment $ 3 $ 1 Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to the selected financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we monitor other non-GAAP financial measures that we use to manage our business, to make planning decisions, to allocate resources and to use as performance measures in our executive compensation plan. These key financial measures provide an additional view of our operational performance over the long term and provide information that we use to maintain and grow our business. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is used to enhance the understanding of certain aspects of our financial performance. It is not meant to be considered in isolation from, superior to, or as a substitute for the directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP Measure Definition How We Use The Measure Net Service Revenues Sum of professional service revenues and Net Insurance Service Revenues, or total revenues less insurance costs. Provides a comparable basis of revenues on a net basis. Professional service revenues are presented net of client payroll costs whereas insurance service revenues are presented gross of insurance costs for financial reporting purposes. Acts as the basis to allocate resources to different functions and evaluates the effectiveness of our business strategies by each business function. Provides a measure, among others, used in the determination of incentive compensation for management. Net Insurance Service Revenues Insurance service revenues less insurance costs. Is a component of Net Service Revenues. Provides a comparable basis of revenues on a net basis. Professional service revenues are presented net of client payroll costs whereas insurance service revenues are presented gross of insurance costs for financial reporting purposes. Promotes an understanding of our insurance services business by evaluating insurance service revenues net of our WSE related costs which are substantially pass-through for the benefit of our WSEs. Under GAAP, insurance service revenues and costs are recorded gross as we have latitude in establishing the price, service and supplier specifications. Net Insurance Margin Net Insurance Margin (NIM) is the ratio of Net Insurance Services Revenues to insurance service revenues. Provides a comparable basis of Net Insurance Service Revenues relative to insurance service revenues. Promotes an understanding of our pricing to risk performance. Adjusted EBITDA Net income, excluding the effects of: - income tax provision, - interest expense, bank fees and other, - depreciation, - amortization of intangible assets, and - stock based compensation expense. Provides period-to-period comparisons on a consistent basis and an understanding as to how our management evaluates the effectiveness of our business strategies by excluding certain non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization, and stock-based compensation recognized based on the estimated fair values. We believe these charges are either not directly resulting from our core operations or not indicative of our ongoing operations. Enhances comparisons to prior periods and, accordingly, facilitates the development of future projections and earnings growth prospects. Provides a measure, among others, used in the determination of incentive compensation for management. We also sometimes refer to Adjusted EBITDA margin, which is the ratio of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Service Revenue. Adjusted Net Income Net income, excluding the effects of: - effective income tax rate (1), - stock based compensation, - amortization of intangible assets, - non-cash interest expense (2), and - the income tax effect (at our effective tax rate (1) of these pre-tax adjustments. Provides information to our stockholders and board of directors to understand how our management evaluates our business, to monitor and evaluate our operating results, and analyze profitability of our ongoing operations and trends on a consistent basis by excluding certain non-cash charges. Corporate Operating Cash Flows Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, excluding the effects of: - Assets associated with WSEs (accounts receivable, unbilled revenue, prepaid expenses and other current assets) and - Liabilities associated with WSEs (client deposits and other client liabilities, accrued wages, payroll tax liabilities and other payroll withholdings, accrued health benefit costs, accrued workers' compensation costs, insurance premiums and other payables, and other current liabilities). Provides information that our stockholders and management can use to evaluate our cash flows from operations independent of the current assets and liabilities associated with our WSEs. Enhances comparisons to prior periods and, accordingly, used as a liquidity measure to manage liquidity between corporate and WSE related activities, and to help determine and plan our cash flow and capital strategies. (1) Non-GAAP effective tax rate is 25.5% for the first quarters of 2021 and 2020, which excludes the income tax impact from stock-based compensation, changes in uncertain tax positions, and nonrecurring benefits or expenses from federal legislative changes. (2) Non-cash interest expense represents amortization and write-off of our debt issuance costs and loss on derivative. Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures The table below presents a reconciliation of total revenues to Net Service Revenues: Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2021 2020 Total revenues $ 1,060 $ 1,048 Less: Insurance costs 751 765 Net Service Revenues $ 309 $ 283 The table below presents a reconciliation of insurance service revenues to Net Insurance Service Revenues: Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2021 2020 Insurance service revenues $ 907 $ 892 Less: Insurance costs 751 765 Net Insurance Service Revenues $ 156 $ 127 NIM 17 % 14 % The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA: Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2021 2020 Net income $ 101 $ 91 Provision for income taxes 34 30 Stock based compensation 11 9 Interest expense, bank fees and other 5 4 Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets 12 11 Adjusted EBITDA $ 163 $ 145 Adjusted EBITDA Margin 53 % 51 % The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per share - diluted: Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions, except per share data) 2021 2020 Net income $ 101 $ 91 Effective income tax rate adjustment (1) Stock based compensation 11 9 Amortization of intangible assets 1 1 Non-cash interest expense 2 Income tax impact of pre-tax adjustments (4) (3) Adjusted Net Income $ 111 $ 97 GAAP weighted average shares of common stock - diluted 67 69 Adjusted Net Income per share - diluted $ 1.66 $ 1.41 The table below presents a reconciliation of net cash (used in) provided by operating activities to Corporate Operating Cash flows: Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2021 2020 Net cash used in operating activities $ (175) $ (282) Less: Change in WSE related other current assets (85) (110) Less: Change in WSE related liabilities (221) (291) Net cash used in operating activities - WSE $ (306) $ (401) Net cash provided by operating activities - Corporate $ 131 $ 119 Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures for the second quarter and full-year 2021 guidance. Low and high percentages represent increases (decreases) from the same period in the previous year. The table below presents a reconciliation of insurance service revenues to Net Insurance Service Revenues and NIM: Q2 2020 Q2 2021 Guidance FY 2020 Year 2021 Guidance (in millions) Actual Low High Actual Low High Insurance service revenues $ 827 13 % 14 % $ 3,490 9 % 11 % Less: Insurance costs 613 38 38 2,979 15 15 Net Insurance Service Revenues $ 214 (59) % (53) % $ 511 (25) % (17) % NIM 26 % 9.5 % 10.7 % 15 % 10 % 11 % The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA: Q2 2020 Q2 2021 Guidance FY 2020 Year 2021 Guidance (in millions) Actual Low High Actual Low High Net income $ 126 (69) % (61) % $ 272 (30) % (18) % Provision for income taxes 45 (81) (73) 85 (32) (18) Stock based compensation 11 15 20 43 18 22 Interest expense, bank fees and other 4 29 29 21 (8) (8) Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets 13 1 1 47 (4) (4) Adjusted EBITDA $ 199 (61) % (54) % $ 468 (22) % (13) % Adjusted EBITDA Margin 59 % 35 % 39 % 44 % 38 % 40 % The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per share - diluted: Q2 2020 Q2 2021 Guidance FY 2020 Year 2021 Guidance (in millions, except per share data) Actual Low High Actual Low High Net income $ 126 (69) % (61) % $ 272 (30) % (18) % Effective income tax rate adjustment 1 (403) (371) (6) (2) (19) Stock based compensation 11 15 20 43 18 22 Amortization of intangible assets 1 (1) (1) 5 (1) (1) Non-cash interest expense 31 31 1 286 286 Income tax impact of pre-tax adjustments (3) 14 18 (12) 21 24 Adjusted Net Income $ 136 (66) % (58) % $ 303 (24) % (13) % GAAP weighted average shares of common stock - diluted 68 68 Adjusted Net Income per share - diluted $ 2.03 $ 0.70 $ 0.86 $ 4.44 $ 3.42 $ 3.90 SOURCE TriNet Group, Inc. Related Links https://www.trinet.com NEW DELHI: Indian embassies have reached out to their host nations in Europe for help as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has triggered a massive crisis across India. As per official sources who told a leading international daily, embassies are seeking empty, refillable Oxygen cylinders with 10 litres and 45 litres Liquid Medical Oxygen capacity; Oxygen concentrators; in situ Oxygen manufacturing plants for hospitals; and Remdesivir from the European Union member states. The embassies have asked India's allies in Europe to gift all the medical aid to the Indian Red Cross, which will further ship it to India. As the second wave crisis unfolded in the country, India's allies across the world like Israel, France, Saudi Arabia, Singapore came forward to help even as the US sat on the Indian request for waiving the ban on export of raw material for vaccine manufacturing for weeks. As against the US, UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson was swift in offering medical assistance to India. In all, India has had 17 million people infected with Covid-19 so far, out of which 14.1 million have recovered. Till Sunday, India reported 192,000 deaths due to the contagious disease since the pandemic hit the world last year. Of all the states, Maharashtra has reported the largest number of cases and deaths, followed by Kerala and Karnataka. In Maharashtra alone, 4.23 people tested positive for Covid-19 and around 64,000 people have died so far due to the contagious virus. India's capital New Delhi was placed under a lockdown last week after the second wave hit it badly. The lockdown in the national capital has been extended by another week. UAE expresses support with India to fight COVID, Jaishankar thanks Sheikh Abdullah for solidarity Global Covid status: Netherlands Govt bans flights from India, supports with financing of 1 million euros Japanese opposition parties won all 3 by-elections for parliamentary seats The implementation team of the Hazardous Materials Monitoring Programme in Abu Dhabi has completed the inventory and classification of hazardous materials. The team also checked the preventive and safety measures in the stores and taking the appropriate corrective measures. The team was led by Brigadier Humaid Saeed Alefreet, Deputy Director of Security and Ports Affairs Sector at the General Command of Abu Dhabi Police and the membership of all concerned authorities in the emirate. It included more than 70 technicians and administrators representing ten entities and is considered one of the technical work teams which were formed within the Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team (AD-HMMT). This was part of Abu Dhabis governments endeavour to impose strict control on hazardous materials and to provide the highest degree of protection for society and the environment. Brigadier Alefreet said: The team carried out field operation measures which lasted for three months under the pandemic circumstances, and the safety procedures were focused on storing hazardous materials in warehouses and other locations licensed by the concerned authorities. The team emphasised the need for facilities to adhere to the required requirements and the competence of workers in this sector. Some violations have been monitored and dealt with and the necessary corrective measures have been taken by the establishments directly. Brigadier Alefreet stressed the importance of managing hazardous materials effectively during their life cycle. This can be achieved by monitoring all dealers of these materials and checking and ensuring the extent of their compliance with health, prevention and public safety requirements. The compliance is when practicing any activity related to the handling of hazardous materials, including their use, transport and storage. Engineer Shaikha Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Environmental Quality Sector at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), reviewed the main and supportive role that the agency has played in the field. EAD has worked hard to monitor hazardous materials and facilitate follow-up and control procedures for field operations by recording the hazardous materials that have been monitored by all concerned government agencies in the Integrated Hazardous Materials Management System (IHMMS). The agencies include IHMMS, which assisted them to determine the extent of the facilities compliance with the procedures and requirements. At EAD we have focused on the facilities dealing with the activities restricted to it, the extent of their compliance with environmental standards and requirements, and the availability of the additional requirements that were identified by the work team, Al Hosani emphasised. Mohamad Munif Al Mansoori, Executive Director of Industrial Development Bureau, said: The departments team, in cooperation with the team formed from all relevant government agencies on the Abu Dhabi level took the required steps aimed at creating an inventory and monitoring hazardous materials and all those dealing with them to implement the programme. This is with the aim of providing appropriate protection for society and contribute towards raising the readiness of industrial and commercial facilities, in general for optimal handling of these materials in the case of emergencies. He pointed out: The Industrial Development Bureau has recently issued the necessary circulars, which oblige the concerned industrial facilities to use the Integrated Hazardous Materials Management System, which is the cornerstone of tracking the movement of hazardous materials in the economic sector. The Bureau is concerned with this file and provides the required direction and guidance on the importance of using the system, in addition to carrying out joint field visits with a number of relevant local authorities. Dr Mohamed Salman Al Hammadi, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority Spokesperson, said: The authority is proud to participate in the Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team, and is proud of what has been achieved over the past year. It is the result of joint work among all government agencies to improve health standards, the safety of the environment and to ensure the well-being and happiness of all residents. He pointed out that the relevant work teams at the authority, who work within the Implementation Team of the Hazardous Materials Monitoring Programme in Abu Dhabi, will register the facilities operating in the field of handling agricultural pesticides and chemical fertilisers within the Integrated Hazardous Materials Management System. Furthermore, the authority will work on intensifying field visits to these facilities with the aim of verifying data recorded in the system of the hazardous materials handled in the facilities. He added: The authority is intensifying awareness campaigns on best practices for handling and storing pesticides and chemical fertilisers and methods of dealing with these materials that pose a high risk to living organisms or the environment. We are also concerned with the safety measures for workers in this field, and we work in coordination with our partners within the Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team to achieve higher safety rates for humans and the environment. We also collaborate on the application of preventive requirements in dealing with this type of hazardous material. Eng Abdulmohsin Mubarak Alkatheeri, Acting Projects & Facilities Department Director from Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center said: At Tadweer, we are pleased to work with all strategic partners to manage hazardous materials in the emirate in a compact and integrated manner. This is in line with the centres strategic objectives aimed at providing a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment for all. In addition, we ensure that these materials are managed in accordance with the best international practices followed in this regard, starting from the stage of use and transportation of hazardous materials, passing through proper storage mechanisms, and ending with their safe disposal. Moreover, we review the capabilities of workers in this field and determine their readiness to deal with these materials and assess the risks and negative impacts that may result from them. We continue to emphasise the need for full compliance with standards and procedures related to health, safety, environmental protection and the society of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team in the emirate emphasised the need for owners of facilities and individuals, who own farms and economic activities, to commit to storing hazardous materials in warehouses and sites authorised and licensed by the concerned authorities, and to follow relevant instructions and requirements, in order to avoid violations, fines and legal procedures.-- Tradearabia News Service A year after an undercover Harris County Sheriffs Office deputy fatally shot Joshua Johnson in a Missouri City neighborhood, evidence in the killing will be presented to a grand jury, U.S. Rep. Al Green said Sunday. Johnson, 35, was shot in the early-morning hours of April 22, 2020, by Deputy Tu Tran in the 15000 block of East Ritter Circle. The deputy had been part of an operation to nab a capital murder suspect who was believed to be in the neighborhood. Authorities said Johnson, who was not the suspect, approached Trans unmarked vehicle with his cellphone flashlight and a pistol, later found to be a BB gun. Tran fired multiple times from his car when Johnson raised the weapon, authorities said. Johnson died at the scene. The deputy was not wearing a body camera. Since the shooting, Johnsons family has produced information they say contradicts the official law enforcement narrative. They said a bullet hole in a neighbors garage door was out of reach from where police said the shooting occurred. Last October, the family released surveillance footage that they believe shows the deputy leaving the shooting scene and returning minutes later time that they say could have been spent aiding their son. Johnsons grieving parents, Wilhelmena and Richard Beary, sat silently next to Green during a vigil Sunday outside Abiding Faith Church. Green said the case is slated to go before a grand jury this week. Speaking on the familys behalf, Green said they do not understand why the grand jury review has taken this long. They are the people that dont get the same level of attention as some others, because of the way they have conducted themselves in a very dignified and quiet way, Green said. They havent called for a march on city hall or a march on the sheriffs office or a march on the district attorneys office. So Im here today because there is a story that must be told one year after Joshua lost his life. The sheriffs office has completed its internal probe of the shooting and handed over evidence to prosecutors. David Cuevas, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, said he believes Green is politicizing Johnsons death. Its best that they allow the investigation to be concluded and allow the grand jury to review all the relevant facts, Cuevas said. We are 100 percent in support of our deputy. And its unfortunate that Congressman Green has decided to politicize this and use this opportunity to continue to espouse his rhetoric and try to create distrust with the investigative process and try to sway the potential grand jury. Among multiple meetings with the sheriffs office and the district attorneys office, Green said the family has not received the answers they hoped for. They want access to the ballistics report. They also question the original account of the shooting provided by Sgt. Allen Beall at the scene. The detective told them he had not spoken to Tran before providing them information, according to a recording of the interaction. The family has also pointed to Trans past misconduct. The deputy, who is back on active duty, was no-billed by a grand jury in 2016 after fatally shooting a 24-year-old man outside a Houston night club while he and three other deputies were working an off-duty security job. He was disciplined the following year after a television news helicopter crew witnessed him striking a handcuffed suspect in the throat after a 85-mile chase that ended in Jefferson County. All throughout this community they know this man as somebody who has terrorized this entire community, said James Hudson, a spokesperson for Johnsons parents. Deputy Tu Tran needs to be brought to justice. The shooting happened down the street from where Johnsons parents live. Johnson was house-sitting for their hospitalized neighbor at the time. In the days leading up to the shooting, Johnson told another neighbor, Robert Pringle, that he recently found a window and door left ajar on the home. He had been concerned of a break-in. Pringle speculated that Johnson might have thought the deputy was the intruder. At the press conference Sunday, Green compared the case to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. His killing was caught on a now famous video that ignited weeks of protests and galvanized a renewed movement against police brutality. Floyds killer, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, last week was convicted of second- and third-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter. In Johnsons death, the family does not have body camera or cellphone footage to rely on. What happens when the cameras are off and injustice takes place? Green said. julian.gill@chron.com Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a section of the Lijiang River and learns about local efforts in the ecological conservation of the river in Yangshuo, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 25, 2021. Xi Jinping on Sunday inspected Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) NANNING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Sunday inspected south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In the morning, Xi went to Caiwan, a town in Quanzhou County in the city of Guilin. Xi visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, and laid a flower basket in homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle. He also visited a memorial hall in the park to pay respect to revolutionary martyrs. Xi then went to the village of Maozhushan, where he inspected progress in promoting rural vitalization and grassroots-level governance. In the afternoon, Xi visited a section of the Lijiang River, where he learned about local efforts in the ecological conservation of the river. PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "I am a germaphobe and work in the gym industry where the restrooms are always a disaster," said an inventor from Oceanside, Calif. "This inspired me to develop a hands-free means to lift and lower the toilet seat." He developed the STEP AND GO to eliminate the need to touch a filthy toilet seat. This easy to use as well as install invention could allow for greater sanitation when using a bathroom. It features a practical, functional and convenient design as it would provide a hands-free way to lift and lower a toilet seat. Additionally, it may result in public restrooms being cleaner and more sanitary. The original design was submitted to the San Diego sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-SDB-1535, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com SOURCE InventHelp Related Links http://www.inventhelp.com Dubai: An Iranian Revolutionary court has sentenced British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to a one-year jail term and she is banned from leaving the country for a year, her lawyer told a news website on Monday. Nazanin Zaghari was sentenced to one year in prison and a one-year ban from leaving the country on charges of propaganda against the Islamic Republic, Hojjat Kermani told the Emtedad site. Irans judiciary was not immediately available to comment. British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Credit:AP I dont think its right at all that Nazanin should be sentenced to any more time in jail, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters, adding that London was working with the United States on dual-nationals jailed in Iran. Lucknow: To overcome the oxygen shortage faced by COVID-19 patients, Uttar Pradesh will medical oxygen plants in as many as 47 of the 75 districts, including Lucknow, under the PM CARES Fund, according to the state government release. Extending thanks to the Centre for the step, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the move will prove to be a milestone regarding the uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen. In a statement issued, a UP government spokesperson said oxygen plants will be set up in Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Agra, Aligarh, Prayagraj, Meerut, Mathura, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Jhansi, Moradabad, and in other cities of the state. The spokesperson also informed that CM Adityanath has taken cognisance of some hospitals pasting notices about the shortage of oxygen, and said that these incidents be thoroughly probed. During a review meeting, CM Yogi Adityanath is quoted by PTI as saying, "If the notice is pasted only to create fear in the minds of the people, then strict action should be taken against such hospitals." UP govt orders 50 lakh doses of Covisheild, Covaxin each To ensure availability of adequate doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Uttar Pradesh, the state government has ordered 50 lakhs doses of Covishield and Covaxin each from manufacturing companies, according to a statement issued. The UP government said that in pursuance of the Centre's order, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is planning to take the vaccine across the state in an organised manner. It further said that the state government has already offered the vaccine free of cost to everyone over the age of 18 from May 1, adding that the immunisation programme is going on at a rapid pace in the state. So far, 1,17,77,209 vaccine doses have been given in the state. This includes 97,79,846 first doses and 19,97,363 second doses, the statement said. Covishield is manufactured by Serum Institute of India and Covaxin by Bharat Biotech Limited. Adityanath also directed authorities to ensure that the last rites of the COVID patients are performed at cremation grounds and graveyards according to their religious beliefs with strict COVID protocol in place. Meanwhile, Zydus Cadila Company's new drug 'Virafin', which is considered successful in the treatment of COVID patients, will soon be available in three districts of UP, -- Lucknow, Varanasi and Allahabad. The new medicine is expected to be available in one COVID hospital in each of the three districts in the next two three days, the statement said. (With Agency Inputs) Live TV GEDDES, NY The Fair must go on. Governor Andrew Cuomo was at the Fairgrounds outside of Syracuse Monday morning to announce there will be a Great New York State Fair in 2021. Cuomo says the fair will look much different this year, with four outdoor-only areas to promote social distancing: food and beverage, concerts, midway rides and games, and agriculture. However, he says the fair will go on for the full 18 days - August 20 through September 6. The state says REO Speedwagon, Dropkick Murphys, Sheena Easton, Great White and Vixen and the Oak Ridge Boys will be among the musical acts playing the fair this year. "The New York State Fair is one of our biggest and most exciting tourist attractions that celebrates the spirit of New York and generates economic growth for the region and the entire state," Governor Cuomo said in a news release. "I've said time and again that no one wants to open the Fair this year more than I do - and we are finally making it happen in a safe, responsible way with the 2021 Reimagined New York State Fair. This celebration is a unique reward for New Yorkers who have made so many sacrifices during this pandemic and will allow visitors from across the state and the country to enjoy some of the best attractions the Fair has to offer with all necessary safety guidelines in place. This is an important step towards the full return of New York's largest events as we continue to reopen and reimagine our state's economy." Cuomo says attendance capacity will be limited to 50%, but limits could be adjusted to comply with health and safety guidelines. The fairground's buildings will not be open to the public - excapt for bathrooms. Fully vaccinated Americans now have the liberty to put back Europe to the list of countries they want to visit, as announced by a high European Union official. The announcement comes after a year of non-essential travel between the Europe and United States due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Hill. The travel update was announced by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in an interview with the New York Times in Brussels on Sunday. READ NEXT: EMA Observes Johnson and Johnson Vaccines Following 4 Cases of Blood Clots Among Receivers in the U.S. Fully Vaccinated Americans in Europe But to fully walk the streets of Europe, a criteria must be met. Fully vaccinated Americans should have been administered with vaccines that are also authorized by European Medicines Agency (E.M.A). Currently, the United States is administering Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson in their COVID-19 vaccine rollout efforts. Meanwhile, these three vaccine brands are also approved by E.M.A. "The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines," said von der Leyen. The E.U. official also emphasized that because of that, "free movement" and traveling to the European Union may now be possible, USA Today reported. Furthermore, von der Leyen pointing out that, all 27 member states will be open and accept individuals who have been inoculated by E.M.A. authorized vaccines. Although fully vaccinated Americans may put Europe on their next travel list, details about the exact time and date when the tourist travel may restart in the region were not furthered by the European Commission. However, von der Leyen highlighted that reopening of travel depends on the "epidemiological situation." Factors That Allowed Americans in EU The European Union has a basis in allowing fully vaccinated Americans into their land. First is the successful vaccine rollout in the United States, Forbes reported. Von der Leyen noted that the U.S. was "on track" while making a large amount of progress in reaching herd immunity by the middle of June. The E.U.'s second reason for allowing Americans is the agreement between the 27 Countries under the European Union to require the vaccination certificates. Despite the E.U.'s plan on easing their travel restrictions for fully vaccinated Americans, it can be remembered that U.S.' State Department boosted their "Do Not Travel" guidance to around 80 percent of countries from around the world. This is because more and more countries continue to rise in Level 4. Brazil, Kenya, Russia, Tanzania, Argentina, and Chad are among the countries who are in the Level 4. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are also still not recommending travel although they have said that fully vaccinated Americans can resume travel at low risk to themselves. Meanwhile, Forbes noted that President Biden is eyeing the month of May in lifting bans on E.U. travels. USA Today, on the other hand, noted that the European Commission is collaborating with U.S. Homeland Security on a system for the recognition of Americans' vaccination certificates called vaccine passports. READ MORE: U.S. Experts Questions EU's Decision to Halt AstraZeneca Vaccine Rollout WATCH: Travel opportunities open up for fully-vaccinated Americans: CDC - from CNBC Television Defence Minister Peter Duttons remarks on the eve of Anzac Day about the future posture of the Australian Defence Force were enormously significant. From now, he said, the core business [is] making sure they are keeping Australia safe and secure, presumably rather than being able to project our defence capacity to distant parts of the world such as the Middle East, where we have just ended our involvement in Afghanistan. Then prime minister John Curtin at a rally in 1942. Credit:Archives The threats are understood, Dutton said, and weve come to the end of our 20-year engagement in the Middle East, so there is a refocus and pivoting back to our own region. So much history. See, for the first 40 years or so of our existence as a nation, the broad plan was to amass enough Frequent Fighter points with Great Britain that we could cash them in when necessary so it would come to our aid if we were threatened. And we so identified with Australians being the loyal sons and daughters of Great Britain Great Britain in the South Seas that such a stance of having a forward defence and sending off expeditionary forces was rarely questioned. Just before World War I the man who would be prime minister, Andrew Fisher, famously said Australia would stand beside the mother country to help and defend her to the last man and the last shilling. On Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted about President Bidens climate plan that would require Americans to cut 90 percent of red meat from their diets. Except, there is no climate plan requirement of the sort. Abbotts tweet included an image of what appears to be a Fox News TV segment in which details of the alleged requirement are shared. In the image, text incorrectly shows Biden calling for Americans to eat only one hamburger a month and a maximum of four pounds of red meat a year. The governor may have been too up in arms about the fake news report to check his sources because the information in the image is completely false, which multiple Twitter users pointed out to Abbott. While some left more passionate responses than others, many called for the governor to take down the tweet. Embarrassing that the Governor falls for a completely fake story by Fox News via the Daily Mail, said @thehowie. I will expect him to retract this and offer an apology. But not holding my breath. Its not happening anywhere, you pathetic liar, because its not in Bidens climate plan, responded @kevinmkruse. The governor is spreading a meme Snopes rates as completely false, pointed out @patrickw. Snopes, a fact-checking website, verified that the claims made in the Fox News image are indeed false. While Biden last week announced his administrations plans to reduce gas emissions in half by 2030, the Daily Mail published a story that asserted that Bidens plan could theoretically require Americans to majorly reduce their consumption of red meat by 90 percent. Daily Mails story quickly prompted right-wing politicians to dismiss Bidens climate plan completely while also spreading the false red meat narrative. Along with Abbott, Georgias Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shared criticism of the false information and of Biden, who she called The Hamburglar. Colorados Rep. Lauren Boebert, who also owns a restaurant where staff members are encouraged to openly carry firearms, also tweeted out the claim as fact and has not taken down the misinformation. To reaffirm its effort aimed at leveraging technology to support the dreams of young Ghanaians, world technology giant Samsung has set up an Innovation Campus (Innovation Hub) in Agona Swedru of the Central Region of Ghana. In partnership with the Ghana Code Club, the Agona West Municipal Assembly and the Office of the Central Regional Minister, the Samsung Innovation Hub project will house series of coding programmes where young children between the ages of 5 to 17 years in public basic schools in the community will be trained on technology and coding. Speaking at a short ceremony to officially open the innovation campus, the Central Regional Minister, Hon. Justina Marigold Assan indicated that the hub will position students to take advantage of the opportunities that comes with technology knowledge acquisition in todays global world. The Hub centre provided for this library has therefore come at the opportune time. Students who will be equipped with the necessary ICT skills that will position them to take advantage of the opportunities in our ever-changing world, Hon. Justina Assan said. She expressed the appreciation of the Ghana government to Samsung Ghana for the wonderful gesture and gave an assurance that the Agona West Municipal Assembly and the Central Regional Co-ordination Council will continue to provide the necessary support and assistance to the innovation hub. In his remarks, the Managing Director of Samsung Ghana, Mr. Lucas Lee said Samsung recognizes the role technology plays in nation building thus the need for this innovation campus to support the dreams of young Ghanaians. He said the initiative is to improve modern learning among young people in the country. Samsung believes in strong collaborations between the Government and the private sector and is committed to playing a sustained role in community development and nation building. The Samsung Innovation Campus is in recognition of companys commitment to leverage on technology in supporting the dreams of young Ghanaians and overall support nation building, said Mr. Lee. The Founder of Ghana Code Club, Ernestina Appiah said her organization who will be the operators of the Samsung Innovation Hub, has developed series of programs to power the innovation hub as a learning hub for as many young people in the community as well as students with interest in technology. As an organization, we believe that computer programming and other technical skills are a tool of empowerment, that is why we are on a mission to ensure that every child and youth particularly girls have access to the skills they need to thrive in our increasingly digital world, Ms. Appiah said. According to Ms. Appiah, the Hub will run three technology programmes namely Code Club for Boys and Girls, Girls in ICT Club and Freelancing and entrepreneurship programs in Technology Ms Appiah indicated that these coding programmes fit into the new curriculum for basic schools introduced by the Ghana Education Service (GES). The $50,000 Samsung Innovation Hub is equipped with 20 Monitors, Desk tops, Samsung E boards, Flip boards, cooling units and a more convenient set of furniture. Samsung Electronics inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems and semiconductor and LED solutions. 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. Featured Video Insurer groups expressed disappointment over a judges ruling denying an industry request to halt an emergency rule that temporarily bans the use of insurance credit scoring in Washington. The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Washington, the Professional Insurance Agents of Washington, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association had joined together in a lawsuit Kreidlers ban. The groups warned that if Judge Mary Sue Wilsons ruling against insurers request for a preliminary injunction in a regulatory matter will negatively impact Washington consumers. Wilson found that industry associations challenging the rule were unlikely to succeed with their arguments, and that Kreidler demonstrated good cause for the emergency rule and did not exceed his authority as the regulator of insurance practices in the state. Commissioner Kreidler has taken an extreme action that exceeds his authority, bypasses the legislature, and robs consumers of the benefits of a highly competitive private market, said Claire Howard, APCIA senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary. We are disappointed that our request for a preliminary injunction was denied today. While Commissioner Kreidler purports to protect consumers, to the contrary, well over one million Washington residents will very soon face double digit rate increases on auto, homeowners and renters insurance even though there has been no change in their individual risk profiles. Howard, who said the groups will be reviewing legal options and next steps, added: We look forward to the next steps in the litigation process to overturn this preliminary trial court decision. Related: Topics Carriers Legislation Washington Funding A man waits for a taxi as news footage of Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) being greeted in Pyongyang by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is shown on a large screen behind him outside a shopping mall in Beijing, China, on June 20, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Chinas March Exports to North Korea 400 Times That of January-February Combined Chinas exports to North Korea reached a six-month high in March, over 398 times the total of the previous two months, Chinas General Administration of Customs reported on April 18. China has been North Koreas largest exporter and importer. The sharp increase in Chinese exports has caught peoples attention, with some saying it might be a sign of Pyongyang easing border restrictions that were imposed early last year due to COVID-19 while Kim Jong Uns regime claimed to have zero infections. On Feb. 3, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program announced (pdf) that it would distribute close to 2 million doses of Indian-made AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine to North Korea. On March 2, the program said (pdf) 1.7 million doses would be delivered to Pyongyang by May. The COVAX allocation will mean that about 3.9 percent of North Koreas 25.65 million population will receive two doses of the vaccine. If Kim Jong-un decides to open the border wider after receiving the Indian COVID-19 vaccines, China might receive a big benefit from the trade. North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un walks to a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Panmunjom, Korea on June 30, 2019. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) North Korea is one of the most closed economies in the world and doesnt publish its trade data. Its trade is obtained from its trader partners reports. According to data compiled by the United Unions, North Korea conducted business with 47 countries in 2020. It had bilateral trade with some of these, such as Germany, the Netherlands, and India. It had unilateral trade with others, such as $14.19 million in exports to Myanmar, and $2.68 million of imports from Switzerland. According to the database, 96.3 percent of North Koreas imports in 2020, or $491.06 million, were from China; 41.4 percent of North Koreas export in 2020, or $48 million, went to China. North Koreas trade deficit with China was $443.06 million. The trade between China and North Korea may be in violation of the sanctions put in place by the United Nations. In January 2003, Pyongyang unilaterally withdrew from the U.N.s Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. From 2006 to 2017, the regime performed six nuclear weapons test explosions. North Koreans ride on a boat used as a local ferry as they cross the Yalu River from Dandong, northeastern Chinas Liaoning Province to Sinuiju, North Korea on May 23, 2017. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) To stop North Koreas nuclear weapons development, the United Nations banned Pyongyang from importing weapons, oil, and gas products, and from selling several types of metals, seafood, coal, and textiles. The United Nations even banned North Koreans from working in other countries. But it remains unclear whether the products China is trading with North Korea are in line with U.N. sanctions. The data shows that a large number of North Koreans are working in China. On Chinas restaurant booking websites, Pyongyang restaurants are listed as open, with many Chinese netizens leaving comments about North Korean dance performances. The Japanese Nikkei reported on Sept. 28, 2017, after the U.N. banned North Koreans working overseas that about 50 North Korean restaurants were operating in China, hiring North Korean chefs, female waitresses, and dancers. In July 2018, several media reported that international freighters had continued shipping coal from North Korea to China, Russia, South Korea, and Japan, in violation of U.N. sanctions. On March 24, the New York Times reported that China was helping tankers deliver oil to North Korea. Trade Cross Yalu A North Korean soldier gestures as she stands on the banks of the Yalu river near Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong on July 5, 2017. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images) The Yalu River separates China and North Korea. Trade across the river is significant. Chinas General Administration of Customs released the trade data of March on April 18, which indicated that China exported 83.64 million yuan ($12.98 million) to North Korea, and imported 8.46 million yuan ($1.3 million) from North Korea. The export figure has a big rise from the previous months, while the import is at a similar level. According to Chinese General Administration of Customs, Chinas export to North Korea was 20,000 yuan ($3,081) in February, and 190,000 yuan ($29,270) in January. The 83.64 million yuan worth of exports in March is 398.29 times the total of the previous two months, which is 210,000 yuan. The exports in March in fact reached the highest point since September 2020, when China shipped 131.46 million yuan ($20.25 million) in goods to this neighbor. In 2020, China exported 3.45 billion yuan ($530 million) to North Korea, most of which was traded in the first half of the year. The exports in 2019 totaled 17.765 billion yuan ($2.74 billion), and in 2018, totaled 14.677 billion yuan ($2.26 billion). GAITHERSBURG, Md. and SUZHOU BIOBAY, China, April 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirnaomics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of RNAi therapeutics against cancer and fibrotic diseases, today announced the initiation of the Phase 2b study of the company's lead drug candidate, STP705, for the treatment of squamous cell skin cancer. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of intralesional injection of STP705 in 100 adult patients with squamous cell carcinoma in situ (isSCC). This is a two-part dose escalation trial; in the run-in period, the 30 ug and 60 ug dosing regimens from the Phase 2a study of STP705 will be further evaluated, in addition to a third new dose level. The second part of the trial will further evaluate the two most efficacious dosing regimens. The primary endpoint of this trial is the proportion of participants with histological clearance of treated isSCC lesion at the end of treatment. Histological clearance will be defined as the absence of detectable evidence of isSCC tumor cell nests as determined by central pathology review. "In the recently concluded Phase 2a clinical trial of STP705 in isSCC, a high rate of patients achieved histological clearance in a dose dependent manner, which is the gold standard for skin cancer," said Patrick Lu, Ph.D., the founder, President and CEO of Sirnaomics. "As we initiate the Phase 2b trial, we are hopeful to learn more about the potential of this non-surgical, non-invasive treatment for common non-melanoma skin cancer, and more broadly the promise of RNAi therapeutics in oncology." "isSCC continues to be a disease with high unmet therapeutic need where surgery is still considered the only viable treatment option for many patients," said Michael Molyneaux M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Sirnaomics. "We hope to build on the success we have seen in the Phase 2a study, where we achieved 90% histological clearance rates in the 30 ug and 60 ug dosing groups. We anticipate having an interim data readout late second half of 2021 that will guide our clinical development for this indication." Additional information about this clinical trial is available at clinicaltrials.gov using the identifier: NCT04844983. About Non-melanoma Skin Cancer and Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Situ Skin cancer is the most common type of all cancers diagnosed each year in the United States. It is estimated that nearly half of cancers diagnosed every year will be skin cancers. Over the past decade, the incidence of skin cancers has increased dramatically. According to the JAMA Dermatology paper (Rogers, et. al. JAMA Dermatol. 2015151(10):1081-1086), an estimated 3.3 million people in the US suffer from non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) along with 5.43 million people that are currently living with cancer lesions. Data on specific types of NMSC were 2.55 million cases for basal cell carcinoma (47%): 2.57 million cases for squamous cell carcinoma including squamous cell carcinoma in situ (46.7%), plus another 332,000 cases of unspecified type of skin cancers. A World Health Organization authorized report from "International Agency for Research on Cancer" (2019) has demonstrated that the number of deaths in 2018 globally for both men and women from NMSC is 65,155, where the mortality of Asia NMSC patients represents 41.9% of the global total, significantly more than other individual areas. Squamous cell carcinoma in situ, also called Bowen disease, is the earliest form of squamous cell skin cancer (SCC). Along with basal cell carcinoma, SCC is one of two major subtypes of NMSC. The key driver for development of SCC is ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is believed that development of SCC is linked closely to genomic perturbations, genetic mutations, and altered expression of key molecules (e.g., overexpression of TGF-1 and COX-2) that impacts squamous cell lineage commitment and terminal differentiation. Surgery is the currently the most common treatment option for the treatment of NMSC. The various forms of surgical modalities carry significant cutaneous adverse events, risk of scar, infection and bleeding. Surgery can also have a significant recurrence rate. As a result, there is a high unmet need for an FDA approved local injection therapy that is safe and effective. About STP705 Sirnaomics' leading product candidate, STP705, is a siRNA (small interfering RNA) therapeutic that takes advantage of a dual-targeted inhibitory property and polypeptide nanoparticle (PNP)-enhanced delivery to directly knock down both TGF-1 and COX-2 gene expression. The product candidate has received multiple IND approvals from both the US FDA and Chinese NMPA, including treatments of cholangiocarcinoma, nonmelanoma skin cancer and hypertrophic scar. STP705 has also received Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of cholangiocarcinoma and primary sclerosing cholangitis. STP705 is currently in four clinical trials for different indications. A Phase 2a study of STP705 for treatment of squamous cell skin cancer (isSCC) in adult patients demonstrated positive efficacy and safety results, with 76% of all patients (19/25) achieving complete histologically clearance and the two optimal dosing ranges achieving 90% histological clearance of tumor cell in the lesion. No significant or serious adverse events, including no significant cutaneous skin reactions, were reported in the study, and the company was able to define a clear therapeutic window in advance of later stage studies. About Sirnaomics, Inc. Sirnaomics, Inc., a leading privately held biopharmaceutical company for discovery and development of RNAi therapeutics, is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, with subsidiaries in Suzhou and Guangzhou, China. The company's mission is to develop novel therapeutics to alleviate human suffering and advance patient care in areas of high unmet medical need. The guiding principles of the company are: Innovation, Global Vision with a Patient Centered focus. Members of the senior management team have a combined experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, spanning clinical development, regulatory, financial and business management in both the USA and China. The company is supported by funding from institutional investors and corporate partnerships. Sirnaomics has developed a strong portfolio of intellectual property with an enriched product pipeline. The therapeutic areas of focus include oncology, anti-fibrotic, anti-viral and metabolic therapeutics. Learn more at www.sirnaomics.com. Contact: Sirnaomics: Michael Molyneaux, MD, MBA Chief Medical Officer Email: [email protected] Investors: Stephanie Carrington Tel: +1 646 277 1282 Email: [email protected] Media: Mark Corbae Tel: +1 203 682 8288 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Sirnaomics, Inc. Related Links http://www.sirnaomics.com Social justice activist Mutemi wa Kiama is a free man following his recent incarceration over a poster indicating that President Uhuru Kenyatta is not authorised to act or transact on behalf of Kenyans. A court released Kiama on a cash bail of Sh500,000 pending completion of investigations. The anti-IMF loan crusader spoke to the Nairobian about his activism journey and more. Many people didnt know you until you got arrested Tell us a bit about your background I am a social justice activist focusing on social accountability and human rights. Im also a movement-builder and I do political education. I come from Kirinyaga in Central Kenya and I have a communication training background. I am also a trained designer from the University of Nairobi. How did your upbringing influence what you do? My mother always stood for what is right and didnt believe that a woman cant do certain things. My family has three boys and one girl but that distinction was not there. Mother brought us up as equals, and I think having a strong woman also made me grow up respecting women. My grandfather was a teacher and a famous colonial chief who used to supply food secretly to Mau Mau fighters. You are a social justice activist. How does this relate to your activist identity? People like Mohammed or Jesus Christ emerged at a time when there was a lot of oppression in their communities. Majority of Kenyans are living in abject poverty and young people are jobless. Justice is what ensures that when you pay taxes, they are used for the right reasons unlike now where we are losing Sh2 billion daily. I felt that we needed to educate Kenyans to know their constitutional rights and freedoms, and also their responsibilities as citizens to hold leaders to account to ensure that resources are used for the right purpose. What is the biggest threat you have ever faced as an activist? Around 2013 to 2015 when ICC cases were ongoing, I was working for an organization called Inuka Kenya running a programme called Maskani ya Taifa. The programme used to push back against the ICC narrative. There were many threats against anybody who opposed the prevailing narrative and I remember being threatened to comply or I would face the music. You were recently arrested for publicly criticising the government. What was your experience like? The initial arrest was very intimidating. It was the second time because I had been arrested in June last year after posting a viral thread on colonial chiefs. Psychologically, I was prepared, but what surprised me was how accommodative the police and cellmates were to me. What projects are you currently working on? I do political education and help fellow activists to speak to their communities. Currently, Im part of Kongamano la Mageuzi that is working to build a political movement that will take the country to the 21st century. If you got five minutes with the president, what would you tell him? I would tell him to quit. But I would also ask him to take a walk to Korogocho and not using a Prado. Talk to the people, create that interaction and find out if what is being done is just public relations or propaganda. How did your mothers death change things for you? In 2016, I got a call that my mother was unwell and needed an operation. We couldnt find a single ICU bed in Central Kenya. By the time she was coming to Nairobi she was in a coma. Mom died and left a bill of Sh1.6 million for the 21 days she spent in Kenyatta and we didnt have the money. Kenyans fundraised because they appreciate the work that I do online, and this proved to me that I was in the right direction. Where do you draw your inspiration from? What inspires me is when Kenyans come together to tackle challenges. My passion comes from amplifying others voices and speaking for those who cant speak for themselves. Who is your mentor? Dr Rev. Timothy Njoya. Not many people know the work he did so that we could get the second liberation. Every day he would join people in Kibra and walk with them to Industrial area so that he could talk to them. The groundwork he did was inspiring. Subscriber content preview By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer DOUGLAS, Wyo. The stakes were clear to the two dozen police officers who gathered for a workshop with an ambitious and increasingly urgent mission recalibrating the way police interact with the public in America. The class took place the same week as jury selection for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer who was convicted Tuesday of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. . . . Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In our politically correct culture, the term social justice is used rather loosely these days. But for the Christian, social justice must be based on biblical truth, or its not just at all. If you want to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God, you must exercise discernment (Micah 6:8). A new book, ConfrontingInjustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice, will help you do just that. Written by Thaddeus J. Williams, an associate professor at Biola Universitys Talbot School of Theology, the book divides social justice into two categories: Social Justice A, which is biblical, and Social Justice B, which is not. In Williams view, All injustice is a violation of the first commandment and an affront against God. Consider white supremacy, he writes. The belief that white-skinned humans are superior to other humans has led to many non-whites not receiving what they are due. We must work to make white supremacy a dead relic of the past. But the injustice of white supremacy has a transcendent dimension, something almost no one talks about that keeps us swatting at the bad fruits rather than chopping at the sick roots of racism. It makes race, not God, supreme. He recommends that Christians make wise judgments by asking questions such as: Does our vision of social justice acknowledge the image of God in everyone, regardless of size, shade, sex, or status? Does our vision of social justice replace love, peace, and patience with suspicion, division, and rage? Does our vision of social justice turn the quest for truth into an identity game? Does our vision of social justice distort the best news in history? Justice is not the first thing, Williams writes. The Gospel is. But that does not make justice optional to the Christian life. He believes that no political party has a monopoly on righteousness. Christians across the political spectrum should unite around the conviction that we should reject anything marketed as justice, by the right or left, that draws us to our knees before anything other than God, Williams writes. The book includes a foreword by John M. Perkins, a hero of the civil rights movement, who praises Williams for asking the right questions in seeking social justice. He devotes a chapter to each question, ending with a personal testimony and questions for personal reflection or group story. Taken together, they provide a reliable guide for navigating the muddy waters of 21st century social justice. Originally published at the Denison Forum Red Hat and Snam Collaborate to Deliver Energy Solutions at the Edge Red Hat (News - Alert) , Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that Snam, one of the world's largest gas networks, has deployed Red Hat OpenShift and other cloud-native technologies to help drive the organization's digital transformation. Using a broad set of Red Hat's powerful open hybrid cloud solutions, Snam can better manage and scale applications across distributed infrastructure, including at the edge, to prepare for a hybrid cloud and multicloud future. Headquartered in San Donato Milanese, Italy, Snam oversees one of the world's largest natural gas transportation networks, 2 LNG terminals and the largest European natural gas storage capacity; it has participations in GCA, TAG (Austria), Terega (France), Interconnector UK (UK), DESFA (Greece), TAP, and ADNOC Gas Pipeline (UAE). Snam's mission is to help guide the evolution of energy transition by providing an innovative sustainable energy network that enables more stable supplies to Europe, while developing new businesses and technologies fostering a low-carbon future, such as H2 and biomethane. In an effort to better serve the digital needs of its internal operations, while being able to provide the digital agility and flexibility its new business units require to succeed, Snam undertook a company-wide digital transformation program. Backed by the open hybrid cloud expertise and technologies from Red Hat, Snam has started to renew its existing application map and make interactions leaner and more effective among its business services, while developing an entirely new technology stack for its IoT and data needs, designed to be ready to connect up to 30,000 devices and able to handle 100x more data, enabling the intelligent network. Snam deployed several Red Hat technologies and services to support this evolution, including: Through the adoption of Red Hat technologies, Snam can now deploy applications in an automated manner in as little as 30 minutes, improving by more than 10x the time to delivery of its new software products. Red Hat OpenShift has been deployed on-premises and on the edge of the network, with Snam also taking advantage of the public cloud, using Microsoft Azure Red Hat OpenShift, a jointly engineered managed Red Hat OpenShift service supported by Microsoft (News - Alert) and Red Hat. This enables Snam to scale workloads and applications across any public or private cloud in order to meet future business requirements, reducing potential risks around cloud lock-in, and helping streamline the platformization of its application map, while being flexible to consume and provide new digital data and services, leveraging its business expertise and the opportunities offered by the current pace of digital technologies evolution. Supporting Quotes Stefanie Chiras, senior vice president and general manager, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Business Unit, Red Hat "Organizations like Snam, which deal with a dynamic landscape of regulations and market demands, need to be able to rely on flexible infrastructure that can scale to meet the changing requirements of today and tomorrow, including out to the edge as a natural extension of the open hybrid cloud. Red Hat is pleased to support Snam as it reshapes its IT environment for the digital-first economy, enabling services to run anywhere and everywhere the business needs, and freeing its teams to focus on innovation." Roberto Calandrini, head of architecture, Digital and AI Services, Snam "Snam's goal is to make energy available everywhere, in a safe, sustainable and secure way. To support our goal, and to extend it to the energy of our people, we set out a structured, multi-year project of digital transformation; it would help us leverage our business knowledge to produce high quality industry-specific software, while exploiting the digital opportunities the market has to offer through the platform and services digital economy. Red Hat OpenShift is a cornerstone of our transformation project; it has enabled us to create an efficient, high performing, reliable IT platform, simplifying the management of complex systems and applications to better support our existing business needs, while giving us the agility and flexibility to properly support our future evolution." Additional Resources Connect with Red Hat About Red Hat, Inc. Red Hat is the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted adviser to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company or its parent International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM (News - Alert) ) may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Red Hat, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the Red Hat logo, and OpenShift are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005170/en/ Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 26, 2021 2021/04/26 AFP: Australia's defence minister said a conflict with China over Taiwan should not be discounted. He said that China has been very clear about reunification. But he also added that Australia wants to continue as a good neighbor. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this issue? Wang Wenbin: I have noticed relevant reports. I would like to emphasize that abiding by the one-China principle is an important part of China-Australia relations. Taiwan is an integral part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair that bears on China's core interests, and brooks no external interference. We can trace the roots of the current tension in cross-strait relations to the fact that the Taiwan DPP authorities refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus embodying the one-China principle, and constantly make provocations in pursuit of "independence" in collusion with external forces. China must and will be reunified. We are willing to do our best to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but we will never leave any space for "Taiwan independence" separatist activities in any form. It is hoped that the Australian side will fully recognize that the Taiwan question is highly sensitive, abide by the one-China principle, be prudent in its words and deeds, avoid sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and act in ways beneficial to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and conducive to China-Australian relations. Global Times: Recently, the US has imposed large-scale sanctions on Russia, which includes expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats. Some European countries have also followed suit. In response, Russia has taken counter-measures. In his latest State of the Union address, President Putin warned the West not to cross the red line, otherwise Moscow's response would make the culprits feel bitterly sorry for their action. Does China have any comment on this? Wang Wenbin: China has all along maintained that differences should be properly resolved through consultation as equals on the basis of mutual respect. We reject the approach of wantonly resorting to unilateral sanctions or threat of sanctions. Such behavior constitutes power politics and hegemonic bullying, which gains no support and is increasingly rejected. At present, the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic remains fierce. Faced with common challenges for mankind, the international community should stand together with mutual assistance, and deal with new threats and difficulties to reignite world economic growth and promote international peace and security. China and Russia are comprehensive strategic partners of coordination in the new era. We will continue to understand and support each other in safeguarding our respective sovereignty, security and development interests. Prasar Bharati: Last week, it was announced that China and India are in communication regarding China's medical assistance to India. Meanwhile, private businesses were procuring medical goods from China to fulfill the requirements for COVID-19 situation in India. But today state-owned Sichuan Airlines has stopped freight operations to India which has hampered the procurement of much needed items at this point of time when it is needed the most. Do you have any comments? Wang Wenbin: China has been following closely the epidemic situation in India and expressed sympathies over the worsening situation. We expressed readiness early on to help curb the latest surge. At present, the two sides are communicating with one another. You asked about Indian companies' purchase of China's anti-epidemic medical supplies. As far as I know, that's normal business interaction. We stand ready to offer support and assistance to the best of our capability if the Indian side informs us of its specific needs. As for the operation of the specific flights of the airlines you mentioned, I suggest you check with the company concerned. Bloomberg: The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka earlier today tweeted that China would be sending 800 oxygen concentrators today from Hong Kong to Delhi and that would be followed by 10,000 in about a week. Can you confirm this? Wang Wenbin: I just made it clear that China is ready to provide necessary support and help to India in its fight against the new wave of infections. If India raises any specific demand, we will offer support and help to the best of our capability. SCMP: The Australian defence minister, when asked in an earlier interview whether he accepts the lease on the Port of Darwin, said that if it is found to be not in Australia's national interest, he believes the government will act. I wonder if China has any response to that? Wang Wenbin: China-Australia cooperation in economy, trade and investment are mutually-beneficial in nature. The Chinese government encourages Chinese companies to conduct investment cooperation overseas on the basis of market principle, international rules and host country laws. We will also firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses investing and operating overseas. We hope the Australian side will look at bilateral cooperation in an objective and rational light and stop disrupting normal exchange and cooperation with China. Shenzhen TV: The IAEA is working on the establishment of a technical working group on Japan's plan to discharge the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear accident into the sea, which is drawing much attention worldwide. It is reported that the IAEA has confirmed the ROK's participation in the working group. Has China made the request to join the working group? Is China in contact with IAEA on this? Wang Wenbin: The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan is one of the most serious in the world. Despite doubts and opposition from home and abroad, Japan has unilaterally decided to release the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea before exhausting all safe ways of disposal, without fully disclosing relevant information, or fully consulting with neighboring countries and the international community. This is extremely irresponsible, as it not only directly impairs immediate interests of people in Japan's neighboring countries, but also endangers the global marine environment and international public health and safety. As an important stakeholder, China is naturally gravely concerned about Japan's irresponsible move. China stands for an early establishment of an IAEA technical working group that includes members from China and other stakeholders to carry out work on Japan's disposal plan as well as the follow-up implementation and international assessment and supervision. China is keeping close communication and coordination with the IAEA in this regard. The IAEA is working on this technical working group and has confirmed to the Chinese side that it will invite Chinese experts to join the working group. China will fully support the follow-up work. Before releasing nuclear contaminated water into the sea, Japan should accommodate the concerns of China, other stakeholders and the wider international community. AFP: An official said on Sunday in the Philippines that the Philippine coastguard is conducting drills in the South China Sea and that these were parts of efforts to secure its maritime jurisdiction over the waters. Does China have any comment on this? Wang Wenbin: China enjoys sovereignty over Nansha Islands including Zhongye Island and Zhongsha Islands including Huangyan Island and their adjacent waters, and exercises jurisdiction in relevant waters. We urge the relevant side to respect China's sovereignty and rights and interests, and stop actions complicating the situation and escalating disputes. Bloomberg: Just to return to the question on India. The recent meeting of the Quad (India, Japan, Australia and the US) said that "one of the things we would be doing is looking at assisting on COVID-19". Yet, the current situation is one of the countries is in dire trouble in India, and there doesn't seem to be any help coming from those countries. Do you see there is a difference there between effectiveness of Quad and the help China has promised or that China can provide? Wang Wenbin: First of all, I would like to reiterate that the epidemic is a common challenge that can only be addressed by concerted international efforts. We have also made it clear that China is willing to provide support and assistance to India in its fight against the latest surge of infections. We hope that all countries can stand in solidarity to fight against the virus, the common enemy of mankind. I also take note that leaders of some countries and international organizations are calling for strong international support to countries in need, as one in six Europeans had been vaccinated, one in five in North America but just one in 100 in Africa, which was unacceptable. The international community should reflect upon and stay on high alert to the huge "vaccine divide" between developed and developing countries. China was the first to put forward and act on its commitment to make vaccines a global public good. We resolutely oppose "vaccine nationalism", and will work with the international community to promote fair and reasonable distribution of vaccines. We also call on countries in more advantageous position to take concrete actions to support and assist developing countries in obtaining vaccines, so as to secure an early victory in mankind's common fight against the epidemic. You mentioned some activities carried out by certain countries within the relevant framework, we hope that they will also follow such principles and spirit, and jointly provide support and assistance to India and those in need within their capabilities in line with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and fulfill their due international responsibilities and obligations. Beijing Youth Daily: April 24 marks the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message that we need a more networked multilateralism, an inclusive multilateralism, and strong multilateral action now. UN Geneva Director-General Tatiana Valovaya said that multilateralism not only underpins the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but also plays an inestimable role for peace and progress of mankind. Do you have any comment? Wang Wenbin: China agrees with the statements by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Director-General Tatiana Valovaya. Adhering to multilateralism is the right way that will steer us through the challenges our world faces today and make greater progress. Multilateralism is underpinned by equality. Only by insisting that all countries are equal regardless of size and rejecting the hegemonic practices of the strong bullying the weak can we pool consensus, wisdom and strength to deal with global challenges like climate change, protect the environment and realize sustainable development. Multilateralism is essentially about abiding by laws and rules, which refer, first and foremost, to international law and the UN Charter. Compliance with both is a prerequisite for stable and just international rules and order, which is the basis for enduring world peace and stability. We must not let the rules set by one or a few countries be imposed on others, or allow unilateralism pursued by certain countries to set the pace for the whole world. It would be pseudo-multilateralism that will create and worsen uncertainty and turmoil. Amid COVID-19 pandemic and other major changes unseen in a century, countries must work for the same goal, deepen cooperation through dialogue and consultation, manage differences through communication and coordination, and seek greater common ground while shelving minor differences. Only in this way can we jointly safeguard world peace and progress and create a better future together. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China's legitimate rights at the UN and the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO. As the first country to put its signature on the UN Charter, China champions, upholds, practices and enriches multilateralism. We will work with all members of the international community to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind and make sure that multilateralism will light up the way forward for all mankind. Joong-Ang Ilbo: It's reported that China has asked the ROK several times to confirm whether it is going to join the Quad which groups the US, Japan, India and Australia. Do you have a response? Wang Wenbin: You are asking about China's position on the rumor that ROK might join the Quad which now consists of the US, Japan, India and Australia, right? (The journalist nodded.) We hope relevant countries will do more things in the interest of regional peace and stability, instead of the contrary. Beijing Daily: On April 24, ASEAN held a special leaders' meeting in Indonesia and issued a chairman's statement, announcing a five-point consensus on the situation in Myanmar. What is China's comment on this? Wang Wenbin: China welcomes the special ASEAN leaders' meeting. The meeting marks a good start for all parties concerned to promote detente in Myanmar via the open and inclusive "ASEAN Way". Admittedly, one meeting will not miraculously solve all problems. We hope and believe that ASEAN will continue to play a constructive role in promoting political reconciliation in Myanmar, and safeguarding ASEAN solidarity and cooperation as well as regional peace and stability. China will maintain close communication with ASEAN and support its mediation efforts, while reaching out to all parties in Myanmar in its own way, so as to secure an early "soft landing" for the situation in Myanmar. Photo of Kertam, a young male Sumatran rhinoceros from Borneo whose genome was sequenced for this study. Credit: Scuba Zoo A study led by researchers at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm shows that the last remaining populations of the Sumatran rhinoceros display surprisingly low levels of inbreeding. The researchers sequenced the genomes from 21 modern and historical rhinoceros' specimens, which enabled them to investigate the genetic health in rhinos living today as well as a population that recently became extinct. These findings are published today in the journal Nature Communications. With less than 100 individuals remaining, the Sumatran rhinoceros is one of the most endangered mammal species in the world. Recent reports of health issues and low fecundity have raised fears that the remaining populations are suffering from inbreeding problems. However, very little has been known about the genetic status of these enigmatic rhinos. To investigate whether the Sumatran rhinoceros is threatened by genetic factors, the researchers sequenced the genomes from 16 individuals representing the present-day populations on Borneo and Sumatra and the recently extinct population on the Malaysian Peninsula. This enabled them to estimate inbreeding levels, genetic variation, and the frequency of potentially harmful mutations in the populations. Moreover, by also sequencing the genomes from five historical samples, the researchers could investigate the genetic consequences of the severe population decline of the past 100 years. "To our surprise, we found relatively low inbreeding levels and high genetic diversity in the present-day populations on Borneo and Sumatra," says Johanna von Seth, Ph.D. student at the Centre for Palaeogenetics and co-lead author on the paper. Photo of Kertam, a young male Sumatran rhinoceros from Borneo whose genome was sequenced for this study. Credit: Scuba Zoo The researchers think that the comparatively low inbreeding levels in the present-day rhinos is due to the decline in population size having happened very recently. This means that inbreeding hasn't yet caught up with the current small population size. This is good news for the conservation management of the remaining populations, since it implies that there is still time to preserve the species' genetic diversity. However, the researchers also found that there are many potentially harmful mutations hidden in the genomes of these individuals, which could spell bad news for the future. "Unless the populations start increasing in size, there is a high risk that inbreeding levels will start rising, and consequently that genetic diseases will become more common," cautions Nicolas Dussex, postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics who also co-led the study. The research team's findings from the recently extinct population on the Malaysian Peninsula serve as a stark warning of what might soon happen to the remaining populations in Borneo and Sumatra. A comparison of historical and modern genomes showed that the Malaysian Peninsula population experienced a rapid increase in inbreeding levels before it went extinct. Moreover, the researchers observed changes in the frequency of potentially harmful mutations that are consistent with inbreeding depression, a phenomenon where closely related parents produce offspring that suffer from genetic disease. These results imply that the two remaining populations could suffer a similar fate if their inbreeding levels start to increase. "The Sumatran rhino is by no means out of the woods. But at least our findings provide a path forward, where we might still be able to rescue a large part of the species' genetic diversity," says Love Dalen, professor of evolutionary genetics at the Centre for Palaeogenetics. Photo of Kertam, a young male Sumatran rhinoceros from Borneo whose genome was sequenced for this study. Credit: Scuba Zoo In order to minimize the risk of extinction, the researchers say that it is imperative that the population size increases. They also suggest that actions can be taken to enable the exchange of genes between Borneo and Sumatra, for example by translocating individuals or using artificial insemination. A comparison of genomes from these two islands provided no evidence that such genetic exchange could lead to an introduction of genes that are less well adapted to the local environment. The researchers also point out that genome sequencing could be used as a tool to identify particular individuals with low amounts of potentially harmful mutations, and that such individuals would be especially well-suited for this type of genetic exchange. In a wider perspective, the study highlights the potential of modern-day genome sequencing technology in guiding conservation efforts for endangered species across the globe. The study was supported by the National Genomics Infrastructure at SciLifeLab in Sweden, and was a collaboration between researchers from several different countries that included geneticists as well as experts on conservation management and reproductive biology. Explore further Ancient genomes suggest woolly rhinos went extinct due to climate change, not overhunting More information: Johanna von Seth et al, Genomic insights into the conservation status of the world's last remaining Sumatran rhinoceros populations, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Johanna von Seth et al, Genomic insights into the conservation status of the world's last remaining Sumatran rhinoceros populations,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22386-8 (Newser) Prince Charles already was working on plans for changing Britain's royal family when his father died. Now with Prince Philip gone, Queen Elizabeth II having turned 95, and the pandemic still limiting the monarch's activities, the pressure to make those decisions has intensified. Prince Harry has withdrawn, and Prince Andrew has partially disappeared from public view after he was accused of sexual assault by a victim of Jeffrey Epstein. That puts Charles well on his way to the smaller working family he'd envisioned, though he'd originally seen Harry and his wife, Meghan, as part of the core, along with himself and his wife, Camilla, and Prince William and his wife, Kate. The idea was a more modern, cost-efficient monarchy. A few of the changes to come seem clear, the New York Times reports, though a journalist who's written about the family points out the House of Windsor is not always predictable. story continues below The queen surely will cut back her schedule considerably, possibly only spending two days a week at Buckingham Palace and the rest of her time at Windsor Castle, where she's spent the pandemic. Charles will pick up some of the slack, including standing in where his father did for decades; he's already accompanied his mother to the official opening of Parliament. He'll do that again next month, per the Mirror. William and Kate also will assume more duties, a staff member said. What's not clear is which appearances the family will stop making. There are about 2,000 official events a year. The Windsors are committed to the military, and many of their diplomatic events can't be dropped. Andrew Morton, who writes about the royals, said that leaves charity involvement. But that work is popular and has been used to justify the public expense of funding the family. "The key development of the monarchy in the 20th century is the development of the welfare monarchy," a King's College professor says, "without which it won't survive." (Read more Prince Charles stories.) Editorial Editorial: Myanmar Peoples Disdain for ASEAN Borne Out by Pathetic Consensus Anti-regime protesters in Sagaing Regions Monywa call on ASEAN to condemn the Myanmar militarys February coup on April 19. / CJ ASEAN, the Southeast Asian regional grouping, isnot for the first timeplaying with fire. Its reception of coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Jakarta on Saturday has only emboldened the military regimes ruthless leadership while enraging the people of Myanmar. The danger is real. ASEAN is rapidly losing what remains of its already weak standing and credibility in the eyes of millions in Southeast Asia and beyond. The summit on Myanmar ended without any sign of contention between the member nations. A draft statement on the summit that circulated the day before the meeting included a demand for the release of political prisoners as one of its consensus points, but that language had all but disappeared from the final statement, which does not contain a firm call for their release. The omission has caused dismay among human rights activists and opponents of the coup in Myanmar and beyond. The leaders five-point consensus calls for: 1) the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar; 2) constructive dialog among all parties concerned to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people; 3) mediation to be facilitated by an envoy of ASEANs chair, with the assistance of the secretary-general; 4) humanitarian assistance provided by ASEANs Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre); and 5) a visit by the special envoy and delegation to Myanmar to meet all parties concerned. In the provision on the cessation of violence, ASEAN said all parties shall exercise restraintignoring the fact that it is the juntas security forces who instigated the violence with their brutal crackdowns, and that the Myanmar people continue to be the victims of their crimes. This shows that ASEAN and its ambassadors based in Myanmar are out of touch with the reality on the ground. Or are they merely turning a blind eye, as in the past? In other words, is it just a case of business as usual? During the closed-door session at the summit, a message from Myanmars National Unity Government (NUG) to the secretary general of ASEAN was read out. The NUG was formed by elected representatives, members of the CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) and members of some ethnic armed organizations. The NUG called for the appointment of an ASEAN envoy who can focus on engaging all key political stakeholders in the country for the purpose of exploring ways forward. Immediately following the summit, the top news story of the Myanmar regimes media mouthpiece was an account of Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings arrival in Jakarta, where he was received by Chief of State Protocol Andy Rachmianto of Indonesia. It also published a photo of the coup leader smiling broadly upon his return to Myanmar. Given the regimes desperate desire for legitimacy, ASEANs welcome of Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to the summit has only compounded the anger felt by Myanmars oppressed people. Some observers argue that in the context of ASEANs longstanding tradition of non-interference in member states internal affairs, the summit represents a step forward, even if the group stopped short of condemning the junta for killing more than 700 people since its Feb. 1 coup. But if ASEAN is looking to demonstrate progress, it should go further by condemning the violence and calling for the release of political prisoners and an immediate halt to the torture of detainees and other abuses. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing reportedly responded positively to ASEANs watered-down consensus. He said he heard us, he would take the points in which he considered helpful, he was not opposed to ASEAN playing a constructive role, or an ASEAN delegation visit, or humanitarian assistance. He said they would move forward and engage with ASEAN in a constructive way, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said after the summit, according to a local media report. It should be remembered that Singapore is one of the largest investors in Myanmarand widely viewed as the chief exploiter of the countrys resources after China. It is also important to keep in mind that many members of ASEAN are themselves corrupt, authoritarian governments with little credibility when it comes to solving political crises such as the one now engulfing Myanmar. They are partners in crime. Myanmar social media users are well aware of this, and it showed when they rendered their verdict on the summit online, condemning it and cursing ASEAN as a club of clowns. Indeed, Myanmars implosion has only further exposed ASEAN as the pathetic and irrelevant institution it is. This has been cleverly summed up in a new nickname for the grouping created by Myanmar youth and activists in the CDM movement: pha-sean, a play on words in the Burmese language. Pha literally means prostitute, but it can also mean cover up or shield. Thats exactly what the meretricious ASEAN, like China, has always doneto provide a protective shield for repressive regimes, past and present. Beyond its failure to condemn the junta, there is a real concern that the summits consensus will buy the regime leaders more time. In the past, Myanmars notorious military leaders found in ASEAN a refuge; they felt a level of comfort with the grouping, which helped them hide their heinous crimes, human rights violations and corrupt practices. Whats more, ASEANs Myanmar consensus gives the countrys two giant neighbors, China and India, convenient coverage: they can hide behind it and contend that all will be fine if only the initiative is given time to succeed. As for Myanmar itself, the summit changes little. On the ground, the regime continues to implement its brutal crackdown on demonstrations, proceeding with its daily roundup of protesters and continuing to torture them in detention centers. The people, meanwhile, continue to oppose the coup and resist the illegitimate regime. Since the military staged its coup and grabbed power, Myanmar has been on a steady descent into failed state status. This deterioration will have dire consequences for the regionparticularly Myanmars neighboring countries, not least fellow ASEAN member Thailand. ASEAN cant be allowed to further legitimize and embolden the junta. The Myanmar crisis is ASEANs crisis. The clock is ticking for both. You may also like these stories: Aseans Next Move in Myanmar Regional Myanmar Protest Leader Appears in Court on Widely Derided Murder Charge Myanmar Junta Forces Abduct and Torture Three More in Tamu The bill has divided lawmakers firmly in support of charter schools (and the big-money group that funds them) and those who either aren't fans or believe the accountability isn't quite there (and the big-money groups that fund them). JetBlue Announces New JFK-PVR Flight for Early 2022 JetBlue's commitment to this expansion is to continue offering very convenient rates and excellent service to more travelers, now with seven new destinations connected to New York and Boston - including Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - New York City-based JetBlue Airways recently announced that it will begin to operate regular flights between the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (JFK) and the Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta (PVR) during the first quarter of 2022. The frequency, schedules, characteristics of the aircraft and commercialization of the New York-Puerto Vallarta flight with JetBlue will be announced in the coming months, but it has been confirmed that this air link will be initiated between January and February 2022. JetBlue's commitment to this expansion is to continue offering very convenient rates and excellent service to more travelers, now with seven new destinations connected to New York and Boston. "We are very happy to have been selected as a connection city with JetBlue for the year 2022. Puerto Vallarta offers 360 days of sunshine a year, with beautiful beaches, activities in the sea and mountains, and incredible experiences that make it an excellent option for all types of travelers looking for an extraordinary and accessible tropical destination," said Luis Villasenor, acting director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Promotion and Advertising Trust. "The New York metropolitan area, with more than 27 million inhabitants," Villasenor added, "is an important tourist market. JetBlue's decision to launch a direct flight to Vallarta - Nayarit recognizes the growing attraction the Banderas Bay area generates among residents of this important region of the United States. It also gives us an opportunity to welcome frequent travelers, and, of course, those who have a visit to this popular Mexican beach vacation destination on their to-do list." He went on to say that "New York and its metropolitan area is home to many people with high purchasing power and the ability to take several trips throughout the year, especially in the winter, which may represent a lucrative market for this corner of the Mexican Pacific." The new flight will reinforce the 2022 winter period, which is expected to bring a rebound in tourist activity, as anti-Covid vaccination has advanced in the United States and Mexico. Monday, 26 April 2021: A national study of 20,000 patients conducted by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has identified the underlying conditions that are associated with more severe outcomes from COVID-19 in an Irish setting. The research, which has been published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, will help inform national public health policies and assist in future treatment and prevention strategies for people at most risk from the virus. The study, which took place during the first wave of the pandemic between March and July 2020, is the first national surveillance study in Ireland that captures data from both hospital and community settings. Data was collected by HPSC for almost 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The association between underlying conditions and more severe outcomes from COVID-19 was examined, including mortality, admission to hospital or admission to ICU. Amongst the patients studied, there were 1,476 (7.5%) deaths, 2,811 (14%) hospitalisations and 438 (2%) ICU admissions. The conditions that were identified in the study as carrying the most risk were chronic heart disease, a chronic neurological condition, chronic kidney disease and cancer. Patients who were morbidly obese (defined as a Body Mass Index equal to or greater than 40) were also identified as being at higher risk of more severe outcomes from COVID-19. Professor Kathleen Bennett, Associate Professor in Biostatistics, RCSI said: "Previous studies conducted have suggested that specific underlying conditions influence adverse health outcomes among those with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. However, the majority of these studies have focussed on hospital-based or local populations only. This study is the first population-based research to capture data across all settings in Ireland, including both community and hospital settings and so it gives us a better picture of the impact of the disease on patients at the population level. "The findings are of particular relevance as the national vaccination programme is well underway including those at very high risk and high risk from the most severe outcomes of COVID-19." Dr John Cuddihy, Director of the HPSC said: "This study would not have been possible without the commitment of the staff of the HSE Public Health Departments, the HSE Contact Management Programme (CMP) and HPSC, in collecting and analysing the data. We are also very grateful for the cooperation of the patients who were interviewed and shared their insights as part of the study." In the study, non-severe cases were interviewed via the telephone by regional contact tracing centres or departments of Public Health. Data on hospitalised or severe cases was collected by Public Health or Contact Tracing teams, with some information being provided by hospital teams. Data collected included age, sex, community health organisation, living in a residential care facility or not and likely source of transmission (close contact of a known confirmed case, community transmission, travel related, healthcare acquired or unknown). ### The study was conducted by researchers from RCSI, supported by the Health Service Executive and Health Protection Surveillance Centre. Authors, Prof. Kathleen Bennett and Dr Maeve Mullooly were supported by funding from the Health Research Board. About RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is a world-leading university for Good Health and Well-being. Ranked second in the world for its contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021, it is exclusively focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide. RCSI is an international not-for-profit university, headquartered in Dublin. It is among the top 250 universities worldwide in the World University Rankings (2020) and its research is ranked first in Ireland for citations. RCSI has been awarded Athena Swan Bronze accreditation for positive gender practice in higher education. Visit the RCSI MyHealth Expert Directory to find the details of our experts across a range of healthcare issues and concerns. Recognising their responsibility to share their knowledge and discoveries to empower people with information that leads them to better health, these clinicians and researchers are willing to engage with the media in their area of expertise. [This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.] Gothenburg, Sweden - April 26, 2021 Hiber AB, the team behind the User Generated Content and game creation platform, HiberWorld.com, has partnered with One Tree Planted to raise awareness for Earth Month. The initiative marks Hibers first foray into supporting social causes it believes align closely with its core values and looks to plant 1,000 trees around the world in an effort to make the real world a better place. It's amazing to think that an idea six years ago has turned into a company, a wonderful community, and a platform that can help plant a forest somewhere on Earth. A forest that will live on for hundreds of years and be a home for all kinds of animals and plants. said Mattias Johansson, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Hiber AB. We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with One Tree Planted, and show our loyal Hibernians that we support this very worthy cause to sustain our planet. We hope we inspire the community to contribute to their program for everyones future. Throughout April, Hiber is rolling out a number of initiatives in support of Earth Month, including releasing an Earth Month-themed game and game avatar on HiberWorld.com. This initiative also asks members of the platform to create their own Earth Month-themed virtual worlds, and invite their friends. Hiber will leverage the theme to inform players about the organization One Tree Planted and encourage them to take part in a community fundraiser, to join in on the tree planting efforts. Hibers employees have already kicked off the contribution to the fund by donating to the cause of reforestation around the world. In addition to the HiberWorld.com initiatives, Hiber will donate the cost of one tree for every new follower and tagged friend on their TikTok and Instagram channels (@hiberofficial) throughout April, up to one thousand trees! One Tree Planted is joining in on this initiative by supporting the efforts of Hiber, as well as planting the actual trees. [https://youtu.be/rV5CBaqS-7M] Trees are essential to the health of our planet, biodiversity, and reducing the harmful effects of climate change. Reforestation is consistently identified by scientists as one of the top solutions to the climate crisis and the trees planted as part of this initiative will support the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. Hiber cares about the environment and wants to do what they can to create a more sustainable world. Let's make a better world together. To get involved, follow @HiberOfficial on Instagram and TikTok, check out the Earth Month game at www.HiberWorld.com, or support the Hiber fundraiser directly on the One Tree Planted website: https://forest-fundraiser.raisely.com/t/hiber About One Tree Planted One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Their projects span the globe and are done in partnership with local communities and knowledgeable experts to create an impact for nature, people, and wildlife. Reforestation helps to rebuild forests after fires and floods, provide jobs for social impact, and restore biodiversity. Many projects have overlapping objectives, creating a combination of benefits that contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. To learn more, visit: onetreeplanted.org About Hiber AB Founded in 2017 and based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Hiber has created a gaming and entertainment platform where people can play and create on their mobile devices and PCs. With thousands of games created each day, there is always something new to play. For more information, please visit: www.HiberWorld.com or check out the companys social media channels: YouTube, Instagram, and Discord. # # # (Newser) Native Americans aren't the only people angry at Rick Santorum over remarks belittling their contribution to American cultureand their very existence before the arrival of European settlers. The former Republican senator told a conservative youth group Friday that in contrast to countries like Italy or China, American culture had started with a "blank slate." "We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here," he told the Young America's Foundation group, per Business Insider. "I mean, yes we have Native Americans but candidly there isn't much Native American culture in American culture." America, he said, is unique because it was "born of the people who came here pursuing religious liberty to practice their faith." story continues below Critics denounced Santorum's comments and urged CNN to fire him from his role as a senior political commentator, reports the Hill. Santorum's critics included fellow conservative Meghan McCain, Deadline reports. "You should really educate yourself Rickgo visit the incredible Navajo nation in Arizona," the View co-host tweeted. "You also owe every Native American in this country a sincere apology for this garbage." There has been no comment yet from CNN or from Santorum's Patriot Voices organization. (Read more Rick Santorum stories.) Scientific collaboration is the most effective way to fight disease and we are hopeful that with our team of the worlds leading medical experts we can share more knowledge, improve care, and help physicians do what they do best save and improve patients lives, says CEO Mike Gramling Nexus Health Media, an Austin, Texas-based medical education company today announced the completion of a renaming process, reforming itself as IDEOlogy Health. IDEOlogy Health is a cutting-edge digital information platform and collaboration hub where globally renowned experts provide physicians with up-to-the-minute scientific treatment advances and facilitate exchanges of the latest advances in scientific medical data, treatment updates, and practice defining medicine. IDEOlogy Health features several subdivisions within the organization that advance the latest science within specific medical subfields. Since its launch, IDEO Oncology (formerly known as Nexus Oncology) has added more than 100 oncology thought leaders to their faculty, hosted over 200 collaborative medical education events and reached more than 11,000 oncology healthcare professionals through its digital SoundBites platform. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how critical health care professionals and scientists are to the global effort of combating disease in all forms, including cancers. Scientific collaboration is the most effective way to fight disease and we are hopeful that with our team of the worlds leading medical experts we can share more knowledge, improve care, and help physicians do what they do best save and improve patients lives, says CEO Mike Gramling. IDEOlogy Health subscribers will have access to private interview discussions with known experts, video seminars, training sessions and conferences. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to participate and help stay current with rapidly changing treatment landscapes and learn new ways to diagnose and treat for better patient outcomes. IDEOlogy Health also launched IDEO Hematology and is expected to launch their next division, IDEO Cardiology, later this year. About IDEOlogy Health: IDEOlogy Health is disrupting the status quo in how medical education is delivered and received by informing physicians with up-to-the-minute scientific treatment advances in different diseases right at their fingertips. They leverage decades of healthcare expertise and emerging technology to provide data, analysis and educational opportunities from experts across the globe. By Rajesh Kumar Singh CHICAGO (Reuters) - General Electric Co's turnaround plans looked dead in the water to many last spring when its lucrative jet engine business became another victim of the coronavirus pandemic as global air travel dried up. Shares of the Boston-based industrial conglomerate lost half of their value in the early days of the pandemic. Declining sales put GE, which was already grappling with crushing debt levels and operating challenges, into survival mode - a quick change in focus from investing in profitable growth opportunities. Since last May, GE's shares have gained over 145%, outperforming the broader market, as more investors bet its turnaround is gaining traction. They also expect that its businesses in natural gas, wind turbines and renewables will get a big boost as nations and corporations make the transition to a low-carbon economy. "The long-term earnings potential for this company are dramatically higher," said Dan Babkes, a partner at Pzena Investment Management that has a substantial holding in GE. Analysts at William Blair expect GE's valuation to double over the next three to four years. On Tuesday, GE's first quarter earnings report should offer evidence to back such bullish bets. Even though the company has forecast a cash outflow, it expects "significant" improvement from a year ago when it burnt $2.2 billion in cash. The improvement would come at a time when its jet-engine business, usually GE's cash cow, is still reeling from the plunge in global air travel. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv, on average, expect GE to report a cash outflow of $1.3 billion. Free-cash flow is closely watched by investors as a sign of the health of GE's operations and ability to pay down debt. Since taking the reins in 2018, Chief Executive Larry Culp has sold assets to repair the balance sheet, including a $30 billion deal to merge the company's jet-leasing unit with Ireland's AerCap. GE now expects to reduce overall debt by $95 billion by 2023. Story continues Culp says a "significantly" derisked balance sheet would allow GE to fund accelerated organic growth. He has also focused on lean-manufacturing practices aimed at eliminating waste and building profit margins. Babkes says the cost focus and restructuring has prepared GE's aviation business for a "dramatic" bounce-back in earnings as air travel recovers. Similarly, upcoming earnings reports should reflect the restructuring at GE's power and renewables units. "Your financial statements today reflect the execution of historical deals," Babkes said. "Your financial statements tomorrow are going to reflect the cost base that you've achieved with restructuring." GE also stands to gain from the green energy transition. The company will supply wind turbines for one of the largest onshore wind farm projects in the United States. Demand has been growing for its new offshore Haliade-X turbines. GE aims to sell $3 billion in offshore turbines by 2024 from less than $500 million last year, forecasting that the offshore wind energy market will grow at a compound rate exceeding 20% for the next 10 years. William Blair's analysts estimate more than half of GE's sales by the middle of this decade should come from converting gas turbine power generation to operate on hydrogen and renewables, and grid upgrades. "In our view, GE's prospects for sustainable outperformance have never been more apparent in recent times," they said in a note. (Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and David Gregorio) Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Wearable devices have become increasingly popular in the recent years mainly due to their consumer-focused offerings and a wide range of device connectivity. These devices carry massive amounts of user data ranging from user demographics and electronic health record (EHR). These may open the scope for possible security vulnerabilities, such as data exfiltration, proximity based vulnerabilities, account harvesting intercepting data while using a Pairing App or Bluetooth to connect with other IoT gear, point-to-point networking, new Wi-Fi networks and others. Often, it could lead to remote code execution, poodle attack, covert account takeover, obtaining an IMEI, location spoofing and others. Click Here to Get Sample Premium Report @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/9903 Most of the wearable devices that are being used today can prevent unauthorized access with device encryption; however, some of them have been found to be vulnerable to security threats while transferring data to cloud or paired with a personal device. Hence, security solutions developers are devising a two-factor authentication, and password-free web security to eliminate the security vulnerability, by implementing blockchain based security solutions to improve the level of device safety. The value chain players, such as device integrators, mobile app makers, enterprises, wearable device OEMs, and security companies are likely to enter into collaborative partnerships to bring advanced device security intelligence strategies for both consumers and enterprises. According to Infoholic Research, the Wearable Devices Cybersecurity Market market is expected to become a $702.6 million market, by growing at a CAGR of 16.4% during the forecast period 20172023. You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/9903/Single Market analysis: Wearable devices are segmented into Smartwatch, Head-mounted display, Body-worn camera and Others. The smartwatch segment includes, wrist bands, fitness bands and smart watches. The head mounted display segment includes, AR/VR devices and smart glasses. Smart watches are the dominating sub-segment which is expected to account for more than 69% of the segments revenues, followed by head mounted displays. The devices that are needed for cybersecurity accounts for less than 10% of the total wearables that are in use today. However, this segment is currently driven by increasing cyber vulnerabilities. Increasing information storage in the wearables would lead to a trend, cybersecurity as a commodity. The Security Types include, Cloud Security, Application Security, Network Security and others. Currently, cloud security and application security solutions are quite popular among cybersecurity vendors and consumers, owing to their vital range of security capabilities. The network security is expected to continue grabbing attention from the vendors and wearable device OEMs owing to the increasing network level authentication vulnerabilities and data breaches. The industries include, Healthcare, Corporate & IT, Manufacturing, Retail, Automotive, BFSI, Government and Others. The healthcare industry is the leading adopter of wearable device cyber security as the devices comprises huge volumes of customer data including, users health, demographic details, biometric passwords and others. The vital use cases of wearables have led to the need for cyber security across the industries. Regions: The Americas, and Europe are most likely to hold a larger share in the wearable security solutions market and Asia is expected to become an emerging adopter of wearable device security solutions by 2023. The market growth in Asia will be largely due to the increasing demand from China, Japan, and the Southeast Asian countries. The Middle East and Africa are expected to contribute to the innovation in wearable device security solutions mainly due to Israeli cybersecurity start-ups. Vendors: The report provides details about the Worldwide Wearable Device Security market. The report also contains an in-depth analysis of vendor profiles, which include financial health, business units, key business priorities, SWOT, strategies, and views; and competitive landscape. The companies included in the report are Apple Inc., Google, IBM, Microsoft Corporation, Argus Cyber Security, Arilou Cyber Security, ESCRYPT Embedded Security, Karamba Security, and Secunet Security Networks AG. Request For Report Discounts @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/9903 By Device Type: Smartwatch Head-mounted display Body-worn camera Others devices By Security Type Application security Network security Cloud security By Industry Advertisement A NYPD detective was hit over the head with a stick in a brazen daytime attack, as a leading police union branded the Big Apple 'the city of violence' while attacking Mayor Bill de Blasio over a 257 per cent spike in shootings. On Monday afternoon, a detective in Queens was hit over the head with a plastic baton by a man, as he investigated a scene. Akeele Morgan, 25, of the Bronx, was arrested not far from the scene on 39th Avenue, near Prince Street in Flushing, police said. The Sergeant's Benevolent Association (SBA) - which represents more than 11,000 current and past NYPD officers, tweeted: 'Welcome to the city of violence' while attacking de Blasio for investing $30 million on boosting tourism instead of tackling crime. They spoke out as an unnamed 20-year-old man was shot and killed in broad daylight near Manhattan's Park Avenue on Monday. Jason Rivera, 35, was shot and killed in the Bronx on Friday night after he helped a disorientated man, asking: 'Are you OK?' and helping him onto a bench in the Parkchester area Monday's shooting - said to be linked to a cannabis deal gone wrong - came at the end of a week that saw 50 people shot across the city. That is a 257 per cent spike from the same time last year, when the pandemic forced New Yorkers into their homes. From 12am on Friday until midnight on Sunday, 31 people were wounded in 28 shootings, and six killed. Among those who lost their lives was Jason Rivera, 35, who shot and killed in the Bronx on Friday while asking a man sat on a bench if he was okay. And on Saturday, an unnamed former NYPD cop was hit by a stray bullet after leaving a party a group of men had been turned away from, prompting them to open fire. The 30 year-old was struck in the stomach, and is expected to survive her injuries. A record 66.6 million tourists visited the city in 2019, according to NYC & Company, the city's official tourism organization. That figure fell to 22.3 million in 2020, but NYC & Company has projected it would increase to 36.4 million in 2021, thanks to the $30 million investment. A man in an orange hoodie, named by police as Akeele Morgan, 25, of the Bronx, hits an officer on the head The officer, working in Queens, recoils in pain and Morgan looks on, before running away and being arrested A New York police officer inspects the car where a 20-year-old man was killed on East 95th St near Lexington and Park Avenue on Monday during a suspected drug deal gone wrong Police cordon off the scene of Monday's fatal shooting. Park Avenue is visible at the top of the hill. The leafy neighborhood is full of multimillion-dollar homes A police officer stands guard in the Upper East Side on Monday afternoon after the shooting, just across the street from a Honda belonging to the victim The dented front of the Upper East Side victim's car. It's unclear if the damage is connected The neighborhood is home to famous faces including Bette Midler, with the SBA union claiming Mayor Bill de Blasio's policies have cause crime to rocket Earlier this month, a concerned Brooklyn mother called Nicole confronted DeBlasio during a radio phone-in about shootings in New York, and asked him 'What's being done?' The mayor blamed COVID-19 for the crime spike, saying: 'I think it comes back to this horrible combination of things we saw, you know, people didn't have jobs, almost a million people lost their jobs, schools were closed, houses of worship were closed. Things really were falling apart.' DeBlasio went on to hail reopening measures, which he claims will cut crime as people return to work, and also cited his 'community based solutions to gun violence.' He went on to cite two anti-gun crime initiatives, called Cure Violence Movement and Crisis Management System. Cure's website claims it 'leverages young men of color' to act as 'credible messengers of an anti-violence message' in areas hit hard by gun crime. Crisis Management System deploys mediators to try and cool down brewing conflicts before they spill into violence, and connect 'high risk individuals' to services aimed at stopping them from offending. De Blasio oversaw in June a $1 billion reduction in New York Police Department's $6 billion budget, at the height of the 'defund the police' protests. The deal involved moving school safety agents, who are unarmed but wear police uniforms, into the Department of Education; canceling a July class of roughly 1,100 police recruits; and shifting certain homeless outreach operations away from police control. Critics say it has made the city less safe. De Blasio has been met with widespread disdain by New York's officers, and will complete his second and final term as mayor in office in November. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, is accused by critics of ignoring gun violence in the city On Tuesday, to combat gun crime, he announced that the NYPD will reassign 200 officers to areas where New York has seen the highest rates of gun violence as part of their annual Summer All Out program. Rodney Harrison, the NYPD Chief of Department, said the 'bulk' of those officers would be moved to East New York and Brownsville, which have seen gun violence upticks of 67 per cent and 88 per cent, respectively. He also noted Bronx neighborhoods, Mott Haven, Highbridge and Crotona, would get some additional patrols. However, critics noted that those areas were singled out for additional policing last year, but with 300 additional officers. De Blasio has tried to downplay the crime, insisting: 'Everything's interconnected, bringing back the city, bringing back the jobs, bringing back the schools.' Yet this month alone a five-year-old was shot in Brooklyn, a tourist shot in crossfire in Manhattan and a 66-year-old Asian man sucker-punched in the Bronx. On Wednesday, a 51-year-old woman was shot dead by another woman in broad daylight on a Brooklyn street in the affluent Park Slope district. The wealthy Manhattan enclave was taped off on Monday afternoon following the shooting This week the NYPD has also detailed plans to discuss additional patrols, in areas of midtown Manhattan where business owners are concerned. Dan Biederman, president of the 34th Street Partnership, a business-improvement district covering parts of midtown Manhattan, told The Wall Street Journal that increased numbers of aggressive panhandlers and people experiencing mental-health crises have made some office workers and shoppers cautious about returning to the area. NYPD statistics show that assaults, robberies, auto thefts and burglaries have risen this year in the Midtown South police precinct, where the 34th Street Partnership is located. 'Really our biggest problem right now is erratic behavior from people on the street,' Biederman said. 'We have complaints of emotionally disoriented people, or people on drugs, yelling at the top of their lungs.' So far this year 416 people have been shot citywide, compared to 242 by the same time last year - a 72 per cent increase, according to Fox News. Murders are up by nine per cent, with 120 recorded through April 25, compared to 110 over the same timeframe last year. The Upper East Side shooting happened at 2:10pm on Monday afternoon, on East 95th and Lexington Avenue - an area that Bette Midler, Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon and late artist Mark Rothko all called home. The unnamed victim was shot in a parked car. Police suspect that it was a marijuana deal gone wrong, and say a large bag of it was found inside the victim's car. Possession of the drug is legal in the state, but selling it is not. 'There is a considerable amount of marijuana in the car. They haven't gotten to it yet because they need a warrant,' a police source told the Daily News. The victim was sitting in the back of the car when he was shot. The gunman got inside the car, and shot him in the heart, then got out and ran away. The driver of the vehicle, and the front seat passenger, were questioned by police. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside, but could not be saved. The weekend began with another shooting, of a 35-year-old who stopped to ask if a man was OK, before being shot and killed. Jason Rivera, 35, pictured with his wife Shantay White, 30. White said she was not surprised he died helping someone Jason Rivera was shot and killed in the Parkchester area of the Bronx at 11:42pm on Friday Police have released an image (above) of the man they are seeking in connection with Rivera's murder White has three children with Rivera, and is currently pregnant with twins Rivera lived in the Bronx before moving to Staten Island around two years ago, White said Jason Rivera, a father of three whose wife is expecting twins, was murdered in the Parkchester area of the Bronx at 11:42pm on Friday. His last words, caught on security camera, were him bending over a man slumped on a bench. 'You good?' he asked the man, described by the New York Daily News as a 43-year-old disturbed man, who had been seen behaving erratically in a nearby park. 'You OK?' The cameras caught sight of a man walking past them, having arrived in a Mercedes SUV. He then doubled back, and shot and killed Rivera. Rivera, who had recently relocated from the street where he was killed in the Bronx to Staten Island, was described by his wife as having 'a good heart'. Shantay White, 30, told the Daily News that his death while helping someone else did not surprise her. 'He's always been like that,' said White. 'People know him over there for that. People just know him, period, for that.' Rivera and White are parents to a seven-year-old girl, three-year-old girl and two-year-old boy. White, who met Rivera on the block where they lived until two years ago, and where he was killed, said he had issues with some people in the neighborhood. But, she added, she did not believe it was anything serious. 'It wasn't to where it had to be something like this,' she said. 'His beef was minor beef, like guy beef stuff, you know. It wasn't something for somebody to have that much hatred, to take their time to sit and actually wait for him.' She said she was shocked at the crime. 'There were kids in the park. 'The block that it happened on seemed kind of busy at the time. It seemed like people were outside. 'And for the person to just walk away and go back the same way.' Meanwhile, a former police officer was shot by a stray bullet in Red Hook, Brooklyn on Saturday. The 30 year-old woman, who retired from the NYPD after seven years service, was hit after a group of men got turned away from a party at an events venue and began shooting. She is expected to recover from her wounds. PICTURED: 61-year-old Asian man in critical condition and in a coma after he endured a brutal curb stomping in NYC while collecting cans A photo from the hospital room of a 61-year-old Asian man, who was nearly stomped to death in New York City late last week, shows the aftermath of the attack. Yao Pan Ma was left in critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma after an unidentified attacker stomped on his head at least six times. Police sources told the New York Post that Ma suffered a cerebral contusion and facial fractures, and the photo shows him hooked up to medical gear in the hospital. 'When I saw him in the hospital his face, I cried. I still cry,' his wife Baozhen Chen told the outlet on Saturday. 'I hope he wakes up and talks to me and gets better and comes home. It's really hard to believe.' A GoFundMe was set up by Pam Yang, a Chinese-American NYC native, to raise money for his medical bills and to support his family. As of 4 p.m. Monday, the online fundraiser raised just under $100,000, about $50,000 short of its goal. Scroll down for video. Police sources told the New York Post that Ma suffered a cerebral contusion and facial fractures - and a photo Chen provided the outlet shows him hooked up to medical gear in the hospital. Yao Pan Ma and his wife Baozhen Chen Ma, who have two adult children, moved to New York from China's Guangdong province in 2019. Ma was pushing his cart and collecting recyclables in Harlem to help his family make ends meet after losing his job as a dishwasher during the coronavirus pandemic. Ma was 'minding his business with his shopping cart,' witness Armetha Knight, 37, told the New York Daily News, before a man came up behind him, knocked him over, kicked him in the head at least six times and then walked away. Ma and his wife, who have two adult children, moved to New York from China's Guangdong province in 2019 looking for better work opportunities, Chen told the Daily News. The entire attack was caught on video, and the NYPD said it's investigating the assault as a potential hate crime. No arrests have been made as of Monday evening. Police released photos of the suspect. The NYPD are looking for the man pictured here in connection with Ma's assault. If anyone has information about Ma's attack or the person shown here, the NYPD is asking you to call its tip line (listed in the top right corner). The horrific video shows the suspect slamming his foot down on Ma's head while his shopping cart full of recyclables sits nearby The attacker was then seen casually walking away and no arrests had been made as of late Monday afternoon. The assault on Ma is just a recent example in an alarming spike anti-Asian hate crimes that first started in at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March and April 2020. A report from the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, found that antiAsian hate crimes surged 149 percent while overall hate crime dropped 7 percent in 2020. The report indicated that the rise in anti-Asian crimes was attributed to 'a rise in COVID cases and negative stereotyping of Asians relating to the pandemic.' Former President Donald Trump repeatedly called COVID-19 the 'Chinese virus,' which some have charged led to the increased vitriol against Asians. [April 26, 2021] CRN Recognizes Kyligence on Its 2021 Big Data 100 List SAN JOSE, Calif., April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kyligence, originator of Apache Kylin and the leader in intelligent data analytics, today announced that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company , will recognize Kyligence on its 2021 Big Data 100 list. This annual list recognizes the technology vendors that go above and beyond by delivering innovation-driven products and services for solution providers that in turn help enterprise organizations better manage and utilize the massive amounts of business data they generate. A team of CRN editors compiled this years Big Data 100 list by identifying IT vendors that have consistently made technical innovation a top priority through their offering of products and services for business analytics, systems and platforms, big data management and integration tools, database systems, and data science and machine learning. Over the years, the Big Data 100 list has become an invaluable resource for solution providers that trust CRN to help them find vendors that specialize in data intelligence, insights, and analytics. Building on Apache Kylin, an open source distributed OLAP engine, Kyligences cloud platform simplifies the complexity of massive interactive analytics, by providing a unified, consolidated view of data across an entire company. The companys AI-Augmented engine intelligently identifies, manages, and optimizes a companys most valuable data; for analysts and data engineers to build and manage their data services in multi-cloud. IT vendors featured on CRNs 2021 Big Data 100 list have demonstrated a proven ability to bring much-needed innovation, insight and industry expertise to the solution providers and customers that need it most, said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. I am honored to recognize these companies for their unceasing commitment toward elevating and imprving the ways businesses gain value from their data. Kyligence answers the need for interactive analytics at a petabyte scale that is increasingly required by modern digital businesses, said Li Kang, VP of North America, Kyligence. Our approach exploits advances in AI to automate more aspects of the analytics lifecycle. This recognition from CRN is a testament to our commitment to innovation and meeting our customers big data needs. The 2021 Big Data 100 list is available online at www.CRN.com/BigData100 . Tweet this: @CRN Recognizes @Kyligence on Its 2021 Big Data 100 List #cloud #BI #bigdataanalytics https://kyligence.io/newsroom/ About Kyligence Founded by the creators of Apache Kylin, Kyligence Cloud provides an intelligent analytics performance layer that sits between data sources and BI tools. Kyligence features an AI-Augmented learning engine to ensure peak performance and vastly simplified data modeling. The result is sub-second query response time for BI, SQL, OLAP, and Excel users even against petabytes of data. Kyligence is headquartered in San Jose, CA and Shanghai, China. Ventured-backed by Redpoint Ventures, Cisco, China Broadband Capital, Shunwei Capital, and Eight Roads Ventures (the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International Limited) and Coatue Management, Kyligence serves a global customer base that includes UBS, AppZen, Xactly, SPD Bank, Pingan Bank, Bank of Ningbo, China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co Ltd, China Continent Insurance, China UnionPay, VIVO, SAIC Motor, China FAW Group Corporation, and ANTA. Follow Kyligence on LinkedIn and Twitter . About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter , LinkedIn , and Facebook 2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. The Channel Company Contact: Jennifer Hogan The Channel Company jhogan@thechannelcompany.com Kyligence Media Contact: Kim Pegnato 33 Vine Communications pr@kyligence.io 781-835-7118 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Delhi: The island country of Maldives was latest on the list to ban travellers from India as the latter continues to report an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases. Though, the catch here is that the ban is for tourists going to 'inhabitated islands'. On Monday, the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives declared that hotels and resorts located at remote islands of the country will not welcome Indian tourists though they can travel to anywhere in the mainland. "Maldives resorts and liveboards continue welcoming tourists from all countries, including tourists traveling from India. Hotels and guest houses in inhabited islands continue welcoming all tourists except those traveling from India," the tweet read. CHECK THE TWEET HERE: #Maldives resorts and liveboards continue welcoming tourists from all countries, including tourists traveling from #India. Hotels and guest houses in inhabited islands continue welcoming all tourists except those traveling from India.@visitmaldives Ministry of Tourism (@MoTmv) April 26, 2021 Since the announcement the social media is having a ball poking fun at Bollywood who has been flocking to the island country pretty much since the pandemic-induced lockdown ended in India last year. HERE'S HOW SOCIAL MEDIA REACTED: Another user said: Maldives gov suspends tourists travelling from #India to #Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands. Bollywood celebrities rn: pic.twitter.com/nxUBggodDq Yamie (@yaminiikumre) April 26, 2021 Here's another one: Bollywood celebrities, including Janhvi Kapoor, Disha Patani and Tiger Shroff posted photos of their holiday. Even Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt also flew there immediately after recovering from the infection. The netizens have been reminding them of their 'responsibility' as India reels under the worst effect of the COVID-19 crisis. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that he is very concerned about the rising of coronavirus cases in India, as the second wave of Covid-19 has created havoc in the country. "The situation in India is a devastating reminder of what the virus can do," Ghebreyesus said during a virtual briefing in Geneva. India reported the highest number of daily new Covid-19 cases on Friday and a total of 3,32,730 Covid cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. The country also registered over 2,000 daily deaths for the third consecutive day with the highest spike in single-day deaths at 2,263 on Friday, taking the cumulative death toll in India to 1,86,920 so far. On Thursday, India had reported 3,14,835 Covid-19 new cases and 2,104 deaths. Delhi recorded its highest ever fatalities at 306 on Thursday, besides logging more than 26,000 new cases. Since April 15, India has continued to report over 2 lakh new Covid cases on a daily basis. Source: IANS India reported yet another grim milestone of highest number of daily new Covid-19 cases on Friday. A total of 3,32,730 Covid cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.The country also registered over 2,000 daily deaths for the third consecutive day with the highest spike in single-day deaths at 2,263 on Friday, taking the cumulative death toll in India to 1,86,920 so far.On Thursday, India had reported 3,14,835 Covid-19 new cases and 2,104 deaths.Delhi recorded its highest ever fatalities at 306 on Thursday, besides logging more than 26,000 new cases.Since April 15, India has continued to report over 2 lakh new Covid cases on a daily basis.Source: IANS The situation in the country seems to be slipping out of hands with each passing day, amid acute shortage of oxygen beds and key emergency drugs like Remdesivir. Arakhamia appeals to U.S. Congress with request for further military support to Ukraine Chairman of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia has asked the U.S. Congress for further support for Ukraine in connection with the build-up of Russian troops along the Ukrainian borders, the party's website has reported on Monday. "In particular, Arakhamia expressed the hope that in the near future Ukraine will be able to receive military assistance from the United States thanks to the adoption by the United States of the bipartisan draft Ukraine Security Partnership Act. It provides for an increase in annual military assistance in $300 million, including the provision of lethal weapons," the message said. Arakhamia said that Ukraine continues to make efforts to deepen its participation in the Euro-Atlantic Alliance. "Over the past two years, the Ukrainian parliament has taken noticeable steps to implement reforms that promote democratic processes, fight corruption and bring our Armed Forces in line with NATO standards," Arakhamia said. The chairman of the Servant of the People faction also drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian authorities are intensifying the dialogue on Crimea with the help of the Crimean Platform initiative, and called on the U.S. side and all international partners to join the dialogue. A disabled pastor and his wife who serve the Dalit people, formerly known as the untouchables in eastern India, were severely beaten by a group of Hindu nationalist men who broke into their home and attacked them with sticks, according to a report. Pastor Ram Niwas and his wife, Pinky, who live in Bihar states Sitamarhi city and are converts from Hinduism, were attacked as they were praying in their home last week, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported. The suspected attackers included the pastors four brothers and a villager who are all supporters of the Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council, or the VHP). A church member, identified only as Narender, was praying with the pastor and his wife at their home when the men used a hammer to break into the property. The church member was also injured as he attempted to protect the pastor. Pastor Niwas, who is disabled because of a childhood accident, had been a target of the VHP for some time and frequently accused of converting Hindus and forcing others to eat beef. Cows are considered sacred by many Hindus. Source:The Christian Post Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital will meet Tenet Healthcare on Monday for the first time since the union began an open-ended strike on March 8. The meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. as the two sides meet to further discuss negotiations including staff increases the topic the Massachusetts Nurses Association has emphasized throughout the strike. A federal mediator scheduled the discussion on Friday, after speaking with both parties, the union said. Tenet, the Dallas-based parent company of Saint Vincent Hospital will present a proposal that the nurses hope can move the process forward to end the strike, the union said. With the resolve we have gained over the last seven weeks on strike, we have always been willing to get back to the table in hopes of settling a contract that puts the safety and dignity of our patients first, said Marlena Pellegrino, a nurse at the hospital and co-chair of the nurses local bargaining with the Massachusetts Nurses Association. We are hopeful that the hospital will come to the table in earnest with a serious proposal that will adequately address the needs of all of our patients and honor the integrity of the negotiating process. The meeting comes as the strike enters its eighth week and about a week after Tenet announced profits of $97 million from the first quarter of the year. The MNA represents 800 nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital. According to the hospital, about 15 percent of those nurses opted not to participate in the strike. Many elected officials have supported the nurses in their effort to increase staffing at the hospital. The entire Worcester City Council, the Worcester state legislative delegation, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Edward Markey, Congressman Jim McGovern and Attorney General Maura Healy have all visited the nurses strike line. Warren, Markey and McGovern sent their own letter to Tenets CEO in Dallas urging the company to negotiate with the nurses. We will negotiate as hard and long as it takes to reach an agreement and get back where we have always belonged at the bedside caring for our patients and the community we have served with pride for so many years, Pellegrino said. The MNA said last week that it projected Tenet has spent about $40 million to prolong the strike. The numbers are based on replacement nurses pay and police details. The total is likely a bit inflated, though. According to the Boston Business Journal, the hospital is spending between $3 million to $3.4 million on replacement staff salaries alone in the first three weeks. Even at a projected $3.4 million a week, including the $5.4 million Tenet said it spent on the first week, the costs are likely closer to $30 million including police details. The ridiculous and egregious claims the MNA is making about our hospital are nothing more than rumor and innuendo, and are a continuation of the false safety claims filed and encouraged in large part by the bargaining committee members prior to the beginning of the strike, Saint Vincent Hospital said in a statement. This is simply another tactic the MNA is employing that is intended to bully our community into supporting their staffing proposal, which failed in the 2018 ballot initiative. Public complaints from nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital date back more than a year when more than 70% signed a petition calling for safer staffing levels. A month later, more than 200 nurses attended a negotiation session with management to provide information about the staffing levels. Last May, after furloughs were implemented, nurses filed a vote of no confidence in Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Carolyn Jackson and her management team. In December, more than 400 nurses participated in an information picket to protest the same conditions. In January, nurses picketed outside the hospital as part of an information demonstration. Related Content: (CNN) -- An Iranian court has handed British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe a new one-year jail sentence and travel ban on charges of spreading propaganda against the regime, her husband said on Monday. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was first detained at a Tehran airport in April 2016 following a vacation to see her family with her daughter. She was accused of working with organizations allegedly attempting to overthrow the Iranian regime and was later convicted and sentenced to five years in jail. Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her employer, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, have repeatedly denied the espionage charges against her. The case has sparked a dispute between Britain and Iran. She served several years of her original five-year term in prison before being moved to house arrest as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Her ankle monitor was removed last month as her sentence came to an end, but she immediately faced fresh charges from Tehran. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters Monday he doesn't "think it's right at all that Nazanin should be sentenced to any more time in jail." "I think it's wrong that she's there in the first place," he continued, before adding that the UK government would "redouble our efforts, and we are working with our American friends on this issue as well." Johnson later tweeted: "Iran's decision to sentence Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to another year in prison is cruel, inhumane and wholly unjustified." British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the latest sentence "totally inhumane and wholly unjustified" on Twitter. "We continue to call on Iran to release Nazanin immediately so she can return to her family in the UK. We continue to do all we can to support her," he added. Her legal representative in the UK, REDRESS, has said it is not clear whether Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be returned to prison or house arrest with an ankle tag. UK lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, who represents the constituency where the family live in Britain, called the new jail term "absolutely devastating" in a post on Twitter. She said that it was "shocking that her husband was only just notified" and added that the latest charges were "another abusive use of her as a bargaining chip." Zaghari-Ratcliffe was given British diplomatic protection in 2019 and has been designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. She has undertaken at least three hunger strikes during her detention, one of them in a desperate bid to seek medical treatment for lumps in her breasts and numbness in her limbs. Last February, her family said she believed she had contracted Covid-19 in Evin Prison outside Tehran. In 2019, her supporters said she was transferred to mental ward of a hospital in Tehran and was being denied visits from her father. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Iran hands British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe another jail sentence" White House officials on Monday defended Joe Biden's tax hike on the wealthy to pay for his $1.8 trillion 'human infrastructure' plan but couldn't address some specifics what the president has planned. Biden will announce this week his proposal to nearly double taxes on capital gains to 39.6% for people earning more than $1 million. It would be the highest tax rate on investment gains since the 1920s. Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council, emphasized the capital gains hike would affect a small number of Americans - about three-tenths of 1 per cent or about 500,000 people. 'This change will only apply to three tenths of a percent of taxpayers, which is not the top 1 percent, it's not even the top one half of 1 percent. We're talking about three tenths of a percent, that's about 500,000 households in the country,' he said at the daily White House press briefing. 'So, for the other 997 out of 1000 households in the country, or the other 150 million households in the country, this is not a change that will be relevant.' The hikes would have top earners paying up to 43.4 per cent, when an existing investment surtax is included. For those earning more than $1 million a year in high-tax states like New York and California, their total rate could be above 50 per cent. California, New York, Minnesota, and Oregon would have the highest top capital gains rates of 56.7 percent, 54.3 percent, 53.3 percent, and 53.3 percent, respectively, according to analysis from the Tax Foundation. Roughly 75 percent of stock investors wouldnt be subject to an increase in the capital gains tax rate due to the types of accounts they own, according to UBS. The announcement is expected to come Wednesday night, when the president makes his first address to Congress, where he will outline his American Families Plan and how he'll use tax hikes to help pay for the multi-trillion proposal, which includes education, labor programs, universal pre-K, free college tuition for certain income levels, and other programs. White House officials defended Joe Biden's tax hike on the wealthy to pay for his $1.8 trillion 'human infrastructure' plan but couldn't address some specifics what the president has planned Joe Biden's tax hikes targeting the rich: Who will have to pay Capital gains tax on investment sales for those earning more than $1million a year: Current law: 20% Proposal: 39.6% With an effective rate of 43.4% when the Medicare surcharge is added. Investors currently pay 23.8% as the top capital gains rate along with the 3.8% net investment income tax, known as the Medicare surtax. Around 500,000 people in the US, or 0.32% of the population, have recorded a gross income of over $1million. For those earning more than $1 million in high-tax states, the total rate will be even higher given the combined federal and state tax capital gains. In New York it could be as high as 52.22% and for Californians it could be 56.7% Wealthy residents pay Capital Gains on the growth in value of investments when they are sold. They are mainly placed on profitable stock trades and real estate deals. They can also apply to sales of collectible cars, art, businesses, gold. Investors are taxed on the difference between what they paid for the asset and what they sold it for. Investments held for at least one year tops out at 20% and those held under a year are taxed the same as salaries and wages. An additional 3.8% tax applies to those earning at least $200,000. The US rate ranks in the middle of countries around the world. Investors generally support lower capital gains tax because they say it rewards entrepreneurship and encourages people to sell what they own. Corporate taxes Current top rate: 21% Proposed top rate: 28% These hikes have already been proposed in the first part of his infrastructure plan. He is also targeting US firms' profits overseas and companies who use offshore businesses. Biden has still vowed that no one earning under $400,000 a year will pay more taxes in his administration. Advertisement Currently, people earning more than $200,000 pay a capital gains rate of about 23.8%, including the 3.8% net investment tax which helps fund the Affordable Care Act. Under the new plan, wealthy Americans could face an overall federal capital gains tax rate of 43.4% including the Obamacare tax. 'We need to do something about equalizing the taxation of work and wealth in this country,' Deese noted. 'And that's why the reforms that the president will lay out are focused on this top sliver of people.' Republicans have criticized the tax hike, charging it will cut down on investment and cause unemployment. One point of confusion is whether the tax hike would apply to households or individuals. Deese said 'households,' noting the tax raise affects the 'top sliver of households.' The issue of household versus individuals is of particular interest to high-income households in cities like New York and San Francisco, where the cost of living is higher than the rest of the country. For those earning more than $1 million a year in high-tax states like New York and California, their total rate could be above 50 per cent. Those areas are also mainly represented by Democrats, who would have to explain the tax hikes to their constituents. White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to answer whether individuals or households would be impacted. 'I am not going to get into more specifics,' she said, 'but we've been quite careful about not getting head of the president.' While she stood firm on Biden's campaign pledge not to raise taxes on those earning more than $400,000 per year, she noted: 'He believes that the burden should be on the backs of corporations and high level income people.' In his address to the Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday evening, Biden will tout his accomplishments in his first 100 days in office and expand his vision for the next stage of his presidency. The speech will be a fraction of its traditional size - only 200 people in the House chamber as opposed to the usual 1,600due to coronavirus restrictions - but will be large in scope. He'll cover a range of topics - COVID-19, police reform, and immigration. But the main focus will be the next phase in his plan to help the US economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic - his $1.8 trillion families plan. 'He will lay out the specific details of the American Families Plan,' Psaki said Monday. "He will also talk about a range of priorities that he has for the upcoming months of his presidency.' She said that included police reform and expanding access to affordable healthcare. But Psaki could not say whether or not Biden would wear a face mask during his remarks. House rules require a face covering be worn at all times, even when speaking on the House floor. Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council, said tax hike on capital gains will only affect 500,000 people while White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to answer whether individuals or households would be impacted by the change California, New York, Minnesota, and Oregon would have the highest top capital gains rates of 56.7 percent, 54.3 percent, 53.3 percent, and 53.3 percent, respectively, according to analysis from the Tax Foundation When he addresses the nation, Biden will have a historic backdrop behind him: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris - two women in the frame as he speaks. Biden plans to note the historic occasion at the beginning of his speech, The Washington Post reported. Both women will wear face masks in keeping with coronavirus restrictions put in place in the House chamber. The 200 guests - which will include first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff - will be spread out on the House floor and in the balconies above to keep with social distancing guidelines. No lawmaker will be allowed to bring a guest and only one Supreme Court justice, Chief Justice John Roberts, is expected to attend. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will represent the military. Traditionally multiple justices on the high court along and members of the Joint Chiefs attend with most of the Cabinet. Psaki said on Thursday that most senior White House staff and officials will be watching Biden's remarks from home. Many Republicans are expected to boycott. Here's a look at the some of the items Biden is expected to address during the speech: AMERICAN FAMILIES PLAN Biden will reveal his 'human infrastructure' plan - American Families Plan - with its $1.8 trillion price tag. American Families Plan American Families Plan may include the following items but White House aides stress it is subject to change: $300 billion in education funding, which includes funding to make two-year community colleges tuition-free $225 billion in child-care funding $225 billion for paid family and medical leave $200 billion for prekindergarten instruction $200 billion to extend more enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies $400 billion to extend the child tax credit until 2025 - The Washington Post Advertisement It will focus on social programs such as national child care, prekindergarten, paid family leave and tuition-free community college. 'A core of that will be him laying out the specifics of the American Families Plan, his commitment to child care, to education, and to delivering on those middle class priorities,' Psaki said last week. The plan remains a work in progress with some items becoming a point of contention among Democrats. Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill, for example, wants to include lowering the cost of prescription drugs, a move opposed by the pharmaceutical industry. The White House was looking to cut it but Speaker Nancy Pelosi is among those lobbying for it to stay in. Deese refused to preview whether or not it would be in Biden's speech. 'Right now, I am not going to confirm whether or not that is in. I can say that the president has long focused on the issue of rising cost of prescription drugs for American consumers and American families,' he said. 'It's something that he continues to focus on and prioritize but I'm going to let him speak to those issues in the speech.' There is also an internecine battle over health care. Progressives want additional funds to expand Medicaid. Moderate in the Democratic Party want to expand the Affordable Care Act. Republicans are expected to oppose the entire package, which follows Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief measure. His $2 trillion infrastructure package is working its way through the legislative process. Republicans have already offered a scaled back counter proposal for a fourth of the cost and keeps the focus on traditional infrastructure items. Top pay for his American Families Plan, Biden wants to hike the top income tax rate back to where it was before the Trump tax cuts and nearly double capital gains rates for top earners. The president would push the top income tax rate up to 39.6 per cent where it was before President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts. Capital gains where Biden has already called for changes to end a major 'loophole,' would jack up rates from their current 20 per cent for those earning more than $1 million. Biden has pledged only to raise taxes on households making more than $400,000. But the administration hasn't been clear as to whether that limit applies to individual earnings or combined household - a distinction that makes a big difference especially in areas on the East and West Coasts where the cost of living is high. POLICE REFORM Biden is also expected to address police reform in his speech, which will be his most high-profile public address since his remarks on Inauguration Day. 'He believes the bar for convicting officers is too high,' Psaki said last week. 'It needs to be changed.' Police reform has returned to the forefront of public discourse in the wake of Derek Chauvin being convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Biden addressed the nation in the aftermath of the verdict. Psaki said Biden supports a bill that would ban chokeholds and require that deadly force only be used as a last resort in arrests. That bill has passed in the House of Representatives but faces a rough time in the closely divided Senate. President Biden is expected to talk about police reform in the wake of the Derek Chauvin trial in the death of George Floyd IMMIGRATION REFORM Biden is expected to address immigration reform in some fashion. His immigration proposal - unveiled in March via Democrats on Capitol Hill - offers an eight-year path to citizenship for most of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, eliminates restrictions on family-based immigration and expands worker visas. What is unclear is how he will address the situation on the US-Mexico border where a record number of migrants are crossing illegally. In March, US Custom and Border Patrol apprehended 18,656 unaccompanied minors at the southern border, a record since at least October 2009 and double February's numbers. The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 and does not include a large focus on increased border enforcement. And Biden has stopped work on Trump's border wall. Biden tapped Vice President Harris to deal with the diplomatic aspect of the crisis. She has yet to visit the border but she does plan to visit Central America in June. The administration has refused to call the situation at the border a 'crisis.' When Biden did use that word to describe the situation, the White House quickly walked it back. 'The president does not feel that children coming to our border, seeking refuge from violence, economic hardships and other dire circumstances is a crisis,' Psaki said. President Joe Biden will talk about immigration reform but it's unclear how or if he'll talk about the situation at the border - above migrants and asylum seekers are seen after spending the night in one of the car lanes off the San Ysidro Crossing Port on the Mexican side of the border REPUBLICAN RESPONSE Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina will give the GOP response to Biden's remarks. Scott, the lone black Republican in the Senate, has taken the lead on police reform for his party. 'I'm excited and honored for this opportunity to address the nation,' he said. 'I look forward to having an honest conversation with the American people and sharing Republicans' optimistic vision for expanding opportunity and empowering working families.' The response to a presidential address is seen as a possible star-making role for a member of the opposing party. Stacey Abrams gave the response for Democrats to one of President Donald Trump's State of the Union addresses. But the platform also can be fraught with peril. There is a long list of politicians on both sides of the aisle who have bombed - Senator Marco Rubio famously stopped speaking to take a drink of water when he gave the response to one of Barack Obama's speeches. By picking Scott, GOP leaders focused their response to the president on Congress and the role it will play in countering Biden's legislative agenda as opposed to picking a Republican who is weighing a 2024 presidential bid. Scott is set to introduce his police reform bill in a few weeks and has spoken a potential compromise with Democrats Rep. Karen Bass and Sen. Cory Booker. 'I think we are on the verge of wrapping this up in the next week or two, depending on how quickly they respond to our suggestions,' Scott told reporters. Republicans have criticized for Biden for not doing more to reach out to them as part of his promise to unify the country. They claim his policies are out of touch with mainstream Americans. 'Nobody is better at communicating why far-left policies fail working Americans,' said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in announcing Scott will give the party's response. As for the final text of Biden's remarks, Psaki noted it's still being worked on. 'We're working through' the content and what will make the final cut, she said at Thursday's press briefing, adding 'unless you want to sit through a seven hour speech, which I don't think you do.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) Eleven senators filed a resolution urging the upper chamber to condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal activities of China in the West Philippine Sea. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon filed Senate Resolution no. 708, along with Senators Ralph Recto, Nancy Binay, Leila De Lima, Richard Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Manuel Lito Lapid, Francis Kiko Pangilinan, Grace Poe, Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr., and Joel Villanueva on April 26. They said the continued presence of Chinese vessels in the countrys exclusive economic zone and other parts of the West Philippine Sea violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of The Sea and the 2016 Award by the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration in favor of the Philippines. China should not be allowed to rewrite or nullify the UNCLOS, which was painstakingly negotiated and ratified by various States, as such blatant disregard of established international law not only has serious ramifications on a rules-based international order but likewise deprives Filipino fishermen of livelihood, the senators said, adding that their presence in the Philippine waters causes irreparable damage to the marine environment due to pollution and destruction of coral reefs. The lawmakers further explained that Chinas actions clearly violated Article 60 of the UNCLOS that says, in the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State shall have the exclusive right to construct and to authorize and regulate the construction, operation, and use of artificial islands, installations and structures. Furthermore, close diplomatic and political ties, as well as promise of donations or loans, should not be taken as the Philippines accepting such actions from China, they said. In March 2021, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea reported the presence of around 200 Chinese vessels at the reef. Also known as the Whitsun Reef, it is located close to Bataraza, Palawan, well within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone in the Kalayaan Island Group. The country filed twin diplomatic protests against China as the latters vessels remain in the disputed waters. China has consistently refused to recognize the ruling in The Hague in 2016 in favor of the Philippines. Despite such, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the countrys top executive will pursue bilateral ties with the other party on issues both countries can agree on. Comer: Recapping My Trip to the Southern Border By U.S. Representative James Comer WASHINGTON - Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a delegation of members of Congress to the southern border to see the illegal immigration crisis firsthand. What I saw was much worse than I ever imagined.This surge in migrants illegally entering our country continues to escalate and create disastrous consequences. Based on conversations with people on the ground, there is zero doubt that the dramatic rise of illegal immigration since January is a direct result of President Biden's policies. Our border is wide open, and American families and communities are suffering the consequences.Our fact-finding trip included extensive conversations with law enforcement, a roundtable with local ranchers who expressed their concerns with the situation, and a tour of the border in New Mexico where construction of the wall had ceased. Input from stakeholders made clear what the solution is to this crisis: secure the border, build the wall, and set up help for unaccompanied children on the Mexican side of the border.This is a situation of President Biden's own creation. On his first day in office, in a nod to his left-wing base, the President canceled constructed of the wall and reversed other policies designed to deter illegal immigration. But that wasn't enough. Next, President Biden rolled out immigration proposals that would grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants who violated our nation's sovereignty by crossing the border into America.These policies have sent a message to the world that our nation's immigration laws can be violated without consequence. The result is a humanitarian and national security crisis, which the facts bear out. For the opening months of 2021, the seizure of fentanyl on the southwestern border increased by 233 percent compared to the same time period in 2020. For that same time period, rates of unaccompanied minors entering the country are up 486%, and total illegal immigrants encountered by border patrol agents rose by 400%.While the public safety crisis that comes with an open border is clear, it is also important to note that we have a humanitarian crisis on our hands. 19,000 unaccompanied children entered U.S. custody near the border in March alone, creating both a strain on our border agents and a crisis for these children sent here by their parents. These children are being housed in facilities in towns across the border, some of which we were able to visit.Unfortunately, President Biden and Vice President Harris have neglected this crisis, declining to visit the border to see it for themselves. Not only have they been absent, but this administration's policies have worsened the crisis.Our trip to the border demonstrated that until we take border security seriously, we will continue to see these huge surges in illegal immigration. I will continue to push for the Democratic majority in Washington to take this crisis seriously and secure the border while dealing with the children encountered in a safe and humanitarian manner on the Mexican side of the border. (Alliance News) - Meal kit business Gousto has more than doubled its sales for the past year after demand soared during the pandemic. The rapidly growing UK firm said it gained market share from supermarkets in 2020 as shoppers sought food to be delivered directly to their doors. Founder Timo Boldt told the PA news agency that Covid-19 restrictions had a positive impact on demand, and he does not expect this to reverse as restrictions ease. "We had incredibly positive growth prior to the pandemic so can see that continuing even as things ease," he said. "Like anyone, we are really happy to see hospitality reopen and don't expect a major shift a we are still looking at hundreds of millions of meals being eaten at home across the UK. "There have been really strong signs with new customers over the past year sticking as well, recognising the convenience and value of Gousto." The company has reported that its revenues jumped by 129% to GBP189 million in 2020, representing around 53 million meals. It also said it posted its first full-year profit, with underlying earnings of GBP18.2 million for the period. Boldt said the strong growth continued into the current year, with more than 25 million meals sold in the first three months of 2021. The group said it believes demand has been bolstered by its value proposition, amid investment to keep its pricing below that of major rivals. It has also pumped funding into boosting its capacity, launching a second fulfilment centre in December, and said it expects to double this delivery capacity again by 2022 with new distribution locations in Essex and Cheshire. Gousto said it expects this will drive more recruitment, with plans to double its workforce of around 1,000 employees. More than a fifth of these current workers are in technology roles and Boldt said he believes this will be a major opportunity for the business. He said the business is looking at the licensing potential for the automation technology it uses at its distribution sites. "It is undoubtedly very early but it is easy to see that opportunity," the company founder said. "We are really proud of our technology platform and our focus is utilising that to ensure we have the best proposition possible for customers. "But we know that if we are getting this completely right, then there might be licensing opportunities further down the line." By Henry Saker-Clark, PA City Reporter source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. NE Chinese city releases salmon fry into border river Xinhua) 16:22, April 26, 2021 HARBIN, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Dongning City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has recently released 600,000 salmon fry into the Chinese section of the Suifen River, known as the Razdolnaya River in Russia, in a bid to sustain stocks of the rare fish. The river is one of the major salmon spawning locations. The fish migrate to the Pacific Ocean and return three to four years later to spawn after they reach sexual maturity. In late April, the river temperature is suitable for the survival of salmon fry, most of which were cultivated for more than half a year and have reached lengths of about 6 cm. Fishery authorities in Dongning have released approximately 14 million salmon fry over the past 30 years in an effort to increase fish stocks in the border river. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) Supreme Court rejects Texas suit over California travel ban View Photo WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider Texas challenge to Californias ban on state-funded business trips to Texas and other states deemed to discriminate against LGBTQ people. California adopted the ban following a 2017 Texas law that allows foster care and adoption agencies to deny services for religious beliefs. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have allowed the lawsuit to go forward at the high court. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sought to file the suit at the Supreme Court, which hears disputes between states. He has called the California law an effort to punish Texans for respecting the right of conscience for foster care and adoption providers. In 2017, then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said, Discriminatory laws in any part of our country send all of us several steps back. Thats why when California said we would not tolerate discrimination against LGBTQ members of our community, we meant it. Becerra now heads the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Singapore dispatched 500 BiPAPs, 250 Oxygen concentrators, and other medical equipment late Sunday night on an AirIndia flight to Mumbai. The government of India has approved plans for over 500 oxygen production plants around the world in order to increase supplies. As India continues to grapple with the ongoing Covid surge, International attempts are underway to assist the nation. Several countries have offered assistance to India in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Lets have a look: Singapore dispatched 500 BiPAPs, 250 Oxygen concentrators, and other medical equipment late Sunday night on an AirIndia flight to Mumbai. The Indian Air Force airlifted four cryogenic oxygen tanks from Singapore on Saturday, the first such import a day after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar issued an appeal for foreign assistance for Indias continuing coronavirus crisis. We stand with India in its battle against Covid-19, said Singapores Embassy in New Delhi in a tweet. #BreakingNews | 500 BiPAPs, 250 oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies from Singapore landed in Mumbai Sunday night on @airindiain flight. pic.twitter.com/zE8LOT5po0 NewsX (@NewsX) April 26, 2021 The United Kingdom has been sending ventilators and oxygen concentrators. EU members are also expected to send assistance. The first shipment of assistance left the United Kingdom on Sunday and is expected in India on Tuesday. Later this week, further shipments will be released. The help is equipped with 495 oxygen concentrators (which can remove oxygen from the air when hospital oxygen systems are depleted), 120 non-invasive ventilators, and 20 manual ventilators. The United States has lifted the ban on exporting raw materials, after facing a global criticism. The White House has stated that it will supply Indian vaccine producers with raw materials as soon as possible. It comes after Indian officials and the Serum Institute of India (SII) urged the US to ease export restrictions on vaccine raw materials imposed in February. Meanwhile, the United States has dispatched five tonnes of oxygen concentrators. Pakistan, the neighbour, offered medical supplies & facilities, and Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted prayers for fast recovery. A fleet of 50 ambulances from the countrys Edhi foundation has also been provided to India. In the meantime, Bangladesh has declared that it will close its border with India from Monday to deter the virus from spreading. Read More : As India battles second wave Covid crisis, US send five tonnes of O2 concentrator following worldwide outrage The European Commission announced in Brussels that it would also give oxygen and medicines. Ursula von der Leyen, the organizations head, said the group was pooling resources to respond quickly to Indias call for assistance. Meanwhile, France has stated that it will supply oxygen. The UAE government is working with Indian Embassy officials for the movement of oxygen tankers. According to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, approximately 80MT of liquid oxygen will be flown to India from a Saudi firm. Russia is also expected to submit medical and pharmacy supplies. Furthermore, China and Australia have assured India that they will assist in the war against the pandemic. The government of India has approved plans for over 500 oxygen production plants around the world in order to increase supplies. The Centre advised the states on Sunday to ensure that the use of liquid oxygen for non-medical purposes is prohibited. Georgia mom's rant at school board meeting against mask mandate goes viral: 'It has to stop' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Georgia moms emotional plea at a school board meeting this month in the metro-Atlanta area to end a mask mandate has made waves nationwide. A mother of three, Courtney Ann Taylor, petitioned the Gwinnett County Board of Education to take these masks off my child in a video that is circulating widely on social media. Every month, I come here and hear the same things social, emotional health, Taylor said. If you truly mean that, you would end the mask requirement tonight. Taylor is the mother of a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old kindergarten student who complains about wearing a mask. Its April 15, 2021, and its time. Take these masks off of my child, Taylor said as applause broke out in the meeting. Taylor said it is no longer March 2020, and there are now three vaccines available that every adult in the state of Georgia is eligible to receive. Every one of us knows that young children are not affected by this virus and thats a blessing, she said. But as adults, what have we done with that blessing? Weve shoved it to the side and said, we dont care, youre still going to wear a mask every day, 6 and 6-year-olds. You still cant play together on the playground like normal children we dont care. 'Were still going to force you to carry a burden that was never yours to carry, she continued. Shame on us. Though children can develop COVID-19, most of them have no symptoms or mild symptoms, Harvard Health Publishing reported. Taylor said they did not elect the leaders at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], the federal agency that has provided COVID-19 guidance. However, the residents of the county did elect the five school board members to make difficult decisions for our children. We chose you to make decisions that would be in our childrens best interest and forcing 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9-year-old little children to cover their noses and their mouths where they breathe for seven hours a day every day for the past nine months for a virus you know doesnt affect them, Taylor said. That is not in their best interest and this has to stop, she pleaded. Defend our children. It has to stop. Take these off of our children. Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgias largest district, mandated face masks for all students, staff and visitors last summer for the current school year, according to Patch. Georgias Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed three executive orders last month to roll back many COVID-19 restrictions. One of the orders encourages but does not require Georgians to wear masks in public. Five parents in Cobb County, Georgia, sued their school district over the districts mask mandate and asked the judge to overturn the rule, citing Kemps executive order, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. During an interview with Fox News, Taylor said people have reached out to her from across the country to thank her for speaking up stand in solidarity with her about fighting the mask mandate. Taylor, who attends every school board meeting, said it is essential that parents become involved in their childrens education to be their voice, which prompted her to speak on behalf of her daughter. Month after month, I have been waiting for this mask requirement to end, or at the very least, ease up. And there is just no end in sight and nobody is even having the discussion about [when] this is going to stop, she said during the Fox and Friends interview. Forcing children to wear masks inhibits their social development, especially at such a young age, she argued. Kindergarten is supposed to be fun, she added. They play together, they learn how to play together, they learn social norms and how to solve conflict among themselves and how to read facial expressions from their peers and their teacher. I dont see how any of the children can really do that and have a childhood right now. I think its very difficult. Its not okay to put our children through something we disagree with like this, Taylor said. The mother said the next step is a lot of prayer and attending each board meeting. She also launched a change.org petition calling on Gwinnett County Public Schools to make masks optional for K-12 students. The petition has over 2,600 supporters as of Monday. We stand firmly together to defend our most vulnerable, Taylor wrote on the online petition. We stand to say NO MORE MASK REQUIREMENTS on our children. Thirty-two Republican lawmakers sent a letter to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to question how the agency determined children over 2 years old should wear masks to stop the spread of the virus. This is one of the strictest face mask age requirements globally, the lawmakers wrote, urging the CDC to update its current guidance and the age requirement by May 6. Chandigarh, April 26 : Responding to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's plea for help in the war-like Covid situation, the Western Command of the Indian Army on Monday extended all possible help, including medical staff and medically trained combatants, to Punjab to meet the exigent shortage in hospital, along with support in reviving the state's old oxygen plants that are currently lying defunct. Lt Gen R.P. Singh, AVSM, VSM, GOC-in-C, Western Command, at a virtual meeting of the Chief Minister with senior command officials, also offered to provide staff to run the 100-bed Covid facility proposed to be set up in the building loaned to the state government by the CSIR for the purpose. The Chief Minister later said at another review meeting with top officials of the state government and medical experts that the government was also approaching the Union Home Ministry to provide manpower and ICU beds through the Border Security Force (BSF). Technical and specialist cover will be provided by the Command Centre, Lt Gen Singh told the Chief Minister, adding that 15 trained nurses had already been sent to Patiala to support the civic staff. Further, experts will be sent to visit the defunct oxygen plants at existing industrial units to assess their status and extend whatever support needed for their restoration. Though their resources were stressed on account of requirements also from other states, including Delhi, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, the army officials said they will extend all possible help to Punjab to tackle the situation, which the Chief Minister said was critical, with Ludhiana alone reporting 1,300 plus cases and oxygen allocation from the Centre currently at only 105 tonnes as against the demand of 300 tonnes daily. Of the 105 tonnes, the state was actually getting only 85 tonnes as the rest was being diverted to PGI Chandigarh. The Chief Minister said later at the internal review meeting that the state government was making all efforts to secure medical oxygen to supplement its depleting stocks. The meeting was informed by Secretary Industries, Alok Shekhar, that Jalandhar and Amritsar had been facing crisis situation on the oxygen front for the past few days, which the state had somehow handled through judicious management. While he was not proposing lockdown, which leads to exodus and economic woes, the Chief Minister made it clear that the other stringent steps were being taken to manage the escalating crisis. Punjab on Sunday reported over 7,000 cases, with the situation expected to worsen, especially in south Punjab amid the rising number of cases in neighbouring states, he pointed out. The Chief Minister directed the Health Department to follow up with the Centre for vaccine supplies as the state presently had only 1.76 lakh Covishield and 22,000 Covaxin doses in stock. Reacting to reports of threats of strike by certain organisations of health and medical workers, the Chief Minister made it clear that threats will be met with dismissal "as we cannot tolerate this kind of nonsense in a war-like situation." Health Secretary Hussan Lal disclosed that in response to directives from the Chief Minister, 2,000 beds would be added to strengthen the L2 and L3 bed capacity in government and private hospitals. While 900 beds would be added to Government Medical Colleges in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot (Jalalabad), 542 would be added to Private Medical Colleges. The District Hospitals will get another 300 L2 beds, while 250 beds would be placed at a temporary hospital near the Bathinda refinery. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Historically speaking, did you know that: Thomas H. Kean: Thomas Howard Kean, April 21, 1935, is a two time governor, state assemblyman, and educator. After leaving public office, Kean became President of Drew University. In December, 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Kean as chairman of the commission to investigate the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Kearny: The 9.14 square mile town of Kearny, in Hudson County, was founded in 1899. The New Jersey Home for Disabled Soldiers, constructed after the Civil War in Kearny, was closed in 1932. Joyce Kilmer: Born in New Brunswick, Joyce Kilmer (1886 - 1918) was a poet, soldier, and journalist. He was killed in action in France during the Second Battle of the Marne on July 30, 1918, during the first World War. Kilmer is best known for writing the poem Trees. Camp Kilmer in New Brunswick was named in his honor. The Know-Nothings: The Know-Nothings were a group united in opposition to immigration and Catholicism. By 1860, the organization became extinct on both state and national levels. Ernest E. Kovacs: Jan 23 1912 - 1962. TV and radio personality was a director and writer. He was born in Trenton of Hungarian-American parents. Kovacs stared in several movies and was killed in an auto accident in California in 1962. Korean War: On June 25, 1950, communist army troops crossed the 38th parallel on the Korean Peninsula to invade the Republic of South Korea. More than 190,000 New Jersey residents served in the war and 836 were killed. Frementz: Frementz & Co. grew to become the dominant jewelry manufacturer in Newark in the 20th century. Its excesses were sold to Tiffany & Co. in New York in 1991. Knights of Labor: Founded in 1886 by Yuriah Stevens, a New Jersey-born tailor, the Knights of Labor became the most important national labor organization in the U.S. in the late 19th century. Joseph Albrights column appears on Thursdays in The Jersey Journal. WASHINGTON The U.S. political divide on whether to get the coronavirus vaccine suggests that maybe theres been too much finger wagging, said the head of the National Institutes of Health. Ive done some of that; Im going to try to stop and listen, in fact, to what peoples specific questions are, NIH Director Francis Collins said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. An NBC News poll released Sunday showed that 82% of Democrats had already been vaccinated or plan to be as soon as possible, against 45% of Republicans. Almost one-quarter of Republicans said they wont get vaccinated and another 10% said theyll do so only if required. That hesitancy has been seen as a roadblock to the U.S. achieving herd immunity against COVID 19. Were all in this together. And clearly, if were going to be able to put COVID-19 behind us, we need to have all Americans take part in getting us to that point, Collins said. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser, has been among the U.S. health officials singling out Republicans, terming their attitude toward vaccines and public health measures like mask mandates and lockdowns frustrating. Its almost paradoxical that, on the one hand, they want to be relieved of the restrictions, but, on the other hand, they dont want to get vaccinated. It just almost doesnt make any sense, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a week ago on CNN. One Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said last week that he was skeptical of the big push on vaccinations. Fellow GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito on Sunday said Johnsons comments hampered the effort to reach herd immunity in the U.S. I definitely think that comments like that hurt, Capito, of West Virginia, said on CNNs State of the Union. Collins said it was still unclear exactly what level of protection would confer herd immunity with this particular virus. But parts of the country are getting close to a 75% or 80% level of those with immunity when vaccinations are combined with people whove already had COVID-19. But there are other places that are way behind, and those are the places we all worry about as the next hot spot, he said. Whats the next one? You can look at the map and say, Where are vaccines lagging? Those are the places to worry about. And we can change that if we can really inspire everybody to get engaged. About 90% of Americans now live within five miles of a vaccination site, Collins said. Donald Trump is among those in the GOP whove recently urged supporters to get vaccinated. In an interview with the New York Post on Thursday, the former president called the shots a miracle. Some 226 million vaccine doses have been given in the U.S. so far, with almost 42% of Americans having received at least one dose. That coverage ranges from 59% in New Hampshire to 30% in Mississippi, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker. ___ Jesse Hamilton and Ros Krasny of Bloomberg News wrote this story. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2021 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC Nine in 10 people in England and Wales say they self-isolated when they were told to after coming into contact with someone with coronavirus. A survey by the Office for National Statistics in the first week of April showed 90 per cent of respondents said they stuck to the rules and stayed home for 10 days when they had to self-isolate. This was a rise from 84 per cent of people in early March. Experts have warned, however, that the results might be an overestimate because they relied on people answering questions honestly. They added that other studies had suggested compliance with the self-isolation period was much lower, with one saying it may as low as one in five. The Government has made it a legal requirement to self-isolate if you were in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus and were asked to by Test and Trace. But not everyone follows the rules, which some find it difficult to stick to if they don't personally feel ill or if they need to work to pay their bills. Britain was under lockdown on April 10, when the survey was done making it easier to stick to the rules but small outdoor gatherings were permitted. Office for National Statistics found more people were observing self-isolation rules. But experts said this was likely an overestimate The ONS survey relied on answers from 1,100 people. It also found 20 per cent of respondents who self-isolated were not paid during the isolation period Leaving home to get medical supplies, groceries or toiletries was the most common reason for breaking self-isolation periods, experts said Tim Gibbs, of the ONS public services analysis team, said: 'Its reassuring to see that a high percentage of survey respondents are self-isolating after being in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid. 'Although being in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid doesnt necessarily mean you will test positive, our data shows that people are aware of the risks of spreading the virus, even if they are asymptomatic. MOST OF HOLLAND'S 11MILLION DOSES OF ASTRAZENECA JAB WILL GO UNUSED Most of the 11 million AstraZeneca vaccines due to reach the Netherlands in the coming weeks will go unused, a top health official has revealed. Jaap van Deldon, who heads the vaccination department at Holland's public health institute, admitted that millions of the ordered Covid-19 doses will not be needed after the government restricted its use on under-60s due to concerns about incredibly rare blood clots. It comes as the Netherlands battles soaring cases of coronavirus with new infections topping 8,000 in recent days. Intensive care doctors in the Noord-Brabant province have warned that wards at some hospitals are at breaking point. The Netherlands, alongside a number of EU countries, has crippled its own vaccine programme with a series of stops and starts in its roll-out. The country introduced age restrictions on its use amid a 'possible link' between the jab and very rare blood clots - even though the European Medicines Agency saying it is 'firmly convinced' the benefits of the jab outweigh the risks. First the vaccine was halted in Holland, then permitted, and then banned for those under the age of 60 due to the blood clot fears resulting in many losing confidence in the jab. While the Netherlands has ordered 11 million doses of the jab, which is only being given to people between the ages of 60 and 64, only 1.5 million doses have been handed out so far to the population of around 17 million. Advertisement 'Adhering to self-isolation rules is key in reducing the transmission of Covid, even after vaccination.' The results were based on a survey of 1,100 people living across England. They showed within the first 24 hours of receiving a notification to self-isolate, 96 per cent of respondents said they had no contact with non-household members. A further 91 per cent said they had no contact with people outside their household after the first 24 hours to the end of the self-isolation period. Among the 10 per cent who did not fully stick to the rules, 78 per cent said they left their house for non-permitted reasons. Shopping for groceries, toiletries, or medicine was the most common reason (27 per cent), followed by outdoor recreation or exercise (13 per cent). A further six per cent of respondents had contact with people outside their homes during the period. Of these 57 per cent allowed visitors indoors and 55 per cent had contact with someone outdoors. Around a third of respondents developed symptoms of Covid during their self-isolation period. Discussing reasons for failing to stick to the rules, the ONS said deprivation living on a low income had 'no significant impact' on whether someone self-isolated. Previous studies have suggested adherence to the self-isolation rules is very low despite ministers making them a legal requirement. A King's College London paper from September found just one in five Britons who had tell-tale Covid symptoms self-isolated following the rules exactly. They quizzed 30,000 in the research. And a British Medical Journal study based on 26,000 participants published last month found less than half of respondents (42 per cent) stayed home for the full ten-day quarantine period. Experts have suggested many are not self-isolating because of insufficient income support and concerns over struggles with mental health. They add many housing options - such as small flats in city centres - make the requirement impractical. Ministers cut the self-isolation period from two weeks to 10 days in December, amid warnings the period was too long and many people were not following the order. Medical officers said there was sufficient evidence that people weren't infectious after this time period. Mel Reeves is editor of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the states oldest Black-owned newspaper. The newspapers office is located a few blocks from where George Floyd was murdered, in the community Reeves has belonged to for 30 years. Reeves work over the past year has been in service to that communityhe works to inform his readers at a level the national media can not, while protecting his readers from the trauma of even mainstream local coverage. In the lead-up to Reeves appearance on this weeks Kicker, he spoke with CJR about his work covering the trial and verdict announcement, and the events impact on his community. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. CJR: After the murder of George Floyd, and during the Chauvin trial and verdict announcement, theres been a major national media presence in your community. How is their relationship with local press? Mel Reeves: So we had a pretty good relationship. Were all part of the press pool, because everybody couldnt get into the courtroom. So we had an amicable relationship. Sign up for CJR 's daily email CJR: Sometimes national media enjoys better access. Did you sense any of that? Reeves: No, because we were local, we are literally located five blocks from where George was killed. To be honest with you, I didnt read a lot of the coverage. But I think national media got the story for the most part. I think the mainstream press is kind of overplaying the reaction, but otherwise it seems like they treated people alright, they quoted folks. People here were glad that they got a victory, but they dont see it as the be all and they dont see it as vindication of the system. It seems like the mass media is playing it up a little more than the people on the street are. People on the street see it as what it is, you know. Its a victory, but it doesnt say that the system has changed. It actually shows that the system has its flaws and maybe you have a better chance of getting the next killer. Next person who kills somebody from the community on trial and convicted. But the issue is we want to get to the problem before it gets there. We want real accountability, we dont want any more Derek Chauvins. CJR: What have been the challenges for you, covering this? Reeves: Hard to say, it takes a lot of time to cover because we try to give a daily update, and that was hard because you had to cover other news, edit the newspaper, and try to get it updated every day and get people to help out, read more insights. So it was pretty taxing because it takes time and you have to watch the trial too. At the end of the day, we try to do a summation for a lot of people who did not want to watch it, because they felt like it was traumatizing. So I think we did a service to the community that way. I think the last of the numbers are quadruple our normal readership. I mean, we got hundreds of thousands of folks reading us here today. I think what happened is a lot of folks in the Black community around the country found us, and they realized we would tell it like it is from a real community perspective, from the peoples perspective. CJR: Youve been part of this community for 30 years, right? How do you think that affects your coverage now? Reeves: It affects everything. Im Black and Ive been an activist in the community. Ive been somebody whos actively taking part in a lot of the struggles of the community. So I have that history behind me and the experience of seeing things and events and experiences as well. So, yeah, it really helps to tell a story from the community perspective. You know, not everybody would necessarily agree with the perspective we put out all the time, its not a Conservative perspective. Some people in our community are Conservative, but we write from a progressive perspective. CJR: Have you witnessed police brutality in your community? Reeves: Actually, I have, but that was nothing recent. I personally have witnessed some, but nothing recent that I can think of. CJR: Could you tell me what you saw? Reeves: No, no Im not going to get into all that. Thats too long ago. But I will tell you this, that I was at the protest where I saw the police be really provocative. Ive been at protests where Ive seen the police tried to incite the crowd. We had asked our police at one of the rallies, you know, targeting nonviolent folks. The first one on Sunday night. They were firing tear gas at people who werent doing anything. So, yes, Ive seen them be pretty brutal. CJR: What kind of toll does that take on you? Reeves: You know, our emotions arent going to make anything happen. Its the real stuff people do thats going to make a change. Thats why I dont write a whole lot about trauma and the pain that goes on. I kind of let other people tell that story. Were trying to tell a story about information and analysis, you know, summarize stuff so readers can hear it from a Black perspective. Everybody already knows the pain and trauma. CJR: On CNN, I saw the concrete barricades going up around the police precinct ahead of the verdict announcement. You know, ever since Rodney King, big verdicts are often tipped to the police so that authorities can decide whether to hold the day shift or call in the mid shift or the night shift early. Did you have any idea of anything like that? You must have pretty strong connections, did you hear about any of that? Reeves: Thats the first Ive heard of that. Im not so sure that the process is set up so that the city could be tipped before they announced that thats possible. Possible? May make sense. But the preparations, all of that was designed as a political move. It was designed to appear that the community is violent, not the police who actually killed someone in the community. It was designed as a script, and it projects on to the world that this community is really violent. Even if you talk about the violence that did happen as part of that first day, the uprising and riots, people didnt just decide to walk out of the house and commit violence. They were responding to violence. It was the city that was violent first. The police are violent, but they didnt put a fence around the police. CJR: The networks also showed press crowded around George Floyds girlfriend in the lead up to the verdict. Reeves: I saw that. CJR: She was crying. She said, Im sorry, Im not used to this. Were you there? Reeves: I did see that. It was a bit problematic. But she was already emotional about the verdict. And I thought she was able to get free space and tell the story. I dont think anybody was mistreated that I could see. CJR: Can I ask what youre working on now? Reeves: Well, if I could ever get away from all the reporters I could actually write what I think this verdict means but I have not been able to do it. CJR: How many people are asking you for interviews like this? Reeves: This is the fifth interview today. Yes. CJR: Oh, my God. What do they ask you about? Reeves: All the questions youre asking. CJR: Ok, Im going to keep it short. Is there a benefit to having the national press here now, national attention, does the community feel that? Reeves: To be honest with you, I dont think anybody thinks like that. The local press has done a pretty good job talking about whats going on and calling out the police. And we did it throughout the trial. It doesnt necessarily push the needle to get the press. CJR: And a national audience found your coverage. Reeves: We are writing from a different perspective because we have a different audience, a Black audience, a people of color audience. We have an audience thats more liberal, progressive. So, of course, were going to write a little differently. Were situated in the community, and the writers, the online editors and myself, and the freelancers are from the community, so we get the story from that perspective. The best way to explain is you can see the difference if you read our coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial from day one. We highlighted things that the mainstream press didnt think were important. Like with the medical examiner Fowler, we talked about his background, that hed been sued in Maryland. That didnt make it into most mainstream papers. I think the Washington Post did a story on it. And then we have legal insights by the former Hennepin County chief public defender, to get a different perspective. We cover racial dynamics in the community. No other periodical is able to write that piece. There were things that we thought were more important than a lot of mainstream press folks. So I think we did a pretty good job overall. 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. The Pound to New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate dipped to 10-day lows near 1.9250 at the market open before a recovery to 1.9300 as Asian equity markets lost ground late in the session and the Pound secured a wider recovery. New Zealand markets were closed for the Anzac Day holiday which dampened activity during the day as global developments dominated exchange rates. The New Zealand dollar continued to gain net support from a wider advance in commodity prices. Markets will remain alert for any comments from the Reserve Bank with changes in bond yields likely to have a big impact on the New Zealand currency. Pound New Zealand Dollar Exchange Rate Slips in Spite of Rising UK Retail Sales The British Pound to New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate lost traction ahead of the weekend even as UK retail sales delivered a strong March rebound. While sales surged 7.2% on the year in March this was not enough to offer the Pound any particular boost against its rivals at this stage. As sales still saw a decline over the course of the first quarter some anxiety over the underlying health of the retail sector remained. Demand for the New Zealand Dollar, meanwhile, picked up thanks to a surprise increase in Marchs credit card spending data. As spending jumped 2.2% on the year, rather than showing a fresh decline as forecast, this helped to boost the risk-sensitive New Zealand Dollar against its rivals. Widened NZ Trade Surplus Set to Boost New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Exchange Rates Support for the New Zealand Dollar could pick up further in the coming week with the release of Marchs trade data. Forecasts point towards a widening of the trade surplus, suggesting that the New Zealand economy continued to shrug off much of the impact of the global Covid-19 crisis. As long as export volumes continue to grow worries over the health of the wider economy looks set to diminish, at least in the short term. NZD exchange rates may also find support on the back of Aprils ANZ Roy Morgan consumer confidence index, so long as sentiment continues to improve. Evidence of growing optimism among New Zealand consumers could see the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate shedding ground once again. However, if the index fails to pick up on the month this may leave the New Zealand Dollar vulnerable to some selling pressure. Pound (GBP) Forecast to Benefit from CBI Distributive Trades Index Leap The mood towards the Pound could improve on Tuesday, meanwhile, thanks to the release of Aprils CBI distributives trades index. Markets expect to see the index surge on the month, rising from Marchs -45 to 15 and offering further evidence of a recovering economy. As long as the retail sector demonstrates fresh evidence of growth at the start of the second quarter the appeal of the Pound looks set to grow. On the other hand, if the index falls short of the forecast surge this may limit the potential for any GBP/NZD exchange rate rally. Lingering concerns over UK border issues and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic could keep a lid on Pound exchange rates in the coming week. A father who pulled his daughter out of her $43,000-per-year New York City school said its 'woke' curriculum 'teaches children to feel bad about the color of their skin'. Harvey Goldman said he and his family moved to Florida after learning that the fourth-grader was being tutored on her 'white privilege' at the Heschel School. He told Fox News on Monday: 'Little children don't need to feel bad about the color of their skin. That's what they're teaching them, to feel bad about who they are.' Goldman added: 'Schools are supposed to be teaching you confidence.' He said he first questioned the curriculum change after reading about it in a newsletter. He then wrote to the school in September calling it 'child abuse, not education'. Goldman said since he came forward with his decision to remove his daughter he has received messages of support from other parents. He added: 'I think everybody is too scared to say anything.' Harvey Goldman, pictured, said he and his family moved to Florida after learning that the fourth-grader was being tutored on her 'white privilege' He pulled his daughter out of the $43k a year Heschel School and said its 'woke' curriculum 'teaches children to feel bad about the color of their skin' The school said in a statement: 'We are a Jewish day school and very proud of our secular and religious curriculum, which Mr. Goldman is fundamentally misrepresenting. 'His family informed us last summer that they would likely relocate to Florida for financial reasons. We were surprised to read about his new explanation for the move and question his motives for making such statements at this time.' Goldman acknowledged the family had planned the move to Florida, but said he wrote to them last September. In that letter he wrote: 'First and foremost, neither I, nor my child, have 'white privilege,' nor do we need to apologize for it. Suggesting I do is insulting. Suggesting to my nine-year-old child she does is child abuse, not education.' The head of Heschel School is Ariela Dubler Goldman told The New York Post that administrators were 'arrogant and dismissive' in response, suggesting he pull his daughter out of the school if he was unsatisfied. He did, and moved the family to Florida, where his daughter now attends a free public school, which he vetted to ensure CRT was not part of the curriculum. The head of Heschel School is Ariela Dubler. There is a growing backlash against 'woke' ideology on race in New York's elite private schools with a number of parents speaking out on the issue. Many say they are concerned with the proliferation of critical race theory (CRT) in the classroom. CRT is a theoretical framework which views society as dominated by white supremacy, and categorizes people as 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color. Riverdale Country School parent Bion Bartning said he was so upset with the ideologies being taught there that he pulled his children out of the $54,000-a-year school. Bartning then went a step further, founding the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) to fight back against what he calls a dangerous new 'orthodoxy'. Bartning, who is Mexican and Yaqui on one side and Jewish on the other, said he was shocked to learn that schoolchildren are being forced to label themselves as privileged or oppressed by skin color. 'I don't fit into any of those race buckets,' Bartning told the Post. 'I think it is wrong to be teaching kids these socially constructed race categories.' 'It's a destructive ideology, teaching children to be pessimistic and full of grievance rather than being optimistic and full of gratitude. It goes against all the values I was raised with, and there are many out there who feel as I do,' he said. Riverdale Country School parent Bion Bartning, pictured, said he was so upset with the ideologies being taught there that he pulled his children out of the $54,000-a-year school Math teacher Paul Rossi, left, was 'relieved of his teaching duties' at the $57,000-a-year Grace Church School in Manhattan after he penned an essay accusing the school of indoctrinating students last week. Andrew Gutmann, right, announced in an April 13 letter that he has chosen not to reenroll his daughter in her all-girls school where annual tuition is $54,000 Bartning said he had even encountered instances of children being given color palettes to match with their skin tone to assess their level of privilege. Some public school parents also joined the growing movement opposed to CRT. Maud Maron, a City Council candidate with four children in local public schools, slammed so-called anti-racist philosophy, as CRT is often branded. 'It's a really divisive, ugly orthodoxy and it's a multi-million dollar industry as well,' Maron told The Post. 'It's also very insidious because on the face of it, who wouldn't want to sign up to be less racist?' Maron's campaign co-chair, Yiatin Chu, says she has been vilified for speaking out against CRT. 'I've been called a 'Karen' and they've tried to pressure me into not speaking up,' Chu told The Post. 'It can be very stressful, physically, emotionally and mentally. It feels like a mob is descending on you and calling you a racist for fighting for the kind of education you want for all children. it's really nasty. I've seen it ruin lives.' On Wednesday, Melissa Chen, an advisory board member at FAIR, told Fox News that children are 'being taught a very cynical, intolerant, kind of new racist orthodoxy' in schools that 'forces everyone to see each other by their immutable characteristics' such as by the color of their skin. She called for education institutions to go back to Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of 'judging people on the content of their character and not by the color of their skin'. The backlash comes in the wake of a growing number of controversies at elite NYC prep schools where some parents and teachers have complained about the antiracism ideology being taught to children. Maron's campaign co-chair, Yiatin Chu, pictured, says she has been vilified for speaking out against CRT: 'I've been called a 'Karen' and they've tried to pressure me into not speaking up' Maud Maron, a City Council candidate with four children in local public schools, slammed so-called anti-racist philosophy, as CRT is often branded In one incident, math teacher Paul Rossi was 'relieved of his teaching duties' at the $57,000-a-year Grace Church School in Manhattan after he penned an essay accusing the school of indoctrinating students last week. On Tuesday Rossi released a recorded phone call in which the head of the school George Davison admitted to him that 'we're demonizing white people for being born.' In a letter obtained by DailyMail.com, Davison claims his remarks were was taken out of context and doesn't actually believe the school is demonizing white students. He suggested Rossi had an axe to grind when he recorded their conversation and then released the audio on Twitter on Tuesday. Conservative commentator Candace Owens has said parents need to start suing woke schools who want to cancel conservative thinking. She told Fox News: 'Parents have to start speaking out, not just speaking out, but suing. You have to start suing the schools because they're ruining the lives of young children.' Woke, Inc author Vivek Ramaswamy also blasted what he calls a culture of 'indoctrination'. He said American schools are 'going down the tubes' because they have been 'infected' with 'woke culture' that has 'sacrificed the idea of excellence' by 'indoctrinating' students. That came after Andrew Gutmann, 45, announced in an April 13 letter shared by journalist Bari Weiss that he has chosen not to reenroll his daughter in her all-girls school where annual tuition is $54,000. He pulled his daughter from Brearley School over its woke antiracism 'obsession.' He accused the school of 'teaching what to think not how to think.' The school responded by slamming him for being 'offensive.' Goldman told Fox News on Monday: 'Little children don't need to feel bad about the color of their skin. That's what they're teaching them, to feel bad about who they are.' Goldman added: 'Schools are supposed to be teaching you confidence' The head of the elite Manhattan school Dalton also announced he would be stepping down this year after being slammed by parents for pushing an 'obsessive', antiracism agenda on students. Jim Best said he would see out the year at the $50,000-a-year institution then step down to pursue 'other opportunities'. His resignation is in response to parents' complaints that Dalton, like other prestigious private schools Grace Church and Brearley, is indoctrinating students with its woke agenda. Dalton parents penned an anonymous open letter to the school earlier this week. 'Every class this year has had an obsessive focus on race and identity, 'racist cop' reenactments in science, 'de-centering whiteness' in art class, learning about white supremacy and sexuality in health class. 'Wildly inappropriate, many of these classes feel more akin to a Zoom corporate sensitivity-training than to Dalton's intellectually engaging curriculum,' it read. Last week The Spence School, a $54,000-a-year Manhattan all-girls private school, sent an email to families supporting Derek Chauvin's conviction in the murder of George Floyd. An alum who asked not to be named received the letter and was appalled, telling DailyMail.com she was shocked at 'how they forced students to get involved' in the trial. In 2020 billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson threatened to stop donating to the Spence School because of 'anti-white indoctrination' in the curriculum being taught to his two daughters. The company is aiming to "democratise" the investment market for non-fungible tokens, digital entities that allow unique items, such as works of art, to be registered and traded on a blockchain ( ) is not one for hanging around, with the company having quickly established itself to capitalise on, as the name suggests, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the latest innovation to come out of the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. NFTs are tokens that allow unique items, such as works of art, to be registered and traded on a blockchain. Existing NFTs, including the first-ever Tweet, have already been sold at auction for eye-watering amounts running into the tens of millions of dollars. However, for most mainstream investors, even wrapping their heads around the concept of NFTs may prove difficult, let alone figuring out how to invest in them. It is at the crossover between ordinary investors and the new NFT market that the company aims to position itself. According to Johnathan Bixby, the companys executive chairman, everyone is talking about NFTs, but no one is actually doing it. He told Proactive a similar trend existed around Bitcoin investments until recently when an explosion in the cryptos value sent cash flooding into the market. He said that NFT Investments is designed to accomplish with NFTs what one of his previous ventures, London-listed crypto miner ( ) did for crypto mining, in such that it will offer investors and more secure and regulated proxy to gain exposure to this new market. NFTs are quite technicalso we want to be a proxy for the NFT market. We allow investors to take their fiat money and put it into a regulated, audited company. The problem is there is currently too much friction in this market and if we can take some of that away more people will be able to get into the market and democratise it, allowing more people to win. Anyone can invest into our stock and play the NFT market. Its as simple as that, he said. The company is already seeing the fruits of its approach with investors, with its initial public offering (IPO) on the Aquis Exchange in mid-April more than trebling its original 10mln fundraising target to rake in 35mln ahead of the float. Three-pronged strategy In terms of investment strategy, Bixby said that the firm is pursuing a portfolio approach targeting three different areas of the sector to achieve returns. The first area is NFTs themselves, where the company is aiming to aggressively pursue creators and digital artists that have large social media followings which in turn are likely to increase the value of NFTs on the market. NFT Investments will take a data-driven investment approach that will see the company home in on up-and-coming talent in the digital art world and purchase NTFs created by this group. There is a strong correlation between the social following of a digital artist and the value of their NFTs. The second avenue is the infrastructure and frameworks needed to create and maintain NFTs, notably blockchains and their related tokens, NFT galleries and real-world assets that are critical for the sector to function such as computer server farms. Approximately a third of NFT Investments funds will be invested in the infrastructure underpinning NFTs, and as with Argo Blockchain, NFT Investments efforts will be centred around building sustainable and efficient means of powering blockchain technology. The third element is the monetisation of creators, with the company aiming to partner up with celebrities and other artisans in the long term to create and profit off new NFTs through royalty deals. Human nature will drive interest Looking to the NFT market itself, Bixby said that while the products themselves may seem complex, the reason for their popularity is very simple. Its human nature. We [humans] have been collectors of all sorts of things since the dawn of timewe buy things as symbols of our disposable income and wealth, he said, adding that the reason NFTs are so important is that they take the physical concept of provenance (i.e. ownership of a valuable object) and bring it into the digital space, and thus drawing in those same collector instincts. This technology has opened up the ability for us to signal digitallyThat is literally game-changing, Bixby said. He added that with many digital natives who spend most of their time online likely to prefer digital payments and decentralised finance technology to their physical counterparts, it makes sense that this will also create a market for digital collectables such as NFTs. Kinks will iron out as market matures One of the criticisms that have been levelled at NFTs amid their rising popularity is that in contrast to physical collectables, which exist in the real world, many NFTs such as tweets and digital artwork can be copied identically and viewed online for free. Some may say these factors defeat the entire point of collectables, which often derive their value from scarcity and restricted access. However, Bixby told Proactive that as more people become digitally savvy, they will realise that ownership will be clearly defined through both publicity and through the blockchain, which will be able to retain an unalterable record of who owns which NFT. It [ownership] is transparent on the blockchainand I believe we will get to a point where NFT marketplaces will authenticate NFTs as you buy them.it then becomes a question of how the market values the work itself. He said that this already happens with other online purchases on ecommerce sites such as Amazon, where customers will purchase products trusting the provider to send the correct item. I think the social proofing will solve any trust issues. Today it is Wild West but it is not always going to be that waythey [the NFT providers] business models are based on trust, so they have to solve these issues, Bixby added. Big plans ahead Following its record-breaking fundraising on the Aquis Exchange and its plans to list on the OTC market in the US, Bixby said that the firm is going to pursue all three prongs of its investment strategy immediately. He added that a big positive during the firms listing and IPO was backing from what he described as big institutional money, suggesting there is strong interest at the top end of the finance sector in the growth of NFTs. But for now, he said the company plans to stick to its core objectives and that news is likely to be coming thick and fast over the coming months. The company recently announced its maiden investment by acquiring a stake in AEON, a developer of cutting-edge technology for the luxury fashion industry that is pioneering the use of NFTs to verify products and combat counterfeiting. Weve got a lot of money to deploy into the marketso theres going to be plenty to write home about, he said. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian received on April 26 Foreign Minister of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Presidents administration, the interlocutors referred to the prospects of development of bilateral ties. It was mentioned that the two countries have a great cooperation potential, particularly in the spheres of education, new technologies and business. President Sarkissian said that he encourages the steps aimed at the strengthening of bilateral relations and is ready to support those measures. During the meeting the sides referred to the cooperation in the sidelines of Armenia-EU partnership. They also referred to issues of regional security and stability. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 15:30:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The seventh phase of local elections in India's eastern state of West Bengal is underway amid a huge spike in COVID-19 cases, officials said Monday. The ongoing phase is being held in the shadow of spiraling COVID-19 cases. During the past 24 hours, 15,889 fresh COVID-19 cases and 57 related deaths were reported across the state. The polling started from 7:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. (local time) amid tight security and adequate arrangements, according to officials. In the ongoing phase, the voting is going on in 34 constituencies from five districts. "Until 11:30 a.m. (local time) in today's phase, 37.72 percent of polling has been recorded," an official said. "Polling is going on peacefully and no major untoward incident has been reported so far." Authorities have deployed 653 companies of paramilitary forces for the ongoing phase. Special facilities including mandatory sanitization of the polling stations, thermal checking of voters at the entry point have been put in place. Officials said in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the option of postal ballot facility has been extended to the electors who are COVID- 19 positive or suspect as certified by the competent authority and are in home or institutional quarantine along with those marked as persons with disabilities and above the age of 80 years. Officials said people in large numbers were seen standing in queues from morning outside the polling stations. "All the necessary facilities and security arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair polling during this phase. The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is being used along with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at all polling stations with a view to enhance the transparency of the election process," an election official said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to exercise their right to vote and follow the COVID-19 protocol. Elections in the state would be completed in eight phases and the last phase is scheduled on April 29. The counting of votes will be carried out on May 2. India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to unseat the local All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal. Both the parties have been engaged in a tough fight for the electoral battle in the state. The elections are being held at a time when India is witnessing a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases. On Monday the country reported the world's biggest-ever daily surge with 352,991 new cases and 2,812 deaths. Enditem The Biden administration announced Monday the expansion of a child food program that will feed as many as 34 million kids this summer. It is one of the biggest meal plans in US history and part of President Joe Biden's wider push to address food insecurity and child poverty in America. The expansion, announced by the Department of Agriculture, will provide up to 34 million children about $375 each week to buy food for the roughly 10 weeks they are out of school in the summer. It will be paid for with funds from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package approved in March. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the summer expansion the 'first-of-its-kind, game-changing intervention to reduce child hunger in the United States.' The administration announced the expansion of a child food program that will feed as many as 34 million kids this summer as part of President Joe Biden's wider push to address food insecurity and child poverty in America Children under 6 who qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and children who receive free or reduced-priced lunch qualify for the program and will be enrolled automatically. Parents or guardians will get the cards, known as Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or P-EBT, cards, in the mail from state agencies. Congress has funded the program for the summers of 2021 and 2022. But Biden plans to extend the monthly payments through 2025 as part of a multitrillion-dollar plan he will announce Wednesday night in a joint address to Congress. 'Congress, through the American Rescue Plan, expanded this program to operate during the summer, which I think was just highly responsive to what we need right now,' Stacy Dean, the deputy under secretary of agriculture for food, nutrition and consumer services, told NBC News. 'We know that summer hunger is a problem in normal years, but obviously this year, with heightened food hardship as a result of the pandemic, we're happy to deploy the program this summer,' she said. Children were one of the groups hardest hit by the coronavirus as parents lost jobs and schools, one of the few places many at-risk kids received a hot meal, were closed. During the pandemic, the childhood poverty rate in America increased three points to a high of 21.4 per cent, according to Columbia University's Center on Poverty & Social Policy. And the rate for black and Hispanic children is twice that of white children: 12.3 per cent for white children compared to 26.3 per cent for black children and 26.9 per cent for Hispanics. There are an estimated 17 million children struggling with hunger in America 6 million more than before the pandemic, according to Save the Children. The expansion will provide up to 34 million children about $375 each week to buy food for the roughly 10 weeks they are out of school in the summer Child poverty rose during the coronavirus pandemic as parents lost jobs President Biden's American Rescue Plan provided working and middle-class families an expanded child tax credit worth up to $3,600 for each child under the age of 6, and $3,000 for each child ages 6 through 17. The plan contained enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, unemployment benefits, family and child care tax credits, and direct cash payments in form of stimulus checks - $1,400 for each individual and dependent for families earning less than $150,000. The White House claims the plan can cut childhood poverty in half. An Urban Institute analysis found the child poverty rate in 2021 will fall by more than 52 per cent, largely from changes in tax law and the $1,400 stimulus checks. But the tax provisions will only remain in affect for a year or two and the stimulus checks are a one-time boost leaving unclear how long the benefits of the plan will last. First lady Jill Biden has been one of the biggest advocates for children during the pandemic. She's visited several states to sell the benefits of the president's rescue package. 'The American Rescue Plan is going to cut child poverty in half,' she said during a visit to Alabama earlier this month, calling it a 'life raft' for struggling families. OK, help me understand this. Microsoft just spent almost $20 billion to buy Nuance, the company that supplies the popular Dragon speech-to-text tool. Microsoft already has speech-to-text available in Windows 10 and through Azure, and even a partnership with Nuance. Nuances single big jump in stock price in its history coincides with Covid and WFH, which is now (hopefully) passing. Nuance revenue boom? Apparently, ending. The Dragon product? Incremental to Microsofts current position. Health care vertical? Interesting, but not a cash cow. Still, with all of this, Microsoft thinks Nuance is worth the 20 billion, which by the way is a third more than the rumored price and the most Microsoft has paid for anything other than LinkedIn. Theyre either crazy, or theres something else in play here. Lets look at a much more interesting possibility, that this is really about Cortana, and what Cortana could become. Cortana, Microsofts personal assistant, has died on all the platforms except Windows. It needs more than a mid-life kicker here to compete with Siri or Alexa or even Google, it needs a rebirthing. Microsoft has been talking about enhancing the Cortana experience for several years now, but never really suggested how that might be accomplished. Nuance might be the foundation, not because of Dragon as a whole, but because of what goes into it. What sets Nuance apart is its ability to parse speech into text, taking into account sentence structure and meaning. It understands more of whats said than Microsofts native tools, and understanding could be the next step for personal assistants. Youve already likely noticed your assistant is getting...well...pushy. Instead of waiting for a question, its starting to butt in. Many people resent that enough to disable the assistant, but suppose its interjections were really useful? Its not just that an assertive assistant is spooky, its that its not useful enough to overcome spookiness. Make it more useful, and its contributions could be welcome. What can add that utility is contextual servicesservices and information that fit into the context of our lives. I worked with a hospital chain on next-gen technology, and one of their big problems was that the Grand Rounds that were the center of the teaching experience were all videotaped, but finding stuff in them was almost impossible. Nuance could certainly decode enough medical-speak to do a good indexing job, to make finding the recorded discussion of specific topics easy, and to let a hospital get the most from their teaching experiences. Thats the low-apple application in health care that some believe justifies Microsofts acquisition, but I think thats still not enough. Instead, lets suppose that during Grand Rounds, an intern asked whether a patient might have peritonitis, an often deadly infection in the abdomen. Suppose nobody picked up on it. Could Nuance, transcribing the whole event in real time, detect the reference to a medical condition the patient wasnt being treated for, one thats consistent with symptoms, and trigger an alert? Could Nuance check medications referenced against the chart? These are contextual services, because the information is delivered while everyone is still clustered around the patient. Healthcare examples like this are important to understanding the value of the deal, given that Microsoft cites the industrys opportunities explicitly in their announcement of the Nuance acquisition. Theyre not the only example, of course. Almost any professional whose business is based on multiple conversations could employ the same set of tools in a very similar way. It demonstrates that understanding speech is not only important in transcribing it, but in giving IT a greater role in supporting what the conversations are about. Another example, this one from the transportation industry. A yard worker is trying to find a specific axle in a vast yard of rail junk. A phone conversation with the supervisor of the yard isnt helping, but could Nuance, transcribing the call, recognize the term that identifies the axle and check records, or even trigger an AI search of images, to locate the missing part? Could be. Customer support may be the iceberg whose tip my example describes. Just like a worker/supervisor conversation, customer support conversations involve gathering and presenting answers based on what a customer is asking. Having an application culling the conversation for important words and keeping a list of prioritized references and responses would not only make customer support easier and more responsive, it would make it more accurate. What industry doesnt depend on customer support? The beauty of contextual services is that all they lack today is the context. We have reams of corporate data, and for a decade or more, the answer to how to unlock it is to get better analytics. Analytics means reports, but while reports may help guide practices, theyre hard to work into specific tasks. Reports and analytics are old-think; corporate IT organizations need to focus on getting that storehouse of data coupled directly to worker activity. To do that, we have to know what the worker is trying to do, and conversation analysis could be a big step in that direction. Then, of course, theres the consumer and the current applications of a personal digital assistant. The ability to understand speech could take those assistants beyond answering questions like Who was the last shortstop to bat over .300? It could make that personal digital assistant into a virtual member of every conversation, listening and analyzing and uncovering insights, and when one hit a threshold of importance, stepping in politely to help out. If personal digital assistants evolve this way, it could have a profound impact on all of networking and IT. First, mobile devices become the paramount user conduit to information and entertainment because theyre always with us. Mobile security becomes critical, and the business case for 5G becomes a bit more credible, too. The shift to a mobile agent for everything also promotes a new vision of services, one where theres a permanent cloud-resident piece of each of us, working to serve our interests. Imagine how much could be added to that! Today we connect sites, which is the wrong approach if youre trying to empower people who are moving freely. A future network to support a contextual future has to connect to people and has to be able to gather information and insights from many different sources to create a useful set of recommendations to those people. We started business connectivity talking about the company network that everyone and everything was on. Then we admitted that wasnt the case and started thinking, with things like SD-WAN, about getting back to the company network. In the future, there may be no such thing as a company network, only people networks and resource access rights. I think this is what Microsoft is planning for, in which case CIOs need to plan for it too. Start thinking about the way that stored information and legacy applications could be directly coupled to workers at the point of their activity. Start thinking about how to harness conversations, emails, location data, and other things to create that critical context. Plan now, and when somebody like Microsoft unveils a transformational component of context, youll be ready for it. Kata Hill road safe to use, assures Phuket Highways Office PHUKET: As heavy isolated downpours continue to strafe the island, the Chief of the Phuket HIghways Office has assured that the road over the hill from Chalong to Kata is safe to use, despite a 200-metre section of the road starting to collapse due to ground erosion late last year. transportSafetyconstruction By The Phuket News Monday 26 April 2021, 05:01PM The road from CHalong to Kata after the collapse in October last year. Photo: Phathada Sae-Lim / Facebook The road from CHalong to Kata after the collapse in October last year. Photo: Phathada Sae-Lim / Facebook The westbound section of the road remains reduced to one lane, but Samak Luedwonghat, Chief of the Phuket Highways Department, says that motorists should not be concerned. We made emergency repairs immediately after the road started collapsing [last October]. We have made additional repairs to support the road, which is safe to use, he told The Phuket News. In addition to reinforcing the support for the road, barriers and signs have been installed to warn motorists that the outer westbound lane has been closed off, he added. With heavy rains starting to return, the Highways Office has made changes to the site to help rainwater off from returning to the area under the road washed away last year. We have done everything that prevents the collapsed part of the road from directly facing runoff, Mr Samak said. However, motorists have to drive carefully when it is raining because there is only one lane and rainwater will be flowing across the road. The immediate repairs made last year were made possible under an emergency budget, Mr Samak explained. Long-term repairs to the road will be a major project costing millions of baht, he pointed out. We have examined the collapsed section and we filed a budget request to repair it last year. The budget will come in October [this year] as a part of the budget of the 2022 fiscal year, Mr Samak said. We will receive the budget for sure because the officers at the Ministry of Transport and the Department of Highways have not questioned our budget proposal, he added. The budget request to make permanent repairs to the road is for B10 million, Mr Samak noted. The [long-term] repairs will need about B10 million, maybe more, because we need to build a whole new support structure for the collapsed part as well as for other parts of the road where a road collapse is possible in the future, he said. We have to think of two issues for the plan, including strengthening the earth support under the road and reducing the curve of the road, Mr Samak said. However, the plans for the long-term repairs have yet to be finalised, he noted. A team of geologists came to examine the areas two weeks ago to collect information for making the repair plan, he said. The budget we have asked for was only an estimated number, but in the end the actual budget needs to meet the plan, he concluded. Details picked up by The Herald on the three key individuals in the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) from the Volta Region, namely Pius Enam Hadzide, Perry Curtis Okudzeto and Richard Ahiagba, have not been snubbed by President Akufo-Addo as being speculated. Reports point out that John Peter Amewu, the Minister of Railway Development, is the only indigene from the Volta Region, holding ministerial appointment in the Akufo-Addo government, as well as the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa. This development had sent tongues wagging with many, especially political watchers questioning the appointing authorities' decision to ignore regional balance in the appointment of the deputy ministers. But The Herald's digging around both the government circles, as well as among the top echelons of NPP, has revealed plans by the President to send Messrs Hadzide, Okudzeto and Ahiagba to other state institutions. In the case of Pius Hadzide, The Herald's information is that, he has been penciled for the vacant National Youth Authority (NYA) Chief Executive position as his compensation him for the government's inability to make him a Deputy Minister as a result of the Australian Visa scandal which he has constantly denied any involvement. However, Mr Hadzide's appointment as head of the NYA, is not cast in iron, as Akosua Asaa Manu-Kozie, who is the Deputy CEO of the NYA, is also on the list of the people being considered for the position which became vacant, following Sylvester Tetteh's departure to Parliament on the ticket of Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro. On Perry Okudzeto, The Herald picked up that, the President is considering him as a Deputy CEO at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). The CEO of the NPA, this paper has picked up will be Mustapha Hamid, the former Minister of Zongo Development. Perry and Mustapha enjoy a very cordial working relationship. In the case of Richard Ahiagbah, the Executive Director of Danquah Institute (DI), The Herald picked up a report that the Presidency had penciled him as Deputy Minister for Communications, but he was not ready to relinquish his US citizenship, hence, his appointment as a deputy minister was withdrawn. However, there are additional reports on Mr Ahiagba, saying he is likely to be sent to the Office of the President as Deputy Communications Director to Eugene Arhin, who is working his way to go to Parliament on the ticket of Mfantseman Constituency. President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, April 21, announced names of Deputy Ministerial nominees for various ministries, months after holding the NPP and the party's Parliamentary caucus to ransom regarding the appointments. Just when the nominees were finally released, strangely missing from the list are some individuals from the Volta region, who many were hopeful were going to be appointed, having ferociously defended both the party and the government in the last four years; amidst sacrificing their reputations. Some have argued that President Akufo-Addo, chose to give priority to only regions where the party have sitting Members of Parliament (MP) and therefore, since the President had already appointed Mr Amewu, the only NPP MP from the region, there is nothing he could do for those who were not MP, regardless. But many suspect the President's decision to exclude Volta from the list was deliberate, because the President, has been unhappy with the people as a result of the number of votes he polled during the 2020 elections, compared to what he garnered in the 2016 polls. What is even more shocking is the exclusion of the three vibrant young men who were very instrumental during the last four years of his administration. The absence of Hadzide, Okudzeto and Ahiagba from the list, have become a topic on the lips of many, with some people, especially their friends and schoolmates from both sides of the political divide, making mockery of them. In all, there are 39 deputy ministers appointed under 24 portfolios, subject to approval by Parliament. Ten of the nominees are women. According to a statement from the presidency, the list had been submitted to the Speaker of Parliament on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. The ministries of Trade, Local Government and Energy, have three deputy minister-nominees. The list had been highly anticipated since the vetting of Ken Ofori-Atta, who was the last minister nominee to appear before Parliament's Appointments Committee on March 26. A number of the Ministers are also maintaining their portfolio from Akufo-Addo's first term, including Abena Osei-Asare at the Finance Ministry, Mohammed Amin Adam, William Owuraku Aidoo at the Energy Ministry, Osei Bonsu Amoah at the Local Government, Decentralisation & Rural Development, and Tina Mensah at the Health Ministry among others. In addition, a former deputy Minister of Finance, Charles Adu-Boahen, was also nominated as the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance. The nominees also feature first time MPs like Hassan Tampuli and John Ampontuah Kumah The statement from the presidency indicated that President Akufo-Addo was hopeful that, "just as was done for his Ministers, Parliament will, on a bi-partisan basis, expedite the approval of his Deputy Ministerial nominees, so they can join the Government forthwith, and assist in the delivery of his mandate for his second term in office." Join Source: ghanaweb.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 Summerville, SC (29483) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un invited the Pope to the country in 2018, but plans for the visit fell through. Franco Origlia / Getty Images Pope Francis has expressed his willingness to visit North Korea if preparations can be made. This is the second time the Pope has voiced his interest in visiting the isolated country. He also expressed sympathy for families who have been separated by the Korean war for 70 years. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The Pope has once again expressed his interest in visiting North Korea. According to Yonhap News, Pope Francis this week communicated his willingness to visit the isolated country to a senior South Korean bishop, saying that he sympathized with Korean families separated for the last 70 years. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in 2018 extended an invitation to the pope to visit the North, following a warming of relations between the North and the South after three inter-Korean summits. The invitation to visit Pyongyang was delivered in October 2018 by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, when he visited the Vatican during a tour of Europe. According to the BBC, this move was viewed as a conciliatory gesture from North Korea. However, plans for a papal visit fell through after talks between Kim and former US President Donald Trump broke down in Hanoi in 2019. Pope Francis told Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik, the leader of the Daejeon diocese, during a meeting at the Vatican that he would be willing to re-visit the idea if the "relevant preparations are completed." No pope has ever made a trip to North Korea, and North Korea and the Vatican have no diplomatic ties. If Pope Francis is invited to North Korea again, this will be the second time an invitation is extended to a pope. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was invited by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il - Kim Jong-un's father - to visit the country in 2000. According to the AP, the Vatican insisted at the time that a visit could only happen if the North Koreans accepted Catholic priests. Read the original article on Insider Passing over 300 solutions and services of 161 companies, Walk-in-home, a design software product developed by DTS Software Vietnam Co., Ltd. has been awarded Sao Khue Award 2021. Sao Khue 2021 is the most prestigious and prestigious award in the software and IT service industry in Vietnam in the category of New Software Products and Solutions. According to the overall evaluation from the judges of Sao Khue Award 2021, most of the IT services, software products and solutions this year has risen to a whole new level with the implement of leading-edge technologies such as AI, Cloud, Big Data, IoT and Blockchain. Mr. Nobuhiro Nakatani - representative of DTS Vietnam received the software export service award at Sao Khue 2021 Sao Khue Award 2021 also recognizes the strong investment of businesses in developing new software solutions, especially in the case of DTS Vietnam's Walk-in-home Wooden House Design Product. "As a member of Japans leading IT group DTS Corporation, in order to become a strategic company in software development and BPO field of the group, during 7 years of operation, since April 23, 2014, with continuous innovation and improvement, it is our honor to receive this award. This affirms the exalted status of DTS Vietnam within the group as well as the potential of Walk-in-home on the home ground," said Mr. Nobuhiro Nakatani - General Director of DTS Vietnam Software Company. Mr. Dinh Ngoc Thi - General Manager of the Development Department of DTS Vietnam received the Award for Outstanding Product / Solution of Vietnam Software and IT Industry with WIH products With the strength of software development services, DTS Vietnam has researched and improved its products, especially Walk-in-home. This product provides drawings following strict standards and regulations of Japanese construction law along with architectural simulation images to help customers understand the most accurate future home they are looking forward to. "Specifically, Walk-in-home is not only responsive in terms of 2D or 3D images, but it also has a virtual reality element. This is an outstanding superiority of the product compared to other competitors. Customers can walk in the house, see every corner of their future home. They are also equipped with simple access to the drawing on their phone through scanning QR code without involving the computer or operating the software," said Mr. Dinh Ngoc Thi - General Manager of the Development Department. For Walk-in-home, in addition to 3D properties, the submitted product can also be assigned with properties of materials, sizes, types and even the price, which will be updated continuously. This would make the drawings more accurate and efficient in comparison with traditional products. "With Walk-in-home, it only takes 3.5 - 4 hours to submit a set of drawing records including ground, standing, angle perspective, perspective and cover. Additionally, Walk-in-home integrates both 2D and 3D to make it easier for drawings management than current products in Vietnam. Notably, the properties assigned to objects in the drawings in this software are customizable to make automatic extraction of quotes very easy so there is no need to make an estimation in the process of completing the drawing," said Mr. Thi. "We had to arrange for software developers to obtain internship from Japanese first-level architects, the highest rank of Japanese Architects, to understand the wishes and needs of customers so that the most professional products could be delivered to them," added Mr. Thi. Enterprises honored at the announcement and awarding ceremony of Sao Khue Award 2021 As a subsidiary of DTS Japan Group, the top 10 software company in Japan, DTS Vietnam has a great advantage in having great exposure to the most modern technology platforms, receiving experiences and advice from both local and international leading experts quickly. Target customers of Walk-in-home are mainly Japanese construction and design companies. However, with the recent achievements attained at Sao Khue Awards 2021, DTS Vietnam said that they are ready to cooperate with construction and home design companies in Vietnam. "In the coming time, we aim to target the Vietnamese market. Soon, we will build a sales network for Japanese housing companies in Vietnam, which is quite a potential market because many Japanese companies now prefer outsourcing, especially Vietnamese ones. Moving forward will probably be the development of customization specialized for Vietnamese architecture," said Mr. Thi. Van Dang By Paul Spiegel For more than a decade, Pennsylvania has sat on the sidelines as neighboring states enjoy the benefits of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Under this program, our neighboring states have realized economic growth, cleaner air, and diversified energy options that deliver benefits to all energy customers. Its a market-based approach that works for everyone and grows the local economy. As a clean energy company doing business in Pennsylvania, we know that the time to bring these benefits to the Commonwealth is now. The Department of Environmental Protection is about to release its final rule that incorporates Pennsylvania to the program. If we act now, we have a chance to claim those benefits for our residents and businesses. Under RGGI, Pennsylvanias largest power plants would buy allowances equal to the amount of carbon they emit. Those payments would then be invested into forward-looking industries that grow quickly, reliably, and locally. In its first year alone, RGGI is expected to create nearly 30,000 jobs and generate between $300 - $500 million in proceeds. This infusion of RGGI funds would accelerate Pennsylvanias clean energy economy. Practically speaking, this means creating opportunities for small businesses, establishing career retraining programs for transition communities, generating family-sustaining jobs, and offering robust and accessible energy-saving programs that lower utility bills for business and residential customers across the Commonwealth. We all saw what happened in Texas when their grid failed and people were struggling without heat or electricity. In Pennsylvania, proceeds directed to energy efficiency programs will further reduce emissions and lower demands on the electric grid, making it more reliable in the face of natural disasters and extreme storm events. Whats more, energy efficiency is an economic powerhouse: in 2019, nearly 70,000 Pennsylvanians were employed by companies manufacturing high-efficiency products, designing state of the art buildings, retrofitting homes and businesses, and developing and installing cutting-edge energy management software. According to a report by E2, energy efficiency has historically been the biggest, fastest-growing energy sector in the United States, and weve barely scratched the surface of our job-creation potential. Bolstered by RGGI proceeds, energy efficiency has the capacity to power Pennsylvanias economic recovery even as it reduces emissions and cleans our air. Yet, some special interests would keep Pennsylvanians waiting for these urgently needed benefits perhaps indefinitely. Businesses across the clean energy sector are standing up to voice our support for the process to unfold as intended, allowing Pennsylvania to begin enjoying the benefits of RGGI. When it comes to supporting RGGI, clean energy businesses are in good company: in a recent poll, more than 70% of Pennsylvanians supported capping power plant pollution. In late 2020, the DEP held ten virtual public hearings, and tens of thousands chimed in via phone or computer to testify in support of the program. I was one of these testifiers, and I heard from dozens of people struggling with utility bills and calling for the DEP to join RGGI in a way that creates local family-sustaining jobs, lowers energy bills for residents and businesses, and helps reduce air pollution. In this time of economic hardship and uncertainty, we call on our leaders to quickly act in our best interests. Pennsylvanias communities, businesses, and workers cant afford to wait for this relief. The time to act boldly is now. Paul Spiegel, P.E., LEED AP, is the President of Practical Energy Solutions in West Chester, PA. Thank you for tuning in to episode 109 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your host, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by our friends at PSCU. As the nations premier payments CUSO, PSCU proudly supports the success of more than 1,500 credit unions. Today, my guest is Jenny Blake, author, career and business strategist, international speaker, podcaster, and the keynote for our next Mini-Con Series event, CHANGE. Listen in as we discuss pivoting, finding space to think more strategically as a leader and her ideas around being heart-centered, not only as an industry but in life. We start the conversation with tips on moving forward as leaders and being intentional about making space to think strategically. Jenny shares that any good leader must have the ability to rethink, reimagine, recalibrate, and reflect to effectively lead a team. She believes the global pandemic forced everyone to give themselves permission to think differently and face lifes inevitable changes, both professionally and personally. Jenny discusses the many great leaders in her community and how they exhibit servant leadership. She takes us on a deeper dive into the importance of finding like-minded peers and creating spaces that are safe and full of grace as we all navigate through this time of uncertainty. Jenny believes that this safe space is not a luxury but mandatory. She also shares her method of maintaining a generous and purpose-driven leadership style. From the rapid-fire questions, we learn about Jennys most recent aha moment that helped her rediscover creativity. Jenny shares her insight on how podcasting has aided in her professional development and why its a good tool for introverts. We also learn why Jenny has decided to take two words out of her vocabulary. Plus, we chat about her most recent purchase that keeps her active and where she finds joy outside of the office. Enjoy my conversation with Jenny Blake! Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List How to find Jenny: Jenny Blake, Author & Founder of Pivot Method www.pivotmethod.com jenny@pivotmethod.com LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook Show notes from this episode: A big shout-out to our friends at PSCU, an amazing sponsor of The CUInsight Experience podcast. Thank you! Take a listen to Jenny Blake on the Free Time podcast here! Hear more from Jenny at the CUInsight Mini-Con Series: CHANGE! Register here. Interested in the Pivot Podcast with Jenny Blake? Click here. Check out Jennys books: Pivot: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One and Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want. Shout-out: Oprah Shout-out: Google Shout-out: Gero Leson Shout-out: Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps Shout-out: Seth Godin Shout-out: Simon Sinek Book mentioned: Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Dont by Simon Sinek Shout-out: Jennys husband Shout-out: Jennys dog, Ryder Place mentioned: New York City Shout-out: Jill Nowacki Shout-out: Antonio Neves Term mentioned: CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Book mentioned: This Is the Voice by John Colapinto Event mentioned: CUNA GAC Shout-out: Microsoft Term mentioned: FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) Term mentioned: FONT (Fear Of Not Trying) Shout-out: John Maxwell Shout-out: Jennys mom Shout-out: Randys mom Shout-out: Peloton Spotify playlist mentioned: Deep Focus Spotify playlist mentioned: Deep Focus 2.0 Album mentioned: Ten by Pearl Jam Artist mentioned: Jerry Cantrell Artist mentioned: Eddie Vedder Term mentioned: Equanimity Shout-out: Tim Ferriss Article mentioned: 11 Reasons Not to be Famous by Tim Ferriss Book mentioned: Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead by Tosha Silver Book mentioned: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss Shout-out: Neil Pasricha Previous guests mentioned in this episode: Antonio Neves, Jill Nowacki (episodes 4, 18, 37, 64, 82 & 101) In This Episode: [02:31] Welcome to the show, Jenny! [04:53] Jenny speaks about her book and how everyone got a black belt in pivoting last year. [07:40] Jenny believes that change chooses you. [10:06] Jenny discusses how she finds the space to think strategically. [11:51] Your surge capacity is depleted, which is why you feel so exhausted. [14:16] How do you live your life purpose-driven and by your own moral compass? [17:20] Jenny shares that she thinks of Seth Godin when she thinks about a great leader. [21:06] What makes you feel alive? What lights you up? [24:56] Jenny discusses what brings her joy about her podcasts. [28:23] Jenny speaks about what she enjoys podcasting and how its impossible to hide. [32:10] Listen as they talk about getting to know each other by what they put out in the world. [34:32] Playing with her puppy frisbee is what she does to unwind when she has time off. [35:18] What was your motivation to leave your corporate job and go out on your own? [38:00] Jenny shares what she said no to recently that she is so glad she did. [40:05] Jenny talks about how she cut out something she was doing to concentrate on what she really wanted to do. [43:53] Jenny speaks about something she bought during the pandemic that she cant believe she lived without. [45:33] Jenny shares what she was like in high school and that she didnt get into too much trouble. [48:08] Is there a book you think everyone should read? [48:48] What is the best album of all time? [49:43] Jenny says she removed the word success from her vocabulary, but she admires Oprah and Tim Ferriss. [54:12] Jenny shares some final thoughts with the listeners. [54:52] Thank you for being on the show! The U.S. is set to give COVID vaccine materials to India. This also includes medical equipment and protective gear. This is part of efforts to help India's response to a huge surge of COVID cases in their country, according to a White House spokeswoman. "The United States is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies," National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne was quoted in an NBC News report. Horne said that the materials would help India create the Covishield vaccine. In addition to that, the U.S. is also set to send out therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, and ventilators. However, Horne did not specify if there would be a donation of any existing vaccine doses that the U.S. currently has. Several experts have called for the U.S. to donate its supply of AstraZeneca's shot, according to a Business Insider report. Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health said that the U.S.' efforts to help India are excellent steps while citing that the U.S. did not mention using the AstraZeneca supply. On Sunday, the country's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said U.S. officials are considering sending India its unused COVID vaccine from AstraZeneca, according to a Nikkei Asia report. Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement through Twitter, saying that the federal government is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly send out help and supplies during India's alarming COVID surge. The U.S. is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of Indiaincluding its courageous healthcare workers. Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 25, 2021 "We pray for the people of India-including its courageous healthcare workers," Harris was quoted in a report. Horne said that the U.S. would also send a team of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development to India. President Joe Biden said that the U.S. is determined to help India in its time of need. Meanwhile, U.K. has already handed out help to India by sending ventilators and oxygen. Related story: 'Vaccine-Gate' Scandal: Over 400 Peruvian VIPs Secretly Got COVID-19 Shots Before Official Rollout Global Efforts France and Germany have also sent out much-needed oxygen to India while it is battling the world's worst outbreak. Its traditional adversary, Pakistan, has also offered medical equipment and supplies. Its prime minister, Imran Khan, also offered a speedy recovery to the country, according to The Guardian report. U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson said that Britain is side by side with India as a friend and partner. Johnson added that he is determined to make sure that the U.K. does everything it can to support India's fight against the pandemic. The U.K. package includes 495 oxygen concentrators; 120 non-invasive ventilators; and 20 manual ventilators. The package is expected to arrive in Delhi on Tuesday. Further shipments would arrive later in the week. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens to be vaccinated, adding caution as the country sets a global record for new COVID infections in a day. Meanwhile, burial grounds in New Delhi are running out of space with funeral pyres lighting up the night sky in other badly affected cities. India has reported 349,691 new cases on Sunday, which marks a global record for the fourth consecutive days. Vaccinations have been few with less than two percent of the population fully immunized. READ NEXT: Argentina President Decries COVID-19 Vaccine Scandal WATCH: U.S. silent on lifting ban on vaccine raw materials export to India | COVID-19 | World News | English - from WION Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) Tycoon Lucio Tan-led Philippine National Bank is set to issue property dividends in the form of shares of its holding firm, reaching over 200 million, as it moves to liquidate its low-earning assets to boost its financial status. In a disclosure on Monday, the listed company said its board of directors green-lighted the declaration of shares of PNB Holdings Corp. (PHC) as property dividends to the stockholders of PNB on record as of May 18. The property dividends consisting of 239.353 million shares, priced at 100 apiece will be released to PNB stockholders on May 18. "The property dividend shall be paid at a ratio of 0.156886919 shares of PHC for every 1 share of PNB," it said in the filing. Property dividends happen when a firm distributes assets to investors other than cash. In January, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas cleared PNB's planned infusion of investment in PHC as part of the latter's target "to realize the market value of its prime properties and reduce its low-earning assets to strengthen its financial position." "The timing of the development of these properties are already being studied by the real estate experts, who are already working closely with PNB Holdings Corp. and PNB," PNB president and chief executive officer Wick Veloso was quoted as saying in a separate statement. "The distribution of PNB Holdings shares through the dividend declaration allows PNB stockholders to share from the benefit of the realized values of the properties and any future valuation gains," he added. The bank's inventory includes the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the PNB Makati Center in Ayala's Central Business District, and the Prime Property at the corner of Buendia Avenue and Paseo De Roxas, also in Makati. Shares in PNB went up by 2.95 or 12.85% to close at 25.90 each on Monday. A lawsuit against the U.S. State Department has accused Brazilian state-owned oil major Petrobras of ordering the murders of Shell executive Todd Staheli and his wife in 2003 and demanded that the State Department release documents that prove that, the Salt Lake Tribune has reported. The lawsuit was filed by the children of Todd and Michelle Staheli. Todd and Michelle were found bludgeoned to death in their bed in November 2003, in their Rio de Janeiro home. The double murder made international headlines at the time, and a handyman was convicted for the murders, but it appears that the victims families have remained unconvinced that he was the real culprit. The lawsuit states that Todd Staheli had been assigned the task of extracting Shell from certain joint ventures in Brazil, and that he had been conducting an audit of certain joint ventures due to suspicious activity regarding the misappropriation of joint venture funds. The suit also notes that Petrobras has a long and complex history of engaging in corrupt and illegal business practices, no doubt referring to its involvement in the massive corruption and fraud scheme that the Brazilian authorities uncovered during the so-called Operation Car Wash that resulted in convictions for several high-ranking business executives and politiciansincluding former president Ignacio Lula da Silva. We believe theres probably a lot of significant documents [the State Department is] not releasing, said one of the lawyers for the Staheli children, Rodney G. Snow, as quoted by the Salt Lake Tribune. Petrobras is 51% owned by the Brazilian government. So that makes this a little more sensitive to the State Department. Related: Canadas Oil And Gas Industry Must Innovate To Survive Since, according to the suit, Todd Staheli had been involved in what is effectively an investigation into Petrobras, this became the motive for the double murder, the Utah daily reported. The plaintiffs, the document said, believe, and the evidence demonstrates, that Todd and Michelle Staheli were murdered as a result of Todd Stahelis extraordinarily dangerous assignment and investigation into Petrobras. The theory that the murders may have been related to Stahelis work was dismissed in 2003 based on the fact that there was no motive since the fraud allegations that has embroiled Petrobras for years now had not yet been brought to light. The U.S. State Department has failed to produce documents that the Stahelis have requested within the 20 days required under the Freedom of Information Act. The State Department still hasnt fulfilled the request, and issued an estimated date of November 2022 for the release. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Hyderabad, April 26 : Holding Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the second wave of Covid-19 in the country, MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi demanded that he live up to his constitutional duty to save the lives of citizens. Alleging that for eight months, the government-led by Modi was in deep slumber which led to the second wave that has claimed lives of thousands of people, he said that the BJP government did nothing though all the experts had warned that there will be a second wave. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief was talking to reporters after launching Covid-19 helpline set up by the Majlis Charity Educational and Relief Trust in collaboration with Access Foundation. Owaisi said under the Constitution, right to life is a fundamental right and demanded that Modi live up to his constitutional duty to save lives of people of India. "You must rise up. You can't continue this emotional blackmail you are doing. Nothing is happening on the ground," he said, claiming that "the situation had slipped out of government's control". "This government has no vision, no planning, no accountability or transparency. "What is life of an Indian who happens to be poor, where is government? There is no government," the MP said and called Modi a "king who has no concern for the people who are dying outside his palace". "If this is happening in Delhi, you can imagine what is happening in rural areas." Stating that the government is not in control of the situation, Owaisi alleged that people have lost faith in government and they are helping themselves. "It is because of their lack of concern and lack of planning that we are seeing this carnage. We are seeing deaths which are happening in thousands," he said. Owaisi also ridiculed Modi's slogan of Amtanirbhar Bharat. "What Atmanirbhar Bharat... If there was Atmanirbhar Bharat why do you require oxygen from Saudi Arabia and other countries," he asked Referring to the large number of deaths and the shortage of oxygen, medicines and lack of beds in hospitals, he said in his political life, he never saw such human misery. "Graveyards are full. Shamshans are cremating bodies non-stop. If this can't Modi and his government, what will," he asked and demanded that the government waive off GST on oxygen, oximeters and Remdisivir. He recalled that in January the Prime Minister told the World Economic Forum that India defeated Covid when other countries were making fun of it. Modi also told the Parliament proudly that his government won the battle against Covid though other countries were pessimistic. "If you had defeated Covid, why did the second wave come," he asked Owaisi slammed the government for failing on all fronts. He said there was no planning for vaccine production and distribution and as a result, vaccines are not available for those who are due for second dose. He also questioned the pricing of vaccine and said when crores of people have lost their jobs, it is for government ofto provide free vaccination to people. He quoted experts to say that if 80 per cent people are not vaccinated, there will be a third wave Stating that states have no money to give for vaccination, Owaisi said the Centre should use PM Cares Fund. "What will you do with money. It's not your or my money. It's people's money. Use it for vaccinating people," he said. He advised people to wear mask, maintain social distancing and take vaccines wherever it is available. Stating that they are fighting an invisible enemy, he said they should take all precautions. Pointing out that Bangladesh is spending three per cent of its GDP on health, Owaisi said India was spending not even one per cent. He also demanded that the Telangana government increase spending on health and build new hospitals including a new building for Osmania Hospital in Hyderabad. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Formerly Conjoined Twins Thriving 5 Years After Separation Reunite With Hospital Family to Celebrate Formerly conjoined twinswho underwent an unprecedented separation procedurejust celebrated five years of life since their operation. The South Texas twins are healthy and thriving, thanks to the expertise of pediatric surgeon Dr. Haroon Patel and the team at Driscoll Childrens Hospital. Scarlett and Ximena Torres were born conjoined, a rare and surprising story on its own. The sisters are, in fact, triplets; their identical sister, Catalina, was born free of health complications. Conjoined Twins Scarlett and Ximena Torres. (Courtesy of Driscoll Childrens Hospital) I was 3 months pregnant when I found out and I couldnt believe it, mother Silvia Hernandez-Ambriz told Driscoll Childrens Hospital, because they told me there were three girls and that [two] became conjoined. In a pregnancy with triplets, conjoined twins are extremely rare, with a 1-in-50-million chance of occurrence, reported KSAT. I did get very sad because I thought they were not going to make it, Silvia told the hospital. Because of the nature of their conjunction, the girls had a team of 45 to 50 doctors and personnel of various specialties, including anesthesiology, plastic surgery, pediatric surgery, orthopedics, radiology, and urology. Doctors and nurses of Driscoll Childrens Hospital praying before the surgery. (Courtesy of Driscoll Childrens Hospital) This had never been done at Driscoll Childrens Hospital, said Patel in a video interview with the hospital. So this was new to us. But the surgeons prepared for the procedure and employed every contingency until they were certain the operation would become second nature. On April 12, 2016, Scarlett and Ximena underwent the 12-hour surgery, which was successful. They spent just a few weeks in the Driscoll post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and were released from the hospital months ahead of schedule. I knew they were going to be strong, because since the moment I saw them the first time, they always fought for their lives, said Silvia. She was right, and her girls have been happy and healthy ever since. Soon after the surgery, they learned to function independently of their twin. On April 12, 2021, they celebrated the five-year anniversary of their surgery. The girls visited the hospital and the staff were overjoyed to see the young ladies, who the hospital says light up every room theyre in. Dont they look good, Patel said, watching them run around the clinic. They know their way around here. (L-R) Scarlett Torres, Ximena Torres, Catalina Torres, and Lucia Ambriz. (Courtesy of Driscoll Childrens Hospital) Patel explained that, from the very start of working with the girls, he had told Silvia they were going to become like family. We let the parents know from the start that this was going to be a lifelong relationship. It wasnt going to be a one-and-done surgery. The girls are going to have ongoing medical needs, said Patel. They are, indeed, like family, with the twins attending checkups on a regular basis. Theyve got free rein here, joked Patel. They are part of the family. (Courtesy of Driscoll Childrens Hospital) 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 (@FahadShabbir) Benghazi, Libya, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2021 ) :The Libyan government postponed the prime minister's first visit to the east of the country late Sunday, hours after an advance security team was turned back from Benghazi airport, a source told AFP. A cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday in the city would also have marked national unity government leader Abdulhamid Dbeibah's first trip to Libya's east, a bastion of military strongman Khalifa Hafter. But on Sunday a spokesperson said preparations were underway to arrange another date, without giving a reason for the postponement. The announcement came several hours after a government security team was turned away by local authorities at Benghazi airport, forcing them to get back on their plane and return to the capital Tripoli, a local security source told AFP. Dbeibah was selected earlier this year through a UN-backed inter-Libyan dialogue to lead the country to national elections in December 2021. Libya has been mired in chaos since dictator Moamer Qaddafi was deposed and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising. Dbeibah's government replaced two rival administrations based in Tripoli and the country's east, the latter loyal to Hafter, whose forces tried but failed to seize the capital in a 2019-20 offensive. The rival authorities have given their backing to the new administration, adding to tentative hopes that Libya can exit a decade of crisis. Dbeibah had previously announced his intention to hold cabinet meetings in different cities across the country, most notably in Benghazi, Libya's second city and one of Hafter's strongholds. bur-rb-hme/reb/rma NEW DELHI Oxygen generators from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Raw material for coronavirus vaccines from the United States. Millions in cash from companies led by Indian-American businessmen. As a second wave of the pandemic rages in India, the world is coming to the rescue. But it is unlikely to plug enough holes in Indias sinking health care system to fully stop the deadly crisis that is underway, and the health emergency has global implications for new infections worldwide, as well as for countries relying on India for the AstraZeneca vaccine. Its a desperate situation out there, said Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, the founder and director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, adding that donations will be welcome, but may make only a limited dent on the problem. In the early months of 2021, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi acted as if the coronavirus battle had been won, holding huge campaign rallies and permitting thousands to gather for a Hindu religious festival. The Tamil Nadu government on Monday, April 26, gave permission to Vedanta's Sterlite Copper plant Thoothukudi to operate for four months to produce oxygen in the wake of depleting oxygen reserves amid an unprecedented upsurge in coronavirus cases. The decision was taken at an all-party meeting presided over by state Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, paving the way for the partial reopening of the Sterlite plant shut in 2018 over pollution concerns. The plant was closed in May 2018, days after 13 protesters were killed in police firing during a violent anti-Sterlite agitation in the southern district. While granting permission to Sterlite Copper, the state government instructed it not to be involved in the production of copper or any other material. Also Read: Vedanta offers to supply oxygen from closed Tuticorin Sterlite Copper plant The meeting, attended by the main opposition party DMK among others, resolved to allow Sterlite to produce oxygen from its plant in Tuticorin, days after Vedanta moved the Supreme Court in this connection. "As per the Supreme Court directive, power supply may be allowed for Vedanta's Sterlite Industries in Tuticorin for four months to repair and operate oxygen producing and related equipment only," the meeting resolved. The period may be extended later but "at no cost" shall other activities like copper manufacturing and running the co-generation plant shall be allowed and the "power supply shall be cut after dis period (four months) by TANGEDCO," it added. Tamil Nadu should get priority in the oxygen being produced here and it shall be taken to other states only after meeting its requirements. Also Read: Allow Sterlite Copper plant to reopen only to manufacture oxygen, Vedanta requests SC On Friday, the apex court had said people were dying due to lack of oxygen and questioned the Tamil Nadu government as to why it cannot take over the Sterlite copper unit for producing oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients. "We are not interested that Vedanta or A, B or C runs it. We are interested that oxygen should be produced," a bench headed by then Chief Justice S A Bobde had said. (With inputs from PTI.) The ingredient must be listed on labels starting in 2023. It may be a while before you see the effects of the FASTER Act. The law gives manufacturers 20 months to make sure any products theyre making that include sesame reflect that on packaging. Starting on January 1, 2023, if food contains sesame, you should see it indicated on the label. In the meantime, if you or someone in your family is allergic, look for ingredients that could be sesame-based, like tahini, sesamol and gomasio, according to Food Allergy Research & Education, a nonprofit organization in McLean, Va. And continue to keep an eye out for spices and natural flavors, which could include sesame. It also helps to be aware of the types of foods that tend to include sesame, like falafel, hummus and certain rices. And sesame oil is a common ingredient in Asian cuisine. But keep in mind that sesame can also be found in chips, cereals, snack bars and a variety of other foods. The good news is that some companies, such as General Mills and Hersheys, already include sesame on labels when its used as an ingredient. Its welcome news for over a million Americans. The new law brings a sense of reassurance to people dealing with a sesame allergy. In the United States, thats about 1.1 million children and adults, according to a 2019 study published in the journal JAMA Network Open. The study found that less than one quarter of 1 percent of children and adults were estimated to have sesame allergy. Still, Lauren E. Krigbaum is among the parents who is breathing a sigh of relief. Ms. Krigbaums 2-year-old daughter has five different food allergies, including sesame. But until now, sesame had been the only one of her daughters allergies that wasnt part of the federal labeling law. When you have a child with food allergies, your life kind of centers around food, said Ms. Krigbaum, a financial aid counselor in Boise, Idaho. So being able to take a stress out of that is going to be huge. Russia has expelled an Italian diplomat over what it said was an "unjustified" move by Rome to expel two Russian diplomats in March. "The Italian Ambassador to Moscow Pasquale Terracniano was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry where he was handed a note by the ministry saying that the aide to the defense attache and naval attache at the embassy in Moscow, C. Pacifici, is declared persona non grata in response to the unfriendly and unjustified actions of the Italian authorities against the defense attache office of the Russian Embassy in Rome. The staffer is ordered to leave Russia within 24 hours," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 26. Last month, Italy expelled two Russian diplomats after police said they had caught an Italian Navy captain passing secret documents to a Russian military official for money. The Italian Foreign Ministry called Russia's move "unfounded and unjust." "We consider the decision unfounded and unjust because it is in retaliation to a legitimate measure taken by the Italian authorities in defense of their own security," the Italian Foreign Ministry said in the response to Moscow's move. With reporting by Reuters and TASS The Venezuelan armed forces on Monday reported continuous fighting with militants at the border with Colombia in the state of Apure, which has resulted in casualties and injuries MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) The Venezuelan armed forces on Monday reported continuous fighting with militants at the border with Colombia in the state of Apure, which has resulted in casualties and injuries. "In the last 72 hours, vicious fighting with Colombian irregular armed groups has been taking place, specifically in uninhabited areas to the west of La Victoria," the military said in a statement. The military added that several servicemen had died, while the injured were receiving medical assistance. The military managed to capture several militants and destroy their temporary structures. Venezuela launched an operation on March 21 to root out militants in the area near the Venezuelan-Colombian border, destroying several camps, seizing weapons and arresting dozens of people. The operation was initiated in response to an armed attack on a checkpoint controlled by the Venezuelan military in the border city of La Victoria. In early April, eight Venezuelan soldiers were reported to have perished in the clashes, while 34 were injured. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... When it comes to growing nuts, the conversation in New Mexico has long started and stopped with the pecan. But can pistachios, a relative newcomer in the industry, someday supplant pecans in popularity in New Mexico? The answer: Maybe not, but that doesnt mean were nuts for taking a closer look. Even though New Mexico is small in terms of the number of acres, there are growers who have seen the value of growing pistachios in your state, said Richard Matoian, president of the trade association American Pistachio Growers. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In New Mexico, the pistachio industry contributed $4.5 million to the local economy in 2020, and helped support 38 full-time jobs, largely in the south-central part of the state, according to the association. Every job is important in New Mexico, but even Matoian acknowledged the industry hasnt had much of an impact in the Land of Enchantment so far. That could change, however. Thats how California started as well, Matoian said. We started off small, and then at some point grew up. While pistachios have a long history of cultivation in other parts of the world, they are relatively new to the U.S. agriculture world. Matoian said the first pistachio trees were brought to a U.S. Department of Agriculture facility in the 1930s, to examine whether they would grow here. However, large-scale U.S. pistachio production didnt begin until four decades later, well after pecans and almonds had already been established, Matoian said. So compared to those commodities, were really a relative newcomer, Matoian said. He added that the plant grows best in climates with cool (but not cold) winters and long, dry summers. In part because of that, California produces the largest share. Recently, however, New Mexicos neighbor to the west has gotten in on the action. Data from American Pistachio Growers showed that Arizonas pistachio industry contributed $49 million and supported 915 jobs in the state, despite having a comparable growing season to parts of New Mexico. Matoian said Arizona has a few advantages over New Mexico when it comes to growing pistachios. While the nuts may appear ready-to-eat, Matoian said they require processing to slough off a flesh-like husk from the outside of the nut. Arizona has a couple of pistachio processing plants, but New Mexico doesnt, meaning growers either need to shuck their nuts internally, or transport them four hours west to Arizona. Matoian said building a processing center is a multi-million dollar expenditure, and New Mexico would need more growers to justify the price tag. But without processing capabilities, the pistachio industry may struggle to grow. I feel like were in a little bit of a chicken or an egg situation in New Mexico, Matoian said. But there is an upshot: New Mexico pistachios have a slightly sweeter taste than those grown in California. Matoian said it may be due to the states higher altitude, and could be a point of differentiation for the industry going forward. I think thats something that the state could promote, he said. So will pistachios supplant pecans as New Mexicos number-one nut? Probably not, but its still an industry that could grow in the future. Certainly, I think its a growing opportunity that exists for growers who have the right kind of conditions to make pistachios work, Matoian said. Stephen Hamway covers economic development, health care and tourism for the Journal. He can be reached at shamway@abqjournal.com. WASHINGTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fannie Mae (OTCQB: FNMA) today announced plans to report its first quarter 2021 financial results on Friday morning, April 30, 2021, before the opening of U.S. financial markets. Fannie Mae will host a conference call for the media to discuss the company's results at 8:00 a.m., ET, on April 30, 2021. Other participants may join the conference call in listen-only mode. The company's first quarter 2021 earnings news release, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and other supplemental information will be available on the company's Quarterly & Annual Results webpage at fanniemae.com/financialresults. A transcript of the call also will be made available on the page. CONFERENCE CALL PARTICIPATION DETAILS Fannie Mae First Quarter 2021 Financial Results Event day and time Friday, April 30, 2021 8:00 AM (ET) Listen-only webcast instructions https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1449813&tp_key=18286208a4 Click on the link above to attend the presentation from your laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Audio will stream through your selected device. If you have difficulty accessing the webcast, please click the "Listen by Phone" button on the webcast player and dial the number provided. Listen-only phone line instructions It is not necessary to dial into the audio conference unless you are unable to join the webcast via the URL above. United States: 888-204-4368 Passcode: 6638904# About Fannie Mae Fannie Mae helps make the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and affordable rental housing possible for millions of people in America. We partner with lenders to create housing opportunities for families across the country. We are driving positive changes in housing finance to make the home buying process easier, while reducing costs and risk. To learn more, visit: fanniemae.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Blog Fannie Mae Newsroom https://www.fanniemae.com/news Photo of Fannie Mae https://www.fanniemae.com/resources/img/about-fm/fm-building.tif Fannie Mae Resource Center 1-800-2FANNIE SOURCE Fannie Mae Related Links www.fanniemae.com Selena Gomez has called on world leaders to 'help everyone around the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic'. The 28-year-old star has reached out to Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, and other members of the G7 - the heads of government from Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US - via social media, urging them to unite against coronavirus. 'Please join me and send a message to France's @EmmanuelMacron and other #G7 leaders asking them to pledge dollars or doses to help everyone around the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic,' she wrote on Twitter. Fighting for equity: Selena Gomez has called on world leaders to 'help everyone around the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic' Selena has also called on vaccine developers to provide it on a 'not-for-profit' basis to some of the most in-need countries around the world. The Lose You to Love Me hitmaker explained on the micro-blogging platform: '.@moderna_tx & @NoubarAfeyan, thanks for developing a vaccine for COVID-19 but we need your help to get it to everyone, everywhere. Will you follow others in providing it not-for-profit for the countries most in need? #vaxlive (sic)' In response to Selena's initial post, President Macron sent a message to the pop star, thanking her for her powerful message. Proactive: Selena has also called on vaccine developers to provide it on a 'not-for-profit' basis to some of the most in-need countries around the world He wrote: 'Dear @SelenaGomez , thank you for carrying this crucial message to all leaders. France has already started sending out its first doses of vaccine to Africa through #Covax, and it's just the beginning. Thanks for spreading the word! Let's stand with those who have less. Now. (sic)' Selena subsequently called on US President Joe Biden to do more to support other countries amid the pandemic. Appreciative: Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, responded to Selena's post. He said on Twitter. 'Thanks for spreading the word! Let's stand with those who have less. Now'; seen with her new blonde hair last week In response to President Macron, she said: 'Thank you! We need all #G7 leaders to stand with those who have less. I'm really hoping the US also hears this and takes a stand... @POTUS @SecBlinken @WHCOS ? With US leadership #WeCanDoThis and end the pandemic for everyone. #VaxLive (sic)' On April 13, the star announced that she would be taking part in a concert organized by anti-poverty organization Global Citizen to help medical workers in poor nations get access to coronavirus vaccines. She wrote on Instagram: 'Im so excited to announce that I'm hosting #VaxLive: The Concert to Reunite the World! Ill be joining @glblctzn in calling for equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution for all. Tune in Saturday, May 8: https://vaxlive.org' 2021 Academy Award-winner H.E.R., Jennifer Lopez, Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder and J Balvin will also perform at the concert which airs May 8 on ABC, CBS and FOX as well as on iHeartMedia radio stations and YouTube. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 15:14:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish prosecutors issued on Monday detention warrants for 532 military personnel over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016. Police units launched operations in 62 provinces as part of an investigation co-conducted by prosecutors in Istanbul and Izmir, said the state-run Anadolu agency. Prosecutors concluded that the suspects have connections with the network headed by U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, according to Anadolu. Those targeted in operations included 459 soldiers on duty and dismissed military school students, according to media reports. The Turkish government blames Gulen and his network for masterminding the coup bid in July 2016, in which 250 people were killed. Enditem ROME, APR 26 - Italy's destiny is at stake in the government's 220-billion-euro post-COVID Recovery Plan, Premier Mario Draghi told the House Monday. "We would all be wrong to think that the (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) PNNR, albeit in its historic importance is only a collection of projects, numbers, deadlines, objectives," he said in unveiling the EU-funded plan. "In the combination of the programmes there is also, and above all, the destiny of the country". The premier, who was appointed with the aim of shepherding the plan as well as the COVID vaccination rollout and recovery, said "we have the honour and the onus of preparing the Italy of tomorrow". Draghi said Italy's credibility in the EU and the world was at stake. He said that "delays and short-sighted partisan visions" would weigh heavily on lives. The primary goal of the PNRR, Draghi said, was to repair the damage of the pandemic. This PNRR focuses on four areas - Italy's public administration, the justice system, simplification of legislation and the promotion of competition. It sets targets, missions and priorities. The plan estimates that its measures will see the Italy's GDP at least 3.6% higher in 2026 than it would have been otherwise. The "political supervision" of the plan will be done by a "premier's office committee in which the competent ministers will participate" Draghi says in the .introduction to the document. The PNRR is based on 191.5 billion euros from the EU's Recovery Fund and 30 billion from a complementary fund. The plan will have six missions: digitization, innovation, competitiveness and culture for 42.5 billion; the green revolution and the ecological transition for 57 billion; infrastructures for sustainable mobility for 25.3 billion; education and research for 31.9 billion; inclusion and cohesion for 19.1 billion; and health for 15.6 billion (plus other funds bringing the health total up to 19.72 billion), according to a draft that is expected to be fine tuned. The draft sees 500 million euros going to Rome to invest in the restoration of monuments and in preparation for the 2022 Ryder Cup and the 2025 Jubilee. Italy is getting the biggest chunk of the EU's 750 billion euro Recovery Fund. The money will come in grants and low-interest loans. It will be spent over six years. (ANSA). Access Garage Doors Opens New Franchise Location in Pennsylvania William Tompkins Brings Essential National Franchise to South Pittsburgh Area CHATTANOOGA, TENN. (PRWEB) April 26, 2021 - Access Garage Doors is growing its presence in the Northeast. The company is proud to welcome William Tompkins as its newest franchise owner of Access Garage Doors of South Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania. William is an experienced entrepreneur with a background in the commercial excavating industry and as a general contractor in the crane and rigging industry. Hes excited to bring his knowledge of building and construction to the residential garage door industry in the South Pittsburgh area. Good customer service is the key to being a successful business owner, said Tompkins. When youre working with commercial customers, there are a lot of people to make happy, so I understand the value of providing good communication and quality products and services. Im looking forward to using my experience to help homeowners in my community, so at the end of the day, they really love the work weve done to improve their homes. The potential for growth in the residential garage door industry and with the Access Garage Doors brand were important factors in Tompkinss decision to join the Access team. If a homeowners garage door needs to be repaired or replaced, its not something theyre going to put off for long because the garage door plays an important role in a homes security and functionality, said Tompkins. Theres a big demand for companies that can do a great job and provide high-quality garage doors and opener systems. Access Garage Doors is a successful and growing brand with industry-leading training that sets ups new franchise owners for success. Im looking forward to hitting the ground running with my new business. Access Garage Doors President and CEO, Jesse Cox, is confident Tompkins will build a profitable franchise in the South Pittsburgh market. Williams business management background, work ethic, and dedication to providing exceptional customer satisfaction will help him thrive in this industry, said Jesse Cox, William is a great fit with the Access brand, and we look forward to helping him grow his business in the years ahead. Access Garage Doors offers homeowners a comprehensive selection of services on garage door opener systems and garage doors, as well as a wide selection of high-quality new garage doors and openers. Access Garage Doors is a Master Authorized Clopay dealer and an Authorized Service Provider for LiftMaster, Home Depot, Genie, Clopay, and Amarr. SOURCE Access Garage Doors ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks to reporters at the White House on April 13, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Fauci Was Worst Choice to Helm COVID Response Commentary In whats supposed to be a major scoop, the Daily Mail just published, Worrying new clues about the origins of Covid: How scientists at Wuhan lab helped Chinese army in secret project to find animal viruses. It may not be quite that bigthe Gateway Pundit revealed some of this information a year agobut there are significant new facts, including that a Peoples Liberation Army colonel, Cao Wuchun, who is on the board of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, studied epidemiology at Cambridge, the very seat of advanced experimental science in the United Kingdom. Think Stephen Hawking. (Have the Five Eyes gone blind?) Having finished his studies, Cao is now a Chinese regime adviser on bioterrorism. The DM added, He was second-in-command of the military team sent into the city under Major General Chen Wei, the countrys top biodefence expert, to respond to the new virus and develop a vaccine. Suspicious, no? But wait, theres more, as they say: Documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveal that a nationwide scheme, directed by a leading state body, was launched nine years ago to discover new viruses and detect the dark matter of biology involved in spreading diseases. The DM goes on to tell us a Chinese scientist who published the first genetic sequence on COVID-19 (now more accurately than ever called the CCP virus by The Epoch Times) apparently found 143 new diseases in the first three years of the project. All this while the best known Chinese virologist (at this point), professor Shi Zhengliaka Bat Woman for her many trips to find virus samples in bat cavesdenied U.S. allegations last month that the Chinese military was involved with the lab. Interestingly, Shi was one of the five team leaders of the above-mentioned project with Col. Cao. Must be a mix-up somewhere, no? Or the Big Lie. So wheres Dr. Anthony Fauci in all thisthe most highly paid employee of our federal government, who changes his mind more often than a ditzy housewife in a 50s sitcom? The answer may lie in something called gain of function research. If youre unfamiliar with the term, its bio-speaka euphemism of sortsfor repurposing an animal virus so it can be contracted by a human. You could call it the devils workthe kind of thing Dr. Mengele might have done if he were still with us. Some of this research is for defensive use, but other aspects inevitably are, well which would you rather die from, a nuclear bomb or a carefully designed biological weapon that affected the entire globe and never went away? Id go with the former. It would at least be instantaneous. Gain of function experimentationnightmarish as it ishas been going on in more countries than we would want to know, but, thankfully, the United States outlawed it domestically in 2014. This must not have sat well with Fauci. The man the mainstream media idolizes and has appeared on almost as many magazine covers as Jacqueline Kennedy took our taxpayer dollars and sent them to Wuhan to support the lab and, whether intentionally or not, help continue this research. The exact details of this are unclear, but the results certainly are clear. Also unclear is the extent that the doctor knew the Chinese military was involved with the Wuhan lab. It would be interesting to find out, although, with Cao on the board and so prominent in the labs activities for so many years, its hard to imagine Fauci, a frequent visitor, wouldnt have had some idea, whether or not he chose to acknowledge it. I hasten to point out I absolutely dont think COVID-19 was promulgated on purpose. Its most likely the accidental product of ongoing gain of function research at the Wuhan lab, which, as Fauci undoubtedly also knew, was being criticized for its lax security measures. The Chinese Communist Partyfor its continued gain of function research and its obfuscation of the ensuing COVID disasteris to blame for everything that happened after that. So far, they have escaped retribution. Fauci, of course, kept his mouth shut on the matter. Dont bite the hand that feeds you or, more precisely, that you fed. Trump was saddled with Fauci as the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the more unfortunate occurrences of our time. That such a person should have become, and still is, the public face of our fight against COVID-19 would make a good sequel to a film about yet another doctor Strangelove. Roger L. Simon is an award-winning novelist, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, co-founder of PJMedia, and now, editor-at-large for The Epoch Times. His most recent books are The GOAT (fiction) and I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasnt Already (nonfiction). He can be found on Parler as @rogerlsimon. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain People who take a commonly prescribed drug for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should not assume they are protected after a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, after a large-scale study found many had poor antibody responses. The research measured antibody responses after vaccination with the Pfizer/BioNTech or the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in 865 people treated with infliximab, an anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) biologic drug, prescribed to around two million people worldwide. Anti-TNF drugs are effective treatments for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, but by suppressing the immune system, they can reduce vaccine effectiveness and increase risk of serious infection. Led by the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and published in GUT, the paper is an output from the CLARITY Study is funded by the NIHR and Crohn's and Colitis UK. The research found that people treated with infliximab had significantly lower concentrations of antibodies, when compared to 428 people on an alternative treatment, vedolizumab. Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies that protect individuals from any future infection. For a vaccine to be effective, it needs to trigger a sufficient number of virus-targeting antibodies to prevent any subsequent infection. After a single dose of vaccine, only about one third of participants (103 of 328) treated exclusively with infliximab generated adequate levels of antibodies to the virus for the vaccine to be considered effective. In participants simultaneously taking infliximab and immunomodulator drugs, such as azathioprine or methotrexate, the levels of antibodies were even lower after a single vaccine dose; only 125 of 537 met the threshold of a positive antibody test. However, in a sub-group of people who had previously been infected with COVID-19, and also in the few patients studied who had already had a second dose of vaccine, the vaccine-triggered antibody responses rose significantly, indicating an effective response after two exposures. Based on these observations, the researchers conclude that people taking anti-TNF drugs should be considered a priority for a second vaccination. The CLARITY study recruited 6,935 patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis from 92 UK hospitals between September and December 2020, to investigate the impact of these drugs on COVID-19 susceptibility and protective immunity that follows infection or vaccination. Previously, the study found that infliximab blunts the immune system to COVID-19 infection, potentially increasing the risk of reinfection. CLARITY study lead Dr. Tariq Ahmad said the current findings had important implications for people treated with anti-TNF therapy, particularly for those also treated with an immunomodulator. He said "Poor antibody responses to a single dose of vaccine exposes these patients to a potential increased risk of COVID-19. However, we found much higher antibody levels in people vaccinated after a previous COVID-19 infection and in the small number of patients who had received two vaccine doses suggesting that all patients receiving these drugs should be prioritized for optimally timed second doses." 500,000 people across the UK live with Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of which ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are the two main forms. Symptoms include urgent and frequent bloody diarrhoea, weight loss, pain, and extreme fatigue. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the UK Government advised that patients taking anti-TNF medicines could be at increased risk of complications from coronavirus. All were advised to follow strict social distancing measures, and some, depending on the severity of their condition, were advised to shield. Co-author Dr. Nick Powell, of Imperial College London, said: "Although we know that this has been an incredibly difficult time for people with IBD, our research indicates that people treated with infliximab should consider that they are not protected from COVID-19 until they have had both doses of a vaccine and should continue to practice enhanced physical distancing and shielding if appropriate." In the study, a small sub-set of patients showed no antibody response even after two exposures to COVID-19. Co-author Dr. James Goodhand, of the University of Exeter, said: "Our findings come as countries across Europe are opting to delay the second dose of vaccine. We recommend prioritizing second doses to patients taking anti-TNF drugs, who will remain at high risk after their first dose. Further data are needed to investigate whether we should be testing antibody concentrations after two doses to identify the small number of patients who have not responded well to vaccination." The study also found evidence that antibody responses were lower in current smokers and participants aged 60 or older, but higher in non-white participants. These findings warrant further investigation in larger studies before firm conclusions can be drawn. Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive of Crohn's & Colitis UK, said: "This is the first robust evidence that people with Crohn's and Colitiswho may need to take specific drugs to suppress their immune systemdo not develop the expected antibodies after their first vaccination dose, although a second dose does improve antibody levels. With 1 in 5 not developing antibodies even after two doses, these people will be desperately worried that they remain at risk of catching COVID19 and may develop a more serious illness at a time when shielding has ended. We need urgent research on the optimal time between the first and second jabs, and the need to be prioritized for any booster jab this Autumn." The paper is entitled "Infliximab is associated with attenuated immunogenicity to BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with IBD' . Infliximab helped Rachel into IBD remissionyet now affects her COVID-19 protection For Rachel Sawyer, infliximab brought welcome relief from a decade of hugely restrictive inflammatory bowel disease symptoms. Rachel, 52, was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2000. As her conditioned worsened, she had to adapt her lifestyle and her social life diminished as she became increasingly housebound and too tired to go out. "You just feel exhausted, and also very low a lot of the time" said Rachel, a communications manager who lives in Farnborough, Hampshire. "If you go out, you have to plan a circuitous route to make sure you're never too far from a toileta lot of the time it's just not worth it so you stay home, which has a further impact in lowering your mood. "Infliximab was a real game-changer. I'd been so scared about taking medication, but I had to do something and my consultant persuaded me. Within six months, it made a real benefit. I had a colonoscopy and it showed real improvement. I've been in remission for nine years now, although I'm still taking infliximab." During COVID-19, Rachel has taken particular precautions around distancing, mask wearing, hand washing and going out, although stopped short of shielding. She said: "The lack of interaction has a huge impact on people's mental health; ultimately you have to weigh up your own risk and circumstances. I've certainly been taking extra care, in line with the advice from the CLARITY study. "It is worrying that people on infliximab aren't protected after one vaccine dose, but it's also reassuring that protection increases after a second dose. We don't have control over when we get our second dose, so we now need to push for a campaign to ensure governments recognize that people on infliximab should be prioritized for a second dose in good time. "While the findings from the research may be daunting for some IBD patients, particularly those on infliximab, they will not essentially change my behavior. That said, I will continue to be diligent in my efforts to protect myself and others by practicing social distancing, mask wearing and handwashing. Above all, I will be guided by the science that's provided by CLARITY and other world-leaders in IBD research and I hope other patients will follow suit." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Nicholas A Kennedy et al. Infliximab is associated with attenuated immunogenicity to BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, Gut (2021). Journal information: Gut Nicholas A Kennedy et al. Infliximab is associated with attenuated immunogenicity to BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines,(2021). DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.25.21254335 Kolkata, April 26 : On the last day of her 50-day long poll campaign in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday criticised the Election Commission for allegedly working in favour of the BJP, besides holding the poll panel responsible for the upsurge in Covid cases in the country. Earlier in the day, the Madras high court had observed that the EC was "singularly responsible" for the second wave of Covid-19 and that the poll body's officials could be "booked for murder" for allowing political rallies amid the pandemic. Welcoming the Madras HC observation, Banerjee said, "The Election Commission cannot ignore the fact that it is responsible for this huge upsurge in Covid cases in the country. It brought 2 lakh police personnel from outside, and none of them have gone through Covid test. "They are acquiring schools, colleges and stadia, causing hindrance for the government and the people. I have been continuously telling the EC to withdraw the forces, but it kept on working under the instruction of someone else. The EC is responsible for the spread of the infection and it cannot shrug off the responsibility." Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had censured the EC, saying that issuing circulars and holding meetings on Covid guidelines were not enough. Following the Calcutta HC order, the EC had capped the attendance at public events to 500 people for the last two phases of Assembly elections in West Bengal. Accusing the Commission of working as the mouthpiece of BJP, the Chief Minister, who was campaigning virtually for Trinamool Congress candidates in North Kolkata, said, "We have told repeatedly to club the elections, but the EC kept on working on the directives of the BJP. This BJP government is an example of 'monumental incompetence'. It has only one agenda and that is to conquer and for that it has jeopardised the lives of the people". Cautioning the EC of approaching the Supreme Court, Banerjee said, "The EC has lost all its credibility. The democratic exercise of an entire country cannot depend on the whims and fancies of three nominated persons. They had done it in 2016, but I kept quiet thinking that they will rectify themselves, but nothing has changed. "The Election Commission has lost all its credibility, but someone should 'bell the cat' and so I am going to the Supreme Court against this partisan attitude of the Commission and its irresponsibility that led to the deaths of so many people." The Chief Minister also accused the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre of depriving the state of its legitimate oxygen supply. "SAIL used to supply oxygen to us, but it has been told to give the supply to Uttar Pradesh. Naturally, I had to divert the oxygen needed for industrial purposes to meet the medical requirement. I have arranged for another 5,000 cylinders. We are in favour of providing free vaccine to all the people, but they are not providing us the details so that we can purchase them from the market," Banerjee added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New research by Irelands leading chiropractic clinic group (with clinics in Longford, Dublin, Carrick-on-Shannon and Galway) reveals that 54% of people from Leinster working from home due to Covid-19 restrictions are experiencing back or neck pains, or both. The Chiropractix Your Spine Matters study found that of the 57% of people working from home all or some of the time, 57% use ordinary home furniture while 18% use a mix of home and office furniture. 18% have personally provided office furniture while 4% have had office furniture organised by their employer. The research also found that 50% of people working from home in Leinster would value exercises for reducing back or neck pains. 26% would value regular chiropractic or physiotherapy sessions to manage back/neck pain while 24% would value advice on the correct posture while working. Paul Bradley, Clinical Director, Chiropractix, said, Weve seen a significant increase in patients experiencing back or neck pain as a result of working from home. It is so important to use an ergonomically designed chair and ensure that your computer screen is at the appropriate height. Taking regular breaks away from the desk to stretch is also vital. Dont let the situation fester talk to your employer about getting proper office furniture, a supportive chair at a minimum or make an appointment with your chiropractor. 48% of Leinster people surveyed are, or have a family member, working from home most or all the time with a further 8% working from home sometimes. 18-year-old Israel Morrison from Edgeworthstown, Longford is a student of microbiology at Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) and has been studying from home since last March. I suffered a serious back injury when I was a child which got progressively worse over time. Lockdown has been challenging as Ive been participating in full day online classes from my bedroom. As all my family are also home its the only room where I can concentrate. Sitting on my bed is terrible for my posture! However, chiropractic treatment is really helping my pain management and Im looking forward to being back in college, hopefully in the near future. The International Association for the Study of Pain has designated 2021 the Global Year About Back Pain. The organisation aims to help clinicians, scientists, those living with pain, and the public understand the nature of back pain and available treatments. Chiropractix operates clinics in Mount Merrion, Dublin, Longford Town, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim and Galway City. Chiropractic care is the gentle manipulation of joints to help the spine and nervous system function at their optimum. Chiropractors registered with the regulating body the Chiropractic Association of Ireland, hold a minimum of a four-year full-time degree from an accredited university and undergo continuous professional development. STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) A mountain park near Atlanta with a giant carving of Confederate leaders is proposing changes to address criticism of its Old South legacy. Under the proposals, Stone Mountain park would publicly acknowledge that it was once a gathering spot for the Ku Klux Klan, relocate Confederate flags on the grounds and remove the carving from its park logo. Park CEO Bill Stephens presented the proposals to the parks board on Monday. The board did not immediately vote on any of them. The proposals come amid a national reckoning on race that brought down dozens of Confederate monuments in a span of weeks last year. More than four in five Chinese are willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines, the highest rate among all six major vaccines for adults, a survey released on Sunday showed. Chinese people's overall acceptance of vaccines - meaning they recognize that vaccination can effectively prevent diseases - has jumped to 85 percent, up nearly 40 percentage points from last year, it said. Public awareness of vaccines designed to prevent hepatitis B and the human papillomavirus has also increased markedly compared with last year, but people's knowledge about influenza, pneumonia and herpes vaccines remains relatively low, the survey said. The survey polled nearly 13,000 members of the general public and over 620 medical workers across the country. It was conducted jointly by media outlet Southern Weekly and DXY.cn, an online healthcare service community. Feng Zijian, deputy general director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that while social distancing and travel restrictions have helped China suppress the spread of COVID-19, ending the virus' spread and returning to normalcy will ultimately depend on mass vaccination. Speaking on Sunday, which was National Child Vaccination Awareness Day, Feng said more efforts will be devoted to expanding the list of vaccines on the national immunization program and improving vaccination convenience. China provides 15 free vaccines for newborns and young children, according to the latest version of the immunization program released by the National Health Commission last month. The survey also shed light on some misunderstandings associated with vaccinations and pointed to areas where improvement in awareness is needed. For example, more than 66 percent of people mistakenly believe that local disease control and prevention centers or public hospitals are places where vaccines can be administered, the survey said. In reality, people should go to community health service centers for vaccinations, Feng said. Although 90 percent of medical workers surveyed said they tend to urge their family members to obtain vaccines recommended for adults, the rate among the general public is much lower. Women, particularly those born in the 1990s, have shown greater enthusiasm in persuading their family members to be inoculated, it added. The survey said that a lack of understanding of the types of vaccines available and their benefits has played a role in driving down the rate among the general population. A number of factors can sway the public's willingness to get vaccines, according to Yang Weizhong, executive dean of the School of Population Medicine and Public Health at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. "The public's knowledge of vaccines, the convenience of vaccination services and the outcomes of publicity campaigns all affect vaccination willingness and uptake," he said. Experts have called for setting up an immunization record for each family, just as vaccination certificates are typically issued to each child. In the survey, 88 percent of participants welcomed the proposal. "A family-based vaccination registry will act as a reminder and help each family plan for immunization at different ages," Yang said. In terms of COVID-19 immunization, Yang said the current vaccination rate is far too low to establish herd immunity. Speeding up the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is the most significant task at the moment, he added. Data released by the National Health Commission showed that over 220 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered by Saturday. Indian-American physician Vivek Murthy, the 21st Surgeon General of the US on Sunday (local time) said that the only way to address a global COVID-19 pandemic is global cooperation and mutual support. Confirming his above statement, Murthy announced that the US has taken steps to support India during its unprecedented second wave of COVID19 infections. "Today, the US announced steps to support #India during its unprecedented wave of #COVID19 infections. It has been painful to watch the suffering and loss that so many have endured. The only way to address a global pandemic is global cooperation and mutual support," tweeted Murthy. Earlier in the day, the US's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke on the phone today with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, expressing deep sympathy for the people of India following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Talking about, Sullivan and Doval meet he said that it was heart-breaking and horrifying toll of COVID-19 in India in recent days and added, "Today's statement outlines concrete steps being taken by the United States to help address the crisis. The uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 anywhere presents a threat to all nations." To help treat COVID-19 patients and protect front-line health workers in India, the United States has identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India. The United States also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis. The US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding a substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for BioE, the vaccine manufacturer in India, enabling BioE to ramp up to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022. Additionally, the United States is deploying an expert team of public health advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID to work in close collaboration with the US Embassy, India's health ministries, and India's Epidemic Intelligence Service staff. USAID will also quickly work with CDC to support and fast-track the mobilization of emergency resources available to India through the Global Fund. Moreover, the two National Security Advisors agreed that the US and India would stay in close touch in the coming days. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) El Arroyo The popular Netflix show "Queer Eye" announced its back in Austin to film season 6 in Texas, and we think the Fab Five should saddle over to San Antonio. "Queer Eye" shut down production last year due to the coronavirus pandemic but posted on Instagram Friday that they are excited to step into their cowboy boots and be back in Texas. The cast posed in front of the Austin staple El Arroyo sign, as they did last year when they first confirmed the speculation that the Netflix reboot would be in the Lone Star State. A gay woman and her straight best friend have called for marriage to be 're-imagined without the need for romance' after exchanging vows in a 'small ceremony'. Deidre Olsen, 30, decided to marry her model pal Chiderah Sunny, 25, both from Toronto, Canada, on February 25, 2021, after first meeting two years ago. The couple, who dont share a romantic relationship, live together in Berlin, Germany, with writer Deidres 13-year-old dog, after leaving their hometown in June 2020. They first met on a Hinge date, and while there was 'instant chemistry', Chiderah realised not long after that she was straight - but that didnt stop the pair from forming a solid relationship and believing they were soulmates. In fact, it was Chiderah who proposed to Deidre, with the couple enjoying a small, intimate ceremony with three close friends on the writers 30th birthday. They say they are now in the process of filing paperwork to be legally married. Deidre Olsen, 30, exchanged vows with her model pal Chiderah Sunny (pictured together), 25, both from Toronto, Canada, on February 25, 2021, after first meeting two years ago The couple (pictured), who dont share a romantic relationship, live together in Berlin, Germany, with writer Deidres 13-year-old dog, after leaving their hometown in June 2020 Speaking to FEMAIL, Chiderah said: 'I knew I loved Deidre when we first moved to Berlin. Everything was just so magical and fell into place so beautifully. 'It was nearly unexplainable how much joy I derived being in her company. With Deidre, for the first time in my life, I've experienced unconditional love.' She added: 'My perception of marriage has changed. It's not rooted in romantic love, which I was conditioned to believe. 'Instead, marriage is about care-giving, friendship, forgiveness, love and communication. I think marriage, alongside every traditional institution, can and should be re-imagined on one's own terms.' The pair revealed they both seek 'casual sex and companionship' elsewhere - and insist that they'd be open to their relationship evolving and growing if they met other people they liked romantically. They first met on a Hinge date, and while there was 'instant chemistry', Chiderah realised not long after that she was straight - but that didnt stop the pair (pictured) from forming a solid relationship and believing they were soulmates But currently, they believe they're 'platonic soulmates' - having even got matching tattoos that read 'Kismet' in October, which means 'fate or destiny'. 'In my opinion, a soulmate is a person who elevates you to new levels, who inspires you to be better, to reach your dreams and never doubt yourself because they love you with such fierce conviction,' said Deidre. She added: 'We realised we were soulmates when we first moved to Germany, given how much magic happens when we are together. 'In our first two weeks in Berlin, I won a prestigious arts grant to write a memoir and Chiderah was signed to Viva Models Berlin, one of the biggest agencies in Europe. 'Prior to meeting Chiderah, I'd never known anyone who had such a powerful impact on my life. With her, mountains move.' The couple (pictured) say they are now in the process of filing paperwork to be legally married Chiderah proposed to Deidre after the writer pulled her out of the 'depths of despair' following their move to Berlin. She recalled: 'In January, I felt like the promise of a better life was starting to crumble before my eyes. 'I'd lost my first real romantic love, my career was at a standstill, my savings were dwindling, I'd been terrorised by bed bugs in our Airbnb and my body was going through the shock of acclimatising to a new country. 'I was in absolute peril and there was a moment when I thought I couldn't go on. I'd considered abandoning this dream I'd worked so hard to achieve. 'As I lay in my bed sobbing uncontrollably, Deidre heard my cries and came to console me. Before this, I'd never let anyone see me in such a vulnerable state. 'It was in this moment I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her because no one had loved me like this before.' The pair exchanged vows on Deidre's 30th birthday on February 25, 2021 during lockdown - with the couple holding a small ceremony in their Berlin flat with three friends, one of whom officiated. Speaking to FEMAIL, Chiderah said: 'I knew I loved Deidre when we first moved to Berlin. Everything was just so magical and fell into place so beautifully'. Pictured, the couple together 'We had homemade cheesecake and smiled for Polaroid photos amid pink and silver balloons and decorations. We exchanged rings and vows,' recalled Deidre. She added: 'We are in the process of filing paperwork to be legally married and are figuring out the local bureaucracy as we are newcomers to Germany.' While the pair admit they've had some negative reactions to sharing their story online, their friends and family are fully supportive of their decision to marry. Deidre said: 'They want us to be happy most of all, no matter what that means. There's been the odd naysayer online but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. 'Our story has sparked conversations and galvanised people to re-imagine relationships. So often, romance is made the hallmark of a loving relationship when it could actually be emotional support and care-giving.' For the future, Chiderah and Deidre had considered starting a family together, and recently welcomed a second dog into their brood. Chiderah said: 'We've discussed co-parenting in the future, maybe even with friends, because we believe it takes a village to raise a family.' Shanghai (Gasgoo)- German auto parts manufacturer Continental AG announced on April 23 it has signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Chinese AI chip designer Horizon Robotics to build a joint venture dedicated to intelligent driving business. Continental AG, Horizon Robotics signing MoU; photo credit: Continental AG Under the MoU, both parties will fully leverage their advantages in product quality management, supply chain, AI chips and algorithm to provide advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and autonomous driving software & hardware system solutions for global automakers including Chinas local carmakers. Prior to the latest building of the tie-up, Continental AG and Horizon Robotics also inked a MoU at the Auto China 2020 held in last September. Under the earlier agreement, both parties agreed to carry out in-depth cooperation in high-level ADAS and driving automation with China as the core market. Horizon Robotics would make use of its core competency in automotive-grade AI processors and AI algorithms to assist Continental AG with the development of innovative and industry-leading intelligent driving solutions, contributing to the innovative breakthrough for global automotive industry and embracing the era of smart vehicles. Combining Continental AG's powerful strengths in product quality management, supply chain technology innovation and R&D with our automotive-grade AI chips of Journey series and perception algorithm related to ADAS, both of which have sailed through the validation for mass production, we will be able to provide better intelligent driving products for China and global auto markets, and introduce more factory-installed products into more production models, contributing to a faster advent of auto intelligence era, said Zhang Yufeng, vice president and general manager of intelligent driving product line of Horizon Robotics. PORTLAND, Ore., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Personal Cloud Market by Revenue Type (Direct and Indirect), Hosting Type (Service Providers and Consumers), and End user (Individuals and Enterprises): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027". According to the report, the global private cloud market was pegged at $26.80 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $161.39 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 24.6% from 2020 to 2027. Download Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/246 Major drivers of the market growth Increased in demand for fast and real time access to diversified data, surge in need for disaster recovery, and growing trends of BYOD and mobile workforce trends have boosted the growth of the personal cloud market. However, data security and privacy issues hamper the market. On the contrary, bridging the connectivity and accessibility gap in developing economies would open new opportunities in the coming future. Direct revenue segment dominated the market By revenue type, the direct segment held the largest share in the 2018, accounted for more than two-thirds of the personal cloud market in 2019, owing to a shift from web-based services to application platforms. However, the indirect segment is projected to register the highest CAGR of 25.6% during the forecast period of the global private cloud market. This is due to decreasing price of storage platforms and need of leading companies to increase their customer base. Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Personal Cloud Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/246?reqfor=covid Individual segment to manifest highest CAGR through 2027 The individual segment is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 27.1% during the forecast period of the global private cloud market, owing to the massive increase in user-generated content requiring storage. However, the enterprises segment held the largest share in 2019, accounting for more than half of the personal cloud market in 2019. Enterprises used to store data onto servers, which is now turning out to be insufficient owing to the rapidly growing volume of digital files. North America held the lion's share The personal cloud market across North America held the largest share in 2019, accounting for more than one-third of the market, owing to the majority of leading technology giants such as Apple and Google are heavily investing in developing personal cloud solutions in this region. However, the global private cloud market across Asia-Pacific is anticipated to portray the highest CAGR of 27.0% during the forecast period, due to growing adoption of mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops along with awareness regarding personal cloud services. For Purchase Inquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/246 Major market players Apple Inc. Microsoft Corporation Google Inc. Dropbox Inc. Amazon Web Services Inc. Copy (Barracuda Networks Inc.) Egnyte Inc. Box Inc. SpiderOak Buffalo Inc Official Press Release: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/personal-cloud.html Similar Research Reports for Information, Communication and Technology: Email Encryption Market Expected to Reach $3,186 Million, Globally, by 2023 Neural Network Market worth $38,719 Million Globally by 2023 Security Information& Event Management Market to Reach $3,720 Million Globally by 2023 Application Container Market Predicted to Reach $8,202 Million by 2025 Network Traffic Analytics Market Expected to Reach $3.11 Billion by 2026 Function-as-a-Service Market Expected to Reach $24,007.00 Million by 2026 AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model): AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. Moreover, users can get an online access to quantitative and qualitative data in PDF and Excel formats along with analyst support, customization, and updated versions of reports. Get an access to the library of reports at any time from any device and anywhere. For more details, follow the link: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access About Allied Market Research: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domains. AMR offers its services across 11 industry verticals including Life Sciences, Consumer Goods, Materials & Chemicals, Construction & Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Power, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, ICT & Media, Aerospace & Defense, and BFSI. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on: LinkedIn Twitter SOURCE Allied Market Research Elevator maintenance men returning to work after a month-long break for Chinese New Year made a horrific discovery last week when they opened the cab of a broken lift and found the body of a woman who had been trapped inside since late January and starved to death. The gruesome incident in the western city of Xian, renowned as the home of Chinas Terra Cotta Warriors, has sparked outrage over the apparent negligence of the elevator repair company and the buildings management office. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The property managers told the Beijing Youth Daily that the elevator cab was returned to the first floor and taken out of service after workers had confirmed that no one was inside. But police investigators said workers simply shouted to check whether anyone was inside and did not open the cab to perform a visual inspection, the news magazine Caixin reported. Advertisement Authorities said the case involved gross negligence on the part of the elevator maintenance company and at least one responsible person has been detained in connection with the investigation, according to the magazine. The case has been classified as a negligent homicide. The apartment complex in Xian, China, where a woman was trapped in an elevator for a month and died of starvation. (Sohu News) The victim, believed to be in her late thirties or early forties, was identified only by her surname, Wu. Investigators said that when her corpse was found, her hands were mangled apparently due to her attempts to pry open the cab doors. Although a month-long wait to repair an elevator seems unusual even by Chinese standards, many businesses and services grind to a halt during the new year holiday. Although the official break lasts only about a week, many workers take time off before and after the holiday, causing serious disruption to many commercial services. The Xian case revived memories of a tragic escalator death last summer also related to maintenance issues. In that case, a 30-year-old woman in the central Chinese city of Jingzhou, 130 miles west of Wuhan in Hubei province, was eaten alive when she stepped onto a loose metal plate at the top of an escalator in a shopping mall. The plate collapsed and the woman was pulled into the gears; she managed to shove her small child to safety at the last minute. But questions remained over how the woman in the elevator could have remained trapped for so long with neither her neighbors or her family realizing it. Local media reports portrayed the victim as mentally ill and said that her family believed she had just gotten lost somewhere. They had reported her missing but did not take further steps to determine her whereabouts. A resident of the apartment complex, surnamed Ding, told Sohu News that the building management service was poor and routinely ignored residents complaints about the frequently broken elevators and other matters. Theres now a shadow across my heart. Its scary, and it gives me shivers to pass by that part of the building, the resident said. To think of this happening in ones own building. Advertisement After the womans body was discovered, residents staged a protest against the building management. Caixin said that local officials were taking steps to replace the building management. Yingzhi Yang in the Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report. Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China ALSO Advertisement Knife discovery stirs up speculation in O.J. Simpson case UC Davis chancellor apologizes for controversial moonlighting activities UFC 196 results: Diaz upsets McGregor; Tate takes title from Holm BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and DALLAS, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC), a national leader in post-acute care, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the home health and hospice assets of Frontier Home Health and Hospice in Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to certain customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. At closing, nine home health and 11 hospice locations will become part of an Encompass Health national network of more than 340 home health and hospice locations. These Frontier locations generated revenues of approximately $36 million in 2020. Encompass Health expects to fund the transaction with cash on hand and borrowings under its revolving credit facility. In addition to being the largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, Encompass Health is the fourth largest provider of Medicare-certified skilled home health services in the country and one of the 10 largest hospice providers in the country. This agreement allows the Company to serve new markets in Alaska, Montana and Washington, and expand its existing presence in Colorado and Wyoming. "At Encompass Health, our focus remains on aligning with high-quality healthcare providers to best serve patients across the country. Frontier Home Health and Hospice has a proven track record of success in its growth and patient outcomes and is an exceptional fit for our network," said Mark Tarr, president and CEO of Encompass Health. "We look forward to welcoming Frontier's 375 employees to our organization." "Since our founding in 2008, employees of Frontier Home Health and Hospice have provided compassionate, quality care in the markets we serve," said George Mandes, founder and president of Frontier Home Health and Hospice. "We know we have found the best organization in Encompass Health to build on our legacy as they are widely known as the industry leader in home health and hospice with their commitment to employees and patient care." About Frontier Home Health and Hospice Frontier Home Health and Hospice was founded in 2008 to provide home health and hospice services in Montana and has expanded to include locations in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming, both as company locations and joint ventures with hospital systems. For more information, please visit www.frontierhhh.com. 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 139 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, Instagram and Facebook. Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts, such as those relating to the likelihood, timing and effects of the completion of the Frontier Home Health and Hospice acquisition, are forward-looking statements. In addition, Encompass Health 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 are necessarily estimates based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Encompass Health's actual results or events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, any adverse outcome of various lawsuits, claims, and legal or regulatory proceedings that may be brought by or against the Company; the possibility this project will experience unexpected delays, including in connection with the regulatory review and approval process; the continued spread of COVID-19, including the speed, depth, geographic reach and duration of the spread; the actions to be taken by Encompass Health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the ability to successfully complete and integrate this project consistent with Encompass Health's growth strategy, including realization of anticipated revenues, cost savings, and productivity improvements arising from the related operations and avoidance of unforeseen exposure to liabilities; changes in the regulation of the healthcare industry at either or both of the federal and state levels; competitive pressures in the healthcare industry and Encompass Health's response thereto; each hospital's ability to maintain proper local, state and federal licensing; potential disruptions, breaches, or other incidents affecting the proper operation, availability, or security of Encompass Health's information systems; Encompass Health's ability to attract and retain nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals in a highly competitive environment with often severe staffing shortages and the impact on Encompass Health's labor expenses from potential union activity and staffing shortages; changes, delays in (including in connection with resolution of Medicare payment reviews or appeals), or suspension of reimbursement for Encompass Health's services by governmental or private payors; general conditions in the economy and capital markets; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in Encompass Health's SEC filings and other public announcements, including Encompass Health's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, when filed. Media Contact Hillary Carnel | 205 970-5912 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact Crissy Carlisle | 205 970-5860 [email protected] SOURCE Encompass Health Corp. Related Links http://www.encompasshealth.com This story has been updated. Several weeks after the Easter break and the lifting of Alabamas statewide mask mandate, more Alabama school districts have made face coverings optional. Read more: List of school mask plans throughout Alabama Shelby County students and staff now have to option to keep masks on in classrooms or during school activities. Washington County and Pell City have ended the mandate in the past week. Superintendent Lisa Connell announces today that masks are no longer required in any Washington County School beginning... Posted by Washington County Schools on Friday, April 23, 2021 St. Clair County schools have said they plan to stop asking students and staff to mask at the end of the month, but will still ask visitors to wear face coverings. Others, like Jasper City, will continue to wear masks inside but will relax rules for outside activities. This message is for all staff, parents, and students of the St. Clair County School System. As you are aware, Governor... Posted by St. Clair County Schools on Monday, April 5, 2021 Eufala City had planned to end its mask rules, but Superintendent Joey Brannan said in a message last week that all employees and students in grades 2-12 would be required to keep masks on while in school buildings and on school buses. We are fortunate we have not had a COVID-19 outbreak following Easter/spring break. However, we do want to finish the school year strong and feel this continuation will help ensure a strong finish, Brannan wrote. According to public statements, about 30 school districts have said they plan to keep masks through the rest of the school year. The Alabama Department of Public Health still encourages mask-wearing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends them as one of the layers of prevention needed to stop the spread of coronavirus in school settings. The ADPH schools COVID-19 tracker reported a slight uptick in cases in school settings in the past week. Schools reported 360 cases against 334 in the previous week, though many districts did not report numbers at all. Former Secretary of State John Kerry has denied he told Iran's top foreign minister about secret attacks by Israel on Iran's interests in Syria. 'I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false,' Kerry, who is currently President Biden's special envoy on climate change, tweeted on Monday. 'This never happened - either when I was Secretary of State or since.' A leaked recording of Iran's foreign minister featured Iranian diplomat Javad Zarif claiming that Kerry told him Israel had attacked Iranian proxies in Syria while serving as Barack Obama's Secretary of State, a role he held between 2013 and 2017. Kerry himself does not appear in the recording, and Israeli officials have themselves previously shared details of some of their attacks on Syria. The information about the former top US diplomat comes amid in an explosive leak where Zarif complained about the late Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qassim Soleimani. The tape surfaced on Sunday, providing indications of a pronounced rift within the Iranian regime while showcasing Iran's top diplomatic speaking to his own ineffectiveness in contending with powerful internal forces. Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif describes former Secretary of State John Kerry telling him that Israel launched 200 attacks on Iranian forces in Syria in comments picked up in a leaked recording. Zarif (left) and Kerry (right) are seen above in New York in this 2016 file photo A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on April 24, 2021, shows smoke billowing from a tanker off the coast of the western Syrian city of Baniyas. An Iranian tanker was attacked off the Syrian coast, sparking a fire, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, while state news agency SANA quoted the oil ministry as saying the fire erupted after 'what was believed to be an attack by a drone from the direction of Lebanese waters' An Israeli soldier runs past a mobile artillery cannon at a position near Moshav Sha'al in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on April 22, 2021 The account of Kerry's comment appeared in the New York Times and other outlets Monday. 'Former Secretary of State John Kerry informed him that Israel had attacked Iranian interests in Syria at least 200 times, to his astonishment, Mr. Zarif said,' according to the Times. The recording has Zarif saying: 'It was former US Foreign Secretary John Kerry who told me Israel had launched more than 200 attacks on Iranian forces in Syria.' That drew immediate pushback from conservative supporters of Israel. Noah Pollak of the Democratic Alliance Group tweeted: 'John Kerry was ratting out Israeli covert operations in Syria directly to the Iranian foreign minister. Let that sink in. Wow.' Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as ex-President Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, is also an ardent supporter of Israel. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as ex-President Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, is also an ardent supporter of Israel. She tweeted: 'This is disgusting on many levels. Biden and Kerry have to answer for why Kerry would be tipping off Iran, the number one sponsor of terror, while stabbing one of our greatest partners, Israel, in the back.' But complicating the picture are numerous public claims by the Israelis about attacking Hezbollah forces in Syria dating to 2013 something Zarif wouldn't need the top U.S. diplomat to inform him about She tweeted: 'This is disgusting on many levels. Biden and Kerry have to answer for why Kerry would be tipping off Iran, the number one sponsor of terror, while stabbing one of our greatest partners, Israel, in the back.' But complicating the picture are numerous public claims by the Israelis about attacking Hezbollah forces in Syria dating to 2013 something Zarif wouldn't need the top U.S. diplomat to inform him about. Israel also said it launched an attack in Syria last week following a Syrian missile attack. Israeli soldiers search for debris after a missile launched from Syria landed near the Dimona nuclear site in Israel's southern Negev desert, on April 22, 2021. Multiple defense batteries in Syria were struck by Israeli forces, the military said, after a missile targeted a village near a secretive nuclear site in southern Israel The White House declined to comment when asked about the potentially explosive information. 'We're not going to comment on leaked tapes,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at Monday's press briefing. Former special Iran advisor for the State Department Gabriel Noronha said in a statement reported by Fox News: 'The main reason Zarif has survived as Foreign Minister for eight years in Iran's cutthroat political environment is that he serves as the 'reasonable' storefront to the world, protecting the more empowered radical elements of the regime from Western and press scrutiny.' 'I think the leak was likely instigated by regime insiders who have long hated Zarif and tried to oust him they oppose current efforts to rejoin the [Iran nuclear deal and also want to bolster domestic opposition to President Rouhani and his allies running for office in June.' Noronha was fired from his State Department political post in the Trump administration after tweeting on Jan. 6th that former President Donald Trump 'fomented an insurrectionist mob that attacked the Capitol today. He continues to take every opportunity to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power, Israel under the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has balked at the Iran nuclear deal hammered out during the Obama administration, in part by Kerry and Zarif. Israel is believed to be behind attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, although it did not comment on the latest explosion at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Mohammad Javad Zarif complained in the leaked recording that the late Revolutionary Guards commander Qassim Soleimani forced Tehran to send troops to Syria at Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence. Zarif said he had 'zero' influence over Iran's foreign policy while Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq last year, exerted his power to fulfil his military demands at the expense of diplomacy. 'I have never been able to tell a military commander to do something in order to aid diplomacy,' Zarif said in the tape, aired by the London-based Iran International Persian-language satellite news channel late on Sunday. In the three-hour leaked recording, the foreign minister criticises Soleimani for effectively being a pawn for Putin after the commander deployed Iranian ground forces to Syria and allowed Russia's warplanes to fly over Iran to attack Syria. Russia had wanted the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the ground to help Moscow's air campaign in support of the Syrian government. 'He (Soleimani) asked me to make this or that concession or point almost every time I went to negotiate (with world powers),' Zarif said in the recording. Iran's foreign minister has complained in a leaked recording that the late Revolutionary Guards commander Qassim Soleimani (centre in 2016) forced Tehran to send troops to Syria at Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence Mohammad Javad Zarif said he had 'zero' influence over Iran's foreign policy while Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq last year, exerted his power to fulfill his military demands at the expense of diplomacy In the interview, Zarif added that Soleimani refused to stop using the state-owned national carrier Iran Air for Syrian operations despite his objections. He said the aircraft was sometimes used without the government's knowledge. This admission confirms reports that Iran's civilian aircraft was used to deploy military and personnel to Syria. 'The (military) field's success was more important than diplomacy's success. I was negotiating for the (military) field's success,' Zarif said. 'I have sacrificed diplomacy for the battlefield more than the price that (those on) the battlefield (led by Soleimani)... paid and sacrificed for diplomacy.' In the leaked taped, he also hinted that Soleimani tried to spoil Iran's 2015 nuclear deal by colluding with Russia. He claims that the Revolutionary Guards had written 'Israel should be wiped off the Earth' in Hebrew in an effort to ruin the deal. Zarif added that Iran gave up much of what it 'could have achieved from the nuclear deal' for the sake of advancement on the battlefield. His comments come as talks are underway in Vienna aimed at finding a way for Tehran to return to the nuclear deal with the U.S. and other Western powers. In the three-hour leaked recording, the foreign minister criticises Soleimani for effectively being a pawn for Putin after the commander deployed Iranian ground forces to Syria and allowed Russia's warplanes to fly over Iran to attack Syria How US drone took out top Iranian general MQ-9 Reaper drone is seen in a file photo On January 3, 2020, an MQ-9 Reaper rained four Hellfire missiles on Soleimani's convoy at Baghdad International Airport. The head of the elite Quds Force, Soleimani was considered the second most powerful person of Iran, subordinate only to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. US officials believed Soleimani was the mastermind of attacks on American personnel in Iraq, and claimed he was plotting an imminent strike against the embassy there. The assassination of Soleimani was reportedly presented to Trump as the 'most extreme option' on a menu of responses to embassy attacks. Advertisement Leader of the Guards' clandestine overseas Quds Force, Soleimani was a pivotal figure who built up Iran's network of proxy armies across the Middle East before he was killed by the U.S. in a drone strike last year - an attack which at the time brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. Iran retaliated with a rocket attack on an Iraqi air base where U.S. forces were stationed. Hours later, Iranian forces shot down a Ukrainian passenger airliner taking off from Tehran. Days later, Iran's Guards admitted that the plane had been shot 'mistakenly'. 'I said (at the Supreme National Security meeting) that the world is saying the plane was hit with missiles. If the plane was really hit with missiles, tell us so we can see how we can fix it,' Zarif said in the recording. 'They told me: 'No, go, go tweet and deny it'.' Throughout the recording, Zarif offered a blunt appraisal of diplomacy and the limits of power within the Islamic Republic, providing a rare look inside the country's theocracy. He complained that the Revolutionary Guards and its commander had more influence in foreign affairs and the country's nuclear dossier than him, in remarks that shine a light on ties between the government and the powerful force. In the interview, Zarif repeated an earlier claim by officials around President Rouhani that they had not been told by the Revolutionary Guard that it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner in January 2020, killing all 176 people on board. Zarif describes Russia as wanting to stop the nuclear deal, something apparently so sensitive that he warns the interviewer: 'You definitely can never release this part.' Russia had a frosty relationship with then-President Barack Obama, whose administration secured the deal with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Russia and Iran also at times have strained relations, despite being battlefield allies in Syria. 'If Iran hadn't become Mr. (Donald) Trump's priority, China and Russia would have become his priority,' Zarif said. 'If, because of hostility with the West, we always need Russia and China, they don't have to compete with anyone, and also they can always enjoy maximum benefits through us.' Both China and Russia have been vocal proponents of returning to the nuclear deal. Their missions in Vienna did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Despite his criticism, Zarif acknowledged Soleimani's importance in Iran. 'I believe that the U.S. by hitting Martyr Soleimani dealt a blow to Iran that would not have been as bad even if they had hit one of our towns,' he said. A photo shows burning wreckage of the US airstrike on two cars at Baghdad International Airport that killed Soleimani and other top Iranian military officials last year Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who pushed the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Iran, later linked to a story about the leaked tapes on Twitter. He described it as an 'exquisite strike' that 'had a massive impact on Iran and the Middle East.' 'You don't have to take my word for it,' Pompeo wrote. The release of his comments set off a firestorm within Iran, where officials carefully mind their words amid a cut-throat political environment that includes the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The conservative Fars news agency criticized Zarif for presenting himself during the conversation as 'a symbol of diplomacy', contrasting with Soleimani as a symbol of the 'battlefield'. The Fars agency quoted lawmaker Nasrollah Pejmanfar, who demanded 'explanations' from the foreign ministry for the remarks. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the airstrike as an 'exquisite strike' that 'had a massive impact on Iran and the Middle East' 'Mr. Zarif calls into question subjects appearing among the red lines of the Islamic republic,' Pejmanfar said. Relations between pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani's government and the Guards are important because the influence of the hardline paramilitary force is so great that it can disrupt any rapprochement with the West if it feels this would endanger its economic and political interests. Without disputing the audio's authenticity, the foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday said that the news channel only published excerpts of the seven-hour interview with the foreign minister. Khatibzadeh called the release of the recording 'illegal' and described it as 'selectively' edited, though he and others did not offer opinions on how it became public. Zarif, visiting Iraq on Monday after a trip to Qatar, took no questions from journalists after giving a brief statement in Baghdad. Although Zarif said he had no intention of running in Iran's June 18 presidential election, some critics said Zarif's comments were aimed at gaining votes from Iranians disillusioned by a stalled economy and lack of political and social freedoms. His name has been suggested by prominent moderates as a possible candidate for the election, in which several prominent commanders of the Guards are also running for the top executive post. Outside of Iran, Zarif's comments could also affect talks in Vienna aimed at finding a way for Tehran and the U.S. to both come into compliance with Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Already, sabotage targeted Iran's nuclear facility at Natanz during the talks as Tehran has begun enriching a small amount of uranium up to 60 per cent purity, which edges the country closer to weapons-grade levels. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was set up after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shi'ite clerical ruling system and revolutionary values. It answers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The integration brings the stickiness and high adoption of social communication to the world of employee training, making it simple, engaging, and effective TEL AVIV, Israel, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bites, the new viral solution for creating, sharing and managing professional content with frontline and deskless employees, today announced a native integration with Microsoft Teams. Bites gives small, medium and enterprise businesses the ability to easily create highly effective professional content, share that content with their employees through the communication channels they are already on and monitor usage to help employees meet their full potential while reaching their business objectives. With 80% of the global workforce on the frontline (2.7 billion employees), companies today are recognizing the importance of engaging these remote and deskless employees. However, studies show that these employees rank among the lowest motivated of all employee types. Despite attempts to solve this problem with learning management systems, 87% of businesses continue to cite employee engagement as their top concern. With customers including HP, Unilever, H&M and Intercontinental, Bites is rethinking the ways in which companies engage with the needs of the modern employee with short attention spans, high engagement with social media platforms, preferred use of instant messaging apps for work-related communication, and a desire to give feedback. With minimal set-up, seamless integration and an easy-to-use content creation tool, companies can create unique and interactive content assets that can be distributed natively through the Teams interface. With completion rates of more than 90%, distributing and sharing professional content has never been as effective and addictive. "Bites is shattering the paradigm of how we think about professional onboarding and training. We were already seeing fewer and fewer employees engaging face to face and Covid-19 has only heightened the need for a real alternative. It's become imperative that we meet our employees on the platforms they already feel comfortable using, including Microsoft Teams," said Eran Heffetz, Bites Co-Founder and CEO. "As our primary brand ambassadors, whether they are doctors, salespeople, logistic teams or any other employees, we need to ensure they are performing at their best at any given moment." "Our customers rely on Microsoft Teams to communicate and get work done - even more so with the recent shift to remote work," said Daniel Canning, director, Microsoft Teams Platform. "With Bites' integration for Teams, companies can create professional content and distribute it to their employees while helping their teams stay engaged and productive." To find out how Bites can enhance your workflow with frontline employees check out their website: www.mybites.io Get the Teams app Contact Info Michal Wachstock , VP Marketing Bites , VP Marketing Bites [email protected] +972-54-300-0807 SOURCE Bites ADVERTISEMENT Commuters plying the Iyana-Iba axis of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway scampered to safety Monday when commercial motorcyclists clashed with the National Union of Road Transport Workers. For over an hour, the motorcyclists (popularly known as Okada) blocked the expressway with burning tyres while wielding sticks and machetes to attack defiant drivers. Many of the commuters resorted to trekking while shop owners who had previously opened for business had to shut down and run for safety. Witnesses said the fracas began after the NURTW increased the levies of Okada riders in the area, a move the commercial motorcyclists kicked against. One motorcyclist was allegedly killed in the ensuing violence. Some commercial buses, who defied the barricades, had their wind screen broken, while others turned back to take another route, this reporter observed. Police restore peace Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Lagos police spokesperson, in a statement, said the state police commissioner in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, has deployed additional police officers to restore peace at the Iyana-Iba/Alabarago axis. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu has ordered for immediate additional police personnel to the area to maintain law and order as he also directed the Area Commander, Area E Festac, to monitor the situation and invite the leaders of the affected Okada riders unit for an urgent meeting, he said. Mr Adejobi, who described the disagreement as a mere conflict, said it ensued as a result of the increment in tariff and ticketing. He debunked claims making rounds on the social media that the clash was between two ethnic groups. The command wishes to debunk the rumour that the disagreement not violence as being peddled in social media, was between some ethnic groups, he said. The command therefore enjoins members of the public , especially those around the areas including the students of the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, to go about their lawful business and studies respectively, as adequate deployment has been done to fortify security in the axis and by extension, in Lagos State in general, Mr Adejobi said. Vice President Kamala Harris told Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei Monday that the U.S. is planning to increase relief to the Northern Triangle region and 'strengthen our cooperation' to better manage the steep increase in migration at the U.S. southern border. She spoke to him about what she said were 'root causes' of the immigration surge. 'The people of Guatemala have been suffering greatly because of the recent hurricanes, the persistent drought and of course the damage from covid-19,' Harris told him. 'And as we have discussed, these are the acute factors that in many ways are causing people to live their homes despite the fact that they would probably prefer to stay. There are also long-standing issues that are often called the root causes of immigration,' she added. Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei, seen on screen at left, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, where they discussed addressing the border crisis She named such issues as poverty, the lack of economic opportunity, extreme weather, corruption, and 'violence against women, indigenous people, LBGTQ people and Afro-descendants.' Harris made the comments during a virtual meeting with the president that marked a ramping up of her diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration from the region, a role she was given by President Joe Biden last month. Harris will also meet with Guatemalan community-based organizations Tuesday, and she has plans to hold a similar virtual meeting with the Mexican president next month, before heading to visit Mexico and Guatemala in June. Harris named such issues as poverty, the lack of economic opportunity, extreme weather, corruption, and 'violence against women, indigenous people, LBGTQ people and Afro-descendants' as contributing to migration. Here Harris attends a rural broadband listening session at the New Hampshire Electric Co-Op (NHEC), in Plymouth, N.H., Friday Mandatory Credit: Photo by Allison Dinner/ZUMA Wire/REX (11873436a) Asylum seeking migrants surrender to United States Border Patrol at the US Border Wall with Mexico in Yuma. U.S. Mexico Border Wall In Yuma, Arizona The new role has offered Harris both a high-profile challenge to take on and sparked increased criticism from Republicans, who have questioned why neither she nor the president have made a trip down to the border to review the situation there. Harris' talk with the Guatemalan leader comes after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki continued that walk back on the vice president's role, claiming that Harris' focus is on 'diplomacy' in the region. 'Her focus is not on 'the border,' Psaki said during her briefing Monday. 'It's on addressing the root causes in the Northern Triangle.' The Border Patrol picked up a record number of unaccompanied children attempting to cross the border in March, and the influx of migrants has put a strain on the federal departments tasked with detaining, housing and processing those migrants. In her new role, Harris has thus far called both Giammattei and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the phone, and held a number of listening sessions with experts and advocates from the region. In her opening remarks during the Monday meeting, she spoke about what she described as the 'acute causes' of the spike in migration - hurricanes that battered the region last fall, a persistent drought and the COVID-19 pandemic - as well as 'root causes,' like the lack of economic opportunity in the region, extreme weather conditions and government corruption. 'We want to work with you to address both the acute causes as well as the root causes, in a way that will bring hope to the people of Guatemala that there will be an opportunity for them if they stay at home,' Harris said. She promised an increase in aid to countries in the region and efforts to better cooperate to 'manage migration in an effective, secure and humane manner.' Her comments come the same day the Biden administration announced sanctions against one current and one former Guatemalan government official for corruption. In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said 'these sanctions support efforts by the people of Guatemala to end the scourge of corruption, as part of the US governments commitment to support improvements in governance in Guatemala.' Neither Harris nor President Giammattei referenced the sanctions in their opening statements, however. Giammattei told Harris that his country's government would like to be a 'partner' to the U.S. to address 'not only poverty, but so many evils that affect us.' Between now and their meeting in June, Giammattei said the two should create a 'roadmap' between their two governments toward an agreement 'to ensure peace, progress and development, and also so that we can secure the cooperation that we need from you.' While Republicans have been quick to hammer Harris as absent on the migration issue, immigration experts and advocates say its too early to evaluate her work. 'We havent seen any concrete initiatives or efforts yet,' said Theresa Brown, managing director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. 'Foreign policy takes some time, and it sounds like they're just figuring out what they want from these countries thats different than the last administration, and understanding the challenges and realities of the region down there.' Dan Restrepo, a senior fellow and expert on immigration at the Center for American Progress, said Harris being assigned the issue is significant because it sends the message to both other high-ranking officials in the administration and key figures in the region that 'this is a high priority issue for the White House.' Restrepo, who has briefed Harris on the issue in private meetings, said he was heartened in particular by the vice president's plans to meet with Guatemalan community-based organizations. 'The deliberate engagement and lifting up of civil society is a really encouraging early sign that the vice president and her team understand what its going to take to move the needle on this issue,' he said. But Brown emphasized that while Harris may be able to secure some initial agreements for greater cooperation with regional partners and aid for the region, it may take time to be able to tell whether she's achieved the goal of reducing migration to the border and addressing its root causes. 'Youre not going to change the circumstances on the ground there quickly, because they are circumstances that have been developing for years if not decades, and are exacerbated by recent events such as coronavirus,' she said. Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) The Chairman of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas, Dr Steve Manteaw, has called for the transformation of the countrys legal regime to give independence to state accountability institutions to enable them to function effectively. That, he said, would help in the fight against corruption, especially in the extractive sector, such as the mining industry. If we really want to fight corruption in the sector, we should think of legal arrangements that provide independence for people appointed to head state accountability institutions in the country, to the extent that the President could even be a subject of investigations by these agencies, he said. Dr Manteaw made the call in a presentation at a stakeholder meeting on the extractive industry organised by the STAR- Ghana Foundation. Event The meeting, which took place in Accra last Thursday, was attended by stakeholders in the extractive sector, including CSOs, members of academia and the media, to discuss pertinent issues and the outcome of research findings in the sector. They also made presentations on topics such as: Political economy analysis of contracting decisions and contracting outcomes in Ghanas upstream oil and gas industry and The role of CSOs and the media in the fight against extractive sector corruption. AGYAPA Dr Manteaw, who made a presentation on The political economy analysis of Agyapa transaction, said the deal was opaque and did not represent the best interest of the public, and that despite that fact, state accountability institutions, such as the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), were yet to conduct investigations into the deal. According to him, the heads of those institutions were all appointees of the President and, therefore, risked being removed from office if they took bold decisions to investigate such matters, adding that that raised critical questions about the effectiveness of checks and balance. However, he said by virtue of the independency granted to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), it was able to intervene in the Agyapa deal that led to public resistance to the deal. The chairman said if the government intended to bring the bill back to Parliament for consideration, then there was the need to ensure comprehensive consultation with CSOs and other stakeholders to ensure that it was done in the best interest of the people. Media specialisation One of the researchers, Mr Gideon Peasah, underscored the need for journalists to specialise in the extractive sector, since it required expert knowledge to enable them to report on it effectively. He also entreated them to engage CSOs in their public sensitisation programmes to ensure good governance practices. 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 The Oscars purpose is twofold: to celebrate the years movies and the movies, writ large. Resources and attention are largely expended on the first: on promoting the annual crop of nominees, their narratives, the jockeying between them, and what various victories might reflect and portend for the industry and culture more largely. But as inescapable as much of this is, its just the near plotone wave crashing ashore. And while no wave is the samesome are stronger, some are weaker, some knock down sandcastlesfor the Academy Awards and Hollywood, the more important thing is that next year, theres another wave coming. Thats the deep plot, the endless recurrence, the annual opportunity the telecast gives the movie business make the case that the movies are special. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The near plot and the deep plot can seamlessly coexist. Typically, the Oscars honor specific actors and films while also showcasing the most glamorous celebrities and the swankiest clothes, pattering about how the movies bring us together, and airing montages culled from decades of cinema. In more recent years, though, they have sometimes been riven by a tension, primarily about issues of representation. When a movie like Green Book wins Best Picture, the near plot tarnishes the deep plot. How good can the movies be if they dont include, recognize, and honor people of color? Whos this ocean for, if only white people feel good there? It was a lovely idea, and it felt like watching radio. Still, in the way that waves crashing ashore can change the shape of a rock, the Oscars have strived to address these issues. In a normal year, this ongoing change would have been the focus of the 2021 Oscars. The show had a number of heartfelt speeches and historic winsincluding Nomadlands Chloe Zhao, who became the first woman of color to win Best Directorand began with Regina King strutting into Los Angeles Union Station, and upon taking the stage, swiftly remarking, If things had gone differently in Minneapolis, I might have traded in my heels for marching boots. But its not a normal year. Instead, its the year no one went to the movies except via on-demand and streaming platforms. Many of the films found there were very good, and the years nominees reflected that. The near plot is in good, if underwatched shape. But the deep plotits a shambles. Advertisement Advertisement Another telecast would have panicked about this. Whats the Oscars supposed to look like in a year when few people watched most of the nominated films, and the ones who did watched them the same way they watch television? Nomadland might be the only Best Picture winner ever to have its star say, upon accepting the award, Please watch our movie. But this telecast, produced by, among others, Steven Soderbergh, who has long had ambitions to scale the show back and turn it into an intimate happening, decided to play it coolmaybe a little too cool. Up until its last moments, the show seemed to take it as a given that this was an unusual year, and no bells and whistles would make it otherwise, so better not to try. Advertisement Thinking about the panicked, sweaty, We swear the movies and the movie business are in great shape and that the movies unite us like nothing else!!! Oscars that could have been, makes me feel warmly about the show I saw, but I still could have used a bit of showmanshipyou know, the stuff you expect from the movies. The telecast started strong, with King walking into the theater to the Oscars own Oceans 11style opening credits. But after those first moments, the show narrowed visually. Instead of mixing things up, presenting information in creative ways, or even consistently showing clips of the performances in question, the presenters delivered dense fun facts about all of the nominees. It was a lovely idea, and it felt like watching radio. Advertisement Advertisement The whole show was pared way down, and only some of that was due to COVID restrictions. It did away with just about every typical Oscar bitopening jokey monologue, jokes of any kind, presenter introductions, songs, sketches, montages, and even clips from the moviesand instead embraced off-center camera shots (a strategy thats usually deployed in film to make you feel uneasy) and letting the winners speak for as long as they would like. This paid off very quickly, when Daniel Kaluuya made his way to the observation that his parents had sex, and isnt life just amazing? Thats the kind of thoughtand GIFyou dont get to when youre being played off by the orchestra. Advertisement Sign up for the Slate Culture Newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Still, the near and the deep plot dueled. The presenters shared their early experiences with film; the fun facts about the nominees often included early influences as well. This was the auditory equivalent of the movie montage: See how the movies stick with us? The telecast was also remarkably free of talk about movie theaters (give or take a Frances McDormand plug). A cynical person might note that the future is here and it looks like streaming. Its happened so fast that now that is the business of movies, and talking up the old businesstheatrical releasesis merely biting Netflixs hand. But a less cynical person might think that this telecast was uniquely uninterested in the business sidein blockbusters and telecast ratingsand primarily interested in the movies and the people who dont have to be convinced to love them. Advertisement Almost three hours in, the whole thing was looking pretty high-minded, if nothing else. And then: late-breaking showmanship. It started with a round of music trivia with 20 minutes left in the showvery late for the first bit of the night. That went over pretty well, ending with Glenn Close shaking her rump. (The apparently impromptu bit was scripted, of course, but Close isnt an eight-time nominee for nothing.) This led directly to an In Memoriam that played with crude, rude speed, flashing by as if it were on fast-forward, and that was then followed by a switcheroo: Best Picture would be handed out before Best Actor and Best Actress. Despite making very little concessions all night long to the underwatched nominees, the thinking seemed to be that Nomadlands likely victory wasnt all that exciting. So theyd get it over with, and hope to end the show on Chadwick Boseman posthumously winning Best Actor, and his widow closing the night. Instead, Anthony Hopkins won, and he wasnt even there to accept. After all that intimate, cozy, movie love, the night ended on a very loud Pffffft. Read more in Slate about the Oscars. A message from Slate culture editor Forrest Wickman: In my decade at Slate, Ive worked on everything from investigating how wearing your backpack with two straps became cooler than wearing it with one strap to adapting The Great Gatsby as a video game to inventing a highly scientific systemic for determining whether new movies are too scary for you. The support of Slate Plus members has allowed us to continue to do the kind of ambitious, irreverent, and service-y cultural coverage you wont find anywhere else. Thank you! Pharmaceutical giants are growing fat on vaccines the world desperately needs The shareholder meetings begin on April 22 with Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson, followed by Moderna and AstraZeneca in the coming weeks. Protests are expected outside the meetings in the US and UK while investors inside the meetings will be presenting resolutions to expand vaccine access. There is a growing backlash against the de facto privatisation of successful COVID-19 vaccines and pressure on the pharma firms to openly license the intellectual property and share the technology and know-how with qualified vaccine producers across the world. While the global economy remains frozen due to the slow and uneven vaccine rollout worldwide, the soaring shares of vaccine makers has created a new wave of billionaires. The founder of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin, is now worth $5.9. billion and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel $5.2 billion. According to regulatory filings, Bancel has cashed out more than $142 million in Moderna stock since the pandemic began. Many other investors have also become billionaires in the last few months, while the International Chamber of Commerce projects a worst-case GDP loss of $9 trillion due to global vaccine inequity. This is a public health emergency, not a private profit opportunity, said Oxfam health policy manager Anna Marriott. We should not be letting corporations decide who lives and who dies while boosting their profits. We need a peoples vaccine, not a profit vaccine. Vaccine apartheid is not a natural phenomenon but the result of governments stepping back and allowing corporations to call the shots. Instead of creating new vaccine billionaires we need to be vaccinating billions in developing countries. It is appalling that Big Pharma is making huge pay-outs to wealthy shareholders in the face of this global health emergency, Marriott said. While one in four citizens of rich nations has had a vaccine, just one in 500 people in poorer countries have done so, meaning the death toll continues to climb as the virus remains out of control. Epidemiologists are predicting there is less than a year before mutations could render the current vaccines ineffective. One of the reasons pharma companies have been able to generate such large profits is because of intellectual property rules that restrict production to a handful of companies. Big pharma is making billions by restricting the production of COVID-19 vaccines Last week, 175 former heads of state and Nobel Prize winners, including Gordon Brown, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Francoise Hollande wrote to President Biden to support the temporary waiving of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines to enable the rapid scale-up of vaccine production across the world. They join the 1.5 million people in the US and other nations who have signalled their support for a people's vaccine. Over 100 low- and middle-income nations, led by India and South Africa, are calling at the World Trade Organisation for a waiver of intellectual property protections on COVID-19 products during the pandemic, a move so far opposed by the US, EU, and other rich nations. The Biden administration is reportedly considering dropping US opposition to the waiver, with the US Trade Representative saying at the WTO that "the market once again has failed in meeting the health needs of developing countries." Moderna, Pfizer/BioNtech, Johnson & Johnson, Novovax, and Oxford/AstraZeneca received billions in public funding and guaranteed pre-orders, including $12 billion from the US government alone. They also made use of many years of publicly funded research and discoveries. Researchers for Universities Allied for Essential Medicines found that only 3 per cent of the research and development costs to develop the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and its underlying technology was privately funded. AstraZeneca is producing and supplying the vaccine at no profit during the pandemic. These vaccines were funded by public money and are desperately needed worldwide if we are to end this pandemic, said Heidi Chow, senior campaigns and policy manager at Global Justice Now. It is morally bankrupt for rich country leaders to allow a small group of corporations to keep the vaccine technology and know-how under lock and key while selling their limited doses to the highest bidder, Chow added. Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTechs successful mRNA vaccines are set to become two of the three bestselling pharmaceutical products in the world. The companies are projecting revenues of $33.5 billion in 2021 from their vaccines. Their vaccines are also the most expensive, ranging from $13.50 to $74 per course, with both firms looking to increase prices. In an investor call, Pfizer cited between $150 and $170 a dose as the typical price it receives for vaccines. This is despite a study from the Imperial College in London showing that the cost of production of new mRNA vaccines could be between 60 cents and $2 a dose. The two firms have also sold the vast majority of their doses to rich nations. Moderna has so far allotted 97 per cent of their vaccines to wealthy countries and Pfizer 85 per cent. Co-developed with the US Governments National Institutes of Health, Modernas vaccine is likely to make $5 billion in profits in 2021. The company received $5.45 billion in public subsidy. All the major pharmaceutical companies are fiercely opposed to the open sharing of technology and the suspension of intellectual property protections. The CEO of Pfizer responded to moves by the WHO to pool vaccine technology to enable other qualified producers to make vaccines by saying he thought it was "nonsense, and its also dangerous." The African Alliances Maaza Seyoum, who is leading the Peoples Vaccine Alliances Africa efforts, said: "Big business as usual will not end this pandemic. This is clearer now more than ever. President Biden has a historic opportunity to show that he will put the health of all of humanity and shared economic prosperity ahead of the private profits of a few corporations." Corp's second-biggest shareholder called on the Japanese conglomerate to undergo a strategic review and explicitly solicit suitors, saying potential acquirers were deterred by the company's comments on wanting to remain listed. The comments by 3D Investment Partners, which owns a 7.2% stake in Toshiba, come as a $21 billion buyout offer from CVC Capital Partners earlier this month has sparked expectations for a bidding war for the Japanese company. While dismissed that offer citing a lack of details, CVC has not thrown in the towel and sources have said some other private equity investors are also considering making bids. "We call upon the board to openly welcome interest from suitors who could enhance corporate value and ask the board to conduct a formal review of strategic alternatives," 3D said in a letter sent to Toshiba's board on Monday and made public. "To conduct a fair and proper process, should explicitly indicate that it is open to alternative ownership structures and correct media speculation that Toshiba's management team and board have a strong preference for remaining a listed company," 3D said. The industrial conglomerate has said it believed that being publicly traded provided a "capital structure suitable for enhancing long term value creation" but added that its board would not disregard various proposals, including those to take the company private. In response to a request for comment on 3D's letter, Toshiba reiterated that stance on Monday. "This letter may be the starting point of multi-party dialogue ... other shareholders certainly feel the same way, and addressing the board publicly puts them on the spot," Quiddity Advisors analyst Travis Lundy, who writes on Smartkarma, told Reuters. "I expect more shareholders will come forward with similar letters" Earlier this month, U.S. hedge fund Farallon Capital Management, Toshiba's third-largest shareholder with a stake of around 6%, also called on the Japanese conglomerate to seek other offers from potential suitors. Singapore-based Effissimo Capital Management, Toshiba's top shareholder with a stake of around 10%, has not commented since CVC's offer was made public. Bain Capital, KKR & Co Inc and Canada's Brookfield Asset Management are also looking at potential bids for Toshiba, Reuters has reported. A senior executive at one of Toshiba's main lenders said that several private equity funds have contacted his bank for potential financing, but no talks are in progress. In the letter, Singapore-based 3D suggested it would take further action if the Toshiba board fails to consider its request, saying shareholders "will have no choice but to seek a more significant and ongoing role in governance". It estimated Toshiba's fair stock value in excess of 6,500 yen. Toshiba shares closed 1.3% higher on Monday at 4,465 yen, compared to the broader Tokyo stock market's 0.2% gain. "Shareholders will hold management accountable if they try to block these interests to buy the company," said another Toshiba investor, who could not be named because of confidentiality constraints. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Additional reporting by Yuki Nitta in Tokyo and Scott Murdoch in Hong Kong; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) BOISE - The application period for Idaho's fall 2021 deer, elk, pronghorn, fall black bear and fall turkey controlled hunts will open Saturday, May 1 and run through June 5. Hunters with a valid 2021 Idaho hunting license may apply for controlled hunts at any license vendor, Fish and Game office, or with a credit card online at license.gooutdoorsidaho.com or by calling 1-800-554-8685. There is an additional fee for online and phone orders. Successful controlled hunt applicants will be notified by July 10. Controlled hunts are an excellent opportunity to try for a chance at some of Idahos best hunts. While it takes some research to determine which controlled hunt is right for you, and youre limited to that hunt in most cases, controlled hunts traditionally have higher success rates than general hunts, fewer hunters in the field, and many hunters feel they have a better chance of harvesting a mature bull or buck during a controlled hunt. Here are some things that hunters should keep in mind for the upcoming controlled hunt application period: Five day wait to buy capped elk zone tags: Residents who apply for a controlled elk hunt cannot buy a capped elk zone tag until five days after they go on sale, regardless of whether they draw a controlled hunt elk tag. Some controlled hunts are exempt from the waiting period, including extra elk hunts, depredation hunts, Landowner Appreciation Program hunts, or Super Hunts. See Page 2 of the Idaho Big Game 2021 Seasons and Rules brochure, and read more about the change, which was implemented prior to the 2020 hunting season, here. Residents who apply for a controlled elk hunt cannot buy a capped elk zone tag until five days after they go on sale, regardless of whether they draw a controlled hunt elk tag. Some controlled hunts are exempt from the waiting period, including extra elk hunts, depredation hunts, Landowner Appreciation Program hunts, or Super Hunts. See Page 2 of the Idaho Big Game 2021 Seasons and Rules brochure, and read more about the change, which was implemented prior to the 2020 hunting season, here. Pronghorn hunters: In a major statewide change for pronghorn hunters, the Commission on March 18 approved changing unlimited archery controlled hunts for pronghorn into first-choice only hunts. Wildlife managers proposed the change in response to steadily increasing numbers of archery pronghorn hunters over the past 10 years and an effort to reduce hunter numbers in these controlled hunts. Going hand-in-hand with that change, the Commission also approved the reorganization of pronghorn units into 10 hunt areas for first-choice only controlled archery hunts. In a major statewide change for pronghorn hunters, the Commission on March 18 approved changing unlimited archery controlled hunts for pronghorn into first-choice only hunts. Wildlife managers proposed the change in response to steadily increasing numbers of archery pronghorn hunters over the past 10 years and an effort to reduce hunter numbers in these controlled hunts. Going hand-in-hand with that change, the Commission also approved the reorganization of pronghorn units into 10 hunt areas for first-choice only controlled archery hunts. One year wait for successful pronghorn applicants: Beginning July 1, any person drawn for a controlled pronghorn hunt (including either sex or doe and fawn) is ineligible to apply the following year for any controlled pronghorn hunt. (See Page 108 of the big game rules booklet for exceptions.) Beginning July 1, any person drawn for a controlled pronghorn hunt (including either sex or doe and fawn) is ineligible to apply the following year for any controlled pronghorn hunt. (See Page 108 of the big game rules booklet for exceptions.) Nonresidents can still apply for deer, elk controlled hunts: Although over-the-counter deer and elk tags sold out, nonresidents are still eligible to apply for controlled hunts. Nonresidents are allowed no more than 10 percent of the tags available in any individual controlled hunt. Although over-the-counter deer and elk tags sold out, nonresidents are still eligible to apply for controlled hunts. Nonresidents are allowed no more than 10 percent of the tags available in any individual controlled hunt. Other changes: Hunters should check out the Idaho Big Game 2021 Big Game Seasons and Rules Brochure for more detailed information and be sure to check for any changes to seasons for the areas in which they plan to hunt. Keep in mind that controlled hunt numbers (which are used for the application process) can change from year to year. The big game brochure is available online and in print at Fish and Game offices and license vendors. Super Hunt provides additional opportunities, deadline for first drawing is May 31 Hunters wanting more opportunities for the best tags available can apply for Idahos Super Hunts as often as they want, which allow winners to hunt in any open unit for the species they drew general or controlled hunts for deer, elk, pronghorn and moose. A Super Hunt tag represents an additional chance to harvest an animal. If you draw a controlled hunt for deer, elk, or antelope, you can participate in the controlled hunt (or a general season hunt that you want to participate in) as well as the Super Hunt. This applies to moose hunts, as well, and you dont have to buy a 2021 hunting license to apply for Super Hunts. Faced with the "most uncertain" summer in the history of aviation, a major airline industry body in Spain is calling for changes to help reactivate the sector in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The Asociacion de Lineas Aereas (ALA), which represents 60 national and international airlines and whose partners carried more than 230 million passengers to Aena airports in the last full year prior to the pandemic, is estimating that only 58 per cent of flights will be operated this summer compared to 2019. But the forecast must be taken with a pinch of salt according to Javier Gandara, the president of the association. He said that, "The decision of the airlines ultimately depends on what the governments of many countries determine in terms of mobility restrictions, and called for an end to the uncertainty to give some hope to the tourism sector. He said that forecasts show that air traffic will not fully recover until 2023 or 2024, so the ALA considers it essential that Spain takes measures to reactivate this part of the economy that is so important for the country and regain confidence in air transport. "Tourism will not recover without the recovery of the airlines," said Gandara. For this reason, the association proposes that Spain implements measures such as accepting vaccinated foreign tourists without the need for PCR tests and without quarantines, as competing tourist countries such as Greece have already announced. In his opinion, Gandara says that Europe is lagging behind other domestic markets such as China or the United States, where the levels of domestic flights prior to the pandemic are expected to practically recover in the second half of the year. Therefore, in addition to the possibility of travelling without a PCR test for those fully vaccinated, the association asks that the antigen test is accepted and, also, for the creation of bilateral agreements with the main markets that send tourists to Spain such as the UK. The association has also called for an extension of Spains ERTE furlough scheme at least until December that supported, in the month of March, more than 14,000 employees in the sector. A dog owner and his son allegedly viciously attacked two teenagers at a train station and urged their pit-bull Staffordshire-cross dog to attack them. The two teenagers, aged 13 and 14, got on a train at Cronulla in Sydney on Sunday afternoon with a group of friends when a 15-year-old became aggressive to the group. After they all stepped off the train at Sutherland Station, the 15-year-old's father arrived with their dog - at which point the argument erupted into violence, police alleged. A man and his teenage son allegedly attacked two boys, aged 13 and 14, before setting their Pit-bull Staffordshire cross on them (stock image) The man, aged 40, allegedly punched and kicked the 13-year-old boy repeatedly before turning on the 14-year-old with his son joining in. The 15-year-old then allegedly commanded the unleashed dog to attack the two boys but the canine did not follow through. The man and 15-year-old were later arrested - with the father facing Sutherland Local Court on Monday charged with assault and being refused bail. He will appear in court again on May 10. The 15-year-old will also be subject to legal action, police said. WESTPORT, Conn., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LCR Capital Partners, a global private investment and advisory services firm, is happy to announce it will be raising capital in RPC's Legacy EB-5 fund for Legacy Hotel & Residences, a new, luxury, mixed-use tower being built in the heart of Miami Worldcenter in Downtown Miami. LCR is joining RPC, the developer that for over 40 years has changed the way people live by building high quality properties across Florida and in Miami, as co-manager on the EB-5 fund. Legacy Hotel & Residences "This project follows the formula that made the Paramount Miami Worldcenter building so successful. We focus on providing high-end amenities with an attention to the details like sophisticated building management systems and keyless entry. With Legacy we are going further by adding a dedicated eight-floor health and wellness center as part of the building," said Dan Kodsi, the CEO of Royal Palm Companies. "We are thrilled to be working on Legacy Hotel & Residences. A large part of our client base comes from Latin America and they understand the growth of Miami as a financial and business center," said Sherman Baldwin, CEO of LCR Capital. "Particularly during this Covid-19 period, there has been a large increase in investment in Miami." Downtown Miami has seen its population double in the last 20 years. 60 percent of the population are now college educated with 45 percent between 25-44, according to the Miami Downtown Development Authority. These highly desired, professional residents have been attracted by the quality of the buildings, retail, attractions and transportation links in the area. Legacy Hotel & Residences will have: 310 residences and 219 hotel rooms Downtown Miami's largest hotel pool deck set on one acre largest hotel pool deck set on one acre Miami's first enclosed rooftop atrium in the top seven floors of the tower first enclosed rooftop atrium in the top seven floors of the tower An eight floor Center for Health + Wellness, one of the first designs in the U.S. for a post-covid-19 environment aimed to bring health back into people's hands. Members-only international business lounge The latest technology for building systems and rental management More details on https://www.lcrcapital.com/eb5-projects/legacy-world-center-miami/ As an EB-5 project, Legacy Hotel & Residences benefits from having multiple sources of building revenue spread across retail, residences, hotel, healthcare and event spaces. It also benefits from being in a Targeted Employment Area under the new federal definitions set in November 2019. Paramount Miami Worldcenter, which is adjacent to Legacy Hotel & Residences, has received strong reviews for its design and construction. Partially funded with $100m of EB-5 capital, over 70 of its international investors have received their I-526 approvals which is the step that clears the way to get a conditional green card. With the Paramount Miami Worldcenter, RPC pre-sold 90 percent of the units before it opened. They completed the construction in four years between 2015 and 2019. Legacy Hotel & Residences also has strong momentum in its pre-sales with both domestic and international buyers. Accredited investors that are interested in U.S. residency can contact LCR at any time to learn more. About RPC and Daniel Kodsi Daniel Kodsi is a real estate veteran and CEO of RPC, a leading real estate development firm with more than 40 years of history. Established in the 1970s, RPC has developed over 6,000 units across mixed-use, master-planned communities, hotels, multi-family, and high-rise residential projects exceeding more than $3.5 billion in asset value with over $2 billion in the pipeline. Under Daniel Kodsi's leadership, the company has developed and repositioned more than 50 projects and delivers a proven track record of identifying underserved market opportunities and executing complex large-scale projects. With its visionary leadership, deep market insight and data driven analytics; RPC's developments are considered a combination of exceptional design, cutting-edge execution, and luxurious amenities that elevate the lifestyle of residents, guests and communities while generating value for both private and institutional investors. About LCR Capital Partners LCR Capital Partners is a private investment and advisory services firm that supports families interested in global opportunities. Founded in 2012, the firm's primary focus is supporting clients interested in immigrant investor programs. LCR has helped over 850 clients move to the United States through the EB-5 Immigrant Investors Program. LCR also works with the E-2 Investors Visa, the Portuguese Golden Visa, and Grenada's Citizenship by Investment program. The firm focuses on conservatively structured funds invested in signature real estate developments. These projects create new American jobs and help develop communities across the United States, in Portugal and in Grenada. Over the past 5 years, LCR has built long-term, trust-based relationships with a global client base of high-net-worth families in over 30 countries around the world. LCR is headquartered in Westport, CT, and runs a global network with teams in Miami, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Dubai, Singapore, and Mumbai. Website: http://www.lcrcapital.com For more information please contact: John M. Baker Chief Marketing Officer, LCR Capital Partners LLC [email protected] +1 646 684 7587 SOURCE LCR Capital Partners Related Links http://www.lcrcapital.com (ANSA) - ROME, APR 26 - An Italian missionary bishop, the youngest-ever Italian bishop, was hurt in an ambush in South Sudan on Monday. Rumbek Bishop-elect and Combonian missionary Christian Carlassare, 43, is in hospital in a stable condition after being wounded by two armed men, the Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre (Help for the Suffering Church, ACS) pontifical foundation said. Appointed by Pope Francis on March 8, Father Carlassare was due to be formally ordained bishop at the end of May. "Pray rather not for me but for the people of Rumbek who are suffering more than me," said Father Carlassare, in a statement reported by the Combionians' Nigrizia website. It said the bishop "is out of danger and the CUAMM doctors are taking care of him in the hospital in Rumbek, but he has lost a lot of blood and will be moved shortly to the capital Juba and then Nairobi, where he will have a transfusion. "Conscious and suffering, Father Christian directly phoned his family to inform them". The Fides news agency said "Father Christian was beaten, together with a nun who was with him, and then they shot four bullets into his legs. "According to the initial news the attack was planned to scare him so that he is not ordained bishop". The Rumbek bishopric has been vacant since Msgr Cesare Mazzolari died in 2011. (ANSA). Pictured: MP Emma Hurst A glamorous vegan bodybuilder politician has spoken out about her struggle with debilitating adenomyosis that once left her in so much pain she passed out. Emma Hurst made headlines in 2018 after winning three bodybuilding competitions before snagging a seat in the NSW Legislative Council as an MP for the Animal Justice Party. On Monday, the 40-year-old took a step away from her parliamentary duties to share intimate details about her struggles with two chronic illnesses - one which she describes as being like 'the evil cousin of endometriosis'. 'For the last few months I have been in extreme pain almost every day,' she told her Facebook followers. 'Today I'm heading to hospital for the first of at least two surgeries. I have adenomyosis and stage 3 endometriosis.' Emma Hurst won three bodybuilding competition in 2019 before she became an MP for the Animal Justice Party Endometriosis is a painful disorder where the tissue that lines the uterus, the endometrium, spreads outside the uterus and can cause inflammation, cysts and scars throughout the pelvic region. The stages of endometriosis range from one, which is the mildest form, to stage four, which is the most severe. Ms Hurst's stage 3 diagnosis means she has a large build-up of endometrium tissue on her internal organs, cysts on one or both ovaries and thick bands of scar tissue. Adenomyosis happens when the endometrium grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, resulting in severe pain and heavy periods. Both conditions require invasive internal exams to diagnose and, while surgery can temporarily ease the agony, there is no permanent solution and it typically returns within one to two years. Pictured: MP Emma Hurst at a rally against animal cruelty. She is a vegan and animal rights activist Ms Hurst explained the conditions left her in so much pain at one stage that 'for the first time in my life, I called an ambulance'. 'They wouldn't come,' she continued. 'After an hour the pain became so bad I passed out.' The MP said her impending surgeries are to treat adenomyosis, but she also expressed her shock at finding out that about 800,000 Australian women suffer from the conditions. 'After getting my diagnosis I read the most appalling stories that women have had to endure - some for many decades,' she wrote. 'What I have discovered during this whole process is how messed up the system is and the lack of support for womens health issues I will have a lot more to say on this later.' Ms Hurst (pictured) said she has been shocked to find out that so many women suffer from endometriosis Emma Hurst won a bodybuilding competition in 2018 without eating a single bite of meat Women flocked to the comments section to share their own experiences with the two chronic illnesses. 'I can exactly relate how you feel Emma because I have exactly the same as you, I have been dealing with pain for many years and I can say that I have been in the ER a couple of times,' one woman wrote. 'I was diagnosed with adenomyosis just this month... Im grateful for the diagnosis and disappointed for the little known about womens bodies and health. I wish you a good recovery Emma,' another wrote. A third woman added: 'I had severe adenomyosis and endo and I have to say adeno is the worst pain I have ever endured. It took 18 months to get a diagnosis, during which time I was bedridden for seven months and was literally suicidal. 'I really hope you get yours back too and are soon feeling your brilliant best.' Ms Hurst said she is hoping for some pain relief and 'good vegan hospital food' throughout her recovery. Joan Collins has said that the Oscars were 'very serious' and that only the winners seemed to be having any 'fun'. The 2021 Academy Awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday night with measures in place to ensure guests could be kept safe during the Covid pandemic, including not having a host and a socially-distanced red carpet. Appearing on Lorraine on Monday, the actress, 87, said: 'I thought it was incredibly different and quite rightly, not nearly as much fun as it had been. 'It didn't look fun': Joan Collins has said that the Oscars appeared to be 'very serious' and that only the winners seemed to be having any 'fun' while appearing on Lorraine on Monday 'It was very serious tonight, it didn't look like anybody was having much fun, except the winners.' Despite the changes impacting on how 'fun' the event seemed, Joan said she was very pleased to hear British stars Sir Anthony Hopkins and Emerald Fennell had won. Speaking about Anthony, 83, winning Leading Actor for his role in The Father, Joan told Lorraine: 'I was longing for Tony because I've known him for a long time. I thought his performance was spectacular.' She also praised family friend Emerald, saying: 'And I was utterly thrilled by Emerald Fennell, I've known her since she was a little girl. Very different setup: The Oscars were held with measures in place to ensure guests could be kept safe during the Covid pandemic (pictured Viola Davis and Julius Tennon are interviewed while Carey Mulligan walks the socially-distanced red carpet on Sunday) Her parents are really good friends of mine. She was great, she made a great speech. To get Best Screenplay when you're only 35, that's pretty amazing.' Joan also made the most of the glamorous awards night by dressing up in a stunning sequinned gown and enjoying the show with some pals. She told Lorraine: 'We went with a few people to watch the awards and everybody was so delighted. A lot of people said, "I haven't been able to put a dress on for over a year".' Joan then reminisced about past Oscars and told some stories from her own time at the star-studded annual ceremony. The star recalled: 'I've been lucky enough to go to many and I've been on it as well. I remember being on it when Jerry Lewis was the MC and we were all waiting in the wings to go on for a final performance. 'And there were people like Danny Kay, Paul Newman, a great bunch of stars and Jerry got the call that said they had four minutes to fill and so he went and grabbed all of us and we all had to dance on stage manically.' 'His performance was spectacular: Joan said she was 'longing' for her pal Anthony Hopkins to win the Best Actor gong, which he did, for his role in The Father (pictured with Olivia Colman) Success: Joan also praised Emerald Fennell, who took home the gong for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Promising Young Woman, saying: 'And I was utterly thrilled by Emerald, I've known her since she was a little girl' (pictured debuting her baby bump on the red carpet) She continued: 'I've seen so many of these, I remember Bob Hope, he was hilariously funny, and of course the great Billy Crystal, they made so many jokes.' Joan also told a story about Joan Crawford making a dress for the Oscars for less than $100. 'When I first went, I was with Joan Crawford, and she won Best Actress and she made her own dress, I was working with her at the time and she was sewing her dress on the set... Joan made this gorgeous green taffeta dress, made it for under $100.' The 2021 Academy Awards saw the introduction of stringent new measures to ensure guests could be kept safe during the Covid pandemic, with much of the ceremony taking place at Los Angeles' Union Station. Sunday's event also marked the first time Tinseltown's finest assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh described as being 'like a movie.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where socially distanced movie stars went mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Trip down memory lane: Joan then reminisced with Lorraine (left) about past Oscars and told some stories from her own time at the star-studded annual ceremony Glam: The actress looked sensational as she appeared on the British morning show just hours after watching the Oscars in Los Angeles Work it! Joan ensured to exude Hollywood glamour as she rocked a statement Maison Valentino dress covered in sequins while enjoying the Oscars on Sunday night An official spokesperson called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritising the public health and safety of all those who will participate.' Comparatively the Dolby Theatre, where the glitzy event is usually held, can only seat around 3,300 people which would have created difficulties in putting on an award show amid the pandemic. But in the spacious station, believed to be large enough to accommodate social distancing requirements with its soaring main hall featuring windows that are 40-feet high, stars have more room to mingle and manoevre. Sticking to a 'No Zoom' policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organizers introduced a 'British hub' for UK actors who were unable to make it in person, as well as another rumoured 'surprise location.' Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV and ITV Hub At the Awards: Joan reflected on good times with Jerry Lewis, Danny Kay, Paul Newman, and Joan Crawford at previous Oscars (pictured at the 1996 Vanity Fair Oscar Party) This site uses cookies to ensure the best experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Our cookie policy. India Continues Shattering Virus Records as World Pledges Aid The Biden administration plans to send AstraZeneca vaccine doses to other nations after a safety review. Vaccinated tourists from the United States can visit Europe this summer. Aid is coming to India, but its Covid-19 catastrophe is likely to continue. A coronavirus patient in New Delhi receiving oxygen in a car on Sunday. Credit... Atul Loke for The New York Times As a second wave of the pandemic rages in India, which logged more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday, countries around the world are trying to help. But their efforts to send oxygen and other critical aid are unlikely to plug enough holes in Indias sinking health care system to end its deadly catastrophe. The Indian health ministry reported more than 320,000 new cases and 2,771 deaths on Tuesday. Both figures represented slight declines from the previous days record highs, but experts said this was not a sign that the outbreak was easing. With enormous funeral pyres spilling into parking lots and city parks, there are signs that Indias reported overall toll of nearly 198,000 deaths could be a vast undercount. Australia and the Philippines said on Tuesday they would pause commercial flights from India, joining Britain, Canada, Singapore and several other nations that have restricted travel from the country. Australias prime minister, Scott Morrison, said his government would donate ventilators and protective equipment to help India contain the outbreak. The emergency in India, where a worrying virus variant is spreading rapidly, is driving a new global surge in the pandemic. It also carries implications for countries relying on India for the AstraZeneca vaccine, millions of doses of which are manufactured there. Its a desperate situation out there, said Ramanan Laxminarayan, the founder and director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, adding that donations would be welcome but might make only a dent on the problem. Scientists fear that part of the problem is the emergence of a virus variant known as the double mutant, B.1.617, because it contains genetic mutations found in two other difficult-to-control versions of the coronavirus. One of the mutations is present in the highly contagious variant that ripped through California earlier this year. The other is similar to one found in the variant dominant in South Africa and is believed to make the virus more resistant to vaccines. Still, scientists caution that it is too early to know with certainty how pernicious the variant emerging in India is. Earlier this year, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi acted as if the coronavirus battle had been won, holding huge campaign rallies and permitting thousands to gather for a Hindu religious festival. Now, Mr. Modi is striking a far more sober tone. He said in a nationwide radio address on Sunday that India has been shaken by a storm. And countries, companies and powerful members of the diaspora have pledged to pitch in. Patients are suffocating in the capital, New Delhi, and other cities because hospitals oxygen supplies have run out. Frantic relatives have appealed on social media for leads on intensive-care-unit beds and experimental drugs. The government has extended New Delhis lockdown by another week. Indias Supreme Court last week ordered the government to come up with a national plan for distributing oxygen supplies. Mr. Modi appears to be looking to the rest of the world to help India quell the wave. Britain, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have promised oxygen generators or ventilators. The United States has pledged raw material for coronavirus vaccines and intends to share up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with other nations, so long as the doses clear a safety review conducted by the Food and Drug Administration, officials said Monday. Indian-American businessmen have pledged millions in cash from the companies they lead. At a news conference on Monday, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, called the situation in India beyond heartbreaking. He said the organization had deployed 2,600 staff members to India to provide vaccination help. The worlds seven-day average of new cases has remained well above 750,000 for the past week, according to a New York Times database, higher than the peak average during the last global surge in January. Despite more than one billion shots having been administered globally, far too small a percentage of the worlds nearly eight billion people has been vaccinated to slow the viruss spread. Emily Schmall, Karan Deep Singh and The Biden administration is expected to share AstraZeneca doses with other nations after a safety review. People getting vaccinated at a government hospital in Mumbai, India, this month. Credit... Atul Loke for The New York Times President Biden, under intense pressure to do more to address the surging pandemic abroad, including a humanitarian crisis in India, intends to make up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine available to other countries, so long as federal regulators deem the doses safe, officials said Monday. The announcement came after Mr. Biden spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and the two pledged to work closely together in the fight against Covid-19. It is a significant, albeit limited, shift for the White House, which has until now been reluctant to make excess doses of coronavirus vaccine available in large amounts. But the commitment is a tricky one to make: The AstraZeneca doses are manufactured at the Baltimore plant owned by Emergent BioSolutions, where production has been halted amid fears of contamination. The New York Times has reported extensively on problems at the plant, which had to throw out millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine between October and January, and later discarded up to 15 million doses of the vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, also because of concern about possible contamination. AstraZenecas vaccine, unlike those of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, has also not been granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. And the administration would not specify which countries will receive the vaccine. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, cautioned at a news conference that the donations of doses would not happen right away. She said about 10 million doses could be released in the coming weeks if the F.D.A. determines that the vaccine meets our own bar and our own guidelines, and that another 50 million doses are in various stages of production. Right now we have zero doses available of AstraZeneca, Ms. Psaki said. In a statement, a spokesperson for AstraZeneca said that the company would not comment on specifics but that the doses are part of AstraZenecas supply commitments to the U.S. government. Decisions to send U.S. supply to other countries are made by the U.S. government. Correction : April 26, 2021 An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to a safety review that the Food and Drug Administration is required to conduct before AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine doses are shared with other nations. The doses themselves must clear an F.D.A. safety review, not the plant where the doses are manufactured. Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Advertisement Continue reading the main story Brazils health authority rejects importing Russias Sputnik V vaccine. A Sputnik V vaccine production line in Saint Petersburg, Russia in February. Credit... Emile Ducke for The New York Times RIO DE JANEIRO Brazils health authority said late Monday that it would not recommend importing Sputnik V, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Russia. The need for vaccines is urgent in Brazil: The country has been battered by one of the worlds worst outbreaks, driven by the highly contagious P. 1 virus variant. But the health authority, Anvisa, said that questions remained about the Russian vaccines development, safety and manufacturing. All five of Anvisas directors voted against importing the vaccine. Data about Sputnik Vs efficacy was uncertain, Gustavo Mendes Lima Santos, Anvisas manager of medicine and biological products, said in a lengthy late-night presentation. He noted that crucial questions had gone unanswered, including those about potential adverse events. Russia is using Sputnik V in its own mass vaccination campaign, and the vaccine has been approved for emergency use in dozens of countries. A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet in February said the vaccine had an efficacy rate of 91.6 percent. Brazils decision prompted a response at the highest level of the Russian government, which has been energetically promoting Sputnik V in Latin America at a time when the United States has limited its vaccine exports to reserve doses for its own citizens. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said on Tuesday that the Russian government would try to win over the Brazilian regulators minds about the vaccines safety. Contacts will continue, Mr. Peskov said on a conference call with journalists. If data is missing, it will be provided. There should be no doubt in this. The official Sputnik V Twitter account have also pushed back, with a post in Portuguese on Monday saying that the vaccines developers had shared all the necessary information and documentation with Anvisa. In another tweet, it said Anvisas decision was of a political nature and had nothing to do with access to information or science. It alleged that the United States had persuaded Brazil to deny approval. Anvisa officials were under immense pressure to deliver a decision on Sputnik V, because Brazilian states had contracts to buy almost 30 million doses. The Supreme Court ordered Anvisa to make a decision. The days of yes to the vaccine and to treatments are celebrated, Alex Machado, an Anvisa director, said. There will inevitably be days of no. Gov. Camilo Santana of Ceara, one of the states with a Sputnik V contract, said on Twitter that he respected Anvisas decision but found it strange, given that Sputnik V is being used in other countries. I will keep fighting for this authorization, in a safe manner, following all the rules, he said. The Gamaleya Research Institute, part of Russias Ministry of Health, developed the vaccine, also known as Gam-Covid-Vac. The shot has been entangled in politics and propaganda, with President Vladimir V. Putin announcing its approval even before late-stage trials had begun. Ana Carolina Moreira Marino Araujo, the general manager of the Anvisa department that inspects vaccine development, said at the meeting that Brazilian officials could not perform a full inspection of the Russian facilities. She said officials who were in Russia last week were denied access to the Gamaleya Institute and inspected only two factories, finding problems in one of them. She also said Russian officials had tried to cancel the agencys visit. At this moment, the inherent risk in manufacturing couldnt be overcome, Ms. Araujo concluded. Manuela Andreoni and How Gamaleyas Vaccine Works Two adenoviruses help prime the immune system to fight the coronavirus. The European Union sues AstraZeneca over missing vaccine doses. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 0:47 - 0:00 transcript E.U. Sues AstraZeneca The European Union has sued AstraZeneca over its failure to deliver hundreds of millions of Covid vaccination doses by the end of June as promised. Indeed, the commission has started last Friday a legal action against the company AstraZeneca on the basis of breaches of the advance purchase agreement. The reason indeed being that the terms of the contract or some terms of the contract have not been respected, and the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure the timely delivery of those. What matters to us in this case is that we want to make sure that theres a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that the European citizens are entitled to and which have been promised on the basis of the contract. So the commission has indeed started legal action on its own behalf and on behalf of the 27 member states that are fully aligned in their support for this procedure. The European Union has sued AstraZeneca over its failure to deliver hundreds of millions of Covid vaccination doses by the end of June as promised. Credit Credit... Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times The European Union has sued AstraZeneca over what the bloc has described as delays in shipping hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines, a sharp escalation of a longstanding dispute between the bloc and the maker of one of the worlds most important vaccines. AstraZeneca has said that it would be able to deliver only a third of the 300 million doses that European officials had been expecting by the end of June. As a result, European officials said on Monday that they believed AstraZeneca had broken its contract, and that they were seeking speedier deliveries than the company said it could muster. The two sides relationship had grown acrimonious in January when AstraZeneca slashed its expected deliveries for the first quarter of the year, setting back the blocs vaccination campaign by weeks as cases picked up across the continent and political leaders faced scorching criticism for inadequate planning. For AstraZeneca, whose cheap and easy-to-store shot is being used by 135 countries, the lawsuit could create further difficulties in a bruising stretch. No company had been as instrumental in the race to vaccinate poorer countries around the world, but AstraZeneca has been buffeted in recent weeks by the discovery of an exceedingly rare, though serious, side effect that has prompted restrictions on its use in parts of Europe. At issue in the legal dispute was whether AstraZeneca had done everything in its power to meet its delivery schedule. Pascal Soriot, the companys chief executive, has said that the contract required only that it make its best efforts to deliver the purchased doses on time. Vaccine production is a notoriously fickle science, with live cultures needing time to grow inside bioreactors, for instance. In an effort to supply doses not only to richer nations that had purchased them well in advance, but also to poorer nations, AstraZeneca had partnered with manufacturing sites around the world, rather than relying on only a few factories, as Pfizer and Moderna have. AstraZeneca, which developed the vaccine with the University of Oxford, has also said that the European Commission, the blocs executive branch, finalized its contract months after Britain did, giving the company less time to iron out any manufacturing difficulties. Legal experts said that the best efforts language in the contract raised the burden on the Europeans to prove that AstraZeneca did not act diligently enough to supply the promised doses. But they also said that it did not entirely insulate the company from being deemed in breach of contract. Benjamin Mueller, Matina Stevis-Gridneff and GLOBAL ROUNDUP Turkey orders a three-week lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and other news from around the world. Men walk on an empty street after a coronavirus curfew in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. Credit... Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey ordered a national lockdown for three weeks, closing nonessential businesses and sending all students home, as the nation struggles to contain the latest surge in cases of the coronavirus. Turkey ranks fourth in the world in new daily cases per person, averaging 63 cases per 100,000 people, according to a New York Times database. Its seven-day average for deaths ranks 11th in the world. The lockdown starts on April 29 and will end on May 17, coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Mr. Erdogan said after meeting with his cabinet. Schools and restaurants will close and travel within Turkey will require a permit, he said. Government employees will either work from home or in shifts. Essential businesses like those in the food, manufacturing and health sectors will be exempt, Mr. Erdogan said. In a period where Europe is opening up, we have to pull the number of cases lower, Mr. Erdogan said. Otherwise, it would be inevitable to face a heavy cost from tourism to trade to education. So far, about 16 percent of its total population has received at least one dose of the vaccine from Sinovac or Pfizer-BioNTech, according to data from the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. Turkey reported about 63,000 new cases on April 16, its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic. In other updates from around the world: Brazils health regulator rejected the use of Russias Sputnik V vaccine late on Monday, citing inherent risks and a lack of information about the vaccines safety and quality, Reuters reported. The governments of Singapore and Hong Kong said on Monday that a long-delayed travel bubble between the two Asian financial centers would begin next month, allowing travelers on designated flights to bypass quarantine. The travel arrangement, which was originally supposed to begin last November, was suspended at the last minute when Hong Kong experienced a sudden surge in cases. The Philippines surpassed the one million mark on Monday in the total number of coronavirus cases it has reported, as the country struggles with newer, deadlier forms of the virus. The Philippines reported very few cases last year, and did not see a significant surge until recently. In response, Manila and four other suburbs went into lockdown earlier this month. For the first time in nearly nine months, Portugals health authority on Monday reported no coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, according to Reuters. Portugal has reported nearly 17,000 Covid-19 deaths and more than 830,000 cases. Health authorities in Germany will allow all adults to sign up for vaccine appointments beginning in June, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday. The announcement came after a meeting with lawmakers to discuss lifting social restrictions for fully vaccinated people, a sign that Germany may be moving closer to emerging from its latest lockdown. More than 78,000 people attended an Australian rules football match in Melbourne on Sunday night in what is believed to be the worlds biggest crowd at a sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic began. Just three days earlier, the government of the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, had increased the attendance cap for the 100,000-capacity venue, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, to 85 percent from 75 percent. Advertisement Continue reading the main story With U.K. cases low, Scotland and Wales reopen restaurants and stores. A pub in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday. Credit... Andy Buchanan/Agence France-Presse Getty Images Scotland and Wales reopened restaurants, cafes, and nonessential shops on Monday, marking the next phase of a gradual relaxation of coronavirus restrictions that have been in place for months. In Scotland, restaurants can serve food but not alcohol indoors until 8 p.m., and they can serve food and alcohol outdoors without restrictions. Stores, beauty salons, museums and galleries also reopened, and people are permitted to book travel in the rest of Britain. The first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, said she was hopeful that the country would continue its progress and lift more restrictions by the summer. But she cautioned that the virus was more infectious now than it had been in earlier waves and, therefore, We must stick to the rules. Free rapid tests will be available to the public. In Wales, places of worship and retail stores reopened, and restaurants resumed outdoor service. Outdoor wedding receptions with up to 30 people can take place. Cases remain low in Britain, with more than 40 percent of the population having received at least one dose of a vaccine. On Sunday, the country reported just over 1,700 new cases and 11 deaths, according to a New York Times database. West Virginia will give $100 savings bonds to people 16 to 35 who get vaccinated. Health care workers prepared doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in Buffalo, W.Va., last month. Gov. Jim Justice announced a plan to give savings bonds to young people who get vaccinated. Credit... Stephen Zenner/Getty Images West Virginia will give $100 savings bonds to 16- to 35-year-olds who get a Covid-19 vaccine, Gov. Jim Justice said on Monday. There are roughly 380,000 West Virginians in that age group, many of whom have already gotten at least one shot, but Mr. Justice said he hoped the money would motivate the rest to get inoculated, as theyre not taking the vaccines as fast as wed like them to take them. The state will use federal funds from the CARES Act to pay for the bonds, Mr. Justice, a Republican, said at a news conference, adding that he had vetted this every way that we possibly can to ensure that the unconventional use of the funds was allowed. The bonds will be also be available to anyone in that age group who has already been vaccinated, Mr. Justice said. West Virginia has the 16th highest rate of new coronavirus cases per person among U.S. states and ranks 12th in hospitalizations, according to a New York Times database. Mr. Justice said the state needed to stop the virus dead in its tracks, and that if it did, these masks go away, the hospitalizations go away, the death toll and the body bags start to absolutely become minimal. Earlier this year, at the start of the countrys vaccination effort, West Virginia had stood out for its success in vaccinating its residents. At one point, it had administered second doses to more of its population than any other state; it was also behind only Alaska for the percent of its residents that had received a first dose. But now West Virginia is fallen behind, ahead of only nine states for the portion of its residents that have had a first dose, according to a New York Times database tracking vaccines. Mr. Justice said that young West Virginians could always stand an extra dose of patriotism. He urged them to accept that wonderful savings bond which will allow the recipient to retrieve the $100, plus interest, at a later date adding, I hope that you keep it for a long, long, long time. Alaska Airlines suspended a state senator from flights after she violated its mask policy. State Senator Lora Reinbold of Alaska during the Senate floor session in Juneau on Monday. Credit... Pool photo by Becky Bohrer Alaska Airlines has suspended an Alaska state lawmaker from its flights for violating its mask policies, the company said. Lora Reinbold, a Republican state senator, was arguing with employees at Juneau International Airport about the airlines mask rules, according to footage posted on Twitter. We need you to pull the mask up, or Im not going to let you on the flight, an employee is heard saying to Ms. Reinbold on the videos, which were posted on Thursday. It is up, Ms. Reinbold responds. It is not, an employee says. Its down below your nose. We cant have it down. The airline said it had told Ms. Reinbold that she was not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy, adding that the suspension is being reviewed. The clash over the companys rule was the latest to surface in the country about masks during the pandemic. Mask mandates have become a rallying cry for some activists and a divisive political talking point. Disputes about the rules have sometimes led to angry confrontations. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Airlines could benefit when the E.U. eases restrictions on travel. The European Union will ease travel restrictions for vaccinated Americans. Credit... Charlie Riedel/Associated Press U.S. airlines have been bolstered by the return of customers eager to travel within the country or just outside its borders, but the nations largest carriers are still lamenting the loss of two particularly lucrative parts of the business: international and corporate travel. At least one of those could rebound this summer. In an interview with The New York Times over the weekend, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said she expected the European Union to ease travel restrictions for vaccinated American tourists, a move that could let the airline industry cash in during the years busiest travel season. Long-haul international flying represents a significant opportunity for United, Andrew Nocella, the chief commercial officer for United Airlines, told investors last week. We have seen in recent weeks that immediately after a country provides access with proof of a vaccine, leisure demand returns to the level of 2019 quickly. American Airlines and United said this month that international travel remained about 80 percent lower than in 2019. They and other airlines expect strong demand for domestic flights this summer, and the restoration of trans-Atlantic travel could provide the industry a much-needed boost as it works to generate profits again. American, Delta Air Lines and United each reported a loss of more than $1 billion in the first three months of the year. Southwest Airlines reported a small profit, of $116 million, though its chief executive said the airline would have lost $1 billion without federal aid. The news of the E.U. reopening to vaccinated American tourists was also welcomed by Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association, a global airline industry group, who said it could bode well for carriers elsewhere, too. He said in a statement that coordination between the European Commission and the industry was essential so that airlines can plan within the public health benchmarks and timelines that will enable unconditional travel for those vaccinated, not just Americans but passengers from other countries as well. A tourist haven in Thailand was poised to reopen, until a surge in virus cases. A small number of guests enjoying the pool at a resort in Phuket, Thailand, this month. Credit... Adam Dean for The New York Times Only a few weeks ago, Phuket seemed poised for a comeback. After a year of practically no foreign tourists arriving in Thailand, the national government decided that Phuket would start welcoming vaccinated visitors in July, without requiring them to go through quarantine. The project was called Phuket Sandbox. But Thailand is now gripped by its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, spread in part by the well-heeled Thais who partied in Phuket and Bangkok with no social distancing. The confirmed daily caseload albeit low by global standards has increased from 26 on April 1 to more than 2,000 three weeks later, in a country that in early December had about 4,000 cases total. The opening that Phuket had planned for July 1 now appears unlikely, Thailands tourism minister acknowledged this month. If you ask me how optimistic I am, I cannot say, said Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, the director of the tourism authoritys Phuket office. The situation changes all the time. The viruss resurgence after so many months of economic hardship is devastating for the majority of Phukets residents, who depend on foreign tourists for their livelihoods. A private school in Miami, citing false claims, bars vaccinated teachers from contact with students. People waiting to receive a shot at Miami Dade College in Miami earlier this month. Credit... Lynne Sladky/Associated Press A private school in the fashionable Design District of Miami sent its faculty and staff a letter last week about getting vaccinated against Covid-19. But unlike institutions that have encouraged and even facilitated vaccination for teachers, the school, Centner Academy, did the opposite: One of its co-founders, Leila Centner, informed employees with a very heavy heart that if they chose to get a shot, they would have to stay away from students. In an example of how misinformation threatens the nations effort to vaccinate enough Americans to get the coronavirus under control, Ms. Centner, who has frequently shared anti-vaccine posts on Facebook, claimed in the letter that reports have surfaced recently of non-vaccinated people being negatively impacted by interacting with people who have been vaccinated. Even among our own population, we have at least three women with menstrual cycles impacted after having spent time with a vaccinated person, she wrote, repeating a false claim that vaccinated people can somehow pass the vaccine to others and thereby affect their reproductive systems. (They can do neither.) In the letter, Ms. Centner gave employees three options: Inform the school if they had already been vaccinated, so they could be kept physically distanced from students; Let the school know if they get the vaccine before the end of the school year, as we cannot allow recently vaccinated people to be near our students until more information is known; Wait until the school year is over to get vaccinated. Teachers who get the vaccine over the summer will not be allowed to return, the letter said, until clinical trials on the vaccine are completed, and then only if a position is still available at that time effectively making teachers employment contingent on avoiding the vaccine. Image Leila Centner at an event in Miami in 2019. The Centner Academy prominently advertises on its website support for medical freedom from mandated vaccines. Credit... Romain Maurice/Getty Images for Haute Living Ms. Centner required the faculty and staff to fill out a confidential form revealing whether they had received a vaccine and if so, which one and how many doses or planned to get vaccinated. The form requires employees to acknowledge the School will take legal measures needed to protect the students if it is determined that I have not answered these questions accurately. Ms. Centner directed questions about the matter to her publicist, who said in a statement that the schools top priority throughout the pandemic has been to keep students safe. The statement repeated false claims that vaccinated people may be transmitting something from their bodies leading to adverse reproductive issues among women. We are not 100 percent sure the Covid injections are safe and there are too many unknown variables for us to feel comfortable at this current time, the statement said. The Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and many other authorities have concluded that the coronavirus vaccines now in emergency use in the United States are safe and effective. The Centner Academy opened in 2019 for students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, promoting itself as a happiness school focused on childrens mindfulness and emotional intelligence. The school prominently advertises on its website support for medical freedom from mandated vaccines. Ms. Centner founded the school with her husband, David Centner, a technology and electronic highway tolling entrepreneur. Each has donated heavily to the Republican Party and the Trump re-election campaign, while giving much smaller sums to local Democrats. In February, the Centners welcomed a special guest to speak to students: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the prominent antivaccine activist. (Mr. Kennedy was suspended from Instagram a few days later for promoting Covid-19 vaccine misinformation.) This month, the school hosted a Zoom talk with Dr. Lawrence Palevsky, a New York pediatrician frequently cited by anti-vaccination activists. Kitty Bennett contributed research. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Global Roundup Eyeing summer tourist season, Greece exempts more travelers from quarantine. Walking near the Acropolis in Athens last month. Credit... Byron Smith for The New York Times Greece lifted quarantine requirements on Monday for arrivals from seven more countries, including Russia and Australia, continuing an easing of rules for foreign visitors before a formal reopening to tourists on May 15. Last week, Greece ended quarantine restrictions for visitors from European Union member states as well as the United States, Britain, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates. The steps were similar to those put in place in March for arrivals from Israel, which has been far ahead of most of the world in vaccinations. Greece is also stopping restrictions this week for visitors from New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda and Singapore. Greece had previously required arrivals to quarantine themselves for seven days. It is waiving that rule for passengers from the listed countries as long as they produce a vaccination certificate or the results of a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours of their arrival. After heavy economic losses in 2020, the Greek authorities are determined to save this years summer tourist season despite experiencing a severe third wave of coronavirus infections. Health officials have said the infection rate is stabilizing, though slowly. Greek health officials have reported more than 334,000 infections and more than 10,000 deaths from the virus, according to a New York Times database. A new concern is the appearance of the coronavirus variant that is believed to be fueling the worsening outbreak in India. On Sunday, health officials recorded the second case of that variant in Greece, found in a 33-year-old foreign woman who had traveled to Dubai in early April. Greeces high infection rate remains a worry for some governments. The U.S. State Department has advised against travel to Greece, citing a very high level of coronavirus cases. Greek health officials have expanded testing in recent weeks as they gradually lift lockdown restrictions, with bars and restaurants scheduled to reopen on May 3 after a six-month hiatus. In other updates from around the world: With Thailand struggling to bring its worst coronavirus outbreak under control, Bangkok made it compulsory for residents to wear masks in public beginning on Monday. One of the first to break the new rule? The countrys prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was seen maskless at a government meeting in a photo published on his official Facebook page. As a first-time offender, he agreed to pay a fine of about $190. New Zealand said it would allow quarantine-free travel from Western Australia to resume on Wednesday, after a three-day pause prompted by two coronavirus cases in the Australian city of Perth. Travelers who have been identified as contacts of the infected Australians a man believed to have been infected in hotel quarantine, and a woman he later stayed with will have to self-isolate and test negative for the virus before departure, according to New Zealands Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins. The authorities in Portugal said they might lift a state of emergency as early as the end of this month after reporting zero deaths from the virus on Monday. It was the first such day since August. The infection rate in Portugal has recently fallen to one of the lowest levels in Europe. Portugals president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is giving a televised address on the subject Tuesday evening. At first, getting the vaccine itself was the prize for older people in Russia seeking protection from the coronavirus. But with vaccinations slowing in Moscow, the city government began a program on Tuesday to encourage turnout with gift certificates. Residents over 60 will receive a voucher for 1,000 rubles, or about $13, redeemable at stores and restaurants. The Russian government has blamed widespread vaccine hesitancy for a slow start to its campaign. A shortage has also slowed the effort, with Russia exporting some of its doses. About 5 percent of Russians are now fully vaccinated; in the United States, its 27 percent. Niki Kitsantonis , Shashank Bengali, Raphael Minder and Italys school-dropout crisis has gotten worse during the pandemic. Teenagers in Scampia, a district on the outskirts of Naples, Italy. Credit... Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times The number of students that dropped out of school in Italy because of the coronavirus pandemic is rising, aggravating what was already a crisis before the disease spread across the nation. Italy had among the worst dropout rates in the European Union, and the southern city of Naples was particularly troubled by high numbers. When the coronavirus hit, Italy shuttered its schools more than just about all the other European Union member states, with especially long closures in the Naples region, pushing students out in even higher numbers. While it is too early for reliable statistics, principals, advocates and social workers say they have seen a sharp increase in the number of students falling out of the system. The impact on an entire generation may be one of the pandemics lasting tolls. Italy closed its schools fully or in part for 35 weeks in the first year of the pandemic three times longer than France, and more than Spain or Germany. And experts say that by doing so, the country, which has Europes oldest population and was already lagging behind in critical educational indicators, has risked leaving behind its youth, its greatest and rarest resource for a strong post-pandemic recovery. Pandemic restrictions on foreign seasonal workers could crimp the U.S. summer. An amusement park attraction at a pier in Wildwood, N.J., last July. Employers who hire foreign seasonal workers are having difficulty filling positions. Credit... Mark Makela/Getty Images With the U.S. summer tourist season looming and vaccinations gathering steam, summer camps, amusement parks, beachside hotels and restaurants anticipating an influx of visitors are confronting a dramatic shortage of seasonal workers. It is threatening to sabotage their best efforts to stay financially afloat after more than a year of pandemic-fueled economic hardship. Now small business and industry groups are pressuring the Biden administration to relax international travel restrictions and visa application protocols that would allow for more foreign workers to do the jobs that they say American citizens are unwilling to take. Moreys Piers, a seaside amusement park in Wildwood, N.J., needs to fill 1,500 jobs, including roller coaster operators, lifeguards and ticket sellers by the middle of June. To recruit, the company has advertised openings on 12 billboards in the region, joined virtual jobs fairs at high schools and tapped its network of former employees. But so far, it has managed to fill less than a quarter of the positions, and a key source of its seasonal work force in previous years foreign students from more than 30 countries is unavailable because of pandemic restrictions. Now executives worry they may have to limit hours or keep certain rides closed for the entire season. We have about 350 filled right now so Im not sleeping at night, said Denise Beckson, the companys vice president of human resources. Were really optimistic about visitor demand this summer, but were very concerned about staffing. In March, President Biden allowed a ban on foreign worker programs imposed by former President Donald J. Trump to expire, and approved an additional 22,000 HB-2 seasonal, nonagricultural worker visas. In late April, over 500 companies and industry groups that depend on the J-1 foreign student work visa program, urged in a letter to the State Department to relax travel restrictions and waive certain requirements like applicant interviews in an effort to supplement their American work force. But even as vaccinations increase in the United States, the push for more foreign workers is colliding with public health concerns over a global coronavirus surge fueled by the rapid spread of more contagious variants. Last month, the State Department announced it will expand its do not travel guidance to about 80 percent of countries worldwide, including many that are sources of seasonal foreign workers, citing unprecedented risk to travelers from the Covid-19 pandemic. What were hearing universally from employers and sponsors is that there are not enough Americans interested in what theyre able to employ for the summer, said Ilir Zherka, the executive director of the Alliance for International Exchange, a lobbying group which sent the letter. Theyre trying to look for ways to incentivize more American employees, but also for support from the State Department. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The 93rd Academy Awards were held on April 25. Like every year, the In Memoriam segment paid tribute to artists and filmmakers who passed away in 2020. There were a couple of Indian names in In Memoriam section of the Oscars this year. Actor Irrfan Khan and costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, who passed away in 2020, featured in In Memoriam section of the ceremony. Khan had been a part of several international projects throughout his career. The actor succumbed to cancer on April 29, 2020, after a long battle. Athaiya was the first-ever Indian to win an Oscar. She had won the the Oscar for Best Costume Design in 1982 film Gandhi. Other notable filmmakers and artists that featured in the three-minute-long In Memoriam section included Sean Connery, Chadwick Boseman, Ian Holm, Max von Sydow, Cicely Tyson, Cloris Leachman, among others. American Actress Angela Basset introduced the in Memoriam section at the Oscars this year with a brief reflection on the turbulent year that was 2020. Notably absent from the In Memoriam section video were a few prominent Indian personalities who passed away in 2020. Actors Rishi Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput were both missing from the Oscars' In Memoriam section. While Rajput committed suicide on June 14, 2020., veteran actor Kapoor passed away on April 30, 2020 after a long battle with leukaemia. Though both the actors were missing from the video section, they did find a place in the In Memoriam section on the official website of the Academy Awards However, some Twitterati were not happy with these exclusions from the In Memoriam section of the Oscars ceremony. Here's what they had to say: It was so fast I couldn't even read all the names properly. Thank you for mentioning #irrfankhan and #BhanuAthaiya but #RishiKapoor deserved in the list too. Rishi Kapoor was a big part of some cult movies.#Oscars #Oscars2021 #Oscar2021https://t.co/aKAlZMEkEP - (@MyWing__) April 26, 2021 I'm upset they missed Rishi Kapoor & they did the in memoriam really really quickly - Dhara Mistry (@Drmistry9) April 26, 2021 Rishi Kapoor deserved to be in the "In Memoriam" section at the #Oscars - Aman Nathani (@Nathani23) April 26, 2021 (Edited by Mohammad Haaris Beg) Also Read: Oscars 2021: Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas announce nominations; check full list here Also read: Aamir Khan quits social media; says 'decided to stop the pretence' OLYMPIA, Wash., April 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clean Fuel Washington , an organization fighting to reduce pollution, address climate change and help grow our states economy celebrated the historic legislative victory to fight climate change with the passage today of HB 1091. The Clean Fuel Standard now goes to Governor Jay Inslees desk for signature. Today Washington state choose to become a global climate leader by reducing fossil transportation fuels, which are the number one cause of climate pollution in our state, said Tim Zenk, organizer of Clean Fuel Washington. The citizens of Washington, its legislature and Governor today courageously fought the forces of Big Oil and made history by passing a Clean Fuel Standard that will reduce emissions that are causing climate change. The Clean Fuel Standard is the most important regulation to reduce climate pollution the state of Washington has ever implemented. Doing so will create demand for clean fuels that will benefit consumers and drive technological innovation in Washington. When implemented in Washington, clean fuel standards will be in place from Mexico through British Columbia, creating the Clean Fuel Coast. Our future turned bright and clear today in Washington, we are the tipping point for the change that is coming to this nation and world to make fossil fuels extinct and save our planet, continued Zenk. But our work is not over. We can celebrate tonight; but lets get right back to work on Monday working to implement the Clean Fuels standard, creating jobs and building clean energy production with renewable fuel refineries across the state. Clean Fuel Washington and its supporters applaud Governor Inslee and the Senate and the House leaders who listened to voters across the state and voted to require oil companies to reduce the emissions from their products that harm human health and contribute to climate change. These include: Representative Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34) and Senator Reuven Carlyle, for their tireless efforts to nourish a climate action coalition among legislators to build a diverse coalition for clean fuels and cap and trade that resulted in todays historic climate action. This is generational policy leadership at a time when it matters most. Other Senate leaders include: Senator Rebecca Saldana (D-37), Senator Liz Lovelett (D-40), and Senator Derek Stanford (D-1). From the House of Representatives: Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-27), Representative Pat Sullivan (D-47), Representative Valdana Slatter (D-48), Representative Davina Duerr (D-1), and Representative Amy Walen (D-48). The organization believes these legislators deserve admiration for their perseverance and dedication to addressing the serious impacts of fossil fuels on our climate. Making the change to cleaner fuels has been a long and tough battle against the most powerful connected industry in the world, Big Oil. We now look forward to Governor Inslee signing this important bill into law and continuing to lead a clean energy future for Washington. We will work with lawmakers, policymakers, advocates, and fuel makers to ensure a Clean Fuel Standard is implemented equitably and efficiently. The recent indictments of two more men connected to an alleged neo-Nazi terror cell in Floyd County shine new light on the reach of the group known as the Base. Duncan Christopher Trimmell, 23 of Austin, Texas, and Brandon Gregory Ashley, 21 of Hayden, Ala., face charges of animal cruelty related to the alleged theft and ritual beheading of a ram or goat on Halloween 2019, according to an indictment handed down by a Floyd County grand jury earlier this month. The charges, first reported by the Rome News-Tribune, reveal more of the web of what authorities describe as a criminal gang whose members planned to kill a Bartow County couple they suspected of being anti-fascist activists. Group members were arrested as part of a undercover investigation by state and federal law enforcement before they could carry out the plot. Trimmell and Ashley join six other men believed to have come to an isolated property in the Silver Creek community south of Rome where an undercover law enforcement officer said they shot guns, took drugs and planned for a race war as part of a white supremacist group known as the Base. According to court records, one aspect of those meetings was the killing of an animal alternately described in court records as a ram or a goat. The animal was allegedly stolen from a nearby property and killed in what was described as a ritual sacrifice. Joanna Mendelson, associate director of the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism, said the new indictments show the Bases long reach, drawing members from across the nation and even from other countries. As this case further develops it sheds a very bright light of how this group that had a substantial presence in the virtual spaces engaged in real-world action, bringing individuals from the far corners of our country together, she said. In January 2020, three Georgia residents were arrested in the alleged conspiracy: Michael Helterbrand, 26, of Dalton; Jacob Kaderli, 20, of Dacula; and Luke Austin Lane, 22, whose Silver Creek residence prosecutors say was used as the locale for the meeting. Along with the animal cruelty charges, Helterbrand, Kaderli and Lane face charges of conspiracy to commit arson, home invasion and murder, and violations to the states anti-gang laws. In addition, Patrik Mathews, William Garfield Bilbrough IV, Brian Mark Lemley Jr., also accused members of the Base, were indicted on charges related to the killing of the ram. Those charges are in addition to federal firearms charges they face in Maryland. Mathews Bilbrough and Lemley hail from Maryland, but Mathews was a member of the Canadian military and was in the United States illegally. Helterbrand, Kaderli and Lane have been held in jail for more than a year without bond but were only formally indicted last month, thanks to judicial delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lanes most recent motion for bond was rejected by Floyd County Superior Court Judge John Neidrach in a March 30 order. The theft and killing of the animal has been known for more than a year. In a court hearing in February 2020, Assistant District Attorney Emily Johnson said the ram was killed in a Norse-pagan ritual in which the participants drank its blood and posed for photos with its severed head. An affidavit filed by an undercover agent who infiltrated the group said the meeting included a dozen members of The Base, both known and unknown. Researchers describe the Base as an accelerationist group that tries to leverage violent and disruptive attacks to bring about the destruction of American society. Mendelson said the cell that allegedly met in Rome was a case study in how quickly such cells can develop plans to wreak havoc on our nation. District Attorney Leigh Patterson would not comment on the case, so its not yet known how Trimmell and Ashley came to be viewed as suspects. Both men live out of state and neither has been arrested yet, according to a spokesman for the Floyd County Sheriffs Office. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was unable to reach them for comment. The Base was founded in 2018 as a far-right, paramilitary organization that sought the creation of a white ethno-state. An investigation by the Guardian newspaper in 2020 revealed the organizations leader to be Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American expatriate living in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mendelson from the ADLs Center on Extremism said the wave of arrests and the identification of Nazzaro as the de facto leader crippled the Base and damaged its reputation in extremist circles. But she said such groups are always rebranding or reforming. They never lose the committed members, she said. They just realign and retool, so they will continue to be a threat. Authorities contend the suspects in the alleged murder plot continue to have contact with white supremacists while in jail. At Lanes bond hearing last month, Assistant DA Johnson said Lane has been in contact with far-right figures while in jail, including Dalton Woodward, a Georgia resident who was expelled from the National Guard after the AJC reported his membership in a pagan sect known for attracting white supremacists. The Georgia suspects have also been featured on the website of the Global Minority Initiative, a group that encourages supporters to send money and cards of support to white supremacists and neo-Nazis in prison. Attorneys for Lane and Kaderli said their clients are not soliciting that kind of support. " Jacob Kaderli is neither seeking nor accepting financial assistance from GMI. If the people who posted this false claim seek to foment race hatred, they can return to their dark place where the sun does not shine, said John Lovell, Kaderlis attorney. That said, I prefer they change and come out into the light. Helterbrand is represented by the Georgia Public Defenders Office, which declined comment, but he has been charged with additional crimes since his arrest. Authorities say Helterbrand sexually assaulted another inmate in December as part of an effort to move up in rank in a violent, racist prison gang known as Ghostface Gangsters. ___ (c)2021 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. PARIS The French government plans to introduce a bill aimed at closing a legal loophole that allowed the man who killed a Jewish woman in an anti-Semitic frenzy in 2017 to escape trial because a court found that he was in a delirious state brought on by cannabis. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said on Sunday that the bill would be presented in time for a vote by Parliament this summer and fill the juridical void that currently makes it impossible to take account of the voluntary intake of toxic substances leading to delirium in the commission of crimes. Frances highest court ruled this month that Kobili Traore, who beat the woman, Sarah Halimi, before throwing her out the window of her Paris apartment to her death, could not be tried because he had no discernment or control over his acts. It upheld a verdict by a lower court to the effect that under current French law the origin of Traores disturbed condition intake of drugs was immaterial. The verdict set off a storm of protest from French and international Jewish groups. It also led to a large demonstration by French Jews in Paris on Sunday, and smaller ones in other cities, including Lyon and Marseille. Two centrist senators who are key negotiators on capital funding have indicated progress but have confirmed that they do not support President Joe Biden's expansive $2.3 trillion plan. In a recently published article on The Wall Street Journal, Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) said on Sunday that the emphasis should be on traditional projects such as roads and bridges and that funding should be separated from broader elements in Biden's plan, such as $400 billion to better provide for the elderly and people with disabilities. Centrist Senators Will Not Support Biden's Infrastructure Plan Manchin also said, "I do think they should be separated. Because if you start putting so much into one bill, which we call an omnibus bill, it makes it very, very difficult for the public to understand." Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, also of West Virginia, said she received strong reviews from the White House after helping to draft a $568 billion infrastructure package that was billed as a starting point for bipartisan talks. She told a news outlet, "This is an active conversation, and I think that it's a good beginning," but she did not give the details on how to fund the investments, but members of the Democratic commented and said that it is far too limited. Joe Biden's $2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Disguises Socialism Two Parties Remain Divided on the Infrastructure Bill Despite flashes of bipartisanship, the parties remain well apart on housing and other topics as Biden approaches his 100th day in office and continues to press his platform, which includes a new round of anti-poverty and education funding that he hopes to pay for through higher taxes on the rich. According to a source familiar with the proposal, it would cost about $1.8 trillion, which may fuel Republican resentment of Democratic spending, according to a recently published article in The Washington Post. Biden would ask Congress to support his building package on Wednesday, as well as the passage of measures to combat police brutality. He is also set to detail his next big-budget package, including more than $1 trillion in anti-poverty and infrastructure services paid for by increasing taxes on the rich, which has sparked early GOP criticism. IRS Reveals How to Get the Largest Possible Tax Refund for 2020 Manchin, Closely Watched Member of the Senate In a recently published article on CNBC News, Manchin is one of the Senate's most closely watched senators, including the chamber's 50-50 divide between Republicans and Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the decisive vote in the event of a tie. He has defied demands from his party to amend Senate filibuster laws, requiring a 60-vote threshold to pass new legislation. He is ambivalent regarding raising corporate taxes to fund infrastructure. On Sunday, Manchin said, "I'm not a roadblock at all. The best politics is good government....I am not going to be part of blowing up this Senate of ours or, basically, this democracy of ours." Sen. Chris Coons, a close ally of Biden, has also advocated for splitting up infrastructure bills. He believes Democrats should focus on points of consensus with Republicans before moving on to a second, bigger plan that Democrats move down party lines. @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The huge cost on parents in Laois of sending their children to third level can be lessened if colleges and providers of student-specific accommodation were prevented from charging one month's deposit in advance according to Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley. The Laois/Offaly poll topper says his party has worked with student representatives to come up with a way that would prevent providers from hitting parents with the charge at the start of the academic year. He says there it is also a measure aimed to force landlords to pay refunds in extreme circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Dep Stanley has urged cross-party support for the Union of Students in Ireland backed Residential Tenancies (Student Rents and Other Protections) (Covid-19) Bill 2021. He claimed it will provide greatly improved protections for student renters and their parents. Many students renting student accommodation currently pay a term in advance, which usually runs from September to May, and can cost from on average 5,000 in Galway to an average 9,000 for UCD per year. Students and their parents paying for this accommodation are generally from outside Dublin or Galway and from counties like Laois and Offaly with no universities and in many cases, parents are paying costs for more than one student at a time. This is a huge outlay for many families, especially middle-income households who cannot access SUSI grants," The bill would prevent providers of student-specific accommodation from charging more than one months rent in advance. Crucially, the bill also addresses concerns raised by the USI about students and their parents not being able to access refunds when they had to leave, or could not take up, student accommodation due to Covid-19 restrictions. This was a real problem for people in this constituency who are attending Waterford Institute of Technology & University of Limerick. I have made representations on many of these cases In the past year, many students have found themselves unable to access their accommodation due to public health measures, and were denied rent refunds for unused accommodation. This bill allows for the prompt refunds in such instances. This bill would also enable a student to end a tenancy in student-specific accommodation by serving the landlord with a notice of termination of 28 days. I call on all TDs to support this bill to provide students, and their parents, the protections they require. Dep Stanley says the measures in the bill were drafted by the USI alongside Sinn Fein spokesperson on Housing Eoin O Broin and spokesperson on Higher Education Rose Conway-Walsh. He added that 56 opposition TDs support it. The motion will be heard in the Dail on Wednesday, April 28. Good morning, Bay Area. Its Monday, April 26, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have the green light to continue in California. Heres what you need to know to start your day. Many small towns across the country are coming up with incentive programs to lure new workers, from paying cash to offering free sandwiches or whitewater rafting. The hope is theyll revitalize local economies and diversify their populations, and in turn, workers enjoy a slower pace of life and more affordable housing. And some Californians are taking the bait. Rural has become the new urban, said Brad Smith, who is financing a program with his wife to encourage workers to move to West Virginia. People want to be part of that Hallmark lifestyle in communities where they have a chance to know other people. According to recent surveys, nearly half of companies plan to allow full-time remote work, while almost a third of Californians want to stay permanently remote. Read more about these incentive programs from Carolyn Said. Coronavirus updates California is in tricky territory as fully vaccinated people start resuming pre-pandemic activities while a significant portion of the population is still unvaccinated. While thousands of new coronavirus infections are still being reported daily in California, there has been a dramatic decline of cases among young to middle-aged residents. The pandemic has made it even more difficult to be young and unhoused today with an increased lack of resources and services to provide the most basic needs. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been deemed safe by federal health officials, allowing shots to resume in California. Theres been a significant drop in birth rates across California and the Bay Area during the pandemic. California and Texas have taken very different pandemic approaches, but which one is doing better with its vaccine distribution? Burning Man organizers and one of its founders dont appear to be on the same page of a vaccine requirement for attendees if the festival happens this year. Around the Bay Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Against many odds: Young coho salmon that narrowly survived the CZU Lighting Complex fires were released Friday into the ocean. Oscar breakthroughs: Chloe Zhao becomes the first woman of color to win best director, for Nomadland, in dull but important ceremony, Mick LaSalle writes. Hot housing markets: A comparison of listings in Vallejo and Yuba City, which have seen an explosion of interest during the pandemic. Asking too much? The Oakland As new $12 billion ballpark proposal has surprised city officials by proposing tax-generated revenue to fund infrastructure costs. From Heather Knight: Domestic violence victim advocates say the San Francisco District Attorneys Office is not doing enough to keep victims safe from abusers. Conflict of interest? Democrats have asked Justice Amy Coney Barrett to step aside in a California case being heard today by the Supreme Court. A great migration Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Even as an alarming number of whales are washing up on the shore, whale watching season is set to hit its peak in mid-May. Bay Area residents can possibly catch a glimpse of gray whales escorting their newborns from Baja to Alaska. Experts recommend going out early in the morning for the best chance of spotting the giants and bringing binoculars. The Bay Area has several great spots for catching the majestic creatures on their long journey, including the Marin Headlands, Bodega Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore. Here is The Chronicles whale watching guide. Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown, Anna Buchmann and Kellie Hwang and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com, anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com and kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix If youre anything like us, you couldnt wait to watch Netflixs latest fantasy series, Shadow and Bone. An adaptation of Leigh Bardugos original Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, the magical drama is filled with incredible world-building, complex heroes, rakish heists, and enticing villains. But if bingeing the eight-episode first season only left you wanting more, we have you covered. Whether youre new to fantasy or well-versed in the expansive genre, building out your reading list can seem intimidating without some guidance. Reading all of Bardugos Grishaverse books, including the recent Nikolai duology, is a great place to start. But for those who want to keep going, weve compiled a guide to the very best books that align with the heart of what makes the Grishaverse so special. So if your favorite part of Shadow and Bone is Alinas (Jessie Mei Li) journey to embracing her own power, Kazs (Freddy Carter) charming caper crew, the alluring edge of the Darkling (Ben Barnes), or the Russia-inspired culture of Ravka, were confident theres at least one book youll fall hard for on this list. Wicked Saints, by Emily A. Duncan $15 $19 now 21% off $15 This dark fantasy features so much for Shadow and Bone fans to love: an intricate, Slavic-inspired world; a divine young girl tasked with saving her kingdom; an alluring boy with a terrible secret; and a weary prince unsure of his identity off the battlefield. Set amid a centuries-long war between Kalyazin, a devout polytheistic country where only a select few can access the gods magic, and Tranavia, a country that cast out the gods and is ruled by ruthless blood mages, Wicked Saints is a seductively brutal tale about power, faith, and agency. Its also metal as hell, with creatively incorporated elements of cosmic horror. The series extensive lore adds a wonderful sense of history to this story, and it features an epic enemies-to-lovers romance that will be sure to resonate with any Darkling fans. $15 at Amazon Buy $15 at Amazon Buy The Gilded Wolves, by Roshani Chokshi $10 $13 now 23% off $10 One of the most delightful parts of Six of Crows is its refreshing break from the traditional Chosen One journey, instead giving us a full-blown fantasy caper. The Gilded Wolves takes a similar tack, following a multicultural crew of magical thieves in 19th-century Paris who attempt to pull off a heist that could change the world. Each team member is beautifully developed, with their own unique voice and complex motivations from the leader, Severin, a half-French, half-Algerian hotelier whos determined to reclaim his birthright; to Laila, an Indian cabaret star searching for a book that could save her life; to Enrique, a bisexual half-Filipino, half-Spanish historian looking for his place in the fight for Filipino independence. This lavish, fast-paced adventure is an inventive exploration of colonialism and what its like to navigate between two often opposing cultures, which serves as the foundation for the charming cast of characters. And the clever plot will keep you guessing every step of the way. $10 at Amazon Buy $10 at Amazon Buy An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir $8 $13 now 38% off $8 One of the best additions to the young-adult fantasy genre in recent years, this four-book series begins as so many do: with a young girl who decides to take on impossible odds to help those she loves. After Laias brother is arrested, she agrees to venture into the heart of the Martial Empires military academy to spy for a rebel group, in exchange for saving the last family she has left. There, she meets an unlikely ally in the schools most decorated soldier, Elias, who dreams of being free from the tyrannical Empire he fights for. As the series page-turning plot develops, Tahir masterfully builds out the historical mythology of this world, blending influences from ancient Rome and Middle Eastern folklore into a wholly original and often heartbreaking story about imperialism, oppression, and destiny populated by an ensemble of unforgettable heroes and compelling villains. $8 at Amazon Buy $8 at Amazon Buy Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi $12 $12 The first book in the Legacy of Orisha series is getting its own screen adaptation produced by Lucasfilm, and its easy to understand why. Adeyemi takes readers into the vibrant and dangerous world of Orisha, where a sadistic king has wiped out magic, allowing him to slaughter and oppress the now-defenseless maji. But when young Zelie learns theres a way to return magic to the world, she teams up with an unexpected ally, the kings daughter Amari, to outrun the magic-hating prince Inan and free her people. Its an engrossing coming-of-age story with pointed explorations of racism and allyship, impeccable world-building that pulls from West African mythology and Yoruba culture, and captivating magic, including Zelies ability to commune with the dead. $12 at Amazon Buy $12 at Amazon Buy The City of Brass, by S.A. Chakraborty $16 $18 now 11% off $16 Cunning Nahri is making a living as a con woman in 18th-century Cairo when she accidentally summons Dara, a powerful daeva (or what wed call a djinn). He reveals that shes the last descendant of a revered line of magical daeva healers and forces her to journey with him to the gilded city of Daevabad. Once stranded there alone, Nahri must navigate deadly court politics, warring daeva tribes, and violent prejudices, while discovering the truth of her legacy. Much like Shadow and Bones Alina, Nahris unique abilities raise her to sainthood for many, and watching Nahri learn how to become more than just a divine figurehead for scheming politicians and a true champion for the disenfranchised is a mesmerizing journey that defies predictability. This trilogy is filled with an array of fascinating figures and fantastical creatures that pull from Islamic folklore, delivering fresh spins on chosen one and enemies-to-lovers tales. $16 at Amazon Buy $16 at Amazon Buy The Gilded Ones, by Namina Forna $15 $19 now 21% off $15 In Otera, all women are forced to undergo a purity ritual at the age of 16. On the day of her ceremony, Dekas blood doesnt run the hoped-for red, instead revealing itself to be a cursed gold. Now considered a demon, Deka is forced to face a consequence worse than death by the village elders, until an enigmatic woman rescues her and recruits her into a new army made up of girls just like her. Known as alaki, near-immortal young women with superhuman speed and strength, Deka and her new blood sisters are trained to face the scourge of the kingdom, monstrous creatures known as deathshrieks. But inside the training grounds, Deka discovers not all is as it seems even among the alaki, she is an anomaly, with terrifying abilities she cant explain. A phenomenal feminist epic with shocking twists and beautiful friendships, The Gilded Ones is a powerful start to this West Africaninspired series that already has a movie adaptation in the works. $15 at Amazon Buy $15 at Amazon Buy The Reader, by Traci Chee $11 $11 Set in a world where the written word is nonexistent, young orphan Sefias life is forever changed once she discovers that the odd artifact she inherited from her father is a book. As she teaches herself to read, Sefia discovers that the stories inside the book are all true though not all of them have occurred yet. Using the magical book as her guide, Sefia sets out on an adventure to rescue her aunt from dangerous abductors and uncover the mystery behind these prophetic tales. Along the way, she develops close relationships with Archer, a mute boy whos gone through the unimaginable to survive, and the pirate Cannek Reed, a good-hearted rogue who will appeal to any fans of the Grishaverses Sturmhund. The Reader is the first book in a meta series about fate, self-determination, and the power of the written word, but its the characters that Chee has created that will steal your heart and possibly break it more than a few times. $11 at Amazon Buy $11 at Amazon Buy The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman $7 $9 now 22% off $7 In Lyras world, all people are born with dmons, physical manifestations of their soul that take the form of talking animals. When Lyras best friend Roger goes missing, she and her dmon Pan embark on a risky journey north to save him, and along the way they uncover the nefarious conspiracy behind the rash of kidnappings and its connection to a substance known as Dust (or what Christians would call Original Sin). As the His Dark Materials trilogy progresses, it evolves into a philosophical coming-of-age saga, as Lyra partners with Will, a boy from another world, in a journey across universes as they try to outmaneuver powerful figures fighting to either destroy or maintain the power of the ruling church. Much like Mal (Archie Renaux) and Alina, Lyra and Will are forced to make painful sacrifices, but they are helped throughout the journey by an ensemble of instantly lovable friends including an armored bear, a witch, and a Texan aeronaut on their quest to, essentially, kill God. $7 at Amazon Buy $7 at Amazon Buy The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton $11 $11 Like the tailors of the Grishaverse, the titular Belles are women gifted with the ability to alter human appearances. With the rest of humanity cursed with naturally gray skin, its only through procuring the Belles services that people can keep up with the ever-changing beauty standards that make or break ones social standing in opulent Orleans. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court to take up this duty, she discovers everything she knew about the history of the Belles is a lie and that her powers are far more dangerous than she ever knew. Imagining a richly detailed world where beauty is commodified and revered above all else,The Belles celebrates all types of beauty, while drawing damning parallels to our own world, exposing the gruesome horrors that often lurk underneath glamorous facades. $11 at Amazon Buy $11 at Amazon Buy All the Stars and Teeth, by Adalyn Grace $10 $11 now 9% off $10 One of the best things about the Grishaverse is Bardugos detailed explorations of the origin, methodical applications, and limitations of the Small Science. And fortunately for fans, All the Stars and Teeth delivers an equally intricate magical mythology. The duology is set on an island kingdom where all citizens can choose a single magical specialty all except the royal family, whose dangerous soul magic is bound to a vicious beast that seeks to destroy humanity. Whenever Princess Amora uses her powers, she must fight to keep the monster linked to her soul at bay, or risk becoming a vessel for its destruction. But after she slips up during a public demonstration, Amora is forced to flee all that shes known in order to escape possible execution. With the aid of a swashbuckling pirate Bastien, Amora sets out on a thrilling seafaring adventure, where shell uncover dark secrets about her magic, face legendary monsters, and try to save her kingdom from a terrifying new threat. $10 at Amazon Buy $10 at Amazon Buy Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas $7 $12 now 42% off $7 Celaena Sardothien is a convicted teenage assassin whose deadly knife skills could give Inej (Amita Suman) a run for her money. While serving her sentence in a death camp, Celaena gets an offer she cant refuse: act as the crown prince of Adarlans champion in a tournament to select the next royal assassin, in exchange for her eventual freedom. But once Celaenas competitors start turning up dead, she uncovers a sinister plot with implications extending far beyond Adarlans borders. As the seven-book series progresses, the stakes of Celaenas story are raised as fantastical new characters including demons, fae, and witches are introduced. Though the books dont shy away from violence and feature several nail-biting battle scenes, the Throne of Glass series is very much a high-fantasy fairy tale, featuring harlequin romances with the glittering promise of happily ever afters. $7 at Amazon Buy $7 at Amazon Buy The Napa County Board of Supervisors on April 6 held what amounted to a wildfire summit. Smoke was one issue that came up as a reason the county should do more to prevent massive fires. Rex Stults of Napa Valley Vintners told supervisors that controlling wildfires is a health issue. Everyone in the county was affected by smoke from the 2020 wildfires, he said. As an asthma sufferer myself, I had a hard time going outdoors in the Napa Valley between what, August and Halloween, just about, Stults said. The American Lung Association encourages all Californians to create a clean room. The goal is to keep indoor air quality safe during a wildfire. Creating a clean room involves closing all doors and windows for a room, running air conditioning on indoor air mode, and setting up a properly sized air purifier with a HEPA filter. Next years daily particle pollution grade will no longer have the 2017 Tubbs, Atlas, and Nuns fire in the calculation. But the Hennessey and Glass fires will then be in the mix, leaving little chance for the grade to change dramatically. Bengaluru, April 26 : The Bengaluru civic body issued show cause notices to four private diagnostic centres on Monday for failing to upload the test results of Covid patients to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) website within 24 hours. According to the notice, all four laboratories -- R.V. Metropolis Laboratory, BGS Global Hospital, Aarthi Scans and Labs and Medall Laboratory -- have been directed to give an explanation within 48 hours. In its notice, the civic body said that it was considering recommending revocation of the Covid-19 testing approval. It also cautioned them with immediate suspension of the Karnataka private medical establishment registration under Section 4 of the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020, Section 11 (Obligations of Private Medical Establishments); Section 11 A (Patient's Charter and Private Medical Establishment's Charter) of Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act 2017, read with rules and section 24(f) and 24(i) (Protection of action taken in good faith) of the Disaster Management Act 2005. "Explanations, if any, shall be brought forward and report the same to the Chief Health Officer (PH) within 48 hours of receipt of this notice," reads the notice. The Bengaluru civic body found out that discrepancies from these laboratories which failed to provide real reporting of the test results of the Covid-19 patients along with their contact details to the ICMR database. As per protocol, the information of the patients should be provided to the ICMR within 24 hours of testing a patient. In its notice, it attached test results of the patients which were not uploaded in the ICMR database. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) So Lanham funds were used to build and maintain physical child-care centers, pay and train the teachers inside them, and cover operating expenses for a new national network of affordable, quality child-care centers that were open to all, not just Rosies in factories. The women who enrolled their children in these centers werent just freed up to work during the war. The experience of accessible care that allowed them to seek employment left them more likely to work years after the centers closed. If child care is infrastructure, then, it should be nearly self-evident that care for the elderly and disabled is, too. Children arent the only members of our families who require daily care. But we offer miserly support for those who need to secure and pay for it. Medicare doesnt cover nursing home or assisted living stays; only Medicaid does, requiring families with resources to spend them down before they can get assistance with the exorbitant cost. Medicare also doesnt cover in-home care, and not all state Medicaid programs cover it. Some of those that do cap the number of people who can get help, leaving people to languish on waiting lists for years. So many family members simply have to care for disabled children or siblings, or aging parents or spouses, by themselves. Those who care for their spouses or parents are much less likely to work. The ones who try to hold on to a career miss more than a week of work each year, on average, thanks to these additional responsibilities. Paid leave might seem like a counterintuitive plank in an infrastructure package, given that it helps people stay away from work. But it does so when we are at our most vulnerable when a new child arrives who demands constant feeding and attention, after a serious injury that leaves someone unable to work for long periods, or when a loved one lands in the hospital. Without paid leave, these events often explode peoples lives into unrecognizable bits, including their bond to their jobs. Paid leave keeps that bond sealed. Studies in California, the first state with its own paid family leave system, have found that those who use paid leave are more likely to return to their jobs when their time off is over. Paid leave helps mothers in particular stay connected to their jobs before and after the arrival of a new child. On top of that, an analysis of 41 companies found that after they offered paid leave, the majority had an increase in revenue and profit per employee in other words, it allowed workers to perform better. The peace of mind that comes from knowing we can take time off without endangering our jobs or our livelihoods if life-changing emergencies arise allows us to devote ourselves to getting our work done. Yet the United States has fallen behind other countries in the share of women in the work force, not just because of a lack of child-care investment, but also because of a refusal to guarantee paid leave for all. That elder care, care for the disabled, child care and paid leave enable the functioning of our economy is not the only reason the country should invest in them. Paid family leave improves child and parental health, which also lead to a better-functioning country and society. High-quality child-care facilitates childrens development. Disabled and elderly Americans deserve to live their lives with dignity. The Australian Dollar (AUD) has rallied against the US Dollar (USD) in recent weeks, but has underperformed other G10 currencies. This is mostly a result of the RBAs yield curve control policy and downwards pressure on yields. The ongoing trade war with China wont help sentiment, especially given Australias latest move, but in actual fact exports to China have been rising despite restrictions. Markets are off to a relatively quiet start to the last week of April with slight gains in European stocks after a mixed session in Asia that saw China lower by around 1.5%. Currencies are flattish with only Sterling and the Australian Dollar making moves of any note. GBPUSD is +0.3% and AUDUSD is 0.5% while EURUSD is unchanged. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is getting some attention after making a 10% bounce from a low near $47k which was officially in bear market (-20%) territory from the April high. The week ahead is busy with data, US earnings from some of the Tech heavyweights and central bank meetings from the Fed and the BoJ. Many analysts expect the Fed to stay firmly put and for the US dollar downtrend to continue. Most of the central banks seem to be waiting for the Fed to lean hawkish before doing so themselves, but the BoC did go it alone last week by making some significant hawkish moves by tapering QE and signalling a rate hike in late 2022. If the Fed once more drags its feet this week, as broadly expected it will, then perhaps other banks will follow the BoCs lead. AUD Under Pressure One bank unlikely to do anything soon is the RBA, primarily because the Australian Dollar has performed so well over the last year. However, there are signs its policies particularly yield curve control are finally having an effect on the AUD as it has started to underperform in the last month or so. AUDUNZD has fallen 1.7% from the March highs to find support at its 200dma around 1.065, while EURAUD is making higher lows on the monthly chart since February. AUDUSD is starting the week strong near 0.78 but is still some way below the 0.80 yearly high. And its not only the RBA policies weighing on the Ozzie. A low-key trade war is ongoing with China, all sparked by Australias insistence China should be more forthcoming with information on the origins of Covid-19. In recent months China has imposed import restrictions on a number of goods from Australia including coal, timber and red meat. Australia in-turn have restricted Chinese access to Australian financial markets and trade deals. Relations have soured further in recent days, as ING report: The decision by the Australian government to scrap the Belt and Road Initiative (that would have allowed increased presence of Chinese companies in Victorias infrastructure projects) is another worrying signal that the diplomatic and trade relationships between the two countries are set to stay fragile. The main risk for AUD is that China retaliates in the coming days by hitting Australian exports again. Yet, despite the fallout, The South China Morning Post said Chinas imports from Australia rose by 20.9% to $US33.73 billion ($44.37 billion) in the first quarter. This was mostly driven by a demand for iron ore. Chinas iron ore imports from Australia surged in March as steel demand in the countrys construction and manufacturing sectors remained healthy amid continued recovery from last years slump, reports the Financial Review. If China were to retaliate with iron ore restrictions, it could make a sizeable dent in the Australian economy. Demand has ensured this hasnt yet happened, but with extra supply available from Brazil and slowing demand, the risk is growing. In the short-term, the Australian Dollar will be driven by Tuesday mornings CPI reading, but attention will turn later in the week to Chinese PMIs and any backlash against the latest shot fired by Australia in the ongoing trade war. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexicos population grew by 2.8% over the last decade, making it one of the slowest growing states in the West, according to the first numbers released Monday from the 2020 census. The Census Bureau said that overall, the national growth rate of 7.4% between 2010 and 2020 was the second slowest in U.S. history. In the West, only Wyoming had a slower growth rate than New Mexico, where the count put the resident population at just over 2.1 million. That included 58,343 more people than a decade ago but not enough to gain an additional congressional seat. Neighboring Texas and Colorado gained seats as a result of their population increases. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ New Mexico is one of the most difficult populations to accurately count, according to a comprehensive examination from the Center for Urban Research at the City University of New York. Census estimates also projected that roughly 43% of New Mexicos population about 900,000 people live in hard-to-count areas. The state last spring launched a multimillion-dollar campaign to ensure an accurate count of its heavily Hispanic and Native American population. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday called it a success that resulted from the hard work of hundreds of community members, nonprofit groups, tribes and others. The results of this immense effort will ensure that New Mexico receives every federal dollar to which we are entitled, she said in a statement. Lujan Grisham had signed an executive order that drew on members of her Cabinet and advocacy groups to encourage participation. The Legislature also set aside $3.5 million for counties to establish and staff complete count committees. The governors office has estimated the state receives about $7.8 billion annually from the federal government based on census counts to underwrite health care, educational programs, transportation, housing and more. The governor and others had warned that even a 1% undercount could translate into more than $700 million in lost federal revenues over a decade. The data released Monday was limited to population numbers only. Information about race and other demographics will be released later this year, federal officials said. Census officials reiterated during a news conference Monday that they were confident in the data despite the challenges of counting that stemmed from the coronavirus pandemic. A panel of New Mexico lawmakers is expected this week to discuss a report by legislative analysts, who found as part of their own review that more people were leaving the state than moving in and that a decrease of 19% in the birth rate contributed to the slow growth. Even though New Mexicos under-18 population shrank by 8.3%, the analysts found that the Hispanic population increased slightly and the Native American population grew by 10%, signaling long-term growth in diversity. They also predicted that over the next decade, New Mexico will likely see overall declines, particularly among younger and rural populations. Advocacy groups and other experts were not surprised by the slow growth. James Jimenez, the executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, pointed to what he called a lost decade from 2008 through 2018 when the recession took its toll on the state. He said that resulted in little economic opportunity and state policymakers at the time took an austere approach to public spending. We heard many stories about young people leaving the state because there just werent jobs for them, he said. The legislative review found that what growth did occur happened in urban areas and the Permian Basin, which is home to one of the worlds largest oil reserves. Aside from federal funding, the census results also will influence how legislative districts are drawn to ensure political representation. That redistricting process will ramp up later this year. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Bay of Plenty You will be operating the Roller and also required to help out the team hands on. You will be working around Tauranga, for... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz The State of Indiana enacted a legislation that prohibits the restriction of attending religious services in the event of disaster emergencies. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Indiana Senate Bill 263 on Thursday, after it was passed in the state House on April 6, 74-20, and state Senate on April 8, 36-10, Christian Headlines reported. Titled "Religious activities as essential services," the bill was authored by Republican state Senators Eric Koch, Liz Brown and Aaron Freeman. The sponsors include GOP state Representatives Gregory Steuerwald, Matt Lehman and Robert Cherry. The legislation "prohibits the state and a political subdivision from imposing restrictions on a religious organization that are more restrictive than the restrictions imposed upon other businesses and organizations that provide essential services to the public." Further, it allows the state to require a religious organization of compliance with "with a neutral and generally applicable health, safety, or occupancy requirement to the same extent as other organizations," only if the requirement is allowable under the state's law on religious freedom. After the bill was passed in Indiana House, Rep. Steuerwald, reiterated that church services are "essential," adding that the rule will also be applied to Sunday school classes, weddings in churches and funerals. The proposal was resisted by other lawmakers. Democrat Rep. Ed DeLaney claimed that it defies protecting people "no matter what the condition is." Republican Rep. John Jacob also said that it is unnecessary since the law, relative to freedom of religion, is already "embodied in the Constitution." But Steuerwald argued that the bill only entails government restrictions on religious services. Churches can still form their own restrictions, "not limited on any way." Before Holcomb signed it into law, Sen. Koch stated that the bill aims to protect religious freedom, Indianapolis Star wrote. "This will protect that very carefully enshrined right in our Constitution. And as to the large gatherings, I trust and I know that no religious leader would put the members of his church at risk in an irresponsible sort of way," Koch said. But Sen. Tim Lanane, a Democrat, opposed the legislation, saying that the state should be given the right to implement control during an emergency that could "threaten mass death within a society." He then called for its reconsideration for "proper balance" of rights in exercising religion, contending that the state has "compelling reasons" in limiting the right to worship for a period of time to prevent harming others. It's worth noting, however, that according to a new MIT study, social distancing rules and capacity limits, such as those often enacted against churches, were found to be unnecessary and "just not reasonable" at all. Greg Chafuen, legal counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, gladly welcomed Senate Bill 263's enactment. "Houses of worship and religious organizations provide soul-sustaining operations that are essential to our society and protected by the First Amendment. While public officials have the authority and responsibility to protect public health and safety, the Supreme Court has made clear that the First Amendment 'cannot be put away and forgotten' even in a pandemic. This means that the government can't treat churches worse than shopping centers, restaurants, or gyms without violating the Constitution," Chafuen said. The new law will take effect on July 1. Chloe Zhao has made Oscars history. The 39-year-old filmmaker is the first Asian-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, taking home a golden statuette for Nomadland Sunday. My entire Nomadland company what a crazy once-in-a-lifetime weve been on together. Im so grateful to you, she said from LAs Union Station. Ive been thinking a lot lately of how I keep going where things get hard and I think it goes back to something I learned when I was a kid when I was growing up in China with dad and I would play this game, she said and began to recite a poem she learned as a child in Chinese. People at birth are inherently good,' she said. And those six letters had such a great impact on me when I was a kid and I still truly believe them today and sometimes it might seem like the opposite is true. I have always found goodness in people I meet. She held up her Oscar and said: This is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold onto the goodness in them selves and to hold on to the goodness in each other. Nomadland director Chloe Zhao Getty Images Zhao scored a nomination alongside Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), David Fincher (Mank), Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) and Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round). Nomadland was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay. The Frances McDormand-fronted drama also won big at the Golden Globe Awards earlier this year. The movie earned a nod for best screenplay and received awards for best director and best motion picture drama, making Zhao not only the first Asian-American woman to win the Globe for best director but also the second woman ever to win for directing. Zhao follows in the footsteps of Barbra Streisand, who was the first female to score the best director Globe in 1984 for Yentl. I think the understanding and trying to see the world from the other persons perspective is the only way we can survive as a species, she said in her speech. Now this is why I fell in love with making movies and telling stories because it gives us a chance to laugh and cry together, and it gives us a chance to learn from each other and to have more compassion for each other. Frances McDormand in a scene from the film Nomadland. AP The Chinese-born writer/director added, So thank you everyone who made it possible to do what I love. Zhaos win is also a momentous one as this years Oscar lineup is the first to include two female directors. Until now, only five women had been recognized in the category. Lina Wertmuller was the first woman to receive a nomination for Seven Beauties in 1977. Kathryn Bigelow was the only woman to ever win the Best Director Oscar for her work in 2009s The Hurt Locker. The Oscar nominations for Chung, 42, and Zhao also make this year the first time that two directors of Asian descent have faced off. There have only been five Asian nominees that have come before them, starting with Hiroshi Teshigaharas 1966 film Woman in the Dunes. Zhao is the third Asian-American to win the award, after Ang Lee and Bong Joon-hos wins. Lee won in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain and for Life of Pi in 2013. Joon-ho received awards in 2020 for Parasite. Other recent champs in this category are Alfonso Cuaron for his 2019 Netflix drama Roma, Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water in 2018 and Damien Chazelle for La La Land in 2017. Norfolk nurse puts Kenyan children in families Norfolk nurse puts Kenyan children in families Kelly Strong, a Registered Nurse living in Dereham, is leading a project to move Kenyan children out of institutions and into families. Kelly worked at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and attended Norwich Family Life Church before she and her husband Jono left for Africa in 2013. They spent many years investing in the team before returning to Norfolk with their three boys. Kelly continues to work alongside this team most days, from her room in Dereham. The Kenyan Childrens Project was founded in 2005 by two couples - Chloe and Stuart Glassborow, and Chris and Cathrine Lane. The Glassborows were previously at Fakenham Baptist Church and went on to become founding pastors of Catch the Fire London. Over the last six years the charity has moved from an orphanage model to a community and family restoration model of care. It has learnt from like-minded organisations and pioneers in Kenya, incorporating best practice from the broader child development sector. The charity believes that most children across the world living in an orphanage or institute do have a family to return home to. Since 2014 it has reunited 243 children with families. The majority are still being followed up. The project now only provides accommodation at its centre on a short-term basis. This is especially when a child is extremely vulnerable, or in the rare cases where family restoration is not possible. The normal pattern is strengthening families to care for their own children. Currently the project is developing a 21-acre site near Kakamega Town which will enable the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of up to 2500 children over the next five years. You can find out more about the charity from their website here . Image from Kenyan Childrens Project Eldred Willey, 26/04/2021 The pharmacy-chain Walgreens, one of the biggest vaccine providers, sent some people who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to get their second doses at pharmacies that only had the other vaccine on hand. Several Walgreens customers said in interviews that they scrambled, in some cases with help from pharmacy staff, to find somewhere to get the correct second dose. Others, presumably, simply gave up. Loading From the outset, public health experts worried that it would be difficult to get everyone to return for a second shot three or four weeks after the first dose. It is no surprise that, as vaccines are rolled out more broadly, the numbers of those skipping their second dose have gone up. But the trend is nonetheless troubling some state officials, who are rushing to keep the numbers of partly vaccinated people from swelling. In Arkansas and Illinois, health officials have directed teams to call, text or send letters to people to remind them to get their second shots. In Pennsylvania, officials are trying to ensure that college students can get their second shots after they leave campus for the summer. South Carolina has allocated several thousand doses specifically for people who are overdue for their second shot. Loading Mounting evidence collected in trials and from real-world immunisation campaigns points to the peril of people skipping their second doses. Compared with the two-dose regimen, a single shot triggers a weaker immune response and may leave recipients more susceptible to dangerous virus variants. And even though a single dose provides partial protection against COVID, it is not clear how long that protection will last. Im very worried, because you need that second dose, said Dr Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory panel. The stakes are high because there is only one vaccine authorised in the United States that is given as a single shot. The use of that vaccine, made by Johnson & Johnson, was paused this month after it was linked to a very rare but serious side effect involving blood clotting. Federal health officials on Friday recommended restarting use of the vaccine, but the combination of the safety scare and ongoing production problems is likely to make that vaccine a viable option for fewer people. The CDCs count of missed second doses is through April 9. It covers only people who got a first Moderna dose by March 7 or a first Pfizer dose by March 14. While millions of people have missed their second shots, the overall rates of follow-through, with some 92 per cent getting fully vaccinated, are strong by historical standards. Roughly three-quarters of adults come back for their second dose of the vaccine that protects against shingles. In some cases, problems with shipments or scheduling may be playing a role in people missing their second doses. Some vaccine providers have had to cancel appointments because they did not receive expected vaccine deliveries. People have also reported having their second-dose appointments cancelled or showing up only to find out that there were no doses available of the brand they needed. Loading Some people can be flexible about being rebooked. But that is harder for people who lack access to reliable transportation or who have jobs with strictly scheduled hours, said Elena Cyrus, an infectious disease public health researcher at the University of Central Florida. Walgreens booked some customers for their second appointments at places that did not have the same vaccine that they had received for their initial doses. The company said it fixed the problem in late March. It is not clear how widespread the Walgreens dose-matching problem has been or how many people have missed their second doses because of it. Jim Cohn, a spokesperson for Walgreens, said that the problem affected a small percentage of people who had booked their appointments online and that the company contacted them to reschedule in alignment with our vaccine availability. He said that nearly 95 per cent of people who got their first shot at Walgreens have also received their second shots from the company. Walgreens has also come under fire for, until recently, scheduling second doses of the Pfizer vaccine four weeks after the first shot, rather than the three-week gap recommended by the CDC. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Pharmacists have been besieged by customers complaining, including about their inability to book vaccine appointments online. In other cases, though, access to vaccines is not the sole barrier; peoples attitudes contribute, too. Basith Syed, a 24-year-old consultant in Chicago, nabbed a leftover Moderna vaccine at a Walgreens in mid-February. But when the time came for his second shot, he was busy at work and preparing for his wedding. After the first shot, he had spent two days feeling drained. He did not want to risk a repeat, and he felt confident that a single dose would protect him. I didnt really feel the urgency to get that second dose, Syed said. With 3,52,991 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, the highest so far, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 28,13,658 comprising 16.25 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 82.62 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,43,04,382. The case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.13 per cent, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of 1.50 crore on April 19. According to the ICMR, 27,93,21,177 samples have been tested up to April 25with14,02,367samples being tested on Sunday. The 2,812 new fatalities include 832 from Maharashtra, 350 from Delhi, 206 from Uttar Pradesh, 199 from Chhattisgarh, 157 from Gujarat, 143 from Karnataka, and 103 from Jharkhand. A total of 1,95,123 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 64,760 from Maharashtra, 14,426 from Karnataka, 14,248 from Delhi, 13,557 from Tamil Nadu, 11,165 from Uttar Pradesh, 10,941 from West Bengal, 8,432 from Punjab and 7,685 from Andhra Pradesh. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation. Also read: 'Heartbroken' Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pledges support in India's COVID-19 battle By Sarah N. Lynch and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Monday launched a civil probe of the Louisville, Kentucky, police department whose officers last year fatally shot Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman, in a botched raid, sparking street protests against police violence. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the probe, which will focus on the police department and the Louisville-Jefferson County government, will evaluate whether the police routinely use unreasonable force, including on protesters, as well as if they routinely conduct unconstitutional searches. The move came five days after the department began a similar review of the Minneapolis Police Department after its former officer, Derek Chauvin, was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, last year. The inquiries mark a sharp shift in the department's focus under Democratic President Joe Biden, who has made racial justice a priority and plans to discuss police reform in his first speech to Congress on Wednesday. Garland said the investigation would also look at whether Louisville police regularly engage in racially discriminatory practices or deny access to public services for people with disabilities. "Those investigations and recommendations and actions that ensue do not only protect individuals' civil rights; they also assist police departments in developing measures to increase transparency and accountability," Garland said. He credited the Louisville police department with having taken some measures to improve since Taylor's death, including reaching a settlement with her family. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said he welcomed the department's probe. "We've been building momentum for this type of audit for months," he told a news conference. Louisville Police Department Chief Erika Shields acknowledged her department had to "rebuild our product." "What I will be pushing for is more resources, more training. ... More tools other than lethal force," she said. Story continues Shields was appointed to the post earlier this year after stepping down as Atlanta police chief last June following the fatal police shooting of an African-American man, Rayshard Brooks, which was caught on video and set off days of protests. Also weighing in was Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who told reporters on Monday that "there have been significant challenges there in my hometown since the Breonna Taylor incident. And it's not certainly not inappropriate for the Justice Department to take a look at it. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION ONGOING The civil probes into policing practices in Minneapolis and Louisville are separate from the department's criminal civil rights investigations into the killings of Floyd and Taylor. A senior Justice Department official confirmed on Monday that its criminal investigation into Taylor's death remained ongoing. A federal "pattern or practice" investigation typically involves two parts - one that looks at possible violations of civil rights and another that looks at whether those violations are linked to a police department's operations, policies or training of its officers. If the department finds evidence of misconduct, it will issue a public report with those findings and negotiate remedies. Should the city and the Justice Department disagree on how to cure the violations, the department could file a lawsuit and get a court order, Garland said. The deaths of Floyd and Taylor helped spark nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. Only one of three officers involved in the Taylor shooting faced charges. But officials at the FBI and the Louisville U.S. Attorney's Office have been investigating other officers involved, a law enforcement official told Reuters. Former President Donald Trump's administration sharply curtailed the use of court-enforcement agreements to prevent police departments from violating peoples' civil rights. Garland rescinded that policy this month, saying the department would be returning to its traditional practices of investigating state and local police departments and allowing unit heads to approve most settlements and consent decrees. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Scott Malone, Sonya Hepinstall and Peter Cooney) Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 21:43:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, April 26 (Xinhua) -- "Grateful to all who joined us at Colton Hall to stand in solidarity with our AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) community," U.S. Congressman Jimmy Panetta tweeted on Sunday night. Along with hundreds of demonstrators, Panetta participated in a rally held in the City of Monterey, California, on Saturday to protest against anti-Asian hate crimes. "We cannot turn a blind eye to the assault that Asian-Americans are enduring," Panetta spoke at the rally which gathered leaders from various local Asian-American communities. "Hate against Asians is not new. Because of discrimination and the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, my grandfather's village was burnt several times...Chinese still prospered in this area. I urge that we...tell our own stories and reach out to help others to tell their stories," said Gerry Low-Sabado, a fifth-generation descendant of a Chinese fishing village. Former national president of Japanese American Citizens League Larry Oda, a third-generation Monterey resident, was incarcerated in an internment camp during World War II. He said that the Asian American community has long been part of Monterey County's history and contributed hugely to the local economy. "Though you work hard, you are blamed for what is not your fault. Establishing allies are important," he said. "My values, passions, and pursuits are rooted in the multicultural communities I grew up in and are influenced by the immigrant family I was raised by," said Kaye Roberts, a second-generation Filipina-American. "I am driven by my personal experiences to continue breaking barriers to race and gender equality." According to Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based nonprofit social organization, it received nearly 3,800 reports of attacks or abuses against people of Asian descent between March 2020 and February 2021, and the actual number of such incidents is believed to be far greater than that. Jeff Uchida, chapter president of the local Japanese American Citizens League, noted that a member of his organization was recently targeted in Monterey. "It is upsetting to see what's going on throughout America," Uchida said. With reports of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on the rise, officials in Monterey unanimously passed a resolution on April 6, condemning anti-Asian hate crimes and renewing the city's "commitment" to speak out against racial violence and protect those targeted in the attacks. "I feel supportive. Asians are not invisible in the U.S.," said Lailan Huen, program director at the Asian Pacific Islander Student Achievement Initiative of the City of Oakland, who came to Monterey for the rally. "Besides the rally, we also need relevant policies, laws, funding, and education reform in schools," she added, noting that history about Asian-Americans is largely unmentioned in textbooks. The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act overwhelmingly with an aim to combat surging hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I will continue to fight for legislation that roots out hate and supports survivors, like the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which I will support on the House floor in the coming weeks," Jimmy Panetta said in his Sunday night tweet. Enditem Clarke Peters says we shouldn't be 'labelling' people based on their race, after commentators pointed out that Chloe Zhao is the first 'woman of colour' to win the Oscar for Best Director last night. Chinese-born and US-based filmmaker Zhao, 39, became the second woman ever to win the coveted accolade at the Academy Awards last night for her third feature film Nomadland, following Kathryn Bigelow who won for The Hurt Locker in 2009. Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, the 69-year-old actor - said Zhao should just be considered 'great' - without pointing out her race and gender. Peters, whose co-star Frances McDormand won the Best Actress gong for her performance in the film, argued that racism is 'something that happens in people's homes and their communities' and there are different ways to 'redress the issue'. Clarke Peters, pictured in New York in 2015, says we shouldn't be 'labelling' people based on their race Chinese-born and US-based filmmaker Zhao, 39, became the second woman ever to win the gong for Best Director at the Academy Awards last night for her third feature film Nomadland Speaking from his New York home, he said: 'There was something I heard earlier or read earlier about actors or directors of colour, the second female of colour to have have received an Oscar and I thought, "How many colours are there?". 'When are we going to move away from this? When will we say. "This woman is great"? Why do we have to label this? Most Chinese people do not want to be considered people of colour.' Host Adil Ray quickly hit back at Peters, arguing that the Oscars this year has been 'about pushing diversity'. 'I hear what you're saying, you don't want to be seen as the brown or the black actor, said Adil. 'But it is important we recognise people from different backgrounds and cultures are winning these awards. Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, the 69-year-old actor said Zhao should just be considered 'great' - without pointing out her race and gender Host Adil Ray quickly hit back at Peters, arguing that the Oscars this year has been 'about pushing diversity' 'It inspires children who may have the same background of Chloe to think, "That can be me". It's important to highlight isn't it?' When questioned further by Peters on the reason for pointing out race or gender during an awards show, he said: 'Young people who are watching might think, I can be proud of my identity and think it's not just white people who can win Oscars. 'I agree in an ideal world, but right now are we in the phase where we need to promote these minorities that go on to win awards.' But the actor went on to argue that the 'system is broken' and that we need a 'reset which does not identify people by their sexual persuasion or ther colour or so on'. 'We're just people', he said. 'I recognise we're trying our best at this point in time to redress mistakes from the past, but I put this question out because it needs to be put constantly forward so we are ahead of the curve and find the right way to change. A former co-star of Peters, Frances McDormand, won the Best Actress gong for her performance in the film 'I understand the politics and history and somewhere along the line the major mistakes were made and now we have to redress those, racism is something that happens in people's homes and their communities. 'That's what needs to be addressed, it's a whole consciousness that needs to change.' Chloe's trailblazing evening also included becoming the first woman to get four Oscar nominations in a single year, including the Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. Nomadland focuses on the lives of older Americans who live and travel in their vehicles as modern-day nomads, mainly due to economic reasons, and her cast featured a number of real-life men and women who live in their RVs. Accepting her gong Chloe said: 'So this is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves. 'And to hold on to the goodness in each other. No matter how difficult it is to do that. And this is for you, you inspire me to keep going. Thank you.' SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Relief has committed an initial $5 million in emergency funding in response to urgent requests to provide oxygen concentrators and other supplies to India as the country experiences the world's highest COVID-19 case count and critical shortages of medical-grade oxygen and other resources. India tallied another record case total yesterday, with 352,991 new COVID-19 cases and 2812 deaths. The virus is spreading in every state, with the most significant increases occurring in the heavily urbanized areas of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kerala. The influx of seriously ill patients is overwhelming hospitals throughout large areas of the country. Oxygen concentrators are among the most critical items needed to treat people with severe COVID-19, who often arrive at hospitals with extreme hypoxemia. High-flow oxygen concentrators are used in hospitals to treat patients needing intensive care. In contrast, low-flow concentrators can help hospitals safely discharge patients who are stable but require at-home breathing support. Healthcare leaders in India have estimated the need for 200,000 oxygen concentrators; however, rising COVID-19 cases have caused many local manufacturing plants to shut down, resulting in shortages of oxygen throughout the country. Direct Relief is working with several local Indian nonprofits, global logistics companies and large-scale manufacturers to source and transport oxygen concentrators and other critical items into India. Today's commitment of $5 million will cover the expense of an estimated 10,000 oxygen concentrators and other requested items. Since January 2020, Direct Relief has delivered 4,000 oxygen concentrators to forty-five countries, including India. Since the pandemic began, Direct Relief has also provided twenty-one organizations across India with more than $25 million in medical resources, including PPE, cancer drugs, rare disease medications, and $198,000 in grants. SOURCE Direct Relief Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) The Philippines is entitled to "pressure" China to pay its debt of more than 800 billion in marine losses in the West Philippine Seaan amount that could be used to fuel the country's battle against COVID-19, said Senator Risa Hontiveros. The lawmaker issued a statement on Monday, reiterating her call for China to settle its mounting debt due to the "ecological damage" it has caused to the disputed waters. "Lolobo lang yang utang ng Tsina sa Pilipinas kung hindi pa rin siya mag-uumpisang magbayad ng utang niya sa Pilipinas," Hontiveros said, adding the multibillion-peso debt could be allotted to assist Filipinos affected by the pandemic. [Translation: China's debt to the Philippines will only balloon if it still does not start paying the Philippines.] "We, in government, must already take the next concrete steps on how to make China pay," she added. In April last year, the senator filed Senate Resolution 369, demanding that the executive branch exert legal and diplomatic efforts so that China would foot the bill for the Philippines' COVID-19 response. "There is so much we could do with 800 billion," she said. "Our health care workers have been demanding timely hazard pay; our teachers need financial support with the resources for online learning; farmers and fisherfolk themselves are going hungry, and 4.5 million jobless Filipinos are looking for aid to tide them over." In February, Hontiveros cited data from the international journal Ecosystem Services, which showed that some 231 billion worth of coral reefs were ruined in a span of seven years. The value per coral reef, she noted, was estimated at 16 million. Both Panatag and Spratlys have 1,850 hectares of reef ecosystems, which "have been damaged" by China, Hontiveras claimed. Citing a report by investigative journalist Jarius Bondoc, Hontiveros also previously said a total of 644 billion worth of fish catch has been looted since 2014. She stressed the government is "well within our rights to pressure China to pay" given an arbitral tribunal favoring the Philippines in a case against Chinas claims to virtually all of the South China Sea. The senator urged the government to not allow Beijing to get away with it. "Ang gusto natin ay compensation, hindi konsumisyon," she said. [Translation: What we want is compensation, not exasperation.] READ: PH fires twin diplomatic protests over Chinese vessels' lingering presence in West PH Sea The government last week fired twin diplomatic protests over the continued presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. Thailand has decided to restrict entry of travellers from India in view of the coronavirus crisis. India on Monday reported 3,52,991 new infections, the fifth straight day to record three lakh-plus cases. The embassy of Thailand in Delhi said in a statement that certificates of entry (COEs) issued to non-Thai nationals to enter the country from India with the arrival date from May 1 will be cancelled. "The issuance of COEs for non-Thai nationals who will be arriving in Thailand from India from May 1 onwards will be suspended until further notice," it said. Earlier, the embassy announced that it would arranged flights from New Delhi to Bangkok on May 1, May 15 and May 22. The Embassy in its latest statement said it will not accommodate non-Thai nationals on the flights to Bangkok on May 1, May 15 and May 22. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. HOUSTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. ("Diamond" or the "Company") announced today that, on April 23, 2021, it and its debtor affiliates emerged from their chapter 11 process after successfully completing a financial reorganization pursuant to their joint plan of reorganization. The restructuring significantly delevers the Company's balance sheet and provides substantial liquidity for the Company, resulting in the equitization of approximately $2.1 billion in senior unsecured note obligations and providing the Company with over $625 million of new available capital. In accordance with the joint plan of reorganization, a newly constituted Board of Directors of the Company was appointed, consisting of Raj Iyer (Chairman), Neal Goldman, John Hollowell, Ane Launy, Patrick "Carey" Lowe and Adam Peakes. Mr. Iyer commented, "I am extremely pleased to have such an experienced and uniquely qualified Board of Directors. They undoubtedly have the necessary financial and business expertise and industry knowledge to oversee Diamond's post-emergence strategy." Mr. Iyer continued, "I've had the opportunity to engage with the Company's stakeholders to review and evaluate the Company's assets, balance sheet and operational performance and have confidence that Diamond is well-positioned for the future. I'm looking forward to working with the Diamond team to help drive the Company's strategic plan and achieve sustainable, long-term success while continuing to focus on safe and reliable services for our global customers." In connection with its emergence from chapter 11, the Company also announced that Marc Edwards has retired as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Edwards joined the Company in March 2014 and has played a key role in transforming Diamond into a leader in offshore drilling, including leading the Company through its successful chapter 11 restructuring process. The Company is currently in discussions regarding appointment of an Executive Chairman and a Chief Executive Officer and expects to make announcements in the near future. Until a Chief Executive Officer is appointed, Ronald Woll, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will serve as Interim CEO in addition to his current position. Mr. Edwards commented, "We commenced the chapter 11 process with the goal of strengthening our capital structure to position Diamond for long-term success and growth. I would like to thank our lenders and other stakeholders, our suppliers and customers and most of all our incredibly talented team of employees, for working together to consummate this restructuring plan to position Diamond for a strong and bright future." Mr. Iyer commented, "On behalf of the entire organization, I thank Marc for his many years of service and invaluable contributions to the company and the industry and especially the significant time and effort he has expended over the past year as the company successfully restructured. We appreciate the leadership and dedication he has exhibited during this time and wish him every success in the future." Mr. Iyer concluded, "We believe that our executive leadership team is well-positioned for future success, and I look forward to the next chapter in Diamond's history." Additional details of the Company's restructuring transactions can be found in the Company's prior filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. The Company was represented in the restructuring by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Porter Hedges LLP, Alvarez & Marsal and Lazard Freres & Co. LLC. ABOUT DIAMOND OFFSHORE Diamond Offshore is a leader in offshore drilling, providing innovation, thought leadership, and contract drilling services to solve complex deepwater challenges around the globe. Additional information and access to the Company's SEC filings are available at www.diamondoffshore.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, Company representatives may from time to time make oral forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "anticipate," believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "may," "will," "could," "should," "seek" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectations and assumptions regarding its business, the economy and other future events and conditions and are based on currently available financial, economic and competitive data and the Company's current business plans. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's operations, markets, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Company's filings with the SEC. While management believes the Company's assumptions are reasonable, the Company cautions against relying on any forward-looking statements as it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for management to anticipate all factors that could affect the Company's actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the effectiveness of the overall restructuring activities pursuant to the chapter 11 restructuring and any additional strategies that the Company may employ to address its liquidity and capital resources, the actions and decisions of creditors, regulators and other third parties that have an interest in the chapter 11 restructuring, restrictions on the Company due to the terms of any agreement that the Company may enter into in connection with the chapter 11 restructuring and restrictions imposed by the Bankruptcy Court, increased legal and other professional costs necessary to execute the restructuring, the trading price and volatility of the Company's common stock, the effects and the length of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the other factors listed in the Company's SEC filings. For a more detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, see the Risk Factors section in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company's other filings made with the SEC. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. The forward-looking statements made by the Company and Company representatives speak only as of the date on which they are made. Factors or events that could cause actual results to differ may emerge from time to time. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. Contact: Samir Ali Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Development (281) 647- 4035 SOURCE Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. Related Links http://www.diamondoffshore.com Specialty insurer Hiscox Ltd. announced that Kevin Kerridge will succeed Steve Langan as chief executive officer of Hiscox USA. Kerridge will take the helm effective May 15, 2021. Langan, who is retiring, will return to the UK after working with Kerridge on a transition of the CEO role. Kerridge, who will report to Ben Walter, CEO of Hiscox Global Retail, joined Hiscox in 1996. He created Hiscoxs first direct online business in the UK, initially for home insurance and then for commercial clients. In 2009, Kerridge relocated from London to New York to oversee the launch and development of Hiscoxs U.S. digital small business operation which now serves more than 460,000 small business customers. Ben Walter, Hiscox Global Retail CEO, said Kerridge has been instrumental in driving forward Hiscoxs ambition of becoming a leading provider of small business insurance in the U.S., delivered through a best-in-class digital and service centre delivery model. Kerridge takes over from Langan, who succeeded Walter as CEO of Hiscox USA in 2018 when Walter was named CEO Hiscox Global Retail. Langan was tasked with driving Hiscox USAs next phase of growth, drawing on his experience of building retail brands around the world, both at Hiscox and previously at Diageo and Coca Cola. He also remained chief marketing officer for the group. Walter thanked Langan for running Hiscox USA for the last three years with a steady hand and clear voice, positioning the business well for market success and profitable growth and building the Hiscox brand across the globe. Source: Hiscox Topics Leadership AVONDALE, La. Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman outlasted Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a playoff that capped a tight and tense final round Sunday. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner's Bag: Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith, Zurich Classic of New Orleans Smith and Leishman won with a par on their second trip up the par-5 18th after Oosthuizen pushed his tee shot into the water and narrowly missed an 11-foot putt for bogey. The Australians forced the playoff by shooting a 2-under 70 in alternate-shot play at the PGA TOUR's lone regular-season team event. Oosthuizen and Schwartzel began the round with a one-stroke lead, but shot a 71 with three pars and two bogeys. It's Smith's third career victory second at the Zurich team event and best result since tying for second at the pandemic-delayed 2020 Masters last November. It also was his sixth top 10 since the current TOUR season started last October. Smith's last victory came at the 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii. It was Leishman's sixth career victory, his best result since tying for fifth at the Masters this month and his first win since the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open. The climactic finish capped off a compelling duel between two teams that teed off together in the final grouping and took turns holding leads that never grew to more than two strokes. After Smith made birdie putts of 9 feet on the par-5 seventh and 7 feet on the par-3 ninth to pull his team even atop the leaderboard, the Aussies went in front on 10, when Schwartzel's approach found the bunker and his team two-putted for bogey. Smith and Leishman took a two-shot lead with a birdie on the par-5 11th, where Leishman drove 307 yards into the fairway and Smith sent the team's second shot 265 yards to the green, setting up a birdie. But they gave a stroke back on 13 when Leishman's drive went into the TPC Louisiana's trademark, towering and old-growth cypress three that stands alone like a monolith in the fairway. That forced the team to take a drop that led to a bogey. The South Africans moved back into the lead on 15, where Schwartzel followed up Oosthuizen's 205-yard approach shot with a nearly 15-foot putt for birdie, while Smith, whose approach had fallen short of the green, narrowly missed a 13-foot putt for par. Smith then bounced his booming, 294-yard tee shot on 16 into the water, but it went out of bounds close enough to the green that Leishman was able to hit a chip on his team's third shot and rolled it in from more than 23 feet for birdie to tie Ooshuizen and Schwartzel at 21 under. Both teams bogeyed the par-3 17th to head to the par-5 18th tied at 20 under. Peter Uihlein and Richy Werenski shot a 67, with six birdies and one bogey, to shoot up the leaderboard from 18th to third. Billy Horschel and former LSU player Sam Burns shot a 69 to tie for fourth with Brandt Snedeker-Keith Mitchell and Brendan Steele-Kegan Bradley. Ryan Palmer and Jon Rahm, the defending champions from 2019, closed with a 70 to finish seventh at 17 under. 3PE specializes in the development and manufacturing of best-in-class, ergonomically designed N95 particulate respirators using the highest quality materials and fully automated processes. The company is currently manufacturing several models, including two CDC NIOSH certified N95 respirator models from its facility in Pomona, California. Each of 3PE's products have passed the FFP2 grade respirator tests at BSI, the national standards body of the United Kingdom. The company is also in the process of filing the 510(k) premarket notification for FDA clearance to manufacture and market 3-ply medical masks in the United States. In addition to supporting 3PE's efforts to substantially increase production capacity in the United States, Innova also plans to localize manufacturing of the PPE products in international markets, including potential manufacturing in the U.K., continental Europe, Asia, and other regions, as part of Innova's effort to provide global customers with a secure supply of high-quality respiratory masks at a competitive cost. "This acquisition demonstrates Innova's continued commitment to helping the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic," said Daniel Elliott, President and CEO of Innova Medical Group. "We are very proud of the quality of 3PE's products and we are confident that our proven ability to scale production of medical devices will enable these comfortable masks to be available globally at an affordable price point to help protect lives and prevent further spread of COVID-19 and other air-borne viruses causing infectious diseases." About Innova Medical Group, Inc. Innova Medical Group, Inc. delivers better global health outcomes with its deep expertise in testing, unique offerings in diagnostic medical devices and services that help tackle some of the world's most challenging healthcare problems. Innova specializes in innovative screening, testing and diagnostics for cancer, heart disease, arterial calcification, stroke and virus detection focused on infectious disease. In response to the global pandemic, Innova developed an end-to-end ecosystem of rapid diagnostic and screening tests, along with digital reporting and tracing applications to help organizations manage the COVID-19 crisis. www.innovamedgroup.com About Pacific PPE Corporation Based in Pomona, CA, Pacific PPE Corporation specializes in the development and manufacture of ergonomically designed respirators using top quality materials and automated processes. The company's focus is on bringing the best quality respirators and masks to healthcare workers and the public at affordable prices. All of Pacific PPE's products have passed the FFP2 grade respirator tests at BSI. www.3peco.com SOURCE Innova Medical Group, Inc. Related Links https://www.innovamedgroup.com AKRON TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 61-year-old Bay City man was found dead in a crashed vehicle in Tuscola County after police believe a medical incident caused him to drive off the road. Tuscola Central Dispatch received a call shortly before noon Saturday, April 24, for a report of a single-car crash on M-25 near Sheridan Road in Akron Township, southeast of Sebewaing. The caller told dispatchers the male subject was unresponsive and the doors to the vehicle were locked, according to a Tuscola County Sheriffs Department news release. The caller then broke out a window on the damaged vehicle and discovered that the man was not breathing. ACW Ambulance and the Unionville Fire Department arrived a few minutes later. The man, a 61-year old Bay City resident who name has not been released, was found to be deceased, police said. The man was headed west on M-25 when his vehicle left the north side of the roadway and hit a guidewire, according to the initial police investigation. The vehicle continued and hit a utility pole, which broke in half. The vehicle continued into a farm field before it came to a stop after traveling approximately 600 feet. There were no indications of braking or evasive maneuvers by the driver, police said. The preliminary investigation by the sergeant and the Medical Examiners Office indicates the man may have suffered a medical issue that caused the crash and that the crash does not appear to have been the cause of death. The incident remains under investigation. The Tuscola County Sheriffs Office was assisted at the scene by ACW Ambulance, Unionville Fire, the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine. The release states the information provided is preliminary. Facts are still being compiled and information is subject to change. Read more on MLive: Containment of U.S. Forest Services prescribed fire in Iosco County continues to improve Man dies after being shot multiple times in Flint Man dies after vehicle flips several times in Flint, police say Morning shooting in Flint leaves one hospitalized STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. He had the gun, so hell do the time. A Mariners Harbor man busted last month in his community with a loaded, defaced handgun, faces a year behind bars under a plea agreement. Christian Stokes has pleaded guilty to criminal firearm possession stemming from the March 20 incident. Police said Stokes, then 21, was driving a Ford SUV when he was pulled over at about 2:25 p.m. near the intersection of Forest and Grandview avenues. The vehicle appeared to have a temporary Texas license plate absent a visible expiration date, an NYPD spokesman previously told the Advance/SILive.com. While approaching the suspect, officers allegedly smelled burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle, said police. They recovered a small amount of marijuana in the defendants possession, police said. Officers also seized a .380-caliber handgun. Police said the serial number on the weapon was removed, which typically is done to prevent authorities from tracing a black-market firearm to its original owner. Upon further inspection, police determined the temporary, paper license plate was forged. Stokes was arrested on charges of criminal firearm possession, possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of a defaced weapon and unlawful marijuana possession. In exchange for his felony plea, the defendant will be sentenced on June 1 in state Supreme Court, St. George, to a year in jail. His lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the case. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian says the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide is important not only in terms of truth and historic justice, but also the Armenian nations physical security. The first April 24th after the war had a clear and special international resonance, Aivazian told ARMENPRESS when asked about the significance of US President Joe Bidens recognition of the Armenian Genocide in terms of broader international recognition. This year, that day was signified with a very strong support by the international community to the Armenian people. High-level delegations arrived to Armenia despite the pandemic-related restrictions. Addresses were made from numerous of our international partners, including on the highest level. The recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide is important not only in terms of truth and historical justice but also the Armenian nations physical security, Aivazian said. Aivazian said he fully agrees with US President Bidens emphasis that the global community must take actions to prevent atrocities like the Armenian genocide from ever happening again. Armenia is a pioneer is advancing international agenda in genocide prevention and condemnation, and in this regard President Bidens address is a very big contribution, Aivazian said. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL (04/26/2021) -- A new study by five doctoral students in neuroscience at the University of Minnesota Medical School calls attention to a lack of regulation and unknown long-term health effects of tear gas. Based on their research, the group recommends changing the protocols around the use of tear gas as a crowd control measure at both the local and national level. "Following the murder of George Floyd and the protests in our city, we felt compelled to dig into the police force used during those protests. We are trained to look at data and draw conclusions," said Jennifer Brown, a graduate student in the U of M Medical School's Graduate Program in Neuroscience and lead author of the study. "Investigating the use of tear gas on crowds was something we felt we could contribute to this social justice movement." After a search through peer-reviewed scientific articles, news sources and legislative documents, the team published their findings in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, which included that: there are few studies examining the long-term impact of tear gas on human health and the environment; the information that was available indicated that exposure to these chemicals can have long-term physiological and mental health effects and may even result in death following prolonged exposure; and, there is an absence of robust policies to govern their use in domestic policing in the United States and a lack of regulatory oversight. "Tear gases are understudied in both the environmental and human health fields, despite their widespread use," explained Brown. "Changes to regulations on manufacturing and deployment of chemical demonstration control agents are needed to protect human health and civil liberties." Tear gas, also known as chemical demonstration control agents (DCAs), refers to a number of compounds that can cause irritation and inflammation to the eyes, nose, skin, throat and lungs. Though they have been banned from use in war by the 1925 Geneva Protocol, they are still commonly used by domestic law enforcement agencies for crowd control. Yet, there have been numerous calls for more research regarding the toxicity of these chemical agents, especially to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children and people with underlying health conditions, such as asthma. Discussions surrounding the use of tear gas were especially prominent these past two years, given that these protests coincided with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "Most tear gases attack the upper respiratory tract, so using them during a respiratory pandemic could increase the spread of disease, making them more dangerous," said Roman Tyshynsky, another U of M Medical School graduate student and co-author of this study. DCAs can also have a negative impact on the environment. Previous studies suggest that these compounds are toxic to plant and animal life and may persist in soil and water long after initial use. Yet, similar to studies of its human health effects, its impacts on the environment are vastly understudied. "In some situations, potentially toxic substances were left to be washed away into storm drains and into rivers, with little understanding of the full dangers to the environment," said Tyshynsky. As part of their study, Brown and colleagues propose a range of policy recommendations that either limit the use of tear gas by ensuring their deployment follows stringent protocols or ban their use entirely. In particular, they stress that chemical weapons, such as tear gas, should always be prohibited during pandemics. An op-ed in the Scientific American shares the personal motivations that led to their study as well as these recommendations. "None of us were prepared for the scale of the research and regulatory gaps. Now that we are more aware, we are excited to spread that awareness and to fight to change long-ingrained policies," Brown said. ### About the University of Minnesota Medical School The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. Visit med.umn.edu to learn how the University of Minnesota is innovating all aspects of medicine. Burma's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing arrives for an ASEAN leaders' meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 24, 2021. (Muchlis Jr./Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP) ASEAN Leaders Tell Burma Coup General to End Killings JAKARTA, IndonesiaSoutheast Asian leaders demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Burma in an emergency summit Saturday with its top general and coup leader who, according to Malaysias prime minister, did not reject them outright. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also told Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during the two-hour talks in Jakarta that a dialogue between contending parties in Burma (also known as Myanmar) should immediately start, with the help of ASEAN envoys. The situation in Myanmar is unacceptable and should not continue. Violence must be stopped, democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar must be returned immediately, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during the meeting. The interests of the people of Myanmar must always be the priority. Daily shootings by police and soldiers since the Feb. 1 coup have killed more than 700 mostly peaceful protesters and bystanders, according to several independent tallies. The messages conveyed to Min Aung Hlaing were unusually blunt and could be seen as a breach of the conservative 10-nation blocs bedrock principle forbidding member states from interfering in each others affairs. But Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that policy should not lead to inaction if a domestic situation jeopardizes the peace, security, and stability of ASEAN and the wider region and there is international clamor for resolute action. There is a tremendous expectation on the part of the international community on how ASEAN is addressing the Myanmar issue. The pressure is increasing, Muhyiddin said. The current ASEAN chair, Brunei Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, and the blocs secretary general should be allowed access to Burma to meet contending parties, encourage dialogue and come up with an honest and unbiased observation, he said. Such a political dialogue can only take place with the prompt and unconditional release of political detainees, the Malaysian premier said. Indonesian President Joko Widodo (C) delivers his press statement as, (L-R) Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung listen, following ASEAN Leaders Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 24, 2021. (Muchlis Jr, Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP) A formal statement issued by ASEAN through Brunei after the summit outlined the demands made by the six heads of state and three foreign ministers in more subtle terms. It asked for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint, but omitted the demand voiced by Widodo and other leaders for the immediate release of political detainees. It said ASEAN would provide humanitarian aid to Burma. In a news conference late Saturday, Muhyiddin said that Min Aung Hlaing told ASEAN leaders that he will find a way to solve the problem and agreed that violence must stop. Our proposals would be accepted, the general in his response did not reject (them), Muhyiddin said, This is very encouraging progress. When asked about Min Aung Hlaings response to the demand to cease the violence, Muhyiddin said that ASEAN leaders tried not to accuse his side too much because we dont care whos causing it, we just stressed that the violence must stop. For him, its the other side thats causing the problems, said Muhyiddin. If thats the case, we hope that he will find a way to stop it even before the ASEAN representatives go to Myanmar. Muhyiddin also denied allegations that ASEAN has not done enough to address the crisis. We are concerned about whats happening and weve taken steps and made decisions, he said. The best thing is that there is a representative from Myanmar who says they are ready to accept our representative there. It was the first time Min Aung Hlaing traveled out of Burma since the coup, which was followed by the arrests of Aung San Suu Kyi and many other political leaders. Critics have said ASEANs decision to meet the coup leader was unacceptable and amounted to legitimizing the overthrow and the deadly crackdown that followed. ASEAN states agreed to meet Min Aung Hlaing but did not treat or address him as Burmas head of state in the summit, a Southeast Asian diplomat told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to discuss the issue publicly. The divergent ties of many of ASEAN members to either China or the United States, along with a bedrock policy of non-interference in each others affairs and deciding by consensus, has hobbled the blocs ability to rapidly deal with crises. Amid Western pressure, however, the group has struggled to take a more forceful position on issues but has kept to its non-confrontational approach. The London-based rights watchdog Amnesty International urged Indonesia and other ASEAN states ahead of the summit to investigate Min Aung Hlaing over credible allegations of responsibility for crimes against humanity in Myanmar. As a state party to a U.N. convention against torture, Indonesia has a legal obligation to prosecute or extradite a suspected perpetrator on its territory, it said. Indonesian police dispersed dozens of protesters opposing the coup and the junta leaders visit. Activists display posters and defaced portraits of Burmas Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during a rally against the military coup in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 24, 2021. (Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo) The leaders of Thailand and the Philippines skipped the summit to deal with coronavirus outbreaks back home. Laos also canceled at the last minute. The face-to-face summit is the first by ASEAN leaders in more than a year. Aside from Burma, the regional bloc is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. By Niniek Karmini Beshear: No Mask Required At Most Outdoor Events By West Kentucky Star Staff FRANKFORT - On Monday, Governor Andy Beshear announced changes to his mask mandate and updated Kentuckians on the latest coronavirus case information from across the state.Beginning Tuesday, the statewide mask mandate will no longer be in effect when Kentuckians are outside at events or venues with 1,000 people or fewer."What this means is at events like the Kentucky Derby, you still have to wear a mask, but if you're at a backyard barbeque, your community pool or an outdoor wedding, you're not required to wear a mask," said Gov. Beshear. "We hope this is a relief for people, and remember, the state will be able to lift even more restrictions once the 2.5 million vaccine Team Kentucky Vaccination Challenge is reached."Beshear said masks are still recommended at outdoor events and reminded the public that the mandate is still in effect when Kentuckians are indoors.He also reported that the Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet is requesting that artists apply to design an upcoming COVID-19 memorial at the state Capitol. You can learn how to apply by clicking here. "As we get excited about a light at the end of the tunnel in the pandemic, we must also make sure we never forget the loss and sacrifices of so many Kentuckians during the last 14 months," said Gov. Beshear.Beshear reported 213 new cases and four deaths. There are currently 414 Kentuckians hospitalized with the virus, with 108 in the ICU. At least 47 Kentuckians are on a ventilator.Kentucky's positivity rate currently stands at 3.15 percent. Christopher Behan, a professor at the SIU School of Law, was selected recently for the Fulbright Specialist Program. (Photo by Russell Bailey) SIU law school professor named Fulbright Specialist by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Southern Illinois University Carbondale has been long known for its global reach, including welcoming its first international student in 1947. Christopher Behan, a professor with the SIU School of Law, is continuing the relationship with his recent selection as a Fulbright Specialist. Behan learned in February that he was selected for the specialist program, which pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions abroad to share their expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, hone their skills, gain international experience and learn about other cultures, according to the organizations website. The program has host institutions in more than 150 countries, and projects generally last two to six weeks, although specialists are encouraged to continue working with their host institutions in the years after the initial exchange. Behan is honored to be selected. The usual three-year term was extended to four years, until February 2025, due to the pandemic. SIU Carbondale truly is a university with a global presence, said Behan, who came to the law school in 2006. I encourage students to take advantage of international educational travel opportunities. Without SIU, I wouldnt have been competitive for this Fulbright Specialist appointment. He is awaiting a match with a project, possibly in East Africa. Behan said the project will likely involve legal education and administration where I can draw on my teaching and administrative experience here at SIU and also from my time as an officer in the United States Army. Behan noted that in deciding to apply for a Fulbright Specialist slot, he got encouragement and advice from two colleagues, law professors Trish McCubbin and Cynthia Fountaine, both of whom have been involved with the program. SIU School of Law Dean Camille Davidson noted the law schools history with the specialist program. We are excited about this opportunity for Professor Behan, she said. His acceptance into this program continues a proud history of SIU law faculty membership in the Fulbright Specialist Program, including Professors Fountaine and McCubbin. We look forward to the opportunities our faculty involvement in this program will bring to our students. Trish McCubbin was a Fulbright Scholar at the Wuhan University School of Law in China in 2007. Law professor Cynthia Fountaine, who is presently also on the Fulbright Specialist roster, has been a Fulbright Higher Education Administrator in France since coming to SIU. Prior to that, she was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Germany. Extensive experience abroad Behan said he has had several notable experiences while studying abroad, both when he was an undergraduate student at the Brigham Young Center for Near Eastern Studies in Jerusalem and as a law school faculty member. These helped establish collaborative relationships that, in turn, open doors and create opportunities for our students, he said. Behan and former SIU law professor Mark Schultz were in Botswana with a group of students as part of the law schools Legal Globalization and Comparative Law program to both Botswana and South Africa. In Botswana, they met a High Court judge from that nation who coincidentally participated in a conference at Touch of Nature Environmental Center several years earlier. The program that Behan and Schultz, now at the University of Akron School of Law, taught together also gave students a chance for individual meetings with attorneys and judges from that nations highest court, Behan said. In 2014, Behan taught a trial advocacy course in Gaborone, Botswana, and met former High Court Judge Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake, who came to the law school in January 2019 as the Beatty Jurist-In-Residence. Dingake visited several classes while on campus and a lecture he presented was turned into remarks published in the Southern Illinois University Law Journal. As a gesture of respect to the students who helped him finalize the research for his article and get all in the footnotes in order, he gave several of them co-authorship credit on the article, Behan said. Last fall, Behan gave a virtual lecture via Zoom to an international criminal law class at the University of Nairobi School of Laws Mombasa campus, returning a favor for a professor in that class who lectured in Behans comparative law seminar a few weeks earlier. The Fulbright Specialist program will create some additional opportunities for our students here, Behan said. That could include new courses with visits to other countries, or guest speakers or even guest students here at this school. Bars, restaurants, cinemas and concert halls were reopening across Italy on Monday in a boost for coronavirus-hit businesses, while parliament was to debate the government's 220-billion-euro ($266-billion) EU-funded recovery plan. After months of stop-start restrictions imposed to manage second and third waves of Covid-19, Italy hopes this latest easing will mark the start of something like a normal summer. Prime Minister Mario Draghi has admitted to taking a "calculated risk" with the reopenings, as infection rates and intensive care admissions have fallen but Covid-19 deaths still mount by hundreds every day and now total more than 119,000. Three-quarters of regions dropped Monday into the lower-risk "yellow" category, with bars and restaurants permitted to restart table service outside -- including, for the first time in six months, in the evening, although a 10 pm curfew remains in place. "Finally!" said Daniele Vespa, the 26-year-old head waiter at Baccano, a restaurant near Rome's Trevi Fountain, as he made preparations for the return of customers. "Hopefully... we can soon reopen inside as well," he told AFP, adding: "It's the start of a return to normality." Cinemas, theatres and concert halls can also open at 50-percent capacity, followed by the staggered opening of swimming pools, gyms, sporting events and theme parks by July 1. In Milan, the Beltrade cinema claimed the title of being the first to reopen after six months of inaction with a special 06:00 am screening of "Caro Diario," a classic Italian film from the 1990s. The show was sold out, despite people having to wake up before dawn to catch it. "I went with my husband, and it was great to be back together in a cinema and do this crazy thing," Francesca Pierangeli, one of the 82 people who got a seat, told AFP. Draghi had been under intense pressure to ease restrictions, including from far-right leader Matteo Salvini and increasingly vocal anti-lockdown street protests, as Italy battles its deepest recession since World War II. Story continues The vaccination programme is gaining pace with 17.75 million jabs administered so far and 5.2 million people fully vaccinated in a population of around 60 million, but experts doubt this could be enough to stave off a new health crisis. "Clearly if the gradual reopening is interpreted as a 'free-for-all', a new surge in infections risks compromising the summer season," warned Nino Cartabellotta, head of the GIMBE Foundation health think tank. Already at the weekend, throngs of people took advantage of the warm weather and packed the streets of central Rome and other cities, many not wearing masks. In the capital, police closed off a shopping avenue and a few squares that had become too crowded. - 'Necessary reforms' - Italy was the first European country to be hit by the pandemic in early 2020 and remains one of the worst affected, with the EU's highest reported death toll and one of the deepest recessions. The economy contracted by a staggering 8.9 percent last year and a million jobs have been lost. Italy is pinning its hopes on a 222.1-billion-euro investment and reform plan funded largely by the European Union. Rome is the biggest recipient of the bloc's 750-billion-euro post-pandemic recovery fund. In parliament on Monday, Draghi will formally present the programme he hopes will boost growth by 3.6 percentage points by 2026, ahead of a Friday deadline to submit the package to Brussels. The government said Sunday the plan was a "historic intervention" that would repair the damage caused by the pandemic and address "the structural weaknesses" of the economy, while putting it on a greener footing. Priorities include infrastructure, notably high-speed railways; green energy, including hydrogen power projects; investment in internet services and digitalisation of public administration. There will be money to help women and young people, who have disproportionately lost out during the pandemic, while around 40 percent will be targeted at historically under-performing southern Italy. Draghi, a former European Central Bank chief, has also highlighted the importance of tax reform and speeding up the snail-paced justice system. Disputes over the spending plan brought down the previous prime minister and his coalition, after which Draghi was parachuted in to lead a national unity government in February. His broad support in parliament "gives him significant room for manoeuvre to deliver the necessary reforms", noted Natixis economist Jesus Castillo. bh-ar-aa/bp RALEIGH, N.C. Apple is expanding spending in the U.S. and announced plans Monday to build its first East Coast campus, in North Carolina. The iPhone maker is boosting U.S. spending to $430 billion over the next five years and doubling its hiring plans by 20,000 jobs. It had said it would spend $350 billion in January 2018, just after Congress approved a big tax overhaul that cut corporate taxes. Apple has engineering offices in Portland, Washington County and Vancouver, and a large data center in Prineville. The company said Mondays expansion includes a robust increase in its data center footprint. Apple says it is stepping up investment as the U.S. begins rebuilding from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company for years has emphasized its role in the U.S. economy to help counter criticism about its reliance on overseas factories, often taking advantage of local tax breaks. Apple will invest $1 billion in North Carolina and the campus, in the Raleigh-Durham areas Research Triangle Park, is expected to bring at least 3,000 new jobs to the state in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering and other fields. The workers will have an average annual salary of about $185,000. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said that once Apple creates the jobs, the tech giant will be eligible for incentives he considers transformational. Apple is slated to receive nearly $846 million in tax reimbursements over the next 39 years. Cooper believes Apples announcement will encourage other companies to move to North Carolina and have a positive ripple effect on local businesses in the Raleigh area. Once this campus is up and running, its expected to generate more than $1.5 billion a year in economic impact to our state, Cooper said in a news conference Monday morning. The construction timeline is not yet clear, though state officials said Apple has told them it wants to get the new campus up and running as soon as possible. This is an important milestone that strengthens our position as a tech hub, said Michael Haley, executive director of Wake County Economic Development. Apple also said it plans to establish a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives in the Raleigh-Durham area and contribute more than $110 million in North Carolina infrastructure spending. The company is also expanding its teams in Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, New York, California and other states. State Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders said the 3,000 positions Apple will create will be in addition to the companys existing 1,100-worker footprint in the state. In 2018, Apple unveiled plans to expand operations in Texas. Cooper said he believes the companys decision not to move to North Carolina at the time may have stemmed in part from the passage of a 2016 law that required people to use the restroom of the sex assigned to them at birth. That law was partially repealed a year later. The governor said he privately spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Saturday, who explained that he feels good about our diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination landscape. He feels good about this project, and they are just as excited as we are to build it, Cooper said. AUSTIN, Texas, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Six independent school districts in Texas have been chosen to partner with The Holdsworth Center, a nonprofit organization founded by H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt. East Central ISD in San Antonio, Laredo ISD, Victoria ISD, and Cedar Hill, Garland and Dallas ISDs in North Texas have all been selected for a five-year, $36 million strategic partnership that helps districts grow their own bench of strong, skilled leaders who create conditions in which teachers thrive and all students get what they need to succeed. Collectively, these districts serve nearly 265,000 students at close to 400 schools and employ 36,000 faculty and staff. Click here for more detailed data on each district. The selection marks the latest expansion of The Holdsworth Partnership that is now serving 19 school districts in Texas. By 2028, the partnership is expected to reach more than 4,500 educators, including teacher leaders, assistant principals, principals and central office administrators. "Our ability as a state to recover from the impact of a global pandemic will depend on the skillful leadership of teachers, principals and district leaders serving Texas' 5.5 million students," said Dr. Lindsay Whorton, president of The Holdsworth Center. "We recognize the urgency of this moment and are honored to play a role." The six districts were chosen from a pool of 43 applicants, a 130 percent increase from the last application period in 2019. Click here to learn more about eligibility and the selection process. With the opening of Campus on Lake Austin this summer a permanent home for its staff and programs Holdsworth hopes to expand program offerings and host events that will reach even more educators across Texas. All programming and support, valued at $36 million over five years, is covered at no cost through the generosity of Charles Butt, Chairman of H-E-B, and other philanthropic supporters. That figure includes the cost of: Embedding Holdsworth District Support Team staff in each district for five years to help central office leaders design, implement and sustain their own leadership development systems staff in each district for five years to help central office leaders design, implement and sustain their own leadership development systems Delivering two-year District and Campus Leadership Programs for multiple groups of central office and campus leadership teams for multiple groups of central office and campus leadership teams Providing districts with robust tools to measure district-wide culture and staff engagement and better understand students' social-emotional learning. Click here to learn more about each element and timeline of the 5-year partnership. "We don't believe there are any quick fixes in education. Investing deeply in the skill and capacity of the people working in our schools is the only way we will see true transformation," Whorton said. "This five-year partnership will help leaders expand their view of what's possible for their district, create a vision for change and drive the innovations needed to deliver on the promise of excellence and equity for all students." The choice to focus on leadership is strategic. Decades of research shows that effective principals can significantly impact student outcomes by adding around three more months of learning in math and reading during a single school year. Because principals influence the working conditions and skill level of every teacher in the building, their impact is outsized. Over the five-year partnership, districts work towards ensuring every school is served by an excellent principal with a goal of building a strong bench of candidates for each principal vacancy. Spotting and growing outstanding leaders from the classroom to the superintendent's office is complex work that requires: Communicating a shared vision of what great leadership should look like Creating a positive, caring learning environment for students and staff Building new systems and structures to ensure aspiring leaders are being identified early and given opportunities to truly prepare for the next step in their career Holdsworth leaders have shown incredible growth as individuals and achieved big gains at the system and school level. Around 96 percent of leaders say they developed new beneficial behaviors and mindsets as a result of Holdsworth; 97 percent agree that Holdsworth has been influential in increasing their focus on achieving excellent and equitable outcomes for students. Click here for more impact stories and data. "COVID has tested every structure in public education and fundamentally, our culture," said Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, superintendent of Arlington ISD, one of the first districts accepted into the partnership in 2017. "What we learned through Holdsworth about how to communicate with transparency, to take input from staff and to value people in our district it has paid dividends." The Holdsworth Center Driven by the belief that great leaders can push student achievement levels to new heights, The Holdsworth Center partners with Texas public school districts to help educators become experts at leadership, then grow stronger leaders within their own systems. Founded in 2017 by H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt, the Austin-based nonprofit works with partner districts for five years and makes a deep investment in leaders at both the district and campus levels. For more information, visit Holdsworthcenter.org SOURCE The Holdsworth Center Cayuga County will follow the federal and state recommendations. "The data shows that the benefits of receiving the J&J vaccine outweigh any potential risks associated with this vaccine," the local health department wrote in its update on Monday. "As always, we emphasize the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine and we encourage residents to utilize any of the authorized vaccines available to them." The health department added that it will resume the use of the vaccine this week. When federal regulators recommended the pause, Cayuga County was about to hold a clinic where doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would've been administered. That clinic was canceled. The health department altered its plan for another clinic. Instead of using J&J doses, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was administered. Moderna is one of two vaccines (Pfizer is the other) that require two doses. The health department hasn't announced any new vaccination clinics for this week. More than 40% of Cayuga County's population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state Department of Health. As of Monday, 24,411 residents just shy of one-third of the county's population have been fully vaccinated. Public elementary and junior high schools in the Japanese city of Osaka have introduced online classes, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The third state of emergency took effect on Sunday in Tokyo and three western prefectures, including Osaka. It is scheduled to run until May 11. Sixth graders at Honden Elementary School in Osaka city attended online classes on Monday morning. A teacher in a classroom was seen using a video conference system to take attendance and give a math lesson. He used the system's chat feature to communicate with his students. The teacher said it was easier to observe the students' reactions than he thought it would be. He said he wants to give better classes and get feedback from the children. A female student said she feels a little sad, as she cannot chat with her friends. She said the sound during the online classes was clearer than she expected it to be. By Ivan Ssenabulya The World Health Organization, WHO has commended 11 countries for having fully succeeded in eliminating malaria. WHO has declared Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, among others Malaria free, and says it was possible in two decades. In statement from the global health body released on Sunday during the World Malaria Day cerebrations, it noted that most countries have succeeded in eliminating malaria and emphasized domestic funding. The 2019 figures from WHO show, 229 million cases of malaria were recorded with 400,000 malaria-related deaths. Children under 5 years account for two thirds of the deaths. According to the Malaria Atlas Project, by 2018, Uganda was the 3rd among countries with the highest global burden of malaria cases. Imagine the year is 1943 and you just got elected to Congress. What is the first thing you would do? Maybe you ran for Congress as a conservative ideologue like Robert Taft (R-OH) who wanted to shoot an arrow at the heart of the New Deal. Maybe you ran as an ardent progressive like Robert F. Wagner (D-NY) who was focused on preserving the New Deal and making it work across America. Or maybe you were someone like Compton White (D-ID), a progressive from a relatively Conservative area whose main focus was fixing the irrigation problems unique to his district. Regardless of your background, a problem you could no longer ignore was the atrocity being committed overseas. Despite its best attempts to turn its head, America had been dragged into the war, and news was starting to emerge about what was being done to the Jewish people in Europe. Something had to be done, and no matter what your background and your priorities were, public pressure required you to act in some way, shape, or form. With this in mind, imagine that one of your colleagues in Congress passes a resolution calling for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust to be given a proper Jewish funeral after their death. If you are anything like me, you would not only find such a resolution quite morbid and disgusting, you would probably rally your Congressional colleagues to amend it where it calls for an immediate and uncompromising end to the slaughter of our Jewish neighbors. Well, what if I told you that this past week, the Tennessee legislature did something equivalent to this regarding the killing of our preborn neighbors? This past week, I watched pro-life advocates from across the spectrum cheer the passage of the Unborn Child Dignity Act in the state of Tennessee. The bill would require victims of surgical abortion to be either cremated or given a funeral. When I saw this bill, what saddened me even more than its passage was the applause it received from churches, legislators, and voters alike. Earlier in this letter, I asked you to imagine yourself in the position of a newly elected member of Congress at a time of grave injustice. Now, I want you to shift your perspective to that of a preborn baby inside a mother's womb. At conception, you are starving, and your body flocks to your mothers womb to obtain the nutrients necessary for your development. After three weeks, your heart begins to develop. After four weeks, your brain begins to develop. After eight weeks, you have 10 fingers and 10 toes. After 23 weeks, you can respond to your mothers voice. After 24 weeks, your lungs can inflate and deflate allowing you to breathe. Your development will continue for around two more decades. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made inside the womb (Psalm 139:13-14), and you are Gods most valuable creation because you are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). At this point, I would ask you how you would feel if it was legal to kill you simply because your parents did not feel that they were ready to raise a child. What if it was legal to kill you because your father sinned against your mother and she did not want to have to live with a child that reminded her of her trauma? How would you feel if you were safe and protected in the comfort of the womb when a foreign object entered and ripped your body into pieces as it removed you from the womb? How would you feel if your daddy brought your mommy a pill that would quite literally starve you to death and cause you to be expelled into a sewer? At this point, you may be sick to your stomach like I am as I imagine this. While from the perspective of an innocent bystander (or maybe even a legislator), you may sympathize with the parents and their hardship, but from the perspective of the child in the womb, the only thing you would care about is your survival. It would be irrelevant and insulting to you if some legislator who claimed to care about you and had the power to save your life used that power to mandate that you are disposed of with dignity." Today, Republicans who claim to be pro-life make up 73 of the 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives. In the Senate, they impressively make up over 80 percent of it, holding 27 of the 33 seats. This allows our Republican legislature to do whatever it wants. It makes Democrats powerless to stop them. When over 70 percent of our representatives and over 80 percent of our senators claim to agree that life begins at conception, that humans are valuable irrespective of their size, level of development, environment, or degree of dependency, but because they are made in the image of God, and that abortion strips our most vulnerable neighbors of their God-given right to life, it should be unacceptable to use this overwhelming power God has given them to mandate our preborn neighbors to be cremated or buried after they are killed. We must demand better. Most of our legislators are good people. They are involved in their communities, they have great families, and they are involved in their church. I applaud them for doing all of this, and I pray for them almost daily. I also know that I voted for both my representative and my senator this past election because I have seen them fight for issues that I care about. However, on the issue of abortion, Tennessee must do better. Just like we would never regulate or incrementally try to get rid of bank robbery or sexual assault, we should not be trying to regulate or incrementally get rid of legalized murder. In the past few years, Tennessee has passed pro-life regulations that include a law requiring parental consent for minors who are going to kill their baby, a law banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected (Who is tasked with detecting the heartbeat? If life begins at conception, why are we only protecting lives whose heartbeats can be detected?), a law requiring that parents wait 48 hours before killing their baby, and now a law requiring that babies be buried or cremated after they are murdered. All four of these regulations simply spell out regulations and requirements for killing a preborn human being. If we truly believe that life begins at conception, we should get rid of these regulations and apply equal protection to all humans, whether they are born or preborn. This means that killing a child in the womb should bring about the same homicide charges one would receive for killing a child outside the womb, or for killing the child inside another pregnant mothers womb. This means that the 5th and 14th Amendments protecting peoples God-given right to life should come ahead of any Supreme Court decision that orders our state to violate them. This means that any kind of pro-life regulation that spells out how a human being can be legally killed should be rejected instead of celebrated. This may sound harsh, but currently, our state fails to protect the lives of over 12,000 people every single year. This exceeds the student body at UTC. This also is also a violation of both the Tennessee and the United States Constitution. Most tragically, it is a sin against God who hates the hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). At the same time, Planned Parenthood is organizing behind the scenes so they can move to Hamilton County and expand their abortion business. We must fight back and take this fight a lot more seriously. We must abolish and criminalize abortion in our state without exceptions. God put our legislators in a position of power. We should exhort and encourage them to use this to bring about justice that glorifies God. If we believe life begins at conception, we should start legislating like it and stop settling for less. Too many lives are at stake. Alexander Ioannidis Abortion Abolitionist President of UTC Students for Life 2019-2020 aioannidis1998@gmail.com * * * Mr. Ioannidis states that if we believe that life starts at conception then we should legislate like it. Thats a pretty big if, since not everyone believes what Mr. Ioannidis believes. But if he is correct and 70 80 percent of the people elected to represent us believe that as well, then they should definitely legislate like it. Obviously the most effective strategy to prevent abortion is to prevent unwanted pregnancies. On the average, women are fertile about 24 days per year and men are fertile 365 days per year. Keeping in mind that a woman can give birth once per year and that a man could possibly cause a thousand pregnancies in that same year, the legislative bodies really should turn to helping men prevent unwanted pregnancies. The easiest solution to preventing abortions is to have all biological males submit to a vasectomy as they reach the age of producing sperm. It should be free to them and mandatory. Not to worry though, vasectomies can be reversed once that male is in a God-sanctioned marriage and has written permission from his wife confirming her desire to have children. That procedure should also be free to the man. I hope Mr. Ioannidis and all other men who passionately oppose a womans right to choose will not only throw their support behind this simple and effective way to prevent abortions, but be leaders in the save the preborn movement by setting an example and getting the procedure done themselves. Remember, 100 percent of pregnancies, unwanted or otherwise, are caused by men. Legislate like it. Jennifer Bethwell California is the first state to declare that it would end oil extraction efforts by 2045 and is now on the path to looking at alternative sources of energy and committing to a greener Earth in the coming years. Governor Gavin Newsom has dropped another pledge towards zero emissions and a cleaner planet, after its initial plans of a fully electric state. The news comes less than a week after the global Earth Day, which has concluded its campaign and event last Thursday, April 22. It has highlighted the different effects of humans on the planet. Climate Change is real and it is still here, despite the many efforts of different companies like Tesla, GM, and others to present an electric alternative to transportation. Different pledges have come from significant companies that were criticized for "not doing enough" for the environment as they were also speculated to be massive users of natural resources and contribute to pollution. The likes of Apple and Google have released their pledge to go carbon neutral in the following decade. Read Also: Apple Releases Plan for 2030 to go Carbon Neutral with Progress Report Detaling Use of Alternative Power Sources California Pledge: End Oil Extraction by 2045 According to the the Office of the Governor of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has rrecently eleased a pledge for the state to end oil extraction fully in 2045. While the timeline is long, lengthy, and is not coming until less than 24 years later, the initiative is already moving as the last of the fracking permits are to halt issuing by 2024. This was part of the state's pledge of going carbon neutral in the coming years, which was already started by California's initiative of going fully electric with its vehicles by 2030, which is the up-and-coming decade. The move of the company has been greatly influenced, as it is the home of electric vehicles, in which Tesla was first established. The state has been subject to a lot of green initiatives from the governor's office, which has been looking into achieving carbon neutrality for the state, and everything that happens within it. The move that it would do would be challenging, especially as it could potentially phase out businesses that go against The Golden State's plans. Newsom's Plans for California's Climate Change Commitment California has a plan specifically for this, and it is called the "Climate Change Scoping Plan" which aims to remove all greenhouse gas-causing agents that mainly contribute to Earth's destruction. According to the Governor's tweet, California is the first state to do this, and its pledge to a greener Earth would soon lead to carbon neutrality. NEW: California is now the first state to declare an end to oil extraction in the country. Today, we're announcing that we will phase out all oil extraction as part of a world-leading effort to achieve carbon neutrality and ban fracking by 2024. Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 23, 2021 Related Article: High Hopes Confirms New Advanced Balloons on Earth Day: This Innovation Could Capture CO2 This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Richard 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A 15-year-old from Canada has been arrested in Louisiana on a charge he made a phony bomb threat to Princeton University, prompting evacuations of four buildings in September. A May 3 hearing is scheduled to decide whether the teen, whose name was not released because of his age, can be sent to New Jersey to face a criminal count of second-degree false public alarm, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported. The parish doesnt have a juvenile detention facility, so the teen from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is being held in Mississippi, St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin Jr. told the newspaper. Princetons art museum, chapel, main library and Nassau Hall were evacuated Sept. 19 because of the call naming them, according to a university alert. Officials said they identified the youth as a suspect last month after a multiagency investigation spanning two countries and jurisdictions stretching from the central and western Canadian cities of Saskatoon and Edmonton, to the U.S. East Coast and Louisiana. Martin said deputies arrested the boy without incident March 24 at his grandparents house in rural South Vacherie, a community between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The grandparents didnt even know why we were there, Martin said Thursday. Obviously, you could see that they were upset over it, but you know they did not know the kid was in some trouble. Martin couldnt say why the youth was visiting relatives or how long he had been in South Vacherie. University police had signed a juvenile petition for the teens arrest. Denton, TX (76205) Today Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Showers and scattered thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Frances McDormand won Best Actress at the 2021 Oscars for her role in Nomadland, making her the woman with the second most awards in the category. In what was widely considered the tightest race in this years acting categories, McDormand beat off competition from Andra Day (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) and Viola Davis (Ma Raineys Black Bottom). Nomadland also won Best Picture and Best Director (for Chloe Zhao). In the film, McDormand plays a woman struggling to stay afloat, who joins the vandwelling community in the contemporary American west. I have no words, said McDormand in her acceptance speech. My voice is in my sword. We know the sword is our work and I like work. Thank you for knowing that and thanks for this. The win represents McDormands third in the category, with the actor having previously won Best Actress for her roles in Fargo (1997) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018). She is in second place for the most victories in the category, only behind the four-time winner Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn, who died in 2003, won for Morning Glory (1934), Guess Whos Coming To Dinner (1968), The Lion in Winter (1969) and On Golden Pond (1982). The 93rd Academy Awards took place on 25 April, having been delayed for two months due to the ongoing pandemic. The ceremony was held primarily in Los Angeless famed Union Station, with nominees from outside of the US attending the event via international hubs. Supreme Court declares Second Amendment protects individual right | Main | Will (and can) "outraged" politicians really do anything about Kennedy? June 26, 2008 Justice Scalia sells out felon gun rights, but on what basis exactly? Here are sets of quotes from the majority opinion in Heller that I have a hard time adding up: We start therefore with a strong presumption that the Second Amendment right is exercised individually and belongs to all Americans. (Slip op. at 10, emphasis added.) It was plainly the understanding in the post-Civil War Congress that the Second Amendment protected an individual right to use arms for self-defense. (Slip op. at 44, emphasis added.) As the quotations earlier in this opinion demonstrate, the inherent right of self-defense has been central to the Second Amendment right. The [DC] handgun ban amounts to a prohibition of an entire class of arms that is overwhelmingly chosen by American society for that lawful purpose. The prohibition extends, moreover, to the home, where the need for defense of self, family, and property is most acute. Under any of the standards of scrutiny that we have applied to enumerated constitutional rights, banning from the home the most preferred firearm in the nation to keep and use for protection of ones home and family, 478 F. 3d, at 400, would fail constitutional muster. (Slip op. at 56-57, emphasis added.) A broader point about the laws that JUSTICE BREYER cites: All of them punished the discharge (or loading) of guns with a small fine and forfeiture of the weapon (or in a few cases a very brief stay in the local jail), not with significant criminal penalties.... [W]e do not think that a law imposing a 5-shilling fine and forfeiture of the gun would have prevented a person in the founding era from using a gun to protect himself or his family from violence, or that if he did so the law would be enforced against him. The District law, by contrast, far from imposing a minor fine, threatens citizens with a year in prison (five years for a second violation) for even obtaining a gun in the first place. (Slip op. at 61-62, emphasis added.) Summing up, it would seem that the majority holds that, pursuant to the Second Amendment, "all Americans" have an "individual right to use arms for self-defense." And, the Second Amendment would be most problematically transgressed when this right is severely restricted in the "home, where the need for defense of self, family, and property is most acute" through the threat of years in prison rathen than just a minor fine. As regular readers know, I think all these assertions add up to making constitutionally questionable the threat of severe sentences on felons in possession of firearms. After all, felons are Americans with a need to protect themselves and their families through keeping guns in their home. And yet, all felons (even non-violent ones like Lewis Libby and Martha Stewart) face the threat of 10 years in federal prison for just possessing a firearm. Nevertheless, the majority opinion boldly and baldly asserts that "nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill." (Slip op. at 54.) Really? How can that (unjustified and unsupported) dicta be squared with all that has been said before? To his credit, Justice Stevens properly asserts in this context that felons are not categorically excluded from exercising First and Fourth Amendment rights and thus the majoiry "offers no way to harmonize its conflicting pronouncements." Time and litigation will tell if holdings or dicta end up dominating the application of the Second Amendment in future cases. June 26, 2008 at 11:12 AM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451574769e200e553728f558833 Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Justice Scalia sells out felon gun rights, but on what basis exactly?: Xanax overnight. from Buy xanax. Buy xanax. [Read More] Tracked on Sep 14, 2009 2:08:21 PM Is didrex stronger than adipex. from Adipex. Review adipex. Adipex p phentermine ecureme com. Your best phentermine adipex online source. Adipex. [Read More] Tracked on Sep 21, 2009 3:38:53 PM Big boobs. from Mommy got boobs. Lanas big boobs. Tiny boobs. Big boobs. Lanas boobs. Boobs. Celebrity boobs. [Read More] Tracked on Dec 27, 2009 12:42:39 AM Rate my boobs. from Boobs. Big boobs. Lana's big boobs. Boobs. Juicy boobs. [Read More] Tracked on Dec 29, 2009 4:38:49 PM Comments Doug, since time immemorial, criminals have lost certain rights. It's that simple. The right to vote is precious, and it can be taken away. Posted by: federalist | Jun 26, 2008 11:26:09 AM So federalist, is it your position that a state can someone who commits perjury from practicing his or her religion? We've all read the trite point that criminals may lost certain rights. The question becomes, then, whether they may arbitrarily lose rights that have no connection with what they've done. Posted by: | Jun 26, 2008 11:36:21 AM Let me try again: So federalist, is it your position that a state can ban someone who commits perjury from practicing his or her religion? We've all read the trite point that criminals may lose certain rights. The question becomes whether they may arbitrarily lose rights that have no connection with what they've done. Posted by: | Jun 26, 2008 11:38:02 AM Felons also retain their rights to be free from having troops quartered upon them in peacetime without their consent, and in wartime, except as provided by law, under the Third Amendment; their rights to the due process of law, and freedom from compulsory self-incrimination, under the Fifth Amendment; their rights to have the assistance of counsel, to confront the witnesses against them, and to have their fate in a criminal case determined by a jury, under the Sixth Amendment; their right to a trial by jury in Federal court in an action at common law, where the amount in controversy exceeds $20, under the Seventh Amendment; and their rights to be free from excessive fines, from cruel and unusual punishments, and from having to post excessive bail, under the Eighth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment prohibits states from abridging the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States. Heller does not seem in any way to turn upon citizenship, and thus does not make prohibition possible if one is an alien. Therefore, what is there about the Second Amendment, or about its right to possess weapons one might reasonably use in self-defense (which seems to be the issue the Court would like us to focus on in Heller), that excludes felons from the protection of this provision of the Bill of Rights? Posted by: Greg Jones | Jun 26, 2008 11:45:59 AM There are certain rights that cannot be taken away. The "inherent right of self-defense" in one's home may be one of them. There are two separate issues/groups in this debate. First, there are violent felons and non-violent felony (and by non-violent, I mean truly non-violent like perjury, insider trading, tax violation, environmental violations, ect.) Second, there is "inside the home" versus "outside the home". One could picture a grid with two collums and two rows, and in each box depicting the validity of taking away the right. In my opinion, non-violent felons, at a minimum, must retain their inherent right to self defense in the home. Outiside of the home is not as certain, and this is where the "standard of scrutiny" is important. Violent felons should also maintain their inherent right to self defense in the home. However, IMO, they can loose it outside of the home, where the right is not "most accute." Posted by: DEJ | Jun 26, 2008 11:47:04 AM They did not use language "for example" or "such as" felons or mentally ill. The majority in SCOTUS used clear language on whom may be restricted. Lautenburg seems to be in jeapordy, as well as the California "ugly gun" bans. Extremes of licensing requirements for purchasing/possessing a firearm are also out the door. Posted by: Mike | Jun 26, 2008 11:50:27 AM I wonder if we are jumping to conclusions. Did Scalia (in what seems to amount to dicta) foreclose the possibility that some firearm restrictions on felons are unconstitutional (particularly given the reliance on self-defense)? Perhaps he only means they are not not necessarily unreasonable...there may be some leeway to require the feds to insert a "reasonable component" to felon firearm bans. (For instance, creating a reasonable application process for non-violent offenders to regain the right, putting time limits on the ban, or requiring the government to exercise reasonable and non-arbitrary discretion in deciding whether a certain convicted felon should be allowed to possess a firearm). Such reasonable restrictions, IMHO, would be more reasonable than many restrictions placed on convicted sex offenders. I would not foreclose the possibility of someone convicted of a minor non-violent felony decades ago successfully challenging the ban. (Perhaps he could be an otherwise upstanding citizen, have a family of four, and live in a dangerous neighborhood too). Posted by: Nathan | Jun 26, 2008 12:00:39 PM Based on an initial reading of the majority opinion, the real "Heller challenge" lies in challenging a charge under 18 USC 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Why should someone (who is not otherwise a prohibited person) involved in a drug conspiracy face a separate 5 year mandatory minimum for exercising his fundamental right to self defense? Posted by: Anon. Law Clerk | Jun 26, 2008 12:18:40 PM The state is entitled to opine that someone who commits a felony is more likely to use the weapon for illegal purposes than for (lawful) self-defense purposes. Posted by: Steve | Jun 26, 2008 12:19:14 PM Mike - did you actually read the Court's opinion? Scalia specifically states that governments are allowed to require a license for the purchase or possession of a gun as long as they are not being denied for "arbitrary and capricious" reasons. And that was not dicta, but instead it was part of the holding (that DC would be required to grant Mr. Heller a license if he met their criteria). Make no mistake - this sort of thing is exactly why the NRA never wanted this case before the Supreme Court. Far from saying existing gun control laws are in jeopardy, the majority at the end of its opinion actually seems to be calling for more gun control laws to be passed! Wonder which one of the 5 justices that was needed for to get them to vote that a total ban was out. I repeatedly predicted that this opinion would ultimately be a big zero (and maybe even a hidden victory for gun control advocates because it would legitimize most forms of gun control short of an outright ban). I think that is exactly what happened. Posted by: Zack | Jun 26, 2008 12:26:41 PM Its is really simple. It use to be that the ATF could reinstate firearm priviledges until congress stopped funding I believe 1992. I think it might be time to start funding that program again. The people who apply would most likely be reformed felons and would think twice before committing another felony. Posted by: noway | Jun 26, 2008 12:28:25 PM I'm not surprised at all that the felon in possession laws would not be affected but is the federal laws banning felons from owning firearms subject to amendment now? I mean there are a lot of nonviolent offenders with old felony convictions and I mean some are very old, that have straightened out there life and should not be subject to a blanket federal prohibition. Having said that and taking note of 18 U.S.C. 921 (a) (20), I'm glad I live in Louisiana where felons can own firearms if they keep out of trouble for 10 years from the date they complete their sentence and in some case of nonviolent non enumerated offenses they can get the right back upon completion of their sentence. See RS 14:95.1, Article 1 Section 20 of the Louisiana constitutio and United States v. Dupaquier. See also the Louisiana first offender pardon statute. Posted by: Paul | Jun 26, 2008 12:31:47 PM I think the greater concern with the opinion is regulation of types of weapons. Scalia recognizes striking down the handgun ban is in tension with the preferatory clause. The majority provides absolutely no guidance on what types of guns may be regulated and what types may not. You may disagree with the majority's statement that this opinion does not disturb the present rulings upholding felon is possession laws but the Court is fairly clear on that issue. They didn't say "we express no opinion," but said "no doubt should be cast." Rightly or wrongly five Supreme Court justices have said (albeit in dicta) that the felon in possession cases are still good law notwithstanding Heller. From page 55 of the slip opinion: We also recognize another important limitation on the right to keep and carry arms. Miller said, as we have explained, that the sorts of weapons protected were those in common use at the time. But arguably one of the reasons some of these guns are not "in common use" is because there are federal and state regulations which ban or severely limit their purchase. Apparently, the government may ban some guns, but not others because they aren't in common use because they are illegal. In other words the guns may be banned because they have been banned, a wholly unsatisfactory conclusion. The court does say that the prohibition of dangerous and unusual weapons is permissible, but provides no guidance on what that means. Unusual suffers from the same problem as "common use." If unusual were enough D.C. might have claimed pistols were unusual in D.C., and therefore might be banned because they have been banned. Dangerous might be workable, but is problematic. Consider for instance the sawed off shotgun the supreme court considered in the Miller case. The sawed off shotgun is not in the ordinary, plain sense of the word more dangerous. It does not fire faster, the shorter barrel length decreases the energy of the pellets and diminishes the guns effective range. But it does make the gun more concealable and so more dangerous in the sense it is more adaptable to illicit use. But how about a high capacity magazine for a pistol? Does that make a pistol more dangerous? Dangerous might work for some obvious weapons (e.g. an AK-47 is more dangerous than a 9mm semi-automatic pistol but how dangerous is dangerous enough to regulate?). But there are significant problems with its application. The majority seem to indicate the fully automatic versions of the M-16 may be banned, but does that mean the Government can ban the civilian semi-automatic versions? I'm not sure that the civilian version is substantially less dangerous within the meaning of the word. Its more common, but again that may be because federal law has restricted the purchase of fully automatic weapons for some time. Posted by: NK | Jun 26, 2008 12:41:08 PM Mr. Heller is/was a resident of DC with no right to vote or representation in congress and as a consequence had to sue in federal court over a city ordinance? It seems to me the benefits/damage of this case are very limited. Did the supremes select this case because it was narrow to begin with? Posted by: John Neff | Jun 26, 2008 12:54:29 PM wonder if we are jumping to conclusions. Did Scalia (in what seems to amount to dicta) foreclose the possibility that some firearm restrictions on felons are unconstitutional (particularly given the reliance on self-defense)? Perhaps he only means they are not not necessarily unreasonable...there may be some leeway to require the feds to insert a "reasonable component" to felon firearm bans. (For instance, creating a reasonable application process for non-violent offenders to regain the right, putting time limits on the ban, or requiring the government to exercise reasonable and non-arbitrary discretion in deciding whether a certain convicted felon should be allowed to possess a firearm). Such reasonable restrictions, IMHO, would be more reasonable than many restrictions placed on convicted sex offenders. I would not foreclose the possibility of someone convicted of a minor non-violent felony decades ago successfully challenging the ban. (Perhaps he could be an otherwise upstanding citizen, have a family of four, and live in a dangerous neighborhood too). What I'm thinking is that congress may now ammend the federal firearms law, specifically 922 (g) and 921 (a) (20), so that nonviolent felons can enjoy the their second admendment right with out having to qualify under such strict exemptions as layed out in 921 (a) (20). Posted by: Paul | Jun 26, 2008 12:58:05 PM Hi, I'm a patriotic blogger, 7th generation American. I'm named for my 7th Great-Grandfather, so really more than 7 generations, but he was riding horses in the revolutionary war to the Continental Congress with important documents and such so they made the statue of him. Pidgeons like it, :) Scalia is in felony violation of the USA Patriot Act as he persists in maintaining the false information on terrorism he provided in his recent supreme court decision regarding the Guantanamo and other terrorist detainees. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-cohn/scalia-cites-false-inform_b_108682.html Posted by: PatriotAct | Jun 27, 2008 3:21:02 AM So, how would this square with the (moderately clear) right to vote and losing that right upon the conviction of a felony. Is that also an area in which you would argue that we have a defect in constitutional reasoning, Prof. Berman? Posted by: Jonathan | Jun 27, 2008 1:05:55 PM He wouldn't argue that because he's probably aware that Section 2 of the 14th Amendment provides support for felon-disenfranchisement. Posted by: | Jun 27, 2008 1:34:41 PM DAB, I am a Colorado citizen that was wrongly convicted. Not my opinion DAB, buddy I have court transcripts that show it! To the rest- Whoever thought that all Americans have rights clearly has to be stoned. You lose rights at the whim of the system, even if you're not a criminal. They can strip you of more than just the right to defend yourself, they can (and have) strip you of the right to a fair trial. They can strip you of your freedom of religion. The ACLU fought and won a battle over a law that stopped felons from voting. Now they can vote. But the ACLU won't touch the right to defend yourself. We have to do that ourselves. Posted by: Colorado citizen | Jun 28, 2008 6:33:43 PM The now-unconstitutional sentencing guidelines already distinguish between felons. Firearm possession by a felon not convicted of a violent or drug crime is an automatic level 6 as long as the firearm is possessed for a lawful purpose. It seems a small leap for the courts to allow non-violent felons to possess firearms... Posted by: Matt | Jul 3, 2008 6:16:35 PM Zack - Had you also read the opinion, Scalia quite clearly required a license to be issued to Mr Heller if he was not otherwise barred from one - and Scalia explicitly stated weapons are prohibited to felons and the mentally ill. He wrote that twice in his opinion. Clearly, there is no licensing requirement past that check that would pass his version of "constitutional muster". "Arbitrary and capricious" would be requiring training, the location of your home, your reason for purchase, etc. All fees are already unconstitutional in order to practice a constitutional right. Posted by: Mike | Jul 3, 2008 11:35:59 PM I'm a felon. When I took my Alford Plea to an attempted charge, my alleged crime wasn't considered violent. Because of a change in wording, I'm now, many years later, considered a violent offender. So according to many posters here, before the courts changed my status, it would have been A-OK for me to protect my family, myself, and my business with a firearm, but now that I'm a "violent" offender, I can no longer be trusted not to "go postal" and gun down my fellow citizens? Need I remind you that, were I to decide to break the law by killing people I'd not balk at the idea of illegally possessing a firearm? DAB: I'm just a second-class citizen Posted by: Never been to Whitechapel | Jul 23, 2008 8:45:01 AM i am a convicted felony a low grade the lowest non-violent i cant protect my family plus i was convicted of a non violent crime convicted for protection because of this i am now a convicted felont 2 years but served 14 months for good behavior. the people i tried to help well they had to go to court as a person that had the crime forced on them numerous time the court found the people nothing wrong they had the proff they said because i intervene justice was served. homemaker disable disable at the time Posted by: | Jul 28, 2008 7:33:08 PM How would the court ruling affect my one and only run in with the law. They confiscated my rifle. made me forfeit it. What about drug user (marijuana) In possession of firearm. Legal Rifle found in home safe with small bag of pot. I have federal sentencing in court next month. Possible 10 years. Is this reason for appeal.? Posted by: ed | Jul 28, 2008 9:52:47 PM I've become more in touch with this issue over the past couple of years. I'm 52 and at age 17 in 1973 I was arrested and charge with the offense of burglary. 3 of us broke in to a doctor's office. Myself and one of the others were caught. While out on bond I was arrested (not convicted) for possession of a couple of joints. The arrest caused me to be sentenced to 2 years in prison. I served my time and completed parole. At that time I was not particularly concerned about gun rights. I worked and have never been convicted of a crime except for a DUI in 1985. After the DUI I woke up, went to college, graduated with a MSW and have worked as a clinical social worker in addictions, psychiatry, college counseling center, and as a family therapist working with juveniles and their parents who are at high risk for criminal convictions. I'm married with no children and own my home in a suburb. We have had a few "strange" visitors but I've not been concerned with the need for a firearm to protect our home. I work with some very rough families and in some tough neighborhoods where self-defense awareness is a necessity. Now the best I can do is duck or accelerate the gas pedal. About 2 years ago I realized that I'm not in the shape I was in the past and if someone attempted to harm me or my family the likelihood of being able to defend us was pretty poor. I applied for a pardon but was denied because the governor is "very conservative". The prosecutor of my case supported my application for the pardon. I've been researching and education myself about the felon with firearm issue and my opinion is that the underlying intent of this was to remove access to firearms in the urban ghettos. I consider it to be discriminatory because the law came about during the Civil Rights era and rioting in the late 60's. (BTW, I'm white). I'm adamant that restricting a felon's right to own firearms discriminates against them. The 2nd Amendment is the only right that is entirely restricted for a crime. I wonder if those who use religion as an excuse for their crimes should have their religious freedom restricted. Does an "inciting to riot" or "threat to harm" offense cause someone to lose their right to free speech. It doesn't. I wish this law would be overturned, but I know its an apostasy to many that a felon should have a 2nd Amendment right. My best hope is a pardon which is not likely unless I can make a large donation. Posted by: Bruce | Aug 6, 2008 8:37:41 PM Do like I do. I'm a convicted felon but I have firearms. Some laws you just ignore. I'd rather be jailed for shooting someone proteting my home than be 6ft. under. Just be careful. Posted by: Glenn | Aug 15, 2008 6:11:41 PM Question, Can a member of a felon family have a gun in the same home as the felon, if not. The member of that family loses their rights , say man and wife, Husband is a felon, wife non- felon Posted by: question | Aug 17, 2008 10:21:32 PM My son is a convicted felon and was charged with possession of a firearm and the bad part is they didnt find a weapon on his person they found it on the ground in the dark and said it was his mind you this was a crime area where anyone could have put it there because police where around. Now they didnt do balistics on the weapon to see if his finger prints where on it they also said he stole it from a police in texas then turned around and said they made a mistake it was brought at action some is not telling truth they went by the word of police but they lie to they are just human just like us. can any tell me what is the procedure for convicting a felon with firearm very mad mom at or justice system. Posted by: Tanya | Aug 21, 2008 11:53:45 PM This is tanya again email me angleeyes45@aol.com Posted by: Tanya | Aug 21, 2008 11:57:46 PM Lousisana Law what is the procedure for conviction? Posted by: Tanya | Aug 22, 2008 12:00:40 AM The united states justice system is just as bad as its health care system. When presidents and politicians can lie to the people on prime time TV, what hope do we have that a normal citizen has a true chance of justice. Unless your rich and famous or connected you are out of luck. There is no hope for justice in America. Most people don't see the violations of rights and written law until its to late. Like me, I thought a trial by jury of your peers was just that "a trial by a jury of your peers" Well its not. Its a trial buy a jury of prosecutor supported elite citizens supporting the desired outcome. Posted by: anon | Aug 30, 2008 5:03:12 PM Obviously the ban on felons possessing handguns is a hat-tip by Scalia to the "evolving standards" / "living Consitution" wing of the Court. [[I'm being tongue-in-cheek: I'm sure there is a good originalist argument against felons possessing handguns, but there's no consistent way for the minority in Heller to protest Scalia's conclusion using their own methodology]]. Posted by: AndyK | Aug 31, 2008 2:59:44 PM Scalia and this gang of co-conspirators didn't interpret the Second Amendment. They just patched up a "solution" to please some but essentially left the status quo unchanged. If Scalia and his cronies had had basic independent judicial reasoning they would have recognized that Congress and the States have No Constitutional authority to "regulate" the Second Amendment because the Amendment grants no such right to either. In fact, nothing in the Second Amendment states that " Congress and the States or Congress or the States SHALL have power to enforce this Act by Appropriate Legislation". This is pure Tyranny no matter how Scalia puts it. As for the so-called "Interstate Commerce Clause", this act not only didn't give any right to Congress to "Criminalize" Intestate Commerce (Regulate Only) but it was foreclosed, became null and void by the passage of the Amendment to the Constitution which clarified the limited power of Congress while expanding the greater power of the States and the People of every State. Scalia's mind is degenerating rapidly and has limited legal knowledge of what's really happening. When he says that "nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibition on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally." he is not telling the truth. What he says only applies to people convicted of federal Felonies and not to those convicted of State Crimes who can by application of State Laws regain easily the right to vote,to run for office and serve in a jury thereby re-acquiring the right to possess firearms and even satisfy federal rules. I believe that now it's time for person with a federal felony to come forward a generate another review on this case. Otherwise at some point, possessing anything manufactured in another State could be a Felony for people already convicted of a prior felony!!! Posted by: Allisio Rex | Sep 19, 2008 2:48:40 PM Job: history researcher. "Law enforcement agencies and personnel have no duty to protect individuals from the criminal acts of others; instead their duty is to preserve the peace and arrest law breakers for the protection of the general public." (Lynch v. NC Dept. Justice) ". . . a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen."--Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. App.181) If there is an individual right to self-protection, and there is no right to police protection, then how can the felon exercise the right to self-protection where police protection is denied? Do they become wards of the state, given a right to police protection, or does the state relinquish their right to self-protection, while simultaneously maintaining their power to not protect? There is a moral conundrum there. Are they less worthy of protection, or self-protection? Further, where they are pushed to the edges of society, is it any better for them, where they live in a more dangerous environment, to lack the power as well as the right to self-protection? If they can be punished for exercising the right to self-protection, is it still remaining a right? Posted by: Tried by conscience | Oct 9, 2008 2:29:26 PM US V Larry W. Campbell cr s 03 0483 wbs gghp My understanding , which is not from personal experience at all, but just from talking with Judges who do these ,is that they issues hundred or thousands of these and that all the movants have to do is come in and say basically IM afraid of my boyfriend or my husband , and they get this order, Now, is there more required that. Movant was found Guilty based on no proof required per the above statement by Federal court judge Shubb Court record transcript of Jan 7th 2005 page 155 to 167 Jan 7th 2005 page 169 Court But what is your understanding of what has to be proven at the hearing, other than the fact that the women is afraid Of him/ Attorney Smith government, the statute does not speak to that, it gives the judge discretion Posted by: larry | Oct 10, 2008 6:27:15 PM I am a convicted felon. Student Financial Aid Fraud. Can anyone make a legitimate argument as to how this effects my ability to safely and legally operate a firearm? Posted by: Jonathan Richards Ex Federal Prison Inmate | Nov 24, 2008 7:24:29 AM I was convicted of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle at age 18 in 1966 in Virginia.Recently the Govenor of Virginia restored all my rights except the right to own a gun. Virginia says get it from from my residence state. My residence state(La.) says get it from Virginia. Now I live and work in a hurricane prone area and need to be on the job as essential personnel(federal) for hurricanes.Post katrina it was very scary to be in New Orleans with no self-defense. If anyone reading this decides they need a guinea-pig to challenge this unfair right of non-violent felons to own a gun please contact me.jamesmetairie@yahoo.com Posted by: jack | Nov 24, 2008 12:05:48 PM i,m retired united states merchant marine with 28 years service . presently federal blue collar employee with over 12 years service. aged 60 and still can,t have a gun for home defense,etc. Posted by: jack | Nov 24, 2008 12:18:40 PM I too, am a convicted felon. The image that most people think of when someone says the term "convicted felon" is some nefarious person lurking in the shadows waiting to do evil things to others. But the reality is that as the web of laws grows larger and larger, so does the corral of malum prohibitum laws and victimless crimes for which we may all be prosecuted. In the early days, being a member of congress was only a part time job! I was convicted my second semester of college for possessing a small amount of marijuana with the intent to sell it to my peers. I spent four months incarcerated. A few years earlier, when I was 16, I was convicted for burglarizing a house I had never set foot into. I was guilty because I was an unwitting accomplice and told the authorities what had happened. Needless to say, the sum of my experiences on the wrong side of the justice system has been illuminating. The purpose of my post isnt to rant about the lack of justice in the. Rather, I would like to shed some light on why the notion of a blanket ban on firearm possession by felons is a violation of their constitutional rights, which may safely be restored to them. The good news is that I got my life together. I graduated university with honors in the field of business and was hired by a large fortune 500 company before ultimately pursuing a career in real estate. I now own a real estate brokerage and a manufactured home dealership. The process for obtaining these licenses took me 5 years while the state contemplated whether or not I was fit to oversee other licensees and ensure the publics best interest. But, Im a patient person and at last was allowed operate a brokerage & dealership. With a little extra paperwork, I can meander through most encounters with the government. I have a steady girlfriend and am held in high regard by my peers who are all accomplished professionals. My actions are that of an upstanding citizen. When Katrina hit, I watched the looting and the complete chaos on erupt. Between Katrina and the attacks on 9-11, I began to realize that it is inevitable that events will take place in our lives for which our government cannot be there for us every time. However, I can be there every time and therefore the ownership of firearms would be a reasonable exercise of ones 2nd amendment rights. Only, I dont have them anymore. So should I be predisposed to becoming the victim of a violent crime because of a couple of past convictions dating back over 14 years? Ive kept my nose clean and even excelled in life. Moreover, had all this not taken place in Kalifornia, but rather another state, I would once again be able to own firearms. So Americans Right to Bear Arms doe not seem equally protected under the law. Though it would be very easy to circumvent the law and possess a firearm, I have chosen to do the right thing. A pardon looks unlikely according to my former gun-rights attorney. Ive even looked into joining the military as they have expressed the potential for restoring my rights in exchange for service. Im keeping that option on the table, but at this stage of my life and being the only kin responsible for the care of my 91 year old grandmother, I cant help but wonder if there isnt another way I am currently looking for a solution to my legal issues. What must I do? What challenges must I overcome? Who can help? Posted by: Flavio | Dec 1, 2008 4:12:52 AM was there a racist reason the gun control act of 1968 was passed? Do the black panthers ring a bell? What about Drug laws. Was there a racist element in passing those? Its a shame that the war on drugs and denying felons the right to protect themselves can come from laws that have an element of racism to them. If you don't know what im talking about. The GCA of 1968 was also called the "keep guns from n@ggers act" Posted by: | Dec 19, 2008 12:06:10 AM Heres a more poignyant question, if in some states felons do not have the leagle right to say no to a search without a warrant, what exactly are the leagle rights of a felon? Posted by: Eric Holt | Mar 12, 2009 11:06:45 AM Scalia is wrong. Felons even those who have committed violent Felonies do get back firearm rights following a State conviction either by operation of State laws or by application. Only Federal Felonies precludes such remedies. This is unequal treatment under under our laws. It's clear now that States finally protect our Civil Rights while Congress "stomps" on them. What a reversal! I would like to add that it is of a common understanding shared by Constitutional lawyers that Congress has No authority to regulate firearms within a State, not only by virtue of the Second and Amendment but and all the enumerated Amendments which place a heavy restriction on the on what Congress can do. In fact the Amendments to the Constitution fully render the so-called "Interstate Commerce Clause null and void. Posted by: Geaorge Alleni | Apr 30, 2009 2:09:56 PM Hello, Whatever happened to the movement to restore rights after a sentence has been served? Does anyone know? Interesting post. Posted by: Tim | May 29, 2009 8:13:58 PM I am a prior felons that lives in a not-so-good area of town(as most felons do because it is hard to find a job with a record). I have spend many hours researching this issue. I would like to own a firearm to protect my home, but legally I can't and don't. I can't risk the consequences of owning one. Many years ago I asked my probation officer how I was to defend my home and he said "call the police" or "hide". I told him that the response time from the police in my area was about an hour and he told me "I better hide good then!". He thought it was unfair that we are not allowed to defend ourselves as well. The whole thing is ridiculous. I made a mistake many years ago in my life and now I am to be a second class citizen my whole life. I am a legal productive citizen involved in politics(I have restored my voting rights) and family life. I am not the person I was a decade ago. I can't believe people that say they are for gun rights and then say they believe in "restrictions" as a form of infringement that directly contradicts the second amendment, they engage in "double speak" and "double think". We really only possess the rights that the lowest class of citizen in our country does. We set a dangerous trend with we start having classes of citizens in this country. Just remember that when they can restrict my rights, they set the precedence so they can restrict and will eventually restrict yours. Posted by: Chris | Jul 24, 2009 1:03:33 PM I am a legal researcher by occupation, and a felon. Here is one for you guys. I am preparing to bring suit against the feds for denying my right to firearms. I was convicted of one felony 15 years ago. Ten years ago Ohio granted me a Relief of Disability O.R.C. 2923.14, which states I am "allowed to own and possess firearms as allowed by state and federal law...this does not apply to dangerous ordnance." In my NICS appeal, the feds denied me based on the "unless clause" of 922, stating the the state limited my firearms ownership by not granting dangerous ordnance. According to O.R.C. 2923.11, dangerous ordnance are exactly what the feds require all citizens to apply for with a class 3 form 4. Therefore, the state does not even have the power to grant permission to ownership or possession of dangerous ordnance. This creates several issues. First, the feds are denying my rights based on the state not granting me rights that THEY say the state does not have the power to grant! Next, the will of the Ohio legislature was to allow me to petition the court to be allowed to own and possess firearms, which I did and was subsequently granted. The feds denial of my rights is a direct defiance of the will of the Ohio legislature. Also, the Gun Control Act itself is not Constitutional. How does the interstate commerce clause give the feds the right to regulate the use and ownership of the product once the interstate commerce is complete? How about product items that were not shipped interstate but were strictly intrastate? (see Firearms Freedom Act and current Montana challenge). I am seriously doing this, working close with my attorney, lobbyists, and soveriegnty and firearms groups. If anyone would like to help me in developing defense or whatever, please respond and email me. theadvocate35@yahoo.com Posted by: V | Oct 25, 2009 9:02:23 PM Great post. Keep up the good work! Posted by: The Armor Clothing Blog | Jan 19, 2010 8:44:53 AM My book entitled: the Second Amendment: the State, the Felon, the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, can be found at: www.scribd.com. It covers pragmatic experiences about the use and necessity of a firearm and the arbitrary state laws in Ohio and other states that define the soft felon, those that have never gone to prison, as one equal in temper and attitude to that of a murderer, rapist, or burglar. For the most part the soft felon is normally not a recusant. Such behavior should be viewed as socially beneficial to society rather than inimical. Usually unbridled circumstances are the cause of the soft felon's criminal misfortunes. That is, external or perhaps internal forces, or both, beyond his or her immediate control. All soft felons need to band together to form a coalition for the purpose of the restoration of all civil rights in the USA and the right to keep and bear a handgun in the home for personal protection against unwanted intrusion. You can also go to www.webcommentary.com and read my commentaries on the subject as well. Posted by: Wesley McCants | Mar 1, 2010 7:05:07 PM This is a great article and very interesting. Posted by: Self Defense products | Jun 4, 2010 4:36:46 PM Chris, I feel your pain and wish you the best. It's starting to become more and more like a dictatorship rather than a free democracy when the feds are constantly trying to find loopholes in the system to attack our rights to self defense. Instead of concentrating on making laws that work against the criminals of America. They are restricting the law abiding citizens to their right to self defense. Posted by: Donald the self defense weapons guy | Aug 17, 2010 12:19:15 AM Ever research "The Black Laws"? Most enlightening on this and several other points of state-created-ability to "lose" rights (as opposed to having privileges withdrawn or withheld). By the way, I am not "Black", just an observer of the ways bad laws become ensconced and worse. Posted by: Throsso | Aug 17, 2010 12:22:24 PM "The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." There is no exception made for "convicted felons" of any stripe. ALL gun control is unreasonable and UNCONSTITUTIONAL. An unconstitutional statute is null and void. Cowards should protect themselves instead of leaving it to their government ass-wipers. Felon or not, buy a firearm (no NICS on a private transaction) and learn to use it against ANYONE who would try to harm you. REGARDLESS of the outfit they wear or authority they claim. Bottom line, it's better to be judged by twelve, than carried by six (and the loved-ones who trust their lives to YOU, would agree). "It is the duty of all good men to disobey unjust laws." Posted by: Thoroughly Provoked | Dec 28, 2010 7:06:40 PM Chris said: "I would like to own a firearm to protect my home, but legally I can't and don't. I can't risk the consequences of owning one." Consequences? In prison on your child's birthday, or free at your child's funeral. The choice is yours. Posted by: Thoroughly Provoked | Dec 28, 2010 7:20:42 PM If somthing is a rite, no institue can legaly take it away, so if felons dont have a rite to keep and bear arms it is safe to asume that they are no longer "citizens" and therefore are either slaves or non-entities it is in my humble opinion that the second amendment does not say "unless the government doesn't want you to". If an instition or government entity has to give you permission to do something it then becomes a privlidge and the government has placed itself incorectly above you whom should by law be the controller or boss of the government. Posted by: Eric Holt | Jan 14, 2012 3:05:50 PM an american- fyi to all out there- didnt see anyone mention this- the federal definition of "firearm" excludes anything from efore 1898 including 'modern replicas'. so we have the right to keep and bear arms until 1898, anyway. that's some deadly weaponry, if you think about it. also see "united states vs simmons"; you might not be as felonious as you thought... Posted by: john m. | Aug 7, 2012 5:19:47 AM Post a comment YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has addressed a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Presidents Office told Armenpress. The letter reads: The year 2020 has been challenging and difficult for us all. However, for Armenia, 2020 was even more difficult due to the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh on September 27, with the active support and direct participation of Turkey. Despite your call for a global ceasefire under the conditions of COVID-19 pandemic, and the statement condemning the continuing escalation of violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, despite repeated appeals from the international community to immediately stop the war, Azerbaijans military-political leadership massively and deliberately targeted the civilian population and infrastructures, blatantly violating the human rights and international humanitarian right norms. This resulted in the loss of thousands of young lives, thousands of disabled people, displacement of population, and destruction of Armenian cultural and historical heritage. During the war and after it, Armenian military servicemen and civilians became captives who suffer torture and inhuman mistreatment by Azerbaijan. In conformity with the the trilateral statement on ceasefire of November 9, 2020, the Republic of Armenia has transferred to Azerbaijan all prisoners of war. However, of utmost importance is the fulfillment of the "all for all" principle on exchange of all prisoners of war and civilians taken captive, which is being disregarded by Azerbaijan. In a gross violation of human rights and international humanitarian commitments, Azerbaijan currently rejects and hampers the return of civilians and prisoners of war, taken hostage. Armenia expects support from international partners in the issue of the quickest return of all the captives. I appeal to you and the United Nations to undertake all necessary measures to ensure immediate release and safe return of prisoners of war in conformity with the international humanitarian law. Joint advisory warns of Russian operations targeting cloud, email The Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI on Monday issued a new advisory describing ways to counter tactics and techniques used by Russias SVR foreign intelligence service, the attackers behind the intrusion involving SolarWinds. The advisory describes how the agencies noticed the SVR shift its tactics from using malware to targeting the cloud and email servers as a way to gather information, which was done when exploiting SolarWinds software and flaws in Microsoft Office 365. Targeting cloud resources probably reduces the likelihood of detection by using compromised accounts or system misconfigurations to blend in with normal or unmonitored traffic in an environment not well defended, monitored, or understood by victim organizations, according to the advisory. Few SolarWinds victim organizations were able to identify the initial access vector, but some were able to correlate different alerts to identify unauthorized activity, the advisory states: The FBI and DHS believe those indicators, coupled with stronger network segmentation (particularly zero trust architectures or limited trust between identity providers) and log correlation, can enable network defenders to identify suspicious activity requiring additional investigation. The advisory also describes the SVRs leveraging of zero-day vulnerabilities, the use of password-spraying exploits and the WELLMESS malware that targeted COVID-19 vaccine development These intrusions, which mostly relied on targeting on-premises network resources, were a departure from historic tradecraft, and likely indicate new ways the actors are evolving in the virtual environment, the advisory says of a 2020 WELLMESS attack on the governments of the U.S., Canada and United Kingdom. To prohibit misuse of their services, the FBI and DHS are recommending service providers strengthen their user validation and verification systems. PORTLAND, Ore., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Aviation Lubricants Market by Type (Hydraulic Fluid, Engine Oil, Grease, and Special Lubricants & Additives), Technology (Mineral Based, and Synthetic), End User (OEM, and Aftermarket), Application (Hydraulic Systems, Engine, Landing Gear, Airframe, and Others), and by Platform (Commercial Aviation, Military Aviation, and Business & General Aviation): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027." According to the report, the global aviation lubricants industry generated $2.24 billion in 2019, and is expected to reach $2.84 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 6.2% from 2020 to 2027. Prime determinants of growth Increase in number of airline passengers, rise in consumption of synthetic lubricants, and surge in number of airports drive the growth of the global aviation lubricants market. However, contamination in lubricants hinders the growth of the market. On the other hand, demand for low-density lubricants and development of safe and eco-friendly lubricants create new growth opportunities. Download Report Sample at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/8295 COVID-19 Scenario The demand for aviation lubricants reduced significantly as the aerospace industry became one of the worst-hit industries due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ban on domestic as well as the international flight has been imposed in many countries by governments. The lockdown imposed by governments led to a halt in the manufacturing activities of lubricants. Moreover, disruptions in the supply chain led to a shortage of raw materials. As governments have been allowing domestic and international travel, the demand would grow gradually as the number of domestic and international flights rises. Request for Customization of this report at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/8295 The engine oil segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period Based on type, the engine oil segment accounted for the largest share in 2019, holding nearly half of the global aviation lubricants market, and is expected to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This is due to engine oils being replaced every 50 hours or four months to ensure optimum engine performance. However, the special lubricants & additives segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR of 8.2% from 2020 to 2027, owing to excellent lubrication provided against friction and wear. The synthetic segment to continue its highest contribution by 2027 Based on technology, the synthetic segment contributed to the highest share in 2019, accounting for more than half of the total share of the global aviation lubricants market, and is expected to continue its highest contribution by 2027. This is attributed to high tolerance to extreme temperatures and aging along with development of cost-effective synthetic lubricants. However, the mineral-based segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period. This is due to good solubility with additives, low cost, and enhanced compatibility with seals. Interested to Procure The Data? Inquire here at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/8295 Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, to continue its dominant share by 2027 Based on region, Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, held the largest share in terms of revenue, accounting for nearly one-third of the global aviation lubricants market share in 2019, and will continue its dominant share during the forecast period. This is due to growth in air traffic rate, introduction of new airlines, and increase in domestic flights. However, LAMEA is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 8.0% from 2020 to 2027, owing to rise in the construction of new airports in the region. Leading Market Players Exxon Mobil Corporation Aerospace Lubricants, Inc. The Chemours Company Royal Dutch Shell plc plc NYCO LANXESS LUKOIL Nye Lubricants, Inc. Eastman Chemical Company ROCOL JET-LUBE Schedule a FREE Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/8295 Similar Reports We Have on Automotive Industry: Automotive Central Lubrication System Market by Lubrication Type (Oil and Grease), Component Type (Lubrication Distributor, Lubrication Pumps and Timers and Controllers), Actuator Type (Electrical and Pneumatic), and Vehicle Type (Passenger Vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles and Heavy Commercial Vehicles): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027. Automotive Antifreeze Market by Fluid Type ( Ethylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol and Glycerin), Technology (Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT), Organic Acid Technology (OAT) and Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT)), Application (Passenger vehicle, Commercial vehicle and Construction vehicle), and Distribution Channel (Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Aftermarket): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027. Engine Oil Market by Type (Conventional Engine Oil, Synthetic Engine Oil, Synthetic Blend Oil, and High-Mileage Engine Oil) - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027. Automotive Grease Market by Type (Soap Thickener, Non-Soap Thickener and Lubricants) and Application (Industrial and Automotive): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212027. Automotive Electric Fuel Pumps Market by Technology (Bushed DC and Bushless DC), Product Type (Passenger Cars, Lightweight Commercial Vehicles and Heavy Weight Commercial Vehicles) and Application (Turbine Style, Sliding Style and Roller Vane): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212027. About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Allied Market Research Blog: https://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn SOURCE Allied Market Research "I never thought of engineering and technology as something I would ever do, but this experience made me realize I love building things and coming up with new solutions especially with friends," said Jordyn Rose, a middle school student whose team built a backpack that transforms into a bowling game. More than 1,200 students participated in the main program this year along with thousands more who got a taste of engineering through mini-activities and other offerings. The Tech Challenge, a signature program of The Tech, invites teams of students in Grades 412 to use engineering design to solve a real-world problem. It reinforces 21st-century skills including creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, perseverance and learning from failure. "The Tech Challenge participants impress us every year with their ingenuity and improved problem-solving and confidence. We are honored to help equip them with the skills they'll need to grow into tomorrow's leaders," said The Tech's President and CEO Katrina Stevens. Awards will be announced Sunday, May 2, at 3 p.m. For more information, visit The Tech Challenge website. Key supporters for The Tech Challenge program include presenting sponsor Zoom Video Communications with additional support from PwC Charitable Foundation, Arm, eBay, Barbara and Bill Heil, Intel, Seagate, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Accenture, Adobe, Amazon, Bank of America, EY, Ford Motor Company, Google, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, Mayfield, Park Habitat, Renesas, Synaptics, Xilinx. About The Tech Interactive The Tech Interactive is a family-friendly science and technology center in the heart of downtown San Jose. Our hands-on activities, experimental labs and design challenge experiences empower people to innovate with creativity, curiosity and compassion. The Tech is a world leader in the creation of immersive STEAM education resources to develop the next generation of problem-solvers locally, nationally and globally. We believe that everyone is born an innovator who can change the world for the better. Inspiring the innovator in everyone. | thetech.org SOURCE The Tech Museum of Innovation Related Links www.thetech.org VENICE, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CareRev, a labor marketplace platform that connects hospitals and health systems with local healthcare professionals on demand, today announced the closing of a $50 million series A financing round led by Transformation Capital, a growth equity fund solely focused on innovative healthcare IT and services companies. Los Angeles-based CareRev offers a cloud-based platform in which hospitals and other healthcare facilities post shifts when they need clinical support, and local, vetted healthcare professionals claim the shifts through their mobile app eliminating the need for a traditional agency. Unlike other healthcare labor marketplace platforms, CareRev offers health systems the technology to create their own hybrid marketplaces in which internal employees are given the option to claim shifts before they're broadcasted to local, external CareRev professionals. Prior to COVID-19, labor had already reached over half of a hospital's total expenses*. Between full-time employees, nurse travel contracts, and agency fees, hospitals use several different recruitment channels to overcome today's nursing shortage and still meet changing staffing demands. Healthcare professionals have found work through these same channels, but had no easy, quick way to pick up extra shifts at other facilities in their area. Will Patterson, CareRev's founder and CEO, was one of them. With his experience as a trauma nurse, Patterson created CareRev in 2015 with the goal of connecting hospitals and healthcare professionals through a mobile app and, ultimately, transforming the traditional healthcare workforce model. The platform helps hospitals reduce labor costs, particularly offsetting expensive travel contracts, and gives professionals a more intuitive way to pick up shifts: on their phones. Fast forward 5 years, and the industry's long-standing challenge of providing high-quality care while controlling costs has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Hospitals nationwide were forced to adapt quickly with the help of technology. "When the pandemic hit, we were ready to help both hospitals and healthcare professionals through the uncertainty. The flexibility of our solution allowed for accelerated adoption when it was most needed," said Patterson. "Our vision is to build a more resilient post-COVID workforce in which health systems can tap into a latent supply of local, flexible healthcare professionals when they need them, and professionals are empowered to work where and when they want." CareRev's growing list of clients include over 30 hospitals and health systems, including SSM Health in St. Louis, MO, and Froedtert Health in Milwaukee, WI, and more than 500 outpatient centers. SSM Health's VP of Transformation, Grandon Brimley, says, "With CareRev's dedication to streamlining onboarding and getting qualified healthcare professionals in the door faster, we now feel confident about reducing our reliance on costly long-term travel contracts while leveraging our local community of qualified professionals." Today, more than 11,000 registered nurses (RNs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), medical assistants (MAs), and surgical and radiologic technicians use CareRev to find flexible work. With the new funding, CareRev plans to invest in scaling their product and operations, including incorporating more AI and machine learning, to achieve greater market impact. "We're excited to increase the momentum and continue building technology that reduces the challenges of traditional healthcare staffing," Patterson said. "We've already seen 20 percent month-over-month growth since April of last year, doubled our revenue in the past six months, and in Q4 alone doubled the amount of healthcare professionals using our mobile app. The demand for flexible staffing is through the roof." "As the country's nursing shortage becomes more acute and regulatory staffing mandates shift, health systems need innovative staffing solutions and COVID-19 has only exacerbated the problem," said Jared Kesselheim, MD, Managing Partner at Transformation Capital. "CareRev's scalable, differentiated approach including intuitive technology for the two-sided marketplace has showed us that the traditional, expensive and resource-intensive staffing agencies are a thing of the past. CareRev takes the stress off of the health systems looking to hire and the providers looking for autonomous, flexible work." Transformation Capital is joined by investors Industry Ventures and Zach Coelius, Michael Siebel, Gaingels and others. Transformation Capital and Gaingels are new investors in the company. *Source: https://www.hfma.org/topics/hfm/2019/october/hospitals-innovate-to-control-labor-costs.html About CareRev CareRev is a labor marketplace platform that connects hospitals and health systems with local, vetted healthcare professionals on demand. Through CareRev's easy-to-use app, healthcare facilities are able to create a more flexible and resilient workforce that meets patient demand faster while healthcare professionals are empowered to work where and when they want. Founded in 2015, CareRev now serves over 30 hospitals and health systems, 500 outpatient centers, and 11,000 healthcare professionals nationwide. For more information, visit www.carerev.com. About Transformation Capital Transformation Capital is dedicated exclusively to supporting entrepreneurs building transformational digital health and technology-enabled service businesses. The firm invests at the commercial stage in companies that serve stakeholders across the healthcare system and was founded on the premise that healthcare requires a highly focused investment approach combining deep industry expertise and connectivity. Transformation is an investor in companies such as Health Catalyst, LetsGetChecked, PatientPing, PatientPop, Plushcare, Olive and Vera Whole Health. SOURCE CareRev Related Links http://www.carerev.com HAMILTON, ON, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. The COVID-19 crisis has made it clear that affordable housing is key to Canada's recovery as communities across the country, including those in Hamilton, are dealing with the devastating impacts of rising levels of homelessness and housing need. Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), alongside the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Bob Bratina, Member of Parliament for Hamilton EastStoney Creek, met with Fred Eisenberger, Mayor of Hamilton, to discuss investments from Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience and to announce Hamilton will be receiving $145.6 million in funding from the federal government for the repair and regeneration of 6,290 affordable housing units. Many of these units will be for priority vulnerable groups, with almost half of the units dedicated to seniors across the city. This funding is being delivered through CMHC's National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF), which supports new and revitalization construction of mixed-income, mixed-tenure, and mixed-use affordable housing. The NHCF is a key pillar of the Government of Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS). Todays announcement is in addition to the 241 homes in Hamilton that have been built or rejuvenated as a result of the Co-Investment Fund so far. These homes are designated to those most at-risk, including women and their children, people with disabilities, and seniors. Budget 2021, announced just last week, makes $750 million in NHCF funding available in 2021-22 and 2022-23. This will accelerate the creation of 3,400 new units, and the repair of 13,700 units. Quotes: "Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Today's announcement for the rejuvenation of nearly 6,300 affordable homes across Hamilton will improve the living standards and housing conditions for thousands of vulnerable residents and families across Hamilton. This comes on the heels of last week's federal budget proposing an additional $2.5 billion and a reallocation of $1.3 billion in funding to speed up the construction and repair of over 35,000 additional housing units. This is the National Housing Strategy at work." The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) "Today's announcement of $145 million to repair 6,290 affordable community housing units in Hamilton is historic. This is an investment that will improve lives and make our city a better place. I am proud to have worked hard with Hamilton's affordable housing and anti-poverty advocates as well as with my Liberal colleagues to have achieved it. When people have safe and stable housing they gain the confidence to succeed and achieve their potential." The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour "Current events remind us that nothing is more important than a home. Hard working middle-class families in Hamilton deserve a safe and affordable place to call home where they can thrive and spend more time with their loved ones. This investment will ensure that the existing affordable housing supply operated by the City of Hamilton is in good repair and will serve the needs of its residents for years to come." The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship "Housing is about dignity. This investment is a crucial step towards ensuring that the most vulnerable among us have access to the housing and supports that meet their needs, including our seniors. As a result of today's announcement, we are acting to meet the unique housing needs of our city so that residents of Hamilton can be safe and can continue to thrive." Bob Bratina, Member of Parliament for Hamilton EastStoney Creek "On behalf of my Council colleagues, we are grateful for this historic contribution from the Government of Canada. Safe, affordable housing is a critical determinant of health and wellbeing in a community, which is why addressing homelessness and affordable housing remains a top priority for Hamilton City Council. This funding demonstrates our collective commitment to safe and dignified housing for vulnerable members of the community and supports much needed repair and renewal improving accessibility and energy efficiency to a large portion of affordable housing units that will continue to provide critical affordable housing for thousands of Hamiltonians in the years to come." Fred Eisenberger, Mayor of Hamilton Quick facts: CityHousing Hamilton is receiving two loans over a 9-year period under the NHCF for a total of $145.6 million in financial support: That includes a $58.2 million forgivable loan and a $87.4 million repayable loan. in financial support: That includes a forgivable loan and a repayable loan. All 6,290 units under this agreement will exceed NHCF affordability criteria, with an average lease rate of 61.4% of Median Market Rent (MMR). A minimum of 20% of the 6,290 units will meet NHCF accessibility requirements. The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve energy efficiency by 25% respectively over the applicable building code. With a budget of $13.2 billion , the NHCF gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans and young adults. , the NHCF gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans and young adults. Through the NHCF, the Government of Canada will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes. will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes. Under the NHCF, investments are also planned to create or repair at least 4,000 shelter spaces for victims of family violence, as well as create at least 7,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and 2,400 new affordable housing units for people with developmental disabilities. To help Canadians find affordable housing, Budget 2021 proposes to provide an additional $2.5 billion over seven years in new funding and a reallocation of $1.3 billion in previously announced funding to speed up the construction, repair, and support over 35,000 additional housing units. over seven years in new funding and a reallocation of in previously announced funding to speed up the construction, repair, and support over 35,000 additional housing units. In Budget 2021, $750 million in existing funding under NHCF is proposed to be advanced to 2021-22 and 2022-23. This will accelerate the creation of 3,400 new units, and the repair of 13,700 units. $250 million in existing funding will also be allocated to support the construction, repair, and operating costs of an estimated 560 units of transitional housing and shelter spaces for women and children fleeing violence. Advancing these funds will help the Government to address gender-based violence. in existing funding under NHCF is proposed to be advanced to 2021-22 and 2022-23. This will accelerate the creation of 3,400 new units, and the repair of 13,700 units. in existing funding will also be allocated to support the construction, repair, and operating costs of an estimated 560 units of transitional housing and shelter spaces for women and children fleeing violence. Advancing these funds will help the Government to address gender-based violence. Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call homethis includes more than $13 billion committed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. Associated links: As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca. SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation For further information: Information on this release: Mikaela Harrison, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, [email protected]; Audrey-Anne Coulombe, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Media Relations, [email protected]; Jen Recine, City of Hamilton, Communications, [email protected] Related Links www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca The mayor of Granbury was arrested early Sunday and charged with driving while intoxicated, according to the Hood County sheriff. Mayor Nin Hulett, 68, was arrested after midnight and booked into Hood County Jail, Sheriff Roger Deeds said. Hulett was charged with a DWI class B misdemeanor. He was released on a $1,000 bond Sunday morning and left the jail around noon, Deeds said. Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo has assured the Ministry's Development Partners of government's commitment to ensuring gender equality and equal opportunity for the vulnerable in society. Heads of Cooperation of UK AID, the World Bank, the United Nation's Resident Coordinator and Country Directors of the United Nations Population Fund, United Nation's Children Fund and UNESCO had interaction with the recently appointed Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, to discuss issues pertaining to the Ministry and ensuring their commitment towards helping the Nation attain Gender equality and offer adequate support for the vulnerable. Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo applauded the Ministry's development partners for their support of the government's covid 19 relief efforts and assured them of the government's commitment towards ensuring equal opportunities for all Ghanaians. "I express my deepest gratitude to our development partners who have come together to support the government's covid 19 relief efforts and for their ongoing support to strengthen the various efforts of the Ministry. Your dedication to all our endeavours has been critical to the development of the Nation and I assure you that this government is committed to ensure Gender equality and equal opportunities for all persons especially the most vulnerable in our society" she mentioned. She also reiterated the need for support to scale up the Nation's social protection program to reach the targeted number of 1.5 million Ghanaians and 350 000 households. "We are as always counting on your support to scale up the social safety program which will benefit the poorest households in all regions of Ghana by: providing cash transfers to 350,000 households through the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) reaching 1.5 million individuals" she said. The Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya also encouraged the development partners to support the Ministry in pushing legislative frameworks that will strengthen the rights of the vulnerable in the country. "This year, our aim is to ensure that the Affirmative Action and Aged Persons Bills are passed and the Ghana Social Protection Policy and Bill reviewed. It is our hope that you will aid us push these bills and other legislative frameworks to safeguard and protect the rights of the vulnerable in the country." she emphasised. She assured them of her commitment to enhance inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaboration especially between her Ministry and the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development and the Ministry of Health. The development partners on their part assured the Minister of their utmost commitment to support the Government's quest to protect the most vulnerable and to ensure the completion of the registration of the extreme poor under Ghana National Household Registry to cover all 16 regions whilst acknowledging that only 5 regions have so far been covered. The Ministry under Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo is looking to enhance its relationship with the development partners who over the years have worked in collaboration with the Ministry in enhancing issues relating to the vulnerable in society by offering support for specific programs and projects. 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. Featured Video Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 05:32:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called on U.S. President Joe Biden to immediately reverse his declaration that designated the atrocities to Armenians during World War I as "genocide." "I hope the U.S. President will turn back from this wrong step as soon as possible," Erdogan told reporters in his first comments since Biden's statement. (Turkey-Biden-Armenia Genocide) - - - - ANKARA -- Turkey announced on Monday that it will impose a full lockdown in a bid to curb the rise in COVID-19 cases. The lockdown will last from April 29 to May 17, with an aim to lower the daily cases below 5,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting. (Turkey-COVID19-Lockdown) - - - - BAGHDAD -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday paid an official visit to Iraq for talks with Iraqi leaders on the bilateral ties and regional situation. Zarif, heading a high-level delegation, arrived in Baghdad in the afternoon. He was received by his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein before holding talks. (Iraq-Iranian FM-Visit) - - - - JERUSALEM -- Israeli security cabinet authorized on Monday "a serious airstrike" on the Gaza Strip if rocket fire from the enclave continues, local Israeli media reported. "There is no desire on Israel's part for an escalation, but we are prepared in case the fire continues," a senior government official told Israel's Ynet news site. (Israel-Gaza-Airstrike) Enditem Rebecca Samuel, mother of Sarah, one of the school girls that was abducted by Boko Haram, cries during the 7th anniversary of the schoolgirls abduction in Abuja. Nigeria The Pontifical Foundation, "Aid to the Church in Need" (ACN), launches a new campaign to help heal the wounds of religious extremism in Africa. By Lisa Zengarini Over the last years Christians in Africa have been the target of unprecedented attacks by Islamic extremists. This is why Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Pontifical Foundation supporting persecuted Christians in world, has approved the allocation of more than $9,5 million for a new campaign to reach out to the victims and promote peaceful coexistence. A crucial mission Dubbed Heal the wounds of religious extremism in Africa, the campaign supports a number of initiatives and programmes aimed at mitigating the suffering of the people and enable them to experience a little Easter hope, Dr Thomas Heine-Geldern, ACN executive president, has explained. The Catholic Church in Africa is itself often one of the victims, but more than anything it is an important source of support, reconciliation and healing for all who are suffering violence. For this reason, ACN considers the aid it provides to the Church of the continent of martyrs one of its most crucial missions, now more than ever, Dr Heine-Geldern says. Promoting interreligious dialogue One of the key priorities of the African Churchs mission is the promotion of interreligious dialogue to further understanding and fraternity on all sides. In the predominantly Islamic country of Mali, for example, ACN is helping the Institute for Islamo-Christian Formation erect a new building in the capital of Bamako to make interreligious courses accessible to more students. Healing the wounds But true peace also requires healing the wounds of the trauma experienced by the victims of Islamist terrorism. To assist their rehabilitation, ACN is sponsoring several projects focused on spiritual and psychological training. One of these projects is taking place in the Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria, where the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram has left two thousand traumatized widows and several thousands of orphans. ACN has helped set up a centre training trauma therapists to assist the victims. Funding spiritual retreats and training courses for priests and religious Aid to the Church in Need also provides funding for spiritual retreats and training courses for priests and religious to help them live out their vocations in dangerous conditions. The pontifical foundation sponsors regular seminars for priests and religious in countries like Burkina Faso (where tens of thousands of people have been displaced by Islamist attacks and many Christians have been killed over the last few years), but also in Cameroon, Nigeria and the Central African Republic. Additionally, ACN helps priests and religious earn their livelihoods and offers them means of transportation so they can carry out their work to assist victims of Islamist violence. 26 religious women in the Diocese of Pemba in the war-torn Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado have benefited from this kind of aid. Supporting the reconstruction of churches Finally, the Catholic foundation is supporting the reconstruction of churches and religious infrastructure which have been damaged by Islamist groups. For example, in the predominantly Islamic country of Niger, funds have been granted to rebuild a parish church in the city of Zinder, which was destroyed in 2015 in retaliation for the publication of the cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. 12 African countries figuring in the "red list" of ACN's report on religious freedom According to the Aid to the Church in Need's 2021 Report on Religious Freedom in the World, published last week, Africa includes 12 of the 26 countries figuring in the red category, which denotes the existence of persecution. These are: Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Mozambique, Gibuti, Somalia and Lybia. The fifth edition of Ghana Beverage Awards (GBA) has been successfully organized with Awake Purified Drinking Water emerging winner for the ultimate award, Product of the Year. Other winners included Storm Energy Drink, Blue Skies Fruit Juice, and Coca-Cola. Being organized virtually for the second year running, the awards ceremony was streamed online and telecast live on eTV Ghana, GTV, and Citi TV. Held under the theme Inspiring Excellence in Ghanas Beverage Industry, the event was aimed at putting the spotlight on the local beverage industry while promoting both local and foreign beverages as well as the participation of small-scale beverage enterprises in Ghana. Speaking at the event, Mr. Ernest Boateng, Chief Executive Officer of Global Media Alliance, lauded the stakeholders and industry players for contributing in diverse ways to ensure a successful event every year. When we began Ghana Beverage Awards, our vision as a company was to put a spotlight on an industry that we felt was not being celebrated enough. Now in the fifth year, I must say we are truly humbled and proud to see the growth of GBA. Undoubtedly, the successes chalked over the years could not have been possible without the support of our stakeholders and industry players whose participation and interest in seeing that GBA grows to the level where it will be widely known locally, in the sub-region, and internationally knows no boundaries. Truly, as organisers, we do not take your contribution for granted, he said. In the build-up to this years awards, a GBA segment was introduced on partner radio and TV stations to allow the beverage companies to share their expectations ahead of this years awards and also to share titbits on the consumption of different types of beverages and the appropriate use of stemware. GBA 2020 also saw the classification of Cocoa/Chocolate Product of the Year and Dairy Product of the Year as two separate categories unlike previous years in acknowledgment of feedback from our stakeholders. Ghana Beverages Awards is organised by Global Media Alliance with support from Food Research Institute (FRI) under CSIR, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Consumer Protection Agency, and the Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG), and Perception Management International. It is partnered by Citi FM, Citi TV, GTV Business and Financial Times, Businesszoneonline, e.TV Ghana, Happy FM, YFM on the media front. Full list of winners International Spirit of the Year: Jameson Irish Whisky International Beer of the Year: Heineken Larger Beer International Wine of the Year: Campo Viejo International Liqueur of the Year: Baileys Irish Cream Spirit of the Year: Aphro Moor Beer of the Year: ABC Golden Lager Beer Bitters of the Year: Herb Afrik Liqueur of the Year: Carnival Strawberry Liqueur Cider/ RTD of the Year: Origin Beer Water of the Year: Voltic Natural Mineral Water CSD of the Year: Coca Cola Energy Drink of the Year: Storm Energy Drink Fruit Drink of the Year: Blue Skies Fruit Juice Cocoa/Chocolate Product of the Year: Vitamilk Chocolate Drink CSR Company of the Year: Blow Chem Industries Limited New Beverage of the Year: Verna Active Manufacturing Company of the Year: Twellium Industrial Company Ltd. Product of the Year: Awake Purified Drinking Water 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. Featured Video New Delhi: Yet again the Shiv Sena has taken on its NDA ally, the BJP. On Monday, the Sena, without directly naming BJP, claimed that only "one party" possessed "unlimited money" and had come to power in Goa and Manipur despite being "rejected by the people". Sena also alleged that the party was using that money to "try and uproot" the Shiv Sena and humiliate Uddhav Thackeray. "Even if people face recession after demonetisation, one party is on an upturn and came to power in Goa and Manipur despite being rejected by the people," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said. The editorial said people were watching which party "indulges in horse-trading backed by the power of money". "The same money was used to try and uproot the Shiv Sena as well," it alleged. Sena claimed that the party kept "boasting" that the government in Maharashtra would be stable even if the Sena withdrew its support to it. "This boasting is being done on the back of unlimited money only. It is surprising that nobody approaches the Enforcement Directorate to seek a probe against them," the Sena said. Shiv Sena further alleged that attempts were also being made to seize power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) using the money of traders. Also read: Uddhav Thackeray dares BJP to face midterm polls, questions lathicharge on women students at Banaras Hindu University Also read: Uddhav Thackeray hits back at PM Modi for his Diwali allusion, asks whether government will refund taxes collected so far Kasoa, Central Region//-The Awutu Senya District Education Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in collaboration with the Ohenewa Human Rights Advocacy has organised a five day human rights advocacy programme to educate over six thousand students in selected schools in the district. The first of the five day programme focused on laws on domestic and sexual violence was held in Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly in the Central Region. The event which was held at a school park on 23rd April 2021 attracted over 1,364 students from clusters of schools-Akwekey Nkwanta St. Marys Anglican Basic B; Akweley St. Marys Anglican Primary and JHS D; Akweley St. Marys Anglican Basic A; and ICODEHS Basic Schools in the area. The purpose for the Advocacy in Kasoa was as a result of the recent gruesome murder of the 10 year old boy for ritual purposes by his friends of similar ages. Speaking at the event, Human Rights Lawyer and Founder of the Advocacy, Mary Ohenewaa Afful said: This Advocacy Project, dubbed Ohenewaa Advocacy in Schools and Free Books Distribution is designed to create awareness and educate school children, help them to report cases of abuse and prevent future offenders from committing acts of criminality by knowing the jail terms associated with these types of crimes as outlined in the book. She added: We want to send the right signal of helping the fight against all forms of abuse, by encouraging school children to report all cases of abuse to their teachers, head teachers, parents, neighbours, family members, among others. These people can as well assist them to report such cases to the nearest police station to effect arrests, and possible prosecution of all acts of violence or criminal conducts, according to her. Touching more on the topic- Laws on Domestic & Sexual Violence & Cycle of Abuse, Lawyer Ohenewaa Afful, lamented that there is an alarming rate of domestic and sexual violence cases across the country. This she said has resulted in many children and older people being constantly abused on a daily basis. According to the data from Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, more females continue to suffer from rape and defilement in the country. However, the figures keep going higher and higher. Furthermore, records from the countrys court systems and prisons also show a high rate of criminal offenders from ages 19 to 26 who end up being jailed for committing various criminal offences. To this end, Lawyer Ohenewaa Afful called on the government and the Ghana Police to implement Sector 8(3) of the Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (ACT732) which specifically states: A victim of domestic violence who is assisted by the Police is entitled to free medical treatment from the STATE but that law has never been implemented. Since the passage of the Act, this section has never been implemented. So, we are calling on the government to provide the budget for that. So that when children are defiled, abused or their human rights are being contravened. It is only when the matter comes in the media that the government rushes there and takes care of the victim(s) and their family like what happened in Kasoa recently, she said. What about those that are not reported? What about the many girls that have been defiled and they (families) have to spend almost GHC1,000 on treatment alone, so section 8(3) has to be implemented, Lawyer Ohenewaa Afful maintained. At the end of the event, free booklets on Laws on Domestic and Sexual Violence and Cycle of Abuse written by Lawyer Ohenewaa Afful; were shared them among the over thousand students. Also, Kalyppo drinks, exercise books and nose masks donated by Aquafresh Company Ltd were shared to them as well. Subsequent events will be organised in the selected schools provided by the Ghana Education Office, Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly, so Lawyer Ohenewaa Afful is appealing for sponsorship to make them a success. Source: African Eye Report Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 19:08:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday respectively met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. Extending congratulations on China's success in fighting COVID-19 and achieving economic development, Trong called on the two countries to maintain and promote their traditional friendship, and advance the relationship between the two militaries of the two countries. (Vietnam-China-Visit) - - - - BANGKOK -- Thailand on Monday confirmed 2,048 new COVID-19 cases and eight fatalities, according to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan. Some 2,038 of the new cases were domestic infections while 10 others were imported cases, Apisamai told a press conference. (Thailand-COVID-19) - - - - MANILA -- The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines passed the milestone of 1 million on Monday as the infections continued to surge in the country. The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday 8,929 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,006,428. (Philippines-COVID-19) - - - - SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for international solidarity and cooperation to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic amid sharp rise in the number of cases in some of the countries to "save their own skin." "Such global pandemic as the COVID-19 outbreak requires international solidarity and cooperation more than any because one country cannot overcome it unless the others do. But reality is different in international politics," Moon told a regular meeting with his senior secretaries, according to the presidential Blue House. (S.Korea-President-Pandemic) - - - - COLOMBO -- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said vaccinating citizens is the only way out amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Local media reported Monday. The president also said that people must strictly follow all rules and regulations as they did during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Sri Lanka-President-Vaccination) - - - - ASADABAD, Afghanistan -- At least 15 civilians were wounded after several rockets fired by militants struck Asadabad, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province on Monday, a local official confirmed. "Several rockets fired by Taliban militants struck Asadabad roughly at 9:30 a.m. local time. One of the rockets struck the provincial government office, causing casualties. Details will be shared with media soon," Provincial Governor Mohammad Iqbal Sayyed told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-Rockets-Casualties) Enditem A Reverend from North Carolina promotes climate activism using God's Word, but long time Bible scholar and apologist Ken Ham just won't buy it. Rev Scott Hardin-Nieri of the First Christian church in Black Mountain, North Carolina may have great intentions, but Ken Ham finds his premise problematic. First, he refutes Hardin-Nieri's extended and primarily wrong interpretation of Noah and the Great Flood. "Noah's ark isn't a simple story of hope; it is principally a story about human suffering amid widespread ecological devastation," Hardin-Nieri claimed. Ham, seeing the Scriptural error in the reverend's assertation, simply responded, "Nope! That's simply not true!" "The account of the flood, as recorded in Genesis 6-9, is a record of God's long suffering in the face of man's wickedness, God's righteous judgment on a wicked world, and God's grace and salvation in providing a means for saving those who went through the one door of the Ark (a picture of Jesus) to be saved," he continued. The apologist then quoted 1 Peter 3:20, which stated: "Because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." Ham pointed out that clergymen like Hardin-Nieri would better use their time in "warning people of the spiritual catastrophe because of sin," than warning about "environmental catastrophes." The apologist, of course, is not anti-earth care. He was just trying point out, per the recorded destruction of earth in the book of Revelation, that people of faith would do well to keep in eternity in mind. "He needs to care about his and their salvation! It's obvious he is promoting a form of creation worship (really a type of pantheism) not the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ," he added. What did the Reverend believe? According to The Guardian, the Rev Scott Hardin-Nieri is quite fond of the story of Noah's ark. "People look at that story fondly, because they focus on all the animals that were saved," the pastor explains. However, for Hardin-Nieri, Noah's ark is not simply a tale of hope; it is, first and foremost, a story of human misery in the face of global ecological destruction -not as how the Bible put it: the righteous and patient God responding to man's wickedness. "We forget how many people were killed in this apocalyptic world where the environment was ruined," he states. He believes that residents of North Carolina were already suffering the effects of climate change. The state is seeing intensified floods, drought, and excessive temperatures. These harsh, inconsistent weather conditions have a significant impact on agriculture and agribusiness, which employ 17% of the state's population. North Carolina is also one of the nations with the most hurricanes in the United States, wreaking havoc on people's houses and economies. Hardin-Nieri, who was ordained in the Christian church in 2003, operates in North Carolina, attempting to instill a sense of urgency regarding climate change in congregations throughout the state. The Creation Care Alliance, which he has led since 2015, seeks to link religious people with the world around them. He also claims that the Scripture is ideally positioned to help religious groups properly grasp the ongoing environmental disasters occurring around them. According to some experts, religious leaders who understand how to connect emotionally with their audiences could be better placed to persuade citizens to embrace climate change, especially in conservative areas. Robin Veldman, an assistant professor of social studies at Texas A&M University, said that those who don't believe in climate change get more airtime than those that champions it on evangelical-friendly platforms. "Climate change is a symptom of a larger moral problem of greed," he said. "Faith communities, at their best, can address those things in a way that a solar panel industry cannot." Hardin-Nieri admits that he is "still learning" the right way to communicate with conservatives on climate change, but he stays optimistic. "Climate change is a symptom of a larger moral problem of greed," he said. "Faith communities, at their best, can address those things in a way that a solar panel industry cannot." Athens, GA (30605) Today Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. Low near 70F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. Low near 70F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Shipments to established Pharmaceutical and Phyto-Therapeutics companies will offer PharmaCielo and its APIs 1 early integration into the supply chain. early integration into the supply chain. Shipments followed an audit by the Phyto-Therapeutics customer, that confirmed PharmaCielo's compliance with Brazilian GMP standards. TORONTO, and RIONEGRO, Colombia, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ - PharmaCielo Ltd. ("PharmaCielo" or the "Company") (TSXV: PCLO) (OTCQX: PCLOF), the Canadian parent of Colombia's premier cultivator and producer of medicinal-grade cannabis extracts, PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S., today announced that it has completed initial shipments to two customers in Brazil following an audit to confirm PharmaCielo's compliance with Brazilian Good Manufacturing Practices ("GMP") standards. The first shipment recently arrived at one of Brazil's largest Phyto-Therapeutics companies. This customer intends to integrate PharmaCielo's APIs into custom formulations for current and future product registry and sale in the local market. The second shipment recently arrived at a large Pharmaceutical company that already has a CBD product in-market and intends to use PharmaCielo as a key supplier. "These initial pre-commercial shipments, and the GMP confirmation that was conducted by one of the companies, provide further confirmation of PharmaCielo's product quality and the excellence of its production processes," said Henning von Koss, CEO of PharmaCielo Ltd. "Further, these relationships demonstrate that larger and more sophisticated end-product producers are actively coming to market looking for a reliable source of high-quality extracts and formulation expertise. PharmaCielo is positioned to supply these customers with consistent quality, at industry-leading scale. We look forward to working with both customers over the next several months as their teams integrate our APIs into their custom formulations." About the Brazilian Medical Cannabis Market According to research firm Prohibition Partners' LATAM report2, with a population of more than 211 million, Brazil represents the largest potential market in Latin America for the cannabis industry and it is estimated that the Brazilian medical cannabis user base could reach close to 3 million people in the next few years. A recent analysis3 by the research firm, found that the number of both cannabis patient associations and medical cannabis prescriptions in Brazil are on the rise with the latter experiencing a 135% increase from 2019 to over 14,500 prescriptions. _________________________ 1 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients 2 Prohibition Partners - The Latin America And Caribbean Cannabis Report 3 Prohibition Partners The Key Challenges Facing the Brazilian Cannabis Market (March 26, 2021) About PharmaCielo PharmaCielo Ltd. (TSXV: PCLO, OTCQX: PCLOF) is a global company, headquartered in Canada, with a focus on ethical and sustainable processing and supplying of all natural, medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products to large channel distributors. PharmaCielo's principal (and wholly owned) subsidiary is PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S., headquartered at its cultivation and processing centre located in Rionegro, Colombia. The board of directors and executive team of PharmaCielo are comprised of a diversely talented group of international business executives and specialists with relevant and varied expertise. PharmaCielo recognized the significant role that Colombia's ideal location plays in building a sustainable business in the medical cannabis industry, and the Company, together with its directors and executives, is executing on a business plan focused on supplying the international marketplace. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expects", "is expected", "intends", "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements as to the intent of one customer of PharmaCielo to incorporate PharmaCielo's products into that customer's own formulations and the intent of another customer of PharmaCielo to use PharmaCielo as a key supplier. These statements are based on PharmaCielo's management's reasonable assumptions and beliefs in light of the information available at the time such statements are being made. By its very nature, forward-looking information requires the making of assumptions and is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties which give rise to the possibility that PharmaCielo's predictions, expectations or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that PharmaCielo's assumptions may not be correct and that PharmaCielo's objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. Although PharmaCielo believes that the predictions, expectations or conclusions reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such matters will prove to have been correct. Such forward-looking information is not fact but only reflects management's estimates and expectations. Forward-looking statements can be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including changes to PharmaCielo's development plans, the failure to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory approvals relating to the export of cannabinoid products and the import of these products into other countries, obtaining TSXV approval, the inability to export or distribute products through sales channels as anticipated due to economic or operational circumstances, risks associated with operating in Colombia, fluctuation of the market price for the Company's products, risks associated with global economic instability relating to COVID-19, risks related to retention of key Company personnel, currency exchange risk, competition in PharmaCielo's market and other risks discussed or referred to under the heading "Risk Factors" in PharmaCielo's Annual Information Form for the financial year ended December 31, 2019, which is available at www.sedar.com. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, PharmaCielo undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. SOURCE PharmaCielo Ltd. For further information: Henning von Koss, CEO, +1 416-864-6116, PharmaCielo.com; Media Relations: International: Gal Wilder, Cohn & Wolfe, +1 416-602-4092, [email protected] ; Colombia: Giselle Diaz Bermudez, SPR Group, + 57 310 859 5468, [email protected] ; Investor Inquiries:[email protected] Related Links http://www.pharmacielo.com Jammu, April 26 : The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpun (IIT-K) has collaborated with I2 Cure (P) Limited, a 'Make in India for the World' Biotech company, for all future research on molecular based I2 cure 'BioShield' which is a broad spectrum antimicrobial with proven efficacy of 99.999 per cent against SARS COVID virus. A press statement by IIT-K said on Monday, "Under the terms of the agreement, I2Cure future products would be incubated at IIT-Kanpur. The relationship would be of the equity partners, and validations of Dr. Jack Kessler's global research would be done for Indian conditions at IIT-K.A "IIT-K would also work with I2Cure to develop new aMade in India' products for global markets, especially in tackling long-term problems in the space of Human Preventive Health, Veterinary science (FMD, Bovine Mastitis, Dermatitis), and Agri products. Conservative estimates point to more than $15 billion being added, per annum, to the income of farmers owing to the Biocidal & fungicidal benefits of Molecular Iodine preventives. "All of the research and advancement would be performed under the guidance of IIT- K thought leaders namely Dr. Ganesh. S (Neurobiology of disorders, stress biology, and human genetics Dr. Ashok Kumar (Downstream processing; affinity interactions and cell separations; nanotechnology; biomaterials; tissue engineering) Dr. Amitabha Bandopadhyay (Skeletal development and differentiation). "Stating on this momentous occasion, Anil Kejriwal, Founder Chairman of I2Cure shared, "I am delighted to partner my alma mater, IIT-Kanpur for research and innovation on future-ready preventive & curative products. It gives us great pleasure to be associated with an institution that is regarded as the gold standard among IITs We would jointly be happy to contribute towards the vision of the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India to double Agricultural income as well as become a $5 Trillion economy. I2cure would aMake in India' for the world. "Adding to it, (Prof.) Dr. Ashok Kumar, BSBE (Biological Sciences & Bioengineering at IIT Kanpur) added, "We are thrilled to welcome one of our 50 most distinguished alumni back to the campus & work towards creating lasting solutions for humans, bovine as well as agricultural problems plaguing India & the world. We're excited about the prospects of IIT-K researched and curated solutions getting global attention. Our faculty & research scholars are also excited about mutually sharing knowledge with acclaimed scientists like Dr. Jack Kessler. IIT-K is known for its aintensive and cutting edge research' approach and we're confident of partnering other Indian Institutions and Govt. labs to lead India into the next leap". Dr. Kessler is a multiple patent holder with more than three decades of research in Iodine technology and has isolated, stabilized, and patented molecular Iodine (I2) which could potentially be 500 times more efficacious than the current Povidone-iodine. "Not only does the Molecular Iodine-based BioShield protect against Covid, but is effective against all Bacterial, Fungal, Viral threats, Tuberculosis, Tinea, and all other skin diseases". Somali refugees Abdulbasit and Zainab relax in their temporary home at the Emergency Transit Mechanism in Nyamata, Rwanda. UNHCR/Will Swanson When Abdulbasit, his wife Zainab, and their daughter were first evacuated from Libya to Rwanda in 2019, they were unsure what to expect. The couple had been through a harrowing ordeal. On their journey to find safety, the refugees from Somalia found themselves stuck in Libya, where they faced horrific abuse in detention. When we got to Libya, we were worried about being in detention and never having freedom, said Zainab. I had heard that Rwanda was a safe place, and they were welcoming refugees. UNHCR's Grandi commends Rwanda's continued efforts to protect refugees evacuated from Libya The couple and their daughter, who was born in Libya, were some of the first refugees and asylum-seekers to be evacuated to Rwanda under a life-saving humanitarian mechanism established nearly two years ago by the Rwandan government, the African Union and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, supported by international donors such as the European Union. They were brought to the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in Gashora, Rwanda, where UNHCR provided them with accommodation, food, water, medical care, psychosocial support, and language classes. I had heard that Rwanda was a safe place. Since that initial flight, some 515 refugees and asylum-seekers have been evacuated from Libya to the ETM. The group remains at the transit facility while long-term solutions are sought. From the group, so far at least 260 refugees and asylum-seekers have been resettled to countries including Canada, France and Norway. Abdulbasit, 21, talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi at the Emergency Transit Mechanism in Nyamata, Rwanda. UNHCR/Will Swanson Abdulsbasit and Zainab's eldest daughter is pictured outside their home in Nyamata, Rwanda. UNHCR/Will Swanson Zainab poses for a portrait in the home where the family has lived since being evacuated from Libya. UNHCR/Will Swanson Grandi visited the facility to talk to refugees and asylum-seekers during a three-day visit to Rwanda. UNHCR/Will Swanson During a three-day visit to Rwanda, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi went to the center and met with Abdulbasit and Zainab, as well as other refugees, who described their journeys and how life has been in the ETM. I spoke to some unaccompanied teenagers; I spoke to a family from Somalia. Many of them have harrowing stories of abuse and torture, even of long detention and uncertainty, of despair, and this is a time when they can also try to overcome some of that trauma, Grandi said. The High Commissioner praised the Government of Rwanda as well as Niger, the other country welcoming refugees and asylum-seekers being evacuated from Libya, for their continued solidarity and generosity, giving hope to vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees in Africa in dire need of protection and safety. I really want to particularly thank the Government of Rwanda, said Grandi, who also met with the countrys president in Kigali during the trip. It was President Kagames initiative to launch the ETM in Rwanda a few years ago, and of course we will continue to need this mechanism as long as the situation in Libya continues to be as difficult as it is now. For Abdulbasit and Zainab, life in Rwanda has brought security and peace of mind. The couple recently welcomed a second daughter. After five years of constant flight, danger and uncertainty, Abdulsabit is hopeful that his young family will soon reach the next, and final, stop on their journey to a new permanent home. I am very happy, Abdulbasit said. As a father, I am responsible for my family. I was so worried because we have been waiting for our resettlement case. But I never gave up and I always told my wife also not to give up. Guwahati, April 26 : In a new twist, an Assam Police constable was arrested on Monday from Tinsukia district for his reported involvement in the kidnapping of three ONGC technical staffs by ULFA-I militants on April 21, officials said. Police arrested two people and Constable Basanta Buragohain while two of his colleagues, also suspected to be involved in the abduction case, are now absconding, and the security forces are looking out for them. In a series of tweets on Monday, Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said that three persons have been arrested so far for being directly involved in the case in addition to some others linked with the banned organisation. "Investigation indicates involvement of only one police personnel so far but anyone found directly or indirectly involved in this case will be seriously dealt with as per law. All relevant facts are bound to come out on debriefing of the apprehended Basanta Buragohain," the police chief tweeted. He said that Assam Police would spare no culprit involved in this case. "Meanwhile, effort to trace out and rescue the third victim from ULFA-I custody is still going on," Mahanta said. Three technical personnel of the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation were kidnapped by the militants of United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent from a rig site at Lakwa in eastern Assam's Sibsagar district. An ONGC statement said that the abducted employees were taken away in an ambulance vehicle belonging to it. Later, the vehicle was found abandoned near the Nimonagarh jungles close to the Assam-Nagaland border. The three kidnapped employees are Mohini Mohan Gogoi, 35, and Ritul Saikia,33, both junior technicians, production, and Alakesh Saikia, 28, a junior engineering assistant, production. Gogoi is a resident of Dibrugarh district and other two employees are inhabitants of Jorhat district. The Army, along with Assam Rifles troopers, rescued Gogoi and Alakesh Saikia from the clutches of the militants following a fierce encounter late on Friday night, but Ritul Saikia still remained missing. ULFA-I, headed by commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, in a statement on Saturday said that all three employees were handed over to villagers of Totokchingnyu in Nagaland amidst concerns for their safety. It claimed that Ritul Saikia may have been killed in the crossfire or the army is hiding him. 4WD $50,745 excluding destination charge for a truck-based utility vehicle that gets 17 miles to the gallon (13.8 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined cycle is pretty bad. Brian Reider of RCR mentions a droning sound from the exhaust every time you pass someone or climb a gentle rise, which is also bad. The range-topping TRD Pro isnt good on the highway either, and the all-terrain tires give a rather vague road feel, according to Mr. Regular.Brian does wax lyrical about off-road ventures in the TRD Pro because the Fox suspension makes the ride surprisingly comfortable off the beaten path. But if youre looking to buy a brand-new 4Runner to use mostly for daily driving on the pavement, the Limited trim level is more adequate.Introduced in 2009 for the 2010 model year, the fifth-generation 4Runner is revered by a wide range of customers and enthusiasts for a pretty good reason. Namely, the overall package is pretty much spot on for a sport utility vehicle that isnt called Wrangler or Bronco. Its a good choice even after 12 years of production, a decade in which Toyota has performed only the most essential improvements imaginable, updates such as Apple CarPlay.Offered with rear-wheel drive as standard and a full-timesystem with a center differential, the 4Runner shows its age in terms of engine and transmission. Customers will have to make do with a five-speed automatic in the day and age of 10-speed boxes. As for the six-cylinder powerplant, the 1GR-FE can trace its roots back to 2002 when it offered VVT-I instead of Dual VVT-i for both the intake and exhaust camshafts.Going forward, things will change for the better with the introduction of the TNGA-F platform that will underpin mid- and full-size trucks and utilities from Toyota and Lexus. The 4Runner will undoubtedly receive this vehicle architecture in a few years time, and if were lucky, the Japanese automaker may offer a V6 engine with hybrid assistance for more efficiency. Florida Highway Patrol circled a surveillance plane over a press conference held by civil rights attorney Ben Crump where he announced a lawsuit against a cop who shot and killed two black teenagers. Flight data, first reviewed by Motherboard for Vice, revealed that a small Cessna plane with the tail number N267HP repeatedly flew in circles above the area where Crump was holding a briefing Friday morning at the Moore Justice Center in Viera in the Brevard County region of Florida. Online records show the aircraft has been registered to the Florida Highway Patrol since June 2006. In the press conference, Crump and attorney Natalie Jackson announced the filing of a suit brought by the families of Sincere Pierce, 18, and Angelo 'AJ' Crooms, 16, against Brevard County Deputy Jafet Santiago-Mirando and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. Crump also demanded the Justice Department launch a federal investigation into the teens' deaths and to review a local prosecutor's decision not to bring any charges against the officer who fired the fatal shots. Santiago-Mirando fired 10 shots into the car the two black teens were driving during a traffic stop in November 2020. Florida Highway Patrol circled a surveillance plane over a press conference held by civil rights attorney Ben Crump where he announced a lawsuit against a cop who shot and killed two black teenagers. Pictured the path of the plane circling the area Flight data (seen above) revealed that a small Cessna plane with the tail number N267HP repeatedly flew in circles above the area where Crump was holding a briefing Friday morning at the Moore Justice Center in Viera in the Brevard County region of Florida Online records show the aircraft (like the one pictured above) has been registered to the Florida Highway Patrol since June 2006 The publicly available flight data, on FlightAware, confirms the plane's presence circling the area at the time of the 10 am press conference. It shows the aircraft - a piston-single Cessna Skyhawk piston-single - departed from Orlando Executive airport at 9:46 am Friday morning and headed to the area above the Moore Justice Center. It then flew in a loop around the same spot at least 20 times before flying back to the Orlando Executive where it arrived at 11:16 am. During the press conference, an aircraft could be heard loudly overhead. Crump - who helped secure a landmark $27 million settlement for the family of George Floyd last month - even made reference to an aircraft circling above. At one point, he tells Crooms' mom Tasha Strachan to 'talk a little bit louder' because of the noise of an aircraft overhead, as he pointed up to the sky. DailyMail.com has reached out to Florida Highway Patrol about the purpose of the surveillance plane at Friday's press conference. The department's Chief of Public Affairs Captain Peter A. Bergstresser told Motherboard that the surveillance plane was monitoring the flow of traffic and crowds and that no cameras or recording equipment were on board the aircraft at the time. 'The aircraft was used to monitor and ensure the proper flow of traffic and crowds around the immediate area,' he said. In the press conference, Crump and attorney Natalie Jackson announced the filing of a suit brought by the families of Sincere Pierce, 18, and Angelo 'AJ' Crooms, 16, against Brevard County Deputy Jafet Santiago-Mirando and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Crump also demanded the Justice Department launch a federal investigation into the teens' deaths and to review a local prosecutor's decision not to bring any charges against the officer In the press conference, Crump told a crowd of around 50 supporters and members of the media the family of Crooms and Pierce had filed a suit as he vowed they 'are not going 'going to let you kill them and think that they don't matter.' 'It is with a heavy heart that we are fighting for the dignity of two teenagers' who were killed 'unjustifiably,' Crump said, per WESH. 'We're not going to let you kill them and think that they don't matter.' He hit out at the deaths of the two teens saying the sheriff's deputy involved did 'not following the national standards' of policing. 'The Sheriffs' Department here in Brevard County are not following the national standards. They're saying that it's appropriate to shoot into moving cars when everybody else in America says that's asinine, it's dangerous,' Crump said. He added: 'For allegedly running a stop sign, you shoot and kill these babies.' Jackson said the issue goes beyond the deaths of the two teens. 'You will see the allegations we have are not only against the officers, because the officer is born of a culture that Wayne Ivey has provided for his officers in Brevard County,' she said. AJ Crooms (left) and Sincere Pierce (right) were shot and killed during a traffic stop on November 13 2020 in Cocoa city Deputy Jafet Santiago-Miranda of Brevard County Sheriff's Office in Florida is seen firing into the Volkswagen the two teens were driving The announcement of the suit came just one day after the Brevard and Seminole County State Attorney Phil Archer said the police killing of the two teens was 'justified' and that no charges would be brought against the deputy. Pierce and Crooms were shot and killed during a traffic stop on November 13 in Cocoa city. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Santiago-Mirando and Deputy Carson Hendren spotted the vehicle being driven by Crooms and believed it may have been a stolen car that had fled from another deputy moments earlier. Dashcam footage of the encounter released last year showed the deputies pulling up behind the teens' car as it backs into a driveway of a nearby home. Both deputies exit their vehicles and, as they do so, Crooms begins to back out of the driveway again and turns the front of the vehicle back in the direction of the two cop cars. Voices can be heard telling the teens to 'stop the vehicle' as the car moves slowly forward in the direction of Santiago-Miranda with its wheels turned towards the curb. Santiago-Miranda fired 10 bullets into the vehicle. State Attorney Phil Archer ruled the shooting reasonable and justifiable last week, claiming the deputy feared for his life. The sheriff's office has previously claimed the officer was 'forced to fire' as the teens were attempting to run the car into him. But the families of the two teens have repeatedly disputed this. The top speed of Crooms' car was recorded at 12 miles per hour, according to Archer's disposition letter. Investigators later confirmed Crooms' car - a gray Volkswagen Passat was not stolen and did not have the same registration plates as the stolen vehicle they were looking for. Demand for a DOJ probe comes at a time when the nation is being rocked by multiple cop killings of black people across America. Last week, white cop Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the murder of black man George Floyd, who was killed in Minneapolis in May 2020. Minutes before the Chauvin verdict, black 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was shot dead by a cop in Columbus, Ohio, while lunging at a woman with a knife. Last week, the Brevard and Seminole County State Attorney Phil Archer said the police killing of the two teens (Crooms pictured) was 'justified' The families of the teens (Pierce pictured) dispute that the deputy fired as he feared for his life In the days that followed, Andrew Brown, 42, was shot in the back and killed by North Carolina cops. He was driving away from sheriff's deputies at the time, with pressure growing on Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office to release bodycam footage of the father of 10's final moments. Over in Virginia, 32-year-old man Isaiah Brown was shot 10 times and remains in a critical condition when a deputy apparently mistook a cordless house phone for a gun. Last Friday's press conference is not the first time law enforcement agencies have used aerial surveillance to monitor Americans protesting the police killings of black people. A Buzzfeed investigation last June found that the FBI was using its most advanced spy plane, a Cessna Citation jet, to watch over Black Lives Matter protesters in the wake of Floyd's death. Flight data showed the spy plane flew over central Washington DC surveilling the protests belong on June 1 - hours after Donald Trump's infamous photo op outside St John's Episcopal Church where authorities tear-gassed peaceful protesters out of the way. The plane was also used to monitor protests over the death of Freddie Gray in polie custody in Baltimore back in 2015. The aircraft is typically reserved for top-secret surveillance missions. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 11:00:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SINGAPORE, April 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's administration should end the trade war with China initiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump, a renowned Singaporean scholar recently said. Referring to the U.S. trade war with China as a complete failure, Kishore Mahbubani, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, said in an article published Saturday on The Straits Times that there was a strong consensus that Trump's trade war against China hadn't helped American workers or consumers. The trade war neither reduced the trade deficit, nor helped the U.S. economy, Mahbubani said in the article, stressing that the tariffs and sanctions have not only failed to achieve their aims, but also undermined America's long-term interests in East Asia. For the United States, keeping the trade sanctions and tariffs on China in place is like shooting oneself in the foot, according to the Singaporean scholar. If the Biden administration wanted to formulate its trade and economic policies towards China, on the basis of the interest of American workers and consumers, and indeed to give a sharp boost to the American economy ... "it should immediately and unconditionally lift all self-defeating trade sanctions and tariffs on China," Mahbubani said. Enditem [April 26, 2021] ZIM Announces the Establishment of ZIMARK, A New Company Providing Innovative Scanning Technology for the Logistics and Supply Chain Industries HAIFA, Israel, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ -- ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE: ZIM), a global container liner shipping company, announced today the establishment of ZIMARK, a technology-based company formed in collaboration with the Israeli startup Sodyo Ltd., to provide next generation scanning solutions for the logistics and supply chain sectors. In addition to the joint venture with Sodyo in the establishment of ZIMARK, ZIM will also make a direct equity investment in Sodyo. ZIMARK will provide its customers innovative scanning solutions using Sodyo's groundbreaking patented technology for connecting offline content to the online world. The ZIMARK scanning technology, based on colorful markers, image recognition and advanced algorithms, is the most advanced in the market, enabling accurate scans from virtually any distance and allowing scans of multiple markers simultaneously, along with a set of additional features. ZIMark will enable companies in the supply chain industry to lower costs, increase efficiency and improve customer service. ZIMARK will be led by Karin Levy as CEO. Ms. Levy brings with her extensive international experience in the maritime, logistics and supply chain industries. Ms. Levy has served in various senior positions at ZIM for the last 15 years. She has led large-scale functions, in both commercial and operational capacities. In her most recent position, Ms. Levy served as the President of ZIM's Caribbean and Central America District in Miami. ZIM CEO, Eli Glickman: "ZIMARK's new disruptive technology has the potential to revolutionize scanning, with an impact on shipping and logistics consistent with landmark innovations that have transformed other industries including the introduction of color images in broadcasting. ZIMARK will create a new global standard, providing a much-needed solution for effectively operating in complex global supply chains. We expect ZIMARK's advantages, such as long-range scanning capabilities, scanning of multiple items simultaneously and other groud-breaking features to provide significant performance, cost, and efficiency benefits to the maritime, logistics and supply chain industries. We are very excited to add ZIMARK to our growing portfolio of companies realizing our strategy of bringing advanced technological solutions to the shipping and logistics sectors. ZIM COO, David Arbel: "ZIMARK will offer an advanced, state-of-the-art, solution for the logistics and supply chain industries, from inventory management through asset tracking, access control and more. We are delighted that leading companies in the industry have already expressed significant interest in ZIMARK's innovative solutions." Sodyo's CEO, Alon Raz: "As a global player with vast expertise and an innovative approach, ZIM is the ideal partner to bring our unique technology to the world of logistics. The new company brings together the best of both worlds ZIM's logistics expertise and Sodyo's technology - to create new opportunities in the market." Try ZIMARK yourself. Download the ZIMark application from App store or Google Play. About ZIM: ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE: ZIM) ("ZIM") is a global, asset-light container liner shipping company with a leadership position in the markets in which it operates. Founded in Israel in 1945, ZIM is one of the oldest shipping liners, with over 75 years of experience, providing customers with innovative seaborne transportation and logistics services, with a reputation for industry-leading transit times, schedule reliability and service excellence. About Sodyo: Sodyo's mission is to create highly functional offline to online environments. Through Sodyo, people and businesses can interact and move seamlessly between their physical and digital worlds. This is accomplished using a new state of the art scanning technology. Essentially, consumers can scan a code and get instant access to content, regardless of where they are or what device they are using. "If you can see it, you can scan it"! Sodyo is primarily focused on providing interactivity solutions to customers in the fields of media and digital out of home, supplying a wealth of engagement and monetization opportunities. Forward Looking Statements This release contains certain forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) concerning future events, including forward-looking statements regarding ZIM's ability to benefit from the commercialization of ZIMARK's and Sodyo's technology. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: the possibility that ZIMARK or Sodyo will not be able to develop and/or commercialize their respective technologies into products that will be used by the market; and other factors detailed from time to time in ZIM's periodic reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including ZIM's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2020 filed with the SEC on March 22, 2021. ZIM expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether because of future events, new information, a change in its views or expectations, or otherwise. ZIM makes no prediction or statement about the performance of its securities. ZIM Contacts Media: Avner Shats ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. +972-4-8652520 shats.avner@zim.com Investor Relations: Elana Holzman ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. +972-4-865-2300 holzman.elana@zim.com Leon Berman The IGB Group 212-477-8438 lberman@igbir.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zim-announces-the-establishment-of-zimark-a-new-company-providing-innovative-scanning-technology-for-the-logistics-and-supply-chain-industries-301276667.html SOURCE ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Iran's foreign minister has complained in a leaked recording that the late Revolutionary Guards commander Qassim Soleimani forced Tehran to send troops to Syria at Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence. Mohammad Javad Zarif said he had 'zero' influence over Iran's foreign policy while Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq last year, exerted his power to fulfil his military demands at the expense of diplomacy. 'I have never been able to tell a military commander to do something in order to aid diplomacy,' Zarif said in the tape, aired by the London-based Iran International Persian-language satellite news channel late on Sunday. In the three-hour leaked recording, the foreign minister criticises Soleimani for effectively being a pawn for Putin after the commander deployed Iranian ground forces to Syria and allowed Russia's warplanes to fly over Iran to attack Syria. Russia had wanted the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the ground to help Moscow's air campaign in support of the Syrian government. 'He (Soleimani) asked me to make this or that concession or point almost every time I went to negotiate (with world powers),' Zarif said in the recording. Iran's foreign minister has complained in a leaked recording that the late Revolutionary Guards commander Qassim Soleimani (centre in 2016) forced Tehran to send troops to Syria at Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence Mohammad Javad Zarif said he had 'zero' influence over Iran's foreign policy while Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq last year, exerted his power to fulfill his military demands at the expense of diplomacy In the interview, Zarif added that Soleimani refused to stop using the state-owned national carrier Iran Air for Syrian operations despite his objections. He said the aircraft was sometimes used without the government's knowledge. This admission confirms reports that Iran's civilian aircraft was used to deploy military and personnel to Syria. 'The (military) field's success was more important than diplomacy's success. I was negotiating for the (military) field's success,' Zarif said. 'I have sacrificed diplomacy for the battlefield more than the price that (those on) the battlefield (led by Soleimani)... paid and sacrificed for diplomacy.' In the leaked taped, he also hinted that Soleimani tried to spoil Iran's 2015 nuclear deal by colluding with Russia. He claims that the Revolutionary Guards had written 'Israel should be wiped off the Earth' in Hebrew in an effort to ruin the deal. Zarif added that Iran gave up much of what it 'could have achieved from the nuclear deal' for the sake of advancement on the battlefield. His comments come as talks are underway in Vienna aimed at finding a way for Tehran to return to the nuclear deal with the U.S. and other Western powers. In the three-hour leaked recording, the foreign minister criticises Soleimani for effectively being a pawn for Putin after the commander deployed Iranian ground forces to Syria and allowed Russia's warplanes to fly over Iran to attack Syria How US drone took out top Iranian general MQ-9 Reaper drone is seen in a file photo On January 3, 2020, an MQ-9 Reaper rained four Hellfire missiles on Soleimani's convoy at Baghdad International Airport. The head of the elite Quds Force, Soleimani was considered the second most powerful person of Iran, subordinate only to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. US officials believed Soleimani was the mastermind of attacks on American personnel in Iraq, and claimed he was plotting an imminent strike against the embassy there. The assassination of Soleimani was reportedly presented to Trump as the 'most extreme option' on a menu of responses to embassy attacks. Advertisement Leader of the Guards' clandestine overseas Quds Force, Soleimani was a pivotal figure who built up Iran's network of proxy armies across the Middle East before he was killed by the U.S. in a drone strike last year - an attack which at the time brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. Iran retaliated with a rocket attack on an Iraqi air base where U.S. forces were stationed. Hours later, Iranian forces shot down a Ukrainian passenger airliner taking off from Tehran. Days later, Iran's Guards admitted that the plane had been shot 'mistakenly'. 'I said (at the Supreme National Security meeting) that the world is saying the plane was hit with missiles. If the plane was really hit with missiles, tell us so we can see how we can fix it,' Zarif said in the recording. 'They told me: "No, go, go tweet and deny it".' Throughout the recording, Zarif offered a blunt appraisal of diplomacy and the limits of power within the Islamic Republic, providing a rare look inside the country's theocracy. He complained that the Revolutionary Guards and its commander had more influence in foreign affairs and the country's nuclear dossier than him, in remarks that shine a light on ties between the government and the powerful force. In the interview, Zarif repeated an earlier claim by officials around President Rouhani that they had not been told by the Revolutionary Guard that it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner in January 2020, killing all 176 people on board. Zarif describes Russia as wanting to stop the nuclear deal, something apparently so sensitive that he warns the interviewer: 'You definitely can never release this part.' Russia had a frosty relationship with then-President Barack Obama, whose administration secured the deal with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Russia and Iran also at times have strained relations, despite being battlefield allies in Syria. 'If Iran hadn't become Mr. (Donald) Trump's priority, China and Russia would have become his priority,' Zarif said. 'If, because of hostility with the West, we always need Russia and China, they don't have to compete with anyone, and also they can always enjoy maximum benefits through us.' Both China and Russia have been vocal proponents of returning to the nuclear deal. Their missions in Vienna did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Despite his criticism, Zarif acknowledged Soleimani's importance in Iran. 'I believe that the U.S. by hitting Martyr Soleimani dealt a blow to Iran that would not have been as bad even if they had hit one of our towns,' he said. A photo shows burning wreckage of the US airstrike on two cars at Baghdad International Airport that killed Soleimani and other top Iranian military officials last year Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who pushed the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Iran, later linked to a story about the leaked tapes on Twitter. He described it as an 'exquisite strike' that 'had a massive impact on Iran and the Middle East.' 'You don't have to take my word for it,' Pompeo wrote. The release of his comments set off a firestorm within Iran, where officials carefully mind their words amid a cut-throat political environment that includes the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The conservative Fars news agency criticised Zarif for presenting himself during the conversation as 'a symbol of diplomacy', contrasting with Soleimani as a symbol of the 'battlefield'. The Fars agency quoted lawmaker Nasrollah Pejmanfar, who demanded 'explanations' from the foreign ministry for the remarks. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the airstrike as an 'exquisite strike' that 'had a massive impact on Iran and the Middle East' 'Mr. Zarif calls into question subjects appearing among the red lines of the Islamic republic,' Pejmanfar said. Relations between pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani's government and the Guards are important because the influence of the hardline paramilitary force is so great that it can disrupt any rapprochement with the West if it feels this would endanger its economic and political interests. Without disputing the audio's authenticity, the foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday said that the news channel only published excerpts of the seven-hour interview with the foreign minister. Khatibzadeh called the release of the recording 'illegal' and described it as 'selectively' edited, though he and others did not offer opinions on how it became public. Zarif, visiting Iraq on Monday after a trip to Qatar, took no questions from journalists after giving a brief statement in Baghdad. Although Zarif said he had no intention of running in Iran's June 18 presidential election, some critics said Zarif's comments were aimed at gaining votes from Iranians disillusioned by a stalled economy and lack of political and social freedoms. His name has been suggested by prominent moderates as a possible candidate for the election, in which several prominent commanders of the Guards are also running for the top executive post. Outside of Iran, Zarif's comments could also affect talks in Vienna aimed at finding a way for Tehran and the U.S. to both come into compliance with Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Already, sabotage targeted Iran's nuclear facility at Natanz during the talks as Tehran has begun enriching a small amount of uranium up to 60 per cent purity, which edges the country closer to weapons-grade levels. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was set up after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shi'ite clerical ruling system and revolutionary values. It answers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A man charged with the rape and kidnap of a schoolgirl in south-west London in November last year has pleaded guilty. Kadian Nelson, 27, followed the 13-year-old before creeping up behind her and putting one hand over her mouth and another on her head. The CPS said Nelson also threatened to kill the girl and forced her to walk towards an alleyway in Mitcham on November 3 last year. He told her to take off her coat and school blazer before sexually assaulting her, then put his own jacket on the victim. Police were alerted when a woman called 999 saying her daughter had seen a man grab a young girl. When one of the woman's relatives interrupted Nelson, he told her the victim was his sister, the CPS said. The case was widely shared on social media at the time with furious local residents told not to take the law into their own hands after angry groups gathered at addresses in the area. Kadian Nelson, 27, followed the 13-year-old before creeping up behind her and sexually assaulting her in Mitcham, south-west London last year Following the incident, the Metropolitan Police named Nelson as a suspect and urged him to come forward for his own safety. Nelson appeared at Kingston Crown Court on Monday where he admitted kidnap, rape and making a threat to kill, the CPS said in a statement. Senior prosecutor Kate Shilton said: 'This was a terrifying stranger attack on a young girl on her way to school. 'The prosecution was able to present compelling evidence that made clear that it was Kadian Nelson who had carried out this sickening attack. 'The prosecution case included video footage and DNA evidence from the lighter and tobacco pouch found inside Nelson's jacket pocket, which he left behind. 'The victim was also able to identify him in an ID parade. These guilty pleas will mean that Nelson's young victim will be spared the ordeal of giving evidence in court. The case was widely shared on social media at the time with furious local residents told not to take the law into their own hands after angry groups gathered at addresses in the area 'I would like to thank the members of the family who saw what happened and took quick action in alerting the police to the incident. 'The young victim has shown remarkable courage during these proceedings and I hope this conviction will go some way to providing her with closure. 'Sexual offences are some of the most serious and complex cases to prosecute. The CPS is committed to bringing sexual offenders to justice where there is the evidence to do so.' Nelson is due to be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on August 13. Jamie Foxx erupted into celebration after learning his film Soul won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. In video capturing the moment he learned about the victory, Foxx and his friends screamed with joy as they watched the ceremony from home. Foxx, 53, was already prepared for the big moment with a bottle of champagne, which he brandished with a huge smile on his face. 'Humbled': Jamie Foxx erupted into celebration after learning his movie Soul won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature His friends were just as enthusiastic over the win, screaming instantaneously at the announcement. Not even the cameraman could contain their joy, as the video shook amidst the celebrations. 'Yessssssssssss!!!! #humbled #blessed @pixarsoul #blackexcellence,' Foxx captioned the Instagram video capturing the joyful moment. Soul follows a music teacher named Joe who becomes stuck in between Earth and the afterlife after falling into a manhole. Anticipation: Foxx waited for the winner to be announced at home with friends And the winner is...: Reese Witherspoon announced the winner for Best Animated Feature The film has not only won over fans, but critics as well. Soul won two out of the three Oscars it was nominated for on Sunday night, and was also the recipient of two Golden Globes Awards and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. Like so many other celebrities, Foxx watched the Oscars from home. Let the celebrations begin! The group immediately began rejoicing in the big win This year's awards show marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh has described as being 'like a movie.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Built in 1939, the national historic landmark and its main terminal is 161,000 square feet, creating plenty of room for theatrics on Hollywoods biggest night. It's a hit! Soul follows a music teacher named Joe who becomes stuck in between Earth and the afterlife after falling into a manhole The Scandal That Should Be Roiling Canada But Isnt Commentary The scandal currently not roiling Canada over military sexual misconduct is a classic case of a fish rotting from the head. Not just a green one. A political class that threw it in the alley when nobody was looking and is now going: Smell? What smell? Well, the very credible allegations against former chief of defence staff Jonathan Vance, including an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate lasting so long that, she says, he fathered two of her eight children. But did not support them, which would have been a bit of a red flag. We dont know if its true. But we know these allegations were brought to very senior political figures three years ago, including the defence minister and prime ministers chief of staff, who flung them away with distaste. Now that the reek has gotten into Parliament, the politicians are in full politician mode. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland just called these and other allegations deeply, deeply troubling, then waved her arms about ineffectively. Its clear to me, she burbled, as we heard from numerous reports in the past, that there are some deep problems in the Canadian Armed Forces with sexual harassment, and with treatment of women. And that has to end. As for how, well gosh, see that is to say One obvious possibility would be to elect a megafeminist prime minister who made half his cabinet women because its 2015, then count on him to, um ah gee That plan having apparently failed, the deputy PM waved some money about, specifically another quarter-billion dollars over five years to help eliminate sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in Canadas military. We deficit-spend with consummate sincerity. But would there be additional civilian oversight? Commence Operation Fog Machine: I just want to assure them that we take it very seriously, and putting this measure in the budget is one sign of that seriousness and there is a lot more to come. This aroma of decisively soothingly indecision comes from the top. Trudeau himself said I can tell you we continue to work very hard and closely with various organizations to move forward in the right way and we will have more to say shortly. Well yes. Wouldnt want to rush into it. I mean, its not as though the minister of defence was warned by the military ombudsman about Vance in 2018 and brushed him off. Oh wait. It is. Still, its not as though Trudeaus own chief of staff was warned about it that same year and Oh. Yeah. That too. Another senior staffer says he briefed her but insists she didnt tell the PM. Its not clear how hed know, or why she didnt. Would he not care? Did she forget? You may be tempted to laugh. But then-clerk of the Privy Council Office Michael Wernick recently told the Commons Defence Committee sure, he knew, but I do concede it dropped off the radar in 2018. I do concede. But how does something this major drop off the radar unless people dont want to see it there? Certainly one problem is our politicians capacity for cluelessness on reality issues like security. When the military went full woke on women in combat we were promised no deleterious effects on ethos or combat readiness. But what do they know of either? Freeland just said young women who want to serve their country need to know that they can do that safely. Safely? What a strange pitch for military service. Did young men who signed up in 1939 need to know they could fight U-boats, raid Dieppe, and garrison Hong Kong safely? And since the politicians have underfunded the military to the point that it couldnt fight anyway, a vital qualification for promotion to senior posts has become willingness to deny obvious problems, which rather narrows the field of potential candidates and creates unwholesome complicity. Theres also the troubling Canadian habit of tolerating mediocrity, smugness, and misconduct in our ruling class generally. Vance allegedly boasted that he was untouchable and owned the military police. But given how often the PM has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, from his Aga Khan vacation to SNC-Lavalin, and how little interest the RCMP, his party, or voters have shown in following up, you can see where Vance might have gotten that attitude. To this day Trudeau insists he only heard the Vance allegations this February from the media. So is it a mess? Heck no. I have confidence in the people who took the decisions in the moment, Freeland told Global journalist Mercedes Stephenson. Every single person youve mentioned is someone who cares deeply about women, who cares deeply about safe workplaces, and who cares deeply about serving Canada. Yeah. They just dont act like it. What is that smell? John Robson is a documentary filmmaker, National Post columnist, contributing editor to the Dorchester Review, commentator-at-large with News Talk Radio 580 CFRA in Ottawa, and executive director of the Climate Discussion Nexus. His most recent documentary is The Environment: A True Story. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. VANCOUVER, BC, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Budget 2021 is the Government of Canada's plan to finish the fight against COVID-19 and ensure a robust economic recovery that is inclusive of all Canadians. Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Honourable Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre, announced that as part of investments made from Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience, over the next seven years, starting in 2021-22, $600 million dollars will be invested in the renewal and expansion of the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund. The COVID-19 recession is the steepest and fastest economic contraction since the Great Depression. It has disproportionately affected low-wage workers, young people, women, and racialized Canadians. For businesses, it has been a two-speed recession, with some finding ways to prosper and grow, but many businessesespecially small businessesfighting to survive. Budget 2021 is an historic investment to address the specific wounds of the COVID-19 recession, put people first, create jobs, grow the middle class, set businesses on a track for long-term growth, and ensure that Canada's future will be healthier, more equitable, greener, and more prosperous. To date, this program has committed funding to support the creation of over 17,600 units, most units being affordable and for persons with accessibility challenges. Of these units, 2,000 have been committed to Canadians and their families in Victoria, as well as over 5,000 in the Lower Mainland. Today's new funding will support the creation of up to 12,700 additional units, bringing the total across the country to over 30,000 Canadians receiving support through the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund. Funded by the Government of Canada and delivered through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, this Fund is an initiative of the National Housing Strategy and encourages new funding models and innovative building techniques in the affordable housing sector. The Government of Canada's top priority remains protecting Canadians' health and safety, particularly during this third, aggressive wave of the virus and its variants. Vaccine rollout is underway across Canada, with federal government support in every province and territory. Budget 2021 invests in Canada's bio-manufacturing and life sciences sector to rebuild domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, and has a plan to put in place national standards for long-term care and mental health services. Budget 2021 is a plan to bridge Canadians and Canadian businesses through the crisis and towards a robust recovery. It proposes to extend business and income support measures through to the fall and to make investments to create jobs and help businesses across the economy come roaring back. It will support almost 500,000 new training and work opportunities including 215,000 opportunities for youth; support businesses in our most affected sectors such as tourism and arts and culture; and accelerate investment and digital transformation at small and medium-sized businesses. Budget 2021 is a plan that puts Canada on track to meet its commitment to create 1 million jobs by the end of the year. Canada entered the pandemic in a strong fiscal position. This allowed the government to take quick and decisive action, supporting people and businesses, and put it in the position to make historic investments in the recovery. Quotes: "Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. The Affordable Housing Innovation Fund has proven to be an effective way to provide clever, novel, and thoughtful solutions to housing. With renewed resources through Budget 2021, our Government will continue to build partnerships with private sector, developers, municipalities, and the non-profit sector to push boundaries and create affordable homes that meet the needs of Canadians, from coast to coast to coast." The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) "Our Government believes that families should be able to live, grow and work in a neighbourhood that meets their needs, and have the stability and opportunities that allow them them to succeed. Innovation is key to making that happen. With today's announcement, it is clear that our government will continue to support innovation and growth in our communities with the help of partners across all sectors." The Honourable Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre Quick facts Budget 2021 includes $101.4 billion over three years in proposed investments as part of the Government of Canada's growth plan that will create good jobs and support a resilient and inclusive recovery. Key measures include: over three years in proposed investments as part of the Government of growth plan that will create good jobs and support a resilient and inclusive recovery. Key measures include: Helping to build, repair, and support 35,000 affordable housing units for vulnerable Canadians through an investment of $2.5 billion and a reallocation of $1.3 billion in existing funding. and a reallocation of in existing funding. Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call homethis includes more than $13 billion committed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. Related links: As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, please visit www.placetocallhome.ca. SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation For further information: Mikaela Harrison, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, 819-654-5546, [email protected]; Leonard Catling, Media Relations, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected] Related Links www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca More than 150 people gathered in downtown San Jose on Sunday to demand an end to hate crimes and discrimination against people of Asian descent. Signs reading Hate is a Virus and We Stand Together were held aloft by the crowd in Plaza de Cesar Chavez. People need to open their eyes, said San Jose resident Sherman Gong, 53. He expressed hope that the Stop Asian Hate rally and march on Sunday would highlight the need for tolerance amid of a wave of anti-Asian American hate crimes and assaults, especially against older people of Asian descent, over the past several months. This isnt OK, Gong said. We are all Americans here. The surge in assaults on Asian people, including some in the Bay Area, has rocked the Asian American community and galvanized anti-discrimination advocates. Yet another, this time in New York, left a 61-year-old Asian man in critical condition Friday after being knocked down on a Harlem street and kicked in the head, news accounts reported. Police are investigating it as a possible hate crime. We must keep fighting. Maggie Chui, a co-founder of Asian Hustle Network, told Sundays rally. Referring to attacks on Asian elders, she added solemnly, We must hold these perpetrators accountable. ... And we must push for systemic change. We will not be weak. We will not be passive. We must feel safe in our own cities. Thirteen-year-old Ashlyn So of San Jose, who said shed organized a February march against anti-Asian hate, roused the rally into a chorus: We are stronger together, she yelled. The crowd repeated her words in unison.Lets unite in love, she hollered. The chorus echoed her. Pointing to the Fairmont Hotel at the border of the plaza, Ashlyn reminded people it was once the site of San Joses Chinatown, which burned to the ground in 1887, one of 200 Chinatowns throughout the country to be destroyed. Education is needed as the way forward to combat bias and acts of violence, and people must learn about differing cultures at a much younger age, she said. This is how we can embrace diversity and be proud of heritage. Betty Duong, the district supervisor for Santa Clara Countys Office of Equity and Justice, echoed Ashlyns history lesson, telling the rally that when institutions are burned down, culture and history are destroyed as well. Sundays gathering, she said, was to demand what their elders fought for dignity, humanity and respect. She urged community members to make their voices heard at city meetings. Loe Agustin, 32, a Filipino American from Oakland who arrived at the plaza on his motorcycle with more than two dozen riders from the Pacifica Savagez MC motorcycle club, shook his head as he rued anti-Asian attacks and violence against racial groups.Whats the whole purpose behind it? he said. I dont get it. Agustin said he attended the rally in the spirit of unity for the people, and he urged a broader acceptance of a motto he and his motorcycle crew embrace: Give Aloha, Get Aloha, or give love, get love. The rally was followed by a march, with chants of Stop Asian hate, along a half-mile route from the plaza. As an organizer called out, Show me what community looks like, the crowd yelled, This is what community looks like! An earlier version of this story misspelled the first name of rally participant Ashlyn So. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani New Delhi: In a bizarre incident reported from Bengaluru, two auto-rickshaw drivers have been arrested for allegedly dropping a cockroach in the food served at Indira Canteen, the state government's flagship programme. On being questioned they said they did it to seek 'publicity.' Hemanth, Devaraj and their friends had gone to have food at Indira Canteen in Kamakshipalya on Friday and found a cockroach in the food following which they created an uproar. They also threatened the people who were serving the food and alerted people not to eat there, police said. The CCTV footage from the cameras installed inside the canteen supposedly showed Hemanth putting the cockroach in the food which he brought along with him. Devaraj reportedly knew this yet he supported Hemanth's claim, said police. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body which is executing the programme, handed over the video footage to police and lodged a complaint against Hemanth and his friends. "We have arrested Hemanth and Devaraj. They are autorickshaw drivers from Kamakshipalya. During interrogation they revealed that they did it to seek publicity," a police official said. He said they were not affiliated to any political party. The state government launched the Indira canteens on August 15 offering food at subsidised rates. Breakfast and meals are served at Rs five and Rs 10 respectively. Also read: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike polls: Cong-JDS coalition bags mayor, deputy major posts; BJP scores nil votes Also read: Xenophobic Royal Bengal Tigers maul White Tiger at Bangalore, see the video Community-based elderly care offers new choices for Chinese seniors 09:04, April 26, 2021 By Wang Ke ( People's Daily Volenteers offer free haircut services for senior citizens at a community-based nursing home in Feixi County, east Chinas Anhui Province, March 25, 2021. (Peoples Daily Online/Xu Yong) Such great elderly care services were never imaginable in the past, said Pan Jihong, 69, from Chaoyang District of Beijing. Pans husband has mobility problems and needs long-term medication as a patient of multiple geriatric diseases. Every month Id take him to three different hospitals to fetch four kinds of medicines, Pan said, adding that the scheduling was really annoying. According to her, every time she and her husband went to a hospital, they had to spend a whole day there waiting in lines for registration, diagnosis, and payment, which was exhausting for both of them. Thanks to a community-based elderly care program jointly launched in February by the community where Pan lives and the Hogo Living Technology Group, a tech service firm in Beijing, Pans troubles were eliminated. Under the program, the property management department of the community matched Pans husband to an online hospital that offer online prescription extension and drug delivery services. Part of the expense is covered by the medical insurance. According to an employee of the Hogo Living Technology Group, community-based elderly care offers daycare, nursing, housekeeping and consolation services, relying on the community organization and professional nursing companies. It provides stay-at-home senior citizens, who were cared by their families, with more quality services, and compared with nursing homes, community-based elderly care is more convenient as the seniors can enjoy services at home. Today, young couples are always facing difficulties when supporting their parents, as they shoulder pressure from both work and life. Nursing homes to some extent alleviate the situation, but they are not able to satisfy diverse and individualized demands. Under such background, community-based elderly care marks another active exploration into senior care issues. The aspiration of the seniors for high-quality life never fades as they age. Therefore, community-based elderly care must ensure the life quality of senior citizens, both on material level and cultural and ethical level. What helped me the most is the training course on the how-tos of smart phones. The teachers were patient and taught us how to operate smart phones. I really admired those who could pay can call taxis with their phones, and now I can also do those things with just a phone, said Hu Wenping, who lives in Huangying Kangqiao Huaju community, Rencheng District, Jining of east Chinas Shandong Province. According to him, every week the community held activities to serve senior citizens, for instance smart phone training courses, handicraft workshops, and health lectures. He said he was also satisfied with the elderly-oriented renovation in the community. (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) The European Union (EU) has invested EUR 1 billion in vaccine research and EUR 2.9 billion in expanding production capacity, the press service of the German Embassy in Kyiv said. "The study now needs support to protect the world from new strains of viruses. At the same time, Germany is also helping within the EU. The EU has already invested EUR 1 billion in vaccine research and EUR 2.9 billion in expanding production capacity," the message reads. The press service noted that the rapid development of vaccines against COVID-19 became possible thanks to international scientific cooperation. "One example is the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, which was the first to be registered in the EU. The German married couple of researchers Ozlem Tureci and Professor Ugur Sahin and their team developed a vaccine in Germany in a very short time with funding from the federal government," the press service said. They've been getting viewers excited about the relaxing of lockdown restrictions, which means people can now meet in groups of six outdoors. But Holly Willoughby, 40, and Phillip Schofield, 59, dashed back inside This Morning's studio on Monday after enduring freezing temperatures for an outdoor picnic segment. The co-hosts were visibly cold as they rushed through the show's goodbye, which saw them wrapped up while sitting amidst an al fresco set up, and didn't want for cameras to stop rolling before they abandoned their positions to head indoors. Baby, it's cold outside! Holly Willoughby, 40, and Philip Schofield, 59, dashed back inside This Morning's studio on Monday after enduring freezing temperatures for an outdoor segment Holly and Phil were outside to present a segment on picnic items, but forgot it's actually still extremely cold. After moaning how cold she was, Holly grabbed one of the blankets to put on her bare legs. As gusts of wind blasted them with shots of freezing air, Phil could be seen with his hands between his legs in an attempt to keep them warm. They duo then ended the show with the quickest 'goodbye' ever before sprinting back into the building. See ya! The co-hosts were visibly cold as they rushed through the show's goodbye, and didn't want for cameras to stop rolling before they abandoned their positions to head indoors It comes after Phil admitted he has been feeling anxious about Britain's lockdown restrictions lifting. The TV presenter said he is not scared of the virus but is now used to not going out after people have been living under restrictions since last March. Phil made the admission during Thursday's This Morning as counsellor Sian Williams called for viewers to phone in if they had worries about lockdown coming to an end. Sian said: 'Some people will perhaps be feeling a little bit of anxiety about lockdown easing,' to which Phil replied: 'I am! I was saying to Gok [Wan]. Worried: It comes after Phil admitted he has been feeling anxious about Britain's lockdown restrictions lifting 'Now, Gok is Mr Party and he is going to take me under his wing and look after me. I was fine until maybe about three months ago and then I feel like I've jumped off the rails a little bit.' 'You lose momentum and you get a bit scared. It's not that I'm scared about the virus, it's just the fact that I'm not used to going out.' 'Just think where your brain's been for the past year,' Sian offered, before adding tha i has been in a 'constant threat and danger.' Lockdown: The TV presenter said he is not scared of the virus but is now used to not going out after people have been living under restrictions since last March Lockdown restrictions eased on April 12 when outdoor venues, gyms, hairdressers and salons and other business deemed non-essential were all reopened their doors. Sports can start to return from May 17, although venues will need to work on reduced capacities. Up to 30 people can go to weddings from the same date, but are stuck at that number until the next phase of the roadmap. Only at June 21 will all legal limits on social contact go, and the remaining elements of the hospitality sector be allowed to open. Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed that he is being driven by 'data not dates' and the timeline is not guaranteed. The dispensary will feature the entire line of Papa & Barkley's solventless, natural Releaf products including its award-winning balms and tinctures, premium chocolates and gummies, and luxury skincare products. Papa & Barkley sub-brand, Papa's Select, will have its premium livings extracts on shelf as well. Papa & Barkley Social will support Humboldt's women-led farms, Dewpoint, Sunrise Mountain Farm and Emerald Queen Farm by carrying their product lines. Social Nature, Humboldt's own premier line of cannabis products, will also be featured. Papa & Barkley Social truly offers a full spectrum of sensory experiences. Guests can indulge in cannabis-infused massages and beauty treatments at the day spa. Humboldt Social has also created an inviting and expansive patio where guests can enjoy spit-roasted meats and fresh salads from food truck, Pig + Leaf. The outdoor consumption lounge provides a relaxed social setting where visitors can enjoy the finest locally sourced cannabis products. Papa & Barkley Social offers an innovative and seamless cashless experience that is unique in California. "Papa & Barkley Social immerses guests in an elevated cannabis experience as they partake in traditional leisure activities. It's a concept new to California," says Adam Grossman, Papa & Barkley's Founder and Executive Chairman. "At Papa & Barkley we pride ourselves on helping people improve their lives with great products made naturally from this amazing plant. This partnership with Humboldt Social will help people understand the beauty of Humboldt County and the key role that cannabis can play in their lives." "Humboldt Social is thrilled to bring our brand of hospitality to Papa & Barkley's main manufacturing facility and launch an upscale dispensary in the space. We gave a lot of thought to the design and wanted to disrupt the cannabis landscape with a totally new experience," said Aaron Sweat, CEO and Co-Founder of Humboldt Social. "We are proud of Humboldt and our sungrown cannabis. We sought to celebrate local cannabis by creating a beautiful, open-feeling dispensary and pairing it with great amenities. The space, which is divided into 4 areas, is inviting. It's a place where the community can gather. This is the future of cannabis as we see it." Papa & Barkley Social will have an official grand opening on May 6th. About Humboldt Social Humboldt Social is a Humboldt-County based group of cannabis and hospitality businesses whose mission is to normalize cannabis in hospitality. Co-Founders Amy and Jon O'Connor saw a need to integrate cannabis in hospitality, which eventually led to the conception of the Humboldt Social brand which now consists of a boutique hotel, waterfront cabins, a bar, and restaurant. In the first half of this year, it will expand with two dispensaries, another hotel, and a cannabis product line. The design aesthetic highlights the history and beauty of the North Coast, with an emphasis on reclaimed materials, vintage furnishings, and lots of natural light. All the spaces are designed to be welcoming and low-key retreats from daily life. Website: https://www.humboldt-social.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humboldtbaysocialclub/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humboldtbaysocialclub/ MEDIA CONTACT Amy Cirincione O'Connor Humboldt Social [email protected] About Papa & Barkley Papa & Barkley is a leading California cannabis wellness brand, #1 in topicals and tinctures. It creates highly effective, natural products that unlock the healing potential of the cannabis plant. All of the company's products are made without chemicals, using solventless, whole plant infusion processes with sun-grown cannabis and hemp flowers cultivated in the United States and produced in its licensed, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. Papa & Barkley was inspired by a son's mission to ease his father's debilitating back pain. Today the company is committed to caring for loved ones by producing safe, clean, and efficacious Whole Plant Full Spectrum products. Papa & Barkley's products are offered in THC-rich, CBD-rich, and Hemp CBD formulas, to address a variety of needs. Website: http://www.papaandbarkley.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papaandbarkley/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papaandbarkley/ MEDIA CONTACT Sara Kern Papa & Barkley [email protected] SOURCE Humboldt Social Related Links https://www.humboldtbaysocialclub.com The early days of the Malaise Era (roughly a decade from 1973 to 1983) proved difficult for the American automakers, so it could have been understandable if companies gave up on the performance car market altogether. Luckily, they also were a bit more attentive to the demands of their customers than today if models such as the 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra are to be considered.As such, the debut introduction of the Ford Special Vehicle Team ( a.k.a. SVT ) could very well qualify as a great example of the cars that bridged the gap between that age thats best left forgotten and the great vehicles that will soon qualify as future classics.Naturally, when trying to set an example, its best to use the proper tools. Such as this perfect example of a Cobra with 2,890 miles. Thats an amazingly low 4,561-kilometer count, and the Mustang SVT has also been kept in the same family since leaving the dealership. According to the description provided by eBay user lonniejm, the elderly uncle has sold the car to his nephew and the crimson Cobra is completely original including the tires.It has been driven very sparingly, it comes with all the proper Ford markings, and it had no wrecks or accidents. It continues to run like a charm while everything works as it should. Before anyone starts making jokes regarding the reliability record of the Ford Motor Company, lets just cut to the part where this low-mileage red with a black interior example shares a glimpse of the famous 302-ci (4.9-liter) small block in the attached gallery.Back in the day, it would have been good for 235 hp and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm), and hopefully, all the ponies are still well and accounted for even after spending around 28 years in the wild. This Fox Body Mustang shows the hatchback form had enough relevance when paired with the proper subtle design cues. Anyone interested in outbidding the current $60k tag needs to hurry because the listing remains live for just a few more hours. Mobile phone and speed detection cameras have been egged and vandalised by angry motorists in response to the controversial introduction of unmarked devices. Four CCTV cameras attached to mobile phone detection trailers have been damaged with hammers, set alight and drawn on with graffiti across New South Wales. The operators of mobile speed camera vehicles who park on the side of the road have also been verbally abused by drivers who have thrown eggs, bottles and food in their direction. Multiple mobile phone and speed camera vandalised across NSW by angry motorists (pictured) Four CCTV cameras attached to mobile phone detection trailers have been attacked across New South Wales with one being vandalised with graffiti NSW Police Minister David Elliot described the damage as 'childish'. 'I can understand the anger, but they need to understand every dollar raised goes back into road safety,' he told 9News. The vandalism comes as Sydney motorists have been slugged with more than $5.27million in fines from unmarked speed cameras in last month alone. Fines handed out to NSW drivers have soared by 900 per cent since the removal of the 'Speed Camera Ahead' signs that were previously required to be placed 250m before the camera. NSW Police Minister David Elliot described the damages as 'childish' as four CCTV cameras were vandalised across the state (pictured) Despite the controversial removal of warning signs, and 23,149 drivers being hit with fines in March alone, it has made virtually no impact on road fatalities. Ninety-three people have died on NSW roads so far this year, compared to 94 for the same period in 2020. Nationals MP Wes Fang, who has been vocal about his disapproval of Transport Minister Andrew Constance's move, said drivers in regional areas of the state are most impacted. 'I fear that we are having a detrimental effect on rural and regional families because people are losing their licenses and then their livelihoods all to raise more money to prop up the state's balance sheet,' Mr Fang told The Daily Telegraph. Sydney motorists have been slugged more than $5.27million in fines from unmarked speed cameras last month alone Fines handed out to NSW drivers have soared by 900 per cent since the removal of the 'Speed Camera Ahead' signs that were previously required to be placed 250m before the camera Despite the controversial removal of warning signs, and 23,149 drivers being hit with fines in March alone, just one extra life has been saved this year 'Every time we see a speeding fine it's potentially one more worker whose lost his or her license, one more family that will be without an income.' According to Revenue NSW data, 33,634 mobile speed camera fines were dished out in February. From January to the end of Match this year, $14.88million in fines were issued to NSW drivers, compared to just $1.25m in the same period in 2020. Labor's Roads spokesman John Graham slammed the removal of warning signs as revenue raising by the Liberal Government. 'They will be popping champagne corks down at the Treasury when they see these record figures,' he said. Mr Constance said in November when the changes were announced that it wasn't about revenue raising but about saving lives, with the signs removed over a 12-month period to change motoring behaviour. According to Revenue NSW data, 33,634 mobile speed camera fines were dished out in February NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said it was not good policy as cameras were put at crash-prone locations with signs which educated drivers. 'We've lost all of that education, we still have the enforcement but all too often people don't find they've done the wrong thing till two or three weeks later,' he told 9News Sydney. 'It will catch people, it just won't change their behaviour.' Zelensky authorizes Abramovsky to sign letter on transfer of funds to Intl Cooperation Account for Chornobyl President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed an order on the powers of Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Roman Abramovsky to sign a letter on the transfer of funds to the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl. Corresponding document No. 471/2021-rp was published on the president's website on Monday. It says that this order comes into force from the date of its publication. The International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl is a special donor fund created by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to overcome challenges that still remain relevant in the Chornobyl zone. The first meeting of the Assembly of Investors of this fund is timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the disaster. The petitioners demand that women should be conscripted into the armed forces to make up for a shortage of conscripts due to the declining birthrate. A petition to Cheong Wa Dae calling for women to be conscripted into the military just like men had attracted over 200,000 signatures by last Friday, just four days after it was uploaded. The government needs to address any petition if it gathers more than 200,000 signatures in a month. Some women uploaded a somewhat mischievous counterpetition calling for conscription of young boys aged 15 to 17 instead to make up for the shortfall. They argue that boys that age fought in the 1950-53 Korean War and were probably smaller and less healthy in those days, and even that petition had attracted 4,600 signatures by last Friday. The battle makes it clear that the gender wars are a motivating force. Men who support the military conscription of women say there is no reason why women should be exempt from the draft that blights the best years of most young Korean men, while women say it would be better to take even more young men and boys out of circulation in this hormone-driven period of their lives. "These are gender conflicts accumulated over the years," said Prof. Koo Jeong-woo of Sungkyunkwan University. "And some politicians are exacerbating them in their bid to win the hearts of young men who are becoming very conservative." The question of gender equality is real, however. Back in 2014, the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled that drafting only young men is constitutional, arguing that men are more physically able to handle combat than women and that even physically able women could experience disadvantages in training and combat due to their physiological characteristics including pregnancy or childbirth. But that is a tenuous argument in the age of gender equality, and some lawmakers have broached the issue again to win the hearts of young male voters. On April 18, Minjoo Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin proposed a gender-equal draft system with 100 days of compulsory military training for both men and women. Other MP lawmakers pledged to introduce bills granting extra points to those who have fulfilled military service in recruitment for local-government jobs or performance evaluation for promotion in the public sector. Pundits warn that such behavior is only escalating the conflicts, and reorganizing the military system requires social consensus. DETROIT The practice of holding murder suspects without bail could be ending in Michigan, The Associated Press reports. The Michigan Court of Appeals issued a 3-0 decision last week that could lead to suspects being released on bond while awaiting a murder trial, AP reports. The Michigan Constitution says someone charged with murder is entitled to bail unless the judge finds that proof of the defendants guilt is evident or the presumption great, the court said. A state bail law conflicts with the constitution, giving judges more discretion to hold defendants without bail. The court was looking at the case of Reginald Davis who is charged with first-degree murder in a 2020 drive-by shooting in Detroit. He was granted bail by Judge Tracy Green after his lawyers argued there was no physical evidence against him and witness testimony was inconsistent. The case has been to the appeals court a couple times. Greens decision was initially overturned. Another look, at the direction of the Michigan Supreme Court, led to the latest decision Thursday. Davis remains in custody pending additional appeals. READ MORE: Fight turns into triple homicide in Michigan neighborhood 2-month-old Michigan baby reunited with parents after carjacking Driver going 94 mph had concealed pistol, suspended license, state police say Michigans Republican strongholds have lower vaccination rates, higher COVID-19 case rates on average Steroids should not be used to treat smell loss caused by Covid-19 according to an international group of smell experts, including Prof Carl Philpott from the University of East Anglia. Smell loss is a prominent symptom of Covid-19, and the pandemic is leaving many people with long-term smell loss. But a new study published today shows that corticosteroids - a class of drug that lowers inflammation in the body - are not recommended to treat smell loss due to Covid-19. Instead, the team recommend 'smell training' - a process that involves sniffing at least four different odours twice a day for several months. Smell loss expert Prof Carl Philpott from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "The huge rise in smell loss caused by Covid-19 has created an unprecedented worldwide demand for treatment. "Around one in five people who experience smell loss as a result of Covid-19 report that their sense of smell has not returned to normal eight weeks after falling ill. "Corticosteroids are a class of drug that lowers inflammation in the body. Doctors often prescribe them to help treat conditions such as asthma, and they have been considered as a therapeutic option for smell loss caused by Covid-19. "But they have well-known potential side effects including fluid retention, high blood pressure, and problems with mood swings and behaviour." The team carried out a systematic evidence-based review to see whether corticosteroids could help people regain their sense of smell. Prof Philpott said: "What we found that there is very little evidence that corticosteroids will help with smell loss. And because they have well known potential adverse side effects, our advice is that they should not be prescribed as a treatment for post-viral smell loss. "There might be a case for using oral corticosteroids to eliminate the possibility of another cause for smell loss actually being a confounding factor, for example chronic sinusitis - this is obviously more of a diagnostic role than as a treatment for viral smell loss. "Luckily most people who experience smell loss as a result of Covid-19 will regain their sense of smell spontaneously. Research shows that 90 per cent of people will have fully recovered their sense of smell after six months. "But we do know that smell training could be helpful. This involves sniffing at least four different odours twice a day every day for several months. It has emerged as a cheap, simple and side-effect free treatment option for various causes of smell loss, including Covid-19. "It aims to help recovery based on neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to reorganise itself to compensate for a change or injury," he added. ### The research was led by researchers at the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels (Belgium) in collaboration with the Univeriste catholique de Louvain, Brussels (Belgium), the University of East Anglia (UK), Biruni University, Istanbul (Turkey), Aarhus University (Denmark), Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres (Canada), Geneve University Hospitals (Switzerland), Harvard University (USA), Aristotle University, Thessaloniki (Greece), University of Insubriae (Italy), University of Vienna (Austria), the University of Chicago (USA) and the University of Colorado (USA). 'Systemic corticosteroids in COVID-19 related smell dysfunction: an international view' is published in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Read the latest coronavirus news from around the world, get a recap of last nights Oscars and see more stories trending online today. Top stories Nomadland wins best picture at an Oscars that spreads the wealth (CNN) Women make Oscars history with record 17 wins (The Wrap) Oscars 2021: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises, From Chadwick Boseman to Frances McDormand (Variety) Oscars 2021: Fashions and photos from the red carpet (AP) CBS News poll: Widespread agreement with Chauvin verdict (CBS) Bidens First 100 Days: Where He Stands on Key Promises (US News & World Report) Supreme Court to debate whether nonprofits must reveal donors despite threat of violence (USA Today) Coronavirus news Coronavirus herd immunity getting close in some regions, NIH director says (Fox News) Trust in Johnson & Johnsons coronavirus vaccine is low, yet overall intent to get inoculated rises: POLL (ABC) E.U. Set to Let Vaccinated U.S. Tourists Visit This Summer (NY Times) Alaska Airlines bans state senator for continued refusal to follow mask rules (NBC News) Report: Many American skipping scond vaccine shot (Yahoo) India reports record Covid cases for a fifth straight day with more than 350,000 new infections (CNBC) Other trending headlines NASAs Mars helicopters third flight goes farther, faster than before (AFP) How to watch tonights Pink Supermoon (PennLive) Indonesia says 53 crew of lost sub are dead, wreckage found (AP) Large fight breaks out at Miami International Airport (Miami Herald) Pfizer's Inc experimental oral drug that would be the first specifically designed to stop the novel coronavirus could be available by the end of this year. The antiviral pill prevents the virus from spreading inside the body by blocking an enzyme that coronavirus needs to copy itself. The treatment belongs to a class of drugs known as protease inhibitors. Known as PF-07321332, the medication would be prescribed to patients at the first sign of infection with COVID-19. According to The Telegraph, the ongoing trial is split into three phases, running for a total of 145 days, meaning it is set to conclude in mid-July. The first phase is concluding in May and, if larger trials go well, the drug could be distributed to hospitals and doctors' offices by autumn 2021. Pfizer's experimental drug, called PF-07321332 belongs to a class of drugs called protease inhibitors, which would inhibit an enzyme that the coronavirus uses to make copies of itself inside human cells (file image) Developing drugs for respiratory diseases is tough, partly because doses have to be high enough for the medicine to reach deep into the lungs yet not so high that they're toxic. Research on Covid treatments was also throttled because the U.S. government initially gave priority to vaccines. It wasn't until the end of April 2020 that the first COVID-19 treatment showed benefit in a big government-sponsored study. That drug - remdesivir, sold as Veklury by Gilead Sciences Inc - remains the only one approved for COVID-19 in the U.S., though some others are authorized for emergency use (a form of tentative approval with a lower bar for safety and efficacy). According to clinicaltrials.gov, the Covid pill trial is being run at two Pfizer locations, one in New Haven, Connecticut, and the other in Brussels, Belgium. A total of 60 participants are enrolled between the ages of 18 and 60 with some participants will be given one of four doses of the drug and others the placebo, but even researchers won't know what pill the volunteers. The website, run by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, states that study is estimated to be completed by May 25. If results show the medication is safe and effective, the company will move on to Phase II and recruit a larger group of participants, and even be available later this year. 'If they have moved to this stage, they will be quietly optimistic,' Dr Penny Ward, a visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London, told The Telegraph. 'The question will be about how the drug is tolerated...They will be going like the clappers.' In the U.S., the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) on April 17. The program is focused on developing therapeutics against the coronavirus, its variants and other viruses with the potential to cause pandemics. Although Pfizer is listed as one of the member companies of ACTIV, it is unclear if PF-07321332 is one of the drugs being studied or if the NIH is helping to fund the trial. Neither the NIH nor the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services immediately returned DailyMail.com's request for comment in time for publication. A spokeswoman for Pfizer refused to answer questions about whether any government agencies are funding clinical trials and if the U.S. has placed any orders for the drug. While waiting for a return to international travel, Ive been finding other ways to get outside of my comfort zone. Among them: Six years after Harbin Hot Springs was incinerated by the Valley fire of 2015, I went back. Im alternating between its simmering 112-degree hot mineral pool, its frigid cold plunge and the more reasonable 98-degree heart pool. Im watching that one couple theres always one and praying theyre not doing what I think theyre doing. And Im taking stock, again and again, of what remains and what has changed. More: San Franciscos annual 4/20 celebration may have been canceled at Golden Gate Park again this year, but that didnt keep Madeline Wells from digging into a question asked by anyone who has driven Interstate 5 and wondered what its like to live in Weed, the historic 2,900-person Northern California logging town turned punchline. For those of us who have been eagerly waiting for international travel to open up, this week has been a mixed news bag. The U.S. State Department revised its travel guidance to reflect the Center of Disease Controls recommendations. The result? Of the 197 countries on earth, there are only 20 countries okay to travel to. Meanwhile, the safety of post-vaccination activities has been a hot topic among experts and pundits, with a UCSF doctor and the statistician Nate Silver in a Twitter back-and-forth about whether its necessary to double mask on a plane even after being vaccinated. At the same time, another prominent UCSF doctor talks to Disneyland editor Julie Tremaine about whether itll be safe to visit Disneyland this summer. At the same time, travelers from the U.S. are seeing their travel horizons widen as more places make it easier to enter once vaccinated. In Europe, both Greece and France are lifting entrance restrictions, such as testing and quarantining, for Americans who have proof of vaccination. Jim Glab explains in his weekly Routes column. Another place thats making travel less onerous for the vaccinated is also among the most popular for Bay Area vacationers: Hawaii will soon launch a vaccine passport program for those visiting from out of state. Among the states many famous attractions, one may soon be gone forever as the mayor of Honolulu seeks $1M to dismantle Hawaii's infamous Stairway to Heaven. Finally, with the weather in Sonoma expected to reach into the upper 70s this week, spring is a beautiful time to take advantage of the natural beauty that led Jack London to make his home at a 1,000-acre estate in Glen Ellen. Madeline Wells recently visited the property, now a state historic park, on a mission to hike to the charred ruins of his once-beautiful Wolf House mansion. Travelskills is curated by Freda Moon, SFGates Travel Editor. Contact Moon at Freda.Moon@sfgate.com. Smile at us, pay us, pass us, but do not forget for we are the public of England that never have spoken yet. G.K. Chesterton What does it mean to be English in a multi-ethnic society? The distinction between "English" and "British" has always been nebulous. The popular 1939 song, a patriotic defiance of the Nazis, heralded, "There will always be an England while there's a country lane, while there's a busy street." So will be the Morris Dance around a maypole, Yorkshire tea, and Cornish cream scones. Iconography is emotionally moving. The flag of St. George flies, and the White Cliffs of Dover are compelling. The question now is whether there is a significant sense of English identity, and if so, whether it is growing in a land of competing national identities where different flags are flying. The area known as England had an identity under the Anglo-Saxons but took its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe during the 5th to 6th centuries. It became a unified state in the 10th century. It had a significant impact on the world, with its attributes of the English language, the Anglican church, the common law system, the parliamentary system of government, and later in the 18th century the Industrial Revolution. That impact is declining for various reasons: the loss of empire and dominance, decline of past greatness, and the spread of Scottish and Welsh nationalism. Flag of England. England's present population of 56 million is about 85% of the population of the United Kingdom. The Kingdom of England, which after 1535 included Wales, united in 1707 with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. There had already been a personal union of the two kingdoms in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I of England. In 1801, G.B. united with the Kingdom of Ireland to become the United Kingdom of G.B. and Ireland. However, in 1922, the Irish Free State seceded from the existing U.K., which then became officially the U.K. of G.B. and Northern Ireland, the present U.K. The different units of the U.K. have taken part in an intellectual and scientific evolution, an industrial revolution, the building of an empire, and military power. Now the union is weak and fraying, not least because of Brexit and Britain's exit from the E.U. Three factors are pertinent: whether the union can hold together in its present form; whether England could survive as a separate entity; and whether any of the constituent parts of the union if they declared independence would have different political and cultural values from the U.K. at present. Is a dramatic change in the political structure likely? Much depends on the consequences of Brexit, which the country is unenthusiastically undergoing, and the strength of the demand for separate independence of the units. The votes on Brexit are germane. In the referendum on June 23, 2016, on whether to Leave the E.U., the vote, with turnout of 71.7%, was 51.8% (17.4 million) to Leave to 48.1% (16.1 million) to Remain. England voted to Leave, 53.4% to 46.6%. Greater London voted to Remain 59.9% (2.2 million), and 40% (1.5 million) to Leave: almost every London borough voted to Remain. Wales also voted to Leave, 52.5% to 47.5%. But Scotland (62% to 38%) and Northern Ireland (55. 8% to 44.2%) voted to Remain. Every county in Scotland voted Remain. The conclusion is clear: there is a strong correlation between feeling English and being Euroskeptic . A new book, Englishness by Alisa Henderson and Richard Wyn Jones, argues that politically, there is a big difference between people who self-identify as "English" and those who identify as "British but not English." The basic argument is that Englishness is related to and correlated with a strong sense of grievance about England's place in the U.K. and the feeling that England is losing financially and politically to the other units, particularly to Scotland, a country that has been linked with British politics, prime ministers and Cabinet members, and free trade, and which has a separate church and legal system. The grievance asks, why should the Scots and Welsh have their own parliament, but England does not? Scotland, for example, since July 1, 1999 has a devolved, unicameral Legislature with power to legislate on all areas, education, transport, health care, except those explicitly reserved for Westminster. Scotland was an independent kingdom through the Middle Ages, and many of its citizens now favor independence. First there was pressure for devolution in 1979, when 52% to 48% voted in favor, and in 1997, when 73% were in favor. Devolution was obtained in July 1999. The referendum in 2014 on whether Scotland should be an independent country was defeated; 44.7% were in favor, and 55.3% were against. Had it not been for COVID-19, another referendum would have been held in 2020. The pressure for independence is mounting as the major political party, the SNP, which is expected to win most seats in the Scottish parliament election in May 2021, is strongly in favor of it. If it succeeds, it will give Scotland full decision-making power over items such as nuclear disarmament, defense and foreign policy, removal of Trident nuclear weapons, and full exploration of North Sea oil and gas, and adopting the euro. Yet links will remain. About 700,000 adults born in Scotland live elsewhere in U.K., and 470,000 who were born elsewhere live in Scotland. Moreover, 60% of Scotland's exports go to the rest of Britain. One major problem is the fear of Wales and Northern Ireland following the lead of the Scottish independence movement. English nationalism until recently was not pronounced so strongly. As so often, George Orwell spoke the truth. In his essay "England, your England," written in 1941, he wrote, "It is quite true that the so-called races of Britain should feel themselves to be very different from one another. England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality." Brexit, which has weakened the union, has made a difference in assertion of English identity and deep pride in Britain's past. The number of people who describe themselves as exclusively or mainly English is increasing. They feel left behind as other parts of the U.K. are getting disproportionate benefits. They are more Euroskeptic than other areas and hold that English identity is incompatible with membership of the E.U. English nationalism is not a rejection of Britain, but is a combination of commitment to and pride in the past of real identity, bound by culture, history, language and a sense of grievance about the place of England in the U.K. today. The number of people who describe themselves as exclusively or mainly English is growing. All this is not without ironies. One is that the most extreme advocate of Leave, the break with E.U., was UKIP (U.K. Independence Party). A second is that the book Englishness is written by two scholars both at non-England universities, Cardiff and Edinburgh. A third concerns the speech by John of Gaunt in Shakespeare's Richard II, perhaps the most famous invocation of English patriotism, "This royal throne of kings ... this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England." Eloquent but mistaken. The ambitious John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, for twenty years was most interested in pursuing the crown of Castille. And John le Carre, distinguished novelist who had worked for MI5 and MI6, became an Irish citizen before his death. England has 84% of the British population, and London has more than Scotland and Wales combined. Studies show that people who are "English" feel aggrieved, left behind, some living in unfashionable parts of the country, or older, or less educated. But they also adhere to a set of values: commitment to fair play, parliamentary democracy, pride in England's history. They feel the Scots are getting more than they should; the Scottish tail is wagging the English dog. They dislike EU membership because they regard Parliament as the only legitimate source of power. Yet the exact meaningful self-identification of citizens is ambivalent. The latest poll indicates that 83% indicate they are strongly English, while 85% feel strongly British. Those who identify as English have a strong identity with a region or place in England and are proud of their identity. Britishness means very different things in different parts of Britain, and British identity tends to align with different political attitudes. A meaningful conclusion is that English nationalism is developing for two reasons; skepticism of the E.U. and of Europe; and high levels of grievance about England's place in the U.K. [April 26, 2021] LONGi Hi-MO 4m series modules lead the global DG market into new era XI'AN, China, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ -- LONGi, the world leading solar technology company, has formally launched its Hi-MO 4m (66C) module, designed for distributed generation (DG) applications. In addition to the 66C option, the company has also launched 60C and 72C versions of the module to an audience of more than 600 dealer partners and industry experts. The three products cover power ranges of 370-385W, 410-420W and 450-460W respectively, with a maximum efficiency of up to 21%, providing global DG clients with wider flexibility and choice. At the launch event, Dennis She, LONGi Solar's SVP commented: "LONGi will continue to increase R&D investment in technological innovation and expand the production capacity of our DG solar products to 10GW in 2021. The global residential rooftop market has specific requirements in terms of product performance and aesthetics and, in addition to providing high-quality solar products, LONGi is committed to providing our global DG clients with comprehensive energy service solutions." After years of steady growth, the global DG market has increased rapidly, accompanied by the emergence of diverse and tageted client demand. The Hi-MO 4m series modules are ultra-high-value products tailored exclusively by LONGi for the different needs of distributed clients and can be widely used on rooftops in residential, industrial and commercial applications. Based on reliable product quality and excellent maintenance and support services, LONGi has earned an outstanding reputation in the global PV industry. As of now, the company has accumulated more than 3,000 DG clients worldwide, of which 500 are domestic within China. In 2020, domestic shipment volume reached 2.2GW, accounting for more than 20% of market share. "LONGi continues to adhere to its concept of 'Solar for Solar', acting as the portal and advocate for clean energy. We are confident about providing our state-of-the-art modules to partners and clients in the global DG market," added Niu Yanyan, Head of LONGi Solar's DG Management Department. LONGi is planning the industry's first immersive touring solar exhibition to demonstrate advanced and efficient green lifestyles across 11 provinces and 47 cities in China, showcasing the "LONGi Solar House," which incorporates high-efficiency solar roofs and walls, solar house power supply and a smart home lighting system. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/longi-hi-mo-4m-series-modules-lead-the-global-dg-market-into-new-era-301276703.html SOURCE LONGi Solar [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chandigarh, April 26 : Chandigarh Advisor Manoj Parida on Monday appealed to charitable organisations and resident associations to come forward to set up Covid-19 care centres to lessen pressure on government infrastructure. "To reduce pressure on government infrastructure, groups and associations like those of advocates, architects, chartered accountants, traders and public sector undertakings should set up small Covid care centres with 10 or more beds for their members under the supervision of available health workers from private and government sources," Parida said in a statement. "Our city should be dotted with such mini centres that provide bed, food, and care up to oxygen level. Our community centres are available. Some bhawans can be used," he said, adding "philanthropists can fund few of these, meant for the poor only". Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) CLEVELAND, Ohio European Union countries could allow vaccinated U.S. travelers to visit by the summer, and health officials are recommending that pregnant women receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Cleveland.com is rounding up some of the most notable coronavirus news making headlines online. Heres what you need to know for Monday, April 26: Vaccinated Americans could travel to European Union this summer Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 vaccine will likely be allowed to travel to the European Union this summer, officials in Europe said. Its not yet clear when travel could open, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending against international travel. The president of the European Commission said she anticipates all 27 countries in the European Union will allow travelers whove received a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency. The agency has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines that are approved for use in the U.S. Its unclear how the E.U. countries will determine whether a traveler has been vaccinated. European countries and airlines have been discussing the potential use of vaccine passports or vaccine certificates to prove vaccination status, according to National Public Radio. CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women The CDC said Friday that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines are safe for pregnant women. The CDC evaluated data from 35,000 pregnant women and did not identify any safety concerns, according to preliminary findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Pregnant women reported more pain at the injection site but a lower frequency of side effects such as headache, chills, muscle pain and fever. The CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have previously said the vaccines should not be withheld from pregnant women. People with severe COVID-19 at higher risk of lingering complications A more severe COVID-19 infection puts someone at higher risk for lingering complications, according to a study published in Nature. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs examined outcomes in more than 73,000 patients with COVID-19 and compared them to 5 million patients who were never infected. They found the COVID-19 patients were more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression and kidney disease, according to the study. The study also used data from 13,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and compared them to 14,000 patients hospitalized with the flu. Those with COVID-19 were more likely to develop lung issues and other disorders, the study found. High dose of vitamin D does not aid hospitalized COVID-19 patients, study finds A high dose of vitamin D did not help improve outcomes for COVID-19 patients admitted to a hospital in Brazil, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study involved 240 patients with moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 admitted to a hospital in Sao Paolo. They were divided into two groups, with one group receiving vitamin D3 in a single dose of 200,000 units (IU) upon admission. There was no significant difference in the outcomes for the two groups, the study found. An earlier study published in JAMA found a single dose of Vitamin D did not reduce the length of time a coronavirus patient remained in the hospital. Your coronavirus vaccine questions answered: Are you contagious if you have side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine? Are you less immune to the coronavirus if you dont have vaccine side effects? Can I still get my second dose of coronavirus vaccine if I develop COVID-19 symptoms after the first? Can you mix and match two doses of coronavirus vaccine from different manufacturers? Can you request one coronavirus vaccine if you have concerns about the other? Coronavirus vaccine misinformation permeates social media: Here are the facts to counter six false claims How will local drug stores keep the coronavirus vaccine on site if it needs to be cold? How will they avoid waste? If Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are for people 16 and older, what does that mean for children? What about minors with pre-existing conditions? If the coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, how will you know if youre in the other 5%? Is it OK to take over-the-counter or prescription pain medication before getting a COVID-19 vaccine? Should cancer patients get the coronavirus vaccine? Should you get the coronavirus vaccine if youve had a bad reaction to the flu shot? Should you get the second vaccine if you contract COVID-19 after your first coronavirus vaccine dose? What can families do safely if parents are vaccinated but their kids arent? What if you contract COVID-19 in between your two coronavirus vaccine doses? Who should skip the second shot of coronavirus vaccine? Weve got answers Why do I need to keep a mask on if Ive been vaccinated for coronavirus? Will your COVID-19 vaccine be less effective if you need to wait longer for the second dose? To help the country emerge out of its COVID-19 crisis, France will provide India assistance to boost its oxygen capacity in days ahead and will also dispatch essential hospital equipments, including oxygen respirators, the French presidency said Sunday. According to the office of the French President Emmanuel Macron, France is working on drafting a plan to effectively deliver oxygen respiratory equipments to India to tackle the shortage. French gas giant Air Liquide SA had also earlier diverted Oxygen shipment for industrial clients in India to the hospitals, while it will import additional supplies from the Middle East, Executive Vice-President Francois Jackow told a presser Friday.The situation in India is becoming more and more dramatic, Jackow said as he presented Air Liquides first-quarter results. The crisis is picking up, he continued. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the EU also pledged support to India in such dire times, as each leader announced plans to dispatch medical aid to India as hospitals buckle under the strain of the mounting variant caseload. Chancellor Merkel told German reporters that her country was preparing a "mission to support" Indias healthcare system. "To the people of India, I want to express my sympathy on the terrible suffering that COVID-19 has again brought over your communities. The fight against the pandemic is our common fight. Germany stands in solidarity with India and is urgently preparing a mission of support," Merkel said in a message on Twitter, expressing solidarity with India and providing reassurance to the citizens. The message was shared by her spokesperson Steffen Seibert. Standing in 'full solidarity' with India President of the European Union (EU) Commission Ursula von der Leyen extended generous support to India saying that she was alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support, von der Leyen said. The EU is pooling resources to respond rapidly to Indias request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. We stand in full solidarity with the Indian people, said the EU Commission president. The European Commissioner for Crisis Management and in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, Janez Lenarcic said that the EU had activated the Civil Protection Mechanism, and it will do its utmost to mobilize assistance to support people of India. Lenarcic added, Our Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) is already coordinating EU MS that are ready to provide urgently needed oxygen and medicine rapidly,'' he said. Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support. The EU is pooling resources to respond rapidly to Indias request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. We stand in full solidarity with the Indian people! https://t.co/Pv8ezFPdS3 Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 25, 2021 US president Joe Biden President, similarly pledged support with India saying that the US is determined to help India as it battles very dangerous wave. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need, Biden said. He said that the US is working around the clock to immediately deploy India medicines, ventilators, and oxygen supplies. Google is improving their Assistant feature with codename "Guacamole." It is reported to perform time-sensitive "quick tasks" without requiring users to say "Hey Google," according to a discovery made by androidpolice. Virtual Assistant AI is becoming a popular trend among smart speakers. Using voice commands, the Assistant AI could now manipulate music playback, set alarms, create to-do lists, stream podcasts, provide news on weather, traffic, sports, and other real-time information. These are only some of the primary functions in the automation system. Alongside the iconic Alexa and Siri, Google Assistant is making significant upgrades with the Guacamole feature. The Guacamole menu might appear for some smartphones with the Google App on Android. When active, the Google Assistant will perform specific tasks without being prompted with the "Hey Google" command. Google Assistant: Guacamole In a screenshot from the androidpolice report, "Guacamole" appeared in the Google Settings menu from a Google App running on Android. The option should appear between the "General" and "Help Improve Assistant" options. If the "Guacamole" does not appear, the feature might not be released yet, or the Google app needs to be updated. When the Guacamole feature is turned on, "Voice Shortcuts" is said to be enabled. Guacamole is reported to be able to perform some simple tasks without being commanded through the "Hey Google" hotword. These quick tasks include: Stopping or snoozing an alarm Answering or Declining incoming calls For example, when Guacamole is activated, simply saying "Stop" or "Snooze" will automatically prompt the Google Assistant to turn your alarm off. This is a lot more efficient and instantaneous than saying the whole command: "Hey Google, Turn off the alarm." Read Also: Google Pixel 6 vs Pixel 5: What Are the Changes? Design, Specs, and More- An Advanced Review System Settings and Update 9to5google reported that the feature is currently undergoing testing by Google's employees. Only selected Google testers will be given access to the Assistant Menu. Tests are now being run to ensure the efficiency of this new feature. Unfortunately, there is no other news reporting on the accuracy of this feature. There have also been no further updates for other smartphone apps that could use the Guacamole feature outside the alarm clock and calling system. Google is very secretive about the Guacamole. The internet giant has not released any official announcement on the project. It is also possible that Google may not ever release this feature if their current interpretation during this trial phase concludes the Guacamole to be imperfect. However, it is also possible that Google plans to upgrade Guacamole features to a higher level. It might be the first company to remove the troublesome "Hey Google" prompting in the mobile platform. The Guacamole feature is reported to be available for users with version 12.15.9.29 of Google's app and running on Android 11 or higher. This is exciting news for many android users using the Google Assistant feature. The Guacamole feature is expected to make its official debut at the Google I/O Developer Conference on May 18. Related Article: Google Suffers Epic Fail in Argentina: Tech Giant Fails to Pay Domain Name, Guy Snags It for $5! Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation has condemned the reported suspension of Channels Television by the Nigerian Government. ... Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation has condemned the reported suspension of Channels Television by the Nigerian Government. The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC on Monday in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels TV signed by the Acting Director General of the Commission, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba said Channels TV erred by allowing a leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra, IPOB to make secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution. The government also announced a fine N5 million for breach of the broadcast code. Reacting, Fani-Kayode condemning the action said the censorship of the media is wrong and unacceptable in a democratic government. On his Twitter page, the former minister wrote: It is wrong for NBC to sanction @channelstv simply because they allowed the spokesman of IPOB, Mr. Emma Powerful, to answer some pertinent and vital questions about the attack on the home of the Governor of Imo state. Censorship of the media is unacceptable in a democracy. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... BATON ROUGE, La. Democrat Troy Carter won Saturdays special election for Louisianas vacant U.S. House seat, defeating his state Senate colleague and ending an acrimonious, intraparty clash that divided politicians across New Orleans. Carter easily defeated Karen Carter Peterson in the race for Louisianas only Democrat-held seat in Congress, in a race seen as handing a victory to the more moderate side of the party after Peterson planted herself firmly in the progressive camp. Carter dismissed those comparisons, noting he also had progressive support. The pair of state senators from New Orleans, who both made previous failed bids for the congressional seat, had only modest policy differences to distinguish them, and the race centered mainly on personality. Carter had the backing, however, of the seats predecessor, Cedric Richmond. The 2nd District seat representing a majority-Black district centered in New Orleans and extending up the Mississippi River into Baton Rouge was open because Richmond left the position shortly after he won last years election to work as a special adviser to President Joe Biden. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ I will wake up every day with you on my mind, on my heart, and I will work for you tirelessly, Carter, a former New Orleans City Council member, pledged to his supporters. He said he would focus on economic recovery from COVID-19, overhauling criminal sentencing laws, protecting LGBTQ rights and fighting for clean air in parts of the 10-parish district with higher levels of pollution. The work begins tomorrow, Carter said. Peterson, the former chair of Louisianas Democratic Party, conceded fewer than two hours after the polls closed, acknowledging she lost her latest attempt to be the states first Black woman elected to Congress. She pledged to keep swinging hard for the people from the state Senate. I can still do a lot in the role I have, Peterson said. Carter and Peterson reached Saturdays runoff after they emerged as the top vote-getters among 15 candidates in the March primary. Carter raised more campaign cash in the competition, but he faced attack ads from out-of-state groups supporting Peterson. The two state senators differed more in style than substance, though Peterson positioned herself as the more liberal candidate. In one runoff debate, Peterson described herself as bold and progressive and willing to shake things up to get things done. Carter is known more for his ability and willingness to work across party lines, while Peterson is more overtly partisan in her approach. She suggested Carter cozied up to Republicans to boost his campaign, while he said Petersons dogmatic approach damaged her ability to pass legislation. In order to get things done, they need to send someone to Washington who can build bridges, not walls, that can establish relationships that mean something, not kick rocks because you dont get your way, not spew lies because youre losing, Carter said in a debate. The two candidates backed an increase in the minimum wage, the legalization of recreational marijuana and abortion rights. They supported changes in how police agencies and public safety are funded and approached, though Peterson went further saying she backed a complete restructuring. Both Carter and Peterson said they support the idea of Medicare for All. But while Peterson fully embraced shifting to a government-run, single-payer plan, Carter said hed like people to have the option of retaining employer-financed coverage. Across the campaign, they traded accusations. Carter hit Peterson on her many missed votes in the Louisiana Senate. Peterson slammed campaign donations Carter received from people and entities tied to the oil and gas industry. She made support of environmental justice for poor communities facing greater health risks from pollution one of the cornerstones of her campaign. Carter hammered Peterson for suggesting she helped establish Louisianas Medicaid expansion program, which was started by Gov. John Bel Edwards and required no legislation. He noted that when she was head of the Democratic Party, she discouraged Edwards from running for governor. They each touted high-profile endorsements. Peterson had backing from voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, progressive U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, among others. In addition to Richmonds endorsement, Carter had backing from No. 3 House Democratic leader James Clyburn of South Carolina, New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams and every Black member of the state Senate besides Peterson. ___ Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte. STEPANAKERT. The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly (NA) has welcomed the Armenian Genocides recognition by US President Joe Biden. Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned about this from the Artsakh NA. The respective statement reads as follows: "We welcome with deeply gratitude for the use of the term 'Armenian Genocide' in US President Joe Biden's April 24 message, whereby he in fact formally acknowledged the greatest atrocity committed against Armenians in the early 20th century. This move by the US President is qualified as the restoration of historical justice and truth, the reaffirmation of human rights and highest values, humanitarian principles. We believe that if the leaders of the superpowers had condemned the great genocide perpetrated against the Armenians at the time, Azerbaijan and Turkey would not have dared to carry out the criminal plan of extermination of the people of Artsakh, which is nothing but a continuation of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. We are convinced that these and similar statements will prevent new genocides. To this day, the lawsuits in the US over the property rights of homeland-dispossessed Armenians living in the diaspora were not being fulfilled under the pretext of non-recognition of the genocide. We believe that this right of our compatriots in the diaspora was also restored. Although the military-political authorities of Turkey and Azerbaijan reject and condemn Biden's statement, it is already a reality, and nothing will be changed." Ihor Hladkovsky came at the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) on Monday, a law enforcement source told Interfax-Ukraine. "Ihor Hladkovsky has come to the SAPO," said the interlocutor of the agency. Later, the source added that Hladkovsky was served with an indictment for further consideration of the case in court. Ihor Hladkovsky is the son of former first deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleh Hladkovsky, one of the suspects in the Optimumspetsdetal case. On April 21, 2021, NABU put Ihor Hladkovsky on the wanted list in the case of "schemes" at Ukroboronprom, the decision was made by the detective of the Bureau in connection with the suspect's failure to appear to serve a copy of the indictment for transferring the case to the court. "The investigation has sufficient grounds to believe that the suspect, the investigation of whose participation in the corruption scheme has been completed, is hiding from the investigating authorities and the court in order to evade criminal responsibility," the NABU press service said on the Telegram channel. The Bureau recalled that in December 2020, the investigation materials had been opened to the suspect for review before the indictment was submitted to the court. By a court decision, he was limited to familiarizing with the materials until April 15, 2021. According to the investigation, as a result of the actions of the suspect in 2015-2017, Optimumspetsdetal LLC received preferences when concluding contracts and settlements with enterprises of the state concern Ukroboronprom. For this, the accused received a benefit, which, by agreement, should have been 50% of the total amount of illegally obtained profits of the participants in the scheme. Thus, only under one contract he received UAH 950,000 of unlawful benefits. On December 21, 2020, he was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 369-2 (abuse of power) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. As reported, on February 25, 2019, a team of journalists from Bihus.info (the Nashi.Groshi project) aired an investigative video report claiming that Ihor Hladkovsky, the son of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, together with Vitaliy Zhukov and Andriy Rohoza, through bogus firms delivered contraband Russian spare parts or parts from Ukrainian military units to Ukrainian defense enterprises at prices inflated two to four times higher than the purchase price. According to the journalists, the embezzlement is estimated at least UAH 250 million. The investigative journalists say that Hladkovsky, who formerly was a business partner of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, the ex-head of Ukrspecexport and head of Ukroboronprom Pavlo Bukin, as well as directors and other officials of the state-owned defense concern were involved. The journalists' investigation says the suspect deals were organized using three main fictitious firms, and that one of them allegedly was the Kuznya on Rybalsky Shipbuilding Plant, which was then owned by Poroshenko. Rising global temperatures caused by humans are to blame for shifts in the Earth's magnetic field, a new study claims. Chinese researchers reveal melting glaciers from climate change caused shifts in the Earth's mass in the mid-1990s. This change in mass caused the movement of the magnetic poles to turn and accelerate eastward, they say. Earth's magnetic north and south poles are constantly moving a phenomenon known as 'polar wandering' unlike the geographic north and south poles, which stay in a fixed position. Shifts in the geographic location of Earths North and South poles is called polar drift, or true polar wander. This illustration shows the change in position of the magnetic north pole Because Earth's magnetic north and south poles are disturbed and thrown in different directions by variations in mass, scientists have to continuously track their position. MAGNETIC NORTH AND SOUTH POLES The magnetic north and south poles are different from the geographic north and south poles. The geographic north and south poles are in a fixed position and are diametrically opposite one another. The magnetic north and south Poles, meanwhile, are constantly moving and over time become misaligned with their geographic equivalents something known as 'polar wandering'. But this is due to processes that scientists don't always completely understand. Advertisement This is because these variations can cause havoc for aviation and navigation systems, including smartphone apps that use GPS, that rely on accurate magnetic field readings. The Earth spins around an axis kind of like a top, explains Vincent Humphrey, a climate scientist at the University of Zurich who was not involved in this research. If the weight of a top is moved around, the spinning top would start to lean and wobble as its rotational axis changes. The same thing happens to the Earth as weight is shifted from one area to the other. 'I think it brings an interesting piece of evidence to this question,' said Humphrey. 'It tells you how strong this mass change is it's so big that it can change the axis of the Earth.' Humphrey said the change to the Earth's axis isn't large enough that it would affect daily life. It could change the length of day we experience, but only by milliseconds. Previous research has determined recent movements of the North Pole away from Canada and toward Russia, caused by factors like molten iron in the Earth's outer core. It's already known that Earth's magnetic field is created by the movement of liquid iron in the Earth's outer core, some 1,800 miles below our feet. The iron is super hot (over 5,432 degrees Fahrenheit) and is as runny as water, meaning it flows very easily. As the liquid flows, it drags the magnetic field with it and its corresponding magnetic north and south poles. World Magnetic Map data shows how Earth's magnetic north has moved away from Canada and towards Siberia - and where it's expected to be by 2025 But the way water is distributed on Earth's surface is another factor that drives the drift, according to the Chinese experts namely, terrestrial water storage (TWS). TWS is defined as all forms of water stored on the Earth's surface, including surface water, soil moisture, groundwater, vegetation, snow, ice and permafrost. WHAT IS TERRESTRIAL WATER STORAGE? Terrestrial water storage (TWS) is defined as all forms of water stored on the Earth's surface, including surface water, soil moisture, groundwater, vegetation, snow, ice and permafrost. It is a vital component of the global hydrological cycle. Changes in TWS can be estimated from observations of Earths gravity field provided by the GRACE missions twin satellites. GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) is a joint mission by NASA and the German Aerospace Center launched in 2002. Advertisement Changes in TWS means can mean water on land including frozen water in glaciers and groundwater stored under our continents is being lost through melting and groundwater pumping. This water loss triggered by rising global temperatures contributed to the shifts in the polar drift in the past two decades by changing the way mass is distributed around the world, the authors claim. For their study, the researchers specifically focused on a pronounced phase of polar wandering that occurred in the mid-1990s. Their new research calculates the total land water loss in the 1990s before the start of the NASA-initiated GRACE mission in 2002. GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) was a joint mission by NASA and the German Aerospace Center to take detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field anomalies, using a pair of satellites. In 1995, the direction of polar drift shifted from southward to eastward, while the average speed of drift from 1995 to 2020 also increased about 17 times from the average speed recorded from 1981 to 1995. Using data on glacier loss and estimations of ground water pumping, the researchers calculated how the water stored on land changed. They found that the contributions of water loss from the polar regions is the main driver of polar drift, with contributions from water loss in non-polar regions. Together, all this water loss explained the eastward change in polar drift. 1990s turning point: Melting of glaciers in Alaska, Greenland, the Southern Andes, Antarctica, the Caucasus and the Middle East accelerated in the mid-90s, becoming the main driver pushing Earths poles into a sudden and rapid drift toward 26E at a rate of 3.28 millimetres (0.129 inches) per year. Colour intensity on the map shows where changes in water stored on land (mostly as ice) had the strongest effect on the movement of the poles from April 2004 to June 2020. Inset graphs plot the change in glacier mass (black) and the calculated change in water on land (blue) in the regions of largest influence 'The faster ice melting under global warming was the most likely cause of the directional change of the polar drift in the 1990s,' said study author Shanshan Deng at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The faster ice melting from climate change couldn't entirely explain the magnetic polar shift in the 1990s, Deng said. But other factors, like activities involving land water storage in non-polar regions, such as unsustainable groundwater pumping for agriculture, likely played a part. Their analysis revealed large changes in water mass in areas like California, northern Texas, the region around Beijing and northern India, for example all areas that have been pumping large amounts of groundwater for agricultural use. The study has been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Nomadland director Chloe Zhao made history on Sunday night as the first Asian woman to win the best director award at the Oscars - though the victory was censored in her native China after she criticised the Communist regime. Live broadcasts of the Oscars ceremony were blocked by Chinese censors while State-run news sites such as Xinhua and CCTV had not reported Zhao's victory as of Monday morning amid a nationalist backlash. Thousands of social media posts on Weibo containing Zhao's name and 'Nomadland' were mysteriously wiped from the platform by Monday noon Beijing time, making her win notably absent from the top trends on the site today. It is a far cry from the celebratory tone struck by Chinese state media after Zhao won best director at the Golden Globes in March, teeing her up for Oscars glory. Chloe Zhao celebrated becoming the first Asian woman to win a best director Oscar on Sunday while her film Nomadland won best picture - but news of her victories was censored in China Zhao (pictured left with boyfriend Joshua James Richards, and right with real-life nomad Charlene Swankie who also stars in her film) fell foul of Chinese censors over comments she made in a magazine interview in 2013 Since then she has encountered a wall of hostility in her native country, after internet users dug up a magazine interview from 2013 in which she said China was 'a place where there are lies everywhere'. That led to a backlash by nationalists who questioned Zhao's heritage: She was born in Beijing to wealthy parents but schooled in Britain and America. 'Double-faced American dog Zhao Ting, never come back to China,' one social media user wrote at the time. Since then, Zhao has been expunged from Chinese websites while her film Nomadland - which also won the best picture Oscar - has yet to be released in her home country. It was scheduled for its debut on April 23 but the date was allowed to lapse and Chinese distributor National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas has refused to comment. Zhao appeared to allude to these difficulties in her Oscars acceptance speech last night, saying: 'I've been thinking a lot lately of how I keep going when things get hard.' Zhao's film Nomadland has not been released yet in China, censored blocked the ceremony being broadcast live, and no state news sites were reporting her victories on Monday She also quoted a line from a Classical Chinese poem that translates to 'people are fundamentally good at birth' - a move praised by many Chinese social media users, before the posts were later deleted. Weibo initially flooded with social media posts praising Zhao on Monday morning, while others decried censorship. 'Chloe Zhao becomes the first Asian diaspora/Chinese female filmmaker to win the best director Oscar in history,' wrote an entertainment blogger with over 8.9 million followers, in a post that gained thousands of likes before it was deleted. 'China's public opinion control is outrageous. After Chloe Zhao's starling Oscars win, there is not even a fart on Weibo,' wrote an outraged user. Despite the censors' efforts, on the streets of Beijing pride in an Asian director reaching the apogee of US cinema was easy to find. 'She's the pride of Chinese people... it's very rare for a Chinese to get an Oscar award,' Yan Ying, a female engineer, told AFP on Monday morning. 'I think Chinese movies will get better and better and she will set a very good example for Chinese mainland directors,' said 38-year-old legal worker Yuan Min. It was the first Oscar for 39-year-old Zhao, who cast real-life nomads alongside Francis McDormand - who won best actress - to show the lives of marginalised older Americans who travel from job to job trying to scrape together a living. Zhao was also nominated for best film editing and best adapted screenplay but did not win in those categories. Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand (pictured, who also won best actress for the role), tells the story of American seasonal workers moving state to state while eking out a living Zhao was not censored for the contents of her film (pictured above) but for a remark she made eight years ago when she said 'lies are everywhere' in China 'I am extremely lucky to be able to do what I love for a living, and if this means more people get to live their dreams, I'm extremely grateful,' she said backstage afterwards. Zhao was born in China and lived in Beijing until age 14, when she went to boarding school in London and later finished high school in Los Angeles. But China did not get to see her triumph live on television, as it was not offered. Chinese media regulators also decided in March not to air the Oscars live on its streaming platforms, the Washington Post reported. Zhao has become controversial in her native land, where commentators on social media said she has insulted China in some of her past comments. Hong Kong TV audiences were also unable to watch in real time because free-to-air broadcaster TVB declined to air the Academy Awards for the first time in more than 50 years. TVB, which has broadcast the Oscars every year since 1969, said it would not carry the ceremony for 'commercial reasons.' The decision not to air the Oscars has raised concerns about dwindling freedoms in Hong Kong, which has taken an authoritarian path since China imposed a sweeping national security law last year in response to the financial hub's pro-democracy protests of 2019. In Shanghai, a livestream of the awards show hosted by Zhao's alma mater New York University ran into China's Great Firewall, as the organizer's access to his virtual private network (VPN) service was blocked for nearly two hours. 'They cut the VPN,' event organizer Kevin Ke said, adding his WeChat account was shut down after he wrote a post praising Zhao. Zhao courted favor by quoting a Chinese poem during her acceptance speech which children in her native country learn by heart, and whose message is 'people are good at birth' The Oscars ceremony took place in Union Station on Sunday night as largely mask-less stars sat at socially distanced tables But Zhao's comments upon winning were apolitical and evoked fond memories of her childhood in China, recalling a game she played with her father trying to memorize classic Chinese poems. She recalled one entitled, 'Three Character Classic,' in which a character says 'people at birth are inherently good,' Zhao said, an apparent reference to her casting non-actors in her films. 'I still truly believe them today,' Zhao said of the letters in the poem. 'Even though sometimes they might seem like the opposite is true, but I have always found goodness in the people I met everywhere I went in the world.' Casting everyday people adds a realism to her films, which tell real and somewhat simple stories with an understated feel. That is why there is great anticipation in Hollywood about her upcoming films including the Marvel Studios big-budget action flick 'Eternals,' scheduled for release in November, and a sci-fi Western version of 'Dracula.' After attending film school in New York, Zhao won acclaim for independent movies 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me,' about the bond between a Native American brother and sister, and 'The Rider,' the story of a young cowboy recovering from a serious head injury. Zhao went into the Oscars ceremony as the front-runner after picking up trophies from the Directors Guild of America, the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and multiple film critic groups. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Vista, California; Additional reporting by Emily Chow in Shanghai and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Howard Goller) FORT WORTH, Texas, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) today announced its first quarter 2021 financial results. Highlights Realizations before index hedges of $3.20 per mcfe, or approximately $0.51 above NYMEX natural gas Pre-hedge NGL realization of $26.35 per barrel, highest since late 2018 NGL differential of $1.52 per barrel above Mont Belvieu, best in Company history Natural gas differentials, including basis hedging, averaged $0.14 per mcf below NYMEX Production averaged 2,081 Mmcfe per day, approximately 70% natural gas All-in first quarter capital spending was $105 million, approximately 25% of the annual budget Approximately 45% of pre-hedge revenue from liquids sales In March, Ranges $3.0 billion borrowing base and $2.4 billion elected commitment were reaffirmed In April, Range redeemed approximately $63.3 million of senior notes and senior subordinated notes due between 2021 and 2023 Commenting on the quarter, Jeff Ventura, the Companys CEO said, Range continues to make progress on key near-term objectives: improving margins with a focus on cost structure, generating free cash flow, enhancing liquidity, and operating safely while maintaining peer-leading capital efficiency. There were sizable improvements in pricing quarter-over-quarter leading to Ranges $193 million in cash flow from operations before changes in working capital. The corresponding capital spending of $105 million generated solid free cash flow for the quarter. Range remains committed to disciplined capital spending and generating sustainable free cash flow. Over time, we believe Range will be differentiated as a result of our low sustaining capital, competitive cost structure, marketing strategies, environmental leadership and importantly, our multi-decade core inventory life, which will be an increasing competitive advantage in the years to come. Financial Discussion Except for generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) reported amounts, specific expense categories exclude non-cash impairments, unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on derivatives, stock-based compensation and other items shown separately on the attached tables. Unit costs as used in this release are composed of direct operating, transportation, gathering, processing and compression, production and ad valorem taxes, general and administrative, interest and depletion, depreciation and amortization costs divided by production. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures for a definition of each of the non-GAAP financial measures and the tables that reconcile each of the non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. First Quarter 2021 GAAP revenues for first quarter 2021 totaled $626 million, GAAP net cash provided from operating activities (including changes in working capital) was $109 million, and GAAP net income was $27 million ($0.11 per diluted share). First quarter earnings results include a $58 million derivative fair value loss due to increases in commodity prices. Non-GAAP revenues for first quarter 2021 totaled $645 million, and cash flow from operations before changes in working capital, a non-GAAP measure, was $193 million. Adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates, a non-GAAP measure, was $73 million ($0.30 per diluted share) in first quarter 2021. The following table details Ranges average production and realized pricing for first quarter 2021(a): 1Q21 Production & Realized Pricing Natural Gas (Mcf) Oil (Bbl) NGLs (Bbl) Natural Gas Equivalent (Mcfe) Net Production per day 1,448,097 8,422 97,144 2,081,493 Average index price(b) $ 2.69 $ 58.06 $ 24.83 Differential (0.11 ) (9.06 ) 1.52 Basis hedging (0.03 ) - - Realized prices before index hedges $ 2.55 $ 49.00 $ 26.35 $ 3.20 Settled index hedges 0.02 (9.40 ) (3.54 ) (0.19 ) Average realized prices after hedges $ 2.57 $ 39.59 $ 22.82 $ 3.01 (a) May not add due to rounding (b) Indexes include NYMEX-Henry Hub, NYMEX-WTI and OPIS-Mont Belvieu for natural gas, oil and NGLs, respectively Total production for first quarter 2021 averaged approximately 2,081 net Mmcfe per day. By area, southwest Marcellus production averaged 2.0 Bcfe per day while the northeast Marcellus assets averaged 77 net Mmcf per day during the quarter. First quarter 2021 natural gas, NGLs and oil price realizations (including the impact of cash-settled hedges and derivative settlements which correspond to analysts estimates) averaged $3.01 per mcfe. The average natural gas price, including the impact of basis hedging, was $2.55 per mcf, or a ($0.14) per mcf differential to NYMEX. The first quarter natural gas differential includes the benefit of improved regional basis and positive impact of higher daily prices in February. The Companys average 2021 natural gas differential to NYMEX remains within an expected range of ($0.30) to ($0.40) per mcf. Pre-hedge NGL realizations were $26.35 per barrel, an improvement of $8.33 per barrel versus the fourth quarter of 2020 driven by an improving market for propane and heavier products. At a $1.52 premium over Mont Belvieu equivalent, the first quarter premium was the best in Company history. Range continues to see strong NGL export premiums at Marcus Hook because of the Companys access to international markets and diversified portfolio of sales agreements. As a result of these improvements, the Company expects to average a pre-hedge premium differential to Mont Belvieu equivalent of $0.50 - $2.00 per barrel for 2021. Crude oil and condensate price realizations, before realized hedges, averaged $49.00 per barrel, or $9.06 below WTI (West Texas Intermediate). Range expects an improving condensate differential to WTI during 2021, between $7-$9 below NYMEX, as regional production continues to decline and demand for transportation fuels recovers. The following table details Ranges unit costs per mcfe(a): Expenses 1Q 2021 ($/Mcfe) 1Q 2020 ($/Mcfe) Increase (Decrease) Direct operating(a) $ 0.09 $ 0.15 (40%) Transportation, gathering, processing and compression 1.46 1.36 7% Production and ad valorem taxes 0.02 0.04 (50%) General and administrative(a) 0.15 0.16 (6%) Interest expense(a) 0.29 0.22 32% Total cash unit costs(b) 2.02 1.93 5% Depletion, depreciation and amortization (DD&A) 0.47 0.49 (4%) Total unit costs plus DD&A(b) $ 2.50 $ 2.43 3% (a) Excludes stock-based compensation, legal settlements and amortization of deferred financing costs. (b) May not add due to rounding. Capital Expenditures First quarter 2021 drilling and completion expenditures were $97.1 million. In addition, during the quarter, $6.4 million was invested on acreage leasehold and $1.9 million on gathering systems and other. First quarter investments represent approximately 25% of Ranges total capital budget of $425 million in 2021. Financial Position In January 2021, Range issued $600.0 million aggregate principal amount of 8.25% senior notes due 2029 and used net proceeds to repay borrowings under its bank credit facility. In April 2021, Range redeemed outstanding principal amounts of senior notes due in 2021 and 2022 totaling approximately $26.0 million and senior subordinated notes due in 2021, 2022 and 2023 totaling approximately $37.3 million. Proforma the April redemptions, Range has approximately $218 million in notes that mature through 2022, which are expected to be redeemed via free cash flow at current strip pricing. Ranges $3.0 billion borrowing base and $2.4 billion commitment amount were reaffirmed during first quarter 2021 with no changes to financial covenants. The credit facility matures on April 13, 2023 and is subject to semi-annual redeterminations. As of March 31, 2021, Range had total debt outstanding of $3.1 billion, consisting of $124 million in bank debt, $3.0 billion in senior notes and $37 million in senior subordinated notes. The Company had over $1.9 billion of borrowing capacity under the current commitment amount at the end of the first quarter. Operational Activity The table below summarizes estimated activity for 2021 regarding the number of wells to sales for each area. Wells TIL 1Q 2021 Calendar 2021 Planned TIL Remaining 2021 SW PA Super-Rich 6 17 11 SW PA Wet 3 18 15 SW PA Dry 7 24 17 Total Wells 16 59 43 NGL Marketing and Transportation Ranges liquids marketing continued to expand premiums relative to Mont Belvieu pricing, with first quarter NGL realizations averaging a $1.52 premium per barrel, a best in Company history. The portfolio of domestic and international ethane contracts performed very well during the quarter and generated a significant uplift relative to Mont Belvieu while propane and butane markets benefited from an increase in Marcus Hook export premiums and a supportive macro environment. Starting April 2021, Range will have an additional 5,000 barrels per day of Mariner East capacity, which is expected to be fully utilized with existing production. In addition, Range has secured new and diverse LPG export-related contracts. These contracts add flexibility, reduce costs, and further enhance realized propane and butane prices, and continue the momentum of achieving strong export premiums. Range expects near-term and long-term benefits of NGL exports out of the Northeast as international demand for NGL products continues to grow. NGL exports out of Marcus Hook provide Range a unique supply option for that demand. In 2021, Range expects to export over 80% of its propane and butane, the highest percentage of propane and butane exported by any U.S. independent, leading to strong year-over-year improvements in NGL pricing and margins. Higher realized NGL prices for Range in 2021 will lead to a slight increase in processing costs as Ranges processing costs are based on the NGL revenue received, providing a partial hedge against NGL price fluctuations. Including the impact of basis hedging, Range had a natural gas differential of ($0.14) per mcf during the first quarter. The Companys transportation portfolio provides access to natural gas markets in the Gulf Coast, Midwest, and Northeast, with each region benefiting from strong daily sales prices in February. This revenue uplift was partially offset by higher natural gas fuel cost during the quarter which is reflected in transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense. Range remains on track with its natural gas differential to NYMEX guidance of ($0.30) - ($0.40) for the year. Guidance 2021 Capital & Production Guidance Ranges 2021 all-in capital budget is $425 million. Production for full-year 2021 is expected to average approximately 2.15 Bcfe per day, with ~30% attributed to liquids production. Full Year 2021 Expense Guidance Direct operating expense: $0.09 - $0.11 per mcfe Transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense: $1.35 - $1.40 per mcfe Production tax expense: $0.02 - $0.04 per mcfe Exploration expense: $20.0 - $28.0 million G&A expense: $0.15 - $0.16 per mcfe Interest expense: $0.26 - $0.28 per mcfe DD&A expense: $0.47 - $0.50 per mcfe Net brokered gas marketing expense: $2.0 - $10.0 million Full Year 2021 Price Guidance Based on current market indications, Range expects to average the following price differentials for its production in 2021. Natural Gas:(1) NYMEX minus $0.30 to $0.40 Natural Gas Liquids (including ethane):(2) Mont Belvieu plus $0.50 to $2.00 per barrel Oil/Condensate: WTI minus $7.00 to $9.00 (1) Including basis hedging (2) Weighting based on 53% ethane, 27% propane, 7% normal butane, 4% iso-butane and 9% natural gasoline. Hedging Status Range hedges portions of its expected future production volumes to increase the predictability of cash flow and to help maintain a strong, flexible financial position. As of April 16, 2021, Range had approximately 70% of its remaining expected 2021 natural gas production hedged at an average ceiling price of $2.79 per Mmbtu and an average floor price of $2.60 per Mmbtu. Similarly, Range hedged approximately 70% of its remaining estimated 2021 crude oil production at an average floor price of $52.00 per barrel and approximately 20% of its remaining expected 2021 NGL revenue. Please see the detailed hedging schedule posted on the Range website under Investor Relations - Financial Information. Range has also hedged Marcellus and other basis for natural gas and NGL exports to limit volatility between benchmarks and regional prices. The combined fair value of the natural gas basis, NGL freight and spread hedges as of March 31, 2021 was a net gain of $10 million. Conference Call Information A conference call to review the financial results is scheduled on Tuesday, April 27 at 9:00 a.m. ET. To participate in the call, please dial (877) 928-8777 and provide conference code 3782655 about 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. A simultaneous webcast of the call may be accessed at www.rangeresources.com. The webcast will be archived for replay on the Company's website until May 27. Non-GAAP Financial Measures Adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates as set forth in this release represents income or loss from operations before income taxes adjusted for certain non-cash items (detailed in the accompanying table) less income taxes. We believe adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates is calculated on the same basis as analysts estimates and that many investors use this published research in making investment decisions and evaluating operational trends of the Company and its performance relative to other oil and gas producing companies. Diluted earnings per share (adjusted) as set forth in this release represents adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates on a diluted per share basis. A table is included which reconciles income or loss from operations to adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates and diluted earnings per share (adjusted). The Company provides additional comparative information on prior periods along with non-GAAP revenue disclosures on its website. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital (sometimes referred to as adjusted cash flow) as defined in this release represents net cash provided by operations before changes in working capital and exploration expense adjusted for certain non-cash compensation items. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital is widely accepted by the investment community as a financial indicator of an oil and gas companys ability to generate cash to internally fund exploration and development activities and to service debt. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital is also useful because it is widely used by professional research analysts in valuing, comparing, rating and providing investment recommendations of companies in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. In turn, many investors use this published research in making investment decisions. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operations, investing, or financing activities as an indicator of cash flows, or as a measure of liquidity. A table is included which reconciles net cash provided by operations to cash flow from operations before changes in working capital as used in this release. On its website, the Company provides additional comparative information on prior periods for cash flow, cash margins and non-GAAP earnings as used in this release. The cash prices realized for oil and natural gas production, including the amounts realized on cash-settled derivatives and net of transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, is a critical component in the Companys performance tracked by investors and professional research analysts in valuing, comparing, rating and providing investment recommendations and forecasts of companies in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. In turn, many investors use this published research in making investment decisions. Due to the GAAP disclosures of various derivative transactions and third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, such information is now reported in various lines of the income statement. The Company believes that it is important to furnish a table reflecting the details of the various components of each line in the statement of operations to better inform the reader of the details of each amount and provide a summary of the realized cash-settled amounts and third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense which were historically reported as natural gas, NGLs and oil sales. This information is intended to bridge the gap between various readers understanding and fully disclose the information needed. The Company discloses in this release the detailed components of many of the single line items shown in the GAAP financial statements included in the Companys quarterly report on Form 10-Q. The Company believes that it is important to furnish this detail of the various components comprising each line of the Statements of Operations to better inform the reader of the details of each amount, the changes between periods and the effect on its financial results. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) is a leading U.S. independent natural gas and NGL producer with operations focused on stacked-pay projects in the Appalachian Basin. The Company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. More information about Range can be found at www.rangeresources.com. Included within this release are certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are not limited to historical facts, but reflect Ranges current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events. Words such as may, will, could, should, expect, plan, project, intend, anticipate, believe, outlook, estimate, predict, potential, pursue, target, continue, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. All statements, except for statements of historical fact, made within regarding activities, events or developments the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as those regarding future well costs, expected asset sales, well productivity, future liquidity and financial resilience, anticipated exports and related financial impact, NGL market supply and demand, improving commodity fundamentals and pricing, future capital efficiencies, future shareholder value, emerging plays, capital spending, anticipated drilling and completion activity, acreage prospectivity, expected pipeline utilization and future guidance information, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on assumptions and estimates that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information; however, management's assumptions and Range's future performance are subject to a wide range of business risks and uncertainties and there is no assurance that these goals and projections can or will be met. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information on risks and uncertainties is available in Range's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless required by law, Range undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events after the date they are made. The SEC permits oil and gas companies, in filings made with the SEC, to disclose proved reserves, which are estimates that geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions as well as the option to disclose probable and possible reserves. Range has elected not to disclose its probable and possible reserves in its filings with the SEC. Range uses certain broader terms such as "resource potential, unrisked resource potential, "unproved resource potential" or "upside" or other descriptions of volumes of resources potentially recoverable through additional drilling or recovery techniques that may include probable and possible reserves as defined by the SEC's guidelines. Range has not attempted to distinguish probable and possible reserves from these broader classifications. The SECs rules prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC these broader classifications of reserves. These estimates are by their nature more speculative than estimates of proved, probable and possible reserves and accordingly are subject to substantially greater risk of actually being realized. Unproved resource potential refers to Range's internal estimates of hydrocarbon quantities that may be potentially discovered through exploratory drilling or recovered with additional drilling or recovery techniques and have not been reviewed by independent engineers. Unproved resource potential does not constitute reserves within the meaning of the Society of Petroleum Engineer's Petroleum Resource Management System and does not include proved reserves. Area wide unproven resource potential has not been fully risked by Range's management. EUR, or estimated ultimate recovery, refers to our managements estimates of hydrocarbon quantities that may be recovered from a well completed as a producer in the area. These quantities may not necessarily constitute or represent reserves within the meaning of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Petroleum Resource Management System or the SECs oil and natural gas disclosure rules. Actual quantities that may be recovered from Range's interests could differ substantially. Factors affecting ultimate recovery include the scope of Range's drilling program, which will be directly affected by the availability of capital, drilling and production costs, commodity prices, availability of drilling services and equipment, drilling results, lease expirations, transportation constraints, regulatory approvals, field spacing rules, recoveries of gas in place, length of horizontal laterals, actual drilling results, including geological and mechanical factors affecting recovery rates and other factors. Estimates of resource potential may change significantly as development of our resource plays provides additional data. In addition, our production forecasts and expectations for future periods are dependent upon many assumptions, including estimates of production decline rates from existing wells and the undertaking and outcome of future drilling activity, which may be affected by significant commodity price declines or drilling cost increases. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, available from our website at www.rangeresources.com or by written request to 100 Throckmorton Street, Suite 1200, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. You can also obtain this Form 10-K on the SECs website at www.sec.gov or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Range Investor Contacts: Laith Sando, Vice President Investor Relations 817-869-4267 lsando@rangeresources.com Range Media Contacts: Mark Windle, Director of Corporate Communications 724-873-3223 mwindle@rangeresources.com RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Based on GAAP reported earnings with additional details of items included in each line in Form 10-Q (Unaudited, in thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 % Revenues and other income: Natural gas, NGLs and oil sales (a) $ 603,347 $ 432,096 Derivative fair value income (57,879 ) 233,175 Brokered natural gas, marketing and other (b) 80,502 28,389 ARO settlement gain (b) 1 Other (b) 61 260 Total revenues and other income 626,032 693,920 -10 % Costs and expenses: Direct operating 17,323 31,585 Direct operating stock-based compensation (c) 327 450 Transportation, gathering, processing and compression 274,330 284,765 Production and ad valorem taxes 4,625 9,019 Brokered natural gas and marketing 71,885 32,211 Brokered natural gas and marketing non-cash stock-based compensation (c) 450 413 Exploration 5,152 6,747 Exploration stock-based compensation (c) 386 330 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 3,029 5,413 General and administrative 28,160 33,010 General and administrative stock-based compensation (c) 9,405 8,029 General and administrative lawsuit settlements 439 815 General and administrative bad debt expense 400 Exit and termination costs 13,714 1,595 Deferred compensation plan (d) 19,811 (8,537 ) Interest expense 54,591 45,457 Interest expense amortization of deferred financing costs (e) 2,287 2,061 Gain on early extinguishment of debt 35 (12,923 ) Depletion, depreciation and amortization 88,383 102,986 Impairment of proved property 77,000 Loss (gain) on sale of assets 1,860 (122,099 ) Total costs and expenses 596,192 498,727 20 % Income before income taxes 29,840 195,193 -85 % Income tax expense (benefit): Current 168 (363 ) Deferred 2,521 29,361 2,689 28,998 Net income $ 27,151 $ 166,195 -84 % Net Income Per Common Share: Basic $ 0.11 $ 0.67 Diluted $ 0.11 $ 0.66 Weighted average common shares outstanding, as reported: Basic 242,159 246,218 -2 % Diluted 247,527 247,684 0 % (a) See separate natural gas, NGLs and oil sales information table. (b) Included in Brokered natural gas, marketing and other revenues in the 10-Q. (c) Costs associated with stock compensation and restricted stock amortization, which have been reflected in the categories associated with the direct personnel costs, which are combined with the cash costs in the 10-Q. (d) Reflects the change in market value of the vested Company stock held in the deferred compensation plan. (e) Included in interest expense in the 10-Q. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands) March 31, December 31, 2021 2020 (Unaudited) (Audited) Assets Current assets $ 300,521 $ 266,508 Derivative assets 29,353 40,012 Natural gas and oil properties, successful efforts method 5,703,095 5,686,809 Transportation and field assets 4,137 4,161 Operating lease right-of-use assets 58,199 63,581 Other 79,355 75,865 $ 6,174,660 $ 6,136,936 Liabilities and Stockholders Equity Current liabilities $ 650,426 $ 673,445 Asset retirement obligations 6,689 6,689 Derivative liabilities 38,319 26,707 Bank debt 116,074 693,123 Senior notes 2,921,750 2,329,745 Senior subordinated notes 17,393 17,384 Total debt 3,055,217 3,040,252 Deferred tax liability 137,810 135,267 Derivative liabilities 5,959 9,746 Deferred compensation liability 107,001 81,481 Operating lease liabilities 38,026 43,155 Asset retirement obligations and other liabilities 87,549 91,157 Divestiture contract obligation 383,816 391,502 Common stock and retained earnings 1,694,342 1,668,146 Other comprehensive loss (409 ) (479 ) Common stock held in treasury stock (30,085 ) (30,132 ) Total stockholders equity 1,663,848 1,637,535 $ 6,174,660 $ 6,136,936 RECONCILIATION OF TOTAL REVENUES AND OTHER INCOME TO TOTAL REVENUE EXCLUDING CERTAIN ITEMS, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 % Total revenues and other income, as reported $ 626,032 $ 693,920 -10 % Adjustment for certain special items: Total change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement loss (gain) 18,484 (133,246 ) ARO settlement (gain) loss (1 ) Total revenues, as adjusted, non-GAAP $ 644,515 $ 560,674 15 % RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES (Unaudited in thousands) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Net income $ 27,151 $ 166,195 Adjustments to reconcile net cash provided from continuing operations: Deferred income tax expense 2,521 29,361 Depletion, depreciation, amortization and impairment 88,383 179,986 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 3,029 5,413 Derivative fair value loss (income) 57,879 (233,175 ) Cash (payments) settlements on derivative financial instruments (39,395 ) 99,929 Divestiture contract obligation 12,995 Allowance for bad debts 400 Amortization of deferred issuance costs and other 2,081 1,657 Deferred and stock-based compensation 30,054 476 Loss (gain) on sale of assets and other 1,860 (122,099 ) Loss (gain) on early extinguishment of debt 35 (12,923 ) Changes in working capital: Accounts receivable (33,146 ) 84,345 Inventory and other 122 (4,432 ) Accounts payable 34,418 18,660 Accrued liabilities and other (78,735 ) (89,287 ) Net changes in working capital (77,341 ) 9,286 Net cash provided from operating activities $ 109,252 $ 124,506 RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDED FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES, AS REPORTED, TO CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE CHANGES IN WORKING CAPITAL, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Net cash provided from operating activities, as reported $ 109,252 $ 124,506 Net changes in working capital 77,341 (9,286 ) Exploration expense 5,152 6,747 Lawsuit settlements 439 815 Exit and termination costs severance costs only 1,595 Non-cash compensation adjustment 1,249 613 Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital non-GAAP measure $ 193,433 $ 124,990 ADJUSTED WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Basic: Weighted average shares outstanding 248,306 249,409 Stock held by deferred compensation plan (6,147 ) (3,191 ) Adjusted basic 242,159 246,218 Dilutive: Weighted average shares outstanding 248,306 249,409 Dilutive stock options under treasury method (779 ) (1,725 ) Adjusted dilutive 247,527 247,684 RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF NATURAL GAS, NGLs AND OIL SALES AND DERIVATIVE FAIR VALUE INCOME (LOSS) TO CALCULATED CASH REALIZED NATURAL GAS, NGLs AND OIL PRICES WITH AND WITHOUT THIRD PARTY TRANSPORTATION, GATHERING AND COMPRESSION FEES, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, in thousands, except per unit data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 % Natural gas, NGL and oil sales components: Natural gas sales $ 335,801 $ 253,249 NGL sales 230,408 143,239 Oil sales 37,138 35,608 Total oil and gas sales, as reported $ 603,347 $ 432,096 40 % Derivative fair value (loss) income, as reported: $ (57,879 ) $ 233,175 Cash settlements on derivative financial instruments loss (gain): Natural gas 1,348 (80,172 ) NGLs 30,919 (10,043 ) Crude Oil 7,128 (9,714 ) Total change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement, a non-GAAP measure $ (18,484 ) $ 133,246 Transportation, gathering, processing and compression components: Natural gas $ 161,660 $ 169,841 NGLs 112,670 114,924 Total transportation, gathering, processing and compression, as reported $ 274,330 $ 284,765 Natural gas, NGL and oil sales, including cash-settled derivatives: (c) Natural gas sales $ 334,453 $ 333,421 NGL sales 199,489 153,282 Oil sales 30,010 45,322 Total $ 563,952 $ 532,025 6 % Production of oil and gas during the periods (a): Natural gas (mcf) 130,328,741 145,760,592 -11 % NGL (bbl) 8,742,944 9,633,035 -9 % Oil (bbl) 757,991 868,297 -13 % Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b) 187,334,351 208,768,584 -10 % Production of oil and gas average per day (a): Natural gas (mcf) 1,448,097 1,601,765 -10 % NGL (bbl) 97,144 105,858 -8 % Oil (bbl) 8,422 9,542 -12 % Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b) 2,081,493 2,294,160 -9 % Average prices, excluding derivative settlements and before third party transportation costs: Natural gas (mcf) $ 2.58 $ 1.74 48 % NGL (bbl) $ 26.35 $ 14.87 77 % Oil (bbl) $ 49.00 $ 41.01 19 % Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b) $ 3.22 $ 2.07 56 % Average prices, including derivative settlements before third party transportation costs: (c) Natural gas (mcf) $ 2.57 $ 2.29 12 % NGL (bbl) $ 22.82 $ 15.91 43 % Oil (bbl) $ 39.59 $ 52.20 -24 % Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b) $ 3.01 $ 2.55 18 % Average prices, including derivative settlements and after third party transportation costs: (d) Natural gas (mcf) $ 1.33 $ 1.12 18 % NGL (bbl) $ 9.93 $ 3.98 149 % Oil (bbl) $ 39.59 $ 52.20 -24 % Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b) $ 1.55 $ 1.18 31 % Transportation, gathering and compression expense per mcfe $ 1.46 $ 1.36 7 % (a) Represents volumes sold regardless of when produced. (b) Oil and NGLs are converted at the rate of one barrel equals six mcfe based upon the approximate relative energy content of oil to natural gas, which is not necessarily indicative of the relationship of oil and natural gas prices. (c) Excluding third party transportation, gathering and compression costs. (d) Net of transportation, gathering, and compression costs. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES AS REPORTED TO INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES EXCLUDING CERTAIN ITEMS, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, in thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 % Income from operations before income taxes, as reported $ 29,840 $ 195,193 (85 %) Adjustment for certain special items: Loss (gain) on sale of assets 1,860 (122,099 ) Gain on ARO settlements (1 ) Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement 18,484 (133,246 ) Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 3,029 5,413 Loss (gain) on early extinguishment of debt 35 (12,923 ) Impairment of proved property and other assets 77,000 Lawsuit settlements 439 815 Exit and termination costs 13,714 1,595 Brokered natural gas and marketing non-cash stock-based compensation 450 413 Direct operating non-cash stock-based compensation 327 450 Exploration expenses non-cash stock-based compensation 386 330 General & administrative non-cash stock-based compensation 9,405 8,029 Deferred compensation plan non-cash adjustment 19,811 (8,537 ) Income before income taxes, as adjusted 97,779 12,433 686 % Income tax expense (benefit), as adjusted Current 168 (363 ) Deferred (a) 24,445 3,108 Net income excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 73,166 $ 9,688 655 % Non-GAAP income per common share Basic $ 0.30 $ 0.04 650 % Diluted $ 0.30 $ 0.04 650 % Non-GAAP diluted shares outstanding, if dilutive 247,527 247,684 (a) Deferred taxes are estimated to be approximately 25% for 2021 and 2020. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME, EXCLUDING CERTAIN ITEMS AND ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE, non-GAAP measures (In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Net income, as reported $ 27,151 $ 166,195 Adjustment for certain special items: Loss (gain) on sale of assets 1,860 (122,099 ) (Gain) loss on ARO settlements (1 ) Loss (gain) on early extinguishment of debt 35 (12,923 ) Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement 18,484 (133,246 ) Impairment of proved property 77,000 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 3,029 5,413 Lawsuit settlements 439 815 Exit and termination costs 13,714 1,595 Non-cash stock-based compensation 10,568 9,222 Deferred compensation plan 19,811 (8,537 ) Tax impact (21,924 ) 26,253 Net income excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 73,166 $ 9,688 Net income per diluted share, as reported $ 0.11 $ 0.66 Adjustment for certain special items per diluted share: Loss (gain) on sale of assets 0.01 (0.49 ) (Gain) loss on ARO settlements (0.00 ) Loss (gain) on early extinguishment of debt 0.00 (0.05 ) Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement 0.07 (0.54 ) Impairment of proved property and other assets 0.31 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 0.01 0.02 Lawsuit settlements 0.00 0.00 Exit and termination costs 0.06 0.01 Non-cash stock-based compensation 0.04 0.04 Deferred compensation plan 0.08 (0.03 ) Adjustment for rounding differences 0.01 0.00 Tax impact (0.09 ) 0.11 Net income per diluted share, excluding certain items, a non- GAAP measure $ 0.30 $ 0.04 Adjusted earnings per share, a non-GAAP measure: Basic $ 0.30 $ 0.04 Diluted $ 0.30 $ 0.04 RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF CASH MARGIN PER MCFE, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, in thousands, except per unit data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Revenues Natural gas, NGL and oil sales, as reported $ 603,347 $ 432,096 Derivative fair value (loss) income, as reported (57,879 ) 233,175 Less non-cash fair value loss (gain) 18,484 (133,246 ) Brokered natural gas and marketing and other, as reported 80,564 28,649 Less ARO settlement and other (gains) losses (62 ) (260 ) Cash revenue applicable to production 644,454 560,414 Expenses Direct operating, as reported 17,650 32,035 Less direct operating stock-based compensation (327 ) (450 ) Transportation, gathering and compression, as reported 274,330 284,765 Production and ad valorem taxes, as reported 4,625 9,019 Brokered natural gas and marketing, as reported 72,335 32,624 Less brokered natural gas and marketing stock-based compensation (450 ) (413 ) General and administrative, as reported 38,004 42,254 Less G&A stock-based compensation (9,405 ) (8,029 ) Less lawsuit settlements (439 ) (815 ) Interest expense, as reported 56,878 47,518 Less amortization of deferred financing costs (2,287 ) (2,061 ) Cash expenses 450,914 436,447 Cash margin, a non-GAAP measure $ 193,540 $ 123,967 Mmcfe produced during period 187,334 208,769 Cash margin per mcfe $ 1.03 $ 0.59 RECONCILIATION OF INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES TO CASH MARGIN (Unaudited, in thousands, except per unit data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Income before income taxes, as reported $ 29,840 $ 195,193 Adjustments to reconcile income before income taxes to cash margin: ARO settlements and other gains (62 ) (260 ) Derivative fair value loss (income) 57,879 (233,175 ) Net cash (payments) receipts on derivative settlements (39,395 ) 99,929 Exploration expense 5,152 6,747 Lawsuit settlements 439 815 Exit and termination costs 13,714 1,595 Deferred compensation plan 19,811 (8,537 ) Stock-based compensation (direct operating, brokered natural gas and marketing, general and administrative and termination costs) 10,568 9,222 Interest amortization of deferred financing costs 2,287 2,061 Depletion, depreciation and amortization 88,383 102,986 Loss (gain) on sale of assets 1,860 (122,099 ) Loss (gain) on early extinguishment of debt 35 (12,923 ) Impairment of proved property 77,000 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 3,029 5,413 Cash margin, a non-GAAP measure $ 193,540 $ 123,967 SEE WEBSITE FOR OTHER SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR THE PERIODS AND ADDITIONAL HEDGING DETAILS Apr. 26After weeks of saying the newest round of federal relief funds can't be used to cover tax breaks of any kind, including relief for low-income workers and the unemployed, state lawmakers are now poised to use nearly half of the $1.6 billion allocated to the state under the American Rescue Plan Act to provide tax relief to Hawaii businesses. The state budget, which is expected to receive a final vote in the House and Senate on Tuesday, allocates more than $700 million in rescue plan funds to shield businesses from tax increases incurred by this past year's soaring unemployment rates. The move has angered critics, including labor union leaders, who say more should have been done to help the state's working class and unemployed. "It's a disservice to Hawaii, " said Eric Gill, financial secretary-treasurer of Unite Here Local 5, which represents 12, 000 hospitality, health care and food service workers in Hawaii. "The Legislature is playing games with the money and playing games to benefit the wealthiest among us." Gill said the tourism industry in Hawaii comprises some of the largest corporations in the world, which don't need the tax relief. As Hawaii's unemployment rate climbed this past year amid the coronavirus pandemic, government-imposed lockdowns and demise of tourism, the state's unemployment compensation trust fund, which is supported by businesses and used to pay jobless benefits, was quickly depleted. The state took out a federal loan last year to continue paying out unemployment claims, but businesses were on the hook to repay that money in the form of higher taxes. The automatic tax increases are designed to ensure the trust fund is replenished. The state is opting to absorb the entire amount of the approximately $740 million loan. Gov. David Ige, top lawmakers and business interests have said it makes sense to provide tax relief to businesses during the recession, particularly in Hawaii where so many businesses have struggled to survive amid the reeling economy. Not only would the tax relief help businesses stay afloat, they've argued, it would also help employers hire back workers, providing an overall boost to the economy. Story continues Last year, other states used money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the federal aid package enacted under former President Donald Trump, to replenish their unemployment compensation trust funds and prevent taxes on businesses from going up. But the practice raised some degree of partisan debate, with Republicans supporting the tax reductions for businesses and some Democrats arguing the money should go directly to the most needy. When President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue and Recovery Plan into law on March 11, the federal guidance tied to the relief package seemed to prevent such practices. States were told they were prohibited from using the funds to offset, directly or indirectly, tax cuts. Shortly thereafter, House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke said that all the tax relief bills moving through the Legislature were most certainly dead for the year, including a bill that would exempt unemployment compensation from state taxes and a bill that would extend the earned income tax credit, which provides tax breaks to low-income workers. The measures were quickly shelved, angering supporters who argued the federal guidance didn't automatically derail the bills. Indeed, the federal government had said that states could still enact tax cuts so long as they generated additional revenue elsewhere to cover the costs. Unions lobbied hard for the Legislature to revive the bill exempting jobless benefits from unemployment taxes and another bill that would raise the minimum wage, which was also shelved. But Luke (D, Punchbowl-Pauoa-Nuuanu ) and other House leaders were resolute that the federal guidance prohibited federal relief funds from being used to cover tax breaks and said it would be too hard to raise taxes in other areas to make up for the shortfall. The bill exempting unemployment compensation from state taxes was expected to cost the state about $190 million. The cost of the earned income tax credit is about $18 million a year. Rep. Roy Takumi (D, Pearl City-Waipio-Pearl Harbor ), who was backing a House bill to exempt jobless benefits from state taxes, said that in the end the federal restrictions really weren't relevant as to whether the state could give workers and the jobless tax relief. He had pushed for the Legislature to divvy up the money, giving businesses $500 million, rather than the full tax relief, and using the rest to cover tax relief for the unemployed. Takumi said a lot of residents who were pulling down unemployment couldn't afford to have the state taxes withdrawn last year and now owe hundreds of dollars they still can't afford to pay. "Obviously, the Legislature in its wisdom decided to give 100 % relief to the business community and zero relief to the jobless, " he said wryly. "That's a moral decision, not a financial decision." Meanwhile, state leaders say they are waiting on more federal guidance to make sure they can use the federal funds to cover the costs of replenishing the trust fund. But a review of the federal requirements indicates it's likely a moot point for Hawaii. The Legislature earlier this year fast-tracked the bill that lowered unemployment taxes for businesses, sending it to Ige's desk in February, well before the state budget was finalized. Ige signed the bill March 2. Federal requirements say states are only forbidden from using the federal funds to cover tax cuts that were implemented since March 3. "The timing does seem interesting, doesn't it ?" said Takumi when asked about the date. Ige didn't respond to questions about whether the bill was rushed to avoid the impending federal restriction on American Rescue Plan Act funds. At the time, state leaders said the bill was being expedited because the state labor department provides businesses with rate calculations in mid-March, though unemployment taxes for the quarter aren't due until April 30. Luke said it was likely just a coincidence. DEXTER, MI - Dexter Community Schools Superintendent Chris Timmis is interviewing for a superintendent job in the county where he got his start as an educator. Timmis was selected as one of five candidates to interview for the superintendent position with Wayne RESA, a regional educational service agency that provides services and support to Wayne Countys 33 school districts. After a national search conducted by the Michigan Association of School Boards, the Wayne RESA Board of Education selected these candidates, along Timmis, to interview to succeed current Superintendent Randy Liepa, who is retiring at the end of the school year: Vickie Cartwright, superintendent, Oshkosh Area School District, Wisconsin Daveda Colbert, associate superintendent Educational Services, Wayne RESA Catherine Cost, superintendent, Wyandotte Public Schools John Searles, superintendent, Midland County ESA Timmis, who has been a superintendent for 13 years, the last eight in Dexter, said he was not actively looking for a new position and that he was contacted regarding the opening. The decision to interview for the Wayne RESA superintendent position is one that is tied to my personal background and passion for educating kids, Timmis said in a letter to Dexter families on Friday, April 23. I grew up in Wayne County, taught in Wayne County, have a degree from Wayne State, and wrote my dissertation about schools of choice and the racial implications in Wayne County. The potential to help support learning for Wayne Countys 270,000+ kids and students on a statewide basis is appealing on a both personal and professional level. Timmis received a highly effective rating from the Dexter School Board in December 2020 - the highest rating possible - based on governance and board relations, community relations, staff relations, business and finance, instructional leadership, student growth and progress towards district-wide goals. The past eight years in Dexter have been extremely rewarding and I love this community, Timmis said. Every day, we are able to impact the lives and education of over 3,600 students. Dexter has been lucky to be under the direction of Timmis, Dexter School Board President Julie Schumaker said, adding she remains hopeful hell remain with the district. He is a visionary leader who is passionate about serving all kids, Schumaker said in a statement. Dr. Timmis grew up in Wayne County and started his educational career in the metro Detroit area, so his interest in the superintendent position of Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency is certainly understandable as it serves the districts and students of Wayne County. However, we are hopeful that he will remain at Dexter Community Schools to guide the implementation of several new educational programs and initiatives that he has championed. The first round of candidate interviews are being conducted virtually by the Wayne RESA Board of Education at 4:30 p.m. May 3, and 6:30 p.m. May 6. A link to watch the first-round of interviews will be available at www.RESA.net. Candidates chosen to advance will participate in a second interview scheduled on May 12, with the board hoping to select a successor for Liepa by the end of May. READ MORE: Dexter schools close for one day to assess COVID-19 cases, in-person options New high school principal picked in Dexter Washtenaw schools lost thousands of students during the pandemic. How will they bring them back? It's a new day, a new beginning. It's all about starting life afresh. So as you begin a new journey, find out what the stars have in store for you today. There are twelve zodiac signs and each has its distinct feature. Be it, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces each of the signs has something unique to tell. Aries You will be blessed by the moon and happiness will be all around you. This will help you in being more productive at the job. You will be faced with some domestic decisions which might require budgeting. You are advised to control your meetings with other people as these are very unprecedented times. Taurus Work related travel might come up, but you will have to take the call if youre ready to go out during these times or not. You might feel upset due to the health of one of your parents. Siblings may call for your help today. Colleagues will help you in finishing your tasks. Gemini Past investments are likely to bring some losses today. You will be surrounded by friends all throughout the day, and work might be put on the back burner. Singles will feel attracted to a past love. Married couples are likely to start planning a successful future with each other. Cancer You are likely to meet someone new today who will bring gains in your work life. Students are urged to focus on their futures today. The day will be full of happiness and monetary gains from past investments are also on the way. Spend some time cleaning up your room. Leo Health issues will be under control today. Problems with parents will be resolved. Money issues wont be a huge matter anymore and work will go smoothly. Its a good day for you Leo, its best if you use it to its advantage and get a lot of risky tasks done. Virgo You might feel dull due to lack of sleep today and this will affect your work. Take help from subordinates so your project doesnt mess up. Your domestic life might be slightly strained as you and your family will have differences in opinions. Lovers might face a short-term breakup. Libra Good luck is coming your way. Job seekers will find the right people to work with. Business will bring in profit. Health issues wont be a problem anymore. Lovers will find themselves connecting with each other better than before. Students will be able to concentrate better than ever. Scorpio Good news from relatives is going to make you happy today. Colleagues at work might make your tasks harder for you and superiors might be disappointed. Your spouse will find themselves in trouble, where you will have to go help them out. Keep away from investing in electronics today. Sagittarius Domestic issues will keep you busy today. Moving house might be a topic of conflict at home. Work will go smoothly and you wont be required at the office as much. Subordinates will help out with work well. If youve invested in stocks, they might be going into a loss. Its best to keep things in check today. Capricorn Music will be your saviour today. You will find yourself looking for a relaxed environment to work in. Your day will be away from your family. Socialising with friends is strongly in the cards today. Lovebirds are advised to keep patience, as conflict might be common today, but its nothing that wont be solved. Aquarius You will be busy with a charity project today. Parents will admire what youve been doing with your career lately and will express pride for you. Your boss will hand over more responsibilities to you. Creativity might not be the strongest suit today, so get your mechanical tasks out of the way first. Pisces The family business will bring up some conflict at home today. Your parents might not necessarily support your decisions. Job seekers will find better jobs by taking a break from the search today. Quarrels between siblings will be resolved. The astrological predictions are by Dr Sundeep Kochar. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Steven Seagal, the martial arts master who portrayed scores of heroic characters on ships, trains and crime-riddled streets, is making another executive decision. Seagal has put his Scotsdale, Ariz.-based bulletproof yes, bulletproof mansion on the market, according to numerous reports. As of this writing, the ex-Staten Island actor has listed his 12-acre desert property at $3.4 million. No word on whether Seagal is under siege with offers. Photographs of the home shared by the New York Post show the residence almost camouflaged among its dry, sandy surroundings. The home is built into a picturesque hillside which overlooks the Phoenix metro area, and it reportedly has five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Theres also a movie theater, a spa, an infinity pool and plenty of vibes that say Yes, this house is in a desert. The action star, who lived in Eltingville more than two decades ago, rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, ripping off hits like On Deadly Ground, and Under Siege, the latter focusing on an ex-Navy SEAL whos a cook on a battleship hijacked by terrorists played by Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey. Seagal and the late rapper DMX shared the screen in the 2001 crime-and-corruption flick, Exit Wounds. Last February, the Advance/SILive.com reported the actor agreed to pay a $157,000 Securities and Exchange Commission fine, and the same amount in promotional payments he received, in connection with a digital-coin scandal, authorities said. In 2008, a six-year legal battle between Staten Island filmmaker Julius Nasso and Seagal was put to rest when the two agreed to settle out of court and Nasso agreed to drop his $60 million suit against Seagal for an alleged breach of contract. Dec. 30, 1991, was proclaimed Steven Seagal Day by then-Borough President Guy V. Molinari, who hailed the actor for boosting the local economy' by shooting much of the footage for his films in New York City. As of this writing, were 248 days from celebrating. RADNOR, Pa., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP reminds Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS) ("Credit Suisse") investors that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of those who purchased or acquired Credit Suisse American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") between October 29, 2020 and March 31, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Deadline Reminder: Investors who purchased or acquired Credit Suisse ADRs during the Class Period may, no later than June 15, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Adrienne Bell, Esq. (484) 270-1435; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at [email protected]; or click https://www.ktmc.com/credit-suisse-class-action-lawsuit?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=credit_suisse Credit Suisse is a global financial services company based in Zurich, Switzerland. Greensill Capital ("Greensill"), who for filed for insolvency protection on March 8, 2021, was a financial services company based in the United Kingdom and Australia focused on the provision of supply-chain financing and related services. Archegos Capital Management ("Archegos") is a family office investment fund run by Sung Kook Hwang. On March 1, 2021, Credit Suisse froze $10 billion in funds that were invested in Greensill's financial products and held by its supply-chain investment funds. On March 8, 2021, Greensill filed for insolvency protection, as it found itself unable to repay a $140 million loan to Credit Suisse. By March 10, 2021, media reports revealed that Greensill investors had retained counsel and intended to sue Credit Suisse for their losses because Credit Suisse continued to market the biggest of the funds as a fully insured, low-risk product despite a decision by insurers during the summer of 2020 not to renew coverage. As the market digested this news, the market price of Credit Suisse ADRs fell from its close of $14.70 per ADR on March 1, 2021 to close at $12.85 per ADR by March 12, 2021, a decline of almost 13%. Then, on Friday, March 26, 2021, several of the large banks offering prime brokerage services to Archegos including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and UBS suddenly began liquidating billions of dollars' worth of shares that Archegos had swap positions on at fire sale prices after Archegos had failed to meet a margin call. By the time Credit Suisse tried to liquidate its own holdings of stocks underlying Archegos' swap contracts over the ensuing weekend, prices had already collapsed and Credit Suisse quickly racked up billions of dollars in losses. Credit Suisse issued a press release on March 29, 2021 conceding that "the loss resulting from this exit . . . could be highly significant and material to our first quarter results." The Financial Times then pegged Credit Suisse's estimated losses at between $3 billion and $5 billion, more than a year's worth of Credit Suisse's net profit. The market price of Credit Suisse ADRs fell another nearly 20% following this news, declining from a close of $13.21 per ADR on March 25, 2021 to close at $10.60 per ADR on March 31, 2021. The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, the defendants concealed material defects in Credit Suisse's risk policies and procedures and compliance oversight functions and efforts to allow high-risk clients to take on excessive leverage, including Greensill and Archegos, exposing Credit Suisse to billions of dollars in losses. Credit Suisse investors may, no later than June 15, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com. CONTACT: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP James Maro, Jr., Esq. Adrienne Bell, Esq. 280 King of Prussia Road Radnor, PA 19087 (844) 887-9500 (toll free) [email protected] SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP Related Links http://www.ktmc.com Rescue ships find more authentic evidences of wreckage from Indonesia's missing submarine Xinhua) 11:17, April 26, 2021 A military officer shows a video of the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala-402 recorded by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Bisinglasi/Xinhua) JAKARTA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Military (TNI) on Sunday afternoon said that rescue ships have found the location and more authentic evidence of wreckage of the missing submarine KRI Nanggala-402 in the ocean floor off Bali's northern coast. At a televised joint press conference, TNI said that one of its military ship KRI Rigel last night performed a more accurate scan of the location using multibeam sonar and magnetometer and produced more detailed underwater imagery, while Singaporean ship MV Ship Rescue also lowered its remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to visually amplify underwater imagery using a camera. "We have obtained images that have been confirmed as part of the KRI Nanggala-402 including the rear vertical rudder, anchor, outside parts of the pressure hull, the embossed diving rudder, other parts of the ship including the crew's safety suit MK11," TNI Chief Hadi Tjahjanto said. The military chief said that based on this authentic evidence, the KRI Nanggala-402 can be confirmed that it has drowned and all of its crew have died. "With deep sadness as the TNI Commander, I declare that 53 personnel who were on board the KRI Nanggala-402 have died," Tjahjanto said. The German-made-submarine lost contact after requesting diving permission to fire the Surface and Underwater Target (SUT) Torpedo at 3:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The ship has 53 people aboard, namely 49 crew members, one commander, and three arsenal personnel. A military officer shows a video of the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala-402 recorded by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Bisinglasi/Xinhua) A military officer shows a life jacket believed to be from the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala-402 during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Bisinglasi/Xinhua) An Indonesian Navy ship departs to carry out the search and rescue operation of submarine KRI Nanggala-402 at Tanjung Wangi Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua) Indonesian water police officers prepare for the search and rescue operation of submarine KRI Nanggala-402 at Tanjung Wangi Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua) (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) AFP / Getty Americas radical right a big hunk of the Republican Party often invokes Winston Churchill. Yet, that is mere incantation of a name, absent understanding of the mans life or moral core. In July 1945, Churchill and his party were done in by British voters in Parliamentary elections, given the boot just two months after his countrys epic triumph in World War II. Meeting in Germany with Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin, Churchill left immediately and turned government over to the Labour Party. He had every right to be shaken and bitterly disappointed, but there was no Big Lie of the Big Steal. There was no effort then or ever to make voting harder, to squelch the voters who had turned him out. Aristocratic to the core, Churchill always accepted and worked within his countrys democracy. Contrast Churchill to todays radical Republicans, pushing legislation in near 30 states to suppress voter turnout. Observe North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik doing everything in her power to nullify the 2020 election results, except her own, of course. One thing is certain: the congresswoman is no Churchill. William Colgan East Greenbush Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland Bern, 26.04.2021 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has filed an indictment in the Federal Criminal Court against a former employee of the Federal Roads Office FEDRO and two board members of a vehicle import company. According to the indictment, the two board members paid the FEDRO employee to change the data used to calculate CO2 sanctions so that their company was not required to pay any sanctions for more than three years. As a result, the Confederation has incurred a loss of around CHF 9 million. In 2012, Switzerland introduced CO2 emissions regulations for new cars with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions from new cars by the end of 2015 by an average of 130g CO2/km. If the average CO2 emissions of all vehicles of any importer exceed this goal, the Confederation charges a CO2 sanction. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE and the FEDRO keep the records on imports, and are responsible for billing and collecting the CO2 sanctions. In response to a criminal complaint from FEDRO, in September 2017 the OAG opened criminal proceedings against the FEDRO employee and extended the investigation shortly afterwards to include the two board members. Following complex enquiries, the OAG has now indicted the former FEDRO employee on multiple charges of forgery of a document by a public official (Art. 317 No 1 of the Swiss Criminal Code, SCC), multiple counts of accepting bribes (Art. 322quater SCC), commercial tax fraud (Art. 14 para. 4 of the Administrative Criminal Law Act, ACLA) and multiple counts of obtaining a false certificate by fraud (Art. 15 No 1 ACLA). The two other suspects face multiple charges of inciting forgery of a document by a public official (Art. 317 No 1 in conjunction with Art. 24 para. 1 SCC), multiple counts of bribery (Art. 322ter SCC), commercial tax fraud (Art. 14 para. 4 ACLA) and multiple counts of obtaining a false certificate by fraud (Art. 15 No 1 ACLA). Data falsified and manipulated between 2014 and 2017 The former FEDRO employee worked for its Road Traffic Division as a technical case officer from May 2012 to September 2017. The suspect is alleged, in the period from June 2014 to September 2017, to have manipulated the data in the FEDRO computer systems that are required for collecting CO2 sanctions so as to benefit the vehicle import company concerned. In return, the two board members involved apparently paid him CHF 2,000 in cash every month. As a consequence, the vehicle import company did not have to pay any CO2 sanctions on the cars that it imported from 2015 to 2017. If the correct data had been recorded, the company would have had to pay around CHF 9 million in sanctions. As is customary, the OAG will announce the penalties that it is proposing at the main hearing before the Federal Criminal Court. With filing of the indictment, the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona becomes responsible for answering any further media enquiries. The presumption of innocence applies until a legally binding judgment has been issued. Address for enquiries Communications Service of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, T +41 58 464 32 40, info@ba.admin.ch Publisher Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland http://www.ba.admin.ch/ LEAD School, a K-12 player, has raised $30 million in Series D funding round led by Global VC Fund GSV Ventures along with WestBridge, an existing investor. This is GSV Ventures first major investment in an India-based firm. The latest funding round will be used by the company to accelerate growth by building a pan India brand, rollout of new product offerings, strategic acquisitions and hiring top talent across domains. The companys Integrated System for schools has driven 3X growth in 2020 by helping schools deliver uninterrupted learning whether online, hybrid or in physical classrooms. Having reached a landmark milestone of 2,000-plus schools catering to over 800k students, LEAD is well on its way to cater to 25,000 schools in the next five years. This is in line with its mission of making excellent education accessible and affordable to every child in the country. This funding round follows the Series C funding of $28 million led by WestBridge and Elevar Equity in August 2020 and the acquisition of student assessment startup QuizNext in December 2020. LEAD has grown at a rapid pace over the last 3 years and the current round is its fourth round of institutional funding since its first investment led by Elevar in 2017, who continues to be a major shareholder. LEAD School Co-founder and CEO Sumeet Mehta said, We are impatient to reach out to the 1.5 million schools and 260 million school going children in India so that we can transform the arc of education in this country. Globally, GSV is known as a specialised fund that backs innovation oriented education We hope to benefit from their deep insights and leverage their network to bring more innovation to our students in India. GSV Ventures Managing Partner Deborah Quazzo said, LEAD School is rapidly emerging as a paradigm for transforming K-12 education. Based in India and partnered with affordable school owners (a segment that is larger than the entire US K-12 system), LEAD serves over 800,000 students today. LEAD has experienced tremendous growth because of its consistent delivery of high academic outcomes to students and high return on education to teachers, school owners and parents. GSV is honored to be investing in an organization that is changing the life trajectory of so many students. WestBridge Capital Co-founder Sandeep Singhal said, In the last few months, the edtech sector has evolved rapidly, changing the trajectory of the Indian education system. We see great potential in LEAD School, given their innovative and focused approach in ensuring accessible, quality school-level education for all. As a firm, we believe in investing in ventures that have a large scale impact and are convinced LEAD School will create a strong positive impact on the educational outcomes of millions of young minds. Founded by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah in 2012, the company initially began operations by running affordable schools and teaching middle-school students. The company then built its platform, the LEAD Integrated System, which it began offering in 2017 with a mission to make excellent schools accessible and affordable to every child. The offshore oil industry boat that overturned in a deadly Gulf of Mexico disaster last week was ordered to sea in dangerous conditions by an energy company that put money over safety, a pair of $25 million lawsuits assert. The lawsuits were filed in Texas state court in Houston by a lawyer for Hannah Daspit and Krista Vercher, both of Louisiana. Daspits husband, Dylan Daspit, and Verchers fiance, Jay Guevara, were among the 19 people working on the boat when it overturned in stormy weather April 13. Six people were rescued, and six bodies had been recovered and identified as of Friday afternoon. Dylan Daspit and Guevara were among seven missing and presumed dead. Haspit filed suit on April 21 in Texas state court in Houston. Vercher, suing on behalf of herself and Guevaras child, sued April 23. Both suits, filed by attorney Francis Spagnoletti, fault Talos Energy as well as lift boat operator Seacor Marine LLC and its affiliate Seacor Lifftboats LLC for the fatal accident. They are the first of what is expected to be numerous lawsuits filed over the capsizing of the Seacor Power, a 234-foot-long (71-meter-long) lift boat. The vessel was en route from Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to a Talos platform when it overturned. Dylan Daspit lost his life in the tragic capsizing of the vessel, for the decision of these Defendants to put money over his life, the Daspit lawsuit said. The similarly worded lawsuit filed Friday says Krista Vercher lost her better half, and adds that Guevaras child lost his father. The lawsuits involve issues likely to be critical in a National Transportation Safety Board investigation, which is expected to take as long as two years, and in litigation. They include the role of the weather in the capsizing, whether the vessel should have put to sea despite forecasts of storms and who should be held responsible. The suits list numerous allegations against the companies, including that they failed to adequately assess weather conditions and failed to have an emergency plan. The suits specifically accuse Talos of ordering the vessel to sea in unsafe conditions as the charterer. Seacor did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday. A spokesman for Talos said the company does not comment on litigation. The company, however, had already addressed the decision to leave port before the lawsuit was filed. The Seacor Power was in port for service and inspections for several days prior to its departure, the company said Saturday in answer to a query by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. The vessel was not at a Talos facility and was fully under the command of its captain and Seacor Marine, including when to depart the port. The statement was confirmed Friday by spokesman Brian Grove. The captain of the vessel, David Ledet, 63, was among the dead. He is not mentioned in the lawsuit. National Weather Service forecasts and advisories archived by Iowa State University show a special marine warning for the waters off Port Fourchon shortly after noon on April 13. It warned of a thunderstorm in the area with winds in excess of 34 knots (39 mph or 63 km/h), which are tropical storm force winds, and suddenly higher waves. Boats could sustain damage or capsize. Make sure all on board are wearing life jackets. Return to safe harbor if possible, the warning said. Still, there was no indication before the boats departure at 1:30 p.m. of the winds in excess of 80 mph (129 km/h), which are well beyond hurricane strength, and waves 7 to 9 feet high (2.1 to 2.7 meters) that the Coast Guard said the boat encountered about the time it overturned after 4 p.m. John Gellert, president of Seacor, has said the forecasts did not portend weather the boat was incapable of handling. The weather they were forecasted to encounter was well within the limits of the vessel. The weather that they encountered was well beyond the forecast, as far as we know, at this time, he said during a news conference Monday. Gellert said then that the decision on whether to go or not was up to the captain. He also said Ledet had the companys full support. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits More than 250,000 people will receive tailored support to overcome barriers and find work Maximus has secured two prime contracts to deliver the Restart programme in South and East London, and in South and West Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The Restart programme provides 12 months of tailored and community-based support for people that are long-term unemployed, and forms part of the UK Governments Plan for Jobs to help people directly impacted by the pandemic. It was procured through the CAEHRS Framework announced last year. To deliver the programme, Maximus has partnered with local authorities, social enterprises and sector experts in recruitment and skills and leading providers of adult education. Maximus will also invest more than ten million pounds into hundreds of community organisations, charities and small and medium sized businesses through our innovative Community Partnership Networks, co-locating services in towns and cities and funding innovative support to help Restart participants develop new skills, overcome barriers and find work. In total, the two contracts the maximum that could be won by a single provider are for four years, with a two year option, and are valued at more than 690m for the total contract period. Maximus is one of the largest and highest performing employment support providers in the country, operating at scale across England, Scotland and Wales, supporting nearly 300,000 people into work. The result announced today builds on the companys existing delivery while also expanding into new areas. Together with supply chain partners, Maximus will be recruiting more than 1,500 people to deliver the programme. Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP, said: "Our Plan for Jobs is already delivering fresh hope and new opportunity across the country after the impact of the pandemic on our Labour market. The new Restart programme will give over a million jobseekers the crucial tailored support they need to get back into employment as we push to build back better." Story continues Dr Paul Williams, Division President of Maximus UK, said: "Through Restart and our wider delivery in communities right across Britain, we are committed to playing our part in the national effort to rebuild the British economy. This result cements our position as one of the leading providers of employment support both in the UK and globally, recognising our track record of strong performance and working collaboratively with local partners." Bruce Caswell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maximus, said: "Maximus is committed to helping governments around the globe in their efforts to rebuild their economies and deal with the impacts of the pandemic on their citizens. We are proud to be taking a leading role in the UK Governments Restart program to help people find employment. We have a long history of providing high performing and innovative employment support in the UK and we will use this expertise to help more people than ever before." About Maximus UK Maximus UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maximus, Inc., operates several businesses in the UK, including the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments, Remploy and Health Management. Maximus UK employs 4,000 staff, including over 1,400 doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and other Healthcare Professionals. Operating from more than 270 locations, Maximus UK is one of the largest providers of employment, health and disability support programmes in the country. Learn more at maximusuk.co.uk. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210425005027/en/ Contacts For further information or comment: Martin Forsythe: 07793 221214 mforsythe@maximusuk.co.uk Tom Hicks: 07810 834487 / thicks@maximusuk.co.uk Elon Musk bagged a $299million (215million) bonus as Tesla posted record profits of $438million last night. The billionaire boss of the US electric car maker scooped the award after its market capitalisation surged earlier this year, its results revealed. The company has seen its valuation slip since a peak in January but is still worth $709 billion - making it the world's most valuable car maker. The company said sales in the first three months of the year leapt 74 per cent to $10.39 billion (7.5billion), beating the $10.29 billion expected by Wall Street analysts. Elon Musk, the billionaire boss of the electric car maker Tesla, has earned himself a bumper bonus - and while Tesla's shares have slipped since a January peak it is still worth $709 billion Profits for the period reached a new high for the company of $438million, with earnings boosted by a $101 million profit on selling some of its bitcoin and $518 million from sales of regulatory credits to other car makers, which help them offset their fossil fuelled vehicles to meet emmissions targets. Tesla revealed in February that it had bought $1.5 billion in bitcoin and its maverick founder has been tweting regularly about cryptocurrencies and most recently dogecoin, as the value of the dog meme cryptocurrency initially created as a joke has soared. In a tweet, Musk said Tesla sold 10 per cent of its bitcoin holding in order to prove its liquidity as an alternative to cash on the balance sheet. Tesla's sales boom came on the back of record production figures at the firm and surging demand for electric cars globally. The firm produced 180,338 cars during the period, up from 88,400 in 2020. However, Teslas shares dipped in after-hours trading, slipping 2.5 per cent from $738.20 to $719.90. Last night Tesla said it was poised to start deliveries of its updated Model S saloon car and was making progress building factories in Berlin and Texas. It added: There is a lot to be excited about in 2021. The company has enjoyed booming sales of late, buoyed by the growing shift towards green technology. Its flagship Model Y crossover and the Model 3 saloon car have been in particular demand, prompting the companys expansion of operations in both Europe and China. Tesla started production of the Model Y late last year at its Shanghai factory, where it already makes the Model 3. Musk tweeted that Tesla sold bitcoin in order to prove it as a liquid alternative to cash Tesla shares at $738 have slipped back since their peak earlier this year but are still up 360 per cent on a year ago and 730 per cent on the start of 2020 when they stood at about $89 That paid off in February, when its China sales jumped from the previous month despite it being a time when demand usually falls during Chinas Lunar New Year holidays. Another boost came this month when Tesla notched up record production figures for the first quarter of this year, even in the face of global chip shortages. Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said the numbers were a drop the mic moment that defied predictions by detractors. He predicted Teslas annual sales will exceed 850,000 vehicles this year, fuelled by President Bidens policy of boosting electric vehicle sales in the US and surging demand globally. Tesla said last night it was expecting to increase vehicle deliveries by 50 per cent each year. Tesla has seen sales soar but the electric car market is becoming increasingly competitive as established car maker join the fray to compete against cars such as the Model S However, it comes as the electric car market is becoming increasingly busy, with rivals such as Ford and Volks-wagen pledging to plough billions into their own new models and research. Tesla also faces questions in the United States over a crash involving one of its Model S cars that killed two men. An investigation into the incident, which happened in Texas earlier this month, is said to have found that no one was sitting in the drivers seat. That has prompted speculation that the vehicles autonomous autopilot system was running. Musk denied that, saying data recovered from the car indicated it was not using self-driving software. But Tesla faces calls for a federal probe. 350+ truck tractors, 230+ excavators, 140+ dozers, 370+ pick trucks and more sell May 3 8, 2021 EDMONTON, AB, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Next week Ritchie Bros. will conduct its largest auction ever, selling approximately 14,000 items for 1,700+ consignors in Edmonton, AB. In 60+ years, the company has never seen this much equipment in one place and in six days it will all be gone. Sold to tens of thousands of online bidders from around the world. Equipment highlights in the May 3 8, 2021 unreserved auction includes 350+ truck tractors, 230+ excavators, 140+ dozers, 120+ aerial work platforms, 370+ pickup trucks, and a lot more. PriorityBid is now open, with items available to be inspected onsite in Edmonton, following strict social distancing rules, and virtually at rbauction.com. "This massive auction showcases the power of our operational expertise, as we've processed more equipment and collected more info for buyers than ever before," said Trent Vandenberghe, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. "We have also uploaded thousands equipment videos for this auction to help our customers with virtual inspections. This auction should have something for everyoneget online and start shopping today!" The six-day Edmonton auction includes multiple fleet realignments and complete dispersals from Alberta consignors, including hundreds of items for Hammer's Gravel Supplies Ltd., Cinco Development Ltd., K & C Oilfield Hauling Ltd., and Absolute Crossings Ltd. "When you sell at a Ritchie Bros. auction, you know your equipment will be sold that day. If we tried to liquidate everything ourselves it could take a year," said Dean Swanberg of Absolute Crossings. "Ritchie Bros. has some of the best advertising in the business and they're fair and honest to deal witha great place to sell." Auction Schedule: Day One ( Monday, May 3 ) Reefer Trucks, Van Trucks , Flatbed Trucks, Fuel & Lube Trucks, Plow Trucks, Stone Slinger Trucks , Dump Trucks, Dump Trailers, Truck Tractors and more ) Reefer Trucks, , Flatbed Trucks, Fuel & Lube Trucks, Plow Trucks, , Dump Trucks, Dump Trailers, Truck Tractors and more Day Two ( Tuesday, May 4 ) Loader Backhoes, Wheel Loaders, Rock Trucks, Articulated Dump Trucks, Motor Graders and Scrapers, Trailers, Real Estate and more ) Loader Backhoes, Wheel Loaders, Rock Trucks, Articulated Dump Trucks, Motor Graders and Scrapers, Trailers, Real Estate and more Day Three ( Wednesday, May 5 ) - Crawler Dumpers, Compact Track Loaders, Skid Steers, ATVs, Crawler Tractors, Crawler Loaders, Pipelayers, Cranes, Drilling Equipment and more ) - Crawler Dumpers, Compact Track Loaders, Skid Steers, ATVs, Crawler Tractors, Crawler Loaders, Pipelayers, Cranes, Drilling Equipment and more Day Four ( Thursday, May 6 ) Excavators, Sweepers, Pavers, Crushing, Conveyers, Compaction, Rollers, Rough Terrain and Telescopic Forklifts, Forestry Equipment, RVs and more ) Excavators, Sweepers, Pavers, Crushing, Conveyers, Compaction, Rollers, Rough Terrain and Telescopic Forklifts, Forestry Equipment, RVs and more Day Five & Six ( May 7 & 8) Timed Auction Lots only Bidding Options: PriorityBid: place bids before the live auction begins! Set a max bid and our system bids for you Live online auction: listen to the auctioneer and bid online in real time from your desktop or laptop computer Mobile app: listen to the auctioneer and bid online in real time from your phone or tablet Timed Auction: our automated online bidding system with no auctioneer and new dynamic close capabilities to give bidders more opportunity to win items. Opens April 28 and closes at staggered times throughout the event. For more equipment and auction info, visit rbauction.com/Edmonton. Ritchie Bros. is hosting three pre-auction educational seminars for customers this weekcovering virtual inspections, cross-border shopping, and Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions tools. The company will also host two live industry panels on May 10, discussing the Canadian construction and agriculture industries. For more information about these events, visit rbauction.com/blog. 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. Sorry! This content is not available in your region President of the College Republicans at LSU Ben Smith attends an art history class taught by Ludovico Geymonat at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on April 13, 2021. REUTERS End to End Visibility. Grape to Glass Functionality. An industry solution specifically built for the Wine & Beverage industry with end to end business visibility built into the solution Lean Vintners story is about the wineries they assist, the relationships they develop along the way, the services they provide, and the results they accomplish. Lean Vintner focuses on eliminating non-value-added activities, providing enhancements in productivity, quality and safety while being regulatory compliant. Liubomir Popovici, Founder and President of Lean Vintner stated, Our team is excited to join NuVerge. Their NuTrax for Wine and NuTrax for Agriculture products, which we contributed to developing along the way, are specifically designed for these industries. We look forward to assisting NuVerge to expand their product footprint while continuing to deliver high-value industry-specific consulting services. NuTrax for Wine and NuTrax for Agriculture are NuVerge industry solutions built for the Wine & Beverage and Agriculture industries. The solutions are built on next-generation SaaS + PaaS application technologies with accelerators and pre-configurations that jump-start your next strategic Enterprise-Grade Wine & Beverage applications move. This next-generation software and technology will accelerate business process automation and digital transformation for our clients. When you want to achieve winery operations excellence, you hire Lean Vintner! Lean Vintner is making a positive impact in the Wine Industry through its expert consulting, elevating their client business resilience through excellence in winery operations. Their focus on eliminating non-value-added activities, providing enhancements in productivity, quality and safety while being regulatory compliant will enrich our consulting and significantly improve our NuTrax for Wine product offerings. said Mark Goedde, President & CEO. About NuVerge Established in 2018, NuVerge is a Global Reseller of Nextworld ERP Applications and Nextbot (a No-Code platform for business process automation). NuVerge is committed to leveraging Next Generation Business Software and Technologies that focuses on digital transformation and accelerated process automation. The NuVerge Strategy is simple; assist our clients in the untethering of legacy software while improving their organizational performance and growing their business at an unprecedented pace. NuVerge is headquartered in Longmont, Colorado, and serves its North American client base from its East and West regional offices. Please visit http://www.nuverge.com for additional information. About Lean Vintner: Lean Vintner is an Ontario based consulting firm specializing in providing Vintners with Continuous Improvement and Winemaking consulting services using Lean Production tools and concepts. Our story is about the wineries we assist, the relationships we develop along the way, the services we provide , and the results we accomplish. Contact: Press@nuverge.com Trademarks: Lean Vintner is a registered trademark of Lean Vintner and/or its affiliates. NuTrax for Wine and NuTrax for Agriculture are registered trademarks of NuVerge, LLC. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. As reports of sky-high rental car prices in major tourist destinations like Hawaii continue, tourists are getting creative in their pursuit of an affordable vehicle for exploring. Business Insider reported that Hawaii visitors are renting U-Hauls smaller vehicles, including pickups and cargo vans, for a few days to a week because the prices are lower. "We have seen a considerable uptick in U-Haul rentals from customers who are visiting the islands now," Kaleo Alau, the president of U-Haul in Hawaii, told SFGATE in an email statement. "We realize this demand is occurring when tourists are unable to secure a rental car, or they learn that our rental fleet options are more affordable. This has become a problem for locals, who now cant always access these rentals when they need them. We are working everyday with our primary customer base the islands residential movers to ensure we can still meet their transportation needs, Alau said. We are recommending that if you have a move coming up, please call us ... and reserve your equipment well in advance. These thrifty tourists may be on to something. The booking site Kayak reports unusually high demand in Honolulu this weekend (589% above normal), with the cheapest available car for rent from the Honolulu airport (a Ford Fiesta) costing $127 a day. To rent a U-Haul pickup in Honolulu this weekend it will cost $62.85, plus $0.89 per mile (so about $150 total for 3 days if you drive up to 100 miles and dont add any insurance). Rental car prices have gotten so high in some places that authorities are investigating, according to a recent story by travel news site TravelPulse. While there may be more tourists flocking to the island paradise now than in recent months, a CNN story suggests thats not the only reason prices have risen. Since rental car companies were hard hit by the pandemic, many had to sell off a significant chunk of their fleet in order to weather the protracted downturn in tourism and business travel. Now that theres demand, there simply isnt enough supply. The best way to avoid inflated prices is to book far in advance, travel industry experts say, especially in places like Hawaii. SFGATE travel editor Freda Moon contributed to this article. Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge rejects the link between increased school funding and better student performance, arguing the UK has lifted results in reading, maths and science in the past 10 years even while cutting education spending. Mr Tudge says Australia should look to the UK as it seeks to reverse two decades of declining results in reading, maths and science. Education Minister Alan Tudge says increased funding is not the key to better school results. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen In the past decade, the UK has cut per-child school funding by 9 per cent in real terms, while also giving principals more freedom over management decisions such as setting staff pay, Mr Tudge says. In a speech to The Age Schools Summit on Tuesday, the federal minister will also say getting Australia back into the top group of nations in school education performance by 2030 is his most important goal. President Joe Biden today announced federal disaster relief assistance for eight counties affected by a string of spring tornadoes March 25 and 26. The package covers affected individuals in Bibb, Calhoun, Clay, Hale, Jefferson, Perry, Randolph, and Shelby counties. In an announcement, the White House said assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures throughout the state. Gov. Kay Ivey encouraged people in those counties to seek assistance. Alabama knows all too well the devastating effects severe weather can have, but we always rebuild back stronger, Ivey said in a statement. I saw firsthand some of the damage from the March 25 tornadoes and after the local assessment came in, I sent a request to the president and FEMA so that we could get the deserved additional aid for our people. We have been working diligently to get this done, and I am pleased that Alabama will see additional help. Ivey said state officials are still gathering information. Additional designations may be made later if requested by the state and based on further damage assessments. Residents and business owners affected by the storms can begin applying for assistance by registering online or by calling 1-800-621-3362, or 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CDT seven days a week until further notice. In a weekend letter to Istanbuls Armenian Patriarch Sahak Mashalian, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his administration stands ready to develop Turkish-Armenian relations on the basis of the principles of good neighborliness and mutual respect. Erdogan did not specify whether Ankara still sets preconditions for establishing diplomatic relations with Yerevan and opening the border between the two states. We are familiar with the Turkish presidents letter and the readiness expressed in it, said Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian. But I must say that we attach importance not only to words but also actions. There have already been similar messages [from Ankara] in the past. There was even a signed bilateral document which never had a continuation, he told a news conference with Lithuanias visiting Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. Ayvazian referred to the 2008 Turkish-Armenian protocols on the normalization of bilateral ties. Erdogans government refused to implement them, citing the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Ankara shut down the Turkish-Armenian border in 1993 and has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan since then out of solidarity with Azerbaijan. It has yet to clarify whether a Karabakh settlement acceptable to Baku remains a precondition for normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations after last years war that resulted in the restoration of Azerbaijani control over all districts around Karabakh. During the six-week war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire on November 10, the Turks supported the Azerbaijani army with weapons and expert advice. They also reportedly recruited thousands of Syrian mercenaries and sent them to fight in Karabakh on the Azerbaijani side. Armenian leaders have repeatedly described the hostilities as a Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia and Karabakh. Ayvazian said late last month that the Turkish government must end its hostile policies towards Armenia if it wants to contribute to peace and stability in the region. Erdogan sent his letter to the spiritual leader of Turkeys small Armenian community on the 106th anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. He again offered his condolences to the descendants of Armenians who died in the difficult conditions created during the First World War. Ankara denies a premeditated government effort to exterminate Ottoman Turkeys Armenian population. Erdogan has claimed that Armenians themselves massacred Muslim civilians and that their mass deportations to the Syrian desert was the most reasonable action that could be taken by the Ottoman regime of the Young Turks. U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday officially described the 1915 mass killings of some 1.5 million Armenians as genocide in a statement hailed by Armenia but condemned by Turkey. The U.S. ambassador in Ankara was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday in connection with the unacceptable statement. Ayvazian reiterated Yerevans strong approval of Bidens move, saying that it will help to prevent more crimes against humanity. Romanian veterans who fought in the Second World War will each receive, in the following days, a gift with traditional products, as well as a tricolor flag, in an action that symbolically began, on Monday, in the Union Hall in central Alba Iulia, in the presence of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu. At the ceremony, he indeed offered the first package to veteran Laurean Deac, now 99 years old, one of the 2,610 veterans still alive. Laurean Deac recalled that he was incorporated on April 1, 1943, and after fighting on the Front in Russia, he became a prisoner in Asia Minor, from where he was released only in 1948. "Thank God (...). I had help from Above for surviving," the veteran said. "It is a great honor for me to be together and open this campaign alongside veterans. It is a special moment, it is an emotional moment. We are in a place with important historical values. I think we could not have chosen a better place to launch this campaign other than in Alba Iulia, it is the symbol of our unity, it is the symbol of the values for which our brave war veterans fought," said the Chief of Defense Staff. Like the war veteran from Alba Iulia, all the Romanian soldiers who fought and survived the second world conflagration will receive this week a package containing a cake, chocolate and a bottle of wine from a collection dedicated to this campaign. "Today we have 2,610 survivors of the Second World War, whom we must thank for their faith and manhood with which they resisted in times of trial. (...) The Ministry of National Defense, in partnership with the Association 'Alongside Heroes', is holding a series of events dedicated to 'War Veterans Day', through which we aim to bring the heroes of World War II to public attention, so that they are even better known, and more respected and become true models of inspiration. One of the steps taken for the first time is to prepare a gift for each brave fighter, materialized by receiving the Romanian flag, along with a bottle of wine and cake, especially in the context of the Easter holidays, as a symbol of communion with and sharing of the same values," said, in his turn, the Secretary of State with the Ministry of National Defense, Marius Balu. Marius Balu specified that, by order of the Minister of National Defense, all war veterans were promoted on the occasion of the "War Veterans Day", marked on April 29. ---- Heres a civics question for U.S. citizens and would-be citizens alike: Whom does a U.S. senator represent all the people of a state, or all the citizens of a state? A year ago, if you said all the people, you would have been correct. But in an Orwellian twist, the administration of President Donald Trump tossed that fact into the memory hole. As far as the naturalization test and study guides for people looking to become U.S. citizens are concerned, the correct answer is now all the citizens. It doesnt matter what the U.S. Constitution says, what legal experts say, or what members of Congress have long understood. The revised wording fits Mr. Trumps quest, both partisan and bigoted, to dehumanize and marginalize immigrants, particularly the millions of undocumented foreigners living and working in the United States whom he has singled out for vilification for years. The revision of the naturalization test and study guide comes as the administration is trying to exclude undocumented immigrants from the final numbers in the 2020 U.S. census. Initially, it had tried to insert a question into the census form about immigration status, a move widely viewed as an attempt to intimidate immigrants from responding. Courts rebuffed that ploy. Now the administration is before the U.S. Supreme Court trying to exclude anyone who isnt a citizen from the final census count, which is used for apportioning congressional representation and federal aid. The change in the naturalization test answer is a reflection of the legal argument the administration took to court, and a preemptive attempt to turn that argument into settled constitutional fact. Well, not so fast. Justices on Monday sounded skeptical of the administrations case, as they should be. The Constitution is clear on this matter. It requires a census every ten years of the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons (a reference to enslaved people). Mr. Trumps new court appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, told the administration lawyers that a lot of the historical evidence and long-standing practice really cuts against your position. Two motivations in particular seem to be behind this Trumpian mischief. First, Mr. Trump has built his political career on anti-immigrant rhetoric and the notion of building an impenetrable wall on the U.S. border, a fantastical idea that nonetheless had broad appeal with the Republican base. Second, excluding undocumented immigrants from the population calculations that go into drawing congressional districts would tend to reduce representation from Democratic areas more than Republican ones. Yes, this is all politics. But contrary to what Mr. Trump may think, alls not fair in political warfare, not when it comes to violating the Constitution and using Orwellian tricks to revise 231 years of U.S. history. The plain language of the Constitution is before the Supreme Court. In upholding it, the court can also affirm the reality of millions of people who live and work among us, legally or not. There is no erasing them as Persons, as the Constitution says, much as Mr. Trump may wish to do so. Black people are far more likely to be arrested or fined for simple pot possession in New Orleans than other residents, an analysis released Monday shows. That research has the New Orleans City Council considering whether to drop fines associated with marijuana use to as low as one dollar per offense and to take other steps to decriminalize the drug in the city, members said during a committee meeting. The moves would be in line with steps by the council in recent years to end harsh penalties for cannabis use, moving in 2010 and 2016 to allow police to issue a municipal summons to someone caught with pot, rather than arresting them. Councilmember Helena Moreno said at a meeting of the council's criminal justice committee Monday that she plans to introduce language in the coming weeks to reduce the current charge of $40 per cannabis offense down to one dollar. If passed by the full council, that rule would put New Orleans on a par with cities in Wisconsin, Kansas and others that have sought to decriminalize the drug. "Look, if I could legalize recreational marijuana on the local level, I would do it," Moreno said. "But every legal expert including our own lawyers has told me it cant be done. ... But I think there's a lot of work to be done on decriminalization." The rule change would come amid research that shows Americans increasingly support the legalization of pot for both medical and recreational use, and as the state Legislature is considering bills to expand modest medicinal marijuana laws already on the books. A smaller effort to allow use for nonmedical reasons is also underway. Roughly 60% of American adults say pot should be legal for all types of use, according to the Pew Research Center. About 55% of Louisiana residents supported legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreation in 2019, the LSU Public Policy Research Lab found; other polls have found even more of the state's residents back that idea. Citing changing attitudes and a need for police to focus on violent crimes, the council in 2010 passed laws that allowed officers to write summonses for first-time pot possession. That was expanded in 2016 to include subsequent offenses, moves that caused arrests for pot possession in the city to drop by nearly 99% from 2009 to 2020, crime analyst Jeff Asher said Monday. But even as arrests declined, Black people remained the most likely to be the targets of marijuana enforcement laws a fact that was true in 2010, before the council amended its rules. In 2020, about 86% of all arrests and summonses issued for weed were issued to Black residents, most often Black males, according to Asher's analysis. 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 That's even as Black people make up only 60% of the city's population, and as national studies have shown that Black and White people use marijuana at comparable rates. "The demographic makeup of who is getting arrested and who is getting summonses has remained largely unchanged over the last decade," Asher said. The analysis also found that in 2020, over half of the people who received Municipal Court summonses for marijuana possession failed to show up a fact Asher said proved anti-marijuana laws have "become less and less of an effective policy" in the city. Amid concerns about arrest policies, New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said in an earlier presentation to the committee that marijuana arrests and summonses are "not the result of any type of biased policing in and of itself of any race." Still, the chief executive of one advocacy group said the data suggests a need for more action. In addition to Moreno's proposal, William Snowden of the Vera Institute of Justice said the city could also look at hosting expungement clinics for people with cannabis-related convictions, dismissing any such prosecutions and making the "smell of marijuana" an invalid justification for police to perform a traffic stop. Moreno said the city might also examine its own policies, such as a ban on city employment for people who test positive for pot. Getting rid of that wouldn't mean that "people can smoke in the workplace," she added; it would simply mean that doing so off the job wouldn't automatically warrant a termination. Jay H. Banks, the committee's chairperson, added that the city's "antiquated" civil service rules have already spelled out trouble for one city employee who smoked weed during a stay in Colorado where consumption is legal then came back to his job in New Orleans and was tested. He said changing those rules and others would put New Orleans on a level playing field with other progressive cities. "The tide is turning; and this is the direction this whole country is going in," Banks said. Statement of Senator Joel Villanueva on the number of COVID-19 cases breaching the 1 million mark The 1 million Filipinos infected by COVID-19 were only those who had been tested. The actual figure could be higher, or by one study, even five times more. This distressing figure was reached 452 days since we recorded our first COVID-19 case on January 30, 2020. What is worrying is that we have reached this number on the crest of yet another surge. The daily installment which put us over the 1-million mark was again in several thousands, an alarming rate by global standards. Ang isang milyon ay red line na dapat magpaigting ng ating determinasyon na puksain ang pagkalat ng COVID 19. We mark this number on the eve of the 500th year of our victory in Mactan. We won that battle. We can win this one. Bakuna, ayuda, bayanihan, siyensya - yan ang mga susi ng ating tagumpay. Authorities also accused Lewis of firing through the window of a Land Rover in an attempt to get the driver and his family out of the vehicle. Thats when an officer confronted Lewis and shot him in the left shoulder. He was treated at an area hospital and released to authorities. Washington New York state will lose one seat in Congress after falling a remarkable 89 people short of having a population large enough to keep all 27 of its House seats, the U.S. Census Bureau said today. Minnesota edged out New York for the 435th and final seat to be awarded in the U.S. House of Representatives based on the 2020 Census, the officials said. New York managed to avoid taking a bigger hit after the census count showed the states overall population grew by about 4.2% from 19.37 million in 2010 to 20.2 million last year. Overall, the states population increased by 823,147 during the decade. But since other states in the South and West grew at a faster pace, New York will have to give up a House seat, according to the first publicly released results of the 2020 Census. New York congressional delegation will drop to 26 next year after the once-a-decade reapportionment process is completed. The change means New York will have lost a total of 13 House seats since the 1970s, when the state had 39 House members. New York lost five House seats after the 1980 Census, its biggest decline in the past 40 years. Census officials said New York is among seven states that will each lose one House seat next year. New York officials had worried for months that the Empire State would lose two seats because Census Bureau estimates over the past four years showed the state losing population. New Yorks slow growth, however, means the state could see cuts in federal spending and aid over the next decade because some government funding formulas are tied to state population totals. New York will still have considerable political influence as the fourth-largest state in the nation thats home to some of the most prominent members of Congress. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., serves as Senate majority leader, the first New Yorker ever to hold that position. Before the release of todays data, the state had recorded four consecutive years of population declines, according to previous Census Bureau estimates. The Empire Center, a fiscally conservative think tank in Albany, blamed the losses on a declining number of immigrants moving to the state and a net flow of 1.4 million people who moved to other states since 2010. In 2020 and 2019, New York had the largest population declines of any state in the nation, with its population falling by almost 200,000 over the two years. In 2018, the Census Bureau estimated New York lost about 48,500 residents. Census Bureau officials today had no immediate explanation today as to how New York managed to reverse the trend. The Census Bureau data is used to divide the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, allowing each state proportional representation based on its population. The U.S. Constitution guarantees each state will have at least one seat in the House. The remaining 385 seats are distributed based on the census population data. The population totals also determine how many electoral votes each state receives for presidential elections. Each state receives one electoral vote for each of its two U.S. senators and for each House member. That means New York will have 28 electoral votes in the next presidential election. Its too early in the reapportionment process to determine how the loss of a House seat will affect the two districts in Central New York. Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, represents the 24th Congressional District, which spans all of Onondaga, Cayuga and Wayne counties, and the western half of Oswego County. Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, serves the 22nd District, a sprawling district that includes all or part of eight counties stretching from Lake Ontario to the Pennsylvania border. In Central New York, Tenneys district includes Madison, Cortland and Oneida counties, and the eastern half of Oswego County. New York lawmakers have established an independent redistricting commission to draw the new House district boundaries in time for the congressional midterm primary elections in June 2022. The state Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, can ultimately overrule the commission and come up with its own district maps. Either way, the process of drawing maps wont begin until September, when the Census Bureau makes public the local area population counts that will include granular data on cities, towns, and counties. Each of the existing 27 House districts in New York represents a population of more than 710,000 people. After redistricting, each New York House member will represent about 761,000 residents. Nationally, the U.S. population was more than 331 million last year, an increase of 22.7 million people or about 7.4% over the past decade. READ MORE ON THE CENSUS 2020 Census: Texas gains seats in Congress, California loses 1st time Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Concluding its roadshows in Spain and Latin America, Netflix has confirmed its biggest original production slate ever in Argentina. Made late last week, the update was unveiled just days after the U.S. streaming giant reconfirmed a $300 million investment in 50 productions shot in Mexico and announced mid-April that it was opening offices in Bogota Colombia and would unveil 30 new projects in Colombia through 2022. More from Variety It also comes after Netflix confirmed in a letter to investors last week that Mexican mystery thriller Who Killed Sara? had become the U.S. streaming giants most popular non-English title ever in the U.S. in its first 28 days racking up an estimated 55 million household account views. Netflixs confirmation of its Argentine originals 2021 releases is led by El Marginal 4 and a first season of El Reino. Adding current Argentine projects, the studio streamers production portfolio is a further indication that Netflix is still in a phase of robust expansion in the production of originals across Latin America, where it has more than 37 million household accounts. Highlights of its Argentine roadshow took in first images of banner 2021 release El Reino, a political thriller that underscores how Netflix is now producing with much of the countrys top talent. Directed by Marcelo Pineyro (Kamchatka) from scripts co-written with novelist Claudia Pineiro (Las grietas de Jara), the eight-hour series is produced by Matias Mosteirin for K&S, whose movie credits include Cannes and Venice competition players Wild Tales and The Clan. Featuring a top-notch Argentine cast Mercedes Moran, Diego Peretti, Chino Darin, Nancy Duplaa, Joaquin Furiel and Peter Lanzani El Reino turns on a man running for vice-president of Argentina, when the presidential candidate is assassinated at campaign close. Sensing the opportunity to become the next president of Argentina, he also seeks to discover whos behind the assassination and its reasons. El Reino will bow on Netflix this Argentine winter. Story continues Netflix also released a promo for the fourth season of El Marginal, the most celebrated of recent Argentina series, which went into production in March as Argentina reinitiated film and TV shoots. Star of season one, Juan Minujin returns to the gritty prison thriller which has a new penitentiary, Puente Viejo, but retains key cast in Nicolas Furtado, Martina Gusman and Gerardo Romano. The series is showrun for Netflix by Underground and Telemundo Global Studios Sebastian Ortega. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and minister and party working president K. T. Rama Rao, both confined after contracting Covid-19, are monitoring the ruling partys campaigns and strategies for municipal elections on April 30. (Photo: Facebook @TRSparty) HYDERABAD: TRS supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and minister and party working president K. T. Rama Rao, both confined after contracting Covid-19, are monitoring the ruling partys campaigns and strategies for municipal elections on April 30 on a daily basis via teleconferences with in-charge ministers and party leaders of respective districts. Incidentally, the Chief Minister has remained quarantined at his farmhouse in Erravelli since April 19 and Rama Rao has been under home isolation in Pragthi Bhavan since April 23 after the two tested Covid-19 positive. Despite this, they are holding teleconferences with party leaders three times every day, ruling party sources disclosed. Elections are scheduled on April 30 in municipal corporations of Warangal and Khammam, apart from five municipalities of Siddipet, Jadcherla, Atchampet, Nakrekal and Kothur. Chandrashekar Rao and Rama Rao have set the target of a clean sweep for TRS leaders in these municipal polls. Both are obtaining survey reports on a daily basis on party's prospects and alerting leaders on deficiencies. Emphasis of both the Chief Minister and the IT minister is on retaining Warangal and Khammam corporations with absolute majority, it is learnt. Since these will be the final elections in Telangana before 2023 Assembly polls, both Chandrasekhar Rao and Rama Rao are giving utmost priority to achieving a resounding result in these municipal polls. Their aim is to send a clear signal that there is no alternative to the TRS in the state. The party working president has given a call to all TRS leaders and cadres in districts to hoist party flags on Tuesday, April 27, the day on which the TRS was formed. Rama Rao said although the party had planned to organise TRS Formation Day celebrations in a grand manner, as this year marks completion of two decades of partys existence, they have put all festivities on hold due to ongoing pandemic in the state. TRS secretary general and Rajya Sabha member K. Keshava Rao will unfurl the party flag at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the COVID-19 response and the state of vaccinations at the South Court Auditorium of Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on April 21, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) US to Share AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine With Other Countries The United States will start sharing its stockpile of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine with other countries, the Biden administration said on April 26. The United States plans to share all the doses it has, provided they pass safety reviews. As many as 60 million doses will be sent to other countries in the coming months. The administration sent several million doses to Mexico and Canada last month, but has been holding onto the bulk of the stockpile as a reserve. AstraZenecas shot is authorized for use in a number of countries, even though dozens of people have died from post-vaccination blood clots in the UK and elsewhere. U.S. drug regulators are considering granting emergency authorization but have not yet done so. Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the United States has already authorized and that is available in large quantities, including two 2-dose vaccines and one one-dose vaccine, and given that AstraZeneca is not authorized for use in the United States, we do not need to use AstraZeneca in our fight against COVID over the next few months, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a briefing in Washington. The vaccines will be shared with other countries as they become available, Andy Slavitt, a White House senior adviser for the COVID-19 response, wrote on Twitter. To everyone who understandably says: about time or what were they waiting for, at this time there are still very few available. No real time has been lost, he wrote. White House officials have said there are enough doses for Americans among the three vaccines greenlit by U.S. drug regulators, even with the nearly two-week pause of Johnson & Johnsons shot because of concerns of post-vaccination blood clots. Nearly 29 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against the CCP virus as of April 26. Of the AstraZeneca stockpile, about 10 million doses are currently available, although none have passed a review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients told the Associated Press. About 50 million others are in various stages of production and could be available to ship in May and June pending FDA sign-off. The United States hasnt yet finalized which countries will receive the shots. Were in the planning process at this point in time, Psaki told reporters. A medical worker prepares a dose of Oxford/AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Antwerp, Belgium, on March 18, 2021. (Yves Herman/Reuters) Countries that receive the AstraZeneca doses wont have to pay for them. The vaccines were produced at an Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore, where millions of contaminated Johnson & Johnson shots were manufactured. The review of the AstraZeneca shots is being done in the context of the FDAs ongoing review of all doses made at the plant, Psaki said. On April 25, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of Bidens top medical advisers, said that the United States might send millions of AstraZeneca shots to India, which is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases and a resulting lack of hospital beds. I think thats going to be something that is up for active consideration, Fauci said on ABCs This Week. I dont want to be speaking for policy right now with you, but, I mean, thats something that certainly is going to be actively considered. Biden spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 26. According to a White House readout, Biden pledged Americas support for the people of India amid its surge in cases. In response, the United States is providing a range of emergency assistance, including oxygen-related supplies, vaccine materials, and therapeutics, the White House said. Psaki said the United States would be sending raw materials to India so the country could produce its own AstraZeneca vaccines, along with rapid-testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and ventilators. (Natural News) For decades the U.S. Postal Service has failed to live up to its design: Efficiently handling and delivering the nations mail. The agency is a vital government service so it should not be expected to turn a profit in the sense that FedEx, UPS, and other package handlers do. But at the very least, Americans should expect the USPS to break even and operate in an honest capacity. The postal service is doing neither, apparently. According to Yahoo! News, the postal service now has a new function: It has become our newest spy entity, running a covert operations program that monitors Americans social media posts, like we needed another government agency to do that. The outlet notes: The details of the surveillance effort, known as iCOP, or Internet Covert Operations Program, have not previously been made public. The work involves having analysts trawl through social media sites to look for what the document describes as inflammatory postings and then sharing that information across government agencies. Analysts with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021, says a March 16 government bulletin. Locations and times have been identified for these protests, which are being distributed online across multiple social media platforms, to include right-wing leaning Parler and Telegram accounts, the bulletin, which was marked as law enforcement sensitive and sent out through the Department of Homeland Securitys fusion centers, added. The bulletin was sent out in advance of groups meeting in cities around the world on March 20 in connection with an event called the World Wide Rally for Freedom and Democracy, where they would be protesting several things including 5G development and COVID lockdowns. (Related: America literally now has two systems of justice as DoJ refuses to charge Capitol Police officer who shot unarmed pro-Trump protester Ashli Babbitt.) Parler users have commented about their intent to use the rallies to engage in violence. Image 3 on the right is a screenshot from Parler indicating two users discussing the event as an opportunity to engage in a fight and to do serious damage, the bulletin goes on, adding: No intelligence is available to suggest the legitimacy of these threats. First of all, social media platform Parler is not a haven for right-wing anything. There are many users who are conservative, true, but the use of right-wing suggests dangerous extremism, which is not widely prevalent on the platform. So thats just false, and worse, its a lie being spread by a very large government agency that is supposed to protect all Americans, not just those of a particular political persuasion. Secondly, as always, the people who get to define terms like inflammatory and extremist are usually extremists themselves who harbor far-left views. If you disagree, then ask yourself why so many conservatives flocked to Parler in the first place; the answer is, the big government left-wing extremists never call out their like-minded brothers and sisters on the really big social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube (which were used to plan the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, by the way, not Parler). iCOP analysts are currently monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests and will disseminate intelligence updates as needed, the bulletin goes on. What is inflammatory to one side of the political spectrum is nothing but simple truth to the other side. What is legitimate reporting and presentation of facts by a disfavored media outlet is deemed fake news and propaganda by the other. And so on. But the biggest issue here is the fact that the USPS has been tasked by Joe Bidens Marxist/Communist handlers to become the nations newest spy agency without an act of Congress and without any discussion of the issue by We The People via our representatives in Congress. So is anyone in the Biden regime going to answer for this? Who will be held responsible? Who implemented the program? And what, exactly, constitutes inflammatory content? Were not holding our breath for answers anytime soon. See more reporting like this at BigGovernment.news. Sources include: YahooNews.com GetLiberty.org PoliceState.news SHENZHEN, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Edward Cheng, Vice President of Tencent (Tencent Holdings Ltd, 0700.HK) and Chief Executive Officer of China Literature Limited and Tencent Pictures, spoke on April 24th at the International Conference on Childhood Studies organized by the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences. He delivered a speech titled "Youth Internet Literacy in the Digital Age Lessons from Tencent", sharing Tencent's practices and philosophy on youth internet literacy. A number of renowned Chinese and international experts came together at the conference to discuss "Children, Learning and Technology", aiming to contribute to pedagogical knowledge and education reform, and improve the well-being of children across the globe. In recent years, digital literacy has become an increasingly crucial issue. According to a study published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in China alone, internet penetration has reached 99.2% among minors, with children first coming into contact with the internet between the ages of 6 and 10. Research shows that these technologies are impacting the daily lives, identities and values of these digital natives. Furthermore, the ubiquity of digitalization means that digital resources are now necessary tools in improving literacy in other areas, including the humanities. "Literacy in the humanities is necessary for children and can have a lasting impact on their lives," said Cheng. "While digital technologies help children explore the world, they can also help cultivate their literary and artistic literacy, so that they can broaden their horizons and achieve more well-rounded, healthier development." As an innovative company with its finger on the pulse of modern social issues, Tencent has been aware of the relationship between children and the digital world for several years. In 2018, Tencent launched the "DN.A Program", the Digital Natives Action program, hoping to rally professional organizations to give children equal opportunity for internet access as they grow up. Studies have pointed out that failure to promote digital education may solidify the gap between rich and poor, exacerbating technological disparity and digital poverty. Cheng said Tencent has already begun working with a number of schools across China to improve youth internet literacy, both directly and by further educating their teachers. Tencent also established the "Children's Internet Literacy Research Center" in association with Central China Normal University's Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior to develop Internet literacy courses for children at different stages of development and introduce them to curricula. At present, these courses have been implemented in schools across Hubei, Guangdong, Fujian and other provinces across China. "Contemporary global integration, from digital technologies to the pandemic disasters, challenge human beings to become human persons, and this is an education need," said Luiz Oosterbeek, President of CIPSH and Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Meanwhile, Zongkui Zhou, Director of the Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior at Central China Normal University, introduced the university's online literacy course, which leverages the latest pedagogical methodologies to educate children about internet use. "The goal is to improve internet literacy of children, bolster their concept of internet safety and foster healthy digital development in the online environment," explained Zhou. Digital tools and literacy afford youth the power to educate themselves for life. Access to digital tools, including hardware, software, and the internet, has a direct connection to closing economic and social gaps due to educational disparities across developmentally diverse regions. Cheng reflected that a few years ago, it was brought to Tencent's attention that art education in rural areas of China was lacking due to limited digital resources. In response, Tencent joined forces with the Hefeng Art Foundation, a Chinese social welfare organization, to launch the "Art Action" project, bringing together art institutions and university professors to provide pro bono art lessons for rural Chinese children through online courses. Some of the names on the roster of instructors include famed Chinese pianist Lang Lang and music educator Bao Yuankai. "Tencent firmly believes that focusing on and supporting the improvement of youth internet literacy in the digital age will help cultivate the next generation of creatives and a new generation of global citizens who can leverage their talents to better the world and more effectively participate in public life," Cheng said. "We look forward to working with families, schools, and more professional organizations to continue to promote the healthy development of children in the digital age and explore new ways to improve youth literacy together. By doing so, we believe that we can help children explore an amazing new world full of possibilities." As digitalization continues to make itself omnipresent in our daily lives, Tencent remains committed to ensuring that young people have access to the tools they need to cultivate digital literacy, strengthening educational foundations in the humanities and setting the stage for lifelong learning journeys. SOURCE Tencent President Joe Biden will use his address to Congress on Wednesday evening to tout his accomplishments in his first 100 days in office and expand his vision for the next stage of his presidency. The speech will be a fraction of its traditional size - only 200 people in the House chamber as opposed to the usual 1,600due to coronavirus restrictions - but will be large in scope. He'll cover a range of topics - COVID-19, police reform, and immigration. But the main focus will be the next phase in his plan to help the US economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic - his $1.8 trillion families plan. 'On his mind are issues like police reform, health and his commitment to expanding access to health care,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. 'So I expect he'll talk about a range of issues.' When he addresses the nation, Biden will have a historic backdrop behind him: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris - two women in the frame as he speaks. President Joe Biden will include a range of topics in his Joint Address to Congress on Wednesday night - COVID, police reform and immigration but his biggest focus will be on his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan Biden plans to note the historic occasion at the beginning of his speech, The Washington Post reported. Both women will wear face masks in keeping with coronavirus restrictions put in place in the House chamber. The 200 guests - which will include first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff - will be spread out on the House floor and in the balconies above to keep with social distancing guidelines. No lawmaker will be allowed to bring a guest and only one Supreme Court justice, Chief Justice John Roberts, is expected to attend. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will represent the military. Traditionally multiple justices on the high court along and members of the Joint Chiefs attend with most of the Cabinet. Psaki said on Thursday that most senior White House staff and officials will be watching Biden's remarks from home. Many Republicans are expected to boycott. Here's a look at the some of the items Biden is expected to address during the speech: AMERICAN FAMILIES PLAN Biden will reveal his 'human infrastructure' plan - American Families Plan - with its $1.8 trillion price tag. American Families Plan American Families Plan may include the following items but White House aides stress it is subject to change: $300 billion in education funding, which includes funding to make two-year community colleges tuition-free $225 billion in child-care funding $225 billion for paid family and medical leave $200 billion for prekindergarten instruction $200 billion to extend more enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies $400 billion to extend the child tax credit until 2025 - The Washington Post Advertisement It will focus on social programs such as national child care, prekindergarten, paid family leave and tuition-free community college. 'A core of that will be him laying out the specifics of the American Families Plan, his commitment to child care, to education, and to delivering on those middle class priorities,' Psaki said last week. The plan remains a work in progress with some items becoming a point of contention among Democrats. Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill, for example, wants to include lowering the cost of prescription drugs, a move opposed by the pharmaceutical industry. The White House was looking to cut it but Speaker Nancy Pelosi is among those lobbying for it to stay in. There is also an internecine battle over health care. Progressives want additional funds to expand Medicaid. Moderate in the Democratic Party want to expand the Affordable Care Act. Republicans are expected to oppose the entire package, which follows Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief measure. His $2 trillion infrastructure package is working its way through the legislative process. Republicans have already offered a scaled back counter proposal for a fourth of the cost and keeps the focus on traditional infrastructure items. Top pay for his American Families Plan, Biden wants to hike the top income tax rate back to where it was before the Trump tax cuts and nearly double capital gains rates for top earners. The president would push the top income tax rate up to 39.6 per cent where it was before President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts. Capital gains where Biden has already called for changes to end a major 'loophole,' would jack up rates from their current 20 per cent for those earning more than $1 million. Biden has pledged only to raise taxes on households making more than $400,000. But the administration hasn't been clear as to whether that limit applies to individual earnings or combined household - a distinction that makes a big difference especially in areas on the East and West Coasts where the cost of living is high. POLICE REFORM Biden is also expected to address police reform in his speech, which will be his most high-profile public address since his remarks on Inauguration Day. 'He believes the bar for convicting officers is too high,' Psaki said last week. 'It needs to be changed.' Police reform has returned to the forefront of public discourse in the wake of Derek Chauvin being convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Biden addressed the nation in the aftermath of the verdict. Psaki said Biden supports a bill that would ban chokeholds and require that deadly force only be used as a last resort in arrests. That bill has passed in the House of Representatives but faces a rough time in the closely divided Senate. President Biden is expected to talk about police reform in the wake of the Derek Chauvin trial in the death of George Floyd IMMIGRATION REFORM Biden is expected to address immigration reform in some fashion. His immigration proposal - unveiled in March via Democrats on Capitol Hill - offers an eight-year path to citizenship for most of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, eliminates restrictions on family-based immigration and expands worker visas. What is unclear is how he will address the situation on the US-Mexico border where a record number of migrants are crossing illegally. In March, US Custom and Border Patrol apprehended 18,656 unaccompanied minors at the southern border, a record since at least October 2009 and double February's numbers. The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 and does not include a large focus on increased border enforcement. And Biden has stopped work on Trump's border wall. Biden tapped Vice President Harris to deal with the diplomatic aspect of the crisis. She has yet to visit the border but she does plan to visit Central America in June. The administration has refused to call the situation at the border a 'crisis.' When Biden did use that word to describe the situation, the White House quickly walked it back. 'The president does not feel that children coming to our border, seeking refuge from violence, economic hardships and other dire circumstances is a crisis,' Psaki said. President Joe Biden will talk about immigration reform but it's unclear how or if he'll talk about the situation at the border - above migrants and asylum seekers are seen after spending the night in one of the car lanes off the San Ysidro Crossing Port on the Mexican side of the border REPUBLICAN RESPONSE Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina will give the GOP response to Biden's remarks. Scott, the lone black Republican in the Senate, has taken the lead on police reform for his party. 'I'm excited and honored for this opportunity to address the nation,' he said. 'I look forward to having an honest conversation with the American people and sharing Republicans' optimistic vision for expanding opportunity and empowering working families.' The response to a presidential address is seen as a possible star-making role for a member of the opposing party. Stacey Abrams gave the response for Democrats to one of President Donald Trump's State of the Union addresses. But the platform also can be fraught with peril. There is a long list of politicians on both sides of the aisle who have bombed - Senator Marco Rubio famously stopped speaking to take a drink of water when he gave the response to one of Barack Obama's speeches. By picking Scott, GOP leaders focused their response to the president on Congress and the role it will play in countering Biden's legislative agenda as opposed to picking a Republican who is weighing a 2024 presidential bid. Scott is set to introduce his police reform bill in a few weeks and has spoken a potential compromise with Democrats Rep. Karen Bass and Sen. Cory Booker. 'I think we are on the verge of wrapping this up in the next week or two, depending on how quickly they respond to our suggestions,' Scott told reporters. Republicans have criticized for Biden for not doing more to reach out to them as part of his promise to unify the country. They claim his policies are out of touch with mainstream Americans. 'Nobody is better at communicating why far-left policies fail working Americans,' said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in announcing Scott will give the party's response. As for the final text of Biden's remarks, Psaki noted it's still being worked on. 'We're working through' the content and what will make the final cut, she said at Thursday's press briefing, adding 'unless you want to sit through a seven hour speech, which I don't think you do.' Former contestants from The Bachelor franchise have warned new suitor Jimmy Nicholson to 'be prepared' for racism when he makes his debut later this year. Pilot Jimmy, 31, who is of New Zealand and Fijian descent, is the first non-white Bachelor since Blake Garvey, whose father is African American, fronted the series in 2014. Sri Lankan-born Niranga Amarasinghe, from the 2019 season of The Bachelorette, told Draw Your Box 'there will always be racism but we have to be prepared for it'. Diverse: Former contestants from The Bachelor franchise have warned new suitor Jimmy Nicholson to 'be prepared' for racism when he makes his debut later this year But the aircraft engineer said he was confident someone in Jimmy's position 'can easily stand up to anyone with confidence'. Juliette Herrera, from last year's season of The Bachelor, also told the publication she was 'relieved' to learn a culturally diverse suitor had been chosen. The stylist, who describes herself on Instagram as an 'Aussie Latina', said casting Jimmy showed Channel 10 and Warner Bros. Australia were 'finally listening to audiences who have been... demanding for more diverse representation' for years. Experience: Sri Lankan-born Niranga Amarasinghe, from the 2019 season of The Bachelorette, told Draw Your Box 'there will always be racism but we have to be prepared for it'. However, he added he was confident someone like Jimmy 'can easily stand up to anyone with confidence' She also noted that 'whether we like it or not our skin can be political', and that means Jimmy will be representing minority Australians regardless of whether his cultural background forms a part of his journey to finding love. It comes after Channel 10 content boss Beverley McGarvey said in March it wasn't easy finding diverse contestants for The Bachelor. 'It's a particular type of show, and there are certain cultural groups that don't want to be part of that,' she told TV Tonight. Ms McGarvey added: 'That is absolutely fine and it is disrespectful of us to try and encourage particular groups to be part of something they don't want to be part of.' Views: Latina Juliette Herrera, from last year's season of The Bachelor, noted that 'whether we like it or not our skin can be political', and that means Jimmy will be representing minority Aussies regardless of whether his background forms a part of his journey to finding love Niranga had made similar comments in July last year, telling News.com.au 'there are less POC [people of colour] auditioning for reality TV' for cultural and family reasons. 'For the ones who do [apply] and are successful, there is another hurdle an individual has to conquer to actually make it to the filming stage,' he explained. 'They have to convince their families they are happy for them to go on reality TV. POC individuals can have very strict cultural backgrounds which don't always allow this kind of public display.' Cultural barriers: It comes after Channel 10 content boss Beverley McGarvey said in March it wasn't easy finding diverse contestants for The Bachelor. 'It's a particular type of show, and there are certain cultural groups that don't want to be part of that,' she told TV Tonight Channel 10 officially announced Jimmy as Australia's new Bachelor last month. He told Sydney Confidential he'd signed up for the role because his career as a commercial airline pilot had made it difficult for him to find a long-term partner. 'I was never in the same spot for too long,' he explained. The Bachelor's ninth season will air on Channel 10 later this year South Korea's 'anti-leaflet law' a sign of alarming 'democratic decay,' Chris Smith warns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Prompted by South Koreas "anti-leaflet law" that many fear will hinder the ability to get information to people suffering under the regime of Kim Jong Un in North Korea, members of Congress on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing to discuss the far-reaching implications of this new law. In December, South Korea's National Assembly passed the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act, best known as the anti-leaflet law, that not only bans South Korean nongovernmental organizations from sending leaflets into North Korea, it also bans sending USB drives containing information about the outside world, along with posters and money. It also prohibits loudspeaker broadcast announcements along the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two countries. The specific action that prompted this hearing ... was the passage ... of an anti-leaflet law [by South Koreas National Assembly] that requires certain materials be approved by the government before being sent into the North, said Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., co-chair of the human rights commission, at the April 15 hearing. Violators could face criminal or financial penalties. The law has been criticized inside and outside Korea for suppressing speech. It is worth remembering that restrictions on freedom of expression are not new in South Korea, McGovern asserted. North Korea, a closed authoritarian state, is the most isolated country in the world and has been controlled by the Kim family since 1949. The hermit kingdom also ranks as the worst persecutor of Christians worldwide, according to Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA's World Watch List. It's been estimated that between 80,000 and 120,000 people are trapped in North Korean gulags, many of whom are imprisoned for their faith, according to an International Religious Freedom report. Co-chair of the Human Rights Commission, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., noted that South Korea's commitment to human rights "stands in stark contrast to the Kim familys brutal dictatorship to the North in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Nevertheless, surveying the state of political and civil rights in the Republic of Korea, I must say that I am alarmed by South Koreas democratic decay. Korea must resolve its commitment to civil and political rights, in particular, and human rights in general, Smith asserted. It must do so not only for the sake of Korea, both South and North, but also for the entire world. Olivia Enos, a researcher in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington, D.C., noted in an op-ed for Forbes that even before the amended law was passed in December, the Moon administration (South Korean President Moon Jae-in) had carried out raids on organizations that planned to send leaflets into North Korea and filed criminal complaints against what authorities deemed as violators. At the time, the Ministry of Unification was already investigating some 289 nongovernmental organizations in South Korea, she added. Those found to be in violation of the amendment face "criminal penalties ... of up to three years in jail or a fine of just under $30,000 for engaging in prohibited activities," Enos explained, accusing South Korean leaders of having "capitulated" to "North Koreas demands by declaring that the leaflets were 'harmful to national security.' At the hearing, Smith emphasized that the response to the free speech crisis on the Korean Peninsula should be non-partisan and focus on human rights. The hearing featured the testimonies of the Hon. Inho Lee, former South Korean ambassador to Russia under President Kim Dae-jung, Suzanne Scholte, Seoul Peace Prize Laureate, and John Sifton, Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, among other leading experts. Rep. Young Kim, R-Cali., said the new speech-suppressing legislation is a concern to the Korean American community and South Korea must be pushed to be better in this matter. The Republic of Korea (South Korea), along with Japan and Taiwan, is a beacon of democracy in the Indo-Pacific and at its best, it is a shining example of what democratic representation and good governance can accomplish, Kim said. This is especially important given the recent advance in the region that have trended toward authoritarianism and illiberalism , she continued. However, like our own democratic system, there are still steps that South Korea must take to better preserve the rights of its people while rooting out corruption in its government infrastructure. She said the legislation would crack down and impose strict fines on those who have sent information over the border into North Korea by way of balloons from the outside world. The anti-leaflet law also utilizes vague language regarding the restrictions on what can be sent, encompassing everything including propaganda papers, memory devices such as USB drives, and even money. , Kim continued. Can we in good conscience really pay the cost of curbing free speech liberties for the sake of a regime that has no intention of offering reciprocal concessions? We cannot reward bad behavior by silencing free speech and offering unwarranted concessions. The committee hearing also explored rights in broader Korean relations. The legislators and advocates at the hearing encouraged the Biden administration and the South Korean government to work to improve the advancement of human rights on the Korean Peninsula. McGovern said South Korean legislators should use international human rights law to determine what is acceptable when it comes to restricting freedom of expression. Similarly, the witnesses at the hearing called on President Moon to stand up for human rights and freedom of expression. No one on this Earth has a greater moral and constitutional responsibility than the [P]resident of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, to uphold the rights of the Korean people whether born North or South of the DMZ, Scholte said in her written testimony. The Christian Post previously reported that in 2018, South Korea enacted a similar measure that banned sending balloons filled with Bibles or leaflets with the Gospel message into North Korea. DUBAI, UAE, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- StashAway is raising $25 million USD in its Series D funding round led by Sequoia Capital India, one of the region's leading venture capital firms. StashAway's existing investors, Eight Roads Ventures, the global investment firm backed by Fidelity International and early investor in Alibaba; and Square Peg, the largest venture capital fund in Australia, also participated in the round. The transaction will close in the next few months pending necessary regulatory approvals. This funding round will bring StashAway's total paid-up capital to $61.4 million USD and accelerate investment product and feature developments across its 5 markets. The company will also offer to buy back up to $3 million USD in stock options from its employees and expand its engineering team in Singapore and abroad. Michele Ferrario, Co-Founder and CEO says, "This vote of confidence by one of the most successful venture capital firms affirms that we've been taking the right approach by expanding early into high-opportunity markets, continuing to deepen our product offering, and building a lean and mission-driven team. These steps have translated into rapid AUM growth since our beginning." Abheek Anand, Managing Director, Sequoia India, will be joining StashAway's Board of Directors as part of the funding round, pending regulatory approvals. Anand has more than 20 years of experience in consumer tech, financial services and deep tech sectors across the US, Southeast Asia and India. He says, "StashAway is growing rapidly as it fulfils an obvious gap in the digital wealth management space, especially in areas where its competitors may be lacking: an easy-to-use platform, robust client relationships, and a very sophisticated investing framework. StashAway has built trust with its client base by navigating them through market volatility while providing strong returns." On buying back employee shares and expanding the team, Nino Ulsamer, Co-Founder and CTO adds, "Providing up to $3 million USD in liquidity to our employees helps StashAway attract the best talent; it shows that startups can succeed and be financially rewarding. We want all of our team members to participate in the financial benefits of building a successful company, and our promise to all team members has always been an attractive compensation package that includes a significant amount of stock options in the company. This promise is now starting to materialise financially." About StashAway StashAway is a digital wealth manager that offers investment portfolios and wealth management solutions for both retail and accredited investors and operates in Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East and North Africa and Hong Kong. StashAway was co-founded by Freddy Lim (CIO), Michele Ferrario (CEO), and Nino Ulsamer (CTO). As of January 2021, the company surpassed $1 billion USD in assets under management. It achieved this milestone faster than it took the world's largest digital wealth managers, Betterment and Wealthfront, to reach the same milestone. In 2020, StashAway was recognised as a Technology Pioneer by The World Economic Forum and a Top 10 LinkedIn Startup. StashAway's portfolios have consistently outperformed their respective same-risk benchmarks* since their inception in 2017, with annualised returns ranging from 16.5% (for its highest-risk portfolio) to 4.0% (for its lowest-risk portfolio) in USD terms* as of the end of March 2021. www.stashaway.com About Sequoia Capital India Sequoia helps daring founders build legendary companies, from idea to IPO and beyond. Sequoia India operates in Southeast Asia and India where we actively partner with founders from a wide range of companies, across categories, including BYJUs, Carousell, Druva, Gojek, OYO Rooms, Tokopedia, Truecaller, Zilingo, Zomato and more. We spur founders to push the boundaries of what's possible. In partnering with Sequoia, startups benefit from 48 years of tribal knowledge and lessons learned working with companies like Airbnb, Alibaba, Apple, Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn and Stripe early on. From the beginning, non-profits have been the backbone of our LP base, which means founders' accomplishments make a meaningful difference. The majority of our profits are returned to great causes, like the Ford Foundation, Mayo Clinic and MIT. For more information on Sequoia's work in India and SE Asia, visit sequoiacap.com/india *Same-risk benchmarks are proxied by MSCI World Equity Index (for equities) and FTSE World Government Bond Index (for bonds). The benchmarks we use have the same 10-years realised volatility as our portfolios. We calculate these returns before fees. Contact: Joseph El Am Deputy Country Manager MENA Phone: +971-54-581-2641 joseph.elam@stashaway.com Highlights Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has extended a helping hand to India. Nadella has pledged support to India in buying oxygen concentrators. Microsoft has been providing help to India and other countries during the outbreak. Satya Nadella, the chief executive officer of Microsoft, on Monday extended a helping hand to India as it faces the second Covid-19 wave with over 3 lakh active cases emerging daily. Microsoft CEO has announced the company will support the purchase of "critical" oxygen concentration devices" in addition to continuing support through aid relief efforts, technology, and other resources. The announcement comes as India is facing an acute shortage of medical oxygen. In a tweet, Nadella said he is "heartbroken" by the current situation of India. Here is his full tweet: "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices." India is reporting daily over 3 lakh Covid-19 positive cases, where states such as Delhi, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh are contributing to 70 per cent of cases. In this time of crisis, different nations have come forward to support India. Nadella has highlighted the efforts the US government is making towards India's worsening Covid-19 situation. The US government has finally steered away from the "America First" stance after the controversies and said it will help India. US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken on Sunday tweeted, "Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak. We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India's health care heroes." In addition to the US, countries such as France, Australia, and Pakistan have also come forward to support India as it has set out to avert what could be the worst Covid-19 wave. While the UK is providing medical oxygen-related help, Pakistan has pledged assistance, including ambulances. Last year, Microsoft diversified its efforts in India to help affected people, hospitals, the food industry, and startups during the Covid-19 outbreak. Microsoft partnered with Apollo Hospitals in the nationwide rollout of the Apollo 24|7 healthcare platform by providing Microsoft Azure technologies. The online platform by Apollo Hospitals is identical to the likes of NetMed and 1mg, which offer online assistance to people requesting a consultation, in addition to allowing them to make offline appointments. Besides, Microsoft last year said it helped close to 3 million people in India by giving them access to online learning courses and digital skills. Platforms such as GitHub and LinkedIn were at the frontier of preparing people for "the most in-demand roles, including customer service, project management and data analysis." Marking the latest development in the Donbas region conflict, a Ukrainian military general has reportedly urged his fellow residents to get ready for war with Russia. Starting mid-March, Russia deployed more than 100,000 troops near the eastern Ukrainian border and the annexed Crimean Peninsula. While it sparked fears that a Russian invasion was imminent, Moscow last week ordered a pull out clarifying that the recent deployment was for a military exercise that was now over. However, speaking to Espresso TV on April 25, Major General Serhii Kryvonos said that he did not deem the threat of a possible war to be over adding that the country must get ready for further conflict. He further explained that while the Ukrainian defence forces were ready for a war, the residents were not. Asserting that people were in panic, he said that they need to expect the worst scenario and prepare for it. 'Not expecting NATO accession' Commenting on the delay of Kyivs accession to NATO, the Deputy Secretary of the Ukrainian Security and Defense Council went on to claim that he did not expect the country to be allowed to join NATO. He said that the best that President Volodymyr Zelensky could expect was logistical support from the Western military alliance. He also suggested that the country should started probing into other option for assistance. Amidst building tensions, Zelelnsky dialled NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urging for Ukraine to be put on a pathway to future membership. In further fanatic diplomatic attempts, Zelensky also approached UK PM Boris Johnson and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau asking them to facilitate its accession to NATO. However, Moscow has been making the process difficult with its blatant opposition to the request. Last week, the Russian defence ministry ordered its troops to return to their permanent stations but said that the artillery would be left behind on the country's western border. In the aftermath, Zelelnsky praised the move saying that it has reduced tensions between the two countries. He, however, in a sceptical tone warned his armed forces to remain cautious and be on alert despite Russias pullout. The reduction of troops on our border proportionally reduces tension, tweeted President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukraine is always vigilant, yet welcomes any steps to decrease the military presence and deescalate the situation in Donbas. (Image Credits: Uawire.org/AP) Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG), a center within the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University, will conduct a research program with Project CETI, the Cetacean Translation Initiative, to understand vocalizations of sperm whales off the west coast of Dominica in the Caribbean. The research is funded by CETI, a non-profit organization. Texas A&M GERG's role in the project is to build three massive buoys and moorings, which GERG will deploy in about 6,000 to 7,500 feet of water. The Aggie scientists will also work with the University of Haifa, Israel, to develop acoustic monitoring systems within the buoys. The large buoys are almost eight-foot-wide surface floats, with acoustic monitoring systems throughout the top 3,600 feet. New technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, will translate the clicks and other vocalizations into a language to understand what sperm whales are talking about, said Anthony Knap, director of GERG and the principal investigator at Texas A&M for the project. John Walpert, technical team lead for GERG, will lead a team of engineers, technicians and software engineers to design and construct the arrays. "GERG and Texas A&M are excited to be part of this project and we were pleased to be approached to build these systems," Knap said. The project lead principal investigator is David Gruber, presidential professor of biology and environmental science at City University of New York (CUNY). Gruber is also an explorer for National Geographic, discovered the first biofluorescent sea turtle, and developed a "shark-eye" camera to gain a shark's perspective of the underwater world. Recent advances in engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), biology, and linguistics have brought scientists closer than ever to understanding the communication of other animals, Knap said. The sperm whale is the animal with the largest brain, and like humans, it has a complex communication system and lives in tightly knit family groups, he said. The researchers believe they now have the tools to identify and translate the deep structure of their communicative patterns and kick-start the path toward meaningful dialog with another species. The team said that they also aim to illustrate whales' intelligence and the value of conservation actions. Project CETI is bringing together a unique team of accomplished scientists and technologists to study the communication of sperm whales. This includes collaborators such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Haifa University, University of California at Berkeley and ISI Italy. Recent breakthroughs in AI and unsupervised machine translation have, for the first time, allowed researchers to interpret and translate between two unknown human languages without needing a "Rosetta Stone" or parallel structure, the researchers said. Project CETI will build on these discoveries to provide the first-ever blueprint of another animal's language. GERG has decades of experience designing, building and operating a wide array of remote and autonomous ocean observing systems throughout the world. GERG operates the Texas Automated Buoy Network for the Texas General Land Office, and also operates a High Frequency Radar Network on the Texas coast. GERG also operates a number of underwater autonomous systems such as buoyancy gliders and autonomous wave powered vehicles. The buoyancy gliders have been recently used for measuring upper ocean heat content to get a better prediction of hurricane intensity. "Our work with the University of Haifa, Israel in the development of THEMO, the Texas A&M Haifa Eastern Mediterranean Observatory, has led to this opportunity with CETI," Knap said. "Along with all of the CETI team, I look forward to translating what the whales are saying." Explore further Sperm whale 'clicks' help scientists understand behaviour When the U.S. began shutting down in March 2020, some journalists and Twitter users speculated that the pandemic would lead to a baby boom as people spent more time at home with their partners. But economists, such as those at the Brookings Institution, predicted that such a globally disruptive event would instead cause a baby bust. The economists were right. U.S. residents are having fewer babies this year. And Californias birth rates in January and February around the time when early pandemic babies would be due declined by 15% compared to the same period last year, the steepest year-over-year decline for those months since at least 1960, according to a Chronicle analysis. We used data from Californias Health and Human Services department, which collects monthly birth totals per county. We found that the states births declined from nearly 70,000 in the first two months of 2020 to fewer than 59,000 in the same period in 2021. The data for 2020 and 2021 is provisional, which means numbers may be incomplete, particularly for this February. The Health and Human Services department says the number of births might rise by 2% to 4%. But even with the maximum upward adjustment, the decrease California saw this January and February is unprecedented in the states recorded history. Philip Cohen, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, told The Chronicle that the early pandemic birth rate decline is probably because of what he calls lockdown shock, or the immediate stress of the pandemic. Shelter-in-place restrictions, plus economic anxiety caused by layoffs and stock market losses, probably motivated many would-be parents to put a brake on their plans, he said. In the Bay Area, where residents spent more time at home in March and April 2020 than people living in other regions, the effect of lockdown shock on births was more pronounced than elsewhere in the state: Across the nine-county region, birth rates decreased by 18%. Some of the drop-off in Bay Area birth rates could be because of people leaving the region. For instance, Nevada County to the north a region to which Bay Area households flocked during the pandemic saw a 30% spike in birth rates, the largest of any county we measured. For many Bay Area family families, the instability of last year probably exacerbated their fears about the affordability of raising children in the expensive region prompting them to delay having kids, and even putting some off the notion altogether. Take the economic recession of 2007-09, another disruptive event that led to widespread financial insecurity. The shock of the recession caused birth rates to fall sharply in 2009 and 2010. In California, theyve been gradually declining ever since. We seem to be on a longer downward trend for the last decade, Cohen said. The recession-induced decline is separate from a gradual nationwide decline in birth rates, which began in the 20th century as family planning became easier, women entered the workforce in greater numbers and infant mortality rates declined. Cohen said its possible that the decline in Bay Area birth rates could be coming mostly from lower-income neighborhoods. His research found that, in other states, counties with higher COVID-19 case rates saw greater declines in birth rates; and the majority of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area have been concentrated in lower-income areas. Its still too early to say this with certainty, he said. One thing is clear: The effects of the COVID baby bust will reverberate for years, possibly for generations. Its going to take a while to figure this out, but theres no way of getting around that this is a very large-scale event, Cohen said. Well be living with the consequences of this for some time. Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susie.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson In the wake of the Derek Chauvin verdict, Mel Reeves, the editor of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, and a 30-year member of the community where George Floyd was murdered, tells Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of CJR, how he watched police and city authorities depict his home as inherently violent for the national press. SHOW NOTES Q&A: Minnesota Spokesman-Recorders Mel Reeves on the Chauvin verdict, Amanda Darrach, CJR Fortress Minneapolis: City violence baits community ahead of Chauvin trial, Mel Reeves, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Sign up for CJR 's daily email Chauvin guilty verdict victory tempered by the persistence of police violence, Mel Reeves, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Chief describes an MPD unrecognizable to many Mpls Blacks, Mel Reeves, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder 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. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 02:04:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TALLINN, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Estonian government partially relaxed coronavirus restrictions on Monday, local media reported. From April 26, group training for up to 10 people, including an instructor, is allowed outdoors, while from May 3, children with special needs can return to school; outdoor terraces for bars and restaurants may open till 9 p.m. with up to 10 people at a table. Indoor service is still restricted. Shops and museums can reopen with a 25 percent capacity. Over the past 24 hours, 163 new coronavirus cases had been detected from a total of 2,013 tests taken in Estonia, a rate of 8.1 percent, the Estonian Health Board announced on Monday. Estonia's rate of infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days was 447.50, and 9 percent of all initial tests had turned out positive. So far, the country's confirmed cases of COVID-19 stood at 120,378 and the coronavirus had claimed 1,145 lives in Estonia, according to the latest data from the Health Board. In total, 311,731 people had been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Estonia, with 99,849 of them having received their second dose. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that she could not reveal a date for relaxing the restrictions more widely. However, there was still hope that the society will be opened up more next month. "Our wish is not to keep places closed longer than necessary," Kallas said. Enditem - Although the impact of Covid-19 has complicated communication and exchange between the EU and Asian countries, the interest of consumers and professionals in made in Italy fruit and vegetables has continued to increase. BOLOGNA, Italy, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The second year of The European Art of Taste, the project funded by the European Union to enhance knowledge of Italian fruit and vegetables in China, Japan and Taiwan, confirmed the growth trend. In Asia, Italian fruit and vegetables are popular thanks to their taste quality and an extraordinary ability to communicate their values in terms of tradition, production competence and taste excellence. Despite a complex year like 2020, marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent limitations, The European Art of Taste was able to keep active the communication channel with consumers and professionals by participating in digital fairs, proposing events and targeted work on the press. The result of the press releases, for a total of 30 communications sent in target countries, marked an estimated total reach of over 12 billion users, thanks to the work carried out together with journalists and bloggers who spread the news. In fact, over 1000 press officers were involved for each single issue. The work of the press office has decisively supported the dissemination of knowledge about the products among consumers, opinion leaders and professionals, marking a positive value in terms of awareness of made in Italy fruit and vegetable and processed products. This is also accompanied by the results of the social networks on WeChat, Weibo (with a reach of 27 million users), Facebook (+3 million users reached) and Instagram (+ 50 million impressions). The website confirmed its potential by reaching over 40.000 users and more than 50.000 visits, becoming the reference point for knowing the particularities of fruit and vegetables produced in Italy by Conserve Italia, Origine Group, Jingold, Joinfruit, King Fruit, Mazzoni, RK Growers and Oranfrizer, leading companies in the Italian and European sector. The European Art of Taste project will continue in 2021 with its third year, focusing more and more on digital while waiting to be able to return to normal and involve consumers, journalists and professionals in incoming, in-store events and fairs. For further information and details: www.europeanartoftaste.com; www.europeanartoftaste.ch Related Links https://europeanartoftaste.com/ SOURCE The European Art of Taste Germany will send oxygen and medical aid to India in the coming days to help it tackle its Covid-19 crisis, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday. "The second wave is currently rolling over India with unprecedented power. It was right that we acted quickly to stop the entry of the new mutation in Germany," Maas told the Rheinische Post newspaper. Germany has classified India as a coronavirus high incidence area and also put the country on a separate warning list for coronavirus variants. From Monday onwards, Germans arriving from India will only be allowed to enter the country with a negative test result and will then have to begin a 14-day quarantine. Foreign travellers coming from India will no longer be allowed to enter Germany. Mass said Germany would do its utmost to help India overcome the emergency. A German defence ministry spokeswoman said the foreign ministry had asked the military to look into providing a mobile oxygen production facility as well as support to transport other emergency and relief goods to India. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday expressed her "sympathy over the terrible suffering" that the pandemic had brought to India. "Germany stands in solidarity with India and is urgently preparing a mission of support," Merkel said in a statement. The European Commission has also said it aims to send oxygen and medicines to India after receiving a request from Delhi. Britain and the United States are also sending assistance including medical equipment. Also read: US to send India Covishield raw material, medical supplies 'immediately' Also read: US Prez Joe Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris assure India of support amid COVID-19 crisis Robotics has come a long way in getting to where it is now. From the moving Gundam in Japan to the self-transforming Optimus Prime toy, it seems that the possibilities of making pop culture characters come to life is starting in this decade. Surprisingly, Disney has also been busy doing its own project, building a two and a half feet robotic Baby Groot from the Marvel movie "Guardians of the Galaxy" and making it come to life with its Project Kiwi. Robotic Baby Groot From Disney's Imagineering Team This Disney Robot is made possible by the Disney Imagineering team, who started the Project Kiwi three years ago. The team's mission was to create a completely mobile, bipedal robot with the exact customization of Baby Groot from the movie. In a lengthy report from Tech Crunch, the publication had a sneak peek at what the Baby Groot Robot can do. Project Kiwi did catch the rendered textures on robot Baby Groot's face, hands, and feet. It was also dressed in the red jumpsuit from the film. The eyes are also said to so expressive that it may be the actual character from the movies brought to life with its non-robotic walks and gestures, expressions, and more. The publication had the privilege to talk with Project Kiwi's R&D Imagineer Principal Scott LaValley and the Advanced Development Studio Executive SVP Jon Snoddy on how the team built the Baby Groot Robot. According to LaValley, they decided to bring characters to life that could not have happened anywhere but Disney. Disney contacted LaValley first from Boston Dynamics, where he worked on the initial version of its biped robot Atlas. Read Also: Robot for Warehouses! This Boston Dyamics Robot Can Carry and Move Boxes! The goal for Project Kiwi was to build a robot that could interact with Disney Theme Park guests, along with emotes and gestures with a battery-powered cell to last for long hours of operation. With that said, the team had built the robot for three years, starting with its skeleton system to put the parts, motors, actuator and batteries for its walking functionality. Many prototypes were built to make this Disney robot possible. Project Kiwi stated that it still has a long way to go before the robot will be released into Disney parks. Snoddy noted that their goal is to make more beloved Disney characters live with robotics and have a living, breathing home for the characters--rather than the tightly controlled environments of the rides themselves. According to Comicbook, using Baby Groot as the first bipedal robot for Project Kiwi fits Disney's park theme. The character is also perfect for the job as in the movies, he does not have any crazy movements and has always expressed his emotions by facial expressions. It is sad to say that the Baby Groot Robot from Disney is still in production, and park-goers will not have a chance of seeing the robot in action until COVID-19 is still at large. But in the meantime, Project Kiwi will make improvements in making its bipedal robot a more interacting machine for visitors soon. Related Article: Optimus Prime Is Alive! New $700 Transformers Autobot Can Transform, Walk! Now in a transitional period in his long and lucrative career, Randy Waples spoke on a two-part series with COSA TV on his time in the race bike, the horses he's driven and his reaction to receiving one of the highest honours in Canadian harness racing. "It was like another surprise," Waples said of his nomination into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. "It was surprise number two or number three, whatever it was." Randy Waples enters the Hall with the 2021 class, which includes breeder Jim Bullock, broodmare Great Memories, thoroughbred builder Vicki Pappas, champion thoroughbred miler Heart To Heart and thoroughbred veteran Not Too Shy. Once he learned of his induction, the excitement for Waples was long-lasting. "I didnt sleep Monday night thats when the phone call came because I didnt sleep, and I went right to Chantal [Mitchell]s Tuesday," Waples said. "I was there about 5:30 usually 5:30, a quarter to six, and I worked. I figured by Tuesday Id be able to sleep, but nah. The sleep wasnt coming Tuesday either; not very much, there was maybe about two hours of dozing off. Then by Wednesday, I was able to put my head down and go to sleep. It took awhile to wrap my little head around it." Success for Waples did not come immediately, despite coming from an illustrious harness racing family. The son of Hall of Famer Ron Waples, Randy ground through the early years of his career with high expectations pointed at him and, at one point, barely a dollar to his name. "The huge turning point was walking into Fred Hoffmans barn broke," Waples said. "I mean, thats not usually the best way to show up, but thats basically what I did. I had 10 percent left of a horse that I was still training that I owned and I just could not afford to pay him the training bill. So I went to Freds barn; hes really good with fillies and he was always really good with me. I asked him if he would mind taking the filly and I would come in twice a week and work off my 10 percent, and he said he would. And it just started to happen. "I can tell you one of the first horses that I drove for him that kind of got me rolling for him was a filly called First Dawn, and Ill always remember that there. She won me a bunch of races on the B tracks, and when he brought her back to Woodbine she kept winning for me. I would say First Dawn really got me going. She was the first horse I drove for Fred, and then there was a whole bunch more. Then all a sudden it was Stew Firlotte, Rheal Bourgeois, Kevin McMaster, Doug Berkeley and Bill Robinson. Things all just started to happen." The growing opportunities for Waples began to balance the young frustration he carried early when coming up under the shadow of his father. Randy agreed that, while the Waples name carries high regard, it also made it difficult for him to get established. "I think did more damage to the Waples name than the Waples name ever did to me, I can tell you that," Waples said with a laugh. "Its like a two-edge sword. It really is. If youre 18 years old and you start driving, theres a pretty good chance youre going to be compared to other 18-year-old drivers. That didnt work for me. From the minute I sat in a race bike, I was compared to my father. At that time, he wouldve probably been right around 39, 40 years of age, so I mean right in the prime of his driving career. "That was a little frustrating, you know what I mean? Being compared to him at such an early age. I didnt know, I still dont know half of what he knows. And at that time, I didnt know a thimble full of what the man knows on the track. It is a name that opens doors. It makes people look at you twice sometimes, and maybe that kind of helped. Maybe thats what kept me kind of going, was that every once in awhile people would throw me a bone or something because of my last name. Im not really sure about that. It worked good in a lot of ways, but it also was a bit of a detriment in some ways too." By 1996 Waples gained a footing as a driver. And as a first-call man for aforementioned barns including those of Fred Hoffman and Rheal Bourgeois, Waples had his first million-dollar season as well as his first season with over 100 victories. His trajectory reached its apex in 2001 with a $10-million year that Waples said had everything go right. Though he never beat that money mark, Waples established himself as a main guy on Canada's biggest circuit. Most of Waples' career he described as "very lucky", whether it's the situations he fell into or the people he's worked with. Some of that luck aligned when Waples caught the drive of San Pellegrino gelding by the name of San Pail at the end of his three-year-old year. "I dont even know how that came about there," Waples said, "just one day I picked up the qualifying sheet and I was down to qualify him. I did know the horse. I didnt know Rod [Hughes] at all, other than just a couple of times in passing I said to him Geez, your horse raced good tonight. Boy, you could tell there was a lot there. There was all kinds there from the very beginning." San Pail became a magnum opus of sorts for Waples as a driver. Through an eight-year career, fellow CHRHOF inductee San Pail won 52 times from 114 starts and earned $3,102,135 as a result of careful crafting from owner Glenn Van Camp, trainer Rod Hughes and Waples himself. "When we brought him back as a four-year-old, I sat with Rod; we talked about it. Rod kind of knew too that [with] his style of racing, he was going to chop a lot of miles for tough horses," Waples said. "And its a hard year for horses to race as four-year-olds because now youre in against all the bearcats. We basically reprogrammed his way to drive, and I owe all the credit to Rod and Mr. Van Camp on that because that was a lot of patience. But by November of his four-year-old year, I could do whatever I wanted with that horse and thats when he became San Pail." That patient management resulted in three victories in the Maple Leaf Trot, a win in the Nat Ray Invitational (now the John Cashman Jr. Memorial) and the race many recall when they think of San Pail his 2011 Breeders Crown victory over European imports Rapide Lebel and Commander Crowe at Woodbine Racetrack. "First off, going out onto the track and hearing the crowd I never heard a crowd like that when I was going out into the post parade," Waples said of the 2011 Breeders Crown. "I think I mightve even took my helmet off and tipped it or something. Its like anybody east of Toronto was down here, from Oshawa, Pickering, all the way to Dunsford where Rod was from. He was good that night and everything seemed good. I watched the European horses score out...they looked sharp. "I kind of had an idea of the way it was going to go. I knew Paul [MacDonell] was probably going to leave hard with Define The World because that was his whole game. I didnt really want to get into a speed duel with him. I was more worried about what those two European horses were going to do. I was more than willing to land third, and I did move down to the rail and took a quick look over my shoulder. When I saw them still out there and starting to drift down, I knew basically what was going to happen: they were either going to move to the front, the two of them together, or they were going to sit on the outside of me. "The beauty of a horse like San Pail is like youre driving a Lamborghini in against V8s and thats nothing against the rest of them, honestly," Waples also said. "I have nothing against any horse that he raced against, but you have to realize this was a lot of power. He was so good at that time. You can make different decisions in a very quick time when youre sitting with that much power." Along with San Pail, Waples noted some of the other top horses he appreciated driving including Real Desire, Mach Three, Control The Moment, Dreamfair Vogel and Thinking Out Loud. With Thinking Out Loud, Waples scored one of the most memorable North America Cup victories in the history of the event with a textbook off-the-pace rally to snag his first victory in the classic while also handing trainer Bob McIntosh his first North America Cup title. "Thats about as good as it gets," Waples said. "It just doesnt get any better than the Thinking Out Loud race. The horse raced phenomenal. He had some of his little traits about him there. Once in awhile there, hed just take a hold of the bit and just decide he was going to go forward. There wasnt a whole lot you could do about it. He was a little different that way, but man was he tough. He would rank in the top three of the toughest horses I had ever raced in my life. It was an amazing night, to win Canadas biggest race. "But I keep leaning over to the right of the page of the program because I won that race for Bob McIntosh, and thats another hero [from] growing up and," Waples also said. "I think he bought Lustras Big Guy off my dad around 81 or 82, and I was around there then; like I remember that. Bobs always been a presence in my life, and Ive watchedobviously, spending all this time in this business Bob McIntosh, then all a sudden you find yourself driving for him. Then all a sudden youre winning a race that he hasnt won yet. So it was a first for him and a first for me. It was just a huge, huge thrill again. Team McIntosh Bob, Nicky, Patty they had that horse so good that night it was scary. Its just something Ill always remember for the rest of my life." Waples made many memories through his career, and through severe injury could not walk away from the horses when he made a comeback to the bike in 2020. But now Waples no longer works the long nights of many of his peers and young drivers for whom he shared a lot of praise. "Im pumped on the racing," Waples said. "I told Billy McLinchey[of Woodbine Mohawk Park] a long time ago that Id never seen a group of young drivers ever at that place than what theyve got now. You can go back to the Condren-Brown age or whatever when they were all young, and my dad left for New Jersey and that opened the door for a lot of young talent around there then. I hate thinking that Sylvain Filion and Chris Christoforou are a veteran because Im older than both of them, but those are your sort of veterans. Youve still got Paul [MacDonell] out there and youve got Rick Zeron and guys like that. But youve got Dougie [McNair], Bob [McClure], Trevor [Henry]. Youve got all these young faces that came in; all young guys that are going to be around for a long time. I think racings great. I think this [the coronavirus] will all be put behind us in a short time, I hope, and we can move on." For the most part, Randy has exchanged the catch-driving routine for daily barn work and training these days with trainer Chantal Mitchell, who operates a stable of both overnight racehorses and younger horses. Approaching the twilight of his catch-driving career, Waples noted that in one way or another, his eventual retirement would still involve horses and the shore. "Best case scenario, I would end up moving to Cal-Expo," Waples said. "Either one way or the other; either I want to go west or I want to go east. I want to spend some time near the ocean, so I would either move to Cal-Expo or move to the Maritimes and try to race out there. I really dont want to get away from the racing because I just enjoy the horses too much. Thats the biggest thing about keeping me doing this [is that] I have a hard time being away from the horses. I dont think there will ever be a day when I shut it down unless I simply cant do it. But right now, I enjoy looking after horses and that kind of stuff. Stuff that I couldnt really do before because I couldnt be there in the morning all the time. But now I can and its like being a kid again. Its nice." When it comes to the legacy he hopes to leave behind, Randy said that whatever legacy he did leave behind if any is just Randy. "People are going to take away what theyre going to take away," Waples said. "There was a time in my life that it used to bother me when people didnt like me, but I cant really say it bothers me anymore. A guy put it in perspective when I first started to do good there, hes a good friend of mine and he told me one time Randy, not everybodys going to like you. That basically opened up my eyes. However a person chooses to think of me, then thats the way theyre going to think about me. I am who I am, and Randys Randy. Some people are cool with that and other people arent good with it. I hope if I can spend a few more years in this business, I hope I can leave it not doing any damage to anybody or anything. If I can do that, I guess they couldnt dislike me too much." The two-part COSA TV Series on Randy Waples is available below: Part 1 In 2020 we saw that one of the benefits of festivals that went virtual was that they had seen unprecidented viewership numbers once the program left the confines of a theater seating plan. We saw it with our friends at Fantasia and Fantaspoa for example. Likewise we saw our friends at Blood in the Snow work with the national cable channel Super Channel last year. In all cases their reach went from just regional to full on national exposure. Growing your brand is part of a festival's successful operation. The more people that you can reach during festival time the better. Also important is what your festival can do to stay in the public's eye when the festival is not running. We have the feeling that we are going to be writing a lot about our friends at the Santiago Horror Film Festival this year, because they get it. To build the brand you have to get out there to the people. SHFF announced today that they have teamed up with ARTV a Chilean culture and art channel to present a weekly broadcast called Santiago Horror, Presenta. Every Saturday night the program will share feature and short films that have played at the first three editions of the festival. No lineup has been announced yet but we encourage everyone is Chile to check it out when the program begins on May 8th. GRESHAM, Ore., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood Partners, a national leader in multi-family real estate development, announced today the grand opening of its newest luxury residential community - Alta Civic Station - in Gresham, Oregon. Leasing is currently underway at altacivicstation.com. Delivering in phases over the coming months, the community's 318 units include a mix of one- two- and three-bedroom apartment homes as well as studios and live-work townhome-style units. Alta Civic Station features best-in-class amenities and finishes. Delivering in phases over the coming months, the community's 318 units include a mix of one- two- and three-bedroom apartment homes as well as studios and live-work townhome-style units. Residents will enjoy a community room with kitchen and social areas, a state-of-the-art fitness center, co-working and meeting areas, and ground-floor retail. The property also includes a half-acre public plaza adjacent to the Civic Drive MAX Light Rail station that features outdoor gathering spaces and a children's play area. "Alta Civic Station is perfectly positioned on the east side of the Portland Metropolitan Area, enabling easy access to everything the region has to offer," said Michael Nagy, Managing Director for Wood Partners. "Gresham has increasingly become one of the top submarkets in the greater Portland area for renters and businesses and offers residents a dynamic urban lifestyle while retaining small-town charm." Located at 1699 NW Civic Drive, Alta Civic Station is in the thriving Civic neighborhood in the heart of Gresham, a suburb of Portland. The property is less than a 25-minute drive from downtown, providing easy access to the wide range of employment and cultural opportunities the region has to offer. The community is also close to the Portland International Airport, offering residents easy traveling accessibility. Major employers in the area include Boeing, US Bank, Subaru, Wells Fargo, Nike, Intel as well as a variety of other companies in the automotive, medical, manufacturing and technology industries. Additionally, Alta Civic Station is a short drive from three of the city's large, semiconductor-manufacturing companies. For residents who prefer to commute using public transit, multiple nearby MAX Light Rail stations connect the community to employment centers across the region. The city of Gresham has 942 acres of open space and 23 parks, making it an optimal location for residents looking to combine high-quality, modern living with an active environment. Nearby access to Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge presents an endless variety of outdoor activities to take advantage of. The property is also close to Gresham Station Shopping Center, providing an array of shopping and retail offerings. About Wood Partners Wood Partners is a national real estate company that acquires, develops, constructs and property manages multifamily communities. The company has been involved in the acquisition and development of more than 85,000 multifamily homes with a combined capitalization of more than $15.6 billion nationwide. The company currently owns 68 properties across the United States with a combined total of more than 18,000 homes. Wood Partners has offices in 20 major markets nationwide including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orange County, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach. Lillian Iffert [email protected] 317-989-9804 Related Files WP-stacked JPG.jpg Related Images image1.jpg SOURCE Wood Partners Bill Gates said in an interview with Sky News that there is a possibility that the world will "completely return to normal" by the end of next year. Gates explained that the high rate of vaccine implementation in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States will help other developing nations get the antidote by the end of this year. The Pound to Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate found support close to 1.7300 before a net advance to 1.7355 in early Europe. Although commodity prices overall posted gains on Monday, there was a limited retreat in oil prices amid concerns over demand conditions within Asia, especially given the surge in Indian coronavirus cases. Brent declined around 1.0% to below the $65.00 p/b level which had some impact in curbing immediate demand for the Canadian dollar. Although overall confidence in the Canadian currency remained strong following last weeks Bank of Canada policy meeting, the Dollar to Canadian Dollar (USD/CAD) exchange rate recovered from 5-week lows at 1.2450. Pound Canadian Dollar Exchange Rate Remains Muted in Wake of BOC Optimism After suffering sharp losses in the wake of the Bank of Canadas (BOC) policy meeting the Pound to Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate began to recover some of its lost ground. As the impact of the BOCs unexpectedly optimistic commentary began to fade the Canadian Dollar struggled to hold onto its earlier bullishness. Strong growth in both Aprils flash UK manufacturing and services PMIs offered a boost to the Pound, meanwhile. With signs pointing towards the UK economy having started the second quarter on a stronger footing GBP exchange rates found room to strengthen, even as Covid-19 worries lingered. Pound (GBP) Looks for Fresh Boost on Surge in UK CBI Distributive Trades Index Confidence in the health of the UK economy could improve further on Tuesday with the release of Aprils CBI distributive trades index. With the index forecast to surge from -45 to 15 on the month, signalling a strong recovery in retail sector momentum, the appeal of the Pound could strengthen. As the retail sector looks set to shore up economic activity in the coming months as the UK continues on its path out of lockdown the GBP/CAD exchange rate looks set to strength. However, if the index does not return to positive territory as anticipated this may leave the Pound vulnerable to another bout of selling pressure. As further UK economic data appears thin on the ground over the course of the coming week the potential for any additional GBP/CAD exchange rate support may prove limited. Canadian Dollar (CAD) Vulnerable to Softening Gross Domestic Product On the other hand, the Canadian Dollar may continue to shed ground as anticipation for Februarys monthly gross domestic product reading grows. Forecasts point towards the monthly growth rate faltering slightly, dipping from 0.7% to 0.5% in the face of ongoing pandemic disruption. While Canada still appears on course to deliver a positive first quarter GDP reading any softening here may still weigh on demand for the Canadian Dollar. However, CAD exchange rates could benefit from a strong rebound in Februarys retail sales data. Evidence of recovering consumer sentiment and spending may put a fresh floor under the Canadian Dollar, especially if monthly growth jumps sharply. President Biden is expected to announce new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice on masking tomorrow, and it could say that fully-vaccinated people can stop covering their faces outside, sources told CNN. New guidance is expected as the share of Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 approaches 30 percent, and warmer begins to spread across the nation. The CDC has been cautiously expanding its list of activities that it says are low-risk for fully inoculated people, which now includes domestic travel. But the agency's guidance has been paradoxical - it still advises against travel, despite the low risk. And even as evidence that coronavirus rarely spreads outside without close contact, the agency has maintained its guidance about public mask-wearing amid growing impatience and pandemic fatigue. But that could finally be about to change, 'multiple' people told CNN. President Biden is expected to announce new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice on masking tomorrow, Nearly 30% of Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the U.S. is giving about 3 million shots a day President Biden, like his predecessor, former President Trump, declined to issue a federal mask mandate. Public health advisers, including Dr Anthony Fauci, even warned that doing so might also have the opposite of the desired effect, stoking resistance to face coverings. But most states and territories issued their own mask orders, which numerous studies linked to subsequent decreases in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. After Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a mask mandate on July 3 amid massive Covid surges in the South, the upward trend in cases in her state flattened. A CDC study of the state found that new Covid cases per capita fell by six percent in counties that adopted the mandate in subsequent weeks, while those that opted out saw new infections per capita double. But the U.S. is entering a new phase of the pandemic. Just shy of 29 percent of Americans are now fully vaccinated against coronavirus, and more than 42 percent have had at least one dose. Among adults 18 or older, rates are even higher, with 36.5 percent fully vaccinated and 53.6 percent having had at least a first dose, according to CDC data. Clinical trials for the three vaccines authorized in the U.S. - made by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson - did not measure whether vaccinated people could still spread the virus, only whether they were protected against getting sick from it. So public health officials continued to encourage fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks. Now, real world data increasingly suggests that fully vaccinated people are unlikely to spread the virus, and are likely protected from catching it as well as from becoming ill. The federal government soon will update its guidance on mask-wearing in public, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci (seen above during an appearance on ABC This Week on Sunday), who said it was common sense to do so as critics have accused him of flip-flopping on the issue of face coverings Most U.S. states now have mandates in place requiring everyone to wear masks outdoors - but updated CDC guidance could soon change that Data has also piled up to show that outdoor spread of coronavirus is rare, while indoors, without good ventilation, the risk remains high, whether you are six or 60 feet apart from other people, a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study claimed. Coronavirus is nearly 19 more likely to spread indoors compared to outside, and fewer than 10 percent of Covid infections had been contracted indoors as of a November Journal of Infectious Diseases study. Even Dr Fauci admitted the low risk for outdoor transmission. 'I mean, if you are a vaccinated person, wearing a mask outdoors, I mean, obviously, the risk is minuscule,' Dr Fauci said during a Sunday ABC interview. 'Obviously the risk is really very low, particularly if you're vaccinated' and participating in outdoor activities. 'The more we take a look at the data as it accumulates, we see [the vaccine] is even more effective than what the initial numbers of the clinical trial.' He added that he anticipated updated, 'common sense' guidance from the CDC soon. U.S. Black Hawk military helicopters fly over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 19, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo) US Starts Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan With Local Actions Already Taken: Gen. Miller The United States top general in Afghanistan says the U.S. military has already begun closing down operations in the country in preparation for a full withdrawal. All of our forces are now preparing to retrograde, Army Gen. Austin Miller told Afghan journalists at an April 25 press conference in the capital, Kabul. Miller said the official notification date for the withdrawal would be May 1, but added that as we start taking local actions, weve already begun that. The general told reporters that hes often asked whether Afghan security forces can do the work in the absence of U.S. and other foreign troops. My message has always been the same. They must be ready, Miller said, according to RFE/RL. Miller said that while some equipment would be brought back to the United States, some would be left behind to support Afghan forces. Wherever possible, if we do not have to, we are looking to ensure that the Afghan security forces have the bases, pieces of equipment, parts that are necessary for the functioning of the military, he said, according to CNN. The United States completely withdrawing from Afghanistan will make fighting terror more difficult, a top general said last week. If youre out of the country and you dont have the ecosystem that we have there now, it will be harder to do that. It is not impossible to do that, it will just be harder to do it, Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told members of Congress in Washington on April 20. McKenzie said drone strikes that target terrorists would, in the absence of a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, have to originate in nearby countries. Top U.S. officials are looking into reaching agreements with countries near Afghanistan to locate resources. I think some of the forces are going to remain in Central Command because we are going to look at offshore, over-the-horizon options, McKenzie said. Im actually conducting detailed planning, by the direction of the secretary, to look at those options right now. I will report back to him by the end of the month with some alternatives. President Joe Biden recently announced that all U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, months after the withdrawal deadline set by his predecessor. Biden said that its time to end Americas longest war. The presidents decision to withdraw the remaining troops has drawn a mixed reaction on Capitol Hill and from security experts, while national security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that the Biden administration cant make any guarantees that terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and ISIS wont see a resurgence once U.S. forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan. A group of former political and religious leaders have urged the British Prime Minister to step up to tackle recent violence in Northern Ireland. Police came under sustained and violent attack on both sides of a Belfast peace wall earlier this month following successive nights of violence. Loyalists staged protests at the so-called border in the Irish Sea following Brexit, claiming the Northern Ireland Protocol has undermined the regions place within the Union. There is also anger at a decision not to prosecute Sinn Fein members for alleged coronavirus regulation breaches at a funeral last year. Protests many of which passed off peacefully were paused following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, but resumed last week. Police came under attack in the Sandy Row area of south Belfast on Friday; however, the disorder was described by officers as minor. A cross-party group of senior figures has urged Boris Johnson and Secretary of State Brandon Lewis to urgently create the space for local politics to regain the initiative in Northern Ireland. A joint letter signed by Lord Patten, four former secretaries of state, a former chief constable and former Archbishop Robin Eames calls for urgent action, including engaging directly with local parties and communities. They warned that nothing is more dangerous than a political vacuum and they need to listen and be seen to be listening, not intermittently, as has been the case, but continuously. The signatories warned that without that, there is a very real risk things could fall over in Northern Ireland. With our long collective experience we are extremely worried that violent unrest on the streets of loyalist areas and at interfaces is a consequence of politics, both in Stormont and in Whitehall, failing the people of Northern Ireland, they wrote. We stress that the peace process did not end with the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown recognised that, as did John Major before them. They each took personal charge of the peace process, convening regular summits and being in constant touch with all the parties. Mr Johnson is warned in the letter that recent unrest will not literally burn itself out over time. While the violence is unacceptable, the fact is that there are grievances, real and perceived, within the broader unionist community and that cannot be ignored by the UK Government, they wrote. Politics must be made to work again and, crucially, politics must be seen to work again. There is a strong sense within loyalist and unionist communities that no one is listening to them and that nobody in authority in Whitehall has been honest with them about the consequences of Brexit. The most immediate step is therefore for the Government, at the highest level, to be seen to take an interest. As a matter of urgency, the Government must address the outworking of the protocol with Brussels. The letter said Mr Johnson and Mr Lewis also need to rebuild trust with Dublin, which has been badly damaged and to breathe fresh life into the British Irish intergovernmental process that is a key part of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The lesson of the past 50 years or more in Northern Ireland is that, if there is no forward movement, things do not stand still: they fall over, they wrote. It is the responsibility of the UK Government to ensure that does not happen because there is nothing more dangerous than a political vacuum. The list of signatories includes former secretaries of state Lord Hain, Lord Mandelson, Lord Murphy of Torfaen and Shaun Woodward, as well as former chief constable Sir Hugh Orde. It was also signed by Lord Patten of Barnes, architect of the reform of policing in Northern Ireland in 1998. Protestors demonstrate outside of the Pasquotank County Public Safety office for the 4th straight day calling for the release of body cam footage of the police killing of Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City, North Carolina on April 24, 2021. Eyewitnesses say that Brown Jr. was shot and killed by Pasquotank County Sheriff deputies as he was attempting to evade them while they were serving him a warrant. (LOGAN CYRUS / AFP via Getty Images) Britons are preparing for the 'longest summer ever' as lockdown-weary holidaymakers rush to go abroad as late as November to beat global Covid crackdowns. Autumn bookings for international trips have seen an 80 per cent surge in interest compared to 2019 - as tour operators, hotels and airlines all report increased queries about later holidays. It comes amid warnings that summer trips could be under threat if the Foreign Office advises against travel to green list countries. The Government is preparing to lift the ban on international travel on May 17 and is finalising plans for a 'traffic light' system to determine which countries will be authorised destinations. However, experts have warned of confusion because the Foreign Office is expected to publish its own advice which could differ from the colour-coded scheme. Britons are preparing for the 'longest summer ever' as lockdown-weary holidaymakers rush to go abroad as late as November to beat global Covid crackdowns. It comes amid warnings that summer holidays could be under threat if the Foreign Office advises against travel to green list countries. Pictured: A beach in Portugal, a nation tipped to be on the green list This means if the Foreign Office advises against travel to a certain country - even if it is permitted by the traffic light system - holidaymakers could see their plans disrupted. Most holiday companies will not operate services in countries the Foreign Office has advised against visiting. Meanwhile, going to a country against government guidelines will invalidate travel insurance. Britons keen to avoid potential holiday issues - and those concerned about a much-slower vaccine rollout in several European nations - are looking at going abroad much later in the year. Countries expected to be on the green list include Portugal, Dubai (file image, pictured) and Malta Online flight booking website Skyscanner told The Times that more sunseekers are looking at holidays in September, October and November now than they were in 2019. Some 43 per cent of all bookings at Co-op Travel fell into the late-summer category. It was earlier revealed that even destinations on the green or amber list - where travel is permitted - could be off-limits if the Foreign Office advises against travelling to them. Their advice is based on factors such as the risk of individuals getting stuck by Covid restrictions or the capacity and quality of the country's health services. The Government is preparing to lift the ban on international travel on May 17 and is finalising plans for a 'traffic light' system to determine which countries will be authorised destinations. Pictured: Malta (file image) is tipped to be on the green list Airlines UK boss Tim Alderslade told The Times: 'Green and amber countries should not be caught up in additional travel advisories. 'We need to see alignment between the Foreign Office advice and traffic light system to provide clarity and transparency to consumers and operators.' A Foreign Office source said: 'Travel advice is an independent assessment of the risk [to] Brits travelling aboard. It's independent, trusted advice and will remain so.' The Government is expected to finalise its traffic light system in the coming weeks with green countries set for restriction-free travel while amber countries will mean people must self-isolate at home for ten days on their return. Travellers from red list countries will be required to quarantine at a hotel. Most European countries are expected to be on the amber list. Countries expected to be on the green list include Portugal, Dubai and Malta. It comes after Turkey announced it has lifted all restrictions for Britons travelling to the country. Visitors from the UK will not need to produce a Covid vaccine passport, but will need to show proof of a negative PCR test. The country also promises to provide testing for tourists before they return to the UK, with tests at hotels or airports costing around 25. Until now PCR tests for a family of four can cost as much as 500. Tui, the world's largest tour operator, said it had seen a surge in bookings to popular Turkish coastal resorts even before the announcement on Friday. Travel consultancy The PC Agency told MailOnline it had seen a spike in bookings for luxury villas in Greece, Portugal and Mallorca after the Greek Tourism Minister announced the plan to welcome British tourists from mid-May. Travel consultancy The PC Agency told MailOnline it had seen a spike in bookings for luxury villas in Greece, Portugal (pictured) and Mallorca in recent days The agency revealed people are booking up for month-long trips and asking for WiFi and a desk and are taking the whole family so that they can get paid to work from home while on holiday. The PC Agency also said it had seen double the amount of requests for Greek villas compared to previous years, with demand for fully serviced villas with a chef, butler and housekeeper so tourists can stay away from busy restaurants. Popular islands Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu and Crete are already getting booked up, with most bookings from 2020 rolled over into this year. Brits are also looking for properties on smaller islands including Hydra, Paxos and Syros, which are off the beaten track and away from the crowds, according to The PC Agency. Popular islands Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu and Crete are already booking up fast, with most bookings from 2020 rolled over into this year. Turkey's tourism minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the 'successful vaccination programmes in the UK and Turkey will ensure this season is even safer than last year'. Turkey has announced that British tourists will be welcome in the country this summer without having to show a vaccination certificate (pictured, Antalya) Which countries are currently accepting international tourists or will do soon? Croatia: Open to international tourists, anyone arriving there will need to show proof of either a vaccination, negative PCR or antigen test result, or confirmation of recovery from Covid within the last 180 days. Iceland: Open to anyone who has been vaccinated against Covid. Those who can provide proof of prior infection will also be exempt from quarantine rules. Cyprus: Open from May 1 to UK travellers who have received both doses of their Covid vaccine. France: UK visitors can enter if they have a negative PCR test carried out 72 hours before departure, but they must self-isolate for seven days before taking a second test. Greece: Reopening to foreign tourists from May 14, with arrivals either having to have been vaccinated or have a negative Covid test within 72 hours before travel. Malta: Fully vaccinated UK travellers will be welcomed from June 1, with tourists receiving 87 if they book a hotel for at least three nights as part of a bonus scheme. Portugal: Plans to reopen to Britons from May 17, provided arrivals can show evidence they have been vaccinated, have a recent negative test, or have antibodies. Spain: It wants to open 'as soon as possible' but is currently in a tight lockdown. Turkey: The country has said it plans to welcome Britons in the summer even if they don't have proof of a vaccination or negative test. Maldives: Open to tourists provided they can show proof of a negative PCR test taken within 96 hours of travel. Seychelles: Open to travellers under the same terms as the Maldives. Mexico: The country is welcoming international tourists with no need for proof of a vaccine or testing. Dubai: Tourists must have a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before leaving. However, direct flights between Britain and Dubai are currently banned. Anguilla: Welcoming back holidaymakers from July 1 provided they have been vaccinated and can show proof of a negative test. Barbados: The island will require international tourists who have been vaccinated and can show proof of a negative test to quarantine for two days from May 8, or five for non-vaccinated people, who will also have to take a second test to be released. Thailand: Arrivals currently have to quarantine for 14 days, but these rules will be waived from July 1 for vaccinated tourists in Phuket. Advertisement Mr Ersoy added: 'We are looking forward to welcoming British tourists with open arms, as we did safely last summer. 'We have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey. 'We are working with the British authorities to ensure these necessary processes are world-class and as up-to-date as possible. 'We will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country.' A priority vaccination program is already underway for employees at hotels and other tourist facilities to receive a jab before the start of the summer season. Some 20,775,790 million vaccination doses have been administered in Turkey as of 22 April. Tourists visiting Turkey are also being offered a special insurance package, from 12, which covers Covid related expenses such as treatment, medication and emergency care costs that may be incurred if visitors are taken to a state-owned or private hospital during their stay in the country. A TUI spokesman said: 'This is great news because our bookings to Turkey have been incredibly strong, second only to Greece. 'We're committed to working closely with the Government so our customers can look forward to a much-needed holiday abroad this summer. And Bulgaria, eager to encourage holiday-makers to its Black Sea resorts, has also announced it will ease rules for entry to the Balkan country from May 1. The country's outgoing health minister Kostadin Angelov said entry will be allowed for tourists who show a vaccination certificate, with a negative test result from a PCR or an antigen test. Tourists can alternatively show proof that they have recovered from the coronavirus infection in the past six months. Last week, Greece lifted quarantine restrictions for British travellers, raising the prospect of holidays to the Mediterranean country in less than a month if ministers lift the ban on foreign travel on May 17 - although tourists could face quarantine after flying home. It is extremely unlikely Greece would qualify as a green list destination not requiring quarantine, because its current Covid prevalence of 271 cases per million is far higher than the level considered acceptable, which is around 50. Covid laws mean anyone caught taking a foreign holiday before the end of June currently faces a 5,000 fine. But No10 said ministers were now confident the ban will be lifted on May 17 the most optimistic date set out in Boris Johnson's roadmap for easing the lockdown. There has so far been no sign of the feared spike in Covid cases since the reopening of shops, gyms, hairdressers and outdoor hospitality last week which could have derailed the roadmap. Asked about the May 17 target, the PM's official spokesman said: 'There is nothing in the data that suggests we need to change the dates.' A final decision will be made early next month. We witnessed history this past Tuesday. A jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, in the murder of George Floyd. It really shouldnt have been than historic. There was overwhelming evidence, cell phone video recordings from bystanders and numerous body camera videos worn by officers on the scene. There was testimony from numerous experts who described exactly how Mr. Floyd was killed. It was as close as you could come to an open and shut case. But it was historic. There was no doubt in my mind Chauvin was guilty. In fact, every police officer I know, current or former, thought he was guilty that this was clearly a case of excessive force. It wasnt just the officers who testified it was against departmental policy and all accepted police practices, it was every police officer I know. And I know a lot of them, I am married to one. Despite all the evidence, despite all the testimony, despite my own feelings that this was open and shut, I was concerned. Much of the country was concerned. The prosecutors would be lying if they said they werent concerned too. Why? We have been down this road before. This verdict gives us hope that change can happen. We have seen many cases over the years where juries, after hearing evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, failed to convict police officers of wrongdoing. Juries and the public have long resisted convicting police officers. Police officers make split second decisions and juries have shown that they do not want to judge police when those decisions turn out to be the wrong decision. But this wasnt a split seconded decision. This was a decision that took place over 9 minutes. Even after his fellow officer told him George Floyd had no pulse, even after EMS arrived to help, he remained on Mr. Floyds back. If I was concerned, imagine the concern many in the Black community felt as we awaited the verdict. Who could blame them? We had seen this movie before. And who could blame them when they celebrated the guilty verdict? Not me. Finally, the criminal justice system provided a measure of justice for those who too often have been neglected. So where do we go from here? This verdict wont change the mistrust that many people of color have with the police. This verdict wont change the criminal justice system, which too often criminalizes people of color and impoverished communities. This verdict wont change the over policing of those communities, by the police that are supposed to be protecting them. See also: Traffic stops make poverty a crime, retired Birmingham police captain says But this verdict gives us hope that change can happen. This verdict tells us that no one is above the law, that a police officer should be held to a higher standard. This verdict tells us that even if the journey is hard, it should be taken. And we dont have to go on this journey blindly. The path has been lighted for us. Confidence and transparency There have been strategies that have been shown to work. But they wont work unless we restore community trust in policing. Here in Birmingham, Mayor Woodfin recently announced the formation of a Citizen Review Board that will independently investigate complaints of officer misconduct. Thats a step in the right direction. I believe this board will provide a measure of confidence that is lost when only the police Internal Affairs Unit investigates citizen complaints. I have complete confidence in the Departments IAD. I know firsthand the great work they do, I worked with many of them throughout my 30 years with the department. I also understand many in the community dont share my confidence. If an independent board can bring confidence and transparency, its a win for the community and for the department. From 2015-2019, the Birmingham police was one of six nationwide that participated in the National Initiative, conducted with John Jay College and the National Network for Safe Communities. I was the site liaison for that program, as was one of the members of the new Citizens Review Board, T. Marie King. There were several principles the initiative used to increase community trust in police. We trained every officer in Implicit Bias and Procedural Justice. We participated in Police-Community Reconciliation. The ones with the most impact on me were the listening sessions we participated in with various community groups. At one such meeting was publicly, then Chief A.C. Roper apologized to the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement and more broadly to Birminghams Black community for the role the department played during the Jim Crow era by allowing and participating in racial discrimination. The department was used as the hammer that enforced all of those unjust and racially discriminatory practices. I call on the police department and the city of Birmingham to build on the principles of the National Initiative. It was never intended to be a final solution. But it did provide an approach to begin the process of increasing police-community trust. The community you serve is not the enemy. The conviction of Derek Chauvin was not a bad day for our profession. It was just the opposite. It showed that the system is not broken beyond repair. It showed that when we uphold our oaths and dont provide safe harbor to criminals who wear a uniform and a badge, we prove we are worthy of the publics trust. I have heard the angst from some in our profession, upset that we are being unfairly judged by the actions of a few. I understand, but I disagree. In the same way that we all bear the burden of what police did in decades past, we also bear the consequences of the actions of those currently in our ranks. Ive heard some say that this is too much, that we cant do our jobs effectively under such scrutiny. I am going to steal something from another member of the Citizen Review Board, former Chief Annetta Nunn. Chief Nunn promoted me to lieutenant and I remember her telling us: If you cant do it in front of your mother, in front of your spouse, or in front of your kids, then you shouldnt do it. I will add one other thing: If you cant do it with your body camera rolling for all the world to see, dont do it. If you cant do your job with increased public scrutiny, if you feel that you are being hampered by community oversight, I suggest you find other employment. Because the job of police officer is not what you want it to be. The job is what the community wants it to be. We are not an occupying army. The community you serve is not the enemy. In fact, the person you are arresting is not the enemy. We are all the same community; we serve the community. Its not us versus them. They are us. We are them. The Derek Chauvin guilty verdict was just a beginning. There is much work to do. We cant expect this one moment to change everything. We cant expect the community to trust us now that one criminal who wore a badge is going to prison. We have to work each day to build that trust. On those days when we fall short of community expectations, we must accept the criticism and work to do better. Jerry Wiley served with the Birmingham Police Department from 1986 until 2016. He was awarded the Police Star Medal and was commander of the West Precinct when it was awarded the Departmental Precinct of the Year in 2010. Wiley coordinated police logistics for Birminghams 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement in 2013 and staffing for the visit of the Dali Lama. Wiley served in the North Precinct after graduating police academy, worked as a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force as sergeant, was lieutenant of West Precinct for the 3 p.m.-11 p.m. shift for five years. He also served as Assistant Commander of Administrative Bureau and Assistant Commander/Acting Commander Patrol Bureau. Australia's practices to reverse wheels of history will never be supported 09:02, April 26, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily Australia's federal government recently ripped up Victoria State's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) agreements with China. Such unreasonable political manipulation has undermined normal exchange and cooperation between the two countries and seriously damaged their mutual trust. It goes against the fundamental interests of the two countries and their people. China has already lodged solemn representation with the Australian side and said it reserves the right to make further reactions over this matter. The Australian side must pay for its arbitrary decision. Australia's decision exposed typical speculative mindset and marked a bad example in international relations. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in June 2019 that Australia has always, and will continue to, welcome China's economic growth. It also welcomes the contribution that the BRI can make to regional infrastructure investment and to regional development, he added. However, the Australian side blatantly vetoed the agreements for win-win cooperation, saying they were inconsistent with Australia's foreign policy and the canceling was not targeting any specific country. The fact is that Australia reviewed over 1,000 agreements and decided to cancel four, among which two agreements are signed with China. The claim that this decision is not aimed at any country does not hold water. Some Australian politicians, sticking to the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices, have actively responding to certain major countries' efforts to form exclusive cliques in recent years. Every once in a while, they would try to undermine normal China-Australia exchange and cooperation and poison mutual trust between the two countries. Their repeated self-contradictory rhetoric was hilarious. On one hand, they hope to destroy the bilateral relationship with China. On the other hand, they are dreaming of making a fortune by riding on Chinas train of fast development. Does this really make sense? It must be pointed out that the unreasonable practices of these Australian politicians totally go against the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership. What they are doing is reversing the wheels of history, which not only gives a blow to the confidence in cooperation of the two sides, including local governments and enterprises, but also seriously damages the image and reputation of Australia. The BRI establishes a wide platform of global cooperation, and is a concrete step to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Following the principle of wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the BRI has blazed a trail of common development and is welcomed by the international community. The decision of the Victoria State to cooperate with China under the BRI framework could have improved the wellbeing of the people from both sides and delivered win-win results. The governor of the state said the cooperation aimed to raise employment. Many people in the Australian business world criticized the federal government's canceling of the cooperation agreements and expressed their concerns. David Olsson, National President of the Australia China Business Council said compared with politics and strategies, China attaches more importance to the business opportunities brought by regional infrastructure investment. Similarly, the Australian business world also hopes to go beyond politics and grasp such genuine business opportunities, he added. In the era of economic globalization, openness and inclusiveness are an irreversible trend. Building up walls to hinder economic laws and market rules will only hurt others without necessarily benefiting oneself. The Australian side must abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices, view its cooperation with China objectively, and make choices that are really inconsistent with its interests. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) Renowned pro-life activist Lila Rose is urging churches to join the fight against abortion, stating "the answer is you," according to a report. The Christian Post (CP) reported that Rose believes that the church "has a role" in the fight against abortion by having a pro-life ministry. Rose added in her interview with CP that people of faith should be the answer to the "battle that's raging" against abortion. "I think the church, even good Christian people, are afraid of ruffling feathers. They're afraid of offending," Rose said, "and many are not educated." "They don't understand what's exactly happening. They sense that something's wrong in our culture, there are problems, but we're so desensitized. Today, we're so comfortable in many ways that sometimes we don't see the battle that's raging. So the church absolutely has a role," she stressed. "But," she quickly added, "if our pastors aren't standing up and preaching the truth on Sunday mornings, and...if our church doesn't have a pro-life ministry, the change begins with us." Rose elaborated the need to act on the matter vis a vis just complaining or getting "depressed" about it. She said one can engage in the actual battle by meeting with one's pastor, giving him support, and assuring one's pastor of being there for him so as to encourage him to speak about abortion during church gatherings. She pointed out that the church and its members can "start that pro-life ministry" where each one can "volunteer" or tie-up with a pro-life organization and then use it as an opportunity to start educating others about the dangers of abortion. Rose cited her new book, "Fighting For Life: Becoming A Force For Change In A Wounded World," that focuses on each individual as the "answer" to the so many problems in the world, most especially abortion. She highlighted the fact that while humans have "helped make the problems... God has given us talents and gifts to stand up, each one of us" to respond "to the needs of the world." According to Rose, the "beautiful thing" of standing up and responding "to the crises in the world" and fighting "for the problems that matter most" is that "we ourselves are changed for the better" and become "more the people we are meant to be." She also said that doing so in a world that accepts abortion may be difficult but "worth it" since this is "the human rights battle of our day." She said one person can inspire the next person to take a stand, one just needs to get going. Rose, a Catholic convert, told CP that she shared in the book the importance of "spiritual guidance" she received over time and helped her "understand the teachings of the Church." She emphasized the importance of receiving "the Eucharist" as "incredibly strengthening" in her spiritual journey along with "being part of a faith community" and her own family, which she finds as a key institution for the propagation of the pro-life message. Parents, Rose said, are to educate their children on the faith and on morality and not simply rely on sending them to a "Christian private school". She highlighted that the family is a "natural church" where kids first learn about love and about the faith. CP noted that Rose actually began being a pro-life activist after reading National Right To Life's book, "A Handbook On Abortion," that broke her heart to see the graphic images in it. The book served as an impetus for her in high school to begin Live Action, a pro-life group that provides presentations on the horror of abortion to her area in California and that also demonstrated in front of abortion clinics there. She has since then continued with her advocacy until she came up with her new book that offers advice to those who would like to join the pro-life movement. ST. LOUIS, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, today reported its highest first quarter net sales and net income in company history. For the first three months of 2021, Graybar's net sales totaled $1.9 billion, an increase of 7.2 percent compared to the same period last year. Net income attributable to Graybar for the quarter finished at $47.2 million, a 120.6 percent increase from the first quarter of 2020. "I am very proud that we set a new first quarter record in net sales and net income," said Kathleen M. Mazzarella, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Graybar. "We achieved positive results because of the hard work of our employees and the investments we made in our business, both of which were helped by improving economic conditions. While we continue to deal with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, we remain focused on creating an exceptional customer experience, driving accelerated growth and transforming the supply chain for the future." Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of 292 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency. For more information, visit www.graybar.com or call 1-800-GRAYBAR. Media Contact: Tim Sommer (314) 578-7672 [email protected] SOURCE Graybar Related Links http://www.Graybar.com ADVERTISEMENT Chads ex-Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke, who headed the cabinet from 2016-2018, was appointed as prime minister of the transitional government, Tchad24 broadcaster reported on Monday. Chads transitional military council assumed power earlier in April following the death of President Idriss Deby. The transitional period is set to last for 18 months, then new elections will be held. Meanwhile, Chads new military transitional government said it would not negotiate with the rebels blamed for killing the countrys president Idriss Deby. In a televised statement, the military spokesman, Gen. Azem Bermandoa Agouma, said the rebels were seeking to collaborate with several groups of jihadists and traffickers who served as mercenaries in Libya. Faced with this situation that endangers Chad and the stability of the entire sub-region, this is not the time for mediation or negotiation with outlaws, he said. The rebel group known by their French acronym Fact said on Sunday it was joining other armed groups opposing Debys son Mahamat Idriss Deby taking control of the country for 18 months ahead of new elections. The defense and security forces launched attack after them with the support of the air force located the enemy scattered in small groups regrouping in Niger territory,` far from the Chadian capital. A spokesman for the rebel group said it had not given up. The Chadian rebels were based in southern Libya and are believed to have crossed back into Chad on election day. The vote handed Deby a landslide victory, extending his 30 years in power. But the next day he was killed while visiting the frontlines. Opposition groups have called his sons appointment a coup-detat and have called for a demonstration on Tuesday. (Sputnik/NAN) Google and Microsoft's Indian-born CEOs pledge support to the country over coronavirus crisis New Delhi/Hong Kong (CNN Business) Google's Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella are rushing aid to India as the country battles an onslaught of coronavirus cases. The Indian-born CEOs pledged in statements Monday to help tackle a critical shortage of medical oxygen, provide technical expertise and deploy corporate resources as the country continues to set world records for daily infections. "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India," Nadella wrote on Twitter. "I'm grateful the US government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," he added. "This urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet from humanity-created climate change." By Ang Lai Soon After four years in the wilderness, the United States, one of the world's greatest polluters, is today hosting the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate Change. Its new president has gathered some 40 nations, big and small, to this summit. Surprisingly, Malaysia is not included nor invited, though every year this country is in the news for the wrong reason. For a few months almost annually, thick smog/haze would blanket almost the whole country with the people taken ill and the economy suffering, in fact in the Asean region as well. Now with COVID-19, the whole situation will be totally untenable if the haze/smog is here as well. The present unbearable hot weather is giving us an early warning. Do something now and do not take things for granted. Be prepared. Don't wait until the eleventh hour as the price for being disorganized is just too much to pay. With COVID-19, no country is safe until every country is safe. The same is true with environment. To leave out an important country like Malaysia in any global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or to contain the highly contagious virus is obviously a mistake. We all live on a rather well-endowed planet evolved over eons in a particular place in the universe that enabled life as we know it to evolve, to which homo sapiens owes its existence. Although our detailed knowledge of the universe is minuscule, this is the only known planet that supports life. Our everyday lives generally consume all our energies, and current events continuously relayed by 24/7 modern news media occupy much of our interest. But, as a few random statistics clearly indicate, there is an urgent need to take positive actions on reconciling our ever-growing demands with the finite resources of our planet. Scientists suggest that the resulting pressure on the planet's finite resources is being manifested in rising global temperatures, already creating very uncertain worldwide weather patterns and changes in the climate with worldwide effects on sea levels and current agriculture. This is, of course, an oversimplification but serves to show that climate change made by human activity is a problem that we cannot ignore. There are no simple short-term fixes and the time scale of positive actions showing positive results is measured in decades, not years. The United Nations recognize this, having held its first annual UN conference on Climate Change in Berlin in 1995. At the 2016 Conference, the president of the UN General Assembly called for the global economy in all sectors to be transformed to achieve a low-emission global economy. In short, to date little positive action has been taken. Earth Day today draws our attention to this urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet from humanity-created climate change. Our collective attention, ingenuity and resources on a global scale is needed now to stability and reverse present trends of rising global temperatures changes. The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia is to be congratulated over the years for its splendid efforts in tackling climate change. Let us all, without exception, do our part to help solve what is undeniably the most serious universal long-term problem we have to face: to cut down greenhouse gas emissions. (Datuk Seri Ang Lai Soon is Sarawak social activist, philanthropist, founder of St John's Ambulance Sarawak.) Brown didnt spend much of his first year getting to know the residents of Chicago. If he has a detailed plan to address the violence, he hasnt revealed it to us. Were still waiting for him to tell us what he plans to do and what we can do to help. NASA to air live coverage of SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts return to Earth NASA will provide live coverage of the upcoming return activities for the agencys SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, KF5LJG, Victor Glover, KI5BKC and Shannon Walker, KD5DXB and Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from the International Space Station. From left to right are Expedition 64 Flight Engineers and SpaceX Crew-1 members Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi. Credits: NASA The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, is scheduled to undock from the space station to begin the journey home at 7:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday, April 28. NASA and SpaceX are targeting 12:40 p.m. for the splashdown and conclusion of the Crew-1 mission. The return to Earth and activities leading up to the return will air live on NASA Television, the NASA App, and the agencys website. Crew-1 is the first of six crewed missions NASA and SpaceX will fly as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, which worked with the U.S. aerospace industry to return launches with astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil. In advance of departure from the space station, Crew-1 astronaut and station Commander Shannon Walker of NASA will hand over command of the station to JAXA astronaut and Crew-2 member Akihiko Hoshide during a change of command and farewell event. The Crew Dragon will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. Resilience also will return to Earth important and time-sensitive research. For normal crew rescue and recovery operations, the NASA and SpaceX teams select two primary splashdown locations from the seven possible locations about two weeks prior to return, with additional decision milestones taking place prior to crew boarding the spacecraft, during free flight, and before Crew Dragon performs a deorbit burn. NASA and SpaceX closely coordinate with the U.S. Coast Guard to establish a 10-nautical-mile safety zone around the expected splashdown location to ensure safety for the public and for those involved in the recovery operations, as well as the crew aboard the returning spacecraft. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 return coverage is as follows (all times are Eastern): Monday, April 26 12:30 p.m. Crew-1 final news conference aboard the International Space Station Tuesday, April 27 1:25 p.m. Change of Command and Crew-1 farewell remarks aboard the International Space Station Wednesday, April 28 4:45 a.m. NASA TV coverage begins for 5 a.m. hatch closure 6:45 a.m. NASA TV coverage begins for the 7:05 a.m. undocking 12:40 p.m. Splashdown (NASA TV will provide continuous coverage from undocking to splashdown) Learn more about splashdown locations, weather criteria and recovery logistics, at: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-spacex-crew-rescue-and-recovery/ It appears most readers do not want the province to impose tougher health restrictions upon Manitobans. Advertisement Advertise With Us It appears most readers do not want the province to impose tougher health restrictions upon Manitobans. That is, at least, according to an informal poll conducted on Facebook Saturday. Yes, if it is accompanied by the higher rate of vaccination. Clearly, people cannot follow the guidelines. Natalia Panina The poll came in response to the provinces active COVID-19 caseload, which is growing and brings with it the possibility of stricter health regulations coming into play. The question posed to readers was: "Should the province impose tougher health restrictions now that its becoming clearer were in a third wave?" Although some people engaged in conversations among themselves, 51 responded directly to the post by Saturday afternoon. Doesn't matter what you do. People are going to do whatever the hell they want to do. Not sure if the province has noticed this over the past year. Cole Delaurier Of these 51 respondents, 16 provided reactions that did not answer the question. Of the 35 respondents to either directly answer or strongly imply an answer to the questions, 24 rejected the call for tougher health restrictions and 11 were in support. Some of the "no" respondents wrote that health measures have done more harm than good, while others wrote that people shouldnt need to be told what to do. If the tougher restrictions didn't work for the first two waves, what makes you think they'll work now? Valerie Chalmers "People just need to use proper protocol," Holly Draper wrote. "Its no different if you were sick with anything. Our province, our businesses, cannot survive if we continue this way. We need to start making people accountable." Responses have been edited for clarity, length and grammar. "Yes" respondents believe restrictions reduce COVID-19 infection rates. Yes! New Zealand had a complete shutdown and my friends who live there are now allowed to go about their daily business as normal because of it. There was a case a couple months ago and they put the whole town in a lockdown until they figured out the contacts etc. I understand that they are an island and it may be slightly easier, but we arent even able to follow the rules in the slightest and are seeing cases in more remote areas. Abigail Burtnick "New Zealand had a complete shutdown and my friends who live there are now allowed to go about their daily business as normal because of it," Abigail Burtnick wrote. "There was a case a couple of months ago, and they put the whole town in lockdown until they figured out the contacts, etc. I understand that they are an island and it may be slightly easier, but we arent even able to follow the rules in the slightest and are seeing cases in more remote areas." "Most of us are really good at following rules. Some of us follow recommendations, too," Denise K. Dewar wrote. "A third group needs enforcement to comply." Despite the overwhelming "no" response, the ambiguity behind some of the answers among those who failed to directly answer the question on both sides of the spectrum at least partially invalidates whatever conclusion might be drawn from the results. I do not want to see more shut downs. Instead of just naming businesses that defy current health orders, add individuals to that list. I also think in a month we will need to open things further as we pass the 60 per cent vaccinated with their first shot. COVID will never disappear, the vaccination just diminishes the death and hospitalizations. Its here to stay, the sooner we get on with life the better. Darryl Gerrard Some expressed frustration regarding current restrictions, noting their support would depend on what the "tougher health restrictions" are. Numerous respondents wrote that whatever restrictions are put in place will prove irrelevant. "If all these restrictions had been reasonable, and most importantly consistent and made sense and jives with everything else, I think people would have had less problem following all of them," Michelle Forster wrote. Here is a crazy idea! Its not mine I stole it from a doctor who was on CBC last year. End the lockdowns and mandates and educate the public on facts about the virus so they can do a personal risk assessment on the activity. Corey Wilson "Doesnt matter what you do," Cole Delaurier wrote. "People are going to do whatever the hell they want to do. Not sure if the province has noticed this over the past year." Jesse Bulizuiks response echoed the rule-breaking sentiment other respondents were so critical of, writing: "Free country, Ill do what I want. Then again, we arent free doubt we ever will be again." Tougher restrictions should have been put in place earlier on, wrote Brian Doc Hodkin, who suggested it might have spared us the third wave. The positivity rate has gone up. Proof that people cant follow procedure. Every time they loosen the numbers go up. Unfortunately, wilful ignorance is driving the virus numbers up. Do I want more restrictions? No. But if it will protect people until everyone is vaccinated then yes. People are being very selfish and cavalier about this virus. The government needs to legislate the people who think its not a problem. Grant Kukurudz Although fake news was at a minimum in respondents answers, Rob Ryan used his response to clarify the reality of the situation. "I worked as a respiratory therapist in critical care for 25-plus years and you definitely dont want to end up on a ventilator," he wrote. "So for all these anti-vaxxers and people who dont believe how serious this pandemic is, youll change your attitude if you or a loved one ends up in ICU." Lisa Jean offered a similar take, writing: "Its frustrating for health-care workers who are exhausted listening to those that say this isnt real. If you only saw things from our dedicated nursing and medical staff point of view." tclarke@brandonsun.com Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB (Corrects spelling of 'Brian' in 14th paragraph.) By David Randall NEW YORK (Reuters) -An historic rally in share prices for smaller U.S. companies has slowed sharply in April after six months of strong gains, leading many investors to worry that the stock market as a whole may have already priced in a strong rebound from the pandemic. "The easy money has been made for small caps and for the market overall," said Doug Foreman, chief investment officer of fund manager Kayne Anderson Rudnick, who expects the broad U.S. market will offer "single-digit returns" for the rest of 2021. "The economic recovery is over in financial markets but not in the real world." Over the last year, the 86.7% gain for the Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks has trounced the 48.8% gain for the large-cap S&P 500 index, according to Refinitiv data. But since the start of April, the S&P's 5.2% gain has been nearly double the Russell 2000's gain of about 2.3%, and over the last three months the S&P has outperformed with a gain of 8.5% to 5% for the Russell 2000. The Russell 2000 has stalled even as President Joe Biden's administration hit its April 19 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa/all-american-adults-to-be-eligible-for-covid-19-vaccine-by-april-19-biden-idUSKBN2BT1IF target date for expanding eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine to all adults, which should help the economy recover after the pandemic. Over the last three weeks, American Airlines and United Airways both announced plans to recall all furloughed pilots and hire new ones as they prepare for a sharp rebound in travel. Wall Street is also bracing for the Biden administration's expected proposal to nearly double taxes on capital gains to 39.6% for people earning more than $1 million. Small-cap investors could feel pressure to take some profits on the strong rally by selling shares before the tax hike kicks in. Story continues By the time Biden marks his 100th day in office on April 30th, the United States will have administered over 200 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, a pace far ahead of European countries or Japan. Slower gains for small caps probably signal that stocks will start to trade closer to fundamentals, with earnings results growing more important and investors less likely to discount a bad quarter, said Michael Wilson, chief U.S. equity strategist and chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley. "The breakdown of small caps and cyclicals is a potential early warning sign that the actual reopening of the economy will be more difficult than dreaming about it," he said. Few expect that the Russell index will fall into a correction - a decline of 10% or more - or a bear market anytime soon. The index posted a 1.8% gain Friday, a sign that investors remain optimistic about the U.S. economy overall. "We've priced in quite a bit of the good news and the reopen already, but we could still see catalysts like M&A deals or higher oil prices that would give small-caps another leg higher," said Esty Dwek, head of Global Thematics & Macro Research at Natixis Investment Managers. Investors often look at small cap performance as a measure of the strength of a bull market, said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Wells Fargo Asset Management. A strong outperformance by small caps often signals that the bull market is an early stage, while a strong outperformance by large caps may mean that the bull market is aging and overall returns may be limited, he said. "The market was demonstrating early cycle behavior with value outperforming growth, small outperforming large. Now it's shifting more to mid-cycle behavior even though the economy is far from mid-cycle," he said. As a result, some small cap fund managers have become more cautious since the start of April. "We've been trimming some of the winners that have had massive moves up and deploying them into some of the more mature larger cap names," said Lamar Villere, a portfolio manager at Villere & Co. Among Villere's few new purchases are shares of ViacomCBS Inc, which dropped more than 27% https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-media/viacomcbs-discovery-both-fall-27-leading-media-stock-selloff-idUSKBN2BI380 on March 26 after losses at Archegos, a hedge fund run by former Tiger Asia manager Bill Hwang, triggered a fire sale of media stocks. "There are fewer attractive values to be found in small caps right now," Villere said. (Reporting by David Randall; editing by Megan Davies and David Gregorio) Highlights: - Industry veteran Justin King to join tech platform the Snappy Group as Senior Adviser and investor - Appointment follows the launch of Series A fundraise to continue rapid expansion in the convenience and hospitality sectors - The Snappy Group is formed of two businesses, Snappy Shopper Ltd and Hungrrr Ltd, operating in the growing UK convenience grocery sector and the hospitality sector respectively - The Company's mission is to democratise e-Commerce technology by providing an affordable solution to local businesses enabling them to compete in the fast-growing home delivery market LONDON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Snappy Group ("the Company" or "the Group"), the technology platform that connects consumers with their local businesses, is pleased to announce that Justin King has become a Senior Adviser to the Company and made a significant investment in the business. It is envisaged that Justin will join the Board as Non-Executive Director following the Series A fundraising that has recently been launched. Justin King, one of the UK's leading food retailers, was CEO of Sainsbury's between 2004 and 2014. During this time he led the business through a major turnaround followed by nine years of profit growth. Before joining Sainsbury's, Justin was Head of Food at Marks & Spencer. He held many high-profile roles in a thirty-year career spanning consumer goods and grocery retailing. Justin is currently a Non-Executive Director of Marks and Spencer and a member of the Public Interest Body of PwC. Justin will bring this wealth of retail understanding and business experience to the Board of the Snappy Group, as the Company seeks to grow the services it provides to local retailers and hospitality organisations. The Snappy Group's Series A fundraising will enable the Company to continue its rapid expansion in convenience and hospitality. Participants in the Snappy Group's initial seed rounds, beside the management team, included Kelvin Capital, Scottish Enterprise and Mercia Asset Management. Local businesses and communities are at the heart of the Snappy Group's mission. The Group's website and proprietary mobile app technology provide local businesses with an affordable, bespoke e-Commerce delivery and Click & Collect solution for local consumers. The Company works in partnership with local businesses to provide an outsourced tech platform, tailored to their specific needs, that can drive significant revenue uplift. The Group has gone from strength to strength, having grown from 220 business partners in 2019 to 1,150 today with more than 700,000 consumers using the platform across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and annualised Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) approaching 100m for the year ended March 2021. The Snappy Shopper app: consumers can order groceries from their local convenience store and have them delivered by the store's own drivers to their homes from as little as 30 minutes. No longer solely reliant on footfall, this allows businesses to extend their customer base and service, as well as compete in this fast-growing home delivery market. Retailers can increase revenues significantly with average basket spend more than trebling online compared to instore. At the same time Snappy Shopper enables retailers to maintain their in-store value proposition online by limiting the charges that lead to consumers facing higher prices when ordering. The Company currently serves retailers from most major players and has partnership agreements with several regional Co-op's, Nisa and SPAR. The Hungrrr app: offers the hospitality sector, including restaurants, hotels and stadia, an affordable alternative to the larger established players to take online orders, whether that is ordering drinks to a table in a pub, breakfast to a hotel room or pre-ordering food at a major sporting event. The platform's white label functionality and branding can be tailored to each client which has proven attractive to businesses such as Hilton, BrewDog and Subway. Justin King said: "I have been hugely impressed by the Snappy Group's affordable solution, leadership team and rapid growth. The Company is championing the needs of businesses in their local community. Its proprietary technology provides local businesses with an affordable delivery solution which enables them to compete in this fast-changing market segment. This not only caters to the trend for top up shopping but also an increasing desire by consumers to access and support local enterprises. "This is an exciting and pivotal time for the business and I believe that I will be able to add significant value. I look forward to working with the management team as the business continues its expansion and grows its market share further within the thriving UK convenience market and beyond." Mike Callachan, Co-founder of Snappy Shopper, said: "We are very excited to have been able to attract Justin's interest and investment. Justin is one of the UK's most successful business leaders and brings a wealth of experience within the retail and FMCG sector, which will be invaluable as we expand further. "Prior to the pandemic, the Snappy Group was already established in both hospitality and grocery home delivery. The lockdown has served to accelerate the online trend, but we strongly believe that the shift in consumer behaviour will persist in the long term. While we expect the rapid rate of growth in deliveries to slow slightly as lockdown eases through the summer months, the online market is a long way from maturation." "Our mission is to give communities on demand access to the products of local businesses. In this context, our platform is based on genuine partnerships and the principle of mutual benefit. The platform therefore evolves to suit their needs and I believe our flexibility, commitment and commission structure differentiate us from our competitors." John McNicol, Founder of Kelvin Capital, said: "We are delighted with the appointment of Justin King as Senior Board Adviser to the Snappy Group, one of the most exciting Scottish software companies. The Group's rapid expansion has exceeded our expectations to date and this appointment represents a significant milestone in the aspirations of the Company." Media enquiries: TB Cardew snappygroup@tbcardew.com Tom Allison 07789 998020 Nadja Vetter 07941 340 436 Oliva Rosser 07552 864 250 Notes to Editors: The Convenience sector The 41 bn UK convenience market saw year-on-year growth of 9.2%** last year and is forecast to reach 49 billion by 2024, supported by the rise of 'On Demand Convenience' (ODC). With more people likely to continue working from home even as the pandemic abates, the role ODC plays within the grocery market is forecast to grow further; a study by data research company Lumina found 70% of people intend to use ODC more in future, with shoppers aged 25-35 years old 176% more likely to use the service.*** Snappy Shopper is well placed to tap into this growing market opportunity and widening consumer demographic. * ACS Local Shop Report 2020 ** UK Convenience Market Report Update 2020 *** Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme analysis The Hospitality sector The hospitality industry has grown GVA faster than any other industry since the economic downturn (2009-2016 CAGR), generating over 73bn of Gross Value Added directly to the UK economy, and a further 87bn indirectly.* As the sector begins to reopen over the coming months, the outlook is promising. A study by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) has predicted that consumer spending will reach 314m in the first week alone that the hospitality sector reopens.** * ONS data, Ignite Economics Analysis https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/general/custom.asp?page=economiccontributio ** https://cebr.com/reports/englands-outdoor-drinkers-and-diners-to-provide-the-hospitality-sector-with-a-314-million-boost-in-the-first-week-of-reopening/ Mother-of-two Taleka White created fake documents which she used to trick insurance companies into believing she had missed her flight A 'Con Air' fraudster who scammed airlines out of more than 50,000 by making fake insurance claims on flights she never booked was today spared jail. Mother-of-two Taleka White created fake documents which she used to trick insurance companies into believing she had missed her flight. In fact, the 32-year-old, from Croydon, had never booked the flight in the first place. The con artist, a trained ambulance driver, used her routine to claim 55,872 over a three year period. However airlines targeted by White, such as British Airways, soon clocked on to her scam and reported her to the police. Now White has been spared prison by a judge, who said 'more shadowy participants' were likely behind the scam. But in a stark warning, the judge added: 'If you and I meet again in those circumstances the suspended sentence will be activated and you will be marched off to HMP Bronzefield. Sahil Sinha, prosecuting, told Southwark Crown Court that White carried out her fraudulent activity between February 2016 and January 2019. He told the court: It was a process of contacting the airlines and providing documentation relating to some of the claims. The claims that have been the subject of the charges were carried out using a combination of names used, the address used, contact details and her finances. White produced flight documents, e-voices, proof of purchases and return flights. She also submitted letter headed documents stipulating fake reasons for missing flights including blaming late transfer buses causing travel disruptions, said Mr Sinha. He continued: Either the money was paid into the bank accounts to the name of this defendant or paid to bank accounts and then transferred to accounts in the name of this defendant. The offending had grown in sophistication in part because the early claims were made using the defendants name or similar names and the defendants bank account. Mr Sinha said White switched methods and began using fake names and ran the finances using other bank accounts where money was later transferred to her own account. The con artist, a mother-of-two, used her routine to claim more than 55,000 over a three year period But it was not long after some airlines noticed the claims were fraudulent and stopped the transfer of money to White. Mr Sinha said: Companies such as British Airways noticed the format of these documents were not quite right. A number of those claims were stopped because there was suspicion and they were not paid, 13,000 was not actually paid. There is a firm belief others were involved in the fraud but Mr Sinha confirmed nobody else had been changed due to insufficient evidence. Richard Reilly, defending White, said White had no previous convictions. He argued his client, a single mother of two at the time, made a colossal mistake but highlighted White was going through financial troubles. Mr Reilly said: She is a mother of two children, a 10-year-old son and a three year old daughter. She draws tremendous strength from her children. She was a single mother responsible for their upkeep and looking after them and at the material time she had been moved to Notting Hill and had been experiencing housing difficulties. It goes without saying that she is acutely aware of the seriousness of the offence and the realistic prospect of an immediate custodial sentence. It has been a colossal error of judgement on her part. Mr Reilly explained White has a keen interest in the law having briefly trained as a solicitor before dropping out and starting a job as an ambulance driver. He said: She embarked on a degree in law and it is unfortunate that someone with a keen interest in law and who wanted to practice law finds herself in this position in front of the court today. She gained employment as an ambulance driver, it goes to show her determination in life to do well. White, who arrived at Southwark Crown Court in a black jacket over a red dress, gasped as Judge David Tomlinson told her she would not be going to jail. White, who arrived at Southwark Crown Court in a black jacket over a red dress, gasped as Judge David Tomlinson told her she would not be going to jail Judge Tomlinson told White: The counts on the indictment reflect multiple counts of fraud by fraud representation. No doubt other more shadowy participants were involved but you declined to tell anyone in a position of authority anything that would lead to the identification of any other culprit. You fully understood the nature of the frauds and played an active and persistent role. The cost is passed onto everyone, and with so many people even before the pandemic just managing, the impact of costly insurance of this sort of behaviour is not just financial, it is a human cost which is borne by members of the community as a whole I have come to the conclusion here aided by your guilty pleas, which in their own way I will treat as timely and what Ive read about you. While the custody threshold is past here by a considerable amount, I am going to suspend the operational period and that will be for some time.' White, of Croydon, had admitted 15 counts of fraud by false representation. She had previously admitted a further count of fraud by false representation and two counts of possession of article for use in fraud. She was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended by 21 months and ordered to observe an electronically monitored curfew for four months from 9pm to 6am. The mother of two was also ordered to carry out 20 sessions of organised rehabilitation activities. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says states should not be able to restrict who enters their hotel quarantine system, insisting international arrivals caps should be based on the states population size. NSW reported eight new cases in hotel quarantine on Monday, amid a rising daily number of overseas-acquired cases nationally. Premier Gladys Berejiklian, speaking at the announcement of the 2027 Netball World Cup on Monday morning. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The Premier on Monday would not be drawn on her counterpart in Perths push to crack down on overseas travel exemptions, saying it is not a call for the states to decide why people are allowed to leave Australia. Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan says he has been in communication with one or two premiers about the reasons why people should be allowed to leave the country. On 12 February this year, Pip Hare arrived in Les Sables D'Olonne, France to complete the Vendee Globe round-the-world yacht race for solo sailors. The accomplishment took 95 days and made her the second woman in the race rankings and the leading Briton. As you might guess, this remarkable achievement was not without challenges, including dual ascents of the masts and an in-race rudder change, as well as the ever-present danger, sleeplessness, dramatic changes of weather and assorted other hazards of piloting a small craft an enormous distance. Many watchers stress the physical and psychological challenges of racing solo but Hare was anything but alone in one sense at least, thanks to technology. She was in regular communication with fans, friends and family, thanks to video and voice communications. Also, sponsored by experience management cloud company Medallia, her wellbeing was under near-constant scrutiny with its LivingLens solution (VIDEO) used to analyse Hare's facial expressions, wording and tone. The result was her support team's understanding of when and how to communicate with the sailor and, just as important, when to leave her alone. Hare's journey was a very modern synthesis of natural challenges and technological solutions combined with human bravery, know-how and ingenuity. Google and Facebook are failing to remove scam online adverts even after fraud victims report them, a new investigation reveals. Consumer group Which? found 34 per cent of victims who reported an advert that led to a scam on Google said the advert was not taken down by the search engine. Twenty six per cent of victims who reported an advert on Facebook that resulted in them being scammed said the advert was not removed by the social network. A 'reactive' rather than proactive approach taken by the tech companies towards fraudulent content taken is 'not fit for purpose', Which? claims. The firms spend millions on detection technology but are falling short when it comes to taking down dodgy ads before they dupe victims, it claims. Even if fake and fraudulent adverts are successfully taken down they often pop up again under different names, Which? found. Tech giants like Google and Facebook make significant profits from adverts, including ones that lead to scams, according to the consumer champion. Technology giants like Facebook make hefty profits from adverts, including ones that lead to scams, according to Which? The consumer group reveals both Facebook and Google are failing to remove online scam adverts reported by victims 'Our latest research has exposed significant flaws with the reactive approach taken by tech giants including Google and Facebook in response to the reporting of fraudulent content leaving victims worryingly exposed to scams,' said Adam French, Consumer Rights Expert at Which?. 'Online platforms must be given a legal responsibility to identify, remove and prevent fake and fraudulent content on their sites.' One scam victim, Stefan Johansson, who lost 30.50, told Which? he had repeatedly reported a scam retailer operating under the names 'Swanbrooch' and 'Omerga' to Facebook. Swanbrooch and Omerga were both approached for comment. Another victim, Mandy, told Which? she was tricked by a fake Clarks 'clearance sale' advert she saw on Facebook. Social media giants could be fined 18 million, or 10 per cent of their global turnover, if they fail to protect their users from harm, under the Online Safety Bill WHICH? LAUNCHES SCAM ALERTS Which? has launched a email scam alerts service. The service provides news on the latest emerging scams, how to avoid them and the steps to take if you've lost money. Those who register will receive warnings and examples of scams straight to their inbox as Which? uncovers them. People can sign up on Which?'s website . Advertisement She paid 85 for two pairs of boots, but instead she received a large box containing a pair of cheap sunglasses. 'I've had a lot of back and forth with my bank over the past six months, trying to prove that I didn't receive what I ordered,' Mandy said. Facebook has since removed this advert and the advertiser's account. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said 'fraudulent activity is not allowed on Facebook and we have taken action on a number of pages reported to us by Which?'. 'Our 35,000 strong team of safety and security experts work alongside sophisticated AI to proactively identify and remove this content, and we urge people to report any suspicious activity to us.' Which admitted that a visible 'Report this ad' button features on all Facebook's promoted content, which 'makes reporting easy'. But the Google reporting form is 'hard to find and time-consuming', it says. Which? found it was not immediately clear how to report fraudulent content to Google, and when they did it involved navigating five complex pages of information. Users can report a dodgy Google ad by searching 'How to report bad ads on Google', clicking on the support page and filling out the necessary information. Google said in response to the report that it's 'constantly reviewing ads, sites and accounts' to make sure they comply with its policies. 'We take action on potentially bad ads reported to us and these complaints are always manually reviewed.' Example of a Clarks scam site. One victim clicked on a website from an ad for 'Clarks shoes outlet sale' that appeared in search listings on Google. The victim said the URL and site design looked just like a legitimate Clarks website, but it wasn't WHICH PLATFORMS HOST SCAM ADS? Which? commissioned its survey of 2,000 UK adults this year. Of those who said they had fallen victim to a scam as a result of an advert: - 27 per cent said they'd fallen for a fraudulent advert they saw on Facebook - 19 per cent said a scam targeted them through Google adverts. - 3 per cent said they'd been tricked by an advert on Twitter. Advertisement Which? commissioned its online survey of 2,000 UK adults aged 18 and over between February 19 and 23 this year, conducted by Opinium. Of those surveyed, 298 people said they had fallen victim to a scam through an ad on either a search engine or social media and reported it to the company. More victims had fallen for scam ads on Facebook than on Google 27 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively. Three per cent said they'd been tricked by an ad on Twitter. Which? said Twitter's reporting process is 'quick and simple to use, but it doesn't have an option to specifically report an advert that could be a scam. A Twitter spokesperson said: 'Where we identify violations of our rules, we take robust enforcement action. 'We're constantly adapting to bad actors' evolving methods, and we will continue to iterate and improve upon our policies as the industry evolves.' Also in the survey findings, 43 per cent of scam victims conned by an advert they saw online via a search engine or social media ad said they did not report the scam to the platform hosting it. The biggest reason for not reporting adverts that caused a scam to Facebook was that victims didn't think the platform would do anything about it or take it down this was the response from nearly a third (31 per cent) of victims. For Google, the main reason for not reporting the scam ad was that the victim didn't know how to do so this applied to 32 per cent of victims. Worryingly, 51 per cent of 1,800 search engine users Which? surveyed said they did not know how to report suspicious ads found in search listings. Which? found it was not immediately clear how to report fraudulent content to Google, and when they did it involved navigating five complex pages of information. And 35 per cent of 1,600 social media users said they didn't know how to report a suspicious advert seen on social media channels. Tech platforms should be given legal responsibility for preventing fake and fraudulent adverts from appearing on their sites, Which? says. It's calling for the government to take the opportunity to include content that leads to online scams in the scope of its proposed Online Safety Bill. The government is set to introduce its Online Safety Bill later this year, which will enforce stricter regulation around protecting young people online and harsh punishments for platforms found to be failing to meet a duty of care. 'The case for including scams in the Online Safety Bill is overwhelming and the government needs to act now,' said French. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Anesthesia Drugs Market The global anesthesia drugs market stood at USD 3.1 Bn in 2015 and is anticipated to catapult to USD 4.9 Billion by the end of 2022. As per the analysis of market Research Future (MRFR), the global anesthesia drugs market is likely to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% over the forecast period of 2015-2022. Anesthesia drugs are used during surgeries for loss of sensation to alleviate pain. The rise in global surgical volume across the globe has added to the growth of the global anesthesia market. There has been an increase in the number of surgical procedures to manage diverse health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, malignancy, infections, injuries, etc. Such operative procedures require anesthesia drugs for pain management and induce high demand for anesthesia drugs. Moreover, post-operative pain management is also likely to contribute to the growth of the global anesthesia drugs market. Avail Free Sample Copy at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2508 Rise in global geriatric population is another factor contributing to the growth of the global anesthesia drugs market. The elderly populace is at more risk of acquiring cardiovascular, respiratory and other degenerative changes which often requires surgical treatments which boosts the growth of the market. Competitive Landscape The global anesthesia drugs market is led by some prominent players such as AstraZeneca PLC (BritishSwedish) Baxter International Inc. (US) Fresenius Se & Co. Kgaa (Germany) Abbott Laboratories (US) Hospira Inc. (US) Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (UK) Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland) and AbbVie Inc. (US). Expanding healthcare sector in the emerging economies is expected to drive the market for anesthesia drugs. Growth in healthcare facilities would increase the number of surgeries in developing countries which would subsequently generate more demand for anesthetic drugs. A high incidence rate of emergency medical procedures is also a crucial factor in driving the market for anesthesia drugs. Besides, the rise in the number of cosmetic surgeries, and dental procedures also add fuel to the growth of the market. Segmentation The global anesthesia drugs market has been segmented based on type of anesthesia, type of drugs and route of administration. By type of anesthesia, the market has been segmented into general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and others. By type of drugs, the market has been segmented into general anesthetics, local anesthetics, and others. By route of administration, the market has been segmented into inhalation, intravenous, and others. Browse Complete Premium Research Report enabled with TOC at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/anesthesia-drugs-market-2508 Advancements in anesthesia drugs in terms of improved efficiency, additional and new mode of administration and decreased price has considerably augmented the growth of the market. However, the growth of the market might be hindered by side effects associated with anesthesia drugs such as temporary confusion, hallucination, elevation in heart rate and blood pressure, amnesia and memory loss, which is more prevalent in elderly patients. Other side effects include nausea, vomiting, sore throat, bladder problems, sleepiness, and others. Lack of skilled anesthesiologist is another crucial factor which might restrain the growth of the anesthesia drugs market. Regional Analysis The Americas (North America & South America), Europe, Asia Pacific, and the rest of the world (RoW) are the key markets for anesthesia drugs. The Americas is the largest market for anesthesia drugs led by North America. Advanced medical facilities, growing geriatric population, the prevalence of chronic diseases and rise in a number of surgical procedures drive the market in the Americas. Moreover, the presence of key players in the region also contributes to the growth of the market. Europe is the second largest market led by Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and the UK. Asia Pacific is slated to be the fastest growing market for anesthesia drugs. Expansion of medical facilities in the region coupled with high demand for medical facilities in the region assists the growth of the market in Asia Pacific. Intended Audience: Hospitals and Clinics Anesthesia Drugs manufacturers and suppliers Government and Independent Regulatory Authorities Research and Development (R&D) Companies Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Medical Research Laboratories Potential Investors read more @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/anesthesia-drugs-market-2508 Study objectives: To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Anesthesia Drugs Market Contact: Market Research Future Family members of a person who died due to COVID-19 perform the last rites at a crematorium in Jammu, India, Monday, April 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) Dr. Gautam Singh dreads the daily advent of the ventilator beeps, signaling that oxygen levels are critically low, and hearing his critically ill patients start gasping for air in the New Delhi emergency ward where he works. Like other doctors across the country, which on Monday set another record for new coronavirus infections for a fifth day in a row at more than 350,000, the cardiologist has taken to begging and borrowing cylinders of oxygen just to keep his most critical patients alive for one more day. On Sunday evening, when the oxygen supplies of other nearby hospitals were also near empty, the desperate 43-year-old took to social media, posting an impassioned video plea on Twitter. "Please send oxygen to us," he said with folded hands and a choked voice. "My patients are dying." India was initially seen as a success story in weathering the pandemic, but the virus is now racing through its massive population of nearly 1.4 billion, and systems are beginning to collapse. SOS messages like the one Singh sent reveal the extent of panic in a country where infections are hitting new peaks daily. In addition to oxygen supplies running out, intensive care units are operating at full capacity and nearly all ventilators are in use. As the death toll mounts, the night skies in some Indian cities glow from the funeral pyres, as crematoria are overwhelmed and bodies are burned outside in the open air. Health workers and relatives carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in Jammu, India, Monday, April 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) On Monday, the country reported another 2,812 deaths, with roughly 117 Indians succumbing to the disease every hourand experts say even those figures are likely an undercount. The new infections brought India's total to more than 17.3 million, behind only the United States. Doctors like Singh are on the front lines, trying to get the supplies they need to keep their patients alive. Singh received 20 oxygen cylinders on Monday, only enough to limp the hospital through the day until the ventilators start sending out their warning beeps again. "I feel helpless because my patients are surviving hour to hour," Singh said in a telephone interview. "I will beg again and hope someone sends oxygen that will keep my patients alive for just another day." As bad as the situation is, experts warn it is likely to get worse. Family members of a person who died due to COVID-19 light the funeral pyre at a crematorium in Jammu, India, Monday, April 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) Krishna Udayakumar, founding director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University, said it would be impossible for the country to keep up with needs over the coming days as things stand. "The situation in India is tragic and likely to get worse for some weeks to months," he said, adding that a "concerted, global effort to help India at this time of crisis" is desperately needed. The White House said the U.S. is "working around the clock" to deploy testing kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment, and it would seek to provide oxygen supplies as well. It said it would also make available sources of raw material urgently needed to manufacture Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," President Joe Biden said in a tweet. One among the countless messages in Twitter calling for help in the face of the pandemic in India. As staggering numbers of Indian families deal with death and serious illness amid a devastating virus surge, countless desperate pleas for help on social media have exposed the collapse of India's already teetering health system. Social media has become a catalog of frantic people searching for oxygen cylinders, hospital beds, ambulances and gasping patients dying as they struggle to breathe. The messages reveal the panic in a country that had thought the worse was over. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Help and support were also offered from archrival Pakistan, which said it could provide relief including ventilators, oxygen supply kits, digital X-ray machines, protective equipment and related items. Germany's Health Ministry said it was "urgently working to put together an aid package" for India consisting of ventilators, monoclonal antibodies, the drug Remdesivir, as well as surgical and N95 protective masks. Stung by criticism of its lack of preparation ahead of the wave of infections, the federal government has asked industrialists to increase the production of oxygen and life-saving drugs in short supply. But many say it is too latethe breakdown a stark failure for a country that boasted of being a model for other developing nations. Only three months ago, the country's leaders were boisterous, delivering messages that the worse was over. People queue up for COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India, Monday, April 26, 2021. New infections are rising faster in India than any other place in the world, stunning authorities and capsizing its fragile health system. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory over the coronavirus, telling the virtual gathering of the World Economic Forum that India's success couldn't be compared with anywhere else. A little less than a month later, his Bharatiya Janata Party passed a resolution hailing Modi as a "visionary leader" who had already "defeated" the virus. By the second week of March, India's health minister declared that the country was "in the endgame" of the pandemic. At the same time, the patients arriving at India's hospitals were far sicker and younger than previously seen, prompting warnings by health experts that India was sitting on a ticking timebomb, which went either unnoticed or ignored. Millions of Hindu devotees celebrated the festival of Holi across the country at the end of March, foregoing social distancing guidelines and masks. Politicians, including Modi, spearheaded mammoth election rallies where tens of thousands participated without masks. And millions more gathered by the Ganges River for special Hindu prayers as recently as last week. People queue up for COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India, Monday, April 26, 2021. New infections are rising faster in India than any other place in the world, stunning authorities and capsizing its fragile health system. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Now it's suspected all these events might have accelerated the unprecedented surge India is seeing now. "Many people across India are paying with their lives for that shameful behavior by political leaders," Udayakumar said. In a radio address on Sunday, Modi sought to deflect the criticism and said the "storm" of infections had left the country "shaken." "It is true that many people are getting infected with corona," he said. "But the number of people recovering from corona is equally high." India's government said last week it would expand its vaccination program to make all adults eligible, something long urged by health experts. But vaccinations take time to show their effect on the numbers of new infections, and there are questions of whether manufacturers will be able to keep up with the demand. The pace of vaccination across the country also appears to be struggling. A relative of a person who died of COVID-19 reacts at a crematorium in Jammu, India, Sunday, April.25, 2021. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) Meantime, ordinary citizens are taking matters into their own hands, doing what they say the government should have done a long time ago. Volunteers, from students to technology professionals, non-profit organizations and journalists, are rallying to circulate information on the availability of hospital beds, critical drugs and oxygen cylinders. Like Dr. Singh, many have taken to social media, particularly Twitter, to crowdsource lists of plasma donors and oxygen cylinder supplies. The system's imperfect, but some are getting badly needed help. Rashmi Kumar, a New Delhi homemaker, spent her Sunday scouring Twitter, posting desperate pleas for an oxygen cylinder for her critically ill father. At the same time, she made countless calls to hospitals and government helpline numbers, to no avail. By evening her 63-year-old father was gasping for breath. Relatives look on as health workers bury a body of a person who died of COVID-19 in Gauhati, India, Sunday, April 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) Municipal workers prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19 in Gauhati, India, Sunday, April 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) Multiple funeral pyres of those who died of COVID-19 burn at a ground that has been converted into a crematorium for the mass cremation of coronavirus victims, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 24, 2021. Delhi has been cremating so many bodies of coronavirus victims that authorities are getting requests to start cutting down trees in city parks, as a second record surge has brought India's tattered healthcare system to its knees. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) People perform rituals next to a funeral pyre for a family member who died of COVID-19 at a ground that has been converted into a crematorium for mass cremation of COVID-19 victims in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 24, 2021. Delhi has been cremating so many bodies of coronavirus victims that authorities are getting requests to start cutting down trees in city parks, as a second record surge has brought India's tattered healthcare system to its knees. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Exhausted workers, who bring dead bodies for cremation, sit on the rear step of an ambulance inside a crematorium, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 24, 2021. Delhi has been cremating so many bodies of coronavirus victims that authorities are getting requests to start cutting down trees in city parks, as a second record surge has brought India's tattered healthcare system to its knees. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) "I was prepared for the worst," Kumar said. But out of nowhere, a fellow Twitter user reported an available oxygen cylinder some 60 kilometers (37 miles) away. Kumar drove to the person's house where she was handed over the oxygen cylinder by a man. "I was helped by a stranger when my own government continues to fail thousands like me," she said. "Unfortunately, everyone is on their own now." 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. Passionate and results-oriented, Adam Grim is ready to leverage his 15 years of experience as a marketing strategist, business owner, and agency leader to take Improve & Grow LLC to new heights. Digital marketing agency Improve & Grow LLC welcomes its newest team member Adam Grim, Director of Growth Strategy. With this move, the company aims to fulfill its mission to help customers grow through improved digital marketing strategies. Passionate and results-oriented, Adam Grim is ready to leverage his 15 years of experience as a marketing strategist, business owner, and agency leader to take Improve & Grow LLC to new heights. He has focused his last 15 years in the industry on developing digital marketing techniques that effectively blend creativity and data analysis. This insightful approach on digital marketing, along with over a decade of experience, will add to Improve & Grows direction for strategic growth for both the company and its clients. "We have collaborated with Adam in various capacities over the last 7 years and are excited to welcome him to our team said Carl Lefever, owner and strategist of Improve & Grow. I look forward to the leadership that Adam will bring to our team and the impact it will have on our client's businesses." As the Director of Growth Strategy, Adam will fulfill the following tasks for the companys loyal and new clients: Provide leadership to account strategists Develop and execute lead generation efforts Create digital marketing strategies for clients Serve as a member of the top management Oversee contractual agreements He will serve as the link between Improve & Grow LLC and its clients to adhere to its results-based approach. Results-Based Approach The companys results-based approach guarantees measurable growth with a profitable return on investment (ROI) for all clients. This revolutionary approach ensures that the growth strategy team informs clients about the extensive range of digital marketing investments they can use to achieve business goals. These are some of the companys specialties: Search engine optimization Pay-per-click ads Content development Social media marketing Using the tried-and-tested results-based approach enables Improve & Grow LLC to provide clients with impressive growth. Its clients typically achieve 30 50% growth in the first year as customers and two to three times better ROI and year-on-year growth afterward. Improve & Grow LLC Improve & Grow LLC is an innovative digital marketing agency based in Pennsylvania that serves hundreds of businesses in the country. The company uses its results-based approach to develop customized strategies for different-sized businesses, producing more profit than the marketing spend. You can call them at +1 717 553 2274 for a free consultation or on their website at https://improveandgrow.com/. The NHS is sleepwalking into a cancer crisis that is setting survival rates back by up to 15 years, experts have warned. A coalition of charities, Royal Colleges and MPs are today demanding an increase in funding for cancer services in order to save lives. They are calling for government investment so hospitals can tackle the enormous backlog of hundreds of thousands of patients. Some 370,000 fewer people have seen a specialist since the pandemic began in March last year than in the previous 12 months (stock image) NHS data shows tens of thousands of Britons are missing a diagnosis due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which could slash their survival chances. Some 370,000 fewer people have seen a specialist since the pandemic began in March last year than in the previous 12 months. The number of people starting treatment between March 2020 and February is 38,500 lower than expected in a normal year. Oncologists say the delays could cost 35,000 lives, and set the UKs progress in improving survival rates against cancer back by ten to 15 years. Adrian Rogers, 46, died in February after his life-saving bowel cancer treatment was cancelled during the pandemic. After 18 months of chemotherapy, Mr Rogers family had been given a glimmer of hope in February last year when he was deemed ready for surgery. He was booked in for an operation in early April at Manchester Royal Infirmary. However, when the pandemic hit, the surgery was delayed. The number of tumours in Mr Rogers bowels and liver then rose from six to 20 and in August he was told his cancer was terminal and could not be operated on. At the time, Mr Rogers, of Nottinghamshire, accused the health service of leaving him high and dry, adding: I do believe that more could have been done to make sure I had my operation when it was an option. Todays declaration has been signed by 14 leading doctors and organisations, including Cancer Research UK, the Royal College of Radiologists and the Institute of Cancer Policy. It says: We call on the Government to urgently address the Covid-induced cancer backlog and save thousands of lives by allocating funding for cancer services. Adrian Rogers, pictured with wife Amanda, died in February after his life-saving bowel cancer treatment was cancelled during the pandemic We further urge the Government to recognise that to catch up with the cancer backlog, NHS services need the tools to super-boost capacity above pre-pandemic levels. This means revisiting aspects of the Budget and Spending Review to ring-fence urgent cancer investment. They are calling for bureaucracy to be slashed and for investment in equipment, technology and staff so the NHS can treat and diagnose more patients. Extra capacity is essential because cancer services must run at least 120 per cent of normal levels to make up for the shortfall during the lockdown. Professor Pat Price, chairman of Action Radiotherapy, said the NHS has failed to whizz back into action now that Covid-19 admissions and cases had fallen to low levels. He added: The NHS said hospitals should be getting back to normal by April 1, but that does not seem to be happening. Diagnostic scans are still being delayed. The NHS cannot deal with the current demand, let alone the backlog. There has been no increased capacity because there is no extra money. The buck has been passed to individual hospital trusts, but there needs to be a central taskforce to prevent a postcode lottery developing. Time is critical. Research has shown were back to where we were ten to 15 years ago in terms of survival rates. Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron said: We are sleepwalking into a cancer crisis and the lack of action from the Government has left the cancer community in shock. The Government and NHS leaders keep saying they have it under control, but right at the moment we need action. 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. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor 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. In a small office in South Melbourne, a biotech startup is working to solve the number one challenge facing mRNA therapies like COVID-19 vaccines: how to keep them stable outside of ultra-low temperatures. Messenger-RNA drugs are the new showstopper in medical innovation, with vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna leading the way in the fight against COVID-19. But the requirement to store these products at consistent, and often very low temperatures, creates big challenges for distribution. The requirement to store mRNA products at consistent, and often very low temperatures, creates big challenges for distribution. Credit:Peter Braig The team at Upkara, a spinoff startup from research developed with scientific accelerator SomnioGlobal, think they have the answer to this problem. The business now has staff in Melbourne and the United States, and is working to commercialise its proprietary technology that helps protect the structure of an mRNA molecule, the critical piece of genetic instruction in vaccines and other treatments. Mike Hassini has been charged with intent to supply cocaine, MailOnline can reveal. The TOWIE star, 26, was arrested on April 16 in Emerson Park, Havering, after allegedly being caught with the Class A drug and remains in custody at Pentonville Prison. He was charged with 'supplying cocaine and possession with intent to supply a class A drug' as well as 'conspiracy to possess criminal property', according to a Metropolitan Police spokesperson. Police probe: Mike Hassini has been charged with intent to supply cocaine, MailOnline can exclusively reveal He appeared at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on April 19 and was remanded in custody for a further hearing at Snaresbrook County Court on May 17 for a plea and trial preparation hearing. Mike was arrested with another man, Gary Michael Bear, 23, who was also charged with supply of cocaine and conspiracy to possess criminal property. A 26-year-old woman, who was arrested on suspicion of intent to supply a class A drug (cocaine), has been released under investigation. 'Two men have been charged in connection with the supply of Class A drugs as part of an investigation by the Met's Specialist Crime Command', a spokesperson for the Metropolitan police told MailOnline. The Essex TV star could face up to 14 years in prison if found guilty of the offences. Locked up: The TOWIE star was arrested on April 16 in Emerson Park, Havering, after allegedly being caught with the Class A drug and remains in custody at Pentonville Prison Good times: Mike found fame on TOWIE in 2015 and filmed in Marbella alongside former co-stars Danielle Armstrong, Georgia Kousoulou and Kate Ferdinand (pictured in 2015) The personal trainer found fame on ITVBe's The Only Way is Essex in 2015 but was axed for good during 2018. He was close friends with James Lock, 34, and Tommy Mallet, 28, while on the show and even helped the footwear entrepreneur to get in shape last year. During filming in 2015, Mike looked happy alongside former co-stars Danielle Armstrong, 32, Georgia Kousoulou, 29, and Kate Ferdinand, 29, for the show's Marbella series. Mike, from Brentwood, Essex, appears to have spent much of lockdown overseas, posting photos on his Instagram from Dubai throughout December and January. 'Working on a few things': Mike spent the start of 2021 in Dubai, where he was pictured poolside wearing sunglasses while claiming he was focused on a new project In one picture, taken poolside at Dubai restaurant White Beach in January, Mike claimed: 'Working on a few things.' He posed with girlfriend Jess Milford, 26, calling her 'my girl' while dining at another celebrity hot spot. A few days before his arrest, Mike shared an image to his 263K Instagram followers that showed him surrounded by weights, while commenting on his excitement about gyms reopening. He was previously in a relationship with Zoe Hamilton, who was tipped to join TOWIE in 2017, but she didn't make it onto the show. Five years ago, Mike had a hair transplant after being mocked for his receding hairline. His former co-star Lewis Bloor, 31, once joked: 'Mate you're 20 years old, the only thing past it is your hair line. You talk about my weight, I can lose weight but that hair line you need a transplant for.' ADVERTISEMENT The French energy company Total on Monday announced it would completely withdraw its employees from a multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique in view of the tense security situation. According to earlier reports, about 1,000 employees are directly affected, but Total did not give a number. Agostinho Vuma, the president of Mozambiques business association earlier estimated the total damage to the economy by the looming production stop at around $90 million. According to his preliminary estimates, about 410 companies involved in the gas production project in Cabo Delgado from suppliers to security services to lodge owners will have to shut down their operations. Around 56,000 people would become unemployed as a result. Mozambiques government confirmed the indefinite halt of the project as well as the cancellation of numerous contracts with supplier companies. The town of Palma in the north of the south-east African country was attacked by Islamist rebels on March 24. Total is involved in an over-20-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project in the region. In view of the circumstances, Total is now using the legal term force majeure, which refers to unforeseeable circumstances that prevent a party from fulfilling a contract. The company hopes that the countrys government and international partners would succeed in restoring security, according to a statement. If the uncertainty in the region persists, however, further lay-offs are to be expected, it said. The planned gas extraction was linked to high hopes in Mozambique for a sustainable development boost. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has already warned of a worsening crisis in the conflict province of Cabo Delgado. Thousands of people are fleeing due to the recurring violence and almost one million people are currently affected by severe hunger. Some 50,000 people have fled after the attack in Palma. (dpa/NAN) Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will stop running buses towards Bengaluru and also other districts like Bellary, Raichur, Bidar and Tumkur in Karnataka from Tuesday. (Photo: DC) ANANTAPUR: With the Karnataka government announcing a 14-day lockdown from April 27 night across the state and the closure of its borders, people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state are returning to native places. Both states will stop running buses towards Bengaluru and also other districts like Bellary, Raichur, Bidar and Tumkur in Karnataka from Tuesday. District administrations along the border in AP were alerted over the possible rise of positive cases in villages following the return of migrant labourers from Karnataka. Though Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa announced the construction, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors will be allowed to continue, the migrant farmers and settlers returning to their villages suspecting that the crisis would continue. A similar situation was witnessed last year when the lockdown was imposed across the country. Border areas like Madakasira, Kalyanadurgam, and Rayadurgam in Anantapur districts, Adoni, Emiganur, and Mantralayam in Kurnool, Madanapalle in Chittoor district have close access with Karnataka. For instance, all five mandals of the Madakasira Assembly segment covered by Karnataka from all four sides, except an R&B Road from Hindupur, and the area had connectivity with Bengaluru and Tumkur. The Mantralayam temple town is located in Andhra Pradesh closer to the Karnataka border and KSRTC operates a huge number of buses on normal days. The sudden decision, however, caused confusion for many who had to visit Karnataka to attend marriage and other important occasions. A man from Hyderabad had to travel to Hospet in Vijayanagar district of Karnataka on April 29 to get married. With no clear instructions about passes, the family was plunged into confusion and approached Karnataka officials. We got permission for marriage at a function hall one week ago by following Covid-19 norms, but the sudden lockdown put things out of gear, the family members of the bridegroom said. Apply the brakes or splash the cash? Put bluntly, those are the two options facing Spain as it begins to deploy its EU Covid recovery funds. External powers are already shouldering their way into the debate, with Germany saying this week the main goal should be to reduce public debt. But Pedro Sanchez has higher things in mind, announcing on Tuesday the start of a process that he says will transform Spain in a way not seen since its admission to the EU in 1986. It's often left to Germany to be the exponent of fiscal conservatism, to remind other EU members of their tedious responsibilities when no one else will. In this case, though, Angela Merkel's implied recommendation of austerity for Spain probably is misjudged and premature. The Iberian economy is only just emerging from a Covid-induced coma, which is why external bodies such as the International Monetary Fund say its reawakening depends on stimulation, not cutbacks. Nevertheless, Germany has a point. The chunk of EU money that's being loaned rather than granted to Spain (almost half of the total amount) will only increase the country's public debt - possibly holding it at 120% of GDP for the next few years - and as yet there's no real indication of how Sanchez's administration proposes to reduce that problematic ratio. The Socialist leader's high-flown talk of comprehensive reform also raises another, more disquieting, possibility. If Covid had never swept the planet, are we to suppose that there would have been no such change, because in that (preferable) scenario Spain wouldn't have received the requisite EU funding? That arguably reveals the country as too reliant on Brussels, and suggests that it would be better off finding more sustainable methods of regeneration. By definition, reform that's dependent on bailout funds awarded on the back of a global crisis will be impossible most of the time. That's not the only problem. For Spain's EU recovery package to be effective in any of the spheres that Sanchez is targeting, it'll have to prosper in a hostile environment. Among the hazards threatening its survival are mismanagement, over-bureaucratised administrations and corruption, the scourge of Spanish politics. Meanwhile, in an odd outburst to reporters outside parliament on Wednesday, economy minister Nadia Calvino was fretting about bankers' salaries. As is often the case with this sort of hand-wringing, she didn't say why it was specifically bankers' high salaries that she finds "unacceptable", rather than oversized pay packets in general (why not any private or public sector executive earning over a certain amount, for example?). Calvino's implication seemed to be that, because a lot of people have lost jobs or suffered reduced income due to the pandemic and politicians' attempts to manage it, NO ONE should be earning a "high" salary - an argument which is missing some logical steps, to say the least. Understanding spoken words, developing normal speech - cochlear implants enable people with profound hearing impairment to gain a great deal in terms of quality of life. However, background noises are problematic, they significantly compromise the comprehension of speech of people with cochlear implants. The team led by Tobias Moser from the Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab at the University Medical Center Gottingen and from the Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory at the German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ) is therefore working to improve cochlear implants. The scientists want to use genetic engineering methods to make the nerve cells in the ear sensitive to light so that they can then be stimulated with light instead of electricity, as is currently the case. By using light, the scientists expect, to be able to stimulate the neurons in the ear more selectively. Now the team has succeeded in taking another important step toward developing the optical cochlear implant. In collaboration with a team of X-ray physicists led by Tim Salditt, who, like Moser, also conducts research at the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging (MBExC) Gottingen, they were able to use combined imaging techniques of X-ray tomography and fluorescence microscopy to create detailed images of the cochleae of rodents and non-human primates. This determined important parameters for the design and material consistence of optical cochlear implants. In addition, the researchers, who include scientists from the Collaborative Research Center 889, succeeded in simulating the propagation of light in the cochlea of the common marmoset. The results of the simulation show that spatially limited optogenetic stimulation of auditory neurons is possible. Accordingly, optical stimulation would lead to a much more differentiated auditory impression than the electrical stimulation used so far. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal PNAS. 430 million people, more than 5 percent of the world's population, are affected by hearing loss and deafness, according to current World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. The causes are many: genetic factors, infections, chronic diseases, trauma to the ear or head, loud sounds and noise, but also side effects of medications. Hearing aids and electric cochlear implants remain the most commonly used devices to rehabilitate hearing loss, the latter being worn by more than 700,000 people worldwide. The electrical cochlea implants allow otherwise profoundly deaf or hard of hearing users to understand speech in absence of nonverbal cues, for example on the telephone. However, background noise significantly impairs this understanding. Even linguistic subtleties that speakers convey by changing the pitch or melody of speech cannot be picked up by conventional implants. This is mainly due to poor frequency and intensity resolution. Electrical cochlear implants stimulate nerve cells in the ear by means of an electrical current transmitted from 12 to 24 electrodes. However, the current distributes widely in the fluid of the cochlea, which affects hearing quality. Since light can be focused, the optogenetic stimulation of auditory neurons envisioned by Tobias Moser's team promises to significantly improve frequency and intensity resolution. The development of optical cochlear implants is a complex undertaking that involves many researchers from different disciplines, from research in basic principles to clinical applications. One factor is the complicated structure of the cochlea, which is poorly accessible for investigation, even by imaging because it is deeply embedded in the temporal bone. However, detailed knowledge of the structure of the cochlea is critical for the development of innovative therapy of deafness. Researchers rely on animal studies to develop the gene therapy and optical cochlear implants and to test their efficacy and safety. Suitable animal models include rodents such as mouse, rat, gerbil, and as research progresses, non-human primates. At DPZ, the Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory conducts research with common marmosets, whose behavior in vocal communication is similar to that of humans. "For (late) preclinical studies, detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the cochlea is necessary. We used phase-contrast X-ray tomography and light sheet fluorescence microscopy, as well as a combination of the two, to image the structure of the cochlea of both major rodent models and common marmosets," explained Daniel Keppeler, first author of the study. "For cross-scale and multimodal imaging, we developed special instruments and methods, both here in our lab and with synchrotron radiation," adds collaborating partner Tim Salditt, professor at the Institute of X-ray Physics at the University of Gottingen, who led the research team in X-ray tomography. "In this way, we were able to gain detailed insights into the anatomy of bones, tissues and nerve cells. These parameters are relevant for the development of implants specifically for these species," says Daniel Keppeler. With the data obtained on the anatomy of the different cochleae, the team was also able to design an implant with LED emitters for common marmosets and the implant was then inserted by Alexander Meyer, an experienced ear, nose and throat surgeon, at the University Medical Center Gottingen in a manner analogous to surgery in humans. Furthermore, the researchers used imaging data to simulate the propagation of light generated by the emitters of the optical implants in the cochlea of non-human primates. "Our simulations indicate spatially limited optogenetic excitation of auditory neurons and thus higher frequency selectivity than with previous electrical stimulation. According to these calculations, optical cochlear implants lead to significantly improved hearing of speech as well as of music," concludes Tobias Moser, senior author of the study. ### The study was conducted in cooperation between researchers from the German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research with the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging: From Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells (MBExC) and the Collaborative Research Center "Cellular Mechanisms of Sensory Processing" (SFB889) at the University Medical Center Gottingen, the University of Gottingen, and the Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine. Original publication Keppeler D, Kampshoff C, Thirumalai A, Duque-Afonso CJ, Schaeper J, Quilitz T, Topperwien M, Vogl C, Hessler R, Meyer A, Salditt T, Moser T (2021) Multiscale photonic imaging of the native and implanted cochlea. PNAS. https:/ / www. pnas. org/ cgi/ doi/ 10. 1073/ pnas. 2014472118 The German Primate Center GmbH (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research conducts biological and biomedical research on and with primates in the fields of infection research, neuroscience and primate biology. The DPZ also maintains four field stations in the tropics and is a reference and service center for all aspects of primate research. The DPZ is one of the 96 research and infrastructure facilities of the Leibniz Association. The Gottingen Cluster of Excellence 2067 Multiscale Bioimaging: From Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells (MBExC) is funded within the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Government and the Lander (federals states) since January 2019. With a unique interdisciplinary research approach, MBExC investigates the disease-relevant functional units of electrically active heart and nerve cells, from the molecular to the organ level. For this purpose, MBExC unites numerous university and non-university partners at the Gottingen Campus. The overarching goal: to understand the connection between heart and brain diseases, to link basic and clinical research, and thus to develop new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches with societal implications. Multiple members of a white supremacist group in rural Georgia have been charged with killing a ram and posing with its head following a 'ritual sacrifice' that involved them drinking the animal's blood while they were training for a race war. Five members of The Base were charged earlier this month with killing the ram during what authorities have said was a 'ritual sacrifice' at the group's training camp in the small Georgia town of Rome back in 2019. Patrik Mathews, William Garfield Bilbrough IV, Brian Mark Lemley Jr., Brandon Gregory Ashley and Duncan Christopher Trimmell have been charged with aggravated animal cruelty by a Floyd County grand jury, according to an indictment obtained by the Rome News-Tribune. Everyone apart from Trimmell also were charged with livestock theft. Three other members were charged in the animal's killing last year. Multiple members of the white supremacist group, The Base, have been charged with killing a ram and posing with its head (above) following a 'ritual sacrifice' that involved them drinking the animal's blood while they were training for a race war in Georgie in 2019 Investigators say the group stole the ram from a local property and tried to kill it with a knife during a meeting on the isolated property back on Halloween in 2019. The men allegedly ended up shooting the ram and cutting off its head before drinking the animal's blood and posing for photos with it. Patrik Mathews is among the five men charged this month with aggravated animal cruelty and livestock theft over the killing of the ram back in October 201 Prosecutors said the animal was killed in what they described as a 'Norse-pagan ritual'. The recent charges against alleged members of the white supremacist group have shed further light on The Base, which has faced scrutiny following an undercover state and federal law enforcement investigation. An undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the group previously said members used the training camp to shoot guns and take drugs as they prepared for a race war. The agent participated in shooting drills in preparation for what the group believed was an impending collapse of the US and the subsequent race war. The undercover agent was among the members who posed for photos in tactical gear. The photos later were used in its propaganda material. Authorities also have said some members allegedly plotted to kill a couple who they believed were anti-fascist activists but were arrested before they could act on it. Luke Austin Lane, 21, Jacob Kaderli, 19, and Michael John Helterbrand, 25, were the three alleged members who were charged in the animal's killing and other crimes last year The recent charges against alleged members of the white supremacist group have shed further light on The Base. An undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the group has previously said members used the training camp to shoot guns and take drugs as they prepared for a race war The agent participated in shooting drills in preparation for what the group believed was an impending collapse of the US and the subsequent race war They had believed killing the couple would send a message to enemies of The Base, according to authorities. Court documents related to the investigations include details of how some of the men built an assault rifle using parts, purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition and traded vests that could carry body armor. Mathews, Lemley and Bilbrough, who were among the five recently charged in regards to the animal killing, were also arrested in Maryland and Delaware on federal felony charges back in January 2020. Three other men, all from north Georgia and linked by authorities to The Base, already face charges related to the animal's death and other alleged crimes. Luke Austin Lane, Michael Helterbrand and Jacob Kaderli have been held without bond for more than a year in the Floyd County jail. A federal judge in December sentenced Bilbrough to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts related to assisting Mathews. Authorities have also said some members had allegedly plotted to kill a couple who they believed were anti-fascist activists but were arrested before they could act on it The group is believed to have been founded and run by Rinaldo Nazzaro - a 46-year-old American living somewhere in Russia. Nazzaro is said to have started the group back in 2018 Lemley, a US Army veteran, and Mathews, a former Canadian Armed Forces reservist, pleaded not guilty to charges including transporting a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a felony. The FBI has previously said The Base has proclaimed war against minority communities within the United States and abroad. Unlike other extremist groups, it's not focused on promulgating propaganda. The group instead aims to bring together highly skilled members to train them for acts of violence. Organizers of The Base recruit fellow white supremacists online - particularly seeking out veterans because of their military training - using encrypted chat rooms and training members in military-style camps in the woods, according to experts who track extremist groups. The group is believed to have been founded and run by Rinaldo Nazzaro - a 46-year-old American living somewhere in Russia. Nazzaro is said to have started the group back in 2018. An Arizona mom has blasted her children's high school for canceling their senior prom while going ahead with a retirement party for its superintendent. Jennifer Alvey said the decision by Chandler Unified School District to prioritize a reception for the outgoing superintendent Camille Casteel over her kids' prom was a blatant double standard. 'Parents felt like the district just took a page out of the Marie Antoinette playbook there and said, Let the seniors eat cake,' Jennifer Alvey told Fox & Friends on Sunday. Alvey, whose five children all attend the school district, said the school was also only allowing students to invite two guests to their graduation, depriving their immediate family of witnessing 'one of the big events of their life'. 'We would want to celebrate our retiring superintendent, but we also as parents don't understand the double standard, why the district has certain things that are OK for the adults in the district and then the kids' interest in the district are getting entirely overlooked for the seniors,' Alvey told Fox & Friends. Graduation ceremonies were due to begin from May 1, and proms from June 1, but many states are imposing bans or strict social distancing limits on events this year. Jennifer Alvey, who has five children, told Fox & Friends it was a double standard for Chandler Unified School District to hold a party for the retiring superintendent while canceling prom An invite for guests to attend a retirement party for Camille Casteel, which has drawn a furious response from parents, who said students had been deprived of 'once in a lifetime' celebrations Chandler High School, 25 miles southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, canceled its senior prom and limiting students to only two guests at graduation - but said the retirement celebration could go ahead 'Parents felt like the district just took a page out of the Marie Antoinette playbook there and said, 'Let the seniors eat cake,' Jennifer Alvey told Fox & Friends on Sunday An invitation posted to the school's Facebook page for the April 29 retirement party drew a backlash from commenters. Community members quizzed why this event could go ahead, when so many other school milestones had been canceled. 'Dr Casteel should not accept this 'celebration'. If seniors have to miss out on a once in a lifetime occasion, so should she,' one wrote. 'Hope it's a total bust. The Prom could be held outdoors if that's the problem. Skip the Super's stupid party, let the kids have their end of year Prom,' another commenter said. The Daily Wire reported that an initial RSVP for the retirement party said each invited guest could bring 10 more guests. A spokesman told The Daily Wire that was an 'error' and only four additional guests would be permitted. The school said attendees would be shuttled from the Chandler High School parking area to nearby Austin Field, and insisted masks would be required for the outdoor bash. But Alvey questioned why it was acceptable to have a reception with 'food, buses, transporting guests in, everyone in close quarters'. The Covid-19 pandemic forced schools in Arizona to close for most of the past year, with schools beginning a gradual reopening in March. Tensions between parents and teachers at the Chandler Unified School District, 25 miles southeast of Phoenix, have been rising over the prolonged lockdown. Alvey, speaking with Fox & Friends, said parents had been confused about many decisions taken by the school in the past year. 'None of it has been with reference to what is best for the kids, for their growth, for their development, for their emotional, physical well-being,' she said. 'We want to be a team with our school district. We want to be a team with the people who we trust, who watch out for our kids' best interest,' Alvey said on Sunday. In New York state, proms have been banned for 2021 due to fears they could turn into super-spreader events. In Connecticut, state educators say they will require proof of a negative COVID-19 test for unvaccinated students and limit guest lists to current students to have better control over testing and contact tracing. Ohio will allow proms to go ahead, but with masks and social distancing. Some states will allow proms to go ahead, but have banned food and drink in a bid to limit the potential for COVID infections DETROIT -- A two-month-old baby has been reunited with his parents after a carjacking around 10 p.m. Saturday night in Detroit. According to the Associated Press, the baby was in the backseat of a silver Buick Lucerne and the parents were in the front seat when a man allegedly approached their car with a gun. The parents got out of the car and the suspect got inside and stole the vehicle with the baby in the backseat. The mother exchanged gunfire with the suspect according to police. Police eventually found the baby safe in the car which was abandoned in an alley. A 35-year-old suspect was taken into custody by police. READ MORE: CMU quarterback, senior student shot during off-campus apartment party Driver going 94 mph had concealed pistol, suspended license, state police say Man dies after vehicle flips several times in Flint, police say Zamfara State Executive Governor, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle has refuted a story carried by some media organizations that he declared t... Zamfara State Executive Governor, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle has refuted a story carried by some media organizations that he declared that he would end banditry in the state within four days. The Governor said he was quoted out of context during a sympathy visit by the All Progressives Governors Forum led by the forum chairman and governor of Kebbi State, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu over the resurgence of banditry attacks in the state where lives of innocent citizens were lost. This was contained in a press statement signed by the Director-General, media and public enlightenment, Government House, Hon. Yusuf Idris Gusau and made available to newsmen in Gusau, the state capital. According to the statement, Governor Matawalle told the governors that in the next four days, he will hold a meeting with all stakeholders in the state in order to review his administrations fight against armed bandits and assured that the outcome of the meeting will bring a new way to end banditry in the state. There was nowhere in his speech that he mentioned or promised to end banditry within four days as mischievously reported by some conventional media for reasons known to them, he lamented. We are appealing to journalists in the state to always clarify their story before going to press. The statement noted that the Governor also appreciates the support and cooperation he is getting from journalists in the state. The Reverend Dr. Kwadwo Boateng Bempah of the Holy Hill Assemblies of God Church, has advised the citizenry to place their focus only on God and not on their problems. He said God was the custodian of every good thing in life, as such, those who focused on Him enjoyed lasting blessings and peace of mind. Everything you focus on enlarges; so make sure you only focus on the right things. When you focus on money, you will always be poor; when you focus on a man or woman, you will struggle to get a great spouse. Leave all those worries to God to take care of, he said. He quoted from the scriptures (John 14:1) saying, Dont let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God... Rev Bempah admonished Christians to be cautious of how they lived, bearing in mind that Judgment Day awaited all humanity. He said Jesus Christ would return one day for four main reasons; the first one being to take His children back to Heaven. He quoted from the Book of John 14:2-3 saying, There is more than enough room in my Fathers home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. Also, he said Jesus would come back to judge humanity, reward His faithful ones and finally, bring the world to an end along with all its troubles. Revelation 21:4 says, God will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Spend your temporal life on earth with eternity in mind because one day, God will judge you for what you used your time, money and talents for, he said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video (@FahadShabbir) London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2021 ) :British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a call to resign on Monday after claims he dismissed the prospect of thousands dying from Covid-19, as a row over government "sleaze" escalated. In a front-page headline, the Daily Mail newspaper reported that Johnson had said he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands" than impose a third coronavirus lockdown. Ultimately, Johnson did order a new round of restrictions in January. But he is now locked in a damaging war of words with his former top aide Dominic Cummings over his coronavirus policies last year and financial dealings. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Daily Mail report, based on unnamed sources, was "not true" and had been "categorically denied by practically everyone". "None of this is serious. The prime minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid," he told Sky news. The main opposition Labour party wants an urgent inquiry into Cummings' claims made in an explosive blog post. But the Scottish National Party (SNP) went further. "These comments are utterly abhorrent. If they are true, @BorisJohnson has a duty to resign," SNP leader in the UK parliament Ian Blackford tweeted. "The Prime Minister must now come to Parliament to give a statement, and face questioning, on these shocking claims and the growing Tory sleaze scandal engulfing Westminster." Johnson has faced sharp criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In Britain, one of the countries worst hit in the world by the disease, more than 127,000 people have died from Covid. But increasingly the prime minister is facing questions over his wider judgement and integrity, following weeks of stories about alleged inappropriate lobbying and special favours. Cummings, the strategist behind the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, quit Downing Street in December under a cloud of acrimony. The former senior adviser wrote on his personal blog on Friday that Johnson had sought to use potentially illegal donations to renovate his publicly funded Downing Street accommodation. Cummings also wrote that Johnson had raised the prospect of blocking an internal inquiry into leaks because they could implicate a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds. Simon Case, Britain's most senior civil servant, is to be questioned by lawmakers later on Monday over the allegations against Johnson, his ministers and officials, which Downing Street has dismissed as false. One of New Orleans most historical Black churches New Zion Baptist in Central City celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday, and Gov. John Bel Edwards, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and new Congressman-elect Troy Carter were on hand for the celebration. It was a joyous occasion as Pastor C.S. Gordon Jr. led a two-hour service replete with laughter, toe-tapping music and fervent religious appeals. The purpose of the church is to spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, Gordon said at one point. He has been the pastor at the Third Street church since 1987 and paid homage to the 43-year tenure of the Rev. A.L. Davis Jr. that ended with his death in 1978. During those years, Davis was a pioneering civil rights leader, and in 1957 he hosted a conference at the church that led to the creation of the Southern Christian Leadership Council headed by a young pastor from Atlanta named Martin Luther King Jr. Amen! Amen! the church-goers shouted as Gordon recited the history. +6 'Voters voted against wokeness:' How Troy Carter defeated Karen Carter Peterson On his first day as a congressman-elect on Sunday, Troy Carter slept only 90 minutes, attended seven Black church services in the New Orleans Cantrell noted how COVID-19 has made for a difficult year for everyone. Thank you for bearing so much with what weve had, she said, standing in the front of the church. We need to get our people vaccinated. Edwards made several light remarks and said, This church has been doing the Lords work, at New Zion Baptist Church, since 1921. Think about that. 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 If were honest, we got a long way to go, he said. Theres a lot of work to be done in civil rights. Weve got too much racism and discrimination. Think where we would be had it not been for the African-American church, for people like Dr. Martin Luther King and the role that New Zion Baptist Church has played. Edwards noted that no community was more affected than New Orleans a year ago by COVID-19. Edwards then made an appeal similar to Cantrells after noting that pastors can reach people he cant and convince them to get vaccinated. We have hundreds of thousands of doses that were not putting in peoples arms because theyre not showing up, Edwards said from the same spot where Cantrell had stood. Lets all do better. I think were going to get there. But I need your help. Referring to a favorite hymn, he added, We got to move our feet and get ourselves and our families and everybody vaccinated so we can put this pandemic behind us and we can get back to a greater sense of normalcy. Edwards read an official statement from the state congratulating Gordon and its parishioners on the 100th anniversary. Im leaving you my prayers for another 100 years of making a tremendous difference in the city of New Orleans and the greater state of Louisiana, he said. Pastor W. Marshall Myles from New Saint John Baptist Church in Baton Rouge gave the sermon. The day also marked the anniversary of the formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. As a part of the celebrations and also to make a political statement against British rule and its oppressive laws, a large number of people in Amritsar had gathered in an enclosed space called Jallianwala Bagh, which was a popular spot because it was close to the Golden Temple complex. Jallianwala Bagh measured approximately seven acres, about 200 yards long and nearly a ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor This past weekend, parents, teachers and local activists gathered at the Girls Club on Avenue D for a day-long Community Engagement Lab. Sponsored by Community Education Council 1 in partnership with NYCpublic, the event was designed to help create a vision for a new school on the Lower East Side. Throughout the day, participants talked about whats working and whats not working in the neighborhoods public schools and came up with some priorities for the future. As you may know, Community Board 3 and local elected officials are advocating for a new school within the Essex Crossing development project. A parcel has been set aside on Grand Street, but so far the citys Department of Education has maintained that theres no need for a new elementary or middle school in the neighborhood. At a recent meeting of CB3s education committee, board members reviewed preliminary demographic information. This data, along with conclusions from the visioning workshop and other research will go into a white paper the community board plans to deliver to the DOE later this year. The School Construction Authority makes its decisions about where to devote limited resources largely based on population statistics and projections. In the past, the DOE has been sharply criticized for misjudging the need for new facilities. Part of CB3s argument will detail the impact on the public schools of several large-scale development projects. Essex Crossing will add 1000 apartments to the LES. Other developments, including a massive tower planned on the former Cherry Street Pathmark site, will add many more apartments. Among those sitting in on the final presentations at this past weekends meeting was Gale Brewer, the new Manhattan Borough President. The community board is determined to make its case now, since theres a new mayoral administration and a news schools chancellor, who may very well be more receptive to their pleas. Were working on a comprehensive story on the campaign for a school as part of the Seward Park project. Look for that in the next few weeks. The Fourth Court of Appeals filed an opinion last week that largely affirmed the 49th District Courts ruling from 2020 regarding complaints filed to the citys Ethics Commission against City Manager Robert Eads and Deputy City Manager Rosario Cabello, who were co-city managers at the time. However, Justice Beth Watkins also reversed District Court Judge Joe Lopezs decision that ordered the plaintiff, Lakshmana Vish Viswanath, to pay $7,900 in attorneys fees and remanded the case back to the trial court. A status hearing is set in the 49th District Court on April 29. Viswanath had complained to the Ethics Commission about the water rate hike that City Council approved in May 2019, arguing that the city was violating the city charter because the demand for water infrastructure expansion, which the higher rates would help pay for, only benefited developers. The Ethics Commission voted that the complaint was frivolous because it did not pertain to the Ethics Code. The commission has jurisdiction solely over the Ethics Code, not the City Charter. Viswanath was charged with the commissions maximum fine, $500, plus $7,900 in fees to the citys hired outside counsel, attorney Ryan Henry, who presided over the commission meeting. Judge Lopez affirmed the commissions vote and issued a summary judgment that ordered Viswanath to pay both the fine and the attorneys fees. However, in her opinion, Watkins writes that the city provided no evidence that supported this $7,900 fee. The only discussion of Henrys attorneys fees was when Henry told the Ethics Commission that he would charge roughly $4,500. ... The trial court should have denied the portion of the Citys motion for summary judgment affirming the Commissions order requiring Viswanath to pay $7,900.68 in attorneys fees, reads Watkins opinion. Viswanath had also appealed the Ethics Commissions ruling that his complaint was frivolous, but Watkins agreed with both the commission and Lopezs finding. According to the evidence, one of the city managers wrote an email to Viswanath explaining that his complaint about the water rates did not pertain to the Code of Ethics and that it would be out of their authority to proceed with an investigation. At the ethics hearing, Viswanath said that his objection was that the city managers had made the wrong recommendation to City Council. Based on this evidence, the Commission could have reasonably determined that Viswanath was aware the Co-City Managers lacked authority to perform the investigation or grant the relief he requested, yet still filed his complaint in a groundless attempt to compel them to do so in bad faith or for the purposes of harassment, Watkins wrote. Viswanath told LMT this week that the original issue has not been addressed if there is a violation of the City Charter, there is nowhere to file a complaint. He argued that the city managers had violated the charter by encouraging council to increase the utility rates to pay for infrastructure projects, some of which various developers had requested. Where does a citizen go and say something is wrong with the charter, and these guys are not following it? Theres no place to go, he said. ... I dont want this going back and forth mumbo jumbo (to be seen as) a Vish issue. It is, but its not. We have a bigger problem here. Viswanath said he would be satisfied if Lopez rules that he be fined $500, forgoing the attorneys fees. In a statement to LMT, City Manager Robert Eads said he was pleased with the appellate decision. The Ethics Committee, the District Judge and now the Fourth Court of Appeals have all either affirmed and/or reaffirmed that there was no ethical violation and that the charge was frivolous, Eads said. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com Albuquerque has hired debt collectors to pursue Donald Trump for $211,000 the city says it is owed following a disruptive 2019 campaign rally. City officials said repeated requests for the campaign to pay the debt have not been met and that they have sent the bill to the former presidents current residence - his Mar-a-Lago country club in Palm Beach, Florida. Their decision to hire a debt collection agency to pursue the bill was first revealed by the Albuquerque Journal. Jason Miller, a spokesperson for the former president, told DailyMail.com in response: 'The Trump campaign does not owe any money here and this story should be retracted immediately. 'Security matters for a President are resolved by contacting the Secret Service, not whining to the Albuquerque Journal.' Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat, told Comedy Centrals The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that the former president might actually owe his city more than $211,000. In my mind, [Trump] owes us a lot more because there was about a day and a half where we couldnt even function as a city, Keller told The Daily Show. Our resources for law enforcement are critical and limited. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller (left), a Democrat, told Comedy Centrals The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that the former president, Donald Trump, might actually owe his city more than $211,000 ALBUQUERQUE MAYOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT TRUMP START AT 5:40 Trump held a rally in Albuquerque on September 16, 2019. He then stayed overnight in nearby Rio Rancho. Visits by the president often create logistical and financial hardships for cities who must provide security from the moment he steps off Air Force One until the time that he leaves. Police officers and highway patrol officials often work overtime hours to secure the route that the president and his large motorcade take to an event. During Trumps trip to Albuquerque, City Hall and parts of downtown were shut down as roads were barricades and city employees were paid leave as they were told to go home. Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque, also billed the campaign $139,000, but a spokesperson told the local press that the amount was written off as bad debt. The campaign rally was actually held in Rio Rancho, whose officials made it clear that they would not reimburse the city for any ancillary costs beyond the actual event, such as traffic control. The presidential motorcade drives along interstate 25 as people gather on an overpass displaying an anti-Trump sign just before his rally in Albuquerque in September 2019 Trump spent the night in Albuquerque on September 16, 2019 before heading back to Washington, DC. He is seen above boarding Air Force One at Albuquerque International Sunport on September 17, 2019 This isnt the first time that the Trump campaign has been accused of failing to pay debts accrued due to rallies held in cities. Last year, the Center for Public Integrity said that the Trump campaign owed $1.82million to some 14 cities and counties. Minneapolis officials said the former president owes $543,000 from an October 2019 rally in the city. Tucson, Arizona says that the campaign owes about $82,000 going back to a March 2016 rally. The campaign has responded to past claims by saying that the Secret Service must foot the bill and reimburse localities, but thats only for presidential visits and not campaign stops. Despite Trumps reputation as a successful businessman, his resume includes a string of financial failures. Trumps companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a total of six times after his properties, including several Atlantic City casinos and the Plaza Hotel in New York City, amassed debt in the 1990s. Before entering the White House, Trump was thought to have a net worth of $3billion. But the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a hit to Trump's brand due to the MAGA riots on January 6 are believed to have had an impact. According to Bloomberg News, Trump is now worth $2.3billion. On January 6, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol after the then-president gave a speech near the White House urging them to 'fight' by convincing Republican lawmakers to decline to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the November 3 presidential election. Six people died in the violence, including a police officer. The former president is under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for alleged financial wrongdoing. Trump is seen above at the White House in September 2020 After the riot, Deutsche Bank reportedly decided that it will not do business in the future with Trump or his companies. Deutsche Bank is Trump's most important lender, with about $340million in loans outstanding to the Trump Organization, the president's umbrella group that is currently overseen by his two sons. Trump's finances have drawn scrutiny as investigators look into whether the former president may have violated any laws. Last month, it was learned that investigators in a criminal probe of Trumps real-estate business are combing through millions of pages of newly acquired records with an eye toward identifying witnesses who can bring the documents to life for a jury. Some of the cases key figures are well-known. Trumps former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, has met several times with prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorneys office. And District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jrs team is interested in getting testimony from the Trump Organizations long time chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, according to the two people familiar with the investigation. But a growing universe of people, institutions and agencies are being scrutinized by Vances prosecutors as potential witnesses in the case. Prosecutors are looking to gather information and testimony from bankers, bookkeepers, real-estate consultants and others close to the Trump Organization who could provide insights on its dealings, according to interviews and court filings. The process of identifying all witnesses and targets could take months. 'The next phase is identifying targets' for subpoenas and testimony, said one person familiar with the case. Vance has not accused Trump or his associates of wrongdoing but is examining, among other things, whether property values were manipulated to reduce Trumps taxes or obtain other economic benefits. The Trump Plaza and Hotel is pictured in 2014 - the same year it closed to the public. Trump's companies have filed for bankruptcy protection six times after several properties, including Atlantic City casinos, amassed severe debt The case is being heard by a grand jury that will decide whether there is evidence to indict Trump or his associates. Vances investigators need insiders who can provide the narrative behind any conflicting numbers on Trumps financial records and testify to Trumps knowledge and intent, said former prosecutors of white-collar fraud cases. 'Even in the most heavily document-dependent case, you need witnesses to tell the story,' said Reed Brodsky, a longtime white-collar defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor. The Supreme Court forced Trumps longtime accountants Mazars USA to comply with a subpoena on March 1. Since then, investigators have poured through Trumps tax filings, business documents and internal correspondence, looking for discrepancies between information provided to creditors and data given to tax authorities, said two people familiar with the probe. Forensic accounting specialists at FTI Consulting Inc, retained by Vance, are helping analyze the tax records, said a source with knowledge of the matter. Vances investigation is one of two known criminal probes of the former president. WHAT HE MADE, WHAT HE LOST AND WHAT HE PAID IN TAX THE APPRENTICE - $197.3million In 2005 alone, Trump raked in $47.8million because of a deal which entitled him to half the show's profits. ENDORSEMENT AND LICENSING DEALS - $230million $500,000 from Domino's in 2005 $3.8million from Serta Mattresses in 2013 $11million Trump International Hotel Waikiki licensing deal in 2010 $2.9million Trump Towers Istanbul licensing deal INVESTMENTS - $178million Trump Tower - $336million in profit between 2000 and 2018 Trump World Tower - $167million in profit Share in two office buildings owned by Vornado - $176.5million LOSSES The golf courses were the most loss-making. Between 2000 and 2018, the courses reported $315.6millon in losses. In 2013, Trump National Doral in Miami reported $65.5million in losses. In 2008 and 2009 - More than $1billion in losses from failure of his Atlantic City casino investments. He used it to claim a $72.9million refund in federal taxes from the previous four years Bid for presidency announced, costing him Miss Universe and The Apprentice But it boosted Mar-a-Lago membership and raked in $7.8million in 2016. WHAT TAX DID HE PAY? Between 2005 and 2008, he paid more than $70million to the IRS after his exorbitant income from The Apprentice and the endorsements that came with it caught up with him. LOANS More than $300million which he is personally responsible for that he needs to start repaying in the next four years He has liquidated hundreds of millions in stocks and has less than $1million in his portfolio, according to public financial disclosures The IRS audit still is not complete. He could we more than $100million from that when it is, according to the Times. Advertisement Reuters has identified four other ongoing investigations involving Trump and at least 17 active lawsuits. A lawyer for Trump declined to comment on the probes. In Vances investigation, Mark Pomerantz, a former federal prosecutor hired last month as a special assistant, is leading the interviews with some witnesses. Pomerantz, 69, prosecuted Gambino crime family boss John Gottis son in the 1990s and is known for his expertise in white-collar crime. Last year, The New York Times revealed that Trump paid just $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and then again in 2017. Trump slammed the report as 'phony and fake'. Documents show the president paid no income tax in 11 of the 18 years studied, according to a report by the paper. He was able to minimize his tax bill by reporting heavy losses across his business empire, including at his golf courses. That's despite receiving $427.4million through 2018 from his reality television program and other endorsement deals. The president could also face mounting financial pressure in the years ahead. The tax records show hes carrying a total of $421million in loans and debt that are primarily due within four years. Responding to the report Sunday evening Trump told reporters: 'It's totally fake news. Made up. Totally fake news.' The president, who campaigned for office as a billionaire real estate mogul and successful businessman, said he has paid taxes, though he gave no specifics. The Times reported Trump claimed $47.4million in losses in 2018, despite claiming income of at least $434.9million in a financial disclosure that year. The Times emphasized the documents reveal only what Trump told the government about his businesses, and did not disclose his true wealth. Trump has previously blasted the long-running quest for his financial records as a 'continuation of the most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country'. The businessman is the only modern president who has refused to release his tax returns. Before he was elected, he had promised to do so. Trump's lawyer Alan Garten, said that 'most, if not all, of the facts appear to be inaccurate'. He added: 'Over the past decade, President Trump has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015.' The disclosure, which the Times said comes from tax return data it obtained extending over two decades, comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate Tuesday, and weeks before a divisive election. The investigation, published Sunday, reveals tax deductions on expenses including $70,000 on styling Trump's hair for The Apprentice. Losses in the property businesses solely owned and managed by Trump appear to have offset income from his stake in The Apprentice and other entities with multiple owners. The report also suggests 'consulting fees' were given to the president's eldest daughter Ivanka, which appear to have helped lowered the family's tax bill. Graphical abstract. Credit: Redox Biology (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2021.101907 Creating the best conditions for cells to make energy and survive critical illness is a challenge little understood in modern medicine. Now a new study led by scientists at the University of Plymouth, in collaboration with University College London and the Universities of Cambridge and Southampton, shows early signs that cells in some critically ill patients actually adapt to their conditions by producing energy more efficiently. The research, published in the journal Redox Biology, took muscle and blood samples over seven days from 21 critically ill patients (ie those with two or more organs failing) in intensive care, and 12 healthy people, comparing cells' behavior. The study showed that all of the critically ill patients produced energy more efficiently than healthy people, in a pattern of changes that has previously been identified in cells adapting to low oxygen levels. There were also differences in the ways cells produced energy in the patients who survived, compared to those who died. So how was this measured? In mitochondria (the powerhouses of our cells), structures known as 'complexes' transport electrons, which, facilitated by oxygen inhalation, effectively becomes the fuel driving our cells. The study showed that the capacity of one of these complexes was 27% lower in survivors than in non-survivors after 48 hours of illness, but tended to increase in seven days, with no such recovery observed in non-survivors. This means that, despite this complex appearing to work at a lower rate, the cells were adapting to the adverse conditions of the critical illness, and coming out the other side. The work was funded by the Intensive Care Society, and forms part of the University of Plymouth's expertise in intensive care medicine, which explores oxygen deprivation and the body's ability to cope in hostile conditions. It also builds on principles of Nobel prize-winning research from 2019, by William Kaelin, Sir Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza, which uncovered how cells respond to changes in oxygen levels. Lead author Dr. Helen McKenna, National Institute for Health Research Academic Clinical Fellow at the University of Plymouth, explains why the new work is important. "When a body is going through trauma, there's the temptation to think we need to give more oxygen or stimulate cells to survive," she said. "However, this research suggests that some cells can actually adapt to the conditions they're in. Of course the next question to answer is why some people's cells behave in this way while others' don't. It could be genetics, age or previous exposure to traumawe don't yet know. But uncovering this cell behavior in the first place is a really important step. If we can unravel the cellular and molecular foundation of human resilience, we can enable the development of more effective life-support strategies." The senior authors on the study were Professor Dan Martin from the University of Plymouth, Dr. Andrew Murray at the University of Cambridge and Professor Martin Feelisch at the University of Southampton. The full study, entitled Divergent trajectories of cellular bioenergetics, intermediary metabolism and systemic redox status in survivors and non-survivors of critical illness is published in Redox Biology. Explore further Discovery of how cells sense oxygen levels earns Nobel Prize More information: Helen T. McKenna et al. Divergent trajectories of cellular bioenergetics, intermediary metabolism and systemic redox status in survivors and non-survivors of critical illness, Redox Biology (2021). Helen T. McKenna et al. Divergent trajectories of cellular bioenergetics, intermediary metabolism and systemic redox status in survivors and non-survivors of critical illness,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2021.101907 As if two patrol cars drag racing on a public road wasnt enough, the drivers eventually lost control of the wheel, hit each other, and then smashed a fence, with the two vehicles ending up totaled, according to an internal email obtained and published by FOX 5 While images published by the said source dont seem to reveal any serious damage received by the two patrol cars, 6D Commander Durriyyah Habeebullah explains in the internal memo sent to officers that the scout cars were totaled.Yesterday two 6D scout cars were totaled because officers decided instead of fighting crime, patrolling their beats, or engaging the community they decided to drag race each other on Anacostia Avenue at 5 pm in the evening, the commander said.These are not our cars and we are all liable for driving them with negligence but most important, we are all impacted by the actions of each other, he continued in the email titled Drag Racing.While its no clear how fast the two cars were going, witnesses claim the two vehicles were traveling at approximately 60 mph (close to 100 kph) on Anacostia Avenue before they crashed into each other and then took down a fence.All four police officers involved in the drag race have been hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and are currently off the street. For the time being, no decision has been made on whether they would face any discipline or not.Commander Habeebullah says he also received reports of a police van driving to a shooting scene at approximately 90 mph (145 kph) in the same region. Amid high tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the United States reportedly cancelled this weeks planned deployment of two warships to the Black Sea. Anadolu state news agency reported that Turkish officials informed that the passage of the first ship through the Bosphorous due on Wednesday did not take place. They added that both deployments, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, have been cancelled and Ankara has not yet been informed of any possible rescheduling. It is worth noting that Washington is required to give Ankara at least 15 days notice before sending warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles strait under the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention. Last week Turkey had announced that it had been informed through diplomatic channels that two US warships will pass toward the Black Sea and remain in the region until May 4. However, the United States did not officially confirm either the planned deployment or their cancellation. Wednesdays news of the cancellation of the US warships deployment came a day US President Joe Biden talked by phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. During the call, Biden raised concerns with Putin over the military build-up on Ukraines borders. He called on Russia to de-escalate tensions on Ukraines border and further made clear that the US will respond firmly to Russias action. Biden also proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the issues faced by Russia and the US. The two leaders discussed a number of regional and global issues including the intention of the two countries to pursue dialogue over arms control and emerging security issues, building on the extension of the News Start treaty. He even emphasized the United States unwavering commitment to Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia-Ukraine escalation Meanwhile, Kyiv has accused Moscow of massing thousands of military personnel on its northern and eastern borders along with the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow back in 2014. The reports of buildup have emerged amid an escalation of armed clashes between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in the east of the nation. The year-long conflict has claimed over 13,000 lives since 2014, as per the United Nations (UN) tally. Since July 2020, an uneasy cease-fire has been in effect. While the longstanding conflict is still unresolved, the latest escalation was triggered after four Ukrainian soldiers died on March 26 and Kyiv blamed the incident on Moscow. However, Russia denied involvement and said the soldiers died after a landmine exploded as they were inspecting a minefield. Russia also warned against the provocations from the Ukrainian side, saying it could start a war. Later, reports emerged suggesting a massive Russian troops build-up along the Russia-Ukraine border. (Image: Twitter/AP) On April 26, the former Soviet republic marks the 35th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, when a reactor at the plant exploded during a botched safety test. ADVERTISEMENT Three students of the Federal University of Agriculture in Makurdi (FUAM) in Benue State have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen. According to students who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, the three students were abducted at gunpoint on Sunday around the College of Engineering area of the school. Although the Director of Information, Protocol and Public Relations Unit (IPPR), Rosemary Waku, confirmed this on Monday, she did not specify the number of students involved. An unconfirmed number of students of FUAM were abducted at gunpoint by unknown persons from the Ccmpus on Sunday 25th April 2021. The University has reported the incident to the police and all relevant security agencies.The University has not heard anything from the students or their captors since the unfortunate incident took place. Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the police in the state, Catherine Anene, said the commissioner of police had ordered full scale investigation. ALSO READ: Three of the abducted Kaduna university students killed Information was received from the University of Agriculture, Makurdi that On 25/4/2021 at about 10.20pm, three (3) students were kidnapped within the school premises by unknown gunmen. The commissioner of police, Benue State command has ordered a full scale investigation into the case, she told PREMIUM TIMES. This development comes less than a week after students of Greenfield University, Kaduna, were abducted. Three of them were later found dead, presumably killed by their abductors. This newspaper reported how 239 were killed, 44 kidnapped in separate incidents last week. GET THE niggers, was their slogan, / Kill them, burn, them, set the pace. / Let them know that we are white men. /Teach them how to keep their place. AJ Smitherman, The Tulsa Race Riot and Massacre (1922). I had just left Harvard University as an assistant professor and was doing Time to Talk, a series of interviews for T&T Television. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 01:34:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ACCRA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat will develop a protocol to address issues of women and young people in the implementation of the continental free trade agreement, an official said here Monday. Emily Mburu-Ndoria, the director for Trade in Services and Intellectual Property at the AfCFTA Secretariat, said during the All-Africa High-Level Virtual Roundtable on AfCFTA Youth Inclusion that the heads of state and government of the continent had tasked the secretariat to formulate that protocol to ensure that women and youth have access and derive the intended benefits from the new trade arrangements. "At the core of the AfCFTA implementation, we have the roles of women and youth. The protocol will therefore ensure the full inclusion of women and youth," said Mburu-Ndoria. Since many small and medium enterprises on the continent are led by youths and women, the official said, there was a need for awareness creation to get the youth interested in the processes of implementation of the new trade area agreement. She also urged African youth to form themselves into sub-regional groupings to represent their interests during critical discussions on continental trade issues. The All-Africa High-Level Virtual Roundtable on AfCFTA Youth Inclusion was launched by YouthLead Africa, a non-governmental organization based in Ghana, to inform and engage the youth of Africa on the implementation of the AfCFTA. Enditem [April 26, 2021] StashAway to raise $25 million USD ($194.3 million HKD) in Series D funding round led by Sequoia Capital India HONG KONG, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- StashAway is raising $25 million USD ($194.3 million HKD) in its Series D funding round led by Sequoia Capital India, one of the region's leading venture capital firms. StashAway's existing investors, Eight Roads Ventures, the global investment firm backed by Fidelity International and early investor in Alibaba; and Square Peg, the largest venture capital fund in Australia, also participated in the round. The transaction will close in the next few months pending necessary regulatory approvals. This funding round will bring StashAway's total paid-up capital to $61.4 million USD ($477.1 million HKD) and accelerate investment product and feature developments across its 5 markets. The company will also offer to buy back up to $3 million USD ($23.3 million HKD) in stock options from its employees and expand its engineering team in Singapore and abroad. Michele Ferrario, Co-Founder and CEO says, "This vote of confidence by one of the most successful venture capital firms affirms that we've been taking the right approach by expanding early into high-opportunity markets, continuing to deepen our product offering, and building a lean and mission-driven team. These steps have translated into rapid AUM growth since our beginning." Abheek Anand, Managing Director, Sequoia India, will be joining StashAway's Board of Directors as part of the funding round, pending regulatory approvals. Anand has more than 20 years of experience in consumer tech, financial services and deep tech sectors across the US, Southeast Asia and India. He says, "StashAway is growing rapidly as it fulfils an obvious gap in the digital wealth management space, especially in areas where its competitors may be lacking: an easy-to-use platform, robust client relationships, nd a very sophisticated investing framework. StashAway has built trust with its client base by navigating them through market volatility while providing strong returns." On buying back employee shares and expanding the team, Nino Ulsamer, Co-Founder and CTO adds, "Providing up to $3 million USD ($23.3 million HKD) in liquidity to our employees helps StashAway attract the best talent; it shows that startups can succeed and be financially rewarding. We want all of our team members to participate in the financial benefits of building a successful company, and our promise to all team members has always been an attractive compensation package that includes a significant amount of stock options in the company. This promise is now starting to materialise financially." About StashAway StashAway is a digital wealth manager that offers investment portfolios and wealth management solutions for both retail and accredited investors and operates in Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East and North Africa and Hong Kong. StashAway was co-founded by Freddy Lim (CIO), Michele Ferrario (CEO), and Nino Ulsamer (CTO). As of January 2021, the company surpassed $1 billion USD in assets under management. It achieved this milestone faster than it took the world's largest digital wealth managers, Betterment and Wealthfront, to reach the same milestone. In 2020, StashAway was recognised as a Technology Pioneer by The World Economic Forum and a Top 10 LinkedIn Startup. StashAway's portfolios have consistently outperformed their respective same-risk benchmarks* since their inception in 2017, with annualised returns ranging from 16.5% (for its highest-risk portfolio) to 4.0% (for its lowest-risk portfolio) in USD terms* as of the end of March 2021. www.stashaway.com About Sequoia Capital India Sequoia helps daring founders build legendary companies, from idea to IPO and beyond. Sequoia India operates in Southeast Asia and India where we actively partner with founders from a wide range of companies, across categories, including BYJUs, Carousell, Druva, Gojek, OYO Rooms, Tokopedia, Truecaller, Zilingo, Zomato and more. We spur founders to push the boundaries of what's possible. In partnering with Sequoia, startups benefit from 48 years of tribal knowledge and lessons learned working with companies like Airbnb, Alibaba, Apple, Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn and Stripe early on. From the beginning, non-profits have been the backbone of our LP base, which means founders' accomplishments make a meaningful difference. The majority of our profits are returned to great causes, like the Ford Foundation, Mayo Clinic and MIT. For more information on Sequoia's work in India and SE Asia, visit sequoiacap.com/india *Same-risk benchmarks are proxied by MSCI World Equity Index (for equities) and FTSE World Government Bond Index (for bonds). The benchmarks we use have the same 10-years realised volatility as our portfolios. We calculate these returns before fees. Contact: Marilyn So Head of Business Development Hong Kong WhatsApp: +65 9070 3910 Phone: +852 9545 1390 marilyn@stashaway.com SOURCE StashAway [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Two high schools in Victoria have been rocked by claims that senior students are pressuring young girls to send nude photos after a schoolgirl 'traded blows' with a boy who slapped her on the bottom. A Year 12 boy from a Catholic school in Melbourne's northern suburbs allegedly harassed a Year 7 student at an all-girls Catholic school to send nude images, the Herald Sun reported on Monday. In a concerning second case Camberwell High School in Canterbury, east of Melbourne, has reportedly had a similar incident where a senior pupil was asking juniors for sexual images. Male pupils from two schools in Victoria have reportedly asked young girls for nude images (pictured: Stock image of school kids sitting on a bench) Two students traded blows at Camberwell High School (pictured) after boy reportedly patted a female student on the bottom The male student said his phone was hacked when asked about the incident. A female and male student at Camberwell have also traded blows after the girl claimed the boy patted her on the bottom. The multiple incidents have caused concern for parents, as Camberwell's principal Jillian Laughlin said in a statement that the school 'stands against gendered violence.' 'Issues of consent, sexual assault, and gender inequality are critically important,' Ms Laughlin said. 'We understand we have an important role to play in addressing this significant social issue.' Ms Laughlin said the school has spoken about the importance of reporting incidents relating to consent and sexual assault in school assemblies with school captains. Camberwell's principal Jillian Laughlin said in a statement that the school 'stands against gendered violence' (pictured: stock image of students sitting on a wall) 'When a report is made at the school, there is an immediate response. Any allegations are acted upon quickly, and reported as appropriate to Victoria Police, child protection and the department,' she said. Cyber Safety Solutions director Susan McLean said anyone harassing others for nude photos can find themselves facing criminal charges. 'The thing that gives these boys their power is silence. We must do more to educate about the law, and encourage all students to be brave and have courage to tell an adult when this occurs,' she said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Camberwell High School for comment. The Kansas City mayor maintains the local pandemic dress code out of an abundance of caution and despite outcry from local biz leaders and residents. The public health precaution is controversial but warns against variants and increasing rates of infection despite consistently declining hospitalizations and deaths amid a recent wave of vaccinations. Read more . . . Fox4: Kansas City health order keeps mask mandate, rescinds all other restrictions Deets . . . All capacity and social distancing requirements on business operations and gatherings under previous COVID-19 orders are rescinded, Lucas said at City Hall on April 26. People are still required to wear a mask indoors around other people. However, there are exceptions: - Everyone present indoors is totally vaccinated - And everyone has knowledge of complete vaccination - Anyone under five years old is not required Furthermore, restaurants and bars will no longer have to require patrons to sit down. Social distancing rules are not mandatory as long as masks are worn. The order will go into effect Friday at 12:01 a.m. It will run with Clay Countys health order until May 28. Check the rules from 12th & Oak . . . KCMO COVID-19 FAQ Updated with links . . . KCTV5: Kansas City ends indoor COVID-19 restrictions, except masks Northeast News: Masks remain: Mayor Lucas updates COVID-19 Emergency Order KSHB: New, relaxed COVID-19 guidelines set to take effect Friday in Kansas City, Missouri KMBC: KC's outdoor mask mandate expires Friday; masks still required indoors unless everyone vaccinated KCUR: Kansas City Keeps Mask Mandate But Drops Other COVID-19 Restrictions The Pitch: Mayor Lucas rescinds all COVID-19 restrictions except indoor mask mandate Fox4: Kansas City updates COVID-19 health orders, giving more freedom for those vaccinated Developing . . . At least one person has died and four injured at a shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday night. Police arrived at the scene of the shooting in the 18th and Vine district shortly after 10 p.m, but were unable to locate the gunman. Kansas City Police Department Public Information Officer Donna Drake said the shooting had started as a result of an argument. At least one person has died and four injured at a shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday night Drake said a fight had broken out at a business in the district, leading to the shooting ten minutes later. She said officers arrived to a 'large, hectic scene' with multiple victims. Officers were responding to separate reports of gun shots when they were diverted to the site of the shooting, Fox News reported. Four people were taken to a nearby hospital, where one victim succumbed to his wounds. Kansas City Police Department Public Information Officer Donna Drake said the shooting had started as a result of an argument Police arrived at the scene of the shooting in the 18th and Vine district shortly after 10 p.m At least two people shot in the 18th and Vine District Sunday night. @fox4kc More info here: https://t.co/PfPnJMgfxZ pic.twitter.com/OW5Tjk7A2t Regan Porter Fox4 KC (@ReganPorterTV) April 26, 2021 A fifth person later turned up at the hospital with a broken leg, police said, suggesting the victim had sustained the injury while fleeing the shots. The four people are in a stable and non-life threatening condition, Drake said. Drake termed the latest shooting 'tragic'. 'Think about how many lives are affected here... it's senseless. This is inexcusable... there is no reason for this', she said. Police combed the scene for evidence on Sunday. Drake called for anyone who witnessed the shooting to come forward. Sunday's shooting is the 47th homicide in Kansas City since the start of 2021. Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted his condolences over the incident on Sunday. 'Disappointed and angered to hear of more Kansas Citians struck by gunfire tonight', he wrote. 'This evening it's in my neighborhood, but too many have been impacted just this weekend, this year, and in recent years. Praying for the victims, continuing to work to see an end to this epidemic'. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... PHOENIX A former Phoenix police officer, who was fired in 2019 after threatening to shoot a married couple in front of their kids following a traffic stop, is trying to get his job back. Lawyers for Christopher Meyer have filed another complaint alleging city officials are ignoring evidence in the case. The 24-year police veteran also wants back pay, according to Phoenix TV station ABC15. A judge could make a ruling at the end of this month. Meyer is accused of using vulgar language to threaten a man and his pregnant fiancee and their two children after making a traffic stop following an alleged shoplifting and failure to stop incident. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The city settled the incident with Dravon Ames and his family for $500,000 in August 2020, according to ABC15. The TV station also reports that it was recommended Meyer receive a six-week suspension, but Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said she made the decision to fire him because the trust was eroded and tarnished the brand of the department. Meyers attorneys said the city is ignoring evidence in the case and the internal recommendations for a suspension. In the complaint, Meyers attorneys criticize Williams for talking to the media before the investigation. The citys Civil Service Board upheld Meyers termination in 2020 with Phoenix officials saying the decision was supported by evidence. If Meyer wins his complaint and gets his job back, he would then face a hearing by Arizona POST, which oversees officers certifications, to discuss the case. If he loses that hearing, he could potentially be stripped of his certification and banned from Arizona law enforcement. Dante Patterson is watching Meyers appeals closely. A year before Meyer pointed his gun at Ames and his family, he allegedly pepper-sprayed Patterson while working security at a Phoenix amusement park. Patterson said race did play a factor, because its a pattern. You cant ignore patterns. With young Black men, Patterson told ABC15 it seems like he has a lower tolerance level with them. Patterson said he thinks about Meyer every day and believes if he got his job back, it would send a clear message to the community. The message would be that officers are untouchable, Patterson said. If he were to appeal his job multiple times and not get it back, but is actually able to get it back after appealing for a third time The average man cant do that. But a police officer who can affect multiple peoples lives can do that. Haiti - News : Zapping... Shooting at Croix-des-Bouquets Saturday, April 24, around 2:00 p.m. the police at Croix-des-Bouquets thwarted a hold-up at the CAM transfer of the city, which men armed with assault rifles were preparing to attack. Alerted by the gunfire, a police officer rushed up and fired in their direction, joined by other colleagues. The bandits fled and a agent slightly injured in the shootout was taken to hospital. Chilean Visa granting process suspended Friday. April 23, the Embassy of Chile in Haiti informed that the process of granting Chilean Visa has been suspended until further notice. The appointments that had been made on the internet are maintained. It should be noted that under a new migration law Chile offers qualified applicants the possibility of obtaining temporary residence for a period of one year. President Jovenel Electric "This Sunday I visited Cerca-Carvajal. I am pleased to announce to the residents of this long marginalized community that they will soon be benefiting from uninterrupted electricity. Cerca-Carvajal will be connected from the new Saint-Raphael power station. During a visit to Carice, I noticed that the construction of the electricity grid is incomplete. The competent authorities have already received formal instructions in order to finalize the work, including those of the hybrid power plant which is to be inaugurated in June" Jovenel Moise adding "The localities of Dupity, Grosse Roche, Bois de Laurence and Laguanithe do not have an electricity network. I therefore instruct EDH and ANARSE to take all necessary measures so that these communities are electrified as soon as possible." Cooperation Haiti - Salvador On Thursday April 22, Ambassador of Haiti Smith Augustin to the Dominican Republic received a courtesy visit from his counterpart from El Salvador, Oscar Armando Toledo. Cooperation in the fields of citizen security, education, culture and trade were the subjects raised by the two ambassadors who agreed to meet again to follow up on the issues raised. USA : Over 80,000 Haitians live in Georgia The Haitian community in Georgia in the United States has over 80,000 members including Haitian-Americans. A number that could be higher once the results of the 2020 census are released, informed Consul General of Haiti Roudelyne Nogar Jean in Atlanta. The documentary "Ainsi Parla la Mer" awarded The Documentary "Thus Parla la Mer" by Haitian filmmaker Arnold Antonin was awarded as best medium and short documentary and also received the Sustainable Development Award 37th Montreal International Festival of African Films. HL/ HaitiLibre Shanghai bus staff return foreigners lost property By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-04-25 17:39 A foreign teacher in Shanghai had his wallet containing his drivers license, RMB, U.S. dollars, a transportation card and business cards returned after losing it on a bus. At about 10 oclock on April 23, the driver of Shanghai bus line 700 found the black wallet in a corner of the bus after stopping at a terminal station. The bus team finally figured out the identity of the owner through documents printed in English in the wallet and contacted him at the earliest possibility. The man arrived at the station at noon by taxi and picked up the item. He said that he had been teaching in Minhang district for many years and left behind the wallet when he hurriedly got off the bus. It's quite troublesome to reissue these certificates. Shanghai public transportation staff helped me find my lost property so quickly. I am really grateful!" the man said. One man is in custody after a shooting in DeKalb County. The DeKalb Co. Sheriff's Office arrested 34-year-old Joshua Smith, of Geraldine, Sunday afternoon after responding to a fight involving a gun. Authorities said they arrived to the area of Park Street to find a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. Both victims were taken to Huntsville Hospital for treatment. Authorities arrested Smith for two counts of assault. People seen along Orchard Road on 19 June 2020, the first day of Phase 2 of Singapore's re-opening. (Yahoo News Singapore file photo) SINGAPORE Younger Singaporeans and permanent residents are more concerned about COVID-19 vaccine safety than older folks, according to a study by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) released on Monday (26 April). At least 60 per cent of those aged 21 to 29 and those aged 30 to 39 were concerned about the safety and potential side effects of the vaccine, compared with 48 per cent of those aged 60 and above, the study reported. It also noted that at least half of Singapore's resident population still have doubts about the COVID-19 vaccines. Titled "The COVID-19 Pandemic In Singapore, One Year On: Population Attitudes And Sentiments", the study gathered Singapore residents' views on a host of pandemic-related issues from April last year to March this year. The online survey was conducted using data from Toluna, a technology company that specialises in consumer insights, with IPS researchers collecting responses from residents aged 21 and above in 22 waves over this period. Each wave comprised over 500 respondents whose profiles approximated the national population in terms of race, gender and housing type, said the IPS report. Given the online nature of the study, it was noted that this resulted in lower proportions of older respondents and those from lower-income families. The survey was also conducted in English, which "does not account for the small number of those who are more proficient in a vernacular language", said the report. "Nonetheless, the consumer panel data provides useful insights on trends, especially during the Circuit Breaker phase of the pandemic when other forms of polling such as face-to-face interviews were difficult to operationalise," the report added. Pandemic's impact on younger Singapore residents On the vaccine concerns reflected by the survey, the researchers pointed out that government campaigns to inform Singapore's older residents about the vaccines and encourage their take-up helped to improve confidence in the vaccinations among this group. Story continues However, for the country's younger residents, the researchers suggested that access to online information and possibly alarming or misleading reports on vaccine-related injuries could have contributed to their doubts on the vaccines' efficacy and side-effects. The study also found that the pandemic appears to have had a greater impact on the psychological well-being of younger people here than older folks. At least three in 10 Singaporeans aged 21 to 29 years old were found to be rather or very worried about losing their purpose for living, compared with only one in 10 of those aged 60 and above. Also, 27 per cent of those in the 21 to 29 age group said they had trouble sleeping or staying awake in the recent months, as compared with only 9 per cent of those aged 60 and above. Noting that the pandemic has been more disruptive to the lives of younger people, IPS Social Lab associate director Mike Hou, who is among the team behind the study, suggested that vaccine messaging aimed at this group could emphasise that mass vaccinations will hasten the return of a "greater sense of normalcy" to help ensure a stronger take-up rate. "I think we need to consider the sense of disruptions first, that has occurred within the lives of the younger generation. So when we consider the kinds of disruptions in terms of their socialisation, their ability to travel, their employment status, their job opportunities. "These are the kinds of things that have been disrupted, and we need to emphasise that, potentially, the sense of normalcy that can be regained. By having everyone in a population vaccinated and moving on to more pre-COVID-like kind of society in the future," he said during a media briefing on the study. On 5 April, it was announced that Singapore residents below the age of 45 will be able to book their COVID-19 vaccination slots from June. Older residents and workers in the frontline had been given priority to receive their shots earlier during the ongoing nationwide vaccination exercise. Despite these concerns expressed, the study also noted improvements in overall attitudes towards vaccination, with increased support for it from 60 per cent in early February this year to about 67 per cent in March. Correspondingly, the proportion of those who were unwilling to take the vaccine if offered also decreased from 20 per cent to 13 per cent over this same period. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore SCDF ragging death: 2 commanders jailed 11 months and 10 months after appeal Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble will relaunch 26 May French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire is currently (26 April) chairing an automotive strategy meeting in Paris. The discussions are also being attended by Work and Employment Minister, Elizabeth Borne, Transport Minister, Baptiste Djebbari and Industry Minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher. This meeting will be the occasion to work on and anticipate the transformations with which the automotive sector is faced, as well as updating the situation on the support plan for the industry put in place by the government on 26 May last year, noted a statement from the French Finance Ministry. As announced by Bruno Le Maire, a second part of the meeting will be devoted to the future of French foundries. Details from the discussions are expected later. By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Our political class does not believe that Barack Obama is a candidate for rehabilitation (revered by liberals, moderates and even some Republicans) despite recently pivoting to a consensus that his response to the Great Financial Crash was not all it could be. Even today, its almost impossible, get anybody to the left of Joe Lieberman (Obamas mentor) to say that Obama was a bad President. d As Matt Stoller writes in The Boston Review: Even today you cannot get a single elected left-wing politician to say that Obama was a bad president. Think about that. We cannot have an honest discussion of what it meant to use power when Democrats were in charge, so the language of dissension is polluted with incoherent nonsense. All the grand philosophical musing and Democratic Socialists of America study groups do not matter when not a single elected official outside the Republican Party can make the simple, obvious point that Obamas policies straight up made things worse. This was not some capitalist plot. There was a lot of dissent within the Democratic Party about whether it was a good idea to do what Obama did. I was part of a network of people who tried to fight against the foreclosure nonsense and opposed Obamas handing Puerto Rico over to hedge funds [here]. We lost. And the people who made public explanations about these fights lied to cover up for Obamas bad choices. They lied because some of them are frauds, but also because it was painful not to; Democratic voters and many left-wing voters were and still are deeply hostile to any criticism of Obama. He is beloved; according to Gallup polling, 95 percent of Democrats have a favorable view of him. To the extent there is skepticism, it is framed in ways that avoid admitting that his actions systemically ruined millions of lives. Well, Im happy to call Obama a bad President, because he was. Of the many horrors of the Obama years, I will pick three. (I am omitting not prosecuting bankers for accounting control fraud, the HAMP debacle, the mortgage settlement debacle, destroying a generation of black wealth with his housing policies, the kill list disposition matrix, whacking a US citizen with a drone strike and no due process, ObamaCare and not single payer, the ObamaCare website collapsing on launch (with nobody held accountable), not closing Gitmo, the Afghanistan surge, enabling Googles monopoly on search, creating the conditions for Trump.) All three are chosen to show continuties with the Bush Administration, rather than differences. Again I will beg your indulgence for sketchiness, since 2021 2008 = 13 years ago, and Im operating mostly from memory, despite having blogged through those years, just as I blogged through the Bush years. As with Bush, a full accounting would be book-length. Or perhaps there should be a podcast, which would take hundreds of episodes. (Hmm. Not a bad idea. The podcast would have the same title as this post.) Legitimizing Warrantless Surveillance You will remember Bushs program of warrantless surveillance from the post on Bush. The battle against it was conducted under the confusing banner of FISA Reform (that is, the battle framed not that Bushs actions destroyed the Fourth Amendment, but that the process of FISA authorization was not properly followed). Nonetheless, the blogosphere of that time played a big role in that battle (I was there, albeit peripherally) which Eric Boehlert describes well in his book Bloggers on the Bus. Here is a long excerpt (the legislation in the first sentence is FISA Reform). Ive added the highlighting: So, where was Obama on FISA Reform? That depends. From Politifact: In October 2007, Obama spokesman Bill Burton issued this unequivocal statement to the liberal blog TPM Election Central: To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies . Key segments of the Democratic base enjoying substantial influence in the run-up to the Democratic presidential primaries were pleased. This is the kind of leadership we need to see from the Democratic candidates, MoveOn spokesman Adam Green said at the time. Obama clinched the Democrat nomination on June 4, 2008. Nomination safely in hand, he changed his mind on FISA Reform[1] in July: In October, Obama had vowed to help filibuster an update of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that gave telecommunication companies that had cooperated with President Bushs warrantless wiretapping program immunity from lawsuits. The Senate voted Wednesday on the bill updating FISA which had a provision to shield telecommunications companies that had cooperated in the surveillance. Obama joined the 68 other senators who voted to send the bill to the presidents desk. No filibuster! Putting Fourth Amendment issues aside, if you think that granting corporations retroactive immunity for multiple felonies is a really bad idea from the standpoint of the [genuflects] rule of law, then Obamas flip-flop lets just go ahead and call it a betrayal is a bad act by a bad President. (On the bright side, Obamas pivot looks like an inflection point: Where Democrats won the loyalty or at least the alliance of the intelligence community, which worked so for them in 2016-2020.) Legitimizing Torture You will also remember torture under the Bush administration, and there was plenty of it, more than merely Abu Ghaib.[1] One would think that a professor of Constitutional Law as his supporters constantly reminded us Obama was, albeit without mentioning his non-tenure track status would favor prosecuting war crimes, particularly war crimes committed on a political opponents watch, in service of a war that professor putatively opposed. No such luck. From ABCs The Week on January 10, 2009 (10 days before Inauguration Day[2]). Watch the weaseling! STEPHANOPOULOS: The most popular question on your own website is related to this. On change.gov it comes from Bob Fertik of New York City and he asks, Will you appoint a special prosecutor ideally Patrick Fitzgerald to independently investigate the greatest crimes of the Bush administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping. OBAMA: Were still evaluating how were going to approach the whole issue of interrogations, detentions, and so forth. And obviously were going to be looking at past practices and I dont believe that anybody is above the law. On the other hand I also have a belief that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards . And part of my job is to make sure that for example at the CIA, youve got extraordinarily talented people who are working very hard to keep Americans safe. I dont want them to suddenly feel like theyve got to spend all their time looking over their shoulders and lawyering (ph). STEPHANOPOULOS: So, no 9/11 commission with Independence subpoena power? OBAMA: We have not made final decisions, but my instinct is for us to focus on how do we make sure that moving forward we are doing the right thing . That doesnt mean that if somebody has blatantly [nice qualifier] broken the law, that they are above the law. But my orientations going to be to move forward . STEPHANOPOULOS: So, let me just press that one more time. Youre not ruling out prosecution, but will you tell your Justice Department to investigate these cases and follow the evidence wherever it leads? OBAMA: What I I think my general view when it comes to my attorney general is he is the peoples lawyer. Eric Holders been nominated. His job is to uphold the Constitution and look after the interests of the American people, not to be swayed by my day-to-day politics. So, ultimately, hes going to be making some calls, but my general belief is that when it comes to national security, what we have to focus on is getting things right in the future, as opposed looking at what we got wrong in the past . Stephanopolous really should have said Ill take that as a no.' And how is there an other hand to I dont believe that anybody is above the law? Fast forward to the administration Obama created the conditions for, and we see the results. From the Atlantic, Obamas Legacy of Impunity for Torture, on the nomination of Bloody Gina: The 44th president, Barack Obama, bears a measure of responsibility for the recklessness of his successor, in particular Trumps decision to appoint Gina Haspel, the Central Intelligence Agencys deputy director, to run the agency itself. Haspel oversaw a black site during the Bush era where at least one detainee, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, was tortured*. Haspel also then played a role in a decision to destroy recordings of CIA detainees being tortured. The Obama administrations actions helped entrench a standard of accountability that stretches from beat cops to CIA officials, one in which breaking the law in the line of duty is unpunishable, but those suspected of a crimeparticularly if black, Muslim, or undocumentedcan be subjected to unspeakable cruelty whether or not they are ultimately guilty. In a country where a CIA official like Haspel can destroy evidence in order to obstruct a federal investigation, and not only escape prosecution but rise to become the head of the agency, it is no wonder that the president and his allies behave as though the possibility of the law catching up to them is not merely remote, but a kind of absurdity. So, thanks to Obama, weve legitimized torture, and a torturer became the head of the CIA. That was a bad act by a bad President. Implementing Dick Cheneys Energy Plan President Bush, in the second week of his administration, charged his Vice-President, Dick Cheney, with heading up an Energy Task Force. Larry Schweiger describes the result in The Climate Crisis and Corrupt Politics: Overcoming the Powerful Forces that Threaten our Future: So we have Cheney and Obama working together to create fracking. Obama is, in fact, proud of this: That was me, people. Setting the Earth on fire for money. Come to think of it, signing the Paris Accords while on the other hand making the US the worlds number one oil producer is a lot like supporting the rule of law while on the other hand looking forward and not back when laws are broken, and a lot like promising to filibuster a bill granting retroactive immunity to lawbreaking corporations while on the other hand not doing so. Conclusion We are ruled by bad people and have been for years. Madison, of course, expected this, but his system seems to have broken down Federalist 51: But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defense must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. No longer is the interest of the man connected with the constitutional rights of the place (that is, of the office). If that were true, Bloody Gina would not have headed the CIA. Its not even clear that the government can control itself, or control the governed, except by propaganda and violence, as our continuing public health debacle shows. I dont know what the answer to this is, but I do think it begins with the recognition that we are ruled by bad people. Simply replacing bad people with good people does not have a record of success, since the good quickly become bad.[3] How to rebuild our political economy so that we seem to be governed by angels even though we are not is a question that I cannot answer. But it is a question increasingly before us. NOTES [1] One of the more amusing aspects of the Bush Administrations approach to torture was watching them devise euphemisms for it: enhanced interrogration, rough treatment, and severe tactics. [2] So many happy people. [3] For example. SACRAMENTO Critics of Gov. Gavin Newsom have collected enough signatures to force a recall election, kicking off a lengthy procedural march to a likely referendum later this year on the first-term governor. The Secretary of States Office reported Monday that organizers had submitted 1,626,042 valid signatures from California voters to recall Newsom, about 130,000 more than they need to qualify for the ballot. That number is likely to increase, as county election officials have until the end of the month to finish reviewing petitions and more than 136,000 signatures have yet to be checked. Although a special election on whether to remove Newsom from office is now all but certain, it remains unclear when exactly it will take place. It will be several months until the state sets a date, probably for sometime in November, and the governors supporters have one final long-shot opportunity to stop it. Game on, said Anne Dunsmore, campaign manager for Rescue California, one of the groups behind the recall drive. They said it couldnt be done, now theyre saying he cant be recalled. I say we proved him wrong once, now were going to prove him wrong twice. Before calling an election, the state must certify the recall petition. The process to do that was extended several years ago by California Democrats in the Legislature in an unsuccessful attempt to keep one of their own from being recalled. The changes added several months during which the state reviews the cost of the election and people who signed the petition can rescind their signatures. The signature withdrawal period, which was triggered by organizers reaching the qualification threshold, now gives voters 30 business days to let their local election officials know that theyd like to remove their names from the recall petition. This could theoretically push the recall back below the signature threshold, though its highly unlikely given the significant buffer that organizers have built. Nor are the names of voters who signed the petition public information, making it expensive and difficult for Newsoms backers to find them at all. The Newsom campaign has said it does not plan to pursue the strategy, but an outside group led by former state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata launched an independent effort this month dubbed Stop the Steal. The group has demanded that the recall campaign turn over copies of the petitions it filed and threatened to sue for access, a tactic that recall organizers have dismissed as illegal and bullying. Once the withdrawal period ends June 8, counties have 10 more business days to report the number of rescinded signatures back to the secretary of state. Assuming the recall is still eligible for the ballot, the state Department of Finance then gets 30 business days to estimate how much the election will cost, and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee has another 30 calendar days to review the estimate. Only then is the recall certified. At that point, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis must set an election date 60 to 80 days down the road, a timeline that could push the vote into November. The ballot would ask Californians two concurrent questions: Should Newsom be removed from office, and, if so, who should replace him? Newsom could not run as a replacement candidate. If he is recalled by simple majority vote, the replacement candidate with the most votes would become governor, even if that person receives less than 50%. There would be no runoff between the top two candidates. Several Republican rivals have already announced plans to challenge the governor, including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, 2018 gubernatorial candidate John Cox and former Sacramento-area Rep. Doug Ose. On Friday, former Olympic gold medalist and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner became the latest Republican to enter the race. No major Democratic candidates have jumped in yet. Democratic leaders have publicly discouraged them from running, arguing that it would undermine Newsom by giving Californias heavily Democratic electorate a viable alternative to support. But Newsom seems well-positioned to survive the recall. Recent polling by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 53% of likely voters surveyed approved of Newsom more than double then-Gov. Gray Davis popularity at a similar point before his recall in 2003. Newsom has taken a similar line of defense as Davis so far, casting the recall drive as a power grab by Republicans. His campaign is trying to link the challengers to former President Donald Trump, who overwhelmingly lost California in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. This election will be about two different visions for California, Juan Rodriguez, campaign manager for Newsom, said in a statement. The Republican recall backed by partisan, pro-Trump and far-right forces threatens our values as Californians and seeks to undo the important progress weve made under Gov. Newsom. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff Click here to read the full article. As India is in the midst of a massive Covid-19 outbreak, President Biden announced that the United States will be sending aid in the form of supplies to manufacture the vaccine, funding for vaccine manufacturers and medical equipment. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need, Biden wrote in a tweet Sunday. The move comes after pressure came from the international community to assist the country, which reported nearly 350,000 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday alone. Sunday also marked the fourth consecutive day India set a world record for daily infections, according to CNN. National security spokesperson Emily Horne issued a statement detailing how the United States will help India in a readout of a call between the countries national security advisors, saying the White House is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies. Specifically, the U.S. is providing raw materials to manufacture the Covishield vaccine and giving funding to expand Indias vaccine manufacturers ability to produce a billion vaccine doses by the end of 2022. Help is also coming in the form of public health advisors from the CDC and USAID, plus supplies, including test kids, medications, ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment for medical workers. Officials on the National Security Council and Department of Health and Human Services have been meeting through the weekend, a source told CNN. White House medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC News, Right now, even as we speak, theres discussions about really ramping up what we can do on the ground oxygen supplies, drugs, tests, PPE, as well as taking a look in the intermediate and long-run about how can get vaccines to these individuals. Although the United States has vaccinated nearly half its population with at least one vaccine dose, lower- and middle-income countries are vaccinating people at much slower rates. But to truly defeat the virus, every country needs access to the vaccine. A entrepreneur behind plans to turn part of Bondi Beach into an Italian-style beach club has vowed to push ahead with his proposal despite intense opposition from locals. Janek Gazecki, the founder of the Amalfi Beach Club, has said his intentions for the venue were misunderstood when he first announced plans last October. The former lawyer and Bondi resident has dismissed claims the venue is an 'exclusive' or 'private' club that would only cater for the rich and famous. Janek Gazecki, the founder of the Amalfi beach club, (pictured with his wife Natalie) has said his intentions for the venue have been misunderstood Mr Gazecki insists the plan is no more controversial than 'a restaurant in the sand' and said anyone is welcome to enter the venue regardless of their age or wealth, he told The Guardian on Sunday. With plans to lodge the development application with the Waverley Council this week, new 'teaser' images of the controversial venue have been released. The Amalfi Beach Club is intended to run for four months from November to February, operating with a kitchen and a bar, with a capacity for 100 people. Patrons no longer have to pay $80 to enter the club, but can purchase a cabana or day bed for the same price to go towards their spend on food and beverages. The former lawyer has announced plans to push forward with plans despite opposition from locals and politicians, and has released teaser images of the venue (pictured) Mr Gazecki has announced plans to lodge the development application with the Waverley Council this week (pictured, an artist's impression of the Amalfi Beach Club) Mr Gazecki has said there is already a daybed hire business about 100 metres from his proposed stretch of sand. 'The only difference with us is we wish to introduce a food and beverage service to go with that,' he said. Mr Gazecki said the venue would take up 1.3 per cent of the 55,000 square metres of sand on the beach and had been designed to fit in with the existing Bondi Pavilion. 'The Mediterranean design celebrates the heritage of Bondi Beach by paying tribute to our very own Pavilion, also inspired by inter-war Italian architecture, while complimenting the sandstone hues of Bondi's headlands', a post on the Club's Facebook page read. Mr Gazecki said his Italian-style beach club has been designed to fit in with the existing Bondi Pavilion Mr Gazecki revealed the process of building the club's facade had already begun and shipping containers had been purchased to constitute the kitchen and bar. The entrepreneur said opponents of the plan had been misled as to how large and exclusive the venue would be and insisted he didn't plan on privatising the beach. 'None of that stuff that hit the media was in any way related to our proposal,' he said. 'It was weird speculation. It is pure and simply a restaurant on the sand. It is not privatising the beach, we are leasing the beach.' Mr Gazecki said the venue would take up 1.3% of the 55,000 square metres of beach and was 'just an experience for those people who want to enjoy the beach in a particular way' Mr Gazecki compared his proposal to plans to host a pop-up restaurant on Manly beach next month for the 'Taste of the Beaches' food event organised by the Northern Beaches Council. The Waverley Council on Sunday confirmed it had not received a development proposal for the Amalfi Beach Club. 'Bondi Beach is crown land and therefore landowner's consent from the minister for planning and public spaces is required prior to any DA being determined,' a council spokesperson said in a statement. 'We will continue to keep the community informed of any updates.' Last November, New South Wales planning minister Rob Stokes vowed to veto the proposal, calling the club 'elitist' and 'un-Australian'. The minister on Sunday confirmed he was still opposed to the club, and promised he would 'step in to stop a proposal to carve off part of the beach for private use'. Mr Gazecki (pictured with his wife Natalie) said the venue is for 'everyone', regardless of their wealth or age A change.org petition to 'Stop Amalfi Beach Club taking over space on Bondi Beach for Financial Gain' set-up last November has been signed by over 34,000 people. 'Absolutely shameful undertaking. Having wealth does not entitle you to carve out portions of natural reserve of any description for yourself', one commented. 'Fundamentally opposed to this use of publicly owned land for one charlatan to start carving it up to make his own money, but also cheesy, tacky, cringey proposal... no thanks', another agreed. 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. Vote View Results After an accident caused an oxygen tank to explode, eyewitness accounts and video clips of the terrible scenes of the fire at the hospital treating COVID-19 patients have provoked shock and anger throughout Iraq. A hashtag demanding Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi be sacked was soon trending on Twitter. Saturdays fire at the Ibn Khatib hospital, an intensive care facility dedicated to COVID-19 patients in the Diyala Bridge neighbourhood, one of Baghdads poorer districts in the southeast of the city, has killed at least 82 people and injured 110. At least 28 patients with severe symptoms of the virus who were on ventilators were among the dead. This tragedy is but the latest horrific example of the devastating impact of decades of sanctions, illegal invasions, occupations and the deliberate stoking of a sectarian civil war orchestrated and led by successive US administrations that have reduced a once prosperous country, with one of the most advanced health and social infrastructures in the Arab world, to utter poverty and degradation. Mourners pray near the coffins of coronavirus patients that were killed in a hospital fire, during their funeral at the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, April 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil) To this day, Iraq suffers from political violence, kidnappings and extortion at the hands of numerous militias, while accidents resulting from neglect and decrepit infrastructure have compounded the plight of the Iraqi people. In 2019, to cite but one example, at least 90 people drowned when an overloaded ferry carrying families on an outing sank in the Tigris River in the northern city of Mosul. The World Socialist Web Site has described the consequences of Washingtons onslaught on the Iraqi people as sociocide, the deliberate destruction of the entire infrastructure of a modern civilization (See: The US war and occupation of Iraqthe murder of a society). The blaze spread rapidly because without smoke detectors, sprinkler system or fire hoses, the hospital had no fire protection system, and false ceilings allowed the flames to spread to highly flammable products, said Maj. Gen. Khadim Bohan, the head of Iraqs civil defence forces. He told the state-run Iraqiya TV, If there had been smoke detectors, the situation would have been totally different. Officials said that some of the victims were older patients on ventilators who could not move from their beds when the fire started. Reuters news agency quoted an eyewitness as saying that patients and medical workers had jumped out of second-story windows to escape the flames. One eyewitness, who was visiting his brother when the fire broke out, said people were jumping out of the windows as the flames spread throughout the COVID-19 unit. In the beginning, there was an explosion. ... The fire spread, like fuel. ... The smoke reached my brother. My brother is sick. I took my brother out to the street, next to the checkpoint. Then I came (back) and went up from there to the last floor, that did not burn. I found a girl suffocating, about 19 years old, she was suffocating, she was about to die, said Ahmed Zaki. He added, I took her on my shoulders, and I ran down. People were jumping. ... Doctors fell on the cars. Everyone was jumping. And I kept going up from there, got people and came down again. The fire has been widely attributed to negligence and Iraqs rampant corruption, with Ali al-Bayati, a member of the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, holding the health ministry responsible for the blaze and accusing it of failing to cooperate with investigators. He told the Middle East Eye website, I think the responsibility of the incident is on the Ministry of Health, as we have evidence that most hospitals have no occupational safety or firefighting facilities, and it is not the first case in such an institution. He added, the fire was a crime against patients exhausted by Covid-19 who put their lives in the hands of the health ministry and its institutions and instead of being treated, perished in flames. The blaze took place amid a second surge of the pandemic, with more than 1,000,000 officially recorded cases, a daily average of about 8,000 cases and more than 15,200 deaths, the highest of any Arab country. This has overwhelmed Iraqs chronically underresourced public hospitals, which even under normal conditions are unable to cope, to the extent that patients who can often prefer to get their own oxygen cylinders for treatment at home. Like its counterparts around the world, Iraqs venal government has put profits before lives and done little to either restrict the spread of the virus or provide a social safety net for workers, the majority of whom work in the informal sector as day labourers. It has blamed the resurgent infection rates on ordinary Iraqis for disregarding coronavirus precautions. Last month, the government began its vaccination programme, having received just 650,000 doses for its 40 million people, mostly donated by China or through the World Health Organisations COVAX programme, with some 275,000 people having received at least one dose, according to health ministry officials. On Sunday, amid fears that riots would break out, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi held an emergency meeting at the headquarters of the Baghdad Operations Command, which coordinates Iraqi security forces. He declared three days of mourning after ordering an investigation into the fire and later firing several hospital officials and suspending the health minister pending investigations. However, Kadhimis pledge to carry out an inquiry and bring those responsible to justice are just empty words. The Iraqi people are still waiting for his promised investigation into those responsible for the deaths of more than 600 protesters in October 2019 to be named, let alone tried and punished. Kadhimi is sitting atop a social powder keg, and he knows it. Unemployment, already high before the pandemic, has worsened, with at least 36 percent of the people and almost 50 percent of young people officially reported as unemployed. The average 18 year old has had just 6.2 years of schooling, although only four years in terms of actual educational achievement due to the disastrous state of the countrys education system, once one of the best in the Arab world. Some 3.2 million school-aged children are out of school. In conflict-affected areas, almost all school-aged children are missing out on an education. Basic services, such as a regular electricity supply in the worlds third largest oil exporter and clean water, are a chimera. Poverty rates are soaring, with 16 million people living below the poverty line, as food prices soar. Cooking oil has risen to 2,500 dinars a bottle, up from 1,500 dinars, while imported foodstuffs have become more expensive because of the recent currency devaluation. With the collapse in oil prices, the government, which is dependent on oil for almost 90 percent of its revenues and requires prices of at least $60 a barrel to survive, faces bankruptcy. It needs $5 billion a monthnearly twice its current revenuesjust to cover the salaries of public sector workers, a key form of patronage for the various sectarian-based parties. This is one of the reasons why Baghdad has signed a deal with China to get a cash advance on future oil sales. Iraqs Parliament recently passed a 2021 budget aimed at securing Washingtons support for a loan from the International Monetary Fund. The budget formalises the recent currency devaluation, outlines a revised framework for oil and revenue sharing between the federal government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil and projects a record-setting deficit, along with cuts in salary benefits that can in some cases serve to double workers paltry wages. This, combined with the devaluation that is in effect a savage wage cut, is a massive assault on the Iraqi working class. The budgets passage prompted daily protests by hundreds of young unemployed graduates outside the Nassiriya oil refinery, demanding jobs and halting production, causing fuel shortages across Dhi Qar province. (CNN) -- After surviving a fear-filled year of the Covid-19 pandemic, getting vaccinated is a cause for celebration. As Covid-19 vaccines become more readily available, companies want to reward Americans who've been vaccinated with special offers after getting their shots. CNN Business put together a list of companies that are providing freebies when you show proof of vaccination. Budweiser Now through May 16, or while supplies last, Budweiser is giving a free beer to anyone 21 years old and up -- who provide their proof of vaccination on ABeerOnBud.com. Bud fans first have to first register at the company's mycooler.com website. Junior's Cheesecake From now through Memorial Day, Junior's Restaurant will be offering a free mini cheesecake to anyone who shows their vaccine card at their landmark restaurant at Flatbush Ave. and DeKalb in Downtown Brooklyn. (In New York City only.) Krispy Kreme You can get one free glazed doughnut every day if you take your vaccination card to any Krispy Kreme location in the US, the company said in a press release. The card must show one or two shots of any Covid-19 vaccine to qualify, and the offer must be redeemed in store. And no, you don't need to purchase anything to get your daily free doughnut. Nathan's Hot Dogs If you visit Nathan's Famous in Coney Island with your vaccination card -- on the same day you get vaccinated -- you get a free hot dog. (In New York City only.) Staples and Office Depot Staples and Office Depot want vaccinated Americans to keep their vaccination record cards in good condition. So the office supply companies are offering free laminating services for those completed Covid-19 vaccination cards. A spokesperson for Staples told CNN that the service is available at all Staples locations in the US and currently has no end date. White Castle Between April 22 and May 31, burger chain White Castle is giving a free dessert-on-a-stick to anyone with proof they have received a Covid vaccine, according to the company. White Castle offers four versions of the dessert on a stick: Gooey Buttercake-on-a-Stick, Fudge Dipped Brownie-on-a-Stick, Fudge Dipped Cheesecake-on-a-Stick and, as of earlier this month, its Birthday Cake-on-a-Stick in honor of the company's centennial this year. No other purchase is necessary. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Police reform is possible. Newark is a great example, a Twitter user said Police officers in Newark didnt fire a single shot in 2020, which means the city did not have to pay to settle police brutality cases, according to NJ.com. Crime has reportedly dropped in the city with police recovering nearly 500 illegal firearms from the street last year. Aqeela Sherills, head of the Newark Community Street Team, a group consisting of former offenders working to actively defuse violence in the citys most violent areas, said This is significant. People walk by a police car in downtown on May 13, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey. Voters in New Jerseys largest city go to the polls on May 13, to choose a new mayor following Democrat Cory Bookers departure to the U.S. Senate. Newark, which is approximately 12 miles from New York City, is struggling with a rise in violent crime and unemployment. Shavar Jeffries, 39, and Ras Baraka, 44, are the two democrats running for the job in the heavily Democratic city. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) It speaks to how reform has really taken hold in the city, Sherills said. Read More: 68-year-old woman sues NC police for violent traffic stop recorded on body camera The police reforms are a result of a federal consent decree which came after a July 2014 investigation which concluded that there was a pattern and practice of unconstitutional policing by the Newark Police Department. Once the decree came, there was an agreement in principle with the City of Newark to undertake wide-ranging reforms within the Police Department, according to the Department of Justice. In 2011 when then U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman began the investigation, he found a broken culture amongst the Newark Police Department including racial bias during traffic stops and enforcement, violence, and a corrupted internal affairs bureau, according to NJ.com. He acknowledged , The use of force was too high, and the reporting of it was too low. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. When discussing the need for police reform, Peter Harvey, the former state attorney general whos currently overseeing the implementation of the consent decree said: You had a law enforcement agency with no training about how to enforce the law. Larry Hamm, head of the Peoples Organization for Progress, acknowledged the impact of the reform in the city. Police brutality is still a problem but its fair to say the consent decree has had a real impact, he said. Read More: Linkedin co-founder says companies should stop supporting politicians who aim to suppress voting rights Story continues Police reform has become a huge topic of conversation across the country stemming the countless images of young men and women of color being shot or killed by police. President Joe Biden plans to discuss police reform in his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, CNN reports. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. An online discussion surrounding Newarks success with reform was had many saying Newark should be the new standard moving forward. Las Vegas Review-Journal producer Marvin Clemons tweeted, #PoliceReform is possible. Newark is a great example. Not a single shot fired in 2020 and no payments made for police brutality. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Rep. Dean Phillips praise the effectiveness of reform, tweeting, None of Newarks 1,100 police officers fired a single shot in 2020 and crime was down 6%. Reform is as necessary as it is possible. 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 Newark Police didnt fire shots in 2020 due to reform appeared first on TheGrio. By Guy Faulconbridge, Andy Bruce and William James LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday denied a newspaper report that he had said he would rather bodies piled "high in their thousands" than order a third COVID-19 lockdown. Johnson is facing a stream of allegations in newspapers - all of them denied - about everything from his muddled initial handling of the COVID-19 crisis to questions over who financed the redecoration of his official apartment. The Daily Mail newspaper cited unidentified sources as saying that, in October, shortly after agreeing to a second lockdown, Johnson told a meeting in Downing Street: "No more fucking lockdowns - let the bodies pile high in their thousands." Asked whether he had made the remark, Johnson told broadcasters: "No, but again, I think the important thing, I think, that people want us to get on and do as a government is to make sure that the lockdowns work, and they have." The Daily Mail did not respond to a request for comment but the BBC later also reported that Johnson made the remark in a "heated discussion" about lockdowns. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the reports. Though Johnson has over the years repeatedly weathered gaffes, crises over Brexit and disclosures about his adultery, he is now grappling with an array of accusations which opponents say show he is unfit for office. He or his supporters have denied all of them. Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, who has cast Johnson's government as "sleazy", said he was astonished to read the Daily Mail's report. "If he did say those things, he's got to explain it," he said. Johnson did impose a third lockdown, in January, though critics say it could have been avoided had he yielded to pressure from senior ministers to make the second lockdown more stringent. Britain has the world's fifth largest official COVID-19 death toll, with 127,681 deaths, after the United States, Brazil, Mexico and India, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. Story continues JOHNSON UNDER FIRE Downing Street last week named Johnson's former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, as the source of leaks against the prime minister. But Cummings denied he was the source and cast Johnson as incompetent and lacking in integrity. Johnson, 56, and Cummings, 49, were once close allies who worked on the successful 'Vote Leave' campaign to take Britain out of the European Union in the 2016 referendum. Cummings also advised Johnson in the 2019 election campaign, which won the Conservatives their biggest parliamentary majority since 1987, but he left the prime minister's staff suddenly late last year. Cummings said Johnson had planned to have donors pay secretly for the renovation of his Downing Street apartment, adding that was "unethical, foolish, possibly illegal - and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations". Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Monday declined to confirm or deny if Johnson had been given an undeclared loan from political donors to pay for the renovation of the flat. What mattered now was that Johnson had borne the cost himself, Wallace said. "Do I think the prime minister is sleazy? No, I don't," he told BBC radio. Asked last month about the refurbishment plans, Johnson's spokeswoman said all donations, gifts and benefits were properly declared, and that no party funds were being used to pay for the refurbishment. (Editing by Kate Holton, Kevin Liffey, Gareth Jones and Andrew Heavens) VANCOUVER - A shortage of veterinarians in British Columbia threatens food security and is responsible for animals suffering and dying, according the group that speaks for animal doctors in the province. Puppies that will become RCMP police dogs play outside B.C. RCMP Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER - A shortage of veterinarians in British Columbia threatens food security and is responsible for animals suffering and dying, according the group that speaks for animal doctors in the province. Dr. Al Longair, president of the Society of BC Veterinarians, said the problem has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic as more people get pets and public health restrictions double the length of appointment times. Longair is among eight society executives who signed an open letter to members of B.C.'s legislative assembly saying the minister of advanced education won't meet with them about increasing seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. "On behalf of a beleaguered profession, exasperated animal owners and farmers, and suffering animals who cannot speak for themselves, we are asking for your help," reads the letter dated April 21. The letter explains that Alberta is no longer sending its students to the Saskatoon-based college, leaving another 20 seats that could be taken over by aspiring vets in B.C. "It is also of note that B.C. had more than 145 qualified applicants for its 20 B.C. seats. There was no shortage of qualified applicants and B.C. would have no problem filling 40 B.C. seats," the letter says. The society characterizes the situation as a "crisis," describing it as the worst in Canada and saying it has myriad implications for the province's animals. The letter says animal food security is at risk, rescue groups are limited to which animals they can save, owners have had to euthanize their horses for preventable illnesses and residents with companion animals face long waits for care. "Urban veterinarians are reporting two weeks or longer wait times to get appointments for veterinary care," it says. "Rural veterinarians report eight weeks or longer and, in some cases, the animals die before getting the help they need." Longair said in an interview Sunday the society sent the letter out of "frustration" after trying to meet with either of the two ministers appointed to the advanced education portfolio since 2019. A statement issued Sunday by a ministry spokesperson said the government supports 80 B.C. students every year spread over the four-year degree to study at the at the college. It said solutions cannot stop at expanding post-secondary training and explore other opportunities to attract more veterinarians. "B.C.'s recruitment efforts go beyond new grads, and we are fortunate to attract many foreign-trained veterinarians and vets from across Canada," the statement said. Funding the extra 20 seats at the veterinary college would cost about $8 million a year, he said. Students who are unfunded at the college pay $67,000 in tuition fees a year, while the 20 funded B.C. students pay $11,000 a year, the letter says. A labour survey funded by the B.C. and federal governments in 2019 estimated the industry will need 100 new veterinarians every year until 2024 to keep pace with demand. "It really is a struggle. Farm animals need help, food safety and quality of food is important and veterinarians are involved with that," said Longair, who works at a practice in Duncan on Vancouver Island. He said he's booking into October just to have an animal spayed or neutered. Longair said some veterinarians are leaving their jobs because of the added stress, noting the suicide rate within the profession is high. "It really is a disheartening situation were in," Longair said. He said other options, such as accepting veterinarians from other countries, are also being examined. But foreign trained graduates have to meet certain standards and must be processed through the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Longair said newcomers would then have to obtain their licence to practise from the province. "We're working with the College of Veterinarians of B.C. to see if there's any way we can speed up the process within the province once they've qualified," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2021. So I wanted to say thank you to our ancestors who put the work in, were denied, but never gave up. And I also stand here as Jamika and I break this glass ceiling with so much excitement for the future. Because I can picture Black trans women standing up here, and Asian sisters, and our Latina sisters, and Indigenous women. And I know that one day it wont be unusual or groundbreaking it will just be normal. The Iranian authorities knew immediately the cause of the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) passenger plane near Tehran in January 2020. This was reported by The New York Times, citing a leaked audio recording of the conversation of a man identified as Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. In particular, according to the recordings, Mr. Zarif said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) knew immediately that their missiles had hit the plane, but only admitted to it three days later. Soon after the plane was brought down, he attended a small meeting of the national security council with two top military commanders, and said the world was demanding an explanation. The commanders, he said, attacked him and told him to send out a tweet saying the news was not true. As reported, on March 17, 2021, Irans Civil Aviation Organization released the final report on the crash of the Ukrainian passenger plane in January 2020. The report blamed an error by an air defence operator for the accidental downing of the Ukrainian plane. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Iran's report an attempt to hide true causes of the plane crash. On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner. On February 20, 2021, Iran announced the completion of the investigation into this case. ish A man has been transferred to hospital after being rescued from the River Foyle earlier this afternoon. Emergency services were on the scene near Sainsbury's on the Strand Road. The PSNI confirmed that it received a report that a man had entered the water 'close to the Strand Road area'. The man was taken to hospital following the incident. Confirming those details, a Foyle Search and Rescue said that at 1:24pm today its Emergency Response Team were tasked by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to reports a person had entered the water. "A Jet ski was deployed, locating the person and securing them until FSR Boat and crew rescued the person. The person was assessed by FSR Emergency First Responders and transferred to a NIAS Ambulance and onward to Hospital. "Foyle Search & Rescue would like to acknowledge the member of the public who activated a lifebuoy. Also to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service who gave assistance the PSNI and Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. "Lastly appreciation to all FSR volunteers & staff involved in todays successful rescue operation." Banking giants are planning to cut down on business travel in the wake of the Covid pandemic, it emerged today. HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and ABN Amro have all announced plans to cut back on international flights in a bid to shrink their carbon footprint and cut costs. But the news comes as a fresh blow to the beleaguered travel industry, which has been left on its knees in the coronavirus crisis and relies on business travel to bolster profits. Carriers are forecast to lose around 34 billion in 2021, according to the International Air Transport Association. Businesses spend more than 215 billion each year on corporate travel, approximately 20 per cent of which is on airfare, PwC figures suggest. For airlines, corporate travelers represent 12 per cent of passengers and generate billions in revenue as much as 75 per cent of profit. Major events such as 9/11 and the Great Recession of 2008 affected business travel, but neither crisis had the sudden, sharp impact of COVID-19, according to a PwC study. Almost half of all firms have cancelled all business trips, and more than 90 per cent have suspended all non-essential travel Chief executive of HSBC Noel Quinn told the Financial Times that he aims to reduce his own travel by about half ABN Amro aims to halve its air travel compared with 2017 over the next five years, and will ban bankers from taking flights between its European offices, making them travel by train instead Chief executive of HSBC Noel Quinn told the Financial Times that he aims to reduce his own travel by about half, taking fewer flights to the bank's international outposts. According to the Financial Times, ABN Amro aims to halve its air travel compared with 2017 over the next five years, and will ban bankers from taking flights between its European offices, making them travel by train instead. And Andy Halford, chief financial officer of Standard Chartered, told the FT he expects travel to be around a third lower than before the pandemic. Major events such as 9/11 and the Great Recession of 2008 affected business travel, but neither crisis had the sudden, sharp impact of COVID-19. According to a PwC study, almost half of all firms have cancelled all business trips, and more than 90 per cent have suspended all non-essential travel. This comes after HSBC pledged to shrink its carbon footprint to net zero by 2050. The bank said it was 'committed to set out short and medium term transition targets, and to phase out the financing of coal-fired power and thermal coal mining by 2040 globally.' A spokesperson added: 'We have an ambition to be net zero by 2030 and to bring our financed emissions to net zero by 2050. We remain committed to supporting our customers in their transition to net zero.' Lloyd's Banking Group has also pledged to slash carbon emissions in a bid to meet the UK's 2050 net-zero target. As companies stop sending executives abroad for meetings and instead relied on Zoom, airlines, many of which have expanded and updated their business cabins in recent years, slashed their fares at the start of the year to tempt leisure travellers. Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to cut back on international flights in a bid to shrink their carbon footprint and cut costs Travel bosses last week slammed the Government's approach to resuming international flights, arguing it was 'too cautious' and warned many holiday firms were 'teetering on the brink'. Senior industry figures told MPs on the Transport Select Committee that the proposed traffic light system is 'too complex' while the overall strategy set out by ministers is 'very vague in many areas'. They also warned border control at airports is already 'unable to cope' with Covid checks despite passenger numbers being massively reduced due to the lockdown ban on non-essential international travel. They warned there will need to be a 'dramatic improvement in border performance if we are to increase passenger numbers' when flights do resume. AQTAU, Kazakhstan -- Two inmates in a prison in Kazakhstans western region of Manghystau have swallowed spoons to protest against prison conditions, prompting an inspection of the facility by representatives of the Public Monitoring Commission and the National Preventive Mechanism -- groups created to prevent torture and rights abuses in the Central Asian country's penitentiaries. The regional State Penitentiary Service said on April 25 that the incident had taken place four days earlier, adding that the two inmates were provided with medical assistance and their "current health state is satisfactory." "We visited the penitentiary at the invitation of the administration of the facility. We talked to the inmates in a group and individually. We listened to all sides. All the statements will be thoroughly investigated," the leader of the National Preventive Mechanism in the region, Aleksandr Mukha, said. No more details were provided. Inmates in Kazakhstan's penitentiaries often maim themselves to protest brutality from guards or abuses of their rights. They usually slit their wrists or cut their abdomens. Swallowing spoons or other objects is very rare. With reporting by Lada.kz Plenty of New Yorkers jeering Georgia and other states for making it harder for many of its citizens to cast ballots are blissfully tolerant of the obstacles to that core democratic freedom in our own proudly liberal state. One of those obstacles now has a chance to come down, and not a moment too soon. Thursday, the Legislature sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo a bill that would return the right to vote to parolees, bringing our state in line not only with California, but with Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana, North Dakota and other states that allow all citizens to vote with the sole exception of those locked up in prison. Its better for everyone when people whove done prison time and shown signs of remorse and rehabilitation get a fair chance to reenter society. Parolees of which there are about 35,000 statewide need not only supervision and structure to ensure they stay on the straight and narrow, but support finding often hard-to-access housing, jobs and job training, drug treatment, psychological help and the like. Like the rest of us, they have responsibilities. And they are owed the most fundamental rights. As Albany works to correct what has been a climate too hostile to former convicts, it should embrace the principles of the Less is More Act. New York sends parolees who commit technical infractions like missing appointments or using drugs back to prison at a rate higher than almost any other state. That winds up costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually, with no proven public safety benefit. Parole is not a free pass. When potentially dangerous people exit prison and are still serving out part of their sentence, their behavior must be monitored. They must be sent to rehab programs. When they reoffend, there must be real punishment. But extending a genuine second chance means slowing a revolving door between parole and prison that now spins far too quickly and, for starters, restoring the right to vote. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 09:18:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a memorial hall in a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, in Caiwan, a town in Quanzhou County in the city of Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Looking back on the past 100 years, the cause of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has always been advanced through overcoming various challenges. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Sunday visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, where he paid homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle. From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army, which was the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, carried out the legendary Long March, a daring military maneuver that laid the foundation for the eventual victory of the CPC. In the winter of 1934, the Red Army, through the hard-fought Battle of the Xiangjiang River, successfully crossed the river and broke through the Kuomintang troops' blockade, but tens of thousands of them sacrificed their lives. Battles such as this have tested the will, courage, and strength of the CPC and highlighted the CPC's resilience in overcoming major challenges. The revolutionary martyrs did not sacrifice in vain. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the CPC has led the Chinese people to create economic miracles and long-term social stability. The spirit of dedication carried over in the age of peace. Over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have all been lifted out of poverty, ensuring that absolute poverty no longer exists in the world's most populous country. Numerous examples like these have demonstrated that the 100 years of the CPC not only depict extraordinary success but also a history of dedication. These sacrifices will never be forgotten by the Party, the people, or the republic. With firm belief and consistent actions of putting the people at the very center, the CPC remains committed to serving the people and relying on them in all endeavors, and it engages in a tireless effort to make life better for them. That explains why the Chinese people's support rate for the CPC and the government has been above 90 percent for years. The CPC as China's governing party is a choice of history. Public support is the key to the CPC's strength and confidence in long-term governance. It is important to draw lessons from history and be clear-headed and determined to prepare for future tests in delivering performances that can withstand the test of time in the new era. To fully build a modern socialist country by the mid-century would be no walk in the park. It will take more than drum beating and gong clanging to get there, with the whole Party working even harder toward this goal. Reviewing the history, the spirit of tenacity and perseverance in overcoming challenges will be a valuable source of strength, empowering the Party to lead the Chinese people to make new remarkable achievements. Two people were arrested at the weekend following a large gathering which took place in the Green, Edgeworthstown on Friday. Gardai in Granard have confirmed that a "large gang" of youths gathered in the area. Sixteen of those have been identified, with three people travelling from Dublin. A fight broke out and gardai attempted to disperse the crowd, with a garda having to resort to using pepper spray. Two people - one of which is a juvenile and the other a male from Dublin - were arrested on Friday. The man from Dublin was charged under the Public Order Act. On Sunday afternoon, gardai once again had to "pile resources" to Edgeworthstown after the youths gathered again. The crowd was dispersed and no arrests were made. Ramadan is a month where members increase their chances of securing the divine affection needed to transform their lives. All manners of good behaviour are encouraged because it gives a sign that the basis for creating an equitable society is when everyone is fair and just. Its philosophy and ecumenical focus justify Islams status as one of the leading religions in the world. Its flexible nature, argues many prominent clerics, underpins the commonly held fact that the religion does not erect rigid boundaries among people on the basis of class, political affiliation or racial identity. To believers, everyone is considered equal before the Supreme Being, and for this reason, people easily identify with the religion because Allah accepts them without discrimination. O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).(49:13) Apart from the fact that Islam provides both philosophical and ideological solidarity with its believers, it also dutifully creates an environment of peace to facilitate their interpersonal bond. Islam conceives people, irrespective of their cultural background, as figures who come from the same source and are dispersed by the Creator for the very purpose of exploration and expansion. On the basis of this thinking, Muslims across the world nurse the ambition of expanding their social and political tentacles to achieve the common objective, which is the proliferation of the religions beliefs and practices. Of course, the believers in the religion understand that the internal theological arrangement is meant to erect a system where both the moral architecture of the worshipers and their ideological understanding would work in a complementary manner. And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.(49:9-10) Peace is considered the common denominator in Islam, and because of the understanding that peace is fundamental to expanding socio-religious networks across races and boundaries, the religious identity emphasises the need for submission to the oneness of Allah as a creed to enhance peace among all human creatures. Islam maintains that mans existence here on earth is tied to a divine agenda that the Almighty has programmed. This agenda ensures that humans understand and accept the supremacy of the divine, to the extent that they identify greatness with Allah, concerning creation and creatures. This orientation constitutes a broad philosophical spectrum that pushes man to deeper reflections about the world, the issues and ideas behind its creation, and the almost inelastic greatness of the brains behind the structuration of the world. For example, animals prove, to a considerable extent, that Gods capabilities are limitless. Beyond this, inanimate objects reveal the boundless significance of nature and its awe-inspiring brilliance. The examination of the almost unending instances of Gods greatness propels the thinking that submission to the will and persuasion of the power behind these creatures is naturally important. This is why Islam reiterates submission as one of the most cardinal factors that determine membership. O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.(2:208) Meanwhile, submission to Allah predisposes humans to the cultivation of ideas that naturally bring the best of human culture, according to Muslims. It is generally believed that humans are naturally deficient in constructing morally acceptable ideas by themselves. This weakness is considered the product of human fallibility, resulting from their association with satanic ideas. Simultaneously, there has been a mapped-out plan for humans by Allah, which he designated His prophet, Muhammad, to communicate with the human populace to unlock their potential that would enable them to remain on the same pedestal with Allahs ideals. However, humans seem to be inherently intransigent because their continued association has compromised moral credentials with the devils agenda. Therefore, to prevent the populace from being at variance with their Creator, Allah sent a Messenger and accorded Him the responsibility of spreading His words to humanity, so that His preaching about the oneness of God would receive the necessary attention and encourage humans to reorder their ways onto the right pathway. And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.(21:25) To ensure this, Allah created five important philosophical agendas to enhance peace and restore divine intention to the people He created. To believe in Allah and His Prophet, prayers, giving alms, fasting and then embarking on a pilgrimage constitute the foundation upon which the religion is built. The logicality of these fundamentals is underscored by the understanding that they are interconnected in philosophical ways when performed as instructed. One of these pillars is fasting, and it addresses the question of keeping an intimacy between humans and God. Fasting in Islam, except in situations where they decide to perform the act to seek Allahs mercy, is principally associated with Ramadan. The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey then an equal number of other days(2:185) The implication of this is that there is a special time when it would be a universal engagement to observe fasting as an act of worship. Therefore, fasting in Islam takes two solidly important imports, as far as religion is concerned. First, it is considered as a means of connecting deeply with Allah, so that the individuals engaged in the act would present their spiritual agitations before God for divine intervention. 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.(2:186) Two, the period is seen as a time of deep and sober reflections. While they are doing this, they are simultaneously worshiping God because the crux of being a Muslim is that worshipers reflect on the oneness of God and consider His creatures as important signals of His greatness. It thus confirms the assumption that Ramadan is used as an instrument of communication between God and humans. The believers have shown how the religion connects them deeply with others because they have a higher propensity for inter-religious bonding during the Ramadan period. To this end, the Ramadan period is considered a time for proper reflection, when individuals who identify with the religion extend their good hands of friendship to others and even show them unconditional love and affection. Although the line between the wealthy members of the political class and the underclass of society is spiritually blurred in the religion, Ramadan presents them additional opportunities to bond and support one another to develop a sense of belonging in people. When this is done, therefore, socialism and people-oriented ideas prevail and gain maximum patronage. Islam is unpretentious about its obsession with human development. This is observed from how it makes strenuous efforts to facilitate unity among people. It is to reinforce its position about this bonding that another pillar of the religion, alms-giving, takes surprising precedence during the period of Ramadan. Technically called zakat in Islam, the condition of giving alms to the people is geared towards the empowerment of the underclass so that they can equally have opportunities to develop themselves. Perhaps in ways that cannot be understood by non-practitioners of the religion, encouraging people to give alms comes from the awareness that access to wealth is unequal in the society. Because of the socioeconomic conditions that result from inequality, it gives an undue advantage to those who have access to more, at the expense of those who do not. The importance of Ramadan can only be understood when there is an understanding of the reasons behind it. As already indicated, it is meant to draw the people closer to their Creator, while simultaneously encouraging selfless services on their part to others. Indeed, such belief reiterates the place of sacrifice, selflessness, and service in the creation of a just society with strong institutions and structures that can bring about collective development. ADVERTISEMENT Muslims worldwide accept the period when they are offered unending opportunities to redeem themselves and create a pathway to the enhancement of piety. Muslims jettison all acts of violence and hostilities, especially during this period, because it has been established to them that Allah condemns all sinful practices. Ramadan is a month when the faithful increase their chances of securing the divine affection needed to transform their lives. All manners of good behaviour are encouraged because it gives a sign that the basis for creating an equitable society is when everyone is fair and just. Muslims are mandated to cultivate habits that would bring about instant turnaround where people would identify Allah as their Supreme maker and always desist from activities He condemns. To ask questions about Ramadan and other Islamic practices, do please join us for a conversation with the National Missioner of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Imam Abdulrahman Ahmad, on Sunday, May 2 5:00 PM GMT+1 (Nigeria Time) 11:00AM US CST (Austin Time) Register and Watch Join via Zoom Watch on YouTube Watch on Facebook Toyin Falola, a professor of History and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, is Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin. Patrick Kutumane, national brand development manager of Lucky Star, is a firm believer in the value of life-long learning. With a decade of experience as brand development manager, mostly acquired with his previous employer Distell, Kutumane first graduated in 2002 with an IMM Graduate Diploma in Marketing and later in 2005, obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing qualification. Patrick Kutumane Tell us about your career: what you studied and why, and how you ended up where you are today What's the best part of your job? Can you share with our readers your recent brand campaigns and the rationales behind them? Which consumer sector does your brand predominantly play in? What other sectors impact your industry? What do you think are the most successful channels for getting your brand message out there? Consumers are increasingly favouring green and sustainable brands; do you have any plans or purpose to increase sustainability in the next 12 months? If you were mentoring a future you, what career advice would you give to aspirant young marketing and branding professionals? What professional development, musical, cultural, literary, or leisure activities do you engage in? Graduating from Stellenbosch University business school with a post-graduate diploma in Project Management in 2015, Kutumane was voted "most inquisitive mind" within his group. He also recently completed a digital marketing course through the University of Cape Town's GetSmarter.What's more, Kutumane also has a certificate in South African wine through the Cape Wine Academy and Advanced SA Brandy Training.Here, Kutumane unpacks Lucky Star's marketing strategies and brand campaigns, including the rationales behind them, as well as brand sustainability initiatives and more.I completed my marketing degree at the Institute of Marketing Management and graduated with Honours. Since the marketing landscape is ever-changing, I completed a Digital Marketing certificate and a postgraduate diploma in project management to remain relevant in brand marketing.I started my career in sales and quickly moved into brand management, including brand activations. The magic of art and science is what attracted me to marketing. I have worked with different alcohol brands, ranging from spirits, wines, and cider categories.The move to join Lucky Star was a great one because it allowed me to challenge myself and put my skills and brand marketing knowledge to practice.The best part of my job is collaboration - I am in constant contact with all areas of the business. In my role, I work with sales, finance and legal, to name a few. Through collaboration, I can gain valuable experience and insights to build our marketing and business strategies further.I also love being innovative and developing marketing solutions that deliver results and build relationships within a constantly changing consumer base.Purpose-led campaigns genuinely inspire me. One example of this is Lucky Chow Enterprise Development Program which targets youth and trains them on business skills and culinary skills. These campaigns add value to South Africans' lives, and I consider them valuable in a country where unemployment is high, especially within the youth segment. You can read more on Lucky Chow EDP Lucky Star - Get in the Mix PromoLast year was a challenging period to conduct promotions due to the Covid-19 lockdown.Lucky Star teamed up with YFM encouraged South Africans to "Rise Up" as they come out of the high lockdown levels. We invited our local musical talent to come up with an original song that can get South Africans to dance and stand a chance to win a prize. The campaign ran for two months with promo mechanics for different online platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Tik Tok).The campaign was well-received, with many entries covering popular South African genres like kwaito, hip hop, amapiano, gqom and soulful house. The winning track was awarded to "Siyacela Nkosi" by Dlala Mlungu and Break Law featuring Terrence McKay.Lucky Star is an iconic South African brand that has been around for many years. Our consumer base is quite broad, but the youth segment aged 16-30yrs is one of our key markets.The brand provides nutritious meals from lunch boxes for the young ones and convenience meals for young moms to students and elders who always remind us of the real "The Taste of Home meals."Lucky Star plays in the protein environment, and our challenges come from other protein products perceived to offer value, such as soya, chicken, canned meat and processed meat.Lucky Star has a broad consumer base, and as such, we believe in an integrated through the line approach for impactful campaign messaging. The challenge lies in the percentage allocated per media platform due to digital media growth and new trends in content creators, i.e., influencers and bloggers, especially when targeting a young consumer base.At Lucky Star, we are part of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance , and we are governed by strict fishing quotas. We create a sustainable fishing cycle by sourcing our products from other areas where the fish populations are not at risk to ensure that the future is filled with tasty Lucky Star meals.The marketing landscape is ever-changing. Therefore, never consider that you have done enough for the brand. Try and discover tomorrow's trends and jump on it.Embrace and enjoy working with new technology to ensure that the brand remains recognisable and exciting to potential clients. Marketers are storytellers, continue to create remarkable customer experiences.Marketing and advertising are fast-paced careers, and whenever I get an opportunity to rest, I do that by camping with my family and close friends. Just days after the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine, photographer and rights activist Viktoria Ivleva approached an elderly man sitting on a street bench in Kyiv. "Grandpa, why are you sitting here in the sun? Go home," she recalls warning the man. "And he answered me: 'My little one, we beat the Nazis. You don't think we can beat radiation?'" Four years later, Ivleva became the first journalist known to have entered the fourth block of the reactor, where a deadly explosion and fire on April 26, 1986, triggered the world's worst civilian nuclear accident and sent a radioactive cloud drifting across the Soviet Union and Europe. Ivleva, 60, reported from conflict zones in the 1980s and '90s, including the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory. More recently, she traveled across Ukraine in 2014 to document how ordinary people were affected by the escalating conflict between Kyiv and Moscow. In an interview with RFE/RL's Belarus Service, Ivleva recalls below how she managed to sneak into the destroyed reactor with the help of some scientists in 1990 and discusses the eerie ambience there. Italian police officers have arrested 30 Nigerians said to be connected with the Nigerian Mafia organisation Black Axe. The arrests were car... Italian police officers have arrested 30 Nigerians said to be connected with the Nigerian Mafia organisation Black Axe. The arrests were carried out in raids in 14 provinces. Police said 25 searches were executed. Among those arrested was the head of the gang, not yet identified. We have apprehended the leader of a major organisation, said the police. The Black Axe operation stems from a probe in LAquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region. Those arrested have been charged with mafia association, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, prostitution, romantic fraud, Internet fraud and money laundering by buying and selling Bitcoins. They face almost 100 charges, police said, according to a report by ANSA. It was the second raid against the Nigerians in few months. Italian Mafia investigators have recently conducted several large-scale operations with dozens of detentions. On Monday, they executed 99 arrest warrants in the southern city of Bari as part of an anti-Mafia operation, news agency ANSA reported. The suspects were leaders and associates of the Strisciuglio Mafia clan, according to the police. They face charges including extortion, drug trafficking and Mafia association, among others, ANSA reported. Police had already staged raids targeting the same clan on similar accusations in March. The majority of those arrested were to be placed in custody. Police were set to release further details later today. In January, a massive trial of more than 300 suspected members of the Nrdrangheta Mafia organisation began in the city of Lamezia Terme. 31-Year-Old Elephant Recognizes Vet Who Rescued Him From Close Death 12 Years Ago In a heartwarming moment that was caught on camera, a 31-year-old elephant named Plai Thang reached out with his trunk to touch the hand of a veterinarian who treated him 12 years ago. In March 2021, Dr. Pattarapol Manee was wandering through the wilds in Thailand when he heard an elephants call. I remember the sound very clearly, Pattarapol told The Daily Mail. Plai Thangs noise is very unique. When the amazed doctor beckoned, the elephant approached with his trunk greeting him. It is believed that the unexpected reunion is the first time in more than a decade that the elephant has made contact with a human. Pattarapol remains certain that the elephant recognized him. This wild elephant is very smart, Pattarapol wrote on a Facebook post. We remember each other. The pair first met in 2009, when Plai Thang was found close to death, through woodland in Rayong, eastern Thailand. The jumbo was suffering from severe trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, which is a parasitic condition. The elephant was plagued with a host of health issues back then. He suffered from fever, anemia, inflamed eyes, swelling on his face, stomach, and neck, along with having stiff legs and back. Plai Thang was very aggressive when we first met. His body was weak and he could not fight other elephants. It took a long time for him to heal, but we learned that he was very smart and took care of himself, said the vet. Plai Thang was then transported to the Forest Industry Organisations territory in Lampang province so that he could be treated by the staff from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. After several months of being under their care, Plai Thang was released back to the wild. 12 years later, Pattarapol is grateful for the chance to be reunited with this elephant. He said its moments like these that are the most rewarding aspects of his job. It was a very special moment, he said. I hope it encourages everybody to appreciate the work that people do with elephants. 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 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. New York state will receive more than $58 million in funds to support homeless students under the American Rescue Plan, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced last week. The department announced plans to distribute $800 million to states to help support the needs of students experiencing homelessness under the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief - Homeless Children and Youth fund. States will begin receiving $200 million in funding starting Monday, the department said in a press release. The remaining funds will be allocated to states as soon as June. In addition to the announcement, USDE issued a letter to chief state school officers underscoring the need to use this funding to identify homeless children and youth, provide wraparound services in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and provide assistance to enable homeless children and youth to attend school and participate fully in school activities, including in-person instruction this spring and upcoming summer learning and enrichment programs. The pandemic made the inequities in our education system even worse, especially for students experiencing homelessness, said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, in the press release. As districts and schools return to in-person learning, we must act with urgency to provide all students, including students experiencing homelessness, equitable access to high-quality learning environments and the resources to help meet their basic needs which schools often provide. According to the USDE, New York State will receive a total of $58,881,309 to support homeless students. Starting Monday, New York will receive $14,720,327 of its funding, with the remaining funds allocated by June. The announcement comes as the Biden administration works to safely reopen the majority of K-8 schools in his first 100 days under the American Rescue Plan, which works to provide funding needed to get children back in school and parents back to work. President Joe Biden will cross the 100-day mark of his presidency on Friday. HOMELESS STUDENTS IN NEW YORK The New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students, a project of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), released data in December of students who experienced homelessness in New York state and New York City during the 2019-2020 school year. The data was compiled from the New York State Education Departments Student Information Repository System (SIRS). In New York State overall, 143,533 students identified as homeless during that school year. In New York City school districts and charter schools, 111,606 students identified as homeless, a 2.2% decrease from 114,085 in the 2018-2019 school year. More than 32,700 students were living in New York City shelters, and about 73,000 were living doubled-up in temporary housing situations with relatives, friends or others. The report identified nearly 2,500 Staten Island students in elementary, middle and high schools who are, or have been, homeless. According to the report, Staten Island public and charter schools enrolled 2,498 homeless students during the 2019-2020 school year. Thats approximately one out of every 27 students in Staten Island schools who is homeless, or about one student in each Staten Island classroom. Staten Island homeless students represent 2.25% of the total number of homeless students in schools across the five boroughs. Of the homeless students on Staten Island, nine live in a hotel or motel, 551 are in New York City shelters, 1,753 are doubled up in temporary housing situations with relatives, friends or others, and 185 are unsheltered (in cars, parks, campgrounds, temporary trailers, or abandoned buildings). The number of Staten Island homeless students decreased from 2,558 students in the 2018-2019 school year. School Zone: A new newsletter with the updates you need as our schools try to get back to normal. Enter your email address here and hit "subscribe" to receive this weekly newsletter: FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 12:28:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANNING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the secret to the success of the Chinese revolution lies in ideals and convictions. Xi made the remarks on Sunday when he visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s in the city of Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He presented a flower basket in homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle and visited a memorial hall in the park to pay his respects to revolutionary martyrs. Xi said that Xiangjiang battle is a heroic battle of the Long March and an important historical event that determined the "life-or-death" of the Chinese revolution. Red Army soldiers stayed fearless in the face of death, with strong ideals and convictions, he said. The secret to the success of the Chinese revolution is that "the revolutionary ideals soar above the clouds," and the soldiers stayed firm in the most difficult times, so as to continuously achieve miraculous victories, Xi said. "We should have such beliefs in achieving the second centenary goal and realizing national rejuvenation," Xi said. "In the face of even greater difficulty, think about the Long March and the Xiangjiang battle." Enditem Member of Parliament(MP) for Mpraeso Constituency in the Eastern Region, Hon Davis Opoku has accused some Chinese nationals of deliberately destroying water bodies and lands with illegal mining activities. The motive of these unscrupulous Chinese, he explained, is to take over the cocoa industry in Europe which has been the backbone of Ghana's economy by engaging in illegal mining. Speaking on Okay FM's Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Hon Davis Opoku alluded to the fact that the Chinese are destroying the country's water bodies with chemicals so that the polluted water will destroy the cocoa beans and will not get the world market values, paving way for the Chinese who are also now growing cocoa in China. " . . the European Union has already cautioned against the undervalue cocoa beans, hence the Chinese people gradually pushing the country's major source of economic growth to the ditch and take over the market with their cocoa which they took from Ghana . . ." ". . it is a deliberate effort of the Chinese people to destroy our lands with illegal mining and then sell their cocoa in Europe and so I am happy that the President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has decided to fight illegal mining," he noted. He bemoaned that Praso No.1, a community in his constituency is confronted with a similar challenge as a mining company intends to operate in alluvial mining in the Praso River which supplies water to the community that produces a large scale of cocoa in the constituency. He stressed that the alluvial mining if permitted to go on will poison the only source of water for the people and their farming activities; thus, there is already a water challenge which is why the government is undertaking water projects at Kwahu, Konongo, and Kumawu. Professing solution to the illegal mining activities by the Chinese people, the Mpraeso lawmaker called on President Akufo-Addo to institute an inter-ministerial agency to solely handle the licensing and the permission of gold mining so as to avoid systemic problem existing among the EPA, Minerals Commission, and the Forestry Commission in terms of the license and permit. "I think it is also a systemic problem because as part of our activities in giving license to people to engage in mining, the government has to put together an inter-ministerial agency to regulate or provide the license and the permit so that we avoid the challenge of calling EPA, Minerals Commission and Forestry Commission to find out how some people got the license and the permit to operate," he indicated. " . . one of the best solutions to the challenge is to have one inter-ministerial agency in charge of gold, giving license, so that if something goes wrong we can hold that agency responsible," he stressed. Watch Video Below Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2020, while facing the raging pandemic, China took the lead in containing the coronavirus and became the only country in the world to achieve positive economic growth. At the same time, the Russian young man Malinin Stepan studied in the Shaanxi Province of China. In April 2021, in the short video "Viewing China From Afar: An Encounter From a Thousand Years: Warriors of Qin and Han Dynasties" produced by People's Daily Online West USA Inc., Stepan shows us the major symbols of two important dynasties in Chinese historyTerracotta Warriors of the Qin and Han dynasties, and experiences ancient China from more than 2,000 years ago through the micro-expressions of these warriors. People's Daily Online West USA Inc. Encountering an army from over 2,200 years ago? Meeting a song and dance group from over 2,000 years ago? Stepan was curious about the different stories hidden in Xi'an, one of the most important ancient capitals in China. Under the direction of a local guide, Stepan went to Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Museum, where a huge underground army unfolds. Chariots and infantry were all lined up. None of the life-sized soldiers looked the same. The weapons they held ranged from crossbows to spears, and they rode chariots or horses. Their clothes and decorations showed their different ranks and identities. Stepan visited the Pit 1 and it contains the main array of chariots and infantry with about 6,000 life-sized terracotta figures. The museum exhibits a total of three pits with over 8,000 pieces of terracotta warriors. Differing from the grim underground army of the Qin terracotta warriors was the Han terracotta army in the Yangling Maudoleum of Han Dynasty, the tomb of an Emperor of the Han Dynasty. Stepan discovered that the Han warriors were full of joy, singing and dancing and looked happy. According to the guide, this is another mysterious underground kingdom where Liu Qi, the Emperor Jing of Han is buried. He created the first prosperous period in Chinese history, the "Rule of Wen and Jing." Society was peaceful and life was prosperous at the time. The Han terracotta army represented the appearance of social ecology during the Han Dynasty time period. As Stepan said at the end of the story, the reason why cultural relics are precious is because they all have their own stories and have witnessed the brilliance of different eras. He hopes to continue to explore and find the hidden surprises and characteristics of ancient China in the Shaanxi Province, an ancient land where China had many major dynasties. CONTACT: Wei Deng Phone: 650.680.6790 Email: [email protected] Related Images image1.png Related Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hq4R8NRXS4 SOURCE People's Daily Online West USA Inc. Gibraltars First Transplant Performed at St Bernards Hospital Gibraltars first human corneal transplant was performed on the 19th March 2021. GHA Consultant Ophthalmologist, Dr Magdalena Popiela, carried out the surgery together with the GHA ophthalmic nursing team at St Bernards Hospital. The GHAs Ophthalmic Department, under the lead of Dr Popiela, worked closely with Venice Eye Bank in Italy to source the corneal donor tissue. Departmental Ophthalmic Charge Nurse, Robert Perez, was also instrumental in ensuring the delivery of the corneal donor tissue from Venice to Gibraltar in 24 hours, with the help of HM Customs and DHL Gibraltar, for the surgery to take place as planned. Corneal transplants are required when corneal disease causes reduction in vision. In the past, such transplants have been undertaken in the UK. Depending on the type of transplant, visual recovery can take up to anything between 6 weeks to 2 years. Patients would have had to remain in the UK for a few weeks immediately after surgery and attend fairly frequent follow-ups thereafter. Since the visual recovery takes some time on multiple occasions, patients would have needed to travel with blurry vision until full recovery is complete. Consultant Ophthalmologist, Dr Magdalena Popiela, said: This milestone achievement for the GHAs ophthalmic department makes patients treatment more accessible with no need to travel to the UK, which is of particular benefit given the pandemic situation. Gibraltars first corneal graft patient is recovering well from the surgery under close supervision of the eye department at St Bernards Hospital. Minister for Health, Samantha Sacramento MP, said: I am hugely proud of the GHA having achieved this tremendous progress. It seems incredible that we are now able to offer this surgery at home by repatriating this service, our patients can feel safe and comfortable and the burden of travel is no longer necessary. I would like to thank everyone involved in making this a reality. This achievement is a first for the GHA and is one that Gibraltar should be immensely proud of. Close Chloe Zhao first woman of colour to win Best Director Road movie Nomadland won the top prize at the 93rd Academy Awards, which fulfilled many expectations but threw in a couple of surprise wins in an unusual ceremony. The films director Chloe Zhao also made history, becoming the first woman of colour to win the award for directing, and the second woman in history and the film scooped the Best Actress prize for its star Frances McDormand. Sir Anthony Hopkins won the Best Actor Oscar his first since The Silence of the Lambs in 1992 for his performance in The Father, about a man slipping into dementia, defeating presumptive favourite Chadwick Boseman, who died last year aged 43 following a private four-year battle with colon cancer. Daniel Kaluuya, who was born in London to Ugandan parents, is the first black British winner of the best Supporting Actor prize for his turn as community organiser and member of the Black Panther Party Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. There were a number of surprise wins. David Finchers Mank led the pack with 10 nominations, but ultimately won two. Due to coronavirus, the Oscars moved out of their usual venue, the Dolby Theatre, and were based out of Los Angeless Union Station instead. The ceremonys format was overhauled too, with attendees observing social distancing and some joining via video link from other parts of the world. Nomadland had been a favourite to win Best Picture; it fulfilled that expectation, beating The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Minari actor Youn Yuh-jung also won over the crowd in her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress, which was presented to her by Brad Pitt. Mr Brad Pitt, finally, nice to meet you! she told him after making her way onto the stage. She then proceeded to acknowledge the ways in which her name has been mispronounced throughout the awards season, telling the crowd: Tonight, you are all forgiven. With her win, Youn became the first Korean actor to take home an Academy Award. Follow our liveblog for highlights from the ceremony and the buzz-worthy aftermath. AMP has redefined bad optics. It may need to pay up to $70 million to executive rainmaker Boe Pahari - the man who had his bonus docked by about $2 million after the company settled a sexual harassment claim against him. AMP, which has made an art form of painting itself into a corner, owes Pahari this unseemly large compensation as his share of the profits generated in the companys previously booming funds management division AMP Capital. Pahari has resigned and whether the company has managed to negotiate a somewhat reduced exit payment hasnt been disclosed. It is understood that as at August last year he was entitled to $70 million in performance-based compensation. Boe Pahari will leave AMP as it spins off AMP Capital. Credit: AMP will ultimately need to divulge his final compensation in its accounts. WILKES-BARRE Theres a new sign up amongst the off-kilter knickknacks on display at Circles on the Square. Instead of delivering a quirky punchline about booze or sex, however, the type-written note offers customers an apology for longer-than-usual waits at the popular downtown lunch spot. We are short staffed, reads the sign. Please be patient with the staff that did not show up. No one wants to work anymore. Owner Brenda Sokolowski said shes been with the company for 14 years and now, for the first time, is having trouble filling open positions. These days shes been having so much trouble getting help that she retained outside assistance to solicit job applicants, she said. Even so, out of four applications she received from the company, only one person bothered to show up for an interview, she said. I think people are making more money staying home, Sokolowski said. Theyre getting their unemployment. Theyre getting the extra money, and the stimulus. If they can stay home, why go out to work? Restaurant operators across Luzerne County say they face increasing trouble hiring help during the pandemic, even as vaccines have become more readily available and despite the fact that the countys unemployment rate continues to hover near 10%. Industry experts say several factors are at play, including the extra money the $300 per week the federal government began providing on top of regular unemployment benefits starting in January. Under the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020, which is intended to provide economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government will continue providing the benefit in Pennsylvania through the week ending on Sept. 4. Local restaurateur Rob Friedman owner of upscale restaurants including the Beaumont Inn in Dallas, Fire & Ice Restaurant in Kingston Twp. and Gricos Restaurant in Exeter said staffing shortages have also affected higher-end eateries and that it has become more difficult to find the right person for the job. He said his businesses offer competitive pay and benefits for salaried positions like chefs, but that younger people who work as servers and dishwashers can now most likely make as much money at home as they can on the job. When theyre paying a lot of supplemental money to people who are collecting unemployment, its sometimes a disincentive for people to get back to work, Friedman said. Certainly, different people deserve this extra money, but the other side of the coin is there are a lot of people that, in calculating their income, it turns out theyre making just as much at home as they are working. So thats probably the biggest issue. John Longstreet, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, agreed that the unemployment assistance is one of the big factors driving a nationwide dining industry staffing shortage. But there are also other forces at play, he said. For one, Gov. Tom Wolf inappropriately shut down the dining industry several times during the pandemic, driving an exodus of workers who wanted more steady employment, he said. A lot of people have shifted to industries that are not as easily or readily shut down by the government as the restaurant industry was, Longstreet said. People started to lose confidence that this was a stable industry because of the government intervention. Another factor is the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, he said. Now that all adults in Pennsylvania are eligible to receive a vaccine, Longstreet said he believes workers who are immunized will feel more comfortable returning to work in public. Finally, Longstreet noted that many children continue to be educated remotely either online or as part of a hybrid plan. Consequently, its difficult for working moms and dads to be able to go back to work, because they cant find appropriate day care, he said. The Commonwealth Foundation, a right-leaning think tank, recently described the states unemployment rate of 7.3% as unacceptably high and stagnant, noting that there has also been a sharp decrease in the labor force because nearly 200,000 Pennsylvanians are no longer seeking employment. Despite overall economic sentiment looking up and vaccination rates finally rising, Pennsylvania has been put in a very difficult position coming out of 2020, foundation Director of Policy Elizabeth Stelle said in a statement. Because the vast majority of state economic policy has been coming solely out of the governors office, we experienced a long and strict shutdown combined with a myopic focus on government grants to suffering businesses. A spokesperson for the governor did not return a message seeking comment. Teri Ooms, executive director of the Institute of Public Policy and Economic Development at Wilkes University, said employers are going to have to rethink their recruitment, retention, and organization cultures going forward. Already, the workforce shortage has resulted in upward pressure on wages and benefits, as well as the addition of signing bonuses, she said. We are in the early phases of a major demographic shift, Ooms said. It is a national phenomenon where over the next two decades more workers will retire than workers in the younger demographics coming through the pipeline. Some industries experienced the shortage before COVID, COVID made it worse, and it will continue to be an issue. APATZINGAN, Mexico The town of Aguililla, situated deep in one the Mexicos most lawless regions, made news this month when eight headless bodies were dumped there. Three weeks later, it is at war. Hardly anybody enters or leaves at least not without the permission of rival gangs that have blocked the roads. In telephone interviews and in social media postings, trapped residents described a community living in terror of armed thugs who stroll the streets and shoot at one another. Some shops remain open, residents said, but the food supply is dwindling and there is no access to hospitals. If the groups want to keep fighting among themselves, thats their problem, said Father Gilberto Vergara, the parish priest. But this situation is suffocating us. The priest has publicly called on the gangs to let townsfolk travel to the nearest city Apatzingan, a two-hour drive northeast for food, medical care and gasoline, and to be able to sell their produce and cattle. At the root of the mayhem is a struggle for control of a large segment of the narcotics trade in strife-ridden Michoacan state, and a government that has been powerless to prevent cartels from taking over large swaths of the nation. In recent years, Aguililla, population 15,000, branched out from tomato farming, cattle ranching and marijuana cultivation to become a strategic hub for the manufacture of methamphetamine bound for the booming U.S. market. ENRIQUE CASTRO/AFP via Getty Images Authorities say that dozens of illicit production facilities scattered in the nearby countryside process precursor chemical smuggled from Asia into the Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas, 175 miles to the southwest. Hundreds, if not thousands, of residents have fled the violence, some to the United States but many more to other parts of Mexico. I worked in Aguililla all my life. I have plots of tomatoes, corn, chile. But we had to leave it all behind out of fear, said Victor Arnoldo Aguaje, 68, who left last June with 14 relatives for Uruapan, the second-largest city in Michoacan. In Aguililla, one lives with a constant fear that you may be killed or kidnapped at any moment, he said. The conflict demonstrates how gangs have infiltrated regional governance in much of Mexico. Authorities blame two cartels for the turmoil. One, known as United Cartels, is a confederation of various mobs, including the Michoacan Family, the Knights Templars and Los Viagras, that U.S. prosecutors say is led by Adalberto Fructoso Comparan Rodriguez, 57, a former mayor of Aguililla. He was arrested in Guatemala last month at U.S. behest for his alleged part in a scheme to smuggle more than 1,100 pounds of Mexican methamphetamine into Florida hidden inside concrete tiles and dissolved in five-gallon buckets of house paint. The competing group is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexicos largest syndicates, known for its expansionist bent and lurid social media displays of armored vehicles and military-grade weaponry. Its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes who is called El Mencho and once peddled heroin in bars in San Francisco is wanted in both Mexico and the United States. He is reportedly a native of Aguililla. El Mencho wants to control the area where he grew up, said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Its part of his big plan to move into strategic areas where he can control various criminal activities. Many in Aguililla are calling on the Mexican government to intervene. Of course we want the military to come and fight the criminals, Maribel Lopez, 53, a nurse, said by telephone. Is it too much to ask that they at least open up the roads to Apatzingan? Her diabetic aunt died a few weeks ago because the roadblocks prevented relatives from getting her to the hospital, Lopez said. ENRIQUE CASTRO/TNS There is a widespread belief in Aguililla that security services and the military collaborate with the cartels. Footage on social media showed townsfolk jeering Mexican national guard units as they retreated from the town. A Mexican military base of 200 soldiers is situated in Aguililla, its troops re-supplied by helicopter, but forces have avoided direct conflict with the warring gangsters. A Pentagon official recently estimated that cartels control about one-third of Mexican territory. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador disputed that figure at a recent news conference but declined to provide his own. For more than a decade, Mexico waged a war on drugs that led to tens of thousands of deaths but did little to weaken organized crime an approach that Lopez Obrador abandoned in favor of avoiding direct conflict while providing economic opportunities for poor youth to keep them out of gangs But the strife in Aguililla is severely testing his strategy in the run-up the national midterm elections in June. The approach of the current administration to insecurity, to the whole armed conflict, has been silence, said Falko Ernst, a senior analyst in Mexico with the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit that researches conflict. Their political calculation is that its better not to talk about it. Lopez Obrador has defended his decision to hold back from a military assault on Aguililla. If we take towns and use force, invade with police, with soldiers, well that will lead to nothing good, Lopez Obrador told reporters this month. We have to call to everyone for serenity, for tranquility, to look for peace. No to violence. In 2019, 14 state police officers were killed in an apparent cartel ambush in Aguililla. This past week state police dispatched to Aguililla were attacked by at least one cartel drone armed with explosives. Authorities said two officers suffered minor injuries. The president backed dialogue in hopes of resolving the situation there. But Silvano Aureoles, the governor of Michoacan, said that a solution was elusive without the deployment of federal forces. One can dialogue with communities in conflict, with social groups, but to dialogue with criminals is another matter," Aureoles told Mexicos Milenio news outlet. Not that his own efforts have fared any better. The governor flew into Aguililla in a military helicopter earlier this month in a much-hyped display to show that security had improved. Accompanied by heavily armed body-guards, he was met by several protesters in the towns central square who hoisted handwritten signs demanding that authorities restore the peace and open the roads. I want to live free in my pueblo, read one placard. The people dont believe in the government we have no security or tranquility, said Fernando Padilla, 43, a teacher in Aguililla, who brought his 10-year-old son to the protest. The government comes here to make a show, says the situation is tranquil, but its not true. We are at the mercy of the criminals, we are trapped here. This is not a life. Video footage from the scene showed the governor approaching the protesters and shoving Padilla as security guards grabbed two of the protesters signs. After the shove went viral on social media, the governor asserted on Facebook that he had been confronted by hostile cartel lookouts. Padilla, who has been a teacher for 20 years in Aguililla, denied any links to drug traffickers. The governors characterization of the protesters as mob lookouts, he said, had put their lives in further danger. He said his salary was suspended after the incident a move he viewed as retaliation for his protest but was later restored when he complained to local press. Ominously, Padilla said, armed men have been passing by his house. One doesnt know anymore if this is normal or whether these delinquents are coming for me, he said. The people of Aguililla are stuck in a living hell, trapped and governed by criminality. (Los Angeles Times special correspondents Sanchez and Liliana Nieto del Rio contributed from Apatzingan, Mexico.) Laboratory equipment at the NUST MISIS Department of Theoretical Physics and Quantum Technologies Credit: Sergey Gnuskov/NUST MISIS A NUST MISIS professor was part of an international research team that has found evidence for the existence of the Zeeman spin-orbit coupling in antiferromagnetic conductors. This work may pave the way for the next generation of electronics. The study was published in npj Quantum Materials. The electron possesses two fundamental properties: charge and spin. Conventional electronic devices use only the charge of the electron for information processing. In recent years, an enormous research effort has been focused on building fundamentally new electronic devices (often called 'spintronic devices') that would specifically exploit spin properties in addition to charge degrees of freedom. Transfer from conventional electronics to spintronics technology opens the possibilities to construct devices with high storage density and fast operation. The two-component nature of spin-based systems makes them potentially applicable for quantum computing. Current effort in designing spintronic devices is focusing on understanding and making use of spin-orbit coupling, an interaction between the orbital angular momentum and the spin angular momentum of an individual particle, such as an electron. However, spin-orbit coupling occurring in many compounds is often weak or its emergence requires the use of heavy components. One way to overcome spin-orbit coupling related challenges could be the use of antiferromagnetics. A spin-orbit coupling of an unusual nature, termed Zeeman spin-orbit coupling is expected to manifest itself in a wide range of ferromagnetic conductors. Being proportional to the applied magnetic field, the coupling is tunable. Yet, experimental proof of this phenomenon has been lacking. The collaboration of a NUST MISIS physicist with colleagues from Germany, France and Japan produced, for the first time, experimental evidence of Zeeman spin-orbit coupling in two very different layered conductors: an organic antiferromagnetic superconductor, and a prominent electron-doped superconductor that belongs to the family of high-temperature cuprate superconducting materials. Obtained on two very different materials, the results of this work demonstrate the generic nature of the Zeeman spinorbit coupling. In addition to its fundamental importance, the Zeeman spin-orbit coupling opens new possibilities for spin manipulation, much sought after in the current effort to harness electron spin for future spintronic applications. "The Zeeman spin-orbit coupling can be significantly stronger than other known kinds of spin-orbit coupling, thus providing new avenues for the development of fundamentally new electronic devices", noted Pavel Grigoriev, Professor at the NUST MISIS Department of Theoretical Physics and Quantum Technologies, senior researcher at Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics. Explore further Spinning quantum dots More information: R. Ramazashvili et al, Experimental evidence for Zeeman spinorbit coupling in layered antiferromagnetic conductors, npj Quantum Materials (2021). R. Ramazashvili et al, Experimental evidence for Zeeman spinorbit coupling in layered antiferromagnetic conductors,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41535-021-00309-6 Provided by National University of Science and Technology MISIS Taking advantage of the anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has called on international organizations to "mobilize their efforts" to shut down the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) of Armenia. In a respective statement, the Azerbaijani MFA said that "the risks associated with the Metsamor (NPP) in Armenia need to be thoroughly addressed by the international community." Meanwhile, during the recent war unleashed by Turkey and Azerbaijan against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia, Azerbaijan had used widely banned weapons, including phosphorous weapons, causing enormous damage to Artsakh's environment. For the Azerbaijani MFA, it seems phosphorus weapons are better than a peaceful atom. It should also be noted that the "concerns" of the Azerbaijani side about the Metsamor NPP are quite exaggerated, this has been repeatedly stated by international experts, and these concerns are political. We are on the front lines, Mark Middleton said in a video posted to Facebook A North Texas couple was arrested after bragging online about their involvement in the deadly Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Hill insurrection. Mark and Jalise Middleton were arrested at their home in Forestburg, outside of Dallas, on Wednesday after the FBI identified the couple through police body camera footage, according to the Daily Mail. People ride scooters past an inner perimeter of security fencing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sunday, March 21, 2021, after portions of an outer perimeter of fencing were removed overnight to allow public access. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Mark, 51, is employed at Nortex Communications, an internet services company, and Jalise, 50, is an account executive for Angels Care Home Health, according to their LinkedIn profiles. In a criminal complaint, the Federal Bureau of Investigations said the Middletons were captured on video assaulting two Metropolitan Police Department officers guarding the Capitol, according to Insider. Read More: Linkedin co-founder says companies should stop supporting politicians who aim to suppress voting rights According to the document, as police directed Mark Middleton and other protestors to get back, Middleton could be heard yelling back f you! as he pushed against the barricade. The couple continued to strike officers and jab them with flagpoles until one officer forced them to retreat by using a chemical spray. In now deleted Facebook posts, which had been reviewed by the FBI after receiving a tip, the Middletons were bragging about their involvement in the insurrection. We are on the front lines. We helped push down the barriers. Jalise and I got pepper sprayed, clubbed, and tear gassed. We had to retreat, but more patriots pushed forward, and theyre taking back our house, Mark Middleton said in a video on his personal profile. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Do not believe the news media, were not rioters or mobs. Weve been the ones supporting the police, backing the police, but this is how were being treated? he said in a separate comment. Jalise made incriminating posts to her Facebook page, commenting, We fought the cops to get in the Capital and got pepper-sprayed and beat but by gosh the patriots got in! When someone asked her why she assaulting the officers, she replied, To get in the Capital to send them bastards a clear message that this wont be tolerated. Story continues She deleted the status days later. Read More: 68-year-old woman sues NC police for violent traffic stop recorded on body camera Facebook announced that theyre persevering account data to assist in Capitol Hill riot investigations after receiving requests from law enforcement. Forbes reported that Facebook has been in contact with both federal and local agencies. An analysis from the Program on Extremism at George Washington University showed that 85 percent of rioters were charged due to evidence from their personal social media accounts. Approximately 439 people to date have been arrested in connection to the riot. 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 Texas couple arrested and charged with assaulting Capitol cops appeared first on TheGrio. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI A motorcyclist and his passenger suffered life-threatening injuries Sunday, April 25, in a crash on U.S. 31 in Ferrysburg. The driver, a 31-year-old Whitehall man, was in critical condition at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. His passenger, a 29-year-old Muskegon woman, was taken to Mercy Health Mercy Hospital in Muskegon. Her condition was not available. The crash happened around 6:45 p.m. on southbound U.S. 31 in a construction zone near M-104, Ottawa County sheriffs deputies said. Police said that the Whitehall man was riding a Harley-Davidson north on U.S. 31 when he lost control of the motorcycle. It drifted into the southbound lanes and crashed then slid across the road into a southbound Mercury Sable. The driver of the Sable, a 39-year-old West Olive man, and his passengers were not hurt. The crash remains under investigation, police said. Read more: Pandemic, workload, burnout pushes Michigan teacher shortage over the edge. Who will replace them? 15-year old Michigan student with shot to win The Voice, will sing Jewel hit in Knockouts tonight China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page The United Arab Emirates on Monday warned that any moves to change the historic identity of Jerusalem threaten peace, and called on Israel to put an end to violence following the latest clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in the city. The statement was a rare rebuke of Israel by the UAE which has welcomed tens of thousands of Israeli tourists and signed a slew of deals to strengthen bilateral ties since the administration of President Donald Trump brokered a historic and surprise deal to normalize relations between the two countries some seven months ago. The UAE move laid the path for Bahrain and Sudan to also formalize ties with Israel. The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement, carried on the Emirates' state news agency, that it was concerned over acts of violence committed by right-wing extremist groups in the occupied East Jerusalem The ministry called on Israeli authorities to assume responsibility toward de-escalation and putting an end to all aggressions and practices that perpetuate tension and hostility. The UAE cautioned it was necessary to preserve Jerusalem's historical identity and maintain maximum self-restraint to avoid the region slipping into new levels of instability in a way that threatens peace. The immediate spark for the unrest was Israels decision to barricade a plaza outside of Jerusalems Old City where Palestinian residents traditionally gather in the evenings during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The move deepened Palestinian concerns about Israel's control over east Jerusalem, which is home to sacred Jewish and Muslim sites. Hundreds of young Palestinian took to the streets each evening to protest the barricades. Crowds hurled stones, firebombs and other objects at police, while officers used stun grenades and water cannons to disperse them. The Israeli decision appeared to have been reversed late Sunday, when the barricades were suddenly removed. The violence had escalated to cross-border fighting between Israel and Gazas militant Hamas group. Also last week, a far-right Israeli group called Lehava staged a massive demonstration, with demonstrators chanting Death to Arabs and Arabs Get Out," just a few hundred meters (yards) from the Palestinian crowds. Two other Mideast countries with longstanding diplomatic ties with Israel had earlier called on Israel to end the violence. Jordan, which acts as the custodian over Jerusalems Muslim holy sites, and Egypt urged Israel in a joint statement to stop all attacks and provocative measures in the city. Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. The United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital under the Trump administration. Palestinians, however, claim east Jerusalem as the capital for a future Palestinian state. New Delhi, April 26 : In its first auction dedicated to female artists across the centuries, many of whom have been categorised or marginalised by history due to their gender, auction house Sotheby's will stage the '(Women) Artists' sale next month. It will explore the art historical contributions and personal stories of these artists across 400 years. According to Sotheby's, artworks on sale range from a 1680s Dutch painting by a 22-year-old Rachel Ruysch to Dame Laura Knight, the first woman to be granted full membership of the Royal Academy in the 1930s, and a sculpture by YBA artist and first-female Turner Prize winner, Rachel Whiteread. "The divisive classification 'women artists' but never 'male artists' is at the heart of a debate that has been disputed for decades, and yet continues to be a trap that is so often fallen into. Female artists should not be pigeon-holed nor segregated, which is precisely why we are holding a sale that appears to be doing exactly that -- in order to turn the tables and open up this debate. Yes, these artists are women, but more importantly, they are artists," says Marina Ruiz Colomer, a contemporary art specialist in London. According to Sotheby's Mei Moses, in the past five years the rise in prices for female artists have outpaced male artists by 29 per cent across the market. Notably, the record for any work by a living female artist is at $12.5 million (approximately Rs 93 crore) for Jenny Saville's 'Propped', sold at Sotheby's London in October 2018. "Many of the female artists we are offering here were well known and respected within their lifetimes, but history has not treated them kindly. They have come to be remembered as the wives of painters, as the ones that enabled their husbands, fathers and brothers to paint or as their muses, but rarely ever as they deserved to be: the artists in their own right! Recently museums and institutions have led the charge in reappraising the contributions of female artists. We need to explore their narrative and celebrate their contribution and achievement. If we can bring visibility to just some of those through this sale, then we have made a step towards the right direction," says Lisa Stevenson, impressionist and modern art specialist. Marina Abramovic, who be part of a related panel discussion on women in all art movements in May, explains that she was not concerned with gender when she emerged as an artist and still is not now: "I greatly admire Louise Bourgeois for having a family, a husband and a wonderful career but when I am looking at Spider 1994, I'm not wondering what gender of artist made the work." However, she takes issue with the continued undervaluing of works for the majority of women artists: "I feel a really big injustice because work by women artists is under-priced. You still have people like Cindy Sherman, whose works are really well-priced, and I think that's a great justice to her. But there are some great people who don't have her profile and the work is wonderful." Rachel Ruysch's (1664-1750) 'Forest floor still life with a pool' is the earliest piece in the sale, says Sotheby's. Painted at the age of just 22 in 1687, this has not been seen since it was acquired in The Hague in the 1950s. The daughter of a lecturer in anatomy and eminent botanist whose samples she would copy, Ruysch purportedly delayed marriage to focus on her career until meeting fellow painter Juriaen Pool in her thirties. Though Ruysch had ten children, she continued painting into her eighties, while Pool gave up his own career in light of her talent. Ruysch achieved international fame in her own lifetime, invited to serve as court painter to Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine in Dusseldorf, with her works -- which she always signed with her maiden name, even after marriage -- commanding high prices. Just recently, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam announced that for the first time in its history, it will permanently exhibit works by women artists, including Ruysch, in its Gallery of Honour. Painted in 1949 is Dorothea Tanning's (1910-2012) most surreal and dynamic 'The Witch', originally created for the ballet of the same name. Though Tanning was renowned for her painting, she was also commissioned to create costume and set designs for ballets choreographed and produced by the co-founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine. Not only did Tanning become one of the most important Surrealist artists of the twentieth century, she was also a strong believer in equality. She married fellow artist Max Ernst, and in addition to rejecting the label "woman artist" she similarly didn't want to be defined by her relationship. She once stated: 'I never heard him [Ernst] use the word "wife" in regard to me. He was very sorry about that wife thing.' Sharing a similar view was German Dada artist Hannah Hoch (1889-1978) who, as one of the few female artists in the group, expressed interest in the social construct of the 'New Woman' -- an idea that emerged in the late 19th century of a professional and androgynous woman who wanted to take her place in society as a man's equal. Also on auction is Dame Laura Knight's (1877-1970) 'The Gift (The Flower)', among the largest of her canvases ever made. Arguably her generation's most popular female painter who pioneered for recognition of her fellow women counterparts, Knight had a long and celebrated career. She became the first woman elected to full membership of the Royal Academy in 1936, and her retrospective exhibition there in 1965 was the first for a woman. The '(Women) Artists' sale will take place online from May 20-27. (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in) A counselor wearing a protective face mask plays with children as summer camps reopen amid the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Carls Family YMCA summer camp in Milford, Mich., on June 23, 2020. (Emily Elconin/Reuters) CDC Says Children Can Get Within 3 Feet at Summer Camp WASHINGTONChildren attending summer camp can get within 3 feet of each other but should wear masks to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to fresh guidance issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDCs updated recommendations for camps, issued on Saturday, have been eagerly awaited by parents as the end of the school year approaches. The agency said its camp guidance aligns with its evidence for social distancing at schools, with at least 3 feet between childrenand at least 6 feet when eating and drinking. Camp counselors and other adults should stay at least 6 feet from children and each other, the CDC said. Summer camp activities should be held outdoors as much as possible, and if indoors, doors and windows should be left open when possible, the CDC said. Group events and large gatherings should be avoided, it added. COVID-19 vaccinations have ramped up across the country, but younger children are not currently authorized for the three shots approved in the United States. Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SEs COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use starting at age 16, with approval now being sought for children ages 12 to 15. Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson are studying their vaccines in children. The CDC said that while fewer children have gotten sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, they still can be infected with the coronavirus and spread it to others and sometimes can have severe outcomes themselves. Chinese vice premier stresses efforts to deepen reform, opening-up Xinhua) 14:22, April 26, 2021 Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits a revolutionary memorial site in Shantou during an inspection tour to south China's Guangdong Province, April 24, 2021. The three-day inspection tour, lasting from Friday to Sunday, took Han to the cities of Guangzhou, Shantou and Chaozhou in Guangdong. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) GUANGZHOU, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng has called for unswerving efforts to deepen reform and opening-up and push forward high-quality development during an inspection tour to south China's Guangdong Province. The three-day tour, lasting from Friday to Sunday, took Han to the cities of Guangzhou, Shantou and Chaozhou, where he visited Guangzhou Tower, Haizhu Wetland and a cultural heritage museum, among other spots. Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed the protection of traditional culture and historical sites in city renovations, and urged more efforts to improve the water environment. The vice premier also visited an innovation and entrepreneurship incubation base in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, where he talked with young people from Hong Kong and Macao and urged local authorities to improve policies to address their difficulties in housing, education and healthcare. Speaking to researchers at the Guangzhou International Bio Island, Han encouraged them to actively explore technological innovation to make a greater contribution to public health. During the inspection, Han also stressed addressing housing problems in big cities and passing on the revolutionary tradition. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) ADVERTISEMENT Over 2000 residents have been displaced from Geidam town following the prolonged siege laid to the town by Boko Haram insurgents. The Executive Secretary of the states emergency management agency (YOSEMA), Mohammed Goje, told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone chat that the displaced persons were being camped in Yunusari and Yusafari local government areas. Mr Goje said many of the residents have relocated to Yunusari town, while others have moved to neighbouring communities in Yusufari Local Government Area. The official said his agency was tracking down people who were moving out of the town so as to help them with their immediate needs. Among the responsibilies of YOSEMA is to ensure all emergency victims and survivors of conflict who need emergency attention are attended to and those displaced from their homes are provided with immediate succor. YOSEMA as at yesterday evacuated injured victims of gun shots and they are currently receiving treatment at government health facility. Also, our team has identified three neighboring communities where displaced persons from Geidam are currently hosted, first batch of our team as directed by His Excellency, Gov. Mai Mala Buni,i have arrived Yunusari town to assess and are providing immediate emergency support to the displaced victims especially during this holy month of Ramadan. While we continue to pray for our security agencies to succeed, we also want to reiterate the commitment of the Yobe State Government and obligations of the agency towards all displaced persons and other victims of the attack who need to be supported and attended to at this difficult moment, the YOSEMA boss said. In a tweet on its Twitter account, the agency appealled for support. On behalf of Yobe State government, we appeal to Nigerian private sector and our international humanitarian partners to generously and technically support the ongoing efforts by the state in solidarity with affected victims of Geidam attack, it said. Credit: Anant Chandra, Unsplash Following negotiations, EU countries have agreed on a climate law which contains stricter targets for reduced emissions. Deliang Chen, a Professor of physical meteorology who has extensive experience from working within the UN Scientific Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, believes that this new law sends an important signal. "It's good news for a world that is looking for good examples. The message is powerful because the EU comprises 27 nations and has played a leading role in tackling the climate issue," he says. The climate law that the EU countries and the European Parliament have now agreed on will lead to the EU's total net emissions of greenhouse gases falling to zero by 2050. This will be done through reduced emissions, investments in environmentally friendly technology and nature conservation efforts. But it is important to remember that the climate issue will not be resolved without the United States and China, which account for half of the world's emissions, according to Thomas Sterner, Professor of environmental economics who has also been active in the UN's IPCC climate panel. He points out that although the United States currently has an administration that is trying to contribute to an international solution, there is still a lot of resistance, and that China also has signaled for new initiatives. "What the US and China do is crucial and the EU's main role is to inspire or persuade them to act. It is important that this is communicated strategically and forcefully at all meetings where the opportunity is offered, for example at the climate meeting that US President Joe Biden has invited to later in April," he says. Reduced carbon dioxide emissions An intermediate goal that the EU countries have now agreed on is that carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by at least 55% by 2030, calculated from 1990. "This is an ambitious goal for the EU, which is one of many players in the field. If every country in the world does its part, it will be hopeful," says Deliang Chen. Thomas Sterner is a little more cautious in his assessment because the starting point for the reduction is 1990 and the EU has already reduced emissions by over 20% since then. "It is difficult to say what is enough. 55% compared to 1990 is not so radical but it is a step in the right direction." A plan for how the goals will be achieved The fact that the EU now has stricter climate goals is welcomed by the two Professors. But it is crucial to have a plan for what measures are to be implemented and how the goals are to be achieved. "Concrete measures are available in all sectors from industry to food, but measures are also needed at an overall systemic levelmeasures that mean that it costs to emit climate-affecting gases. A so-called price for carbon dioxide," says Thomas Sterner. How will our individual lives be affected by these goals? "It will be more expensive to emit carbon dioxide, for example by running inefficient power plants, fossil cars and oil-fired heating in houses. The big question, however, is how our lives would be affected by an accelerated climate change if we do not get an effective climate policy," says Thomas Sterner. "We can expect a better world to live in with reduced risk in connection with climate change. But we will also need to be prepared to change some of our consumption and lifestyle behaviors," says Deliang Chen. More information: Deliang Chen. Impact of climate change on sensitive marine and extreme terrestrial ecosystems: Recent progresses and future challenges, Ambio (2021). Journal information: AMBIO Deliang Chen. Impact of climate change on sensitive marine and extreme terrestrial ecosystems: Recent progresses and future challenges,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01446-1 .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... A mobile device built by Albuquerque startup RingIR Inc. could soon provide mass screening capability for coronavirus at highly congested settings like airports, with results in seconds. The National Institutes of Health already financed initial testing on people at the University of New Mexico Hospital and at Emory University in Georgia with promising results. And follow-on funding through NIHs Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, or RADx, initiative is in the works to expand testing to more institutions across the country, said RingIR founder, President and CEO Charles Harb. The UNMH trial showed we had something potentially groundbreaking, Harb told the Journal. So RADx decided to extend its involvement. Dr. Justin Baca, a UNMH emergency room physician who worked with RingIR on the NIH-backed trial, said theres a lot of interest in the scientific community to further test and develop the technology based on initial results. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In the preliminary trials it looked very promising, Baca told the Journal. If it bears out when testing a lot more people in different settings, it could be a game changer for rapid testing in mass settings. Harb launched RingIR in Albuquerque in 2016 after nearly a decade of research and development on the technology, which the company calls molecular fingerprinting to detect, identify and measure the molecules of nearly any gas in any setting. Its based on a commercially available optics sensing process known as cavity ringdown spectroscopy, or CRDS, that uses lasers to measure light at the molecular level. The company further advanced that process using infrared light to color-code targeted molecules for identification, and it built an advanced data processing system to immediately measure and report findings in real time. Since 2016, the company has won contracts in the U.S. and Australia to apply its technology to detect gases in mining operations, and for anti-explosives detection, said Harb, a quantum optics physicist from Australia. The company successfully proved its technique through a $4.6 million award from the Australian Defense Department to locate and identify vapors exuded from explosives. RingIR has since won a second Australian defense contract to begin building mobile units that could be used to counter improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. It also proved the technologys ability to detect silicate dust, which causes black lung, through testing at mines in Australia. That led to a new, $300,000 contract awarded last year by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to build a prototype device for potential use in U.S. mines. RingIR is now building the mine-focused device, which will be tested by the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro. The Australian study showed the (silicate dust) signatures could be seen spectroscopically, Hard said. This new contract allows us to takes the next step forward to actually build a demonstration unit. If all goes well, well work to get the instrument into the real world for testing in mines. The company has also worked for three years with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts under a $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant to place small detectors in tubes for carbon readings in deep ocean settings. Weve built three units for the institute one unit per year, Harb said. Well deliver the third unit in June, all to measure methane in the ocean. Before the coronavirus broke out last year, the company had begun working as well with Johns Hopkins University in Maryland to apply its technology in research on vaping devices to study the impacts of electronic cigarettes on peoples lungs. That got us into initial work with human beings, Hard said. Then COVID hit, creating an urgent need for new diagnostic tools. Early in the pandemic, NIH created its RADx initiative, funded by the CARES Act, for rapid development of new testing methods for COVID-19. The first rounds of RADx funding aimed to get anything out in the real world with emergency authorization to deploy devices, Harb said. But many didnt work and people stopped using them because there were lots of false negatives. RingIR entered the RADx program in its second round of funding last summer. We suggested looking at human breath, having people breathe into a bag to examine it with spectrometers and get answers in a few seconds, Harb said. RADx gave us money to work with UNMH to get samples from people that we analyze with our machine. Very quickly we found we could see signatures that arent normal in infected people. UNMH collected breath samples from 20 people five different samples from each person that RingIR tested from December-February, said Baca, the emergency room physician. The first round of testing was for proof of concept to show its feasible to collect samples and run them through this new technology, Baca said. It was a great collaboration with a local company to rapidly get new technology tested. Given the promising initial results, RADx provided more funding in March for independent testing and validation at Emory University that includes people 8 years old and up, Harb said. Those studies are still in the early stages, but like the research at UNMH, its showing enough positive outcomes for NIH to grant more funding to continue research at UNMH, and extend it to other sites around the country. In this next phase, well build more test units to get them quickly in the field for comprehensive testing, Harb said. After that, if all goes well, wed move to the third phase where we ramp up production for commercial deployment. More testing will help better identify the abnormalities the RingIR device is detecting in breath samples of infected individuals. Its a unique signature a bouquet of several different things, Harb said. But its not clear yet whether well see a unique signature for every COVID variant, so were looking at that as well. More science is needed. If the technologys early success remains consistent through expanded testing, RingIR hopes to start commercial deployment later this year. It could be used as a triaging instrument in large venues like airports and other places where you need people to be tested rapidly on a regular basis, Harb said. The instrument would screen people to allow those with a normal signature to go straight through, and others (with abnormal results) to get further testing before entering the building. RingIR will need a lot more funding to move to commercial production. To date, its invested about $8 million to develop its technology. Local investors are watching closely. Weve been tracking their progress, said Dorian Rader, managing partner with NMA Ventures in Albuquerque. Others are working on diagnostics to try to detect COVID in minutes, but RingIRs device can do it in seconds. Its phenomenal technology. Although its focused on COVID-19 now, RingIR believes the technology could be applied for rapid breath diagnosis of other diseases as well, such as diabetes, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If it proves effective, the technology could be the holy grail for rapid medical diagnostics, said Tom Brennan, a veteran investor with Arch Venture Partners and a RingIR board member. We havent invested yet, but were excited about it, Brennan said. Theyve built a novel tool that could have a big impact. It has enormous potential. RingIR currently employs nine people at the WESST Enterprise Center Downtown, and five more at an office in Australia. Kevin Robinson-Avila covers technology, energy, venture capital and utilities for the Journal. He can be reached at krobinson-avila@abqjournal.com. New Delhi: Two Army soldiers were killed in an avalanche in Siachen on Sunday, military sources said. The incident took place in sub-sector Haneef around 1 pm on Sunday, they said. "The two soldiers could only be rescued by 7 pm and they succumbed to their injuries," said a source. Other soldiers and porters who were also in the area when the avalanche struck it are stable and out of danger, the sources said. The Siachen glacier at the height of around 20,000 ft in the Karakoram range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius. Live TV Advertisement A global guide to where in the world you can sunbathe topless or naked, without getting into trouble, has been unveiled. Despite travel restrictions last year, there were over 10.7million Google searches made globally in the past 12 months for 'nude beaches', 'nude resorts' and 'sunbathe nude'. The USA, Japan and Brazil made the majority of those searches. However, researchers say that when population size is accounted for, the people that want to sunbathe naked the most are from Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Sunbathing topless, or partially naked, is received very differently around the world, with researchers adding that religious and cultural histories make a big impact on how acceptable or offensive it is deemed. Even within a single country, like the USA for example, different regions have very different stances and laws on naturist activity. This worldwide map reveals where you can sunbathe topless or naked, without getting into trouble, and where it should be avoided. The 38 countries in red are ones where public nudity of any kind, even non-offensive public topless sunbathing, is completely unacceptable or illegal. Countries coloured green, of which there are 39, are those that are relaxed about public topless or nude sunbathing. The 29 countries marked in amber indicate ambiguous or contradictory laws or where there are very limited places to naked sunbathe. Grey countries indicate where not enough information was available to make a categorisation Researchers found that public nudity laws can become confused with the rules surrounding naked sunbathing, with many countries saying public nudity is illegal, but they are 'actually OK with topless sunbathing'. They say that for most nations, the 'intention to offend' is the main thing that 'differentiates trying to catch some vitamin D without tan lines, versus someone streaking or flashing'. The worldwide map categorises countries into four colours. The 38 countries in red are ones where public nudity of any kind, even non-offensive public topless sunbathing, is completely unacceptable or illegal. Countries coloured green, of which there are 39, are those that are relaxed about public topless or nude sunbathing, allowing it in multiple official and unofficial locations. The 29 countries marked in amber indicate laws that are ambiguous or contradictory, or where there are very limited places to naked sunbathe these places will require a bit more research before taking off your swimsuit, say researchers. A state-by-state guide to the rules on topless and nude sunbathing in the United States. In 32 states, you should have no legal worries about nude sunbathing. However, it is not allowed in Utah, Indiana, Tennessee or South Carolina. States where the rules on topless or naked sunbathing are ambiguous include Florida, Texas, Nevada and New Jersey COUNTRIES THAT WANT TO SUNBATHE NUDE THE MOST (PER PERSON) Looking at Google search data, and cross-referencing it with each country's population size, the 10 nations that are the biggest fans of sunbathing naked are: 1. Australia - Green: Topless sunbathing is legal, with plenty of official nudist beaches. 2. New Zealand - Amber: Whilst not illegal you must do it in a designated area. 3. Ireland - Red: Illegal to sunbathe topless and no official nude beaches. 4. USA - Amber: In 32 states you shouldn't have any legal worries about nude sunbathing. However, it isn't allowed in Utah, Indiana or Tennessee. 5. Canada - Green: Its nudity law is rarely enforced as it relies on context, with topless sunbathing being deemed a case that doesn't have the intent to offend. 6. Netherlands - Green: Topless sunbathing is common and allowed in designated areas. 7. UK - Green: Topless sunbathing is completely legal and nudist beaches exist. 8. Japan Green: Although there aren't many nudist beaches, onsens (hot water springs) are usually attended in the nude. 9. Spain - Green: Legal to sunbathe naked or topless and it's a fairly common sight. 10. Hungary Green: Nude beaches are quite common and it's not illegal to sunbathe naked. Source: Pour Moi Advertisement For example, they explain that in Tunisia (amber) topless sunbathing is deemed 'OK in some private hotels and resorts but is generally unacceptable on public beaches'. Or, in Costa Rica (amber), while 'public nudity is technically illegal, there are unofficial naturist resorts and beaches'. Grey countries indicate where not enough information was available to make a categorisation. The worldwide map reveals that Australia is coloured green as topless sunbathing is legal, with the country having 'plenty of official nudist beaches'. The UK is also green as 'topless sunbathing is completely legal and nudist beaches exist'. Other green countries include Canada, Spain, Japan, the Netherlands and Hungary. New Zealand is coloured amber, with researchers revealing that while nude sunbathing is 'not illegal you must do it in a designated area'. Ireland is a red country as researchers found that it is 'illegal to sunbathe topless and there are no official nude beaches'. Meanwhile, a separate map breaks down the rules in each U.S state and reveals that in 32 states, you should have no legal worries about nude sunbathing. However, it is not allowed in Utah, Indiana, Tennessee or South Carolina. States where the rules on topless or naked sunbathing are ambiguous include Florida, Texas, Nevada and New Jersey. The maps were generated by researchers for lingerie brand Pour Moi, who spent weeks researching the individual laws of each country around the world and cross-referencing them with travel forums, blogs and social media posts to determine which countries you can sunbathe naked in without worry. Michael Thomson, founder of Pour Moi, said: 'We know a lot of our customers like to ditch their swimsuit when they sunbathe, and with tentative steps being made towards international travel opening up, we wanted to help people find out where you can and can't go topless when you sunbathe. 'We're a UK company and Britons are stereotyped as being quite prudish, but it's not true, a lot of us love to embrace more naturist ways in the sunshine! 'It's been fun comparing which countries are most interested in sunbathing naked, versus what the actual nudity laws are in that country.' To see the full research and a summary of the rules for each country, visit the Pour Moi website. FLORENCE, APR 26 - A priceless set of medieval relics stolen from a seminary on the outskirts of Siena in 1989 has been recovered, Italian art cops said Monday in presenting the results of last week's operation. The San Galgano Reliquary was made in 1200 out of gold, silver and enamel. It was stolen along with another 10 works of sacred art of an inestimable value. Four people, a Tuscan 'inside man' and three Sicilians, were arrested after it went missing but it was not rediscovered until now, in the home of a collector at Giarre near Catania who was unable to explain its provenance and has been cited. All the works, property of the dioceses of Siena, Colle di Val d'Elsa, and Montalcino, have now been recovered by Italy's crack Carabinieri cultural heritage protection unit, the NTPC. The recovery was presented at a press conference Monday with the archbishop of Siena, Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, NTPC Commander, General Roberto Ricciardi, Vatican Museums Director Barbara Jatta, and Gianluigi Marmora, head of the NTPC's Palermo division. The theft of the relics and other items, in July 1989, was carried out on commission, sources said at the time. Saint Galgano (1148 - 3 December 1181) was a Catholic saint from Tuscany born in Chiusdino, in the modern province of Siena. (ANSA). Lifting the maximum childcare subsidy to 95 per cent and scrapping an annual cap on support are being examined by the federal government to get more women into the workforce and boost GDP by up to $11 billion a year. The change is widely advocated by big business, economists and early childhood education campaigners as a way to strengthen womens economic security. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg discusses the imminent federal budget with predecessor Peter Costello. Credit:Tash Sorensen A separate proposal from government backbenchers for a Liberal values policy to extend tax deductions to families who cant access childcare subsidies is on ice for now. At least 15 organisations, including the Business Council of Australia and Chief Executive Women, have asked the government to lift the childcare subsidy from 85 per cent to 95 per cent for families earning less than $80,000 and scrap an annual cap that effectively acts as a barrier for women in higher-income families from taking on more work. Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan signed the law on amendments to the Electoral Code, according to NA the press service. On April 1, the parliament passed this proposed law, according to which elections in Armenia shall be held by the proportional representation electoral system; that is, the "rating"-based electoral system has been abolished in the country. Armenias President Armen Sarkissian has not signed the law in 21-day period after its adoption and neither did he dispute its constitutionality. According to the Part 3 of Article 129 of Armenias Constitution after the date expires the authority to sign the law has passed to NA speaker. Yesterday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan tendered his resignation in order to hold early parliamentary elections in the republic. Daniel Kaluuyas mum stole the show at this years Oscars with her reaction to her sons winners speech. The actor took home the Best Supporting Actor trophy for his role as Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. Gracing the stage in Los Angeles Union Station, Kaluuya delivered a speech that ended in a hilarious and unexpected manner. His mum and sister watched on from BFI Southbank in London, where a hub has been set up for loved ones to watch the ceremony. At the end of his speech, Kaluuya excitedly expressed his appreciation for life. My mum and my dad... they had sex and now Im here! he added, with the camera cutting to his mums very confused face. Whats he talking about? she could be seen asking her daughter, who was laughing away next to her. Viewers picked up on the hilarious moment. Daniel Kaluuyas mum saying whats he talking about? Best moment so far, one person wrote. Another added: Daniel kaluuyas mum was not expecting that. Kaluuya addressed the moment backstage during a press conference, telling reporters: It just came out of my mouth. My mums probably going to text me some stuff about that, but here we are. Another unexpected moment viewers hailed as one of the ceremonys greatest saw Glenn Close twerk along to the funk song Da Butt. The evenings biggest champion was Chloe Zhaos Nomadland, which won a handful of awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Frances McDormand. Find a full list of winners here. After touring the new building and submitting all the necessary documentation, she reached out to her landlord, asking if she could terminate her lease. She assumed there would be a financial penalty, which she was prepared to pay. But her landlord told her that the lease couldnt be terminated and that her only option was to sublet the studio. Normally this wouldnt have been an issue, but when Ms. Miller looked on StreetEasy, she realized that studios in her building were going for $300 less than she was paying. (She renewed her lease without researching the market and didnt realize that rents had come down so much during the pandemic.) When I reached out to a broker about trying to rent it, the broker basically told me, Youd be ripping someone off. Next, she tried to get the landlord to drop her rent to what the other studios were renting for. The answer was another No. Thats when I really started to hate them, she said. I thought, I have to get out of here. Ms. Miller was aware that other tenants were shopping around to take advantage of the pandemics lower rents, which many landlords offer as months of free rent instead of an actual lower monthly rate. I dont like the one- or two-month-free deals, she said. I cant move every few years. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey Friday announced the appointment of Jessica Sullivan to Superintendent of the Arizona Pioneers Home, fulfilling years of dedication to the facility and following in the footsteps of her mother who served as a nurse at the Home. Jessica has made it her priority to serve the residents of the Arizona Pioneers Home, said Governor Ducey. She and her mother have both spent years caring for its residents. She truly understands the Homes history and significance to the Prescott community and State of Arizona, and will continue to embody the homes values as Superintendent. I am happy to welcome Jessica to this position and I look forward to her further contributions at the Home. Jessica Sullivan has worked at the Arizona Pioneers Home for nearly twenty years, and is currently the Homes caregiver supervisor. But her passion for the home and its community goes back even further. She started visiting the Home at age nine when she would accompany her mother, a registered nurse at the facility for 19 years, to work. This early experience sparked a lifelong interest in the Homes culture and mission and inspired Sullivan to follow in her mothers footsteps. The Arizona Pioneers Home has been a significant part of my life for years, said Jessica Sullivan. To care for the individuals who call this place home, hear their stories and work in this community is a privilege. I am so grateful to Governor Ducey for this opportunity, and I look forward to this next chapter so we can continue to provide the best possible care for the residents in this truly special place. The Arizona Pioneers' Home first opened its doors in 1911. The retirement facility was meant to provide a rest home for aging settlers who helped establish the Prescott area. It has since served as a care facility to Arizonans, providing physical, emotional and spiritual care to its residents. Sullivan started work at the Arizona Pioneers Home in 2001 as a certified nursing assistant and aided residents in daily activities. She became a certified physical therapy aide in 2006 where she was responsible for coordinating and communicating resident therapy orders and services, and assisted therapy appointments. Sullivan became a nursing support assistant in 2011 and aided in rehabilitation coordination and external administration as well as managed medical supply, testing, maintenance and planning for residents in the facility. In 2019, Sullivan became the caregiver supervisor at the Arizona Pioneers Home where she has overseen resident care, and team and facility management. Sullivan has certifications in nursing and caregiving from the Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona; a certification in physical therapy aide from Penn Foster in Pennsylvania; and a certification in assisted living facility management from the Assisted Living Training School in Tempe, Arizona. Sullivan succeeds Ted Ihrman, who will retire as Pioneer Home Superintendent at the end of May. DUBOIS, Wyo., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Museum of Military Vehicles (NMMV) announced today that it will hold a public ceremony May 15, 2021 to honor the veterans who participated in the Mayaguez rescue on the 46th anniversary of the battle. During the ceremony, a Mayaguez Tribute Truck escorted by Patriot Guards Riders will be donated to the museum. Once the Tribute Truck reaches the museum, the names of the 41 Americans who fell during the battle will be read and honored with TAPS, followed by a reunion of surviving Mayaguez veterans. "The Mayaguez rescue performed on May 15, 1975 was the last battle of the Vietnam War," said Doug Cubbison, Curator of NMMV. "The names of the 41 Americans who perished in this battle are the last 41 names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. The 46th anniversary of the battle is a fitting occasion for the museum to publicly remember and honor both the fallen and the survivors of this battle." "Terry Brooks, a veteran of the Mayaguez rescue, created a Tribute Truck to ensure that the sacrifice of those who fell during this battle is always remembered, " said Alynne Catron, Executive Director of NMMV. "Terry is donating the Tribute Truck to our museum to preserve and share in perpetuity with the public." The Mayaguez incident: On May 12, 1975, a U.S. flagged cargo ship, the S.S. Mayaguez and its crew were seized by a Cambodian Khmer Rouge naval vessel. President Gerald Ford ordered military action to force the Cambodians to return the ship and release its crew. This rescue mission by the Marines, Navy, and Air Force took place on May 15, 1975. During the ensuing combat, 25 Air Force pilots and crew, two Navy Corpsmen, and fourteen Marines were killed in action while another fifty Americans were wounded. The Khmer Rouge released the Mayaguez and its crew unharmed. The ceremony commemorating the Mayaguez rescue will begin May 15, 2021 in Dubois, WY at 10:00 a.m. The Tribute Truck will depart Dubois at that time with Patriot Guards Riders escort to travel 8 miles to the museum. Once the Tribute Truck arrives at NMMV, the remainder of the ceremony will be held on museum grounds, after which the Tribute Truck will be placed on display in the museum. The ceremony is open to all who wish to thank these veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. About the National Museum of Military Vehicles NMMV is a privately funded, 140,000 square-foot facility located near Dubois, WY. The museum is home to more than 450 military vehicles, the largest private collection in the world. The museum is a 501(c) non-profit organization whose mission is to "honor the service and sacrifice of veterans and their families, educate next generations on the history of American freedom, and share historic military vehicles." The museum's World War II gallery opened to the public in August 2020. Connect with us at www.nmmv.org and on Facebook at facebook.com/NMMVWY. Further information: Alynne Catron: [email protected] SOURCE National Museum of Military Vehicles Related Links https://nmmv.org/ The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) candidates are being encouraged to do more to protect farmers and rural communities from crime. The rise in crime continues to devastate rural communities across the UK, often leaving farmers threatened and intimidated by callous criminals. Because of the growing issue, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has written to every PCC candidate asking them to take pledges ahead of the elections on 6 May. The countryside group's rural crime manifesto urges candidates to focus on wildlife crime, improved education of the Countryside Code and more joined-up enforcement work. The CLA also urges all PCC candidates to provide greater support and resources for the National Rural Crime Network. Mark Bridgeman, president of the CLA said: In this election PCC candidates have a golden opportunity to show they are serious about protecting rural communities through targeted funding and adaptation of policing for rural areas. While some police forces have boosted their efforts to tackle rural crime, many are inadequately resourced. According to a recent report, 69% of farmers and rural business owners have been a victim of crime over a 12-month period. And the CLA estimates that the average financial impact of rural crime per incident costs nearly 5,000. Mr Bridgeman added: Its paramount that PCCs understand the financial and psychological damage inflicted upon victims of crime in rural areas, and develop a meaningful strategy to reduce it. Any candidate worth their salt should back our manifesto, and promise to work with us to make our communities safer. Chadwick Boseman's brother Derrick has broken his silence over his late sibling's loss to Anthony Hopkins at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday. While fans were outraged over the Black Panther star's posthumous loss, Derrick told TMZ he is 'sure' Chadwick would have been the first to congratulate Hopkins for making history as the oldest Best Actor winner in history at 83. In addition, Derrick recalled Chadwick describing the Oscars 'as a campaign' and an achievement, but not his 'obsession' or definition of success. His family speaks out: Chadwick Boseman's brother Derrick has broken his silence over his late sibling's shocking loss to to Anthony Hopkins at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday (pictured in 2019) Many assumed Chadwick was a shoo-in for the award as he earned a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics Choice Award for for his final role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Hopkins, who has been nominated for six Academy Awards, previously won in 1992, for his role as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs. The actor paid tribute to Chadwick in a late acceptance video on Monday morning from Wales. Gracious: While fans were outraged over the Black Panther star posthumous loss, Derrick told TMZ he is 'sure' Chadwick would have been the first to congratulate Hopkins for making history as the oldest Best Actor winner in history at 83 Shock: Many assumed Chadwick was a shoo-in for the award as he earned a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics Choice Award for for his final role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; seen in 2018 Speaking in a short clip surrounded by sprawling Welsh countryside, Sir Anthony said: 'Good morning, here I am in my homeland of Wales and at 83-years-of-age I did not expect to get this award. I really didn't. 'I am grateful to the Academy and thank you. I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman who was taken from us far too early, and again, thank you all very much. I really did not expect this, so I feel very privileged and honored. Thank you,' he said. Boseman passed away in August at just 43 years of age from stage IV colon cancer, which he was originally diagnosed with in 2016. In his honor: His widow, Simone Ledward Johnson, attended the Oscars to accept the award on his behalf if he had won in a custom pink Atelier Versace gown, with jewelry from Bulgari His widow, Simone Ledward Johnson, attended the Oscars to accept the award on his behalf if he had won. She wore a custom pink Atelier Versace gown with jewelry from Bulgari. Versace revealed that the gown was 'crafted from 35 meters of coral silk cady and georgette, the dress elegantly drapes around the body.' The dress took over 260 hours to construct with another 300 hours for the embroidery. A San Francisco man allegedly murdered a seven month-old baby after the city's scandal-hit district attorney twice failed to charge him with domestic violence. Joseph Williams, 26, was charged over the death of Synciere Williams after the infant arrived at at California Pacific Medical Center showing signs of severe trauma last week. Police admitted Williams, said to have been caring for the baby at the time of the murder, had been arrested twice in separate domestic violence incidents in January and March of this year, but he did not face charges from either incident. DA Boudin claimed they had been unable to book Williams for the assaults because the alleged victim who he was in a relationship with had not wanted to file charges. But California State law considers domestic violence a crime against the state, with campaigners saying it was Boudin's duty to find a way to make a case stick. Boudin's comment angered domestic violence advocates in San Francisco who say the District Attorney fundamentally misunderstood the nature of family violence cases. Boudin's decision also came under fire from Caitlyn Jenner, who is running to unseat Governor of California Gavin Newsom, after she claimed the Golden State's prosecutors were being too soft on criminals. Chesa Boudin became district attorney of San Francisco in 2019, pledging a commitment to restorative justice over incarceration. But since then he's come under fire for allowing criminals who have gone on to kill go free Caitlyn Jenner has blasted California's 'woke district attorneys' as she prepares to take on Gavin Newsom for the Governor's job Kathy Black, executive director of domestic violence shelter La Casa de las Madres, said the failure to charge Joseph Williams was a dereliction of duty She shared a journalist's tweet about the story, and captioned it: 'This is horrible and also avoidable. 'Gavins District Attorneys across California are releasing dangerous criminals back on to our streets. Enough is enough.' 'Gavin's District Attorneys across California are releasing dangerous criminals back onto our streets. Enough is enough.' Kathy Black, the executive director of La Casa de las Madres, a shelter for domestic violence victims in the city, told the San Francisco Chronicle the failure to charge Williams after either of his previous arrests showed Boudin's complete lack of understanding of family violence. 'Domestic violence is a crime against the state of California, and the district attorney's job is to work with what the Police Department has gathered at the crime scene and develop the evidence to present a case,' Black told The Chronicle. 'That's his job it's not the victim's job.' Figures from show the rate of charges in domestic violence cases dropped significantly last year. In the last three months of 2020, city cops arrested 131 residents on felony domestic violence, but Boudin's office dismissed 113 of them and charged just 13 of them, one as a misdemeanor. The other five are still being reviewed. Joseph Williams' first arrest came on January 7 when he got into a shoving match with a woman he was in a relationship with on a street corner in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. The woman suffered bruising to her neck and said Williams had attacked her. A 10-month-old baby girl was in a stroller besides the altercation, police said. Two months later on March 26, Williams was arrested again after police were called to an apartment to find the same woman with a cut to her lip and marks on her forehead. She told police she'd tried to kick Williams out of the flat and he'd attacked her. A baby was also found at the address. In both cases, the woman refused to lay charges. 'Given the lack of cooperation with prosecution, we were unable to move forward with either of those cases,' Rachel Marshall, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Boudin became district attorney of San Francisco in 2019, pledging a commitment to restorative justice over incarceration. But he was condemned in January after allowing a robber to get out of prison on parole, with that criminal then allegedly going on to kill two women in a hit and run in the city on New Year's Eve last year. Troy McAlister had just been released from prison on parole for a robbery conviction when he killed Hanako Abe and Elizabeth Platt as they walked across a street in the SOMA neighborhood, it is claimed. Police believe McAlister allegedly stole the vehicle from a woman he had just met on a dating app. Police found a gun and drugs in his car. Boudin's parents David Gilbert and Kathy Boudin were members of the Weather Underground, a radical left militant organization involved in a series of terror attacks in the 1970s. Boudin was 14 months old when his parents left him with a babysitter so they could take part in the botched robbery of an armored car that left two police officers and a Brink's truck guard dead. Both were convicted of murder as a result. His father Gilbert is still in prison for murder and robbery, while his mother was released after serving more than two decades inside. Red Oak Steakhouse is first in the state and first in the entire South! Photo provided by Japanese Kobe Beef Council and approved for release in USA. Photo provided by Japanese Kobe Beef Council and approved for release in USA. Photo provided by Japanese Kobe Beef Council and approved for release in USA. Photo provided by Japanese Kobe Beef Council and approved for release in USA. Pine Bluff, Arkansas, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kobe Beef is the worlds most famous meat and extremely rare. With only a tiny fraction of restaurants nationwide licensed to serve authentic Kobe beef, Red Oak Steakhouse located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas is proud to be awarded this amazing opportunity. Thousands of American restaurants sell a product called wangus, which is a hybrid of domestically raised Wagyu breeds and common Angus. But they call it Kobe, in spite of numerous lawsuits to alter the practice. Director of Food and Beverage, Todd Gold said, The Kobe difference is in the genetics. With Kobe, there are no big chunks of fat like on traditional steaks. Rather, the fat is evenly dispersed throughout the muscle in a type of spiderweb of ultra-thin veins. As a gift to our patrons, we are actually pricing Kobe beef without our standard food-cost- markup, to allow everyone to enjoy this prized meat. Authentic Kobe is uniformly pink, because of the highly integrated blend of meat and fat. It is also much healthier than non-Kobe beef. Real Kobe beef is always boneless, usually served as a strip, ribeye, or filet and the price typically begins at $20 an ounce. Any so-calledKobe steak selling for less than $80 - $100 is most likely an imposter. Our Red Oak Steakhouse, which is located inside Pine Bluffs Saracen Casino, is rapidly becoming a favorite of genuine foodies throughout Arkansas, and the region. Were excited to be chosen as one of only 38 American restaurants, and the first in the South, to have the honor of serving true Kobe beef!, stated Carlton Saffa, Market Manager for Saracen Casino Resort. Quapaw Nation Chairman Joseph Byrd said this, Authentic Kobe beef is extremely rare and sets the global standard for quality. With Red Oak asthe first in Arkansas and the first in the South to be Kobe-licensed,this is a proud moment for Saracen Casino Resort and the Quapaw Nation. Kobebeef is synonymous with world-class cuisine, and wereextremelyhappy to offer an enhanced,fine-dining experience to patrons of the Saracen. Story continues Attachments CONTACT: Carlton Saffa Saracen Casino Resort +1-417-466-5994 csaffa@saracenresort.com A map of the study area in eastern Wisconsin. Wells included in the study are marked by colored dots. Yellow dots had detectable arsenic and red dots had arsenic levels exceeding federal safety standards. ERIC STEWART Wells located near ancient folds and fractures in the bedrock beneath southeastern Wisconsin are more likely to contain arsenic, a dangerous contaminant in drinking water, according to research just published by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. The findings come from an ongoing survey of the extent and causes of arsenic contamination in groundwater in eastern Wisconsin. By better predicting where arsenic will be found, the project could help municipalities and private well owners relocate or redesign wells or prepare to filter out the arsenic, which can cause cancer if ingested over time. These bedrock fractures are a previously overlooked source of arsenic contamination in the area. For years, geologists thought they were too small to affect groundwater, instead believing that the layering of different rocks played a larger role. "The folds and faults are so subtle in Wisconsin, absolutely tiny little things, amplitudes of 100 to 200 feet," says geologist Eric Stewart, who led the new research. "So we wanted to investigate (whether) these things really matter. We didn't know regionally how important they are." Stewart and his colleagues at the WGNHS, housed within the University of WisconsinMadison Division of Extension, published their findings in the journal Groundwater. These foldsthe results of 1.7 billion-year-old rock pushing up on the younger rock above itlikely produce the chemical conditions required to leach arsenic from the minerals in the earth. When a well is drilled into this fractured bedrock, conditions in the well can lead to the release of arsenic. As part of their larger survey of these bedrock formations in eastern Wisconsin, the geologists studied groundwater arsenic contamination in and around Beaver Dam, in Dodge County. "In eastern Wisconsin, there's a strip of land that runs north to south where certain rock formations are at the bedrock surface, and those units tend to have a lot more arsenic-bearing minerals," says Stewart. "In these areas, it's especially important to get your well tested, because arsenic is a carcinogen." The research relied on public records of arsenic levels in wells and well reports filed by drillers. The well reports provided a detailed accounting of the rock features encountered during drilling, which allowed Stewart and his team to map out the locations of bedrock folds around Beaver Dam. About four in 10 wells in the study area had detectable levels of arsenic. Some wells contained arsenic levels that exceeded federal safety standards. By developing a statistical model of the arsenic data and location of the folds, the researchers found that arsenic contamination was more likely to be located closer to folded bedrock. Stewart's team also observed vertical fractures in the rock and higher rates of groundwater flow closer to the bedrock folds. The researchers say that it's not yet clear why folds or fractures in the rock lead to more arsenic reaching wells, but scientists have two main theories. One is that the fractures concentrate the deposition of sulfides, minerals that commonly host arsenic. These sulfides then break down and release arsenic into wells under certain conditions. The other idea is that, in the past, the fractures allowed more oxygenated water from the surface into the deep rock, producing minerals that release arsenic more easily. Deciphering the true reason will require more research. As they continue their project, the geologists are expanding to the rest of Dodge County as well as surrounding counties. They will also closely study how the construction of wells may be tied to arsenic contamination. This information could help well drillers better design wells that minimize the chances of arsenic reaching drinking water. Following the completion of their findings later this year, Stewart's team will begin more widely sharing the information and providing recommendations to well drillers and towns in the state for how to avoid arsenic. Explore further New report shows high levels of arsenic and uranium in some wells More information: Eric D. Stewart et al. Correlating Bedrock Folds to Higher Rates of Arsenic Detection in Groundwater, S outheast Wisconsin, USA, Groundwater (2021). Eric D. Stewart et al. Correlating Bedrock Folds to Higher Rates of Arsenic Detection in Groundwater, S outheast Wisconsin, USA,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/gwat.13102 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) For Tom Sanders, its the void left by the death of a cousin and the mans wife, killed when a tornado mowed through a placid Alabama valley. To Markedia Wells, its the stolen innocence of her sons, who still get nervous anytime it starts raining. Darryl Colburn laments a lost way of life in his hometown, which was all but leveled in seconds. Waves of tornadoes pummeled the Eastern U.S. over four days in the spring of 2011, killing more than 320 people in six states, including about 250 who died in Alabama on April 27 of that year. A decade has passed, but time has been unable to erase the pain or replace the losses inflicted by the terrifying storms. Homes and businesses were rebuilt and new trees have grown; empty seats around dinner tables were filled as babies were born and a new generation came of age. Yet theres still a sense of absence, a lingering feeling of sorrow, in communities where so much was lost so quickly. I dont know if its a day to remember, but its a day you cant forget, said Colburn, the mayor of tiny Hackleburg, where 18 died in an EF-5 twister with winds estimated at 210 mph (338 kph). The same twister hit nearby Phil Campbell, where a granite monument at the center of town honors 27 who were killed. To mark the anniversary, Gov. Kay Ivey ordered flags lowered to half-staff on Tuesday, which she proclaimed a statewide day of remembrance for a horrible event that has impacted the state of Alabama forever. Storms that began in eastern Texas mushroomed by the time the line reached Mississippi, where one twister was so intense it scoured 2 feet (0.61 meters) of dirt from the ground. More than 60 tornadoes then struck Alabama, including one that was captured on video as it decimated the city of Tuscaloosa, and storms continued as far north as New York state. Another major tornado outbreak had killed more than three dozen people across the South about two weeks earlier, and a spring of pain got even worse two weeks later, when an EF-5 ripped through Joplin, Missouri. About 160 people died there. Story continues The government funded construction of hundreds of residential safe rooms and community storm shelters following the outbreak, still one of the deadliest in U.S. history, and meteorologists improved forecasting systems. One study suggested better ways of communicating weather threats through live TV, including the constant presence of maps on screen so viewers can understand where dangerous storms are located. But better preparation for future disasters has done little to ease the pain of those who still relive the horror of past storms and the loss of loved ones. In east Alabamas Shoal Creek Valley, where 12 died, families are still coping with unforgettable images and stories like that of Albert Sanders, 44, who died in the arms of his father, Buford Sanders, after being flung by a twister in a field. He basically held him in his arms, and then finally Albert told him that he felt like he was fixing to die and (said), I just want you to know I love you, daddy," said Albert's cousin Tom Sanders. "And then he died right after that. Tom Sanders' home was badly damaged. Another relative, Jim Wilson, dug the graves for Albert and his wife, Angie Sanders, a few days later. A shiny black tombstone marks the spot in the cemetery of a country church. The couple's three daughters, teens at the time, were injured but survived, Wilson said. Markedia Wells, 39, and her two young sons survived a monster tornado that left a path of destruction through the heart of Tuscaloosa, but their house was twisted off its foundation. She recalls shielding the boys eyes from the sight of a dead neighbor being carried out of the rubble of a home by volunteers who used a door like a stretcher. Recently married, Wells lives with her husband and sons, now 14 and 16, in one of dozens of homes built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers in the same neighborhood. But dozens of empty lots and barren concrete slabs mark the spots where homes once were, and the boys are still skittish about the weather, she said. I'll be the first to admit the emotional loss in it all, she said. We're still very much nervous when it rains. When the weatherman is talking about bad weather or they speak about a tornado that may be coming, it all comes flooding back. Located about 95 miles (153 kilometers) northwest of Birmingham, the town of Hackleburg lost nearly all of its 30 or so businesses, two schools, 180 homes, several churches, a doctor's office, pharmacy and most municipal buildings to the twister, said Colburn, the mayor. He can still point out the underground shelter where he survived the storm with 11 others. We came out and wondered if we were the only ones who survived, said Colburn, whose wife lost an uncle in the tornado. Fewer than 60% of the town's homes have been rebuilt, and bare foundations are all that remain of the old brick storefronts that used to make up Hackleburg's downtown. The city's 1,500 or so residents still struggle with a lack of housing and retail options, he said. The schools were rebuilt along with a new City Hall and a textile warehouse that was leveled, and churches that were wiped out have new buildings. But long gone are the old school buildings that graduates used to visit during homecoming. So are the sanctuaries where generations were baptized, married and eulogized, along with nearly every familiar sight that made the place home. The landscape of the town was forever changed, Colburn said. The story is much the same about 70 miles (113 kilometers) away in Cordova, where four died. The entire downtown was badly damaged by twisters, and what little remained caught fire a few weeks later. Today, 20-year-old Austin Thomas skateboards across the bare concrete foundations of a place he barely remembers from childhood. One tornado just ruined everything, he said. Alberta Government has halted all exploration activities on Category-2 lands until completion of the public consultation on a new coal development policy for the province. The independent committee undertaking the public consultation will report to Alberta Government by November 15. ( ) is continuing its development plans for two coal projects in Alberta that remain unaffected by a recent provincial government decision to halt all exploration activities on Alberta 1976 Coal Development Policy Category-2 lands. This government decision will be in force while it completes a public consultation process for development of a new Coal Policy. However, as Montems Tent Mountain Mine and Chinook Project are on Category-4 lands, its activities remain unaffected by the decision. Support for Government decision Montem said it supported the governments process to devise an updated coal policy for Alberta which includes a public consultation period, and it will continue to stay involved in the consultation. An independent committee undertaking public consultation will report to the Alberta Government by November 15. Montem managing director and CEO Peter Doyle has previously said: We support the process the Government is undertaking to devise an updated coal policy for Alberta and look forward to participating in the consultation process and providing our input on responsible steelmaking coal project development in Alberta. We are seeking to restart operations at the Tent Mountain Mine and to continue exploration at the Chinook Project in the area surrounding the historic Vicary mine. These are strong assets on previously disturbed lands with the potential for long-life, low cost, hard coking coal production. A string of retailers have been offering COVID-19 vaccine incentives to hourly workers, a group including many who have been on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic. By removing barriers that have kept some from receiving the vaccine, the companies are aiming both to safeguard their workforce and provide a safer environment for their customers. We do not want our employees to have to choose between receiving a vaccine or coming to work, so we are working to remove barriers (e.g., travel time, mileage, child care needs, etc.), Dollar General said in its announcement about the benefit. At Walmart, employees can get vaccinated on the clock at their store or receive two hours of paid time off to receive the shot at another location. Dollar General, Best Buy, Aldi, Trader Joes, Sprouts Farmers Market and Darden Restaurants are providing up to four hours of pay, or two hours per dose. Along with four hours of pay, Target is covering Lyft fares of up to $15 each way to appointments. The company is working with CVS Health and others to administer vaccines to employees in its stores and distribution centers. Were encouraging team members to get vaccinated wherever and whenever theyre able whether thats through their local pharmacy, clinic, health care provider or a state or city-run event, a spokesperson said. Other companies are offering small payments. Kroger employees can get $100 if they are vaccinated, and grocery delivery company Instacart is giving $25. Lidl is providing $200 to U.S. employees who are vaccinated. In January, the German grocery chain said an internal survey showed nearly 8 in 10 of its workers planned to get the vaccine when it was available. We are proud to provide our employees the resources they need to receive the COVID-19 vaccine free of any obstacles, said Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl US. Amazon recently started setting up vaccination clinics at some of its Texas warehouses, beginning with its fulfillment center in San Marcos. Employees at its facilities and Whole Foods Market stores can get up to $80 to get vaccinated off-site. Costco did not respond to an inquiry by press time. A spokesperson for San Antonio-based H-E-B did not comment on whether the company is offering incentives. Whataburger, which is also headquartered in San Antonio, does not have anything to share now, a spokesperson said. Companies are encouraging employees to get vaccinated and providing incentives to prevent them from getting sick, infecting co-workers and having to stay home from work, said Venky Shankar, research director for Texas A&M Universitys Center for Retailing Studies. Its also a way to boost customers confidence in returning to stores to signal to customers, Hey, our employees are vaccinated, its a safe environment, he said. On ExpressNews.com: More than 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in San Antonio The supply of COVID-19 vaccines is increasing in Bexar County and across Texas, making it easier for people to get vaccinated without having to schedule an appointment or wait in line. But convincing more people to get the shot remains an obstacle. There are lots of vaccine skeptics that could be persuaded, Shankar said. Most of the barriers are inertia and skepticism. As the pandemic has stretched on, hourly employees at grocery stores and restaurants have faced potential exposure to the virus and confrontations with customers unwilling to wear protective masks. Some retailers have been criticized for not keeping hazard pay programs as sales have swelled, not enforcing mask policies and dropping other protective measures. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million workers in grocery, meatpacking and other industries, 178 grocery employees have died of COVID-19. At least 39,900 have been infected or exposed. Since March 1, theres been a 30 percent increase in COVID-19 deaths of grocery workers. The union has urged employers to provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated, and supports President Joe Bidens plan to provide tax credits for some businesses that pay employees to receive the shot. To keep our food supply secure as the pandemic continues, we need action now from every front line business to eliminate the hurdles these workers face to getting vaccinated, said UFCW International President Marc Perrone. On ExpressNews.com: FAQ: When and where Texans can get the COVID vaccine Legal questions have arisen over incentivizing workers to receive the vaccine and whether employers can mandate it. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released guidance in December indicating that employers can require vaccination, but must accommodate workers who are against getting it because of their religious convictions or due to medical reasons. Earlier this month, Bloomberg Law reported that lawmakers and employer groups have asked the EEOC for clarification around vaccine incentives. The commission plans to issue guidance. Such incentives would typically fall under a wellness plan, in which employers offer rewards for practices they want to encourage, said San Antonio attorney Chris McKinney, who represents employees in legal matters. The reward cant be too valuable it might be seen as being coercive. Thats generally not a problem because employers dont have the wherewithal to make the benefits so large, but thats one concern, he said. Another potential issue is how to handle employees who have a health condition or disability that makes taking the vaccine risky. In order to avoid running afoul of disability laws, the employer should create another way for that person to earn the same bonus or reward as other employees, McKinney said. San Antonio attorney Michael V. Galo Jr., who represents both employers and workers, said his office has received calls from workers objecting to their employers urging or requiring them to get a vaccine. The majority dont like vaccines or think its some kind of an intrusion, and some are opposed because of religious beliefs or medical reasons, he said. If getting the vaccine would be detrimental for someones health, they would have an argument, Galo Jr. said. If they object because of their religious convictions, an employer would have to at least explore if it could be accommodated, but there are high hurdles, he said. Business clients have also asked about requiring vaccination, but none have imposed it so far. Theres a tension there. On the one hand, they want people to be vaccinated so that they can contain the virus. We can reduce the number of absences. Everybody can return back to work in the workplace, Galo Jr. said. But everybodys been hesitant to actually impose it because they say it is somewhat of an intrusion on a persons privacy and their physical body. L'AQUILA, APR 26 - Italian police on Monday made 30 arrests in an operation targeting Italy's Nigerian mafia in 14 provinces across the country. The Black Axe operation stems from a probe in L'Aquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region. Those arrested have been charged with mafia association, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, prostitution, 'romantic fraud', Internet fraud and money laundering by buying and selling Bitcoins. They face almost 100 charges, police said. The head of one of the Nigerian mafia's biggest gangs was arrested in the op, police said. "We have apprehended the leader of a major organisation," said police. Police carried out some 25 searches of domestic premises in the operation. (ANSA). NAPLES Francesca Nardi never liked school, or thought she was particularly good at it, but with the help of teachers and classmates she had managed to stick around until 11th grade. When the pandemic hit, though, she found herself lost in online classes, unable to understand her teacher through the tablet the school gave her. She was failing, likely to get left back, and planning to drop out. On a recent Wednesday afternoon she paused from chatting with two friends, who had already dropped out, near her house in the projects of Naples eastern outskirts. Its better if I just work, Ms. Nardi, 15, said. And not waste another year. Even before the pandemic, Italy had among the worst dropout rates in the European Union, and the southern city of Naples was particularly troubled by high numbers. When the coronavirus hit, Italy shuttered its schools more than just about all the other European Union member states, with especially long closures in the Naples region, pushing students out in even higher numbers. While it is too early for reliable statistics, principals, advocates and social workers say they have seen a sharp increase in the number of students falling out of the system. The impact on an entire generation may be one of the pandemics lasting tolls. The carmaker previously said it expected output to fall by 100,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2021 due to semiconductor shortages Volkswagen AG ( ), Europes largest car maker, warned top managers to brace for a bigger production hit in the second quarter because of the worsening global chip shortage. We are being told from the suppliers and within the that we need to face considerable challenges in the second quarter, probably more challenging than the first quarter, Wayne Griffiths, president of VWs Seat brand, told the Financial Times. The carmaker previously said it expected output to fall by 100,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2021 due to semiconductor shortages and that it would be unable to make up the shortfall this year. Many of the worlds largest automakers have been forced to reduce production in recent months because of the lack of semiconductors. Supply issues have hampered chip output and vehicle makers are also seen as less lucrative customers than the manufacturers of smart phones and video consoles. Pakistan: Develops first ever refrigerated sea water fishing boat April 26,2021 | Source: Pakistan Oberver Pakistan successfully achieved a landmark in fisheries sector by developing first ever state of the art refrigerated sea water( RSW) fishing boat. Recipient of international awards, US based Pakistani origin belonging to Parachinar Engineer Dr Zahid Ayub in a his detailed presentation to Iftikhar Ali Malik, President SAARC Chamber here Sunday said, We have built it and after meeting all international standards and successful trials now put into operation at Karachi harbour. Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry Vice President Raja Muhmmad Anwar, past president FPCCI Eng Daroo Khan Achakzai, President Exporters Association Muslim Khan Banowari, eminent SME expert, founder Secretary General SAARC Rehmat Ullah Javed and others were also present on the occasion. Dr Zahir Ayub said under RSW system sea water is cooled to zero centigrade and fish is kept at that temperature until the arrival at harbour thus maintaining its freshness and hygienic condition. He said this technique would benefit the poor fishermen in Pakistan and also change their socioeconomic condition by exporting fish besides boosting the fisheries sector because now fish will not be spoiled at all thus curtailing their losses to zero. He said European Union for decades banned fish export from Pakistan lacking proper refrigeration of international standards. The EU cannot afford to distance itself from its strategic commitment to partners in the Eastern Neighborhood, but should support democratic transformation in the region, Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Monday. The head of the Romanian diplomacy participated as a keynote speaker, together with his Spanish counterparts, Arancha Gonzalez Laya and Polish, Zbigniew Rau, in the webinar on "The European Union and its neighborhoods in a post-pandemic world", organized by the Spanish think-tank the Royal Elcano Institute, announces the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE). He emphasized, in this context, the importance of the EU taking on an influential role in its own neighborhood, by projecting security and democratic values, in order to be a credible player globally. "In this challenging context, the EU cannot afford to distance itself from its strategic commitment to its Eastern Neighborhood partners. On the contrary, when faced with such hostility in the region, the EU should make more efforts, not fewer, in order to collaborate with its partners and to support the democratic transformation in the region," the Romanian minister stated in his address. Thus, Bogdan Aurescu underlined the need for a solid commitment of the European Union in support of the Neighboring States, focused on identifying adequate responses to the security challenges in the region and on a substantial contribution to the regulation of prolonged conflicts. "We need to develop concrete tools for the EU to have the leverage to provide solutions to protracted conflicts, obviously based on international law. We need to pay attention again to this issue and recognize once again the importance of the EU maintaining a vigilant role. In this case, in light of the strategic objective of consolidating the global vocation of the Union," he pointed out. Referring to the issue of the Western Balkans, the head of the Romanian diplomacy highlighted the indisputable role that the European enlargement policy played on maintaining and consolidating the pro-European orientation of the states in the region. In this context, he stressed the need to anchor the Western Balkans even more firmly on the European path, through the decisive implementation of the commitments made by the states in the region in the framework of European integration processes. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also called for special attention to be paid to strengthening the European commitment to the EU's Eastern Neighborhood, which faces multiple and serious challenges, which hinder the advancement of the stabilization and democratic transformation processes of states in the region. Against this background, the head of Romanian Diplomacy stressed the need to make the Eastern Partnership more efficient and dynamic, by assuming a long-term strategic vision of the European Union for the Eastern Neighborhood States, together with an ambitious set of concrete Partnership objectives for the post-2020 period. He expressed optimism that a Joint Declaration will be adopted at the forthcoming Eastern Partnership Summit, conveying a strong political message on the unequivocal support of the EU for the states in this region, with pragmatic objectives and in line with this degree of ambition. He also stressed that the commitment and constructive approach of the partners will contribute to the success of this event. The Foreign Minister also argued for expanding EU cooperation with the most advanced partner states - Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine - including in terms of security, as well as for continuing EU support for partner countries to manage the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also underlined the importance of the reflection process launched at Romania's initiative and that of 10 other EU member states, regarding the assumption, by the European Union, of a more active commitment regarding the settlement of the prolonged conflicts in the Eastern Neighborhood. In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs evoked the results of the recent Romania - Poland - Turkey Trilateral format meeting on security issues, to which the foreign ministers of Georgia and Ukraine were invited for the first time in this format to address security issues and recent developments in the Black Sea region. He recalled that this meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and Ukraine, within the internationally recognized borders of the two states, as well as for the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the two partners. Authorities Monday morning identified Cameron Rodrigues as the 19-year-old New Bedford man ejected from a car and killed on Route 140 over the weekend, noting police are seeking more information from the public about the crash. Officers responded to the northbound side of the highway near Braley Road in New Bedford around 2:30 a.m. Saturday after a driver called 911 to report the crash, according to a statement from the Bristol District Attorneys Office. Rodrigues was found lying in the middle of the roadway. He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at later Saturday at St. Lukes Hospital. An investigation into the crash scene revealed Rodrigues was driving his 2019 black Kia Optima along the off-ramp of the roadway at the time of the crash. He was ejected from his car after striking a tree and landed in the middle of the highway, according to the statement. It appears the vehicle was traveling in the grass on the left side of the roadway and continued that path until it came to rest against a tree, the district attorneys office said. The vehicle sustained heavy damage. The district attorneys office said it also believes that sometime after the crash, an unknown vehicle drove down the off-ramp and dragged Rodrigues to the area where he was eventually found by the passing motorist. Massachusetts State Police detectives are seeking the publics help in obtaining more information about the fatal crash. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash, was driving in the area of the collision around 2:30 a.m. or may have information about the unknown vehicle has been urged to call detectives at 508-993-2016. Related Content: Crash in New Bedford leaves 19-year-old man dead; police trying to determine if another vehicle was involved The Joint Technical Committee of OPEC+ is concerned about the growing case numbers in India, Japan, and Brazil, Reuters sources said on Monday. The Joint Technical Committee, or JTC, is responsible for assessing oil market fundaments. It is also tasked with monitoring which member countries are complying with the production cut quotas and which are not. The JTC is not changing its oil demand outlook at this time, but the group is keeping an eye on surging coronavirus cases in some substantial oil importers. India, for onethe worlds third-largest oil importerhas hit another high in the number of its new coronavirus cases. It is the fifth day in a row for such record-setting, and with more than 350,000 new cases reported on Monday, the Asian nation has hit a world record for the greatest number of new cases. For India, this is a health crisis of immense proportions. For the global oil markets, it means a slower recovery. India imports more than 4 million barrels per oil every day. Japanthe worlds fourth-largest oil importer and fifth-largest oil consumeris also struggling with an increase in the number of new coronavirus cases, as it has been slow to roll out vaccines. Japan is also one of the worlds largest LNG importers. The JTC, which is meeting prior to the full ministerial meeting that will take place later in the week on Wednesday, is still weighing the impact of various lockdowns on the oil markets. Just one month ago, the OPEC+ pane revised downward its oil demand estimates at Saudi Arabias prodding, just before the group decided to ease production quotas for its members. Oil prices were down slightly on Monday afternoon, but pared earlier losses. At 5:00 p.m. ET, Brent crude was trading at $65.70, down $0.41 on the day. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Ahead of China's 6th annual Space Day, an immersive and interactive museum recently opened to the public in Central China's Hubei province to promote aerospace science popularization. The opening ceremony of No 9 Universe Space Exploration Center was held on Wednesday as a part of a space science popularization week jointly organized by the China National Space Administration news center and the Jingzhou municipal government. At the opening ceremony, CNSA news center director Meng Hua said the great cause of aerospace begins with dreams and advances based on innovation. She hoped the museum could open a door for children to explore, and sow the seeds of, their love for science. The Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization's Secretary-General Yu Qi said the museum is a new landmark for children's space dreams and hoped it would become a model of popular science education for teenagers in China and the Asia-Pacific region. Co-founder of Commsat, a private satellite company, Peng Yuanyuan, expressed his wish for young people to improve their knowledge of space science and technology at the museum, cultivating a systemic and engineering way of thinking, and the ability to face challenges. Located in Songzi, Hubei's Jingzhou city, the museum was developed by Commsat and a local State-owned enterprise. It covers 20,000 square meters and provides more than 40 immersive and interactive activities across five zones-astronaut training, the Moon, Mars, deep space, and cosmic origins. In the museum, visitors can experience the dialogue between space and Earth, receive the flight status information of actual satellites, check data such as orbital altitude and satellite temperature, and design and assemble satellite models. Visitors can also wear magnetic shoes and experience walking upside down and how astronauts feel when moving. In the weightlessness pool, they can carry out underwater weightlessness training like real astronauts. After the opening ceremony, Zhao Chuandong, one of China's first batch of astronauts, gave a science lecture about space exploration. The museum also held the exhibition A Life Story of Qian Xuesen, a pioneer of China's space exploration. In 2016, China designated April 24 as the country's Space Day to commemorate the launch of its first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, into space on April 24, 1970. Stray incidents of violence were reported Monday from some areas where voting is underway for the seventh phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal, though the overall polling process has been peaceful with 37.02 per cent turnout till 11 am, officials said. Long queues were seen outside most polling booths where voting is underway, adhering to Covid protocols, they said. Voting is being held at 12,068 polling stations spread over nine assembly constituencies each in Murshidabad and Paschim Bardhaman districts, six each in Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda and four in Kolkata, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's home turf Bhabanipur. "Till 11 am, 37.72 per cent voter turnout was recorded. The polling has been peaceful so far," an Election Commission official said. A few incidents of scuffle were reported from the Asansol area, where candidate Sayoni Ghosh claimed that activists tried to jam booths in her constituency. The allegation was dubbed as baseless by candidate Agnimitra Paul, who asserted, "Ghosh is making excuses sensing defeat". Meanwhile, there was commotion in Rash Behari constituency after candidate Lt Gen (retd) Subrata Saha's agent was accused of molesting women voters inside a polling booth, police said. Mohan Rao was detained after several women voters claimed he tried to drag them holding their hands inside Bidya Bharati School, a police officer said. Rao, however, rubbished the allegations and said no such incident had taken place. "We have received a complaint in this regard and a probe is underway," the officer said. In the Jamuria constituency, Left Front candidate Aishe Ghosh alleged that her party agents were stopped from entering the booth by workers, a charge denied by the ruling party. Voting will continue till 6.30 pm. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai: Kalyan BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, adjacent to Mumbai, has recently taken a major step. In fact, he has decided to give the money deposited for his son's wedding for vaccination of the people of his area. Under the recent information, the MLA has decided that he will marry his son in a simple manner. He has also decided to give Rs 1 crore for setting up an oxygen plant from his MLA fund. Ganpat Gaikwad's decision is commendable as the corona continues to wreak havoc across the country. We see that at present, the Government, the society, the Ministers are looking helpless or are blaming each other. In the meantime, there are very few people who are really doing good to the people. These include Ganpat Gaikwad who is shouldering the responsibility of paying the price of the people's vote. Let us also tell all of you that every day, 1500 to 1700 new corona cases are coming up in Kalyan-Dombivali municipal area. Everyone here is surprised by the sudden rise in the number of corona infected people. Day by day, relatives of patients are seen wandering around for treatment. If there is no ramdesivir, there is no oxygen, there is a shortage of ventilators. In these circumstances, it is becoming difficult to treat the patients. Recently, a 100 bedded hospital has been set up at Vitthalwadi in Kalyan East, but due to lack of oxygen, the hospital is not being started. Due to this, Former Kalyan MLA Ganpat Gaikwad has announced Rs 1 crore from the MLA fund for the construction of the oxygen plant. Indonesia: 53 crew members of lost naval submarine declared dead Corona infected man gets married in hospital, bride arrives wearing PPE kit Naxalites blast Howrah-Mumbai railway track in Chakradharpur Mandal Jharkhand Youn Yuh-Jung, winner of the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Minari," poses in the press room at the Oscars in Los Angeles, Sunday (local time). Reuters-Yonhap 73-year-old receives best supporting actress Oscar for 'Minari' By Kwak Yeon-soo Youn Yuh-jung made history Sunday (local time) becoming the first Korean to win an acting Oscar for her nuanced portrayal of Soon-ja, the grandmother of a Korean immigrant family, in director Lee Isaac Chung's moving drama "Minari." At the Academy Awards ceremony held at Union Station in Los Angeles, Youn took home the award for best supporting actress, beating out Maria Bakalova in "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," Glenn Close in "Hillbilly Elegy," Amanda Seyfried in "Mank" and Olivia Colman in "The Father." Youn is the second Asian woman to win an acting Oscar after Japanese-American Miyoshi Umeki who won the best supporting actress prize for her role in "Sayonara" (1957). Onstage, the 73-year-old actress thanked members of the academy and the Minari crew who were there to cheer her on as she received the award. "I don't believe in competition. We are the winners for different movies. We played different roles so we cannot compete with each other. Tonight, I'm here because I had a little bit of luck, I think, I'm luckier than you. Or maybe it's the American hospitality for the Korean actor? I'm not sure," Youn said in her acceptance speech. "I'd like to thank my two boys who made me go out and work. Beloved sons, this is the result because mommy worked so hard. And I'd like to dedicate this award to my first director Kim Ki-young, who was a very genius director. I think he would be very happy if he was still alive." At a press conference held after the win, Youn addressed the message of inclusion and equality. "I think it's wrong to categorize people by their skin color. It's pointless to divide people by their race or gender or sexual orientation. Wouldn't it be nice to be all together regardless of that? After all, we are all the same human beings," she said. Brad Pitt, right, poses with Youn Yuh-Jung, winner of the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Minari" in the press room for the Oscars, in Los Angeles, Sunday. AP-Yonhap 'Nomadland' wins best picture at Oscars Youn's Oscar glory celebrated in Korea Youn Yuh-jung shines at Oscars [PHOTOS] Once a 'needs-driven' actor gets global spotlight Korean film industry people shine at Oscars for second year in a row "Minari" was also nominated in five other categories Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Original Score categories but failed to win awards in them. The semi-autobiographical film by director Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari" is the story of a Korean immigrant family moving to rural Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s. Youn plays grandmother Soon-ja, who joins them from Korea to help take care of her grandchildren. The film has earned many accolades since it premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, with Youn lauded for her rare portrayal of an unconventional grandmother. She has won a total of 39 awards for her performance in "Minari," including best supporting actress prizes at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globes and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. Film experts said Youn received well-deserved recognition for her role as Soon-ja that "fit her like a glove." "Her comical yet touching interactions with young David (Alan Kim) whether watching American wrestling on TV or planting the titular seeds along a creek near their small trailer are the heart and soul of the film," said David Scott Diffrient, an associate professor of Film and Media Studies at Colorado State University. "Other audiences around the world especially here in the United States will find her character at once familiar she reminded me of my grandmother before she passed away and distinctively Korean in her nearly tragic commitment to family and to building a better life for future generations," he added. Youn Yuh-jung, left and Han Ye-ri arrive for the 93rd annual Academy Awards ceremony at Union Station in Los Angeles, Sunday (local time). EPA-Yonhap Brian Hu, an assistant professor of Television, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University, explained that Youn's character was not a stereotypical immigrant grandmother, which is rare in American cinema, even amongst Asian American filmmakers. "As she is in so many of her roles, Youn doesn't play characters for pity. Her presence is never easy to figure out, and Youn is able to explore unexpected and buried aspects of a character. Youn's skill in making such a character empathetic and fascinating forces Americans to want to imagine elderly immigrants beyond the limits usually set by Hollywood," professor Hu said. But some film experts remained divided as to whether her accomplishment will bring real change to Hollywood. "I am cautiously optimistic that Hollywood will open its doors to more creative artists like Lee Isaac Chung and other independent filmmakers who, years ago, would have struggled mightily to have their voices heard in a predominately white industry," professor Diffrient said. Citing examples of previous Oscar winners of Asian descent who failed to prompt bigger change in Hollywood, professor Hu said he was skeptical of such change in the near future. "While an Oscar win will bring much to celebrate, it won't open any new doors. We've seen how Oscar wins for actors like Miyoshi Umeki in 1957 or Haing S. Ngor in 1984 did not lead to substantially more Asian American representation in Hollywood, professor Hu said. After states objected to differential pricing for Covid-19 vaccines for the Central and state governments, the Centre on Monday asked the two indigenous vaccine makers (SII) and to lower their prices, according to sources. Neither of them responded immediately. SII and had announced prices for state government procurement and for institutional sale to after the universal vaccination plan for all above 18 years was announced. SII had priced Covishield at Rs 400 per dose for state governments and Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals, while had priced its Covaxin at Rs 600 per dose for state governments and Rs 1,200 per dose for The Centre has maintained it will continue to procure vaccines at Rs 150 per dose. This three-tiered pricing has stirred up a debate with several states including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticising the pricing strategy as not the time for profiteering. Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of SII, had indicated last week that the Covishield price would be Rs 400 per dose for both the Central and the state governments. Poonawalla had claimed that Rs 150 per dose for the Central government was for prior commitments and contracts. It ceases to exist after SII supplies the 100 million doses under the current order to them, and the firm would charge all governments Rs 400 per dose. Industry insiders pointed out that both vaccine makers had indicated their pricing strategies to the Centre and had got the nod to go ahead. A vaccine maker who attended the April 20 meeting with the prime minister said pricing strategies were discussed and they showed the details of advance purchase agreements they had with various countries. Sources said the AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield as SII sells in India) had been fetching an international price in the range of $3-11 per dose. In India SII was selling it at $2 per dose and has now priced it at $8 per dose for Bharat Biotech has pointed out it is fetching a pricing of $15-20 per dose in international markets for Covaxin. We reasoned that people spend $10 on an RT-PCR test every time they have symptoms of Covid, and this can be multiple times during the year. In comparison, paying $10 per dose for a vaccine is nothing much if we consider that it precludes the expenditure on hospitalisation, said an industry source. While announcing the price on Saturday, Bharat Biotech had pointed out Covaxin was an inactivated and highly purified vaccine, making the manufacturing expensive due to very low process yields. Consider the difference between an oral polio vaccine (OPV) and injectable polio vaccine (IPV) manufacturing processes. While IPV uses an inactivated poliovirus, OPV involves a weakened poliovirus, said an industry source. In January, the government had agreed to a price of Rs 295 per dose for Covaxin while it was procuring Covishield for Rs 200 per dose. This was brought down to Rs 150 per dose for both vaccines. By Sachin Ravikumar and Chandini Monnappa BENGALURU (Reuters) - The city of Bengaluru, home to the technology operations of hundreds of global companies, is to enter a two-week lockdown as India battles a sharp surge in COVID-19 infections, officials said on Monday. Karnataka state, of which Bengaluru is capital, will also lock down from Tuesday evening for 14 days, the state chief minister, B.S. Yediyurappa, told reporters after a cabinet meeting. Groceries and other essential services will operate for four hours in the mornings, he said. The region is the latest to impose restrictions after similar lockdowns or curfews in many parts of India, which is in the middle of a massive second wave of infections that has swamped its health system. Bengaluru, a city of 12 million, reported more than 20,000 new infections on Sunday, its highest single-day tally so far. Among major Indian cities, Bengaluru's daily surge is currently second only to that in the national capital Delhi. Still, its test-positivity rate the percentage of people tested who are found to have the disease of 5.4% is much less than Delhi and financial hub Mumbai. The World Health Organization considers positivity rates above 5% to be concerning. (Graphic: COVID-19 cases in major Indian cities: https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/INDIA/azgpojwjxvd/chart.png) (Graphic: Daily COVID-19 cases in India: https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/INDIA/xlbpgemjlpq/chart.png) Microsoft, Amazon and Goldman Sachs are among the hundreds of multi-national firms with technology or IT operations in Bengaluru which employ thousands of English-speaking professionals. Indian IT services giants including Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services also have major operations in the city. Thomson Reuters, parent of Reuters News, has operations in Bengaluru, including its news division. Much of city's white-collar workforce has worked remotely for the past year, but other industries in Karnataka, including apparel manufacturing, have faced disruptions which have led to layoffs in some cases. Story continues The curbs come as India's hospitals, both in Bengaluru and elsewhere, are overwhelmed by a flood of patient admissions. The country has given more than 141 million vaccine doses, but only forms a small proportion of its 1.4 billion population. Karnataka will provide free vaccinations to those between 18-44 years of age at all government vaccination sites, Yediyurappa added. (Reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Catherine Evans and Angus MacSwan) Dr. Anthony Fauci says the US government will soon update guidance on wearing face masks in public, and that relaxing some rules is 'common sense.' The nations top infectious disease expert said that the Centers for Disease Control will update its guidance. I mean, if you are a vaccinated person, wearing a mask outdoors, I mean, obviously, the risk is minuscule. 'Obviously the risk is really very low, particularly if you're vaccinated,' Fauci said of people conducting outdoor activities during ABCs This Week. When asked if the country was heading towards normal, Fauci said that in some respects, we are. Fauci added: It really is a challenge. We have vaccines now. The federal government will update its guidance on mask-wearing in public, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci (seen above during an appearance on ABC This Week on Sunday), who said it was common sense to do so as critics have accused him of flip-flopping on the issue of face coverings Outdoor diners are pictured in Los Angeles on April 22. Dr Fauci says Americans can soon expect updated CDC guidance on how Americans should behave outside to avoid COVID-19 'Obviously the risk is really very low, particularly if you're vaccinated,' Fauci said of people conducting outdoor activities during ABCs This Week. The image above shows protesters wearing masks in Irvington, New York on Saturday FAUCI'S COMMENTS ON MASKS BEGIN AT 5:35 The more we take a look at the data as it accumulates, we see it is even more effective than what the initial numbers of the clinical trial. And we're doing very well. We now have more than 30 per cent of the adult population is fully vaccinated. More than 50 per cent of the adult population is getting at least one dose, which gives them certainly some protection, until they get the next dose. There are still restrictions in place for Pennsylvania, New York (pictured New Yorkers in Manhattan) and Michigan, which for the last few weeks led the daily increase in COVID-19 cases According to data from the CDC, Michigan reported 390.2 cases of the virus per 100,000 in the last seven days New York City alone has recorded 206.1 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days with the remainder of the state reported 176.4 cases per 100,000 in the last week. The state data, above, includes only the broader state; New York City's cases aren't represented Texas Gov Greg Abbott ended a mask mandate on March 10 and fully reopened the state (people at a bar in Houston). In Florida, which doesn't have a mandate, Gov Ron DeSantis allowed businesses to fully reopen in September But Fauci said that were having still about 60,000 new infections per day. Thats a precarious level, and we dont want that to go up, he said. Fauci's relatively upbeat words during his ABC interview sparked claims of another 'flip flop' from America's top infectious diseases expert. Earlier this month, he was criticized for warning the number of new cases was at a 'disturbing' level and set to surge just days after predicting the United States successful vaccine drive would help it avoid a fourth COVID wave. Fauci told CNN's Anderson Cooper: 'Well, certainly, deaths are coming down, hospitalizations are coming down...but the number that is disturbing is the number of cases each day,' the director for the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said. 'When we had the big spike [in the winter]...then it came back down, but now it's plateaued at a disturbingly high level...when you're at that level, there is the risk of getting a surge back up. 'It's almost a race between getting people vaccinated and this surge that seems to want to increase.' Donald Trump accused Fauci of being a 'self promoter' in an excoriating statement released in March, which saw the former president lash the immunologist for taking credit for the development of vaccines. Fauci says his push for the development of vaccines in early 2020 was 'the best decision I've ever made' in a long and storied career. But Trump highlighted comments made by Fauci saying vaccines would take at least a year to develop, when the US ultimately approved its first shots for emergency use just nine months after American began to lock down. Fauci and other public health officials have been mistrusted by supporters of former President Donald Trump who accuse them of giving contradictory medical advice on the issue of masks. A video circulating on social media shows Fauci saying theres no reason to be walking around with a mask. Fauci also flip-flopped on masks themselves, telling a press conference in March 2020: 'There's no reason to be walking around with a mask.' He later became an advocate for mask-wearing in public, and claimed his initial remarks had been made to try and preserve then-short supplies of masks needed by America's medical professionals. In the clip, Dr Fauci says Theres no reason to be walking around with a mask. When youre in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet, but its not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is. And, often, there are unintended consequences - people keep fiddling with the mask and they keep touching their face. Fauci made this comment in an interview with 60 Minutes on March 8, during the early stages of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States. The interview predates the CDCs updated guidance on the use of face coverings. On April 3, 2020, the CDC updated its previous advice and recommended people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside their household, especially when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. In Florida, health officials reported 186.8 cases per 100,000 in the last week Texas health officials reported 70.4 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days As Fauci told The Washington Post, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks were not recommended for the general public, as authorities were trying to prevent a mask shortage for health workers and the extent of asymptomatic spread was unknown. As more information became available about COVID-19, health authorities and organizations around the world have changed their stance towards the impact of face masks and the spread of the disease. Dr Fauci was among the world's most prominent supporters of face masks to help prevent COVID infections. Last month, several states including Florida, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, and Kansas lifted their mask requirements as well as other restrictions on dining and outdoor gatherings. After the mandates were lifted, Fauci said there was a risk that states were loosening restrictions prematurely. Even though the decline was steep, we absolutely need to avoid the urge to say Oh, everything is going great, Fauci told NBCs Meet the Press earlier this month. When you get a plateau at a level around 60,000 new infections per day, theres always the risk of another surge. And thats the thing we really want to avoid, because we are going in the right direction. Fauci said that lifting restrictions was risky business since the case count was still quite high and that more contagious variants have emerged. States including Texas and Florida, which have completely reopened, are reporting fewer coronavirus cases than Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York, which have COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates in place, according CDC data. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ended a mask mandate on March 10 and fully reopened the state. In Florida, which doesn't have a mandate, Governor Ron DeSantis allowed businesses to fully reopen in September. More than 40 per cent of the population has been given at least one dose of the COVID vaccine However, there are still restrictions in place for Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan, which for the last few weeks led the daily increase in COVID-19 cases. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Michigan reported 390.2 cases of the virus per 100,000 in the last seven days. In Pennsylvania, health officials have reported 221.4 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days. New York City alone has recorded 206.1 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days with the remainder of the state reported 176.4 cases per 100,000 in the last week. However in states where there aren't any restrictions, it appears that cases are lower. Texas health officials reported 70.4 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days while Florida recorded 186.8 cases per 100,000 in the last week. Despite the number being lower than Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York - which all have mask mandates - the Sunshine State's increase in infections keeps it in the top 10 states with the highest daily cases. Multiple variants of the coronavirus have been blamed on increasing cases in states like Michigan. Michigan has become the current national hotspot for COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations at a time when more than half the US adult population has been vaccinated and other states have seen the virus diminish substantially. Doctors, medical professionals and public health officials point to a number of factors that explain how the situation has gotten so bad in Michigan. More contagious variants, especially the mutation first discovered in Britain, have taken root here with greater prevalence than other states. Residents have emerged from harsh, lengthy state restrictions on dining and crowd sizes and abandoned mask wearing and social distancing, especially in rural, northern parts of the state that had largely avoided severe outbreaks. The state has also had average vaccine compliance. Michigan has recorded a highest-in-the-nation 91,000 new COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks, despite improvements in the numbers in recent days. By comparison, that is more cases than California and Texas had combined in the same period. Beaumont Health, a major hospital system in Michigan, recently warned that its hospitals and staff had hit critical capacity levels. COVID-19 patient numbers across the eight-hospital health system jumped from 128 on February 28 to more than 800 patients. 'A year ago, the phrase was tsunami,' said Dr Paul Bozyk, assistant chief of critical care and pulmonary medicine at Beaumont Royal Oak. 'It was chaotic. People were overwhelmed with what they were seeing: Death and dying. This year, it's more of a slow, rising flood. No big surge of patients, but we keep getting more each day. We're full.' Detroit was an early epicenter a year ago when the virus first arrived in the US, prompting aggressive measures by Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer to stop the spread. That made her a target of Donald Trump and right-wing protesters who vilified her as the epitome of government overreach in a year when Michigan played a pivotal role in the presidential election. Toni Schmittling, a nurse anesthetist who works at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit, says that when Detroit was hard-hit and her hospital had to double-up ventilator patients in one room, the rest of Michigan was wondering why restrictions were needed. 'We'd say, "Are you kidding me, people are dying right and left here,"' Schmittling said. Now, cases are more spread out and rural areas are getting hit hard. At Sinai-Grace, Beaumont Royal Oak and other hospitals across the US, patients are younger than before, in their 30s to 50s, but don't seem to get quite as sick. Dr Mark Hamed, medical director in the emergency department at McKenzie Hospital in Sandusky, Michigan, and for several counties in the state's northern region, says the area was spared from rampant COVID-19 last year and that may have created a false sense of security, especially among the region's farmers and blue-collar workers who suffered economically from the pandemic and already were feeling COVID fatigue. 'Businesses weren't really enforcing mask-wearing,' and many people in the region shunned them anyway, he said. Now, with variants spreading and many people still unvaccinated, his area 'is being hit pretty hard,' Hamed said. 'Our ER is absolutely swamped beyond belief.' The current surge has left medical staff beleaguered. Unlike their colleagues in other states where the virus is relatively under control, Michigan doctors and nurses are enduring another crisis - more than a full year after hospitals in Detroit were besieged. 'We start to gain some hope when the plateau hits and then here we are with another surge,' said Lizzie Smagala, a registered nurse in Beaumont Royal Oak's medical ICU, where masked-up hospital personnel quietly and methodically tend to the sick.' 'I think the people on the outside of our situation don't understand the depths of what we're going through, how long we've been going through it here in the hospital and that COVID's not really ever left.' Vaccine hesitancy has also been an issue in Michigan. About 40 per cent of the state has received at least one vaccine dose - about the same as the national average. About 28 per cent of city residents 16 and older in Detroit have received at least one dose of vaccine. The city is planning to go door-to-door to urge people to get vaccine doses - many of which are manufactured in Michigan at Pfizer's plant near Kalamazoo. The Novian IT infrastructure and software services group had aggregated revenue of EUR 24.1 million in 2020, or 2.6% more than in 2019. The groups aggregated EBITDA was EUR 1.8 million and compared to 2019 grew 14.9%. The Novian groups net profit for the year, excluding nonrecurring and atypical losses in the value of investments, was EUR 0.6 million and increased 54.5% compared to 2019. Calculation of the results of the Novian group is based on the audited 2020 results of Novian Technologies, Novian Systems and Zissor. Last year was a challenging time for organizations. Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, digitalization became even more relevant from remote work to the smart data, artificial intelligence and automation possibilities that enabled further business continuity and resilience. In that context, we are striving to create value for companies and organizations by also providing integrated IT services that range from the creation of a digital transformation strategy to its implementation in line with an organizations specific needs, said Evaldas Rekus, the CEO of Novian. The geography of operations of the groups companies was essentially unchanged last year: Novian conducted projects in 31 countries. Of its revenue, EUR 17.2 million or 71% was earned in Lithuania, up EUR 2.9 million from 2019. During 2020, 8% of the groups revenue came from projects in Estonia, 4% in the UK, and 3% each in Norway, Ruanda and Burundi. Considering sectors, 29% of revenue in 2020 was obtained in the public sector, 34% in the corporate sector, 22% in the financial sector and 12% in the academic sector. Over the last three years, the financial and corporate sectors share of the Novian groups revenue grew from 41% to 56%, while the public sectors share shrank from 53% to 29% and that of the academic sector grew from 3% to 12%. According to the groups CEO, as IT arrangements expand, the Novian companies' skill in combining older digital technologies with new ones is becoming extremely important. Mr Rekus says the changes in the revenue structure were due to Novian companies growing attention to business needs and specialization as digital transformation progresses especially in the financial, retail and public services sectors, where possibilities for applying big data and artificial intelligence are relevant. In recent years, Novian has given a lot of attention to projects involving high-performance computing devices and digitization. We have unique potential in the region to handle complex, large-scale digitization projects which adapt the digitised material for further use. That is made possible by both the software weve developed and the experience weve accumulated, for example, in the very large-scale document digitisation projects that Andmevara Services and Andmevara SRL have carried out at Estonias national archive, Moldovas cadastre and other archives. The Norwegian magazine material digitized by Zissor and Andmevara Services in 2020 is immediately transferred online and the metadata created enable its use in further activities. We see big promise in this area fast and high-quality digitization of large quantities of data is relevant to the academic, public, publishing and archive sectors, he added. Innovative Novian Technologies projects According to audited figures, the main Novian company in the technology area, Novian Technologies (known until the end of 2020 as BAIP), had revenue of EUR 18.2 million in 2020, or 6.7% more than in 2019. Its net profit for the period was EUR 0.8 million and increased 67.5% from the prior year. Also operating in the technology area are Andmevara Services OU of Estonia and Andmevara SRL of Moldova. In this business area, companies earned the most revenue in 2020 in the corporate sector, at 37% (versus 36% in 2019), with 25% earned in finance (20% in 2019), 21% in the public sector (39% in 2019) and 14% in the academic sector (3% in 2019). Novians technology-area companies conducted projects in 30 countries in 2020. Notable projects in this area in 2020 included the modernization of a cluster of high-performance computing devices that will give Vilnius University an international competitive advantage and the deployment of high-performance computing devices in more than 10 countries of Africa where due to natural disasters thousands of people die every year and losses run into the millions. Using them to model the consequences of climate change is very important. Also noteworthy were projects to create the IT infrastructure for Lithuanias GovCloud and to expand bank self-service systems or info-terminal services in the Baltic region. We carried out many other projects that created real value and support as well, said Gytis Umantas, the head of the technologies area and CEO of Novian Technologies. He noted it was also important that when logistics and service export condition changed due to the global pandemic, Novian Technologies managed to quickly refocus and successfully meet its commitments to clients. Our logistics skills grew to expert level, and our model for using local partners to provide services in distant countries took root very well and continues to be successfully used, the CEO said. Novian Technologies experts also developed a proprietary methodology, known as MigrITIS, for migrating IT systems, based on which all projects to migrate Oracle and other IT systems are now conducted. Novian Systems expanded its range of software services Novians main software services company, Novian Systems (known until the end of 2020 as Algoritmu Sistemos), had audited revenue of EUR 2.8 million in 2020, or 2.4% more than in 2019. Its net profit for the period was EUR 0.3 million and increased 57.4% from the prior year (net profit is assessed excluding nonrecurring and atypical losses in the value of investments in subsidiaries and does not include the revenue and net result of the merged company Acena). In 2020, there was a heavy focus on rationalizing operations in the software services area. Novian Systems integrated the Estonian company Andmevara AS, which it acquired from INVL Technology in 2019, and at year-end annexed Acena, a provider of business analytics and process automation solutions, thus offering a wider range of software services. Currently operating in this area are Novian Systems and Estonia-based Andmevara AS. In the last two years, the companies working in the programming area (including Acena) have conducted projects in 8 countries, concentrating most of their activities in Lithuania. Last year they earned 80% of their revenue in Lithuania and 18% in Estonia. The public sector accounted for 60% of their revenue last year (versus 64% in 2019), while roughly a quarter was from the corporate sector (22% in 2019). The range of software services that is relevant for companies and organizations has expanded recently, so we are ready to provide both business optimization and larger-scale data analytics, robotics, and artificial intelligence solutions while also continuing to focus on developing information systems for the needs of specific areas, said Elena Vengriene, the head of the software services area and the CEO of Novian Systems. The most noteworthy of the projects carried out include the development and deployment of an intelligent control process management subsystem for Lithuanias State Tax Inspectorate and a project for services controlled by Lithuanian speech which is boosting the accessibility of e-products and services in the Lithuanian language. In addition, thanks to Novian Systems use of IT technologies like microservices, cloud computing and data analytics, its modernization of the census data subsystem of Lithuania's integrated statistical information system and software it developed, Lithuanias 2021 population and housing census is being conducted by using the data of 19 main government registers and information systems. For that effort, instead of the 6,000 census employees previously needed, this year five specialists are sufficient. Zissor digitized periodicals together with Andmevara Services The Norwegian company Zissor, a provider of media monitoring software and digitization services, last year had audited revenue of EUR 711,000 (0.4% more than in 2019), while its net profit was EUR 68,000 or twice as much as in 2019. The company earned most of its revenue, 58%, in the UK, and one-fifth in Sweden, also carrying out projects in Norway, Germany, Greece and other countries. Noteworthy among Zissors projects are the digitization of the Norwegian magazines Motor and Sykepleien. They were digitized automatically using the Zissor Content System, while scanning was performed by Andmevara Services. The US company Magnolia Clipping & Broadcast Monitoring also began using Zissors media monitoring software, and other projects were implemented. The Novian groups companies in the Baltic countries, Norway and Moldova employ about 170 professionals. The Novian group of businesses is owned by INVL Technology, a company that invests in IT businesses. The person authorized to provide additional information: Kazimieras Tonkunas INVL Technology Managing Partner E-mail k.tonkunas@invltechnology.lt Attachment Ankit Agrawal, 30, born in a Marwari family, grew up in an entrepreneurial environment in Biratnagar. His father is into the trading business and his elder brother in the capital market. After graduating in India, the young Agrawal also followed suit by pursuing his own venture rather than doing others job. Agrawal, however, chose a different business idea which he claims is environmentally friendly and honours raw materials locally available in the country. Agrawal started Naturo Earth, a wellness brand with a vision of utilising the raw materials, mainly medicinal and herbal plants that are in abundance in Nepal. After faring well in the domestic market in the first three years of operation, this business now wants to go global. Utilising the strength of the country Naturo Earth is not Agrawals first business; he had also tried his hand at restaurants as well as the academic industry in his hometown. While working in these businesses, I realised most of the people are engaged in import business in Nepal, he says, But, I thought of doing something that would utilise the strength of Nepal, that is vast natural resources. I began researching their potential. As a result, he says he initially found tea and coffee businesses lucrative. But, he also noticed that most of the organic tea products of Nepal were being exported via India to the western world with made-in-India tags as Nepal lacks logistic facilities. Products of Naturo Earth Agrawal shares, I visited several tea places such as Ilam and also met people involved in making organic products. I also went to many other concerned government agencies. Finally, he got to know about the potentials of medicinal and aromatic plants in Nepal, after undergoing many trials and tribulations for two years. This led him to establish Naturo Earth in December 2018 in Kathmandu, with a capital of Rs 2 million, as a wellness brand. Sustainability at centre Agrawal says he coined this name, combining two words: naturo meaning natural and earth that stands for earthy products. Our brand name suggests we mainly focus on manufacturing the products using raw and organic materials in a sustainable and environment-friendly way. This brand mainly makes products related to health, beauty, and lifestyle, including varieties of natural and organic handmade soap bars, moisturisers, honey, tea, hemp-based products, oils, and a lot more. Started with 10 items, the brand now offers around 50 products to the customers, priced from Rs 300 to Rs 5,000. The company makes the products in small batches as per the customers needs. Handmade soap bars collection of Naturo Earth. Agrawal says, Not only our raw materials are natural and organic but whole processing (manufacturing process) and packaging are also done in an environmentally sustainable way. To date, we are almost plastic-free as we mostly package our products in paper made up of elephants dung. Gradual growth In the first month of this venture, Agrawal got an opportunity to exhibit his brand products in the 2nd Middle East Organic Exhibition in Dubai where he was the only representative from Nepal. There, I came to know that our products have huge potential in the international market also. Agrawal shares, Although I had started this venture targeting the international market, mainly European and North American countries, as of now, Nepal has become our main market. In the early days, Naturo Earth used to sell around five products daily while the sales have increased by 10 times by now, according to Agrawal. However, the journey was not easy and still not, summarise Agrawal, The major challenge we faced and are still struggling with is the lack of logistic facilities to reach the international market. Another hurdle that stood across our way is the lack of awareness of using sustainable products in the domestic market. Products of Naturo Earth Fortunately, this has changed a lot and local customers are connecting well with such products, says Agrawal, adding, which is why Nepal currently has been his companys primary market. In order to create such a scene, Naturo Earth, from the initial days of operation, marketed its products via family and friends and then online, mainly social media platforms. Likewise, word of mouth and celebrity reviews also helped shape our existence in the market, shares Agrawal. Till 2020, the 2017 Miss Nepal Nikita Chandak was our brand ambassador. As of now, there are three core members of Naturo Earths team. They are Agrawal himself, his sister Bhawana who looks after the finances, and his sister-in-law Gazal, who takes care of formulation of products, says Agrawal. Presently, the products of this company are available in different online stores like Daraz, Sastodeal, Gyapu, and many physical concept stores in the Kathmandu valley including its own store at Jhamsikhel. Along with that, Agrawal is planning to take this venture abroad in the next six months, to introduce more and more innovative products and increase the team. Photo: Aryan Dhimal A partnership between UC Davis and Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., chairman and CEO of Allegiant Travel Company, has led to a new rapid COVID-19 test. A recent study published Nature Scientific Reports shows the novel method to be 98.3% accurate for positive COVID-19 tests and 96% for negative tests. "This test was made from the ground up," said Nam Tran, lead author for the study and a professor of pathology in the UC Davis School of Medicine. "Nothing like this test ever existed. We were starting with a clean slate." The novel COVID-19 test uses an analytical instrument known as a mass spectrometer, which is paired with a powerful machine-learning platform to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasal swabs. The mass spectrometer can analyze samples in minutes, with the entire process taking a total of about 20 minutes. The accuracy matches or outperforms many of the current COVID-19 screening tests. The new testing method may allow for the rapid screening of large numbers of individuals for businesses, schools, venues and other large facilities. The project originated with Gallagher, a UC Davis alumnus and a longtime supporter of innovation and entrepreneurship at UC Davis. Last year, when the pandemic brought the airline and hospitality industries almost to a standstill, he began conceptualizing approaches that would allow people to gather again safely. Gallagher approached H. Rao Unnava, professor and dean of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, who connected him with Tran at the School of Medicine. Gallagher and UC Davis entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement, with support from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, to develop an automated COVID-19 test on a mass spectrometer. Mass spectrometers are essential analytic tools used by a wide variety of industries for research and testing. This is the first test for COVID-19 that pairs mass spectrometry with robotics and a robust automated machine learning platform to rapidly deliver test results. The coupling of these unique elements not only allows testing for COVID-19 but may be able to quickly adapt to detect other diseases and perhaps future pandemic organisms. "Mr. Gallagher, through his generosity as an alum, has shown how business and universities can work together in solving problems of critical importance to the world," said Unnava. "I am glad that this groundbreaking work will continue to build on the reputation of UC Davis as a place where you always 'Expect Greater.'" Project builds on the prior success of MILO platform The collaboration is part of a new center in the School of Medicine, the UC Davis Center for Diagnostic Innovation. "This game-changing, rapid new COVID-19 test speaks to the deep expertise of our faculty and scientists to find novel solutions to pressing global health challenges," said Allison Brashear, dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. "It's this kind of innovation and collaboration that has been the hallmark of our response to the pandemic." To ensure support for the study's analytic portion, Tran enlisted Hooman Rashidi, a longtime collaborator and a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The machine, a mass spectrometer MALDI-TOF, or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight, uses a laser to create small particles -- ions -- from large molecules in the testing sample. These ionized particles create signals that can be used to identify many compounds, including those associated with microorganisms and pathogens. For the study, 226 nasal swabs from UC Davis' biorepository of COVID-19 tests were ionized in the Shimadzu 8020. The swabs were from leftover samples and volunteers who consented to the study. Some of the participants had COVID-19 symptoms, and some were asymptomatic. The hundreds of peaks and signals produced by the ionized test swabs were analyzed by the automated machine learning platform MILO (Machine Intelligence Learning Optimizer). Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence, or AI. Tran, Rashidi and Samer Albahra are the co-developers of MILO. The platform has previously been used to predict severe infections and acute kidney disease. For the COVID-19 test, MILO finds distinguishing patterns among the many mass spectrometry peaks and signals and deciphers which patterns correspond to the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the samples. MILO accomplished the analysis in a fraction of the time that a non-automated machine-learning approach would have taken. "This meant drastically expediting the study without compromising any performance measures," said Rashidi. Gallagher has launched a new startup, SpectraPass, to develop the rapid, automated system into a means to facilitate opening businesses and the economy. Experts at UC Davis Health are helping guide the SpectraPass team through the scientific, machine learning and clinical steps needed to move the COVID-19 testing technology closer to emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "The COVID-19 pandemic not only brought the world's commerce and travel to a halt - it also took away our fundamental human interaction, our freedom to be together," said Gallagher. "This project has resulted in a real breakthrough that can not only provide instant, accurate information about COVID infection, but can be an important part of addressing other viruses and even developing therapies. The excitement of working with the team at UC Davis is in knowing we are helping make sure our children and grandchildren are better equipped to deal with potential pandemics in the future." The partnership exemplifies the goals of Aggie Square, which brings together the university, community and industry to connect and collaborate. "As a top-tier research university known for its excellence and disciplinary breadth, UC Davis is exceptionally well-positioned to work with our industry partners on groundbreaking innovations that benefit society," said Mary Croughan, provost and executive vice chancellor. ### Additional authors on the study include Taylor Howard, Julia Loegering, Brett Phinney, and Michelle Salemi, University of California, Davis; Ryan Walsh, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments; and John Pepper, Allegiant Travel Company. Link to video: https:/ / youtu. be/ Sy2tGAVL2uU Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 00:20:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Looking back on the past 100 years, the cause of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has always been advanced through overcoming various challenges. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Sunday visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, where he paid homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle. From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army, which was the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, carried out the legendary Long March, a daring military maneuver that laid the foundation for the eventual victory of the CPC. In the winter of 1934, the Red Army, through the hard-fought Battle of the Xiangjiang River, successfully crossed the river and broke through the Kuomintang troops' blockade, but tens of thousands of them sacrificed their lives. Battles such as this have tested the will, courage, and strength of the CPC and highlighted the CPC's resilience in overcoming major challenges. The revolutionary martyrs did not sacrifice in vain. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the CPC has led the Chinese people to create economic miracles and long-term social stability. The spirit of dedication carried over in the age of peace. Over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have all been lifted out of poverty, ensuring that absolute poverty no longer exists in the world's most populous country. Numerous examples like these have demonstrated that the 100 years of the CPC not only depict extraordinary success but also a history of dedication. These sacrifices will never be forgotten by the Party, the people, or the republic. With firm belief and consistent actions of putting the people at the very center, the CPC remains committed to serving the people and relying on them in all endeavors, and it engages in a tireless effort to make life better for them. That explains why the Chinese people's support rate for the CPC and the government has been above 90 percent for years. The CPC as China's governing party is a choice of history. Public support is the key to the CPC's strength and confidence in long-term governance. It is important to draw lessons from history and be clear-headed and determined to prepare for future tests in delivering performances that can withstand the test of time in the new era. To fully build a modern socialist country by the mid-century would be no walk in the park. It will take more than drum beating and gong clanging to get there, with the whole Party working even harder toward this goal. Reviewing the history, the spirit of tenacity and perseverance in overcoming challenges will be a valuable source of strength, empowering the Party to lead the Chinese people to make new remarkable achievements. Enditem After one of the most difficult years in the oil industrys history, crude prices have recovered and major producers are finally generating spare cash. Investors really want to get their hands on it, but most are likely to be disappointed. Thats because the pandemic has created a legacy of debt for the worlds biggest international oil companies, many of which borrowed to fund their dividends as prices crashed. For Exxon Mobil and Total, which bore the financial strain of maintaining shareholder payouts last year, any extra cash will go to easing debt. Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell have said they want to resume buybacks, but not yet. Only BP is dangling the possibility that shareholder returns could improve soon, after a year and a half of flip-flopping over its payout policy. The coming weeks first-quarter results should show a significant improvement in both profit and cash flow after a dire 2020, but probably nothing that will change investors disenchantment with the oil majors. They have limited appeal as long-term investments because they cant demonstrate that they can deliver cash flow on a sustainable basis and return it on a sustainable basis, said Christyan Malek, JPMorgan Chase's head of EMEA oil and gas. The key is consistency. We havent had any. The first quarter will be an inflection point for the industry, according to JPMorgan. Company data and estimates compiled by Bloomberg show free cash flow -- whats left after operational spending and investment -- is set to rebound to $80 billion for the five supermajors this year, compared with about $4 billion in 2020. Shell will be the top of heap with about $22 billion, Exxon will total $19 billion and even lowest-ranked BP will have about $11 billion. That will be enough for each of the five majors to cover their planned 2021 dividends and together have more than $35 billion left over. Its unclear how much of that could make it into the pockets of shareholders. Priorities for deployment of Europes oil majors strong first-quarter free cash flow will vary, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Will Hares. BP has achieved its debt target and is set to announce resumption of buybacks. Shell has announced a small dividend bump, though is unlikely to resume buybacks given its $65 billion net debt target. BPs buybacks After raising its dividend by 2.4% in February 2020, then cutting the payout by half just six months later, BP has come under pressure to prove it can deliver reliable returns to shareholders. The London-based firms shares are the worst performing in its peer group over the last 12 months. Even its Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney has acknowledged that investors are questioning whether BP can pull off its reinvention for the low-carbon age. Earlier this month, BP managed to set itself apart from its peers in a positive way, giving the clearest signal of impending buybacks. The company said it had achieved its target of reducing net debt to $35 billion about a year sooner than expected and will give an update on the timetable for stock repurchases on Tuesday, when it opens Big Oil earnings season. Thats a significant increase in the urgency of improving shareholder returns. Back in August, BP put its goal of returning 60% of surplus cash to investors fifth on the priority list after funding the dividend, reducing net debt, shifting expenditure into low-carbon projects and spending on core oil and gas assets. Debt reduction BPs European peers, whose shares have performed better in the past year, arent moving so fast. Frances Total, which was the only oil major in the region to maintain its dividend last year, has said that any extra cash that comes from higher oil prices will be used to cut debt. Its next priority will be to increase investment in renewables to about 25% of its overall budget. Buybacks will only come after that. Shell announced a 4% increase in its dividend in October, after cutting the payout by two thirds earlier in the year. It has a target of reducing net debt by $10 billion before it returns any extra money to shareholders. Banks including Citigroup Inc. and HSBC Holdings Plc predict that wont happen until 2022, since net debt rose in the last quarter of 2020 to $75 billion. Unlike BP and Shell, the North American majors managed to make it through 2020 with their payouts intact, but at a high cost. Exxons debt pile surged 40% during the pandemic to $73 billion, prompting Moodys Investors Service to downgrade the companys bonds twice in the past 12 months. The Texas-based giant expects to return to profit in the first three months of 2021 after four straight quarterly losses. The company has said it will maintain its $15 billion annual dividend while paying down debt if oil and gas prices remain at current levels. JPMorgan sees Exxons free cash flow rebounding to $19.6 billion this year, giving it a sizable surplus with which to reduce borrowings. Of the five supermajors, Chevron has the best balance sheet and strong prospects for a share buyback, according to HSBC analyst Gordon Gray. The California-based company said in March that it should generate $25 billion of free cash over and above its dividend through 2025 if Brent crude remains at $60. The oil majors focus on pleasing investors and healing their financial wounds comes largely at the expense of investment in their core business. As the pandemic unfolded last year, the companies slashed their spending to the lowest combined level in 15 years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. The stranglehold will continue this year, with capital expenditure set to rise only slightly despite oils recovery. Chevron and Exxon have both locked in spending plans at radically reduced levels all the way through 2025. Total has marginally raised its capital investment budget for this year, while BP and Shell have put a firm ceiling on expenditure. So while the combination of higher oil prices, rock-bottom spending and asset sales is delivering the surge in cash flow that will help solve the supermajors short-term problems, it may be creating a long-term headache. Shell acknowledged earlier this month that its not investing enough in new projects to offset the natural decline in production from its existing oil and gas fields. The majors are slaking the shareholders thirst for cash returns, said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. In the long term capex cuts, debt and disposals could do as much if not more harm than good, and none are really sustainable. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Its shaping up to be the next big American battle: How do we compel reluctant people to get vaccinated against COVID-19? Forcing them to do so is not the answer. Not in a free country. And not without a lot of unintended consequences. There are lots of reasons why some people do not want to get the vaccine. Some are concerned about the speed at which the vaccines were developed. They feel not enough research was done regarding possible long-term effects. Others are against any vaccinations at all. This goes back even before the pandemic. And there is mistrust of vaccines and government-run health programs in communities of color, thanks to the the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study. And Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week pointed to vaccine hesitancy in the undocumented immigrant community, saying that those people can be reluctant to engage with officialdom in any way, shape or form. In other words, vaccine reluctance cuts across many political and racial lines. Its not just an issue in any one demographic. Its all coming to a head as we hear more and more about the United States hitting the vaccine wall, the point at which all those who want the vaccine will have received it. On the positive side, that means that vaccine appointments will become more plentiful, making it easier for people to get a dose. But the experts tell us that the country wont reach herd immunity from the virus if too many Americans fail to get vaccinated. The National Institutes for Health over the weekend said that herd immunity could occur when 70 to 85 percent of Americans are vaccinated or have had COVID. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top White House advisor on the pandemic, back in December put the herd immunity number at 90 percent. Either way, the current vaccine numbers arent in the neighborhood yet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just 28.5 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated. The CDC reports that 42.2 percent have had at least one dose. And the CDC has also reported that 8 percent of Americans who got one dose of vaccine did not return for their second. The CDC said that some Americans didnt come back because they couldnt get two doses of the same brand of vaccine. Or because getting to a second appointment was too inconvenient. Or because theyd had bad side effects from their first dose. So now the focus is turning more to how government can compel the vaccine reluctant to get their dose. Its going to be an uphill climb. Even though vaccines for decades have been required for schoolchildren, military personnel and travelers to certain parts of the world. And even though untold lives were inarguably saved by vaccines for polio, smallpox and other diseases. Vaccines have long been a normal part of our lives. But thats a far cry from requiring that every man, woman and child be vaccinated. Its hard to imagine New York City sending doctors and nurses into predominately African-American communities, for example, and forcing residents there to get vaccinated against their will. And the same 14th Amendment right to privacy that made abortion constitutional could also be cited by those (likely on the other end of the political spectrum) who refuse a vaccine: Government, keep your hands off my body. Have I no right to be secure in my person? And to what extent can unvaccinated people be excluded from everyday life, including necessary travel and access public buildings? What if the exclusions were applied unevenly? We were told months ago that getting people vaccinated would be the final battle against COVID-19. It looks like the battle is going to continue for a little while longer. A teacher teaches her class in Fairfax, Virginia, after schools reopened to some students in February. Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images The Rhode Island Foundation announced a program to recruit new teachers of color over the next five years. The program includes an incentive of up to $25,000 in student loan repayment for the new teachers. The program has raised $3.1 million and is aiming to hire teachers in the city of Providence. See more stories on Insider's business page. To address the diversity gap between students and teachers in Providence, the Rhode Island Foundation announced a new program on Monday to recruit new teachers of color - with student loan repayment as a benefit. The Rhode Island Foundation said in a press release that it has raised $3.1 million to increase the number of teachers of color in Providence public schools. Students of color represent 80% of the district's enrollment while just 20% of teachers make up minority groups, the release said, and this new program plans on recruiting more than 125 teachers of color over the next five years with up to $25,000 in student-loan repayment as an incentive. "The benefits of a diverse faculty are well documented. Students can be inspired in new ways when their classrooms include role models who look like them," Neil D. Steinberg, the foundation's president and CEO, said in a statement. "Research confirms that when taught by a teacher of color, students of color experience higher reading and math test scores, higher graduation rates, decreased dropout and discipline rates and increased enrollment in advanced courses." To be eligible for the program, full-time teachers must be new hires and identify as Black, Asian, Indigenous, Latino or multiracial, according to the release. If eligible, the new teachers can receive up to $6,000 of their student debt paid off after one year of teaching, up to an additional $8,500 after completing a second year, and up to $10,500 after completing a third year of teaching. Current teachers are not eligible for the program. Insider previously reported that the student-debt burden falls disproportionately on people of color. Last week, 36 civil rights organizations called on President Joe Biden to cancel $50,o00 in student debt per person to help alleviate the racial disparities that have left borrowers "on the brink of financial devastation." Story continues "Student debt cancellation will help Black and brown borrowers build wealth and enable our economy to move forward as millions of Americans are able to start families, buy homes, and set up small businesses," the organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said. The organizations noted that upon graduation, Black borrowers typically owe 50% more than white borrowers, and four years later, Black borrowers owe 100% more. Canceling $50,000 per borrower would eliminate student debt for 75% of all federal borrowers, including full cancelation for 85% of Black borrowers and 96% of Latino borrowers in the lowest income quintile. Biden has not yet canceled $50,000 in student debt per person, but has asked the Justice Department and Education Department to review his ability to use executive powers to do so. Read the original article on Business Insider It is a rite of spring for the sap to rise in high school students and, back in the day, I heard tell of a guy who used to abscond with a pretty girl and go to the lake to watch submarine races in the late-morning sun. Not anymore, today it's major league stuff. At Nashvilles Overton High School on Friday two ninth graders were stabbed, one critically. The week before a white police officer at Knoxvilles Austin East High School shot and killed a black student who was reaching for his 9mm pistol. The fully-loaded automatic was in the front pocket of his sweat shirt. The Knox County District Attorney said Thursday that the officer fired in self-defense and, within two hours, protesters gathered at the school and in front of the police department. Meanwhile, in Memphis the violent crime task force arrested a 14-year-old who leapt from a second-story window in an attempt to run but was quickly caught. It is strongly alleged he shot and killed an 18-year-old 10 days ago. And in Chattanooga, at the School for the Creative Arts on Dallas Road, some child defaced the American Flag by placing a Black Lives Matter flag on it. This was after the very liberal principal told the schools SRO to remove the police flag in his office because she had received complaints about it, and she then wrote an official letter-of-complaint to the unrelenting officer a day or two later. I will not stand for any of my officers or any of our police serving the Chattanooga community, to be treated with disrespect. I have a thin blue line flag in my house, said a disappointed County Sheriff, Jim Hammond, and so do other police officers all over this city. If the School for Creative Arts so desires, I have other uses for a very, very fine sheriffs deputy and, if he is harassed by the principal or students, I would be happy to reassign this officer and let Chattanooga School for the Creative Arts handle the messes they create. Chattanooga School for the Creative Arts is a city school so maybe the City Council can advise the principal. Sheriff Hammond continued, I talked to the school superintendent (Bryan Johnson) about the Black Lives Matter flag and he seems not to be real concerned about public school students defacing the flag, like it is some sort of prank, but I will tell you every veteran who has fought under that flag feels differently. I believe our nations flag is sacred and every morning when I leave the house I see my thin blue line flag and I am reminded every day that those represented by that blue line are the safeguards we have in the United States between good and evil. Every officer in our county, be it Signal Mountain, East Ridge, or Collegedale, should feel the same way." We are here to protect and serve. I will not tolerate disrespect for a law enforcement officer or for that matter disrespect of anyone in Hamilton County. I am convinced the vast majority of our citizens want what is good and right, the sheriff said. I gave my oath I would do all in my power to protect all people. That includes those who were offended when our flag was desecrated. Ill not have it. Art Acevedo, who left Houston recently to become the Police Chief of Miami, is hardly surprised at what is happening across the country. An idle mind is the devils workshop many school districts have been closed for a year and a half. The parent still has to go to work so these kids are left alone, unsupervised. They seek out their friends and the next thing you know we have big problems. Do we ever. In Philadelphia, carjacking is now the rage, with a 450 percent increase over last year. Chicago had an 80 percent increase this March over last years March. Its just a game, Chicago detective Brendan Deenihan said. These children are still extremely young, terrorizing people, and a lot of them shrug, 'Its just a car.' Big Democratic-run cities, pounded by the defund police lunacy, are the worst being hit. In Philadelphia six juveniles have been arrested and charged with murder where there were none last year. Carjackings in Washington D.C., jumped to 345 from last years 142 incidents, yet the biggest statistic in that for the first three months last year, there were 95 at the end of March versus 33 last year a 352 percent increase. Minneapolis, where Derek Chauvin was just found guilty of second-degree murder, took $1.1 million of its police budget to fund a violence interrupters program through the health department. But now there is a noticeable uptake in broad daylight carjackings, robberies, assaults, shootings, and street racing. Over 100 officers have left the MPD or have taken extended leave. All of my people want to know, is Where are the police? said Councilman Jamal Osman, who was one of nine who voted unanimously for heavy defunding. In 2019 Minneapolis had 101 carjackings, but in 2020 it had 404. There was another triple increase last year and get this -- what is most disturbing is that over 80 percent of the carjackings in the fabled Twin Cities are committed by minors. Thats right. People who shrug off Black Lives Matter flags at liberal-led high schools in liberal-led cities will soon be retested at a greater standard. Smart money is betting on carjacking in Chattanooga. In Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago, two girls, ages 13 and 16, killed an unsuspecting Uber driver. Two days later a pair of boys, 14 and 13, were arrested for grand larceny juvenile car theft and both were armed. What they face is far distant from the principals office. Miamis Acevedo: A big part of the (crime) increase has been the fact they havent been going to school. There is no tool in terms of truancy to keep them in school. And, so, guess what theyve been up to? the police chief floated the question before answering, Theyve been up to no good. Selah. royexum@aol.com Decode Your Future with an Online Computer Science Degree from Drexel Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program thats right for you. Learn More. We are in the midst of what many are calling the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0. This is a time of disruption, massive change, opportunities, and significant risks. Fortunes will shift, companies will fail, and new companies will rise from the ashes. Like every revolution before, we will better understand what we can do, and likely do worse concerning work-life balance and family importance. There is also a significant risk for abuse and the loss of our humanity. This last could turn out to be a good thing. This week, let's talk about where we are in this latest Industrial Revolution and where we'll likely be when this wave ends in 10 to 40 years. We'll close with my product of the week, a new conferencing camera/speaker solution from Poly. The First Three Industrial Revolutions The first Industrial Revolution started in 1760 and is believed to have ended 60 years later. It caused the birth of the middle class, professional jobs at scale, advancements in manufacturing tools (mainly in textiles), agriculture, and mining. The second Industrial Revolution started in 1871 and lasted for about 43 years. It saw the birth of fast transportation (land and sea), wired and wireless communication, and electricity. Also, we had the emergence of production lines that massively accelerated how quickly and cheaply we could build products for both civilian and military use, which set an industrial foundation for two world wars. The last Industrial Revolution, which started in the 1950s and ran for the rest of that century, saw the birth of computers, automation, functional robotics for manufacturing, and the digital age's birth and maturity. Each revolution had profound impacts on labor, power, income, wellness, and work-life balance. The first two revolutions arguably improved wealth distribution, eliminated most royalty, considerabley reduced slavery, and put power into the people's hands in much of the world. One could argue that the last Industrial Revolution undid a lot of that good. Wealth again migrated from the many back to the few, people gave up their power to companies and governments, and work-life balance declined for most sharply. However, it wasn't all bad, as computing power led to better healthcare, longer life expectancies, improved job safety, greater access to information, and the end of world wars. The problem with each revolution is they weren't managed. Both the benefits and the harms emerged organically, and with each improvement, the capability to do good or ill was significantly magnified. If you think of technology as a lever, and, stealing from Archimedes, you could move the earth with a long enough lever. The Fourth Industrial Revolution promises to be one mother of a long lever. The Fourth Industrial Revolution The Fourth Industrial Revolution has been going on for a while now, arguably starting soon after the beginning of this century with the viable birth of artificial intelligence. It brings with it the promise of advancements in blending humans and machines with mechanical organ and limb replacements, considerable advancements in machine intelligence (a term I think is more accurate than AI), flying cars, the rise of autonomous machines, massive instrumentation of the civilian population, and a world war. But this world war is a war on pollution and global warming, which is increasingly causing harmful weather events, rising oceans, and the polarization of world views. It has also resulted in another huge problem that must be an immediate global need to get extended auto insurance protection (I swear if I didn't get calls for this, my phone would rarely ring). The joke on auto insurance aside, this Industrial Revolution will force us to reconsider who we trust for information, where human ends and machines begin, and visa-versa. It will also require we take a far closer look at work-life balance because we could end up being hardwired to computational resources, potentially having us on the job 24/7 if we aren't careful. Wondering about sleep? Recent breakthroughs indicate we could likely work while we sleep. Granted, we'll need to work on dream quality because, in most of mine, I seem to be looking for cars in parking lots, classes I'm late for, or agonizing over tests for which I haven't studied. Robotic advancements are far farther along than most realize, ranging from advanced robotic pets and beasts of burden, to robotic weapons systems; not to mention artificial and quantum brains. These developments, as they mature, will have significant impact on our lives. (I'm thinking of having my future robot take those damned car insurance calls!) The level of disruption and danger with this revolution is unprecedented because we create things that can act with a purpose far more quickly than we can. About half of all jobs are at risk of being automated during this latest revolution, and we are even building robotic mates (fortunately, they still need a ton of work). Even the concept of being a male parent has potentially become redundant (I suggest a conscious effort by men to treat women better before they collectively decide we are no longer needed). We do have efforts to cool the earth, clean up ocean-borne plastics, and even move us to Mars if we screw up the planet. I still think that it might be better to fix the planet we are on, but what do I know? Wrapping Up: Advice For Weathering Massive Change I've just touched on a few of the changes. I haven't talked about flying cars, our move from petro-chemicals to electricity, quantum computing, cyber risks, or space aliens, but what should you do to survive better what is coming? First, I'd move away from areas on the coast or high human density. Global warming is resulting in rising water and increasing weather events where the land meets that water. Also, avoid areas where there are already extreme weather events and make sure your house is constructed not only to survive the weather of today but the weather as it likely will be in a decade or so. Consider a forward-looking field that rewards remote work and where constant training is a part of the job. You don't want to become obsolete in the middle of this mess. Pick naturally agile companies, have diversity at the top and the bottom, and pay more than lip service to corporate social responsibility. Inventory your priorities and factor those into your decisions about family, where to live, what kind of job to do, and the nature of the company you work for or the business you build. Learn to embrace rather than fight change. It's coming; you can't stop it, so you might as well find a path to enjoy that change. In short, you want to find a relatively stable island of enjoyment that you can preserve while recognizing stability will be impossible. Your goal is to limit the amount of change you'll need to face so you can manage the unavoidable disruptions. Get used to conservation and work on your antisocial behaviors. We will be in an increasingly connected and transparent world, and making sure you don't have bombs in your digital history will help ensure you have a long and successful career. One last thing: consider adopting the Flux Mindset, which is a way of dealing with massive change while maintaining a healthy attitude. You'll need it because we are about to enter the period of this latest Industrial Revolution that will be the most disruptive in the world's history. I expect it to be one hell of a ride. The Poly Studio P15 Video Bar We've been living on products like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex for nearly a year now, and I've been in the search for a better video camera. The Logitech Brio, which has been my go-to camera for years, gets horrible support from Logitech. Many of the Brio's initial features, like advanced green screen capability, stopped working some time ago. So I got excited when Poly contacted me to look at their new Poly Studio P15, their $599 high-end desktop video conferencing device. My initial impression is that while this camera/microphone/speaker system is expensive, it is the best desktop solution I've so far tested. The tag line for this product is "look amazing, be amazing," and it delivers. The whole point to a solution like this is to look good on camera, and you can adjust the settings to give yourself a little color, and it not only auto frames you, but it will also use AI to eliminate background noise. You can limit your field of view to hide the mess beside your desk, and it has built-in speakers which aren't bad either. This video bar sat just fine on my 49-inch Dell monitor, but it's too big and heavy for a laptop. It has a built-in screw mount for a tripod, though, and I'd recommend that you use a tripod with a laptop. Poly Studio P15 Video Bar For this price you'd expect to get a good camera -- and you do. It has backlight correction and a decent field of view, which is significant for self-centering. The app is pretty basic but does what is needed; and frankly, too many controls can lead to messing up the image, so I'm ok with it. It's missing some features that I expect to arrive in high-end cameras, like the ability to render you virtually, apply virtual makeup, or actively make you look younger and better, but no one does that right now. The Poly Studio P15 is the best personal video conferencing camera I've yet seen, and if your appearance is essential, you should check it out. It is also 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. New York, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "North America Metal Stamping Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis By Process and Application" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06065017/?utm_source=GNW Canada has the second-largest count of electric vehicles (EVs) in the region, which escalates year-on-year. The growing population in urban areas is demanding increasing public transportation with the improvement in existing transportation infrastructure.The OEMs in North America are focusing on reducing their carbon footprint, thereby promoting electric vehicles, specifically electric passenger cars. With the growing demand for automobiles, the manufacturers of passenger cars and taxis are focusing on green technologies.Several countries in the region are focused on building green transportation. The governments of North American countries are taking several initiatives by offering tax rebates and incentives to boost electric vehicles adoption in their public transportsuch as e-trucks and e-busesto reduce CO2 emissions. BYD K9, Mercedes Benz electric truck, and Tata Starbus Hybrid e-buses are a few of the electric vehicle models popular in the region. Moreover, the US governments Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 permits tax credits for new plug-in electric drive motor vehicles. Several state governments in the US are also offering additional incentives to electric vehicle owners. Programs such as the Richmond electric vehicle program and Hawaii clean energy program are also projected to boost the countrys EV adoption rate. These factors are expected to create enormous opportunities to implement metal stamping in batteries and other parts of electric vehicles. ACRO Building Systems (ACRO Metal Stamping); Clow Stamping Company; D&H Industries, Inc.; Goshen Stamping Company; Kenmode, Inc.; Integrity Manufacturing, Inc.; Manor Tool & Manufacturing Company; Caparo Group; Klesk Metal Stamping Co.; and Tempco Manufacturing Company, Inc. are among the key players profiled in this research study. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on North America Metal Stamping Market The North America region especially the U.S. witnessed an unprecedented rise in number of confirmed cases resulting in large-scale lockdown across different regions as well as industrial activities. As a result, several small & medium enterprise owners have limited their industry personnel whereas many other have laid off non-essential employees shortly owing to restricted business operation. In addition to this, the company also minimized the allocated budget for manufacturing of metal stamping owing to economic slowdown, which affected the business activities. Moreover, the component manufacturer, supply chain and distributor lack of availability of business also has significantly influencing the production of metal stamping by the market players. Thus, the market is expected to witness a major drop in the demand from the end-users for the current year and the subsequent years to recover from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The constant demand for metal stamping has witnessed a slight decrease in the production in the year 2020, owing to lockdown imposed by the government and low demand from automotive and electronics industries.This has hindered the growth of the metal stamping market last year, as is likely to continue slightly during 2021. The COVID-19 has already impacted the sales of electronics equipment and industrial machinery in the first quarter of 2020 and is expected to have a negative impact on the market growth throughout the year, as now the companies are functional with limited workforce and trying to come up with the losses, they faced in the year 2020.The significant requirement for the industrial machinery is majorly noticed from giant manufacturing countries such as the US, which is heavily impacted by the spread of coronavirus, thereby hampering the demand for industrial machinery. Further, most of the manufacturing plants are shut down, municipalities are functioning slowly as compared to the past, and the automotive industry is at a halt, which is negatively impacting the metal stamping market in the region. In terms of patient count and death toll, Canada and Mexico are still at a nascent stage in comparison to the US. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06065017/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) Four Metro Manila mayors expressed opposing views on what community quarantine classification the government should set for May, as hospitals in the capital region remain packed with COVID-19 patients. San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora on Monday called for a two-week extension of the modified enhanced community quarantine over Metro Manila despite experts' report of a slight decrease in new COVID-19 cases. "I'd rather stay under MECQ then reassess again after two weeks. It's really hard to open the economy at this point because even if we are improving, we can improve even further," he told CNN Philippines. The Health Department, OCTA Research Group, and groups of physicians and hospitals are also batting for an extension of the MECQ over Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan once it expires on April 30. Health experts have presented three options for community quarantine come May: MECQ until end of May, MECQ then shift to general community quarantine by May 15, or shift to GCQ starting May 1. In its report on Sunday, OCTA said the national capital region's new daily COVID-19 cases averaged at 3,841 during the April 18 to 24 period, which translates to a 20% decline from the week before. Philippine College of Physicians Vice President Dr. Maricar Limpin also said Monday hospitals haven't seen the effect of the two weeks of ECQ then another 14 days of MECQ, so it's only prudent to extend the lockdown. However, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said she is in favor of easing quarantine restrictions in the NCR Plus bubble to general community quarantine next month. She said this is her position after she observed social unrest in communities due to unemployment and hunger caused by lockdowns. Community pantries have sprouted across the country, starting in Quezon City, with ordinary citizens helping feed fellow Filipinos amid the pandemic. However, the social effort has led to one death and crowding which some fear could cause a spike in COVID-19 cases due to lack of physical distancing in lines. Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro and Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos agree that a shift to GCQ is necessary to spur economic activities and lessen impact on businesses and workers. "The economy must take its leap to help the community," Abalos said in a text message. "Many of our residents are losing jobs and our small businesses are closing because of the lack of economic activity due to the strict quarantine rules. With that, I see the need to gradually open our economic activities," Teodoro told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Ngayon. Zamora said the 17 local chief executives of Metro Manila will meet with economic managers on Monday before they cast their votes. Metro Manila mayors usually vote as a whole due to the porous region. Their vote will be taken into consideration by the Inter-agency Task Force for pandemic response, which will issue the recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte. The final decision is expected to be released during Duterte's address to the nation on Wednesday. CNN Philippines correspondent Crissy Dimatulac contributed to this report. Tyler Perry told audiences to 'refuse hate' while being awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award on Sunday night at the 93rd annual Academy Awards. The filmmaker, 51, was emotional as he accepted the honor from Atlanta, Georgia, where he reflected on how he learned the power of compassion from his mother, who rejected resentment even as she grew up in the segregated South. 'She taught me to refuse hate and blanket judgment,' Perry said, while urging everyone to start 'meeting in the middle' to let 'healing begin.' Changemaker: Tyler Perry sent a powerful message about compassion while accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award on Sunday night at the 93rd annual Academy Awards 'In this time, with all of the internet and social media and algorithms that want us to think a certain way,' the Madea mogul explained. 'The 24-hour news cycle. It's my hope that we teach our kids, refuse hate. Don't hate anybody.' 'I refuse to hate someone because they're Mexican or because they are black or white. Or LGBTQ,' he said. 'I refuse to hate someone because they're a police officer or because they're Asian. I would hope we would refuse hit hate.' Perry also asked audiences to think about compromise more, saying: 'I want to take this humanitarian award and dedicate it to anyone who wants to stand in the middle.' 'Because that's where healing, where conversation, where change happens.' Rising above: Perry told viewers to 'refuse hate', a lesson he learned from his mother Middle ground: He also urged people to find the 'middle' and let 'healing' begin 'It happens in the middle. Anyone who wants to meet me in the middle to refuse hate and blanket judgment, this one is for you, too.' The actor/director/producer's generosity has been unparalleled during the COVID-19 pandemic. This past Thanksgiving Perry donated 5000 boxes of holiday meals to families in need. And in April, the billionaire partnered with a local Atlanta hospital to turn his studios into a vaccination site, covering all the costs himself. Unity: 'It happens in the middle. Anyone who wants to meet me in the middle to refuse hate and blanket judgment, this one is for you, too' Giving: This past Thanksgiving Perry donated 5000 boxes of holiday meals to families in need. Car stretched for miles to the donation site, seen above In addition to his Oscar, Perry's philanthropy was recognized by the Television Academy, who bestowed him with last year's Governors Award. He also received the People's Champion award at E!'s People Choice Awards. There have been 39 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards given since 1957, with recipients including Bob Hope, Oprah Winfrey and, most recently, Geena Davis. Its namesake, Jean Hersholt, served as MPTF president for 18 years, from 1938 until his death in 1956. Millions of Americans are not getting the second doses of their Covid-19 vaccines, and their ranks are growing. More than 5 million people, or nearly 8 per cent of those who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, have missed their second doses, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is more than double the rate among people who got inoculated in the first several weeks of the nationwide vaccine campaign. Even as the country wrestles with the problem of millions of people who are wary about getting vaccinated at all, health authorities are confronting an emerging challenge of ensuring that those who do get inoculated are doing so fully. The reasons vary for why people are missing their second shots. In interviews, some said they feared the side effects, which can include flu-like symptoms. Others said they felt that they were sufficiently protected with a single shot. Those attitudes were expected, but another hurdle has been surprisingly prevalent. A number of vaccine providers have canceled second-dose appointments because they ran out of supply or did not have the right brand in stock. Walgreens, one of the biggest vaccine providers, sent some people who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to get their second doses at pharmacies that only had the other vaccine on hand. Read | US to resume J&J Covid-19 vaccinations despite rare clot risk Several Walgreens customers said in interviews that they scrambled, in some cases with help from pharmacy staff, to find somewhere to get the correct second dose. Others, presumably, simply gave up. From the outset, public health experts worried that it would be difficult to get everyone to return for a second shot three or four weeks after the first dose. It is no surprise that, as vaccines are rolled out more broadly, the numbers of those skipping their second dose have gone up. But the trend is nonetheless troubling some state officials, who are rushing to keep the numbers of partly vaccinated people from swelling. In Arkansas and Illinois, health officials have directed teams to call, text or send letters to people to remind them to get their second shots. In Pennsylvania, officials are trying to ensure that college students can get their second shots after they leave campus for the summer. South Carolina has allocated several thousand doses specifically for people who are overdue for their second shot. Mounting evidence collected in trials and from real-world immunization campaigns points to the peril of people skipping their second doses. Compared with the two-dose regimen, a single shot triggers a weaker immune response and may leave recipients more susceptible to dangerous virus variants. And even though a single dose provides partial protection against Covid, it is not clear how long that protection will last. Im very worried, because you need that second dose, said Dr Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory panel. Also Read | Adults in all US states are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccination The stakes are high because there is only one vaccine authorized in the United States that is given as a single shot. The use of that vaccine, made by Johnson & Johnson, was paused this month after it was linked to a very rare but serious side effect involving blood clotting. Federal health officials on Friday recommended restarting use of the vaccine, but the combination of the safety scare and ongoing production problems is likely to make that vaccine a viable option for fewer people. The CDCs count of missed second doses is through April 9. It covers only people who got a first Moderna dose by March 7 or a first Pfizer dose by March 14. While millions of people have missed their second shots, the overall rates of follow-through, with some 92 per cent getting fully vaccinated, are strong by historical standards. Roughly three-quarters of adults come back for their second dose of the vaccine that protects against shingles. In some cases, problems with shipments or scheduling may be playing a role in people missing their second doses. Some vaccine providers have had to cancel appointments because they did not receive expected vaccine deliveries. People have also reported having their second-dose appointments canceled or showing up only to find out that there were no doses available of the brand they needed. Some people can be flexible about being rebooked. But that is harder for people who lack access to reliable transportation or who have jobs with strictly scheduled hours, said Elena Cyrus, an infectious disease public health researcher at the University of Central Florida. Walgreens booked some customers for their second appointments at places that did not have the same vaccine that they had received for their initial doses. The company said it fixed the problem in late March. Susan Ruel, 67, was scheduled to get her two vaccine doses at different Walgreens stores in Manhattan. She said she got her first Pfizer dose without incident in February, but when she arrived for her second appointment, she was told that the store only had Moderna doses in stock. A Walgreens pharmacist told Ruel that there was another Walgreens pharmacy less than 2 miles away with Pfizer doses in stock. While Ruel was waiting for the subway to take her there, she got a phone call: That Walgreens store had run out of Pfizer doses, too. Ruel managed to get the Pfizer dose at yet another Walgreens the next day. But she said many people in her situation probably would not have tried so hard. All you need is hassles like this, she said. In the Chicago area, for example, pharmacists at two Walgreens locations said the problem was causing headaches. They said that Walgreens appointment system was sending each pharmacy anywhere from 10 to 20 customers a week who need a second Pfizer shot, even though both pharmacies stock only the Moderna vaccine. It is not clear how widespread the Walgreens dose-matching problem has been or how many people have missed their second doses because of it. Jim Cohn, a spokesperson for Walgreens, said that the problem affected a small percentage of people who had booked their appointments online and that the company contacted them to reschedule in alignment with our vaccine availability. He said that nearly 95% of people who got their first shot at Walgreens have also received their second shots from the company. Walgreens has also come under fire for, until recently, scheduling second doses of the Pfizer vaccine four weeks after the first shot, rather than the three-week gap recommended by the CDC. Pharmacists have been besieged by customers complaining, including about their inability to book vaccine appointments online. In other cases, though, access to vaccines is not the sole barrier; peoples attitudes contribute, too. Basith Syed, a 24-year-old consultant in Chicago, nabbed a leftover Moderna vaccine at a Walgreens in mid-February. But when the time came for his second shot, he was busy at work and preparing for his wedding. After the first shot, he had spent two days feeling drained. He did not want to risk a repeat, and he felt confident that a single dose would protect him. I didnt really feel the urgency to get that second dose, Syed said. By early April, his schedule had calmed down a little, and he went looking for a second Moderna shot. But by then, the Walgreens where he had gotten his first shot was only offering Pfizer shots. He could not find slots at other Walgreens stores. Syed is no longer actively looking for a second shot, though he still hopes to eventually get one. The CDC said there is limited data on the vaccines effectiveness when shots are separated by more than six weeks, although some countries, including Britain and Canada, are giving shots with a gap of up to three or four months. Syeds experience is part of a broader shift in Illinois. When vaccines were mostly being given to health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities and people older than 65, almost everyone was getting their second shots. In recent weeks, though, the number dipped below 90 per cent, though it has since rebounded slightly, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. In Arkansas, about 84,000 people have missed their second shots, representing 11 per cent of those eligible for those shots, said Dr Jennifer Dillaha, the state public health researcher. Workers recently began calling people who are due or overdue for their second shots. College students pose a particular challenge. Many recently became eligible to be vaccinated and are getting their first shots, but they will have left campus by the time they are due for their second doses. In Pennsylvania, health officials have instructed vaccine providers to give second doses to college students even if they did not receive their first doses from that location. Some vaccine providers have put on special clinics for people who need a second dose. In South Carolina, the health system Tidelands Health started a program specifically for people who received their first Pfizer doses more than 23 days earlier but had not been able to find a second shot. The state health department sent the health system 2,340 doses for the effort. Demand has been strong, and Tidelands only has a few hundred doses left. The majority of takers have been people who were having difficulty navigating all the various scheduling systems and providers, said Gayle Resetar, the health systems chief operating officer. In many cases, vaccine providers had canceled second-dose appointments because of bad winter weather. It was up to the individual to reschedule themselves on a web portal or web platform, and that just became difficult for people, Resetar said. There are rare cases in which people are supposed to forgo the second shot, such as if they had an allergic reaction after their first shot. Zvi Ish-Shalom, a religious studies professor from Boulder, Colorado, had planned to get fully vaccinated. Then, an hour after his first shot of the Moderna vaccine, he developed a headache that has not gone away more than a month later. There is no way to know for sure whether the vaccine triggered the headache. But after weighing what he saw as the risks and benefits of a second dose, Ish-Shalom reached a decision about how to proceed. At this point in time, I feel very clear and very comfortable, given all the various elements of this equation, to forgo the second shot, he said. Washington: British actor Anthony Hopkins won the best actor Oscar on Sunday, an upset victory over the late Chadwick Boseman, the presumed front-runner. Hopkins, 83, won the second Oscar of his storied career for a heart-wrenching performance as a man with dementia in The Father. He did not attend the ceremony. With Sunday's win, Hopkins became the oldest actor ever to win an Academy Award. Hopkins has a six-decade film, TV and stage career. He is perhaps best known for playing the brilliant but twisted murderer Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 thriller, The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won his first Oscar. He also won the BAFTA Best Actor award in Britain this year for The Father. Boseman, best known for the superhero movie Black Panther, had been widely expected to claim the best actor prize for his role as an ambitious trumpet player in 1920s jazz drama, Ma Raineys Black Bottom after winning a slew of awards in the run-up to the Oscars. Boseman died in August 2020, having kept secret a four-year battle with colon cancer. In The Father, Hopkins plays an aging man who has refused any help from his family and who is beginning to doubt what is real and what is imagined. It is adapted from a 2012 stage play of the same name. Born in Wales, the soft-spoken Hopkins is the son of a baker whose career has seen him playing characters ranging from the late U.S. President Richard Nixon to artist Pablo Picasso, Pope Benedict and director Alfred Hitchcock. But Hopkins said his first love was music and that he came to acting as a profession by accident. He is also an accomplished pianist and artist who has lived for years in California. A car park at Pipers Hill education campus in Naas should be opened to ease congestion there, a local council meeting was recently told. Cllr Bill Clear said a car park on site is now empty because people are working from home as a result of Covid-19. Another councillor, Evie Sammon, told a Naas Municipal District meeting that the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board has requested costings for proposals to improve access and some feel that there is a need for a second access point. Some 1600 students and pupils attend three schools there in normal times. And the entrance is also used by residents living in nearby housing developments. Naas residents using the Kilcullen Road will be aware that the road is heavily congested every school morning and more houses are under construction in the area. A road safety assessment carried out by a specialist company is with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department, which has asked for cost estimates. It is also seeking a risk analysis report of the recommendations within the report and an engineering tender has been completed. The KWETB has conceded that while a car park used by Education and Training Boards Ireland may provide part of a solution, the ETBI is nevertheless fearful of fearful of the risk of an accident if the facility is open for public use. Cllr Sammon said once information is forthcoming from the KWETB, Kildare County Council should meet the board. KCC official Celina Barrett said its hoped to arrange a meeting within a month. Ordered by the Republican-majority Arizona Senate, ballot scanning equipment is set up at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 22, 2021. (Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo) Maricopa County Judge Recuses Himself From 2020 Election Audit Case The judge who was overseeing a legal challenge to the Arizona Senates audit of votes cast in the states largest election during the 2020 presidential election has recused himself from the case less than 24 hours before a scheduled April 26 hearing. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury recused himself from the legal challenge on April 25 after learning that attorney Chris Viskovic, with whom hed had a prior working relationship, had joined the case, according to a document obtained by The Epoch Times. The court received filings at 4 p.m. April 25 that included names of new attorneys, including Viskovic, who worked at the office of Coury as an extern within the past five years. Viskovic now holds a position as a junior associate at Kolodin Law Group PLLC, which is representing the Florida-based cybersecurity firm Cyber Ninjas in court. Cyber Ninjas is one of four firms hired by the state Senate to conduct the audit. The recusal notes that in accordance with the states code of judicial conduct and rules of the Arizona Supreme Court, Coury must recuse himself from any further involvement in the case. The Arizona Senate liaison for the audit said in an April 25 statement: We look forward to the assignment of a new Judge and a rescheduled hearing as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the audit continues. Coury, a Republican appointee, was replaced by Judge Daniel Martin, a Democrat appointee, in the case on April 26. The audit taking place in the states largest county started on April 19. Companies hired by the state Senate are examining 2.1 million ballots, testing voting machines, looking for IT breaches, and performing a hand count. The state-issued subpoenas that were needed to execute the audit were ruled as valid on Feb. 25. Arizona Democrats filed an emergency request to block the audit on April 22. Coury granted the request the following day but only if the party would post a $1 million bond. Democrats refused, so the audit wasnt paused. During a hearing earlier in the day, Coury did say that he would temporarily pause the audit until at least April 26 so he could hear more about concerns Democrats laid out in a lawsuit. Coury isnt popular among Democrats, who campaigned to oust him last year from another four-year term on the bench over his ruling on an education ballot proposition called Invest in Ed. The Maricopa County Democratic Party in October 2020 campaigned to oust Coury, creating a website that called him an activist judge after he ruled that the summary for the proposed tax hike for education was misleading. The other firms hired by the Republican-majority state Senate to conduct the audit include Wake Technology Services, CyFIR, and Digital Discovery. A report is expected to be released on the audits findings in about two months. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. The fresh funds raised will be utilized for first-in-human studies with Ahammunes new drug candidate AB1001 for vitiligo Pune-based biotech startup company, Ahammune Biosciences has raised an undisclosed amount in a Pre-Series A round led by Ideaspring Capital and Indian Angel Network. Kotak Private Equity, Legacy Assets LLP (Baldota family fund), and Dr. Ajith Kamath (ex-Pfizer) have also participated in the round along with existing investors, including Dr. Anand Deshpande and Suman Kant Munjal. The Company also has Dr. Ganesh Natarajan as an existing investor and has been in receipt of funding grant from Government of Indias body, BIRAC. The freshly infused capital will be used for first-in-human studies with Ahammunes new drug candidate AB1001 for vitiligo, a debilitating skin depigmentation disorder. The study will comprise Phase-I safety studies in healthy human volunteers and Phase-II efficacy studies in vitiligo patients. The biotech company will also deploy the funds in building the patent portfolio to further the research and development efforts. Ahammune, founded in May 2016, has filed its first Investigational New Drug (IND) Application with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for approval to conduct human studies with its lead drug candidate for vitiligo. Talking about the latest development, Dr. Parul Ganju, Co-founder and CEO of Ahammune Biosciences said, Currently, there is no cure for vitiligo. Our drug aims to fulfill the unmet need in Vitiligo therapeutic. We have positioned it as a topical solution, a segment of the market that accounted for 54% of the total market share of available options. Our preclinical data suggest our drug candidate is very safe and is able to stop the spread of depigmentation and repigment white patches in animal models. Based on these studies, the first intended use of the drug will be in patients with non-segmental vitiligo, who have active vitiligo. Apart from the treatment for vitiligo, the company is aiming to target multiple dermatological indications with its deep pipeline of IP-based molecules that modulate cellular pathways underlying skin health and immunity. April 26, 2021 Saudi Broadcaster 'Leaks' Context Free Quotes From Iran's Foreign Minister Talk - Should It Be Trusted? A rather weird leak from Iran appeared yesterday. But even weirder is the reporting about it. From the New York Times: Irans Foreign Minister, in Leaked Tape, Says Revolutionary Guards Set Policies Javad Zarif of course did not say what the headline claims: In a leaked audiotape that offers a glimpse into the behind-the scenes power struggles of Iranian leaders, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Revolutionary Guards Corps call the shots, overruling many government decisions and ignoring advice. In one extraordinary moment on the tape that surfaced Sunday, Mr. Zarif departed from the reverential official line on Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of the Guards elite Quds Force, the foreign-facing arm of Irans security apparatus, who was killed by the United States in January 2020. The general, Mr. Zarif said, undermined him at many steps, working with Russia to sabotage the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and adopting policies toward Syrias long war that damaged Irans interests. If the Revolutionary Guard really 'calls the shots' and was against the nuclear deal why was it signed and sealed? If Soleimani and/or Russia really wanted to 'sabotage the nuclear deal' why did it come into existence? Russia by the way would have had no need to 'sabotage' the deal. It simply could have vetoed it during the negotiations or later at the UN Security Council. In the Islamic Republic the military field rules, Mr. Zarif said in a three-hour taped conversation that was a part of an oral history project documenting the work of the current administration. I have sacrificed diplomacy for the military field rather than the field servicing diplomacy. Well - if your ally Syria is under attack from U.S. backed Al-Qaeda terrorists and your neighbor country Iraq gets overrun by the Islamic State there is little that diplomacy can achieve. Those are issues and moments where the military is needed before diplomacy can take over. Then comes a paragraph that is typical for the manipulative lying that distinguishes NYT scribbling from real reporting: The audio was leaked at a critical moment for Iran, as the country is discussing the framework for a possible return to a nuclear deal with the United States and other Western powers. Talks through intermediaries have been taking place in Vienna. It is not Iran that is discussing 'for a possible return to a nuclear deal'. Iran never left the deal. It is the U.S. that wants to reenter a deal the U.S., but not Iran, had left. Iran isn't discussing with 'the United States and other Western powers' but, through intermediaries, with the U.S. alone. That's because the other powers involved in the deal are a. not solely 'western' but include China and Russia and b. also never left the deal. As for the authenticity of the 'leak' and real meaning of the selected few quotes from Zarif's talk consider the source: The recording, of a conversation in March between Mr. Zarif and an economist named Saeed Leylaz, an ally, was not meant for publication, as the foreign minister can repeatedly be heard saying on the audio. A copy was leaked to the London-based Persian news channel Iran International Iran International, which first reported on the recording and shared it with The New York Times. Iran International is not a 'London-based Persian news channel'. It is a Saudi government news channel with a studio in London that broadcasts in Farsi: The media outlet is funded by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman via a Royal family tycoon owner and has close ties with all Saudi-backed groups and allies, including the son of the dethroned Pahlavi Regime, Reza Pahlavi and pro-Pahlavi monarchists who have long had intimate relations with Riyadh as well as the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI) terrorists. Given the source of the 'leak' and the very few context free Zarif quotes the NYT provides from it no conclusions should be drawn from them. Posted by b on April 26, 2021 at 16:44 UTC | Permalink Comments Emerald Fennell, winner of the award for best original screenplay for "Promising Young Woman," poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool) The 93rd annual Academy Awards were always going to be a bit surreal this year. The pandemic changed many of the usual rhythms and traditions of the Oscars on Sunday night. There was a glamour-filled red carpet but no onlookers or teams of publicists. There were in-person, mask-less winners but not in the usual order, and the speeches were never drowned out with play-off music. Compounding the differences this year was a telecast, steered by producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacy Sher, that wanted a new look and feel to an often stodgy, persistently unchanging ceremony. But what was with that ending? How staged was Glenn Close's dance? And where, oh where, was the play-off music? Here's my best try to answer some of the nights befuddlements. Producers Peter Spears, from left, Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey, winners of the award for best picture for "Nomadland," pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool) THE ENDING WHY? The Oscars have known more dramatic and more shambolic endings ("Envelopegate" was a mere four years ago) but this may have set a new bar for anti-climactic. You would swear someone even played a sad trombone. Going into Sunday, the show's producers had said they wanted to take some big swings" in the telecast. One turned out to be switching the normal awards order. Best director, usually one of the final awards, was handed out mid-show. Best picture was third-to-last and the night's final two awards were best actress and best actor. Presumably, the thinking was that best actor would go to Chadwick Boseman (he won virtually every best-actor trophy leading up to the Oscars), and thus end the ceremony on a meaningful note of tribute. But there had been hints of an upset. Two weeks earlier, Anthony Hopkins won at the BAFTAs, an award he was also absent for though the show managed to track him down in his native Wales to talk to the BAFTA press. The Oscars had pressed nominees to attend, if possible, or join from a remote location. But the 83-year-old Hopkins ( who became the oldest actor to win an Oscar, his second ) elected not to travel to Los Angeles or the hub in London. Knighted living legends who adore the Welsh countryside get to do that. Only the next morning did Sir Anthony, with a bucolic vista behind him, post an Instagram video of thanks, and a few words on the late Boseman. At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get his award, I really didn't, he said. Posthumous Oscars are also hard to come by. There's a reason it's only happened twice before among actors (Peter Finch and Heath Ledger). For some voters, it can seem like a wasted vote, since the honoree isn't there to accept it. And one of the longest Oscar seasons ever (the ceremony was postponed two months) may have sapped some of the momentum for Boseman, who died last August; some may have felt he had been already honoured by previous awards like at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Perhaps the Independent Spirit Awards on Thursday supplied foreshadowing when Riz Ahmed ("Sound of Metal") was chosen over Boseman. Nominees, including: Yorgos Lamprinos, bottom center, Adrien Merigeau, center left, Amaury Ovise, center right, Nicolas Becker, center, Jean-Louis Livi, top right, and Florian Zeller, top second left, attend a screening of the Oscars on Monday April 26, 2021 in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, Pool) The Oscars haven't always ended with best picture, but it's been more than 40 years since another category was last. Even the best-picture winners who usually conclude the telecast with trophies raised werent expecting it. It surely was a surprise, said Nomadland producer Dan Janvey backstage to reporters. I think a lot of us grew up watching the Oscars and Ive gotten used to it being last. But on Sunday, the category switcheroo culminated in an absent winner and a strange empty-stage finale a fitting end to a thoroughly strange movie year. WHERE WAS THE PLAY-OFF MUSIC? No snark was part of the mandate of this year's Oscars, Sher said. From top to bottom, the show was a sincere celebration of cinema and the night's nominees. Introductions were lengthy and detailed. And when winners clutched their Oscars, they were given wide latitude to speak. Not once did music director Questlove turn up the music. This was partly because the show had more time. Performances of the best song nominees were pre-taped and aired during the red-carpet preshow, meaning the broadcast which also had few comedy bits wasn't in a race. That went with the overall tone of the show: To earnestly celebrate the artistry and craft of moviemaking. On-camera talent, Soderbergh noted before the show, only accounts for a fraction of a film set. WHY DID FRANCES MCDORMAND HOWL? We give this one to our wolf," McDormand said while accepting the best picture award for Nomadland. McDormand, a producer as well as star of Chloe Zhao's film, let a howl that could have been a reference to her nomadic, lone wolf character in a melancholic open-road tale about the primal necessities of life. But McDormand's howl was more pointedly poignant than that. It was a way to honour Michael Wolf Snyder, the film's production sound mixer, who died in March at the age of 35. That howling to the moon is for Wolf, Zhao explained to members of the press. McDormand earlier said of Snyder in a statement to Variety: Wolf recorded our heartbeats. Our every breath. For me, he is Nomadland.'" WHY DID THE SHOW LOOK DIFFERENT? Soderbergh conceived of the telecast a movie, complete with opening credits (presenters were the cast), a slinky opening tracking shot with Regina King and all the technical aspects of film. That included a more letterbox format, a frame rate of 24 instead of the more typical television rates of 30 or 60. Whatever you thought of the show, it had to be the best looking Oscars in ages. WAS CLOSE'S DANCE REHEARSED? Well of course it was. Close did her best to suggest her knowledge of Experience Unlimiteds Da Butt" (featured in Spike Lee's School Daze) was completely off the cuff, but Lil Rel Howery acknowledged during the post-show that their music trivia bit had been discussed beforehand. Still, credit the 74-year-old Close for being willing to boogie shortly after losing out on an Oscar for the eighth time a record among living performers. Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP For complete coverage of this years Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards A student crosses the University of CaliforniaIrvine campus in Irvine, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) California Universities to Require COVID-19 Vaccine Some California colleges are planning to require full vaccination against COVID-19 in order for students to return to campus this fall. California State University (CSU) will require proof of inoculation or a medical exemption among staff, faculty, and students, provided at least one vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it said in an April 22 announcement. The University of California (UC) on April 22 shared details of its proposed policy, which, if approved, would also require students planning to access campuses this fall to update their immunization records or submit approved medical exemption documentation. Its policy would also be dependent on a COVID-19 vaccine receiving full FDA approval. Receiving a vaccine for the virus that causes COVID-19 is a key step people can take to protect themselves, their friends and family, and our campus communities while helping bring the pandemic to an end, UC President Dr. Michael Drake said in a statement. Together, the two public university systems consist of 33 campuses, including UCIrvine and California State UniversityFullerton. CSU Chancellor Joseph I. Castro said, Consistent with previous CSU announcements related to the universitys response to the pandemic, we are sharing this information now to give students, their families, and our employees ample time to make plans to be vaccinated prior to the start of the fall term. Individuals would be able to seek an exemption to the vaccine based on medical or religious grounds. The vaccine mandate is still under review by the CSU and UC; more details will be announced prior to the start of the fall term. CSULong Beach President Jane Close Conoley recently addressed the planned policy in an email to students, staff, and faculty. I believe that this is an important part of safely resuming a full university life back on campus and our progression toward the next normal, she said. Silhouette of a woman traveller waiting for her flight at Hong Kong International Airport. SINGAPORE The Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble (ATB) is finally set to be relaunched with the first flight going out on 26 May, after a six-month gap from the scuppered initial planned start. Before you book your tickets and hotel stays, here's what you as a traveller from Singapore need to note: How many flights and passengers will be allowed? There will be one flight a day in each direction, capped at 200 passengers on each flight for the first two weeks. From 10 June, flights will be increased to two per day from each city with up to 200 passengers on each flight. Which airlines can I book flights with? Currently, only Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Cathay Pacific are eligible to fly ATB passengers on the Singapore-Hong Kong route via designated flights. The inaugural SIA ATB flight from Singapore to Hong Kong, SQ882, will depart on Wednesday, 26 May. The inaugural SIA ATB flight from Hong Kong to Singapore, SQ883, will depart on Friday, 28 May. Will I be subjected to quarantine? Are there any travel restrictions? The ATB will allow individuals to travel between Singapore and Hong Kong without quarantining. There will also be no restrictions on the purpose of travel and no requirements for a controlled itinerary or sponsorship. So what must I do? All travellers must undergo COVID-19 pre-departure and on-arrival Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests in lieu of quarantine or Stay-Home Notice (SHN). Travellers must also adhere to the prevailing border control measures and public health requirements of both cities, such as mask-wearing. In addition, Singapore travellers must now download and install Hong Kongs LeaveHomeSafe (LHS) app on their mobile devices prior to leaving Singapore for the city. During the duration of their stay in Hong Kong, travellers are required to scan the LHS QR codes displayed at the relevant premises they visit. Travellers must also retain their LHS app's visitation records for 31 consecutive days after leaving Hong Kong. Story continues Can I travel via the ATB from Singapore to Hong Kong if I have just recently arrived in Singapore from another country? Travellers on the ATB must have remained in either Singapore or Hong Kong in the last 14 days prior to departure, and this must exclude any time spent in quarantine or Stay-Home Notice arising from their last return to either city from overseas. Is everyone residing in Singapore eligible to travel via the ATB? Holders of work permits or S-passes issued by Singapore's Ministry of Manpower working in the construction, marine shipyard, or process sectors, are excluded from travelling from Singapore to Hong Kong on the ATB. Must I have taken a COVID-19 vaccine? Those travelling from Singapore to Hong Kong do not need to be vaccinated but they will have to take pre-departure and arrival COVID-19 tests. Hong Kong has mandated that outbound Hong Kong travellers be vaccinated this means they have to have taken two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine 14 days prior to departure. However, the Hong Kong government will allow exceptions to this rule for residents who: Are below 16 years old. Are not suitable to be vaccinated on medical grounds. Have been in Hong Kong for less than 90 days before departure. Are using non-Hong Kong travel documents to leave the city. What will cause the ATB to be suspended? The ATB will be suspended for at least 14 days if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases (excluding dormitory resident cases in Singapore) is more than five in either Singapore or Hong Kong. The suspension will take effect after two days (including the day on which the limit of five cases is crossed) for a two-week period. What are the criteria for the resumption for the ATB? The ATB can resume on the next day when the following two criteria have been met: The seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong and Singapore does not exceed five on the last day of the 14-day suspension period or any subsequent day. After the first criterion is met, subsequently there are three consecutive days where the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases does not exceed three in Hong Kong and Singapore, and the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases on the last day of the three consecutive days does not exceed five in both places. More Singapore news: Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Other Singapore stories: Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble will relaunch 26 May Cabinet reshuffle: Lawrence Wong to be Finance Minister; Ong Ye Kung, Chan Chun Sing in new roles Singapore's 4G leadership race: Will it be Ong, Wong or Chan? Ghislaine Maxwell is sleeping with a sock on her face to shield her from prison guards shining a light into her cell every 15 minutes. The British socialite is using a prison-issue sock as a makeshift face mask to stop herself being woken up, her lawyers said. Maxwells attorney David Markus said that she is also using a towel to cover her face when she doesn't have a sock available. He made the claim during a contentious hearing for Maxwell's appeal against her third bail refusal. The judges appeared surprised that Maxwell, the alleged madam for Jeffrey Epstein, was being subjected to such treatment. One of them asked the prosecution: Its routine to shine a light into the eyes of every prisoner every 15 minutes? Are you really telling us that? Maxwells third bail application was rejected by federal judge Alison Nathan last month. Appearing frail with graying hair after months behind bars, Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty last Friday in her first in-person hearing since her arrest last year. Her lawyer revealed on Monday at a hearing appealing the latest refusal to release her on bail that Maxwell sleeps with a sock over her head so she can sleep when prison guards shine a light into her cell to check on her well being Friday was the first time she will appear in person after nine months in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center - and the extent of how this has affected Maxwell's appearance She has denied all three applications in spite of Maxwell putting up a $28.5m bail package, pledging to renounce her British and French citizenship and offering to go under 24 hour a day armed guard. Judge Nathan said that no combination of factors would guarantee that Maxwell would not flee the country and deemed her flight risk. During Monday's hearing at the Second Circuit appeal court in New York, the judges questioned why Maxwell was having a light shone in her cell every 15 minutes. Assistant US Attorney Lara Pomerantz said: The light is not being shined into her eyes, its being shined into the ceiling so (prison) guards can check on her security and that she uses some sort of makeshift mask to cover her eyes. One of the judges asked: She is allowed an eye mask that secures around her head? So it closes off light from her eyes? Pomerantz replied: My understanding is thats not what she has, she uses some sort of material to cover her eyes? One of the judges called it a makeshift eyewear or eye mask and Pomerantz said she understood that was correct. But the judges were undeterred and one of them asked Pomerantz: Its routine to shine a light into the eyes of every prisoner every 15 minutes? Are you really telling us that? Pomerantz admitted that the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Maxwell is being held, had not informed her office that Maxwell was a suicide risk. But any issues Maxwell had have been raised through Judge Nathan, and this has been addressed, she said. Addressing the court, Markus, Maxwells lawyer, said: The government has used the word routine to say how Miss Maxwell is being treated. Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty to new sex trafficking charges added to an indictment three weeks ago. Pictured: A courtroom sketch of Maxwell from her appearance last Friday Theres absolutely nothing routine about it. Shes being treated differently than any other inmate ever in that institution. The idea she has an eye mask that wraps around her head to block out the light is wrong. 'She tries to use either a sock or a towel to block out the light on her own, its not wrapped around her head. You can imagine trying to keep that on your eyes at night so the guards dont wake you every 15 minutes. Markus argued that all Maxwell wanted was a fair shot to prepare for her trial and a good nights sleep. He claimed that she was only being subjected to such conditions because Epstein died in August 2019 while in a federal prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The judges said they would reserve their decision to a later date. Maxwell, 59, has denied sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking conspiracy and perjury among other charges. Judge Nathan is expected to rule soon on whether her trial will be delayed from July when it is currently due to take place. Maxwell made her first in-person appearance in federal court in New York last Friday, where she looked frail and wore her black hair down, showing off her gray roots. She was markedly different from her fresh-faced appearance last July for her first bail hearing. Her sister Isabel was in the public gallery to give her support - but her husband Scott Borgerson was a no-show. Maxwell was arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse on new sex trafficking charges added to an indictment three weeks ago. Her lawyer entered a not guilty plea Friday and a padlocked black sedan believed to be carrying Maxwell was seen driving to the Brooklyn prison. 'Yes, your honor,' and 'I have, your honor' were the only words Maxwell said when answering the judge before waiving to have the charges publicly read. It was the first time Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam appeared in person after nine months in what she described as 'hell-hole' Metropolitan Detention Center and her physical appearance showed. Maxwell's signature short black haircut was grown out long, showing off the gray at the roots as she appeared noticeably more frail than her last hearing in July. But there was no sign of the hair loss her lawyers claimed she had experienced in prison. A padlocked black sedan with dark tinted windows believed to be carrying Maxwell was seen driving to the Brooklyn prison Padlocks were seen on the dark Dodge Caravan that is believed to have driven Maxwell back to prison Ghislaine Maxwell's sister was at court Friday wearing a black beret to support the accused sex trafficker. Maxwell did not appear to see her sister Isabel who was at the back of the court wearing dark glasses and a beret to disguise herself. She appeared extremely nervous and paced around Maxwell was wearing a white mask and a blue prison issue top and trousers. Her feet were shackled together as she walked in and sat down between her lawyers with two US Marshals behind her. She was mostly impassive and only when questioned by the judge. Ghislaine Maxwell (right with her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein in 2005) attended a New York court last Friday in her first in-person hearing since her arrest last year At the end of the brief hearing she waved at a blonde middle aged friend at the back of the court. Maxwell did not appear to see her sister Isabel, who was at the back of the court wearing dark glasses and a beret to disguise herself. She appeared extremely nervous and paced around. There were only a few dozen people allowed into courtroom 24B of the Manhattan federal court due to Covid restrictions. Among them were David Boies and Sigrid McCawley, lawyers who represent the second of four Maxwell accusers. Maxwell's legal team, Jeff Pagliuca, Laura Menninger and David Markus were seen arriving ahead of her arraignment. The judge presiding said she is considering the defense's request to move the trial to the fall or winter. Maxwell was confronted in court by an Epstein victim, a blonde woman named Danielle Bensky who sat in the public gallery. Bensky arrived at the last minute to the hearing and craned her neck to see Maxwell. Speaking outside court afterwards, Bensky said: 'To be honest I was too afraid to come to the Epstien trial so this is a new feeling for me to sit there and accept a lot (of things). I do think it's hard to sit through it (the hearing) and it's painful, but it's good too, it's healing.' She added: 'After not having a trial for Epstein this will provide closure for the victims.' David Boies, who represents the second accuser against Maxwell, ridiculed her media blitz which has made her out to be a victim of mistreatment by the federal authorities. He said: 'I don't believe there is any credible basis whatsoever to assert Ms. Maxwell is the victim. The media blitz the defendant is putting out, I don't believe it's fair to the real victims. I think it's highly undesirable'. Boies said his clients were feeling 'good' and 'looking forward to the vindication of the trial'. He said: 'This is a time of great stress for them, but also a time of great hope'. Maxwell's lawyer David Markus said that her two brothers had tried to come to court from the UK for the hearing but were unable to due to Covid restrictions Jeff Pagliuca and Laura Menninger, the legal team for Ghislaine Maxwell, arrive ahead of her arraignment on a new indictment Friday Maxwell's lawyer David Markus said that her two brothers had tried to come to court from the UK for the hearing but were unable to due to Covid restrictions. Maxwell's husband Scott Borgerson did not appear in court Friday to support her He said: 'Ghislaine is in very, very difficult conditions none of us would wish on our worst enemy. She's staying strong, she's getting ready for trial. Ghislaine is looking forward to that trial and she's looking forward to fighting, and she will fight'. Markus added that he went to see Maxwell the previous night in prison and three guards followed him to a small room. He said: 'I've never seen anything like how she's being treated. She shouldn't be treated like this'. Markus declined to comment when asked why Scott Borgerson, Maxwell's husband, had not traveled from his home just outside Boston for the hearing. Maxwell's right arm looked thin and knobbly as she sat down in court at a table next to one of her five lawyers. Her sister Isabel tried to to avoid being identified in court by whispering her name to a court officer so that journalists would not hear her. Judge Alison Nathan asked Maxwell if she had received the updated indictment. Speaking in her British accent, Maxwell replied: 'Yes your honor'. Judge Nathan asked if Maxwell had read it and she replied: 'I have your honor'. Judge Nathan asked Maxwell if she would like to waive the public reading of the indictment and she confirmed that she would. Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim told Judge Nathan she wanted to plead not guilty. Judge Nathan said that while she was still deciding if the case should be put back from its July start date to next January, 'everyone should assume' it is going ahead this summer for the time being. Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, in June 2019 (pictured front) with her six living siblings. Her sister Isabel appeared in court today. The siblings, L-R, are: Anne, 73, Kevin, 62, twins Isabel and Christine, 70, Philip, 71, and Ian, 64 Attorney Bobbi Sternheim appears in court during the arraignment hearing in a court sketch Her lawyers have previously said she was demanding to be arraigned on the new allegations in person after the dial-in phone line on a previous hearing was hijacked by QAnon conspiracy theorists. Her lawyers failed three times to convince Judge Nathan to release Maxwell on bail after they claimed their client is living in poor prison conditions and has lost weight. She had requested a week's delay to April 23 to formally plead to two additional charges at federal court in New York A document filed by her lawyers states that this was to enable her 'family members to adjust their schedules and make travel arrangements to attend the court proceedings'. But Maxwell's alleged victims pleaded with a federal court not to delay her trial because they are suffering from an 'enormous amount of stress'. Prosecutors said that two women who will give evidence against Maxwell will not be able to rest until the case is heard. One is feeling 'significant stress' while the other is feeling an 'enormous amount of stress' and intends to give evidence in person despite her personal obligations at the time. They wrote: 'The longer this case remains pending, the longer the victims suffer the anxiety of anticipating their trial testimony and the uncertainty of awaiting a resolution. 'As a result, multiple victims oppose any adjournment of the trial date. In particular, Minor Victim-3 expressed feeling significant stress during the pendency of this case and a strong desire to have the case brought to a close through trial as soon as possible. 'Similarly, Minor Victim-2 also indicated that she has experienced an enormous amount of stress while this case has been pending, wishes to see the case brought to trial as scheduled, and has already planned to be available to testify at trial as scheduled this summer, despite her Judge Alison Nathan is presiding over Maxwell's case Sources close to Maxwell's family told The Telegraph that her appearance in court Friday was about Maxwell wanting to 'face her accusers head on', as well as being free from her prison cell for a while. A rewritten indictment lodged against the 59-year-old British socialite last month added sex trafficking charges to allegations that Maxwell recruited three teenage girls from 1994 to 1997 for then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. New charges involving the sex trafficking of a minor stretched the conspiracy to 2004. According to the new indictment, the woman was sexually abused multiple times by Epstein between 2001 and 2004 at his Palm Beach, Florida, residence, beginning when she was 14 years old. Maxwell's lawyers have claimed that she had lost weight and her hair was falling out because of her poor treatment while in custody. They alleged she is becoming a 'shell of her former self' because she is being woken up every 15 minutes with a a flash light. Her lawyers claimed the conditions were more fitting for Hannibal Lecter, the fictional serial killer from the movie The Silence of the Lambs. Her brother Ian, who launched a public PR campaign to have Maxwell freed from custody after she was denied her bail three times, was not able to travel from the UK due to Covid-19 restrictions. Maxwell's trial is set for July 12 on charges alleging she recruited and groomed teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 to provide sexual massages to her one-time boyfriend. Her lawyers requested that the trial be delayed until next January, saying the new charges require months of investigation. Judge Nathan has said the perjury matters will be tried separately but Maxwell wants a delay on the main allegations too. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, left, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, spoke in court Friday. She seen during a news conference, in New York, Monday, July 8, 2019 as federal prosecutors announced charges against Epstein Ghislaine Maxwell, far right, is pictured with Prince Andrew and accuser Virginia Roberts in her townhouse in London. Roberts has filed a criminal lawsuit claiming that she had under-aged sex with Prince Andrew and pedophile Epstein Maxwell has pleaded not guilty. Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan federal lockup as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Due to the coronavirus most hearings in the Southern District of New York are taking place via Zoom or through a dial-in phone line. The dial-in phone line on a previous hearing was hijacked by QAnon conspiracy theorists, leading to Maxwell's lawyers to say their client demanded to be arraigned on the new allegations in person. All 500 spots on the public phone line in the separate civil case were occupied and one person live streamed the hearing on YouTube until the judge told them to stop. Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim called that hearing a 'debacle' and said that Maxwell demanded a bail hearing where witnesses can testify regarding the 'purported strength of the government's case'. As they have repeatedly argued before, lawyers for Maxwell wrote that she is being punished in part because Epstein is out of reach. 'She is no monster, but she is being treated like one because of the `Epstein effect,' they wrote. The lawyers urged the 2nd Circuit to 'test the actual strength' of the government case by insisting on a more thorough bail hearing where they could prove that each story told by the four people who say they were victims of Epstein and Maxwell 'has dramatically changed over the years.' 'At first, none of the anonymous accusers even mentioned Ms. Maxwell. As they hired the same law firm, sought money and fame, joined a movement, and only after Epstein died, did the accusers start to point the finger at Ms. Maxwell. Far from corroboration, this is fabrication,' they wrote. A spokesperson for prosecutors declined comment. The launch of the webpage is a notable shift in tone by the famously tight-lipped family, who appear to be trying to salvage Maxwell's reputation ahead of her trial in July Earlier this month, the judge rejected Maxwells arguments to toss charges that she recruited three teenager girls from 1994 to 1997 for then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. Judge Nathan denied claims that a non-prosecution agreement Epstein reached with federal prosecutors over a dozen years ago protects Maxwell from prosecution. She also disagreed that some or all charges should be tossed out for a variety of other perceived flaws. Maxwell has been in jail since her arrest on July 2 in Bradford, New Hampshire at her $1 million country home. She is accused of enticing girls as young as 14 for Epstein to abuse and in some cases taking part in the abuse. An alternate sketch by Mona Shafer Edwards shows Maxwell in court A sketch by Mona Shafer Edwards was sent out on the realghislaine.com Twitter account, which is run by Maxwell's family members Maxwell, the daughter of disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, is also accused of perjuring herself in a civil case. She denies all the allegations. Earlier this month, Maxwell's family has launched a website in support of the British socialite, insisting she's 'no monster' and protesting her innocence. The site, realghislaine.com, invites people to 'get to know the real Ghislaine' on the website, where they shared biographical details, information about her upcoming trial, jail conditions, as well as the books she is reading behind bars. 'This website has been developed and is maintained by brothers, sisters, family & friends of Ghislaine Maxwell, the people who have known the real Ghislaine all her life, not the fictional one-dimensional character created by the media,' it states. 'We believe wholeheartedly in our beloved sister's innocence and encourage visitors to this site to sign up for updates from the family on her case by providing your e-mail address below in the strictest of confidence.' New Delhi: The United States policy toward Islamabad will be based on whether they take necessary action in creating an opportunity for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. Tillerson, who arrived in Afghanistan on Monday to discuss US strategy asked Pakistan to stop supporting Taliban and other terror groups. We have made some very specific requests of Pakistan in order for them to take action to undermine the support the Taliban receives and other terrorist organizations receive, he said. Also Read | Diwali Gift to Pakistan: Sushma Swaraj grants medical visa in all deserving cases that are pending Tillerson is scheduled to visit Pakistan before coming to India on Tuesday. Ahead of his meeting with Pak Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, He said, Pak needs to take a clear view of the situation they are confronted with in terms of no. of terror organisation that finds safe haven inside the country. The US Secretary of State praised India for taking up several developmental projects in Afghanistan for the betterment of war-hit countrys people. They (India) already are providing important economic activity, creating jobs, which is important for future Afghanistan, he said. Tillerson said the US believes India can play very important positive role in the process to achieve peaceful and stable Afghanistan. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Brussels, 25 April 2021 (SPS) - High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell underlined that EU closely follows the recent developments in Western Sahara and reiterates his full support to the process conducted by the United Nations to reach a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the conflict in the occupied territory. EU closely follows the recent developments in Western Sahara, replied Borrell to the question written by Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky on the recognition by former American president Donald Trump of the alleged Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. EU reiterates its full support to the process conducted by the United Nations to find a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the issue of Western Sahara, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, said Borrell in his reply to a question by the Czech MEP on whether the European External Action Services (EEAS) will follow the footsteps of some countries, members of the EU, who showed their support to Trumps decision. Borrell pointed out that the EU is looking forward to the appointment of the UN personal envoy and the prompt resumption of the political discussions under the aegis of the United Nations. (SPS) 062/090/700 Pune,India, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global biogas plant market size is projected to reach USD 7.71 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.7% during the forecast period. Increasing adoption of bioenergy sources will be a major growth determinant for this market, observes Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Biogas Plant Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis By Feedstock (Bio-municipal Waste, Agriculture Residue, Energy Crops, and Others), By Digester Type (Wet Anaerobic Digester and Dry Anaerobic Digester), By Application (Power Generation, Heat Generation, Transportation, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027. Mounting concerns over escalating emission levels around the world have intensified global efforts towards transitioning to clean energy sources. Biogas, which forms a part of bioenergy, is being seen as an important instrument in aiding this transition. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 67% of the global electricity demand will be met by renewables by 2040, with solar and wind accounting for roughly 40% and bioenergy and hydro contributing around 25%. The IEAs Stated Policies Scenario predicts that the share of bioenergy will increase from the current 5% to 12% by 2040, while its Sustainable Development Scenario envisages the share to rise to 20% by 2040. Biogas plants will form the crux of bioenergy adoption in the next few decades, which will bode well for this market. Request Sample PDF: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/biogas-plant-market-104667 Regional Insights High Production Capacity to Propel Market Growth in Europe Europe dominates the biogas plant market share, boasting a market size of USD 3.46 billion in 2019. The main reason for the regions enviable position in this space is the widespread presence of biogas facilities in the continent. For example, the European Biogas Association estimates that over 18,000 biogas production plants were operational across Europe towards the end of 2019. Increasing investments in renewable energy sources and massive generation of organic waste are expected to be the two prime factors fueling the growth of the market in Asia Pacific. The market in North America, on the other hand, is predicted to enjoy numerous lucrative opportunities during the forecast period due to the strong presence of biogas facilities across all 50 states in the US. As per the report findings, in 2019, the global Biogas Plant Market value was USD 5.05 billion in 2019. The other features of the report include: Comprehensive understanding of the overall industry trends and outlook; Microscopic assessment of the market drivers, segments, and restraints; Holistic analysis of the regional developments in the market; and Exhaustive examination of the competitive landscape of the Biogas Plant Market. Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Biogas Plant Market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/biogas-plant-market-104667 Key Features of Biogas Plant Market Research Report: This report provides detail analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the market and its commercial landscape. Learn about the various market strategies that are being adopted by leading companies. It provides a five-year forecast assessed based on how the market is predicted to grow. It provides insightful analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors. To understand the future scope and outlooks for the market. Market Forecast by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2019 to 2026. Biogas Plant Market Share, distributors, major suppliers, changing price patterns and the supply chain of raw materials is highlighted in the report. Market Size (sales, revenue) forecast by regions and countries from 2019 to 2023 of industry. The global market Growth is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2019 and 2023. In 2019, the market was growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon. Market Trend for Development and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed and overall research conclusions offered. Market Report also mentions market share accrued by each product in the market, along with the production growth. Get Your Customized Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/biogas-plant-market-104667 Competitive Landscape Geographic Expansion to be the Principal Growth Strategy for Market Players Companies operating in this Biogas Plant Market are steadily expanding their presence across different geographies to widen their international business horizons. In addition to this, key players are also engaging in collaborations with other competitors as well as government entities to gain a further competitive edge. Industry Developments: June 2020: EnviTec Biogas AG debuted in the Estonian gas market with a double order for its EnviThan gas upgrading plants. Even though the company has already built seven biogas plants in Latvia, gas upgrading facilities are new technologies for the Baltic nations, giving EnviTec a head-start in this region. EnviTec Biogas AG debuted in the Estonian gas market with a double order for its EnviThan gas upgrading plants. Even though the company has already built seven biogas plants in Latvia, gas upgrading facilities are new technologies for the Baltic nations, giving EnviTec a head-start in this region. February 2020: Brightmark announced the expansion of its dairy biogas project in Western New York called Yellowjacket. Partnering with six total farms across the region, the project will extract methane from the dairy manure generated per day and convert it into renewable natural gas. List of Key Companies Covered in the Biogas Plant Market Report: Agrinz Technologies GmbH (Austria) IES BIOGAS S.r.l (Italy) Thoni (Austria) StormFisher (Canada) AB HOLDING SPA (Italy) Ameresco (U.S.) Scandinavian Biogas Fuels International AB (Sweden) PlanET Biogas Global GmbH (Germany) FINN BIOGAS (Australia) Naskeo Environnement S.A. (France) Strabag (Austria) RENERGON International AG (Switzerland) Quantum Green (India) EnviTec Biogas AG (Germany) WELTEC BIOPOWER GmbH (Germany) Future Biogas Limited (U.K) Quick Buy - Biogas Plant Market: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/104667 Major Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Key Emerging Trends For Major Countries Key Developments: Mergers, Acquisition, Partnership, etc. Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Porters Five Forces Analysis Qualitative Analysis Impact of COVID-19 Impact of COVID-19 on the Biogas Plant Market Steps Taken by the Government to Overcome the Impact Key Developments in the Industry in Response to COVID-19 Potential Opportunities and Challenges due to COVID-19 Outbreak Global Biogas Plant Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Feedstock Bio-Municipal Waste Agriculture Residue Energy Crops Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Digester Type Wet Anaerobic Digestion Dry Anaerobic Digestion Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Power Generation Heat Generation Transportation Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin America North America Biogas Plant Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Feedstock Bio-Municipal Waste Agriculture Residue Energy Crops Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Digester Type Wet Anaerobic Digestion Dry Anaerobic Digestion Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Power Generation Heat Generation Transportation Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country U.S. Canada Europe Biogas Plant Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Feedstock Bio-Municipal Waste Agriculture Residue Energy Crops Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Digester Type Wet Anaerobic Digestion Dry Anaerobic Digestion Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Power Generation Heat Generation Transportation Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country Germany U.K France Spain Italy Scandinavia Benelux Russia Rest of Europe TOC Continued! Speak To Our Analyst - https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/biogas-plant-market-104667 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Chemistry (Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO), Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP), Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO), Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA), and Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC)), By Source (Electronics, Electric Vehicles, Power Tools, and Others), By Process (Physical/Mechanical, Hydrometallurgical, and Pyrometallurgical), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Power Magnetics for MV AC Drive Market Size, Share & Covid-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Transformers, Inductors, Filters, Chokes, and Current Sensors), By Application (Pumps, Conveyors, Compressors, Electric Fans, Extruders, and Others), By End-user (Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Food & Beverages, Building Automation, Metal & Mining, Water & Wastewater, Chemicals & Petrochemicals, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Telecom Generator Market Size, Share and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Fuel Type (Diesel, Gas, and Others), Power Rating (Below 75 kVA, 75-375 kVA, 375-750 kVA, and Above 750 kVA), Application (Continuous, Peak Load, and Standby) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Gas Engine Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Natural Gas, Special Gas, and Others), By Power Output (0.51 MW, 12 MW, 25 MW, 510 MW, and 1020 MW), By Application (Power Generation, Mechanical Drive, Cogeneration, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 FRP Cable Tray Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Ladder, Channel, and Others), By End User (Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Power, Construction, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortune-business-insights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortuneBusinessInsightsPvtLtd BEAUMONT, Texas, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of USW Local 13-243 today urged ExxonMobil to continue bargaining rather than making good on its April 23 notice to lock out more than 650 workers in its Beaumont, Texas refinery and blending and packaging plant starting May 1. The local's bargaining committee has been negotiating with ExxonMobil over the terms for a new collective bargaining agreement since Jan. 11, 2021. Negotiations between the parties have been very contentious because the company seeks major changes in the existing contract that impact members' safety, security and seniority. "These negotiations are not about wages," said Darrell Kyle, president of USW Local 13-243. "Our greatest concern is making sure our lives and our jobs are safe and secure. Safety in our workplaces also protects our families and community." The existing contract requires that the union and the company must give each other 75 days advance notice before a strike or a lockout. The USW and ExxonMobil each provided their respective 75-days notices to each other on Feb. 15, 2021. However, providing the 75-days advance notice does not mean there would necessarily be a work stoppage, and the two sides continued to negotiate over the terms for the new collective bargaining agreement. This changed on April 23 when ExxonMobil rejected the USW's offer to extend the current contract an additional year and provided a written update to its 75-day notice to indicate that it intends to lock out workers on May 1 unless they accept the company's current proposal. "A one-year extension would benefit both sides," Kyle said. "It would allow our members to maintain their job security and safely operate the facility while the two sides continue to bargain for a fair and equitable agreement, without the risk of a work stoppage." Kyle called on the company to reconsider its plan and instead continue bargaining. "The union is committed to reaching a mutually acceptable, fair and equitable agreement," Kyle said, "but that agreement should come at the bargaining table, without locking out the dedicated, skilled workers at the Beaumont Refinery and Beaumont Blending and Packaging Plant." The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations. Contact: Richard Hoot Landry, 409-284-9807 SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW) Related Links http://www.usw.org Reuters Former world number one Roger Federer, who is targeting a record 21st Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, withdrew from the French Open on Sunday, a day after winning a tough third-round match, opting to save himself for the grass-court season. "After discussions with my team, I decided that I should withdraw from the French Open today," Federer said in a statement released by the French Tennis Federation. Federer, who has hardly played in the last 17 months because of a knee injury, suffered physically in his four-set, late-night victory over German Dominik Koepfer on Saturday and decided to end his Roland Garros campaign ahead of what would have been a punishing fourth-round match against Italian Matteo Berrettini. Two teenage boys were walking down Brookwood Street in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon when suddenly they became targets in a shooting. The boys were two of three people shot in Harrisburg on Sunday. The other person was shot in an unrelated incident at 14th and Market streets, according to police. Tylin Lil Tim Allen, 14, said he was walking with his cousin when a vehicle pulled up. Allen said the men asked the two teens what gangs they were in, and he responded that they werent in one. All of a sudden someone was shooting. I put my arm up, and he hit me in my arm, Allen said. A bullet pierced his right wrist, and he and his cousin started running. He said he feels that if he hadnt tried to protect himself with his hands, he could have been hit in the head. Allen said hes doing OK now, and that while the shooting was scary he wasnt that frightened at the moment it happened. But he couldnt explain why. Soon after, police and emergency medical personnel arrived, and then word started getting out. Allens father, Milton Tim Taylor, was in Virginia with his girlfriend at the time. His phone had died but his sister got through on his girlfriends phone. He heard her say oh my god, are you serious? before she handed him the phone and started packing. As he said hello, his sister told him someone shot his son. I really thought I lost my son, Taylor said Sunday night. He has made it a personal mission to keep his son from the violence, he said, and this was a moment he was afraid none of it had mattered. My son is not into no gangs, Taylor said. My son does music. He knows I dont play that. If he gets into it, hes going to have to deal with me. But his son was lucky and was home with him on Sunday night. His cousin, who Taylor said is around the same age, is still in the hospital with injuries that were more severe. Right now, his family hopes they catch who shot these boys, but he also posted to Facebook that hes praying for the assailants. Taylor has been through the system and he said he wants to give the citys youth some options outside of the citys gangs. Thats why hes made music his focus. He said he was able to get out, and its not too late for them. He has Allen singing R&B; despite the shooting, theyre still planning on Allen performing at a concert in Reservoir Park next weekend. Its important for other Harrisburg youth to stick with music even when others might criticize them for it, he continued, which sometimes can drive them away from it. He doesnt think thats right. Their music is a way to express themselves, Taylor said. But for now, hes going to keep his son close. Were just sitting here, trying to find a solution for Harrisburg, Taylor said. Thats all we trying to do. Read more on PennLive: New Delhi: Voting for the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh panchayat elections has begun at 7 AM on Monday (April 26, 2021). More than 3.52 lakh candidates are in the fray in over 2.14 lakh seats across 20 districts of the state. As per the State Election Commission (SEC), voting will be held till 6 PM in Shamli, Meerut, Moradabad, Pilibhit, Kasganj, Firozabad, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Unnao, Amethi, Barabanki, Balrampur, Siddharthanagar, Deoria, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Ballia. For the posts of 746 members of Zila panchayats, there are 10,627 candidates in the fray, whereas, for the 18,530 posts of members of kshetra panchayats, there are 89,188 candidates. Around 1,17,789 candidates are in the poll arena for 14,397 village panchayats and for 1,80,473 village panchayat wards, there are 1,34,510 candidates contesting the polls. Earlier on April 15 during the first phase of the polls, an average polling percentage of 71 was recorded. The second phase on April 19 had witnessed over 71 per cent of polling. The voters' turnout is likely to be affected due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. In view of the coronavirus situation, the SEC had said last month that not more than five people would be allowed to accompany a candidate during the door-to-door campaigning for the panchayat elections. (With inputs from PTI) A group of New York City parents are suing the school district over 'draconian' on-campus classes which are still taking place on Zoom while teachers stay at home. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, wants classrooms open five days a week and teachers - who have had vaccine priority since January - to be in them. More than 20 parents are pushing for full reopening via the lawsuit, filed earlier this month, which claims 'teachers are still missing from 75% of the classrooms'. It also argues Mayor Bill de Blasio and schools Chancellor Meisha Porter are violating their children's rights to a 'sound, basic education' under the New York State Constitution. The lawsuit states: 'Schools are open in New York City, but the children are still learning remotely inside their own classrooms. As a result, children are regressing academically and mentally. 'New York City students, of which there are well over a million in public schools alone, have been deprived of the real essence of an education by draconian measures taken by the Respondents driven by special interest agendas and fear, not science. 'And even worse, many of these children will and have suffered short- and long-term mental health and social and emotional harm as a result of re-opening restrictions and remote learning. ' DailyMail.com has contacted attorney Jim Mermigis, who is representing the parents for comment, the NYC education department and the Mayor's office for comment. Natalya Murakhver, pictured, started a GoFundMe to 'reopen all NYC schools 5 days with actual teachers'. She has raised more than $25,000 so far. Writing on the page, she said: 'The basis for our NYC lawsuit is that remote learning and 'Zoom in a Room' are causing irreparable harm to children and depriving them of their constitutional right to an education' More than 20 parents are pushing for full reopening via the lawsuit, filed earlier this month, which claims 'teachers are still missing from 75% of the classrooms' One Beacon High School student has been diagnosed with depression and tried to commit suicide twice during lockdowns, according to Chalkbeat.org. Others say their children's mental health has suffered. And one mom says her child 'has never been able to meet her teachers or peers'. Mermigis said earlier this month: 'This lawsuit is necessary to help these children. There are children that are not doing well. They're not coping. They have regressed significantly because of the remote learning.' A group of New York City parents are suing the school district over 'zoom in a room' on-campus classes while their children's teachers stay at home. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, wants classrooms open five days a week and teachers - who have had vaccine priority since January - to be in them Natalya Murakhver started a GoFundMe to 'reopen all NYC schools 5 days with actual teachers'. She has raised more than $25,000 so far. Writing on the page, she said: 'The basis for our NYC lawsuit is that remote learning and 'Zoom in a Room' are causing irreparable harm to children and depriving them of their constitutional right to an education. 'NYC has some of the strictest Covid standards in the country. Teachers are vaccinated. So many precautions have been taken to make school buildings safe for staff, teachers and students. Our Mayor readily admits schools are the safest places to be. 'It is past time to return to normalcy with teachers and children together again in the classrooms. Schools should be open NOW five days a week in person, with actual teachers --not babysitters and computer monitors-- in the classrooms.' Attorney Jim Mermigis said earlier this month: 'This lawsuit is necessary to help these children. There are children that are not doing well. They're not coping' Murakhver told The New York Post earlier this month: 'What's been horrifying to me is to realize that this city is not putting its children first. 'The union is the only one at the table with the mayor. The mayor almost seeks approval from the union to make any changes.' She added: 'If the mayor is compelling city workers to come back at the beginning of May, why aren't teachers part of this? Aren't teachers city workers?' Rebecca Kuhar has a son at LaGuardia. She said: 'He's not engaged. He doesn't turn in assignments. It's like he went from eighth grade to college, and he's not ready for it.' One anonymous teacher at the school agreed, adding: 'The parents are right that there's not enough live instruction. I feel like I'm teaching a lot, and the kids are learning some.' Education department spokesperson Katie O'Hanlon said: 'From the beginning, we've emphasized that schools must have the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their communities while continually providing a high-quality education. 'We are confident that every student attending in-person has access to caring educators, enriching programming, and support that can't be replicated outside the classroom.' It also argues Mayor Bill de Blasio, left, and schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, right, are violating their children's rights to a 'sound, basic education' under the New York State Constitution The GoFundMe page states: 'The basis for our NYC lawsuit is that remote learning and 'Zoom in a Room' are causing irreparable harm to children and depriving them of their constitutional right to an education' Mayoral spokesperson Avery Cohen added: 'We have more students in classrooms than any other city in America, and all of our schools are open for in-person learning, the majority offering in-person learning five days a week.' There are few details on how schooling will look going forward. Hannah Mason has one child at Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School and another at Manhattan's iSchool. She told Chalkbeat.org: 'No one seems to be taking this seriously. What is the plan for fully in-person instruction in the fall?' By Juliet Nalwooga The Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) has issued a stern warning to a group that is allegedly planning unlawful activities to disrupt the presidents swearing-in next month. Addressing journalists in Kampala, UPDF spokesperson Brigadier General Flavia Byekwaso said a recent intelligence-based operation has revealed a group involved in subversive activities meant to cause chaos during the May 12th event. UPDF Spokespersn Brig.Gen Flavia Byekwaso displays some of the posters of hate speech confiscated during one of the security operations earlier during the Joint Task Force press conference at Police Headquarters Naguru, read a post from the UPDF Facebook page. She said several placards with hate messages and anti-government posters had been recovered and that the army is ready to counter the planned riots and ensure harmony. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged President Joe Biden to swiftly reverse his declaration that 1915 massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide, an action he said was upsetting and diminished bilateral ties. Biden's historic declaration on Saturday infuriated its NATO ally Turkey, which has said the announcement had opened a 'deep wound' in relations already strained over a host of issues. In his first comments since Biden's statement, Erdogan said 'the wrong step' would hinder ties, advised the United States to 'look in the mirror,' and added Turkey still sought to establish 'good neighbourly' ties with Armenia. 'The U.S. president has made baseless, unjust and untrue remarks about the sad events that took place in our geography over a century ago,' Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting. He again called for Turkish and Armenian historians to form a joint commission to investigate the events. 'I hope the U.S. president will turn back from this wrong step as soon as possible.' He slammed the United States for having failed to find a solution to the decades-old conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh - where the United States, Russia and France were mediators - and said Washington had stood by as massacres unfolded. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged President Joe Biden to swiftly reverse his declaration that 1915 massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide, an action he said was upsetting and diminished bilateral ties Erdogan also contested the death toll from the 1915 killings and said some 150,000 people had been killed, as opposed to the roughly 1.5 million people Armenia says were killed, adding the toll was 'exaggerated by adding a zero to the end.' 'If you say genocide, then you need to look at yourselves in the mirror and make an evaluation. The Native Americans, I don't even need to mention them, what happened is clear,' he said, in reference to the treatment of Native Americans by European settlers. 'While all these truths are out there, you cannot pin the genocide accusation on the Turkish people.' Turkey supported Baku in the conflict last year, in which Azeri forces seized swathes of lands in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Baku has criticized Biden's statement, while Yerevan has praised it. Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but it contests the figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated or constitute a genocide. The bodies of deportees who died of typhus and other diseases in a forest near the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, about 15 miles from the capital of Yerevan, in 1915. An estimated two million Armenians were deported and 1.5 million were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern Biden's full statement for Armenian Remembrance Day. He said the American people honor 'all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today Ankara and Washington have been struggling to repair ties, strained in recent years over several issues, including Turkey's purchase of Russian defense systems which resulted in U.S. sanctions, policy differences in Syria, and legal matters. On Sunday, Erdogan's spokesman and national security adviser Ibrahim Kalin told Reuters the statement was 'simply outrageous' and Turkey will respond over the coming months. Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Turkey's parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop said lawmakers would respond to Biden's remarks on Wednesday. Turkey's government and most of the opposition have shown a rare unity in their rejection of Biden's statement. Erdogan said he expected to 'open the door for a new period' in ties and to discuss all disputes with Biden at a NATO summit in June, but warned that ties would deteriorate further unless the allies can compartmentalize issues. 'We now need to put aside our disagreements and look at what steps we can take from now on, otherwise we will have no choice but to do what is required by the level our ties have fallen to on April 24,' he said. Islamabad, April 26 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the country would be happy to hold talks on all the differences with India and seek their resolution through dialogue if the latter shows its willingness to revisit its unilateral decisions taken on August 5, 2019, which resulted in the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution that granted special status to the erstwhile state of J&K. Qureshi said this during an interview with the Turkish news agency Andolu during his two-day visit to the country. "If India is willing to revisit some of the decisions that it took on August 5, 2019, Pakistan will be more than happy to engage, sit and talk and resolve all the outstanding issues," the Pakistan Foreign Minister said. "India's unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 were against international law and UN Security Council resolutions," he added. Qureshi went on to say that there are many pending issues between India and Pakistan, including Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, water and other matters, adding that the only workable and sensible way forward is through dialogue. Qureshi also said the option of war would not be beneficial for either side and would be suicidal for both the neighbours. "We cannot afford to go to war, you know, it will be mutually suicidal. And no sensible person will advocate a policy of that nature. So we need to sit and we need to talk," he said. Qureshi also accused India for opting to shy away from a comprehensive dialogue, saying that "it was India, not Pakistan, which ran away from talks and suspended the composite and comprehensive dialogue process in the past". Referring to the recent developments that have led to the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) through engagements between the Director General of Military Operations from both sides, Qureshi said that it was a positive development. Qureshi revealed that it was the Indian leadership that showed interest in engaging through backdoor channels to de-escalate tensions along the borders. "So, when the Indian leaders expressed an interest in recommitment, we welcomed it. Kashmiris welcomed it. And that has, in my view, lowered tensions and has gone well on both sides. Sensible elements on this side and on that side have welcomed this new development," he said. However, Qureshi also said that it is too early to make a value judgment on the positive developments, including the gesture of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of writing to Pakistan premier Imran Khan. "There is some thought, but it is too early to make a value judgment on that," he said. [April 26, 2021] ACRE Acquires Dublin, Ireland Based TDS (Time Data Security) ACRE, a global leader providing state-of-the-art security systems, announced today the acquisition of TDS based in Dublin, Ireland. This purchase will enhance ACRE's strategic expansion plans for strengthening the product portfolio and geography in the UK and Europe and bringing new cloud-based visitor management and access control products to North America. This is ACRE's first acquisition since being acquired March 11 by Triton Partners. TDS provides cloud-based workspace solutions that will complement the existing ACRE portfolio including the Vanderbilt, RS2, and Open Options brands. TDS, which was founded by Frank Hart in 1990, has developed a portfolio of products including cloud-based visitor management, life safety and access control applications. TDS is a fast-growing company leveraging the accelerated adoption of digitized off-premise solutions in the security space. ACRE's CEO, Joseph Grillo, stated that this transaction will continue to expand ACRE's competitive position. "We believe we can assist the excellent management team at TDS to leverage our existing reseller chnnels and end users to help grow this business globally under the ACRE umbrella," commented Grillo. Frank Hart, TDS Founder and CEO affirmed, "This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for TDS. We are delighted to join ACRE with its strong global reach, which will accelerate our growth plans and support our ambitions to be the top provider of smart workplace solutions for enterprise businesses. TDS's senior board member Sean Murphy and I are particularly excited to work with Joe Grillo and the management team to further strengthen ACRE's position as the global leader in the delivery of integrated technologies and services." Frank Hart and Sean Murphy will remain with TDS as CEO and Director / Board Member respectively. Financial details of the transaction were not released. About ACRE: ACRE is a global leader in the delivery of integrated technologies and services. Since its formation in 2012, ACRE has played an instrumental role in the development and implementation of security technology initiatives on a global scale. Its Vanderbilt, Comnet, Open Options and RS2 brands deliver advanced solutions to thousands of customers around the world. Today, ACRE employs more than 400 employees in more than 25 countries. For more information, visit www.acre-co.com About TDS: Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Ireland, TDS is a leading provider of smart work -place products including visitor management, life safety and access control software solutions, counting some of the world's biggest and most prestigious organisations as our customer base. TDS has over 30 years' experience supporting clients with 3000+ sites and over 25 million users worldwide. For further information, visit www.timedatasecurity.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005197/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Despite several requests from the industry to define essential and non-essential commodities, the Centre has indicated that it will not step in. Instead, it will let the respective state governments take a call on categorising essential and non-essential goods, as localised lockdowns have been imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19. Senior government officials said that, right now, the central governments priority is to ensure supplies to micro containment zones. Deliveries of non-essential items may have to wait until after the second wave peaks. Our focus is on saving lives right now. Its for the states to define (what are essential and non-essential goods) in accordance with their requirements. They will take a call for the time being or at least till we hit a peak (number of Covid-19 cases), a senior government official told Business Standard. The Centre may step when cases start declining, if required and may look at allowing e-commerce companies to deliver non-essential items. For the time being, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will not step in and leave it on the states to make their rules on delivery, the official explained. To be sure, unlike last year, there isnt a nationwide this time around. While Maharashtra was the first state to impose a curfew, several other states, including Delhi, Jharkhand, followed suit and imposed restrictions as cases spiked. However, unlike last year, supply chains have not been disrupted this year and e-commerce have not seen a massive impact. Some states have also imposed night curfew and district-wise lockdowns. Nearly 350,000 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours in India, according to Union health ministry data as on Sunday. While the e-commerce industry has been asking for all kinds of deliveries to be allowed, without distinction of essential or non-essential goods, offline traders have said that if e-commerce firms are allowed to operate without restrictions, then traders in physical markets should also be allowed to operate business activities pertaining to non-essential goods. We also need to look at the broader perspective, the official cited above said, adding that the Centre will intervene in the future, if needed. Earlier this month, industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) had written to the CEO of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, secretary of the DPIIT, and secretary of the home ministry, requesting them to allow e-commerce companies to deliver all goods and services and not restrict them to just essential ones. COVID UPDATES Italy and Germany impose travel ban from India Rajasthan and Maharashtra to vaccinate all above 18 for free India fastest in World to administer 140 million Covid vaccines Himachal Pradesh imposes a night curfew in 4 districts from April 27 to May 10 Union minister Babul Supriyo tests Covid-positive for the second time UP govt has placed an order for 10 mn doses of anti-Covid jabs for the vaccination drive Bicyclist taken to hospital after Friday crash with vehicle Click here to read the full article. Nomadland led the 93rd Academy Awards with three wins out of its six nominations, including a historic best director victory for Chloe Zhao, who became the second woman and the first woman of color to win an Oscar in the category. Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson became the first Black women to be awarded an Oscar for makeup and hairstyling for their work on Ma Raineys Black Bottom. The Netflix movie also won for costume design, adding to the studios total of seven wins for the night, out of a leading 36 nominations. Mank, David Finchers tribute to 30s Hollywood, won for cinematography and production design. Following behind Netflix, Disney nabbed five awards, which included works from Pixar and Searchlight Pictures. The animation studio picked up its standard win for animated feature for Soul. Under this umbrella was also the numerous wins by Nomadland. It racked up the coveted best picture and actress prizes, in addition to the directing Oscar. Warner Bros. Pictures three awards mostly came from Judas and the Black Messiah, which landed wins for original song and supporting actor. Christopher Nolans action epic Tenet won the Oscar for visual effects. Sony Pictures nabbed a total of two Academy Awards, both for the Florian Zeller-directed drama The Father. Zeller, who wrote the play that the film is based on, won for adapted screenplay with co-writer Christopher Hampton. In the biggest upset of the night, Anthony Hopkins took home the Oscar for best actor expected to go to Chadwick Boseman for Ma Raineys Black Bottom. At age 83, he is the oldest winner of an acting Academy Award. Full scorecard below: Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The results include 16.76 meters (m) grading 2.23 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 24.38m grading 1.60 (g/t) gold Fortitude Gold said it is prioritizing Scarlet near its Isabella Pearl mine with its upcoming drill campaign, looking to delineate enough mineralization to advance the project towards a production decision Corp ( ) has announced exploration drill results from Scarlet in Nevada, including 16.76 meters (m) grading 2.23 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 24.38m grading 1.60 (g/t) gold. The company said the mineralization is associated with the northwestern structural extensions of its Isabella Pearl mine in Mineral County. During the first quarter of 2021, Fortitude Gold said a 10-hole reverse circulation program targeted the south Scarlet area located about 650m northwest of the Isabella Pearl mine. Substantial widths and gold grades intercepted oxide mineralization with potential to be processed at the Isabella Pearl heap leach pad and gold process plant, the company added. The Scarlet drill highlights include: Hole # IPRC-254. 19.81m of 1.56 g/t gold, including 3.05m of 3.19 g/t gold Hole # IPRC-257. 6.76m of 2.23 g/t gold, including 3.05m of 4.52 g/t gold Hole # IPRC-262. 24.38m of 1.60 g/t gold, including 3.05m of 3.94 g/t gold "We believe this Scarlet drill program, northwest of the Isabella Pearl mine, appears to have intercepted the extension of the same structure of the mineralized Pearl zone in our operating Isabella Pearl mine," said Barry Devlin, vice president of exploration, in a statement. "Multiple holes have returned sizeable widths of plus one gram per tonne gold with grades as high as 4.52 grams per tonne gold. We have now prioritized further delineation drilling of this Scarlet mineralization with the upcoming drill campaign targeted to commence during the second half of this quarter. The primary objective is to build on these exciting drill results and delineate another gold deposit." Fortitude CEO Jason Reid noted: "At least four deposits to the southeast of our Isabella Pearl Mine along this mineralized trend were mined historically as open pits. Our operating Isabella Pearl Mine is the fifth mine along trend. There is a good possibility Scarlet could be the sixth mine northwest of Isabella Pearl along trend. In addition, we have over ten kilometers of this northwest mineralized trend locked up with numerous additional targets to test beyond these exciting Scarlet drill results." As a result, Reid said the company is prioritizing Scarlet in its upcoming drill campaign, looking to delineate enough mineralization to advance the project towards a production decision. Scarlet's very close proximity to our operating mine, with a short-haul distance to both the heap leach and waste rock facility at Isabella Pearl, could allow for a project production decision based primarily on the economics of removing the overburden to access this mineralization, he added. Reid also said the company plans to begin construction later this year on a heap leach pad expansion to accommodate the additional ounces discovered to date at the Isabella Pearl mine. This heap leach expansion permit could also facilitate additional heap leach expansions for Scarlet mineralization as well, he noted. We are optimistic that future discoveries located on our extensive Isabella Pearl mineralized trend will warrant additional heap leach pad expansions for more production adding to our mine life and production profile. We plan to continue to delineate and prioritize both Scarlet and our Golden Mile property in parallel with the goal to delineate deposits at both properties on an expedited basis." Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham The rationale for a super profits tax is that resources that belong to the state are delivering windfall rather than earned profits to the private sector and that the state isnt being sufficiently rewarded for allowing access to those resources. The uninformed view of miners is that they simply dig rocks and dirt out and ship them out and chalk up fabulous margins and profits in the process. At face value that might appear the case with the iron ore miners they do generate big margins and returns on capital from their Pilbara mines but that conclusion ignores the massive amounts of capital invested in the mines, the sophistication of the processes and the taxes and royalties that they do pay. The boom in Chinas demand for iron ore, aided by supply constraints in Brazil, has fuelled the rise in prices and the inevitable calls for more taxes on the miners from those who either oppose mining or see it as a cash cow. It also ignores the volatility of commodity prices and the risks associated with multi-billion dollar investments with lead times that could be up to a decade. The iron ore price is volatile. While it peaked at more than $US190 a tonne in 2011 it was around $US40 a tonne by late 2015 and early 2016 and traded below $US100 a tonne (there was a brief spike in 2019) until the middle of last year. The reason the Pilbara miners Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue are so profitable is that in response to the falls in the price from late 2011 they invested heavily to ramp up their production volumes substantially and carved into their costs the fat margins they now employ are largely the results of their own management and the massive bets their shareholders funded on a continuation of Chinas demand. Loading Where their cash costs had been above $US40 a tonne (Fortescues were closer to $US50 a tonne they are now in the low-to-mid teens. Automation (think autonomous trucks and trains) is playing an ever-increasing role in their operations. Digging it up and shipping it out is a sophisticated and capital-intensive process. That profitability has generated deluge of tax and royalties and is being cited as the driver of a significantly lower-than-forecast budget deficit, with the iron ore exports to China also helping the offset the economic effects of its trade sanctions. Last year BHPs iron ore business paid $4.25 billion in taxes and $2.3 billion in royalties. Rio paid $5.9 billion of Australian income tax and $2.5 billion in royalties. Fortescue paid $3.3 billion of taxes and $1.2 billion of royalties. Rio and BHP have effective tax rates (excluding royalties) above the corporate tax rate and, including royalties, overall tax rates of around 40 per cent. Had the RSPT been introduced, there would have been less investment by the industry because the risk-reward equations would have distorted. Chinas construction boom has fuelled its appetite for iron ore. Credit:Bloomberg There would have been less iron ore (and other commodities) produced and reduced margins and taxes because costs would have been higher, volumes lower and profits and the massive flows of dividends and returns to Australian individuals and super funds much smaller. When Rudd was replaced by Julia Gillard she and Wayne Swan negotiated a new, more focused and less punitive tax regime with the big miners, the Minerals Resource Rent Tax that applied only to iron ore and coal and had both a much lower (22.5 per cent) effective tax rate and a more generously calculated and higher profit threshold before the tax cut in. It was supposed to raise $2 billion a year but raised only a fraction of that because commodity prices slumped and there were no super profits to tax -- before Tony Abbott abolished it in 2014. The boom in Chinas demand for iron ore, aided by supply constraints in Brazil, has fuelled the rise in prices and the inevitable calls for more taxes on the miners from those who either oppose mining or see it as a cash cow. The boom isnt permanent there are analysts who see the price falling below $US100 a tonne this year and in any event sustained high prices, the increasingly tense relationship between Australia and China and Chinas frustration with its dependence on Australia iron ore will have their own effects. China (with Rio Tinto and separately) has a big interest in the giant and high-quality Simandou resource in Guinea and will inevitably look to it as a counter to the Pilbaras dominance of the seaborne trade, even though it involves massive investments in rail facilities and ports to bring the ore to market. In this Jan. 13 photo, tenants rights advocates demonstrate outside the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse in Boston. An estimated 8.8 million Americans are behind on their rent, according the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While relief efforts have staved off some of the housing crisis, rent is still going to come due. The federal government has approved two rounds of rental assistance, worth more than $46 billion total; the $21 billion in the second round will begin going out in May. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global precision agriculture market is anticipated to reach over USD 13,016 million by 2026, According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the yield monitoring application 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. There has been an increasing adoption of precision farming across the world owing to growing agricultural industry, and high-demand for food crops. The global precision farming market is driven by the increasing need to improve the quality of crops produced, maximizing crop production, and enhanced crop monitoring. Technological advancement along with government subsidies further boosts the market growth. However, high initial investment and lack of awareness limit the precision farming market growth. Get Sample : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/precision-farming-market/request-for-sample North America generated the highest revenue in the precision agriculture market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. This is due to high cost of labor, and presence of large farmlands in the North American region. Increasing investments and subsidies in the agriculture sector by governments boost the precision farming market growth during the forecast period in the region. Increasing need to improve food quality and productivity along with increased industrialization of farming equipment further supplements market growth. Various applications of precision farming include irrigation management, crop scouting, yield monitoring, weather tracking and forecasting, field mapping, inventory management, and farm labor management. In 2017, yield monitoring accounted for the largest share in the global market, and was estimated at $1,974 million in 2017, registering a CAGR of 13.2% during the forecast period. This is attributable to the benefits offered by yield monitoring such as reduced cost, improved yields, and enhanced decision making. Yield monitoring is further divided into on-farm yield monitoring, and off-farm yield monitoring. Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Feel Free To Ask Our Industry Experts At : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/precision-farming-market/speak-to-analyst The well-known companies profiled in the report include Ag Leader Technology, AGCO Corporation, Deere and Company, Topcon Corporation, Trimble, Inc., The Climate Corporation, Farmers Edge Inc., and AgJunction, Inc. 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. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Marshalls -- known for discounted designer merchandise -- will be opening its second Staten Island location on Thursday in the new Boulevard shopping center in New Dorp, according to the retailer. Since opening its first store more than 40 years ago, the Marshalls name has become synonymous with off-price shopping. The new 22,000-square-foot store will offer a selection of brand name and designer fashion at discounted prices. The New Dorp store will include THE CUBE, a hip, in-store boutique of contemporary fashions, said a Marshalls spokesperson. Were incredibly excited to see Marshalls open at The Boulevard, said Joshua Weinkranz, president of the northern region of the Kimco Realty, developer of the project. The brand continues to be a favorite among shoppers, and were confident that theyll bring in customers from across the Island to shop their curated mix of affordable fashion and home items. Its been great to see the momentum building as retailers continue to open through the spring and throughout the remainder of the year, he added. The new location is the second for the retailer on Staten Island; it will be joining the existing Marshalls on Richmond Avenue in New Springville. THE BOULEVARD While the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have delayed many national and local retailers from renovating individual stores in The Boulevard, exterior construction of the new shopping center is just about complete, according to Kimco Realty. Following the launch of ShopRite in the Boulevard in October, PetSmart recently opened in the shopping center. OTHER STORES OPENING According to Kimco Realty, other stores that will be opening in The Boulevard include: Ulta Beauty; LA Fitness; Angelinas Kitchen; Astor Barbers; Bath & Body Works, Chase; Cigar Emporium; Corniche Cleaners; CVS, Diamond Braces; Hawaii Poke Bowl; JPMorgan Chase Bank; LArtigiano Coffee Shop; Hawaii Poke Bowls; On a Roll, Angel Tips Nail Salon; Ashton Hall; Le Peep; Red Lobster; Mattress Firm; Michaels Jewelry; Modern Acupuncture; Napoli Pizza; New China Buffet; New York Man; Reliance Wine & Liquor; Salon Illusion; Sese Nail Spa; Sushi Hibachi Buffet; Spectrum; Quest Diagnostics; The Hop Shoppe and Urban Planet. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER AUSTIN, Texas and NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Eventus Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, has won the award for Best in RegTech at Markets Media's 2021 Markets Choice Awards. This is the firm's second consecutive win in the category and the second major award win this month for Eventus. Eventus The ninth annual Markets Choice Awards recognize the best in capital markets trading and technology across the market ecosystem. Following public online polling about the shortlist in each category, Markets Media determines winners from online responses, editorial interviews with leaders in financial markets and consultation with its MCA Advisory Board. Eventus CEO Travis Schwab said: "We're grateful to Markets Media and the financial market community for this fantastic recognition once again. Following up on the firm's most successful year to date, we have worked tirelessly this year to continue our global growth initiatives, our constant enhancement of the Validus platform and our ongoing collaboration with clients to meet their evolving compliance and risk challenges. We've also further established our position as a global leader in providing trade surveillance and anti-money laundering / transaction monitoring capabilities to cryptocurrency exchanges around the world, in addition to our broad reach into more traditional asset classes. I'm incredibly proud of our team for all of the achievements and accolades over the last year, as we continue winning mandates to replace legacy surveillance and risk platforms." Terry Flanagan, Markets Media Editor, said: "Eventus continues to stand out among RegTech providers, with a very flexible, customizable trade surveillance platform that the firm is continuously updating to meet the needs of market participants, exchanges and regulators. Its new automation and analytics tools are among hundreds of features and enhancements over the past year that distinguish the platform, which meets the rigorous security requirements of many of the largest crypto exchanges." Story continues Eventus earlier this month won the award for Best Sell-Side Market Surveillance Provider in WatersTechnology's 2021 Sell-Side Technology Awards, following numerous awards last year, including the FOW International Award for Market Surveillance Solution of the Year (second consecutive year); the Markets Media Market Choice Award for Best in RegTech and the RegTech Insight Award for Best Trade Surveillance Solution for the Dodd-Frank Act (second consecutive year). The firm was also named to the global RegTech100 list for the third year running and in late 2020 secured a spot on the Chartis Energy50 2021 list, ranking the world's major technology players in modern energy markets. In addition, Business Insider featured Eventus as one of its "Breakout B2B Fintech Stars," and Harrington Starr's Financial Technologist magazine last month named the firm one of the Most Influential Financial Technology Companies. Markets Media was launched in 2007 with one mission: to be the pre-eminent provider of news and information about trading and technology in capital markets. The coverage remit spans equities, fixed income and foreign exchange (FX), and covers buy-side investment managers, sell-side broker-dealers, exchanges, trading platforms, technology providers and regulators. Markets Media Group publishes Markets Media and Traders Magazine in the U.S., Best Execution and The DESK in Europe, and GlobalTrading in Asia. About Eventus Systems Eventus Systems is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets. Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventussystems.com . Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eventus-systems-wins-best-in-regtech-for-second-consecutive-year-in-markets-medias-2021-markets-choice-awards-301276265.html SOURCE Eventus Systems "The worst behavior is quarrying," Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday when inspecting a section of the river. "Once a mountain is destroyed, a mountain of this sort is gone forever." Describing the river as the "one-and-only treasure" of China and the world, Xi said its ecological environment should never be damaged. Those who continue to conduct quarrying and sand mining along the river should not only be held accountable, but also be investigated on their criminal responsibility in accordance with law, he warned. Thanks to a series of measures to reduce pollution and protect the river and the mountains alongside, the environment has improved significantly, bringing more tourists and revenue. In 2019, Guilin received 138 million tourists, making 187.4 billion yuan ($28.9 billion), up 26.7 percent and 34.7 percent respectively, compared with the levels in 2018. China's green transformation Guilin is not the only place in China to fight against behaviors that damage the environment. Last year, public security organs across the country cracked 23,000 cases of damaging the ecological environment and resources that involved 16.6 billion yuan ($2.6 billion), and arrested more than 40,000 suspects, the Ministry of Public Security said at a press conference earlier this month. These efforts are part of China's campaign to promote the comprehensive green transformation of the social and economic development the vision was recently highlighted in the country's development blueprint for the next five years and beyond. The campaign is in line with a well-known phrase of President Xi on green development: "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Guided by the thought, the world's second largest economy has stepped up efforts to promote low-carbon development, pledging to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. When addressing the Leaders Summit on Climate last week, Xi reaffirmed the pledge and called on the whole world to build a community of life together. Other highlights of Xi's Guangxi tour Guilin was the first stop of the president's inspection tour in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He also paid tribute to revolutionary heroes who died in a battle there and learned about progress in rural vitalization on Sunday. President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s and laid a flower basket in homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle. The secret to the success of the Chinese revolution lies in ideals and convictions, he said, urging people today to strive for national rejuvenation with the same spirit and determination. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the CPC's founding. He then went to the village of Maozhushan, where the emerging grape industry is powering its development and prosperity. After eradicating absolute poverty in rural areas nationwide, China has shifted focus to its next strategy rural vitalization. Villages in different regions are encouraged to develop various industries suited to their conditions to nurture a better life for local residents. SOURCE CGTN Related Links www.cgtn.com Remains of 13 individuals who went missing during Abkhaz war laid to rest in Georgia By Veronika Malinboym Remains of 13 individuals who went missing during Abkhaz-Georgian war in 1992-1993 were laid to rest today in Tbilisi. Bodies of six servicemen and seven civilians were identified and returned to Georgia with the joint efforts of Georgias State Ministry for Reconciliation and the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC).It was reported earlier that upon the requests of the families of the deceased, they will be buried in several different places, including ancestral cemeteries. The remains of the four servicemen will be buried with military honours at the fraternal cemetery in the Digomi district of Tbilisi. In its official statement, Georgias State Ministry for Reconciliation emphasized that as a result of Georgian- Abkhaz war, 2,300 people went missing in Georgia, and determining their fate and whereabouts is a part of the states policy.In a recent post on her official Twitter page, head of the International Red Cross Committee Severine Chappaz commented on the memorial service that was held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) on April 23 and 24:A very solemn and moving ceremony today in Sameba church to honour the memory of the recently identified people who went missing during the 1992-93 conflict in Abkhazia organized by the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civil Equality.The service was attended by the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili and his cabinet, as well as the State Minister for Reintegration Tea Akhvlediani, who noted that as of today, with the joint efforts of Georgias State Ministry for Reconciliation and the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC), remains of 206 individuals out of the total 2,300 have been identified.In 2019,the Georgian government created a special commission charged with finding the burial sites of and identifying the persons who went missing in Georgia during the 1990s and 2008 armed conflicts. Nigeria can also learn from Deby that instability in Chad may mean that instability is nearer home than we thought; flawed elections are invitations to anarchy; clamping down on alternative voices is a call to lawlessness and instability; the help of international friends is limited; development is key to stability, and not deprivation and accumulation of wealth for the self On Monday, April 19, the world woke up to the news that the long-serving president of the Republic of Chad, Idriss Deby, had died. His death marked the end of an inglorious chapter in the history of political leadership in Africa and left loads of lessons for Africa and her leaders. According to reports, he died following injuries he sustained during clashes with rebels in the northern part of the country. The late Chadian leader, aged 68 at death, was said to be a poor herders son who initially scraped a living from the harsh deserts of northern Chad and before rising through the ranks of the Chadian military to become one of Africas most despotic leaders of his time. He was a tall, imposing, one-time military commander, with a haughty mien, who was versed in cunny diplomacy, which helped him outwit his opponents or buy them over. He used fear to rule the arid country and cracked down brutally on the opposition and perceived enemies whenever there was some threat. Global superpowers, in their everyday politics of self-interest, saw the Chadian strongman as a political ally. Chad played host to military exercises conducted by the United States, which helped the Chadian army become one of the best trained and equipped in the semi-arid belt. Deby came to power in Chad in 1990, after leading a rebellion that invaded the country, through the support of Libya, and overthrew the government of Hissene Habre, an erstwhile dictator, under whom he had previously served as head of the army. Mr. Deby was able to stay in power for three decades, to a large extent because he could endear himself to the Western powers. He had close ties with France, Chads former colonial power, which considered him one of its most loyal allies, often turning a blind eye to his despotic antics, harassment of opposition leaders, and suppression of internal dissent. In some instances, France did not hide its support for Mr. Debys government as it deployed troops to Chad in 2008 and 2019, to help him repel rebels trying to unseat him. The United States saw in Mr. Deby a vital ally in the fight against terrorism. The late Chadian leader endeared himself more to the Americans after taking the frontline command of a military force that pursued Boko Haram and its splinter groups, including the Islamic State West Africa Province, an unconsolidated affiliate of the Islamic State. The West, in their hypocrisy, lent their support to an African sit-tight despot, turning a blind eye to the repression of political opponents, accusations of human rights abuses and corruption. They watched as Mr. Deby manipulated the political process in June 2005, in a referendum that eliminated a two-term constitutional limit, which enabled Deby to run again in 2006. In the subsequent presidential election, the Chadian leader won a spurious 65 per cent of the votes, after opposition parties had boycotted the election. In 2018, Chads parliament was arm-twisted by the president to review the Constitution to allow him to stay in office until 2033. On April 11, Mr. Deby was declared winner of what was generally considered a flawed election that would have enabled him to enter a fourth decade as Chadian president, just before his death. There are several lessons to learn from the Idriss Deby story. The most important one is that African countries need to realise that Western powers are primarily interested in things that benefit their lands and peoples. They scream about the importance of human rights and democracy when convenient for them but become willful accomplices to despotism, tyranny, and human rights abuses when the perpetrators are of strategic interest to them and profit their countries. In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department accused Mr. Deby of having accepted a $2 million bribe from a Chinese company in exchange for oil rights in Chad. However, Mr. Deby had supported a Western-backed military operation against Islamist militants in neighbouring Mali in 2013. A year later, he helped to end a violent turmoil in the Central African Republic. Because of these seemingly good actions, Mr. Debys failings and those of his government were ultimately overlooked by Western countries. They embraced Deby as an indispensable ally in a dangerous part of the world. Chad frequently featured prominently on the list of the worlds poorest and most corrupt countries, as Deby squandered billions of dollars worth of oil wealth, and did not oversee any significant development in a country in which poverty is rife Opposition leaders in Chad accused Mr. Deby of squandering the oil wealth by pouring it into the military, which he has used to perpetuate himself in power Analysts say he understood what was required to hold Chad together and knew what France, the former colonial power, and the West, wanted and he gave it to them. Emmanuel Macron was in Chad on Friday to provide Mr. Deby with a royal funeral. This is despite the role of the departed leader in decimating democracy in his country, and perpetuating corruption and nepotism. Mr. Debys three-decade-long rule impoverished many Chadians. He was unable to turn the countrys vast resources into wealth that benefitted his countrymen. Chad became an oil-producing nation in 2003, with a $4 billion (2.6 billion) pipeline linking its oilfields to terminals on the Atlantic coast. Currently, the countrys vast deserts cover untapped reserves of uranium and oil, which is presently pumped at a rate of 130,000 barrels a day, generating much of Chads revenue. However, Chad frequently featured prominently on the list of the worlds poorest and most corrupt countries, as Deby squandered billions of dollars worth of oil wealth, and did not oversee any significant development in a country in which poverty is rife. The adult literacy rate in Chad is at an abysmal 31.8 per cent. Life expectancy is shockingly at 54 years. Opposition leaders in Chad accused Mr. Deby of squandering the oil wealth by pouring it into the military, which he has used to perpetuate himself in power, manipulate the political process and repress his critics. Deby had severe health problems over the years. He was a regular visitor to hospitals in Paris to treat a persistent liver ailment. This was unconscionable for the leader of a country in which the World Health Organisation estimates as having less than four doctors per 100,000 people. Under Deby, Chad was never a peaceful country. Just as he invaded the country through Libya as a rebel, militants intent on toppling his government were a persistent feature of his three decades of dictatorship. There were equally some assassination attempts on him, including an alleged plan to shoot down his aircraft. In 2006, rebels were right outside the Chadian presidential palace, lobbing grenades over the wall, before French troops intervened to save Debys regime. Between 2008 and 2009, President Deby had to supervise the digging of a massive trench and the cutting down of all the giant trees lining the avenues around the Chadian capital city of NDjamena to prevent advancing rebels from penetrating the city again. These incidents indicated a country that was a hotbed of instability. Sustainable development hardly takes place in this kind of circumstance. Deby virtually turned Chad into a family enterprise. He had multiple wives and children, and his sons, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, brothers and brothers-in-law invaded all the strategic positions in the country, in a system of nepotism. The pervasive clannishness probably led to the current situation in which his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, a 37-year-old four-star military general, has been appointed the head of a transitional military government in the country, following his death. This action violates the Constitution of the country (already suspended), which specifies that the president of the national assembly, or failing that, the first vice president, should take over when a president dies. Debys death marks the end of yet another African despot. He left behind a country facing the threat of invasion by rebels, a population with most people in poverty and a highly sad legacy of absolute power, clannishness and sit- tight leadership. Most analysts doubt the new Chadian ruler as capable of wielding the sort of power and influence his father held, which enabled him to hold the country together. There are reports of a power struggle between Mahamat and one of his half-brothers, Zakaria, which would likely open the door to hostilities in a battle for succession. The feud had been brewing for a while. In January 2020, when the late president was ill, he allegedly left the First Lady, Hinda Deby, in charge of the government, to prevent a confrontation between Mahamat and Zakaria. One does not need a soothsayer to predict the likelihood that Chad will degenerate into crises soon. ADVERTISEMENT For Nigeria, Debys death may have some implications, especially in the fight against Boko Haram. Chad had intervened several time to assist Nigerias military in tackling the insurgents, especially when they took over swathes of territory in North-Eastern Nigeria in 2015, and with insecurity spreading around other countries bordering the Lake Chad. Deby was ever willing to send his battle-hardened troops into Nigeria when the country needed them. Nigeria can also learn from Deby that instability in Chad may mean that instability is nearer home than we thought; flawed elections are invitations to anarchy; clamping down on alternative voices is a call to lawlessness and instability; the help of international friends is limited; development is key to stability, and not deprivation and accumulation of wealth for the self; and nepotism and its twin, mediocrity, can not help lift a country or secure a leader. Lessons for African leaders abound in the present Debys debacle: First, his long reign entrenched the opposition and merged the political opposition and rebellion from the north into one. The president then became a source of avoidable instability. Second, it is evident that leaders who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. Third, Debys use by the West as an ally in the war against terrorism in the Sahel was a test for a defective foreign policy thesis. Simply, that thesis is that one strong man can keep a country stable and defend a region, if supported militarily. What happens when the strong man is felled by his own foibles? We should ask Saddam Hussein or Muammar Ghadaffi. The contrary position is the view canvassed by former President Obama that what Africa needs to progress are strong institutions, not strong men. The eventual outcome in Chad will test this wager to the limits. Fourth, Idriss Debys nauseating nepotism and power absolutism ought to instruct other African leaders that that leadership model has expired. Mobutu, Nguema, Abacha and others have proven that autocracy and rank corruption can only deepen Africas regression. Fifth, the character of a leader matters and it is what determines the choices such leader makes and it is also his/her greatest strength amidst insecurity and instability. Sixth, courage is an essential virtue of leadership and Deby had it, but this alone is not enough to achieve greatness as a leader. Debys death marks the end of yet another African despot. He left behind a country facing the threat of invasion by rebels, a population with most people in poverty and a highly sad legacy of absolute power, clannishness and sit- tight leadership. He presided over the affairs of Chad for more than 30 years. Still, he was unable to institute sustainable democracy, leading to the unconstitutional government that has succeeded his and a fierce battle for succession, which may tear the country to pieces. I doubt if history would be kind to him. Dakuku Peterside is a policy and leadership expert. [April 26, 2021] Citi's $1 Billion Action for Racial Equity Initiative Demonstrates Early Results in the Fight to Address the Racial Wealth Gap Citi and the Citi Foundation today announced initial results generated from their $1 billion in strategic initiatives to help close the racial wealth gap and increase economic mobility in the United States. Announced in September 2020, Citi's Action for Racial Equity is a comprehensive approach to 1) providing greater access to banking and credit in communities of color, 2) increasing investment in Black-owned businesses, 3) expanding homeownership among Black Americans, and 4) advancing anti-racist practices in the financial services industry. There is clear momentum behind this work across Citi to address the barriers that impede communities of color from building generational wealth. Among the progress detailed below, Citi is more than half of the way to its $100 million commitment to Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) that are expanding banking and credit access in communities of color. Citi will invest more than $200 million - out of a $550 million three-year commitment to affordable housing - in five equity funds that will be co-managed by Black investment managers to preserve multi-family affordable rental housing in cities all across the country. Citi is collaborating with the cities of Los Angeles and San Jose to provide college savings accounts for public school students, while also working with the National Urban League to offer the Citi Access Account Package that includes no fee savings and checking products through its network. "Action for Racial Equity was meant to be a three-year goal, but our teams have matched the urgency these issues deserve, making incredible progress towards that goal in just over six months," said Jane Fraser, Citi CEO. "We know that many are rightfully calling on banks and other big companies to put real action behind their commitments. Today, we're sharing what we've done to date to show how Citi is committed to real change, and to be clear and transparent about how far we have to go. We are determined to do everything we can to help close the racial wealth gap in our communities and continue to do the work to become an anti-racist institution." "The financial inequality and other systemic problems people of color face will not go away until we confront them head on - and that's what we're working towards here at Citi," Mark Mason, Citi CFO said. "Citi is focused on ensuring that people of color have the same access to the financial tools and resources that benefit other groups. Doing so is a critical component of the work that needs to be done to close the racial wealth gap." "Equity investments are critical to our community impact but Citi is much more than an investor in Optus (News - Alert) . Citi is helping us grow our mission of building wealth, especially among Black-owned businesses by creating new opportunities to grow our revenue and increase our impact in the community," said Dominik Mjartan, President & Chief Executive Officer, Optus Bank. "Children have unlimited potential, and the last thing that should hold them back is the future cost of education," said Nuny Martinez, Los Angeles City Council President (Council District 6). "I'm proud that the City of Los Angeles has partnered with Citi, LA County and the LA Unified School District to create Opportunity LA- Investing in LA's Children to give every child in Los Angeles the critical building block for economic success and through this, helping to close racial wealth gaps." "Affordable and safe bank accounts are essential for Black households working to build financial security, and we are excited to participate in the new Citi Affordable Access Banking Initiative," said Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League. "With no monthly service fees, overdraft fees, or minimum balance requirements, Citi Access Accounts help remove barriers to economic opportunity. We look forward to sharing this beneficial tool with participants in financial literacy programs at Urban League affiliates, who serve as first-responders in the fight for racial and economic justice." "At MoCaFi, our work is focused on closing the wealth gap and reimagining how financial services can transform communities into places where everyone can thrive regardless of socio-economic status," said Wole Coaxum, Founder & CEO of MoCaFi, a Citi Impact Fund investee. "In our conversations with Citi, it became clear that we had a shared vision for bringing financial equity and sustainability to communities of color. So we're thrilled Citi has invested in our company and look forward to continued progress in the future." As part of Action for Racial Equity, Citi's businesses are focused on four key outcomes: GOAL #1: EXPAND BANKING AND ACCESS TO CREDIT IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR What Citi has done so far: Launched a comprehensive approach to collaborating with Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), providing equity investments and curated engagement through revenue generating and capacity building opportunities that support sustainable growth. As part Citi's $100 million goal in support of MDI (News - Alert) growth and revenue generation, allocating nearly $50 million in growth capital to MDIs to strengthen their ability to serve racially diverse households and entrepreneurs. To date, Citi has made equity investments in the following MDIs: Broadway Financial Corporation, Citizens Trust Bank, Mechanics & Farmers Bank, OneUnited Bank, Optus Bank, and Unity National Bank of Houston with legal pro bono advice provided by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Closed nearly $15 million out of $50 million in affordable housing loan participation opportunities for MDIs to generate revenue and build their capacity to invest in larger transactions. Through collaboration with Deloitte and the National Bankers Association - Citi established a technical assistance program to support MDIs' talent development, enhance technology, and expand business networks. Expanded access to Citi products and platforms in collaboration with community and municipal partners to support communities of color. Launched a collaboration with the National Urban League to serve Black households by expanding access to the Citi Access Account Package that includes low-cost savings and checking products with Urban League affiliates in Philadelphia, PA; Seattle, WA; Hampton Roads, VA; and St. Louis, MO. Access Account Package that includes low-cost savings and checking products with Urban League affiliates in Philadelphia, PA; Seattle, WA; Hampton Roads, VA; and St. Louis, MO. Signed a contract with the City of Los Angeles to launch a school-based children's savings program called Opportunity LA, which will provide no-cost college savings accounts for students in LA's Unified School district. Collaborated with the City of San Jose to provide no-cost college savings accounts for local public schools through the Citi Start Saving platform as part of San Jose Aspires. GOAL #2: INVEST IN BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP What Citi has done so far: As part of Citi's commitment of $50 million in additional impact investing capital for Black entrepreneurs, 6 of the first 16 Citi Impact Fund investments were directed to Black founders, accounting for 18% of the Fund's equity invested to date. Spent $875 million with diverse suppliers in 2020, including $354 million with Black-owned businesses alone. On track to increase Citi business procurement spend with certified diverse suppliers to $1 billion annually by 2023. GOAL #3: INVEST IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF BLACK HOMEOWNERSHIP What Citi has done so far: As part of Citi's $550 million goal to support homeownership for people of color and affordable housing by minority developers, in final stages of committing $200 million of equity to the preservation of affordable and workforce housing projects that will be co-managed by five Black investment managers. The co-managers were sourced by Citi Community Capital through a competitive RFP process and selected by an expert advisory committee. Despite Action for Racial Equity's significant progress, there are other challenges that still require attention, especially in homeownership. While the rate of Citi mortgage applications and originations rose last year among Asian homeowners, it declined for Black and Hispanic consumers. Citi is committed to addressing this decline by expanding its community lending team and resources to support Black and Hispanic homeownership across the U.S. In addition to the previously announced plan to expand the U.S. Consumer Bank's community lending team and its network of correspondent lenders to support Black and Hispanic homeownership, Citi continues to invest in its digital mortgage capabilities to better reach all communities, including underserved markets. Citi is expanding Community Lending products and programs, while leveraging its mortgage portfolio and capital to further enable homeownership. This includes Citi's HomeRun program, which requires low down payments and removes mortgage insurance requirements for eligible borrowers with low to moderate incomes, and its Lender Paid (News - Alert) Assistance program, which provides eligible homebuyers a credit of up to $5,000 to lower closing costs to make buying a home more affordable. Citi is continuing to strengthen relationships with homeownership counseling groups, such as HomeFree-USA, and is participating as a member of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Project REACh Homeownership workstream to promote financial inclusion through greater access to credit and capital. GOAL #4: STRENGTHEN CITI'S POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN ORDER TO BECOME AN ANTI-RACIST INSTITUTION What Citi has done so far: Issued first affordable housing bond with a notional value of $2.5 billion, the largest-ever social bond from an issuer in the private sector. Citi utilized a syndicate of minority and women owned broker dealers, with Black-owned broker-dealers comprising 75% of the joint-lead managers. The use of proceeds from the bond will finance the construction, rehabilitation and preservation of quality affordable housing for low-and moderate-income populations in the U.S. Issued $2.5 billion bond with an underwriting syndicate exclusively comprised of Black-owned broker-dealers, reinforcing the firm's commitment to increasing racial equity in the capital markets and broader financial services industry. Piloted a municipal finance modeling training program, in collaboration with Citi and minority-owned, municipal broker-dealers and advisors, to support talent development, promote networking, and deliver access to industry-leading bankers in the field. To date, a majority of Citi's law firm partners in the U.S. have volunteered to participate in the bank's efforts to increase representation of diverse attorneys on Citi matters. Successfully updated the Citi Environmental and Social Risk Management Policy for project-related financing to strengthen due diligence processes for environmental justice and social impacts on communities of color. In addition to Citi's business initiatives, the Citi Foundation has granted more than $15 million of its three-year, $100 million target to invest in community change agents addressing racial equity, including new efforts to expand entrepreneurship and employability among youth of color and support small businesses owned by people of color. This work includes a recently announced $1 million grant to MENTOR to propel racial justice and equity efforts and $3.5 million in support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and young Black students and leaders, with grants to UNCF and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. To help explore structural inequities that made Black communities more vulnerable to COVID-19 and set recommendations for a full and equitable economic recovery for Black Americans, the Citi Foundation has commissioned The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies to launch an 18-month research project. "The Joint Center's Data for Black America project aims to help public and private sector decision-makers better understand the needs of Black communities," said Spencer Overton, President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. "There's a lot of data out there about how different groups are faring in the economy, but most data miss a deep analysis on the specific needs of different segments of the Black community, such as Black women, Black parents, or Black workers without college degrees. Support from the Citi Foundation will enable the Joint Center to close those gaps in the data and foster more inclusive policies to drive our national economic recovery." Citi and the Citi Foundation's progress toward their Action for Racial Equity goals are part of the following resources committed through the end of 2023: $550 million to support homeownership for people of color and affordable housing by minority developers $350 million in procurement opportunities for Black-owned business suppliers $50 million in additional impact investing capital for Black entrepreneurs $100 million to support Minority Depository Institutions' (MDI) growth and revenue generation $100 million in Citi Foundation grants to support community change agents addressing racial equity To further its commitment, Citi has engaged in public-private collaborations that aim to help address racial equity. In December, Citi was one of the first institutions to sign the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Project REACh Pledge to promote the vitality of Minority Depository Institutions and homeownership. Most recently, Citi signed on to the Corporate Call to Action: Coalition for Equity & Opportunity (CEO), launched by the Connecticut State Treasurer and the Ford Foundation. For more information on Action for Racial Equity, and the ways in which we're expanding and deepening our strategic initiatives, visit: citigroup.com/racialequity ### About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. About the Citi Foundation The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant communities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy" approach deploys the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube (News - Alert) : www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook (News - Alert) : www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005440/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] German Minister of Economy and Energy Peter Altmeier believes it would be wrong to connect the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project and the situation surrounding Russian blogger Alexey Navalny. "We should not link the completion of Nord Stream 2 with the Navalny case. We should evaluate and decide on the construction and completion of the pipeline regardless of separate affairs," he said in an interview with Funke Mediengruppe, published on Sunday. "In the past 50 years, gas supplies have never been a political weapon in relations between the East and West. This benefited [the stability of] our gas supplies." "We need to assess it all very carefully before deviating from this policy," the minister added. Altmeier reiterated that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project construction was approved by national governments long ago. "The project have been approved by authorities of various European countries, in accordance with legislative procedures," TASS cited him as saying. At the same time, the German minister urged to make sure that Ukraines interests are not violated when the project is completed. In his words, "gas transit via Ukraine will continue even after the completion [of Nord Stream 2]." "Besides, by building so-called liquefied natural gas terminals, we will make sure that we do not depend on pipeline deliveries, if Russia tries to exert political pressure by means of gas supplies," the minister added. Chloe Zhao wins best director Oscar for 'Nomadland' Chloe Zhao on Sunday became only the second woman ever to win best director in the Oscars' 93-year history. Photo: AFP Chloe Zhao, whose "Nomadland" is tipped for major success on Oscars night, on Sunday won the award for best director, for her elegiac road movie about aging Americans roaming the west in vans. The Beijing-born director bested fellow nominees Lee Isaac Chung ("Minari"), Emerald Fennell ("Promising Young Woman"), David Fincher ("Mank") and Thomas Vinterberg ("Another Round"). Zhao on Sunday became only the second woman ever to win best director in the Oscars' 93-year history. The diminutive 39-year-old wowed Academy voters with her third film "Nomadland," a semi-fictional drama about the hidden community of older, van-dwelling Americans who call the open road their home. Zhao follows in the footsteps of Kathryn Bigelow, who broke the glass ceiling for woman directors in 2010 when she won the prize for "The Hurt Locker." "I have always found goodness in the people I met, everywhere I went in the world," Zhao told the limited audience at the gala in Los Angeles. "So this is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves, and to hold on to the goodness in each other - no matter how difficult it is to do that." Born Zhao Ting to a wealthy Chinese steel company executive, the director left China as a teen to attend a British boarding school before finishing her education in Los Angeles and New York. But Zhao soon fell in love with her adopted US homeland's wide and wild rural spaces - "Nomadland" is just her latest love letter to the spectacular landscapes of sparsely populated "fly-over" states like South Dakota and Nebraska. Zhao stumbled upon images of the Lakota Indian homeland by chance while at film school in New York. Feeling disconnected overseas in her late 20s, and deciding that she couldn't make a better film about the Big Apple than "the ones that have already been told," Zhao decided to "go west." Her first film "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," about a teen dreaming of a life beyond the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, saw her spend months immersed in the remote indigenous Midwestern region. The film earned festival prizes but Zhao's breakthrough came two years later with "The Rider," another quasi-Western filmed in Pine Ridge and the nearby Badlands National Park. In both films, Zhao cast non-actors to play semi-fictionalised versions of themselves - a process she says began by necessity as an unknown director, but which helped her to "build the world that I was entering." "The Rider" was conceived after Zhao met a cowboy who had badly injured himself but refused to quit the rodeo - Brady Jandreau, who stars as "Brady Blackburn." "I find that I often need their help... I often go to the periphery of society and I don't know those places enough," she recently said. In "Nomadland," based on Jessica Bruder's non-fiction book about transient Americans living off the grid in worn-out vans following the Great Recession, many characters also play versions of themselves. But Zhao also directed her first bona fide acting superstar in Frances McDormand, who was up for her third acting Oscar on Sunday. That experience may have proven useful in making her next film - "Eternals," a mega-budget blockbuster set within the record-grossing series of Marvel superhero movies. "The jump from 'The Rider' budgetarily to 'Nomadland' feels like the jump from 'Nomadland' to 'Eternals'," said Zhao of the ensemble event movie starring Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, due out later this year. Key to the success of "Eternals" will be its performance in Zhao's ancestral homeland - "Avengers: Endgame," an earlier title in the Marvel series, took an astonishing US$630 million in China. But Zhao's reputation in China is complicated, with state media initially calling her "the pride of China" before nationalists pounced on old media interviews in which she appeared to criticise and distance herself from the nation. Zhao has not addressed the controversy directly, but recently said it would be "another few years" before she would dare to tackle her childhood roots on screen. "I feel like I would have to think about teenage angst and all that stuff, and back home," she said. "It's going to take another few years. I think I need to mature more, to not be afraid to look at myself." For now, she now lives in rural California's hippie-inflected Ojai with her British cinematographer husband and two dogs. And in a sign she may be leaving her indie roots behind, Zhao's next project after "Eternals" will be a futuristic sci-fi Western version of "Dracula." (AFP) GREENWICH The State Elections Enforcement Commission has unanimously ended its investigation into last years state Senate campaign of Republican Ryan Fazio without taking any action against him or the state Republican Party. Fazio, a Greenwich resident and member of the Representative Town Meeting, unsuccessfully challenged state Sen. Alex Kasser, the incumbent Democrat, in 2020 in the 36th Senate District, which covers all of Greenwich as well as portions of Stamford and New Canaan. In late March, town resident Robert Brady, a member of the Democratic Town Committee, alleged that the state Republican Party had improperly spent money to aid the Fazio campaign and that it did improper negative advertising against Kasser in violation of state rules. The SEEC agreed to investigate the complaint and in less than a month ruled that the state GOPs contributions to the Fazio campaign violate neither limits on the amount that the party committee could spend nor the type of communications it could create in the form of organizational expenditures. On Monday, Fazio said the quick finding, with no citing of any wrongdoing, was proof that the complaint was baseless and specious. He said he did not have to provide any statement or testimony to the SEEC. Fazio said he remains proud of his campaign and its great volunteers, and he criticized Democrats for filing the complaint. In its April 7 finding, the SEEC said the state law for campaign spending places limits only on how much a town committee can spend on a candidate, not a state party. The SEEC also cited the states general statutes, which were revised in 2013, that covered communications made to promote the success or defeat of any candidate and therefore could include negative advertising, such as that done by the Fazio campaign. On Monday, Brady said he was not aware of the 2013 change, which he called a loophole in the law, and he said he was not advised about it by members of the state Democratic Party. Had I known about it, I would not have filed (the complaint), Brady said. I look upon it as a learning experience. As I learned in gunnery school, you take your ranging shots, you adjust your fire and you fire for effect. We havent gotten there yet. Were still taking our ranging shots. Bradys complaint not only included Fazio but it also named town resident Joseph Romano, who served as the Fazio campaign treasurer, former state Republican Party Chair JR Romano and Warner Pyne III, the state party treasurer. JR Romano, who left the position of party chair in January, said he had fully expected the complaint to be dismissed. I think its unfortunate the Greenwich Democrats are trying to weaponize and waste taxpayer resources by filing frivolous claims, Romano said, adding that he, like Fazio, was not asked to provide statements or testimony to the SEEC. Pyne did not offer a comment about the matter. Joseph Romano, through Fazio, said he had no comment. Fazio said he wanted an apology from Greenwich Democrats not for himself but for Romano. I want an apology for my treasurer and his family and the volunteers on my team, Fazio said on Monday. Theyre the ones who dont sign up for that treatment and they did nothing wrong. If Im hit, its fine. I dont care. Im a big boy, but Im offended that they have to go through these sorts of things. Brady said the complaint was primarily against the state Republican Party and added he hadnt seen any apologies for language used in the ads against Kasser. In his complaint, Brady claimed the negative ads did not include the image and voice of Fazio, although they did say Paid for by the Connecticut Republican Party. Approved by Ryan Fazio. The SEEC said while that was improper, it had no jurisdiction to penalize the state Republican Party for what it called a minor attribution violation. Pursuing that further, the SEEC said, would only have delayed resolution of the matter. Another complaint filed by a Greenwich Democrat in another matter is still pending before the SEEC. Local Democrat Lucy von Brachel filed a complaint against state Rep. Harry Arora in March, alleging that the campaign, during its successful special election and general election wins in 2020, misused campaign money. That matter remains under investigation. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Oil prices dropped early on Monday amid soaring coronavirus cases in major oil importer India, less than a week before the OPEC+ group is set to increase global oil supply. As of 10:05 a.m. EDT on Monday, WTI Crude was trading down 1.53 percent at $61.27, and Brent Crude was down by 1.59 percent at $65.12. Discouraging news about immediate fuel demand in India continues to weigh on oil prices, as the worlds third-largest oil importer reported on Monday a record number of new cases for the fifth day in a row, while death toll numbers are soaring amid shortages of oxygen and a lack of hospital beds. Analysts and refining sources say that demand for fuel in India has already started crashing this month, as the record COVID cases lead to tightening restrictions. Indias combined demand for diesel, the most used fuel in the country, and for gasoline is set to plunge by as much as 20 percent in April compared to March, officials from refiners and fuel retailers told Bloomberg last week. India could throw a wrench in the recovery of global oil demand and offset possible higher fuel consumption in Europe, where more countries started re-opening this week. After England eased restrictions on April 12, Italy and Scotland opened restaurants, bars, and non-essential retailers on April 26. The worsening pandemic situation in India will likely be a topic for discussion at this weeks OPEC+ meeting, which is expected to only be a formality and a technical meeting to take stock of the market balances and compliance with the cuts. Most analysts think it is unlikely the group to make any material changes to the plans to ease the production cuts over the next three months. While some OPEC+ members may be concerned about the situation in India, we do not believe that the group will drift from its policy of easing output from 1 May, ING strategists Warren Patterson and Wenyu Yao said on Monday. Despite the prospect for additional OPEC+ barrels hitting the market next month, a firming backwardation in Brent, the global benchmark, still points to a market that can absorb additional supply as fuel demand continues to grow into the second half, Saxo Bank analysts said today. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison exits the Hennepin County Family Justice Center after a pretrial hearing for the four former Minneapolis Police officers charged in the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sept. 11, 2020. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Minnesota Attorney General Explains Why George Floyds Death Not Charged as Hate Crime Minnesotas attorney general, who led the prosecution against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, said prosecutors didnt bring hate crime charges against Chauvin in George Floyds death because there was no evidence of racial bias. Asked by CBS 60 Minutes if the law enforcement restraint leading to Floyds death last year was a hate crime, Attorney General Keith Ellison said he wouldnt call it that because hate crimes are crimes where theres an explicit motive and of bias. We dont have any evidence that Derek Chauvin factored in George Floyds race as he did what he did. Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck and back for more than nine minutes outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Floyd stopped speaking during that time and was ultimately declared dead. Chauvin was convicted last week of three counts in the death, including second-degree murder. He faces up to 40 years in prison. Prosecutors could have charged the former office with a hate crime, Ellison acknowledged. A video screen is seen as the guilty verdict is announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 20, 2021. (John Minchillo/AP Photo) But we only charge those crimes that we had evidence that we could put in front of a jury to prove. If wed had a witness that told us that Derek Chauvin made a racial reference, we might have charged him with a hate crime. But I would have needed a witness to say that on the stand. We didnt have it. So we didnt do it, Ellison told 60 Minutes host Scott Pelley. The whole world sees this as a white officer killing a black man because he is black, Pelley responded, without citing evidence to support the claim. Of the three other officers involved in the arrest, all of whom were also fired and later charged, J. Alexander Kueng is black and Tou Thao is Asian American. Ellison also said in the interview that he felt bad for Chauvin. I spent 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer. So, I will admit, I felt a little bad for the defendant. I think he deserved to be convicted. But hes a human being, he said. Im not in any way wavering from my responsibility. But I hope we never forget that people who are defendants in our criminal justice system, that theyre human beings. Theyre people. I mean, George Floyd was a human being. And so Im not going to ever forget that everybody in this process is a person. She's known for portraying Demelza in BBC One series Poldark. And Eleanor Tomlinson looked worlds away from her usual glamorous self in stills from her upcoming sci-fi series Intergalactic, which were released on Monday. The actress, 28, portrays a drug mule named Candy in the show, and transformed into her character by swapping her trademark fiery locks for messy blonde hair and she sported green scales on her face. Wow! Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson looked worlds away from her usual glamorous self as she sported SCALES to portray a drug mule in sci-fi series Intergalactic Eleanor's character is a convict from the planet Skov, and she is believed to have a forked tongue as well as her visible scales. She is part of a species of human that has evolved by the year 2143, when the show is set, and her character can smell her environment as well as sense other people's emotions. The Sky One show follows a group of female convicts who attempt to escape a prison spaceship - with dire results. Transformation: Eleanor (pictured right in Poldark) swapped her trademark fiery locks for messy blonde hair Different: Eleanor's character is a convict from the planet Skov, and she is believed to have a forked tongue as well as her visible scales Set in a dystopian future, Intergalactic takes place on a planet under the control of an authoritarian body known as the Commonworld. It follows lead character Ash, a rookie cop who is wrongfully imprisoned and meets a rag-tag group of inmates who plot to escape their prison. Savannah Steyn plays Ash, and she and Eleanor are also joined by Peaky Blinders star Natasha O'Keefe and Sex Education's Sharon Duncan-Brewster. New species: Eleanor is part of a species of human that has evolved by the year 2143, when the show is set, and she can both smell her environment and sense people's emotions Drama:The Sky One show follows Ash, a rookie cop who is wrongfully imprisoned and meets a rag-tag group of inmates who plot to escape their prison Earlier this month, Eleanor revealed that she experienced emotional high and lows during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to Radio Times, she said of the national lockdown: 'It has been the most extraordinary experience. 'There have been moments of incredible happiness and also times of immense sadness,' she added. Great cast: Savannah Steyn plays Ash, and she and Eleanor are also joined by Peaky Blinders star Natasha OKeefe and Sex Education's Sharon Duncan-Brewster Eleanor continued: 'I yearn for the day we don't have to wear masks any more...To be able to hug someone would be so amazing. I've really missed being able to do that.' The actress has recently been filming for a new show, The Offenders, for the BBC and Amazon in Bristol. The Poldark star is set to play one of The Offenders' central characters, Gabby, alongside the legendary American star Christopher Walken, 78, who stars as Frank. Intergalactic airs on Sky One on April 30, 2021. Asteroid that hit Botswana in 2018 likely came from Vesta April 23, 2021, Mountain View, CA -- An international team of researchers searched for pieces of a small asteroid tracked in space and then observed to impact Botswana on June 2, 2018. Guided by SETI Institute meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens, they found 23 meteorites deep inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and now have published their findings online in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science. "Combining the observations of the small asteroid in space with information gleaned from the meteorites shows it likely came from Vesta, second largest asteroid in our Solar System and target of NASA's DAWN mission," said Jenniskens. "Billions of years ago, two giant impacts on Vesta created a family of larger, more dangerous asteroids. The newly recovered meteorites gave us a clue on when those impacts might have happened." The asteroid The small asteroid that impacted Botswana, called 2018 LA, was first spotted by the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey as a faint point of light moving among the stars. The Catalina Sky Survey searches for Earth-crossing asteroids as part of NASA's Planetary Defense program. "Small meter-sized asteroids are no danger to us, but they hone our skills in detecting approaching asteroids," said Eric Christensen, director of the Catalina Sky Survey program. The team recovered archival data from the SkyMapper Southern Survey program in Australia that showed the asteroid spinning in space, rotating once every 4 minutes, alternatingly presenting a broad and a narrow side to us while reflecting the sunlight. On its journey to Earth, cosmic rays bombarded the asteroid and created radioactive isotopes. By analyzing those isotopes, the researchers determined that 2018 LA was a solid rock about 1.5 m in size, which reflected about 25% of sunlight. The recovery "This is only the second time we have spotted an asteroid in space before it hit Earth over land," said Jenniskens. "The first was asteroid 2008 TC3 in Sudan ten years earlier." Jenniskens also guided the search for fragments of 2008 TC3. This time, fewer observations led to more uncertainty in the asteroid's position in its orbit. Davide Farnocchia of NASA JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies combined astronomical observations of the asteroid with US Government Satellite data of the fireball to calculate the fall area. Esko Lyytinen of the Ursa Finnish Fireball Network made a parallel effort. "When Jenniskens first arrived in Maun, he needed our help narrowing down the fall area," says Oliver Moses of the Okavango Research Institute. "We subsequently tracked down more video records in Rakops and Maun and were able to triangulate the position of the fireball." After confirming the fall area, Moses and Jenniskens joined geologist Alexander Proyer of the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) in Palapye and geoscientist Mohutsiwa Gabadirwe of the Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) in Lobatse and their colleagues to search for the meteorites. "On the fifth day, our last day of searching, Lesedi Seitshiro of BIUST found the first meteorite only 30 meters from camp," said Jenniskens. "It was 18 grams and about 3 cm in size." The search area was in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, home to diverse wildlife, including leopards and lions. Researchers were kept safe by the staff of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks. BGI coordinated the search with the Department of National Museum and Monuments in Botswana. "The meteorite is named 'Motopi Pan' after a local watering hole," said Gabadirwe, now the curator of this rare sample of an asteroid observed in space before impacting Earth. "This meteorite is a national treasure of Botswana." The meteorite type Non-destructive analysis at the University of Helsinki, Finland, showed that Motopi Pan belongs to the group of Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) meteorites, known to have likely originated from the giant asteroid Vesta, which was recently studied in detail by NASA's DAWN mission. "We managed to measure metal content as well as secure a reflectance spectrum and X-ray elemental analysis from a thinly crusted part of the exposed meteorite interior," said Tomas Kohout of the University of Helsinki. "All the measurements added well together and pointed to values typical for HED type meteorites." Dynamical studies show that the orbit of 2018 LA is consistent with an origin from the inner part of the asteroid belt where Vesta is located. The asteroid was delivered into an Earth-impacting orbit via the resonance situated in the asteroid belt's inner side. "Another HED meteorite fall we investigated in Turkey in 2015, called Saricicek, impacted on a similarly short orbit and produced mostly smallish 2 to 5-gram meteorites," said Jenniskens. When Jenniskens returned to Botswana in October of 2018, the team found 22 more small meteorites. Gabadirwe was the first to spot another out-of-this-world rock. Surprisingly, subsequent meteorite finds showed a lot of diversity in their outward appearance. "We studied the petrography and mineral chemistry of five of these meteorites and confirmed that they belong to the HED group," said Roger Gibson of Witts University in Johannesburg, South Africa. "Overall, we classified the material that asteroid 2018 LA contained as being Howardite, but some individual fragments had more affinity to Diogenites and Eucrites." Other studies also confirmed the surprising diversity of the team's finds, such as reflection spectroscopy and the content of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the sample. The asteroid was a breccia, a mixture of cemented rock pieces from different parts on Vesta. Origin of the meteorites A previous hypothesis proposed that Saricicek originated from Vesta in the collision that created the Antonia impact crater imaged by DAWN. Still showing a visible ejecta blanket, that young crater was formed about 22 million years ago. One-third of all HED meteorites that fall on Earth were ejected 22 million years ago. Did Motopi Pan originate from the same crater? "Noble gas isotopes measurements at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, and radioactive isotopes measured at Purdue University showed that this meteorite too had been in space as a small object for about 23 million years," said Kees Welten of UC Berkeley, "but give or take 4 million years, so it could be from the same source crater on Vesta." Researchers found Motopi Pan and Saricicek to be similar in some ways but different in others. Like Motopi Pan, Saricicek exploded at 27.8 km altitude, but produced less light in that breakup. "The infrasound shockwave measured in South Africa was not as strong as expected from US Government sensor detections of the bright light," said Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. From lead isotopes in zircon minerals, researchers found that both Saricicek and Motopi Pan solidified at Vesta's surface about 4563 million years ago. But phosphate grains in Motopi Pan experienced another melting event more recently. Saricicek did not. "About 4234 million years ago, the material in Motopi Pan was close to the center of a large impact event," said Qing-zhu Yin of UC Davis, "Saricicek was not." Vesta experienced two significant impact events that created the Rheasilvia impact basin and the underlying, and therefore older, Veneneia impact basin. "We now suspect that Motopi Pan was heated by the Veneneia impact, while the subsequent Rheasilvia impact scattered this material around," said Jenniskens. " If so, that would date the Veneneia impact to about 4234 million years ago. On top of Rheasilvia impact ejecta is the 10.3-km diameter Rubria impact crater, slightly smaller than the 16.7-km Antonia crater, and slightly younger at 19 +/- 3 million years, but a good candidate for the origin crater of Motopi Pan." In November 2020, an expedition led by Fulvio Franchi from BIUST discovered one more Motopi Pan meteorite. This 92-gram meteorite is now the largest fragment of asteroid 2018 LA recovered to date and another small piece of the giant asteroid Vesta. ### Links: The manuscript is available at: https:/ / onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ journal/ 19455100 Link to pdf of poster: 2018 report on the first meteorite find: https:/ / www. seti. org/ press-release/ fragment-impacting-asteroid-recovered-botswana-0 About the SETI Institute Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the Universe and to share that knowledge with the world. Our research encompasses the physical and biological sciences and leverages expertise in data analytics, machine learning and advanced signal detection technologies. The SETI Institute is a distinguished research partner for industry, academia and government agencies, including NASA and NSF. Contact information Rebecca McDonald Director of Communications SETI Institute rmcdonald@seti.org This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. European Union Sues AstraZeneca Over COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Shortfall The European Union is suing pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for COVID-19 vaccine delivery shortfalls, marking an escalation in a dispute that has simmered for some time. EU spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaecker told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the lawsuit was filed in a Brussels court on April 23 due to the continuous breach of the terms of the contract and to the lack of a reliable strategy by the company to ensure the timely supply of vaccines in the current circumstances. De Keersmaecker said the legal action is for breach of the advance purchase agreement (APA) that the European Union signed with the company on Aug. 27, 2020, for the supply of 300 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the second quarter of 2021. He said the legal action was being undertaken by the European Commission on its own behalf and on behalf of the European Unions 27 member states, which are fully aligned in support of the Commission on the need to ensure a timely and effective implementation of the APA concluded with Astra Zeneca. He said the goal of the lawsuit isnt to punish AstraZeneca, but to ensure the speedy delivery of vaccines in line with the contract. Our priority is to ensure #Covid-19 vaccine deliveries take place, Stella Kyriakides, EU health commissioner, wrote in an April 26 post on Twitter, echoing De Keersmaeckers position that the intent is to get more doses. Every vaccine dose counts. Every vaccine dose saves lives, she wrote. AstraZeneca said the legal action was without merit and that it would fight the lawsuit in court. AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible, the company said in a statement. We look forward to working constructively with the EU Commission to vaccinate as many people as possible. Many thousands of our employees working around the clock have been driven by a passion to help the world at no profit; they remain firmly committed to delivering our vaccine to the people of Europe and around the world. Under its contract with the EU, AstraZeneca had committed to making its best reasonable efforts to deliver 180 million vaccine doses to the bloc in the second quarter of this year, for a total of 300 million in the period from December to June. But AstraZeneca said in a statement on March 12 it would aim to deliver only one-third of that by the end of June, of which about 70 million would be in the second quarter. A week after that, the Commission sent a legal letter to the company in the first step of a formal procedure to resolve disputes. In its statement following the announcement of the legal action, AstraZeneca said it was in the process of delivering nearly 50 million doses by the end of April, a goal which is in line with the revised-down target of supplying 100 million shots by the end of the quarter. The companys delays have contributed to hampering the blocs vaccination drive, as the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed by Oxford University, was initially supposed to be the main vaccine in an EU rollout in the first half of this year. After repeated cuts in supplies, the bloc changed its plans and now relies mostly on the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. The move follows months of disputes with the company about supply issues and amid concerns about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. Still, while the shot has been linked to rare cases of blood clots, the EU drugs regulator has recommended its use to contain the spread of COVID-19. Reuters contributed to this report. * In Scotland's capital, nationalists face key battle * Polling indicates slim majority now back independence * Pandemic response and Brexit boost support for breaking away * Infighting undermines drive for independence By Andrew MacAskill and Andrew R.C. Marshall EDINBURGH, April 26 (Reuters) - For candidate Angus Robertson, helping his Scottish National Party win a majority in May 6 elections would be a dream come true. Beyond that lies a far bigger prize - another referendum and the prospect of breaking from the United Kingdom. He only needs to look up for inspiration in his push for independence that would end the 314-year union between Scotland and England and profoundly change the course of British history. Around the lofty room that serves as his campaign headquarters in Edinburgh, a rallying cry to Scottish noblemen 700 years ago is written in cursive script. It is "not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting," it reads, "but for freedom." The prospect of independence is again in play. Opinion polls point to a persistent, though narrowing majority in favour of leaving the UK, with Brexit in 2016 - which Scotland opposed - forefront in many voters' minds. The SNP is also close to controlling the devolved parliament outright, and the last time that happened in 2011, Britain's then-Prime Minister David Cameron bowed to pressure and allowed a referendum in 2014 that ultimately rejected going it alone. Robertson hopes that a majority would force Boris Johnson to do the same, and few races will be watched more closely than his own to gauge the SNP's chances and, with them, the possibility of another referendum. The Scottish Conservatives hold the seat by just 610 votes, and the SNP needs four more seats to win a majority of 65 in the 129-seat parliament and claim the moral and political right to vote on independence. "Edinburgh Central is a hugely important seat for the SNP to secure a majority," said Robertson of his symbolic constituency at the heart of Scotland's capital. Story continues He grew up in the area that includes the Scottish parliament, an imposing castle perched on an extinct volcano and the richest parts of a city that voted emphatically against independence in 2014. The 51-year-old, who talks about independence with the quiet intensity of someone who thinks it's a question of when, not if, recalled a time when nationalists like himself weren't even elected as local councillors. "The fact that the SNP is in the running to win this seat is hugely symbolic of how strong the pro-independence movement has become." UPHILL BATTLE Were independence to happen, the United Kingdom - already grappling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit - would lose about a third of its landmass, a tenth of its population and a core ingredient of its identity. Opinion polls suggest that, for the first time, a small, sustained majority of voters in Scotland favour it. Anger over Brexit and approval of the Scottish government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic have bolstered support for independence, and demands for a second vote. That backing reached a record 58% of Scots at the end of last year. But underlining the challenge the SNP faces, support for independence has since dropped to 51%, excluding undecided voters, following a bitter feud between SNP leader and Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and her predecessor, Alex Salmond. Sturgeon has faced calls to resign for her treatment of her former mentor during an investigation of sexual harassment allegations against him. Salmond was acquitted by a court last year of 12 allegations of sexual assault and is suing the government over its handling of the complaints. The row has cast an unflattering light on the nationalist movement, tainted by in-fighting, self-interest, and conspiracy. Salmond started his own pro-independence party in March. Although the party, Alba, is expected at most to pick up a handful of seats, this could split the nationalist vote and deny the SNP its crucial outright majority. While the SNP is one of Europe's most successful political parties and is on course to win a fourth term in office, its membership is the most divided it has been in decades, according to James Mitchell, a professor of politics at Edinburgh University, who has written books on the nationalist movement. He said among activists there is growing frustration over Sturgeon's gradualist strategy for winning a new referendum and her centrist economic policies. A party that wins elections "tends to be happy", he said. "But the SNP has a bigger goal and that is independence. It hasn't made much progress on that and this is feeding a sense of betrayal. That is a strong term, but that is how some people feel." THE FIGHT FOR EDINBURGH In a close-fought constituency like Edinburgh Central, said Mitchell, disaffection with the SNP could divert votes to other pro-independence candidates and rob the SNP of a precious seat. Repeatedly besieged by English soldiers during the Middle Ages, Edinburgh has proved more resistant to independence than other parts of Scotland. It has the highest average earnings of any city in the United Kingdom after London. Many residents work in finance and higher education, which could be threatened by independence. About 60,000 people live in Edinburgh Central. A railway line bisects its richer areas, with their leafy Georgian squares and shops selling artisanal coffee or pheasant, from working-class areas where Polish, African and South Asian supermarkets serve a diverse community. Robertson was born in England to a Scottish father and German mother, and started out as a journalist with Austria's public broadcaster. He is a prominent ally of Sturgeon and a former deputy leader of the SNP. When Reuters visited, Robertson's mail bag contained a crude reminder that Edinburgh Central is no walkover. He opened an envelope and unfolded a note scrawled with expletives. "As I thought," he said. Robertson's Conservative opponent, a relative unknown called Scott Douglas, who works in public relations for a local college, was born in England to Scottish parents. Douglas believes independence is a distraction from reviving Scotland's post-pandemic economy. "Most people I speak to don't see the difference between being British and Scottish," he told Reuters. "You can be both." Under pressure to show progress is being made towards the goal of independence, the nationalists have pledged to hold a new referendum by the end of 2023 if they win a majority in the election. As the law stands, to hold another referendum legally, Scotland needs the permission of the British parliament. Johnson has repeatedly said he would refuse another independence vote and the next should not be held until the 2050s because the issue was settled in 2014. This could set the stage for a showdown: the nationalists say they will pass the legislation anyway, daring the British government to challenge the decision in the courts. But Robertson says the UK government will eventually back down if the SNP wins a majority. "The danger to Boris Johnson and the UK government, by blocking the legitimate wishes of people in Scotland, is that what has been an independence movement develops into a democracy movement," Robertson said. "This is understood by ministers in London." On Edinburgh's streets below the castle there is suspicion of both the SNP and Johnson's Conservatives. Johnson is particularly disliked in Scotland, where his English eccentricity is seen by some as arrogance. He is unlikely to campaign for the Conservatives, in apparent recognition that his presence could do more harm than good. "Boris doesn't care about a guy like me," said Stephen McKinlay, relaxing on a bench after a day working on a building site. McKinlay said he voted against independence in the 2014 referendum, but is now leaning the opposite way. "There are big risks," he said, "but maybe now we will be better off on our own." (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Andrew R.C. Marshall; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mike Collett-White) By Vera Eckert and Tom Kackenhoff FRANKFURT (Reuters) - ArcelorMittal, the world's top steelmaker, and Swedish utility Vattenfall have teamed up with Shell, Airbus and other heavyweights to cut emissions in industrial processes by using hydrogen, two executives said. One focus of the 12-member consortium, which also includes Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and logistics group Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, will be the production of carbon-neutral steel in the port city of Hamburg, they said. "Within the Hamburg hydrogen co-operation, we will be able to save one million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually (up to 2030)," said Uwe Braun, who heads ArcelorMittals's business in Germany's second-largest city. Hydrogen is considered a green fuel when electricity from renewable energy sources is used in its production. As part of the plan, Vattenfall will idle its Moorburg coal-to-power plant and convert the site to green hydrogen made from renewables while steelmaker ArcelorMittal will be one of its anchor consumers. For Airbus and Shell, being part of a hydrogen cluster in Hamburg will help them to develop new products and avoid stranded assets once green legislation puts a stop to carbon-intensive activities, such as manufacturing and refining. "For Airbus, hydrogen is a key technology for the aviation industry of the future. This is not only about the propulsion of aircraft, but also about the infrastructure of our production site," said Andre Walter, Head of Airbus Commercial, Germany European steelmakers, among the biggest global polluters, are under intense pressure to cut CO2 while maintaining profitability amid fierce competition, mainly from China. Utilities, for their part, are keen to develop production routes for hydrogen from wind and solar power, creating an alternative fuel for a multitude of applications and getting out of legacy coal, nuclear and gas. Hamburg emits 16 million tonnes CO2 per annum and Germany 749 million. Story continues The European Union and member states have pledged to back green hydrogen with billions of euros in support programmes. Green hydrogen's initial role will be to replace "grey" hydrogen in industry, which is produced from natural gas, but its applications go far beyond that as it can be used in energy provision for heating and mobility. Green hydrogen is two to three times more expensive than grey hydrogen but, with subsidises, could become competitive within 10-12 years, said Oliver Weinmann, managing director, Vattenfall Europe Innovation. Vattenfall would need to invest between 100-200 million euros ($120.91-241.82 million) in the transition at Moorburg, where a 100 megawatts (MW) electrolyser is planned for 2025, he said. Braun said that ArcelorMittal would successively replace the grey hydrogen in its Hamburg operations with green hydrogen from Vattenfall and build up electrolysis capacity of its own. "We have a set-up here where we can become a pioneer of climate neutral steel," he said. ($1 = 0.8271 euros) (Reporting by Vera Eckert and Tom Kackenhoff; Editing by Christoph Steitz and Jane Merriman) New Delhi: For a long time everyone has been watching that most Bollywood celebs were going to Maldives for a holiday. Even the shocking thing was that the vacation mode of celebs continued even in the midst of the corona epidemic. Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt recently left for Maldives as soon as they recovered from Corona but now these Bollywood celebs will not be able to go on a Maldives holiday. In fact, it is being reported that the entry of Indian passengers into Maldives has now been banned. The decision comes in the wake of the rapidly increasing cases of the global epidemic coronavirus. Not only that, last week, celebs went to Maldives for a walk. He too is now returning home. Bollywood celebs will no longer be able to go on Maldives holidays. Bollywood superstars were going on a Maldives holiday when the corona was growing rapidly in Mumbai. This includes the names of film personalities like Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani, Shraddha Kapoor. All these celebs also posted beautiful pictures and videos of their Maldives on social media. Tv stars had also visited Maldives. It included the names of actresses Shefali Jariwala, Tina Dutt, and Aarti Singh. With effect from 27 April @HPA_mv suspends tourists travelling from #India to #Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands. We thank you for the support in our endeavour to make tourism safest possible with minimum inconvenience. Ministry of Tourism (@MoTmv) April 25, 2021 Indonesia lost submarine found by officials, all crew found dead Market Closing: Sensex gains 508 points; Banking stocks outperformed Mahesh Babu receives first dose of corona vaccine BJP president J P Nadda on Monday said holding polls is a "constitutional obligation that the has to fulfil", hours after the criticised the panel for not doing enough to stop political parties from flouting COVID-19 protocols. The BJP has observed all health protocols and guidelines of the Election Commission, Nadda said, addressing a press conference here to mark the end of campaigning for the eight-phase Bengal elections. "Holding elections is a constitutional obligation which the has to fulfil. Be it an institution or someone sitting in an institution, one should be mindful of modesty in his words," the BJP president said, without taking any name. Expressing confidence that the BJP will win the polls in Bengal with a thumping majority, he said that the election, this time, was "unprecedented and unique". "The TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has displayed poor ethics. It is unfortunate that a sitting chief minister was barred (by the Election Commission) from campaigning for 24 hours because of immature and irresponsible comments. The BJP, on its part, has maintained high standards of electioneering," the top saffron party leader said. Asked about his party's plans to deal with the COVID- 19 situation in West Bengal, if it comes to power in the state, he said, "We have always been proactive in dealing with the problem and will be so in the future, too. (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.) Islamabad, April 26 : With the Covid-19 situation in India continuing to wreak havoc the neighbouring country, the people of Pakistan -- politicians, journalists, and citizens -- are all prayers, sending wishes and expressing genuine concerns for all Indians. The second wave of COVID-19 outbreak is challenging the country's health infrastructure with devastation, struggle and suffering, bringing it under severe stress. In these testing times, while the whole world is pouring in with prayers and best wishes for the people of India; through the weekend, #PakistanstandswithIndia and #Indianeedoxygen remained as top trends on the social media platform Twitter as alarming numbers of positive cases of the novel coronavirus battered Indians. Nuzhat Uthmani @NUthmani tweeted: It is heart warming after 70+ years of tensions to see the top trend in #Pakistanis #PakistanStandsWithIndia. Indeed humanity is our most important faith and what being good neighbours should be about. Praying for all our family in #Indiaand #Pakistan #IndiaNeedsOxygen. Asim Azhar @AsimAzharr: We, as a nation, pray for our neighbours India to recover from this difficult time. All our love & prayers. #PakistanStandsWithIndia. Soha @SohaHussain8: My heart is bleeding that our neighbouring country India is struggling with exponentially rising COVID-19 cases. During this month let's pray for those countries which are fighting Against Covid-19. Pray for India #indianeedoxygen #PakistanstandswithIndia. Social media has been flooded with vexing stories of Indians, suffering to the shortage of oxygen and medical facilitations. As per statistics, India has reported over 2,800 deaths and at least 3,52,000 new cases in the past 24 hours, while the total death toll in the country since the pandemic has swelled over 1,90,000 with positive cases of COVID-19 crossing over 16.5 million, making it the second country to hit such high numbers after the United States. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed solidarity with the people of India, offering every kind of support in the difficult times. On April 24, Imran Khan @ImranKhanPTI tweeted: I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID-19. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood & the world. We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also expressed support to the people of India, stating that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political considerations. Shah Mahmood Qureshi @SMQureshiPTI: We express our support to the people of India in the wake of the current wave of ?#COVID19 infections, that has hit our region hard. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the affected families in #India. Qureshi also said: "#COVID19 is yet another reminder that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political consideration. Pakistan continues to work with SAARC countries to foster cooperation to tackle the pandemic." Pakistan's mainstream media has given extensive coverage to the situation in India, while special prayers are being offered in mosques and Ramadan transmissions, with citizens praying for all of India to overcome the current crisis and difficult times. Senior journalist Nasim Zehra expressed her pain to see the sufferings of citizens in India. "We in Pakistan watch your acute suffering with great pain. Our duas that by some miracle Allah swt ends your pain - that your government an InShaaAllah soon/successfully tackle the acute shortage of oxygen etc. Whatever are differences, we bond in humanity. Our prayers for you continue. In solidarity #Praying4Indians". Faisal Edhi, son of the renowned philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and chairman of the Edhi Foundation has also written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offering help in confronting the epidemic. "We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely," the letter read. "Edhi Foundation sympathized with India during this difficult time and offered help in the form of a fleet of 50 ambulances along with our services to assist you in addressing and further circumventing the current health conditions. We wish to lend you our full support, without any inconvenience to you, which is why we will arrange all necessary supplies that our team needs to assist the people of India," the letter added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mexico's foreign minister has left for talks in Moscow on a plan to bottle Russias Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in Mexico after delays in the delivery of shipments from Russia. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard left Mexico City on April 25, his office said. Ebrard's visit to Moscow will last through April 28 and include a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Birmex, Mexico's state-run vaccine manufacturer, is working with Russia on a plan to bottle Sputnik V in Mexico, Ebrard said last week, adding that there had already been significant progress on the plan. A Health Ministry official said on April 25 that the government's aim is to ramp up distribution of Sputnik V in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Mexico's Health Ministry signed an agreement to acquire a total of 24 million doses of Sputnik V, but deliveries are running behind. The government said in late February that it expected to receive 7.4 million doses of Sputnik V by April and an additional 16.6 million shots in May. Russia has shipped just 1.1 million doses to Mexico to date. Delays in getting the Sputnik V vaccine and others have prompted Mexico to change its strategy and bottle vaccines domestically. It already has bottled 2.6 million shots of China's CanSino vaccine. The government is aiming to quicken its vaccination drive, which so far as inoculated only about 4 percent of Mexicos population of 126 million people. Nearly 215,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Mexico. The countrys death toll is fourth-highest after the United States, Brazil, and India. Based on reporting by Reuters - Increasing Cancer Incidence Driving the Cancer Immunotherapy Market with Key Players like AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Janssen Biotech, Merck, and Novartis NOIDA, India, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A comprehensive overview of the Cancer Immunotherapy market is recently added by UnivDatos Market Insights to its humongous database. The Cancer Immunotherapy Market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data of various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the Cancer Immunotherapy market. The Cancer Immunotherapy market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the Cancer Immunotherapy market at the global and regional level. The Global Cancer Immunotherapy Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.25% from 2021-2027 to reach USD 174.33 billion by 2027. Market Overview Global Cancer Immunotherapy Market is experiencing significant growth owing to increasing patient pool and higher mortality rate worldwide. In 2020, there were an anticipated 19.3 million new cancer cases (18.1 million excluding NMSC, except basal cell carcinoma) and 10 million cancer mortality cases (9.9 million excluding NMSC, except basal cell carcinoma) worldwide. Europe accounted for 22.8% of the total cancer cases and 19.6% of the cancer deaths, although it represents 9.7% of the worldwide population, followed by the Americas' 20.9% of incidence and 14.2% mortality globally. However, the cancer deaths share in Asia (58.3%) and Africa (7.2%) were observed to be higher than the share of incidence (49.3% and 5.7%, respectively) because of the different distribution of cancer types and higher case fatality rates in these regions. Furthermore, increasing R&D research in the field of cancer immunotherapy is contributing to the emergence of innovative variants with improved treatment efficacy and effectiveness. Moreover, immuno-oncology has shown favorable results of increased survival and decreased toxicity. The overall demand is being propelled by a paradigm change away from conventional chemotherapies and toward immunotherapies. Request Sample Copy of this Report @https://univdatos.com/report/cancer-immunotherapy-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2021-2027 COVID-19 Impact The COVID-19 has resulted in a profound reevaluation of the advantages and costs of cancer care. Immunotherapy is becoming a key treatment option in conditions like melanoma, lung cancer, urothelial cancer, renal cancer, and head and neck cancer. During the current outbreak, there has been speculation of a correlation between immune-related adverse events and severe COVID-19. It was speculated that the physiological provocation from immunotherapy-mediated pneumonitis and SARSCoV2-related interstitial pneumonia corresponded. For instance, pneumonitis is the leading cause of hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients. However, it is also observed to be an adverse event (AE) caused by immunotherapy (IMT), as it occurs in about 2% and 5% of patients undergoing IMT monotherapy and around 10% of patients receiving IMT combination therapy. Ask for Price & Discounts @ https://univdatos.com/report/cancer-immunotherapy-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2021-2027 Global Cancer Immunotherapy Market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated. By Therapy, the market is primarily bifurcated into Monoclonal Antibodies Vaccines Checkpoint Inhibitors Cell Therapies Immune System Modulators Adoptive Cell Transfer Cytokines Others Monoclonal antibodies segment dominated the by type of the global Cancer Immunotherapy market and will grow at 10.29% CAGR to reach US$ 65.13 billion by the year 2027. By Application, the market is primarily segmented into Lung cancer Breast cancer Colorectal cancer Melanoma Prostate cancer Head and neck cancer Other Cancer Applications Amongst application types, lung cancer accounted for the largest share in 2020 and is expected to grow at a 9.92% CAGR during the forecast period 2021-2027F. However, the breast cancer segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the analyzed period and is expected to account for a revenue share of almost 20.71% by 2027. Cancer Immunotherapy Market Geographical Segmentation Includes: North America ( United States , Canada ) ( , ) Europe ( Germany , United Kingdom , Italy , France , Spain , and Rest of Europe ) ( , , , , , and Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , Australia , and Rest of Asia-Pacific ) ( , , , , and Rest of ) Rest of the World Based on the estimation, the North America region dominated the Cancer Immunotherapy market with almost US$ 37.56 billion revenue in 2020. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow remarkably with a CAGR of 11.93% over the forecast period on account of the increasing population and cancer incidence. Ask for Report Customization @ https://univdatos.com/report/cancer-immunotherapy-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2021-2027 The major players targeting the market includes AbbVie Amgen AstraZeneca bluebird bio Bristol- Myers Squibb F. Hoffmann-La Roche Janssen Biotech Merck Novartis Pfizer Competitive Landscape The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the Cancer Immunotherapy market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition. Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include: What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the Cancer Immunotherapy market? Which factors are influencing the Cancer Immunotherapy market over the forecast period? What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the Cancer Immunotherapy market? Which factors are propelling and restraining the Cancer Immunotherapy market? What are the demanding global regions of the Cancer Immunotherapy market? What will be the global market size in the upcoming years? What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies? We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs. For more informative information, please visit us @ https://univdatos.com/report/cancer-immunotherapy-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2021-2027 About UnivDatos Market Insights UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients. Contact UnivDatos Market Insights Pawnendra Pawan Client Development Lead Ph: +91-7838604911 Email: pawnendra@univdatos.com Website: https://univdatos.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225049/UnivDatos_Logo.jpg With the COVID-19 crisis getting out of hands in India, support is coming in from many ends. Recently, Twitter announced that there are tools and resources that are available on the platform that users can use in order to find critical resources. Now, Microsoft and Google CEOs Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, both of whom come from an Indian descent, have extended help to the country, in order to better fight the ongoing healthcare emergency. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella today said that the company will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, on the other hand, said that Google and its teams are providing Rs 135 crores to UNICEF and GiveIndia in order to facilitate medical supplies, help organisations that are supporting high-risk communities, and grant help to spread critical information. This comes at a time when India recorded more than 3.5 lakh new COVID-19 cases and registered over 2,800 deaths due to COVID-19. Pichai, shared a blog post detailing the companys efforts towards helping India overcome the grim situation. The blog post, signed by the companys India head and VP, Sanjay Gupta, said that the Rs 135 crore funding includes two grands from Google.org, totaling Rs 20 crores. The first grant is to GiveIndia, in order to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second grant will go to UNICEF, which will help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, wherever it is needed the most in India. The grant also includes donations from ongoing employee giving campaign. The blog post said that so far, more than 900 Google employees have contributed towards Rs 3.7 crores for organisations supporting high-risk and margnialised countries. Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information, Pichai said in his tweet. Story continues Microsoft CEO Nadella, on the other hand, has said that Microsoft will also do its bit to help India, which is going through one of the worst health crisis in the country. The Microsoft CEO said in a tweet that the company will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Nadella also said that he is grateful to the US government for mobilising efforts to help India get through the COVID-19 crisis. US President Joe Biden today assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment's, in order to help India combat the deadly COVID-19 crisis. "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the US government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices, Nadella said in a tweet on Monday. During these tough times, technology and social media have shown to be much helpful. Users on various social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are helping out friends and families of COVID patients who may desperately need information or leads or help with hospital admissions, oxygen supplies, medicines, contacts at hospitals, information about availability of beds, home care, ambulances and more. Google is also doing its bit, by providing COVID-19 vaccine information on Search, which is available in English and eight other regional languages. Citizens across the country can use apps such as Google Maps to find COVID-19 testing or vaccine centres around them. The Maps app also includes additional information such as phone numbers and operational timings. Read all the Latest News and Breaking News here Creative Group Karens industry tenure, her luxury brand experience and her strategic thinking will deliver great value to our West Coast clients, says Craig Seymour, Vice President, Business Development. Hudsons extensive experience in the meetings and incentives industry will support Creative Groups growth strategy. She has spent years supporting clients in the tech, insurance and financial markets in the design and execution of their meetings, events and incentive programs. My experience in the hospitality industry will be a great springboard for helping clients define their value proposition for live, hybrid and virtual events, which will be especially important as our industry evolves and regenerates - something Im really excited about, says Hudson. Karens industry tenure, her luxury brand experience and her strategic thinking will deliver great value to our West Coast clients, says Craig Seymour, Vice President, Business Development. Creative Group offers innovative sales and channel incentive solutions and reward and recognition programs, as well as event management and experience design for meetings, product launches, trade shows, user conferences and group travel incentives. About Karen Hudson Hudson attended The University of California, Berkeley and after graduation, began her career in the hospitality industry working for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. She developed and managed the corporate and incentive sales market that included California and the Western Region of the US. After moving to the Monterey Peninsula, she helped lead two successful DMCs as Director of Sales. During this time, Karen also developed a successful speaker series as a radio co-host, tackling topics that support women in their personal and professional lives. About Creative Group Creative Group, a Direct Travel company, is a full-service performance improvement company that delivers results by inspiring people to thrive. The company specializes in engagement, incentive and recognition solutions, and end-to-end meeting and event management. An industry leader, Creative Group has been honored with multiple SITE Crystal Awards and the CMI 25 Award, which recognizes the top 25 most influential meeting and incentive management companies in the U.S. Creative Group was founded in 1970 and serves clients in technology, financial services, life sciences, insurance, manufacturing, retail, automotive, hospitality and more. Employing over 170 people, the company is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, and maintains offices in San Francisco (Emeryville), Detroit, Appleton, Wisconsin and Toronto, Canada. Creative Group was acquired by Direct Travel in 2015. For more information about Creative Group, visit http://www.creativegroupinc.com Fueled by partisan fury and a backlash against pandemic shutdowns, a Republican-led campaign to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has officially qualified for the ballot, setting the stage for the second recall election in the states history, officials said on Monday. In a widely expected filing, the California secretary of states office found that recall organizers had collected 1,626,042 signatures on their petition, more than the roughly 1.5 million required to ask voters to remove Mr. Newsom from office. The announcement sets in motion a series of procedural steps that will culminate in a special election. No election date has been scheduled, but it is expected to be sometime in November. Between now and then, the state will review the cost of the election, and voters who signed the petition will have 30 business days to ask to have their names removed if they so choose. State officials say, however, that those hurdles are unlikely to prevent a vote, even though only a year or so will remain before Mr. Newsom, who was elected in 2018, comes up for re-election. The latest wedge hole hit an impressive 51,612 g/t silver at the second vein (Vein 2) over a length of 0.41m The company told investors that this "new high-grade vein panel" was being expanded using wedge drilling Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc ( ) (OTCMKTS:CCWOF) (FRA:4T9B) has reported high-grade drill results from its Robinson Zone project Gowganda, Ontario, which has underlined the potential to expand mineralization there. The latest wedge hole hit an impressive 51,612 grams per ton (g/t) silver at the second vein (Vein 2) over a length of 0.41 meter (m), which was sunk within 60m of the so-called Robinson Zone Discovery hole. The latter hole hit the highest-grade silver to date at Robinson Zone, at 89,853 g/t silver over a true width of 5 to 7cm. "Vein 2, or 'Big Silver', is evolving significantly with the ongoing wedge drilling and is shaping up to be even nicer than Vein 1, or 'Robinson Vein'. Further drilling is expected to continue to enlarge this zone," said Matt Halliday, the President of Canada Silver Cobalt. The company told investors that this "new high-grade vein panel" was being expanded using wedge drilling. "Additional assays and expanded panel size will be updated as results become available. The potential of the Robinson Zone has significantly increased with the development of this second, distinct, high-grade silver vein." In 2020, a maiden resource estimate identified zones 1A and 1B of the Robinson Zone had an average silver grade of 8,582 g/t in a combined 27,400 tonnes of material for a total of 7.56 million inferred ounces of silver using a cut-off grade of 258 g/t silver-equivalent. The Robinson Zone project is wholly-owned by the company and lies in its Castle property, 15km east of Aris Gold Corp's Juby gold deposit, 30km due south of Alamos Gold's Young-Davidson mine, 75km southwest of Kirkland Lake Gold's Macassa Complex, and 100km southeast of new gold discoveries in the Timmins West area. Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com IRISH Water has confirmed it is investigating reports of discolouration to the water supply serving thousands of homes in Limerick city. A number of people, including public representatives, have posted comments and pictures on social media since the issue was first noticed at around 5pm this Monday. Most describe how the water coming from taps appears to be brown in colour. Areas reportedly affected include Raheen, Dooradoyle, Ballycummin, South Circular Road and Ballinacurra. In a brief statement, published on social media shortly after 7pm, the State-owned utility confirmed it is aware of the issue and is making inquiries. #IWLimerick: We are currently investigating reports of supply discolouration to Raheen and surrounding areas in Co. Limerick. Further information to follow. April 26, 2021 "We are currently investigating reports of supply discolouration to Raheen and surrounding areas in County Limerick. Further information to follow," read the statement which was posted on Twitter and on the Irish Water website, water.ie. It's unclear what has caused the discolouration and, at this stage, there is nothing to suggest there is any health risk to those who consume the water. GRAND RAPIDS, MI A proposal to transform the historic Sligh Furniture Company building in Grand Rapids into a 753-unit apartment development is moving forward after receiving planning commission approval despite concerns over affordability and displacement of retail tenants. Developer John Gibbs of Detroit-based Sturgeon Bay Partners says the project, which is also slated to include ground-floor retail, a public plaza and a one-story cafe, will help meet demand for affordable and market rate housing in Grand Rapids. Related: Historic Sligh furniture building in Grand Rapids eyed for 753-unit micro apartment project We intend on having a pretty sizeable affordable housing component, Gibbs told the planning commission last week. He didnt provide rental rates but said that at a bear minimum 10% of the units would be affordable to residents who earn between 60% and 80% of area median income. We are very aware of the housing needs in Grand Rapids We think this project will help solve that problem, he said. Its a sizeable amount of units coming online but if done right and phased we feel that the neighborhood can absorb these units. The planned development encompasses an entire city block roughly seven-acres large. Its bordered by Century, Wealthy, Grandville and Logan streets. An industrial building at the northeast corner of Wealthy Street and Century Avenue is not included in the development. The Sligh furniture building, which is now home to several large antique shops, would be preserved and renovated. But at least three smaller buildings in the project area would be demolished to create the development, a presentation provided to the planning commission showed. The nine-member planning commission approved the project on Thursday, April 22. Two commissioners, Paul Greenwald and Lawrence Williams, voted no. The vote followed a public comment period where several residents spoke out against the project. I dont even really know what to say at this point other than we do something that no one else around town does, said Mark Miller, owner of Lost & Found Treasures of Old and New, one of the antique shops in the Sligh building. To lose this space to be able to conduct our business, along with the other businesses in the area, it doesnt seem like were putting any sort of priority on that as a community. Katy Steele, who sits on the Wyoming Housing Commission board, said the development would hurt the neighborhood. Im thinking about all of the small businesses that are currently in this building, and Im thinking about how important it is for them to hold on to their means of income, she said. It would really be devastating to have a bunch of local small businesses closed and replaced with housing that is not affordable to people who actually live here. In addition to Lost & Found Treasures of Old and New, the Sligh building is home to at least two other antique shops: Warehouse One Antiques & Collectibles and Century Antiques. City staff said the scope of the planning commissions authority over the project was based on weather it complied with city zoning and planning ordinances. Concerns over housing affordability or displacement of retail tenants, while a topic of community concern, were not relevant to the commissions decision, said Planning Director Kristin Turkelson. Gibbs, the projects developer, did not provide a timeline for the project during last weeks planning commission meeting. But he indicated the project will be seeking historic tax credit to help finance the endeavor, and that hes exploring the use of the states low-income housing tax credit program. Planning commission documents indicate the development would include two new mixed use residential buildings with structured parking, a single-story cafe building, and the adaptive reuse of the historic Sligh Furniture building. Read more: Michigan reports declining coronavirus case rate for 8th straight day, 35 deaths between April 25-26 Genesee Christians Trenton Boike makes Division 4 All-State basketball first team Michigans Republican strongholds have lower vaccination rates, higher COVID-19 case rates on average STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Two years ago, an eagle-eyed security guard at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton spied a gun handle in Kiel Newtons waistband inside the hospital, said police. Security officers quickly disarmed the New Brighton resident of a loaded .38-caliber revolver on Jan. 9, 2019, averting a potentially dangerous situation. Newton, 31, was arrested and indicted on gun charges. Now, hell spend the next few years in a prison cell. On Thursday, Newton was sentenced to five years in prison and five years post-release supervision under a plea agreement. Police said the events unfolded during the late morning. Newton was voluntarily brought into the hospital for a medical condition, said cops. At one point, the defendant said, I need to get my ID and reached into a bag he was carrying. Newton pulled out a toothbrush holder and a silver object, police said. The defendant then put the silver object into the back waistband of his pants, said police. As he did so, a security guard observed a gun handle sticking out of the waistband, cops said. Newton was restrained, and the security officer removed a silver .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver from the defendants back waistband, said police. The defendant was indicted on charges of second-, third- and fourth-degree criminal weapon possession. He was also accused of criminal firearm possession. In February 2020, Newton pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession to resolve the case. The defendant has a criminal record. In July 2017, he was convicted of misdemeanor marijuana sale and sentenced to a conditional discharge, the indictment said. His lawyer did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the case. ADVERTISEMENT No fewer than nine people were killed on Monday when hoodlums invaded Ukpomachi community, Awkuzu in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the killing in a statement, said information about the incident was still sketchy. Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said others were injured, and property and livestock destroyed. Mr Ikenga said the attackers were armed with machetes and other dangerous weapons. He said the police were yet to verify the identities of those killed. The police spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Kuryas, has ordered immediate deployment of an operational and intelligence team to identify and apprehend the killers. A crack team of operatives of the command led by an assistant commissioner of police has visited the scene and conducted on-the-spot-assessment of the incident. Normalcy has been restored to the area and adequate security put in place to forestall a similar occurrence, he said. The police urged residents of Anambra, particularly those living in the community, to be calm, assuring them of their resolve to get to the root of the incident. The police appealed for information from the residents that could lead to the arrest of those responsible for the attack. Anambra and other states in the South-east, as well as the South-south, have been grappling with severe security challenges, including deadly attacks on security agents. The South-east governors held an emergency security meeting on Sunday to discuss the security challenges in the region, after some gunmen suspected to be IPOB members attacked and set ablaze the country home of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma. (NAN) D.H.S. Will Review How It Handles Extremism in Its Ranks The Biden administrations focus on domestic extremism comes after decades of prodding to address the threat as seriously as the problem of foreign terrorism. The Justice Department will investigate the Louisville police force. D.H.S. will review how it identifies and addresses extremism and white supremacy in its ranks. A Border Patrol agent detaining asylum seekers in San Luis, Ariz., this month. The announcement of an internal review of the Department of Homeland Security comes just weeks after the Pentagon completed a stand down to address extremism. Credit... Jim Urquhart/Reuters The Department of Homeland Security will undergo an internal review to root out white supremacy and extremism in its ranks as part of a larger effort to combat extremist ideology in the federal government, officials said on Monday. The task of identifying extremists throughout the United States, and specifically in government agencies, has come to the top of President Bidens agenda since the deadly assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob, which included members of some extremist groups, raided the building and forced lawmakers into a lockdown. We recognize that domestic violent extremism and the ideology, the extremist ideologies that spew it, are prevalent, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary. We have a responsibility given what we do to ensure that that pernicious influence does not exist in our department. The internal review of the Department of Homeland Security comes just weeks after the Department of Defense completed a 60-day stand down to address extremism after a number of veterans were found to have taken part in the Capitol riot. The review means that the department tasked with preventing domestic terrorism threats will now turn inward to assess if such ideology is coursing through its various agencies, including the Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service and the Coast Guard. As part of the review, senior officials will establish an internal process for agents who are found to be associated with extremist groups or who espouse those beliefs online or while on duty, Mr. Mayorkas said. He said he was mindful of the constitutional right to free speech. There is a marked difference between that right and violence in furtherance of extremist ideologies, Mr. Mayorkas said. He added that the team would develop training and resources for employees, as well as hold listening sessions for officers and agents, similar to methods used by the Defense Department this year. The announcement on Monday highlights the administrations decision to prioritize combating domestic extremism after decades in which the government at times dismissed it as a minor threat or hesitated to invest additional resources to fight it. Shortly after coming into office, Mr. Biden ordered the director of national intelligence, Avril D. Haines, to work with the F.B.I. and the Homeland Security Department on a comprehensive assessment of how the government combats extremism. The administration followed up with an intelligence report delivered to Congress last month that identified white supremacists and militia groups within the United States as top national security threats. John Kerry denies ever having discussed Israeli strikes in Syria with Irans foreign minister. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry spoke to reporters at the White House last week. Credit... Al Drago for The New York Times John Kerry, a former secretary of state, said on Monday that he had never discussed covert Israeli airstrikes in Syria with Irans foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, contrary to Mr. Zarifs claim in a leaked conversation. Mr. Zarif and Mr. Kerry spoke constantly when the two were negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The Iranian foreign minister said in the recording, reported by The New York Times on Sunday, that Mr. Kerry had informed him that Israel had attacked Iranian interests in Syria at least 200 times. The claim sparked a furor on Monday among conservatives who accused Mr. Kerry, who was secretary of state in the Obama administration and now serves as President Bidens climate envoy, of betraying Israeli secrets. But in a tweet on Monday evening, Mr. Kerry denied the assertion and pointed to reports long in the public domain about Israeli strikes on Iranian assets in Syria. I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened either when I was Secretary of State or since, Mr. Kerry wrote. I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened - either when I was Secretary of State or since. https://t.co/BTOdFE1khW John Kerry (@JohnKerry) April 26, 2021 Mr. Kerrys denial came after multiple attacks from prominent Republicans. Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said that, if real, the remarks would amount to catastrophic and disqualifying recklessness. Senator Dan Sullivan, Republican of Alaska and a former State Department official under President George W. Bush, called in a speech on the Senate floor for Mr. Kerry to resign, saying he was astonished that Mr. Kerry would reveal the secrets of one of our most important and enduring allies in the region to an avowed enemy, the largest state sponsor of terrorism. And Nikki Haley, who served as United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, wrote on Twitter that the claim was disgusting and accused Mr. Kerry of tipping off Iran. But it was not clear that the alleged disclosure would have revealed any secrets. Israel has made little effort to deny years of strikes attributed to it by Syrias government, news outlets and nongovernmental organizations tracking the Syrian conflict, whose chaos Iran has sought to use to establish a foothold that could threaten Israeli security. A New York Times article from 2019 included similar information on the number of Israeli strikes. And Mr. Kerrys tweet cited a Washington Post reporters tweet of a 2018 Reuters article, sourced to a senior Israeli official, reporting that Israel had mounted 200 attacks on Iranian assets in Syria. The recording in question captures Mr. Zarif speaking for hours to an interviewer producing an oral history of the current Iranian administration. Kerry has to tell me that Israel has attacked you 200 times in Syria? says Mr. Zarif, who complains in the recording that Irans military has long kept him in the dark on crucial matters. You did not know? the interviewer asks twice. Both times, Mr. Zarif replies, No, no. In the recording, Mr. Zarif does not specify when Mr. Kerry was supposed to have made the comment. A State Department official noted on Monday that Mr. Kerry had a record of supporting Israels security and that many of the Republicans outraged by Mr. Zarifs remarks had said previously that his words could not be trusted. Earlier in the day, the State Department spokesman, Ned Price, told reporters at a daily briefing that he would not comment on purportedly leaked material and could not vouch for the authenticity of it or the accuracy of it, or what motives might be behind its emergence. Mr. Price did not specifically address whether Mr. Kerry had made such comments to Mr. Zarif, but implied that they would not have constituted an improper disclosure. I would just make the broad point that if you go back and look at press reporting from the time, this certainly was not secret, Mr. Price said. And governments that were involved were speaking to this publicly, on the record. Michael Crowley, Nicholas Fandos and Advertisement Continue reading the main story The Justice Department will investigate the Louisville police, Garland says. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:21 - 0:00 transcript Merrick Garland Opens Investigation Into Louisville Police Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a Justice Department investigation into the police in Louisville, Ky., and the county government on Monday. The inquiries show the Biden administration seeking stricter oversight of local departments amid a national outcry over police abuse. Today, the Justice Department is opening a civil investigation into the Louisville, Jefferson County Metro government, and the Louisville Metro Police Department to determine whether L.M.P.D. engages in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law. Todays announcement is based on an extensive review of publicly available information about L.M.P.D. conducted by the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. The investigation will assess whether L.M.P.D. engages in a pattern or practice of using unreasonable force, including with respect to people involved in peaceful, expressive activities. As in every Justice Department investigation, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead. If there is reasonable cause to believe that there is a pattern or practice of constitutional or statutory violations, we will issue a public report of our conclusions. If violations are found, the Justice Department will aim to work with the city and police department to arrive at a set of mutually agreeable steps that they can take to correct, and prevent unlawful patterns or practices. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a Justice Department investigation into the police in Louisville, Ky., and the county government on Monday. The inquiries show the Biden administration seeking stricter oversight of local departments amid a national outcry over police abuse. Credit Credit... Pool photo by Andrew Harnik Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a sweeping Justice Department investigation on Monday into the Louisville, Ky., metro police and the county government there, the second time in a week that the department has opened a civil investigation into a police force that prompted national furor for the killing of an unarmed Black person. The Louisville police came under fire after officers raided the home of a Black medical worker named Breonna Taylor last March and shot her to death. Her killing helped fuel nationwide racial justice protests last year. The city has already enacted some law enforcement reforms in the 13 months since Ms. Taylors death, including a ban on no-knock warrants, as well as the creation of a civilian review board for police disciplinary matters. But the attorney generals investigation is poised to be the broadest review yet, and officials said it would be especially credible coming from an independent federal agency. During a news conference on Monday, officials in Louisville praised the investigation, saying it could help foster change and rebuild the citys strained relationship with its police department. I cant say that I was entirely surprised by the D.O.J.s announcement, said Erika Shields, chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department. As someone who truly believes in police reform and doing things differently, which will only help us as a profession in the long run, I think its a good thing. Critics have decried the pace of the investigation into Ms. Taylors death. A grand jury indicted Brett Hankison, a former Louisville detective involved in the raid, for wanton endangerment of Ms. Taylors neighbors, whose apartment was hit when he fired his gun. No one was charged for her death. (An earlier version of this item misspelled Mr. Hankisons name.) Image Police officers clashing with protesters in Louisville, Ky., last year. Credit... Xavier Burrell for The New York Times Todays announcement is based on an extensive overview of publicly available information, Mr. Garland said in brief remarks at the Justice Department. He said that the inquiry into both the police and the Jefferson County government would be conducted by the departments Civil Rights Division, and that it will assess whether the police department engages in a pattern or practice of using unregulated or unreasonable force. Mr. Garland said last week that the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, a day after the former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd. The inquiries show that the Biden administration is seeking to apply stricter oversight of local departments amid a national outcry over police abuse. Derrick Johnson, national president of the N.A.A.C.P., applauded Mondays announcement, saying true justice comes with accountability and action. The relationship between law enforcement and our community has been deeply fractured and shattered by the lack of trust and the little-to-no accountability enforced when police commit a crime, he said. For far too long, killings at the hands of police have only led to one hashtag after another. Investigations into whether a departments policing practices are unconstitutional are often precursors to court-approved agreements between the Justice Department and local governments that create and enforce a road map for operational changes at police departments. The investigation into the Louisville Police Department that Mr. Garland announced on Monday is separate from the Justice Departments ongoing criminal investigation, announced last May, into the death of Ms. Taylor. The Biden administration is expected to share AstraZeneca doses with other nations after a safety review. People getting vaccinated at a government hospital in Mumbai, India, this month. Credit... Atul Loke for The New York Times President Biden, under intense pressure to do more to address the surging pandemic abroad, including a humanitarian crisis in India, intends to make up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine available to other countries, so long as federal regulators deem the doses safe, officials said Monday. The announcement came after Mr. Biden spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and the two pledged to work closely together in the fight against Covid-19. It is a significant, albeit limited, shift for the White House, which has until now been reluctant to make excess doses of coronavirus vaccine available in large amounts. But the commitment is a tricky one to make: The AstraZeneca doses are manufactured at the Baltimore plant owned by Emergent BioSolutions, where production has been halted amid fears of contamination. The New York Times has reported extensively on problems at the plant, which had to throw out millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine between October and January, and later discarded up to 15 million doses of the vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, also because of concern about possible contamination. AstraZenecas vaccine, unlike those of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, has also not been granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. And the administration would not specify which countries will receive the vaccine. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, cautioned at a news conference that the donations of doses would not happen right away. She said about 10 million doses could be released in the coming weeks if the F.D.A. determines that the vaccine meets our own bar and our own guidelines, and that another 50 million doses are in various stages of production. Right now we have zero doses available of AstraZeneca, Ms. Psaki said. In a statement, a spokesperson for AstraZeneca said that the company would not comment on specifics but that the doses are part of AstraZenecas supply commitments to the U.S. government. Decisions to send U.S. supply to other countries are made by the U.S. government. Correction : April 26, 2021 An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to a safety review that the Food and Drug Administration is required to conduct before AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine doses are shared with other nations. The doses themselves must clear an F.D.A. safety review, not the plant where the doses are manufactured. Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Advertisement Continue reading the main story The Supreme Court looks at dark money and will weigh C.I.A. black sites as state secrets and a N.Y. gun law. A case of firearms at the National Rifle Associations annual meeting in Indianapolis in 2019. With a newly expanded conservative majority, the Supreme Courts calculus on Second Amendment appeals may have changed. Credit... Lisa Marie Pane/Associated Press The Supreme Court took action on Monday on several cases that could have wide-reaching effects on American life, including the use of dark money from unidentified political donors, the carrying of guns in public, and whether the C.IA.s black sites secret detention facilities on foreign territory are state secrets. Regarding dark money, the justices seemed skeptical in a hearing on a demand from California that charities soliciting contributions in the state report the identities of their major donors. A majority of the justices appeared to agree at least that the two groups challenging the requirement Americans for Prosperity, a foundation affiliated with the Koch family, and the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative Christian public-interest law firm should prevail. It was less clear whether the court would strike down the requirement for all charities as a violation of the First Amendments protection of the freedom of association. The justices gave few hints about whether their ruling, expected by June, would alter the constitutional calculus in the related area of disclosure requirements for campaign spending, though Justice Stephen G. Breyer said, This case is really a stalking horse for campaign finance disclosure laws. Earlier on Monday, the court said it would review a New York law that imposes strict limits on carrying guns outside the home, setting the stage for its first major Second Amendment case in more than a decade. The move came in the wake of a recent spate of mass shootings, and calls from President Biden and other Democrats for stricter restrictions on firearms. The Supreme Court has turned down countless Second Amendment appeals since it established an individual right to keep guns in the home for self-defense in 2008 in District of Columbia v. Heller. Since then, lower courts have generally sustained gun control laws. But they are divided on the question posed by the new case: whether states can stop law-abiding citizens from carrying guns outside their homes for self-defense unless those citizens can show they have a good reason for doing so. Additionally, the court agreed on Monday to decide whether the government can block a detainee at Guantanamo Bay from obtaining information from two former C.I.A. contractors involved in torturing him at a black site. The U.S. government, in briefs filed by both the Trump and Biden administrations, argued that releasing the information would expose state secrets. The detainee, known as Abu Zubaydah, sought to subpoena the contractors, James E. Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, in connection with a Polish criminal investigation. The inquiry was prompted by a determination by the European Court of Human Rights that Mr. Zubaydah had been tortured in 2002 and 2003 at black sites operated by the C.I.A., including one in Poland. Mr. Zubaydah was the first prisoner held by the C.I.A. after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to undergo so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, which were based on suggestions from Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Jessen, both psychologists. A newly declassified court ruling scolds the F.B.I. but re-approves its warrantless surveillance program. The F.B.I.s headquarters in Washington. An internal audit showed that the bureau repeatedly violated rules intended to protect Americans privacy. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times For a second year, the nations surveillance court has pointed with concern to widespread violations by the F.B.I. of rules intended to protect Americans privacy when analysts search emails gathered without a warrant but still signed off on another year of the program, a newly declassified ruling shows. In a 67-page ruling issued in November and made public on Monday, James E. Boasberg, the presiding judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, recounted several episodes uncovered by an F.B.I. audit where the bureaus analysts improperly searched for Americans information in emails that the National Security Agency collected without warrants. Those instances appeared largely to be additional examples of an issue that was already brought to light in a December 2019 ruling by Judge Boasberg. The government made it public in September. The F.B.I. has already sought to address the problem by rolling out new system safeguards and additional training, although the coronavirus pandemic has hindered the bureaus ability to assess how well they are working. Still, Judge Boasberg said he was willing to issue a legally required certification for the National Security Agencys warrantless surveillance program to operate for another year. While the court is concerned about the apparent widespread violations of the querying standard, Judge Boasberg wrote, it lacks sufficient information at this time to assess the adequacy of the F.B.I. system changes and training, post-implementation. Because of that, he added, the court concluded that the F.B.I.s querying and minimization procedures meet statutory and Fourth Amendment requirements. Biden and Harris add late-week tour stops to promote themes from the presidents speech to Congress Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris last Thursday, during a roundtable at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. Credit... Al Drago for The New York Times President Biden will go to Philadelphia on Friday and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Ohio to reiterate the themes Mr. Biden is expected to lay out in his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, including pushing for swift approval of his $4 trillion economic agenda. The stops will be part of what White House officials are calling the Getting America Back on Track Tour, which will start on Thursday, with Mr. Biden in Georgia and Ms. Harris in Baltimore, and continue next week. A White House official said Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris along with their spouses and, next week, cabinet members would use the public events to promote the administrations early record on the economy and the pandemic. They will emphasize that the nation hit 200 million coronavirus vaccine shots in Mr. Bidens first 100 days. They will also stress the deployment of $1,400 direct checks to individuals, expanded tax credits for parents and support for small businesses, among other provisions in the $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan the president signed into law earlier this year. The official said Mr. Biden, Ms. Harris and others would also push Congress to pass Mr. Bidens American Jobs Plan, which he announced in Pittsburgh last month, and his American Families Plan, which he is set to describe before his speech this week. Those plans are the two halves of Mr. Bidens longer-run economic agenda, which totals $4 trillion in new spending and tax breaks, offset by higher taxes on corporations and the rich. They focus on physical infrastructure, like ports and bridges, along with what the administration calls human infrastructure: support for workers, students and families. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Tim Ryan, a Democratic congressman, is running for Ohios open Senate seat. Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio speaking at a hearing on Capitol Hill last year. Credit... Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times Representative Tim Ryan, a gruff-voiced, 10-term Democrat representing Ohios 13th Congressional District, jumped into the race for an open Senate seat on Monday, brandishing blue-collar talking points in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched, hard-fought contests of 2022. Mr. Ryan, 47, supported tariffs on China before President Donald J. Trump came along, and after the election in 2016, he challenged then-Representative Nancy Pelosi for Democratic leadership in the House, arguing that she was out of touch with working class voters. He will seek to capture the seat of the retiring senator, Rob Portman, a Republican, in a state that has moved sharply to the right in the Trump era. The Republican primary is already off to a clamorous start with multiple candidates and possible contenders seeking to position themselves as the most aligned with Mr. Trump, including Josh Mandel, a former state treasurer; Jane Timken, a former state party chair; and J.D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy. Mr. Ryan, who ran a brief, little-noticed race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, represents a district in eastern Ohio stretching from Youngstown to Akron. It is a region where globalization closed factories, driving traditional white working-class Democrats into the arms of Mr. Trump. Mr. Ryan made it clear that he will seek to win back those voters. The success of America isnt housed in the halls of Congress it lies in the calloused hands and unrelenting grit of Americas workers, he said in a three-minute video, wearing a T-shirt and a sweatshirt. Ill work with anyone to rebuild our economy, but Ill never sell out our workers. The seat is rated lean Republican by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. In a state that Mr. Trump carried by eight points in 2020, the path to statewide victory for a Democrat is increasingly narrow. Mr. Ryan will seek to duplicate the 2018 victory by the states Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown, who convinced enough blue-collar voters that while they might not like his overall progressivism, he stood with them on kitchen-table issues. Mr. Ryan, who was in danger of being redistricted out of his safe House district ahead of the midterms, was a protege of Jim Traficant, the longtime Democratic congressman from Youngstown. Mr. Ryan defeated his mentor in 2002, after Mr. Traficant was convicted on criminal charges and sought re-election from a prison cell. (An earlier version of this article misstated how many terms Mr. Ryan had spent in Congress. It is 10 terms, not five.) In a setback for Trump, Doug Collins will not seek office in Georgia in 2022. Former President Donald J. Trump had hinted at the idea of backing former Representative Doug Collins for statewide office next year. Credit... Audra Melton for The New York Times Doug Collins, a former U.S. congressman and ardent defender of former President Donald J. Trump, announced on Monday that he would not seek any statewide office in 2022, at once narrowing the field of Republican candidates for Senate in Georgia and removing a potential intraparty challenge to Gov. Brian Kemp. Mr. Collinss decision is a setback for Mr. Trumps hopes of fielding a strong, experienced Republican candidate for Senate or governor next year. Mr. Collins was widely seen as more likely to run for Senate; his announcement now deprives the Trump-supporting wing of the Georgia Republican Party of an experienced challenger to Senator Raphael Warnock, a freshman Democrat who won a special election in January and will be up for re-election to a full term next year. Herschel Walker, the former N.F.L. and University of Georgia football star, has been rumored to be considering a run, and Mr. Trump has urged him to jump into the race. Kelvin King, a contractor and Trump supporter, announced his candidacy earlier this month, and Latham Saddler, a former Navy SEAL and former White House fellow in the Trump administration, has filed paperwork stating his intention to run. Other ambitious Georgia Republicans seeking higher office may also end up trying their luck in the primary. Mr. Warnock is a political newcomer, and Republicans are hoping that his election this winter, as well as that of Senator Jon Ossoff, a fellow Democrat, were anomalies explained in part by the false claims of election fraud pushed by Mr. Trump and his allies, which may have depressed turnout in those Senate races. Mr. Collins was also seen as a potential primary challenger to Mr. Kemp, the Republican incumbent who drew the ire of Mr. Trump for refusing to acquiesce to the former presidents demands to try to subvert the election results. Mr. Trump has vowed to campaign against Mr. Kemp and may get behind other pro-Trump statewide candidates in advance of the November 2022 election. Vernon Jones, a former Democrat turned Trump ally, announced his candidacy for governor earlier this month. Mr. Trump had hinted at the idea of backing Mr. Collins for statewide office, although he mentioned him as a potential candidate for governor, rather than senator, at a rally in Georgia in December. Richard Fausset and Some Black lawmakers are wary that a major elections bill could reduce their power in Congress. Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, whose district includes Jackson, was the only Democrat to vote against the passage of the House voting rights bill last month. Credit... Pool photo by Chip Somodevilla As Democrats in Congress consider a colossal elections system overhaul, Black leaders are facing some unexpected resistance from lawmakers who fear that it would endanger their own seats in predominantly Black districts. Republicans have often used the redistricting method to pack Black Democrats into one House district. The practice has diluted Democrats influence regionally, but it also ensures that each Southern state has at least one predominantly Black district, offering a guarantee of Black representation amid a sea of mostly white and conservative House districts. Most Black Democratic lawmakers in the South have so far remained relatively muted about these concerns of self-preservation, worried that it places their own interests above the partys agenda or activists priorities. Still, the doubts flared up last month when Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, a Democrat whose district includes Jackson, surprisingly voted no on the Houses federal elections bill. Recently, other Congressional Black Caucus members have urged Democratic leadership to focus more narrowly on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act which aims to restore key parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, including the requirement that some states get federal approval before changing election laws rather than pushing for the sweeping provisions of the For the People Act, officially known as H.R. 1. Southern Democrats and civil rights activists are also frustrated by what they view as a belated sense of urgency about the challenges Black voters face in the region. In interviews, they described a Democratic Party that has been slow to combat Republican gerrymandering and voting limits, overconfident about the speed of progress, and too willing to accept that voter suppression was a thing of the Jim Crow past. Advertisement Continue reading the main story States struggle to distribute billions in new federal housing to vulnerable tenants. Antonette Worke is awaiting news on whether she will receive assistance for $5,000 in overdue rent in Charleston, S.C. Credit... Nora Williams for The New York Times Four months after Congress approved tens of billions of dollars in emergency rental aid, only a small portion has reached landlords and tenants, and in many places, it is impossible even to file an application. The program requires hundreds of state and local governments to devise and carry out their own plans, and some have been slow to begin. But the pace is hindered mostly by the sheer complexity of the task: starting a huge pop-up program that reaches millions of tenants, verifies their debts and wins over landlords who dont always share the same interests as their renters. Congress approved $25 billion in December and added more than $20 billion in March. The sum the federal government now has for emergency rental aid, $46.5 billion, rivals the annual budget of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Experts say careful preparation may improve results; it takes time to find the neediest tenants and ensure payment accuracy. One in seven renters report that they are behind on payments. The longer it takes to distribute the money, the more landlords suffer destabilizing losses, and tenants risk eviction. Estimates of unpaid rents vary greatly, from $8 billion to $53 billion. While some pandemic aid has flowed through established programs, the rental help is both decentralized and new, making the variation especially pronounced. In Charleston, S.C., housing became a subject of concern after a 2018 study found the area had the countrys highest eviction rate. Charleston County ran three rounds of rental relief with CARES Act money, and the state ran two. The second state program, started with $25 million in February, drew so many applications that it closed in six days. South Carolina is still processing those requests as it decides how to distribute the new federal funds. Antonette Worke is among the applicants awaiting an answer. She moved to Charleston from Denver last year, drawn by cheaper rents, warmer weather and a job offer. But the job fell through, and her landlord filed for eviction. Ms. Worke, who has kidney and liver disease, is temporarily protected by the federal eviction moratorium. But it does not cover tenants whose leases expire, as hers will at the end of next month. Her landlord said he would force her to move, even if the state paid the $5,000 in overdue rent. Voting rights debate stalls progress on Trump-inspired ethics reform. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, at a hearing on the For the People Act with the Senate Rules and Administration Committee on Capitol Hill last month. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times After President Donald J. Trump lost the election and was impeached for his role in the Capitol riot, democracy preservation groups pointed with urgency to what they called a last, best chance to address the holes in the Constitution exposed by his presidency. But a suite of legislative responses, like requiring the release of presidential tax returns and barring presidents from channeling government money to their private businesses, is now hostage in the Senate to a more public fight over voting rights. And competing priorities of President Bidens may ensure that the moment to fortify constitutional guardrails that Mr. Trump plowed through may already have passed. Most Democrats and a coalition of watchdog groups say the ethics and voting rights sections in a sprawling Senate bill known as the For the People Act, or S.1., should remain intact and entwined. But solid Republican opposition to the legislations voter access proposals threatens less debated elements in the measure, part of what was envisioned to be the most comprehensive ethics overhaul since Watergate. Even Democratic support for the bill has begun to splinter, as the Congressional Black Caucus and some advocacy groups pivot from the full 800-page legislation to pushing for narrower proposals. The measure will undergo changes in a formal drafting on May 11 by the Senate Rules Committee that aims to clarify confusing provisions, conflicting deadlines and redundancies. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, vowed last month to bring the full bill to a vote. If our democracy doesnt work, then we have no hope no hope of solving any of our other problems, he said. The act would expand voting access, curb partisan gerrymandering and curtail the influence of secret donors, special interests and foreign governments in American elections, all hot-button issues that Republican leaders strongly oppose. This is clearly an effort by one party to rewrite the rules of our political system, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, said last month in a hearing on the bill. This legislation would forcibly rewrite the election laws in all 50 states. Survivors of sexual abuse and their global advocates are calling upon Google to overhaul their search engine algorithms to stop promoting violent pornography. A coalition of victims of sexual abuse and their advocates from all over the world have come together to demand that Google reexamine the ways its search engines lead its users to porn sites that promote sexual violence, as this type of content influences sex trafficking and child sexual abuse. The campaign was launched after increased scrutiny over how role porn sites are turning a profit off their crimes. According to the Christian Post, a group of 104 sexual abuse survivors and victims advocates from 13 countries, including the Washington, D.C.-based National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) have come together to call upon Google CEO Sundar Pichai to "improve its search engine policies to no longer promote access to sexual violence, incest, racist or other abusive pornography" through a letter. Advocacy group NCOSE's latest action comes after the New York Times published a revelatory story on how Pornhub's rival XVideos allows users to post videos that showcase child sexual abuse and how Google search results in fact directs users to those videos. The NYT's Nicholas Kristof wrote, "Women and girls, and men and boys, are sexually assaulted or secretly filmed, and then video is posted on a major website like XVideos that draws traffic through search engines. While the initial video assault may be brief, the attack on dignity becomes interminable." NCOSE Vice President and director of the International Center on Sexual Exploitation Haley McNamara, agrees, saying, "The reality is Google helps people find and watch rape videos, sex trafficking, and even child sexual abuse. Google rightly doesn't produce 'how-to' articles in top searches on suicide, yet it allows searches for non-consensual materials to go straight to the source: pornography websites that are infested with illegal and non-consensual content." McNamara argues that Google, tech giant that it is, has a "foundational role in driving traffic to these pornographic websites," which for years has "operated with impunity, and perpetuated horrible injustices to survivors of sex trafficking, rape, child sexual abuse, and many others by refusing to take down illegal or non-consensually shared material from their sites." The letter and call to action to the tech giant is a result of a collaboration by Dismantle Pornhub, the International Centre on Sexual Exploitation of the U.K., Collective Shout from Australia, Defend Dignity in Canada, and #Traffickinghub in the U.S.. These groups are collectively demanding that Google reevaluate the ways their search engines drive traffic to these questionable websites that promote sexual abuse, especially to minors. Earlier this week, NCOSE CEO Dawn Hawkins criticized the tech giant, calling Google the "gatekeeper of the internet" and reiterating its responsibility for preventing content on child sexual abuse, rape, incest, race discrimination, and abuse in the pornograpy industry. Credit card companies have already taken a stand and it is time for the tech giant to do the same. Google has not yet responded to the letter as of writing. Its Friday morning and someone is about to jab my arm with a needle that looks roughly the size of a whaling harpoon. Opinion Its Friday morning and someone is about to jab my arm with a needle that looks roughly the size of a whaling harpoon. For the record, I am not talking about getting a shot to help protect me against COVID-19 or one of its more infectious variants. No, I got THAT shot Thursday morning and, as I described in a column in Saturdays newspaper, that one was a piece of cake. The process at the RCB Convention Centre, home to Manitobas biggest vaccination clinic, went off like clockwork and I didnt feel a thing when a retired nurse injected me with the Pfizer vaccine. On Friday, instead of someone injecting something into my body, a health-care professional had to take something out of my body. To be specific, Im talking about blood. Every few months, I have to visit the lab at St. Boniface Hospital and undergo blood tests so that my diabetes doctor can tell how well Im doing against another potentially lethal disease that qualifies as a global pandemic. As always, having the needle stuck in my arm to withdraw a blood sample was a walk in the park. But thats not todays medical point. No, todays medical point is that I want to complain about one of the biggest issues facing our health-care system how (bad word) difficult it is to find a parking spot near a hospital. If you think Im kidding around in a light-hearted manner, then clearly you are the sort of annoyingly healthy person who does not routinely have to find a parking spot within three time zones of the nearest hospital. What I am talking about here is FREE parking. In most Canadian cities, it is harder to find free on-street parking near a hospital than it is to find (hold on while I think about an appropriate analogy) someone who thinks former U.S. president Donald Trump did a lot to help Canada-U.S. relations. A few years back, when I was hosting a fundraising dinner for Riverview Health Centre, I got to hear a speech by Dr. Brian Goldman, an emergency physician who is mainly known as the host of CBCs award-winning radio series White Coat, Black Art. What Dr. Goldman said that night and it surprised quite a few of us was that the issue that he probably hears the most complaints about from listeners is (dramatic pause) hospital parking. Fees discourage some patients from seeking care and discourage people from visiting sick relatives or friends. If you have a few spare seconds and Google the words "hospital parking," you will get roughly 730,000,000 results, including more than a few news reports about patients, nurses and everyone else upset about how hard it is to find hospital parking and how much it can cost. In an editorial in 2011, the Canadian Medical Association Journal said hospitals should simply stop charging patients for parking. Written by acting editor Dr. Rajendra Kale, a neurologist at the Ottawa Hospital, the editorial warned parking charges are a health-care user fee in disguise, and an impediment to good care. I am currently not a doctor or a licensed health-care professional, but I couldnt agree more. There I was Friday morning, driving around and around every street near St. Boniface Hospital looking for on-street parking. Yes, there were a few spaces between some of the parked cars, but they were all roughly the same size as a pack of gum or a deck of cards. Normally, if I drive around long enough, I will come across someone who is pulling out of a spot. But the problem is, every other person with a medical appointment and a car is doing the same thing and, apparently, they are all more skilled drivers than I am. Out of journalistic fairness, I should report that, yes, there are parkades right next to the hospital, and, yes, thanks to being a big-shot newspaper columnist, I can afford to pay for parking. But, again, that is not the point. No the point is that I do NOT want to pay for parking and I would probably complain less vehemently if the hospital was trying to separate me from my vital internal organs than a few bucks for a spot to leave my car. You know what it felt like Friday morning? It felt like I was driving around a parking lot at a local shopping mall during the Christmas shopping rush and looking for one of those mythical parking spots within walking distance of the malls front doors, spots that (and Im sorry to say this) dont exist in this or any other universe. So, like I said, there I was, driving up one street, then down another, spinning my head like that possessed teenager in the horror movie The Exorcist, searching in vain for a free spot into which I could squeeze my car. In the end, after a good 30 minutes of searching, I had to admit defeat and pull into a for-profit lot directly across the street from the hospital. Then I sprinted inside and waited another 30 minutes or so for a lab technician to stick me with a needle and take some of my blood, which I gave up for free, by the way. What with being a brave little soldier, the jab in the arm didnt hurt a bit. But feeling a hand creep into my wallet still stings. doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca "Our posture's gonna be that we're posted outside of DC, awaiting the president's orders. We hope he will give us the orders. We want him to declare an insurrection, and to call us up as the militia." Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, in November, looking ahead to Jan. 6 Key benchmark indices are trading firm in early trade on buying demand in index pivotals. At 9:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 576.82 points or 1.2% at 48,455.27. The Nifty 50 index was up 182.50 points or 1.27% at 14,523.85. The Nifty regained the key 14,500 level in early trade. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.44%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.93%. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, is strong. On the BSE, 1614 shares rose and 491 shares fell. A total of 116 shares were unchanged. Investors continue to watch the Covid situation in India. The Covid situation in India remains severe as the country continues to battle a startling rise in new coronavirus infections. On Sunday, nearly 350,000 new daily infections were registered. The Biden administration has said it will immediately make raw materials needed for India's coronavirus vaccine production available. The U.S. response comes after Britain, France and Germany also pledged aid to India over the weekend. Stocks in news: ICICI Bank advanced 4.82%. The bank reported net profit of Rs 4,403 crore in Q4-2021, up 260.61% compared with net profit of Rs 1,221 crore in Q4-2020. Total income during the quarter increased by 2.2% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 23,953.02 crore. Provisions (excluding provision for tax) were Rs 2,883 crore in Q4-2021 compared to Rs 5,967 crore in Q4-2020. Provision coverage ratio was 77.7% at 31 March 2021. HCL Technologies fell 1.38%. HCL Technologies reported 25.6% drop in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,962 crore on 1.8% rise in revenues to Rs 19,642 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q3 FY21. The IT firm's consolidated net profit declined 6.1% while revenues jumped 5.7% in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20. With respect to FY22 guidance, the company expects revenue to grow in double digits in constant currency for FY'22. It expects EBIT margin to be between 19% and 21% for FY'22. ONGC gained 2.29%. ONGC said the company's board has appointed Subhash Kumar, director (finance), as chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services (M&M Finance) dropped 8.16%. The company reported 8.4% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 218.84 crore on 3% fall in total income to Rs 3038.37 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020. Indiabulls Real Estate rose 3.78%. The company posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 94.42 crore in Q4 March 2021 as against net loss of Rs 109.79 crore in Q4 March 2020.Net sales for Q4 March 2021 zoomed 529% year-on-year to Rs 731.73 crore. Ramco Systems fell 0.58%. Ramco Systems announced that it has established a wholly-owned subsidiary in Japan to carry on the business operations in the region. Global Markets: Asian stocks are trading mixed on Monday as signs the world economic recovery was well on track bolstered risk appetite. U.S. stocks rebounded on Friday as Wall Street reassessed concerns arising from news that the White House could seek a hike to the capital gains tax. Stocks were supported by data indicating an acceleration in economic activity and even faster growth in new home sales, as investors largely brushed off Thursday's reports that President Joe Biden would propose a large increase on the capital-gains tax for the wealthiest Americans. In U.S. economic data, the IHS Markit purchasing managers index for the manufacturing sector rose to a record 60.5 in April from 59.1 a month earlier, while the services sector PMI jumped to 63.1 from 60.4. A reading of more than 50 indicates an expansion in activity. New home sales rose to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 1.021 million in March, the U.S. Census Bureau reported the fastest pace since 2006. Month-over-month, sales rose 20.7%. Also, the Census Bureau revised the sales figure for February up to a rate of 846,000, from the originally reported rate of 775,000. Back home, the benchmark indices ended a volatile session with modest losses on Friday. Selling was triggered by concerns that the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country could derail the economic recovery. The S&P BSE Sensex, declined 202.22 points or 0.42% at 47,878.45. The Nifty 50 index declined 64.80 points or 0.45% at 14,341.35. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,360.76 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,695.59 crore in the Indian equity market on 23 April, provisional data showed. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Qliks end-to-end data analytics platform is now favoured by retailers to respond to fast changing market conditionsfrom fast-food to home furnishing. The platform supports operation models with data that drives action, reduces churn, and maintains customer satisfaction. Retailers are rapidly adopting Qlik, data analytics platform, as part of their effort to maximise the value of real-time data for decision-making. Over the past two quarters, retailers have realised Qliks vision of Active Intelligence, the ability to leverage real-time, up-to-date information to inform decision-making, and trigger downstream business events to capitalise on every business moment in rapidly changing market conditions. Qlik says COVID-19 pushed retailers to quickly reimagine their supply chains, warehouse, and distribution centre operations, delivery models as well as their physical/digital mix. Even retailers with robust digital presences realised they needed to further break down internal data silos, and bring even more real-time, context-aware data to their decision-making. This has driven tremendous interest in adopting Qlik, which it says serves 2 of the top 3, and 5 of the top 10, NRF Top 100 Retailersas a catalyst to quickly modernise data pipelines and analytics to support newly imagined operations models with data that drives action, reduces churn, and maintains customer satisfaction. Here are testimonies from executives who have adopted Qlik: David Moran, Supply Chain Director, KFC Europe, on adopting Qlik: We are providing a live view of performance to our teams and customers in each of the business units. This insight, accountability, and transparency has been very powerful in establishing confidence in the capabilities of our organisation, and is the foundation of our vision to both protect and grow the brand with a world-class supply chain, he said. Elizabeth Dalton, director at Luxottica Retail, said Qlik has fostered an analytics culture. She added: The rich variety of visualisations available in Qlik leads to immediate data exploration and insight generation, which eases our users away from their static reports. According to Qlik, the retail sector continues to be highly competitive, with constant challenges presented by ever-evolving customer sentiment and demands. Qlik said it is essential to have flexibility and scalability in delivering accurate and near-real time data across an organisationfrom the supply chain to warehouses and distribution centres, through to front-line stores and eCommerce. The diversity of companies now using Qliks data and analytics platforms represent some of global fast-food franchises, apparel, and accessory companies, as well as home furnishing retailers. Dorel Industries designs and manufactures sport, home, and juvenile products enjoyed daily by millions of people. The Home division began its journey with Qlik in 2017 with Qlik Cloud Business, then moved to Qlik Sense Enterprise SaaS in 2019. Today, all three of Dorels business units leverage Qlik, with sales, operations, and eCommerce gaining visibility through Qlik to more than 8,000 SKUs across dozens of retailers. Burger King, the American-based multinational fast-food franchise, has deployed Qlik Sense regionally to support business intelligence that is central to its management transformation, including having a flexible and user-friendly system for analysis of sales and finance. Kendra Scott, a fashion and lifestyle brand, specialising in jewellery, home decor, gifts and beauty, invested in Qlik Sense SaaS to deploy cloud analytics as a key element in their digital transformation. Business users in finance, operations, sales, marketing, and sourcing can now obtain near real-time insights across retail stores, e-commerce, BOSS and BOPIS sales in a self-service environment. Leveraging Qlik, Kendra Scott was able to start fast with SaaS, releasing their first apps to production within one week. Additional retailers using Qlik products include: Rapide Brow & Lash Bar, in Sweden, Fenwick, and Travis Perkins, in the UK; REI, Best Buy, and Walgreens, in the United States; the Asia Pacific division of Chanel, Chow Tai Fook, in Hong Kong, as well as Malabar Group of Companies, in India, among others. Poornima Ramaswamy, executive vice president, Global Solutions and Partners at Qlik, said: More retail companies are shifting from passive to active business models, which emphasise the need for real-time data to inform decision-making. Active Intelligence, realised through our end-to-end platform, drives performance improvements and value across our retail customers organizations by bringing the right data and insights to decision makers when its most relevant and impactful, she concluded. The steeple of the Wall Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Auburn was removed Tuesday afternoon as part of the demolition of the dilapidated McCracken Man Pleads Guilty to Rape, Child Porn By West Kentucky Star Staff MCCRACKEN COUNTY - A McCracken County man pleaded guilty to numerous charges Monday, including rape and possession of child porn.According to the McCracken Circuit Court Clerk, 31-year-old Joshua Meyer entered a guilty plea to six counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sodomy, two counts of second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor, and possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.The clerk said Meyer is likely to be sentenced to 16-1/2 years in prison. Formal sentencing is scheduled for July 12.In January, Meyer was sentenced to 17 1/2 years on federal charges of production of child pornography and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. His new sentence will run concurrently with his federal sentence.He was arrested in 2018 after two teen girls from Tennessee told authorities he held them against their will and sexually assaulted them.On the Net: Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Monday evening received 64 refilled oxygen cylinders, which are used while transporting critically ill COVID patients, after waiting for three days, officials said. Earlier, hospital sources had said that it was on beg and borrow mode. The SGRH has just received 64 refilled oxygen cylinders, an official of the hospital said at 4.20 pm. The hospital had also received 10 tonnes of liquid oxygen around 11.40 am. In the morning, the medical facility said it had 4,000 cubic metres of oxygen left which would last for eight hours. The hospital has 104 oxygen cylinders which are used while moving extremely sick COVID patients in case of emergency which is happening quite frequently now, an official said. "All the cylinders were sent three days ago to different locations for emergency refill. For the last three days our staff is camping there but to no avail," he had said. The official added the elite hospital was on "beg and borrow" mode. "The hospital has arranged two cylinders which are also going to empty quickly," a source had said, adding that it was getting extremely difficult and risky to shift patients. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital requires a minimum of 11,000 cubic metre liquid oxygen daily and has a consumption of 10,000 cubic meter per day. By 11.40 am, a tanker with 10 tonnes of oxygen was sent from Jindal Steel plant in Rourkela by industrialist Naveen Jindal for the hospital, it said. The vehicle took more than 48 hours to reach the hospital. It had on Friday reported the death of 25 of its "sickest" patients as the administration grappled with depleting oxygen supplies. (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.) 7 day print subscribers enjoy unlimited access to yakimaherald.com Enter the LAST NAME and the 7 DIGIT phone number on your print subscription account to connect your print subscription to your yakimaherald.com account. The View Faculty weigh in on Chauvin verdict, fight for equality The crowd gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center celebrates after Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd. Photo: Chad Davis Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic UBNOW STAFF Following Tuesdays guilty verdict for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, UBNow sought faculty members thoughts on the trial and the continued push for racial and social justice in the United States. We thank these scholars for their quick responses. Here are their thoughts: Athena Mutua, professor of law and Floyd H. and Hilda L. Hurst Faculty Scholar The conviction of Derek Chauvin is edifying. A jury of his peers and a multitude of diverse protesters saw the arrogance, felt impunity and depraved indifference with which he needlessly murdered George Floyd. But while Chauvin, the individual, must be held accountable, the problem of police violence in the U.S. is deeper. It is historical, ongoing and systemic authorized by the state, backed by law, institutionalized throughout our political economy, supported culturally and exercised primarily against people of color, the poor and the vulnerable. Police killings will not disappear with one or several convictions. Rather, change will come when: (1) we recognize that we do not need armed forces to regulate our traffic, monitor our schools and respond to mental health crises, among other issues; and (2) we begin to redefine what we need to be safe, invest in and create resilient communities, deal with oppression and treat each other with the dignity and compassion that we all deserve. Raechele Pope, associate dean for faculty and student affairs, and chief diversity officer, Graduate School of Education I think many individuals, especially Black people, are experiencing a variety of emotions today. For many, there is relief that officer Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, but those feelings were immediately dampened by the almost simultaneous news of the police killing of a 16-year-old black girl, MaKhia Bryant, in Columbus, Ohio. While Chauvin may have been convicted, the larger issues of systemic racism in the police force and the inequity of policing in this country have only begun to face real scrutiny and accountability. The levels of exhaustion, numbness, rage and a host of other emotions among people of color over these seemingly endless shootings and hate crimes are affecting the well-being and mental health of so many. Victoria Wolcott, professor of history The conviction of Derek Chauvin was a moment of justice, but it was a moment in a long history of white racial violence when justice has been rare. Like Emmett Tills 1954 lynching, George Floyds death has inspired massive and sustained calls for societal change. Indeed, the video of Floyds murder has played a similar role as Tills open casket, providing tangible proof of white supremacys consequences. And Chauvins conviction, in contrast to the acquittal of Tills murderers, suggests progress of a kind. However, the news of teenager MaKhia Bryants death in Columbus, Ohio, at the hands of police moments before the verdict was read dampens any sense of relief. And in the end, no trial can bring George Floyd back to his family. Henry Louis Taylor, director, Center for Urban Studies The murder of George Floyd gave us a smoking gun of explicit racism imbued with a callous brutality rarely seen publicly. The only possible defense Chauvins lawyer had was dont believe your eyes. With the entire world watching, people did believe their eyes. There was only one possible verdict guilty on all charges. Perfect conditions existed for winning this case More than 28 million people participated in protests across the nation and globe. COVID-19 self-quarantine conjured millions more in discussions across the world, while the murder ignited a social change movement not seen since the 1960s. There was a progressive Black chief of police and Black attorney general. The trail was televised and even the right-wing Fox News refused to give Derek Chauvin support. Even as the city prepared for the worst, everyone knew the jury would not render a not guilty. Not one jury member wanted to be on the wrong side of history. What does verdict mean? This victory reflected the peoples power. It was made possible by the millions who drew a line in the sand and said enough. But history teaches us, the retrogressive forces in this country will resist. Even as they say, justice was served, and this is the beginning of a new beginning, they will block efforts to defund the police and recreate policing as we know it. These same forces will fight reforms to improve the quality of neighborhood life among Blacks, Indigenous and people of color. They will work tirelessly to maintain the status quo. And the fightback will continue. The people will build on this shining moment. The people will continue to the quest for that day when BIPOC will cry free at last, free at last. This victory will cause them to keep the faith and raise the battle cry, Remember George Floyd. Power to the People. Guyora Binder, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Law; Hodgson Russ Faculty Scholar Often, after a high-profile jury verdict, journalists and members of the public want to know whether the result will be a legal precedent that changes the law. And almost always, the answer is no, because juries are asked to decide questions of fact, not law. But this case is a rare exception. One of the important questions juries have to resolve in such cases is whether a police officers use of force was reasonably necessary, considered from the viewpoint of a reasonable officer. That is a value judgment, influenced by what jurors learn about police training and norms, but also influenced by societal expectations for police conduct. The evidence on this question before the jury is very well known to the public. Future juries everywhere will be familiar with that evidence and with the widespread public approval of the verdict. This case will change how juries evaluate police use of force, and how police are trained. Christopher Dennison, assistant professor of sociology This verdict (and the attention surrounding this case) speaks to the growing concern and awareness of issues of inequality in the criminal justice system, particularly as it relates to police officers use of force. It is hoped that the discussions sparked from this case and verdict will continue moving society closer to a fairer, transparent and equitable criminal justice system. Terri N. Watson, UB Center for Diversity Innovation Visiting Scholar; associate professor of leadership and human development, The City College of New York, CUNY Tuesdays guilty verdict was NOT a historic moment. Rather, it is indicative of just how imbalanced the scales of justice are for Black America. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was lynched. The world watched as Derek Chauvin held his knee on Floyds neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. In a Beloved Community grounded in the five Cs (Care, Courage, Critical Reflection, Commitment, and Community), that would have never happened. Ironically, many people felt that because of the testimony of so many law enforcement agents on behalf of the prosecution, that Black America was finally on the receiving end of justice. However, 20 minutes before the guilty verdict was released, a 16-year-old Black girl, MaKhia Bryant, was executed by police officers in Columbus, Ohio. While the details of Bryants death are unclear at this time, what we know for sure is that she was a child and called for the police because she feared for her safety. Police officers are required to protect and serve not murder and maim Black men, women and children. If we, as a society, are sincere in our efforts to create a Beloved Community, we must embody the abovementioned five Cs and treat all Black people as precious and worthy of mercy and grace. Until then, there can be no justice. Carole Emberton, associate professor of history I would say that while the verdict was a relief, particularly for the Floyd family, Im sure, it was only partial justice. The prosecutions case hinged upon the bad apple narrative of police brutality; that is, one bad cop acted outside the parameters of normal policing. But we know that is not the case. According to The Washington Post, nearly 1,000 people have been killed by police in the past year. The problem is obviously much deeper than one bad cop. The racialization of policing and the criminalization of Blackness has a long history in the U.S., and until steps are taken to address these issues, then unfortunately, these killings will continue, despite Chauvins conviction. Ryan Muldoon, associate professor of philosophy The verdict in the Chauvin trial shows that accountability for egregious police behavior is possible, but by no means certain. It is important to remember that the headline of the initial police report for Floyds murder was Man dies after Medical Incident During Police Interaction. This baldly misrepresented what happened, and it was only because a citizen recorded the murder that we found out. This suggests a need for much deeper reforms. AG Garland [Merrick Garland, U.S. attorney general] announced that he would launch a patterns and practices investigation into the Minneapolis police department. This is a good first step. But we need to, at the very least, create a culture of accountability for police, both for racially discriminatory practices across all kinds of contact with citizens, and in particular in choices that lead police to use force against citizens. Citizens of all races and backgrounds should be confident that police are community partners and public servants, not an occupying force. COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In her 16 years teaching algebra, Amy Dwiggins has seen countless students struggle with the seemingly abstract subject. But the creation of new, online professional development materials at the University of Missouri could help teachers like Dwiggins, who teaches Algebra 2 and Geometry at Macon High School in Macon, Missouri, teach their students more effectively. "Algebra can be a tough subject to learn if the students don't find it applicable to their daily lives," Dwiggins said. "But we use critical thinking and problem-solving skills all the time, and math is a big part of that. So we, as teachers, need to find creative ways to spark students' interests in a way that makes them more motivated to learn." With the help of a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Zandra de Araujo, associate professor in the MU College of Education, is creating the online materials with the ultimate goal of improved learning outcomes. "If we can help students succeed in algebra, which is a major prerequisite to many of the higher math courses, they might have access to a greater variety of careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields later on," de Araujo said. "I often think back to what would have been helpful to me as a former math teacher, so I am passionate about helping teachers build on their strengths and find new strategies for approaching algebra instruction." The four-year grant will start with teacher observations in Missouri classrooms where de Araujo can meet with algebra teachers, discuss their strengths and needs, and evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development materials before expanding her outreach to schools nationwide. "Math is actually a very creative field, but algebra has traditionally been taught in a very dry and procedural way," de Araujo said. "More active and engaging instruction is key. This research will help us not only see the impact different instruction strategies can have on teachers' approach to teaching the subject, but also the effect that can have on student learning outcomes." Areas of focus to assist algebra teachers include strategies for reviewing homework problems, assigning group work to increase collaboration and embedding interactive questions or other features into online videos to support students learning asynchronously during the COVID-19 pandemic. "This project is hitting right at the heart of where research and math education needs to be," said Dwiggins, who also serves on the grant's advisory board. "We can't ask our students to be learners, if we as teachers are not striving to learn and improve our practice as well." Funding for the grant was provided by the National Science Foundation. Co-authors on the grant include Samuel Otten at MU and Amber Candela at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. ### In the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, parents in the hard-hit regions of Ukraine, Belarus, and western Russia were desperate to get their children out of the irradiated zone, if only for a few weeks. Ultimately, tens of thousands would spend summer vacations in the West, including Ireland, where a local longtime nuclear disarmament activist was at the vanguard of efforts to help the children of Chernobyl, as they came to be called. One of those who spent time in Ireland was 14-year-old Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Thirty-five years later, she is the leader of the beleaguered Belarusian opposition to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian ruler she challenged in a presidential election last August. Tsikhanouskaya, who was forced out of Belarus amid massive protests following the election, in which she and supporters say she beat Lukashenka despite his claim of a landslide victory, now travels across Europe to drum up diplomatic support for the opposition and a new, free, and fair election. But back in 1996 -- a decade after the disaster -- Tsikhanouskaya was a first-time visitor to the West, taking a trip that both shocked and amazed her. In an interview with Current Time, Tsikhanouskaya recounted the kindness and hospitality she was shown in Ireland -- not to mention the potato chips and ketchup. Tsikhanouskaya was 3 years old and lived in the village of Mikashevichy, in the Brest region of western Belarus, when the explosion that destroyed Reactor No. 4 at Chernobyl, to the southeast in Ukraine, spewed windblown radiation over a territory the size of Germany. A Brief Escape Hundreds of thousands of people were relocated and nearly 600,000 so-called "liquidators," many working with no protection, sacrificed their health to contain and seal the fiery reactor, as well as clean the contaminated area. For children, Chernobyl posed its own unique health risks. Affected areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia -- Soviet republics at the time -- also witnessed "a significant increase in the incidence of childhood thyroid diseases including thyroid cancer," according to the World Health Organization. For example, thyroid cancer rates rose "about 100 times" in the Belarusian region of Homel after the accident. In 1991, Adi Roche, active in the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, would establish the Chernobyl Children International (CCI) to provide medical and other aid to the nuclear disaster's youngest victims, as well as organize trips abroad for many of them. The CCI said it has delivered some 107 million euros of aid to impoverished communities and children across Chernobyl-affected regions since 1986. More than 26,500 children have also traveled to Ireland to stay with host families on rest and recuperation holidays that, according to the CCI's website, continue to this day. Modeled after the CCI, the Chernobyl Lifeline also organized trips to Ireland for the youth affected by Chernobyl. In 1996, when she was 14, Tsikhanouskaya was included in one such group. "I don't know why I qualified for that program. Probably because I had studied well," Tsikhanouskaya told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. Now 38, Tsikhanouskaya said that even at that time, 10 years after the world's worst nuclear disaster, few in Belarus -- which had gained independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 -- fully grasped the scale of what had happened at Chernobyl. "All the time in Belarus, in my hometown, we were taken for tests. Medical teams would come to examine our thyroid glands. At that time, it wasn't understood the scale of it. Chernobyl, radiation -- we heard it at the time, but that at that age we couldn't comprehend how bad it was," Tsikhanouskaya recounted. "That understanding only came later after you could study the topic and then there was the Internet, and you could find out more. Up till then, all you knew came from rumors, from your parents, who themselves didn't really know much as well." The nuclear disaster, however, was apparently far from the minds of most of the children picked for the program, explained Tsikhanouskaya. "You know, the kids in the polluted zone were happy, because it was an opportunity to go abroad. That's how it was seen," she said. 'Lots Of Kindness, Lots Of Love' On her first visit abroad, Tsikhanouskaya was awed by much of what she saw and experienced. "Of course, I was also struck by the people themselves -- open, friendly, smiling, saying, 'Thank you,' 'You're welcome.' It was kind of gloomy at home, at least in my town," Tskikhanouskaya told Current Time. "And then suddenly you arrive at the home of complete strangers, and they treat you like family, lots of kindness, lots of love. They tried to entertain all the kids as much as possible." The food, some of which she tasted for the first time, also fascinated her. "More than anything else, I was surprised by some of the food that we didn't have -- potato chips, french fries, hamburgers," she said. "Maybe it was already there in the capital of Belarus, but I had never been there with my parents, so it was all unknown to me. I tried ketchup for the first time there, not our tomato sauce, but real ketchup." Tsikhanouskaya stayed with the family of Henry Deane, who had organized the group's trip. She remained in touch with the family afterwards, and he invited her back a few years later to help organize similar trips for others. "My job was to prepare documents, arrange flights, assign the kids to families. They would call me if there were any problems. If the child was sad, homesick, they called me, and I talked to the child on the phone. If the child needed to go to a doctor or dentist, I was called to go along to act as a translator," Tsikhanouskaya, who worked as an English teacher and translator before she was thrust into politics ahead of the August 2020 election, recounted. During her time in Ireland, Tsikhanouskaya had many opportunities to remain there, but said the pull of home was always too strong. "I was and still am very attached to my parents, to home, to those family ties," she said, and at the time, Ireland "just seemed far away" from home. "Now the borders are a bit more open; you get a Schengen visa and can travel at any time and return home. Back then, there were a lot more complications and, at the time, I picked my family, my parents, and my homeland." Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by Current Time Correspondent Alena Shalayeva Ukrainian Defense Minister Andrii Taran has informed Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen in detail about the security situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and around its borders and possible options for its further escalation, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's press service has reported. During a phone call initiated by the Danish side, Taran thanked Denmark for providing consultative assistance to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian Armed Forces to fulfill the tasks of defense reform and strengthen the ministry's institutional capacity. The importance of Denmark's support for Ukraine in NATO was also emphasized. Bramsen, in turn, reaffirmed Denmark's further support for Ukraine and the country's readiness to help resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine through political and diplomatic means. Taran confirmed the invitation to Bramsen to take part in celebrations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. Taran said on April 22 that at the upcoming NATO summit on June 14, Ukraine plans to reiterate the seriousness of its Euro-Atlantic intentions and expects this position to be reflected in the organization's documents. Taran also noted that a strong signal in the decisions of the NATO summit on June 14 for global and European security could be a demonstration of commitment to the decisions of the 2008 Bucharest summit, which declares unconditional membership prospects for Ukraine and Georgia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a news conference following his working visit to Paris on April 16 that Ukraine expected member states to be ready to support the proposal to give Ukraine a Membership Action Plan at the NATO summit in June. op China, ASEAN on solid grounds for more digital cooperation: report Xinhua) 16:05, April 26, 2021 FUZHOU, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China and ASEAN are likely to see the combined value of their digital economies reach 9.58 trillion U.S. dollars by 2025 on solid grounds for more cooperation ahead, according to a white paper. China's digital economy has been growing at an average annual rate of over 17 percent since 2016, while the rate for ASEAN topped over 34 percent, said a white paper released at the fourth Digital China Summit in east China's city of Fuzhou from Sunday to Monday. "This year will mark a new outset for China-ASEAN cooperation in the digital economy," read the white paper issued by an industrial cybersecurity research center overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The two sides will make an action plan for 2021 to 2025 this year on implementing cooperation in this respect, the white paper said. Key areas of cooperation between China and ASEAN in recent years include smart cities, e-commerce and cyberspace governance. Both sides have also joined hands in advancing digital technology in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital market in China and ASEAN spells enormous consumption potential since their total netizen population neared a whopping 1.49 billion in 2020, according to the white paper. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) SUPREME COURT DECLINES HEARING ARGUMENTS TO RESURRECT WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT The United States Supreme Court of Connecticut officially declined to hear arguments from attorney Konstantine Kyros in his attempt to resurrect the dismissed WWE concussion lawsuits, PWInsider.com has confirmed. The previous dismissals of the case had been held up in appeals court. This would have been a last ditch effort to get the Supreme Court to hear arguments on why the cases should be re-opened, but with the court declining to take part, this would mean that the case is absolutely, 100% done, with the exception of courts deciding how much financial restitution Kyros will be ordered to pay WWE as a result of previous sanctions ordered against him. PREVIOUS PWINSIDER COVERAGE EXCLUSIVE: JERRY McDEVITT ON ATTEMPT TO RESURRECT CTE-WWE LAWSUIT by Mike Johnson 2/18/2021 9:09 PM WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT APPEAL ATTEMPT BROUGHT TO SUPREME COURT by Mike Johnson 2/18/2021 6:18 PM MANDATE ISSUED OFFICIALLY CLOSING THE LAWSUITS BROUGHT AGAINST WWE RELATED TO CONCUSSIONS AND CTE, ALL APPEAL ATTEMPTS OFFICIALLY DENIED by Mike Johnson 10/26/2020 5:10 PM EXCLUSIVE: JERRY MCDEVIIT ON TODAY'S WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT DECISION by Mike Johnson 9/9/2020 7:36 PM APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS DISMISSAL OF WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUITS by Mike Johnson 9/9/2020 4:41 PM CONCUSSION-RELATED LAWSUITS AGAINST WWE AND VINCE MCMAHON OFFICIALLY CLOSED by Mike Johnson 10/3/2018 12:12 PM EXCLUSIVE: WWE ATTORNEY JERRY MCDEVITT ON CLAIMS WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT DISMISSAL WILL BE APPEALED by Mike Johnson 9/18/2018 10:09 AM ATTORNEY REPRESENTING FORMER WWE TALENTS SAYS CONCUSSION LAWSUITS WILL HEAD TO APPEALS COURT by Mike Johnson 9/18/2018 1:18 AM COMPLETE DETAILS ON WHY AND HOW WWE WAS VICTORIOUS TODAY IN ALL THE CONCUSSION-RELATED LAWSUITS by Mike Johnson 9/17/2018 5:11 PM WWE SEEKING ALMOST $200K IN LEGAL REIMBURSEMENTS FOLLOWING SANCTIONING OF ATTORNEY LEADING CONCUSSION-RELATED LAWSUITS by Mike Johnson 8/3/2018 2:52 PM JUDGE HOLDS UP SANCTIONING AGAINST ATTORNEY BEHIND WWE CONCUSSION-RELATION LAWSUITS by Mike Johnson 7/23/2018 4:09 PM FINAL COUNTS REMAINING AGAINST WWE IN ORIGINAL CONCUSSION LAWSUIT DISMISSED TODAY by Mike Johnson 3/28/2018 9:38 PM WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT UPDATE: PLAINTIFFS ORDERED TO GET THEIR CLAIMS IN ORDER (& UNDER OATH) OR ELSE by Mike Johnson 9/29/2017 5:49 PM WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT HEARING SET FOR THIS AFTERNOON by Mike Johnson 3/2/2017 2:30 AM ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING FORMER WWF/WWE TALENTS IN CONCUSSION LAWSUIT ARGUE RECENT SERIES OF WRESTLER DEATHS PROVE DISCOVERY IN CASE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD, HEARING ON SANCTIONS OF ATTORNEYS SET FOR MARCH by Mike Johnson 2/23/2017 3:17 PM LATEST ON WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT, PLAINTIFFS ATTEMPT TO GET MCMAHON FAMILY DEPOSITIONS UNSEALED by Mike Johnson 1/30/2017 4:37 PM WWE CONCUSSION LAWSUIT UPDATE by Mike Johnson 1/7/2017 9:35 AM [UPDATED] WWE FIRES BACK AT CONCUSSION LAWSUIT IN LATEST MOTION, RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS BROUGHT AGAINST THEM BY ASHLEY MASSARO, EXPLAINS WHY THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CLAIMS MADE AGAINST WCW & ECW, POINTS OUT SOME SUING ARE STILL WRESTLING, DETAILS ON NEW SANCTIONS REQUESTED AGAINST ATTORNEYS RESPONSIBLE FOR LAWSUITS & MORE by Mike Johnson 12/28/2016 4:02 PM LAWSUITS BROUGHT AGAINST WWE BY FAMILIES OF THE LATE MATT 'DOINK' OSBOURNE AND NELSON 'BIG DADDY V' FRAZIER DISMISSED, ATTORNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR FILING SUITS AGAINST WWE WARNED BY THE COURT by Mike Johnson 11/11/2016 2:29 AM 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! Actresses Youn Yuh-jung, left, and actress Han Ye-ri arrive at the Oscars at Union Station in Los Angeles, April 25. AFP-Yonhap About a year ago, few South Koreans likely imagined they would see their compatriots receive awards at the Oscars, one of the world's most prestigious cinema award shows, for two years in a row. But it really happened in 2020 and 2021. At the 93rd Academy Awards held both at Union Station and Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday (U.S. time), veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung became the first South Korean actress to ever win an acting Oscar in her country's 102-year cinema history. She captured the best supporting actress title for her role as the grandmother in the immigration film "Minari," written and directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung. She also became the second Asian actress to win the best supporting actress title after Japanese actress Miyoshi Umeki from 1957's "Sayonara." Moreover, the 73-year-old thespian is the third-oldest actress to win in the category in the 93-year history of the Academy Awards, following Peggy Ashcroft, who was 77 years old when she was honored for "A Passage to India" in 1985, and Josephine Hull, 74, for "Harvey" in 1951. Even in the run-up to the Oscars, Youn's every step has been unprecedented. NEW YORK (AP) Legend: Genghis Khan came up with an early concept for hamburgers that involved tenderizing meat scraps under the saddles of horses as his Golden Horde ransacked its way to China back in the 13th century. Fact: Nobody knows for sure who first came up with putting beef patties between bread. Such bite-size anecdotes are among the truths and folklore included in There's No Ham in Hamburgers, a new book that serves up the history, science and geography behind a myriad of foods beloved by kids. Burgers and fries are represented, along with chocolate, peanut butter, chicken, ice cream and all that sugary cereal so many parents love to hate. A history buff and promoter of reading for pleasure in schools, author Kim Zachman in Roswell, Georgia, wrote the playful, informative food dive for youngsters ages 8 to 12. I wanted to write history for kids and I wanted it to be really fun, she told The Associated Press. I was trying to think of ideas and I was out walking my dog one day, and I was like, why is there no ham in hamburgers? I'd always kind of wondered that. That's when I found so many great origin stories. Some, she said, are untrue or unprovable. She also collected facts on nutrition and health, and included simple recipes and a single science experiment on how to extract iron from fortified cold cereal. The latter involves pummeling cereal into dust and then hovering a powerful magnet above the mess. Zachman, mom to two daughters in college, doesn't shy away from murky origins or multiple claims to innovations in her book, published by Running Press Kids. Nobody knows, for instance, the meaning behind the name Oreo, but one thing's for sure: The Nabisco treats were a copy cat of the Hydrox sandwich cookie, which hit the market four years prior, in 1908. It was surprising to me how little we actually know about the origins of some of these foods, she said. We really don't know for sure who made the first hamburger. Several people claim to have done it. Story continues In the 1500s, German sailors on trade ships crossing the Baltic Sea discovered raw meat patties in Russia. Back home, they tweaked the idea, frying the beef patties with sauteed onions. Sailors from other countries came ashore in Hamburg, the country's most important port city at the time, and discovered Hamburg steak. In the 1800s, millions of Germans made their way to America and brought the Hamburg steak idea along for the ride. Among those claiming to have invented the modern burger: Hamburger Charlie Nagreen, who in 1885, at age 15, was selling meatballs at the Outagamie County Fair in Seymour, Wisconsin. To make them easier to carry, he smashed them between two slices of bread and called it a hamburger. It was a hit. I thought it was interesting for kids to know that some things don't just happen. That's how the human species evolves. It's not just one person who thinks of fire. It happens all over the place," Zachman said. A big takeaway for Zachman was exactly how long and laborious a process it is to produce vanilla, the second most expensive spice behind saffron. The journey often starts on vanilla bean plantations in Madagascar, the world's leading producer, and might end five years later in a pint of ice cream in America. It takes four years for a young vanilla plant to produce a flower, and the flower lasts for just one day. Workers must pollinate and harvest by hand to produce the long pods, and pods are cured through an intricate process that takes six months. That blew my mind, Zachman said. The persnickety cacao tree was another mind blower. The tropical trees, from which chocolate hails, can't handle direct sunlight, need rain year round, and take three to four years to produce blossoms that can only be pollinated by tiny flies called midges. Out of 1,000 flowers, just three or four will be pollinated and grow into seed pods, which take about six months to ripen. Chocolate is possible after seeds are fermented in a warm dark place, dried in the sun and roasted. Who figured all that out? Ancient civilizations in Central America more than 3,000 years ago. Cacao seeds were so valuable that the Aztecs used them as money. Zachman doesn't ignore some of the big personalities behind popular kid foods, such as the brawling Kellogg brothers of Battle Creek, Michigan. Younger sibling Will Keith added sugar to their wheat (later corn) flakes to make them last longer and taste better. Older brother John Harvey, a doctor, health nut and devout Seventh-Day Adventist, was furious, and the two ended their 25-year partnership bitterly in 1906, exchanging lawsuits for years after that. The popularity of cold cereal coincided with the mass pasteurization of milk. In the beginning, many cereals were fortified with vitamins to battle rickets and other health issues for kids. Zachman is conflicted about the mass of sugar cereal became. I was telling my mom about this and she goes, `Yeah it didn't have a lot of sugar in it so we would always just sprinkle sugar on it,'" the 58-year-old Zachman laughed. It's later as the competition got worse and they started advertising to kids that the sugar got higher and higher. Processed chicken nuggets boneless, breaded and deep-fried have only been around commercially for about 40 years, Zachman found. The trick, she said, was figuring out how to get the batter to stick throughout the freezing and frying. One Robert Baker came up with the Chicken Crispie in 1959 at his Cornell University lab. But it was Fred Turner, chairman of the McDonald's Corp. board in 1979, who got things rolling in a big way when he assembled the Chicken McNugget SWAT team after the U.S. government warned Americans to stop eating so much beef. In 1980, the McNugget was market-tested at 15 McDonald's locations in Knoxville, Tennessee. Like Hamburger Charlie's squashed meatballs, they, too, were a hit. Zachman, taking into consideration the impressionable age of her readers, notes that deep-fried chicken nuggets can be high in cholesterol and saturated fats, and urges moderation. She offers similar health warnings for other foods, while also pointing out health benefits. I had a blast doing the research," Zachman said. "I hope it sparks kids to go out and learn more about other things in their everyday lives." ___ Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie Lawrence Burnley was going to resign. The vice president for diversity and intercultural relations at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, had been making progress in his first two years. He started regular meetings with senior leadership to discuss race and gender issues, and he secured approval to bring in a consultant to survey the climate on campus. But breaking new ground at Whitworth had also resulted in greater discomfort. Youre the source of this disruption. Youre the one that makes people feel uncomfortable, Burnley said. Using Christian terms: In some ways, youre seen as a heretic. About 50 percent of evangelical institutions associated with the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) have a diversity advocate or someone with a title like chief diversity officer, according to CCCU spokeswoman Greta Hays. Most of the positions have been created over the past few years, as race and racism have become pressing issues at many evangelical schools. Diversity officers are seen as a major part of the solution. They bring new perspectives to predominantly white institutions, help with recruiting and retention of more students of color, and offer the schools guidance on articulating and pursuing a Christian vision of diversity. Yet many diversity officers struggle with discouragement, fatigue, and burnout. They often struggle to get buy-in from colleagues and feel they were hired to make a problem go away, rather than to start the long, difficult work of cultural transformation. People hire diversity officers more when things go wrong, said Rebecca Hernandez, the academic student success and chief diversity officer at George Fox ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. Elon Musk to host SNL Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will host Saturday Night Live for the first time on May 8. Billboard reports Miley Cyrus will be the musical guest for the SNL episode, which will be Musks first major television appearance after the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour successfully docked with the International Space Station and comes days after he and his girlfriend will celebrate their son X A-Xiis (yes, thats his real name) first birthday on May 4. If nothing else, itll be interesting to see how Musk fares as a performer. New West Side Story trailer A trailer for the new West Side Story movie debuted during the Oscars on Sunday. Rita Moreno, who won an Academy Award for her role in the 1961 film, will have a role in Steven Spielbergs adaptation of the classic Broadway musical. Rachel Zegler will star as Maria opposite Ansel Elgort, who denied allegations of sexual misconduct last year, in the story of star-crossed lovers caught between rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks on the streets of 1957 New York. West Side Story hits theaters Dec. 10. MORE BUZZ: Dexter: First look at revival with Michael C. Hall ( People Caitlyn Jenner running for governor of California ( AP CBS confirms NCIS: Hawaii spinoff series ( Deadline Megan Thee Stallion taking break from music ( BB Jack Black transforms into the Avengers after getting vaccine ( E! Christina Milian gives birth, welcomes 3rd child ( ET DMXs legacy remembered at New York memorial ( RS Saw, American Psycho TV series in the works ( SF Sia, Rudy Giuliani win at 2021 Razzies ( E! The Bachelorette first look: Meet Katie Thurston ( ET Summer of Soul trailer: Questloves documentary about Black Woodstock ( RS Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news about movies, TV, music and celebrities. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 08:26:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AMMAN -- Jordan and Egypt on Sunday denounced all violent actions by extremist Israeli groups against the Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem, calling on Israel to stop such activities immediately. During a phone call, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry discussed the recent developments in Jerusalem, stressing the necessity of stopping all attacks and provocations to end tension and resume calm, according to a statement by Jordan's foreign ministry. (Jordan-Egypt-Jerusalem) - - - - DHAKA -- Amid its second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh has imposed a ban on the entry of travellers from India via land ports. Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen announced the COVID-19 border restriction on Sunday. (Bangladesh-COVID-19-Ban) - - - - NEW DELHI -- The ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India is projected to come to its peak in the middle of May, local media reported on Sunday. Projections presented at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers of the worst affected Indian states by COVID-19 showed that after the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat and the national capital New Delhi, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh would be a major hotspot with over 190,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 to be reported every day, according to the media reports. (India-COVID-19-Peak) - - - - PARIS -- Five people associated with the man who carried out a deadly knife attack against a female police officer last Friday have been arrested, France's anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard announced Sunday. Ricard told reporters that a fifth person was detained earlier in the day on links with the knifeman who stabbed to death an administrative worker at a police station southwest of Paris. (France-Terrorism) - - - - TIRANA -- Albania's ruling Socialist Party is set to win the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, according to an exit poll organized by the Euronews Albania TV Station and MRB Market Research Company. The first results of the exit poll published by Euronews Albania showed that the ruling Socialist Party wins 67 to 71 seats out of the 140 seats in the parliament, followed by the main opposition Democratic Party, which wins 61 to 65 parliament seats. (Albania-Parliamentary Election) Enditem Protesters in Kenosha have been arrested after staging a sit-in to demand the firing of the police officer who shot Jacob Blake Jr. Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, was not charged in the August 2020 incident that left the black 29-year-old paralyzed from the waist down. Sheskey shot Blake seven times while he was about to get into an SUV. About 40 people gathered for the event on Sunday, several of whom locked arms and blocked the main entrance to the Public Safety Building, the Kenosha News reported. Protesters in Kenosha have been arrested after staging a sit-in to demand the firing of the police officer who shot Jacob Blake Jr Blake (pictured) was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer in Wisconson on August 23 Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, was not charged in the shooting that left Blake paralyzed After failing to move along, police arrested a number of the demonstrators at 10pm, including Blake's uncle, Justin Blake, Rev. Jonathan Barker, and Joe Cardinali, an executive board member at the Kenosha County Democratic Party, witnesses said. The activists said they would not move until they could speak to Kenosha Police Deputy Chief Larsen. The building is still boarded over from the civil unrest that followed the Blake shooting. Earlier on Sunday, demonstrators marched around the Public Safety Building to protest Sheskey's return to work. Earlier on Sunday, demonstrators marched around the Public Safety Building to protest Sheskey's return to work Kenosha police announced earlier this month that the officer had returned from administrative leave After failing to move along, police arrested a number of the demonstrators at 10pm on charges of disorderly conduct Among those arrested were Blake's uncle, Justin Blake, Rev. Jonathan Barker, and Joe Cardinali, an executive board member at the Kenosha County Democratic Party, witnesses said Among their other demands were an explanation for why Sheskey was issued a gun while he was being investigated, a written apology, an explanation of the policies in place that led to the shooting and a release of the investigation materials. Kenosha police announced earlier this month that the officer had returned from administrative leave. Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said in a release that Sheskey was found to have been acting within policy and will not be disciplined. Tanya McLean, Executive Director of Leaders of Kenosha, said in a statement before the rally that 'safety and healing' won't happen when Sheskey is allowed to return to work 'like nothing happened.' Among their other demands were an explanation for why Sheskey was issued a gun while he was being investigated and a written apology Rev. Jonathan Baker is led away by cops after being arrested during the sit-in outside the Public Safety Building Joe Cardinali, an executive board member at the Kenosha County Democratic Party, is seen during his arrest (pictured in red) Blake's uncle Justin Blake is seen during the protests on Sunday as he spoke out against 'police terror' Sheskey and two other Kenosha officers were trying to arrest Blake on an outstanding warrant when a pocketknife fell from his pants during a scuffle. Blake said he picked it up before heading to a vehicle to drive away with two of his children in the back seat. He said he was prepared to surrender once he put the knife in the vehicle. Sheskey told investigators that he feared for his own safety so he opened fire. The shooting happened three months after George Floyd died while being restrained by police officers in Minneapolis. Blake last month filed a civil lawsuit accusing the officer of excessive force. Columbia, MO (65201) Today Overcast with rain showers at times. Thunder possible. High 81F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Twitter has been blasted for agreeing to remove messages criticising the Indian government's response to Covid even as the daily death toll passed 2,800 people. Opposition politicians said messages blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers for the rapidly escalating crisis were blocked after Twitter agreed to the government's demands to take them down. Mirza Saaib Beg, a lawyer whose tweets were among those withheld, accused the social media giant of risking lives by suppressing information about what was really happening in the country. Twitter has come under fire after agreeing to block messages criticising the Indian government's response to Covid (pictured, one of the blocked tweets) Opposition politicians said messages criticising the government and Prime Minister Modi for failing to handle the pandemic were blocked (pictured, one of the blocked messages) India is now reporting more Covid cases per day than any other country in the world, and today logged almost 353,000 infections 'Suppression of information and criticism of government is not only dangerous for India but it is putting people around the world at risk,' Beg said. 'Freedom of inquiry is an intrinsic part of freedom of speech and expression. These restrictions are further reflective of the weakening of all institutional spaces in India.' India's ministry for information technology did not respond to a request for comment. The country's new coronavirus infections hit a record peak for a fifth day on Monday, rising to about 353,000 cases. There is mounting criticism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and state authorities let their guard down earlier this year, allowing big religious and political gatherings to take place when cases fell to below 10,000 a day. 'Questioning the government of India's decision to allow mass gatherings ... where people from all across the country gathered and violated COVID safety protocols ... cannot be called to be violating any laws of the country,' said Pawan Khera, a spokesman for the opposition Congress party, whose tweets were also withheld. The law cited in the government's Twitter request is the Information Technology Act, 2000, which allows authorities to order blocking of public access to information to protect 'sovereignty and integrity of India' and maintain public order. India's death toll from Covid rose above 2,800 for the first time today amid reports of people dying in the streets due to lack of oxygen and other basic medicines A cremation worker moves between funeral pyres in New Delhi as the city overflows with Covid victims amid warnings the true death toll is being under-reported A relative of a person who died of COVID-19 reacts at a crematorium in Jammu, India, Requests from the government are reviewed under Twitter's rules and the local law, a spokeswoman for Twitter told Reuters. There is a 'lack of transparency' in the government's order, said the Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights group in Delhi. 'What is clear is there are more directions being issued across social media platforms in India,' it said in a statement. Twitter has about 17.5 million users in India. In its most recent transparency report for the six months to June 30, 2020, Twitter said it had received 42,220 legal demands to remove content from 53 countries, with most of the requests coming from five countries including Russia, India and Turkey. Earlier this year, the social media giant withheld dozens of accounts on the request of the Indian government on grounds that users were posting misleading content related to farmers' protests near Delhi, aiming to incite violence. But Twitter did not fully comply with the government order to take down more than 1,100 accounts and posts, saying it had not blocked all of the content because it believed the directives were not in line with Indian laws. Following the face-off with Twitter earlier this year, the Indian government unveiled tougher rules to regulate big social media firms that it said were needed to hold the companies accountable for any misuse or abuse. 'We all would prefer free spaces to objectively critique power in the offline as well as online space. However, both spaces are increasingly shrinking,' Beg told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. New couple alert: Paulina Porizkova and Aaron Sorkin are dating! Days after buzz circulated the supermodel, 56, and writer-director, 59, were seeing each other, the stars confirmed reports by walking the red carpet together at Sunday's Academy Awards. Page Six cites a source claiming they have been quietly dating for a few months. There's no bigger stage to show off a new romance than the Oscars especially given what a big night it is for Sorkin. The Trial of the Chicago 7, which he directed, is nominated for six awards and Sorkin earned himself a nod for original screenplay. Porizkova sat side by side with Sorkin inside the (somewhat) socially distanced show, clapping excitedly when Regina King announced the nominees for Best Original Screenplay. Although Sorkin lost to Promising Young Women writer Emerald Fennell, he looked happy to be next to his new girlfriend. Paulina Porizkova and Aaron Sorkin attend the 93rd Annual Academy Awards at Union Station in Los Angeles. (Getty Images) Porizkova has been dropping hints for weeks that she has a new man in her life including to Yahoo Life. Earlier this month, the Czech beauty spoke candidly about what she was and wasn't looking for in a man. "What I don't want is a man who doesn't hear me who treats me as a beautiful and worthy object rather than for who I am. I'm not really sure how to tell the difference between a man that likes me for who I am, and a man that likes me for what it does for him to be with me," she explained. "Some women are attracted to really good-looking guys or powerful guys or rich guys; I've always been attracted to talent. Talent to me is really sexy." (Sorkin's work includes penning scripts for The West Wing, A Few Good Men, Moneyball and The Social Network, so "talent" may have been the first clue that the person she'd date would be successful.) This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "One thing that I've recognized now, after going out on dates with some men who have normal jobs and are wonderful guys, is that I find talent sexy and talented men are generally way more complicated than non-talented ones. I know better than to say "never," but certainly a rock musician is about the last thing on my dating calendar." Story continues Porizkova spent most of her life with one man she wed Cars frontman Ric Ocasek in 1989, becoming a couple when she was only 19. After nearly 30 years of marriage, the pair separated in 2017. Ocasek then died suddenly of cardiovascular disease in 2019 before they officially divorced. They have two adult sons. "Being out there dating again, what I'm realizing is that I'm not very good at it," Porizkova told Yahoo. "I keep being this weird teenager when it comes to dating because the last time I dated, I was a teenager. I haven't adjusted to being a mature woman yet, so I'm a little silly probably." Porizkova, who frequently steams up social media, added, "Sex gets better with age." "Whatever confidence and wisdom that you acquire with age, it's kind of paying off in your 50s. Now I take my pleasure where I know that I had it or where I can. I'm not there to please the guy; I'm there to be pleased," she said. "The last time I dated, I was 19, and now I'm 56, so clearly there's a big chunk of time here that has gotten lost. But the last time around I wanted to seduce the guy; I wanted to be seen as hot. It was all very self-conscious, and that self-consciousness is just not there anymore," she concluded. "And sex is a lot more fun when you're not self-conscious and when you're just enthusiastic, I love that. In fact, I think that's the recipe for great sex. You have to deal with a fair amount of body acceptance obviously, because, you know, after having two kids and being in your 50s, your body quite doesn't bounce like it used to. But it's got other beauties to it, such as control." Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: [April 26, 2021] UAE government recognizes Lleida.net as the first private UAE Pass Service Provider DUBAI, U.A.E and MADRID, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lleida.net (BME: LLN) (OTCQX: LLEIF) (EPA: ALLLN) has been recognized as the first private entity to become UAE Pass Service Provider, the National Digital ID system promoted by the UAE government. Companies requiring to sign electronic contracts with the country's citizens and residents in a registered and reliable way will be able to do so using Lleida.net's technology, which Emirates Post, the country's National Postal Operator, distributes exclusively in the UAE. Through an agreement signed between Lleida.net and the Smart Dubai City Office, the Spanish multinational company has become the first private provider whose eSignature, eContracting and Registered eNotification digital services are fully integrated with UAE Pass and legally admissible and accredited in the country. The agreement opens the door to the mass adoption of UAE Pass for Digital Signature, Digital Contracting and Registered Notifications in the country. The UAE PASS is the Emirates' national digital identity program. It allows its citizens and residents to digitally sign all official documents in an officially recognized mnner. The Smart Dubai City Office recently added a remote facial biometrics mechanism for Identity Verification, allowing this digital ID to be obtained remotely from any Internet connected user device. It s sponsored by the Dubai Smart City Office, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority. Lleida.net has been operating for years in the Middle East, where it has two subsidiaries located in Dubai. The first one is Lleidanet Information Technology Network Services LLC, whose primary purpose is to support business in the UAE through its exclusive UAE Partner, Emirates Post. The second, Lleidanet SaaS Middle East DMCC, aims to boost the marketing of the company's Registered Communications Services in the Middle East and Africa. In the country, Lleida.net and Emirates Post are exclusive partners, for an indefinite period, for signature, contracting and registered electronic notification services. Emirates Post Group Company is a public limited company under the Emirates Investment Authority (EIA) that operates as a commercial entity. Lleida.net, which has over 3,300 shareholders, is listed on BME Growth in Madrid, the OTCQX index in New York and Euronext Growth in Paris. The company has been awarded 203 patents worldwide for its inventions in certified electronic notification, contracting and signature, and its intellectual property portfolio is one of the largest in the world. Media contact: The Paloma Project Media, rpl@thepalomaproject.com +356-7946-7486 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uae-government-recognizes-lleidanet-as-the-first-private-uae-pass-service-provider-301276496.html SOURCE Lleida.net [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The launch will give hospitals and health systems throughout the country access to TytoCare's leading, AI-powered telehealth solutions NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TytoCare, the healthcare industry's first all-in-one modular device and examination platform for AI-powered, on-demand, remote medical exams, today announced its launch in Italy, enabling the adoption of its telehealth solution throughout the country. The launch is taking place via a partnership with Multimed, a leading distribution and commercialization company providing medical devices, surgical instruments, robotics and safety devices, who will exclusively introduce TytoCare to the Italian public healthcare market. The Italian healthcare system expressed significant demand for TytoCare's telehealth platform as a solution to help fight the rapid outbreak of COVID-19 that plagued the country at the onset of the pandemic. Since then, health systems and hospitals have worked hard to implement digital health solutions to help prevent a future collapse of the healthcare system. TytoCare is the only all-in-one telehealth solution enabling physicians to remotely connect with patients for clinic-quality physical examinations. The handheld examination device enables users to perform comprehensive physical examinations of the heart, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, as well as lungs and body temperature, which are key for monitoring COVID-19. The solution fully replicates an in-person visit from any location, any time, for primary and chronic care situations, and helps to stem the spread of the virus by providing remote care for both quarantined patients in hospitals and isolated patients at home. This allows doctors to gain the vital clinical data they require to monitor and treat patients from a safe distance. Together, TytoCare and Multimed will be developing the Italian market and delivering the solution to local providers, enabling partnerships with hospitals, elderly care facilities, independent physicians, pharmacies, as well as at-home monitoring. TytoCare's first partnership in Italy showed success with the ASL of Vercelli, where physicians monitored and treated elderly and pediatric COVID-19 patients and performed pulmonary, cardiological, and dermatological telehealth visits. The implementation showcased TytoCare's ability to facilitate a wide range of telehealth visits as well as to reduce pressure on overburdened facilities and physicians while crucially mitigating the spread of COVID-19. In addition to active pilots around the country, renowned hospitals Gemelli and Bambino Gesu have begun evaluating the TytoCare telehealth solution for potential integration, and further pilots are in progress. "Italian health authorities and professionals were quick to embrace telehealth at the onset of the pandemic," said Dedi Gilad, CEO and co-founder of TytoCare. "Partnering with Multimed will enable us to fulfill our vision of offering accessible and high-quality remote care throughout Italy, which is critical both now and as the pandemic subsides. As a growing number of health systems across Europe look to integrate TytoCare, we're excited to propel a productive healthcare ecosystem for patients, clinicians, and insurers alike, providing the best virtual care from the comfort of home, saving care providers' time, and reducing costs per patient encounter." "We are proud to partner with TytoCare to expand telehealth offerings throughout Italy. TytoCare is a unique innovation expanding access to safe, clinic-quality care for the Italian population," said Maurizio Cordara Antona, President of Multimed. "As the exclusive distributor of TytoCare in Italy, we look forward to together enabling a new method of healthcare delivery for the country and its future." About TytoCare TytoCare is a telehealth company using AI to transform primary care by putting health in the hands of consumers. TytoCare seamlessly connects people to clinicians to provide the best virtual home examination and diagnosis solutions. Its solutions are designed to enable a comprehensive medical exam from any location and include a hand-held, all-in-one tool for examining the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and body temperature; a complete telehealth platform for sharing exam data, conducting live video exams, and scheduling visits; a cloud-based data repository with analytics; and built-in guidance technology and machine learning algorithms to ensure accuracy and ease of use for patients and insights for healthcare providers. Co-founded by Dedi Gilad and Ofer Tzadik in 2012, TytoCare has FDA and CE clearances and has partnered with over 100 major health systems, health plans, and strategic partners in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Israel. To watch a demo video, click here. For more information, please visit https://www.tytocare.com/. Press Contact Sarah Schloss Headline Media [email protected] + 1 914 506 5105 Distributor for Italy Multimed Srl Strada del Drosso, 49 10135 Torino phone +39 011 6307693 Mail: [email protected] Related Links https://www.tytocare.com/ SOURCE Tyto Care Credit: CC0 Public Domain A recent study provides insights on the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on employment, anxiety, and financial distress among women who have gynecologic cancer and low income. The findings are published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. For the study, Y. Stefanie Chen, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and her colleagues conducted telephone interviews with 100 women with gynecologic cancer living in New York City who were covered by Medicaid health insurance. Among the major findings: 31 percent of patients reported being employed prior to the pandemic, and 21 percent had a change in employment status due to the pandemic. 50 percent of patients reported that they felt more financial stress since the start of the pandemic, and 54 percent reported that they worry about future financial problems due to the pandemic. 49 percent of patients expressed increased anxiety about cancer since the start of the pandemic, and 83 percent expressed feeling increased anxiety in general. Having an income less than $40,000 per year was the most common factor associated with increased financial distress, cancer worry, and anxiety. Early-stage cancer (stage I-II) was also a risk factor for increased financial distress. "Patients with cancer are already financially vulnerable as many face changes in employment status when they undergo treatment, and also because cancer treatments can become costly as they accrue over time," said Dr. Chen. "Patients with low income may struggle to prioritize cancer care and treatments over other costs of daily living, especially when they face changes in employment not only due to their cancer diagnosis but also due to the changes in the job market caused by the pandemic." Dr. Chen supports increased screening for anxiety and financial stress in these patients. "Understanding the complexity of finances, mental health, and cancer treatments in this population is crucial to the development of interventions and navigation strategies to ensure timely care and to promote survivorship among patients with all stages of cancer," she said. The American Cancer Society announced earlier today in a press release that Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, will join Cancer as the new Editor-in-Chief beginning on July 1, 2021. Dr. Ramalingam is the deputy director of Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and has worked as a Section Editor for Cancer since 2011. Dr. Ramalingam succeeds Fadlo R. Khuri, MD, whose tenure as Editor-in-Chief concludes later this summer. When we are sick, the physical effects will keep us confined to our beds and prevent us from coming into contact with those who can infect us. Social distancing is an unavoidable feature of the natural world. Whereas other animals such as ants, limit encounters between individuals who play specific roles in the colony, all to reduce the risk of infection. Animals such as monkeys, fish, birds, and lobsters avoid sick members of their species. Like humans, animals have the benefit of social distancing, in line with research. Stockmeier et al. examined disease responses in animal taxa and discovered how these responses naturally limit disease transmission. Feed the sick, but protect the Queen Many ant species sleep in close quarters with hundreds or thousands of close relatives. In response to the current threat, ants have evolved the ability to socially distance themselves. When disease is present in the colony, sick ants isolate themselves, and healthy ants reduce their interaction with other ants. Healthy ants in fungus-treated colonies reduced their social interactions as well, but how they did so differ depending on their roles. If disease was present, uninfected foragers, who frequently interact with other foragers who may carry disease, kept their distance from the colony. This prevents them from accidentally putting the reproductively valuable colony members (the queen and "nucleus") in danger. Furthermore, even in the face of illness, some animals maintain essential social interactions. Vampire bats, for example, continue to feed their sick groupmates while avoiding grooming them. We also practice nuanced social distancing, reducing non-essential social contacts while still caring for sick family members just like monkeys and bats do. Also read: Quarantine and Social Distancing Toll on One's Psychological Health Humans could learn a thing or two from bees about social distancing Bees live in conditions that do not allow for social distancing; they have developed novel ways to deal with disease by working together to keep the colony healthy. A bioscientist, Luke Holman, at the University of Melbourne, is currently researching social immunity in honeybees and claims that, for bees, colony survival is paramount in a way that we do not understand. Bees preserve their genes through colony survival, so when they commit merciless or "suicidal" acts, they are "saving themselves in a sense - albeit indirectly. Although honey bees are unable to wear masks or socially isolate themselves, each worker contributes to the colony's overall health. And they all follow the same procedures. They are also excellent decision-makers in groups. No one had even heard of social distancing a year ago but It's now become a way of life, one COVID-19 pandemic later. We must take care of ourselves and others by engaging in a behavior that is more visible and necessary now than ever before: active social distancing. For more news and updates about nature and similar topics, don't forget to follow Nature World News! Also read: COVID Particles in the Dust May Help Predict Potential Outbreaks The press is hailing Joe Biden's approval numbers as he reaches the first 100 days in office. PJMedia, in two posts by Stephen Kruizer and Stacey Lennox, has curated some choice headlines seen on Twitter and beyond that show it, such as these: Biden receives positive marks at 100 days - CBS News poll -CBS News Biden's 100 days: Low-end approval, yet strong marks on pandemic response: POLL -ABC News ...and this gushy televised exchange: Harris: We have newly released numbers this morning from an ABC News/Washington Post poll. Look at this. Fifty-two percent of Americans approve of Joe Biden's work in office as he approaches the 100-day mark. That is ten points higher than Donald Trump at this point in his presidency, but 17 points lower than Barack Obama. So, let's bring in our ABC News political director, Rick Klein. Rick, good morning. What's your take on these top-line numbers from the poll? Klein: Dan, Biden's honeymoon appears to be ending, if it was even there in the first place. What's so striking here is, you can at the same time say President Biden is in so much stronger position than his predecessor, but so much weaker than almost everyone else that we've seen at this point in a presidency. And the easiest culprit to blame here is partisanship. The broad numbers themselves, from multiple polls, can be snapshotted as in this RealClearPolitics sidebar: That can be read here. The short answer to all this gushing is that the press is biased and spinning for Biden. The innards of these polls actually show a lot of trouble. For one thing, independent support for Biden is falling. RedState points out that the big weak spot for Biden among independents is his atrocious handling of the border. The Fox News poll's question about whether security is better or worse or the same at the border showed that 46% of voters felt that border security in 2021 is worse than two years ago, a sharp spike from the 17% who said that in 2018. Independents accounted for much of that fall. For another, these pollsters oversampled Democrats. Most showed large margins of registered Democrats sampled that didn't coincide with the percentages of voters who voted from both parties in 2020. That breakdown should have been 36% registered Republicans and 37% registered Democrats. It wasn't. The pollsters polled as if Democrats amounted to as much as 50% of the majority. NewsBusters pointed out that with all this oversampling of Democrats to rig the results, they still didn't get the rosy report they wanted, which suggests things could be very bad, indeed. "Partisanship" was blamed for the trouble by at least one television pundit, which could mean several things. One, Biden is the most partisan president in history, governing as a radical far-left Corbynite, seeking to dismantle the Constitution, the public fisc, the Courts, America's energy independence, and the voting system itself. That's going down particularly badly among independents, but also includes Republicans. Two, Biden has pledged "unity" and done exactly the opposite of what he got the public to focus on. He's initiated transgender bathrooms, dismantled the border, triggered a border surge, introduced wokester education, fomented racial hate, and attempted to smear any state attempting reasonable measures to ensure voter rights and ballot integrity. All of those things are unpopular except among the radical left crazies. A third piece of news is related to this partisanship/unity issue that comes via email from Raghavan Mayur and his TIPPInsights.com site. The IBD/TIPP poll the firm produces is America's most accurate pollster. The link can be read here* -- and it has a lot of useful charts. I will paste in some regarding his newly released TIPP Unity Index and summarize. He writes: The TIPP Unity Index registered a somber reading of 37.8, reflecting the country's high level of division in April. A whopping 61 percent believe the country is divided, while only 33 percent believe it is united. The Unity Index TechnoMetrica, in its tradition of out-of-box thinking, developed the Unity Index, a barometer of the country's unity, based on the question: In general, would you say the United States is Very United, Somewhat United, Not Very United, or Not At All United? He found this: In April, thirty of the 36 demographic groups we track believe the country is divided. The demographic groups that believe the country is united are in the 25 to 44 age group, urban residents, those earning $75K or more, Democrats, and those with a college degree or higher. On the other end, the groups that feel extreme division in the country are 65 or older, rural residents, independents, some college education, and Republicans. Where was the discord highest? You guessed it: on presidential leadership, where the standard deviation came in at 12.4. Other issues above the mean were "direction of country," "morals and ethics," and "standing in the world." The areas below the mean were "national outlook," "economic outlook," "quality of life," and "financial stress." Where's the problem again? Looking at you, Joe Biden. That can't be good news for the worst president within memory. Media lapdogs may sing Joe's praises, but the devil is right there in the details for Joe. Image: Screen shot from video posted by Ruptly.tv via Twitter. *This post has been updated, with the link cited. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Haiti - FLASH : Revocation of all identifiers of the National Intelligence Service The Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Collectivities notes that ill-intentioned individuals, without title or status, use national effigies and the forged signature of Minister Day to pass themselves off as people with links to the National Intelligence Service (SIN). In addition, these individuals use these fake ID cards, which they say come from the Ministry, to perpetrate wrongdoing. The Ministry denounces and condemns with the utmost rigor these offenses made on purpose and the amalgamations they are capable of generating in a strategy to destabilize the political and security climate in Haiti. Also, Minister Day and his Director General Amos Zephirin revoked, as of Thursday, April 22, 2021, all the cards of regular employees and SIN Agents. This measure is taken in the interest of ensuring the safety of the population in general and that of SIN staff in particular. The Ministry will proceed gradually and after evaluation to replace the identification cards of SIN Agents, in consultation with the authorities involved alongside it, in the safety and security of the territory. In the meantime, Minister Day urges the National Police of Haiti (PNH), in particular, to take all legal sanctions against all offenders and to continue to track down any troublemaker using false "badges" of the Institution. HL/ HaitiLibre Chads new ruling junta on Sunday vowed to root out a rebel leader accused of war crimes, seeking help from neighbouring Niger to track him down along with his fighters. The army has located the enemy spread out in small groups, now regrouping in Niger territory, said junta spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna. He accused the Libya-based Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) of killing several dozen Chadian soldiers and said the rebels leader Mahamat Mahadi Ali was sought for war crimes by Tripolis prosecutor general, adding that his assets had been frozen for financing terrorism. According to the army, several columns of heavily armed vehicles rolled in from Libya on April 11 election day in Chad attacking a customs post at the border in the province of Tibesti, some 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the capital NDjamena. Agouna appealed to Niamey to facilitate the capture and bringing to justice of these war criminals. FACT, which has a non-aggression pact with Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman of eastern Libya, emerged in April 2016. On Saturday the rebels said they were prepared to observe a ceasefire, but Agouna said the two sides were at war. They are rebels, which is why we are bombing them. We are waging war, thats all, Agouna said. The time is not for mediation, nor for negotiation with outlaws, he said. Reached by telephone, Ali told AFP he was still in Chad, in the northern province of Kanem, adding that his forces had been bombarded. If they want to make war, we will make war, he said. If they attack us we will respond. Battlefield death Chads veteran leader Idriss Deby Itno reportedly died in battle early last week after fighting in which hundreds of FACT rebels were killed, according to the army. Northern Chad is a restive region and a breeding ground for rebel groups opposed to the NDjamena authorities. Abandoned to illegal gold miners and gangs of traffickers, it is sparsely populated and difficult to control. Numerous Chadian rebel groups have for decades launched incursions from rear bases in Libya. Deby, who himself came to power in 1990 at the head of a rebel force, had gone to the region to lead the fighting. The military council took power last week following his shock death, pledging to hold elections in 18 months. Debys son Mahamat Idriss Deby, a 37-year-old four-star general commanding the elite Republican Guard, was named president and head of a military council. The move was branded an institutional coup by the opposition, and FACT immediately vowed to pursue its offensive and to march on the capital. Northeastern Chad, which borders Sudan, is also a flashpoint between Chadian rebels and the army. In 2008, rebels, who had rolled in from support bases in Sudan, crossed into Chad from east to west to reach the capital. They got as far as the presidential palace, but were pushed back with backing from former colonial power France. France stepped in at NDjamenas request in February 2019, carrying out air strikes to stop rebels from the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) who had also crossed over from Libya in a bid to oust Deby. Deby was buried last Friday in a state funeral attended by French President Emmanuel Macron. Chad was thrown into turmoil by Debys death, which was announced on Tuesday, just the day after he was declared the winner of an April 11 election giving him a sixth mandate after 30 years at the helm. His death has stunned the Sahel, where jihadist unrest has claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. Deby was a linchpin in the fight against the insurgency, and Macron pledged at the ceremony: France will never let anyone, either today or tomorrow, challenge Chads stability and integrity. Deby was repeatedly returned to office in elections condemned by opponents as fraudulent. Packaged solution, Fusion Payments To Go, will support frictionless immediate payments and better customer service LONDON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra today announced that Mizrahi-Tehafot Bank, the third largest bank in Israel, has chosen its pre-packaged payments solution, Fusion Payments To Go. The solution, aimed at small and medium-sized banks looking to implement domestic and cross-border payment services, will enable the bank to offer its customers frictionless and immediate payments, with reduced, fixed implementation cost. With a modern and agile solution in place, the bank will be able to better serve its customers, and in turn to grow its business, whilst being prepared for changing regulations such as ISO 20022. Dudi Avni, Head of Delivery Channels Applications at Mizrahi-Tehafot Bank said, "The payments landscape is accelerating at a quicker pace than ever before and payments is now a strategic pillar for our business. Using Finastra's payment hub will enhance our customer service and enable Mizrahi-Tehafot Bank to fulfil its strategic plan regarding payment services. Until now, we have been using in-house solutions for processing payments. Both retail and corporate clients are increasingly demanding a more seamless payment experience and a broader set of payment options. "We quickly realized that we needed a market-leading off-the-shelf payment solution capable of unifying our current infrastructure. Finastra's pre-packaged solution, based on its tried and tested global payment hub, will go far in helping us do so, whilst bringing sizable cost savings. With a large team of hundreds of people dedicated to the development of Finastra's payments products, we know we are in safe hands and ready for tomorrow's payment challenges." Built on Finastra's payment hub, Fusion Global PAYplus, Fusion Payments To Go provides best-practice functionality and operating rules for supported clearing and settlement mechanisms, along with standard integration to external applications. It removes the need for expensive scheme maintenance, meaning that banks can redirect these funds towards the delivery of innovative business services that will improve the customer experience and deliver revenue growth. Finastra looks after all elements from contracting, onboarding, service operations and upgrades, to billing reducing the bank's operational costs and providing a faster time to market. Fusion Payments To Go is available to mid- and small-tier banks in Europe interested in implementing RT1 and/or TIPS immediate payments, as well as the FED and TCH immediate payment schemes in the US, with other schemes to follow. It also supports banks worldwide looking to implement SWIFT. In this case, the solution will cover three types of clearing: SWIFT, Zahav (Israeli Real-Time Gross Settlement) and global liquidity management. Avi Benzvi, Country Manager in Israel at Finastra said, "With Fusion Payments To Go, we're enabling regional banks like Mizrahi-Tehafot to be more competitive, grow their business and market share, with faster time to value for them and their customers. Mizrahi-Tehafot is ahead of the curve when it comes to innovation in financial services in Israel. It has long been an early adopter of new technologies, and we've no doubt that our solution will help them drive further growth. We're excited to be part of their ongoing success." Mizrahi-Tehafot has been a Finastra customer for over 20 years and also runs Finastra lending and capital markets solutions. For further information please contact: Caroline Duff Global Head of PR T +44 (0)7917 613586 E caroline.duff@finastra.com finastra.com About Finastra Finastra is building an open platform that accelerates collaboration and innovation in financial services, creating better experiences for people, businesses and communities. Supported by the broadest and deepest portfolio of financial services software, Finastra delivers this vitally important technology to financial institutions of all sizes across the globe, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks. Our open architecture approach brings together a number of partners and innovators. Together we are leading the way in which applications are written, deployed and consumed in financial services to evolve with the changing needs of customers. Learn more at finastra.com Corporate headquarters 4 Kingdom Street Paddington London W2 6BD United Kingdom T: +44 20 3320 5000 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/967510/Finastra_Logo.jpg SOURCE Finastra LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 20, 2021) - A new study from University of Kentucky Markey Cancer researchers shows that Artemisia annua, a plant that has been traditionally used for its anti-malaria components, shows promise in treating ovarian cancer. The study, recently published in Diagnostics, demonstrates that artesunate, a drug synthesized from Artemisia annua, kills ovarian cancer cells in multiple preclinical model systems. Despite accounting for only 1.3% of all new cancer cases, 2.3% of cancer deaths in 2021 are predicted to be caused by ovarian cancer. The current standard of care for advanced ovarian cancer, which hasn't changed since 2003, is the use of two chemotherapy agents: carboplatin and paclitaxel. In this study, the researchers determined that artesunate, both alone and in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, has anticancer activity at concentrations that are achievable in the clinic, which support the further clinical development of this strategy. "Artesunate is historically used as an anti-malarial but with emerging evidence, it demonstrates its anti-cancer activity," said Jill Kolesar, PharmD, professor in the UK College of Pharmacy and administrative director of Markey's Precision Medicine Clinic. "This supports bringing it into the clinic and we hope to have positive outcomes for these patients, based on our preclinical data." Kentucky is the only state currently growing substantial quantities of Artemisia annua, meaning the Commonwealth could become a new epicenter for growing the plant worldwide. The plant's growth process is similar to that of tobacco, potentially giving Kentucky's tobacco farmers a new cash crop to supplement their incomes. Artemisia annua is also grown at UK's Spindletop Farm, where it is harvested primarily for research purposes within the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the College of Pharmacy. "We're growing Artemisia on Kentucky farms, studying it in our Kentucky lab, and now moving it into Kentucky clinics," Kolesar said. "Potentially improving the economy of the state and developing a cancer treatment for your patients - that's truly a dream." ### A fit and healthy roofer has been rushed to hospital with life-threatening blood clots two weeks after having the AstraZeneca Covid jab. Paul Curtis, 50, from Poole, Dorset, fell ill a week and a half after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. The step-father of three has said that he remains in favour of the vaccine because 'it is doing absolute fabulous things for the country, opening it back up'. He thought he had a chest infection but noticed he was getting short of breath climbing a ladder so he visited his GP, who sent him to hospital for tests. Paul Curtis (pictured in hospital), 50, from Poole, Dorset, fell ill a week and a half after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine The step-father of three (pictured with his partner Tara) has said that he remains in favour of the vaccine because 'it is doing absolute fabulous things for the country, opening it back up' These were carried out at Poole Hospital where he was monitored on a treadmill before being sent home. Two days later he collapsed in his kitchen and was rushed to hospital, where multiple clots were found on both lungs. How risky is the AstraZeneca vaccine? Current NHS advice to all NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts, following updates from the Medicines and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and guidance from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), is that the AstraZeneca vaccine is 'highly effective and substantially reduces the risk of infection and severe Covid-19 disease'. Advice states there has been reports of 'extremely rare adverse event of concurrent thrombosis (blood clots) and thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) following vaccination'. The government says benefits of vaccination continue to out weigh any risks. Advertisement Mr Curtis spent six days in hospital where he was treated with intravenous drugs and injections, before he was well enough to continue his recovery at home. Mr Curtis, a former volleyball player, is still taking medication and has been told he has 'possible lung damage'. He said he remains in favour of the vaccine but said there needs to be 'better awareness' of the possible links to blood clots, although he has no proof this is what caused his ailment. He said: 'I would encourage everyone to get the jab because it is doing absolute fabulous things for the country, opening it back up. 'All I am saying is if you have the jab and you get shortness of breath afterwards, just be very aware. 'I didn't think anything would happen to me, a 50-year-old who is a very active person. 'I'm up and down a ladder for my job and was a keen volleyball player. 'I just fobbed it off (when he first felt ill). I thought I had a chest infection. But I soon noticed I was getting short of breath climbing up a ladder. 'I went to the GP and he sent me to hospital. They put me on a ward, but they were looking at my heart. 'Then they put me on a treadmill before sending me home. It was then when I got this tremendous pain in my back. 'I collapsed in the kitchen and went to hospital again - and that is when they found multiple blood clots on both lungs. 'They were very worried about one large clot in particular and told me it could kill me. 'It was a frightening time for my partner Tara and the family. 'Thankfully, the blood thinners seem to have worked and I'm doing much better now, although I have my next checkup on Tuesday. 'The hospital have been absolutely brilliant. And, of course, I cannot say these blood clots were caused by the jab - but I just want awareness to be better. He thought he had a chest infection but noticed he was getting short of breath climbing a ladder so he visited his GP, who sent him to hospital for tests 'If I knew there was even the slightest chance, even if this wasn't the case, it may have been checked the first time I was in hospital and caught earlier. 'Hopefully now it is in the news other people will be more aware of the blood clot risks among young people.' Medical professionals urged people to keep taking the 'safe and effective' vaccines on offer. How common are the rare clots in the general population? The exact combination of symptoms affecting a small number of people given the AstraZeneca vaccine are so rare there is no reliable data, according to Professor David Speigelhalter. But the MHRA has said CVST - the deadly brain clot found in many of the patients - normally occurs in five to 16 cases per million in the UK every year, according to LBC's Ben Kentish. The regulator said the condition, which occurs when a vein that drains blood from the brain is blocked by a clot, has been found in two cases per million in the three months since the vaccine rollout began. In Europe, regulators said they spotted 53 cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT), a type of clot in the liver, from 34million jabs. It's unclear if any vaccinated Brits have suffered from SVT, which is estimated to affect fewer than one per million people a year. Advertisement Dr Karen Kirkham, local Dorset GP, and clinical lead for the Dorset Covid-19 vaccination programme, said: 'Vaccines are the best way to protect people from Covid-19. 'Everyone should continue to get their vaccination when asked to do so unless specifically advised otherwise, and a second vaccine is needed to boost immunity to a high level needed for best protection against Covid-19. 'The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, effective and has already saved thousands of lives. 'The UK's independent regulator, the MHRA, and the JCVI have both said that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks for the vast majority of adults.' Current NHS advice to all NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts, following updates from the Medicines and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and guidance from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), is that the AstraZeneca vaccine is 'highly effective and substantially reduces the risk of infection and severe Covid-19 disease'. Advice states there has been reports of 'extremely rare adverse event of concurrent thrombosis (blood clots) and thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) following vaccination'. The government says benefits of vaccination continue to out weigh any risks. Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said: 'Over 37 million doses of vaccines against Covid-19 have now been administered in the UK, saving thousands of lives through the biggest vaccination programme that has ever taken place in the UK. 'No effective medicine or vaccine is without risk. We continually monitor safety during widespread use of any vaccine. 'This is to ensure vaccines are performing as expected, to identify any new side effects that may arise, and to ensure the benefits continue to outweigh the risks. 'The public's safety is always at the forefront of our minds and we take every report of a suspected side effect very seriously indeed. 'We ask anyone who suspects they have experienced a side effect linked with their Covid-19 vaccine to report it to the Coronavirus Yellow Card website. 'It is still vitally important that people come forward for their vaccination when invited to do so.' [April 26, 2021] Opportunities and Risks in the Belgium Cards and Payments Market to 2024, Featuring Belfius Bank, KBC Bank, Klarna, ING Bank and Credit Mutuel Bank - ResearchAndMarkets.com The "Belgium Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Belgian cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cash, cards, credit transfers, direct debits, and cheques during the review-period (2016-20e). The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry, and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review-period and over the forecast-period (2020e-24f). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including the market shares of issuers and schemes. The report brings together the publisher's research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure. This report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Belgian cards and payments industry, including : Current and forecast values for each market in the Belgian cards and payments industry, including debit, credit and charge cards. Detailed insights into payment instruments including cash, cards, credit transfers, direct debits, and cheques. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments. E-commerce market analysis. Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the Belgian cards and payments industry. Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks ad other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards. Scope The government is taking steps to increase the use of digital payments in Belgium. Belgian financial federation Febelfin (in collaboration with its payment partners and trade federations) launched Belgium's first Digital Payment Day on May 11, 2019. The initiative aims to increase financial awareness and knowledge among Belgians and encourages consumers to make digital payments. The initiative also aims to enable more merchants to accept digital payments. Via the Digital Payment Day website, Febelfin offers information for merchants regarding the best digital payment method for their business, as well as providing consumers with information on various digital payment solutions. Digital payments in Belgium are being supported by increasing use of mobile wallets including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal (News - Alert) as well as the Payconiq by Bancontact app. Digital-only banks are gradually making inroads into the Belgian banking and debit card space. In February 2020, digital-only bank Aion launched in Belgium. The bank offers a multi-currency debit card, enabling users to make card payments and ATM withdrawals with no currency conversion costs. Meanwhile, international digital-only banks are making their way into Belgium. In October 2019, Netherlands-based digital-only bank bunq expanded its services across European countries including Belgium. Apart from a debit card, consumers are also offered a credit card and a Mastercard Travel Card (a credit card that eliminates foreign transaction fees for payments in foreign currencies). NiCKEL - the digital bank owned by BNP Paribas - plans to launch its operations in Belgium in the first quarter of 2022. Banks are counting on digital channels to tap into new customer bases. In November 2020, KBC Bank launched AI-based chatbot Kate for its customers in Belgium. The chatbot supports both chat and voice assistance to provide banking services to KBC customers, including assistance regarding money transfers and insurance documentation. Meanwhile, bpost bank allows individuals to open an account online. Individuals confirm their identity using their electronic identity card and fill in their personal details. Key Topics Covered: Payment Instruments Card-based Payments Ecommerce Payments Buy Now Pay Later Mobile Proximity Payments P2P Payments Bill Payments Alternative Payments Job Analysis Payment Innovations Payment Infrastructure & Regulation Companies Mentioned BNP Paribas Fortis Belfius Bank KBC Bank Credit Mutuel Bank ING Bank Bancontact Visa Mastercard American Express PayPal Klarna Payconiq Google Pay SafetyPay Apple (News - Alert) Pay paysafecard For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ju0ce1 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005304/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An international team of researchers searched for pieces of a small asteroid tracked in space and then observed to impact Botswana on June 2, 2018. April 23, 2021, Mountain View, CA -- An international team of researchers searched for pieces of a small asteroid tracked in space and then observed to impact Botswana on June 2, 2018. Guided by SETI Institute meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens, they found 23 meteorites deep inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and now have published their findings online in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science. "Combining the observations of the small asteroid in space with information gleaned from the meteorites shows it likely came from Vesta, second largest asteroid in our Solar System and target of NASA's DAWN mission," said Jenniskens. "Billions of years ago, two giant impacts on Vesta created a family of larger, more dangerous asteroids. The newly recovered meteorites gave us a clue on when those impacts might have happened." The asteroid The small asteroid that impacted Botswana, called 2018 LA, was first spotted by the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey as a faint point of light moving among the stars. The Catalina Sky Survey searches for Earth-crossing asteroids as part of NASA's Planetary Defense program. "Small meter-sized asteroids are no danger to us, but they hone our skills in detecting approaching asteroids," said Eric Christensen, director of the Catalina Sky Survey program. The team recovered archival data from the SkyMapper Southern Survey program in Australia that showed the asteroid spinning in space, rotating once every 4 minutes, alternatingly presenting a broad and a narrow side to us while reflecting the sunlight. On its journey to Earth, cosmic rays bombarded the asteroid and created radioactive isotopes. By analyzing those isotopes, the researchers determined that 2018 LA was a solid rock about 1.5 m in size, which reflected about 25% of sunlight. The recovery "This is only the second time we have spotted an asteroid in space before it hit Earth over land," said Jenniskens. "The first was asteroid 2008 TC3 in Sudan ten years earlier." Jenniskens also guided the search for fragments of 2008 TC3. This time, fewer observations led to more uncertainty in the asteroid's position in its orbit. Davide Farnocchia of NASA JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies combined astronomical observations of the asteroid with US Government Satellite data of the fireball to calculate the fall area. Esko Lyytinen of the Ursa Finnish Fireball Network made a parallel effort. "When Jenniskens first arrived in Maun, he needed our help narrowing down the fall area," says Oliver Moses of the Okavango Research Institute. "We subsequently tracked down more video records in Rakops and Maun and were able to triangulate the position of the fireball." After confirming the fall area, Moses and Jenniskens joined geologist Alexander Proyer of the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) in Palapye and geoscientist Mohutsiwa Gabadirwe of the Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) in Lobatse and their colleagues to search for the meteorites. "On the fifth day, our last day of searching, Lesedi Seitshiro of BIUST found the first meteorite only 30 meters from camp," said Jenniskens. "It was 18 grams and about 3 cm in size." The search area was in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, home to diverse wildlife, including leopards and lions. Researchers were kept safe by the staff of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks. BGI coordinated the search with the Department of National Museum and Monuments in Botswana. "The meteorite is named 'Motopi Pan' after a local watering hole," said Gabadirwe, now the curator of this rare sample of an asteroid observed in space before impacting Earth. "This meteorite is a national treasure of Botswana." The meteorite type Non-destructive analysis at the University of Helsinki, Finland, showed that Motopi Pan belongs to the group of Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) meteorites, known to have likely originated from the giant asteroid Vesta, which was recently studied in detail by NASA's DAWN mission. "We managed to measure metal content as well as secure a reflectance spectrum and X-ray elemental analysis from a thinly crusted part of the exposed meteorite interior," said Tomas Kohout of the University of Helsinki. "All the measurements added well together and pointed to values typical for HED type meteorites." Dynamical studies show that the orbit of 2018 LA is consistent with an origin from the inner part of the asteroid belt where Vesta is located. The asteroid was delivered into an Earth-impacting orbit via the resonance situated in the asteroid belt's inner side. "Another HED meteorite fall we investigated in Turkey in 2015, called Saricicek, impacted on a similarly short orbit and produced mostly smallish 2 to 5-gram meteorites," said Jenniskens. When Jenniskens returned to Botswana in October of 2018, the team found 22 more small meteorites. Gabadirwe was the first to spot another out-of-this-world rock. Surprisingly, subsequent meteorite finds showed a lot of diversity in their outward appearance. "We studied the petrography and mineral chemistry of five of these meteorites and confirmed that they belong to the HED group," said Roger Gibson of Witts University in Johannesburg, South Africa. "Overall, we classified the material that asteroid 2018 LA contained as being Howardite, but some individual fragments had more affinity to Diogenites and Eucrites." Other studies also confirmed the surprising diversity of the team's finds, such as reflection spectroscopy and the content of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the sample. The asteroid was a breccia, a mixture of cemented rock pieces from different parts on Vesta. Origin of the meteorites A previous hypothesis proposed that Saricicek originated from Vesta in the collision that created the Antonia impact crater imaged by DAWN. Still showing a visible ejecta blanket, that young crater was formed about 22 million years ago. One-third of all HED meteorites that fall on Earth were ejected 22 million years ago. Did Motopi Pan originate from the same crater? "Noble gas isotopes measurements at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, and radioactive isotopes measured at Purdue University showed that this meteorite too had been in space as a small object for about 23 million years," said Kees Welten of UC Berkeley, "but give or take 4 million years, so it could be from the same source crater on Vesta." Researchers found Motopi Pan and Saricicek to be similar in some ways but different in others. Like Motopi Pan, Saricicek exploded at 27.8 km altitude, but produced less light in that breakup. "The infrasound shockwave measured in South Africa was not as strong as expected from US Government sensor detections of the bright light," said Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. From lead isotopes in zircon minerals, researchers found that both Saricicek and Motopi Pan solidified at Vesta's surface about 4563 million years ago. But phosphate grains in Motopi Pan experienced another melting event more recently. Saricicek did not. "About 4234 million years ago, the material in Motopi Pan was close to the center of a large impact event," said Qing-zhu Yin of UC Davis, "Saricicek was not." Vesta experienced two significant impact events that created the Rheasilvia impact basin and the underlying, and therefore older, Veneneia impact basin. "We now suspect that Motopi Pan was heated by the Veneneia impact, while the subsequent Rheasilvia impact scattered this material around," said Jenniskens. " If so, that would date the Veneneia impact to about 4234 million years ago. On top of Rheasilvia impact ejecta is the 10.3-km diameter Rubria impact crater, slightly smaller than the 16.7-km Antonia crater, and slightly younger at 19 +/- 3 million years, but a good candidate for the origin crater of Motopi Pan." In November 2020, an expedition led by Fulvio Franchi from BIUST discovered one more Motopi Pan meteorite. This 92-gram meteorite is now the largest fragment of asteroid 2018 LA recovered to date and another small piece of the giant asteroid Vesta. ### Links: The manuscript is available at: https:/ / onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ journal/ 19455100 Link to pdf of poster: 2018 report on the first meteorite find: https:/ / www. seti. org/ press-release/ fragment-impacting-asteroid-recovered-botswana-0 About the SETI Institute Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the Universe and to share that knowledge with the world. Our research encompasses the physical and biological sciences and leverages expertise in data analytics, machine learning and advanced signal detection technologies. The SETI Institute is a distinguished research partner for industry, academia and government agencies, including NASA and NSF. Contact information Rebecca McDonald Director of Communications SETI Institute rmcdonald@seti.org .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALLEN, Texas A Dallas-area man has been arrested while awaiting an airline flight out of state and charged with capital murder in the deaths of his mother and sister, police said Sunday. Isil Borat, 51, and daughter Burcu Hezar, 17, were found knifed to death in their Allen, Texas, home on Saturday morning by police answering a reported disturbance with weapons. Borats husband identified stepson Barak Hezar, 20, as the suspect, said Sgt. Jon Felty, Allen police spokesman. Police were able to trace Burak at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Hezar was arrested while awaiting a flight to San Francisco, where his biological father lived, Felty said. The motive for the homicides was unclear, he said. Hezar was booked into the Collin County on a capital murder charge on $2 million bond. Jail records list no attorney for him. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Chloe Zhaos Academy Award wins for best director and best picture are being met with restrained reaction in China, her country of birth. Zhaos Nomadland is the second film directed by a woman to win an Academy Award, or Oscar, for best picture. She is the first woman of color and second woman ever to win the Oscar for best director. Yet, in China, her history-making success has not been broadcast or celebrated. State media in China remained silent as of Monday afternoon, with no statement of her win by either CCTV or the Xinhua news agency. A post announcing Zhaos directing win by film magazine Watch Movies appeared on the Chinese media service Weibo. But it was censored a few hours after it appeared Monday morning. The hashtag Chloe Zhao wins Best Director was also censored on the service. Users who searched under the hashtag received an error message saying, page is not found. Some Weibo users began using zt to post about Zhao. Those are the first letters of her full name in Chinese, Zhou Ting. Putting in Zhaos name in Chinese brought up only unrelated posts from the beginning of April. A search for Oscars showed only official posts from the South Korean and U.S. embassies. A news story on WeChat, the largest messaging service in China, was also removed. But news of Zhaos wins did spread onto the Chinese internet, with individual web users praising the filmmaker. Many took note of her acceptance speech, which included a line from a poem written in the 13th century Zhao had memorized as a child. The line in English means, People are good at birth. South Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung, who played the grandmother in the film Minari, could be found in searches on the Chinese internet. Youn won the best supporting actress award, becoming the first Korean performer to win an Oscar. In South Korea, Actor Youn Yuh-jung was at the top of Twitters trending list. Other South Korean performers quickly offered their congratulations. Actor Lee Byung-hun posted a photo of Youn holding an Oscar trophy. Impossible is just an opinion, he wrote on the post. Actors Bae Doona and Kim Hye-soo also congratulated Youn on social media. Zhao faced criticism in China in March after winning a Golden Globe award for best director. Internet users questioned whether she could be called Chinese. Some said she had insulted her birth country in comments on the political system. Chinas media organizations are closely controlled by the ruling Communist Party. Online criticism can often result in calls for boycotts of famous people or big companies. Before the criticism in March, local media reported Nomadland was set for release in China on April 23. But the film did not open last week and there was no official word on a release date. Employees at two movie theaters in Beijing said they did not know of any future showings of the film. Frances McDormand won the best actress Oscar for her performance in Nomadland. Anthony Hopkins won best actor for his performance in The Father. And Daniel Kaluuya won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah. Im Jonathan Evans. Huizhong Wu reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. ________________________________________________ Words in This Story censor v. to examine books, movies and media and remove things that are not approved by a government or society trend v. to be one of the words, subjects or names quickly gaining popularity on social media at a particular time New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephone conversation with United States President Joe Biden on Monday evening (April 26), official sources said. Though the sources did not disclose what the conversation was about, it is expected the two leaders discussed the COVID-19 situation in India. The US president and his Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," US President Biden said in a tweet. The talk between the two world leaders comes a day after the United States announced assistance to India in the backdrop of COVID-19 crisis. Washington also announced raw material for the manufacture of the vaccines in India. Live TV The Auxon Modality platform enables automated root-cause and risk analysis for cyber-physical systems Its galvanizing to find a company like Auxon that shares our mission to make these revolutionary systems safe and predictable to deploy. Auxon Technologies, a Canadian subsidiary of Auxon Corporation, and the University of Ottawa, Canada, today have announced a research partnership in pursuit of realizing the goals of "Assured Autonomy" for autonomous cyber-physical systems (CPS). Cyber-physical systems use is growing across many safety-critical industry sectors such as energy, transportation, logistics, and healthcare. Increasingly these cyber-physical systems are autonomous (e.g. autopilot navigation, visual perception, etc.) and rely on AI and machine learning (ML) models. The probabilistic and opaque nature of machine learning raises new challenges for testing these already complex systems, making it increasingly difficult to ensure they are deployed safely and securely. A major goal of the partnership is to transfer scientific results into practical techniques and infrastructure to help make this new generation of cyber-physical systems perform predictably and safely in the real world, particularly as failure can have severe consequences for the environment and human lives. The research collaboration will use and build upon Auxons Modality platform which enables automated experimentation and analysis of cyber-physical system runtime behavior. Were very excited to work with Nanda Labs and the University of Ottawa, said Nathan Aschbacher, CEO, Auxon. Dr. Briand and his team have a spectacular track record of industry partnerships that have fostered new innovations. This critical research will help enable us to integrate deep analysis of the AI 'brain' into our Modality platform. Auxon is a highly innovative company and this partnership underscores our strong commitment to cutting-edge research in the test and verification of cyber-physical systems, said Dr. Lionel Briand, Canada Research Chair and professor, University of Ottawa. Its galvanizing to find a company like Auxon that shares our mission to make these revolutionary systems safe and predictable to deploy. The University of Ottawa is known for its research in domains such as cyber-security, autonomous vehicles, applied AI, telecommunications, and photonics and has similar research partnerships with companies such as IBM, General Motors, Blackberry, CAE, Ciena, and Cisco. Founded in 2018, Auxon Corporation is the maker of Modality, a test platform which provides automated root-cause and risk analysis for cyber-physical systems. The companys mission is to provide engineers with automation to help them deliver complex software systems on predictable timelines with predictable results. Auxon serves organizations in the transportation, robotics, and defense industries. For more information about Auxon, visit its website at https://www.auxon.io The University of Ottawa is a comprehensive university, and a leader in Canada in research intensity, interdisciplinary activities and innovation, notably in the fields of computer science, software engineering and electrical engineering; It is located in the heart of Canadas capital, with ready access to major Canadian institutions. Ranked among the top 10 research-intensive universities in the country, uOttawa is committed to academic and research excellence, and values cultural diversity, equity and inclusion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed the head of his office, Andriy Yermak, to hold talks with representatives of the Russian presidential administration about a possible meeting with President Vladimir Putin. He told this to reporters during his visit to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on Monday, April 26, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "Everything is being done to make sure that this meeting will take place. I really made an offer - and you heard it- to meet in Donbas, and the Russian president confirmed his desire to meet, but he invited me to meet in Moscow. I have already tasked Head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, with getting in touch with President Putin's administration so that they reach an understanding and [agree on] terms and a place or a city where we can meet," Zelensky said. According to him, the main thing is to make sure that this meeting and negotiations take place, and the place is just a detail. On April 20, Zelensky addressed Putin, inviting him to meet "in any part of the Ukrainian Donbas where war is ongoing." On April 22, Putin said he was ready to meet with Zelensky in Moscow, but he added that the issue of ending the war in eastern Ukraine would be discussed only after the Ukrainian authorities hold talks with "DPR and LPR leaders." According to Putin, if Zelensky wants to discuss bilateral relations, he invites him to Moscow, and if Zelensky wants to discuss the "problems of Donbas," Putin invited him to do so with "DPR and LPR leaders." op Advertisement The moon will appear 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent larger than usual this morning as our lunar satellite reaches the closest point to Earth in its orbit around the planet. Known as the 'pink supermoon', it will be full just before sunrise on Tuesday. However, despite its name, the moon won't appear pink. The name comes from the phlox flower that blooms in North America in the early springtime. Instead, the moon will appear a goldish colour and will be about 30 per cent more dazzling and 14 per cent larger than the average full moon when it reaches its peak at 04:31 BST. April's full moon, known as the pink moon, looms somewhat ominously behind Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh as a family enjoys a walk The beautiful pink moon is seen over Stonehenge in Wiltshire, although the grazing sheep look as though they don't really care Passengers travel on the Emirates Air Line cable car as the full moon, also known as the Supermoon, rises over London These paragliders look like they are re-enacting a scene from classic film ET: The Extra-Terrestrial as they fly over Glastonbury Tor tonight The moon is seen over the 123 storey Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea, which at 1,823 ft is the world's fifth tallest building The full moon is seen in all of its glory as it rises spectacularly behind the television tower in Frankfurt, Germany The supermoon shines as it rises next to the statue of Victoria on top of the Victory Column in Berlin, Germany Istanbul's medieval Galata Tower, which was built in 1348 and houses a nightclub on its upper floors, is seen next to the moon The picturesque super moon rises through the clouds behind a statue of the Vittoriano on April 26, 2021 in Rome, Italy The supermoon shines brightest in this beautiful picture taken tonight in Tirana, Albania The moon will appear 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent larger than usual tonight as our lunar satellite reaches the closest point to Earth in its orbit around the planet. The supermoon is seen rising over farmland in rural Essex, England, as it passes 358,000km away from the planet Earth WHEN TO SEE THE PINK SUPERMOON The Pink Supermoon will rise at about 19:28 BST tonight, reaching its fullest point at about 04:32 BST. The best time to view the supermoon is from sunset to sunrise between April 26 and April 27 2021. However, it will be visibly full each night until sunrise on Wednesday, April 28 when it will enter the waning gibbous phase. Advertisement Anna Ross, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, said the average distance between the Earth and the moon is 238,171 miles. But the moon will reach its closest point this lunar month on April 27 at 16:24, when it will be 222,065 miles away from the Earth. 'The exact moment of the full moon closest to this point so the supermoon is also on April 27, but at 04:31,' she explained. 'This means that the best times to view this supermoon will be anytime during the night of April 27.' A supermoon typically only occurs once a year, when a full moon coincides with the moon also being at the closest orbital point to Earth, called a perigee. Compared to standard full moons, supermoons can appear between seven and 14 percent larger and up to 30 percent brighter. Supermoons are relatively rare because the moon's orbital path around the Earth is elliptical instead of circular, meaning that full moons rarely occur when the moon is also at its perigee. Rather, most full moons occur when the moon is further away from the Earth, making it seem dimmer and not quite as big as it does during a supermoon. 'As this means that the moon is a little closer to us, it appears slightly bigger in the sky,' explained Ms Ross. The beautiful pink moon, so named as it was used in the farmers' almanac, is seen by Blacko Tower in Blacko in Lancashire The moon rises through cloud over County Hall in London ahead of it reaching its brightest tomorrow morning Known as the 'pink supermoon' it be full just before sunset on April 27 as the moon rises in the east and will be visible until it sets in the west the next morning If you miss the Pink Moon, the Flower Moon will rise May 26 and be 98 miles closer to Earth, the second of the two supermoons in 2021. Supermoon and full moon names come from key events at the time of year they occur, named for flowers that bloom or animals that appear. The 'pink' label was chosen in part as a reference to a type of wildflower native to North America called 'phlox subulata,' which has a vivid pink hue and is a common sign of spring. TIPS FOR VIEWING A SUPERMOON Get up high! The further up you are, the better your chance of a clear sky to see the stars, plus you'll be able to see low down to the horizon to watch the moon rise! Turn off the lights For those stargazing from the comfort of their homes, turning off the lights indoors can improve the visibility of the night sky. Choose a night with clear skies suggests choosing a night when clear skies are expected for the best chances of seeing the stars. Research what youre looking at Enhance the stargazing experience and download Star Chart free on AR enabled Apple or Android devices. SOURCE: Parkdean Resorts Advertisement May's Flower Moon gets its name from the fact flowers spring forth and become abundant during the month. Other names include the planting moon and the budding moon. Scientist Noah Petro of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland encouraged people to take advantage of the phenomenal lunar event even if they could only look out their living room window. 'Go out next month or whenever its safe again. Use the full moon as an excuse to get out and start looking at the moon. 'Use this as an opportunity to not physically distance yourself, but emotionally connect with something that is physically far from us.' Pfizer's Covid-preventing pill could be available by the end of the year if human trials in the US and Belgium are successful. There are currently no drugs other than vaccines that can stop people developing Covid-19 but if one is discovered it could spell the end of lockdowns forever, one expert has said. Pfizer, the company that made one of the most-used jabs in Europe and North America, is already testing its experimental pill on people. The antiviral drug, named PF-07321332, could be given to stop the illness getting severe in people who have started showing signs of coronavirus infection. Although most people will get vaccinated against Covid, jabs aren't 100 per cent effective and some people can't have them or don't benefit as much, meaning coronavirus will still spread and still be dangerous for unprotected people. Pills could help to prevent severe illness in people for whom jabs don't work as well, or be a second line of defence in case an immune-resistant new variant emerges. Around 60 people are currently involved in the first phase of Pfizer's PF-07321332 trial, which is expected to come to an end on May 25. After this, if the pill turns out to be safe, larger trials with more people will be done to prove that it definitely does stop Covid, as lab tests suggested it will. Boris Johnson announced last week that the Government was setting up an antivirals taskforce to find and buy up antiviral drugs that could make Covid treatable at home by the autumn. Professor Kevin Blyth, a University of Glasgow scientist running a trial of the antiviral drug favipiravir which could be given after someone has caught the virus, said: 'It would be a huge step forward if antiviral drugs work... Normal services can function and you dont have to have lockdown'. Pfizer, the company that made one of the most-used vaccines in Europe and North America, is already testing its experimental pill on people. The antiviral drug, named PF-07321332, could be given to people who have started showing signs of coronavirus infection in order to stop the illness getting severe Drug-makers often take years to get a new product studied, tested and produced for market, but science has been accelerated in the rush to stop Covid. It took less than a year for Pfizer to get its vaccine from a lab into people's arms and PF-07321332 could be ready by the end of 2021, The Telegraph reports. Professor Penny Ward, a pharmaceutical medicine expert at King's College London, told the newspaper: 'If they have moved to this stage, they will be quietly optimistic. 'The question will be about how the drug is tolerated... They will be going like the clappers.' The trial being done now is to test the safety of the drug after it was found to have 'potent antiviral activity' in lab experiments. It works by sticking to specific enzymes that the virus uses to reproduce and therefore forces it to stop multiplying, preventing it from spreading. The drug belongs to a type called a protease inhibitor similar meds are already used to stop viruses including HIV and hepatitis C. Pfizer hasn't found any evidence of side effects in animal trials and will now be looking at how it affects humans, in a small test on healthy people. If they tolerate it well the trial will be widened to a bigger range of citizens. When the company announced it was starting the trial it 'could be prescribed at the first sign of infection, without requiring that patients are hospitalized or in critical care'. The UK Government will be keeping a close eye on Pfizer's trial as it looks to buy up pills that could stop Covid in its tracks. The Prime Minister announced last week that a new antivirals taskforce would be set up to find these drugs and try to get them available in Britain by the autumn. Mr Johnson said in a Downing Street briefing: 'This means, for example, that if you test positive there might be a tablet you could take at home to stop the virus in its tracks and significantly reduce the chance of infection turning into more severe disease. 'Or if you're living with someone who has tested positive, there might be a pill you could take for a few days to stop you getting the disease yourself.' Boris Johnson announced last week that the Government was setting up an antivirals taskforce to find and buy up antiviral drugs that could make Covid treatable at home by the autumn Remdesivir is the only antiviral drug routinely being used in hospitals in the UK and US, but it has to be injected and studies have struggled to prove that it works. It was not designed for Covid specifically. Covid-specific therapies being developed include molnupiravir, by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics; Tollovir, by Todos Medical; and NT-300 by Romark. A flu drug favipiravir and HIV antivirals ritonavir and lopinavir are also being trialled to see if they could be repurposed for people with coronavirus. Glasgow University's Professor Kevin Blyth is running a trial of favipravir, which is already used to treat flu in Japan marketed as Tamiflu but was deemed too expensive for the NHS. He said successfully finding an at-home treatment for Covid could spell the end of lockdowns for god. Professor Blyth told The Mirror: 'It would be a huge step forward if antiviral drugs work. 'You dont have any hospital services being put under enormous pressure because patients never come to the hospital. 'Normal services can function and you dont have to have lockdown or other draconian control measures.' He added that, ideally, a pill could be given to someone soon after they got exposed to the virus and before they got sick. 'You may be able to reduce spread and the risk of outbreaks happening,' he said. A Georgia moms emotional plea at a school board meeting this month in the metro-Atlanta area to end a mask mandate has made waves nationwide. A mother of three, Courtney Ann Taylor, petitioned the Gwinnett County Board of Education to take these masks off my child in a video that is circulating widely on social media. Every month, I come here and hear the same things social, emotional health, Taylor said. If you truly mean that, you would end the mask requirement tonight. Taylor is the mother of a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old kindergarten student who complains about wearing a mask. Source:The Christian Post BELOIT, Wis., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Louis Pinkham, Chief Executive Officer of Regal Beloit Corporation (NYSE: RBC), announced that the Board of Directors, at its regular quarterly meeting held on April 26, 2021, declared a dividend of $0.33 per share. The dividend represents a 10% increase and is payable on July 16, 2021, to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 2, 2021. The company has paid a dividend every quarter since January 1961. Regal Beloit Corporation is a global leader in the engineering and manufacturing of electric motors and controls, power generation solutions, and power transmission products serving customers throughout the world. We create a better tomorrow by developing and responsibly producing energy-efficient products and systems. Our company is comprised of four operating segments: Commercial Systems, Industrial Systems, Climate Solutions, and Power Transmission Solutions. Regal is headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin and has manufacturing, sales and service facilities worldwide. For more information, visit RegalBeloit.com. SOURCE Regal Beloit Corporation Related Links http://www.regalbeloit.com DUSHANBE -- A Tajik court has sentenced nine people for smuggling large amounts of gold and cash from Dushanbe to Dubai and Istanbul, in a case that has been closely watched in Tajikistan. The Dushanbe City Court said the men -- all of them Tajik citizens -- were handed prison terms ranging from two to 5 1/2 years on April 20. Five of the men -- whose occupations werent disclosed -- were convicted of smuggling cash and gold from the Tajik-Afghan border to Dushanbe and further to foreign countries. Four others -- three border guards and a police officer -- were found guilty of aiding the smugglers. The defendants lawyers did not immediately comment, but several family members told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity on April 24 that they were not planning to appeal the sentences. Investigations revealed that the group smuggled nearly 1.4 tons of gold bars and more than $100 million in cash between early September and mid-November last year, the court said. The men used forged documents to transfer the goods from Dushanbe to the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, it said. The probe began after Tajik authorities seized nearly 90 kilograms of gold bars and about $15 million in cash from smugglers at the Dushanbe airport on November 14. According to the State Customs Service, the goods were discovered before they were loaded onto a Dubai-bound plane. On February 27, an Afghan TV channel linked the smuggled gold and cash to Mohammad Mirza Katawazai, the deputy chairman of the Afghan parliament. The report by the 1TV channel came on the same day as Katawazai arrived in Tajikistan as part of an Afghan parliamentary delegation. Katawazai rejected the allegation. Upon his return to Kabul, he resigned from the deputy speakers post. Tajik authorities have never publicly mentioned Katawazais name in connection with the smuggling case. Authorities say the investigation continues. Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG Pennsylvania will lose one of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Census Bureau has confirmed, setting up a high-stakes redistricting process as Democrats and Republicans battle to protect their incumbents. The bureau released its long-awaited state population totals Monday as part of the decennial count that determines distribution of 435 congressional seats, as well as Electoral College votes. When the 2022 midterm elections arrive, Pennsylvania will have 17 congressional districts, as opposed to the 18 currently represented evenly by Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Pennsylvania will also lose one of its 20 Electoral College votes, further decreasing its clout during presidential contests. New Jersey, which has 12 congressional districts, will not lose or gain any seats. Pennsylvanias congressional map is drawn by the 253-member General Assembly and must be approved by the governor. In 2011, both branches were controlled by Republicans. But this time around, the GOP-majority state House and Senate will need to win the blessing of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. Political observers expect a contentious debate between Wolf and Republican leadership, who are still at odds over the 2020 election and the administrations pandemic response. The first question is: Is anyone planning on retiring? said Democratic political strategist Mustafa Rashed, president and CEO of the Philadelphia-based firm Bellevue Strategies. Because if someones retiring, usually thats the easiest thing to do to reapportion their seat. Overall, Pennsylvanias population grew by an anemic 2.4% between 2010 and 2020, topping 13 million people, according to data released Monday nearly four months behind schedule. More granular data wont be released until August at the earliest, but recent census estimates showed growth in south-central and Southeastern Pennsylvania, with declines essentially everywhere else. That makes seats in Western Pennsylvania a prime target. The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder, released a statement calling for Pennsylvanias 15th Congressional District to be eliminated because of population decline in the region. The seat is held by Republican Glenn Thompson. Dennis Roddy, a senior adviser with ColdSpark, a Pittsburgh-based Republican consulting firm, said the districts to watch are represented by Republicans John Joyce, Guy Reschenthaler, and Mike Kelly, and Democrat Conor Lamb. I would suggest any plotting or drawing of charts is definitely going to take a very hard look at Conor Lambs district, he said. Roddy expects Republican mapmakers will look to draw Lamb and Democrat Mike Doyle into a district together, forcing Democratic primary voters to choose. Thats a political casket match, he said. In a fund-raising email, the state Democratic Party expressed concern about the GOP targeting Lambs district, as well as those represented by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright in Northeastern Pennsylvania and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild in the Lehigh Valley. Lawmakers ambitions for higher office could simplify things for Wolf and the legislature. Lamb, a Marine and former federal prosecutor, has been floated as a possible candidate for retiring U.S. Sen. Pat Toomeys seat. Democratic U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan, both of the Philadelphia area, are also potential contenders. If youre going to lose a seat, you may say, I might as well go and do that, Rashed said. If you think youre going to have to compete against one of your congressional neighbors, you may decide to go run for Senate. If Wolf and GOP leadership cant agree on a map, the question will go to the Democratic-controlled state Supreme Court, which has played an increasingly consequential role in recent years. The court in 2018 ordered the legislature to draw a new congressional map after finding the previous version clearly, plainly, and palpably violated the state constitution. That ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters and individual Democrats that called the map a partisan gerrymander designed to benefit the GOP. Wolf rejected the map drawn by Republicans, and after the two sides failed to reach an agreement the court imposed its own version. While GOP lawmakers held 13 of the 18 seats before the ruling, the second map resulted in a 9-9 split among the parties. That ruling, coupled with critical decisions during the 2020 election and the pandemic, have made the high court a target. Many state House and Senate Republicans have thrown their support behind a proposal to elect appellate judges including those to the state Supreme Court in districts drawn by lawmakers. Currently, those judges are picked in statewide contests. If anything, the climate is more tense now than it was 10 years ago, said Khalif Ali, executive director of the good-government group Common Cause Pennsylvania. Once again, I anticipate districts that dont really reflect registered voters and the people of Pennsylvania, and I also expect a veto from Gov. Wolf and then onto the Supreme Court. For those reasons, and more, Ali said its important for Pennsylvania to adopt an independent commission to helm the states redistricting process a long-sought change by advocates that has failed to gain necessary traction in Harrisburg. I think we have to take the politics out of it, Ali said. I think a lot of what we do is eating away at the integrity of democracy, and if we continue doing it, I dont think we can expect people to participate. Beyond the looming political fight, Mondays announcement further solidified a stark reality for Pennsylvania: Its sluggish growth and rapidly graying population is setting the stage for difficult economic decisions. Pennsylvania has lost at least one U.S. House seat in every apportionment process since 1930 as it saw its population growth lag behind Southern states like Florida and Texas. The state has similarly seen its presidential clout diminished in the 20th century, dropping from a peak of 38 Electoral College votes in the 1910s and 1920s, according to the website 270toWin. WHILE YOURE HERE If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. Earn your Associate of Applied Business in Business IT (BIT) degree online from the University of Cincinnati. This program can be completed fully online, with curriculum customized to fit your schedule, interests and how quickly you want to complete your degree. Application deadline July 1, 2021. Learn More If the United States wants to out-compete China in key technology markets, Congress and the Biden Administration must act now, maintained a Washington, D.C. think tank in a report released Monday. "With the rise of China, the U.S. economic and technology environment has fundamentally and inexorably changed," explained the report by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. "America needs an advanced technology industrial policy to compete effectively," it continued, "but that will require modernizing hidebound economic thinking that has long considered 'industry policy' to be anathema." The report called on government to take an active role in promoting industrial competitiveness and to formulate an advanced industry and technology strategy, which should include a set of policies and programs explicitly designed to support specific industries and technologies. It recommended industries targeted by the policy meet four criteria: They must be one that without proactive government policy support would underperform, either in general or because of foreign competition. The United States must have some potential for success in the industry or technology because of existing assets and strengths. Success in the industry or technology must be important to achieving key national goals, such as national defense and security, energy security and climate, a better trade balance, or faster productivity growth. The firms in the industry should want support and be willing to invest at least some of their own resources in the efforts. Conceptualization of industrial strategy tools. Source: ITIF One Chip Fits All ITIF President Robert D. Atkinson, who authored the report, explained that governments engaging in industrial policy has been given a bad rap by economists. "Economists believe the market does everything right," he told TechNewsWorld. "What they focus on is allocation efficiency," he continued. "So industrial policy is inherently bad because you are helping one industry over another. Potato chips or computer chips, every industry is equally important to them." "The notion that the government can't do this is not born out by historical evidence in the U.S.," he asserted. "The Internet alone would make up for any loses for the next 50 years." He explained that with industrial policy, the government is trying to invest in a sweet spot between areas the private sector won't invest in because the risk is too high and areas so poor no one can make any money in them. "Government shouldn't be substituting for the private sector, but it should be focusing on areas where the risk is a little higher and the payoff is higher," he said. "Government investments should yield big social benefits," he continued. "We don't expect the private sector to be thinking about social benefits. We don't expect it to be thinking about U.S. competitiveness vis a vis China. It's not their job. But it is the government's job." Riddled with Failure Doug Barry, senior director of communications and publications for the US-China Business Council, an organization of more than 200 American companies that do business with China, told TechNewsWorld that one argument against national industrial policies is that they're less efficient than markets and lead to wasteful spending. However, he added, "That argument does not give proper credit for massive government funding during the Sputnik era which contributed to many important commercial applications such as the Internet, GPS, and the smart phone." One reason the United States has shied away from industrial policy is because of innovation in the private sector, observed Richard Stiennon, founder and chief research analyst at IT-Harvest, a cybersecurity industry analyst firm in Birmingham, Mich. "There's also another good reason not to have an industrial policy," he told TechNewsWorld. "Governments are the least able to identify future growth areas. In 2007, for example, an industrial policy wouldn't have predicted we were going to dominate the market in high-end cell phones." Industrial policy -- where the government targets certain industries for non-market support in order to achieve commercial outcomes within national borders that could not be achieved without that support -- has been riddled with failure throughout U.S. history, contended Scott Lincicome, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a public policy think tank in the Washington, D.C. "It doesn't work in the United States due to a combination of the U.S. economic system having relatively liquid capital markets, which means the market is pretty good at picking winners and punishing losers, and our political system, which is characterized by high turnover and intense lobbying," he told TechNewsWorld. "Those two factors make industrial policy a pretty shoddy way to compete, regardless of what China is doing." R&D Credit The industrial policy outlined in the ITIF report includes a doubling of the R&D tax credit. "We have a very low R&D tax credit compared to our competitors," Atkinson said. Lincicome noted, however, that private and public investment in R&D as a percentage of GDP just broke three percent for the first time and is growing. "In terms of total dollars spent, we're still the biggest spender on R&D in the world," he said. He also questioned the effectiveness of the R&D tax credit as a means of stimulating innovation. "There's pretty good evidence at this point that the R&D tax credit hasn't really induced a real increase in R&D spending," he observed. "Instead, companies have simply recharacterized spending as R&D to get the subsidy." "Any time you dangle a tax credit in front of a corporation," he continued, "they're going to hire some accountants to figure out how to be eligible for it." "The better move is to lower the corporate tax rate overall," he added. "There's a lot of good research that shows lower corporate tax rates tend to induce more R&D spending, patenting and hiring of researchers." Strategy Needed Even without an industrial policy, there are measures the United States can take to keep a leg up on China. "In the short run, we can reform our immigration policies to enable more foreign students to work here after finishing their studies," Barry recommended. "Similarly," he continued, "we can make it easier to attract the best STEM minds from other countries. And we can improve STEM education in our primary and secondary schools." "To make innovation more geographically dispersed, we can create technology innovation centers in different parts of the county," he added. "We know where to focus: AI, quantum computing, robotics, bio tech, environmental technologies," he said. "Whether or not it's called industrial policy, the U.S. government needs to be more strategic in its thinking and action if we're to avoid losing our competitive edge. Once lost, it will be very hard to regain it." John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John. We didn't think it was possible for Kansas to get any more Republican . . . 2022 will put that theory to the test as the right wing seems to be galvanizing for a flyover country sweep. Read more . . . Colorado Democrats celebrated the party's wins in the last two elections but warned against resting on laurels ahead of next year's midterm Saturday night at the party's chief annual fundraising event, held virtually for the second year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Entry ban in effect for all arrivals from India THAILAND: All Indians and other foreigners arriving from India are now barred from entering the country due to the severe coronavirus crisis there. CoronavirusCOVID-19Safety By Bangkok Post Monday 26 April 2021, 08:33AM The situation in India continues to worsen and has now surpassed Brazil as the second-worst affected country after the United States in terms of new confirmed cases. Photo: AFP. Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) Taweesilp Visanuyothin spokesman, said yesterday (Apr 25) Thailand has postponed the process of issuing certificates of entry for Indian citizens and foreigners arriving from India. The document is compulsory for all people who plan to come to Thailand. Dr Taweesilp said only Thai returnees from India are still allowed, with at least 130 having registered their intention to come back next month with the Foreign Ministry. The decision came amid a worsening coronavirus situation in India, with more than 300,000 new cases and thousands of deaths logged every day recently. The country has now surpassed Brazil as the second-worst affected country after the United States in terms of new confirmed cases. The spokesman denied reports about wealthy Indians fleeing COVID-19 on charter flights to Thailand. There were no charter flights from India to Thailand, he said. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) yesterday said there is only one commercial flight a week flying from India to Thailand and those on board must be people only entitled to travel to Thailand. When they arrive in the country they must be put into quarantine. Next month, four repatriation flights from India will fly to Thailand on May 1, 8, 15 and 22 respectively. One Thai passenger will be on board on May 1, 70 Thais on board on May 8, 60 Thais on board on May 15. No Thais have reported to authorities to return on the May 22 flight. The Immigration Bureau yesterday reported that 602 Indians entered Thailand via Suvarnabhumi airport from April 1-20. I WANNA BE A CHINESE POP STAR!!! BIIIIITCH, I'VE GOT TLC AND JANET 8 COUNTS IN MY BACK-POCKET AND I KNOW WE CAN GET THESE VOCALS AT LEAST TO A MANAGEABLE CIARA LEVEL WITH A LIL FINESSING WITH THE PRO TOOLS. Reply Thread Link Do it, I'm rooting for you!! Reply Parent Thread Link lol this comment reminds me of below, but in japanese Reply Parent Thread Link Omg yes this literally played in my head as I read that comment. This song gets stuck in my head so easily. Reply Parent Thread Link SLAAAAAY ME Ive never seen this! Reply Parent Thread Link I LIVE IN JAPAN OT kind of but:I LIVE IN JAPAN Reply Parent Thread Link I love Bruno Mars Reply Parent Thread Link This is incredible, thank you so much, OP. I can't believe this has been happening and we haven't been following it every step of the way. Reply Thread Link right? I'd watch a whole movie of this Reply Parent Thread Link Thank you thank you! Almost didn't post this because the post editor kept screwing up my entry. But I persevered, because ONTD needed to KNOW. Reply Parent Thread Link This is the content that makes ONTD thrive against all the odds. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I can't believe ontd missed this! Reply Parent Thread Link i just realized that this was what a friend of mine would tweet about every few days and now I am regretting never asking her to explain stuff... Reply Parent Thread Link this happed on a season of American Idol IIRC Reply Thread Link o rly Reply Parent Thread Link There was a really bad kid Sanjaya, and he was AWFUL, but there was a campaign to keep him on lol Reply Parent Thread Expand Link more so the inverse. WE were begging AI voters to send sanjaya home, but they kept voting him back every week. lol. Reply Parent Thread Link This kinda happened around 2004 LA ACADEMIA season 4. Jolette. Except she actually wanted to leave and made attempts during the live show to leave. & She would argue with the judges on stage. But like Sanjaya she was a terrible singer so people kept voting to keep her for the Lols. Reply Parent Thread Link lmfao everything about this is amazing, thank you OP Reply Thread Link this is like the exact opposite of the girl group reality show with the russian girl who flopped at being a kpop star and then moved onto cpop, lmao. okay, i just brought this up to some friends and one of them was like "pretty sure he faked an accent to try and get out faster" lmfaooooo!!! Edited at 2021-04-26 07:58 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link lmao this is insane it reminds me of that simpsons episode where they get stuck in Japan and have to win a gameshow to leave Reply Thread Link That's some real BBUK energy. The more they want to go, the more you keep them in. Reply Thread Link The best thing about BBUK is that the fun dramatic people who the other contestants hate and want out always get kept in by the public, meanwhile the truly vile people get properly voted out. The UK public KNOWS how to keep the balance of drama entertaining. Reply Parent Thread Link omg yes lol. i miss cbbuk i didn't know who half of them were but it was so entertaining. tho i'm still grossed out ann fucking widdecombe made it to the final two in the last season. Reply Parent Thread Link i couldn't watch that season because i hate her so much Reply Parent Thread Expand Link What the heck. Reply Thread Link man fails upwards, news at 11 Reply Thread Link Honestly yes, if he wasn't boy band face ready, he would not have gotten that far for sure. Reply Parent Thread Link lol. glad he got out then Reply Thread Link I'm dying omfg. OP thank you for this critical post Reply Thread Link OMG LMAO Reply Thread Link This was absolutely the news story I needed today. Reply Thread Link I SAW THIS TODAY AND NEEDED TO SHARE!!! Reply Parent Thread Link The American Idol version lol The American Idol version lol Reply Thread Link Oh wow, I remember being on ONTD when his season was on (I didn't watch the show anymore but knew of him because of the posts). ...I've been here too long lmao. Reply Parent Thread Link This sweet darling. He was really trying, though! Reply Parent Thread Link I loved this hair lmao he was so bad and gave 0 fucks Reply Parent Thread Link Oh, Jesus, I just got a flashback. He was singing Gwen Stefani and trying to channel her. It was soooooooooooooooo bad. He had the kind of confidence that most of us who can't sing well only get after a half-dozen shots at a karaoke night. Reply Parent Thread Link I love this. he IS pretty cute Reply Thread Link He really is, lmao. I can see why. Ridiculousness lmaoooo Reply Parent Thread Link Advertisement Britain's arid April is set to end this week with showers on the way for the upcoming bank holiday weekend. Hundreds of firefighters are battling countryside infernos across the UK after one of the driest Aprils for years, but there will be a typical mixed bag of sunshine and rain across the country for the first May bank holiday. While the South of England will remain dry for at least today and tomorrow, showers will move in to the North from Scotland with heavy rain possible in places and rural locations can expect more overnight frosts. The long dry spell will come to an end in most areas by Wednesday - when London is expected to see its first rainfall of the month amid a mixture of sunny spells and showers as the weather turns decidedly unsettled. The rain will be welcomed by fire crews after acres of picturesque Snowdonia in Wales were set ablaze as wildfires killed birds trapped in nests and sent up vast columns of smoke seen from 30 miles away. Acres of Snowdonia in Wales were ablaze yesterday as wildfires killed birds trapped in nests and sent up columns of smoke A huge blaze which raged for days in the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland finally started to die down yesterday Hundreds of firefighters battled infernos across the UK at the weekend, including at the Mourne Mountains yesterday A huge column of smoke is visible from the hills in Snowdonia yesterday after a number of wildfires started across the country A helicopter dropping 'water bombs' and nine fire engines fought flames tearing through scrubland near Whinlatter Forest in Cumbria, while a huge blaze raged for days in the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. Fire crews also battled major blazes in Cornwall, Dorset, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Orkney. The fires mainly hit grass, gorse and scrubland, and experts said the prolonged dry spell had led to tinderbox conditions. Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: 'There will be hit and miss showers affecting Britain over the next few days. 'At the moment, weather modelling shows low pressure across the UK for the bank holiday weekend, with temperatures around 16C (61F) in the South average for this time of year. The rain will be welcomed by fire crews after acres of picturesque Snowdonia in Wales were set ablaze yesterday Wildfires in Snowdonia yesterday killed birds trapped in nests and sent up vast columns of smoke seen from 30 miles away Acres of picturesque Snowdonia in Wales were set ablaze yesterday and firefighters battled against countryside infernos A helicopter dropping water bombs fought flames tearing through scrubland near Whinlatter Forest in Cumbria yesterday 'There will be a mixture of sunny spells and showers across the country. But we are still a long way out (from the weekend) and it won't take much of a change in wind direction to cause a change in temperatures.' He said temperatures in the North could be slightly below the 13C (55F) average for the time of year, while conditions could turn 'wetter and windier' on bank holiday Monday May 3. The UK has experienced one of its driest Aprils on record so far, with an average of just 12.8mm (0.5in) of rain up to last Thursday a sixth of the normal monthly average of 72.53mm (2.9in). Dorset has had just 5 per cent of its average rainfall while the figure for Cornwall is 6 per cent. The sun rises over the canal at Biddulph in Staffordshire this morning as sunny conditions continue for much of Britain A photographer lines up his shot before the sunrise at St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay this morning The sun rises over Biddulph in Staffordshire today following a sunny weekend for much of the country April could beat the month's record for dry weather that has stood since 1938 when just 14.1mm (0.6in) of rain was recorded. In recent years the driest Aprils have been in 2007, when 26.6mm (1in) of rain fell, and last year which saw 29.1mm (1.1in). 2020 was also the sunniest April on record in the UK, thanks to a spring heatwave which went some way to easing the burden of the first national lockdown. Mr Dewhurst said: 'April last year was also very dry but much warmer. It looked like it was on course to break records, until the final days of the month when we saw heavy rain'. HOUSTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sewa International is sending an initial shipment of 400 oxygen concentrators and other emergency medical devices and supplies to India immediately and is working on procuring more from multiple suppliers around the world to ease oxygen shortage caused by the surging numbers of COVID-19 cases in the country. Help India to defeat the Second wave of COVID-19 Sewa has started 'Help India Defeat COVID-19' campaign to ship oxygen concentrators to Indian hospitals. Sewa is also providing food and medicines to about 10,000 families and more than 1000 orphanages, and senior citizen centers across the country. Sewa is aiming to raise five million dollars for this effort. A second wave of COVID-19 has overwhelmed India's healthcare system and caused an acute shortage of oxygen, ventilators, and hospital beds across the country. With the number of new cases crossing 300,000 daily and a steady rise in number of fatalities, Indian hospitals are under serious stress to accommodate new patients. "Sewa has already raised more than one million dollars to help India in its hour of need. We are getting a great response from thousands of donors and expressing a deep desire to help India overcome this crisis. We thank them for their generous and timely contribution," said Arun Kankani, President of Sewa International. "We are working closely with many organizations in the US to raise funds for this effort. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has partnered with Sewa to fund 200 oxygen concentrators. I thank Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, the AAPI president and all the AAPI members for their crucial aid." "Naturally, in the current situation, many Americans are concerned about the safety of their extended families and friends living in India. Hundreds of volunteers from Sewa and our partnering organizations are working on the ground in India. Right now, our top priority is to quickly acquire oxygen concentrators and ship them to India as it can save lives. We are also helping a few hospitals to extend their capacity to treat more COVID-19 patients," Arun Kankani said. "Sewa is building a Digital Helpdesk to provide critical information on ambulance services, hospital bed availability, and blood and medicinal supplies to people. We need not despair as India has many resources, but we can still help people win their fight against COVID-19," said Swadesh Katoch, Sewa's Vice President for Disaster Recovery. "As part of its ongoing COVID-19 relief work in the US, Sewa has partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct vaccination drives across the country. We are also distributing thousands of pounds of food in Houston and the San Francisco Bay area," Swadesh said. About Sewa International Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c)(3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin. CONTACT: Vidyasagar Tontalapur 1 - 720-526-9939 Viswanath Koppaka 1- 404-304-0563 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.sewausa.org SOURCE Sewa International The phone calls come from inside the new administration, but the president is not on the line. In fact, Joe Biden has not dialed in to any of the weekly COVID-19 coordinating calls with the nations governors since he came into office, a sharp contrast with his predecessor and a break from last years pandemic ritual. Every Tuesday, usually at 11 a.m. EST, all 50 governors dial in to the same conference call to coordinate federal and state responses to the coronavirus crisis. And until this past January, they heard each time from the vice president. Mike Pence, as head of the White House COVID task force, led those weekly discussions. Donald Trump dropped by from time to time. The calls continue under the current administration but without Biden. It's been a real frustration, I think it's safe to say, for all 50 governors, New Hampshires Chris Sununu told RealClearPolitics. Of course, he appreciates hearing from Jeffrey Zients (pictured), the new White House COVID response coordinator, and from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser. But Sununu told RCP, It would go a long way if the president would just get on the phone, or the vice president would get on the phone and take questions. Allow us to ask the folks in charge questions. The Trump White House hosted a total of 40 COVID conference calls. Pence led 39 of them, according to that administrations final COVID report first obtained by RCP. Trump participated in eight. Things are different now, said Pete Ricketts. President Biden hasnt been on any of them, the Nebraska governor told RCP, and Vice President Harris has only been on one, but that was for about five minutes and she didnt take any questions. Andrew Cuomo now leads the calls as chairman of the National Governors Association. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki explained that the New York governor was put in charge instead of the vice president because a change was needed. One of the reasons, Psaki told reporters in March, is that there were operational aspects of the way the last administration approached COVID and approached the distribution of vaccines or approached planning and engagement with governors that wasnt working. The new approach was also required, a White House official told RCP, because the pandemic response has changed dramatically from the early days when little was known about the virus to now, when half of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. And the COVID calls changed, the official added, only after the White House sought input from the states: We took the feedback from governors in the prior administration that they wanted to have strong, regular, and coordinated response efforts with the federal government, and weve been focused on it. The administration works daily with states, the official continued, because its whole-of-government pandemic response is rooted in effective and consistent communication. While these calls [with governors] play one role in our relationships, it is not the sole mechanism. Another difference between the administrations: the role of the vice presidents. Pence was the leader of the COVID response team. Harris responsibilities are elsewhere, including, as Biden has explained, addressing the root causes of the southern border migrant crisis. As a result, the medical experts are the ones talking to the governors on the weekly call, not the politicians. Though Ricketts appreciates the hard work that all the other officials who are on the phone are doing, its not the same, he explained, as having high-level access to the decision-makers who can move the bureaucracy. It really is not the type of bipartisan partnership that the president promised when he came into office in his inaugural address. It really is much more of a top-down, we-are-going-to-do-what-we-are-going-to-do thought process. The governors who spoke to RCP, on and off the record, expressed frustration with a number of issues, from the lack of guidance on how to spend the money allocated in the American Rescue Plan to the vaccine distribution schedule. Some governors felt particularly blindsided by news that the Food and Drug Administration was putting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on hold after a small number of recipients experienced blood clots. I was listening to the radio one morning when I hear about the pause, and I'm like What's this? Ricketts said. He had just held a press conference to tout the J&J vaccine, encouraging Nebraskans to get the shot. For us to be left in the dark about this, he said, is very frustrating. The pause was abrupt and left states scrambling to find alternatives even though fewer than one in a million recipients of the J&J shot reported experiencing the complication. They didnt even pick up the phone, and say, Hey, by the way, you might see this in the news. We'll explain it on the call, Sununu said. Nothing. White House officials insist that they heard about the pause through media reports, just like the rest of the country. We were notified last night that there would be an announcement this morning, Zients told reporters after the news broke. The FDA made the call, he added, and there was no heads-up here. Still, some governors have concerns. Communication is not the administrations strong point, but it's still important. Transparency is the foundation of public trust, especially during a crisis, Sununu said. One of the ways they can do better is by treating us like valued partners, Ricketts added in a separate interview. Biden has urged Americans to remain cautious even as the rising number of vaccinations signals the beginning of the end of the pandemic. During remarks to herald having administered 200 million vaccine doses, the president warned that if we let up now and stop being vigilant, this virus will erase the progress weve already achieved, the sacrifices weve made, the lives that have been put on hold, the loved ones whove been taken from us, the time were never going to get back. Would it help to get a president back on the phone then? Not really, answered one governor who spoke to RCP on condition of anonymity. We know everything there is to know about this thing now. We know how to deal with it. Line of Duty viewers suspect that the death of a character in episode six was not all that it seemed. *Major spoilers ahead you have been warned* During Sunday (25 April) nights episode of the BBC crime drama, AC-12 seemed to be getting closer to discovering who is running the organised crime group. While interviewing Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald), it was revealed that the unknown user from the OCG who had told her to kill Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) had been traced to an IP address based in Spain. This is where Marcus Thurwell (James Nesbitt), a retired police officer who had fled the country in 2015, was also based. You can find out more about Thurwells character here. In the final moments of the episode, local authorities raided the house where Thurwell was believed to be staying, but found only the corpses of a man and a woman inside, declaring Thurwell dead. However, some viewers were less convinced, with many claiming that the grainy bodycam footage meant it would be hard to prove that Thurwells body was the one discovered. Theres no way James Nesbitt would only appear in #LineofDuty as a corpse, one fan theorised, adding: Marcus Thurwell is well and truly alive. In addition, many fans suggested that one of the police officers taking part in the raid looked suspiciously like Nesbitt, suggesting that Thurwell had managed to infiltrate the Spanish police too. One tweet read: Erm. Why does this chap look just like Marcus Thurwell??! (Actor: James Nesbitt). That is Jimmy Nesbitts eyes. He is not dead, he is the Spanish police guy, another fan wrote. 100% this is Thurwell by the way! one tweet read, while another fan concurred: That is Marcus Thurwell change my mind Line of Duty series six concludes Sunday 2 May at 9pm on BBC One. Arles National School is celebrating today after one of its students was named the FBD Farm Safe Schools regional champion for Leinster. Clodagh George, 4th class pupil in Arles National School was chosen after her name was put forward for the award. Arles NS is currently taking part in the Farm Safe Schools pilot programme which aims to kickstart farm safety conversations in classrooms nationwide. Each month one dedicated Champion is selected from each region and awarded a certificate of achievement and a family pass to Dublin Zoo, kindly sponsored by FBD. These Champions are those children who are demonstrating excellence, innovation and commitment to improving farm safety awareness as part of the pilot programme. The Regional Champions have gone above and beyond what is expected of them within the programme. They are passionate not just about farming but about making sure the message of farm safety is included and very much part of the conversation in their classrooms, at home and in their community. Farm Safe Schools coordinator and AgriKids founder, Alma Jordan explained what made Clodagh stand out from the crowd. We received a huge volume of entries for this inaugural FBD Regional Awards and it proves the ability and capability of our children to change the culture around farm safety. Clodaghs great love of farming and knowledge of all things agricultural has really inspired the children in her class to take an active role in promoting health and safety on their farms and in the local area. She has also done videos and worked on the programme over the Easter holidays, this is exactly what Farm Safe Schools is all about," said Ms Jordan. The Farm Safe Schools pilot is a joint collaboration between Agri Aware, AgriKids, the IFA and is supported by the FBD Trust. FBD Chief Commercial Officer, John Cahalan, explains why this aspect of the programme is so important. The Farm Safe Schools programme not only empowers our children to prioritise safety, but also champions those children who are passionate about the topic and have the potential to enact real change. We at FBD are proud to support this programme. We welcome any opportunity to promote farm safety and I am delighted that FBD is sponsoring this innovative schools programme to improve farm safety awareness across the country. The Farm Safe Schools pilot programme has so far been hailed a very successful collaboration between key stakeholders in the sector. IFA President Tim Cullinan said the programme is playing an important role in changing the culture around farm safety. The school setting whether in the classroom or remotely is an excellent approach to reinforce an essential message. Recognising champions in the classroom instils a message the children can take with them through their lives, he said. Agri Aware Chairman, Alan Jagoe expressed his delight to all the regional winners. The Farm Safe Schools programme sets out to create learning and understanding on the topic of farm safety to younger children. These regional award winners are a testament to the talent, tenacity and potential our children have in creating a safer future on Irish farms. I want to thank their teachers for bringing the programme into the classrooms and for recognising the champions in their class. I would like to thank FBD Trust for its continued support of this dedicated farm safety programme, added Mr Jagoe. The winners are: Leinster: Clodagh George, 4th class, Arles National School, Co. Laois Munster: Gearoid Ryan, Scoil Naomh Cualan, 3rd class, ,Co. Tipperary Ulster: Conor, 6th class, Ballymore National School, Co. Donegal Connacht: David Nally, 5th class, Castleplunkett National School, Co. Roscommon Farm Safe Schools dedicated Farm Safe Schools pilot programme aims to kickstart farm safety conversations in classrooms nationwide. Agri Aware, AgriKids and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), supported by FBD Trust teamed up to bring the Farm Safe Schools pilot programme to Irish classrooms. The first of its kind, collaborative, pilot programme aims to engage, educate and empower Irish children to become farm safety ambassadors and in doing so help create a safer, brighter future on Irish farms. According to the Health and Safety Authority, 23 children have died on Irish farms over the last decade as a result of farm accidents. The Farm Safe Schools team are calling on Irish primary school teachers to sign up to this innovative programme, which will provide children with key knowledge and skills that could save lives and kick start conversations within classrooms and Irish homes nationwide. DUBLIN, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Smart Baby Monitor Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type (Video Monitor Device and Audio Monitor Device), Sales Channel (Online and Offline), and Application (Home/Family, Hospitals, and Day Care), Geography" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The smart baby monitor market is expected to grow from US$ 989.38 in 2020 to US$ 1,815.31 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2021 to 2028. Increasing number of working parents worldwide is boosting the growth of the smart baby monitor market globally. The growing number of nuclear families and working parents worldwide is boosting the adoption of smart baby monitoring devices. The working parents are robustly looking for nannies or daycare centers to take care of their children when they are not home. The increasing concerns associated with child safety are also encouraging them to purchase smart baby monitoring devices. The number of working mothers is also on the rise in developed as well as developing countries such as the US, China, India, and Canada. The smart baby monitoring products help parents to carry out their activities efficiently without being stressed about their babies' activities and safety. These systems facilitate the real-time communication between parents and their children through smartphones. Thus, the increasing penetration of smartphones, used to install apps to monitor their babies, also supports the growth of the market. Based on type, the video monitor device segment led the smart baby monitor market in 2019. Video monitoring devices include cameras, sensors, and smartphones. Video monitoring devices include cameras, sensors, and smartphones. Video cameras provide parents with an access to their children's status through live videos, allowing them to monitor their children efficiently and securely when they are away from home. The video monitoring devices check the baby's activity, feeding schedule, and nap time. Several video monitoring devices for smart baby monitoring are integrated with automatic mobile notifications, two-way audio communication, and temperature sensors. Key manufacturers of video-enabled smart baby monitors are Cubo AI; iBaby Labs, Inc.; and Motorola, Inc. Depending on the sales channel, the market is segmented into online and offline. Similarly, based on application, the market is segmented into home/family, hospitals, and day care. In 2019, APAC was the fastest growing market. Continuous rise in population and increase in income levels of the middle- and upper-class populations are the significant factors contributing to the baby monitor market growth in APAC. Increasing number of working women, mainly in the developing countries in the region, and mounting potential of smart baby monitor manufacturers, indulged in offering a wide variety of products to meet the increasing consumer demands, also support the market growth in this region. Use of baby monitors allows working parents to keep a track of their babies and caretakers. The increasing number of nuclear families, working parents, and single parents across the region are among the prime conditions compelling manufacturers to develop advanced baby monitoring systems to address parents' concerns regarding baby care and safety during their absence. The COVID-19 outbreak is adversely affecting economies and industries in various countries owing to lockdowns, travel bans, and business shutdowns. The COVID-19 containment measures undertaken by the governments in this region have negatively affected the electronics sector. China is the leading manufacturing country in this region and is among the worst-hit country along with India which has ultimately impacted the production of electronics equipment. Moreover, due the interruption in supply chain and logistics the procurement rate of various electronics equipment including hardware components of smart baby monitors has been quite affected. India, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam have witnessed a sharp decline in new projects. Hence, ongoing disruptions in supply of raw materials & components and increasing demand from China & other Asian countries are expected to impact the growth of the smart baby monitor market in coming quarters. The overall smart baby monitor market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the smart baby monitor market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants of this process include industry experts, such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants, such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the smart baby monitor market. Vtech, Motorola Mobility LLC, Summer Infant, Angelcare, PAMPERS(P&G), Owlet Baby Care, Nanit, Babysense(Hisense), Philips, Dorel Industries, IBaby, Lorex, Samsung, Withings, Snuza, and Infant Optics are among the key players operating in the market. Reasons to Buy Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global smart baby monitor market Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global smart baby monitor market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Coverage 3.2 Secondary Research 3.3 Primary Research 4. Smart Baby Monitor Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.3 Ecosystem Analysis 4.4 Expert Opinions 4.5 Premium Insights 4.5.1 Product Manufacturing Process 4.5.2 Global Smart Baby Monitor Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 & HHI) 4.5.3 Pricing Analysis 5. Smart Baby Monitor Market - Key Industry Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Increasing Number of Working Parents 5.1.2 Rising Number of Corporate Daycare/Childcare Centers 5.2 Market Restraints 5.2.1 Privacy Concerns Associated with Smart Baby Monitor Devices 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Rising Population of Tech-Savvy Millennial Parents 5.4 Future Trends 5.4.1 AI-Based Smart Baby Monitors 5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints 6. Smart Baby Monitor Market - Global Market Analysis 6.1 Smart Baby Monitor Market Overview 6.2 Smart Baby Monitor Market Forecast and Analysis 6.3 Market Positioning - Global Key Players 7. Smart Baby Monitor Market Revenue and Forecast to 2028 - Type 7.1 Overview 7.2 Smart Baby Monitor Market Breakdown, By Type, 2020 and 2028 7.3 Video Monitor Device 7.3.1 Overview 7.3.2 Video Monitor Device Market Forecast and Analysis 7.4 Audio Monitor Device 7.4.1 Overview 7.4.2 Audio Monitor Device Market Forecast and Analysis 8. Smart Baby Monitor Market Analysis - By Sales Channel 8.1 Overview 8.2 Smart baby monitor market Breakdown, by Sales Channel, 2020 and 2028 8.3 Online 8.3.1 Overview 8.3.2 Online Market Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8.4 Offline 8.4.1 Overview 8.4.2 Offline Market Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9. Smart Baby Monitor Market Revenue and Forecast to 2028 - Application 9.1 Overview 9.2 Smart Baby Monitor Market Breakdown, by Application, 2020 and 2028 9.4 Home/Family 9.4.1 Overview 9.4.2 Home/Family Market Forecast and Analysis 9.5 Hospitals 9.5.1 Overview 9.5.2 Hospitals Market Forecast and Analysis 9.6 Day Care 9.6.1 Overview 9.6.2 Day Care Market Forecast and Analysis 10. Smart Baby Monitor Market - Geographic Analysis 10.1 Overview 10.2 North America: Smart Baby Monitor Market 10.3 Europe: Smart Baby Monitor Market 10.4 Asia Pacific: Smart Baby Monitor Market 10.5 Middle East & Africa (MEA): Smart Baby Monitor Market 10.6 South America: Smart Baby Monitor Market 11. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Smart Baby Monitor Market 11.1 Overview 11.1.1 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.2 Europe: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.3 Asia-Pacific: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.4 Middle East and Africa: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.5 South America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 12. Global Smart Baby Monitor Market segment By Type 12.1 Global Video Baby Monitor Price (2016-2021) 12.2 Global Audio Baby Monitor Price (2016-2021) 13. Global Smart Baby Monitor Market Segment by Method Of Sales 13.1 Global Online Price (2016-2021) 13.2 Global Offline Price (2016-2021) 14. Upstream Analysis 14.1 Macro Analysis of Upstream Markets 14.2 Key Players in Upstream Markets 14.3 Smart Baby Monitor Manufacturing Cost Analysis 15. Downstream Market Analysis 15.1 Macro Analysis of Down Markets 15.2 Key Players in Down Markets 15.3 Downstream Market Trend Analysis 15.4 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers 16. Company Profiles 16.1 Vtech 16.2 Motorola Mobility LLC 16.3 Summer Infant 16.4 Angelcare 16.5 PAMPERS(P&G) 16.6 Owlet Baby Care 16.7 Nanit 16.8 Babysense (Hisense) 16.9 Philips 16.10 Dorel Industries 16.11 IBaby 16.12 Lorex 16.13 Samsung 16.14 Withings 16.15 Snuza 16.16 Infant Optics 17. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kd22jk Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-25 20:51:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Albanian President Ilir Meta casts his ballot during the parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tirana, capital of Albania, on April 25, 2021. Parliamentary elections kicked off across Albania on Sunday amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Gent Onuzi/Xinhua) TIRANA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Parliamentary elections kicked off across Albania on Sunday amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There are nearly 3.6 million eligible voters for the elections, including those living overseas. They will cast ballots at more than 5,000 voting centers across the country to elect 140 parliament members. Meanwhile, over 7,500 police officers will be on duty during the elections, according to the Albanian State Police. Edi Rama, leader of the ruling Socialist Party and prime minister of the country for two consecutive mandates, is running for a third mandate and has declared that the Socialists alone will win 74-78 seats in the parliament. However, in an interview with local media, Rama said that he will transfer "the burden" of the party's leadership to others in case the Socialists fail to win the required 71 seats. On the other side, Lulzim Basha, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, who aspires to become the prime minster, said that people are tired of the "corrupted government, they want change" and that his party together with other opposition parties in the coalition will win. Albanian President Ilir Meta, the first leader to vote on Sunday, cast his ballot at 7 a.m. local time in a voting center in Tirana. "This is the day when every Albanian can vote for the party he believes in and fortunately in these elections they can also vote for the best candidate," Meta told reporters. Brunilda, 42, who cast her vote in a voting center in Tirana, told Xinhua that she was unsatisfied with the current government and that she voted for a candidate representing one big opposition party. A 68-year-old man named Agron said that he voted for the Socialist Party and was convinced that they will win. "I gave my vote to the Socialist party. This government has done a great job with the vaccination process of the population against COVID-19. I believe they should win another mandate," Agron said. Another citizen, Erinda, a 35-year-old lawyer, said that she voted for a small party, whose candidates are young and not corrupted. The voting process is considered crucial for Albania as the Balkan country seeks to launch full membership negotiations with the EU later this year. Over 23,000 Albanians currently positive with COVID-19 are prohibited from voting due to isolation requirements. The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Albania has decreased significantly over the past week, but health experts fear another wave with the holding of political rallies. As of Saturday, more than 400,000 people have been vaccinated in Albania, according to the country's health ministry. Enditem Archeologists find graves from the Great Moravian era This is the only discovery of its kind in Trnava Region. Font size: A - | A + Archaeologists have found the remains of a burial ground from the Great Moravian era in Slovenska Nova Ves, near Trnava, where developers plan on building new apartment buildings. This is the only discovery of its kind in Trnava Region; an unknown burial ground from the times of Great Moravia is a finding that comes around only once every few years, Matus Sladok of the Trnava Regional Monument Board told the TASR newswire. The burial ground dates back to approximately the 9th century. Five graves uncovered The graves from the Great Moravian era (Source: Robert Olvecky) The archaeologists unearthed five graves. "The graves were set apart at regular distances and oriented in a west to east direction, with the head buried on the west side," Robert Olvecky, head of the expedition, told TASR. "The bodies were laying down in a straightened position on their backs." Several items made of ceramics and iron were found near the bodies, including a bronze earring. Archaeologists also discovered four ovens with many ceramic items from the middle ages. After a further analysis is done, archaeologists will be able to accurately determine the age of the objects, Olvecky added. This is a regionally recognised discovery that will enrich the local history and the map of the region, according to Sladok. "It will also allow for further studying and analysis of the age, social structure and health status of the population living in Great Moravia," said Sladok, as quoted by TASR. 26. Apr 2021 at 11:29 | Compiled by Spectator staff So if you bite into a Pop-Tart too quick, you're going to burn your tongue. That's perfectly fine, according to Pop-Tart marketing, which says that burning your mouth is AWESOME, and if you don't like pastry that maims you, you're WEAK. Kellogg's Continue Reading Below Advertisement Then when you turn your eyes to the prep instructions, a few inches away, the package quickly changes gears and says, "But seriously, please don't burn your mouth." Kellogg's Look to the really fine print, though, and a mouth burn is the mildest of consequences of an overheated Pop-Tart. Those things might actually catch fire in the toaster: Kellogg's Every warning has a story, and this one goes back to 1992, when Thomas Nangle of Springfield, Ohio, tried making strawberry Pop-Tarts, and the pastries got stuck in the toaster and caught fire. He successfully sued Kellogg's, and considered calling in as a witness humorist Dave Barry, who'd written articles about Pop-Tart combustion, funnier ones than what you're reading right now. Nangle didn't summon Barry in the end, which is just as well because it wasn't that big of a case. It was over just $2,600 in damages, which is probably less than Kellogg's lawyers charge even to ignore lawsuits. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Similar suits followed. Another 1998 Pop-Tart fire led to a $100,000 legal battle that lasted years, while a New Jersey couple also sued Kellogg's for $100,000 over a fire that hit their home in 2001. Each time, a toaster failed to eject the Pop-Tart, so as long as yours actually pops out, you should be fine. With the boxes' fine print nobly shielding Kellogg's, we can't find any record of these later suits winning. If you truly want to watch Pop-Tart lawyers flex, though, you should see how they handled a 1994 suit filed by a prisoner who said his pastry had a shard of glass. A judge threw the suit out, not for lack of evidence but because, when you factor in that the inmate's hospital stay was free and he missed out on no wages, his suffering wasn't worth enough for a lawsuit. Relatives of one of the crew members aboard an Indonesian Navy submarine that sank and broke apart last week held prayers for him on Monday at a temple in Celukan Bawang. I Gede Kartika's family mourned his death after all 53 of the crew onboard the KRI Nanggala 402 were declared dead on Sunday after a three-day search. The grim announcement came a day after Indonesia said the submarine was considered sunk, not merely missing, but did not explicitly say whether the crew had been lost. Officials previously said the KRI Nanggala 402s oxygen supply would have run out early Saturday, three days after the vessel went missing off the resort island of Bali. An underwater robot equipped with cameras documented the lost submarine lying in at least three pieces on the ocean floor at a depth of 838 meters (2,750 feet), according to the navy's chief of staff. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Dominic Cummings arrives to No 10 Downing Street in London, November 13, 2020 Dominic Cummings kept audio recordings of key conversations in government, an ally claimed last night. The former chief adviser is locked in an explosive war of words with Boris Johnson after Downing Street accused him of a string of damaging leaks. No 10 attempted to rubbish his claims on Friday night, saying it was not true that the Prime Minister had discussed ending a leak inquiry after a friend of his fiance Carrie Symonds was identified as the likely suspect. But an ally of Mr Cummings said the PM's former chief adviser had taken a treasure trove of material with him when he left Downing Street last year, including audio recordings of discussions with senior ministers and officials. 'Dom has stuff on tape,' the ally said. 'They are mad to pick a fight with him because he will be able to back up a lot of his claims. 'He used to tell advisers to record things all the time discussions with officials. He has also kept a lot of his correspondence.' A Whitehall source yesterday said officials did not know the full extent of the material Mr Cummings has. He has denied leaking and has already told MPs that aspects of the Government's approach to Covid went 'catastrophically wrong'. A 27-year-old Russian man who has been imploring viewers to vote him out of a Chinese boy band reality show for months, has finally got his wish, but not before making it all the way to the final. Vladislav Ivanov, a translator and part-time model from Vladivostok, Russia, is finally free after two grueling months. Earlier this year, the 27-year-old, who speaks fluent Chinese, got a gig to support to Japanese contestants on a Chinese reality-show that would culminate in the forming of a new boy band. Ivanov agreed, but upon arriving on the tropical island where the show was to be filmed, his good looks kept getting him confused with the contestants. The shows director noticed this, and knowing that he could speak Chinese, persuaded him to participate in the reality-show, and live in a new way. It turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Soon after signing on the dotted line and becoming one of the 90 contestants fighting to become one of the 11 members of a new K-pop-style boy-band, Vladislav Ivanov realized thats not what he wanted at all. He couldnt sing and dance, didnt enjoy the attention, and made it very clear that he wanted to leave the Produce Camp 2021 reality-show as soon as possible. Only viewers at home had their own agenda. According to the South China Morning Post, Ivanovs complete lack of enthusiasm and half-hearted performances during the show were considered a breath of fresh air by a lot of people. While all the other contestants from China, Japan and other Asian countries were fighting for a place in the final, here was this guy who wanted nothing to do with the prize on the line. So instead of honoring his wish of being voted out of the competition, Vladislav Ivanov, who completed under the alias Lelush, after his favorite anime character, was carried all the way to the final, which unfolded on April 24, on national TV. Fans dubbed the 27-year-old the most miserable wage slave, and celebrated him as a symbol of sang culture, a concept that reportedly refers to a defeatist attitude towards everyday life. He became so popular that billboards in his support started popping up in shopping centers across China, and he was a constant hot topic on Chinese social media. Meanwhile, in Russia, a free Lelush campaign went viral on the internet, which accused the Chinese company behind the reality show of keeping him hostage. And, in a way, he was trapped. Youre probably thinking that if Lelush really didnt want to be on the show, he could just quit, and youd be right, only there is a catch. If he decided to quit the show before the end or without being voted out, the young Russian would have had to pay a steep fine, and thats why he kept asking people to stop supporting him. Becoming a member of a boy band is not my dream as I cant sing and dance, Ivanov said on the reality-show. I hope the judges wont support me. While the others want to get an A, I want to get an F as it stands for freedom. Dont love me, youll get no results, he warned fans, on another occasion. But the more out-of-it Ivanov appeared to be on Produce Camp 2021, the more the audience loved him, and so it came as no surprise to anyone but him that he made it into the final 25 contestants. Before the final episode of the Chinese reality show, on April 24, Lelush made one final appeal to the judges to not trap him into a project that he did not want to be a part of. Being selected as one of the 11 members of a new boyband implied contractual obligations that he did not want to deal with. I know how much they want to see me, Vladimir said about his fans. But appearing on the show [and] being in a boy band are two different things. I still believe the judges will respect my choice. Luckily for him, after two grueling months, during which he was a victim of his own success, Lelush is finally able to return home. He was not selected as one of the 11 winners, to the dismay of many diehard fans, who would have loved to see his nightmare continue. During his final interview on the show, instead of saying thank you to everyone, as is customary, Ivanov said congratulations everyone for letting me get off work, followed by a rare chuckle of joy, which he had never showed during his two months on the show. YEREVAN. In the text of his resignation, [Armenias now acting PM] Nikol Pashinyan says, "We shall return the power we received from the citizen to him." First of all, can you return anything? You are only someone who takes away. Independent MP Gevorg Petrosyan told this to a press conference Monday, addressing Pashinyan. "Hey, demagogue, if you are return the power [to the people], why do you say in the meantime that, 'I can come again [to power], become prime minister?' Hey, demagogue, whom are you fooling? That is, he threatens that, If you do not behave, I will come again [to power], become prime minister. There are two facts underlying the resignation of any person: Either the health condition is unsatisfactory, or he has failed the domain, is leaving. If you have a health problem, let us know. But if you realize that you have failed, what is the return of a failed person? He [Pashinyan] says, I resigned, there will be no candidate nominated for prime minister in two weeks, only I will be nominated, I will not be elected, and the parliament will be dissolved; that is, he does not care about the parliament, and he has drawn in advance with a pen what will happen. What if you go on an adventurism and the parliament elects you? The topic of the [snap parliamentary] elections [slated for June 20] will be closed. If he is elected [again] prime minister in the NA [National Assembly], there is no mechanism to challenge the [respective] decision of the NA. I expect everything from him. He can say, 'I am not being elected,' but he give an internal order, say 'elect me,'" Petrosyan added. Horizonte Minerals is not too far away from entering the ranks of the world's top nickel producers. It's a peer group that boasts some illustrious names, including Vale and Anglo American, and which encompasses market capitalisations measured in the billions rather than the millions or hundreds of millions. But how likely is it that Horizonte will make over the final hurdles? Horizonte Minerals production could end up at around 60,000 tonnes of nickel per year Well, it's a serious company, with a world-class asset at Araguaia in Brazil, it has serious backing on the share register, and it's pulling in some fairly serious names when it comes to getting project finance in too. Negotiations on that score got underway in earnest towards the end of last year, as BNP, ING, Mizuho, Natixis and Societe Generale all swung into action to help put a $325million debt facility in place. This progress has been rewarded in the market and the company is now worth just over 130million (at 7.8p), based on its sizeable resource base, a turnaround in sentiment towards nickel itself and optimism about recent progress. But although the share price graph looks attractive enough if you're glancing back to where Horizonte came from, there's also the prospect of an even greater iteration of growth ahead. The direction of travel is now clear enough: with Araguaia coming on first, to be followed by the correspondingly attractive Vermelho nickel-cobalt project, production could end up at around 60,000 tonnes of nickel per year. That's roughly the same output as Anglo American. Brazil's mining champion will always be Vale of course, but its real strength remains in the iron ore space. Some years back it did try to expand into nickel. But it ended up faced with a choice: to focus either on Goro in New Caledonia, one of the largest nickel deposits in the world, or on its previous flagship asset, Vermelho, highly promising with a rich cobalt credit, but on a relative scale somewhat smaller. Perhaps not altogether to the current satisfaction of Vale shareholders, the choice was for Goro, and Vermelho was allowed to pass into the hands of Horizonte, where it now nestles comfortably inside the portfolio of development assets, running around 18 months or so behind Araguaia. Which asset is the better of the two? Perhaps an academic question, given how much value there is in both, but some analysts think Vermelho just edges it. Jeremy Martin, the company's chief executive, takes a more pragmatic approach. 'We have 100 per cent of two Tier-1 nickel assets,' he says. 'They are low cost and high grade. We'll be producing ferro-nickel from Araguaia, and nickel-cobalt sulphate from Vermelho. 'We'll be producing 28,000 tonnes from line one and line two at Araguaia, and between 28,000 and 30,000 tonnes from Vermelho, from just under 400million tonnes of total nickel resource.' Given that the nickel price has been on the move of late, partly on the back of rising demand for its use in electric vehicles, this is not a bad position for Horizonte to be in. Both assets lie in the neighbourhood of a well-known mining region, where the permitting process, though rigorous, is not onerous. What's more, since most of the power in the region comes from hydro, Horizonte will be able to tick its carbon emissions boxes like no other major producer of nickel. With all that in mind, it's not altogether surprising to learn that a cornerstone equity investor has already been lined up for when the Araguaia financing finally comes together, and that Martin is pretty confident that the deal will close off fairly soon. What will happen after that? One company that's been through a process similar to Horizonte is Nickel Mines, which has assets in Indonesia. It's now worth over A$3billion on the Australian exchange, having nearly quadrupled in value over the past two years or so. There are a few hurdles to be cleared before Horizonte can repeat the trick, but the numbers are certainly there to support the comparison. The modelling shows that line one of Araguaia alone should deliver up $2.4billion in free cash flow, with cash costs in the lowest quartile. And for its part, Vermelho looks set to deliver upwards of $7billion of free cash over its projected 30-year life. 'It's going to happen,' says Martin. 'It's a rare journey for a junior explorer to take its own discovery and transition into a developer,' he says. But a rewarding one. By John J. Metzler Afghanistan's forever war may finally be ending. President Joe Biden announced the impending troop pullout from the country amid largely but not universal bipartisan support for ending a conflict which started in the wake of Al Qaida's terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001. Referring to the original mission, Biden announced, "The objective was clear and the cause just. We accomplished that objective ... it's time to end America's longest war." That's true. But then the president announced that the 2,500 remaining U.S. forces will be out of Afghanistan by Sept.11! Is the administration tone deaf? Sept. 11? We are out of Afghanistan by the very day global terrorists celebrate as the date they attacked America? That sinister date signals the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks and is not the time to send this message. This revoltingly insensitive and stunningly stupid timing remains a double insult to the people of New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, many of whom personally recall that fateful day 20 years ago when the grim reaper came and sowed terror and mayhem against civilians. Equally, let's concede the troops are pulling out of Afghanistan without a clear victory, nor a peace treaty, but a pause at best in the wider struggle against global terror. To be sure, the Trump administration wanted to withdraw by this May. Nonetheless the Trump peace deal with the Taliban militants was conditions based and not an arbitrary decision that said "We're out of here." Ironically there are more troops in Washington than in Afghanistan. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told FOX news, "It's time to go," and with the destruction of Al Qaida accomplished it's also, "Time that the Afghans get their act together." Senator Lindsay Graham, (R-SC) nonetheless offered a very different security assessment. "When it comes to Afghanistan, there are no great options. Biden has chosen the highest risk option; Unilateral withdrawal without conditions being met." Senator Graham cited a bipartisan Afghan Study Group saying that if U.S. forces leave, the Kabul "government will deteriorate rapidly." He added the group's warning that this increases, "terrorist threats to the U.S. homeland within 18 months to three years." This refers to a reinvigorated Al Qaida network and Islamic State fighters inside Afghanistan. Since the original deployment, 2,488 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan; yet no Americans were attacked in the country since the peace process began. Then there's the wider NATO angle to the Afghan security component. Our European allies along with Canada have provided troops during the long and deadly Afghan war. Countries like France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands kept troop commitments. Currently, NATO's Resolute Support Mission operation will begin to withdraw 7,500 troops starting in May. At present, forces from 30 countries serve, including 750 from the U.K., 1,300 from Germany, 800 from Italy and 600 from Turkey. NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at NATO headquarters in Brussels, "We went into Afghanistan together, and we are united in leaving together." Stoltenberg cited "the start of a new chapter" in NATO's relationship with Afghanistan, saying "Allies and partners will continue to stand with the Afghan people, but it is now for the Afghan people to build a sustainable peace." The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), a small political operation comprising 1,200 staff, will remain in country to monitor conditions. Telegraphing a precise pullout date sounds great politically, but that is repeating precisely the same mistake the Obama administration made in dealing with the Iraq troop withdrawal in 2011. ISIS emerged as the lethal result. So in the wider context, will the withdrawal create a power vacuum which will be filled by the Taliban militants and lead to the re-emergence of a range of terrorist jihadi fighters? Already, at least half of Afghanistan is under Taliban control. Large parts of the country openly cultivate narcotics which fuel the Taliban's operations. Sadly, the Afghan Army of 300,000 is still not ready for prime time. The Kabul government teeters and hints at some sort of negotiated deal with the militants to stave off total collapse. "Afghanistan continues to be one of the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian" states Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. And what of endangered women's rights under the possible return of an Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime? Despite all the vapid rationalizations about the troop pullout, the tragic fact remains that the Taliban and the jihadi international will view this as a clear victory over America. John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China." Well, we finally know why Kamala Harris, AKA Harris the Heiress (I wish I had thought that one up), is laughing, and also why she has not, as yet, visited our beleaguered southern border, even though Bumbles Biden has proclaimed her the border czar. It's about the books. It seems that the illegal alien children, unaccompanied or not, entering our country by way of our colander-quality southern border are receiving a newcomer goodie bag. While this bag lacks such quality items as custom stained glass portraits and vacations in Spain given to the 2020 Oscar attendees, it does contain Ms. Heels in the Air Harris's book, Superheroes Are Everywhere. I think it's a fair assumption that our president-in-waiting did not donate these books to the border security team. As far as anyone knows, she has never been generous with anything but her feminine charms. When I checked this morning, the book was selling for $11.85 on Amazon, so Ms. Harris is likely to make anywhere between $3 and $7 per book, depending on her financial arrangement with the publisher. Nice marketing strategy. The cages make it even better. Any author who has ever attended a book-signing where few if any people showed up, as I have, will admire the strategy. Just imagine: Let's keep the little tykes in cages until there is a sufficient number to make it worthwhile for me to go down and read to them. I figure ten thousand ought to be the right size crowd. I might even autograph a few books. Even if the little ankle-biters don't know who I am or can't read my chicken-scratch of a signature, it will still make for a terrific segment on CNN. Wielding the levers of power is a fantastic marketing strategy, but not one available to all. My local Barnes & Noble told me in no uncertain terms that it was not willing to cage prospective buyers for any author. But maybe Kamala hasn't called. Who would be able to resist that glorious giggle? Image: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Vice President Kamala Harris has faced criticism for what people have called extreme social distancing during a sit-down CNN interview. Harris and host Dana Bash appeared to be seated well over six feet apart during the interview on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday. Viewers were quick to point out the large distance between the two, saying on social media that it was 'unnecessary' and 'all theater'. The CDC updated its guidance last month to say fully vaccinated people could gather indoors without wearing a mask or remaining six feet apart with others who have been fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people can also gather inside with unvaccinated people from another household without masks or social distancing if that person, or people they live with, does not have an increase risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Harris has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 since January but Bash's circumstances were not immediately clear. Vice President Kamala Harris and CNN host Dana Bash appeared to be seated well over six feet apart during the interview on Sunday 'They're freaking vaccinated,' one person claimed on Twitter. 'Grab some popcorn it's all theatre,' one said. 'They're further apart than two kids dancing at a church social,' another said. Another claimed the distance was down to the Democratic brand and was 'unnecessary'. 'Given how unnecessary this is, we can only assume that the Democrats have something to gain by keeping people unreasonably anxious and afraid of Covid,' they wrote. 'Why else would they insist on adopting this kind of theater and making it part of the Democratic brand?' Another joked about the distance, saying: 'Can you scooch back just a little? Thanks! Little more though? Now just scooch a bit more. Juuust a bit more. Scooch a touch more? Thanks, a little more. CAN YOU HEAR ME? I SAID A BIT MORE! Can she me waving my hand? Call her cell. Kamala? It's Dana, can you scooch a bit more?' The interview between Harris and Bash was wide-ranging, with the VP saying she hasn't visited Central America in her capacity as border 'czar' yet because of coronavirus complications. 'Yes, we're working on a plan to get there, we're working through COVID issues,' Harris said as she pushed her position on addressing 'root causes' in Northern Triangle countries that cause citizens to flee to the US. 'I can't get there soon enough. That is a big part of what is going on.' Earlier this month, Harris said she was planning a visit 'soon' to Guatemala with a stop in Mexico. The administration later said the trip is being planned for June. Harris said, however, that she will not be visiting the border during that trip because Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is in charge of addressing the crisis there. Harris has received a slew of criticism for refusing to visit the border despite the White House putting her in charge of one of the administration's biggest hurdles. The interview between Harris and Bash was wide-ranging, with the VP saying she hasn't visited Central America in her capacity as border 'czar' yet because of coronavirus complications In the 32 days since being given her new role, Harris has not visited the southern border or held any press conferences related to the crisis. She reiterated in her interview Sunday morning that she believes Central American migrants don't want to leave their home country, but are forced out through disaster or circumstance. 'Most people don't want to leave home, They don't want to leave their grandparents. They don't want to leave the place where they grew up,' Harris told CNN's Dana Bash in the pre-recorded interview. 'We have to give people some sense of hope that if they stay, that help is on the way,' she said, claiming she is working with several Cabinet officials on diplomatic relationships with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Harris will hold a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on May 7 to discuss migration amid an increase in underage migrants at the US southern border. Mexico's top diplomat revealed the news and said the video meeting will focus on Mexico's questioned tree-planting program. Lopez Obrador is trying to get the United States to help fund a massive expansion of the program into Central America as a way to stem migration. The Supreme Court in 1958 shielded the NAACP from being forced to disclose its membership list to Alabama state authorities, ruling the Constitution protects privacy of civil rights advocates and the freedom of association, particularly when a group espouses dissident beliefs. On Monday, the high court appeared ready to apply that landmark precedent to shield a libertarian advocacy group sponsored by the Koch family and a conservative religious group based in Chicago, both of which object to disclosing their major donors to the California attorney general. The IRS requires tax-exempt organizations to report information on their major donors. And since at least 2014, the California attorney general has required groups that raise funds in the state to file a confidential copy of that report. The donor names are not made public, but state lawyers say they are useful if they need to investigate possible frauds involving charities. But for seven years, groups including the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and the Thomas More Society have been fighting in court, arguing this required disclosure of donors violates the U.S. Constitution and puts the conservative groups at risk for harassment from left-leaning rivals. In our divisive times ... there is such a proclivity to vilify perceived enemies, Derek Shaffer, attorney for Americans for Prosperity Foundation, told the court. Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Clarence Thomas did not need to be convinced. During Mondays argument, Thomas asked several times about loose accusations against organizations that might be accused of being white supremacists or racist or homophobic, suggesting their members and donors needed protection because they had become quite controversial. Alito pressed the point later. Do you doubt that donors to organizations that take unpopular positions on hot-button issues have reason to fear reprisals if those donations are made public? Do you think thats a legitimate fear in our current atmosphere? he asked. Or do you think its paranoid? Acting U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelagar, joining the case on the side of California, acknowledged that such a disclosure can produce a chilling effect in individual cases but stressed that it has not been a problem across the board with respect to the average person donating to the average charitable organization. She and California Deputy Solicitor General Aimee A. Feinberg urged the court to uphold the California rule as constitutional, but perhaps require that some groups have the ability to object or be exempted from it. Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that most people are proud of donating to charities, and many charities gladly publicize their major donors. A decision in Americans for Prosperity vs. Bonta is due by late June. ___ 2021 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Will medical professionals be forced to perform transgender surgeries? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment On April 19th, the Biden administration filed an appeal in a case that could force religious doctors and hospitals to perform potentially harmful gender-transition procedures against their conscience and professional medical judgment. The case involves an Obama administration rule interpreting the Affordable Care Act. The rule was issued in 2016, and prohibits insurance companies and health-care providers from discriminating against people on the basis of sex. The rule anticipated that discrimination on the basis of sex would soon legally include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The Biden administration has repeatedly pointed to the 2020 Supreme Court decision in the Bostock case, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, as now legally requiring this new way of seeing categories of sex. If this new way of reading the rule stands, insurance companies and providers may not deny access to medically necessary medications, surgeries, and other transition-related treatments for transgender people if similar servicesa hysterectomy, for examplewould be covered for non-transgender people. This would, of course, redefine the concept of medically necessary, ignoring the obvious difference between removing perfectly healthy organs and removing organs riddled with cancer. Also, the rule contains no conscience protections for doctors or hospitals. Therefore, Catholic hospitals, which do not perform hysterectomies except to preserve the life or physical health of a woman, would be forced to violate Catholic teaching. Various legal challenges to the rule by faith-based groups, all of whom claim that the regulation violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, have been successful. Courts did, however, block Trump administration attempts to eliminate the mandate. So, the litigation over the rule continues. In January, a federal district court in North Dakota ruled in favor of the Sisters of Mercy, a group of nuns who believe that every man and woman including transgender individuals, is created in the image and likeness of God, and that they reflect Gods image in uniqueand uniquely dignifiedways. They also believe that performing gender-transition, abortion, and sterilization services . . . [violates] their religious beliefs regarding human sexuality and procreation, and object to providing insurance coverage for abortions, sterilizations, and gender transitions. If this case sounds a lot like the Little Sisters of the Poor case, youre right. In fact, the district court cited the Little Sisters case several times in ruling that the mandate violated RFRA. Like the Obama administration, which couldnt leave a group of nuns in peace to serve people in need, the Biden administration has decided that it cant leave this other group of nuns in peace, either. So, it appealed the district court ruling to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Sisters of Mercy, as Luke Goodrich of the Becket Fund put it, joyfully serve all patients regardless of sex or gender identity, and routinely provide top-notch care to transgender patients for everything from cancer to the common cold. They also provide millions of dollars in free and low-cost care [provided] to the elderly, poor, and underserved. Still, the Biden administration is ready to punish [the Sisters] with multi-million dollar penalties even though, as a federal appeals court wrote, There is no medical consensus that sex reassignment surgery is a necessary or even effective treatment for gender dysphoria. In fact, there is ample evidence that gender reassignment surgery makes matters worse, not better. Given both precedent and the makeup of the federal courts, its difficult to imagine the Biden administration will prevail in this case, especially at the Supreme Court. However, that is not the primary concern. Upstream from the courts is the larger culture, one not only quick to embrace and advance observably wrong ideas about the human person, but to sacrifice religious freedom in order to do it. Originally published at BreakPoint Christians are being urged to pray for India as more than 300,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported for the fifth consecutive day Monday, taking the total number of infections to over 17.3 million amid the Indian governments lack of preparedness as hospitals turn away patients. The country of 1.3 billion people recorded over 350,000 new infections in the last 24 hours for the first time, Hindustan Times reported Monday, adding that 2,812 people died from COVID-19 in a single day, taking the total number of deaths to 195,123. Ram Gidoomal, who is of Indian origin and chair of the Christian charity South Asian Concern, described the situation as a meltdown. People dying are in ambulances because they were picked up too late, Gidoomal, who is based in the U.K., told Premier Christian News. Source:The Christian Post HONG KONG, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eBaoTech Corporation (eBaoTech), a world-leading digital insurance solution provider, and YF Life Insurance International Ltd. (YF Life), a leading Hong Kong insurance company, are proud to announce the successful launch of their new policy management system for YF Life, replacing a legacy core system which had been in use for many years. The new core system, eBaoTechLifeSystem Suite, is now used to support all YF Life Hong Kong- and Macau-based business lines. YF Life is a technology-enhanced insurance and wealth-management company and a member of the Yunfeng Financial Group, a HKEX-listed company. The company has been operating in the Hong Kong insurance market for over 40 years and is committed to providing customers with one-stop risk- and wealth-management consulting services, as well as MPF services. YF Life offers flexible and innovative insurance solutions, such as the award-winning lifetime annuity plan. Thanks to its unique product advantages, YF Life is the only company in Hong Kong to have been recognized as Best-in-Class/Outstanding Achiever for Annuity Plan and Retirement Product in the BENCHMARK Wealth Management Awards for nine consecutive years. With Yunfeng Financial's long-term vision for sustained fintech innovation, and in order to drive digital transformation, YF Life has adopted a range of new technologies, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data, innovative sales channels, and smart customer services. Daryl Cheng, Senior Vice President of Management Information Systems at YF Life commented, "Besides operational efficiency improvement, the new core system will also enable YF Life to efficiently connect with external technologies and ecosystems, integrate with both online and offline channels, and improve the user experience for both policyholders and agents, laying a solid technology foundation for the provision of flexible, innovative insurance products and services in the future." During the initial two months of operation, the new core system has already delivered strong business values, operating smoothly and effectively in supporting YF Life's business growth. This is testament to the reliability and maturity of eBaoTech as a leading insurance core system and digital solution provider. Some key data are as follows: User Acceptance Testing was completed in October 2020 . The whole system went live in February 2021 , replacing the legacy core system and is fully connected with 26 subsystems at YF Life. . The whole system went live in , replacing the legacy core system and is fully connected with 26 subsystems at YF Life. Migrated approximately 1 million policies, since when the new system has been operating smoothly Supports over 80 insurance and wealth management solutions, covering life insurance, universal life insurance, investment-linked insurance, annuity, accident insurance, medical insurance, critical illness insurance, etc. New product launch lead time is reduced to 5-7 days "We are committed to providing the ultimate customer experience through the use of fintech and the provision of high-quality services," said Daryl Cheng. "An advanced core system is the key to staying ahead in a competitive insurance industry. Core replacement is a desirable and valuable investment. We believe that the new system will inject new momentum into the business and further improve service efficiency. We are pleased to have adopted eBaoTech's core system as part of our optimization project and will continue to promote digitalization and increase our technology capabilities with eBaoTech as our partner." Dr. Woody Mo, CEO and President of eBaoTech Corporation added,"eBaoTech has been serving insurance companies in Hong Kong for many years. We are proud to provide software and services to 8 insurance companies in Hong Kong. Through the YF Life core system digitalization project, we at eBaoTech have also enhanced our product capabilities to better support local product lines, functions and processes in the Hong Kong market. We are honored to be chosen as YF Life's long-term technology partner to continuously support their digitalization and technology evolvement in the future." About YF Life Insurance International Limited YF Life Insurance International Limited is a member of the Yunfeng Financial Group, a HKEX-listed company, whose major shareholders include Yunfeng Financial Holdings Limited and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, one of the "Five Largest US Life Insurance Companies." Leveraging its solid reliability and robust financial background, YF Life is committed to creating a brighter future for customers by providing professional and technology-enhanced one-stop risk- and wealth-management consulting services, as well as MPF services. Notes: Yunfeng Financial Holdings Limited and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company have indirect shareholding in Yunfeng Financial Group Limited. The "Five Largest US Life Insurance Companies" is ranked according to the aggregate results of "Insurance: Life, Health (Mutual)" and "Insurance: Life, Health (Stock)" on total revenues for 2019, and is based on the Fortune 500 as published on May 18, 2020. About eBaoTech eBaoTech is a technology solution provider for global insurance industry. Our mission from start is to "make insurance easy". We have business in more than 30 countries across all continents, serving numerous insurers, agents, brokers, InsurTech startups and others in the insurance ecosystem. eBaoTech offers two groups of solutions: eBao Cloud including SaaS and PaaS solutions and eBao Software for traditional insurance carriers' core systems. For more information, please visit www.ebaotech.com. A woman sparked a fierce debate about what is acceptable to purchase second-hand after asking if she should buy used towels. The British woman kickstarted the thread when she took to Mumsnet to ask where people 'draw the line' on buying pre-owned. She explained that she was shopping for new towels but wanted other people's opinions on whether it was acceptable to buy second-hand ones or not. The question prompted a flurry of responses from other users who offered wildly different opinions on what is and isn't acceptable to buy pre-loved. Meanwhile, charity shop workers and volunteers revealed some of the bizarre items they have seen donated, including false teeth, 'latex garments' and sex toys. An anonymous British woman prompted a fierce debate after taking to Mumsnet to ask where people 'draw the line' on buying second-hand (stock image) The user explained that she was shopping for new towels but wanted other people's opinions on whether it was acceptable to buy used towels or not Starting the debate, the original poster wrote: 'I try to buy second hand stuff as much as possible. I need some new towels - are second hand towels unacceptable? 'I think second hand knickers would be a line drawn and towels have probably been just as close if not closer to someone's front bottom. Where do you personally draw the line?' Fellow users were divided over whether towels were acceptable, with many comparing it to using hotel towels. One wrote: 'I've had second hand towels from family so I know who's had them previously. Not sure I'd have them from anywhere else even with a boil wash.' However others argued they wouldn't buy towels, underwear, mattress or bedding. The question prompted floods of responses from other user who offered wildly different opinions on what is and is not acceptable to buy second-hand Despite the majority of users arguing that people shouldn't buy underwear second-hand, one mother admitted that she passes on her eldest son's underwear to her younger boys. She argued that a 'proper wash' would sort out any issues from underwear, insisting that hand-me-down underwear was 'logical' and 'sensible'. Other mothers also admitted that they have bought second-hand cloth nappies for their children, but floods of users were keen to disagree with reusing underwear. One shocked user quipped: 'Pants? Does chlamydia survive a boil wash?!' Another penned: 'Everything apart from pants! Washing machines are pretty efficient these days wink I even have second hand cloth nappies! Absolute bargain off ebay.' And a third commented: 'I have bought secondhand nappies for my baby. After a proper wash there shouldn't be anything there.' Others swapped stories about the strangest used items they had spotted for sale Charity shop workers and eBay customers also traded stories of the bizarre used items they've spotted for sale, including sex toys and menstrual cups. One wrote: : 'Used to work for a charity - we got a suitcase full of, ahem, latex garments, complete with gimp mask and accompanied by a bag of dildos, rampant rabbits etc. Another posted: 'Going back a few years here but bought second hand nappies on the for sale boards on this very site. Most of them were fine but one lot were absolutely grim.' A third added: 'I have a friend that worked for ebay who told me about the problems they had in controlling sellers and buyers of worn underwear . I think its fine to sell used undies but not unwashed but apparently sellers who advertise their underwear use certain words to hint that the knickers haven't been washed etc.' The statement approved on Friday by the Chisinau Parliament, according to which the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova would "usurp" state power, "shows contempt" for the independence of the Court, said the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, reports agerpres. "On Friday, we witnessed an unfolding of events that is very worrying, because it was a move made in Parliament in contempt of the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, an attempt to intimidate the Constitutional Court, to change the composition of the Constitutional Court by a vote annulling the appointment of the current president of the Constitutional Court, which appointment was made in 2019, through a totally unconstitutional "procedure," and also an attempt to give a vote of no confidence to three judges of the Constitutional Court," he told Antena 3 private television station. He described the move as unconstitutional."We understand the very important stakes of such a move, but it is unconstitutional, it disregards the independence of the Constitutional Court which is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and has been condemned as such by the European Union, state embassies of the European Union, the US Embassy in Chisinau, and the Romanian Embassy, which I instructed to issue a statement," said the head of the Romanian diplomacy.At the same time, he said that the approach adopted by the Chisinau Parliament shows the importance that should be given to the rule of law in the Republic of Moldova and "the importance of avoiding any decisions or steps that call into question the rule of law.""I also noticed that the Venice Commission issued an opinion in this case, which is extremely clear in emphasizing that any kind of attack on the Constitutional Court, any kind of non-acceptance of the decisions of a Constitutional Court, including in this case, it is a violation of the rule of law," the Romanian Minister underscored.He also said that Romania's ambassador to Chisinau, Daniel Ionita, had been "unjustly subjected to attacks recently.""There is nothing true about what was said in these attacks, that Ambassador Ionita would not have been supported by Bucharest. On the contrary, I answer that he is an excellent diplomat, that he enjoys all my support and that "he was not called to Bucharest to be "scolded." On the contrary, I called him to attend the meetings that President Maia Sandu had last week," Bogdan Aurescu said. The Academy Awards Sunday night offered a very different kind of show due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And the usual festivities that accompany the Oscars were also put on hold leading to a very low-key night in LA. Following the live telecast, best supporting actress nominee Amanda Seyfried was seen arriving to the Sunset Tower in Hollywood. Post-show releaxation: Following the live Oscars telecast on Sunday night, best supporting actress nominee Amanda Seyfried was seen arriving to the Sunset Tower in Hollywood The Mank star showcased her cleavage in the jaw-dropping red Armani gown that she'd worn to the awards show. She paired it with a matching face mask as she arrived at the hotel in line with COVID-19 protocols. She carried a matching red purse and her cell phone, and gathered up her flowing gown as she exited her vehicle. As she did at the ceremony, Amanda had her blonde hair swept up into a classic Hollywood 'do, which was styled by hair expert Renato Campora. The hairstylist explained that the look was inspired by Amanda's Mank character, Marion Davies, revealing he wanted to create a 'couture style' that was 'precise and vintage'. To achieve this, Renato prepped the actress's hair with the Fekkai CBD Calming Supreme Oil and the Fekkai Brilliant Gloss Multi-Tasker Perfecting Creme, before drying her locks with the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer Professional Edition. He then used the Dyson Corrale Straightener to smooth out of tresses, before curling her hair and sweeping it into the updo. Wow factor: The Mank star showcased her cleavage in the jaw-dropping red Armani gown that she'd worn to the awards show. She paired it with a matching mask as she arrived at the hotel Stayed safe: She still wore her stylish updo and was escorted by security Meanwhile, Amanda's makeup artist, Genevieve Herr, ensured that the Lancome ambassador's beauty look for the evening lasted as long as she did. Like Renato, Genevieve was inspired by Amanda's dress for the evening - and found the perfect red lip shade to match the scarlet color of the gown: Lancome Le Lip Liner in Rose Lancome, layered under the soon-to-launch L'Absolu Rouge Drama Ink. For the bold eye look, Genevieve used the brand's Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee, which she smudged out to create the smokey finish, before adding some color with the Lancome Hypnose 5-Color Eyeshadow Palette in Rose Fusion. The Sunset Tower had advertised Oscar viewing parties and promised free dinner to post-show attendees. Seyfried was nominated in the same category as Borat Subsequent Moviefilm's Maria Bakalova, Olivia Colman from The Father, Glenn Close from Hillbilly Elegy and Minari's You Yuh-Jung. In the end, the Academy Award went to Korean actress You Yuh-Jung. The Mama Mia! star received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of actress Marion Davies in the David Fincher movie about alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the 1930's film Citizen Kane. Nominee: The Mama Mia! star received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of actress Marion Davies in the David Fincher movie Mank. She lost out to Minari's You Yuh-Jung Mom: Seyfried is married to actor Thomas Sadoski with whom she shares two children - daughter Nina, four, and son Thomas Jr., born last September Her man: She shared this touching photo of herself and her husband to her Instagram Reality: She also shared this photo from inside the after-party, as she got ready to drink water and pump breast milk Meanwhile, Rihanna and Paris Hilton were among the famous faces also spotted at Sunset Tower on Oscar night. Rihanna wore an eclectic ensemble as she left the venue. The hitmaker and businesswoman paired a pale green bomber jacket with high-waist blue jeans and wore a silky patterned scarf around her head. Socialite Paris, meanwhile, opted for a show-stopping backless sheer black gown. Eclectic ensemble: Rihanna was seen leaving the party wearing a pale green bomber jacket with high-waist blue jeans and a silky patterned scarf around her head Glam: Socialite Paris Hilton, meanwhile, opted for a show-stopping backless sheer black gown Religious persecution in China intensified in 2020, with thousands of Christians affected by church closures and other human rights abuses, according to a new report from ChinaAid. ChinaAid's research on persecution in China last year documented nine church demolitions carried out by Chinese Communist Party authorities, affecting more than 5,000 members and attendees. Overall, CCP authorities persecuted 100% of house churches, the study found, with police summoning and questioning every church's main leader. Under the direction of Chinese President Xi Jinping, CCP officials also worked to more fully control "religion," ordering Christians in both official, state-run churches as well as in house churches to fly the Chinese flag, and sing patriotic songs in services. Authorities also directed ministers and priests to "Sinicize" sermons, or alter them to conform to CCP ideology. According to the report released this week, CCP authorities also invaded Christians' homes, raided family gatherings, and interfered with parenting decisions. In numerous instances,authorities sued Christians for homeschooling their children or sending them to church-run schools. "ChinaAid's research for 2020 confirms that China's persecution of Christians and of those professing any belief again exceeded incidents reported for the previous year," the report says. "As suppressed facts have emerged from dark, secret places, the fallout from the CCP's persecution, like results from the unchecked Covid-19 pandemic, present a potent, putrid threat to challenge the outside world to pay attention." The group said it publishes its annual report to "not only increase awareness of religious persecution in China, but to promote religious freedom for all." ChinaAid's findings come on the heels of the 2021 annual report from The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that identified China as an egregious violator of human rights, specifically toward Christians and Uyghur Muslims. The report notes that CCP authorities continued their unprecedented use of advanced surveillance technologies to monitor and track religious minorities last year. "Although the CCP has long repressed religious freedom, in recent years it has become increasingly hostile toward religion," the report says. The Commission recommended that the U.S. redesignate China as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Previous reports reveal that schools in China have been teaching children that Christianity is an "evil cult," while children are being taught to oppose religion, encouraged to question the beliefs of family members and report those closest to them to authorities. USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer commented: "Communist China doesn't only deny its citizens basic human rights, including the right to seek and worship God. It is also asserting itself as a new authoritarian model for developing nations around the world. It is actively engaged in undermining international human rights standards. It utilizes its growing military power to intimidate and threaten its neighbors." Open Doors ranks China at No. 17 on its World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted. Boyd-MacMillan, director of Strategic Research at Christian charity Open Doors, recently told Express UK that the CCP is becoming increasingly concerned about the Christian population's growth and is cracking down on religion as a result. "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 7 [percent] 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. Because I think if the Church continues to grow like that, then they'll have to share power." Courtesy of The Christian Post O n the bad days, when the chimneys roar so intensely that the windows shake, families say thick soot appears in the air, killing plants and dusting everything a volcanic grey. For the inhabitants of Nahran Omar, a town in southern Iraq perched next to several oil wells, the flames rising from the towers, belching toxic chemicals into the air, are their daily reality. This controversial practice of flaring burning excess gas produced during the extraction of oil is a major contributor to the climate crisis, experts say, but also a deadly threat to those who live nearby. The pollutants released have been linked to asthma, lung and skin diseases, and cancer. Iraq is one of the biggest offenders in the world for flaring, and Basra the province in which Nahran Omar is located is the countrys worst-affected area. Funded by our Supporter Programme, The Independent spoke to inhabitants who warn that the practice is killing children and the elderly, the weak and the fit. Though its hard to prove a direct link between specific illnesses and the flares, there has been a 50 per cent spike in cancer rates over the last decade, according to the towns mayor, who says there are as many as 150 cases within the 1,600-strong community. Muhammed Hassan, 43, whose 14-year-old has bone marrow cancer, tells The Independent: When I went to the doctor with my son, whose spine was curved and skin was pale, he asked me where I live. I said, Nahran Omar, and he said, You dont need to say any more. I understand this is because of the pollution. A young boy sits in front of the toxic chimneys of a gas flare in Nahran Omar, southern Iraq (Bel Trew) Holding a photo of his son, whose body is folded painfully in a wheelchair, he says he is more worried than ever this year because of the pandemic. A recent report by the European Society of Cardiology estimates that 15 per cent of coronavirus deaths are associated with air pollution. My sons immune system is already compromised by his treatment, which is so painful he begged me to let him just die, he says. Everyone in the family wants to leave. We are extremely worried about our health. Against the deafening roar and astonishing heat of the towers, the mayor, Basheer al-Jabari, says most of the town suffers some kind of ailment. His own sister is one of those with cancer. When the chimneys start to increase their production or the filters are broken, you cannot imagine the big, dark, heavy clouds, which, when it rains, coat us with corrupted sooty water, he says. It pollutes the air, the water, the ground; we cant even grow plants. Everything just dies. Change before its too late Across the country, the night sky is illuminated by flare stacks, which pump out greenhouse gases such as methane as well as local air pollutants, including nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide and soot, that cause myriad health problems. Iraq burns just over 17 billion cubic metres of gas a year, according to the World Banks latest data second only to Russia as the country that flares the most gas on the planet. The resulting CO2-equivalent emissions equate to just under 10 per cent of total global output. And so, though the country has limped through almost two decades of war, Jassim Abdulaziz Humadi, the deputy minister of environment and health, ranks air pollution as one of the biggest crises Iraq is facing. The Global Burden of Disease study, the worlds largest public health survey, even found that more people have died from air pollution than conflict since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Independent TV: Watch Bel Trews special report from on the ground in Iraq This is a catastrophe, says Ali al-Saffar, from the International Energy Agency, who believes this gas should instead play a major role in meeting Iraqs electricity needs, particularly as it is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Iraq is one of the rare countries that burns gas while also importing it. There are academic studies that suggest that Iraqs average temperature is rising at two to seven times the global average, he says. For Iraq this issue is not theoretical ... The rising temperatures will bring increasing drought, water scarcity, and a great deal of misery. Iraq needs to be aware of the threat it could face and its gas riches need to be brought to better use. Basra alone is flaring more gas than Saudi Arabia, China, India and Canada combined, according to Wim Zwijnenburg, a researcher for the Dutch peace organisation Pax and contributor to investigative group Bellingcat. The area is home to the Rumaila oil field, the third-largest oil field in the world. Muhammeds 14-year-old son has cancer that he says is linked to the flares (Bel Trew) Together with Ollie Ballinger, a PhD candidate at Oxford University who specialises in remote sensing, Bellingcat released a report this week visualising the oil and air pollution in Iraq using satellite imagery and open-source data. Zwijnenburg says the combination of flaring and other pollution related to the oil industry, such as dumping of crude oil and bad practices at informal refineries, is leading to an increase in temperatures, extreme weather events and wider environmental degradation. This will make areas like Basra unliveable in the next 10 years, he says. Its the responsibility of all of the Iraqi government and the oil sector to change this before its too late. We cant breathe It is not just Iraqs oil heartland in the south that is choked by pollution. Ali, a 31-year-old guard at Qayyarah oil refinery, about 900km north of Basra, struggles to speak as he coughs. At night I cannot breathe. If there is no wind, its like a black smog descends on the town. I've been here for four years and have allergies now, he says. The entire area, 70km south of Mosul, was occupied for several years by Islamic State, whose fighters set fire to the main oil field as they retreated. That blaze burnt for eight months. Like several areas in the northern part of Iraq, it is reeling from pollution caused by the conflict as well as the continued flaring. According to Zwijnenburg, the biggest surge in new flaring installations is in the north of Iraq. Satellite imagery shows at least six locations throughout the oil field near Qayyarah, which lies on the western bank of the Tigris. The air smells toxic and, according to Ghazwan Mustafa, an engineer at the local oil facility, it has made many of the workers sick. He himself is a cancer survivor and says that 20 others working in the refinery have died since 2016 something he attributes to the flaring. The Independent was unable to verify this claim. The wasted gas could be used to power Iraqs electricity network (Bel Trew) Speaking next to the refinery, he tells The Independent: Yesterday you wouldnt have been able to stand there because of the gas. We found dead birds. We have made so many protests, we have asked the government for help. We posted on Facebook, Twitter but no one listens. At Qayyarahs main public hospital, Adnan Abdulrazek, a member of the hospital administration, says the most common complaints at the medical centre are respiratory and chest problems. He says the water supply has been affected by the soot, and water sometimes runs black from their taps. We have written on Facebook, we have written articles, we informed the oil minister, he adds. We are always publishing videos of our atmosphere and no one listens to us. Meanwhile, workers in Baghdad refineries say they fear their lives are in danger from the pollution. One, who works for Daura refinery, says: There are so many cases among the workers of being sick, because the filtering is very old, dilapidated, not suitable for the present time and the large quantities of production. But they are kept secret. Everyone is afraid and is trying to find another job. I have nightmares that I am injured. People will lose their way of life It is a cruel irony that so many people suffer from the burning of gas while Iraq, blighted by power cuts, still imports gas from abroad to power its electrical plants. In 2009, Shell estimated that the wasted gas could produce 3,500 megawatts per day approximately 70 per cent of Iraqs daily energy production. The Iraqi authorities originally promised to halt all flaring by 2022, looking to capture it as a power resource instead. But environment ministry officials in Basra admit the deadline has since been pushed to 2025. Oil ministry officials say they are on track to meet that target, but for now, according to the World Bank, flaring is still on the rise. However, there are signs of progress. Ali Hanon, of the health and environment ministry in Basra, tells The Independent his office has been working with oil companies on Nahran Omar specifically, including enforcing the use of effective filters, increasing the height of the gas-flaring towers, as well as better treatment of the oil lakes near the area. In 2018, the authorities opened a new plant that recaptures about 10 billion cubic metres a year of associated gas from four of Basras 15 oil fields. The ministry told The Independent it is currently working to double that capacity. Assim Jihad, an oil ministry spokesperson, says they are in the final stages of negotiations for several other plants with Chinese and US energy companies, including Baker Hughes, some of which would be operational by the end of next year. Nahran Omars mayor says cases of cancer in the town have surged (Bel Trew) Among the largest is a facility developed in collaboration with French firm Total that, if it goes ahead, could recapture between 3 billion and 6 billion cubic metres of gas a year from the Ratawi oil field. The deal, Jihad says, has been tentatively agreed and could put a significant dent in Iraqs flaring. Despite this movement, industry experts still believe the 2025 deadline is optimistic. There are unconfirmed reports of bitter feuds over the leadership of joint ventures that could see some deals fall through. Jihad claims it is a mistake to directly connect all cancer cases near the oil fields to flared gas, saying there needs to be further scientific study of the causes. There are other factors, like the impact of wars on Iraq since 1980 and the chemical and uranium weapons that were used, he says. In Baghdad, Jassim Abdulaziz Humadi, the deputy minister of environment and health, admits it has been an uphill battle. Frankly speaking, there was no cooperation with the oil ministry at the beginning we just kept continuing to nag, he tells The Independent. But he says over the past five years his department has worked more closely with the oil ministry to combat climate change and air pollution. He heads a national committee with non-governmental organisations and universities that are tracking the relationship between environmental pollution and public health, in particular whether there is a link to the surge in cancer cases and children born with birth defects. The pandemic raging through Iraq has helped change perspectives, he says and he hopes that will lead to investment in public health and protecting the environment. We are dealing with water security, food security, land degradation, desertification, increased instances of sandstorms to name a few, he tells The Independent. In the end, it might lead to the internal displacement of people and an impact on national security. The Majnoon oilfield near Basra (Reuters) Its a fear shared by environmentalists. Everything has got worse since 2018, says Esraa Falah, of activism group Tigris River Protectors Association. There will be mass displacement. People will lose their living and normal life; they will have to change in their traditional way of living. Back in Nahran Omar, under the punishing heat of the flares, this subject dominates the conversations among the youth who are desperate to get out. One, 18-year-old Mohamed, says that in the past four years his grandfather and his best friend, aged just 21, have died of cancer, while his uncle is in hospital with the disease. Everyone is worried about their health. I feel fear; everyone is afraid, he says. Everyone is trying to leave here, to leave Iraq and go abroad. Were suffocating and need to get out before its too late. Fianna Fail Senator Eugene Murphy is calling on the Government and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to intervene in the case of an Australian engineer and businessman who has been detained in Iraq with no explanation, and no contact allowed with his distraught wife and three children, who are Irish citizens, resident in Elphin, County Roscommon. The Roscommon/Galway Senator is due to raise the issue in the Seanad this morning, Monday, April 26th. Robert Pether, who is originally from Sydney, Australia was arrested on April 7th when he arrived at a meeting with his client, the Central Bank of Iraq, in Baghdad. Senator Murphy has been in touch with Mr Pether's wife, Desree and he is seeking intervention from the Irish Government and Minister for Foreign Affairs in a bid to have Mr Pether released. Mr Pethers wife Desree is distraught- she and her three children are Irish citizens and they have been living in the old Convent in Elphin for the past number of years and often travel to be with Mr Pether at his job sites while he also visits his family in Co Roscommon. Mr Pether is held in high regard in the Elphin community, and everyone is anxious to see him released, said Senator Murphy. Mr Pether has been working on rebuilding projects across war-torn parts of the Middle East for the past 10 years and regularly travels between Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bahrain as part of his job. I understand that while working on site in Dubai, Mr Pether and his manager were contacted by the Central Bank of Iraq, which demanded they return immediately for a meeting to resolve a dispute about a new building project in Baghdad. When they arrived, they were immediately taken into custody and I understand that both men are now in solitary confinement but are being treated well. It seems to be some sort of contractual dispute and Mr Pether has unfortunately become caught in the middle, said Senator Murphy. The Fianna Fail Senator said that Desree knew that something was wrong almost immediately. Mr Pether had a habit of calling his wife and children several times a day and after several days without contact, Ms Pether was finally able to talk with her husband's company, who told her that Mr Pether and his associate had both been detained, said Senator Murphy. Senator Murphy is raising the issue in the Seanad this morning. www.leitrimobserver.ie will be following this story with further updates as they become available. Vanita Gupta was narrowly confirmed as Associate Attorney General April 21, on a 51-49 Senate vote. The veteran Indian American civil rights activist formerly served as head of the civil rights division at the Justice Department in the Obama Administration. We did a lot of work to make sure that the most marginalized people had a voice, and making America a place of justice for all, Gupta told India-West in a 2017 interview. (Tom Williams/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) News Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey issued a Declaration of Emergency and announced he is deploying the Arizona National Guard to the states southern border to support local law enforcement efforts as the nation experiences a rapid increase in apprehensions and migrant children in federal custody. The State will provide up to $25 million in initial funding for the mission. "The situation in our border communities is just as badif not worsethan the coverage we've been seeing," the Governor stated. "It's become evidently clear that Arizona needs the National Guard, and the White House is aware of that. Yet, to this day, there has been no action from this administration, and it doesnt look like they are going to act any time soon. If this administration isn't going to do anything, then we will." Under the leadership of the newly appointed Adjutant General and Director of the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs Brigadier General Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, up to 250 Guardsmen will go to border communities and will be available to support other law enforcement agencies, like state troopers. The Arizona National Guard will: Assist with medical operations in detention centers; Install and maintaining border cameras; Monitor and collect data from public safety cameras; and Analyze satellite imagery for current trends in smuggling corridors. The dedicated members of the Arizona National Guard stand ready to support our local law enforcement partners as they address border security, just like we have done for many years when called upon, said Brigadier General Kerry L. Muehlenbeck. Our guard members will tackle a wide range of tasks including medical operations, camera maintenance and monitoring, data analysis, and logistics and administrative support to local sheriffs. I am proud of the men and women of the Arizona National Guard for their commitment to serving and protecting our state, all while they balance federal requirements and full-time civilian commitments. I am grateful for all they do to keep Arizonans safe and for the many employers who continue to support them." U.S. Customs & Border Protection in March had more than 170,000 apprehensions at the Southwest border. Nearly 19,000 of those apprehensions were unaccompanied children more than four times the number of kids apprehended in March 2020. The crisis at the border is serious and cannot be taken lightly, said Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot. The Arizona National Guard will provide much-needed support to our officers and safety officials, and will help ensure Yuma and other border communities are further protected from dangerous and illegal activity. By deploying National Guard assets, the Governor will allow me to deploy more first responders to mission critical tasks where we will work side by side with our federal partners to target, apprehend and prosecute transnational criminal organizations. My thanks to the Governor for taking action to protect Arizonans, law enforcement and legal immigration. Governor Ducey will visit Yuma County tomorrow, April 21, to get more details from community leaders and law enforcement officials about what theyre seeing on the ground. The federal governments actions have made the border less secure. This threatens the safety of our communities and law enforcement, said Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels. Border towns and officers need support as the crisis at the border escalates. Im grateful to Governor Ducey for taking action and sending the National Guard to help. We welcome immigrants with open arms but it needs to be done legally and orderly to ensure we are protecting our communities, state, and nation. Last month, the Governor traveled to Douglas, Arizona to meet with Sheriff Dannels and other safety officials and get a first-hand view of the security and humanitarian situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. After taking an aerial border tour, the Governor received a briefing and held a press conference and a border security roundtable. The issues at the border affect the whole state, to include Maricopa County, said Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone. The availability of Arizona National Guard resources in support of law enforcement demands is an asset for our depleted resources. I appreciate Governor Duceys commitment to law enforcement organizations. The security of Arizona and our residents is our first priority, said Senate President Karen Fann. Illegal crossings put our border towns, safety personnel and all Arizonans at risk, but also the immigrants who are facing unsafe conditions as they cross into the state. My thanks to Governor Ducey for taking this initiative to safeguard our state and protect our communities. We need to uphold the law when it comes to immigration, said Speaker Rusty Bowers. The National Guard will help support law enforcement and security officials working hard at the border, and it helps combat the Democrats misguided message that crossing the border illegally is acceptable. I strongly support this action by Governor Ducey, as its the right decision, and I appreciate his quick response to this crisis. A health worker talks to patients and families at a COVID-19 screening area at a hospital in Manila, Philippines, April 26. The country saw its COVID-19 cases surge past one million Monday. AP-Yonhap The Philippines announced on Monday that its COVID-19 cases had exceeded one million, as the country sought to boost healthcare capacity to ease strains on hospitals and medical staff stretched by a second wave of infections. The Philippines imposed a two-week lockdown of Manila and surrounding provinces late last month to try to stem a surge in cases blamed on more contagious COVID-19 variants. But while daily infections have eased slightly they have still averaged more than 9,000, against 5,525 in March and 213 per day in April 2020, health ministry data showed. In the capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities home to at least 13 million people, intensive care unit (ICU) capacity is above 70 percent, while 57 percent of isolation beds and 64 percent of ward beds for COVID-19 patients were occupied as of April 26. In a bid to admit more patients, tents were turned into COVID-19 emergency rooms at the National Kidney Transplant Institute, a government hospital in Manila. "All in all we waited for almost six hours. It's a long difficult wait," COVID-19 patients Roel Galan told Reuters, speaking outside a makeshift emergency room. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said on Monday 289 additional ICU beds would be made available in the capital. To free up beds for severe COVID-19 patients, the Philippine Red Cross said on Monday it has set up field hospital tents and converted unused classrooms and buildings into quarantine facilities to care for patients with moderate and mild symptoms. Dr. John Wong, a member of the government's coronavirus task force's data analytics team, said authorities must ramp up vaccinations to contain the virus and allow the economy to reopen. He said 350,000 people needed to be vaccinated a day so the government could meet its target of immunizing 70 million, or a third of the country's population, this year. Since the Philippines started its vaccination drive in March, 1.5 million people have received a first dose of vaccine, with close to 231,000 people getting two doses, officials said. The Philippines recorded 70 new deaths from COVID-19 on Monday bringing total fatalities to 16,853. (Reuters) The Duchess of Cornwall has showcased a stunning golden bracelet featuring heart charms, which is thought to have been a gift from the Prince of Wales for their 16th anniversary. Camilla, 73, wore the shimmering jewellery in a new video and portrait released to mark the second season of her online book club, The Reading Room, which highlights different authors and novels through Instagram. The duchess recycled her navy and white pleated dress by Fiona Clare for the occasion and also appeared to be wearing a new bracelet, thought to be an anniversary present from Prince Charles, according to 9Honey. Charles and Camilla marked 16 years of marriage on April 9, but there were no celebrations considering it was also the day Prince Philip died, aged 99. The Duchess of Cornwall (pictured) has showcased a stunning golden bracelet featuring heart charms, which is thought to have been a gift from the Prince of Wales for their 16th anniversary Charles and Camilla pictured posing for their 2020 Christmas card at Birkhall in Aberdeenshire, Scotland The golden bracelet features love-heart charms and can be seen on Camilla's wrist, alongside another charm piece she often wears. In the clip, shared along with a portrait of the duchess, Camilla revealed the idea behind her online book club has come to fruition with avid readers 'chatting and communicating swapping ideas'. Camilla launched her Reading Room on Instagram in January to encourage book fans of all ages to discover new writers and create a hub where literary communities across the globe could connect. In a video the duchess describes how she has received many letters from Russia and also Indonesia, Australia and Europe with readers beginning to interact with each other. She said: 'They're so sort of warm and friendly and you know then they recommend their books, which is quite nice to sort of jot down when you are thinking of books.' Camilla (pictured in 2020), 73, wore the shimmering jewellery in a new video and portrait released to mark the second season of her online book club, The Reading Room, which highlights different authors and novels through Instagram Camilla went on to say: 'I mean, we've a slight lack of communication lately with all of us locked in, we haven't had our family and friends round us so it's quite nice to sort of talk to people through books online. 'And I've noticed through the comments, there are a lot of people beginning to sort of chat to each other and that's, you know, that was the idea in the first place, just to get people chatting and communicating swapping ideas.' A new portrait of the duchess, taken in the Morning Room at Clarence House, has been released to mark season two of her online book club. For the new season Camilla has selected four books Girl by Edna O'Brien, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain and The Secret Commonwealth from The Book Of Dust trilogy by Philip Pullman. On Instagram, the duchess revealed the second four personal picks (pictured) for her Reading Room - ranging from fantasy novels to romantic tales From the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials - which was adapted into a BBC series and based on the notion of parallel worlds - The Book of Dust Volume 2: The Secret Commonwealth continues to follow the adventures Lyra Silvertongue. By contrast, A Gentleman in Moscow is set in the Russian city's Metropol Hotel, where the dashing Count Rostov is condemned to lifelong house arrest in 1922. Elsewhere, The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain is a romantic tale set in Paris and sees bookseller Laurent discover a notebook containing offbeat thoughts, which capture his imagination, before he sets out to find the owner. Lastly, Edna OBrien's Girl is a harrowing portrayal of a young woman abducted by Nigerian terrorists. Aimed at controlling the COVID-19 spike, the Karnataka government on Monday announced "close down" across the state for 14 days from Tuesday night. The state cabinet also decided to provide COVID-19 vaccinations free of cost at government hospitals for those between 18-45 years of age. "Strict measures to control COVID will be taken. From tomorrow night till next 14 days there will be a close down for the whole state," Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said. Speaking to reporters after a three hour long cabinet meeting here, he said shops selling essential commodities will be allowed to remain open only from 6 am to 10 am. "The Agriculture sector and manufacturing sector, except garments, construction sector and medical and essential sectors will continue to operate," he said adding that Deputy Commissioners of all districts and Tahsildars have been instructed to take strict measures. Yediyurappa said the cabinet took the decisions after consulting the expert committee. On COVID vaccination, he said it will be given free of cost at government hospitals for those aged between 18 and 45 years.The health department will draw the guidelines required. The CM clarified that there is no shortage of oxygen and said the Centre has increased the daily quota from 300 metric tonnes to 800 metric tonnes. Also read: Tamil Nadu govt allows Sterlite plant to reopen for 4 months to produce oxygen Russia has 'successfully' tested a massive new missile designed to blast US nukes out of the sky as it continues its display of military prowess - despite announcing a partial troop pullback from areas bordering Ukraine. The trial of the new weapon, believed to be called the A-235 PL-19 Nudol, took place at the Sary Shagan test site in Kazakhstan. Major General Sergei Grabchuk, commander of the anti-missile defence unit of the Aerospace Forces, told Russian journalists that the anti-ballistic missile accurately hit its target. It is designed to prevent a nuclear attack on the Kremlin and Moscow, as well as key Russian industrial regions, according to reports in Russia. The defence shield aims to take out incoming enemy missiles at a range of up to 250 miles, and an altitude of 31 miles. Made by state-owned arms company Almaz-Antey, it has been designed to carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Russia did not confirm the name of the missile and its development has been shrouded in secrecy. But the test comes amid simmering tensions between Moscow and Washington after a recent build up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Russia has 'successfully' tested a massive new missile in Kazakhstan as it continues its display of its military prowess The apparently successful test comes just after Russia announced a partial troop pullback from areas bordering Ukraine The new missile is believed to be the A-235 PL-19 Nudol. It is designed to prevent a nuclear attack on the Kremlin and Moscow, as well as key Russian industrial regions It comes as Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak warned Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to re-create the tsarist empire. Blaszczak told Polish Radio 24: 'Undoubtedly, the policy of President Putin is aimed at the reconstruction of the Russian empire'. Recent pressure on Ukraine combined with the annexation of Crimea in 2014, hostilities in Georgia in 2008, indicated this trend, he claimed. He later suggested the Kremlin leader was eyeing a takeover in four NATO countries including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Like Ukraine, all were part of the Russian empire. He quoted late Polish president Lech Kaczynski warning 'first Georgia, then Ukraine, then the Baltic states, then perhaps Poland'. The defence minister said NATO including the presence of British troops was vital to Polish security against the perceived Russian threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a show of the country's military might in the last few weeks, amassing thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine and holding vast military drills in the same reigon It comes as Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak (left) warned Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to re-create the tsarist empire The missile was made by Almaz-Antey, it is designed to carry conventional or nuclear warheads It aims to take out incoming Western missiles at a range of up to 250 miles, and an altitude of 31 miles 'There are allied forces on NATO`s eastern flank,' he said. 'There are American troops in Poland, there are British troops, there are Romanian and Croatian troops, we are present in Latvia, we are present in Romania 'We show that we are close, prepared and in solidarity with each other. 'In this way, we deter a potential aggressor.' He said: 'We anticipate such activities through our activity within the North Atlantic Alliance, through our activity on missions, through modernising and equipping the Polish Army and by increasing manpower.' Russian army cadets at the 631st Artillery Warfare Training Centre take part in 'storm of steel' drills The drills drills involve deploying Khrizantema, Kornet-E, Vikhr and Tornado-G anti-tank missiles and Msta-S mortar launchers Weapons tests come as Russia has announced it will withdraw troops amassed on the Ukrainian border and in the Crimean peninsula last week The West has been closely monitoring the withdrawal of troops, who were ostensibly amassed at the border to take part in massive military drills last week The weapons tests come as Russia has announced it will withdraw troops amassed on the Ukrainian border and in the Crimean peninsula last week. The West has been closely monitoring the pull back of troops from the border area. Over the weekend, MI6 head Richard Moore warned: 'The Russians are in absolutely no doubt of where the UK stands on this issue. 'And they are in absolutely no doubt of where the Biden administration stands on this issue, because channels are open.' More footage on TV Zvezda showed the 631st Artillery Warfare Training Centre in Saratov region, a military academy where young officers were put through their paces in 'storm of steel' drills. According to Head of Missile Forces and Artillery, Lt. Gen. Mikhail Matveyevsky, 'storm of steel' drills involve deploying Khrizantema, Kornet-E, Vikhr and Tornado-G anti-tank missiles and Msta-S mortar launchers. The forces were shown using the Korsar (Corsair) military drones - equipped with optical and infra-red cameras and lasers - for reconnaissance. 'Our cadets spend 80 per cent of their study time in the field,' said Matveyevsky. Oscars 2021 speeches were long and unexpectedly moving. There was just one minor hiccup, as the theater was bright and intimate. The Oscars for 2021 are over, and this year's ceremony has a distinct, more casual feel than previous years. Here are some of the highlights of the ceremony, from remarkable winners to their speeches: Award winners made history at Oscars 2021 Chloe Zhao made history by being the second woman to win the best director and the first woman of color to do so. Minari's Youn Yuh-Jung took home the award for best-supporting actress for the first time in the show's 93-year history. Yuh-Jung Youn, a Korean actress who won Best Supporting Actress for Minari, joined the exceptional ladies. According to USA Today, the actress cheerfully accepted her award and joked on stage while waving hello to Brad Pitt. Surprisingly, Anthony Hopkins won the best actor for The Father, defeating the odds-on favorite, Chadwick Boseman. Nomadland, directed by Chloe Zhao, won the best picture and best actress for Frances McDormand, giving her a record-breaking fourth Academy Award. The talented lady has been recognized for her softly convincing portraits of those on the margins of society in the American West, portrayed mainly by non-professional actors. Nomadland took home three Oscars in all, the most of any film on the night. Mank, The Father, Judas, and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Soul, and Sound of Metal were among the artists who received two nominations, as per CNET. Real Reason for Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez Break Up Daniel Kaluuya won an Oscar for the best supporting actor while playing a lead role. He'll gladly accept it. On Sunday night, Kaluuya received his first Academy Award for playing one of the two lead roles in "Judas and the Black Messiah." Daniel Kaluuya's following projects are geared toward teenagers. The actor is producing and starring in Netflix's adaptation of Femi Fadugba's forthcoming novel "The Upper World," which is set to premiere in 2021. Esso, played by Kaluuya, reveals that he can look into both the past and the future. According to Cinemablend, Kaluuya and Mattel have been working on a live-action "Barney & Friends" film adaptation since 2019. When he revealed the project, Kaluuya told The Guardian that he was looking forward to exploring a "modern-day hero" and seeing how his message of love would bear the test of time. Kendall Jenner Wins Second Five-Year Restraining Order Against Alleged Stalkers Oscars 2021: Unforgettable speeches The 2021 Oscars returned to an in-person ceremony. Still, the Academy Awards continued to be full of innovative award winners, huge snubs, and even some butt shaking by your favorite screen stars. Chloe Zhao related how she and her father would memorize classic Chinese poems and texts in her acceptance speech. One she recalled, in particular, is called "The Three Character Classics," which begins with the expression people at birth are inherently good. Chloe Zhaos #Oscars acceptance speech is one for the books pic.twitter.com/HyzyaeP74P StreamerSZN: Now Watching #FalconAndWinterSoldier (@StreamerSZN) April 26, 2021 @Twitter Meanwhile, Daniel Kaluuya began his speech by thanking his mother for "everything" and the rest of his family for their love and support. Then things changed, and he started talking about his mother in a new light. Kaluuya voiced regret for what he said in his speech in an interview afterward, but we'll see what kind of text messages he receives from his mother. "What a man." Daniel Kaluuya remembers Fred Hampton in his acceptance speech: "How blessed we are that we lived in a lifetime where he existed...When they played divide and conquer, we say unite and ascend." https://t.co/sdgeoBK7lX #Oscars pic.twitter.com/T58yZO1Bq7 ABC News (@ABC) April 26, 2021 @Twitter Yuh-Jung Youn greets Brad Pitt. The actor continued by praising her fellow nominees, particularly Glenn Close. She said, "I'm luckier than you. Maybe it's even the Korean actor's American hospitality." She also praised her two sons for their contributions to "compel her to go to work, this is the outcome since mommy works so hard," the actor said before being escorted off stage by Pitt. Youn Yuh-jungs #Oscars acceptance speech for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Minari pic.twitter.com/5xFeU35183 Film Updates (@TheFilmUpdates) April 26, 2021 @Twitter Lastly, Tyler Perry received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2021 Academy Awards, and his speech had a simple message: "refuse hatred." The Hollywood mogul discussed the lessons he learned as a child, as per Yahoo. When Tyler Perry speaks, its a speech that inspires. #refusehate pic.twitter.com/57g3mmXJp5 David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) April 26, 2021 @Twitter Academy Awards 2021: What To Expect From the Unusual Oscars Ceremony @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The woman charged with murder over the deaths of a couple and their baby daughter who were killed in a fire at their townhouse in Melbournes west has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial. Jenny Hayes, 46, was arrested the morning after a blaze at a Point Cook property on December 2 killed Abbey Forrest, 19, Inderpal Singh, 28, and the couples three-week-old daughter, Ivy. Abbey Forrest, Inderpal Singh and their baby daughter Ivy. Ms Hayes sobbed as she appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday, via a video link from prison, and pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and three of arson causing death. Magistrate Timothy Bourke remanded the accused woman in custody to appear before the Supreme Court next week so a date for her trial can be set. Best music industry conferences Spring 2021 Music industry conferences are a great way to learn and grow your network, but with springtime shaping up to be a busy season, choosing the right ones to attend can be tricky here, we look at few of the best options Guest post by Randi Zimmerman of the Symphonic Blog We know your schedule may be hectic, so were here to help you plan accordingly by highlighting some of the best events going down this year. There are tons of great conferences happening throughout 2021, so well be breaking up the best ones by season over multiple articles. Network, learn, and connect with these music industry conferences you dont want to miss this Spring Best Springtime Music Industry Conferences in 2021 Stuck at home? No problem. There are tons of music industry conferences still going strong this year to help artists like you sharpen their skills and connect with the industry on a deeper level. Click To Tweet A2IM Indie Week When: June 14-17 A2IM Indie Week is a 4-day, annual international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of Independent music. This year, the event is being held virtually, but nonetheless jam packed with great resources and opportunities for artists, labels, and industry professionals. // To get in on the action and buy your tickets, visit their website here. BAMS Fest When: June 21-23 Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Fest is a cultural movement led by Greater Boston Black and Brown artists, culture makers and creative entrepreneurs who are on the front lines of racial equity, spatial justice, and economic empowerment. This year, theyve gone virtual with the fest. // Find out more here. LAMC When: May 4-7 This year, LAMC returns with an elevated, streamlined virtual event experience. Overflowing with panels, workshops, and music showcases, the event is free and open to the public. As usual, the Latin Alternative Music Conference is one of the staple events in the industry where artists and labels alike migrate for the best in Latin Alternative music. // To register for free, click here. Canadian Music Week When: May 18-21 Canadas largest music conference and festival is back this year for a virtual rendition of its beloved music week. Canadian Music Week Conference is the premier annual music business and networking event in Canada. With keynotes, speakers, panels, workshops, master classes and more, this conference offers an amazing resource for those looking to connect and broaden their music biz skills internationally. // Click here to register for this event. MIDEM When: June 28- July 1st This years MIDEM is free and fully virtual! Launched in 1967, Midem is dedicated to helping the music industry develop business, strategy and creativity by bringing together the key players of the music ecosystem online and in Cannes. In addition, their digital platform brings the global music community together online to stimulate discussion, share solutions, and achieve a better understanding of what is ahead for our industry in the post-COVID era. // Stay updated with their latest news about the event here. Share on: World military expenditure in 2020 is estimated to have been $1981 billion, the highest level since 1988the earliest year for which SIPRI has a consistent estimate for total global military spending. Dr. Diego Lopes da Silva, Dr. Nan Tian and Alexandra Marksteiner, researchers at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), present their analysis. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link Russias actual military spending in 2020 was 6.6 percent lower than its initial military budget. (Picture source: Army Recognition) in 2020 was 2.6 percent higher in real terms than in 2019 and 9.3 percent higher than in 2011. The global military burdenworld military expenditure as a share of global gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.2 percentage points in 2020, to 2.4 percent. This increase was largely due to the fact that most countries in the world experienced severe economic downturns in 2020 related to the Covid-19 pandemic, while military expenditure continued to rise overall. This Fact Sheet highlights the regional and national military expenditure data for 2020 and trends over the decade 201120. The data is from the updated open-access SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, which provides military spending data by country for the years 19492020. The top 15 military spenders in 2020 Military expenditure by the top 15 countries reached $1603 billion in 2020 and accounted for 81 percent of global military spending. There were some changes in the composition and rank order of the top 15 between 2019 and 2020. Most notably, Israel entered the top 15 in place of Turkey, and the United Kingdom moved above Saudi Arabiawhose military spending fell by 10 percentto become the fifth-largest spender in 2020. All but three countries in the top 15 had higher military expenditure in 2020 than in 2011. The exceptions were the United States (10 percent), the UK (4.2 percent) and Italy (3.3 percent). Chinas increase in military spending of 76 percent was by far the largest among the top 15 over the decade 201120. Other top 15 countries with substantial increases between 2011 and 2020 were South Korea (41 percent), India (34 percent), Australia (33 percent) and Israel (32 percent). With a military budget of an estimated $778 billion, the USA remained the worlds largest spender in 2020, accounting for 39 percent of global military spending (see figure 2). In 2020 the USA spent almost as much on its military as the next 12 largest spenders combined. The US military burden amounted to 3.7 percent of GDP in 2020, up by 0.3 percentage points on the previous year. US military expenditure in 2020 was 4.4 percent higher than in 2019. The 2020 financial year was the third consecutive year of growth in US military spending, following continuous real-terms decreases between 2010 when US spending peakedand 2017. The increases in the financial years covering 201820 can be attributed to focused investment in research and development and implementation of several long-term projects such as modernizing the US nuclear arsenal and largescale arms procurement. The main drivers of the increases in recent years were perceived threats to the USA from strategic competitors such as China and Russia and the push by former US President Donald J. Trump to build up what he saw as a depleted military. China, the worlds second-largest military spender in 2020, is estimated to have accounted for 13 percent of the global total. The $252 billion spent on the military in 2020 was 1.9 percent higher than in 2019 and amounted to 1.7 percent of GDP. Chinas military expenditure has increased for 26 consecutive years. This growth is the result of Chinas long-term military modernization and expansion process. According to Chinas Ministry of National Defense, the increase in 2020 was in part motivated by perceived threats to Chinas national security-related to power politics. At $72.9 billion, Indias military spending in 2020 was 2.1 percent higher than in 2019 and 34 percent higher than in 2011. This increase can be largely attributed to Indias ongoing conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir and renewed border tensions with China, as well as Indias more general rivalry with China as the main regional power in Asia and Oceania. Russias military expenditure was $61.7 billion in 2020, 2.5 percent higher than in 2019 and 26 percent higher than in 2011. The increases in Russian spending in 2019 and 2020 followed decreases in 2017 and 2018. Before 2017, Russias military spending had risen for 18 straight years. Although Russias military spending grew overall in 2020, the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic appeared to have an immediate impact: Russias actual military spending in 2020 was 6.6 percent lower than its initial military budget. Military expenditure by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members totaled $1103 billion in 2020. Six of the top 15 military spenders are members of NATO: the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Canada. Together, these six accounted for 90 percent ($995 billion) of total NATO spending and 50 percent of global military expenditure. Among the top 15 spenders, the military burden increased between 2019 and 2020 in all countries except China. The GDPs of almost all the countries in the world decreased in 2020 largely as a result of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In most countries, this led to an increase in the military burden irrespective of whether their military spending rose or fell in 2020 (see box 1). The most notable increases in military burden among the top 15 spenders in 2020 included Saudi Arabia (+0.6 percentage points), Russia (+0.5 percentage points), Israel (+0.4 percentage points) and the USA (+0.3 percentage points). Regional trends World military expenditure is heavily concentrated in two of the worlds five regions: in 2020 the Americas (43 percent) and Asia and Oceania (27 percent) together accounted for more than two-thirds of the global total (see table 2). Europe accounted for 19 percent of global military expenditure in 2020, making it the third-largest spending region. Africa had the smallest regional share, accounting for 2.2 percent of global military expenditure. Military spending in the Middle East is estimated to have accounted for roughly 9.0 percent of the world total in 2020 based on the limited data available for this region. Military spending as a share of GDP A countrys military expenditure as a share of GDPalso known as the military burdenis the simplest measure of the relative economic burden of the military on the country. The global military burden increased by 0.2 percentage points in 2020, which was the biggest annual increase since the global financial and economic crisis in 2009. The rise is mainly due to the fact that most countries in the world experienced severe economic downturns in 2020 related to the Covid-19 pandemic, while military expenditure continued to increase overall. For the same reasons, the average military burden increased in all five regions. The Americas had the lowest average military burden in 2020, at 1.5 percent of GDP. For countries in Africa, Asia and Oceania, and Europe, the average was slightly higher, at 1.8 percent of GDP. The highest average, 4.9 percent, was for the Middle East, based on countries for which data is available. Of the 150 countries for which SIPRI provides military burden data for 2020, 24 had a military burden of 3.0 percent or more and 96 had a burden of 1.02.9 percent of GDP (see figure 4). Thirty countries had a military burden of less than 1.0 percent. The country with the lowest military burden in 2020 was Haiti (less than 0.01 percent of GDP), which re-established its military in 2017. Costa Rica, Iceland and Panama do not have a military and therefore have no military burden. Five of the 10 countries with the highest military burdens in the world are in the Middle East: Oman, which spent 11 percent of its GDP on the military, Saudi Arabia (8.4 percent), Kuwait (6.5 percent), Israel (5.6 percent) and Jordan (5.0 percent). The other five are Algeria (6.7 percent), Azerbaijan (5.4 percent), Armenia (4.9 percent), Morocco (4.3 percent) and Russia (4.3 percent). High school proms, along with nearly every other occasion to gather together, were a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Many of last years high school seniors went to their graduations outdoors (with some graduation events delayed well into the summer), without having a chance to celebrate together. This year, high school seniors and formalwear suppliers are trying to celebrate safely - and stylishly. But in many cases, preparations for prom must be done in a matter of weeks, where they may have spent months in a normal year. The kids didnt actually know if they were having a prom or not, said Jill Brown, owner of Cocoa Couture in Hershey. We had some early girls come in - normally they start shopping in January or February. But they werent positive they were having their prom. I know, for instance, Central Dauphin just let them know [their prom would be happening this year] maybe about three weeks ago. So its been a lot of last-minute shopping. We are still hearing that many schools have tentative dates [for prom] between May and July and even have back-up dates beyond that, said Bob Walker, chief retail officer with Davids Bridal. We havent heard of a ton of confirmed dates. But that is not stopping customers from coming out and buying dresses to prepare. Nancy Viall, Davids Bridal chief merchandising officer, added that we were unable to predict if these events were going to take place or not. Now that the country is starting to open up and people are getting vaccinated we are starting to see the demand for prom dresses open up again. Larger chains like Davids Bridal may be better prepared than some to keep up with sudden demand for formalwear: if something cant be found at one store, theres a chance it can be shipped in from another. For independent stores, like Cocoa Couture, it meant playing it safe and not ordering too many dresses, for fear theyd be left unsold if proms didnt happen. The companies themselves, where we get prom dresses, didnt know what was gonna happen with prom this year, Brown said, adding that her store only ordered roughly 50 new dresses, when in previous years it would have been closer to 170. So they didnt produce this much - maybe one cut of each dress and that was it. And then we sold a ton of prom dresses like maybe a month ago, and now all the stragglers are coming in and theres not a whole lot left. For smaller formalwear suppliers, keeping the lights on has been a struggle, let alone preparing new inventory for what would be yet another year of uncertainty. Anju Singh, owner of Aanchal Apparel in Hummelstown, said that because Im a retail brick and mortar business, we were struggling even before the pandemic began. I have a very narrow, niche market, because I provide East Indian apparel, Singh said. From a financial point of view I knew the odds were really stacked up against us surviving the pandemic. A selection of customized orders, including masks for use during the COVID-19 pandemic, made at Aanchal Apparel in Hummelstown. Like many with the expertise and time on her hands, Singh spent the first several months of last year making masks - at last count, shed supplied more than 500 to those whove needed them. And thanks to state-distributed relief money, as well as making emergency arrangements with her landlord, Aanchal Apparel was able to remain in business through the shutdown. My business thrives on weddings and parties, she said. So the optimist in me is thinking, okay all the weddings and parties that did not take place last year, maybe theyll take place this year, and we could and should technically get twice as much business this year! Or whenever we get back. But I dont know. I havent begun seeing that yet. Singh said that she has had some students come in for prom gowns, but as a specialty store, more of her prom-related work is done in alterations. But for both her prom and her bridal customers, she is able to offer custom-made masks, built with the same fabric and designed to match their gowns. When I offer that idea, you can actually see the brides eyes light up, she said. The whole idea of wearing a surgical mask for my wedding was so weird. It adds a little bit of joy. I had a I had a bride who had an off-shoulder dress. And I made a mask that was sort of asymmetric, like her wedding dress and she was like, this is so cool! Keya Wilson, who was profiled in 2019 along with her fellow sew sisters for their privately-commissioned prom gowns in Harrisburg, said that making masks has helped to fill the time during quarantine. But a return to preparing gowns for students or brides-to-be is a very welcome change of pace. Sewing is like a stress reliever, Wilson said. So, with being home and being able to sew and just be in my element is just an amazing thing. Last year, Wilson had 27 students who had arranged for custom gowns prior to the pandemic. Only five canceled their orders, with the rest hoping to use the gown for another occasion. This past December, despite proms being uncertain at the time, she once again received several orders. Those were people that were just emailing saying, I still want to have a custom gown - if we dont do prom, were just gonna do a cookout or something, to appreciate all the years theyve been in school. So then it hit that schools are now saying, were going to do [prom] outside, we want kids to have this experience. Again, this is through social distancing, so I make masks for all my clients, because its still necessary. I say, your mask is already included, and I ask if their date needs a mask and include that with their gown. But while trend of haute couture masks to match your gown is increasing, it still has not caught on everywhere quite yet. READ MORE: Fashionable face coverings: Design teachers couture masks raise money for Pa. food bank We have two seamstresses here, and both of them make masks to match the dress if people want it, Brown said. But people havent really been asking us for them. From what Ive heard, most of [this years proms] are outside. But they still are required to wear masks. But we havent seen a demand. I know [one of our seamstresses] has asked people if they want a mask and shes made a couple out of the hem of the dress. But honestly, I think these kids are not going to wear them. Uncertainty remains a constant in prom prep, as with many things throughout the pandemic. But the professionals werent without advice for those trying to complete their prom looks at this already-late hour. I think if theyre looking at the last minute they just cant be choosy about color, Brown said. We have tons of styles, all different kinds of styles, but at this point, you know, wanting a particular color is probably going to be difficult. They will need to come in with an open mind. Not to mention advice on just getting through another year of the pandemic. This too shall pass, Singh said. Sooner or later, this will pass. If we are still healthy and alive, we have a fighting chance to get things back. I just want to say, Keep your head up, class of 2021, Wilson said. And congratulations! Davids Bridal locations are open for walk-ins for four or fewer customers at a time, and appointments are recommended. More info can be found at the Davids Bridal website. Cocoa Couture is available by appointment only, with alterations offered for gowns bought in-store. More info can be found at Cocoa Coutures website. Aanchal Apparel is open 4-7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment on Sundays. Walk-ins are allowed but only one group at a time, and appointments are recommended. Alterations are available. More info can be found at Aanchal Apparels website. Questions or orders for Keya Wilson can be made through piecesofme2k@gmail.com, with more info available at the Pieces of Me Facebook page or Instagram page. Stacey Dixon for Principal Deputy Director, Office of the Director of National Intelligence Ely Ratner for Assistant Secretary of Defense, Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Department of Defense Rena Bitter for Assistant Secretary of State, Consular Affairs, Department of State Stacey Dixon, Nominee for Principal Deputy Director, Office of the Director of National Intelligence Ely Ratner, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense, Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Department of Defense Rena Bitter, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of State, Consular Affairs, Department of State You can visit a collection of all White House posts by clicking HERE. Contact: White House White House Press Office Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Defense, and Department of State.Dr. Stacey A. Dixon became the eighth Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) on July 1, 2019. In this role, she assisted the director both in leading the agency and in managing the National System for Geospatial Intelligence. From 2018 to 2019, she served as the fourth director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), after serving as its deputy director from 2016 to 2018. Before joining IARPA, Dr. Dixon served as the deputy director of NGA's research directorate, where she oversaw geospatial intelligence research and development. Prior to that, she served as NGA's chief of congressional and intergovernmental affairs, and then deputy director of NGA's corporate communications office. From 2007 to 2010, she was a staff member for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and from 2003 to 2007, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, where she was assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office's advanced systems and technology directorate.Dr. Dixon holds both a doctorate and master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. She was also a chemical engineering postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota. She additionally serves as a presidentially nominated member of the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, an appointed NGA Liaison to the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Board of Directors, and an appointed NGA Liaison to the Spelman College Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM (COE-MWS) Leadership Advisory Board. Dr. Dixon is a native of the District of Columbia, where she currently resides.Ely Ratner is currently a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and director of the Department's China Task Force. From 2015 to 2017, Dr. Ratner served as the Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, and from 2011 to 2012 in the Office of Chinese and Mongolian affairs at the State Department. He also previously worked in the U.S. Senate as a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and in the office of Senator Joe Biden.Outside of government, Ratner has worked as the executive vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and as an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. Ratner received his B.A. from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.Rena Bitter, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the State Department's Foreign Service Institute and a former U.S. Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Previously, she was the U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and chief of the consular section in Amman, Jordan. She also served in London, Bogota, and Mexico City. In Washington, she was Director of the State Department's Operations Center, and a Special Assistant to the Secretary of State. Bitter has a Bachelor's Degree from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University. She is a recipient of American Citizens Abroad's Thomas Jefferson Award for outstanding service to the American community abroad. She speaks Spanish, Arabic and Vietnamese. Microsofts Surface Laptop 4 has significantly improved where it mattersin performance and in battery life. Even though its largely unchanged otherwise compared to the Surface Laptop 3 (and available in the same 13.5-inch and 15-inch sizes), thats not a bad thing given the product lines tradition of offering a great screen, a great keyboard, and great battery life. Microsoft has hit its mark on all three criteria once again, and the important changes under the hood make all the difference. Our praise comes with a few qualifications. The product line is expensive. The long battery life is attained with a few tricks. We also dont know how the Ryzen 7 version weve tested here compares to its siblings with an Intel CPU inside. Despite these unknowns, we would still easily recommend buying this laptop. This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best laptops. Go there for information on competing products and how we tested them. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4: Basic features Microsofts Surface Laptop 4 offers a surprising diversity of exterior design options: size (13.5-inch versus 15-inch), finish (clad in metal or Microsofts signature Alcantara fabric), and color. Weve listed the available combinations and prices in our original news story announcing the Surface Laptop 4. One thing we appreciate about the Surface Laptop 4 is that theres really no gotcha configurationtheyre all good. Our review unit retails for about $1,500 on Amazon. However, if youd like to pay a little less for a model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, feel free. We received a review unit of the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 in a Matte Black, metallic configuration. Its so visually identical to the Surface Laptop 3 we reviewed previously that we were tempted to attach sticky notes to distinguish the two. Processor: Core i5-1135G7, Core i5-1145G7, Core i7-1185G7; Ryzen 5 4680U Surace Edition, Ryzen 7 4980U Surface Edition (as tested) Core i5-1135G7, Core i5-1145G7, Core i7-1185G7; Ryzen 5 4680U Surace Edition, Ryzen 7 4980U Surface Edition (as tested) Display: 13.5-inch (2256x1250, 201 ppi); 15-inch (2496x1664, 201 ppi, as tested) PixelSense with touch 13.5-inch (2256x1250, 201 ppi); 15-inch (2496x1664, 201 ppi, as tested) PixelSense with touch Memory: 8GB/16GB/32GB LPDDR4X (3,733MHz); 8GB/16GB (as tested)/32GB DDR4 (2,400MHz) 8GB/16GB/32GB LPDDR4X (3,733MHz); 8GB/16GB (as tested)/32GB DDR4 (2,400MHz) Storage: 256GB/512GB (as tested)/1TB M.2 NVMe SSD 256GB/512GB (as tested)/1TB M.2 NVMe SSD Graphics: Iris Xe/AMD Radeon Graphics (as tested) Iris Xe/AMD Radeon Graphics (as tested) Ports: 1 USB Type C, 1 USB Type A, Surface Connect, 3.5mm jack 1 USB Type C, 1 USB Type A, Surface Connect, 3.5mm jack Security: Windows Hello camera Windows Hello camera Camera: 720p (user-facing) 720p (user-facing) Battery: 45.8Wh (design), 46.6Wh (full charge) 45.8Wh (design), 46.6Wh (full charge) Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0 Operating system: Windows 10 Home (consumer, as tested) / Windows 10 Pro (commercial) Windows 10 Home (consumer, as tested) / Windows 10 Pro (commercial) Dimensions: 13.5-inch: 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.57 inches (14.5mm); 15-inch: 13.4 x 9.6 x 0.57 inches (14.7mm) 13.5-inch: 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.57 inches (14.5mm); 15-inch: 13.4 x 9.6 x 0.57 inches (14.7mm) Weight: 13.5-inch: 2.79 pounds (Cobalt Blue, Platinum) to 2.84 pounds (Sandstone, Matte Black); 15-inch: 3.4 pounds (Platinum, Matte Black, as tested). Add approximately 0.64 pound for the AC adapter. 13.5-inch: 2.79 pounds (Cobalt Blue, Platinum) to 2.84 pounds (Sandstone, Matte Black); 15-inch: 3.4 pounds (Platinum, Matte Black, as tested). Add approximately 0.64 pound for the AC adapter. Colors: Matte Black (as tested), Platinum, Cobalt Blue, Sandstone Matte Black (as tested), Platinum, Cobalt Blue, Sandstone Prices: $999 to $2,499; $1,529 (as tested) from the Microsoft Store Remove non-product link and Amazon Mark Hachman / IDG This is Microsofts last-generation Surface Laptop 3, which is visually identical to the new Surface Laptop 4. The Surface Laptop has always been Microsofts minimalist response to the Apple MacBook, and thats still apparent. With a flick of your finger you can lift the lid. Tap the power button, and youre off. The OOBE (out-of-the-box experience) asks for your Microsoft account to smooth the process, though you can create a local account with a little finagling. Youre encouraged to enter your Android phones number to set up Your Phone, to enter your Microsoft account to set up Office, and to tell Microsoft how you plan to use the laptop to customize the UI. The latter option is still a bit of a mystery, because you have essentially one chance to tell Microsoft if you plan to use the Laptop as a gaming PC, for productivity, or something elseor even all three. I usually opt for all of the options to be on the safe side, but some additional documentation, examples, or just a chance to reconsider your choices would be handy. Once open, the Surface Laptop 4 exudes a clean aesthetic. There arent even any stickers advertising the processor or audio technology, as youll often see on other laptops. Theres the keyboard, the trackpad, and just bare metal surrounding it. The 15-inch model we tested provides seemingly acres of space for your palms. Unfortunately, the metallic finish does attract some fingerprints, though theyre easily wiped away. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 The Surface Laptop 4s port arrangement is minimal: USB-C, USB-A, and a headphone jack. Theres a lot to be said for the dimensions of the Surface Laptop 4 as well. Lacking discrete graphics, the shell tapers down to just 14.7mm (rated). While Ive never been especially picky about how thin a laptop is, I do care about how light it is. A 3.5-pound 15-inch laptop feels comfortable in your hand and in your backpack. Microsoft usually does an excellent job of cooling its Surface Laptops. Like the Surface Laptop 3, this years Surface Laptop 4 includes fans that rarely turn on, and run quietly when they do. Youll hear the fan kick on more strongly during light gaming. As our performance section indicates, both the CPU and GPU appear thermally limited performance appears to diminish somewhat over time as heat builds under intensive load. With everyday tasks, however (web browsing, Office work), throttling shouldnt be an issue. Microsofts configuration options affect the laptops behavior. Out of the box, our review unit was set to best battery, even when plugged in. The Windows power/performance slider makes a difference! Performance will significantly increase if this is adjusted upward. Microsofts display helps sell the Surface Laptop 4, too. With most laptops youll choose between 1080p and 4K options. At 2496x1664, the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 falls somewhere in the middle, and theres nothing wrong with that. Using a SpyderX Elite colorimeter, we found that the Surface Laptop 4 covers 95 percent of the sRGB color space and 70 percent of AdobeRGB. Both enhanced and sRBG display modes are available. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Microsoft has left the Surface Connector in place, too. But Microsoft made a notable change in display brightness from the Surface Laptop 3 to the Surface Laptop 4. On battery, the Surface Laptop 3 maintained its set brightness when switching from wall power to battery power. In the Surface Laptop 4, it does not. On wall power, the maximum display brightness was 390 nits, and on battery power, the maximum display brightness dropped to 234 nits. Dropping the brightness level can make the display harder to read in bright light, and in this case really eliminates the option of working outdoors. Microsoft left the ports unchanged from the Surface Laptop 3: theres both a conventional USB-A and a conventional USB-C. Theres no Thunderbolt support, which blocks the Surface Laptop 4 from accessing the growing ecosystem of Thunderbolt docks. Instead, Microsoft offers a pair of Surface Docks from which to choose, which use the legacy Surface Connector on the righthand side of the Laptop. Microsoft executives told PCWorld they settled on maintaining the Surface Connector for several reasons. First, its been used by several generations of Surfaces as a power connector. Theyre also quite proud that its magnetically connected, which helps prevent Surface devices from being accidentally yanked off. Finally, they specifically called out Thunderbolt cables as being easily jarred, which weve also found to be the case in our anecdotal experience. Microsoft doesnt ship the Surface Laptop 4 with a Kensington lock or an SD card slot. Weve also confirmed that while the Surface Laptop 4 may have a replaceable SSD, it unfortunately isnt accessible to users, as it is on the Surface Pro 7+ tablet. Microsoft Color options on the Surface Laptop 4 include Matte Black, Platinum, Cobalt Blue, and Sandstone. Keyboard, webcam, audio experience The audio experience on Microsofts Surface Laptop 4 is absolutely solid. If youre someone who likes to play with graphics equalizers and tweak your laptops audio, though, youll be frustrated. Other laptop manufacturers typically bundle audio enhancement software. The Surface Laptop 4 boasts what Microsoft calls omnisonic speakers, with Dolby Atmos audio built in. (Microsoft notes that Dolby Atmos kicks in only with audio specifically set up to support it.) Microsoft claims that you can download the Realtek app to fine-tune the audio, but the Microsoft Store generated an error message when I tried to download it. The good news is that I dont think youll need it. Few, if any, laptops deliver a robust low-end bass sound, but everything I played back on the Surface Laptop 4 sounded rich, tonally accurate, and pleasant. The Surface Laptop 4 is one of the few laptops I think you could tolerate even without headphones. My initial reaction to the Surface Laptop 4s keyboard was that some of the keys, particularly the TAB key and some of the other big keys (Caps Lock, Shift) on the left side of the keyboard, were a bit floppy. Otherwise, the keyboard seems exactly the same as on previous Surface Laptops. Mark Hachman / IDG The Surface Laptop 4 keyboard. Ive slightly soured on my feelings that the Surface keyboards are the best in the industry, ever since Microsoft reduced the key travel to 1.3mm, offering less cushion. Still, I think youll find the Surface Laptop 4s keyboard perfectly competent, if not as luxurious as other keyboards Ive tried. The Precision trackpad, as usual, is close to perfection: big, glassy smooth, and clickable essentially all the way up and down. Gestures worked without a hitch. The Surface Laptop 4s 720p webcam remains essentially the same as before. (For those who want a higher-resolution integrated Surface webcam, the Surface Pro 7+ has a 1080p webcam. Microsoft has also launched its own 1080p standalone webcam that can clip onto a Surface or other laptop.) Like all Surface devices, the webcam includes a depth camera to log you in by recognizing your face. It worked superbly. Webcams with 720p resolution are typical for the majority of laptops, and youre probably used to seeing the slightly soft images of friends and colleagues who use them. What the Surface Laptop 4 offers is solid color balance and exposure, plus the correct positioning at the top of the screennever buy a laptop with a webcam embedded in the keyboard! Microsoft may have quietly done away with the crapware-free Signature Editions of laptops and tablet it used to sell via its online store, and I was happy to see that there was essentially no preloaded crapware on the Surface Laptop 4. The setup experience recognizes whether you have a current Microsoft 365 subscription, and allows you the option of downloading the updated Office apps. The Start menu app list pares everything down to the bare essentials, but theres a Play grouping of icons that serve as shortcuts to download apps such as Roblox, Solitaire, Yahoo Messenger, and more. Performance We expected the transition to AMDs excellent Ryzen 4000 Mobile series would translate into dramatically increased performance, and we werent disappointed. Microsoft also promised significant battery-life improvements and generally delivered there, as well. In the week or so that we reviewed the Surface Laptop 4, we noticed very little that would slow it down. We were able to perform Office work, stream audio and video on the web, and more, without a hitch. One of the more demanding tests we run is to stream a 4K video from YouTube at 60 frames per second across a Wi-Fi connection, and note any drops in frames. The SL4 dropped an imperceptible 4 frames per 10,000, which is just about perfect. As well demonstrate below, the Surface Laptop 4 accommodates gaming at moderate levels of image quality, even at native resolution, which is really handy in a world where GPUs are nowhere to be found. Still, those tests revealed that the Surface Laptop 4s CPU outclasses its integrated GPU by a significant amount, offering room for future improvement. While we limited our first Surface Laptop 4 performance estimates to a subset of Surface PCs, weve expanded our comparison here to include rival laptops. Take a look at the $1,200 Acer Swift 3X, the $1,715 Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310, and the $1,210 HP Envy 14 for comparisons sake. Keep in mind that, for whatever reason, Microsoft sets the Windows power/performance slider to prolong the battery life at the expense of performance, even when plugged in. We saw that simply tweaking it to full performance can give you a boost for free, so we tested that, too. We use ULs PCMark 10 benchmark as an overall metric to evaluate day-to-day performance. Its a benchmark suite in miniature, with separate tests to evaluate word processing, spreadsheet use, videoconferencing, photo and video editing, and light gaming. The benchmark then tallies everything up and offers an overall score as a measure of performance. We generally use a score in the 4,000s to indicate a good PC, while a score in the 5,000 range demonstrates excellent performance. As you can see in the chart below, the Surface Laptop 4 logs a good score in its default, battery-saving mode. When we crank up the performance slider, the score rises above that golden 5,000 mark. India on Monday reported a net increase of 130,907 in active cases to take its count to 2,813,658. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 14.90 per cent (one in 7). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Monday, it added 352,991 cases, the highest in a day so far, to take its total caseload to 17,313,163. Its test positivity rate on Sunday was 25.2 per cent, implying one in every four people tested turned out to be positive. And, with 2,812 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 195,123, or 1.13 per cent of total confirmed infections. With 995,288 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Sunday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 141,911,223. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 14,304,382 or 82.62 per cent of total caseload with 219,272 new cured cases being reported on Monday. U.S. says Turkey committed "genocide" in Armenia Xinhua) 08:45, April 26, 2021 BEIJING, April 25 -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday openly recognized the mass killing of Armenians more than a century ago as a "genocide," while Turkey immediately denounced the move. "The American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today," Biden said in a statement issued by the White House on Saturday, the Armenian Remembrance Day. "We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated," Biden noted. Biden is the first U.S. president to use the term "genocide" in describing the mass killing against the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire, breaking with his predecessors who did not want to undermine relations with Turkey. In 2019, both chambers of Congress passed resolutions recognizing the atrocities as "genocide." The Turkish Foreign Ministry strongly rejected Biden's decision in a written statement. "We reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the U.S. regarding the events of 1915," the ministry noted, adding that the statement neither has a scholarly and legal basis, nor is supported by any evidence. "With regards to the events of 1915, none of the conditions required for the use of the term 'genocide' that is strictly defined in international law are met," the statement said. It noted that Biden's declaration will open a "deep wound" that undermines mutual trust and friendship between the two countries. The Turkish ministry also called on the U.S. president to correct "this grave mistake, which serves no purpose other than to satisfy certain political circles." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told local media earlier that Biden's statements were not legally-binding and would only harm bilateral relations. "If the United States wants to worsen ties, the decision is theirs," he said. According to the White House, Biden on Friday discussed bilateral relations in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. U.S. media reported that Biden informed Erdogan of his "genocide" recognition plan in their first phone call since Biden took office in January. Armenia claimed that more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a systematic genocide at the hands of the Ottomans during World War I before modern Turkey was born in 1923. But Turkey insisted the Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old empire collapsed in the years before 1923. Armenians have long sought international recognition for the large-scale casualties during the Ottoman era as genocide, while Turkey, the Ottoman Empire's successor state, has claimed the mass killings did not constitute genocide. The latest U.S. move could further complicate the already strained relations between Washington and Ankara. The two NATO allies have been at odds over Turkey's acquisition of Russian S-400 air-defense systems and other regional issues, such as the Syria conflict. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) Nearly 100 days into Joe Bidens presidency, just over half of Americans approve of the job he has been doing, according to poll results released Sunday. The 52% approval rating is the lowest of any recent commander in chief at this point in their administration except for former President Donald Trump, according to the Washington Post-ABC News survey. Another 42% of Americans disapprove of Biden so far, The Post said. About this time in 2017, 42% of Americans approved of Trump, and 53% disapproved. Bidens highest marks come from his handling of the pandemic, winning the approval of about 6 in 10 Americans, and 52% gave him kudos for his performance on the economy. The survey results come after Democrats passed nearly $2 trillion in COVID relief in March and as Biden has led massive efforts to vaccinate the country while pushing for a sweeping legislative package on infrastructure. But only 37% of Americans approve of his job on immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. Six in 10 Americans said Biden should be willing to implement major changes to his proposals in order to gain Republican support. The survey was taken after unprecedented chaos at the end of Trumps term, in which the 45th president falsely claimed he actually won the 2020 election. Among the Republicans surveyed, 78% said they strongly disapprove of the job Biden has been doing. That compares with 72% of Democrats who strongly disapproved of Trump in spring 2017. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Looking further back, in April 2009, 43% of Republicans strongly disapproved of then-President Barack Obamas early performance in office. Biden is scheduled to give his first address to a joint session of Congress speech on Wednesday, ahead of his 100th day in office on Friday. Due to concerns over possible COVID-19 spread, only about 200 members of Congress will be allowed to attend the speech inside the House of Representatives chamber. Biden is expected to tout his American Families Plan covering initiatives like paid family leave, community college and child care and tax credits for working-class parents. --- Shant Shahrigian of the New York Daily News wrote this story. 2021 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Paxton, IL (60957) Today Cloudy with showers. High 84F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 68F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. EQS Group-News: Kinarus AG / Key word(s): Personnel/Private Equity Kinarus further strengthens its leadership with two reputed industry experts 26.04.2021 / 07:01 Hari Kumar, former CEO of Adheron Therapeutics, Inc. appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors Thierry Fumeaux, MD, former member of Swiss National Covid Taskforce, joined Kinarus as new Chief Medical Officer Basel, Switzerland, April 26, 2021. Kinarus AG, a Swiss clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and owner of KIN001, a differentiated therapeutic candidate for the treatment of multiple diseases with high unmet need, announced today the appointment of Hari Kumar as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Thierry Fumeaux as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Hari Kumar's long career took him from Roche to Eisai Ltd where he served as European Marketing Director. He returned to Roche as Global Head of Transplant Immunosuppressives. He subsequently moved to Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2007 as Chief Business Officer before becoming Chief Executive Officer of Adheron Therapeutics Inc. In his career, Dr. Kumar oversaw the launch of the immunosuppressive, CellCept(R), the Alzheimer's drug, Aricept(R) and the gastric ulcer drug, Aciphex(R). At Amira, Dr. Kumar led the process that resulted in its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2011. He also navigated the acquisition of Adheron Therapeutics by Roche, in his role as CEO/ Board member. These transactions have delivered over a billion dollars in returns to investors. Just two weeks ago, Kinarus announced enrolment of the first patient in its recently launched Phase 2 clinical trial of KIN001 in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. The Swiss biopharmaceutical company plans additional clinical programs to evaluate KIN001 for treatment of patients with age-related macular degeneration (wet-AMD) as well as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). About Kinarus Kinarus AG is a Swiss clinical-stage bio pharmaceutical company focused on bringing differentiated treatments to patients suffering from viral, respiratory or ophthalmic diseases. Kinarus' differentiated therapeutic candidate KIN001 has broad potential to transform numerous therapeutic areas. The company has patent protected and is preparing the application of KIN001 in multiple indications with important unmet medical needs. In March 2021, the company has received a CHF 3 million financial facility after independent scientific assessment for KIN001 development in COVID-19 and ongoing operations. In April 2021, Kinarus enrolled and dosed the first patient in a Phase 2 study for KIN001 in COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. Swiss-based Kinarus is privately owned. The Board of Directors of the company is currently evaluating different financing options. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.kinarus.com. Contact information: Alexander Bausch CEO Kinarus AG Tel: +41 61 633 2971 alexander.bausch@kinarus.com Disclaimer This communication does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities of Kinarus AG. This publication may contain certain forward-looking statements and assessments or intentions concerning the company and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. The company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, assessments or intentions. End of Media Release An entire generation of Houstonians does not recall an era when the city wasnt known as a thriving, exciting food and dining metropolis. But in the 1970s and 80s, local supermarkets werent teeming with exotic, now commonplace ingredients such as arborio rice, lemongrass, harissa, arugula, diver scallops, fish sauce, worldly cheeses and olive oils. There wasnt a phalanx of food professionals trumpeting its restaurant offerings and certainly no nationally recognized celebrity chefs. Local media didnt cover food as pop culture or the economic engine it is today. Peg Lee helped change that. The educator who taught many Houstonians how to cook through her positions as the founding director of the Rice Epicurean cooking school and later in the same role for Central Market, brought national and international chefs to Houston and raised the citys profile as a culinary destination and hotbed of multicultural flavors. Now retired, the 88-year-old dynamo will be honored May 3 at the Delicious Alchemy Banquet, a fundraiser for Recipe for Success at the organizations Hope Farms. It will be a night when the citys top food and beverage professionals and dining enthusiasts gather to pay tribute to Lee. She had an influence on pretty much everyone, said Greg Martin, executive chef at Bistro Menil. In those days, it was (longtime Houston Chronicle food editor) Ann Criswell or Peg Lee. As a chef, if either of them reached out and asked you for something, the answer was always yes. It had to be yes. Event The Delicious Alchemy Banquet honoring Peg Lee, a fundraiser for Recipe for Success, will be held at 7 p.m. May 3 at Recipe for Success Hope Farms, 10401 Scott. Tickets are $2,500 per person; see recipe4success.org. See More Collapse And there were plenty of hungry Houstonians willing to say yes when Lee began the citys first organized cooking classes at Rice Epicurean. For that reason, many of the old guard often refer to her as the Julia Child of Houston. Lee knew Child, along with hundreds of chefs and cookbook authors she brought to the Houston including legendary French chef Andre Daguin, Anne Willan, Marcella Hazan, Emeril Lagasse and Anthony Bourdain. But she also championed a new era of Houston chefs including those at Brennans of Houston (Carl Walker, Randy Evans), Mark Cox, Arturo Boada, Monica Pope and Robert Del Grande, Houstons first James Beard Award-winning chef. She knew how to cook and had a great palate. She knew what food was, Del Grande said. But she never overstated herself. It was never about her, it was, How can I help? She was making it all happen. She was at the heart of the Houston culinary scene for restaurants and cooking classes. Peg was at the center of that. Simmering talent Lee, who grew up in Massachusetts, is the first to admit she inherited zero cooking talents from her mother, who once served her husband a roast chicken that was cooked with the giblets packet still inside the bird. Her mothers friends, however, saw her interest in food and encouraged the budding gourmand. But it was Lees own natural curiosity about the world she has traveled extensively that did most to shape her relationship with food. She absorbed ideas, languages, cultures and global foodways with the gusto of a seasoned, ravenous explorer. And she brought that culinary zeal with her when she and her husband, Edwy Lee, an English professor and writer, moved to Houston in 1969. Edwy Lee took a job teaching comparative literature at the University of Houston then and later taught at Houston Community College. Peg impressed educators with her cooking talents demonstrated at home dinner parties, and she soon found herself encouraged to teach cooking classes basically, home economics at HCC in 1971. That led to a stint doing cooking demonstrations for the Magic Pan crepe restaurant, which led to a job in the early 80s with Marshall Fields overseeing cookware and food demonstrations. The new Rice Epicurean opened in 1988 and within a matter of years launched the citys first cooking school with Lee as its director, a job she held until 2001, when Central Market wooed Lee to run its school. She retired in 2006. Edwy Lee died in 1984. Peg Lee puts in this way when asked why she took the job with Rice Epicurean: I was a widow. My children were all gone. I lived with a dog. What else was there to do? But she came to the job armed. She was a gifted cook, a natural educator, media savvy, well organized in the nuts and bolts of food demonstration and possessed with a natural affinity with chefs and cookbook authors whose publishers were getting wise to the Houston market potential. Lee tied it all together as expertly as a chef-trussed chicken. Still, she was loath to give herself credit. Im not a restaurant cook, Im not a chef, she said. I cook like a housewife. A world of food Her children brothers Andrew, Duncan and Matt Lee and sister Rachel Lee Hovnanian would beg to differ. They grew up well traveled like their parents and with a mother who sent them to school with lunch boxes filled with veal Milanese or Middle Eastern lamb rolls. At a time when kids their age were craving Tang and TV dinners, the Lee siblings sat down to family dinners of duck a lorange, Senegalese chicken, fresh tomato marinara on house-made pasta, prosciutto and melon, and cows tongue. When we came home from school, there would be a calfs head on the stove, said Duncan Lee, who lives in Miami Beach, Fla., and works in the single-family rental market. Rachel Lee Hovnanian, a multimedia artist who lives in Miami, grew up knowing how to make pate brisee (pastry dough) as naturally as some kids put together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When we were growing up, we didnt think it was unusual to have a restaurant stove in our family kitchen, she said. My mother opened up a world of food for us. When asked if the Lee children were aware of their mothers influence on the Houston food scene when they were school age, Matthew Lee said absolutely not. All I knew is that everyone wanted to come stay at the Lee House because Mrs. Lee would cook, said Matthew, the founder of Teo Gelato brand in Austin. Accolades Lee was an early advocate for Recipe for Success, which Gracie Cavnar created to combat childhood obesity and help change the way children appreciate and understand food. Chef Greg Martin took an early shine to Lee, who welcomed him into her cooking school; he washed dishes in exchange for observing the classes. Years later, when he became chef de cuisine at Cafe Annie, he occasionally found himself conducting those classes. I adore her. I love the richness of her life. I want to be like Peg Lee, Martin said. Everything was so smooth and elegant, just like her. Chef Randy Evans is also an admirer. She gave us an outlet before there was food television. Rice Epicurean was doing things nobody else was doing and really set the tone in Houston for what cooking classes could be, said Evans, director of culinary development for restaurants for H-E-B. Shes an innovator, 100 percent. She pushed the boundaries. Not comfortable with talking about her accomplishments, Lee concedes that at a time people thought about food in a narrow fashion, she might have had something to do with broadening the scope. When I think about it, maybe I widened it a little, she said. Maybe I opened the door. greg.morago@chron.com BROOKLYN, Ohio A Parma woman is accused of fatally shooting her son inside a Brooklyn hotel room, according to police. Daneicha Bringht, 30, is charged with aggravated murder in the fatal shooting of her 6-year-old son Kaamir. Bringht is expected to make her first court appearance on Monday in Parma Municipal Court, according to police. Bond was set at $500,000 and her case was bound over to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Bringht, after initially telling police someone else shot her son, later admitted that she shot the boy, according to court records. Police did not say why they believe Bringht shot her son. The shooting happened about 6:30 a.m. Saturday at the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Tiedeman Road, just north of Brookpark Road. Police said Bringht initially called police about 30 minutes after the shooting from the hotel lobby and said someone shot her and her son. The woman told 911 dispatchers that someone shot her in the hand, according to the 911 call. She told the dispatcher she was unsure if her son was still alive. She said someone went inside her room, shot her son and then shot her when she tried to stop him, according to the 911 call. I was asleep and woke up he was shot, Bringht said on the call. He pulled a gun on me and I got shot in the hand. Officers found her son with several gunshots wounds, including in the head and abdomen, and performed CPR until an ambulance took the boy and his mother to MetroHealth. The boy died at the hospital and Bringht was treated and released. Police reports say officers seized a revolver during the investigation but did not say where they found the gun. Read more from cleveland.com: Person in custody after 6-year-old boy shot inside Brooklyn Fairfield Inn and Suites hotel room dies, police say Man fatally shot in Akron alley Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court resumes jury trials today after COVID-19 hiatus An unarmed black man who was shot last week by a Virginia cop underwent multiple surgeries to remove two bullets, but there are eight bullets or bullet fragments still inside him, his lawyer said. Isaiah Brown, 32, is still in 'very critical condition' and is on a ventilator, according to the family's lawyer David Haynes. 'His condition is touch and go,' Haynes said Monday outside the Spotsylvania County Courthouse, which is about six miles from where Brown was shot last Wednesday. Brown was walking outside his home while talking on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when a Spotsylvania County deputy seemingly mistook Brown's cordless phone for a gun, according to the lawyer. The 911 recording and responding officer's body camera footage were released over the weekend. Scroll down for video. Isaiah Brown, 32, was shot multiple times by a Virginia cop last Wednesday. He's still in critical condition and on a ventilator, according to his lawyer Two bullets were removed from Brown, but eight bullet or bullet fragments are still inside him, according to Brown's lawyer The responding officer gave Brown a ride home less than an hour earlier after Brown's car broke down several miles away on Route 3 around 2:30am, told Brown's brother that he wasn't in any trouble and left. He responded to Brown's 911 call about an hour later. While Brown indicated at one point in his conversation with the 911 dispatcher that he had a gun, Haynes said Brown made it clear more than 90 seconds before the deputies arrived that he was unarmed. It's unknown if the officer was aware of what Brown said during the 911 call. 'This was clearly a failure of communication between the dispatch and the officers that arrived on scene,' Haynes said. Haynes also called on Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger Harris to stop commenting about Brown's health, saying Harris had provided information that was 'inaccurate' and 'misleading.' 'The sheriff has reported at various times that he was only shot once, or a few times. Hes also reported that he was in a non-life-threatening condition. This is not true,' Haynes said. The deputy is on administrative leave, according to Harris. David Haynes (right), Brown's family lawyer, called on Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger Harris (left) to stop commenting about Brown's health, saying Harris had provided information that was 'inaccurate' and 'misleading.' Brown's family stood behind Haynes, a lawyer representing Isaiah, during Monday's press conference outside the Spotsylvania County, Virginia courthouse The body camera video shows the deputy arriving at the scene blanketed by the night sky around 3:18am Wednesday morning and yelling at Brown to show his hands. The deputy ordered Brown to 'drop the gun' multiple times and appears to say over his radio, 'Hes got a gun to his head.' At the time, Brown was walking down the street outside of his home talking on the phone to a 911 operator. The deputy then yelled, 'Stop walking towards me, stop walking towards me,' and, 'Stop, stop!' before opening fire. Haynes said the deputies failed to properly light the situation, did not wait for backup and overreacted, likely because of a communication breakdown between dispatch and the officer. Brown was in the roadway after he was shot by police multiple times Spotsylvania County Sheriff's office released body camera footage and a recording of the 911 call late Saturday after public outrage over the shooting Brown's shooting sparked outrage from the community and many protested in Fredericksburg Friday evening Brown's sister, Yolanda Brown, said her brother worked as a health aide, loved children and was 'the life of the party.' 'Anybody know that if you call on Isaiah, he will be there,' she said. In brief remarks, his mother, Jennifer Brown, said, 'My concern at this point is just for my son to hopefully come home alive.' Two months ago, lines for COVID-19 vaccines wrapped around clinic sites. Those who could take off a morning or afternoon mid-week drove across county lines for a shot. Workers rushed to retail pharmacies in hopes of catching extra doses at the end of the day. These days, hospitals and public health sites are desperate to fill their vaccine schedules. Demand has come crashing down across Texas. At the NRG Park vaccine clinic run jointly between the county and FEMA, public health staff can administer as many as 6,000 doses a day, yet last week the number of doses administered at the site dipped below 3,000 a day. In Galveston, the drop was even starker. The Galveston County Health District announced it will shutter its mass vaccination site at Walter Hall Park by May 1 after a week of flagging immunization rates, during which the county administered as few as 300 vaccines a day less than 7 percent of its 4,500-dose capacity. REQUIRING SHOTS: Houston Methodist says it will fire workers who refuse vaccine And even at private hospitals, the demand is disappearing, even as the share of Houstonians who have received at least one dose of their vaccine. still hovers below 50 percent. In January, we couldnt get the vaccine out fast enough. We had our phones ringing off the hook, said Roberta Schwartz, Houston Methodist Hospitals executive vice president. My concern was always for this day and time where we had more vaccine than people who were anxious to get it. The lead-up Early in the vaccine process, those shut out from the race for COVID-19 immunization called it the Hunger Games as providers struggled with scarcity. Now, it seems there is a surplus of shots. In February, Sugar Land resident Elsa Comstock searched frantically for vaccines for her and her husband. The couple both had medical conditions qualifying them for the vaccine, and her husband is 65. She logged on at midnight and in the morning, tracking Nextdoor posts about appointment availability. I got an email in the middle of February but (my) husband did not, Comstock said. So, while I was getting my second vaccine I was begging people about getting my husband his vaccine. The officials at the Fort Bend County site, which administered her vaccine, relented and fit him in for an appointment at the fairgrounds. After a three-hour wait, her husband received the first shot. Things got easier after that. More vaccines came online. Then on March 15, state officials opened eligibility to all people 50 and older, before welcoming all Texas adults a week later. Comstocks sons, 22 and 24, did not face the delay their parents did. Her youngest son signed up for a vaccine on April 16 with Walgreens and received his first dose a day later. She booked a first shot for her older son that weekend. Im glad they had the luxury of going onto Walgreens site and getting the Pfizer vaccine and having their choice of appointments, Comstock said. At its height on April 11, the average number of doses administered statewide over a seven-day period reached more than 356,000. But as of April 22, that number had bottomed out to just over 196,000 doses still higher than the rates in January and February, but low given how many doses are now available. Last weeks drop was so distinct that Houston-area vaccine providers practically begged residents to come in for shots, sending text alerts and email blasts advertising walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations. Vaccine providers are partnering with popular Houston companies, such as Saint Arnold Brewing, to draw more interest. Now, the vaccine providers are struggling not only to bring people through the door for their first doses, but also to motivate people due to receive their second dose, said Dr. David Lakey, a Department of State Health Services commissioner who sits on Texas COVID-19 Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel. Looking at the trends, we need a lot of those folks from February that need to come back in and get their second dose now, he said. Tipped over the edge The point of equilibrium may have passed for most places, though. More than two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines flow into Texas every week, between the states allocation, FEMA-operated mega-sites and retail pharmacy providers, Lakey said. As of last week, 17 of the states 72 hubs including Galveston Countys site at Walter Hall Park had told the state they would cease their vaccine operations as a hub. They can still provide vaccinations and will receive dose allocations as requested, said Lara Anton, a DSHS spokesperson. Thats going to be a slower methodology but thats going to reach individuals who dont want to go to a hub, Lakey said. Even at the vaccine sites where demand hasnt dropped as steeply, staff worry about unfilled time slots and having too many vaccine vials. The vaccines wont go to waste theyll remain in freezers until needed but hospitals will cut down on the amount of doses requested if demand continues to stay low, limiting their ability to scale up again should demand increase. Memorial Hermann, which was requesting an additional 10,000 vaccines a week to accommodate its drive-thru sites, is no longer asking for the extra as demand scales back. Last week, the hospital booked about 85 percent of its available appointments. Houston Methodist saw an even steeper drop the system averages 2,000 appointments per day now, just 20 percent of its average of 10,000 daily doses. While a large chunk of the most vulnerable population is vaccinated, including about 62 percent of Harris County residents who are 65 or older, hospital administrators worry the numbers are stalling. There is not enough herd immunity out there. Until we can get into that 70 to 80 percent vaccinated rate, were at risk to get steamrolled, said Dr. James McCarthy, chief executive physician at Memorial Hermann. While hospitals and health departments once relied on residents coming to them in droves, they now have to bring the vaccine to consumers through mobile or pop-up sites in underserved communities, while also launching walk-in options. We didnt allow walk-ins initially because we didnt want these incredible massive lines of people all clamoring for vaccine and not having enough, McCarthy said. About 1,000 people showed up to Memorial Hermanns walk-in site the third weekend of April. An opportunity for equity One Houston-area health system, though, has remained steady. Harris Health, the countys safety-net medical provider, saw a bump in vaccine registrations after the state opened eligibility to all adults. As of late April, their vaccination rates have not dropped dramatically, although they are beginning to taper off, said Jennifer Small, interim administrator of Harris Healths ambulatory care services. There may be more access points out in the community that individuals are able to go to and that may be helpful because unfortunately, being able to go to NRG or Minute Maid is just not an option for many of our patients, Small said. The drop in demand may have a silver lining. Now that the most privileged groups in the vaccine race the ones who are tech-savvy, can take time off for mid-day appointments, have primary care providers or can drive to a vaccination site have largely been vaccinated, providers can try new ways to offer shots to those who havent been inoculated. Local hospitals are preparing vaccination clinics geared toward musicians, artists and front-line restaurant workers, or working with local community organizations, such as churches, to get the word out about appointments. A THIRD DOSE?: Will you need a COVID-19 booster before the holidays? Maybe. Here's why. The Comstocks, whose sons now await their second COVID-19 dose, are now helping extended family and friends find appointments. Its easier than it used to be, but some who want the shot just havent been able to book an appointment because of the hours they work. Comstock experienced prolonged side effects after the second Pfizer dose, but said she would do it again without hesitation after losing two cousins to the virus. I treasure my life too much, I dont want to take any chances, she said. gwendolyn.wu@chron.com twitter.com/gwendolynawu Apple will invest $430 billion into its United States operations and add 20,000 full-time positions across the country in an ambitious, five-year expansion, including a new $1 billion campus in North Carolina. The company announced plans to open the new campus in North Carolina and add 3,000 full time technology jobs there focused on software engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The jobs in North Carolina would pay an average of $187,000 a year starting in 2023, the state's commerce department told the Charlotte Observer. The facility will be built an undeveloped parcel of land in what's known as Research Triangle area in the Raleigh area, which gets its name from nearby North Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina. Apple announced plans for a $1 billion campus in North Carolina. A similar investment was made for a new Austin campus (pictured here, in a rendering), which expected to be completed by 2022. (Rendering: Studio8 Architects and WP Visions) An Apple spokesperson said they don't have renderings of what the North Carolina campus will look look, but this is an example of the inside of the $1 billion Austin campus that's being built. Apple made a similar investment in a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, which is expected to open in 2022. 'At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states,' said Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. Apple's US expansion California: 5,000 employees will be added to the San Diego team to more than 5,000 employees and its in Culver City operation to more than 3,000 employees by 2026 Colorado: 700 employees will be added to its engineering team in Boulder and surrounding region by 2026. Massachusetts: 'Several hundred' new jobs added to Boston area by 2026. Texas: Austin's $1 billion campus is expected to be completed next year Washington: Apple's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Platinum office space in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood recently opened with 1,000 local employees, and the plan is to at least double that. Iowa: The design process is underway for Apple's new data center, which is expected to create over 500 construction and operations jobs in Waukee. Advertisement An Apple spokesperson said there are no renderings of the campus and didn't answer DailyMail.com's questions about specifics. State officials have been trying to woo Apple for more than years and faced rejection at least once, the Charlette Observer reported. 'North Carolina's competition for the project was primarily Ohio,' Mark Poole, North Carolina's finance specialist in the state's commerce department told the Charlotte Observer. 'But there were a number of other states considered.' Top Apple officials - including Apple CEO Tim Cook, COO Jeff Williams have MBAs from Duke, and Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, who is in charge of the company's online services - have ties to the area, CNBC reported. There was opposition to Apple's expansion plans into Research Triangle in 2018. Mai Thi Nguyen, a professor of city and regional planning at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill told U.S. News and World Report that Apple moving into the area would 'be terrible' from a housing perspective. The Raleigh-Durham area has a metropolitan population of around 2.1 million people, and the surrounding Research Triangle, are struggling to keep up with the population growth of recent years, Nguyen told the news site 'Right now the Triangle is experiencing a housing crunch,' Nguyen said in 2018. 'We have an affordability problem as it is.' The $430 billion expansion will come also to cities with existing Apple operations. By 2026, the tech giant said it will hire 5,000 people more people in San Diego, California, 3,000 people in Culver City, Los Angeles, and 700 employees in Boulder, Colorado. Apple's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Platinum office space in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood recently opened with 1,000 local employees, and the plan is to at least double that. Apple will invest $430 billion into its United States operation and add 20,000 full time positions across the country by 2026. Apple said it is outpacing its original five-year goal set in 2018 to invest $350 billion in United States assets and jobs. Today, Apple more than 2.7 million jobs across the country through direct employment, spending with US suppliers and manufacturers and developer jobs, and is the largest taxpayer in the United States, Apple said in a statement. It's has paid almost $45 billion in domestic corporate income taxes over the past five years. Kolkata, April 26 : According to the data available till 5 p.m., the four Assembly constituencies in South Kolkata, which went to the polls in the penultimate seventh phase on Monday, experienced a low voter turnout as compared to Lok Sabha elections held in 2019. According to the latest data available, the four constituencies had an average turnout of around 60 per cent, whereas in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, it was little more than 66 per cent. Major Trinamool Congress, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool youth wing leader Abhishek Banerjee, state Power Minister Shovondeb Chattopadhayay and Urban Development Minister and former Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim, exercised their franchise on Monday. Banerjee, a resident of Harish Chatterjee Street in South Kolkata, exercised her franchise at a polling booth in Mitra Institution school at around 3.50 p.m. Sitting on a wheelchair, she briefly paused before the photojournalists while coming out amid shouts of 'Didi, Didi', before boarding her car. She also flashed a victory sign towards the cameras. However, former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is a resident of Palm Avenue and a voter in the Ballygunje Assembly constituency, failed to cast his vote owing to poor health condition. Among the four Assembly constituencies in South Kolkata, including Kolkata Port, Rashbehari, Bhowanipore and Ballygunge, Rashbehari recorded the lowest turnout at only 55.9 per cent, down from the 66.9 per cent polling recorded during the 2019 general elections. Bhowanipur, which used to be the constituency of Chief Minister Banerjee, recorded a turnout of 60 per cent, compared to the 66.8 per cent polling recorded in 2019. Similarly, Kolkata Port and Ballygunje recorded a voter turnout of 64 per cent and 59.5 per cent, respectively, as against 64.2 per cent and 66.2 per cent polling recorded during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, respectively. As far as vote share is concerned, Trinamool had an edge over the saffron brigade in the last Lok Sabha polls. Despite a strong BJP wind in the state that helped the saffron party win 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, Trinamool was successful in holding back its forte in these four seats in South Kolkata. The Assembly seat-wise analysis shows that Trinamool's Mala Roy maintained her lead in three of the four Assembly constituencies. Rashbehari was the only constituency where BJP candidate Chandra Bose was able to win over his Trinamool counterpart. Though the Election Commission deployed 64 companies of central forces, both the Trinamool and the Congress complained of excesses of forces. Trinamool candidate from Rashbehari, Debasish Kumar, alleged that he was stopped from entering the polling booth. Trinamool candidate from Bhowanipore, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, also alleged that central forces stopped him from entering the Sri Sri Academy booth in Chetla. Congress candidate from Bhowanipore, Ashutosh Chattopadhyay, alleged that he was stopped from entering a polling booth. Kumar later informed the Election Commission about the matter and the state Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab called up the ADG (Law and Order) and instructed him to do the needful in this regard. [April 26, 2021] Boeing Team Creates Complex COVID-19 Nurse Schedule in a Week using FICO Optimization LONDON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlights: Boeing's crew solution team used its Jeppesen digital software and FICO Xpress Optimization to produce a nursing schedule for Karolinska University Hospital, the second largest hospital in Sweden Xpress Optimization to produce a nursing schedule for Karolinska University Hospital, the second largest hospital in The schedules for 300 nurses had to be completed in a week as the hospital ramped up its capacity to cope with the COVID-19 crisis Boeing's team has won the 2021 FICO Decisions Award for AI, Machine Learning & Optimization Boeing's market leading Jeppesen digital aviation software solved a crucial nurse scheduling problem for the intensive care unit (ICU) for Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden's second largest hospital, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Jeppesen Crew Rostering, which employs FICO Xpress Optimization, Boeing created rosters for over 300 nurses and healthcare workers during the peak period, resulting in more workable shifts for staff and better coverage for the hospital. For its achievements, Boeing's crew solution team has won the 2021 FICO Decisions Award for AI, Machine Learning & Optimization. More information: https://www.fico.com/en/products/fico-xpress-solver A Challenge with a Human Cost The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic turned everything on its head, creating an immediate need to rapidly expand intensive care units, and challenged the existing employment practices and regulation. The virus was spreading throughout Sweden and Karolinska University Hospital needed to scale up their operation significantly to cope with the rapidly increasing volume of patients. In order to do so, a larger workforce was established by adding people from various other care units and a Swedish Crisis Agreement, which changed the regulation around working hours and salaries, was put into effect. Karolinska needed to create a plan to ensure that this much larger workforce, with a new work agreement, would operate safely and effectively. Additionally, the plan needed to be in place within a week to be able to produce schedules for the ICU's nurses and assistant nurses. The hospital approached Boeing's crew solution team in Gothenburg, to solve this urgent problem. "The biggest challenge, by far, was time," said Daniel Roth, Senior Business Advisor with Boeing. "We only had a week to produce the initial schedule, which had to incorporate who could work when, individual nurse competences, special requirements with respect to thir schedules, and other factors. This data was not available in a structured way, but rather in the heads of current schedulers and management. Fortunately, our extensively used aviation solution with FICO Xpress Optimization as an integral part, enables an end-user to quickly build schedules." Optimization Solves Complex Problems Fast When factoring in the labor rules of the Crisis Agreement, it became apparent that the Crisis Agreement work limits exceeded those at which a human being can work for an extended period of time. Therefore, it was essential to establish reasonable workloads and shift patterns. In the end, the structure ended up being two types of 12.5 hour overlapping shifts, meaning 56 per week. 7 different competence profiles were established, with minimum requirements per shift and an objective to maximize coverage. "The resulting optimization problems fall into the class of NP-Hard in complexity theory, meaning one cannot expect to solve larger instances exactly in reasonable time," said Tomas Gustafsson, Portfolio Manager with Boeing. "The Jeppesen solution approach combines heuristics and exact methods to reach those practical run times, where the sub-problem linear and integer programs are solved using FICO Xpress." Once a first solution was produced, a joint Karolinska-Boeing solution team intensively refined the schedule over a few days and nights. This included determining what work patterns were possible, changing the problem slightly, re-running and producing a new solution. "None of this would have been possible without the speed, flexibility and robustness of the underlying optimization algorithm, of which FICO Xpress is an essential part," added Gustafsson. The situation at Karolinska ICUs this spring was overwhelming and unprecedented. The staff were working at extreme levels, exposing and risking their health and life, but diligently coping with the influx of patients. "Expanding the ICU and quickly implementing Boeing's Jeppesen-optimized scheduling system enabled for more efficient, safer work and eased some of the burden the hospital faced through the height of the pandemic," said Roth. "It is hard to put a number on the benefits and performance of an effort like this, but we believe we have, in our own small way, contributed to battling the pandemic and supporting those on the frontlines." "This is a fantastic use of optimization to solve one of the most pressing problems worldwide last year," said Nikhil Behl chief marketing officer at FICO. "Anyone looking for examples of the positive benefits of using optimization should look at what Boeing and Karolinska did in a matter of days to help healthcare professionals manage the coronavirus crisis." "Boeing adapted its Jeppesen airline and railway scheduling optimization system to solve ICU nurse scheduling problems during the pandemic," said Lisa Morgan, contributing writer at InformationWeek and one of the FICO Decisions Awards judges. "The judges were impressed how quickly Boeing's team understood the problem, addressed it, and implemented a solution. These data scientists did an excellent job of rising to the occasion." About the FICO Decisions Awards The FICO Decisions Awards recognize organizations that are achieving remarkable success using FICO solutions. A panel of independent judges with deep industry expertise evaluates nominations based upon measurable improvement in key metrics; demonstrated use of best practices; project scale, depth and breadth; and innovative uses of technology. The 2021 judges are: Prasanna Dhore, chief data & analytics and innovation officer, Equifax chief data & analytics and innovation officer, David Dittmann , vice president, data & analytics, P&G (2019 winner) vice president, data & analytics, Rene Javier Guzman, market & liquidity risks director at Banreservas (2019 winner) market & liquidity risks director at Tomas Klinger , decision science and data director at Home Credit (2019 winner) decision science and data director at Marcel Le Gouais, managing editor at Credit Strategy managing editor at Tiffani Montez , banking analyst at Aite banking analyst at Lisa Morgan , journalist & analyst at InformationWeek journalist & analyst at Ignazio Provinzano , head of risk operations at Swisscard (2019 winner) The winners of the FICO Decisions Awards will be spotlighted at and win tickets to FICO World 2021, the Decisions Conference, November 2021 in Orlando, Florida. About FICO FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956 and based in Silicon Valley, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 195 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 120 countries do everything from protecting 2.6 billion payment cards from fraud, to helping people get credit, to ensuring that millions of airplanes and rental cars are in the right place at the right time. Learn more at www.fico.com . FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the US and other countries View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boeing-team-creates-complex-covid-19-nurse-schedule-in-a-week-using-fico-optimization-301276280.html SOURCE FICO [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 21:48:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- On April 26, 1986, the reactor core of the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl began to melt, setting into motion one of the greatest nuclear disasters in human history. Thirty-five years later, the aftershock of the Chernobyl nuclear accident remains sobering. The Chernobyl disaster serves as a reminder that nuclear leakage is a tragedy for all humankind, and the peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy allows no room for negligence. The Chernobyl nuclear accident directly contaminated an area of more than 60,000 square kilometers, and exposed more than 3.2 million people to dangerous levels of radiation. Handling the aftermath of the accident has been long and costly, including monitoring nuclear radiation levels, cleaning contaminated soil, and offering rehabilitation for people exposed to radiation. Sadly, 25 years after the Chernobyl disaster, Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a catastrophic nuclear accident. The Chernobyl disaster also serves as a reminder that it is the responsibility of relevant parties to respond to a nuclear accident in a timely and appropriate manner. After the Fukushima accident, Japan did not take timely and proper measures, letting nuclear fuel continue to seep deep into the soil. Tokyo Electric Power Company repeatedly concealed and falsified relevant information. The Japanese government, on the other hand, has decided to release contaminated water into the sea before exhausting all safe ways of disposal without sufficient consultation with neighboring countries and international organizations. What the Japanese side has done harms the interests of others and itself, and invites numerous troubles in the future. Moreover, the Chernobyl disaster serves as a reminder that it is critical to stay vigilant about Western double standards and the lies fabricated by some Western countries and media. While provoking strong criticism at home and abroad, Japan's decision to release contaminated water into the sea was publicly backed by the United States. Some Western media either kept silent or downplayed this issue. Such acts of double standards are burying the truth for lies and shifting Japan's crisis to the entire world. Thirty-five years after the Chernobyl disaster, humanity must learn from the tragedy of history, and respond to Japan's decision to dump contaminated nuclear plant water into the ocean. May the Chernobyl disaster never be repeated, and may mankind work with responsibility and courage to protect our planet. Enditem WARE The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has provided Baystate Health with a list of essential services it wants addressed before granting permission to close Baystate Mary Lane Outpatient Center. The Springfield-based provider has been asked to respond in early May. The DPH regulatory process is moving forward as expected, said Molly Gray, president and chief administrative officer of Baystate Health Eastern Region. We are preparing the closure plan requested by DPH in its letter to us dated April 16, 2021 and will continue to work with DPH to address its regulatory requirements. Baystate Health plans to close the emergency department by June and shutter the facility completely within two years. In an April 16 letter to Baystate Health, the state DPH says they have 15 days from receipt of the notification to respond. The department oversees requests when a provider wants to close a hospital or eliminate essential services, The plan the Hospital submits to the Department will be reviewed to determine if it appropriately assures access to the essential services in question following the plans to close the Satellite Emergency Facility and discontinue other hospital-based services at Baystate Mary Lane Outpatient Center, the state DPH wrote. Among the items the state has requested Baystate Health address are transportation issues and increased time it would take for the approximately 200,000 people the Ware area to access health care. The DPH letter asks Baystate Health to describe how patients in the Hospitals service area will access the services at alternative delivery sites. The protocol should specifically address the following: (a) The process that will be employed to effectively refer patients to other facilities or providers; (b) The impact that this may have on the current occupancy rates at alternative delivery sites; (c) The ability of the alternative delivery sites to meet the needs of these patients; and (d) Other alternatives if medical needs cannot be accommodated at the proposed alternative sites. Plans call for Ware Fire Department ambulances to plan to take patients to the emergency department at Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer, which is nine miles away. Baystate Health merged Wing and Mary Lane in 2016. The merger involved eliminating the inpatient operation at Mary Lane in an effort to close a $150,000-a-month budget gap. The two hospitals were competitors until 2014, when Worcesters UMass Memorial Health Care transferred Wing to Baystate. UMass had operated Wing for 15 years prior to that. Baystate Health plans to close its Mary Lane Satellite Emergency Facility in June. Some work will shift to Wing, while cancer care services will transition to the DAmour Center for Cancer Care in Springfield. All the other services from Mary Lane, including imaging, 3D mammography and rehabilitation services, obstetrics and pediatric medical practices, will move to Wing over about two years as Baystate designs and completes $10 million to $15 million in improvements there. About 80 employees at Mary Lane will see their jobs transferred or will be offered other jobs within the 12,000-employee Baystate Health system. No layoffs are expected. This month marks the 18th anniversary of the Pong Su incident, one of Australias most fascinating true crime stories, which climaxed with Australian special forces troops seizing the North Korean vessel and crew after a dangerous four-day ocean pursuit. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have released a special episode of The Last Voyage of the Pong Su podcast in which Curtis and Dhammadamrong reveal how the drug investigation known as Operation Sorbet began with a phone call to the Australian embassy by a man with dual motivations. Retired Major General Surajhet Dhammadamrong, head of intelligence at Royal Thai Police narcotics bureau. Close to the godfather Dhammadamrong told the podcast the source was close to one of the godfathers of a major Asian crime syndicate that had teamed with elements of the North Korean state to import more than $100 million worth of heroin into Australia. This drug kingpin was still at large and still in business, Dhammadamrong said. So was the source, making confirmation of his existence a very sensitive and top secret matter for the Thai police. Both he and Curtis asked The Age and Herald not to identify the crime syndicate boss for fear it could endanger the source. Some of the drugs brought in on the Pong Su. Credit:James Davies Dhammadamrong said the narco boss had criminal, political and military contacts throughout south-east Asia and a stake in semi-legal casinos in Cambodia, which he used to launder drug money and bestow largesse on corrupt politicians. It is natural for police to question the motivations of a source offering to divulge information from the criminal. And for Curtis and Dhammadamrong, it became apparent their source was driven by two things: a genuine concern about the damage so much heroin would do if it hit the street, and money. You want to get some rewards, Dhammadamrong said. He wants to make sure if he gave all [the] information to us, we can protect him and his family ... this is a dangerous situation for him, for his life and the family. The Age and Herald have confirmed the source received a sum of money from the Australian government for his information. Curtis would not say how much, pointing to the AFPs policy not to comment on such matters. But Dhammadamrong said the source was disappointed when he saw how much money the Australian government was prepared to spend to destroy the Pong Su with a laser-guided bomb, compared with what it paid him for information that would save lives and endanger his own. The heroin smuggling ship Pong Su is sunk off the NSW coast. Credit:Channel Nine Putting the source to work As interesting as the sources information about a big heroin shipment heading for Australia was, there was little Curtis or Dhammadamrong could do about it without more specifics. So they set tasks for their source. They asked him to slip questions into conversations. To get names of people involved so Australian authorities could check incoming arrivals records. One of the most important things the source came back with was the address of an apartment in Bangkok where the drug kingpin was staying. The Thai police got a technical crew to install electronic surveillance devices in the apartment. We got the intelligence papers from his house [information] about the phones, about the deal, Dhammadamrong said. The Pong Su. Credit:Jane Dyson The source was getting such good information that he was even able to tell Curtis and the General something very few people knew. One thing that the intelligence came from the source was the name of the ship. I remember the name of the ship [was] MV Pong Su, Dhammadamrong said. It was the first time anyone outside the criminal syndicate or the North Koreans were made aware of the ships involvement. This is as serious as it gets As careful as the source was about his own security in addition to the Thai polices counter- surveillance measures to ensure he was not being followed to his meetings with Curtis and Dhammadamrong he knew any misstep could lead to death. Sitting with Curtis one day, he pulled out his mobile phone and played a grainy video. It showed a man sitting in his car at traffic lights being approached by two men on foot. The men opened the car doors and pumped bullets into the hapless driver. Curtis said the source told him that he had known the man and that he had been assassinated because he was suspected to have betrayed the crime syndicate. GREENWICH - Residents joined Greenwich High School students who led a beach cleanup at Greenwich Point Park on Saturday in Greenwich. The Earth Day event, "Live Like Luke" is in memory of a GHS student, Luke Meyers, who died of cancer in 2019. Meyers, the 15-year-old who died after a 20-month battle with glioblastoma, was a budding scientist at Greenwich High School and a passionate conservationist, with dreams of building a career to battle climate change. But his mission lives on through his classmates and fellow members of Greenwich High's Environmental Action Club, which organized the cleanup in his memory. "That's why the cleanup is called 'Live Like Luke,' because he's such an inspiring person and it's something we should all strive to live for because he was such a selfless person," said Caitlin O'Brien, an organizer and co-president of the Environmental Action Club at GHS. This beach was dear to Meyers, an Old Greenwich resident who volunteered at the Bruce Museum's Seaside Center at Greenwich Point. Before his death, Meyers contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation about creating an exhibition at the park focused on rising sea levels and the effects of climate change on marine life in Long Island Sound. In February, the Bruce Museum announced it will create a climate change exhibit, which could be open by late summer, in Meyers' memory. In the scramble to reach herd immunity and return to normal life, some communities and organizations have offered incentives in an effort to persuade some people to roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine. In the scramble to reach herd immunity and return to normal life, some communities and organizations have offered incentives in an effort to persuade some people to roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine. Personal-care homes in Winnipeg have held prize draws. Cross Lake and Peguis First Nations have done the same. Peguis Chief Glenn Hudson doesnt know whether to credit the incentive or overall enthusiasm for the vaccine effort, but he said Friday that 55 per cent of the reserves population has had a shot and the community has used all of its available supply. "Now that the upside of Wave 3 is here, I think theyre taking it a lot more seriously," said Hudson. Door prizes arent uncommon at special events in First Nations communities, said Denise Bear, who works at the Peguis Health Centre. "Thats nothing new," she said. Recently, provincial jails offered a bag of chips, a bottle of pop, a chocolate bar, a 15-minute phone call to family and a meat and cheese tray to share among any unit reaching 90 per cent of inmates vaccinated. The results were disastrous. Anger toward hesitant inmates at Headingley Correction Centre ended in at least one beating and the suspected intimidation of three others. Regardless of the apparent success or failure of vaccination incentives, they raise many questions. "First of all, you need to know what the problem is," said Arthur Schafer, a bioethicist and founding director of the University of Manitobas Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics. The goal of a vaccination program is to immunize enough people in any given community to reach herd immunity. Before considering incentives for getting a shot, Schafer said, you need to know if vaccine hesitancy or vaccine hostility, which he considers a separate issue threatens a populations ability to reach that critical point. Its unknown what percentage of people must be vaccinated to reach herd immunity for COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. Estimates range anywhere from 60 to 90 per cent. For context, it takes about 80 per cent of the population to be vaccinated against polio. The threshold is near 95 per cent for measles. If the results of a recent Doctors Manitoba survey are accurate, reaching COVID-19 herd immunity is going to be a challenge. It found 26 per cent of adults are hesitant about the vaccine. The 74 per cent remainder becomes all the more ominous, because adults comprise just 57 per cent of the provinces population; Manitobans under the age of 18 arent yet eligible for the vaccine. Incentive programs may not strike the core of hesitancy, said Schafer. After all, a number of "intrinsic incentives" already exist: it protects you from a harmful and potentially fatal virus, it protects your family and friends and if herd immunity is achieved, it allows public-health officials to lift restrictions. "The two main problems are access and trust," he said. Obstacles to vaccination will likely cause fewer people to get vaccinated, he said. Three Winnipeg neighbourhoods Downtown East, Inkster East and Point Douglas South had barriers to vaccination removed Friday. The province announced residents and some workers in these areas are now eligible. "Were all really excited about it," said Greg MacPherson, executive director at West Broadway Community Organization, which is in the Downtown East neighbourhood. "This is a great chance to get a lot of people who have other barriers in their life a chance to get vaccinated," he said. The organization has been working with other community groups to figure out how to get services to the people they serve, most of whom are without private vehicles, he said, so accessibility is crucial. He said hed like to see local vaccination sites. In Vancouvers Downtown Eastside, the nucleus of Canadas struggles with the brutal P.1 COVID-19 variant, Guy Felicella, peer adviser at Vancouver Coastal Health, has been working to make vaccinations more accessible to his areas population. "What weve found early on was a lot of people have major challenges with poverty and substance-use disorders and homelessness," he said. "So asking them to come to our clinic would be rather challenging." Instead, his organization set up clinics at a high-traffic intersection and offered on-the-spot vaccinations. Felicella said the increased accessibility has proved an "extremely successful" tactic. People who roll up their sleeves are offered $5 to get an injection, but he doesnt believe it played a major part in the overall success rate. "There were some people that didnt even take the five bucks," he said. "They didnt want it." Vancouvers Downtown Eastside and Winnipegs West Broadway area have a similar demographic of low-income workers. When they have to book time off and face the prospect of lost wages, theres a disincentive to get a shot, Schafer said. Thats a big concern, because low-income workers may be more likely to be exposed to the virus at their jobs. Thats why the provincial or federal government should require employers to offer paid time off to get the vaccine, similar to how employers must provide time off to vote in elections. The other big issue is trust, said Schafer. The long and dubious histories of many "Big Pharma" companies may have eroded trust in the drugs they produce, he said. A national production site for vaccines, which Canada lacks, he said, could help people get beyond their hesitancy by eliminating companies they feel they cant trust. fpcity@freepress.mb.ca Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. ROME, APR 26 - An Italian missionary bishop, the youngest-ever Italian bishop, was hurt in an ambush in South Sudan on Monday. Rumbek Bishop-elect and Combonian missionary Christian Carlassare, 43, is in hospital in a stable condition after being wounded by two armed men, the Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre (Help for the Suffering Church, ACS) pontifical foundation said. Appointed by Pope Francis on March 8, Father Carlassare was due to be formally ordained bishop at the end of May. "Pray rather not for me but for the people of Rumbek who are suffering more than me," said Father Carlassare, in a statement reported by the Combionians' Nigrizia website. It said the bishop "is out of danger and the CUAMM doctors are taking care of him in the hospital in Rumbek, but he has lost a lot of blood and will be moved shortly to the capital Juba and then Nairobi, where he will have a transfusion. "Conscious and suffering, Father Christian directly phoned his family to inform them". The Fides news agency said "Father Christian was beaten, together with a nun who was with him, and then they shot four bullets into his legs. "According to the initial news the attack was planned to scare him so that he is not ordained bishop". The Rumbek bishopric has been vacant since Msgr Cesare Mazzolari died in 2011. (ANSA). The government is injecting renewed vigour into the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) to bring an end to the disturbing development. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who said this, indicated that in his first term, he had embarked on a fight to deal with the problem, but that did not attain the results the government wanted. He said, however, that this time round, the government was investing dynamism and energy to reinvigorate the fight for the country to witness greater progress in saving the environment. President Akufo-Addo, who gave the assurance when the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, led the members of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council to pay a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday, said by all means the country must do away with illegal mining. I intend to do everything within my power in this second term to bring this galamsey menace to a conclusion in Ghana, he assured the delegation. Importance The President stated that dealing with illegal mining was of great importance to him and expressed worry that great rivers such as the Birim, Pra, Ankobra and other water bodies were being destroyed, adding that the new fight would culminate in something positive. He noted that it was incumbent on the current generation to ensure that the water bodies, lands and other resources bequeathed to them were taken good care of, and that as beneficiaries, they should use them sustainably and leave them in a better state for future generations. DCEs and development projects Reacting to concerns raised by the chiefs about some district chief executives (DCEs) who undertook development projects without engaging the traditional authorities, President Akufo-Addo expressed surprise at the development, He stated that any DCE who did not collaborate and consult with the traditional authorities in his administration had failed woefully and asked the chiefs to let him know those DCEs who engaged in such acts, so that he would consider such an attitude when naming the next batch of DCEs. Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021 This is the essence of local government consulting with the stakeholders on the ground and making sure that their concerns are addressed. So if you do not do that, then you have failed as a DCE, he added. President Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that the request for the dualisation of the Nsawam-Nkawkaw stretch would be given greater attention. Chiefs commended President Akufo-Addo, who is a Royal from Akyem Abuakwa, commended the chiefs and the people of Akyem Abuakwa for constantly supporting his bid to become President and ensuring that he also attained his second term. But for you, I would not be here as President. A lot of people do not know the Okyenhene is my younger brother. And it is for this reason that you should continue to support me to be successful, he urged the chiefs. Excellent job The Gyasehene of Akyem Abuakwa, Daasebre Ayimedu Kantamanto, commended President Akufo-Addo for the excellent manner in which he executed his first term, which was marked with success stories such as free senior high school (SHS) and the aggressive fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted with concern the rate at which illegal mining was destroying the environment, especially water bodies and land for food production. 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 Travellers forced into hotel quarantine when COVID-19 restrictions changed while they were flying into Brisbane from Perth on Friday night will be let out. Dozens of passengers were forced to isolate upon landing as Queensland authorities closed the border while they were on the flight following Western Australias lockdown. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces on Today that the quarantined passengers would be released on Tuesday. Credit:Nine The flight had been delayed by six hours, leaving them caught out midair. Passengers said they saw initial statements from Queensland authorities about the need for returning residents to isolate at home and organise a coronavirus test. The U.S. will share its entire supply of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines with world nations once the shot is approved by federal safety regulators, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients told the Associated Press on Monday. The U.S. is expected to produce up to 60 million AstraZeneca doses that can be exported in the coming months. The news comes as coronavirus spread continues to ravage large nations including India and Brazil. Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the U.S. already has and that have been authorized by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months, Zients said. Therefore the U.S. is looking at options to share the AstraZeneca doses with other countries as they become available. The White House is confident that the U.S. supply of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines is enough to vaccinate all Americans. The Biden administration has already exported 4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Canada and Mexico. AstraZeneca doses are currently in use in dozens of world countries, and was central to the U.K.s vaccination program that is credited with driving down coronavirus spread in that country. Other European nations briefly halted distribution of the vaccine to investigate a blood clotting issue that may be a rare side effect of the vaccine. As of April 4, European regulators said that around 222 recipients in the European Union and the U.K. had developed the clot out of over 34 million people who received the vaccine in total. More from National Review Pune, India, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market size is projected to reach USD 13.16 billion by the end of 2028. The presence of several large scale companies will have a positive impact on the growth of the market in the upcoming years. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled, Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market, 2021-2028, the market was worth USD 3.48 billion in 2020 and will exhibit a CAGR of 18.1% during the forecast period, 2021-2028. Industry Developments: July 2019: Invitae announced that it will be acquiring Singular Bio, a company specializing in single-molecule cell-free DNA analysis. The collaboration will be aimed at developing non-invasive prenatal tests. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/sample/non-invasive-prenatal-testing-market-100998 List of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing Providers Profiled in the Report: Illumina, Inc. (U.S.) YOURGENE HEALTH (U.K.) Natera (U.S.) F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland) PerkinElmer Inc. (U.S.) Laboratory Corporation of America (U.S.) Eurofins LifeCodexx GmbH (Germany) Others COVID-19 Pandemic to Have a Minimal Impact on NIPT Manufacturers The COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse effect on several industries across the world. Several reputed companies operating in the non-invasive prenatal testing industry are constantly keeping in touch with the U.S. FDA to get to know detailed information about supply chain disruptions. Also, research institutes are conducting many studies to determine the effect of the coronavirus on births and pregnancies. SeraCares report, for instance, declares that clinical testing laboratories and in-vitro diagnostics manufacturers are working closely to determine the interference of SARS-CoV-2 infection on childbirths. To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/non-invasive-prenatal-testing-market-100998 NGS Segment Held 77.8% Share in 2020, reports Fortune Business Insights Based on the product, the market is categorized into instruments and consumables & reagents. By end-users, it is bifurcated into clinical laboratories and hospitals. Lastly, based on the technology, it is divided into rolling circular amplification, PCR, microarray, and NGS. Out of these, the NGS segment generated 77.8% in terms of the non-invasive prenatal testing market share in 2020. It is anticipated to remain at the forefront stoked by its usage in a wide range of applications, especially for analyzing the risk of foetal chromosomal anomalies. Report Coverage- This research report includes in-depth information about the Non Invasive Prenatal Testing industry. The data present in it is related to drastic changes in material usage, unique product launches, and technological advancements. It offers dynamics based on various factors, such as opportunities, challenges, drivers, and restraints. In addition to that, it will deliver a complete insight from the supply side respondents related to market share, distribution, and size. Quick Buy - Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/100998 Rising Number of Company Mergers and Acquisitions to Have a Huge Impact on Market Growth The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the overall market in recent years. Amongst them, the increasing number of company collaborations has made the highest impact on the market growth. In March 2019, for instance, Natera announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with QIAGEN. Through this collaboration, the company will develop breakthrough cell-free DNA assays. These companies will further capitalize on QIAGENs GeneReader NGS System. Such collaborations are aimed at advancing in the NIPT sector and more companies will look to maximize the use of technologically advanced concepts. Nateras collaboration with QIAGEN is among the major company collaborations of recent times that have had a major say on the growth of the non-invasive prenatal testing market. North America to Emerge Dominant; Presence of Several Diagnostic Centres to Aid Growth The report analyses the ongoing market trends across five major regions, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among all regions, the market in North America is projected to emerge dominant in the upcoming years. The increasing penetration of non-invasive prenatal testing will bode well for the growth of the regional market. The increasing incidence of Down syndrome among babies, especially in the United States will have a massive impact on the growth of the regional market. The rising investments in the research and development of efficient NIPT by large scale companies in this region will emerge in favor of market growth. As of 2020, the market in North America was worth USD 1.79 billion and this value is projected to increase further in the forthcoming years. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/non-invasive-prenatal-testing-market-100998 Key Players Aim to Develop New Tests to Cater to High Consumer Demand Worldwide The market for non-invasive prenatal testing is highly consolidated with the presence of numerous companies. Most of them are participating in the strategy of partnerships and acquisitions to cater to the increasing demand from consumers. Some of the others are trying to conduct extensive R&D activities to unveil new technologies in the field of non-invasive prenatal testing. Table Of Contents : Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Technological Advancements in Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Techniques Number of NIPT Tests Performed, Key Regions, 2019 Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing Market Key Industry Developments - Mergers, Acquisitions, Etc. Global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Product Consumables & Reagents Instruments Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Technology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Microarray Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Rolling Circular Amplification Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End User Hospitals Diagnostic Laboratories Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa North America Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Product Consumables & Reagents Instruments Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Technology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Microarray Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Rolling Circular Amplification Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End User Hospitals Diagnostic Laboratories Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country U.S. Consumables & Reagents Instruments Canada Consumables & Reagents Instruments Toc Continue.. Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/non-invasive-prenatal-testing-market-100998 SECONDARY RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED TO DERIVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: Details such as revenues, market share, strategies, growth rate, product & their pricing by region/country for all major companies Details in relation to prevalence, incidence, patient numbers, distribution of patients, average price of treatment, etc. Number of end user facilities by region/country and average annual spending or procurement of devices by type of end user facility Number of procedures and average price of procedures Replacement rate and pricing of capital equipment Market dynamics in relation to the market under focus Drivers, restraints, trends, and opportunities Market & technological trends, new product developments, product pipeline. Have a Look at Related Reports: Heparin Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Unfractionated Heparin (UFH), and Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH)), By Source , By Application (Deep Vein Thrombosis & Pulmonary Embolism, Atrial Fibrillation, Heart Attacks, Stroke, and Others), By Route of Administration, By End User , and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Arthroscopy Fluid Management Disposables Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product (Pump Management Disposables and Gravity Management Disposables), By Application (Hospitals, Medical Centers, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Liver Cancer Therapeutics Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Therapy Type (Targeted Drug Therapy, Immunotherapy, and Chemotherapy), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, and Online Pharmacy), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Immunomodulators Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Immunosuppressant, Immunostimulants), By Application (Oncology, Respiratory, Multiple Sclerosis, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Medical X-ray Market Size, Share & Covid-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Static and Dynamic), By Technology Type (Analog and Digital), By Application (Dental, Veterinary, Cardiovascular Oncology, and Others), By End-User (Hospitals & Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Coming down heavily on the Election Commission (EC) by calling it as the 'the most irresponsible institution in the country', the Madras High Court on Monday said that officials of EC should be tried for murder charges for their failure to stop abuse of COVID protocol in political rallies thereby contributing to the pandemic. While hearing a plea moved by state transport minister MR Vijayabhaskhar, the bench of chief justice Sanjib Banerjee and justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, said, "You (EC) are the only institution responsible for the situation we are in today and you have been singularly lacking any kind of exercise of authority. You have not taken measures against political parties holding rallies despite the court saying "Maintain Covid protocol, maintain Covid protocol." It says, "Were you on another planet when political rallies were being held? Despite repeated orders of this court going on like a broken record at the foot of at least every election petition entertained that COVID protocol ought to be maintaining during the campaign time the significance of adhering to such protocol may have been lost on the Election Commission going by the puerile silence on the part of the Commission as campaigns and rallies were conducted without distancing norms being maintained and in wanton disregard of the other items of the protocol." "We assure you that we will stop counting if we do not find before 2nd May a blueprint on how proper maintenance of Covid protocol is assured so that this state does not succumb to the idiosyncrasies any further," the bench observed. The chief justice also observed that public health is of paramount importance and that it was distressing to remind constitutional authorities on the counting and possibilities of a further surge after 2nd May. "...appropriate measures have to be adopted at every counting centre and it is upon...regular sanitisation, proper hygienic conditions, the mandatory wearing of masks and adherence to distancing norms should any counting begin or be continued," the bench said in its order. The Tamil Nadu state transport minister had petitioned the court seeking direction to the EC, to follow a slew of measures in ensuring fairness during the counting of votes on 2nd May for Karur constituency where he had contested the elections as an AIADMK candidate. There were 77 candidates in fray at Karur constituency. On Wednesday, April 28, at 14.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Electoral sentiments, attitude of Ukrainians to current events on agenda" according to the results of a representative survey conducted by the CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) method or telephone interview from April 23 to April 26 2021, with 3,000 respondents interviewed. Participants include analyst, sociologist of the Kyiv Institute of Sociological and Marketing Research Olha Chyzhevska; social psychologist, director of the Kyiv Institute of Sociological and Marketing Research Andriy Diahil (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Details by phone: (096) 344 9267, (063) 374 9233. During the period the restrictive measures introduced in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic in Kyiv are in effect, the presence of media representatives is not allowed in the press center of the agency, only speakers are present in the hall. During the broadcast, it is possible to follow the event and ask questions to the speakers in the broadcast chat. Commentary: CPC's hard-earned governance has a solid foundation Xinhua) 09:22, April 26, 2021 BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Looking back on the past 100 years, the cause of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has always been advanced through overcoming various challenges. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Sunday visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, where he paid homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle. From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army, which was the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, carried out the legendary Long March, a daring military maneuver that laid the foundation for the eventual victory of the CPC. In the winter of 1934, the Red Army, through the hard-fought Battle of the Xiangjiang River, successfully crossed the river and broke through the Kuomintang troops' blockade, but tens of thousands of them sacrificed their lives. Battles such as this have tested the will, courage, and strength of the CPC and highlighted the CPC's resilience in overcoming major challenges. The revolutionary martyrs did not sacrifice in vain. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the CPC has led the Chinese people to create economic miracles and long-term social stability. The spirit of dedication carried over in the age of peace. Over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have all been lifted out of poverty, ensuring that absolute poverty no longer exists in the world's most populous country. Numerous examples like these have demonstrated that the 100 years of the CPC not only depict extraordinary success but also a history of dedication. These sacrifices will never be forgotten by the Party, the people, or the republic. With firm belief and consistent actions of putting the people at the very center, the CPC remains committed to serving the people and relying on them in all endeavors, and it engages in a tireless effort to make life better for them. That explains why the Chinese people's support rate for the CPC and the government has been above 90 percent for years. The CPC as China's governing party is a choice of history. Public support is the key to the CPC's strength and confidence in long-term governance. It is important to draw lessons from history and be clear-headed and determined to prepare for future tests in delivering performances that can withstand the test of time in the new era. To fully build a modern socialist country by the mid-century would be no walk in the park. It will take more than drum beating and gong clanging to get there, with the whole Party working even harder toward this goal. Reviewing the history, the spirit of tenacity and perseverance in overcoming challenges will be a valuable source of strength, empowering the Party to lead the Chinese people to make new remarkable achievements. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) Thank you for subscribing! By signing up to this free newsletter you agree to receive occasional emails from us informing you about our products and services. You can opt out of these emails at any time. While reporting a recent article on the drug overdose crisis in San Francisco, I called Thomas Wolf, one of the loudest critics of the citys policies, to run past him what I was hearing from professors and other experts who have spent their lives studying drug use. Forgive me for saying this, Wolf politely told me, but those people who you said you talked to the experts they have never shot dope, man. They never stuck a needle in their neck. They never spent a night on the street. Wolf has done all of those things, which makes him one of the most poignant voices in the debate over what San Francisco should do to address an epidemic that claimed 713 lives last year, more than twice as many as died from the coronavirus in the city in 2020. I took in Wolfs main message: that the rampant availability of drugs in San Francisco, especially the fast-acting and very often deadly opioid fentanyl, makes it very difficult for users to successfully seek treatment and recover. What Im pushing for is an urgency for the city to expand and promote drug treatment for people, he said. Its not enough to just hand out clean needles. We need to take it a step further and get you off the street. When Wolf and I walked through the Tenderloin last week, we stopped at the doorway where, for a few months in 2018, he used to sleep on a piece of cardboard. He spoke of the depths that he sank to as an addict. When he was still living at home, he would drive to the Tenderloin in the family minivan with his children in the back seats. To pay for his habit, he liquidated his life savings and stole razor blades from Target to fence on the streets. He worked as a mule for Honduran dealers, carrying their drugs in gym socks. You can study homelessness and addiction in a book all day long, Wolf told me. But until you have experienced the power of addiction and the things you thought you would never resort to, you dont really understand. Wolf, whose mother immigrated from Mexico, spoke to the dealers in Spanish and helped them wire money to their families in Honduras. They showed him pictures of the homes they were building with their drug earnings. Wolf noted the fancy furnishings and the new cars in the driveways. Eight of the people Wolf met when he was on the streets are now dead from overdoses. Wolf was arrested five times between April and June 2018 for drug possession. The sixth time, he was jailed and charged with violating a stay-away order and intent to sell drugs. In jail, he was given medication to help relieve his withdrawal symptoms. He was bailed out by his brother on the condition that he enter rehab. He is now back with his family. A lifelong Democrat, Wolf said he shares the goals of harm reduction in San Francisco. But he argues that some of the programs that the city funds, like handing out foil and straws to fentanyl users, cross the line into enabling drug use. The citys nonjudgmental approach to drug use is hurting the people it is meant to help, he said. The Tenderloin has always been the drug users and dealers epicenter in San Francisco, Wolf said. But in recent years, youve created the environment of easy access to drugs 24/7. Its nearly impossible to get clean and its impossible to stay clean, he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are deeply saddened by the latest loss of at least two lives after a boat capsized off Venezuelas shores on Thursday 22 April. According to local authorities, at least 24 people including several children are believed to have been on board the boat heading towards the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Seven people were rescued by commercial Venezuelan vessels, and two bodies have so far been recovered, while rescue operations are ongoing to find other survivors among the 15 Venezuelans that are still unaccounted for according to authorities. The waters of the Caribbean Sea continue to claim the lives of Venezuelans, said Eduardo Stein, Joint Special Representative of UNHCR and IOM for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants. As the conditions in the country continue to deteriorate all worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic people continue to undertake life-threatening journeys. This is the latest of several incidents involving the capsizing of boats carrying Venezuelan refugees and migrants towards Caribbean islands, the most recent reported near the Venezuelan city of Guiria in December last year. With land and maritime borders still closed to limit COVID-19 transmission, these journeys take place mainly through irregular routes, heightening the dangers as well as health and protection risks. Shipwrecks, tragic deaths at border crossings and further suffering are avoidable, but only if immediate and concerted international action is mobilized to find pragmatic solutions that put saving lives and protecting human rights at the forefront of any response, added Stein. The establishment of regular and safe pathways, including through humanitarian visas and family reunification, as well as the implementation of protection-sensitive entry systems and adequate reception mechanisms, can prevent the use of irregular routes, smuggling and trafficking. UNHCR and IOM reiterate their readiness to lend support and technical expertise in exploring practical solutions to provide regular pathways that also take into account COVID-19 prevention measures. UNHCR and IOM, as co-leaders of the Interagency Coordination Platform for refugees and migrants from Venezuela (R4V), work with at least 24 other partners and governments across the Caribbean to meet the needs of refugees and migrants in the sub-region. There are over 5 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants around the world, 200,000 of whom are estimated to be hosted in the Caribbean. For more information on this topic, please contact: In Panama: In Geneva: Travel Insurance in the COVID-19 Era After more than a year of the pandemic lockdown, weve planned a June trip to Anguilla, a Caribbean island known for its gorgeous beaches and great food. Weve booked a house at Long Bay Villas to celebrate all the missed birthdays and milestones for our multigenerational family. Were happy, hopeful, and also hesitant. After all, the pandemic still looms large. Many countries require negative COVID-19 tests for entry. If the coronavirus surges, places now open may slam their borders shut, locking visitors in or out with little or no warning. More than ever, purchasing travel insurance is important. The right policy may help you recover lodging costs and, if needed, pay for health care. Anguilla is one of the destinations that require negative COVID-19 test results for entry. They also add a travel application on which each visitor, even toddlers, must show proof of medical insurance covering COVID-19 treatment as well as air-ambulance costs. As more visitors and locals are vaccinated, however, Anguilla announces new, less restrictive fees and rules. To cut through the tedious legalese of insurance definitions, terms, and conditions, we use SquareMouth.com, one of several sites that compare policies, coverage, and costs based on your checklist of requirements. We chose a Seven Corners policy. Interestingly, the fine print does not explicitly state COVID coverage, but neither does the policy exclude it. An agent explained that Seven Corners treats COVID-19 as it would any other emergency illness. Our eyes rolled back in our heads when we envisioned explaining this to harried immigration personnel in Anguilla. Fortunately, our policys summary clearly states coverage for COVID-19 treatment and medical evacuation. We plan to keep copies of the outline with our passports. Once we receive approval to visit Anguilla, the hefty fees for fully vaccinated visitors staying fewer than 90 days currently are $300 for individuals and $200 for each dependent. This includes two COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, one upon arrival and one later, as well as surveillance and administrative expenses. We have not yet heard whether our primary U.S. insurance will reimburse us for these test expenses. After Anguilla officials approve our application and we show negative COVID tests within three to five days of arrival, we may enter Anguilla. But what if we cant? Lets say a storm grounds our plane, causing us to miss two days of our vacation, or our grandkids come down with the flu three days before takeoff. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance should enable us to get refunds. Always pay attention to requirements. Most companies demand you purchase trip cancellation and interruption within 14 to 30 days of paying the initial deposit for your trip. But what happens if, suddenly, we dont want to travel? If a coronavirus surge in the states or the Caribbean scares us from traveling, do we get the money back that we paid for our vacation? No, trip cancellation and interruption insurance doesnt cover fear. As long as Anguilla remains open to visitors, wed forfeit the villas payment as well as any other nonrefundable fees. Cancel for any reason insurance (CFAR), as the name suggests, covers other reasons you might cancel a tripyour new job doesnt yet give you vacation days, you broke up with your fiance so you no longer need the expensive honeymoon safari or you want to be in town to attend a close friends funeral. The bad news: These policies cost 40 percent to 50 percent more than other insurance and cover only about 75 percent of your costs. We thought long and hard about purchasing the pricey cancel for any reason policy. Ultimately, we did. In a pandemic world, you never know what might happen, even though in June, were hoping to be beachside, listening to the lapping waves and catching up with our family. When You Go Squaremouth compares nearly 100 travel insurance policies from more than 20 providers: SquareMouth.com. Long Bay Villas Anguilla consists of three stand-alone seaside properties. Two feature five bedrooms, and one has six bedrooms. Rates include Continental breakfast: Long-Bay-Villas-Anguilla.com. For information on Anguilla: IVisitAnguilla.com Candyce H. Stapen is a freelance writer at gfvac.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook @FamilyiTrips, on Instagram @CandyceStapen, and discover HennysKids.org, Stapens charity that brings solar-powered computers and training to rural schools in Africa. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copyright 2021 Creators.com Amsterdam: In view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the Government of Netherlands has now suspended flights from India. Dutch Aviation Ministry said in a statement on Sunday (April 25, 2021) that it had suspended all flights coming from India, effective April 26 and until further notice, according to ANI. "A flight ban will take effect for passenger flights from India at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 26... The flight ban will be in place until at least 00:01 a.m. on May 1," Sputnik quoted Dutch Aviation Ministry`s statement. The flight ban was announced on Sunday night after the Cabinet received new advice from public health agency RIVM, NL Times reported citing Infrastructure Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen in a letter to Parliament. "The epidemiological situation on the ground is very serious," she wrote. The minister noted that there are several variants of the coronavirus there, and there are many uncertainties about their "infectivity, pathogenic capability, and possible reduced protection of antibodies after vaccination or a previous infection". The ban on flight is set to expire on May 1, unless the Cabinet decides to extend it during meetings next week. Cargo flights and flights with medical personnel will be exempted from the ban. Meanwhile, Canada, United States, United Kingdom and Kuwait have also announced ban flights from India due to the growing wave of COVID-19 cases in that region. India is witnessing a deadly surge in COVID-19 infections in the second wave, with the country reporting over three lakh daily cases from the last few days. The country on Sunday reported 3,49,391 new COVID-19 cases and 2,767 deaths. As per the union health ministry data, five states of the country, namely Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Kerala, contribute 54 percent of the cases. Additionally, France had on Wednesday (April 21) imposed a 10-day quarantine for travellers arriving from India in the coming days to prevent the spread of a COVID-19 variant found in India. The Russian Embassys visa section has also temporarily ceased its operations until further notice due to India`s COVID-19 situation. (With inputs from ANI) Live TV Allied Data confirms number of valid signatures on the petition is 5,244 -- exceeding the 4,403 signatures required. Tweet this "We have a permanent archive of almost every signature collected for the current eminent domain petition in Plano and an accounting of all the signatures scanned. Of those submitted by MCH to undergo the multilevel screening process for verification, MCH has collected 8,240 raw signatures, of which 5,244 are valid," reports Michael Rhodes, founder and head of Allied Data Service. The company has handled several petitions in Texas, including for Nandita Berry, then Secretary of State, who used Allied Data Service to save her office time and expense validating 90,000 signatures for the Green Party in 2014. Their work has been successfully used as evidence in court to defend qualification of ballot access against challengers and to disqualify opponents. "Based on our experience over the last four years, we are disappointed, but not surprised the City of Plano would look for an excuse to question the validity of the signatures in our petition," said Effie Saifi. "That is exactly why we hired Allied Data Service to authenticate the names and signatures by comparing it to voter registration records and report the true numbers." Jack Ternan, an attorney who presently represents Saifi and previously represented the citizens who submitted the petition against the Plano Tomorrow Plan, commented, "The City Charter does not give the city secretary, Lisa Henderson, or any other municipal official a role in counting or validating signatures on a petition. Ms. Henderson appears to have, once again, chosen to engage in unlawful conduct to disrupt the democratic process." "Additionally, Ms. Henderson incorrectly stated what is required under Texas state law during a special session of the City Council. The statute requires a petition contain either (1) the birthday or (2) the voter registration number and county. Both are not required," said Mina Saifi, on record as an attorney for Edukid-MCH. "The only thing required to be in the handwriting of the signer is the signature itself." This is not the first time the city secretary has abused her position in connection with citizen petitions. On July 22, 2020, the Fifth District Court of Appeals rejected the City Secretary's excuses for refusing to present a referendum petition regarding the Plano Tomorrow Plan. In 2018, a court concluded that the city secretary had been using the incorrect legal charter when she approved a recall petition. "Knowing the history of the City and how they do not adhere to their own charter under the law needs to end," said Mina Saifi. "This is not just about this eminent domain case. Having Plano citizens be limited to 90 seconds to speak, while the City can present 'alternative' facts for nearly 30 minutes uninterrupted is not equitable. The Mayor not allowing attendees to respond after their repeated one-way discussion is egregious. The ethical imbalance clearly exists. We are keeping a tally of the constitutional violations at hand it's about the fifth and first Amendments, among others." During a special session on April 14, Mayor Harry LaRosiliere reported that 300 staff hours were spent on counting signatures and were not done counting. It was for that reason they called a second special session on April 20 to report the numbers. The City Charter did not allow for any such extension. During the second session, Henderson confirmed that she and her staff spent a total of 300 hours total. "Lisa Henderson and Mayor Harry LaRosiliere do not give Plano residents enough credit to do math on the City's reported staff time," said Lydia Ortega, PhD and candidate for mayor of Plano. That is not the only one of the City of Plano's facts that does not add up. During the April 20 meeting, the city attorney said the City of Plano had six eminent domain cases total. "That is not true. A simple court docket search shows the number of cases of the City condemning property via eminent domain are at least one in 1965; at least two in the '90s; and no less than 20 since 2013. That's 23, not six," said Mina Saifi. "Robin Reeves, parks and recreation director who started this project, admitted the City's taking from Mrs. Saifi is the one and only time the City chose to use eminent domain for a trail." After the City's report, if the MCH had an opportunity to respond, they would have clarified many facts. Fact: The new ordinance is to reform old legislation on condemnation. It's about eminent domain reform; not about eliminating eminent domain entirely. The new ordinance is to reform old legislation on condemnation. It's about eminent domain reform; about eliminating eminent domain entirely. Fact : While plans seemed to have existed for a bike trail in the vicinity of what became the school's property in 1995, no master plan (from 1984 until the present litigation) showed any plans nor any intent by the City to pursue the particular easement that is at issue in the current litigation. The City departed from its prior plans to seek an unnecessarily wide easement that prevents the property owner's development plans that had previously been approved by the city council. Although Saifi has cooperated beyond measureand has proposed less intrusive routes which would still require giving up some of her property to the Citybut the City has refused to do anything other than inflict the maximum damage possible. : While plans seemed to have existed for a bike trail in the vicinity of what became the school's property in 1995, no master plan (from 1984 until the present litigation) showed any plans nor any intent by the City to pursue the particular easement that is at issue in the current litigation. The City departed from its prior plans to seek an unnecessarily wide easement that prevents the property owner's development plans that had previously been approved by the city council. Although Saifi has cooperated beyond measureand has proposed less intrusive routes which would still require giving up some of her property to the Citybut the City has refused to do anything other than inflict the maximum damage possible. Fact : When the City's own parks and recreation's director Robin Reeves presented possible bike trail routes to the City Council on January 23, 2017 , there were at least two options for locating the bike trail outside of where MCH had proposed to develop its property. : When the City's own parks and recreation's director presented possible bike trail routes to the City Council on , there were at least two options for locating the bike trail outside of where MCH had proposed to develop its property. Fact : The City is correct that it offered to withdraw the eminent domain case. However, the City fails to mention that Saifi accepted that offer. The City reneged because they learnt it had to pay the landowner's fees if they withdrew the case. Consequently, the City made an offer to settle for $50,000 . Saifi again accepted the City's offer. However, the City did not withdraw the case or pay for attorneys' fees. : The City is correct that it offered to the eminent domain case. However, the City fails to mention that Saifi that offer. The City reneged because they learnt it had to pay the landowner's fees if they withdrew the case. Consequently, the City made an offer to settle for . Saifi again accepted the City's offer. However, the City did not withdraw the case or pay for attorneys' fees. Fact : Saifi has not asked to be compensated for ten times the value of the land. The City of Plano has never offered to purchase the land. When the Saifi family asked if the City was interested in doing so, they said no. The City is using eminent domain to take an easement and is seeking to avoid paying for the harm caused to the property that the City is not taking or seeking to purchase. : Saifi has not asked to be compensated for ten times the value of the land. The has never offered to purchase the land. When the Saifi family asked if the City was interested in doing so, they said no. The City is using eminent domain to take an easement and is seeking to avoid paying for the harm caused to the property that the City is not taking or seeking to purchase. Fact : Saifi asked to attend the commissioners hearing. Her prior attorney, Brantley Saunders , provided times when he and his client were available, but the commissioners denied the request to schedule it on a day that worked for all parties. Instead, they met at Plano City Hall without representation from the landowner. : Saifi asked to attend the commissioners hearing. Her prior attorney, , provided times when he and his client were available, but the commissioners denied the request to schedule it on a day that worked for all parties. Instead, they met at City Hall without representation from the landowner. Fact : Henderson was quoted in a Bisnow article on April 19 , "The Council can enact the legislation that is attached, or they can call an election." She did not assert that the number of signatures were insufficient, nor that she or her staff were still counting signatures, one day before the meeting. Neither of the two outcomes Henderson mentioned in the article and required by the City charteradopting the ordinance or calling an electionoccurred. : Henderson was quoted in a article on , "The Council can enact the legislation that is attached, or they can call an election." She did not assert that the number of signatures were insufficient, nor that she or her staff were still counting signatures, one day before the meeting. Neither of the two outcomes Henderson mentioned in the article and required by the City charteradopting the ordinance or calling an electionoccurred. Fact : The City's offer of $28,000 was solely to pay for one of the two easements sought in litigation against the MCH and Saifi. That is not "just compensation" according to the Constitution or the eminent domain laws. Just compensation consists of fair market value for portions of the land taken, plus all the damages to the rest of the property. The City has the ability to take everything, if it wants. Plano can take it all. At any time, they can offer fair market value for the whole 1.7 acres of property at stake. If it wants to, the City can try playing fair and engage in an arm's length negotiation. Instead, the City has never offered a single penny for the harm caused to the remainder of the property from the bike trail, which will prevent development plans previously approved by the City and reduce the suitability of the property for its current use as a private school. : The City's offer of was solely to pay for one of the two easements sought in litigation against the MCH and Saifi. That is not "just compensation" according to the Constitution or the eminent domain laws. Just compensation consists of fair market value for portions of the land taken, all the damages to the rest of the property. The City has the ability to take everything, if it wants. can take it all. At any time, they can offer fair market value for the whole 1.7 acres of property at stake. If it wants to, the City can try playing fair and engage in an arm's length negotiation. Instead, the City has never offered a single penny for the harm caused to the remainder of the property from the bike trail, which will prevent development plans previously approved by the City and reduce the suitability of the property for its current use as a private school. Fact: Upon the Saifi's handing in the petition signatures for the new ordinance, Henderson said she would provide a written report of the petition count. She did not provide a report prior to the meeting. Henderson still has not delivered the report to date. "The City's actions are abusive because people actually had to stand up to get the government's attention," said Arif Panju, managing attorney at the Institute for Justice's Texas office. "The Institute is monitoring what's happening in Plano and finds it particularly notable that citizens themselves have decided to act as a bullwork for liberty. You have an opportunity to exercise your power in one of two ways: 1) violate rights or 2) secure them. We amended our constitution post-Kelo in 2017 to ensure that the worst abuses don't continue; to protect against abuses like this. The government should do the right thing here, and we will continue to monitor the case." Panju suggested finding alternative ways to deal with amenities constituents may want, and not at the expense of individual rights, which are strictly protected by the Texas Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. SOURCE Montessori Children's House The state prosecutor spearheading a potentially devastating bid to brand Aleksei Navalny's network of organizations "extremist" is no stranger to the Kremlin foe: In 2019, a report by Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) alleged that the lawman's family controlled undeclared property worth millions of dollars. The plaintiff in the case under which the FBK, the Citizens' Rights Defense Foundation (FPZG), and Navalny's offices nationwide could be declared extremist is the head of the Moscow city prosecutor's office, Denis Popov. Popov's signature also stands at the bottom of an April 26 order freezing the activities of Navalny's network of regional branches pending the outcome of the Moscow City Court's closed-door hearings. His office has also asked the court to do the same with the FBK and the FPZG. The "extremism" case is not the first time Popov and Navalny have clashed. Popov, 48, was named Moscow prosecutor by President Vladimir Putin in September 2019. Previously, he served as chief prosecutor in the Siberian region of Khakasia and the North Caucasus republic of Daghestan. Popov was the lead prosecutor in the so-called "Moscow case" in 2019, in which several would-be candidates for Moscow district council seats and their supporters were prosecuted for participating in peaceful protests. 'Lawful Lawlessness' Popov "personally initiates cases against oppositionists at the behest of the National Guard," the FBK report published in November 2019 stated. "The Moscow prosecutor plays a very important role in the listing of all sorts of 'foreign agents.' Any lawlessness that you run into in Moscow can be declared lawful by Prosecutor Popov." Weeks before the report was published, Popov had filed a suit against the FBK and its leadership, including Navalny, seeking reimbursement of nearly 5 million rubles ($67,000) for costs Moscow purportedly incurred during two unsanctioned protests earlier that year. In particular, Popov tried unsuccessfully to seize Navalny's modest Moscow apartment. The FBK report, which featured video and text, provided evidence it said linked Popov and his family to undeclared property in Russia and abroad. The report found that a Montenegrin company controlled by Popov's ex-wife, Irina Popova, owned a lakeside apartment complex and other real estate worth, according to a financial document filed in Montenegro in 2018, more than 3 million euros. 'Money From Who-Knows-Where' The company was created in 2009 and owned all the property at least as early as 2011, when the Popovs were still married. "All these Montenegrin investments were planned and made by the family of a working prosecutor, bureaucrat, and guardian of the law," Navalny's report stated. "With money that came from who-knows-where." According to asset declarations filed in Russia during this period, Popov was earning 58,000 rubles ($1,900) a month and his wife was "unemployed." Irina Popova also allegedly purchased an apartment in Spain in 2010 for 645,000 euros. And she purportedly owns a fishing resort in southern Russia's Astrakhan region. After searching through social media, Navalny's investigators unearthed and published photographs of the Popovs and their children at all of the properties they identified. Navalny's investigators also found a lavish home in the elite stretch of Moscow suburbs known as Rublyovka registered in the name of Popov's elderly mother, Lyudmila Popova. After Navalny's report was published, two Moscow city council deputies, Communist Yelena Shuvalyova and Yabloko party member Maksim Kruglov, appealed to Putin to investigate the allegations against Popov. In apparent response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured journalists that Popov's declarations had been "subjected to serious scrutiny." He added, however, that the presidential administration might take a second look if it was deemed necessary. Like the rest of the FBK's investigations into official corruption in Russia, no probe was launched into the findings about Popov. In her 2014 book Putin's Kleptocracy, the late American political scientist Karen Dawisha identified the perversion of the law enforcement system -- and particularly the prosecutor's office -- as a key feature of Putin's political model. She found that "in the 10 years from 2002 to 2012, hundreds of thousands of businessmen were actually imprisoned, not just questioned or arrested, primarily as a result of rivals paying corrupt police, prosecutors, and judges to put away the competition." Michigan state representative Jewell Jones went from being notable as the youngest ever member of the Michigan State House of Representatives to notorious as a drunk driver who tried to throw his weight around as a pol when he was caught after terrifying motorists for almost 50 miles and eventually rolling into a ditch. And it's all caught on video. Here's the account from Dem-friendly NBC News: During a DUI arrest earlier this month, a Michigan lawmaker boasted about his ties to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and warned officers he helps sets the state police budget, authorities said. State Rep. Jewell Jones crashed his Chevy Tahoe, with the vanity plate "ELECTED," into a ditch near Fowlerville on April 6 before struggling with police as they arrested him, according to state police and Livingston County prosecutors. Jones, 26, was shocked twice with a Taser and hit with pepper spray before he was handcuffed, state police said. During the tussle, Jewell allegedly warned troopers that their actions are "not going to be good for you," according to a state police report. "I run y'all budget, bro." When troopers threatened to hit Jones, he allegedly told them, "if you strike me, it's going to be bad for you" and "I'll call Governor Whitmer right now," the incident report said. Later during the struggle, Jones said, "when I call Gretchen," he'd need badge numbers for all the state troopers and Fowlerville police officers on the scene, according to the state police report. This TV news report from Detroit Channel 4 puts together dashcam video with video shot inside the police car after Jones was apprehended, and is worth watching for its full 73 seconds: Jones's mug shot. The Michigan GOP gleefully took to Twitter to add details about the incident, including Jones's female companion and her role in the arrest: MEGA-THREADMichigan State Police pulled over a Michigan Democrat lawmaker April 2nd for driving drunk. He threatened to call @GovWhitmer on the spot... Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 The 911 calls came pouring in as the Democrat State Representative's black Chevy Tahoe sped down I-96. For almost 50 miles, the vehicle with the vanity plate ELECTED was driving so recklessly that at least one person saw him go the wrong way before rolling into a ditch. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 When police arrived at the scene, according to @MIRSnews, Democrat State Rep. Jewell Jones and his unidentified female passenger were found with their pants down as the Tahoe remained in the ditch. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 (WARNING - IT GETS GRAPHIC): Jones was "holding the woman up" near the passenger side door, according to a police report obtained by MIRSnews. The woman's pants "were down" as she vomited and Jewell's pants "were partially down" when a paramedic arrived at the crash site. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 Police engaged in a struggle with Jones, and at one point as Jones is on the ground struggling with multiple officers, he shouts: "Let me sit up, (N-Word)." Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 Meanwhile, the woman was "unable to stand on her own and was essentially unresponsive" as paramedics tried to administer care, the police report noted. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 The paramedic told police that Jewell identified both himself and his passenger as "people of importance" and flashed his wallet badge, the report noted. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 When a state police trooper asked for Jones' identification, Jones refused, at one point prompting the trooper to tell Jones, "don't be dumb." During their exchange, Jones responds "I can't do that" when asked again for his driver's license and ID. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 At that point, the officers had had enough. They put their hands on Jones and wrestled him to the ground. Keep in mind a gun was also inside his car, reportedly in the cupholder. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 Jones continued to resist and was brought to the ground by state troopers, who told him to "stop resisting." Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 This is when the Democrat threatened police, saying, "I'll call Governor Whitmer right now. He continued, "When I call Gretchen I need y'alls IDs and badges." Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 In addition to invoking Whitmer's name, Jones tells the troopers, "I'm not giving you my arm unless you shoot me. You shoot me, I'll get up," according to the police report obtained by MIRS news. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 Officers do get Jones into handcuffs and he is eventually placed in the back of a Livingston County sheriff's deputy's vehicle, although video shows he resisted that request, as well. He was eventually transported to the county jail, where he was held overnight. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 The level of hypocrisy by Democrats here in Michigan is stunning. Their mantra is, "it's rules for thee, but not for me." Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 This Democrat put thousands of families at risk by driving extremely drunk on a busy interstate between Lansing and Detroit. Will this be covered fairly? There are still so many questions that must be answered. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 QUESTION: Why hasn't @GovWhitmer come out in support for law enforcement, particularly the Michigan State Police? Leaders lead, they don't hide, and @GretchenWhitmer is hiding. Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) April 25, 2021 To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Clear Design In general, Armin Strom carefully maintains a pared-down approach that keeps the brands style of watchmaking focused on its essence. How concentrated that style may be, this special-edition head further in that direction, squarely placing emphasis on the watchs most remarkable feature: the visible dual balances oscillating in resonance. The special blue dial and the matt hand decorated finish are highlighting the swiss German style of this timepiece. Pure Resonance Sky Blue Armin Strom The dial offers a Kari Voutilainen hand Guilloche subdial for time displays: Roman numerals dominate the off-center subdial displaying hours and minutes in white with steel hands, while a classic railroad track marks the exact minutes. The smaller subdial at 7 oclock displays seconds using only a baton-shaped hand and a simple track. The Sky blue colored hand made Guilloche dial from Kari Voutilainen has a special lack finishing (Email a froid) in order to reinforce the unique look of the dial. The Bridges are decorated with succinct, eye-catching cotes de Geneve, applied for the first time in straight lines. It's absolutely spectacular movement finishing is often overlooked as the hypnotic pulsation of its clutch spring and the synchronized motion of its two balance wheels provide a mesmerizing distraction that invariably captures most of the attention. Technology in Service to Chronometry The reason for this watchs improved chronometry can be found in the straightforward approach to the movement: the fewer functions a timepiece must perform, the better it can concentrate on accuracy. In other words, with no superfluous functions this watch can focus fully on providing the time in marine chronometer precision. The time displays receive their portioned energy from the lower regulator, while the upper regulator remains in place to create resonance. My primary objective was to improve chronometric precision via the consistent maintenance of a resonance state. But that consistency was also a prerequisite to sustain a kinetic spectacle on the dial side of our watch. With a great deal of time and effort, our technical and aesthetic ambitions were both ultimately achieved. - Claude Greisler, Co-Founder and Master Watchmaker. Classic Size The outward design of the Pure Resonance perfectly reflects the purity of Caliber ARF16. It is housed in a slim 42 mm white gold case with reduced lugs and crown and practically no bezel, though the characteristic lip at 6 oclock remains an homage to the ability of Armin Strom to customize any of its watches as well as to founder Armin Strom, who offered this space to clients for personal engraving (and it can still be used for that). Pure Resonance Sky Blue Armin Strom This special edition of the Pure Resonance looks and acts just like a normal three-handed watch. And this remains in line with the philosophy of Armin Strom as a brand: just good, proprietary mechanics presented in an impeccably finished and interesting way. The Pure Resonance Sky Blue is limited to 3 pieces. OROVILLE, Calif. One man is in the hospital with major injuries and accused of driving under the influence after a Monday morning crash south of Oroville. On Monday at 4 a.m., CHP officers responded to a crash on Highway 70 near Little Ranch Road, south of Oroville. When officers arrived to the scene, they located a Subaru Forester that had hit a power pole head-on. CHP Oroville Officer Ben Draper told Action News Now the driver was going north on the highway when for unknown reasons, he veered off the road and slammed into the power pole. Action News Now spoke with a homeowner who said he woke up to the crash in front of his property. He said several of his baby turkeys that had just been born were killed in the crash. The driver was taken to the hospital with major injuries. Officer Draper said he is being charged with driving under the influence of drugs. PG&E will be responsible for fixing the damaged power pole. No other injuries were reported. Kathmandu, April 26 Amid media reports that the southern neighbour, India, is struggling hard to manage sufficient oxygen for Covid-19 patients, there are concerns if Nepal will face the same situation. Stakeholders and industrialists, however, say there is no need to worry as Nepal has already been producing more oxygen than what the country needs even when it reaches the peak of the Covid-19 spread. However, there are some serious problems in the supply system, according to them. We are independent on oxygen production. Nepal should not worry if the government takes initiatives in managing new cylinders and stops hoarding them, says Gaurav Sharda, Nepal Oxygen Industry Association. There are 20 oxygen production companies in the country and they have been producing 8,000 cylinders of oxygen every day, informs Narayan Datta Timilsina, the general secretary of the association. Around 70 per cent of that is available for medical purposes. The Health Ministry has estimated that the demand for oxygen can reach the peak at 6,000 cylinders per day if the situation worsens. That is why, Nepal should not worry, claims Sharda. But, it is the problems with the supply system that could trouble the country. Because a 10-litre cylinder to fill medical oxygen is as expensive as worth Rs 20,000, the companies have managed them in a limited number. That is why they cannot send them to a distance, according to the industrialists. In such cases, using tankers to supply oxygen is a better option, but most of the companies do not have the infrastructures to fill the tankers. It has been more than 50 years since a full-length book was written about the Colored Conventions Movement -- the 19th century's longest campaign for Black civil rights. In 1969, Howard Holman Bell, a scholar of African American history, published "The Negro Convention Movement: 1830-1861," his dissertation. Bell's book has stood as the only full-length volume on Black conventions that were organized across North America and attended by tens of thousands of Black delegates and likely hundreds of thousands of participants from all walks of life. More than half a century after Bell's book, another has finally been published. "The Colored Conventions Movement: Black Organizing in the Nineteenth Century," published by the University of North Carolina Press and released in March, is the first to emerge from the award-winning Colored Conventions Project (CCP), an interdisciplinary research hub housed in Penn State's Center for Black Digital Research (CBDR). The CCP uses digital tools to bring the scattered records of the movement to digital life and make them freely available. Its digital archive has more than quintupled the number of previously available minutes of more than 200 conventions by locating, transcribing, and archiving the records that document this little-known movement. The new book is edited by two Penn State faculty members -- Gabrielle Foreman, Paterno Family Professor of American Literature, professor of African American studies and history, CCP founding director, and CBDR co-director; and Jim Casey, assistant professor of African American Studies, co-founder and co-director of the CCP and managing director of the CBDR -- as well as Sarah Lynn Patterson, CCP co-founder and assistant professor of African American literature and culture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Through essays covering myriad topics such as education, voting rights, workers' rights, the Black press, and convention women, "The Colored Conventions Movement: Black Organizing in the Nineteenth Century" highlights the vital role the Colored Conventions played in the lives of tens of thousands of early organizers -- including many of the most famous writers, ministers, politicians, and entrepreneurs in the early history of Black activism. "The Colored Conventions Movement is the 19th century's longest campaign for Black civil rights," Foreman said. "Well before the founding of the NAACP and other 20th-century pillars of the civil rights movement, Black leaders organized state and national conventions across North America. Over seven decades, they advocated for social justice and against slavery, protesting state-sanctioned and mob violence while demanding voting, legal, labor and educational rights." Foreman, noting the CCP was sparked in 2012 by a graduate class she was teaching -- Casey and Paterson were students in the class -- said the book is the first of "scores of books" she imagines will come from the work of the CCP. "It was always our vision to build an archive and to generate new scholarship and public histories about Black organizing, Black activism and Black autonomy in the 19th century," she said. "This book is the very first edited volume about the conventions, which is stunning when we think of the vast array of volumes, special issues, biographies and books about the abolitionist movement. The conventions started three years before the Massachusetts Antislavery Society and the American Antislavery Society and continued for 30 years after the abolitionist movement." "We've been working many years on this book, so it's a delight to see it finally published," Casey said, adding that they were "flooded" with proposals for essays to be included. "For me, the great thing about the book is the chance to throw open the doors and invite more people in to learn about these histories and to talk about what they mean to different people." "The conventions were held everywhere across the country, in at least 34 different states across 70 years," he added. "The longer arc of our work is about finding better and better answers to questions like 'Why don't I know about this history already?' 'Why is it so difficult to access the records of these people and their lives and legacies?' This book is not only for scholars; it is accessible for people from all walks of life. Both the Colored Conventions Project and now this book give us ways to retell not just African American history but also United States history." Foreman asked, "What does it mean that the country has been effectively overwriting and ignoring organized Black advocacy for basic citizenship for this long?" and added that she hopes that interested people will purchase the book from Black-owned bookstores (several of which are listed on the Colored Conventions Project website). "These are the central questions this movement and this book raises. This scholarship only highlights the larger questions our country needs to reckon with." Foreman and Casey will discuss "The Colored Conventions Movement: Black Organizing in the Nineteenth Century" on an upcoming Democracy Works podcast. The episode, which goes live at 5 a.m. on April 26, can be found at https:/ / democracyworks. simplecast. com/ episodes/ colored-conventions . ### She has her hands full as a new mother. But Emma Roberts enjoyed a weekend pick-me-up on Sunday. The actress, 30, was spotted grabbing a revitalizing iced coffee in Los Angeles. Coffee break: Emma Roberts was spotted grabbing a revitalizing iced coffee in Los Angeles on Sunday Emma was a vision of California cool in a blue-and-white striped top, jeans, and beige ballet flats. Injecting a sophisticated touch to the summery ensemble was a chic yellow handbag with chain strap. Protecting herself and others from the spread of coronavirus, Emma wore a cream face mask over her complexion. No doubt the actress was keen on returning home to be with her newborn baby, a son named Rhodes. Earning her fashion stripes! Emma was a vision of California cool in a blue-and-white striped blouse, jeans, and beige ballet flats Right this way: No doubt the actress was keen on returning to her newborn son Rhodes Emma shares the child with her boyfriend of two years, Garrett Hedlund, and the couple welcomed Rhodes into the world in December 2020. Not only does the child have famous parents, but also a celebrity godfather. During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Garrett revealed their son's godfather was his former Friday Night Lights costar, country star Tim McGraw. 'He's somebody that I admire and respect, not only as an amazing father and an amazing husband, amazing musician and amazing actor,' Hedlund said. That's her boy! Emma shares the child with her boyfriend of two years, Garrett Hedlund, and the couple welcomed Rhodes into the world in December 2020 'We've remained such close friends and, you know, I've seen his children, his daughters, from the time they were one, three and five,' he added. Opening up about motherhood, Emma recently described it as a learning process. '[Motherhood] is not something you'll always feel like you're getting right, but you will get better every day,' the Holidate actress told her Scream Queens co-star Jamie Lee Curtis in Violet Grey on March 22. 'When in doubt, just love your child and yourself.' The American military has begun its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gen. Austin Miller, the head of the U.S.-led coalition there, said at a press conference Sunday, per the New York Times. Why it matters: Miller's statement comes about two weeks after President Joe Biden formally announced that the U.S. would execute a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and effectively "end Americas longest war." What they're saying: I now have a set of orders," said Miller. "We will conduct an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan, and that means transitioning bases and equipment to the Afghan security forces. What's more: In addition to the 3,500 U.S. troops that will leave the country by mid-September, many of the 7,000 NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan will also withdraw, according to the Times. Many private contractors operating in Afghanistan will leave as well, though Miller noted that some contracts will be adjusted to continue support for the Afghan security forces. Go Deeper: Progressive Planet (CVE: PLAN) CEO Stephen Harpur joined Steve Darling from Proactive to shares news the company has seen success in the first phase of testing in the PozGlass SCM product. The company is looking to deliver a solution to replace fly ash in concrete. Harpur telling Proactive the results have management believing they can achieve commercialization with their proprietary formulations and processes in the blending of natural pozzolans and recovered post-consumer glass. The company will now focus on Phase 2 and if successful, the company will move to a full-scale commercial roll-out of the PozGlass SCM product in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Advertisement President Biden has offered help to India as its COVID-19 crisis worsened shortly before returning to the White House with wife Jill on Sunday after a weekend at their home in Delaware. The president said Sunday that the United States will immediately send raw materials for COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond to a massive surge in coronavirus infections. 'Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,' Biden said on Twitter after the White House announced a list of measures. The president didnt offer specifics in the brief message. But earlier Sunday the White House said the US is 'working around the clock' to immediately deploy to India drug treatments and rapid diagnostic COVID-19 testing kits. Also coming are ventilators and personal protective equipment, and the U.S. will seek to provide oxygen supplies as well. The White House says it has identified sources of raw material urgently needed for Indias manufacture of the Covishield vaccine and will make that available. The U.S. also intends to pay for an expansion of manufacturing capability for the vaccine manufacturer in India, BioE, so it can ramp up and produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022. Kamala Harris, the first-ever person of Indian descent to serve as vice president, finally weighed in on the massive coronavirus crisis in India. 'The US is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak,' the vice president tweeted from her official account on Sunday. President Biden (left) and First Lady Jill Biden (right) arrive at the White House following a weekend in their hometown of Wilmington, Delaware The president and first lady stepped off Marine One after it landed on the Ellipse near the White House on Sunday The president salutes a Marine after he steps off Marine One near the White House in Washington, DC on Sunday 'As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India - including its courageous healthcare workers.' For the fourth straight day, India on Sunday set a global daily record of new coronavirus infections, spurred by an insidious new variant that emerged here. The surge has undermined the governments premature claims of victory over the pandemic. The 349,691 new infections brought Indias total to more than 16.9 million, behind only the United States. India's Health Ministry reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing Indias fatalities to 192,311. President Biden on Sunday said that the United States will immediately send raw materials for COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond to a massive surge in coronavirus infections Biden has come under pressure in recent days to act in support of India, which has seen record-high surges in coronavirus cases and deaths Marine One is seen in the background as the Bidens make their way toward the White House on Sunday Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement on Sunday saying that the Pentagon would also provide support to the beleaguered nation. 'I have directed the Department to use every resource at our disposal, within our authority, to support US interagency efforts to rapidly provide India's frontline healthcare workers with the materials they need,' Austin told CNN. 'We are currently assessing the equipment we can both procure and draw from our own inventory in the coming days and weeks.' Austin said that the US military will provide transportation and logistics assistance so that badly needed supplies can be delivered to India, a country that is short on oxygen-related equipment, rapid testing kits and personal protective equipment. Biden is seen above boarding Marine One in Wilmington, Delaware earlier on Sunday evening Two Marines salute as President Biden boards Marine One at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware on Sunday Vice President Kamala Harris, who's mother is an immigrant from India, finally weighed in on the massive surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in India over the last week National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (left) spoke with Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Sunday, vowing the US would send any 'available resources and supplies' to India to help with the spike 'We will continue to work closely with other US agencies and Departments, as well as with industry, to support our Indian partners in their effort to combat this outbreak,' Austin said. National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said US officials were 'working around the clock' to deploy available resources and supplies to help India manufacture the Covishield vaccine and tend to the millions of Indians who are sick and dying. The United States will also send therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits and ventilators. Washington was under mounting pressure to help India, the world's largest democracy, after Britain, France and Germany pledged aid over the weekend. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged his country's 1.36 billion citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, as the country set a global record for new COVID-19 infections in a single day. The United States was also pursuing options to provide India with oxygen generation and related supplies, Horne said. 'Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,' Biden said on Twitter after the White House announced a list of measures Kamala Harris, the first-ever person of Indian descent to serve as vice president, finally weighed in on the massive coronavirus crisis in India House Rep. Ro Khanna, Democratic vice-chair of the Congressional India Caucus, welcomed the announcement but urged Biden to go further and give India the United States' unused COVID-19 vaccines doses from AstraZeneca Plc. 'Let's use the U.S. military and get as much oxygen and AstraZeneca doses to India as fast as we can,' he said. The top US infectious disease official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told ABC News on Sunday such a move was 'something that certainly is going to be actively considered.' AstraZeneca's vaccine is not yet approved in the United States, which has stockpiled millions of doses, and top US health officials have said they have enough doses of approved versions by three other drugmakers to inoculate all Americans in coming weeks. The nation's top business lobbying group has also pushed the administration to send AstraZeneca's vials to countries grappling with rising cases. The White House had no comment on the possibility of providing AstraZeneca doses to India. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said the engagement of top Biden administration officials reflected a welcome 'seriousness of purpose' in addressing the crisis in India, but details were lacking. India has set a world record for the highest number of daily Covid infections for a fourth day in the row with 349,691 infections as the country struggles to contain the surging second wave People cremate the bodies of victims of the disease at a crematorium ground in New Delhi on Saturday amid thousands of ne Covid deaths Family members stand in a queue to refill medical oxygen cylinders for coronavirus patients at an oxygen refile station amid shortages A woman receives oxygen inside a car provided by a Gurdwara, a Sikh house of worship, in Delhi on Saturday An oxygen tank is loaded into an aircraft to supply hospitals in India running out of supplies amid the huge second wave He said the messaging around any loan of AstraZeneca doses should be carefully prepared to avoid the impression that Washington would be offloading 'something that it doesn't want.' Senior US officials have expressed concern that new variants of the virus emerging in India could undermine progress made in the United States in fighting the pandemic. The new wave of infections also threatens the economic recovery of India, the sixth-largest economy in the world. Horne said the United States would send a team of experts to work with India from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Agency for International Development. In addition to the immediate aid, the US Development Finance Corporation will fund a substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for Indian vaccine maker Biological E Ltd, or BioE, enabling the company to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022. The death toll in India could be a huge undercount, as suspected cases are not included, and many COVID-19 deaths are being attributed to underlying conditions. The unfolding crisis is most visceral in Indias overwhelmed graveyards and crematoriums, and in heartbreaking images of gasping patients dying on their way to hospitals due to lack of oxygen. Burial grounds in the capital New Delhi are running out of space. Bright, glowing funeral pyres light up the night sky in other badly hit cities. In the central city of Bhopal, some crematoriums have increased their capacity from dozens of pyres to more than 50. Yet there are still hours-long waits. The surge is expected to peak in mid-May with the daily count of infections reaching half a million, the Indian Express said citing an internal government assessment People wearing face masks wait to be vaccinated at the Madhyamgram Rural Hospital in Kolkata Relatives of a person who died of the infectious disease perform rituals at the confluence of rivers Ganges and Yamuna in Prayagraj At the city's Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat crematorium, workers said they cremated more than 110 people on Saturday, even as government figures in the entire city of 1.8 million put the total number of virus deaths at just 10. 'The virus is swallowing our city's people like a monster,' said Mamtesh Sharma, an official at the site. The unprecedented rush of bodies has forced the crematorium to skip individual ceremonies and exhaustive rituals that Hindus believe release the soul from the cycle of rebirth. 'We are just burning bodies as they arrive,' said Sharma. 'It is as if we are in the middle of a war.' Modi is facing mounting criticism for allowing Hindu festivals and attending mammoth election rallies that experts suspect accelerated the spread of infections. At one such rally on April 17, Modi expressed his delight at the huge crowd, even as experts warned that a deadly surge was inevitable with India already counting 250,000 new daily cases. Now, with the death toll mounting, his Hindu nationalist government is trying to quell critical voices. On Saturday, Twitter complied with the governments request and prevented people in India from viewing more than 50 tweets that appeared to criticize the administrations handling of the pandemic. The targeted posts include tweets from opposition ministers critical of Modi, journalists and ordinary Indians. A Twitter spokesperson said it had powers to 'withhold access to the content in India only' if the company determined the content to be 'illegal in a particular jurisdiction.' The company said it had responded to an order by the government and notified people whose tweets were withheld. Indias Information Technology Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Even with the targeted blocks, horrific scenes of overwhelmed hospitals and cremation grounds spread on Twitter and drew appeals for help. Dave Ramseys perennial bestseller, The Total Money Makeover, has dropped off evangelical publishers top 10 list for the first time since the books fourth edition was published in 2013. Sales have fallen steadily since January, when Religion News Service (RNS) reported allegations of controlling leadership and a cultlike environment at Ramsey Solutions, which have resulted in a string of lawsuits against the company. The book dropped from third to fourth on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) bestsellers list in February, then to seventh in March, and then out of the top 10 at the end of April. It is currently ranked No. 11. Ramsey Solutions, a for-profit company that offers financial advice through books, radio programs, and church workshops across the country, had been labeled one of the best places to work in America. But some of its roughly 1,000 employees didnt want to return to the Nashville office during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a whistleblower told the federal government about health and safety violations at the Nashville-area workplace. I will fire you instantaneously for your lack of loyalty, your lack of class, and the fact that you are a moron and you snuck through our hiring process, Ramsey told his staff, according to a recording obtained by RNS. Im so tired of being falsely accused of being a jerk when all Im doing is trying to help people stay in line. Ramsey pushed back against the dissent, and his company contests the facts of the RNS reporting. The Total Money Makeover was the No. 3 book on the ECPA list in January. The book was the fourth highest bestseller in 2020, the fourth in 2019, and in the top 10 every year since its re-publication. The only other authors to compete with Ramseys long-running success in the past decade are Gary Chapman, who wrote The 5 Love Languages, and Sarah Young, who wrote Jesus Calling. The top seller on the ECPA list typically sells about 50,000 books per month, according to NPD BookScan reports. The NPD BookScan collects data from more than 50 major retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Lifeway, as well as several hundred independent stores. Sales from DaveRamsey.com are included. The No. 10 book on the ECPA list typically sells between 12,000 and 15,000 copies in a month, though the number varies. When Thomas Nelson first released The Total Money Makeover in 2003, the evangelical publisher supported the book with a 31-city tour and extensive promotion. There were even total money makeover contests in some markets, with cash prizes encouraging struggling families to try to implement Ramseys financial principles. Since then, Ramseys book has sold an average of about 30,000 copies per month, according to public statements from Thomas Nelson. It has been republished in 2007, 2009, and 2013. Sales passed the 5 million mark in 2017. That is a testament to the strength of our relationship with Dave and his company, and to the timeless principles in the book, Thomas Nelson senior vice president Brian Hampton said at the time. The Total Money Makeover gives people baby steps to personal financial well-being, starting with saving $1,000 for emergencies and then paying off credit card debt. According to Publishers Weekly, Ramsey is less a financial analyst and more of a preacher, which explains both his popularity and the appeal of this book. Ramseys advice focuses more on practical ways to escape financial difficulty than on changing the economic system that contributes to it, but many readers appreciate what feels like tough talk about personal responsiblity. The Total Money Makeover has been rated more than 75,000 times on Goodreads, with 80 percent giving the book four or five stars. This book is just common sense in a big way! wrote an Idaho woman in her 40s. There is so much peace in being in control of our money and our marriage is so much better because we have GOALS that we plan together. Not everyone who buys the book likes it, though. A small percentage have written scathing reviews on Goodreads. He fails to understand that many people grow up in poverty and are always just barely keeping up with their bills, one woman wrote. People face unfair lawsuits, unemployment, death, and other tragedies in life. His self-righteous response is that you should have had your emergency fund in place before these things happened. The reviewer suggested Christians in need of financial advice look for other options. At the start of 2021, some apparently did. Parveen Babi was considered as one of the most glamorous stars of the 70s and 80s. She had a westernised image that perhaps came in the way of her getting roles that depicted her as a girl-next-door as filmmakers were keen to bank on her Eurasian good looks.She was one of the highest-paid heroines of her era and appeared with Amitabh Bachchan in eight films, all of them being superhits. She was known for her item numbers. Numbers like Jawaani Jaaneman and Raat baaqi baat Baaqi in Namak Halaal, and Pyaar karne wale in Shaan still remain popular today. She was being featured on the covers of all major film magazines.Apart from her good looks, she was known for her bohemian lifestyle. She always spoke her mind and never hid her affairs and lived life on her own terms. Parveen Babi created a stir when she joined beau Kabir Bedi in Italy on the sets of Sandokan.Kabir became an international star when he agreed to be part of the Italian serial Sandokan. Directed by Sergio Sollima, it was based upon the novels of Emilio Salgari featuring the pirate hero Sandokan.They were two beautiful people very much in love and the European press, who had been hailing him as a sort of superstar from India, played up their relationship.It was widely reported and they even merited covers in Italian and Spanish media.Their romance was intense but short-lived. He was increasingly becoming popular in Europe and was seemingly flooded with work. After Sandokan he even signed an adventure film called The Black Corsair (1976), where he reportedly played a pirate.She was one of the most sought after heroines of the time and couldnt afford to give her Bollywood career a miss. Its said she had around 40 films lined up when she left and producers in Mumbai gave a collective sigh of relief when she came back. Her career soon picked up and she was back to top again, it was as if the two years with Kabir had never happened.A long-distance relationship seemed out of the question, as Kabir was already married to Protima Bedi at the time. However, it was said that their marriage was already on the rocks. Protima reportedly admitted that she considered her marriage to be over and hence she didnt mind his having a fling with Parveen. In an interview, Protima stated that when Kabir finally left, she felt a sense of relief. She mentioned he had been trying to get away from her and Parveen came into her life at the right time.Parveen didnt regret leaving him. She understood that things wouldnt have worked out between them in the long run, especially when his career was very much centred in Europe and when he wanted to be away from Promita. She said she had her own life and could never consent to roam around the world in his shadow. She later reportedly started a relationship with director Mahesh Bhatt. Both were spiritually inclined at the time and used to visit UG Krishnamurti and Osho in his company. Sadly, it was during her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt that first signs of schizophrenia began to appear. Italian Ambassador to Korea Federico Failla, second from left, attends a screening of Elena Brunello's documentary "The Climate Limbo" at Hanyang University, Monday. The Embassy of Italy in Seoul hosted the screening of the documentary about how climate change impacts human migration as part of its effort to promote its presidency of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, with the United Kingdom. Hanyang University professors Yoon Chong-seung, left, and Jeon Byong-hun, second from right, joined Ambassador Failla at the event. Courtesy of Embassy of Italy in Seoul Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Research Future Has Published a Cooked Research Report on the Global Master Alloys Market. Market Analysis: Various factors are propelling the master alloys market growth. These factors, as stated by the MRFR report, include burgeoning demand for master alloys from the titanium industry, and growing demand in the automotive sector. Additional factors pushing market growth include growing demand for superalloys that can withstand extreme temperatures and collaboration between consumers and manufacturers. Master Alloys Market Size is predicted to touch USD 441.2 million at a 6.51% CAGR over the forecast period (2018-2024), as per the latest Market Research Future (MRFR) report. A master alloy, simply put, is a base metal including nickel, copper or aluminium with a comparatively percentage of one or two other elements. These alloys are made in various shapes such as rod in coils, waffle plate, and ingot. They are mostly found in plants where metals are melted, alloyed with different elements as well as cast into shapes. It can be steel, iron, aluminium or precious metals such as gold. Master alloys are also known as a modifier, grain refiner, and hardener resting on its application. On the contrary, declining profit margins, coupled with the dull growth of the steel industry are factors that may impede the master alloys market growth over the forecast period. Key Players: Leading players profiled in the Master Alloys Industry include KBM Affilips (Netherlands), Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. (Netherlands), Asturiana de Aleaciones SA (Spain), Reading Alloys (AMETEK Inc.) (US), and Milward Alloys Inc. (US), among others. July 2019: UK-based LCM (Less Common Metals), the sole rare earth alloy producer based outside Japan and China has begun the production of metal. LCM produces samarium cobalt alloys and neodymium-iron-boron, and high purity earth metals for the permanent magnet industry in Southern England. Besides, they also make other rare earth alloys such as master alloys (lanthanum nickel and yttrium aluminum) and hydrogen storage. Market Segmentation The Market Research Future report provides a wide segmental analysis of the Master Alloys Market Size based on application and type. Based on type, the master alloys market is segmented into copper-based master alloys, chromium alloys, vanadium alloys, molybdenum alloys, aluminium-based master alloys, and others. Of these, the aluminium-based master alloys segment will have the largest share in the market over the forecast period. This is owing to the fact that aluminium is lightweight, highly compatible with other base materials, and works as a hardening agent. By application, the master alloys market is segmented into the aluminium industry, metal anhydride alloys, iron, titanium production, powder metallurgical, stainless steel, superalloys, and others. Of these, the titanium production segment will dominate the market over the forecast period. This is owing to its wide use in aircraft engines as well as components. The titanium production segment will be followed by the superalloys segment. Regional Analysis Based on the region, the Master Alloys Industry covers growth opportunities and the latest trends across North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Of these, the APAC region will remain the frontrunner in the market over the forecast period. It is predicted to grow at an 8.3% CAGR. This is owing to the burgeoning demand from various end industries such as aluminum, consumer goods, automotive, and aircraft components. The presence of automotive giants such as Mitsubishi and Toyota are investing largely in production facilities, especially in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia are also boosting the market growth in this region. The master alloys market in North America is predicted to have the second-largest share in the market during the forecast period and is predicted to touch USD 91.4 million. This is owing to the growth in the aerospace industry and the presence of leading aircraft manufacturers in the region. The master alloys market in Europe is predicted to have moderate growth over the forecast period. Germany is the key contributor in this region owing to the growing demand for titanium alloys in the automotive as well as aerospace industries. Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/master-alloys-market-6229 WASHINGTON As congressional Democrats hash out a plan to spend more than $2 trillion on the nations crumbling infrastructure, its unclear how much if any of that money would go toward a long-sought barrier to protect to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from catastrophic storm surge. But at least one Houston Democrat is making it her mission to ensure the package includes funding for the latest version of the so-called Ike Dike, a proposed $26 billion project that would fundamentally alter the southeast Texas coastline. This is the time to make the case, said U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher. TEXAS LEADS U.S. IN DISASTERS: Biden's infrastructure plan includes $50B for resilience. Fletcher is telling the Biden administration and Democrats on key committees drafting the infrastructure bill that the Ike Dike isnt just a project to protect Texas. If storm surge were to head north into the Houston Ship Channel and shut down the Port of Houston the busiest port in the country and home to much of the nations petrochemical industry it would have dire economic consequences for the entire nation, Fletcher recently testified to a House committee. The potential environmental and human catastrophe that would come from that storm surge its beyond anything I think our country has ever seen, Fletcher said in an interview with Hearst Newspapers. People need to know and understand that. However, Fletcher may be facing an uphill battle even with a fellow Democrat in the White House. President Joe Bidens infrastructure plan doesnt include specific projects, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says its too early to say whether even some of the $50 billion that the plan earmarks to gird against storms would help fund the Ike Dike. Meanwhile, delegations from other states are revving up efforts to secure funding for their own projects, though the White House plan would dole out the funding to states through grant programs. Obviously every member is going to have something in their district or state theyre going to want to bring home and show theyre doing something, said Bill Stahlman, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Committee on Americas Infrastructure. Whether its a small, local, rural bridge that needs to be rebuilt or on the magnitude of the Ike Dikethey all have value to that community. The country has a massive backlog of infrastructure needs, including highways, bridges, ports and airports. The Ike Dike will have to compete for funding with those projects. Meanwhile other major projects, such as the Gateway Tunnel between New York and New Jersey, are further along and may have an easier time getting funding through the package. Theres probably $2 trillion worth of infrastructure backlog in the country, said William Fulton, director of Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The need for the coastal barrier has been discussed since Hurricane Ike in 2008. A Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds, Ike caused roughly 15 to 20 feet of storm surge on Bolivar Peninsula and in parts of Chambers County. It led to loss of life and $20 billion in damage. The White House has pointed to an ongoing Army Corps of Engineers study of the Ike Dike, which will need to be completed before federal funding starts flowing to the project. The barrier proposal calls for a gated structure stretching across the mouth of Galveston Bay and the 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 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. 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 the barrier. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Fulton said there is a separate emerging category of increasingly needed climate-related projects and the Ike Dike could be a new face for that. Proposals would rebuild the Lower Manhattan shoreline to gird against storms after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Miami is facing rapid sea level rise and is working on raising streets because of flooding. Sea level rise is also threatening the Bay Area in California, threatening sewer systems. I think the Ike Dike might be the poster child for a new generation of really large climate adaptation related projects, Fulton said. Fletcher is pushing to create a funding stream for coastal resiliency projects like the Ike Dike. That would appear in line with the $50 billion the White House pitched for resiliency, though Buttigieg recently described those projects as partly just being built into the kind of investments were making in roads and rail, ports and airports and transit and trains." The second-term Democrat, meanwhile, is working to get more of the Texas delegation behind her push. I do think youre going to see support from our delegation because its so important for our region, she said. We see other delegations making pushes for different kinds of things I think this project is of that kind of significance and its important were out there talking about it. I do think its important to make the case for the national importance of this project. At least one other Houston Democrat said he supports the effort to get the coastal barrier in the infrastructure package. Its something we can do. The question is, do we have the will to do it, said U.S. Rep. Al Green, the chairman of the Texas Democratic delegation. It would be important, I think, for all of us to see it included in a package. And I think it would be easy for the public to understand it. Fletcher said shes reaching out to Republican members of the delegation, as well, despite GOP opposition to Bidens infrastructure plan, in part because it includes a heavy emphasis on clean energy that some Texas Republicans have framed as an attack on the states oil industry. Republicans have also balked at Bidens call for higher corporate taxes and inclusion of funding for needs they dont consider infrastructure. Still, Texas Republicans in Congress have supported the Ike Dike, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who in 2018 authored legislation to expedite the Army Corps study. We will work hard to make sure that coastal protection plan is funded," Cornyn said at the time. Senate Republicans last week released an infrastructure plan totaling $568 billion, and Cornyn told Fox News on April 18 theres a core infrastructure bill that we could pass that could cover roads and bridges and even improved broadband access. So let's do it and leave the rest for another day and another fight, Cornyn said. Whether even a bipartisan deal would include funding for the Ike Dike remains to be seen. ben.wermund@chron.com The founder of high-street chain Home Bargains has bought nearly 5,000 acres of land to help farmers 'grow and promote British produce'. Home Bargains chief executive Tom Morris bought the land, located at Halsall, West Lancashire, from the Church of England's Church Commissioners. The billionaire is also the director of The Halsall Estate Limited, which was incorporated in January this year. Following the purchase of the land, the firm said all tenants had been 'assured' that the terms of their existing tenancies would be 'honoured'. A spokesman said: There has been no change to any tenancy agreements on our behalf, before or after the purchase. Our aim is to work with local farmers to grow and promote British produce. The Church Commissioners manages around 95,000 acres of land across the country and an 8.7 billion investment fund. A spokesman for the body said it had 'completed on the sale of 4,960 acres of land at Halsall, West Lancashire.' "All parties affected have been notified and where tenancies are in place these will remain," he confirmed. But it is Sir James Dyson, Britain's wealthiest man, who is the country's biggest farmer. Beside vacuum cleaners, the 73-year-old is also known for running an agricultural business with net assets worth 527.5m - Beeswax Dyson Farming Ltd. Farming continues to be the main principal activity for the business, which comprises 35,000 acres of land throughout Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. The company also looks to energy for diversified income and turnover from this source has increased compared to 2017. After the pandemic forced big banks to expand their payrolls and ramp up digital banking offerings and customer support, they have returned to what they know: wielding the ax. Already this year, six top U.S. banks have announced layoffs and branch closings as part of aggressive cost-cutting measures. Wells Fargo, for instance, announced it may lay off a quarter of its workforce to cut as much as $10 billion in expenses over the coming years. The opposite is happening New Jerseys 88 state-chartered community banks, where many are thriving, thanks to an explosion in home mortgage refinancing and the windfall created by processing the Paycheck Protection Program. This gave us a great opportunity to reconnect with our customers and to try to help them through this pandemic mess, said Jane E. Allerman-Rey, president of Spencer Savings Bank, which has 20 branches in Northern New Jersey and over $3 billion in assets. It became a great opportunity to attract new business. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Allerman-Rey said Spencer had processed 370 PPP loans for $35.3 million as this past Monday. With Congress extending the program until May 31, community banks should see even more potential customers, especially since the current round of PPP lending targets smaller businesses. This year, Allerman-Rey said, loans have averaged $70,000 and the borrowers tend to have fewer than 20 employees. Allerman-Rey, who was promoted late last year to president of Elmwood Park-based Spencer, said many PPP customers came to the bank after they got the runaround at a major national bank about their Small Business Administration loan application. We would look in the SBA system and see they were approved, and they were never told, she said. I could see the aftermath of these poor people who were customers they basically didnt care about. There is an entire class of community banks that process online loan applications in volume instead of focusing their business on conventional face-to-face customer service. They are called fintechs, whose business involves originating loans on smart phone applications owned by high-tech venture capital startups. New Jerseys most active is Cross River, which has a single branch in Teaneck with $2.5 billion in assets. However, Cross Rivers staff at its Fort Lee headquarters issues $1 billion in loans a month, most from online applications. It is one of the nations top PPP loan processors. Today, there are nearly 5,000 community banks in the United States, according to the Comptroller of the Currency. They tend to operate in rural areas, underserved communities, and towns and villages like New Jerseys. The banks are small, locally based institutions that have strong ties to small business, agricultural and consumer lending. At one time, community banks were the pillars of the broader communities in which they operate, when customers picked a bank based on how close it was to work or home. But as customer preferences shifted to online banking, their proximity to branches has become less important. The pandemic has only accelerated that trend. A May 2020 consumer survey from Fiserv found that 36% of bank customers reduced their use of in-branch ATMs, 27% increased use of mobile check deposits, and 33% increased use of mobile payment apps. That leaves community banks facing an important question: How do they maximize rapport with their customers when visiting the branch is less important? Community bankers say they work hard to reach out to their customers and stick with their borrowers in tough times, like the COVID recession. When people have a hard time finding someone to help them, thats when we shine. When it starts getting a little difficult, this is when customers start calling us, said James D. Nesci, president of Rutherford-based Blue Foundry Bank, formerly known as Boiling Springs Savings Bank. We feel that when the big banks pull back, that is the time we lean forward, he said. I cant stress to you how much hand holding we do. Each name matters. We call them up personally. We keep finding new ways to touch our clients because we believe its really important. Blue Foundry, which has $1.6 billion in assets, recently completed extensive renovations of its 17 branches around the state. The company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in March for an initial public offering, priced at $10 per share. We just try to win with great customer service one customer at a time, Nesci said. Each customer is more meaningful when youre at a small bank. George Jordan writes a weekly column on business and development in New Jersey. He may be reached at george@griotmediaworks.com. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Rosenberg police have identified a man who was fatally shot by police officers after opening fire inside a Fort Bend County laundromat Friday evening. The deceased suspect was identified as Tory Casey, 41, of Rosenberg. Police responded to the scene after Casey allegedly began shooting his handgun in the air and threatening patrons, including his fiancee, Rashida Ferguson, authorities said. Officers found Casey standing in the middle of the roadway holding a firearm, Police Chief Jonathan White said in phone interview late Friday. Casey refused to put his gun down and began pointing his handgun at the police officers, White said in a statement Saturday. Ferguson told news outlets that Casey had suffered a mental health episode. She believes officers should have contained the situation without ultimately firing their weapons. They didnt have to kill him, Ferguson told ABC13. There were too many bullets. The second round was not called for, and theyre experts on shooting. This is their job. The incident occurred at a washateria in the 1700 block of 8th St. Officers directed the suspect multiple times to drop his weapon, White said late Friday, showing great restraint. It is unclear how many shots were fired and how many officers discharged their weapons. Casey was transported to Oak Bend Medical Center, then flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston where he was pronounced dead. Three Rosenberg police officers have been placed on administrative leave. White on Friday described the shooting as an unfortunate situation but said there could have been a worse outcome inside the laundromat. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Fort Bend County District Attorneys Office are investigating the shooting. nick.powell@chron.com Nomadland, a film about itinerant, van-dwelling Americans, has won the 2021 Oscars for best picture and best actress. The film, directed by history-making Oscar winner Chloe Zhao and starring Oscar winner Frances McDormand, is based on the Nomadland book by Jessica Bruder. Bruder, a journalist who grew up in Montclair, traveled the country living in her van, Halen (named for the band), in order to conduct reporting for the story that would become Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, published in 2017. (See our February story on Bruder and Nomadland here.) Zhao, who is also a producer of the film, accepted the best picture award and thanked Bruder, who trusted us with her beautiful book, along with some of the real-life nomads in the film. The director made history at the Oscars when she became just the second woman to win best director (after Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010), and the first woman of color and first Asian woman to win the category. McDormand, who won her third and fourth Oscar for Nomadland, paid tribute to a New Jersey talent behind the scenes of the film at the awards show, sound mixer Michael Wolf Snyder. Snyder, 35, who grew up in Moorestown, died by suicide. Psychiatrist David Snyder found his son dead on March 1. We give this one to our Wolf, said McDormand, also a producer of the film, howling like a wolf when she accepted the award for best picture. Jessica Bruder inside her van, Halen. She lived in the van for months while reporting on "workampers," people who travel from job to job, living in vans, RVs and trailers.Courtesy of Jessica Bruder Snyder also worked with Zhao on her 2018 film The Rider. The director previously remembered him at the Critics Choice Awards. In Nomadland, which was nominated for six Oscars, including best adapted screenplay, McDormand, who brought the idea for the film to Zhao, plays Fern, a widowed former teacher from Empire, Nevada. The company town became a ghost town after the gypsum plant powering the community shut down. The story is based on the real-life Empire, which Bruder talks about in her book. The author served as a consulting producer on the film. When Fern hits the road after the death of her husband, shes called homeless. She makes a correction: Im just houseless, she says, which is not the same thing. Searchlight Pictures Nomadland had its wide release in February in theaters and on Hulu after winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020. The movie, which is about grief and survival as much as it is about about people who live in cars, vans and RVs, had an unexpectedly fitting debut. When the film was on the festival circuit earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, people including those at the Montclair Film Festival in October watched in their cars at drive-in movies. McDormands Fern is a workamper, or a worker who lives in her van, moving from place to place for work, wherever the next job is. She works for Amazon as part of its CamperForce program, which recruits many senior Americans for seasonal warehouse work. Bruder explored the program in the course of her reporting. Frances McDormand and director Chloe Zhao during the filming of "Nomadland."Joshua James Richards In addition to best picture and director, Zhao was nominated for best film editing and best adapted screenplay for her treatment of Bruders book. Her previous films include The Rider (2018) and Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2016). She also helmed the upcoming Marvel movie Eternals. The director is known for her naturalistic style, showcasing grand landscapes and painted skies in her work and using real people as characters in her films, or having them play characters inspired by their lives. Bruder, author of "Nomadland," drove for more than 15,000 miles while reporting on itinerant seniors and other people who ditch four walls for "wheel estate."Courtesy of Jessica Bruder Some of the same real-life nomadic workampers in Bruders book Linda May, Charlene Swankie and e-van-gelist Bob Wells appear in the film. (See our story on Nomadland for interviews with Bruder, May and Wells.) Nomadland wins the Oscar for best picture over nominees Judas and the Black Messiah, The Father, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Mank, Minari, Promising Young Woman and Sound of Metal. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter. Lyft is offloading Level 5, its internal autonomous vehicle development team. The company announced on Monday it plans to sell the division to Toyota for $550 million. In turn, the Japanese automaker will integrate the team into its Woven Planet subsidiary. Toyota will pay Lyft $200 million upfront for the division, and another $350 million over five yealrs to complete the transaction. The two companies say they expect the deal to close sometime in third quarter of this year. And Lyft isn't being shy about its reasons for selling Level 5. Provided the deal goes through, the company expects that its R&D spending will go down sharply as a result, an important step as the company tries to become profitable. Assuming the transaction closes within the expected timeframe and the COVID recovery continues, we are confident that we can achieve Adjusted EBITDA profitability in the third quarter of this year, said John Zimmer, the co-founder and president of Lyft. With today's announcement, Lyft is following Uber in effectively leaving the self-driving car business to other companies. Lyft had been working on the technology since 2017, and while it didn't have the same high-profile setbacks as Uber, it's under the same pressure to become profitable as soon possible. One significant angle to today's announcement is that Toyota is working with Aurora, the company that bought Uber's Advanced Technologies Group last year, to develop autonomous taxis. By the end of 2021, they plan to start testing self-driving vans, with an eye towards launching those on Uber and other ride-hailing networks sometime over the next few years. The still provisional toll of the fire that struck the Ibn Al-Khatib hospital has risen to 82 dead and over 110 injured. Inside were hospitalized patients affected by the new coronavirus, while the country faces the second wave of the pandemic. Among the causes, "the storage of oxygen cylinders" without safety standards. Pope Francis prayer. Baghdad (AsiaNews) - The latest toll - but still provisional and which could worsen in the next few hours - in a fire that broke out yesterday in the intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients of a Baghdad hospital is at least 82 victims and over 110 injured. During the Regina Caeli Pope Francis expressed condolences and prayers for the dead and their families; a suffrage ceremony was held in Najaf, a holy city in Iraq, while the population is angry over an incident caused by years of corruption and mismanagement of local administrations. Yesterday the Chaldean patriarch, Card. Louis Raphael Sako, visited the hospital and expressed the support of the Iraqi Church for the dead and their families. In a note published on the patriarchate website and sent to AsiaNews, the cardinal asked for "God's prayer and mercy for the dead" and "a speedy recovery for the wounded". The cardinal speaks of a "humanitarian and national disaster" which requires "unity and solidarity" in the response "to avert such shameful disasters in the future". According to the latest rumours, at the origin of the fire there are oxygen cylinders "stored without the minimum respect for safety conditions". The incident sparked protests from Iraqis, who called for the resignation of Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi. Faced with mounting anger, the head of government Moustafa Al-Kazimi suspended the minister from his duties. The fire at Ibn Al-Khatib hospital has flared up as the country is facing a second wave of the new coronavirus pandemic, with a daily average of about 8 thousand new infections, which represents the highest figure since the beginning of the health emergency. The confirmed cases would be over one million and the victims around 15,200. The Prime Minister announced three days of national mourning and provisionally awarded 10 million dinars (about 5700 euros) to each family of the victims. The fire broke out in the night between April 24 and 25, most likely caused by the explosion of some oxygen cylinders "stored without compliance with safety conditions" as stated by hospital medical sources behind anonymity. For hours the flames devoured non-fireproof false ceilings, which favoured the spread of the fire. Rescuers pulled patients from their beds to save them from the flames; however, the lack of oxygen supplied by the machinery to which they were attached was fatal. Still others died from inhaling toxic substances triggered by the flames. The delay in the intervention of the fire brigades also aggravated the deadly toll, also linked to the fact that the hospital is located in a peripheral and rural area of the Iraqi capital. Prime Minister al-Kazimi has announced the opening of an "investigation", also supported by the President of the Republic Barham Saleh and by the President of Parliament Mohammed Al-Halboussi. In the next few days there will be interrogations of the Minister of Health, the Governor of Baghdad Mohammed Jaber, the health manager of East Baghdad, the medical director, the heads of security and those responsible for technical maintenance. ADVERTISEMENT Sunday Adeyemo, a self-styled Yoruba activist, on Monday morning claimed soldiers invaded his Ibadan residence in a bid to arrest him and his supporters. Mr Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, raised the alarm through his spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, who ran a live Facebook broadcast at the car park of the activists residence. Mr Koiki, who kept lampooning federal and state authorities, claimed soldiers invaded Mr Igbohos residence at around 2 am Monday morning but that they were being resisted. Gunshots could be heard intermittently in the background as Mr Koiki spoke. He claimed soldiers were doing the shooting but that could not be independently confirmed by PREMIUM TIMES. It is also unclear at this time if soldiers indeed swooped on the property located in the Soka area of Ibadan. Oyo state police spokesperson, Adewale Osifeso, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES calls and text messages seeking to clarify Mr Igbohos claim. The known telephone number of Nigerian Army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, did not connect as this reporter dialled it multiple times Monday morning. We are more than capable of securing ourselves, we have chased them far from here, Mr Koiki said in the video. I am sure you can hear gunshots. That is them shooting from afar, we cannot be intimidated because we are fully prepared and ready for them. By tomorrow morning, I am sure the government would come with false press statements, that it was a set of unknown soldiers, that was the same tactic they used to attack Felas mother. They equally used it during #EndSARS. They brought us a letter sometimes ago but we rejected them because the letter was what they used to kill Dele Giwa. We have chosen to be peaceful only for them to keep looking for our trouble which we wont hesitate to give to them. Mr Igboho had in January led a group of men to Igangan in the Ibarapa axis of Oyo state to eject the Seriki Fulani of Igangan, Salihu Abdulkadir, triggering a face-off with the state and federal governments. He accused Mr Abdulkadir of backing criminal herdsmen behind the kidnapping and killing of farmers and residents of the community. Mr Abdulkadir denied the allegation but he was nonetheless forcefully ejected from a community he had lived in for decades. The federal and Oyo State governments frowned at the development, saying no citizen has the right to eject other citizens from wherever they wished to reside in the country. But on February 1, Mr Igboho rebuffed authorities and proceeded to neighbouring Ogun State to purportedly evict herdsmen resident there. During that visit, he also vowed to dislodge herdsmen from the entire Yoruba land. On February 26, the self-styled warlord claimed some security operatives attached to Oyo State Operation Burst attempted to arrest him at the Lagos-Ibadan expressway while on his way to meet elder statesman, Ayo Adebanjo, in Lagos. The police and the State Security Service did not confirm that attempt to arrest Mr Igboho who posted a video clip he said was of the encounter on social media. With Mr Koikis disclosure that the authorities recently tried to serve Mr Igboho a letter, it appears the countrys law enforcement might be trying to take him in for questioning. His dedication to driving a differentiated experience to our customers continues to open doors RANDYS Worldwide, a global leader in drivetrain manufacturing and distribution, is pleased to announce the promotion of Neal Hollingsworth to Vice President of Marketing. As a part of the Executive Leadership Team and reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, Neal will continue to be responsible for activities related to RANDYS Worldwide and the network of brands across all sales and marketing channels. Neals marketing group leads RANDYS companies in web, analytics, digital, event and brand management, graphic design, motion graphics, sales channel support and development, customer marketing support, and so much more. In addition to RANDYS internal work, Neals group functions as a marketing agency to many of our customers, building brand and sales support programs within their market area. Neal began with RANDYS in September of 2010 and continues to place emphasis on brand development along all channels of the business. His dedication to driving a differentiated experience to our customers continues to open doors, says Kevin Kaestner, President and CEO of RANDYS. Neals role in our business will continue to grow as we add new brands to our portfolio. Continuing to contribute with the great team that Kevin has created here at RANDYS is exciting. Marketing execution is changing and having a great team around me, not only here in the Marketing department, but throughout our company makes this opportunity a great one and I could not be more excited to continue in this new position, say Neal Hollingsworth. ABOUT RANDYS Worldwide Established in 1982 and based in Everett, Washington, RANDYS Worldwide is the leading distributor of aftermarket drivetrain and performance parts for the general automotive, motorsports, and off-road enthusiast. With a variety of products for cars, SUVs, and light duty trucks, RANDYS core business is focused on the distribution and manufacturing of parts through four major company brands: RANDYS Worldwide, Yukon Gear & Axle, USA Standard Gear and Zumbrota Drivetrain. RANDYS also has the industrys only fully integrated differential search finder, DiffWizard that provides consumers with direct search results on their specific drivetrain needs. To learn more about RANDYS Worldwide, visit http://www.randysworldwide.com. Indian American writer Anand Giridharadas, speaking at the 18th annual Solanki Lecture organized by Cal State University, Long Beach, made a strong case for big government and big policy for the removal of inequities. He is seen onstage at WIRED25 Festival: WIRED Celebrates 25th Anniversary on Oct. 14, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for WIRED25) SANYA, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), attended the commissioning ceremony of three naval vessels, the Changzheng-18, the Dalian, and the Hainan. The vessels were delivered to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and placed in active service on Friday at a naval port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. The ceremony started at around 3:30 p.m. and was attended by about 2,400 people. Xi presented PLA flags and the naming certificates to the captain and political commissar of each of the three vessels, and posed for group photos with them. After the ceremony, Xi boarded the vessels and reviewed the guards of honor. He also inspected the onboard weapons and equipment, greeted the officers and soldiers, and signed his name in the logs. At the dock, Xi met with representatives of vessel researchers and naval officers and soldiers. Approved by the CMC, the Changzheng-18 received the hull number 421, the Dalian 105, and the Hainan 31. Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood was diagnosed with cancer for a second time during lockdown. The 73-year-old said he had a small-cell cancer and has since been given the all-clear. The father to four-year-old twins told the Sun: Ive had cancer two different ways now. I had lung cancer in 2017 and I had small-cell more recently that I fought in the last lockdown. The guitarist, who also performed with Faces and the Jeff Beck Group, said he handed the outcome to a higher power, a concept espoused by Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. He told the paper: All I can do is stay positive in my attitude, be strong and fight it, and the rest is up to my higher power. Im going through a lot of problems now, but throughout my recovery, you have to let it go. And when you hand the outcome over to your higher power, that is a magic thing. After his 2017 diagnosis, Wood said he wondered whether it was time to say goodbye to his family, wife Sally Humphreys and daughters Gracie Jane and Alice Rose. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. The diagnosis was revealed after a doctor taking routine tests asked Wood if he would like to go deeper and have his heart, lungs and blood checked. Then he came back with the news that I had this supernova burning away on my left lung, Wood said. And, to be totally honest, I wasnt surprised. The musician said he told the doctor: Just get it out of me. The rocker underwent a week of tests, saying that if the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes it would have been all over for me. But Wood said he had decided not to have chemotherapy if the news turned out to be bad. Its more I wasnt going to lose my hair. This hair wasnt going anywhere, he said. A man who has single-handedly campaigned to remember the deeds of Britains forgotten servicemen restored more than 80 graves to fallen soldiers. Steve Davies, 63, from Hawkhurst, in Kent, felt compelled to act after he stumbled across the overgrown grave of an 18-year-old rifleman who died in the First World War. Mr Davies, a married father-of-three, served two tours of duty in the Royal Green Jackets, 3rd battalion, in Northern Ireland during the 1970s. Steve Davies, 63, from Hawkhurst, Kent, (pictured) has been restoring graves of fallen soldiers for more than three years Slide me One grave Steve restored was that belonging to Commander Robert Radcliffe Cooke, who joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1897 and rose to rank of Commander before his death in 1924 He was discharged having attained the rank of corporal. Mr Davies has restored more than 80 graves of British servicemen across the south east of England, over the past three years. Among the list of the graves he has restored are eight recipients of the Victoria Cross, a baronet, several knights and 10 generals. I was attending a family christening in Sandhurst and wandered outside. There was a dirty overgrown war grave of an 18-year-old rifleman in the Rifle brigade my antecedent regiment killed six weeks before the Armistice, Mr Davies said. I came back the next day and sorted it out. The rest is history. It left me angry this 18-year-old gave his life. I did it because it was there and annoying that you could not read about the history of these guys. I have an interest in their history. I have restored graves as far as East Sussex, around Greater London and in Kent. I have been to probably about 25 different sites anywhere up to an hours drive from home. Slide me Another grave belonging to Sir William Francis Cuthbert Garthwaite, 2nd Baronet of Durham (pictured) was also on the list of restorations Slide me Steve first started restoring graves after he stumbled across one belonging to an 18-year-old rifleman who died in the First World War. Pictured: The grave of Flying Officer Owen Headley One restoration included the grave of Colonel John Tobin Ready, known as JTR (pictured), who joined the 66th Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1854 and served in the second Afghan War The majority of the graves Mr Davies has restored fall outside of remit of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which tends to the graves of those fallen in both world wars. Using a combination of water and professional cleaning fluids Mr Davies gently removes the decades of pollution to have weathered the headstones and in some cases has been forced to remodel parts of the grave which have broken off. He was helped with the remodelling by a comrade from his former battalion. The restorations, which are painstakingly completed over numerous visits, have cost Mr Davies hundreds of pounds each in some cases. While one charity, Project Nova, provided him with five gallons of D2 nio-biological cleaner and Dutch company HG supplied 96 bottles of headstone cleaner, Mr Davies has funded the entire project. While Mr Davies has never asked for donations, his family have since launched a fundraising page to help with the cost of restoring the graves. Mr Davies added: Like most soldiers I had my mental health issues several years ago and this has really helped me. I try to restore the graves which are outside of the Commonwealth War Graves Commissions remit. They are just forgotten about. The whole idea of this is that people should know about these men. Slide me The majority of the graves Mr Davies has restored fall outside of remit of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Pictured: The transformation of Colonel John Tobin Ready's grave The restorations have cost Mr Davies (pictured) hundreds of pounds each in some cases Mr Davies (pictured) has never asked for donations but his family have launched a fundraising page to help with the cost of restoring the graves My wife and family think Im mad but they support it as they know it is helpful to my health. One grave took five months to restore and I had to get a model maker to help with the sword on the grave. The length of time it takes all depends on the age and quality of the grave. With the help of researcher Jane Robinson, Mr Davies has contacted many of the relatives of those whose grave had been left forgotten. In one instance Ms Robinson, who researched the First World War altar frontal at St Paul's Cathedral, unearthed a clip of one soldiers voice allowing his grandchildren to hear it for the first time. The man, Sir William Francis Cuthbert Garthwaite, had been the only Royal Navy pilot to hit the German battleship Bismarck with a torpedo. An interview with him was held in the Imperial War Museum. Mr Davies added: A lot of the families are surprised when I contact them out of the blue. I send them before and after pictures of the grave and the history of the man. Its really well received I am remembering them and what they did. Garthwaites daughter in law approached me to ask if I would clean the grave. While researching his history Jane found an audio interview of him in the Imperial War Museum. I sent it to the family, who thanked me as two of the grandchildren had never heard his voice before. To donate and help Steve restore forgotten military graves, click here. Life for June began very modestly, if unconventionally, in Victoria. June was the younger of two daughters of Alice Maude Browne. Her father was Thomas Browne a song-and-dance man with the burnt cork face of the minstrel. Maudie left him in the 1920s and they divorced. She forbade June from ever seeing him. June obeyed but later learnt (from a friend) that her father saw her in every play she ever acted. Helmut would become as famous as his subjects. In 1970, Junes own career as a photographer began, almost by chance and under a new name sharply distinct from but more softly focused than her husbands. They lived an impossibly glamorous life and proved a great double act. For six decades June Newton was an equal partner, champion and muse of the photographer, Helmut Newton. She had been a promising actress when they met in Melbourne in 1947 and her career blossomed until Helmuts took off; she abandoned the stage and joined him in Paris in 1961. Maudie set up house on a farm at Kangaroo Ground, just out of Melbourne, with a friend, Alice Reidy, and a lodger, a retired schoolteacher called George Henry Shugg. He called them Mrs B and Miss Reidy and they always called him Mr Shugg. The three of them lived together for the rest for their lives. Obsessed, as a child, with the cinema and theatre, she was told, when having her tea leaves read, that she would be surrounded by cameras but never in front of them. Yet she was soon appearing on the stage of Victorian theatres as June Brunell (Brown had been taken) The Argus wrote of a crisp and well-spoken performance as Viola in Twelfth Night in 1948. She would be Shaws St Joan, Salome opposite Frank Thring, and the salesmans wife in Death of a Salesman. The Bulletin praised an emotionally convincingfiancee in After My Fashion in 1953. Actress June Brunell. Credit:Helmut Newton By then it was six years since she had answered an ad for a photographers model in Flinders Lane, where she met 26-year-old Helmut. Having a camera since he was 12, Helmut, the son of a prosperous Jewish button-factory owner, had fled Berlin in 1938; landed in Singapore where he worked briefly for the Straits Times and then as a gigolo. He got to Melbourne in 1940 and resumed work with his camera. June recalled, I looked at the pictures on the wall and I fell in love with them. Helmut told her, Photography will always be my first love, but you will be my second. They married in 1948. They tried London in 1956 where June starred in a BBC radio drama, Flying Doctors, but the British were not ready for Helmut. They returned to Melbourne where Helmut contributed to the Australia supplement of British Vogue. In 1961, he accepted a full-time position with Paris Vogue. France became their base and he peopled the pages of Vogue for the rest of his life. June had to abandon acting and took up painting, although her chief role was as her husbands deputy and defender. New UK aircraft carrier to set sail for Asia next month View Photo LONDON (AP) A fleet of British warships and military aircraft billed as the largest concentration of maritime and air power to leave the U.K. in a generation will depart next month for visits to India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, in a display of Britains ambition to exert a much stronger presence in Asia. New aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, the most powerful surface vessel in the Royal Navys history, will set sail next month for Asia with eight fast jets on board. It will be accompanied by six Royal Navy ships, a submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, 14 naval helicopters and a company of Royal Marines. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Monday the mission aims to show that Britain is not stepping back but sailing forth to play an active role in shaping the international system. It will help deepen security and political ties and support Britains exports and international trade, he added. While he noted Chinas increasingly assertive military build-up, Wallace said the deployment was not meant to be confrontational. We are not going to the other side of the world to be provocative. We will sail through the South China Sea, we will be confident but not confrontational, he told Parliament. The deployment is expected to last about six months and visit more than 40 countries. It will take part in dozens of engagements, including an exercise to mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the Indo-Pacific region will become Britains defense and foreign policy focus as the U.K. reconsiders its place in the world order after leaving the European Union. Johnson had planned to visit India to boost trade and investment ties as part of that plan, but he was forced to cancel the trip as the coronavirus pandemic worsened in India. By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday proposed legislation to create harsher penalties for people driving while their license is suspended, particularly those who drive recklessly, cause injuries or kill others. The Republican governors latest proposal seeks to build on Haleys Law, a 2014 law named after a 20-year-old Sharon woman who was fatally struck by a driver with a suspended license. We need to build on these efforts to keep drivers safe, Baker said, speaking from the Massachusetts State House alongside Haley Cremers father, Marc Cramer. Haley Cremer died on June 14, 2014, Fathers Day. She was 20 and just entering the prime of her life, Marc Cremer said, holding back tears. This was no random accident. This was preventable. If the enhanced penalties prevent another crash, Cremer said, we will save another family, more likely many families from the horror my wife, my daughter and I live with every day. Despite the drop in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts reported 334 road rage deaths in 2020, Baker said. Thats similar to the roughly 336 deaths in 2019. The 2014 law came under the spotlight in 2019 as the Boston Globe reported the state Registry of Motor Vehicles failed to timely notify police departments of troubled drivers in a timely manner as Haleys Law requires. The RMV also came under scrutiny over the summer of 2019 after seven motorcyclists were killed in New Hampshire in a crash involving a West Springfield truck driver. The RMV had failed to suspend driver Volodymyr Zhukovskyys license after a number of out-of-state violations, including an arrest in Connecticut a month before the crash on a driving under the influence charge. Baker also proposed a series of other bills, including some refiled proposals, to bolster road safety regulations. His bills would allow police officers to stop people for not wearing a seatbelt, mandate review of road rules surrounding electronic scooters and other new driving devices, require motorists to stay at least 3 feet away from bicyclists and pedestrians when there isnt a barrier separating them, allow cities and towns to install red-light cameras and expand crash reporting requirements. Also joining Baker at the Massachusetts State House Monday morning were Acting Transportation Secretary Jamey Tesler, Highway Safety Division Director Jeff Larason and AAA Northeast President and CEO John Galvin. Related Content: Click here to read the full article. Fresh off its Oscar win for best international feature film, Another Round is getting the Hollywood treatment. The Danish dramedy about four friends who engage in an epic drinking binge will be remade in English. Leonardo DiCaprio is being eyed to star in the film in the role originated by Mads Mikkelsen, but theres no formal deal in place. DiCaprios production company Appian Way acquired rights following a bidding war that reportedly involved Jake Gyllenhaals production company Nine Stories, as well as Elizabeth Banks. Thomas Vinterberg, who landed a surprise Oscar nomination for directing the Danish film, will executive produce the remake, along with Sisse Graum Jrgensen and Kasper Dissing. Vinterberg also co-wrote Another Round with Tobias Lindholm. However, he wont be directing or writing the upcoming version. Endeavor Content and Makeready are financing the English-language movie. Another Round centers on four friends who consume booze on a daily basis to test a theory that maintaining a certain blood alcohol content level inspires creativity and affects their daily lives. Along with Mikkelsen, the cast included Danish actors Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang and Lars Ranthe. During Sunday nights Oscars ceremony, Vinterberg gave an emotional speech that paid tribute to his 19-year-old daughter, who was killed by a reckless driver four days into filming Another Round. We wanted to make a film that celebrates life, he said. We ended up making this movie for her, its her monument. He added, Youre part of this miracle. Maybe youve been pulling some strings somewhere. Deadline Hollywood first reported the news of Another Rounds English-language remake. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. YEREVAN. Armenias President Armen Sarkissian has sent a letter to Secretary General Antonio Guterres of the United Nations. The press office of the President informed Armenian News-NEWS.am about this. The letter reads as follows: The year 2020 has been challenging and difficult for us all. However, for Armenia, 2020 was even more difficult due to the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh on September 27, with the active support and direct participation of Turkey. Despite your call for a global ceasefire under the conditions of COVID-19 pandemic, and the statement condemning the continuing escalation of violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, despite repeated appeals from the international community to immediately stop the war, Azerbaijans military-political leadership massively and deliberately targeted the civilian population and infrastructures, blatantly violating the human rights and international humanitarian right norms. This resulted in the loss of thousands of young lives, thousands of disabled people, displacement of population, and destruction of Armenian cultural and historical heritage. During the war and after it, Armenian military servicemen and civilians became captives who suffer torture and inhuman mistreatment by Azerbaijan. In conformity with the trilateral statement on ceasefire of November 9, 2020, the Republic of Armenia has transferred to Azerbaijan all prisoners of war. However, of utmost importance is the fulfil[l]ment of the "all for all" principle on exchange of all prisoners of war and civilians taken captive, which is being disregarded by Azerbaijan. In a gross violation of human rights and international humanitarian commitments, Azerbaijan currently rejects and hampers the return of civilians and prisoners of war, taken hostage. Armenia expects support from international partners in the issue of the quickest return of all the captives. I appeal to you and the United Nations to undertake all necessary measures to ensure immediate release and safe return of prisoners of war in conformity with the international humanitarian law. Paris: Protesters across France have denounced a ruling by Frances highest court that the killer of Jewish woman Sarah Halimi was not criminally responsible and therefore could not go on trial. Thousands of people filled Trocadero Plaza in Paris, in front of the Eiffel Tower, on Sunday answering a call by Jewish associations and groups fighting antisemitism who say that justice has not been done. Other protests took place in Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and elsewhere. The announcement that the killer would not be sent to trial sparked outrage among the French and international Jewish community. Protesters march with a banner of killed Jewish woman Sarah Halimi, during a demonstration in Marseille. Credit:AP Halimi, a 65-year-old Jewish woman, died in 2017 after being pushed out of the window of her Paris apartment by her neighbor, Kobili Traore, who allegedly shouted Allahu Akbar (God is great in Arabic). Traore admitted pushing her. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 16:02:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JAKARTA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday expressed condolences to the families of the 53 crew members aboard the missing submarine that has been found on the seafloor of the Bali Sea. The Indonesian military confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine, that went missing on Wednesday, had been found on the seafloor of the Bali Sea, and that the vessel had been broken into three parts. The military also said all the crew members aboard the vessel were dead. In an address to the nation, the president promised the government will be responsible for the education of the children of the crew members. He also expressed his gratitude to the national and foreign rescuers who helped in the search for the submarine. The Indonesian military is now discussing about the salvage of the submarine wreckage. Enditem BISHKEK -- Thousands of people have paid their last respects to to Kyrgyz writer and journalist Beksultan Jakiev, who died at the age of 85 after a long unspecified illness on April 25. Prime Minister Ulukbek Maripov, Parliament Speaker Talant Mamytov, former President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, and other officials attended the farewell ceremony on April 26 at Bishkek's Opera and Ballet Theater. President Sadyr Japarov's letter of condolence to the late writers relatives, friends, and colleagues was read aloud at the ceremony. Jakiev was known for his books and articles about Kyrgyz culture and history as well as about modern Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. One of his most popular books was about the history of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, and its long-time Cold War-era director Azamat Altay. Jakiev was the recipient of numerous national awards and titles, including Hero of Kyrgyzstan, for his contribution to the former Soviet republic's literature, culture, and journalism. They often document their lavish life on Instagram. And Chris Hemsworth was spotted taking pictures of his wife Elsa Pataky and their children on Monday, after the clan flew into Sydney via private helicopter following a weekend away. The Thor star, 37, snapped away as his actress wife and children posed on the tarmac. Making memories! Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth snapped pictures of his wife Elsa Pataky and their children after they flew into Sydney via private helicopter on Monday Spanish actress Elsa, 44, looked stunning in her casual ensemble. The brunette beauty showed off her slender figure in a pair of slim-fitting khaki trousers. She teamed the utility pants with a black sweater and some brown combat boots. Getting the right angle: The Thor star, 37, snapped away as his actress wife and children posed on the tarmac Meanwhile, muscular Chris covered up his famous frame in a pair of black trousers, a white T-shirt and a hoodie. He accessorised with his favourite cap. The couple were joined by their children, daughter India Rose, eight, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, seven, in 2014. Doting mother: Elsa cradled one of their twin boys after they disembarked the aircraft, while Chris carried their belongings The Hemsworth twins, Sasha and Tristan, sat up front with the pilot before heading to the hangar with their famous parents. They family are currently residing in Sydney as Chris and Elsa both work on their film commitments. The couple moved to Bryon Bay with their children in 2014. Hunk: Muscular Chris covered up his muscular frame in a pair of black trousers, a white T-shirt and a hoodie Gorgeous: Spanish actress Elsa, 44, looked stunning in her casual ensemble. The brunette beauty showed off her slender figure in a pair of slim-fitting khaki trousers They live in the suburb of Broken Head, a 20-minute drive from central Byron, in a mega-mansion estimated to be worth $30million. They spent years renovating their home, which sits on 4.2 hectares of land, with the help of Sydney-based MCK Architects - but the development faced some resistance from locals, who compared it to a multi-storey car park or shopping centre. The property features a 50-metre infinity pool, a large Indigenous mural, two bars and a gym complex including steam, sauna and massage rooms. Show me! Chris showed one of his sons the happy snaps before they left the airport Chris is currently preparing to shoot a Mad Max sequel, after working on Thor: Love and Thunder. Elsa meanwhile has been shooting her new action movie Interceptor, for streaming service Netflix. The actress recently told The Sydney Morning Herald that there are downsides to moving from the laid-back seaside enclave of Byron Bay to the big smoke in Sydney. She said: 'It's a whole new experience... I can't dress down as much as I do in Byron Bay we hope to get back there on the weekends.' Happy: The family looked relaxed and happy after a weekend away Elsa added the couple's three children will be schooled in the city for the time being. The actress went on to say that living in Australia has been the right decision for the previously LA-based family. 'Byron has been beautiful. We made the right decision in 2014 to leave LA and come to Australia it's been great for the kids to be in nature, enjoy animals and go horse riding,' she said. Luckily the move to Sydney is only temporary, while the pair work on their separate projects in Sydney. Lawmakers support implementation of Sagip Saka TWO Pangasinan congressmen and local executives express support for the implementation of Sagip Saka Act as Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect local farmers and fishermen. Pangasinan's 6th District Congressman Tyrone Agabas said his office, in fact, encourages Pangasinan LGUs to implement Sagip Saka. "It's a good measure. I would like to encourage our LGUs -- napakaraming MAO [municipal agricultural officers] dito as representatives ng mga mayors, to adopt itong programang ito because this is a tool, a mechanism to capacitate not only the farmers, but also the LGUs," Agabas said during a consultation on Sagip Saka. Deputy Speaker and 3rd District Representative Congresswoman Rose Marie "Baby" Arenas said that this is the first time a comprehensive law for farmers has become available. "This is victory for farmers and fishermen. Because for the first time in history, we have a comprehensive law that recognizes the needs of our farmers [and] our fisherfolk, and provides concrete measures to address these. Ako po ay nangangako na susuportahan natin ito," Arenas said. For Pangilinan, cooperation between the House and the Senate is crucial in improving the agriculture sector. "We have to work together to potentially amend the law, and increase capital for our farmers," Pangilinan said, noting the benefits of the law. "Dahil direktang nakakabili ang LGU, mas mataas ang kita ng mga magsasaka at mas mababa rin ang presyo ng pagbili ng LGU kaysa kung dumadaan pa sa middleman -- win-win 'ika nga," he added. Sagip Saka Act was signed into law in April 2019. It mandates LGUs and national and local government agencies to purchase directly from accredited farmers and fisher-folk cooperatives, foregoing public bidding and instead through negotiated procurement. As of November 30, 2020, a total of 443 LGUs have purchased agricultural products directly from farmers and fisherfolk. The estimated value purchased increased from P2.592 billion in July to P2.737 billion in November. An aristocrat has won the first round of her High Court battle with a solicitor who she claims 'tricked' her out of her 2m life savings - after telling the judge she has to 'beg, steal and borrow in order to be able to survive'. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen says she was 'desperate' and suffering sleepless nights about the whereabouts of her millions after handing them to solicitor Rodney Whiston-Dew to invest on her behalf in 2012. Mr Whiston-Dew, 70, is currently in prison after after being jailed in 2017 for his role in a 65m tax scam, then subsequently stuck off. Baroness van Zuylen is now suing him, demanding her money back, plus damages, while the disgraced lawyer denies any wrongdoing. This week, the Cotswolds-based aristocrat beat off a bid by Mr Whiston-Dew to have her claim struck out, after he argued the English courts do not have jurisdiction to try the case. But the case will rumble on for weeks more after Judge Nicholas Thompsell adjourned it ahead of a full trial this summer. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen says she was 'desperate' and suffering sleepless nights Mr Whiston-Dew, 70, is currently in prison after being struck off after being jailed in 2017 Baroness Van Zuylen was the third wife of Baron Thierry van Zuylen, who was from a Dutch noble family who made a fortune in banking, and owned a string of high profile racehorses and was a leading figure on the French racing scene for more than 50 years. They split prior to the Baron's death in 2011 and after receiving a lucrative divorce settlement the Baroness settled into English rural high society in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Little Farringdon. Her daughter Allegra - an alumna of top girls' private school Cheltenham Ladies' College - went to New York to study art. The Baroness, who claims to be 'financially unsophisticated' and to have 'never worked,' says she was 'persuaded' by Mr Whiston-Dew to transfer cash including her divorce payout, in the sum of 2,103,619, via solicitors to GBT Global Ltd, an offshore company of which he was at the time the director. She claims she was promised a monthly income for life and signed a power of attorney in Mr Whiston-Dew's favour, giving him the right to handle her financial dealings. But in 2017, after losing faith in the arrangement, she says she asked for her money back plus an explanation of what happened to it, but received neither. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen with her daughter Allegra pictured back in October 2010 That same year, Mr Whiston-Dew was jailed for ten years for his role in a 65m tax avoidance scam purportedly linked to an eco-friendly reforestation project in Brazil. The Baroness is now suing Mr Whiston-Dew and GBT Global Ltd, demanding the whole of her original sum back, plus compensation for lost potential investment gains. In his defence to the action, Mr Whiston-Dew denies the Baroness' version of events and says he and the company were never involved in scamming her. She had lost money on poor investments and was overspending on credit cards and overdrafts when they met, he claims, and says he put what was left of her money in a trust fund, on the Caribbean island of Nevis, to preserve it. He was attempting to get her to 'rein in her extraordinary spending habits, which at the time exceeded 200,000 per annum,' he claims. 'At that rate of erosion of the trust fund, the capital would not last another decade,' he says. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen says she was tricked into investing 2m in her High Court writ Mr Whiston-Dew goes on to say he was 'called upon daily to deal with expenditures incurred by the Baroness including to landlords, travel agents, clothing suppliers, food suppliers, beverage suppliers, horse product suppliers, vehicle repairers, furniture suppliers (and)...horse acquisitions... 'The Baroness was very frequently travelling abroad, including involvement in horseriding expeditions and an interior design project in very remote parts of India, in east Africa, Italy, Holland and in the USA, leaving me to deal with ever-increasing calls from her bank. These became daily occurrences.' Mr Whiston-Drew said the trust - known as the Azure Trust - was established under the 'precise wishes and understanding' of the Baroness on the island of Nevis and the UK courts have no jurisdiction to deal with a case concerning funds held there. The trustee of the fund is 'not obliged to return the trust fund to the Baroness and in fact would be in breach of trust by doing so under the laws of Nevis,' he claims. This week his barrister Timothy Becker asked Judge Thompsell to strike out the aristocrat's claim on jurisdiction grounds, alternatively asking for the trial of the case to be adjourned. Judge Thompsell handed victory to the Baroness by refusing the strike-out application, saying that whilst the trust was based in Nevis, the case against Mr Whiston-Dew includes matters within the jurisdiction of the English courts, including claims that he breached Financial Conduct Authority rules. But his application for an adjournment was allowed, after Mr Becker told the judge that Mr Whiston-Dew needs time to secure funding to pay for lawyers to represent him. Asking the judge not to adjourn the trial, Derrick Dale QC for Baroness Van Zuylen told the court she is in a 'desperate' situation. 'She handed all of her money to Mr Whiston-Dew and since he has gone to prison, although payments continued for a short period, she has received no money, no money at all,' he said. 'She has had to beg, steal and borrow in order to be able to survive in a day to day existence. She can't pay her rent on the property she lives in.' Mr Becker pointed out that the Baroness is represented by 'leading counsel from one of the Magic Circle chambers,' adding, 'things can't be all that bad'. But Mr Dale told the judge the Baroness's legal team have agreed to work on a no-win no-fee basis. 'She has had to enter into 100 per cent conditional fee agreements with her legal team to conduct this trial,' he said. He also stressed to the judge Baroness Van Zuylen's 'sense of distress and upset in relation to the fraud claim,' adding 'she doesn't sleep, she has anxiety, she also is very very stressed.' However the judge allowed the adjournment and put off the trial, after being told that Mr Whiston Dew has been struggling so badly with trying to conduct his own defence whilst under 'lockdown conditions in the prison due to Covid' that he has been put on antidepressants by prison medics. The judge said: 'In his present state, he would not be able to have a fair trial. 'The cost of a few weeks is unfortunate, but if the result is that we can have a better trial, that would be helpful...so I am minded to allow the application for an adjournment. 'Baroness Van Zuylen, I am told, is also suffering sleepless nights over this and I in no way minimise the effect on her. 'But I think the price of a few extra weeks are greatly outweighed by the real prospect of there not being a fair trial if we were to plough on today.' The case will return to court for trial later this summer. Following a search committee review of highly qualified applicants, Archbishop Thomas Wenski appointed Rigg to replace Kim Pryzbylski, who has held the post for 10 years and will retire June 30, according to a Monday announcement from the Archdiocese of Miami. Rigg and his family will move to South Florida early this summer and he will take over July 6, according to the announcement. This program is a unique universityindustry partnership. It combines University of Florida expertise in gravity measurement physics with Fiberteks optical space hardware capability to deliver NASA new CMD capability for LISA," said Mark Storm, director of NASA programs at Fibertek Fibertek was awarded a four-year contract with the University of Florida to support NASAs Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Charge Management Device (CMD) program. Under this contract Fibertek will continue our partnership with the University of Florida in designing and testing CMD spaceflight Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6) and engineering development units. LISA is an international project led by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop and launch a space-based gravitational wave detector. The detector consists of three satellites spaced 2.5 million kilometers apart in an equilateral triangle in an Earth-trailing orbit. The goal is to search for gravitational wave signatures that come from distortions of space-time produced by distant astronomical events such as the merging of massive black holes. LISA is a space interferometer that measures gravitational waves by sensing minuscule changes in the path length between mirrors. As a gravitational wave passes, it effectively changes the distance between the mirrors with a characteristic signature. The laser interferometer mirrors must float freely within the spacecraft to measure the gravitational wave induced changes in the path length between the interferometer mirrors. The CMD manages the static charge buildup on the laser mirrors due to cosmic radiation and prevents the mirrors from contacting the spacecraft. This program is a unique universityindustry partnership. It combines University of Florida expertise in gravity measurement physics with Fiberteks optical space hardware capability to deliver NASA new CMD capability for LISA, said Mark Storm, director of NASA programs at Fibertek. The University of Florida has done a fantastic job developing the CMD concept and prototype units. We look forward to evolving this design with the university into LISA spaceflight units. The Charge Management Device is a crucial subsystem that consists of an array of ultraviolet LEDs that are coupled to the surfaces of the free-floating mass using fiberoptic cables. The ultraviolet light is used to discharge the masses and precisely control the static electric fields. In addition to the LEDs, the CMD includes electronics to power the LEDs in a variety of operating modes, monitor performance, and communicate with the main satellite controller. Fibertek looks forward to continuing our working relationship with the University of Florida and the NASA LISA team. About Fibertek Fibertek is an aerospace company located in Herndon, Virginia. The company specializes in high-reliability, long-duration space-based lidar, laser, and detector technology and space laser communications systems. Fibertek has a long history of developing space hardware for NASA programs, including NASA CALIPSO, NASA ICESat-2, and NASA CATS, as well as DoD space missions. Fibertek also provides unique, customized high TRL, high power laser and electro-optical systems across the spectrum (visible, 1um, 1.5 um and 2 um) for ground, air, ship and space DoD missions. The company provides space laser communication terminals with precision pointing and tracking for LEO/GEO and beyond. Fibertek is also working with NASA GSFC on LISA long lifetime space Yb-fiber space amplifiers. About LISA at University of Florida The CMD team at the University of Florida (UF) is led by Principal Investigator John W. Conklin, Ph.D., at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) in UFs Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, and Program Manager Peter Wass, Ph.D., also at MAE. Dr. Conklins group has also developed CHOMPTT, a satellite demonstrating precision laser based pico-second time transfer, and is a collaborator in the Cubesat Laser Infrared CrosslinK (CLICK) missions. Agartala/Silchar, April 26 : Amid the alarming spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in both India and Bangladesh, the trade between the two neighbouring countries continues to be unaffected as exports-imports are being carried out by strictly enforcing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid down by the authorities of both the nations. Both India and Bangladesh have restricted the movement of people between the two countries, but allowed the trade to continue, adhering to the SOPs. According to the officials, around 40 trading points comprising Land Customs Stations (LCS) and three Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) along the 4,096 km India-Bangladesh borders in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura are still operational, through which cross-border trades are taking place. The Petrapole (India)-Benapole (Bangladesh) border along West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district and the Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) border along Tripura are the two main trading routes between India and Bangladesh. Agartala-Akhaura ICP chief Debashish Nandi said that the officials are closely monitoring the maintenance of the Covid SOPs to ensure that the workers and drivers and their assistants from both India and Bangladesh always maintain the social distancing protocols. "No laxity of the SOPs is being permitted in maintaining border trades, which are also very essential given the Covid induced economic situation," Nandi told IANS. The four 'Border Haats' (markets) in Tripura and Meghalaya along the India-Bangladesh frontier are also closed since March last year as a precautionary measure against novel coronavirus. The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) of Bangladesh on Covid-19, headed by professor Mohammad Shahidullah, has stressed the need to introduce strict cross-border travel restrictions amid the rapid surge in Covid cases and deaths. The Assistant High Commissioner of Agartala-based Bangladesh Assistant High Commission, Mohammad Jobayed Hosen, said that no foreigners would be allowed to visit Bangladesh as the land routes are closed by the government for two weeks starting Monday. "The Bangladeshi nationals whose visa period would expire within the next 15 days have been advised to return to the country. The Bangladesh diplomatic missions in India would facilitate their return," Hosen told IANS. He said that those Bangladeshi citizens, including students, who have a long-term visa can stay in India, following all the Covid safety guidelines. The envoy said that the Bangladesh government had earlier prohibited travel of foreigners by air, waterways or rail to Bangladesh. Since early last year, the Manipur and Mizoram governments have prohibited cross-border movement of people along India's borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh in the two northeastern states as precautionary measures. The Indian government has recently approved the 6th multi-facilitated ICP at Sabroom along the India-Bangladesh borders to boost trade, economy and easier movement of people of the two neighbouring countries. A senior official of the Tripura Industry and Commerce Department said that the Central government has given approval for Rs 90.60 crore to acquire land for setting up the new ICP in Sabroom in southern Tripura, around 135 km south of Agartala. According to the officials, the Indian government has already set up or is in the process of setting up five multi-facilitated and multi-utility ICPs in Petrapole-Benapole, Dawki (Meghalaya), Sutarkandi (Assam), Sonamura and Agartala (both Tripura) and the sixth one would be set up in Sabroom in southern Tripura. The works for the ICPs in Dawki and Sutarkandi are almost complete and they will be operational soon. The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), under the Union Home Ministry (MHA), has also set up one ICP each along the Pakistan and Myanmar borders and two along the Nepal borders. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi: As India faces a COVID emergency, there are some people who are seeking to make profit out of the misery of the common people. Remdesivir, a drug that is said to be effective in the treatment of coronavirus, remains out of reach of the people who need it as some black marketeers in the country are hoarding its stocks. This has led to a shortage of the drug. Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Monday (April 26) discussed how and why the COVID drug Remdesivir has become hard to come by and whether the drug is as good as it is being touted. Presently in India, if there is one thing which is has a higher demand than oxygen, it is Remdesivir Injection. A handful of people are hoarding and black-marketing the essential medicines today. Remdesivir, a drug that usually costs between Rs 899 and Rs 5400 for a vial, is being sold at Rs 20,000. That is if one finds it in the first place. Why is Remdesivir in such high demand? Remdesivir is an antiviral medicine that helps to cure infections and prevent virus replication. In simple words, when the virus attacks the lung cells in the body, these medicines fight it and prevent the damage. The Government of India approved the use of this drug on COVID patients last year. Is Remdesivir a magic bullet against COVID-19? The answer is No. According to the Union Health Ministry, it has not been confirmed in any of the researches that this drug cures COVID patients. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) agrees to this. The WHO has stated that no concrete evidence has been found that Remdesivir is a life-saving drug. The research in this area is still ongoing. Demand, production, and black marketing of Remdesivir Despite no concrete scientific evidence, Remdesivir has a high demand in the country. Some people want it for the treatment of their family members who are suffering from COVID-19, while there are others who are trying to acquire it fearing they might need it in the future. Since people are ready to pay any price for the drug, a handful of people are hoarding it and subsequently selling it in black. The Government of India has informed that the production of Remdesivir medicine in the country has increased from 38 lakhs per month to 74 lakh vials. Despite this, this medicine is missing from the market. In Meerut, 8 persons were arrested on the charge of black marketing Remdesivir. They were allegedly selling a bottle of this medicine for up to 30 thousand rupees. Similar incidents have been reported from various parts of the country. Even fake Remdesivir medicines have been reportedly sold in many places. Police are taking strict measures to identify the criminals behind such rackets. Live TV Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 15:06:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close An injured man receives medical treatment at a local hospital in Asadabad, capital of Kunar province, Afghanistan, April 26, 2021. At least 15 civilians were wounded after several rockets fired by militants struck Asadabad, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province on Monday, a local official confirmed. (Photo by Emran Waak/Xinhua) ASADABAD, Afghanistan, April 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 civilians were wounded after several rockets fired by militants struck Asadabad, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province on Monday, a local official confirmed. "Several rockets fired by Taliban militants struck Asadabad roughly at 9:30 a.m. local time. One of the rockets struck the provincial government office, causing casualties. Details will be shared with media soon," Provincial Governor Mohammad Iqbal Sayyed told Xinhua. The incident occurred when a religious ceremony was underway in the office building, he said. Meantime, Attaullah Sapay from a provincial hospital told Xinhua that the injured, mostly religious students, were admitted to the main hospital in Asadabad following the rocket attacks in the small town. "Some of the wounded remained in critical condition. They were receiving treatment in intensive care unit while our medical personnel were trying to save lives," he said. In an unrelated incident, three civilian passersby were wounded in a bomb attack, which targeted a security forces vehicle in Jalalabad city, capital of neighboring Nangarhar province earlier on Monday, a local official confirmed. The region has been the scene of heavy clashes in recent years. Enditem BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear accord will resume on Tuesday, the European Union said on Monday, the latest of several rounds of talks to bring the United States back into the deal and to convince Tehran to end its breaches. Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia have been meeting in Vienna to agree steps that would be needed if the agreement, which was abandoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, is to be revived. "Participants will continue their discussions in view of a possible return of the United States (to the accord) and on how to ensure the full and effective implementation (of the accord), the EU said in a statement. A U.S. delegation is in a separate location in Vienna, enabling representatives of the five powers to shuttle between both sides because Iran has rejected direct talks. In the first two rounds, European parties to the deal said that they had seen progress but that much more work was needed. (Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Chase Bank has purchased its branch at Airline Highway and Highland Road for nearly $2.5 million. The bank bought the 3,000-square-foot building at 15138 Airline in a deal that was filed Monday with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Courts office. The seller was Airline Hwy JPMC LLC of Columbia, South Carolina. Chase opened the branch in March 2020. It replaced the location inside the Albertsons supermarket in the same shopping center. JP Morgan Chase buys former Siegen Rite Aid for $2.5 million, plans to open branch JP Morgan Chase Bank has purchased the former Rite Aid at the intersection of Siegen Lane and Perkins Road and plans to open a branch there in Chase has been replacing older branches with newer, larger buildings. In August 2019 it opened a 3,500-square-foot branch at Bluebonnet Boulevard and Highland. In September, it opened a 5,300-square-foot branch at Siegen Lane and Perkins Road. 2 of Louisiana's largest banks closed 34 branches, as pandemic sends customers online The two largest banks in Louisiana ranked by total deposits trimmed a combined 34 branch locations during 2020, with fewer customers visiting Chase has 17 branches in Baton Rouge, according to the banks website. It has the largest share of the Baton Rouge banking market, with more than $7.8 billion in deposits as of June 30, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. That accounts for 32.5% of the deposits in the area, well ahead of Capital One, which has 16.5%, or nearly $4 billion. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global Industrial Microwave Heating Equipment Market size is expected to reach USD 1.57 billion by 2027 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research The market is expected to grow at a substantial rate over the forecast period. Government regulations aimed at reducing energy usage, efforts taken by companies to achieve sustainable goals, coupled with rising industrialization across the globe especially in Asia Pacific region is expected to benefit the overall industry growth. Inherent advantages of industrial microwave heating systems such as low energy requirement, better control over the process and ability to offer customized services have resulted in wide applicability of these systems in a spectrum of end-use industries thus further driving the market growth. The market is characterized by frequent mergers, acquisition, as well as other strategic initiatives by leading market participants. In August 2020, Meyer Burger Technology, a Swiss based conglomerate sold its subsidiary business Muegge, to Germany based equity firm HQ Equita. Muegge is involved in providing industrial microwave heating systems in addition to plasma equipment to a host of application industries. Sample Copy : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/industrial-microwave-heating-equipment-market/request-for-sample Industrial Microwave Heating Equipment is finding widespread applications in food & beverage industry and is used for microwave food drying, pasteurization, sterilization, tempering, heating, among others. The usage of microwave equipment ensure that all these processes are ensured with high efficiency, retention of original nutritional content, and in less cost. This scenario is further driving the penetration of these equipment in the food & beverage industry. This trend has resulted in a rise in demand for industrial microwave heating equipment for applications in food & beverage industries thus resulting in overall market growth. China occupies a majority of market share in the Asia Pacific region. The country is highly industrialized and has emerged as a major manufacturing hub in the world. These trends have benefitted the overall market growth. The country effectively curbed the coronavirus outbreak and hence, did not suffer as much as other European countries. This ensured that the manufacturing in the country to be operational, thus benefitting the overall market growth. Get Discount Offer @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/industrial-microwave-heating-equipment-market/request-for-discount-pricing Industries, in the recent past paid special attention to development and modification of Industrial Microwave Heating Equipment technology to exactly match the process needs of their clients. Different application needs have different process requirements and it is imperative that these heating systems have the ability to modify parameters such as Working Frequency, Working Temperature, Working Temperature, Control Method, Conveyor Speed, Drying Temperature, among others. Continuous R&D has enabled participants to achieve the same and this trend is a major contributor to the generalization of Industrial Microwave Heating Equipment in various application industries. Some of the key market participants that operate in the industry include Hitachi Power Solutions Co., Ltd., Muegge GmbH, Teledyne e2v Limited, Industrial Microwave Systems Ltd., CoberMuegge LLC, Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI), L3 Technologies, Inc., Richardson Electronics, Ltd., MDP Components, STT International Limited, Panasonic Corporation, and Toshiba International Corporation among others Read More : https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/industrial-microwave-heating-equipment-market-size-worth-1-57-billion-by-2027--cagr-4-3-polaris-market-research-301179670.html A MAN was arrested by gardai following a significant cash and drugs seizure in Limerick city over the weekend. As part of an ongoing operation targeting the sale and supply of drugs uniformed gardai and detectives, assisted by the Armed Support Unit, executed a search warrant at a house in the John Carew Park area at around 7.30am on Saturday. "During the course of the search gardai seized 10,100 of suspected cannabis herb, 350 of suspected cocaine and 840 cash. Gardai also seized a weighing scales, cling film and a mobile phone," said a spokesperson. A man, aged in his 30s, was arrested at the scene and was detained at Roxboro Road garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. He has since been released and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Gardai say all of the suspected drugs will now be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. In the context of elections, the Supreme Court has supported laws requiring public disclosure. In the Citizens United campaign finance decision in 2010, the court upheld the disclosure requirements before it by an 8-to-1 vote. In a second 8-to-1 decision that year, Doe v. Reed, the court ruled that people who sign petitions to put referendums on state ballots do not have a general right under the First Amendment to keep their names secret. If the approach of the groups challenging Californias requirement for charities were adopted, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, I dont see how the public disclosure at issue in Doe would have survived. Derek L. Shaffer, a lawyer for the challengers in Mondays case, said that the electoral context was different and that charities needed protection given the nations volatile political climate. He added that Californias reporting requirement subjected donors to the real potential of harassment, particularly in light of the states history of failing to keep the donor lists secret. Think about medical organizations that may take views about masking, about vaccinations, he said. Contributing to a charity for Asian-Americans, he said, might have seemed uncontroversial not long ago. But today, in 2021, sad to say, he said, it could be a life-or-death issue that their identities have been disclosed. Justice Clarence Thomas appeared to agree that donors may be endangered by disclosures of their identities. In this era, he said, there seems to be quite a bit of loose accusations about organizations for example, an organization that had certain views might be accused of being a white supremacist organization or racist or homophobic. An unidentified man from South of Corona, California was rushed to the hospital after being bitten by a rattlesnake on a Saturday evening. Authorities reported that the victim tried to remove the snake from the area found near his home in the Elderberry Lane in Sycamore Creek community to protect the children from any possible danger. The California man was said to have used a barbecue tong with unknown length to pick the snake up when it suddenly wiggled and bit the man in the left hand, near his thumb. Fortunately, the Firefighters from Riverside County Fire Station no. 64 responded and made sure to apply treatment to the California man before he was brought to the hospital. Latest report confirmed that the man was later on released and his condition was 'remarkably well'. Rattlesnake's Bite can be Venomous and Fatal Animal Services Officer Mike McGee reported that the rattlesnake was then euthanized. He determined that it would not be safe to release the snake at this time due to the recent incident. According to Animal Services Commander Chris Mayer, a coiled rattlesnake can strike the length of its body, and the bite can be venomous but rarely fatal. The number of rattlesnakes in the area were said to have grown due to the hot and rising temperature in the past weeks. According to Officer McGee, he received at least four calls in the recent weeks about rattlesnake sightings and safely removed and released two rattlesnakes. They try to release rattlesnakes within one mile of where they removed it from, but it was likely that the snakes would still end up on adjacent homes again. He did add that in last release, one of them was a very similar specie and size compared to what was found in the property of Sycamore Creek. Also read: Black Mamba: 8 Fascinating Facts About the World's Deadliest Snake Dealing with Rattlesnakes in your Yard Riverside County Animal Services highly discouraged using kitchen tools or cooking utensils when dealing with dangerous reptiles. Right after the incident in the neighborhood, Officer McGee arrived to the property and removed the rattlesnake using a tong that reaches about 5 feet and a storage bucket. According to him, the rattlesnake wiggled and flailed once he had the tongs around it. He then placed the snake inside the bucket, shook it loose, and covered it with lid. Although he was quite worried about the people gathering around and taking pictures, which some of them he had to tell to move back, he managed to keep the snake from escaping again and scaring the residents. The Department of Animal Services have given some tips to the locals on how to deal with rattlesnakes when they encounter one in the area. It is important to make your yard snake-proof by always keeping the grass short and avoid piling woods or leaves where they can hide. Animal Services officials also advised the residents that in case they spot snakes in the area again, they should keep a safe distance away from it and call Animal Services, instead of them rem Also read: Kukri Snake Slices Toads Open and Eat Their Organs While Still Alive WINCHESTER, Va., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Richmond American Homes of Virginia, Inc., a subsidiary of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MDC), is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of two model homes at Abrams Pointe (RichmondAmerican.com/AbramsPointe) in Winchester. This notable neighborhood in the scenic Shenandoah Valley showcases six popular floor plans with the open layouts and designer details today's homebuyers are seeking. Richmond Americans single-story Melody floor plan is modeled at Abrams Pointe in Winchester, Virginia. Model home tours Prospective homebuyers and area agents are encouraged to stop by Abrams Pointe to explore the brand-new, fully furnished Melody and Presley model homes and learn about other available floor plans at the community. The sales center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Virtual appointments are also available. More about Abrams Pointe: New single-family homes from the $400s Six versatile ranch and two-story floor plans 2 to 7 bedrooms, up to approx. total 4,560 sq. ft. Airy 9' main-floor ceilings, granite kitchen countertops, quartz bathroom countertops and stainless-steel appliances included Located just 10 minutes from Old Town Winchester, with easy access to charming shops, popular restaurants, historic landmarks and centuries-old architecture Commuter-friendly proximity to Route 7, Route 50 and I-81 Those who choose to build a new home from the ground up at Abrams Pointe will have the opportunity to work with professional design consultants to select colors, textures, finishes and fixtures for their new living spacesa complimentary service! Abrams Pointe is located at 101 Abrams Pointe Boulevard in Winchester. Call 540.548.4435 or visit RichmondAmerican.com for more information. View health and safety updates at RichmondAmerican.com/COVID-19. About M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. Operating under the name Richmond American Homes, MDC's homebuilding subsidiaries have built more than 210,000 homes since 1977. Among the nation's largest homebuilders, MDC's subsidiary companies have operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Mortgage lending, plus insurance and title services are offered by the following MDC subsidiaries, respectively: HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation, American Home Insurance Agency, Inc. and American Home Title and Escrow Company. M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDC." For more information, visit MDCHoldings.com. SOURCE M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. Related Links www.richmondamerican.com LAS VEGAS, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's " Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market and Competitive Insight Report " provides the current and forecast market and comprises Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market trends and key competitors. DelveInsight estimated the market to rise at a high CAGR over the study period of 2018 2026. Key Highlights of Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market report : Thrombectomy is a procedure to reduce the blood clots in the blood vessels. These devices are used to treat the brain's blockage, which may occur for many reasons, such as atheroma and thrombus in one or more arteries. Stroke is the leading cause of disability, and 80% to 85% of stroke cases are ischemic . The blood clot may cause fatal complications if left untreated, as per the World Health Organization (WHO) . is a procedure to reduce the blood clots in the blood vessels. These devices are used to treat the brain's blockage, which may occur for many reasons, such as atheroma and thrombus in one or more arteries. is the leading cause of disability, and 80% to 85% of stroke cases are . The blood clot may cause fatal complications if left untreated, as per the . Mechanical Thrombectomy is one of the treatment procedure needed to treat ischemic stroke patients using neurovascular thrombectomy devices such as aspiration catheters or stent retrieval, or a combination of both. is one of the treatment procedure needed to treat ischemic stroke patients using neurovascular thrombectomy devices such as or or a The COVID-19 impacted the neurovascular thrombectomy devices heavily in 2020. The market saw a steep decline from 2019 to 2020. Due to nationwide lockdowns in every country, market access was at a high-time low. Still, the market is expected to recover to its previous size by 2026. impacted the neurovascular thrombectomy devices heavily in 2020. The market saw a steep decline from 2019 to 2020. Due to nationwide lockdowns in every country, market access was at a high-time low. Still, the market is expected to recover to its previous size by 2026. Fogarty arterial embolectomy catheter (Edward LifeSciences Corporation), the Penumbra System (Penumbra), and PRIORITYONE Aspiration Catheter (Terumo) are some of the neurovascular thrombectomy devices in the market. Most of these available devices are FDA approved and are CE marked . are some of the neurovascular thrombectomy devices in the market. Most of these available devices are and are . The FDA approved Edwards Lifesciences's Fogarty Arterial Embolectomy Catheter on June 12, 2020 . This will help Edwards Lifesciences expand its product portfolio, making it the most significant player in the market. on . This will help Edwards Lifesciences expand its product portfolio, making it the most significant player in the market. On February 7, 2020 , Stryker received FDA approval for the Trevo NXT ProVue Retriever , expanding its portfolio in Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. , received FDA approval for the , expanding its portfolio in Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. On April 30, 2019 , Medtronic announced the commercial launch of Solitaire X revascularisation device in the United States , expanding its footprint in the US. Medtronic also introduced the Phenom 21 catheter to facilitate the delivery of all sizes of the Solitaire X device. Request for Sample Pages @ Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Competitive Landscape Report Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Epidemiology According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke every year. more than 795,000 people in the have a stroke every year. The total eligible patient population for Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices in 7MM was 30,179 cases in 2018 . The largest patient pool for neurovascular thrombectomy devices was found in the United States . was cases in . The largest patient pool for neurovascular thrombectomy devices was found in the About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes in the U.S. The people taken into consideration are 45-80 years of age to calculate the eligible patient population for neurovascular thrombectomy devices. The incidence of stroke is higher in the older age population than in the younger generation. Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market The treatment algorithm for this calculated patient pool, as mentioned in the 2019 updated Guidelines from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, states that anticoagulant such as intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) should be administered to all eligible acute stroke patients within 3 hours of a stroke. As with IV tPA, treatment with mechanical thrombectomy should be initiated as quickly as possible. Administration of aspirin is recommended in acute stroke patients within 24 to 48 hours after stroke onset. For patients treated with IV tPA, aspirin administration is generally delayed for 24 hours. The Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market growth is estimated to increase due to the growing geriatric population, increased incidence and prevalence of neurovascular diseases, advancements in healthcare technology, high healthcare expenditure, and available reimbursement policies in developed countries. Along with this, technological advancements and demand for minimum invasive surgeries are the factors responsible for the Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market size at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Key Competitors in Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market : Edward LifeSciences Corporation Stryker Terumo Europe NV Boston Scientific Corporation Medtronic Acandis GmbH Perflow Medical Phenox GmbH Penumbra Johnson and Johnson MicroVention, Inc. Know more about the key companies involved @ Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Key Companies The report proffers valuable insight for clients venturing into the Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. It acts as the source of guidance for taking strategic business decisions in the field of Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices by providing a descriptive overview of pathophysiology, various diagnostic approaches, and treatment algorithm, including detailed chapters for marketed products and emerging therapies. The report has a thorough review of the market containing historical and forecasted market size in 7MM by understanding the trends shaping and driving the global Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market size. DelveInsight's analysts have prepared this report after a thorough secondary and primary research into the Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices market. Analysis and estimations are done by considering the share of top companies and industry expert viewpoints of Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices and eligible patient pool for Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices. Table of Contents 1 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Background and Overview 2 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Company Profiles 3 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Competitive Analysis 4 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Eligible Patient Pool Analysis (20182026) 5 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Analysis in the 7MM (20182026) 5.1 Total Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Size 5.2 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Share by DevicesType 6 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Case Study: Devices Type 7 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Drivers and Barriers 8 Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices: PEST Analysis Visit to know more about the report offerings @ Neurovascular Thrombectomy Devices Market Related Reports Airway Management Devices Market DelveInsight's 'Airway Management Devices -Market Insights, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecast - 2025' report delivers an in-depth understanding of Airway Management Devices and the historical and forecasted Airway Management Devices market trends in the US, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom) and Japan. 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Deep Brain Stimulation Devices Pipeline Insight DelveInsight's "Deep Brain Stimulation Devices Pipeline Insight and Competitive Landscape, 2020" report provides comprehensive insights about 20+ companies and 23+ pipeline devices in the deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices pipeline landscape. Vagus Nerve Stimulator Market DelveInsight's 'Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS)-Market Insights, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecast-2025' report delivers an in-depth understanding of Vagus Nerve Stimulators, historical and forecasted patient pool as well as the Vagus Nerve Stimulator market trends in the United States, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom) and Japan. About DelveInsight DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports Pharma companies by providing end to end comprehensive solutions to improve their performance. It also proffers Healthcare Consulting Services , which benefits in market analysis to accelerate the business growth and overcome challenges with a practical approach. Contact Us: Shruti Thakur [email protected] +1(919)321-6187 www.delveinsight.com SOURCE DelveInsight Business Research, LLP Citizens should practice restraint and discipline amid the surge in COVID-19 cases before blaming the government, the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court said on Monday while passing several directions on the pandemic. A division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and B U Debadwar directed that all persons, including public servants not on duty and doctors and paramedical staff, carry their Aadhaar cards while stepping out of their homes and also wear masks. "We as citizens should show some loyalty to our place and sensibility before blaming the government. Residents need to practice restraint and discipline," Justice Ghuge said. The court noted that schemes and systems are good but it is humans who destroy them and make them rotten. "We see youngsters, girls and boys, loitering outside without any purpose. People are travelling on bikes on triples and sometimes even four persons without helmets and masks," the court said. The court said any person stepping outside shall have to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth. "Wearing a mask below the chin or exposing their mouth or chin shall also be booked as such people often turn out to be super spreaders of coronavirus," Justice Ghuge said. The court said no member of any political party or an influential person shall use his influence to help a lockdown violator. The bench had last week taken up suo motu (on its own) cognisance of COVID-19 related issues like lack of oxygen, Remdesivir injections, people not following lockdown restrictions etc. The court said it had no intention to pass any order that would interfere with the government's policy of equal distribution of oxygen and Remdesivir injections. "There would be no grabbing of share of Remdesivir injections or oxygen supply to Aurangabad from other districts in the state. The government, both Union and State, has its policy of equal distribution and we do not intend to disturb it," the court said. Taking note of an order issued by the Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner asking private hospitals treating COVID-19 patients to set up oxygen plants in their premises, the court asked authorities to grant permission to all such hospitals who want to set up oxygen plants. "However, we make it clear that such oxygen plants shall be state of the art so as to avoid disturbing incidents such as the one that occurred at a hospital in Nashik, and Virar," the court said. The bench also said authorities must ensure maximum vaccination of citizens as only this would reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in future. The court directed Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner and municipal commissioners of all districts to keep a check at crematoriums and funeral ghats to ensure relatives of COVID-19 victims are not harassed or asked to pay bribes to carry out the final rites. The court asked authorities to provide rural primary health care centres with rapid antigen tests facilities so that people living there are not forced to travel to cities to carry out RT-PCR tests. The bench posted the matter for further hearing on May 3. The court also heard a petition seeking criminal action against BJP MP Sujay Vikhe Patil for procuring 10,000 vials of Remdesivir injections from Delhi and distributing them in Ahmednagar. The court posted this petition for hearing on April 29 and asked the state government to respond to it. After weeks of beta testing, Apple has finally released iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 to the public. This is the biggest update to iOS 14 since its initial release last year, with iOS 14.5 bringing a number of new features and enhancements to the table. Below is a detailed list of all the new features and changes in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5. iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 quite a lot of new features, with some key highlights being dual-SIM 5G support on iPhone 12 series, new emoji, and more. Apart from all the changes mentioned below, iOS 14.5 also adds AirTag support which is due to launch later this week. iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5: All The New Features Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch The biggest highlight of the iOS 14.5 update is that it adds the ability to unlock an iPhone using the Apple Watch. The pandemic has greatly limited Face IDs usefulness as it does not work when one is wearing a mask. This requires iPhone users to unlock their device by entering the device passcode, which can get frustrating quickly. Apple is putting an end to all such issues for iPhone owners who also use an Apple Watch by using the latter as a second authentication source. Heres how you can unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch when wearing a mask. App Tracking Transparency This is a major new privacy feature that Apple will launch with iOS 14.5. To the end-user, App Tracking Transparency might not seem like a big deal. However, if you have followed the rollout of this feature, youll know that it has led to Facebook openly criticizing Apple and even claiming that this move will be devastating for small businesses. App Tracking in iOS 14.5 will require that whenever an app tries to track user activity across other apps and services for advertising purposes, it requests the required permission from the end-user. Dual-SIM 5G Support on iPhone 12 iOS 14.5 enables dual-SIM 5G support on the iPhone 12 lineup. This means that post the update, youll be able to use your iPhone to connect to two 5G networks simultaneously. Remember that iPhones only have one physical SIM slot, and you need to connect to the second network using eSIM. Heres how you can use an eSIM on your iPhone 12. Hey Siri, Call Emergency! Apple has added an ability to contact emergency services quickly in iOS 14.5. The update introduces a command, Hey Siri! Call Emergency to Siri that will immediately call emergency services without any delay. The phone will show you a 5-second timer, which it generally shows before it contacts emergency services. You can cancel the call during this time. 200+ New Emoji The iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 update adds over 200 new emoji characters. Apple is also updating many existing emojis for better diversity. The headphone emoji has also been updated to make it look similar to the AirPods Max. You can read about all the new emojis in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 over at Emojipedia. Additionally, the update also adds emoji search support in iPadOS 14.5. Xbox Series X/S and PS5 5 Dual Sense Controllers Support iOS 14.5 adds support for the latest gaming controllers from Microsoft and Sony. The update adds the ability to use PlayStation 5s Dual Sense and Xbox Series X controller with iPads and iPhones. Safer Web Browsing Apple has improved fraudulent website tracking in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 and proxies all queries through its own services to prevent Google from logging ones IP address and other details. To be clear, Apple is still relying on Googles fraudulent website database, but its own servers act as a proxy server for requests. Due to this, Googles server only sees Apples proxy server IP address and not the users IP address. Moreover, Safari in iOS 14.5 sends only hashed prefixes of the URL, or basically a hidden URL, to the phishing website checker. Since Apple uses a hashed prefix, Google can never know the website youre trying to visit. Again, this might not impact usability in a big way, but its a step in the right direction for Apple to further beef up user privacy in iOS 14. Apple Fitness+ Gains AirPlay 2 Support Apple has added AirPlay 2 support to Apple Fitness+ in iOS 14.5. You can already cast your Fitness+ content to Apple TV, but with iOS 14.5, Apple has added an option to cast audio and video to supported AirPlay 2 set-top boxes and smart TV. However, key metrics like rings and calories burnt will not be displayed on your TV, they will be limited to your Apple Watch. New Shortcut Actions iOS 14.5 adds new Shortcut action for taking a screenshot along with new actions for automatically switching the orientation of your iPhone and toggling between different 4G and 5G networks. New Haptic Feedback for MagSafe Accessories iOS 14.5 introduces new haptic feedback for MagSafe accessories, whenever they are attached or detached from the phone. New Gestures in Apple Music Theres a new gesture in the Apple Music app in iOS 14.5 to quickly add a song to the Now Playing queue. You can swipe on a song to add it to the Now Playing list. Additionally, theres a 3-dot menu button that you can tap to access useful options like adding the song to a playlist or library, like it, and more. Lots of new changes in Music in iOS 14.5 beta 2! pic.twitter.com/kuCU5AaK8g Duraid Abdul (@duraidabdul) February 16, 2021 Battery Recalibration Tool iOS 14.5 adds a new battery recalibration tool for the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro series to help address inaccurate battery life estimates. If you have been facing unexpected battery drain or reduced peak performance on your iPhone, you should use the tool to recalibrate its battery. Post recalibration, the peak performance and maximum battery capacity percentage will be updated for your device. The tool runs automatically and does not require any user intervention. New Siri Voices iOS 14.5 introduces two new Siri voices that add more diversity in speech sound and pattern. Both new voices are for English speakers. Apple is also making Siri gender-neutral by no longer using a female voice for its digital assistant by default. Instead, you will be prompted to select a voice for Siri when setting your iPhone up the first time. Horizontal Boot Screen for iPad iPadOS 14.5 brings a horizontal boot screen for the iPad. This will show up when you reboot your iPad in horizontal orientation. Support for Additional Scribble Languages iPadOS 14.5 expands Scribble support to five new languages. The feature was initially only available for English and Chinese languages, but it is now being expanded to include French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Enhanced Privacy on iPad Theres a new privacy feature in iPadOS 14.5 for the iPad Air 4, 8th gen. iPad, and the 2018 iPad Pro lineup if one uses the Smart Folio case or any MFi-compatible case with them. Whenever the case is shut, the built-in microphone on these iPads is also automatically muted for privacy reasons. Noticed any other changes in iOS 14.5? Drop a comment and let us know! The Society of Asian American Scientists in Cancer Research honored 10 Indian Americans for their cancer research. Pictured (left to right): Upper panel (left to right) Dr. Zaver M. Bhujwalla; Dr. Pankaj K. Singh; Dr. Neil Bhowmick; Dr. Rajvir Dahiya (president, SAASRC); Dr. Dharampal Chauhan (secretary, SAASCR); Dr. Anand Srivastava; and Lower panel (left to right) Dr. Neeraj Saxena; Dr. Kaustubh Datta; Dr. Bhagavatula Moorthy; Dr. Nagi Kumar; Dr. Parameswaran Hari; and Dr. Arun Sreekumar. (photo provided) PALM SPRINGS, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a letter sent today to 19 hotels that are members of P.S. Resorts, a Palm Springs community group asked the hotels to withdraw their support for placing an upskirted statue of Marilyn Monroe on Museum Way in downtown Palm Springs and to relocate the statue to another location. As planned, the statue featuring a panty-clad Marilyn Monroe literally would "moon" the Palm Springs Art Museum, notes @LATimes Art Critic Christopher Knight. The @PSArtMuseum welcomes 100,000 school kids every year, who will see Monroe's backside when they leave the museum. The museum also is a historic property designed by master mid-century modern architect E. Stewart Williams, and on the National Register of Historic Places. The Marilyn Monroe statue is owned by P.S. Resorts, a tourism organization in Palm Springs. According to the group's website, the 19 hotel members of P.S. Resorts are: Ace Hotel Palm Springs Alcazar Palm Springs Avalon Palm Springs Caliente Tropics Colony Palms Hilton Palm Springs Holiday House Hotel Zoso Hyatt Suites Palm Springs Ingleside Inn Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs L'Horizon Hotel Marquis Villas Palm Mountain Resort Parker Palm Springs Riviera Palm Springs Saguaro Hotel Sparrows Lodge V Palm Springs In their letter, community group Palm Springs Together asks, "Why does your hotel support putting a sexist statue of Marilyn Monroe in the middle of downtown Palm Springs? Is this the best way to honor an icon and show respect for women, including your own hotel employees? Your support for this misogynistic action sends a message." The letter continues: "The action also shows no regard or respect for the Palm Springs Art Museum, a community treasure and tourist attraction in its own right. Please support the effort to relocate Marilyn. Thank you." More than 31,000 people have a signed a petition to relocate the "Forever Marilyn" statue, which the #MeTooMarilyn campaign describes as misogyny not nostalgia. "As a piece that promotes the objectification of women, Forever Marilyn has no place as a prominent representation of Palm Springs for visitors and residents. In the age of the #MeToo movement and reckoning, which has made strides in fostering healing from sexual violence and abuses of power in Hollywood and beyond, the subject and placement of the statue is entirely tone deaf and ignores the historic societal change." The #MeTooMarilyn petition on Change.org can be viewed at change.org/MeTooMarilyn. A separate community group known as the Committee to Relocate Marilyn has raised more than $60,000 to take legal action against the @CityofPS for vacating a public street to house the statue without following city and state laws and regulations. The group's GoFundMe page is at gofundme.com/f/crema-committee-to-relocate-marylin. SOURCE Palm Springs Together Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Bags and Luggage in the United Arab Emirates under Retail category. The United Arab Emirates Bags and Luggage Market is projected to exhibit highest growth rate over report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence and industry reports. Bags and luggage sales was restrained by the global COVID-19 pandemic when lockdown was imposed in March 2020 and will likely continue to be for the rest of 2020. This is as a result of economic constraints, store closures, travel restrictions, and shifts in consumer behaviour. The largest impact on bags and luggage sales is the lack of consumer need while consumers are confined to the home amid quarantines and travel restrictions. Bags and Luggage in United Arab Emirates report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2015-2019), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market be they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2024 illustrate how the market is set to change. Product coverage: Bags, Luggage. Request a free sample copy of United Arab Emirates Bags and Luggage Market Report @ http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/sample/reports/351387| Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data. Why buy this report? * Get a detailed picture of the Bags and Luggage market; * Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change; * Understand the competitive environment, the markets major players and leading brands; * Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.elop reliable information resources to help drive informed strategic planning. Table Of Contents Bags and Luggage in the United Arab Emirates KEY DATA FINDINGS 2020 IMPACT Sales of bags and luggage curtailed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic Lack of tourist demand heavily impacts bags and luggage in 2020 Bags and luggage is highly fragmented, whilst Samsonite and Gucci continues to lead luggage and handbags respectively in 2019 RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES Luggage sales set to increase when travel abroad normalises but consumers set to remain price sensitive Sales benefit from affordable luxury products and personalisation Social media influencers drive e-commerce sales CATEGORY DATA Table 1 Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: Volume 2015-2020 Table 2 Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: Value 2015-2020 Table 3 Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: % Volume Growth 2015-2020 Table 4 Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020 Table 5 Sales of Luggage by Type: % Value 2015-2020 Table 6 NBO Company Shares of Bags and Luggage: % Value 2015-2019 Table 7 LBN Brand Shares of Bags and Luggage: % Value 2016-2019 Table 8 Distribution of Bags and Luggage by Format: % Value 2015-2020 Table 9 Forecast Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: Volume 2020-2025 Table 10 Forecast Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: Value 2020-2025 Table 11 Forecast Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: % Volume Growth 2020-2025 Table 12 Forecast Sales of Bags and Luggage by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COVID-19 impact on personal accessories COVID-19 country impact Company response Retailing shift What next for personal accessories? MARKET DATA Table 13 Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: Volume 2015-2020 Table 14 Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: Value 2015-2020 Table 15 Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: % Volume Growth 2015-2020 Table 16 Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020 Table 17 NBO Company Shares of Personal Accessories: % Value 2015-2019 Table 18 LBN Brand Shares of Personal Accessories: % Value 2016-2019 Table 19 Distribution of Personal Accessories by Format: % Value 2015-2020 Table 20 Forecast Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: Volume 2020-2025 Table 21 Forecast Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: Value 2020-2025 Table 22 Forecast Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: % Volume Growth 2020-2025 Table 23 Forecast Sales of Personal Accessories by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025 DISCLAIMER GLOBAL MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT GLOBAL INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT DEFINITIONS SOURCES Summary 1 Research Sources Browse our full report with Table of Contents: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/bags-and-luggage-in-the-united-arab-emirates/351387 About Us Market Reports on Saudi Arabia provides you with an in-depth industry reports focusing on various economic, political and operational risk environment, complemented by detailed sector analysis. We have an exhaustive coverage on variety of industries ranging from energy and chemicals to transportation, communications, constructions and mining to Food and Beverage and education. Our collection includes over 3000 up-to-date reports all researched, analysed and published by top-notch international research firms. Contact us at: Market Reports On Saudi Arabia Tel: +91 22 27810772 / 27810773 Email: info@marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com Website: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Man sentenced to 29 years in connection with murder of pastors wife Amanda Blackburn Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A man who pleaded guilty to shooting and killing Indianapolis Pastor Davey Blackburns 28-year-old pregnant wife six years ago has been sentenced to 29 years in prison and asked to cooperate with the state in the prosecutions of two other men charged in the robbery and murder case. Jalen E. Watson, 27, has been sentenced to 29 years for robbery leading to serious bodily injury and 10 years each for two counts of burglary, IndyStar reported, adding that the sentences will be served concurrently. The court dismissed seven other charges, including murder and auto theft, as part of his guilty plea which requires him to cooperate with the state in the prosecutions of the other two men, Larry Taylor Jr. and Diano Gordon, who were also charged in connection to the murder. The court might consider reducing" Watson's sentence after he completes his cooperation and if he maintains a clean conduct report, the newspaper said. Davey Blackburn hasnt publicly responded to the sentencing. On Friday, he wrote the lyrics of a song by the band Sleeping At Last on his Facebook page: Darkness exists to make light truly count, with the remarks, One of my favorite lines in a song. After walking through the darkness of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I have a deeper appreciation for life and Light. The darker things get, friends, the brighter our light can shine. Dont let Satan whooh it out. On the morning of Nov. 10, 2015, while Davey Blackburn was away at the gym, his wife was shot three times, including once in the head during a home invasion. She had been at home with the couples 15-month-old son when three young men, Taylor Jr., 18 at the time; Watson, who was 21; and Gordon, 24 at the time, entered through an unlocked door in a robbery attempt. She succumbed to her injuries the following day, along with their unborn daughter, Everette Evie Grace Blackburn. The late Amanda Blackburn had moved with Davey from South Carolina in 2012 to start Resonate Church in Indiana. Months later, Davey Blackburn recalled that when he first returned home on that morning, he thought something had gone terribly wrong with Amandas pregnancy, as he found her in a pool of blood. It wasn't until he got her to the hospital that he was told about her three gunshot wounds. Honestly, I dont really know how to describe emotions that go through you in that moment, Davey Blackburn said of the early moments of finding out what happened, saying he felt a lot of shock and adrenaline. I didnt know what had happened and I think that was kind of the grace of God in that moment, he said, adding that a Bible verse that stuck out in his head during that time was 2 Chronicles 20:12, which reads: We don't know what to do but our eyes are on you. Hours before she was shot, Amanda Blackburn had expressed her adoration for Jesus in a heartbreaking journal entry, highlighting the lyrics of Helen H. Lemmels 1922 hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, also known as The Heavenly Vision. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of his glory and grace, she wrote. What an amazing Sunday yesterday that filled my heart to see so many people in your church. Learning, growing, meeting you and taking next steps. Thank you for letting me get to see all of this [with] my own eyes. I love you Lord. Glory and praise to you. A young rising star in the art world, White was featured earlier this year on Good Morning America alongside Rocket Club, a tech entrepreneurship club for kids ages 7-14, where she is an active member and has sharpened her business & STEM skills. Members at Rocket Club learn how to build their own businesses, code, build robotics, and are immersed in cutting-edge technology, including education on how to mint and sell NFT's. After minting a total of 10 NFT's, Annabelle sent them out to her contacts and previous clients with the goal to raise money to donate ballet shoes and art supplies to refugees from Syria through Welcome Home Jersey City. She priced each at 0.18 Ether ($380) and has already sold 3 for $1,140. In addition, after learning about carbon emissions used to mint and sell NFTs, Annabelle went on to buy a carbon credit to make sure the transaction of selling 10 NFTs was fully carbon neutral. Quote from Annabelle White "I recently finished reading the book No Ballet Shoes in Syria. It got me thinking about children of families who had to leave their countries and everything behind. Ballet and art makes me so happy. So I got the idea to raise money to help refugee families get settled in their new homes. I want the money to go to buying ballet shoes and art supplies. I recently learned about NFTs in my Rocket Club class and thought it would be so cool to create and sell some for this cause." Quote from Alex Hodara, Founder of Rocket Club "Our members just learned about blockchain, cryptocurrency, and NFTshow these technologies are changing multiple industries, and how they impact the environment. I'm so proud of Annabelle for taking what she learned in class and applying it to her own business. It is inspiring to see her donate all of the proceeds from these NFTs to a cause she truly cares about and has decided to make her NFT series carbon neutral. She is a great example of how the next generation of entrepreneurs are socially responsible and forward thinking." About Rocket Club: Rocket Club is an award-winning tech entrepreneurship club for kids aged 7 to 14. By the time members graduate, they will be certified in 46 cutting-edge disciplines including robotics, coding, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and company valuation to name a few. Rocket Club is fully virtual with members from 29 U.S. states, England, Ireland, and India. 55% of members are on full or partial scholarships based on family income and 60% of Rocket Club members are BIPOC. Rocket Club won the 2019 NJ Tech Council's Innovation and Education Award, and Propelify STEM Leader to Watch Award. Each day, Rocket Club hosts Rocket Club Live, an interactive, educational game show and Q&A featuring a successful guest. Guests have included the founders of Netflix, Beyond Meat, Warby Parker, Casper Mattresses, Harry's Razors, Vonage, and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to name a few. For more information on Rocket Club, please visit www.rocketclub.com SOURCE Rocket Club Related Links https://rocketclub.com BROOKLYN, New York, Thursday, April 22, 2021 - Rising sea levels and more powerful cyclonic storms, phenomena driven by the warming of oceans due to climate change, puts at immediate or potential risk an estimated 680 million people living in low-lying coastal zones (a number projected to reach more than one billion by 2050). In nations like Bangladesh these populations are already moving to escape sea-level rise. In a new study, "Modeling human migration under environmental change: a case study of the effect of sea level rise in Bangladesh," researchers led by Maurizio Porfiri, an engineer at the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, apply data science to predict how the cascading effects of the migration in Bangladesh will ultimately affect 1.3 million people across the country by 2050. The work has implications for coastal populations worldwide. The new study, co-authors of which include first author Pietro De Lellis, an engineer at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and Manuel Ruiz Marin, a mathematician at the Technical University of Cartagena, Spain, presents a mathematical model of human migration that considers not just economic factors but also human behavior -- whether people are unwilling or unable to leave and if they later return home. It also considers the cascading effects of migration, as migrants repeatedly move to find new opportunities, and original inhabitants are displaced. The research is published in Earth's Future, AGU's journal for interdisciplinary research on the past, present and future of our planet and its inhabitants "We are not only looking at a snapshot, but we are trying to reconstruct the trajectory of the migration and looking at its evolution," said Porfiri, who is also an Institute Professor of mechanical and aerospace, biomedical, and civil and urban engineering at NYU Tandon. According to the new model, the districts in the south along the Bay of Bengal will be the first to be impacted by sea-level rise, causing a migration that will ripple across the country and affect all 64 districts. Some migrants will likely be rejected by the existing residents -- or displace them -- triggering further migrations. While the population of the capital, Dhaka, initially will surge, the results suggest that movement away from the inundated capital region will ultimately cause its population to shrink. Bangladesh is especially susceptible to sea-level rise because it is a low-lying country crisscrossed with rivers, and already experiences frequent flooding during the summer monsoon season. Its coastline on the Bay of Bengal measures about 580 kilometers (360 miles), with a large portion consumed by the Ganges river delta. An estimated 41 percent of its 163 million people live at elevations lower than 10 meters (about 32 feet). The work follows upon a 2020 study by Porfiri and Ruiz Marin that examined population migrations in Bangladesh due to sea level rise as a way to verify an approach to detect spatial associations from small datasets, through the use of specific principles of information theory. The authors emphasize that the new model can be used to study migration in response to any environmental disturbance that causes unrest, such as droughts, earthquakes or wildfires. Additionally, it is relatively simple and can make reliable predictions based on little data. An earlier migration model using the same data predicted that the central region of Bangladesh, including its capital, Dhaka, would receive the greatest number of migrants. The new study agrees, but finds that the ripple effects from that migration will ultimately cause people to leave the capital, leading to a population decline. Porfiri explained that the team's approach to mathematical modeling for reliably predicting environmental migration in Bangladesh can be applied anywhere. "Droughts, desertification, floods, earthquakes, and wildfire threaten livelihood worldwide; from wealthy to developing economies, every country is vulnerable to environmental change," he said. "Mathematical models can assist in providing reliable predictions of environmental migration, which are critical for devising effective policy initiatives and improving our preparedness for future migration patterns." De Lellis added that the outputs from the model can help governments plan and prepare for the impacts of environmental disturbances by allocating resources to the most hard-hit regions and ensuring that cities are adequately equipped to deal with the influx of environmental migrants. "Mathematical modeling is the only way we have to ground our future decisions," said De Lellis. "Migration has lots of sources -- [environmental disasters,] political tensions -- but in the end, we need to use science to provide useful tools for decision-makers." The research is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Groups of Excellence of the region of Murcia, the Fundacion Seneca, Science and Technology Agency, and Compagnia di San Paolo, Istituto Banco di Napoli - Fondazione, project ACROSS. Note: Images are available at nyutandon.photoshelter.com. About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences as part of a global university, with close connections to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. NYU Tandon is rooted in a vibrant tradition of entrepreneurship, intellectual curiosity, and innovative solutions to humanity's most pressing global challenges. Research at Tandon focuses on vital intersections between communications/IT, cybersecurity, and data science/AI/robotics systems and tools and critical areas of society that they influence, including emerging media, health, sustainability, and urban living. We believe diversity is integral to excellence, and are creating a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable environment for all of our students, faculty and staff. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon urged Maia Sandu, the incumbent leader, to consult with the parliament to determine the date of early elections and find a way out of the current political crisis CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon urged Maia Sandu, the incumbent leader, to consult with the parliament to determine the date of early elections and find a way out of the current political crisis. On April 15, the constitutional court recognized Sandu's right to dissolve the Socialist-majority parliament. In response, the parliament rejected the court's decision and revoked the mandate of court chief Domnica Manole, replacing her with Boris Lupascu. The pro-presidential party appealed the parliament's decision, with the constitutional court suspending the parliamentary decisions. "As the chairman of the Party of Socialists, which has the largest number of seats in the parliament, I call on the president of the country to immediately stop all actions that provoke the destabilization of the situation in Moldova and urgently start consultations to overcome the crisis. There is still a time and place for dialogue," Dodon wrote on Facebook. According to the ex-president, the incumbent should urgently launch dialogue with the parliament and jointly set a date for early legislative elections "promptly after a steady decline in new coronavirus cases." Moreover, the politician went on, the authorities have to work out a "roadmap for economic, social and pandemic situation," and establish a joint commission of the parliament and the presidency on a constitutional reform. The commission would be coordinated by experts from the Council of Europe, Dodon added. Scam advertisements are everywhere, but Facebook and Google, the two tech companies have failed to address dealing with them. According to a new study, even though the users already reported the adverts on the platforms, the problems were not entirely solved. Study Unveils Facebook and Google's Failed Response to Scam Adverts According to a report by Sky News, there were 34% of the users who have reported the advert to Google. However, it only appeared that the content was removed even though it was not. On the other hand, 26% of the Facebook users shared a similar sentiment. With the perpetuating fraudulent adverts that often appear on social media, users only know that by reporting them to the respective creators, they will not see any hint of them. However, the approach made by the two companies seems to be a "failure" as the researchers have said. Most probably, the action could prompt the Online Safety Bill to add the online scams in its book. Read Also: Australian Court Says Google's Location Data as Deceptive--How to Check if it is Collecting Your Data? In the study, 27% who encountered fishy adverts on either social media or search engines said that they saw them on Facebook. Google users accounting for 19% reported the same instance. It was also found out that almost half of the respondents who became victims of the scam adverts said that they did not submit any report to Facebook and Google. 31% cast some doubts about the platforms that is why they decided to not report the content. What the Expert Says About Facebook and Google's Move CNBC reported that Facebook and Google are only two of the tech giants that benefited from the pandemic when it comes to advertising.+ In connection to the study, these companies still failed to remedy their approach when tackling reports of fraudulent content. As per Adam French, a consumer rights expert, these actions only further harm the users by exposing them to the deceptive scheme. French highlighted that the social media giants, together with the government and the regulators do not need anymore to go beyond the issue to put an end to the growing scams. Presently, it is still a mystery which apps permit the growth of fraud in the platform through giving a scam alert service to the users for free. "Online platforms must be given a legal responsibility to identify, remove and prevent fake and fraudulent content on their sites. The case for including scams in the Online Safety Bill is overwhelming and the government needs to act now," French added. To hear some words from Facebook, a spokesperson from the company said that they are not allowing any fraudulent activity and they have already acted on punishing the reported pages. The recent change of the app in distinguishing real content from fake could be an effective solution to stop the spread of the scam adverts. The spokesperson continued that they continue to keep the online environment safe through their 35,000-man crew which regularly looks after deleting malicious content in the platform. Moreover, the spokesperson added that they have already donated 3 million to the UK Scam Action Programme to ease the problem of dealing with fake accounts. Meanwhile, Google stated that they are always monitoring the sites, accounts, and ads to look if they are in line with the app's policies. The company also said that they have already deleted more than 3.1 billion ads that bypassed their implementations. Related Article: Facebook Does Not Plan on Notifying Users of Data Hack, Social Media Had No 'Full Visibility' on the Attack This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The traffic and crowds were back on the Lower East Side over the weekend. But while a lot of people are doing their best to move on from the pandemic, the real estate market here and across the city will not be making a recovery overnight. That was one of the conclusions from StreetEasys Q1 2021 housing report, which was released earlier in the week. Rental prices were down more than 17% in Manhattan year over year with the median asking price of an apartment dipping to $2700, a low not seen since 2010. In Manhattan, 42% of landlords were offering concessions, according to the report, by far the highest StreetEasy has ever seen, and 22 percentage points higher than last year. On the Lower East Side, the median rent in the first quarter of this year was $2,665, down 28% from the same period last year. The median sales price in the neighborhood was $807,500, off more than 30% from the previous year. There are some indications that a recovery is beginning. Inventory is about twice as high as it was a year ago, but its starting to gradually drop. StreetEasy economist Nancy Wu expects rental activity to pick up during the summer as city life returns to normal, or at least whatever the new normal will be post-Covid. But its going to be a slow rebound. Renters dont need to rush to sign a new lease this second to claim a great deal, though, Wu said. It will take time for prices to rebound. But the rentals market does react to economic activity much more quickly than the sales market. As the city continues to recover, competition will slowly start to pick up. No matter how many computers you have at your business, youll need a few other things -- things like sticky tape, paperclips, pens, and reams of paper. Well, on to more substantial business things. How about office space? A conference room? A receptionist? Somebody to take out the trash? Oh, yes. Thats what you do when you close up your place for the night, on your way out. After you turn off the lights. Some of these ancillary business activities can take too much time away from the main thrust of the business. So, business people look around for a way to unload some of these nuisances. Todays technology allows you to be very flexible, says Robert Haver. Hes referring to all those pieces of a business that can bog you down. He owns and operates Clinton Office Suites located at 54 Route 22. These furnished suites are equipped with the latest telecommunication systems and data infrastructure. All sorts of professionals find that Clinton Office Suites can handle their business office problems efficiently. Insurance and real estate professionals, financial advisers and social workers, mental health experts and psychologists have found business homes here in the past. Clinton Office Suites are fully furnished and have high speed Internet and wireless connectivity.Robert Haver Also, people working for large companies who have been assigned to work at home come here, adds Robert. They need a place with fewer distractions. And personal concerns always seem to be present when working at home. An ever present danger at home is the cookie jar that has found a new home beside your laptop. Or, sometimes there can be an unexpected visit from a neighbor? Distractions aside, there are additional considerations. For smaller businesses -- especially those just starting out -- the costs associated with providing a full complement of business services can be prohibitive. You dont want to suddenly be confronted with repairs to the equipment. And you dont want to go searching for janitorial services because the one you had suddenly went out of business. The spaces at Clinton Office Suites are fully furnished and have high speed Internet and wireless connectivity. A local telephone number can be supplied, and live phone answering services are provided -- along with call forwarding and screening. Packages here are flexible, and services can be tailored to meet client needs. Contracts are usually short term -- and do not extend beyond one year. Robert Haver owns the building -- its a three story freestanding structure with parking. For more information, call him at 908-894-6230 and visit ClintonOfficeSuites.com. Like most of us, Linda Morrow has been paying bills ever since she became an adult. And shes handled the bookkeeping and bill paying for others for years. With 20 years experience handling a family members finances, she recently decided to set up her own business. It is a continuation of what shes been doing for all that time, and she is now getting her Bookkeeping & Billpay Service off the ground. My bill paying services offer peace of mind, she says. Especially if you have personal and business affairs that conflict with managing your daily affairs. Bill paying means meeting due dates, and in todays fast world, due dates can zip past before one notices. In addition, the older we get, the more quickly the days fly by -- the elderly are especially prone to miss the due dates of bills. I can either come to your home or office and pay your bills right there, she explains. Or I can bring all the documents back to my office and pay them. Arrangements are made on an individual basis -- what might work for one might not work for another, and vice-versa. Lindas Bookkeeping & Billpay Service is personalized and flexible. The services that I offer will be keeping an accurate account of all monthly, quarterly and miscellaneous bills due--and paying each one when due, she says. Monthly statements will be sent to the client showing what bills were paid for the month. I can also maintain personal documents, wills, life insurance policies, annuities, etc. to make sure all policies stay current, and premiums are paid when due. And I am fully insured. Linda covers Hunterdon, Somerset and Morris counties -- and some adjacent areas. Shes based in Califon. Call her at 862-251-2990. Hunterdon Business Services (HBS) provides customized marketing services to help businesses meet goals. There are specific programs designed to accomplish this. Four professionals here can design and develop your WordPress website, develop digital advertising, provide social media profiles and posts, and get your business in the digital listings. Your new website will be clean and easy to navigate, and ongoing analytics are available. Digital advertising can drive traffic to you, increase brand awareness, generate leads and increase sales--all without contracts. Social media in business is important for branding, credibility and visibility. HBS optimizes your business in a persona that is in line with your business voice. Your clients will be able to find you across diverse platforms -- Google, Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. For more information, call 908-200-7766 and visit HunterdonBiz.com. Offices are located at 349 Route 31 -- where you can come for a visit (call first), and they can travel to your location. Al Warr is a freelance columnist whose weekly business-related column appears in the Hunterdon County Democrat. Al may be reached at 610-253-0432 or AlWarr16@gmail.com. The number of wanting to be classified as essential products firms is growing by the day. After manufacturers of smartphones, laptops and desktops petitioned state governments to be tagged as essential category, home appliance makers feel they should not be left out. Products such as refrigerators, washing machines and television sets are there in almost every urban household today. Unlike staples, which are basic needs, these products are comfort needs. That point is taken. However, are needed for everyday existence and are essential products in that sense, said Kamal Nandi, business head and executive vice-president, Godrej Appliances. Makers of durable products from smartphones to laptops, desktops, TV sets and refrigerators argue that in a situation, when offline stores are shut, allowing their delivery home via online channels will help in business continuity. Currently, much of this is being prevented by states such as Maharashtra, where food, grocery and medical supplies are only permitted to be delivered at home. It is not about pitting one channel against the other, said Manish Sharma, president and chief executive officer (CEO), Panasonic India and SA. In the last one year, many offline retailers have built their online and home delivery capabilities, given the digital adoption by people. If their stores are shut due to curbs, these retailers should be permitted to deliver products to people's homes. E-commerce players have also made a similar point of expanding coverage. The point is to allow channels, both online and offline, to safely deliver products to people," he said. At the same time, after-sales service also acquires importance. In a lockdown, TV, laptop or AC servicemen are not permitted to enter people's homes, making it difficult for consumers to operate smoothly at home, said firms. "Weve been asking for servicemen to operate in a situation, since people have nowhere to go as stores are shut. This is a health crisis and all attention should be on the challenges emerging from it. But what do you do when your AC stops working? You do require technicians to service it. are prepared to take the necessary precautions and service the requirement safely, said Kanwal Jeet Jawa, managing director (MD) and CEO, Daikin India. Lockdown curbs across the country have hurt durable companies in April, after gathering momentum between January and March. While the industry grew around 10-15 per cent month-on-month in the March quarter, there has been a sharp decline in April. This is because non-essential stores were shut and movement of people was restricted to curtail the spread of Covid. Curbs could continue into May as India struggles to contain the second wave of the virus, which has exploded in the last one month. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Definition: Monochloroacetic Acid (MCAA) Market is having a prolific run at present and can expect a safe passage growth-wise is owing to its popularity in the agricultural sector. Monochloroacetic acid is a specialty organochlorine compound that is colorless, crystalline structured mass, and highly soluble in water. The product is becoming widely popular in all the major agricultural countries where the cultivability and infertility of land are perturbing issues. The component is also required in the production of carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC), a necessary water retention agent and viscosity modifier for oil drilling activities. The global monochloroacetic acid market is expecting robust growth with which it can exceed the expected market valuation during the forecast period (2020-2023), explains Market Research Future (MRFR). This extensively studied report encompasses segmental analysis depending on various parameters, drivers that can impact the global market significantly in the coming years, and the latest updates of different market players. Get a Free Sample of This Reports @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5991 Market Scenario and Growth Factors: Monochloroacetic Acid Market Analysis is becoming popular among pharmaceutical manufacturers where its use as a component in the production of maleates, ibuprofen, diclofenac sodium, n-glycine, and others. Personal care and cosmetics industry is also having significant use of the component as a thickener. In the production of PVC resins, the component is gaining traction as well. As a by-product of monochloroacetic acid, sodium chloroacetate is garnering accolades as herbicide which can propel the Monochloroacetic Acid Market Analysis. In the textile industry, monochloroacetic acid finds use as an intermediate in the production of indigo dyes. The demand is burgeoning as the fashion industry is finding it challenging to maintain the pace with the constantly changing trends of fashion. But the monochloroacetic acid market can find it difficult to stay apace as the price of the raw materials fluctuates quite often. Competitive Analysis: Notable players of the Monochloroacetic Acid Market as profiled in the report of MRFR are: Akzo Nobel N.V. (Netherlands) The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.) CABB GmbH (Germany), Denak Co., Ltd (Japan) Daicel Corporation (Japan) PCC SE (Germany) Niacet (U.S.) Xuchang Dongfang Chemical Co. Ltd. (China) Shiv Chem Industries (India) Abhishek Impex (India) Shandong Minji Chemical Co., Ltd. (China) Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd. (India) Merck KGaA (Germany) Alfa Aesar, Thermo Fisher Scientific (U.S.) Anugrah IN-ORG (P) LIMITED (India). In 2020, PCC SE declared their plan to expand their monochloroacetic acid plant in Poland to keep up with the demand generated by various end-user industries. The production capacity would increase from 42,000 metric tons to 100,000 metric tons. AkzoNobel and Atul agreed on setting up a production unit in Gujarat in 2020. AkzoNobel plans to expand their incremental investments through this tie-up. Both the companies would benefit from their plans. Atuls growing popularity would be substantiated by the production. Segmentation: MRFR segments the Monochloroacetic Acid Market Size by form, application, and end-use industry for a better understanding of the market prospect in the coming years. Based on the form, the monochloroacetic acid market can be segmented into crystalline, liquid, powdered, and flakes. Based on the application, the monochloroacetic acid market includes carboxyl methyl cellulose, thioglycolic acid, thickening agent, surfactants, intermediates, and others. As a thickening agent, its utility in food & beverage industry is quite substantial. The end-user segment of the monochloroacetic acid market comprises agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic & Personal care, textiles, plastics, oil & gas, and others. The component is witnessing significant traction from the agrochemicals sector and having a great run in the pharmaceuticals. Browse Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/monochloroacetic-acid-market-5991 Regional Analysis: MRFR report region-specifically segments the monochloroacetic acid market into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). Growing demand from agriculture, textile, and pharmaceuticals are boosting the APAC market, riding on which the region is fetching the maximum market share. Furthermore, a lot of major companies are based out of India, China, and Japan which is substantially assisting the market in having unprecedented growth. North America has the second largest market. The regional market is getting driven by the pharmaceutical industry and the personal care & cosmetic industry. Europe and Latin America are also going to register a significant hike in terms of revenue. Note: Our Team of Researchers are Studying Covid19 and Its Impact on Various Industry Verticals and Wherever required we will be considering Covid19 Footprints for a Better Analysis of Market and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details. The rapid retreat of glaciers is leading the world towards a large-scale humanitarian crisis, a scientist has warned. Around 70 per cent of Earths freshwater is stored in glaciers vast rivers of ice that slowly ooze their way across land. But rising global temperatures are causing these icy rivers to quickly melt away, said Prof Jemma Wadham, a top glaciologist and director of the Cabot Institute for the Environment at the University of Bristol. The rapid loss of glacial ice poses a particularly high risk in developing regions where many millions depend on glaciers for drinking water, said Prof Wadham, who has spent more than 20 years studying how glaciers across the world are responding to the climate crisis. Working in the Himalayas and the Andes has made me really realise that this is potentially leading to a very large humanitarian crisis across the world, she told The Independent. In the Himalayas, if we manage to keep global warming to 1.5C we might lose about a third of the ice there. If we carry on the unabated greenhouse gas emissions we lose two-thirds of the ice. There are 250 million people a population almost four times the size of the UK living in this region that rely on rivers fed by glacial melt. In the dry period, the glacial tap turns on and provides the water. But if you turn the tap off, youve got a really difficult situation. A study published in 2019 found that the rate of glacier retreat in the Himalayas has doubled since the late 20th century. Prof Wadham recounts her vast experience of studying glaciers and the risks they face in Ice Rivers, a memoir available in the UK from 6 May. Prof Jemma Wadham has been studying the impact of the climate crisis on glaciers for 25 years (University of Bristol) She was motivated to write about the plight of the worlds rapidly melting glaciers after suffering from her own health crisis in 2018. I started to get strange symptoms over about 18 months, she said. There was a field trip up high in the Himalayas and I started to get these excruciating headaches and I couldnt work out why, I thought it was the altitude. A year later I was in Patagonia and the headaches by then were explosive. I remember I couldnt take down my tent because the pain was so much, I was sort of crawling around trying to get the tent pegs out. I ended up passing out on the plane back from Chile just from the pain. After returning home, Prof Wadham underwent a head scan which revealed that she had a non-cancerous brain tumour. She had emergency surgery to remove the tumour and wrote Ice Rivers while in recovery. As I was recovering I realised that I nearly lost my life and I became quite passionate about communicating some of the amazing discoveries Ive made over the past 25 years with a wider audience, she said. I think particularly at a time when glaciers are in a health crisis of their own theres quite strong parallels between what Ive been through and what glaciers are going through. She added that she first became aware of the huge threat that the climate crisis posed to glaciers while on a field trip to Greenland in 2008. Working on Greenland gave me an appreciation of the sheer vastness of an ice sheet and the enormity of the amount of freshwater that is locked up in an ice sheet, she said. You can see the absolutely phenomenal amount of water that comes off the sheet and goes into the oceans. Seeing it with your own eyes, just the vastness of it, thats when it really hits home. A study published in 2020 found that Greenlands largest glaciers are currently melting at levels close to what scientists had previously expected under a future worst-case scenario. Prof Wadham said that radical change would be needed to help stem dramatic glacier loss. We need to make radical change now and that is going to involve uncomfortable choices for everyone, from an individual to a government, she said. Its not a wait-and-see situation anymore. The High Court Monday said it was not in agreement with the Centre that there is enough available to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients in the national capital. "Today there is shortage (of oxygen). The Solicitor Genersl says there is no shortage but we will not accept it because we have ourselves seen there is shortage of oxygen," said a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said his submission was that there is enough if distributed properly and the issue was of transportation and not the supply. I have not said has enough I am saying right now we have enough oxygen if distributed properly, he said. During the hearing, petitioner advocate Rakesh Malhotra made the submission that there was shortage of RT-PCR kits. Taking note of the submission, the bench said it has already directed the Centre to take steps to prioritise clearance of imported kits held up with the custom department. The Centre's counsel apprised the court that necessary directions have already been issued by the government to the custom officers. The court also directed the Centre to take steps to prioritise the clearance of customs for the import of RT-PCR testing kits from abroad. It asked the Centre to file a report in sealed cover within three days on the number of imports pending and cleared and the reason for being held up. (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 dagger supposedly once owned by Heinrich Himmler, the leader of Adolf Hitlers SS security force that helped run Nazi concentration camps, is being sold through the 49-year-old Portland family business OGallerie, prompting local outrage in the days since an Oregon artist discovered the listing. We dont believe that a business or an individual should be able to profit from something like this -- its shameful, says Bob Horenstein, the director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. He says hes tried without success to reach OGalleries owners. Horensteins view on the Portland auction house selling the dagger: They dont care. They just want to make money off of it. OGallerie on Sunday did not respond to emails or phone messages from The Oregonian/OregonLive. The online catalog reads, VERY RARE HEINRICH HIMMLER PRESENTATION SS HONOR DAGGER. The photograph that accompanies the listing shows a gleaming knife with the Nazi war eagle stamped on its handle. The blade itself offers the message: Meine Ehre Heisst Treue, or Loyalty is My Honor. Items used or touched by high-ranking Nazis have become collectibles in part because of the admiration of racists devoted to grotesque, lost-cause fantasies. Robert Harris, author of a book about the faked Hitler diaries that created a worldwide hoopla in 1983, reported on a Nazi memorabilia rush that gained momentum in the 1970s, with items such as concentration-camp tablecloths selling for outrageous sums. The Marquess of Bath, Lord Henry Thynne, acquired Himmlers spectacles, removed from his body after his suicide, Harris wrote. Himmler, one of the architects of the Holocaust, killed himself in May 1945 after being captured by Allied forces as the Nazi regime was collapsing. The dagger thats being auctioned by OGallerie might be one that he presented to SS officers during special ceremonies. Portlanders opposed to the OGallerie auction are undecided on what, if anything, they should do about the Himmler dagger listing. Suggestions have ranged from ignoring it, in hopes of the item gaining little public attention, to buying the dagger themselves and giving it to a Holocaust museum, where it can be displayed with the proper historical context. You cant force these people not to sell their stuff, says Portland attorney Hank Kaplan, the son of Holocaust survivors. I think its shameful, but theres not a whole lot anyone can do about it other than point out how shameful it is. Horenstein, for his part, would like to see the dagger come into the possession of those opposed to it being a personal collectible. But he doesnt necessarily believe a museum is the right place for it. The symbolism of these items is very painful, he says, adding, These things should be taken out of circulation and destroyed. -- Fedor Zarkhin and Douglas Perry Paul Arden summed it up best when he said, Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you have, and fix it along the way. Over the past few weeks, we have discussed change, how best to achieve transformation as well as how we must be willing to move quickly and decisively to enact change and transformation. An additional element that often hinders change and transformation is the expectation of perfection. When communities, businesses, and media companies embark on change, especially unknown change, they tend to measure their success based on perfection or how well they do as it relates to the original goals. Even worse, many get caught in the trap of seeking perfection and ignoring the greatness that has or is occurring right before them. One of the greatest attributes of transformation leadership is understanding nearly every worthwhile transformation will involve pivots in new directions deviating from the original plans. Transformational leadership is truly an art. Transformational leadership is the art of understanding when to pivot, how to pivot, where to pivot and finally, when to do it again. Time and time again, I have seen where communities and businesses have become bogged-down in attempting to create the perfect model or execute the perfect plan. While we might give them an A+ for sticking to the script, they ultimately fail because they are unwilling to adjust the script. As they say, a great sailor can sail their boat in all sorts of winds by simply adjusting their sails. A great example of being willing to adjust your sails might be Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia. Back in 2007, they rented out air mattresses in San Francisco to conference attendees due to lack of available hotel rooms for a nearby conference. They appropriately called their business Air Bed and Breakfast. However, it wasnt very long before they realized unless there were conferences in the area, their business model wasnt sustainable. They were forced to rethink their entire business model. They made what proved to a monumental pivot and took the concept nationwide for all travelers regardless of their circumstances. It turns out that pivot is worth about $50 billion today and growing. Had they stuck with the original plan, they may well have given up and AirBNB may not exist today. I have seen entire industries, communities and businesses racked with the inability to pivot when pivoting was crucial. Group think as an industry or community can lead to the demise of entire industries and even communities. Group think assures the group will rarely innovate or make the changes required to survive. Leadership is very crucial when it comes to change and transformation. One must be able to convince others of the need to alter course and must be able to provide and instill confidence in the entire team to affect the most viable change or alterations. When the team has faith in the transformational leadership skills of their leaders, there is little that can stop the team from achieving greatness regardless of the obstacles getting in the way. Those leaders and individuals with the ability to build community and business dreams are rare. When a community or business comes across these rare individuals, they must not hesitate to empower them and support them. Every community and business achieving greatness has done so because a dreamer believed in what that community or business could become. They have achieved their greatness behind a person or leader willing to take a chance. They have done so behind a person willing to accept greatness in lieu of any initial perfection. They have done so because they embraced what could be and did not settled for the current status-quo. The message of change and transformation must be coupled with communication and aggressive action. But all of it will be for naught if we only focus on perfection in lieu of accepting greatness at the beginning. Achieving greatness as a community or a business will come to those harnessing the power of change, communication, teamwork, innovation and the joy of transformation. But above all, dont let perfect be the enemy of great! John A. Newby is author of the Building Main Street, Not Wall Street column. Contact him at john@360MediaAlliance.net. Spains Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto announced on Friday that citizens will be able to travel normally this summer, at least within the country. Spaniards can start planning their vacations, she said in an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta. Maroto added that she expects more visitors will arrive this summer season than last year, when coronavirus travel restrictions delivered a huge blow to the tourism industry. Realistically and cautiously, we are talking about being at half the volume of 2019, which is backed by the forecasts from [Spanish Business Confederation] CEOE and [tourism lobby] Exceltur, said Maroto. There are already families that are planning their trips, be it to their second home or a favorite vacation destination Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto In order for these forecasts to be met, Spains Covid-19 vaccination drive needs to continue at a good pace and without further setbacks. According to the latest figures, 22% of the population has received at least the first dose of the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca, and 8% have received the two doses needed for full protection. The Spanish government is aiming to have 70% of the adult population vaccinated by the end of summer. We are facing a very different summer [from last year], where we have the vaccination drive, which is the best tool to reactivate travel and the economy, said Maroto. This is going to ensure we can travel safely. According to Maroto, some Spaniards have begun to make hotel reservations. There are already families that are planning their trips, be it to their second home or a favorite vacation destination. We will be taking measures to build confidence and so that we can travel safely, she said. Maroto added that restrictions on travel within Spain will begin to be lifted on May 9 when the state of alarm is set to come to an end. Its good news because we are beginning to see the end of the tunnel, she said. For the past six months, the state of alarm has allowed the regions which are in charge of the vaccination drive as well as controlling the pandemic in their territories to introduce coronavirus restrictions on fundamental rights, such as movement. Once this emergency situation ends, regional governments will, however, still have the power to close the perimeter of their regions as well as to lock down provinces, municipalities and even neighborhoods under the 1986 public health law, according to legal experts. Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto in Alcorcon, Madrid. Alberto Ortega / Europa Press With respect to the European Unions Digital Green Certificate, which allows citizens of Europe to enter Spain without having to quarantine or take a coronavirus test, Maroto said the measure is set to be available from mid-June. Designed to facilitate movement, the certificate is a digital and physical document, with a QR code that will allow a countrys authorities to check three different pieces of information: if the bearer has been vaccinated, if they have had the coronavirus and if they have had a test that confirms they are not currently infected with the virus. Its an instrument to being to recover the international mobility that Spain needs to reactivate the sector, explained Maroto. The tourism minister also announced that trips for the elderly organized by the public services agency Imserso will resume in October. Nearly all seniors are vaccinated and, as such, they can start thinking about a destination they want to travel to. It is our way of repaying our seniors, she said. Maroto added that overnight stays fell 54% in March compared to figures from the same month in 2020. This is much smaller than the nearly 90% drops recorded in previous months. But the fall is also due to the fact from mid-March last year, Spain was under a home lockdown and all tourist accommodation was closed. English version by Melissa Kitson. * Username This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely! "Broken arrow" was the code sometimes used in Vietnam when the ground unit had been overrun. It was a cry to send all available assets to help. In some circumstances, this could include calling down fire on one's own position. The History.com website says the military also uses the term "broken arrow" to describe any incident in which a nuclear weapon is lost, stolen, or accidently detonated. In either case, broken arrow describes a dire situation for the home team. Broken arrow is an appropriate call for red America. Its position has been overrun by globalists and revolutionary Marxists disguised as Democrats. They have seized the presidency by devious means and are fully aligned with their fellow travelers in the media, the government bureaucracy, Wall Street, and academia. Everywhere you look, the middle class and the traditional values that made America the envy of the world are under assault. Institutions that were thought to protect the common folk such as Conservative, Inc. and religious organizations have been ineffective if not downright useless. Even the courts, the supposed bedrock of the republic, have not just failed, but have often proven as incendiary to the Constitution as any wild-eyed radical. As the last line of defense, what the people had, or at least thought they had, was elected government where their will and concerns could be expressed. That is turning out to be a false hope. A critical mass of Congress is indebted to big money interests, and it is to their tune that our "representatives" dance. Plus, as was recently demonstrated, a national election can be stolen with nary a peep from authority figures or the media. Silicon Valley, in conjunction with government and the media, is censoring conservatives and making it difficult to communicate and coalesce behind a leader such as Donald Trump. At the same time, radical groups (Black Lives Matter and Antifa) have free run on social media. Many a solid conservative says he'll never bend to these Marxists. Fine, but what about their children and grandchildren? The public schools and universities are undermining traditional values every day. This has been going on for years. Now, however, the effort is in overdrive, where things like transgenderism and the hateful Critical Race Theory are taking the pride of place in the classrooms. Perhaps worse of all is illegal immigration. The country is being flooded with illegal aliens whose numbers will change the nature of the country in short order as has already been done in California. The frustrating thing is that this is happening despite it being against the will of the people and immigration laws, both of which are treated as jokes by the political establishment. With Donald Trump out of the presidency, the American working class stands naked before the forces intent on breaking it. The Republic is still alive, but on life support. Its vital signs are growing dimmer by the day. It's hard to win when almost all of the commanding heights of society are held by those bent on subjugating the country to their anti-constitutional will. The elections of 2022 and 2024 will show how likely it is that the patient can recover. Until then, the message is "broken arrow." This distress call is aimed at those who, due either to indifference or incessant media propaganda, are sleepwalking and oblivious to the dangers the country faces. It's now or never for them to become "woke" in the good sense of the word. Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The process of US troops Afghanistan withdrawal has started, according to a top general on Sunday. The US military troops have long been deployed in Afghanistan to protect the United States and maintain peace in a country that has long been disturbed by Taliban forces. Top General Says US Troops Afghanistan Withdrawal Has Begun Pres. Joe Biden recently announced that he ordered to withdraw the U.S. military troops from Afghanistan on September 11. The date coincides with the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack in the US that led to the longest war in American history, according to a published article on MSN. However, on Sunday, the US top general announced that they are now preparing to withdraw the troops from the region. In a recently published article on CNN News, he said, "All of our forces are now preparing to retrograde." US Army Gen. Scott Miller, commander of US Forces Afghanistan and NATO's Resolute Support Mission, also added, "Officially the notification date will be May 1, but at the same time as we start taking local actions we have already begun that." Joe Biden Weighs US Troops Extension in Afghanistan Weeks Before the May 1 Deadline US Top General Released a Statement In a recently published article on CNN News, Miller said that the official notification would be on May 1 based on the agreement between former Pres. Donald Trump and the Taliban forces. Miller also explained that officially, the notification date would be May 1, but at the same time, they will start taking local actions. The three defense officials have also confirmed that military equipment is being packed and shipped out. Miller said that the US military base and some of the equipment would be given to the region's Ministry of Defense and other Afghan troops. He also clarified that while some of the equipment must be returned to the US, they will also ensure that the Afghan forces will have the military equipment they need. US General Says Withdrawing From Afghanistan Is a Problem Top General Speaks With Taliban Political Commission There is a growing concern right now that the decision of Pres. Joe Biden to withdraw the military troops from Afghanistan could cause the collapse of the government in Kabul and the Taliban Forces to return to power, according to a published report on The New York Times.. However, Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, which includes the Middle East and Afghanistan, said that the US military forces are now planning how to continue their operation despite the withdrawal. Miller also said that he has spoken with the Taliban Political Commission and told them "a return to violence, an effort to force a military decision, would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and the Afghan people." He also clarified that if the Taliban attacks the United States or any of its allied forces, they will be forced to respond. He concluded that the US military troops will continue to monitor the region and would act when appropriate. @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A photo from the hospital room of a 61-year-old Asian man, who was nearly stomped to death in New York City late last week, shows the aftermath of the attack. Yao Pan Ma was left in critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma after an unidentified attacker stomped on his head at least six times. Police sources told the New York Post that Ma suffered a cerebral contusion and facial fractures, and the photo shows him hooked up to medical gear in the hospital. 'When I saw him in the hospital his face, I cried. I still cry,' his wife Baozhen Chen told the outlet on Saturday. 'I hope he wakes up and talks to me and gets better and comes home. It's really hard to believe.' A GoFundMe was set up by Pam Yang, a Chinese-American NYC native, to raise money for his medical bills and to support his family. As of 4 p.m. Monday, the online fundraiser raised just under $100,000, about $50,000 short of its goal. Scroll down for video. Police sources told the New York Post that Ma suffered a cerebral contusion and facial fractures - and a photo Chen provided the outlet shows him hooked up to medical gear in the hospital. Yao Pan Ma and his wife Baozhen Chen Ma, who have two adult children, moved to New York from China's Guangdong province in 2019. Ma was pushing his cart and collecting recyclables in Harlem to help his family make ends meet after losing his job as a dishwasher during the coronavirus pandemic. Ma was 'minding his business with his shopping cart,' witness Armetha Knight, 37, told the New York Daily News, before a man came up behind him, knocked him over, kicked him in the head at least six times and then walked away. Ma and his wife, who have two adult children, moved to New York from China's Guangdong province in 2019 looking for better work opportunities, Chen told the Daily News. The entire attack was caught on video, and the NYPD said it's investigating the assault as a potential hate crime. No arrests have been made as of Monday evening. Police released photos of the suspect. The NYPD are looking for the man pictured here in connection with Ma's assault. If anyone has information about Ma's attack or the person shown here, the NYPD is asking you to call its tip line (listed in the top right corner). The horrific video shows the suspect slamming his foot down on Ma's head while his shopping cart full of recyclables sits nearby The attacker was then seen casually walking away and no arrests had been made as of late Monday afternoon. The assault on Ma is just a recent example in an alarming spike anti-Asian hate crimes that first started in at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March and April 2020. A report from the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, found that antiAsian hate crimes surged 149 percent while overall hate crime dropped 7 percent in 2020. The report indicated that the rise in anti-Asian crimes was attributed to 'a rise in COVID cases and negative stereotyping of Asians relating to the pandemic.' Former President Donald Trump repeatedly called COVID-19 the 'Chinese virus,' which some have charged led to the increased vitriol against Asians. What does the return of the two-state solution mean? By Amb. Alan Baker Since the inauguration of the Biden administration in January 2021, leading officials repeatedly advocate the two-state solution as the only means to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli dispute. Immediately after taking office and in his first interview as Secretary of State, Antony Blinken told Wolf Blitzer on CNN on February 8, 2021, that President Biden strongly supports the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since: it is the only way to ensure Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, and the only way to give the Palestinians a state to which theyre entitled. Three days later, on February 11, 2021, the State Department spokesman Ned Price repeated this message during the daily State Department press briefing: We believe its critical for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution. On February 23, 2021, Price repeated and strengthened the message: When it comes to the two-state solution, the Biden administration believes that the two-state solution is the best way to ensure Israels identity as a Jewish and democratic state while living in peace alongside a viable and democratic Palestinian state. That is precisely why the two-state solution continues to be the crux of how we view the conflict and where we believe and how we believe the conflict should be resolved. In response to an additional question, he continued: Again, we believe in the centrality and the premise of a two-state solution. We dont want to see either side take a step that would put that further out of reach. On March 1, 2021, he repeated the mantra: You have heard in many different forms this administration endorse its vision and the longstanding, bipartisan vision of a two-state solution. Any steps that put that two-state solution further out of reach, we have opposed, and we continue to do so. Our focus is on encouraging Israel and the Palestinians to avoid, as I said before, unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and that make it more difficult to preserve the viability of a two-state solution. Similar references were made in further daily press briefings by both spokesman Ned Price and by his deputy Jalina Porter on March 18, March 23, March 31, April 1, and April 21, 2021. In the April 1 briefing, Price amplified the administrations position, stressing: We intend to do everything we can to advance the prospects for a two-state solution. We intend to do that with the knowledge that it is in the interests of consistent with the interest and values of the United States, but importantly, consistent with the values and the interests of Israelis and also Palestinians. This is something that successive administrations have sought to do; its something that we will seek to do. What we are calling for and this really gets to the root of this challenge is that two-state solution. The two-state solution is precisely what will allow Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side in dignity and security, securing the interests in the interests of Israelis, in the interests of Palestinians together. Thats precisely why are we are supporting this two-state solution, just as previous administrations of both political stripes have. On April 8, spokesman Ned Price again repeated the refrain: There is consensus, certainly, that supporting a two-state solution is consistent with our values. Its consistent with our interests, thats supporting the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. Its consistent with our values. Its consistent with our interest in supporting the security and providing the security assistance, which in turn redounds positively on the security of our ally, Israel. On April 21, Price added a warning: We have been consistent in our condemnation of any steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution, and that includes settlement activity and violence. Again, a two-state solution remains at the center of our approach to this issue, and anything that sets that back is something that we will speak out against and do so consistently. This position by the Biden administration echoes and even parrots similar views expressed by officials of the Obama administration prior to 2016. For instance, in her explanation of the U.S. vote to abstain in the voting for Security Council Resolution 2334 of December 23, 2016, condemning Israels settlement activity, the U.S. permanent representative to the UN Samantha Power referred to the two-state solution twelve times. Similarly, in his parting speech on the Middle East dispute on December 28, 2016, Obamas Secretary of State John Kerry advocated the two-state solution no less than 24 times! In other formal international documentation emanating from international bodies and other sources, the two-state solution was advocated fifteen times in the July 1, 2016 statement by the principal members of the Middle East Quartet (United States, Russia, EU, and UN), and nine times in the January 15, 2017, Joint Closing Declaration of the Paris Peace Conference. Recitation by the Pro-Peace Lobby, J Street At the April 18-19, 2021, J-Street annual virtual conference, the two-state refrain figured high among the stated priorities of the participants. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas, invited by J Street as a keynote speaker at their conference, affirmed the belief by the PA in the two-state solution based on pre-June 1967 borders based on international law with East Jerusalem as its capital. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed his own firm belief in the importance of a two-state resolution to the conflict. Similar calls supporting the two-state solution were expressed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as well as Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer. Mechanical and Habitual Recitation by Rote The term two-state solution seems to be a form of lingua franca within the international community and especially within the new U.S. administration a magic panacea for all the ills of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and the broader problems of the Middle East. Not a day goes by without some leading politician, journal, or international body mentioning it as the buzzword for the ultimate outcome, while in many cases, accusing Israel and only Israel of undermining the two-state solution. Indeed, the two-state solution is considered by virtually all major international actors associated with the Israeli-Palestinian dispute to be the only way to achieve an enduring peace that, in their view, meets Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty. However, the question remains whether such glib and pre-judgmental officials and international actors, fully understand the terms, implications, and the outcome of the dispute by advocating the two-state solution, in light of the history and realities of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle? The Two-State Solution Has No Formal and Binding Basis in International Documentation The evolvement of the vision of two states was, from the start, hinged on the inherent realities of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and based on the premise that a Palestinian state will only emanate from direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. This premise included the requirement that it be demilitarized and limited in its military and security capabilities and other sovereign prerogatives. Similarly, the border between it and Israel would be the result of bilateral negotiations between them and not the pre-1967 armistice delimitation lines that were distinctly not intended to serve as an international border. This is borne out by the following international documents: The formal Middle East peace process documentation, including UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), as well as the Oslo Accords and related documents signed by Israel and the PLO (1993-9), make no reference to a two-state solution and specifically leave the issue of the final, permanent status of the territories to be negotiated between them. By the same token, PLO Chairman Arafat committed the Palestinians, in his letter to Israel Prime Minister Rabin dated September 9, 1993, that all outstanding issues relating to permanent status will be resolved through negotiation. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabins vision of the permanent status, as stated in his last speech to the Knesset in October 1995, prior to his assassination, referred to the establishment of a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He added that the entity would be less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority. The Clinton Parameters (2000), in referring to a two-state approach, expressly referred to a demilitarized Palestinian state with limited sovereignty, as the homeland of the Palestinian people together with the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. The UN Security Council, in the preamble to its Resolution 1397 (2002), reaffirmed the necessity, set out in its previous Resolution 242 (1967), for secure and recognized boundaries. In referring to its vision of a region where two states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side within secure and recognized boundaries, the assumption was that borders need to be negotiated, and the 1967 lines cannot be considered international borders. U.S. President George W. Bush, in his 2002 vision of two states, living side-by-side in peace and security, also stressed the necessity for a Palestinian state to fight terror and form a new and different Palestinian leadership. The U.S.-generated 2003 Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict referred to an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbors. It envisioned such a state with provisional borders and attributes of sovereignty, practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty, and ending all acts of violence and incitement. It stressed the need for a negotiated resolution on the status of Jerusalem and Arab state acceptance of full normal relations with Israel. Israels acceptance of the 2003 Roadmap was on the premise that the provisional [Palestinian] state will have provisional borders and certain aspects of sovereignty; be fully demilitarized with no military forces but only with police and internal security forces of limited scope and armaments; be without the authority to undertake defense alliances and military cooperation; and Israeli control over the entry and exit of all persons and cargo as well as of its airspace and electromagnetic spectrum. President Bushs letter to Prime Minister Sharon of April 14, 2004, affirming his two-state vision, stressed that secure and recognized borders should emerge from negotiations and not involve a return to the 1949 armistice lines. The joint statement issued after the Annapolis Conference, attended by the Israeli and Palestinian leadership, President Bush, and other leaders, dated November 27, 2007, referred to the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security with agreement to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements. In his 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated a vision of two peoples living freely, side-by-side, in amity and mutual respect, each with its own flag, its own national anthem, its own government, and neither threatening the security or survival of the other. This vision foresees a demilitarized Palestinian state that would include a prohibition on importing missiles, maintaining an army, making pacts and alliances with terror elements, and limited use of airspace. It involves effective security measures to prevent weapons smuggling into the territory. It also includes Palestinian recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and a resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem outside Israels borders. Evolution of the Two-State Vision in International Documentation While the two-state vision has become a standard component of non-binding UN political documentation, it has never been part of any formal, binding resolution or agreement between the parties. The accepted and logical assumption has been that whatever solution will be achieved, it will only be through negotiations and agreement between the parties, and not through the imposition of such a solution, through prejudgment of the outcome of such negotiation, or through glib declarations expressing the hope for a two-state solution. The vision of a region where two states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side within secure and recognized boundaries first figured in a preambular provision of Security Council Resolution 1397 (2002) adopted on March 12, 2002, calling for an end to the violence during the second Palestinian intifada. 17 In this context, the reaffirmation of the UN Security Councils call in its 1967 Resolution 242 for secure and recognized boundaries clearly implies that borders have to be negotiated, and the 1967 lines cannot be imposed by third parties as if they are international borders. General Assembly resolution 75/172 of December 2020 on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination affirmed the right of all States in the region to live in peace within secure and internationally recognized borders and stressed the need for a peace settlement based on the Quartets road map to a permanent two-state solution. Conclusion The question arises whether the massive, liberal, effusive, and generally off-the-cuff usage of the term two-state solution by all and sundry has any relation to the historical and substantive context in the Israeli-Palestinian realities and whether it takes into account the complex and practical aspects of its realization. The term two-state solution has become a useful slogan and political declaration by leaders in the international community, often as the result of political correctness and lip-service to a growing international trend. This liberal and glib repetition of the phrase two-state solution as if, in and of itself, it can solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute indicates a lack of understanding of its meaning and historical evolvement in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. However, no such two-state solution could materialize without cognizance of the inherent realities of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as a basis for acceptance by the parties, as well as by the international community, of several basic assumptions: A Palestinian state would have to be politically and economically stable. It could not open itself to manipulation by terror elements that could constitute a threat to Israels security. A Palestinian state would have to be demilitarized and limited in its military and security capabilities and other sovereign prerogatives. Such a state would have to be based on principles of democracy, liberty, and good governance and would be obligated to prevent terror and incitement. A unified Palestinian leadership must be able to speak in the name of the entire Palestinian people and be capable of entering into and fulfilling commitments. In light of the widening schism between the Palestinian leadership of the West Bank and the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, such a situation does not exist at present. A Palestinian state will need to commit to solid legal, political, and security guarantees that it will not abuse its sovereign prerogatives and international standing in order to violate or undermine the agreements. Issues that are inherently bilateral such as borders, Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, water, and the like, will only be resolved by negotiations and not by partisan political resolutions or political declarations coming from international leaders, the UN, or any other source. Any such state must recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, in the same manner in which Israel would recognize a Palestinian state as the nation-state of the Palestinian people. It is hoped that the vision of a two-state solution will not be a meaningless mantra but will indeed take into account the wide range of serious and genuine issues arising from the long dispute between the parties. Such a solution must be predicated on the acceptance of the principle that any such solution cannot be imposed and can only be achieved through negotiations between the parties concerned. Amb. Alan Baker is Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center and the head of the Global Law Forum. He participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, as well as agreements and peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. He served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israels ambassador to Canada. Home Orthodox Christians across Egypt celebrated Palm Sunday, a day which commemorates Christ's arrival to the city of Jerusalem, amid coronavirus restrictions for the second year in a row. Worshippers attended Mass, lit candles and carried palm fronds while children enjoyed making accessories from palm leaves. Father Abdel Maseeh Baseet abo el-Kheir recounted Palm Sunday last year when the church had to close during the Holy Week for the first time in its history due to the pandemic. "We felt like orphans," he said. While faithful were allowed to attend Mass in person this time around, attendances were limited and many among the congregation at the Church of Saint Barbara wore masks. Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country with over 100 million people, has reported more than 221,570 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 12,998 deaths. The actual number of COVID-19 cases, like elsewhere in the world, is thought to be far higher, in part due to limited testing. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) ADVERTISEMENT A former Nigerian diplomat has told the Federal Government to embrace a negotiated settlement option to save Nigeria about N1.2 trillion being spent annually to fight Boko Haram. Nnamdi Onochie, who is a foreign policy expert, gave the advice on Monday in Abuja while speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sudden death of President Idris Deby of Chad. Mr Deby, a key ally of France in the fight against jihadists in the Maghreb, died in a battle in southern Chad on April 19, throwing his nation into fresh political uncertainty. Mr Onochie argued that Mr Debys death and the unfolding succession crisis in Chad would compound issues for Nigeria, in its bid to crush Boko Haram insurgents. Nigeria has been fighting Boko Haram since 2009, in a bitter conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions in the war-wracked north-east. Now that President Derby has died, efforts to replace him between his son and the opposition will further aggravate the situation in Nigerias North East for all state and non-state actors. I advocate that Nigeria should negotiate an end to the activities of Boko Haram in the areas where the insurgency is active. Mr Onochie argued that embracing dialogue would stop the endless bleeding of Nigerias economy by the conflict. According to him, Nigeria should leave the intricate ethnic politics in Chad for leaders of that country to sort out, instead of getting involved in the complex politics of the impoverished country. Mr Onochie, a former Nigerian envoy to Algeria, said that he was familiar with the politics of Chad, having met the countrys former president, Hissan Habre, and having also been following Mr Debys activities. It is in our best interest to end the war through negotiated strength. If I were the president or if I get elected as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023, I will pursue and carry out a policy to end the war by negotiation. Is there any other viable alternative or can Nigeria continue fighting the war sine die? The answer is no, the former diplomat said. Chad, which gained independence from France in 1960 has known no peace for years, making the country one of the poorest in the world. (NAN) Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton addresses media as Liberal member for Canning, Andrew Hastie looks on in Perth, Australia on April 19, 2021. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright) Australian Defence Minister Warns Conflict Over Taiwan Cannot Be Discounted Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton is warning that conflict over Taiwan is a possibility and has vowed to work with allies to maintain peace in the region. People need to be realistic about the activity, Dutton told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday. There is militarisation of bases across the region. Obviously, there is a significant amount of activity, and there is an animosity between Taiwan and China. If you look at any of the rhetoric that is coming out of China from spokesmen, particularly in recent weeks and months in response to different suggestions that have been made, they have been very clear about that goal, he added. I dont think it should be discounted. I think China has been very clear about the reunification, and thats been a long-held objective of theirs, Dutton said. The minister added that nobody wants to see conflict between China and Taiwan and added that the Australian Defence Force was prepared to meet any threats in the region and that they would work with allies in the region for peace. Earlier this month, Michael Goldman, charge daffaires at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, revealed that the United States and Australia were working on contingencies if conflict were to erupt around Taiwan. In recent months, Chinese military jets have made near-daily incursions into Taiwanese airspace, with the largest being in late March, when 20 Chinese military planes entered its Air Defence Identification Zone. J15 fighter jets on Chinas sole operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, during a drill at sea in April 2018. (AFP/Getty Images) U.S. Admiral Philip Davidson, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, also issued a warning in response to Beijings increasing military build-up, saying he believed China could invade Taiwan in the next six years, while other analysts believe the timeframe could be shorter. Beijing sees Taiwan as its own territory, even though the island state has been governed as a distinct territory for more than seven decades. Recently, the communist regime has upped its rhetoric against the island, vowing to bring it into the foldby force if necessary. Meanwhile, throughout 2020, Australia has endured a year-long economic coercion campaign from Beijing targeting key exports to China, including coal, beef, wine, barley, lobster, timber, lamb, and cotton. The Chinese trade strikes were launched in response to calls by Foreign Minister Marise Payne in April 2020 for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Australia has encouraged exporters to find alternative markets to China while passing several laws to shore up the countrys national security against interference by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Last week, Foreign Minister Payne exercised powers granted to her by the Foreign Relations Act and terminated the CCPs Belt and Road Initiative signed with the Victorian state government. The Chinese Embassy in Canberra criticised the move, labelling it unreasonable and provocative. While Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged Australia to revoke the decision or Beijing would resolutely take strong actions. Dutton responded, saying, Were not going to have our values compromised. We arent going to surrender our sovereignty. We are standing up for who we are. Weve got very important diplomatic relations with many countries, including China, but we arent going to be compromised by the principles of the Communist Party of China. You are here: World Flash The Romanian authorities have decided to declare a diplomat at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest persona non grata, a Foreign Ministry press release informed on Monday. The diplomat is Deputy Military Attache Alexey Grishaev, whose "activities and actions contravene the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961," said the release. The move came a few days after Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria adopted similar measures. Grishaev has been stationed in Romania since September 2018, according to the information on the website of the Romanian Foreign Ministry. Local News, Health & Wellness, Press Releases By Chris Boyle Published: April 26 2021 Combination of Federal, State and County Funding Will Help to Eliminate 7,000 Cesspools. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has announced $100 million in funding to eliminate outdated cesspools and septic systems identified by scientists as the primary source of excess nutrients that have fouled local bays, contributing to harmful algae blooms, beach closures and fish kills. The funding from a combination of federal, state and county sources, will be used to complete long-awaited sewer projects along south shore river corridors, and to boost funding for the landmark County program that provides grants to homeowners who choose to upgrade to new nitrogen reducing septic systems. With the help and support of our colleagues in state government, the business and environmental communities, and our friends in the building trades and organized labor, Suffolk County has made more progress over the past five years than had been made in the prior four decades in efforts to address the lack of wastewater infrastructure that has harmed water quality and been a drag on our economy, said County Executive Bellone. This new investment will allow us to take significant next steps in implementing a long term plan to improve water quality. Under the funding plan, a total of $30 million in funding would be invested in the Countys grant program for homeowners, including $10 million recently awarded by the State Septic System Replacement Fund, and $20 million from the Countys Drinking Water Protection Program. An additional $70 million would be invested to complete two long awaited sewer projects along south shore river corridors that comprise the Suffolk County Coastal Resiliency Initiative (SCCRI), which will eliminate nearly 6,000 cesspools and septic systems by connecting parcels to sewers. The new funding includes $24 million from a County reserve fund to connect homes in Sewer District #3 Southwest to the existing sewer system, and $46 million from the Countys allocation under the $1.9 trillion American Recovery Plan (ARP) to address the increased cost of projects to connect parcels along the Carlls River (Babylon) and Forge River (Brookhaven). The sewer projects are being funded primarily with Post-Sandy resiliency funding, but constructions bids received during the COVID pandemic were significantly higher than pre-bid construction estimates. The County Executive thanked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for making sure that the American Rescue Plan funding can be used for sewer infrastructure. We are hopeful that there will be a separate federal infrastructure bill, but the timetable for Congress to act is not clear yet, and these historic sewer projects are ready to begin now, said the County Executive. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Schumer, the County has the ability to use a portion of its ARP funds to address the cost increases driven in large part by the uncertainties of the COVID pandemic. Suffolk Countys Septic Improvement Program (SIP), the first of its kind was established in 2017 and provides grants of up to $30,000 in State and County funding to homeowners who choose to replace their existing non-performing cesspool or septic system with a new Innovative/Alternative Onsite Wastewater Treatment (IA) System. The program was recognized earlier this month by New York State as the winner of an Environmental Excellence Award, and has twice been awarded 70% of a $15 million statewide allocation of funding from the New York State Septic System Replacement Program. To date, more than 2,300 homeowners have applied for grants under the program. County funding for the program was originally established at $2 million per year, but increasing interest on the part of the public prompted the County Legislature to approve $3.7 million in additional water quality funding last July because the pace of applications exceeded the amount of funding available. The high level of interest in the program, even during the COVID 19 pandemic, shows just how strongly the people of Suffolk County feel about the need to improve water quality, said County Executive Bellone. This additional funding will help make sure that the amount of grant funding keeps pace with the number of applications we are receiving. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, I worked hard to deliver over $10.8 billion in aid directly to New Yorks counties, towns, and villages as part of the American Rescue Plan, in addition to the $300 million I secured for this project after Sandy. Im glad to see County Executive Bellone use a portion of this aid to help fill the funding gap and advance these long-awaited sewer infrastructure improvements. These projects are vital to the health and well-being of Suffolk residents, and are essential to improving the quality of life in the county for years to come. (Newser) A resident of the Spanish island of Mallorca has been arrested on suspicion of assault with an unusual weapon: COVID symptoms. Police say the 40-year-old office worker is responsible for infecting 22 others with the coronavirus, reports the Guardian. The man had a fever and a cough, but he not only rejected pleas from co-workers to go home, he walked around coughing and lowering his mask to say, "I'm going to infect you all," per the police report cited by the BBC. He may have been joking around about that (the police report doesn't specify), but co-workers and people at the gym he visited soon were infected. story continues below Police say the man had been exhibiting symptoms for days and finally went to be tested for COVID. However, he reported to work and visited his gym in the town of Manacor before getting the results back saying he was positive. Three of the those indirectly infected are 1-year-olds, say the police. None of the 22 people have so far come down with a serious case of the illness. (Fully vaccinated Americans will be able to visit Europe.) She's the blonde bombshell set to make her TV debut on the upcoming season of Big Brother. And ahead of Monday night's premiere, it has emerged that housemate Tilly Whitfield is already looking to extend her fifteen minutes of fame. Tilly, whose role models are Paris Hilton and Legally Blonde's Elle Woods, has been reaching out to influencers for advice on how to run her social media account after the show. Just in it for fame? Tilly Whitfield, 21, (pictured) is already looking to extend her fifteen minutes of fame after her stint on Big Brother, with claims she has reached out to influencers for advice According to Woman's Day, the 21-year-old Sydney based beauty is hoping to become the next big thing on social media following her stint on the show. She is currently following former housemates Kieran Davidson, Sophie Budack, and Zoe George. As well as Paris Hilton, Paddy Colliar, and Married At First Sight's Dean Wells. Making the most of it! Tilly whose role models are Paris Hilton and Legally Blonde's Elle Woods has reportedly reached out to influencers for advice on how to run her social media account Skye 2.0? Tilly enters the house single, leaving her family and pet Chihuahua Tinkerbell at her Northern Beaches home Tilly has already been nicknamed Skye Wheatley 2.0 and is taking her new nickname as a complement. Tilly enters the house single, leaving her family and pet Chihuahua Tinkerbell at her Northern Beaches home. And while Tilly may have be blonde bombshell with long extensions and fake eyelashes, she says she is used to being underestimated. She describes herself as 'book smart, street dumb'. If she succeeds, Tilly says that she will put the prize money towards her parents mortgage, donate to an animal charity and maybe even start her own business. Big Brother Australia premieres on Monday at 7.30pm on Seven A Florida man and his three sons were accused in federal court of selling tens of thousands of bottles of bleach that were marketed as a "miracle cure" for the coronavirus and other illnesses, authorities said. The man, Mark Grenon, and his sons, Jonathan, Jordan and Joseph Grenon, were accused of fraud and violating civil court orders instructing them to stop selling the fake cure, which they promoted as "Miracle Mineral Solution," or MMS, according to documents filed Friday in Florida's southern district. Image: Fake miracle cure, bleach (WFLA) The Food and Drug Administration has warned people not to ingest the potentially deadly chlorine dioxide solution, which is typically used for industrial water treatment. Court documents filed in the civil case allege that on a podcast released last year, co-host Mark Grenon referred to the 2nd Amendment and threatened a federal judge over a court order halting the sale of MMS, saying she was committing "treason." "Do they want a Waco?" he is alleged to have said, referring to the 1993 siege in Texas that left 76 people dead. According to court documents, the family manufactured the solution in a backyard shed in Bradenton, about 45 miles south of Tampa. Through what the documents describe as an "avowedly" nonreligious church called Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, the solution was marketed and sold as a cure-all for cancer, autism, diabetes and other disorders and diseases, according to the documents. The documents say the family had a massive jump in revenue from an average of $32,000 a month to $123,000 after they began marketing the solution as a Covid-19 cure in March 2020. The family has sold more than 28,000 bottles, earning more than $1 million, the documents say. During a raid on the Bradenton property, authorities discovered dozens of chemical drums, 10,000 pounds of sodium nitrate and thousands of bottles of the solution, the U.S. attorney's office for southern Florida said in a news release. Story continues Two of the sons Jonathan and Jordan Grenon were arrested and are scheduled to be arraigned Monday, the release says. Mark and Joseph Grenon are in Colombia, the release says. It doesn't provide additional details about their location, and a spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. It isn't clear whether the family has attorneys. Court records don't list one, and a message sent to Genesis seeking comment wasn't immediately returned. A detective investigating Jack de Belin's rape case 'willfully lied' giving evidence in the NRL star's first trial, a jury has been told. De Belin's lawyer David Campbell SC described the officer's conduct as a gross departure from his job by not taking any notes of the first 90- minute conversation he had with the woman making the allegations. 'You knew full well as a police officer, your obligation is to make a record of a complaint received from a citizen,' Mr Campbell said on Monday. NRL player Jack de Belin (pictured) arrives at the Downing Centre District Court over allegations he and Callan Sinclair raped a teenager in 2018 Jared Barnes (pictured) testified in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court that he first told police a conversation took place downstairs at Wollongong's Mr Crown bar when an acquaintance from school sat down to chat 'Yeah,' he responded. Callan Sinclair, 23, and De Belin, 30, have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of aggravated sexual assault that allegedly took place at a North Wollongong unit in December 2018. The detective was also criticised for not separating the woman who had accompanied her to the police station, as he knew she would later become a key witness in the trial. Mr Campbell finally asked the officer if he was a dishonest man. 'No,' he responded. Rugby League player Callan Sinclair (pictured) is accused of raping a teenager in Wollongong with Jack de Belin in 2018 'You have willfully lied on oath previously?' Mr Campbell said. 'I am not answering any questions in regards to that,' he replied. Judge Nicole Norman told the jury that the detective received a certificate preventing prosecution after admitting he lied in the first trial of the two men which could not be concluded. The grilling from Mr Campbell near the end of the day's evidence came after another controversial witness said a 'flashback dream' prompted a key memory from the night of the alleged rape to significantly change. Jared Barnes testified in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court that he first told police a conversation took place downstairs at Wollongong's Mr Crown bar when an acquaintance from school sat down to chat. De Belin, 30, and Sinclair, 23, have pleaded not guilty to the aggravated sexual assault of the then 19-year-old in a North Wollongong unit after meeting her at a bar on December 8, 2018 'Did you see Jack de Belin is here?' she allegedly said. 'And then we said 'oh nah' ... that's when she said, 'he's so hot I want to get with him'.' He was later informed that CCTV footage showed the St George Illawarra forward had not yet arrived at the bar when this occurred. In the last two weeks, a 'flashback dream' in the morning prompted his memory of another interaction with the woman on the dancefloor upstairs, Mr Barnes said. 'You had a dream about it being in reverse order and then you woke up and did you remember the dream?' crown prosecutor David Scully said. 'Yes,' Mr Barnes said. The woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Jack De Belin (pictured) and Callan Sinclair told her manager the next day she had been raped, a jury has been told Mr Barnes made two police statements in March and April this year and did not think he could change his first version, he said. Mr Scully asked the witness if he was wrong or just plain lying to the jury. 'Disagree,' Mr Barnes said. The woman earlier denied this particular conversation with Mr Barnes occurred, saying everybody from her Wollongong hometown 'talks and makes up rumours'. The trio was supposedly headed to the nearby Fever Nightclub but instead travelled together in a tuk-tuk to the unit, she said. She says it was a non-consensual sexual encounter in which she was crying and repeating 'stop' multiple times but was ignored as de Belin cheered his friend on. Rugby League player Callan Sinclair (pictured) at the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of aggravated sexual assault that allegedly took place at a North Wollongong unit in December 2018 Mr Barnes described the woman as 'bubbly and energetic' and said she had been flirting with de Belin on the dancefloor by removing his wide-brimmed hat. Defence barrister Sharyn Hall asked him about mentioning this conversation to a local journalist who told him she would pass on the details to detectives. 'Did you expect if anything was important to say you would get a call back from police?' Ms Hall said. 'Yes,' he said. Police first contacted him this year regarding those details. The detective is expected to resume giving evidence on Tuesday. She may not be directly nominated for at Oscar, but Margot Robbie was certainly a winner in the style stakes as she walked the pink carpet at the 93rd annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Australian actress, 30, dazzled in a black gown adorned with silver flowers and debuted a stylish fringe as she attended the socially-distanced event this weekend. Margot, who is a producer on multiple nominated film Promising Young Woman, looked simply elegant in the floor-length Chanel gown which featured spaghetti straps and a delicate lace trim. Wow: Margot Robbie was certainly a winner in the style stakes as she walked the pink carpet at the 93rd annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday The Suicide Squad star stored her essentials in a glittery black clutch, while in the beauty stakes, she added a dewy palette of make-up to her face. Most notably, Margot rocked a new feathered fringe, while the rest of her caramel locks were tied into a chic ponytail by her longtime hairstylist Bryce Scarlett. Speaking about the inspiration for the 'do, Bryce said that he was 'inspired by the beautiful simplicity' of Margot's Chanel gown, and felt that a 'fresh, effortless ponytail' would complement it perfectly. To perfect the style, the hair pro used products and tools from GHD, including the brand's newly-launched Body Goals Total Volume Foam and the Bodyguard Heat Protectant Spray to guard the hair against styling. He then used the GHD Helios Professional Hair Dryer and the brand's limited-edition 20th anniversary Platinum+ Styler to perfect the style. Margot appeared in great spirits as she walked the carpet solo while flashing a dazzling smile and waving to the camera. Sunday afternoon's red carpet was definitely different from years past, although it was hard to tell from just a glance. Stunning: The Australian actress, 30, dazzled in a black gown adorned with silver flowers and debuted a stylish fringe as she attended the socially-distanced event this weekend This year COVID restrictions have whittled the VIP guest list down to only 170 people, from the usual 3,000. 2021 marks the first time Tinseltown's finest have assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh has described as being 'like a movie.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Built in 1939, the national historic landmark and its main terminal is 161,000 square feet, creating plenty of room for theatrics on Hollywoods biggest night. During normal times, when COVID restrictions haven't crimped travel, more than 100,000 people a day walk through its halls. Fashionista: Margot, who is a producer on multiple nominated film Promising Young Woman, looked simply elegant in the floor-length Chanel gown which featured spaghetti straps and a delicate lace trim Comparatively the Dolby Theatre, where the glitzy event is usually held, can only seat around 3,300 people which would have created difficulties in putting on an award show amid the pandemic. But in the spacious station, believed to be large enough to accommodate social distancing requirements with its soaring main hall featuring windows that are 40-feet high, stars have more room to mingle and maneuver. Sticking to a 'No Zoom' policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organizers have teased a 'British hub' for UK actors who are unable to make it in person, as well as another rumored 'surprise location.' During a year that saw movie theatres closed due to the pandemic, there were eight new films that did manage to impress Academy voters enough to be in contention for Hollywood's biggest award, the Oscar for Best Picture (last year there were nine nominees in the category.) Glamour: The Suicide Squad star stored her essentials in a glittery black clutch, while in the beauty stakes, she added a dewy palette of make-up to her face While blockbusters may be absent this year, there have been a wide range of movies that have caught the attention of Academy voters, including the lavish Mank, Netflix's ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. Another strong contender is Minari, an indie drama about Korean immigrants scraping out a living off the land in rural America, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and starring Steven Yeun. The eight films in the top category this year are The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. New look: Most notably, Margot rocked a new feathered fringe, while the rest of her caramel locks were tied into a chic ponytail It is the first time that two female directors have ever been nominated in the Best Director category, with Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) both receiving nods. Only five women have ever been nominated in the category before. An official spokesperson called this year's event 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate.' The Academy and ABC will certainly be hoping that their ambitious plans will drum up more excitement than they have elsewhere during a dismal award seasons, after the virtual Golden Globes plunged to 6.9 million viewers this year - a 64 percent drop from 2020. GUILDERLAND The Guilderland Central School District is the latest local organization victimized by a malware attack. District officials said the attack was discovered after technical interruptions occurred on Thursday, calling the incident a "cyber attack by a threat actor group which used malware to encrypt certain systems throughout the district. "The district is working diligently with specialists to investigate the incident, confirm its impact on our systems, and to restore full functionality as quickly as possible," the district wrote on its website. "Law enforcement and all other appropriate authorities were immediately notified." School officials said the district is trying to determine if "any sensitive data may have been impacted." "At this time, they have not confirmed that any sensitive data was compromised, but plan to keep the community updated as more information becomes available." Due to the attack, all high school students were to learn remotely on Monday. The nature of the malware attack is unclear but generally attackers demand payment in return for the promise to relinquish control of the organization's computer system. Experts recommend that organizations keep complete and walled-off backups for their computer systems so that lost files can be replaced if a malware attack occurs. A number of local governments have had to confront malware, including Albany which continues to discover that the destruction of files is complicating criminal prosecutions in the county. Albany shelled out roughly $300,000 to recover from the ransomware attack in late March 2019. The costs covered destroyed servers, upgrading user security software, purchasing firewall insurance and other improvements to firm up the citys systems following the attack that disabled some city government computers. The town of Colonies computer system went down due to a January 2020 cyberattack, forcing many of its departments to run their operations offline, town officials said Friday, noting that systems should slowly start to come back online later in the day. Hackers have struck school districts in Syracuse, Rochester and Watertown. Rhinebeck school administrators in 2016 got locked out of their system when hackers demanded $500 to fix the problem they created. Earnings season in oil and gas has begun, and expectations are much different from what they were just three months ago. Oil prices are stronger, and the outlook for demand is more positive even though uncertainty remains. No wonder, then, that expectations about financial reports are brighter. However, challenges remain. Strong cash flows Oil producers should report a substantial increase in free cash flow both on a quarterly basis and on an annual basis, according to Troy Vincent, a market analyst at DTN. Vincent also told Oilprice that companies would likely use that higher free cash flow to pay down debt and prop up their balance sheets. Surprises are possible, mostly in production growth and spending plans but are not very likely, according to Vincent. Like other industry observers and insiders, Vincent noted that the industry is still taking a guarded approach to the future, likely to focus not on production growth at all costs but on sustainable production growth. "While there may be a few surprises by way of companies announcing stronger production growth expectations and capital spending than in Q4 in light of the strength of the global demand recovery, Q1 earnings should continue to reflect an industry that is more focused on sustainable production growth and returns to shareholders rather than rushing to drill and complete wells (particularly in the US shale patch) as fast as possible as prices rise," Vincent said. Related: OPEC Urges Its Members To Lobby Against NOPEC Bill The Freeze effect The positive news from above is largely a result of the slow return to normal, where normal means higher oil prices make for higher company profits. Yet this quarter featured, besides higher oil prices, the Texas Freeze, which paralyzed the United States' oil heartland and removed thousands of barrels in oil production from the market as well infrastructure froze. Shell has already warned that its first-quarter figures will be affected by the Texas Freeze. The impact will be to the tune of up to $200 million, the supermajor said in a first-quarter update. Of this total, the damage would be up to $40 million on the upstream segment, up to $80 million on oil products, and around $60 million on the chemicals business, Shell said earlier this month. Exxon also warned about the Freeze's impact on its earnings for the first quarter. This impact will be much larger than Shell's, at $800 million. However, it would be offset by the strong performance of its main business divisions, driven by stronger oil and gas prices. Generally speaking, everyone involved in oil production and refining in Texas is likely to suffer some damage from the February Freeze, with its size depending on the size of the company's exposure to the state's oil and gas industry. The investor challenge While the losses suffered from the Texas Freeze are now in the past and a one-off event, oil companies this quarter are facing a trickier challenge: convincing investors they are on the right track. Related: The Era Of Lithium Is Only Just Beginning A lot of attention has been given to decarbonization efforts and how oil and gas is allocating capital to alternative businesses," says Mitch Fane, EY U.S. Oil & Gas Leader. "Companies will need to display tangible actions to decarbonize and must align with a larger strategy that demonstrates financial discipline and strong returns, as this will be important for their access to capital going forward." While not all investors and oil and gas belong to the ESG wave, the sheer amount of attention that decarbonization is getting these days makes it a priority. Also, the fact that all Big Oil majors havealbeit forcedlycommitted to lowering their emissions footprint means that the ESG investors are gaining strength, as evidence by more climate-related resolutions being drafted for this year's annual general meetings. Financial agility Agility in finance is the other thing we can expect to hear on conference calls this month and next as the oil industry reports first-quarter results. With the pandemic and the renewables push, things are no longer as simple as "Drill when oil's high, stop when it's low." Now, after surviving a brutal 2020, oil and gas companies will need to continue prioritizing capital discipline and betting on the best assets only. This was already made evident during last earnings season, and despite the tangible improvement in both oil prices and demand outlook since then, chances are the priorities will remain unchanged. "Though the timing is unclear, the resolution of the pandemic is in sight," EY's Fane told Oilprice. "Vaccine distribution continues to make a significant difference in countries around the world, and oil and gas demand has recovered substantially. But long-term uncertainty and stakeholder pressure has forced companies to continue capital discipline and prioritize spending on critical assets and short-cycle projects. Investors will want to see how agile oil and gas companies can be as decarbonization and the energy transition gain momentum. It seems that according to analysts, surprises are quite unlikely this season. Oil companies will post stronger results than last quarter's on the back of the combination of vaccine drives, economic improvement in key markets, and OPEC+'s continued control of production. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Maxine Waters has dismissed the judge in the Derek Chauvin murder trial as 'angry' and 'frustrated' after he condemned her for undermining proceedings by telling protesters to 'fight' if the killer cop was cleared. Judge Peter Cahill had said that her comments could be grounds for appealing the verdict, though Waters said in an interview with CNN Sunday that Cahill's criticism of her is 'not credible.' 'I think he was angry. I think he may be frustrated with this case and how much world publicity is on it and all of that,' Waters said. Waters, 82, told CNN that she spoke with 'legal scholars' who allegedly told her that Cahill's criticism was 'way off track' after she also told protesters to 'get more confrontational' in the event of a not guilty verdict. 'He knows that in fact, the jurors were not in the room. The jurors had an oath not to look at television, not to read the newspapers, not to engage with people on this. So he knows that there was no interference with the jurors,' she said. She added: 'To say that I'm going to cause an appeal really is not credible. And whether or not they have an appeal, even if they mention my name, like the judge says, my comments don't matter anyway.' Judge Peter Cahill had said that her comments could be grounds for appealing the verdict, though Waters said in an interview with CNN that those claims are 'not credible' Cahill had said 'A Congresswoman's opinion really doesn't matter a whole lot' He ultimately rejected motions by Derek Chauvin's legal team to have the case declared a mistrial before his verdict, which saw Chauvin convicted of second-degree murder California Congressman Maxine Waters was in Minnesota saying that demonstrators needed to 'get more active, more confrontational' Waters had made her offending remarks the weekend before Chauvin was convicred of second-degree murder for the May 2020 killing of George Floyd. The Democratic congresswoman had spoken during a visit to the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center where Daunte Wright, 20, was fatally shot by a white police officer during a traffic stop. 'We've got to get justice in this country, and we cannot allow these killings to continue,' Waters had said. 'We've got to stay on the street, and we've got to get more active. We've got to get more confrontational. We've got to make sure that they know that we mean business.' After Waters made her comments, Chauvin's legal team vied for a mistrial - which was rejected by Cahill while he slammed Waters for her comments. They said Waters' remarks made it impossible for jurors to try the case fairly. Cahill rejected that assertion - but did condemn Waters for meddling. 'I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function,' Cahill said. He added: 'A Congresswoman's opinion really doesn't matter a whole lot.' In her comments to CNN, Waters added that her comments have been misconstrued by critics on the right who condemned her for seemingly encouraging violence. Controversial does not mean violence. I am a non-violent person. Martin Luther King talked about non-violence. We must be about resisting, however, and we must be about educating,' Waters said. 'Confrontation has been misused and there is an attempt by Republicans to divert attention from the fact that they are lying with violent people, she said referring to violent far right groups like the Oathkeepers and QAnon followers. The congresswoman has a long history of defending violent protests and riots and using inciteful language to encourage such acts. Derek Chauvin has been convicted for the murder of George Floyd, whose final moments are pictured, and will be sentenced in June Waters grew up in the projects of St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Los Angeles with her family after graduating high school in 1961 where she attended college and started her political career. She was the fifth of 13 children and was raised by a single mom after her father left when she was two. Notably, as a young woman in the 1950s she bused tables as a restaurant chain in St. Louis that refused to serve black customers. When she was taking a break, Waters had to eat her meals in the basement of the restaurant with other black workers. Waters said she was never ashamed of her past working in that restaurant or depending on welfare for food and a roof. In 1976, Waters became a California State Assemblywoman and was the first woman to become Assembly Democratic Caucus head. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Californias 29th congressional district in 1990. Waters was vocal during the deadly LA Riots in 1992. She refused to call the violence a riot, instead dubbing it a 'rebellion' even though her office was burned down during the unrest. The riots ensued after the acquittal of four LAPD officers who beat Rodney King, a black man. A video of the incident was captured and circulated. 'There are those who would like for me to tell people to go inside, to be peaceful, that they have to accept the verdict,' Waters said during a 1992 press conference. 'I accept the responsibility of asking people not to endanger their lives. I am not asking people not to be angry,' she continued. 'I am angry, and I have a right to that anger, and the people out there have a right to that anger.' Maxine Waters (left) pictured April 1973 in Los Angeles Maxine Waters comments on the widespread LA riots during a press conference in 1992: 'There are those who would like for me to tell people to go inside, to be peaceful, that they have to accept the verdict' The death toll from the riots reached 64, which included nine shot by law enforcement. Of the dead, 28 were black. Reports at the time indicate as many as 2,383 people were injured in some capacity. Waters insisted that the majority of the looting in LA during that time was just so poor mothers could get necessities for their children. At the time, she called the violence 'a spontaneous reaction to a lot of injustice and a lot of alienation and frustration.' 'There were mothers who took this as an opportunity to take some milk, to take some bread, to take some shoes. 'Maybe they shouldn't have done it, but the atmosphere was such that they did it. They are not crooks,' Waters defended while speaking on Michael Jackson's KABC radio talk show in 1992. She also told a Los Angeles Times reporter at the time: 'One lady said her children didn't have any shoes. 'She just saw those shoes there, a chance for all of her children to have new shoes. God damn it! It was such a tear-jerker. I might have gone in and taken them for her myself.' Waters said her office burning down in the riots was not personal. She said she wasn't 'angry at all' and the office was just 'one of the victims of the rebellion.' ADVERTISEMENT The Niger State government says Boko Haram has hoisted its flags in Kaure and Shiroro local government areas of the state. The North-central state is about 140km to the Federal Capital Territory, Nigerias seat of power. Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, who confirmed this on Monday, said the terrorists have displaced over 3,000 residents of the affected communities. I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger state, here in Kaure, I am confirming that they have hoisted their flags here. Their wives (of the villagers) have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members. I just heard that they have placed their flags at Kaure, meaning they have taken over the territory. Mr Bello further said he had earlier alerted the federal government but it (government) has not been proactive. This is what I have been engaging the federal government on, unfortunately it has now got to this level. If care is not taken, even Abuja is not safe. We have been saying this for long. All our efforts have been in vain. Mr Bello said he hoped for a more coordinated military activity to fight the terrorists. Sambisa is several kilometers from Abuja but Kaure is less than two hours drive from Abuja. So nobody is safe anymore, not even those in Abuja. This is the time to act. All hands must be on deck. It is not a fight for Niger State alone. I am not waiting for anyone anymore, I am going to take action, he said. Nigeria has been battling Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east for over a decade with recurring attacks in many parts of the country. In the last seven years, despite the federal governments claim that the sect had been degraded, the country has lost hundreds of lives to the unending insurgency while millions have been displaced and rendered homeless. Domestic pharmaceutical company Darnytsia has become a member of the Ukrainian Business and Trade Association (UBTA), whose mission is to develop an independent export-oriented Ukrainian business platform. This news was announced by Dmytro Shymkiv, the head of the Board of Directors of Darnytsia Group. According to his account, the cooperation between Darnytsia and UBTA will allow expanding business contacts with European business circles and contribute to promoting Ukrainian pharmaceutical products to the EU markets. Dmytro Shymkiv confidently stated that Darnytsia is a European company that strictly adheres to world quality standards. Therefore, all its products meet the modern requirements of the European community for medicines. UBTA is officially authorized to represent the interests of Ukrainian exporting companies in Europe. And the bilateral cooperation between Darnytsia and UBTA will allow entering new markets with a strict system of quality standards regulation and establish closer contact with European business partners. Shymkiv noted that by having become a member of UBTA, the Darnytsia company had an opportunity to join the discussion initiated by this business association in terms of the opening of the EU market for Ukrainian drug manufacturers. This important event was held with the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine, the Ministry of Public Health, the Trade Representative of Ukraine, and the State Expert Center. Important issues were raised for discussions at the meeting, like eliminating double checks of Ukrainian pharmaceutical manufacturers for compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) requirements and the need for mutual recognition of GMP certificates by Ukraine and EU member states. Dmytro Shymkiv also recalled that earlier, in February 2021, Darnytsia became a member of the largest global organization of specialists regulating healthcare and related products (medicines, medical products, biotechnology, and nutritional products), The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS). Turkey: trial starts over Kurdish protests for Kobane 108 leaders HDP accused for 2014 clashes risk life terms (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, APRIL 26 - The maxi-trial for "terrorism" against 108 politicians is opening on Monday morning in the court of Ankara's Sincan prison. The defendants risk a life term for demonstrations on October 2014 in southeastern Turkey in support of Kobane, the Kurdish city of northeastern Syria symbol of the fight against ISIS, at the time under siege. The protests were staged because it wasn't possible to send help against the jihadist group due to the shutdown of the border by Turkish authorities. In clashes with security forces 30 people died. The great majority of victims were demonstrators. Many leaders of HDP are standing trial, including the former co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, who have already been detained for over four years. Last October, another 17 members of the party were arrested over their alleged role in violent demonstrations. The trial will be monitored by different representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations, as well as members of the opposition and an international delegation of lawmakers, lawyers and activists. In the repression that followed the failed coup of 2016 in Turkey, the HDP endured the arrest of hundreds of members and the destitution of dozens of mayors and lawmakers. The general prosecution of the Cassation in Ankara is also preparing a dossier to demand its closure. (ANSAmed). Screen shot Midland Public Schools issued a statement Monday morning in response to last Tuesday's verdict that found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. "After a long, tumultuous year, the nation has received much-deserved closure in the verdict of the murder of George Floyd," reads the statement, which is in the weekly superintendent communique from MPS Superintendent Michael Sharrow. "In the absence of true justice, accountability has at least been upheld. The family of George Floyd has lost a loved one, but we can only hope they feel that they have been seen and acknowledged in the wake of this tragedy." (Natural News) On April 19, James OKeefe of Project Veritas filed a lawsuit against Twitter for alleged defamation after the Big Tech platform permanently banned his account. Twitter claims that OKeefe operated numerous fake accounts on the platform, which he denies. The suit, which was filed in the Supreme Court of New York in Westchester County, alleges that Twitter knowingly defamed OKeefe in a statement the company made about his permanent suspension from the platform. The false accusation that Mr. OKeefe operated fake accounts is particularly damaging for Mr. OKeefe because Mr. OKeefe is a journalist, the lawsuit states. As such, his reputation for transparency and accurate reporting is fundamental to his profession. On April 15, Twitter permanently banned OKeefes account with no advance notice or explanation. Not long after, Twitter released a false statement accusing OKeefe of operation fake [Twitter] accounts. When pressed for comment, the tech giant did not immediately respond. At the time of his permanent ban, OKeefes Twitter account had more than 926,000 followers. In the days leading up to the ban, OKeefe had released another bombshell series exposing systemic network bias at fake news giant CNN. For the crime of exposing CNN as a Democrat asset that worked hard for four years to unseat President Donald Trump, OKeefe was punished by having his account removed and all of his followers left in the lurch. Back in February, Twitter had also suspended two other accounts run by Project Veritas. The accounts, Project Veritas and Project Veritas Action, represent two separate legal entities, the lawsuit explains. Twitter claimed at the time that the Project Veritas account was suspended because of a video put up of a journalist from the organization questioning Facebook Vice President Guy Rosen outside a residence. The company claimed that the video violated its rules concerning the sharing of private information, an apparent reference to the fact that the video showed the number of the house, reported The Epoch Times. Several days later, Twitter suspended the account of Project Veritas Action for allegedly existing solely to circumvent the Project Veritas ban. This is not the case, and the lawsuit addresses this false accusation as well. Why is CNN allowed to remain on Twitter after sharing footage taken in front of Trump supporters house? The lawsuit argues that Twitter routinely allows similar content to remain on the platform, and that the Rosen video contained no other details about the address of the residence other than the numbers that appeared briefly. It did not even mention the state where the incident took place. Further, CNN itself shared a video a while back in which a reporter questions a Trump supporter outside her home about her membership in a Facebook group that the fake news network says was created by Russian hackers. That video has been viewed more than two million times and is still on the Twitter platform today. Even if OKeefe doesnt win a judgment, he can run up their legal defense fees, noted a commenter at The Epoch Times about how this is a win-win situation regardless of the outcome. Thats worthwhile. Another explained that his 80-year-old aunt was told by her doctor to never listen to anything CNN has to say about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19). This suggests that even mainstream medicine is aware of the fact that CNN cannot be trusted. The good news is that Project Veritas has not yet lost a legal case, and the hope for many is that this latest case will be no exception. More of the latest news about Big Tech censorship can be found at Censorship.news. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com KYODO NEWS - Apr 26, 2021 - 19:29 | All, Japan Japan's top government spokesman on Monday welcomed ASEAN leaders' agreement on the need to put an immediate stop to the violence in Myanmar, where security forces continue their deadly crackdown on protestors against February's military coup. The five-point consensus reached at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday is the "first step toward improving the situation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference. In addition to calling for a halt to the violence, the consensus states constructive dialogue will be held to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis, facilitated by a special envoy of the ASEAN chair. Kato also reiterated calls for the swift release of those detained by Myanmar's security forces, but declined to comment on the participation at the summit of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, which has been criticized as legitimizing the junta. Since the Feb. 1 military coup, more than 750 people have been killed and more than 3,400 are currently in detention, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the democratically elected government, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights group monitoring the situation. Related coverage: Myanmar swimmer to forgo Tokyo Olympics in protest at junta violence ASEAN leaders call for immediate end to violence in Myanmar Japan envoy speaks with journalist held in Myanmar New Delhi: Amid a surge in coronavirus COVID-19 cases, the Punjab government led by Amarinder Singh on Monday (April 26) imposed a daily lockdown restriction for an indefinite period. As per the notification, the Corona night curfew will remain enforced from 6pm to 5am every day till further notice. On the other hand, the weekend lockdown will remain from Friday 6pm to Monday 5am. The government ordered the closure of shops by 5 pm. Read details here "Due to continuous & rapid rise of #Covid19 cases in Punjab, Cabinet today has decided to impose daily lockdown from 6 PM to 5 AM and weekend lockdown from Friday 6 PM to Monday 5 AM. Urge you all to stay at home & step out only if absolutely necessary. Seek your full cooperation," Punjab CM Amarinder Singh in a tweet said. "All shops will remain open till 5 pm from Monday till Friday," said Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar addressing mediapersons after a cabinet meeting here. He said the night curfew will now be imposed from 6 pm to 5 am in the state daily. CM Amarinder Singh earlier said that he is against the imposition of a lockdown in the state and predicted that the situation in the state would get worse, according to a report by news agency PTI. He also said that a full lockdown leads to migrant exodus and economic woes. He highlighted that Ludhiana, which has reported 1,300-plus cases on Sunday, remains a cause of concern. Presently, the curfew restrictions remain in place from 8 pm to 5 am. The state had witnessed a record single-day spike of 7,014 cases on Sunday. Live TV Unilever announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Onnit, a holistic wellness and lifestyle company, based in Austin, Texas (US). Onnit was founded in 2010 by Aubrey Marcus, who set out to inspire a journey towards total human optimization - a 360-degree philosophy to achieve optimal health and wellbeing, through physical fitness, mental performance, and emotional wellness. Onnits supplements are the foundation of the brands offering and are made with scientifically proven and high-quality ingredients to provide improved cognitive function, mood and relaxation, gut health and immunity support. The range includes Onnits hero product, Alpha BRAIN, a brain supplement (nootropic) for better memory, focus, and mental processing. The brand also offers functional nutrition, fitness essentials, and a digital content platform that provides informative and motivational articles, interviews, advice, and fitness programs for its loyal and passionate consumer base. Peter ter Kulve, President of Home Care and Health & Wellbeing at Unilever, said: Onnit is a leading brand in the fast-growing nootropics segment. With its holistic health offering and digital-first model, Onnit perfectly complements our growing portfolio of innovative wellness and supplement brands that include OLLY, Equilibra, Liquid I.V., and SmartyPants Vitamins. Fabian Garcia, President of Unilever North America, said: We are thrilled to welcome Onnit to the Unilever family. As a dynamic and purpose-led brand, Unilever is strongly aligned with Onnits vision to improve the health and wellness of consumers with scientifically proven solutions. Aubrey Marcus, founder of Onnit, said: Since day one, my vision has been for Onnit to become a global movement, empowering people with the tools and information to reach their highest physical and mental potential. I am so proud of what we have accomplished, and now, with Unilevers scale and presence, we are one step closer to inspiring millions more to take charge of their health and wellbeing. Onnit will continue to be based in Austin, Texas, and led by CEO Jason Havey. Founder Aubrey Marcus will remain a Brand Ambassador. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 00:39:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- About 61 kilograms of heroin and khat have been seized recently at two international airports in the country, according to a press release from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) on Monday. Femi Babafemi, a spokesperson for the agency, said the seizures were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in the northwest state of Kano respectively. According to the spokesperson, the intercepted and seized consignments have a street value of over 10 billion naira (about 26.2 million U.S. dollars). Babafemi said six suspects have so far been arrested in operations in Lagos since April 16, while the substance had tested positive for heroin, with a total weight of 25.3 kg. In a similar development in Kano, the spokesperson added that the agency intercepted and seized a consignment at its cargo shed, meant for export to Manchester of Britain. Babafemi said a sample of the suspected substance in the consignment was sent for laboratory analysis and the result came out positive for Khat weighing 36 kg. He said investigations were still ongoing to ascertain the true owners of the illegal consignment. Enditem Police are investigating after two men were shot, one fatally, at a strip club on the upper Charleston peninsula. Officers responded at 8:24 p.m. April 25 to multiple reports of shots fired at 1337 King St. Extension, according to an incident report. The address listed in the report matches that of King Street Cabaret. Officers found the two victims, one of whom was pronounced dead at the scene, the report said. The other victim was transported to Medical University Hospital. The report lists one of the victims as a 30-year-old man from Preston, W.Va. The other victim is also 30 years old, said Charles Francis, a police spokesman, but the report did not list his city of residence. It was not clear from the report which of the two victims had died. Police did not say if they'd identified any suspects or elaborate further on what led to the shooting. Further information about the case was not available on April 26. ENET, one of Irelands largest open access network provider, has successfully delivered a 10GB internet connection to the National Space Centre (NSC) in Elfordstown, Cork. Working against tight deadlines and connecting to the remote site, Enet completed the installation of the 10GB ethernet connection as Phase 1 of a plan that will see planned capacity grow to 100GB, unprecedented in rural Ireland. The Cork location is Europes most westerly teleport and Irelands only commercial ground station. Enet delivered the 10GB ethernet connection, which links the NSC to London, four months ahead of usual lead times and the connection is extremely significant given the rural location. The connection is now supporting the National Space Centre as a world-class carrier-grade commercial teleport. The 24M Elfordstown location provides commercial broadcast services, ground control support for satellites and spacecraft, academic research partnerships and space industry consulting. The NSCs co-located Space Campus is also home to more than a dozen Irish space start-ups and EU-headquartered space enterprises. Opened as Elfordstown Earthstation in 1984 at a cost of IR8M, approximately 25M today, the facility celebrated ten years of operation as the NSC in 2020. The refurbished site has grown from five initial antennas to 33 antennas on-site in 2021. These range from a variety of dishes as small as 3.7M to the sites flagship 32M dish, known as The Big Dish. Rory Fitzpatrick, CEO of the National Space Centre, said: NSC is increasing capacity as the first step in a major backbone upgrade focused on Low Earth Orbit (LEO). "Our rural location outside Midleton means we have a hugely advantageous position as Europes most westerly teleport. It also means that as we grow, we can face infrastructure delivery issues we could not overcome without the commitment of key partners like Enet. CEO of Speed Fibre Group, which is home to Enet, Peter McCarthy said: This 10GB connection for the National Space Centre demonstrates Enets ability to deliver a wholesale connectivity service on a truly nationwide basis. "Were also delighted that we delivered this connection four months ahead of usual lead times. To be in a position to offer a 100GB connection as a phase 2 option is also evidence of our ability to deliver scalability to enterprises right across the country helping to facilitate their growth, which, in turn, supports the wider Irish economy. A recent study provides insights on the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on employment, anxiety, and financial distress among women who have gynecologic cancer and low income. The findings are published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. For the study, Y. Stefanie Chen, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and her colleagues conducted telephone interviews with 100 women with gynecologic cancer living in New York City who were covered by Medicaid health insurance. Among the major findings: 31 percent of patients reported being employed prior to the pandemic, and 21 percent had a change in employment status due to the pandemic. 50 percent of patients reported that they felt more financial stress since the start of the pandemic, and 54 percent reported that they worry about future financial problems due to the pandemic. 49 percent of patients expressed increased anxiety about cancer since the start of the pandemic, and 83 percent expressed feeling increased anxiety in general. Having an income less than $40,000 per year was the most common factor associated with increased financial distress, cancer worry, and anxiety. Early-stage cancer (stage I-II) was also a risk factor for increased financial distress. "Patients with cancer are already financially vulnerable as many face changes in employment status when they undergo treatment, and also because cancer treatments can become costly as they accrue over time," said Dr. Chen. "Patients with low income may struggle to prioritize cancer care and treatments over other costs of daily living, especially when they face changes in employment not only due to their cancer diagnosis but also due to the changes in the job market caused by the pandemic." Dr. Chen supports increased screening for anxiety and financial stress in these patients. "Understanding the complexity of finances, mental health, and cancer treatments in this population is crucial to the development of interventions and navigation strategies to ensure timely care and to promote survivorship among patients with all stages of cancer," she said. The American Cancer Society announced earlier today in a press release that Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, will join CANCER as the new Editor-in-Chief beginning on July 1, 2021. Dr. Ramalingam is the deputy director of Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and has worked as a Section Editor for CANCER since 2011. Dr. Ramalingam succeeds Fadlo R. Khuri, MD, whose tenure as Editor-in-Chief concludes later this summer. ### Additional Information NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. A free abstract of this article will be available via the Cancer News Room upon online publication. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Dawn Peters +1 781-388-8408 (US) newsroom@wiley.com Follow us on Twitter @WileyNews Full Citation: "Financial toxicity, mental health, and gynecologic cancer treatment: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic among low-income women in New York City." Yiting Stefanie Chen, Zhen Ni Zhou, Shannon M. Glynn, Melissa K. Frey, Onyinye D. Balogun, Margaux Kanis, Kevin Holcomb, Constantine Gorelick, Charlene Thomas, Paul J. Christos, and Eloise Chapman-Davis. CANCER; Published Online: April 26, 2021 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.33537). URL Upon Publication: http://doi. wiley. com/ 10. 1002/ cncr. 33537 Author Contact: Grace Naugle, of Weill Cornell Medicine's media relations, at gen4001@med.cornell.edu or +1 646-962-9502. About the Journal CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of CANCER is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer. CANCER is published on behalf of the American Cancer Society by Wiley and can be accessed online. Follow us on Twitter @JournalCancer About Wiley New Delhi, April 26 : Eagerly looking for a new true crime story to binge? You are not alone. According to reports, 70 per cent of listeners enjoy listening to true crime stories on a podcast on a regular basis. With the increasing popularity of the genre, Audible has come out with a special selection of titles for all the true crime buffs out there. From nail-biting biographies to hair-raising homicides, add these edge-of-the-seat excitement to your audio storytelling experience with this list of true crime titles. Heist From the largest bank burglary in American history, to the world's most audacious book heist, Heist with Michael Caine travels to America, Australia, Stockholm, Antwerp and everywhere in-between to tell true stories behind the world's most daring heists. Evil Has a Name The monster who preyed on Californians from 1975 to 1986 was known by many aliases. And while numerous police sketches tried to capture his often-masked visage, the Golden State Killer spent more than 40 years not only faceless, but nameless. Call Me God Call Me God is the never-before-told story of the fascinating and turbulent investigation that led to the diabolical and elusive killers' capture; one that pitted protocol against instinct, sacred institutions against individual insight. My Lost Family Growing up in a poor Yiddish speaking home in 1950s London, Lillian -- then just a teenager -- marries charming older man Raymond. One day he takes their children to the local park. But he never returns. When they reappear 40 years later -- the search for the truth begins. The Dark Web Driven by undercover recordings, anonymous contributors and expert interviews, this in-depth, journalistically-rigorous current affairs investigation leaves no online stone unturned in its quest for the truth. The Making of a Massacre On a warm evening in a small Mexican border town, men and women started disappearing. Local officials were warned to stay away and when it was all done, up to 200 people were gone. The Making of a Massacre is a true story detailing how well-intentioned efforts to curtail the drug trade by the US and Mexican governments had devastating effects. The Justice Department is opening a pattern and practice investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday. This is the second such investigation into policing practices unveiled by the department in less than a week. Last week, Garland announced a review of the Minneapolis Police Department the day after a jury in Hennepin County, Minnesota, found former MPD officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the death of George Floyd. "The investigation will assess whether LMPD engages in a pattern or practice of using unreasonable force, including with respect to people involved in peaceful expressive activities," Garland said Monday. "It will determine whether LMPD engages in unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures as well whether the department unlawfully executes search warrants on private homes." The Louisville Police Department has been in the national spotlight since the death of Breonna Taylor last year. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black medical worker, was shot to death by officers in the early hours of March 13, 2020. Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said police did not announce their arrival and he fired a shot because he believed someone was trying to break in. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, Monday, April 26, 2021, as associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. listen. / Credit: Mandel Ngan / AP No officers have been charged directly for her death, but one, Brett Hankison, was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment while the other two officers who opened fire were fired but not charged. In September, the city of Louisville settled a lawsuit with Taylor's family for $12 million and agreed to police reforms. The investigation will be led by the civil rights division and the Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky. Garland said the review will include a "comprehensive review" of the Louisville police. Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields said at a press conference Monday after the announcement that she and Mayor Greg Fischer "welcomed" the investigation. Story continues "I think that it's a good thing, I think that it's necessary because police reform is needed in every agency across the country," Shields said. Shields, who took over at the helm of the Louisville police in January, encouraged police officers to look at the investigation positively. "This is your future, it is our future and we need to articulate what's worked and what hasn't worked so we can be afforded those resources and instances so we can be proud of who we are and proud of our performance day in and day out," Shields said. Garland said the investigation into the Louisville police and the one into the Minneapolis police have the "same goal." Earlier this month Garland reinstated the use of consent decrees used in some cases as a resolution to federal probes of police departments, after it was rolled back by the Trump administration in 2018 under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Monday's announcement already doubles the number of investigations into policing practices undertaken by the previous administration. The Justice Department during the Trump presidency opened one such pattern and practice investigation into the Springfield Police Department in Massachusetts, concluding that their narcotics unit engaged in excessive force in violation of the 4th Amendment. Volunteers making a difference through sewing Historic firsts take center stage at the Oscars Senators propose legislation to boost vehicle seat safety Oscars has announced the winners for different categories this 2021. For this year, the Academy Awards have bestowed joy to Latinos and a Hispanic, as the pride of these communities were among the roster of winners. This year, the Latinos representation in Oscars is only four out of the 23 categories of the award-giving body, Variety noted. This follows the pressure the television and film industry receives in recruiting talents, both behind and in front of the camera. Although the Black community has improvements in the media industry, Latinos are still waiting for their moment of recognition. READ NEXT: Disney and ABC Chief Reveals Passing on Scripts Not Meeting Diversity Standards Latinos and Hispanic Winners in Oscars Latinos have managed to step in and claim awards in this year's Oscars. Mexicans Michelle Cuttolenc, Jamie Baskt, and Carlos Cortes were able to bag "best sound" for their film the Sound of Metal. The trio won against the Greyhound, Mank, News of the World, and Soul. Meanwhile, the Sound of Metal, also won "best film editing." A Hispanic makeup artist was also awarded in the prestigious event. Sergio Lopez-Rivera, a Stander makeup artist bags the "Best Makeup and Hairstyling" category of Oscars 2021. Lopez-Rivera was the makeup artist of Viola Davis in the film "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." Lopez-Rivera competed with the makeup artists from the films Emma, Hillbilly Elegy, Mank, and Pinocchio. The makeup artist took the stage of the prestigious event with Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson. Neal was reported to take the lead. "The last thing on my mind was being here when I was shooting the movie," said Lopez-Rivera during his walk on the red carpet. The makeup artist also noted that it is difficult to fit in, yet his arrival in the ceremony is that "of a boy without fear." Latinos and Hispanics as Oscars Nominees Despite the low rate of winning, Latinos and Hispanics were nominated in various categories of this year's Oscars. Maite Alberdi, a Chilean director was nominated for the "Best Documentary" category, Caracol Television reported. The film Sound of Metal where Baskt, Cortes, and Cuttolenc participated, marks this year's film with Latino talents to have several other nominations. Caracol Television noted that this film was nominated in six other categories in Oscars such as Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Supporting Actor. Meanwhile, Hispanic talent Santiago Colombo has been nominated for the category Best Visual Effects for the film "The One and Only Ivan." "I think there's a lot of stories to tell from us, and about us," said Demian Bichir who become one of the four Latino men in the history of Oscars to win the in-lead actor category. Bichir pointed out that there are beautiful stories that are needed to be told and they must "create them" because nobody is going to tell those stories for them. The Oscars winners 2021, including the Hispanic and Latinos who won different categories, were awarded in Union Station Los Angeles. READ MORE: Theater Scraps Its 'Cinderella' Production Because the Cast Was '98% White' WATCH: Oscars 2021 Recap: Winners, shocks & highlights - from news.com.au [April 26, 2021] Apple Commits $430 Billion in US Investments Over Five Years Apple (News - Alert) today announced an acceleration of its US investments, with plans to make new contributions of more than $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the country over the next five years. Over the past three years, Apple's contributions in the US have significantly outpaced the company's original five-year goal of $350 billion set in 2018. Apple is now raising its level of commitment by 20 percent over the next five years, supporting American innovation and driving economic benefits in every state. This includes tens of billions of dollars for next-generation silicon development and 5G innovation across nine US states. "At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We're creating jobs in cutting-edge fields - from 5G to silicon engineering to artificial intelligence - investing in the next generation of innovative new businesses, and in all our work, building toward a greener and more equitable future." Today, Apple supports more than 2.7 million jobs across the country through direct employment, spending with US suppliers and manufacturers, and developer jobs in the thriving iOS app economy. Apple is the largest taxpayer in the US and has paid almost $45 billion in domestic corporate income taxes over the past five years alone. Apple's $430 billion in contributions to the US economy include direct spend with American suppliers, data center investments, capital expenditures in the US, and other domestic spend - including dozens of Apple TV+? productions across 20 states, creating thousands of jobs and supporting the creative industry. Establishing a New North Carolina Campus As part of its investments and expansion, Apple plans to invest over $1 billion in North Carolina and will begin construction on a new campus and engineering hub in the Research Triangle area. The investment will create at least 3,000 new jobs in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields. Apple will also establish a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives in the greater Raleigh-Durham area and across the state, and will be contributing over $110 million in infrastructure spending to the 80 North Carolina counties with the greatest need - funds that will go toward broadband, roads and bridges, and public schools. When up and running, Apple's investments are expected to generate over $1.5 billion in economic benefits annually for North Carolina. Expanding Apple's US Operations Apple is on track to meet its 2018 goal of creating 20,000 new jobs in the US by 2023. With today's new commitment, Apple is setting a target of creating 20,000 additional jobs in states across the country over the next five years. California: Apple continues to expand its teams across the state and now expects to grow its San Diego team to more than 5,000 employees by 2026 - a 500 percent increase from its 2018 goal. The company will also grow its teams in Culver City to more than 3,000 employees by 2026, expanding its state-of-the-art campus with additional space for these employees and more. Apple continues to expand its teams across the state and now expects to grow its San Diego team to more than 5,000 employees by 2026 - a 500 percent increase from its 2018 goal. The company will also grow its teams in Culver City to more than 3,000 employees by 2026, expanding its state-of-the-art campus with additional space for these employees and more. Colorado: Apple is growing its engineering team in Boulder, and expects to have close to 700 employees at its offices in the region by 2026. Apple is growing its engineering team in Boulder, and expects to have close to 700 employees at its offices in the region by 2026. Massachusetts: In 2018, Apple announced it would add hundreds of new jobs in the Boston metro area. With around 200 team members already working in the region, Apple plans o add several hundred new jobs by 2026. In 2018, Apple announced it would add hundreds of new jobs in the Boston metro area. With around 200 team members already working in the region, Apple plans o add several hundred new jobs by 2026. Texas: Construction for Apple's $1 billion Austin campus is underway, with employees expected to start moving into the new space next year. Construction for Apple's $1 billion Austin campus is underway, with employees expected to start moving into the new space next year. Washington: Apple's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Platinum office space in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood recently opened for the company's 1,000 local employees, with plans to add at least another 1,000 team members. Apple's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Platinum office space in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood recently opened for the company's 1,000 local employees, with plans to add at least another 1,000 team members. Iowa: The design process is underway for Apple's new data center, which is expected to create over 500 construction and operations jobs in Waukee. Apple is supporting community infrastructure programs, including the creation of Triumph Park, a 66-acre recreation area. As Apple grows its teams and operations in the US, the company is committed to doing so in an environmentally responsible manner with a focus on renewable energy and green innovation. To date, nearly 60 of Apple's US sites are LEED certified. Apple is carbon neutral for all of its operations in the US and around the world, and last year committed to be 100 percent carbon neutral for its entire supply chain and products by 2030. Creating American Jobs with Manufacturers and Suppliers Nationwide Apple's $430 billion US investments include working with more than 9,000 suppliers and companies large and small in all 50 states, supporting American job creation across dozens of sectors, including silicon engineering, 5G, and manufacturing. To foster innovation and growth in the sector, Apple launched its $5 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017. Awards from the fund have led to breakthrough innovations in laser technology, sustainable material development, 5G infrastructure, and other cutting-edge fields. Indiana: A new $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund investment to open a state-of-the-art facility and distribution center in Clayton, which will be operated by XPO Logistics, will accelerate delivery timelines and personalization. The award is expected to create around 500 jobs at the facility. A new $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund investment to open a state-of-the-art facility and distribution center in Clayton, which will be operated by XPO Logistics, will accelerate delivery timelines and personalization. The award is expected to create around 500 jobs at the facility. Kentucky: Corning (News - Alert) was the first recipient of an award from Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund, and has received $450 million to support research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment, and materials. These awards led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass. Apple's investment has helped support more than 1,000 jobs across Corning's US operations in Kentucky and other facilities. Corning (News - Alert) was the first recipient of an award from Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund, and has received $450 million to support research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment, and materials. These awards led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass. Apple's investment has helped support more than 1,000 jobs across Corning's US operations in Kentucky and other facilities. Texas: Apple began working with II-VI in Sherman, Texas, in 2017 as part of the company's Advanced Manufacturing Fund. The laser technology that II-VI manufactures in Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois are integral components that help power Face ID, along with Memoji, Animoji, and more. Apple began working with II-VI in Sherman, Texas, in 2017 as part of the company's Advanced Manufacturing Fund. The laser technology that II-VI manufactures in Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois are integral components that help power Face ID, along with Memoji, Animoji, and more. California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Washington: Apple is spending tens of billions of dollars across these nine states in silicon engineering and 5G technology - two pivotal fields shaping the future of next-generation consumer electronics. With the launch of the 5G-enabled iPhone (News - Alert) 12 lineup and the new iPad Pro, Apple has helped expand and expedite 5G adoption across the country, driving innovation and significant job growth among companies that support 5G innovation and infrastructure. The company also recently expanded its New Silicon Initiative - designed to prepare students for careers in hardware engineering and silicon chip design - to engineering programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country. Apple is also making industry-leading investments in new clean energy projects and green technology in the US and around the world. Just last month, Apple announced a massive new US energy storage project in California's Monterey County - joining other energy storage projects the company has invested in, including its microgrid at Apple Park. Apple continues to be a clean energy leader through its $4.7 billion Green Bond spend, with recent investments in solar and wind projects in Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia - bringing clean energy and high-paying jobs to local communities across the country. Apple also continues to support jobs in the innovative iOS app economy, which facilitated $138 billion of commerce in 2019 in the US alone. More than 85 percent of those proceeds go straight to third-party developers. Today, the App Store supports more than 2.1 million US jobs across all 50 states. This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include without limitation those about Apple's plans for future investments and expansion. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ. More information regarding potential risks and other factors that could affect Apple's financial results is included in Apple's filings with the SEC (News - Alert) , including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Apple's most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. Apple assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates. Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple's five software platforms - iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS - provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple's more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it. NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042. 2021 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Apple TV+, Ceramic Shield, Face ID, Memoji, Animoji, iPhone, iPad Pro, and App Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005246/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. If you are able to step outside and hear many types of birds, you might also have a greater feeling of well-being. Two studies show that hearing diverse birdsongs may help increase our happiness. California study One study was done by researchers at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly, for short). A research team studied the effects of birdsong on people walking through a park in the U.S. state of Colorado. A biology graduate student, Danielle Ferraro, led the Cal Poly study. Ferraro says that there could be an evolutionary reason why we like birdsong. There could be, sort of, an evolutionary reason why we like birdsong so much. And the idea is that when we hear birdsong it could signal safety to us. There could be many other reasons too. Ferraro states that in some areas around the world birdsong can also signal the arrival of spring and nice weather. Bird diversity, she adds, can also mean a healthy environment. She explained her study to VOA. Ferraro and her team played recorded songs from a diverse group of birds native to the area. They did this on hiking trails in a park in Boulder, Colorado. Over several weeks, the researchers played recorded birdsong at certain times of the day and other times they did not. Then they talked with hikers after they passed by. Hikers who heard the recorded diverse birdsongs reported a greater sense of well-being than those who heard simply the natural birds. The researchers suggest that both the bird sounds and biodiversity can increase feelings of well-being. Ferraro explained that she used native birdsong for the study. This way it would sound as natural as possible. They also did the study during the summer. She explains why this is important. So the study took place in the summer and thats kind of important because the spring...is most birds breeding season. And if we wouldve played the (bird)song during breeding season, you know, that mightve disturbed them. We didnt want to disturb the birds too much. The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B in December 2020. German study The Science Daily recently reported that scientists in Germany examined for the first time whether a diverse nature also increases human well-being across Europe. The researchers looked at the "2012 European quality of Life Survey" to study the connection between the different kinds of birds in their surroundings and life satisfaction. They looked at more than 26,000 adults from 26 European countries. "Europeans are particularly satisfied with their lives if their surroundings have a high species diversity," explains the study's lead author, Joel Methorst. He is a researcher at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (also known as iDiv), and the Goethe University in Frankfurt. He and his team found that the happiest Europeans are those who can experience many different kinds of birds in their daily life, or who live in near-natural surroundings that are home to many species." They reported their findings in the December 2020 issue of Ecological Economics. So, if birdsong is good for our mental health, how can we increase the different types of birdsong we hear? I would recommend planting native trees and flowers because we have a lot of, you know, pretty ornamental plants in our cities. And they might look nice to us, but birds cant necessarily use them. So, I think its important to have species that are native to the area to increase bird diversity. And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo. Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. Quiz - Can Birdsong Make You Happier? Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story diverse adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other native adj. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region hiking trail n. a path through a forest that is set aside for people to walk on breed -v. to produce offspring by sexual reproduction disturb v. to interrupt or bother (someone or something) predator n. an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals evolutionary adj. the process by which changes in plants and animals happen over time recommend v. to make (something or someone) seem attractive or good ornamental adj. used to make something more attractive surrounding adj. near or around someone or something Apple said on Monday that it would increase its spending in the United States by 20 percent, or $80 billion, over the next five years and that it planned to build a new office in North Carolina. The company said it would invest more than $1 billion in North Carolina, with a new office in the Raleigh-Durham area and at least 3,000 new jobs there. Many of those jobs will be in high-tech fields like machine learning and artificial intelligence. The overall spending includes its operations at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters and on data centers across the country, as well as the U.S. taxes it pays. But Apple also announced a number of new investments. Apple said it was expanding in San Diego, Boston, Seattle and Boulder, Colo. The company also announced a $100 million investment with a supplier named XPO Logistics to create an advanced distribution center in Clayton, Ind., a small town outside Indianapolis. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. The summit between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden is planned for summer but its precise date and location will still have to be agreed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters today, reports TASS. Indeed, certain proposals have been voiced, I cannot confirm the date yet. There have been no agreements on date yet. We are indeed talking about summer months, <> many factors will still have to be analyzed to reach any final agreements, he said. No particular country [where the summit can be held] has been named, Peskov clarified. Putin and Biden had a phone call on April 13. The White House reported that Biden suggested a Russian-American summit in a third country in the coming months. The US leader later pointed out that he proposed a summer meeting in Europe to his Russian counterpart. Australian PM Steers Clear of Trudeau Style Carbon Pricing Model The Australian prime minister has said he will steer clear of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus approach to addressing climate changevia aggressive emissions targetsand would instead continue developing new technologies to deliver renewable energy to the country. We are working to our plan, in Australias national interest, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters. When questioned on why he did not follow the lead of other industrialised nations by setting ambitious, mid-term climate targets, the prime minister responded, The plan that were pursuing is being done through technology. I noticed one large economy last night [during the Leaders Summit on Climate], who made a big commitment, very big commitment, I think it was 45 percent by 2030. They also announced a $170 per ton carbon price, he said. I wont be doing that in Australia, he added. Ill be getting there by technology, not taxes. Last week, 40 world leaders met online at the Leaders Summit on Climate to discuss further action on climate change. President Joe Biden speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate from the East Room of the White House in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo) Several major economies pledged accelerated or mid-term targets for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Net-zero refers to a country reaching a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases they emit into the air; against the resources, they extract from the earth. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau pledged to cut emissions by 40 to 45 percent by 2030, a major increase on the previous target agreed to in the Paris Agreement in 2015 of 30 percent. The move would see the Canadian federal government attempt to restructure how its nation is powered, including homes, cars, factories, and food production. Trudeau conceded it was a major challenge for Canada to meet those targetsespecially for a nation that relies heavily on the energy industrybut the prime minister said, Only bold climate policies lead to bold results. He also announced one of the highest carbon taxes in the world, increasing the amount from $50 per ton to $170 per ton by 2030. Yes, you heard that right, Trudeau told the online summit. If major economies in the room were to follow Canadas lead and adopt a rising price on pollution and commit to phase out coal plants, we would accelerate our global path for a safe, prosperous net-zero future. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa, Canada, on April 6, 2021. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Meanwhile, U.S. President Biden set a target to reduce emissions by 50 to 52 percent by 2030. The European Union is aiming for a 55 percent cut in emissions. The United Kingdom pledged a 78 percent target by 2035, in what Prime Minister Boris Johnson described as the most ambitious target in the world. These targets will be packaged with carbon taxes designed to discourage the use of older technologies for power generation, namely coal-fired plants. The tax is calculated based on the amount of emissions created during the production of goods or services. At the conference, major developing countries India, Russia, and China did not set any new targets. Australian Prime Minister Morrison also declined to set a new target, arguing that the country is already on track to reach previous commitments under the 2020 Kyoto Protocol and the 2030 Paris Agreement. He also pointed to the outsized influence of major emitters. When you have countries the size of the United States and their economy, but particularly China, where they continue to build coal-fired power stations every week, and the emissions will continue to rise until 2030, those emissions combined will add significantly to the carbon load that the world will be dealing with over the next 30 years, he said. Associate Professor Salvatore Babones, an expert in the Asian political economy at the University of Sydney, said demand for coal would remain high, despite what pledges were discussed at the summit. Any serious reduction in global coal use is still at least a decade away, whatever people say at climate summits, he added. Thats because most coal is burned in poor and middle-income countries like China that are not participating in climate targets. The technology group Wartsila is participating in a consortium of Finnish research organisations and leading companies researching means for developing radical new solutions for clean and efficient marine and off-road transport. The project is expected to run until spring 2023, and has been granted funding of 7.9 million by Business Finland, the Finnish Governments organization for innovation funding and trade, travel and investment promotion. Led by the University of Vaasa, the Clean Propulsion Technologies project addresses tightening emissions legislation and ways by which new technologies can be employed to create sustainable propulsion solutions. Wartsilas depth of experience and technical know-how in propulsion systems will play a central role, in particular in establishing a technology roadmap for directing future R&D efforts. The most significant technological aspects of the anticipated project outcome are: A ground-breaking medium-speed engine working in fuel-flexible Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) mode; The further development of dual-fuel engine technology to enable a significant reduction in methane emissions at low and partial load; Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) control technology improvements; and The development of machine learning control technology for greater accuracy in engine automation and control. The research will further focus on developments in advanced after-treatment measures aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20%. Designing and implementing an optimal predictive powertrain control architecture for hybrid propulsion is also on the agenda. The common goal is to secure the Finnish powertrain industrys position as a global technology leader by creating a common vision and sustainable business solutions. Wartsila is a leading powertrain equipment manufacturer and their expertise, supported and strengthened by that of the other project partners, will play an important role in tackling growing global competition. Maciej Mikulski, Associate Professor from the University of Vaasa The Clean Propulsion Technologies project will promote efforts to develop highly promising, innovative powertrain technologies for new products. These developments will be aimed at ensuring compliance with emission and greenhouse gas regulations in the marine and off-road transport segments by 2035. In the longer-term, the goal is to develop a technological roadmap for compliance with the IMOs greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2050. In addition to the University of Vaasa and Wartsila, the other project partners are Aalto University, Abo Akademi University, Tampere University, VTT Research Centre of Finland, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, AGCO Power, Meyer Turku, Napa, Dinex Finland, Geyser Batteries, Proventia, Bosch Rexroth, and APUGenius. Vaccine hunting? These volunteers want to help; Rogers blames update for outage: CBC's Marketplace Cheat Sheet Vaccine Hunters Canada co-founder Joshua Kalpin said the lowering of the age of eligibility for the AstraZeneca vaccine in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba has kept the group busy. (The National/CBC - image credit) Miss something this week? Don't panic. CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need. Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday. Looking to book a vaccine appointment? These volunteers say they can help If you're having trouble navigating the sometimes confusing patchwork of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, a group of web-savvy volunteers might be able to point you in the right direction. Vaccine Hunters Canada uses social media to help thousands of Canadians book vaccine appointments. "A lot of people find the comprehensiveness of the vaccine rollout actually an overload of information," Toronto's Sabrina Craig, one of the group's co-founders, told As It Happens host Carol Off. "Some people find it difficult to navigate, particularly if English isn't your [first] language. Or if you have a grasp of the English language, maybe you're not super-familiar with navigating the internet. So that's where we come in." Read more Vaccine Hunters Canada co-founder Joshua Kalpin said the lowering of the age of eligibility for the AstraZeneca vaccine in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba has kept the group busy. (The National/CBC) Did you lose Rogers cell service this week? You're not alone Wireless service was offline for most of Monday for thousands of Rogers customers, along with the company's Fido and Chatr brands. The next day, Rogers extended an olive branch to affected customers, offering "a credit equivalent to yesterday's wireless service fee," or whatever one day of service would cost on their monthly plan roughly $2 on a $60 monthly plan, for example. The company blamed the outage on a software update from Ericsson, one of its network equipment providers. "We offer our sincere apologies and will work hard to earn back your trust," Rogers said. Read more WATCH | Rogers network hit by widespread outages: Woman with dementia locked into 10-year home-heating contract with a $15K lien on her property Mercedes Chacin de Fuchs, 82, already had dementia when a door-to-door salesperson convinced her to sign a contract for a furnace and air conditioner she didn't need in 2017, says her son Matt Fuchs. Story continues "They came in and convinced somebody that has cognitive issues that they needed something they didn't need," he told Go Public. Fuchs says he only learned of the deal when he tried to get a line of credit to pay for a home-care worker for his mother and was denied because of a lien on her property. Tens of thousands of Canadians are locked into similar deals, says paralegal John Robinson, who fights such contracts in court, including that of Fuchs and his mom. Read more WATCH | Man sues after mom with dementia locked into 10-year home-heating contract: What else is going on? U.S. airline JetBlue expands into Canada for the 1st time Airline heading to Vancouver in 2022, says it wants to shake up a market "dominated by high-fare carriers." Canada's annual inflation jumped in March due to plunge in prices last year StatsCan says the consumer price index was up 2.2 per cent last month compared with a year ago. Trudeau pledges to slash greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 Canada will "blow past" its previous target of a 30 per cent reduction from 2005 levels by 2030, PM says. U.S. safety regulator issues warning about Peloton's Tread+ treadmill The warning follows reports of Tread+ incidents in which one child died and others were injured. These Clipper multi-purpose lighters are a potential burn hazard Immediately stop using the lighters and return to the place of purchase for a refund. This floor lamp is being recalled due to a fire hazard Consumers should immediately unplug the recalled lamp. Those who purchased the lamp from Urban Barn should contact Urban Barn Customer Care for a refund. Those who purchased from other retailers should contact Zuo Modern Canada. Proof of purchase may be required. Marketplace needs your help (CBC) Are you a fast-fashionista? A stylish stud? Has the pandemic made you turn to online clothing retailers? Tell us about where, why and what you buy when it comes to clothes. Email us at marketplace@cbc.ca. Catch up on past episodes of Marketplace anytime on CBC Gem. SPRINGFIELD Lawyers for a plaintiff in a clergy abuse and cover-up lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield are asking the state Trial Court to assign a special judge to take ownership of the case. The motion by the plaintiff a Chicopee man who said he was raped at age 9 by the late Bishop Christopher J. Weldon and two other priests in the 1960s is among a small flurry of recent filings in the case. The lawsuit was filed in Hampden Superior Court in February using a John Doe pseudonym to protect the victims privacy. Beyond the abuse allegations, the complaint alleges that present-day diocesan officials had no appetite to address his allegations because Weldon was a revered prelate, and attempted a cover-up. Diocesan officials have denied hindering the investigation of the mans allegations against Weldon. Among the defendants are former Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, since named archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Louis. Also named in the lawsuit are Msgr. Christopher Connelly; former chairman of the Diocesan Review Board John Hale; Mark Dupont, communications director for the diocese; former victims advocate Patricia McManamy; Jeffrey Trant, her successor; Kevin Murphy, a retired state trooper and investigator for the review board; and longtime diocesan attorney John Jack Egan. In a slightly unusual move, the plaintiffs attorneys have requested specifically that Worcester Superior Court Judge Janet Kenton-Walker preside over the case, although they acknowledge court leaders may choose whomever they see fit. In a previous motion, the plaintiff requested Hampden Superior Court Judge Karen Goodwin, a former federal prosecutor. Lawyers for eight individual defendants, plus the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield as a corporation, have opposed the motions, and filed their own motions to dismiss the case entirely. Special judge assignments are sought if a criminal case involves a law enforcement official, for example, from a certain county or city. Jurists outside of that geographic area are often assigned to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. In other instances like the long-running Nathan Bills off-duty cop brawl prosecution one judge will be assigned to manage the sheer volume of defendants and litigation. In yet others, one judge may be assigned to a case built on highly sensitive evidence such as the Adolfo Big Al Bruno mob murder prosecution in state court of the mid-2000s. In this case, lawyers for the plaintiff argue the presence of Egan as a defendant has the potential to taint the case. Egan is a former law partner of Superior Court Judge Edward McDonough, who sits primarily in Hampden County. And, since other retired Hampden County judges have been assigned to tasks both peripheral and critical to the investigation, a motion filed April 20 suggests a judge outside the four western counties is the only fair choice. Plaintiffs attorneys also argue that Weldons victim would be re-traumatized repeatedly if the case was handed off from judge to judge depending on session assignments, which is the norm in the Superior Court circuit. Special assignment will protect him from further harm by allowing one judge to become familiar with the facts of the case. Special assignment will also promote judicial economy by allowing one judge to become familiar with the basic facts of the case and enable her or him to make informed decisions on discovery and other matters in a timely fashion, the plaintiffs motion reads. Weldon was the leader of the regions Catholic churches between 1950 and 1977. He died in 1982. In the defense motion to dismiss the case, attorneys argue the diocese falls under a charitable exemption, and the lawsuit risks running afoul of the First Amendments religious autonomy doctrine and breaching the commonwealths adherence to separation of church and state. Massachusetts has long adhered to this constitutional requirement to avoid civil entanglement in questioning a religious organizations processes and internal determinations, their motion reads. The defense motion adds that the court also will be required to wade into canon law controlled by the Holy See under the Vatican. The plaintiffs allegations were deemed unequivocally credible in an independent report after an investigation by retired Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter Velis and retired Springfield Police Detective Dennis OConnor. Weldons name now appears on a list of clergy abusers maintained by the diocese. His name and image have been stripped from buildings throughout the diocese and a rehabilitation hospital at Mercy Medical Center. Weldons body also was exhumed from his grave at Heavens Gate cemetery. His remains were relocated to a less prominent spot and marked with a simple gravestone, as opposed to the tall stone pillar at the entrance to the Tinkham Road graveyard that marked his final resting place for decades. The plaintiff came forward with his allegations around 2013, according to court filings. Velis was not commissioned by Rozanski until 2019 and Velis did not issue his report validating the mans claims until the following year. However, Velis said Rozanski was adamant the diocese do a thorough investigation, banging his hand on the table and demanding the truth. Two longtime board members, Hale and Wilbraham attorney Theresa Finnegan, resigned after Velis report was made public. They argued diocesan officials tried to lay too much blame on the volunteer review board. The plaintiff is one of dozens of clergy abuse victims who have accused priests in this diocese over the years. Egan says in an affidavit in the defendants motion to dismiss at least 50 victims have filed lawsuits. Most were young boys raped by priests in the 1960s and 1970s. Weldon is the second late bishop to end up on the list the diocese maintains of clergy both alive and dead with credible allegations leveled against him. Former Bishop Thomas L. Dupre retired in the face of abuse allegations in 2004. He was permanently removed from public ministry and died in 2017. He was indicted for sexually abusing two altar boys 30 years before but the statute of limitations stymied the prosecution. The plaintiff also was an altar boy when Weldon and the others allegedly began abusing him. He said Weldon was fond of slapping his young charges and was a particularly cruel assailant, once scolding the boy for crying. Youre not supposed to cry, the man told the review board regarding his recall of Weldons instructions. There are 20 current, former and late priests on the list maintained on the Springfield diocesan website, plus one deacon. Related content: One of Samsungs ISOCELLL sensors was the first (on mobile) to breach the 100 MP barrier and Xiaomi was the first company to use it. Now as Samsung prepares to launch the first 200 MP sensor, Xiaomi prepares to once again be the first to use it. So says leakster Digital Chat Station, though without any time frame for when that might happen. Another well-known leakster, Ice Universe, says that the 200MP sensor will have 0.64 m pixels, the smallest yet. Previously, we heard a report that the sensor will have a 1/1.37 optical format, so smaller than the GN2 (1/1.12) and about the same size as the latest 108MP sensor, the HM3 (1/1.33, 0.8m). That info was part of the leak that the ZTE Axon 30 flagship will be the first with this sensor, so clearly its not 100% accurate. Still, at least some of it seems true. This leak also claimed that the sensor will support 4-in-1 binning with an output resolution of 50MP and effective pixel size of 1.28m. 16-in-1 binning (12.5MP output) was also mentioned, but that sounds less plausible. The current crop of 108MP sensors have native 2x or 3x lossless digital zoom capability, depending on their configuration. The 200MP sensor should be able to go higher than that and may spell the end of dedicated mid-range zoom modules. This sensor will technically have enough resolution for 16K video (133MP), though the first chipset able to process it is years away (the top chips right now cant even do 8K 60fps). Anyway, high resolution sensors will have to use smaller pixels otherwise, they will be quite large physically, which also means a very thick camera module (and something like the Mi 11 Ultra already has a chunky camera bump with its 1/1.12 GN2 sensor). More advanced sensor designs, pixel binning and improved processing will offset the downsides of smaller pixels. Source (in Chinese) | Via The last thing you expect to see while spending a quiet day fishing is a Bigfoot moving about on the shoreline and throwing rocks. A Kentuc... Todd Wawrychuk/Getty Regina King kicked off the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night with movie-style opening credits before delivering a powerful speech in the wake of Derek Chauvins trial (and guilty verdict). In an effort to freshen up the three-hour-long show, director Steven Soderbergh was brought on as one of the ceremonys producers, and his stamp was all over the opening shot, wherein King glamorously strutted through Union Station in Los Angeles as the names of the nights presenters flashed on screen. King, whose feature directorial debut One Night in Miami is up for three awards, then emerged on stage at the Dolby Theatre, taking a slight slip as she began her speech. We are here to celebrate that this was indeed a hard year for everyone, but our love of movies helped to get us through, King told the small audience. It made us feel less isolated; it connected us when we were apart. The actress then got political when she addressed Chauvins guilty verdict in the killing of George Floyd. I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis, I might have traded in my heels for marching boots, she said. Regina King Is So Happy Shes Crying As a mother of a Black son, I know the fear so many live with, and no amount of fame or fortune changes that. But tonight, we are here to celebrate. This was a hard year for everyone, but our love of movies got us through. King quickly set the record straight about how the awards ceremony was pulling off an in-person show, explaining, People have been vaxxed, tested, retested. So, just like on a movie set, when were rolling, masks off. And when were not rolling, masks on. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. [April 26, 2021] Tammac Adds Veteran Consumer Lending Leader to Drive Growth Tammac Holdings Corporation ("Tammac"), a leading regional manufactured housing lender, announced today that Troy Cavallaro has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO), reporting to Tammac President Jeff Poth. Tammac also announced year-over-year 1st quarter loan originations growth of 565%, and expects Cavallaro will help continue to drive that trend as the company expands its geographic coverage and becomes a nationwide leader in the manufactured housing financing space. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005072/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) "Troy brings a wealth of experience in both the direct and indiret consumer lending industries along with a track record of driving operational improvements and sales growth," said Tammac President Jeff Poth. "His expertise and experience will accelerate Tammac's growth and further expand our footprint in the manufactured housing industry to benefit dealers and consumers alike." The company plans to expand its offering of financial solutions for manufactured home dealers and park owners beyond mortgage loan products. These programs are expected to provide additional liquidity and increased cash flow to Tammac's dealer and park partners. The company expects to announce further details of these initiatives in the 2nd quarter of 2021. The move unites Cavallaro, who has held leadership roles at a number of respected consumer lenders, with one of the fastest-growing players in manufactured housing lending space. Cavallaro has more than 27 years of consumer lending experience, serving most recently as VP/Managing Director leading centralized sales at OneMain Financial. He formerly served as CEO of Pelican Auto Finance, LLC, a company he co-founded in 2009. Cavallaro also served in leadership roles at ACC Consumer Finance, Household Auto Finance Corporation (HSBC), and The Aegis Consumer Funding Group. "I'm grateful and excited for the opportunity to join Tammac, a diverse lending business that is well positioned to capitalize on the existing market opportunities," said Cavallaro. "I'm joining a top-notch team with a strong reputation in the market, and together we will accelerate growth and drive innovation through the next phase of development." About Tammac Holdings Corporation Founded in 1976, Tammac Holdings Corporation is a private equity-backed mortgage lender that specializes in programs for the manufactured housing industry. Based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and currently operating in 14 states, Tammac has been a leader in offering new and competitive financing options to the manufactured housing industry. Tammac has originated over $1 billion in manufactured housing loans. For more information, please visit www.tammac.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005072/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 26, 2021] Semrush Holdings, Inc. Announces Closing of Over-Allotment Option Semrush Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SEMR), announced today the April 23, 2021 closing of the sale of 719,266 shares of its Class A common stock, at a price to the public of $14.00 per share. The shares were sold pursuant to the partial exercise of the 30 day over-allotment option granted to the several underwriters in connection with Semrush's initial public offering. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, and Jefferies LLC acted as joint lead bookrunning managers. KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. also acted as a joint bookrunning manager. Piper Sandler & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated acted as co-managers. The offering was made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus may be obtained from: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, telephone: 1-866-471-2526, facsimile: 212-902-9316 or by emailing prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, collect telephone: 1-212-834-4533, or by emailing prospectus-eq_fi@jpmchase.com Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, telephone: (877) 547-6340, or by emailing prospectus_department@jefferies.com KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., Attn: Prospectus Delivery Department, 127 Public Square, 4th Floor, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, telephone: 1-800-859-1783 A registration statement on Form S-1 relating to the sale of these securities has been filed with, and declared effective by, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) "). The registration statement can be accessed through the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Semrush Holdings, Inc. Semrush is a leading online visibility management SaaS (News - Alert) platform that enables businesses globally to run search engine optimization, pay-per-click, content, social media and competitive research campaigns and get measurable results from online marketing. Semrush offers insights and solutions for companies to build, manage, and measure campaigns across various marketing channels. Semrush, with over 67,000 paying customers, is headquartered in Boston and has offices in Philadelphia, Dallas, Prague, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, and Limassol. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005827/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] It's getting harder and harder to justify San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin's let-'em-all-out prosecutorial policies. He calls it "restorative justice." In reality, it's bad guys go free. Last December, the radical left-wing D.A. tried to extricate himself from the deaths of two innocent women hit by a drunken thug in a stolen car who mowed them down in a hit-and-run following a burglary. The thug was a parolee who was out on the streets only because Chesa let him out of jail. After that travesty, Chesa said other people did it, claiming "systemic failure." That excuse didn't work and, shortly afterward, triggered a public effort to recall him. Now he's got a dead baby. He hasn't moderated his stance a bit. According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Heather Knight, who was rightly proud of her story on Twitter: The news itself was crushing. A 7-month-old baby boy named Synciere Williams died Tuesday. The man charged with taking care of him that day, Joseph Williams, 26, was booked by police for allegedly murdering the child. And, it turned out, he'd been arrested twice recently on suspicion of felony domestic violence, in January and March, before being released without charges. But when Kathy Black, the executive director of La Casa de las Madres, a shelter for domestic violence victims in the city, read how District Attorney Chesa Boudin's office had explained the tragedy, she felt even more devastated. His spokesperson said the woman in the previous cases had refused to cooperate with prosecutors, so he couldn't file charges. "No, no, no!" Black told me, her voice rising. "Domestic violence is a crime against the state of California, and the district attorney's job is to work with what the Police Department has gathered at the crime scene and develop the evidence to present a case. That's his job it's not the victim's job." Knight quotes the activist as saying the excuse Chesa offered about "uncooperative" victims was not just utter baloney, but also "archaic." It was what was done in the past to let wife-beaters get off the hook, and what enabled them to continue their abuse again and again and again. Was this incident with the baby beaten to death by a known abuser some sort of fluke, some kind of fall-through-the-cracks anomaly, some exception to what normally went on? Not in the least. Here's Knight's money quote: Williams is far from the only person to be arrested by police on suspicion of felony domestic violence and then released by Boudin with no charges. In the last three months of 2020, city cops made 131 arrests for felony domestic violence, and Boudin's office dismissed 113 of them. He charged just 13 of them, one as a misdemeanor, and the other five are still being reviewed. That means 113 alleged perpetrators were released with no consequences no mandatory attendance in a batterer's program, no assignment to anger management classes, no required supervision for visiting children, nothing. The Soros-financed district attorney and Hugo Chavez acolyte is basically the wife-beater's delight. Boudin claims he lets only non-violent criminals out in the name of "restorative" justice, but actually, he lets some of the most violently dangerous out, too. That rightly riles up feminist groups that stand against domestic violence. Now Chesa has gone curiously quiet, perhaps hoping no one will notice. His Twitter feed is full of George Floyd posts. His official site says nothing. There is an April 20 post speaking of his support from establishment Democrats, and ties to ActBlue, meaning he may be implicitly defending himself now as a creature of the Democrats. San Francisco DA @ChesaBoudin has fought for real public safety since day one. The big-money funded effort to overturn the results of his election is based on absolute lies. Donate today to #StandWithChesa and help us drown out their negative attacks: https://t.co/ErKYD5xmz1 pic.twitter.com/TyxLYW3uBf Real Justice (@RealJusticePAC) April 20, 2021 It's sorry stuff. In the past, he blamed other city officials for his failure to do his job. Now he's whipping up Democrat party muscle like the cross to Dracula as a means of intimidating critics. The only thing he's not doing is addressing the failure itself. It's appalling, and Democrats are letting him do it. It's a positive thing for San Francisco that citizens are demanding him out. For too long now, he's denied there's a problem and gotten away with it, to boot. Now the preventable, lethal, crimes committed are escalating. He's running out of excuses. Image: Photo illustration from public Twitter image, filtered with FotoSketcher. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The Tianjin First Central Hospital, which houses one of China's most active organ transplant centers. (Hospital Files) Jailing of 4 Doctors for Illegal Organ Extraction in China Casts Spotlight on Forced Organ Harvesting A criminal case involving unauthorized organ procurement surgery conducted in an unlicensed ambulance in China is casting a spotlight on Beijings continued efforts to cover up its state-sanctioned practice of harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience. Last July, four doctors from eastern China were sentenced in China to between 12 and 28 months in prison after being found guilty for their roles in illegally extracting the liver and two kidneys of Li Peng, a hospital patient, after her death. Their case was reported by state-run media and not censored, indicating that the Chinese regime was seeking to use the story to deflect attention away from its state-sanctioned practice of forced organ harvesting, according to an expert on the issue. According to Chinas state-run media, Lis liver ended up at a military hospital in Beijing for transplant, and her kidneys went to a hospital in neighboring Tianjin. Both hospitals have been identified by a U.S.-based nonprofit as suspected centers for the forced extraction of organs from living political prisoners. The doctors, as well as two other accomplices, were charged after Lis son, Shi Xianglin, alerted authorities that his mothers donation record was not registered in Chinas official donation database, the Chinese media stated. It said Shi began to suspect something was amiss after he discovered that his cousin Shi Zijun was paid 200,000 yuan (about $30,780) two days after his mothers organs were removed. Under Chinas official organ donation program, donors are not to be compensated, according to Chinese authorities. The money was reportedly paid by local businessman Huang Chaoyang, who was also sentenced to 10 months in prison last year over his role in the unauthorized organ extraction. According to Chinas state-run media, Huang was a businessman selling medical equipment. The four doctors later appealed their sentences, according to the outlet, arguing that what they did was a state-endorsed duty since they were simply following orders from their hospital supervisors. Illegal Organ Extraction Li, a 53-year-old woman living in Huaiyuan County in eastern Chinas Anhui Province, died at the local hospital, the Peoples Hospital in Huaiyuan County, on Feb. 15, 2018. Four days earlier, she had been rushed to its intensive care unit (ICU) after being wounded by her stepson during an ax attack, state-run media said. On Feb. 12, 2018, after spending a day in the ICU, Li was determined to be in critical condition with signs of imminent respiratory failure. Yang, a deputy chief physician and director of the hospitals ICU, was the doctor looking after Li when she was admitted to the unit. It was reportedly Yang who persuaded Lis husband and daughter to sign a voluntary organ donation form, after promising that they would be paid, local media said. Initially, Yang promised that the family would be paid 160,000 yuan (about $24,630), but he increased the payment to 200,000 yuan at the demand of Lis nephew Shi Zijun. Lis husband and daughter signed the form on Feb. 14, 2018, one day before Lis death, according to the outlet. After getting the familys approval, Yang called Huang Xinli, who worked at a hospital in nearby Nanjing City, about an organ extraction, and Huang made the decision that Lis organs would be suitable for organ transplantation surgery, local media reported. At the time, Huang was a chief physician at the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, which is affiliated with Nanjing University Medical School. Prior to his employment there, Huang had worked at Jiangsu Peoples Hospital, a state-run hospital located in the eastern Jiangsu Provinces capital Nanjing. According to state-run media, Huang then arranged to have his former colleague Lu Shen, and another doctor, Wang Hailang, remove Lis organs in an ambulance. Lu was the chief physician in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at the Jiangsu Peoples Hospital. Wang was a doctor in stomatology at the Huaibei Miners General Hospital in Anhui. Lis organs were removed immediately after her death, but it was unclear where the ambulance was parked when the surgery took place. The unlicensed ambulance was owned by Ou Yang, who received a sentence of one year and one month in the same trial as businessman Huang Chaoyang and the four doctors. According to Chinas state-run media, Ou had bought the ambulance from a government health center in Anhuis Suzhou city in 2015. Since then, he had gotten a new license plate for the ambulance and began using the vehicle to transport patients from areas near local hospitals. At the trial at a local court in Anhui Province in July, all four doctors were convicted of the crime of intentional destruction of a corpse. While Lu was found liable for extracting organs from Li only, the other three doctors were found guilty of engaging in unauthorized organ procurement surgeries on 10 other individuals in Huaiyuan County between 2017 and 2019. Details about these 10 individuals are not known, but Huang was found to be the main surgeon behind these procurement surgeries. Ou, the owner of the unlicensed ambulance, was also involved in the illegal removal of organs from 7 of the 10 individuals. Lu was sentenced to one year in prison, while Huang, Yang, and Wang were sentenced to two years and four months, two years and two months, and two years in prison, respectively. The four doctors appealed to an intermediate court in Bengbu, a city in Anhui Province. The court rejected their appeals and upheld the lower courts ruling in August. The defendants had argued that their actions were authorized as they were following orders from their hospital superiors. On April 19, Chinese news portals Tencent and NetEase reported that Lu Dahai, an alias for Lu Shen, said that he had appealed his case to the provinces highest court, the Anhuis Higher Peoples Court. Organ Harvesting The two hospitals that took Lis liver and kidneys respectivelythe Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) No. 302 Hospital and Tianjin First Central Hospitalhave been named by the U.S.-based World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) for their suspected roles in forcibly harvesting the organs from prisoners who practice Falun Gong. The PLA hospital has carried out a large number of liver transplant surgeries. According to the WOIPFG, the number of these surgeries reached 310 between April 2005 and April 2010, and 146 between May 2010 and December 2012. Adherents of Falun Gong, a meditation practice also known as Falun Dafa, have been targeted for persecution by the Chinese regime since 1999. Millions of practitioners have been thrown into prisons, labor camps, psychiatric wards, and other facilities, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center. In the 2000s, reports emerged that the Chinese communist regime was systematically killing detained Falun Gong practitioners for their organs to use for transplantation. At the time, China didnt have an official organ donation program, and Chinese officials said organs mainly came from executed prisoners. Amid the growing scrutiny of Chinas organ transplant system, the regime announced that starting Jan. 1, 2015, it would stop sourcing organs from executed prisoners and claimed that it would exclusively rely on a new system of voluntary donations. However, Beijings claim was refuted by a 2019 report by a London-based peoples tribunal. The report concluded, after a year-long investigation, that the stated-sanctioned practice of forced organ harvesting was happening on a significant scale in China, with Falun Gong practitioners being the main source of organs. An investigative report by The Epoch Times in 2016 concluded that tens of thousands may have been killed at Tianjin First Central Hospital, as the hospital carried out more transplants than the supply of organs from executed prisoners could support. On April 13, the WOIPFG released an investigative report into the Jiangsu Peoples Hospital. In November 2018, a doctor at the hospital didnt deny that they sourced transplant organs from Falun Gong adherents when answering a phone inquiry by a WOIPFG investigator who posed as a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official. The doctor also said that a liver transplant surgery could be arranged in less than two weeks. The report also included a 2017 audio recording of a phone conversation between a WOIPFG investigator who posed as someone making inquiries about liver transplant surgeries and an unnamed liver transplant doctor at the hospital. The doctor said an organ could be available in as little as two weeks, a waiting time shorter than that at the nearby Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital is also on WOIPFGs list of hospitals likely to be involved in forced organ harvesting. Shifting the Narrative That Lis case was not censored and was widely reported by Chinas state-run media is significant, WOIPFG chair Wang Zhiyuan said in a recent interview with the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times. Wang said that the CCP was trying to use the news to spin a narrative around organ harvesting in Chinaby trying to create a story that these crimes are all committed by individuals and that its the Chinese authorities who are trying to stop them. In reality, Chinas state-sanctioned practice of harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience is an expansive endeavor involving cooperation among government agencies affiliated with the CCPs Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the Chinese military, police units, and military police, as well as regional Party and government agencies, Wang said. He said the sentences handed down for the doctors were quite lenient because, while the CCP wanted to use the case for propaganda purposes, it also didnt want to draw too much attention to the matter because the doctors were likely acting on orders from their hospitals. Based on recent findings, Wang said some Chinese hospitals are clearly still engaging in live organ harvesting from Falun Gong adherents. Organ harvesting in China has attracted greater scrutiny in the West in recent years, especially as the United States and other democracies are stepping up their criticism of the CCP over its array of severe human rights abuses. In the United States, eight counties in Virginia have passed a resolution condemning Chinas ongoing practice of harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience. On April 15, the Texas Senate adopted a similar resolution. In early March, U.S. lawmakers in both the Senate and House introduced legislation to seek accountability for Chinas organ harvesting. If enacted, the bill would allow the U.S. government to impose sanctions on individuals and government officials responsible for organ trafficking or organ harvesting. BOISE - Idaho remains dead last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in per student funding, according to the annual report from the National Education Association, which was released Monday. The NEA Rankings and Estimates are the industry standard for metrics associated with public education, including per student funding, enrollment, teacher compensation, and class sizes. Idaho invested only $7,705 per student in 2019-20, 51st in the national rankings, and was $601 per student behind the next lowest state, Utah, which checked in at number 50. Additionally, Idaho was one of only three states to see a decrease in per student funding from 2018-19, joining Alabama and Maryland in that dubious category. The Idaho legislatures lack of support for public education continues to be a national embarrassment, says Idaho Education Association President Layne McInelly. While our legislature is focused on unnecessary tax cuts, private school vouchers, and kangaroo court task forces on indoctrination, the real problems facing Idaho public, including dramatic shortages in resources and personnel, remain unaddressed. The latest rankings also show that Idaho trails most of its surrounding states in average teacher salary, which makes it difficult for school districts to recruit and retain educators, particularly in border communities. Below are the relevant rankings for average teacher salary from the latest report: Montana #40 Idaho #39 Utah #31 Nevada #28 Wyoming #20 Oregon #13 Washington #6 While Idaho has made some headway in raw compensation to our dedicated professional educators, surrounding states have also increased pay, so the relative increase is negligible, notes McInelly. Our legislature must do more to help local school districts retain their veteran teachers and attract early career educators. Idaho is also on the wrong end of the report in another important metricclass sizes. Idaho has the sixth highest average number of students enrolled per teacher, which drastically reduces the amount of individualized instruction students can receive. The full 2020 NEA Rankings and Estimates report is attached and can also be found at https://www.nea.org/research-publications, along with reports from previous years. (@FahadShabbir) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that the so-called Sofagate controversy, during which she was left without a chair at a high-level meeting in Ankara, took place merely because she was a woman MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that the so-called Sofagate controversy, during which she was left without a chair at a high-level meeting in Ankara, took place merely because she was a woman. On April 6, von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel held a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. As there were only two chairs in the room, von der Leyen stood awkwardly while the rest were seated and then retreated to the sofa facing the top Turkish diplomat, who has a lower rank under the diplomatic protocol. "I am the first woman to be president of the European Commission. I am the president of the European Commission, and this is how I expected to be treated when visiting Turkey two weeks ago, like a commission president. But I was not. I cannot find any justification for how I was treated in the meeting, so I have to conclude that it happened because I am a woman," von der Leyen told the European Parliament, adding that "I felt hurt and I felt alone, as a woman and as a European." The senior EU official stressed that the issue was not about seating arrangements or protocol, but about the values that Europe stood for. "This shows how far we still have to go before women are treated as equals, always and everywhere," von der Leyen noted. The Turkish side, for its part, has rejected "unfair" accusations of the breach of protocol, and claimed that everything was in line with the generally accepted international rules and protocols. South Africa: Tackling climate change a top priority Even as the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling climate change is a national priority for South Africa. To fully appreciate the devastating impact of climate change on lives and livelihoods in South Africa one need only look at the prolonged drought in parts of the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape, President Cyril Ramaphosa said. In his weekly newsletter, he said the coming of the rains last year broke a seven-year drought, the longest in over a century. It wreaked havoc on communities across these provinces. It caused water shortages, widespread crop failure and negatively affected both commercial and subsistence farming. It drove up food prices, particularly of basic staples such as maize meal, contributing to food insecurity in poor households. It affected the broader economy, as the yield of key agricultural exports declined, President Ramaphosa said. Drought is widely recognised as one of the extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. Understanding this cascading effect is vital. Climate change doesnt just affect weather patterns. It affects nearly every aspect of our lives, from the food we eat, to the water we drink, to where we live. It affects human health, economic activity, human settlement and migration. Climate change does not respect borders. It is a global problem, which requires global solutions. Unless we act with urgency, we could find our developmental gains being reversed and our ability to overcome poverty, joblessness and inequality severely constrained. He said an important part of the response is the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which outlines targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Last month, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, officially launched South Africas updated draft NDC for public consultation. Approved by Cabinet on 24 March 2021 to be released for public comment, the updated draft NDC is the cornerstone of South Africas climate change response. The launch of the updated NDC is the start of a consultation process that will consist of a number of virtual consultations until the end of May 2021. The consultations will be with other government departments through the inter-governmental committee on climate change (IGCCC), broader stakeholders through the National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC) and a number of targeted virtual consultations with interest groups and representative formations including business, labour, civil society, the agricultural and energy sectors. President Ramaphosa said as a country, South Africa is committed to contributing its fair share to the global climate effort. Business has a particularly important role. A number of South African companies are already addressing sustainability and climate change issues as part of their financial reporting. Business can also play a role in providing adaptation support to communities. We need greater investment in climate resilient systems and processes, from smart agriculture, to clean energy, to green infrastructure to public transport, President Ramaphosa said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. ROCKVILLE, Md., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the pandemic accelerates a shift in the workforce toward positions that require digital skills, Goodwill, Facebook Elevate and Coursera are launching a new initiative to help job seekers master social media marketing skills. This vital partnership will help thousands of job seekers gain skills to prepare for career transitions. While many social media marketing roles require technical training previously learned through advanced degree programs, Facebook Elevate, along with Coursera, a global leader in online learning, launched a five-course program designed for learners with no prior industry experience to earn a Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate. This self-paced online program is designed to be completed within 20 weeks and includes 100 hours of hands-on, project-based training. After completing the program, learners will receive an industry-recognized certificate that they can use to apply for entry-level social media marketing roles. This groundbreaking new training is intended to increase diversity and eliminate barriers to entry in this rapidly growing field of work. Facebook Elevate is funding Goodwill, North America's leading workforce provider, to distribute 6,000 scholarships, covering the full costs of the training program. As part of Facebook Elevate's commitment to diversity, the grant will enable Goodwill to offer holistic support to Black learners, providing eligible participants with services including career planning, resume building and other supports as needed. "The pandemic has hastened an existing economic shift to teleworking jobs that require digital skills," said Steven C. Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "This program focuses on support for people of color, who are less likely to have access to programs that help them learn these new skills. This initiative is one important step in closing that skills gap, and it will help thousands of individuals across the country to not only find jobs but build careers." Facebook Elevate is a community and learning platform created to accelerate the growth of businesses of color and celebrate creators who break barriers and turn dreams into realities. In 2020, Facebook Elevate announced they will reach 1 million members of the Black community and 1 million members of the Latinx community in the U.S. over the next three years. "Companies across the globe are rapidly changing and seeking diverse talent with digital skills. The new Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate Program is a helpful tool for job seekers to grow their digital skills and prepare for the opportunities of tomorrow," said Judy Toland, vice president and head of scaled solutions, global business marketing at Facebook. "Access to digital jobs is key to helping individuals unlock economic opportunity in a post-COVID world," said Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera. "We're excited to partner with Goodwill and Facebook to equip learners of all backgrounds with the skills needed to enter the high-demand field of social media marketing." ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL Goodwill Industries International is a network of 156 community-based, autonomous organizations in the United States and Canada with a presence in 12 other countries. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps people find employment, Goodwill is recognized with GuideStar's highest rating, the Platinum Seal of Approval. Local Goodwill organizations offer employment opportunities, job placement and training services, and other community-based programs, funded by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,300 stores and at shopgoodwill.com. Last year, more than 22 million people used computers and mobile devices to access Goodwill services, and nearly 1.5 million people received in-person services. For more information or to find a Goodwill location near you, visit goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube: GoodwillIntl ABOUT COURSERA Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the world's leading online learning platforms with more than 77 million registered learners. Coursera partners with over 200 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including Guided Projects, courses, Specializations, certificates, and bachelor's and master's degrees. More than 6,000 institutions have used Coursera to transform upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students, including in high-demand fields such as data science, technology, and business. SOURCE Goodwill Industries International Related Links www.goodwill.org The new allocation of congressional seats comes in the first release of data from last years headcount. The numbers generally chart familiar American migration patterns: Texas and Florida, two Republican Sunbelt giants, added enough population to gain congressional seats as chillier climes like New York and Ohio saw slow growth and lost political muscle. The report also confirms one historic marker: For the first time in 170 years of statehood, California is losing a congressional seat, a result of slowed migration to the nations most populous state, which was once a symbol of the countrys expansive frontier. One of India's most prolific top bosses in the automotive industry, Jagdish Khattar, who steered the ship at Maruti for 8 years till 2007, succumbed to a cardiac arrest early morning on Monday. He was 78. Often referred to as the Lee Iacocca of motown in India, Khattar is credited with rebuilding Maruti into a strong and independent company that enjoys an enviable hold in India's passenger vehicle market. Soon after he took over as the top boss at Maruti, which was called Maruti Udyog Limited at that time and was a joint venture PSU with the government holding 50 per cent stake, Khattar faced a debilitating 90 day workers' strike at the Gurgaon factory. They were demanding higher wages. At a time when multinational companies were entering India in droves, this would have raised costs and made the company even more inefficient. With the support from Suzuki, which was then a minority shareholder, Khattar dug his heels and dealt with the workers with an iron hand. An ex-bureaucrat, he had joined the company as a government nominee in 1993 and, along with current chairman R C Bhargava, helped bridge the trust deficit between the government and Suzuki. "The 2001 strike was one of the toughest periods that I came across in Maruti Suzuki. It was actually the turning point," he reminisced in 2007 when he was leaving the firm. "If we had given in, we would not be where we are today. Salaries would have gone up and we would have become inefficient. Our competitiveness in the market would have been blunted." The strike impacted the company's position in the market as its share fell from a commanding 79 per cent in January 1999 to just 51 per cent a year later and a new low of 42 per cent in June 2000. Khattar nursed the company back to health before hitting back at the competition with a flurry of launches that included Wagon R, Alto 800, the original Baleno sedan and Altura station wagon as also a revamped M800, which was at that time the best selling car in the country. By June 2001, Maruti had clawed back to 60 per cent share. Under his stewardship, Maruti also made the smooth transition from a PSU to a private firm as the government bowed out in 2007. Another high point was the launch of Swift hatchback in the summer of 2005. Khattar knew that the customers would eventually graduate from no frills entry level to bigger and more powerful cars. Swift has gone on to become one of the most successful cars in the company's portfolio and 16 years hence, it has overtaken Alto to become the bestseller in fiscal 2021. Khattar, an arts graduate from the prestigious St Stephen's College in Delhi, went on to acquire a degree in law and joined the IAS. From heading various posts in UP state administration to becoming a joint secretary in the Ministry of Steel, and finally the MD of India's largest carmaker, one would have thought his story is done by the time he hung his boots in 2007. Instead, Khattar was just getting started.After his stint at Maruti, he stoked his inner entrepreneurial instincts, after all he belonged to a family of entrepreneurs, with his maiden venture Carnation. He sought to create a multi-brand automobile service network that undercut those owned by companies directly. Unfortunately, success eluded him this time and instead it brought him much agony. The failure of the business venture saw CBI booking him in 2019 for an alleged fraud to the tune of Rs 110 crore on a complaint by Punjab National Bank. Khattar suffered his first cardiac arrest in January 2020, but survived. This time, he couldn't. While Carnation may have turned out to be a failure, Khattar was not. The Indian industry, Maruti Suzuki and its millions of customers owe him a debt. Also Read: Former MD of Maruti Suzuki Jagdish Khattar dies due to cardiac arrest Also read: upGrad raises Rs 897 crore from Temasek Also read: Tata-Mistry row: Shapoorji Pallonji Group files review petition against SC verdict 33418 Inflectra has confirmed its initial plans to extend its data hosting infrastructure to potential human colonies. FREMONT, CA: Inflectra, a multinational tech firm specializing in software test management, application lifecycle management, and enterprise-level agile program management, has confirmed its initial plans to expand its data hosting infrastructure to future human colonies. "We expanded our network of cloud-hosting options in 2021 to fulfill our mission of giving customers choice on where they want to have their data hosted," says Director of Platforms Harold Saxon. "Having completed the rollout of our Spira SaaS platform to the eastern hemisphere, we are looking to anticipate future needs and we believe it is prudent to initiate plans for hosting of data beyond our terrestrial boundaries, and these plans will require Mastery of many challenges, not least network latency, redundancy, and resilience." Building on its current network of regional cloud-hosting centers in the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia, India, and Singapore, and bolstered by a record-breaking adoption rate of the company's SaaS platforms, SpiraTeam and SpiraPlan, especially in regulated industries, Inflectra proposes that now is the time to begin preparing for future requirements of private cloud-hosting technology in support of projected human outposts on both the lunar surface and the nearest planetary neighbor. The timeline for human settlement on Mars has become increasingly possible after data release from the recent Guinevere One space exploration mission. Dr. Adelaide Brooke, Head of Innovation for Inflectra, elaborates, "Although the timeframe for planned human settlement on other planets such as Mars is relatively far away, we believe that having a competitive advantage in cloud services in preparation for the planned Bowie Base One in 2050 will be imperative for Inflectra to ensure that its platforms are ready to support the IT systems of the future. In addition, the legal frameworks for data transfers and data protections for future Martian citizens are at present unclear, and we believe that our plans for private, yet federated data-hosting between Earth, Mars, and other planets will be a foundation for future endeavors and will set the standard for our industry. In fact, Inflectra's mission statement is to bring Harmony to software development, and we anticipate these industry trends leading to a united federation of planets when it comes to data hosting." KYODO NEWS - Apr 26, 2021 - 18:56 | All, Japan The mayor of a city in the western Japan prefecture of Osaka said Monday he will step down after finding himself in the hot seat for setting up a home sauna just next to his office for personal use. Hiroki Tomita, the mayor of Ikeda, has been under intense criticism for bringing the sauna into the city government's building from his home last year along with gym equipment. He had claimed they were needed for "health reasons." On Monday, the 44-year-old said at a press conference he will resign to "take responsibility" after the city government's COVID-19 vaccination program for elderly people is largely completed, without providing a specific timeline. The city assembly was set to adopt a no-confidence motion against Tomita on Tuesday if he did not comply with a request for resignation made this month by its investigation team. "If (the motion is) passed, it will lead to an election, putting citizens and the elderly at risk," Tomita said. The committee had criticized the mayor, who had been in the position since April 2019, saying he misused the city office and mistreated a number of government officials. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 22:20:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday called on Saudi Arabia to re-consider its decision to ban imports of fruits and vegetables from Lebanon after Saudi customs foiled an attempt to smuggle Captagon narcotic pills in port of Jeddah from Lebanon. In a statement released by the Lebanese Presidency, Diab said that Lebanon will carry out its duties by pursuing drug smuggling networks, emphasizing his country's keenness to fight, along with Saudi Arabia, against such illegal practices and maintain good ties with the kingdom and all Gulf countries. Diab added that the investigations into the incident have already started to identify people who stand behind smuggling activities and Lebanon will inform Saudi Arabia about the investigations' results. Meanwhile, Lebanese President Michel Aoun urged security agencies to buy scanner machines to place them on borders, which would help customs employees to better monitor all shipments. Enditem New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday (April 26, 2021) granted bail to actor-activist Deep Sidhu, arrested in the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) case pertaining to the Republic Day violence at Red Fort during which parts of the heritage structure were damaged. Metropolitan Magistrate Sahil Gupta granted relief to Sidhu on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with one surety of like amount while directing him to join the investigation as and when asked for. Sidhu was arrested by Delhi police on April 17 in relation to the violence during the farmers' tractor march against the central government's new farm laws, moments after being released from jail in another case related to the incident, in which he got bail on April 16. "I am of the considered opinion that applicant's further incarceration in the present case would bear no fruit and therefore would be unjustified, nor would the restoration of applicant's liberty be detrimental to the investigation being conducted by the police authorities," the judge said on Monday. Sidhu was arrested in the first case on February 9 in connection with the Red Fort farmers' protest violence on Republic Day this year. Advertisement Key points from Cabinet Secretary's committee grilling An inquiry into the 'chatty rat' lockdown leak will 'probably' never find a culprit He said the conclusions of the long-running probe should be known in 'weeks rather than months' Mr Case rejected an allegation from Mr Cummings that the PM suggested the inquiry could have been quietly dropped after initially pointing towards an aide who is a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds The Cabinet Secretary refused to rule out another leak inquiry into claims Mr Johnson said he would rather see 'bodies piling up' than lock the country down again Mr Case said the PM had ordered him to carry out yet another review into the handling of funding for renovation of the Downing Street flat The civil service chief dodge questions over whether he was aware of Tory donations being used for the overhaul Mr Case said it was clear charitable donations cannot be used to improve the private accommodation in Downing Street A new independent adviser on ministerial interests - which had been expected last week - should be appointed within 'days' Mr Case said he has uncovered 'fewer than 100' senior civil servants who have paid second jobs alongside their civil service role Concerns about the PM using a personal mobile phone were a 'red herring' and the important thing is to declare contacts, according to Mr Case Advertisement The Cabinet Secretary today admitted an inquiry into the 'chatty rat' lockdown leak probably will not find a culprit as he gave evidence to MPs. Giving evidence to a powerful committee, Simon Case said the probe into who revealed plans for renewed restrictions last year was 'complex'. But Mr Case did not back up Dominic Cummings's claims that he had been cleared over involvement in the leak, which led to revelations in the Mail that Boris Johnson was poised to order a second national lockdown in October. The emergence of the details forced Mr Johnson to bring forward an announcement that a four-week closure would happen in November. Mr Case said he hoped the conclusions of the inquiry - which has been going on since last year - could be given in 'weeks rather than months'. But he stressed that the culprit had not yet found. 'Given the time that has now past I think it is probable that the team will not successfully identify the source or sources. But work is ongoing,' he told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Mr Case rejected an allegation from Mr Cummings that the PM suggested the inquiry could have been quietly dropped after initially pointing towards an aide who is a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds. 'My knowledge is limited to my time I'm afraid but no, I'm not aware of any incidents,' he said. 'No, in relation to this particular leak, and others. The Prime Minister has always been clear, very determined to see these inquiries complete.' Mr Case's appearance in front of the committee left some members furious as he repeatedly dodged questions on the subject of leaks, citing the need for ongoing investigations to conclude as well as national security concerns. During the hearing, Mr Case revealed that the PM had ordered him to carry out yet another review into the handling of funding for the renovation of the Downing Street flat. Mr Johnson has been accused of trying to get Tory donors secretly to pay for the lavish overhaul. The civil service chief also refused to rule out another leak inquiry into claims Mr Johnson said he would rather see 'bodies piling up' than lock the country down again. Aides are said to have overhead the premier shouting the words 'in a rage' in his study last autumn after agreeing to the second wave of restrictions. But asked on a visit to Wales this afternoon whether he had ever made such a comment, the premier replied: 'No.' A clearly frustrated Mr Johnson quickly tried to change the subject: 'The important thing that people want us to get on to do as a government is make sure that the lockdowns work, and they have. 'And I really pay tribute to the people of this country that have really pulled together and, working with the vaccination programme, we've got the disease under control.' Giving evidence to a powerful committee, Simon Case said the probe into who revealed plans for renewed restrictions last week was 'complex' Boris Johnson is embroiled in an increasingly damaging briefing war with former aide Dominic Cummings (pictured together in September 2019) The Prime Minister, pictured visiting a farm in Wrexham today, is trying to get his leadership and the Government back on track ahead of elections next week Mr Cummings has accused Mr Johnson of seeking to block a leak investigation after learning that a close friend of his fiancee, Carrie Symonds (left), had been implicated, a claim the Prime Minister denied. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case (right) is appearing before a powerful committee this afternoon A poll today found Tory support has slipped five points over the past month - dramatically narrowing the lead over Labour Case refuses to say if Tory donations were used for Downing St flat overhaul as he launches review Simon Case today dodged saying whether Tory donations were used to fund an overhaul of Boris Johnson's grace-and-favour flat. The Cabinet Secretary ducked as he was grilled on the process for the lavish overhaul of the Downing Street residence - believed to have cost around 90,000 in total. Instead he stressed that the PM had asked him to carry out a review of what had happened. Mr Johnson has insisted he has now paid for the works out of his own pocket. Asked whether he was aware of private donations being used to cover the costs at first, Mr Case told MPs: 'What I'm happy to tell you is that the Prime Minister has asked me to conduct a review because I've not been involved directly with this.' He added: 'The Prime Minister has asked me to conduct a review into how this has been done and asked that I share the details of those conclusions with the committee.' The Cabinet Secretary said he expects the review to take 'only a matter of weeks'. Pressed on whether he was personally aware of any donations contributed towards the renovations, Mr Case added: 'I do not have all the facts and details at my disposal on this, which is why the Prime Minister has asked me to conduct this review.' He said Mr Johnson would be making the 'relevant declarations' in regard to spending on his Downing Street flat. Advertisement Mr Case apologised as he was repeatedly berated by MPs for his inability to give more information about the leak inquiry, claiming he was bound by security concerns. Asked whether the leaker had broken laws, or whether it was just embarrassing, Mr Case told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee a process involving the police and Crown Prosecution Process concluded 'this leak did not meet the threshold for an offence under the Official Secrets Act or the offence of misconduct in public office'. Given that, Mr Case was asked why he was unable to give more information to MPs. 'Just because something isn't a criminal offence doesn't mean there aren't national security issues involved or classified matters, rather, I should say, very specifically in relation to how that investigation is conducted. 'That's why I'm unable to comment.' Asked if the security services were involved in the leak investigation, Mr Case said: 'We have a long-standing policy of neither confirming nor denying such things.' The civil service chief said the decision to restrict his answers was taken 'in collaboration with the Government security group, who own the processes'. Committee chairman William Wragg suggested that 'relatively few' people would have known the information leaked in October 'so it's a rather small pool in which to fish' in order to find the source. But Mr Case said: 'I'm not trying to frustrate you or other members of the committee on this but we are going here into the details of the investigation and who knew what and this is an area where I am constrained because if I go further on this it will start to reveal the details of the investigation.' Tory MP Jackie Doyle-Price said MPs were concerned that there had not been more progress - swiping: 'Is it not a priority?' Mr Case said that 'at no point has this investigation been in any way de-prioritised, it is in the hands of professional investigators who have a range of tools and techniques at their disposal'. But he acknowledged a 'sense of frustration' that 'we are unable to catch more people responsible for leaks'. That was 'shared by a range of senior people, not only this Prime Minister but other prime ministers I've known and, I know, my predecessors'. Mr Johnson is facing an increasingly damaging battle with Mr Cummings, his former chief aide. Tories are alarmed that the spate of briefings could mean 'mutually assured destruction' and harm the party at crucial elections next week. Allies of Mr Cummings have upped the threats by indicating he has tapes of key conversations from his time in government. A poll today found Tory support has slipped five points over the past month - dramatically narrowing the lead over Labour. The government is now under huge pressure on a series of fronts. Mr Johnson has rejected accusations he tried to get Tory donors secretly to pay for redecorating his Downing Street flat. There have also been a slew of negative stories surfacing about contacts between ministers and David Cameron, who was lobbying on behalf of Greensill. The decision on the second lockdown last autumn was leaked and is the subject of a long-running inquiry to find the so-called 'chatty rat' who tipped off the press. In an incendiary blog post on Friday, Mr Cummings insisted that before he left government Mr Case had told Mr Johnson that neither he nor the then No 10 director of communications, Lee Cain, was the culprit. Mr Case was giving evidence to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee this afternoon Committee chairman William Wragg suggested that 'relatively few' people would have known the information leaked in October 'so it's a rather small pool in which to fish' in order to find the source Lex Greensill's status was 'unclear' when he advised David Cameron Lex Greensill's status was 'unclear' when he was an 'adviser' to David Cameron, MPs were told today. The former PM has come under heavy fire for lobbying ministers and officials on behalf of Greensill Capital, which he started working for after leaving power. He has denied breaking any rules, but conceded he should have made more 'formal' approaches urging access to loan schemes and government contracts. Darren Tierney, director general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office, told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee that Lex Greensill's role as an adviser in Downing Street from 2012 was 'unclear'. 'He wasn't a special adviser his exact status is unclear. That's one of the things that we have asked Nigel Boardman to look into,' Mr Tierney said. 'He was appointed as an unpaid adviser on supply chain finance in January 2012, he did that until 2015. In 2013, he also became a crown representative, which lasted until 2016, when he left the Cabinet Office. 'His status as an adviser, it's unclear what basis that has, and that's something that we have asked Nigel Boardman to specifically look into.' Mr Greensill's appointment was originally signed off by Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude and the-then Cabinet Office permanent secretary Ian Watmore, the committee was told. He had a pass for Downing Street and received 'appropriate' security clearance, but did not officially work from the building, the MPs heard. Mr Tierney said: 'We have been unable to find a contract. 'What we have found so far are an appointment letter, and then subsequent reappointment letters, which set out some conditions on his appointment. 'Things like the Official Secrets Act, confidentiality, business appointment rules when he leaves. But so far we have been unable to identify a contract.' Advertisement However officials familiar with the investigation said that it had neither 'landed' on any one individual nor exonerated anyone. Both Mr Cummings and Mr Cain left Downing Street before Christmas after an extraordinary power struggle with allies of Ms Symonds. The latest developments are likely further to anger Mr Cummings, who released his onslaught after he was accused by No 10 of a series of damaging leaks, including text message exchanges between Mr Johnson and the entrepreneur Sir James Dyson. Ministers are now concerned at what he may say when he gives evidence to MPs investigating the Government's response to the pandemic next month. Mr Cummings is widely known to have been critical of Mr Johnson's delay in launching a second lockdown in England when cases began rising last autumn. After being pushed into agreeing fresh restrictions, the premier's frustration is said to have boiled over, and he said: 'No more ****ing lockdowns let the bodies pile high in their thousands!' he is alleged to have raged. The Daily Mail did not disclose the identity of the source today. But ITV's Robert Peston said two other 'ear-witnesses' - who say they did not brief the original story - had confirmed to him that Mr Johnson made the remark. The doors of Mr Johnson's study were allegedly open and supposedly a number of people were within range. In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News: 'We are getting into the sort of comedy chapter now of these gossip stories unnamed sources, by unnamed advisers talking about unnamed events. 'None of this is serious. The Prime Minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid.' Health minister Nadine Dorries said it was 'mendacious, vexatious, co-ordinated gossip' aimed at destabilising the Tory campaign ahead of the May 6 elections. The PACAC hearing also grilled Mr Case on Lex Greensill and his apparent role as an adviser to David Cameron. The former PM has come under heavy fire for lobbying ministers and officials on behalf of Greensill Capital, which he started working for after leaving power. He has denied breaking any rules, but conceded he should have made more 'formal' approaches urging access to loan schemes and government contracts. Darren Tierney, director general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office, told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee that Lex Greensill's role as an adviser in Downing Street from 2012 was 'unclear'. 'He wasn't a special adviser his exact status is unclear. That's one of the things that we have asked Nigel Boardman to look into,' Mr Tierney said. 'He was appointed as an unpaid adviser on supply chain finance in January 2012, he did that until 2015. In 2013, he also became a crown representative, which lasted until 2016, when he left the Cabinet Office. 'His status as an adviser, it's unclear what basis that has, and that's something that we have asked Nigel Boardman to specifically look into.' Mr Greensill's appointment was originally signed off by Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude and the-then Cabinet Office permanent secretary Ian Watmore, the committee was told. He had a pass for Downing Street and received 'appropriate' security clearance, but did not officially work from the building, the MPs heard. Mr Tierney said: 'We have been unable to find a contract. 'What we have found so far are an appointment letter, and then subsequent reappointment letters, which set out some conditions on his appointment. 'Things like the Official Secrets Act, confidentiality, business appointment rules when he leaves. But so far we have been unable to identify a contract.' Mr Case was asked about the fact that Bill Crothers was allowed to work for Greensill for several months while he was still the government's commercial chief. 'We cannot explain how these decisions were taken or why,' Mr Case said. 'That's why they are of acute concern.' He told the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: 'For us, at our first look, we cannot explain many of these things. 'It does not look appropriate, but Nigel Boardman has been commissioned by the Prime Minister and this is one of the many things he will have to look into more to tell us whether there are things that we haven't spotted.' Lawyer Nigel Boardman has been appointed by the Prime Minister to investigate issues raised by the lobbying row. On a visit to Wales today, Boris Johnson denied claims he made a remark about 'bodies piling up' in a fit of pique after agreeing the second round of brutal coronavirus restrictions last year It allegedly came after Michael Gove (pictured) warned Mr Johnson that soldiers would be needed to guard hospitals overrun with Covid victims In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace dismissed the briefings as a 'comedy chapter of gossip stories' An Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard today found that the Tories have slumped five points over the past month on Westminster voting intention. The survey, conducted between April 16 and 22, put the party on 40 per cent, just three points ahead of Labour. One former minister told MailOnline of the latest leaks: 'This needs to stop because it is damaging both sides. 'Cummings may think that now that he is no longer in government he has less to lose, but he needs to remember that he spent a lot of time in senior positions, and without doubt there will be things that he will not want to leaked out. 'He may feel that he has nothing to lose, but he is wrong.' 'It is also time for Carrie Symonds to back off, because it is clear in all of this that her name comes up regularly in the issues that are causing the PM difficulty - whether it is appointments, personnel, or having the flat redecorated.' However, another bullish Conservative MP said they had barely received any correspondence, and the civil war was not coming up on the doorstep. Cummings 'has key No 10 tapes' Dominic Cummings kept audio recordings of key conversations in government, an ally claimed last night Dominic Cummings kept audio recordings of key conversations in government, an ally claimed last night. The former chief adviser is locked in an explosive war of words with Boris Johnson after Downing Street accused him of a string of damaging leaks. No 10 attempted to rubbish his claims on Friday night, saying it was not true that the Prime Minister had discussed ending a leak inquiry after a friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds was identified as the likely suspect. But an ally of Mr Cummings said the PM's former chief adviser had taken a treasure trove of material with him when he left Downing Street last year, including audio recordings of discussions with senior ministers and officials. 'Dom has stuff on tape,' the ally said. 'They are mad to pick a fight with him because he will be able to back up a lot of his claims. 'He used to tell advisers to record things all the time discussions with officials. He has also kept a lot of his correspondence.' A Whitehall source yesterday said officials did not know the full extent of the material Mr Cummings has. He has denied leaking and has already told MPs that aspects of the Government's approach to Covid went 'catastrophically wrong'. Advertisement Ministers and Cabinet Secretary face grilling over claims PM tried to get Tory donors to fund lavish makeover of Downing Street flat Ministers and the Cabinet Secretary face a grilling today over claims Boris Johnson tried to get Tory donors to fund a 60,000 Downing Street flat renovation. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will appear before MPs following a string of explosive allegations made by Dominic Cummings. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is also set to answer an urgent question in the Commons as Labour seeks to capitalise on the meltdown. Mr Cummings has accused the PM of wanting donors to 'secretly pay for the renovation' of his official residence, in a move the former No10 aide branded 'unethical, foolish, possibly illegal'. Downing Street insists the premier funded the work himself in the end, and all ministerial and electoral rules have been followed. Asked about the row during interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Mr Johnson had paid 'out of his own pocket' for the Downing Street upgrade. Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Do I think the Prime Minister is sleazy? No, I don't. Britain's top civil servant will be quizzed over the lavish refurbishment of Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat today amid claims that the Prime Minister has had to take out a personal loan to pay for it 'Do I think the Prime Minister is an absolutely first-class leader who has led this country in a pandemic? 'Let's not forget, while we are getting into Oscar-type gossip columns there is an awful lot of gossip going around. 'He paid out of his own money to refurbish the flat. He paid for his flat.' Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted an urgent question laid by Labour, with Mr Gove understood to be planning to respond. Appearing before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Mr Case is expected to deny claims that he cleared Mr Cummings over involvement in the 'chatty rat' leak last autumn about the impending second lockdown. A government source said last night the inquiry, conducted with the assistance of MI5, was ongoing, adding: 'It has neither found anyone responsible, nor ruled anyone out.' But Mr Case is also expected to face detailed questions about the refurbishment of the flat above Number 11 Downing Street used by Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds. Adding to the controversy, one senior Tory told the Mail last night: 'Boris had to take out a personal loan to cover the cost. You have to be pretty wealthy to have 60,000 lying around. He has just emerged from an expensive divorce.' One former minister told MailOnline of the latest claims: 'This needs to stop because it is damaging both sides. 'Cummings may think that now that he is no longer in government he has less to lose, but he needs to remember that he spent a lot of time in senior positions, and without doubt there will be things that he will not want to leaked out. 'He may feel that he has nothing to lose, but he is wrong.' 'It is also time for Carrie Symonds to back off, because it is clear in all of this that her name comes up regularly in the issues that are causing the PM difficulty - whether it is appointments, personnel, or having the flat redecorated.' The Electoral Commission has said it is still seeking answers from Tory chiefs about whether party funds or donations were used. Labour has written to the commission calling for a full investigation. Sir Keir said: 'Like everybody reading that, I was astonished to see those words. 'It's for the prime minister, I think now, to make a public statement about that. If he did say those things, he's got to explain it. 'If he didn't, go on the record and publicly explain what was said and what wasn't said because I think everybody will be deeply concerned, not least all those families that have lost someone during this pandemic.' On Friday, Mr Cummings said Mr Johnson wanted 'donors to secretly pay for the renovation' which he said was 'unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules'. The Mail had revealed that Mr Johnson asked Tory donors to help with the cost of the makeover which is said to run to six figures. On Friday, the Cabinet Office said the cost of 'painting, sanding and floorboards' had been paid from a 30,000 maintenance allowance, but 'any costs of wider refurbishment have been met by the Prime Minister personally'. Lonely losing battle of PM who'd resisted the clamour for lockdowns: Yes, his outburst was shocking. But libertarian Boris knew it wasn't just Covid lives at stake, writes ANDREW PIERCE As No10 officials and senior ministers joined Boris Johnson in the Cabinet Room the mood was bleak. For weeks the Prime Minister had been rejecting calls to impose a second lockdown, not just from Cabinet colleagues but also from the scientists. But, with the number of Covid infections and deaths on an obstinately upward curve, the pressure to take decisive action was becoming irresistible. Gathered in the room alongside Boris on Friday, October 30, last year were Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor: the so-called Quad directing the fight against Covid. Dominic Cummings, then Johnson's chief adviser, was also present. Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific officer, and Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, were given the floor and they proceeded to rehearse their well-worn arguments for total lockdown in England. But the Prime Minister was still in no mood to acquiesce. 'I will never be able to sell it to the Tory Party,' he said. It was at this point that Gove jumped in to make a short but passionate speech. 'If we don't do this now we will have to go into a much harder lockdown in three or four weeks,' he argued. He then conjured up a dystopian image of what the streets would look like if immediate action wasn't taken. 'We will be forced to put the Army on the doors of hospitals to turn the sick away as the NHS will be overwhelmed. We will not be forgiven and the Tories will be driven from power.' You could have heard a pin drop in the Cabinet Room. Sunak, who had traditionally been very hawkish about lockdowns because of their devastating impact on the economy, sided with Gove. Hancock, who had always been in favour of more draconian restrictions, made it three to one against the PM. Tired and irritable, his hair even more dishevelled than usual, Boris looked utterly deflated. Only ten days earlier he had told the Commons that the idea of another lockdown was 'the height of absurdity'. It would 'turn the lights out'. If he ordered a U-turn, he knew his political opponents especially on the Tory benches would have a field day. Cummings, who has always held Tory MPs in total contempt, urged him to ignore the carping and do the right thing. After five weeks of trench warfare in Downing Street, Boris reluctantly agreed. It was shortly after this meeting that he allegedly uttered the phrases that have turned out to be such hostages to fortune: 'no more ****ing lockdowns' regardless of the 'bodies'. Boris who once said the real hero of the film Jaws was the mayor of Amity who kept the beaches open despite the presence of a killer shark was devastated that he had lost the battle. 'He said he hadn't gone into Downing Street to shut down the economy,' said the source, 'but he was in a minority of one.' The harsh reality is that despite his rhetoric Boris had been fighting a lonely losing battle for some time. Only six weeks earlier, in an attempt to placate his Tory critics, he had told the Commons that a second national lockdown would have 'disastrous' financial consequences for the country and that the Government would do 'everything in our power to prevent it'. Yet just three days after that speech the lockdown moved closer when the Government announced that people who did not live in the same household, or who were not in a support bubble, could not gather in groups of more than six. Boris agreed the rule of six as a compromise. His scientists had put him under pressure to go even further. And that pressure did not let up. Within 48 hours, the Quad was urged by Sage the committee of scientists that advised the Government to urgently introduce a two-week 'circuit-breaker' lockdown to reduce the spread of coronavirus. It warned the UK faced a 'very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences' on its current course. The seven-day average of daily cases stood at 4,964; there were 1,502 Covid patients in hospital; and daily deaths stood at 28. The Sage group proposed the circuit-breaker a short period of lockdown to drive new infections down to head off a second wave of the virus that 'would fall disproportionately on the frailest in our society, [people on] lower incomes and BAME communities'. In the Quad meeting the scientists had Cummings safely onside but even Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor who had been an implacable opponent of inflicting any more harm on the economy, was coming round to the idea of more restrictions. 'Ever the pragmatist, he didn't want to be lumbered with any political damage if Covid soared and he was seen to have argued for putting jobs before lives,' said one insider. But Boris, true to his libertarian instincts, was opposed to once more shutting shopping malls, pubs and restaurants. The source added: 'He warned of the huge impact it would have on the economy, on the mental health of people, and reminded everyone enforcing lockdowns comes with huge costs.' He also knew politically there would be trouble among restive Tory MPs who were increasingly opposed to talk of more restrictions. It is a tribute to Boris's force of personality and it has to be said the power of his office that his view prevailed. Three days later, in another compromise with the scientists, the tier system was brought in. This divided England into medium, high and very high zones. Even as he announced the new rules Boris was clear they would go no further. 'The social and economic trauma of a full lockdown, shuttering our lives and our society would do such damage to our economy as to erode our long-term ability to fund the NHS and other crucial public services,' he said. The very next day the news that Boris had overruled the scientists the previous month on the circuit-breaker was leaked to the media. The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who had ordered his MPs to abstain in a Commons vote on the rule of six, saw his opportunity to score political points. He urged the Government to impose a circuit-breaker of between two and three weeks to prevent a 'sleepwalk into a bleak winter'. While the Tories attacked Starmer's opportunism, the public backed him, with 54 per cent surveyed by YouGov saying they felt the Government should have introduced a national lockdown in September, while just 28 per cent of the 4,222 adults polled disagreed. Despite the growing pressure, Boris was sticking to his guns and at a press conference two days later said the Government 'cannot rule anything out', but expressed his desire to avoid a national lockdown because of 'the damaging health, economic and social effects it would have'. His stance won the backing of senior Tory MPs, including Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs. A few days later in the Commons, he uttered the phrase that would return to haunt him, when he condemned the idea of a second national lockdown as 'the height of absurdity' that would 'turn the lights out'. So the scene was set for the PM to announce the biggest U-turn of his premiership. He knew he now faced a greater political challenge than the first lockdown in March when much of the country was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He had been told months earlier by the scientists that a second wave in the winter would be more deadly and that he should manage the public's expectations. But he had ignored that advice. 'Typical Boris, he wanted to be bullish and optimistic, which is his nature. He couldn't face dishing out a negative message all year round,' says the source. 'He wanted to be positive. He thought people were already fed-up without him adding to it, so decided to try to be upbeat.' An admirable sentiment, and just like the mayor in Jaws. But things didn't end well for the citizens of Amity. For the Martyrs Commends President Biden on his Formal Recognition of the Armenian Genocide NEWS PROVIDED BY For the Martyrs April 26, 2021 NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 26, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Founder and President of For the Martyrs, Gia Chacon, released the following statement on April 24, 2021: Today, I would like to commend President Joseph R. Biden for officially recognizing the massacre of ethnic Armenians under the Ottoman Empire for what it is: a genocide. The President released the following statement: "Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring." It is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians were killed throughout the Ottoman Turks' brutal terror campaign. Many were forced to give up their property, leave their homes, renounce their Christian faith, or were sent to concentration camps where they suffered starvation and disease. In December of 2020, For the Martyrs embarked on a mission trip to bring aid to Armenian children that were displaced as a result of their country's recent war with Azerbaijan. It was in Armenia that I witnessed first-hand the lasting implications the genocide had within the country. The horrific events that took place from 1915-1924 have left generations of millions of Armenians with wounded hearts that have yet to be healed. That is why the formal recognition by the President is an important and long awaited step toward justice for Armenians around the globe. For the Martyrs continues to advocate on behalf of our Armenian brothers and sisters who suffer to this day under the oppressive hand of Turkey. I pray the current administration will commit themselves to the promise the President made today to work to "prevent future atrocities from occurring anywhere in the world" and to make strides to end the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities that are underway today. For the Martyrs is a 501(c)(3) organization that works to raise awareness about Christian persecution, advocate for religious freedom, and provide aid to suffering Christians around the globe. SOURCE For the Martyrs CONTACT: Paloma Chacon, 949-307-0972 Related Links https://forthemartyrs.com Elon Musk trolled his fellow multibillionaire Jeff Bezos on Monday, joking that he 'can't get it up (to orbit)' after the Amazon founder's space company filed a protest against NASA for picking rival SpaceX to build a lunar lander. Blue Origin, the Bezos-owned space exploration company, filed a protest with the federal Government Accountability Office against NASA after the agency awarded a $2.89billion contract to Elon Musks SpaceX earlier this month. Musk took to Twitter to tease Bezos over that lawsuit on Monday evening, and replied to a tweet sharing a New York Times story about the space wrangle, writing: 'Cant get it up (to orbit) lol.' At least Bezos can take solace in the fact that he is richer than Musk as of Monday. The Amazon boss has a net worth of $198.3billion, making him the world's richest human, according to Forbes. Musk must settle for a meager net worth of $179.4billion, good for third overall. French billionaire Bernard Arnault and his family flaunt the second biggest fortune in the world with a net worth of $181.7billion. Elon Musk (seen left in Berlin on December 1) had nearly 3 billion reasons to smile this month when NASA chose his firm, SpaceX, to build a lunar lander that will take astronauts to the moon. SpaceX beat out Jeff Bezos' (right) Blue Origin and another company, Dynetics Musk trolled his fellow multibillionaire Bezos on Monday, joking that he 'can't get it up (to orbit)' after the Amazon founder's space company filed a protest against NASA for picking rival SpaceX to build a lunar lander SpaceX's HLS Starship will include the company's tested Raptor engines, along with pulling inspiration from the Falcon and Dragon vehicles' designs NASA chose Musks SpaceX to build the lunar lander that will eventually put the first woman and person of color on the moon. Bezos' company said that its bid was $5.99billion while SpaceX's bid came in at $2.91billion, according to AL.com. Musk's Starship - the futuristic, shiny steel rocketship that's been launching and exploding in Texas - beat out landers proposed by Bezos' Blue Origin and Dynetics, a Huntsville, Alabama-based subsidiary of Leidos. News of Bezos 50-page protest was first reported on Monday by The New York Times. Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin, said NASA's decision to award the contract to SpaceX was based on flawed evaluations. Smith also accused NASA of placing a bigger emphasis on cost than it said it would. He said the space agency should have stuck to its oft-stated desire to award the contract to two companies. 'It's really atypical for NASA to make these kinds of errors,' Smith told the Times. 'They're generally quite good at acquisition, especially its flagship missions like returning America to the surface of the moon. 'We felt that these errors needed to be addressed and remedied.' 'NASA has executed a flawed acquisition for the Human Landing System program and moved the goalposts at the last minute,' the company said in a statement. 'In NASA's own words, it has made a "high risk" selection,' the Blue Origin statement said. Their decision eliminates opportunities for competition, significantly narrows the supply base, and not only delays, but also endangers Americas return to the Moon. 'Because of that, weve filed a protest with the GAO.' Lawyers for Blue Origin told AL.com that 'NASA had indicated an overriding intention to make two awards but due to perceived shortfalls in currently available and anticipated future budget appropriations, it made only the award to SpaceX, eliminating HLS competition, and effectively locking down immediate and future lunar landing system development and launch and lunar landing opportunities.' America has not witnessed a human landing system since 1972 and NASA has been planning an epic return to the moon for quite some time. Blue Origin has been working on moon landing system, known as Blue Moon, since 2017. The firm had designed a mockup for a revised version it planned to send to the moon However, the historic moon landing turned into a space race between billionaires when NASA announced last year that SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics were competing to turn the plans into a reality. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a live feed in April: 'With these contract awards, America is moving forward with the final step needed to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024, including the incredible moment when we will see the first woman set foot on the lunar surface.' The initial 10-month contracts totaled to $967 million: Blue Origin received $579 million, Dynetics $253 million and SpaceX was awarded $135 million. But now, it will be SpaceX's innovation that will carry the next two American astronauts the the lunar surface. The Artemis mission, which is set for 2024, will see four spacefaring heroes board the Orion spacecraft that will be rocketed off to space by NASA's powerful Space Launch System (SLS). Once in orbit, two crew members will transfer to the SpaceX human landing system (HLS) and head to the moon. After approximately a week exploring the surface, they will board the lander for their short trip back to orbit where they will return to Orion and their colleagues before heading back to Earth. NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024 as part of the Artemis mission Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the Moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2024 - including the first woman and the next man. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars. Artemis 1 will be the first integrated flight test of NASAs deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. During this flight, the spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. It will travel 280,000 miles (450,600 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars. This graphic explains the various stages of the mission Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before. With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration into deep space where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. The will take crew on a different trajectory and test Orions critical systems with humans aboard. The SLS rocket will from an initial configuration capable of sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to a final configuration that can send at least 45 metric tons. Together, Orion, SLS and the ground systems at Kennedy will be able to meet the most challenging crew and cargo mission needs in deep space. Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis mission. The space agency hopes this colony will uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advancements and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy. Advertisement Kathy Lueders, NASA's associate administrator for Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate, said: 'With this award, NASA and our partners will complete the first crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century as the agency takes a step forward for womens equality and long-term deep space exploration. 'This critical step puts humanity on a path to sustainable lunar exploration and keeps our eyes on missions farther into the solar system, including Mars.' SpaceX's HLS Starship will include the company's tested Raptor engines, along with pulling inspiration from the Falcon and Dragon vehicles' designs. The lander will feature a spacious cabin and two airlocks for astronaut moonwalks. 'The Starship architecture is intended to evolve to a fully reusable launch and landing system designed for travel to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations,' NASA shared in the announcement. According to The Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos: 'The defeat is a huge blow Blue Origin, and to Bezos, who has long been fascinated by the moon and has for years wanted to be part of the effort to return there. When Crew Dragons separated from the Falcon 9 rocket 12 minutes into the missions, a piece of debris from the front of the capsule broke off, shot to the right and then flew back around - missing the craft by mere seconds Although there are thousands of pieces of space debris circling Earth, none of the SpaceX missions have ever been in danger by their own. Pictured is the event of the capsule separating from the second stage However, mechanical parts can separate during such phases due to the force of the vehicles pulling apart. Pictured is the debris after it flew back to the path of the capsule None of the previous missions, Demo-2 and Crew-1, saw a chunks of the capsule hurling into space - and even more, pieces that came flying back 'He has said that watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon when he was 5 years old was 'a seminal moment' for him.' Musk is basking in the glory of another feat over the weekend after he managed to get four astronauts to the International Space Station using a recycled SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, though there were some anxious moments. The four astronauts aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule had two close encounters with space debris on Friday while traveling to the ISS. When Crew Dragons separated from the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage 12 minutes into the missions, a piece of debris from the front of the capsule broke off, shot to the right and then flew back around - missing the craft by mere seconds. Then at 1:43pm ET, just about six and a half hours later, the crew was preparing to sleep when they were alerted to an 'unknown' object soaring their way. 'For awareness, we have identified a late-breaking possible conjunction with a fairly close miss distance to Dragon,' SpaceX's Sarah Gilles told the astronauts. 'As such, we do need you to immediately proceed with suit donning and securing yourselves in seats.' The announcement came 20 minutes before the possible collision, forcing the crew to suit up and strap in their seats in preparation of an impact that could cause a loss of air pressure. 'Copy Sarah, you want us in the suit for a possible close call,'Crew-2 astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency radioed back. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 5:49pm ET and traveled into orbit where the capsule separated from the second stage 12 minutes later NASA captured the event via a livestream that shows a view of Dragon drifting away from SpaceX's Falcon 9's second stage, along with a clear view of the object soaring passed. The unknown object was initially believed to be an immediate threat to both the crew and craft, but NASA later determined that the space junk passed around 28 miles away at its closest point. Moments later, Gilles notified the astronauts that the capsule had passed the space junk with no impact. However, some say if it were to hit the event would have been the worst collision since the 1986 Challenger that blew up on its way to space and killed the seven astronauts onboard. The SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts arrived at the space station on Saturday - a day after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Dragon capsule docked autonomously with the orbiting outpost more than 260 miles above the Indian Ocean. The astronauts are pictured in the cockpit of the vessel as it prepares to dock at the International Space Station on Saturday The four astronauts in the recycled capsule were told to prepare to collide into an unidentified object just seven hours after launching from Kennedy Space Center on Friday. The image above shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon 60ft away from the docking access of the ISS on Saturday But the four astronauts in the recycled capsule were nearly hit by space debris on two occasions. Although there are thousands of pieces of space debris circling Earth, none of the SpaceX missions have ever been in danger by their own. None of the previous missions, Demo-2 and Crew-1, saw a chunks of the capsule hurling into space - and even more, pieces that came flying back. However, mechanical parts can separate during such phases due to the force of the vehicles pulling apart. DailyMail.com has reached out to SpaceX for comment and has yet to receive a response. The crew narrowly missed one threat and found themselves in a second just six and a half hours later - some seven hours after launching. ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet of France, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide of Japan of Crew 2 (from left, in black shirts) assemble with Crew 1 for their welcome ceremony This screen grab taken from the NASA live feed shows the International Space Station taken from the SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft shortly before docking This incredible image from NASA TV shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, with the Earth behind, approaching the International Space Station The SpaceX crew aboard are delighted as their Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully docks with their home for the next six months The SpaceX Crew Dragon, and its four astronauts, is seen safely docked in this impressive picture from NASA TV The International Space Station, with its 11 crew safely aboard, is seen in silhouette as it travels at about five miles per second The crew was in the pre-sleep period following a long day when Gilles voice was heard over the radio with a warning of a possible impact. Lt. Col. Erin Dick, US Space Command Spokesperson told DailyMail.com in an email: 'Friday, as the Crew-2 Dragon Spacecraft was heading toward the International Space Station, U.S. Space Commands 18. Space Control Squadron alerted NASA of a possible near-term conjunction between the SpaceX Crew-2 Dragon spacecraft and an unknown object. 'In accordance with standard safety procedures, NASA and SpaceX notified the crew to take appropriate measuresdonning their suits and lowering their visors until after the expected time of closest approach.' There was not time for the astronauts to perform an emergency maneuver, so the best thing they could do was put on their pressurized suits, strap in their seats and lower their protective visors in case of a collision. However, upon further analysis, the US Space Command determined it was not a threat. 'Upon further analysis, 18 SPCS quickly determined the potential conjunction between the Crew-2 capsule and the object was an inaccurate report. There was never a collision threat to the Crew-Dragon,' Dick said Monday. 'Appropriate notifications were made within minutes and the astronauts safely continued their mission. The 18 SPCS continued to track Crew-2s progress to the ISS to ensure safe arrival.' Pack up, youre moving. Your new landlord will pay for the U-Haul. They might even waive a months rent or give you a $1,000 credit. In Toronto, one property manager will sweeten the deal with a stocked wine fridge. In Montreal, one property manager is offering potential tenants two rent-free months, plus a paid-for tandem skydive experience; If students sign a lease by the end of April, they get a free microwave or a pair of AirPods. Pack up, youre moving. Your new landlord will pay for the U-Haul. They might even waive a months rent or give you a $1,000 credit. In Toronto, one property manager will sweeten the deal with a stocked wine fridge. In Montreal, one property manager is offering potential tenants two rent-free months, plus a paid-for "tandem skydive" experience; If students sign a lease by the end of April, they get a free microwave or a pair of AirPods. Anything it takes to fill a unit. With a high supply of available rental units, low migration, an increasingly appealing housing market with historically low mortgage rates, a renting public more aware than ever of the virtues of savings, and a general desire for more space amid the pandemic, landlords are hoping incentives will sweeten the pot and get tenants to sign on the dotted line. "Right now, theres a lot more supply than there is demand," said Paul Danison, the content director for Rentals.ca, where property managers across the country are more frequently and aggressively highlighting their incentives. "And these landlords are trying to compete for the best tenants." In Winnipeg, where the vacancy rate is nearing four per cent, renters may not get helicopter rides or bottles of sauvignon blanc when they move in, but a cursory search of listings on Kijiji and other rental sites shows a growing list of more traditional incentives like paid moving costs and bonuses. To move into a two-bedroom suite at The Onyx on Pembina, first open to occupancy in February 2020, Ironclad Properties is offering one month of free rent, a $500 gift card to Amazon, $500 in credit for the on-site car wash, and $250 in credit for the buildings Starbucks kiosk. "The incentives weve put into place are really to provide awareness and get the Ironclad name out there," said director of marketing and communications Tamara Soroka, who said incentives were being offered before the pandemic at Ironclad properties. "Weve found success with them for sure. The incentives are definitely a draw." Its hard to work with a program that is not overly well-designed, said Avrom Charach, a vice-president at Kay Four Properties. (John Woods / Winniepg Free Press files) The building is already laden with other perks a theatre, games room, rooftop barbecue, steam rooms but in the current market, mid- to upscale properties like it are utilizing incentives to draw attention to existing amenities and stand out from the competition. At its St. Vital Villa apartment building on Beliveau Road, Marwest Management Canada Ltd. is offering new applicants $500 off the first months rent if they move in before May 1. In Fort Richmond, the Polo Club apartments are offering $1,000 Visa cards for successful applicants to select suites. The competition between a large number of property managers over a small number of interested renters means such extras could be the difference between a suite sitting empty for months or filling up in a matter of weeks. "Do the incentives work?" Danison asked. "I dont know for sure. But I know we see these units move, and my assumption is that they wouldnt be offered if they werent successful." Avrom Charach, the spokesperson for the Professional Property Managers Association of Manitoba, said in conversations with landlords around the city and province, hes heard that the incentives do in fact make a difference. "In the last two to three days, Ive spoken with five or six other companies, and every one is either offering or just finished offering an incentive program," said Charach, a senior manager with Kay Four Properties Inc., which recently ran a cash-back incentive program for their properties as well. "Incentives arent as crazy here as in other jurisdictions, but there are certainly incentives," he said. If rents for competing properties are nearly identical, what will sway a tenant? "Maybe, that free moving van." "(Incentives) get people in the door, and then you show them what you can offer as a property manager," he added. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Onyx on Pembina, where Ironclad Properties is offering incentives that include one month free rent, Amazon gift cards, $500 in credit for the on-site car wash, and $250 in credit for the buildings Starbucks kiosk to attract renters. While COVID has incentivized incentivizing, Charach said move-in bonuses and perks predate the pandemic, and the market was headed in this direction before as well. For much of the 1990s and 2000s, Charach said, vacancy rates here were in the range of one per cent, a rate stabilized by a lack of new housing starts in the rental market. By 2018, vacancy reached 2.9 per cent. As of October 2020, the local vacancy rate was at 3.8 per cent, up from 3.1 per cent in 2019. At one per cent, the market favours the property manager: with fewer units up for grabs, those available units garner significantly more attention from applicants not much need for incentives at that point. As that percentage ticks upward, the market moves toward an equilibrium point. But above three per cent, the scales start to tip, and units that may have once essentially leased themselves by virtue of their availability need at times to make their case more appealing through cash and moving trucks. Charach said this is especially the case with more expensive properties, as that clientele could also afford to buy. "You have to figure out how to attract someone who says, Couldnt I buy a condo?" he said. "You have to incentivize more at the top end than the bottom." In Winnipeg, the top is growing faster than the bottom: the Canada Mortgage Housing Corp.s most recent rental market report said over the past two years, 2,465 rental apartment units were added in Winnipeg, with an average rent of $1,576. "This rent would be affordable to individuals with a before-tax income of $63,000," the reports author wrote too expensive for over two-thirds of renter households in the city. And as rents increase, so too does the likelihood that the units are vacant. The CMHC calculated that units in Winnipeg deemed "affordable" with rents costing 30 per cent of monthly income for those making less than $25,000 per year had a vacancy rate just under three per cent. For units deemed "affordable" for those with an annual income of $80,000 or more, the vacancy rate neared 14 per cent. This parallel suggests higher demand for more affordable units than for new high-end apartment units, which have to compete with a strong market for rental condominiums and home ownership. Thus, wine fridges and skydiving, or moving vans and free months rent, become ever-important tools for property managers angling to fill empty units. "There are some asterisks they might not pay for a U-Haul from another country," Danison said. "But I think it shows landlords really are wanting the best tenants." Charach said incentives give property managers an edge, a conversation starter, and an opportunity to show renters what else quality living spaces, long-term stability, amenities, security, a proven track record in business they have to offer. "Dont let an incentive be the only reason you rent," Charach said. "People have to be astute customers." ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca Flash back to May 2009, the Billionaires held a meeting behind closed doors at the home of the president of The Rockefeller University in Manhattan. This Secret Gathering was sponsored by Bill Gates. They called themselves The Good Club. Among the participants were the late David Rockefeller, Warren Buffett, George Soros, Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey and many more. The Secret Gathering was reported by the Sunday Times. as well as the Guardian. The fact that they pulled this off, meeting in the middle of New York City, is just absolutely amazing, said Niall ODowd, an Irish journalist who broke the story on the website irishcentral.com. According to media reports, The Good Club focus was on the philanthropic mandate of the billionaires, using their money in support of poverty alleviation and overpopulation. It is important to note that the Good Club meeting in NYC was held at the height of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic which turned out to be a scam. No doubt, the H1N1 pandemic was an object of discussion by the Good Club. Barely a few weeks prior to this secret gathering, Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College, London who at the time was advising the WHO, stated with authority that 40 per cent of people in the UK could be infected [with H1N1] within the next six months if the country was hit by a pandemic. This is the same Niel Ferguson (generously supported by the Gates Foundation) who designed the coronavirus Lockdown Model which resulted in mass unemployment, poverty and the closure of 190 national economies as a means to combating COVID-19. The media reports on the May 5, 2009 secret gathering focussed on the commitment of The Good Club to slowing down the growth of the Worlds population. Was an absolute reduction in World population contemplated at this meetings, i.e. as a means to reducing Overpopulation? In this regard, Bill Gates in his February 2010 TED presentation pertaining to vaccination, confirmed the following; And if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that [the world population] by 10 or 15 percent. According to Gates statement, this would represent an absolute reduction of the Worlds population of the order 680 million to 1.02 billion. (See quotation on Video starting at 04.21. See also screenshot of Transcript of quotation) TED Talk at 04:21: The Good Club Then and Now The same group of billionaires who met at the May 2009 secret venue, have been actively involved from the outset in designing the coronavirus lockdown policies applied Worldwide. They are also the architects of the World Economic Forums Great Reset. Below is the complete text of the Sunday Times article (May 24, 2009) (emphasis added) Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, April 25, 2021 **** Billionaire Club in Bid to Curb Overpopulation by John Harlow, Sunday Times, May 24, 2009 *** SOME of Americas leading billionaires have met secretly to consider how their wealth could be used to slow the growth of the worlds population and speed up improvements in health and education. The philanthropists who attended a summit convened on the initiative of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, discussed joining forces to overcome political and religious obstacles to change. Described as the Good Club by one insider it included David Rockefeller Jr, the patriarch of Americas wealthiest dynasty, Warren Buffett and George Soros, the financiers, Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, and the media moguls Ted Turner and Oprah Winfrey. These members, along with Gates, have given away more than 45 billion since 1996 to causes ranging from health programmes in developing countries to ghetto schools nearer to home. They gathered at the home of Sir Paul Nurse, a British Nobel prize biochemist and president of the private Rockefeller University, in Manhattan on May 5. The informal afternoon session was so discreet that some of the billionaires aides were told they were at security briefings. Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, said the summit was unprecedented. We only learnt about it afterwards, by accident. Normally these people are happy to talk good causes, but this is different maybe because they dont want to be seen as a global cabal, he said. Some details were emerging this weekend, however. The billionaires were each given 15 minutes to present their favourite cause. Over dinner they discussed how they might settle on an umbrella cause that could harness their interests. The issues debated included reforming the supervision of overseas aid spending to setting up rural schools and water systems in developing countries. Taking their cue from Gates they agreed that overpopulation was a priority. This could result in a challenge to some Third World politicians who believe contraception and female education weaken traditional values. Gates, 53, who is giving away most of his fortune, argued that healthier families, freed from malaria and extreme poverty, would change their habits and have fewer children within half a generation. At a conference in Long Beach, California, last February, he had made similar points. Official projections say the worlds population will peak at 9.3 billion [up from 6.6 billion today] but with charitable initiatives, such as better reproductive healthcare, we think we can cap that at 8.3 billion, Gates said then. Patricia Stonesifer, former chief executive of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which gives more than 2 billion a year to good causes, attended the Rockefeller summit. She said the billionaires met to discuss how to increase giving and they intended to continue the dialogue over the next few months. Another guest said there was nothing as crude as a vote but a consensus emerged that they would back a strategy in which population growth would be tackled as a potentially disastrous environmental, social and industrial threat. This is something so nightmarish that everyone in this group agreed it needs big-brain answers, said the guest. They need to be independent of government agencies, which are unable to head off the disaster we all see looming. Why all the secrecy? They wanted to speak rich to rich without worrying anything they said would end up in the newspapers, painting them as an alternative world government, he said. In what officials said was not a surprising development, more than 5 million people nationwide did not show up for their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC said 88% of people came back for their second doses within the recommended three or four week interval. But 8.6% of people who received their first COVID vaccine dose but had not shown up for their second shot were still within the six-week allowable timeframe, it said. In New Jersey, the rate of compliance is slightly better than the national average, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said at the states coronavirus briefing on Monday. Persichilli said 91% of New Jerseyans who received a first dose came back for their second dose at the recommended three or four week interval. And 93% of people got their second shots within six weeks of getting the first, she said. The commissioner said there are many reasons why someone may have missed a second vaccine appointment, including being out of state or being in the hospital unexpectedly. Vaccine hesitancy, there is an element of that and we encourage people to seek out guidance from health care professionals, call the call center and try to talk it through, Persichilli said. Its so important that you fulfill all the vaccine regiment. Medical experts say its important to get the second dose even though the first will give you some protection. A recent study conducted in Scotland and published in the Lancet said the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine was 91% effective against hospitalization for about a month. A second study of 375,000 people in the United Kingdom said that both the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines lowered symptomatic infections by 72%. And last month, a CDC study of health care workers found one dose of Pfizer or Moderna was 80% effective in preventing infections. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser, said in a CNN interview on Sunday that he wasnt surprised some people were missing their second doses Obviously whenever you have a two-dose vaccine, youre going to see people who for one reason or other convenience, forgetting, a number of other things just dont show up for the second vaccine, Fauci said. But theres also vaccine hesitancy among some populations, something that was spotlighted after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on pause because of rare reports of serious blood clots. Four in 10 Americans in a recent CBS News poll said they would not get any COVID vaccine or they werent sure. Of those who said no, more than half said it was because Its still too untested/Im waiting to see what happens, while 40% said they were worried about side effects or allergies. Thirty percent said they were concerned about problems with the vaccines. If you missed your appointment and even if youre outside of the 21-day window or 28-day window, you can go as long as six weeks between doses, Persichilli said. You should contact the place where you received your first dose for a new appointment or you can call the vaccine call center at (855) 568-0545 for help with a second appointment, she said. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Burma Illegal Rare Earth Mines on China Border Multiply Since Myanmars Coup Rare earth mining in Pangwa Township, Kachin State, in 2019. / Myitkyina Journal Illegal rare earth mining has surged in northern Kachin State on the Chinese border following Myanmars Feb. 1 coup in areas controlled by a junta-sponsored militia. Environmental groups say mining has increased at least five times in Pangwa and Chipwi townships amid Myanmars political turmoil, with a rapid influx of Chinese workers. Before the coup, we only saw one or two trucks per day. Now there is no proper inspection we are seeing 10 to 15, an activist in Chipwi told The Irrawaddy. He said the trucks are loaded with ammonium sulphate fertilizer bags filled at illegal mines. The Chinese authorities have tightened border security for imports from Myanmar due to COVID-19. But materials for the mining move across the border easily, he added. Myanmar is Chinas largest rare earth source, accounting for over half of its supplies. In 2016, Chinese mining companies entered Pangwa looking for rare earth as Beijing cracked down on illegal mining within China. According to Chinese customs data, China is heavily dependent on medium and heavy rare earth from Myanmar. Myanmar became Chinas largest importer in 2018. In 2020, rare earth imports from Myanmar rose by 23 percent year on year to around 35,500 tons, accounting for 74 percent of imports, according to the Global Times government mouthpiece. Ja Hkaw Lu of the Transparency and Accountability Network Kachin (TANK) told The Irrawaddy: Under the civilian government, if we complained about illegal rare earth mining, officials immediately visited and investigated. [Illegal miners] stayed away but now it is totally out of control. She added: Currently, vehicles carrying heavy rare earth leave day and night. The situation is getting worse. There has been an influx of Chinese miners. Heavy rare earth from Kachin State is exported to China for refining and processing and then sold around the globe, according to environmental protection groups. According to TANK, around 10 rare earth mines have opened near the border in Zam Nau, which is controlled by the military-affiliated New Democratic Army Kachin (NDAK). Kachin environmental groups estimate that there are over 100 rare earth mines in Pangwa and Chipwe townships controlled by the militia and Chinese investors. The Chinese media has reported that some Chinese companies are facing rising logistical costs exporting rare earth from Myanmar since the military takeover. But Chinese buyers have not seen any significant decline in imports since the coup, the Chinese media reported. According to the Kachin State Mining Department, only the union administration can give permission for rare earth mining in Pangwa and Chipwi. The department said it found several illegal mines and Chinese workers in 2019 and 2020 after a series of inspections. The department has said the involvement of armed groups makes regulating the industry challenging. Brang Awng of the Kachin State Working Conservation Group told The Irrawaddy that the mines cause environmental destruction, polluting waterways and groundwater. Illegal digging is on the rampage since there are no checks by government officials since the military coup. More digging will further damage the environment, he said. The group said more than 20 villages were suffering from polluted soil and water from rare earth mining. In 2020 and 2019, the Chipwe river twice turned red due to mining waste, according to environmental groups. You may also like these stories: Aseans Next Move in Myanmar ASEAN Leaders Urge Myanmar Coup Chief to End Violence, Allow Special Envoy, Aid Regional Myanmar Protest Leader Appears in Court on Widely Derided Murder Charge Kim Kardashian and CNN reporter Van Jones are at the center of dating rumors, just two months after she filed for divorce from her estranged husband Kanye West. While the pair have been pals for years, fans speculate their friendship may have turned romantic during her four-year law apprenticeship with his Oakland-based nonpartisan organization, #cut50. Sources close to Kardashian, however, are shooting down speculation of a romance, saying the pair have a long working relationship together and a shared interest in criminal justice reform. More than friends? Kim Kardashian and CNN reporter Van Jones are continuing to fuel dating rumors, just two months after she filed for divorce from her estranged husband Kanye West; seen in 2018 On Sunday, New York Post columnist Cindy Adams expanded on the rumors as she noted he is 'so left,' he 'maybe even influenced her politics.' 'I will not wait while everybody tells me I dont know what Im talking about,' she went on. Twitter users are divided by the idea of them as a couple, with many accusing Kardashian of 'using' Jones to 'further her law career.' 'People are gonna look at Kim as using Kanye to advance her in the fashion world and using Van Jones to help advance her into her next career field in law,' fired one fan. Working relationship: While the pair have been pals for years, fans speculate their friendship may have turned romantic as she during her four-year law apprenticeship with his Oakland-based nonpartisan organization, #cut50; seen in 2018 Changing the world: In 2018, Kardashian and Jones worked closely together to sucessfully pardon Alice Johnson from a life sentence stemming from a 1996 conviction on nonviolent drug charges WHO IS VAN JONES? Van Jones is a news commentator, lawyer and New York Times-bestselling author. He is a political commentator for CNN hosts of co-hosts a number shows like Crossfire, The Van Jones show and The Redemption Project with Van Jones. Van has written three books, Beyond the Messy Truth, Rebuild the Dream, and The Green Collar Economy. He also served as a Special Adviser for President Barack Obama's Green Jobs project in 2009. Van is also CEO of the REFORM Alliance, which was set up by Jay-Z and Meek Mill to help make changes to the Criminal Justice system. He has also founded non-profit organisations like the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and the Dream Corps. Advertisement Another wrote: 'If Kim Kardashian marries Van Jones Im no longer doing this whole life thing. That will be simply too much for me.' In 2018, Kardashian and Jones worked together to successfully get Alice Johnson pardoned from a life sentence stemming from a 1996 conviction on nonviolent drug charges. Jones recently ended a long marriage to his wife of 14 years, Jana Carter, in 2019. Amid the KKW Beauty's divorce, she has been reportedly been pursued by royals, billionaires and A-lister suitors. 'People are reaching out through mutual friends and people that she's worked with to set her up with everyone from royal family members to A-list actors to athletes to billionaire CEOs,' a source told Page Six. The insider added: 'People are also trying to reach out to her via DM.' Although the source added that Kim is 'not looking for anyone right now', they continued: 'She's not looking to jump into anything but is keeping an open mind.' It comes after it was recently reported that Kanye is looking to date an 'artist and creative person' once their divorce is made final. Elsewhere it has also been claimed that Kim and Kanye have managed to keep 'things calm' during their ongoing divorce. The duo are said to be 'getting along' during proceedings with the mother-of-four reportedly 'happier week-by-week' since their split. A source told People: 'Kim and Kanye are getting along. They have both stayed true to their commitment to make the best situation for the kids.' Split: The KUWTK star filed for divorce from Kanye West on February 19 following a six-year-plus marriage, asking for joint custody of their four kids (pictured in 2019) Powered flight in animals -that uses flapping wings to generate thrust- is a very energetically demanding mode of locomotion that requires many anatomical and physiological adaptations. In fact, the capability to develop it has only appeared four times in the evolutionary history of animals: on insects, pterosaurs, birds and bats. A research paper published in 2020 in the scientific journal Current Biology concluded that, apart from birds -the only living descendants of dinosaurs-, powered flight would have originated independently in other three groups of dinosaurs. A conclusion that makes a great impact, as it increases the number of vertebrates that would have developed this costly mode of locomotion, which, among dinosaurs, would no longer be an exclusive capability of birds. The scientist of the Department of Ecology and Geology of the University of Malaga Francisco Serrano Alarcon has recently published an article in the same journal, questioning the idea that powered flight appeared multiple times among dinosaurs. The researcher of the UMA, member of the Dinosaur Institute (NHMLAC) of Los Angeles, refutes such conclusion in the absence of scientific evidence. As he remarks, the parameters used by the authors to determine flight capability do not allow differentiation between powered flight and passive flight, the latter being frequent in many more animal groups. This new study, which he conducted along with the paleontologist Luis M. Chiappe, Vice-President for Research and Collections of the NHMLAC, compares the parameters measured on present animals with powered flight capability, such as birds and bats, and gliding animals, for example, flying squirrels or flying reptiles, among others. Moreover, they added new data on the capability to generate energy from muscles in addition to the data considered in the original study. "Birds are a group of dinosaurs of which we have discovered 150-million-year-old fossils with fully developed wings. Among their closest non-avialan relatives, we have also found fossils with sufficiently developed wings that could provide them with some aerodynamic benefit, whether to glide between trees or get thrust to climb and jump over obstacles. But this does not mean that they could take off by flapping their wings or maintain a powered flight", explains Francisco Serrano. In short, both authors conclude that, although they cannot discount the possibility that powered flight appeared in other non-avialan dinosaurs, current evidence does not support the hypothesis suggested in the original paper by Pei et al (2020). ### Reference: FJ Serrano, LM Chiappe. 2021. Independent origins for powered flight in paravian dinosaurs? Current Biology 31, R370-R372. He graduated from Northwestern University at a time that they did not allow Blacks to stay on campus, so he stayed at the YMCA, Neal said in her speech. And after all of his accomplishments he went back to his hometown (Rock Island, Illinois) in hopes of becoming a teacher. But they did not hire Blacks in the school system. TORONTO, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Orford Mining Corporation ("Orford") (TSXV: ORM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. John McCluskey to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. McCluskey brings significant gold-focused management experience to the Orford Board. John McCluskey is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Alamos Gold Inc. and has held this position since 2003, when he co-founded the Company with mining hall of famer Chester Millar. Mr. McCluskey was formerly a Director of the World Gold Council and is currently an Alternative Director. Mr. McCluskey was the recipient of the 2018 Murray Pezim Award for Perseverance and Success in Financing Mineral Exploration by the British Columbia Association for Mineral Exploration. This award recognized Mr. McCluskey's role in the acquisition, financing, and encouragement of successive discoveries at Mulatos, as well as his ongoing success as CEO of Alamos. Mr. McCluskey was also named Ontario's 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year, based on a judging panel's assessment of financial performance, vision, leadership, innovation, personal integrity and influence, social responsibility, and entrepreneurial spirit. Orford Announces Appointment of John McCluskey to its Board of Directors (CNW Group/Orford Mining Corporation) David Christie, CEO, President and Director of Orford, commented " We are very pleased to welcome John McCluskey to the Board. John has been a big supporter of Orford's strategy for a number of years and having him join the team is a strong endorsement of the potential of Orford's exploration properties. John has successfully built a mid-tier gold mining company through perseverance and support of solid exploration and mine building. His experience will be invaluable as we work to continue to unlock the potential at Orford's properties. We look forward to his contributions as we enter a very exciting period for exploration work being planned for 2021 at our projects." About Orford Mining Corporation Orford Mining is a gold explorer focused on highly prospective and underexplored areas of Northern Quebec. Story continues Orford's assets in the Nunavik region of Northern Quebec include the Qiqavik and West Raglan projects comprising a land package totaling over 105,000 hectares in the Cape Smith Belt of Northern Quebec. The Qiqavik Project hosts several new high-grade gold discoveries along a mineralized trend in excess of 40 km. The West Raglan project hosts a number of high-grade Raglan-style nickel/copper/platinum group metal discoveries along a 55 km mineralized trend. In January 2021, Orford entered into an earn-in agreement whereby Wyloo Metals can earn up to 80% of the West Raglan Project for total expenditures of $25.0 million over 7 years. In 2020, Orford acquired three new property positions (Over 20,000ha) in the Joutel region of the Abitibi district of northern Quebec, which hosts historical deposits such as the Eagle/Telbel, Joutel Copper, Poirier Copper, and Vezza deposits. This information from neighbouring properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on Orford Mining's properties. Orford continually seeks new gold exploration opportunities in North America. Orford's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ORM. To view further details about the Orford's exploration projects please visit Orford's website, www.orfordmining.com. Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains "forward-looking information" including without limitation statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of Orford and potential of one or more of the Qiqavik, and West Raglan, properties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Orford to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Orford's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Orford has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Orford disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. SOURCE Orford Mining Corporation Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2021/26/c5023.html For full access, please log in, register your subscription or subscribe. Try for 99 a month for two months, cancel or pause anytime. "Completely redesigned for 2021, the Stromer ST2 e-bike replaces the previous model by forging new paths in terms of features and technology," said Dan Delehanty, General Manager, North America at Stromer. "The first Stromer bike with a Gates Carbon Drive Belt, the ST2 combines the best in power, range, design, digital connectivity, comfort, and safety. Whether you work in an office or remotely, the ST2 delivers a premium riding experience for your commute or recreational outings. The low-maintenance equipment is ideal for daily activities, whatever they may consist of in today's new normal." Features of the new Stromer ST2 S-Pedelec e-bike include: Powerful and comfortable travel 750-watt rear-wheel CYRO motor accelerates up to approximately 28 mph Virtually silent cruising due to the Gates Carbon Drive Belt Carbon belt is durable, free from oil and low maintenance 5-speed hub gear with grip shift twist shifters that can be shifted both while driving or standing still Large-volume 27.5 inch tires provide high directional stability Suspension fork and suspension seatpost can be configured as factory options for additional riding comfort 618Wh battery with range of up to 75 miles, which can be optionally expanded to over 100 miles Independent design and smart technology The ST2 offers safety and comfort through digital connectivity, helping to make any rider feel more at ease once they reach their destination. Low-beam and high-beam headlight, rear light with brake light, and an LED daylight running light, newly integrated into the head tube Integrated touchscreen display in the head tube displays current speed, battery level, bike location, and more Free, cloud-based Stromer OMNI Connect platform that works over the ST2's touch display and the smartphone app Offers triple anti-theft protections, GPS localization, Smartlock, over-the-air updates and ride statistics with 3G and Bluetooth connectivity Removable keyless battery Availability & Pricing The Stromer ST2 is available now from authorized dealers in the U.S. and Canada in royal blue and dark gray. Starting at $5,699, the bike is available in two frame designs and multiple sizes and can be adapted for individual needs through various factory options. To find a dealer near you, visit www.StromerBike.com. About Stromer For the Swiss brand Stromer, "Swissness" is a promise of quality, design, reliability and respect for the environment. This approach has helped Stromer become the market leader in the e-bike sector in eight countries. Innovative components, smart connectivity and a unique design make all models an efficient, exciting and high-quality way of getting from A to B. Making bikes for people who want to get things done and who also enjoy being on the go themselves. Stromer Drive the difference: Instead of passively waiting for time to pass in the car or on public transportation, riders use their commute for enjoying errands, fitness and reducing stress, thereby turning this supposed wasted time into quality time. Media Contact Laci Warden The Brand Amp [email protected] SOURCE Stromer Related Links http://www.StromerBike.com The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now listed below Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex, as well as the Princess Royal and the Duke of York on the official royal site. The Prince of Wales' growing role as an active heir preparing to ascend to the throne is reflected in his own promotion to the top of the 'Royal Family' section. The Queen has been removed from the section and is instead featured higher on the page. Despite the reshuffle, the website still claims the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be 'balancing their time' between the UK and the US. It comes as Prince Edward and his wife the Countess of Wessex took part in their first major interview since their marriage in 1999. The couple shared a laugh over Harry and Meghan's controversial Oprah interview as they insisted the royals remain a family 'no matter what happens'. It was recently revealed Sophie is one of four loyal, discreet and 'utterly trustworthy' women of the Queen's inner circle who are offering crucial support as she faces life without her beloved Prince Philip, who died on April 9, aged 99. Sicilia DOC, one of Italy's largest and most respected wine producing denominations, has announced the launch of the 2021 edition of the Wines of Sicilia DOC integrated communications program for the United States. To handle the strategic implementation of the program, Sicilia DOC has retained incumbent agency, Current Global, and added Colangelo & Partners as its agencies of record. The Wines of Sicilia DOC program will continue to engage open-minded Millennial wine and food lovers and, in 2021, add focus to wine industry influencers through a combination of trade and consumer activities split between the two agencies. A partner since 2015, Current Global leads consumer focused integrated media relations including earned media, social media, influencer engagement, paid media, e-commerce and strategic partnerships, with Colangelo & Partners handling trade media relations, press trips, and virtual events for the wine trade. We started to invest in the United States in 2015 and since then we've continued to grow the investment. The US is a critical export market for Sicilian wines with great potential, says Antonio Rallo, President of the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Sicilia DOC. The US is the largest importer of Italian wines in the world and continues to grow despite the pandemic. Our producers are lowering yields per acre and focusing increasingly on the unique characteristics of each of our wine growing sub-regions, continued Mr. Rallo. We're producing very high quality wines with great expressions of freshness, structure, elegance and aroma. So now it's time to accelerate the promotion of these great wines to American wine lovers. In 2021, Sicilia DOC will focus on two different but complementary audiences: the wine-loving consumer and the wine trade. The campaign will communicate the high quality and typicity of Sicilian wines, which are sustainable by nature. Sicily produces contemporary wines from an ancient culture that are versatile and can accompany diverse international cuisines. Whether enjoying together in-person or sharing a glass over a virtual chat, wine lovers can appreciate the qualities that Sicilian wines unfailingly deliver. Mr. Rallo concluded, We're very confident that Current Global and Colangelo & Partners will be a great team, each focusing on their respective specializations in order to help Sicilia DOC achieve our goals. Sicily is an island in the Mediterranean with a renowned winemaking history stretching back over 3,000 years. Today, that same reputation for world-class winemaking is at the forefront of the new Sicily. Sicilian wine producers pride themselves on the custodianship of over 70 indigenous varieties, a rich diversity of soil types, and being Italys leader in sustainable and organic viticulture. Sicily is the largest organic wine-growing area in Italy with 34% of the total Italian organic vineyard area. The region also represents a crossroads to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It is truly the original melting pot and a gateway to flavor influences. Each bottle of wine bearing the designation Sicilia DOC offers a global experience, evoking a rich mosaic of culture and nature every time a glass is enjoyed. Awareness and trial of Sicilian wines continues to grow its exciting to recognize that since the Wines of Sicilia DOC marketing campaign launched in the US, bottlings have increased from 25 million in 2016 to 90 million in 2020, said Virginia Devlin, CEO of Current Global. Much of that demand is coming from North America, where people who have discovered Sicilys drinkable, affordable and unique wines are enjoying those wines more often and telling their family and friends about this unique region. Were excited to represent the great wines of Sicily to the US wine trade and honored to be part of this campaign with Current Global, adds Gino Colangelo, president of Colangelo & Partners. We look forward to building a platform with the wine trade that will contribute to the growth of Sicilian wine consumption in the US and Canada for years to come. For more information, visit the Wines of Sicilia DOC website or follow Wines of Sicilia DOC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. About DOC Sicilia Consorzio di Tutela Vini DOC Sicilia, recognized by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, aims to strengthen the identity of Sicilian wines, while improving their quality, image and market position. The DOC Sicilia designation introduced in November 2011 includes lower maximum yields per hectare compared with the former IGT regulations. This way, winegrowers aim is quality improvement of their wines in spite of production yields. One of the primary objectives of the consortium is to take the name and brand of the DOC throughout Italy and all over the world. For further information, please visit Wines of Sicily. About Current Global - http://www.currentglobal.com Current Global is part of IPGs (NYSE: IPG) DXTRA unit and its portfolio of public relations and communications firms. A midsized global agency with a full-service offering, our team of inquisitive, insightful, and imaginative people mix scientific rigor with creativity to get to the very core of how communications can drive outcomes. Our heritage is a deep understanding of earned media, but we are equally adept at developing integrated campaigns that encompass paid, owned, and social. Discover how we help clients Own the Moment at http://www.currentglobal.com. About Colangelo & Partners - http://www.colangelopr.com Colangelo & Partners is the leading fine wine and spirits integrated communications agency in the United States, sought after by top brands and industry players for the quality of their results, creativity, and return on investment. The professionals at Colangelo & Partners work with integrity and passion to influence how US audiences perceive their clients: Earning consistent, high-quality positive media coverage; organizing signature events; strategizing and executing standout digital campaigns; and implementing trade programs that strengthen relationships within the industry. Colangelo & Partners' clientele includes global, instantly-recognizable brands and passionate, up-and-coming vignerons and distillers; regional and national institutions; and technology and e-commerce companies innovating in the beverage alcohol sector. Here is a timeline of the key events since Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison in Iran. April 3 2016: The mother-of-one is detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Imam Khomeini airport after a holiday visit to Iran where she showed her daughter Gabriella to her parents. July 12 2016: Richard Ratcliffe, her husband, delivers letters to Downing Street for outgoing prime minister David Cameron and his replacement Theresa May on his wifes 100th day in custody. He says it is astonishing no British minister has publicly criticised Tehran for arresting Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. August 9 2016: New prime minister Mrs May raised concerns about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe during a phone call with president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani. September 9 2016: Mr Ratcliffe says his wife has been jailed for five years following a conviction on unspecified national security-related offences a sentence he describes as a punishment without a crime. November 13 2016: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe begins a hunger strike, which she ends after five days amid her familys fears for her health. January 2 2017: Mr Ratcliffe says Mrs May and her ministers could have publicly stood up for Nazanin more and should have called for her release. Mr Ratcliffe said: She raised those concerns in September. What happened after September? Nothing much, really. Richard Ratcliffe (Stefan Rousseau/PA) April 24 2017: The family of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe say she has lost the final stage of her appeal against the sentence. November 6 2017: It is feared Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe may face a further period of imprisonment because of remarks made by then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson told a parliamentary committee the previous week that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was working in Tehran training journalists at the time of her arrest in 2016. Four days later, she was summoned before an unscheduled court hearing, where the foreign secretarys comments were cited as proof that she was engaged in propaganda against the regime. November 7 2017: It is announced that Mr Johnson told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call that his comments to a Commons committee provide no justifiable basis for further legal action against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. A Foreign Office spokesman says Mr Johnson now accepts that he could have been clearer when he told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the British woman had been training journalists in Iran at the time of her arrest. Jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella (Family handout) November 12 2017: Mr Ratcliffe says his wife has seen a medical specialist after finding lumps on her breasts and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. November 15 2017: Mr Ratcliffe describes an hour-long meeting with Mr Johnson as positive and constructive. December 12 2017: Mr Johnson said he and his Iranian counterpart spoke frankly regarding the case of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, during talks in Tehran. Later in December 2017: Mr Ratcliffe said he believes there is still a chance his wife may be released in time for a dream Christmas together. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. December 28 2017: Mr Ratcliffe says he is in limbo waiting for news of his wifes release but has not given up hope, and describes the situation as a lot more positive than last year. April 14 2018: Iranian ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, says the Iranian government is doing its best to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes release, saying the judicial process was complicated but insisted we are trying our best. May 21 2018: Mr Ratcliffe says his wife has been told to expect another conviction after appearing in court over a new invented charge. August 3 2018: New foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt pledges to do everything possible to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes release, after talks with Mr Ratcliffe. August 21 2018: Mr Hunt says he is considering a request by Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes husband to grant her diplomatic protection. August 23 2018: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is given temporary release from prison for three days and her husband says it feels like home is one step closer. She returns to prison three days later. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her daughter Gabriella during her temporary release from prison in Iran (Family handout) September 26 2018: Mrs May and Mr Hunt ramp up pressure on Iran to release the charity worker during talks in New York. The PM tells Iranian president Hassan Rouhani she has serious concerns about the jailing of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. December 26, 2018: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe turns 40 in jail. Three days later, she marks her 1,000th day of incarceration. January 14 2019: She begins a hunger strike in protest over her treatment in jail. The action ends after three days. January 24 2019: Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif raises hope of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes return to the UK by suggesting she could be freed in exchange for an Iranian woman held in Australia on a US extradition request. The minister subsequently backs away from his comments. June 15 2019: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe begins another hunger strike, this time lasting 15 days. She is joined, in a show of solidarity, by her husband, who strikes outside the Iranian Embassy in London. June 24 2019: Mr Johnson, who came under fire as foreign secretary for his comments about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes case in 2017, becomes Prime Minister. Dominic Raab replaces Mr Hunt as Foreign Secretary. September 23 2019: Mr Ratcliffe says Mr Johnson can make amends for his failings in his incarcerated wifes case by telling Irans president enough is enough and securing her release. October 10 2019: The couples daughter, Gabriella, returns to the UK after more than three years living in the Middle East. The child, who is now five years old, had been living with her grandparents in Tehran since her mother was arrested. Her father says: It has been a long journey to have her home, with bumps right until the end. Five-year-old Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her father Richard Ratcliffe (Victoria Jones/PA) December 18 2019: Mr Ratcliffe is joined by Gabriella singing Christmas carols outside Downing Street, and he called on the Prime Minister to please take responsibility for Nazanins case and do what you can to get her and others home. January 3 2020: A US air strike kills Irans top military chief, General Quassem Soleimani. Mr Ratcliffe says he is worried about his wife, and tells ITVs Good Morning Britain: I sit here partly worried for what that means for Nazanin, partly worried what that means for my in-laws, sat in their ordinary living room in Tehran where theyre all really worried. January 10 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe spends one night in a clinic after suffering palpitations and panic attacks due to the tensions in Tehran, sparked by the death of Gen Soleimani, Mr Ratcliffe says. January 23 2020: Richard Ratcliffe and their five-year-old daughter Gabriella meet the Prime Minister in Downing Street, but Mr Ratcliffe says there was no breakthrough. Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands next to her father Richard Ratcliffe (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He tells reporters: I dont think I have come away thinking Nazanin is coming out tomorrow or even next week, and I will think carefully about what I tell her on the phone on Saturday about where the hope is to come. February 23 2020: Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg tells the House: It is a particular concern that the coronavirus has been rumoured but I emphasise rumoured and not confirmed to be in the prison in Evin where Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is. February 29 2020: Mr Ratcliffe says he believes his wife has contracted coronavirus in prison as he expresses concern at the jails refusal to test her. March 3 2020: The couples Labour MP, Tulip Siddiq, says she believes Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe may be temporarily released from jail due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Iran. She tweets: News from Iranian Ambassador that my constituent Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe may be released on furlough today or tomorrow from prison in Iran. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. If this is true, Nazanin would welcome leaving Evin jail, but weve been here before. March 17 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is temporarily freed from jail. She says she is happy to be out, even with the ankle tag and can only go within 300 metres of her parents home. March 28 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes temporary prison release is extended to April 18 and Mr Ratcliffe says his wifes file has been put forward to the Iranian prosecutor general to be considered for clemency. April 21 2020: After a delay, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes prison release is extended again for around one month. Mr Ratcliffe, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, reveals that the family are able to talk via video calls for about four to five hours a day. May 20 2020: Mr Ratcliffe says his wifes release has been extended indefinitely until there is a decision on her clemency. He describes the news as a real step forwards I dont think its guaranteed one way and I dont think she thinks its guaranteed one way, but lets enjoy the moment. May 26 2020: Mr Ratcliffe says the family are on the cusp of potentially good news and thinks the family could find out about a decision on her clemency the following day. August 24 2020: Lawyers for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe ask Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for a meeting and call on the British Government to stand up to Iran over its abusive treatment. September 8 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe appears before a branch of Irans Revolutionary Court in Tehran, where she faces a new charge. March 7 2021: On the day Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes sentence is due to come to an end, her constituency MP Tulip Siddiq reveals she has had her electronic tag removed but faces a new court date. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says her treatment is intolerable and calls on Iran to allow her to return to the UK. April 26 2021: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is given an additional one-year jail term and is also banned from leaving Iran for a year. Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani says she received the second jail sentence on a charge of spreading propaganda against the system for participating in a protest in front of the Iranian Embassy in London in 2009. Mr Johnson says the decision to sentence Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe to another year in prison is cruel, inhumane and wholly unjustified. Washington: One of Europes most powerful women on Monday (Tuesday AEST) delivered a searing and specific denunciation of what she said was sexist treatment at the highest levels of global affairs - even after her title became Madame President. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that she believed that in a meeting with Turkeys leader she had been denied a chair and equal billing alongside European Council President Charles Michel because he was a man and she was a woman. Instead of a chair, von der Leyen was relegated to a lower-status sofa, across from the Turkish foreign minister whom she outranks. A video of von der Leyens surprised and clearly frustrated reaction upon seeing the seating arrangements went viral hours after the meeting. I cannot find any justification for what I was treated in the European treaties. So I have to conclude that it happened because I am a woman. Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and a tie? von der Leyen said. Turbine 5 to produce 162 MW of renewable hydropower, providing the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex and associated smelter with sustainable electricity for future expansions Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi expresses support for the Turbine 5 upgrade at Inga II Voith Hydro of Germany to be appointed as lead contractor for the Turbine 5 project Upgrading of the Mwadingusha hydropower plant is nearing completion to generate 78 MW of hydropower for the first two phases of copper production at Kamoa-Kakula Combined 240 MW output from the Mwadingusha and Inga II hydropower plants also will benefit local communities Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo--(Newsfile Corp. - April 26, 2021) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Co-Chairs Robert Friedland and Yufeng "Miles" Sun are pleased to announce that Ivanhoe Mines Energy DRC, a sister company of Kamoa Copper SA tasked with delivering reliable, clean, renewable hydropower to the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mine, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in a public-private partnership with the DRC's state-owned power company La Societe Nationale d'Electricite (SNEL) to upgrade a major turbine (#5) in the existing Inga II hydropower facility on the Congo River. His Excellency Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, commented on the significance of the public-private partnership to upgrade one of eight turbines at the Inga II hydroelectric power station to produce clean, renewable electricity to support Kamoa-Kakula's expansion plans and provide reliable electricity to local communities: "The Democratic Republic of the Congo is blessed with extraordinary hydroelectric potential. It is imperative to develop this potential because hydropower is clean, reliable and renewable. It is undoubtedly the most suitable type of electricity to support our country's long-term development priorities." "Partnerships such as the one between SNEL and Ivanhoe allow us to inject additional capacity into our electrical grid and improve the living conditions of Congolese citizens by increasing their access to electricity. At the same time, the additional power that will be generated will allow Kamoa-Kakula to beneficiate its mining products in the DRC. This will create additional revenue for the country, as well as employment opportunities for our people. As the host country and as a shareholder of Kamoa Copper, the DRC sees this local value creation as a strategic imperative," President Tshisekedi added. Ben Munanga, Chairman of Kamoa Copper, remarked: "The bilateral cooperation between Ivanhoe Mines Energy DRC and SNEL to secure reliable power for Kamoa-Kakula is a win-win partnership and underscores the importance that the DRC government places on the development of large-scale mining projects in the country." "This new power-supply agreement is an important step forward on our sustainability journey as it will provide Kamoa-Kakula with priority access to a combined 240 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity from the upgraded turbines at Mwadingusha and Inga II hydropower plants," Mr. Munanga added. Estimated 162 megawatts of hydropower expected to be generated by upgrading Inga II's turbine 5 The Inga II hydropower plant is located in the southwest of the DRC, on the Congo River. The Congo River is the deepest river in the world and the second longest after the Nile, with a flow rate second only to the Amazon's. Measured along with the Lualaba, the main tributary, the Congo River has a total length of 4,370 kilometres. It is the only major river to cross the equator twice. The Congo River is unique in that it has large rapids and waterfalls very close to the mouth while most rivers have these features upstream. The rapids and waterfalls give the Congo River huge hydropower potential. The Congo Basin covers an estimated total area of 3.7 million square kilometres, approximately 13% of the entire African landmass. Originally equipped between 1977 and 1982, Inga II has been running for approximately 40 years. Four of the eight turbines at Inga II have been refurbished. Turbine 5 is one of the remaining four that are awaiting an upgrade. An estimated output of 162 megawatts (MW) is expected to be unlocked by upgrading Inga II's turbine 5, part of which will be used to meet future power requirements of the Kamoa-Kakula Mine. The surplus power produced from the upgraded turbine will be distributed on the national power grid to increase access to electricity for the citizens of the DRC. SNEL and Ivanhoe Mines Energy DRC plan to appoint Voith Hydro of Heidenheim, Germany, a leading engineering group, as the contractor to lead the consortium of equipment manufacturers for the turbine upgrade. For more than 80 years, Voith has successfully constructed and modernized hydropower plants on the African continent, and approximately 25% of currently installed turbine capacity in Africa has been supplied by Voith. Voith also has successfully rehabilitated two turbine generators at the adjoining Inga I hydropower plant, a project that was financed by the World Bank. Detailed engineering and costing for the upgrading of Inga II's turbine 5 is ongoing. However, initial indications are that the upgrading can be accomplished at a significantly reduced cost per megawatt generated compared to the upgrading of the Mwadingusha plant. Aerial view of the Inga I (rear) and Inga II (front) hydropower plants on the Congo River. The penstock funneling water to turbine 5 at Inga II is circled in red. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_ivanhoefig1.jpg Hydropower for sustainable development Mr. Friedland said a long-term, sustainable supply of electricity is essential to Ivanhoe's vision to develop Kamoa-Kakula into one of the world's largest copper projects and doing it in an environmentally, ethically and socially responsible manner. As a sustainable source of energy, hydropower can make a significant contribution to a country's economic and social development. "Until now, a key limiting factor in expanding Kamoa-Kakula to its full potential has been the availability of sufficient power. Given the project's massive Indicated Resources of approximately 1.4 billion tonnes grading 2.7% copper, at a 1% cut-off, and the outstanding potential to find more high-grade copper, the new partnership with SNEL on Inga II gives us a clear line of sight to realizing our vision of building Kamoa-Kakula into the world's largest, high-grade, green copper mine," said Mr. Friedland. "Our first public-private partnership with SNEL - the upgrading of the Mwadingusha hydropower plant - has gone very well and we are pleased that facility will provide clean hydro-generated electricity to local communities as well as to Kamoa-Kakula for Phase 1 and Phase 2 production. The supply of reliable hydropower is critical to Kamoa-Kakula achieving its goal of becoming the world's "greenest" copper mine and be among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of copper produced. "The signing of the MOU with SNEL for the upgrade of turbine 5 at Inga II is an expedient, cost-effective way to deliver clean, reliable and renewable electricity to Kamoa-Kakula for the project's planned expansions and the project's own smelter. Our preference always has been to work with SNEL to upgrade existing hydro facilities, providing a shared benefit for as many people as possible. "We are fortunate to be operating in the DRC, which is blessed with incredible hydropower potential. Hydropower, being clean, reliable and sustainable, is the best energy solution to support our long-term development priorities as we continue to look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment, provide meaningful and long-lasting benefits to the communities in which we operate, and produce the copper the world urgently requires." The Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining Group (39.6%), Crystal River Global Limited (0.8%) and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (20%). Kamoa-Kakula's initial 3.8-Mtpa concentrator plant, energized with hydropower. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_004full.jpg Aerial view of the upgraded 78-MW Mwadingusha hydropower facility. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_005full.jpg The map on the next page shows the Inga and Mwadingusha hydropower complexes, the Inga high-voltage power line, the Kamoa-Kakula Project, the new 220-kV power line connecting Kamoa-Kakula to the national grid at Kolwezi, and the Benguela railway connecting the DRC to the Angolan port of Lobito. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_006full.jpg Kamoa-Kakula's main 220-kV substation energized with clean, renewable hydropower In December 2020, the 35-kilometre-long double circuit 220-kilovolt (kV) power line to Kamoa-Kakula was connected to the national electrical grid, providing access to the Inga-Kolwezi high-voltage direct current power line, through the New Western Dispatch substation in Kolwezi. Kamoa-Kakula's main 220-kV substation was energized with grid power on March 25, 2021. Kamoa-Kakula's main 220-kV substation, now fully energized with clean, renewable hydropower. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_007full.jpg The 220-kV power line connecting Kamoa-Kakula to the national electrical grid. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_008full.jpg On March 25, 2021, senior management from Kamoa Copper, French contracting company Cegelec, and the DRC state-owned power company SNEL, celebrated the energizing of Kamoa-Kakula's main substation. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_009full.jpg Upgrading of the 78-MW Mwadingusha hydropower plant nearing completion; new fly-over video showcases latest advancements Upgrading of the six new turbines at the Mwadingusha hydropower plant, the first public-private partnership between Ivanhoe Mines Energy DRC and SNEL, is nearing completion and is expected to soon deliver approximately 78 MW of electricity to the national electrical grid, to provide power for Kamoa-Kakula's initial two phases of production to 7.6 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). Three of the six new turbines at the Mwadingusha hydropower plant now have been synchronized to the national electrical grid, with each generating unit producing approximately 13 MW of electricity. The completion and commissioning of the hydropower plant's remaining generating units, in sequence, is in progress. Watch a short fly-over video of the upgrading of the hydropower plant and associated infrastructure: https://vimeo.com/541351071 Supervision of the upgrading work at Mwadingusha is being conducted by Stucky Ltd. of Renens, Switzerland. The advance payments made by Ivanhoe Mines Energy DRC to fund the upgrading work will be recovered by Kamoa-Kakula through a retention of a percentage on monthly electricity consumption bills. The Mwadingusha hydro dam, upstream from the hydropower building. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_010full.jpg The hydropower building at Mwadingusha and the green penstocks that funnel water from the dam to drive the six new turbines. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_011full.jpg Inside the Mwadingusha hydropower building, with three generating units (1, 2 & 3 in the background) fully assembled and operating. Assembly of units 4 & 6 is nearing completion, and casting for unit 5 (in the foreground) is underway. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/81691_14fb630884bd28c4_012full.jpg About Ivanhoe Mines Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal joint-venture projects in Southern Africa: the development of major new, mechanized, underground mines at the Kamoa-Kakula copper discoveries in the DRC and at the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold discovery in South Africa; and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC. Kamoa-Kakula is expected to soon begin producing copper and, through phased expansions, is positioned to become one of the world's largest copper producers. Kamoa-Kakula and Kipushi will be powered by clean, renewable hydro-generated electricity and will be among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of metal produced. Ivanhoe also is exploring for new copper discoveries on its wholly-owned Western Foreland exploration licences in the DRC, near the Kamoa-Kakula Project. Information contacts Investors: Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834 / Media: Matthew Keevil +1.604.558.1034 Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release. Such statements include without limitation, the timing and results of: (i) statements regarding the upgraded turbine 5 is expected to produce 162 MW of clean, renewable hydropower, providing the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mine with sufficient, sustainable electricity for future expansions, including its own copper smelter; (ii) statements regarding the plan to appoint Voith Hydro of Germany as lead contractor for the upgrading of the turbine; and (iii) statements regarding upgrading of the Mwadingusha hydropower plant will generate approximately 78 MW of hydropower for the first two phases of production at Kamoa-Kakula; (iv) statements regarding the new power-supply agreement is an important step forward on our sustainability journey as it will provide Kamoa-Kakula with priority access to a combined 240 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity from the upgraded turbines at Mwadingusha and Inga II hydropower plants; (v) statements regarding initial indications are that the upgrading of turbine 5 at Inga II can be accomplished at a significantly reduced cost per megawatt generated compared to the upgrading of the Mwadingusha plant; and (vi) statements regarding given the Kamoa-Kakula project's massive Indicated Resources of approximately 1.4 billion tonnes grading 2.7% copper, at a 1% cut-off, and the outstanding potential to find more high-grade copper, the new partnership with SNEL on Inga II gives us a clear line of sight to realizing our vision of building Kamoa-Kakula into the world's largest, high-grade, green copper mine. Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed below and under "Risk Factors", and elsewhere in this release, as well as unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release. The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors set forth below in the "Risk Factors" section in the company's 2020 Q4 MD&A and its current annual information form. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/81691 Initiates Indias largest COVID-19 vaccination drive PharmEasy, a part of API Holdings, has launched the biggest COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country. With this drive, the company aims to vaccinate over 3 crore people via camps and vaccine centres. Individuals, companies, RWAs, Old Age Homes etc. can register for vaccines that will be administered. India has witnessed a record rise in COVID-19 cases due to the second wave, surpassing the worst of last year. Given the current situation, the Government of India has invited the participation of private companies to accelerate vaccination across the country. From 1st May 2021, wherein all legal adults (above the age of 18) will be eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Leveraging its presence across India, with over 80,000 partner retailers, 5,000 doctors and a state-of-the-art pharma supply chain facility enabling last-mile delivery of cold chain products, the company aims to vaccinate over 3 crore families via 5,000 partner centres, pan-India in the next few quarters. Basis the availability of vaccines and guidelines provided by GOI (to be released soon), PharmEasy will release the timelines for the start of the vaccination drive. As soon as the vaccines doses are available, the company will reach out to registered individuals and assist them with vaccination slots at camps set-up in their vicinity. Speaking about the vaccination drive, Dharmil Sheth, Co-founder, PharmEasy said, We want to be a vital part of the governments vaccination drive and help accelerate the process of mass vaccination. Our vaccination drive aims to provide ease of access to vaccination which can help us to achieve herd immunity at the earliest. Amidst the rising COVID-19 cases in the second wave, we wanted to contribute our bit in breaking the chain by setting up vaccination camps and centres to facilitate this. (Newser) More than a year after the European Union shut down most nonessential travel from other countries, the president of the European Commission said vaccinated American tourists will likely be able to start visiting the EU again in the foreseeable future. "All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by [European Medicines Agency]," which the three vaccines currently used in the US are, Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times on Sunday. "This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union." She noted that while there are epidemiological factors that could influence the decision, things seem to be improving in both the US and the EU, and the US is on track to vaccinate 70% of its adults by mid-June. story continues below She did not, however, offer a specific timeline or exact details on what would happen, but the Times theorizes the European Commission could recommend a change to travel guidelines by this summer. In that scenario, individual member states could still enforce stricter requirements. But many countries that are largely dependent on tourism, including Greece, are pushing for an easing of restrictions. The Commission is working with US Homeland Security on the details of opening travel back up, USA Today reports. "What the world is basically saying is, they're looking at the US, they're looking at the success of our vaccination program, they're looking at the reduction of disease, and while they know we're not done yet, they're saying those Americans are safe to come to our country without risk of spreading COVID-19," White House senior adviser Andy Slavitt tells CNN of von der Leyen's comments. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Chennai, Apr 26 (UNI) The All Party meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami on Monday unanimously resolved to allow Vedanta group to re-open its Copper smelter plant at Tuticorin for manufacturing oxygen for a period four months. The government's decision to allow Vedanta to re-open the plant--which was shut after 13 anti-sterlite protestors were killed in a police firing in May 2018--comes in the wake of increasing demand for oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients. Representatives of eight recognised parties, including the ruling AIADMK, Opposition DMK, BJP, PMK, Congress, DMDK and the Left Parties attended the meeting, which lasted for more than two hours, and favoured re-opening of the plant for oxygen production alone. A resolution adopted at the meeting said, based on the Supreme Court's directive, the company will be allowed to re-open the plant, renovate the machinery to produce oxygen for a temporary period of four months by using the power supplied by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. 'Depending upon the requirement and the situation, this can be extended further', it said and categorically mentioned that the company should not open or operate its copper smelter or any other facility. The company will be allowed to produce oxygen till the corona pandemic ends after which the power supply to the plant will be snapped. It also said "Tamil Nadu should be given priority to use the oxygen produced in the plant and any surplus quantity can be given to other states'. Only engineers who are directly involved in manufacturing oxygen should be allowed and the government will ensure necessary protection to them. The meeting also categorically stated that none of the units other than producing oxygen will be allowed to function. The resolution also said that oxygen produced in the unit should meet the requirements of Tamil Nadu and only the rest could be sent to other states. A committee headed by the Tuticorin District Collector, Sub-Collector, District Superintendent of Police, district envionmental engineer from the Pollution Control Board, two government experts in producing oxygen, besides locals, environmental organisations and members of the anti-sterlite protests committee, will be constituted to monitor oxygen production at the plant. Leaders of recognised political parties, who participated in the meeting, favoured re-opening of the plant for a period of four months, with strict conditions, taking into account the second wave of COVID-19 and the huge demand for oxygen to treat corona patients. (ED : PICK UP SUITABLY FROM EARLIER SERIES). UNI GV 1423 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the international community to work together to prevent a repeat of the Chernobyl disaster on the 35th anniversary of what is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history. "Our task is to do everything possible to bolster security and strengthen safety to avoid and never repeat a similar disaster in the future," Zelenskiy said in a televised address on April 26 during a visit to the Chernobyl exclusion zone to mark International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. In the capital, Kyiv, dozens of people joined a ceremony and placed flowers at a Chernobyl memorial. Others gathered in the ghost town of Prypyat overnight and held a vigil with 35 candles in memory of those who lost their lives in the accident. An explosion and fire caused by a reactor meltdown at the Chernobyl power plant, located 110 kilometers north of Kyiv on April 26, 1986, sent clouds of lethal nuclear material across much of Europe. Prypyat, home to some 50,000 people, was evacuated along with other communities in a 30-kilometer exclusion zone around the radioactive wreckage. Dozens of people, particularly firefighters and other first responders, died as a direct result of the disaster, but radiation poisoning is believed to have killed thousands more across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and other countries in the years that followed. In 2016, a crumbling "sarcophagus" used to contain radiation from the smoldering reactor was replaced with a $2.3 billion metal dome in a bid to stop future leaks. More than 200 tons of uranium remain buried inside. The area has attracted tourists, with flora and fauna taking over deserted streets and buildings, and Kyiv wants to make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "Our goal today is to transform the exclusion zone...into an area of renaissance," Zelenskiy said in his address. With reporting by AFP While the global pandemic has brought economies to a halt and massively disrupted businesses, it has also fuelled start-up dreams and we even saw several Indian start-ups achieve Unicorn status during the pandemic period. The times have never been better for the budding entrepreneurs to give wings to their start-up dreams. The Government, too, has come up with various schemes to support its Vocal for Local drive. A case in point is the Rs 1,000 crore Start-up India Seed Fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Start-up India International Summit 2021 held earlier this year. Adgully is turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the Vocal for Local movement and over the next few months will be featuring all local/ homegrown businesses, brands and Apps In conversation with Adgully, Sudhanshu Sharma, Founder & CEO, RoboGenius, speaks about how he started his venture at the young age of 23, the importance of AI in the coming times and preparing GenZ for it, how digital is helping grow businesses and much more. Please take us through your journey as an entrepreneur. What motivated you to establish your start-up? What were you doing prior to turning an entrepreneur? I have always been an entrepreneur and started my first venture at the age of 23. Since, I was always fascinated with tech and for the next 20 plus years, I was leading the transfer of automation systems and advanced manufacturing technologies to India from across the world. During this time, I became acutely aware of the skill gap that existed in our country as compared with countries like Germany, Japan, Korea and China. A chance visit to a school in Japan, where I witnessed a robotics competition for school students, inspired me to start my journey into educational robotics in India in 2006. What need gap did you want to fulfil with your start-up? What is the core business proposition? AI and Robotics have already become an inherent part of our lives and have transformed the future of work. Today, we have job roles that didnt even exist 15 years ago. Now imagine a world 10 or 15 years from now. RoboGenius has very carefully curated programs for young people that give them the necessary technical and essential life skills to make them successful in an AI driven world of tomorrow and make them life-long learners. How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business? Our programs are based on a study done by LEGO Education and Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media labs. As per this study, learning by play and using robotics to engage students is one of most effective ways to develop technical as well as essential life skills amongst young minds. The recommended TG is kids starting at the age of 6 and all the way till high school. Hence, we are also following the same TG. What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them? Lack of awareness amongst parents and schools toward the importance of learning coding, robotics and AI was and is the biggest challenge that we faced during our journey. We are still in the process of overcoming this. Funds/ finance is the prime issue of almost all start-ups. What can the industry and the Government do to address this issue and ease the capital requirements of start-ups? The Government has already launched several incentives and funds that start-ups can access. A lot of angel investors, venture capital and PE funds are active in the market and there is no dearth of funding for a suitable idea now. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Modi announced a Startup India Seed Fund. How do you see start-ups benefiting from it? PM Modis start-up seed fund is a welcome initiative and will provide the right impetus to encourage young entrepreneurs to give wings to their ideas. How is digital helping you further your business? We are a part of the digital world. Our whole business is to develop technology leaders of the future who will be able to develop solutions that will transform the way we live. We use and rely on digital technologies not only to educate students, but also to scale our businesses beyond the physical boundaries of our innovation studios. What were your key learnings from 2020? How do you see the start-up ecosystem progressing in 2021? Tech will continue to lead the way forward into the future. The way business transformed during COVID-19 or the progress on the medial front to get the vaccine out in a short time, was only possible with the advancement already made in the tech world. 2021 and beyond will certainly see a surge in start-ups as we have emerged stronger and full of hope for the future. What would be your message for the budding entrepreneurs? A small suggestion to all the budding entrepreneurs The bad is behind us and we all are looking at a fresh, brand new horizon. US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," Joe Biden said in a tweet. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need. https://t.co/SzWRj0eP3y President Biden (@POTUS) April 25, 2021 The President was spending his weekend at his home in Delaware but is believed to be following up the developments in India. "The US is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India -including its courageous healthcare workers," Ms Harris said in a tweet. The U.S. is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of Indiaincluding its courageous healthcare workers. Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 25, 2021 The tweets are the first reactions by the top American leadership after the recent outbreak of deadly COVID-19 pandemic in India. The two have been criticizsed by friends of India in the US, including some of their own party leaders, for slow response to the American help to their natural ally. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said she has been in close touch with Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla and India's Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu in recent days on the issue. "The American people stand in solidarity with our friends in India during these difficult times. We are rapidly providing therapeutics, ventilators, PPE, raw material for vaccines, and more," Ms Sherman said. Earlier on Sunday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval during which the White House announced that it is urgently sending medical supplies and equipment to save lives in India. The Indian-American community, which had been critical of the Biden administration so far, welcomed the move. "Great to see our US India partnership at work at this critical time," Indiaspora said after Biden's tweet. "Good first steps," Indian-American Democratic bundler Shekar Narasimhan said after Sullivan announced details of the assistance to India. In a tweet, he described it as "moving the needle". "I am also counting on private and corporate actions to make a difference. Many have a big stake in India and it''s not just Indian Americans," he said. India's Ambassador to US Sandhu thanked both US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Sullivan for their prompt response. "Thank you Sullivan for your reach out and support. We will fight the global pandemic through our collective action!" he said in a tweet. "Thank you Secretary Blinken for your solidarity and support. Together, we will fight the global pandemic!" Sandhu said in another tweet. Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, Congressional India Caucus Vice Chair and Member of the House Armed Services Committee, applauded the Biden administration. "International cooperation and humanitarian assistance are the hallmarks of a truly progressive foreign policy. In the face of apocalyptic numbers of COVID-19 cases & new variants exploding in India, I applaud the Biden administration's decision to put people over profits and provide additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), oxygen, and other medical supplies to India," Ro Khanna said. "I am also pleased to see the deployment of raw materials for India to produce more vaccines and USAID''s work with the CDC to expedite the mobilisation of emergency resources for India through the Global Fund. This must be done with the utmost speed and urgency," he said. Mr Khanna said the Biden administration can still do more, like give India "our stockpile" of AstraZeneca vaccines that won't be used in the US and have already opened up to Mexico and Canada. "And we should facilitate the Indian diaspora in America to help assist hospitals in India." The Indian-American Congressman said the administration should also call on Pfizer and Moderna to provide an intellectual property waiver for six months to a year as India grapples with the COVID-19 crisis. It will buy them an inordinate amount of goodwill in one of the largest emerging markets, he added. "The White House should also convene Indian business leaders to make the case for why this is in these companies'' long-term strategic interest. Many Indian American business leaders such as Vinod Khosla are happy to make the case to them why this is a good business decision. Mr. Khosla has committed to financially help any hospitals in India in need of supplies and will also be speaking with the India Caucus leadership to discuss what else can be done to assist," Mr Khanna said. He said he is looking forward to joining the India Caucus leadership on a call with Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu to discuss what additional steps the US can take to help India during this "incredibly difficult time". "This is a very tough time for the Indian people and underscores the continued threat of COVID-19. These new strains of the virus are gravely alarming and could pose a threat here in America and across the globe if we do not do all we can to contain the virus and its new variants," he said. Also read: Saudi Arabia to ship 80 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen to India The is finalising plans to allow tourists from the to travel to the 27-nation bloc this summer, officials said Monday. More than a year after the EU restricted travel to the region to a bare minimum in a bid to contain the pandemic, the European Commission said it would make a recommendation to member states to allow American travellers back. The commission didn't say when exactly tourists will be allowed back inside the bloc, and if a reciprocal approach will apply to European tourists willing to travel to the US. European Commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz told reporters that the EU's executive body is hoping to restore nonessential trans-Atlantic travel as soon as it is safe to do so. It wasn't immediately clear if only full vaccination would be accepted for entry, or whether a negative PCR test or proof of recent recovery from COVID-19 could be presented as well. These are among the questions we'll still need to figure out," Jahnz said. "The proposal is not yet made. For now, we have nothing more to go by than what the (European Commission) president said. On Sunday, The New York Times published an interview with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, reporting that fully vaccinated Americans would be able to visit EU countries this summer since all coronavirus vaccines currently used in the US have also been approved by the EU's drug regulator. But the report didn't mention whether she was asked about whether Americans could also provide a negative PCR test or evidence of recovering from COVID-19. The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines, von der Leyen said in the interview. This will enable free movement and the travel to the Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA. Jahnz insisted that the return of American tourists to EU nations will be conditioned on the epidemiological situation in both the US and within the bloc. The is putting the finishing touches to a system of certificates that would allow EU residents to travel freely across the region by the summer as long as they have been vaccinated, tested negative for COVID-19 or recovered from the disease. Under the plan discussed with their U.S. counterparts, American tourists could be included in the program. With more than 15 million Americans estimated to travel to Europe annually before the crisis, the recommendation from the commission is manna from heaven for the heavily hit European sector. But EU member states will have the final say on whether to implement the guidelines. The commission said other third countries have made similar requests, but didn't name them. Asked whether negotiations with the United Kingdom were ongoing, European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said no contact to this end has been made. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This weekend, the Portuguese Grand Prix will be held for the second time at the Portimao circuit. With this year's race taking place in spring rather than autumn, Pirelli chief Mario Isola believes the race could pose some new challenges. Portimao is a relatively new circuit, but the big differences in altitude on the short track give it an old-school feel. Pirelli have chosen to bring the three hardest tyre sets to the Portuguese circuit, which means the C1 will be used for the first time this season. New challenge in 2021 Isola looks back on the Pirelli website briefly back to last year's Grand Prix at the circuit. Back then, tyre management was very important according to the Italian. "But this year, with the possibility of different weather conditions and a track surface that might have evolved, it could be another challenge entirely," he says. According to Pirelli, it makes sense to bring the hardest three tyres to Portugal. "This range has been selected to cope with the unique demands that this circuit puts through the tyre, exacerbated in the event of warmer weather," Isola informed. In 2020, the race was held in the autumn when it was cool and windy. In 2021 warmer temperatures and more sun are expected. Other factors that play a role "The new surface was the key factor determining low grip while in terms of tyre performance, warm-up and graining were two other relevant factors," concluded Isola. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. About 51,000 New York City public school students who opted to return to in-person learning, after learning remotely for much of the 2020-2021 school year, return to their school buildings on Monday. During a March 24 to April 9 opt-in window, families of children who were full-time remote learners were able to let their school know they wanted to switch to in-person learning. It was the second time kids were able to switch to traditional classroom learning. The first opt-in period was in mid-November. We know from experience how safe our schools are; we set a gold standard. Its the safest place to be in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press conference last week. Students across all grade levels from 3-K to 12th grade will return to school buildings starting Monday, April 26, according to the city Department of Education (DOE). According to the DOE, the citywide total number of students who have opted to learn in-person this school year including students from the recent opt-in period is about 365,000, or nearly 40%. Before the latest opt-in period, just 30% of city public school students were learning on campus. Heres a look at what to know as more students return to school buildings. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** NEW SOCIAL DISTANCING PROTOCOLS The second opt-in period was announced after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated its school guidance stating distance between students could be reduced from six feet to three feet which would allow the city to accommodate more students. The CDC said students can safely sit just three feet apart in the classroom as long as they wear a mask, but should be kept the usual six feet away from one another at sporting events, assemblies, lunch, or chorus practice. However, de Blasio and Porter said that only preschool and elementary school students will be allowed to sit three feet apart. Middle and high school students will remain seated six feet apart. Even with the existing six-foot rule in middle and high school, we will be able to accommodate all kids who want to come back, de Blasio said. ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURES Safety protocols at schools involve social distancing, face coverings and more. Desks will be placed six feet apart for middle and high schools, while elementary schools can place students three feet apart, under new safety guidelines. Before entering school buildings, students and staff must fill out a daily health screening. Students will be asked to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer more often. Social distancing markers will be placed throughout school buildings to remind students to keep their distance. WEEKLY COVID TESTING Students are also required to consent to weekly coronavirus testing of 20% of the school population. Exemptions are only granted in certain limited cases. If you dont consent, the student will move to fully remote instruction. There are two ways to submit the consent form: New York City Schools Account (NYCSA): Log into your account, click your students name, click Manage Account, and when a dropdown menu appears, click Consent Forms. Read the page and choose the consent option at the end for your student. Print and sign the form and bring it to your childs school on the first day he or she is back on campus. A printable PDF file is available in 10 languages at the DOEs COVID-19 testing page. If a student comes to school on the first day back for in-person instruction without a consent form on file, the principal and school staff will contact you to obtain consent. After that, those students without a consent form on file who dont have a medical or disability-based exemption must move to fully remote instruction. WHEN A SCHOOL BUILDING WOULD CLOSE FOR COVID CASES New York City public school buildings wont close as frequently due to coronavirus cases under a new policy. De Blasio announced earlier this month that four positive coronavirus cases would shutter a public school building under the policy replacing the controversial two-case rule where two positive cases without a clear link would shutter a building for at least 10 days. For the entire school building, if there are two or three confirmed cases in one week it will lead to an increase in randomized COVID-19 testing for students and staff. Testing will double to 40% of students and staff. If there are four or more cases in different classrooms within seven days that can be traced to a known exposure within the school building, the building will close for 10 days. You can go here for a breakdown on how schools or classrooms will close if there are positive COVID-19 cases. IF YOU WANT TO SWITCH BACK TO REMOTE LEARNING At any time of the school year for any reason, you can opt back into full-time remote learning. You can use this form to opt back to fully remote. But be aware that there may not be another opportunity to opt back into in-person learning for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. School Zone: A new newsletter with the updates you need as our schools try to get back to normal. Enter your email address here and hit "subscribe" to receive this weekly newsletter: FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. ROME, APR 26 - Italy's destiny is at stake in the government's almost 250-billion-euro post-COVID Recovery Plan, Premier Mario Draghi told the House Monday. "We would all be wrong to think that the (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) PNNR, albeit in its historic importance, is only a collection of projects, numbers, deadlines, objectives," he said in unveiling the EU-funded plan. "In the combination of the programmes there is also, and above all, the destiny of the country". The premier, who was appointed with the aim of shepherding the plan as well as the COVID vaccination rollout and recovery, said "we have the honour and the onus of preparing the Italy of tomorrow". Draghi said Italy's credibility in the EU and the world was at stake. He said that "delays and short-sighted partisan visions" would weigh heavily on lives. The primary goal of the PNRR, Draghi said, was to repair the damage of the pandemic. The premier's office would coordinate the implementation of the plan while the economy ministry would monitor the process, he said. Individual ministries and local bodies will be responsible for carrying it out. This PNRR focuses on four areas - Italy's public administration, the justice system, simplification of legislation and the promotion of competition. It sets targets, missions and priorities. The plan estimates that its measures will see the Italy's GDP at least 3.6% higher in 2026 than it would have been otherwise. The PNRR is based on 191.5 billion euros from the EU's Recovery Fund and 30 billion from a complementary fund, plus another 26 billion for specific projects, making a grand total of 248 billion euros, Draghi said. The plan will have six missions: digitization, innovation, competitiveness and culture for 50 billion; the green revolution and the ecological transition for 59.3 billion; infrastructures for sustainable mobility for 25.3 billion; education and research for 31.9 billion; jobs, inclusion and cohesion for 22 billion, also focusing on closing the gender gap; and health for 15.6 billion (plus other funds bringing the health total up to 19.72 billion). The plan sees 500 million euros going to Rome to invest in the restoration of monuments and in preparation for the 2022 Ryder Cup and the 2025 Jubilee. Among the supplementary projects, Draghi said, will be the completion of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed rail line, which will become "really high speed", as well as the Vicenza tranche of high speed line between Milan and Venice. Draghi also said there was a "strong attention for gender inclusion and support for young people". The premier said "we must eliminate the obstacles to women entering the work place". He added that there would be no cut, as rumoured beforehand, to the so-called 'superbonus' for home improvements, which was an important measures for the construction and environmental sectors. Draghi also said the so-called 'single checque' "will become the central and all-inclusive tool for supporting households with children, replacing the fragmentary measures hitherto in force." There will also be a State guarantee for young people buying their first homes, he said. Young people, he said, would be among the major beneficiaries of the Plan. In addition, Draghi said, there would be home assistance for 10% of the non-self-sufficient over 65s. Draghi also said: that the south of Italy would be a priority getting over 50% of the infrastructure budget; that the aim of the plan was to reduce the times of civil trials by 40%; and that a decree implementing the plan would be ready by the end of May. "I have faith in the Italians, I'm certain we will implement this Recovery Plan," he ended by saying. "I am certain that honesty, intelligence, and a relish for the future will prevail over corruption, stupidity, and vested interests". Italy is getting the biggest chunk of the EU's 750 billion euro Recovery Fund. The money will come in grants and low-interest loans. It will be spent over 5-6 years. (ANSA). PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KOP) plans to release its financial results for the first quarter of 2021 before the opening of the markets on Friday, May 7, 2021, and discuss its outlook on a conference call later that day at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Presentation materials will be available at least 15 minutes before the call on www.koppers.com in the Investor Relations section of the company's website. Interested parties may access the live audio broadcast toll free by dialing 833-366-1128 in the United States and Canada, or 412-902-6774 for international, Conference ID number 10152842. Participants are requested to access the call at least five minutes before the scheduled start time to complete a brief registration. The conference call will be broadcast live online at: https://services.choruscall.com/links/koppers210507.html. (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into the internet browser's URL address field.) An audio replay will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the call at 877-344-7529 for U.S. toll free, 855-669-9658 for Canada toll free, or 412-317-0088 for international, Conference ID number 10152842. The recording will be available for replay through August 7, 2021. About Koppers Koppers, with corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an integrated global provider of treated wood products, wood treatment chemicals and carbon compounds. Our products and services are used in a variety of niche applications in a diverse range of end-markets, including the railroad, specialty chemical, utility, residential lumber, agriculture, aluminum, steel, rubber, and construction industries. We serve our customers through a comprehensive global manufacturing and distribution network, with facilities located in North America, South America, Australasia and Europe. The stock of Koppers Holdings Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "KOP." For more information, visit us on the Web: www.koppers.com. Questions concerning investor relations should be directed to Michael Zugay at 412-227-2231 or Quynh McGuire at 412-227-2049. For Information: Michael J. Zugay, Chief Financial Officer 412 227 2231 [email protected] SOURCE Koppers Related Links http://www.koppers.com The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Bidens administration to weigh in on whether Volkswagen AG can be sued by local governments in Florida and Utah for damages stemming from the German automakers diesel emissions cheating scandal. The justices are considering whether to hear an appeal by VW and German auto supplier Robert Bosch LLC of a lower court ruling allowing Floridas Hillsborough County and Utahs Salt Lake County to seek to hold the companies liable under local laws and regulations barring tampering with vehicle emissions controls. VW could face huge damages in these cases and potentially others brought by other local jurisdictions. Daimler AG and Fiat Chrysler, part of Stellantis NV, are facing similar claims. Volkswagen has argued that under the U.S. Clean Air Act, only the federal government can pursue such claims. VW noted that it already has reached a settlement of more than $20 billion with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The counties have argued that VW deceived the EPA and in doing so also violated the local laws. 9th Circuit Ruling Volkswagen is seeking to overturn a 2020 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 9th Circuit decided that the Clean Air Act did not preempt local efforts to impose liability over vehicles that VW had tampered with after they were sold. The 9th Circuit, however, agreed with VW that it could not be held liable under the local anti-tampering laws for actions it took pre-sale. California-based federal judge Charles Breyer in 2018 had ruled in favor of Volkswagen on both counts. In 2015, Volkswagen disclosed that it had used sophisticated software to evade nitrogen oxide emissions requirements in nearly 11 million vehicles worldwide. It also misled the EPA, which had started asking questions in 2014. In addition to equipping vehicles with so-called defeat devices before they were sold, VW also installed software updates after sale, which is the conduct at issue in the case before the Supreme Court. At the time, VW did not reveal the true purpose of the updates, which were aimed at refining the software used to control the emissions. Volkswagen is facing other lawsuits over the emissions scandal, including one brought by the state of Ohio. Justice Stephen Breyer will not participate at the Supreme Court. He is the brother of the judge who ruled in an earlier stage of the case. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) Topics Lawsuits AUSTIN, Texas, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Higher Education Systems & Services (HESS) Consortium Collective has selected Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite as the group's single enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM), and student information system platform. Oracle's cloud technology will enable collective members to streamline their finance and human resources processes on a shared technology platform that can help improve efficiency and cost savings. The HESS Consortium is comprised of chief information officers, chief business officers, and other technology leaders from more than 225 private, non-profit colleges and universities. A growing group of 57 of the consortium members joined to form the HESS Collective with a goal to lower costs and increase collaboration between private institutions in the area of administrative systems and services. With the help of E&I Cooperative Services, HESS Collective chief information officers spent 18 months developing a competitive request for proposal for cloud-native enterprise solutions. Then, starting in 2019, the group undertook a 14-month-long evaluation to find a complete and scalable platform that would be financially sustainable for the group's small and mid-sized institutions. After reviewing a number of cloud-native offerings, including Workday and UNIT4, HESS Consortium's member institutions selected Oracle Fusion Applications as their single, shared provider. "Private, non-profit colleges and universities are facing serious challenges. Their current legacy systems just cannot meet their needs for operational efficiency, analytics, and cost containment," said Keith Fowlkes, Executive Director and co-founder, HESS Consortium. "The HESS Consortium Collective institutions saw that Oracle Fusion Applications Suite was the most complete, cloud-native software available, while also being extremely affordable for all sizes of institutions. We believe that our selection of the Oracle Cloud solutions, along with our model of staff collaboration and sharing, will help our HESS member institutions gain modern functionalities while lowering costs." With Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), and Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM), HESS member institutions will be able to take advantage of the cloud to break down data and organizational silos, standardize processes, and manage financial, planning, and workforce data on a single integrated cloud platform. Some member institutions will also adopt Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience (CX) and Oracle Student Financial Planning. Oracle Fusion Applications' common and intuitive interface enables rapid user adoption, delivers enhanced employee experience, and improves productivity. Another key factor was Oracle's ability to collaborate with the HESS Consortium community in creating a support and resource network for participating institutions. Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) members Mythics and Drivestream will help to ensure smooth and cost-effective procurement, implementation, and training for member institutions. "The past year hit higher education hard. But incredibly, many colleges and universities responded with a spirit of innovation, eager to rebuild more agile, resilient, and secure institutions," said Rajan Krishnan, group vice president of product development, Oracle. "Moving business processes to the cloud enables organizations to rapidly optimize operations, reduce costs, and create new opportunities for growth. We're thrilled to work alongside the HESS Consortium and its members as they prepare their institutions for what's ahead." "This type of project shared technology operations has never been attempted on a national scale because of technological limitations," said Fowlkes. "With cloud-based technologies, the shared services model is attainable. Oracle and their partners offered something that was truly groundbreaking to our private colleges and universities, and we anticipate this will be a game-changer in private higher education technology." About Drivestream Drivestream is a leading provider of Oracle Cloud consulting, implementation, and support services for Higher Education and commercial clients. We are helping many colleges and universities modernize and transform their HR, Financial, and Student Management systems to reduce costs, improve operational efficiencies, and meet the evolving needs of students, administrators, faculty, and staff for intelligent, mobile, and easy-to-use services. Since its inception in 2002, the company has built a reputation in the industry for innovative approaches to solving complex business and technical challenges. Today, the Drivestream brand is synonymous with thought leadership, premium solutions, outstanding value and peerless customer service. About Mythics Mythics is a premier, award-winning Oracle partner with over 20 years of experience offering Oracle solutions & integration expertise across the full range of Oracle Cloud, Software, Hardware, Storage and Engineered Systems. As an Oracle-only partner, Mythics provides a level of focus that gives us the critical business experience and Oracle technology expertise needed to ensure our clients' ongoing success. About Oracle Oracle offers suites of integrated applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com. Trademarks Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. SOURCE Oracle Related Links www.oracle.com An entire plane of passengers have been forced into 14 days of hotel quarantine after they narrowly missed the window period to isolate at home because their flight was delayed by six hours. The Virgin Australia flight VA469 was due to leave Perth for Brisbane at 1.40pm on Friday. Though engineering matters delayed its departure and its 150 passengers were forced to wait patiently in the terminal until 7.11pm. On the same day it was revealed a Victorian man, who had been quarantining at the Mercure Hotel in Perth, had contracted Covid-19. The Virgin Australia flight VA469 was due to leave Perth for Brisbane at 1.40pm on Friday (stock image) Western Australia premier Mark McGowan announced a three-day snap lockdown would begin in his city from Friday midnight. Queensland also listed Perth a Covid-19 hotspot and ordered anyone returning from the city to quarantine in hotel for 14 days. The delayed Virgin Australia flight finally took off from Perth and landed at Brisbane airport at 1.30am - one-and-a-half hours after the quarantine changes were enforced. Passengers would have been allowed to get tested for Covid-19 and wait for the results at home if their plane had landed at the scheduled arrival time at 8.10pm. Adrian, who was a passenger on the flight, claimed nobody onboard knew of the changes until they were being ushered to the nearby Pullman Brisbane Airport to quarantine. 'It's just appalling,' he told Courier Mail. 'The decision was made while we were flying and we had no opportunity to change travel plans.' Virgin Australia says it was only made aware of the changes when they came into effect on April 24. An airline spokesperson said the flight was already in the air when the restrictions were updated. 'We understand that changing border restrictions can cause significant disruption to our guests and we encourage and remind guests to ensure they check the latest information on the respective Government websites prior to any travel,' the spokesperson said. Queensland Police said an officer notified Virgin Australia's office at Brisbane before the its flight left Perth. Travellers who return from overseas or a Covid-19 hotspot are also required to pay for their 14-day quarantine. Travellers who return from overseas or a Covid-19 hotspot are also required to pay for their 14-day quarantine (stock image) Adrian said he received a letter from Metro North Health's Medical Services executive director Elizabeth Rushbrook informing him the fees would be waived in this case. 'As you were not able to be made reasonably aware of the entry restrictions and requirements for hotel quarantine to inform your travel to Queensland before departure, a class exemption was approved for Flight VA469 arriving on the early morning of 24 April 2021,' the letter states. 'This meant you were permitted to enter Queensland regardless of whether or not you met the requirements of paragraph 6 of the Border restrictions Direction (No. 24).' Were all familiar with Leonardo da Vincis famous painting of a brunette woman sporting a mysterious smile, but now the painting that has left art aficionados around the world puzzling over her grin has inspired a show taking the stage at Curtain Calls Kweskin Theatre in Stamford. Live Drawing: A Portrait of the Mona Lisa, a fictionalized play that runs May 7-16, is about the three years it took da Vinci to finish painting the world famous Mona Lisa. Over the past year Ive read and reread dozens of two-person shows to suit our special Covid safety needs, said Curtain Call executive director, Lou Ursone. I turned to many old titles I wanted to revisit, but many others were new to me, including this intriguing play, Live Drawing, so Im glad were able to present it now. The play tells the speculative tale of da Vincis three-year connection with Gioconda. As the two-actor show unravels the audience learns that the painter has personal reasons for wanting to keep the portrait for himself instead of giving it to his Lisa Giocondas husband who hired him to create the portrait. We see Leonardo and Lisa argue and debate, but they also bare their souls to each other. Thus, a relationship that commences in enmity between artist and subject concludes in the supreme camaraderie between two friends, the press release states. The bittersweet ending must come when Leonardo leaves Italy for France to become the king's engineer, separating him from his confidante, Lisa Gioconda. For hundreds of years fans of the Mona Lisa have wondered why she had that mysterious smile, and [author] Jules Tasca answers that question in his intriguing script, the shows director John Atkin said. Celine Montaudy and Tyler Small will take on the two dynamic roles of da Vinci and the Mona Lisa. Montaudy said she hasnt previously worked with Small but said I have loved having a live-in scene partner; to be able to continue the work outside of the rehearsal space and to explore the relationship between Mona and da Vinci with the layered interest of our own history together. Small echoed her sentiments and said, It has been a joy to get back to theater, but doubly so because I get to share the experience with Celine. During quarantine we read through some scripts together, but to be able to do a show in earnest, back on stage is just a blast. I could not have asked for a better person to return to the stage with. Atkin said it has been a pleasure to work with Montaudy and Small. Their commitment in finding the characters, and watching how the characters evolved during the rehearsals, has created a realistic portrayal of those days in da Vinci's studio nearly 500 years ago, he said. For more information about the show, visit curtaincallinc.com. tinamarie.craven@hearstmediact.com Tokyo: Chinese media on Sunday (April 25) reported that the country`s navy has commissioned three warships, including a large amphibious assault ship, adding them to the fleet covering the South China Sea. State-run China Central Television reported that the commissioning ceremony was held at a naval port in Sanya on the southern island of Hainan on Friday (April 23), with President Xi Jinping attending, reported NHK World. Xi reportedly presented a military flag to the ships` captains and boarded the ships. This is yet another illegal intrusion by Beijing. Military observers said the ship may also be deployed in missions around Taiwan but was likely to cause particular concern among countries that have ongoing maritime disputes with China due to its offensive capabilities. The Global Times newspaper, which is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, reported that the ships were the country`s first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, a large destroyer, and a nuclear-powered strategic ballistic missile submarine. Observers say it represents the rapid development of the capabilities of the Chinese navy, as well as Beijing`s readiness to expand its activities in the South China Sea and around Taiwan, reported NHK World. Earlier, the US and the Philippines raised concerns over the presence of China`s maritime militia vessels near the disputed Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea. 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. Live TV He finally got to meet his first niece, Grace Warrior Chandler, on March 25. And a new clip from the forthcoming Animal Planet special Crikey! It's a Baby! shows the moment Robert Irwin learned his big sister Bindi was about to give birth. In a clip timestamped at 8:00am, the 17-year-old zookeeper filmed himself rushing to hospital. It's go time! A new clip from the forthcoming Animal Planet special Crikey! It's a Baby! shows the moment Robert Irwin [pictured] learned his big sister Bindi was about to give birth 'Okay, it's happening,' said the son of the late Steve Irwin in the clip. 'Bindi is on her way to the hospital.' In the video, the teenager is seen hurrying through the zoo. 'The baby's coming. I can't believe it's finally happening,' he exclaims. The big day: Cutting to a scene filmed inside the hospital, showing a time of 6pm, Robert told viewers that 'the wait is finally over.' Special delivery: 'She's here. Bindi has had the baby, And she is absolutely adorable!' concluded the proud uncle, over images of the newborn Cutting to a scene filmed inside the hospital, showing a time of 6pm, Robert told viewers that 'the wait is finally over.' 'She's here. Bindi has had the baby, And she is absolutely adorable!' concluded the proud uncle. Crikey! Its A Baby! premieres Saturday 22 May at 6:30pm AEST on Animal Planet. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the 22-year-old wildlife warrior Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell celebrated the apple of their eye turning one-month-old. Ready for work! Bindi Irwin's daughter Grace received her 'first khakis' on Sunday to celebrate turning one-month-old In the gallery of images posted to Instagram, Grace is seen laying on a floral blanket for the momentous milestone, as star tortoises crawl around her. In the photo shoot, the cherubic tot is seen donning her very own Australia Zoo uniform over her cute-as-a-button onesie. Grace's name is seen clearly on the miniature khaki work shirt as she happily smiles for the camera, while wearing a beanie with a striped brim. On her left sits a plaque that reads, 'I'm one month old today. Crikey'. Shoosh: In a gallery of images posted to Instagram, Grace is seen laying on a floral blanket as star tortoises crawled around her 'Were so proud of our Wildlife Warrior princess,' Bindi wrote alongside the post. 'I know our darling girl is going to grow up caring for Mother Earth and all her animals.' Bindi and Chandler welcomed daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell on March 25. Their daughter baby was born on their first wedding anniversary. Grace's middle names are a tribute to Bindi's late father, Wildlife Warrior Steve Irwin. Ready for work: The cherubic tot is seen donning her own Australia Zoo uniform over her cute-as-a-button onesie Steve tragically died in September 2006 at the age of 44, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Queensland. 'There are no words to describe the infinite amount of love in our hearts for our sweet baby girl. She chose the perfect day to be born and we feel tremendously blessed,' Bindi said in part of her announcement post. Bindi and Chandler married in March last year in an intimate ceremony at Australia Zoo. [April 26, 2021] Vaccination in the workplace: CAE's Hub now open to administer COVID-19 vaccines MONTREAL, April 26, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) CAE announced today the opening of its COVID-19 Vaccination Centre, located at CAE's headquarters in the St-Laurent borough, the first hub of its kind to open in Quebec. CAE has been working in close collaboration with the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal and Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services for operational support to ensure a safe and efficient vaccination roll-out. Several partnering companies have also offered resources and support including ABB, CGI, Essilor, Intact, LEM experts-conseils, L'Oreal Canada, Medicom, Moneris, Pyure, Rolls-Royce Canada, Safran, Solotech and Top Aces. Partners contributed to this initiative by donating monetary contributions and/or protective and sanitary equipment, as well as medical and administrative personnel to staff the Centre. "I am pleased to announce the opening of the first workplace vaccination centre in Quebec to support the government during this mass roll-out with extra resources and to reduce pressure on the healthcare system. I would also like to highlight the contributions from our business partners who swiftly answered the call for support in the fight against COVID-19," said Marc Parent, President and CEO of CAE. "This is a collective effort that will help save lives, allow for a faster economic recovery and a safe return to normal life. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal and Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services staff for heir collaboration and support throughout the process." "Being where the people of our territory are, means being anchored in their community, which is one of our four organizational priorities. By offering vaccination in the workplace in partnership with CAE, we are responding to this objective," said Frederic Abergel, President and CEO of CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal. "It is with collaborative initiatives like this that we will succeed in vaccinating our entire population quickly and effectively. " Following the public health's order of priority for vaccination, CAE has committed to vaccinating a minimum of 15,000 to 25,000 Quebeckers from April to August. As announced on March 19, CAE played a pivotal role by initiating mobilization efforts with many large Quebec and Canadian companies so that they can participate in the vaccination dissemination. Since then, the creation of 23 workplace vaccination hubs across the province has been announced. CAE salutes the receptiveness shown by the Quebec government to this collaboration with the private sector, which will contribute to a faster economic recovery for all Quebeckers. About CAE CAE is a high-tech company at the forefront of digital immersion, providing solutions to make the world safer. Backed by more than 70 years of innovation, we continue to reinvent the customer experience and revolutionize training and operational support solutions in the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare industries. We are the partner of choice for customers around the world who operate in complex, often dangerous and highly regulated environments where success is critical. As a result of our customers' ongoing need for our solutions, more than 60% of CAE's revenue is generated from recurring business. We have the largest global presence in the industry, with approximately 10,000 employees in 160 locations and training centres in more than 35 countries. www.cae.com Follow our Twitter accounts @CAE_Inc and @CAE_Defence Facebook: www.facebook.com/cae.inc LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/company/cae View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vaccination-in-the-workplace-caes-hub-now-open-to-administer-covid-19-vaccines-301276815.html SOURCE CAE INC. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Apr. 25OLYMPIA A 7% tax on the sale of some investments passed the Legislature on Sunday, after a years-long push by Gov. Jay Inslee and Democrats. The controversial capital gains tax has been the subject for debate throughout the session with supporters saying it is a step toward improving the state's regressive tax code and opponents calling it an unconstitutional income tax. The Senate gave its final approval with a 25-24 vote. Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign the bill into law. "This is a step towards asking those who can pay a little more in taxes to do that for the sake of all Washingtonians," Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, said. The bill would implement a 7% tax on the sale of stocks, bonds, some property, businesses and other investments, if the profits exceed $250,000 annually. There are exceptions, including the sale of all real estate, livestock and small family-owned businesses. A small family-owned business is one owned for at least five years and makes less than $10 million a year. Democrats' final budget proposal accounts for $415 million in revenue from the tax, which would go toward child care priorities. Revenue would begin coming to the state in 2023. Opponents say it is a type of income tax, which would be unconstitutional under the state constitution. It will almost certainly be challenged in court before it goes into effect. "The minute this passes, there will be a lawsuit," Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said. The bill has language attached to it that makes it "necessary for the support of the state government and its existing public institutions." That line could prevent voters from bringing a referendum on the tax to the ballot in attempt to repeal it. Democrats said the funds from the tax are necessary to fund the budget and the expansion of child care as part of that. Republicans said it is just a way to prevent voters from bringing forth a referendum. "What frustrates me the most is that this bill before us is not necessary," Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, said ------ Laurel Demkovich's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 09:09:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A worker arranges oxygen cylinders after they got filled at a small plant amid acute shortage of medical oxygen in New Delhi, India, on April 25, 2021. (Str/Xinhua) The daily COVID-19 cases in India are expected to peak at 500,000 in mid-May, and may subside between June and July, local media quoted a government official as saying. NEW DELHI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India is projected to come to its peak in the middle of May, local media reported on Sunday. Projections presented at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers of the worst affected Indian states by COVID-19 showed that after the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat and the national capital New Delhi, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh would be a major hotspot with over 190,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 to be reported every day, according to the media reports. A COVID-19 patient with oxygen support is transported inside Guru Teg Bahadur hospital in New Delhi, India, on April 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar) When reaching the peak time, the daily COVID-19 cases in the Asian country are expected to rise to 500,000 and may subside between June and July. According to the media reports, the projections were presented by a senior federal government official at the meeting on Sunday, at which officials agreed that "heavily populated states are at particular risk; and, health infrastructure in states is not adequate enough to cope with the present serious scenario." A partially deserted road is seen during a weekend lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against COVID-19 in Bangalore, India, April 25, 2021. (Str/Xinhua) Uttar Pradesh is projected to suffer a daily shortage of around 16,752 hospital beds with supplied medical oxygen, of 3,061 intensive care unit beds, and of at least 1,538 ventilators. The COVID-19 figures continue to surge in India every day, as the federal government has ruled out imposing a complete lockdown to contain the worsening situation. Wailing relatives of a deceased COVID-19 patient are seen in a car at Jaipur Golden Hospital in New Delhi, India, April 24, 2021. (Str/Xinhua) The country's COVID-19 tally reached 16,960,172 on Sunday with 349,691 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours. This was the fourth consecutive day when over 300,000 cases were registered in a single day. Emmanuel Macron removes his face mask at the Elysee Palace - Anadolu Agency Twenty retired generals and scores of ex-officers have sparked a political furore in France after calling on President Emmanuel Macron to stop the country from descending into chaos and civil war at the hands of Islamists. Led by Jean-Pierre Fabre-Bernadac, a retired Gendarmerie general, and signed by 80 other retired officers, the open letter to Mr Macron was published in Valeurs Actuelles, a right-wing news magazine, last week. Strongly supported by Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally and presidential candidate, the text was this week dismissed by Mr Macrons government as a diatribe from a bunch of military pensioners who only represent themselves. It was, it said, sadly reminiscent of the Algiers putsch - an attempt to oust Charles de Gaulle 60 years ago by retired generals who opposed moves towards granting Algeria, then a French colony, independence after a bloody civil war. However, the appeal has gained traction just days after a woman police employee had her throat slashed by an Islamist who had entered France illegally from Tunisia before eventually being granted residency. It also comes a year before presidential elections in which key themes are expected to be security and immigration - issues which the Right and far-Right see as Mr Macrons Achilles heel, despite him introducing a string of tough laws including one against Islamist separation. France is in danger. Several mortal perils are threatening her, the generals wrote. Even in retirement, we remain soldiers of France and cannot in the current circumstances remain indifferent to the fate of our beautiful country. Under the influence of Left-wing dogma France was disintegrating with the Islamists of the hordes of the banlieue [suburbs] who are detaching swathes of the nation and turning them into territory subject to dogmas contrary to our constitution, they warned. Failure to act now could see an explosion and then intervention by our comrades on active service in the dangerous mission of protecting our civilised values and the safety of our compatriots. Story continues There is no time to waffle, or tomorrow civil war will put an end to this growing chaos and the dead, for whom you will bear responsibility, will be counted in the thousands. Without citing any political figures, the generals said that they were ready to support politicians who take into account the safety of the nation. Head of the "Rassemblement national" far-right party Marine Le Pen addresses MPs - THOMAS COEX/AFP Ms Le Pen promptly said she wholeheartedly agreed with their analysis and called on them to support her. I invite you to join our action and take part in the battle which is opening and which is above all the battle of France, she wrote on the Valeurs Actuelles site. As a citizen and as a woman politician, I subscribe to your analysis and share your suffering. After days of silence, Florence Parly, the defence minister, dismissed the text on Sunday as the irresponsible work of retired soldiers who no longer have any role in our armed forces and only represent themselves. Ms Le Pen's comments reflect a serious ignorance of the institution of the army, which is worrying for someone who wants to become commander-in-chief, she added. Ms Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the industry ministry, also lashed out at Ms Le Pen. Sixty years to the day after the putsch by the generals against General de Gaulle ... the mask is falling and the varnish is cracking. Marine Le Pen is far-Right and its exactly the same story as 60 years ago. Ms Le Pens father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, founded the far-Right party she now leads with support from those who backed the armys efforts to stop de Gaulle granting independence to Algeria. However, Ms Le Pen's call for the retired generals to back her got a frosty reception. It is clumsy, to say the least, to launch an electoral touting operation, responded Gen Fabre-Bernadac, who accused Ms Le Pen of total ignorance of the military world. Mr Macron has come under a barrage of criticism for his perceived lax approach to immigration and security in recent days, buoyed by polls suggesting 65 per cent of the French do not think his government has a handle on crime. After last Fridays Islamist murder, several opposition figures, including Right-wing head of the Paris region Valerie Pecresse, this week accused him of failing to concede that there is a link between immigration and terrorism. The Macron camp branded such criticism so soon after the murder as the work of "vultures". It looks set to be another exciting battle in Portugal between Lewis Hamilton and his biggest rival Max Verstappen. According to the Brit, Red Bull Racing will be strong at Portimao. Part three of Hamilton versus Verstappen Hamilton and Verstappen were very evenly matched in the first two races. Both managed to win one race and finish second in another. However, the Mercedes driver is one point ahead of the Dutchman, because he managed to take an extra point for the fastest lap on Imola. In Portugal, Hamilton expects to once again battle it out with Verstappen. "I suspect Red Bull will be quite strong in Portimao, so it will be another big challenge and a good race," the Briton is quoted by the Portuguese Ojogo. Over the Schumacher record Last year Hamilton didn't start the Portuguese Grand Prix in the best way. He lost the lead in the first few laps of the race in changing conditions. Nevertheless he managed to win the Grand Prix and beat Michael Schumacher's record for most wins. Hamilton explains how he managed to win the race: "The key to that performance in Portugal was to stay calm and not make any mistakes. I couldn't give up and had to find my rhythm. To start by taking it easy and then focus on pushing." Rome's museums and archaeological sites reopen to visitors. The Colosseum, along with the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, will reopen to the public seven days a week from Monday 26 April. The move comes as Italy relaxes its coronavirus restrictions in most of the country, with the Lazio region around Rome now classified as a lower-risk 'yellow' zone. The Colosseum archaeological park will be open daily, from 10.30 until 19.15 (last entry 18.15) with online booking mandatory and visitors given time-slots. The novelty of being permitted to open at weekends has been extended to all museums and archaeological sites in the country's yellow zones after previously being allowed to open only on weekdays. Parco archeologico del Colosseo director Alfonsina Russo told AgCult that conservation work and restorations have continued at full pace throughout the last year of extended closures and partial openings. Russo said that the "intense works" caring for the park's priceless heritage will allow for the opening of new spaces to visit, closed for decades - such as the Domus Tiberiana - "within the year." Visitors to the Colosseum, entered exclusively from the Sperone Valadier, will follow a one-way route around the ancient amphitheatre, in line with Italy's covid-19 protocols. The Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, included in the 16 Colosseum ticket and valid for 24 hours, will also be accessed by a single entrance from the Via Sacra / Arch of Titus. Lazio's move to yellow comes as Italy prepares to "open up" many of its closed businesses from today, under a new decree easing rules affecting internal travel, restaurants, schools and businesses. The gradual relaxing of restrictions will see restaurants and bars in the Italian capital permitted to serve people at outdoor tables for both lunch and dinner, although Italy's 22.00 curfew remains in effect. In addition to museums, Rome's cinemas, theatres and live music venues can also reopen from today, with restrictions relating to attendance capacity and social distancing. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has suggested social media could be used by the evil one to undermine Australian society, telling Christian leaders they are what the country needs right now. Speaking at the Australian Christian Churches national conference at the Gold Coast last week, Mr Morrison also called out identity politics for being corrosive to society, and revealed he used the Pentecostal practice of laying on of hands while meeting people at disaster relief centres. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison receives a blessing at the Australian Christian churches conference. The speech gave a rare insight into the deep Pentecostal Christian faith Mr Morrison has and its impact on his political leadership. It was uploaded to YouTube on Sunday by secular advocacy group Rationalists Australia. Mr Morrison said young people were being damaged by social media, and said it could be used by the Devil as a weapon. Bigg Boss 14 Fame Nikki Tamboli Will Donate Plasma To Help COVID-19 Patients Bigg Boss 14 2nd runner up Nikki Tamboli, who recently recovered from coronavirus, decided to extend a helping hand to others by donating her plasma at a hospital for the ones in need. On 19th March Tamboli had revealed her COVID-19 diagnosis and was home quarantined following the doctors medications, requesting others coming in contact with her to get tested too. The actress took to her social media to share that she will be donating plasma to covid patients battling the virus in a government hospital. Requesting her fans to take care of themselves and follow discipline to fight against the virus. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nikki Tamboli (@nikki_tamboli) Nikki also revealed about her brother who is admitted in a hospital too is tested covid positive. She said, Post being recovered and tested covid negative I am going to donate plasma in a government hospital to the patients who cannot afford it and who are in need of the same in these dark hours. My blood group is O positive and I will donating my plasma in a government hospital for covid stricken patients. She also requested the ones who have been recovered from covid to donate their plasma too. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nikki Tamboli (@nikki_tamboli) She concluded stating, My own brother who is recently admitted in a hospital is tested covid positive too. I am once again requesting everyone to take care of themselves. The situation out there is bad. Whenever my parents call me I get scared that what would be the news. I hope this COVID battle end super soon and please take care everyone. Nikki Tamboli lost her grandmother a few days back but she continued to shoot in order to fulfill her work commitments. New Jersey on Monday reported another 1,247 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and an additional 19 confirmed deaths as Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state will increase outdoor gathering limits and indoor catered event capacities including for weddings and proms starting in two weeks. Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped below 1,800, while slightly more than 4 in 10 adults have been fully vaccinated in the state as the third wave of the pandemic continues to slow. Murphy announced that outdoor gathering limits will increase from 200 to 500 people starting on May 10, in time for college and high school graduations. In addition, private catered events such as weddings and proms will go from 35% to 50% of a venues capacity with a maximum of 250 people, up from 150. Because of everything you are doing whether it is continuing to wear your masks and social distancing or getting vaccinated you are helping us crush these curves yet again, Murphy said during his latest COVID-19 briefing in Trenton. And because of that, we are pleased to be able to take more steps forward in our reopening process. As we have said from day one, we have been eager to relax our restrictions as soon as the numbers gave us confidence that we could do so safely and responsibly. And that time has come. Murphy said he anticipates more reopening announcements in coming weeks if the declining trends in the outbreak continue. New Jerseys seven-day rolling average for new cases in the state is now 2,279 down 26% from a week ago and 32% from a month ago. The seven-day average hasnt been below 2,300 since early November. The states COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped for the fifth straight day, with 1,797 patients as of Sunday night. Thats the lowest number since March 7. More than 2.8 million people have been fully vaccinated in the state as of Monday about 41% of the states 6.9 million adult residents. The states goal is to fully vaccinate 70% of its eligible adult population about 4.7 million people by the end of June. In all, more than 6.6 million vaccine doses have been administered in New Jersey, with more than 4 million people receiving at least one dose. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage The states rate of transmission dropped to 0.90, down from 0.92 the day before. Any number under 1 indicates that the outbreak is slowing, with each new case leading to less than one other case. The statewide positivity rate for tests conducted on Thursday, the most recent day available, was 6.44% based on 38,732 tests. That was the fourth consecutive day with a positivity rate under 7%. New Jersey has now reported 865,700 confirmed coronavirus cases since the state reported its first case on March 4, 2020. That total dropped by 10,442 positive tests on Monday due to a new automated process health officials developed to search for duplicates dating back to the states first case. Previously, those duplicates were identified manually and the automated process will be run weekly going forward, said Dr. Edward Lifshitz, director of the state Department of Health Communicable Disease Service. Lifshitz called the adjustment a one-time drop. More than 13.3 million PCR tests have been conducted in the state in the nearly 14 months since the outbreak started. There have also been 123,186 positive antigen tests during the outbreak. Those cases are considered probable, and health officials have warned that positive antigen tests could overlap with the confirmed PCR tests because they are sometimes given in tandem. The state of 9 million people has reported 25,399 residents have died from complications related to COVID-19 including 22,788 confirmed deaths and 2,611 fatalities considered probable. New Jersey has the most coronavirus deaths per capita among American states. Officials have warned that the state has hit an expected point where demand for vaccinations is decreasing. But they said Monday the state is developing plans to reach out to people who have yet to get their shots. State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said she still expects the state to vaccinate 70% of its eligible adult population by the end of June. I can guarantee it, Persichilli said. Murphy noted it will help that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has resumed. With that, we once again have all three tools back in our toolbox, the governor said. HOSPITALIZATIONS There were 1,797 patients hospitalized with confirmed (1,689) or suspected COVID-19 cases as of Sunday night 26 fewer than the previous night, according to state data. That included 398 in critical or intensive care (15 fewer than the night before), with 246 on ventilators (one less). There were also 209 COVID-19 patients discharged Sunday, while 170 were admitted. Statewide hospitalizations are down nearly 25% from April 7, when there were 2,378 patients the states spring peak. By comparison, hospitalizations peaked at more than 8,300 patients during the first wave of the pandemic in April and more than 3,800 during the second wave in December. SCHOOL CASES New Jersey has reported 254 in-school coronavirus outbreaks, which have resulted in 1,125 cases among students, teachers and school staff this academic year, according to state data. The state defines school outbreaks as cases where contact tracers determined two or more students or school staff caught or transmitted COVID-19 in the classroom or during academic activities at school. Those numbers do not include students or staff believed to have been infected outside school or cases that cant be confirmed as in-school outbreaks. There are about 1.4 million public school students and teachers across the state, though teaching methods amid the outbreak have varied, with some schools teaching in-person, some using a hybrid format and others remaining all-remote. Murphy has said New Jerseys schools are expected to return to full in-person classes for the next school year. AGE BREAKDOWN Broken down by age, those 30 to 49 years old make up the largest percentage of New Jersey residents who have caught the virus (31%), followed by those 50-64 (22.6%), 18-29 (19.9%), 65-79 (10.1%), 5-17 (9.8%), 80 and older (4.4%) and 0-4 (2%). On average, the virus has been more deadly for older residents, especially those with preexisting conditions. Nearly half the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents 80 and older (46.57%), followed by those 65-79 (32.97%), 50-64 (15.99%), 30-49 (4.06%), 18-29 (0.39%), 5-17 (0%) and 0-4 (0.02%). At least 8,025 of the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, according to state data. There are active outbreaks at 223 facilities, resulting in 2,694 active cases among residents and 3,509 among staffers. Those numbers have slowed as vaccinations continue at the facilities. GLOBAL NUMBERS As of early Monday afternoon, there have been more than 147.3 million positive COVID-19 tests across the globe, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 3.1 million people have died from coronavirus-related complications. The U.S. has reported the most cases, at more than 32 million, and the most deaths, at more than 572,200. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) An Omaha police officer has been charged with felony counts and placed on leave after being accused of using a gun to threaten teens who pounded on doors in the officer's neighborhood late at night. The Shapoorji Pallonji groups review petition in the will be an important milestone in the Tata versus Mistry legal fight, with lawyers saying that very few review petitions succeed at the apex court. The overturning of the NCLAT judgement by the threatens to loom large over the head of the Shapoorji Pallonji group. Alleging that the has failed to consider all allegations pertaining to oppression and mismanagement at Tata Sons, the Shapoorji Pallonji group has filed a review petition. It is pertinent to note that the scope of review petition is limited as the petition is admitted only when there is discovery of new and important matter or evidence, or when there is an apparent mistake or error on the face of the record. In the present case, the Supreme Court has considered all the presented facts, including oppression and mismanagement of minorities, therefore restricting the admission of the same, said Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner at KS Legal & Associates. The Mistry petition has pointed out some alleged errors in the judgment that diluted the powers of the Act, especially with respect to the power and responsibilities of independent directors as well as trust nominees. It will be interesting to see what the decision of the Supreme Court will be, considering that former CJI S A Bobde has retired, said another lawyer. In its March 26 order, the Supreme Court had set aside the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), and ruled in favour of Tata Sons, the holding company the Tata group. According to the articles of association of Tata Sons, the trust nominated directors have the veto power over the decisions to be taken by the holding company, even if its stake falls up to 40 per cent. The Trusts own 66 per cent stake in while the Mistry family own 18.4 per cent stake. Lawyers said that yet another battle was now brewing between the two friends-turned-foes over the valuation of Mistrys stake in the company. While the Mistry group has sought Rs 1.76 trillion for its stake, the Tata group has pegged valuation of the same at only Rs 80,000 crore. There is a complete mismatch over the valuation, and the legal fracas is just a posturing to get a better valuation. Both sides have a long haul ahead, said a Mumbai-based lawyer. An Irish couple who brought a High Court case over concerns that they might not be allowed to Ireland their new-born child from the Ukraine have been awarded the legal costs of their action against the State. The action was brought by Mark Hedderman and his wife Sinead Hedderman Gallagher, who went to Ukraine earlier this month, for the birth of their son Theo Declan by surrogacy. Their action centred over a requirement for arrivals from Ukraine to Ireland to enter into mandatory hotel quarantine, a measure designed to counter the Covid-19 pandemic, for up to 14 days. The family feared that anyone travelling from a designated country such as Ukraine to Ireland would not be allowed board their flight unless they had pre booked a hotel, the court heard. The couple had claimed their failure to meet the pre-book requirement, especially in circumstances where there are no rooms available, was a breach of their Constitutional and European Convention rights. They had claimed in proceedings against the State that there was no power to direct airlines to accept passengers without pre-booking. They had sought a declaration their rights have been breached by a failure of the State to guarantee their return passage to Ireland. They also claimed the blanket imposition of a requirement to book a quarantine hotel, regardless of their individual circumstances, constitutes a wholly disproportionate and unreasonable interference with the right to liberty. The case was against the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Transport, Health Ireland and the Attorney General. When the case came before Mr Justice Brian O'Moore last week the court heard that new regulations had been put in place that would allow the family return home, and that they would not have to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine. On Friday Micheal OHiggins SC for the North Co Dublin-based family, said they returned home last Saturday, hours after the new regulations had been put in place by the state. The family had ultimately succeeded in what they had set out to achieve, counsel said. Counsel said that on consent the case could be struck out, and that an order for his client's legal costs could be made against the respondents. Catherine Donnelly SC for the state said her side was not objecting to those orders. Mr Justice O'Moore, who noted the novel points raised in the case and the fact that the action had resulted in changes to the regulations, said he was satisfied to make a costs order in favour of the family against the state. The costs are estimated to be a five-figure sum. Graham: Elections of Obama, Harris Are Proof That Our Systems Are Not Racist Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday pushed back against President Joe Bidens remarks that systemic racism exists in the United States, saying that the elections of former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris prove otherwise. Grahams comments came in response to remarks made by the president on April 20 following the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the May 2020 death of George Floyd, who died in police custody. Biden at the time called systemic racism a stain on our nations soulthe knee on the neck of justice for black Americansprofound fear and trauma, the pain, the exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every single day. Graham cited the elections of Obama, who is African American and was in office from January 2009 to January 2017, and Harris, who is South Asian and Black. Not in my opinion. We just elected a two-term African-American president. The vice president is of African-American-Indian descent. So our systems are not racist. America is not a racist country, Graham responded during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. So this attack on police and policingreform the police You know, America is a work in progress but [its the] best place on the planet and Joe Biden spent a lot of time running the place down. I wish he would stop it, he told host Chris Wallace. Chauvin, 45, who was found guilty by jurors of second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and third-degree murder in Floyds death, is one of societys bad actors, Graham suggested. Floyd, 46, was restrained on the ground after resisting being placed into a patrol car when he was arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 at a nearby store. Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck and back to restrain him for over nine minutes. By the time an ambulance arrived, Floyd had stopped breathing. Chauvin faces the prospect of 40 years in prison. Under Minnesota law, criminals only face jail time on their most serious crime if all charges are from a single act. The Chauvin trial was a just result. Whats happening in Ohio where the police officer had to use deadly force to prevent a young girl from being stabbed to death is a different situation, in my view, Graham said. The Republican senator was referring to the fatal officer-involved shooting of 16-year-old MaKhia Bryant in Ohio last week. Bryant of Columbus was seen on body camera footage being shot by an officer after she lunged at another young woman while holding a knife. In a subsequent Fox News interview on Sunday, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, opposed Grahams remarks. My response is, at some point in our countrys history, we have got to figure out a way to talk about race where we can talk about it objectively and people dont feel individual guilt, Bass said. She added, You can look at each of our institutions. Why is there such massive inequality when it comes to education, when it comes to health care? Why does that exist? And so we have to figure out a way to talk about it. Right now, to say it doesnt exist does not help anyone. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. New Delhi: At the recently held 93rd Academy Awards, late Indian celebs including Irrfan Khan, Bhanu Athaiya, Sushant Singh Rajput, Shashikala and Rishi Kapoor were honoured in the 'In Memoriam' section. While late Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan and late costume designer Bhanu Athaiya featured in the tribute video, late actors Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor and Shashikala were honoured in the Oscars 2021 gallery on their official website. After missing them in the 'In Memoriam' tribute video, Shashikala, Sushant Singh Rajput and Rishi Kapoor's fans were elated to see their pictures in the 'In Memoriam' gallery and tweeted about their happiness at seeing the global film industry honour the late stars. One user tweeted, "Our beloved @SSR featured in The Memoriam gallery at the Oscars...Thank u" while another wrote, "@theAcademu also remembers Soumitra Chatterjee, Rishi Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput in this long list of "In Memoriam" at the Oscars 2021". Although there were a few who objected to Rishi Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajputs absence from the main In Memoriam tribute at the Oscars 2021. While Irrfan Khan and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor died after a two-year battle with cancer. Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020 and actress Shashikala passed away with age-related complications. Actors Sean Connery and Chadwick Boseman were also among many others that the Academy remembered in the special tribute segment. Oscar nominee Angela Bassett gave a speech with the tribute, which was shown in the form of a video clip and was a homage to achievers the world of screen lost over the past year, including actors, writers, directors, and technicians. The 93rd Academy Award was held on Sunday (April 25) from two locations in Los Angeles - Union Station and Dolby Theatre. In India, it was live-streamed on Monday (April 26) from 5:30 am to 8:30 am. France's Armed Forces minister reacted with fury tonight after hundreds of retired soldiers pledged to support Marine Le Pen in the fight against 'the disintegration' of their country and the threat of 'civil war'. Florence Parly said a coalition between politicised former military personnel and the far-Right presidential candidate would be an outrage. Ms Parly was particularly concerned about an open letter in the latest edition of Valeurs Actuelles (Current Values) magazine, in which ex-generals are among those calling for a clampdown on 'Islamism and the suburban hordes.' Florence Parly, pictured, said a coalition between politicised former military personnel and the far-Right presidential candidate would be an outrage It suggests that a military coup d'etat might be necessary to stop a 'civil war' with communities from immigrant backgrounds, and especially Muslim ones. Ms Parly said: 'The irresponsible column published in Current values is only signed by retired soldiers, who no longer have any function in our armies and only represent themselves.' Expressing her anger further on Twitter, Ms Parly said 'neutrality and loyalty' were two principles that were crucial to military conduct. Ms Le Pen, the leader of the notoriously anti-immigration and anti-Muslim Rassemblement National (National Rally), has welcomed the veterans' support since the letter was published. If Le Pen was to replace Emmanuel Macron as President of France following elections next year, she would become head of the country's Armed Forces. 'Madame Le Pen's words reflect a serious misunderstanding of the military institution,' said Ms Parly. Ms Parly said this was 'worrying for anyone who wants to become head of the Armed Forces.' Ms Parly continued. 'The politicisation of the Armed Forces suggested by Madame Le Pen would weaken our military capability and therefore France. 'The military are not there to campaign, but to defend France and protect the French.' The Valeurs Actuelles letter was written by Jean-Pierre Fabre-Bernadac, a former officer, and signed by some 120 former senior staff, and 1000 others who were in lower ranks. In what sounds like the threat of a coup d'etat, they say their 'active comrades' may have to take part in a 'perilous mission to protect our civilizational values and safeguard our compatriots on the national territory. 'As we can see, there is no more time to procrastinate, otherwise, tomorrow the civil war will put an end to this growing chaos, and the deaths, for which you will bear the responsibility, will number in the thousands..' Marine Le Pen, the leader of the notoriously anti-immigration and anti-Muslim Rassemblement National (National Rally), has welcomed the veterans' support since the letter was published After the Valeurs Actuelle letter was published, Ms Le Pen said: 'As a citizen and as a politician, I subscribe to your analysis and share your grief.' In a direct rallying cry to the old soldiers, Ms Le Pen said: 'I invite you to join our action to take part in the battle which is opening, which is certainly a political and peaceful battle, but which is above all the battle of France.' France's current Fifth Republic has been threatened by military coups in the past, notably by far-Right activists who were eventually defeated as they tried to keep the former North African colony of Algeria. There are some five million Muslims in France - the largest community of its kind in western Europe - and many have backgrounds in former colonies, such as Algeria. The Rassemblement National used to be called the Front National (National Front), and was founded by Ms Le Pen's father, the convicted anti-Semite, racist and Islamophobe, Jean-Marie Le Pen. General Assignment Reporter Chris Mays is a general assignment reporter for the Brattleboro Reformer. He has been with New England Newspapers Inc. since 2012. NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) The remains of a man found in Lake Village have been identified after nearly 38 years. Authorities say John Ingram Brandenburg was among four people who were drugged and murdered by serial killer Larry Eyler before their bodies were dumped on an abandoned farm off U.S. Highway 41. Mushroom hunters found the decomposing remains in October of 1983. Police couldn't identify Brandenburg until recently, when authorities used family members' DNA to confirm who he was. Newton County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Rebecca Goddard says the effort was a partnership between local authorities and the DNA Doe Project. "It's very exciting to be able to provide the family with answers and I'm really thankful for that," she says. Brandenburg, of Chicago, went missing at the age of 19. Newton County Coroner Scott McCord says his remains are finally heading home. "Mom was very emotional, obviously," he says. "She said she's woke up every day wondering where her son's at and it's nice to finally be able to put that to rest for her." Eyler admitted to killing at least 22 people in the 1980s as he traveled between Terre Haute and Chicago. "Along the way he would pick up hitchhikers or whoever happened to be available at the time and dump them along the road," McCord says. "That's how he was dubbed 'The Highway Killer.'" Goddard says authorities found a 99% match shortly after Brandenburg's family members uploaded their DNA samples to a publicly accessible database. "They're obviously devastated to learn that he's passed away and that he isn't going to come home to them in the capacity they had hoped, but I think they're really grateful to have these answers," she says. The remains of Michael Bauer and John Bartlett were confirmed shortly after the discovery. Goddard is working with the DNA Doe Project to confirm the identity of the fourth victim, who right now is named "Adam Doe." Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab today condemned the Iranian government after Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was handed an additional one-year jail term. Mr Raab said the sentence is 'totally inhumane and wholly unjustified' as he demanded Tehran release the British-Iranian mother of one 'immediately' so she can finally return to her family in the UK. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe, a lawyer from London, fears Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 42, is facing an 'open-ended detention' in Iran. The charity worker will likely remain locked up until the UK resolves a long-running debt dispute with Tehran, her husband added. Mr Johnson insisted the Government is 'working very hard' to secure her release as he said officials and ministers will now 'redouble our efforts'. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been given an additional jail term having already completed a five-year sentence on charges levied by Iranian authorities, the last year of which was spent under house arrest due to the pandemic. Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani said she received the second sentence on a charge of spreading 'propaganda against the system' for participating in a protest in front of the Iranian Embassy in London in 2009. Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab today condemned the Iranian government after Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was handed an additional one-year jail term. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is pictured in Tehran in March this year after she was released from house arrest As well as the one-year jail term the dual British-Iranian citizen has also been handed a one-year travel ban starting after her imprisonment. It raises the prospect of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe not being able to see her six-year-old daughter Gabriella for at least another two years. It is also likely to deepen the festering diplomatic row between the UK and Iran. Mr Ratcliffe told the Mail that the couple hadn't told Gabriella that her mother may be returning to prison. He said: 'We have decided not to tell her, though she will have seen me doing interviews at the kitchen table all day and she'll pick it up from school. But Nazanin's not back in prison yet.' He said his wife's reaction had been anger. 'Nazanin was calm initially but became more and more angry. She said she wanted to shout at Dominic Raab,' he added. Asked about his reaction, he said: 'It's beyond words. It's a slap in the face. It's worse than we were expecting. It's a warning shot from Iran but the Government has been naive to allow this to drag on. 'They have an aversion to standing up to it. They still won't admit she's a hostage. They have a duty to protect people and they have failed in that duty.' He told the BBC: 'It's certainly a hard place to be. 'I think its a signal that is an open-ended detention until the debt-issue is solved.' Britain is thought to owe the nation as much as 400million over the non-delivery of tanks in 1979, with the shipment stopped because of the Islamic revolution. Mr Ratcliffe said he was pleased that Boris Johnson had issued a strong statement. Dominic Raab said the sentence is 'totally inhumane and wholly unjustified' as he demanded Tehran release the British-Iranian mother of one 'immediately' so she can return to her family in the UK Mr Johnson said the Government would be 'working very hard' to secure her release despite years of unsuccessful efforts. He added: 'I don't think it is right at all that Nazanin should be sentenced to any more time in jail. 'The Government will not stop, we will redouble our efforts, and we are working with our American friends on this issue.' In a phone call with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani last month, Mr Johnson pressed for her release. But the Iranian leader accused the UK of making little progress in returning the debt of around 400million. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, of north London, was first detained in 2016 as Iranian authorities made widely refuted spying allegations. Mr Johnson, pictured during a visit to a warehouse in Wrexham today, insisted the Government is 'working very hard' to secure her release as he said officials and ministers will 'redouble our efforts'. Mr Raab, the Foreign Secretary, said in a statement: 'This is a totally inhumane and wholly unjustified decision. 'We continue to call on Iran to release Nazanin immediately so she can return to her family in the UK. We continue to do all we can to support her.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe completed her first sentence in March but was returned to court later in the month where she was tried on new charges of 'propaganda against Iran'. In a statement, her MP Tulip Siddiq, who represents Hampstead and Kilburn, said: 'This is a terrible blow for Nazanin and her family, who have been hoping and praying that she would soon be free to come home. 'It is devastating to see Nazanin once again being abusively used as bargaining chip. 'We've been told the Government has been working behind the scenes to secure Nazanin's release. 'These efforts have clearly failed and we deserve an urgent explanation from minsters about what has happened.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Mr Ratcliffe earlier told the BBC the decision was 'clearly a negotiating tactic' by the Iranian authorities, adding she had not yet been summoned to prison at this point. Her lawyer is planning to appeal, the BBC said. Some observers have linked Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case to a long-standing debt Iran alleges it is owed by the UK. Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt questioned why the issue of the IMS (International Military Services) debt owed to Iran thought to be as much as 400 million over the non-delivery of tanks in 1979 had not been dealt with. He said: 'This is so distressing. Iran's cruelty seems to know no bounds. Impossible to imagine what the family are going through today. Key question is why the IMS debt issue is still not settled given the UK accepts that it owes this money?' .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal The Metropolitan Detention Centers medical provider, Centurion Detention Health Services, has informed Bernalillo County that it intends to leave in six months more than a year before the end of its contract. The departure appears to be tied to concerns the county had about the care the company was providing. In mid-March, the Journal published an article detailing how nine people had died at MDC in the course of a year. Six of those people died while detoxing from drugs or alcohol or in medical units under the care of Centurion. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Advocates had criticized the health care company for its involvement in those deaths, saying the medical and mental health care in the jail is unconstitutional because it is so poor. A union official said medical staff often left correctional officers to carry the burden in life-or-death situations. Bernalillo County Manager Julie Morgas Baca called the deaths tragic and horrible and said the county was working with Centurion on improving operations. On Friday, after news that the company is leaving had leaked, Morgas Baca said that in early April the county expressed concern to Centurion over staff vacancies and continuity of care and asked the company to respond to those specific concerns. Before those concerns were answered, Centurion exercised its right to terminate the contract, Morgas Baca said. The county has now moved forward with the competitive request for proposal process. An attorney for Centurion did not respond to requests for comment. A jail spokeswoman also did not respond to questions. The St. Louis-based company was awarded the contract to provide medical, dental, mental health and psychiatric services at the jail in 2018 and it began operating in the beginning of 2019. According to the contract, it had funding for about 90 health care workers. It was the countys largest contract and the company was to be paid about $13 million a year. In three years the county has paid Centurion roughly $40 million per the terms of the contract, Morgas Baca said. Additionally, the county provided, through CARES (Act) funding, $1 million for Personal Protective Equipment for Centurion staff. Under the contract, either party could terminate at any time as long as it provides 180-day notice. On April 19, the company sent a terse letter to Morgas Baca doing just that. Its last day at the jail will be Oct. 16, the letter states. Attorney Peter Cubra, a longtime advocate for inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center, said he is glad to see Centurion go. Centurion operates in jails and prisons throughout the country and used to provide health care for the New Mexico Corrections Department. A local lawyer has started the process of filing a lawsuit against Centurion regarding one of the deaths at MDC last year and has filed dozens of suits alleging mistreatment by the company in the states prisons. Because the environment of for-profit incarceration medical providers is a swamp, where deferring care and avoiding care is the primary strategy for making profit, it is no surprise that Centurion has done a bad job, Cubra said. Their reputation nationally is that they are in the bottom half in terms of quality It appeared to me that their Albuquerque performance was even worse than the national performance. At a meeting of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Commission on Thursday evening, County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada said the departure could open the door for a local company or organization to get the contract instead. Im hopeful that when we look for a new provider at MDC that we look for a local company, Quezada said. We look for somebody that is going to have investment in this community and that way we create jobs in New Mexico and we create those types of opportunity. Cubra echoed the sentiment and said in the mid-1990s the University of New Mexico Hospital served the jail. He said that enabled providers to have medical information about inmates and their needs from the start and allowed staff to arrange for continuing care after people were discharged. Almost every person who goes to our jail receives community-based health care and mental health care from local providers, Cubra said. A big problem with Centurion is they failed to provide continuity of services to people when they came in and failed to arrange for continuity of services to those people when they leave. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The Asia methanol market was estimated at USD 22,255.9 million in 2017 and is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period 2018-23.China was the major country in the consumption of methanol in 2014 and is estimated to be the major country for the same during the forecast period 2018-23. The rise in demand for petrochemicals and the advancement of new industrial segments are projected to offer new opportunities for the methanol market during the forecast period. Methanol, as a basic chemical has many applications in traditional chemical derivatives and energy related applications such as formaldehyde, acetic acid , MTBE, DME, MTO etc. Among these, formaldehyde and acetic acid applications are growing at a strong pace during the forecast period 2018-23. The Formaldehyde application in Asia generated over $4,086.4 million in 2017 and is further forecast to grow at a CAGR of 8.4% during 2018-23. What is Methanol? Methanol is also known as wood alcohol. It has some of the characteristics similar to that of conventional fuels. Hence, methanol has emerged as a perfect replacement for conventional fuels such as diesel and petrol. There has been an increase in the use of methanol filling stations due to concerns such as pollution and emphasis on usage of alternative fuels. Different proportionate mixtures of methanol such as M3, M85 are being used on a large scale. The demand for alternative transportation fuel has shown a high rise with the depleting crude oil reserves. Methanol as a fuel has low pollutant counts. What are the major applications of Methanol? Methanol derivative are implied for applications which include production of light-olefins and energy applications, such as direct blending into gasoline and the production of biodiesel and DME (dimethyl ether). Acetic acid and formaldehyde are the methanol derivatives and are used as a key component for the production of construction and wood products, as well as high-strength engineering resins and a multitude of insecticide applications. DME as an aerosol propellant is common in the West, which represents a relatively small market overall, but its primary use is in fuel application where it is mainly blended into liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This application is widely used by Chinese consumers for home cooking and heating, which has helped drive methanol consumption into DME. Methanol is also used to prepare fuel cells which find applications in industries such as telecom. Methanol is a potential toxicant for humans it is used naturally at a low level in most alcoholic beverages without causing harm. In order to prevent misuse of ethanol it is added in appropriate volumes and containers are marked. Market Research and Market Trends of Methanol China has become the worlds second largest LNG importer, behind Japan. China surpassed South Korea to become the worlds second-largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2017, according to data from official Chinese government statistics .Methanol is a basic chemical used to produce fuels and other traditional chemicals, in China to produce olefins in a process called methanol-to-olefins (MTO). Abu Dhabi National Oil Co has signed a three-year agreement with Lotte Chemical Titan, one of the largest polyolefin producers in Southeast Asia, to sell the Malaysian firm up to 1 million tonnes of naphtha annually. ADNOC produces over 12 million tonnes of naphtha annually. Methanol usage as fuel is expected to cut India's oil import bill by 30%.The government is contemplating a 'Methanol Economy Fund' to promote indigenously-produced methanol that could substitute 10 percent of India's crude oil imports by 2030, thereby reducing its fuel bill by around 30 percent Honeywell announced that Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical Company, Ltd. has accepted a new methanol-to-olefins (MTO) unit provided by Honeywell UOP sand that the plant is operating and has met all guarantees. The unit is the largest single-train MTO unit in the world with a production capacity of 833,000 metric tons per year. The new plant converts methanol from domestic coal into olefins for plastics production. Indian Government, announced on a plan to allow blending 15 percent methanol with petrol, according to PTI. Methanol made from coal has been produced at a very low price of INR 22 per liter. The State government of Assam has also ensured that NITI Aayog will extend all necessary support for augmenting methanol production of Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL) by utilising the natural gas available in the state. Indias government is also mulling a proposal to allow the use of methanol as marine fuel citing its environmental and economic benefits. Schedule a Call Who are the Major Players in market? The key players in the Methanol market are BASF SE, BP Plc, China National Coal Group, China Risun Coal Chemical Limited, Deepak Fertilizers and Petrochemicals Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and other leading producers in the APAC region What is our report scope? The report incorporates in-depth assessment of the competitive landscape, product market sizing, product benchmarking, market trends, product developments, financial analysis, strategic analysis and so on to gauge the impact forces and potential opportunities of the market. Apart from this the report also includes a study of major developments in the market such as product launches, agreements, acquisitions, collaborations, mergers and so on to comprehend the prevailing market dynamics at present and its impact during the forecast period 2017-2023. All our reports are customizable to your company needs to a certain extent, we do provide 20 free consulting hours along with purchase of each report, and this will allow you to request any additional data to customize the report to your needs. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, is pushing for a $6,000 to $12,000 Child Tax Credit for millions of American parents, a substantial boost beyond the temporary $3,000 to $3,600 expansion that Democrats want to make permanent following President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Today Im proposing major new tax relief to help working parents start their families and raise their kids how they want to, Hawley tweeted on Monday. Over the weekend, he had said, We need a plan to help working parents that is pro-family and pro-work. Bidens American Rescue Plan, approved by Democrats without support from any Republicans in Congress, expanded the annual Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,000 per child aged 7 to 17 and $3,600 for every child under 7. The expansion, which Democrats said will help cut child poverty in half, benefits parents of about 1 million children across Massachusetts. Monthly payments of $250 to $300 should begin in July and the remainder can be claimed on 2021 tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service. But according to Fox News, which first reported Hawleys bill, the freshman senator wants to give families, particularly married couples, an even bigger lift. The $12,000 credit, he argued, will help families decide whether one or both parents work full-time. Hawleys bill would give the credit to parents earning at least $7,540, about 20 hours weekly at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Similar to the proposal approved in the latest COVID-19 relief bill, Hawley calls on the IRS to create an online portal to allow families to update their information in order to receive payments. Families may opt for a lump some come tax season instead of monthly payments. In December, Biden singled out Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Hawley for teaming up to successfully press for more direct stimulus payments to Americans facing continued economic hardships due to the pandemic. Sen. Mitt Romney has also called for monthly payments for parents, though hes suggested cutting other federal benefits in order to make the credits deficit-neutral. The current expansion came out of the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts. Democrats, including the Massachusetts delegation and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are pressing to make the new $3,000-plus credit permanent. Part of Bidens and Democrats efforts to cut child poverty in half during a pandemic thats left millions of parents jobless, Rep. Jim McGovern previously told MassLive the provision will help lift 55,000 Bay State children out of poverty. Related Content: The Nigerian government says it expects to receive about 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines. The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, made this known during a briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 on Monday. The federal government has signed off to receive up to 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines through the African Union platform, Mr Shuaib said. He said Nigeria is also expecting more vaccines through the COVAX facility by the end of May or early June. He said by then, the country would have completed the process of administering the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to vaccinated people. Having received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in early March, Nigeria commenced vaccination beginning with healthcare workers. Over one million people have since been vaccinated. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine The J&J COVID-19 single-dose vaccine is compatible with standard vaccine storage and distribution channels with ease of delivery to remote areas. The vaccine is estimated to remain stable for two years at -4F (-20C), and a maximum of three months at routine refrigeration at temperatures of 36-46F (2 to 8C). Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently suspended administering the J&J vaccine over six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot. The suspension was later reversed. This six cases occurred among women aged 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination, according to a joint statement on Tuesday from Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC and Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The suspension was, however, lifted but with a warning about the potential for extremely rare blood clots, the BBC reported. European regulators this month also linked similar, highly unusual blood clots to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot, but found that the benefits of the drug outweighed any risks. COVID-19 vaccination Meanwhile, Mr Shuaib said vaccination against COVID-19 is still ongoing in all states of the federation. He said the country has vaccinated 1,175,285 eligible Nigerians as of April 26, 2021. This represents 58.4 per cent of people eligible to receive the vaccines, he said. Our collaboration with health officials and other stakeholders at the national, state, LGA and community level in the vaccination exercise has yielded substantial result, he said. He also noted that the country is aware of the global scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines due to high demands. This, he said, will further affect the remaining phases of the vaccination campaign in the country. We are aware of the global scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines due to high demands especially in countries where vaccines are being produced, he said. ADVERTISEMENT We therefore anticipate a delay in vaccine supply to Nigeria which may also affect and impact the remaining phases of the vaccination campaign. Due to limited doses of vaccine available, the Nigerian government recently directed states to halt vaccination once they use half of the doses allocated to them. The Nigerian government had said it plans to vaccinate 109 million people against the COVID-19 virus over a period of two years. Health authorities said only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated in four phases. SVMC: Event About Substance Abuse Recovery BENNINGTON, Vt. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and the Bennington Opioid Response Team, with support from a state Community Action Grant and Catamount Access Television, present "Promoting Change: Creating a New Landscape for Individuals with Substance Use Disorder." The event is scheduled at 4 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4 and will air live on CAT-TV channel 1075 and facebook.com/CATTVBennington . It is free and no registration is needed. This event is appropriate for people with substance use disorder and their families and anyone interested in decreasing substance use in our communities. Participants will gain hopeful insights on how they, their friends, and neighbors can navigate the transition from substance abuse to a healthy and happy substance-free lifestyle. Author and Speaker Matt Harrington will moderate. Panelists include Pam Aulicino, Julea Larson, and Benjamin Lerner. Aulicino is a registered nurse within Vermont's "Hub and Spoke" program for substance abuse recovery. In addition, she is a medication-assisted treatment nurse liaison with Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and a member of the International Nursing Society on Addictions. Larson is the supervisor of Recovery Support Services with Turning Point Recovery Center in Bennington. Among her specializations are crisis counseling, substance abuse prevention, behavioral health treatment and services, mental health and substance use disorders, prescription drug misuse, and supporting and affirming LGBTQ+ your with substance abuse disorders. Lerner is a Vermont-based composer, writer, and recovery advocate. He hosts CLEAN Jams, a radio show that airs at 11 p.m. Thursdays on WEQX 102.7 The Real Alternative. The show features sober Rap and Hip-Hop music and interviews with recovery partners. The Bennington Opioid Response Team is comprised of more than 40 individuals from community organizations, including health care, mental health, recovery, government, law enforcement, housing, transportation, and prevention. Its mission is to improve quality of life by reducing the adverse effects of opioid use in the community. Tibet launches seven "red tourism" routes Xinhua) 14:32, April 26, 2021 LHASA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China's Tibet Autonomous Region has launched seven "red tourism" routes, covering historical sites of revolutionary significance, to celebrate its 70th anniversary of peaceful liberation. The new tourist routes, combining the region's patriotic education bases, classic "red tourism" scenic spots and rural tourist attractions, and capitalizing on Tibet's unique natural and cultural resources, aim to provide a high-quality tourism experience for visitors, according to the regional department of tourism development. The first tours on such routes will be launched on China Tourism Day, which falls on May 19 each year. Against the backdrop of rural vitalization, promoting the integrated development of "red tourism" and rural tourism will provide support for consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation and provide more platforms for people to increase their income, said Wang Songping, director of the department. Data showed that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), Tibet received more than 157.6 million tourists from home and abroad, generating nearly 212.6 billion yuan (32.7 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism income. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) CEO and his counterpart have assured help to India as the country grapples with a ravaging crisis that has put enormous pressure on its hospitals due to a shortage of beds, oxygen and medical supplies. India logged a record of 3,52,991 new infections in a day on Monday, taking its total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,73,13,163. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 daily new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data. "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. & Googlers are providing Rs 135 crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information," Indian-origin CEO Pichai said in a tweet. In another tweet, Microsoft's Indian-origin CEO Nadella said that his company will continue to use its resources and technology for relief efforts and support for buying oxygen devices. Nadella said he was "heartbroken" by the current situation in India. "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the US government is mobilising to help. will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," he said. US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need, Biden said in a tweet. The US is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India including its courageous healthcare workers, Harris tweeted. Indian-American venture capitalist Vinod Khosla also tweeted: I'm willing to fund hospitals in India that need funding to import bulk planeloads of oxygen or supplies into India to increase supply. Public hospitals/NGO's also pls reach out." India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. To combat the growing demand for oxygen in the country, India has reached out to various countries to procure containers and oxygen cylinders under operation 'Oxygen Maitri'. The Indian Air Force on Saturday brought four cryogenic tanks, to be used for transporting oxygen, from Singapore. The containers were airlifted from Singapore by C17 heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF. The aircraft "with 4 cryogenic containers for storage of liquid O2 from Singapore landed at Panagarh airbase" in West Bengal on Saturday, a home ministry spokesperson tweeted. Saudi Arabia is shipping 80 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen to India as the country is running low on supplies due to an unprecedented spike in coronavirus cases. "Embassy of India is proud to partner with Adani group and M/s Linde in shipping much-needed 80MT liquid oxygen to India. Our heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Health Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all their help, support, and cooperation, the Indian mission in Riyadh tweeted on Sunday. President of the European Council Charles Michel said in a tweet, "The EU stands in solidarity with Indian people amidst resurgent COVID19 pandemic. The fight against the virus is a common fight. We will discuss our support and cooperation at EU-India Leaders' meeting on 8 May with @narendramodi and @antoniocostapm". French President Emmanuel Macron has also extended support to India. In a tweet shared by the Indian embassy in France, Macron said, "I want to send a message of solidarity to the Indian people, facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. France is with you in this struggle, which spares no one. We stand ready to provide our support. (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 Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) has cancelled the 2021 Tokyo motor show due to the local resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came as the Japanese government declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three western prefectures for more than two weeks from last Sunday in an attempt to halt a surge in new coronavirus cases. This was the first time the biennial motor show, scheduled to take place next October, had been cancelled since it was first held in 1954. In 2019 the show attracted more 1.3m visitors. Akio Toyoda, chairman of JAMA and president of Toyota Motor Corporation, said in a statement: We decided to cancel the auto show as it seems difficult to offer main programmes in a safe environment. Toyoda added: The association had considered the possibility of holding the motor show online but it wanted the event to be held physically. Just last week, Auto Shanghai took place in China with global automakers showcasing their latest products and technology, including a wide range of new electric vehicle models. See also: Tokyo is off and motor shows remain under threat Chloe Zhao accepts the best picture award for "Nomadland." (A.M.P.A.S. 2021) Move over, "Moonlight" and "La La Land." The Oscars have a new standard for a bungled ending. In the run-up to this year's Oscars, producers Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins had promised to shake up the traditional Oscars format. But one of their most surprising innovations, alas, proved one of the most ill-conceived, with the show concluding not with the emotional moment they surely banked on but rather an anticlimactic fizzle. In a startling break from Oscar tradition, the best picture award was shifted back from its venerable spot at the show's finale to third from last, with the show ending instead on the final two lead acting categories. In making the move, the producers appear to have calculated that holding back a dash of star power until the end might help keep viewers more engaged in a year in which few moviegoers saw the Oscar-nominated films, including best picture winner "Nomadland," whose victory was considered an all but foregone conclusion. With Chadwick Boseman widely favored to win a posthumous lead actor prize for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," the show's creative team were likely hoping for a big emotional finish to the show, with an outpouring of love for the late "Black Panther" star. Boseman's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, has given a series of moving acceptance speeches for the late actor at multiple virtual awards ceremonies this year including the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and NAACP Image Awards. Instead, Anthony Hopkins was named the winner for his turn in "The Father." And, to make matters worse, he was not present. Of late, Hopkins has been posting pictures from Wales on his Instagram account, the latest coming early Sunday from his father's grave, where he read from Dylan Thomas' "Do not go gentle into that good night." And a representative for Hopkins confirmed to The Times that he did not wish to travel to the U.K. location dedicated for acceptance speeches due to COVID-19 concerns. Story continues Without so much as a final acceptance speech, the show simply limped to an abrupt end. Presenter Joaquin Phoenix, who won the actor honor last year, awkwardly read from a teleprompter, shuffled off the stage and the producers cut to music director Questlove, who informed the somewhat confused, subdued audience in the theater and those still watching at home that the show was over. Backstage, the "Nomadland" crew was asked about how they felt about the best picture category coming earlier. It surely was a surprise," said one of the film's producers, Dan Janvey. "I think a lot of us grew up watching the Oscars and Ive gotten used to it being last." That said, while social media lighted up with criticisms of the show's conclusion, Janvey took the category shuffle in stride. "It was incredibly fun that they shook it up," he continued. "I thought the producers did a great job of making it possible for us to do this in person. As producers, its hard to imagine what went into the making of the show. One thing that those producers had repeatedly said in the run-up to the show was that they wanted the ceremony to feel like a film. To this end, it would seem they tried to script it along the lines of, say, "Out of Sight," one of Soderbergh's more emotionally satisfying movies, one that stuck its landing. Instead it felt more like his latest, the awkward, botched comedy "Let Them All Talk." People were talking, all right. But what they were saying wasn't particularly kind. Speaking to The Times this month, Soderbergh acknowledged that, when you produce a show as closely scrutinized as the Oscars, you need to be prepared to take some lumps. My attitude coming in was, you have to surrender to the fact youre just going to be a human pinata, Soderbergh said. And if you do surrender to that, youre kind of free to do what you want. We dont read the comments section, because that way lies madness. Times staff writer Yvonne Villarreal contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. CCHEN licenses lithium exports by companies operating in Chile and had previously called on Albemarle to provide further details about its lithium reserves, because it considered the information submitted in 2019 to be insufficient. Albemarle provided the extra data required at the beginning of this year. "We have always been... NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of Washington announcing assistance to India amid the COVID-19 crisis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Joe Biden spoke to each other on Monday (April 26) evening. India has been reporting over 3 lakh cases of coronavirus over the last few days, with allies rushing to assist it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media and wrote, "Had a fruitful conversation with @POTUS @JoeBiden today. We discussed the evolving COVID situation in both countries in detail. I thanked President Biden for the support being provided by the United States to India." "My discussion with @POTUS @JoeBiden also underscored the importance of smooth and efficient supply chains of vaccine raw materials and medicines. India-US healthcare partnership can address the global challenge of COVID-19," he said in another tweet. Had a fruitful conversation with @POTUS @JoeBiden today. We discussed the evolving COVID situation in both countries in detail. I thanked President Biden for the support being provided by the United States to India. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2021 US President Biden too shared a post on social media writing, "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need." Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need. https://t.co/SzWRj0eP3y President Biden (@POTUS) April 25, 2021 PM Modi, Joe Biden underline potential of India-US partnership in vaccine development PM Modi and US President underlined the potential of the India-US partnership in vaccine development and supply to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and directed their respective officials to maintain close coordination and cooperation in their efforts in this domain, ANI quoted official sources as saying. PM Modi also informed US President Joe Biden about India's initiative at the WTO for relaxation in the norms of the Agreement on TRIPS to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries. The two leaders agreed to remain in regular touch. The US president and his Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. Talks happen a day after US ended vaccine raw material export ban The talk between the two world leaders comes a day after the United States announced assistance to India in the backdrop of COVID-19 crisis. Washington also announced raw material for the manufacture of Indian Covishield vaccine in India. The breakthrough on raw material for COVID vaccines manufacture in India came after Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and American National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to each other. Other than that, US will be supplying therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and PPE, oxygen generators, deploy an expert team of health advisors from CDC & USAID to help india. A US readout of Doval-Jake talks said, "Building on the seven-decade health partnership between the United States and India including battles against smallpox, polio, and HIV they resolved that India and the United States will continue to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic together." Top officials from the US tweeted in a massive show of support for India as it battles the COVID pandemic. These tweets were by Vice President Kamala Harris , Defence secretary Lloyd Austin, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Deputy Secy of the state Wendy Sherman, US envoy to US Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Live TV WASHINGTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa about the creation of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which will be dedicated to mobilizing the federal government's policies, programs and practices to assist workers to organize and successfully bargain with their employers. "The executive order signed by President Biden today shows this administration means business when it comes to growing union power in the U.S. The task force, headed by Vice President Harris and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, will ensure the top ranks of government are working together to encourage workers to come together and advocate for themselves on the job. "For too long, the need for fair wages, decent health care and retirement security has been cast aside by corporate America and ignored by the federal government. This new panel shows both workers and big business that this White House values hardworking Americans and believes they should be treated with dignity and respect. "The popularity of unions is on the rise with everyday working people. The coronavirus pandemic has shown how important workplace safety is and how unions can provide an added layer of protection to help those toiling each day just trying to support their families. Government must put people first. This new task force is just the latest sign that's what the Biden administration plans to do." Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters. Contact: Ted Gotsch, (703) 899-0869 [email protected] SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters Related Links http://www.teamster.org Manzanilla fishermen in Spain beg for depot to be opened by Ralph Banwarie April 26,2021 | Source: Guardian Manzanilla fishermen are pleading with Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat to intervene so that the fishing depot in their village can be opened soon. However, for this to happen, there is still much work to be done since the facility still needs an electricity supply, pipe-borne water, cold storage for keeping their fish, security lights, cabins to secure their fishing gear and toilet facilities. The fishermen say they are losing thousands of dollars daily without cold storage to store their catch, while their engines and other equipment are also being stolen because they now have no facility to store them. The fishing depot was built ten years ago under the United National Congress regime but is yet to be officially opened because it lacks these facilities, the fishermen told Guardian Media. Please! Please hear us, we desperately need the amenities at the depot, the fishermen said. Steve Housend, a fisherman for 13 years and spokesman for the 40-plus affected fishermen, told Guardian Media the depot is basically an open concrete building with a slipway to get the boats off the sea for repairs but this is all it provides. Despite, this, he said the fishermen have been forced to use the depot as it is. However, he said it is time the facility is completed. We cannot accept this type of treatment for any longer. This is an insult to the fishermen at Manzanilla, Housend said, noting all other fishing facilities are fully outfitted so that fishermen can enjoy the benefits. Housend told Guardian Media that fishermen have lost boat engines due to the lack of security or lighting at the facility. Reports were made to the Manzanilla Police Station but there have been no arrests or recovery of the engines, he said. An engine cost on average as much as $40,000. Kerry Brooks, a fisherman for the last 10 years, said boat engine theft had forced most fishermen to remove their engines immediately after their return from fishing. However, he admitted this takes time and money as they have to pay for transporting their engines to a safe place. He said at night the place is in complete darkness, making the facility a haven for bandits and even unsafe for fishermen who return late at night with their catch. As a result of lack of storage facilities at the depot, Brooks said they have to sell their fish below the regular price to prevent it from decaying or take the fish to their homes for storage. We are facing difficulties in this pandemic season and need money like any other people for our survival. Can someone lend an ear to our cry? Brooks said. We are as fishermen supplying fish for the community and country and suffering as a result of most important amenity, electricity, for the running of our fishing trade. Two things are having an impact on us, we have to sell our catch at low prices and have to remove boat engines at an added cost. Kenwyn Phillip, Sangre Grande Regional Corporation vice-chairman and councillor for Manzanilla, under whose purview the fishing facility falls, visited the affected fishermen recently and listened to their problems. He told the fishermen he sympathised with their problems and had been making calls to the ministry to air their concerns. Phillip said on March 25, he contacted Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture Avinash Singh and highlighted their problems. He said he had also tried contacting Minister Rambharat but was unsuccessful. He urged Rambharat to have a meeting with the affected fishermen. Contacted on the issue, however, Rambharath said the ownership of the property was in question. It was constructed before my time. The matter is in court, Rambharath wrote in a messaged response. Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Freshwater ecosystems and threats, Fisheries Resources, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Post Harvest Technology and Trade, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Others, Landing Centres, Communities and Organisations. Following in the footsteps of two New Jersey COVID mega-sites, Camden Countys primary vaccine clinic in Blackwood will now allow for walk-ins. The site, which recently surpassed 90,000 shots, is available for anyone who is 18 years or older and lives, works or studies in New Jersey. Providing walk-ups to our Blackwood site will eliminate what would be a possible barrier for an appointment. Were trying to take away as many obstacles as possible, county spokesman Dan Keashen told NJ Advance Media, noting that the center can administer up to 3,500 shots per day. While vaccine eligibility has been extended to those as young as 16, the Camden County clinic is supplied with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Only Pfizer has been approved for use by the federal government for 16 and 17 year olds. The Camden County clinic is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Patients can still schedule an appointment at CamdenCountyVaccine.com. Keashen said the county is open to making accommodations for patients hesitant to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. But thus far, it has not presented an issue. Clinics across the United States have resumed use of the one-shot vaccine after a brief pause due to rare cases of blood clots. Camden County has said the Johnson & Johnson shot is key in providing immunization to people who are homebound. As of Monday, New Jersey confirmed over 865,700 coronavirus cases and more than 25,000 deaths. Over 2.8 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated which is about 41% of New Jerseys 6.9 million adult population. In Camden County which last reported over 46,000 cases and 1,100 total deaths on Friday more than 50% of the adult population has been fully inoculated. Theres an estimated 442,655 people over 18 in the county, according to 2019 census data. With more than half of our adult population already vaccinated, our goal is to reduce and eliminate any hurdles our remaining residents face, said County Commissioner Director Lou Cappelli in a statement announcing the walk-in services. If you have not gotten your vaccine yet, we strongly urge you to take advantage of these changes. Helping to further boost its efforts, Camden County has a pop-up vaccine clinic scheduled for Wednesday from Noon to 5 p.m. at Cooper River Parks Jack Curtis Stadium. Lets say youre out for a run or exercising and want to get your vaccine. You can walk over, roll up your sleeveand be finished in 17, 20 minutes, Keashen said. As long as residents have identification, nothing else is required, he shared. Visitors must wear face masks and observe social distancing protocols. The county has worked with different groups including Cooper University Health Care, the Rutgers School of Nursing and Jefferson Health-New Jersey to provide pop-up clinics throughout the region. Many have been located in public housing complexes and other areas where vaccine clinics are not as readily accessible. Other pop-ups are set to open at St. Pauls Church, Ablett Village and the Crestbury apartments (Camden), as well as St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church (Cherry Hill). Details are to be announced. Additional services are also being provided in Camden City, which has bared the brunt of the pandemic in the county with nearly 10,000 cases. In February, the Salvation Army Kroc Center collaborated with Cooper Hospital to open a vaccine site at its East Camden facility. At the time, officials noted that the neighborhood made up 44% of the citys positive cases. Vaccines at the Kroc Center can be accessed with an appointment on Monday (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Tuesday (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and Saturday (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Visit my.cooperhealth.org or call (856) 225-6141 to register for a shot. Beginning Thursday, Camden residents can also access a paid-for Uber ride to a COVID-19 vaccine site. The ride-share company dedicated $90,000 (1,500 ride codes) to an initiative meant to ease the trip for families in the hard-hit municipality. Local non-profit, Coopers Ferry Partnership worked with Uber to launch the program. We are glad to play a role in extending transportation support to the vaccine sites for residents, said Coopers Ferry Partnership CEO, Kris Kolluri. Work is currently being done to partner with other organizations to make sure were getting the codes out to anyone (in need). To take advantage of the program, call 856-757-9154. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com. ROME, APR 26 - Veneto Governor Luca Zaia said Monday that two cases of the India variant of COVID-19 have been identified in the northeastern region. He said the cases regarded an Indian father and daughter in Bassano del Grappa who had recently returned from India. Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Sunday signed an order banning people who have been in India in the last 12 days from arriving in Italy due to the high contagion rates in the Asian country and concern about the new variant. (ANSA). Robert Nichols is the state senator for Senate District 3. First elected in 2006, Nichols represents 19 counties, including much of East Texas and part of Montgomery County. He can be reached at 699-4988 or toll-free at (800) 959-8633. His email address is robert.nichols@senate.texas.gov. About ANN The Asia Network (ANN) is a coalition of 23 leading news organizations from South, Southeast and Northeast Asia. The network cover a region of over 2 billion people across 21 countries. Through the network, members pool resources and expertise to offer in-depth coverage of regional and international issues by presenting local viewpoints on complex topics. The current managing editor is Cod Satrusayang. The latest member to join Asia News Network was the Phnom Penh Post which became a member in July 2017 Lung cancer is a major global cause of mortality, reportedly accounting for 1.7 million deaths each year. The most common form of lung cancer is non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and early-stage NSCLCs can often be surgically resected. Unfortunately, some patients still experience poor outcomes after surgical resection, prompting further research on the relationship between a patient's preoperative status and the likelihood of good postoperative outcomes. Given this need for information, Dr. Shinya Tanaka from the Department of Rehabilitation and Prof. Naoki Ozeki from the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nagoya University, and their colleagues decided to investigate. Previous studies had identified some risk factors for mortality after NSCLC resection, including sarcopenia, which is defined as the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength and predominantly occurs in older individuals. Another known risk factor for unfavorable postoperative outcomes is poor physical performance as measured with the 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) test, which involves measuring how far a patient can walk on a corridor in the span of 6 minutes. To Dr. Tanaka and Prof. Ozeki, these past findings clearly pointed to "the importance of comprehensively assessing a patient's preoperative physical state in order to determine his or her risks of poor outcomes." However, no previous study of postoperative outcomes in patients with NSCLC had considered both sarcopenia and physical performance. Dr. Tanaka, Prof. Ozeki, and their colleagues therefore decided to conduct a study that addressed this gap in research. Their findings appear in a paper recently published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. The researchers analyzed data from 587 patients with NSCLC who underwent resection surgeries at Nagoya University Hospital between 2014 and 2017. They focused their analyses on determining how preoperative sarcopenia and exercise intolerance (defined as the inability to walk further than 400 meters on the 6MWD) influenced a patient's risk of mortality during the postoperative follow-up period, which lasted for 3.1 years on average. The researchers' analyses showed that patients with preoperative sarcopenia had a 1.78-fold higher likelihood of death during follow-up than their peers without preoperative sarcopenia and exercise intolerance. Furthermore, patients with preoperative exercise intolerance had a 2.26-fold higher risk of death than patients without preoperative sarcopenia and exercise intolerance. However, the strongest effects emerged when sarcopenia and exercise intolerance coincided: patients who had preoperative sarcopenia and preoperative exercise intolerance had a 3.38-fold higher likelihood of death than patients who were free of sarcopenia and exercise intolerance prior to surgery. These findings have important implications for the preoperative assessment of patients with NSCLC. In short, when oncologists are attempting to predict postresection prognoses, they should comprehensively consider a patient's physical status because variables like sarcopenia and exercise intolerance interact with each other to increase a patient's risk of mortality. Dr. Tanaka and Prof. Ozeki hope that their findings "may contribute to the establishment of intervention methods to improve the prognoses of patients with NSCLC." More broadly, they hope that "more people will realize the importance of nutrition and exercise and try to lead healthier lives". We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form There is an old saw about how one screw-up cancels out a thousand attaboys. So it is unfortunate that such good works as Mayor Lori Lightfoot may do are overshadowed by the overspending on her offices remodeling and upgrading of audiovisual equipment under the guise of needing to operate virtually. Indian actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor along with Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani are reportedly back in Mumbai. The Bollywood celebrities were spotted at the airport, yesterday, on April 25 as they got back from their trip. Actress Alia Bhatt could be seen walking next to Ranbir Kapoor while wearing a white top, blue shorts along with a camo-print jacket while Ranbir could be seen in a white shirt and blue jeans along with a bag. Disha Patani could be seen in a pink crop top along with blue jeans while Tiger opted for a blue vest and white pants.However, all four could be seen wearing protective masks. Take a look at some of the photos below. More about Alia, Ranbir, Tiger and Disha's Maldives trip As per their Instagram handles and paparazzi photos, Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani headed to the Maldives first and were then joined by Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. The foursome's return from the islands comes amid the announcement of travel restrictions by the Ministry of Tourism in the Maldives. The islands have seemingly kept flights open, but asked Indians and others travelling from India to only stay in remote islands during their vacations in order to keep tourism safe. With effect from 27 April @HPA_mv suspends tourists travelling from #India to #Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands. We thank you for the support in our endeavour to make tourism safest possible with minimum inconvenience. Ministry of Tourism (@MoTmv) April 25, 2021 Alia & Ranbir along with Tiger & Disha headed to their holiday destination just last week, which earned them a lot of criticism from fans and celebrities alike. Disha Patani's photos on Instagram, featured the actress in a bikini while Alia didn't share anything. Celebrities like actor Annu Kapoor also tweeted talking about how the actors do not need to make a big show out of it and if they are fortunate enough to be able to have fun during this crisis then they should do it in private. I humbly appeal to rich and famous from all walks of life and media not to post their pictures vacationing at exotic locations while the most of the world suffers with pandemic ? ANNU KAPOOR (@annukapoor_) April 23, 2021 Many fans have also expressed outrage over the actors' recent trip. In the comments sections of the photos clicked by Bollywood paparazzi's fans expressed distaste over the recent decision made by the actors to travel for a vacation. Image source - Manav Manglani 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. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Authorities in northern Italy announced Monday they had identified two cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus, in a father and daughter recently returned from India. The news follows reports of another case in the central region of Tuscany last month, and comes after the Italian government banned arrivals from the virus-hit country. "Today in (the city of) Bassano we have the first two patients, two Indians," announced Luca Zaia, head of the Veneto region. Bassano, in the province of Vicenza, lies some 65 kilometres (40 miles) north-east of Venice. The two patients were identified as a father and adult daughter of Indian origin who recently returned from a trip to India. They are currently isolating at home. Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Sunday announced a new ban on anyone entering Italy who has been in India in the past 14 days. India is battling a catastrophic, record-breaking outbreak that has overwhelmed hospitals and set crematoriums working at full capacity. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2021 AFP A scanner image of the bullets inside letters that went through the Vallecas processing center in Madrid on April 19. CORREOS / Europa Press An investigation into recent death threats against Spanish government and law-enforcement officials shows that the letters containing bullets reached their destinations due to a human error at the national postal service, Correos. According to an internal probe at Correos unveiled by the Cadena SER radio network and to which EL PAIS has had access, the security employee in charge of scanning incoming mail at a Madrid processing center failed to flag up three envelopes containing ammunition that arrived there on April 19. The letters were addressed to Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska of the Socialist Party (PSOE), to former deputy prime minister and Unidas Podemos party leader Pablo Iglesias, and to Maria Gamez, head of the Civil Guard police force. Iglesias, who recently quit his government position to run in the Madrid regional election scheduled for May 4, posted a picture on Twitter showing the contents of the letter he received. Your wife, your parents and you are sentenced to capital punishment, your time is running out, read the message to him. Sources familiar with the investigation said that Correos security personnel failed to recognize the rifle rounds contained inside the three envelopes, which were all mailed on April 19 and arrived at the Vallecas processing center in Madrid at 5.48pm that same day. Correos has told the company in charge of security to remove the worker from his post immediately due to his inability to identify the bullets. The letters, like all other mail weighing over 100 grams, went through an X-ray scanner. Letter sent to Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The system detected three consecutive letters containing respectively four rounds (addressed to Iglesias), two (sent to Grande-Marlaska) and one (meant for Gamez). Yet all three were processed and sent on to their destinations at the Interior Ministry and Civil Guard headquarters where security teams did their own checks and detected the letters before they reached their intended recipients. The National Police and the Civil Guard have launched their own investigations into the matter. Forensic police are analyzing the envelopes and letters for biological traces and examining the 7.62mm caliber rounds, which were phased out years ago by Spains armed forces and law-enforcement agencies. Sources familiar with the investigation said all three letters were deposited in the same mailbox, confirming the suspicion that they were sent by the same individual. All three messages were also written using the same system, a printing letter mold kit, and used similar language, including the word taponazo, a technical term for a gunshot that the average Spanish speaker is not familiar with. Officials in charge of the investigation said they are taking the threats seriously, in contrast with recent statements by leaders of the far-right party Vox, who suggested the letters could be phony. I believe little of what Pablo Iglesias says, and I think that all Spaniards, every time that we hear Pablo Iglesias say something, we call it into question because he has deceived us vilely over this last year, said Rocio Monasterio, the Vox candidate in the Madrid election, at a debate held on Friday that was cut short when Iglesias walked out following these statements. English version by Susana Urra. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare had flagged the issue of inadequate supply of oxygen and 'grossly inadequate' government hospital beds in November 2020 and asked the central government to take immediate action in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 123rd report of the Committee on "the outbreak of pandemic Covid-19 and its management", which was presented to the Chairman of Rajyasabha on November 21, 2020 and forwarded to the Speaker, Loksabha four days later, asked the central government to encourage adequate production of oxygen for ensuring its supply as per demand in hospitals. The Committee also wanted the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to take appropriate measures for capping the price of oxygen cylinders so that availability as well as affordability is ensured in all hospitals for medical consumption. Agreeing with the observation of the Department of Health, it said the pandemic had led to an unprecedented increase in the demand of non-invasive oxygen cylinders and instances of lack of oxygen cylinders in the hospitals had also been reported. Also read: All above 18 years to get free COVID-19 vaccine in Delhi, says Kejriwal The report noted that on October 16, 2020, Department of Health and Family Welfare Secretary had informed the Committee that the Ministry had requested NPPA to fix the price of oxygen as non-invasive oxygen has been found to deliver good results. The Secretary had also pointed out that since hospitals are using oxygen on a large scale, its consumption is increasing. "The overall production in the country is roughly in the region of 6,900 metric ton every day. Out of 6,900 metric ton, the highest consumption of medical oxygen was reported in mid-September, in and around 24th or 25th September, when the consumption was almost 3,000 metric ton of oxygen a day," the Committee was informed. The Secretary informed the Parliamentary panel that during pre-Covid days, consumption of medical oxygen was at almost 1,000 metric ton per day and rest of the 6,000 metric ton of oxygen was being used in industry, and hence there was a strong need to ensure that oxygen inventory is in place and oxygen prices are controlled. The report observed that the total number of government hospital beds in the country were grossly inadequate keeping in view the rising incidence of COVID-19 cases. "Data from National Health Profile-2019 states that there are total 7,13,986 government hospital beds available in India which amounts to 0.55 beds per 1,000 population. As per reports, 12 states stand below the national level figure," the Committee noted. The report also pointed out that the lack of hospital beds and inadequate ventilators further complicates the efficacy of containment plan for the pandemic. Citing the previous year's experience, the Committee said that "as the numbers of cases were on the rise, a frantic search for vacant hospital beds became quite harrowing". "Instances of patients being turned away from overburdened hospitals due to lack of vacant beds became the new normal. The scenario of patients holding oxygen cylinder rushing from pillar to post in search of bed in AIIMS Patna is a testimony to fact that tear apart humanity. The Committee is aggrieved at the poor state of healthcare system and therefore, recommends the government to increase the investment in public health and take appropriate steps to decentralize the healthcare services/facilities in the country," it had said. Also read: Natco Pharma seeks approval for phase-3 trial of antiviral drug Molnupiravir for COVID-19 treatment By Kim Yoo-chul Steel giant POSCO reported its highest quarterly profit in a decade amid continued stronger steel prices. POSCO marketing executives said the company's inventory plus solid demand for steel-embedded products will help it report better-than-expected earnings this year. "Some Chinese steel producers, failing to meet the quality standard of Chinese authorities, cut their steel production in March. While the amount of the output cut wasn't that substantial, it's possible that the Chinese authorities could force its steel manufacturers, some of which are located in northern China, to cut their steel output amid Beijing's drive to pursue carbon-neutral policies," Kim Young-joong, chief of POSCO's market strategy office, told investors, Monday. "Globally, demand is outpacing supply. POSCO finalized contracts with clients for product shipments to be delivered in June this year, with the company asking them to pay more. In the United States and Europe, steel prices are also rising." POSCO revised up its annual revenue target to 62 trillion won this year from the earlier forecast of 59.4 trillion won. Such an upbeat outlook is based partly on POSCO's growth plan as it was in discussions with an Indonesian company that would form part of this expansion. Upon announcing its first-quarter performance, the POSCO executive said while the end-market industries are on the recovery trajectory track helped by stimulus package plans, a series of which are released by governments, the steel industry is in a "situation that demand is outpacing supply," and vice versa for the local steel industry. Specifically, it reported a whopping 120 percent rise for the first three months of the year, the highest recorded profit since the second quarter of 2011. POSCO, the world's fifth-largest steelmaker, attributed the brisk profit to its better-than-expected performance from all business divisions steel, global and infrastructure. POSCO shares were up 1.97 percent to 362,500 won on the country's main bourse, KOSPI, Monday. Consolidated operating profit during the January-March period was 1.55 trillion won, exceeding an earlier market consensus of 1.3 trillion won. Regarding questions over its businesses in Myanmar, POSCO said it has no imminent plans to terminate the gas projects in Myanmar being pursued by its affiliate POSCO International. "The POSCO affiliate's Myanmar gas business has been active since 2000. Because profits generated from the gas business were paid to the Myanmar finance ministry, we don't think our gas projects are linked to the Myanmar military," Jeon Joong-seon, chief of POSCO's strategic planning division, told investors during the call. "POSCO is communicating with human rights groups over the issue." Some critics were raising concerns that POSCO affiliates' controversial ties with the Myanmar military may downgrade its ESG ratings, which may lead to investor dissatisfaction. "POSCO's metal business was set up there because of requests by Myanmar's then-government when we entered the business back in 1997. As the business sizes are small, only between $2 million and $3 million has been paid," the executive said. POSCO C&C said earlier it would end a joint venture with Myanmar Economic Holding Public (MEHL). Regarding updates to the U.S. steel protection measures, which banned the exports of Korea-made steel products to the United States, the executive told investors, "Since it's expected the Biden administration will focus more on overcoming the pandemic, creating more jobs and improving its economy for the rest of the year, we don't anticipate any major shifts in external policies." Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Christian Church is to be about saving souls and bringing the Gospel of Christ to all nations (Matthew 28:19). But Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America told a Chicago newspaper that she believes Hell, if it exists, is empty. So if everyone is going to heaven and the Church doesn't need to save souls, what will the ELCA do with its time and money? Sadly, from a look at ELCA press releases, the answer is: preach liberal politics. In the past, ELCA headlines have mentioned the ELCAs support for transgender rights and abortion rights. Here are the recent news releases from the ELCA: ELCA Church Council approves sanctuary church guidelines A pastoral word on the verdict of George Floyd's murder trial A statement from Bishop Eaton in addressing racial justice Earth Day statement from Bishop Eaton Bishop Eaton issues statement on gun violence Bishop Eaton issues statement addressing anti-Asian racism Statement for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Lutherans participate in UN Commission on the Status of Women ELCA leaders call on Congress to pass US Citizenship Act Indigenous Peoples Month events We should all be against racism, but did you notice what is conspicuously absent? Not a word about evangelism and bringing lost people to Christ. From the ELCA's own headlines, it appears the saving Gospel of Christ has taken a backseat to the ELCA's zeal for liberal politics. P.S. Some time ago Bishop Eaton was quoted to say that it is not the business of the Church to save souls, that is God's job. Yes, Bishop Eaton, but Jesus has given that job to the Church in His last words on earth (Matthew 28:19) to "Go ye therefore and make disciples". by Jeroen Bouterse Why, during the seventeenth century, did people who knew all the arguments that there is a God stop finding Gods reality intuitively obvious? This, says Alec Ryrie in his Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt (2019), is the heart of the question of early modern unbelief (136). Ryries point is that arguments pro or contra theism, and the influence of philosophical and scientific developments upon these arguments, are not actually crucial to the possibility of unbelief. The currents that run underneath these arguments are instinctive, emotional, and these are what we should look at if we want to understand doubt and denial of Christian theism historically. The history of unbelief is not primarily the history of eighteenth-century Enlightenment radicals and nineteenth-century science warriors, but of premodern anger and anxiety. This also means that it is a history internal to Christendom: atheism, to Ryrie (himself a lay minister in the Church of England), is not essentially alien to Christianity; especially post-Reformation, it is a bug in the system itself, one that at times almost looks like a feature. The very self-criticism and soul-searching that come to define a faithful believer can lead her to recognize that she believes in her heart that there is no God. This reference to the book of Psalms serves to illustrate that atheism, whether or not there was a blunt word for it, was eminently conceivable to Christianity from the outset. Medieval Europe, where Ryrie begins his narrative, is certainly no exception: theologians such as Anselm had no problem imagining atheist fools when clearing their throats for their proofs of God. Equally, they did not need those proofs; intellectually, atheism was no more a live option at the time than flat-earth-ism is now. So, why, yes, there were atheists. Like our flat earthers, they had to be way outside of any kind of mainstream, and highly suspicious of it. They were angry, iconoclastic, and their beliefs reflected their independent-mindedness and eccentricity; whether those beliefs involved literal denial of the deity was almost beside the point, as long as they shocked the ruling elites. Medieval blasphemers and heretics are part of the social and emotional history of atheism (which is what matters to Ryrie), but not of its intellectual history. Ancient polytheists or religious skeptics were known to the middle ages, but in so far as their ideas could have challenged medieval orthodoxy in theory, they did not do so in practice. Even in the renaissance, angry unbelief and intellectual respectability remained quite far apart, except perhaps in Machiavelli. Modern atheists are not Machiavellians in any ethical sense of the word, Ryrie emphasizes far from renouncing Christianitys distinctive ethic of mercy, most modern atheism has redoubled it (38) but Machiavelli, or what he stood for in the imagination of the age, put into everybodys mind the idea that perhaps religion was a lie, a cynical trick played by the powerful on the gullible. The watershed in the history of unbelief, however, is the Reformation. This idea is not in itself new, but Ryrie subtly wants to change the narrative about what religious conflict and secularization have to do with each other. The point is not, he argues, that people got tired of all the trouble and decided to contain the harm that religious strife caused by working around religion; the point is, rather, that within the conflict, both sides weaponized doubt, in a way that backfired as often as it hit its mark. Skepticism was not a response to the Reformation by disinterested bystanders; it was generated by the debates. Protestants argued that Catholic literalist belief in transubstantiation was basically a silly superstition; Catholics retorted that this kind of criticism betrayed the carnal nature of Protestants own reasoning, which was tantamount to impiety, and that by the way, Protestants reliance on the Holy Spirit to illuminate the reading of the Bible was itself laughably naive. Both accused the other side of being either too credulous or too incredulous. In the crossfire, some of these accusations stuck. To some, retreating from the more contentious and doubtful issues seemed the best solution; important figures such as Michel Montaigne and Jean Bodin quite explicitly deleted their religious Twitter accounts. Whatever the motives for these retreats, the indirect effect of the Reformation was to open up secular spaces in the religious landscape. What would it look like if people set up camp there? Ryries third chapter is primarily about the atheists conjured up by the popular and clerical imagination of the seventeenth century. The stereotypical atheist was a hubristic and worldly man, who wished there was no God that he had to obey, no-one to judge him. Atheism was associated with libertinism, with immoral behavior to the point of incest. On the one hand, this link to ethical nihilism made atheism into a convenient negative mirror image of mainstream culture the atheist was a fearsome other, but much like the medieval blasphemer, he did not constitute a genuine challenge. On the other hand, anything that supported the possibility of irreligious morality could now undermine religion together with its own self-satisfied moralism. Also, the fact that godless hypocrites made for nice stock characters in the theatre domesticated atheism, suggesting it to be not a uniquely depraved spectacle of horror, but a tolerable everyday phenomenon, to be joked about rather than feared (102). Christianity itself had set the bar for atheism very low. This made atheism more ubiquitous and less fearsome; it also made being a proper Christian a stressful business. Seventeenth-century puritans could worry especially about what the doubt in their own souls revealed about them and what that revelation in turn implied about God. To doubt your own salvation was contextualized as unbelief, and indeed, some people spiraled through despair into actual denial of Christian doctrine. The roots of these initial doubts could well be cognitive nagging questions about the reliability of Scripture, for instance but writers of the age itself agreed, and Ryrie agrees with them, that no-one simply argues her way out of temptation. At least, not if the arguments do not pack some emotional punch as well; the wonder of creation and the evidence of the deity in the human mind were the two main arguments that doubters could effectively aim at their own worries, Ryrie claims. Even for those who resisted the temptation of doubt, however, there were roads into practical unbelief that went straight through sincere theology: Protestant spiritualists sought to develop a purer faith by pruning out childish and superstitious elements, but what was on the far side of these minimalist tendencies? Seekers such as Clement Writer did not always stop at the rejection of baptism and ministry; they also made it a point of courage to avoid at all costs the hypocrisy they saw in others, even if that involved confronting uncomfortable questions about the Bible. What these Seekers had left after eliminating every form of dogma or traditional Christian practice was a high-minded morality, and here Ryrie feels he has to draw the line: that may be magnificent, but it is not religion. (169) This narrative constitutes excellent evidence in favor of one of Ryries contentions: that unbelief is, to a large extent, homegrown; that the history of Christianity itself has opened wide gates and broad ways to atheism. I am less sure that all this is also best analyzed as an emotional history, of anger and anxiety. There is much to be said for this frame, to be sure. Ryrie uses emotions as a lens through which he can historicize questions that can easily be misunderstood as perennial, especially by those of us who are interested in atheism and apologetics. It is all too easy to think of ontological arguments, theodicy problems, and arguments from design as basically timeless, and from there it is a small leap to the mistaken conclusion that the history of unbelief is a chronicle of philosophical and scientific innovations and discoveries. Ryrie shows that the same arguments or considerations have much less force in one time than in another; in the 21st century, the problem of suffering weighs heavily against theism, while for 17th-century puritans it hardly registered. Ryrie is rightly sensitive to this historical variability. Atheism has not fallen from the skies with the unstoppable force of the better argument; it has developed historically, and what better way to anchor it firmly in historical reality than by tying it to the human body or psyche? On the other hand, anger and anxiety themselves risk becoming constants in Ryries commentaries, turning up as a kind of undercurrent wherever there is religious unbelief and doubt at the surface. The suggestion is sometimes that the emotions are causally prior that if you are unable to believe, it is because of your passions, as Ryrie quotes Pascal (185). In its simple form, however, this suggestion is not supported by the narrative. The puritan doubts that Ryrie describes do of course come with a good deal of anxiety, but these doubts themselves have substance: they are rooted in factual questions about the authority of the Bible, made harder both by Catholic attacks and by the accumulation of minor textual puzzles and problems uncovered by biblical scholarship since the renaissance. (120) Catholic-Protestant polemics are angry, but they are also quite literally a matter of substance. When a Protestant describes the Catholic view of the Eucharist as eating Christ up raw and convey[ing] him into the place where they bestow the residue of all that which they have devoured, Ryrie comments: That is not an argument; it is a gag reflex. (55) A true and important observation: what stands out here is not the quality of the reasoning but the ruthless anger and disgust. But if it is a gag reflex, it is a self-induced one; behind it, there is a web of associations, meanings, and implicit arguments. Anger and disgust do not exist in a historical vacuum, and a full explanation of the reason why 16th-century Protestants were so prone to equating transubstantiationism with cannibalism, and why on the other hands Catholics were deeply disturbed by this level of impropriety, is contextual and historical. That is, it relies not on the workings of the human limbic system, but on the discursive resources that authors on different sides of the controversy tap into. I should emphasize what I hope my synopsis of the narrative already made clear: that this is precisely the kind of explanation that Ryries book delivers in practice, in a convincing and elegant manner. He does not shy away from intellectualizing the hot-headed half-arguments that both sides throw at each other in their polemics; he shows us why they were meaningful and powerful at the time, and what their intended and unintended effects upon later religious discourse were. He also makes it clear that he does not mean to contrast emotions and intellect. We may not be able to govern our emotions fully, but we curate and manage them, and we learn them from the culture around us as well as discovering them within ourselves. It is in this sense that they can be said to have a history (5). I completely concur with this premise, and would only add that it complicates the idea that two more or less specific emotions are perennial in the history of atheism. Perhaps this is why the final chapter, in which Ryrie follows these two threads from the seventeenth century to the present, is the least convincing: he tries to fit the cheerful mockery of Monty Pythons Life of Brian into the mold (merry absurdism and gentle ridicule [], but containing occasional, unmistakable flashes of real anger (187)), and the section on anxiety contains preciously few examples of actual anxiety. The book ends with the exciting thesis that after World War 2, Nazism and its atrocities have become the absolute reference point for morality in the public consciousness, and that this is culturally important because it is the first wholly secular moral absolute, dislodging Jesus. A fascinating thought and an admirable final display of Ryries talent for reading between the lines of cultural expressions, for discerning what they reveal about the spirit of the age; but what all this has to do with the two supposedly central emotions of the book remains unclear to me. It is a small complaint. Ryries book simply contains a much richer story than the two emotions-framework can sustain, and this framework never holds him back from telling that story. He takes every seriously held position seriously, and takes care to find the right words and the right metaphors to draw out what is at stake, bringing past hopes and worries closer, allowing them to resonate with us without collapsing them into the present. Ryrie succeeds in historicizing recognizable strands of unbelief by situating them in different religious discourses, and by providing a convincing narrative about the dynamics of those discourses. He is right in insisting that this dynamics is not amenable to rational reconstruction, that it is not an isolated intellectual chess game, if such a thing were even conceivable. Ryries protagonists doubt God with all their heart and all their soul, as well as with all their mind. Edition used: Alec Ryrie, Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt. Harvard University Press: Cambridge (Mass.) 2019. This years World Intellectual Property Day celebrated on 26 April 2021 marks a turning point in relations between the worlds populations and the internet giants that control an increasing proportion of the information on which we depend to make vital decisions in our lives. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) represents more than 600,000 journalists in 150 countries worldwide, and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) over 320.000 journalists in 45 countries. Both organisations welcome increased scrutiny of these internet giants and on this day call for them to meet their responsibilities to our members and the world. The owners of corporations such as Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon have built fortunes by distributing works protected by authors rights laws and selling advertising on the strength of their appeal to users. Facebook and Google between them monopolise the marked in advertising, wreaking havoc on the financial foundations of independent news reporting. The IFJ and EFJ have long pointed out that societies can be neither democratic nor supportive of their populations without such reporting. We regret that it has taken recent experiences such as the manipulation of elections and referendums and of the propagation of misinformation about the covid pandemic to draw attention to this truth and to the the need for the professional reporting that our members provide. For too long these internet giants have been able to build empires on the principle dont ask permission, ask forgiveness espoused by Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and funder of Donald Trump. They have knowingly and flagrantly profited from the abuse of the authors rights of artists, song-writers and journalists. Whenever someone is drawn to one of their websites they profit from advertisements on those sites. Whenever someone is drawn to one of their websites that person is drawn by the work of authors and performers. Faced with demands that they pay for the use they make of these works their primary raw material these corporations deploy powerful lobbying defences of their power and profits. They are able to fund reports from otherwise prestigious institutions, and they are able to deploy low-level memes such as presenting the demand that they pay up as a tax. Paying for use of creative workers output is no more a link tax than paying for vegetables is a carrot tax. Faced with demands by law-makers, these corporations have sought to distract attention by offering to pay newspapers and broadcasters of their choosing amounts of their choosing. Notoriously, in Australia they threatened to cut the country off. The law regulating their payments as monopoly purchasers from news publishers passed nevertheless but it has a fatal flaw in that it leaves payments to actual journalists dependent on the beneficence of Australian newspaper owners. It is journalists who need to be supported in the service we provide to society. The European Unions 2019 Copyright Directive, due to be implemented in member states within weeks, at least promises that our members should receive an appropriate share of income received from the internet giants. The IFJ and EFJ commend this approach to the law-makers of the world. Authorities said a man was shot and killed after backing into an LAPD vehicle with his car. (KTLA) A man wearing body armor who was fatally shot by police during an altercation in the Hollywood area on Saturday had previously been wounded in a shooting by law enforcement, police confirm. In 2018 in North Providence, R.I., Richard Solitro the man killed in Saturday's confrontation with L.A. police brandished a replica Beretta pistol at a police officer, who then fired his gun at him, according to court records. The officer had been responding to a report of a man in a home who might harm himself. When the officer arrived, Solitro was not in the house but inside a car. He got out of the car and brandished what the officer thought was a gun, records say. A Providence grand jury in 2019 determined the shooting was legally justified. In September, he pleaded no contest to felony assault by use of a device similar in appearance to a firearm in that shooting, according to Rhode Island court records. LAPD Capt. Stacy Spell confirmed that the person fatally shot in Hollywood was the man previously shot by a police officer in Rhode Island. Saturday's deadly encounter began when LAPD officers were cut off en route to an emergency by a black sedan with the words "King Satan 666" written on it. According to the LAPD, as the officers approached the busy intersection of Sunset and Fairfax Avenue, Solitro suddenly pulled in front of them and stopped." The suspect then placed his vehicle in reverse and ran into the police car," a statement said. The LAPD said Solitro jumped out of the car wearing clearly visible body armor and moved toward the officers. He had his right hand concealed behind his back. He moved towards the officers and was counting three, two, one." Investigators said Solitro then "began to move his right arm to the front," at which time an officer shot him, striking him multiple times. Solitro died of multiple gunshots at the scene. Investigators did not find any weapons on him. The Times has not interviewed any independent witnesses to the event. Story continues The shooting was captured by the officers' body cameras and in-car video and was being reviewed as part of a criminal and internal investigation of the shooting. The LAPD is required to release shooting videos within 45 days as part of its critical incident review. Solitro's father, Rick Solitro, told NBC 10 News in Rhode Island that his son had struggled with his mental health for years. Solitro had been staying at a Quality Inn on La Brea Avenue as a long-term guest before the shooting, according to the LAPD. The department's Force Investigation Division was examining how Solitro came to be in Hollywood. Rhode Island court records show that his wife filed for divorce in January and last month, after a hearing, it was granted for irreconcilable differences. In addition to the shooting incident in Rhode Island, Solitro had been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence in connection with a 2007 incident that led to his being placed on probation. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Pennsylvania now ranks fifth nationally for the number of COVID vaccine shots its gotten into arms, resulting in 47% of residents with at least their first dose. The states rate of new infections is slowing down as the vaccination campaign continues to gain ground after a rocky start. There were 3,162 new cases reported Sunday and 1,881 on Monday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Healths two-day report. The department does not issue an update on Sundays. There were five new deaths reported Sunday and none Monday. This brings the pandemics toll to 1.136 million cases and 25,988 lives lost since the coronavirus was first detected in the state in March 2020. (Cant see this map? Click here.) These are your coronavirus updates for Monday, April 26, 2021 The vaccination campaign Pennsylvania is vaccinating 96,800 people a day over the last week, a slight drop from the prior week when the moving average climbed to 101,000 people a day. The state health department and Lehigh Valley vaccine providers say demand is easing for shots after weeks where it was tough to find an open appointment. Thats why providers are employing different strategies to make it easier for people to get vaccinated. This is why the Allentown Health Bureaus mass vaccination clinics at the Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds are now open to anyone 18 and up without an appointment. The bureau is accepting walk-ins to its clinic at 1725 W. Chew St. as long as vaccine supply permits. Clinics will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The bureau is distributing only the Moderna vaccine. Companies in need of vaccine for their workforce are asked to call the health bureau at 610-437-7760. Pennsylvanias given the first vaccine shot to 47.3% of its eligible population and the state now ranks 10th nationally for first doses administered by percentage of population, according to the CDC. A total of 3.7 million people are fully vaccinated and almost 2.2 million have their first shot of a two-dose vaccine, according to state and Philadelphia health department data. Philadelphia is its own vaccine jurisdiction and gets its own allotment. The Lehigh Valley is keeping pace with the state here both Lehigh and Northampton are 29% and 28% fully vaccinated, ahead of all adjacent Pa. counties. Full protection sets in two weeks after the booster shot. Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam has said the state is aiming for an 80% vaccination rate. Pennsylvania is again allowing providers to administer the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine after on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration lifted a pause on using the vaccine. The U.S. underwent a nationwide pause after 15 people out of almost 7 million people who got the shot developed rare blood clots within two weeks of receiving the vaccine. Three women died. (Cant see this map? Click here.) Out of the 8 million vaccine doses administered in Pennsylvania, only 271,132 have been Johnson & Johnson, which the state has largely used to vaccinated educators and other essential workers. After a thorough review, federal experts have determined that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe for all individuals, Beam said. We continue to urge individuals to get vaccinated as soon as possible with any of the three vaccines available to them. Getting vaccinated is essential as we work to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and also of serious and fatal complications due to the virus. The easy-to-store shot is seen as a powerful tool in the nations vaccine arsenal because it is just one dose and it comes in single-use vials. This makes it perfect for use in transient populations, like college students or truckers, or to take into hard-to-reach communities where other vaccine doses might go to waste if there arent enough takers. Coronavirus in Pa. and the Lehigh Valley The state is now averaging 3,824 new infections and 43 deaths a day on average over the last week. New cases are down 178% from the rate two weeks ago, a welcome development after weeks of increase. This is the eighth day in a row the average daily rates fallen. And while cases are showing a decline, changes in hospitalizations and deaths typically take weeks to follow and both are trending upward. Deaths are up 46% from two weeks ago, while hospitalizations are up 10% with 2,700 patients a day over the last week. In the Lehigh Valley, 322 new cases were reported over the last two days by the state, bringing the local total to 71,729 cases. No new deaths were reported. The toll stands at 1,516 people. (Cant see this chart? Click here.) Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Chads new military junta on Monday named a transitional prime minister, appointing a distant runner-up in presidential polls a week after veteran leader Idriss Deby Itno died fighting rebels. Albert Pahimi Padacke was the last premier under Deby, whose shock death triggered the creation of a so-called Transitional Military Council (TMC) headed by his son, 37-year-old Mahamat Idriss Deby. Pahimi Padacke will lead a government whose members will be named or revoked by the younger Deby, according to a 95-article Transition Charter published last Wednesday that supersedes the constitution. The government will oversee a transition period of 18 months leading to free and democratic elections, under the charter. The TMC groups 15 generals seen as the closest to the late president, who won praise abroad for his leadership fighting jihadists in the vast and volatile Sahel. Pahimi Padacke was credited with just over 10 percent of the vote in the April 11 elections, whose landslide victory by Deby was in little doubt. Opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo cautiously welcomed the appointment, saying: We are in an unusual political situation we wish him a lot of success. All Chadians must come together in this difficult period, Kebzabo said. We should have had a civilian president first, followed by the appointment of a civilian prime minister, said Succes Masra, head of The Transformers opposition movement. His organisation called for Chadians to come out en masse on Tuesday to demand the TMC step down and to protest at Frances negative interference in Chad. Pahami Padacke had presented himself during the campaign as independent, calling for Debys departure while praising the veteran leaders bravery. The only courage he lacks is that of accepting a peaceful transfer of power, he said at one campaign rally. Deby, who was 68, had led the former French colony with an iron fist for three decades, winning six successive elections. Pahimi Padacke was his prime minister from 2016 to 2018, when the president eliminated the post as part of moves to consolidate power. The opposition branded the accession of Debys son as head of a military council an institutional coup. The junta has gone on the offensive against Libya-based northern rebels, vowing Sunday to root out their leader Mahamat Mahadi Ali, seeking help from neighbouring Niger to track him down along with his fighters. War crimes Junta spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna accused the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) of killing several dozen Chadian soldiers and said Ali was sought for war crimes by Tripolis prosecutor general, adding that his assets had been frozen for financing terrorism. According to the army, several columns of heavily armed vehicles rolled in from Libya on April 11 election day in Chad attacking a customs post at the border in the province of Tibesti, some 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the capital NDjamena. Agouna appealed to Niamey to facilitate the capture and bringing to justice of these war criminals. FACT, which has a pact with Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman of eastern Libya, emerged in April 2016. On Saturday the rebels said they were prepared to observe a ceasefire, but Agouna said the two sides were at war. They are rebels, which is why we are bombing them. We are waging war, thats all, Agouna said. The time is not for mediation, nor for negotiation with outlaws. Reached by telephone, Ali told AFP he was still in Chad, in the northern province of Kanem, adding that his forces had been bombarded. If they want to make war, we will make war, he said. If they attack us we will respond. Deby himself came to power in 1990 at the head of a rebel force that rolled in from neighbouring Sudan. He was buried last Friday in a state funeral attended by French President Emmanuel Macron. Deby was a linchpin in the fight against the insurgency, and Macron pledged at the ceremony: France will never let anyone, either today or tomorrow, challenge Chads stability and integrity. In early 2021 France officially began development of its next generation of SSBNs (ballistic missile nuclear powered submarines). This is the SNLE-3G Program, with SNLE being SSBN in French. These new boats will be the third generation of French SSBNs. The announcement confirmed much of what had already been known about what the SNLE-3G would be. These new SSBNs will be about ten meters longer than the current 138-meter long SSBNs and probably displace (on the surface) at least 15,000 tons. This is about twice the displacement of the first generation SSBNs. The additional internal volume will be largely devoted to silencing, improved passive sensors, much upgraded electronics and better crew accommodations. This includes a towed sonar array in addition to built-in sound detectors. More powerful computers and software can more quickly identify known sounds and figure out what unknown sounds are likely to be and track them even if the sound signal fades in and out. There will be an upgraded nuclear power plant and new rudder and propeller designs using tech already installed on the new class of French SSNs (nuclear powered attack subs). It was confirmed that the hull of the 3G SSBNs will be covered with sonar signal absorbing anechoic tiles. Inside the subs all machinery will be designed and mounted to minimize noise. French subs have crew with men and women and the improved accommodations make it easier to handle that. For an SSBN the best protection is silence and stealth. All this stealth has a downside. This was demonstrated in early 2009 when France revealed that the Le Triomphant had collided with some unknown underwater object, causing some damage to its sonar dome. At the time, the crew did not know what they had hit, and assumed that it was a cargo container, floating underwater after having fallen off a ship. It's a common enough occurrence in bad weather. Nothing else seemed to make sense. Ten days later, after the British announced that one of their SSBNs had also collided with something underwater, they compared notes with the French and concluded that the two boats had run into each other. It appears that the bow (front) of the Le Triomphant scraped along the side of the HMS Vanguard. The French apparently believe that both boats were so quiet that neither boat detected the other, even after the collision. The French revealed that onboard the Le Triomphant the collision could be heard by the crew as bumping and scraping, then silence. There was a damage assessment drill, which came up clean, except for some damage to the sonar dome. That meant the sub was even less able to hear any noises coming out of the Vanguard. The Le Triomphant then proceeded on its way, only able to guess at what it had just hit. The Vanguard did the same, unaware that they had literally bumped into another stealthy SSBN. The French later revealed that they did exchange general location data with NATO navies with regard to where their attack (SSN) submarines were operating. But they consider the SSBNs one of their strategic weapons and thus subject to a higher degree of secrecy. For decades, it's been understood that sharing information with all your NATO partners increased the chances of the secrets getting back to Russia. Since only one or two of these SSBNs are at sea at any time, it was believed that collisions would never be a problem. The odds of an underwater collisions were considered so high as to be virtually, but not absolutely, impossible. The U.S., Britain and France quietly got together to work out new procedures to avoid collisions between their increasingly stealthy subs. This is one reason why the French 3G SSBNs are spending a lot of money on improving passive sensors that will detect stealthy subs that get within collision range. Le Terrible, the last of four current French Triomphant class SSBNs (ballistic missile nuclear powered submarines) entered service in 2010 and the first 3G SSBN is supposed to enter service in 2035. First generation French SSBNs began entering service in 1971 and they lasted 20 t0 23 years. Triomphant, the first second generation SSBNs is expected to serve for 30 or more years. By 2035 the youngest Triomphant class boat will have been in service for 25 years and one before it for 30 years. The first Triomphant is expected to retire in the late 2020s. The Triomphant class boats displace 12,600 tons, have a crew of 101 and carry 16 M51 SLBMs (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile). At the time the other three Triomphants, already in service, carried the older M45 missile. These boats received the M51 after the "Le Terrible" entered service. The Triomphants replaced the six SSBNs of the Redoutable class. These were 9,000-ton boats that entered service in 1971 and began to retire by 1991. Each of these boats carried sixteen of the shorter range (5,000 kilometers) M4 missiles. The first Triomphant entered service in 1997 while the last of the six Redoutable SSBNs served until 2008. In 2008, after more than a decade of development and delays, France finally completed testing the new M51 SLBM. In this case, the missile was fired from an underwater container similar to the silo on a submarine. There followed another successful launch from a French SSBNs. M51s weigh 52 tons each, carry six warheads and have a range of 10,000 kilometers. They replace the M45 (weighing 35 tons each, carrying six warheads and with a range of 6,000 kilometers). The M51 entered service on schedule in 2010 and has undergone several upgrades so that the 3G SSBNs will use it, at least initially. Currently there are no plans for a new SLBM. LEE If you consider yourself one of the 10 percent to 30 percent of adults who struggle with chronic insomnia or the 30 percent to 48 percen Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In . Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. If you believe you've gotten this message in error, please Log In. University names facility in their honor A Plymouth, Michigan, couple has given $3 million to Bowling Green State University for a project underway to expand and renovate the University's Student Union. Robert M. and Ellen (Bowen) Thompson, both BGSU graduates, formally presented the gift to the University on Friday (Dec. 15) afternoon. The contribution is the largest ever received by the University, according to Marcia Latta, director of development at BGSU. The largest previous gift was a $2 million bequest for student scholarships from Lorain schoolteacher Harry V. Frankfather, a 1926 BGSU alumnus. "This gift from the Thompsons will impact every student at the University because the Union is used by everyone on campus," Latta said, adding that the gift also demonstrates the importance of private philanthropy. "Private dollars are crucial in helping the University achieve its goal of becoming the premiere learning community in Ohio and one of the best in the nation." Moments before Friday's announcement of the $3 million gift, the University's Board of Trustees voted to name the student union facility in honor of the Michigan couple. A 1955 graduate of the University, Robert Thompson is president and former sole-owner of Thompson-McCully Co. in Belleville, Mich. Ellen Thompson earned a bachelor's degree in education at Bowling Green in 1954. The benefactors have fond memories of BGSU and say their years at the University changed their lives. "My college education was a very pivotal time in my life," says Robert Thompson. "My mother," he recalled, "wanted me to have a college education to build my confidence." Although not a very serious student in high school, "I worked like crazy (at BGSU) and my self-confidence did grow. I also met my wife. My college education was a life-altering experience." Ellen Thompson echoed her husband's sentiments. "It was a wonderful four years for my husband and me. It was a wonderful time to grow up." Of the couple's decision to contribute $3 million to the Student Union project, which is being financed by private donations and student fees, she said, "It just seemed this (gift) would increase our happiness and our happy memories of Bowling Green." In thanking the Thompsons for their gift, University President Sidney A. Ribeau praised them for demonstrating the very values the Bowling Green learning community seeks to instill in its current students. "As undergraduates here, Bob and Ellen were enriched by their experiences both in and out of the classroom, and they have gone on to be successful citizens who are active in their community. Their gift is meaningful not only because it will enrich student lives here at BGSU, but also because they set an example for our students by demonstrating the importance of giving something back to the community," Ribeau said. Both of the Thompsons were teachers when they started their successful asphalt business in 1959 with an uncle, Wilfred McCully. What began as a small paving company grew into a sizeable corporation that was sold last year to an Irish firm. At the time of the sale, the Thompsons turned over $128 million in profit sharing to their 550 employees as a reward for the their hard work and dedication. That act garnered news media attention and the Thompsons were later the subject of stories in People Magazine and on ABC-TV's "20/20." Yet even before the sale of their company, the Thompsons were giving back to the communities where they had prospered. Nearly 20 years ago they established the Robert and Ellen Bowen Thompson Scholarship at BGSU. The scholarship is given annually to six financially needy students who have at least a 2.8 grade point average and who are employed for at least 10 hours a week. They are also members of the Presidents Club, and Robert Thompson is on the board of the BGSU Foundation Inc. With the help of their latest gift, the BGSU Student Union will double in size, to approximately 125,000 in net square footage. When the $33 million project is completed, the building will feature meetings rooms, an array of retail services, including the University Bookstore, a convenience store, post office, ATMs and banking services; more than a half-dozen lounge areas; a 250-seat movie theater/ auditorium; a food court; restaurant-coffeehouse; ballroom, and offices for student organizations and services. The Student Union was closed a year ago for renovation. The new BowenThompson Student Union is expected to open in January of 2002. Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak has said he thinks that it would be a wrong idea to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to a meeting in Kyiv. He said this in an interview with the LIGA.net news site, according to Ukrinform. "No, I think it is wrong," Yermak said when asked if the Ukrainian authorities were ready to invite Putin to Kyiv. At the same time, he said he considered that Putin's talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a place where war is ongoing would be appropriate. Yermak recalled that during a video conference of political advisers to the leaders of the Normandy Four countries, Dmitry Kozak proposed that they meet at the contact line and hold meetings at the level of advisers there. "I retorted that I definitely have no problems with this and I often go there. Reporting to the president on the video conference, I also told him about this moment of negotiations. Then I can only quote our president when he addressed Putin: 'I am ready to go even further and offer you to meet in any part of the Ukrainian Donbas where war is ongoing'," he said. According to Yermak, this indicates that Ukraine is ready to continue negotiations. And it is important to do so in a place where the Ukrainian military defend their homeland every day, and to look into the eyes of people who risk their lives every day, he said. "According to our information, the vast majority of Ukrainians killed recently were the victims of snipers - snipers who, according to our information, are of Russian descent," Yermak added. He also noted that the Ukrainian authorities were working to end the war as soon as possible, but since this is a very sensitive issue, some specific dates are not named. op Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill on Thursday that protects and empowers the religious freedom of citizens. Entitled "Montana Religious Freedom Restoration Act," the Christian Headlines reported that Gianforte signed the law out of his desire that the "right to freely exercise their religion" be protected. Gianforte was refering to citizens who he intends to be delivered from the government's "burdening" of their religious liberty. "To protect Montanans' right to freely exercise their religion, I was proud to sign the Religious Freedom Restoration Act today," Gianforte said in Twitter on Friday. "Thank you to Sen. Carl Glimm (R-Kila) for your work on this legislation," he added in the same post that includes an infographic of what he has done. To protect Montanans right to freely exercise their religion, I was proud to sign the Religious Freedom Restoration Act today. Thank you to Sen. Carl Glimm (R-Kila) for your work on this legislation. pic.twitter.com/3sRFEjKUpl Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) April 22, 2021 The Montana Religious Freedom Restoration Act or Senate Bill No. 215, according to the legislation's literature, revises existing laws related to the "free exercise of religion," which the state recognizes as a "fundamental right." The bill identified two purposes for its enactment: (1) "to restore the compelling governmental interest test and to guarantee its application in all cases in which the exercise of religion is substantially burdened by state action" and (2) "to provide a claim or defense to a person or persons whose exercise of religion is substantially burdened by state action." The literature went on to explain that "substantially burdened" meant "any action that directly or indirectly constrains, inhibits, curtails, or denies the exercise of religion by any person or compels any action contrary to a person's exercise of religion" while "Compelling governmental interest" meant "a governmental interest of the highest order that cannot otherwise be achieved without burdening the exercise of religion." The Christian Headlines explained that the law prohibits the goverment from burdening the individual in the practice of one's faith unless the state's action is essential in achieving a governmental interest and that the said action is the "least restrictive means" of achieving the said action. Individuals are then given the right to sue the government if they find being restricted of their religious liberty and such lawsuit could include the lawyer's fees and damages. Despite the law being very generic in its content in terms of its scope and implementation, LGBTQ+ groups and advocates condemned its enactment out of believing that it will be used against them. The Christian Headlines cited Montana Human Rights Equality and Economic Justice Director Shawn Reagor in telling the Associated Press during an interview that Senate Bill No 215 will allow "individuals to turn the shield of religious freedom we all hold dear into a weapon to attack LGBTQ and Indigenous Montanans." Meanwhile, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp said that the bill ensures citizens in Montana will be "free to live and work according to their faith without fear of unjust government punishment." Gianforte also said that it will be a good basis for courts before deciding on a case on the matter since it serves as a "sensible balancing test." He commended the law for citizens are now empowered to live according to one's faith and gives a "fair hearing when government action forces a person to violate his or her religious beliefs." He thanked the governor for signing the bill, as well as, Glimm for sponsoring it. In recent years, the South African road construction sector has experienced numerous challenges which has resulted in the general decline in its market size. The decline has been marked by medium to large-sized construction firms entering into business rescue or facing financial difficulty; resulting in having to sell certain segments in their companies. JanBaby via Pixabay Figure 1 - SANRAL Road Network Pavement Quality (2017/18 2019/20) As part of the reconstruction and recovery of the South African economy, Government will in the coming months expedite the implementation of at least 50 infrastructure projects with a total investment value of more than R340bn. South African Government Some construction companies have had to sell their Roads Construction Divisions while others have looked to private concessionaires to sustain the volume of work in the absence of public sector spending. In addition to a decline in government capital expenditure, the industry decline has been exacerbated by rising material costs, a decline in profit margin, the weakening Rand, poor business confidence and broken industry operating models that are no longer fit for purpose.Consequently, the roads construction sector has continued to experience a lack of work resulting in weak trading conditions while still carrying some excess capacity which is required for the current volume of work on hand.Sanral (The South African National Roads Agency) manages about 3.6% of South Africas national proclaimed road network, which amounts to over 22,000 km of road. Although SANRAL manages less than 4% of the national proclaimed road network, they manage the roads that carry about 34.5% of all vehicle kilometres travelled and more than 70% of long-distance road freight (Table 1).With 93.6% of Sanrals road pavement condition ranging from very good to fair (Figure 1), Sanrals principal activities are the financing, management, development, maintenance and rehabilitation of South Africas proclaimed national road network. However, 6.4% or 1,421 km of Sanrals road network is in poor to very poor conditions with 75% of Sanrals paved network older than the original 20-year design life span (Table 2). This results in major Capex investment required to strengthen the road network.As the industry was already at its melting point, the Covid19 pandemic further exacerbated cascading corporate failures leaving the industry in dire need for revitalisation and increased public spending. As the national lockdown regulations were eased, the industry displayed a rapid recovery by June 2020.This was partly due to the resuming of construction activities, the South African governments commitment to increasing public spending and Sanrals commitment to awarding tenders. These incentives, to increase public spending and increase the number of tenders awarded was done with the expectation to provide some relief to South Africas struggling construction industry.As of August 2020, SANRAL had indicated that for the current financial year (2020/2021) 278 maintenance, operations and construction projects worth R30.2bn had been advertised. As of late August, 136 of the 287 projects to the value of R7.3bn had already been awarded. By November 2020, it was estimated that SANRAL had awarded between R12bn-R14bn of the R30bn worth of road construction projects.With Sanral spearheading the revitalization of the road construction industry, the market is optimistic of Sanrals ability to perform and award tenders. Additionally, the market is likely to see some 'green shoots' from the governments massive infrastructure investment drive as gazetted by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020:Forty-seven billion rand of this R340bn will be allocated to road construction over the next three years.Sanral is regarded as the largest contributor and generator of road construction and maintenance work in the public sector and is likely to remain as such as their road network expands to 25,000 km in the long term. As Sanral continues to make positive strides in awarding tenders, it is expected that the demand for contractors will pick up in the next two to three years. Sadiq Khan today announced he will axe the 15 seven-day congestion charge he imposed a year ago when he claimed Transport for London was about to go bust and needed a 1.6billion taxpayer-funded bailout. The Labour Mayor of London, who is favourite to win on May 6, has been accused of making a pre-election promise voters will end up paying for after the election by returning to the 11.50 levy on weekdays only. Mr Khan insists he would be 'negotiating with the Government' to reduce the charge if he continues at City Hall having already demanding billions to bail out the capital's Tube, bus and train network during the pandemic. A senior government source said of Sadiq: 'I don't think we'll be writing him a cheque to help win the election', while online critics demanded to know why he isn't cutting the charge back to 11.50 today. Mayor Khan is also planning to extend the 12.50-a-day ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to the boundaries of the North and South Circular roads, costing London's motorists millions more in taxes from October 25. Tory MP for Wimbledon Stephen Hammond told MailOnline: 'The Mayor's only response is to any question is give me more money. The trouble Is that over the last five years Londoners have seen this Mayor's financial waste and mismanagement leading to less investment and poor delivery of the services our communities need'. He added: 'Sadiq Khan's record is one of broken promises on housing , on transport and on boosting local economies. If the Government gave him the money he asks for, Londoners would be worried he would just fail on his promise again.' Last year Mayor Khan was today accused of risking lives and forcing people out of their cars and on to the Tube where social distancing is 'impossible' because of a lack of trains after he jacked up the central London congestion charge to 15 from 11.50 last June and made it seven days a week. The Mayor of London also decided the daily charge, introduced by Ken Livingstone in 2003, would be extended out of rush hour from 6pm to 10pm - just hours after accepting a 1.6billion taxpayer-funded bailout from the Government. He has frozen single fares every year since he became mayor in May 2016. Sadiq Khan, who is standing for re-election, pictured today on the South Bank as he revealed he plans to axe the 15 seven-day congestion charge and return it to 11.50 Sadiq Khan has a picture taken after unveiling his new 'Vote for London' campaign ahead of the May election This map shows the area of the congestion charge which drivers pay to enter Central London As tens of thousands of people were forced to drive into London during the pandemic, only NHS workers were be able to claim it back. Shaun Bailey said today: 'Sadiq Khan is making things complicated. But the truth is very simple. 'The mayor decided to raise the Congestion Charge, and the mayor can choose to reverse it today. The fact that he isn't tells us everything we need to know. 'Sadiq Khan is trying to win votes by promising to cut the very taxes he raised. That's like an arsonist trying to get out of jail by promising to put out the fire he started. 'As mayor, I'll reverse the Congestion Charge hike on day one no consultation, no studies, no ifs, no buts. This is the fresh start that London needs'. Mr Khan insisted that he had to put it up as part of the Government's first 1.6billion bailout for Transport for London last spring. What are the charging times for London drivers? Congestion Charge : 7am to 10pm, seven days of the week, every day of the year, except December 25 : 7am to 10pm, seven days of the week, every day of the year, except December 25 Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) : Operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, except December 25 : Operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, except December 25 Low Emission Zone (LEZ) : Operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year : Operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year Direct Vision Standard (DVS) and HGV Safety Permit : Operates at all times for lorries over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight Advertisement He said today that he would be 'negotiating with the Government' to reduce the charge if he can continue as mayor. The charge reduction has been a policy of Mr Khan's rival Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey since June last year when he pledged to reverse the rise. And critics claimed today that 50-year-old Mr Khan's plans to abandon the levy were against his vow to avoid a 'car-led recovery' following the coronavirus pandemic. The charge was initially suspended on March 23 last year so essential workers could drive in during lockdown but then brought back on May 18 amid a surge in traffic. Then on June 22 it was increased to 15 and made to operate from 7am until 10am ten days a week instead of the previous 11.50 rate and hours of 7am until 6pm. Now, the Evening Standard has reported how Mr Khan told LBC's hustings that if he is re-elected: 'I will be negotiating with the Government so we don't have to have it seven days a week or up until 10pm.' But Green candidate Sian Berry criticised Mr Khan's comments as showing that he 'simply isn't serious about cutting traffic in London', while Lib Dem hopeful Luisa Porritt condemned him as 'a backwards-looking mayor with no forward-thinking plan for London's recovery' It comes as TfL plans to extend the 12.50-a-day ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to the boundaries of the North and South Circular roads from October 25. A Labour spokesman told the Standard: 'Government ministers made it a requirement of the [second TfL] funding deal [in October] that the temporary changes to the congestion charge remained in place, and they rolled this condition forward when they extended the funding deal in March. 'As Covid restrictions are eased and travel patterns change, Sadiq will - if re-elected - have discussions with the Government about the best arrangements to have in place to support London's economic recovery and to ensure it is a green and sustainable one. 'It is likely that temporary restrictions will need to remain in place until the autumn, whilst these discussions are conducted.' The charge reduction has been a policy of Mr Khan's rival Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey since June last year. Mr Bailey is pictured in the capital on April 22 The capital's congestion charge was introduced by the Greater London Authority in 2003 It comes just over a fortnight after a study in Norway found the congestion charge has actually increased diesel pollution in the city centre. The charge led to more buses and taxis in the capital, increasing levels of nitrogen dioxide - one of the most dangerous forms of pollution. This was because journeys by diesel-powered buses and black taxis increased in the centre, pouring out harmful NO2 gas, the researchers said. Colin Green, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, studied the impact of the charge brought in by the Greater London Authority in 2003. He said: 'The purpose was first and foremost to improve traffic flow. In central London, vehicles were at a standstill with the engine idling a third of the time. 'The congestion charge eased the flow of traffic and also helped with air pollutants. But we saw an increase in the most harmful part of the pollution.' Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is an economically valuable and promising reaction because it can directly convert the abundant feedstock natural gas into valuable C 2 hydrocarbons. The commercialization of OCM, however, is hampered by the low yield of C 2 products, which is associated with OCM reaction mechanism. It is generally accepted that traditional OCM reaction follows a heterogeneous-homogeneous mechanism, which consists of a heterogeneous activation of methane at the surface of catalysts to generate methyl radicals (CH 3 ) and a subsequent homogeneous coupling of methyl radicals in the gas phase to produce C 2 species (C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 4 ). Because high temperature favors the desorption of CH 3 into gas phase, the role of the traditional OCM catalysts is limited mainly to the generation of CH 3 . The uncontrollable homogeneous reaction of CH 3 in the presence of O 2 thermodynamically favors the overoxidation to CO 2 , resulting in an upper bound of ca. 25 - 28% for C 2 yield which is economically infeasible for industrial application. In terms of conventional fixed-bed reactor, the possible exceeding of this limit can be obtained only if catalyst plays significant role not only in heterogeneous generation of CH 3 but also in their subsequent transformations. Unfortunately, there is no such catalyst that has been ever reported to have activity of coupling methyl radicals. Recently, a research team led by Prof. Jie Fan from Zhejiang University, China demonstrated 5 wt.% Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 as the first heterogeneous coupling catalyst for OCM reaction and systematically investigated its structure-property relationship. The activation of methane takes place over a La 2 O 3 surface at relative low temperatures, which allows the coupling of CH 3 proceed in a controlled manner on the surface of Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 catalyst. The controllable surface coupling against overoxidation barely changes the activity of La 2 O 3 but boosts the C 2 selectivity by three times and achieves a C 2 yield as high as 10.9% at bed temperature of only 570 C. The selective coupling of CH 3 over Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 is experimentally confirmed by synchrotron-based vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry, a validated technique for in-situ CH 3 monitoring. Structure-property studies suggest that Na 2 WO 4 nanoclusters are the active sites for methyl radical coupling. The strong CH 3 affinity of these sites can even endow some methane combustion catalysts with OCM activity. The results were published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis. Prof. Jie Fan stated: "The findings of the surface coupling of methyl radicals open a new direction to develop OCM catalyst. The bifunctional OCM catalyst system, which composes of a methane activation center and a CH 3 coupling center, may deliver promising OCM performance at reaction temperatures below the ignition temperature of C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 4 (~600 C) and is therefore more controllable, safer, and certainly more attractive as an actual process." ### This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (92045301, 91845203, 21802122, 21703050), and Key Program of Research and Development of Hefei Science Center, CAS (2018HSC-KPRD002). About the Journal Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top six journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 6.146. The Editors-in-Chief are Profs. Can Li and Tao Zhang. At Elsevier http://www. journals. elsevier. com/ chinese-journal-of-catalysis MIDVALE, ID - Police in southern Idaho's Washington County have arrested 41-year-old Terry Ash, of Midvale, on first degree murder charges. At approximately 7:22 p.m. on April 1, Washington County Dispatchers received a call of a shooting at 135 South School Road in Midvale. When emergency crews first arrived on scene, they discovered the victim, identified as 43-year-old Matthew Banning, was deceased. Ash was initially taken into custody by authorities for questioning and later released after being cooperative. Police said both the suspect and victim were armed during the confrontation. Ash is currently being held on a $1 million bond. For her whole life, Sherrell Gorman loved the pageantry, the pomp and the glitter of Mardi Gras. She started riding on floats in her 20s, and she became captain of the all-female Krewe of Isis in 2012. Being the leader of a 200-member organization and planning the parade and other festivities may seem daunting enough, but Gorman took the initiative of asking Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn about moving the krewe back to Kenner, where it started as the Krewe of Athania in 1972. Zahn enthusiastically welcomed Isis back for the 2020 season. Though that involved plenty of work, I think she loved the whole thing of deciding where they were going and charting the path to get there, said her brother Stanley Gorman. She loved Mardi Gras, and she loved being involved. Gorman died Friday at East Jefferson General Hospital of complications of COVID-19 infection after spending about a week and a half in the hospitals intensive care unit, her brother said. She was 56. She couldnt do enough for people, Zahn said Sunday. She was an all-around good person. Isis had started in Kenner and it was her legacy to bring it back to Kenner. She definitely made Mardi Gras a thing in Kenner. A lifelong resident of the New Orleans area, Gorman was born on June 20, 1964. She graduated from Cabrini and attended Tulane University but did not graduate. 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 She was a wholesaler for Highline Aftermarket, an automotive-parts distributor. Isis, which came to play a dominant role in Gormans life, takes its name from the Egyptian goddess of healing and magic. It is the oldest all-female krewe in Jefferson Parish; Gorman became captain in 2012 when she succeeded Joyce Blondeau, the co-founder of what was known as the Krewe of Athania. In 1973, a year after it was established in Kenner, it became the Krewe of Isis. After seven years, it moved to the traditional Metairie parade route. There it stayed until 2019, when Zahn announced the krewes return. That lasted for only one year because the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of all parades this year. But the krewe remains optimistic, posting this message on its website: The fun, festivities, events and meetings will continue, and it will be one heck of a 2022 Carnival Season. Gormans survivors include her mother, Charlene Gorman; brother, Stanley Gorman, of Crestwood, Kentucky; and a sister, Denise Gorman, of Metairie. Funeral arrangements are incomplete. The relationship between the CEOs has become increasingly chilly, people familiar with the men said. While Zuckerberg once took walks and dined with Steve Jobs, Apples late co-founder, he does not do so with Cook. Cook regularly met with Larry Page, Googles co-founder, but he and Zuckerberg see each other infrequently at events like the Allen & Co. conference, these people said. The executives have also jabbed at each other. In 2017, a Washington political firm funded by Facebook and other Apple rivals published anonymous articles criticising Cook and created a false campaign to draft him as a presidential candidate, presumably to upend his relationship with former President Donald Trump. And when Cook was asked by MSNBC in 2018 how he would deal with Facebooks privacy issues if he was in Zuckerbergs shoes, he replied, I wouldnt be in this situation. Facebook has been a vocal critic of Apples new privacy feature. Credit:AP Apple and Facebook declined to make Cook and Zuckerberg available for interviews and said the men have no personal animosity toward each other. Regarding the new privacy feature, Apple said, We simply believe users should have the choice over the data that is being collected about them and how its used. Facebook said Apples feature was not about privacy and was instead about profit. Free, ad-supported services have been essential to the growth and vitality of the internet, but Apple is trying to rewrite the rules in a way that benefits them and holds back everyone else, a spokeswoman said. A chasm opens Cook and Zuckerberg first intersected more than a decade ago, when Cook was second in command at Apple and Facebook was a startup. At the time, Apple saw Facebook as a hedge against Google, the search giant that had expanded into mobile phone software with Android, a former Apple executive said. Around 2010, Eddy Cue, who leads Apples digital services, sought out Zuckerberg for a potential software partnership, the former executive said. In the ensuing meetings, Zuckerberg told Cue that Apple had to deliver a great deal for a partnership, or the social network would be happy to go it alone, this person said. Some Apple executives felt those interactions showed that Zuckerberg was arrogant, this person added. Two other people said that the talks were cordial and that they were confused by the characterisation of the meetings. The discussions eventually led to a software feature that let iPhone owners share their photos directly to Facebook. Cook wants people to pay a premium often to Apple for a safer, more private version of the internet. It is a strategy that keeps Apple firmly in control. But Zuckerberg champions an open internet where services like Facebook are effectively free. In that scenario, advertisers foot the bill. But the friction had set the tone. The situation was complicated as Facebook and Apple also became mutually dependent. The iPhone was a key device for people to use Facebooks mobile app. And Facebooks apps which later also included Instagram and the messaging service WhatsApp have been some of the most downloaded programs from Apples App Store. By 2014, Facebook executives had grown fearful of the leverage that Apple had over the distribution of its apps with iPhone customers. Those concerns were compounded when Apple at times delayed updates of Facebooks apps through its App Store, said people familiar with the matter. Then, at its 2018 developer conference, Apple unveiled technology changes that struck at Facebooks ad business. Those included a built-in screen-time tracker for iPhones that let users set time limits on certain apps, which affected companies like Facebook that need people to spend time in apps to show them more ads. Apple also said that to protect peoples privacy, it would require companies to get permission from users of its Safari internet browser to track them across different websites. Facebook has used such cookie tracking technology to gather data, which enables it to charge advertisers more. The iPhone was a key device for people to use Facebooks mobile app. Credit:Bloomberg It really spoke to the power of Apple controlling the operating system, said Brian Wieser, president of business intelligence at GroupM, an advertising industry firm. Facebook isnt in control of its own destiny. At Facebook, Apples privacy moves were viewed as hypocritical, said three current and former Facebook employees. Apple has long had a lucrative arrangement with Google to plug Googles data-hungry search engine into Apple products, for instance. Facebook executives also noted that Apple was entrenched in China, where the government surveils its citizens. Privately, Zuckerberg told his lieutenants that Facebook needed to inflict pain upon Apple and Cook, said a person with knowledge of the discussions. The Wall Street Journal previously reported Zuckerbergs comment. App tracking At Apples virtual developer conference last June, Katie Skinner, a manager on the privacy team, announced that the company planned a new iPhone feature to require apps to get users consent to track them across different apps. She discussed it for just 20 seconds. To Facebook, it was a declaration of war, three current and former employees said. If people were given the option to not be tracked, that could hurt Facebooks ad business, the executives figured. The announcement came on top of a fight over gaming. Last year, Apple rejected a Facebook Gaming app from its App Store at least five times, until the social network had sufficiently tweaked the program. Zuckerberg has since shifted his tune about Apples move. With Wall Street nervous about the effect on Facebooks business, he said in a March interview on the audio chat app Clubhouse that Apples feature could benefit the social network. If advertisers struggled to find customers across different apps, he said, they might gravitate more toward Facebook because of its already enormous troves of data. Loading Its possible that we may even be in a stronger position, he said. But Zuckerberg has also been blunt about Facebooks feelings on Apple. We increasingly see Apple as one of our biggest competitors, he said in an earnings call this year. Even on that point, Cook has disagreed. The CEO of the drugmaker that ruined 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine sold off more than $10 million worth of his stock in the company before the price tumbled. Emergent BioSolutions CEO Robert Kramer sold off the stock in January and February, the Washington Post reports. The 64-year-old's $10 million sell-off came prior to February 19 when his company's stock plunged about 50 percent. Emergent's stock has fallen from $125 a share to $62 a share since mid-February. His stock would now be worth about $5.5 million. Emergent, which is a government contractor, is the company that owns and runs the Baltimore plant making Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine. Quality problems at the company resulted in Johnson & Johnson having to discard 15 million doses of its vaccine on March 31. Emergent BioSolutions CEO Robert Kramer, 64, sold off the $10 million of stock in his company in January and February, the Washington Post reports According to securities filings, it was Kramer's first substantive sale of his Emergent stock since back in 2016. He has only sold off small amounts - about $160,000 - every 12 months over the past five years. His 2016 sale was scrutinized after an investor filed a lawsuit against Kramer and other company executives, alleging they sold off their stocks after making misleading claims about a government contract they had for an anthrax vaccine. Emergent denied the allegations but settled the lawsuit. His recent sell-off was a result of Kramer, who has been CEO since 2019, exercising his stock options given to him in his compensation package. Those stock options allowed him to purchase them for $2.5 million and then sell them at market price. The sale was part of a plan drafted in November 2020, which is done in advance to stop employees from being accused of illegally trading on confidential insider information. Kramer is understood to still have stock that is worth an estimated $10 million and he also has 60,000 stock options that he can start exercising next year. A spokesperson for the company did not comment on whether Kramer was aware of the vaccine issues or potential financial information when the plan was drafted in November. The 64-year-old's $10 million sell off came prior to his company's stock plunging on February 19 about 50 percent. Emergent's stock has fallen from $125 a share to $62 a share since mid-February. His stock would now be worth about $5.5 million Emergent, which is a government contractor, is the company that owns and runs the Baltimore plant that was making Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine 'All of Mr Kramer's sales were previously scheduled under 10b5-1 trading plans,' the spokesperson said. 'Mr Kramer, our executive team, and our board of directors are held to the highest ethical standards and follow strict compliance with all laws and regulations governing financial transactions. 'Any insinuation of wrongdoing is without evidence or merit.' It comes after investors sued Emergent in Maryland federal court last week over claims the company inflated its stock price and failed to disclose issues at the Baltimore plant where the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was made. Johnson & Johnson revealed earlier this month that a batch of vaccine made by Emergent at its Baltimore factory couldn't be used because employees accidentally swapped an ingredient meant for a different vaccine into the J&J shot. It later emerged that the company had string of citations from US health officials for quality control problems. Emergent, which was key to Johnson & Johnson's plan to deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine to the US by the end of May, has been cited repeatedly by the Food and Drug Administration for problems such as poorly trained employees, cracked vials and mold around one of its facilities, according to The Associated Press. J&J locked arms with Emergent in April 2020, enlisting the lesser-known company to manufacture the vaccine J&J was developing with federal funding. At the time, Emergent's Bayview facility wasn't scaled for making millions of doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, according to the FDA records that describe the plant as a contract testing laboratory that 'did not manufacture products for distribution.' Quality problems at the company resulted in Johnson & Johnson having to discard 15 million doses of its vaccine on March 31 Upgrades in technology and personnel were required before Bayview could begin making whats known as 'drug substance' material for the vaccine, a two-month process during which the required biological cells are grown. The FDA inspected Emergent's Bayview plant in April 2020, just as the agreement with J&J was being announced. The federal agency criticized the company for problems with its testing of a potential treatment for anthrax, according to the records obtained by the AP. The FDAs lead investigator cited the company for failing to train employees 'in the particular operations they perform as part of their function and current good manufacturing practices.' On the same day, Johnson & Johnson, in a separate news release, heralded its partnership with Emergent as a step toward the pharmaceutical giants goal of supplying more than 1 billion doses of the vaccine globally by the end of 2021. Other problems cited by the FDA during the April 2020 inspection included failures by the Bayview plant 'to ensure that electronically held data generated during analytical testing' of material 'was protected from deletion or manipulation.' The FDAs lead investigator, Marcellinus Dordunoo, wrote that Emergent hadnt investigated what he described as 'data integrity concerns.' The inspection was the most recent in a series of critical reports from the FDA about Emergent, including one following a December 2017 inspection at a plant in Canton, Massachusetts, in which the FDA said the company hadnt corrected 'continued low level mold and yeast isolates' found in the facility. Nearly a year later, agency investigators questioned why Emergent had 'an unwritten policy of not conducting routine compliance audits' at a separate plant in Baltimore, known as Camden, where an anthrax vaccine is filled into vials. Emergent's revenues skyrocketed during the Trump administration, jumping from around $523 million in 2015 to more than $1.5 billion in 2020. The company has invested heavily in lobbying the federal government, according to disclosure records, which show the company spent $3.6 million on lobbying in 2020 alone. Lucy Parker has been jailed for two and a half years after admitting fraudulently claiming Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit A council worker who fraudulently claimed 275,000 in benefits before blowing the cash on luxury holidays and sending her children to private school has been jailed. Lucy Parker, used a total of 19 fake identities to swindle thousands of pounds over a six year period. A court heard the 56-year-old posed as 19 different people during the sophisticated scam in order to claim Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit. She used forged documents including bogus doctor's letters and tenancy agreements and had a stash of burner phones as contact numbers for her false identities. Parker, from Barby, Warwickshire, splashed out on trips to Japan and South Africa and used the money to send her children to a fee-paying private school. But DWP investigators uncovered the scam after a Job Centre worker noticed she had made claims in two different names. Parker, who worked in the admin department at Warwick University and the social care department at Warwickshire County Council was arrested by police in 2018. She went on to admit nine counts of fraud and was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Warwick Crown Court on Friday. Sentencing, Judge Anthony Potter said: 'This was not a moment of madness on your part, but sustained criminality over a period not of months but many years. 'What you did was to make a large number of false claims, and you were paid as a result just shy of 275,000. 'You were someone who has worked for Warwickshire County Council in social care, well knowing the strain the public services are always under, but in particular were under at that time. 'You effectively stole money from the public purse. 'You were living, if not a luxurious lifestyle, a very comfortable lifestyle, and you owned your home outright and your children were sent to public school. 'Yours was sophisticated offending. The way you conducted these frauds involved a good deal of thought and planning. 'It was a highly successful fraud, and it netted you a substantial sum of money.' Prosecutor Jamie Scott said Parker made fraudulent claims totalling just over 274,900 between April 2012 and August 2018. She used a total of 19 false identities, some of whom she knew had moved abroad so 'would not be likely to have any contact with the benefit agency.' Parker defrauded Department for Work and Pensions out of 274,900, Warwick Crown Court heard through a scheme the judge described as 'sustained criminality over a period of years' Mr Scott said: 'Her family lived a comfortable middle-class lifestyle, with holidays to far-flung places such as South Africa and Japan.' Her 'systematic fraud' was rumbled when she posed as a Louise Clarke at a job centre where a member of staff recognised her as having made a claim in another name. A DWP investigation was launched and CCTV was obtained from banks which showed Parker withdrawing cash from accounts she had set up in different names. She used real people whose birth and marriage certificates Parker had obtained to support her use of their identities. Parker had also created false hospital and GP's letters purporting to show claimants had to undergo procedures including knee operations and hysterectomies. The first false claims were in the name of Dianne Smith who had the tenancy of a property in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, which had actually been rented by Parker. Department of Work and Pensions investigators uncovered Parker's fraud after an employee at the job centre (file photo) recognised her and realised she had claimed under two names Using that identity and an account in that name, Parker then obtained the birth and marriage certificates of other people whose names she went on to use. She provided a variety of addresses for them, some of which turned out to be derelict buildings. Following an eight-month surveillance operation by DWP investigators, Parker's home was searched. A large number of fake and blank documents were found, together with a USB stick on which she had false references and tenancy agreements. At least seven cheap pay-as-you-go 'burner' phones were found, each with details on the back of the number and the false claimant for which it was used as a contact. When she was first interviewed Parker lied, denying any knowledge of the frauds and saying she rented the house in Tisdale Rise to a friend. She declined to answer any questions the following day before confessing her crimes in a prepared statement several months later. Kevin Hegarty QC, defending, said: 'It involved repeating the same exercise over and over again, and of all the computer details gathered from the house, nothing was encrypted. 'The offending plainly had to have planning, but in my submission it is not significant to that degree. 'Once this system was in place, the offending was simply repeated.' Mr Hegarty said Parker previously led 'a blameless life,' and since the offences came to light the family home has been sold. One of her two sons had 'particular difficulties,' and it was her 'focus and devotion to him' which led to her crimes. Mr Hegarty added: 'Of course, it was always open to her not to send her children to a fee-paying school, but such was her devotion to her children that she could not accept that as a way forward. 'She was faced with that difficulty which she answered in a wholly wrong way.' The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. This years Oscar nominations by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences are the most diverse ever. VOAs Penelope Poulou spoke with experts about this development and has this report. A man helping his friend move items around her inner-city home allegedly sexually assaulted her after she suffered from a medical condition and blacked out. Police allege following the incident, which occurred in February 17, Kyaw San Naing, 27, left the womans home and did not seek medical attention for her. The 27-year-old man was arrested in Lakemba on Monday. Credit:NSW Police Detectives began investigating last month and arrested Mr Naing at a Lakemba home about 7.30am on Monday. He was taken to Campsie Police Station and charged with the aggravated sexual assault of a victim with a cognitive impairment and refused police bail. NSW Police Detective Inspector David El-Badawi said the pair were friends and Mr Naing was at the womans home helping her move items before the assault. NEWARK, Ohio, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dan DeLawder, an icon of community banking leadership in Ohio, announced today to Park National Corporation (Park) board members and shareholders his intention to retire on June 30, 2021. He will retire from his role on Parks executive leadership teams, and continue to serve on Parks board of directors in his role as director and chairman of the executive and trust committees. In his 50 years with Park National, the organization has grown from $91 million in assets and seven offices in one county to $9.9 billion in assets and 97 offices in four states. One or two lines in a quote are inadequate to the task of honoring Dan DeLawders 50 years of service to this bank, its associates and its communities. Dan brings energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and compassion to every task and situation. We, and countless others, have been enriched and inspired by Dans leadership and empathy, said Park Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Trautman. He has been a colleague and friend to me for nearly 38 years. While I will miss his daily wisdom, he has earned the chance to write his next chapter and spend more time with Diane and their family. DeLawders retirement follows Parks long-standing tradition of carefully planned, incremental leadership transition. In 2014, he passed the chief executive officer role to then-President David Trautman; and five years later he stepped down from chairman as Matt Miller was appointed president and Trautman became both chairman and CEO. DeLawders predecessors at Park, William McConnell, John Alford and Everett Reese, followed the same pattern of succession that has been a hallmark of the organizations consistency and culture. I never dreamed when I joined Park National Bank that I would enjoy a 50-year career with the same organization, DeLawder said. It has been a blessing to work at Park National Bank, to follow in the footsteps of Bill McConnell, John Alford, and Everett Reese, and to work with driven, motivated colleagues who, like me, believe there is no place like Park. We are so fortunate to have leadership in place that would be the envy of any successful organization. David and Matt are simply the best, and the right people at the right time to lead us forward. Banking Leadership DeLawder joined the banks management training program in 1971 and spent his first seven years in branch management roles at the Eastland (east Newark) and Southgate (Heath) offices. In 1978, his work shifted to focus on home loans and commercial lending. He demonstrated a keen aptitude for lending, and was integral in the innovation and development of several lending programs and procedures still relied upon by Parks lenders today. In 1985, DeLawder led the banks first merger outside Licking County, moving to Lancaster, Ohio to serve as president of Parks Fairfield National Bank affiliate. In addition to growing Fairfield National Banks success, he became a respected leader in the Fairfield County community, serving as president of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Fairfield County, and Lancaster Rotary Club. DeLawder was appointed executive vice president of Park National Bank in 1992 and returned to Newark to fulfill that role under then-President and CEO William McConnell. A year later, he was named president of Park National Bank and joined its board of directors. In 1994 he was also chosen as president of Park National Corporation and became a director on its board. In 1999, DeLawder added the title of CEO for both the bank and corporation (with McConnell serving as chairman of the board) until 2005 when DeLawder was named chairman and CEO. DeLawder was at Park Nationals helm throughout several periods of intense change and growth, including significant merger and acquisition activity, brand and operational reformation and unification, and unprecedented regulatory and technological environment changes. Respected by banking industry peers, he was elected chair of Ohio Bankers League, a role each of his predecessors held at one time. He also followed Alford and McConnells footsteps in serving a six-year term on the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Dans 50-year run epitomizes the ultimate illustration of a community banker. Well aware of where he came from, ceaselessly focused on giving back and continually seeking opportunities to lift others, Dan has made an indelibly positive mark on the Ohio banking industry, said Mike Adelman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ohio Bankers League. On behalf of so many improved by Dans leadership as well as friendship, thank you, Dan, for all you have poured into our great industry. I am forever blessed to have worked alongside of Dan on meaningful initiatives enhancing our state and I wish my fellow OU Bobcat great health and happiness in his well-earned retirement. Community Leadership Various community and non-profit organizations have honored DeLawder for his exemplary service over the years. His dedication, experience and leadership have been crucial in the success of many organizations, from chambers of commerce to community levy campaigns to fundraising for key initiatives. He also served his alma mater as a 9-year member of Ohio University's Board of Trustees, the last two of which he held the position of board chair. Dan DeLawder has defined what it means to be a leader at Park, in the banking industry, and in the community. His standards are high, his character is strong, and his style is such that generations of Park bankers aspire to emulate his work and make him proud, Park President Matt Miller said. We are not just better bankers thanks to his example and influence, we are better community members and human beings. His devotion to our customers and our communities is unmatched, Miller added. Ive seen numerous organizations rely on his support, and often admired how driven he is to provide help when he believes theres an opportunity to make things better for someone. Whether it was swinging a hammer to build a ramp for one local family that needed wheelchair access to their home, or coordinating a complex capital campaign for a local non-profit organization, Dan leads by example and gives what is needed to make a difference. Currently, DeLawder serves on the boards of the Simon Kenton Council of Boy Scouts of America, Newark Development Partners, Newark Campus Development Fund and the Salvation Army. He is a member of the Newark Rotary Club and First United Methodist Church. He currently serves as chair for a major community fund raising project in support of the new John and Mary Alford Center for Science and Technology located at the Newark Campus for The Ohio State University and Central Ohio Technical College. And as chair of Newark Development Partners, Dan is currently raising funds to renovate the Historic Arcade in downtown Newark. After retirement from Park, DeLawder will enjoy a more flexible schedule in which to spend time with his family and concentrate his community support activity. He and his wife Diane look forward to travelling, most especially to visit their adult children and young grandchildren who live outside Ohio. Headquartered in Newark, Ohio, Park National Corporation (NYSE American: PRK) has $9.9 billion in total assets (as of March 31, 2021). Park's banking operations are conducted through its subsidiary The Park National Bank. Other Park subsidiaries are Scope Leasing, Inc. (d.b.a. Scope Aircraft Finance), Guardian Financial Services Company (d.b.a. Guardian Finance Company) and SE Property Holdings, LLC. Media contact: Bethany Lewis, VP Marketing & Communication, 740.349.0421, bethany.lewis@parknationalbank.com Park National Corporation, 50 N. Third Street, Newark, Ohio 43055 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/61acb65e-9e2b-4339-998f-77efe3a3a5c1 New Delhi, April 26 : Xiaomi's Global VP Manu Kumar Jain has mourned the death of two of his colleagues who fell prey to Covid-19. "Yesterday was one of the toughest days for us. Two of our beloved colleagues passed away," Jain said in a LinkedIn post on Sunday. Kushal, who was an offline sales state head, and Mukesh, Xiaomi's warehouse manager, were both hospitalised for the last one week. "We were providing all possible support to them. They had also shown signs of recovery and we were hopeful that both of them will be discharged soon. However, we lost them!" Jain shared in the post. Meanwhile, the smartphone maker had announced on Thursday that it will donate Rs 3 crore to procure more than 1,000 oxygen concentrators for hospitals across states. The company has also partnered with non-profit organisation GiveIndia to raise Rs 1 crore for the Covid-19 warriors. The donation page will be live on mi.com. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Opinion Article 26 April 2021 Led by the team of the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Associate Professor, Dr. Reza Etemad-Sajadi, this research focuses on human-robot interactions in a service delivery context. Through interviews, we gathered four outputs that appear to be important when talking about frontline service robots. But first off, what are frontline service robots? They are defined as "system-based autonomous and adaptable interfaces that interact, communicate and deliver service to an organization's customers" (Wirtz et al., 2018). Advertisements Service Robots: Use-cases Service robots can be used in various ways. Some companies prefer to use them only with their employees, whereas others choose to put them in contact with their clients. In the latter case, one example is Pepper at Swisscom. This company used the robot as a floor manager, which means that its function was to greet clients and ask them why they were visiting the shop. With its AI, Pepper then transferred the reason for their visit to an employee who could help the client. Then, when clients exited the shop, Pepper wished them farewell. Another company that uses Pepper in contact with its clients is the BCV. At the bank, Pepper has two main roles. Its first job is to greet clients when they enter and to conduct a satisfaction survey when they leave. This last function allows the bank to collect more surveys than with 'traditional' means: clients appear to prefer to interact with Pepper than with a normal touchscreen. The robot also has a second function: it interacts and entertains clients while they wait. To do so, the robot gives anecdotes about the banking world in general or about the bank such as advantages the bank offers and can also play a game of tic-tac-toe. Pepper is also able to dance, do tai-chi or chit-chat with customers. Some companies only used service robots with their own employees. A Swiss insurance company used Pepper as a service desk tool. When employees had IT-related problems, they would go to Pepper who would ask them questions about their problem. With this information, Pepper created a ticket number which the IT team used to solve the employee's problem. In this same company, the robot was used once on stage: Pepper interacted with an agent in front of an audience, making for a memorable speech! Advantages of using a frontline service robot All the interviews we conducted pointed to one obvious advantage of frontline service robots: they allow to digitalize and modernize the company's image. This, in turn, appears to make clients more enthusiastic about coming back. In the case of Relay, which was commercialized in Europe by Awabot, clients are pleasantly surprised that their room delivery is done by a robot and not by a 'regular' employee. Awabot saw that clients greatly appreciate innovation; it gives hotels a connotation of being at the cutting edge of technology. Another advantage is the "personality" of the robot a company chooses to use. For instance, Pepper is an amazing entertaining tool, as the SBB explained. Pepper has its way of saying things and a whole range of expressions. These characteristics are directly linked to the robot itself, whatever use is made of it, and appear to be a real added value. Disadvantages of using a frontline service robot One disadvantage is that robots are not always ready to be used "out of the box". The insurance company we interviewed told us that they expected a lot from the robot they used but were disappointed when they started using it. The main problem seems to come from the robot's ability to hold a conversation. Without being reprogrammed, the robot is only able to chit-chat with the client. This means that, depending on the use-case, the robot cannot do what the company wants it to do, such as understanding a wide variety of questions and being able to answer them. Moreover, robots don't always understand what customers say. For example, people with a strong accent might find it rather difficult to be understood. One way to circumvent this issue is to rely on the tablet that some robots like Pepper have, which was thought by the BCV; clients can interact with the robot via the tablet and the robot answers with its own voice. Another disadvantage is that not every client appreciates robots. For example, at Swisscom, 80% of customers who hadn't interacted with the robot preferred to be served by a human. Although frontline service robots are esthetically designed to appeal to most people, some people might be reluctant to interact with them. Service Robots: Ethics To many, it might seem too soon to talk about ethical concerns related to the use of service robots. After all, they are still rarely used to this day. However, this is rapidly changing and change will accelerate over the next years. As Isabelle Chappuis of the Futures Lab explained, we are on the cusp of great changes, technology-wise. Questions such as "What data do robots collect and who can access it?" or "Will robots replace human workers, thus potentially rendering humans obsolete on the labour market?" must be asked. As for now, although most companies seem to be reassuring on the subject, the uncertainty and anxiety is rising. The companies we interviewed do not use robots to replace their employees. On the contrary, robots are used to facilitate their employees' work, as is the case with Relay. These companies also do not use robots to collect data. Of course, robots could record video clips, audio clips, or other types of data, but they are not used for this purpose. In any case, many industries are highly regulated (such as banks or insurance companies), and one cannot decide to collect data without the client's permission or to observe the regulations in place. Based on 341 respondents having participated to our research, we observed that the most important ethical issue is the "replacement and its implications for labor" (i.e., I think robots in a service delivery context will cut employment) with an average of 5.25 (on a Likert scale from 1 to 7). The second dimension is the "privacy and data protection" (i.e., I mind giving personal information to a robot in a service delivery context) and the third most worrying dimension is "responsibility" (i.e., I think the law, and subsequent punishment, should apply to robots in a service delivery context). Ethical issues linked to the usage of Frontline Service Robots: Photo: EHL In order to conclude, one can claim that some people will inevitably not like the robotic transition coming. In parallel, some users seem enthusiastic to interact with a robot. The goal for the company is to listen their clients' "readiness" for the usage of this kind of technology. Ethical issues need to be thought of before problems are encountered. Work cited: Wirtz, J., Patterson, P. G., Kunz, W. H., Gruber, T., Lu, V. N., Paluch, S., & Martins, A. (2018). Brave new world: service robots in the frontline. Journal of Service Management, 29(5), 907931. https://doi.org/10.1108/josm-04-2018-0119 The banking giant could unveil an actively managed fund in the cryptocurrency for its private wealth clients this summer, despite previous comments disparaging the digital coin from its boss Jamie Dimon JP Morgan Chase & Co ( ) is preparing to roll out a Bitcoin fund to certain clients, according to reports, in a move that will prove something of a volte-face for its boss Jamie Dimon. On Monday, a CoinDesk report cited sources saying the banking giant could unveil the new fund as soon as the summer, with Bitcoin-focused finance firm NYDIG to act as custody provider. The fund will be available to JP Morgans private wealth clients and will be actively managed in contrast to passive funds such as those offered by other participants such as and Pantera Capital. The arrival of a JP Morgan crypto fund will also mark a U-turn for Dimon, who at a banking conference in 2017 dubbed Bitcoin a fraud that wouldnt end well, although his rhetoric has cooled in recent years. While Dimons personal views may not have shifted much in the intervening years, JP Morgans approach to Bitcoin may have been softened by the cryptos stratospheric rise over the last year, with its price having boomed over 600% since last April giving it a market cap of around US$1 trillion. JP Morgan is also not the first major corporate to dip its toe in the crypto waters, with electric car maker ( ) surprising the market in February by revealing that it had invested US$1.5bn into Bitcoin before then announcing that it will allow customers to purchase its vehicles using the cryptocurrency. In late afternoon trading in London on Monday, Bitcoin was up 6.3% over 24 hours at US$53,727. Over in the US markets, JP Morgan shares rose 1.3% to US$152.04 in mid-morning deals in New York. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - In alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services today rescinded orders that direct K-12 schools to require masks. Nearly 2 million Arizonans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with many teachers and school faculty now fully vaccinated after being some of the first in line for vaccine prioritization, said Governor Ducey. Teachers, families and students have acted responsibly to mitigate the spread of the virus and protect one another, and our school leaders are ready to decide if masks should be required on their campuses. We will continue to work with public health professionals and Arizonas schools as more students return to the classroom and our state moves forward. Todays action aligns with CDC guidance and rescinds a section of Executive Order 2020-51, issued by the Governor in July directing schools to require face masks, and Emergency Measure 2020-04, issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) outlining requirements for mask usage in schools. Across the state, almost 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, said ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ. Many families and communities are further protected from COVID-19, and our schools are ready to decide their next steps when it comes to masks. We encourage all Arizonans to get the vaccine its safe, effective and absolutely free to the public. The CDC in March issued updated recommendations for preventing COVID-19 in schools. On March 29, ADHS adopted the CDCs recommendations in its K-12 School Guidance for COVID-19. K-12 school districts and charter schools still maintain the right to institute and enforce policies to mitigate against COVID-19 spread, including the use of masks. Arizona schools are encouraged to continue to take actions consistent with the CDC recommendations, the Roadmap, and the Guidance to mitigate the spread of the virus, including measures such as: Washing hands with soap and warm water; Using hand sanitizer; Cleaning and maintaining health facilities; and Staying home when sick. Today, an indoor vaccination site at Northern Arizona Universitys (NAU) Fieldhouse launched thanks to a partnership between the State, Coconino County, NAU, and Northern Arizona Healthcare. The site will operate seven days a week from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., with the potential to expand hours to 7 p.m. It will offer around 1,000 appointments per day to start but will be able to administer more than 4,000 doses daily. The state is currently operating six vaccination sites, with one more location opening as a state-run site this month. Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona, including pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, pop-up events in specific communities, and health care providers offering vaccination, can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine. A woman whose Akita dog has attacked three strangers including a man who had chunks of flesh torn from his body maintains the animal is not dangerous. Wendy Ho's imposing pet Hachi savaged her onetime friend Neal Alexander after leaping out of the optometrist's four-wheel drive in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Mr Alexander's injuries were so severe he spent a week in hospital followed by six more as an outpatient. He is still in pain a year after he was mutilated and suffers from PTSD. Following the attack, Mr Alexander learnt Hachi had previously set upon two other victims when Ms Ho was living in Sydney's inner-west at Marrickville. A woman whose Akita dog Hachi (pictured) has attacked three strangers including a man who had chunks of flesh torn from his body maintains the animal is not dangerous Wendy Ho's imposing pet Hachi savaged her onetime friend Neal Alexander (pictured) after leaping out of the optometrist's four-wheel drive in Sydney's eastern suburbs Mr Alexander's injuries (pictured) were so severe he spent a week in hospital followed by six more as an outpatient. He is still in pain a year after he was mutilated and suffers from PTSD Each of the attacks appears to have been worse than the previous one but despite Hachi's violent history, Waverley Council was slow to take action against Ms Ho. Akitas are a powerfully-built large breed of dog originating from the mountainous regions of northern Japan trained to hunt elks, wild boar and brown bear. Mr Alexander, who has permanent nerve damage, is concerned if Hachi had attacked a smaller adult or child in the manner it mauled him, the victim might not have survived. Council eventually fined Ms Ho $1,320 for owning a dog that attacks and declared the animal dangerous but Mr Alexander claims the council did not act soon enough or investigate properly. Ms Ho, who runs Wendy Ho Optique and describes herself as 'one of Australia's leading optometrists', is challenging the fine and disputing her pet is dangerous. Mr Alexander and Ms Ho had once been work colleagues and were friends before his encounter with seven-year-old Hachi at Bondi Junction on April 22 last year. Ms Ho, who runs Wendy Ho Optique and describes herself as 'one of Australia's leading optometrists', is challenging a fine and disputing her pet is dangerous. Ms Ho is pictured Mr Alexander (pictured) has permanent nerve damage, and is concerned if Hachi had attacked a smaller adult or child in the manner it mauled him, the victim might not have survived Mr Alexander says a month earlier Ms Ho had told him she was looking for a place to stay until she found permanent accommodation after selling her Marrickville home. He says Ms Ho needed somewhere big enough to store her piano and house Hachi and he suggested he move into his house, which had plenty of room. Mr Alexander had only seen pictures of Hachi as a pup and was under in the impression he was a 'large, placid Saint Bernard-type animal'. Ms Ho jokingly said on several occasions, 'He'll eat you,' according to Mr Alexander. 'I thought nothing of this as I have owned and grown up with large dogs all my life,' he said in a statutory declaration. 'Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Dobermans and Weimaraners.' Mr Alexander says Ms Ho brought Hachi around to his house about 11.30am with instructions to be cautious and for the dog to be muzzled at all times. 'It looked like a dog out of Gladiator,' Mr Alexander recalled. Mr Alexander had only seen pictures of Hachi as a pup and was under in the impression he was a 'large, placid Saint Bernard-type animal'. Hachi is pictured in Mr Alexander's home Wendy Ho is pictured alongside the Hachiko Memorial in Shibuya, Tokyo, a bronze statue honouring an Akita who famously waited for his owner for nine years after his death After spending some hours with Hachi, Mr Alexander says he called Ms Ho to say her pet appeared agitated and asked her to collect him as soon as possible. He says when Ms Ho arrived at his house about 4.30pm they had a glass of wine together and while chatting she told him Hachi was a 'trained personal protection dog'. Mr Alexander says after leaving his house Ms Ho ushered Hachi into the back of her Range Rover, closed the bottom back door and left the top-half glass window open. He stepped off the curb to wave goodbye to Ms Ho and Hachi, unaware she had removed his muzzle, and when he raised his left hand she screamed, 'NEEEEAAL!' Hachi's head whipped around and he bit down on Mr Alexander's wrist, tearing open a 5cm gash and leaving deep punctures in his palm. As the dog prepared to bite down again Mr Alexander turned and ran. Hachi's head whipped around and he bit down on Mr Alexander's wrist, tearing open a 5cm gash and leaving deep punctures in his palm. As the dog prepared to bite down again Mr Alexander turned and ran Hachi then leapt out of the vehicle and dragged Mr Alexander to the ground. The dog bit into Mr Alexander and ripped open his lower back, tearing chunks of flesh from his body Hachi then leapt out of the vehicle and dragged Mr Alexander to the ground. The dog bit into Mr Alexander and ripped open his lower back, tearing chunks of flesh from his body. Mr Alexander says Ms Ho attempted to pull Hachi off him but was at first unable to do so because of her small stature and the dog's large size. Witnesses called Triple Zero. Dangerous dog rules The owner of a dangerous dog must: Desex, microchip and register the dog Keep the dog, whilst at the property it is ordinarily kept, inside a secure purpose-built enclosure Display warning signs at the property Ensure the dog wears a securely fitted muzzle when outside its enclosure at home or in a public place Ensure the dog wears a distinctive red and yellow striped collar and be walked on a secure chain or lead Not walk the dog off-leash, including in a designated off-leash park Pay an annual permit fee of $195 each year to keep the animal It is illegal to give away or sell a declared dangerous dog. It is also illegal to accept ownership of such a dog. If such dogs are surrendered to a shelter, they will be put down. A dog declared dangerous or menacing cannot be owned by, or left in the care of, anyone under the age of 18 years. Source: Waverley Local Council Advertisement Heavily bleeding and in shock, Mr Alexander locked himself in his house before an ambulance took him to St Vincent's Hospital where the next morning he underwent surgery. So much tissue was missing from Mr Alexander's lower back the stitches were later removed, the wound stuffed with sponge and a negative pressure bandage applied. For six weeks after his discharge Mr Alexander had to return to hospital every second day to have the pressure bandages replaced and was prescribed the powerful painkiller Endone. Mr Alexander says police told him Hachi would have to be put down because 'he'd now have a taste for blood' and he would have to contemplate whether he wanted to press criminal charges against the dog's owner. He says a Waverley Council ranger told him when she attempted to contact Ms Ho a barrister called back and requested she refer all communications to him. Mr Alexander says when he called Ms Ho to ask why she had engaged legal counsel she responded in a distressed state: 'They'll take my Hachi, he's attacked two other people.' Council records show a penalty infringement notice was issued to Ms Ho after Hachi attacked a dog and its owner on May 6, 2014 at Marrickville Oval. On that occasion Hachi had rushed at and bit a Weimaraner and it owner was bitten while trying to separate the dogs. Another fine was issued four months after Hachi injured a man on December 10, 2015 in Livingstone Road, Marrickville. That time Hachi had jumped up and bit a pedestrian on the upper right arm when a woman walking her dog passed by him. After the attack on Mr Alexander a Waverley ranger issued a fine and notice of intention to declare Hachi dangerous about June 1 last year. On June 29 the ranger reported to council she would no longer be trying to have the dog declared dangerous but would still be imposing the fine. For six weeks after his discharge Mr Alexander had to return to hospital every second day to have the pressure bandages to be replaced and was prescribed the powerful painkiller Endone On July 7 the ranger told Mr Alexander that Ms Ho said he had provoked Hachi and no action at all would be taken. The ranger claimed in a report Mr Alexander admitted becoming too familiar with the dog, which he has denied. A second investigation resulted in the $1,320 fine and a dangerous dog declaration in October. Hachi is pictured as a pup. He is now almost eight years old Mr Alexander has written a formal complaint to council alleging it took far too long to declare Ms Ho's dog dangerous and the attack on him had not been investigated properly. 'The dog that attacked me has now attacked three members of the community, each one more savage than the one previous,' Mr Alexander wrote. 'My fear is the next one could result in something more harmful or fatal. I was informed in hospital that if I hadn't been the size I am, the damage I sustained would've been much worse. 'If this dog was to attack a smaller man, woman, or worse still a child, it could result in their disfigurement or death, and that should continue to plague all involved.' Mr Alexander describes the initial investigation into the attack as 'seriously flawed, substandard and shockingly incompetent for such a serious matter.' A Waverley Council spokesman said Mr Alexander's claims were being investigated. So much tissue was missing from Mr Alexander's lower back the stitches were later removed, the wound stuffed with sponge and a negative pressure bandage applied (pictured) 'Waverley Council Officers investigated a dog attack which occurred in April 2020,' the spokesman said. 'Subsequently, concerns were raised with council about the investigation and outcomes. 'Council then hired an independent investigator to look into those concerns and council's response to the attack. That investigation is ongoing. 'A penalty notice was issued to the owner of the dog in the April 2020 attack and a Dangerous Dog Declaration was also issued. The owner of the dog has elected to have those matters heard in court. 'We are unable to comment further as both the independent investigation and court matters are underway.' Ms Ho told Daily Mail Australia she would need to speak to her lawyer before responding to a series of questions but has not replied to further emails and phone calls. She will face Waverley Local Court next month to appeal against council's decision to declare Hachi dangerous and to dispute the $1,320 fine. Sanofi Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh Oncology Hospital signed a new cooperation agreement Sanofi is planning to convene a shareholders meeting on April 30 to discuss the current health crisis and Sanofis commitment to help contain the spread of the virus and comply with the emergency measures taken by the government. Emin Turan, country lead of Sanofi Vietnam and Cambodia told VIR, We believe that the pandemic may continue to disrupt the way we run the business as well as the way we connect with our stakeholders. However, when we look ahead to 2021, we are pushing ourselves to be more resilient by asking ourselves how we can truly unleash our entrepreneurial spirit to fulfil our ambitions. Sanofi plans to enhance focus on actual market needs, innovating and offering what is best to customers. Specifically, to continuously serve the Vietnamese population, Sanofi will continue to accelerate efficiency, focus on its key portfolio, and foster collaboration with various stakeholders and customers while putting patients and people at the core of its operation. More importantly, we will need to continuously make significant changes towards our vision, Turan added. Reports from the first half of 2020 were heavy in explaining the uncertainty due to COVID-19. Sanofi experienced a slowdown but it saw healthy growth for its vaccines business as the importance of prevention was much better understood that year. Entering the last quarter of 2020, the company began picking up momentum across almost the entirety of its product range. The growing needs of patients and the sustainable supply of innovative medicines, vaccines, and consumer health products continue to be of paramount importance to pharma firms. In Vietnam, in addition to COVID-19, population ageing has become a rising issue and accordingly the burden of chronic diseases is increasing. The government is paying great attention to taking good care of their people with a focus on increasing the coverage of health insurance that already covers a very large percentage of the population. Sanofi has been adapted to change by paying great attention to business optimisation and operational efficiency as the best way to overcome challenges. It stayed focused on what really matters in order to facilitate access to its innovative medicines/vaccines for the community. Looking ahead, the worldwide health crisis is far from over and pharmaceutical firms will have to contend with its social and economic consequences much longer than they initially thought. Sanofi expects 2021 business earnings per share to grow high single-digit at coupon equivalent rate, barring unforeseen major adverse events. Applying average January 2021 exchange rates, the currency impact on 2021 business EPS is estimated to be between -4 per cent to -5.5 per cent. Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson commented, While last year was an extraordinarily challenging year for all, I am incredibly proud of the measurable progress we have made within the backdrop of a global pandemic. Our teams across the world have relentlessly delivered on our strategy with a sharpened focus on operating and financial efficiencies. Sanofi bolstered its research and development pipeline with the completion of the Synthorx and Principia acquisitions, met several regulatory milestones to bring important medicines to patients, and saw several proofs of concept which reassured Hudsen about the priorities chosen. We continue to work in parallel on our two COVID-19 vaccine candidates, with clinical trials starting in the coming weeks, he added. At the same time, Sanofi wants to make a more immediate contribution to help saving lives, which is why it decided to provide manufacturing support to BioNTech and Pfizer. The continuous uptake and potential of Dupixent for patients, our contribution to population health with vaccines, reinforced with the resiliency of our General Medicines and Consumer Healthcare portfolios are all solid foundations to build upon in 2021, helping us achieve our ambition of bringing breakthrough medicines and vaccines to people around the world, Hudson noted. Welcome news was the announcement by Sanofi and Translate Bio of the start of a phase 1/2 clinical trial for their mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The study will assess the vaccine candidates safety, immune response, and reactogenicity with 415 participants across 13 investigational sites. In parallel, preclinical studies are underway to evaluate additional mRNA candidates against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Chandigarh, April 26 : The Punjab government Monday announced stricter restrictions on weekdays by advancing the evening curfew by two hours and a strict weekend lockdown to contain the pandemic. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh informed in a tweet that the government is enforcing lockdown from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and a weekend lockdown that would begin at 6 p.m. on Friday and last till 5 a.m. on Monday. These decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by him. "Due to continuous & rapid rise of #Covid19 cases in Punjab, Cabinet today has decided to impose daily lockdown from 6 PM to 5 AM and weekend lockdown from Friday 6 PM to Monday 5 AM. Urge you all to stay at home & step out only if absolutely necessary. Seek your full cooperation," he tweeted. At present, the daily curfew was from from 8 p.m. till 5 a.m. "All shops will remain open till 5 p.m. from Monday till Friday," state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar told the media after the cabinet meeting. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Creating a low-cost platform for gold and silver production growth in the world's fastest growing precious metals producing regions Anticipated annual gold equivalent 1 production profile of approximately 450,000 1, 2 , 7 ounces AISC 3 of approximately US$950 5 per gold equivalent ounce with a declining cost profile Extensive brownfield and greenfield organic growth potential supported by a large base of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources in Latin America and West Africa Lower cost of capital and strong balance sheet to fund the construction of the Seguela gold Project in Cote d'Ivoire, advance exploration of the Boussoura gold Project in Burkina Faso as well as other organic and external growth opportunities VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. ("Fortuna" or the "Company") (NYSE: FSM) (TSX: FVI) and Roxgold Inc. ("Roxgold") (TSX: ROXG) (OTCQX: ROGFF) are pleased to announce that they have entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") whereby Fortuna will acquire all the issued and outstanding securities of Roxgold pursuant to a plan of arrangement (the "Transaction"). Under the terms of the Transaction, Roxgold shareholders will receive 0.283 common shares of Fortuna and C$0.001 for each Roxgold common share held. Upon completion of the Transaction, existing Fortuna and Roxgold shareholders will own approximately 64.3% and 35.7% of the pro forma company, respectively. The exchange ratio implies a consideration of approximately C$2.73 per Roxgold common share based on the closing price of the Fortuna common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") on April 23, 2021, representing a 42.1% premium to the closing price of Roxgold on the TSX on the same date. Based on the 20-day volume weighted average price of the Fortuna shares and the Roxgold shares on the TSX for the period ending April 23, 2021, the exchange ratio implies a premium of 40.4% to Roxgold shareholders. The implied fully diluted in the-money equity value of the Transaction is estimated at approximately C$1.1 billion. Transaction Highlights Creates a premier growth-oriented global intermediate gold and silver producer, well positioned to pursue compelling organic and inorganic growth opportunities: Anticipated annual gold equivalent 1 combined production of approximately 450,000 1, 2, 7 ounces at AISC 1 , 3 of approximately US$950 5 per gold equivalent ounce Anticipated annual gold equivalent combined production of approximately 450,000 ounces at AISC of approximately US$950 per gold equivalent ounce Bringing together two highly experienced management teams with track records of value creation in the Americas and in West Africa: Fortuna will benefit from the in-region operating experience of key members of Roxgold's team Fortuna will benefit from the in-region operating experience of key members of Roxgold's team Diversified, complementary portfolio of four quality operating assets and a development project in prolific jurisdictions: Projected pro forma average annual EBITDA 2 , 3 of over US$500 million 2,4 (2021E to 2023E) Projected pro forma average annual EBITDA of over US$500 million (2021E to 2023E) Attractive near-term free cash flow profile with a robust pipeline of high-upside exploration assets: Boussoura, a gold exploration project with a maiden resource expected in the second half of 2021 6 , over twenty satellite targets identified at Seguela, and an extensive portfolio of early-stage exploration assets in Cote d'Ivoire and Mexico Boussoura, a gold exploration project with a maiden resource expected in the second half of 2021 , over twenty satellite targets identified at Seguela, and an extensive portfolio of early-stage exploration assets in Cote d'Ivoire and Mexico Participation in enlarged company with strong balance sheet, significantly higher liquidity, greater scale, and enhanced capital markets relevance: Lower cost of capital and stronger balance sheet to fund Seguela construction and Boussoura's development; flexibility to pursue other organic and external growth opportunities Lower cost of capital and stronger balance sheet to fund Seguela construction and Boussoura's development; flexibility to pursue other organic and external growth opportunities Pro forma market capitalization and P/NAV multiple puts Fortuna in a stronger position to compete for meaningful assets in the Americas and in West Africa: A rapidly growing and highly prospective mining jurisdiction A rapidly growing and highly prospective mining jurisdiction Silver will continue to be a meaningful contributor to revenue: Silver exposure largely in line with silver producer peers. Proforma Fortuna will continue to pursue meaningful and accretive silver opportunities Notes: Gold equivalent based on the following commodity price assumptions: US$1,800/oz Au, US$22/oz Ag, US$1,900/t Pb, and US$2,300/t Zn Production profile estimation assumes the successful construction of the Seguela gold Project based on the Feasibility Study announced by Roxgold on April 19, 2021 (https://www.roxgold.com/news/news/press-release-details/2021/Roxgold-Announces-Robust-Sgula-Feasibility-Study-with-After-Tax-NPV-of-US380-Million-and-49-IRR/default.aspx) AISC and EBITDA are non-GAAP measure with no standardized definition under IFRS. In order to provide the combined business performance of Fortuna on a pro forma basis, certain non-GAAP financial performance measures, including AISC and EBITDA, of each of Fortuna and Roxgold have been combined. For further information and a detailed reconciliation to IFRS, please see, in respect of Fortuna, the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section of Fortuna's most recent MD&A (https://www.fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/5710/2020-q4-mda-fvi.pdf) and for Roxgold, Note 18 "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" of Roxgold's MD&A dated March 3, 2021, available under Roxgold's profile on www.sedar.com (http://www.sedar.com). Refer to the "Analyst consensus forecasts" section in the Forward-looking Statements at the end of this news release 2021E AISC based on weighted contribution to pro forma Fortuna of the low end of Fortuna's (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/5680/2021-01-19-fvi-nr.pdf) and Roxgold's (https://www.roxgold.com/news/news/press-release-details/2021/Roxgold-Produces-133940-Ounces-Exceeding-2020-Production-Guidance-and-Provides-Outlook-For-2021/default.aspx) guidance Refer to Roxgold news release dated April 21, 2021, "Roxgold Returns 35m at 4.1 g/t and 2.7m at 59.5 g/t Among Other High Grade Intercepts as Mineralized Footprint Is Expanded at Boussoura" (https://www.roxgold.com/news/news/press-release-details/2021/Roxgold-Returns-35m-at-4.1-gt-and-2.7m-at-59.5-gt-Among-Other-High-Grade-Intercepts-as-Mineralized-Footprint-Is-Expanded-at-Boussoura/default.aspx) For NI 43-101 technical disclosure related to production refer to the following technical reports: Lindero Mine (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/4098/lindero-project-technical-report-effective-date-31-oct-2017.pdf), San Jose Mine (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/4097/san-jose-mine-technical-report-effective-date-february-22-2019-28mar19.pdf), Caylloma Mine (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/4096/caylloma-mine-technical-report-effective-date-march-8.pdf), Yaramoko Mine (https://s22.q4cdn.com/726251528/files/doc_downloads/yaramoko/Roxgold_Yaramoko_TR_3CR016_008_SRK_Team_20171220.pdf), and for the Seguela Project see Roxgold's April 19, 2021 news release (https://www.roxgold.com/news/news/press-release-details/2021/Roxgold-Announces-Robust-Sgula-Feasibility-Study-with-After-Tax-NPV-of-US380-Million-and-49-IRR/default.aspx) Jorge A. Ganoza, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fortuna, commented: "With Roxgold we are acquiring a complete business platform which brings: i) low-cost gold production; ii) a permitted Feasibility stage development project; iii) a robust exploration pipeline; and iv) key members of a seasoned executive team of proven mine builders, developers, and explorers in West Africa." Mr. Ganoza continued, "The combined company will be in a stronger position to continue accelerating the development of the Seguela gold Project at a lower cost of capital and aggressively pursuing the potential of a most exciting exploration pipeline in West Africa and Latin America." Mr. Ganoza concluded, "At Fortuna, we have known and followed the success of the Roxgold team for a number of years, from their early start at Yaramoko, and now look forward to working together and continuing to deliver value to our shareholders through the advancement of our assets and discovery." John Dorward, President and Chief Executive Officer of Roxgold, commented: "This transaction recognizes the commitment and execution of the Roxgold team and the value creation over recent years, as we advanced from developer to low-cost gold producer with a growth pipeline that few of our peers could match. The combination with Fortuna provides our shareholders with an immediate premium and a unique opportunity to participate in the creation of a new global mid-tier precious metals producer with significant organic growth and cash flow generating potential. Further, Fortuna's excellent track record as an operator and mine builder gives us confidence that the combined company will be best positioned to maximize value for all our shareholders." Benefits to Roxgold Shareholders Immediate and significant premium Maintain significant exposure to Roxgold portfolio assets through ownership in Fortuna Enhanced market profile with a pro forma +US$2 billion market cap and a TSX/NYSE dual listing Significantly enhanced share trading liquidity Increased scale and stronger "acquisition currency" to compete for more meaningful assets Additional potential upside based on average analyst Fortuna target price Elective tax-deferred rollover for Canadian shareholders Benefits to Fortuna Shareholders Accretive transaction on meaningful financial and production metrics Addition of a highly regarded West African mining team provides Fortuna key expertise from day one in a new jurisdiction Yaramoko and Seguela are low-cost assets with low technical complexity contributing meaningfully to growth while reducing overall AISC Seguela 36,300-hectare concession has significant near-term exploration potential Extensive portfolio of exploration properties covering over 286,300 hectares in the prolific Birimian gold province provides Fortuna a robust exploration pipeline which includes the high-grade Boussoura gold Project Preserve very strong balance sheet Transaction Summary Under the terms of the Transaction, Roxgold shareholders will receive 0.283 common shares of Fortuna and C$0.001 in cash for each Roxgold common share held. The Transaction will be effected by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act, requiring the approval of at least 66?% of the votes cast by the shareholders of Roxgold voting in person, virtually or represented by proxy at a special shareholders' meeting to consider the Transaction. The issuance of Fortuna shares pursuant to the Transaction will require approval by a simple majority of the votes cast by the shareholders of Fortuna voting in person, virtually or represented by proxy at a special shareholders' meeting to be called to consider, in addition to certain annual meeting matters, the issuance of Fortuna shares pursuant to the requirements of the TSX. In connection with the Transaction, officers and directors of Roxgold collectively holding 3.52% of the total Roxgold shares have entered into voting support agreements with Fortuna, pursuant to which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their Roxgold shares in favour of the Transaction. Appian Natural Resources Fund, which is Roxgold's largest shareholder and controls 13.2% of the issued and outstanding Roxgold shares, has also provided its support in favour of the Transaction. In addition, officers and directors of Fortuna collectively holding 1.5% of the total Fortuna shares have entered into voting support agreements with Roxgold pursuant to which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their Fortuna shares in favour of the issuance of the Fortuna shares pursuant to the Transaction. In addition to shareholder approval, the Transaction is subject to approval by the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and TSX and NYSE approval and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The Arrangement Agreement contains customary provisions including reciprocal non-solicitation, "fiduciary out" and "right to match" provisions, as well as a reciprocal C$40 million termination fee payable to Fortuna or Roxgold under certain circumstances and, in certain other customary circumstances, reciprocal expense reimbursement of US$3 million. Upon completion of the Transaction, management of the combined company will feature proven and experienced mining and business leaders at the executive team level, along with diverse, high-performing teams at the combined company's regional and operating sites. Continuing Executives at Roxgold are Paul Criddle, Chief Operating Officer - Africa; Paul Weedon, Vice President Exploration - Africa; and Eric Gratton, GM External Relations - Africa. Full details of the Transaction will be included in the respective management information circulars of Fortuna and Roxgold, which will be mailed to shareholders in connection with the respective shareholder meetings. Closing of the Transaction is expected by late June or early July 2021. Board of Directors' Recommendations The Arrangement Agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of each of Fortuna and Roxgold, including, in the case of Roxgold, following the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of independent directors. Both Boards of Directors unanimously recommend that their respective shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction. Scotiabank delivered a verbal fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of Fortuna as to the fairness of the consideration to be paid, stating that, as of the date of such opinion, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications which will be set out in its written fairness opinion to be included in the information circular for the Fortuna shareholders' meeting, the consideration payable by Fortuna pursuant to the Transaction is fair from a financial point of view to Fortuna. Each of BMO Capital Markets and Canaccord Genuity Corp. provided the Roxgold special committee and Board of Directors with a verbal opinion, to the effect that, as of the date of such opinion, subject to the respective assumptions, limitations, and qualification set out in such opinion, the exchange ratio under the transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to holders of Roxgold common shares. None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Transaction have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and any securities issuable in the Transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Advisors and Counsel INFOR Financial Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Fortuna in connection with the Transaction. Scotiabank has acted as financial advisor to the Fortuna Board of Directors in connection with the Transaction. Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and Paul Weiss LLP are acting as Fortuna's Canadian and United States legal advisors, respectively. BMO Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor to Roxgold in connection with the Transaction. Canaccord Genuity Corp. is acting as financial advisor to the Roxgold special committee and Board of Directors in connection with the Transaction. Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is acting as Roxgold's legal advisor. Conference Call Fortuna and Roxgold will host a joint conference call today, Monday, April 26, 2021, at 11:00 am Eastern Time, for members of the investment community to discuss the Transaction. Call-in information is provided below. Shareholders, analysts, media and interested investors are invited to listen to the live conference call by logging onto the webcast at: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1696/41083 (https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1696/41083) or over the phone by dialing in just prior to the starting time. Conference call details: Date: Monday, April 26, 2021 Time: 8:00 a.m. Pacific time | 11:00 a.m. Eastern time Dial in number (Toll Free): +1. 888.506.0062 Dial in number (International): +1.973.528.0011 Entry code: 755943 Replay number (Toll Free): +1.877.481.4010 Replay number (International): +1.919.882.2331 Replay Passcode: 41083 Playback of the Fortuna and Roxgold business combination call will be available until Monday, May 10, 2021. Playback of the webcast will be available until Tuesday, April 26, 2022. In addition, a copy of the presentation, a transcript of the call, and an audio recording of the conference call will be archived on Fortuna's website at https://fortunasilver.com/investors/presentations/# (https://fortunasilver.com/investors/presentations/) and on Roxgold's website at https://www.roxgold.com/investors/events-and-presentations/ (https://www.roxgold.com/investors/events-and-presentations/). Fortuna Qualified Person Eric Chapman, Vice President of Technical Services is a Professional Geoscientist registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia (Registration Number 36328) and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Chapman has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information pertaining to Fortuna contained in this news release. Roxgold Qualified Person Paul Criddle, FAusIMM, Chief Operating Officer for Roxgold Inc., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed, verified and approved the technical disclosure pertaining to Roxgold contained in this news release. About Roxgold Inc. Roxgold is a Canadian-based gold mining company with assets located in West Africa. Roxgold owns and operates the high-grade Yaramoko Gold Mine located on the Hounde greenstone belt in Burkina Faso and is also advancing the development and exploration of the Seguela Gold Project located in Cote d'Ivoire. Roxgold trades on the TSX under the symbol ROXG and as ROGFF on OTCQX. About Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. is a Canadian precious metals mining company with operations in Peru, Mexico, and Argentina. Sustainability is integral to all our operations and relationships. Fortuna produces silver and gold and generates shared value over the long-term for its shareholders and stakeholders through efficient production, environmental protection, and social responsibility. For more information, please visit Fortuna's website (https://www.fortunasilver.com/). For information about Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Carlos Baca Investor Relations Manager info@fortunasilver.com (mailto:info@fortunasilver.com) For information about Roxgold Inc. Graeme Jennings, CFA Vice President Investor Relations gjennings@roxgold.com (mailto:gjennings@roxgold.com) The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "Forward-looking Statements"). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward-looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward-looking Statements. The Forward-looking Statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements about the Company and Roxgold's current expectations, estimates and projections for the pro forma company, the structure and estimated value of the transaction, the anticipated timing of the respective shareholders meetings and the closing of the Transaction, the timing and anticipated receipt of required shareholder, court and stock exchange other approvals and the ability of Fortuna and Roxgold to satisfy the other conditions to, and to complete, the Transaction; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction to shareholders and the combined company, including corporate, operational and other synergies; the anticipated growth and exploration opportunities for the combined company; the timing and success of development projects; anticipated cost savings as a result of the transaction synergies and the combined company's financial position, including expectations regarding liquidity and cost of capital; the expected management team of the combined company; the expected size and scale for the combined company; expected pro forma financial outlook, including the projected pro forma EBITDA of the combined company; and other similar statements. Often, but not always, these Forward-looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipated", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "planned", "reflecting", "will", "anticipated", "estimated" "containing", "remaining", "to be", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. Forward-looking Statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company and Roxgold to control or predict and which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-looking Statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, among others, the completion and timing of the Transaction, the ability of the Company and Roxgold to receive, in a timely manner, the necessary approvals to satisfy the conditions to closing of the Transaction; the ability to complete the Transaction on terms contemplated by the Company and Roxgold, or at all; the ability of the combined company to realize the anticipated benefits of, and synergies and savings from, the Transaction and the timing thereof; the consequences of not completing the Transaction; the accuracy of the pro forma financial information of the combined company; the ability to access various sources of debt and equity capital, generally and on acceptable terms; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; risks relating to the current and potential adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, financial markets and the Company's and Roxgold's operations, any of which may have a material adverse effect on the Company's or Roxgold's business, capital resources, financial results and/or ability to complete the Transactions or realize the anticipated benefits thereof; changes in the prices of key supplies; technological and operational hazards in the Company and Roxgold's mining and mine development activities; risks inherent in mineral exploration and other factors referred to under the heading "Risk Factors" in each of the Company's and Roxgold's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2020 located on SEDAR. The Forward-looking Statements in this presentation also include financial outlooks and other related forward-looking information (including production and financial-related metrics) relating to Fortuna, Roxgold, the combined company and the Transaction, including: the expectations of Fortuna and Roxgold regarding the impact of the transaction on the combined company's production, free cash flow, EBITDA, expenditures and operating costs. Any financial outlook and forward-looking information contained in this presentation regarding prospective financial performance or financial position is based on reasonable assumptions about future events, including economic conditions and proposed courses of action based on the assessment by management of each of Fortuna and Roxgold of the relevant information that is currently available. Projected operational information contains forward-looking information and is based on a number of material assumptions and factors, as are set out above. These projections may also be considered to contain future-oriented financial information or a financial outlook. Although Forward-looking Statements contained in this news release are based upon what each of the Company and Roxgold believe are reasonable assumptions at the time they were made, such statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company and Roxgold disclaim any obligation to update any Forward-looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that these Forward-looking Statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on Forward-looking Statements. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This news release also refers to non-GAAP financial measures, such as EBITDA, free cash flow, cash cost per tonne of processed ore, price to net asset value and AISC. These non-GAAP financial performance measures are included because management of Fortuna and Roxgold have used the information to analyze the combined business performance and financial position of Fortuna on a pro forma basis. These measures are intended to provide additional information only and do not have a standardized meaning or method of calculation, even though the descriptions of such measures may be similar. These performance measures have no meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to similar data presented by other issuers. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. For additional information regarding Non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to Roxgold's management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2020 and Fortuna's management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2020, which are available under Roxgold's and Fortuna's respective SEDAR profiles at www.sedar.com (http://www.sedar.com). Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Reserves and Resources Reserve and resource estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for public disclosure by a Canadian company of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Unless otherwise indicated, all mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates contained in the technical disclosure have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and mineral reserve and resource information included in this news release may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. Analyst consensus forecasts This news release contains information summarizing consolidated analyst consensus forecasts sourced from Thomson Reuters and FactSet as at April 23, 2021. This information is intended to provide an "order of magnitude" indication for comparison purposes only, and is not intended to be, and should not be treated as, a forecast, estimate or guidance made, adopted, confirmed or endorsed by either of Fortuna or Roxgold or the combined entity. The U.S. Army says it will wait for criminal charges against a suspended soldier to be resolved before deciding if it will take internal action. Jonathan Pentland, a sergeant 1st class and instructor at Fort Jackson, was charged with the assault of a young Black man that was captured on a widely shared video. "We are allowing the civilian system to finish their judicial process first," Fort Jackson spokeswoman Leslie Ann Sully said Sunday in a news release. Pentland was suspended by the Army after he was arrested on the criminal charge. Additionally, the Army opened an investigation on Pentland and can take action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Sully said. Despite that, Fort Jackson is letting the legal system play out first. "SFC Pentland has been charged by Richland County for his actions on April 12th. While I have the authority to take action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or take other administrative actions, I have the utmost confidence in our civilian criminal system and trust that it will reach a fair and just resolution of this case," Fort Jackson Commanding Gen. Milford Beagle Jr. said in a statement. "I do not want to take any actions now that could interfere with the fair resolution of civilian criminal charges. "Your Army is committed to confronting racism, extremism, and corrosive behaviors, but I must remain mindful of protecting due process in both the civil and military jurisdictions as this proceeds." The video, which has gained national attention, shows Pentland interrogating the Black man about what he is doing in the Columbia neighborhood and then repeatedly telling him to leave, police said. He pushes the Black man at one point. On April 14, the 42-year-old Pentland was charged with third-degree assault and battery, Richland County court records show. "It was terrible. It was unnecessary," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. "The young man was a victim. The man we arrested was the aggressor." After being booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on the assault charge, Pentland was released on a $2,125 personal recognizance bond, court records show. A condition of his release is that he avoid all contact with the victim, and Pentland must stay 1,000 yards from the victim's place of work, home, school or place of worship, according to court records. If convicted on the misdemeanor assault charge, Pentland could face a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to South Carolina law. On April 15, protesters marched from the South Carolina State House to the Richland County Judicial Center, calling for Pentland's charge to be upgraded to kidnapping. They also wanted federal prosecutors to bring a hate crime charge against Pentland. In spite of his suspension, Pentland continues to serve the Army in an administrative capacity, according to Beagle. "I want to reiterate that the command in no way condones the behaviors and actions depicted (in the video) posted to social media, Beagle said. "Those behaviors are absolutely counter to the Army values and professionalism expected of soldiers, both on and off duty." Pentland has been stationed at Fort Jackson since 2019, where he has worked as a drill sergeant, the Associated Press reported. Fort Jackson is the Army's largest training installation, with more than 50,000 recruits assigned there each year. "The reputation and esteem of your Army at Fort Jackson has taken a terrible blow these past two weeks. I intend to work closely with (community leaders) to reestablish the mutual trust and kinship engendered by years of determined cooperation," Beagle said. This article is written by Noah Feit from The State and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com. The domestic on Monday posted their biggest jump in nearly two weeks, led by gains in banking stocks and the rally in Asian amid a retreat in US bond yields. The drop in Covid-19 tally in Mumbai over the weekend also boosted sentiment, although cases continued to mount across the country. The benchmark Sensex closed at 48,386, with a gain of 508 points or 1.06 per centmost since April 13. The Nifty ended the session at 14,485, with a gain of 143 points, or 1 per cent. Strong earnings by private sector lender ICICI Bank buoyed banking stocks. Shares of ICICI Bank rose 3.6 per cent, Axis Bank surged 4.4 per cent, and State Bank of India gained 2.4 per cent. Index heavyweight Reliance Industries rose 1.74 per cent after it commenced production from the second deep-water gas field. Overall, 194 stocks hit their 52-week high, and 367 were locked on the upper circuit on the BSE. The market breadth was positive, with 1,867 stocks advancing and 1,132 declining. Four-fifths of the Sensex constituents gained. Axis Bank was the best performing Sensex stock and rose 4.4 per cent. ICICI Bank and Ultratech Cement rose 3.6 per cent each. Realty and metal stocks were the biggest gainers, and their sectoral rose 3.7 and 2.1 per cent, respectively. Buying interest was broad-based, led by banking, realty, and metal stocks, with a hope that we are nearing the peak of infection. Banking stocks outshone other major sectoral indices due to the positive beginning of quarterly results, said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Financial Services. The 10-year US Treasury yield has declined nearly 20 basis points this month. This has boosted prospects for the emerging However, global investors have been cautious due to the renewed surge in Covid-19 infections. Upbeat global cues combined with supportive earnings are helping the index hold at higher levels despite Covid challenges. The recent of various countries extending help to India in the fight against Covid further boosted sentiment. Banking, metal, and pharma are showing tremendous resilience and should be preferred for long trades on dips, said Ajit Mishra, VP- research, Religare Broking. Analysts expect the markets to remain volatile amid rising Covid-19 tally, derivatives expiry, the upcoming meeting of the US Federal Reserve, and a slew of corporate results. A persistent rise in Covid-19 cases across the nation and enhanced economic restrictions have dented investors sentiment over the last couple of weeks, with the benchmark Sensex declining more than 8 per cent from its peak. Further, a sharp rise in the number of deaths over the last week is emerging as a major cause of worry for state and central governments, raising speculations of wider economic restrictions. Editors note: The clinic runs until 3 p.m. KALAMAZOO, MI Kalamazoo County residents age 16 or older can come to a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic happening Monday. The clinic is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, April 26, at 311 E. Alcott St., in Kalamazoo. The clinic will administer Pfizer vaccines to residents for free, according to a news release from the health department. Residents can walk in during the clinic time, with no appointment needed, the health department said. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses. Kalamazoo County opened vaccination appointments up to residents everyone 16 and older in early April. Read more: Midland County flood victim who lost everything wins $2M lottery prize We are all immigrants to some extent, says Kalamazoo woman after becoming U.S. citizen 10 great pretzels in Michigan, from breweries to food trucks ALBANY A convicted felon who once planned to create a hit squad to kill Black and Jewish people pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Monday to possessing two homemade rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Shane Robert Smith, 24, of Whitehall, who was initially convicted in a 2016 sting of possessing a machine gun, admitted he violated a federal law which prohibits convicted felons from possessing a firearm. Smith was released from prison in April 2018, when he began a three-year term of supervised release. In January 2020, officers with state parole and federal probation made an unannounced visit to Smiths home and found "items consistent with white supremacy beliefs (militia flags, combat field guides, notes on reloading ammunition), court papers show. In December 2020, federal probation officers searched Smiths home and found two rifles, whose barrels were each less than 16 inches in length, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, prosecutors for acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette Bacon said. On Monday, Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mae DAgostino, who accepted his guilty plea in 2016. She previously sentenced him to 37 months in prison. His latest sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 27. Smith faces up to 10 years in prison on his conviction but could get less time under federal sentencing guidelines. In his prior case, Smith had joined a Russian social media network where he listed his interests as guns, gunsmithing, building bombs, knives, guerilla warfare, preserving my race and folk, and destroying the government."Smith told an undercover officer I love violence. Smith, who was targeted in a sting, was creating a group called the "Silent Resistance Army," and hoped to acquire machine guns, explosives and bullets that could pierce body armor. He tried to use maple syrup as currency. "You building your own army?"an undercover asked Smith. "Well, like a hit squad," Smith responded, according to court papers. Smith told an undercover officer I love violence. The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss, was investigated by the U.S. Probation office, FBI, and U.S,.Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. OTTAWA - The federal government says it expects Canada to receive around 1.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week, including its very first shipment of single-dose shots from Johnson & Johnson. A health worker shows to the media how she prepares a dose of the Janssen vaccine by Johnson & Johnson, during a COVID-19 vaccination campaign at the Vela vaccination center, near Tor Vergata hospital in Rome, Saturday, April 24, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Alessandra Tarantino OTTAWA - The federal government says it expects Canada to receive around 1.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week, including its very first shipment of single-dose shots from Johnson & Johnson. Canada is set to receive about 300,000 doses of the J&J vaccine, which will come in addition to more than 1 million Pfizer-BioNTech shots and around 650,000 jabs from Moderna. The country is not currently scheduled to receive additional supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been in heavy demand after the eligible age for the shot was dropped to 40-plus in several provinces. That demand is only expected to increase after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization adjusted its age recommendation for the shots, announcing on Friday that Canadians 30 and older should get the AstraZeneca vaccine. Some provinces, however, have said they don't have enough supply to expand eligibility any further. Federal Public Procurement Minister Anita Anand said last week the government is in talks with the United States to secure additional AstraZeneca doses after President Joe Biden suggested his country might share the shots with Canada. The U.S. has stockpiled tens of millions of AstraZeneca shots, but health officials there have not approved the vaccine for use. Anand said earlier this month that Canada still expects to receive 4.1 million doses of AstraZeneca from all sources by the end of June. The expected arrival of the first Johnson & Johnson doses later in the week follows the end of an 11-day pause in the U.S. as health officials looked into six cases of rare blood clots. There have also been questions and concerns about possible contamination of AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson doses at a Baltimore factory. Health Canada released a statement on Sunday offering assurances that the two vaccines are safe. "Health Canada has verified that the 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine imported into Canada from this facility meet quality specifications," it said. "The department reviewed test results of all vaccine lots that came into Canada, as well as the company's quality control steps implemented throughout the manufacturing process to mitigate potential risks of contamination." The Johnson & Johnson vaccines expected this week do not come from the Baltimore facility, it added. This week will also mark the last in which Canada will receive less than 2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, as the pharmaceutical giants prepare to ramp up deliveries for the foreseeable future. The government expects the Pfizer-BioNTech shots to arrive early in the week, and the Moderna doses around mid-week. Provinces reported 231,540 new vaccinations administered over the past 24 hours on Sunday, for a total of 12,044,741 doses given since the start of the vaccination campaign in the winter. Across the country, 1,018,381 people, or 2.7 per cent of the population, had been fully vaccinated. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 31,780.926 per 100,000. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2021. GREENWICH Though Gov. Ned Lamont has assured students, parents and educators that graduations and other end-of-school-year ceremonies could carry on this year despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, questions abound for individual schools and districts. Greenwich Public Schools just announced that it was reserving June 21 and June 22 as possible graduation dates. There may be two separate ceremonies. Or preferably, if the district is able to safely organize such a gathering, there would be one ceremony June 21, with June 22 as a rain date. In keeping with guidance released earlier this month from the state Department of Public Health, the ceremony for the Greenwich Public Schools will be outdoors. Also, if indoor ceremonies are necessary, capacity should be restricted, the Department of Public Health said. It also urged testing before events, limited use of tents and a designated area where students and families could safely get a respite from their masks, before donning them again for the ceremony. But logistical questions remain for many, including Greenwichs four private high schools. Heres what we know so far about the ceremonies: Brunswick Brunswick School, a private college-preparatory school for boys, will hold its commencement May 19. The event will be held on campus at Cosby Field, weather permitting. According to the schools Director of Institutional Communications Daniel Griffin, the speaker has not yet been announced. Greenwich Academy Greenwich Academy, a private college-preparatory for girls, will hold its commencement ceremony May 20, featuring as its speaker Class of 92 graduate, Morgan Flatley, chief marketing officer at McDonalds. The ceremony will take place beneath a tent, and the number of guests per graduate will be limited. Greenwich Country Day Greenwich Country Day School, a co-educational independent day school, will hold its commencement ceremony May 21, though more information was not provided by the school. Sacred Heart Sacred Heart Greenwich, a Catholic college-preparatory school for girls, will hold its commencement June 4, at 2 p.m. The schools baccalaureate a Mass celebrated in honor of the senior class will be the night before at 5:30 p.m. The graduation speaker will be 2007 graduate Andrea Stanford, vice president at Bank of New York Mellon. The schools valedictory address will be given by Isabel DeVita and the salutatory address by Piper Gilbert. All graduation-related events will be outside, under a tent on the schools front lawn. Each graduate will have a limit of two guests per event. justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586 Brunswick Brunswick School held its One hundred and Eighteenth Commencement ceremony on Cosby Field July 25, 202 in Greenwich, Connecticut. Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Brunswick School, a private, college-preparatory school for boys, will hold its commencement May 19. The event will be held on campus at Cosby Field, weather permitting. According to the schools Director of Institutional Communications Daniel Griffin, the speaker has not yet been announced. Greenwich Academy Julia Sulkowski holds a sign up as her family drives her through the Greenwich Academy graduation car parade, held Monday. Students were driven through the school's traffic circle by family members, while faculty waved on from the driveway. They got out one by one to receive their diploma and pose for two pictures, including one with a cutout of their head of school, Molly King. Contributed Greenwich Academy, a private, college-preparatory for girls, will hold its commencement ceremony May 20, featuring class of 92 graduate, Morgan Flatley, chief marketing officer at McDonalds. The ceremony will take place beneath a tent and the number of guests per graduate will be limited. Greenwich Country Day Greenwich Country Day School celebrates its first graduating class of 12 seniors after becoming a high school in 2019-2020 following its merger with The Stanwich School in Greenwich, Connecticut on June 25, 2020. Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Greenwich Country Day School, a co-educational, independent day school, will hold its commencement ceremony May 21, though more information was not provided by the school. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said the two IAF Mi-17V5 helicopters equipped with Bambi buckets would be positioned to douse the wildfire in Lunglei district and adjoining areas. Aizawl: The Indian Air Force (IAF) would deploy two helicopters to douse the forest fire in Mizoram even as the state's fighters and disaster management personnel are battling the blaze in Lunglei district and its adjoining areas, officials said on Sunday. Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Sunday sought help from the IAF as well as the locals in dousing the major forest inferno in the mountainous district, which shares borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh. Officials here said that Zoramthanga had earlier asked the Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo to talk to the IAF authority to urgently deploy helicopters to douse the forest fire which has been rapidly spreading in the adjoining localities and small towns of Lunglei and the adjacent district in southern Mizoram. Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), hundreds of volunteers, disaster management and Fire and Emergency Services personnel are continuing their efforts to control the inferno. An official statement said that the fire was initially concentrated in uninhabited forest areas surrounding the Lunglei town on Saturday and on Sunday have spread to more than 10 village council areas adjoining the town. "Dry vegetation due to drought conditions, coupled with strong winds, has made the mission extremely challenging, and the unfriendly terrain of the area also poses a very serious risk and hindrance for the firefighters," the statement said. Lunglei district's Deputy Commissioner Kulothungan said that the state's fire fighters and disaster management personnel accompanied by the locals are doing their best but the wind is further increasing the fire spread to newer areas. "There is no casualty in the fire so far. We are unable to assess the gravity and volume of the damages due to the fire right now as we are busy in dousing the inferno," he told IANS. The Lunglei district blaze is the fifth major forest fire in the four northeastern states -- Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram -- since January this year. The Army's Spear Corps successfully doused a major forest fire at the Bada Kandun Village of Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh earlier this month. The IAF's two helicopters, disaster management personnel and villagers doused a major forest fire at Shirui peak in Ukhrul district of Manipur in the last month end. In the mid-February, Army troops successfully doused a major forest fire in Arunachal Pradesh's Dibang Valley district along the China border. In January, the Army, Indian Air Force, National and State Disaster Response Force, local volunteers and administration jointly doused a major wildfire in the famous Dzukou Valley on Nagaland-Manipur borders after two weeks of battle. The forest fire caused huge damage to the flora and fauna, forest and environment of the Dzukou Valley, which is one of the 10 most beautiful places in the mountainous northeast India. The Dzukou valley, situated at an altitude of 2,452 metres above the sea level and located 30 km from Nagaland capital Kohima, is also a sanctuary for the endangered Blyth's tragopan -- Nagaland's state bird -- and other species of birds and animals. Chinese Defense Minister and State Councilor Senior Lieutenant General Wei Fenghe is visiting Vietnam with a high-level military delegation to strengthen bilateral relations. The April 24-27 visit is being made at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang. A welcome ceremony was hosted in Hanoi Sunday by the Vietnamese Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Giang, a Politburo member and Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission. Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang (R) and the Vietnamese delegation receive Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Hanoi, April 25, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Thuy. Giang congratulated China on successfully organizing its 2021 Two Sessions and achieving its 100-year plan. He informed the visitors about the Vietnam's successful organization of its 13th National Party Congress. He said Vietnam always accords importance to strengthening the traditional friendship and promoting comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China, considering it a top foreign policy priority. Wei affirmed that defense cooperation between Vietnam and China was one of the crucial factors that contribute to improving friendship and cooperation between the two parties and states for the benefit of both peoples, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in each country, as well as in the region and the world. Chinese Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Wei Fenghe (L) meets with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi, April 25, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Thuy. Giang said Vietnam looks for peaceful solutions to any dispute in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). After the talk, the two ministers witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on establishing a unit to strengthen international cooperation between the two armies. Vietnam and China established official diplomatic ties in 1950. Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) has become the latest firm derided over an ill-judged name change. The asset manager, which invests more than 500billion on behalf of savers, governments and insurers, announced it was to be called Abrdn. For the avoidance of doubt, the firm pointed out that its new moniker would still be pronounced 'Aberdeen'. Name games: Twitter users likened Standard Life Aberdeen's new moniker Abrdn to a game of Countdown where the player had asked for just one vowel and a string of consonants But the decision to drop the use of the letter 'e' set tongues wagging. 'Standard Life Aberdeen is a bit of a mouthful, but Abrdn is an abomination of an alternative,' said City veteran David Buik, a consultant at stock exchange Aquis. 'Get back to your creative designers and start again, please.' The move drew comparisons with the Post Office's short-lived rebranding to Consignia and the ill-fated attempt by accountant PwC to rename its consulting business Monday. Twitter users likened Abrdn to a game of Countdown where the player had asked for just one vowel and a string of consonants. And an early take from the Financial Times website quipped that the company had been 'disemvoweled'. SLA chief executive Stephen Bird rechristened Stphn by some earnestly assured journalists that the firm had done 'focus groups' to check the new name had customers' approval. Focus groups: Stand Life Aberdeen's chief exec Stephen Bird has been rechristened Stphn A former Citigroup banker who took the reins at SLA last year, he went on to explain that the new 'a' logo formed of rows of tiny dots was designed to resemble the transition from an abacus to fibre optic cables. In a statement filled with corporate gobbledygook, he said: 'Our new brand Abrdn builds on our heritage and is modern, dynamic and, most importantly, engaging for all of our client and customer channels. 'It is a highly-differentiated brand that will create unity across the business, replacing five different brand names that have each been operating independently.' Martin Gilbert, who co-founded Aberdeen Asset Management in 1983 and led the business until its 2017 merger with Standard Life, offered his support to the revamp. He said: 'I'm delighted the new name retains some of the heritage of the business and its Aberdeen roots, which are well-known around the world. 'This is the right time to create a modern brand that is as resonant and relevant to the 21st century as its predecessors were in the 20th.' SLA is just the latest in a string of companies to run into trouble with a name change. In 2002, accountancy firm PwC roped in branding experts from Wolff Olins the same firm which has come up with the Abrdn moniker to advise on the demerger of its consulting arm. After paying an estimated 75million for Wolff Olins' services, the result was Monday. But the name was ridiculed by employees and ditched weeks later. Just a few months earlier, the Post Office attempted to replace its historic title with the name Consignia. In an explanation which made the mind boggle, chief executive John Roberts said Consignia described 'the full scope of what the Post Office does in a way that the words 'post' and 'office' cannot'. The name lasted just over a year before it was consigned to history. More recently, events and media company Reed Elsevier changed its name to Relx, and Reckitt Benckiser switched to RB and then Reckitt. Weight Watchers, meanwhile, is now known as WW, but still has to spell out its former name on its website. The new 'shorter' name is also more of a mouthful, having twice as many syllables. But SLA will be hoping its Abrdn rebranding exercise will put a stop to years of outflows from its funds. It follows the merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management in 2017. Since the deal, it had been operating under a mish-mash of closely related names. The umbrella company listed on the stock market was known as Standard Life Aberdeen, while the asset management arm operated under the banner of Aberdeen Standard Investments, causing confusion for some customers. And this year, the Standard Life brand was sold to insurance group Phoenix as part of a ten-year partnership between the companies, necessitating a further change. But the chosen name has raised eyebrows. Laith Khalaf, financial analyst at AJ Bell, said: 'Standard Life Aberdeen needed to sort out its branding, but the new Abrdn name will likely leave investors feeling dazed and confused. 'The fact Standard Life Aberdeen has actually had to explain how to pronounce the new name won't be lost on financial advisers up and down the country, whose clients might well think they've punched a typo into a hastily written report.' Preparations for the launch of the Luna-25 mission to the Moon from the Vostochny spaceport are proceeding as scheduled, Head of Russias State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday. "The work is proceeding according to plan and we have no setbacks. We must achieve the launch readiness by September in order to get into a launch window that opens for us on October 1 and will exist until October 30," the Roscosmos chief said. "These are a complex vehicle and a complex launch. For the first time in the world, we are going to launch a probe to the Moons southern pole. That is why, the developers are carefully preparing for that. So far, we have no fears that we may fail to get into this launch window. This is a historic event for the entire industry," TASS cited Rogozin as saying. The Russian Luna-25 probe, which is a follow-up of Soviet stations of this series, will open Russias long-term lunar program that envisages missions for studying the Moon from the orbit and the surface, collecting and delivering lunar soil to Earth. Roscosmos plans to send the Luna-25 automatic station to the Moon in October 2021. The Luna-25 will become the first domestic spacecraft in the countrys modern history on the surface of the Earths natural satellite. Roscosmos has chosen October 1 as the basic and October 30 as the backup date for the spacecrafts launch. Can an EU vessel fish sustainably in an IUU yellow carded country? April 26,2021 | Source: CFFA When this coastal State has been pre-notified it is not doing enough to fight illegal fishing, is it possible for EU vessels to fish there sustainably, as they are required to under the SMEFF? The case of Italian vessels in Sierra Leone casts doubts about it. On 6 February 2019, CFFA, together with PRCM, Bloom, Danish Living Seas and CAOPA, jointly lodged a complaint to the European Commission for alleged failure by Italian authorities to adopt measures to monitor their vessels in the waters of Sierra Leone and, where relevant, to sanction them if they were operating illegally in contravention of EU fisheries rules. After several exchanges with DG MARE, its legal services sent a pre-closure letter on 6 April 2021, stating that no illegal activities of the operators can be proven in this instance. What about the Precautionary Approach? According to local sources and VMS/AIS data, and as spelled out in the joint complaint, six Italian trawlers were delivered direct fishing authorisations to fish in Sierra Leone waters but did not comply with the provisions of the authorisations. In particular with the prohibition to fish in the inshore zone reserved for artisanal fishing, called the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ). The Commission has replied that the lack of exact nautical maps for the delimitation of Sierra Leone IEZ creates difficulties in identifying the actual illegal activities from those being carried out outside the IEZ. Therefore, according to the Italian authorities, after checking the VMS tracks of all Italian vessels that operated in Sierra Leone from 2018 to 2020, no fishing activities were identified in the IEZ. Whereas the Commission seems to be satisfied that all necessary measures were taken to remedy the situation and intends to close this complaint, CFFA believes the EU could do more and better, and has said so in an official letter to DG MARE legal services sent on 15 April. EU flagged vessels should not even be under suspicion of illegal activities, they should be exemplary and not abuse the legal or operational weaknesses of the coastal States where they operate. 1. The Precautionary Approach: Italian Trawlers Should Stay Away From The IEZ The Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) capacities of Sierra Leone, as well as of other African coastal countries, are very limited, which makes it difficult for these countries to ensure proper surveillance and control of fishing activities in their waters, even though it is their responsibility under international law. Additionally, the lack of political will hinders the development of relevant legal frameworks, and their implementation. In this case, according to the EC, Sierra Leone has particularly failed to draw nautical maps that would clearly delimitate the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ), from which industrial fishing vessels are excluded, as per the Sierra Leone Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill (2016). Still, these failures of Sierra Leone, and more generally of certain coastal States, should not be used as an excuse to cover potentially suspicious activities by EU fleets, including incursions in Sierra Leones IEZ. EU fleets should not be allowed to take advantage of the weak legal and operational frameworks of coastal States where they operate. Furthermore, in the case of Sierra Leone, the coordinates of the IEZ are well known (see page 3 of this article), and even if precise nautical maps do not exist, the precautionary approach that governs EU fisheries, including its external fisheries, suggests that EU vessels should stay well away from the zone given by the known IEZ coordinates. It should also be noted that the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement reverses the burden of proof, which does not fall anymore on the body with jurisdiction over the maritime space, but rather on the operator wishing to exploit it, thus creating a presumption in favour of precaution for the conservation of fisheries resources. 2. The Existing IUU Dialogue With Sierra Leone: Making the Most of It The EU has set itself up as a model in the fight against IUU fishing, in particular with the IUU regulation, which the EU uses to distribute yellow and red cards to non-complying coastal States. In fact, in 2016, it gave a yellow card to Sierra Leone, which has still not been lifted. In its justification, the Commission noted that: in Sierra Leone legal texts governing fisheries are outdated and sanctions fail to deter illegal operators operating internationally under the flag of Sierra Leone, without the fisheries authorities' knowledge. In addition, the number of licensed vessels exceeds the available resources and authorities fail to monitor or control their waters. We can therefore suppose that the Commission has been well aware, since the time of the 2016 Sierra Leone Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, of the importance of developing all necessary tools to ensure the authorities would be able to control the countrys waters. It is particularly important for Sierra Leone to efficiently guard the IEZ from trawlers incursions to protect artisanal fishing activities. The Commission should make the most of this existing IUU dialogue between the EU and Sierra Leone and renew its efforts so that all tools are set in place to ensure the IEZ is duly protected from trawler incursions. The Commission should support countries such as Sierra Leone by building their MCS capacities through, for example, the INTPA-EFCA partnership under PESCAO. Specifically for Sierra Leone, the Commission support the delimitation of its IEZ and in drawing nautical maps accordingly, and make sure the country has the means to protect the IEZ from trawlers incursions. 3. SMEFF Sustainability Criteria: Should EU Vessels Be Operating In An IUU Yellow Carded Country? The EU should be fully coherent: It cannot tell deficient coastal States what they have to do to be in line with IUU policy requirements, and on the other hand let its fleets abuse the lack of proper MCS measures in the waters of these same states. Taking into account the current political commitments of the EU on International Ocean Governance, and its willingness to be a champion for sustainability, the behaviour of EU flagged vessels, should be exemplary, and not abuse the legal and/or operational weaknesses of the coastal States where they operate. The EUs credibility and legitimacy in the fight against IUU fishing will only be more effective and coastal States more willing to cooperate. In line with the SMEFF regulation (see art. 5), EU operators should not engage in fishing activities where sustainability criteria are not met. There are severe doubts that, today, the situation of Sierra Leone, a country yellow carded for not being able to control its waters, licensing too many vessels to access fragile, sometimes overexploited, resources allows these sustainability criteria to be met by EU vessels such as these Italian coastal trawlers. This raises the general question of EU flagged vessels fishing in coastal countries that have been yellow carded because they cant police their waters something which is allowed under the IUU regulation. Is that compatible with the obligation put on the EU vessels to show their activities in the waters of that country are sustainable? The case of Sierra Leone raises doubts about that. 4. Overriding Public Interest: Accessing the Audit on the EU External Fleet These six Italian trawlers are not the only EU flagged vessels that have been accused of carrying suspicious activities. For example, recently, a couple of Latvian vessels fishing under the EU-Mauritania fishing agreement protocol, the KAPITAN MORGUN and the FISHING SUCCESS allegedly did not respect the fishing zones established by the provisions of the SFPA, coming to fish very close to the coast, which is illegal. According to a European scientist who has been following their activities in West Africa for years, these Latvian vessels systematically refuse to take scientific observers on board, which could have made it easier for these vessels to make illegal incursions into the coastal zone. Despite the Commission's efforts, shortcomings remain in the control of European fleets outside EU waters, even though Member States have an obligation to control the activities of their fishing vessels inside and outside EU waters (Preamble 17, 1224/2009). However, Member States do not always communicate the information and fleets do not always carry out activities in compliance with the regulations (SFPA, SMEFF) and sanctions are too often absent... The Commission has carried out an audit of the capacities of the Member States to monitor their external fleets. Since this news was out, several Civil Society organisations in different fora have been requesting this audit to be made public, which has always been denied because investigation following this audit is still ongoing. Theme(s): Fisheries Resources, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Landing Centres, Freshwater ecosystems and threats, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Others, Communities and Organisations, Post Harvest Technology and Trade. By Denis Slattery | New York Daily News Syracuse, N.Y. Gov. Cuomo, who issued a mea culpa for making anyone uncomfortable last month after several women accused him of sexual harassment, is now flat out denying all claims against him. The embattled governor, facing calls for his resignation as well as an impeachment inquiry and other probes, offered a blanket denial Monday as he took questions from reporters in person for the first time in months. No. No, thats why I said when people suggested, put it very simply no, Cuomo said when asked about the various allegations made against him. He then confidently claimed he will have no reason to resign or be disciplined because he believes the independent investigation into his conduct being overseen by Attorney General Letitia James will not uncover anything wrongdoing. The report cant say anything different because I didnt do anything wrong, he said during the brief back-and-forth with reporters at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Cuomo has attempted to project a sense of normalcy in recent months as he and his administration have become engulfed in scandal. Until Monday, the governor chose to keep reporters at arms length by only taking questions via conference call or virtually, a practice chalked up to concerns about COVID. Early last month, as a growing number of women, including several current and former staffers, came forward with claims of misconduct, Cuomo apologized for comments or behavior that may have made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it, and frankly, I am embarrassed by it, and thats not easy to say, but thats the truth, he said at the time. His previous statement was made in response to claims made by Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide who says the governor asked her about her sex life and whether she was interested in older men. A current Cuomo staffer alleges the governor groped her after she was called to the Executive Mansion to assist him with his cell phone. Asked Monday whether he has any regrets, Cuomo instead offered a monologue about hiring and promoting women. No. I have many women are working in state government, he said. Im very proud that we probably have more women in senior positions than ever before and I think that is a good thing. Lindsey Boylan, a former adviser who has accused Cuomo of harassment and once kissing her without her consent, lashed out at the governors latest denial. He is a liar. Different day, different answer that he perceives as beneficial for himself, she tweeted. Cuomo also fielded questions about several other problems that have plagued his administration in recent months. Amid reports that aides and senior staffers were tasked with helping him write and promote his COVID-themed book, titled American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic, Cuomo repeated his claim that all of the extracurricular work was voluntary. People volunteered to work on the book. The inverse is also true, do you know anyone who says they had to work on the book who didnt volunteer? he said. I didnt have them sign a volunteer form if thats what youre asking. Cuomo once again blamed a federal probe and the controversy surrounding his handling of nursing home deaths during the crisis on politics, claiming his fraught relationship with the Trump administration was the root of the issue. What that is going to come down to, in my opinion, is the politics of COVID, he said. Critics have accused the Cuomo administration of intentionally withholding the true number of nursing home deaths during the pandemic. A report from James office released in January resulted in the state Health department finally releasing a full tally. The number was always going to be what the number was, but making sure the number was accurate, is what was important. Nursing homes were ground zero for COVID. We all knew that that was true all across the country, Cuomo said. The finger-pointing, that is just more of the ugly politics of the time. Italian police said on Monday they had arrested 30 people suspected of belonging to the Nigerian Black Axe mafia gang that has been operating in many regions of the country. All those seized were Nigerian nationals, with arrests carried out across Italy. The suspects face almost 100 charges, including mafia association, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, prostitution and internet fraud, police said. Italian police said on Monday they had arrested 30 people suspected of belonging to the Nigerian Black Axe mafia gang that has been operating in many regions of the country The suspects face almost 100 charges, including mafia association, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, prostitution and internet fraud, police said Among those detained was the Black Axe's alleged leader in Italy - a 35-year-old man who lived in L'Aquila, in the central Abruzzo region. His name was not given. 'There is evidence that the members had a direct connection with the Nigerian gang, drawing on the same vocabulary, symbols and affiliation rituals,' police said. The operation started as a probe in L'Aquila, and involved the search of more than 25 domestic residences. All those seized were Nigerian nationals and arrests were carried out across Italy, police said Among those detained was the Black Axe's alleged leader in Italy - a 35-year-old man who lived in L'Aquila, in the central Abruzzo region The Black Axe group emerged from Nigeria in the 1990s, carrying out ritual murders, mutilation and rape before developing a powerful international network. Police said most of the suspected crimes were committed on the Internet, including using bitcoins on the dark web to purchase the numbers of cloned credit cards, which were used for online shopping sprees. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said Italy was showing its determination to tackle organised crime. 'This proves the ability of the judiciary and police forces to fight against old and new mafia groups which are trying to extend their criminal reach and expand their business,' Lamorgese said in a statement. The Black Axe group emerged from Nigeria in the 1990s, carrying out ritual murders, mutilation and rape before developing a powerful international network (Pictured, the group's logo) In 2016, three members of the Black Acxe group were sentenced to at least a decade in prison each for crimes including murder. Prosecutors at the time said the trio had brought to Palermo, Italy, the practices of the organisation. Including, they said, mafia techniques in carrying out attempted murder, armed robbery, bodily harm, extortion, and drug-dealing. Prosecutors also said the trio answered to Italy's most storied mafia organisation, the Cosa Nostra, as if they were its subjects. The group is believed to have attacked two people with bottles and axes late one night in January 2014 in Palermos Ballaro street market, where police later found the victims with gashed foreheads. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union's executive branch said Monday that it has launched legal action against coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the 27-nation bloc. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been central to Europes immunization campaign, and a linchpin in the global strategy to get vaccines to poorer countries. But the slow pace of deliveries has frustrated the Europeans and has been blamed in part for holding up the EU's vaccine rollout. European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said that Brussels launched the legal action against AstraZeneca last Friday on the basis of breaches of the advance purchase agreement. He said the reason for the legal action was that some terms of the contract have not been respected and that the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure a timely delivery of doses. AstraZenecas contract with the EU foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among member countries, with an option for a further 100 million. But only 30 million doses were delivered in the first quarter of 2021, and the company says it can provide 70 million in the second quarter, rather than the 180 million it had promised. AstraZeneca has previously said that its contract with the EU contained vaccine delivery targets, not firm commitments, and that the company was unable to meet them because of early problems with rapidly expanding its production capacity. Last month, the Commission launched a dispute resolution mechanism aimed at amicably addressing its differences with the company. Brussels said that its focus is to ensure timely deliveries of vaccines. It since said that its option for extra AstraZeneca doses will not be taken up. Last week, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that a new vaccine contract is set to be concluded with BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 billion doses for the 2021-23 period. She said the deal will ensure doses for booster shots, vaccines adapted to new variants, and, potentially, vaccines for children and teenagers. Story continues Von der Leyen said that the EU, home to around 450 million people, has already passed 123 million vaccinations" and is on track to have vaccinated 70% of all adults by July. Previously the target had been September. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak A memorial service was held in Chernobyl on Monday to commemorate the firefighters who died in the aftermath of the 1986 nuclear disaster. Reactor No. 4 at the power plant 110 kilometres (65 miles) north of Ukraine's capital Kyiv exploded and caught fire deep in the night on April 26, 1986, shattering the building and spewing radioactive material high into the sky. Firefighters from the local town of Chernobyl were the first on the scene. Dozens were killed both in the immediate aftermath, or later from injuries sustained during their work at the destroyed reactor. Soviet authorities made the catastrophe worse by failing to tell the public what had happened although the nearby plant workers' town of Pripyat was evacuated the next day, the two million residents of Kyiv weren't informed despite the fallout danger. The world learned of the disaster only after heightened radiation was detected in Sweden. Eventually, more than 100,000 people were evacuated from the vicinity and a 2,600-square-kilometer (1,000-square-mile) exclusion zone was established where the only activity was workers disposing of waste and tending to a hastily built sarcophagus covering the reactor. The town of Chernobyl is now like a ghost town where no one has lived since the evacuation in 1986. A roaming tour around the town showed dilapidated buildings covered in overgrown shrubbery. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) BOISE - Each year, the last Friday in April is set aside to celebrate Arbor Day and call attention to the important role trees play in our lives, our communities and our state. This year, Arbor Day falls on Friday, April 30. The Idaho Forest Products Commission (IFPC) is celebrating in 2021 by launching a new informational campaign titled Healthy Forests, Healthy Idaho, and will be making tree seedlings available statewide. Healthy Forests equate to a healthy Idaho, said Jennifer Okerlund, IFPC Director. Trees make valuable contributions to our state, environmentally, aesthetically and economically. They play an essential role in the reduction of carbon, create the beautiful backdrop we live, work and play within and ensure we have the essential products that we rely on daily. This year, IFPC has partnered with Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and Home Depots to safely disseminate blue spruce seedlings to the public. Seedlings will be available for pick-up at all IDL Regional Offices and Idaho Home Depots on Friday, April 30. Were excited to partner with the Idaho Forest Products Commission in celebration of Arbor Day and help educate Idahoans on the role trees play within our state, said Dustin Miller, IDL Director. Idahos working, managed forests not only contribute to our state economically, they help maintain healthy forests in our state, reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire. A complete list of seedling dissemination locations, including IDL regional offices, is available at www.idahoforests.org. Learn More and Celebrate In Your Own Way: Idahoans are being encouraged to learn more about Idahos Working Forests and celebrate Arbor Day in individual ways using our online resources at www.idahoforests.org. Heres how: Plant a tree. Celebrate an existing tree in your yard or neighborhood. Visit your tree often and learn everything you can about it. Purchase a commemorative shirt or cap on the IFPC website. Visit our Learning at Home page to get free resources, lessons, activities, printables and much more! Encourage youth in 5th-12th grades to participate in the 2021 Arbor Day Photo Contest. Learn about Idaho trees! From the trees in our back yard and in our local and state parks, to the private, state and federal forests that cover 40 percent of our state trees and forests make our lives in Idaho better, said Okerlund. Working forests provide local jobs to 31,000 Idahoans and bring over $2.4 billion to the gem state's economy. Additionally, timber harvested from state forests provided over $52 million to Idaho public schools and institutions last year, and over 1,640,000 tree seedlings were plated. Trees are harvested to improve forest health, reduce fire risk or make the wood and paper products we all use, said Okerlund. Its this management that makes our forests sustainable for future generations. For every tree harvested, seven more are growing for the future. The first Arbor Day was held in 1872 in Nebraska. Today, Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states and many other countries. For more information about Arbor Day and Idahos forests, visit www.idahoforests.org. The Ghana Police Service has interdicted three policemen for their alleged involvement in the death and secret burial of a 48-year-old man, Abu Bukari Bahala, at Seikwa in the Tain District in the Bono Region. In addition, the Bono Regional Police Command is currently searching for a man identified as the Akyeamehene of the Seikwa Traditional Area, Opanin Asuman, who is suspected to have assisted the policemen to bury Bahala. The three policemen, all stationed at the Seikwa Police Station, are Chief Inspector Eric Aforo, General Corporal William Apussungi and General Constable Ebenezer Akuffo. According to the police, they had been interdicted following ongoing investigations into the unfortunate incident. The three policemen and two security men of the Nkoranman Rural Bank Rubin Obeng and Aaron Abey are alleged to have brutalised Bahala to death and buried him secretly at night to cover their crime. Police briefing The Bono Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Kennedy Adusei, who confirmed the incident to newsmen, said the three policemen and the other people named in the incident had been invited to assist the police in their investigations. As part of measures by our superiors, and to avoid interference by the policemen, they have been asked to step aside as part of measures put in place to deal with the matter," he said. Supt Adusei explained that the initial report was that on Friday, April 16, 2021, the Manager of the Nkoranman Rural Bank, Mr Emmanuel Ofori, reported to the police that Bahala, a lunatic in the Seikwa community, had smashed the windscreen of his vehicle, with registration number AS 2000- X. Supt Adusei said police investigations revealed that after Bahala had smashed the windscreen of the said vehicle, Obeng and Abey, along with others, attacked and beat him mercilessly, before sending him to the police station. He said at the police station, Bahala was violent, compelling the policemen to push him to the compound of the rented police quarters, where they managed to handcuff him. Supt Adusei said later, the police realised that the deceased had become weak and was rushed to the Seikwa Health Centre for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival. Police best practices He said going by best practices, Chief Inspector Aforo should have known better by preserving the body at the mortuary for autopsy. When such things happen, a policeman is supposed to send the body to the mortuary for preservation and autopsy, but the opposite happened, Supt Adusei stated. He said Chief Inspector Aforo explained that Opanin Asuman, together with some boys, had assisted him to bury the deceased. Supt Adusei said when rumours went round in the community about the incident, the culprits realised their mistake, exhumed the body and sent it to the mortuary. He said all those involved in the case or contributed to the crime had been sent to the Sunyani Police Headquarters for interrogation, explaining that investigations were ongoing. Supt Adusei assured the family of the deceased that everything possible would be done to ensure justice for the deceased. 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 Investors rushed to pick shares of on the BSE on Monday as the firm sought Central Drugs Standard Control Organization's (CDSCO's) for approval of Phase-III clinical trial of Molnupiravir Capsules for the treatment of Covid-19 positive patients. At 11:30 am, shares of the pharmaceutical firm were ruling 5 per cent higher on the BSE, at Rs 923 apiece, as against a 1.4 per cent rise in the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex. In the intra-day deals, the shares surged 7.5 per cent to Rs 944 per share on the BSE. "Pre-clinical data have shown that Molnupiravir has broad anti-influenza activity, including highly potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication. Patients treated with Molnupiravir achieved response within 5 days of therapy indicating that the duration of treatment with Molnupiravir is short, with the additional advantage of being an oral therapy," the firm said in an exchange filing. The firm is hoping that CDSCO would give emergency approval of this drug based on "compassionate use" for patients which is given for investigational drugs so a patient with an immediately life-threatening condition can gain access to the drug. "The company is ready to launch the product this month if approval is given," it added. READ HERE India reported 352,991 fresh infections on Sunday, taking the cumulative caseload to 17,313,163, according to MoHFW. Amid oxygen shortage and faltering health system in the country, India saw 2,812 deaths in highest single-day spike. The death toll from the deadly infection stands at 195,116. The country now has more than 2.8 million active cases. So far in the current calendar year, the stock has tumbled 8.7 per cent on the BSE, as against an over 2 per cent rise in the 30-share barometer. However, over the past one month, the stock has advanced 8 per cent on the BSE compared with a 4.3 per cent decline in the benchmark Sensex index. Going-forward, analysts believe the pharma sector is set to shine in the financial year 2021-22 as the fatal Covid-19 makes an ugly comeback. The opening up of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to 18+ will create a huge pool of demand and that will, in itself, generate substantial domestic revenues. This could be a repeat revenue stream since Covid vaccines will probably be an annual affair until the pandemic is beaten. Apart from that, the industry had an excellent 2020-21, with exports surging 18.7 per cent to $24.44 billion spurred by strong demand for generic drugs. This was the best growth rate in many years, despite the global pharma market shrinking and despite the first quarter (April-June 2020) being hit by lockdowns. In the previous 2019-20 fiscal, exports increased by 7.57 per cent to $20.58 billion. READ ABOUT IT HERE Nomadland, a film about a grief-struck woman traveling through the American West, won the Academy Award for best picture, delivering a major win for Co. and ending an almost 20-year drought for Hollywoods biggest studio. Chloe Zhao, who made Nomadland, was crowned best director, becoming the first woman of color to win that award and contributing to an ceremony that was among the most inclusive in the academys history. The acting prizes also honored a diverse pool of talent -- including a Black man and Asian woman -- six years after #OscarsSoWhite used social media to cast a light on bias in While the broadening pool of winners was welcome, the faced challenges. The ceremony had to be pared down because of the coronavirus pandemic, which meant fewer than 200 people attended in person at Union Station in Los Angeles. It was delayed by about two months, and there were no blockbusters among the films competing for the top prizes. That suggests Sundays broadcast on ABC may be even smaller than last years record low audience. This years ceremony was run without a host. But in opening remarks, actress-director Regina King touched on the losses from the pandemic, while paying tribute to Hollywoods never-ending ability to entertain and distract. Tonight we are here to celebrate, she said. This was indeed a hard year for everyone, but our love of movies helped to get us through. It made us feel less isolated and connected us when we were apart. Though the past year was mostly marked by the rising popularity of streaming services, with theaters closed through much of 2020, traditional studios still picked up plenty of awards. Besides Disneys top honors, Emerald Fennell won best original screenplay award for Promising Young Woman, a Universal-Focus Features film about a woman seeking revenge for the rape of her friend. Daniel Kaluuya won best supporting actor for his part in Judas and the Black Messiah, about the FBIs attempts to infiltrate the Black Panthers. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. and debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Disney won the top animation Oscar for Soul. Still, streaming services held their own. For the first time, movies that debuted online were eligible to win Hollywoods top honor. Netflix Inc., which got a boost during the pandemic lockdown, had the most nominations and two chances to win best picture in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Mank. It has never won a best picture award, despite repeated nominations. The streaming company did win for best documentary feature, picking up the award for the film My Octopus Teacher, and took home the prize for best animated short for If Anything Happens I Love You. It also won two prizes for Mank, including best production design and best cinematography. Disney has recently posed more of a challenge to Netflix, drawing in tens of millions of new users to Disney+, and the best picture award may give it another bump. The studio picked up Nomadland from Searchlight Pictures as part of its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. It last won best picture in 2003, when the musical Chicago won the prize. ABC, another Disney unit, won the night in a different way, by selling out ads for the evenings ceremony. Despite weak viewership projections, a single ad went for about $2 million, one of the most expensive slots in TV. The network promoted the show heavily in a bid to narrow the viewer losses from last years record low audience of about 24 million. Agreement expands Veloxis product portfolio and the continued commitment to improving the lives of transplant patients. OSE Immunotherapeutics to receive up to 315 million in potential milestones, including a 7 million upfront, and tiered royalties on sales. NANTES, France and CARY, N.C. , April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OSE Immunotherapeutics (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE) and Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei, today announced a global license agreement granting Veloxis Pharmaceuticals worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize FR104, a CD28 antagonist monoclonal antibody fragment, for all transplant indications. In parallel, OSE Immunotherapeutics retains all product rights to develop FR104 in autoimmune diseases. Through this license agreement, Veloxis plans to develop FR104 to provide a new therapeutic option for prophylaxis of organ rejection in patients receiving a solid organ transplant. According to the agreement, OSE Immunotherapeutics will receive up to 315 million in potential milestones from Veloxis, including a 7 million upfront payment; development, registration and commercialization milestone payments; as well as additional tiered royalties on potential future sales. Veloxis will assume all production, development and commercialization costs in the transplant indications for FR104. Alexis Peyroles, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics, comments: We are excited to begin this collaboration with Veloxis, a leading transplantation company, and the perfect partner for clinical advancement of FR104 in this field. This partnership demonstrates the outstanding value and great potential of our clinical stage product to meet patients and physicians needs in transplantation. Ulf Meier-Kriesche MD, Chief Scientific Officer of Veloxis, a board-certified Nephrologist with over 20 years of practical clinical experience in transplantation, comments: We are very excited about the opportunity to develop this new molecular entity as a potential alternative to CNIs in the immunosuppressive regimen following kidney transplantation. The range of successful non-clinical pharmacologic, mechanistic and toxicology studies already conducted with FR-104 as well as the first-in-man data that have been generated provide us a good foundation to advance the product development. We believe this is a significant step towards addressing some of the critical unmet medical needs in transplantation. It also reinforces our commitment to our patients and the transplant community we serve. About Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, an Asahi Kasei company, is a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of transplant patients. Headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA, Veloxis is focused on the direct commercialization of immunosuppression medications in the US, expansion of partnerships for markets around the world, and acquisition of assets utilized in transplant patients and by adjacent medical specialties. For further information, please visit www.veloxis.com. About Asahi KaseiThe Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber business, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 40,000 employees around the world, the company contributes to sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For further information, please visit www.asahi-kasei.com. ABOUT OSE ImmunotherapeuticsOSE Immunotherapeutics is an integrated biotechnology company focused on developing and partnering therapies to control the immune system for immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. The companys immunology research and development platform is focused on three areas: T-cell-based vaccination, Immuno-Oncology (focus on myeloid targets), Auto-immunity & Inflammation. Its balanced first-in-class clinical and preclinical portfolio has a diversified risk profile: Vaccine platform Tedopi (innovative combination of neoepitopes): the companys most advanced product; positive results for Step-1 of the Phase 3 trial (Atalante 1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer post checkpoint inhibitor failure.In Phase 2 in pancreatic cancer (TEDOPaM, sponsor GERCOR).In Phase 2 in ovary cancer (TEDOVA, sponsor ARCAGY-GINECO) in combination with pembrolizumab.Due to the COVID-19 crisis, accrual of new patients in TEDOPaM should restart in 2021. (innovative combination of neoepitopes): the companys most advanced product; positive results for Step-1 of the Phase 3 trial (Atalante 1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer post checkpoint inhibitor failure.In Phase 2 in pancreatic cancer (TEDOPaM, sponsor GERCOR).In Phase 2 in ovary cancer (TEDOVA, sponsor ARCAGY-GINECO) in combination with pembrolizumab.Due to the COVID-19 crisis, accrual of new patients in TEDOPaM should restart in 2021. CoVepiT: a prophylactic second-generation vaccine against COVID-19, developed using SARS-CoV-2 optimized epitopes against multi variants. Positive preclinical and human ex vivo results in August 2020. In clinical Phase 1. Immuno-oncology platform BI 765063 (OSE-172, anti-SIRP mAb on SIRP/CD47 pathway): developed in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim; myeloid checkpoint inhibitor in Phase 1 in advanced solid tumors. (OSE-172, anti-SIRP mAb on SIRP/CD47 pathway): developed in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim; myeloid checkpoint inhibitor in Phase 1 in advanced solid tumors. CLEC-1 (novel myeloid checkpoint target): identification of mAb antagonists of CLEC-1 blocking the Dont Eat Me signal that increase both tumor cell phagocytosis by macrophages and antigen capture by dendritic cells. (novel myeloid checkpoint target): identification of mAb antagonists of CLEC-1 blocking the Dont Eat Me signal that increase both tumor cell phagocytosis by macrophages and antigen capture by dendritic cells. BiCKI: bispecific fusion protein platform built on the key backbone component anti-PD-1 (OSE-279) combined with new immunotherapy targets; 2nd generation of PD-(L)1 inhibitors to increase antitumor efficacity. Auto-immunity and inflammation platform FR104 (anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody): positive Phase 1 results; ongoing Phase 1/2 in renal transplant (sponsored by the Nantes University Hospital); Phase 2-ready asset in a niche indication in autoimmune diseases. (anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody): positive Phase 1 results; ongoing Phase 1/2 in renal transplant (sponsored by the Nantes University Hospital); Phase 2-ready asset in a niche indication in autoimmune diseases. OSE-127/S95011 (humanized monoclonal antibody targeting IL-7 receptor): developed in partnership with Servier; positive Phase 1 results; in Phase 2 in ulcerative colitis (OSE sponsor) and an independent Phase 2 planned in Sjogrens syndrome (Servier sponsor). (humanized monoclonal antibody targeting IL-7 receptor): developed in partnership with Servier; positive Phase 1 results; in Phase 2 in ulcerative colitis (OSE sponsor) and an independent Phase 2 planned in Sjogrens syndrome (Servier sponsor). OSE-230 (ChemR23 agonist mAb): first-in-class therapeutic agent with the potential to resolve chronic inflammation by driving affected tissues to tissue integrity. For more information: Click and follow us on Twitter and Linkedlnhttps://twitter.com/OSEIMMUNOhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/10929673 Contacts OSE ImmunotherapeuticsSylvie DetrySylvie.detry@ose-immuno.com+33 153 198 757 U.S. Media: LifeSci CommunicationsDarren Opland, Ph.D.darren@lifescicomms.com+1 646 627 8387 French Media: FP2COMFlorence Portejoiefportejoie@fp2com.fr+33 607 768 283 U.S. and European InvestorsChris Maggos chris@lifesciadvisors.com +41 79 367 6254 Forward-looking statementsThis press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics management in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate.These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as expect, anticipate, believe, target, plan, or estimate, their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import. Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 15 April 2021, including the annual financial report for the fiscal year 2020, available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics website. Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements. Source: OSE Immunotherapeutics Heres a good reason to start crying with happiness: your tears could soon save your life by providing an early warning of cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disease. In future, they may even predict your risk of developing Alzheimers. And tears are not the only bodily secretions that are being used in a new generation of painless diagnostic tests. Scientists say we can also use earwax, sweat and nasal mucus to detect everything from depression to gout. These newly developed ways to test us for serious conditions could prevent patients from having to endure trial by needles or scanning machines. Tears are not the only bodily secretions that are being used in a new generation of painless diagnostic tests Take tears more than mere salty water, the moisture in our eyes contains precious traces of tell-tale chemicals circulating in our bodies. These can be used as markers of illness. Engineers at Kobe University in Japan are developing a device that uses tears to detect breast cancer quickly and easily. The tears are collected with a strip of paper and then placed in a scanner that examines them for exosomes, particles that act as couriers between cells, carrying material such as genes and proteins. For example, if they have come from a cancer cell, they will be carrying mutated genes and proteins. The researchers, writing in the Journal of the American Chemical Society last year, revealed that they had successfully developed computer-chip technology that found exosome biomarkers of breast cancer in volunteers tears. Tear samples can be easily self-collected using a strip of filter paper, says Professor Toshifumi Takeuchi, the medical device engineer who led the study. Using tears may greatly reduce the costs of testing and allow much faster detection of cancer malignancies than mammograms can currently provide. The device may become available next year. Meanwhile, another team of scientists, at Tokyo University, is using tears to help people with diabetes monitor their blood sugar without finger-prick tests. Scientists announced in February that they can use tears to test for Sjogrens syndrome, where the immune system mistakenly attacks glands that produce fluids such as tears and saliva In a study of 100 people with type 2 diabetes, they showed that the levels of glycoalbumin (a modified protein which reflects the average blood glucose levels over the preceding two weeks) in tears correlated with the levels in blood. The lead researcher, Dr Masakazu Aihara, told the European Association for the Study of Diabetes last September that they are now fine-tuning their system for commercial use. And scientists announced in February that they can use tears to test for Sjogrens syndrome, where the immune system mistakenly attacks glands that produce fluids such as tears and saliva. It also often affects mucus-secreting glands in the lungs, and can cause inflammation in the kidneys and nervous system. Arthritis Research UK estimates that up to half a million people in the UK have Sjogrens (typically women, possibly because womens bodies regulate inflammation differently). Recent studies have shown that Sjogrens also harms a process called autophagy, where our cells clear out damaged components. Now scientists at Seoul National University in South Korea have reported that the amount of ATG5 (a protein involved in autophagy) in tears may help diagnose Sjogrens in those with dry-eye symptoms with greater accuracy than standard diagnostic tests, such as blood tests and skin biopsies. An accurate test is sorely needed: up to a third of Britons over the age of 64 suffer with clinically dry eyes, says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In a trial of 86 patients who had either Sjogrens or dry eyes caused by something else, the ATG5 test was 98.4 per cent accurate, compared with standard test results, which ranged from 81.7 per cent to 50.8 per cent accuracy. Anis Barmada, a Cambridge University graduate biology student who has researched tear analysis, told Good Health that tears may soon have many more diagnostic applications. Tears contain many markers that may be used for diagnosing a broad array of some of our most common and devastating diseases, he says. These markers are often found in blood, but are much more easily obtained from tears. Researchers are also developing teardrop testing for Alzheimers. Pioneers at Debrecen University in Hungary reported in the journal PLOS One in 2016 that people developing the disease seem to have tell-tale protein changes in their tears. Meanwhile, earwax may be an important tool for diagnosing and monitoring depression and conditions linked to stress. For years, researchers have been checking levels of the hormone cortisol to do this but its been difficult to find a fast and easy method. The most common technique is hair-sample analysis, but this can be inaccurate. Now researchers at Kings College London have developed an earwax cortisol test. Not only is cortisol reliably built up in earwax, the wax itself effectively preserves it and resists bacterial contamination. The lead researcher, Dr Andres Herane-Vives, has invented a self-sampling device similar to a cotton swab, but with a brake that stops it going too far into the ear and causing damage. Tests on 37 volunteers, reported in the journal Heliyon in November, showed that earwax samples yield more cortisol than hair samples. The method may be cheaper, too. Dr Herane-Vives is now setting up a firm, Trears, to bring his sampling device to market. He is also investigating whether it could be used to measure glucose levels in diabetics, and Covid-19 antibodies excreted in earwax. Researchers from the U.S. and China, meanwhile, have developed a new wearable sensor that uses sweat to detect gout-causing compounds. The thin device contains a laser-etched chemical sensor that identifies uric acid high levels of which lead to gout at concentrations much lower than blood or urine tests can detect. Doctors used the sensor to monitor gout patients 24/7. When levels of uric acid rose sufficiently to threaten a painful attack, the patient could take preventive anti-inflammatories in good time. The developer, which reported its success in the journal Nature Biotechnology two years ago, is now refining the sensor so that it continuously monitors for signs of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney disease. The only common secretion that scientists arent currently studying for diagnostic potential is our nasal mucus. But were missing a golden opportunity, according to Dr Robert Henkin, who heads Washington D. C.s Taste and Smell Clinic in America. In 2006, Dr Henkin published a paper reporting that nasal mucus contains endoglin, a protein also found in blood that is used to detect the onset of pre-eclampsia, which causes high blood pressure during pregnancy. Mucus also contains the protein D-dimer, used as an early warning sign of blood clots in heart disease patients. Dr Henkin wrote: A nasal swab test could use nasal mucus, independent of blood tests, as an inexpensive, safe device to screen patients worldwide to avoid development of these disorders. Medicine has ignored this call. Despite delving into tears, sweat and earwax, it seems that modern medicine is still not ready to pick our noses. Secrets of an A-List body: How to get the enviable physiques of the stars Salma Hayek dazzled at the Golden Globe Awards this year, wearing a scarlet gown that accentuated her waist This week: Salma Hayeks waist Salma Hayek dazzled at the Golden Globe Awards this year, wearing a scarlet gown that accentuated her waist. The 54-year-old actress says she has little time for the gym, but practises restorative yoga (holding traditional positions for longer periods) with a teacher. She taught me how to tone [my muscles] without clenching them, says Hayek. You relax them and focus on the parts that need to be used, but never with tension. What to try: A dynamic side twist. Start on all fours and transfer your weight to your right knee. Raise your left hand to the ceiling, arm straight, and rotate your trunk to the left while straightening your left leg behind you. Pause for three seconds, then return to the start and repeat on your right side. Repeat six to eight times on each side, up to five days a week. Advertisement Louisianas population grew by a mere 2.75% between 2010 and 2020, only a little more than a third as quickly as the U.S. as a whole, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Monday. The relatively anemic growth rate the 10th slowest in the country was well below the 7.4% growth of the overall U.S. population. Experts said that the data, the first batch to be released by the Census based on its 2020 count, offered a sobering picture of how Louisiana's economy has struggled to create the jobs that are the primary driver of U.S. migration. Louisiana's population rose consistently during the first half of the last decade, as people returned to the state after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and high oil prices brought good-paying energy-sector jobs. But annual population estimates indicate that the high-point in population likely arrived in 2016, when 4,681,346 people are believed to have lived in Louisiana. Soon after, the oil industry cratered due to a steady drop in prices and by then the New Orleans rebuilding process had tapered off. As of April 1, 2020, 4,657,757 people lived in Louisiana, according to the latest Census figures. The state grew by about 124,400 over the ten years between the 2010 and 2020, better than West Virginia, Mississippi and Illinois, all of which lost population over that decade. Six other states grew more slowly. Allison Plyer, chief demographer for the Data Center in New Orleans, said that while it was heartening that Louisianas population didnt fall, the lack of more significant growth is worrying. The number one reason people move from one region to another, one metropolitan area to another, is for work opportunities, said Plyer, whose organization analyzed demographic data about the New Orleans metro area. "Just in general Louisiana has not had robust population growth over the last several decades," she added. "Our economic development strategies are clearly not as robust or effective as some other states." In addition to trailing the national average, Louisiana was out of step with the South as a whole. Taken together, southern states saw their population rise by 10.2%, with Texas leading the pack with a dramatic 15.9% jump in residents. On its own, Texas accounted for more than a third of the 11.7 million people that flocked to the South over the last decade, according to the Census. The 50 states and the District of Columbia now have a combined total of 331.4 million people, plus about 3.3 million who were counted in Puerto Rico. 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 Louisiana avoided losing on a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which occurred in 2010 when the number of the state's representatives fell from seven to six. It will get to hold on to those six seats for the next 10 years. Divvying up Congressional seats, known as apportionment, is the main purpose of the numbers released on Monday, which include the total population of each state and the country as a whole. But the data also provide a preview of the more detailed estimates that will drill down into parishes, cities and smaller geographies as well as the demographic makeup of those areas. That data, which is set to be released in the coming months, will guide a redistricting process to redraw the districts for the state's congressional seat. Each Louisiana seat will represent roughly 777,000 people, slightly more than the average for the country. The new figures announced on Monday are the first batch of data the Census has released from last years troubled count, which saw complications from the coronavirus pandemic and legal wrangling over efforts by President Donald Trumps administration to exclude undocumented residents that critics worried would imperil the accuracy of the numbers. Still, Census officials said at a news conference announcing the numbers that they were confident that the count was accurate. This years count in Louisiana is actually about 10,000 higher than the most recent yearly estimates released by the Census, which are based on birth and death certificates and records of domestic and international migration. That the final figure is slightly higher than the estimates, last released in December, is a good sign about the accuracy of the count, Plyer said. However, she cautioned that there are still many questions that will need to be answered when more detailed information is released in the coming months. Chief among those may be how well the government did in counting residents in southwest Louisiana, which was battered by two hurricanes as Census takers were supposed to be out collecting information. Plyer said there were only three-and-a-half days of on-the-ground counting in Lake Charles, far less than there would otherwise have been, and the evacuations and displacement that came in the wake of the storms may have further complicated the situation. And even if that didnt affect the topline figures for Louisiana, it may have had impacts that will only be seen when more detailed information is released. For example, the thousands of people displaced by the storm may have filled out their forms while living elsewhere in the state, raising questions about whether they put down their address on April 1, as the Census expects, or where they were being sheltered. Thats not an insignificant issue: more than 10,000 people from the Lake Charles area were housed in hotels in New Orleans and others were put up in sites around the state. That could have an impact not only on redistricting but on how federal dollars are spent and where businesses decide to locate. "Minari" actor Alan S. Kim stole the hearts of many with his charm as he graced the Oscars 2021 red carpet. The nine-year-old newcomer attended the star-studded event to support his first movie, directed by South Korean filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung for the 93rd Academy Awards. Alan S. Kim's Oscars 2021 The young actor, who played the role of David, might just win the best red carpet look as he arrived at the Union Station in Los Angeles together with "Minari" producer Christina Oh. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Academy (@theacademy) Alan S. Kim made sure that his first Oscar appearance will be spectacular as he delighted the fans with his stylish suit made by the American fashion designer Thom Browne. The Critics' Choice 2021 winner danced and struck poses sporting a black tuxedo with shorts and long socks that screams business at the top and party at the bottom. According to Glamour magazine, E! host Giuliana Rancic interviewed the nine-year-old about his Oscars experience. When asked which star he is most excited to see at the event, the newcomer explained that he wanted to see all celebrities, especially his co-stars in "Minari." Interestingly, Alan S. Kim also spoke about his recent birthday bash and mentioned that due to COVID-19, they spent it at their home with a special dinner alongside his family. The young actor then revealed that the highlight of his birthday was getting a fitness gadget, adding, "I got a Fitbit for kids," he quipped with a giant smile on his face. "Minari" Cast Walks the Oscar 2021 Red Carpet Aside from the nine-year-old, the cast of Oscar-nominated movie appeared on the red carpet. Youn Yuh Jung, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the 93rd Academy Awards, graced the red carpet donning an elegant navy blue dress as she walked alongside her co-actress, Han Ye Ri, who looked stunning wearing a red sleeveless dress with gold button details. Apart from her lovely red carpet looks, all eyes are on the 73-year-old actress after being the first Korean woman to be nominated at the Academy Awards. Youn Yuh Jung Ranks No. 1 at the Oscar 2021 Poll for Best-Supporting Actress The question is, will she be the first-ever Korean to score an Oscar award? Before the prestigious event commenced, Youn Yuh Jung is predicted to win the best-supporting actress as she ranks number one at the Gold Derby's Oscars race poll with 4,500 votes. "Minari" Oscar 2021 Nominations Apart from the Best Supporting Actress category, "Minari" received several nods at the 93rd Academy Awards. The drama film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor for Steven Yeun's portrayal of Jacob, the patriarch of the Korean American family who moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their American dreams. "Minari" Achievements After premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, "Minari" has bagged countless awards. This includes two Critics' Choice Movie for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Young Performer for Alan S. Kim. Moreover, the drama film also received a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and the recently concluded BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. IN CASE YOU MISSED: 'Minari' Star Yoon Yeo Jung Goes Viral with Her Entertaining Acceptance Speech after Winning at BAFTA 2021 KDramastars owns this article. Written by Geca Wills An election is likely in the fall where voters would face two questions: Should Newsom be recalled and who should replace him? The votes on the second question will only be counted if more than half say yes to the first. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The Embassy of Vietnam in India has brought nearly 1,000 Vietnamese home from the host country, which is being shaken by the coronavirus crisis, according to Vietnam Television (VTV). Do Thanh Hai, Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Vietnam in India, told VTV on Sunday that more than 1,000 Vietnamese people lived in many states and cities across the South Asian country. The Vietnamese community there faced many difficulties, including very high risks of coronavirus infection and fatality as the Indian health system has been overloaded, according to Hai. They also had trouble with living conditions, traveling, and essential purchase. The embassy thus arranged six flights to repatriate nearly 1,000 Vietnamese. Meanwhile, about 100 Vietnamese citizens remain in India. Hai said the embassy would continue to support these people by maintaining contact with them, giving advice and intervention in necessary cases, and providing paperwork, essentials, and medicine. The number of cases surged by 349,691 in India in the past 24 hours, the fourth straight day of record peaks, Reuters reported on Sunday afternoon. Hospitals in Delhi and across the country are turning away patients after running out of medical oxygen and beds. We were confident, our spirits were up after successfully tackling the first wave, but this storm has shaken the nation, Reuters quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as saying in a radio address. India let its guard down earlier this year, allowing big religious and political gatherings to take place when the nation's cases fell to below 10,000 a day and the government made no moves to improve healthcare systems. Hospitals and doctors have put out urgent notices saying they are unable to cope with the rush of patients. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! On the fourth floor of the Air Canada Building on Portage Avenue, 15 members of the Downtown Community Safety Partnership sit in a circle and brief each other on what they might encounter as they prepare to walk through downtown. On the fourth floor of the Air Canada Building on Portage Avenue, 15 members of the Downtown Community Safety Partnership sit in a circle and brief each other on what they might encounter as they prepare to walk through downtown. They discuss following up with familiar faces: a transient man who had asked for help getting social assistance and a pregnant woman in a potentially dangerous situation. They put on black jackets with recognizable green stripes and bright green tuques, grab radios to connect with each other, and water and protein bars for the people theyll meet on this weekday afternoon. The group includes members from every walk of life, including people who have been in jail and those who have lived on the street. Their bond, executive director Greg Burnett said, is a desire to lift up people in need. "This isnt policing, this isnt law enforcement, this isnt compliance. This is health-based, wellness-based. I think its long overdue that that approach is taken to complement whats out there already," he said. "Theres a lot of people doing great work out there, and were just hoping to be a piece of that." "This isnt policing, this isnt law enforcement, this isnt compliance. This is healthbased, wellnessbased. I think its long overdue that that approach is taken to complement whats out there already," Downtown Community Safety Partnership executive director Greg Burnett Established in April 2020, the partnership has three sub-groups: an outreach team that walks downtown, a 24/7 service to connect individuals to other supports, and a transition program that helps people find long-term supports, including housing and addictions treatment. Those services have replaced the downtown watch and homelessness programs that were managed by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. The partnership is working on a central communication centre that would provide a link to health care, police and paramedic services to collect information on and respond to those in need downtown. The group has received two years worth of funding from multiple sources, including the province, city, Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and True North, which pays for 50 to 60 employees, Burnett said. "The funding has to be spent, and we want to spend it on jobs and work and building a community safety model," he said. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Downtown Community Safety Partnership worker Jasmine Kodi (red mask) reaches out to connect with people who may need help in the downtown area. His hope is that more stable funding, be it from the province, city or private sector, will be secured after the program provides measurable results in two years. Burnett, a retired police superintendent, jumped on the opportunity to pilot the partnership "to change the way we look at community safety." "Theres lots of studies, lots of reports that this is needed. I know in other jurisdictions, different models exist, but this is a first in Winnipeg, in Manitoba for sure," he said. "I think well set, hopefully, a high bar for everybody else to come and see what were trying to do." The group works with volunteer community outreach groups, including the Mama Bear Clan. It has made an effort to separate itself from law enforcement in the eyes of the community, replacing the red outfits worn by the former downtown watch with the green tuques. They want to appear friendly and approachable. Theres a lot of trust issues out there, in pathways that have been built previously the hope is that were able to build a relationship, and when they see us, they know were here to help. Greg Burnett "I think a lot of those relationships, for any number of reasons, are fractured," Burnett said. "Theres a lot of trust issues out there, in pathways that have been built previously the hope is that were able to build a relationship, and when they see us, they know were here to help." Jasmine Kole and Sean Sousa are experienced outreach workers. "Im just here to help people," said Sousa, who worked as a violence intervention mediator and in 24-hour safe spaces. "If youre working from here, people can feel that," Kole said, tapping her heart. "A lot of the time, people will say Thank you for taking care of us, but were taking care of each other." RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS DCSP worker Jasmine Kodi (red mask) sees lots of familiar faces on her downtown route. They both constantly scan the area. They often stop when they spot someone they recognize, or when someone recognizes them. This happens often. Among them, Sousa explained, is a man from a northern community whos been transient for several months in Winnipeg after dealing with a health complication and the death of a family member. The partnership helped him make a connection to the Health Sciences Centre and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in the hopes of finding housing for him in the city or helping him get back home. "People need some supports and arent able to get them because of the barriers of not having a cellphone, or having access to internet," he said. "Being the eyes and ears of a lot of community agencies and being able to connect them to get that service that they need to better their lives is part of the work that we do." Kole said she was transient as a youth and struggled to navigate the citys support systems. After getting on her feet and having a son, she set her sights on giving back to her community. She has been doing it for 10 years. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Downtown Community Safety Partnership is designed to help lift up people in need. "I always mention (to them), you deserve good things, you deserve to be in a home, but I love you and respect where youre at, and if you dont want to, how can I make your experience better at a camp? How can I make your experience better when youre sleeping on the sidewalk?" she said. "Asking people what they would like, and if theyre not ready for the help, thats totally OK. But it is a problem: houselessness is a huge problem in Canada, in Winnipeg specifically." As the walk around Portage Avenue comes full circle at the westbound Portage bus stop at Carlton, both Kole and Sousa have drifted away from the conversation. Theres more urgent work to be done. Sousa and another member meet with the man who wanted help applying for social assistance. Kole recognizes a man who had received medical attention for an injury in the past and sits by him to gently follow up on how hes doing. Beyond the bus stop, several bright green tuques are visible in the distance each person providing a helping hand. malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_ Cafe Unique continues to serve traditional Venezuelan dishes after moving basically across the street in central Midland. The restaurant moved from San Miguel Square to Kimber Lea Shopping Center at 3408 N. Midkiff Road, suite 304. Owner Gabriel Alvarado, who is originally from Venezuela, became the owner in 2014. I learned to cook from my grandma and mom, he said. All the recipes for Cafe Unique are from my mom and my grandma. His mom, Yracema, now works in the kitchen. He said his sister will probably start working in the family restaurant business too. Alvarado said he plans to add more windows to the restaurant in the future. The business has actually had quite a bit of traffic because more people can see us in the shopping center, he said. Prior to that our location had a bank located in front, which didnt help people trying to find us. The menu features Pabellon de criollo -- the Venezuelan national dish with shredded beef, black beans, white rice, fried plantain slices and arepa with the option of adding a fried egg. Other menu items include perico plate, patacones, cachapa, Venezuelan hamburger, pepito, pistachio, sancocho and more. Empanadas are deep-fried stuffed patties filled with a variety of meat and cheeses. Cafe Unique offers empanadas with white or yellow cheese, shredded beef, sweet plantain and guayanes cheese or shredded beef with cheddar cheese. Cafe Uniques seasonal menu items include pan de jamon -- homemade bread filled with cheese, ham and raisins -- and hallaca -- cornmeal filled with beef, pork, capers, raisins and olives. The cornmeal is bound with banana leaves. The restaurant also serves Venezuelan lemonade, called papelon con limon, which is made with raw sugar cane pulp. Cafe Unique also serves three types of sauces with dishes. The menu features vegetarian and some vegan dishes. Alvarado said he was surprised by the amount of people in Midland that knew and enjoyed Venezuelan food when Cafe Unique opened. There are a lot of people from Midland who have worked in Venezuela so they really knew before we started in 2014, he said. For those unfamiliar with Venezuelan food, they would enjoy a plantain sandwich. For people that dont know about plantains, they might be confused, but a plantain isnt like a banana. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Coming soon --Jack n Jill grand opening day is set for Wednesday from 5 a.m. to noon at 2100 W. Wall St. --Octobers announced soft opening hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3302-B Illinois. The grand opening will be May 3. Octobers is a juice bar hand pressed juices, smoothie bowls, ginger shots and more. --Harvest Cafe Your Neighborhood Kitchen hosted a soft opening Monday. The eatery will be open 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4400 N. Big Spring St., suite B22. Baghdad, April 26 : The death toll from a huge fire that broke out in a hospital treating coronavirus patients in Baghdad rose to 82 killed and some 110 wounded, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said. "The fire of Ibn al-Khatib Hospital resulted in the killing of 82 patients and health workers and the wounding of 110 others," Khalid al-Mahana, spokesman of the ministry, told the official Iraqiya channel on Sunday. "Many of the wounded are still in critical conditions," al-Mahana said. The incident occurred late on Saturday night when several oxygen cylinders exploded, setting a huge fire at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, which is dedicated to treating coronavirus patients on the eastern side of the capital, said a statement released by the country's civil defence, Xinhua news agency reported. Civil defence teams and firefighting vehicles arrived at the scene to put out the fire and were able to prevent the fire from reaching the upper floors, the statement said. They also rescued some 90 patients and health workers who were surrounded by flames in the building, the statement said. "Many patients were affected by the cut of oxygen cylinders during their evacuation from the hospital, and others suffocated by the smoke," the statement added. A statement by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that al-Kadhimi has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and that the families of the victims should be compensated and treatment is provided for the wounded. The incident came hours after the country's Health Ministry reported 6,967 new Covid-19 cases, taking the national tally to 1,025,288. It also reported 43 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the national total to 15,217. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The African vaccine rollout Of the one billion shots given around the world, 82 percent have been given in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Only 0.2 percent of doses have been administered in low-income countries pockets of infection that can produce variants that put us all in danger. To understand the situation in a region with one of the lowest inoculation rates the African continent we spoke with our colleague Abdi Latif Dahir, a Times correspondent based in Nairobi. How is the rollout going in Africa? About 15 million people have received doses, about 1 percent of the continents population, and only about 36 million have been acquired. Aside from the Seychelles and Morocco, no other African country has vaccinated more than 5 percent of its population. The African Union and Covax, a global vaccine-sharing initiative, are the main actors working on the rollout, which has been painfully slow. And theres an issue. Covax plans to supply only a portion of what countries need. Kenya, for example, hopes to vaccinate 30 percent of its population nowhere near herd immunity by 2023. And Covax will cover only the first 20 percent. Kenya will need to pay $130 million to make up the rest. More than a year into the pandemic, some public health experts are starting to rethink the rules around wearing masks outdoors. Slate science editor Shannon Palus recently wrote an article titled Its About Time for Us to Stop Wearing Masks Outside. She got a lot of blowback on social media, but plenty of public health expertsand even a writer at the stodgy New England Journal of Medicineweighed in to say that she was right here. And on Sunday, Anthony Fauci told George Stephanopoulos that new guidelines should be coming soon from the CDC. Advertisement But we fought over whether to wear masks in the first place, so it only makes sense that now were fighting over when and how to take them off. On Mondays episode of What Next, I spoke with Palus about why shes on the side of setting your face freeat least some of the time. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: I want to be really clear about what your article was advocating for. Youre advocating for some states to potentially lift their mask requirements for people when theyre outdoors. So indoors, its still important to be masked. When I looked into it, I was pretty surprised by how many places still have outdoor mask mandates. I think it was 26 states. Thats a lot of places. In New York, it means everywhere I go, because if I go running in the park, Im pretty close to people all the time. The rule is if you cant maintain social distancing, you have to have a mask. And in the city, social distancing is just kind of a little impossible. So I wonder if you could lay out exactly what your argument is. Advertisement Shannon Palus: Im going to talk about New York because thats where I live too. In New York, in my opinion, you should be able to walk out your front door without a mask onwith a mask in your pocket but not affixed to your face. You should not feel obligated to pull it up when youre walking past people. You should have it if youre going to be in a crowd thats stagnant or youre going to stop and talk to a friend. But otherwise, if youre just going to be within 6 feet of people from moment to moment, briefly, scientifically, its not necessary to be wearing one. And I think when you say its not possible to social distance in New York, we think if we get within six feet of someone thats not social distancing Advertisement Advertisement I think of it like an invisible hamster ball, like Im rolling around the streets and I need 6 feet on either end. And I do think thats a pretty good way to think about it, because you do want to try to keep your distance from other people. But its also really important to consider the time aspect of social distancing. Like how long youre exposed to someone else? How long youre exposed to someone else. And so in New York, unless youre at the park during peak hours, youre not going to be coming into the 6 feet hamster bubble of someone else for more than a second or two. Youre going to be coming into contact with them really, really, really briefly. And the CDC defines close contact as not just within 6 feet, but standing within 6 feet of someone for 15 minutes. And now that 15 minutes, thats not a magic line either. And some experts say we should consider making it shorter in some situations. But the point is that thats a really long amount of time. So when we think about social distancing, we shouldnt just be thinking about the 6 feet. We should be thinking about the time that were close to someone. And then also the ventilation situation. And when youre outdoors, its all ventilation. Its nothing except ventilation. Outdoors, nothing that you breathe out is going to hang around in the air. Advertisement Advertisement So can you lay out some of the science about how you came to believe ditching a mask outdoors was largely safe? Like, I read that the risk of transmission is 19 times higher indoors than outdoors, which is massive. Thats huge. So there have been a couple papers and reports. There was one in Ireland based on data from their health department saying that 1 percent of all of their cases occurred outdoors, which I think is on the lower end. But thats exceedingly low. Theres data from China last year where the only recorded case of outdoor transmission during a certain period of timeand the caveat here is this was during pretty strict lockdown, so people werent going outside as much in generalwas when two people were having a face-to-face conversation for an extended period of time. There was another paper recently where that 19 times figure comes from where they said at the very, very, very most 10 percent of cases occur outdoors, but its probably lower than that. And also those cases are happening in situations where you can point to a really clear risk. Say, people were gathering around a fire and sharing cabins. Advertisement Advertisement So spending a lot of time together, not just passing each other on the street. Yeah, where its clear that theres potential for pretty close interaction here. The important caveat is that if you did get COVID from walking down the street and passing someone briefly, it would be very hard to report that on a form. I dont even know how you would know that thats how you got it. You could say the only thing Ive been doing is going outside and very briefly passing people on the street. So we wouldnt know necessarily? We wouldnt necessarily know. It is impossible to say that you cannot get COVID that way. It is impossible to say that it does not happen. However, if it did happen often, we would expect all of those other numbers for outdoor transmission to be higher. Advertisement There is this argument that masking outdoors makes it more likely that people will wear masks indoors. Why do you not buy that? I think that that argument assumes that people are idiots. That might have made some sense last spring when we were all getting used to the concept of masking. But I think that were smart enough to know the difference. And I think that you can make it a really strong social norm that you need to wear them in grocery stores or you get thrown out. I would hope that giving people nuanced, science-based rules would make them more willing to mask when they should be masking instead of just saying you need to never take this off your face just in case you come into a situation when you need it. Its kind of like saying we should always be wearing bike helmets, just in case we get on a bike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im wondering if youre advocating for folks to consider ditching masks outdoors regardless of whats happening in their communities. Im thinking about places like Michigan and Colorado, where cases are rising. Do you think the rules should be different there? I do not feel qualified to make the rules for places where cases are surging. I think that one of the infectious disease doctors I spoke to had a really good suggestion. Her suggestion was counties should look at two factors if theyre deciding to lift outdoor mask mandates. They should look at the vaccinations in the community and the level of hospitalizations. I think that you could have a middle ground argument where you say, if hospitalizations get really high, we want people to be wearing masks all the time, in part just to signal that were going through this surge. Advertisement Can we go in the Wayback Machine and talk about how these rules got put in place? Lets see, so the CDC first recommended masks on the faces of all Americans at the beginning of April. And that was a massive flip-flop from where we were in the beginning of March, where you had health officials screaming that masks on civilian faces were not worthwhile and should be saved for doctors. So my sense in hindsight is that a lot of it just came out of trying to pull this lever in the opposite direction. And also, a year ago, things were really confusing and they were changing rapidly and it sort of made sense to just go all in on one easy rule, which is, like, wear the fucking mask. Advertisement Advertisement It was a course correction. It was a huge course correction. And yeah, it seems like that would have really been a difficult time to try to install this nuance. And maybe back in April of 2020, we did really need to see a lot of people wearing masks just to get used to the idea of it. I have a piece in Slate from last April saying, Stop Yelling at Runners for Not Wearing Masks. So Ive been on the outdoor masks are overkill racket for a long time, but I can see in hindsight why the zealous outdoor masking would have made a lot of sense a year ago. And also we didnt have as much data then. And remember that we went through this whole whiplash on surfaceswhether we need to wash our groceries. So I can see why a year ago you might say, Well, yeah, but we just want to really batten down the hatches as much as possible because were learning new things about this virus all the time. And it just made sense to go overkill for a little bit. Advertisement You talk about peoples comfort level and how if it makes people feel comfortable to wear a mask, they absolutely should. And part of what makes that complicated when it comes to this decision is the fact that people have been told to feel comfortable if they see other people masked, that other people being masked is what protects them, them being masked is what protects other people. And so thats where this gets tangled up a little bit. Advertisement Yeah, I think thats a really good point. And I think that if masking were just about my own personal comfort and safety, I would have stopped masking outdoors a really, really, really long time ago. The reason I wear a mask when outdoors still and the reason Im pretty careful about pulling it up when I come close to other people is because it feels like its a choice that Im not really making on behalf of myself. Its a choice that Im making on behalf of other people. Advertisement I think weve thought about the rules around COVID primarily as protective and locking down. Now were in this position where maybe governments can be easing restrictions, and we havent really thought about that. We havent thought about what it means to take restrictions away and what it means to say this is what post-pandemic life looks like. Were in a really weird period where things are getting better and theyre also not getting better. And I dont see easing outdoor masks restrictions just as an acknowledgment that some things are getting better. Its also that weve been in this for a long time and we know how to make rules now that are really effective. And we maybe know how to peel back rules a little bit in ways where the data are really clearly showing us we dont we dont need to have them. For me, it really feels like, especially with the masking thing, were all just really tethered together in this group project to keep each other safe. And its nice in a lot of ways, but were going to know this is over when every single little decision I make like this isnt tethered to the rest of my neighborhood all the time. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. To the editor: While we have devastating shootings in Indianapolis, Atlanta, Boulder and more cities, Americans are buying guns in record numbers. In a nine-month period, gun sales in 2020 increased by 81% over the same period in 2019. Legislators need to act now to reduce gun violence. Our legislators must address long-standing NRA-backed loopholes in our gun laws: 1. The Charleston Loophole allows a gun sale to proceed after three days, even if the background check has not been completed. In 2020, it is estimated this loophole allowed sales of nearly 600,000 guns without the appropriate background check. 2. The number of posts by people looking to buy guns on Armslist (free online gun classifieds) has nearly doubled in 2020 compared to 2019. Because these sales do not require background checks in some states, this results in a large spike in no-background-check sales. Additionally, online buyers are seven times more likely to fail a background check than other firearm purchasers or permit applicants. 3. Demand skyrocketed in 2020 for ghost guns, unregulated do-it-yourself firearms that are not subject to background checks, do not have serial numbers, and cannot be traced when they are recovered at crime scenes. The availability of firearms to people who are prohibited from acquiring them increases the risk that those guns will be used in violent crime. There is one encouraging development! The House of Representatives passed H.R.8 - Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. If this Act is taken up and passed in the Senate, it will require all private sales or private transfers of firearms to include a background check by a licensed gun dealer or manufacturer. (There are a few exceptions, such as a gift between spouses, in good faith.) Contact Senators Stabenow and Peters. Tell them you want quick action to pass the Bipartisan Background Check Acts of 2021. The timing is perfect with a supportive Biden administration and a weakened NRA. Tell them that 93% of Americans support background checks, including 89% of Republicans and 87% of gun owners. Remind them background checks save lives! KATHY MCCREEDY Moms Demand Action Midland [April 26, 2021] eSignatures Increasing With eyeson Video Collaboration GRAZ, Austria, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies are increasingly using eSignatures for document signing with their customers. As an important part of business workflows, strategic business decision-making is being incorporated into the digital processes for driving revenue and expansion. During a customer journey the eyeson API video conferencing service can guarantee a face-to-face guided workflow. eyeson video conferencing brings value with a face-to-face customer interaction A sense of trust and connection between the parties involved is essential for decision-making. Adding live video to business workflows to accompany the discussions and information flow creates a more natural environment where participants can see reactions and sense the mood of the interlocutor. The eyeson integration allows companies to add live video during a business workflow with regards to conformity to local and regional regulations and to the company's compliance policy. Decisions can be agreed upon - including protocols, contracts and signing during a video meeting. eyeson supports this process with a patented technology, whereas binding agreements can be negotiated in videoconferences. Talking to clients is the moment contracts are signed "Know-Your-Customer processes are a standard for different sectors such as financial and legal services or health-care, therefore, using face-to-face integrated video is a must have. Signing contracts during a live video session will be part of the new digital collaboration workspace," says Andreas Kropfl, eyeson's CEO. Once integrated ina specific interface, the eyeson API enables ID card recognition to validate clients during live video calls, through various add-ons. Following in the business process, an eSignature module incorporated in the workflow allows customers to sign documents remotely during video meetings. Make legally binding resolutions in secure live video meetings eyeson creates an excellent environment for legally binding decisions in secure video meeting rooms with authenticated participants. With the API service developers can integrate all security requirements for online video meetings such as secure authentication, secure servers. Based on the API, the customer can create a protocol of the meeting that might as well be signed upon agreement. With the digitally signed protocol, participants can negotiate binding contracts in video conferences or decide on budget allocations. An eyeson integration can enable further services like secure voting in a survey tool and secure documentation in the blockchain. eyeson guarantees the traceability of the whole process enabling continuous recording and documentation of the process including snapshots of specific decision moments or contracts and presentations. eyeson is a leader in cloud based video conferencing with managed multipoint video processing technology at a scale. Based on its patented single stream technology, eyeson provides API video services to easily integrate video collaboration in business workflows for full customer engagement. eyeson is managing the cloud capacity, scalable video coding performance and data management for the customer. Based on WebRTC technology, eyeson provides browser-based video meeting integrations on all desktop and mobile devices. eyeson offers B2B focused products used by Forbes 500 companies. Contact: media@eyeson.com Related Images eyeson-esignature-during-live.jpg eyeson eSignature during live video meetings eyeson eSignature during live video meetings View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/esignatures-increasing-with-eyeson-video-collaboration-301276526.html SOURCE eyeson [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Women who use marijuana heavily during pregnancy are more likely to give birth prematurely or have an underweight newborn, a new study suggests. Researchers found that babies born to moms with problem marijuana usewhat doctors call cannabis use disorderfaced some higher risks than other newborns. They were 6% more likely to be born preterm and 13% more likely to be either underweight or small for gestational agea sign of growth restriction in the womb. The study, of 4.8 million births in California, comes at a time when U.S. women are increasingly using marijuana during pregnancy. Experts said the findings cannot prove the drug itself caused the early births or stunted fetal growth. But they said the safest course is for pregnant women to avoid taking any unnecessary substancesincluding marijuana in its various forms. "There's a common misconception that because [marijuana] is a plant, it's safe," said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, which funded the study. That notion, along with legalization of recreational marijuana use in many states, has helped spur an increase in Americans' use of the drug. That includes pregnant women, Volkow said. A NIDA study found that between 2002 and 2017, the number of U.S. pregnant women who said they'd used marijuana in the past month doubledfrom about 3.5% to 7%. As for the potential risks to babies, studies have come to mixed conclusions. It's challenging, Volkow said, to separate the effects of prenatal marijuana from other factorsnotably cigarette smoking. Of women who use pot during pregnancy, 80% also smoke cigarettes, Volkow said. The new study, published April 22 in the journal Addiction, was large. That gave the researchers a chance to zero in on women who used marijuana regularly but not tobacco. And, Volkow said, it focused on cannabis use disorder, which captured pregnant women who used marijuana heavily. Past studies, she said, have lumped in occasional users with regular ones, which may "dilute" any effect linked to habitual marijuana use. Cannabis use disorder may be diagnosed when a person has more than one sign of problem usesuch as strong cravings to take the drug, withdrawal symptoms, and continuing to use it even when it's causing problems at work or in relationships. Based on medical records, few pregnant women in the study had a marijuana use disorder. But the rate increased over timefrom just under 3 per 1,000 in 2001, to almost 7 per 1,000 in 2012. Babies born to those moms were more likely to be born early and underweight, versus babies whose mothers did not have the disorder but were similar in terms of race, education and overall health. The risks were greater when moms used both marijuana and tobacco. But pot use was a risk factor regardless of cigarette smoking, the researchers said. And while few babies died during the first year of lifefewer than 1%those whose moms used marijuana heavily had a 35% higher risk. "That was a surprising finding," Volkow said. "It will need to be replicated in other studies, because that's the first time it's been reported." Yuyan Shi, an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego, led the study. She stressed that it cannot prove cause and effect. "Because we looked only at medical records, there's a lot we don't know about the mothers and infants," Shi said. But, she added, the findings do bolster existing recommendations that doctors screen pregnant women for cannabis use disorder. There is evidence from animal research that marijuana may have direct effects, Volkow said. Lab studies show that high doses of marijuana can impair fetal growth and development. Volkow noted that THCthe substance responsible for the marijuana "high"crosses from the blood to the brain, and can also cross the placenta. The drug exerts its effects by stimulating so-called cannabinoid receptors. And fetal cannabinoid receptors start to develop in the first trimester, Volkow said. People often believe that "edibles" are a safer way to consume marijuana. But while there's no smoking involved, Volkow said edibles have their problems. "It takes longer for the effects of edibles to emerge, so people may keep taking more," she said. They can end up consuming a THC dose large enough to land them in the emergency room. Volkow encouraged women to talk to their doctor if they have trouble quitting marijuana on their own. While few women in this study had a diagnosed marijuana use disorder, the problem is almost certainly under-recognized, according to Volkow. Many people, she said, don't realize they have a problem until they try to cut back, and find that they can't. Explore further Medical record analysis links cannabis use disorder in pregnancy to infant health problems More information: The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more on Journal information: Addiction The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more on marijuana and pregnancy Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Marriott International launched its Tahseen programme for the third year in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing its commitment to developing Saudi Arabias future hospitality leaders. Launched in 2018 in partnership with Cornell University, Tahseen aims to fast track the next generation of hospitality leaders in the Middle East. This years programme in Saudi Arabia will see 52 candidates join the 12-month curriculum, which will accelerate their development as future leaders in the industry. Francisca Martinez, Chief Human Resources Officer, EMEA for Marriott International, said: We are excited to launch the third year of our Tahseen programme in the Kingdom. Through Tahseen, we remain committed to advancing local talent and providing them with a platform to be able to contribute to the success of the countrys travel and tourism sector. The programme offers great opportunities for candidates to develop the necessary skills and gain the experience needed to succeed in their careers and become future leaders in the hospitality industry. Tahseen was developed in partnership with Cornell University to focus on fast tracking the next generation of hospitality leaders across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The unique and highly individualised programme focuses on practical application across all departments as well as an in-depth understanding of leadership skills led by teams across Marriotts participating hotels. Over the course of 12 months, Tahseen provides candidates with operational experience and theoretical training, empowering them with the knowledge, skills and experience to accelerate in leadership roles within the industry. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and precautionary measures, this years Tahseen programme will be held remotely through virtual classes. Tahseen will also continue to offer all Tahseen candidates first-hand experience through Cornell Universitys e-learning platforms and a university-led development programme tailored specifically for the programme. The third year of Tahseen in the kingdom features 52 candidates, including three participants from Bahrain. Of the total number of candidates, nearly 50 per cent are women marking the highest enrollment of females into the programme since its launch in 2018. Since its inception, more than 70 candidates have graduated from the Tahseen programme in Saudi Arabia and moved into managerial roles within the Marriotts properties in the kingdom. To date, more than 75 per cent of the graduates remain employed at a Marriott property and have progressed in their careers. Abeer Alreefi, who graduated from the Tahseen programme in 2018, has since moved on as a Recruitment Lead for The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah. Looking back at her experience with the programme, Alreefi commented, Throughout the programme, I had the opportunity to learn about time management, leadership skills, working under pressure and understanding the value of each department at a hotel. After graduating, I continued to learn and grow and become a better version of myself. I have implemented what I learned during the Tahseen programme throughout projects I managed including Saudi Career Day and a recruitment trip outside the country. Learning and developing throughout the programme with the rest of the Tahseen candidates was an amazing experience. I cant help but feel proud for what we have achieved together. Muhannad Dawlah, Front Desk Agent at Assila, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jeddah, who will be a candidate in Tahseens programme this year added, My cousin works at another Marriott property in the kingdom and he had told me about Tahseen. Since then, I kept my eyes and ears open to learn more about the programme. It has been my dream to participate in Tahseen as I believe it is a great opportunity to develop my career in hospitality and travel. Tahseen is a programme that falls under Marriott Internationals Sustainability and Social Impact Platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, which guides how the company makes a positive and sustainable impact wherever it does business. From empowerment opportunities to sustainable hotel development, the platform is designed to foster business growth while balancing the needs of associates, customers, owners, the environment and communities. One of the priority areas, or coordinates, of Serve 360 is Empower Through Opportunity. Tahseen is a programme that directly supports and brings this vision to life. - TradeArabia News Service Laura Anderson and other scientists from the the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) worked on the abalone rescue efforts. Credit: Kenan Chan The Big Sur coast is prime habitat for black abalone and has had one of the few remaining healthy populations of this endangered species. So when heavy winter rains triggered debris flows from the Dolan Fire burn scar, dumping tons of sediment onto the coastline, marine scientists at UC Santa Cruz found themselves leading a rescue operation. Since early February, they have been digging out buried abalone, packing them in coolers, and taking them to a rehabilitation facility. Hundreds of abalone have been saved, but thousands were lost. The impact of these events on the overall population remains to be determined, said Peter Raimondi, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, who is supervising the operation. "It could be catastrophic, because the bulk of the healthy black abalone population was in Big Sur," Raimondi said. "We have thought of that area as a reservoir for potentially reestablishing black abalone in new areas, but if enough of them have been lost it will really compromise the ability of that population to grow." Raimondi said he began to worry about the potential impacts of debris flows on the abalone well before the winter rains came. Several major fires in the coastal rangesthe Dolan, Carmel, and River Fires in Monterey County, and the CZU Lightning Complex north of Santa Cruzburned watersheds that drain to critical areas of the coast for black abalone. "When I looked at the maps of the fires, and Cal Fire and Cal Trans started putting out maps of potential debris flows, I could see they were aligned with where most of the remaining healthy populations of black abalone were," Raimondi said. UCSC graduate student Wendy Bragg, who has been leading the rescue efforts in the field, said previous surveys of the black abalone population on the Big Sur coast enabled the researchers to identify places to focus their attention. Although she expected to see impacts, what she saw the first day was still a surprise. "Some sites were impacted more than others, but where it was most severe it took us some time to reorient ourselves, because of the dramatic changes to the coastline," Bragg said. "In some locations, we would notice the smell of things rotting before we even got there to start looking around." The debris flows were triggered by an "atmospheric river" event in January that dumped 15 inches of rain in three days on the Big Sur coast. A section of Highway 1 was washed out at Rat Creek, and a massive debris flow swept through the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve. "It was just one rain event, but the amount of sediment that came down is huge," Raimondi said. A healthy black abalone in good habitat with no sand. Credit: Wendy Bragg Bragg said the team has mostly paused its rescue efforts for now, after two months of responding to new emergencies as shifting sediments affected sites that were not hit by the initial debris flows. The researchers are now working to identify suitable areas where they can safely return the roughly 200 black abalone that were rescued. The researchers will also continue to monitor the coastline while they begin to assess the overall impact on the black abalone population. "The Big Sur coast is pretty inaccessible, so there are areas we haven't seen yet," Raimondi said. "We plan to start flying drones along the coast to assess those other areas, but at the sites we've been able to get to, the impacts are massive." Bragg estimated that in the areas they have been able to access, the losses of abalone are in the thousands. "If we extrapolate that to the whole area, it's potentially tens of thousands, so the losses to the species overall could be catastrophic." The black abalone population has already been hit hard by a disease known as withering syndrome, which caused mass mortalities in Southern California and has progressed up the coast as far as the southern end of Big Sur. That's why the healthy population on the Big Sur coast is so important. "It's not that black abalone will go extinct on the Big Sur coast because of this. It's just that they will now have to recover locally before the population can spread and repopulate other areas," Raimondi said. Raimondi leads the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe), a consortium of organizations conducting long-term monitoring and biodiversity surveys along the Pacific Coast of North America. His team at UCSC includes a large number of scientists with expertise in coastal field surveys who were able to quickly shift to the abalone rescue operation. The UCSC team worked closely with state and federal agencies, including the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). "NMFS and CDFW were both very responsive in terms of permits and providing support, and we also got a lot of help from local landowners and volunteers in Big Sur," Raimondi said. The threat of additional debris flows and landslides is likely to continue for several years, because the fires have destabilized the soil over large areas of the coastal mountains. "Cal Fire is telling us most of the debris is still up there, so a bunch more could come down," Raimondi said. "There's also a huge amount of sediment offshore now, and we're not sure what's going to happen with that. Normally, the sand moves offshore in winter and comes back onto the beaches starting around May, so we'll keep monitoring and be ready to respond if we need to." He noted that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of both wildfires and large storms, and their effects highlight the linkages between land and sea along the coast. "We haven't seen something like this since I've been here," he said. "These massive winter storms coming after a fire can cause havoc in the ocean." Explore further First success for recovering Kalbarri abalone WESTFIELD Mestek, a manufacturer of specialty heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, bought the baseboard heating business of Slant/Fin and plans to move production to Westfield in the next year, hiring 50 to 60 additional employees in the process. Its probably the single biggest change we have had, or are going to have in Westfield, said plant manager Peter Letendre. Mestek will take over Slant/Fins line of baseboard heating equipment. Slant/Fin, based in Greenvale, New York, is retaining other aspects of its business. If you would go to Home Depot, you would find that product there, Letendre said of the baseboard heaters. You find it in a lot of homes in the area. The 50 to 60 new employees would be on top of the 160 production workers in Westfield already. Mestek has a total of 360 employees. Like other manufacturers, Mestek has difficulty finding applicants. We are seeing a lot of success with employee referrals, Letendre said. Hes on the board of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce and said the chamber is organizing a hiring fair with many chamber members participating. The company recently raised its starting wage to $15.50 an hour and has a pay-for-skill program. Over a few years, Mestek employees can work their way up to an average of $20 an hour. The company is also having some trouble buying raw materials like steel, copper and aluminum. Prices are going up. Letendre said the Mestek purchasing department works hard to source material. It makes sense to manufacture baseboards and other heating equipment in this region, he said, in part because most of the equipment is used in New England and the cold-weather portions of North America. Its a matter of the logistics, he said. They tried to manufacture baseboards in Mexico; it didnt work out too well. And we can be so much more responsive than China. Demand is high, he said. While many new homes are built with forced hot air, the large number of existing homes with baseboard heating systems means that many home renovations projects involve replacing the baseboards without replacing the whole system. Richard Sullivan, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, said Mesteks founding Reed family and current leadership are to be appreciated. Manufacturing in Western Massachusetts is a huge part of our economy, Sullivan said. I kind of refer to it as the invisible backbone. John E. Reed founded Mestek as the Sterling Radiator Co. in 1946. Slant/Fin Corp. was founded in 1949 by Mel Dubin in Coney Island, New York City. Mel Dubin built a great company based upon the simple premise of making quality products and serving our customers Adam Dubin, CEO of Slant/Fin, said in a statement. Along the way many families, employees and customers contributed to the growth of the company. Slant/Fin baseboard carved out a place in the American dream heating millions of homes. Im proud that the Slant/Fin brand will continue on as part of Mestek. New York, April 26 : Having lifted the ban on the supply of vaccine raw materials and Covid-fighting products for India, US President Joe Biden on Monday assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the US will work closely with India to fight the pandemic. "The President pledged America's steadfast support for the people of India who have been impacted by the recent surge in Covid-19 cases," the White House said in a readout of their conversation. "The two leaders resolved that the United States and India will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the effort to protect our citizens and the health of our communities," it said. In a tweet, Modi called their conversation "fruitful" and said: "We discussed the evolving COVID situation in both countries in detail. I thanked President Biden for the support being provided by the United States to India." He added that Biden "also underscored the importance of smooth and efficient supply chains of vaccine raw materials and medicines. India-US healthcare partnership can address the global challenge of COVID-19". "Modi expressed appreciation for the strong cooperation between both countries," the White House said. It said that responding to the surge in Covid cases in India, "the United States is providing a range of emergency assistance, including oxygen-related supplies, vaccine materials, and therapeutics". Washington said on Saturday that it will send the vaccine raw materials immediately to India ending the ban on their exports as well as those of some products needed to combat Covid-19. The announcement was made after a conversation between National Security Advisers Jake Sullivan of the US and Ajit Doval of India. Sullivan told Doval that Washington "also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis," Sullivan's spokesperson Emily Horne said. Sullivan assured Doval that "the United States is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies", she said. The US will also send India anti-Covid supplies like test kits, ventilators, medications and personal protective equipment used by frontline workers, she said. The lifting of the ban is a turn around for the US, which had insisted last week that its priority was helping Americans get vaccinated. Responding to a question on the calls for permitting the exports of Covid-19 products under embargo, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday that the "first obligation" was to the American people and added: "It's in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated." The ban on the exports of Covid-fighting materials was ordered by then President Donald Trump under the Defence Production Act and had been continued by Biden. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, April 26 : The meeting of all recognised political parties chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday decided to allow operation of Vedanta Ltd's Sterlite plant in Tuticorin to produce oxygen for four months with the power supplied by the state utility. The all party meeting was called in the wake of Supreme Court asking the Tamil Nadu government on its views to permit operation of the oxygen plant at the shutdown Vedanta's copper smelter unit in Tuticorin after a petition was filed by the company in this regard. The meeting unanimously decided to allow operation of the oxygen plant at Vedanta's copper smelter plant or Sterlite Copper in Tuticorin temporarily for four months. The supply of power to operate the oxygen plant and other related units will by the state power utility and Vedanta cannot use its own power facilities. As per the decision, the oxygen plant operation may be extended beyond four months depending on the exigencies and post that power supply will be disconnected. The meeting also categorically said that on no account Vedanta's copper smelter unit or its power generation unit or any other unit will be allowed to operate. The parties also said Tamil Nadu should be given preference for supply of oxygen produced at Vedanta's copper smelter plant and only excess should be supplied to other states. People who were connected with the operation of an oxygen plant will be allowed entry with necessary pass. A committee headed by District Collector and consisting of District Superintendent of Police, officials of state pollution control board, two government officials who are experts in oxygen production technology, environmentalists, non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in environment area, anti-Sterlite protesters and people of Tuticorin will decide and monitor oxygen production. Earlier speaking at the meeting Palaniswami said Vedanta has approached the Supreme Court to allow it to protect and maintain its important assets in the smelter plant and permit it to produce 1,050 tonnes of oxygen and supply freely to nearby hospitals and to other states. According to Palaniswami, the company had told the apex court that based on the oxygen plant, production can be started in two or four weeks. Apart from the ruling AIADMK party, representatives of the DMK, Congress, BJP, CPI, CPI-M, PMK and DMDK participated in the meeting. Earlier speaking at the all party meeting, DMK's Kanimozhi who was elected to Lok Sabha from the Tuticorin constituency, said the state government can submit the following to the apex court: -Permission to be given only for the operation of the oxygen plant. -A committee of District Collector, District Superintendent of Police, people welfare officer, environmentalists, social activists, anti-Sterlite protesters and people of Tuticorin should be set up to ensure only oxygen is produced. -Permission to be given for a limited period of time. -Power to be supplied only by the Tamil Nadu government and the company should not use its own power sources. -Free supply of oxygen produced. -The order allowing the company to produce oxygen should clearly specify that Vedanta cannot take this as a precedent to reopen its smelter plant. The Tamil Nadu government had ordered the closure of the copper smelter plant in 2018 following a violent protest that led to the death of 13 persons in police firing. The 400,000 tonne Sterlite copper smelter plant that has been operating in Tuticorin for over 25 years with a cumulative investment of about Rs 3,000 crore. Meanwhile MDMK General Secretary Vaiko in a statement said the Tamil Nadu government should take control of the plant and employ engineers from other state government undertakings to produce oxygen. Vaiko also said the state government can hire the employees of Vedanta on contract basis and on no account company management be allowed to run the plant. However, the anti-Sterlite activists in Tuticorin voiced their opposition to the operation of the oxygen plant. From the start, the Sterlite copper smelter plant has been facing protests by the local people alleging that it pollutes the environment. Originally the plant was planned in Goa but it faced severe opposition from the people therte. However, the AIADMK regime under J. Jayalalithaa gave a warm welcome to the project and allotted it land in Tuticorin. Ever since then the plant was in the eye of storm with MDMK leader Vaiko leading a protest against the project and later filing a case. The major political parties in Tamil Nadu -- AIADMK and DMK -- are against Vedanta's copper smelter plant in Tuticorin. The Supreme Court is hearing the case on an appeal filed by the company against the Madras High Court's refusal to reopen the Sterlite copper smelter plant in Tuticorin. The next hearing in the Supreme Court will be held in August. Meanwhile Vedanta last month announced its decision to set up a 5,00,000 tonne per annum (tpa) copper smelter plant in a coastal region of the country. The company in a newspaper advertisement sought expression of interest from the coastal states wishing to partner in the project that would have an investment potential of about Rs 10,000 crore. BANGKOK - Authorities in Thailand are imposing fines of up to 20,000 baht ($640) for people who fail to wear face masks in public in 48 provinces, as the government struggles to cope with a new wave of coronavirus cases that is straining the medical system. A shop assistant wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus stands in front of her shop in Khao San road, a popular hangout for Thais and tourists in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, April 26, 2021. Cinemas, parks and gyms were among venues closed in Bangkok as Thailand sees its worst surge of the pandemic. A shortage of hospital beds, along with a failure to secure adequate coronavirus vaccine supplies, have pushed the government into imposing the new restrictions. (AP Photo/Anuthep Cheysakron) BANGKOK - Authorities in Thailand are imposing fines of up to 20,000 baht ($640) for people who fail to wear face masks in public in 48 provinces, as the government struggles to cope with a new wave of coronavirus cases that is straining the medical system. The capital, Bangkok, which has the largest number of cases, is also closing more than 30 types of businesses and services, including cinemas, parks, zoos, bars, pools and massage parlours. Gatherings of more than 20 people are banned. Shopping malls and department stores may continue operating, but with abbreviated hours. Despite rapidly rising numbers, there currently are no nationwide lockdowns, curfews or travel bans, though individual provinces have been allowed to issue their own restrictions, including mandatory quarantines for visitors from other provinces. Forty-eight of the 76 provinces have imposed fines for not wearing face masks. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was among the first to be fined for the offence on Monday, when the rule took effect in Bangkok. A photo on his official Facebook page showed him maskless as he chaired a meeting about COVID-19 vaccinations, drawing criticism online. The citys governor, Aswin Kwanmuang, said he, the city police chief and another officer went to collect a 6,000 baht ($190) fine from Prayuth, since it was his his first offence under rule. The incriminating photo was deleted from the prime ministers account. Health authorities on Monday announced 2.048 new infections and eight new deaths, the fourth day in a row with more than 2,000 new cases. That brought the country's totals to 57,508 cases and 148 fatalities. The high number of cases has created shortages of hospital beds and intensive care units. It has also underlined the government's failure to obtain adequate supplies of vaccines. Less than 2% of Thailands 69 million people have been vaccinated. Thailand has struggled to cope with the new outbreak, which originated in March in nightspots in and around Bangkok, as Prayuth's government has been reluctant to impose harsh restrictions that would further hurt businesses already battered by the pandemic. Apisamai Srirangsan, a spokeswoman for the national Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said the government on Thursday will discuss whether to impose additional measures in some areas, including the countrys two major cities, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Apisamai said finding beds for everyone who tests positive is a problem but the government will stick with its policy of having all patients placed under medical supervision. She said the government is adding more beds to hospitals and setting up more field hospitals, including at stadiums in Bangkok that have been turned into primary care places for patients awaiting spots in hospitals. Thailand has also banned the entry of visitors from India, with the exception of its own citizens. The ban, to take effect May 1, was announced Monday by the Thai Embassy in New Delhi as India sets daily global records for new infections. Thai citizens seeking to return home will be allowed in on repatriation flights. ZURICH (Reuters) - Talks to simplify and strengthen ties between the European Union and Switzerland got stuck last week on how to interpret free movement accords, the Swiss government said on Monday as parliament encouraged it to keep seeking a treaty deal. The two sides failed on Friday to update a draft agreement they struck in 2018 after Switzerland insisted on concessions on state aid, labour rules and citizens rights. Swiss President Guy Parmelin said "significant differences" remained. The crux of the impasse is how to interpret what free movement of people means, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told reporters, after he and Parmelin briefed parliament's foreign affairs committees behind closed doors on Monday. "For Switzerland it is primarily the freedom of employees and their families. For the EU it is freedom of EU citizens," he said, referring to the Swiss system of admitting only those who have jobs here or are wealthy enough to support themselves. The other big issue is the Swiss system of protecting high wages from being undercut by foreign workers on temporary assignments, he said, adding that the EU sees this as skewing labour market competition. The foreign affairs panels of both houses of parliament suggested the government keep trying for a deal that could nail down a pact with Switzerland's biggest trading partner. The government will decide its approach after consulting the cantons, Parmelin said. At present EU-Swiss economic ties are governed by more than 100 bilateral agreements. Failure to strike a deal would block Switzerland from any new access to the single market, such as an electricity union. Existing accords will also erode over time, such as an agreement on cross-border trade in medical technology products that lapses in May. (Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Gareth Jones) More than 200 employees of Simon & Schuster have signed a petition demanding that the company stops publishing authors affiliated with the Trump administration. According to the Wall Street Journal, the petition collected 216 internal signatures and more than 3,500 signatures from outside supporters, including two-time National Book Award winner, Jesmyn Ward. The petition was submitted to top executives on Monday, just a week after Simon & Schuster's CEO Jonathan Karp announced in a letter that the company would move forward with former vice president Mike Pence's multi-million dollar book deal. In the petition, the employees demands that the company refrain from publishing Pence's memoir and that Simon & Schuster not treat 'the Trump administration as a "normal" chapter in American history'. The 216 employees who signed the petition represent about 14 per cent of the publishing company's workforce, which equates to around 1,500 people. More than 200 employees of Simon & Schuster (file image) have signed a petition demanding that the company stops publishing authors affiliated with the Trump administration Petition from the employees of Simon & Schuster A statement from the workforce of S&S: The events of the past week have affirmed that Simon & Schuster has chosen complicity in perpetuating white supremacy by publishing Mike Pence and continuing to distribute books for Post Hill Press, including predator Matt Gaetzs FIREBRAND. By choosing to publish Mike Pence, Simon & Schuster is generating wealth for a central figure of a presidency that unequivocally advocated for racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Blackness, xenophobia, misogyny, ableism, islamophobia, antisemitism, and violence. This is not a difference of opinions; this is legitimizing bigotry. Long before his Vice Presidency, Mike Pence made a career out of discriminating against marginalized groups and denying resources to BIPOC and LGBTQA+ communities. From advocating for legalized discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, to eroding the teaching of science in favor of Christian theology in public-funded schools, to ending energy efficiency programs, to pushing for guns to be in schools and cars, to taking away funding for and shutting down clinics treating HIV patients, to promoting conversion therapy, to denying bodily autonomy to pregnant people, to abandoning a nation in crisis as the coronavirus ran rampant and killed more than half a million Americans. Mike Pence has literal and figurative blood on his hands. We demand you cancel Mike Pences book deal. Even though S&S cancelled its distribution of the book by white supremacist and murderer Jonathan Mattingly, by choosing to continue to distribute Post Hill Press, whose titles include Matt Gaetzs racist manifesto, the company openly supports and normalizes violence against minors, Black women, and all Black people by individuals and the state. This is unacceptable in light of the recent murders of Daunte Wright, Peyton Ham, Adam Toledo, Ma'Khia Bryant*, Andrew Brown Jr*, and countless others, over the centuries of harm caused by people in positions of power. We demand you drop all distribution ties with Post Hill Press. Rehabilitating fascists is antithetical to the statements released by Simon & Schuster in support of AAPI/Black lives. It puts all of our BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodivergent, immigrant, working class employees, and the greater bookseller/reviewer/reading community in immediate and long term danger and dismisses the generations of violence that have contributed to our direct oppression. Your attempts to silence us by refusing to answer questions at the town hall or even dedicate a full hour to this matter, will not work. As the employees who are the reason that Simon & Schuster exists, we demand the following: 1. Cancel the two-book deal with Mike Pence and do not sign any more book deals with former members of the Trump administration. 2. End Simon & Schusters distribution deal with Post Hill Press. 3. Commit to ongoing reevaluations of all clients, authors, distribution deals, and all other financial commitments that promote white supremacist content and/or harm the aforementioned marginalized communities. We impart to you the sad and unfortunate truth that we are actively making history right now: people will look back on this one day, and see that through our complicity, we chose to be on what is clearly the wrong side of justice. Advertisement The employees also demand the company reviews all of its deals and 'financial commitments that promote white supremacist content and/or harm the aforementioned marginalized communities'. Additionally, the staffers want Simon & Schuster to end its affiliation with an imprint that had planned to distribute a book written by one of the officers involved in the fatal Breonna Taylor raid in Louisville. The publishing company announced earlier this month that Pence had signed a two-book deal. The deal, which would see the first book published in 2023, was estimated to be worth between $3million to $4million and will recall his four years in the White House. In response to the demands that Pence's deal be canceled, Karp said in a letter to his employees: 'As a publisher in this polarized era, we have experienced outrage from both sides of the political divide and from different constituencies and groups. 'But we come to work each day to publish, not cancel, which is the most extreme decision a publisher can make, and one that runs counter to the very core of our mission to publish a diversity of voices and perspectives. 'We will, therefore, proceed in our publishing agreement with Vice President Mike Pence.' The news came on the same day Pence revealed he was back at work after undergoing surgery to have a pacemaker. Simon & Schuster's CEO Jonathan Karp told employees last week that the company would be going ahead with Mike Pence's two-book deal despite the petition from staffers In the letter sent to employees on Tuesday, Karp said: 'We come to work each day to publish, not cancel, which is the most extreme decision a publisher can make, and one that runs counter to the very core of our mission to publish a diversity of voices and perspectives' Karp's decision came less than a week after Simon & Schuster announced it was dropping plans to distribute a book by Louisville police officer Jonathan Mattingly, who was shot by Breonna Taylor's boyfriend during the raid that killed her. The book is being published by Tennessee-based Post Hill Press, which has distributing deals with Simon & Schuster. Simon & Schuster released a statement following the backlash surrounding the book saying they had 'decided not be involved in the distribution'. Employees of the company then started the petition and called on Simon & Schuster to forego any future deals with former members of the Trump administration. It also called on Simon & Schuster to end its distribution deal with Post Hill Press. Part of the petition read: 'The events of the past week have affirmed that Simon & Schuster has chosen complicity in perpetuating white supremacy by publishing Mike Pence and continuing to distribute books for Post Hill Press. 'By choosing to publish Mike Pence, Simon & Schuster is generating wealth for a central figure of a presidency that unequivocally advocated for racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Blackness, xenophobia, misogyny, ableism, islamophobia, antisemitism, and violence. This is not a difference of opinions; this is legitimizing bigotry.' The petition said that by continuing to distribute Post Hill Press, even after canceling the book by Mattingly, the publisher was supporting and normalizing violence. Reports of the Mattingly book deal were met with widespread anger on social media, with Simon & Schuster authors Jennifer Weiner and Saeed Jones among those condemning it. Karp's decision came less than a week after Simon & Schuster announced it was dropping plans to distribute a book by Louisville police officer Jonathan Mattingly (left), who was shot by Breonna Taylor's (right) boyfriend during the raid that killed her Simon & Schuster released a statement following the backlash surrounding the book saying they had 'decided not be involved in the distribution' Karp went on to address the decision to not distribute Mattingly's book in his letter to staff, saying it 'was immediate, unprecedented and responsive to the concerns we heard from you and our authors'. He added: 'At the same time, we have contractual obligations and must continue to respect the terms of our agreements with our client publishers.' Karp also noted Simon & Schuster applies 'rigorous standard' to acquiring books 'regardless of where those authors sit on the ideological spectrum or if they hold views that run counter to the belief systems held by some of us. 'The judgement each of us renders about particular books is inherently subjective. Discussing how we perceive various works is one of the joys of our business. 'When we share an enthusiastic consensus about a title, we are a positive and powerful force in the culture. 'When we allow our judgement to dwell on the books we dislike, we distract ourselves from our primary purpose as a publisher - to champion the books we believe in and love.' North Carolina and Texas, Fulton said, are positioned to become the intellectual powerhouses of the new economy, as the South has snatched away major manufacturing industries like automobiles from the Rust Belt. We are 10-20 years away from the South and the West being truly dominant in American culture and American society, Fulton said. But population booms also bring new burdens, like increased traffic, rising home prices and strains on an infrastructure already grappling with climate change vividly illustrated when the Texas power grid failed in the winter storms of February. The pattern outlined in the the Census data was one started in the 1930s with the invention of modern air-conditioning and has been steady since then, according to experts. The only change in the pattern was the halt in California's growth. The state population figures known as the apportionment count determine not only political power but the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending each year. The legal deadline for turning in the apportionment numbers was Dec. 31, but the Census Bureau pushed back that date to April because of challenges caused by the pandemic and the need for more time to correct not-unexpected irregularities. "Taxi Driver," starring Lee Je Hoon and Esom, broke its personal record hitting all-time high viewership ratings. Since it debuted last April 9, the evening program receives a positive response as the ratings continue to climbs every episode. "Taxi Driver" Viewership Rating Sits at the Top Spot According to Nielsen Korea, the SBS drama garnered nationwide ratings of 8.7 percent while 16.0 percent for its two parts, making the evening show the most-watched drama for the whole week. In addition, the research company also cited that crime mystery series received an average rating of 7.1 percent among the key demographic viewers ages 20 to 49 years old. With the continued support of fans and viewers, there's no denying that the K-Drama "Taxi Driver" will manage to sustain the top spot as the most-watched evening show. "Taxi Driver" Episode 6 Recap: Kim Do Gi Meets Kang Ha Na in U-Data Office The SBS drama's latest episode showed Kim Do Gi (Lee Je Hoon) and prosecutor Kang Ha Na (Esom) are on to the same task, and that is to investigate the U Data case. Kang Ha Na was surprised that Kim Do Gi is now an employee of the top web company in South Korea. There, he claimed that he resigned from the Rainbow Taxi company to work under U Data's IT department. Kim Do Gi Shows Off to U-Data Boss With a new plan in mind, the taxi driver disguised as an IT specialist wanted to gain the trust of U Data chairman Park Yang-jin ( Baek Hyun-jin) by creating a virus to penetrate the company's mainframe system. Through the deluxe taxi in-house hacker Ahn Go Eun (Pyo Ye Jin), the team broke the operation as the employees claimed that it would take them a week to get rid of the virus. Kim Do Gi stepped up and managed to wipe off the virus in less than 10 minutes. As a reward, he chose to be transferred to the core department, which is the Strategic Planning. U Data Gets Suspicious Over Kim Do Gi Park Yang-jin instructed his men to run a background check on Kim Do Gi. The group found out that he is not nice as he looks after seeing that he has a controversial past, including going to rehab. Intrigued by his history, the U Data boss ordered to install an app that would monitor their new employee activity. This was confirmed by Go Eun and warned Kim Do Gi about the app. After being abducted by Park Yang-jin's team, the U Data chairman was convinced that he could be in their circle and become one of his men. After being inaugurated to the group, General Manager Lee (Kim Jae Young) talked to him privately and showed him videos of the other victims. The next day at the office, he was given a server key containing illegal and devastating videos of their victims. On the other hand, the Rainbow Taxi boss, Jang Sung Chul (Kim Eui Sung,) called Choi Kyung-Koo (Jang Hyuk-Jin) to kick out Go Eun to the on going case. Unfortunately, it was too late for Jang Sung Chul to protect Go Eun since she already accessed the U Data server. The "Taxi Driver" episode 6 suggests that the company is involved in her sister's death. IN CASE YOU MISSED: Pyo Ye Jin Reveals Her Thoughts Replacing APRIL's Naeun in 'Taxi Driver' Following the Bullying Controversy KDramastars owns this article. Written by Geca Wills (Newser) One is not enough if youre talking about the Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine shots. But millions are skipping their second dose, the New York Times reports. Why? Hard to say for sure, but some people might be choosing to skip it because they feel they have enough protection from a single dose. Some report concerns about side effects, which can feel like a day or two of the flu. Others, however, are missing their second shot because of scheduling difficulties. Some clinics and pharmacies have run out of shots, are only carrying the "wrong" brand for a person's second dosethe vaccines are not interchangeableor have made mistakes in scheduling, per the Times. College students who get their first shot while away at school face a challenge sourcing a follow-up shot, too. story continues below Health officials in different states have different plans and priorities. South Carolina is setting doses aside for people who have had trouble finding a second shot, Pennsylvania is encouraging providers to help college students, and workers in Arkansas are calling people who are due for their next dose. The CDC warns that only the Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers robust protection in one dose. Without a second shot three weeks later for Pfizer or four weeks later for Moderna, health experts have no idea how long protection from the novel coronavirus will last, the Washington Post reports. Per the latest data from the CDC, 8% of Americans who got their first dose of Moderna or Pfizer and are eligible for their second dose have not received it, ABC 7 reports. (Read more COVID-19 stories.) India is used to tragedy and pain. That does not mean it is inured to it. The New York Times recently quoted an Indian who had witnessed COVID-19 patients dying from lack of oxygen. He described the situation with a horrible intensity: Have you seen a fish out of water? Its unimaginable. Just like a fish out of water. Those who know India were surprised that the first round of COVID to strike the country did not do more harm. The inhabitants of its huge cities live in crowded and confined spaces. Overall, the countrys public health structure is weak and in rural areas, rudimentary. Most of its people are poor. COVID-19 patient receives oxygen inside a car provided by a Gurdwara, a Sikh house of worship, in New Delhi. Credit:AP The second COVID outbreak struck with a vengeance. The reported figures are well over 300,000 new cases and more than 2000 deaths a day. Most observers believe these figures are conservative. The average age of Covid-19 patients in Spain is getting younger. Although several factors may be at work, experts agree that the vaccination drive is playing a role. Health Ministry figures show that the average age of positive cases has dropped from 42 to 40 years since the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic early this year. And the average age of Covid-19 patients in intensive care has fallen from 63 to 60. Unlike neighboring European countries, Spains Health Ministry does not break down figures on Covid-19 hospital admissions or deaths by age. The Carlos III Health Institute provides some more detail, but these numbers are published too late to provide an accurate picture of the present moment. It is therefore not possible to know which age groups are predominant at hospitals and morgues, but data available from diagnoses, critical care and the day-to-day experience of healthcare professionals indicate there are fewer older patients now than before vaccines became available. Among the younger patients, obesity is increasingly an accompanying factor We are finding very few cases above 80 years of age [this group has been almost completely immunized by now], notes German Peces-Barba, a pulmonologist at the Madrid hospital Fundacion Jimenez Diaz and spokesperson for the Spanish Pulmunology Society. There are still some in their sixties and seventies, but in terms of percentages we are seeing growth in the 30-to-60 age range. Peces-Barba says that if the average age has always been around 65, right now, it is closer to 60. Alejandro Rodriguez, of the Spanish Society for Intensive and Critical Medicine and Coronary Units (Semicyuc) has the same impression. He also adds that among the younger patients, obesity is increasingly an accompanying factor. Although there are no precise numbers on the age of patients admitted to hospital and those who die of Covid-19, several epidemiologists agree that vaccination is playing a role in why the average age of patients is falling, even if it is too soon to give vaccines all the credit. Nearly all the 80-and-over population have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while just under 50% of the 70-79 age group have had the first shot. Vaccines are also thought to be flattening the infection curve: on Friday the 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants was 235 cases, while over 10 million people had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Some experts suspect that the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain, which is now the predominant strain in Spain, may also be playing a role. Antoni Trilla, head of preventive medicine and epidemiology at Barcelonas Clinic Hospital, says it is possible that this strain, which is circulating more among younger people, is more explosive and may accelerate worsening symptoms. According to this newspapers estimates based on the governments projected vaccine shipments, everyone over the age of 60 could receive both doses by the end of May. If so, this would likely represent a turning point in an epidemic, given that over 95% of victims are above that age. Strained ICUs In the meantime, hospital intensive care units (ICUs) are still far from a normal situation. The number of ICU beds occupied by Covid-19 patients is close to 23%, although there are significant differences between regions: in Murcia, it is 3.5% while in Madrid, it is 44.3%. And this number is not based on structural bed availability but on total capacity in case of an emergency. Counting Covid and non-Covid patients, Madrids ICUs are practically at 100% of capacity. The epidemiologist Anna Llupia says it is difficult to know precisely why ICUs continue to be so strained even though the number of cases is holding steady, although the newer, more aggressive strain could be a cause. In any case, she says that the disease will continue to spread despite the vaccination campaign unless other measures remain in force. Blood clot death probe The Health Ministry is investigating the death of a 35-year-old member of a specialized mountain unit of the Spanish army, the Regimiento de Infanteria America 66 de Cazadores de Montana, based in Aizoain, Navarre. F.P.B. suffered a thrombosis and cerebral hemorrhaging 17 days after being inoculated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The case is being investigated for possible ties with the vaccine, whose use was temporarily paused in early April while European health regulators probed several reports of associated blood clots. English version by Susana Urra. Former Eskom contractor, Michael Lomas, was arrested by the United Kingdom authorities on 15 April in connection with R745m Kusile power station corruption case. Kusile Power Station In line with the UK legal processes, Lomas had to appear before the British court before he could be extradited to South Africa to face charges. He was granted bail of R1.7m last week and also had to submit additional surety of around R4.3m. In addition, his passport and South African ID be retained by police. He also cannot apply for international travel documents or be in possession of any.His arrest brings to five the number of people arrested in relation to the alleged crimes.Lamos is expected to join his co-accused, former Eskom executives Abram Masango and France Hlakudi, businessman Maphoko Kgomoeswana and Tubular Construction chief executive officer Antonio Trindade in court on 1 June 2021, when the matter returns to court.Special Investigating Unit (SIU) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the arrests follow an intensive investigation which uncovered evidence pointing to criminal action against the five accused.The evidence as required by SIU Act, was referred to the National Prosecuting Authority and also to the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) for further attention. In 2018 the SIU was directed in terms of Proclamation R11 of 2018, to investigate the procurement of or contracting for services by Eskom and payments that were made in respect thereof. As the nation was rigorously fighting against the coronavirus surge in the country, Pakistan Navy reached out to deserving families in coastal and creeks area to distribute ration among them during the holy month of Ramzan KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2021 ) :As the nation was rigorously fighting against the coronavirus surge in the country, Pakistan Navy reached out to deserving families in coastal and creeks area to distribute ration among them during the holy month of Ramzan. Pakistan Navy in collaboration with Sahil Welfare Association distributed ration bags to over 1100 deserving families of Sindh and Balochistan, said a news release on Monday. During ration distribution campaign, in Balochistan, Pakistan Navy troops reached out to deserving families at Gwadar and Ormara. In Sindh rural areas, Navy teams provided ration bags carrying one month food items/ edibles to underprivileged families at Bin Qasim (Gharo), Keti Bandar, Sujawal, Chuhar Jamali and Shah Bandar. The aim of Pakistan Navy's ration distribution campaign was to help the underprivileged families of coastal and creeks area. Pakistan Navy midst challenge of COVID-19 pandemic was steadfast in support of the nation with passion and resolve. Local law enforcement and a TAMIU professor were among the countless people reacting around the world to the decision to convict former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Today, the Laredo Police Department has issued an order prohibiting the use of choke holds and carotid holds by Laredo Police officers, Laredo Police Department Information Public Officer Jose E. Baeza Jr. said. The Laredo Police Department has undertaken progressive steps and measures by adopting best practices and standards set by leading industry organizations like the Texas Chiefs of Police Association and reviewing modern policing policies which bring new strategies and ideas to ensure the safety of the officer and the citizen alike. Baeza said the policy was revamped a few years ago prior to these issues being seen as a national concern. The Laredo Police Department has always maintained good updated training requirements, policies and standards, he said. A local professor alleges more needs to be done to improve race relations in the United States. To improve race relations in the United States, there needs to be more work done at the local, state and national level, TAMIU criminal justice regents professor Dr. Frances Bernat said. Having a conviction of a police officer on all three criminal counts in the death, indeed the murder, of Mr. George Floyd is a start, but it is not the end. Many African Americans and people of color have experienced, or had family members who experienced, indifference and hostility when they challenged unlawful use of force by the police in their communities. Bernat said the decision was a good start but that it alone will not create the cultural change needed to stop racial profiling and other conflicts between law enforcement and minority communities. The problem of police racial profiling, excessive stops of persons of color or excessive force is not solved by one verdict, Bernat said. It is a start to the realization that the police are not above the law. Every police officer must respond to situations in a reasonable manner and must be held accountable when and if he or she violates the law. Bernat said most police officers agree with the decision which she believes shows they understand how these issues can be problematic for their overall efforts to protect and serve. I can say that there are many police officers who also agree with the verdict in Minneapolis, Bernat said. Tensions between the public and the police exist because the people may distrust the police. Over the last half century, police departments around the nation have attempted to change the perception of the public and to gain their trust. Some departments have done a better job than others. However, when a police-citizen encounter turns deadly, then the department must undertake steps to ensure that the investigation is transparent and that the public is kept informed. Bernat said laws need to be enacted to remove the ability of officers to use various dangerous and deadly types of force restraints if someone is non-compliant. Some departments, for example, have updated their use of force policies to be very detailed on when and if tasers should be deployed and how and when deadly force is to be used by eliminating the use of the choke hold, she said. De-escalation policies are also being implemented. Baeza said LPD is always looking at the feedback of people. He believes this has helped make local relationships between the police and the community one of the strongest in the country. The Laredo Police always welcomes input and meaningful feedback from the citizens in order to bridge any gaps of constructive communication, Baeza said. The Laredo Police Department will continue to review, adopt and amend our current policies and procedures in order to best serve the safety and security of our citizens and continue to train our officers in the most effective, efficient and modern policing techniques available. Bernat said she is not in favor of choke holds or knee restraints that cut off the breathing capacity of citizens. However, she cautions there are times when deadly force is appropriate. Everyone in each of our communities across the United States, whether we are African American, Latinx, Asian, Native American, White, should care about police procedures, practices and behavior, Bernat said. The decision by the jury to convict former officer Chauvin is one that shows that the police have a duty to protect and serve. The police have a duty of care when and if people are in their custody. The police power of the state is not absolute. We are a people of laws, and we empower our police officers to help us when we need help. We want our officers to respond to our calls when we are threatened, but we should not be afraid of the police in our communities. Baeza agrees that even though Laredo is predominantly Hispanic that the community should care about the Chauvin decision. The local demographic certainly does care and should about this and other nationally important cases, Baeza said. Despite our predominant Hispanic community here at home, our city is growing and is attracting new ethnic cultures to our region. It is important that as a society we learn to accept and respect one another regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. Local law enforcement and a TAMIU professor were among the countless people reacting around the world to the decision to convict former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Today, the Laredo Police Department has issued an order prohibiting the use of choke holds and carotid holds by Laredo Police officers, Laredo Police Department Information Public Officer Jose E. Baeza Jr. said. The Laredo Police Department has undertaken progressive steps and measures by adopting best practices and standards set by leading industry organizations like the Texas Chiefs of Police Association and reviewing modern policing policies which bring new strategies and ideas to ensure the safety of the officer and the citizen alike. Baeza said the policy was revamped a few years ago prior to these issues being seen as a national concern. The Laredo Police Department has always maintained good updated training requirements, policies and standards, he said. A local professor alleges more needs to be done to improve race relations in the United States. To improve race relations in the United States, there needs to be more work done at the local, state and national level, TAMIU criminal justice regents professor Dr. Frances Bernat said. Having a conviction of a police officer on all three criminal counts in the death, indeed the murder, of Mr. George Floyd is a start, but it is not the end. Many African Americans and people of color have experienced, or had family members who experienced, indifference and hostility when they challenged unlawful use of force by the police in their communities. Bernat said the decision was a good start but that it alone will not create the cultural change needed to stop racial profiling and other conflicts between law enforcement and minority communities. The problem of police racial profiling, excessive stops of persons of color or excessive force is not solved by one verdict, Bernat said. It is a start to the realization that the police are not above the law. Every police officer must respond to situations in a reasonable manner and must be held accountable when and if he or she violates the law. Bernat said most police officers agree with the decision which she believes shows they understand how these issues can be problematic for their overall efforts to protect and serve. I can say that there are many police officers who also agree with the verdict in Minneapolis, Bernat said. Tensions between the public and the police exist because the people may distrust the police. Over the last half century, police departments around the nation have attempted to change the perception of the public and to gain their trust. Some departments have done a better job than others. However, when a police-citizen encounter turns deadly, then the department must undertake steps to ensure that the investigation is transparent and that the public is kept informed. Bernat said laws need to be enacted to remove the ability of officers to use various dangerous and deadly types of force restraints if someone is non-compliant. Some departments, for example, have updated their use of force policies to be very detailed on when and if tasers should be deployed and how and when deadly force is to be used by eliminating the use of the choke hold, she said. De-escalation policies are also being implemented. Baeza said LPD is always looking at the feedback of people. He believes this has helped make local relationships between the police and the community one of the strongest in the country. The Laredo Police always welcomes input and meaningful feedback from the citizens in order to bridge any gaps of constructive communication, Baeza said. The Laredo Police Department will continue to review, adopt and amend our current policies and procedures in order to best serve the safety and security of our citizens and continue to train our officers in the most effective, efficient and modern policing techniques available. Bernat said she is not in favor of choke holds or knee restraints that cut off the breathing capacity of citizens. However, she cautions there are times when deadly force is appropriate. Everyone in each of our communities across the United States, whether we are African American, Latinx, Asian, Native American, White, should care about police procedures, practices and behavior, Bernat said. The decision by the jury to convict former officer Chauvin is one that shows that the police have a duty to protect and serve. The police have a duty of care when and if people are in their custody. The police power of the state is not absolute. We are a people of laws, and we empower our police officers to help us when we need help. We want our officers to respond to our calls when we are threatened, but we should not be afraid of the police in our communities. Baeza agrees that even though Laredo is predominantly Hispanic that the community should care about the Chauvin decision. The local demographic certainly does care and should about this and other nationally important cases, Baeza said. Despite our predominant Hispanic community here at home, our city is growing and is attracting new ethnic cultures to our region. It is important that as a society we learn to accept and respect one another regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation." jorge.vela@lmtonline.com Polling for the seventh phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal has begun on Monday at 7 am and is set to continue till 06:30 pm amid tight security and a contagious second COVID-19 wave. Polling will take place for 34 seats including Bhabanipur, the seat vacated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Voting is underway at 12,068 polling stations spread across 9 assembly constituencies-each in Murshidabad and Bardhaman districts, six each in Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda, and four in Kolkata, including Bhabanipur. More than 86 lakh voters will decide the fate of 284 candidates in this phase. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the voters of West Bengal to "exercise their franchise and follow all COVID-19 related protocols." The seventh phase of the West Bengal elections takes place today. Urging people to exercise their franchise and follow all COVID-19 related protocols. a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2021 As the state registered its highest single-day spike at 15,889 COVID-19 cases and 57 fatalities, the Election Commission has put in place measures to ensure that voters follow COVID-appropriate behaviour (social distancing, wearing face masks) during the election process. Due to the violence in Cooch Behar on April 10, security deployment has been heightened at polling stations. According to an Election Commission official, 796 companies of central forces have been deployed to ensure free and fair voting. Six rounds of voting in the West Bengal Assembly elections have already taken place, with the last phase scheduled for March 29 (Thursday). Counting of votes will take place on May 2 (Sunday). Edited by Mehak Agarwal; with PTI inputs Also read: Union Health Secy writes to states, UTs on Phase 3 COVID vaccination drive To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Amaravati/Vizianagaram, April 26 : The death of two Covid patients at the Maharaja Government Hospital in Vizianagaram, has turned into a controversy with the opposition claiming that lack of oxygen led to the deaths, and the district administration denying it. Two persons died and several patients were evacuated from the hospital in the early hours of Monday. Initial reports attributed the deaths to oxygen shortage in the hospital. Reacting to the development, Telugu Desam supremo and former Andhra Pradesh Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu charged the YSRCP government of failing to handle the oxygen shortage in the state. In a statement issued on Monday, Naidu called for the state government to wake up from its slumber and take action against firms indulging in oxygen blackmarketing. Naidu's scathing attack against the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led state government came in the wake of two deaths due to alleged disruption in oxygen supply, at the Maharaja Government Hospital at Vizianagaram. He demanded that the state government come to the aid of the families of the victims. Meanwhile, Vizianagaram district collector Hari Jawaharlal said, "Doctors denied that oxygen scarcity was behind the death of two Covid patients at the hospital in the early hours of Monday." The collector said that measures are being taken to resolve problems encountered with the oxygen pressure in the hospital. He said that of the 290 Covid patients in the hospital, 25 are being provided emergency treatment with oxygen support in the ICU ward. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) In Myanmar some fisheries operations suspended in Thandwe Twsp as seafood prices deemed too low April 26,2021 | Source: BNI Online Some Kyawt Paik fishing entrepreneurs have suspended their businesses as they are facing losses when fish and prawns do not fetch good prices, fishermen in Thandwe Township said. The fishing industry stakeholders are facing long-term losses because the fishing industry has been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic since last year, and seafood prices are below sustainable levels. The fuel oil price is also increasing now, while the seafood does not get a good price. So, all Kyawt Paik fishing entrepreneurs are facing more challenges, said U Kyaw Wai Soe, chair of the Kyawt Paik Fishing Entrepreneurs Association in Thandwe Township. The price of fish is down from K7,000 per viss to K1,000 now, and there are few buyers even at that price, Kyawt Paik fishing entrepreneurs said. They are facing financial difficulty to prepare their boats and nets to resume fishing in the coming monsoon season, and say they need help to sustain their business. As many as 26 fishermen are working for a fishing boat for Kyawt Paik fishing, and they are worried that the owners will call it quits on their business. We have to work 25 days a month. We are paid about K8,000 a day. Many people are depending on the business, said Ko Kular, a fisherman in Thandwe Township. There are more than 300 fishing boats that are mainly working for Kyawt Paik fishing in Thandwe Township, including at Jate Taw ward, where 15 of 90 boats have suspended business operations, according to the Jate Taw Ward Kyawt Paik Fishing Entrepreneur Association. Women who normally generate income working in dried fish manufacturing one major facet of the Kyawt Paik fishing industry say their source of income has dried up since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. I earned about K2,000 a day when I was working to sun-dry the fish and keep them in the evenings. If the Kyawt Paik fishing business is closed, we will be in trouble for our livelihoods, said Daw Khin Than Naing, a worker involved in dried-fish processing in Thandwe Township. 2021 Burma News International. Theme(s): Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Fisheries Resources, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Post Harvest Technology and Trade, Landing Centres, Others, Communities and Organisations, Freshwater ecosystems and threats. HOUSTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Axiom Space revealed Monday that Coalition for Deep Space Exploration founder and former President/CEO Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, known for her influential role in national policy toward human space exploration and commercial space development, has joined the Houston-based space infrastructure leader as Executive Vice President, Government Affairs. At Axiom, which is currently constructing the world's-first commercial low-Earth orbit (LEO) destination that will succeed the International Space Station (ISS), she will direct the company's policy objectives and strategic advocacy with local, state, and federal government authorities. "I am excited to be joining the team of experts I believe will accomplish the necessary next steps to ensure a permanent U.S. presence in low Earth orbit," Dittmar said. "Axiom is leading the development of next-generation space infrastructure to meet the needs of industry, science, and the government. The opportunities it will create for a global user base are boundless." An established thought leader in the space industry, she sits on the National Space Council Users' Advisory Group, the Space Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and the FAA's Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). Through her work with the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration and her own consulting group, Dittmar Associates, she has served as one of the industry's top representatives to the White House and Congress and been a senior adviser to multiple NASA mission directorates, the ISS Program, and various aerospace companies supporting the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense, and NASA. Her previous experience also includes roles as Senior Policy Advisor for the ISS National Laboratory, Member of the Board of Directors at the American Astronautical Society, and managing the Flight Operations Group and serving as the Chief Scientist for Commercial Payloads on the ISS Program at Boeing. Dittmar's addition bolsters an Axiom team already laden with specialized expertise in human spaceflight and deep experience in the design, construction, assembly, and operation of the ISS. She will report directly to President & CEO Michael Suffredini. "Mary Lynne is one of the truest visionaries, leaders, and representatives our industry has ever had," Suffredini said. "NASA and the whole of the U.S. government are valued partners in our efforts to preserve American leadership in space and open the floodgates of economic development and innovation in microgravity. She will tirelessly advocate for this vision and serve as an essential strategic voice. We are beyond thrilled to welcome her." In selecting Axiom in January 2020 to attach its own privately developed modules to ISS, NASA marked the Houston company a key driver of its efforts to commercialize LEO through public-private partnership. Once constructed as a new segment of the ISS, the Axiom Station will separate when the ISS is decommissioned and form the core infrastructure layer of the LEO economy an industrial park in orbit offering space infrastructure as a service, opportunities for microgravity manufacturing and research, and accommodations for national and private astronauts. About Axiom Space Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leader in providing space infrastructure as a service, Axiom offers end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately developing its successor a permanent commercial destination in Earth's orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home. More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com. Inquiries: [email protected] SOURCE Axiom Space Related Links http://www.axiomspace.com Federal agents on Sunday arrested a 62-year-old Hillsboro man in connection with the Jan. 6 takeover of the U.S. Capitol. Reed Knox Christensen is accused of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer during the Capitol siege, federal prosecutor Paul Maloney told a magistrate judge. An FBI video on the U.S. Department of Justice website shows him pushing past a barrier in front of the Capitol and grappling with several officers, according to a federal complaint. Christensen made his first appearance Monday in federal court in Portland, becoming the third person arrested in Oregon tied by federal prosecutors to the insurrection in Washington, D.C. Another man was arrested in Vancouver last month. The FBI arrested him on a federal warrant about 2:20 p.m. Sunday at Southwest 331st Avenue and Tualatin Valley Highway and executed a search warrant at his home, according to jail records and court testimony. I was picked up in my suit on my way to church, Christensen told U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You. Maloney asked that guns found at Christensens home be removed before any release from custody pending trial. Maloney said hes concerned that Christensen is anti-government and given the nature of the charges here, should law enforcement have to go onto the property, there should not be any weapons and firearms on the property in order to do that safely, your Honor. Christensen also is accused of engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building and entering or remaining on restricted grounds without lawful authority, among other charges. Im a little surprised that Im losing my critter weapons ... when I havent been convicted of anything, Christensen told the judge. According to court documents, Christensen was on the lower west terrace of the Capitol grounds where Capitol Police were protecting the building from rioters. Surveillance and body-worn camera footage shows Christensen striking and pushing officers and initiating the aggressive removal of metal bike rack barriers, according to federal authorities. About 2:20 p.m., Christensen tried to breach the barrier when a Metropolitan Police Department officer sprayed him with a chemical irritant. Despite the spray to his face, Christensen charged through the perimeter, away from officers and struck an officer with his fists, according to the criminal complaint. Christensen is a U.S. Army veteran who served active duty for four and a half years, defense lawyer Troy Nixon told the court. Christensen has prior software experience and was working as a design engineer for Intel Corp., according to public records. Nixon asked the judge not order the removal of guns from Christensens home but she did, calling it a reasonable condition of his release. Christensen also was ordered not to travel to the District of Columbia and to obtain prior approval from a federal officer if he wants to travel outside of Oregon. His federal court hearing was continued until Wednesday. Christensen is among more than 400 people arrested stemming from the U.S. Capitol insurrection, with more than 100 of those accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers. Last month, Oregon brothers Jonathanpeter and Matthew Klein were arrested on charges of conspiracy to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election results for Joe Biden. Marc Anthony Bru, 41, was arrested last month in Vancouver, accused of breaching the U.S Capitol on Jan. 6, pushing past law enforcement officers and entering the Senate gallery. Another man with Oregon ties, Richard L. Harris, 40, was arrested on March 18 in Florida in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Kady McDermott looked sensational in a racy new lingerie-clad snap shared with Instagram followers on Monday. Slipping into a bright pink bra and matching briefs, the Love Island star, 20, posed up a storm in her unmade bed for a motivational new post. Wearing her raven locks tousled and loose, Kady told fans: 'Good morning! New Monday, new week, let's smash our goals.' Wow: Kady McDermott, 20, looked sensational in a racy new lingerie-clad snap shared on Instagram on Monday The TV personality opted for a natural swipe of make-up as she flashed the camera a sultry glare. She accessorised with a stylish chain necklace and hoop earrings. Kady opted for a nude nail colour, painting her fingertips a chic shade of white. It comes after the reality star has received criticism for travelling as most countries reeled from the impact of Covid-19. Fun in the sun: It comes after the reality star has received criticism for travelling as most countries reeled from the impact of Covid-19 (pictured aboard with boyfriend Myles Barnett) In February, the raven-haired beauty returned to the UK following a trip to the Maldives with boyfriend Myles Barnett and a separate trip to Dubai, which she documented with a slew of scantily-clad social media snaps. At the time, one follower slammed her for being abroad while the majority of the UK was forbidden to travel before the third national lockdown was announced. He remarked: 'Breaking the rules again - don't see this as a business trip!' Kady bit back: 'Oh so because you don't see it as a business trip it means it isn't? Oh ok lol. 'But if you mush know as you keep sending me DMS too I am here with @trendingtravel.co.uk and had a valid letter for travel from the CEO. Not everyone's work is based in an office, David!' [sic] Other holiday posts drew further criticism with some perhaps not realising they were taken before England's third lockdown. Referring to the picture in which Kady reaches for the camera, one suggested the caption should be: 'No don't take a pic I should be on lockdown with everyone else.' While another wrote: 'Well the rest of us are working.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) President Rodrigo Duterte will pursue the country's bilateral ties with China on issues both countries can mutually agree on, while setting aside those they have yet to resolve, Malacanang said on Monday. "He will pursue his bilateral relations," Presidentisl spokesman Harry Roque said during his regular virtual briefing. "Ipagpapatuloy niya ang relasyon sa bansang Tsina dun sa mga bagay-bagay na pupuwedeng isulong at isasantabi ang mga hindi mareresolba sa ating lifetime." [Translation: He will continue his relationship with China on things that can be pursued and set aside what cannot be resolved during our lifetime.] Roque argued that the country's territorial dispute with China, particularly over losing the Scarborough Shoal to Beijing and the latter setting up artificial islands in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, happened before Duterte came into office and that he "had to deal with these" when he became chief executive. "Hindi sa termino ni Presidente na nagkaroon tayo ng batas at isang desisyon ni Justice Carpio na naging dahilan kung bakit nawalan tayo ng internal waters at territorial seas," Roque explained, referring to Republic Act 9522 or the Baselines Law signed in 2009 by former President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo. [Translation: It is not under the term of the President (Duterte) that we had a law and a decision by (former Supreme Court Associate) Justice (Antonio) Carpio that resulted in our country losing internal waters and territorial seas.] "Ang nawalang territorial sea natin ay 229,000 square miles at ang naging territorial sea na lang natin sang-ayon sa UNCLOS at sang-ayon sa Archipelagic Baselines Law ay 34,300 square miles na lang ang natira," argued Roque. [Translation: We lost 229,000 square miles in territorial seas, and what was left to us according to the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea and Archipelagic Baselines Law was only 34,300 square miles.] Still, Roque clarified the Palace is not blaming anyone, and that the President ended up deciding to push through with the country's bilateral ties with China, particularly in business and investments. However, despite Duterte's friendly attitude toward Beijing, the Philippines has carried out more aggressive actions against China under his term, Roque said. These include the Philippines protesting last year China's declaration of two new districts in what it calls Sansha City, which covered areas in the West Philippine Sea. Just this month, Manila had been filing diplomatic protests against Beijing and numerous appeals as Chinese vessels remain in the West Philippine Sea. China, meanwhile, has consistently refused to recognize the landmark arbitral tribunal ruling in The Hague in 2016 affirming the Philippines' sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone. Is it sex discrimination to require only men to register for the draft? BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European markets closed higher on Monday, with investors picking up stocks amid optimism about upcoming earnings announcements and a slew of economic data due during the course of this week. Worries about a surge in coronavirus cases in India and Japan and its possibile impact on the pace of global economic recovery limited markets' upside. Travel related stocks found support after a top European Union official said on Sunday American holidaymakers who have received a coronavirus vaccine should be able to travel to Europe by summer. Some of Italy's coronavirus restrictions are being eased in regions designated 'yellow' zones starting today. France plans to ease its lockdown restrictions next month, allowing its citizens to travel within the country. The pan European Stoxx 600 gained 0.26%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 climbed 0.35%, Germany's DAX edged up 0.11% and France's CAC 40 advanced 0.28%, while Switzerland's SMI ended 0.34% down. Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Turkey closed with sharp to moderate gains. Denmark and Sweden edged up marginally, while Netherlands closed weak. In the UK market, Rolls-Royce Holdings surged up nearly 6% after the aerospace company said it was in constructive talks with Spain over the sale of its Spanish unit ITP Aero. Antofagasta, IAG, Melrose Industries, Informa, Evraz, British Land, Glencore, Weir Group, Pearson, Barclays Group, Anglo American and Standard Life gained 2 to 4.3%. On the other hand, Diageo, Just Eat Takeaway, Coca-Cola, Ocado Group, United Utilities, Taylor Wimpey, Severn Trent and Smith & Nephew closed notably lower. In the French market, Unibail Rodamco and Societe Generale both gained more than 4%. Airbus Group, BNP Paribas, ArcelorMittal, Accor, Safran, Vinci and Technip gained 2 to 3%. Credit Agricole gained about 2%. The French lender said late Friday that its Italian subsidiary Credit Agricole Italia SpA now owns around 91.17 percent of Credito Valtellinese's share capital. Atos, Pernod Ricard, Teleperformance and Danone ended on a weak note. In Germany, Lufthansa, Thyssenkrupp, MTU Aero Engines, Deutsche Bank and Covestro gained 2 to 4%. Daimler and BASF also closed notably higher, while Volkswagen, Deutsche Post and SAP ended weak. According to reports, Volkswagen had warned top managers to brace for a bigger production hit in the second quarter due to a global chip shortage. In economic news, survey results from the ifo Institute showed German business morale improved by less than expected in April amid a third wave of Covid-19 infections and bottlenecks in production. The business confidence index rose to 96.8 in April from 96.6 in the previous month. The score was forecast to rise to 97.8. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Chinese primary and junior high school students will no longer be overloaded with homework given by either teachers or after-school training institutions. Primary schools should ensure that students in the first and second grades do not have written homework, and those in higher grades complete their homework within no more than one hour, according to a circular issued by the Ministry of Education. Junior high school students will spend a maximum of one and a half hours on their written homework each day, read the circular, calling for an appropriate amount of homework even for weekends as well as summer and winter holidays. After-school training institutions are prohibited from giving any homework to primary and junior high school students, according to the circular. Canada has repeatedly been raising with top U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, the issue with Enbridge's Line 5 which Michigan wants shut down, and considers intervening in the legal dispute between the pipeline operator and the U.S. state, sources with knowledge of Canada's plans told Reuters. The Line 5 pipeline saga although not as spectacular as the killing of Keystone XL by President Biden or the troubles surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline is once again pitting Canada against the U.S. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the director of the state's Department of Natural Resources revoked Enbridge's easement for the operation of the twin Line 5 pipeline last November, citing repeated violations of the easement and the need to protect the Great Lakes. Michigan's notice required Enbridge to cease operations of the pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac by May of 2021. Ten days after the state's notice, Enbridge filed a federal complaint at a U.S. district court seeking an injunction to stop Michigan's order for closure of the Line 5 pipeline, arguing that the state's shutdown order violates U.S. federal law and the Constitution. According to Reuters' sources, dozens of meetings between U.S. and Canadian officials have been held so far this year. Not seeing a response to its calls to keep Line 5 open, Canada is now considering measures such as officially siding with Enbridge in the court case with Michigan in a so-called "friend of the court" brief, one of Reuters' sources said. Earlier this month, Canada's Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan told Bloomberg that keeping Line 5 open is "nonnegotiable." "Line 5 is very different from Keystone XL and we fully support it, and we will defend it," O'Regan said. Enbridge also said earlier this month that a multi-party Canadian House of Commons Special Committee report affirmed the economic importance of Line 5 to both Canada and the U.S. and "recommends urgent, bi-national executive action to resolve the dispute between the State of Michigan and Enbridge over the Straits of Mackinac crossing." By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Two dozen Republican lawmakers demanded Monday that if Joe Bidens nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is confirmed, he launches an investigation into Hunter Biden illegally obtaining a gun. The president's son reportedly falsified information during a background check when purchasing a firearm. The Politico report indicated the younger Biden said 'no' when asked about drug use on the Firearms Transaction Record for a gun in October of 2018. A year before that purchase, Biden had been discharged from the Navy Reserves after testing positive for using cocaine. 'Many Americans are rightfully alarmed by these reports considering Mr. Biden's history of drug use,' Virginia Representative Bob Good, who penned the letter and received the signatures of 23 other members of Congress, wrote to ATF nominee David Chipman. 'In the past, the Biden family has been open about Mr. Biden's struggle with substance abuse, and Navy records indicate his discharge from service following a positive drug test,' it continues. Republicans are demanding that if ATF nominee David Chipman is confirmed, then he probe Hunter Biden reportedly lying on a background check to purchase a gun in 2018 In a letter to Chipman, Good asks him to commit to probe Hunter Biden. 'I write to ask that you publicly commit to investigate allegations that Hunter Biden falsified information during a background check in order to illegally obtain a firearm should you be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF),' the letter states. The letter comes as pressure mounts on lawmakers to take actions regarding guns including strengthening background checks and closing the so-called 'gun show loophole.' It also comes the same day the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case this fall on guns, which would be the court's first major firearms-related decision in more than a decade. The case specifically looks at a New York law that required individuals provide further proof of needing to carry a firearm in public outside their home other than usual self-defense purposes. Critics argue it is against the Second Amendment to ask people to provide proof for why they need a gun. A year before Hunter's firearm's purchase, he was discharged from the Navy Reserves for testing positive for cocaine use. Here President Joe Biden (2nd R) walks with Hunter (L), his wife Melissa Cohen (2nd L) and their son Beau, to board Air Force One on March 26, 2021 Good argues in his letter that all people need to be held to the same standard regarding the law. 'Since lying on a background check form is a felony, this allegation merits investigation,' the letter argues. 'Sadly, lying on background checks is common, often called 'lying and trying', but rarely prosecuted,' it continues. 'The Government Accountability Office reported in 2017 that of the 112,000 lie-and- try crimes that year, only 12 were prosecuted.' Hallie Biden, the late Beau Biden's widow and Hunter's sister-in-law turned girlfriend, stole a gun from the trunk of his car, according to 2019 text messages, and threw it away in a Delaware grocery store dumpster. She took Hunter's gun because she was concerned he would use it to hurt himself. Chipman has run into some of his own complications after it came out that when he was an ATF agent he was involved in both the Waco Massacre and Ruby Ridge standoff. He also lied during a Q&A on Reddit about the Waco Siege where he said the Branch Davidian members protecting their ranch were able to shoot down two helicopters. Read the full article on Motorious Its been delayed, but the auction is finally almost here Every year, Mecum Auctions holds the Mecum Annual Vintage & Antique Motorcycle Auction in Las Vegas, making it the destination for collectors and enthusiasts hoping to score something sweet. With things returning somewhat to normal, the auction is set to begin on April 28 and will go through May 1 with an estimated 1,750 motorcycles crossing the auction block. Check out thousands of barn find motorcycles all in one location here. As you might imagine, with so many vintage and antique motorcycles crossing the auction block its dizzying trying to keep track of them all. Thats good news for anyone hoping for less competition when bidding for that special something. However, certain auction lots are attracting considerable attention. photo credit: Mecum Auctions Just one of many stars of the 2021 Mecum Annual Vintage & Antique Motorcycle Auction is a 1917 Excelsior Big X. Amazingly, the historic bike has been kept in original condition with its Luxor acetylene head lamp, military fork, and other unique details. While it cant be licensed to ride on public roads, its still an interesting slice of two-wheeled history. One collection containing examples of each of the 12 Harley-Davidson Knuckleheads made from the late 1930s to the late 1940s is also causing some buzz. Many enthusiasts are absolutely fascinated by Knucleheads, so the announcement that a dozen well-preserved examples which were squirreled away in a private collection in Tacoma, Washington will be headed to the auction block has whet the appetite of many. photo credit: Mecum Auctions Those 12 Harley Knuckleheads are part of a collection of about 50 vintage and antique bikes assembled by Johnnie Clifton Burgin and his wife. The J.C Burgin Collection features many other amazing, historically-significant motorcycles, like a 1939 Nimbus Four Cylinder and a 1907 FN Four. Perhaps the biggest draw to the auction is a 1950 Vincent Black Lightning, which is a motorsports legend. The model was unveiled for the 1948 model year with a fire-breathing 70-horsepower engine, which was considerable for the time, making it a force to be reckoned with on the racetrack. It also has the ability to hit 150 mph, outstripping other motorcycles and cars from back in the day. Story continues If all that superlative performance isnt enough to impress, the rarity of the Vincent Black Lightning should. Production was capped at just 31 motorcycles, so its not exactly common to see one change hands. Even though bidding will likely surpass most attendees budgets quickly, all eyes will be on this bike when it crosses the block. photo credit: Mecum Auctions For the first time, the Mecum Annual Vintage & Antique Motorcycle Auction will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In years past its taken place at South Point. Originally, the Mecum Auctions Las Vegas motorcycle auction was set for January 26-31. With concern about the spread of COVID-19 in mind, the auction house pushed the event back to start in late April. Also, both the state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas extended restrictions because of the viral spread. Now that this and other delayed industry events are finally being held, its like a signal that life is starting to return to somewhat normal. With about a months notice, Mecum Auctions decided to switch both the dates and venue of the annual auction. There have been doubts about how many people will attend and what the results will be, but well know soon enough what effect, if any, the switch has. Mecum says it will provide shuttle services from South Point for those who cant get out of their hotel reservations to be closer to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Sign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A four-year-old tigress was found dead with two of its paws chopped off at a forest in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, an official told news agency PTI. The carcass was spotted around 10.30 pm on Sunday in the Mukutban range of Pandharkawda forest, he said. "The tigress was found dead near a nullah (drain) in the forest. The carcass had injuries caused by a sharp weapon. An iron wire was found around the feline's neck," Deputy Conservator of Forest Raju Bansod said in a release. Unsplash/Representative Image Its two front paws were chopped off, he said. The autopsy was conducted on Sunday and its report is awaited, the official said. Quarterly Report Mar 2021 & Appendix 5B Sydney, April 23, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - New Energy Minerals Limited ( ASX:NXE ) ( FRA:GGY ) ( OTCMKTS:MTTGF ) is pleased to provide an update to the market in relation to the Company's activities for the period ending 31 March 2021.Corporate UpdateNew Project AcquisitionThe Company has previously announced with the closing of the Balama Sale Transaction on 17 July 2020 that it has no further operations in Mozambique and that the closing also represented a disposal of its main undertaking as previously re-approved by shareholders at a general shareholder meeting on 13 May 2020.Subsequently, the Company agreed to acquire a new mineral project and on 13 October 2020 requested a trading halt pursuant to ASX Listing Rule 17.1 pending announcement of a project acquisition.On 13 November 2020 the ASX suspended the Company from official quotation pending the release of an announcement regarding an acquisition and notified the Company that the Company's securities would remain suspended until it re-complied with Chapters 1 and 2 of the ASX Listing Rules, including the issue of a prospectus.New Energy has continued to liaise closely with the ASX in relation to the new mineral project acquisition and Chapters 1 and 2 re-compliance matters and expects to make a comprehensive announcement in the very near future.Settlement of Disputes with ArenaOn 12 February 2021 New Energy announced that it had reached a settlement with Arena Structured Private Investments (Cayman) LLC ("Arena"), in relation to a $2.5 million (face value) convertible note facility provided to the Company which has been the subject of a claim by Arena and counterclaim by New Energy following the termination of the Convertible Note Deed in November 2018.The Convertible Note Deed was executed on 5 January 2018 and followed by an Amendment Deed executed on 22 May 2018 and a Consent Deed executed on 13 August 2018.New Energy has previously announced that Arena commenced proceedings against the Company in the Supreme Court of Western Australia whereby it sought declarations and orders that New Energy is liable to pay Arena the outstanding Principal Amount of $2,500,000, a Termination Payment of $2,535,000, interest and legal costs.The Company filed its defence and counterclaim on 3 April 2020 whereby New Energy denied liability in respect of Arena's claims in the proceedings and made a counterclaim alleging that Arena's conduct constituted unconscionable conduct, economic duress or the tort of intimidation and seeking damages as well as orders declaring the Amendment Deed void.The settlement of all claims between New Energy and Arena has been reached without admissions as to liability. Pursuant to the Settlement Deed ("Deed") executed on 10 February 2021 the terms of the settlement are summarised as follows:- New Energy will pay Arena the sum of $500,000 within 14 days of its re-listing on ASX;New Energy issues to Arena the First Equity Tranche, which is the number of shares calculated by dividing the sum of $750,000 by the New Energy re-listing share price offered under a future capital raising;- New Energy issues to Arena the Second Equity Tranche, which is the number of shares calculated by dividing the sum of $600,000 by the VWAP in the 5 Trading Days prior to the date that is 12 calendar months from the date of the re-listing.The Settlement Deed is subject to New Energy obtaining all necessary approvals from shareholders and ASX for the re-listing and shareholder approvals for the First Equity Tranche and Second Equity Tranche.Lock-up provisions will apply to the First Equity Tranche, so that Arena cannot sell more than:- 25% of the shares in the first 3 months;- 50% in the first 6 months; and- 75% in the first 9 months,or such other escrow period as may be determined by ASX as a condition of re-listing.Board and Management ChangesOn 2 March 2021 New Energy announced that Mr Christiaan Jordaan has, with his consent, been retrenched as Managing Director.He continues to serve as a Non-Executive Director of the Company until the earlier of the re-admission of the Company to ASX or 30 April 2021. However, Mr Jordaan has agreed with the Company to resign, if so requested by the Company, as Non-Executor Director at any time after 31 March 2021.New Energy has tightened costs as much as possible pending completion of a new project acquisition which has been conditionally agreed by the Company and pending re-admission of the Company to ASX. Directors consider that the Company can no longer justify the cost of a full-time managing director in its current circumstances. Most Directors have agreed to take shares in lieu of the payment of director fees in cash until re-admission to ASX, as announced on 2 March 2021.New Energy Chairman Ian Daymond has agreed to serve as Interim Executive Chairman until a new managing director is appointed. He will be supported by the Company Secretary and CFO, Mr Robert Marusco and will also have the support of Dr Bernard Olivier and Dr Evan Kirby as Non-Executive Directors in the day-to-day management of the Company.The search for a new Managing Director continued during the quarter.About New Energy Minerals Ltd New Energy Minerals Ltd (ASX:NXE) (FRA:GGY) is an ASX listed junior mining company, that recently announced the divestment of the Company's Caula vanadium - graphite project and the Montepuez Ruby project in Mozambique. By Li Jizhi BRUSSELS, Apr. 26 -- Concerning the EUs statement on the South China Sea, a spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the European Union (EU) said on April 24 that the destabilizing factors and security risks in the South China Sea mainly come from outside the region, and the South China Sea should not become a tool for certain countries to contain and suppress China. Earlier that day, a spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) issued a statement, claiming that tensions in the region, including the recent presence of large Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, which China calls Niu'E Jiao Reef, had endangered regional peace and stability. The spokesperson for the Chinese Mission to the EU reiterated that the reef is part of Chinas Nansha Islands. The reef and its adjacent waters have always been important operating areas and shelters for the Chinese fishing boats. It is reasonable and lawful, said the spokesperson, How could this endanger regional peace and stability? The current situation in the South China Sea is generally stable, and China has been maintaining close communication on relevant issues with countries in the region, including the Philippines, said the spokesperson, adding that countries in the region and beyond have in recent years seen clearly that the destabilizing factors and security risks in the South China Sea mainly come from outside the region. Whatsoever, the spokesperson stressed that the South China Sea should not become a tool for certain countries to contain and suppress China, much less a wrestling ground for major-power rivalry. The EU is urged to respect the efforts of countries in the region to properly address differences, maintain stability in the South China Sea, and stop sowing discord, added the spokesperson. An environmental watchdog nonprofit based in Hopewell Township received a $10 million gift from a late, longtime supporter and renowned philanthropist, making it the largest individual gift the institute has received. The Watershed Institute in Mercer County announced to NJ Advance Media on Monday it received the gift from Betty Wold Johnson, a decades-long supporter who died last year. Johnson served on the nonprofits advisory board for more than 20 years. Mrs. Johnson was an extraordinary philanthropist whose generosity created a lasting legacy of environmental leadership and exceptional teaching spaces at The Watershed Institute and across our region, said Executive Director Jim Waltman. The donation will create an endowment fund for the institutes long-term financial health, supporting land conservation and stewardship, environmental education, watershed science and the nonprofits maintenance. Johnson provided the lead capital gift in the previous campaign creating the institutes headquarters on a 950-acre nature reserve near Pennington. As the mother of New York Jets owners Christopher Johnson and Woody Johnson, she was often referred to as The First Lady of the Jets by players, according to the Associated Press. Mom believed that all of us have a responsibility to protect our natural resources for today and for generations to come. We are pleased that her support of the Watershed will protect this essential resource, her sons, Woody and Christopher Johnson, shared in a statement. She was a long-time supporter of arts, education, and healthcare initiatives in the New York and New Jersey areas, according to the Associated Press. Some of the organizations Johnson supported include the McCarter Theatre, the Nature Conservancy of New Jersey, the Liberty Science Center, and the Princeton Public Library, among many others, according to an obituary. Johnson died last May at the age of 99. She possessed an abiding community spirit and boundless enthusiasm for our work and the other institutions that she championed, Waltman said of Johnsons gift to the institute. Founded in 1949, The Watershed Institute protects and restores water and the environment in Central New Jersey through conservation, advocacy, science, and education. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Two of the carjackings took place two hours apart on Dec. 11, one at 9:40 p.m. in the 10000 block of South Aberdeen Street in Washington Heights, and another at 11:40 p.m. in the 9900 block of South Emerald Avenue in Fernwood. On Dec. 22, a third carjacking took place in the 1100 block of West 95th Street in Brainerd, police said. Police and court records show that carjacking originally was listed as taking place in the 9300 block of South Throop Street, and was classified as an armed robbery, not an armed carjacking. DETROIT An ex-teller at Chase Bank is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly client. Alan Lee Hardy, 37, was charged with one count of bank fraud on April 21, Acting U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin announced last week. It is alleged that in August 2016, while working as a teller at the Chase Bank located at 3300 E. Jefferson Ave. in Detroit, Hardy defrauded a victims account of at least $32,000 in a single withdrawal. The victim in this case was over 90 years old at the time of the fraud. To date, the victim, has received no compensation for the money taken from his account, according to prosecutors. The U.S. Secret Service is dedicated to ensuring the public remains confident in our countrys financial institutions and therefore takes cases of elder fraud incredibly seriously, said Douglas J. Zloto, Special Agent in Charge. These investigations can be time consuming, but law enforcement is committed to bringing individuals who take advantage of our seniors to justice. Elders are among the most vulnerable members of our society, Mohsin added. They are often seen as an easy target by those who seek to take advantage of them. My office is committed to bringing those who prey on our seniors to justice. The investigation was conducted by the United Secret Service and the Novi Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mitra Jafary-Hariri and Chief of the White Collar Crimes Unit John Neal. The Deputy Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Air Commodore George Arko-Dadzie, has called for effective collaboration among the various peacekeeping actors working in conflict-prone countries in sub-Saharan Africa. He observed that some of them worked in distinct and silo approach that failed to provide holistic and durable solutions in countries facing complex crises. Air Commodore Arko-Dadzie was speaking at the opening of a one-week course on the Humanitarian, Development and Peace (HDP) Nexus in Africa which is underway at the KAIPTC at Teshie in Accra. Sponsored by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the course is aimed at enhancing the capacity of humanitarian, development and peace actors to work more coherently to attain sustainable peace in conflict and post-conflict settlements in Africa. The HDP Nexus, introduced in the context of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, is an operational framework that seeks to bridge the gap between the three traditionally distinct areas of crisis intervention humanitarian, development and peace. Collaborative effort Air Commodore Arko-Dadzie said although there had been an effort by the UN and the African Union (AU) to ensure collaboration among departments and institutions, the approaches adopted by the UN and the AU were intra-organisation specific. He further said in spite of the HDP Nexus approach, which offered a pathway towards a greater coherence and sustainable approach to addressing complex crises, much remains to be done to translate the concept into practice. The implementation of the Nexus remains a continuous challenge because the sectors of humanitarian relief, development assistance and peace-building have for long worked separately, with different mandates, priorities and approaches, he said. He, therefore, urged the participants to bring their skills, expertise and best practices to bear in proffering workable recommendations to help tackle the existing challenges. Attaining SDGs The Political Attache at the German Embassy, Mr Moritz Fischer, described the HDP Nexus as the most progressive approach to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mr Fischer said the German government recognised the implementation challenges of the HDP Nexus and, therefore, collaborated with the KAIPTC to commission a report to explore ways to bridge the cooperation gaps. While pledging the readiness of his country to assist in the implementation of strategic initiatives to address the challenges, he urged the participants to provide feedback and recommendations to enable us to maintain the high quality of training to meet international standards. 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 " " The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was robbed March 18, 1990, by two men dressed as Boston police officers. They walked out with 13 priceless pieces of art, including two Rembrandts, a Vermeer, a Manet and five Degas drawings valued today at about $500 million. c. Courtesy of Netflix 2021 Does something truly qualify as a mystery if nobody knows about it in the first place? Or, put another way: How do you have a "whodunnit" if you don't even know what the "it" is? Two Boston-born filmmakers wrestled with those riddles, along with many, many, many others, in their pursuit of the little-known story of the world's biggest art heist, the 1990 St. Patrick's Day dead-of-the-night rip-off of Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Two Rembrandt paintings, a Vermeer, a Manet and five Degas drawings were among the 13 works stolen that March night. At the time, experts put the value of loss at about $200 million. Today, the artwork is worth somewhere around $500 million. None of the art has been recovered. None of the thieves has been positively identified, let alone brought to trial. A $10 million reward lays unclaimed. More than 30 years have passed. Still, nothing. It is a mystery crying for the telling. In a four-part true crime series on Netflix, "This is a Robbery," brothers Nick and Colin Barnicle breathe life into a story that they've been after for years. Their first challenge: Letting people know that there is a story there. "I honestly think that 99 percent of people just didn't know the story. At all," says Colin Barnicle, who served as the director of the film. "I do feel like it's an unwieldy story. It's 31 years and there's a ton of threads ... "I think the major pull in doing this was to bring everything all together, get a real good look at the case file, so to speak. And that was tough." " " The Barnicle brothers used printouts from the museum's security system to retrace the footsteps of the robbers while they were in the museum to see which exhibits they spent the most time in. c. Courtesy of Netflix 2021 Advertisement What Happened at the Gardner Museum? In the first hours of March 18, 1990, two men dressed as Boston police officers were buzzed into a side door of the museum, a building that The New York Times described as "an evocative, almost magical place where generations of Bostonians have gone to admire art, seek a moment of solace or take a date to kindle romance." The thieves immediately subdued the two security guards on duty, hustling them into the basement and duct-taping their hands and feet. For the next 81 minutes, the robbers roamed the museum freely. The bad guys cut Rembrandt's "Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee" Rembrandt's only painted seascape and "A Lady and Gentleman in Black" from their frames. They lifted the Vermeer "The Concert" and other pieces out of their frames, and took even more works off walls and pedestals. The thieves didn't get past the motion sensors, which were activated and later provided a virtual map of their footsteps. But at the time, the alarms weren't connected to any outside source. So at 2:45 a.m., after two trips to their getaway vehicle, the criminals softly slipped away. The guards were discovered, unharmed and still bound, when cleaning crews arrived later that morning. Almost immediately recognized as the largest art heist ever, the robbery instantly was big news throughout the world. But by later that year, as leads disintegrated and investigations by the police and the FBI foundered, the Gardner Museum theft faded from the front pages of newspapers and out of the public consciousness. Yet the mystery, and its two biggest questions, remain: Who did it? And, more importantly, where is the artwork? " " Anne Hawley was the Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum when it was robbed in 1990. She had been on the job for just six months. c. Courtesy of Netflix 2021 Advertisement Reviving the Story The Barnicle brothers began thinking about the project in 2013, and started in on producing it a year later. In its finished form, "This is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist" is a roughly four-hour series. (The brothers say a "Barnicle Cut" might last for days.) It showcases many of the story's more outrageous characters. There's the stoner security guard who allowed the thieves into the museum and was suspected, early on, of being part of an inside job. There's the notorious art thief, Myles Connor, who also was briefly considered a suspect and who helped the brothers shed light on a grimy world of crime bosses and their muscle. There are mobsters (names like Whitey Bulger, Bobby Donati, Bobby Guarente and Carmello Merlino are all tossed out); dogged reporters and amateur sleuths; the respected curator of the museum, Ann Hawley; FBI agents, police, lawyers. All of them figure, in one way or another, in an intricate tale that rests largely on the premise that the artwork was stolen by members of a Boston organized crime syndicate. The belief: Jailed wiseguys can use priceless art to barter for their freedom, a kind of "Get Out of Jail Free" masterpiece for mobsters. Some of the suspects in the crime are now dead. Some have been cleared of suspicion. Some we may not even know about yet. But at this point, despite all the digging by law enforcement, local newspapers, several authors (including Stephen Kurkjian in "Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World's Greatest Art Heist"), and the Barnicles themselves, the case couldn't be colder. You have to wonder now if we'll ever know who pulled off this heist or if we'll ever see the artwork again. Nick Barnicle wonders, too. But after all these years, he's keeping the faith. "The power of Netflix's platform is incredible, just the reach. To have the story go out globally, I don't think that's a small thing in terms of potentially solving the mystery," says Nick, who served as one of the executive producers of the film. "This is the first really big documentary on it to reach a large audience. "I think that [Boston reporter] Shelley Murphy says it best [in the film]: It may just be [solved with] an innocuous, 'Hey, grandpa's dead, look what we found,' next-generation type of thing." Does that mean he envisions a happy ending to the greatest art heist ever? "I wouldn't be so shocked to see one or two of the pieces [still] in the New England area. Are all 13 together? Probably not. Are all 13 coming back? Probably not," Nick says. "But we'd like to see one come back." Advertisement Have You Seen Any of the Stolen Art? " " (From left) "A Lady and Gentleman in Black", 1633, is an oil on canvas, 51 13/16 x 42 15/16 inches (131.6 x 109 centimeters) by Rembrandt. It was stolen from the Dutch Room. It is signed and dated in the lower left, Rembrandt.ft: 1633. "Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee", 1633, also is an oil on canvas, 63 x 50 3/8 inches (160 x 128 centimeters) by Rembrandt. It's the only seascape by the master painter. It too was taken from the Dutch Room. This painting alone is worth about $100 million. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum " " (From left) Johannes Vermeer's "The Concert", 1663-1666, is an oil on canvas, 28 9/16 x 25 1/2 inches (72.5 x 64.7 centimeters) that was stolen from the Dutch Room. "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", about 1633, is a small self-portrait etching, 1 3/4 x 1 15/16 inches (4.5 x 5 centimeters) by Rembrandt stolen from the Dutch Room. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum " " "Chez Tortoni", 1875, by Edouard Manet is an oil on canvas, 10 1/4 x 13 3/8 inches (26 x 34 centimeters) stolen from the Blue Room. It is signed in the lower left, Manet. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum " " Long thought to be by Rembrandt, this landscape, "Landscape with an Obelisk", 1638, was recognized in the 1980s as the work of his pupil, Govaert Flinck. It was taken from the Dutch Room. It's an oil on panel, 21 7/16 x 27 15/16 inches (54.5 x 71 centimeters). Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Isabella Stewart Gardner was born into a rich New York family, settled in Boston and traveled the world. The museum that bears her name, in the Fens area of Boston (about a mile south of what is now Fenway Park), was filled with her personal collections and curated by her for much of her life. It opened to the public in 1903. Gardner's will provides an endowment for the museum, and states that nothing there ever should be changed, and no artwork added or sold. Millions of Australians were unable to access their bank accounts online due to a nationwide outage, with thousands even unable to use their cards. Commonwealth Bank customers have vented their frustrations about the technical glitch preventing them from accessing their credit cards online on Monday morning, as well as issues with tap and go payments. Customers also complained that debit cards were also impacted. Many customers had some of their accounts appearing on the Netbank website and app, while others have none showing at all. Other customers have complained about their cards being declined while shopping online and in-store. Tap-and-go services, including Google Pay, have also been affected, according to customers. Australia's biggest bank has confirmed it's aware of the problem and advised customers to insert their card and pin instead. Millions of Commonwealth Bank customers have been unable to access their accounts online due to a nationwide technical outage (stock image) 'We're aware of an issue with the CommBank app and NetBank affecting credit cards and debit cards,' Commonwealth Bank tweeted. 'Some card settings may also be unavailable right now. We apologise for disrupting your morning, we're working urgently to fix this as soon as we can.' A bank spokeswoman added: 'We apologise for any inconvenience caused and our teams are working to fix this as a priority.' The outage was first reported about 9am (AEST) with the bank unable to give a estimated timeframe of when the problem will be fixed. Bank staff advised customers online to insert their cards and use PINs wherever possible, rather than payWave. The issue was resolved by 12.45pm. 'We apologise to any customers who experienced any issues with our services earlier today. Our systems are now returning to normal,' the bank later said. Affected Commonwealth Bank customers will see this notice on their Netbank accounts A Commonwealth Bank Facebook post confirming the issue was flooded with comments (pictured) from angry customers Angry customers have vented about the inconvenience online. 'This seems to be happening too often of late. Commonwealth Bank is certainly not what it used to be. It's just bad luck for the 'customer.' Pathetic,' one woman posted. Another added: 'It's not just affecting usage of our cards, it's affecting our access to our accounts. So I cannot pay anything via Netbank, online or by Eftpos, I can't even go into a bank to get money out because you closed any branches close enough to me where I can get cash out and pay for petrol with cash because it's the only option left.' Other customers have complained about being being unable to pay for bills on time due to the problem. 'Who pays my late fees? Not forgivable in today's online world,' a customer tweeted. Tennessee's 48-hour abortion waiting period law reinstated by appeals court Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has allowed a Tennessee law requiring women seeking an abortion to wait 48 hours before they can undergo the procedure to take effect until a ruling on the laws constitutionality is reached. In a brief opinion released last Friday, a majority of judges on the Sixth Circuit agreed to stay a lower court ruling that placed an injunction on the 2015 waiting period law and granted an appeal in the case. It is further ORDERED that the motion to stay the district courts judgment and injunction pending appeal is GRANTED, and that our prior opinion to the contrary is VACATED, stated the order. The order comes after a federal court struck down the waiting period in October 2020. The states appeal of that decision is pending. The Sixth Circuits order included two dissents, one of which was written by Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, who opposed granting the appeal and lifting the lower court injunction. It defies precedent to summarily conclude that all waiting periods are constitutional, no matter the circumstances, wrote Gibbons, an appointee of President George W. Bush. The State also intimates that the existence of similar waiting periods in fourteen other states should lead us to find that Tennessees waiting period is constitutional. But, by my count, federal courts of appeals have only decided that four of those waiting periods do not infringe upon the right to an abortion, and the courts rationales vary. Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III praised the courts decision. We are pleased that the full Sixth Circuit has recognized that Tennessees law, requiring a 48-hour waiting period for abortions, is likely constitutional and can be enforced while the appeal proceeds, Slatery stressed. The Supreme Court has recognized the authority of State governments to provide women considering abortion the opportunity to receive important information before a life-changing decision is made. Tennesseans, through their elected representatives, voted for this law and this Office will defend it. In 2019, a study released by Jason M. Lindo and Mayra Pineda-Torres of Texas A&M University indicated that the Tennessee abortion rate declined by 6% due to the waiting period law enacted by then-Gov. Bill Haslem in 2015. The study also found that the price for obtaining an abortion had increased by around $900 due to the requirement for the additional counseling appointment. Delayed abortions can increase monetary costs for two main reasons. First, delays can increase the cost of the procedure, which typically rise with gestational age, the researchers reported. Second, delays can require women to travel to more distant providers because providers vary in the types of procedures they oer and the gestational ages at which they oer them. A group of abortion providers sued the state over the regulation, with U.S. District Court Judge Bernard A. Friedman, a Ronald Reagan appointee, ruling against the waiting period law last October. It is apparent that this waiting period unduly burdens womens right to an abortion and is an affront to their 'dignity and autonomy,' 'personhood' and 'destiny,' and 'conception of . . . [their] place in society,' wrote Friedman. Defendants suggestion that women are overly emotional and must be required to cool off or calm down before having a medical procedure they have decided they want to have, and that they are constitutionally entitled to have, is highly insulting and paternalistic and all the more so given that no such waiting periods apply to men. Brian Harris, president of Tennessee Right to Life, released a statement in 2015 expressing support for the waiting period law, arguing that women and girls considering abortion in our state deserve relevant details and adequate time to make fully informed decisions about the fate of their unborn child. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Rain. Thunder possible. High 83F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 68F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are hiring a new senior communications officer, an advert on the Royal Households website shows. Based at Kensington Palace, the new team member will be in involved in leading communications plans for the couple's royal engagements and supporting the delivery and communication of projects. According to the ad posted to LinkedIn, Prince William and Kate Middleton require a candidate who can 'handle sensitive information with tact and discretion at all times'. The successful candidate will also respond to media enquiries about the Cambridge family, as well as working on communication plans for overseas tours. Although there's no detail on salary for the coveted job, the ad states that 'excellent interpersonal skills' and the ability to work 'proactively and flexibly' are required. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are hiring a senior communications officer in a role based at Kensington Palace, working 37.5 hours a week It is a permanent position based at Kensington Palace, working 37.5 hours a week as part of a multi-disciplinary team. The role involves creating and delivering communications activity connecting the work of The Duke and Duchess with their audience outside of the palace and assisting as necessary with special media events relating to The Royal Family. The advertisement states that The Royal Household is looking for someone with strong written communication skills, who can write across a variety of styles from press releases to social media content. The candidate should also be able to think creatively and come up with new and innovative ways to communicate activity as well as having good project management skills. The role involves leading on communication plans for their royal engagements and supporting on the delivery and communication of projects It comes as the Duke and Duchess prepare to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary later this week. Thursday will mark 10 years since Kate Middleton married into the royal family at Westminster Abbey, watched by millions across the globe. It is a crucial time for the couple as they step up to support the Queen following the death of her husband Prince Philip earlier this month after 73 years of marriage. Royal biographer Phil Dampier told FEMAIL last week that the Duchess shares Her Majesty's 'tolerance and pragmatism' and is 'maturing rapidly' as her 10th wedding anniversary approaches. He said that following the Duke of Edinburgh's death, Kate is set to take on more responsibility within the firm. He said: 'She has picked up many of the Queen's qualities of tolerance and pragmatism, not overreacting to situations but trying to decide what is best in the long run. 'Like the Queen she doesn't hold grudges or seek revenge.' He added: 'Kate realises that the Queen needs her and William more than ever and she will do all she can to support her.' Developed by a Los Angeles-based startup called Epirus, this anti- drone system doesnt seem so dangerous at first sight. But, underneath its apparently non-threating silhouette is a high-power microwave weapon or what we could call a deadly beam against uncrewed aerial systems (UAVs).Whats fascinating about Leonidas is that it can take out a swarm of drones in no time. By using directed energy, its powerful beam can be widened to target several approaching drones , or narrowed in order to get to a single drone in very tight spaces. In fact, this system is able to fire thousands of rounds per second, whether in precision fire or in swarm mode.Its size is another advantage. Leonidas was built to be small enough and light enough to be mounted on ships, aircraft and other types of vehicles. Its portable, but can also be used as a static weapon.An innovation of the Californian company, the use of solid-state Gallium Nitride direct energy allows the system to operate at high voltage for rapid fire rates, without requiring constant cooling.Leonidas power is completely software-controlled and it can be launched in minutes. You might be thinking that direct energy is probably dangerous for the environment or for the one who is operating the anti-drone system.But it doesnt actually produce harmful radiations and its precise enough to prevent any risks for the operator. As Leigh Madden, CEO of Epirus says, The radiation produced is similar to that of cellular phone waves or your traditional countertop microwave unit.Leonidas was successfully demonstrated earlier this year including several participants, including the Department of Defense, so it wouldnt be surprising if they already have their eyes on it. A family's stimulus check from the U.S. Treasury for the coronavirus disease aid arrived in the mail in Milton, Massachusetts on March 25, 2021. REUTERS Jakarta: Indonesian officials and the families of crew members have praised the men who perished on the submarine detected on the floor of the Bali Strait. Indonesia found the wreckage of the navy submarine of the KRI Nanggala-402 missing since Wednesday and declared all 53 of its crew members dead, the countrys military chief announced on Sunday. Relatives carry a portrait of Captain Gede Kartika, one of the junior officers of Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala that sank in Celukan Bawang, Bali, Indonesia. Credit:AP Berda Asmara, wife of Second Sergeant Guntur Ari Prasetya told the Jakarta Post she had last spoken to her husband 30 minutes before the submarine left for a training program on Monday. He had asked for prayers for his safety before his departure, she said. I dont know how to explain it to our daughter, she said. The daughter kept asking, Mama why are you crying all the time? And I decided to stop trying to explain her fathers condition, Berda said. Fishmongers' Hall terrorist Usman Khan used cocaine and heroin months before the attack which saw him kill two people, an inquest heard. Usman Khan stabbed Cambridge University project workers Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a prison rehabilitation conference at the venue on November 29, 2019. Toxicology expert Dr Vincent Cirimele said there was evidence that Khan had been exposed to cocaine and heroin between late August/early September and November 2019. He said the concentration of both drugs was low, indicating either occasional or unique use. Usman Khan during a 'thank-you' message for a Learning Together event in Cambridge in 2019 Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were killed at Fishmongers' Hall on November 29, 2019 Vincent Cirimele analysed a 6cm sample of Usman Khan's beard to identify whether he had taken drugs. It revealed that he had 0.37 nanograms of the cocaine and also amounts of benzoylecgonine, associated with the breakdown of the drug. Mr Cirimele said it indicated 'occasional use of cocaine by Usman Khan over a recent time period before death.' The testing also found traces of heroin but could not rule out external contamination. 'There is no evidence to suggest he was a repeated cocaine or heroin user,' Mr Cirmele said in a report, read to the inquest. Depending on the rate of growth, the hair tested would represent a time period up to seven months before death. Hair was said to provide a 'longterm history of drug use' with the area closest to the skin, representing a two-week growth time. The cocaine was found in a length between 0cm and 2cm from the tip, giving a time estimate between late August and mid-November 2019 for the use, depending on the rate of hair growth. Simon Larmour, John Crilly and Usman Khan at Euston Station in London on the way to the hall Victim Saskia Jones sat alongside Usman Khan at a prisoner rehabilitation event in London The heroin marker, 6-monoacetylmorphine was also in the 'proximal' hair section, the report said. 'The measured cocaine concentration could be characterised as low when compared with reported as levels generally in cocaine addicts,' the report added. 'It is suggestive of occasional use by Usman Khan within the time period covered by the proximal beard hair section test.' The heroin sample indicated 'occasional, possibly unique, exposure of Usman Khan to heroin within the same time period.' It was not possible to say the amount of drug consumed because the consumption of the same amount of drugs by different people can lead to a different amount in sample of hair, the report said. 'How it would have affected Khan's judgment and decision making depends on drug concentrations in each specimen,' the report added. 'Beard hair results cannot be used to estimate the influence of these drugs on the behaviour of Usman Khan' at the time of the attack. Usman Khan, 28, who was armed with two knives and wore a fake suicide vest, was tackled by members of the public A Metropolitan Police photograph of an improvised explosive device which was shown during the inquest The latest information comes as the inquest heard today that the owners of the venue where the conference took place were not told it would be attended by former killers, terrorists and offenders. In incendiary evidence to their inquest today, the clerk of Fishmongers Company told the jury they had no idea ex-offenders would be intending. Instead Commodore Toby Williamson said - despite trying to find out more ahead of the event - they were only given a list of alphabetical names with no further detail. How the Fishmongers' Hall attack unfolded March 10 1991 : Usman Khan is born in Stoke-on-Trent. : Usman Khan is born in Stoke-on-Trent. 2010 : Aged 19, Khan is convicted of terrorism offences and spends the next eight years in jail. In that time, he becomes involved with Learning Together organisation. : Aged 19, Khan is convicted of terrorism offences and spends the next eight years in jail. In that time, he becomes involved with Learning Together organisation. December 2018 : Khan is released from jail on various licence conditions and lives in Stafford. : Khan is released from jail on various licence conditions and lives in Stafford. March 2019 : Khan maintains contact with Learning Together and is involved with filming a video for the organisation. : Khan maintains contact with Learning Together and is involved with filming a video for the organisation. June 2019 : He attends a Learning Together event at one of his former prisons, HMP Whitemoor. : He attends a Learning Together event at one of his former prisons, HMP Whitemoor. November 29, 2019 , 7.30am: Khan travels by train from Stafford to Euston Station in London. He is met at the station by a Learning Together staff member and he travels by Tube and foot to Fishmongers' Hall near London Bridge. On route to London, it is believed Khan straps a fake suicide belt around his waist and covers it with his jacket. , 7.30am: Khan travels by train from Stafford to Euston Station in London. He is met at the station by a Learning Together staff member and he travels by Tube and foot to Fishmongers' Hall near London Bridge. On route to London, it is believed Khan straps a fake suicide belt around his waist and covers it with his jacket. 11am to noon : The delegates attend a brunch at Fishmongers' Hall. : The delegates attend a brunch at Fishmongers' Hall. 11.56am : Video footage shows Khan talking 'animatedly' with Saskia Jones at a table, even though they had not known each other before. : Video footage shows Khan talking 'animatedly' with Saskia Jones at a table, even though they had not known each other before. 12noon : The main Learning Together sessions get under way with speeches in the Banqueting Hall followed by breakout sessions until 1.30pm. : The main Learning Together sessions get under way with speeches in the Banqueting Hall followed by breakout sessions until 1.30pm. 1.37pm : Jack Merritt leaves the building briefly, returning at 1.40pm. : Jack Merritt leaves the building briefly, returning at 1.40pm. 1 .4 5pm : A further breakout session is due to begin but Khan goes down to the toilets on the ground floor next to the reception area. : A further breakout session is due to begin but Khan goes down to the toilets on the ground floor next to the reception area. Around 1.53pm : Mr Merritt goes to the gents toilets. : Mr Merritt goes to the gents toilets. Between 1.56-1.57pm : Khan launches his attack in the men's toilets at Fishmongers' Hall with two knives strapped into his hands. As he prepares, he leaves a bag containing a third blade in a cubicle and drops a prayer book on the floor. He encounters Mr Merritt in the toilets and stabs him multiple times, causing 12 injuries including a fatal wound to the chest. Khan makes his way to the cloakroom area, where he gestured to a member of staff 'as if to be quiet'. He stabs Ms Jones once in the neck. She staggers up a few steps before collapsing. Khan goes on to stab Stephanie Szczotko in the arm at the bottom of the stairs before stabbing Isobel Rowbotham in the main reception. Over the next few minutes, Khan is confronted by a number of people who take items from the walls to defend themselves, including a ornamental pike and narwhal tusks. Khan returns to attack Ms Rowbotham again as she lies on the ground. He also injures the Fishmongers' Hall porter Lukasz Koczocik, who suffers a stab to the arm. Khan forces a member of staff to open the doors by holding a knife to his chest. He tries to chase a member of the public back inside the hall but is unsuccessful. : Khan launches his attack in the men's toilets at Fishmongers' Hall with two knives strapped into his hands. As he prepares, he leaves a bag containing a third blade in a cubicle and drops a prayer book on the floor. He encounters Mr Merritt in the toilets and stabs him multiple times, causing 12 injuries including a fatal wound to the chest. Khan makes his way to the cloakroom area, where he gestured to a member of staff 'as if to be quiet'. He stabs Ms Jones once in the neck. She staggers up a few steps before collapsing. Khan goes on to stab Stephanie Szczotko in the arm at the bottom of the stairs before stabbing Isobel Rowbotham in the main reception. Over the next few minutes, Khan is confronted by a number of people who take items from the walls to defend themselves, including a ornamental pike and narwhal tusks. Khan returns to attack Ms Rowbotham again as she lies on the ground. He also injures the Fishmongers' Hall porter Lukasz Koczocik, who suffers a stab to the arm. Khan forces a member of staff to open the doors by holding a knife to his chest. He tries to chase a member of the public back inside the hall but is unsuccessful. 1.58pm : Police receive a call to attend the scene. : Police receive a call to attend the scene. Around 2.01pm : Khan is pursued on to London Bridge by John Crilly, Steven Gallant and Darryn Frost. During a confrontation on the bridge, Mr Crilly sprays a fire extinguisher at him and Mr Frost jabs at him with a narwhal tusk before they all tackled Khan to the ground with other members of the public. : Khan is pursued on to London Bridge by John Crilly, Steven Gallant and Darryn Frost. During a confrontation on the bridge, Mr Crilly sprays a fire extinguisher at him and Mr Frost jabs at him with a narwhal tusk before they all tackled Khan to the ground with other members of the public. 2.02pm : Armed City of London Police officers arrive on the bridge and tell members of the public to stand back. Khan is shot and Tasered by police, causing him to writhe on the ground. : Armed City of London Police officers arrive on the bridge and tell members of the public to stand back. Khan is shot and Tasered by police, causing him to writhe on the ground. 2.10pm : Khan is shot again due to the alleged 'threat' from what police believed was an improvised explosive device strapped to his body. : Khan is shot again due to the alleged 'threat' from what police believed was an improvised explosive device strapped to his body. 2.12pm Khan no longer shows any signs of life. Khan no longer shows any signs of life. 2.25pm Ms Jones is pronounced dead from a single neck wound. Ms Jones is pronounced dead from a single neck wound. 2.33pm : Mr Merritt is pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination later confirms he suffered multiple knife wounds, including some defensive injuries. The fatal wound is to the chest. : Mr Merritt is pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination later confirms he suffered multiple knife wounds, including some defensive injuries. The fatal wound is to the chest. 2.41pm : An explosives officer moves towards Khan with armed officers and concludes the IED is fake. : An explosives officer moves towards Khan with armed officers and concludes the IED is fake. 3.07pm : Khan's life is pronounced extinct. Advertisement He said: 'A terrorist offender with a short track record out of prison is one I bitterly wish we had had before hand and could have done something about - which would mean we could not hold that event. 'The clarity of the language was not what I wish it had been. 'I don't think any of my team appreciated that the alumni was referring directly to ex-offenders and certainly not people currently in custody.' 'There was more than one email asking "what is the audience?",' but he said: 'We didn't have the level of detail that we all have now. We had an alphabetical list of names.' Khan, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, was shot dead by armed police on London Bridge, 13 minutes after the attack began. The Fishmongers Company had a history of high profile guests including a serving Prime Minister and the Princess Royal, but had only done bag searches on one occasion, the inquest was told. They had never considered introducing metal detectors at the entrance to their hall because they wanted to maintain a 'degree of accessibility', the inquest into the victims was told The company still works with rehabilitation charities but now has a presumption against events involving high risk individuals and convicted prisoners, the inquest was told. Fishmongers Company, which had agreed to donate 40,000 to the project and sent staff to previous events, had not appreciated that 'alumni' would include prisoners with previous convictions. Henry Pitchers QC, counsel for the Jones family, asked: 'Those responsible for making decisions were really in the dark about this event?' 'That is correct,' Commodore Williamson said. Amy Ludlow and Lisa Armstrong from Learning Together, had told the inquest they relied on the Fishmongers Hall for security and the Fishmongers Hall said they relied on Learning Together for information on the guests. Jonathan Hough QC, for the coroner, said: 'With two organisations taking those views, are there risks of concerns slipping though the crack between the two?' 'I agree,' the commodore said. The Fishmongers' Company, one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London, has been the guild for fishermen in the capital for seven centuries. It hosts 200 events a year at its historic hall on the River Thames and the event on Friday November 29 2019 was the eighth that week, the inquest heard. Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, is a member of the 'court company' and visits the hall around a dozen times a year, the inquest was told. The hall has also hosted a Bank of England conference with a serving Prime Minister, a previous Prime Minister, and a 'whole host of financial luminaries from across the world.' The hall had CCTV on the outside and self-locking doors, but had only ever conducted security checks on guests on one occasion when Prince Charles had visited. Mr Hough asked: 'Do you own any knife arches or metal detector equipment, did you ever borrow or rent such equipment for events, did you ever consider it?' Commodore Williamson said there had been 'no serious consideration' but it was 'always something that sits in my mind beforehand because it is one of many layers of security that you can add.' But he said the company wanted 'a degree of accessibility for our members and our client organisations.' The events ran on a 'familiar template' adding: 'The aircraft is always safe to fly no matter who you take on board.' By always getting a guest list they had a 'good idea' of who the guests were. But Mr Hough asked: 'When you weren't dealing with VIPs you didn't give consideration to adding extra levels of protection for an event due to nature of attendees?' 'Yes,' the commodore said. The head of facilities and the security supervisor had attended a half day 'terrorism awareness training' curse at another livery company in July 2019. But a review by an outside company, Control Risks, in September 2018, had found a 'lack of documented security procedures' and a 'lack of internal access control measures.' But 'key controls' were said to be key controls the terrorism awareness training, the low profile nature of the company and the 'avoidance of controversial charitable activities' along with a 'visible security perimeter.' In March last year, four months after the attack, they purchased a knife arch, although it has never been used because of lockdown, the commodore said. Mr Hough asked: 'Metal detectors and knife arches of this kind are used in buildings up and down the country because they provide a degree of protection or at least knowledge at the point of entry?' 'They provide deterrence yes,' the commodore said. The inquest continues. A view of the Old Library in Guildhall, London, where the inquest into the terror attack at the Fishmongers' Hall in London on November 29 2019, is being held into the victims' deaths The April 20th episode of The Resident ended in sadness for Mina Okafor's fans as it was the last episode of one of The Resident's original characters in the show. After featuring in 4 seasons of The Resident, Shaunette Renee Wilson announced her departure from the series as she thinks it is the right time for her to leave. Why is Mina leaving The Resident? The entire season 4 of the show was centred around Mina and AJ planning their trip to Nigeria. However, their plans go for a toss when AJ gets the shocking news that his mother has lung cancer and knowing that his mother only has a few years to live, he decides to stay back and take care of his ailing mother. Mina Okafor understands AJ's predicament but she is totally committed to the idea of moving away. The final moments of the episode titled Into the Unknown, shows Mina getting sentimental and cherishing her time with her friends before bidding farewell to Chastain. Shaunette Renee Wilson bids adieu to The Resident While in the show, it is shown that Mina leaves the country and moves to Nigeria after Dr Cain threatened her with deportation. However, in reality, Shaunette who plays the role of Mina shared that the reason behind her departure is that she feels her time in the show is done and she does not wish to continue further. Taking to Instagram, Shaunette announced her permanent departure from the show and wrote, "After deeply thoughtful reflection, I approached the producers some time ago asking to leave the show and they agreed and gave my character a wonderful sendoff. I am appreciative of them for allowing me to embody as beautiful of a soul as Dr Mina Okafor. I would also like to thank the studio, network, cast, crew and, most of all, the wonderfully dedicated fans of The Resident for their support over the last four seasons. Fans of the actor and the show were sad by the announcement but shared that they understand where she comes from and is in support of her decision. Fans also said that they will miss her in the show and wished her the best of luck for her future endeavours. According to TV Line, the makers of the series revealed that even though Shaunette's exit from the show was heartbreaking for them, fans should not be sad as they have a lot in store for AJ who will be dealing with Mina's exit and the worry of losing his mother in the coming episodes. The producers of the show also added that they have left Mina's storyline open and if Shaunette ever decides to return to the show, their doors are always open. (Promo Image Courtesy: Shaunette Renee Wilson 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. New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday (April 25) slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his no shortage of oxygen in any private or public COVID-19 hospital remark. Congress General Secretary Vadra hit out at the UP CM and said only an "insensitive" government can make such a statement. Quoting several media reports of oxygen shortage in the state, Vadra tweeted, "Just imagine yourself in the place of those patients who are told that they will not get admission due to lack of oxygen. 'Oxygen is low, take your patient'." "Only an insensitive government will give such a statement," she said attacking the UP CM. On Saturday, Adityanath had claimed that there is no shortage of medical oxygen in any private or public COVID-19 hospitals in the state. The UP CM had also stated earlier that those who spread rumours about oxygen shortage in the state their properties will be seized. Further, sharing a media report on this statement, Gandhi addressing Adityanath tweeted, "Mr Chief Minister, there is an oxygen emergency in the entire state." "If you want to file a case against me, seize my property, do so. But for God's sake recognise the seriousness of the situation and get down to saving people's lives immediately," the Congress General Secretary added. Uttar Pradesh on Sunday (April 25) recorded 38,055 fresh COVID-19 cases and 223 fatalities, pushing the total tally to 10,86,625, as per an official statement. (With inputs from PTI) Live TV Idaho National Laboratory has turned to its own backyard to test how small hydropower plants can serve as reliable sources of startup power during outages. Working with Idaho Falls Power, a municipally owned utility, INL researchers this week performed tests to see how the city's turbines and generators might be ramped up quickly with help from energy storage devices. The project also tested how the utility's control systems can be made more stable and responsive during emergencies. The city of Idaho Falls owns five power plants on the Snake River, from the Upper Power Plant north of the city to the Gem State Dam just to the south. These plants generate enough power to meet about one-third of the city's needs. The rest of its power is purchased wholesale. All the power on the regional grid is managed by what is called a Balancing Authority. Idaho Falls first reached out to INL after an outage in early December 2013 left about 3,500 residents in subzero cold for three hours. To cope with a Rocky Mountain Power blackout already going on, the Balancing Authority ordered Idaho Falls Power to shed 35 megawatts in 30 minutes. Load shedding becomes necessary when transmission and distribution lines are in danger of becoming overloaded, putting an entire system at risk. In 2016, Idaho Falls and INL began investigating "black start" and "islanding" capabilities. Black starting is basically jump-starting a local grid with equipment and electricity that's immediately available. Islanding involves powering the local grid when outside power is not available. It's not as easy as just flipping on the lights, said Thomas Mosier, INL's energy systems group lead. By themselves, small hydropower plants like the one in Idaho Falls can't restart a localized grid during a widespread outage. But with energy storage, these plants may be able to provide adequate frequency and voltage stabilization to avoid disruption in service. "The grid is changing very rapidly," Mosier said. "What we are focusing on here is using existing power generation in new ways to improve reliability and resilience. The tests performed this week demonstrated that small hydropower plants like Idaho Falls', combined with integrated energy storage technologies may prove to be as nimble as natural gas when it comes to load following (i.e. responding to demand)." "It is important that we have the confidence and capacity to provide for our community in the event of an emergency," said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. "INL employees live in this community and so a collaboration is very meaningful because it will not just help Idaho Falls, but the surrounding communities as well." This week's tests were especially focused on ultracapacitors. Unlike batteries, which take hours to charge, ultracapacitors can deliver quick bursts of energy, then just as quickly store energy and capture excess power that might otherwise be lost. To isolate the city's generators and test them in various configurations, two 6-megawatt load banks were brought in. A load bank is kind of like a giant toaster oven, filled with resistive elements. Used to test an electric power source that has been disconnected from its normal operating load, they draw the current and dissipate it in the form of heat. The data collected this week will be fed into INL's Digital Real-Time Simulators, which can offer insight into how grids will act and react under different conditions. In preparation for this week's tests, these computers were used to model possible outcomes and minimize the risks of failure or equipment damage. "If we can solve this, it opens up capabilities for a lot of communities that have small hydro systems like ours," said Ben Jenkins, who is managing the project for Idaho Falls Power. "It helps Idaho Falls, but it could have a much broader impact on the national grid." ### INL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory that performs work in each of DOE's strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and environment. INL is the nation's center for nuclear energy research and development. Day-to-day management and operation of the laboratory is the responsibility of Battelle Energy Alliance. Tunisia towards new IMF funding program Reforms to stabilize economy, prompt growth requested (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, APRIL 26 - On May 3 a delegation of the Tunisian government will be in Washington to negotiate a new program of funding with the heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the US department of the Treasury, well-informed sources of the Tunisian government said. The same sources noted that, in order for negotiations to be successful, a credible, detailed plan of economic reforms will need to be presented. Six are the main issues of this plan: liberalization of the economy and an improvement of the entrepreneurial climate, improvement of the fiscal system, reform of the public function, transformation of public companies and a program of investments to relaunch the economy. The promises for a green light to the plan proposed by the North African country are good, given the international support to Tunisia in recent times. In a letter sent to Tunisian Premier Hichem Mechichi, IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva assured that "the IMF will remain a trustworthy partner for Tunisia". "I agree with you - noted Georgieva - that the program will need to reach a double objective: stabilizing the economy in the immediate future and reaching sustainable growth, respecting the environment with significant job growth in the medium term. As far as reforms are concerned, I agree with you on the fact that it is fundamental to tackle with decision the problem of sustainability of public finances and debt, implementing ambitious reforms of public companies, salaries of the public administration and energy subsidies, as well as the entrepreneurial climate, stability of the financial sector and financial inclusion, social protection and governance". The IMF has also welcomed with favor the fact that reforms that are a priority for Tunisia have been discussed by the government, social actors and international partners. "To guarantee a vigorous recovery, it is fundamental to rely on a program of reforms that will be the product of this dialogue and deal with the main vulnerabilities and challenges in the country", added Georgieva. The IMF has tasked its team with starting technical talks with Tunisian authorities and receive the program of reforms following a formal request of the Tunisian government on April 19. (ANSAmed). Western countries will continue to support Ukraine and will continue to provide their assistance to our country to quickly overcome the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster. The corresponding statement was made by the Ambassadors of Germany and Great Britain in Ukraine, as well as the Deputy Head of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine during an online discussion of Kyiv Security Forum, organized by Arseniy Yatsenyuk's Open Ukraine Foundation, the forum's press service reported on Monday. Thus, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen noted that Germany continues to provide assistance to Ukraine even 35 years after the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. She also stressed that the most famous international project on safety at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant is the construction of a new safe shelter over the old sarcophagus of the fourth power unit. "This unique masterpiece of modern technology should protect the environment from the radioactive remnants of a destroyed reactor for at least a hundred years. Germany has directly contributed about EUR 100 million to the project, the total cost of which is more than EUR 2 billion. All these assistance measures can only try to slightly reduce the harm caused and alleviate the terrible suffering," said Feldhusen. In turn, British Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine Melinda Simmons said that it is impossible to fully assess all the losses and negative consequences for humanity that were caused by the Chornobyl accident even 35 years after the accident. The diplomat noted that today British engineers are involved in projects that guarantee the safety and stability of the Chornobyl zone, including a new safe shelter. Simmons said that the total cost of the shelter is EUR 2.1 billion which is the largest international nuclear safety cooperation project supported by 40 countries, including Britain. This example of international cooperation in the field of nuclear safety shows that we have come a long way since 1986, and this gives us the hope for the future that such a tragedy will never happen again, said Simmons. The United States also reminded of its support for Ukraine. Thus, deputy head of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, Joseph Pennington, said that the transformation of Chornobyl remains a long-term challenge, but Ukraine will not have to cope with it on its own. He stressed that the United States, along with the rest of the international community, will continue to support Ukraine to ensure the future energy and nuclear security of not only this place, but Ukraine as a whole. The diplomat noted that no other nuclear accident in history has been more serious in terms of costs and casualties like the Chornobyl accident and clarified that thanks to cooperation between Ukraine and the United States, significant success has been achieved in overcoming the consequences of the disaster. According to Pennington, the United States is proud to become the largest donor to the New Safe Shelter project, which covers the site of the disaster of the reactor of the fourth Chornobyl power unit. ( ) Francesco Gardin caught up with Proactive London to explain their new business strategy which will be more focused on cryptocurrencies. The firm will be changing their name to Quantum Blockchain Technologies PLC and will be implementing a '180 degree u-turn' to their business model. This will accelerate their recent investment focus away from the leisure and hospitality sectors, and towards the technology sector. In a notice calling a general meeting, it has confirmed that technology alone is where it really wants to be in future, specifically in the areas of blockchain, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies and quantum computing. Expanding its manufacturing capacity further by adding three Single-Use Bioreactors (SUBs) Bengaluru based Kemwell Biopharma, a biologics contract development and manufacturing service provider, has recently augmented its existing infrastructure. As part of this expansion strategy, the company has installed Ambr 250, a high throughput equipment with 12 fully automated mini bioreactors at a 250 ml scale to accelerate process development. Ambr 250 enables setting of 12 different media conditions, temperatures and gases, helping the client projects identify the most optimal process leading to higher titer while reducing the cost per experiment and thereby enhancing in-lab productivity. In addition to Ambr 250 , 3 more 5 L scale glass bioreactors are installed and now houses a total of 12 bioreactors of 5 and 10L scale. The company is also looking forward to meeting the demand of its customers by expanding its manufacturing capacity further by adding three Single-Use Bioreactors (SUBs) this month. It plans to install 100L (R&D), 200L and 1000L SUBs in its existing cGMP plant to support process scale-up and preclinical toxicology batch and early clinical trial supplies., which are expected to be operational by October 2021. With the above addition, Kemwell will have 5000L of cGMP manufacturing capacity and has a further investment plan to install an additional 12,000L of bioreactor capacity in an existing shell space of 26,000 sq ft for an investment of Rs 1500 Million. Kemwell is exploring strategic partnerships with biopharma players in the ecosystem to fit out this additional capacity which can be executed within 12-15 months. The company offers proven expertise in supporting biotech companies with process development, clinical and commercial manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins and other mammalians cell culture proteins at their state-of-the-art facilities located in Bengaluru. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 01:22:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's ruling party on Monday assured Nigerians that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government will continue and strategically deploy all state resources in achieving public safety. John Akpanudoedehe, the national secretary of APC caretaker committee, who gave the assurance in a statement on insecurity in parts of the country, said the All Progressive Congress (APC) would not play politics with matters of life and the collective wellbeing of Nigerians. He said insecurity had found expressions in criminal activities of Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers, rustlers and recently the highly condemnable attacks on security formations in some states. These were the current realities, he said, stressing that the APC was fully focused on identifying and bringing to book "the perpetrators and sponsors of the hydra-headed insecurity monster." While saying that the APC was also focused on consolidating its visible development strides across the country, Akpanudoedehe urged Nigerians not to fall for "the plot of sectarian opportunists and unpatriotic partisans who swarmed the public space with divisive rhetoric in furtherance of their selfish plot to exploit the security situation." He said citizens must promote peaceful coexistence, eschew bitterness, and unite against insecurity and crime for national development. Nigeria, the most populous African country, have in recent months been troubled by a series of insecurity cases, including kidnapping, robbery, banditry and piracy. Enditem Animal prints spotted by six Blue Mountains trekkers have reignited a debate on whether big cats roam the region. Members of the #lostmtns trekking group found tracks on April 12 and 13 during a seven-day hike in very remote parts of the Yerranderrie region west of Sydney. The hikers believe the tracks were from a wild cat species derived from the offspring of feral and wild cats released into the bush in the 1940s and 50s. A 2003 inquiry into the existence of big cats in NSW found evidence for their existence was inconclusive but 'unlikely'. Paw prints (pictured) spotted by a group of Blue Mountains trekkers have sparked a debate among locals on whether black panthers roam around the popular tourist spot George Kaplan, 23, said the team of six spent a week hiking in the deep south of the mountains away from any trails or tracks. 'Where we were was completely isolated... to get there we had to abseil, we had to climb four of five different mountain tops, we were truly in the middle of nowhere,' Mr Kaplan told Daily Mail Australia. He said a few days into the walk, they came across a riverbed which water had receded from about 10 days earlier. 'There were dog prints, pig prints, goanna prints, [and horse prints],' Mr Kaplan said. 'And one thing we kept seeing was big cat prints... after seeing these second lots of cats prints we started to get really excited, we thought if anywhere this was going to be a hotspot for big cats.' Locals who make up the Blue Mountains Explore group found tracks (pictured) in remote parts of Mt Hay and the Yerranderrie region west of Sydney Mr Kaplan said it was the perfect spot for big cats, as the water source was high and there was evidence of many other animals which the predators would also be attracted to. 'Our theory is that it is a very large mountain lion or cougar or a lynx,' he said. 'Wild cats were released into the Blue Mountains bushland in the 1940s and 50s and we believe these big cats procreated with feral cats and have kept the big cat gene pool alive.' A video with the tracks sparked a debate about whether or not the prints were from wild dogs or indicated the presence of big cats in the region. Pictured: A grab from the video There have long been rumours of wild cats roaming around NSW and other parts of the country, but a 2013 inquiry into the matter government was inconclusive. The report said it was unlikely - but not impossible - big cats escaped from zoos, circuses, or private menageries into the wild. 'The Hawkesbury region west of Sydney and bordering the Blue Mountains has been a recent hot-spot for reports of large cats,' the report said. 'The nature of the available evidence does not provide sufficient proof that panthers [or other wild cats] exist in the wild in NSW.' The document did not reference the theory big cats were brought to Australia by World War II American soldiers in the 1940s as mascots. Followers of the popular social media account were split on whether the footprints (pictured) were from wild cats or canines Followers of the popular social media account were split on whether the footprints were from wild cats or canines. 'This is crazy! I saw a massive black cat/panther in the royal national park doing one of the tracks,' a commenter claimed. 'It literally jumped right past me from one side of the track to the other and did it so quickly and swiftly I wasnt even sure if I was seeing things.' Other people said they believed the tracks were from wallabies or dingoes. Some people believe big cats escaped zoos in the 1800s or were brought to Australia by American World War II soldiers in the 1940s as mascots. Pictured: Circus worker Herr Pagel about to tackle a lion at Wirth's Circus in Brisbane, 1903 'The first set of footprints shown are probably wallaby footprints that have been made in dry sand and then the wind has blown them a bit, making them less distinct,' one person wrote. 'Also, they're in a straight line, not side by side, and are a long way apart. Seems like they were made by a hoping animal not a walking one.' Others said the footprints looked like they were from canines. 'Its a dog/dingo print. Cats have retractable claws so you wont see the claw itself in the print. The claw is quite wide, also consistent with a dog,' another person remarked. By Carl Bildt STOCKHOLM Can Russia accept living peacefully next to a sovereign, independent, and undivided Ukraine? Or is open war inevitable? This has long been the paramount question for Eastern Europe, and it has abruptly returned to the fore with the massive buildup of Russian military forces in Crimea and along Ukraine's eastern border. Ukrainian independence was the issue that definitively broke up the Soviet Union three decades ago. While the departure of other Soviet republics would not necessarily have been an existential threat, Ukraine's declaration of independence absolutely was. It sealed the Soviet Union's fate, a collapse remembered by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the twentieth century. For two decades after the Soviet Union's breakup, Russia focused primarily on building its own state and forging its own identity. That changed when Putin decided to return to the presidency for a third term in 2012 having served a single term as prime minister while his crony, Dmitri Medvedev, held the presidency until Putin was constitutionally eligible to run again. Now, he embarked on a revisionist course to create a so-called Eurasian Union. Ukraine, meanwhile, had developed a strong preference for alignment with its Central European neighbors. And though these countries had joined the European Union, there was no reason why closer ties with them should weaken Ukraine's historical and cultural links with Russia. In this context, the EU's Eastern Partnership, which resulted in its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with Ukraine, was part of a broader attempt to meet Ukraine halfway. None of the EU-Ukraine trade agreements were incompatible with the trade agreement that Ukraine had with Russia. But the Kremlin saw things differently. Unable to accept these agreements, it started pressuring Ukraine's weak and vacillating president, Viktor Yanukovych, to turn away from the EU. That prompted a popular uprising that ousted Yanukovych who fled to Moscow and set the stage for the war that began in 2014. The Kremlin saw Ukraine as a weak and fractured state that would fold under sustained pressure. To justify Russian revanchism, officials subjected the outside world to lectures about how Ukraine was really just a collection of the pieces left over from defunct empires. While true to some extent, the same could be said about Russia and every other modern nation-state, depending on how far back one goes. Committed to the idea that Ukraine isn't a real country, the Kremlin seems to have convinced itself that snatching Crimea in early 2014 would precipitate Ukraine's collapse. The hope was that Russia could then carve out a so-called New Russia (Novorossiya) in Ukraine's east and south, while leaving a rump "Western Galicia" in what remained outside its control. With these grand ambitions in mind, Russia started deploying insurgents, "volunteers," and weapons, accompanied by a massive disinformation operation to turn Ukrainians against one another. But this effort failed. Invading other countries is rarely a good way to make friends, and this time was no exception. Instead of dividing Ukraine, the Kremlin managed to unite the Ukrainian population like never before. By 2014, Russia had to deploy regular army battalion battle groups to rescue what was left of its separatist redoubt in Ukraine's Donbas region. Since then, efforts to achieve a political settlement (through the two Minsk agreements) have failed. The ongoing low-level conflict has taken 14,000 lives and forced millions to flee their homes. While the Ukrainian public has had difficulties accepting some of the compromises that any settlement would entail, the real barrier to progress has been the Kremlin's refusal to give up its enclaves in Ukraine. The nationalist segment of Russian public opinion, the bedrock of Putin's support, will have a hard time swallowing "defeat" in Ukraine. Now, according to Russia's defense minister, Russia has amassed two full armies and three airborne units to Ukraine's east and south, supposedly for the purpose of holding military exercises. But exercise for what? The mobilization is clearly directed at Ukraine. Putin's own spokesman has explicitly said as much, claiming that Russia intends to intervene if necessary to prevent attacks on Russian speakers in Ukraine. Regardless of whether this brinkmanship leads to open conflict in the coming weeks or months (of this even Kremlin decision-makers probably aren't sure), the situation will remain dangerous until Russia gives up its revanchist ambitions. The question ultimately is about war or peace. Until Russia can accept living alongside a sovereign, democratic Ukraine, there can be no stable middle ground. The outcome has implications far beyond Russia and Ukraine. A successful Russian revisionist agenda would not stop with the reconquest of Kyiv, but rather would seek to unravel Europe's entire post-Cold War security order. That would be profoundly dangerous for everyone, not least Russia itself. As long as the Kremlin remains locked in confrontation with the rest of Europe, it will not be focused on building the democratic and prosperous future the Russian people deserve. One way or the other, the broader region's fate is now tied to that of Ukraine. Carl Bildt, a former prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden, was European Union special envoy to the former Yugoslavia, co-chair of the Dayton Peace Conference, high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995-97), and U.N. special envoy to the Balkans (1999-2001). This article was distributed by Project Syndicate ( ). Chennai, April 26 : With all major Tamil Nadu political parties agreeing on allowing Vedanta Ltd to operate its about 1,000 ton oxygen plant at its copper smelter plant in Tuticorin, the company said it is committed to make the entire capacity available for producing medical grade oxygen. The company, in a statement, said it is working with experts on how best to resolve the logistics of dispatching oxygen to critical areas in Tamil Nadu on priority and subsequently across the nation. However, the company declined to comment when IANS asked whether it has the compression and bottling plant at its copper smelter plant and about the purity level of the oxygen to be produced. The company was also silent when asked about the production capacity of liquid oxygen. Vedanta had told the apex court that based on the condition of the oxygen plant, production can be started in two or four weeks. Vedanta had approached the Supreme Court to allow it to protect and maintain its important assets in the smelter plant and permit it to produce 1,050 tonnes of oxygen and supply freely to nearby hospitals and to other states. Scott Distler: Finding a way out of 'the cave' What Jack Phillips would say differently to gay couple he refused to make wedding cake (interview) Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In July 2012, when the federal government and most states in the United States did not legally recognize gay marriages, a Colorado baker found himself the subject of an anti-discrimination case for refusing to make a same-sex wedding cake on religious grounds. Years later, Jack Phillips found himself before the highest court in the land, where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Phillips details experiences with the litigation, his upbringing and faith background in the book The Cost of My Faith: How a Decision in My Cake Shop Took Me to the Supreme Court, scheduled for release through Salem Books on May 18. In the book, Phillips documents his multiple legal battles over his decisions not to make a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding or a cake celebrating a gender transition. Even though Phillips eventually won his legal battle against the same-sex couple with a 2018 Supreme Court victory, he is still dealing with litigation surrounding his refusal to make a cake celebrating a gender transition for transgender attorney Autumn Scardina. In March, Denver District Court Judge A. Bruce Jones dropped one of the two charges leveled against Phillips, with the other being argued in trial court later that month; a decision is pending. The Christian Post recently spoke with Phillips, covering topics such as why he wrote his book, the struggle to convey his beliefs to those who disagree with him and how he felt about one conservative activists efforts to sue bakeries that refused to make a cake with an anti-gay message. Below are excerpts from that interview. CP: What led you to write this book? Phillips: The first thing that came to my mind about writing this book was that I want my kids and my grandkids to know the true story of what happened back there in July 2012 and what's happened since, as its difficult to find all of those kind of facts on the internet, or at least factual facts. CP: You mentioned in the book about wanting to go back to July 2012 to explain more to the same-sex couple about why you refused to make the gay wedding cake. What would have you said if you could have done it again? Phillips: The same thing I've been saying to hundreds of people ever since that I serve everybody who comes in my shop, but there are certain cakes that I can't create because of an inherent message or written message that the cake would contain and that I can't convey. In their case, it was a cake that had a different view of marriage. I believe the biblical view of marriage. Its between a man and a woman. I would gladly serve these people, these two men, any other cake, other custom works or sell them anything out of my showcase. [I would tell them] that it was not them that I was not serving. I was just declining to create a cake that went against my core beliefs. But they were welcome in my shop. That's what I would try and explain to them. I tried to explain it to this attorney, Scardina, that is suing me this go-around. We had a face-to-face meeting, Scardina and myself, this attorney. And in that meeting, I tried to explain that there are just certain cakes that I couldn't create and that I would gladly create other custom work for this attorney. It was just the particular cake, in this case celebrating a gender transition, that I couldn't create. CP: It seems like, again and again, many people are failing to see the nuances of your stance. You willingly serve same-sex couples, but you will not perform services that convey certain messages. You do not hate the members of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, but you do oppose their actions against you. Why do you think it is so hard for many people to see these points, even though you have explained them over and over again? Phillips: A lot of that, I believe, comes from the media's portrayal of me, and that's one of the reasons that I wanted to write the book. They portray me as somebody who's intolerant and somebody who won't serve different groups of society. But, again, its just cakes. I also don't create cakes that celebrate Halloween or cakes with alcohol in them or cakes that denigrate other people, including the people who identify as LGBT. CP: In the book, you described the experience of watching the oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court in person. You talked about it being a very different environment. What would you say were the most surprising experiences of the arguments in person? Phillips: Its just not traffic court. This is the United States Supreme Court. And just watching the nine justices file in, the reverence that everybody had, there are federal marshals making sure that there's no noise, that its a very solemn and sobering experience. It was really something that everybody should be able to watch. To be able to observe and see how our Constitution is supposed to be played out in that regard. CP: While you did not mention him by name in the book, I noticed that you talked about the actions of Bill Jack, a conservative Christian activist who sued multiple bakeries in Colorado that refused to make an anti-gay cake. What is your opinion of his complaint? Phillips: With those three bakers, I would agree with their stance that they declined to create cakes that went against their messages because all Americans should be able to live and work freely according to their consciences, without fear of punishment from the government. And so, I agree that they should be able to say, that's a message I can't create, and I am not going to create it. And I would agree with them. CP: Bill Jack told The Christian Post in an interview in 2018 that he agreed with the bakeries he filed complaints against. As he put it, "I believe those bakeries have every right to deny me service for whatever reason they wish. But if they're going to apply the law equitably, they should have applied it against everyone." Do you believe that certain strategies like those of Bill Jack aimed at proving a point are necessary to help individuals like yourself since it did influence the Supreme Court's opinion? Phillips: That's not necessarily a tactic that I would take. I just want to run a cake shop and create cakes for my customers, and get to know my customers, and have them come back again and again, and become friends and like family. CP: What do you hope people take away from your book, especially readers who might disagree with your stance? Phillips: I admit that there are still always going to be people who will not agree with my stance, and I just want the chance to explain what that stance is. Its difficult for someone like me to put it in print, and we've done the best that we could. But like every interview that I have done, all of it has been an occasion to try and explain that I serve everybody, that I can't create every cake and that our Constitution protects that right. Every American should be able to make those decisions and be able to create or not create things according to their conscience without fear of punishment from the government. As India battles the unprecedented health crisis as the COVID-19 second wave grips the country, global support in the form of oxygen supplies, ventilators, raw material for vaccines, PPE kits and oxygen concentrators have started pouring in. On Sunday, the United States agreed to send essential raw materials to India required for manufacturing anti-Coronavirus vaccines. United States US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan dialled his India counterpart Ajit Doval and offered to send resources to the Serum Institute of India (SII) to scale up the production of the Covishield vaccine. The United States had earlier turned away from supplying raw material to the Pune-based manufacturer as President Joe Biden had been following the policy to vaccinate Americans first. After making repeated requests to lift the embargo on the export of raw materials, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took up the issue during his recent talks with his US counterpart Antony Blinken. India has been reeling under the deadly second wave of COVID-19, logging in over 3 lakh cases daily, which is the highest in the world. The country recorded 3,49,691 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest single-day spike since the onset of the pandemic. 2,767 people have died due to the disease in the last 24 hours. United Kingdom Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Sunday that "vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is being supplied to India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus." Shipment is expected to reach India by Tuesday. Johnson recently cancelled his India visit due to a surge in coronavirus infections. France France has offered to send a significant amount of oxygen respiratory equipment to India in the coming days to help the country deal with the COVID-19 crisis there. The assistance will also include ventilators, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. Macron also sent a message of solidarity to India facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. "France is with you in this struggle, which spares no one. We stand ready to provide our support," the President assured. Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel also lend her support to India amid the health crisis. Merkel said on Sunday that her government was preparing emergency aid for India as the country grapples with a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases. "To the people of India, I want to express my sympathy for the terrible suffering that COVID-19 has again brought over your communities," Merkel said in a message shared on Twitter by her spokesman Steffen Seibert. EU Besides, European Union (EU) has also agreed to support India. The European Commission activated its EU Civil Protection Mechanism and is seeking to supply oxygen and medicine to India after receiving a request from New Delhi. "Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "The EU executive is already coordinating with EU countries that are ready to provide urgently needed oxygen and medicine rapidly," European Commission for humanitarian aid Janez Lenarcic wrote on Twitter. Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had expressed solidarity with India and offered to support the country fight the crisis. (With inputs from agency) She won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her starring role in HBO's Big Little Liars. And on Sunday, Hulu dropped a first look trailer for Nicole Kidman's latest Liane Moriarty-based series Nine Perfect Strangers. The actress, 53, gave a creepy performance as a wellness resort guru who promises life-changing help to nine struggling city dwellers. New role: Nicole Kidman stars in the first look trailer for her upcoming Hulu mini series Nine Perfect Strangers that dropped Sunday night during the Oscars telecast In the clip, Kidman welcomes her clients to 'the Tranquillum House' where they will participate in a 10-day retreat. 'You want to get well? You want to heal? Surrender yourself to me,' she tells them. 'We are on the precipice of something great,' she pledges. However, the trailer reveals her unorthodox methods and the results that are clearly not what the 'nine perfect strangers' were anticipating. Convincing: The actress, 53, gave a creepy performance as a wellness resort guru who promises life-changing help to nine struggling city dwellers Scenic location: In the clip, Kidman welcomes her clients to ' the Tranquillum House' where they will participate in a 10-day retreat Awaiting their fate: 'You want to get well? You want to heal? Surrender yourself to me,' she tells them. 'We are on the precipice of something great,' she pledges Pushing the envelope: However, the trailer reveals her unorthodox methods and the results that are clearly not what the 'nine perfect strangers' were anticipating Kidman reunites with her Big Little Lies and The Undoing creator David E. Kelley and the two serve as executive producers on the project. The mini series is based on Moriarty's 2018 bestseller and in an interview with The Guardian, the Australian author explained her inspiration for the novel. 'We live in paradise. Most of us live such comfortable middle-class lives, and so, is it the desire for suffering? And this desire we all have for transformation,' she told the outlet. 'I can never see an article that says, 'Just change this one thing about your life and you'll be transformed forever' even though you know when you click on it, it won't work, I find it irresistible,' she added. Joining Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers are Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, Luke Evans, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall and Samara Weaving. Hulu has not yet announced a premiere date for the streaming series. On board: Melissa McCarthy co-stars with Kidman and is also serving as an executive producer Drama: The mini series is based on Liane Moriarty's 2018 bestseller and reunites Kidman with her Big Little Lies and The Undoing creator David E. Kelley Colorado will send an eighth congressperson to the U.S. House of Representatives for the next decade, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday, as a result of the state's population boom over the past ten years. The announcement comes as the census bureau continues to finalize the agency's decennial census data, where every U.S. household is counted, so political representation among the 50 states can be apportioned equally for the next decade. Colorado will gain a seat in congress, while other states that either did not grow faster than the U.S. as a whole, or lost population will lose seats. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will all lose one congressional seats. Florida, Oregon, Montana and North Carolina will also get one new seat. Texas is the only state getting two new seats in congress. Monday's official tally puts Colorado's apportionment population at 5,782,171, up 15% in the past ten years, outpacing growth in all but five other states. The reapportionment announcement came months later than normal this year, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic that paused the census bureau's work in 2020. The decennial census data is also usually available now, but will not be finished until August or September of this year, causing delays in the high-stakes process of redrawing the state's congressional map with a new district. This year, for the first time, Colorado's redistricting process will be carried out by bi-partisan panels of non-politicians, selected from the public, after Colorado voters in 2018 overwhelmingly approved the "independent redistricting commission" model for redistricting. The shift to independent commissions is a growing trend among a minority of states that have chosen to take the district drawing process away from politicians whose fortunes depend on the mapping process, and instead have citizens draw the maps in open hearings, based on several criteria and with input from the public. In most states legislators draw the maps without the same kind of transparency or public inclusion. Proponents of the independent commission model for redistricting argue it leads to maps that better serve constituents rather than the interests of politicians. Colorado's two redistricting commissions have begun to meet, but haven't started drawing maps. One will redraw the state's congressional map to include an eighth district, and the other will redraw the state's legislative districts but without changing the number, only adjusting the districts to have near-equal populations. The delay in census data has caused problems for the new commissions, because the new voter-approved process calls for numerous hearings where the public can view drafts of maps and offer recommendations. It also requires the commissions to finish their work by November, and both aren't possible. The delayed Census Bureau data has tangled the state's new redistricting process. The commissioners have pondered using Census estimates, but that would mean changes when official data is released. The new political maps are due soon, ahead of 2022 elections. State lawmakers have drafted a bill that attempts to allow the use of 2019 census survey data for the first round of public maps. The bill has gotten initial committee approval, but might also require the state supreme court to weigh in, because the commission process was written into the state constitution. The commissions haven't formally chosen how to handle the delay. Meanwhile, groups are beginning to make their interests known on how the new congressional lines should be drawn. Earlier this month, three rural counties' associations unveiled a map they would prefer, which would provide two expansive rural districts, leaving the remaining six districts to be drawn within the state's dense front-range corridor, extending from Colorado Springs north to the Wyoming border. Colorado's rural counties call for congressional district shakeup Colorados rural counties are among the first organized coalitions beginning to make their m As the process goes on, other interest groups will submit mapping ideas and suggestions for the new district. The commission will have to weigh the ideas against the required criteria: compactness, contiguousness, population equality, preserving existing political boundaries, respecting communities of interest and competitiveness, as well as complying with the federal Voting Rights Act. The congressional redistricting commission abruptly and unanimously stripped the chairman of his role after his inflammatory Facebook posts were reported by The Gazette and others. The news was roundly heralded by the political class. Today Colorado officially learned that well be adding an 8th Congressional District for the 2022 election, which means another voice representing our Colorado values in Washington D.C., said Governor Jared Polis. Over the last 10 years, we have seen incredible growth and transformation in our state, and were thrilled that Colorado will have more representation in our nations capital." The chairs of the state's two major parties cheered the announcement, with the Democrats' Morgan Carroll calling it "good news all around for Colorado" and the Republicans' Kristi Burton Brown pronouncing it "great news for Colorado and great news for Republicans." Said Carroll: "Our state has grown so much over the past decade, with Colorado becoming one of the most-watched states in the union, and we have continuously punched above our weight at the national level. A new congressional district means more representation for the people of Colorado, and that is welcome news. Burton Brown used the occasion to articulate a series of the GOP's familiar partisan talking points. "Come 2022, Coloradans will send another strong, conservative leader to D.C. to fight for our state," she said. "Colorado Democrats are solely focused on an extreme agenda that prioritizes raising taxes, packing the Supreme Court, and destroying our healthcare system meanwhile, Colorado Republicans are presenting an agenda that aims to lower taxes, protect our environment, and support our students and parents." Colorado last added a congressional district after the 2000 census. Covering most of the western and northwestern suburbs around metro Denver, the new 7th Congressional District was drawn to be competitive and wound up with the closest congressional race in the country in 2002, the first election to fill the seat. After a recount and court battle over provisional ballots, Republican Bob Beauprez, a former chairman of the state GOP, prevailed over then-state Sen. Mike Feeley, a Lakewood Democrat, by just 121 votes. Beauprez won a second term more easily in 2004, but gave up the seat for an unsuccessful run for governor in 2006. Democrat Ed Perlmutter then won the seat and earned an eighth term last fall. Bill to have preliminary redistricting maps rely on survey data sails through first hearing A panel of lawmakers gave unanimous approval to a bill that aims to fix the state redistricting commissions census data delay problems, by deeming survey data appropriate to use for the preliminary maps, instead of waiting for the U.S. Census Bureaus official decennial census data. Colorado grew from five to six congressional seats ahead of the 1982 election. Republican Jack Swigert, an on the troubled Apollo 13 mission, won the new Republican-leaning 6th CD, which covered Denver's western and southern suburbs. But Swigert died on Dec. 27, 2002, just days before he would be sworn in, following a brief battle with bone cancer. Dan Schaefer, a Republican state senator from Lakewood, was elected in a March special election to fill Swigert's term in a special election and was re-elected seven times until his retirement after the 1998 election. New Delhi, April 26 : Continuing its dream run in India, Apple shipped over a million iPhones in the country in the otherwise dull first quarter of 2021, growing close to an impressive 90 per cent (on-year) during the three-month period. As per early estimates from market intelligence firm CyberMedia Research (CMR), iPhone 11 and XR accounted for 67 per cent of Apple's shipments during the January-March period. On the back of increased domestic assembly, Apple iPhone 11 shipments increased 176 per cent (on-year) in the first quarter. "Apple has had yet another exceptional quarter in India, shipping over a million iPhones for the first time in, what is traditionally, a lull quarter," Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, told IANS. Apple iPhone shipments gained in strength on the back of the enduring brand equity that Apple enjoys in the country and also, in part, "driven by evolving consumer understanding about tech not being a luxury, but a necessity", Ram added. In the festive quarter (Q4) of 2020, Apple for the first time doubled its smartphone market share in India to nearly 4 per cent. Despite arriving in October, the iPhone 12 contributed significantly towards the rise of Apple in Q4 (October-December) in the country. The tech giant had registered over 60 per cent growth (yea-on-year) in its India business in the full year 2020 while for the festive quarter, the growth was an impressive 100 per cent (YoY). "As we move ahead, Apple does face some pandemic-related supply and demand side challenges, but we expect it to maintain its growth trajectory in H2 2021 and beyond," Ram noted. According to Anand Priya Singh, Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, Apple's continued success in India is on the back of increased shipments of its older generation models, including the iPhone 11 and the XR, and the good reception that the new iPhone 12 has got. "Increased local assembly of iPhones, including iPhone 12, along with aggressive marketing, will continue to contribute to Apple's success in India in the time ahead," Singh emphasised. In yet another fillip to the Make in India and domestic manufacturing dream of the government, Apple will soon produce its flagship and environment-friendly iPhone 12 smartphone in India for the local customers. Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 with iPhone SE. Today, Apple manufactures some of its most advanced iPhones in India including XR, iPhone 11, and now iPhone 12. Delta variant is approx 40pc more transmissible: Hancock 06 Jun 2021 | 8:14 PM London, Jun 6 (UNI) United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock has said that the Delta variant of the Corona virus is around 40 percent more transmissible compared to the Alpha variant and 'makes life more challenging'. see more.. Strong winds, floods cause 14 deaths in Sri Lanka 06 Jun 2021 | 7:32 PM Colombo, Jun 6 (UNI) At least 14 people have died in Sri Lanka due to powerful winds and floods that have been ongoing in the island nation for several days. see more.. Taliban kill 14 Afghan soldiers, 37 under siege : Reports 06 Jun 2021 | 7:23 PM Kabul, June 6 (UNI) Total 14 Afghan soldiers died while 37 others are under siege by the Taliban militia during an altercation between the two sides in northern Afghanistan. see more.. Earth Anthem calls for reimagining our relationship with Earth and each other 06 Jun 2021 | 7:15 PM Anatavario, Jun 6 (UNI) On the World's Environment Day 2021, Earth Anthem written by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K was recited by several poets, actors and actresses, musicians calling upon people across the world on Saturday to imagine the whole planet as our home and express solidarity with all species inhabiting the planet Earth by restoring ecosystem's . see more.. The alpha designation used to describe wolf hierarchy is based on research on captive wolves. Credit: Bjarne Henning Kvaale / Shutterstock / NTB You may have heard that a wolf pack is led by an alpha pair. Given this designation, it's easy to imagine that a pack consists of young adults and older animals in a strict ranking system. You can imagine that relatives, newcomers and challengers are all part of the system. Maybe some of these wolves might challenge the alpha male to take over leadership of the pack? On the Howstuffworks website, for example, you can read that wolves follow "an incredibly sophisticated group hierarchy," and that wolves naturally organize themselves in packs for stability and to help each other with hunting. The pack structure is said to include a "beta wolf" who is the deputy and the "omega wolf" who is at the bottom of the rank, and often the victim of bullying. In reality, wolf packs are usually much less complicated. Doesn't work for wolves in the wild Calling wolves alpha and beta animals comes from research on wolves in captivity, says Barbara Zimmermann. Zimmermann is a professor at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences who studies wolves. "The leader is called the alpha male. Then there may be several rank levels, beta, gamma and so on. But this is not a concept that works for wolves in the wild," she says. Most wolf packs simply consist of two parents and their puppies. The group may also include one- to three-year-old offspring that have not yet headed out on their own. "The adults are simply in charge because they are the parents of the rest of the pack members. We don't talk about the alpha male, the alpha female and the beta child in a human family," Zimmermann said. Battle for leadership in captivity So how did the idea for the alpha wolf come about? Rudolf Schenkel wrote about social structure and body language among wolves in 1947. Schenkel studied wolves at the Basel Zoo in Switzerland, where up to ten wolves were kept together in an area of 10 by 20 meters. He saw that the highest ranked female and male formed a pair, and that the hierarchy could change. "By continuously controlling and suppressing all types of competition within the same sex, both 'alpha animals' defend their social position," Schenkel wrote. According to another well-known wolf researcher, David Mech, it was Schenkel's work that gave rise to the idea of the alpha wolf, according to The International Wolf Center website. As early as 1947, Schenkel mentioned that it was possible that wild wolf packs consisted of a monogamous pair, their puppies and one- to two-year-old pups. But this information was overlooked. Rudolf Schenkel's work had great influence, said Ane Mller Gabrielsen, a senior research librarian at NTNU, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In 2015, she completed her doctorate on "Power and meaning in the conflict zones over keeping dogs." Her dissertation describes research on pack structure in wolves, and how it in turn affected views on dog training. Pecking order Another Norwegian, Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe, also contributed with important insights. Schjelderup-Ebbe established the term "pecking order " in the 1920s to describe relationships among chickens. This describes how chickens can be aggressive towards birds below them in the social hierarchy, but not towards those above them. "The concept of the pecking order became very popular. It had great influence on the whole view of science at that time, at least in research that had to do with living organisms. It was seen as an underlying dominance principle that structures society and behavior," Mller Gabrielsen said. A moose meal in the snow. Credit: Andrew Astbury / Shutterstock / NTB Popularized the alpha wolf concept A great deal of research was done on the wolf's pack structure in the 1960s and 1970s, but this was mainly on wolves in captivity, Zimmermann said. For example, Erik Zimen, a Swede, worked with social organization among wolves in captivity. These wolves were not necessarily related and were kept in an unnaturally small area. In 1970, the book The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species was published, written by David Mech. It was a success. The book helped to popularize the alpha concept, because many people referred to Mech's work. Mech has written on his website that he repeatedly asked the publisher to stop printing the book because much of the information is outdatedincluding the concept behind the alpha wolf. Nevertheless, the book is still being sold. "David Mech, the world's most profiled wolf researcher, used the terminology alpha animals in his early research. But by the time he realized that this was a mistake, the term had already taken root in the literature. He is now struggling to get this changed," Zimmermann said. Affected dog training The alpha wolf theory was of great importance in dog training, says NTNU's Ane Mller Gabrielsen. "This was true especially after 1970, when David Mech published his study. In addition, you have a number of other well-known names who published research based on animals in zoos. This gave us a pretty clear picture of the wolf as a very authoritarian animal with an almost a military ranking," she said. Dog training comes from the military, Mller Gabrielsen said. The military used punishment as a training tool. "Once the concept of the wolf and its strict hierarchy was established, trainers were more likely to use punishment. It wasn't just that the dog was punished when it did something wrong, you had to show the dog that you were the alpha wolf all the time," she said. Some of the methods involved physical punishment, such as taking the puppy by the scruff of the neck and shaking it. These ideas became less widespread in the dog training literature throughout the 2000s. "Most of what has been published in books since 2000 is so-called positive training, which is reward-based dog training that uses the least possible punishment and no physical punishment. So there has been a very big change," Mller Gabrielsen said. Close contact with wolves In 1999 and 2000, David Mech published two articles in which he tried to correct the popular misunderstanding about how a wolf pack is organized. By that time, Mech had studied wild wolf packs on Ellesmere Island in Canada for 13 summers. He was able to acclimatize one of the wolf packs to his presence. That allowed him to study the pack up closeup to one meter, over several years. He wrote that what was commonly called the alpha pair was simply the parents of the rest of the pack. As parents, they consequently led the pack's activities. "Dominance fights with other wolves are rare, if they exist at all. During my 13 summers where I observed the pack, I saw none," Mech wrote in an article entitled "Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs." The parents decide The younger wolves were submissive to the parents. The parents controlled the distribution of food. The couple prioritized the youngest puppies to ensure they would get enough food if it needed to be shared. Older siblings may do the same thing, Mech wrote. All the animals eat at the same time from a large carcass. But if the carcass is small, the parents eat first and determine when the pups are allowed to eat, he wrote. However, there are also wolf packs that have a slightly different and exciting structure that we'll come back to later. How Norwegian packs are structured Barbara Zimmermann at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and her colleagues have studied pack cohesion in Norwegian wolves using GPS data. This has given them insights into how these wolves live together. David Mech spent a lot of time studying daily life in the wolf pack. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey by L. David Mech "A typical wolf pack in Scandinavia consists of six animals on average, most often the parents and four yearling puppies," says Zimmermann. A typical year for a Scandinavian wolf pack first involves a male and a female pair establishing a territory. They mark a large area in the forest with scent, which they patrol and defend against other wolves. The wolves mate in February-March and the young are born in May, in a den. While the female nurses the young, the male must hunt for the first few weeks. "At this time, moose calves are small. The male wolf eats as much food as possible and comes back and vomits it up for the female to eat," she said. After a couple of weeks, the female also begins to take hunting trips while the male remains in the den. Strong attachment "What is exciting about wolf pairs is that they are unbelievably faithful. They stay together all the time," Zimmermann said. Wolves are monogamous, and usually do not change partners until one dies. The denning period is mostly the only time when they hunt apart, Zimmermann said. "More than 70 percent of GPS positions from wolf pairs show they remain within 100 meters of each other. So they are incredibly dependent on each other," she said. After the denning period, the puppies are carried to a new location, which is usually by a carcass. Then the parents move in star shape around the area. After a few weeks, they are moved to a new location. In SeptemberOctober, the young are big enough to start following the adults. But even then they have a common location. The adults go out and hunt together in the evening. Then they go get the pups when they have killed their prey. Quick to become independent By November, the pups are so big that they start to wander a little farther away from their parents. But they stay within the territory. "There may be individual pups that hang around on their own before they come back to the rest of the pack after two or three weeks," Zimmermann said. "There is a lot of dynamism from November onwards, where you see that the pups gradually become more and more independent," she said. Most puppies leave the pack when they are one year old. At this point they have grown to the point where they look like adults. They usually reach puberty their second winter, but this can be delayed if they have remained with their parents. The first "wave" leaves the pack when the parents mate again, and the second group leaven when the parents have new pups. At this point, the young wolves go out in search of a partner and a suitable area to establish their own territory. Some young animals remain in their parents' territory for one to two more years. Zimmermann describes an example from her GPS studies. This wolf did not leave the pack as a one-year-old, like its siblings did. "We saw from the GPS data that it was constantly trying to get close to the adults that had new pups. Then it disappeared again, possibly it was chased away," she said. "But in the autumn it returned to the pack and was with the adults and its new siblings all winter, until February-March," she said. It ended up that this particular wolf established a territory right next to its parents, where there was available space. Two Canadian wolf pups with their mother. Credit: Pat Lauzon / Shutterstock / NTB Hunting in packs? The findings described above come from the report Ulvevalpers flokksamhold og omradebruk i Skandinavia (Wolf pups' pack cohesion and areal use in Scandinavia). The researchers wrote that the fact that the young gradually become more independent early on "stands in stark contrast to the perception that a pack of wolves is a close-knit unit that hunts in teams and moves together at all times." Zimmermann notes that it's usually only the parents that hunt. "The pups are usually not involved. The pups are not good at hunting themselves either, so they are pampered by the adults," she said. As a result, the one-year-old pups aren't necessarily that good at hunting before they head off on their own, she said. "They probably learn a bit from watching their parents, and they may sometimes be on some hunts. But it seems like they are very bad at hunting when they leave the pack," she said. "We have some data on lone wolves and what they kill. It's not much. It's almost a surprise that they survive. But they are canines, they manage to survive on little food," she said. But in some places in America, things are a little different. Here you can see large packs of wolves hunting in teams. Packs with many members There are video recordings, particularly from Yellowstone National Park, of large packs hunting together, Zimmermann said. In this situation, the pack contains several one- to three-year-olds. Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. "There are much higher prey densities and completely different conditions," Zimmermann said. "The thing is that when the wolf density increases and there start to be a lot of packs in very small territories, you see that the packs get bigger." There it is more common for the pups to wait longer to go out on their own. The packs can thus consist of the parents and offspring from the last four years. There have also been reports of cases from America where a wolf pair "adopts" a young male wolf that is unrelated, at least for a period. L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani wrote about this in their book "Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation." As a rule, these intruders are normally chased away or killed. "We have no documented cases of this in Scandinavia. This is something that has been published from Yellowstone," says Zimmermann. Other variations that can be seen in wolf packs is when one of the parents dies and a new partner comes from outside, perhaps with cubs in tow. It has also been observed that a daughter can become a partner with her stepfather and take over for an aging mother who remains in the pack. In large packs, it can even happen that two bitches give birth to puppies, both mother and daughter. The daughter is then still subordinate to the mother, but controls her own pups. In such relatively rare cases, it's possible that you can more rightly call the original pair alphas, Mech wrote in his 1999 study. "The point here is not so much the terminology, but what the terminology falsely implies: a strictly strength-based dominance hierarchy," he wrote. Packs with two mothers can later be split in two, if the daughter, for example, has mated with an adoptive male. Takes time to change The term alpha wolf is not widely used by wolf researchers today. But it is still well established in our consciousness, Zimmermann said. In the middle of a sentence, she corrects herself. "Alpha animals ... I mean the leader animals or the adults," she said. "As you can see, it's still in there. But that's completely wrong." In an article from 2008, David Mech wrote that it is said that it takes 20 years before new research fully sinks in. Perhaps this is also true for the concept of the alpha wolf. Explore further Endangered Mexican wolves welcome 7 pups at Albuquerque zoo More information: Kristoffer Nordli , Barbara Zimmermann, Petter Wabakken, Ane Eriksen, David Carricondo-Sanchez, Erling Maartmann, Hakan Sand & Camilla Wikenros: "Ulvevalpers flokksamhold og omradebruk i Skandinavia" (Wolf pups' pack relationships and areal use in Scandinavia) Hgskolen i Innlandet, 2019. Kristoffer Nordli , Barbara Zimmermann, Petter Wabakken, Ane Eriksen, David Carricondo-Sanchez, Erling Maartmann, Hakan Sand & Camilla Wikenros: "Ulvevalpers flokksamhold og omradebruk i Skandinavia" (Wolf pups' pack relationships and areal use in Scandinavia) Hgskolen i Innlandet, 2019. Ane Mller Gabrielsen: "Makt og mening i hundeholdets konfliktsoner" (Power and meaning in the conflict zones over keeping dogs), PhD dissertation, NTNU, 2015. Rudolph Schenkel: Expression Studies on Wolves, 1947. archive.org/details/SchenkelCa WolfStudy.compressed L David Mech. Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in wolf packs, Canadian Journal of Zoology (2011). DOI: 10.1139/z99-099 L. David Mech: "Leadership in Wolf, Canis lupus, Packs", Canadian Field Naturalist, 2000. L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani (Eds.): "Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation", 2003. Excerpt: books.google.no/books?id=_mXHu #v=onepage&q&f=false L. David Mech: "Whatever Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf?", International Wolf, winter 2008, International Wolf Center. This story is republished courtesy of ScienceNordic, the trusted source for English-language science news from the Nordic countries. Read the original story here. Founder and CEO of the Atta-Mills Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has visited the Fadama residence of Ghana's Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, to wish him well and Allah's continued guidance, as the Chief Imam hit 102 years a few days ago. Koku Anyidoho took the opportunity to formally introduce the AMI to the Chief Imam and recounted how the late President Atta-Mills never lost any opportunity to seek the counsel of the Chief Imam and other Religious Leaders. In his usual soft-spoken manner, the Chief Imam appreciated the visit of the AMI and wished Koku Anyidoho well in his new role as a nation-builder. As a spiritual father, Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu did not hesitate to offer prayers for Samuel Koku Anyidoho and the Atta-Mills Institute to walk through their God-given destiny and leave a lasting and positive impact on Ghana in particular and the world at large. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv on Sunday to protest a ruling by France's highest court over the killing of a Jewish woman. The French court ruled that the killer of Jewish woman Sarah Halimi was not criminally responsible and therefore could not go on trial. The announcement that the killer would not be sent to trial sparked outrage among the French and international Jewish community. The French community in Israel held protests in various locations at the same time as massive protests in France. Israeli lawmaker Yossi Taieb addressed protesters in Tel Aviv and said that the decision should be of concern, not just to French Jews, but to "all the French citizens and of France as a whole". Taieb, a member of the Orthodox Sephardic Jew Shas party, also expressed his support for the Halimi family. Halimi, a 65-year-old Jewish woman, died in 2017 after being pushed out of the window of her Paris apartment by her neighbor, Kobili Traore, who allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Arabic). Traore admitted pushing her. The ruling from the Court of Cassation, issued this month, said there was enough evidence to show the act had antisemitic motives. But the court said a person who committed a crime while in a "delirious state" cannot be sent to trial even if that state was caused by the habitual use of illegal drugs. Traore used to smoke heavy quantities of cannabis. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) On Friday a Yellowknife judge lifted a publication ban on reporting on the murder trial of James Thomas. The ban would have barred reporting on the trial until after a jury is selected for the trial of co-accused Levi Cayen. Cayen's trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 28, 2022. Instead, the ban will only come into effect 120 days prior to Cayen's trial. (Walter Strong/CBC - image credit) A publication ban that shut down reporting on a murder trial of a Hay River man for its first week has been lifted. On Friday, in a rare move for a judge, Northwest Territories Supreme Court Justice Andrew Mahar apologized for imposing the ban. "In the heat of getting the trial going I didn't give this issue proper consideration," he said. Reporters were in court last Monday morning for the start of the trial of James Thomas. He is charged with first degree murder and robbery in connection with the death of Alex Norwegian in Hay River in late December of 2017. The reporters left minutes later, after Mahar imposed a sweeping ban on all reporting on the trial until after the jury trial of co-accused Levi Cayen. In their request for the ban, prosecutors said it was necessary because any reporting on Thomas's trial would make it very difficult to find impartial jurors for Cayen's trial, which is scheduled to be held in Yellowknife starting Feb. 28, 2022. On Tuesday, after inquiries from CBC News, prosecutors acknowledged they had failed to provide the media with advance notice of their request for the ban. Notice is required by the rules of court. Though they failed to provide notice of the request for the overall ban, prosecutors had notified media of a ban they sought on publication of autopsy photos they planned to enter as exhibits. The ban was also not mentioned when CBC News contacted the prosecutors' office, a week before the trial started, to ensure media would have timely access to exhibits while the hearing took place. At the time, the prosecutor said copies of exhibits would be made available. On Friday, at the request of the prosecutors, Mahar changed the ban to allow media to report on Thomas's trial as it unfolds. The ban will now only come into effect 120 days before Cayen's trial. Failure to notify leads to change of heart Why did the prosecutor's change their minds? Prosecutor Stephen Straub told the judge that the Crown took another look at the ban it had requested after realizing it had failed to provide advance notice to the media. Story continues Straub said that, on review, the initial ban failed to strike the proper balance between protecting the fair trial rights of Cayen and the media's constitutionally protected right to report on the trial. Around the same time CBC News also notified the prosecutor it intended to challenge the ban and had engaged a lawyer, Tess Layton, who had successfully challenged a similar ban the Crown sought just five months ago. In that case, the prosecutor initially called for no reporting on the sentencing of two people who admitted to being accessories after the fact to the murder of a young woman in Yellowknife. The prosecutor initially requested the ban remain in place until jurors had been selected for the trial of Devon Larabie, the person accused of murdering the woman. No date had been set for Larabie's trial. In fact, his preliminary inquiry, to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial, has yet to be held. After CBC News indicated it would be challenging that ban, the prosecutor narrowed its request to a ban on only the facts of the case, as detailed in a summary, known as an agreed statement of facts. The prosecutor argued the facts were so graphic that they would stick in the minds of potential jurors, jeopardizing Larabie's right to a fair trial. CBC News challenged it anyway. In refusing to impose the ban, Justice Karan Shaner said, "the contention that the minds of potential jurors will be so poisoned by the contents of the [agreed statement of facts] that it will be too difficult to select an impartial jury is entirely speculative. This is something that the Court is being asked to accept as fact without an evidentiary foundation." Shaner went on to say, "the importance of the open court principle in a free and democratic society cannot be underestimated. It is a key element in holding the administration of justice accountable to justice system participants and the public at large." The sweeping publication bans the prosecutor applied for in these cases is a departure from a more restrained approach it took at the sentencing hearings of two others charged in connection with Norwegians death. In January 2019, Sasha Cayen and Tyler Cayen were sentenced after reaching plea deals with the prosecutor. At that time the prosecutor called for the same ban the court imposed in the Thomas case on Friday one that comes into effect only 120 days prior to any jury trial of a co-accused. No one at the prosecutor's office was available to explain in an interview why the Crown initially applied for a ban that would have delayed reporting on Thomas's trial for at least 10 months. An official pointed to a Public Prosecution Service of Canada Deskbook and said decisions on publication bans are based on the unique circumstances of each case. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 13:12:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHARAN, Afghanistan, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A district police chief was killed during a fighting with militants in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, the local police confirmed on Monday. "Abdul Rahim, police chief of Waza Khwa district, was martyred during clashes with armed militants in surrounding areas of the district on Sunday night," Shah Mohammad Arian, the provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua. The clash erupted when the police chief was leading a police unit for inspection and dispatching of supplies for security checkpoints in a mountainous region in the remote district. Rahim was the third district police chief killed in the region recently. Two district police chiefs had been killed in two separate incidents in neighboring Ghazni province earlier this week. The Taliban-led insurgency usually gets momentum in spring and summer commonly known as the fighting season in Afghanistan. Enditem This morning, Apple announced an acceleration of its US investments, with plans to make new contributions of more than $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the country over the next five years. Over the past three years, Apples contributions in the US have significantly outpaced the companys original five-year goal of $350 billion set in 2018. Apple is now raising its level of commitment by 20 percent over the next five years, supporting American innovation and driving economic benefits in every state. This includes tens of billions of dollars for next-generation silicon development and 5G innovation across nine US states. Tim Cook, Apples CEO: "At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states. Were creating jobs in cutting-edge fields from 5G to silicon engineering to artificial intelligence investing in the next generation of innovative new businesses, and in all our work, building toward a greener and more equitable future." Today, Apple supports more than 2.7 million jobs across the country through direct employment, spending with US suppliers and manufacturers, and developer jobs in the thriving iOS app economy. Apple is the largest taxpayer in the US and has paid almost $45 billion in domestic corporate income taxes over the past five years alone. Apples $430 billion in contributions to the US economy include direct spend with American suppliers, data center investments, capital expenditures in the US, and other domestic spend including dozens of Apple TV+ productions across 20 states, creating thousands of jobs and supporting the creative industry. Establishing a New North Carolina Campus As part of its investments and expansion, Apple plans to invest over $1 billion in North Carolina and will begin construction on a new campus and engineering hub in the Research Triangle area. The investment will create at least 3,000 new jobs in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields. Apple will also establish a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives in the greater Raleigh-Durham area and across the state, and will be contributing over $110 million in infrastructure spending to the 80 North Carolina counties with the greatest need funds that will go toward broadband, roads and bridges, and public schools. When up and running, Apples investments are expected to generate over $1.5 billion in economic benefits annually for North Carolina. Expanding Apples US Operations Apple is on track to meet its 2018 goal of creating 20,000 new jobs in the US by 2023. With todays new commitment, Apple is setting a target of creating 20,000 additional jobs in states across the country over the next five years. (Click on image to Enlarge) Construction for Apples $1 billion Austin campus is underway, with employees expected to start moving into the space next year. (Rendering: Studio8 Architects and WP Visions) California: Apple continues to expand its teams across the state and now expects to grow its San Diego team to more than 5,000 employees by 2026 a 500 percent increase from its 2018 goal. The company will also grow its teams in Culver City to more than 3,000 employees by 2026, expanding its state-of-the-art campus with additional space for these employees and more. Apple continues to expand its teams across the state and now expects to grow its San Diego team to more than 5,000 employees by 2026 a 500 percent increase from its 2018 goal. The company will also grow its teams in Culver City to more than 3,000 employees by 2026, expanding its state-of-the-art campus with additional space for these employees and more. Colorado: Apple is growing its engineering team in Boulder, and expects to have close to 700 employees at its offices in the region by 2026. Apple is growing its engineering team in Boulder, and expects to have close to 700 employees at its offices in the region by 2026. Massachusetts: In 2018, Apple announced it would add hundreds of new jobs in the Boston metro area. With around 200 team members already working in the region, Apple plans to add several hundred new jobs by 2026. In 2018, Apple announced it would add hundreds of new jobs in the Boston metro area. With around 200 team members already working in the region, Apple plans to add several hundred new jobs by 2026. Texas: Construction for Apples $1 billion Austin campus is underway, with employees expected to start moving into the new space next year. Washington: Apples LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Platinum office space in Seattles South Lake Union neighborhood recently opened for the companys 1,000 local employees, with plans to add at least another 1,000 team members. Apples LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Platinum office space in Seattles South Lake Union neighborhood recently opened for the companys 1,000 local employees, with plans to add at least another 1,000 team members. Iowa: The design process is underway for Apples new data center, which is expected to create over 500 construction and operations jobs in Waukee. Apple is supporting community infrastructure programs, including the creation of Triumph Park, a 66-acre recreation area. Apple has also surpassed its 2018 hiring commitments in Miami, New York, Pittsburgh, and Portland, Oregon. As Apple grows its teams and operations in the US, the company is committed to doing so in an environmentally responsible manner with a focus on renewable energy and green innovation. To date, nearly 60 of Apples US sites are LEED certified. Apple is carbon neutral for all of its operations in the US and around the world, and last year committed to be 100 percent carbon neutral for its entire supply chain and products by 2030. Creating American Jobs with Manufacturers and Suppliers Nationwide Apples $430 billion US investments include working with more than 9,000 suppliers and companies large and small in all 50 states, supporting American job creation across dozens of sectors, including silicon engineering, 5G, and manufacturing. To foster innovation and growth in the sector, Apple launched its $5 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017. Awards from the fund have led to breakthrough innovations in laser technology, sustainable material development, 5G infrastructure, and other cutting-edge fields. (Click on image to Enlarge) Apples $430 billion US investments include working with more than 9,000 suppliers and companies large and small in all 50 states. (Click on image to Enlarge) Corning is among the companies that have received awards from Apples Advanced Manufacturing Fund, designed to foster innovation and growth in the sector. Indiana: A new $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund investment to open a state-of-the-art facility and distribution center in Clayton, which will be operated by XPO Logistics, will accelerate delivery timelines and personalization. The award is expected to create around 500 jobs at the facility. A new $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund investment to open a state-of-the-art facility and distribution center in Clayton, which will be operated by XPO Logistics, will accelerate delivery timelines and personalization. The award is expected to create around 500 jobs at the facility. Kentucky: Corning was the first recipient of an award from Apples Advanced Manufacturing Fund, and has received $450 million to support research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment, and materials. These awards led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass. Apples investment has helped support more than 1,000 jobs across Cornings US operations in Kentucky and other facilities. Corning was the first recipient of an award from Apples Advanced Manufacturing Fund, and has received $450 million to support research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment, and materials. These awards led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass. Apples investment has helped support more than 1,000 jobs across Cornings US operations in Kentucky and other facilities. Texas: Apple began working with II-VI in Sherman, Texas, in 2017 as part of the companys Advanced Manufacturing Fund. The laser technology that II-VI manufactures in Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois are integral components that help power Face ID, along with Memoji, Animoji, and more. Apple began working with II-VI in Sherman, Texas, in 2017 as part of the companys Advanced Manufacturing Fund. The laser technology that II-VI manufactures in Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois are integral components that help power Face ID, along with Memoji, Animoji, and more. California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Washington: Apple is spending tens of billions of dollars across these nine states in silicon engineering and 5G technology two pivotal fields shaping the future of next-generation consumer electronics. With the launch of the 5G-enabled iPhone 12 lineup and the new iPad Pro, Apple has helped expand and expedite 5G adoption across the country, driving innovation and significant job growth among companies that support 5G innovation and infrastructure. The company also recently expanded its New Silicon Initiative designed to prepare students for careers in hardware engineering and silicon chip design to engineering programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country. (Click on image to Enlarge) Apple is carbon neutral for all of its operations in the US and around the world, and last year committed to be 100 percent carbon neutral for its entire supply chain and products by 2030. Apple is also making industry-leading investments in new clean energy projects and green technology in the US and around the world. Just last month, Apple announced a massive new US energy storage project in Californias Monterey County joining other energy storage projects the company has invested in, including its microgrid at Apple Park. Apple continues to be a clean energy leader through its $4.7 billion Green Bond spend, with recent investments in solar and wind projects in Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia bringing clean energy and high-paying jobs to local communities across the country. Apple also continues to support jobs in the innovative iOS app economy, which facilitated $138 billion of commerce in 2019 in the US alone. More than 85 percent of those proceeds go straight to third-party developers. Today, the App Store supports more than 2.1 million US jobs across all 50 states. OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2021 / betterU Education Corp. (TSXV:BTRU)(Frankfurt:5OGA) (the "Company" or "betterU") is pleased to provide an update from the Company's CEO, Brad Loiselle. Dear Shareholders, We would like to provide information regarding trading resumption as well as business development. In earlier March 2021, the Company had applied to the Ontario Security Commission ("OSC") for a full revocation of the failure-to-file Cease Trader Order that was issued by the OSC on September 18, 2020. As part of the full revocation process, OSC is required to complete a full review of the Company's continuous disclosure records. Over the last 8 weeks, the OSC have been diligent, prompt, and responsive to the Company with their review, comments, and requests. OSC's staff do require sufficient time to review the filings and provide comments regarding any deficiencies, as well as any outstanding items in connection with the revocation application. The Company then needs time to review and provide updates back the OSC. The Company continues to be responsive and comply with all their requests for clarification and updates. In connection with this process, the Company has been required to pay tens of thousands of dollars in late, application, review, and other related fees to all relevant Canadian exchanges. All fees, that the Company is aware of, have been paid. While we continue to move forward with the review process, the Company is advancing its business development efforts in the background, creating more shareholder value, establishing more efficiencies all while ensuring current customers are being serviced effectively. New product lines and platforms launched this month leveraging betterU's all-in-one skills platform: Work-Here Canada (" WHC ") - https://workhere-canada.com - WHC is a platform that supports Canadian Immigration opportunities backed by the Company's skills platform. The platform is working to: Simplify the immigration process, content, and provide more FAQs. Over 500 Quizzes curated from Canadian Government and added to our platform. CELPIP, IELTS, TEF language practice tests, support and information added to platform. Comprehensive Ranking System tool has been automated and developed to support immigrates in understanding their eligibility. ICCRC Certified Consultant partnerships have been engaged. Promotion of WHC's annual subscription program will commence early May to 126,000 of betterU's Facebook and LinkedIn followers from India. Indigenous Works Canada ("IW") - https://workskills.ca - IW is a platform developed in partnership with betterU that will be supporting Black Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC) in Canada's financial sector. Focus is to support individuals, partners and corporates related to career development, inclusion into the financial sector. Over 250 financial courses and job roles in the financial sector have been curated and added to platform. Promotion and marketing efforts with IW are expected to commence in May 2021. Together Skills (Global) - https://togetherskills.com - This business model has been developed to support Corporate clients that have multiple office locations or have a group of subsidiary companies that need separate, yet integrated training solutions. The Corporate head office would have access to an overall arcing platform. Each platform, while separate, are still integrated to each other and with the head office increasing their skills development efficiencies, communication, collaboration and management. Our efficiencies with our own SaaS model continues to increase and in doing so the development of structures such as this one now enables betterU to be able to support some of largest global companies' set-up within very short timelines. In under a week, the Company has already proposed and provided a fully operational demo of this structure to a global organization known to the company. The Company has developed a network of 49 companies, each separately branded, integrated into their own platforms, each having access to their own 3,700 courses across 200 categories, yet also all integrated into their parent company for support, management, and collaboration. The response has been positive and we will continue to work at moving the opportunities forward " Thanks so much for sharing this with me, the platform looks really interesting. Let me find the right person to share this with and get back to you. " " The Company will be proposing this structure to multiple global organizations in the coming months. The Company's SaaS model have proven to be more versatile and able to support even more industries, product lines and a larger global network. The following provides more details on our Value-Added Resellers and sales network partners that have been established by betterU to expand revenue opportunities across their global territories. Each partner has access to their own branded robust management system, up to 3,700 curated courses, are able to provide programs in their local currency, multiple languages and under their own brand. Emagined (Australia) - https://emaginedskills.com/en NRC - (Morocco) - https://skillmorocco.com/en UNICAF - (Cyprus) - https://unicafskills.com/en Better Media (Thailand) - https://skillthailand.com/en Better Media (India) - Coming soon Additional VAR set-ups underway, client RFP submissions and proposal that have been provided: Aerospace and Aviation Sector Council of India (VAR) - https://aviationskills.in/en BFSI Sector Skill Council of India (VAR) - https://bfsiskills.in/en Technoserve Africa (RFP) - https://technoserveskills.org Uzbekistan Government, NSDC India Government, Ontario Government (Proposals submitted). To support the Company's pivot to global operations, betterU had also established separate branches, with product and services set-up within each region supporting the unique differences within the territories. While the front-end market portal has similarities, the backend management system is customized. Skills Council of Canada (North America services) - https://skillscouncil.ca/en betterU Skills (Europe) - https://betteruskills.com/en betterU Skills (India) - Being updated Ready-to-go (NA product sales) - https://readytogo.betteru.ca The Company launched this month their Content Integrated Plugin that automates content integration across its global network of partners The company has developed a Content Integrated Plugin ("CIP") that integrates and updates each sperate VAR and client's website with the Company's backend management skills platform content. As each partner has different content needs in terms of topic and scope across thousands of courses, when a change occurs within the company's content database (in price, descriptions, deletions, inclusion and more), the Company needed the ability to automatically make the change that would be updated not only across all global management platforms, but also within their websites so no matter their independent uniqueness, everything would be kept current. This automation comes out of the lessons learned from the Company's previous Indian marketplace that required a team of people to manage this process, yet it still resulted in an inability to keep up with changes across thousands of courses and partners. The CIP now updates any partner's platforms to be updated completed in minutes, by the click of a button. The Company is in advanced discussions with multiple funding groups betterU has recently been approved for $49,788 in grants from Canada's IRAP program. betterU Europe is in advanced discussions with multiple investors. We are working hard to keep our momentum for 2021 going. With best regards, Brad Loiselle, CEO betterU About betterU betterU is an education-to-employment technology company offering an end-to-end solution leveraging business intelligence to automate skilling, reskilling, and upskilling for companies operating on domestic and global scales. The company supports all industries by providing them with everything an organization needs to launch and manage proper skills development programs, student work integrated learning and employee development, so that they can focus on what really matters: the growth of their people! betterU's Ready-To-Go platform provides access to a white labelled all-in-one skills platform that includes access to a library of 3,700 curated and developed skills courses, 800+ job role assessments, 1,000+ subject base assessments and a robust learning management system all hosted and supported by betterU. betterU also provides additional services to include a fully white labelled marketed program, in partnerships with betterU that includes a website that promotes the Company's strategic partners Ready-To-Go program across their territory. For more information, please visit https://corporate.betteru.ca On behalf of the board of directors. Brad Loiselle, CEO 1-(650) 267-8398 Email: ir@betteru.ca betterU Education Corp. Investor Relations Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: betterU Education Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/642169/betterU-Education-Releases-Ceo-Letter-to-Shareholders Why they call Mongolia the Land of the Blue Sky, seen above the Red Cliffs in the Gobi Desert. (Jason Newholm/Shutterstock) Modern Nomads: Finding Ancient Mobility in a Global World Its a moment of uncertainty. As I hold the bowl just below my chin, the fragrant, clear liquid is close enough to sniff. It smells earthy, like an animal. My friendly host stares at me, intently, a little confused, all of us frozen by my indecisionto drink, or not? Just half, this time, my guide, Ankhmaa Baatartsogt, whispers into my ear. This will be the final chaser, after an afternoon of strange, fermented drinks. Having powered through one bowl of this vodka, my Mongolian host waits for me to down my seconds. Im in the South Gobi Desert, visiting with nomads. Mongolia is a country where people are still tied closely to the land, where some one-quarter of their population of three million continue to follow their sheep and goats across seemingly endless horizons. With no fences for hundreds of miles, theyre always making their way to greener pastures. Traditional Mongolian gers can be relocated as the herd grazes on the plain. (mr.wijannarongk kunchit/ Shutterstock) Nomadic Cultures The persistence of nomadic cultures in a modern world has long fascinated me, as Ive traveled the globe. In Swedens far north, I dogsledded across the snowy landscape with the Sami, near the world-famous Icehotel. Learning how the eight seasons of these northern indigenous people remain defined by the grazing, breeding, and calving patterns of their reindeer, I jumped at the opportunity to hand-feed some of the herd. Traditional Mongolian gers can be relocated as the herd grazes on the plain. (mr.wijannarongk kunchit/Shutterstock) Gers on the grasslands in Monglia. (michel arnault/Shutterstock) In the rugged deserts of Jordans Dana Biosphere Reserve, I took tea and made bread over the fire with a family of Bedouins, whose people have long roamed across the Middle East. My host explained that, in a place where survival can depend on the kindness of your neighbors, hospitality is baked into their culture, with visitors able to stay for days without any question from their host. Urban gers in the city of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Monglia. (toiletroom/Shutterstock) But the best examples are perhaps here in Mongolia. On my first visit to the country, more than a decade ago, I chugged through on the southern arm of the Trans-Siberian Railway, spending time in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Home to about half the countrys population, at that moment, it was a city bursting at the seams, with glassy, half-finished office towers mixing uneasily with austere and shambling Soviet apartment blocks. Seeking an education for their kids, and modern employment, many families were in the process of moving off the land, bringing their portable, circular dwellings with them, forming a rambling neighborhood called the ger district. Lines of these white tents (which in other places, are often called yurts) spread across hillsides, stretching for miles. Coal smoke rose up from the stoves set up inside for cooking and warmth, and by evening, a heavy canopy of smoke hung low in the sky. Genghis Khan statue at Chinggis Square or Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar. (saiko3p/Shutterstock) The Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue is a 13-story-tall statue of Genghis Khan on horseback at Tsonjin Boldog near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. (saiko3p/Shutterstock) Mongolia Now, years later, here in the Gobi, I have a chance to get a tiny glimpse of the way these nomads have lived life for centuries. After flying down from the capital to a small landing strip, my guide Baatartsogt and I hop into a Land Rover. We roll into a world with no roads, racing across open plains while emitting a long rooster tail of dust behind us. Ill spend the next three nights at the legendary Three Camel Lodge, where the rooms replicate gers. But here, the tents are kitted out with cushy, comfortable beds, and big bathrooms. Plus, theres a spa on site. First, we search for dinosaurs, at the Flaming Cliffs, about 12 miles east of the lodge. Here, in the 1920s, archaeologists found a valley literally covered in bones. The richest-ever discovery at the time, it included the worlds very first dinosaur egg fossils. With rumors that odd prehistoric pieces will still pop up from the blazing sands, we search intently, to no avail, settling to watch a big orange sunset, with a glass of red wine in hand. An aerial drone photo of the Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, a 13-story-tall statue at Tsonjin Boldog near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. (Maykova Galina/Shutterstock) On our day trips, Ive spotted white gers all around. On our drive back to the lodge, I ask Baatartsogt whether it might be possible to have a look inside, and pay a visit? She nods, promising to make a few inquiries. The next day, were welcomed into a series of homes. Some of the basics of the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle, including a clan structure, were set as far back as the 3rd Century, BC. Tribes were formed from clans, with the strongest unit providing the tribe name, but weaker clans allowed to retain their own leaders and livestock. For thousands of years, these nomads roamed a vast territory, following their sheep and goats, which provided all the essentials for their families. Wool for clothing and mats and blankets, milk to drink and make cheese. Plus, skins for the walls and roof of the tents, and steaming bowls of mutton for nourishment in a harsh, often inhospitable climate. Dried dung was (and is, still) even used as fuel for fires. Camels and horses provided transportation, with mares milked more than half a dozen times a day, their milk fermented to create airag, an alcoholic drink still popular today. Hemmed in by mountains to the west, wetlands to the north and desert to the south, these natural features also provided Mongolians with formidable natural barriers against potentially hostile neighbors. Preparation of airag, fermented mares milk, the traditional and national beverage of Mongolia, inside a ger. (Emily Marie Wilson/Shutterstock) A big pot of airag, fermented mares milk, the traditional national beverage of Mongolia. (T-I/Shutterstock) Ghengis Khan, National Hero Ghengis Khan remains the national hero. Born into a nomadic family in the 12th century, his success in laying the foundation to the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world lay in his ability to unite these tribes. Khans portly statue occupies a prominent place in front of the parliament in Ulaanbaatar, and another one, astride a horse, 13 stories high, sits just outside of town. His image adorns the state currency. But those statues are a long way from where I stand today, although Khan might recognize the scene before me, all these centuries later. The space inside the ger isnt subdivided, and everything surrounds a stove in the center of the large, round room. Beds line the walls, and the few pieces of wooden furniture are painted in bright, intricate patterns. Evening view over a ger camp in Mongolias Gobi Desert. (mbrand85/Shutterstock) When the host couple offers us a drink, Baatartsogt is unfazed. Though shes a modern young woman who lives in the capital and wears western clothes, like many urban-dwelling Mongolians, shes not so far removed from the land. Im an airag girl, she tells me, and indeed she seems to enjoy her bowl of fermented milk. Im a little less certain, but Baatartsogt whispers in my ear that our host will be greatly offended if I refuse it. Three sips, she tells me, sotto voce. Its not so bad, milky and slightly sour. Proceeding to our next stop, we exit the Land Rover and pass a big herd of camels, entering a ger similar to the last. Here, the welcome drink is made from camels milk, and its rather thicker and less pleasant than the straight-up airag. Its followed up by the vodka, clear, with tiny bits in it. This time, you must drink the whole thing, the always-helpful Baatartsogt tells me, breaking the bad news with a smirk. And so, down it goes. I power through the whole allotment in a few hearty gulps, relieved that Ive finished until I see our smiling host refilling the bowl. Traveling through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia in a Land Rover. (Midkhat Izmaylov/Shutterstock) Shes misunderstood, my guide tells me. She thinks you loved it. That you want more. In the end, I drink just half. Taking my bowl, we sit on a mat, Baatartsogt translating. We chat for hours, me learning about the hard, beautiful, simple life of following the rains, and raising both a family and livestock, in this Land of the Blue Sky. No, Im not cut out for it. But returning to the lodge, Im just a tiny bit tempted to make my nightcap a glass of airag. Toronto-based writer Tim Johnson is always traveling, in search of the next great story. Having visited 140 countries across all seven continents, hes tracked lions on foot in Botswana, dug for dinosaur bones in Mongolia, and walked among a half-million penguins on South Georgia Island. He contributes to some of North Americas largest publications, including CNN Travel, Bloomberg, and The Globe and Mail. New Delhi: Senior BJP leaders and sitting MLAs Ghanshyam Tiwari, Narpat Singh Rajvi on Monday joined Congress in opposing Rajasthan governments gag law to protect ministers, lawmakers and government officials from being investigated without its prior sanction. This is a kala kanoon (black law) and I am against it, this is against the principles of the party. We did not fight against the Emergency to have a BJP government bring such a law, Tiwari said. Congress has launched a black band protest led by the leader of the Opposition Rameshwar Dudi and Sachin Pilot outside the state assembly against the gag law. The governments move to bring the ordinance and now a bill clearly shows that it has no respect for democracy and is working against the principles of democracy, Dudi told reporters. Earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi taking a dig at CM Vasundhara Raje had said, "Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817." ALSO READ: Rajasthan: Civil rights group PUCL demands repeal of ordinance shielding judges and bureaucrats BJP has defended the move and said the reason Vasundhara Raje govt brought this law was people filing false cases against public servants. The Rajasthan government had last month promulgated the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, that seeks to protect serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in the state from being investigated for on-duty action, without its prior sanction. It also bars the media from reporting on such accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe is given by the government. The Editors Guild said the law gives untrammelled power to even imprison journalists and endangers freedom of the press. Continue Reading: Vasundhara Raje govts new ordinance shielding public servants challenged in Rajasthan High Court For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Britain's medical regulator has accused ministers of 'stretching' its approval of controversial lateral flow tests for coronavirus. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) warned the way they are currently being used risks infected people assuming they are clear and safe to mingle with others. Regulators approved the controversial kits - which give a result in under half an hour - to be used as a way to find Covid cases, helping to keep schools and workplaces Covid-free after lockdown. But due to fears about the accuracy of the tests, the MHRA stressed they were not to be seen as a 'green light' for those who test negative to enjoy greater freedoms. The MHRA has expressed concern that the Government's universal testing programme may blur the line between the two. It warned the twice-weekly testing regime unveiled earlier this month was 'a stretch' of the rules for how the tests should be used. Boris Johnson today doubled-down on the tests, however, saying they 'offer great prospects' for the UK and are 'very useful' n helping to isolate cases. The Government has been criticised for rolling the lateral flow devices out for people to do themselves, despite manufacturers admitting they are built for professional use and on people with symptoms. Numerous studies have shown the kits are far less accurate when self-administered and leaked Department of Health emails earlier this month revealed senior officials fear they only pick up on 10 per cent of infections when done this way. No10 has spent more than 2billion so far on the tests, which were initially used to in schools and offices but are now available to everyone. The MHRA warned the tests shouldn't be used to give people further freedoms before and after their mass rollout began on April 5. (Stock image) Lateral flow devices were designed as the rapid alternative to PCRs, taking 30 minutes to give results compared to at least 24 hours with the initial tests. But scientists have raised concerns over how sensitive they are PCR AND LATERAL FLOW TESTS: THE KEY DIFFERENCES A PCR test can cost upwards of 180 per person, with the swab needing to be processed in a lab. The UK, on the other hand, favours faster tests which are not lab based and give a result within 15 minutes. These rapid coronavirus tests, known as lateral flow tests, are ones that can be done on the spot using portable equipment. They are faster and cheaper than lab-based PCR tests, which the government uses to diagnose people, but are less accurate. Advertisement The MHRA raised concerns over the mass rollout before and after the twice-weekly testing scheme was revealed on April 5, the Guardian reports. They fear people may take a one-off test before visiting loved ones indoors and presume a negative test means they are clear. But studies have shown they miss up to 40 per cent of asymptomatic cases when carried out by a trained medic. They are thought to be even less accurate when done by the user, which is how they are being used in Britain. MHRA officials have asked Matt Hancock's department to provide evidence over the accuracy of tests, and to carry out a public information campaign explaining their risks. 'False negatives carry a risk of unwitting onward transmission,' the MHRA said. 'Therefore, even with a negative test result people must continue to follow national and local rules and guidelines including regular handwashing, social distancing and wearing face coverings, where required.' The Department of Health said they had been clear nobody should interpret a negative test result or a vaccine dose as a green light to drop their guard. 'There is clear evidence that by using rapid testing we are identifying cases we would otherwise not find, allowing people to isolate, so they can prevent further spread of the disease and save lives,' they added. Mr Johnson told reporters during a visit to Wrexham: 'I do think that the whole lateral flow test issue is very important. 'The lateral flow tests offer great prospects for the country. People, I think, try to sort of rubbish them and say, "well, you get too many false positives". 'Actually, a lateral flow test can be very, very useful in helping to isolate cases of the disease, getting people to take themselves out of circulation and stop the speed of the spread of the disease. 'So, I'm a big believer in lateral flow tests and would encourage everybody to make use of them.' Experts have already raised concerns over the sensitivity of these tests in asymptomatic cases - where there are no tell-tale signs of the virus. A Cochrane review found they only pick up infections in asymptomatic people in 58 per cent of cases. The scientists warned, however, that this was based on a small sample size, suggesting the above figure may not be accurate. The World Health Organization says Covid tests should pick up at least 80 per cent of cases in infected people. Britain has purchased millions of lateral flow devices from American company Innova, which was founded by Chinese-born millionaire Charles Huang. The company makes most of its controversial kits in the US and at factories in China, although it has mooted plans to set up manufacturing centres in the UK. The Government is also investing in domestic suppliers to make more lateral flow devices, but these aren't expected to be able to manufacture at the same scale as Innova for months. People who are suspected of having the virus are offered PCR tests, which sequence the swab to detect the virus. This takes longer than a lateral flow test - about a day compared to 30 minutes - but is considered to be far more reliable. Islamabad: Pakistan has received another batch of one million doses of coronavirus vaccine from China to help it stem the spread of COVID-19 that has infected over 800,000 people and claimed more than 17,100 lives in the country. Three planes of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) airlifted from China the consignment of one million Chinese-developed Sinopharm vaccines on Sunday. The aircraft had left for China on Saturday. An additional two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will also be transported from China by the national flag carrier on April 29, said PIA Country Manager for China Qadir Bux Sangi. The new consignment arrives as Pakistan struggles to combat the third wave of the pandemic, which has threatened the earlier gains against the coronavirus when the country succeeded to contain the first two outbreaks. Last month, Pakistan received the second consignment of half a million doses of coronavirus vaccine from China. Earlier, China donated 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine on February 1, enabling Pakistan to launch its vaccination drive a day later. Pakistan has imposed smart lockdowns, ramped up vaccination programmes and deployed army personnel to help the civil administration in implementing the SoPs. The government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa imposed a lockdown in the Mardan district for seven days due to an increase in the rate of infection. Several other localities in the country are also under lockdown. Pakistan has administered more than 1.7 million doses of vaccine so far, which is a drop in the ocean for a country with over 220 million population. Pakistan's coronavirus tally crossed 800,000 on Monday after 4,825 new cases were detected, while another 70 people succumbed to COVID-19, taking the number of deaths to 17,187, according to the official data. The Ministry of National Health Services said 4,862 patients were in critical condition and the number of active patients was 89,219. The number of total cases has jumped to 800,452, it said. Live TV Seventeen migrants have been found dead in a boat drifting off the coast of Tenerife with three survivors airlifted to hospital. The victims - all sub-Saharan Africans - were found drifting off El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands, officials confirmed. A Spanish military helicopter airlifted three survivors - two men and a woman - to a hospital on the island of Tenerife. One of the men was in serious condition with 'severe dehydration'. It comes as migrant arrivals to the archipelago surge despite the deadly dangers of the crossing. A Spanish air force plane first spotted the boat some 265 nautical miles southeast of El Hierro on Monday morning. Seventeen migrants have been found dead in a boat drifting off the coast of Tenerife with three survivors airlifted to hospital. A Spanish military helicopter (pictured) airlifted three survivors - two men and a woman - to a hospital on the island of Tenerife It comes as migrant arrivals to the archipelago surge despite the deadly dangers of the crossing. Pictured: Migrants rescued in Gran Canaria on Sunday A search and rescue vessel was deployed to the area, a spokeswoman for Spain's maritime rescue service said. The migrants on the boat were all sub-Saharan Africans, she added. It was not immediately clear where the boat had embarked from. Earlier this month four people were found dead in a makeshift boat that was found south of El Hierro, with 23 migrants on board. At its shortest, the sea crossing to the Atlantic islands from the Moroccan coast is around 60 miles. The victims - all sub-Saharan Africans - were found drifting off El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands, officials confirmed. Pictured: A helicopter (pictured) airlifting survivors But it is a notoriously dangerous route because of strong currents. Vessels are also typically overcrowded and in poor condition. Migrant arrivals on the archipelago surged after increased patrols along Europe's southern coast dramatically reduced crossings to the continent via the Mediterranean. Some 3,400 people arrived in the Canaries between January 1 and March 31 this year, compared with less than half that number over the same period in 2020. Earlier this month four people were found dead in a makeshift boat that was found south of El Hierro, with 23 migrants on board. Pictured: Rescuers carrying a coffin containing one of the bodies Rights groups have warned that the Covid-19 crisis has spurred the flight effect, with those working in tourism, fishing or other casual jobs in north Africa choosing to cross the Atlantic - or helping others do so with their boats. Last year, 1,851 people died on the route, according to the Caminando Fronteras organisation which monitors migrant flows. The founder of the NGO, Helena Maleno, tweeted that in the last month 'at least' 283 people have disappeared while making their way to the Canaries on five different boats from Mauritania. Meanwhile around 100 migrants tried to swim to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco on Sunday, Spanish police said. Rescuers from the Spanish Coast Guard unload one of the recovered bodies of four deceased migrants on April 12 The migrants, including minors, set off in groups of 20 to 30 throughout the day, a spokesman for the Guardia Civil police force in Ceuta said. A handful managed to reach a beach in Ceuta on their own but most had to be rescued by Spanish rescue boats, he added. 'It is not normal - there can be groups of three, four or five, but not this many,' the police spokesman said. Ceuta, together with a second Spanish enclave in north Africa, Melilla, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, making them popular entry points for migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 05:28:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ROME, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Rome on Monday called Russia's decision to expel an Italian diplomat from its embassy in Moscow "unfounded and unjust". A statement from the website of Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the latest move from Russia "unfounded and unjust" and clearly in retaliation to a "legitimate measure" taken by the Italian authorities in defense of their own security. According to an official from Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy's Ambassador to Russia Pasquale Terracciano was summoned early Monday to Russia's Foreign Ministry, where he was informed that Italian naval attache Curzio Pacifici had been declared "persona non grata" and would be given 24 hours to leave the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decision was made in response to the "unfriendly" and "groundless" expulsion of two staffers of the Russian Embassy in Rome on March 31, which, according to Italy, was due to alleged involvement in a spying case. Enditem The recent announcement by the Russian Federation on withdrawal of its troops from around Ukraine also shows that heavy defence equipment remains on the ground and could be used "in a second or more iterations of this event," Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Sunday, reports agerpres. He spoke on Antena 3 about Russia's announcement on the withdrawal of its troops deployed in and around Ukraine, pointing out that evaluations must be made and steps taken for de-escalation. "In fact, the announcement made by the Russian Federation also shows that the heavy equipment remains deployed, which is still a sign of concern; on the one hand because it means that it could be used in a second or more iterations of this event that took place in the Black Sea region, secondly, it shows that the equipment is not left alone, obviously, which means that in any case, even if this withdrawal takes place, it will not be a total one," said the head of the Romanian diplomacy.He added that what his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba said in Bucharest on Friday, namely that those bans that the Russian Federation has introduced on maritime navigation on certain portions of the Black Sea remain, to which an air ban in certain sectors of the Black Sea is added.At the same time, Aurescu mentioned his discussions at a meeting on Friday with his Turkish and Polish counterparts."There are elements of concern that justify this approach of ours, including in this trilateral summit, and the fact that we had this event in Bucharest shows the seriousness with which we focus on regional developments," Aurescu said. Chennai, April 26 : The Chennai administration has warned of strict action against private licensed bars if they violate the closure order issued by the government. The Tamil Nadu government had on Saturday issued orders that all private bars should remain shut from Monday, along with malls, restaurants and big shopping complexes, as part of the efforts to control the rise in the number of Covid cases in the state. Tamil Nadu has witnessed a strong lockdown on Sunday with all the TASMAC liquor outlets, shops and establishments remaining shut. The District Collector ordered that all clubs holding FL2 license and hotel bars having FL3 licenses have to remain shut from Monday onwards. Chennai has a total of 174 standalone bars, pubs and bars in star hotels. With active cases crossing 1 lakh in Tamil Nadu, the state government has gone for stringent measures including Sunday lockdowns and as the Chennai region comprising Chennai, Chengalpet and Thiruvallur districts accounting for around 50 per cent of the total active cases, the district administrations have ordered strict measures in their jurisdictions. April 26, 1976 Carter makes second visit to Scranton Former Gov. Jimmy Carter, Democratic presidential candidate, paid a second visit to Scranton just before the primary election on April 27. This visit took place in the auditorium of the University of Scranton student center. Organizers of the campaign stop estimated that 2,000 people were in attendance. Just as Carter was walking on stage, a young boy walked up to the stage and yelled to the candidate, May I have your autograph? A Secret Service agent hustled the boy back to his seat. Just as the boy was taking his seat, Carter left the stage and walked over to give him an autograph. Carter then returned to the stage to deliver his speech that touched on tax reform, the FBI, the CIA and big government. Following his speech, he took questions from the audience that mostly were about tax reform. Prior to Carter giving his speech and taking questions, Scranton Mayor Eugene Peters presented him with a key to the City of Scranton. Carter slipped the oversized key into his pants pocket. Old Forge fires under investigation by state Officials in Old Forge had requested the state police fire marshal to investigate two general alarm fires as possible arson cases. The general alarms took place in the borough over the previous four days. The first general alarm blaze happened on April 22 at the Zebra Room Building and the adjacent Old Forge Republican Headquarters. The flames took down the Zebra Room and the four upstairs apartments. The neighboring Belcastro Building, 104 N. Main Ave., home to Best Maid Apparel, Hi-Grade Pants and Belcastros Bar, was hit with heavy smoke and water damage. The second blaze happened in the early morning hours of April 25 at Lous Blue Room at 112 S. Main St. The fire also spread and destroyed three adjoining businesses Flashs Restaurant, Central Cigar Store and Weinberger Plumbing and Hardware. Firefighters stopped the spread of the flames before the fire reached the Holland Theater. Old Forge fire marshal John Schubach reported that he discovered a charred pile of rags in a rear stairwell at what remained of Lous Blue Room. Shopping list T-Bone steak for $1.69 a pound, fresh ground beef was 78 cents per pound, whole chickens were 69 cents per pound, 2 pounds of carrots were 29 cents, green peppers were 39 cents per pound, 5-pound bag of red potatoes was 89 cents, a package of Hydrox cookies was 89 cents and Tastykakes Family Pack was 68 cents (with coupon). One person was killed in a Sunday night shooting in Gresham, police said. Officers responded to reports of gunfire near Southeast 174th Avenue and Southeast Stark Street around 10:30 p.m., a Gresham police spokesman said. A male victim was found dead at the scene, police said, though investigators had not determined the mans age or identity. Investigators did not release any suspect information in the shooting. This story will be updated. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Lara Worthington (Nee Bingle) welcomed a third son last year, but until now, she has kept his name secret. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Monday, the model's baby boy, who is believed to have been born in March 2020, was finally named. Little River, who would now be around one year old, joins his bothers, Rocket, five, and Racer, four. Baby love: Lara Worthington (Nee Bingle) welcomed a third son last year, but until now, she has kept his name secret. Pictured with husband Sam Worthington and one of heir children All three children, which Lara shares with her husband, actor Sam Worthington, 44, have quirky names beginning with the letter 'R'. The notoriously private couple welcomed their son in a shroud of secrecy, with estimates that his birth happened somewhere between March and June last year. They likewise kept the births of their older two boys secret, and now shield their brood from the public eye. That's him! River (pictured) who would now be around one year old, joins his bothers, Rocket, five, and Racer, four. Lara shared this rare photo of River to her Instagram on Sunday However on Sunday, Lara somewhat broke with tradition as she shared a heartwarming photo of little River scrambling around their family home, and joked he was reaching for a cup of coffee in the kitchen. The photo showed the tot with his hands in the air in a black onesie, which Lara captioned: 'Good boy. Mum needs a little coffee.' Lara and Sam, who began dating in 2013 and married secretly in 2014, arrived back in Australia with their children in January after living in the United States for some years, and Lara says she now wants to focus on her family. Family: Lara and Sam, who began dating in 2013 and married secretly in 2014, arrived back in Australia with their children in January after living in the United States for some years, and Lara says she now wants to focus on her family In a snippet of her upcoming interview with Body and Soul that was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, Lara said: 'At this stage of my life, with my sons as the total priority, I'm focused on wellbeing, motherhood and taking care of my family.' Sam has a lead role in the Wesley Enoch-directed stage play Appropriate, while Lara has several modelling jobs lined up in Sydney. In an interview with Marie Claire in January, the doting mother said that she thinks her body was 'meant to have kids' and she would 'happily' have more in the future. New Yorks congressional delegation will shrink by one seat after the 2022 election, the Census Bureau announced on Monday, but the state came excruciatingly close to snapping an eight-decade streak of declining representation in Washington: It was 89 residents short, to be precise. The figure, revealed during the Census Bureaus announcement of which states would gain and lose seats in the House of Representatives after the decennial population survey, meant that if New York had counted 89 more people last year than the 20,215,751 who were tallied, it would have held on to the House seat. Instead, it went to Minnesota, which came close to losing a seat. It was the narrowest margin by which a state lost a seat in the modern era, according to census data. The next closest call was in 1970, when Oregon fell short by 231 residents. And it means that New Yorks congressional delegation will continue a steady decline in size that began in the 1940s, when the state boasted 45 members of the House. Now it will have only 26. This is the jaw-dropping moment a driver crashes into the central barrier of a motorway and narrowly avoids a head-on collision after recklessly overtaking. Dashcam footage shows a Toyota Harrier SUV overtaking a car on a motorway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 20. Just seconds later it spectacularly smashes into the barrier, before the driver emerges, apparently unscathed. The driver of the Toyota Harrier crashes into the central barrier of the motorway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 20 The SUV driver hurtles down the motorway and overtakes another car driving in the right lane During the clip, the speeding SUV races down the motorway and overtakes a vehicle driving in the right lane. As he tries to weave through the traffic the driver loses control of his car and swerves violently towards the central barriers - forcing a driver in the fast lane to take evasive action. The Toyota ricochets off the crash barrier and spins 360 degrees, narrowly avoiding the smaller car. As plumes of smoke rise into the air, the driver of the SUV gets out, apparently uninjured and surveys the damage to his now crumpled car bonnet. The driver loses control of his car and spins across the path of the car behind before crashing into the central barrier Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 04:10:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle on a street in Tonekabon, Iran, on April 26, 2021. Iran confirmed 21,026 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the country's total infections to 2,417,230. The virus has claimed a total of 70,070 lives in the country, up by 496 deaths, the highest daily record since the pandemic's outbreak last year. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua) CAIRO, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the COVID-19 in Iran surpassed 70,000 on Monday as the daily fatalities hit a new record. Meanwhile, Lebanon registered a remarkable drop in the daily infections with 642 new cases cofirmed. Iran confirmed 21,026 new COVID-19 cases, taking the country's total infections to 2,417,230. The virus has claimed a total of 70,070 lives in the country, up by 496 deaths, the highest daily record since the pandemic's outbreak last year. A total of 1,892,229 people have recovered from the disease or been discharged from hospitals in Iran, while 5,244 remained in intensive care units. Iran started on Monday the third phase of the clinical trial for Cuba's Soberana 02 vaccine, which is being tried on 24,000 Iranian volunteers, aged between 18 and 80. In Lebanon, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased to 521,581 with 642 new cases, much lower than over 1,500 cases on average in the past 10 days. The COVID-19 death toll from the virus went up by 29 to 7,171. Health experts attributed the drop in infections in Lebanon to the vaccination among 40 percent of the population. Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan said on Monday that the ministry will establish big centers all over Lebanon to vaccinate 5,000 people daily during this summer. In Turkey, the total number of COVID-19 cases surged to 4,667,281 after 37,312 new cases were confirmed, while the death toll rose by 353 to 38,711. The total recoveries from the disease increased by 48,027 to 4,121,671 in Turkey, according to the Turkish Health Ministry. The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported 6,536 new coronavirus cases, raising the total nationwide number to 1,037,858. It also reported 46 new COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 15,303, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 7,910 to 913,211. Israel's Ministry of Health reported 86 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the tally of infections in the country to 838,100. The COVID-19 death toll in Israel increased by one to 6,353, while the total recoveries rose by 128 to 830,085. The number of active COVID-19 cases decreased to 1,662, the lowest in Israel over a year. The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel reached nearly 5.39 million, or 57.8 percent of its total population, since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 20, 2020. Jordan reported 2,386 new COVID-19 infections and 45 more fatalities, taking its tally of confirmed cases to 704,540 and its death toll to 8,660. The tally of recoveries from the virus in Jordan climbed to 671,127 after 2,790 new recovered cases were added. Morocco's COVID-19 tally rose to 509,465 as 102 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours. The death toll rose to 8,999 with the addition of seven new fatalities, while 400 people were in intensive care units, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Health. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 495,408 after 146 new ones were added, it said. A total of 4,731,440 people have received so far the first vaccine shot against COVID-19, while 4,219,876 people have received the second dose in Morocco, which started a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of China's Sinopharm vaccines. Oman's Health Ministry on Monday announced 1,454 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total confirmed cases in the sultanate to 190,270. It also confirmed 1,014 new recovered cases, taking the overall recoveries to 169,784, while six more deaths were reported, pushing the death toll up to 1,983. The Qatari health ministry announced 703 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 202,904. The ministry also reported 1,578 more recovered cases, bringing the overall recoveries to 183,100, while the total fatalities increased by nine to 437. Enditem Rental income: 44.2 million, up 1.9% like for like Regulatory News: SFL (Paris:FLY): Consolidated revenue by business segment (000's) Q1 21 Q1 20 Rental income 44,172 46,638 o/w Paris Central Business District 36,159 39,209 Paris Other 7,479 6,832 Western Crescent 534 598 Other revenue 0 0 Total consolidated revenue 44,172 46,638 First-quarter 2021 consolidated rental income amounted to 44.2 million, down by 2.5 million or 5.3% from the 46.6 million reported for the same period in 2020. On a like-for-like basis (excluding all changes in the portfolio affecting period-on-period comparisons), rental income was 0.8 million higher, an increase of 1.9%. Rental income from units being redeveloped was down by 2.3 million, mainly due to the renovation of several floors in the Cezanne Saint-Honore and Washington Plaza buildings that were vacated in late 2020. The early-2021 sale of the 112 Wagram and 9 Percier buildings led to a 1.0 million contraction in revenue for the quarter compared with the year-earlier period. In a rental market that remained muted, no material new leases were signed by SFL during the quarter. Nonetheless, the physical occupancy rate for buildings in use remained high, at 93.5% as of 31 March 2021 (versus 93.7% as of 31 December 2020), while the EPRA vacancy rate was 6.2%. The rent recovery rate for the quarter was once again very satisfactory, at 98%. With the Covid-19 crisis not yet over, SFL pursued and in some cases strengthened the measures taken to ensure that all of its buildings remained open and available for use by tenants. The sale of the 112 Wagram and 9 Percier buildings was completed in January and February 2021 respectively, marking the end of a process launched in late 2020 as part of SFL's asset rotation policy. 112 Wagram was sold for 120.5 million and 9 Percier for 143.5 million (net sale price) (see press releases dated 13 January and 17 February 2021). No properties were acquired during the first quarter of 2021. As a result of the above transactions, consolidated net debt was reduced significantly from 1,890 million at 31 December 2020 to 1,636 million at 31 March 2021. The loan-to-value ratio was 21.3% based on the portfolio's appraisal value at 31 December 2020 (adjusted for these divestments). The Company's liquidity position at 31 March 2021 was excellent, with 1,040 million in undrawn confirmed lines of credit. About SFL Leader in the prime segment of the Parisian commercial real estate market, Societe Fonciere Lyonnaise stands out for the quality of its property portfolio, which is valued at 7.5 billion and is focused on the Central Business District of Paris (cloud.paris, Edouard VII, Washington Plaza, etc.) and for the quality of its client portfolio, which is composed of prestigious companies in the consulting, media, digital, luxury, finance and insurance sectors. As France's oldest property company, SFL demonstrates year after year an unwavering commitment to its strategy focused on creating a high value in use for users and, ultimately, substantial appraisal values for its properties. Stock market: Euronext Paris Compartment A Euronext Paris ISIN FR0000033409 Bloomberg: FLY FP Reuters: FLYP PA S&P rating: BBB+ stable outlook View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210426005723/en/ Contacts: SFL Thomas Fareng T +33 (0)1 42 97 27 00 t.fareng@fonciere-lyonnaise.com Evidence Gregoire Silly T +33 (0)6 99 10 78 99 gregoire.silly@evidenceparis.fr www.fonciere-lyonnaise.com The states nine public universities will require students to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus for the fall 2021 semester. The presidents of the nine schools Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Salem, Westfield and Worcester State universities, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy made the decision unanimously, according to a statement released Monday by the university system. Prior to the beginning of the fall semester and following state, federal and legal guidance, the Massachusetts State Universities will require all students to be fully immunized before returning to campus in September, said Dr. James F. Birge, president of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and chair of the Massachusetts State University Council of Presidents. The vaccination mandate will apply to undergraduate and graduate students attending in-person classes, conducting research on campus, living in residence halls or participating in campus life activities. Students must be fully vaccinated before the start of the academic year in September. Roy H. Saigo, interim president of Westfield State University, said the requirement will assist Westfield State to ensure the health and safety of our full campus community while mitigating the spread of COVID-19 on our campus and in our greater community. The presidents expect all faculty and staff will also be fully vaccinated prior to their return to campus for the fall semester. We continue to be encouraged by the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine and the steady increase in numbers of those across Massachusetts and throughout New England getting vaccinated, Saigo said. An increasing number of public and private colleges and universities are requiring students to be vaccinated. Among them in Western Massachusetts are the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College and Hampshire College. A notable exception is the states community college system, whose presidents voted not to require vaccination prior to the fall semester. They felt low-income or underserved populations do not have the same ready access to vaccines as other segments of the populations, and that many community college students are drawn from those underserved communities. Related content: PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "Caring for infants and toddlers involves frequent clothing changes to adjust for all kinds of weather," said one of two inventors from Antelope, Calif. "This versatile apparel, however, reduces the need for constant dressing and undressing as temperatures change. They developed a prototype for WEATHER-FRIENDLY ROMPER to keep babies comfortable in warm and cold temperatures and minimize disturbances to a sleeping or fussy child to change clothes. As such, it saves time and effort and reduces laundry expense. Parents will appreciate how versatile, practical and easy to use it is. In addition, it is convenient, effective and affordably priced. The original design was submitted to the Sacramento sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-SOG-398, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp Related Links http://www.inventhelp.com Yves here. Its taken a while to see someone willing to stick their head above the parapet and challenge the safe speech/safe spaces fetish. And as this post implies, overprotection isnt necessarily in students best interest. Fredrick Douglass stressed how not merely free speech, but aggressive advocacy was fundamental to promoting social justice: The general sentiment of mankind is that a man who will not fight for himself, when he has the means of doing so, is not worth being fought for by others, and this sentiment is just. For a man who does not value freedom for himself will never value it for others, or put himself to any inconvenience to gain it for others. The world in which we live is very accommodating to all sorts of people. It will cooperate with them in any measure which they propose; it will help those who earnestly help themselves, and will hinder those who hinder themselves. It is very polite, and never offers its services unasked. Its favors to individuals are measured by an unerring principle in thisviz., respect those who respect themselves, and despise those who despise themselves. It is not within the power of unaided human nature to persevere in pitying a people who are insensible to their own wrongs and indifferent to the attainment of their own rights. The poet was as true to common sense as to poetry when he said, Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. Lambert noted years back that as a college debate judge, it was disconcerting to see college students so conflict-averse, that they apparently saw what his cohort would view as energetic and entertaining give-and-take as rude. Lambert was also disturbed by their resulting reticence to speak up. It looks as if our culture has managed to turn even its supposed future leaders into the sort who will too often quietly submit to injustice out of fear of seeming too stroppy. By Albena Azmanova, the author of Capitalism on Edge: How Fighting Precarity Can Achieve Radical Change Without Crisis or Utopia (Columbia University Press, 2020). She is Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Kents Brussels School of International Studies. Originally published at openDemocracy Pericles, supporter of democracy, in front of the Greek Assembly|Wikicommons/ Philipp Folz. Some rights reserved Universities in the US and the UK have become a battleground in the war between safe speech and free speech. I believe that this is a false dilemma and understanding its falsity can enable us to detect the social forces imposing it on us. If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear, wrote George Orwell in 1945 in an introduction to Animal Farm. The introduction was so controversial that it was not made public until 1972. In it, Orwell relays how hard it was to get the novel published. Significant sections of the English intelligentsia in the 1940s held Stalin in high regard, so a book that was a thinly veiled attack on the Soviet Union and its dictators was scarcely timely. Four publishers, afraid to expose themselves to public scrutiny, rejected it. One said: I think the choice of pigs as the ruling caste will no doubt give offence to many people, and particularly to anyone who is a bit touchy, as undoubtedly the Russians are. Intellectual Freedom in the West Orwells diagnosis of the malaise in 1945 is worth a fuller quotation, as it is so prescient for today: There is now a widespread tendency to argue that one can defend democracy only by totalitarian methods. If one loves democracy, the argument runs, one must crush its enemies by no matter what means. And who are its enemies? It always appears that they are not only those who attack it openly and consciously, but those who objectively endanger it by spreading mistaken doctrines. In other words, defending democracy involves destroying all independence of thought. While the public sphere has always been somewhat hostile to contrarian opinions, there has been one place stubbornly free of this danger the university. At around the time that Orwell expressed his fears about the loss of intellectual freedom in the West, the American Association of University Professors adopted an important document known as the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure. The document said: Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good. [] The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. In 1970, an addition to the text explicitly stated that controversial speech should not be discouraged: Controversy is at the heart of [] free academic inquiry. Academia has been the bastion of the freedom of thought and speech that first emerged in Ancient Athens, because of the conviction that unconstrained intellectual freedom is the engine of both scientific advancement and societal progress. The university, for more than 2,000 years, has been a place for experimentation the only place, in fact, where one had the right to be wrong. In its search for truth, scientific reason has not been weighed down by what Immanuel Kant described as the scandal of reason the propensity of reason to waiver between dogma and uncertainty. On the contrary, the advancement of knowledge has been animated by that very scandal, as I have argued in my exploration of critical judgment. Importantly, freedom of speech has been a weapon for fighting oppression from two sources: central authority and public opinion. John Stuart Mill famously observed that the chief threat to free speech in democracies was not the state, but the social tyranny of ones fellow citizens. This is what Orwell was alluding to when he decried the general weakening of the Western liberal tradition, appalled at how easily totalitarian propaganda can control the opinion of enlightened people in democratic countries. Safe Speech and Safe Spaces The university has consistently been a fortress, sheltering freedom of speech from both prevailing public opinion and the intrusions of political authority. And yet, in a curious shift, over the past decade universities have transformed into spaces for safe speech as students claim that the university is akin to a home. College campuses in the US and Europe have experienced major student protests, because some students feel that absolute freedom of speech on campus promotes a hostile environment that harms minority students and hinders their ability to learn. They have argued, compellingly, that denying hateful or historically privileged voices a platform is necessary, so that the marginalised and vulnerable can finally speak up. They demand censorship and prohibitions against giving offence. As a result, universities have created safe spaces in which offensive or disagreeable speech is prohibited and punished. Cancel culture and de-platforming, codifying protected categories of students: these are all now part of university life. The equal respect agenda is enforced through disciplinary and grievance procedures, and safe space marshals patrol events looking for macro- and microaggressions. Fighting Dogma Is this the end of free speech in the university? I dont think so. We can resolve the deadlock between safe speech and free speech if we remember the original mission of free speech. It was not meant as a tool of information, but one of liberation; it was conceived as a political weapon a weapon against the oppression of dogma and the abuse of power. To quote George Orwell again, freedom of speech is a right to express what one believes to be true, without having to fear bullying or blackmail from any side. Exactly because the original vocation of free speech is to fight dogma, we should not transform it into a dogma. And to ensure this, we must consistently use it as a tool for fighting oppression. Whenever speech is used to oppress, to bully or to humiliate, it is no longer free speech because it violates the very spirit of the concept. This means that the grievances of those calling for a ban on offensive speech because it deepens existing injustices are valid. But they are valid because our societies have been subjected to massive precarisation, which has indeed left many feeling homeless. Public authority has responded to the growing social decay with autocratic shortcuts: for example, sending the police into schools or speech marshals into universities. By admitting the validity of the grievances behind the cancel culture , we have made the first step in breaking the deadlock. The second step is to find the right way to respond to these grievances. Banning Speech The gut reaction is often to censor offensive speech from banning the use of certain terms as forms of microaggression (for instance, addressing women as guys) to banning controversial speakers. But these solutions, though effective in the short-term, incur long-term costs. When we exclude some views from public debate for being dangerous and unsavoury, then we miss the opportunity to rigorously contest these views. They will, however, thrive in private, safe spaces, and will continue to poison society. Civil rights law in the U.S. and many European countries prohibits discrimination based on characteristics such as skin colour, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status. On this basis, school regulations often codify the protection of certain groups, identified in terms of race, religion, gender and so on. The problem is that, as the number of recognised identity categories proliferates, this apparent increase of cultural diversity does not, in fact, foster a culture of diversity. Instead, these designated collective identities entrap individuals into boxes of belonging, which deepen divisions in society. Cultural identity becomes a prison not despite, but because of the effort to allegedly protect that culture. This brings us further from the ultimate goal of the fight against discrimination: that people be judged not by the colour of their skin, or their gender, but (in the words of Martin Luther King Jr.) by the content of their character. When sheltered in this way, packed in categories of protected groups, students are infantilised and develop the habit of being patronized. They fail to learn the skills to stand up and defend their positions with solid arguments. Malcolm X was right to say If you have no critics youll likely have no success. Efforts to replace free speech with safe speech open the door to autocratic rule. There is no limit to what any individual might define as disrespect. Who is to decide what exactly is to be protected? And so, we pass this judgment to administrators and hand them the keys to discretionary power. And finally, the biggest harm of all: the policing of unwelcome speech eventually generates self-censorship, which nurtures intellectual cowardice. This is the foundation of a totalitarian outlook and the ultimate blow to freedom. I grew up in such a society and, as a university student, fought against this oppression by joining the dissident movement against the dictatorship in my native Bulgaria. Remember, the enemies of freedom of speech are twin sisters: the bigot who attacks vulnerable minorities and, paradoxically, the militant who tries to protect these minorities. Empowerment Is there an alternative? Well, yes. It will help to remember that the original purpose of free speech was to empower the weak, not to shelter them. The university should empower the vulnerable, not protect them via safety measures. Here is what we can do: First, we can give bigotry a tribune in order to expose it via rigorous questioning. Even though all positions have the right to be heard, not all deserve equal respect. Respect is gained, not granted. We need rules about the conduct of debate, but should never prevent speech that is lawful. Second, we should abstain from placing people into the rigid boxes of collective identities. We should speak not of identity, but of a sense of self that is multidimensional and constantly changing. That is, we should build a culture of diversity, not diversity of cultures, to draw on Arjun Appadurais insightful distinction. Third, and most importantly, we should be equipping students with the knowledge and skills to create the kind of society that does not generate inequalities and exclusion. The kind of society that does not create victims in need of protection. Only then can the university stop being a home, and return to being a laboratory, a place for experiment and learning, not a shelter from a society infested with injustice. This is a more difficult road to take than imposing prohibitions. But this is the only road that leads away from the covert harassments of self-censure and the overt cruelties of political oppression. On Monday morning, the Supreme Court took a step that gun rights advocates have been awaiting for more than a decade: It took up a challenge to restrictions on Americans rights to carry concealed firearms in public. There is little doubt that the courts 63 conservative majority will use this case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Corlett, to knock down limits on concealed carry, creating a fundamental right to bear arms outside the home. The stakes are high: laws guaranteeing a right to concealed carry are associated with a significantly higher rate of handgun-related homicide. And the courts move gives Democrats a clear choice between two concrete options: Stand by as the conservative justices invalidate state and local gun regulations in the midst of endless mass shootingsor expand the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New York is one of seven states that requires gun owners to show good cause to obtain a concealed carry permit. About 83 million people, or about one in every four Americans, live in these states. (Two additional states, Connecticut and Rhode Island, also give officials discretion to limit concealed carry.) The good cause standard gives state authorities broad discretion to deny the permit unless the applicant has demonstrated that, for instance, they have heightened reasons to fear for their safety in public. A federal circuit court upheld New Yorks rule under the Second Amendment in 2020a reasonable decision, since the Supreme Court has never actually found a right to transport guns outside the home. Rather, in 2008s D.C. v. Heller and 2010s McDonald v. Chicago, the court established a right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense. In light of this language, five circuit courts have found no right to concealed carry, while two circuit courts have found such a right under the Second Amendment. Advertisement Ever since McDonald in 2010, firearm advocates have sought to persuade the Supreme Court to take up a case that would resolve this dispute. That quest has proved elusive. For many years, SCOTUS simply turned away Second Amendment cases, sometimes over the dissents of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The court likely swatted down these appeals because Justice Anthony Kennedy, the swing vote, was uncomfortable with a broad right to bear arms. After Justice Brett Kavanaugh replaced Kennedy, SCOTUS agreed to hear a challenge to New York Citys strict limit on the transportation of guns to firing ranges and vacation homes. But the city repealed its law, so the court tossed out the dispute. Presumably disappointed by the missed opportunity, Kavanaugh wrote separately to indicate that he would gladly strengthen the Second Amendment in a future case. Advertisement Advertisement That case has now arrived, and its outcome is not difficult to predict. Not only has Kavanaugh replaced Kennedy, but Justice Amy Coney Barrett has replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was not an ally of gun rights. On the lower court, Barrett authored a lengthy dissent arguing that the Second Amendment prohibits the government from imposing a permanent, categorical ban on gun possession by people convicted of felonies. Her opinion, an instant favorite among firearm enthusiasts, claimed that the original meaning of the Second Amendment did not allow for virtue-based restrictions to bear arms; felons may be stripped of civic rights like voting, Barrett wrote, but not individual rights like the right to possess a gun. This conclusion was surprising because the Supreme Court explicitly addressed this question in Heller: Justice Antonin Scalias majority opinion offered a list of presumptively lawful restrictions on the Second Amendment, including longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons. But it was Kennedy who urged Scalia to insert this qualifying language into his opinion. With Kennedy off the court, Barrett appeared eager to see the court do away with the limits that he demanded in Heller. There can be no real doubt that, as a justice, she will side with her fellow conservatives in extending Heller to take the right to bear arms out of the home, where Kennedy had confined it, and into the public sphere. Advertisement Advertisement Such a decision would not alter laws in most states, where legislatures have already granted residents a right to concealed carry. But it would revolutionize gun laws in several populous statesincluding California, the nations largest state, which strictly limits concealed carry to residents who can show good cause. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Californias law in 2016. And just last month, the 9th Circuit found no constitutional right to public carry whatsoever. In a 127-page opinion, Judge Jay Bybee, a conservative George W. Bush nominee, canvassed the history of gun rights, surveying the English Bill of Rights (a predecessor of the Second Amendment), practice in the American colonies, the revolutionary era, and the founding, as well as state and territorial laws throughout the 19th century. Bybee concluded that, as a matter of original public meaning, the Constitution does not guarantee a right to bear arms outside the home. Advertisement It will not matter to this Supreme Court. A growing body of historical research has demonstrated that Scalias opinion in Heller is just plain wrong as a matter of originalism: The words of the Second Amendment, as accepted at the time of its ratification, were not understood to create an individual right to bear arms. Scalias opinion was an example of living or popular constitutionalism, transfiguring modern demands into ancient rights. Yet the Supreme Courts conservatives have shown no interest in reconsidering Heller; to the contrary, they are now on the brink of extending it. When originalism clashes with the conservative legal movements agenda, it is easy to guess which will win out. Advertisement In 2021 so far, there has already been more than one mass shooting each day. The United States is transforming into a battlefield, where no one can go to a store, a park, or a school without the fear that they might be shot to death. Further, American gun culture has contributed to hair-trigger policing that results in a vastly disproportionate number of police killings of civilians when compared to peer nations, a crisis which has fallen particularly hard on Black Americans. At least the justices have made Democrats options starker than ever. Congress and the White House can prioritize court expansion, adding liberal justices to prevent the current 63 majority from eradicating gun safety laws. Or they can watch as the majority exacerbates the nations epidemic of gun violence by imposing a vision of the Second Amendment that data has indicated leads to more handgun-related homicides. The choice has never been so clear. And the stakes can be measured in human lives. Domestic equity indices surged in morning trade amid positive cues from other Asian stock markets. The Nifty crossed the 14,500 mark. Banks and financial shares rallied while pharma stocks corrected. At 10:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 662.78 points or 1.38% at 48,541.27. The Nifty 50 index was up 186.25 points or 1.3% at 14,527.85. In broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.65% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.93%. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1769 shares rose and 756 shares fell. A total of 160 shares were unchanged. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 146,830,782 with 31,06,384 deaths. India reported 28,13,658 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 195,123 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. On Sunday, India reported 3.55 lakh fresh Covid cases and registered 2,807 deaths. The US government has decided to lift the export ban on the essential raw materials required by the vaccine manufacturer in India for production of COVID-19 vaccine. This development comes after several US lawmakers voiced their concerns over the COVID-19 situation in India. They exerted pressure on the Biden administration to extend assistance, release vaccines and other raw materials critical for India. White House said, US has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine that will immediately be made available for India. Meanwhile, the government will continue giving COVID vaccine doses from its 50% quota to the states and Union Territories for free during the phase three of the vaccination drive. These vaccines will continue to be administered by States and Union Territories. Buzzing Index: The Nifty Pharma index slipped 0.22% to 13,290.65. The index has declined 1% in three days. Cipla (down 1.3%), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (down 0.89%), Aurobindo Pharma (down 0.68%) and Lupin (down 0.53%) were top losers in pharma space. Results Today: Castrol (up 0.78%), Delta Corp (up 1.06%), HDFC Life Insurance Company (up 1.09%), SBI Cards & Payment Services (up 0.23%) and Tech Mahindra (down 1.05%) will announce quarterly results today. Earnings Impact: ICICI Bank jumped 5%. The private lender reported net profit of Rs 4,403 crore in Q4-2021, up 260.61% compared with net profit of Rs 1,221 crore in Q4-2020. Total income during the quarter increased by 2.2% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 23,953.02 crore. Net interest income (NII) increased by 17% YoY to Rs 10,431 crore in Q4-2021 from Rs 8,927 crore in Q4-2020. The net interest margin was at 3.84% as on 31 March 2021 as against 3.87% as on 31 March 2020. On the asset quality side, gross non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at Rs 41,373.42 crore as on 31 March 2021 as against Rs 34,860.43 crore as on 31 December 2020 and Rs 41,409.16 crore as on 31 March 2021. The gross NPA ratio declined to 4.96% as on 31 March 2021 from 5.42% (on a proforma basis) as on 31 December 2020 and 5.53% as on 31 March 2020. The net NPA ratio declined to 1.14% as on 31 March 2021 from 1.26% (on a proforma basis) as on 31 December 2020 and 1.41% as on 31 March 2020. Indiabulls Real Estate gained 3.02%. The realty major posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 94.42 crore in Q4 March 2021 as against net loss of Rs 109.79 crore in Q4 March 2020. Net sales for Q4 March 2021 zoomed 529% year-on-year to Rs 731.73 crore. The real estate company registered pre-tax profit of Rs 136.31 crore in Q4 March 2021 compared with pre-tax loss of Rs 144.11 crore in Q4 March 2020. Indiabulls Real Estate said that its new sales jumped 66% to Rs 629 crore while gross collections improved 43.6% to Rs 866 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TOULOUSE, France, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenAirlines today announces for the #WorldPilotsDay the launch of the Green Pilot movement. Green Pilot is a collective movement of like-minded airline professionals and aviation lovers concerned about climate change and committed to promoting green actions to reduce aviation impact. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge the various aviation industry players in different ways every day. They face pressures from all sides, environmental, social, and economical. It requires them not to just act together, cooperate and show solidarity, but it also forces them to accelerate their transition to sustainable development. More than ever, they need to organize their ecological transition, recreate bonds with their customers and show the world how much it is possible to love aviation AND our planet. Aviation represents 2% to 5% of global emissions. Our planet is choking, and humanity needs to act quickly to reduce its impact on the environment. Across the world, research teams are working actively to innovate and create cleaner aviation. OpenAirlines claims that new digital technologies dedicated to operational improvements are already paving the way to a greener future and saving millions of tonnes of CO2 today. It all began in 2018 after SkyBreathe eco-flying solution developed by OpenAirlines was labeled Solar Impulse Efficient Solution. Created by Bertrand Piccard, this label awards solutions that meet high standards of sustainability and profitability. The Green Pilot project emerged from a conversation between the visionary innovator Bertrand Piccard and Alexandre Feray, OpenAirlines' CEO. The objective behind the project was to federate airlines, pilots, and aviation enthusiasts around a common goal to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable aviation through an eco-flying movement. "We believe that a more sustainable way of living and traveling is possible. If all airlines in the world were applying fuel efficiency practices on their flights, estimation shows that they could prevent 20 to 50 million tons of carbon emissions. We want Green Pilot to be a global movement of action, recognition, and exchanges, by creating a community of engaged actors, all making efforts to reduce the impact of aviation on the planet. Members of this community will be easily recognizable, and they will be able to claim proudly "I am a Green Pilot" and share their positive actions publicly," says Alexandre Feray, OpenAirlines CEO and founder. "All passionate pilot or airline professional who are concerned about the state of the planet can join the movement on greenpilots.com. It's easy to join, and membership offers many benefits, including networking with like-minded people, seeking advice and inspiration, and sharing with other eco-flying champions worldwide. Airlines can be labeled Green Pilot as well, but we will recognize only those that stand for green excellence and who are already excelling in protecting the environment beyond legal obligations," says Solveig Moisan, head of Marketing & Communication at OpenAirlines. About OpenAirlines: Based on the observation that every year, nearly 660 million tons of CO2 are emitted by airplanes in the world - representing 20 000kg of CO2 per second, OpenAirlines decided to act by developing innovative solutions to help airlines reduce their costs and environmental impact. Created in Toulouse in 2006, OpenAirlines has drawn on 7 years of R&D before launching its eco-flying software SkyBreathe. Relying on big data algorithms, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, the software automatically analyzes the large sum of data available in aircraft black boxes to provide recommendations to airlines and pilots that help them reduce their fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Today, SkyBreathe is the most widely used eco-flying solution in the world. Its active community federates more than 47 airlines across the planet, including Transavia, Malaysia Airlines, Norwegian, Cebu Pacific, flydubai, Air France, and Atlas Air. In 2019, its customers saved more than 150 million USD and 590,000 tons of CO2. More information: www.openairlines.com / www.greenpilots.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1495124/Green_Pilot_Logo.jpg SOURCE OpenAirlines U.S. taxis are seeing a boom in business from customers trying to enter Canada by land to avoid a restriction on international travel that applies only to air traffic. While both Canadian land and air travellers are required to take a test within three days of departure, and again on arrival, only those flying to Canada must spend up to three days of the country's 14-day required quarantine period in a hotel. That has led to a surge of calls for taxi and limousine services from Canadians who fly through U.S. airports in states like New York and North Dakota and then cross over the land border, representatives of four companies told Reuters. U.S. taxis are seeing a boom in business from customers trying to enter Canada by land to avoid a restriction on international travel that applies only to air traffic. Pictured: a taxi drives across the Peace Bridge to Canada 'They call from six in the morning to 12 at night,' John Arnet, general manager of 716 Limousine in Buffalo, N.Y. said. 'We've had so many requests for border crossings that we're turning them down.' Canada's harsh travel restrictions While most foreign travelers are banned from entering Canada, people with Canadian citizenship or Canadian relatives are allowed to cross the border. Anyone entering the country has to quarantine for 14 days, which includes a mandatory three night pre-paid booking at a government-authorized hotel for people who fly into the country. Travelers are expected to make their own plans and those without prearranged quarantine arrangements could be placed in a facility for 14 days or face a $3,000 fine for failing to book a hotel. After the three days in a hotel, air travelers must spend the remainder of quarantine in isolation with no visits from friends or family. People must then enter daily symptom self-assessments online and government officials may make unannounced visits to check you are observing the rules. For travellers who enter Canada by land, there is no obligatory hotel stay but the 14-day quarantine must be observed at a place of their choosing. Advertisement The company now does more business driving Canadians to their homes in Ontario than with U.S. clients. A taxi trip across the border can cost around $200 or $250 compared with a three-day hotel stay of more than C$1,200 ($961), Canadian travel insurance broker Martin Firestone said. With the Canada-U.S. land border mostly closed for more than a year due to the pandemic, and overall tourism down, the recent surge in business has come as a relief to some struggling taxi operators. Nick Boccio, general manager of Buffalo Limousines, said the Canadian clientele has helped the company bring back chauffeurs. On Friday, Boccio said the company gave nine different rides to Canadian passengers on just one flight from Florida. Canada has imposed tough restrictions since the start of the pandemic, including a ban on most foreigners from entering the country. Canadians can fly out of the country and return either by land or air. But concerns are mounting due to a surge in virus variants, with the once temporary hotel quarantine now mandatory for air travelers through late May, and a ban introduced this week on direct flights from India and Pakistan. Firestone said some of his clients who spent the winter in Florida are returning by land to avoid hotels. Some get rides; others who usually get their cars shipped are driving them north. 'Every single limousine company has got on the bandwagon,' Firestone said. Some Canadians ask to be driven home, while others take rides to the border, cross on foot and get another ride in Canada, drivers said. A taxi company in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is doing record business picking up passengers at the local international airport and dropping them just over the border. Travelers then walk about 100 feet to the Canada Border Services Agency checkpoint and the taxi heads back to the US, S&S Taxi owner Mike Swelha told the Grand Forks Herald. Non-commercial land border crossings were 60 per cent higher during one week at the end of March and beginning of April than in the same week in 2020, according to data from the Canada Border Services Agency. Air travel for that same week, meanwhile, increased 18.8 per cent. The discrepancy between the rules at the land border and by air is a sore point for Canada's hard-hit carriers. Unlike land travelers who can choose where to quarantine, air passengers who test positive at a hotel must self-isolate at a government-mandated facility. According to Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) data for February 22 through March 25, 1.5 per cent of air passengers to the country tested positive for the virus on arrival compared with 0.3 per cent of land travellers. The boom for U.S. taxis could soon be muted as premiers from Canada's two most populous provinces, Quebec and Ontario, have urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take further action at the land border. Tighter requirements might help, such as a mandatory hotel stay for those entering Canada at certain land crossings, said Customs and Immigration Union president Jean-Pierre Fortin, but would be logistically challenging given the vast border. 'It would be very hard to enforce without having clear places for them to go.' You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation led by President of the Central American Parliament Carolina Fernandez, who is in Armenia to take part in the ceremonies commemorating Armenian Genocide victims. Welcoming the guests, Ararat Mirzoyan expressed his gratitude to them for being in Yerevan during these days, which proves that the Armenian Genocide is the pain not only for Armenia, but also for the whole international community. He personally thanked them for the viewpoints voiced at Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. The Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia informed his counterpart that since the tripartite statement signed on November 9, Azerbaijan artificially refuses to fulfill paragraph 9, according to which, the prisoners of war and other detainees should be immediately provided with the opportunity to return to their homeland under the all for all principle. Moreover, Azerbaijan continues its Armenophobic policy, and its last vivid manifestation was the opening of the so-called war trophy park. Ararat Mirzoyan thanked his colleagues of the Central American Parliament for their consistent position on this issue, according to which, back in autumn of 2020, the previous President expressed his gratitude to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh people, and on April 19 of this year, the President of the Central American Parliament and the Executive Council announced that it is necessary to fulfill all the obligations of the November 9 Agreement, honor international law and carry out the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. Thanking her counterpart for the reception, Carolina Fernandez noted that it was an honor for them to be in Armenia on April 24 and pay their tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. Mrs Fernandez promised that the Central American Parliament would continue to be consistent with fulfillment of the obligations assumed under the statement signed on November 9. At the end of the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan and Carolina Fernandez signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the parliaments and underlined that it was necessary to further deepen the effective partnership. The village of Khirbet al-Naqus in al-Ghab Plain northwest of Hama were under violent shelling by the Damascus government forces after Sunday midnight, wounding one person, and the Damascus government forces targeted places in Al-Ankawi in the same countryside. In a related development, the mercenaries of "Tahrir al-Sham", with a sniper weapon, targeted an element of the Damascus government forces in the Bureij axis, south of Idlib, amid information about his death, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Yesterday, the Damascus government forces renewed their ground bombardment on the "De-escalation Zone" and targeted, with artillery and missile shells, areas in Kansafra, Al-Bara, Al-Fatira, the outskirts of Sufuhn, Falifel and Benin within the southern sector of Idlib countryside, in addition to targeting contact areas in al-Ghab Plain northwest of Hama used heavy machine guns. J.O There is no place quite like home. This sentiment is especially understood by the increasing number of older adults who would prefer to age in place. Over the last year this desire has only intensified, as many families consider this the safer option when compared to facility living for older adults. However, questions around what home care entails, what it costs and what financial assistance and resources are available remain a barrier. Many seniors want to remain in their own household, and this trend has only increased during the pandemic, said Lakelyn Hogan, Ph.D., gerontologist and caregiver advocate at Home Instead. As caregivers and family members navigate their loved ones desire to age in place, its important to address their questions about options available to them financially and how they can get help. In-home care services, including personal care, transportation, meal preparation, household help and companionship a growing concern for aging adults during the pandemic go a long way in combatting the impact of isolation amongst this population. There are many benefits, primarily the sense of independence seniors maintain. One of the most overlooked benefits of home care is the flexibility. While some clients require services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, others prefer only a few shifts a week. The needs of each individual are unique, and professional caregivers are often times able to tailor their schedules to each client. Depending on the level of care needed, home care has the potential to save thousands of dollars a month, compared to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. A common misconception is that home care is not an option due to associated costs. In fact, according to an AP-NORC long-term care trends poll, many Americans overestimate the cost of home care and underestimate the cost of assisted living communities. This is why taking the time to research and explore all options before making a decision is crucial. Hogan addresses questions surrounding funding for senior care: Q: Do I have to pay out-of-pocket for senior care? A: Historically, private pay has been the main way people covered the cost of senior care. But there are many options for almost any budget, including long-term care insurance, veterans benefits and even Medicare Advantage plans. Q: Does Medicare cover the cost of in-home care? A: Medicare insurance itself generally will not pay for in-home senior care. However, recent rule changes by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could allow Medicare Advantage plans to cover a variety of senior support services in the home. The best place to start is speaking with your insurance company about what care could be covered for you or your loved one. Q: Does long-term care insurance help pay for senior care? A: The answer depends on the individual policy. Talk to the insurance company or agent to find out if the LTC policy covers in-home care and, if so, what types of services will be reimbursed. Knowing the level of coverage you have from your insurance is a vital step as your loved ones age. Learn more with these LTCI resources. Q: How can children or grandchildren pay for senior care for a loved one? A: Many families want to see those they love age with independence and dignity in the family home or whatever setting the senior prefers. Adult children and grandchildren can contribute funds in equal shares or proportionally to support their family members needs. Before initiating this type of plan, you might consider seeking the counsel of an attorney for certain things to consider, such as cash gifting regulations. Q: Are there any grants I can apply for to pay for senior care? A: Yes! Home Instead partners with HFC to administer grants for deserving families providing care to older adults with Alzheimers or another form of dementia. These grants cover the full cost of Home Instead services for a period. To date, there have been 313,200 hours of free care provided through the program. Learn more and apply for a Dementia Home Care Grant. While HFC is specific to dementia and Alzheimers care, there are other local programs worth exploring among area agencies for grants to help fund senior care. There are many resources available for those who are interested in learning about the cost of care. The most important thing is to make a plan and determine what is best for aging loved ones. For more information about funding, visit: http://www.homeinstead.com/cost-of-care-for-aging-adults/ or start a conversation with the aging experts at your local Home Instead office. ABOUT HOME INSTEAD Founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, the Home Instead franchise network provides personalized care, support and education to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families. Today, the network is the world's leading provider of in-home care services for older adults, with more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises that provide more than 90 million hours of care annually throughout the United States and 14 other countries. Local Home Instead offices employ approximately 90,000 CAREGivers worldwide who provide basic support services that enable older adults to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. Home Instead franchise owners partner with clients and their family members to help meet varied individual needs. Services span the care continuum from providing personal care to specialized Alzheimers care and hospice support. Also available are family caregiver education and support resources. Visit HomeInstead.com. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. BAGHDAD The death toll from a massive fire at a Baghdad hospital for coronavirus patients rose to at least 82 Sunday as anxious families searched for missing relatives and the government suspended key health officials for alleged negligence. The flames, described by one witness as volcanoes of fire, swept through the intensive care unit of the Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, which tends exclusively to COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms. Officials said the blaze, which also injured 110 people, was set off by an exploding oxygen cylinder. Nurse Maher Ahmed was called to the scene late Saturday to help evacuate patients. I could not have imagined it would be a massive blaze like that, he said. The flames overwhelmed the hospitals second-floor isolation hall within three to four minutes of the oxygen cylinder exploding, he said. Volcanoes of fire. Most of those killed suffered severe burns, he said. Others were overcome by smoke, unwilling to leave behind relatives hooked up to ventilators. Ahmed said the patients could not be moved. They would have minutes to live without oxygen. He said he and others watched helplessly as one patient struggled to breathe amid the smoke. Widespread negligence on the part of health officials is to blame for the fire, Iraqs prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, said Sunday. Following a special cabinet meeting to discuss the blaze, the government suspended key officials, including the health minister and the governor of Baghdad province. Other officials, including the hospital director, were dismissed from their posts. It took firefighters and civil defense teams until early Sunday to put out the flames. Among the dead were at least 28 patients on ventilators, tweeted Ali al-Bayati, a spokesman of the countrys independent Human Rights Commission, a semi-official body. Paramedics carried the bodies, many burned beyond recognition, to al-Zafaraniya Hospital, where Ahmed said forensics teams will attempt to identify them by matching DNA samples to relatives. By midday Sunday, relatives were still searching anxiously for loved ones. Please, two of my relatives are missing. ... I am going to die (without news about them), posted a young woman on social media after a fruitless search for her family members. I hope someone can help us find Sadi Abdul Kareem and Samir Abdul Kareem, they were in the ICU. Rokya Kareem, 30, was looking frantically for her friend Riyam Rahman, a pharmacist, who was visiting her mother at the hospital. Rahmans mother, Basima, was admitted to the hospital 45 days ago with complications from COVID-19. All we know is they were in the room next to where the fire started, she said. Her phone is switched off, and her family has gone to every hospital trying to find them. The fire happened as Iraq grapples with a severe second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Daily virus cases now average around 8,000, the highest level since Iraq began recording infection rates early last year. At least 15,200 people have died of coronavirus in Iraq among at least 100,000 confirmed cases. Years of sanctions and war have crippled the countrys health sector, and the latest infection wave has tested the limits of health facilities. Security concerns also plague the country as frequent rocket attacks continue to target army bases hosting foreign troops and the seat of Iraqs government. The deadly fire was only the latest chapter in Iraqs poor record for public safety. In March 2019, over 100 people died when a ferry capsized on the Tigris River near the northern city of Mosul. The boat overturned due to overcrowding and high water. A few months later, in September 2019, a fire ripped through Baghdads Shorja market, a major commercial area in the city, burning many shops to the ground. Part of the problem is that laws and regulations governing public safety and health are old, said Yesar al-Maliki, an adviser to the Iraq Energy Institute. It has to do with the overall system. There are no detailed regulations and (standard operating procedures) on how to do basic things step by step, especially when handling risky equipment, said Al-Maliki, who also worked in Iraqs oil and gas industry. There needs to be specialists handling policy, regulation and implementation, he said. If there was a standard operating procedure on how to handle oxygen bottles, especially noticing wear and tear ... This wouldnt have happened. The prime minster convened the special cabinet session hours after the flames broke out. In addition to suspending the health minister, Hasan al-Tamimi, and Baghdads governor, the cabinet ordered an investigation of the health minister and key hospital officials responsible for overseeing safety measures. The cabinet also fired the director-general of the Baghdad health department in the al-Rusafa area, where the hospital is located, and the hospitals director of engineering and maintenance, according to a statement from the Health Ministry and the prime ministers office. Negligence in such matters is not a mistake, but a crime for which all negligent parties must bear responsibility, al-Kadhimi said Sunday after a meeting. The United Nations envoy to Iraq, Jeannine Hennis-Plasschaert, expressed shock and pain over the fire in a statement and called for stronger protection measures in hospitals. At the Vatican, Pope Francis, who concluded a historic trip to Iraq last month, remembered those who perished in the blaze. Addressing people gathered in St. Peters Square for his customary Sunday appearance, Francis mentioned the news of the dead. Lets pray for them,' he said. ___ Samya Kullab of The Associated Press wrote this story. AP Writer Abdulrahman Zeyad contributed to this report. Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Chris Boyle Published: April 26 2021 Fugitive from Florida Living in Asharoken, NY. Suffolk County Sheriffs Office Warrant Bureau Investigators tracked down and apprehended a fugitive from Monroe County, FL, who was on the run for 14 years. While reviewing outstanding warrants from other Sheriffs Offices around the country, Deputy Investigators came across a warrant regarding the assault of a police officer in which the wanted persons last known address was in Suffolk County, NY. The investigators contacted the Monroe County Sheriffs Office and confirmed that the warrant was still active and that Monroe County would extradite this person. William Segar, 56, currently of Asharoken, NY, was wanted by the Monroe County, FL, Sheriffs Office for seven (7) charges: 1) Battery on LEO; 2) Felony Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Without Intent to Kill on LEO; 3) Felony Resisting Arrest With Violence; 4) Domestic Battery; 5) Felony Battery; 6) Felony Damage Property-Criminal Mischief-$200 Dollars or Less-Previous Conviction; and 7) Misdemeanor Resist Officer Without Violence. Investigators tracked the subject down to an old address in Suffolk County. Upon review of public records, they discovered that he had sold that house and had moved. Investigators were able to find a current phone number and track the subject down to an address in Northport, NY, where he was arrested and taken into custody without incident. He will be extradited to Florida. Also on the same day, Warrant Bureau Investigators arrested another person wanted for assaulting a police officer. Salvador Rivera, 23, of Yaphank, NY, was wanted for Assault in the 2nd Degree on a Police Officer. On April 9, 2021, Rivera punched a police officer in the face, bit, and scratched him to avoid arrest. Investigators located him and he was taken into custody without incident. Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr., congratulates his Deputy Investigators for these arrests. Both of these suspects were wanted for assaulting police officers. In one case, the suspect thought he could avoid authorities in Florida by living his life under the radar in Suffolk County. Our investigators tracked him down and he will be extradited to Florida to face justice after 14 years on the run. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Hollywood, United States, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2021 ) :A unique pandemic-era Oscars kicked off in Los Angeles on Sunday with a movie-style opening credits sequence as actor-director Regina King strode into the ceremony's train station venue clutching a gold statuette. Chloe Zhao's road movie "Nomadland", about transient Americans roaming the West in vans, is tipped to be one of the top winners on a night when Hollywood A-listers are reuniting for the first time in over a year. "Live tv, here we go. Welcome to the 93rd Oscars!" said King as she opened the in-person academy Awards, which were shifted to a glammed-up Union Station to enable strict Covid-19 protocols. "And, yes, we are doing it maskless... think of this as a movie set, an Oscars movie," she added. "With a cast of over 200 nominees, people have been vaxxed, tested, re-tested, socially distanced, and we're following all of the rigorous protocols that got us back to work safely." Before the show, stars paused briefly for pictures and socially distanced interviews on what organizers called a "teeny-tiny red carpet," where actresses Carey Mulligan and Andra Day were among those who dazzled in Oscars gold. Zhao attended alongside some of the real-life "nomads" who played fictional versions of themselves in her film. "It's so amazing to be able to unite with our peers, and to celebrate in person. It feels amazing," she said, dressed in a dress -- and sneakers. While "Nomadland" is an overall favorite on Sunday, it lost out early in the gala for best adapted screenplay to "The Father," adapted by French playwright Florian Zeller from his own stage production. The usual throng of photographers was slashed due to pandemic restrictions, as was the guest list, with even studio execs forced to watch on television. "We're here, isn't it crazy? Human beings in the flesh!" said best actor nominee and "Sound of Metal" star Riz Ahmed. Glenn Close, a nominee for best supporting actress, said as she arrived at the event: "I have not been in a big city in over a year." - 'Up in the air' - "Nomadland," which has swept most of the awards shows in the run-up to the Oscars, entered Sunday as one of the clearest best picture frontrunners in years. Zhao is also tipped to become the second woman, and first of color, to win the golden statuette for best director. With movie theaters closed all year, and blockbuster content delayed, her film -- like rivals "Minari" and "Sound of Metal" -- captured the pandemic zeitgeist with its stunning portrait of the isolated margins of society. "I'm glad for this moment," said "Minari" nominee Steven Yeun, expressing hope that the Korean-American immigrant drama "finds and connects with" viewers. Contenders like "Promising Young Woman" -- which won best original screenplay, the night's first award -- and "The Trial of the Chicago 7" tapped into themes of #MeToo and anti-racism protest that feel more relevant than ever, but those films are still outsiders for best picture. The acting races -- in which it is realistic that all four prizes could go to people of color, after years of #OscarsSoWhite complaints -- promise more tension. Best actress in particular is "up in the air," according to Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond -- all five contenders including "Nomadland" star Frances McDormand, Viola Davis ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom") and Carey Mulligan ("Promising Young Woman") have won awards for their work. The late Chadwick Boseman is tipped to win only the third posthumous acting Oscar in history for his lead role in "Ma Rainey," but one Academy voter told AFP that Anthony Hopkins' turn as a dementia sufferer in "The Father" could produce "a surprise." Daniel Kaluuya won for best supporting actor as expected for "Judas and the Black Messiah," while South Korea's Youn Yuh-jung ("Minari") is the one to beat for supporting actress honors. A win for "The Trial of the Chicago 7" or "Mank" would hand Netflix the first-ever streaming win for best picture -- "Sound of Metal" would do the same for rival Amazon. - 'Opportunity' - This year's 93rd Oscars arrived at their Union Station venue two months late -- organizers have said it would have been "impossible" without the delay. In a nod to the past year's unique circumstances, the show has a large physical footprint. The pre-show featured a performance of best song nominee "Husavik" from the tiny Icelandic port of the same name, complete with a choir of children singing in woolly sweaters and a backdrop of fishing boats. Other musical performances came from the Academy's new film museum, while Europeans unable to travel gathered at "hubs" in London and Paris. Some later elements of the show will come from the Oscar's traditional Hollywood theater base. But the main business of handing out golden statuettes will take place at the 1930s-built station, distinctive for its Spanish colonial and Art Deco stylings. The venue was chosen for its grand scale and outdoor courtyards, where white tents sheltering everything from Covid testing booths to catering were installed in recent days, to the bemusement of onlookers who had just come to catch a train. amz/sst A corpse found at an abandoned Indiana farm in 1983 has finally been identified as a victim of serial killer Larry Eyler thanks to DNA technology. John Ingram Brandenburg Jr. of Chicago had previously been identified only as 'Brad Doe' when four human bodies were discovered buried in a shallow grave on an abandoned farm in rural Lake Village in Newton County, Indiana on October 18, 1983. Two of the other bodies, Michael Bauer and John Bartlett, were previously identified, leaving the final victim nameless, officials said in a press release. Brandenburg, called 'Johnny' by his mother, had been drugged and killed by Eyler, who confessed to at least 20 killings before dying in an Illinois prison of AIDS in 1994. Eyler was on death row for the 1984 murder of Danny Bridges, a 15-year-old boy, at the time of his death. John Ingram Brandenburg Jr. of Chicago had previously been identified as a 'Brad Doe' when four human bodies were discovered buried in a shallow grave A sketch from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shows what Brandburg was believed to have looked like before his identity was discovered Larry Eyler is shown in Indianapolis in 1982 during his horrific killing spree Brandenburg, whose age was not given, was identified using DNA and genetic genealogy after the Newton County Indiana Coroner's Office and prosecutors reached out to the DNA Doe Project for help in 2019. The project uploads DNA samples from unidentified crime victims to GEDMatch, a public database of samples of genetic material, to try and put a name to unclaimed remains by identifying potential relatives. Investigators were finally able to match Brandenburg to a family member earlier this month, according to the coroner's office. 'While my heart breaks for this family, Im thankful that they finally have some of the answers theyve waited so long for, and I hope this brings them peace,' Rebecca Goddard, a Newton County prosecutor, said in a statement Sunday from the DNA Doe Project. The coroner's office said Brandenburg's family had been contacted and authorities would not release further information until relatives gave further permission. Eyler was known as the 'Highway Killer' because many of his victims' remains were found dumped close to the US Interstate network. He grew up in Crawfordsville with an alcoholic father and stepfathers who physically and emotionally abused his mother and his three siblings, the Chicago Reader reported in 1992. Dr. Lyle Rossiter, a forensic psychiatrist that was hired by Eyler's attorney to profile her client, had called it one of the worst cases of child abuse he had seen in 20 years as a psychiatrist, the outlet reported. Eyler himself claimed that he was essentially water boarded by one of his stepfathers who would punish him by running his head under hot water. Gera-Lind Kolarik and Wayne Klatt, the authors of the book Freed to Kill: The True Story of Serial Murderer Larry Eyler, wrote that he realized he was gay when he hit puberty. Eyler is said to have been able to come out to his family, but reportedly kept his sexuality a secret from other acquaintances. He did not graduate high school but obtained a GED and joined a monastery before taking a series of low paying jobs including as private security guard in the Marion County General Hospital. Eyler started to become a regular in the Indianapolis gay community and developed a reputation for rough sex that would see him beat and even cut some of his conquests. He first became known to police in 1978 when he allegedly picked up a marine named Craig Long, then-19, who was hitchhiking before threatening him with a knife while pulling off his pants, according to the Chicago Reader. The marine later testified that he was able to get away briefly before Eyler stabbed him in the chest and fled. Long was paid a check of $2,500 by Eyler's alleged accomplice Robert Little, to sign a release not to press charges, and Eyler was acquitted. Scott McCord, the coroner of Newton County Indiana, shows photos of the crime scene where four bodies were found in 1983 Scott McCord, the coroner of Newton County Indiana, shows boxes holding remains of unidentified bodies believed to be victims of serial killer Larry Eyler Eyler was known to wear United States Marine Corps shirts even though he never served Eyler lived rent-free in condo with Little, a library science professor whom he had first met in 1974. Then three bodies turned up in Lake County, Illinois in the spring and summer of 1983 with a person who called Indiana State Police identifying Eyler as the murdered, but cops did not have enough evidence to back up the arrest, the Chicago Reader reported. Eyler is known to have committed a minimum of 21 murders and one attempted murder between 1982 and 1984 plying his captives with alcohol and sedatives before restraining, murdering, and even disemboweling some of them before discarding their bodies. One of Eyler's first victims is believed to have been Jay Reynolds, a Kentucky resident, who was found stabbed to death at the bottom of a ditch along U.S. Highway 25 in March 1982, the Chicago Tribune reported. Eyler then allegedly strangled Delvoyd Baker, 14, a possible victim not included in official tallies whose body was dumped his body on the side of the road north of Indianapolis, according to a document from the Radford University Department of Pyschology obtained by Murderpedia. Craig Townsend, 21, who miraculously survived after he was drugged, was beaten and left naked in a field on October 12, 1982. Just 11 days later, Eyler abducted and stabbed 19 year-old Steven Crockett to death. An autopsy revealed he had been stabbed 32 times. Edgar Underkofler, 26, disappeared from his home in Rantoul, Illinois on October 30 but his body was not discovered until March 4, 1983. In November, Eyler killed bartender John Johnson, 25, whose body was discovered one month later in Lowell, Indiana, the Chicago Tribune. Eyler was ultimately arrested for the first time on September 30, 1983 in Lowell, Indiana for a routine traffic violation while with a young hitchhiker. Investigators obtained a search warrant to search his truck and Little's home and obtained call logs that showed Eyler had made collect calls to Little's home at times when victims were believed to have been murdered. Tire treads observed where the body of another victim, Ralph Calise, was dumped matched his vehicle. Calise's body was discovered in a field outside of Lake Forest, Illinois with his pants down around his ankles. Police recover the body of another victim of Eyler, Seven Agan Eyler was charged with Calise's murder on October 29 and his bond being set at $1 million. But a judge later ruled that Eyler's detention was illegal and he was released from custody in February 1984 after his family and Little paid a reduced bond. Eyler later moved to Chicago where he lured Daniel Bridges, 16, to his apartment around 10.30pm on August 19, 1984. Bridges was a friend of another of Eyler's victims, Ervin Gibson - whose body was found on April 15, 1983. Bridges was bound to a chair and was tortured before he was then stabbed to death and cut up into eight pieces inside Eyler's apartment in Chicago. His body was found by a janitor named Joe Balla on August 21, 1984 in an alley, the Chicago Reader reported. Ballad had arrived to the building around 6am to take out the trash and saw different bags than those typically used by the residents. 'I was very pissed off a little bit. So I opened one up, ripped it open. . . . I was very curious what the hell I am throwing out,' the Chicago Reader reported. He found a human leg inside. 'Why me? 'Why I have to see those things?' he said. Other janitors had reportedly seen Eyler place the bags in the dumpster the day before. Eyler was charged with Bridges' murder on August 22 - but denied knowing anything about the crime. The serial killer was tried in Cook County, Illinois, before Judge Joseph Urso on July 1, 1986. It only took three hours of deliberation for the jury to return its verdict. Judge Urso later sentenced Eyler to death by lethal injection. Eyler later agreed to voluntarily confess to killing Calise in 1990 but alleged that Little had helped him with that killing. Little later faced trial and was acquitted. Eyler also confessed to the murder of Steven Agan before his death, the Chicago Tribune reported. 'If I break up, it`s because I`m nervous. I`m guilty. I`m guilty,' Eyler told Vermillion County Judge Don Darnell in 1990. Eyler claimed that Little had recorded the crime on 35mm film, the outlet reported. Eyler's attorney released his confession to 20 more of the killings after his death from AIDS-related complications 10 days after falling ill while detained at Pontiac Correctional Center. But he continued to deny being responsible for the deaths of Bridges as well as Jay Reynolds and Eric Hansen. Karien Cherry, director at Giant Films, recently ranked number one director at the Loeries Rankings for 2020. She's the first female ever to hold this position, and this year, also the only female to be featured within the top 20 Loeries Directors rankings... The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday capped the tenure of MD, CEO and whole-time director (WTD) of private sector banks at 15 years and said the upper age limit for these posts will be 70 years. The central bank's directive is part of the instructions issued by RBI regarding chair and meetings of the boards of banks, composition of certain committees of the board, age, tenure and remuneration of directors, and appointment of WTDs. RBI said it will also issue a Master Direction on Governance for banks. "Subject to the statutory approvals required from time to time, the post of the MD and CEO or WTD cannot be held by the same incumbent for more than 15 years. Thereafter, the individual will be eligible for re-appointment as MD and CEO or WTD in the same bank, if considered necessary and desirable by the board, after a minimum gap of three years, subject to meeting other conditions," RBI said. During the three-year cooling period, the individual cannot be appointed or associated with the bank or its group entities in any capacity, either directly or indirectly. It said no person can continue as MD and CEO or WTD beyond the age of 70 years. However, as part of their internal policy, individual bank's boards are free to prescribe a lower retirement age for the WTDs, including the MD and CEO, it said. Also read: Tech Mahindra FY21 net profit up 9.8% to Rs 4,428 crore The maximum age limit for chairman and non-executive directors (NED) has been fixed at 75 years. "The total tenure of an NED, continuously or otherwise, on the board of a bank, shall not exceed eight years. After completing eight years on the board of a bank the person may be considered for re-appointment only after a minimum gap of three years," RBI said. However, the directive will not preclude him/her from being appointed as a director in another bank, subject to meeting the requirements. RBI also said that the fixed remuneration for an NED, other than the chair of the board, cannot exceed Rs 20 lakh per annum. The boards of banks will be required to constitute an nomination and remuneration committee (NRC) made up of only NEDs. The NRC shall meet with a quorum of three members. At least half of the members attending the meeting of the NRC shall be independent directors, of which one shall be a member of the risk management committee of the board (RMCB), RBI said. It added that the meetings of the NRC shall be chaired by an independent director and the chair of the board cannot chair the NRC. It further said the audit committee of the board (ACB) will comprise of only non-executive directors (NEDs). The board, it added, will also constitute an RMCB with a majority of NEDs. Also read: Reliance Foundation scales up COVID operations in Mumbai, to manage 875 beds NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Informa Financial Intelligence, a leading provider of solutions for financial services professionals, today announced that their FBX business will be combined with Novantas, Inc, a preeminent fintech provider of advanced decision support systems and data to the banking industry. With their unified offerings and solutions, this combination will create a leading data intelligence business serving the retail and commercial banking market across lending, deposits, and digital banking solutions. The development has been agreed between Informa, Novantas,Inc and Inflexion, a mid-market private equity firm. The combination is subject to customary US regulatory approval and the finalization of additional terms and documentation and is expected to complete by the end of the first half of 2021. FBX launched in September 2020 as a single brand, combining Informa Financial Intelligence's Informa Research Services, ICON Advisory Group, Mapa Research, BankTrends and eBenchmarkers businesses. It provides quantitative and qualitative competitive intelligence that supports the performance of retail banks' portfolios. Novantas delivers advanced decision support systems and actionable intelligence on customer behaviors and competitive position to the world's leading banks, providing predictive scoring, cross-bank data comparisons, advanced analytics, and behavioral analysis. Their solutions allow banks to improve customer acquisition and customer relationship value, optimize rate and branch networks, and accelerate digital transformation across the retail and commercial banking sector. "We're excited at the prospect of bringing our competitive intelligence business FBX together with Novantas," said Craig Woodward, President of Informa Financial Intelligence. "Financial institutions are facing increasing competitive pressures, narrowing margins and the accelerated transformation from physical to digital banking. FBX and Novantas are very complementary, and the combination will give us a broader suite of analytical tools, data sets and deeper market expertise, allowing us to better help our customers make profitable decisions, faster, in a changing and demanding market." The majority owner of the combined business will be Informa, with Novantas and Inflexion investing alongside Informa to retain significant minority stakes. About Financial Benchmarking & Omnichannel Experience (FBX) Financial Benchmarking & Omnichannel Experience (FBX), a subsidiary of Informa plc (LSE: INF), provides bank peer benchmarking services, banking workflow solutions and omnichannel banking experience research services to retail banks worldwide. FBX, part of Informa Financial Intelligence, brings together competitive performance data and customer journey research to provide a comprehensive assessment of a competitive position. Through a synchronized view, FBX provides targeted information to identify key levers for improving relative performance. For additional information, please visit https://financialintelligence.informa.com/fbx. About Informa Financial Intelligence Financial Intelligence, part of the Informa Intelligence Division of Informa PLC, is a leading provider of products and services helping financial institutions around the world cut through the noise and take decisive action. Informa Financial Intelligence's solutions provide unparalleled insight into market opportunity, competitive performance and customer segment behavioral patterns and performance through specialized industry research, intelligence, and insight. For more information, please visit https://financialintelligence.informa.com. About Novantas, Inc. Novantas, a leading fintech provider of advanced decision support systems and data, provides financial institutions licensed offerings such as cross-bank data, predictive scoring and advanced analytics. Serving hundreds of the world's largest banking institutions, Novantas delivers solutions that allow clients to be precise, nimble and economic as they transition their customers into a digital work. With focus on providing products that improve each bank's ability to target and acquire customers, increase customer relationship value, optimize rate pricing and volume, improve distribution network efficiency, launch new products more profitable and accelerate digital transformation, Novantas delivers actional intelligence on customers deposits and markets. For additional information, please visit www.novantas.com About Inflexion Inflexion is a leading mid-market private equity firm which invests in high growth, entrepreneurial businesses with ambitious management teams and works in partnership with them to accelerate growth. Inflexion's flexible approach allows it to back both majority and minority investments, typically investing 10m to 300m of equity in each deal. With bespoke teams and dedicated capital, Inflexion's funds invest across a variety of sectors from offices in London, Manchester and Amsterdam. Inflexion helps businesses achieve the next stage of growth through M&A, international expansion, digital enhancement, talent development, commercial strategy, and access to Inflexion's global networks. It also benefits from a local presence in Bangalore, Boston, Sao Paulo and Shanghai dedicated to portfolio development, enabling investee companies to benefit from privileged access to these fast-growth markets. Inflexion is one of Preqin's most consistent Top Performing Buyout Funds and is a regular recipient of industry accolades for its success in growing the businesses it backs. Funds advised by Inflexion Private Equity Partners LLP have funds under management of c.5.4bn. Read more at www.inflexion.com MEDIA CONTACT: Zach Allegretti, JConnelly 973-850-7341 [email protected] SOURCE Informa Financial Intelligence Scott Morrison has labelled social media the work of the 'devil' and admitted to performing 'spiritual healings' while working during a speech at a Pentecostal convention. The prime minister attended the Australian Christian Churches conference on the Gold Coast last week where he told cheering fellow parishioners he and his wife Jenny were 'called to do God's work' by leading the country. In a video of the speech shared online Mr Morrison, Australia's first Pentecostal prime minister, declared that he had looked for signs from God while he was on the 2019 election campaign trail. The prime minister attended the Australian Christian Churches conference on the Gold Coast last week where he preached to parishioners (pictured) He told his religious counterparts that he often prayed at work and engaged in the evangelical tradition of 'laying on of hands', which is used to confer a spiritual blessing. Mr Morrison said he practiced the laying on of hands during a visit to the Pilbara region in Western Australia earlier this month following cyclone Seroja. 'I've been in evacuation centres where people thought I was just giving someone a hug and I was praying, and putting my hands on people laying hands on them and praying in various situations,' he said. 'God has, I believe, been using us in those moments to be able to provide some relief and comfort and just some reassurance.' The prime minister also described the 'disrespectful' use of social media as 'the work of the devil' and called on believers to 'raise their spiritual weapons' and use prayer to combat its 'corrosive effect on society'. 'Sure, social media has its virtues and its values and enables us to connect with people in ways we've never had before,' Mr Morrison said. 'But those weapons can also be used by the evil one and we need to call that out.' Mr Morrison said he and wife Jenny (pictured together) were called upon to do 'God's work' by leading the country In the clip, which was circulated by the Rationalist Society on Sunday, fellow church members could be heard cheering as the prime minister expressed his views. Mr Morrison told members of his church he needs them to keep 'building community' within the country. 'Cancelling out one human being is cancelling out community,' he said. 'It is important that we reach out and let every Australian know that they are significant because we believe that they are created in the image of God.' Later in his address, the nation's leader said he had looked for signs from God during a trip to an art gallery on the NSW central coast during his last election campaign. 'And there right in front of me was the biggest picture of a soaring eagle but the message I got that day was, Scott you've got to run to not grow weary, you've got to walk to not grow faint, you've got to spread your wings like an eagle to soar like an eagle,' he said. Mr Morrison and his family have been members of the Sutherland Shire's Horizon Church, in Sydney's south, for more than a decade. The Pentecostal faith has customs including speaking in tongues, prayer cloths, healing by the laying on of hands and energetic worship services. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Prime Minister's office for comment. Gov. Greg Abbott wants Texans to know hes here to protect their hamburgers and brisket even if they were never really in danger. The Republican state leader joined conservative firebrands over the weekend to denounce what Fox News had suggested would be a four-pound annual cap on red meat consumption, as part of the Biden administrations climate change policies announced last week. [April 26, 2021] CMG Financial and the Hasson Company Launch Select Lending Services, a Joint Venture Partnership LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CMG Financial, a privately-held, well-capitalized mortgage banking firm, and the Hasson Company, one of Oregon's most successful independent real estate companies, announced today the formation of their joint venture partnership, Select Lending Services. Leveraging the extensive resources of CMG Financial's national operation combined with the hands-on local service of Hasson Company real estate agents, Select Lending Services is poised to deliver an efficient mortgage transaction, educating clients along the way. The Hasson Company differentiates between "performers" and "producers" when hiring brokers. The company understands that clients depend on their broker to be a trusted advisor committed to their goals not just a salesperson set on closing the deal. The emphasis on performance over production has certainly translated to the company's growth from 12 agents to 180 agents in 7 offices throughout the Pacific Northwest. Compared to regional and national real estate companies, the Hasson Company ranks first in average sales volume for brokers. "This in-house lending relationship will ultimately improve the overall buying experience for our clients; pairing our agents and loan officers with the best products available in the marketplace," Stephen Studley, CEO and Licensed Broker, the Hasson Company, said in a statement. "I could not be more pleased to be part of the partnership between the Hasson Company and Select Lending Services. To find a partner that is so closely aligned to a 'client first' mentality made this decision an easy one. We all understand that always doing the right thing for our clients and providing an unparalleled customer experience is the key to a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship," Lynae Forbes, President and Principal Broker, the Hasson Company, said in a statement. CMG Financial will provide the operational support Select Lending Services needs to find the right loan for every new home buyer or homeowner looking to refinance. As a direct lender, CMG has local processing and underwriting, cn keep clients up to date on loan progress, and pilot new products before other lenders. In addition to originating all conventional, government, and jumbo loans, Select Lending Services loan officers will have access to CMG's proprietary products like HomeFundIt, the online down payment gifting platform, and the All In One Loan, the first-lien HELOC designed to help pay off the mortgage faster. "We are excited to partner with such a customer-oriented group like the Hasson Company. Together, we created a distinct mortgage experience to complement a company that focuses truly on the customer. It was a vision created by leadership with one goal in mind -- to bring a refreshing mortgage experience to the Pacific Northwest. We are excited to realize that vision with Select Lending Services," Chris Harris, SVP Joint Venture Manager, the CMG Financial, said in a statement. For more information about Select Lending Services, please visit www.selectlendingservices.com. About CMG Financial CMG Financial is a well-capitalized, privately held mortgage-banking firm founded in 1993. The company makes its products and services available to the market through three distinct origination channels including Retail Lending, Wholesale Lending, and Correspondent Lending. CMG Financial currently operates in all states, including District of Columbia, and holds federal agency lending approvals with HUD, VA, RHS, GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC. Throughout the mortgage banking and housing markets, CMG Financial is widely known for responsible lending practices, industry and consumer advocacy, product innovation, and operational efficiency. For more information visit www.cmgfi.com About the Hasson Company In 1983, Mike Hasson launched Handel, Hasson & Jones, a small residential real estate firm in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Eight years later, Hasson formed Hasson Company, REALTORS, originally comprised of 12 real estate agents. Since then, the company has grown to about 180 full-time agents in 7 offices located throughout the Portland metro area, Central Oregon and Southwest Washington. The goal at Hasson is not to be the biggest, but the best real estate company in the Pacific Northwest. They're small enough to ensure local knowledge, local control and continued community involvement, yet large enough to provide the range of services and technologies typically associated with national companies. Hasson agents have been carefully selected based on personality, business philosophy, production, and professional references ensuring they can deliver exceptional service and an experience that will exceed buyer expectations. For more information visit www.hasson.com Media Contact: Madelynn Graham Phone: 443.455.1137 Email: madelynng@cmgfi.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cmg-financial-and-the-hasson-company-launch-select-lending-services-a-joint-venture-partnership-301276938.html SOURCE CMG Financial [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] DANBURY A New York man pleaded guilty last week to his involvement in fraudulent mass-mailing schemes that embroiled a Danbury company and lost consumers at least $9.5 million, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release. Norman Newman, 74, of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., was involved in a conspiracy to supply lists of potential victims to clients, who then sent fraudulent letters promising money or prizes to, in some cases, vulnerable people, according to the DOJ. He worked as a list broker and senior vice president at Macromark, Inc, a Danbury direct mail service firm, from 2005 to 2016. Macromark pleaded guilty to facilitating elder fraud schemes in September. Providing victim lists and other data to help fraudsters target elderly or otherwise vulnerable consumers is a crime, Brian Boynton, acting assistant attorney general of the Justice Departments Civil Division, said in a statement. The Department of Justice can and will hold responsible individuals and companies who knowingly commit or facilitate these schemes. On of Newmans attorneys declined comment when contacted by a reporter, Monday. The DOJ states that Newman admitted to giving clients lists of victims, who then were sent deceptive letters that appeared to be personalized, although the same letters were sent to thousands of consumers on the lists he provided, the justice department stated. Each letter was intended to mislead the consumer into believing that he or she would receive a large amount of money, a valuable prize, or personalized psychic services upon payment of a fee to the mass mailers, who often operated under false names, the justice department wrote. The clients paid commissions to Macromark for brokering the sale of the potential victims list, and Newman received a percentage of the commissions, according to the justice department The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. While working for a large data firm, the defendant purposefully supplied the names and addresses of vulnerable Americans to known fraudulent clients targeting consumers via mass-mailings, said Inspector in Charge Delany De Leon-Colon, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Services Criminal Investigations Group. He knew each name he provided would result in another fraudulent mailing being delivered to the consumers mailbox. Newman used the databases of data brokerage companies that have large volumes of demographic and transactional data on American consumers. He and others routinely provided samples of fraudulent letters to employees of these companies, who provided data to the clients, the justice department said. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Macromark was sentenced in December to three years of probation, $750,000 in fines and a $400 special assessment. The company was also ordered to forfeit $250,000 from proceeds from the sale of consumer data. Phone numbers for the company were no longer in service on Monday. Victims of this case may contact a victim witness coordinator at 203-821-3757 or 203-985-9129. Victims may also visit the justice departments website. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Someone once said, it is normal to say, I talk to God. But when you say, God talks to me. Thats when everyone thinks you are crazy! Believe it or not, God wants to speak directly to you. Jesus said in John 10, My sheep hear my voice. Some of us have never heard Gods voice or if we have, we didnt know it was Gods voice. How do we learn to hear Gods voice? The life of Samuel can teach us a lot about this question. In 1 Samuel 2:21 it says, And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord. Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord. Just as Samuel grew, so we need to grow in the presence of God. But how do you grow in the presence of God? Like any good relationship. You have to spend time together, talk to each other, and listen to each other. We do this through prayer, journaling, fasting, Bible reading, confession of sin, Bible memorization. We call these the disciplines of the faith. You grow in the presence of God when you focus on the living Word of God. God is always at work raising up new leadership in us and through us, if we will but listen to Him and do what He is speaking to us. God came to the corrupt priest Eli and said in 1 Samuel 2:35, And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. God has declared to Eli the priest; your season is over because you stewarded it for me in an ungodly way. God tells Eli he has someone He is raising up to take his place. Then God calls Samuel and Samuel responds in 1 Samuel 3:4, Here I am!and ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. But he said, I did not call; lie down again. So, he went and lay down. This happened two more times and finally Eli realizes what is happening to Samuel and says in 1 Samuel 3:9, Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. So, Samuel went and lay down in his place. What irony, this man who has stopped listen to Gods voice and obeying it is now teaching Samuel how to hear and respond to Gods voice. I know this is strange, but I have experienced it in my own life more than once. God sometimes uses corrupt leaders to teach us godly principles and practices. I remember a guy who came to Liberty University when I was a college student, and he could quote scripture like nobodys business. He inspired me, but I later learned that he was fraud and a liar. His life was a lie. Recently I had someone in my office who was broken over Ravi Zacharias and what he has done. The person was asking, What do I do with this four-foot stack of books he has written, that I have in my possession. Ravi was maybe the greatest and most well-known apologist we have known. He has been called, the Billy Graham of Apologetics. I encouraged my friend not to get rid of those books and not to minimize the things he learned from them, because even though Ravi wouldnt apply it to his own life, it is still the truth of Jesus for my friends life. Sometimes God uses ungodly leaders to teach us godly practices. Eli taught Samuel that the beginning of hearing Gods voice is the acknowledgement of Gods presence in your life and then inviting Him to speak to you. Say, Speak Lord, I am listening for your voice. Once you have done this, then listen to what He has to say to you. Hopefully the first time God speaks to you it wont be as heavy as it was for Samuel. God says to Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:11-13, Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken.And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house. Look at how Samuel responds to God in 1 Samuel 3:15, Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli." Hearing from God for the first time can be an unsettling thing, but can you imagine if this is the first thing you ever heard God speak to you? God didnt give Samuel time to crawl or walk. Samuel had to hit the ground running. This is a very heavy first word and Samuel was afraid to share it. You may find yourself afraid to share something that God has revealed to you. You and I have to learn how to speak what God says to us in the face of fear. God wants us to represent Him to others. He wants us to hear what He is saying to us through His Word and His Spirit and represent Him to others. It could be the message of salvation. Maybe they have never given their life to Jesus. The most prophetic message you can ever share with anyone is, Jesus loves you and wants to save your live forever. Or it could be a specific word about someones calling on their life or sadly it could be a sinful habit in their life. Whatever it is, we must always share in love for the glory of Jesus and the good of others. This has to be our focus and our motivation. May the Lord give each of us the special grace we need to hear His voice and speak on His behalf to others. The Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on May 7, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) California Law Forcing Charities to Identify Donors Is Unconstitutional, Supreme Court Hears The Supreme Court seems sympathetic to arguments by two conservative charities that a California law requiring charities to hand over the names of their donors violates the First Amendment. The case, Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, court file 19-251, and a companion case, Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta, court file 19-255, were heard together April 26. Rob Bonta, a Democrat, was sworn in on April 23 as Californias attorney general. The court allotted 70 minutes for oral argument; the hearing actually ran 104 minutes. The petitioner groups were represented by Derek L. Shaffer. The respondent, California, was represented by California Deputy Solicitor General Aimee A. Feinberg. The former Trump administration had argued the states policy clearly violates the two tax-exempt groups constitutionally protected freedom of association. However, the Biden administration, represented at the hearing by Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, said the appeals courts analysis was incomplete in the ruling at hand, which found against the charities, so it should be returned to the court so it can clarify its reasoning. Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) and its sister organization, Americans for Prosperity, are influential libertarian nonprofits funded by businessman Charles Koch. The Thomas More Law Center is a conservative Christian public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and isnt to be confused with the Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based public interest law firm. California regulations require charities to file a copy of their IRS Form 990, a federal informational return for tax-exempt organizations, annually with the state. Schedule B to the form contains names and addresses of top donors. While the form is made available to the public, Schedule B donor information must be kept confidential, under pain of federal civil and criminal penalties. When a Schedule B is released to the public, donor-identifying information is redacted. Since about 2005, California has demanded that charities file with the state unredacted Schedule B documents, giving state officials the names of donors. The states policy is to keep the information confidential, but there are no state legal penalties for breaching confidentiality. The charities concerned refuse to file their unredacted Schedule Bs with the liberal, Democratic Party-dominated California government because they dont trust its officials to keep the information secret. They say that their donors have in the past been harassed and been the victims of reprisals when their names became public. A U.S. district court agreed with the charities and preliminarily enjoined California from requiring petitioners to submit their Schedule B documents. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit disagreed and reversed. Shaffer told the Supreme Court during oral arguments that in 2013, when California leaked the Schedule B of Asian Americans for Advancing Justice, there werent life-threatening consequences for donors, but today, in 2021, sad to say, it could be a life-or-death issue that their identities have been disclosed. Shaffer said there is expert testimony in the record explaining that precisely because there is such intensity of views and theres such a proclivity to vilify perceived enemies in our times, thats part of what raises the stakes and raises the concerns of reasonable donors for charities all across the spectrum. Californias policy constitutes a totally gratuitous First Amendment intrusion. Feinberg told the justices that the petitioners failed to demonstrate that Californias Schedule B requirement is unconstitutional. They did not show that Californias confidential collection of the same information that charities already provide to the IRS chills associational interests in general or for a substantial number of charities in the state. Chief Justice John Roberts challenged Feinberg. If someone wants to support a controversial cause when people have threatened to make life miserable for its supporters and that person came to you and said, I want to give a donation but I want to be sure that California will not disclose this and it will not get out, can you give me 100 percent assurance that that will not happen? What would you tell that person? I dont think any organization can guarantee perfection, Feinberg said, adding that the state has improved its confidentiality protocols since past lapses. Justice Clarence Thomas told Feinberg that governments have in the past abused data, saying that when Japanese Americans were interned during World War II, census data was used to locate them. Justice Stephen Breyer said hes concerned the current case is just a stalking horse to help take down campaign finance laws. His remarks seem to echo those of 15 U.S. senatorsall left-wing Democratswho filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Californias position. This appeal is just the latest move in the steady and methodical campaign pursued by powerful interests to both cement and obscure their influence over the public sphere since this Courts decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010), which allowed corporations to spend without limit to influence elections. The effect of these efforts has been to deprive the citizenry of information and make our democracy less representative, the brief stated. Responding to Breyer, Shaffer said: There is no law on the books in California requiring Schedule B. What you have is bureaucratic whim, which is different from a considered legislative judgment. California, Shaffer said, has no interest in reviewing Schedule Bs. Its in having them on hand prophylactically on a suspicionless basis from all charities to then review a tiny handful when an external complaint comes in. Responding to Justice Samuel Alito, Shaffer said that officers from charities testified that after donor information went astray, they had instances of horrific threats and violence, including death threats that were directed against the organizations or their proxies who were in the same position that donors would be in. Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked Shaffer, Do you think the right to anonymously associate is an inherent part of the freedom of assembly? Yes, it is. It was precious to the framers, Shaffer said. Anonymity was a core concern of theirs thats reflected in this courts precedents but, also, the right to assemble is the right to assemble privately and peaceably. And when the government comes asking tell us who your donors are, that is a direct infringement. In an effort to help India, as the country is experiencing its second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, Google has announced that they will be donating Rs. 135 crore in funding towards organizations that are providing help. The company has also announced Rs. 112 Crore in Ad grants to help local health authorities and nonprofits circulate information about the vaccines. Googles funding will go to two main organizations GiveIndia and UNICEF. GiveIndia is a organization that provides cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses, and UNICEF is helping by providing urgent medical supplies such oxygen and testing equipment to places where it is critically needed. As mentioned above, the company is also providing Ad grants, with an additional Rs. 112 Crore, to local authorities and nonprofits to help spread verified information about the virus, its effects and about the vaccine. They have also conducted workshops for health officials on how to use YouTube effectively to reach people about the vaccine and they have added several nongovernmental organizations on Google Pay where users can donate. Prof. Alvaro has just demonstrated the first successful application of a combination of x-ray crystallography and a technique called Raman spectroscopy with a sample of a rock from a location known as the Mir pipe in Siberia. Credit: Vladimir, licensed under CC BY 3.0 At 03:34 local time on 27 February 2010, Chile was struck by one of the most powerful earthquakes in a century. The shock triggered a tsunami, which devastated coastal communities. The combined events killed more than 500 people. So powerful was the shaking that, by one NASA estimate, it shifted Earth's axis of spin by a full 8 cm. Like nearly all the of the most powerful earthquakes, this was a megathrust earthquake. These happen at subduction zones, places where one tectonic plate is forced under another. If the plates suddenly slipwallop, you get a massive earthquake. The 2010 Chile quake was a magnitude 8.8: strong enough to shift buildings off their foundations. We understand subduction zones poorly, which is why geophysicist Professor Anne Socquet, based at Universite Grenoble Alpes in France, had planned to visit Chile. She wanted to install seismic monitoring instruments to collect data. By coincidence, she arrived just a week after the quake. "It was terrifying," she said. "The apartment we had rented had fissures in the walls that you could put your fist inside." Most people who study megathrust quakes focus on the foreshocks that immediately precede the main quake, Prof. Socquet says. But an unusual feature of megathrust quakes is that they are often followed by a series of other very powerful megathrust quakes several years later and with epicentres hundreds of kilometres away. The 2010 Chile quake, for instance, was followed by other events in 2014, 2015 and 2016 centred on areas up and down the Chile coast. Prof. Socquet wanted to look at these sequences of megathrust earthquakes and investigate the potential links between those great quakes. This requires a careful examination of seismological and geodetic data at a greater scale than has previously been done. Megathrust We know that megathrust quakes are the result of the subduction of one tectonic plate below another. But beyond that, we have very little understanding of the dynamics of the subduction and how it might trigger an instability that leads to another megathrust event a few years later. There is some evidence that it could be to do with the release and migration of fluids at great depth. Prof. Socquet's DEEP-trigger project is about filling that gap. "This is kind of virgin territory in terms of observations," she said. The first step of the six-month-old project was supposed to be adding to the network of about 250 GPS instruments that she has contributed to in Chile since 2007 and building a new instrument network in Peru. Currently unable to travel to South America due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she's been working with local contacts to begin the installation. She's also working on computational tools to begin analysing legacy data from the region. "The critical thing will be to have systematic observations of the link between the slow slip and the seismic fractures at large time and space scales. This will be a very big input to science." At the University of Pavia in Italy, mineralogist Professor Matteo Alvaro is also interested in megaquakesalbeit much, much older ones. It turns out that we can get a unique window on subduction zones as they were millions of years ago. There are certain places, few and far between, where rocks that have been through subduction zones are forced up to the surface. By analysing these rocks we can deduce the depths and pressures at which the subduction happened and build up a picture of how subduction worksand maybe how megathrust earthquakes are triggered. Megathrust earthquakes happen at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate is forced under another. Credit: Marco Reyes / Unsplash Crystal It usually works like this. Geologists find a rock made of a mineral with what's called an inclusion crystal inside it. This inclusion was trapped inside the mineral as two subducting plates squeezed each other at great depth, perhaps 100 km or more below the surface. It will have a particular crystal structurea specific, repeating spatial arrangement of atomswhich depends on the pressure it experienced as it formed. The crystal can reveal the pressure the inclusion was exposed to and hence depth it was formed at. The trouble is, this is an over simplification. It only holds if the inclusion is cube-shapedand it almost never is. This whole idea of pressure equals depthwe all know this might be incorrect, says Prof. Alvaro. "The natural questions is, okay, but by how much are we wrong?" That's what he decided to find out in his project TRUE DEPTHS. The plan was simple in principle. Prof Alvaro wanted to measure the strain experienced by the crystal while still trapped inside the mineral. If he could understand the tiny displacement of the atoms from their usual positions in a typical, unpressurised crystal structure, that would provide a better measure of the stress applied by the surrounding rock as the crystal was formed and so a more accurate measure of the depth at which it was formed. To study the atomic structure, he uses a combination of X-ray crystallography and a technique called Raman spectroscopy. Prof. Alvaro has just demonstrated the first successful application of his techniques. He looked at a sample of a rock from a location known as the Mir pipe in Siberia. This is a shaft of molten kimberlite rock that rose very fast from huge depths. (We get most of our diamonds from kimberlite pipes like this, and indeed, Mir has been mined extensively.) Prof. Alvaro looked at rocks of garnet with a tiny quartz inclusions inside that were brought up. "The kimberlite is the elevator that brings it to the surface," he said. Trigger By measuring the strain on the inclusions, he could confirm it formed at pressure of 1.5 gigaPascals (about 15,000 times that found at Earth's surface) and a temperature of 850oC. This isn't entirely surprising, but it is the first proof that Prof. Alvaro's technique really works. He is now looking to make more measurements and build a library of examples. He also wonders, more speculatively, if it's possible that the formation and deformation of the inclusions might act as the very first trigger of megathrust earthquakes. The idea would be that these tiny changes set off cracks in larger rocks that eventually lead a fault to slip out of place. Prof. Alvaro is planning to explore this further. "No one knows what the initial trigger is, the thing that triggers the first slip," said Prof. Alvaro. "We started thinkingand maybe it's a completely crazy ideathat maybe it's these inclusions. A cluster of them, maybe subject to an instantaneous phase change and so a change in volume. Maybe that could be the very first trigger." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) American vaccine maker Moderna has filed for an emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 doses to be used in the Philippines. Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo said the application was submitted on Monday. RELATED: Moderna's coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective, according to company data An initial shipment of nearly 200,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine is scheduled to arrive in the country on June 15. The Philippines earlier signed a tripartite agreement with the American drug manufacturer to receive 20 million doses. Under the deal, 13 million will be allocated to the government, while seven million will go to the private sector. The Philippines is also eyeing to procure the coronavirus booster shot made by Moderna. The country's FDA has granted the EUA applications of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinovac, Bharat Biotech Covaxin, and Janssen. 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. It seems like comedian Whitney Cummings enjoyed her time in San Antonio last week. The "Good For You" podcast host headlined several shows from Thursday through Saturday at the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, selling out most of her performances, according to the venue's Facebook. On Saturday, Cummings posted on Instagram about her visit at Little Death on the St. Mary's Street, thanking the wine bar and San Antonio for its art that spoke to her blue-haired self. "Thank you, San Antonio, for having topless blue-haired mermaids everywhere so feel seen and don't internalize all the YouTube comments about me being on crack," she wrote as a caption. READ ALSO: Queer Eye's back in action in Austin. Here's our plea for a San Antonio makeover. Cummings also posted a video clip of her and an audience member, who's never touched fake boobs before. She allowed him on stage to feel her up (calm down, it was over her sweater). "This English silver fox is 65 and has never touched fake boobs," she wrote in her post. "We made his nightmare come true and no he did not mind the gap." In the video, the man thanked Cummings for the educational experience, smiling and all. If you missed her in San Antonio, she'll be in Houston May 13-15 and Dallas May 20-22. Click here to find tickets. A 32-year-old man wanted in connection with the shooting of 25-year-old Manuel Duarte in Brockton last year was fatally shot in Tennessee over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Saturday morning, Marvin Veiga was shot and killed by a Metro Nashville, Tennessee Police Department officer after Veiga advanced on the officer and brandished butcher knives in both hands, according to the office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Dude, what are you doing? Drop the knife. I dont want to shoot you, the officer can be heard shouting at Veiga as the man charged at him with the knives. The officer is heard firing three shots in the video, dropping Veiga to the ground. I did not want to have to do that, the officer says as Veiga lay on the pavement. Massachusetts State Police and Brockton Police have been searching for Veiga and 29-year-old Takari Elliot, who were each indicted in the shooting death of Duarte on Oct. 13, prosecutors said. Duarte was found shot in the head and body near 94 Belmont Avenue in Brockton. He was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Medical Center, officials had said. Elliot was located and arrested after warrants were issued for the two men on March 5. Veiga remained at large and was placed on the states Most Wanted list in connection with Duartes death. Metro Nashville police released body cam footage of Saturdays shooting during a press conference on Monday. Metro Nashville authorities said just before midnight the police officer initiated a traffic stop of a Mercedes Sedan after the license plate showed it was registered to a different vehicle. The driver of the Mercedes stopped the car when the officer activated his blue lights. Then the passenger, later identified as Veiga, got out of the vehicle with two large butcher knifes and began running around erratically, authorities said. On the body cam video, the driver of the Mercedes repeated yelled to the passenger, What are you doing? The video showed Veiga attempting to enter the officers police cruiser before charging the officer with the knives in hand. The officer was seen back-peddling away from Veiga, ordering him to drop the knife. He also stated that he didnt want to shoot him. Officials said five police officers attempted to render aid to Veiga. The Massachusetts State Police added Marvin Veiga Jr. to its most wanted list on Thursday. Related Content: India will be the fastest-growing market for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) food and drink brands' advertising expenditure over the next three years, with ad spend rising 14 per cent per year, according to a report by media agency Zenith, owned by Publicis Groupe. According to Zenith's Business Intelligence - FMCG Food and Drink report, which covered 12 markets including the US, UK, France and China, all other markets are likely to grow steadily at between 2 per cent and 5 per cent a year. India will benefit from blossoming consumer demand as disposable incomes rise rapidly, coupled with the catch-up expansion of the underdeveloped ad market, it said, adding that advertising accounts for only 0.3 per cent of India's GDP, less than half of the global average of 0.7 per cent. It said the FMCG food and drink brands, which include packaged foods and soft drinks brands, will increase their advertising expenditure on digital channels by 7 per cent per year to 2023 and the digital advertising expenditure will rise from $12.3 billion in 2020 to $14.9 billion in 2023, while its market share will rise from 46 per cent to 49 per cent. "FMCG brands still rely heavily on traditional TV, spending 39 per cent of their budgets on television advertising in 2020, compared to 24 per cent for the average brand. Excluding China, where FMCG brands have already adopted digital advertising as their main form of commercial communication, FMCG brands spent 52 per cent of their budgets in television, compared to an average of 26 per cent," the report said. Also read: Jagdish Khattar: The man who resuscitated and re-built Maruti Suzuki However, the declining reach of TV, particularly among the young, is making it a less effective medium, forcing companies to follow audiences to digital channels. Brands will also look to support and expand their e-commerce capabilities, channeling consumers to DTC (direct-to-consumer) operations or retail partnerships. Zenith said out-of-home advertising is an exception to the declining reach of traditional media. As traffic returns to normal after the COVID-19 slump, the spread of digital displays will make it even more effective at reaching consumers with targeted and relevant ads near the point of sale. "FMCG out-of-home advertising is forecast to grow by 9 per cent a year from 2020 to 2023, while its market share rises from 6.1 per cent to 7.0 per cent, slightly ahead of its pre-pandemic share of 6.8 per cent in 2019." the report noted. Overall, the ad expenditure by FMCG brands fell more sharply than the ad market as a whole in 2020, shrinking by 10.7 per cent to $26.7 billion. This was because companies cut back on promotional activity for products they couldn't get to consumers quickly enough to satisfy demand as they faced the challenge of higher demand with disrupted supply chains amidst the pandemic. Instead of advertising, the companies invested in distribution infrastructure, especially e-commerce operations and partnerships. "However, now that FMCG e-commerce infrastructure is being put in place, brands will need to increase their investment in advertising to support it," the report said, forecasting a 4.4 per cent annual growth in FMCG ad spend between 2020 and 2023. Jonathan Barnard, Head of Forecasting at Zenith, said e-commerce will be the key battleground for FMCG brand growth over the coming years. "Western brands should look to China for best practice in using digital communication to drive FMCG e-commerce sales," he added. Also read: Tamil Nadu govt allows Sterlite plant to reopen for 4 months to produce oxygen Roku has warned customers that YouTube TV could soon be removed from its platform due to 'predatory' and 'anti-competitive' demands by Google. Roku aired the details of its stalemate with Google in a scathing statement on Monday, claiming the tech giant has threatened to end their carriage agreement for YouTube TV unless Roku grants preferential access to its consumer data and favors Google products in its search results. 'Google is attempting to use its YouTube monopoly position to force Roku into accepting predatory, anti-competitive and discriminatory terms that will directly harm Roku and our users,' a Roku spokesperson said. 'Roku is not asking Google for a single additional dollar in value. We simply cannot agree to terms that would manipulate consumer search results, inflate the cost of our products and violate established industry data practices.' Roku warned customers on Monday that YouTube TV could soon be removed from its platform (pictured) due to 'predatory' and 'anti-competitive' demands by Google Roku said negotiations to extend the YouTube TV carriage agreement recently broke down to the point that it will expire imminently if Google won't reconsider its proposed terms. Representatives for Google did not immediately return DailyMail.com's requests for comment. At the heart of the dispute is Google's alleged effort to prevent Roku from displaying search results from third-party streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max if a user already has the YouTube app open. Roku said Google also wants to override a user's specific preferences to favor YouTube content even when another app is set to default. Google also allegedly asked to create a search results row dedicated specifically to YouTube content within the Roku smart TV interface. Roku asserted that Google using the renewal of the YouTube TV agreement to force added anticompetitive benefits for Google's separate YouTube app. The platform said Google has also threatened to require Roku to use certain chip sets or memory cards that would drive up the price of its hardware product, which is in direct competition with Google's Chromecast. Roku is Google's direct competition on multiple fronts - including smart TV devices, operating systems and content. Roku took its attack one step further by pointing out the mountain of anti-trust investigations Google is facing from the Department of Justice, Congress and many state attorneys general over its dominance in search and advertising. 'Given antitrust suits against Google, investigations by competition authorities of anti-competitive behavior and congressional hearings into Google's practices, it should come as no surprise that Google is now demanding unfair and anticompetitive terms that harm Roku's users,' the spokesperson said. Roku said Google threatened to require it to use certain chip sets or memory cards that would drive up the price of its hardware product (pictured), which is in direct competition with Google's Chromecast Roku's stand-off with Google joins a growing list of disputes between streaming TV distributors and streaming networks over distribution agreements in recent years. Roku said this dispute is different because it is about terms rather than money. 'We believe consumers stand to benefit from Google and Roku reaching a fair agreement that preserves consumers access to YouTube TV, protects user data and promotes a competitive, free and open marketplace. We are committed to trying to achieve that goal,' the statement said. Roku has a history of taking on content providers over distribution terms and airing their specific grievances publicly. Last year the platform haggled with WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal for months before coming to carriage agreements for their respective streaming services, HBO Max and Peacock. Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells has quit as a non-executive director of high street chains Morrisons and Dunelm in the wake of the subpostmaster miscarriage of justice scandal. In brief updates to the London Stock Exchange, both companies said she would be leaving the roles, which include responsibilities for setting executive pay and upholding corporate responsibility. She took home 89,000 in fees from Morrisons and 30,000 from Dunelm in the past year, according to the latest published annual accounts. Paula Vennells (Anthony Devlin/PA) Dunelm chairman Andy Harrison said: We respect Paulas decision to step down from the board and I would like to thank her for the positive contribution she has made to the business since her appointment in September 2019. Morrisons chairman Andrew Higginson said: Paula has been an insightful, effective and hardworking non-executive director, and, on behalf of the board, I want to thank her for her significant contribution over the last five years. The moves came as the former Post Office boss said she is truly sorry for the suffering caused to subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted of offences. Ms Vennells, who is an associate minister in the Diocese of St Albans, issued the apology on Sunday as she announced that she would be stepping back from her regular church duties in the wake of the Horizon scandal. Hundreds of subpostmasters were prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting because of the Post Offices defective Horizon accounting system, which had bugs, defects and errors from the very outset. On Friday, 39 former subpostmasters who were convicted and even jailed based on Horizon data had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal. A protester outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London (Yui Mok/PA) Ms Vennells, who was Post Office chief executive from 2012 to 2019, said she would be stepping back from her regular parochial duties following the ruling. Ms Vennells, who was made a CBE for services to the Post Office and to charity is an associate minister in Bromham, Oakley and Stagsden, Bedfordshire. The diocese said she had informed the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Alan Smith, who is the son of a former postmaster. In a statement, Ms Vennells said: I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 subpostmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week. It is obvious that my involvement with the Post Office has become a distraction from the good work undertaken in the Diocese of St Albans and in the parishes I serve. I have therefore stepped back with immediate effect from regular parish ministry, and intend to focus fully on working with the ongoing Government inquiry to ensure the affected subpostmasters and wider public get the answers they deserve. The Bishop of St Albans said it is right that Ms Vennells stands back from public ministry following the ruling. He said: As the son of a former subpostmaster I express my distress at the miscarriage of justice that so many subpostmasters have suffered. They and their families are in my thoughts and prayers. I am glad that these and earlier appeals have overturned convictions that have been found to be unjust. Ms Vennells left the Post Office in 2019, months before a damning High Court judgment in a civil claim brought against it by hundreds of former subpostmasters. Former post office worker Noel Thomas was convicted of false accounting in 2006 (Yui Mok/PA) The Post Office knew there were serious issues about the reliability of the Fujitsu-developed IT system, which was rolled out to branches in 2000, but continued to bring serious criminal charges against the subpostmasters on the basis of Horizon data, the Court of Appeal said on Friday. Lord Justice Holroyde said the Post Office effectively steamrolled over any subpostmaster who sought to challenge its accuracy. Three of the former subpostmasters, Wendy Cousins, Stanley Fell and Neelam Hussain, had their appeals dismissed by the court because the reliability of Horizon data was not essential to the prosecution case. After the ruling was delivered at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, former subpostmasters whose convictions were overturned called for a public inquiry into the scandal which destroyed peoples lives. The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, has encouraged any other former Post Office employees to consider challenging their convictions following the ruling. Post Office chief executive Nick Read said: The quashing of historical convictions is a vital milestone in fully and properly addressing the past as I work to put right these wrongs as swiftly as possible, and there must be compensation that reflects what has happened. New Delhi: Islamabad has to make clear choice or pay a price under the USs new South Asia policy if it does not stop funding terror groups, said Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani lambasting Pakistan for supporting terrorism at Vivekananda International Foundation think tank in New Delhi. Sanctuaries are provided, logistics are provided, training is provided, ideological base is provided Pakistan has come to a juncture and it needs to make a choice, said Ghani. The Afghanistan president in his speech on Tuesday also mentioned about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He warned Pakistan on providing Afghanistan access route to Wagah and Attari for trade with India, then Kabul will also restrict Islamabads access to central Asia. During his speech he also cleared on the allegations made by Pakistan regarding a secret deal between India and Afghanistan joining hands against Pakistan. He said, No secret agreement between Afghanistan and India. There is no destabilisation of any neighbours from Afghanistan taking place through implicit or explicit collusion. Lets get out of the word of fiction. Also read| President Ashraf Ghani: I thank every Indian for contributing $1 each to Afghanistan Afghan Presidents India visit was a day after he met US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and discussed the new Afghanistan policy in Kabul. Tillerson was in Pakistan on Tuesday, when Ghani lambasted Islamabad on terror funding. The US state of secretary is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on Wednesday. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A video of an extremely rare koala with different-coloured eyes has amazed viewers after it was uploaded to social media. Port Stephens Koalas, a non-profit sanctuary located in New South Wales, shared the video to their Facebook page with thousands of people viewing the clip in a few days. 'While koalas typically have brown eyes, in rare cases they can have blue. This boy Toohey has heterochromia (different coloured eyes),' the caption to the video reads. Toohey the koala (pictured) has heterochromia causing his eyes to be different colours 'This is a genetic trait we have seen on rare occasions in our local wild populations'. Heterochromia is a variation in colour that can appear on an animal's skin or fur - but most often refers to a variation in iris colour. HETEROCHROMIA The term can refer to a colour variation in an animals skin, fur, or eyes. Heterochromia Iridium is the specific term for the variation in iris colour. The variation can result in two completely different eye colours or a partial change in one or both eyes called sectoral heterochromia. There is also central heterochromia resulting in a ring of a different colour around the pupil. The condition is caused generally by a recessive gene determining eye colour, but can also rarely be caused by disease or injury. Advertisement 'He is adorable!' one viewer wrote. 'Love his name. This is too Australian!' another said, noting Tooheys is a popular New South Wales beer. 'Wow thanks for sharing, can't wait to visit one day soon,' added a third. Toohey was being treated for chlamydia at Port Stephens Koalas - with the condition rampant among the wild koala population. He is expected to be released after undergoing medication therapy. Port Stephens Koalas, which consists of members and volunteer koala carers, received significant funding from the World Wildlife Fund after Australia's devastating 2019-20 bushfires. The funding allowed the facility to upgrade from four sheds and a rehabilitation yard to a state-of-the-art koala hospital. 'Thanks to the WWF supporters who donated to the bushfire recovery, WWF was able to provide funding for vital equipment for the hospital's state of the art wildlife surgery room including an impressive X-ray machine, a portable ultrasound, and hospital grade surgery lights,' the charity said. LANSING Legislators have introduced bills that would, if passed, outlaw the sale of synthetic urine and ban billboard marijuana ads. The Senate has voted to ban the sale of synthetic urine and other products used to falsify drug tests. Synthetic urine is water mixed with additives such as creatinine, salts, uric acid and yellow coloring to replicate human urine, according to Quest Diagnostics, a New Jersey-based clinical laboratory that provides drug testing for employers across the country. The bill, introduced by Sen. Curt VanderWall, R-Ludington, passed the Senate 33-1. Its pending in the House. There is no legitimate use for these products other than to cheat on alcohol or drug screening tests and, therefore, they should not be available on the marketplace, VanderWall said. Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, was the only senator to vote against the bill. Despite legal recreational use of marijuana in the state, businesses can legally conduct drug screenings for employees or during the hiring process. The bill follows a rise in drug use and substance use disorders caused by the pandemic, according to the American Psychological Association. I dont really have an objection to them banning synthetic urine, but physical tests, I believe, are the wrong method to determine whether people are impaired at work, said Matthew Abel, the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. These physical tests such as urine, oral and hair tests measure the blood-plasma concentrations of THC, similarly to the blood alcohol content of an alcohol breathalyzer test. THC is the principal psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces a high sensation. The difference, however, is that blood-plasma concentrations of THC are an indicator of exposure, not impairment, according to a 2019 report from the Michigan Impaired Driving Commission. Thats due to the varying ways THC is consumed and processed by the body. People with a higher tolerance or body fat percentage, for example, could have higher levels of the drug in their system, but be fully functional. The people who keep focusing on blood, I think, are using that as a smokescreen, Abel said. If they really cared whether people are impaired or not, they would test whether people are impaired. Abel, a Detroit attorney and founder of Cannabis Counsel, a law firm, suggests the use of Druid a video game-like app that tests impairment and motor function. The system requires a sober, baseline test and can be readministered by an employer any time after to test possible impairments and delayed reaction times from drugs, alcohol or even injury. If someone is at a desk, what do we care if theyre smoking weed on the weekends? Abel said. And if theyre driving a truck, what do we care as long as theyre clean and sober while at work? Bills have also been introduced by Reps. Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, and Abdullah Hammoud, D-Dearborn, to ban the advertisement of medical and recreational marijuana sales on billboards. We cant have tobacco on billboards, so why can we have marijuana? Whiteford said. Madrid Un hombre mata presuntamente a su mujer de un tiro y se suicida en Pozuelo (Madrid) Men are seen around the burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the Covid-19 coronavirus at a cremation ground in New Delhi on April 26. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images) U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker, D-NJ, said theyre on a mission to see that New Jersey gets its fair share of President Joe Bidens $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan and will work for its passage, with or without bipartisan cooperation. The Democratic duo said at a Monday press conference at Newark Penn Station that they want to work with Republicans to pass the infrastructure plan and that there could be funding for the beleaguered Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. But they wont hesitate to use the process known as reconciliation which could essentially get spending legislation to the president by a simple majority of Democrats in the Senate, with a tie-breaking vote from the vice president if there is no compromise from the other side of the aisle. The American people want to see action to end the pandemic, to revive the economy to save small businesses. They want to see a government that can achieve things on behalf of them, Menendez said. Reconciliation is a clear option, it is not our most desired option. What wont be a negotiating point to get the infrastructure plan passed is restoring the federal deduction for state and local property taxes, known as SALT. It was capped by the Trump Administration to the detriment of northeastern states like New Jersey, the lawmakers said. It is not negotiable. We should have what is one of the oldest deductions in the tax code, Menendez said. New Jersey is a blue chip maker state that gives more to the federal treasury than it receives. There are other moocher states that get billions of dollars more than they give. Port Authorities across the country also could be in line for federal help in future infrastructure legislation, Menendez said. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has lost $1.7 billion in revenues so far due to coronavirus travel downturns and has put a hold on infrastructure projects as a result. That could be done through a planned funding set aside for Port Authorities across the nation in an infrastructure bill, he said. Only Port Authority airports in New Jersey and New York received coronavirus aid, which is split with the airlines, authority officials said. Its other arms, like the PATH train and river crossings like tunnels and bridges, did not receive funding. Both lawmakers said they hoped the Gateway project to build two new Hudson River rail tunnels, extending light rail to Bergen County and in South Jersey, would be funded through the Biden plan. Booker defended what critics called the non-infrastructure parts of the plan, specifically to eliminate child poverty and other social initiatives. For every dollar invested in all infrastructure, from the (Gateway) tunnel to lifting children out of poverty, returns $3 to the economy, Booker said, citing economic studies. He made the case that projects included in Bidens infrastructure program criticized as going beyond traditional highway and bridge projects are necessary to improve the country and make it more competitive with counties such as China. That includes building a 21st century electric power grid, replacing lead pipes in drinking water supplies and making broadband accessible to very child, Booker said. The two senators also took a bit of a victory lap, by citing the dire consequences that could have resulted without $2 billion in the American Rescue Plan to help NJ Transit after it saw ridership and fare revenues plummet due to the coronavirus. NJ Transit would have had to lay off an estimated 1,800 to 2,000 workers, cut its fiscal year 2022 budget by 13% and reduce service without the $2 billion in federal funds that will see the agency to fiscal year 2024, which starts on July 1 of that year, Menendez said. Had those actions happened, it would have put NJ Transit in a spiral of reducing service and reliability, which would prompt commuters and other riders to switch to their cars, Menendez said. Both state Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti and NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett thanked the senators for the support that will have train and bus service waiting for commuters when they return to their workplaces. Despite those gains, The American Rescue Plan is not a long term solution for the 502 bridges or 9,000 miles of highways in poor condition, Booker said, mentioning the American Society of Civil Engineers C-minus grade for Americas infrastructure from its 2021 infrastructure report card. This is a major moment in American History, he said, as he named transformational past transportation projects from the transcontinental railroad to the interstate highway system to airports. We inherited the best house on the block and we allowed it to rot around us. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 23:03:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Monday warned against the Houthi military escalation in Yemen's northeastern province of Marib, according to AL's statement. "The ongoing Houthi military operation in Marib may cause a huge humanitarian crisis that will affect hundreds of thousands of Yemenis," Aboul-Gheit told the visiting Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths. The talks focused on the recent developments in Yemen, especially the dangerous military escalations in Marib. The two diplomats agreed that "a nationwide cease-fire is the first step for reaching any political settlement and alleviating the humanitarian sufferings," the statement said. Regional-backed international pressures should be practiced on the Houthis for reaching a permanent ceasefire, it added. The AL also stressed rejection for turning Yemen into a platform for attacking Saudi Arabia. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni military conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem Photo: The Canadian Press UPDATE: 6:55 a.m. More than 1,000 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal began a strike this morning a move that the port authority says will mean a total shutdown of all port operations. The Montreal Port Authority says the strike began effective at 7 a.m. ET. The workers, who have been without a contract since December 2018, have been on an overtime strike since April 17 and have refused to work weekends since April 18. The strike follows comments Sunday by Federal Labour Minister Filomena Tassi who said Ottawa has filed notice that it will table back-to-work legislation in the coming days if an agreement is not reached. Tassi said the government would prefer not to intervene but may have no choice given what she called the significant and potentially long-lasting harm to the economy caused by a work stoppage. Several employers groups have raised concerns about the impact of the strike on business. ORIGINAL: 6:12 a.m. The federal government gave notice on Sunday that it will table back-to-work legislation in response to a looming dockworkers' strike at Montreal's port that threatens to have widespread economic repercussions across the country. Labour Minister Filomena Tassi said on Twitter that forcing the resumption of operations at the Port of Montreal is the government's "least favoured option," but there is a responsibility to prevent serious national economic harm. "We believe in the collective bargaining process," Tassi wrote. "However, the Government must act when all other efforts have been exhausted and a work stoppage is causing significant economic harm to Canadians." She added that the two parties remain far apart despite extensive support that included over 100 mediation sessions. While the notice paper is dated for Monday, a spokesman for Tassi says the legislation won't come before the House until at least Tuesday and could be shelved altogether if the dockworker's union and the Maritime Employers Association reach a deal before then. More than 1,000 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal are scheduled to go on strike Monday morning in a move that the port authority says will mean a total shutdown of operations. The workers, who have been without a contract since December 2018, have been on an overtime strike since April 17 and have refused to work weekends since April 18. A spokesperson for the union said it was aware of the pending legislation but as of Sunday afternoon the strike was still going ahead. Montreal's port authority also acknowledged the government's action, which it said was a "clear signal" of the port's strategic importance. "After several strike episodes in 2020 and 2021, which have had and continue to have serious economic and logistical impact, it is mission-critical that the Port of Montreal be able to fully and sustainably play its strategic role as an economic engine at the service of the local population," said Martin Imbleau, the authority's president. Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon had previously called on Ottawa to intervene, stopping a strike that he said would paralyze the province's economy. Turkey says it summoned the U.S. ambassador to Ankara to condemn President Joe Biden's declaration that the World War I-era massacre of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire constituted a genocide. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal told U.S. Ambassador David Satterfield late Saturday that Biden's statement had no legal basis and that Ankara "rejected it, found it unacceptable and condemned [it] in the strongest terms." The Ankara government said the United States, a NATO ally, had caused a "wound in ties that will be hard to repair." Earlier Saturday, Biden became the first U.S. president to make the genocide declaration in connection with the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire -- the predecessor to modern-day Turkey -- between 1915 and 1923. Armenians say they were purposely targeted for extermination through starvation, forced labor, deportation, death marches, and outright massacres. Turkey denies a genocide or any deliberate plan to wipe out the Armenians. It says many of the victims were casualties of the war or murdered by Russians. Turkey also says the number of Armenians killed was far fewer than the usually accepted figure of 1.5 million. Moments after Biden made his statement Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted, "Words cannot change or rewrite history. We will not take lessons from anyone on our history." [April 26, 2021] Maven Wave and Atos Together Achieve 11th Google Cloud Specialization, Proving Expertise in SAP Deployments CHICAGO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Maven Wave , an Atos company, announces it has achieved its 11th specialization in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program . This latest specialization, for SAP on Google Cloud, demonstrates that Maven Wave and Atos have developed solutions that integrate with and accelerate deployment of customer SAP solutions running on Google Cloud infrastructure. Through Google Cloud and SAP , one of the world's leading producers of software for the management of business processes, Maven Wave and Atos centralize and accelerate enterprises' data management systems. With Google Cloud as the foundation for SAP , enterprises are driving agility, efficiency, and innovation on a secure cloud with advanced reliability, network, and uptime performance. In October 2020, SAP announced an acceleration of their transition to the cloud. Managing SAP workloads in the public cloud offers the ability to unlock additional information, which can help organizations better understand customer behaviors and preferences, perform predictive maintenance, and plan for inventory fluctuations. Beyond improving business metrics, SAP in the cloud also delivers innovative new benefits, such as incorporating external data sources including IoT; delivering the speed and resources needed to enhance nd accelerate analytics; and leveraging machine learning (ML) to make more data-driven decisions based on siloed data. "It's hard to overstate the importance of modern, streamlined enterprise data management practices in today's business climate," said Henrik Wagner, Vice President of the SAP Practice Americas at Atos. "Proper data strategy can be the make-or-break difference between enterprises that fall behind and those that disrupt industries. We've been operating in the SAP and Google Cloud worlds for years, helping Fortune 500 companies stay ahead through digital strategies, and we're honored to earn the SAP on Google Cloud specialization to prove our expertise." "We are excited about the investment and commitment Maven Wave and Atos have made on Google Cloud. Earning the SAP Specialization Partner certification is an important addition to all the success that Maven Wave and Atos have had on Google Cloud already. We look forward to continued success," says Snehanshu Shah, Managing Director for SAP at Google Cloud. In order to achieve the SAP on Google Cloud specialization, Google Cloud partners must: Employ full-time professional cloud architects and data engineers Own a combination of SAP HANA and/or SAP BASIS Admin certifications Pass a third-party assessment Demonstrate proven results in SAP deployments through at least three customer success stories In 2010, Maven Wave became an early entrant in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program , investing heavily in its Google partnership year after year. Maven Wave is the reigning Google Cloud North America Services Partner of the Year title winner for the three most recent award years. For a complete list of the Google Cloud specializations that Maven Wave and Atos have earned, click here . The list includes Application Development, Cloud Migration, Data Analytics, Enterprise Collaboration, Infrastructure, Internet of Things, Location-Based Services, Machine Learning, Marketing Analytics, SAP, and Security. About Maven Wave: Maven Wave, an Atos company, helps leading companies make the shift to digital and shorten the fuse to innovation. Maven Wave combines the expertise and discipline of top-tier consulting and the agility you'd expect from a cutting-edge technology firm. This multidisciplinary blend of skills allows us to create unique digital advantages for our clients. As a Google Cloud Premier Partner, Maven Wave's digital solutions are agile, mobile, rooted in analytics, and built in the cloud. Learn more at mavenwave.com and watch our overview video here . About Atos: Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 105,000 employees and annual revenue of over 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos operates under the brands Atos and Atos|Syntel. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maven-wave-and-atos-together-achieve-11th-google-cloud-specialization-proving-expertise-in-sap-deployments-301276535.html SOURCE Maven Wave [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] People are seen next to burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the coronavirus at an open crematorium in Bangalore on April 26, 2021 The United States committed Monday to releasing up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, as India grapples with a catastrophic new surge in infections and severe medical shortages, with hospitals overwhelmed and crematoriums at capacity. The South Asian giant of 1.3 billion people recorded 352,991 new infections and 2,812 deaths on Monday -- its highest levels since the pandemic began -- as its Hindu-nationalist government comes under fire for allowing mass gatherings such as religious festivals and political rallies in recent weeks. But with its health system completely overwhelmed, Western countries are rushing to India's aid -- including the United States, which has come under fire for hoarding supplies including of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as other countries battle sprawling outbreaks. "U.S. to release 60 million Astra Zeneca doses to other countries as they become available," tweeted Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to the White House on Covid response. It was not immediately clear how many doses are ready to be shipped or where they will go, with Slavitt adding "at this time there are still very few available." In this aerial picture taken on April 26, 2021, burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the Covid-19 coronavirus are seen at a cremation ground in New Delhi But President Joe Biden held a telephone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, pledging his country's "steadfast support for the people of India who have been impacted by the recent surge in Covid-19 cases." The United States "is providing a range of emergency assistance, including oxygen-related supplies, vaccine materials and therapeutics," Biden told Modi, according to a statement. Others were also rushing to India's aid. The World Health Organization (WHO) "is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and supplies," its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, describing the situation in India as "beyond heartbreaking." The UN health agency is also sending oxygen, mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies and has transferred more than 2,600 experts from various programmes, including polio and tuberculosis, to work with Indian health authorities. A man stands amid burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to Covid-19 at a cremation ground in New Delhi on April 26, 2021 From Britain, the first of nine airline containers of supplies -- including ventilators and oxygen concentrators -- was set to arrive in India early Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, pledging Britain would do "all it can" to help. Germany and Canada have similarly pledged support, while France said Monday it will send eight oxygen production units as well as oxygen containers and respirators to India. - Global infections still rising - Spread of the coronavirus The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 3.1 million people worldwide out of at least 147 million infected. Tedros warned that globally, new case numbers have been rising for nine weeks straight. "To put it in perspective," he said, "there were almost as many cases globally last week as in the first five months of the pandemic." Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on Covid-19, told reporters the surge in India was "really, truly astonishing" -- but warned it was not unique, and that several countries had seen similar trajectories of increased transmission. "We're in a fragile situation," she said. Nevertheless, some countries in Europe are beginning to lift restrictions as the pace of inoculation picks up. In Italy -- the first European country to be hit by the pandemic in early 2020 and still one of the worst affected -- bars, restaurants, cinemas and concert halls reopened on Monday. Prime Minister Mario Draghi has admitted that doing so represented a "calculated risk", with virus statistics improving but Covid-19 deaths still mounting by hundreds every day. Spectators attend the performance of "Verdi e la Fenice" (Verdi and the Fenice) at the Fenice Opera theatre to mark its reopening in Venice on April 26, 2021, as bars, restaurants, cinemas and concert halls partially reopen across Italy In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government was looking at relaxing restrictions for people who are fully vaccinated. France is also hoping for further improvement with millions of children returning to schools on Monday after a shutdown against a severe third wave. In Britain, Scottish pubs were allowed to reopen for the first time this year, along with non-essential facilities such as gyms, swimming pools and nail bars. - Tighter curbs - Elsewhere, countries are tightening restrictions. In Thailand, prime minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was fined for not wearing a mask after new restrictions came into force to try to halt an outbreak that saw deaths hit a record single-day high over the weekend. Japan's annual "Golden Week" holiday got under way with new restrictions in Tokyo and Osaka, where shopping malls were asked to close and residents urged to avoid non-essential travel. Fiji's capital Suva entered a 14-day lockdown Monday after detecting the first community transmission cases in 12 months following a funeral. The tourism-dependent islands have recorded fewer than 100 cases and just two deaths in a population of 930,000. In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a full lockdown from April 29 to May 17 as the nation of 84 million has seen daily Covid-19 death tolls to higher levels than during two previous spikes last year. In Iran, the Middle East's worst-affected country, the death toll passed 70,000, according to health ministry figures, with a record 496 deaths in the past 24 hours. burs-st/ft The European Commission says its launched legal action against vaccine maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the EU. Spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaecker said the commission has started legal action against the Anglo-Swedish company on the basis of breaches of the advance purchase agreement. He said on Monday that the reason for the legal action was that some terms of the contract have not been respected and that the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure a timely delivery of doses. AstraZenecas contract with the European Union foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among the 27 member countries, with the option for a further 100 million. But only 30 million doses were delivered in the first quarter of 2021, and the company says it can only provide 70 million in the second quarter, rather than the 180 million it had promised. Our priority is to ensure Covid-19 vaccine deliveries take place to protect the health of the European Union, the EUs commissioner for health, Stella Kyriakides, tweeted on Monday. This is why the European Commission has decided jointly with all member states to bring legal proceedings against AstraZeneca. Brussels in March sent a legal letter to the company in the first step of potential court proceedings. When the deadline for a reply expired this month, the matter was discussed in a meeting with AstraZeneca but the EU said it was still seeking further clarification from the company on a number of outstanding points. The EU has already decided not to take up an option to buy 100 million extra doses of AstraZeneca under its contract, amid safety concerns about very rare cases of blood clots linked to the vaccine. In March, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference that AstraZeneca has unfortunately under-produced and under-delivered. And this painfully, of course, reduced the speed of the vaccination campaign. One in four Louisiana residents are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest data from the Louisiana Department of Health. In Louisiana, 1,206,198 people are fully vaccinated. Out of Louisiana's total estimated population, that accounts for 25.95% of the state's residents. A total of 1,475,366 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine. There have been 2,589,967 doses administered statewide. +2 A million COVID shots are sitting on shelves as Louisiana slips in vaccination rankings When Louisiana began its coronavirus vaccine rollout in December, state officials and hospital leaders moved fast to get shots into arms. Most of those shots are part of the two-dose regimen recommended for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which is why the total number of people who have received at least one dose is lower than the total number of doses. In Louisiana, 67,295 more doses of COVID vaccines have been administered, according to a noon update from the Louisiana Department of Health. Out of Louisiana's entire estimated population, 31.74% of people have received at least one dose and 25.95% of people are fully vaccinated. 1 in 4 Louisianans have been fully vaccinated. Join them and do your part to protect yourself, your family and your community. Visit https://t.co/HZcvHlLFaq for more information or call the COVID Vaccine Hotline at 1-855-435-0774. #lagov pic.twitter.com/lRYOOZtNuh John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) April 26, 2021 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 These are another few key statewide statistics as of Monday: Total confirmed cases: 387,996 Total "probable" cases: 68,436 Total confirmed deaths: 9,436 Hospitalized: 319 On ventilators: 47 Vaccine series initiated: 1,475,366 (updated twice weekly) Vaccine series completed: 1,206,198 Note: The Advocate and The Times-Picayune staff calculates daily case count and confirmed death increases based on the difference between today's total and yesterday's total of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health releases a daily case count on its dashboard that includes probable cases as indicated by a positive antigen test. That case count can be different than the one listed here. Can't see chart below? Click here. Can't see chart below? Click here. Louisiana began reopening for Phase 1 on May 15-16 then moved to Phase 2 on June 5. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards extended Louisiana's Phase 2 restrictions twice in August before moving the state to Phase 3 on Sept. 11. The governor then moved the state back to a modified Phase 2 near the end of November before putting Louisiana back in a modified Phase 3 on March 2, 2021. This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come. UTICA, NY - New York Republican Congressman and 2022 Gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin visited Utica this weekend for the first time since announcing his candidacy two weeks ago. Zeldin, who represents the state's 1st District, which makes up most of Suffolk County on Long Island, dined with State Senator Joe Griffo on Saturday night. He has already been endorsed by 21 GOP county chairs, including Oneida County GOP Chair Pete Sobel. Zelden had breakfast with Sobel on Sunday morning. Zelden has drawn questions and criticism for his vote to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, and is a staunch ally of former president Donald Trump, backing Trump's baseless claims of election fraud. He is looking to become the first Republican to win statewide office in New York since former governor George Pataki in 2002. President Joe Biden carried New York in 2020 by 23 percentage points. Governor Andrew Cuomo intends to run for a fourth term in 2022 amid scandal and malcontent amongst members of his own party. A majority of Democrats in the state legislature have called on him to resign, as he faces numerous claims of sexual assault from former staff members, as well as criticism for his handling of nursing homes during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. No New York governor has ever been elected to four terms. New Delhi: Columnist and writer Shobhaa De has once again slammed Bollywood stars for jetting off to the Maldives amid the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time she took to her official column in the Times Of India to publicly mock celebs to take refuge on fancy holidays while India suffers due to COVID-19. On April 25, she published her recent piece in which she jokingly urges politicians to join actors on their luxurious vacations at the Maldives as they deserve a break amidst the pandemic. De took several jabs at Bollywood actors saying, "not everyone is Sonu Sood" and that it's important for stars to travel to the tropical island to show off their 'bikini bod'. Later, she also called out celebrities for endorsing stay-at-home protocol but not following it themselves. She wrote, "But frankly, why find reasons, justifications, explanations? Why itna guilt-vilt? Just do it! Like the Bollywood stars who are sweet enough to advise their less fortunate countrymen and women to stay home and stay masked, while they post sunkissed shots. Then are the blessed ones like Dia Mirza who have fans going awwwww over the brides baby bump. As for those pampered influencers this is the upside of the Age of Insta. Freebies galore!" It appears the columnist wasn't afraid of any backlash as she brazenly name-dropped Bollywood stars in her article mentioned Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and Madhuri Dixit Nene and called them out for their privilege. "Everyone is aware of the magic of the Maldives. Kuch toh hoga, na? Maldives today is no longer just a fabulous destination for bored Bollywood wives. It is a coveted sub-culture, a phenomenon, a fantasy every desi dreams of flying to a super deluxe beach resort in the Maldives, and posing like Ranbir-Alia, or Madhuri-Dr Nene. Why not?," she further wrote. Earlier Shobhaa De had taken to her Instagram to share an angry note written by celebrity manager Rohini Iyer about celerities flaunting their vacation pictures on social media. De had taken to her Instagram to repost Iyer's post which read, "For all of you vacationing in Maldives and Goa and exotic locales, remember it's a holiday for you. It's a bloody pandemic all over. So be don't be an insensitive idiot and post pictures of your privileged life. You're not only coming across as brainless but also completely blind and tone deaf. This is not the time to boost your Instagram numbers." "This is the time to step up and help or if you can't do anything, then shut up and stay home, or stay quiet in your holiday home.. masked up. no photos. This is not fashion week or kingfisher calendar time," the post concluded. Have a look at her previous post: The noted writer, Shobhaa De had founded three magazines - Stardust, Society, and Celebrity. She contributes to columns in several leading newspapers as of now. De is also the author of many books such as Shobhaa: Never a Dull De, Shethji, Shobhaa at Sixty, Sandhya`s secret, Superstar India From Incredible to Unstoppable, Strange Obsession, Snapshots and Spouse: The truth about marriage among others. Four patients died in a private hospital here on Sunday allegedly due to a shortage of medical following which the district administration launched an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the deaths. Meanwhile, a private hospital in Gurgaon denied reports that four patients died due to alleged shortage in the facility. The hospital authorities said those who expired were critically ill. After the deaths in Rewari, relatives of some of the patients, who were admitted to the designated COVID facility, held a protest outside the building complex alleging there was a grave shortage of medical "Three patients died in ICU,while one patient died in the ward. We have limited oxygen supplies. We are repeatedly telling the administration about this and have been sending them reminders," a hospital official told reporters outside the building. "We have been sending empty oxygen cylinders to vendors to fill them again. Since 9 am, we have been telling the authorities that we have limited stock," he said. The hospital official said the hospital has a per day consumption of 300 medical oxygen cylinders. "There are 114 COVID patients admitted in the hospital," he said. Narnaul Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar, who is currently officiating as the DC of Rewari district, said the allegations of oxygen shortage and four deaths were made by the hospital. "The sub divisional magistrate, chief medical officer and other officials are at the hospital to find out what led to these deaths. They (the hospital) are claiming that there was an oxygen shortage. However, from the administration's end, regular supply has been given. So, we are finding out where the gap arose, all this is being investigated, Kumar told PTI over phone. A person whose aunt was admitted to the hospital could be seen pleading with some police officials outside the facility, asking them to do something immediately to ensure that the hospital gets adequate stock of medical oxygen. The private hospital in Gurgaon, where four patients died allegedly due to oxygen shortage, said, "These patients had severe COVID. Although, we are facing a crunch in oxygen supplies, in the case of these patients, it was not that we ran out of oxygen supply. Being critically ill, their oxygen saturation levels dropped sharply. The doctors tried their best to revive them, but unfortunately they passed away." In the case of COVID patients who are critically ill, one cannot predict when the saturation levels will fall, one of the owners of the hospital told PTI over phone. She said that given the present surge in demand of oxygen some of the patient's attendants have arranged some cylinders as a back up on their own. has seen a rise in cases and fatalities in the current month. The demand for medical liquid oxygen has also increased in hospitals Due to the increased demand to cater to critical COVID patients, the government on Sunday prohibited all oxygen manufacturing units or suppliers of oxygen in the state from providing the gas to industries till further orders. "It is further directed that these units will provide their entire production of oxygen for medical purpose," a state government order said. These units are also directed to produce oxygen to their maximum capacity and maintain a record of the manufacturing and distribution on a daily basis," it further said. However, industries like pharmaceutical, petroleum refineries, steel plants, oxygen cylinder manufacturers, food and water purification etc have been exempted from the order. (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.) EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer More than a year after shutting down non-essential travel from most countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the European Union may allow fully vaccinated American tourists over the summer, according to a report in the New York Times. The fast pace of vaccination in the US, and advanced talks between authorities there and the European Union over how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity for visitors, will enable the European Commission to recommend a switch in policy that could see trans-Atlantic leisure travel restored. Read here Let's look at the global statistics Global infections: 147,195,389 Global deaths: 3,109,449 Nations with most cases: US (32,077,297), India (17,313,163), Brazil (14,340,787), France (5,559,121), Russia (4,708,640). Source: John Hopkins Research Center (https:// jhu.edu/map.html) A wave of infections engulfs Thailand Thai authorities are stepping up travel curbs and other measures to combat a rapidly spreading third wave of infections driven by the highly transmissible and more lethal B.1.1.7 variant. The country, which succeeded in limiting the spread of the virus last year, has had over 24,000 cases and 46 deaths in just 25 days--a huge proportion of its pandemic totals of 55,460 infections and 140 deaths. The surge in cases has prompted concerns over the number of hospital beds, especially since government policy is to admit anyone testing positive for the novel coronavirus, even those without symptoms. Read here Iraq says 82 died in fire at hospital housing Covid patients Iraq has said 82 people died and 110 were injured in a fire that broke out in the intensive care unit of a Baghdad hospital that is treating severely ill coronavirus patients. Among the dead were at least 28 patients on ventilators, with severe symptoms of the virus. Doctors at the scene spoke of the chaos unfolding around them. They said a number of burned bodies were carried out by paramedics from the hospital floor. Iraq is grappling with a severe second wave of the pandemic. Daily virus cases average about 8,000, the highest since Iraq began recording infection rates early last year. Read here Vaccine success makes UK attractive to students: Poll students are more likely to want to study at British universities thanks to the success of the vaccine rollout, despite a widespread perception that the UK government mishandled its initial response to the pandemic, a survey suggests. Nearly half (47 per cent) of prospective students said they would be more likely to choose to study in the UK because of the rate of vaccinations in the country, with 17 per cent saying they thought the government was handling the rollout better than anywhere else, according to the survey of 105,083 students planning to attend university abroad. The UK was more popular than the US, Canada, Australia and Germany. Read here By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the U.S. government's bid to prevent two former CIA contractors from being questioned in a criminal investigation in Poland over their role in interrogating a suspected high-ranking al Qaeda figure who was repeatedly subjected to waterboarding. The justices will take up the government's appeal of a lower court ruling that Central Intelligence Agency contractors James Elmer Mitchell and John Bruce Jessen could be subpoenaed under a U.S. law that allows federal courts to enforce a request for testimony or other evidence for a foreign legal proceeding. The case centers on Abu Zubaydah, a Palestinian man who was captured in 2002 Pakistan and has been held by the United States since then without charges, spending the past nearly 15 years as a detainee at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Zubaydah, who is now 50, lost an eye and underwent waterboarding - a form of simulated drowning that is widely considered torture - 83 times in a single month while held by the CIA, according to U.S. government documents. He was "an associate and longtime terrorist ally of Osama bin Laden," the leader of the al Qaeda Islamist militant group killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011, a Justice Department filing said. Zubaydah's lawyers want Mitchell and Jessen to testify and provide documents in a criminal investigation in Poland, which is believed to be the location of a CIA "dark site" where the agency used harsh interrogation techniques against Zubaydah. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2019 that Mitchell and Jessen could be subpoenaed. Mitchell and Jessen previously were questioned in other litigation about their roles in the interrogation program. The U.S. government has disclosed that Zubaydah was held overseas and was interrogated using "enhanced interrogation techniques" but has not revealed the location of the sites, citing national security concerns. In 2015, the European Court on Human Rights determined that Zubaydah was held in Poland in 2002 and 2003. Story continues Details of CIA activities were confirmed in a 2014 U.S. Senate report that concluded that the interrogation techniques were more brutal than originally disclosed. The report found that the CIA had misled the White House and public about its torture of detainees after al Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The report concluded that not a single terrorist attack was foiled as a result of the interrogations. The U.S. government has asserted what is known as the "state-secrets privilege" to prevent the contractors from being questioned, saying it would risk national security. The 9th Circuit overturned a Washington state-based federal judge's ruling in favor of the government after Zubaydah's lawyers filed a lawsuit in 2017 seeking Mitchell and Jessen's testimony. Following the 2001 attacks, the United States rounded up and detained without charges hundreds of suspected "enemy combatants" overseas, many of whom were then transferred to a detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Zubaydah is one of 40 remaining detainees, according to the Pentagon. The court will hear oral arguments and issue a ruling in its next term, which starts in October and ends in June 2022. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) JUNEAU, Alaska Alaska Airlines has banned an Alaska state senator for refusing to follow mask requirements. We have notified Senator Lora Reinbold that she is not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy, spokesman Tim Thompson told the Anchorage Daily News on Saturday, adding that the suspension was effective immediately. Reinbold, a Republican of Eagle River, said she had not been notified of a ban and that she hoped to be on an Alaska Airlines flight in the near future. Last week, Reinbold was recorded in Juneau International Airport arguing with Alaska Airlines staff about mask policies. A video posted to social media appears to show airline staff telling Reinbold her mask must cover her nose and mouth. Reinbold told the newspaper that had been inquiring about a mask exemption with uptight employees at the counter. I was reasonable with all Alaska Airlines employees, she said, adding that she was able to board the flight to Anchorage. Reinbold has been a vocal opponent to COVID-19 mitigation measures and has repeatedly objected to Alaska Airlines mask policy, which was enacted before the federal governments mandate this year. Last year, she referred to Alaska Airlines staff as mask bullies after being asked by flight attendants to wear a mask aboard a flight, the newspaper reported. After the incident, she reportedly sent a cake to some flight attendants bearing the inscription: Im sorry if I offended you. Alaska Airlines has banned over 500 people. Thompson said the length of Reinbolds ban will be determined by a review. It wasnt immediately known how Reinbold, who was in southcentral Alaska this weekend, would be able to get to Juneau where the legislative session resumes Monday. No other airline has scheduled flights between Anchorage and Juneau, and a ferry trip could take several days. Lawmakers can participate in committee meetings by teleconference but cannot vote on the House or Senate floor remotely under current procedures. It's time to say farewell, advertising cookie. After years of debate, Apple Inc. and Google are making separate moves to effectively kill the software marketers use to track your online activity and tailor ads specifically for you. Starting on Monday, Apple will require apps running on its devices to get consumer permission before tracking their activity on other apps and websites. The company has already outlawed the use of unauthorized third-party cookies on its Safari web browser. Now, that prohibition is coming to apps. Google, meanwhile, is inventing a cookie alternative, rather than crushing it. Googles feature will let marketers continue to target desired buckets of consumers, just no longer using an individuals web history. In theory, this will make it more difficult to mesh ad-tracking with information collected from data brokers and other providers, which has let marketers target consumers based on age, race and gender. Both companies are justifying their moves as improving privacy. Google, though, has pitched its effort as a balancing act between privacy and the survival of web publishing, which relies on ads. Ever use an app and see a screen pop up asking to use your phones microphone or camera? Apples change will work like that. Apps that want to track for advertising on iPhones and iPads will have to prompt users to opt in. Apple calls this App Tracking Transparency, or ATT. One game developer called Apples new rule an "atomic bomb." Apple says consumers should decide how their data are used. The company also thinks "the industry will adapt" to its ATT standard, Craig Federighi, Apples software chief, told European regulators. Mobile advertising inside apps is a sizable business, and Apples move has the potential to gut the sector. Bank of America research estimated Apples change could shave as much as 3% off Facebooks revenue. For more, read the full Bloomberg report now on The Washington Post. In other news on this front, it's being reported by the Financial Times that "A group of Germanys largest media, tech and advertising companies have accused Apple of antitrust abuse as it introduces changes to the privacy settings of iPhones that they say will harm the ads market. Nine industry associations, representing companies including Facebook and Axel Springer, the owner of Bild, Die Welt and Insider, filed the complaint on Monday with Germanys competition regulator. The German complaint predicted a 60 per cent fall in advertising revenues for app developers, as the changes make it harder for third parties to gather the data they need to place ads. Thomas Hoppner, at law firm Hausfeld, which is representing the complainants, said more apps will have to switch to charging consumers instead of the current advertising-based business model. He added: Consumers will be harmed by higher transaction costs. If the relevance of ads decreases, consumers will have to spend more time searching to find offerings that are relevant to them. For more, read the full Financial Times report. It's clear that Apple's controversial move will be fought out in the press and in the courts for the foreseeable future. Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the top online programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 1,280 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school. Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Online MBA in international Business Degree Programs. Intelligent.com analyzed 172 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 57 making it to the final list for Online MBA in international Business Degree Programs. To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-online-mba-in-international-business-degree-programs/ 2021 Online MBA in international Business Degree Programs featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order): American University Arizona State University Ashford University Azusa Pacific University Babson College Benedictine University Brandman University California Lutheran University California State University Dominguez Hills Campbellsville University Cleary University Dallas Baptist University East Carolina University Fayetteville State University Florida Atlantic University Florida Institute of Technology Fort Hays State University George Washington University Golden Gate University John Brown University Kettering University Lehigh University Liberty University Lynn University Missouri State University Northcentral University Northeastern University Nova Southeastern University Saint Joseph's University Southern New Hampshire University Suffolk University SUNY Empire State College Tennessee Technological University Texas A&M International University The University of Scranton Tiffin University University of Central Arkansas University of Colorado Colorado Springs University of Colorado Denver University of Dallas University of Delaware University of Florida University of Houston-Downtown University of Houston-Victoria University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan-Dearborn University of Nebraska University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of North Alabama University of North Carolina Wilmington University of South Florida St. Petersburg University of Texas Rio Grande Valley University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Washington State University Wayne State University Webster University Wright State University About Intelligent.com Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/. I think we sussed out in real time that the would-be alliance of the United States with the mad mullahs of Iran during the Obama administration was something other than an exercise in grand strategy on the part of Barack Obama et al. The Obama administration, in my view anyway, was on the other side. They hated our friends and supported our enemies. The New York Times buries an illuminating nugget in its intensely interesting story on a leaked audiotape that offers a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes power struggles of Iranian leaders[.] The Times explains that a copy of the recording was leaked to the London-based Persian news channel Iran International, which first reported on the recording and shared it with the Times. I would like to be able to go to the tape, as they say, rather than rely on the Times to act as our intermediary. Until the time comes, however, analyze this: Former Secretary of State John Kerry informed him that Israel had attacked Iranian interests in Syria at least 200 times, to his astonishment, Mr. Zarif said [on the audiotape]. David Harsanyi comments: Its predictable, perhaps, that the Times glides over this remarkable exchange in a single-sentence paragraph that is submerged near the bottom of the piece. (I guess its better than the Washington Post, which doesnt even mention the interaction.) A high-ranking American official feels comfortable sharing this information with an autocratic adversary a government thats murdered hundreds of Americans, regularly kidnapped them, interfered with our elections, and propped up a regime that gasses its people about the covert actions of a long-time American ally. Our Israeli friends shouldnt take it too personally. Kerry doesnt like the United States much more than he does Israel. One way or another there will be more to come. Jen Psaki will be circling back to us on this some time soon. Just make sure you have you have your BlaBlaMeter tuned up to take in the explanations and denials. (Newser) Kevin McCarthy confirmed Sunday that he did speak with then-President Trump on the phone during the peak of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, but it didn't seem to be the heated "shouting match" it was previously described asat least not according to McCarthy's update. The Hill reports that the House minority leader appeared on Fox News Sunday opposite Chris Wallace, and the host asked McCarthy if he could confirm the account of GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who said she'd been briefed by McCarthy on that call. Per the congresswoman's account, McCarthy went off on an expletive-laden tirade against Trump after the latter said to him during the call, referencing the rioters: "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are." That account showed some Republican lawmakers who heard about the call that "Trump had no intention of calling off the rioters, even as lawmakers were pleading with him to intervene," per CNN. story continues below McCarthy wouldn't confirm Herrera Beutler's account, instead noting to Wallace that Trump "didn't see" what was going on at the Capitol until their phone call, and that Trump ended the call by saying he'd "put something out to make sure to stop this." Wallace pointed out the "weak" video Trump did finally release was "quite a lot later," once again pressing McCarthy to confirm what Herrera Beutler said. McCarthy's response: "Listen, my conversations with the president are my conversations with the president." The New York Times paints McCarthy's response as a "dodge," with sources saying that McCarthy "knows better" and is "exasperated" by Trump's behaviorbut also realizes he has to stay in Trump's good graces to help him become House speaker if the GOP takes control of the House in 2022. "This is the tightest tightrope anyone has to walk," McCarthy says, noting his former boss "goes up and down with his anger. ... He's mad at everybody one day. He's mad at me one day." (Read more Kevin McCarthy stories.) Philippines To Complete Tax Incentives Review By Early May by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong 26 April 2021 The Philippines Department of Finance has announced that the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) will complete the implementing rules and regulations for the corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act by the third week of May. The rules and regulations will contain details of tax incentives available for investors. They will also set out the remit of the FIRB, which will be responsible for tax incentives oversight. Under CREATE, the Secretaries of the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Trade and Industry Philippines are given 90 days from the entry into effect of the law (that is, by July 11) to promulgate the rules and regulations. The grant of tax incentives to registered projects or activities with investment capital of over P1 billion is now the responsibility of the FIRB under CREATE, while applications for tax incentives for project or activities with investment capital of P1 billion and below will be approved by the various investment promotion agencies (IPAs). In order to help accredited organisations and hospitals amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, on Sunday offered the Ministry of Civil Aviation to fly doctors and nurses representing the government organisations, free of cost, across its domestic network. In a letter to Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Vistara said the will also welcome requests from accredited organisations representing the Centre and states in immediate need of air logistics. "...we want to help government organisations/hospitals in immediate need of air logistics. We welcome requests from accredited organisations representing the Government of India and state governments/union territories. We will evaluate these to extend as much support as possible, based on the availability of cargo space," Vistara said. It noted that the handling of ground transport to and from the airport would need to be managed by the requesting organisation, and the will not be able to honour ad-hoc requests and packages at the airport for logistical and security reasons. "We are also happy to fly doctors and nurses representing government organisations, free of cost, across our domestic network, and also fly them back on the conclusion of their service. The personnel who avail this service will have to mandatorily follow all the travel related SOPs and present relevant identification and documentation," it added. The airlines said that due to the limited availability of seats, it will accommodate the medical professionals on a first-come-first-serve basis. (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.) 10 years ago, the April 27th tornadoes ripped through Alabama and destroyed everything in its path. WAAY 31 learned how that tragic day transformed a church in DeKalb County. Almost everything in the Mountain View Baptist Church was destroyed during the 2011 tornadoes, except for a few items like some hymnals and its main cross. They keep these items in the new church to remind people that even in your darkest days, something beautiful will come out of it. I think its great to remember even tragedy because we learn from tragedy, we learn from growth through troubled times," said the church's Pastor Brian Harris. "I think for them to look back and say, I remember where we were then, but here is where we are now, better than where we were before. Harris said their congregation didn't miss a beat after the tornadoes. They held a service that Sunday in the parking lot and from that day forward, they didn't view April 27th, 2011 as a time of tragedy; they view it as their church's new beginning. 10 years. You look back and see, you see Gods blessings because sometimes you cant see looking forward whats going to happen, whats going to take place, but looking back you see how God blessed and had his hand on us the whole time," said Harris. The church moved its homecoming to the last Sunday in April. A deacon of the church, Greg Graham, said seeing material items that made it through the storm continuously reminds people what they overcame 10 years ago. Our past shapes our future right, so, these are just little reminders of what Christ has done for our church when we see these material things that survived, and then we look around and see all the church members and people that survived," said Graham. The Pastor said after surviving an EF-5 tornado, it reminds him that he can get through anything with his God by his side. Like many other vaccines, getting people to accept the malaria vaccine, known as RTS, S has not been an easy task for health workers in the 47 districts in Ghana currently piloting the implementation of the vaccine. Many parents and caregivers with babies within the vaccines target group are refusing to avail the babies for it. This is due to some misinformation about the malaria vaccine. But with effective education about the RTS, S malaria vaccine, the Assin Foso Municipal Health Directorate is making strides in the administration of the vaccine. The health directorate, apart from engaging parents and caregivers through radio programmes, community durbars and outreaches as well as through antenatal care centres, also tracks down defaulting babies to their homes to give them the doses. This method, the Assin Foso Municipal Health Director, Mr Benjamin Amoah, believes is yielding good results in the municipalitys drive to get babies who fell within the target age group to get vaccinated. RTS, S vaccine The World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) launched the RST, S malaria vaccine, a complementary malaria control tool in Ghana in May 2019. Since its launch in Ghana, 47 districts were selected to pilot the implementation of the vaccine, and Assin Foso Municipality of the Central region, is one of the 47 districts. The RTS, S malaria vaccine pilot implementation programme is currently taking place in three countries in AfricaGhana, Kenya and Malawi. Over 275, 000 children are reported to have received their first dose of the vaccine in the three countries since last April. Children are to take four doses to complete the full cycle of the vaccination process. The 1st dose (RTS, S1) is taken when the child is six months while the 2nd dose (RTS, S2) is taken when the child is seven months. The 3rd dose (RTS, S3) is taken when the child is 9-months old while the 4th dose (RTS, S4) is taking when the child is 24-months (2yrs-old). For Mr Amoah, the exercise in Assin Foso is going on well as expected, describing it as so far so good. Although he expressed some unhappiness about the dropout rate, particularly in relation to the administration of the fourth doses, he said the municipality was making every effort to get children within the jurisdiction vaccinated. The numbers so far Touching on the number of children who have taken the first doses, he said, in 2019, a total of 1,430 children took the first dose (RTS, S1) while 1,160 children took the second dose (RTS, S2). The third dose (RTS, S3), Mr Amoah observed, a total of 810 children had come for it, explaining that since the fourth dose (RTS, S4) is taken in 24 months intervals, nobody was administered with the fourth dose in that year (2019). He said a total of 2,073 children came for the first dose of the vaccine in 2020 while 1,958 children had so far taken their second doses. For the third doses for the same year (2020), he noted, a total of 2,010 children had come for it while 253 children had also completed their fourth doses. The first quarter of 2021, Mr Amoah said, so far, a total of 557 children had been given the first doses while 558 children had also taken their second doses. He added that 557 children have also come for their third doses while 238 children have so far completed their fourth doses. We are making much efforts to reach them (children), he said, pointing out that the municipality as part of its efforts to get all children vaccinated trace the defaulters to their homes through their home visit programmes. Mr Amoah explained that when parents or caregivers brought their children for the first doses, their details were taken so that when their next date was due and they are not showing up, they checked their records to get their contact details through which they traced them. He said health workers in the municipality had raised community ambassadors and champions who assist them to trace the defaulting babies. He was of the view that it was only through collaboration and cooperation between the health workers and the communities that would help to eradicate malaria in the area. Mr Amoah expressed the concern that malaria infections were still high in the municipality, noting that the area in 2019 recorded a total of 26,537 malaria cases out of which 8,231 were among children under five years. In 2020 also, he said, the municipality recorded a total of 19,398 confirmed cases, with 5,315 being children under five years. Why dropouts? Explaining why only a section of those who take the first three doses come for the fourth dose, Mr Amoah said the long duration between the third doses and the fourth doses, partly contributes to the low turnout. For him, because the duration between the third and the fourth doses was long, some parents might relocate to different area and since not every area is piloting the implementation of the vaccine, those children did not complete their vaccination. He said, for instance, that the dropout rate for the malaria vaccine in the municipality was more than 10 per cent, a situation he said, the directorate was working around the clock to get it checked. 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 Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti has said the Ikun Dairy Farm in Ikun-Ekiti would serve as a prototype for National Livestock Transformation Plan in addressing farmers-herders crisis in the State. Mr Fayemi said this during an inspection of the newly-arrived 227 cows at the Ikun Diary Farm from the United States of America (USA) and the expansive land for the cultivation of hays. He said the integrated farm, designed to commence production of 10,000 litres of milk daily, is a joint project of Ekiti State Government and Promasidor Diary Company (the latter is the majority shareholder). Mr Fayemi said the new pregnant cows would be confined to their sheds in the farm. He said about 500 hectares of land had already been acquired to grow fields that will be used to take care of the animals to prevent them from roaming about. The governor said appropriate measures had also been put in place to connect water directly from Ero Dam to achieve a seamless water supply and irrigation process on the farm. The capacity of the Dairy Farm, being put to use for the first time in the last 40 years, has been expanded to run 24-hour operation in raising of cattle and production of milk. The dairy farm will also demonstrate Nigerias capacity to be a milk-producing nation rather than being a milk importing nation, he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor visited the facility in company of the General Manager, of the farm, Hermann Kibler, and the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Olabode Adetoyi. He expressed confidence in the Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement between the state government and Promasidor to guarantee the sustainability and economic viability of the farm. This dairy farm has been here for 40 years and it has not been put to use. This is the first time that it is going to be put into proper use. Agriculture, as we have always said in the state, is the pathway to progress, particularly for us, we are an agrarian society. These cows are going to be stationary, they are not roaming anywhere, they are not going on open grazing, they are right here on the farm. You know what we have suffered from open grazing not just in the state but across the length and breadth of the country. Once this model works, it will be an indication of what we can achieve through National Livestock Transformation Plan. And from what you have heard from the manager, this is a 24-hour-weekly (24/7) operation, the milk is going to come out of the milk parlour 24/7 and then transportation, marketing and other aspects of the value chain coming to Ekiti. We have an experienced person who is in charge, who has done this tons of time before coming to work here. We are reasonably confident that this is the partnership that will work with Promasidor, he said. ADVERTISEMENT Earlier, Mr Kibler said the stage was set for the commencement of full-scale milk production. He said, however, that the farm is still expecting a few hundreds of cows which would be delivered in the coming months. (NAN) Mumbai, April 26 : The initial public offering (IPO) of units of POWERGRID Infrastructure Investment Trust ("POWERGRID InvIT"), an InvIT set-up to own, construct, operate, maintain and invest in infrastructure and power transmission assets in India, will open on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at a price band of Rs 99 to Rs 100. The offer closes on Monday May 3, 2021. POWERGRID InvIT is issuing Units aggregating up to Rs 4,993.484 crore and the Selling Unitholder is offering Units aggregating up to Rs 2,741.508 crore. As per the schedule, the Anchor Investor Bidding Date shall be one Working Day prior to the Bid/Offer Opening Date i.e. April 28, 2021. The Units of POWERGRID InvIT are proposed to be listed on BSE and NSE. The Trust has received in-principle approvals from BSE and NSE for listing of the Units. The Offer will constitute at least 10 per cent of the outstanding Units on a post-Offer basis. The Net Proceeds from the Offer will be utilised towards providing loans to the Initial Portfolio Assets for repayment or pre-payment of debt, including any accrued interest, availed by the Initial Portfolio Assets; and for general purposes. The Offer is being made through the Book Building Process and in compliance with the [InvIT Regulations and the SEBI Guidelines] wherein not more than 75 per cent of the Offer shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Institutional Investors, provided that the Investment Manager and the Selling Unitholder may, in consultation with the Lead Managers, allocate up to 60 per cent of the Institutional Investor Portion to Anchor Investors on a discretionary basis in accordance with the InvIT Regulations and the SEBI Guidelines. Further, not less than 25 per cent of the Offer shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Non-Institutional Investors, in accordance with the InvIT Regulations and the SEBI Guidelines, subject to valid Bids being received at or above the Offer Price. Bids can be made for a minimum lot of 1,100 Units and in multiples of 1,100 Units thereafter by Bidders other than the units subscribed for by Anchor Investors. IDBI Trusteeship Services Limited is the Trustee, while Power Grid Corporation of India Limited is the Sponsor. POWERGRID Unchahar Transmission Limited is the Investment Manager. The Lead Managers to the Offer are ICICI Securities Limited, Axis Capital Limited, Edelweiss Financial Services Limited and HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Private Limited. Chinese lawmakers are considering a new draft law that would allow restaurants to charge diners an extra fee if they waste excessive amounts of food. The draft anti-food-waste law was on Monday returned to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for a second reading. According to the draft, catering service providers could charge customers who leave excessive amounts of food waste a disposal fee, but rates for the charge must be clearly advertised. Approximately 18 billion kilograms of food is wasted every year in China's urban catering industry, according to a report based on nationwide field research carried out by NPC deputies. Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticised former Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani's involvement in the country's foreign policy, a leaked audio tape has revealed. I have sacrificed diplomacy for the battlefield more than the price that (those on) the battlefield (led by Soleimani) ... paid and sacrificed for diplomacy, Zarif said. Zarif added that Soleimani used to give him a "list of items for (Russian Foreign Minister) Lavrov when I went for talks with him." A U.S. drone strike in 2020 killed Soleimani in Baghdad, an attack that at the time brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. Officials in Tehran did not dispute the authenticity of the recording, but said it was a selective leak from a seven-hour interview that Zarif had given to an Iranian think-tank for historical purposes. In the recording, Zarif gave a blunt appraisal of diplomacy and the limits of power within the Islamic Republic, providing a rare look inside the country's theocracy. The release of the comments by set off a firestorm within Iran, where officials carefully mind their words amid a cut-throat political environment that includes the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, ultimately overseen by the country's supreme leader. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Mumbai, Apr 26 (UNI) EdTech major LEAD School has raised USD 30 million in Series D funding round led by Global VC Fund GSV Ventures along with WestBridge, an existing investor. This is GSV Venture's first major investment in an India-based EdTech firm. The latest funding round will be used by the company to accelerate growth by building a pan India brand, rollout of new product offerings, strategic acquisitions and hiring top talent across domains. The company's unique Integrated System for schools has driven 3X growth in 2020 by helping schools deliver uninterrupted learning whether online, hybrid or in physical classrooms. Having reached a landmark milestone of 2000+ schools catering to over 800k students, LEAD is well on its way to cater to 25,000 schools in the next five years. This is in line with its mission of making excellent education accessible and affordable to every child in the country. This funding round follows the Series C funding of USD28 million led by WestBridge and Elevar Equity in August 2020 and the acquisition of student assessment startup QuizNext in December 2020. LEAD has grown at a rapid pace over the last 3 years and the current round is its fourth round of institutional funding since its first investment led by Elevar in 2017, who continues to be a major shareholder. LEAD School Co-founder and CEO Sumeet Mehta said, 'Smita and I set up LEAD School to bring excellent education to small towns and affordable schools in India. We are impatient to reach out to the 1.5 million schools and 260 million school going children in India so that we can transform the arc of education in this country. Globally, GSV is known as a specialised EdTech fund that backs innovation oriented education companies. We hope to benefit from their deep insights and leverage their network to bring more innovation to our students in India. WestBridge has been a great partner and their continued support shows their faith in the difference we are making to our schools and students.' GSV Ventures Managing Partner Deborah Quazzo said, 'LEAD School is rapidly emerging as a paradigm for transforming K-12 education. Based in India and partnered with affordable school owners (a segment that is larger than the entire US K-12 system), LEAD serves over 800,000 students today. LEAD has experienced tremendous growth because of its consistent delivery of high academic outcomes to students and high return on education to teachers, school owners and parents. GSV is honored to be investing in an organization that is changing the life trajectory of so many students.' WestBridge Capital Co-founder Sandeep Singhal said, 'In the last few months, the edtech sector has evolved rapidly, changing the trajectory of the Indian education system. We see great potential in LEAD School, given their innovative and focused approach in ensuring accessible, quality school-level education for all. As a firm, we believe in investing in ventures that have a large scale impact and are convinced LEAD School will create a strong positive impact on the educational outcomes of millions of young minds.' UNI JS SV 1406 A closure sign is displayed in the window of The Body Shop in Murray St mall in Perth, Australia on April 24, 2021 (Paul Kane/Getty Images) COVID-19 Lockdown in Perth and Peel Lifted Western Australias snap coronavirus lockdown will end as scheduled at midnight after the state again recorded no new community cases of COVID-19. Premier Mark McGowan has confirmed Perth and Peel will exit lockdown, but some restrictions will remain in place for the rest of the week. The short three-day lockdown has done the job it was designed to do, he told reporters on Monday. It was a circuit breaker we needed to limit community spread and keep our community healthy. Interim restrictions will remain in place until 12.01 a.m. on Saturday. Schools will return and people will be free to leave their homes and travel to other regions but must continue to wear face masks. The mask requirement applies to anyone who has been in Perth or Peel since April 17. Indoor gatherings, including at homes, will be limited to 20 people. Venues can reopen with the exception of the casino, nightclubs and indoor fitness centres but a four-square-metre rule and 20-patron limit will apply. People will only be allowed to visit hospitals, aged care and disability care facilities on compassionate grounds. The premier also urged West Australians to continue using the SafeWA tracing app and to get tested if they had visited exposure sites or experienced any coronavirus symptoms. We need to be cautious when we come out of lockdown as the virus could still be out there, the premier said. Two locally acquired cases have been confirmed after the virus leaked out of the Mercure quarantine hotel last week. Authorities have identified 354 close contacts of confirmed cases and 222 have so far returned negative test results. Out of 748 casual contacts identified, 329 have tested negative with other results pending. More than 29,000 tests have been conducted since Friday. The guest at the Mercure whose infection led to the outbreak had travelled to India last December to attend his own wedding. Both he and his bride tested positive in hotel quarantine upon returning to Australia earlier this month. Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews defended the wedding travel exemption amid a growing war of words between the state and federal governments. When the exemption was granted for that individual it was absolutely in line with the criteria at the time, she told Perth radio 6PR on Monday. A wedding would (now) be unlikely to be approved. Ms Andrews said travel was now only permitted to India if it was in the national interest, part of the COVID response or for medical treatment unavailable in Australia. Genomic testing has confirmed the virus spread from the couple from India to several other guests in nearby rooms, including a Melbourne man who did not test positive until after he had completed quarantine and spent five days in the community. A female friend of the Melbourne man also tested positive after he stayed at her house. A second locally acquired case was detected on Saturday a man in his 40s who had dined at the same Kardinya restaurant as the Melbourne man. His household contacts have been cleared of the virus and 50 close contacts identified from the restaurant have tested negative. WAs cap on international arrivals will be halved to 512 a week for the next month. A report received by WAs chief health officer earlier this month identified the Mercure as the highest-risk of Perths quarantine hotels due to ventilation issues. The premier on Monday apologised for the disruption caused by the lockdown. Im very sorry it had to happen, he said. Mr McGowan has urged the Commonwealth to open air bases and Christmas Island to accommodate returned travellers, adding that it is the Commonwealths constitutional responsibility to handle the quarantine scheme. The federal government has said such facilities are not suitable. Little blue penguins are seen at a natural reserve in Dunedin, South Island of New Zealand, April 22, 2021. After a day of fishing, little blue penguins came ashore and returned home to their nests under the cover of darkness in Dunedin. Little blue penguin is the world's smallest penguin at just 25-35cm tall, and weighs around 1 to 1.5kg. It is found in many places around New Zealand and Australia. World Penguin Day is a celebratory and educative initiative on April 25, which encourages people to learn more about penguins and their environment. (Xinhua/Guo Lei) .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... MARICOPA, Ariz. Authorities in Arizona have arrested a man who police believe severed his finger while slashing his neighbors car tires after an argument. Maricopa Police Department spokesman Hal Koozer said Kevin Johnson was arrested and identified as the owner of the finger found on his neighbors driveway, the Casa Grande Dispatch reported Wednesday. Francesca Wikoff told police she found the finger on April 15 after discovering her vehicle had two slashed tires on one side. Police said a trail of blood led to a nearby residence. Authorities said Wikoff and her husband went to a neighbors home the day before. She told police a male neighbor joined them uninvited and became drunk and aggressive. Wikoff said the neighbor pushed and threatened her and her husband before being asked to leave. Johnson was arrested on multiple charges, including criminal damage, assault, threatening and intimidating, and disorderly conduct. Online court records did not list an attorney for Johnson, who could comment on his behalf. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ HAMDEN Leonard Young has heard of local officials touring nearby animal shelters, and he knows the clock is ticking on a contract that allows Hamden to use space in North Havens animal control facility. Thats why Young, whose group Gimme Shelter currently is running its latest of many fundraisers for the initiative, is hopeful that 2021 will be the year Hamden finalizes plans to build its own animal shelter. Its been six years since the town approved $400,000 for that purpose. They move forward at a painstakingly slow pace, but were still here, and we are anxiously waiting whatever the mayors new proposal is, Young said. Everybody thought that 2020 was going to be the year they announced the location, and that is going to be a major step forward ... and then the pandemic hit, so this project understandably got pushed back. Meanwhile, Mayor Curt Balzano Leng said in a statement that the town is engaging with ... one of our major partners to determine if there may be any suitable properties which could be sold or transferred to the Town for the construction of a shelter. He said officials have been working with other Connecticut shelters to develop specifications for construction which will ensure Hamdens facility is state of the art. The town still has the $400,000 available for project, according to Leng. Finance Director Scott Jackson said the funds were borrowed. Under state statute, every municipality must have either its own animal control facility or an agreement to use another towns. For at least 16 years, Hamden has taken the latter approach, and copies of its animal detention contracts reveal the details. Meghan Friedmann / Hearst Connecticut Media The town in 2004 negotiated a contract to use Woodbridges facility at a rate of $15 per animal per day. The following year, Hamden signed a new agreement with North Haven, at a lower rate of $10. But North Haven told Hamden to vacate the facility in spring 2019, after which the town used various facilities, Chief of Police John Sullivan said. Sullivan said he was able to renegotiate an agreement with North Haven last fall. It charges the town $15 per animal per day, according to the contract, which expires at the end of June. Sullivan said he is working to renegotiate a new contract for the following year. But the chief also is a proponent of a dedicated Hamden animal shelter, and said officials have been touring other facilities as they explore a way forward. Just the cost for housing the animals that we take in once we have our own, our costs will come down, Sullivan said. Legislative Council member Brad Macdowall, who is seeking the Democratic endorsement to run for mayor, said the long-term delay has not been cost-effective. This is something that the town has needed for a long time. It costs the town a lot of money not to have it, he said. Weve spent, you know, hundred of thousands of dollars renting out space in other facilities. It would have been far more sustainable financially to have our own facility years ago. When asked about the delay, Leng said in a message to the Register the town has many serious Capital improvement needs at fire stations, the Keefe Community Center and Hamden Public Schools. The animal control center is also key, according to the mayor. The vision is a shelter that provides care and respite for animals, allows the Animal Control officers to perform their duties to the best of their abilities, and provides a resource for the community to engage with and adopt animals, he said. Hamden was taking major steps forward with all four capital improvement projects, according to Leng, who added that the coronavirus pandemic put the town off course for a bit as we laser focused on health and safety matters. One things for sure: Young and other local advocates are not ready to give up on the cause until the shelter materializes. Passionate about creating space to house abandon animals, Young and several other Hamdenites started Gimme Shelter in 2017 to raise funds for the facility, he said. Leonard Young / Contributed photo Leng gave very special thanks to Lenny Young, who has been working so hard with the Town to fundraise for the animal shelter. Weve been taking in steady donations, and are looking to really ramp up public funding so we can finally deliver this crucial service, he continued. Gimme Shelters efforts, which have brought in roughly $25,000, go into a municipal Animal Shelter Gift Fund, according to Young. Were happy with that amount, were proud of that amount, Young said. Though the amount could not fully fund a building on its own, Young said, the fundraising keeps the project in focus, reminding town leaders there is a group of residents that refuses to give up the cause. Through a current promotion, which lasts through the end of the month, $1 is donated to the fund each time a pint of Baby Kittens craft beer, a product of Fat Cat Orange Brewery, is purchased at participating restaurants. A list of restaurants can be found online at abandonedanimals.org/pints-4-paws. The 12 Percent Beer Project, which is located in North Haven and produces the beer through a partnership with Fat Cat Orange Brewery, is sponsoring the event. Its important for Hamden to have an animal shelter. I think that its fiscally responsible and also the humane thing to do, and so we wanted to just try to bring more awareness to the cause, said Bridget Blank, a Hamden resident who is the owner of the 12 Percent Beer Project, and cares for a rescue dog named Poppy. As of Thursday, 1,700 pints had been sold. Young hopes to reach 2,000. Additional fundraisers at Aunt Chiladas Mexican Restaurant and Odies Place are slated for May 14 and May 21, respectively, according to Young. Those wishing to support the animal shelter initiative outside of fundraisers can mail checks made out to Animal Shelter Gift Fund to the Hamden Animal Shelter Gift Fund, c/o Hamden Police Department ATTN: Chief John Sullivan, 2900 Dixwell Ave, Hamden, CT 06518. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... CARLSBAD A coalition of energy companies has thanked government leaders after receiving millions of dollars for road improvements in southeastern New Mexico. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the $7.4 billion state budget for next year, which includes $300 million for roadway infrastructure and improvements, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported. Lawmakers agreed to allocate $87 million for road projects across southeastern New Mexico from that funding, said Tracee Bentley, CEO of the Permian Strategic Partnership. The approved budget and legislation will have an enormous impact on road safety advancements in southeastern New Mexico, Bentley said. The projects supported through this funding will allow for direct action to improve priority roads projects in local communities, as well as help expedite work already underway on state roadways. Permian Strategic Partnership said in a statement that the recently approved funding is in addition to critical transportation funding already given to local projects in recent years, including work on N.M. 128 and U.S. 285. Bentley said the state will now have opportunities to secure federal funding for road projects through proposed infrastructure investments moving through Congress. We appreciate legislators like Sen. Gay Kernan and State Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-55), who understand the region and our local communities, representing the Permian in the Legislature, she said, adding that state Transportation Secretary Michael Sandoval demonstrated a commitment to supporting roads in the Permian Basin. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ This additional funding for Permian Basin Roads will help improve safety, enhance the current highways in the area, and alleviate congestion, Bentley said. Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway said the city shared the partnerships enthusiasm to gather funding for road improvements across southeast New Mexico, especially those related to the construction of a loop road around Carlsbad. He added: The oil and gas activity in Eddy and Lea County is vital to the entire state, but the need to address road repair is continual. We look forward to working with PSP to address this ongoing vital safety issue. Manipur: Project will destroy wetland and our natural ancestral rights to the wetland system by Anup Dutta April 26,2021 | Source: News Room Our land was destroyed by the Ithai Barrage in the 1980s, when Salam Joy, Secretary of Pumlen Pat Ngamee Sinmee Lup highlighted this line in his speech, an absolute silence gripped at Pumlen Pat an integral part of Loktak Wetland Complex (LWC), a Ramasar site in Imphal, the state capital of Manipur. Breaking away the calm distinctive sound settled on the wetland bed for the moment, Roy continued, for 40 long years the community has been eking out a living by nurturing small fishing zones, and that too without any support from the government. He concluded by saying that the result of commissioning the Ithai Barrage across the Manipur River has been equivalent to pushing them into conditions of forced poverty. Words of Roy were silently heard by a large number of anxious, angry and upset indigenous farming communities of Manipur, fisher unions who have assembled to commemorate the 2021 World Wetlands Day function. Now, the land on which we farm and fish is also on the verge of being taken over for various infrastructure and mass tourism projects, he added. Recalling how life was before the Ithai barrage, Nimai Keisham, President of Khoidum Lamjao Ngamee Sinmee Lup, said it is high time the fishers and the farmers get together before the government takes over their land and livelihood. Both Roy and Nimai were referring to the proposed plan of the Manipur Government and Union Government that aims at a robust IWT [Inland Waterways Transport] system in Loktak Lake. The planned paper titled Ecotourism project at Loktak Lake 2020 and the Loktak Wetland Waterways Investment project -2019 involve massive investments in the February 2 function. The project is expected to deliver growth in trade and increase commercial activity, boost ecotourism and livelihoods and is expected to create job opportunities, says the revised project proposal paper titled- Loktak Waterways Improvement Project, September 2019, prepared by the Loktak Development Authority, a Manipur Government undertaking. The paper points: the development of inland waterways in Loktak Lake with modern facilities became the natural strategy for the socio-economic development of the State of Manipur. Though the state government is taking up plans to reduce loading of pollutant particularly all the sewage flowing in from the upstream towns and cities, to control overgrowth of weeds and formation of Phumdi on a long term basis, technical feasibility studies revealed that removal of the existing weeds and Phumdi along the waterways is the only way to make IWT system in Loktak a grand success, the paper suggests. This can be easily achieved with the help of advanced machinery and equipment, available at a reasonable cost, to address the specific issues depending on the types of vegetation across the section of the designated water routes, it suggests. The plan aims at deepening waterways as many shallow parts of the waterways near the shores often get exposed during the lean seasons. For it, Water Master, a multitasking machine suited for various offshore activities, will be engaged in deepening and widening of all the shallow parts of the waterways near the shore, the paper says. In areas where it is difficult for Water Master to find it difficult to move in owing to adverse site conditions and lack of space, Long Boom Amphibious Excavator will perform the task, the paper reads. The proposed plan aims to promote eco-tourism in Loktak, one of the most important touristic destinations in Manipur. Except for short boat rides in the marginal areas, most of the activities are confined to sightseeing as the visitors can never avail themselves the opportunities of taking a ferry ride across the lake and visit the islands such as Karang. The project will boost the prospect of eco-tourism providing greater access to various parts of the lake under a safe and organised IWT system, the paper says. The paper also claims that the IWT system will surely open up a wide range of opportunities as markets get integrated and bigger while ecotourism, as it grows, will surely contribute significantly to generating employment for the educated youths who are in a dilemma now. The proposed plan justifies by saying that: Found in three varieties, these plants make their presence heavy and dense as the water level recedes with the departure of monsoon. While the traditional boats seem to have little problem gliding over the submerged vegetation, it had been troublesome or sometimes impossible even for the mechanised boats to move across the lake swamped with these submerged and various types of floating plants like water hyacinth. The problem is often worsened when large quantities of water hyacinth get amassed at various points and sometimes by large chunks of a tree floating Phumdi with the action of wind that blows over the lake as the day advances. Unless removed regularly, the IWT route; will remain dysfunctional as more of these plants will get accumulated over a large area choking the routes and quite a large part of the lake. The paper reads that the success of inland water transport in Loktak Lake now hinges on the management of these plants to keep the routes opened and well maintained at all times. In November 2019, the Union Government approved the development of the Loktak Inland Waterways Project in Manipur at an estimated cost of Rs 25.58 crore. The Ministry of Shipping has approved the development of the waterways project under the central sector scheme, the ministry said in a statement [Govt approves development of Loktak Inland Waterways Project in Manipur | Business Standard News (business-standard.com). Northeast is a beautiful region with stunning landscapes and holds a lot of opportunity for tourism purposes. The project will develop the inland water transport connectivity in northeast states and give a boost to tourism sector also, it quoted Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya as saying. However, the cohabitants of the Loktak, Pumlen, Ikop, Kharung, Khoidum Lamjao, Waithou, Ngakrapat, Biraharipat, Ungamelpat which are distinct yet interrelated wetlands formed by meandering flows of the Manipur river system and spread over 500 sq km, a region popularly referred to as the Loktak Wetland Complex (LWC) are upset with the proposed plan. The fisherfolk inhabitants of the floating villages feel that due to the proposed plan, their socio-economic, cultural importance in Manipur and ecological and economic security will be affected. They think Meitei fishing communities have worked here over centuries to evolve a lifestyle that helps harvest fish and wetland-based crops and vegetables which forms the backbone of food security of the wider Manipur area. In addition, their carbon neutral living, involving dugout canoes and Phum Shang huts of bamboo and thatch built on floating biomass phumdi, constitute a distinctive feature of Manipurs living heritage, and the world as well. The need of the hour is to fight back against all such projects that will destroy the wetland along with the natural ancestral rights to the wetland system, Oinam Rajen, who is a union worker and resident of Champu Khangpok Floating village said. Nimai Keisham said it is high time the fishers and the farmers get together before the government takes over their land and livelihood. Ratan Yumnam, the Secretary of Manipur Loumee Marup (Manipur Farmers Union), drew attention to the strong linkage between the ongoing farmers protest across the country and the struggle of the Loktak people. He said it is time the farmers and the fisherfolks of Loktak and the surrounding wetlands come together with those who are leading the movement against the repressive pro-capitalist system. He emphasised the importance of collectively fighting against undemocratic and oppressive projects that would certainly destroy wetlands and displacement of fishing and farming communities in Manipur. Babloo Loitongbam, Director of Human Rights Alert, said the government policy and programs are antithetical to the conservation and livelihood of the people of the Loktak and the other wetlands. He told the audience that the right to life and livelihood are enshrined in the Constitution of India and the Government of Manipur cannot bypass any of the laws that seek to protect them. The fisherfolk, farmer unions have launched a global petition [Global Campaign To Protect For Posterity The Unique Loktak Wetland Region In Manipur, India ] that asserts rights of local indigenous communities to continue to live in the Loktak region without being disturbed by destructive projects and draconian laws and State action. The petition calls on the international community to support the struggle of the fishing community of the Loktak Wetlands region and includes Wetlands International to withdraw its so-called wise use plan. British lawmakers on Monday called on the government to publish all communications with pharmaceutical companies to understand if private lobbying influenced its opposition to a waiver of intellectual property rules for COVID-19 vaccines. The United States and a handful of other big countries, including the United Kingdom, have blocked negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) involving a proposal spearheaded by India and South Africa that now has the support of 100 WTO members. The proposal would temporarily waive the intellectual property (IP) rights of pharmaceutical companies to allow developing countries to produce vaccines. The waiver is opposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and big pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer PFE.N, BioNTech 22UAy.DE, Moderna MRNA.O, and Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N. A cross-party group of UK lawmakers has signed a statement calling for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, ministers, and senior civil servants to publish all email, text, and WhatsApp messages exchanged with pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists. Patient advocacy and vaccine equity organisations have also signed the statement, including Global Justice Now, Just Treatment, StopAIDS, Frontline AIDS, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines UK, Students for Global Health, and Nurses United UK. "The UK's opposition to an intellectual property waiver on COVID-19 vaccines is utterly indefensible," said Heidi Chow, senior policy and campaigns manager at Global Justice Now, which organised the joint statement. A spokesperson for the UK government said it prioritised transparency but stakeholders had a right to expect a reasonable degree of confidentiality in their communications. The UK was one of the biggest donors to Covax to ensure global access to vaccines and continued to encourage manufacturers to provide their vaccines on a not-for-profit, transparent basis. "We are committed to exploring ways in which we can improve equitable access further and believe this should be done through the existing Intellectual Property framework," added the spokesperson. Last week U.S. lawmakers and nonprofit groups heaped pressure on the Biden administration to back the patent waiver ahead of the next formal WTO meeting on the issue on May 5. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama have pledged their support for the successful conduct of the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC). They described the exercise as a timely activity to help the country have actual data on its population and housing situation. The pledges were contained in a release issued in Accra yesterday by the Office of the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim. Courtesy calls According to the release, a delegation from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) paid courtesy calls on former Presidents Mahama and Kufuor last Tuesday and yesterday, respectively. The visits were subsequent to a briefing session with President Akufo-Addo on the status of the upcoming PHC on April 7, this year. Following the briefing, the release said, President Akufo-Addo affirmed his unflinching support for the decennial non-political partisan national programme and indicated his availability to launch the 30-day countdown to the Census Night on May 28, 2021. It said consequent to this, a delegation, comprising the Government Statistician (Chief Census Officer), members of the Board of the GSS and the Census Coordinating and Management Team visited both former Presidents. Purpose The release said the purpose was to elicit their support for census publicity, education and advocacy (PEA) activities. The slogan for the 2021 PHC is: You count, get counted, and the release explained that this is because the 2021 PHC aims at comprehensive and complete coverage, so that no one is left behind. Data from the census will be used for decision-making, policy and planning for the development of the nation and its residents. It further indicated that the census was a priority development, non-partisan programme that required the participation of all Ghanaians. To that end, as part of the census PEA strategy, the GSS is enlisting the support of statesmen, political and religious leaders to advocate the census to ensure that all people are told why it is being conducted, the benefits and why they need to be counted, it said. Mahama on data Former President Mahama, the release said, thanked the delegation for demonstrating that the census was a non-partisan activity. It said he pledged to lend his support to the important exercise, describing the census as timely because it would allow the country to have updated data, instead of relying on projections. The use of data enabled targeted interventions, such as poverty reduction and decisions on where to site public services, such as hospitals and schools, he said. Mr Mahama also acknowledged the fact that it was a positive step for the country to conduct a digital census because it would get speedy results. Subsequently, according to the release, the former President pledged to lend his voice to publicise the census in a non-partisan manner and encouraged everyone to ensure that he or she was counted. Present during the courtesy call on former President Mahama were the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo; the running mate to the NDC presidential candidate in the 2020 elections, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, and a former Finance Minister, Mr Seth Terkper. Both Prof. Opoku-Agyemang and Mr Terkper reiterated the importance of the census and stressed the need to depoliticise the process. Kufuor on national activity Mr Kufuor, the release said, described the census as a national activity to generate data to be used as the basis for our development and determine how national resources should be allocated. He agreed with the fact that the census was not a political activity because it helped the nation to plan for all category of persons. Mr Kufuor said the engagement of the Chief Census Officer with statesmen and other leaders should confirm that the census was inclusive and non-partisan, and that all must endeavour to be counted. The former President noted that the tendency to politicise activities that did not need political undertones undermined progress. He said such actions remained a hindrance to the completion and success of development initiatives meant to benefit the general populace. The former President urged the GSS to conduct the census properly and in an inclusive manner to ensure that the exercise remained free from politics. 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 Handheld footage has captured the moment a teenage boy suffered leg injuries and was pinned to the ground during a dramatic arrest on a train station platform. The video filmed at Gosford train station on the New South Wales Central Coast about 8.35pm on Saturday night showed an officer using his left leg to trip the 16-year-old and pull him to the ground. One policeman could be heard telling the boy to 'stay down' as he tried to break free using his hands during a brief struggle. Police allege the teenager had jumped down onto the tracks and then refused to move to on when officers told him to do so. The friend who shared the video to TikTok on Monday morning claimed the arrest left his mate with a broken foot, a bruised wrist and a 'busted ankle'. A teenage boy has been pinned to the ground during a dramatic arrest on a train station platform A separate clip showed the boy's friends being told repeatedly to move on by police outside the station - ending with one officer accusing them angrily of trying to film her breasts. 'I've told you my name three or four times. You have it on recording - now leave,' she added. 'You're not filming my breasts,' she told one of the group when he asked her to move her jacket so he could film her name plate. 'I'm not filming your breasts. I'm filming your f***ing name tag,' the man replied. The first video showed an officer pulling a bottle of what appeared to be alcohol out of a backpack during the arrest. A NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia officers from the state's Police Transport Command were called to the station after reports a group of teenagers were attempting to access the railway lines. The friend who shared the video to TikTok on Monday morning claimed the arrest left his mate with a broken foot 'Whilst interacting with the group, a 16-year-old male refused to comply with a police direction,' the spokeswoman said. 'He was issued with an infringement notice for the offence of go onto or into or remain on or in running lines. 'The remainder of the group were all issued move on directions. Its alleged the group continued to refuse police direction and verbally abused officers for a period of time.' A separate clip showed the boy's friends being told repeatedly to move on by police outside the station and accused of trying to female a female officer's breasts Police said the group finally moved on about two hours later. Trespassing on railway tracks carries a fine of up to $5,500. Refusing to comply with a police direction when told to move on following such an offence is punishable by an additional fine of up to $550. The account that posted the footage further baited the police in the comments of the video, mocking a user who asked him to share footage of the entire altercation. 'Who let the dogs out,' the friend wrote. KYODO NEWS - Apr 26, 2021 - 10:32 | Coronavirus, All, Japan Japan Airlines Co. is planning to make a unit of Chinese low-cost carrier Spring Airlines Co. a subsidiary to meet an expected recovery in tourism demand after the coronavirus pandemic subsides, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday. JAL, which currently has about a 5 percent stake in Spring Airlines Japan Co., will invest an additional several billion yen possibly in June to increase its stake to 51 percent or more, the sources said. The major Japanese airline is eager to cash in on the projected return of Chinese tourists to Japan following the end of the pandemic. The company is expected to release details of the investment in its midterm business plan to be released on May 7, they said. In November, JAL raised around 180 billion yen ($1.7 billion) through a public stock offering and other means to survive the pandemic and cover replacement costs for its fleet. The company has said it will allocate 10 billion yen of the total to investments toward Spring Airlines Japan and Jetstar Japan Co., an LCC airline in which JAL has a 50 percent stake. In the year through December 2019, Spring Airlines Japan posted a net loss of 2.7 billion yen. Last year, the LCC reduced its staff through efforts including voluntary retirement. Related coverage: Japan tightens rules on COVID-19 test certificates for travelers JAL eyes use of alternative fuels for all domestic flights from 2040 A missing Indonesian submarine has been found, broken into at least three parts, at the bottom of the Bali Sea, army and navy officials said on Sunday, as the president sent condolences to relatives of the 53 crew. Rescuers also found new objects, including a life vest, that they believe belong to those aboard the 44-year old KRI Nanggala-402, which lost contact on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill. "Based on the evidence, it can be stated that the KRI Nanggala has sunk and all of its crew have died," military chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto told reporters. Navy chief of staff Yudo Margono said the crew were not to blame for the accident and that the submarine did not experience a blackout, blaming "forces of nature". Indonesian Navy's ships are seen at the Tanjung Wangi port as the search continues for the missing KRI Nanggala-402 submarine in Banyuwangi, East Java Province Indonesia, April 25, 2021. Photo: Reuters "The KRI Nanggala is divided into three parts, the hull of the ship, the stern of the ship, and the main parts are all separated, with the main part found cracked," he said. "There are scattered parts of the submarine and its interior in the water." President Joko Widodo earlier confirmed the discovery in the Bali Sea and sent the families of the victims his condolences. "All of us Indonesians express our deep sorrow over this tragedy, especially to the families of the submarine crew." A sonar scan on Saturday detected the submarine at 850 metres (2,790 feet), far beyond the Nanggala's diving range. People holding a placard and flowers bow as they pray for the crew of submarine KRI Nanggala-402 which has sunk at the north of Bali sea, during a vigil in Solo, Central Java province, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. Photo: Antara Foto/Maulana Surya/ via Reuters More than a dozen helicopters and ships are searching the area where contact was lost, with the United States, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia providing assistance. Navy officials said international help will be crucial in recovering the remains of the vessel. Singapore Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean wrote on social media late on Sunday that a ROV (remotely operated vehicle) sent by the Singapore Navy was able to "recover a few critical items from the seabed at depth of more than 800 meters". "We hope that this will help the families find some closure and certainty on the fate of their loved ones," he added. Indonesian military chief Hadi Tjahjanto speaks during a news conference about the search operation of submarine KRI Nanggala-402, which has sunk in the north of Bali sea and all of its 53 crew have died, at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai airbase in Bali, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. Photo: Antara Foto/Fikri Yusuf/ via Reuters Search teams said on Saturday they had found objects including prayer mat fragments near the submarine's last known location, leading the navy to believe the vessel had cracked. Indonesia police said it would deploy teams to Bali and the Java town of Banyuwangi, which hosts the naval base from where the main search and recovery operations are being conducted, to help identify the victims once the bodies are retrieved. Residents of Banyuwangi joined nationwide calls to accelerate the modernisation of Indonesia's defence forces. A military personnel holds an escape suit believed to be from the sunken Indonesian Navy KRI Nanggala-402 submarine during a media conference at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia April 25, 2021, in this photo taken by Antara Foto/Fikri Yusuf/via Reuters "This can be a learning point for the government to advance its military technology and be careful in how it uses its (existing) technology because its people's lives are at stake," said 29-year old resident Hein Ferdy Sentoso. Southeast Asia's most-populous country has sought to revamp its military capability, yet some equipment is still old and there have been fatal accidents in recent years. Indonesia had five submarines before the latest accident: two German-built Type 209s including Nanggala and three newer South Korean vessels. Zenith forecasts that fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) food and drink brands will increase their ad expenditure on digital channels by 7% a year to 2023, according to its Business Intelligence FMCG Food and Drink report, published today. Thats well ahead of the 4% annual growth forecasts for FMCG adspend as a whole in the 12 markets included in this report*. FMCG brands still rely heavily on traditional TV, spending 39% of their budgets on television advertising in 2020, compared to 24% for the average brand. Excluding China, where FMCG brands have already adopted digital advertising as their main form of commercial communication, FMCG brands spent 52% of their budgets in television, compared to an average of 26%. Their principal goal is to maximise brand awareness and reach so they are front of mind at the point of purchase for as many consumers as possible. This is something that TV has historically excelled at, but its declining reach particularly among the young is making it less effective. FMCG brands are therefore following audiences to digital channels. Zenith forecasts that FMCG digital adspend will increase from US$12.3bn in 2020 to US$14.9bn in 2023, and that its market share will rise from 46% to 49%. After the pandemic gave FMCG ecommerce its urgent stimulus in 2020, brands will look to support and expand their ecommerce capabilities, channelling consumers to DTC operations or retail partnerships. But the big challenge will lie in using digital to replace television effectively creating large-scale brand awareness while managing frequency. The rise of Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), which locks away high-value audiences from direct advertising, will make this even harder, as will the end of third-party cookies. FMCG brands need a new comprehensive approach to reach-based planning, said Ben Lukawski, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Zenith. That means combining TV, paid advertising in online video, virtual placement in SVOD platforms and perhaps even a presence in gaming, using first-party and second-party data to prevent duplication and optimise incremental reach. Out-of-home is the exception to the declining reach of traditional media. As traffic returns to normal after the COVID-19 slump, the spread of digital displays will make it even more effective at reaching consumers with targeted and relevant ads near the point of sale. FMCG out-of-home advertising is forecast to grow by 9% a year from 2020 to 2023, while its market share rises from 6.1% to 7.0%, slightly ahead of its pre-pandemic share of 6.8% in 2019. FMCG adspend to track total market growth as it recovers from 11% slump in 2020 Ad expenditure by FMCG brands fell more sharply than the ad market as a whole in 2020, shrinking by 10.7% to US$26.7bn. This was not because of any shortfall in demand. On the contrary, demand soared as people stopped eating in restaurants, cafes and bars and shifted consumption to the home. Instead, FMCG companies were faced with the challenge of ramping up production while supply chains were disrupted, and using limited available distribution to get their products onto shelves in stores, or to consumers homes. Many FMCG companies therefore cut back on promotional activity for products they couldnt get to consumers quickly enough to satisfy demand, and invested in distribution infrastructure instead, especially ecommerce operations and partnerships. Zenith forecasts that the recovery of FMCG adspend will roughly track the market as a whole in 2021-2023. A bounce-back is almost inevitable in 2021 given the comparison with the sharp drop-off in 2020, particularly during Q2, though it will still be 6% below 2019 levels. FMCG companies face uncertainty over how quickly consumers will return to shops, and how much their behaviours have been permanently affected by the pandemic. However, now that FMCG ecommerce infrastructure is being put in place, brands will need to increase their investment in advertising to support it. Zenith forecasts 4.4% annual growth in FMCG adspend between 2020 and 2023, reaching US$30.3bn in 2023. At this point it will have fully recovered from the pandemic-induced drop in adspend, exceeding 2019 levels of spending by US$0.5bn. India leads adspend growth but China leads digital transformation Zenith forecasts that India will be the fastest-growing market by some distance over the next three years, with FMCG adspend expanding by 14% a year. It will benefit from blossoming consumer demand as disposable incomes rise rapidly, coupled with the catch-up expansion of the underdeveloped ad market: advertising accounts for only 0.3% of Indias GDP, less than half of the global average of 0.7%. All of the other markets in the report are predicted to grow steadily at between 2% and 5% a year. Jai Lala, CEO, Zenith India said, FMCG growth will continue to be robust considering various reasons. Firstly, despite the pandemic, it is one category where the demand is constant, if not seen increasing. Secondly, with evolving consumer demand, FMCG continues to see a slate of new product launches and category expansion. Lastly, with the vast population being in Tier 2 and rural areas - it is one untapped potential market where the FMCG brands continue to increase penetration. China stands out as the market where brands have most rapidly embraced ecommerce and digital advertising. In 2020, Chinese FMCG brands spent 71% of their budgets on digital advertising, compared to 46% across all 12 markets. Here, these brands focus on online video, which has a high and broad reach, and is open to commercial partnerships. This can mean advertising in online shows, or special livestreams by influencers, in which viewers can directly purchase the items being demonstrated. They also routinely advertise on ecommerce platforms to drive sales at the point of purchase. Chinese FMCG brands spent 35% of their total budgets on online video and 13% on ecommerce advertising in 2020. Ecommerce will be the key battleground for FMCG brand growth over the coming years, said Jonathan Barnard, Head of Forecasting, Zenith. Western brands should look to China for best practice in using digital communication to drive FMCG ecommerce sales. *The 12 markets included in this report are Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, which between them account for 73% of total global adspend. FMCG food and drink includes all packaged foods and soft drinks. Many people were seen commuting in Tokyo on Monday morning, one day after the third coronavirus state of emergency took effect. The declaration for the capital and three western prefectures will be in place through May 11. The government is asking people to work from home so that the number of commuters can be reduced by 70 percent. But the area around Tokyo Station was crowded on Monday morning. A 35-year-old woman said the Yamanote loop line was more crowded than usual. She said, "It was difficult to move in the train." She said she had been worried about going to a supermarket during the first state of emergency last year, but she doesn't hesitate to go out now. A man from Yokohama, near Tokyo, said, "My firm doesn't promote teleworking because it's not a big company." He said he had felt some pressure during the first state of emergency, but the latest one is not so strict, and he is getting used to it. But the 64-year-old added that he is worried about becoming infected because of his age. A 31-year-old man said his company had urged its employees to work from home during the first state of emergency. He said he is going to the office because his firm has relaxed its policy and he thinks he may be getting careless. Border patrol agents blamed the smugglers for endangering the lives of five undocumented migrants. Last Thursday, border patrol agents witnessed smugglers lowering a woman and two children on a section of a 30-foot border wall, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported. The incident happened at around 3:15 a.m. when camera operators initially observed a man being lowered down the border wall using a rope. It can be recalled that a video surfaced on the internet showing two toddlers being dropped at the border wall by smugglers late last month. Recently, the two kids were reported to have been reunited with their parents in New York City. READ NEXT: Smugglers Drop Migrant Children From Atop 14-Foot U.S.-Mexico Border Barrier Border Patrol Agents and Undocumented Migrants The said incident that involved a mother and her two children being lowered by smugglers happened about three miles west of California's Calexico West Port of Entry, Fox News reported. The 32-year-old woman was with her two kids, a two-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy. They were identified as undocumented migrants from Venezuela. "These heartless, greedy smugglers continue to endanger the lives of undocumented individuals for money," said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino in a statement. In total, border patrol agents took into custody three adults and two children. The undocumented individuals were then transported to the El Centro Station Processing Center for further processing. ABC News reported that the two other adults were a 28-year-old man and a 31-year-old man. They were both undocumented persons from Venezuela who had no relation to the mother and two kids. "We were lucky that the mother and her two children, as well as the other two men, were not dropped from the 30-foot border wall," said Bovino. Smugglers Lowering Down the Venezuelan Migrants Camera operators at the El Centro Station's Remote Video Surveillance System initially saw a man being lowered down the border wall using a rope and then noticed another man being dropped with a child clinging to his back. Subsequently, the woman holding another child was lowered by the smugglers down the border wall into the U.S. Aside from the rope, officials noted that camera operators also saw three smugglers providing a ladder to climb the fence on the Mexican side. "Smugglers often use this tactic to minimize their own risk of injury," Bovino noted. He added that smugglers are willing to place others in jeopardy, including children. ABC News reported that about 23,444 children are under the custody of CBP and the Department of Health and Human Services as of Friday. The news outlet also mentioned the steadily rising flow of migrants arriving from Central America, triggering a humanitarian crisis near the southern border. The border patrol agents that no one was reported hurt among the five Venezuelan individuals. Bovino urged those looking to hire these smugglers to consider the extreme dangers of crossing the border illegally into the U.S. READ MORE: Ecuador Children Dropped by Smugglers in the US Mexico Border Reunite With Parents WATCH: 2 Children Lowered Over US-Mexico Border Wall by Rope - From ABC News The Posts editorial board wrote that Facebook and other social media companies claim to be neutral and that they arent making editorial decisions in a cynical bid to stave off regulation or legal accountability that threatens their profits. But they do act as publishers just very bad ones. Of course, it takes one to know one. The Post, always a mix of strong local news, great gossip and spun-up conservative politics, is making a bid for the title of worst newspaper in America right now. It has run a string of scary stories about Covid vaccines, the highlight of which was a headline linking vaccines to herpes, part of a broader attempt to extend its digital reach. Great stuff, if youre mining for traffic in anti-vax Telegram groups. The piece on the Black Lives Matter activist that Facebook blocked was pretty weak, too. It insinuated, without evidence, that her wealth was ill-gotten, and mostly just sneered at how the self-described Marxist last month purchased a $1.4 million home. But then, youve probably hate-read a story about a person you disliked buying an expensive house. When Lachlan Murdoch, the co-chairman of The Posts parent company, bought the most expensive house in Los Angeles, for instance, it received wide and occasionally sneering coverage. Maybe Mr. Murdoch didnt know he could get the stories deleted by Facebook. Facebook doesnt keep a central register of news articles it expunges on these grounds, though the service did block a Daily Mail article about the Black Lives Matter activists real estate as well. And it does not keep track of how many news articles it has blocked, though it regularly deletes offending posts by individuals, including photos of the home of the Fox News star Tucker Carlson, a Facebook employee said. What Facebooks clash with The Post really revealed and what surprised me is that the platform does not defer, at all, to news organizations on questions of news judgment. A decision by The Post, or The New York Times, that someones personal wealth is newsworthy carries no weight in the companys opaque enforcement mechanisms. Nor, Facebooks lawyer said, does a more nebulous and reasonable human judgment that the country has felt on edge for the last year and that a Black activists concern for her own safety was justified. (The activist didnt respond to my inquiry but, in an Instagram post, called the reporting on her personal finances doxxing and a tactic of terror.) The point of Facebooks bureaucracy is to replace human judgment with a kind of strict corporate law. The policy in this case prioritizes safety and privacy, and this enforcement shows how difficult these trade-offs can be, the companys vice president for communications, Tucker Bounds, said. To help us understand if our policies are in the right place, we are referring the policy to the Oversight Board. The board is a promising kind of supercourt that has yet to set much meaningful policy. So this rule could eventually change. (Get your stories deleted while you can!) Chinas strange endorsement of net zero By Duggan Flanakin You have to hand it to Xi Jinping. The Chinese president for life schmoozed United Nations royalty last September with his unexpected pledge that his country aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality (Net Zero) before 2060. Xi also urged other nations to pursue innovative, coordinated, green and open development for all through rapid deployment of new technologies, to achieve a green recovery of the world economy in the post-COVID era and thus create a powerful force driving sustainable development. Confident that the mantle of world leadership was passing from the United States to him and China, Mr. Xi concluded by saying: The baton of history has been passed to our generation, and we must make the right choice, a choice worthy of the people's trust and of our times. Let us join hands to uphold the values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom shared by all of us and build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. Together, we can make the world a better place for everyone. Just how is China preparing itself for Net Zero? The London-based energy and climate research group Ember reports that China generated 53% of the worlds total coal-fired power in 2020, a jump of 9 percent from 2015, while adding 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power installations in 2020 alone. China is also financing billions of dollars worth of coal-fired power plants in African, Asian and other developing nations. In 2020 China also added a record 71.7 GW of wind power and 48.2 GW of solar, while setting a goal of 70 GW of installed nuclear energy by 2025. But progress is nowhere near fast enough, says Ember power analyst Dave Jones, who insists coal power needs to collapse by 80% by 2030 to avoid dangerous levels of warming. Or so he and President Biden believe. A joint analysis by Climate Analytics and the Asia Society Policy Institute concludes that, to reach the Paris Agreements goal limiting the global industrial era (post Little Ice Age) temperature rise to of 1.5o C, China would have to reach peak CO2 emissions by 2025 and reduce them rapidly thereafter, with a total phase-out of coal-fired power by 2040. Highly unlikely. However, a typical coal-fired power plant has a 40-year lifespan. Would China throw away massive investments just to kowtow to the UN? Draworld Environment Research Center chief economist Zhang Shuwei says Chinese coal may have to absorb over $300 billion in stranded assets if the nation follows through and undertakes a cliff fall of coal power generation after 2030. Also highly unlikely. Indeed, says the New York Post , Chinas betrayal of its commitment to Hong Kong, its duplicity over the COVID pandemic and its dissembling on treatment of Uighurs suggest the Middle Kingdom cannot be trusted to keep its word. It shows there is no point negotiating with the Chinese Communist Party on issues like climate change, the Post added. Agence France-Presse reported in March that Chinas latest five-year plan increases investment in coal and omits any cap on total energy consumption. Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air analyst Lauri Myllyvirta also compares Xis words with Chinas deeds, concluding the central contradiction between expanding the smokestack economy and promoting green growth appears unresolved. Japanese journalists also questioned Chinas commitment to any green economy. They contrasted China to supposedly excellent efforts by Japan and its Western allies to ramp up wind and solar while failing to mention that new Japanese coal plants exceeded retirements in 2020, or that India and many other nations are also beefing up coal mining and power generation. Other journalists are equally offended by Chinas apparent duplicity. Despite pledges to cut emissions, China goes on a coal spree, a Yale Environment360 headline proclaimed. In the article, China-based free-lancer Michael Standaert argued that there is a real and figurative haze about how strong its climate ambitions really are and how quickly the country can wean itself from coal. Mother Jones reposted the article under the headline China is bingeing on coal. Vox correspondent Lili Pike provides a backstory excuse for Chinas seemingly contradictory behavior. Chinas provinces, she notes, have authority to approve new power plants on their own and see new coal plants as a way to boost their GDP and provide jobs. The economic slowdowns linked to COVID provided extra incentives for them to do so. Perhaps Vox thinks the provinces will recognize their ill-considered investments and shutter their coal plants once their economies are again rolling along. Perhaps pigs will fly. Chinas slouching towards Net Zero approach belies the panicked warnings of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who insists the climate emergency is the defining crisis of our time and is happening even more quickly than we feared. It is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win, he says. Guterres made a toothless plea to China last July to stop building new coal plants, but he giddily applauded Xis rhetoric in September. Xi has also won praise from mega-billionaire Bill Gates , who gushed over Chinas determination to prioritize the climate and its contributions to carbon reduction. Said Gates: It's great that President Xi is making climate a priority and wants to work with other countries on this. Without the contributions of China, many of the key ingredients [in fighting climate change], like batteries and solar power, wouldnt be so affordable." [Were on the same team, babee!] In the real world, not every environmental disaster prediction has come true. Actually, hardly any of them have. For example, Paul Ehrlichs best-selling book, The Population Bomb, opened with this frightful assertion: The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this late date nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate. The greatest famine since Stalin and Mao deliberately starved tens of millions to death never happened. More recently, Ehrlichs ideological offspring Greta Thunberg proclaimed: The world is going to end in twelve years if we don't address climate change. Around 2030 we will be in a position to set off an irreversible chain reaction beyond human control that will lead to the end of our civilization as we know it. Criticizing China for detaining a young Chinese climate striker, Thunberg added: Billions of people will die, and children will die while parents lose their jobs! Of course people are far more likely to lose their jobs or die if countries are forced to exist on minimalist, weather-dependent wind and solar power under racist, carbon-colonialist restrictions imposed on them by woke climate alarmist banks, bureaucrats, pressure groups and ill-educated teenagers. Perhaps Xi Jinping knows its too late to save the planet so why not just binge on coal, keep his carefully watched subjects happy, and keep playing President Biden and other Western leaders like a piano. Perhaps hes read the tea leaves, or the astronomical charts, and knows another killer asteroid is heading toward Earth so why worry about death by fossil-fuel-driven climate change. Or maybe he figures that by 2030 the whole world will be under his control since his economy and military are growing, Beijing owns or controls supply lines and manufacturing for the entire panoply of pretend-renewable energy technologies, it steals intellectual property rights with impunity, and no foreign country will dare to take China on, for all those reasons. Duggan Flanakin is director of policy research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow . Home Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett pose during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/AFP) Supreme Court Takes Up Major NRA-Backed Gun Rights Case The Supreme Court has decided to take up a major, National Rifle Association (NRA)-backed lawsuit that challenges a New York law restricting individuals from carrying concealed handguns in public. Its been more than 10 years since the Supreme Court weighed in on a significant case involving the Second Amendment, coming in the wake of President Joe Bidens and top Democrats recent push for more gun-control initiatives, including bans on so-called ghost guns, proposing models for red flag laws, and expanding and lengthening background checks. The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted limited to the following question: Whether the States denial of petitioners applications for concealed-carry licenses for self-defense violated the Second Amendment, reads a brief order (pdf) from the high court on April 26. Over the years, the NRA and other gun rights groups have criticized the Supreme Court for not taking up any major lawsuits relating to the Second Amendment. In 2008, the court stated for the first time that the Second Amendment protects Americans rights to keep and bear arms for self-defense at home. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, considered possibly the most conservative justice, wrote several years ago that courts have engaged in a general failure to afford the 2nd Amendment the respect due an enumerated constitutional right. If a lower court treated another right so cavalierly, I have little doubt that this court would intervene. The 2nd Amendment is a disfavored right in this court, he wrote. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, after the court dismissed a gun case last term, wrote in early 2020 he hopes the court will take up a Second Amendment-related challenge in the near future. The Court should address that issue soon, perhaps in one of the several Second Amendment cases with petitions for certiorari now pending before the Court. On April 26, the NRA praised the court for taking up the legal challenge, describing it as a case that challenges New Yorks restrictive concealed-carry-licensing regime, noting that it sets up the stage for the Supreme Court to affirm what most states already hold as true, that there is an individual right to self-defense outside of the home. The case, according to the gun-rights group, challenges New York states requirement that applicants for pistol permits show proper cause to carry a gun, which they argue violates the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms. The NRA believes that law-abiding citizens should not be required to prove they are in peril to receive the governments permission to exercise this constitutionally protected right, the group wrote, noting that if the Supreme Court rules favorably, it will affect the laws in many states that currently restrict carrying a firearm outside the home. Robert Nash and Brandon Koch, the two men who brought the lawsuit, both applied for licenses to carry handguns in New York state for self-defense but were denied. A district court later said that neither had proper cause to carry a handgun because they didnt face any special or unique danger to [their] life. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, wrote in a legal brief calling on the Supreme Court not to grant the case, saying the state law is consistent with prior rulings. James said New Yorks law was supported by a centuries-old tradition of state and local measures regulating the carrying of firearms in public and that it has existed in the same essential form since 1913. New Yorks law directly advances the States compelling interests in protecting the public from gun violence. The Epoch Times has contacted Jamess office for comment. The court is expected to take up the case during the next term. The case is New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Keith Corlett, No. 20-843. New Delhi: The COVID-19 situation in India continues to remain grim as the country recorded more than 3 lakh coronavirus infections for the fifth day in a row. The frontline workers including doctors, healthcare professionals, and researchers in the scientific community have pushed their limits to provide care for COVID-19 patients. In honour of such frontline warriors, the world renowned search engine, Google has come up with a unique doodle. Google on Monday (April 26, 2021) changed its display in the honour of the health workers worldwide. Google's doodle displays a thank you message to express gratitude to the COVID-19 health workers around the globe. On hovering the mouse over the doodle, Google shows a message, which reads, To all the public health workers and to researchers in the scientific community, thank you. The vibrant doodle captures the unshakable spirit of the COVID-19 front line warriors and is acting as a hope for the rest of the world. The search engine is known for speaking up in the time of need and drawing attention to the pressing issues. Earlier, another Google doodle had urged people to use face masks with a message which read, Masks are still important. Wear a mask. Save lives. Live TV The launch will give hospitals and health systems throughout the country access to TytoCare's leading, AI-powered telehealth solutions NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TytoCare, the healthcare industry's first all-in-one modular device and examination platform for AI-powered, on-demand, remote medical exams, today announced its launch in Italy, enabling the adoption of its telehealth solution throughout the country. The launch is taking place via a partnership with Multimed, a leading distribution and commercialization company providing medical devices, surgical instruments, robotics and safety devices, who will exclusively introduce TytoCare to the Italian public healthcare market. The Italian healthcare system expressed significant demand for TytoCare's telehealth platform as a solution to help fight the rapid outbreak of COVID-19 that plagued the country at the onset of the pandemic. Since then, health systems and hospitals have worked hard to implement digital health solutions to help prevent a future collapse of the healthcare system. TytoCare is the only all-in-one telehealth solution enabling physicians to remotely connect with patients for clinic-quality physical examinations. The handheld examination device enables users to perform comprehensive physical examinations of the heart, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, as well as lungs and body temperature, which are key for monitoring COVID-19. The solution fully replicates an in-person visit from any location, any time, for primary and chronic care situations, and helps to stem the spread of the virus by providing remote care for both quarantined patients in hospitals and isolated patients at home. This allows doctors to gain the vital clinical data they require to monitor and treat patients from a safe distance. Together, TytoCare and Multimed will be developing the Italian market and delivering the solution to local providers, enabling partnerships with hospitals, elderly care facilities, independent physicians, pharmacies, as well as at-home monitoring. TytoCare's first partnership in Italy showed success with the ASL of Vercelli, where physicians monitored and treated elderly and pediatric COVID-19 patients and performed pulmonary, cardiological, and dermatological telehealth visits. The implementation showcased TytoCare's ability to facilitate a wide range of telehealth visits as well as to reduce pressure on overburdened facilities and physicians while crucially mitigating the spread of COVID-19. In addition to active pilots around the country, renowned hospitals Gemelli and Bambino Gesu have begun evaluating the TytoCare telehealth solution for potential integration, and further pilots are in progress. "Italian health authorities and professionals were quick to embrace telehealth at the onset of the pandemic," said Dedi Gilad, CEO and co-founder of TytoCare. "Partnering with Multimed will enable us to fulfill our vision of offering accessible and high-quality remote care throughout Italy, which is critical both now and as the pandemic subsides. As a growing number of health systems across Europe look to integrate TytoCare, we're excited to propel a productive healthcare ecosystem for patients, clinicians, and insurers alike, providing the best virtual care from the comfort of home, saving care providers' time, and reducing costs per patient encounter." "We are proud to partner with TytoCare to expand telehealth offerings throughout Italy. TytoCare is a unique innovation expanding access to safe, clinic-quality care for the Italian population," said Maurizio Cordara Antona, President of Multimed. "As the exclusive distributor of TytoCare in Italy, we look forward to together enabling a new method of healthcare delivery for the country and its future." About TytoCare TytoCare is a telehealth company using AI to transform primary care by putting health in the hands of consumers. TytoCare seamlessly connects people to clinicians to provide the best virtual home examination and diagnosis solutions. Its solutions are designed to enable a comprehensive medical exam from any location and include a hand-held, all-in-one tool for examining the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and body temperature; a complete telehealth platform for sharing exam data, conducting live video exams, and scheduling visits; a cloud-based data repository with analytics; and built-in guidance technology and machine learning algorithms to ensure accuracy and ease of use for patients and insights for healthcare providers. Co-founded by Dedi Gilad and Ofer Tzadik in 2012, TytoCare has FDA and CE clearances and has partnered with over 100 major health systems, health plans, and strategic partners in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Israel. To watch a demo video, click here. For more information, please visit https://www.tytocare.com/. Press Contact Sarah Schloss Headline Media sarah.schloss@headline.media + 1 914 506 5105 Distributor for Italy Multimed Srl Strada del Drosso, 49 10135 Torino phone +39 011 6307693 Mail: commerciale@multimed.to.it Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/26/2021 -- A new business intelligence report released by HTF MI with title "Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Growth (Status and Outlook) 2021-2026" is designed covering micro level of analysis by manufacturers and key business segments. The Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market survey analysis offers energetic visions to conclude and study market size, market hopes, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary statistics sources and it comprises both qualitative and quantitative detailing. Some of the key players profiled in the study are GE Energy Consulting, Accenture, Digital Energy Solutions, Cognizant, BCG, Deloitte, Ramboll Group, Wipro & Capgemini Invent. What's keeping GE Energy Consulting, Accenture, Digital Energy Solutions, Cognizant, BCG, Deloitte, Ramboll Group, Wipro & Capgemini Invent Ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and findings recently released by HTF MI Get Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ : https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/3237064-global-digital-energy-consulting-and-management-market-growth Market Overview of Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management If you are involved in the Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management industry or aim to be, then this study will provide you inclusive point of view. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Applications [Geothermal Energy, Hydropower, Nuclear Energy, Solar Energy & Others], Product Types [, Design and Analysis, Testing and Commissioning, Field service & Others] and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement. This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market along with impact of economic slowdown. Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows: Historical year 2015-2020 Base year 2020 Forecast period** 2021 to 2026 [** unless otherwise stated] **Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players. Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/3237064-global-digital-energy-consulting-and-management-market-growth The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below: The Study Explore the Product Types of Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market: , Design and Analysis, Testing and Commissioning, Field service & Others Key Applications/end-users of Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market: Geothermal Energy, Hydropower, Nuclear Energy, Solar Energy & Others Top Players in the Market are: GE Energy Consulting, Accenture, Digital Energy Solutions, Cognizant, BCG, Deloitte, Ramboll Group, Wipro & Capgemini Invent Region Included are: Americas, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, APAC, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Middle East & Africa, Egypt, South Africa, Israel, Turkey & GCC Countries Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report: Detailed overview of Digital Energy Consulting and Management market Changing market dynamics of the industry In-depth market segmentation by Type, Application etc Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value Recent industry trends and developments Competitive landscape of Digital Energy Consulting and Management market Strategies of key players and product offerings Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth A neutral perspective towards Digital Energy Consulting and Management market performance Market players information to sustain and enhance their footprint Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/3237064-global-digital-energy-consulting-and-management-market-growth Major Highlights of TOC: Chapter One: Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Industry Overview 1.1 Digital Energy Consulting and Management Industry 1.1.1 Overview 1.1.2 Products of Major Companies 1.2 Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Segment 1.2.1 Industry Chain 1.2.2 Consumer Distribution 1.3 Price & Cost Overview Chapter Two: Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Demand 2.1 Segment Overview 2.1.1 APPLICATION 1 2.1.2 APPLICATION 2 2.1.3 Other 2.2 Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Size by Demand 2.3 Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Forecast by Demand Chapter Three: Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market by Type 3.1 By Type 3.1.1 TYPE 1 3.1.2 TYPE 2 3.2 Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Size by Type 3.3 Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Forecast by Type Chapter Four: Major Region of Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market 4.1 Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Sales 4.2 Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Revenue & market share Chapter Five: Major Companies List Chapter Six: Conclusion Complete Purchase of Latest Version Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Study @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=3237064 Key questions answered - How Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management Market Growth & Size is Changing with Years to Come? - Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management market? - What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management market? - What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global Digital Energy Consulting and Management market? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. Contact US : Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA 08837 Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218 sales@htfmarketreport.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 30 giorni fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Research Future has published a Half-Cooked Research Report on the Global Linear Low Density Polyethylene Market. Overview: Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), by nature, is a copolymer that can be produced from a technique like copolymerization of the ethylene with butane, octane, and hexane. The use of ethylene in the manufacturing process ensures better temperature resistance & tensile strength. It also impacts the strength, flexibility, chemical resistance, odor, and translucent properties in a positive way. The global low density polyethylene market is in a perfect position to garner substantial CAGR during the forecast period (2018-2023). Market Research Future (MRFR) in their recent report made a claim that this market can garner better valuation during the forecast period. Various end-user industries like housewares products, automotive industry, electrical & electronics, and packaging industry are expected to transform the low density polyethylene market in the coming years. Several applications like extrusion coating, packaging film, rotomolding, and injection molding are also encouraging strong growth for the low density polyethylene market. Segmentation: The global low density polyethylene market has been segmented on the basis of application, end-use industries, and process type. This segmentation has a well-defined outline for various factors that can be of great importance in the coming years. The analysis has a strong backing from value-wise and volume-wise data fetched from adept analysts. Based on the application, the global linear low density polyethylene market comprises injection moulding, packaging films, rotomolding, extrusion coating, and others. The global injection moulding is expected to gain strong traction from the healthcare sector. The packaging films segment can grab substantial market opportunity to ensure its growth in the coming years. Based on the end-use application, the global LLDPE market can be segmented into plastic, automotive industry, processing industry, electrical& electronics industry, and others. The automotive industry is gaining strong traction due to the widespread growth of the segment in the APAC region and North America. Based on the process type, the global LLDPE market comprise gas phase, solution phase, and slurry phase. Browse Full Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/linear-low-density-polyethylenes-market-6040 Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), South America, and the Middle East & Africa (RoW) are regions that have been included in the global low density polyethylene market study. The report has its focus on the growth pockets that can impact the global market in the coming days. North America has the maximum market advantage due to various infrastructural benefits and technological upgradation. Several other applications of the product in areas like extrusion coating, packaging films, and rotomolding. In the food packaging industry, the U.S. is doing extraordinarily good due to which the market is expecting strong growth in the region. Various associated industries like electrical & electronics building & construction, automotive industry is also expected to transform the LLDPE market. The APAC market is all set to garner strong growth during the forecast period with substantial market traction from countries like India, China, and Japan. The packaging and retail industries are on the verge of getting high growth over the review period. Various countries are spending notable amounts to revive their industrial sectors that would play significant role in providing advantage to the low density polyethylene market. Europes growth can be expected from various industries like automotive, electronics, food packaging and power & telecommunication. The food & beverage industry in the region has significant market coverage and also, the automobiles segment is gaining strong winds from all around. That is why the market in Europe is expected to do well in the coming years. Increasing exports of polyethylene & packaging films in the global market owing to abundant production of petrochemicals in the region is likely to propel the demand for LLDPE in Middle East. Competitive Landscape: Various companies are making robust investments in the global The Dow Chemical Company LLC (U.S.), NOVA Chemicals Corporation (Canada), Exxon Mobil Corporation (U.S.), Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation (Tokyo), Braskem (Brazil), Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (U.S.), Borealis AG. (Austria), and lyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V. (Netherland). These companies are spending much to improve their global standing and, in the process, they are improving the holistic state of these countries. Jayapura, Indonesia: An Indonesian brigadier general was killed in an ongoing clash between security forces and a rebel group in restive Papua province, authorities said. The clashes started April 8 in Indonesias easternmost Papua province after rebels set fire to three schools and shot to death a teacher in Beoga village in Puncak district. Another teacher was also killed a day later as rebels fired at teachers housing complex and burned down a house of a tribal chief in Beoga. Indonesias President Joko Widodo offered his condolences to the generals family. Credit:AP Police, military and intelligence forces joined Operation Nemangkawi to find the attackers, who authorities believe belong to the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organisation. Rebels have been fighting a low-level insurgency since the early 1960s, when Indonesia annexed Papua, a former Dutch colony. Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a UN-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many. President Joe Biden has declared that the United States is committed to assist India in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Air India loaded 318 oxygen concentrators at JFK Airport in New York on their way to Delhi. The world is getting a better understanding of how bad Covid-19 is wreaking havoc in India. Experts believe the death toll is even higher than the 193,000 announced by the government, based on news and heart-breaking photos from countrys hospitals and cremation sites. The 1.3 billion-strong nation is now the worldwide epicentre of the pandemic. Several countries have pledged to help India battle the pandemic, including China, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. Following a worldwide outrage, the United States has now agreed to aid India in combating the second outbreak. According to President Joe Biden, US is committed to assist India in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, on their way to Delhi, Air India loaded 318 oxygen concentrators at JFK Airport in the United States. #BreakingNews | 318 Oxygen Concentrators loaded by Air India at JFK Airport in the US, on their way to Delhi. pic.twitter.com/3aHklcpkwd NewsX (@NewsX) April 26, 2021 The White House claims to have identified and will make available suppliers of raw material for Indias manufacture of the Covishield vaccine. The US also plans to pay for BioE, an Indian vaccine maker, to expand its production capabilities so that it can scale up and deliver at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022. Read more : The Mega Airlift: Every airline must join in as Spicejet does national service Just as India sent assistance to the United States when our hospitals were overwhelmed early in the pandemic, we are committed to support India in its time of need, Biden said in a tweet on Sunday. In his brief message, the president gave no details. However, the White House said earlier on Sunday that the US is working around the clock to send medical drugs and fast diagnostic COVID-19 monitoring kits to India. Ventilators and personal safety devices are also on the way, and the US will try to provide oxygen supplies as well. Although a number of countries came forward to assist India in dealing with the second COVID-19 wave, which the WHO director-general has described as a devastating reminder of the viruss strength, the United States earlier had declined to lift a ban on the export of raw materials that Indias Serum Institute claims it needs to increase Covishield supply. The US indifference sparked a surge of anti-US sentiment on social media in and outside of India, with netizens claiming that by making no contribution and even obstructing the global battle against the pandemic, the US is not the world leader it claims to be, but rather a greedy, negligent, and untrustworthy government that plays geopolitics to suit its own interests. India records over 3.52 lakh Covid incidents, including 2,812 deaths, in the largest single-day increase. The total number of Covid cases in India is 1,73,13,163, with 1,95,123 deaths. Although 1,43,04,382 people have been cured of the infection. There are 28,13,658 active Covid cases in the nation. As newly confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to plateau across the state, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental control reports 424 new cases as of April 25. This is after federal health officials announced the removal of a pause on the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The vaccine was paused following the reports of six cases of blood clots from people who had received the vaccine. The decision came after a detailed safety review by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By April 25, most counties in South Carolina are recording a "moderate" two-week incidence rate with less than 200 cases. Newberry, Oconee, Pickens and York are the only counties witnessing a "high" rate. Statewide numbers New cases reported: 424 confirmed, 304 probable. Total cases in S.C.: 479,207 confirmed, 95,778 probable. Percent positive: 3.9 percent. New deaths reported: 16 confirmed, 1 probable. Total deaths in S.C.: 8,304 confirmed, 1,126 probable. Percent of ICU beds filled: 69.7 percent. How S.C. ranks South Carolina ranks 43rd in the nation in the number of vaccines administered per 100,000 people as of April 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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! Hardest-hit areas In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Greenville County (57), Charleston County (53) and Spartanburg County (28) saw the highest totals. What about tri-county? Charleston County had 53 new cases on April 25, while Berkeley County had 24 and Dorchester County had 20. Deaths Six of the deaths from COVID-19 confirmed April 25 were patients age 35 to 64. Ten were patients 65 or older. Hospitalizations Of the 506 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of April 25, 131 were in the ICU and 62 were using ventilators. What do experts say? Dr. Danielle Scheurer, chief quality officer at the Medical University of South Carolina, said with demand for the vaccine beginning to wane, the health system needs to switch strategies. Scheurer said in an internal publication that mass vaccination sites at MUSC are not filling up as much as they used to, so it has become imperative for the hospital to go to the people instead of having them come to us. Instead of us looking at this as if we build it, they will come, we need to get it to them, she said. The UK has sanctioned 22 individuals involved in notorious corruption cases under a new global anti-corruption regime, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. Individuals across Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Latin America were targeted with asset freezes and travel bans on Monday in the first wave of sanctions under the measure. Fourteen of those hit with sanctions were involved in one of the largest tax frauds in recent Russian history as exposed by the late lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. Taken partly in tandem with measures in the US, Mr Raab said the sanctions target those involved in some of the most notorious corruption cases around the world. Mr Raab acknowledged to MPs that the UK, as a global finance hub, can be a honey pot for corrupt individuals seeking to launder their dirty money. But he said the sanctions regime will be an additional powerful tool to hold the corrupt to account. It will prevent corrupt actors from using the UK as a haven for dirty money, while combatting corruption around the world, he told the Commons. Labour welcomed the announcement, but said law enforcement need the resources to support investigations, saying the current rate of prosecutions for economic crime is woefully low. Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said: If hes serious about what hes saying today he needs to put his money where his mouth is. She also criticised a tangled network of financial interests and cosy relationships in the heart of Government, citing messages exchanged between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. Three individuals accused of long-running corruption in South Africa were among those hit with sanctions, as were four Dubai-based businesspeople. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. A Honduran congressman accused of facilitating bribes to support a major drug trafficking organisation was also targeted. So too were a Guatemalan linked to bribery and a treasurer of Nicaraguas Sandinista party linked to misappropriation of public funds. Transparency International UK policy director Duncan Hames said: Whilst this regime is by no means a silver bullet for tackling the UKs role as a safe haven for the corrupt, it is a very positive development. The use of these powers should send a firm message to corrupt individuals and their enablers who have enjoyed the freedom to travel to and invest in the UK, that they will no longer be welcome here. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday announced that former Intelligence Bureau director and 1979 batch IPS officer Dineshwar Sharma would be Government of Indias representative for holding talks with all stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a press conference, Singh said Sharma would lead a sustained dialogue with all stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir. The Home Minister said that this step of the govt was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech in which he had said that Kashmirs solution was neither in abuse nor in bullets, but in embracing Kashmiris. So here is a close look into Dineshwar Sharma's career profile, the civil servant who has been appointed as the Union Govt interlocualtor for holding talks with stakeholders in Kashmir #Dineshwar Sharma is a Kerala-Cadre Indian Police Service officer of the 1979 batch. He was the chief of the Intelligence Bureau and served at a wide variety of command & staff positions in various Police, Paramilitary & Intelligence agencies. #He was appointed as the IB chief in 2014 and has experience of handling issues like separatism and insurgencies to regional and domestic politics.He served as the chief of IB till December 2016 and at the end of the fixed two-year tenure, reportedly refused an offer of extension by the government. #He has previously served in Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Lucknow in various capacities. #He has attended training on Intelligence work and Policing methods in East Germany, Poland, Israel and South Korea. Apart from this, he has also worked with the National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval during his earlier stint as IB chief. #Sharma was earlier made the interlocutor for peace talks with Assams insurgent groups, including the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) in June this year. Reacting to the news of his appointment, Sharma said that it is a huge responsibility and he will look to live up to expectations. Its a big responsibility, hope I live up to expectations, he told ANI on appointment as GoI representative for dialogue in J&K. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. More than 1,360 criminal cases involving cultural relics have been solved with 2,600 suspects arrested across China over the last eight months, the Ministry of Public Security said on Sunday. A campaign jointly launched by the ministry and the National Cultural Heritage Administration has busted more than 280 criminal gangs and recovered 26,000 cultural relics since August last year. To deal with the trend of more such crimes involving the internet and digital devices, the ministry asked public security authorities around China to step up the fight to uncover the entire criminal chain related to cultural relics. It also urged increased public awareness and efforts related to cultural relics protection and encouraged people to tip off such crimes. TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Monday release final February figures for its leading and coincident indexes, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Their previous readings were 98.5 and 90.3, respectively. Singapore will provide March numbers for industrial production, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 2.2 percent on month and 3.0 percent on year. That follows the 1.6 percent monthly increase and the 16.4 percent annual spike in February. Finally, the markets in New Zealand are closed on Monday for ANZAC Day and will reopen on Tuesday. 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. Senate Judiciary Committee members Sen. Marcia Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) hold a news conference to voice their opposition to adding justices to the U.S. Supreme Court outside the court's building in Washington on April 22, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Another Court-Packing Attempt? Commentary On April 9, 2021, U.S. President Joseph Biden signed an Executive Order on the Establishment of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. The Commission will be composed of not more than 36 members appointed by the President. According to Section 3(a) of the Order, the Commissions task is to produce a report that provides an account of the contemporary commentary and debate about the role and operation of the Supreme Court and about the functioning of the constitutional process by which the President nominates and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints Justices to the Supreme Court. The Commission is also required to provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals. A perfunctory reading of the Order does not reveal a hidden agenda by the Administration. Indeed, the Order appears to be a straightforward attempt by the President to be enlightened about the operations of the Supreme Court and apprised of any desirable reforms. However, the Order also requires the Commission to delve into the historical background of other periods in the Nations history when the Supreme Courts role and the nominations and advice-and-consent process were subject to critical assessment and prompted proposals for reform. This requirement inevitably reminds an astute observer of the court-packing plan of former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt who in 1937 proposed the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill, which would have given the president power to appoint an additional justice to the Court, up to a maximum of six, for every member of the Court over the age of 70 years and 6 months. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (18821945), the 32nd President of the United States in 1936. (Keystone Features/Getty Images) The Supreme Court had repeatedly declared Roosevelts New Deal legislation unconstitutional. His response was a crude attempt at packing the Court. It was a controversial measure, scathingly denounced in a Senate Judiciary Committee Report, and even opposed by Roosevelts Vice-President John Nance Garner, and ultimately a failure. President Bidens request to consider the historical background and precedents again raises the spectre of court-packing. It is common knowledge that the Administration and the Democratic Party are unhappy about the successful nominations by former President Trump of three Associate Justices, namely Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Barrett. If so, the Order is a cynical example of political manoeuvring, disguised as a legitimate attempt at reforming an institution that has a nominally 6-3 conservative majority. If this interpretation is correct, the presidents move may well be an unpolished attempt at packing the Court. It would be akin to establishing a new Court simply to ensure that the leaders vision would be implemented. History is replete with examples of leaders establishing new courts willing to administer justice in accordance with their political vision. A good example is the establishment by Adolf Hitler of the Peoples Court to deal with offences against Nazism. The Democratic Partys enthusiasm for court-packing is also evidenced by Senator Ed Markeys (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadlers (D-N.Y.) introduction of the Judiciary Bill 2021 which provides for the addition of four Associate Justices to the present 9-member Court. (L-R) Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) hold a press conference in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on April 15, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) As Josh Hammer pointed out in an opinion piece published on 16 April in The Epoch Times, In Nadlers dystopian Newspeak, such a bill amounts not to packing the court, but to unpacking it. Alas, we have come a long way since the scathing Senate Judiciary Committee report of 1937. The characterisation by Nadler of the Judiciary Bill 2021 as an attempt to unpack the Supreme Court can be described appropriately as a power grab by a politician who wants to destroy the present conservative make-up of the Supreme Court. If the ultimate purpose of the signing of the Executive Order is a radical restructuring of the Supreme Court, President Bidens attempt should be rejected because the trust placed by people in the objectivity and impartiality of the Court would be seriously eroded. Indeed, it would make the concept of judicial objectivity a relative concept, the meaning of which would depend on the party in power. Justice Stephen Breyer, a member of the liberal wing of the Supreme Court, recently stated in a well-publicised lecture at Harvard University, If the public sees judges as politicians in robes, its confidence in the Courts, and in the rule of law itself, can only diminish, diminishing the Courts power, including its power to act as a check on the other branches. Associate Justice Stephen Breyer poses for the official group photo at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 30, 2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) In addition, good governance is a likely victim if the United States were to be ruled routinely by presidential Executive Orders because they distort the legislative process. President Biden knows that his Executive Orders will not be overturned by Congress, which is now in the hands of the Democratic Party. He has already signed 40 Executive Orders since his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021. Of course, there are precedents for his embrace of this legislative strategy. Indeed, President Franklin D. Roosevelt also governed the United States by Executive Order: He signed 3,728 Orders, the most of any president in American history. Even common sense suggests that, if the legislative powers of Congress are usurped by the Administration, the legislative oversight by Congress will be weakened, thereby emasculating the separation of powers doctrine. This is doubly worrying if an Executive Order raises the spectre of significant changes to the operation of the Supreme Court. Hence, from a political point of view, the presidents Executive Order constitutes a cynical move, which may well erode the trust of Americans in the legal system of the United States. This story has only just begun, but its ending is unpredictable. Gabriel A. Moens AM is an emeritus professor of law at The University of Queensland and has served as pro vice-chancellor at Murdoch University. He has authored short stories and novels, including A Twisted Choice, a thriller about the origins of the COVID-19 virus. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Ideal Standard, a leading global provider of premium bathroom solutions, has announced a unique series of hybrid events, the Together World Tour, blending an innovative digital format with the attractions of a physical event location. The iconic capitals of the world, Milan, Berlin, London, Paris, Dubai and Shanghai, will play host to Ideal Standards innovative hybrid event designed for the international Architecture & Design community. The Together World Tour will address this global audience through an innovative fusion of digital content and physical interactions across these key locations, said the statement from the company. The event will unveil exclusive world-premiere product launches, dwell deeply into the design culture of each of these world capitals and offer a series of unforgettable moments. It aims at combining the best of the two worlds, digital and personal. Its ambition is to inspire and entertain. Taking a creative and thought-provoking approach, the event in Milan marked the start of the tour. The event captured the identity of Milan and its cultural energy by exploring some of the citys most iconic buildings, highlighting the innate connection between design, architecture and culture. Since the 50s, Ideal Standard has been ingrained in the Milanese design heritage, and this is reflected in its relationships with Master Architects such as Gio Ponti and Achille Castiglioni. Following on from the journey into the citys cultural footprint, the event also featured talks around modern design and the future of bathroom design, as well as providing an exclusive look at Ideal Standards new collection, Linda-X. A tribute to the Linda collection created in 1977 by A. Castiglioni, the new collection, Linda-X, designed by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba, proudly takes inspiration from the original piece, celebrating the brands cultural heritage, while incorporating modern influences to create a contemporary collection which reflects the future of bathroom design. "This collection stems from the desire to pay homage to Ideal Standard's DNA with an eye to the future," said Palomba. "For us it meant studying the historical collection and rethinking the design with an updated vision. When you choose a model to inspire you, you also take on the values it represents, not just the physical design. We strongly believe that the foundation for timeless design is grounded in values, rather than trends, and this was an important consideration for us when it came to Linda-X," he stated. "Architecture, design, technology, and environmental awareness are the guiding principles of this collection. Comprising a range of basins and an elegant bath tub, the Linda-X collection stands out for its super-light design, which is minimalist and clean, but designed to have a dramatic impact," he added. Hearst Global Design have been chosen as strategic partner for the launch, with the exclusive involvement of Elle Decoration the largest and most influential design title in the world; present in 28 countries, with 25 editions. The media partnership distinguishes itself through an integrated approach across all media channels and presents significant promotional opportunities thanks to its global reach, said the statement. By supporting the campaign with a schedule of content across both print and web editions, social media networks and magazines, Hearsts input will stimulate far-reaching awareness and engagement, it added. On the Milan event, Palomba said: "The Together World Tour begins in Milan, the capital of design and home of the Global Design Centre of Ideal Standard. This city for so long has been the source of our inspiration." "The event will be an energetic story bringing to life the fashion and lifestyle inherent to Milan," he noted. Promising to inspire and delight, the tour will give a global audience of architects and designers, the trade and business community and design lovers of all kinds a front row seat to the launch of stunning new collections, he added. Ideal Standard Mena CEO Ahmed Hafez pointed out that this approach was the future for the brand and for the industry. "The pandemic has changed the rules for traditional physical events. Rather than simply offer an online showroom, we have invented a new way to connect with our customer base all around the world, digital and personal, a dynamic experience enabling us to explore the values of our brand and resulting in what we believe will be a journey of unforgettable moments of inspiration and delight," he stated. The Together World Tour will continue throughout 2021 and into 2022 visiting six global cities including Dubai. The event day will be packed with a mixture of live and streamed content, simultaneously translated into several languages. The interactive experience encourages participants to engage with the live event, click to discover new collections, or zoom in on a location to unlock exclusive content.-TradeArabia News Service In a live panel conversation, the speakers will share insight from their positions at leading food producers, auditors and software providers. The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is one of the worlds most widely-accepted benchmarking standards for food safety, but companies are finding it harder than ever to achieve compliance. In this exclusive webinar, experts in compliance, science and technology unpack the solution for the food industry. GFSI encompasses many recognized food safety schemes and recently, GFSI updated its standards for Canada, requiring 100 percent compliance when many producers struggle to achieve 85 percent. This was one of many recent changes to food safety standards that have left companies exposed to new risk in customer and supplier dealings. Combined with the pressures of COVID-19, food security is at an all-time low. In a live panel conversation, the speakers will share insight from their positions at leading food producers, auditors and software providers. Topics will cover the evolving requirements in safety regimes and corresponding corporate challenges and how these challenges can be met with the best of modern food safety methods and software. Register to attend this live webinar and get the chance to participate in the audience Q&A. Registrants will also be entered to win up to $5,000 off the recommended food safety software (terms and conditions apply). Join Dr. Kantha Shelke, CFS, Principal, Corvus Blue LLC; Dr. Liliana Casal-Wardle, Senior Director Food Safety & Supply Chain Risk Management, The Acheson Group (TAG); and Kevin Davies, Chief Design Officer, Provision Analytics, for the live webinar on Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 10am BST/UK (5am EDT). For more information, or to register for this event, visit GFSI and the Compliance Challenge for Food Safety. ABOUT XTALKS Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers. To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/ Interview: Nobel laureate confident in China's scientific advancements Xinhua) 14:28, April 26, 2021 BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Physics Nobel laureate Chen Ning Yang expressed confidence in China's scientific sector, saying its advancement will encourage more Chinese researchers studying abroad to return home. Yang, honorary director of Tsinghua University Institute for Advanced Study, made the remarks in an interview ahead of the university's 110th anniversary that was celebrated on Sunday. While some claim China is still lagging behind in cutting-edge research, the progress in this field is long-term in nature, said the theoretical physicist who returned to China after working in the United States. "Scientific research needs a long time of accumulation and accretion to lay a good tradition," Yang said. "To push back the frontier of science also requires new perspectives and courage, which are not easy." Calling for building self-confidence, Yang said China has taken a leading position in multiple scientific and technological fields and has trained a number of talented scientists. "As China grows stronger, more outstanding researchers and graduates from Tsinghua will come back (from abroad) in the next 10 or 15 years. You can visit me 20 years later to discuss this again," the 99-year-old researcher told Xinhua. A Tsinghua graduate, Yang spent decades working as a physicist in the United States. In 1957, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics with another Chinese-American Tsung-Dao Lee for their work on the so-called parity laws, which led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles. Yang returned to Tsinghua in 2003 as a professor and the honorary director of the newly established Institute for Advanced Study. Despite his age, he has insisted on giving lectures to undergraduate students to "help and point the way for would-be researchers." Tsinghua has become "a top-notch university in the world," said the veteran researcher, adding that the institution's fate has been entwined with China's rise. "Today I can probably say 'I've seen the dawn'," Yang said. "China has gone from its poverty-ridden past to a state of dawn. Tsinghua has contributed to this process and will continue to make more contributions." (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) For years, public officials have used or, more accurately, abused a provision in the states Freedom of Information Law to shield possible criminal wrongdoing in their administrations from public scrutiny. The law excludes from public disclosure records compiled for law enforcement purposes and whose disclosure would interfere with an investigation or court case; deprive a person of a fair trial; or reveal confidential sources or information or criminal investigative techniques or procedures, other than routine ones. Note that theres nothing in those exemptions about protecting officials images or political careers. But in practice, officials have used the exemption to deny records even if they werent compiled by law enforcement. A case in point is the Cuomo administrations blocking of documents involving a project whose principals donated heavily to Gov. Andrew Cuomos campaign, and which received $25 million in incentives even though the project was already being built. The governors office cited an FBI investigation as its reason. The Legislature in 2019 passed a bill to tighten up the exemption so that it cant be used so loosely. Heres no surprise: Mr. Cuomo vetoed it, citing, of course, law enforcement concerns. The bill is back, though; it has already passed the Assembly. The Senate should pass it, too, and if Mr. Cuomo vetoes it again, lawmakers should override him. Its time to end the ability of politicians to hide behind the law to keep the public from finding out something embarrassing like the possibility that they broke another law. Theyve paid their debt. Let them vote. People on parole could soon get back a right they lost when they went to prison: the right to vote. Were not talking about people still serving time behind bars, but people whom the criminal justice system has deemed ready to transition back into society. With the responsibility to follow the rules of parole like staying out of trouble, adhering to curfew, and attending addiction programs ought to come some rights. Voting is more than just a personal right; its a strong connection to community and country. Restoring that right is a natural progression in the process of rehabilitation. The governor should sign this enlightened piece of legislation. It harms no one, and it could do much to remind parolees of the rights that make freedom so precious, inspiring them to stay on track. Ban fracking fluids, too Heres a bit of irony with a sprinkling of hypocrisy: New York four years ago banned fracking, but it doesnt prohibit the waste product of fracking from being spread on roads around the state. That would be the millions of gallons of brine pumped underground to fracture shale and release natural gas or oil. The recovered salty brine, imported from other states, has been used in some areas to de-ice highways or suppress road dust. That risks letting the chemicals in the brine which the industry has sought to keep a proprietary secret along with radioactive compounds brought up from deep underground seep into groundwater. Some communities have banned the practice, but whats needed is a statewide prohibition to protect everybodys drinking water. A bill to do that is moving through the Legislature. Mr. Cuomo, who took plenty of flack for banning fracking, should sign it when it gets to his desk. While we dont know drill-down numbers yet we dont know, for example, which parts of the state grew while others shrank we know Illinois was one of seven states that will lose one representative in Congress. Our company in congressional shrinkage includes California, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, all of which will lose a seat in the U.S. House. The fastest growing state during the last 10 years was Utah, home of mountains and Mormons. CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) A raging gun battle between rival Mexican drug gangs near the U.S. border left eight people dead and a string of burned-out armored trucks littering a roadway. Residents of the northern border state of Tamaulipas said Monday the gun battles occurred Saturday and continued into Sunday in the hamlet of Santa Rosalia, located in the border township of Camargo. The residents asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. They said burned bodies were found lying in or near the burned out trucks, at least three of which had welded steel plates that served as improvised armor. They said police and soldiers only ventured into the area in the daytime over the weekend, but that the cartel gunmen re-emerged at night to continue their battle. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the gun battle was between two rival gangs, and that many people had been killed in the confrontation. The area has long been disputed between the Northeast cartel, a remnant of the old Zetas gang, and the Gulf cartel. The area is not far from where 19 people, including 16 Guatemalan migrants, were killed in January. Twelve state police officers face charges in those killings. The two cartels have often employed home-made armored vehicles in the turf war, which has run for more than a decade. Labour has called on Boris Johnsons Government to publish all communications between ministers and their links or business contacts who were awarded contracts under emergency procurement measures brought in amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to Cabinet minister Michael Gove, shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rachel Reeves voiced concern over growing revelations linked to Greensill, commercial lobbying, and, more recently, text messages sent by the Prime Minister to entrepreneur Sir James Dyson, promising to fix him a tax break. She wrote: I am sure you also appreciate that these revelations are creating a growing impression that there is one set of rules for ministers and their close friends, and another for the rest of the British public. Ms Reeves cited the High Court hearing involving the contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE), adding: This hearing, brought to court by the Good Law Project, found that not only were basic checks missing, but that companies without the proper certification jumped the queue because of the tip-offs they received, which put them in the VIP fast lane in the first place. Equally perplexing are the revelations from one official, complaining the procurement team was drowning in high priority requests without the correct certification or due diligence. She added: Knowing how exposed some of our frontline staff were during the height of the pandemic without proper PPE, and also with the knowledge that 2 billion worth of contracts have been handed to Conservative friends and donors, means there are new serious questions for Government, especially given your long-term rejection of Labours call to publish details of all the companies in the VIP fast lane. In the letter, she noted: We are still missing an independent adviser on ministerial standards, and a register of ministers interests two crucial tools for scrutinising conflicts of interests and holding ministers to account. Ms Reeves urged the Government to answer a number of questions which she said now grow more pressing by the day as stories of cronyism and sleaze continue to mount. She wrote: Given the Prime Ministers recent commitment to publishing communications with other business leaders, will you require all other ministers in Government to publish, openly and with full transparency, communications between them and those businesses who have won contracts since the pandemic begun and emergency procurement was introduced? She added: When will the Prime Minister publish the remaining text messages between him and James Dyson, and between him and other business leaders? Will you publish full details of the VIP fast lane, including the companies listed, and transparently put forward any links to Conservative friends and donors, real or perceived conflicts of interest for proper scrutiny? A No 10 spokesperson said: We have been dealing with an unprecedented global pandemic and our approach throughout has been to act quickly to save lives, and we make no apology for that. This has often meant having to award contracts at speed, however procurement went through the same assurance process and due diligence is carried out on every contract ministers have no role in awarding them. We are committed to transparency in our procurement and all Contract Award Notices are published online for anyone to see. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received on April 26 Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. Ambassador of Lithuania to Armenia Inga Stanyte-Tolockiene also attended the meeting. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenia is interested in deepening relations with Lithuania on bilateral and multilateral formats. Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenia is committed to the implementation of democratic reforms in the post-war hard period. Foreign Minister Landsbergis noted that Lithuania expresses solidarity with Armenia in its efforts to eliminate the consequences of the war and the pandemic, and is ready to support the process as an EU member state and provide humanitarian aid. Nikol Pashinyan and Gabrielius Landsbergis exchanged views on the security challenges and developments in the region. Referring to the post-war situation, Pashinyan referred to the facts of not returning the Armenian POWs who are still kept in Baku, the continuous aggressive anti-Armenian rhetoric. The trophy park, territorial claims over the sovereign territory of Armenia and the destruction of cultural and religious monuments in the territories of Artsakh that have passed under Azerbaijani control. According to Pashinyan, all these show that the application of remedial cessation is a necessity for Nagorno Karabakh. Pashinyan added that Armenia, a country that is moving forward in democratic path, first of all expects EU and its member states an adequate assessment of the Azerbaijani policy. The Foreign Minister of Lithuania noted that the EU has expressed a special position that all the hostages and POWs must be returned and Lithuania also joins that position. He also emphasized that Lithuania fully supports the efforts aimed at the preservation of the Armenian historical-cultural heritage. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Queensland Health will treat infected crew members on board a ship off the Sunshine Coast after 12 people tested positive for COVID-19, including a man whose body washed ashore in Vanuatu. Authorities were expecting the Inge Kosan bulk liquids tanker to arrive in coming days, with Queensland Health staff to board the ship to assess crew members. At least 15 wharfies boarded the boat to conduct routine port activities before disembarking. Credit:Nine News A Queensland Health spokesman said staff would board once it was safe to do so. As always, any health workers who come into contact with confirmed or potential cases will take every precaution, including wearing full PPE, he said. Body Found in Ohio River a Week After Boat Wreck By The Associated Press LOUISVILLE - Authorities found a body in the Ohio River Saturday, a week after a boat collided with a barge in Louisville .Police said that the body was found about 30 miles downstream near Brandenberg. The body has not been identified.News outlets report seven people were on the pleasure craft when the accident occurred April 17 near a boat dock at the end of the Thunder Over Louisville fireworks.Twenty-year-old Hayden Spencer of Louisville was killed and four others were injured.A seventh person remains missing.A cause of death for Spencer has not been released. (Newser) The Great Barrier Reef. The Grand Canyon. The Great Wall of China. The Galapagos Islands. Chernobyl. One of these things is not like the others, but the gap could close if Ukraine gets its way. Monday is the 35th anniversary of the worst nuclear disaster the world has seen: The explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant killed 31 people immediately, thousands more in the following decades, and turned the nearby city of Pripyat into a ghost town. Now, Ukraines cultural minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, suggests Chernobyl should become a UNESCO World Heritage site, Reuters reports. "Putting Chernobyl on the UNESCO heritage list is a first and important step towards having this great place as a unique destination of interest for the whole of mankind," he said, noting the designation could lead to a tourism boost. story continues below The AP indicates that such a move only recently became possible thanks to the 2019 addition of an enormous arch-shaped shelter over the reactor building to stop the leak of radiation. Robots inside are taking apart the ruined reactor, and that's giving officials "new optimism about the zone," per the AP. Radiation levels are low enough in the surrounding area for tourists to visit the ghost town, and the zone did see a twofold increase in tourism after the 2019 HBO series Chernobyl, though the pandemic quashed the tourist flow. "This is a place of tragedy and memory, but it is also a place where you can see how a person can overcome the consequences of a global catastrophe," Ukraine's deputy environment minister Bohdan Borukhovskyi said. Reuters suggests the country is in the preliminary stages of putting the location on its national cultural and historic heritage list, after which an application can be made to the UN. (Read more Chernobyl stories.) Ministers and the Cabinet Secretary face a grilling today over claims Boris Johnson tried to get Tory donors to fund a 60,000 Downing Street flat renovation. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will appear before MPs following a string of explosive allegations made by Dominic Cummings. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is also set to answer an urgent question in the Commons as Labour seeks to capitalise on the meltdown. Mr Cummings has accused the PM of wanting donors to 'secretly pay for the renovation' of his official residence, in a move the former No10 aide branded 'unethical, foolish, possibly illegal'. Downing Street insists the premier funded the work himself in the end, and all ministerial and electoral rules have been followed. Speaking to reporters in Wrexham, Mr Johnson did not deny discussing using donations to fund the refurbishment. He said: 'If there's anything to be said about that, any declaration to be made, that will, of course, be made in due course.' Asked about the row during interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Mr Johnson had paid 'out of his own pocket' for the Downing Street upgrade. Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Do I think the Prime Minister is sleazy? No, I don't. Britain's top civil servant will be quizzed over the lavish refurbishment of Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat today amid claims that the Prime Minister has had to take out a personal loan to pay for it Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove (left) is also set to answer an urgent question in the Commons as Labour seeks to capitalise on the meltdown. Simon Case (right) will be appearing before a powerful committee of MPs 'Do I think the Prime Minister is an absolutely first-class leader who has led this country in a pandemic? 'Let's not forget, while we are getting into Oscar-type gossip columns there is an awful lot of gossip going around. 'He paid out of his own money to refurbish the flat. He paid for his flat.' Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted an urgent question laid by Labour, with Mr Gove understood to be planning to respond. Appearing before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Mr Case is expected to deny claims that he cleared Mr Cummings over involvement in the 'chatty rat' leak last autumn about the impending second lockdown. A government source said last night the inquiry, conducted with the assistance of MI5, was ongoing, adding: 'It has neither found anyone responsible, nor ruled anyone out.' But Mr Case is also expected to face detailed questions about the refurbishment of the flat above Number 11 Downing Street used by Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds. Adding to the controversy, one senior Tory told the Mail last night: 'Boris had to take out a personal loan to cover the cost. You have to be pretty wealthy to have 60,000 lying around. He has just emerged from an expensive divorce.' One former minister told MailOnline of the latest claims: 'This needs to stop because it is damaging both sides. 'Cummings may think that now that he is no longer in government he has less to lose, but he needs to remember that he spent a lot of time in senior positions, and without doubt there will be things that he will not want to leaked out. 'He may feel that he has nothing to lose, but he is wrong.' 'It is also time for Carrie Symonds to back off, because it is clear in all of this that her name comes up regularly in the issues that are causing the PM difficulty - whether it is appointments, personnel, or having the flat redecorated.' The Electoral Commission has said it is still seeking answers from Tory chiefs about whether party funds or donations were used. Labour has written to the commission calling for a full investigation. On Friday, Mr Cummings said Mr Johnson wanted 'donors to secretly pay for the renovation' which he said was 'unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules'. The Mail had revealed that Mr Johnson asked Tory donors to help with the cost of the makeover which is said to run to six figures. On Friday, the Cabinet Office said the cost of 'painting, sanding and floorboards' had been paid from a 30,000 maintenance allowance, but 'any costs of wider refurbishment have been met by the Prime Minister personally'. Asked about the row during interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Mr Johnson had paid 'out of his own pocket' for the Downing Street upgrade Mr Cummings has accused the PM (pictured together in 2019) of wanting donors to 'secretly pay for the renovation' of his official residence Labour's Kate Green said there were 'very troubling allegations' surrounding the work at the Number 11 flat. The shadow education secretary told the Today programme: 'I'm glad they (the Electoral Commission) are looking into it because clearly these are very troubling allegations and they go to the heart of ethics and integrity in our Government, and transparency. 'It seems to me that as long as there is uncertainty, there is doubt and innuendo and rumour about who is getting contracts, who is paying for the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, who is in and who is out. 'This is distracting the Government. They are not getting on with the right priorities for the country because they are busy fighting among themselves and seeking to throw up a smokescreen.' Burma Detained Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Still Cant Meet Lawyers in Person Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Myanmars ousted leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has not yet been allowed to meet her legal counsel in person, said one of her lawyers, Daw Min Min Soe. The State Counselor has been under house arrest since the military seized power from her elected government in a Feb. 1 coup, and faces six counts. During a court hearing held via videoconferencing at Naypyitaws Zabuthiri Court on Monday, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi complained that she has not been allowed to meet her lawyers in person. She said she has asked many times to meet her lawyers in person. Even as additional charges have been filed against her, she has not been allowed to meet her lawyers in person, Daw Min Min Soe said. Daw Aung San Suu Kyis legal defense team again asked the court for permission to meet with the countrys civilian leader. Police reportedly replied by telling the court they have presented her lawyers request to senior authorities. The legal right to a lawyer, and to meet with them face to face, is enshrined in the military-drafted 2008 constitution and in the manuals of the police force and correctional facilities. Additionally, Article 11 of the UNs Universal Declaration on Human Rights says anyone charged with a penal offense must have all the guarantees necessary for their defense, another of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis lawyers, U Khin Maung Zaw, told the court. Denying a clients right to a lawyer amounts to denying their legal rights and rights as a citizen. Justice is compromised even as their rights enshrined in the constitution are denied, U Khin Maung Zaw said. The junta has filed six charges against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, all widely dismissed as trumped up. These comprise two under Article 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly interacting with a crowd during the coronavirus pandemic; one under Article 8 of the Export and Import Law for alleged possession of unlicensed walkie-talkies and other foreign equipment; one under Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law; one under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code for sedition; and one under the Official Secrets Act at the Yangon Eastern District Court. In another legal move seen as an attempt to justify its coup, the regime announced earlier that corruption probes against the State Counselor are under way. As part of this effort, the junta claims she accepted money and gold from the ousted Yangon chief minister and a businessman. On March 31 she was allowed to meet her lawyers via video for the first time since her detention, and she seemed to be in good health, according to Daw Min Min Soe. The next court hearing in her case is scheduled be held in Naypyitaw on May 10. You may also like these stories: Illegal Rare Earth Mines on China Border Multiply Since Myanmars Coup Myanmar Junta Forces Abduct and Torture Three More in Tamu Myanmar Regime Troops Ordered to Annihilate Protesters, Internal Memos Show Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers from Tel Aviv University have created an artificial intelligence platform that can identify the specific proteins that allow bacteria to infect the intestinesa method that paves the way for the creation of smart drugs that will neutralize the proteins and prevent disease, without the use of antibiotics. Participating in the study, which was published in the prestigious journal Science, were Ph.D. student Naama Wagner and Prof. Tal Pupko, head of the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research at the Faculty of Life Sciences and the new Center for Artificial Intelligence & Data Science at Tel Aviv University. The international partners in the study included researchers from Imperial College (led by Prof. Gad Frankel) and the Institute for Cancer Research in London, as well as from the Technical University and the National Center for Biotechnology in Madrid. Intestinal diseases are caused by pathogenic bacteria that attach to our intestinal cells. Once attached, the bacteria use a kind of molecular syringe to inject intestinal cells with proteins called "effectors." These effectors work together to take over healthy cells, like hackers that take over computer servers using a combination of lines of code. However, until now scientists have not known what protein combination it is that cracks the cell's defense mechanisms. Now, the Tel Aviv University researchers' artificial intelligence platform has identified novel effectors in the bacteria, which have been experimentally tested and validated. Subsequently, laboratory experiments conducted in London successfully predicted the protein combinations that lead to the pathogenic bacteria taking over the intestines. "In this study, we focused on a bacterium that causes intestinal disease in mice, a relative of the E. coli bacteria that cause intestinal disease in humans, so as not to work directly with the human pathogen," explains Ph.D. student Naama Wagner. "The artificial intelligence we created knows how to predict effectors in a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including bacteria that attack plants of economic importance. Our calculations were made possible by advanced machine-learning tools that use the genomic information of a large number of bacteria. Our partners in England proved experimentally that the learning was extremely accurate and that the effectors we identified are indeed the weapons used by the bacteria." "Pathogenic bacteria are treated with antibiotics," says Prof. Tal Pupko. "But antibiotics kill a large number of species of bacteria, in the hope that the pathogenic bacteria will also be destroyed. So antibiotics are not a rifle but a cannon. Moreover, the overuse of antibiotics leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a worldwide problem that is getting worse. Understanding the molecular foundation of the disease is a necessary step in the development of drugs that are smarter than antibiotics, which will not harm the bacterial population in the intestines at all. This time we discovered the effectors of gut bacteria that attack rodents, but this is just the beginning. We are already working on detecting effectors in other bacteria in an attempt to better understand how they carry out their mission in the target cells they are attacking." Explore further AI analysis of how bacteria attack could help predict infection outcomes More information: David Ruano-Gallego et al, Type III secretion system effectors form robust and flexible intracellular virulence networks, Science (2021). Journal information: Science David Ruano-Gallego et al, Type III secretion system effectors form robust and flexible intracellular virulence networks,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abc9531 Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga on April 26 to review the development in bilateral cooperation between both nations. According to PM Modis statement on Twitter, both leaders, on the telephone discussed the several areas where India-Japan can work in synergy such as technology, skill development and also in the fight against the tolling COVID-19 pandemic. Further, PM Modi and Suga also talked about the situation of novel coronavirus infections in their respective nations while also acknowledging the various regional and global challenges due to the pandemic. Spoke to PM @sugawitter of Japan on phone. We reviewed the progress in various ongoing bilateral initiatives. We also discussed our cooperation in diverse areas including high technology, skill development and in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic together. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2021 The telephonic conversation between PM Modi and Suga came just days after the Japanese PM cancelled his planned visit to India and the Philippines due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Japan. Sugas trip had been scheduled from late April to early May and was aimed to reaffirm Japans ties with both nations to further achieve a free and open Indo-pacific while countering Chinas military buildup and assertiveness in the region. While coronavirus infections surged in Japan, India and the Philippines are also rocked with an uptick of fresh cases. Broadcaster FNN and other media reports said that the Japanese PM will be postponing his India visit to elevate the focus on the current COVID-19 situation. 'Short And Tough' Measures In 4 Prefectures Ahead Of Olympics Meanwhile, in the wake of the COVID-19 situation in Japan, a new state of emergency from April 25 to May 11 was imposed in Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures as short and powerful measures to contain the resurgence of COVID-19 cases just three months before the nation is scheduled to host the Olympic Games 2020, that has already been postponed once. Starting from Sunday, all four prefectures were under strict lockdown with the toughest measures yet. Eateries were closed and spectators in sporting events are also not be allowed. As per Blomberg report, the Japanese governments point man for virus management, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on April 23 that bars and restaurants serving alcohol, establishments with karaoke equipment among other facilities with floor space of at least 1,000 square meters would be shut down as the country announces the third state of emergency. Image credits: AP/ANI Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 22:25:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Germany's imports of electrical and electronic products in February increased by 12.7 percent year-on-year to 15.9 billion euros (19.24 billion U.S. dollars), nearly a third of which came from China, the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI) announced on Monday. "German imports of electrical and electronic products were once again dominated by China" in February 2021, ZVEI noted. Deliveries from China soared by 56.7 percent year-on-year to 4.8 billion euros. Imports from Asia rose by 26.1 percent and reached 7.5 billion euros. "This means that almost half of all German electrical imports in February came from Asia, almost a third from China alone," said ZVEI chief economist Andreas Gontermann in a statement. Electric imports to Germany from other European countries increased by 8.3 percent to 7.2 billion euros, the development was "strongly driven" by deliveries from the Eastern European countries of Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic, according to ZVEI. Electrical imports from the United States, however, dropped by 27.1 percent in February. Exports by the German electrical industry, on the other hand, only rose by 2.6 percent year-on-year to 17.2 billion euros in February, while exports to China "bounced up" by 21.7 percent year-on-year to 2.0 billion euros, ZVEI noted. Enditem PHILADELPHIA, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CoolSculpting is a popular non-invasive fat reduction treatment available throughout the United States, but Delaware Valley residents will have access to the new and improved version thanks to Dr. Evan Sorokin. Patients have loved CoolSculpting for years, and with the upgraded machines, Dr Sorokin's patients can expect faster treatments due to the new, more efficient applicators. In addition, these new applicators treat up to 18% more surface area than previous applicators, making them more powerful and reducing the number of treatment sessions necessary. Dr. Sorokin has acquired two CoolSculpting Elite machines, one for his Headhouse Square Philadelphia medspa and one for his Cherry Hill, New Jersey patients. Fat reduction is a popular procedure, and CoolSculpting allows patients to non-invasively treat problem fat areas on their lunch break unlike liposuction which requires surgery and recovery. Unlike many fad treatments that have come and gone, CoolSculpting has stood the test of time with reliable, predictable treatments and a high level of patient satisfaction. CoolSculpting Elite is FDA approved for treatment of 9 different areas including the abdomen, front and back bra line, the male chest, inner and outer thighs, chins, the banana rolls under the buttocks, and the love handles or flanks! CoolSculpting Elite is offered in his Headhouse Square office at 415 South Second Street in Philadelphia as well as at the Cherry Hill, New Jersey office. Dr. Sorokin also offers CoolTone, a noninvasive muscle building treatment that offers a synergistic improvement to abdominal and buttock contouring. "I encourage anyone wanting more information about the benefits of the latest CoolSculpting options to contact my office for a personal consultation ," adds Dr. Sorokin. Dr. Evan Sorokin is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in a full selection of cosmetic surgery procedures such as short-recovery breast augmentation for New Jersey women. Dr. Sorokin earned his MD from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia before training in plastic surgery at the University of Texas - Southwestern. He has been named Top Doc by Philadelphia Magazine for the last 10 years in a row. Dr. Sorokin is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the only plastic and cosmetic surgery board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. SOURCE Delaware Valley Plastic Surgery knocked on doors of the on Sunday by filing a review petition before it and challenged the top court's March 26 judgement in which it had ruled in favour of the Tata Group. Notably, as per rules, the review petition is heard inside the chamber and before the same bench, which had passed the judgment in the case. The in its judgement on March 26 had upheld the decision of the Tata Sons board in October 2016 to remove Cyrus Mistry -- its then chairman -- from office and later the company's board and set aside National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT) earlier order restoring Mistry's appointment as executive chairman of the Tata group. The SP group had moved National Company Law Tribunal over Mistry's removal and alleging "oppression" of minority shareholders and "mismanagement". The top court had said that all the questions of law are liable to be favoured for the Tata group. In its verdict, SC had said that "We leave it to Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry to take any legal route to resolve issues of shares." The had dismissed pleas by Cyrus Investments and Sterling Investments. The former CJI (Chief Justice of India) Sharad Arvind Bobde, led bench of the Apex Court, had passed the judgement on March 26. "All the appeals filed by the Tata group against Cyrus Mistry are allowed", the CJI Bobde had said in the judgement. The other two judges in the bench of the top court, along with the former CJI Bobde, who had pronounced the judgement were-- Justice AS and Justice V Ramasubramanian. (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.) Climate change. The electric grid. Renewable energy. There is a pervasive fiction that these are all topics for another time, that these issues can be addressed when some new unforeseen technology presents itself. It is a fiction I encounter all too often as an environmental science educator, and a desire to contradict these myths was one of the main reasons that my wife and I decided to add solar power to our home. We wanted to demonstrate that it is completely feasible to power ones home and cars using 100 percent solar energy. Not next year. Not a decade from now. Today, in 2021. Advertisement Its not uncommon for friends, family, and neighbors to ask us about our homes solar power. And I love most of the questions. Its a chance to talk about a subject I enjoy, while encouraging people to think about adding solar to their own homes. Most questions are pretty straightforward: How much energy does it produce? Does it produce enough electricity to power your cars? What happens when it is cloudy? (There is one question that really irks me, but Ill get to that shortly.) Advertisement Advertisement Its been fun telling people that we produce more than 100 percent of the electricity we need to power our entire house and both our cars. I know that some may wonder whether we are being extremely miserly about our own electricity usage or whether there is some secret to our specific home. But theres no secret and nothing unusual going on. We have a solar roof (the tiles themselves produce the electricity, as opposed to panels added to the roof), but other than that, everything is quite normal. We use our appliances, run the air conditioner, and drive to the park to play with our daughter. Advertisement The fact that it is possible to power an entire house and two cars with todays technology seems to intrigue most people. It also inevitably leads to another question. The question that drives me a little bit crazy: When will the roof pay for itself? I can hear the comments coming my way: Whats wrong with that question? Why wouldnt someone want to know the payback? So, before I dig too deep of a hole, let me state that I dont begrudge anyone that asks it. It is a completely valid question, and while there are problems with the question itself, I still understand why someone wants to know. Advertisement The problem with the question is that it is a gross oversimplification. Its a bit like making a yearly budget, but only tracking purchases made on your debit card and ignoring those made with cash. Youre tracking, but youll miss out on the bigger picture. The standard payback calculation for solar is no different: You learn something about some of the benefits of your system, but you completely ignore the environmental benefits and other factors. Many rooftop solar systems will pay for themselves in five to 10 years using a simple cost-benefit calculation, but that only tells us part of the story. We need to factor in a variety of other costs and benefits, which might be a little less obvious but are still just as real. Advertisement The environmental impact of electricity generation is a complex calculation that involves a host of variables. But, if we simplify it down, you are essentially replacing a kilowatt hour of electricity (kWh) from the grid with a kWh that comes from your roof. We can then ask: How much pollution is caused from a kWh of coal or natural gas? What are the health and climate costs? How much are these costs reduced if we replace that kWh from fossil fuels with a kWh from solar? The answer: a lot. Advertisement A study by the Harvard School of Public Health demonstrated that a single kWh from a coal power plant costs society between 9 cents and 26 cents (taking into account health costs, climate costs, and other damages). Another study found that the health costs of fossil fuels represented 14 cents to 35 cents per kWh. These types of studies are essential, as they tell us about the social cost of electricity generation. The social cost gives us a true understanding of what something actually costs, as it factors in the real impact to the climate, human health, and other costs that are outside the normal market transaction. Advertisement If we take into account the fact that an average American household consumes more than 10,000 kWh of electricity per year, we can see that a single household could correspond to thousands of dollars in costs to society (if those kWh are coming from fossil fuels). That is incredibly significant. Now, a kilowatt hour produced from solar power has its own costs; the panels arent made with magic and fairy dust. But the social costs are undeniably far less than combusting fossil fuels. How much less? Well, that is going to vary from home to home and region to region. But even a 10 cent per kWh reduction in social costs would represent a yearly decrease of over a thousand dollars of damages to our climate, our collective health, and our environment. Thats a big deal and its imperative that we take it into account. Advertisement Advertisement But thats not the only benefit. The quantifiable benefits of solar go far beyond the direct impact of just one home. Something else happens when you put solar on your roof: You influence the people around you. Neighbors notice your roof and, whether it is conscious or unconscious, they themselves are now more likely to put solar on their roof. This might sound odd, but it is not without precedent. Cornell University economist Robert Frank outlines this phenomenon in his book Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work. One example from the book that stuck with me is the case of secondhand smoke. Smoking was banned from many restaurants across America based on the reasoning that there was a health-related cost associated with secondhand smoke. This is undoubtedly true. Yet it is not the only cost. Smoking in restaurants normalizes the behavior of smoking and makes other people ever-so-slightly more likely to smoke. But, if you ban smoking, this influence goes away. The people that go to restaurants no longer see their peers smoking. They are no longer subtly influenced by the act of smoking. The impact of this peer effect is that the number of smokers decreases, health costs go down, and lives are saved, far beyond the people protected by the lack of secondhand smoke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same effect has been shown to be true for solar installations. Study after study has shown that when one home adds solar to their roof, it increases the likelihood that surrounding homes will add. When you add solar to your house you are not only responsible for the good that your own roof will unleash, but you are now partly responsible for the benefits derived from other roofs in your area. The direct environmental benefits of solar are clear, but one could make a case that the most beneficial aspect of installing solar is that you will influence your neighbors to do the same. Much of the conversation around solar power is about saving moneyenergy from the sun is free! But I want to believe that most people also care about the health of someone who lives one town over, and that even a random persons well-being has definable value. I believe that the issue isnt a lack of caring, but a lack of information. And can we blame anyone? We live in a society that inundates our every moment with consumerism and obfuscates any costs or benefits that arent intuitively obvious. It only makes sense (sadly) that external costs and benefits wouldnt factor into most of our calculations. But once we shine a light on these calculations and understand that the social costs are just as real, then the calculus starts to change. Advertisement Advertisement So, when will rooftop solar pay for itself? Its definitely not as simple as dividing the cost of the system by the value of electricity generated each year, thats for sure. The true calculation is complex, and each home is different, but there are two things we can be quite confident about: that the benefits are vast and that the true payback is much quicker than any simple calculation will indicate. And did I mention that it is really fun to look at your phone and see how much energy you have generated each day? So, theres that, too. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Miami, Florida, April 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the past, property developers have been limited by the types of financing available. And with banks and similar institutions becoming more conservative to reduce risk, finding funding has become even more challenging. Fortunately, investment companies like ABK Capital the brain child of Brian Hernandez and Alex Kleyner a Canadian native who has relocated to Florida has come to the industry's rescue, offering a generous range of lending options. Specialists in debt investment, the Florida-based company offers flexible financing solutions to meet the varying needs of independent and institutional developers. Senior Secured Loan Solutions Alex Kleyner & ABK Capital originates versatile senior secured loans. Whether a developer is in the acquisition stage looking to develop raw land or in need of financing for construction, a solution can be provided for real estate projects of all sizes. Although the low-risk, stable returns of senior secured loans are generally a good investment, ABK Capital is invested in more than just financial returns. The company is dedicated to the growth and development of real estate as a whole, providing funding for houses and apartments in South Florida. The focus currently has been in Martin County, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. The latest projects they have loaned on have been in Pinecrest, West Palm Beach, Brickell, Sunset Island, Miami, Boynton Beach, Key Largo, Ulis, and Jupiter Florida. Mezzanine Financing Options As more real estate developers struggle to part with equity, financing options like mezzanine loans are becoming a preference. Appropriately named after the floor of a building above the first, these loans straddle the line between senior secured financing and equity funding. In addition to the general resistance of companies in giving away equity, mezzanine loans can also be ideal for those who want to close good deals but lack the cash flow to do so. There is a rise in mezzanine funding among companies who cannot satisfy the conservative requirements of banks as well. Mezzanine financing requires a delicate balance of factors to be profitable for both borrower and investor. Alex Kleyner & ABK Capital seems to have found the right formula. Although the loan is not secured by any assets -- which carries a higher risk -- the company is able to safeguard its capital while supporting potentially lucrative deals at the same time. Preferred Equity for Commercial Real Estate For developers or project sponsors without a history or track record, increasing leverage to buy a property can be difficult. ABK Capital fills in this funding gap by providing financing solutions that also increase the potential of a property to make profit. Another win-win situation for both lender and sponsor. Known for their speedy execution of loans, ABK Capital aims to get funding in the right hands much quicker. Property sponsors are then able to realize profits from the development sooner, making projects generally more bankable. With a preferred equity loan, a developer or sponsor is able to reduce cash equity which reduces overall risk and increases returns, cover cost overruns, receive support in managing the development and explore other opportunities. Wide Range of Solutions and Customers ABK Capital offers both standard and tailored services to independent and institutional developers. In addition to senior debt, mezzanine and preferred equity loan options, the real estate investment company also acquires non-performing loans, offers re-financing and other solutions that may be created to meet the demands of unique or complex situations. Independent developers in Broward County, Florida and beyond can receive prompt assistance with financing, support with entrepreneurial challenges and the management of property developments. Institutional developers can obtain funding for larger-scale ventures. Fast Expert Service Speed of execution and flexibility are paramount when servicing clients in real estate. ABK Capital prioritizes the expedition of funds to all types of developers and has recently hired Diana Hernandez to help with day to day operations. Financing options can be discussed and tailored to both commercial and private clients. Through experience and expertise, loans are structured to meet the demands of projects and the company provides certainty even in complex situations that require more flexible solutions. As a developer, finding the right financing for real estate projects can be daunting, more so if you are unable to meet the criteria of traditional lenders. Speak to the experts at ABK Capital about funding options available, tailor the terms to meet your needs and receive the best assistance in acquisition, construction and refinancing property Florida has to offer. Letters from THE HEART: A Young Army Doctor's 1969 Vietnam War Experience Step back in time with a riveting new book about Vietnam, seen through the lens of an anesthesiologist who saved countless lives during 1969, the year he served in Vietnam. "Letters from THE HEART: A Young Army Doctors 1969 Vietnam War Experience" takes a fascinating look back at the grounding in medicine that Dr. Jonathan L. Benumof received during the Vietnam War. He endured and persevered through the trauma and drama with the love and correspondence with wife Sherrie, often accompanied by her banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and preserved in these 282 Letters from The Heart. Dr. Benumof went on to become one of the top Anesthesiologists in the world, publishing numerous definitive books in his field: critical resources that other physicians continue to rely upon. Recently retired in 2019, Dr. Benumof was Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of California School of Medicine, San Diego for over 40 years. The book includes an introductory commentary currently written by the authors regarding important issues, events, thoughts and feelings that provides a very helpful context to the rest of the book, as well as a brief look at their lives after 1969 as well as numerous photos. This intimate memoir speaks well to Dr. Benumof's character and his dedication to family and humankind. "Letters from THE HEART" provides a fascinating look at history through the daily lens of an intelligent and articulate physician who was drafted to serve in Vietnam for a year. Married to his wife for just 6 months, they agreed to write daily letters to each other, which ultimately became the mental lifeline of hope that sustained Dr. Benumof through a year of disheartening conflict that often seemed to stretch on forever. Following a mere three months of on-the-job anesthesia training (at his first Army assignment at Fort Knox, Kentucky), the author was sent to serve as an anesthesiologist in his MASH Unit, the 18th Surgical Hospital in the Fire Base "Camp Evans." Located just south of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in Vietnam, it was considered one of the most dangerous places during the TET offensive, and MD anesthesia providers were badly needed. The author dedicated himself to saving the lives of wounded soldiers to the best of his growing abilities in operating conditions where the heat could exceed 120 degrees and often during constant bombardment by the North Vietnamese Army. The book is inspiring for all readers as the author depicts his struggles through depression and the monotony of day to day living outside the operating room. His love for his wife and her love for him are a constant within each letter. If he had not received his wife's nearly daily letters, audiotapes, photos and care packages, he probably would not have survived to conquer his anxiety and depression brought on by the horrors of the war. Every day he focused on his hope of returning to start a happy, loving family life with her. After a year of brutal service in Vietnam, Dr. Benumof returned to the United States and through hard work and dedication became world-renowned as a top Anesthesiologist. His accomplishments revealed the importance of keeping hope in our lives. His year in Vietnam left some lasting scars as he continued to suffer from PTSD and alcoholism for decades after he returned to the United States. With the support of family and others, he eventually sought treatment and has lived a life of sobriety since November 2008. For his work in Vietnam, he was awarded a prestigious Bronze Star as appreciation for his service. Dr. Benumof shares the impact of the lack of welcome home or gratitude by Americans for those in the military who returned home after their difficult missions. It was not until 2012 that President Barack Obama established the Vietnam War Veterans Day, long overdue. TITLE: "Letters from THE HEART: A Young Army Doctors 1969 Vietnam War Experience" Publisher: Park Place Publications Non-Fiction / Memoir ISBN: 978-1-95312020-5 6 x 9, 434 pages Trade paperback, $24.95 retail Book release date: April 2021 Available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other online booksellers. Pope Francis expressed the desire to visit during a meeting with the Bishop of Daejeon. In 2018 the pontiff received a verbal invitation from Kim Jong-un, but no official invitation followed. The Diocese of Daejeon has donated US$ 450,000 to the Vaticans vaccine sharing campaign. Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) Pope Francis would like to visit North Korea to express his closeness to the entire Korean people, divided since the Korean War (1950-1953), this according to Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik who spoke to the Yonhap news agency about his meeting with the pontiff on 17 April. Bishop You of Daejeon knows the Pope, whom he accompanied and hosted during the pontiff's trip to South Korea in 2014. Francis has expressed a desire to visit the North several times. In 2018, during a visit to the Vatican, South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a verbal invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. At that time, talks between Pyongyang and Washington were underway, and positive developments were expected. At that time, Francis said he was willing to go to North Korea if he received an official invitation. However, since then talks between North Korea and the United States, as well as between the two Koreas have broken down. The Diocese of Daejeon has donated US$ 460,000 to the vaccine sharing campaign of the Office of Papal Charities. (Sharecast News) - Stocks are coming under a little bit of selling pressure at the start of trading on Monday as investors monitor the headlines out of Asia concerning the epidemic and its possible impact on economies. "The slow, but steady increase in Covid-19 cases across Asia, ex-India, is weighing on sentiment in early Asian trading. India's situation dominated the weekend press, but across Japan, South Korea and Thailand and others in between, Covid-19 is undermining confidence in cyclical recovery that many, including the author, has priced into their H2 2021 outlooks," said Jeffrey Halley, Senior Market Analyst, Asia Pacific, OANDA. "In all honesty, it is much too soon to draw conclusions on this scenario, although we will have a much better picture, I believe, in a few weeks as the situation evolves." The number of new Covid-19 infections in India hit a fifth consecutive daily record on Monday of 352,991. As of 0815 BST, the FTSE 100 had dipped 0.22% or 15.54 points to 6,923.02, while the FTSE 250 was edging up 0.02% and trading at 22,377.52. Halley nevertheless believed that the situation in India and elsewhere could feed into the US central bank's calculus when it met to decide on policy on Wednesday. So too with the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting scheduled for the next. "Those expecting hints of a Fed taper will be sorely disappointed with the FOMC likely to be in "we told you so" mode," Halley said. "Net-net, the Bank of Japan and FOMC should be positive for the buy-everything trade." Related to the possible reopening of economies, but this time on either side of the Atlantic, overnight, the head of the European Commission said that tourists with proof of vaccination may be allowed to resume travel in summer. "The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines," Ursula von der Leyen, said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday. "This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union." On the economic calendar for Monday, the closely-followed IFO business confidence index for Germany is scheduled for release at 0900 BST. At 1330 BST, US durable goods orders figures for March will be published at 1330 BST. No major economic reports are due out in the UK. IMI ups guidance and approves share buyback plan IMI announced a 200m share buyback and raised its guidance for annual earnings after group performance improved in the first quarter. The FTSE 250 company predicted earnings per share of between 81p an 87p a share - up from an earlier estimate of 75p to 82p. Organic revenue rose 7.7% in the three months to the end of March to 421m from a year earlier and 2.6% compared with the first quarter of 2019. IMI said based on its improving performance it would buy back 200m of shares to make the balance sheet more efficient while leaving "ample capacity" for investment and potential acquisitions. Educational publisher Pearson reported underlying first quarter revenue growth of 5% driven by demand for global online learning. The company on Monday said its online division revenue increased 25% with strong growth in Virtual Schools due to enrolment growth in the current school year in Partner Schools as well as in US district partnerships. International sales were down 2% with a decline in English as Covid-19 continued to impact Pearson's courseware and franchise business in Latin America, despite courseware recovery in China. AstraZeneca said on Monday that the phase 3 trial for 'nirsevimab' met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of medically-attended lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus compared to placebo, in healthy late preterm and term infants. The FTSE 100 pharmaceutical giant also announced that 'selumetinib' had been recommended for conditional marketing authorisation in the EU for the treatment of symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas in paediatric patients with neurofibromatosis type-1, and confirmed that 'Tagrisso', or osimertinib, had been recommended for marketing authorisation in the EU for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early-stage epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, after complete tumour resection with curative intent. Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 6,918.74 -0.29% FTSE 250 (MCX) 22,364.34 -0.04% techMARK (TASX) 4,353.74 -0.21% FTSE 100 - Risers Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 104.18p 2.38% Pearson (PSON) 815.00p 1.75% International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 200.10p 1.71% Intertek Group (ITRK) 6,296.00p 1.58% Admiral Group (ADM) 3,227.00p 1.00% Evraz (EVR) 652.60p 0.93% Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,844.00p 0.90% Fresnillo (FRES) 901.00p 0.85% Rio Tinto (RIO) 6,162.00p 0.70% Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) 274.10p 0.66% FTSE 100 - Fallers InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 5,104.00p -1.51% United Utilities Group (UU.) 945.00p -1.46% British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,697.00p -1.35% Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,268.00p -1.13% Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 42.18p -1.08% Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 1,341.80p -1.06% Prudential (PRU) 1,494.00p -1.06% Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 185.40p -1.04% Smith (DS) (SMDS) 418.90p -1.02% Aviva (AV.) 395.20p -0.95% FTSE 250 - Risers Tate & Lyle (TATE) 806.60p 6.55% IMI (IMI) 1,479.00p 5.87% Bytes Technology Group (BYIT) 520.00p 3.07% TBC Bank Group (TBCG) 1,090.00p 2.83% Ferrexpo (FXPO) 441.00p 2.75% Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 422.00p 2.63% Lancashire Holdings Limited (LRE) 680.00p 2.41% easyJet (EZJ) 1,005.50p 1.94% Future (FUTR) 2,374.00p 1.54% Ibstock (IBST) 229.80p 1.41% FTSE 250 - Fallers SSP Group (SSPG) 329.30p -4.63% Contour Global (GLO) 193.40p -3.01% Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 1,919.50p -1.87% UK Commercial Property Reit Limited (UKCM) 75.00p -1.83% Tullow Oil (TLW) 46.20p -1.68% Indivior (INDV) 140.20p -1.54% Babcock International Group (BAB) 295.60p -1.47% Vietnam Enterprise Investments (DI) (VEIL) 631.00p -1.41% Pennon Group (PNN) 1,015.50p -1.36% Carnival (CCL) 1,633.00p -1.29% A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Pet owners are being warned of a surge of a highly contagious virus which can kill dogs and is spread through faecal particles. Parvovirus is a stomach bug which infects dogs and leads to severe vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration and, if left untreated, death. Vets Now, an emergency service for ill animals in the UK, has seen a 129 per cent spike in parvovirus cases in the first three months of 2021 compared to last year. Effective vaccines to the virus exist but almost half of dogs (45 per cent) are behind on their jabs due to lockdown delays, according to separate research. Vets are now urging pet owners to make sure they do not fall behind on their pet's jabs and to take caution when out and about to avoid potential sources of infection. Scroll down for video Pictured, Paisley the black Labrador puppy who was struck down with parvovirus despite having had the first vaccine,. The puppy survived after a week-long stint in a specialist intensive care clinic Lockdown saw a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking canine companionship and adopting or purchasing dogs. However, criminals and morally inept breeders seized this opportunity to profit and raised animals in poor conditions rife with disease and a lax approach to vaccination. Mother-of-two Annemarie from Glasgow bought a Pomeranian crossbreed puppy online as a present for her two daughters earlier this year. However, the dog soon fell ill and vets found the dog was infected with parvovirus - also known as parvo - and had to be euthanised. Reggie, a golden Labrador, also died of parvovirus just days after being adopted at Christmas last year. Dogs are supposed to get their first vaccine against parvo when they are between six and eight weeks old, and a second jab less than a month later. Cathy Ball, a veterinary nurse, got herself a new puppy, a tiny black Labrador called Paisley (pictured), in lockdown who had already had her first parvovirus jab. But two as before the booster shot, the dog became ill Owners are also encouraged to book their pet in for booster jabs every year for the rest of the animal's life. Parvovirus vaccines are given every three years but protection against other diseases, such as Leptospirosis, ae needed annually. Edward Davies, Chairman of the UK Clinical Board at My Family Vets, says the lockdown puppy boom and the pandemic has led to delays in booking jabs. 'The potential resurgence of parvo has been quite a worry during this time,' he says. 'I cannot stress enough just how important it is for pet owners to get their pets vaccinated and we can hopefully prevent this becoming a problem for pet owners across the UK this year.' Parvovirus affects thousands of dogs every year and infectious particles are spread by faeces. Direct contact with an infected animal excrement or anything the waste has touched can lead to transmission. Mother-of-two Annemarie from Glasgow bought a Pomeranian crossbreed puppy Angus (pictured) online as a present for her daughters, aged six and 11 years old. The dog contracted parvovirus and soon after died Labrador puppy Reggie (pictured) fell ill only 12 hours after arriving home in Wigan with his new owners, later dying from parvovirus Chile veterinarians fined over using dog vaccines on workers after claiming it cured Covid-19 Two veterinarians in Chile have been accused of applying or promoting dog vaccines to people, falsely claiming it offered protection against COVID-19. According to the health department for the northern province of Antofagasta, at least 100 workers at a mine and a hospital received the Octuple immunization shots. According to a local veterinary's website, the Octuple vaccine is administered on dogs for the first time during their first two months of life and once again in the third and fourth month. Dog should get additional doses every year thereafter. The vaccine can be used to treat canine parvovirus, canine distemper or distemper, canine infectious hepatitis, leptospirosis, canine tracheobronchitis or kennel cough, and coronavirus infection. The health department fined the offending vets the equivalent of about $9,200 and about $10,300. Advertisement Cathy Ball, a veterinary nurse, got herself a new puppy, a tiny black Labrador called Paisley, in lockdown who had already had her first parvovirus jab. But just two days before her second dose, Ms Ball spotted signs of parvovirus infection in her puppy after mild symptoms emerged, and she sought help. 'Often at work we see animals who are already pretty sick with vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and lethargy but we caught it early with Paisley,' Ms Ball said. 'She hadn't been keen on her breakfast, which is very unusual with Labradors, and was a little bit sick so I took her to work to keep an eye and got the parvo test done just to be sure.' Despite the early intervention of her owner, a drip and a course of anti-viral medication, Paisley soon became gravely ill and was transferred to the Pride Veterinary Centre in Derby, one of the best vet clinics in the country and part of the My Family Vets network. Paisley was given around-the-clock intensive care and treatment from the Pride team, led by Mr Tiago Henriques, a Resident in Internal Medicine. 'Paisley was very ill when she came in and I was concerned that we might not be able to save her,' he said. 'We had to continue with the supportive treatment she had already had, put her on a feeding tube and give her anti-nausea medication to stop her being sick. 'We monitored her 24 hours-a-day in our intensive care unit and it was about five days before, happily, we saw real signs that she was going to be okay.' Ms Ball says the days when Paisely was being treated were 'the longest week of her life' and she encourages other owners to get their pet vaccinated. Today Sunny. High 104F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 69F. W winds shifting to SE at 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow Becoming partly cloudy and windy. High 98F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph, becoming W and increasing to 20 to 30 mph. China recognizes great contributions of female scientists Xinhua) 14:30, April 26, 2021 BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Five groups of female scientists and eleven individual women have been honored as national-level role models by the All-China Women's Federation for their contributions to a series of China's scientific breakthroughs. The federation issued an announcement that Yang Hui and nine other female scientists from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation had been honored for their contributions to the deployment of China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3). Recognizing that scientist He Lisheng's work had filled a gap in China's research into the molecular mechanisms of deep-sea creatures, the announcement noted that He was the first female Chinese scientist to descend 10,000 meters below sea level. The federation encourages women in science to learn from these role models and offer valuable contributions to the complete construction of a modern socialist China. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu) The Washington Examiner is reporting: Texas is getting two new House seats and Florida one, helping Republican chances of winning a majority in 2022 and scrambling the Electoral College calculus for both parties in the 2024 presidential race. Population growth is driving the increased House representation for the two Sun Belt states in the 435-member House of Representatives, per data released by the Census Bureau on Monday that decides how many seats each state gets for the next decade. In addition to the pickups for Texas and Florida, four others states will gain one House seat each: Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon. LATE CENSUS DATA PUTS HOUSE 2022 CAMPAIGNS IN LIMBO But population growth in one area usually coincides with people moving out of other states. So seven will lose one House seat each: California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Texas population boom will boost its House membership from 36 to 38 members, while the Florida delegation will jump from 27 to 28 lawmakers. That's generally good news for Republicans because state-level lawmakers control the redistricting process. In Texas, Republicans are likely to draw at least two new seats where they have a strong chance of winning. And possibly a fourth, by divvying up districts currently held by Democrats. The Rio Grande Valley, in South Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, is a particularly inviting target because in 2020 then-President Donald Trump made significant gains with Latino voters there while losing nationwide to President Joe Biden. In Florida, political momentum is already with Republicans, who nabbed two House seats in 2020 after holding the governor's mansion and picking up a Senate seat in 2018. Still, nothing is certain in redistricting, and an extreme partisan gerrymander can ultimately backfire. Democrats see Texas as a viable political target in the coming years. After decades as a GOP stronghold, the growth of suburban voters in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and other urban areas suggests the state could become politically competitive at some point over the next decade. In the short-term, though, the new seats give House Republicans an edge in their bid to win a majority in 2022 after four years in the political wilderness. Republicans will need to win about five seats next year to topple the current Democratic majority. Going into the 2022 cycle, Republicans will get to draw far more districts than Democrats because they control the process in more states. And there are fewer nonpartisan commissions drawing election maps in those states than those where Democrats have full control of government, including Virginia and New Mexico. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER And reapportionment between states has ramifications for the presidential contests in 2024 and 2028. Texas will now have 40 Electoral College votes and Florida 30, making them second and third behind California. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 00:22:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close 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, talks with lawmakers of the 28th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at a symposium in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese top legislator Li Zhanshu on Monday sat down with lawmakers at a symposium to listen to their comments and suggestions for strengthening and improving the work of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. The NPC Standing Committee will provide high-quality and efficient services to, as well as create conditions for NPC deputies to perform their duties in accordance with laws, said Li, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. Over the past 60 years, the system of people's congresses has been strengthened and developed under the CPC's leadership, showcasing the advantages and efficacy of China's fundamental political system, Li said. He said the NPC Standing Committee will become more purposeful and active in the work, and enable deputies to play an active role in speaking for the people, addressing issues related to the people's wellbeing and engaging in the management of state affairs. Li also called on NPC deputies to better perform their duties and exert their role. Enditem An old expression notes that when you point one finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you. This aphorism may have originated in the Bible when Jesus said, Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Modern Democrats and the left embody this sentiment, quick to blame anyone and anything for problems that they largely created. They offer no thoughtful consideration of their own roles in starting the never-ending dumpster fires that they blame on their political enemies. The psychologists call this projection, unconsciously taking unwanted emotions or traits you dont like about yourself and attributing them to someone else. In the case of the left, I doubt this is unconscious; more likely, a deliberate Alinsky-style approach to winning the war of ideas, something the Republican Party remains clueless about. YouTube screen grab The current example is the demonization of law enforcement along with calls for police departments to be abolished, as the harpies of The Squad demanded in response to the recent death of Daunte Wright in Minnesota. But police defunding only affects you and me. While the Squad points a finger at us, their three fingers are pointing back at themselves, to the tune of the $32,000 they spent on private security for themselves while championing defunding the police. Democrats tell us that law enforcement is evil, yet earlier this year Congress surrounded itself with a fortress of fences and troops. We should be on our own in a cop-less world, the message goes, but not elected officials, confiscating our money via taxes to keep themselves safe. One finger pointing out, three back at themselves. Since Minnesota may soon be changing its nickname from the land of 10,000 lakes to the land of 10,000 protests, lets look at who is running the show up there, in the land where cops are apparently out of control, shooting innocent black men for sport. Minnesota has a Democrat governor, Tim Walz, who succeeded another Democrat governor, Mark Dayton. Minneapolis has had Democrat mayors since the 1960s, with one independent in the late 60s, and one Republican, who served only one day in office. Minneapolis has a 13-member city council, 12 of whom are members of the Soviet-sounding Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party and one a member of the Green" party. No Republicans. Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo is described by Wikipedia as the first black chief of the Minneapolis Police department but that he is of Colombian heritage. Does that make him a black Hispanic? Perhaps he is related to George Zimmerman, whom CNN and the New York Times described as a white Hispanic, although his Peruvian great-grandfather was black. The chief was appointed by Betsy Hodges, a past Minneapolis mayor, and another member of the Soviet-sounding Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party. From the governor on down to the police chief, everyone is a Democrat. No Republicans. No Donald Trump. No Charlottesville. No white privilege or supremacy. The Democrats, party of KKK Exalted Cyclops Senator Robert Byrd, own this free and clear. Who runs the city and state? Who hires and trains the police force? Who sets the rules of engagement? Who is responsible for the police force culture? The Soviet-sounding Democrat-Farmer-Labor party in Minnesota runs the show, yet the left blames Trump and Republicans for these shootings, whether in Atlanta, Ohio, or Minnesota. One finger pointing at Republicans, three fingers pointing back at Democrats. Its not just Minneapolis. Look at Portland, which has been a war zone now for almost a year since George Floyd died. Oregon has a Democrat governor, the last Republican governor leaving office in 1987. Portlands last full-term Republican mayor served in the 1950s. Notice a pattern? As John Nolte at Breitbart observed, All the terrible problems the Democrat party and their media allies go on and on and on about racism, gun violence, policing, etc. those problems happen almost exclusively in Democrat-run cities. Democrats and the corporate media attack Trump supporters as violent and racist and anti-environment, and yet out where we all live, out here in Rural America, out here in MAGA Land, most of us own guns and yet, we have no gun violence crises. Oh, and our air and water and streets are safe and clean and we have no racial tensions. Protests and riots, crime and property destruction, murder and mayhem, all seem to find a home in Democrat-run cities. Failing public schools, too. Brightbeam, an education nonprofit, wants a better education and a brighter future for every child. How is that working out in Democrat-run cities? They observed: Students in Americas most progressive cities face greater racial inequity in achievement and graduation rates than students living in the nations most conservative cities. Progressive cities, on average, have achievement gaps in math and reading that are 15 and 13 percentage points higher than in conservative cities, respectively. In San Francisco, for example, 70% of white students are proficient in math, compared to only 12% of black students reaching proficiency a 58-point gap. Imagine that. Democrat ruling-class elites point the finger at racist conservatives and Trump supporters as the cause of education failure in the cities they run. Yet the three fingers point back at them, as these are their cities, all run by Democrats, instituting the latest woke education curriculum of critical race theory and social justice. Just like with calls to defund the police while they have their own private security, the leftist elites send their own kids, not to the dangerous and failing public schools they preside over, but to elite private schools where their children are educated in a safe environment, a stepping stone to an elite university and future employment within the ruling class. Not a life ending in tragedy as the lives of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, or Daunte Wright ended. Yet Democrats continue to point the finger at anyone but themselves, not realizing or caring that three fingers are pointed back at themselves and their failed policies. When will voters say enough is enough and vote the finger pointers out? Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a physician and writer. He is on sabbatical from social media. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. A Texas woman recently learned she had been charged with a felony after not returning a VHS tape to a rental store 21 years ago. Caron McBride, a former Oklahoma resident, faced a felony embezzlement charge for not returning Sabrina the Teenage Witch to a movie rental store in 1999, according to KTVT-TV, CBS-11, in Fort Worth. McBride told KOKH-TV, Fox-25, in Oklahoma, that she learned about her charges after trying to change her name following her marriage in Texas. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack, McBride said. They told me that I had an issue in Oklahoma and this was the reference number for me to call this number and I did. Meanwhile, Im a wanted felon. McBride was charged in March 2000 for felony embezzlement of rented property. The location, Movie Place, went out of business eight years later. She said she didnt recall renting Sabrina the Teenage Witch and believes it may have been an old roommate. He had two kids, daughters that were 8, 10 or 11 years old, and Im thinking he went and got it and didnt take it back or something. I have never watched that show in my entire life, just not my cup of tea. McBride said she also believes she may have been let go at different jobs during those 21 years since the charges due to the felony showing up on a background check. The charges were eventually dropped by the Cleveland County District Attorneys Office after her story aired on local television. The district attorneys office said McBride will need to get her case expunged to clear her record, KTVT-TV reported. District Court Judge Maureen E. Walsh, right, speaks at a workshop on domestic violence in 2018. To her right is Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan. New Delhi: Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel on Monday said that Congress party would even send invitation to terrorists like Hafiz Saeed if it feels they can help them in government formation in Gujarat. His comments came after the grand old party included Alpesh Thakore into the party fold. The BJP claimed that Thakore was already a member of Congress party, saying that Rahul Gandhi has "reduced himself to a gimmick" with such "desperate" tactics. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had told reporters that Thakore was a member of the NSUI, the Congress's student wing, and had contested a panchayat poll on a party ticket earlier. Congress would even send invitation to terrorists like Hafiz Saeed if it feels they can help them form Govt in #Gujarat: Dy CM Nitin Patel. pic.twitter.com/zz8j2J8Mp0 ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2017 "A big claim is being made that a major leader has joined the party (Congress). I have often accused Rahul Gandhi of not doing his homework but it seems even his scriptwriter is not doing his homework," Prasad had said. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The 93rd Academy Awards opened on Sunday in a suitably Hollywood fashion as Regina King made her way up to the stage. As one of the first presenters of the evening, the actress got to strut through Union Station in Los Angeles, with cameras following her and opening credits rolling to bluesy music. All was going smoothly with the super slick blockbuster movie-style opener until King tripped up on her custom Louis Vuitton gown as she stepped onto the stage. Slick: The 93rd Academy Awards opened on Sunday in a suitably Hollywood fashion as Regina King made her way up to the stage in a movie style opener 'It's live TV' the 50-year-old director commented after she found her footing again. The theme of the night was 'Bring Your Movie Love'. As the actress walked through the grand building, built in 1939, King carried her own Oscar that she won in 2019 for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk. The names of the night's presenters were listed on the screen as King walked, just as they would in the opening credits of a movie. Oops! All was going smoothly with the super slick movie-style opener until King tripped up on her custom Louis Vuitton gown as she stepped onto the stage 'It's live TV' the 50-year-old director commented after she found her footing again Coming through: As one of the first presenters of the evening, the actress got to strut through Union Station in Los Angeles, with cameras following and opening credits rolling to jazzy music Winner: As she walked through the building, built in 1939, King carried her own Oscar that she won in 2019 for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk In her opening monologue, King had an important message about police brutality against Black people. 'I know many of you want to reach for your remote when you feel Hollywood is preaching to you, but as the mother of a Black son who fear for his safety, no fame or fortune changes that.' She kicked off her speech with a comment about the Derek Chauvin trial, which concluded this week. 'We are mourning the loss of so many and I have to be honest, if things had gone differently in Minneapolis, I may have traded in my heels for marching boots,'. Starring: Strutting through the grand building in her stunning powder blue gown, the names of the night's presenters were listed on the screen, just as they would in the opening credits of a movie 'As the mother of a Black son who fear for his safety, no fame or fortune changes that.': In her opening monologue, King had an important message about police brutality against Black people A Minnesota jury found the former police officer guilty on all three charges; second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, in relation to his killing of unarmed Black man, George Floyd, last year. She also explained the masks protocol at the event, revealing that theyre treating the show like a movie set. 'When were rolling, masks off. And when were not rolling, masks on,' she said. She kicked off her speech with a comment about the Derek Chauvin trial, which concluded this week. 'We are mourning the loss of so many and I have to be honest, if things had gone differently in Minneapolis, I may have traded in my heels for marching boots,'. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room. Built in 1939, the national historic landmark and its main terminal is 161,000 square feet, creating plenty of room for theatrics on Hollywoods biggest night. During normal times, when COVID restrictions haven't crimped travel, more than 100,000 people a day walk through its halls. Red carpet star: Regina, 50, wore a beautiful powder blue Louis Vuitton dress and Forevermark jewelry Team: Regina walked the red carpet with Aldis Hodge, who stars in the movie One Night Miami, a film she directed Comparatively the Dolby Theatre, where the glitzy event is usually held, can only seat around 3,300 people which would have created difficulties in putting on an award show amid the pandemic. While blockbusters may be absent this year, there have been a wide range of movies that have caught the attention of Academy voters, including the lavish Mank, Netflix's ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. Another strong contender is Minari, an indie drama about Korean immigrants scraping out a living off the land in rural America, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and starring Steven Yeun. A woman engaged to a serial conman who swindled her out of 850,000 today told of her 'match made in hell' after she married his former business partner. Carolyn Woods was tricked by her liar ex Mark Acklom into believing he was a spy and duped out of hundreds of thousands of pounds in life savings. Acklom was frequently away from home, claiming MI6 were trying to sabotage their relationship by sending him on missions to Syria while Ms Woods' increasing loneliness caused her to contemplate suicide. His lies grew even wilder as he claimed that he had developed a brain tumour but could not have people visiting him in hospital due to state secrets he might reveal as the effects of anaesthetic wore off. In reality, the charismatic conman had drained the mother-of-two's bank account of her 850,000 life savings - and was actually living just three miles away in a village with his Spanish wife and two daughters. Carolyn Woods was tricked by her liar ex Mark Acklom into believing he was a spy and duped out of hundreds of thousands of pounds in life savings Acklom was frequently away from home, claiming MI6 were trying to sabotage their relationship by sending him on missions to Syria Acklom's former business partner James Miller, whose enterprise had gone under thanks to the liar, discovered that Acklom had been jailed in 1991 for four years for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after he posed as a City stockbroker. Acklom also spent 11,000 after stealing his father's credit card, swindled a former teacher out of 13,000 and ran up a 34,000 bill with a private charter jet company. Now jailed for his 'cruel and cynical' behaviour, Ms Woods has revealed how her meetings with Mr Miller developed into a romantic relationship in 2013. The pair dated for seven years and have since tied the knot, as she described in an adaptation of her book Sleeping With A Psychopath serialised in the Mail. Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Ms Woods said: 'I think in a way for both of us we were much stronger together than we were as individuals, and when I embarked on that relationship I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. 'I did trust James and I understand what he's been through and he understands more than anyone what I've been though. It was a match made in hell but we did find happiness in the end.' Now jailed for his 'cruel and cynical' behaviour, Ms Woods has revealed how her meetings with Mr Miller developed into a romantic relationship in 2013. The pair dated for seven years and have since tied the knot, she described in an adaptation of her book serialised in the Mail In her book Sleeping With A Psychopath, which is being released on Thursday, Ms Woods revealed how she was left with just the wedding dress she had planned to marry 'flirtatious, charming and very entertaining' Acklom in. Towards the start of their relationship, after meeting in 2012, Acklom took her flying in a private plane after claiming to be an experienced flier. She was wooed by the romantic gesture, but was surprised when he backed out last minute and let his business associate Mr Miller fly the plane instead. In reality, none of the classic planes at the small airfield belonged to Mark, despite him claiming they were his, and James was another of his victims. 'I think the very first time I set eyes on him [James] was a few days into my relationship with Acklom and he took me to see what he said was his collection of aircrafts and I said hello to James in passing,' she told This Morning. 'The first time I spent anytime with him at all was when he took me on a flight on an aircraft he said belonged to Acklom. I spent 10 minutes or so on that lovely flight and then again briefly when I was in dire straits. James bought me a Christmas tree when I was living in Bath and had been instructed to by Mark.' Ms Woods initially gave Acklom 850,000 as a temporary cash flow solution to his renovations of a Grade I-listed Georgian manor house near Bath. The home was supposed to be where the couple lived after tying the knot, but this was another one of Acklom's lies, as he never owned the home. He later told Ms Woods that the home was unsuitable for them to live in as it could never be secure enough - given his supposed employment with MI6. Instead, they moved into a 3million Georgian townhouse in Bath. In order to secure their expensive home, Acklom forged her signature on the tenancy agreement and paid a year's rent upfront using her money. Appearing on This Morning, Ms Woods said: 'I don't believe it was by chance, I think it was planned - but he came into my place of work, we got chatting and I felt I'd known him all my life. I think anyone could fall for that sort of thing. 'I don't think I really heard the alarm bells until a about a year later. He was so convincing and left a web of deceit though a strand of life that was totally real. 'It wasn't until over a year unto the relationship I began to doubt him. I hadn't seen him for a long time and things were really strange.' Acklom made Ms Woods fear for her life due to his espionage work, and he once claimed her car brakes had been 'tampered with'. Fraudster Acklom lied about being a spy and was given 850,000 of Ms Woods' life savings Knowing what I know now, I am convinced that he is a psychopath, a social predator with no conscience and an inability to feel love, compassion, guilt or remorse, says Carolyn Woods Ms Woods grew increasingly isolated, particularly as she was often left alone but was unable to discuss his 'job' with friends. At the brink of her loneliness, she even contemplated suicide. Mark's lying grew even more wild, and he claimed he had developed a brain tumour, but he could not have visitors in hospital due to state secrets he might reveal as the effects of anaesthetic wore off. When Ms Woods drove to his hospital in Bristol, he said he could meet her in the car park and showed how his head was heavily bandaged. Writing in the Mail, she said that she believed the bandages were applied by a doctor he was having a relationship with. 'I did think he had suffered a brain tumour and my own mental state was pretty fragile too,' she said on ITV's flagship current affairs show today. Ms Woods grew increasingly desperate for her money back, but Acklom told her his assistant was using his illness to steal cash from him. All the bills in their house were in Ms Woods' name, and she quickly reached the end of her overdraft and credit card limit. She was forced to move out of their home, and friends put her up for short periods. She cashed in her pension to pay off her debts, but Acklom told her he was planning to sell their home so she would get her money back. However, months later, no money appeared, and he said lawyers wrongly believed he had not paid outstanding fees and were withholding the money from the sale. Acklom became increasingly absent, and later claimed to be hiding out in Italy and he hoped she could visit so they could be reunited. But each time tickets were 'booked' they failed to appear. Ms Woods then rang Mr Miller, in order to get some information and advice about Acklom - and only then learned about Acklom's criminal past. She rang Acklom demanding her repay her money, but the line went dead and she never heard from him again. An arrest warrant was issued in June 2016 and he was believed to be at large in Spain, after being released from prison there over a 200,000 property fraud. Acklom was arrested in Zurich in 2017 after being found at a luxury apartment, where he had been living with his wife and their two daughters. He was deported and earlier this month pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation before he was to face a trial. Acklom was sentenced to five years and eight months. Alaska Airlines has banned an Alaska state senator for refusing to follow mask requirements. The airline has suspended Senator Lora Reinbold effective immediately, spokesman Tim Thompson said in a statement to Anchorage Daily News on Saturday. 'We have notified Senator Lora Reinbold that she is not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy'. However Reinbold, a Republican of Eagle River, said that she had not been notified of a ban and that she hoped to be on an Alaska Airlines flight in the near future. Last week, the senator was filmed in Juneau International Airport arguing with Alaska Airlines staff about mask policies. Alaska Airlines has banned an Alaska state senator for refusing to follow mask requirements. Last week, the senator (second from left) was filmed in Juneau International Airport arguing with Alaska Airlines staff about mask policies A video posted to social media appears to show airline staff telling Reinbold (center in grey jacket) her mask must cover her nose and mouth A video posted to social media appears to show airline staff telling Reinbold her mask must cover her nose and mouth. In a second video, Reinbold appears to be filming the staff. Reinbold told Anchorage Daily News that she had been inquiring about a 'mask exemption with uptight employees at the counter.' 'I was reasonable with all Alaska Airlines employees,' she said, adding that she was able to board the flight to Anchorage. Reinbold has been a vocal opponent to Covid-19 mitigation measures and has repeatedly objected to Alaska Airlines' mask policy, which was enacted before the federal government's mandate this year. Last year, she referred to Alaska Airlines staff as 'mask bullies' after being asked by flight attendants to wear a mask aboard a flight, the newspaper reported. After the incident, she reportedly sent a cake to some flight attendants bearing the inscription: 'Im sorry if I offended you.' Reinbold has been a vocal opponent to Covid-19 mitigation measures and has repeatedly objected to Alaska Airlines' mask policy, which was enacted before the federal government's mandate this year. Last year, she referred to Alaska Airlines staff as 'mask bullies' after being asked by flight attendants to wear a mask aboard a flight, the Anchorage Daily News reported Alaska Airlines has banned over 500 people. Thompson said the length of Reinbold's ban will be determined by a review. It wasn't immediately known how Reinbold, who was in southcentral Alaska this weekend, would be able to get to Juneau where the legislative session resumes Monday. No other airline has scheduled flights between Anchorage and Juneau, and a ferry trip could take several days. Lawmakers can participate in committee meetings by teleconference but cannot vote on the House or Senate floor remotely under current procedures. Boris Johnson has been accused of saying that he would rather allow bodies [to] pile high in their thousands than impose another national lockdown. It was reported that the prime minister made the remark after he ordered the second lockdown at the end of October. Downing Street has strongly denied that Mr Johnson made the comment and said it was just another lie. But the Daily Mail said the sources who allege he made the comment back their claim. They say Mr Johnson lost his temper and raged after agreeing to new restrictions following a meeting in No 10, allegedly adding: No more ****ing lockdowns - let the bodies pile high in their thousands. A spokesperson for the Labour Party said in response to the report: If this report is true, then these are truly shocking and sickening comments from Boris Johnson. It is hard to imagine how families who have lost loved ones to Covid will feel reading them. Boris Johnson must make a public statement as soon as possible in his response to this report. Allegations of the comments come after it was reported Dominic Cummings is preparing a damning dossier to present to the joint committee of MPs investigating the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week the former chief aide said the prime minister planned to have donors securely pay for the renovation of his Downing Street flat. Mr Cummings, who was ordered to leave Downing Street in November after he was accused of briefing against Mr Johnson, published an explosive blog post alleging that the prime minister stopped speaking to him about the matter after he questioned the ethics of soliciting funds to refurbish the flat. The allegations have catapulted Mr Johnson into the centre of a row over the existence of sleaze and cronyism within the government. Labour launched a legal bid for the Electoral Commission to investigate how he paid for the 200,000 home makeover. The former aide added that he would be happy to tell the cabinet secretary or Electoral Commission what I know concerning this matter. Last week, Mr Cummings claimed he had been cleared of any involvement in leaking sensitive details of the governments lockdown plans. But according to The Times, citing senior Whitehall sources, Mr Cummings is still being investigated by the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, who has not yet cleared Mr Cummings of being a chatty rat leaker. Mr Case is set to give evidence to MPs on Monday and will clarify that inquiries are ongoing in the investigation. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) A lawmaker is now pushing to make COVID-19 inoculation mandatory in the country. Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga has filed House Bill 9252 or the "Mandatory COVID-19 Immunization Act of 2021" that seeks to require all Filipinos to receive the vaccine for free at any government hospital or health center. The lone exemption would be persons with certain medical conditions who are unfit to be inoculated as determined by the Department of Health or a licensed physician. "Medical doctors shall have the discretion, subject to disciplinary action by the Philippine Medical Association, to determine whether a person should get a medical exemption and shall issue a medical certificate which shall be attached to the vaccine card," the bill read. The doctor should clearly indicate the medical basis for the exemption, which may be reviewed by the DOH, it added. The measure also proposes a fine of not more than 50,000 and/or imprisonment of not more than a year for those found to be violating the act. "A mandatory mass wide COVID-19 vaccination program is imperative to solve the present COVID-19 pandemic and achieve 'herd immunity' or 'population immunity,'" Barzaga said, as he stressed the need to prioritize public health and safety. However, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire maintained vaccination should be purely voluntary, citing the recommendation of the World Health Organization and the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization. "It is the right of a person to decide on his own if they will receive or not receive the vaccine," she said in a media briefing. She added that even if it could be said a citizen is "morally" obliged to be immunized to protect the general population, it would be premature now to push for such a measure. "At this period when vaccines are still at that developmental stage, we cannot mandate people to accept the vaccines because it is still not really completed yet," she said. In a separate briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte has no position yet on the matter. He added, however, the bill could possibly be enacted into law should the need arise and once the country has enough vaccine supply. "Bilang isang abogado, kabahagi po ng police power ng estado ang i-require ang bakuna kung talagang kinakailangan," he said. "Pero sa ngayon naman po, mukhang hindi naman kinakailangan mandatory 'yan, dahil inaantay pa natin 'yung bulto ng ating mga bakuna." [Translation: As a lawyer, I can say it is part of the State's police power to require vaccination should it be deemed necessary. However, we currently don't see a need for that yet, especially since we're still awaiting the bulk of the vaccines we procured.] In a Social Weather Stations survey released last January, around 47% of respondents said they do not want to be vaccinated even if the doses are already available. A separate independent poll released the same month showed only 1 in 4 Metro Manila respondents are willing to get an anti-coronavirus shot. Some 25% said they refuse to be vaccinated, while 47% are still undecided. Another online survey in February also bared around 9 out of 10 Filipinos are worried about the COVID-19 vaccines' effect, efficacy, safety, and high cost. A box containing vials of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca has delivered far fewer doses to the EU than initially promised. It said in January that it needed to cut Q1 deliveries by 60%, citing supply-chain issues. See more stories on Insider's business page. The European Commission is suing AstraZeneca, saying the drugmaker delayed deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccines to the bloc. Stella Kyriakides, the European commissioner for health and food safety, tweeted Monday: "@EU_Commission has decided jointly with all Member States to bring legal proceedings against AstraZeneca. Every vaccine dose counts. Every vaccine dose saves lives." AstraZeneca denied any breaches of its contract with the EU. The contract obliged the company to use its "best reasonable efforts" to meet its targets, a standard which the EU is arguing AstraZeneca did not meet. In a statement, reported by Bloomberg, the company said: "AstraZeneca has fully complied with the advance purchase agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible." A European Commission spokesperson told a news conference Monday that the Commission started legal action Friday and all 27 member states backed the move. The spokesperson said: "Some terms of the contract have not been respected and the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure timely delivery of doses." Politico first reported that the EU was preparing legal proceedings against AstraZeneca on the grounds that it under-delivered COVID-19 vaccines to the bloc on Thursday. But states like Germany and France raised concerns, including that a lawsuit might not result in any more doses for the EU, and arguing that it risked undermining trust in the vaccine. AstraZeneca has delivered far fewer doses to the EU than promised in its contract - AstraZeneca had committed to "best reasonable efforts" to deliver 180 million vaccine doses in the second quarter of this year, for a total of 300 million from December 2020 to June 2021, per Reuters. In January, the drugmaker told the EU that supply-chain issues meant that it had to cut its first-quarter deliveries by 60%. On March 12 AstraZeneca said in a statement that the EU would get a third of doses initially promised, per Reuters. Read the original article on Business Insider Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) The government is finalizing plans to distribute care package kits for COVID-19 patients who are recuperating at home. The "home care package" is similar to the ongoing initiative of the Office of Vice President Leni Robredo, wherein they give face masks, thermometer, pulse oximeter, and basic needs of mild and asymptomatic patients who seek help in their teleconsultation platform "Bayanihan E-Konsulta." Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday said the kit from the national government will contain face masks, face shield, disinfectant, vitamins, and paracetamol. It will also include thermometer, but they have yet to check the available budget if they can provide a pulse oximeter, a small clamp-like device painlessly attached to the finger to constantly monitor the amount of oxygen in the blood. Aside from these items, the DOH said the package will also include instructions when to seek medical help from hospitals or other health facilities. The department is also in touch with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to discuss possible financial support. "This home care package is part of our efforts to be able to redirect patients going straight to the hospitals, patients who are panicking that when they stay at home because they have mild or asymptomatic case, they are assured that they have these kits," Vergeire said in a media briefing. In a separate interview with CNN Philippines, Vergeire said providing oxygen could also be possible, but its use must be under the guidance of a medical professional. There is no timetable yet when the government will start distributing home care kits. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 10:01:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of State Security on Monday issued regulations on counter-espionage security work, which take effect upon promulgation. The regulations are formulated to ensure specific duties of various authorities and entities in preventing espionage activities are performed and to enhance the capacity of the whole society, especially core areas, in ensuring state security, according to a senior official with the ministry. Enditem U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, Friday. AFP-Yonhap By Jung Da-min The United States seems to be fine-tuning different opinions between moderates and hard-liners within the Biden administration on its policy review of North Korea, which is believed to be in its final stages, according to Pyongyang watchers, Sunday. The U.S. president was expected to complete the review as early as this month, given that the White House released its Interim National Security Strategic Guidance for this year in March. But Jalina Porter, the U.S. State Department's principal deputy spokeswoman, said Friday (local time), that there was no specific timeline for the review. "The Biden administration is conducting a through interagency review of our policy towards North Korea, and that would include the implementation of ongoing pressure measures as well as options for future diplomacy. And again, we have nothing to preview since that review is still ongoing," Porter said. Cha Du-hyeogn, a visiting research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said two different opinions seem to be clashing among the U.S. president's aides, although the Biden administration had earlier set forth the major principle of its North Korea policy pursuing a gradual approach, conditioned upon an end state of North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID). "While hard-liners say that Washington should raise pressure on North Korea by increasing sanctions, those who favor moderate strategies say that they should negotiate with Pyongyang first while freezing sanctions at the current level," Cha said. He added that the outline of the Biden administration's North Korea policy is expected to be announced soon, but Washington is weighing which strategy would be more effective while looking at the situation in the North. "North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's warning of a new Arduous March could mean the country is undergoing a significant crisis, which is adding to Washington's considerations in the final stages of its North Korea policy review," Cha said. North Korea watchers said the Biden administration also faces complex security issues amid setting the policy, especially the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China. Hong Min, a senior researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, believes the South Korean government has in the meantime been put in a difficult position. "From the perspective of the South Korean government, the most controversial problem is the U.S. pressure and siege strategy against China, with Washington unfolding a very big umbrella of partnering with countries in the region," Hong said. "For the South Korean government, the situation would be difficult if Washington deals with democracy and human rights issues in China and North Korea at the same time, as this would strengthen ties between the socialist countries." Hong said if North Korea resumes military provocations in such a situation, there will be little room left for South Korea's diplomacy. "Seoul should make diplomatic efforts to deliver a message that Washington should deal with the issues of China and North Korea separately," he said. Meanwhile, a summit between President Moon Jae-in and Biden is slated for late next month. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... BRUSSELS American tourists could soon be visiting continental Europe again, more than a year after the European Union restricted travel to the 27-nation bloc to a bare minimum to contain the coronavirus. EU officials said Monday they are completing plans to allow Americans back this summer, depending on the course of the outbreak on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU Commission, the EUs executive arm, will make a proposal soon to its member states but didnt say when exactly leisure travel could resume or whether a reciprocal approach will apply to Europeans wanting to visit the U.S., which has closed its doors to tourists from the continent. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Also, it was not immediately clear whether all U.S. tourists would have to produce proof of vaccination for entry, or whether a negative test for the coronavirus or proof of recent recovery from COVID-19 would be acceptable instead. These are among the questions well still need to figure out, European Commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz said. Jahnz said the EUs executive body is hoping to restore trans-Atlantic leisure travel as soon as it is safe to do so. On Sunday, The New York Times quoted Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as saying that fully vaccinated Americans will able to visit EU countries this summer since all coronavirus vaccines used in the U.S. have also been approved by the EUs regulator, the European Medicines Agency. This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union, she said. Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA. With more than 15 million Americans a year visiting Europe before the crisis, the prospect of U.S. travelers once more flocking to such attractions as the Eiffel Tower, the canals of Venice or Germanys Brandenburg Gate is welcome news for the continents hard-hit tourism industry. EF Go Ahead Tours, a Boston-based company that offers small group tours to Europe and elsewhere, said it expects demand to be extremely high once Americans can visit Europe again. When Iceland reopened its borders earlier this month, bookings surged, and most summer tour dates are now sold out, the company said. Over the last month, as more Americans got vaccinated, the company also saw double-digit growth in European tour reservations for dates in 2022 and 2023. The International Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents 290 airlines in 120 countries, applauded the news. This is a step in the right direction, IATA General Director Willie Walsh said in a statement. It gives hope to people for so many reasons to travel, to reunite with loved ones, to develop business opportunities or get back to work. The group said people who test negative for COVID-19, not just those who get vaccinated, should be allowed to travel freely. IATA also said it is critical to develop globally recognized standards for vaccine certification. IATA is among groups testing a vaccine passport system. Last week, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to reconsider any international travel they may have planned. It issued specific warnings not to visit roughly 80% of the worlds countries due to risks from the coronavirus pandemic, including many European countries. Rick Steves, who has written guidebooks and television shows about European travel, said he is glad European countries are working together and are eager to rekindle tourism. But he doesnt expect his company, Rick Steves Europe, will offer its popular bus tours through Europe until late 2021 at the earliest to make sure travel restarts safely. Last March, Steves had to cancel and refund 20,000 tours. To avoid repeating that disappointment, I plan to be very conservative about restarting our tours, Steves said. We will do so only when we believe it is safe, when Europe is able to provide the kind of experiential travel that is fundamental to our tour program and when we are reasonably confident that things will remain stable and open. Jahnz said the EU has been following closely the vaccination drive in the U.S, where more than 94 million people 18 or older, or about 36.5% of the adult population, have been fully vaccinated. The slow rollout of vaccines in the EU has left the bloc lagging well behind the U.S. But Von der Leyen said Monday that the region, home to around 450 million people, has already passed 123 million vaccinations and is on track to have vaccinated 70% of all adults by July. The EU is putting the finishing touches to a system of certificates that would allow EU residents to travel freely across the region by the summer as long as they have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from the disease. Under the plan discussed with their U.S. counterparts, certificates issued in the United States could be integrated into the program. As for Britain, no longer an EU member, Americans visiting the United Kingdom have to isolate for 10 days and take coronavirus tests before and after travel. Travel to the EU is extremely limited, confined mostly to a few countries with low infection rates, such as Australia and New Zealand. But Greece, which is heavily reliant on tourism, has already lifted quarantine restrictions for the U.S., Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Israel, and non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that are part of a European travel pact. Uniliteral approaches, from our perspective should be avoided, Jahnz said. The objective is to continue to have a coordinated approach on the European level. Meanwhile, the EU said Monday it has launched legal action against AstraZeneca, accusing it of failing to meet its vaccine delivery commitments under its contract with the bloc. The slow pace of the EU vaccination campaign has been blamed in part on the delays. The British-Swedish drugmaker had hoped to deliver 80 million doses in the first quarter of 2021, but only 30 million were sent. According to the EU, the company is set to provide 70 million in the second quarter, rather than the 180 million it had promised. AstraZeneca said in a statement that it will strongly defend itself in court. ___ Follow APs pandemic coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ Associated Press writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Jill Lawless in London and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this story. Vietnamese police said on Sunday evening that they were investigating a case where a robber had allegedly killed the son of the family that he had been trying to rob and staged his death as a drowning accident on Saturday. In relation to the case, N.V.Q., a 44-year-old deaf-mute person who was enjoying the governments preferential policies for victims of Agent Orange was temporarily arrested by police officers. According to preliminary investigation results, Q. often visited the family of Khieu Van Quang, 48, Nam Dinh Province and knew that the latter had just received payment for construction work. When Quang, his wife, and oldest daughter were absent from home on Saturday, Q. sneaked into Quangs house and broke the familys safe to steal about VND16 million (US$696). While Q. was committing the crime, Quangs 11-year-old son discovered his presence in the house. Q. thus killed the son to cover his act and placed the victims face into a tub in the bathroom to stage his death as a drowning accident. While examining the scene and the sons body, police and other related forces determined that the case was a murder and theft of property. Prior to the day of the incident, the dog of Quangs family had been thieved. On the same day, Quang had deposited the majority of his new payment in a bank, leaving in his safe only over VND17 million ($740). Q. did not take more than VND1 million ($44) of the amount as it was in small bills. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! and Bhanu Athaiya were the Indian film personalities honoured in the "In Memoriam" montage showcased at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony held here, on early Monday morning according to India time. Sean Connery and Chadwick Boseman were also among many others that the Academy remembered in the special tribute segment. Oscar nominee Angela Bassett gave a speech with the tribute, which was shown in the form of a video clip and was a homage to achievers the world of screen lost over the past year, including actors, writers, directors, and technicians. Irrfan, who passed away last year in Mumbai at the age of 53 after a two-year battle with neuroendocrine tumour, earned global recognition with his work in projects such as "The Warrior", "The Namesake", "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Life Of Pi", "Jurassic World" and "Inferno". He passed away on April 29 last year. Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Oscar, for her work in Sir Richard Attenborough's much-feted classic of 1982, "Gandhi". She won the Oscar jointly with John Mollo. Athaiya was 91 when she passed away at her residence in Mumbai after prolonged illness last year on October 16. Athaiya had also won a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for the film. In 2012, Athaiya returned her Oscar to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for safe keeping. The 93rd Academy Award, also known as the Oscars, was held from two locations in Los Angeles -- Union Station and Dolby Theatre. Anthony Hopkins and Frances McDormand were honoured with the Best Actor and Actress award respectively while filmmaker Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" was named the Best Film. Zhao won Best Director for the film. --IANS dc/vnc (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.) Lumbers record-setting prices are limiting some new construction projects and leading to a continued drop in inventory across the Lehigh Valley, area real estate agents say. Data collected in March by the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors, which tracks properties across Northampton County, Lehigh County and Carbon County, showed normal spring increases in sales activity coupled with the easing of COVID-19 guidelines, which created a bustling real estate market. Buyer demand continued largely unabated despite rising home prices and mortgage rates, the group reported. While the market is seeing its seasonal upswing and anticipated ramp-up in home construction, the group warns some new construction will be stalled. The coronavirus pandemic ground several large lumber mills to a halt during the nationwide March 2020 shutdown. Area homebuilders say they have since become the middleman, now having to negotiate lumber prices for clients. Weve not only had to be the bearer of bad news to customers regarding pricing, but we also have had to manage the extensive delays, Tony Caciolo, president of Upper Saucon-based Monogram Custom Homes and Pools, told lehighvalleylive.com. He said some home building products that previously required about a two-day wait are now unavailable for four to eight months. Imagine the conversation with a homeowner when the builder, as the middleman, has to explain that the refrigerator they want isnt available for eight months or the pool heater they ordered is out of stock for six months, Caciolo added. If nothing else, it helped us develop some thick skin since we have been the whipping post for these unhappy customers. Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors President Tim Tepes said many builders are gun-shy after dealing with the 2008 recession. The economic downfall left builders stuck with too much inventory, a sharp rise in supply costs, and a big backlog making it tough to get materials, he said. Business market reports show wood costs have more than tripled since the beginning of 2020, surging as high as nearly $1,300 per 1,000 board feet. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the average cost of lumber was $350 per 1000 board feet, Caciolo said. New methods of construction, including 3D printed homes, could speed construction and reduce costs in the future, Tepes said. These innovations are several years away from making a measurable impact in the market, Tepes added. The March report showed median sales increased 14% to $240,000 for the Lehigh Valley due to the lack of inventory. Inventory levels in March shrank about 55% to 556 units. Closed sales slid 8% percent to 538. Days on the market remained fast, decreasing about 44% to just 24 days. Sellers were encouraged as the months supply of inventory was down about 56% to 0.8 months. In real estate, months of supply is a measurement of how many months it would take to sell the current inventory of homes in a market balanced between buyers and sellers, it would be about six or seven months. The number of properties available for sale in active status at the end of a given month. Surging price tag Capital Economics Ltd commodities analyst Samuel Burman attributes the surging price of lumber to Canadian pine beetles, home-hungry buyers, and supply hiccups. The demand, he writes, will remain elevated for the next 18 months. His group also suspects more households will renovate and expand properties to help facilitate home working, although the high price of lumber might delay some refurbishment plans, he stated in his report. Rebecca L. Decker Francis, who leads The Rebecca Francis Team affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, said in the past few weeks inventory has been so scarce in the region, new construction at times was the only property available to show. Some potential homebuyers didnt factor the new lumber costs into the price tags, she said. I have had situations where people were considering new construction until they got into the numbers and then realized that they hadnt budgeted correctly for the current market, Francis said. Francis was stunned when an area builder recently told her the first thing he is doing now is ordering siding before starting a job. Then, theyll order kitchen supplies, she said. In the old days you would just go pick it up whenever you were ready for it but now because of availability and distribution delays, they have to think about how and when they are going to be able to get certain materials, she said. And of course, how much its going to cost. That being said, if a client has the opportunity to buy used versus new, I certainly encourage it as buying a new house is like driving a new car off the lot, she added. It may have that new car smell but youll pay for it. Although with some of the outrageous bidding wars going on right now, a buyer may be in the same boat whether they buy or build. Bidding wont cease anytime soon, she said. Area real estate agents continue to report homes selling significantly over listing prices with no inspections and no appraisal contingencies. The new rule of thumb for homebuyers: Expect a bidding war on any property in the Lehigh Valley, Francis said. If you have special circumstances or a home sale contingency, you can almost bet that you wont get the home in a bidding war, she said. Its a very difficult time to be a buyer. Sellers, she said, also arent off the hook in the market frenzy. Francis recently put a home on the market on a Thursday and within 12 hours of listing the property, it had 23 showings lined up for the following three days. Sellers are expecting to be mildly inconvenienced when selling their homes but theyre not used to having to plan on leaving their homes for an entire weekend due to showings, she said. Creighton Faust, a real estate broker with RE/MAX Central, said the sky-high lumber prices arent deterring his clients away from new construction. The majority of those interested in newer homes, he said, are shying away from bidding wars. I think some are seeing it as a good alternative to secure housing as they can avoid the multiple offer frenzy we are seeing, Faust said. The pictured graph shows the percentage found when dividing a propertys sales price by its most recent list price, then taking the average for all properties sold in a given month, not accounting for seller concessions. Cutting down Lumber costs by the end of 2021 should fall back to normal, analysts predict. Burmans group in the report predicts a rebound in supply will lead to a sharp fall in the price of United States lumber over the next 18 months. The group expects a plummet of $600 and $550 per 1,000 board feet by end-2021 and end-2022, respectively, as domestic supply surges and imports remain strong. Housing starts have picked up recently -- in large part owing to low existing inventories -- and some households have used accumulated savings and stimulus payments associated with the coronavirus pandemic to renovate and expand houses, Burman wrote. Caciolo, of Monogram Custom Homes and Pools, said despite the current high lumber costs, hes seen a demand in new construction unlike anything in his past 25 years in business. Because existing home prices are so high, people are not flinching at the equally high prices of new construction, Caciolo said. Caciolo has built eight to 15 homes annually since 1994. This year, inquiries have more than doubled. However, due to the long permitting processes most houses wont be built for more than six months, he said. Caciolo said homes are going up everywhere across the region. He received recent inquiries in South Whitehall, some in Nazareth and a couple in Lower Sacuon and Upper Saucon townships. More activity could come once lumber prices come down -- but that remains to be seen, Caciolo said. It depends on why it comes down, he said. If it comes down because demand drops, then we will have less inquiries. If it comes down because supply has caught up, more people might go for new construction since existing home prices are so high right now. Marissa Burkholder, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, said shes heard from clients willing to pay the lumber costs over dealing with the headaches of repairs, replacing aging mechanical equipment, or making updates to existing living space. Many frustrated buyers are opting to go the new construction route, she said. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. [April 26, 2021] Netskope Expands Industry-Leading Coverage Across Asia-Pacific New & upgraded NewEdge data centers planned across a half dozen locations will further increase capacity & network on-ramps for in-region & multinational enterprises MELBOURNE, Australia, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ -- Netskope, the leading security cloud , today announced the continued expansion of the Netskope NewEdge network across the Asia-Pacific region. Upgrades in Singapore and Australia have already been completed with additional data centers now coming online for new and expanded coverage in Australia, New Zealand, and The Philippines, with more data centers planned for deployment later this year to expand service in China. Netskope's strong presence in Asia-Pacific continues to grow as it addresses remote offices and branch needs for some of the world's largest F100 businesses, as well as locally-headquartered firms like Yamaha in Japan, Virtual Gaming Worlds in Australia, and Ather in India. This latest NewEdge expansion will further help the growing number of enterprises worldwide that embrace a SASE vision of converged security and networking to stay ahead of ever-evolving web- and cloud-based security threats and protect data wherever it is. Shane Laffin, Head of Cyber and Digital Trust at Reece says, "Our purpose at Reece is to improve the lives of our customers and our people, it guides everything we do - including our digital transformation. As part of this transformation we were looking for a security vendor to provide a unified approach to securing our data in the cloud, and Netskope was the optimal way forward because it gave us an opportunity to consolidate both cloud and web proxies into one. This simplifies the operations and reduces the cost and complexity for the team, allowing us to focus on adding more value for the business and our customers." On the heels of recently announced Singapore data center upgrades, Netskope's current cadence of NewEdge expansion continued through the first quarter with upgrades completed in Sydney, Australia. In both Singapore and Australia, the increased NewEdge capacity allows Netskope to meet the ever-growing demand for its inline services, including next-gen Secure Web Gateway (SWG), as more customers leave behind legacy on-prem appliances andbackhaul-based WAN architectures that are costly to maintain and inflexible for an increasingly remote workforce. The upcoming data centers in Auckland, New Zealand, Manila, Philippines, Perth and Melbourne, Australia, and mainland China are all part of the single, unified NewEdge network, and include a mix of data planescapable of scaling to handle 2Tbps of traffic per locationfor real-time, inline security traffic processing, as well as management planes critical for API-driven security controls and policy management functions. NewEdge also offers direct peering with web, cloud and SaaS providers to maintain the highly connected nature of the Netskope network. For example, every data center is directly connected with Microsoft and Google in every location to deliver a superior user experience and high-performance application experience, as well as the addition of new and expanded peering relationships with providers including Amazon, ServiceNow, Rakuten, and Tencent, among others. This approach will allow NewEdge to retain its leadership as one of the most connected networks in the world - with more than 350+ network publicly visible network adjacencies (out of over 1,000 total) based on public rankings that position Netskope alongside well-known web brands including Apple, Netflix, Oracle, and Facebook. "With the data center expansions in the Asia-Pacific region, we are continuing to expand global coverage with NewEdge, the world's largest, highest-performing, and highly-interconnected security private cloud.," said Tony Burnside, Vice President for Netskope Asia Pacific. "I am incredibly proud of the growth and achievement our team has accomplished in what was a record year for Netskope in all regions. With the increase in remote work, our team has seen significant demand for a true SASE solution that secures remote workers and devices without sacrificing user experience. This momentum is evidence that our continued investment in the region is making an impact, and is a testament to where we're headed in the future as we grow our footprint in APAC." In addition to the aggressive expansion plans in APAC for NewEdge, Netskope is also growing the local presence significantly. In the last year, the local team has more than tripled in size, including the addition of Nathan Brooker leading the Northern Region and Brian Zerafa leading the Southern Region. The Netskope Security Cloud, delivered on NewEdge, provides unrivaled visibility and real-time data and threat protection for cloud services, websites, and private apps accessed from anywhere, on any device. No other company in the market has addressed shifting demands by combining next-generation SWG capabilities, the world's leading CASB , zero trust network access, and advanced machine learning to detect unauthorized data exfiltration and advanced threat protection. Only Netskope understands the cloud and takes a data-centric approach that empowers security teams with the right balance of protection and speed they need to secure their digital transformation journey. To learn more about the Netskope Security Cloud, with its breadth and depth of offerings, please visit https://www.netskope.com/products . About Netskope The Netskope security cloud provides unrivaled visibility and real-time data and threat protection when accessing cloud services, websites, and private apps from anywhere, on any device. Only Netskope understands the cloud and delivers data-centric security from one of the world's largest and fastest security networks, empowering the largest organizations in the world with the right balance of protection and speed they need to enable business velocity and secure their digital transformation journey. Reimagine your perimeter with Netskope. Media Contact Inkhouse for Netskope netskope@inkhouse.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netskope-expands-industry-leading-coverage-across-asia-pacific-301277031.html SOURCE Netskope [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The two-day Bahrain Hybrid Cloud and Cybersecurity virtual Summit will kick off today. The event organised by Rendezvous Group Dubai will attract regional and international leaders and experts in Cybersecurity and Hybrid Cloud. Dr Jassim Haji, President of the International Artificial Intelligence Group, will chair the conference. Speakers from Suprement council for health, Ministry of finance, Oracle, Kalam telecom, Mumtalakt, Managinengine, Alyousif exchange, Citrix, Veem software, Mcafee, HSBC bank, National Oil and Gas Authority, Government of Abu Dhabi, Dubai customs, National Bank of Bahrain, Saudi Aramco and several others will participate. Dr Haji stated: We thank the organisers for holding such a crucial summit in Bahrain. It displays the Kingdoms forward-thinking and open approach, which has positioned itself as the regional leaders in ICT readiness. Bahrain has also positioned itself as the right choice to assist the regions local businesses in expediting their digital transformation journey. He added: Nasser Vocational Training Centre and Nasser Research and Development Centre will in future attract multi-national technology companies to the island, and offer a centralised location for universities and major organisations to perform their innovation through highend labs and facilities. Sacramento, CA After hitting the pause button for about a week, California is again allowing distribution of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The use was stopped while the CDC and FDA investigated a small number of people having blood clots after receiving it. Dr. Erica Pan, the state epidemiologist, says, After a thorough review of very rare adverse events following the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup supports the recommendation of the FDA and CDC to lift the pause on the vaccine. Clinics in California may begin administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine immediately as long as they provide appropriate educational materials to inform patients of the vaccines low risk of associated health effects and other available vaccine options. The California Public Health Department reports that over half of eligible adults have now received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, whether it be single shot Johnson & Johnson, or two-dose Pfizer or Moderna. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 16:47:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Yang Hongwei adjusts a kite in Yangjiabu Village, Weifang City of east China's Shandong Province, April 16, 2021. Yang Hongwei, born in a kite making family in Yangjiabu, embarked on her journey of making kites in 1982 under guidance of her grandfather. In the following nearly 40 years, Yang has been developing the cultural inheritance and won her works many accolades. As a kite-making master, she was also invited to other countries, including Germany, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, to promote the kite culture and train apprentices. Famed as the home of kites, Weifang hosted the first international kite festival in 1984. The yearly event has attracted lots of kite fans from around the world. Nowadays, the city is home to more than 300 kite manufacturers with their yearly output value reaching two billion yuan (about 300 million U.S. dollars) and their products sold to more than 40 countries and regions, making up 85 percent of the domestic market and 75 percent of the world market. (Xinhua/Zhu Zheng) Photo: Contributed The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is warning airline passengers they may have been exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19) on multiple recent Vancouver flights. The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is warning airline passengers they may have been exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19) on multiple recent Vancouver flights. Last week, Vancouver Is Awesome shared 12 Vancouver flights that were added to the list of potential COVID-19 public exposures. Since then, the following 16 new flights have been added to the BCCDC's list of affected flights: Apr 13, Air Canada 306, Vancouver to Montreal (Rows 27 - 32) Apr 14: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver (Not reported) Apr 15, Air Canada/Jazz 8398, Vancouver to Kelowna (Rows 1 - 7) Apr 16, Air Canada 215, Calgary to Vancouver (Rows 13 - 19) Apr 16, Sunwing 2860, Mexico City to Vancouver (Rows 16 - 22) Apr 16, WestJet 3287, Vancouver to Prince George (Rows 1 - 7) Apr 17: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver (Rows 20 - 26, 24 - 30 and 34 - 40) Apr 18, Air Canada 123, Toronto to Vancouver (Rows 19 - 25) Apr 18: Air India 185, Delhi to Vancouver (Rows 20 - 24 and 42 - 46) Apr 18: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver (Rows 12 - 14, 18 - 23, 20 - 30, 31 - 34 and 42 - 46) Apr 19, Air Canada 127, Toronto to Vancouver (Rows 24 - 30) Apr 19, Air India 185, Delhi to Vancouver (Rows 19 - 25) Apr 20, Air Canada 241, Edmonton to Vancouver (Rows 21 - 27) Apr 20, Air Canada/Jazz 8261, Vancouver to Nanaimo (Rows 3 - 9) Apr 21, Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver (Rows 12 - 14, 18 - 30 and 32 - 46) Apr 21: Air Canada 185, Delhi to Vancouver (Not reported) Any travellers returning to B.C. are encouraged to check the public health agency's website for updates about flights identified for the risk of exposure. Currently, the Government of Canada states that you should avoid all travel outside of the country until further notice due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In a global travel advisory, the government notes that "This advisory overrides other risk levels on this page, with the exception of any risk levels for countries or regions where we advise to avoid all travel." Coronavirus: What to expect if you arrive in Canada via plane Travellers entering Canada by air need to book a hotel for a three-night stay upon arrival. They also need to provide a negative result for a COVID-19 molecular test taken within a 72-hour timeframe of their scheduled flight. All hotels are located near one of the four Canadian airports currently accepting international flights. These accommodations are privately owned and authorized by the Government of Canada. Some of the hotels offer direct online booking for government-authorized accommodation. For all others, identify that you require accommodation for the COVID-19 mandatory three-night stopover to ensure you are booked correctly. While in quarantine travellers will have three meals delivered to their rooms but hotel personnel are not permitted inside. Guests will be provided with cleaning supplies. Find out more information about what to expect during your stay at a government-authorized hotel. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. That tiny webcam on your laptop has probably gotten more use in the last year than ever before. Many of our professional lives have been infiltrated by a never-ending stream of Zoom meetings, and for some, that new routine isnt going away. Once an afterthought, your computers webcam has become one of its most important components and the fact is that most built-in lenses are not designed to provide consistent, high-quality video chat experiences. Many realized that quickly last year and turned to the internet in droves to pick up external webcams. In addition to leveling up your appearance in could-have-been-an-email work calls, external webcams also make you look better on video chats with your friends and family, and theyre essential if you do any live streaming on Twitch or another platform. But as with most PC accessories, it can be tough to sort through the sea of options out there. We at Engadget tested out a bunch of popular webcam models to see which are worth your money and which you can safely skip. What to look for in a webcam Resolution and field of view Most built-in webcams have a resolution of 720p, so youll want to look for an external one thats better than that. FHD (1080p) webcams will give you a noticeable bump in video quality and ideally youre looking for something that can handle 1080p at 60fps or 30fps. If youre considering a cheap 720p webcam, look for one that supports at least 30fps (most will) or even better, 60fps. However, if your primary concern is looking better during video conference call, 1080p is the way to go. Some webcams can shoot in 4K, but thats overkill for most people and most video conferencing services like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype dont even support 4K video. When it comes to streaming, Twitch supports up to 1080p video but YouTube added 4K live streaming back in 2016. Ultimately, with 4K webcam shots having such limited use, most people can get by with a solid 1080p camera. Field of view controls how much can fit in frame when youre recording. Most webcams I tested had a default field of view of around 78 degrees, which was enough to capture me and enough of my background to show that I really need to organize my home office. Youll usually see narrower fields of view (around 60 degrees) on cheaper webcams, and those arent necessarily bad. They wont show as much of your background, but that also means you wont be able to squeeze as many friends or family members into frame when youre having Zoom birthday parties. And on the flip side, more expensive webcams may let you adjust the field of view to be even wider than average. Valentina Palladino / Engadget Autofocus and other auto features Webcams with autofocus will keep you looking sharp without much work on your part. You should be able to move around, step back and forth, and remain in focus the whole time. Some models let you manually adjust focus, too, if you have specific needs. Devices with fixed focus are less convenient, but they tend to be more affordable. Youll also see other auto features listed in webcam specs, most notably auto light correction. This will adjust the cameras settings to make up for a dimly lit room. If you dont have a well-lit setup for your video calls, or often take calls in different places where you cant control the lighting, this feature will be valuable. Microphones Most webcams have built-in microphones that, depending on your setup, might end up being closer to you than your computers own mics. Check to see if the model youre considering has mono or stereo mics, as the latter is better. Some even use noise-reduction technology to keep your voice loud and clear. While audiophiles and streamers will want to invest in a standalone microphone, most others can get by using a webcams built-in mic. Design There arent a ton of fascinating breakthroughs when it comes to webcam design. Most are round or rectangular devices that clip onto a monitor or your laptop screen. Some have the ability to screw onto a tripod stand and others can simply sit on your desk beside your computer. But unless you really like having people stare up your nose, the latter isnt really ideal. We recommend clipping your webcam to your monitor and ensuring that its at or slightly above eye level. A few webcams go above and beyond by adding hardware perks like built-in lights and lens covers, too. The former can help you stand out in a dark room, while the latter makes it so hackers cant view you through your webcam without your knowledge. Price Most external webcams that are just good enough to be a step up from your computers built-in camera cost between $50 and $100. If the webcam has the same resolution as the built-in one on your laptop, you should look out for other specs like auto light correction, a wider field of view or an extra-long connecting cable that can provide a step-up in quality or ease of use. Spending over $100 means you might get advanced features like 4K resolution, vertical and horizontal recording options, stereo mics, customizable video settings and more. But unless youre spending hours on video calls each day or streaming multiple times each week, you can safely skip most of those high-end options. Engadget picks Best overall: Logitech C920s Pro HD Valentina Palladino / Engadget The Logitech C920s Pro HD webcam seems like a great value on paper. And it proves that to be true not long after you take it out of the box. For $70, youre getting an FHD webcam that can shoot in up to 1080p/30fps, has a 78-degree field-of-view, dual microphones and auto light correction. Its a fairly average-looking webcam measuring 3.7-inches at its widest point, with the lens in the middle and its two microphones on either side. Buy Logitech C920s Pro HD at Logitech - $70 The adjustable base is quite sturdy and, while I kept it hooked to my external monitor most of the time, you could easily attach it to your laptops screen or sit it on your desk and angle the camera upward. Theres also a hole on the underside if you wish to connect it to a tripod. Theres an optional lens cover in the box that provides protection when you transport the webcam, but also gives you extra privacy. I immediately saw an improvement in video quality when I took conference calls using the C920s Pro HD. Im lucky enough to have one lamp and one large window in my small home office, so Im usually not fighting for good light. But even on cloudy days, the cameras 1080p video was sharp and produced fairly accurate colors. While cheaper cameras struggled on rainy days with the lamp off, the C920s Pro HD illuminated my whole face and had minimal shadows. All Logitech webcams can use the companys Camera Settings app to adjust things like field of view, brightness, color intensity and autofocus, but I kept the default settings on this one. The C920s Pro HD does have autofocus and it was so good that I barely noticed it. I was always in focus during my video chats and I never saw the camera struggling to regain focus even if I moved around. Just dont get confused if you decide to buy it there are actually a few versions of the C920 webcam. The $70 C920s Pro HD is the one I tested and it differs from the $80 C920 Pro HD model by coming with a privacy shutter. The $100 C922 Pro HD Stream webcam looks identical to the C920 models but it ups the HD video recording to 60fps and comes with a tripod in the box. Best budget: Aukey FHD PC-LM1E webcam Valentina Palladino / Engadget Aukeys FHD webcam combines the right features at a great $30 price to make a solid budget accessory. There are going to be sacrifices when youre looking at cheap webcams, but lets not forget one of the most important features resolution. Aukeys device shoots in 1080p, and while the colors are a bit washed out, the overall quality was much better than my laptops built-in camera. Buy Aukey FDH webcam at Amazon - $30 The Aukey looks a lot like Logitechs C920s Pro HD webcam with its camera sitting dead center, flanked by dual microphones. The base is also similar, allowing you to clip it to a screen or sit it on your desk and angle the camera towards you when youre on a call. What you dont get in Aukeys camera is a lens cover, so youll be sacrificing a bit of privacy with this one. In addition to good video quality, I liked that Aukeys webcam had a wide field of view but, disappointingly, you cant adjust it like you can with Logitechs. Audio quality is also good, albeit a bit on the quiet side, though noise-reduction keeps your voice crisp. While its modest improvements are well worth its $30 price tag, you will sacrifice in some areas. Arguably the biggest problem I found was this cameras poor low-light performance. Theres no auto light correction, so you will be cast in shadow if youre taking a call at night or in poor lighting. Aukeys device also doesnt have autofocus, which sounds worse than it actually is. Its fixed focus is sufficient when taking video calls from my desk, which is where I spend 90 percent of my work-from-home time. Best premium: Logitech Brio Valentina Palladino / Engadget If youre willing to spare no expense on a webcam, Logitechs $200 Brio is the one to get. It has a lot of things going for it, but the best and most important feature is its 4K recording. Its capable of shooting in 4K/30fps in addition to 1080p and 720p in either 60fps or 30fps. I kept it set at 4K and I never looked better on a video call. My feed was sharp and clear, and the only negative thing about it was the slightly inaccurate colors (they came off slightly more saturated than normal). Buy Logitech Brio at Logitech - $200 Low light performance was stellar as well. The Brios light correcting technology with HDR made up for the cave-like environment in which I was sometimes forced to record. As far as sound goes, the dual microphones inside the Brio were some of the loudest and clearest of any webcam I tested. They also use noise-cancelling technology to capture audio from up to one meter away while blocking out background noise. The Brio also had the most customizable settings of the Logitech cameras I tried. In addition to brightness, contrast, color intensity, white balance and autofocus, youre able to adjust HDR, field of view and image ratio in the Camera Settings app. While I kept most of the default settings, I changed my field of view from 65 degrees to 78 degrees (the third option of 90 degrees was too wide for my taste), and it captured just enough of my background but still kept me as the focal point. I also opted to turn off autofocus because I found it to be finicky. Issues with the Brios autofocus have been documented online and Ive reached out to Logitech for troubleshooting tips. An Engadget colleague who uses the Brio as his daily webcam hasnt experienced the autofocus issues, so there just might not be enough contrast between myself and the background.Since I take most video calls from my home office desk, adjusting the focus manually to fit that environment worked well for me. Its hard to get excited about webcam design, but Logitech tried to make the Brio as sleek looking as possible. Instead of a mere rectangle, the Brio is an elongated oval with rounded edges and a standard base that clips securely onto a screen. The front is a glossy black, punctuated only by the camera lens, two tiny slits for the microphones and the IR sensors. The latter make the Brio compatible with Windows Hello, so you can unlock your system using facial recognition. And when you want more privacy, you can use the included lens shade to cover the camera. In addition to the Brio, another worthwhile premium webcam is the Razer Kiyo Pro. While the Logitech Brio is a better $200 buy, the Kiyo Pro is a strong competitor. It shoots 1080p video at 60/30/24fps and it has slightly more accurate colors than the Brio. However, its not compatible with Windows Hello and its comically large, circular design might be off putting to some. Best for streaming: Logitech Streamcam Valentina Palladino / Engadget Out of all the webcams I tested, I had the most fun using Logitechs Streamcam. While its a bit weird to say I had fun with such an innocuous piece of tech, I found the Streamcam to be remarkable in many ways. First and foremost, the video quality is excellent it shoots in 1080p/60fps and its video is slightly sharper than that of the Logitech C920s Pro HD. Details in my clothing came through much better and, whether I liked it or not, so did some of the texture on my skin. The Streamcam was also one of the best devices when it came to color reproduction. Buy Logitech Streamcam at Amazon - $170 All of those perks remain the same even when youre shooting in low-light conditions. The Streamcams auto-exposure feature made up for the darkness in my office on gloomy days. And it has the best kind of autofocus the kind that you never notice in action. The dual, omnidirectional mics inside the Streamcam delivered my voice loud and clear during video calls. If you stream often and find yourself without an external mic, its nice to know that you could get by with the Streamcams built-in ones in a pinch. The microphones also have noise reduction to keep your voice font and center. As far as design goes, the Streamcam is a bit larger than most. Its a chunky almost-square that can easily be positioned on a monitor or on a tripod, and a unique feature of its design is its ability to shoot either vertically or horizontally. I kept mine in the standard 16:9 format, but some streamers who post to social media often will like the 9:16 format thats best for Instagram and TikTok. Logitech also made sure the Streamcam was optimized for Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), XSplit and Streamlabs, so you can use it directly out of the box for your next live session. The Streamcam is the best all-purpose webcam on our list, though not everyone will want to drop the $170 on one. If you want a device that doesnt compromise quality, has solid advanced features, can be used both for work and live streams, though, the Streamcam is a great value. Its higher price tag keeps it from our top spot because those who just want to look better on Zoom calls with their friends, family and colleagues dont need to spend $170 to get that. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said Sunday that he expects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue new guidance on the need for outdoor mask wearing. I think its pretty common sense now that outdoor risk is really, really quite low, said Fauci on ABCs This Week, adding that vaccinated Americans particularly have a reduced risk. Fauci said that the CDC will first consider and analyze recent studies before updating its guidance. What I believe youre going to be hearing, what the country is going to be hearing soon is updated guidelines from the CDC, he said. Last week, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said that the agency will consider revising its existing guidance. Well be looking at the outdoor masking question, but also in the context of the fact that we still have people who are dying of COVID-19, Walensky said. Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested that New York City would maintain its existing guidance over the next two months before reevaluating. We want to hold the line through June, so well keep the masks on and well do all the things we need to do, de Blasio said. After that well be able to reassess. On Sunday, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said on CBS Face the Nation that we should be thinking about lifting mask ordinances outside, adding that a relaxing of restrictions that dont make as much sense anymore should be looked at. ADVERTISEMENT The former Ondo State deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, has returned three of the four official vehicles attached to him to the state government. The state government had alleged, two weeks ago, that Mr Ajayi refused to return four official vehicles at the expiration of his tenure in February despite entreaties made to him. The former deputy governor claimed he was entitled to the vehicles as his retirement benefits. Further clarifications from the government, however, showed that the vehicles were not supposed to be his retirement benefits, as no extant law backed his claims. The Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, a lawyer, had also clarified that although other states had enacted laws on pensions for governors and their deputies, nothing like that had been done in the state. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the police were involved in the process of retrieving the vehicles from Mr Ajayi, who had earlier claimed that only two of the vehicles were in his possession. He had said that one of the vehicles was broken down and parked at a mechanic site in Okitipupa, while the second was not supplied because it had not been fully paid for. The vehicles retrieved from Mr Ajayi on Monday include a Toyota Landcruiser Jeep and two Toyota Hilux vans, all 2019 models. The Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo, who confirmed the retrieval of the vehicles, in a statement on Monday, said efforts were on to recover the remaining vehicles in the possession of the former deputy governor. He also thanked the police and other security agencies for their intervention. Mr Ajayi had incurred the wrath of his principal, Governor Akeredolu, when he challenged him in the last governorship election. Mr Akeredolu was re-elected defeating the Eyitayo Jegede of the Peoples Democratic Party and Mr Ajayi, who ran on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party, while still serving as formers deputy. According to Derek Donkin, CEO of the South African Subtropical Growers' Association (Subtrop), who presented at PMA South Africa's live broadcast, in partnership with Beanstalk.Global on 22 April, the South African avocado sector harvested approximately 125,000 tonnes of avocados per annum over the last five years. The area under commercial avocado orchards stands around 14,700 hectares, with new plantings of about 900 hectares added per annum. The avocado sector contributes to at least 11,500 jobs on farms and packhouses. South Africa expects an uptick in avocado exports this season of 66,000 tonnes compared to 60,000 tonnes in the previous season. Market access growth Increasing supply demand Amplifying sector innovation Leading sector experts who joined the discussion were Trevor Dukes, CEO of The Fruit Farm Group SA (TFFGSA), Lindie Stroebel, Southern Africa country manager at Mission Produce, Roger Armitage, managing director at Hall Fresh Produce, and Joe Shaw Roberts, consumer insight director at Kantar.Avocado production in South Africa has traditionally been concentrated in the warm subtropical areas of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces in the North East of the country. However, production is expanding in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern and Western Cape provinces. The South African avocado season spreads from February to November, with most fruit being harvested from March to September.South Africa is part of the World Avocado Organisation (WAO) that represents the leading producers, exporters and importers of avocados. Other countries involved include Peru, Colombia, Spain, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mexico and the United States."Between 45 and 50% of South Africas avocados are exported; 10 to 12% are processed into oil and guacamole, and the rest are sold locally. About 95% of South African avocado exports are to Europe, the United Kingdom (UK), and Russia. The South African industry and government are currently negotiating market access to the USA, China, India and Japan," Donkin said.According to Joe Shaw Roberts, the UK avocado market has seen astronomical growth over the last five years, however, long term growth is at risk if price deflation continues in the market.Dukes said, to offset the price pressure expected from Europe, the South African avocado sector needs to increase production from 10 tonnes to at least 15-20 tonnes per hectare. "We also need to develop alternative markets, and undoubtedly the focus on the East is going to help us release some of the pressure. Finally, with extended seasons - if you are fortunate enough to have production in different regions - you could balance the windows of supply.""In the off-season, South Africa imports from Israel and Spain and is looking into importing from Tanzania. That will give us a full season of consumption in South Africa," said Dukes.Armitage said there are countries in Africa where per capita income, economic and population growth provide a good opportunity for exports. In terms of engaging the risk of exporting to these countries, one needs to understand their logistics chain, seaport and cross border constraints and trade agreements.Stroebel commented that the consumption of avocados in China grew 1000% since 2014. "The Chinese currently consume 40 grams per capita. If they would reach 4kg per capita, like in the USA, we still need much more extra production to supply the demand.""It is a costly process to develop a market from scratch, to ensure your customers are comfortable with your product, and to increase consumption. However, if you get that right, the growth potential will be there.""We see potential to grow exports to Europe and the UK, since per capita consumption might become even bigger than in the US. EU per capita consumption is currently a third of what it is in the US. The question remains on how to unlock that potential," remarked Stroebel.Dukes expects that innovation in the avocado sector will be continual and gradual."The introduction of precision agriculture and agtech are the areas where we will see the greatest innovation and the largest leaps in the South African avocado sector."With existing and new varieties and rootstocks, we are already harvesting better than before, and we are using innovative techniques to manage orchard conditions and tree architecture. One thing we do not have yet that will change projection is the availability of dwarf type genetic material to plant high density. It is a little bit of everything that adds up to a lot," concluded Dukes. Staples Solutionshop customers now have access to a huge library of creative and easy to use templates to create and print custom designs RICHMOND HILL, ON, April 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Staples Canada, the working and learning company, has partnered with Canva, the world's leading visual communication platform, to bring thousands of graphic design templates and millions of design ingredients through its user-friendly interface for Solutionshop and staplesprint.ca customers. Staples Canada, the working and learning company, has partnered with Canva, the worlds leading visual communication platform, to bring thousands of graphic design templates and millions of design ingredients through its user-friendly interface for Solutionshop and staplesprint.ca customers. (CNW Group/Staples Canada ULC) The partnership combines Canva's simple yet powerful design platform with Staples Canada's unparalleled Solutionshop printing services to help customers create custom print solutions. The new design templates will be available in more than 30 product categories, starting with templates for posters, banners, labels, business cards, flyers, brochures, newsletters, menus and photobooks. "Whether you're a small business owner looking to create health and safety signage or an entrepreneur creating marketing materials to launch a brand, the new design capabilities that are now available at Solutionshop will help you create something impactful," said David Boone, CEO at Staples Canada. "We are pleased to be working with Canva to advance their mission to empower the world with design." Canva's user-friendly drag-and-drop design interface has also been integrated with staplesprint.ca to empower customers to design and create custom print materials quickly, easily and effectively. "We're thrilled to make it easier than ever for Staples customers to create impressive and impactful custom designs with the help of Canva's rapidly growing suite of visual communication tools," said Laura Haines, Group Lead for Print and Partnerships at Canva. "As the world becomes an increasingly visual place, it's now more important than ever for teams and businesses of all sizes to have access to simple, affordable and powerful solutions to bring their creative vision to life." Story continues To help launch the partnership, Staples Canada's Spotlight Virtual Speaker Series will host a series of free virtual seminars focused on embracing design and visual communication. The upcoming virtual events include: Visit staples.ca/spotlight to register for an upcoming Spotlight Virtual Speaker Series session with Canva. About Canva Launched in 2013, Canva is a free online visual communications platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design. Featuring a simple drag-and-drop user interface and a vast range of templates ranging from presentations, social media graphics, posters, apparel to videos, plus a huge library of fonts, stock photography, illustrations, video footage, and audio clips, anyone can take an idea and create something beautiful. Canva is available on desktop, web, iOS, and Android. About Staples Canada Staples Canada is The Working and Learning Company. With a focus on community, inspiration and services, the company is committed to being a dynamic, inspiring partner to customers who visit and its over 300 locations and staples.ca. The company has five co-working facilities in Toronto, Kelowna, Oakville and Ottawa under the banner Staples Studio. As The Working and Learning Company, Staples Canada is committed to small businesses and consumers through thousands of new products from the best brands, an expanded service offering at Solutionshop, and informative content through its blog and Spotlight Speaker Series. A privately-owned company, Staples Canada is dedicated to helping customers work, learn and grow. Visit staples.ca for more information or get social with @StaplesCanada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. SOURCE Staples Canada ULC Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2021/26/c7848.html Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain It's perfectly normal for people to notice side effects from vaccines. These tell us that the immune system is responding to fight the diseaseas it should. However, far more side effects have been reported in women than in men after receiving the coronavirus vaccination in Norway, in relation to the gender distribution of the vaccine doses. The Norwegian Medicines Agency has so far received reports of 5,635 suspected cases of side effects, 4,684 of which were reported by women. Their report on vaccine side effects is now available. And the numbers fit a bigger picture. When researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed data from the first 13.7 million vaccine doses, they found the same thing. Almost 80 percent of the reported side effects were among women, although only a little over 60 percent of those vaccinated at that time were women. One explanation may be that women are more likely to report side effects to the healthcare system. But biological differences related to gender may be part of the reason. Women more likely to have a severe reaction "This gender difference is completely in line with previous reports from other vaccines," microbiologist and immunologist Sabra Klein, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the New York Times about the CDC figures. Women also more often experienced the very rare but severe reactions to the coronavirus vaccines, according to the CDC's analysis of the first 13.7 million doses in the United States. All 19 people who experienced so-called anaphylactic reactions after the Moderna vaccine were women. Women comprised 44 of the 47 individuals who experienced an anaphylactic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine. Most of the people who developed a rare blood clot problem after the AstraZeneca vaccine were women under the age of 60, according to a press release from the European Medicines Agency, the EMA. However, a review of the cases did not provide a basis for determining any specific risk factors, including gender or age, according to the EMA. Strong immune response, for better or worse Gender differences in relation to vaccines have received more attention in recent years, researchers wrote in an article in the journal Seminars in Immunopathology, in 2019. Women and girls tend to develop stronger antibody responses and experience more side effects after vaccination than men, the researchers wrote. Young people tend to have stronger immune responses than older people in general, because the immune system weakens with age. And women's immune systems tend to mobilize more strongly than men's. "After infections, women tend to have stronger immune responses than men, both from antibodies and stronger T-cell responses," says Gunnveig Grdeland, an immunologist and researcher at the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo (UiO). Strong immune responses can be beneficial when the body is fighting off disease. "But the disadvantage for women is that they can also experience stronger autoimmune responses, meaning that the immune system attacks things in the body that belong there," Grdeland said. In general, far more women than men are affected by autoimmune diseases, according to a research review from 2020. But at the same time, women may have other biological benefits. X chromosome and hormones "It may be that hormones affect how the body copes with infections, but it is not known whether testosterone plays a separate role. There is a lot of research that needs to be done," said Anne Spurkland, an immunologist and professor of medicine at UiO to forskning.no at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, in an article about why more men than women seemed to die of COVID-19 (in Norwegian). This gender difference still applies. Perhaps sex chromosomes also contribute to the difference in how the immune system works more generally in women and men. Many genes linked to the immune system are on the x chromosomeof which women have two and men have one, The New York Times writes. A woman's additional x chromosome also helps weed out genetic diseases. "There are many more genetic diseases in men. If there is a gene defect on one x chromosome, the other can correct it," says Grdeland. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak This story is republished courtesy of ScienceNordic, the trusted source for English-language science news from the Nordic countries. Read the original story here. God is able to strengthen the human heart your heart, today. He can do more within us, according to His love, than we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20), and the Apostle Paul helps us understand how this strengthening happens. Through his epistolatory writing, Paul instructs the believers at Ephesus to not lose heart over what he is sufferingnamely, his imprisonment for the gospel (Ephesians 3:13). He and the saints in Ephesus are connected in the Lord. They are all part of His holy temple built on the foundation of the apostles, with Christ the cornerstone, as the dwelling place of the Spirit (Ephesians 2:1). In Pauls concern for these believers, he exemplifies for them what gives him courage as an apostle and member of Christs temple. He builds them up in the way of spiritual strength through a prayer about the saints shared love of God and oneness in Christ (Ephesians 2:15). We can follow Paul to pray that our hearts would be strengthened too according to the ways and works of God. 1. We pray that our hearts might be strengthened with power through Your Spirit in our inner beings so that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:16-17). God strengthens our hearts with powerthrough His Spirit and in the location of our inner selves. We need Gods power to be at work. Thus, we do not want to be hindering the work of God with unconfessed sin (Psalm 66:18). We do not want to be cherishing sin in our heartsbut looking for it (Lamentations 3:40), asking God to examine us for its presence (Psalm 139:23), and then understanding, confessing, and repenting of what is found. The Spirit of God is the member of the Trinity who has applied salvation to us who believe. He has brought about a washing of regeneration and renewal, which has been richly poured upon us through Jesus Christ. This work of God has enabled us as individuals to be justified before Gods holy court, that we might receive the promise of eternal lifeaccording to His grace, not our righteousness (Titus 3:5-7). By this powerful work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, through the faith that we have exercised in Jesus, we have the basis for the strengthening of our heartsthrough turning from sins and for inner beings that are fully convinced of the love of God for us in the Lord. Photo credit: Getty Images/Thitaree Sarmkasat 2. We pray that our hearts would be strengthened with rootedness and grounding in love (Ephesians 3:17). Being grounded in Christ involves not changing our minds about Gods love. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives should not be able to bypass our notice or be met with our near indifference. As we think of the power of God to turn us from His enemies (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21) into His family (John 1:21), and as we think about the goodness of the Holy Spirit to change our inner beings, we will marvel. We will see that these truths are where we want to sink the roots of our lives. Better love than this, greater power than this are not to be discovered. Once we have found God (Isaiah 55:6), the God who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), no other spiritual searching is warranted. We have arrived at the home of our lives and the place we belong, connected to the eternal land where we want to plant our forever-roots. We ask that He never take His love from us! We read in Romans that nothing shall separate us from it (Romans 8:38-39). 3. We pray that our hearts would be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints the breadth and length and height and depth of Christs love, and know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:18). We must let other believers speak to us of the love of God. Others might see the tenor of our lives and thoughts differently than we do they might see weaknesses in our approach to God or understanding of Him. Gods love can extend through all of who we are do we see it? Do we think there is an area of ourselves beyond the reach of Gods love? How erroneous fallen human thought can be! The love of Christ extends to the most unlovable and unlovable-feeling parts of us. Perhaps our belief in Gods love has lessened or been stifled from growth because we begin to accept the worlds values about good and bad personal traits or characteristics. Do we reflect Gods view about what traits and characteristics are of worth? We must test the assumptions we have formed, remembering that the world has been known to call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Perhaps our feelings of being unlovable come from the sins that we hate that have been a part of us. If so, do we think our sin is more powerful than the grace of God? Do we disagree with Paul that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more, such that in love Christs righteousness could take hold of us (Romans 5:20-21)? We must not be caught thinking that Gods plan for salvation is ineffective for forgiving our sins, healing our wounds, granting corrected sight, or setting us on the path of righteousness. We ought not dishonor our God by entertaining doubts about His capabilities. As we look to the ways Gods love has so evidently changed our brothers and sisters in Christ around us and continues to do so, we begin to comprehend together with the saints the reaches and riches of His kindness and His steadfastness toward us. Photo credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden In Christ dwells the fullness of God, and we are being rooted and built up in Him (Colossians 2:9-10; 2:17). Our aim as believers is to together be able to house the full measure of the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19) as the holy temple of His Spirit. We are being built into this holy temple on this earth, and we will fully be glorifiedwe will fully attain the measure of His fullness in His presence one day.[1] In this goal, believers are unified in the great love of God in Christ. As we commune with one another in love, trusting and obeying God in this, God delights to root and ground us more and more. He is wanting to bless us with His uniting love, to reward those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). We must seek God in our inner beings after all, Paul is actively praying for a great strengthening in the hearts of the Ephesian believers. And we must trust His work in us, which we could never perform in ourselves, according to His power. We can know that He is desirous to do this work of love in His people according to His richness of glory, not limited by the starting or natural capacities or frameworks of our hearts or relationships.[2] As we come to a knowledge of the truth and as His love is our grounding, we will be filled with Him. We learn from Paul to continually expand our thoughts from our power to His. The work of strengthening believers in love is for His honor and glory (Ephesians 3:21); so, it must be a work greater than us. Given that His strengthening comes out of the riches of His glory (Ephesians 3:16), how great is that strength He will give to His people who are committed to attributing the glory to Him! Let us not be surprised when the work of His hands, then, is indeed far more than we ask or think; this is the certain hope we have. Being built by the Spirit on this foundation that Pauls prayer sets, God strengthens the human heart. [1] Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. Photo credit: Pexels/Hassan OUAJBIR Lianna Davis is author of Keeping the Faith: A Study in Jude and Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss. She and her husband, Tyler, live outside of Dallas, Texas and have two dear daughters. The COVID-19 outbreak that shut down in-person teaching exposed many of the U.S.s educational weaknesses, according to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who insisted there was still a lot of work to do to repair the damage left behind by the pandemic. On a whistle-stop tour to promote the reopening of schools, Cardona said that parents, teachers and officials must now focus on the tough tasks that lie ahead, as students gradually make their way back into classrooms. Theres a lot of work to be done in the pandemic. It brought out the things that we really need to focus on because theyre worse, Cardona told Yahoo Finance on the sidelines of an event at White Plains High School in New York on Friday. He was responding to a question about where the U.S. education system would be a year from now. He issued a call for improving access to college, making it more affordable, and tackling the widening achievement gap. The Education Secretary also said students should have access to high quality learning in the classroom. Really removing those inequities and making sure all students have the opportunity to succeed in life. Cardona also pushed for good training programs and workforce development options that would give school kids more options. So those are some of the goals I want to make sure that were addressing, some of those societal ills that were dealing with, he said. I want to make sure that our schools are places where students can think freely and openly discuss and lead. Because if we listen to our students they are always going to lead us in the right direction, Cardona added. ...when you sit down with intentional collaboration and make it about whats best for kids, whats best for the community, good things happen."Miguel Cardona, Education Secretary Cardonas visit to the suburbs just outside of New York City was part of the Biden administrations Help is Here tour to mark the reopening of schools. The visits aim to support states and localities in helping parents, teachers and students return to in-person learning. Cardona held up the school and its district as a model and example for schools across the U.S., as he underscored how vast amounts of stimulus are being used to support in-person learning. In March, President Biden announced that $81 billion in aid allocated under the American Rescue Plan would be released to all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. According to the Department of Education, an additional $41 billion in ARP funding will become available to states after reopening plans are approved by the DoE, bringing the total amount of funds slated for school re-openings to $122 billion. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona takes part in a briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis The department also plans to distribute $800 million in ARP funds to help support the needs of students experiencing homelessness, with $200 million of said funds being distributed starting Monday. White Plains serves just over 7,000 students across seven schools. Temperature checks, fully masked staff and students, plexiglass partitions between desks are just some of the COVID-19 mitigation measures put in place in the school district. The district boasts a 90% in-person attendance at the elementary level, and 70% at the high school level. Cardona said that was the result of intentional collaboration. The takeaway reinforces that when you sit down with intentional collaboration and make it about whats best for kids, whats best for the community, good things happen, the official said on Friday. White Plains High School also boasts a diverse student body, with 55% of the student body being Latino, 25% white, 15% Black, 3% are Asian. Meanwhile, over half of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, underscoring the regions economic disparity. Cardona was joined by American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, who told Yahoo Finance that when it comes to school reopenings, relationships, and resources matter. The AFT, the 2nd largest teachers union in the country, has found itself increasingly at-odds with state, local and federal officials calling for a faster return to schools. Weingarten, who has come under fire for her vocal resistance to a fuller reopening, said that relationship-building was critical. If you have the relationships and if you have the resources, you can build a better tomorrow, she said. People have to see it, they have to feel it and in the aftermath of this pandemic, theyve got to touch it. Weingarten said that Cardonas tour created optimism over what the future could look like. What happened in White Plains is that the relationships and the working together and the respect of the professionals together with management and labor, and the school board were all key. But was also key, was an understanding that in-person learning was a key ingredient for student success, said Weingarten. Reggie Wade is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @ReggieWade. Read more: A three-year-old Miami boy was shot and killed at a child's birthday party on Saturday. Miami-Dade Police Department said that a ShotSpotter alert sent officers to the residence where Elijah LaFrance was found with gunshot wounds, according to a Crime Online report. Police said they brought the Miami child to a hospital, but he was later pronounced dead due to his injuries. A 21-year-old woman was also shot and was brought into the Aventura Hospital. Police said the woman, who has not been named, was already in stable condition. Police added that the suspect responsible for the shooting has fled the scene and is still at large. READ NEXT: Texas Teacher Sexually Abused Her Former Student for Years: Police The Shooting Incident The residence where the shooting took place was an Airbnb rental and was booked to host the party. According to CBS Local News, an altercation started outside the house in North Miami Avenue and NE 158 Street, and there were shots fired at around 8:05 p.m. Both Elijah LaFrance and the woman were found outside. "I wish it could have been me because I've lived long enough. He couldn't even say mom and dad," the boy's devastated uncle, Adrian Annestor, who was at the party, said in the report. "They killed him. Oh God, he is still on my mind. I was just playing with him," he added. A neighbor, who identified himself as Zobop, also expressed his grief. The man told CBS4 how could someone go and see a party with children and then open fire on them. Zobop said that he walked outside just moments before shots were fired. He noted that some of those shots hit his car and his home. "Lots of fires. It sounded like a series of firecrackers. More than 30 rounds I heard. And then I saw a person running to a car and then a car took off high speed and two more cars followed all going east," he said. Police have not provided any further details about the shooting. The investigation is still ongoing. But Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez noted that they would find those responsible for the shooting and be held accountable. The Miami-Dade police encourage individuals who have any information regarding the incident to call them at 305-471-2400 or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477. Gun Violence According to an Every Town Research report, more than 100 Americans are killed with guns, and more than 230 are shot and wounded daily. Suicide accounts for 60 percent of gun deaths in the U.S. The gun suicide rate in the country is 10 times that of other high-income countries. Also, access to guns triples the risk of death by suicide, which is concentrated in states with high rates of gun ownership. The report noted that about 73 percent of firearm suicide victims are white men. On the other hand, homicides account for 36 percent of gun-related violence in the U.S. Gun homicides are reportedly most prevalent in racially segregated communities with high poverty rates. The majority of gun homicide victims are Black Americans, who are 10 times more likely than white Americans to die by gun homicide. Police shootings account for gun deaths by intent, as well as other undetermined factors. The leading cause of death for American children and teens is firearms-related, with more than 1,800 children and teens dying by gun homicide yearly. READ MORE: Ohio State Students Hold Protest for Ma'Khia Bryant, Demand University to Cut Ties With Columbus Police WATCH: Child Shot and Killed During Birthday Party in Northeast Miami-Dade - From CBS Miami Regionalism and nationalism in Canada yet another reassessment (Part Seven) By Mark Wegierski In societies such as Canada, the terms nation and state are often considered to be describing the same thing. However, a more subtle approach could describe a nation as something close to a cultural or ethnic entity, whereas a state is a legal structure than can include mostly one, two or several nations. Gad Horowitz is one of the most interesting figures of the Canadian Left. One of his central ideas was that Canada as a whole could be characterized as a binational State. The two nations are English-speaking Canada and Quebec. Gad Horowitz had also suggested that Britishness can be mostly a political nationality that does not imply ethnic or religious exclusion. The pattern of Canada today would appear to be moving more and more towards a dualism where Quebec would have most of the attributes of an independent country, but be loosely linked to the Canadian federation. It may be a bit unclear to what extent a very pronounced dualism would correspond to Gad Horowitzs call for special status for Quebec. Whether that might necessarily mean a more robust identity for English-speaking Canada is also not entirely certain. Something that is very noticeable is that Preston Manning insisted in the platform of the Reform Party on the equality of the provinces and explicitly disavowed the two founding nations idea. Manning claimed he wanted special status for no one. Mannings concept coincided somewhat with a One Canada approach that Gad Horowitz had identified as untenable because Horowitz thought that Quebec was truly a nation. The problems of maintaining a binational State have been huge for Canada. Some have argued that the original kernel behind the idea of multiculturalism was the unquestionable duality of the Canadian State. Indeed, Quebec could be viewed as one of the perennial problematic quandaries for the Canadian federation, absorbing vast amounts of political energy in the federation. While Manning preferred to not call Quebec a nation, some of his ideas of decentralization (such as the so-called tool-kit for the provinces which he proposed around 1997) would have offered considerable political possibilities to Quebec. At the same time, to say that Quebec is a nation is not to necessarily imply that its future must lie outside Canada. It may be possible that a more positive evolution of Canada would eventually have to move in the direction of a provincialization or cantonization where there might be a union of sovereign states (which was the original concept of what was then called the European Community). The four main regions of Canada would appear to be Quebec, Ontario, the Atlantic provinces, and Western Canada (which would presumably include most of the Far North). In such a case, it could be possible that a more traditional Quebecois nationalism, and the local patriotism of the three main English-speaking regions, would come to the fore. The extent to which most concepts of current-day Canadian nationhood have diverged from more traditional concepts of nation, is amazing. Ironically, Quebec in some ways retains far more of a hard concept of nation. Such notions that meaningful assimilative pressures should be exercised by Canadian society and that there are truly worthwhile aspects of Canada that it is virtually necessary to assimilate to (and that constitute considerably more than merely what Benjamin J. Barber has termed junk westernization) fly in the face of the regnant multiculturalist orthodoxy. Nevertheless, it takes considerable obtuseness to deny that the excesses of multiculturalism do create increasing tensions and frictions in society that simply never existed before. That Canada functions at all today, may simply be due to the fact that it is territorially the worlds second-largest country, with vast natural resources spread among a comparatively small population. There simply isnt the often-ferocious competition for resources frequently seen in heavily populated countries with a much smaller natural resource base. And, when a heavily populated country consists of different ethnic and religious groups competing for scarce resources, various levels of violent conflict may sometimes occur. The pessimism of traditionalist and conservative thought about the long-term sustainability of such utopian societal constructs as multiculturalism, or an economy of never-ending growth, should be seen as a helpful warning, a call to temper the system before it possibly collapses with results that could be truly catastrophic. Traditionalist and conservative philosophy indeed fears, with well-reasoned foreboding, rooted in its understanding of human nature, history, social experience, and the natural world, the horrific crashing down of the entire world system. It seeks to possibly offer advice and informed knowledge to more astute and thoughtful statesmen and politicians, as well as to the public at large, to somehow strive to avert the engulfing of the world by ever more apocalyptic/dystopic outcomes. It could be argued that Canada today is flying so high on its apparent economic success that it is likely that it will come to the painful rediscovery of some basic truths only years from now, in the wake of a major economic downturn or crisis. Any more serious analysts know that such a downturn or crisis will sooner-or-later happen in Canada. Or possibly the coming storm of the conflict with Islamist extremists will move into such a high pitch, especially in some overseas countries, that Canadians will finally be shocked into apprehending certain uncomfortable truths. It is presumably only then that the sheer utopianism of the various post-Sixties projects in Canada will become painfully obvious to considerable numbers of people. Whether, at that point, Canadian society can move towards some forms of social and cultural restoration (which may in fact have to be concretized through regionalist tendencies), or continue to socially and culturally dissolve to virtual oblivion (because the socially and culturally centrifugal forces by that time will simply be too strong), remains to be seen. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home In pitching an amendment to remove the sunset from the film tax credit as a path to economic recovery, Rep. Tackey Chan pointed to Sunday nights Academy Awards ceremony, noting that best director winner Chloe Zhao, pictured, is a 2005 graduate of Mount Holyoke College. The Supreme Court granted the governments request Monday to review a ruling allowing lawyers for a Guantanamo Bay inmate who was subjected to brutal treatment at the U.S. prison and CIA black sites to question two psychologists who designed the governments interrogation program. Abu Zubaydah was wounded and captured in Pakistan in 2002 by U.S. agents, who labeled him a high-ranking Al Qaeda operative a conclusion rejected in 2014 by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which said he was not a member of the terrorist organization. Held without charges as an enemy combatant, he was waterboarded 83 times and, according to his lawyers, held in a coffin-sized box for hundreds of hours and deprived of sleep for more than seven straight days during interrogation. Rice Broocks By Mimi Elliott CBN.com GOD'S NOT DEAD Rice grew up in a nominal Christian home. When he was a junior in college, Rice gave his heart to the Lord. His brother, Ben was a junior in law school and wanted to meet Rice at their parents' home to "talk him out of this born-again thing." As Rice listened to Ben and simply addressed his older brother's doubts, the truth of God's word began to soften Ben's heart. "I could see he was doubting his doubts," says Rice. At the end of the day, Rice batptized his brother in a swimming pool! That was thirty years ago and a turning point for both men. Ben gave his life to the Lord, is still serving God today and is a successful trial attorney in Texas. Since that day, Rice began working primarily with university students around the world. Rice is also the senior pastor of Bethel World Outreach church in Nashville. Some of the members of the nationally-acclaimed Christian music group, The Newsboys, attend his church and asked Rice to write a book to accompany their 2012 hit single, God's Not Dead. So he did. He says faith in God is rising but so is skepticism. In 2012, Rice attended the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia. His goal was to simply listen and, after all of their rants, speaker after speaker ridiculed Christianity. "Atheists don't have arguments; they have insults," says Rice. Faith is being framed as irrational and illogical. He further explains that real faith isn't blind and includes not believing everything said in the name of "science." "The evidence that God exists is all around us and inside of us," says Rice. Atheists believe a story that the universe just happened, by chance, and that all of this life came from nothing. Reason helps us sort out helpful beliefs from hurtful ones and demands that we examine claims made in the name of faith or science in the same way we would examine anything else. Rice urges skeptics to wrestle with "blind faith" on which skepticism is based and to see how hard it is to justify those beliefs to those who do not share them. He also urges believers to wrestle with their personal and culture's objections to the faith. NINE PROOFS Rice offers nine proofs of evidence for God: 1. Real faith isn't blind. It is evidence-based and requires all our efforts in pursuit of the truth. 2. Good and evil are no illusions. Evidence of evil is not evidence of God's absence in the universe but evidence of His absence from our lives. 3. There was a beginning. When someone asks for evidence of the existence of God, reference the fact that the universe itself demonstrates the reality of our God. 4. Life is no accident. Life appears to be designed and the probability of this happening by chance is so vanishinly small that atheists have to propose an infinite number of universes to explain it away. 5. A pointless beginning points to a pointless existence. We are created in the image of God, on purpose and for a purpose. 6. Jesus and the resurrection. The death and resurrection of Christ verified His identity as the Son of God and proved His words were the words of God Himself. 7. The witness of Scripture. The truth of the Bible speaks to the core issues of everyone's life. 8. The grace effect. Grace brings a deep sense of civility and compassion for one another. 9. Living proof. There is no better time to demonstrate the reality of God through His presence that empowers us to go through the toughest times with the greatest of hope. Human rights activists Cheng Yuan and his wife Shi Minglei were members of the Trinity Gospel Harvest Church. Cheng is in prison, accused of subversion against the state; Shi is in voluntary exile in the US, where she met with members of the US State Department. Cheng campaigned for an end to the one-child law, for the rights of the sick and disabled. Shenzhen (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Two Protestant pastors and 8 members of the community were arrested yesterday during a liturgical service. Security forces entered Trinity Gospel Harvest church where about 20 people were gathered and after interrupting the prayer service, they took the arrested away. A video taken during the raid identify the two pastors as Cao Yuan and Mao Zhibin and shows them arguing with the security forces before being taken away. According to Apple Daily, the reason for the arrests could be retaliation. The church community counts among its faithful Cheng Yuan, head of Changsha Funeng, an NGO of human rights lawyers, and his wife Shi Minglei. Cheng was arrested last July; Shi, who is in voluntary exile in the United States, met with members of the US State Department on April 20. Shi voiced her suspicions pointing to the unprecedented nature of a similar raid and arrest and adding that her relatives had phoned her in the US to ask about her health and warn her against meeting with US government figures. Changsha Funeng has been working for more than 10 years for health rights, non-discrimination, aid to vulnerable groups, including those with HIV, hepatitis, and the disabled. In the past, Cheng has also launched campaigns for the cancellation of the one-child policy and for the reform of the residence certificate system, which would allow migrants in cities to receive medical care and school for their children. Last July, Cheng and two other members, Wuge Jianxiong and Liu Yongze, were arrested by public security officials and later charged with subversion against state power. I am a freshman at Portland State University majoring in psychology who is working on a campaign to ban the use of fossil-fuel sources and instead encourage institutions and corporations to use clean and sustainable energy. The fossil-fuel industry is a serious threat to public health and the environment as the burning of vast quantities of coal, gas and oil are contributing to an increase in health-related problems, racial inequity and the climate crises. These consequences fall disproportionately on Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and low-income communities nationwide. These effects are also evident through the destructive wildfires that occurred in Oregon in the summer of 2020, which cost 4,000 homes, 1.07 million acres and many lives. To tackle this issue, the Oregon Student Chapter of OSPIRG is urging institutions and corporations in Oregon to switch to 100% renewable and sustainable energy by 2035. If a bill to accomplish this were to pass the Legislature, it would immediately improve public health and safety, lead to economic growth and prosperity, generate millions of green jobs, and ensure that justice and equity are served for our endangered communities. Ayah Badawi, Beaverton The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is seen on the day of its opening ceremonies, in Winnipeg on Sept. 18, 2014. (John Woods/The Canadian Press) Calls for Palestinian-Focused Permanent Exhibit at Human Rights Museum Sparks Controversy, Anti-Israel Fears Pro-Palestinian activists are making a renewed push for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to install an exhibit highlighting the plight of Arab-Palestinian refugees, while mainstream Jewish organizations see the attempt as public political point-scoring and propaganda. The controversy surrounds what Palestinians refer to as Nakba (Arabic for catastrophe)the displacement of some 700,000 Arab-Palestinians during the 1948 war between Israel and five neighbouring Arab states. The federally funded CMHR in Winnipeg includes exhibits on various modern genocides, including the Holocaust, Ukrainian Holodomor, Armenian genocide, Rwandan genocide, and Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia. According to a March article by Candice Bodnaruk in the Washington Report of Middle East Affairs magazine, pro-Palestinian groups have been lobbying for a Nakba exhibit at the CMHR since 2011. Also in March, advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) sent out a fact sheet that addressed the question why are Palestinian Canadians dissatisfied with the museum? Palestinian Canadians are disappointed that the CMHR does not substantively include information about Palestinians, and that it has refused to recognize the Nakba, it read. There have been very few mentions of Palestine in the CMHR since it first opened. Divergent Views In a March 30 Zoom presentation hosted by CJPME titled Wheres Palestine at the CMHR? speakers revealed their renewed interest in lobbying this cause. Rana Abdulla, a Winnipeg-based Palestinian-Canadian activist, said that in the past she felt there was bad faith about the [museum] trustees, that there was no authentic interest in Palestine. But now, we are looking at a very optimistic view, with new management [the museums new president and CEO Isha Khan] is trying to open doors to the Palestinian narrative to make sure the museums very inclusive. The webinar also featured Bodnaruk, who echoed that sentiment. Abdulla added that I understand from our discussion that the Palestinian narrative is genuinely being considered for inclusion by the museum, in both digital and physical form. She suspects it may include presentations and discussions on war crimes, including the illegal settlements, right of return, and apartheid. Abdullah called the Arab-Palestinian refugee problem an ethnic cleansing and wants it to be part of the museums permanent genocide exhibition. However, Israeli author and historian Benny Morris says ethnic cleansing was not carried out in Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Regarding the refugees situation, Morris wrote in the Israeli paper Haaretz that responsibility is split among [Israel], the Palestinians and the Arab countrieswith enormous responsibility lying with the Palestinians who started the conflict. Asked whether a Nakba exhibit is in the works, CMHR media relations manager Maureen Fitzhenry told The Epoch Times, As a public institution and a museum dedicated to human rights, it is always important for us to listen to a broad range of community perspectives. Discussions have been held with Palestinian-Canadian representatives and we look forward to ongoing dialogue, she said. We will be exploring new and better ways to educate the public and share human rights storiesincluding those about the Middle Eastthrough programs, online content, and exhibits. Incomplete Portrayal of the Conflict Several of Canadas major Jewish advocacy groups weighed in on their disapproval. Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, told The Epoch Times that his organization is alarmed by anti-Israel activists attempts to strong-arm the Canadian Museum for Human Rights into creating a highly politicized and toxic Nakba exhibit. While there is no question that Palestinians have suffered as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict, he said, to host an exhibit that ignores the anti-Jewish genocidal undertones that led to the Palestinians current predicament, while denying the equally painful expulsion of more than 850,000 Jews from Arab and Muslim countries, is an incomplete portrayal of the conflict and a travesty of history. Michael Mostyn, CEO of Jewish human rights organization Bnai Brith Canada, said, We are particularly concerned by attempts by some individuals and groups to minimize the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust by attempting to equate it with the Nakba. Andria Spindel, executive director of the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, penned an open letter to Khan imploring that the CMHR not accept lies and distortions [from those]that preach antisemitism, deny historical facts, and pursue the destruction of a legitimate democratic state. Steven Greenwood, executive director of StandWithUs Canada, said his Israel advocacy group is deeply concerned that the CMHR is being pressured to promote harmful, one-sided anti-Israel claims under the guise of human rights. Since 1947, over 15 other large refugee crisesinvolving one-million-plus peoplehave occurred, none of which has a permanent exhibit at the museum, nor do the 6.6 million Syrian refugees of the last decade. Let's face it: not everyone can work with the likes of Adobe Creative Suite programs. For many, it's too complicated and a bit intimidating. But what if you need some graphic designs, but you have no desire to learn these applications' intricacies? That's where Canva comes in. Canva founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, alongside Chief Product Officer Cameron Adams, founded the company in 2013. It has since then grown insanely massive. The Sydney-based startup is now valued at USD $15 billion due to increased usage of the site since the pandemic began. As a result, Canva is now one of the most popular online tools in this age of remote working. As of this writing, Perkins and Obrecht have become billionaires, owning a 15% stake (around USD $2 billion) in the company they co-founded, and it seems like their fortune is only going to grow bigger. Adams' stake, however, is unknown. Read also: Adobe Co-Founder: Charles Geschke's Legacy That We Should Remember And Other Important Happenings Humble Beginnings Canva and its main idea was the brainchild of the then 19-year-old Perkins, who was a university student with Obrecht in 2006, according to a report by CNBC. Back then, the young woman was already into graphic design. And as a way of earning some income using her skills, she taught her fellow students how to use a handful of design programs. The people she tutored, however, felt that programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and the likes are too complicated to learn, let alone master. Perkins then thought that there has to be a better, less-intimidating way for anyone to get into graphic design and publishing. As such, Perkins took over her mother's living room with Obrecht to start an online business that catered to designing school yearbooks. Called Fusion Books, it was basically a prototype version of Canva where students can collaborate and design their own yearbooks. The two would then print these out and send them to schools all over Australia. Related: Free Stuff To Do While Stuck At Home: NASA Space Projects, Adobe Creative Cloud, Witcher Goodies Collection, And More! Trekking Across Silicon Valley Four years after they began, Obrecht, Perkins, and Adams managed to get their big break. While in Palo Alto, California, Perkins crossed paths with big-time Silicon Valley investor Bill Tai, according to a report by BBC. She pitched her idea of a website that aims to simplify graphic design and publishing, but Tai didn't seem to be interested at all. This was even after trying a certain psychological trick which Perkins says made the encounter rather humorous. As she stated during her interview with BBC, she tried mimicking Tai's body language as an attempt to impress him, but to no avail. The investor was on his phone for the entire session, eating lunch and looking like he could never be bothered listening to the woman in front of him. But despite that, he did introduce her to several other investors. This proved more than enough for Obrecht, Perkins, and Adams' venture, and it all went snowballing from there. Not bad for someone who started a business in her mom's living room, which Perkins remembers very fondly. Speaking to The CEO Magazine about having great ideas and the motivation to follow them through, she states: "Throughout my life, I've always put a lot of effort into any single thing that I did." And that effort obviously paid dividends years down the road. In Support of Noble Causes Canva founders Perkins, Obrecht, and Adams are hailed as among the most successful young entrepreneurs of today and for good reason. What started as a yearbook design business in a living room turned into a multi-billion-dollar empire. Canva now boasts 55 million active users, with around 3 million of them paying for subscriptions, as reported by Forbes. But Perkins and Obrecht, despite becoming billionaires, aren't really into "hoarding money," as they say. The couple plans to donate a huge chunk of their fortune to causes like global wealth inequality and climate change, which they are both passionate about. Now married after being engaged in Turkey in 2019 (where Obrecht proposed to Perkins with a USD $30 ring), the couple aims to make Canva go from 18 million monthly users to having every person on the internet using it. It's a big jump, but one that's likely achievable for determined people like them. This article is owned by Tech Times Written by RJ Pierce 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mumbai, April 26 : Actor Himansh Kohli shot for the new music video "Wafa na raas aayee" in Kashmir, which he describes as a place everyone must visit once in their lifetime. "Kashmir brings me peace and, in fact, whenever I go there, I start humming Kashmiri songs, which I have heard over the years. It's a place you must visit at least once in a lifetime and I can bet that you will never forget its beauty," he tells IANS. He claims shooting the video, which released recently, was challenge owing to his character in the song and also the weather. "The scenic beauty might make it seem like the entire shoot was a vacation, but trust me it was equally challenging. There are two shades of the character, one is when the character is young and full of energy, and the second is of a dull and aching heart. So, shifting from one character to another amid a very tight schedule, and also dealing with the strong weather conditions was tough," says Himansh. The actor says he has never bothered about achieving high numbers. "I give my 100 per cent to any given role and I'm satisfied with the project if it turns out to be as good in terms of performance. I don't pay heed to the numbers, but if they come out to be good, I get even happier. But I don't live under the pressure of achieving bigger numbers, I leave that part to my audience to decide and give me love accordingly," he says. A California legislator has come under fire this month for saying that being told she has to wear a mask is comparable to Rosa Parks being forced to sit in the back of the bus. Temecula council member Jessica Alexander made the comments in an April 13 virtual meeting; she compared her disagreement with public health measures to Parks' civil rights struggle, as first reported by the Press-Enterprise. "I think something we can all understand and agree with is that look at Rosa Parks, she was accommodated to the back of the bus, but she finally took a stand and moved to the front, because she knew that that wasnt lawful It wasnt true, Alexander said, according to a video of the meeting posted on YouTube (watch at 2 hours, 55 minutes). So she took a stand. At what point in time do we? I'm getting to the point in time where I'm getting accommodated in my office. Im getting pushed to the back of the bus. This is what Im telling you I feel like. At what point in time do I come out and say enough is enough? At the meeting, members discussed whether to begin meeting in person and if that would be with or without masks, especially after June 15 when Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the economy will be fully reopened and more restrictions lifted. They were split on how to proceed with meetings and some cited safety concerns and the need to follow public health guidelines, while others said in-person meetings would be hindered by masks. Alexander made clear she will not put on a mask. Local civil rights leaders have criticized Alexander for her remarks. Being asked to choose between wearing a mask or the privilege of sitting comfortably in your office during public meetings is not at all the same as the incredibly difficult sacrifices Rosa Parks and so many others made to fight for the rights to vote and live free of institutionalized segregation, Tisa Rodriguez, chairwoman of the Riverside County Democratic Party, told the Press-Enterprise. Parks was an American activist who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955. Her actions sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott led by the Baptist minister Martin Luther King, Jr. Alexander didn't respond to a request for comment from SFGATE. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 09:19:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ACCRA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Ghana is committed to reducing malaria mortality by 90 percent by 2035, a senior health official said here Sunday on the occasion of World Malaria Day. "Malaria elimination is possible and critical for fighting against other current and future diseases," Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, director general of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) said in a press release. In the face of COVID-19 pandemic, we must do more to protect everyone from malaria and made tremendous efforts in fighting against the disease, he added. Malaria is a common disease in Ghana, but Malaria-related admissions fell by 27.8 percent for all ages from 2012 to 2020, according to the GHS. Malaria fatality rate among children under five years also decreased from 0.6 percent in 2012 to 0.1 percent in 2020, it added. The Ghana health agency said eight people died every day from malaria in 2012 but the figure has dropped to one person a day in 2020. Enditem The first private facility for the testing of COVID-19 in the five regions in the north has been inaugurated at Fuo, near Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region. The testing centre, an initiative of the privately-owned Fuo Community Hospital, is to augment the government's effort in the testing and treatment of the virus in those areas of the country. The testing machine known as PCR takes 45 minutes to complete a test, and can run one test at a time. Inauguration The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fuo Community Hospital, Alhaji Iddi Sumaila, told the media after last Thursdays inauguration ceremony that the centre was established in collaboration with mPharma Ghana, a private entity that supplies health logistics. He said the testing centre was conceived on humanitarian grounds much as it made business sense, explaining that it was intended to bring such service closer to people in the northern areas to stem any chances of the disease taking a devastating hold in those areas. "We thought that it is important for private institutions to support government in the fight against the covid-19 virus, so we decided to invest in that in the form of a collaboration between the hospital and mPharma," he explained. Partnership Alhaji Sumaila indicated that consultations and negotiations were ongoing between the partners to ensure that the cost involved in testing at the centre was moderate enough to enable vulnerable and underprivileged people to benefit from the facility. The Laboratory Services Manager of mPharma, Mr Erasmus Nii Kwei Kwetey, said mPharma, as a private sector player, felt it had the responsibility to help the government in the fight against the covid-19 virus. "COVID-19 hit us hard, and businesses and individuals suffered as a result. So we introduced the PCR facilities to enable a lot more people to afford the test. This is to help increase the national capacity for running the covid-19 test," Mr Kwetey said. Active cases The Northern Regional Health Director, Dr Braimah Baba Abubakari, stated that the situation of the virus in the Northern Region was minimal, adding that there were only three active cases in the region. Dr Abubakari, however, indicated that since the virus was still in existence in the country, the newly established covid-19 testing centre was going to be of help to the region in terms of testing for the virus. He said the testing centre at the Tamale Teaching Hospital was heavily burdened beceause it was the only such centre in the area, stressing that it made testing period longer because it served all the five regions in the north. 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 A WOMAN who accused her former employers of sacking her because they believed she may be autistic has lost her claim for alleged discrimination. Sarah Hurst, 48, from Goring, is considering appealing after a tribunal judge ruled that the Department for International Trade had valid reasons for dismissing her. She was seeking 40,000 in compensation from the the department where she worked as a senior investigator for nine months from October 2018. She was claiming discrimination based on sex, age, and perceived disability. Ms Hurst was fired in June 2019 for failing to meet the required standards expected after managers raised a series of concerns about her communication skills. The former journalist was told that she was behaving inappropriately towards colleagues and could have Aspergers syndrome, a type of autism, but she denied both suggestions. Ms Hursts managers told a virtual employment tribunal in January that her performance was satisfactory in the first three months, but colleagues became concerned by her behaviour including a direct and intensive style of questioning, which she denied. They said they had raised the possibility of autism at her seven-month probation review in order to offer her support. At the same meeting, they also said they were extending her probation period despite having previously told her shed passed. In a written judgement published last Friday, judge Stephen Vowles said Ms Hursts claims were speculative on all three grounds and could not be proven. He said the tribunal was satisfied that managers believed Ms Hurst was disabled but there were plausible non-discriminatory reasons for overturning her probation. He acknowledged that the probation reviews were causing Ms Hurst stress as she asked for them to stop but ruled that it was not unreasonable and it was not discriminatory to continue the process. Ms Hurst, who now works as a freelance consultant and journalist, said she was obviously disappointed by the result. She said: For the judge to have found that the most important point that they perceived me as autistic was true, I dont know how anything else they could have said would be found to be believable. Im still not sure what I did wrong. If its my direct communication style, I dont agree anything is wrong with that and dont think thats grounds for dismissal. The judge said the probation period caused me stress but they were okay to go on with extending it. I dont think anyone should perceive a disability. It was a horrible thing to do and they have no qualifications to be able to do that. If Ms Hurst appeals, it will only be on grounds of perceived disability as she believes the claims of age and sex discrimination are harder to prove. She has 42 days from April 16 to decide and is currently receiving legal advice. Ms Hurst added that although she lost the tribunal, she was glad to have had the opportunity to question her former employers. She said: Im quite confident and I didnt crack or get emotional. It was a difficult and challenging time. A spokeswoman for the Department for International Trade said it wouldnt comment on the decision. This summer, American tourists who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to travel to the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told The New York Times on Sunday. Nonessential travel to the EU has been banned during the coronavirus pandemic, with just a few exceptions. The United States has been quickly vaccinating people 42.2 percent of the total population has received at least one dose of a Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and as all three are European Medicines Agency-approved, "this will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union," von der Leyen said. "Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA." Von der Leyen did not say when exactly American tourists will be able to arrive, only clarifying that restarting travel depends on"the epidemiological situation, but the situation is improving in the United States, as it is, hopefully, also improving in the European Union." EU and U.S. officials have been spending the last several weeks discussing how to make vaccine certificates that are easily readable and will give American tourists the ability to travel without restrictions, the Times reports. Greece, which depends on tourists visiting in the summer, announced last week it will allow Americans to enter the country beginning on Monday, as long as they can show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. More stories from theweek.com The Republican plot to steal the 2024 election Republicans are expected to gain seats in redrawn 2022 congressional maps, but Democrats could be worse off The Oscars finale was a heartless disaster The European Union absolutely does not support the redrawing of borders in the Western Balkans, the European Commission official said in response to an unofficial diplomatic note proposing to divide Bosnia and unite Kosovo with Albania. The document, which was leaked to Reuters and circulated to EU officials, proposes annexing parts of Bosnia to Serbia and Croatia to help integrate the region into the EU. This alarmed the Bosnians, who saw the document as a threat to their country's territorial unity. Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the document, which no country officially claimed. Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo also hope to become EU members. The EU says they must first resolve their conflicts and push forward democratic reforms before they can join. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels that the EU wants to continue to see positive changes in the rule of law in Serbia through the accession negotiations. They discussed the negotiations between Belgrade and Kosovo. The leaders of North Macedonia and Kosovo are also due to arrive in Brussels this week. Von der Leyen said the EU will support the construction of a railway between Belgrade and North Macedonia, hopes for a formal start of membership negotiations. Kolkata, Apr 26 (UNI) Except for some stray incidents of violence, the elections were largely peaceful with the turn out to be around 75.06 per cent in the seventh phase West Bengal Assembly election to 34 seats which will decide the fate of 268 candidates amid unprecedented security arrangements. Murshidabad district saw the highest turnout at 80.37 per cent, followed by Dakshin Dinajpur (80.25 pc), Malda (78.76 pc) and Kolkata South (60.03 pc), as per the EC's voter turnout app. These numbers are likely to increase after polling ends at 1830 hrs, as per the Election Commission. Stray incidents of violence were reported from some areas where voting is underway for the seventh phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal. Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee today demanded the withdrawal of central forces in the next phase of polling in a bid to contain Covid spread in the state while welcoming Madras High Courts observations that the Election Commission could not avoid blame for the spread of the pandemic. Ms Banerjee cast her vote at a polling booth in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur. The TMC supremo, a resident of Harish Chatterjee Street, exercised her franchise at a polling booth in Mitra Institution School around 1550 hrs. On a wheelchair, she briefly paused before photojournalists while coming out amid shouts of "Didi, Didi", before boarding her car. She also showed a victory sign towards the cameras. The TMC supremo also claimed that her party would secure 200 seats while the BJP may go up to 80 seats. A few incidents of the scuffle were reported from the Asansol area, where Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Sayoni Ghosh claimed that BJP activists tried to jam booths. The allegation was dubbed as baseless by BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul, who asserted, "Ghosh is making excuses sensing defeat". Ms Paul alleged that a Trinamool Congress polling agent was wearing a cap with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's photo on it, at a polling booth in Baktarnagar High School. She said that the presiding officer said he was unwell and didn't see the cap. "EC has said that you can't wear anything that has your party's symbol or a political leader's picture. This is Mamata Banerjee's trick. She knows people won't vote for her. Her time is up," Ms Paul added. There was a commotion in Rash Behari constituency after BJP candidate Lt Gen (retd) Subrata Saha's agent Mohan Rao was accused of molesting women voters inside a polling booth in the New Alipore area, police said. Mohan Rao was detained after several women voters claimed he tried to drag them holding their hands inside Bidya Bharati School, a police officer said. "We have received a complaint in this regard and a probe is underway," he said. Rao, however, rubbished the allegations and said no such incident had taken place. A Trinamool worker assaulted at Farakka in Murshidabad. Meanwhile, a voter died at Domkal in Murshidabad due to a heatwave. In the Jamuria constituency in Paschim Bardhaman district, Left Front candidate Aishe Ghosh alleged that her party agents were stopped from entering the booth by TMC workers Trinamool Congress candidate from Rashbehari (Kolkata) Debashis Kumar alleged that he was not allowed to enter many booths by central forces BJP candidate from Raninagar Masuhara Khatun alleges attack on her car by TMC activists BJP polling agent Sankar Sarkar alleged he was forcefully pushed out of booth no.91 by TMC members and made to leave the spot in Bakhra village of Ratua, Malda. A TMC member said, "He is not a voter here so we asked him to leave respectfully. Nobody threatened him. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee after casting his vote at Mitra Institution in Bhabanipur, said, Extremely confident that Mamata Banerjee will be back with 2/3rd majority...People are dying but EC is conducting 8-phase polls to benefit a party. TMC candidate from Bhabanipur constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, after casts his vote at Manmatha Nath Nandan Boys and Girls School said, People will vote for Mamata Banerjee and her projects as her development has reached all homes. This election is being held on those issues. I have been in politics since 1962, but this is the first time I am voting for myself, he added. TMC MP Nusrat Jahan after cast her vote said, "Why was the Election Commission sleeping all this while? Only when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided he won't hold any public meetings, the EC decided to call off all public meetings. It listens to the prime minister and home minister more than anyone else," she added. UNI BM RHK1947 Page Content CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 30, 2021) Robinhood announced Tuesday it is locating a customer experience and account operations center in Charlotte, investing $11.8 million in new office space and bringing nearly 400 new jobs to the city. "With the second-largest financial center in the nation, North Carolina is one of the fastest growing tech hubs where companies like this know they can flourish," said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. Robinhood is a mobile-first investing platform known for pioneering commission-free trading with no account minimums, lowering the barriers for millions of investors to participate in the financial markets. Founded in 2013, Robinhood offers investing in stocks, options, exchange traded funds and cash management products through its brokerage, Robinhood Financial, crypto trading through Robinhood Crypto, and a suite of educational resources for first-time investors interested in building long-term, generational wealth. The Charlotte operations office will hire for analysts, operations personnel, and customer experience and account operations professionals who will assist Robinhood customers with financial advice. The average salary for these new positions exceeds the City of Charlottes overall average annual wage. Charlotte is known for its talented and diverse workforce, making it an easy choice as we looked to expand our operations, said Alex Mesa, Head of Customer Experience at Robinhood. Were confident that Charlottes workforce will further contribute to our mission and lower the barriers to investing for all. Were thrilled to join the Charlotte community. We welcome Robinhoods new jobs and investment to North Carolina, said Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. This expansion is evidence that our exceptional pipeline of diverse and highly-skilled tech talent, along with our budding entrepreneurial landscape, will continue to attract the fintech industry and grow our innovation economy. Robinhood joins a long line of companies, including Retirement Clearinghouse and Intercontinental Capital Group, who have announced new or expanding fintech and customer service operations in Charlotte over the last year. It also comes on the heels of several transformative announcements, including Arrivals U.S. headquarters and Microfactory, and Centenes east coast headquarters. With this announcement by Robinhood, Charlotte further cements itself as a leading city for the ever-growing fintech industry. Our citys strong concentration of talent creates an ideal pool for companies who are looking for innovative and skilled workers, said Tracy Dodson, Assistant City Manager and Economic Development Director. Were excited for the new career opportunities that Robinhoods jobs will provide for our community. The project was a collaborative effort between the City of Charlotte, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the North Carolina Community College System, Mecklenburg County, Carolina Fintech Hub, and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. (Natural News) On Friday, April 16, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the disbanding of the independent ethics board that reviews applications for federal funding for projects that use fetal tissue. This notice informs the extramural research community that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reversing its 2019 decision that all research applications for NIH grants and contracts proposing the use of human fetal tissue from elective abortions will be reviewed by an Ethics Advisory Board, the NIH notice stated. An NIH spokesperson confirmed that the board will not convene again and intramural NIH research involving fetal tissue can resume. (Related: New video: Planned Parenthood officers admit under oath to using partial-birth abortion to harvest baby parts to sell.) HHS overturns policy put in place during Trump administration In disbanding the ethics board, the HHS essentially overturned a policy put in place under former President Donald Trump. That policy halted all internal NIH research using aborted fetal tissue and severely restricted outside fetal tissue research funded by taxpayers. Some Trump-era requirements governing grant applications for fetal tissue research arent affected by the new announcement. For example, investigators still need to explain why the research cant be accomplished without using fetal tissue. Under the Trump administration, the NIH offered grants to organizations that found alternatives to fetal tissue research. This reflects a turn to poor ethics as well as poor science, said David Prentice, vice president and research director of the antiabortion Charlotte Lozier Institute who served on the now-disbanded ethics review board. But, not all members of the ethics board are against its disbandment. It was a farce, said Lawrence Goldstein, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, and the only member of the advisory board whos an outspoken advocate of fetal tissue research. Highly valuable projects that had been through multiple levels of review already went to this board to die. The ethics board had previously reviewed 14 research proposals that would have used fetal tissue. It only approved one of the 14 for federal funding. House Democrats may have influenced HHSs decision A handful of House Democrats apparently influenced HHS Secretary Xavier Becerras decision to reverse Trumps restrictions. The previous administrations restrictions on fetal tissue research continue to threaten scientific and medical advances by blocking intramural researchers from using the material and discouraging extramural researchers from pursuing research with it, the lawmakers wrote last week. The Trump administrations policy was politically motivated and unnecessary. Democrat lawmakers were also the first to laud the move by the HHS. In a statement, Democrat Reps. Suzan DelBene of Washington, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois said they applauded the change in policy to reverse the Trump administrations arbitrary barriers to both extramural and intramural researchers on the use of fetal tissue in scientific research. Conservative groups, Republicans criticize HHSs decision The change is a blow to opponents of abortion who sought to limit the use of fetal tissue in labs. Conservative groups and some Republican members criticized the HHSs decision. (Related: Pro-abortion feminist ADMITS abortion ends a human life, but says its justifiable.) No taxpayer dollars should be used to buy aborted baby body parts, tweeted Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. In fact, this practice (which the Biden admin would love to spend big on) should be ended immediately. The American people would be outraged if they knew this was happening with their hard earned dollars. The National Right to Life Committee called the move a sickening decision by the Biden administration. Tiny human babies are aborted by abortionists and then exploited to be farmed for their organs and tissue for use in experiments, Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said in a statement. The Biden administration and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra have dismantled the process of making researchers meet any ethical standards when it comes to harvesting the body parts of aborted children for research. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins also had some strong words for Becerra and the Biden administration. As expected, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, a fanatical advocate for abortion, announced the Biden administration will now force American taxpayers to pay for barbaric experiments using the body parts of aborted babies. Instead of using ethical and effective alternatives, Biden is choosing to reinstate a policy that traffics in the grizzly remains of what would have been our next generation, Perkins said. The fact is that the remains of aborted babies have not been used to create the cure of a single disease. Its clear that the NIH under President Biden means to do the opposite of follow the science.' According to Perkins, the Biden administration does not value the inherent dignity of human life. Their actions deny the truth that every human life, born and unborn, possesses inherent dignity and deserves to be treated with respect, said Perkins. Connor Semelsberger, director of Federal Affairs for Life and Human Dignity at Family Research Council, said that using body parts from aborted babies to conduct research is a barbaric practice that should be unthinkable. Sadly, President Biden is instead promoting it, he said. Proponents of aborted fetal tissue research willingly compromise ethics in the name of science. However, the ends do not always justify the means. Follow OrganHarvesting.news for more news and information related to organ harvesting and abortion. Sources include: HarbingersDaily.com ScienceMag.org ChristianPost.com FRC.org The latest QV Quartile Index shows precisely how difficult it has become since lockdown for Kiwis to take their first step on the property ladder. "Its no wonder that first-home buyers have been feeling so hard done by," says Quotable Value (QV) general manager David Nagel. "Just look at the size of those capital gains, which have been driven up, up, up by a lack of supply and a whole lot of competition between other first-home buyers and property investors. "Our data shows that it has been a very busy 12 months for first-home buyers and investors in particular. In the past year, the only main centres where the top end of the market outperformed the lower end were Tauranga, Queenstown, Upper Hutt, Rodney and Waitakere." However, the latest figures indicate that price pressure may be shifting from the bottom quarter of the market to the top. In the last three months, the upper quartile outperformed the lower quartile in 41 per cent of the territorial authorities that QV reports on up from 29 per cent over the past 12-month period. "Time will tell what the exact effect of the Governments recent measures to combat rampant house prices will be," says David. "I suggest that we may see a slight cooling of the bottom 25 per cent of the market in coming months as investors take a pause to weigh up their futures whether or not they can cover the additional costs or if they should sell. "This pause may give many first-home buyers the opportunity they need to get on the property ladder, but its hard to see prices coming down in a hurry, given that theres still so much demand and not enough supply. Meanwhile, price pressure will concentrate further up the property ladder." Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. To the Editor: Re We Owe Fauci Gratitude, Not Grief, by Frank Bruni (column, April 25): Dr. Anthony Fauci is my hero in this Covid pandemic. He is the bobblehead that I proudly display on my bookshelf. I agree completely with Mr. Bruni in his assessment of the depth and commitment of this truly patriotic public servant. Dr. Fauci has been the one constant, calm, knowledgeable messenger of scientific facts during our long national nightmare. We Americans have been able to rely on him to tell us the truth and keep us safe regardless of politics and self-serving politicians. President Biden should award Dr. Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom to acknowledge all that he has done for his fellow citizens. Caren Kalman Woodland Park, N.J. To the Editor: Frank Brunis call for gratitude is welcome, but the implication that Dr. Anthony Faucis dedication to public service is unusual is not. While public servants are often denigrated by politicians, business leaders and the press, the federal government is nonetheless replete with dedicated ones. Charged up by strong sales of its electric cars and SUVs, Tesla on Monday (US time) posted its seventh-straight profitable quarter. The company made $US438 million ($561 million) in the three-month period that ended March 31, as sales more than doubled compared to the same period last year to nearly 185,000 vehicles. All but 2000 of the sales were lower-priced Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs. Tesla said it didnt produce any of its higher priced Model S sedans and Model X SUVs as it switched to new versions during the quarter. Tesla sales more than doubled compared to the same period last year to nearly 185,000 vehicles. Credit:Bloomberg The California company faces challenges as it tries to reach its second-straight annual profit this year. Theres a global shortage of semiconductors thats forcing automakers to idle factories, and Tesla is facing renewed scrutiny of its Autopilot partially automated driving system after two men died in a crash earlier this month near Houston. Excluding stock-based compensation and non-recurring items, Tesla made 93 cents per share. That beat Wall Street estimates of 75 cents per share, according analysts polled by data provider FactSet. First-quarter revenue of $US10.39 billion fell just shy of the $US10.48 billion expected by analysts. Data, the 4IR and spatial transformation in Johannesburg The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has been lauded for its potential to accelerate global social and economic transformation, raise income levels, and improve the quality of life. The 4IR is distinguished from previous industrial revolutions by increased fusion of technologies and the blurring of lines across the physical, digital and biological spheres. This has been driven by developments in technology and computing, most notably the expansion of processing power and storage capacity, enhanced connectivity and networks, increasing access to information and collaboration, and technological breakthroughs in AI, robotics, IoT, automation, biotechnology, quantum computing, large-scale information and big data, and analytics. The effect has been the reorganisation of nearly all industries and sectors across the world, through the transformation of systems of production, management, governance, and all aspects of social and community life.1 While the 4IR holds great potential for enhancing productivity and efficiency, transforming sectors including healthcare, finance, mobility, and sustainable development, and driving the emergence of new markets; 4IR is not without challenges. Datafication refers to the logic and processes through which subjects, objects, and everyday life are turned into digital data. This data is increasingly mined for value, or applied in governance, policy, and legislation. Critical engagement with developments in this field have highlighted the scope for this to contribute to expanding inequality. Leveraging 4IR (and data) for sustainable development and spatial transformation The 4IR transition marks a moment of transformation across government, businesses, and society. How can governments and institutions leverage 4IRs potential to drive social, spatial, economic transformation? There is a need for governments to be responsive and adaptive, to leverage rapid technological change towards achieving development aspirations and enhancing human development, economic competitiveness, and transforming human settlements.2 This will require the expansion of the capacity and capability of all institutions and stakeholders to harness the potential of 4IR and apply it to developing solutions for local contexts. At the local level, there is an increasing need for interactive, collaborative decision making and mutual learning across government, industry, civil society and residents. One of the key drivers of the 4IR is big data and analytics. Sometimes described as the new gold or new oil of the 21st Century, data underpins the majority of the technological dynamics in AI and digitalisation, and has transformed decision making and business models across industries. With this transformation has come the need for the formulation of national policies on data, data protection and data access.3 As in other sectors, urban development and spatial planning have been transformed by developments in 4IR, and through rapid technological change across sectors and industries related to the production of space. An emerging research thread will be on how urban data and analytics is applied in policy-making and in the legislation and coordination of urban investments in land use, infrastructure and utilities, transport and mobility, and human settlements development, particularly in cities in the developing world.4 Blog series SA&CP and NOVAYA Labs will be publishing a 4-blog series on data, spatial planning, and public and private sector investment for sustainable urban development, focusing on the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The blogs will explore how data has been used to drive strategic spatial planning, integrated development planning and investment from within the Metro. They will also track developments in open data in Johannesburg and South Africa, and how urban data has been leveraged by the private sector and civil society in South Africa. Lastly, the blogs will explore emerging research and investment opportunities created by applying data and plantech for strategic spatial planning, and the coordination of investment resources for urban development. Dr Miriam Maina is an urban researcher, GIS and spatial analytics consultant and a post-doctoral researcher at the NRF Chair in Spatial Analysis & City Planning. This blog post first appeared on One City. DALLAS, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 40,000 current claims on behalf of individuals diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma after exposure to the Bayer Monsanto Roundup herbicide remain unresolved as criticism mounts that a proposed settlement framework is inconsistent and unfair to cancer victims. Plaintiffs in multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Roundup maker Bayer AG (OTCMKTS: BAYRY) increasingly see a jury trial as the only avenue for justice, said trial lawyer Majed Nachawati of Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm. The Fears Nachawati Law Firm has filed motions on behalf of clients with non-Hodgkins lymphoma seeking to throw out a proposed settlement to the MDL, which would allow Roundup maker Bayer AG to continue selling the glyphosate-based herbicide while shielding it from future cancer lawsuits. "This proposed settlement has been fatally flawed from the beginning," Mr. Nachawati said. "Bayer shareholders would like to put this significant exposure behind them, however Bayer's strategy will only ensure that jury trials will take place for years to come." Rather than resolving all the lawsuits together, the proposed settlement allows Bayer's lawyers to negotiate separately with one law firm at a time. According to published reports, law firms that were part of the MDL leadership committee were among the first to settle and reached agreements that are more than twice the amount the remaining cancer claims are being offered. Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate, has been linked in published reports to the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other forms of cancer. Juries in three separate trials heard the evidence and returned multimillion-dollar verdicts against Bayer AG, which acquired Roundup-maker Monsanto in 2018. The multidistrict litigation (MDL) is In re: Bayer Roundup Products Liability Litigation, case number 3:16-md-02741, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Dallas-based Fears | Nachawati Law Firm represents individuals in mass tort litigation, businesses and governmental entities in contingent litigation and individual victims in complex personal injury litigation. The largest and most diverse products liability law firm in the nation, Fears | Nachawati was ranked No. 1 nationally in product liability filings in federal court over the last three years. For more information, visit https://www.fnlawfirm.com. Media Contact: Robert Tharp 214-420-6011 [email protected] SOURCE Fears Nachawati Law Firm Related Links https://www.fnlawfirm.com Policing in Louisville, Kentucky, following the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by officers during a raid at her home, will undergo a sweeping Justice Department probe, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday. It will focus on whether the Louisville Metro Police Department has a pattern of using unreasonable force, including against people engaging in peaceful activities, and also will examine whether the department conducts unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures, and execution of search warrants, Garland said. Taylor, 26, who was an emergency medical technician and had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from sleep by police who came into her home using a battering ram in March 2020. US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday at the Department of Justice in Washington announced the Louisville, Kentucky, probe as the second such sweeping investigation into a law enforcement agency from the Biden administration in a week. During a raid at her home in 2020, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot, struck five times. No drugs were found in Taylor's apartment. The raid was part of a narcotics investigation for which a no-knock warrant was approved. No drugs were found at her home. Her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, who was there at the time, fired his gun once, saying later that he feared an intruder was entering the apartment. One officer was struck, and he and two other officers fired 32 shots into the apartment, striking Taylor five times. No drugs were found in Taylor's apartment. Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Breonna Taylors family, posted a celebratory message on social media shortly after the announcement. Boom. Thank you, he wrote. Aguiar and other attorneys negotiated a $12 million settlement in September with the city of Louisville over Taylors death. Brett Hankison, who was fired from the Louisville Police Department following the raid on March 13, 2020, has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of wanton endangerment. Fired Louisville Police Department officer Brett Hankison (right) has had his trial pushed to next year. He was indicted by a grand jury last September for shooting into a neighbor's apartment the night Breonna Taylor (left) was killed in a botched raid He was indicted by a grand jury last September for shooting into a neighbor's apartment. No officers were charged in connection with Taylor's death. Hankison's trial has now been pushed back to February 2022 after originally being set for August this year. It comes after his attorney had been trying to get the trial moved elsewhere because he claimed the jury pool had been tainted because of the negative publicly surrounding the case. The Louisville Police Department has faced intense scrutiny over the past year. This is the second such sweeping probe into a law enforcement agency announced by the Biden administration in a week. Garland, who made Mondays announcement, last week announced a probe into the tactics of the police in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The attorney general has said there is not yet equal justice under the law and promised to bring a critical eye to racism and legal issues when he took the job. Few such investigations were opened during the Trump administration. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted last week of murder in Floyds death, but no one has been charged in Taylors, though her case, too fueled protests against police brutality and systemic racism. It is clear that the public officials in Minneapolis and Louisville, including those in law enforcement, recognize the importance and urgency of our efforts, Garland said. A part of the probe, prosecutors will speak with community leaders, residents and police officials as part of the Louisville probe and will release a public report, if a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct is discovered, Garland said. He noted that the department has implemented some changes after a settlement with Taylors family and said the Justice Departments investigation would take those into account. A demonstrator holds a smoke bomb as he marches to protest the lack of criminal charges in the police killing of Breonna Taylor, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky on September 24, 2020. Taylor's death sparked multiple protests and some violence. Chinese President Xi Jinping has flexed his military muscles in the South China Sea by unveiling three new warships. It comes amid fresh tensions with Taiwan, with Taiwan's foreign minister saying earlier this month that the island will defend itself 'to the very last day' if attacked by China. China's newest assets include an amphibious helicopter carrier, a nuclear sub and a guided-missile cruiser. Xi attended the commissioning ceremony of three naval vessels, the Changzheng-18, the Dalian, and the Hainan, and boarded the vessels after the ceremony. The vessels were delivered to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and placed in active service on Friday at a naval port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents People's Liberation Army (PLA) flag and the naming certificate to the captain and political commissar of the Hainan in Sanya Chinese President Xi Jinping has flexed his military muscles in the South China Sea by unveiling three new warships in a ceremony on Friday Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents People's Liberation Army (PLA) flag and the naming certificate to the captain and political commissar of the Dalian in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 23 They were unveiled in a ceremony attended by the Chinese president, in a military port in the city of Sanya on Friday. The helicopter carrier, Hainan, is able to transport up to 1,200 troops in addition to dozens of jets. The upgraded Type 094A nuclear-powered submarine also on display is thought to be able to carry ballistic missiles. During the ceremony, President Xi presented the certificate to the captains and political commissars of the three warships, before climbing aboard and inspecting the onboard equipment and talking to sailors. Chinese President Xi Jinping presents People's Liberation Army (PLA) flag and the naming certificate to the captain and political commissar of the Changzheng-18 in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 23 Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with representatives of vessel researchers and naval officers and soldiers in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 23 he military ceremony was a show of strength amid tensions with Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be won over peacefully or by force. It does not recognise Taiwan's democratically elected government, and leader Xi Jinping has said 'unification' between the sides cannot be put off indefinitely. China warned the US to 'stop playing with fire' as it continued to strengthen its relationship with Taiwan. 'There is zero room for compromise and not an inch to give,' Chinese spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. 'We urge the US side to grasp the situation, earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, refrain from playing with fire, immediately stop official contact with Taiwan in any form.' Diehard Tesla investors might be forgiven for wondering why the thrill of owning the iconic carmakers stock has seemingly disappeared. After all, since catapulting over 700 per cent last year, the shares have barely eked out a 3.4 per cent advance in 2021. Meme stocks like GameStop have pushed Tesla out of the limelight, while bitcoin has attracted almost all the buzz. Tesla shares jumped by 700 per cent in 2020 but have had a muted start to this year. Credit:Bloomberg But the electric-vehicle juggernauts first-quarter results on Monday (US time) might be just the thing to change all that. Since reporting surprisingly strong deliveries for the first three months of the year, expectations are running high. And Tesla also needs to convince investors it can hold onto its lead in the EV market in an increasingly crowded playing field. As a result, traders are pricing in a jolt to the shares. Options pricing suggests Teslas stock may fluctuate 7.2 per cent in either direction, which would be the largest post-earnings move since January last year. A Memorial Celebration of Life will be held for Judy Thornbloom of Osakis who passed away at the age of 59 in April of 2020. It will be held on Friday, June 11, 2021 from 1 - 5 pm at the Osakis VFW Post #7902 in Osakis. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, hearing a petition on whether there were adequate Covid safety procedures in place during vote counting at the Karur constituency, went so far as to say, Election Commission officers should be booked on murder charges probably. (PTI Image) Chennai: The Madras High Court came down heavily on the Election Commission (EC) on Monday with scathing comments on how it was the only institution responsible for the second wave of the deadly coronavrius that is sweeping the country as it did not stop political parties from holding election rallies. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, hearing a petition on whether there were adequate Covid safety procedures in place during vote counting at the Karur constituency, went so far as to say, Election Commission officers should be booked on murder charges probably. Despite repeated orders of this court going on like a broken record at the foot of at least every election petition entertained that Covid protocol ought to be maintained during the campaign time the significance of adhering to such protocol may have been lost on the Election Commission going by the puerile silence on the part of the Commission as campaigns and rallies were conducted without distancing norms being maintained and in wanton disregard of the other items of the protocol, the Bench said. Were you on another planet when political rallies were being held? the chief justice asked ECs standing counsel when he told the court that measures had been put in place to ensure Covid protocol during vote counting. The court has asked for a suitable blueprint from EC on how Covid safety norms will be followed on counting day while saying that it could even stop the counting of votes on May 2. At no cost can the counting result in a catalyst for a further surge, politics or no politics, and whether the counting takes place in a staggered manner or is deferred. Public health is of paramount importance and it is distressing that constitutional authorities have to be reminded in such regard. It is only when the citizen survives that he enjoys the other rights that this democratic republic guarantees unto him. The situation is now one of survival and protection and everything else comes second to it, the order stated. The measures must not be limited to Karur, the court insisted and said, Similar appropriate measures have to be adopted at every counting centre and it is upon regular sanitisation, proper hygienic conditions, the mandatory wearing of masks and adherence to distancing norms should any counting begin or be continued. The case listed the next hearing for April 30 when the ECs blueprint must be placed on record before that, the court said. She has had her own unique sense of style when it comes to fashion since making her screen debut back in 1970. And on Sunday, more than 50 years on, Diane Keaton showed off some of her trademark style when she headed out for a walk with her beloved Golden Retriever, Reggie. Even with the temperatures approaching 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the Academy Award winner kept up her penchant for long jackets, by donning a black puffer for her stroll in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Trademark: Diane Keaton, 75, put her iconic style on display during a walk with her beloved pet pooch in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday The Los Angeles native, 75, also wore loose-fitting animal print pants with a black shirt and black leather shoes. Playing the role of confident pack leader, Keaton led the way during their walk with one of her trademark hats over her long tresses. She also donned sunglasses and a protective mask amid the still dangerous COVID-19 pandemic. Keaton was arguably among the most popular and acclaimed actresses of the 1970s and 1980s. Pack leader: The Godfather star matched a long puffer coat with animal-print pants, a black shirt and leather shoes as she led the way alongside her female pooch, believed to be Reggie She began her career on stage but eventually made the transition to the silver screen in the romantic comedy, Lovers and Other Strangers (1970). Her big breakthrough came when she played Kay Adams-Corleone in the classic gangster film The Godfather (1972), and it's sequels The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). She also made waves with her roles in a number of Woody Allen films like Play It Again, Sam (1972), Sleeper (1973) and Annie Hall (1977), for which she won a Best Actress Oscar. Some of her other popular films include Looking For Mr Goodbar (1977), Father Of The Bride (1991), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Marvin's Room (1996), First Wives Club (1996), Morning Glory (2010) and Book Club (2018). Over the past few weeks, Keaton took to her Instagram page to promote her work with the #GucciBeloved campaign, while showcasing her trademark beret and suit look. Keaton was 50-years-old when she decided to become a first-time mother, adopting her daughter Dexter in 1996 and son Duke in 2001. 'Motherhood has completely changed me. It's just about the most completely humbling experience that I've ever had,' she confessed. 'I think that it puts you in your place because it really forces you to address the issues that you claim to believe in and if you can't stand up to those principles when you're raising a child, forget it.' Over the past few weeks, Keaton took to her Instagram page to promote her work with the #GucciBeloved campaign, while showcasing her trademark beret and suit look. 'IT WAS AN HONOR TO WORK WITH YOU!!!' she gushed in the caption. At the final table of GG Spring Festival Main Event-H: $1,500 PLO-NL, a favorite and a longshot met at the end to chop up all the money. Joachim "jochee" Haraldstad began the final table with the biggest stack and completely dominated from start to finish, wrecking fellow leader Markus "Lenbert1" Schottes and just generally rampaging to what looked like an insurmountable lead. Meanwhile, "Majki365," the shortest stack by far and the only player open from the start about wanting to deal, managed to ladder past all the other players at the seven-handed table. They double up heads up, and after a few more hands of play, Haraldstad agreed to deal and they each secured more than $200K for their efforts in the 1,412-entry field. Official Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Joachim "jochee" Haraldstad Norway $249,926 2 Majki365 Slovakia $210,693 3 Bernard Larabi Hungary $147,781 4 Markus "Lenbert1" Schottes Germany $110,705 5 Arvi Vainionkulma Finland $82,931 6 Suhepx Austria $62,125 7 Jens "Tankanza" Lakemeier Austria $46,539 For Haraldstad, the key hand came up with three tables left. He flopped top set of aces versus second set of kings held by Bernard Larabi, who had the chip lead and opted to check-shove the turn. After missing the one-outer, he crashed back to the pack while Haraldstad rocketed to the chip lead with more than 100 big blinds. Some heavy bubble pressure saw Haraldstad take 43 million out of about 140 million total chips to the final table. Only Schottes was close behind with 40 million but nothing went right for him at the final table besides an early bust of Jens "Tankanza" Lakemeier. He dropped three pretty big pots to Haraldstad to fall to a short stack and ended up going out in fourth. In the mean time, Majki365 pretty much sat on the sidelines as Haraldstad played all of the pots and busted just about everyone. Every time they got all the chips in, they had the best of it and held up. All the while, their offers for a deal went unrequited. When Haraldstad busted Larabi in third on a zero-sweat hand, a deal still seemed pretty unlikely as Haraldstad was up about 6-to-1 in chips. Majki365 finally got it in behind but they managed a double, and not too long after that, Haraldstad decided to end things early and not risk any miracle comeback, giving up about $14K from the first-place prize money. Drugmaker Natco Pharma Limited said on Monday that it has applied to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for approval of phase-3 clinical trial of coronavirus antiviral drug Molnupiravir Capsules for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The capsule has been developed by US pharma major Merck along with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. As per a press release from the Hyderabad-based company, pre-clinical data has proven that Molnupiravir has broad anti-influenza activity, comprising highly potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication. Also Read: Zydus' antiviral Virafin receives emergency authorisation for COVID-19 treatment "Patients treated with Molnupiravir achieved response within 5 days of therapy indicating that the duration of treatment with Molnupiravir is short, with the additional advantage of being an oral therapy," the company said in its statement. NATCO is hoping that CDSCO will give emergency approval to this drug based on "compassionate use" for patients. "Compassionate use" approval is given for investigational drugs so that a patient with an immediately life-threatening condition can gain access to the drug. The company is ready to launch the product this month if approval is given. Shares of Natco Pharma were trading 4.16 per cent higher at Rs 914.35 apiece on BSE. Also Read: All above 18 years to get free COVID-19 vaccine in Delhi, says Kejriwal Zydus Cadila recently received restricted emergency use approval (EUA) from DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India) for the use of the antiviral drug 'Virafin'. The pharma company said that a single dose of antiviral administered subcutaneously early on shows significant clinical and virological improvement in patients with moderate coronavirus. It stated that 91.15 per cent of patients who were treated with the antiviral were RT-PCR negative by Day 7. The treatment also reduces hours of supplemental oxygen in patients. The company said that when administered early on during COVID-19, the Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b (PegIFN) Virafin will help patients recover faster and avoid many complications. The antiviral will be available on the prescription of medical specialists for use in hospital/institutional setups. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) Several Latvian diplomats working in Moscow have been inoculated with Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, Maris Riekstins, Latvia's ambassador to Russia, said on Monday. "The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered [staff members of] embassies to be inoculated with Russia's vaccine Sputnik V. Several among our colleagues have taken this opportunity. This was a personal decision for everyone," Riekstins said as broadcast by Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy. Responding to a question about the prospects of Sputnik V in Europe, the ambassador said that it depends on experts who regulate vaccine certification. Since early March, Sputnik V, developed by Moscow-based Gamaleya National Center, has been undergoing vetting by the European Medicines Agency, which expressed the hope that the process will end as soon as possible. She's been proudly showing off her ample assets since revealing she secretly had a boob job at the start of the year. And Zara McDermott was sure to flaunt her incredible figure as she headed to dinner in Kensington, London, with Made In Chelsea's Ruby Adler on Sunday. The Love Island star, 24, put on a very busty display in a plunging floral shirt and matching wide-leg trousers from PrettyLittleThing. Flaunt it: Zara McDermott put on a busty display in a floral ensemble from PrettyLittleThing as she headed to dinner in Kensington, London, on Sunday Zara, who has also starred on Made In Chelsea, exuded confidence as she strutted towards Italian restaurant Il Portico in her eye-catching floral ensemble. She highlighted her trim waist by opting for a pair of high-waisted bottoms and tying her shirt in knot. The beauty wore her long blonde locks down, letting her tresses cascade over her shoulders as she worked all her angles for the camera. Not forgetting her accessories, Zara toted a small blue handbag and kept with the summery theme by donning nude strappy heels. Work it: The former Love Island star, 24, looked incredible in a plunging shirt and trousers while her pal Ruby Adler rocked an orange cold shoulder crop top Zara was joined by her pal Ruby who flashed her taut midriff in an orange cold shoulder crop top from PrettyLittleThing which also boasted a plunging neckline. The beauty kept things casual as she styled her bright top with some denim jeans and tied her hair back into a sleek ponytail. Once seated at the restaurant, the two reality stars seemed to be having a fabulous catchup as they smiled and chatted away after looking at the menu. Zara also shared a sizzling snap of her lunch attire to Instagram on Sunday, ensuring to pose up a storm as she tilted her head to one side and flaunted her cleavage. Stand out: Zara exuded confidence as she strutted towards Italian restaurant Il Portico in her eye-catching floral ensemble Toned: The blonde beauty showed off her svelte frame in the figure-hugging outfit Style: Zara was joined by her pal Ruby who flashed her taut midriff in an orange cold shoulder crop top from Pretty Little Thing which also boasted a plunging neckline It comes after it was revealed that Zara is set to front a new documentary about sexism and rape culture with BBC Three following her revenge porn show. The TV star will look into whether the cruel behaviours develop in schools by travelling to both state and private institutions in the country. On the upcoming programme, the model said: 'I hope that by speaking out and bringing awareness to such important yet often taboo topics, we can help people not just across the country, but the world too.' The former Made In Chelsea star added: 'After the success of my Revenge Porn documentary, I am both honoured and thrilled to be making my second documentary with BBC Three. Looking good: The beauty wore her long blonde locks down, letting her tresses cascade over her shoulders Stunning: Zara highlighted her trim waist in the bold tie-detail shirt Glam: Zara added a slick of nude lipstick while Ruby rocked a touch of blusher 'I was, and still am, incredibly overwhelmed by the response so far and to be working on another powerful, emotive, educational and eye opening film is going to be a fantastic next step.' Fiona Campbell, Controller of BBC Three, echoed the media personality's comments by sharing: 'Zara's first BBC Three film about revenge porn was both shocking and eye-opening and the response has been incredible. 'We're really looking forward to working with her again for this film that confronts another important subject that needs to be discussed and we're hoping that this film will be equally impactful with our audience.' All dressed up: Zara opted for nude heels and a blue bag while Ruby toted a large Chanel handbag to the restaurant Decision time: The women appeared to be in good spirits as they perused the menu Catch up: Zara looked animated as she told Ruby something over the table Out: The blonde beauty seemed to be laughing at something as they placed their order Zara McDermott: Revenge Porn, which came out earlier this year, was hugely successful and is the most-requested BBC Three factual programme of 2021 so far. The influencer's first documentary shed light on her two experiences with revenge porn, after explicit images were taken and leaked when she was both 14 and 21. Zara had been shooting the show for over a year and has been campaigning relentlessly to tighten laws on the crime of image-based sexual abuse, which is the sharing of private, sexual materials of another person without their consent. Ladies who lunch: Ruby tied her brunette locks back into a sleek ponytail Wow! Zara also shared a sizzling snap from the meal to Instagram The TV star previously detailed her new career change as she told The Sun's TV magazine: 'I would like to do more documentaries. I'm bursting with ideas. 'I think I surprised myself - I was obviously nervous, a year ago. I enjoyed that gratification of helping people. That's my goal for this year and next year.' Drawing parallels between making the film and her days as a government advisor, the blonde added: 'I'd come home and feel like I'd helped someone. Every change you make was positive, and that's something I've missed for a few years.' Zara McDermott: Sexism in Schools is expected to be released later this year. Yoruba actors appear divided in their stance concerning the rape allegations leveled against their colleague, Olanrewaju James aka Baba Ijesha. The police in Lagos arrested Baba Ijesha on Tuesday for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old minor since she was 7 years old. According to the police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the suspect was arrested following a complaint last week Monday at Sabo Police Station in Yaba area of the state. The actor also confessed to the crime and was captured by a closed-circuit television in the victims house. Since the news came to the fore, several Yoruba actors have expressed divergent views on the matter. While some set of actors appear sympathetic to the actors plight, others are drumming support in the fight for justice for the defiled minor. A divided house Over the weekend, Iyabo Ojo called out and slammed her colleagues who are drumming support for the embattled actor. In a video she captioned, Please lets be mindful in my industry, this is a very sensitive issue and we should all remember that a 14 years old child is involved, she urged Baba Ijeshas supporters to stop defending the actor and stand by the truth. She also asked her colleagues to desist from demanding to see the CCTV footage on social media as a minor was involved. Meanwhile, another actor, Rotimi Makinde, who lent his voice to the defilement case on his Facebook, said people should show love and give the actor the benefit of doubt as he has not been pronounced guilty in any law court. Baba Ijesha, the popular comedian deserves some benefit of the doubt until a court of competent jurisdiction proves him guilty of any offence. I understand he was alleged to have committed an illegal actOr is it a crime to be a movie star!, he said. He said with the way the matter went viral, it seems people wanted the movie star down. Lets be patient, show the accused some love even as we condemn any bad acts and to stop jumping to conclusions on his alleged assault on a minor its like some of us want him down before now? Crime is bad but crucification of any suspect on its own is also a crimeOf course we can pity the alleged victim. Another actress, Biodun Okeowo, also vowed to lay curses on her colleague, if he is eventually found guilty of the allegations. The 41-year-old actress demanded to be shown the CCTV footage. She wrote on Instagram, Please who has the footage where the disgusting, abominable and unimaginable act is being committed? Or at least his confession. I have some unused curses if hes found guilty! This is hard to believe. Crestfallen is even an understatement Im emotionally shattered. Cant wrap it off my head. ADVERTISEMENT TAMPAM reacts The Theatre Arts And Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) has, however, condemned the defilement allegations levelled against one of its own. A statement signed by the associations spokesperson, Yemi Amodu, on Saturday, cast a guilty verdict on the comic actor while expressing sympathy for the family of the alleged victim. The association also vowed to support government in its bid to ensure that ignoble acts are checked within the society. The statement partly read, We find it obligatory to condemn in totality the odious occurrence of pedophilia confessed to by Mr. Olanrewaju James aka Baba Ijesha as confirmed by the police. Our association TAMPAN is crestfallen about this act and will reproach and remonstrate the committer of such exclusive sexual harassment to prepubescent children. Considering the sensitivity of the case, which is still under investigation according to Lagos State Commissioner of Police, TAMPAN will never support all acts against what we preach and represent. As an association, we understand the mores and norms of our people and behaviour will always be homiletic. Tonto Dike and Lege Miami too Meanwhile, Nollywood actress, Tonto Dike, in a series of posts with different captions, described Baba Ijesha as an evil man. In one of her posts, she said anyone with information on this , pleases contact me. This evil man must not be released (and must) not be granted bail. She urged her followers to join her call for justice for the victim by reposting and tagging foreign and local authorities. In another post, she said if he is found guilty, she will personally make sure he never sees the light of the day. However, the actress rants did not go down well with Kehinde Adams aka Legemiami, a Yoruba filmmaker, who described her as a nonentity. In two videos he shared online, he appealed to Nigerians to allow the police conduct their investigations before casting a guilty verdict against the actor . Like Okeowo, he also demanded to see the CCTV camera that captured the actor in the act. He said his colleagues gave Tonto the opportunity to cast aspersions at the actor without proof. He also said the actress has not gone to the police station to get her facts right before accusing the actor. He then said that if the actor is indeed guilty, he will be jailed, if not, he will regain his freedom. Following the videos, he captioned other subsequent videos say no to rape. Countering Adams, Its a celebrity, so we all want to see cctv camera first? If it is non celebrity he is GUILTY, Tonto Dike said in her response. She further questioned the filmmaker my question for you is, are you also a paedophile? Other actors in the Yoruba movie industry are yet to react to the latest development. Last fortnight, a Central Railway (CR) pointsman Mayur Shelke sprinted into national headlines after he out-raced an oncoming train, Udayan Express, and saved the life of a 6-year-old kid from certain death on the railway tracks at Vangani station near Karjat. Earning laurels, Mr Shelke was felicitated by the CR, railway minister Piyush Goyal gave a reward of Rs50,000, industrialist Anand Mahindra praised him while Jawa Motorcycles's director Anupam Thareja gifted him a brand new Jawa 42 Nebula Blue bike worth around Rs1.65-lakh. Pointsman Mr Shelke who was barely around 25 metres away, ran towards the 6-year Sahil Shirsath, who got up and tried to clamber up the high platform, faltered a bit and then continued, pushed the boy up and then hoisted himself up. The entire life-saving drama lasting barely half-a-dozen second was captured on a CR CCTV and its footage made Mr Shelke, a new 'Indian SuperMan'. Mr Shelke pushed the child up and also desperately hoisted himself as barely a second later the train zoomed onto the platform, but both the kid and his guardian angel were saved by virtually by a hair's breadth. "Very proud of Mayur Shelke, Railwayman from the Vangani Railway Station who has done an exceptionally courageous act, risked his own life & saved a child's life," said Goyal in a tweet. Very proud of Mayur Shelke, Railwayman from the Vangani Railway Station in Mumbai who has done an exceptionally courageous act, risked his own life & saved a child's life. pic.twitter.com/0lsHkt4v7M Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 19, 2021 CR spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said the staffer is being rewarded for his alertness and daring which helped rescue a boy from certain death on the tracks. Quietly away from the limelight, Sahil's mother Sangita Shirsath, 32, with tears of gratitude welling up her sightless eyes, blessed Mr Shelke for giving new life to her little son and her pillar of support. Her plight moved a Mumbai diamantaire Dharmesh Jhaveri and he decided to do something so Ms Shirsath, hailing from Nanded, could regain her eyesight. "She deserves help, a top eye-surgeon Dr Hemendra Shah in Mumbai will examine her soon. Even Bhiwandi-based Samast Jain Mahasangh Convenor Ashok Jain has promised to try for the best possible treatment for her," Mr Jhaveri told IANS. On her part, the mother keeps her fingers crossed on her fate, but is extremely concerned about her son's secure future. "Shelke Saheb was very kind to give me half his prize money (Rs25,000) for Sahil's education. I deposited it in my SBI account. A couple of journalists gave me Rs4,000 and clothes for us. But we have a long way to go," Ms Shirsath trailed off. Meanwhile, Sucheta Dalal, managing editor of Moneylife and founder-trustee of Moneylife Foundation has started a crowdfunding campaign on OurDemocracy.in "This open-ended campaign is for 20 days only. The money goes to Mayur Shelke (barring payment gateway charges) to do as he pleases with no strings attached. His account has been listed as the sole beneficiary. This campaign is not about helping Mayur Shelke he does not need our help -- but about honouring him as an incredible human being. We need more like him to make India a better country!" Ms Dalal says. Here is the link to OurDemocracy.in page in case you want to join the crowdfunding to honour the incredible Mayur Shelke... NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. ("Flagstar" or the "Company") (NYSE: FBC) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by New York Community Bancorp, Inc ("New York Community") (NYSE: NYCB). Under the terms of the merger agreement, Flagstar shareholders will receive 4.0151 shares of New York Community common stock for each Flagstar share that they own, representing implied per share merger consideration of $48.14 based upon New York Community's April 23, 2021 closing price of $11.99. Upon completion of the transaction, New York Community shareholders will own approximately 68% and Flagstar shareholders will own approximately 32% of the combined entity. The implied total transaction value is approximately $2.6 billion. If you own Flagstar shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website: http://www.weisslawllp.com/FBC/ Or please contact: Joshua Rubin, Esq. WeissLaw LLP 1500 Broadway, 16th Floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 682-3025 (888) 593-4771 [email protected] WeissLaw LLP is investigating whether (i) Flagstar's board of directors acted in the best interests of Company shareholders in agreeing to the proposed transaction, (ii) the merger consideration adequately compensates Flagstar's shareholders, and (iii) all information regarding the sales process and valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed. WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected] SOURCE WeissLaw LLP Related Links http://weisslawllp.com It's been nearly ten years since he captured Rhonda's - and Australia's - heart as 'Ketut' in AAMI's iconic insurance ads. And Kadek Mahardika has revealed to this week's New Idea magazine he's ready to reprise the role that made him famous. 'Whatever Australians ask, I'll do,' he said of returning to the popular series of commercials. Comeback: Actor Kadek Mahardika (right, with wife Laura) has revealed to this week's New Idea magazine he's ready to reprise his role as 'Ketut' in AAMI's iconic insurance ads The Rhonda and Ketut adverts first appeared in 2012 to promote AAMI's safe driver insurance. In the series of ads, Rhonda, played by Mandy McElhinney, meets her younger lover while on holiday in Bali, before their summer fling becomes a long-term relationship. And the former actor's real-life wife, Laura, said the 37-year-old made the character his own with 'ad-libbed lines'. 'It was all purely Kadek,' said the mother of two, referring to Ketut's memorable quotes like 'You look hot today Rhonda... like a sunrise.' Moving on: Kadek is a family man these days. He and Laura share two young children, Mila, eight, and Lenny, five Still on! Rhonda and Ketut from the iconic AAMI adverts are 'still together' eight years later, the insurance company confirmed last year. The star-crossed lovers were portrayed in the ads by actors Mandy McElhinney and Kadek Mahardika Mandy, 50, is also known for her roles in television shows including Wakefield and Bad Mothers. Kadek is a family man these days. He and Laura share two young children, Mila, eight, and Lenny, five. He also has an older son, RJ, from a previous relationship and earns a living driving heavy machinery in a quarry in Melbourne. Just last year, AAMI confirmed that Rhonda and Ketut 'are still together and doing well' despite the coronavirus pandemic. 'Still together and doing well': In a Facebook exchange, which later wert viral, an AAMI spokesperson offered a cheeky response when asked by a fan how the pair were doing Remember this? The Rhonda and Ketut adverts first appeared in 2012 to promote AAMI's safe driver insurance. In the series of ads, Rhonda meets her younger lover while on holiday in Bali, before their summer fling becomes a long-term relationship In a Facebook exchange, which later wert viral, an AAMI spokesperson offered a cheeky response when asked by a fan how the fictional couple were doing. 'Hi there so it's 2020 and I just wanna know if Rhonda and Ketut are still together during COVID,' the fan asked. AAMI replied: 'Hey there Matt, thanks for checking in on them! Rhonda and Ketut are still together and doing well. 'Naturally, they've had to cancel some holiday plans but are using the time to relax at home. Stay safe!' The president of Planned Parenthood, Alexis McGill Johnson, last week announced in a New York Times op-ed a change in the organizations treatment of its founder, the pioneering birth control advocate Margaret Sanger. We have defended Sanger as a protector of bodily autonomy and self-determination, while excusing her association with white supremacist groups and eugenics as an unfortunate product of her time, wrote Johnson, but now, [w]e will no longer make excuses or apologize for Margaret Sangers actions. Johnson stops just short of labeling Sanger a racist, saying its not a simple yes or no question and we dont know what was in Sangers heart, but concludes that we dont need to in order to condemn her harmful choices. But this is a simple question. Sanger was not a racist. In 1945, Sanger made her beliefs on race plain in an interview with the African American newspaper the Chicago Defender. Discrimination is a worldwide thing. It has to be opposed everywhere. That is why I feel the Negros plight here is linked with that of the oppressed around the globe, said Sanger. The big answer, as I see it, is the education of the white man. The white man is the problem. It is the same as with the Nazis. We must change the white attitudes. Asked of her impression of the South from her travels, she said, What hangs over the South is that the Negro has been in servitude. The white southerner is slow to forget this. His attitude is the archaic in this age. Supremacist thinking belongs in the museum. In assessing Sangers legacy, Johnson finds a history of focusing on white womanhood relentlessly. But in Sangers view, Negro participation in Planned Parenthood means democratic participation in a democratic idea. Sanger had long sought to back up such words with action. For example, she opened a birth control clinic in Harlem aided by a 15-member African American advisory council and after a nudge from an African American social worker included an African American doctor on its staff. According to Sanger biographer Jean Baker, at the time the waiting room was one of the only integrated spaces in daytime New York. Sanger hoped that increased use of contraception by African Americans would serve to reduce their high infant and maternal death rate, to maintain better standards of health and living for those already born, and to create better opportunities for those who will be born. Johnson cites three aspects of Sangers record to suggest she had racist tendencies. One, she spoke to the womens auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan at a rally in New Jersey to generate support for birth control. Two, she endorsed the Supreme Courts 1927 decision in Buck v. Bell, which allowed states to sterilize people deemed unfit without their consent and sometimes without their knowledge[.] And three, the first human trials of the birth control pill a project that was Sangers passion later in her life were conducted with her backing in Puerto Rico, where as many as 1,500 women were not told that the drug was experimental or that they might experience dangerous side effects. All these examples lack significant context. Sanger spoke at a Silver Lake, N.J., Klan meeting (not a rally) in 1926 because she was invited. She wanted to spread the word about birth control to any interested party, not because she wanted to spread the word about white supremacy. When she wrote about the experience in her autobiography, she called it one of the weirdest experiences I had in lecturing. And she did not think much of her audience: Never before had I looked into a sea of faces like these. I was sure that if I uttered one word, such as abortion, outside the usual vocabulary of these women they would go off into hysteria. And so my address that night had to be in the most elementary terms, as though I were trying to make children understand. In the end, through simple illustrations I believed I had accomplished my purpose. One can certainly criticize the principle Sanger was guided by to justify speaking to any group, even a racist group, interested in birth control. As Sanger put it, Always to me any aroused group was a good group[.] Counters Johnson: Speaking to a hate group devalued and dehumanized people of color. Still, one speech shouldnt overshadow a long career of trying to overcome racial barriers to improve the health and quality of life of African American women. As for Puerto Rico, it wasnt selected for the human trials on racist grounds. Sangers team, led by obstetrician and gynecologist John Rock, had already been conducting tests on a handful of people in Massachusetts. But they were taking a legal risk in doing so; in the mid-1950s, distributing birth control information in Massachusetts was a felony. For large-scale testing, they had to go elsewhere. As Baker recounts, Puerto Rico, with its clinics already in place, a sympathetic administration, no laws against contraception, and a poor population with large families, was an obvious choice[.] More than 1,000 women volunteered for the experiment and, according to Baker, the women were advised informally of various risks. If they werent given a thorough explanation of the potential side effects, it wasnt because they were Puerto Rican. It was because scientific experiments in the 1950s didnt have the same standards as today. As Margaret Marsh and Wanda Ronner explain in their biography of Rock, Without denying that the conduct of the pill trials would not be compatible with our present-day conduct of clinical trials, we do not believe they were either immoral or unethical according to accepted standards of the era. Rock and [his colleague Dr. Celso-Ramon] Garcia designed the same protocols for the women of Puerto Rick as Rock had used for his own patients in Brookline. Sanger did endorse the Buck v. Bell ruling. But this made Sanger an ableist, not a racist. As can be seen in Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes majority opinion, the particular strain of eugenics that anchored the ruling supported sterilization of mental defectives on the assumption that heredity plays an important part in the transmission of insanity, imbecility, etc. Race played no role in the decision. The sterilized plaintiff, Carrie Buck, was white. She, her mother, and her daughter were assumed (perhaps wrongly) to have been feeble-minded, leaving Holmes to jarringly conclude in his ruling, Three generations of imbeciles are enough. After the ruling, according to Baker, Sanger became an outspoken supporter of involuntary sterilization. But such support for eugenics was widespread in the 1920s. Historian Thomas C. Leonard wrote that eugenics was, in actual fact, the broadest of churches. Eugenics was not aberrant; it was not seen as a pseudoscience. Eugenics was mainstream; it was popular to the point of faddishness; it was supported by leading figures in the still-emerging science of genetics; it appealed to an extraordinary range of political ideologies, not least to the progressives. Some eugenicists were also racists, but Sanger challenged them. In fact, as Baker wrote, When John Harvey Kellogg, of cereal fame and a staunch supporter of the Race Betterment Foundation, argued in Literary Digest that high fertility rates among blacks proved the futility of birth control, Sanger used her Harlem case studies to refute the point. Still, Sanger was unquestionably an ableist. And even though ableism was widespread in her time, Planned Parenthood would certainly be justified to distance itself and the reproductive rights movement from Sanger to send an anti-ableist message. Planned Parenthood has no obligation to glorify Sanger and keep her name on buildings. But abandoning its past efforts to correct misperceptions about Sangers views on racial equality may have repercussions. For decades, opponents of Planned Parenthood have tried to not only brand Sanger a racist, but to falsely claim she pioneered the movement for legal birth control and abortion in order to eliminate the black race. Such smears dont just happen on fringe websites. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in an opinion written two years ago regarding a case involving a law banning women from getting abortions on the basis of the fetus race, sex or potential disability wrote an extended critique of Sanger and eugenics that heavily suggested she had racist intent. Thomas included a 1939 statement from Sanger that is often quoted out of context: We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. When she wrote that in a letter to a colleague, Sanger was embarking on an effort to promote birth control in southern African American communities, and she was expressing worry that if the effort didnt include black doctors, their project would inadvertently feed unfounded fears. (As described in Planned Parenthoods new online history of itself, Sanger lost control of the project, and Black women were sent to white doctors for birth control and follow-up appointments, deepening the racist and paternalistic problems of health care in the South.) In fact, Sanger once rejected money from a racist who did want to stop African American reproduction. When we first started out an anti-Negro white man offered me $10,000 if I started in Harlem first, Sanger told the Chicago Defender. His idea was simply to cut down the number of Negroes. Spread it as far as you can among them, he said. That is, of course, not our idea. I turned him down. When you see all the evidence that Sanger rejected white supremacy, opposed discrimination and worked to overcome segregation, its easier to show how such statements are taken out of context. But when Planned Parenthood inaccurately suggests Sanger was a racist, putting statements in context becomes much harder. That doesnt just damage Sangers reputation, it damages the efforts to prove the past and present goals of the reproductive rights movement are not intrinsically racist. India star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin withdrew from the Indian Premier League on Sunday to support his family during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ashwin, 34, a key Test and ODI player, said he would be taking a break from playing in the lucrative T20 franchise tournament with the Delhi Capitals team. My family and extended family are putting up a fight against #COVID19 and I want to support them during these tough times, Ashwin tweeted. I expect to return to play if things go in the right direction. Thank you @DelhiCapitals. Delhi said they supported the decision taken by Ashwin. Extending our full support to you in these difficult times, @ashwinravi99 Sending you and your family all the strength and prayers from all of us at Delhi Capitals, the team tweeted. Ashwin has played 77 Tests in a 10-year international career as well as 111 ODIs and 46 T20 Internationals. He has 409 Test wickets, one of just 16 bowlers in history to break the 400-mark. Ashwins Twitter account has over 10 million followers. His profile page contains the plea: Stay home stay safe! Take your vaccine. As for the match, Sunrisers Hyderabads inept middle-order show foiled their splendid bowling effort as they slumped to yet another in Indian Premier League (IPL), losing Sundays contest against Delhi Capitals via Super Over, here. Hyderabad spinners Rashid Khan and Jagadeesha Suchiths tight spells had restricted the Capitals to 159 for four despite a quick 81-run stand between openers Prithvi Shaw (53) and Shikhar Dhawan (28). However, Hyderabads over-reliance on their top-order batsmen meant that once skipper David Warner (6) and Jonny Bairstow (38) were dismissed, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was left to anchor the sinking ship. DC are currently placed second with 8 points from five games while SRH are seventh with a lone win. With Capitals packed with proven performers, it was not possible for Williamson (66 not out) to do the job without support from other end. His fighting knock was not enough to take the side home. (With AFP inputs) Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here Kim Kardashian is going through some major changes in her life. From a personal assistant to a reality star to being a successful businesswoman and aspiring lawyer, she has done it all. Now, the KKW Beauty mogul is in the middle of a high-profile divorce from her husband Kanye West, all while promoting the final season of their hit reality series "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." And while Kim is the only human who also has difficult days, she remained in touch with her fans. She never misses a day posting snaps and cute clips on her social media to assure her more than 200 million followers that "everything is well" with her. But on Reddit, a lot of her fans have discussed the mother-of-four's rebranding. Some of them are even hoping they would see her rebranding moment. A Reality Show That Would Chronicle Kim Kardashian's New Single Mom Life Fans of Kim Kardashian recently discussed a photo of her and her kids on Reddit. The photo showed the reality star seated and surrounded by her kids, North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. Several fans expressed their approval of the 40-year-old's rebranding in the wake of her divorce. One Redditor commented, "I love these photos she's sharing recently. I love the less makeup and focusing on her kids. They look really happy and relaxed." Another person directly commented on the rebrand, saying, "Someone else said it, but like feels like her rebrand is incoming since her serious lawyer brand is taking too long." One Redditor suggested that they would be happy to see a reality show about Kim Kardashian and her newly single mom life as she raised her kids. "Off topic, but I'd totally watch a spinoff show of single mom Kim managing her business and raising her kids." Several agreed, even declaring, "This is what the Hulu show should be." READ ALSO: Laura Dern Trends On Twitter For 'Recycling Half' of An Iconic 2001 Oscars Dress: Who Wore It Better? Kim Kardashian's Life Amid Divorce Kim Kardashian has had to deal with the stressful process of divorce as this wasn't the first time she has done so. There were times she would hit the town and enjoy her single days with friends. But this time, the SKIMS creator has four kids to take care of. But despite the number of kids to raise, she reportedly has a lot of energy for it. An insider told Hollywood Life that the KUWTK star is still adjusting to being single. Now, however, she isn't thinking of dating just yet. "Right now, it's all about her kids, just making sure they are doing good and adjusting well to the new normal." They added, "She's also very busy with work and school, she has so much on her plate there's hardly a free moment." Though she would be savoring her single life, Kim Kardashian is reportedly open to getting married once more. The insider added, "She has no plans to date anytime soon, but Kim would love to be married again." "She's very family oriented. It's just nowhere near on her mind at the moment." READ MORE: Viola Davis Pays Ultimate Tribute to Chadwick Boseman on Oscars 2021 Red Carpet See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles (Cant see this map? Click here.) The Allentown Health Bureau is offering walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week in hopes of removing barriers preventing people from getting protected. The bureaus mass vaccination clinics at the Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds, 1725 W. Chew St., are now open to anyone 18 and up without an appointment. As long as vaccine supply permits, the bureau is accepting walk-ins to the clinics, which are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week. The bureau is only giving the Moderna vaccine. It has administered 40,000 shots to date. Companies in need of vaccine for their workforce are asked to call the health bureau at 610-437-7760. If you have an appointment scheduled with the Allentown Health Bureau and got your shot elsewhere, the bureau asks you to cancel your slot here. Almost 50% of Lehigh and Northampton county residents have at least one shot and nearly 30% are fully vaccinated. The state is aiming for an 80% vaccination rate. Pennsylvania is vaccinating 96,800 people a day over the last week, a slight drop from the prior week when the moving average climbed to 101,000 people a day. The state health department and Lehigh Valley vaccine providers say demand is easing for shots after weeks where it was tough to find an open appointment. Thats why providers, like the Allentown Health Bureau, are employing different strategies to make it easier for people to get vaccinated. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenias economic activity index declined by 2% in January March 2021 compared to January-March 2020, however, in March this year the economic activity registered 9.6% growth compared to February, the Statistical Committee reported. Industrial production volume declined by 3.9% in January-March, however in March 9.1% growth was registered in comparison to February. Agricultural gross output volume declined by 1% in January-March compared to the same period of 2020. Construction volume increased by 23.5% in March compared to February. Decline by 5.6% was registered in trade turnover in January-March, and the volume of services provided has declined by 8.1%. Whereas the figures of March increased by 9.5% compared to February. Consumer price index increased 5.2% in January-March 2021, that of industrial production prices by 7.1%. Electricity production volume increased by 1.4%. 4.4% decline was recorded in external trade turnover volumes in January-March 2021 compared to January-March 2020, meanwhile in March 12.8% growth was registered compared to February. Export from Armenia increased by 11.6%, whereas in January-March it increased by 3.4% compared to January-March 2020. Import to Armenia increased by 13.5% in March compared to February, whereas in January-March 2021 it declined by 8.7% compared to the same period of 2020. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Ina Garten has many popular dessert recipes. Beattys Chocolate Cake and Outrageous Brownies are just a few of them. However, its another dessert the Barefoot Contessa says makes grown men cry. What is it? Her Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel. Ina Garten | Noam Galai/WireImage RELATED: Ina Gartens Chocolate Cake Recipes Besides Her Famous Beattys Chocolate Cake A recipe from Gartens 10th cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey, her Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel is easier to make than it sounds. And coming from Garten, the queen of simple recipes, it comes together using under 10 ingredients. According to the recipe on The Food Networks website, Garten combines cream, whole-milk yogurt, vanilla extract, Gartens favorite store-bought vanilla is Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla extract and vanilla seeds as the base for the dessert. Then she mixes gelatin with cream before mixing everything together with a splash of rum. The cream mixture gets divided among individual dishes to set in the fridge. Before serving she heats up caramel sauce and rum. After dividing it between each dish, she sprinkles them with salt an ingredient Garten says is used wrong often and the panna cotta is ready to eat. RELATED: Barefoot Contessa: Ina Gartens Store-Bought Chocolate Recommendations During a 2018 conversation with The Food Networks FN Dish, Garten discussed the power of her Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel. Trust me it makes grown men cry, she said. A big statement, Garten prepared the dessert during a 2017 spot on PBS NewsHour. In a video posted to the programs official YouTube channel, the Barefoot Contessa explained that it might sound intimidating to make but its really not. Panna cotta is one of those things that people think are too scary to make and its so easy to do its incredible, she told PBS NewsHours William Brangham in the barn where she films Barefoot Contessa. Garten made the panna cotta while explaining every step. Of course, her recipe included a few Barefoot Contessa twists compared to the Italian classic. The Food Network star used clear drinking glasses as individual serving dishes. She also had a major store-bought is fine moment using a jar of really good caramel sauce. Gartens pick? Frans, which she called fantastic. She heated it up on the stove with a splash of rum before pouring it over each panna cotta. They taste-tested the finished product and while it didnt bring Brangham to tears he called it really fantastic. Other caramel desserts from Garten Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel isnt the only caramel recipe of Gartens. According to the cookbook index on her Barefoot Contessa website, the 73-year-old has multiple dessert recipes loaded with caramel. Garten included a Salted Caramel Brownies recipe in her eighth cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof. In the cookbook Garten considers her personal favorite, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, theres a recipe for Caramel Chocolate Nut Ice Cream. Gartens also fond of caramel sundaes. She has two variations; one in Barefoot Contessa at Home and another in Cook Like a Pro. Want nothing but caramel? Use the TV personalitys How Easy Is That? recipe for Fleur de Sel Caramels. Or make Salted Caramel Nuts from her Make It Ahead cookbook. UK-based carmakers forced to halt or reduce production in recent months have been placing workers on Covid-19 furlough and claiming their wages from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, according to newly published government figures. But were their struggles directly attributable to the pandemic or due to other issues such as the well-known semiconductor shortage that has been hitting several industries in the past few months? The question lies at the heart of government efforts to help businesses cope with Covid-19, as the circumstances in which furlough money can be claimed are not entirely clear. The carmaking industry has been hard hit since last December by shortages of semiconductors, the silicon chips needed in large quantities to make modern cars. Car manufacturers that spoke with Verdict mostly declined to break down how much of their furlough claims could be directly attributable to the semiconductor shortage. Honda of the UK Manufacturing, a subsidiary of the Japanese carmaker, claimed between 1m and 2.5m in government furlough grants in January 2021. That same month it temporarily paused production at its Swindon factory, where it makes the Civic car, for four days due to Covid-related supply issues. Honda declined to confirm or deny whether any of the 1m to 2.5m furlough grant was a result of chip shortages. A Honda spokesperson told Verdict: At times when our ability to maintain our operations has been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, Honda of the UK Manufacturing has utilised the UK governments Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support our continued business activities and retention of staff. The details of Hondas claims are commercially sensitive and further details will not be disclosed. Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK, the British car-building arm of the Japanese company, temporarily paused two production lines in January at its Wearside, Sunderland, assembly plant, citing supply chain disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thematic Reports Are you worried about the pace of innovation in your industry? GlobalData's TMT Themes 2021 Report tells you everything you need to know about disruptive tech themes and which companies are best placed to help you digitally transform your business. Find out more That same month, recently published government records show that Nissan claimed between 100,001 and 250,000 from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which pays up to 80% of employees salaries if they are unable to work because of Covid-19. In February the BBC reported that about 750 workers were furloughed due to the parts shortage. Nissan told Verdict that this number was not accurate but did not provide an alternative figure. A Nissan spokesman said: In recent months a global shortage of semiconductors has also affected parts procurement in the auto sector. Due to the shortage, Nissan is adjusting production and taking necessary actions to ensure recovery. We continue to work closely with our supplier partners to assess the impact on our supply chain and production, and minimise inconvenience for our customers. The company also claimed 25,001 to 50,000 in furlough grants in December 2020. The governments published furlough data shows claims in bands rather than specific amounts. Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover, which paused production in December at its Castle Bromwich factory due to a supplier issue related to Covid, claimed between 1m and 2.5m that month. In January it again claimed between 1m and 2.5m. A Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson said that its supply issue in December was not one of semiconductors. The spokesperson told Verdict last week that at that point it had not put any employees on furlough due to semiconductor issues. Later that day the company announced that it would temporarily close its plants in Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands and Halewood on Merseyside, and this time stated specifically that this was because of the chip shortage. The company said Jaguar Land Rover was yet to make a decision as to whether it would put the 6,000 workers spread across the two plants on the furlough scheme. Ford, which has manufacturing sites in Dagenham and Halewood, claimed between 100,001 and 250,000 in January 2021 from the CJRS. It also claimed 50,001 to 100,000 in December. However, a Ford spokesperson told Verdict that these claims were not associated with the ongoing semiconductor shortage. The spokesperson explained that Fords UK plants build diesel engines and transmissions, which are not as dependent on chips. In January 2020, Aston Martin Lagonda claimed between 500,001 and 1m from the CJRS. It did not reply to questions sent by Verdict asking if these claims were in any way related to the global chip shortage. Toyota Manufacturing, which claimed up to 10,000 in December, also did not return a request for comment. A fire in Hitachinaka felt as far as Swindon The chip crisis is having a knock-on effect in various industries including carmaking. The shortage began when demand for consumer electronics such as laptops and games consoles surged during the pandemic. The foundries that make the physical chips, including TSMC in Taiwan and Samsung in South Korea, found themselves unable to keep up with this sudden surge in demand despite operating at full capacity. At the same time car manufacturers that operate using just in time supply chains cancelled orders of semiconductors in the early stages of the pandemic due to factory closures and slumping sales. When demand for cars picked up again in the final quarter of 2020, many automakers found themselves at the back of the queue with semiconductor suppliers who had shifted production out of automotive chips and into other types of product. Todays cars can easily contain more than 100 chips and according to GlobalData Automotive analysts, modern vehicles are as reliant on computer chips as they are on their engines and chassis. Problems in the semiconductor supply chain have caused nearly all automakers across the world to halt vehicle production at some point this year. This supply squeeze was compounded by severe weather closing Samsungs chip factory in Austin, Texas in February and a fire at a factory in Japan run by chipmaker Renesas that halted semiconductor production. Some companies, including Chinese telco Huawei, stockpiled chips last year ahead of trade blocks, which strained supply before the pandemic. The publication of the furlough payments raises questions regarding the circumstances in which companies should claim taxpayer money to furlough staff. According to the government guidance, companies can claim from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme if they cannot maintain their workforce because operations have been affected by Covid-19. Verdict understands that the government sees a fairly broad scope for companies to claim from the CJRS due to the complexity of determining how much Covid is a factor in a business ability to operate. However, Julian Hemming, employment law partner at law firm Osbourne Clarke, told Verdict that businesses should not make use of the CJRS where the reason for supply issues is not solely (or at least primarily) due to coronavirus. He added: The purpose of the CJRS is to provide financial support to businesses who cannot maintain their current workforce because their operations have been impacted by Covid-19. For instance, the coronavirus pandemic may have impacted the supply of semiconductors globally, but there are other factors which cannot be clearly attributed to Covid-19 that have had a more profound impact on this situation. He cited the fire at the Renesas factory and the long-running US-China trade war that had disrupted the flow of semiconductors before the pandemic. In my view, there is not a strong enough connection between the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and the semiconductor shortage to access the CJRS, Hemming said. Automakers across the UK were forced to suspend vehicle production in March 2020 due to the first national lockdown. They were permitted to resume production with coronavirus safety measures in place from July, and there has been no government restriction on the operation of car factories since then. Early indications of a chip shortage emerged in November 2020 but it wasnt until December that it had a notable impact on the automobile industry. HOLLYWOOD, Calif.Thank Me Now, Inc. (Voodoo Toys, Hello Sexy, Gender Fluid, Triton Maxx brands) has hired Joe Pascolla, a well known lubricant and adult retail ambassador, as Sales Executive to join the company's growing team. With nearly 10 years of experience in the adult retail industry, Pascolla brings his depth of experience and warm personality to the new post of selling Thank Me Nows extensive range of vibrators, lubricants and accessories. Commented Thank Me Now brand manager Sally Cotching, Were thrilled to welcome Joe on board. His knowledge and approach to creating long lasting relationships with his customers will be a great complement to our team. Pascolla will be managing client relationships with new and existing customers across the U.S. and Canada. To contact him directly, email [email protected]. PLEASANTON, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Net sales of $347.6 million increased 22.6% year-over-year Gross margin of 46.7% increased from 45.7% in the prior year period Income from operations of $68.4 million increased 38.6% year-over-year, operating margin of 19.7% increased from 17.4% in the prior year period Diluted earnings per share of $1.16 increased 39.8% year-over-year Updating full year 2021 financial guidance on improved revenue expectations Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: SSD), an industry leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, today announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2021. Refer to the "Segment and Product Group Information" table below for additional segment information (including information about the Company's Asia/Pacific segment and Administrative and All Other segment). All comparisons below (which are generally indicated by words such as "increased," "decreased," "remained," or "compared to"), unless otherwise noted, are comparing the quarter ended March 31, 2021 with the quarter ended March 31, 2020. 2021 First Quarter Financial Highlights Consolidated net sales of $347.6 million increased 22.6% from $283.7 million . increased 22.6% from . North America net sales of $300.6 million increased 20.7% from $249.1 million due to higher sales volumes to the home center distribution channel, primarily due to the return of Lowe's in the second quarter of 2020 and increased repair and remodel activity, as well as from other distribution channels, which experienced an increase in new housing starts and repair and remodel activity. Canada's net sales also increased primarily due to higher sales volumes and were positively impacted by approximately $0.8 million in foreign currency translation. net sales of increased 20.7% from due to higher sales volumes to the home center distribution channel, primarily due to the return of Lowe's in the second quarter of 2020 and increased repair and remodel activity, as well as from other distribution channels, which experienced an increase in new housing starts and repair and remodel activity. net sales also increased primarily due to higher sales volumes and were positively impacted by approximately in foreign currency translation. Europe net sales of $44.3 million increased 35.3% from $32.7 million , primarily due to higher sales volumes and were positively affected by approximately $3.6 million in foreign currency translation related to Europe's currencies strengthening against the United States dollar. net sales of increased 35.3% from , primarily due to higher sales volumes and were positively affected by approximately in foreign currency translation related to currencies strengthening against dollar. Consolidated gross profit of $162.3 million increased 25.2% from $129.7 million . Gross margin increased to 46.7% from 45.7%. increased 25.2% from . Gross margin increased to 46.7% from 45.7%. North America gross margin increased to 48.5% from 47.7%, primarily due to lower labor, factory, warehouse and freight costs, each as a percentage of net sales, partly offset by higher material costs as a percentage of net sales. gross margin increased to 48.5% from 47.7%, primarily due to lower labor, factory, warehouse and freight costs, each as a percentage of net sales, partly offset by higher material costs as a percentage of net sales. Europe gross margin increased to 34.4% from 32.7%, primarily due to lower factory, warehouse and shipping costs, partly offset by higher material costs, each as a percentage of net sales. gross margin increased to 34.4% from 32.7%, primarily due to lower factory, warehouse and shipping costs, partly offset by higher material costs, each as a percentage of net sales. Consolidated income from operations of $68.4 million increased 38.6% from $49.4 million . The increase was primarily due to the increase in consolidated gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses, including stock-based compensation expense resulting from favorable operating performance in the first quarter. Consolidated operating margin increased to 19.7% from 17.4%. increased 38.6% from . The increase was primarily due to the increase in consolidated gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses, including stock-based compensation expense resulting from favorable operating performance in the first quarter. Consolidated operating margin increased to 19.7% from 17.4%. North America income from operations of $69.4 million increased from $53.6 million , primarily due to the increase in gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses, including stock-based compensation and depreciation expense. income from operations of increased from , primarily due to the increase in gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses, including stock-based compensation and depreciation expense. Europe income from operations of $2.3 million increased from a $1.7 million loss from operations, primarily due to increased gross profit. income from operations of increased from a loss from operations, primarily due to increased gross profit. The Company's effective income tax rate increased to 24.3% from 21.3%, primarily due to lower windfall tax credits on the vesting of restricted stock units during the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2020. Net income was $50.4 million , or $1.16 per diluted share of the Company's common stock, compared to net income of $36.8 million , or $0.83 per diluted share. , or per diluted share of the Company's common stock, compared to net income of , or per diluted share. Cash flow provided by operating activities increased approximately $5.8 million to $18.5 million from $12.7 million . to from . Cash flow used in investing activities increased approximately $9.5 million to $15.7 million from $6.2 million . Capital expenditures were approximately $10.5 million compared to $6.8 million and the Company invested $5.3 million in a venture capital fund. Management Commentary "I am thrilled with our strong first quarter performance despite global macroeconomic turbulence stemming from the pandemic," commented Karen Colonias, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. "Our net sales grew 22.6% year-over-year to $347.6 million on significantly higher sales volume driven by ongoing momentum in the home center distribution channel where sales increased over 60% year-over-year due to higher activity in the repair and remodel space along with the return of Lowe's as a home center customer in the second quarter of 2020. Our sales further benefited from solid U.S. housing starts and strong demand trends in Europe as we continued to meet our customers' needs due to our solid inventory management practices amid broader supply chain shortages. Our gross margin expanded to 46.7% from 45.7% in the prior year quarter, which, when combined with our diligent expense management and reduced costs due to COVID-19, helped drive significant year-over-year increases in our income from operations to $68.4 million and our earnings per diluted share to $1.16." Mrs. Colonias continued, "We believe our business model will support our ability to successfully execute on our recently announced key growth initiatives which focus on expansion into the OEM, repair & remodel / do-it-yourself ("R&R/DIY"), mass timber, concrete and structural steel markets. We aspire to be a leader in engineered load-rated construction fastening solutions and believe that there is a broad product opportunity within the OEM, R&R/DIY and mass timber markets. In addition, we are working to be a stronger leader in customer-facing technology to help our customers run their businesses more efficiently. We currently have existing products, testing results, distribution and manufacturing capabilities for all of our growth initiatives which are currently in different stages of development." Mrs. Colonias concluded, "I'd like to thank all of our employees for their dedication to operational excellence, health and safety which has enabled our business to continue to operate during the pandemic from a position of strength. Our employees have been thoughtfully engaged with our leadership team as it pertains to our Company ambitions and growth initiatives to ensure a collaborative environment and to assist in the execution of our strategy. We are pleased to create opportunities to provide our customers with even more Simpson Strong-Tie structural solutions and technology as we execute against these initiatives and we look forward to capitalizing on our growth opportunities by leveraging our business model built on engineering, testing and innovation." Corporate Developments On March 19, 2021 , the Company launched an upgraded Investor Relations website to enhance the user experience for all stakeholders. , the Company launched an upgraded Investor Relations website to enhance the user experience for all stakeholders. On March 22, 2021 , the Company published an addendum to its inaugural Sustainability, Environmental and Social Responsibility Report from March 2020 as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainable business practices and environmental and social responsibility to its employees and stakeholders. Business Outlook On February 8, 2021, the Company provided a full-year outlook. The Company is updating its full year outlook, primarily reflecting one quarter of actual results, as well as improved visibility on the progression of pandemic-related restrictions and the impact of those restrictions on the Company's operations. Based on business trends and conditions as of today, April 26, the Company's outlook for the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 is as follows: Operating margin is estimated to be in the range of 19.5% to 22.0%. The effective tax rate is estimated to be in the range of 25.0% to 26.0%, including both federal and state income tax rates. Capital expenditures are estimated to be in the range of $50 million to $55 million . Conference Call Details Investors, analysts and other interested parties are invited to join the Company's first quarter of 2021 financial results conference call on Monday, April 26, 2021, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2:00 pm Pacific Time). To participate, callers may dial (877) 407-0792 (U.S. and Canada) or (201) 689-8263 (International) approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time. The call will be webcast simultaneously and can be accessed through http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=144376 or a link on the Company's website at ir.simpsonmfg.com . For those unable to participate during the live broadcast, a replay of the call will also be available beginning that same day at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, May 10, 2021, by dialing (844) 5122921 (U.S. and Canada) or (412) 3176671 (International) and entering the conference ID: 13718741. The webcast will remain posted on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website for 90 days. A copy of this earnings release will be available prior to the call, accessible through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at ir.simpsonmfg.com . About Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., headquartered in Pleasanton, California, through its subsidiary, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc., designs, engineers and is a leading manufacturer of wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, and concrete construction products, including adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, powder actuated tools and reinforcing fiber materials. The Company's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SSD." Copies of Simpson Manufacturing's Annual Report to Stockholders and its proxy statements and other SEC filings, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, are made available free of charge on the company's Web site on the same day they are filed with the SEC. To view these filings, visit the Investor Relations section of the Company's Web site. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 2 IE of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "target," "continue," "predict," "project," "change," "result," "future," "will," "could," "can," "may," "likely," "potentially," or similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans, expectations or intentions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, business outlook, priorities, expectations and intentions, expectations for sales growth, comparable sales, earnings and performance, stockholder value, capital expenditures, cash flows, the housing market, the home improvement industry, demand for services, share repurchases, our strategic initiatives, including the impact of these initiatives on our strategic and operational plans and financial results, and any statement of an assumption underlying any of the foregoing and other statements that are not historical facts. Although we believe that the expectations, opinions, projections and comments reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and we can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risk and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to vary in material respects from what we have expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include the impact of COVID-19 on our operations and supply chain, and the operations of our customers, suppliers and business partners and those discussed under Part I Item 1A. Risk Factors and Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Part II Other Information Item 1.A and subsequent filings with the SEC. To the extent that COVID-19 adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of such risk and other factors. We caution that you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in our reports filed with the SEC that advise of the risks and factors that may affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended March 31, (Amounts in thousands, except per share data) 2021 2020 Net sales $ 347,642 $ 283,668 Cost of sales 185,360 154,002 Gross profit 162,282 129,666 Research and development and engineering expense 14,591 13,382 Selling expense 30,823 28,527 General and administrative expense 48,565 38,471 Total operating expenses 93,979 80,380 Gain on disposal of assets (80) (64) Income from operations 68,383 49,350 Interest expense, net and other (1,778) (2,533) Income before taxes 66,605 46,817 Provision for income taxes 16,218 9,991 Net income $ 50,387 $ 36,826 Earnings per common share: Basic $ 1.16 $ 0.84 Diluted $ 1.16 $ 0.83 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 43,379 44,099 Diluted 43,612 44,286 Cash dividend declared per common share $ 0.23 $ 0.23 Other data: Depreciation and amortization $ 11,225 $ 9,734 Pre-tax equity-based compensation expense $ 6,542 $ 277 Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets (In thousands) March 31, December 31, (Amounts in thousands) 2021 2020 2020 Cash and cash equivalents $ 257,428 $ 301,741 $ 274,639 Trade accounts receivable, net 227,201 168,736 165,128 Inventories 296,640 255,720 283,742 Other current assets 37,732 25,786 29,630 Total current assets 819,001 751,983 753,139 Property, plant and equipment, net 255,684 246,941 255,184 Operating lease right-of-use assets 44,236 33,725 45,792 Goodwill 133,477 131,599 135,844 Other noncurrent assets 42,329 34,000 42,610 Total assets $ 1,294,727 $ 1,198,248 $ 1,232,569 Trade accounts payable $ 66,236 $ 44,505 $ 48,271 Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities 158,578 118,346 145,790 Total current liabilities 224,814 162,851 194,061 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 35,810 26,084 37,199 Long-term debt, net of current portion 150,000 Deferred income tax and other long-term liabilities 19,594 17,719 20,366 Stockholders' equity 1,014,509 841,594 980,943 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 1,294,727 $ 1,198,248 $ 1,232,569 Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Segment and Product Group Information (In thousands) Three Months Ended March 31, % (Amounts in thousands) 2021 2020 change* Net Sales by Reporting Segment North America $ 300,564 $ 249,050 20.7% Percentage of total net sales 86.5 % 87.8 % Europe 44,296 32,732 35.3% Percentage of total net sales 12.7 % 11.5 % Asia/Pacific 2,782 1,886 47.5% $ 347,642 $ 283,668 22.6% Net Sales by Product Group** Wood Construction $ 301,578 $ 242,520 24.4% Percentage of total net sales 86.7 % 85.5 % Concrete Construction 45,523 41,012 11.0% Percentage of total net sales 13.1 % 14.5 % Other 541 136 N/M $ 347,642 $ 283,668 100.0% Gross Profit (Loss) by Reporting Segment North America $ 145,830 $ 118,795 22.8% North America gross margin 48.5 % 47.7 % Europe 15,250 10,701 42.5% Europe gross margin 34.4 % 32.7 % Asia/Pacific 1,244 167 N/M Administrative and all other (42) 3 N/M $ 162,282 $ 129,666 25.2% Income (Loss) from Operations North America $ 69,410 $ 53,561 29.6% North America operating margin 23.1 % 21.5 % Europe 2,291 (1,670) (237.2)% Europe operating margin 5.2 % (5.1) % Asia/Pacific 425 (604) N/M Administrative and all other (3,743) (1,937) N/M $ 68,383 $ 49,350 38.6% * Unfavorable percentage changes are presented in parentheses, if any. ** The Company manages its business by geographic segment but is presenting sales by product group as additional information. N/M Statistic is not material or not meaningful. CONTACT: Addo Investor Relations [email protected] (310) 829-5400 SOURCE Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. OAKLAND, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Kingsford announced the selection of its inaugural class of the Preserve the Pit Fellowship. This group of barbecue professionals will receive a grant along with immersive training and one-on-one mentorship with industry leaders throughout 2021 to turn their business aspirations into a reality. Kingsford launched Preserve the Pit on January 25, 2021 and received nearly 1,000 applications during the application period. Kingsford and its Mentor Network made up of industry leaders Kevin Bludso, Dr. Howard Conyers, Devita Davison, Bryan Furman, Rashad Jones and Amy Mills selected the 2021 class of fellows based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, their connection to barbecue, contributions to the legacy of the Black barbecue community and commitments to fueling its future. "We are blown away by the interest in Preserve the Pit and the passion that was conveyed by applicants for strengthening the Black barbecue community," said Shaunte Mears-Watkins, vice president of strategy and marketing for Kingsford. "The selected fellows are motivated to begin their experience as a Preserve the Pit fellow, and we're happy to be able to support them throughout their journey." The inaugural class of the Preserve the Pit Fellowship are: Cory & Tarra Davis Grand Rapids, Mich. : Owners of Daddy Pete's BBQ since 2012, Cory and Tarra Davis have a passion for barbecue that they share with their friends, family and community. Through the fellowship, their goal is to build a stronger foundation for their business operations to ensure their restaurant continues to successfully operate beyond their generation. Owners of Daddy Pete's BBQ since 2012, have a passion for barbecue that they share with their friends, family and community. Through the fellowship, their goal is to build a stronger foundation for their business operations to ensure their restaurant continues to successfully operate beyond their generation. Chef Shalamar Lane Carson, Calif. : As the head chef and owner of My Father's Barbeque, Shalamar brings southern hospitality to California by using delicious barbecue as a way to bring people together. As a result of the mentorship, she hopes to improve her management skills to further her business' success and continue to teach her employees and community about the history of barbecue. As the head chef and owner of My Father's Barbeque, Shalamar brings southern hospitality to by using delicious barbecue as a way to bring people together. As a result of the mentorship, she hopes to improve her management skills to further her business' success and continue to teach her employees and community about the history of barbecue. Ronald Simmons Kenansville, N.C. : Ronald and his family own Master Blend Family Farms, LLC, which provides whole hogs and premium pork products to restaurants and private owned businesses in his community. They've hosted farm tours in collaboration with several local schools and hope to transition one of the farms, which has been in the family for over a century, into a farm school and develop a whole hog barbecue station to share their heritage of barbecue and create a path of opportunity for future generations. Due to the high volume of inspiring Preserve the Pit applicants, Kingsford expanded the program and selected ten additional recipients to each receive a $7,500 grant. This grant can be used at the applicant's discretion to continue preserving the culture and history of Black barbecue in America and fueling its future. These recipients are: Melissa Cottingham Melnificent Wingz ( Los Angeles, Calif. ) Melnificent Wingz ( ) Aaron Gonerway Plates By the Pound BBQ ( Denver, Colo. ) Plates By the Pound BBQ ( ) Pamela Henry Pam's Magic Cauldron ( Smyrna, Ga. ) Pam's Magic Cauldron ( ) Daniel Hammond Smoky Soul Barbecue Chicago ( Chicago, Ill. ) Smoky Soul Barbecue Chicago ( ) Brandon Norman Memphis Original BBQ ( Atoka, Tenn. ) Memphis Original BBQ ( ) Demetris R. Making The CuTX ( Newport, Vt .) .) Erica Roby Blue Smoke Blaire ( Dayton, Ohio ) Blue Smoke Blaire ( ) Christopher Simmons The Qulinary Oasis BBQ ( DeSoto, Texas ) The Qulinary Oasis BBQ ( ) Gerald Vinnett Big Papi's Smokehouse ( Destrehan, La. ) Big Papi's Smokehouse ( ) Eddie Wright Eddie Wright BBQ ( Jackson, Miss. ) To learn more about Preserve the Pit, visit PreserveThePit.com. Follow Kingsford on Instagram and Twitter and www.kingsford.com to stay up to date on the latest company news and offerings. About Kingsford The Kingsford Products Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Clorox Company, headquartered in Oakland, Calif. The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with about 8,800 employees worldwide and fiscal year 2020 sales of $6.7 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol cleaners; Liquid-Plumr clog removers; Poett home care products; Fresh Step cat litter; Glad bags and wraps; Kingsford grilling products; Hidden Valley dressings and sauces; Brita water-filtration products; Burt's Bees natural personal care products; and RenewLife, Rainbow Light, Natural Vitality Calm, NeoCell and Stop Aging Now vitamins, minerals and supplements. The company also markets industry-leading products and technologies for professional customers, including those sold under the CloroxPro and Clorox Healthcare brand names. More than 80% of the company's sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories. Clorox is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. The company has been broadly recognized for its corporate responsibility efforts, listed No. 1 on the 2020 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings and included on the Barron's 2021 100 Most Sustainable Companies list, 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and the Human Rights Campaign's 2021 Corporate Equality Index, among others. In support of its communities, The Clorox Company and its foundations contributed more than $25 million in combined cash grants, product donations and cause marketing in fiscal year 2020. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com, including the Good Growth blog, and follow the company on Twitter at @CloroxCo. CLX-B Contact: Jordyn Volk, (415) 262-5980, [email protected] SOURCE Kingsford Charcoal Related Links http://www.kingsford.com A Troy-based barge operator is proposing to moor up to three 250-foot barges in the Hudson River near a town park. Residents of Germantown in Columbia County say the plan smacks of the incendiary 2016 proposal to anchor dozens of oil barges in the lower Hudson River. That proposal, which was first introduced by the U.S. Coast Guard, was shelved in 2017 after they received more than 10,000 comments from the public. Establishing new barge anchorages south of Kingston is now banned by a new federal law that passed in January of this year. However, Germantown is north of Kingston, and the proposal is for a mooring a semi-permanent anchor for ships to attach to as opposed to an anchorage, an area of the river where barges can drop anchor. This proposal, therefore, appears to not run afoul of the new law. There are other important distinctions between the 2016 plan and the current proposal Germantown residents and leaders are trying to hash out: Namely, the barges would carry rocks from nearby quarries, not oil. Still, residents are scrambling to respond to a new threat of barges anchoring on the river. The proposal was given the stamp of approval by a Hudson River advisory group on March 22 without the towns knowledge, and it wasnt until two weeks later that Germantown was informed and asked for comment. Germantown caught off guard by proposal Germantown resident Kaare Christian said he was confused when he first received an email informing him of the proposal. He was unaware of the group sending it, called the Hudson River Safety, Navigation and Operations Committee (HRSNOC), and wondered if it was spam. Why didnt they just contact the Town Board? he wondered. The letter was from Randy Alstaldt, a HRSNOC member who became the groups community outreach representative three months prior. Christian forwarded the email to Germantown Town Supervisor Robert Beaury who said he had not been told of the plan and others, who themselves started reaching out to other town residents. The proposal was from New York State Marine Highway Transportation Company (MHT), a private barge operator that transports rock from the Peckham Industries quarry in Catskill and the Colarusso & Sons quarry in the City of Hudson. MHT wants to establish a mooring off Germantown so up to three barges can park there while waiting for dock space across the river or after being loaded, where they can await further transport down river. In an acrid letter dated April 20 back to the HRSNOC, Supervisor Beaury wrote that the barges would put recreational boaters in danger who launch off the Ernest R. Lasher Jr. Memorial Park Germantowns recreation space and boat launch on the Hudson River and would blot out the towns view of the Catskill Mountains. The move would also potentially impede first responders, who disembark from the boat launch when there are emergencies on the river. The barges could come within roughly 150 yards of the park as they move with the current, or within 150 yards of private homes on the shore, according to details of the proposal. Beaury takes issue with this placement, saying there are more appropriate places nearby to locate it. The other side of the river from us is industrial, you can see barges over there, Beaury said. So I dont get it why are you going to move [barges] from the industrial side of the river to the recreational side? As well as the Peckham Industries quarry, the opposite bank of the Hudson houses the LeHigh Cement plant and vacant industrial structures. Beaury is not sure if HRSNOC was even aware of how close the mooring would be to the town park. Even if it were to stay on our side of the river, theres [sic] places it could be put that are not right near a [public] dock, he said. Alex Potemkin via Getty Images Beaury contacted Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell about the proposal, who issued a letter opposing the proposal and is in communication with the offices of State Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, State Sen. Daphne Jordan and U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, to seek their condemnation of the moorings as well. MHT CEO Robert Goldman told Times Union: Hudson Valley that the proposal sought to solve barge safety issues at Peckhams Industries dock across the Hudson River from Germantown in Catskill. The idea was to park barges at the proposed mooring so they were at the Peckham docks for a shorter amount of time, Goldman said, thereby avoiding issues with boats passing in the shipping channel. Barges broke away from the Peckham docks due to passing ships in the past, Goldman said, though the barges were retrieved, and no one had ever been injured. Plans for barges began in 2017 This will be the second time MHT has attempted to establish a mooring off Germantown. The company submitted a proposal for the project to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in February 2017, according to USACE documents. However, the company withdrew the proposal in a letter dated April 10, 2018. The plan was withdrawn because it could have been conflated with the 2016 oil barge anchorage proposal, according to Goldman. We had all the issues solved, but it was asked that we withdraw because it would be lumped together with the anchorages I agreed and said, All right, well revisit it once the [HRSNOC] was established and all these other issues were solved, Goldman said. The HRSNOC was established after the oil barge anchorages controversy. Comprised of 22 members, it includes members of the Coast Guard and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as representatives from the shipping industry and environmental groups. The idea to establish the mooring never went away, Goldman added, but was put on hold to give it some time to soak. None of the Germantown stakeholders interviewed for this article were aware of the 2017 proposal before the current proposal came out, and it is unclear if it was ever communicated to the town. Goldman points to an important distinction between the oil barge anchorages and his proposal. While the former proposed parking up to 42 barges carrying petroleum products, his plan proposes parking up to three barges carrying rocks from the local area. Part of the controversy over the oil barge anchorages was the fear of a massive spill if one of the barges were damaged. UrsaHoogle via Getty Images Germantown park facing threats on all sides While the HRSNOC overwhelmingly voted in approval of the proposal March 22, one member abstained. That member, John Lipscomb, is the boat captain for Riverkeeper, a Hudson Valley environmental organization. I abstained, because, as I said to my committee member partners, I could not take a position until I heard what community feedback were going to receive, whether the comments were going to be approving or opposed, he told Times Union: Hudson Valley. Taking into account only environmental issues, Lipscomb said he believed the moorings consisting of a large anchor, a chain and a buoy would not have negative impacts. To put it in perspective, as I travel on the patrol boat on the length of the [Hudson River], there are hundreds of navigation aids the red and green buoys and what are they? Lipscomb asked. Theyre a big anchor, a chain and a buoytheres never been any sort of evidence that [this] has a negative environmental impact. Lipscomb also said there were other major differences between the oil barge anchorages and the current proposal. The barges would have shorter chains fixing them to the rivers bottom than the chains in the oil barge anchorage proposal, giving the barges less swing are they moved with the current. Climate change issues also didnt enter the picture with the current proposal, Lipscomb said the oil barges would have transported fracked petroleum from North Dakota, helping continue the countrys dependance on fossil fuels. Though he doesnt consider the proposal an environmental threat, Lipscomb abstained in order to first hear feedback from the surrounding communities. Riverkeepers stance would be based on this feedback, he said. Randy Alstaldt, the water plant administrator for the City of Poughkeepsie and the Community Group Representative for HRSNOC, said the groups approval of the proposal was non-binding, and the group was only able to ascertain if the project made things safer. The group only plays an advisory role, and approval of the project is up to the Army Corps of Engineers, though they take the groups say into consideration during their process. Alstaldt said that when MHT made their presentation to the HRSNOC, basically we said, it looks like the proposal will improve the safety of what youre doing, so we dont have any problem with it. Alstaldt is in charge of receiving feedback for the proposal before the HRSNOCs next meeting April 29. Feedback can be sent here. Beaury said he was aware the HRSNOCs vote in favor of the project wasnt the final word on the matter but took issue with Alstaldts portrayal of the groups responsibilities. To say, we dont get a say, seems disingenuous, Beaury said. The HRSNOC, he feels, has more influence over the decision than they claim to have. Jen Crawford, an engineer and Germantown resident who also received the email from Alstaldt, said she was still trying to wrap my head around it. Crawford in in charge of the towns Local Waterway Revitalization Program (LWRP), which allows municipalities to establish a plan for their riverfronts based on community input. A completed LWRP can capture funding and give municipalities more control over their riverine lands. Germantowns LWRP is not complete, and it remains to be seen how the mooring could affect it, according to Crawford, but she worried about Ernest R. Lasher Jr. Memorial Park. Were already dealing with shoreline erosion, she said of the park. One of my first reactions (to the letter) was that we dont usually have barges on this side of river, and they create a lot more wave energy. Germantown is now fighting for its shoreline on two fronts. The town has been battling Amtrak for years over attempts to construct barriers limiting shoreline access. Weve devoted so much time and energy to stop Amtrak from putting up fences and gates, and now all of a sudden on the other side, we have this, Beaury said. --- Roger Hannigan Gilson is a Hudson Valley reporter, humorist and outdoors enthusiast. He founded The Other Hudson Valley in 2014 and covers the Hudson Valley for various publications. You can follow him at @OHudsonValley or contact him at Hannigan.Gilson@gmail.com. If he doesn't get back to you, he's probably injured somewhere in the woods. Workers take down a Belt and Road Forum panel outside the venue of the forum in Beijing on April 27, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Termination of Victorias Belt and Road Deal Affirms Australias Sovereignty Federal and state politicians from around Australia have welcomed the federal governments termination of Victorias Belt and Road deal, calling it a step in the right direction. Federal Liberal Senator Eric Abetz, from Tasmania, welcomed the decision telling The Epoch Times that it has given Australia back its sovereignty over its ability regulate its national interests. As weve seen with Belt and Road initiatives in every other country of the world, it has never been within the interests of that country and has only been in the interests of the Chinese dictatorship, Abetz said. And that is why it was right and proper for the former agreement with the Victorian Labour government to be terminated. The comments from federal and state politicians come as the Chinese Embassy in Canberra has criticised the federal governments move describing it as unreasonable and provocative, adding that Beijing would resolutely take strong actions against Australia if the decision was not overturned. In response, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said Australia was standing up for its values. We are standing up for who we are. Weve got very important diplomatic relations with many countries, including China, but we arent going to be compromised by the principles of the Communist Party of China, he told Nine News on April 23. Senator Eric Abetz in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10, 2014. (Graham Denholm/Getty Images) Senator Abetz also said that the Chinese governments terminology has always been belligerent, and dogmatic and that Australia had gotten used to it. What the Chinese Embassy needs to do is deal with the issue and not just engage in name-calling, Abetz said. Abetz noted that Beijing really should be explaining why Belt and Road initiative has not been within the interests of partner nations instead of leading them into debt. Some developing countries that have signed up to the BRI have entered into debt-traps after being unable to service loans from infrastructure projects granted to the CCP. In some cases, countries have been forced to hand over control of key assets and infrastructure to Beijing. Politicians from the state of Victoria have also welcomed the news, with Liberal Party state member Bernie Finn telling The Epoch Times it was the best news Victorians had received in a long time. The decision by the Morrison Government to cancel Daniel Andrews Belt and Road deal with China is the best news Victorians have had in years, said Finn. It was always designed to benefit communist China. It not only was a bad deal for Victoria but also put Australias sovereignty at risk. Finn also responded to the comments by the Chinese Ambassador by stating the regime was composed of thugs, murderers and bullies. It thinks it can intimidate Australia with threats. It cant. We will not be bullied by a barbaric regime, Finn said. Bernie Finn, Liberal MP of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Western Metropolitan region speaking at the Standing against Daniel Andrews Belt & Road Signing rally held at the steps of Victoria Parliament on Dec. 15, 2019. (Grace You/Epoch Times) He said that the one good thing to come out of the Andrews government signing up to the BRI was that Australia, as a whole, came to the realisation Australia can get by without kowtowing to a government that continues to prove it is no friend to the country. Victorian Liberal Democrats MPs David Limbrick and Tim Quilty told The Epoch Times that the past year had shown that the BRI agreements really had no benefits for the state of Victoria. We support agreements that enhance free trade between countries, but if you look carefully at this agreement, there was never anything of substance in it anyway it was mainly symbolic, Limbrick said. This is already evident because the agreement never protected Victorians from trade bans or helped us access their markets. Quilty said many primary producers in the state had seen first hand what the agreement was really about with the Chinese bans on commodities such as lamb, timber and wine imports. David Limbrick MP speaks during question time in the Legislative Council at the Victoria State Parliament in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 1, 2020. (AAP Image/James Ross) Primary producers have seen for themselves that this agreement was not worth the paper it was printed on, Quilty said. In the meantime, they are getting on with finding new markets which will make their businesses more resilient in future. He said China was only hurting itself by banning the best quality primary produce from Australia at the best price and noted that primary producers in northern Victoria have proven they are resilient and found themselves other markets and homes for their produce. The only thing the Chinese Government has achieved is to damage their credibility in international trade and erode their countrys reputation as a dependable export destination. The Andrews government said in a statement to 7 News that it will continue to work hard to deliver jobs, trade and economic opportunities for our state, but did not comment further on the federal governments actions. Other arrangements to be scrutinized by the Foreign Minister Marise Payne include the Confucius Institutes in Australian universities, academic partnerships with Chinese institutions, sister-city agreements with Chinese authorities, and even the Port of Darwin lease. Over 1,000 foreign arrangements have been examined by the federal government, including those from states, territories, local governments, and Australian public universities. Attorney General Nessel Announces Sentinel Project to Protect Nursing Facility Residents Attorney General Nessel Announces Sentinel Project to Protect Nursing Facility Residents Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746 Attorney General April 26, 2021 LANSING - A new initiative will focus on protecting vulnerable adults residing in nursing facilities, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today. The Sentinel Project, which Nessel discussed in a video announcement, will use specially trained staff to examine long-term care facilities for evidence of abuse or neglect through unannounced visits, which will be determined by performance metrics, complaints and other data. These discrete but comprehensive site investigations will determine if additional action is necessary to ensure loved ones are given the best possible care. "This team from my Health Care Fraud Division has been established to further protect Michigan's vulnerable and elderly population," Nessel said. "We are dedicated to detecting and addressing any neglect or abuse of loved ones residing in long-term care facilities. Instances of substandard care must be eliminated, and The Sentinel Project will help accomplish that goal." By the year 2060, the senior population in the United States is projected to be over 94 million. At an increase of almost 70%, many of these individuals will require assistance in nursing facilities. This influx, often referred to as the Silver Tsunami, will significantly impact long-term care facilities. The Sentinel Project will help the state prepare for this future wave and also demand better care for current residents. While The Sentinel Project is a law enforcement effort strictly within the Attorney General's Office, the project will continue to work collaboratively with the industry and regulatory partners to achieve the best results for Michigan citizens. If you or someone you know is being abused or neglected in a nursing facility, please let us know by contacting the Michigan Attorney General's Health Care Fraud Hotline at (800) 24-ABUSE (2-2873) or file a complaint online through the Michigan Attorney General Patient Abuse Complaint Form. The Sentinel Project is housed within the Health Care Fraud Division of the Department of Attorney General. The Health Care Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,025,536 for federal fiscal year 2021. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,675,177, is funded by the State of Michigan. UN Special Envoy Jn Kubi? discusses the situation in Libya and the wider region with French officials in Paris That is the proposition advanced by my friend Roger Simon at the Epoch Times. (Which, by the way, is well worth subscribing to.) Roger notes that Trump may take up residence in New Jersey, which would clear the way for a Trump-DeSantis ticket in 2024: At least to some degree, Donald Trump must reinvent himself for the 2024 presidential election. Of course Donald will always be Donald but something new is always advisable and one situation in our country is in such crisis, worse even than the border, that it is crying out for him to address it. This situation is so alarming, in fact, that if it continues in the direction it is going we might as well elect Xi Jinping president and start brushing up our social credit scores. The USA is over. And that isas I am sure you knoweducation. From pre-K to Ph.D., the vast majority of our educational institutions have curricula that seem as if they were written by Trotsky between Politburo meetings. It is true. The far left has captured both public education and elite private education across pretty much the entire country. If you live in a red state, dont be complacent: it is highly likely that your children are being taught to hate America. Incongruous as it may seemand its really notTrump should assume that mantle and make it the number one issue of his campaign to recapture the presidency. He should start now, very publicly, because, as I noted, we are in crisis, destroying more of our youth by the minute and with them Americas future. In so doing, Trump would be expanding his base. Roger is more sanguine than I am about a Trump candidacy in 2024. To say that Trump carries a lot of baggage is, of course, an understatement, and having lost one run for the presidencyRoger thinks he really won, while I am agnostic, but the point remainsbeing renominated is likely a path to Adlai Stevenson status. Still, Rogers point is well-taken, no matter who the GOP nominee is: This would be especially true of two key parts of the electorate where he did not fare particularly wellsuburban women and blacks (where he did better than most Republicans but not yet good enough). The suburban women will need some wooing (theyve been propagandized endlessly against him), but many blacks already see school choice as the civil rights movement of our time. (Teaching young black kids that its okay not to learn basic math is about as condescending and racist as you can get.) That last point is telling. The Democrats allege that math is racist because of its emphasis on getting the right answer. So, yeah: lets tell young blacks that any answer will do. That Asian kid? He might be able to solve the problem, but it is too tough for you. Dont even try. Nothing better illustrates the grotesque racism of modern liberalism. Near the end of his presidency [Trump] took on phony diversity training, critical race theory, and the fundamentally dishonest 1619 Project that even the New York Times, where it first appeared, walked back. Instead, he initiated the 1776 Commission that Biden, of course, killed. True. Roger suggests that Trump start now to stake out education as an issue, beginning by selecting Hillsdale President Larry Arnn as the secretary of education in waiting. I am a fan of Larrys, but I would just as soon someone other than Donald Trumplike, for example, Ron DeSantis, Tom Cotton or Kristi Noemtout him as Secretary of Education in Waiting. But Rogers larger point is sound: Americas educational system, dominated by far-left teachers unions, is working hard to destroy America. This issue must be front and center in the 2020 Congressional elections, and in the 2024 presidential election. My own organization has taken on the issue of left-wing indoctrination in the schools repeatedly, for example here (dating to 2017, I am proud to say), here, here, here, and on many other occasions. Democrats have generally owned the education issue because the political debate is generally framed in terms of spending. Are you in favor of better education? Then spend more money! Yet while spending on education has skyrocketed, results have declined. (See, for example, this report.) I think a great many Americans, including lots of parents, have figured out through their own experience that the problem with American education is not a lack of money, it is a lack of common sense and pro-America, pro-free enterprise sentiment. By 2024 the time should be right for a populist rebellion on education. Lets hope that by then it isnt too late. U.S. airlines have been bolstered by the return of customers eager to travel within the country or just outside its borders, but the nations largest carriers are still lamenting the loss of two particularly lucrative parts of the business: international and corporate travel. At least one of those could rebound this summer. In an interview with The New York Times over the weekend, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said she expected the European Union to ease travel restrictions for vaccinated American tourists, a move that could let the airline industry cash in during the years busiest travel season. Long-haul international flying represents a significant opportunity for United, Andrew Nocella, the chief commercial officer for United Airlines, told investors last week. We have seen in recent weeks that immediately after a country provides access with proof of a vaccine, leisure demand returns to the level of 2019 quickly. American Airlines and United said this month that international travel remained about 80 percent lower than in 2019. They and other airlines expect strong demand for domestic flights this summer, and the restoration of trans-Atlantic travel could provide the industry a much-needed boost as it works to generate profits again. Israel is investigating a small number of cases of heart inflammation among people who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer coronavirus jab. Health officials said 62 out of 5million people given the American-made vaccine developed myocarditis, the medical name for swelling in the heart. Pfizer said it has not seen a higher rate of the condition than would normally be expected in the population, but experts are investigating in order to be sure. Early analysis of the country's rollout suggests the condition is occurring more frequently in men under 30 and in people given both doses. The condition often has no symptoms and heals on its own, but in some people it can cause more serious problems including heart failure or weakening of the heart. Viral infection is a known cause of the condition and chemicals released by the immune system when it is fighting a virus can trigger the swelling. Israel's pandemic response coordinator, Dr Nachman Ash, said two of the 62 patients in the records had died while the rest made full recoveries. Statistics suggest around 3million people per year are diagnosed with cardiomyopathy worldwide, but many more are thought to have it but never know. The concerns come after a storm about possible links between the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and bloot clots culminated in many countries refusing to give the AZ jab to young people. An Israeli military paramedic prepares a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, to be administered to elderly people at a medical center in Ashdod, southern Israel. January 7, 2021 Dr Ash said that a study showed 'tens of incidents' of myocarditis occurring among more than five million vaccinated people, primarily after the second dose. He said it was unclear whether this was unusually high or whether it was connected to the vaccine. WHAT IS MYOCARDITIS? Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. There are no specific causes of the condition but it is usually triggered by a virus. Some of the most common infections which cause myocarditis, are those called adenovirus and Coxsackie B. It can be caused by the common cold, hepatitis B and C, and herpes simplex virus. The most common symptoms of the condition include chest pain, a fever, a fast heartbeat, tiredness and shortness of breath. If the inflammation damages the heart muscle or the fibres that conduct electrical pulses to the heart, complications can develop. They can develop quickly, and include sudden loss of consciousness, an abnormally fast, slow or irregular heartbeat. In very severe cases the condition is fatal, causing heart failure or sudden death. The inflammation enlarges the heart and creates scar tissue, forcing it to work harder and therefore making it weaker. In most cases of viral myocarditis, the illness goes away and there are no complications. But in rare cases when inflammation is severe, there can be damage to the heart which needs monitoring and possibly a heart transplant. Myocarditis can reoccur, but there is no known way to prevent this. The risk of recurrence is low, around 10 to 15 per cent, according to Myocarditis Foundation. It is difficult to gauge the prevalence of myocarditis because there is no widely available test for it. In 2010, approximately 400,000 people died of heart muscle disease - cardiomyopathy that includes myocarditis - worldwide. Expert consensus opinion estimates that up to 40 per cent of dilated cardiomyopathy results from myocarditis, according to the National Organisation for Rare Disorders. Advertisement Among all people who had received the vaccine the condition occurred at a rate of one in 100,000 people, but for men aged between 18 and 30 it was one in 20,000 five times higher, Bloomberg reported. Despite this, there is no proof the vaccine is causing it to happen. Dr Ash said: 'The Health Ministry is currently examining whether there is an excess in morbidity [disease rate] and whether it can be attributed to the vaccines.' He described the issue as a 'question mark' in a radio interview. Determining a link, he said, would be difficult because myocarditis, a condition that often goes away without complications, can be caused by a variety of viruses and a similar number of cases were reported in previous years. Pfizer told Reuters it was in regular contact with Israel's Health Ministry while it reviewed data on its vaccine. The company said it 'is aware of the Israeli observations of myocarditis that occurred predominantly in a population of young men who received the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine'. 'Adverse events are regularly and thoroughly reviewed and we have not observed a higher rate of myocarditis than what would be expected in the general population. A causal link to the vaccine has not been established,' the company said. 'There is no evidence at this time to conclude that myocarditis is a risk associated with the use of Pfizer/BNT Covid-19 vaccine.' Myocarditis is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes swollen, which affects its ability to pump blood, usually making it weaker. It is most often triggered by another infection, such as a viral flu infection suggesting coronavirus could cause it or bacterial, parasite or fungal infection. Scientists believe the reason infection can trigger the condition is that it is caused by chemicals called cytokines, which are released by the immune system when it's in attack mode. These can then lead to changes inside the body which result in the swelling in the heart. Generally, when the original illness is over and the immune system goes back to normal, the myocarditis will fade away on its own. But in some people it can trigger severe or even deadly complications such as heart failure, heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac arrest. Israel has been a world leader in its vaccination rollout, with close to 60 per cent of its 9.3million population having received the Pfizer vaccine. Its nationwide database has already showed the vaccine to be highly effective in preventing the symptoms and severe illness associated with Covid-19. Since January, shortly after the vaccine campaign began, daily infections dropped from a peak of more than 10,000 to just 129 before the weekend. Nadav Davidovitch, director of the school of public health at Israel's Ben Gurion University, said that even if a correlation between the myocarditis cases and the vaccine were established, it did not appear to be serious enough to stop administering the vaccine. 'It's a situation that should be looked into, and we need to wait for a final report, but in an interim analysis it seems the risk of getting sick from Covid-19 is much higher than from the vaccine's adverse events, and the risk of myocarditis following the vaccine is low and temporary,' he said. It is often said that a societys greatness is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable members. Judging solely by the work of its nonprofit organizations, New York measures up. All across the state, nonprofits are caring for vulnerable groups children, the elderly, those in poverty, immigrants, victims of assault and many others. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has afflicted the state for over a year, has only increased the demand for these services, highlighting the crucial role of the nonprofit sector in society. City & State, in partnership with its sister publication, New York Nonprofit Media and writers Jana Cholakovska, Erica Scalise, Madeline Lyskawa and Kimberly Gonzalez, highlights the next generation of leaders on these front lines in our Nonprofit 40 Under 40. These rising stars are running soup kitchens for the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless and assisting the formerly incarcerated as they adapt to a new life. In the pages ahead, we tell their inspiring stories. Cassandra Agredo Executive Director, Xavier Mission Cassandra Agredo-John Langdon.jpg Alt Text: Cassandra Agredo Title Text: Cassandra Agredo Caption: Cassandra Agredo Description: Cassandra Agredo Image Credit: John Langdon Cassandra Agredo has grown the soup kitchen at St. Francis Xavier church into the multi-service agency that is Xavier Mission. As the organizations executive director, Agredo and her team provide an array of services and opportunities to New Yorkers in need. They prefer to be called a for-impact instead of a nonprofit organization, focusing on things they can change instead of those they cant. Direct service work has always been a part of Agredos life. When she was growing up in Rhode Island, her father worked at the Department of Human Services, and once the first soup kitchen opened, her parents would bring Agredo along while they volunteered. She continued on this path and obtained a bachelors and masters degree in social work from Fordham University. Since then, her passion to enact positive change has shone both through her work at Xavier Mission and Hunger Free America, a national organization set to end domestic hunger, where shes a board member. I've been very fortunate in my life, she says. I didn't grow up wealthy, but I wasn't poor. I went to a really good school, and I had two parents who loved and supported me. I just don't think it's fair that not everybody has that. And I feel like I have the ability to fix that, at least a little bit. Katelyn Andrews Director of Public Policy, LiveOn NY Katelyn Andrews-Zachary Andrews.png Alt Text: Katelyn Andrews Title Text: Katelyn Andrews Caption: Katelyn Andrews Description: Katelyn Andrews Image Credit: Zachary Andrews Katelyn Andrews witnessed the power of organizing and advocacy early in life through her fathers work as a union leader at IBEW Local 351. She takes those same values and passion into her work at LiveOn NY, where she directs its city and state policy agenda for more than 100 community nonprofit organizations that support older and aging New Yorkers. As a kid, it was always exciting to hear about people coming together around the same goal, like good wages and quality jobs, she says. I came to view a potential career in advocacy as a meaningful way to make a change. Early interests in public policy and advocacy led Andrews to the University of Delaware where she obtained a bachelor's degree in human development and public policy analysis and a masters degree in public administration. She has since channeled her expertise into the human services sector. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrews and a team of other dedicated women working at LiveOn NY have fought to protect, inform and support older adults. Theyve provided home-delivered meals and launched a directory so people could stay connected to arts and exercise classes, lectures and discussion groups. It has been challenging, however, to navigate a tumultuous time on shoestring budgets. Andrews is hopeful that this years new crop of elected officials will push to properly fund this struggling sector. Too often, we are left with crumbs that come at the end of budget negotiations, rather than being fully prioritized in the beginning and seeing the investments that we really need, she says. George Asante Attorney-in-Charge, Mt. Vernon, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley George Asante-George Asante.JPG Alt Text: George Asante Title Text: George Asante Caption: George Asante Description: George Asante Image Credit: George Asante During the past seven years, George Asante has risen from the position of staff attorney to that of attorney-in-charge at the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization offering comprehensive free civil legal services to all of the valleys seven counties, advising clients on issues from housing to domestic violence. The work is so rewarding, he says. I appreciate being able to help individuals, families, (and) people in crisis. I like to see a client leave in a much better position than when they came to us. The native Ghanaian credits moving around as a child to Barbados, the Bahamas, the Bronx, and finally Yonkers as the reason he chose to go into law. After obtaining a bachelors degree in U.S. history at the University at Albany and a law degree from the University of Dayton, Asante returned to serve his community in 2014. He continues to do so throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, collaborating with other nonprofit organizations coordinating on outreach events and providing relief for families in need. The court system shut down, but we were still there, representing clients, following up, doing whatever we could, he says. We helped people who were behind on their rent or their utilities, assisting those who needed food. The past year has been trying, but it gave me and other nonprofit organizations the opportunity to help people in need and do much more than we previously did. Im excited about the momentum that we've all built. Arafun Azad Human Resources Generalist, Graham Windham Arafun Azad-Submitted.png Alt Text: Arafun Azad Title Text: Arafun Azad Caption: Arafun Azad Description: Arafun Azad Image Credit: Submitted When Arafun Azad was growing up in Brooklyn, her parents, who immigrated to New York from Bangladesh, expected she would become an architect and so did she. But when she graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in psychology, she realized that her knowledge and personality were much better suited to a career in human resources. Ive always been someone who has been passionate about the flows and grows of an organization, she says. While I still like everything about architecture and design, I realized it wasnt something I wanted to do forever. After graduating in 2016, Azad joined Graham Windham, a nonprofit organization striving to support and better the lives of children, youth and families during lifes challenges and obstacles. At Graham Windham, Azad is one of the few human resources generalists in charge of hiring more than 1,500 volunteers that support the organizations operations. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, her role became even more challenging and more important. She was tasked with identifying and recruiting more than 90 people for the preventive program expansion that advocates against family separation and offers support throughout that process. Thats such a big deal to me, she says. This is literally changing someones life. Im helping someone keep their family together. The thought of helping people during that time kept me going. Ive never wanted to work somewhere where I wasn't making a difference to something or someone. Greg Bangser Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation Greg Bangser-Create The Remarkable, Inc..jpg Alt Text: Greg Bangser Title Text: Greg Bangser Caption: Greg Bangser Description: Greg Bangser Image Credit: Create the Remarkable Greg Bangser started as an intern at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation a nonprofit organization addressing issues from domestic violence and housing to providing workforce initiatives and legal services during summer breaks from Bowdoin College. In the 16 years since, he has worked his way up to become NMICs deputy executive director and chief operating officer, overseeing the agencys programing, budget, and everything in between. As Bangser put it, hes at the central point of making sure everything works effectively together. New York City-born but Connecticut-bred, Bangser noticed a significant gap between different communities and the resources that were available to them when he returned to the city to join NMIC. In 2011, he briefly left the agency to work at the New York City Human Resources Administration. Although he appreciates the large scale of government programs, Bangser prefers working in the nonprofit sector. Theres that direct connection to the community, he says. I want to be as close to the lives that were impacting as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many of the issues tackled at NMIC, one of which is the digital divide. And while Bangser admits that theres still much to be done, hes optimistic about the amount of untapped potential of digital resources and tools. His biggest asset, especially throughout the pandemic, has been the ability to see structure within chaos. Its so easy to lose the trees because you're only paying attention to the forest, he says. Being able to structure the chaos so that you don't miss the details is important. Stephanie Bazell Director of Policy and Advocacy, College and Community Fellowship Stephanie Bazell-Tim Ward.png Alt Text: Stephanie Bazell Title Text: Stephanie Bazell Caption: Stephanie Bazell Description: Stephanie Bazell Image Credit: Tim Ward Stephanie Bazell attended New York University School of Law in pursuit of a career in public service, something she had felt drawn to even as a child. It comes as no surprise that she is now the director of policy and advocacy at the College and Community Fellowship a nonprofit organization helping women and families most harmed by mass criminalization gain equitable access to opportunity. Growing up in a progressive household in New York City, Bazell was always encouraged to question systems of power. But, it was only after interning at Orleans Public Defenders in 2011 that she saw firsthand exactly how those systems were designed to oppress Black and brown people, she says, and created a complete apathy towards incarcerated individuals. Before joining CCF, Bazell amassed a wealth of policy experience working for Gov. Andrew Cuomos and state Sen. Brad Hoylmans offices, tackling issues like tenant rights and public safety. In 2019, Bazell joined CCF wishing to channel her knowledge through a direct services role and produce policy that came from direct engagement with affected communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched the #EquityIsJustice campaign through which she successfully advocated to make sure incarcerated people have access to Pell Grants. I cannot overemphasize how critical it is that I am in constant dialogue with those who are justice-impacted and that it informs everything I do, she says. The top-down approach of policymaking in D.C. and state houses ignores real needs and excludes those with expertise. Matthew Becker Senior Director, BDO USA Matthew Becker-Kristen Raszka.jpg Alt Text: Matthew Becker Title Text: Matthew Becker Caption: Matthew Becker Description: Matthew Becker Image Credit: Kristen Raszka Matthew Becker has dedicated more than 15 years to providing quality accounting services and leadership to local, national and international nonprofit organizations in the domains of health care, human services and religious organizations. Hes continued to do this as the senior director at BDO USA, a global accounting network offering assurance, tax and financial advisory services. Although born in Manhattan, Becker grew up on Long Island where his mother was a special education teacher. Spending his summers helping out at a camp for children with special needs that his mother ran influenced Becker to pursue a career that served the nonprofit landscape. After graduating from Binghamton University with a degree in accounting, Becker got his start at Condon O'Meara McGinty and Donnelly, which provided him the initial opportunity to work with a variety of health and human services organizations. My goal was to not only provide them with vital information and thought leadership, but servicing them in a way that I felt had a small impact on their mission, he says. As the financial recession spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic devastated communities across the world, Becker has continued to offer support to his clients experiencing financial instability and hardship. The biggest thing this past year (has been) working with a lot of my clients, even more than before, helping them navigate the unique challenges the pandemic has presented, he says. Weve helped them understand funding opportunities, different cost-reduction strategies and other various measures to continue thriving in a challenging environment. Courtney Beach Chief Innovation, Compliance and Privacy Officer, The Mental Health Association of Westchester Courtney Beach-Jason Beach.jpg Alt Text: Courtney Beach Title Text: Courtney Beach Caption: Courtney Beach Description: Courtney Beach Image Credit: Jason Beach Courtney Beach got her first experience in health care early in life when she worked at her mothers small practice that served the rural community on the outskirts of Saratoga Springs. A Jill of all trades, she organized files, scheduled appointments and helped with administrative tasks. My mom really wanted to help people and that's kind of where I got my passion for health care watching these individuals who really were struggling to give $5 for the copays, she says. I wanted to lobby for affordable health care. Because Le Moyne College didnt offer a program in health administration, Beach ended up studying finance and management. But this didnt deter her from her goal and instead diversified her skillset. She started at CapitalCare Medical Group where she worked her way up from a services specialist to a quality analyst. She pivoted from the world of operations and compliance to consulting, garnering a reputation as an expert at improving workflows and modernizing health records. In 2019, Beach joined The Mental Health Association of Westchester as its first chief innovation officer, tasked to launch a more sophisticated electronic health record system. Once the coronavirus pandemic hit New York, she led the almost complete transition into telehealth. But, Beach wants to emphasize that she couldnt have done it alone. I couldnt have been here today without my team, she says. I might tell them how to do the work, but they actually do it. I just want to make sure I give credit where credit is due. Laurie Berarducci Director of Data Systems, Covenant House New York Laurie Berarducci-Laurie Berarducci.jpg Alt Text: Laurie Berarducci Title Text: Laurie Berarducci Caption: Laurie Berarducci Description: Laurie Berarducci Image Credit: Laurie Berarducci When Laurie Berarducci graduated from Boston College with a degree in psychology, she was unsure of what exactly she wanted to do. After a bit of searching, she decided to return to school and get a masters degree in school counseling. This decision led her down the path of nonprofit work and eventually to Covenant House a nonprofit organization serving New York Citys youth experiencing homelessness where she is now the director of data systems. Before joining CHNY, the Connecticut native worked as a school site coordinator where she gained experience in direct services work, implementing evidence-based practices and connecting students with services in their communities. It was very eye-opening, she says. I learned a lot about our public school system and the difficulties a lot of families go through. There was a lot of crisis management. It was pretty difficult. Berarducci has continued to implement these skills in her work at CHNY, which offers an array of programming that addresses the physical and mental health, and personal and professional development of youth across the city. While the coronavirus pandemic has made technology support much harder, theres also been a rapid streamlining of CHNYs workflow now that most of its work is online. Berarducci, who builds and maintains the organizations case-management system, internal communication, data monitoring, and program evaluation, is optimistic about what this could mean for CHNYs future. And for her own work as well. I really like making tools that help people, she says. Jarret Berg Co-Founder and Voting Rights Counsel, VoteEarlyNY Jarret Berg-Josh Monesson.jpg Alt Text: Jarret Berg Title Text: Jarret Berg Caption: Jarret Berg Description: Jarret Berg Image Credit: Josh Monesson One of Jarret Bergs earliest memories is of being taken to a poll site by his grandfather at the age of four to watch how an election unfolds. The details are hazy, but the experience was etched in his memory, becoming even more meaningful later on as Berg became an attorney, a leading voting-rights advocate and co-founder of VoteEarlyNY a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and advancing voting rights in New York state. After obtaining a bachelors degree in political science from Boston University and a law degree from New England School of Law, the Long Island native went overseas to study international law at Cambridge University. In 2012, Berg returned to volunteer for Barack Obamas reelection campaign in Florida where he observed firsthand the damaging effects of outdated voting laws. The gap between everyone who's eligible and might want to vote and the people that are ultimately able to cast ballots is dramatic, he says. Since then, Berg has worked as a legislative counsel to former Assembly Member, now state Sen. Brian Kavanagh, an election law consultant, and the executive director of New York Democratic Lawyers Council. Berg continuously fights to secure absentee voting and same-day voter registration, restore peoples rights upon release from incarceration, reform disenfranchisement policies, and make voting accessible for all New Yorkers. In 2019, he co-founded VoteEarlyNY as a way to address what he describes as New Yorks enduring 19th century voting framework. New York, we're way behind places like North Carolina, which has some of the most restrictive anti-voter efforts in place, he says. (Voter rights) arent just a problem in battleground states. Estephanie Betances Director of Human Resources, Lutheran Social Services of New York Estephanie Betances-Tarek Amro.jpg Alt Text: Estephanie Betances Title Text: Estephanie Betances Caption: Estephanie Betances Description: Estephanie Betances Image Credit: Tarek Amro Estephanie Betances always knew she wanted to work for a company that aligned with her values and she says nonprofit work makes that easy. Betances, who holds dual degrees in psychology, got her start working as a human resources and small business intern at Invest Newark, the organization she credits with enhancing her interest in the field. After spending a year at New York University researching home-visitation programs for children, Betances took a job at Lutheran Social Services of New York working as a special projects assistant. From there, she moved into the organizations human resources department where she has worked for over eight years. Betances juggles documentations for leaves of absence, advises new employees, creates job postings and lately she has taken the lead on coronavirus pandemic precautions, updating quarantine procedures and providing vaccine guidance. She recently put together a vaccine information panel with health care providers to help quell peoples nerves surrounding the vaccines side effects. Betances says shes privileged to be able to work from home and feels protective of the staff who dont have the same luxury. My goal has really been to make sure the workplace feels as safe as possible and provide some level of stability in an unstable time these are the things that make me feel good when theres a lot of bad, she says. I think its my duty to help those who are helping others, even more so now because of the pandemic. Dwayne Brown Deputy Director, Children & Youth, St. Nicks Alliance/School Settlement Association Dwayne Brown-Bashira Webb.jpg Alt Text: Dwayne Brown Title Text: Dwayne Brown Caption: Dwayne Brown Description: Dwayne Brown Image Credit: Bashira Webb Growing up in a single-parent household, family is at the core of Dwayne Browns work in the nonprofit sector. Im really trying to be a model for those who were raised similarly, he says. My mom was a single parent and I was a kid that went to after-school services doing youth development work was a natural transition for me. With dual masters degrees in education and public administration with a focus on nonprofit management, Brown brings more than 15 years of experience working with urban youth. He served as program director of Phipps Community Development Corporation, an affordable housing nonprofit for youth and families of low-income neighborhoods, and worked as interim student-life manager and project coordinator of Black Male Initiative at Bronx Community College in his home borough. Prior to his tenure at St. Nicks Alliance, he was program manager of adolescents and young adult programs at New York City Mission Society. Now at St. Nicks Alliance, Brown oversees community center and childrens programs for the organizations 30,000 kids and families. Hes extremely proud of the nonprofits ability to seamlessly transition from in-person and after-school services to doing grab-and-go food distribution during the coronavirus pandemic. He takes pride in working to expand the companys footprint beyond Williamsburg and Greenpoint. I work in a really gentrified community, he says, so a big part of my role that Im thrilled to be working on is expanding the company into Brownsville, Bed-Stuy and East New York. Cyndi Carnaghi-Collins Senior Director, Preventive Services, The Jewish Board Cynthia Carnaghi-Mark A. Collins .png Alt Text: Cyndi Carnaghi-Collins Title Text: Cyndi Carnaghi-Collins Caption: Cyndi Carnaghi-Collins Description: Cyndi Carnaghi-Collins Image Credit: Mark A. Collins Abnormal work hours arent unusual for Cyndi Carnaghi-Collins. We are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, she says of her work at The Jewish Board. My phone is never off. Im constantly checking my emails and making sure I didnt miss any calls or check-ins. Carnaghi-Collins is used to this kind of rigor, though. A degree in clinical social work with a certification in advanced trauma studies allowed her to home in on the impact of institutional and sexual violence, preparing her for her starting role at The Jewish Board as trauma systems therapy supervisor nearly eight years ago. The Jewish Board was a familiar place for Carnaghi-Collins. Prior to signing on full time, she had been doing anti-racist work with the nonprofit since 2010. As senior director of preventive services, this fight continues and remains at the core of her work. Were always grappling with what it means to be human-service professionals who serve Black and brown people in this environment and especially throughout the pandemic, she says. Our objective is to really push the boundaries of what equitable service means using an anti-racist construct. Carnaghi-Collins also leads anti-racism workshops with the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, referring to it as the most formative organization in cultivating a career that centers on race equity. The treatment and humanity the people I've worked with have shown over the years toward our clients, especially in a difficult time like this, she says, is what keeps me going every day. Judith Castillo Chief Operating Officer, Encore Community Services Judith Castillo-Genesis Tavarez.jpg Alt Text: Judith Castillo Title Text: Judith Castillo Caption: Judith Castillo Description: Judith Castillo Image Credit: Genesis Tavarez While Judith Castillo didnt necessarily plan for a career in nonprofit work, she has been a self-described caseworker in training from a young age. I was the oldest of three and the first one who spoke English in my home in the South Bronx, so I got used to helping my family and my moms friends. I always joke with people that I was trained early on to do this kind of work, she says, laughing. And she was. In her more than 15 years working in social services, Castillo has served as the director of contracts and finance at Phipps Neighborhoods for the majority of it. While there, she managed the organizations fiscal operations, including a portfolio valued at over $25 million. She joined the Encore team as chief operating officer nearly two years ago after working as controller at the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey. I went there to get more skills on running a smaller nonprofit, she says of the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health. After I did a fiscal assessment for Encore, another project came up and they had the COO position opening up. I thought Im happy where Im at, but I ended up applying for it. Now at Encore, Castillo is working to provide care for 88 formerly homeless senior residents and serves about 1,200 clients daily. With COVID, our population has been most affected, she says. Theres now a brighter spotlight on a community thats often forgotten, and Im really grateful for that. Rebecca Chung Program Manager, Online Campus, Columbia University School of Social Work Rebecca Y. Chung-Andrew Park.jpg Alt Text: Rebecca Y. Chung Title Text: Rebecca Y. Chung Caption: Rebecca Y. Chung Description: Rebecca Y. Chung Image Credit: Andrew Park As the daughter of Korean immigrants and the oldest of six children, Rebecca Chungs upbringing fostered a hunger for social justice. I have a long-standing family history rooted in the fight for freedom, she says. There were many moments where we really didnt have much and had our fair share of challenges. It really opened my eyes to existing social issues and disparities. These challenges carved an impressive path for Chung. From her time at the New York City Department of Education, various grassroots organizations, the United Nations and nonprofits in India and South Korea, her work exists at what she calls the intersection of service, social justice and entrepreneurship activism. As the program manager for the online campus of Columbia University's School of Social Work, Chung, whos an alumna of the Ivy League school's social work masters program, works full-time alongside a group of four and manages a team of 57 part-time staff members. Though the past year has been difficult, Chung says the coronavirus pandemic pushed her and the team beyond its limits to expand Columbias digital toolkit. The online program, which opened a webinar series to help other educators make the swift adjustment to e-learning, has seen success with 265 institutions participating. She says the collective is working toward one common goal to run an online campus that prioritizes visibility, justice and access. This is a pivotal time in history, she says. I really see online education and digital technology as a means to bridge the gap in pursuit of equity. Natasha Clarke Assistant Director, Bowery Residents' Committee Natasha Clarke- Natasha Clarke.jpg Alt Text: Natasha Clarke Title Text: Natasha Clarke Caption: Natasha Clarke Description: Natasha Clarke Image Credit: Natasha Clarke At five years old, Natasha Clarke came to the U.S. undocumented and remained undocumented for the majority of her teenage life. I think people see people with my story and think that we take from the system when really its the exact opposite we give back to the system and Im really proud to be a part of that, she says. After working as a case manager at CAMBA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to family support and homelessness prevention, Clarke wanted to do more. I felt like I needed to see what the clients I was serving were going through prior to coming to us, which prompted me to look into Bowery Residents' Committee, she says. Clarke worked her way up through three positions at BRC, which provides both transitional and permanent housing and services to New York Citys homeless. Now as assistant director of the organization, her days are packed from client and staff check-ins, meetings, outreach and conversations with government agencies, to her favorite part of the job interacting with BRCs clients, even if it's just through simple, everyday conversations that can help people feel seen. She says working through the coronavirus pandemic has largely been about quelling peoples nerves and educating residents on the virus. I have always been a person of small measurable goals, she says. I never look for big wins. Every day is a good day if we can help someone with something small thats what motivates me to keep going. Adam Doyno Executive Director, CUNY SPH Fund, and Director of Development, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Adam Doyno-Tim Baker_SilverWings Photography.jpg Alt Text: Adam Doyno Title Text: Adam Doyno Caption: Adam Doyno Description: Adam Doyno Image Credit: Tim Baker/Silver Wings Photography When Adam Doyno started the CUNY School of Public Health Foundation in January 2018, he set out to establish a fund unlike other traditional university foundations. I didnt want it to be alumni driven or to focus on one dimensional things like scholarships, he says. Instead, the foundation is working outside the confines of a classroom to prioritize the public health needs of the Harlem community. From his days working at FPWA to his time at United Way of New York City, Doyno brings more than 14 years of experience in social services, fundraising and health care to his dual directorial roles. Between overseeing the boards operations, managing bookkeeping, reviewing contracts and NDAs, and drafting concept papers, Doyno runs a tight ship, but making time to interact with students is still high on his priority list. Cultivating an SPH board reflective of the Harlem community was also important to him. Its highly diverse and different from any CUNY board, he says of the group of 10 plus himself and the dean. I wouldnt trade a board of 30 for this group any day of the week. Of $4 million raised over five years, Doyno has raised $2 million in the past year alone, working to generate a growing awareness of the importance of improving public health. Hes especially excited about the SPH Foundations latest venture: a new program unique to the Harlem area that will measure vaccine sentiment and map it on a live dashboard organized by ZIP code. Matthew Estersohn Partner, Marks Paneth Matt Estersohn-Marks Paneth LLP.jpg Alt Text: Matt Estersohn Title Text: Matt Estersohn Caption: Matt Estersohn Description: Matt Estersohn Image Credit: Marks Paneth LLP As an economics major with a passion for applied reasoning, the road to accounting was clear early on for Matthew Estersohn. Im analytic in nature and I enjoy thinking about good ways to make decisions, he says. With nearly 15 years of experience under his belt in accounting, auditing and consulting, Estersohn describes his work as not the most glamorous, but extremely rewarding and says his own decision to get involved in volunteering beyond the nonprofit sector is one hes most proud of. He credits a City & State event for acquainting him with nonprofit organizations that led to his involvement in volunteer work. He currently serves as treasurer of two charities, iCouldBe and Special Citizens Futures Unlimited. At Marks Paneth, Estersohn works exclusively with nonprofits, including cultural and human services organizations, schools and private institutions to strategize and oversee audits. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, he says response efforts now take up half or more of his workday where hes spent much of this year focused on relief programs, securing PPE and keeping operations sustainable. He says the resulting economic crisis has been one of the easier things to deal with amid looming health and safety concerns. Working with nonprofits makes (staying motivated) easy the past year speaks to how much we need the nonprofit sector, he says. What makes it all worth it is working with clients who are really solving these problems and tackling them on a day-to-day basis. Tony Fasciano Director of Communications, Volunteer New York! Anthony Fasciano-Thatcher Drew.jpg Alt Text: Anthony Fasciano Title Text: Anthony Fasciano Caption: Anthony Fasciano Description: Anthony Fasciano Image Credit: Thatcher Drew From film production, to publishing, to graphic design, Tony Fascianos journey to the nonprofit world is no ordinary one. After he co-founded Hand Fashioned Media LLC, a creative studio and consultancy agency specializing in writing, design and digital publishing, Fasciano got his MFA and broke into filmography, where he produced and wrote a short film that premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. After a series of creative ventures, Fasciano returned to his hometown in Westchester and was hired at Volunteer New York! following the companys rebrand. In the nearly seven years he has been there, Fasciano largely expanded the organizations social media footprint and has spearheaded, created and designed various campaigns including VNYs most successful Giving Tuesday campaign and its 9/11 community action day. Ive had the most tremendous opportunity to shape and build a brand whose initiative is to do good and use the power of volunteerism to come together to build safe communities and to just be a beacon of volunteerism and light in our community, he says. While Fasciano is responsible for all of VNYs communications, he also does graphic design, production and strategy for the company. Hes humbled by the tremendous increase in volunteer interest he has witnessed in the past year. Its easy to forget that this is why organizations like this exist, he says. When people are looking to serve and need an efficient way to support were here to provide that. Jennyfer Garcia Director of Clinical Services, Cardinal McCloskey Community Services Jennyfer Garcia-Cardinal McCloskey.png Alt Text: Jennyfer Garcia Title Text: Jennyfer Garcia Caption: Jennyfer Garcia Description: Jennyfer Garcia Image Credit: Cardinal McCloskey Jennyfer Garcia is on a mission to cultivate a more equitable, diverse and inclusive picture of mental-health intervention and crisis management. As a licensed mental health counselor, Garcias passion for psychology paved a path for this work early on. After working as an assistant teacher at a babysitting and tutoring agency, Garcia took a job at Cardinal McCloskey working with undocumented, unaccompanied youth and advanced through five different positions in the six years she has been at the social services agency. Her original job at Cardinal McCloskey was centered around helping more than 300 separated families reunify. This position is what really hooked me onto Cardinal McCloskey and overall child welfare, she says. I really loved that program, not only for the work we did but because it led me to explore the field of foster care. As director of clinical services, Garcia currently oversees a group of clinicians paired with foster children, answering to requests for mental health services, crisis intervention, safety planning and risk assessment for suicidal and homicidal children. She says during the coronavirus pandemic the agency, which has had no gaps in service since the start of the virus, has seen a lot of crisis, suicidal ideation and death that could have been due to COVID-19. Weve assessed over 120 kids in a matter of a year. Were doing therapy via telehealth and sometimes it's really difficult, she says. The work is the same though its always been about finding a solution for a child or a family. Angelina Garneva Vice President, Policy and Special Initiatives, New York City Employment and Training Coalition Angelina Garneva-Tzvetelina Garneva.jpg Alt Text: Angelina Garneva Title Text: Angelina Garneva Caption: Angelina Garneva Description: Angelina Garneva Image Credit: Tzvetelina Garneva Angelina Garneva, the vice president of policy and special initiatives with the New York City Employment and Training Coalition, calls the organization a small but mighty force. Garneva, who joined the coalition straight out of college, has pushed to expand its membership, which includes nonprofits, community-based organizations, and community colleges. During the coronavirus pandemic, Garneva says the coalition has pushed the New York City Council to invest in bridge programs for people with lower literacy skills to be able to quickly develop those skills and participate in technical and high school training programs. Partnering with Goodwill and Per Scholas, the coalition has created a pilot program allowing public-welfare recipients to participate in a technical training program. The people in our neighborhoods and the talent that they have to offer, if we nurture that, that is essential to creating prosperity and growth, Garneva says. In the future, Garneva says, as the city focuses on sustainable and regenerative infrastructure, those advances need to benefit New Yorkers instead of perpetuating gentrification. Our focus is to make sure that the workforce system and New Yorkers themselves actually have access to jobs (created by the recovery) and are built into that process, Garneva says. Outside of her work with the coalition, Garneva has engaged in environmental activism with the Sane Energy Project and the Stop the Williams Pipeline Coalition. Ruth Gerson Senior Vice President, Mental Health Services, The New York Foundling Ruth Gerson-Ruth Gerson.jpg Alt Text: Ruth Gerson Title Text: Ruth Gerson Caption: Ruth Gerson Description: Ruth Gerson Image Credit: Ruth Gerson After working in the childrens psychiatric emergency room at New York University Langone Health for many years, Ruth Gerson says she transitioned to The New York Foundling because she wanted to prevent the kinds of crises that were landing kids in the emergency room. When she joined The New York Foundling, Gerson started out supervising the psychiatric services for children in foster care and has since helped oversee the organizations clinic in East Harlem that provides resources for children not in foster care as well. Its not just Come into my office for 45 minutes a week and I will support your child. Its let me support the whole system thats surrounding you and all of the places that you go, says Gerson, who describes the organizations approach as holistic. During the coronavirus pandemic, Gerson says The New York Foundling has expanded its grief services and provided more services available directly within the community. We went from being an organization that had done almost no telehealth, to providing almost all of our services via telehealth in an incredibly short amount of time, Gerson says. Outside of her work with The New York Foundling, Gerson has co-edited two books, Beyond PTSD: Helping and Healing Teens Exposed to Trauma, and Helping Kids in Crisis: Managing Psychiatric Emergencies in Children and Adolescents. Gerson also teaches at NYU School of Medicine, where she is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Frances Gonzalez Senior Director, Marketing & Communications, Vibrant Emotional Health Frances Gonzalez-Kelsey Rauber .jpg Alt Text: Frances Gonzalez Title Text: Frances Gonzalez Caption: Frances Gonzalez Description: Frances Gonzalez Image Credit: Kelsey Rauber After exploring careers within government and real estate, once working in the nonprofit sector under the Clinton Foundation, Frances Gonzalez says she felt drawn to working in the mental health space due to her own mental health experiences. Now senior director of marketing and communications at Vibrant Emotional Health, Gonzalez leads the organizations strategy and branding for all programs. One of the largest pieces of the organizations portfolio is its National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. During the coronavirus pandemic, Gonzalezs role in spreading awareness of the organizations resources and in creating resources to educate people about mental health amplified in its significance. Mental health services and resources are more important than ever right now, Gonzalez says. We dont know what the long-term effects of the pandemic are going to be and we need to be prepared to address whatever those concerns are. With Vibrant Emotional Health, Gonzalez has served on ViacomCBS Expert Advisory Council and engaged with Facebooks Suicide and Self-Injury Advisory Committee to promote the sharing of stories about hope and recovery that can model how individuals cope and make it through crises. Theres no one-size-fits-all experience for mental health, Gonzalez says, and our communications, the stories we share, our materials that we build should be reflective, celebratory of those different experiences. Resources Gonzalez has created at the organization include a storytelling checklist, which offers a guide for sharing stories of suicide prevention, and a social media toolkit outlining how to create suicide-prevention policies for online community moderators. Ruben Gonzalez Director of Finance, New York Edge Ruben Gonzalez-Azalea Gonzalez.jpg Alt Text: Ruben Gonzalez Title Text: Ruben Gonzalez Caption: Ruben Gonzalez Description: Ruben Gonzalez Image Credit: Azalea Gonzalez Given his background in nonprofit programming, as the director of finance for New York Edge, Ruben Gonzalez says he has made it his mission to bridge the gap between the sectors finance and programming departments. Theres always this disconnection one doesnt understand what the other does and I think thats extremely crucial to actually grasp what are each other's responsibilities to better be efficient, Gonzalez says. Before switching to the financial side of the nonprofit sector, Gonzalez spent 10 years in nonprofit programming. During his career, he has served as a case-plan manager with the New York Urban League and as a Learning to Work program director with Harlem Renaissance High School. He also provided parenting workshops and school-aged workshops at the New York City Mission Society. When Gonzalez joined New York Edge, he started as a program manager overseeing seven to eight after-school programs before transferring to the finance department as a budget compliance supervisor, overseeing $33 million in government contract funding. Recalling his own childhood in the Bronx, Gonzalez says he owes his success to programs like those provided by New York Edge, pointing to the influence of the organizations Champions Club, which provides a wide range of enrichment opportunities. Its always been a passion of mine to work in the communities that I was raised in, Gonzalez says. In the future, Gonzalez says his goal is to build reserves and endowments for the organization to be less reliant on contract funding. Erum Hanif CEO, APNA Brooklyn Community Center Erum Hanif-Hanif Khan.jpeg Alt Text: Erum Hanif Title Text: Erum Hanif Caption: Erum Hanif Description: Erum Hanif Image Credit: Hanif Khan Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, APNAs influence in the South Brooklyn community has grown exponentially. Recognizing the impact felt by the community APNA served, Erum Hanif, the organizations CEO, worked with the city government to create a designated halal grab-and-go meal site between March and June of 2020. In July, APNA established its food pantry, which serves 250 to 300 families every week and provides 1,500 to 2,000 cooked meals four days a week. Through these new programs, Hanif says, APNA has become a hub for not just the Muslim community but for everyone in the neighborhood. Before joining APNA, Hanif spent most of her career working in Pakistan, which included serving as chief human resources officer for a background screening company. Since joining APNA almost four years ago, Hanif has overseen the operations of the organizations two adult day care centers and its community center, which provides a wide range of services including free tax preparation and filing, voter-registration workshops, and entitlement and case management services. With the coronavirus pandemic, those services have only expanded. Im a Muslim-hijabi woman, but I am a taxpayer, I am here, I am a resident, so my needs and my voice matters as all other voices matter, Hanif says. And still we are seeing that communities of color, Muslims and immigrants are still being neglected. Outside of APNA, Hanif is a member of Community Board 13, co-president of P.S. 253s Parent Teacher Association and a member of the school leadership team. Gia Harris Program Director, Greenpoint YMCA Gia Harris-Judith Gomez.jpeg Alt Text: Gia Harris Title Text: Gia Harris Caption: Gia Harris Description: Gia Harris Image Credit: Judith Gomez Now with the YMCA for more than 20 years, Gia Harris says she first became interested in working with the organization when she was just 17 years old and waited until her 18th birthday to join as an after-school counselor in Jamaica, Queens. Harris completed her bachelors degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and returned to the organization as a mental health and wellness group counselor at the West Side location. While at the West Side YMCA, Harris became a site coordinator for the middle school program and eventually a school-aged child care director. The Y is really about serving the whole person and meeting just about every need that someone in the community could possibly have, Harris says. Prior to joining the Greenpoint YMCA as a program director, Harris took a break from her full-time role to be a mom. While home with her daughter, Harris became a birth doula, postpartum doula, fertility doula and a childbirth educator, which has encouraged her to explore how the YMCA can expand its services for pregnant and postpartum mothers. I know that there are a lot of families who need services and they may not be able to afford what they truly cost, what these agencies and people are charging, so being able to provide services to families is what Im committed to, Harris says. During the coronavirus pandemic, the YMCA has continued to offer virtual services, but has been able to reopen its doors and provide access to its learning labs and after-school programs. Lizzie Honan Regional Director, New York City, RevJen Group Lizzie Honan-Sharon D. Siegel.jpg Alt Text: Lizzie Honan Title Text: Lizzie Honan Caption: Lizzie Honan Description: Lizzie Honan Image Credit: Sharon D. Siegel Although she only joined RevJen Group in February 2020, Lizzie Honan, now the organizations New York City regional director, is not new to the practice of revenue building and growth. At the beginning of her career, Honan joined Madison Square Park Conservancy and watched the organization grow over nine years from having under $1 million in funding to $4 million by the time she became chief of staff. Later, she joined Edible Schoolyard NYC as first vice president of growth strategy and development, where she oversaw $1.5 million of growth in revenue. RevJen's focus is to support nonprofit leaders and remove barriers like revenue capacity, and Honan oversees the organizations revenue capacity-building workshops in New York City. Through its programs, RevJen offers training to multiple members of an organizations team to embed revenue culture into staff meetings so that programmatic goals and budget goals can be formed together. Weve heard from several executive directors, for example, whove said that their peer groups are the one place where they can just show up and be themselves, Honan says. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Honan says a lot of organizations that RevJen worked with had a fundraising routine. But with change being felt by almost all aspects of society, Honan says that almost everyone has had to rethink where their funding is going to come from. The pandemic has absolutely underscored what we were already saying was needed in the sector, Honan says. Jennifer Jimenez Residential Habilitation Counselor, AHRC New York City Jennifer Jimenez-Little Joker photography.png Alt Text: Jennifer Jimenez Title Text: Jennifer Jimenez Caption: Jennifer Jimenez Description: Jennifer Jimenez Image Credit: Little Joker Photography When one of Jennifer Jimenezs clients transferred to independent living and her new apartment building excluded animals, Jimenez knew she had to find a way to reunite the client with her three pet birds. She said, I know to others it's just a bird, but to me those are my children, those are my babies. So once she told me that, I was like, no this has to happen, Jimenez says. After researching different options, Jimenez had the birds designated as emotional support animals so her client could live independently while also keeping her pets. As a residential habilitation counselor with AHRC New York City, Jimenez assists with a program that helps people with developmental disabilities live independently. Working with her clients, Jimenez encourages independent living skills and identifies achievable goals with clients and their care managers. I like helping people. I like getting people where they need to be, where they want to be in life, says Jimenez, who has been with AHRC New York City for about seven years. During the coronavirus pandemic, Jimenez has continued to work with her clients, adapting their routines and trying to keep everyone calm and distracted with DIY projects and other activities. You have to really educate some of the clients when it comes to the pandemic. A lot of people, its very hard for them to understand and kind of grasp the danger and reality of what we were going through, Jimenez says. Chai Jindasurat Vice President of Policy, Nonprofit New York Chai Jindasurat-Duke Winn_The MOT Pictures.jpg Alt Text: Chai Jindasurat Title Text: Chai Jindasurat Caption: Chai Jindasurat Description: Chai Jindasurat Image Credit: Duke Winn/The MOT Pictures As the vice president of policy for an organization that advocates for the nonprofit sector, Chai Jindasurat has worked closely with New York states congressional delegation and the National Council of Nonprofits lately to ensure that organizations like Nonprofit New York were not excluded from the governments policy response. Nonprofit New York really took on much more of a sector-wide coordinated role in making sure that nonprofits were included in COVID relief, Jindasurat says. Nonprofits ultimately gained relief with the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the first federal CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act due to advocacy by people like Jindasurat. At the beginning of his career, Jindasurat advocated for the LGBTQ community through working with the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project and the New York City Anti-Violence Project. Later, he received his masters degree from New York Universitys Wagner School of Public Service, interned with the New York City Economic Development Corp., and was a fellow with the Citizens Budget Commission. After graduating, Jindasurat joined the New York City Mayor's Office of Management and Budget under Mayor Bill de Blasio as an analyst before going to Nonprofit New York in March of 2019. Hes also a student in CUNY Laws part-time evening program. What I would really like to see and work towards, Jindurat says, is a time where New York City, and New York state, and the federal government really value the nonprofit sector as an integral, an important, an empowerful fabric of our society. Chelsea Kraimer Director of Reentry Services and Senior Participant Success Manager, Getting Out and Staying Out Chelsea Kraimer-Julia Friedman.jpg Alt Text: Chelsea Kraimer Title Text: Chelsea Kraimer Caption: Chelsea Kraimer Description: Chelsea Kraimer Image Credit: Julia Friedman Although she always had an interest in forensics and racial justice, Chelsea Kraimers first experience with the criminal justice system was through interning with a federal halfway house in Hartford, Connecticut. In that moment it was really clear to me that I wanted to find a career that was going to address what I think is one of the largest, and always has been, challenges of this time, which is mass incarceration, Kraimer says. While completing her masters degree in social work at New York University, Kraimer interned with Getting Out and Staying Out, where she has continued to work ever since. As an intern with the organization, Kraimer says she regularly visited Rikers Island, New York Citys main jail complex, to work with 16- and 17-year-old male-identifying individuals who were either recently sentenced or on their way to being discharged. Im someone whos committed to decarceration, although Id like to work with as many people as were able to, I also want to see the jails continue to release people, Kraimer says. But as an intern, she says she noticed a gap in the organizations services. Because Getting Out and Staying Outs programs closed at 5 p.m., it was difficult for high school students to attend. After graduating, Kraimer joined the organization to build out an adolescent program in order to fill this gap. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and now working as the organizations director of reentry services and senior participant success manager, Kraimer says the organization has continued to work with program participants through a new hybrid model that operates virtually and provides physical resources. Lina Lee Executive Director, Communities Resist Lina Lee-Jackie Barbosa.jpg Alt Text: Lina Lee Title Text: Lina Lee Caption: Lina Lee Description: Lina Lee Image Credit: Jackie Barbosa As a child of immigrant parents living in Elmhurst, Queens, Lina Lee witnessed firsthand the housing struggles faced by immigrant families and people of color. Its specifically communities of color who are traditionally underserved, constantly under-resourced, in New York City, Lee says. And really there were no legal services specifically geared to help the most vulnerable, but also the communities that are very sort of secluded and forgotten. With a law degree in hand from Boston University, Lee sought to amplify the voices of low-income tenants with accessible legal avenues through Communities Resist, a legal-services organization. Lee and her diverse team educate tenants on housing laws and how to organize in order to fight for change in a courtroom. They also work within the community to provide resources and bring together different community boards and elected coalitions in order to support the tenants rights. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted communities of color in many ways, and in housing, Black and Latino people face a higher eviction rate. Despite an eviction moratorium in place, Lee says that landlords have resorted to illegal methods, pushing out tenants with harassment tactics, especially towards undocumented immigrants. Lee and her team have been preparing for when the courts fully reopen in order to ensure the safety of the tenants they represent and have provided one-on-one legal assistance for illegal lockouts and harassment. I have really come to see the difference and change that a legal service that is predominantly led by people of color how that really affects the services and the way that we provide legal services, Lee says. Elinor Litwack Partner, GRF CPAs & Advisors Elinor Litwack-Alona Cohen Photography.jpg Alt Text: Elinor Litwack Title Text: Elinor Litwack Caption: Elinor Litwack Description: Elinor Litwack Image Credit: Alona Cohen Photography Elinor Litwack has always had a passion for accounting and wanted to promote social good with her skills. Small-business accounting didnt do it for me, Litwack says. She has been working for the nonprofit sector since 2007, when she joined the accounting firm GRF CPAs & Advisors. Litwack calls the work a perfect mesh of both my worlds coming together, so I get to help nonprofits achieve their mission. At her firm, she is also a leading force in helping accounting go digital. The shift in technology-based accounting has provided the firm with efficiency in automating tasks and pushing salary dollars further, Litwack says. Aside from her professional work of aiding nonprofits, Litwack also volunteers for I Support the Girls, a nonprofit organization that helps provide homeless women and girls with menstrual products and bras. When Dana Marlowe, the founder of the organization, told Litwack about this project in its inception, Litwack volunteered right away to help with the accounting needed to get the organization up and running. According to Litwack, the organization has donated over $13.5 million worth of bras and feminine-hygiene products to women in need. I feel blessed that I get to work with many nonprofits in multiple sectors, but I'm just inspired in a way that they're able to accomplish so much and sometimes with very few dollars, Litwack says. But that really, it just makes you feel like the world is actually a very good place again when you're surrounded by that type of love and activism and positivity. Christopher Luggiero Associate Director of Communications, The Doe Fund Christopher Luggiero-Sameer Khan.jpg Alt Text: Christopher Luggiero Title Text: Christopher Luggiero Caption: Christopher Luggiero Description: Christopher Luggiero Image Credit: Sameer Khan The Doe Fund provides social services to those suffering from addiction, homeless people and formerly incarcerated individuals through workforce development and socioeconomic aid. Since starting as associate director of communications at The Doe Fund, Luggiero has transformed the way the organization communicates to both the individuals they serve and the communities where those individuals reside. Luggiero focuses on telling the personal stories of individuals that are aided with The Doe Funds programs while drawing attention to the systemic issues and inequalities these individuals have faced. His conversations come from a place of humility and listening, Luggiero says. What can they teach me that I don't know, what can they teach the world? he asks when conducting these stories. What can we learn from what they've overcome, what they've struggled with, what their lives have been? Luggiero says the coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected those that have been homeless and formerly incarcerated because many were employed in face-to-face entry-level jobs. The Doe Fund team has completely overhauled its workforce development strategy in order to account for the loss in those opportunities, mostly through different types of job training like carpentry, or switching from culinary-arts training to food-delivery experience. Theyve also been able to aid those facing homelessness during COVID-19 in finding housing or staying at hotels, such as the Bentley Hotel on the Upper East Side. According to Luggiero, the community there has embraced the individuals staying at the hotel. Part of that is because Luggiero has shared with the community the personal experiences of those who are facing trying times. We have to change the narrative, change the perception of who these people are who have experienced homelessness and who have experienced incarceration, Luggiero says. Its nothing like you see in movies or in television shows or the mainstream perception and culture. Its totally off. Tiffany McFadden Project Director of the Test and Trace CBO Engagement Initiative, SCAN-Harbor Tiffany McFadden_VLJ5912 (1).JPG Alt Text: Tiffany McFadden Title Text: Tiffany McFadden Caption: Tiffany McFadden Description: Tiffany McFadden Image Credit: Submitted A former foster care youth, Tiffany McFadden understood the societal issues plaguing many from an early age. The families where she was placed often lacked the means to appropriately care for her, and her mother had struggled with substance abuse. I saw that and experienced that, whether I was in court or being shifted away from one foster care placement to the next, that this whole thing around young people slipping through the cracks was not just some cliche, that it was very real, McFadden says. Early on as an adolescent, McFadden had to develop a voice for herself because she knew no one else would speak up for her. McFadden is now a part of SCAN-Harbor, the largest youth service provider in Harlem, East Harlem and the South Bronx that supports at-risk youth. She has been the driving force in promoting mask awareness, COVID-19 testing and now helping people schedule their vaccination appointments in her community. According to McFadden, there was a lot of resistance in stepping into communities that were apprehensive about coronavirus pandemic policies. McFadden and her team did not resist. They went into those communities to effectively communicate and understand different perspectives. Her leading effort drove other organizations to put boots on the ground as well. The community team was so effective that the Department of Health ended up using them as a strategy in fending off the coronavirus pandemic. McFadden says she has a yearning to belong and finds that in her community work. I want to continue to do that, McFadden says. I understand that it's a part of my purpose. It's a part of my happiness. It's a part of my healing. Nicole McVinua Director of Policy, Urban Pathways Nicole McVinua-Alex Rico.jpg Alt Text: Nicole McVinua Title Text: Nicole McVinua Caption: Nicole McVinua Description: Nicole McVinua Image Credit: Alex Rico Nicole McVinua received her education in sociology and social work, a field she says showed her how society is structured in such a way that it benefits some individuals while harming others. I feel like once you see it, you cannot unsee it, McVinua says. As the director of policy at Urban Pathways, McVinua advocates for policies in affordable housing while bringing important stakeholders into the conversation. McVinua is proud of having been a leading force in the New York City Councils passage of 1211-a, a landmark piece of legislation that requires New York City to set aside 15% of affordable housing units for homeless families and individuals through Coalition for the Homeless' House Our Future NY campaign. This is just one example of how McVinua builds relationships with elected officials to advocate for change. We like to invite the elected officials to come and visit our program sites, meet with the residents who live there, hear their perspective about the programs, and you know, see what we do firsthand, McVinua says. She says what motivates her is seeing her client succeed in being able to obtain permanent housing. You see a client sometimes come in from a shelter and a year or two later their lives are just completely turned around. They carry themselves in a different way, McVinua says. It's just really phenomenal what something that, it sounds so basic to have, housing, is just, it matters for every single thing. Liz Northcutt Executive Director and Founder, City Living NY Liz Northcutt-Liz Northcutt.jpeg Alt Text: Liz Northcutt Title Text: Liz Northcutt Caption: Liz Northcutt Description: Liz Northcutt Image Credit: Liz Northcutt Liz Northcutt has led a career as a caseworker who aids children in the family court and foster care systems. After a few years, Northcutt noticed a pattern. Young adults who aged out of the foster care system werent getting the help they needed in becoming financially stable, leading to poverty and homelessness. Northcutt saw a need and developed a solution by forming City Living NY, a support mentoring service that provides young adults with the tools necessary to find housing and succeed in their own lives. According to Northcutt, young adults have thrived in the program. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Northcutt and her team had to support many adults who had recently been laid off from their retail or restaurant jobs. They immediately created a COVID-19 fundraiser where 100% of the funds went to supporting their clients by paying for rent, food, diapers, laptops and more. They shifted their model from one of prompting independence to financially supporting many during the difficult economic period. Despite an eviction moratorium in place, Northcutt is proud to have been able to lead an effort in providing payment to many young adults housing needs so they would not have to owe any money when the moratorium ends. Northcutt started City Living NY with two young children and worked pro bono for two years. My priority was always helping young people and so, overtime, now in the last five years, weve grown, Northcutt says. I have a salary, we have seven, including myself, social workers, and with funds having grown, weve been able to do that. Pedro Suarez Program Director of Strategic Partnerships, LIFT Pedro Suarez-Melissa Suarez.jpg Alt Text: Pedro Suarez Title Text: Pedro Suarez Caption: Pedro Suarez Description: Pedro Suarez Image Credit: Melissa Suarez Pedro Suarez has lived in the Bronx his entire life. After completing a bachelors degree in political science, Suarez realized he enjoyed serving his community through organizing and advocacy. Now at LIFT, he helps families break the cycle of multigenerational poverty by reaching financial and educational goals. In his role, he works closely with community colleges to provide families with resources needed to continue or begin their educational journeys. Hes also part of the Student Sponsor Partners program, through which he mentors a student from his own alma mater, Cardinal Hayes High School. I think mentoring is really powerful, Suarez says. It's something that everyone should have access to. And I think folks who have barriers, whether that's language barriers or barriers to specific skills that they need for a certain job, mentorship can be a huge opportunity to get access to different opportunities, different skills and different resources. At LIFT, Suarez has also played a crucial role in distributing COVID-19 relief funding and assistance to people living in New York City by reaching out to funders who had worked with LIFT in the past. He has also bridged the digital divide for many families. Im really excited for what's to come in terms of the opportunities that we can work with our families to create, but it's far from over, Suarez says. We really look forward to working with all the important institutions in New York City that are interested in doing this work to serve families that are struggling right now. Liliana Velez Chief of Staff, Urban Resource Institute Liliana Velez- Photo Nice Studio.jpg Alt Text: Liliana Velez Title Text: Liliana Velez Caption: Liliana Velez Description: Liliana Velez Image Credit: Photo Nice Studio As someone who grew up in the public school system of the Bronx with immigrant parents, Liliana Velez has experienced firsthand the lack of access to resources due to institutional structures. Her parents made sure that as a child I really understood that education was key to succeeding professionally, Velez says. She did, and continues to strive to provide resources to others through leadership and education. Velez works to open doors for other people through leadership and education as chief of staff at Urban Resource Institute, a domestic violence services provider in New York City, where she leads projects. Most recently, she spearheaded a merger that resulted in the institute enlarging its shelter capacity, making it the largest provider of shelter for domestic violence survivors in the country, according to Velez. Before her time with the Institute, Velez held a variety of community-oriented leadership roles with Safe Horizon, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and after-school programs. Velez aspires to inspire others to work toward achieving their own goals and uplifting their communities, one person at a time. To Velez, her achievements are because of the teachings of her parents. It's really a testament to their drive, their perseverance, and their belief that what they did, as individuals who emigrated to give me greater opportunities, what they did was really something that was worth it and was attainable, Velez says. Ashleigh Washington Senior Director of Learning and Staff Development, Safe Horizon Ashleigh Washington-Christopher Calo.jpg Alt Text: Ashleigh Washington Title Text: Ashleigh Washington Caption: Ashleigh Washington Description: Ashleigh Washington Image Credit: Christopher Calo During her undergraduate studies at Prairie View A&M University, Ashleigh Washington realized she wanted to spend her life aiding those in need. What was most important to me was really addressing issues of life as it relates to women who looked like me, Washington says. In her 15-year career, Washington went on to support the rehabilitation of women from substance use, helped pregnant and parenting teenagers and aided HIV-affected people find housing solutions. At Safe Horizon, Washington trains advocates to work effectively with survivors of violence. An adjunct professor at the City University of New York and former writing consultant for Columbia University social work students, Washington also teaches appropriate methods to discuss issues humans face. I want them to bring humanity to that, and be conscious of their own implicit bias and their judgment, Washington says. When teaching, she focuses on the mindset her students have when approaching people, rather than memorization. According to Washington, her anti-racist pedagogy encourages her students to constantly reflect within the system of racism and white supremacy that surrounds us, and she teaches students to learn from others experiences. The fundamentals that she teaches in the classroom are what have defined her life. Washington says what keeps her going is her 10-year-old self. She hopes to create a safer environment for young women. Its my ancestors and the people that came before me that made it possible for me to learn, grow, and withstand every barrier that the society placed in front of me, Washington says. Alice Wong Chief of Staff, Chinese-American Planning Council Alice Wong-Thomas Wong.jpeg Alt Text: Alice Wong Title Text: Alice Wong Caption: Alice Wong Description: Alice Wong Image Credit: Thomas Wong A daughter of immigrant parents and a native of the Lower East Side, Alice Wong grew up translating for her parents who did not speak a lot of English. This was her introduction to helping people with significant barriers. Fast forward a few decades later and Wong is now at the helm of the Chinese-American Planning Council where shes led the charge in creating Community at Broome, a community center, affordable housing unit and essential-services provider, all wrapped in one. The facility will also be the headquarters of the Chinese-American Planning Council, helping them enlarge their reach to the Lower East Side community. I'm really proud of the fact that we're going to be building a lot of affordable housing and a community space that is going to be helping the residents of the Lower East Side substantially for a very long time, Wong says. Wong has also led many campaigns against Asian hate crimes during the coronavirus pandemic. She helped train individuals who were discriminated against by teaching them their legal rights for those instances. That proactive approach was coupled with public service announcements highlighting a variety of advertisements that tried to change the narrative that people of Asian descent were the cause of the pandemic. Our concern was that once the city began to reopen, this would become a bigger issue, and unfortunately it has, Wong says. So, now it becomes just this ongoing fight to continue to draw attention to this issue for awareness but also to ensure that our communities are getting the resources needed to combat it. Correction: A previous version of this list incorrectly stated the organization leading the House Our Future NY campaign in Nicole McVinua's profile. The list also previously incorrectly described where Rebecca Chung completed her master's degree. Nasa is starting a new impact scenario experiment in the event that a destructive asteroid is discovered heading towards Earth. The five-day tabletop exercise, which commences this week, will allow the space agency in conjunction with other scientific bodies to plan how an emergency situation would play out. The fictional chronology of events begins when astronomers discover a near-Earth object that could put life at risk. More details about the asteroid are revealed as the exercise goes on, to plan for reconnaissance, deflection missions, and ideas to help mitigate the effects of an impact. Little information is provided about the imaginary asteroid, with its size ranging from 35 meters to 700 meters. When first detected, it would be 57 million kilometres from Earth, approaching at 11,000 miles per hour. There is a one in 100 change of impact, the threshold the international community has decided on to merit a response. Nasa has participated in seven impact scenarios at previous conferences since 2013, and three in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Hypothetical asteroid impact exercises provide opportunities for us to think about how we would respond in the event that a sizeable asteroid is found to have a significant chance of impacting our planet, said Dr. Paul Chodas, director of CNEOS, Nasas centre for computing asteroid and comet orbits, in a statement. Details of the scenario such as the probability of the asteroid impact, where and when the impact might occur are released to participants in a series of steps over the days of the conference to simulate how a real situation might evolve. Previous exercises, however, have not been successful. In 2019, Nasas planning saw a fictional asteroid 60 metres wide crashing into New York City. If such an event actually happened, it would have caused 1.3 million deaths from an impact 1000 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Nevertheless, the event will be a valuable precursor to the launch of Nasas Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which is the first-ever test of asteroid deflection technology. DART will launch later this year, with a planned impact on the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022. The data returned after it impacts Dimorphos will help scientists better understand one way we might mitigate a potentially hazardous NEO discovered in the future, said Andrea Riley, program executive for DART at Nasa Headquarters. While the asteroid DART impacts poses no threat to Earth, it is in a perfect location for us to perform this test of the technology before it may actually be needed. Jim LeBrecht, co-director of Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, looked dapper at the 93rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday night, thanks in no small part to his custom-made Gucci tuxedo. The 65-year-old filmmaker, who has spina bifida, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the experience of being dressed by the legendary fashion house, which he called 'unbelievable' and 'transformative'. 'Im a blue jeans and T-shirt kind of guy, so this is quite the moment for me,' said LeBrecht, who along with Nicole Newnham co-wrote and co-directed last year's Crip Camp, which enjoyed an Oscar nod for Best Documentary Feature this weekend. Dapper in blue: Jim LeBrecht (center), co-director of Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, looked dapper at the Oscars on Sunday night, thanks to his custom-made Gucci tuxedo 'Its unbelievable,' he added. 'When I first tried on the outfit, it was kind of transformative for me. Ive never had anything made for my body. I feel comfortable, and I feel transformed.' LeBrecht also explained the process of how he was fit for the navy and black-lapeled tuxedo, paired with a lovely floral-printed shirt and custom Gucci socks. 'I dont stand up, so I kind of flipped over and put my chest on the pillow of my wheelchair, with my legs extended down to the floor, and we got the job done,' he described. The 65-year-old filmmaker, who has spina bifida, said the experience of being dressed by the legendary fashion house was 'unbelievable' and 'transformative'; seen with (from left) Judith Heumann, Nicole Newnham, Sara Bolder, Andraea LaVant and service dog Gofi LaVant Of the finished ensemble, Jim said, 'I stopped wearing shoes a long time ago, so these socks are just really yummy, and they look really good.' LeBrecht, who is also a prolific and respected sound mixer and editor in the industry, also spoke about the fashion statement from his perspective as a member of the disabled community. 'For us, its about being seen in places where weve never had a moment in the spotlight. But what this also says is that every body is beautiful, and for every body in the world, its possible to be elegant,' he reflected. 'Im a blue jeans and T-shirt kind of guy, so this is quite the moment for me,' said LeBrecht, who along with Nicole Newnham co-wrote and co-directed last year's Crip Camp, which enjoyed an Oscar nod for Best Documentary Feature this weekend; seen in January 2020 'The whole back-and-forth with Gucci was really lovely,' he added, of his dealings with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele. 'My body is a one-off, so to speak, but we worked it out. And there really has been a transformation in this for me, in feeling comfortable with who I am I look great.' Jim's film Crip Camp tells the story of a long-standing summer camp for teenagers with disabilities in upstate New York which contributed to a disability-rights revolution back in the 1970s. The documentary lost out on the Oscar on Sunday night, which went to Netflix's hit nature film My Octopus Teacher. Accolades: Their film Crip Camp tells the story of a long-standing summer camp for teenagers with disabilities in upstate New York which contributed to a disability-rights revolution back in the 1970s Those who use Roku may no longer have access to YouTube TV in the near future. The video streaming service attributes this potential loss to Google, whom it says is trying to take control of its user experience via anti-competitive demands. Axios reports how Roku had sent an email to its subscribers on Monday notifying them of the present situation. The brand additionally pled with subscribes to urge Google to reach an agreement with them so that YouTube TV will still be made available on the platform. Google is allegedly demanding for Roku to give the company preferential access to its consumer data. The media conglomerate additionally asked for Roku to launch a search bar showcasing results from YouTube only while also blocking search items from competitive content providers. Google is attempting to use its YouTube monopoly position to force Roku into accepting predatory, anti-competitive and discriminatory terms that will directly harm Roku and other users, said a Roku spokesperson to the publication. Roku is not asking Google for a single additional dollar in value. We simply cannot agree to terms that would manipulate consumer search results, inflate the cost of our products and violate established industry platforms. Roku was first founded by Anthony Wood in 2002 and has since become the preferred OTT device for those looking for alternates to cable. The California-based company has expanded its product line to include additional items such as speakers and voice-controlled remotes in the nearly two decades it has existed. According to TechCrunch, Roku is standing by its decision in turning down Googles demands. Google has yet to release a statement of its own. Every object that has ever left the solar system has been made in America. Now, however, China plans to become the second country to breach interstellar space. According to the Designer-in-Chief of Chinas Lunar Exploration Program, Wu Weiren, the country will send out two probes to study the edge of the solar systemand, while theyre at it, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Peoples Republic Of China. SPACESCRAPERS: Moon bases could feature mile-high skyscrapers Both probes will pass Jupiter on their out of the solar system, and one will visit Neptune. But the culmination of the missions will be the double hundred," when both spacecraft reach a distance 100 times farther than the Earths orbit around the Sun just in time for Chinas centennial in 2049. The probes are expected to launch in three years to achieve this goal. Only four spacecraft have reached the one hundred mark, all operated by NASA. New Horizons, another NASA craft, flew by Pluto in 2015 and is expected to be the fifth interstellar object. The double hundred milestone is not just symbolic. Our sun is constantly ejecting a wind of charged particles that carves out a bubble in the gas and dust surrounding us, and it is at roughly one hundred times Earths distance from the Sun that this bubble gives way to the ambient matter stuff between stars. Studying this boundary is expected to give humankind a better understanding of the solar wind and space weather, which is essential for keeping satellites and space missions safe. Chinas announcement marks a continuation of its accelerating space program. In 2019, the Peoples Republic of China became the first to safely land a probe on the far side of the Moon, and in 2020, became the first nation to bring samples back from the Moon in over 50 years. Just last month, China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding pledging they would cooperate on the construction of a research station at the south pole of the Moon in 2030. Asa Stahl is an astrophysics PhD candidate at Rice University and the award-winning author of the pop science childrens book "The Big Bang Book." His research is aimed at discovering planets around other stars in order to answer some of our biggest questions, like "How special is the Earth?" and "How did we get here?" His recent book has been recognized as an Edward Jack Keats Award Honoree, an NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Book, and a Sakura Medal Finalist. HOUSTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SecurityGate.io, the #1 risk management platform for industrial cybersecurity, today announced it has been included in the 2021 Gartner Market Guide for Operational Technology Security. Named by Gartner as a "Multifunction OT Security Platform", SecurityGate.io is recognized as a platform that helps security and risk management leaders "support their organizations' efforts to improve operational resilience." Gartner notes, "leading organizations are starting to elevate OT security requirements into their enterprise risk management (ERM) efforts by adopting an integrated security strategy across IT, OT, CPS, physical security and supply chain security." SecurityGate.io, deployed as a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, assists leaders with the challenges of managing cyber risk across an organization of diverse assets, people, and processes. The SecurityGate.io platform shows company-wide views of cyber controls, maturity, and compliance. Dashboards, using a business context-aware scoring system, draw attention to areas that need improvement. This provides leaders with a prioritized view of next steps, making it easier to decide where and when to invest resources across their people, processes and technology, from IT to OT. Cybersecurity consultants and risk management leaders can discover cyber risks sooner and make improvements faster by making use of: Fast, SaaS workflows and reporting automation that reduce the effort it takes to perform cyber assessments and speed up the time to results by reducing or eliminating manual spreadsheet processes. Macro dashboard views with drill-down capabilities offering a fast way to understand trends in missing controls, and capabilities to benchmark risk posture and maturity improvement progress from one facility to another. Centralized collaboration for consultants, suppliers, and asset owning stakeholders covering all activities associated with remediations and improvements. An open API for custom reporting and data integration, along with a variety of pre-built system integrations for popular asset discovery, network security, and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platforms. "Cyber threats to industrial operations and workplace safety are rapidly changing, testing how quickly these critical infrastructure organizations can adjust. Our diverse team at SecurityGate.io has a deep history of working in industrial environments in both operational and risk management capacities. We know downtime, safety, and efficiency can often be challenging to manage when risks and threats evolve so quickly," says SecurityGate.io co-founder and CEO, Ted Gutierrez. "We're pleased to be named in Gartner's Market Guide for Operational Technology Security. As the only company listed in the guide to provide SaaS workflows across the lifecycle of OT cyber risk management processes, we're eager and excited to help this industry." Gartner clients can download the Gartner Market Guide for Operational Technology Security here. Gartner, Market Guide for Operational Technology Security, January 2021 Gartner Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About SecurityGate.io SecurityGate.io is a Houston-based cybersecurity software company. Our risk management platform helps industrial companies discover cyber risks sooner and make improvements faster. We achieve this by replacing slow, manual risk management processes with digital automation, agile workflows, and data intelligence. Our customers include Chevron, Westlake Chemical, Diamond Offshore, and Patterson UTI. Media Contact: Matt Wilbanks [email protected] SOURCE SecurityGate.io Related Links https://securitygate.io A Michigan judge on Monday said hell allow a dozen tech and election experts, including the Florida firm Cyber Ninjas and others who alleged election fraud following the November presidential election, to refute a secretary of state election report that determined mistakes in Michigan voting results were caused by human error and didnt signal vulnerability or tampering with election machines. Cyber Ninjas is the name of a Florida-based consulting firm owned by Doug Logan, whos expressed support for election fraud Stop the Steal conspiracy theories on social media. The company was recently hired by the Republican-majority Arizona Legislature to conduct an audit of election results in Maricopa County. That audit began last week. Now the Cyber Ninjas, as well as other experts put forth by the plaintiff in an ongoing election fraud lawsuit, are likely going to weigh in on challenges to results in Michigans Antrim County. Many of the experts have been involved in other election challenges across the nation, sometimes espousing debunked data in support of their election fraud claims. Proposed experts include: Retires Col. James P. Waldron, a cyber security expert who during post-election hearings before Michigan lawmakers cited incorrect reports that indicated 100% or more eligible voter turnout in some Michigan precincts; Russell James Ramsland Jr., a cybersecurity analyst and former Republican congressional candidate who produced the erroneous voter turnout report after apparently confusing Minnesota cities as locations in Michigan; and Seth Keshel, a former Army intelligence officer who has alleged numerical voting anomalies that would suggest fraud. A full list of the expert witnesses is available here. Antrim County Circuit Judge Kevin A. Elsenheimer said expert witness testimony or any reports they produce should address only claims made in a report published by Secretary of State Jocelyn Bensons office that was produced by J. Alex Halderman, a computer security and systems specialist and professor at the University of Michigan. Haldermans March 26 report, entitled Analysis of the Antrim County, Michigan November 2020 Election Incident, outlined procedural and computer-related flaws he found while reviewing Antrim County election results. Antrim County became a focal point for election challengers after the clerk there reported incorrect preliminary results that indicated now-President Joe Biden beat former President Donald Trump in the conservative-leaning county. The incorrect results were identified the morning after the election and were quickly pulled down from the county website. A hand count of the precincts revealed Trump won with nearly 57% of the vote. Halderman blamed the election night debacle on the mishandling of last-minute ballot design changes, but said its unlikely to have occurred widely in Michigan during the 2020 election. Although vulnerabilities in election technology are well documented, the Antrim County incident was not caused by a security breach, he said. There is also no credible evidence that it was caused deliberately. Because the county clerks staff failed to properly update election software after last-minute changes to some county election ballots, the machines miscounted votes for the incorrect candidates, the secretary of states office and county officials said -- and Halderman confirmed. The Halderman report was presented as a rebuttal to an earlier analysis filed as part of the Antrim County lawsuit by the plaintiff, William Bailey of Central Lake Township. Baileys attorney, Matthew DePerno, hired Allied Security Operations Group, led by expert witness Ramsland, to conduct a forensic audit of the election in Antrim County. That report was essentially a report that said Dominion Voting Systems is designed to intentionally create errors in order to influence an election and then discusses some of the security breaches that were discovered in analysis of the Antrim County voting system, DePerno said in court Monday as he argued for the addition of new expert witnesses in the case. The Halderman report goes well beyond that. Judge Elsenjeimer said he will allow DePernos expert witnesses 30 days to produce a report contesting the secretary of states report. A non-jury trial scheduled to begin June 8, but is being rescheduled for a later date due to litigation delays. The next hearing is set for May 10, during which the judge is taking up a motion for dismissal of the lawsuit on claims that it is moot and that the plaintiff lacks standing to proceed. More on MLive: Judge reins in sprawling election lawsuit case Clerks allege fishing expedition Communications with Trump campaign are irrelevant, judge rules Zuckerberg and wife donated millions to Michigan election clerks SOS ordered to turn over communications with big tech Plaintiff claims SOS is withholding records Antrim County hand recount results in 12 new votes for Trump Software isnt good at detecting human error Election recount, legal challenges unlikely to overturn Bidens win in Michigan Judge allows forensic investigation of Dominion machines Mayfield Man Arrested on Counterfeiting Charge By West Kentucky Star Staff responded to a local business after a report that a man was paying with a counterfeit bill. Officers identified the man as Ronald Dieck. Police said Dieck was also found in possession of illegal drugs. Dieck was arrested and lodged in the Graves County Jail. He's charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to notify the Department of Transportation of an address change. MAYFIELD - A counterfeit currency investigation led to a Mayfield man's arrest on Friday.The Mayfield Police Department said officers TAIPEI, Taiwan, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OBI Pharma, Inc., a Taiwan biopharma company (TPEx: 4174), today announced that the U.S.-based SWOG Cancer Research Network has started patient enrollment for a Phase I/II study of OBI-3424, a first-in-class (small-molecule prodrug) DNA alkylating agent that targets cancers expressing the aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) enzyme. The study, S1905 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04315324), is titled "A Phase 1/2 Study of AKR1C3-Activated Prodrug OBI-3424 in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL)/T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (T-LBL)." SWOG is a member of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), America's largest publicly funded cancer research network. In the NCTN, cancer trials are designed by some of the nation's leading cancer experts, funded by tax dollars, and powered by patient volunteers. OBI Pharma's Chief Medical Officer, Tillman Pearce, M.D., noted, "This clinical trial intends to verify whether the potent efficacy that OBI-3424 demonstrated against T-ALL patient-derived xenografts in mice (Evans et al. Clin Ca Res 2019) can be observed in T-ALL and T-LBL patients. The initial xenograft experiments were conducted by the NCI Pediatric Preclinical Study Group, so it is very fitting that SWOG is the first to evaluate the concept in patients. This study in an unmet population of patients with T cell acute leukemias and lymphomas is complementary to OBI Pharma's ongoing phase 1/2 study evaluating OBI-3424 in solid tumors (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03592264)." Anjali S. Advani, MD, director of the Inpatient Leukemia Unit at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Cleveland, OH is the lead investigator of the OBI-3424 T-ALL/T-LBL SWOG trial. "Although the treatments in B-ALL have advanced significantly, we have lagged behind in T-ALL," said Dr. Advani. "We are hopeful that targeting AKR1C3 in T-ALL will represent a promising treatment strategy." About OBI-3424 OBI-3424 is a first-in-class novel small-molecule prodrug that selectively targets cancers overexpressing the enzyme aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3), and selectively releases a potent DNA alkylating agent in the presence of the AKR1C3 enzyme. This selective mode of activation distinguishes OBI-3424 from traditional alkylating agents, such as cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide, which are non-selective. AKR1C3 overexpression has been documented in a number of treatment-resistant and difficult-to-treat cancers including hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). AKR1C3 is highly expressed in up to 15 solid and liquid tumors. Furthermore, individualized patient selection by staining for AKR1C3 overexpression by immunohistochemistry can be performed based on tumor biopsies or circulating tumor cells to identify patients with other tumor types most likely to respond to treatment with OBI-3424, and thus offering the possibility for a streamlined clinical development strategy. About SWOG Cancer Research Network SWOG Cancer Research Network is part of the National Cancer Institute's National Clinical Trials Network and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program, and is part of the oldest and largest publicly-funded cancer research network in the nation. SWOG has nearly 12,000 members in 47 states and eight other countries who design and conduct clinical trials to improve the lives of people with cancer. SWOG trials have led to the approval of 14 cancer drugs, changed more than 100 standards of cancer care, and saved more than 3 million years of human life. Learn more at swog.org. About T-ALL and T-LBL The treatment of relapsed/refractory Tcell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) remains an unmet need. Once ALL relapses in adults, the prognosis is poor (7% overall survival at 5 years) and novel therapies are needed. Ultimately, the only known cure is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. However, patients typically need to be in remission to proceed to allogeneic transplant. There have been significant advances in the field of relapsed/refractory BCell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia over the last 5 years. Patients with relapsed or refractory T-LBL have dismal outcomes and may receive similar treatments to relapsed or refractory T-ALL patients. About OBI Pharma OBI Pharma, Inc., is a Taiwan biopharmaceutical company that was established in 2002. Its mission is to develop and license novel therapeutic agents for unmet medical needs against cancer targets such as Globo Series (including Globo H, SSEA-3 and SSEA-4), AKR1C3, and other promising targets. The company's novel first-in-class immuno-oncology portfolio against Globo H includes: Adagloxad Simolenin (formerly OBI-822) and OBI-833, a Globo H active immunotherapy vaccine; OBI-888 (Globo H mAb) and OBI-999 (Globo H ADC). The company's novel first-in-class AKR1C3 targeted therapy is OBI-3424 (small-molecule prodrug) that selectively releases a potent DNA alkylating agent in the presence of the aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) enzyme. Additional information can be found at www.obipharma.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future clinical trials, results and the timing of such trials and results. Such risk factors are identified and discussed from time to time in OBI Pharma's reports and presentations, including OBI Pharma's filings with the Taiwan Securities and Futures Bureau. COMPANY CONTACT: Kevin Poulos OBI Pharma USA, Inc. 1.619.537.7698 Ext. 102 [email protected] SOURCE OBI Pharma, Inc. Related Links http://www.obipharma.com A wildfire in the pine tree-covered Hualapai Mountains of northwestern Arizona, which continued to burn on Monday, has forced the evacuation of a resort, county park and hundreds of homes, the authorities said. The fire, named the Flag Fire, started on Sunday and was raging in about 600 acres of the Hualapai Mountains, a mountain range in Mohave County, a county spokesman said on Monday. All you see is a mountain on fire; it looks volcanic-like, said Jessica Deihl, the owner of Savon Bath Treats, a soap store in Kingman, Ariz., about 11 miles north of the mountain range. She said she had lived in the area for five years but had never seen a fire quite like this one. Last night, the glow from the fire was pretty intimidating, she said on Monday. The fire is known as the Flag Fire because it began near Flag Mine Road in the Hualapai Mountains, about 50 miles east of the California border. MORE than 40 presenters recently attended via Zoom the standing committee on social and economic developments meeting on Bill 33. All but one of these presenters urged the Brian Pallister government and Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration Wayne Ewasko, to scrap this bill. Representatives from students associations, individual students, professors, teachers, labour unions and many private individuals expressed a host of grave concerns that Bill 33 will harm universities and students in Manitoba. Opinion MORE than 40 presenters recently attended via Zoom the standing committee on social and economic developments meeting on Bill 33. All but one of these presenters urged the Brian Pallister government and Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration Wayne Ewasko, to scrap this bill. Representatives from students associations, individual students, professors, teachers, labour unions and many private individuals expressed a host of grave concerns that Bill 33 will harm universities and students in Manitoba. The bill permits the government to set whatever tuition fees it wants, program by program. Thus, it could raise tuition for a BA in history and lower it for a degree in agriculture. The effect of Bill 33 is the politicization of academic programming at universities. It lets the minister pick and choose which programs are politically acceptable, with the effect of diminishing the opportunities to choose fields of study that the citizens of other provinces and countries have. This intrusion of government into the internal affairs of universities undermines the very concept of a university (as the courts have ruled) and the essential principle of academic freedom. Manitoba universities follow, and contribute to, the standards established by the national and international university community and professional certifying organizations so their students can enter graduate programs and qualify for jobs around the world. Manitoba universities already train the vast majority of the provinces professionals in health sciences, agriculture, engineering, science, social work, business and education. And yet the Pallister government wants to substitute its expertise for that of the national and international community with respect to the fields of study to be funded, and therefore encouraged. Ewasko repeatedly insisted the aims of Bill 33 are to keep higher education in Manitoba accessible and affordable, which flies in the face of the facts. Since taking office, the Pallister government has cut funding to post-secondary education by 13 per cent in real dollars and raised tuition by 18 per cent. And there is little doubt that as long as the Pallister government is in power, both these numbers will continue to get worse. Higher tuition means increasing costs for students and their families making university education in the province less affordable and more unequal. Less public funding creates hiring and retention problems in the competition for the most qualified teachers and researchers. This power of the minister to interfere with the decisions that have previously been made by the governing boards and senates of the universities is part of the three-year plan to "anticipate skills needed for the future," and increase the "alignment" between post-secondary and the labour market. The Pallister government spelled this out in its recent report Manitobas Skills, Talent and Knowledge Strategy. By permitting the government to regulate the tuition fees of particular programs, the provision risks inviting government retaliation against programs that are critical of current accepted opinion or institutions including, of course, the political views and priorities of whatever government may be in power. It is the academic community that must decide what is to be taught and who is to teach it without unacceptable interference from the state. But this is exactly the mechanism by which the PC government wants to both consolidate its own power over our universities but also micromanage the decisions of university students. The substantive problem with this plan is its narrow concept of imparting particular skills for particular occupations. Microsoft president Brad Smith argued that the broader skills of the liberal arts are crucial to the future of artificial intelligence research. Real economic prosperity is highly dependent on basic research and development, and a broad-based education enables students to adapt to a rapidly changing economy. The role of a university is not only to subsidize firms by training their future workers. Along with labour-market skills must come abilities and values required for a properly functioning democracy, which are especially important in this time of public-health, economic and social crises. Among the other rationalizations for Bill 33, Ewasko argued it was mandated by the auditor general, who had called for more oversight of university financial management. The leap from making sure that a university has its finances in order, to micromanaging its programs, is an ideological one, not administrative oversight. An earlier Free Press editorial argued Pallister "could cripple academic programs and the future education of students." Bill 33 is that nightmare come true. Peter Ives teaches political science at the University of Winnipeg. Robert Chernomas teaches economics at the University of Manitoba. Two Denver schools will not be allowed to join innovation zones at least not right now after the school board denied their applications to enter agreements that would afford them more autonomy and flexibility. Highlights Apple has announced that it will help its employees get voluntary Covid 19 vaccinations at its offices. Facebook and Amazon have also taken initiatives to give onsite vaccinations to users. Meanwhile, Google and Microsoft have extended Covid assistance for India as cases surge in the country. Apple has announced that it will help its employees get voluntary Covid 19 vaccinations at its offices. The tech giant is working with drugstore chain Walgreens Boots Alliance as its vendor and will open a website for its workers to sign up for appointments, an Apple spokeswoman told Reuters. Apple is one of the first large Silicon Valley companies to launch a program to help workers get vaccinated. Earlier this month, Facebook said that it is converting a part of its Menlo Park headquarters into a vaccination site, joining the government effort to speed up the vaccination drive in the United States. Last month, Amazon started onsite vaccinations for front-line employees starting with Missouri, Nevada, and Kansas in the US. Amazon committed up to $80 to front-line workers with no access to the on-site clinics, to provide employees incentives to get COVID-19 vaccines. Amazon has also announced that Alexa will help customers access information regarding Covid 19 vaccines and where to get them. The new function will enable users to make a call on the vaccination sites to check for availability and find nearby vaccination centres. If users prompt the voice assistant by saying, "Alexa, call the first one," it will connect users to a vaccine location directly and get more knowledge about appointment availability. However, the feature is only available in the US as of now and the company might extend it to other countries soon. Meanwhile, Google has announced Rs 135 crore in new funding for India including two grants from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the tech giant. The total amount from these grants is Rs 20 crore. Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, in a tweet wrote, "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India." India recorded over three lakh cases on Monday, for the fifth day in a row, taking the country's caseload to 1.73 crores and 1.95 lakh deaths. Microsoft has also extended help noting that the company will support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices in addition to continuing support through aid relief efforts, technology, and other resources. "I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the US government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tweeted. The U.S. will send India raw materials for vaccines and step up financing aid for COVID-19 shot production, joining European countries in pledging to help stem the worlds biggest surge in cases. Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need, President Joe Biden tweeted on Sunday. Material needed to produce Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made in India, has been identified and will immediately be made available, Emily Horne, a spokesperson for U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, said in a statement. Sullivan spoke by phone Sunday with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, according to the statement, and the pair agreed to stay in close touch. Additionally, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation will fund an expansion of production capability by Indian vaccine maker Biological E Ltd., or BioE, to at least 1 billion doses by the end of 2022. Ventilators, therapeutics, rapid-test kits and personal protective equipment will be sent as well, according to the statement. The U.K., France and Germany also pledged aid for India, which has reported some 1 million new cases over the last three days and 2,767 deaths in the latest 24-hour period. The outbreak is increasingly closing the rest of the world to travelers from India and threatening the countrys economic recovery. India is administering an average of about 2.6 million doses per day, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. At that pace, itll take an estimated two years to cover 75% of its population. Earlier, Bidens chief medical adviser said the U.S. will consider sending India stockpiled doses of AstraZeneca Plcs vaccine currently unapproved for use in the U.S. I think thats going to be something that is up for active consideration, Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday on ABCs This Week, while cautioning that he didnt want to be speaking for policy right now. The U.S. stockpile of AstraZeneca shots reached more than 20 million doses earlier this month and has grown since then, prompting persistent calls by doctors and others to donate the shots to other countries that are way behind the U.S. in their vaccination efforts. Thats gained urgency with Indias worsening crisis. AstraZeneca hasnt requested regulatory approval for its two-dose vaccine in the U.S., which has three other authorized vaccines to deploy. Biden by March had ordered almost enough Covid-19 vaccines to fully inoculate every American adult twice. The U.K., which has seen Covid cases dwindle, is sending nine airline containers of supplies, including oxygen concentrators and ventilators from surplus stocks, that will begin arriving in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Foreign Office in London said in a statement. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the U.K. will continue to work closely with the Indian government during this difficult time, according to the statement. Additionally, France will supply India with significant support in terms of oxygen, President Emmanuel Macrons office told Agence France-Presse. France plans to ship respirators, AFP reported. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany is urgently preparing a mission of support, her chief spokesman said on Twitter. ___ Tony Czuczka of Bloomberg News wrote this story. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2021 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC Netflix had its best night ever at the Academy Awards, taking seven Oscars out of 31 nominations, including two wins for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and two for Mank, leading all studios. The only downside to the streamer's evening was that it lost for best picture to Disney's Nomadland and was shut out of the acting awards. Netflix won in the hairstyling and makeup and best costume categories for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and production design and cinematography for Mank. It also took the best documentary feature for My Octopus Teacher, best live-action short for Two Distant Strangers and best animated short for If Anything Happens I Love You. However, Netflix was expected to take best actor Oscar for the late Chadwick Boseman's performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, but the surprise winner in that category was Anthony Hopkins for The Father (Sony Pictures). Other winners included Nomadland for best picture, best director Chloe Zhao and best actress Frances McDormand; Daniel Kaluuya for best supporting actor (Judas and the Black Messiah) and Yuh-jung Youn as best actress in a supporting role for Minari. New Delhi, April 26 : Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has clarified on the issue of vaccines after concerns were raised from various quarters including the Congress. The clarification came on late Sunday night. Harsh Vardhan said, as per the new policy, even after the launch of third phase of vaccination starting May 1, the Government of India will continue giving vaccine doses from its 50 per cent quota to the states and UTs for free. These vaccines shall continue to be administered by states and union territories. He said, the balance 50 per cent quota grants flexibility for states. Many states had requested that the vaccination process be opened up for them. Now, this balance 50 per cent quota shall give them the freedom to vaccinate groups that they deem as priority. "It is a fact that health is a state subject, where Centre essentially coordinates and facilitates the states. After we received requests from nearly all states to liberalise the vaccine distribution policy and pass on the control to the states, we decided to go ahead," Harsh Vardhan said. The balance 50 per cent quota is also open for corporate and private sector to pool in their resources so that the combined effort of Team India can be deployed to vaccinate every adult in the earliest possible time, he said. The vaccination process through GOI route will continue as before and the entire expense of this will continue to be borne by the Centre. As the eligibility criteria to get vaccinated through this route evolves further, GOI will continue to provide full support to the states to vaccinate all eligible people free of cost. Undoubtedly, the private and corporate sector route will empower a large number of people to get themselves quickly vaccinated outside the government route. In essence, those who can afford to get them at the private and corporate sector rates, shall go ahead, the minister said. The states, therefore, as per their own priority and commitments, have to vaccinate only those remaining people who have not been administered vaccines either through the GOI free route or through the private route. "It is thus important to note that for the common people at large, there is and will always be an option to get vaccinated for free, to ensure that the price of vaccines does not become a burden for them." he said. "The 50 per cent quota, that is at Government of India's pricing, is for free distribution of vaccines and distribution of all of this will be done through the states only. Hence the allegation that Centre is getting it cheap and States are not is patently false," he further said. The actual situation is that states are getting one guaranteed channel of free vaccine supply, while it can simultaneously procure vaccines from another channel as per its aspirations and commitment to its people, the minister clarified. "I see no reason why the states must complain now. They were demanding removal of restrictions on vaccine supplies to them. Under the new policy, they have the liberty to directly procure from the manufacturers and even negotiate prices based on volumes. This will also cut the delays. I empathise with the states because they are leading this battle from the front and need fast replenishment of vaccine stocks. They need to decide when, how, how much and to whom. This is exactly what the Centre has done by easing the process," the Union Health minister said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the three main variants found in the United States are B.1.1.7, which originated in the United Kingdom; the B.1.351 variant which originated in South Africa; and the P.1 variant which was traced back to Brazil. Other variants have been identified but the number of cases reported has not reached the variant of concern level that the other three have. B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom The UK variant has been identified in fifty-two US states and territories, or reporting jurisdictions, as they are referred to by the CDC. The CDC stated in early April that their modeling estimates that this variant is now the most dominate strain of covid-19 in the US. Globally, this variant has been found in over half of the World Health Organizations member countries. A study released in early April estimated that this variant is between 43-90 percent more transmissible than its predecessor lineage. Although this variant spreads more efficiently, the research team was not able to determine that it is more deadly. However, public health experts warn that with a more contagious variant, more people may need to be hospitalized and if the medical infrastructure cannot handle the increase in patients, more people could die as a result. B.1.351 from South Africa This variant, which has been traced back to South Africa, was first identified in the US in late January. The B.1.351 variant has been identified in thirty-six reporting jurisdictions, with South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida reporting the most cases. Unlike the other two variants, the CDC has yet to release any information on how the mutations present in the variant impact its ability to spread or the severity of the cases it is able to cause. However, in March, the WHO released a statement that although the new strain was not seen to be more deadly, preliminary studies suggest the variant is associated with a higher viral load, which may suggest potential for increased transmissibility, this, as well as other factors that influence transmissibility, are subject of further investigation. P.1 from Brazil The Brazil variant has been identified in forty-three countries and has already been detected in thirty-one reporting jurisdictions in the United States. The first US case of the variant was identified in late January in a Minnesota resident who had just returned from a trip to Brazil. Preliminary studies and modeling of this variant show some evidence that it is more transmissible than previous lineages, but more information is needed. Scientists are encouraging countries to place a greater focus on genetic surveillance to capture increases in transmission of the variant to gather more information on how it spreads. Variants and vaccinations Giving the virus fewer chances to mutate is critical in allowing the vaccines currently available to protect us. Effectively, that means reducing the number of infections the less chance the virus has to reproduce, the less chance of producing mutations. Studies addressing vaccine efficacy and variants have been released and the findings are encouraging. One of the key takeaways are that although the vaccine may prevent a lower rate of infection from variants, those who received the vaccine did not develop severe symptoms or require hospitalization. Limiting the spread of new variants Additionally, the World Health Organization has released guidance that equitable access to vaccines and prioritizing high-risk groups in all areas of the world can limit the spread of new variants. Reports released on vaccine rollout globally warn that at the pace and scale countries are currently vaccinating global herd immunity could be delayed by more than four years. Public health experts also warn that the lack of access to vaccines in less-resourced areas is not only a moral issue but also threatens the economic recovery of countries around the world, whether they are fully vaccinated or not. [April 26, 2021] DIR and California Labor Commissioner's Office Launch Web-based COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Tool OAKLAND, Calif., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and its California Labor Commissioner's Office has launched a web-based tool in English and Spanish that offers key information on the new 2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave law, Senate Bill No. 95, signed by Governor Newsom on March 19. "The 2021 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave law provides workers up to 80 hours of paid sick leave if they or a family member are unable to work or telework due to COVID-19, including for vaccine-related reasons," said Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower. "We designed this tool so workers and their employers can get information on workers' paid sick leave options." The law, which went into effect on March 29 and is retroactive to January 1, 2021, requires that California workers are provided up to two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave if they are affected by COVID-19. Among the key updates in the new legislation, leave time now also applies to attending a COVID-19 vaccine appointment and recovering from symptoms related to the vaccine. The new law is in effect until September 30, 2021. Small businesses employing 25 or fewer workers are exempt from the law but may offer supplemental paid sick leave and receive a federal tax credit, if eligible. The navigator tool, available in English and Spanish, helps workers and employers confirm if they are eligible for COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave by answering short simple questions on the impact COVID-19 is having on an employee's ability to work. Workers and employers need not provide a name or other personal details to determine eligibility. In addition, Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs are posted online in English and Spanish. In the FAQs, workers can find information on: Required circumstances for taking COVID-19 leave How to request paid sick leave from your employe Where to file a claim if you were not paid for leave What rights you have as a covered employee When must employers pay COVID-19 sick leave Calculating leave time for full-time and part-time employees Requirements for informing employees about the new law How to calculate and list paid leave on pay stubs The law also includes unique provisions for firefighters. The law defines what constitutes an "active" firefighter and it identifies the member firefighter agencies covered under SB 95. Employees may also be eligible for workers' compensation benefits if they believe their COVID-19 illness is work-related. In that instance, workers should tell their employers about their work-related illness as soon as possible and file a workers' compensation claim, which pays for medical treatment and partial wages during recovery. For support, please contact the Division of Workers' Compensation's Information and Assistance Unit or call 1- 909-383-4341. Workers whose employers refuse to provide paid sick leave or COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave as required by law, or prevent workers from accessing paid sick hours, are encouraged to call the Labor Commissioner's Office at 833-LCO-INFO (833-526-4636) to file a wage claim. The Department of Industrial Relations' Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or the California Labor Commissioner's Office, combats wage theft and unfair competition by investigating allegations of illegal and unfair business practices. Californians can follow the Labor Commissioner on Facebook and Twitter. Contact: Paola Laverde / Erika Monterroza, Communications@dir.ca.gov, (510) 286-1161 Follow or Subscribe to DIR Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Email alerts The California Department of Industrial Relations , established in 1927, protects and improves the health, safety, and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners, and helps their employers comply with state labor laws. DIR is housed within the Labor & Workforce Development Agency . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dir-and-california-labor-commissioners-office-launch-web-based-covid-19-paid-sick-leave-tool-301276459.html SOURCE California Department of Industrial Relations If they go, well all have to go. Thats the reality of it, said a British source about U.S. President Joe Bidens announcement that the last American troops will be out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. (What can possibly have possessed him to choose that date?) Opinion If they go, well all have to go. Thats the reality of it," said a British source about U.S. President Joe Bidens announcement that the last American troops will be out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. (What can possibly have possessed him to choose that date?) Not only the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will go, but also the 7,000 British and other NATO troops in the country. Actually, they were ready to go long ago. They were just waiting for the U.S. to reach the same conclusion, because abandoning your principal ally in the middle of a war is not a good look. Once they are all gone, the Taliban will take back power in Afghanistan, probably within months, certainly within a few years. They will close girls schools again, ban music, hang people with the wrong haircuts and all the other stuff they did before. Twenty years of being chased around the hills by gunships has probably not moderated their views. And when journalists asked Biden the inevitable question doesnt he feel any responsibility for Afghan human rights, and especially womens rights? he said, "Zero responsibility. The responsibility I have is to protect Americas self-interests and not to put our women and men in harms way to try to solve every single problem in the world by the use of force." Finally, a senior American politician using words as if they mean something. But it didnt last. Soon enough a "senior official" was talking twaddle on Bidens behalf: "We went to Afghanistan to deliver justice to those who attacked us on Sept. 11 and to disrupt terrorists seeking to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack (from)." Ridiculous. "Justice" could have been delivered by a single assassin or one mass bombing raid on the camp of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaidas leader, tucked away deep in the Afghan hills. The invasion was just show business. The 9/11 attacks were plotted by al-Qaida members in Germany, and all 19 hijackers were Arabs, not Afghans. They were trained in Afghanistan because bin Laden was given refuge there by the Taliban, an Islamist regime, when the U.S. forced Islamist-ruled Sudan to expel him. But it would have been madness for bin Laden to tell the Taliban what he was planning. Some of the brighter people in the U.S. intelligence services would have known that. However, then-president George W. Bush needed to invade somewhere to discharge American rage about the attack (which he had failed to prevent), and where else could it be than Afghanistan? A stealthy assassination or a single bombing raid wouldnt do the job. As it happened, the invasion of Afghanistan was so easy that it didnt provide enough catharsis for vengeance-seeking Americans, so Bush ended up adding an invasion of Iraq to the list as well. Saddam Hussein certainly had nothing to do with 9/11 (or with the Taliban or bin Laden, for that matter), but a spectacular invasion plus Saddams capture and execution gave Americans "closure." That psychodrama was actually played out by 2004, but by then American troops were mired hip-deep in both countries, and it has taken all this time to get them out again. There is no evidence to suggest that either invasion prevented a single terrorist attack on the U.S., but the same lies must be told until the end because theres no other way to justify what happened. And now on to Ukraine, which Russia is allegedly getting ready to invade: daily reports of the Russian military buildup, and veiled hints that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the new Hitler. You know, "Today Ukraine, tomorrow the world!" After all, hes a proven aggressor: Georgia, Crimea, eastern Ukraine. Putin is a dictator who has some of his enemies killed, at the head of a country with about one-sixth of the population of the NATO countries and one-tenth of the economic strength. Even his aggressions are small-time stuff. Stupid as it seems, it was Georgia that started the war with Russia in 2008, hoping to seize South Ossetia and seal the tunnel under the Caucasus range. Crimea was settled by Russians after its previous rulers, Turkic-speaking Muslims whose business model was slave-raiding in Russia, were conquered in 1783. It remained Russian until Nikita Khrushchev gave it to Ukraine on a whim in 1954. Putin took it back non-violently 60 years later with warm support from the mainly Russian population, although that was certainly illegal. So is Russias support for Russian-speaking rebels in two eastern provinces of Ukraine, which is just like Ronald Reagans military backing for "Contra" rebels against the Nicaraguan government in the 1980s. Putin is definitely a naughty boy, but a big-time invader of important places? This is just the media stirring things up, with some help from the politicians. Gwynne Dyers latest book is Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work). Beaches along the Costa del Sol took a battering from storm Lola, which brought heavy rain, high winds and rough seas to the coast at the weekend. The Atlantic storm is still hanging over the south of Spain and will continue to bring instability to the weather, with more heavy rainfall, likely in the coming days according to forecasters. This Monday, the state weather agency, Aemet, has issued a yellow weather warning for the Serrania de Ronda, between 12 noon and 8pm, which could see 15mm of rain fall in one hour. Weather experts are also predicting strong and persistent rainfall on the coast, as well in the Strait of Gibraltar and the western half of Andalucia. At the weekend, beaches along the Costa del Sol suffered from the effects of the storm with beaches in Malaga, Torremolinos and Benalmadena being pounded by Lola. Victor Navas, the mayor of Benalmadena, described the damage to the town's beaches as "substantial" and called on the Junta de Andalucia and central government for "solutions now". Debris is washed up on Costa del Sol beaches. / NITO SALAS "The need to build barriers to protect our beaches is vital. We need solutions now - we can't wait any longer." Beach bars The Los Cangrejos chiringuito, one of the most distinctive in Benalmadena, reopened its doors last weekend for the first time since they decided to close in September last year. Now, after just a few days of opening, they are forced to close again because of the storm that has washed away much of the establishment. It has been years since we suffered such great damage. The storm has eaten away two metres of sand and it has taken away part of the bar and toilets, in addition to the walkways and the awnings," said Andres Garcia, who estimates that it will take at least two weeks to repair the damage and get the business back trading again. The Kalahari desert Wonderwerk Cave. / Michael Chazan / Hebrew University of Jerusalem Few sites in the world preserve a continuous archaeological record spanning millions of years. Wonderwerk Cave, located in South Africa's Kalahari Desert, is one of those rare sites. Meaning "miracle" in Afrikaans, Wonderwerk Cave has been identified as potentially the earliest cave occupation in the world and the site of some of the earliest indications of fire use and tool making among prehistoric humans. New research published in Quaternary Science Reviews, led by a team of geologists and archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) and the University of Toronto, confirms the record-breaking date of this spectacular site. "We can now say with confidence that our human ancestors were making simple Oldowan stone tools inside the Wonderwerk Cave 1.8 million years ago. Wonderwerk is unique among ancient Oldowan sites, a tool-type first found 2.6 million years ago in East Africa, precisely because it is a cave and not an open-air occurrence," explained lead author Professor Ron Shaar at HU's Institute of Earth Sciences. The team were able to successfully establish the shift from Oldowan tools (mainly sharp flakes and chopping tools) to early handaxes over 1 million years ago, and to date the deliberate use of fire by our prehistoric ancestors to 1 million years ago, in a layer deep inside the cave. The latter is a particularly significant because other examples of early fire use come from open-air sites where the possible role of wildfires cannot be excluded. Moreover, Wonderwerk contained a full array of fire remnants: burnt bone, sediment and tools as well as the presence of ash. The Kalahari desert Wonderwerk Cave. / Michael Chazan / Hebrew University of Jerusalem Dating cave deposits is one of the greatest challenges in paleo-anthropology, aka the study of human evolution. To overcome this challenge, the team analyzed a 2.5-meter thick sedimentary layer that contained stone tools, animal remains and fire remnants using two methods: paleomagnetism and burial dating. "We carefully removed hundreds of tiny sediment samples from the cave walls and measured their magnetic signal," described Shaar. Magnetization occurred when clay particles, that entered the cave from outside, settled on the prehistoric cave floor, thereby preserving the direction of the earth's magnetic field at that time. "Our lab analysis showed that some of the samples were magnetized to the south instead of the north, which is the direction of today's magnetic field. Since the exact timing of these magnetic "reversals" is globally recognized, it gave us clues to the antiquity of the entire sequence of layers in the cave," added Shaar. HU Professor Ron Shaar working at the Kalahari desert Wonderwerk Cave. / Michael Chazan / Hebrew University of Jerusalem Prof. Ari Matmon, Director of HU's the Institute of Earth Sciences, relied on a secondary dating method to further confirm when the earliest human ancestors may have occupied the site. "Quartz particles in sand have a built-in geological clock that starts ticking when they enter a cave. In our lab, we are able to measure the concentrations of specific isotopes in those particles and deduce how much time had passed since those grains of sand entered the cave," he explained. HU Professor Ron Shaar working at the Kalahari desert Wonderwerk Cave. The dating of prehistoric human activity at Wonderwerk Cave has far-reaching implications. The co-directors of the Wonderwerk Cave project, Prof. Michael Chazan at the University of Toronto and Liora Kolska Horwitz at HU's National Natural History Collections, explained that the findings at Wonderwerk "are an important step towards understanding the tempo of human evolution across the African continent. With a timescale firmly established for Wonderwerk Cave, we can continue studying the connection between human evolution and climate change, and the evolution of our early human ancestors' way of life." Explore further Prehistoric teeth dating back 2 million years reveal details on ancient Africa's climate More information: Ron Shaar et al. Magnetostratigraphy and cosmogenic dating of Wonderwerk Cave: New constraints for the chronology of the South African Earlier Stone Age, Quaternary Science Reviews (2021). Journal information: Quaternary Science Reviews Ron Shaar et al. Magnetostratigraphy and cosmogenic dating of Wonderwerk Cave: New constraints for the chronology of the South African Earlier Stone Age,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106907 New Delhi: A host of countries have come to India's support as it battles the COVID-19 crisis. More than 3 lakh cases have been reported on a daily basis in the country. Indian missions globally are doing the heavy lifting while many private Indian players are also pitching in. India's allies like the US, UAE, UK, France, and others have come in full support of New Delhi. Here is the list of all the countries that are extending assistance to India. Singapore 4 oxygen containers were brought by Indian Air Force on Saturday. 7,511 oxygen concentrators, 516 BiPAP machines will be brought from the country, of which 500 BiPAPs, 250 oxygen concentrators have already been brought. Singapore's embassy in a tweet said, "We will fight this together". Dear friends in Indiawe will fight this together! We are working closely with @Temasek and other partners to send 7,511 O2 concentrator, 516 BiPAP machines, & other supplies ASAP. #IndiaFightsCorona #SingaporeWithIndia https://t.co/9ymUBJp0A2 Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) April 26, 2021 United Arab Emirates Indian Air force airlifted 7 empty cryogenic oxygen containers from the West Asian country. UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke to Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday expressing his solidarity with India. EAM in a tweet said, "As always, deeply value good wishes and international cooperation." Well-known buildings in UAE like the Burj Khalifa, ADNOC were lit up in colors of Indian flag with #staystrongIndia message. United Kingdon The UK announced that it will send 600 pieces which include ventilators and oxygen concentrator devices to India. The first batch reaches Tuesday morning. Nine airline container loads of supplies, including 495 oxygen concentrators, that can extract oxygen from the air, 120 non-invasive ventilators, and 20 manual ventilators reach India this week. UK PM, Foreign, Health Secretary, Envoy made public comments in solidarity with the people of India. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against Covid-19." United States In a major development, the US has agreed to provide specific raw material for Indian Covishield vaccine manufacturers. The development comes after the Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and American National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to each other. US will be supplying therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, & PPE, oxygen generators, deploy an expert team of health advisors from CDC & USAID. Already brought more than 300 O2 Concentrators have been brought by Air India from New York. Tweets by President, Vice President, Defence Secy, Surgeon General, Deputy Secy of the state as a show of support for India were made. Biden tweeted, "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need." Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need. https://t.co/SzWRj0eP3y President Biden (@POTUS) April 25, 2021 France The French presidency has said that will provide India "significant" oxygen support and is working on the delivery of high-performance oxygen generator units as well as some other equipment. President Emmanuel Macron was the first world leader to send a message of public solidarity. He said, "I want to send a message of solidarity to the Indian people, facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. France is with you in this struggle, which spares no one. We stand ready to provide our support." European Union European Union, over the weekend activated its "civil protection mechanism" Janez Lenarcic European Commissioner for Crisis Management in a tweet said, "EU will do its utmost to mobilize assistance to support people of India". Upon request for assistance by #India, we have activated the #EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU will do its utmost to mobilise assistance to support people of India. Our #ERCC is already coordinating EU MS that are ready to provide urgently needed #oxygen & medicine rapidly. Janez Lenarcic (@JanezLenarcic) April 25, 2021 President of the European commission Ursula von der Leyen seconded him saying, "EU is pooling resources" Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support. The EU is pooling resources to respond rapidly to Indias request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. We stand in full solidarity with the Indian people! https://t.co/Pv8ezFPdS3 Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 25, 2021 The matter came up during a discussion between Margrethe Vestager Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and EAM. Denmark The Nordic country is extending support to India. Denmark's envoy to Delhi Freddy Svane , "We are working closely with MEA to assist India with whatever is required. Thats what friends are about" Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday announced that her country is preparing urgent support for India. German armed forces will give India oxygen generators, smaller units from the German private sector will also be sent. Cooperation between German top medical institute Robert Koch Institute (RKI)with Indian institutions to support on sequencing of viral loads is on the anvil. Armed Forces Medical Services or AFMS will be importing 23 mobile oxygen generation plants from Germany. These plants will be deployed in AFMS hospitals catering to COVID patients. From Germany, containers are also being imported. Saudi Arabia 80 metric tonnes of oxygen procured from the country in cooperation with Adani and Linde and the Indian high commission. China The country has offered to provide assistance. Chinese embassy spokesperson in Delhi told WION, "talks and discussions are ongoing" with the Indian side Hong Kong 800 oxygen concentrators were airlifted for SpiceHealth, a healthcare company founded by the promoters of SpiceJet. Pakistan Has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators, Bi PAP, digital X ray machines, PPEs and related items. Pakistani PM Imran Khan, Foreign minister SM Qureshi extended support to India. It's well-known NGO Edhi Foundation has written to PM Modi and has offered to send ambulances. Spontaneous support by Pakistani society, especially on social media was seen with a lot of positive trends. Iran Iran Health Minister Dr Saeed Namaki wrote to the Indian Health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. Said, "The government and people of Iran are ready to spare no technical assistance, expertise and equipment in these difficult days and at the height of the plight of the dear citizens of India with the COVID-19 epidemic." Japan Under its grant assistance, oxygen generators will be provided with a procurement process still underway. Prime Minister Modi also thanked Prime Minister Suga for providing assistance to India for combating the pandemic during Monday's call. Russia Support offered. Remdesivir being mulled to sent. Australia Australian Cabinet to meet tomorrow morning and could announce support for India. Australian PM Scott Morrison in tweet said, "Australia stands with our friends in India as it manages a difficult second COVID-19 wave. We know how strong and resilient the Indian nation is @narendramodi and I will keep working in partnership on this global challenge." Australia stands with our friends in India as it manages a difficult second COVID-19 wave. We know how strong and resilient the Indian nation is. @narendramodi and I will keep working in partnership on this global challenge. Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 23, 2021 Canada Offered to send assistance. Marc Garneau, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs tweeted, "Our thoughts are with the people of India as they face a devastating new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada stands ready to assist and has reached out to Indian authorities to determine how Canada can best support India in its time of need." Our thoughts are with the people of India as they face a devastating new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada stands ready to assist and has reached out to Indian authorities to determine how Canada can best support India in its time of need. Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) April 26, 2021 Afghanistan Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, foreign minister Atmar and envoy to India Farid Mamundzay all tweeted and showed solidarity for India. Afghan President tweeted, "Our hearts go out to the Indian people & government as they fight the horrendous outbreak of COVID. On behalf of the Afghan people & government, we send our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones & wish a quick recovery to those who are suffering from the virus." Our hearts go out to the Indian people & government as they fight the horrendous outbreak of COVID. On behalf of the Afghan people & government, we send our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones & wish a quick recovery to those who are suffering from the virus. Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) April 25, 2021 Bhutan Bhutan's FM tweeted, "Our deepest prayers and complete solidarity to the government and people of India in this most difficult period of the pandemic. Praying and hoping for quick relief and recovery." Our deepest prayers and complete solidarity to the government and people of India in this most difficult period of the pandemic. Praying and hoping for quick relief and recovery. @GovtOfIndia_ @DrSJaishankar @RuchiraKamboj @govind ForeignMinisterBhutan (@FMBhutan) April 24, 2021 Live TV The Florida Keys will soon be buzzing with close to a billion 'fraken-squitoes' gene-hacked mosquitoes aimed at eradicating a disease carrying mosquito. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) and Oxitec, a British biotech company, are starting the first-ever U.S. release of genetically engineered (GE) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes this week, which will see up to a billion over a two-year period. The project aims to reduce the numbers of Aedes aegypti, one of several mosquito species that can carry diseases including dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. Floridians, however, are calling on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to end 'this live experiment' saying they are being subjected to terrorism by the FKMCD. The trial is set to begin this week, with the first phase releasing up to 144,000 GE mosquitoes over the next 12 weeks. Ultimately, up to a billion will be released in Monroe County. Floridians, however, are calling on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to end 'this live experiment' saying they are being subjected to terrorism by the FKMCD. The trial is set to begin this week, with the first phase releasing up to 144,000 GE mosquitoes over the next 12 weeks, but the end will see up to a billion in Monroe County The GE mosquitos, developed by Oxitec, have been modified to pass on a particular protein when they mate, which ensures female offspring do not survive the next generation. With fewer females in each subsequent generation, the researchers hope overall mosquito populations in the region will decrease along with transmission rates of disease passed through mosquito bites. The modified mosquitoes - from the Aedes aegypti species - are all male and the company contends that because only female mosquitoes can bite, there is no risk to humans in releasing them. Barry Wray of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition said: 'People here in Florida do not consent to the genetically engineered mosquitoes or to being human experiments.' The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) and Oxitec, a British biotech company, are starting the first-ever U.S. release of genetically engineered (GE) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes this week, which will see up to a billion over a two-year period Islamorada resident Virginia Donaldson told Futurism that on April 23, two men in uniforms came to her home to do 'mosquito control' and asked her to participate in a new pest control program. In a hurry, Donaldson agreed and signed a waiver, but later told Futurism: 'I don't even know what I signed.' And later found out that she had agreed to the genetic mosquito experiment. Dana Perls, food and technology Program Manager at Friends of the Earth, said: 'This is a dark moment in history. The EPA must halt this live experiment immediately. 'The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes puts Floridians, the environment, and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic.' In March, a panel of independent experts testified to the Florida Keys mosquito board that GE mosquitoes could also pose significant threats to sensitive ecosystems and human populations in the Florida Keys. Megan Hull, a resident of Islamorada, spoke at the council meeting where she stated her grievances. 'I find this criminal, that we are being bullied into the experiment,' she said in March. 'I find it criminal that we are being subjected to this terrorism by our own Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board.' Residents say the EPA did not require peer review or preliminary trials for caged GE mosquitoes before releasing them into the wild. The project aims to reduce the numbers of Aedes aegypti, one of several mosquito species that can carry dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever Oxitec and FKMCD's claim that the GMO mosquito experiments will be monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is misleading. CDC has agreed to review data provided by Oxietc, but that data will not include independent health assessments. A Florida Keys resident opposed to Oxitec's GMO mosquitoes received an email response from the CDC dated April 12, 2021, which reads: 'CDC is not formally involved in any evaluation at this time. CDC is not overseeing the trial, and CDC does not plan to conduct any health assessments before, during, or after the trials.' Oxitec, however, has said it has assembled extensive amounts of research to show the mosquitoes are safe, and previously conducted trial releases in Brazil where the mosquitos were effective in cutting disease transmission rates. If the mosquitoes prove effective, Oxitec hopes they can be used in regions with high prevalence of mosquito-born diseases like Dengue fever and Zika virus. 'I truly believe we are fighting one of the most consequential regulatory malfunctions we could ever imagine,' Wray said. 'We all watched as four experts in the biotech field, each enthusiastic about the technology Oxitec had created and each wise enough to say that without proper scientific rigor and prudence, we risk unnecessary outcomes and mistakes. 'The problem is that the discovery of those mistakes and consequences may not be realized until damages are more severe and irreversible. 'All this risk to benefit a for-profit company getting to market quicker with a product that has yet to actually prove anything other than failure in all of its historical field trials.' I am the fourth generation of Ghislettas to live in Napa; my daughters are the fifth, he said during the councils videoconferenced meeting. I would love for them to be able to afford to live in Napa when they are my age. If we do not smartly plan for the future, they may not be able to do so. The Ghisletta family feels that the benefits for our entire community far outweigh an open field and the view for a small number of our fellow citizens. Ghisletta made his declaration as the Napa council discussed the future of a 144-acre area comprising five parcels around Foster Road and Golden Gate Drive, west of Highway 29. Preliminary drafts of Napas next general plan have contemplated zoning that would allow for medium-density housing off Golden Gate, closer to the freeway, and low-density housing in the Foster Road corridor. Foster Road supporters continue push for areas inclusion in new Napa greenbelts Southwest Napa residents are calling for the same development limits already contemplated for two other neighborhoods on the city's western edge. While drafts of Napas next general plan include a rezoning and annexation of lands for housing construction building on land designations dating to the mid-1970s opponents have instead urged the creation of a greenbelt that would cap development at one home for every 20 acres, citing the risk of traffic congestion, wildfires, and earthquake risk. 16:44 | Lima, Apr. 26. During her visit to the Air Group No. 8 in Callao, EsSalud Executive-President Fiorella Molinelli supervised the departure of the aircraft carrying the equipment to the regions. In total, 20 plants have been implemented in various parts of the country in a little more than a week and 45 have been delivered so far during the pandemic. The head of EsSalud noted that these plants will guarantee the supply of medical oxygen in Cajamarca and La Libertad, where there is a high demand for oxygen during this second wave of the pandemic, like in other regions of the country. "With the shipment of these six units, a total of 20 oxygen plants have been implemented in less than a week and a half so as to meet the high demand for oxygen, given the increase in infections," she stated. Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today A mix of clouds and sun. High 83F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. The recent news that Sylvester Stallone's lovable punching bag, Rocky Balboa, won't be part of Creed III hit fans like a Clubber Lang-style punch in the gut. But Creed star Michael B. Jordan who graduates to the director's chair with the third installment in the spin-off series following young Adonis Creed has a good reason for why the Italian Stallion isn't returning for another round. "I feel like this is the Creed franchise," the actor tells Yahoo Entertainment while discussing his new film, Without Remorse, which premieres April 30 on Prime Video. "We really want fans to be interested in Adonis and what that story has to say." (Watch our video interview above.) At the same time, Jordan makes it clear that Rocky will always be a part of his pupil's life... even if they're not sharing the same frame. "There's going to be so many Rocky-isms that are forever going to stay with Adonis as he moves forward," he notes, suggesting that Balboa will still be represented onscreen. "So as far as page space, or whether or not Rocky comes back for this one, this is the Creed franchise moving forward." Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa and Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed in 2018's 'Creed II.' It's recently been revealed that Stallone will not return for 'Creed III,' which Jordan is directing. (Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures) It's worth noting that Stallone has his own plans for Rocky, who we last saw reuniting with his estranged son, Rocky Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia), in the closing moments of Creed II. The veteran actor has previously teased two possible future projects starring his alter ego. In a 2019 interview with Variety, Stallone discussed a solo sequel that would find Balboa training a young street fighter who is in the U.S. illegally. And in a recent Instagram post, he shared handwritten pages for a Rocky prequel series that would follow Balboa's early years on the mean streets of Philadelphia. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Stallone is also putting the finishing touches on a director's cut of Rocky IV, which serves as a prequel to Creed II. The new version will be retitled Rocky vs. Drago and will feature footage not previously seen in the 1985 blockbuster, which remains the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. In other words, there are plenty of ways for Rocky to return outside of Creed III, and Jordan is thrilled to see where his mentor pops up next. "Rocky will live on and do other things, and I'm sure Creed fans are going to support Rocky as much as possible and hopefully vice versa as well." In the meantime, Jordan is laser-focused on crafting Adonis's next chapter. "I've been acting for over 20 years, and over time your taste buds start to evolve and develop and you want to tell stories yourself," he says of his decision to step behind the camera. "Creed is the first character I'm coming back to play three times. I've been daydreaming about the opportunity and had a clear vision of where I want this character to go moving forward. I'm looking forward to sharing the story with everybody." For the record, Jordan's co-stars in Without Remorse think he has the makings of a great director. "It's really important that directors understand actors, and because he's been on the other side of the camera, being behind it will give him insight," says Lauren London, who plays his on-screen wife in the Tom Clancy-derived action thriller. Jodie Turner-Smith, meanwhile, praises Jordan's ability to "listen" and his "spirit of collaboration." "When you direct something, it's like you're saying, 'This is what I have to say as a filmmaker. I can't wait to see what it is he has to say." Having worked with Jordan twice previously in 2015's ill-fated Fantastic Four reboot and now Without Remorse Jamie Bell is particularly psyched for Creed III. "We have a scene in this movie where [Michael] chokes me out for two minutes, and he's choking me out for two minutes straight," the actor says, laughing. "It's no holds barred! He's fully committed to it, and I have no doubt he'll apply everything he does with his acting and his characters, I'm sure he'll apply the same thing to his directing as well. I wish all the best of luck to him, and if he wants to call me to be in it." As Rocky would say: Keep punching, Jamie. Video produced by Jen Kucsak and edited by Jimmie Rhee Without Remorse premieres April 30 on Prime Video Read More from Yahoo Entertainment A Black man killed by deputies in North Carolina was shot in the back of the head and had his hands on his car steering wheel when they opened fire, attorneys for his family said Monday after relatives viewed body camera footage. Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter watched a 20-second portion of body camera video with the family of Andrew Brown Jr., who was killed Wednesday by deputies serving drug-related search and arrest warrants. Lassiter said Brown did not appear to be a threat to officers as he backed his vehicle out of his driveway and tried to drive away from deputies with guns drawn. He was not threatening them in any kind of fashion, she told reporters at a news conference. When asked whether Brown was shot in the back, attorney Harry Daniels said, Yes, back of the head. An eyewitness account and emergency scanner traffic had previously indicated Brown was shot in the back as he tried to drive away. Lassiter, who watched the video multiple times and took notes, said the shooting started as soon as the video began and that she lost count of the number of gunshots. She said she counted as many as eight deputies in the video, some wearing tactical uniforms and some in plainclothes. Theyre shooting and saying Let me see your hands at the same time, she said. The familys lawyers also criticized local authorities for sharing only 20 seconds of the video and only from a single body camera. Theyre trying to hide something, attorney Benjamin Crump said. Browns death prompted days of protests and calls for the public release of body camera video. Civil rights leaders decried that warrants should not lead to a fatal shooting. Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II has said that multiple deputies fired shots. Seven deputies are on leave pending a probe by the State Bureau of Investigation. Earlier Monday, a search warrant was released that indicated investigators had recorded Brown selling small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine to an informant. Crump argued that authorities were trying to release negative information about Brown while shielding themselves by holding back the video. The warrant was sought by Wootens office and signed by a judge to allow the search of Browns Elizabeth City home. It said that an investigator in nearby Dare County was told by the informant that the person had been purchasing crack cocaine and other drugs from Brown for over a year. The informant described purchasing drugs at the house that was the target of the search. In March, according to the warrant, narcotics officers used the informant to conduct controlled purchases of methamphetamine and cocaine from Brown on two separate occasions. The warrant said both drug transactions were recorded using audio and video equipment. The search warrant said investigators believed Brown was storing drugs in the home or two vehicles. The document, which indicated the search was not completed, did not list anything found. Two arrest warrants released last week charged him with possession with intent to sell and deliver 3 grams of each of the drugs. Calls have been growing to release the body camera footage, which a judge must authorize in North Carolina. Wooten has said he would petition the court to release the footage. A coalition of media organizations have also sought the footage, and city officials plan to do as well. Short of releasing it publicly, state law allows law enforcement to show body camera video privately to a victims family. Also Monday, Elizabeth City officials declared a state of emergency amid concerns about how demonstrators would react to a possible video release. Protests since the shooting in the eastern North Carolina town of about 18,000 have generally been peaceful. The government will arrange oxygen supply to Delhi, which is facing acute shortage of the life-saving gas for COVID-19 patients, from the hill state, an official spokesperson said here on Monday. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, on the request of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has agreed to arrange emergency supply of oxygen to Delhi amid the COVID-19 crisis, he added. In a letter written to his Delhi counterpart, Thakur said that the government was "highly concerned" about the situation emerging in the national capital and would be more than happy to extend all possible help to the Delhi government. Thakur said that officers of the Delhi government may contact additional director of industries for arranging the supply of oxygen from the state. Kejriwal, in a tweet, also thanked the chief minister for his help. (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.) For night owls & early birds we share just a few items worth a peek and to guide us into the work week. More Deets After Local Journalism Tragedy KCUR reporter, who radio station reported died Sunday, was 'incredibly humble' KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It's a single shot that has shattered the world of those who loved and knew KCUR reporter Aviva Okeson-Haberman. A concerned coworker came by her apartment Friday after messages to went unanswered. "Somebody walked over to her house and looked like they were spooked about something," neighbor Jovel Bowen said. Striking Critical Note Remembering Emmett Till, This Kansas City Musician Isn't Taking The Chauvin Verdict For Granted The tension was palpable as a verdict announcement drew near. In Kansas City, hundreds of miles from Minneapolis, helicopters circled overhead, putting everyone on high alert for whatever reaction the decision might bring. It had been almost a year since the world saw George Floyd die on video with then-Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck. Euro Vacay Coming Soon??? Fully vaccinated Americans will be able to vacation in the EU this summer, European Commission president tells New York Times Americans who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to visit the European Union this summer, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday. Satisfaction Guaranteed Polls: A majority of Americans feel good about Biden's first 100 days Just a few days before President Joe Biden marks his first 100 days in office, a trio of new polls from NBC, CBS, and the Washington Post and ABC show that Americans give Biden high marks for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, while his overall job approval rating remains positive. Survey Seyz GOP Disputes Cop Conviction Almost half of Republicans say Chauvin jury reached wrong verdict: poll Nearly half of all Republicans questioned in a new poll said that they believe former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was wrongly convicted of murdering George Floyd. A total of 46 percent of respondents to the CBS News-YouGov poll who identified as Republican said the Hennepin County jury reached the "wrong verdict." Celebs Thank Prez Kim Kardashian, Cher thank Joe Biden for recognizing the Armenian massacre as genocide President Joe Biden's official recognition of the Armenian massacre as a genocide has received approval from Kim Kardashian and Cher. The Armenian Genocide resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.5 million people and the deportation of around 2 million between 1915 and 1925 by the now dissolved Ottoman Empire. The U.S. Counting Down Arizona Republicans deploy Cyber Ninjas in pro-Trump election audit Months after Donald Trump's election defeat, Republicans in Arizona are challenging the outcome with an unprecedented effort to audit results in their most populous county - all run by a Florida company, Cyber Ninjas, with no elections experience. Holy Land Party Time Palestinians cheer as Israeli barriers come down after Jerusalem Ramadan clashes JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Palestinians gathered in celebration outside Jerusalem's Damascus Gate on Sunday night after barriers put up by Israeli police were removed, allowing them access to a square that became the focus of nightly Ramadan clashes. Hollywood Goodwill Gestures The Oscars Embraced Diversity, but Not as Much as It Could Have After the humiliating back-to-back scandal of #OscarsSoWhite for the 2014 and 2015 Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences set itself to aggressively increasing representation within its membership. By expanding the perspectives of its voters, the hope was that a greater diversity of voices could find recognition at the Oscars. Actress Shares EPIC Hang Out Glenn Close Doing "Da Butt" Dance Is the Only 2021 Oscars GIF That Matters - E! Online The Oscar-nominated actress just stole the show by dancing to "Da Butt" during the Academy Awards telecast. See the meme-worthy moment that everyone will be talking about. ROYAL RENAISSANCE The Royals, who aren't acting like most rebuilders, have the AL's best record three weeks into 2021 season The Kansas City Royals on Sunday rode another dominant outing from Danny Duffy to a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers ( box score). That's the Royals' fourth straight win, which means they maintain a 2.0-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. That K.C. Kansas City Forecast For Now Your Storm Track 5 Daily Forecast Breezy south winds will relax to a steady 15 mph pace overnight as temperatures drop into the 50s. Monday will start out mild before gusty southwest winds increase between 20 and 30 mph with gusts up near 40 mph at times. Dinosaur Jr. - Take It Back is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. The experience that she had after calling 911 to report an unhealthy relationship prompted California State Senator Sydney Kamlager to push the legislation that would change the way police respond to nonviolent 911 calls in the state. Based on the Los Angeles Democrat, she has not called 911 since her ex-boyfriend showed up at her house unwanted and unannounced. Kamlager also shared on her podcast 'It's All Political' that despite being burglarized, mugged, and attacked at a gunpoint at a bank, she did not call 911. California State Senator Sydney Kamlager mentioned that her legislation called the Crises Act was shaped by an incident that happened 25 years ago. The senator shared that after being involved in an unhealthy relationship, she immediately obtained a court order and restraining order to keep the man away from his life. One day, the man returned, which prompted her to call the police after mentioning that he was violating the restraining order. Kamlager shared that after calling 911, it took them a very long time to arrive. She also shared that she personally did not want to involve law enforcement because it was too personal and it was between former partners but she needed help. Crises Act According to San Francisco Chronicle, State Senator Sydney Kamlager shared that 45 minutes later after her 911 call, the police arrived at her doorsteps but her ex-boyfriend had already left. Instead of hearing any kind of help from the officer who responded at the scene, the police stated that there's no need for him to be there because the reported guy already left. Also, the police mentioned that maybe next time Kamlager should think better about the guy she wants to get a relationship with. And that stayed with her for a very long time as it shamed her. ALSO READ: U.S. to Increase Travel Restrictions to 80% of the World to Curb COVID-19 Transmission Kamlager also shared some of her experiences with the police response and these inspired her in writing the Crises Act. She added that the people of California should be provided with other outlets that enable them to reach out and call for help when they are having a crisis or an emergency. Kalmager said, it will be a response team that will not shame the victims, will not deny any support, and there will be no shooting, The Appeal reported. The measure, AB118, would create a pilot program that moves out the law enforcement in the response situation and would send community-based organizations out into the field to respond to (nonviolent) 911 calls. The California State Senator also emphasized that 70% of 911 calls are nonviolent and non-criminal in nature. California State Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Kamlager's similar bill last year and mentioned that the Office of Emergency Services also shared that it is not the appropriate location for the pilot program. But this time, the senator hopes to house the program in the Department of Social Services. Kamlager also pointed out that aside from the victims, some nonviolent calls turn into violent ones. RELATED ARTICLE: Orange County Police Arrests Man For Allegedly Attacking Korean Couple Amid Rising Asian Hate Crimes WATCH: Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager Urges Governor Newsom to Sign the CRISES Act - California Assembly Democrats The UKs largest signal of maritime and air power in a generation will set sail next month as the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth departs for its first operational deployment. The 3 billion warship, with eight RAF F35B stealth fighter jets on board, will depart for Asia accompanied by six Royal Navy ships, a submarine, 14 naval helicopters and a company of Royal Marines. The Carrier Strike Group (CSG), which will carry out visits to India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, will include the US destroyer USS The Sullivans and the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen. (PA Graphics) A squadron of 10 US Marine Corps F35B Lightning II jets will also be embarked on the carrier in what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is describing as the largest concentration of maritime and air power to leave the UK in a generation. Watch: Introducing Britain's biggest-ever warship Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who will reveal details of the deployment to Parliament, said: When our Carrier Strike Group sets sail next month, it will be flying the flag for Global Britain projecting our influence, signalling our power, engaging with our friends and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the security challenges of today and tomorrow. The entire nation can be proud of the dedicated men and women who for more than six months will demonstrate to the world that the UK is not stepping back but sailing forth to play an active role in shaping the international system of the 21st century. The HMS Queen Elizabeth returns to Portsmouth Naval Base last month following sea trials and a visit to western Scotland ahead of its first operational deployment (Ben Mitchell/PA) During the 28-week deployment, ships from the Carrier Strike Group are expected to visit more than 40 countries and undertake more than 70 engagements, including sailing alongside the French carrier Charles De Gaulle in the Mediterranean. The deployment has been organised as part of the UKs tilt to the Indo-Pacific region in a bid to bolster deep defence partnerships as well as to take part in an exercise to mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Story continues Accompanying HMS Queen Elizabeth will be a surface fleet made up of Type 45 destroyers HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, Type 23 anti-submarine frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliarys RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The Royal Navy Astute-class submarine will also be deployed, armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. As well as the stealth fighters, four Wildcat maritime attack helicopters, seven Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters and three Merlin Mk4 commando helicopters will be embarked the greatest quantity of helicopters assigned to a single UK Task Group in a decade. Prior to leaving the UK, the CSG will take part in a major exercise, Strike Warrior, off the coast of Scotland before departing for the Mediterranean. Watch: Man leaps feet-first into moving car to stop dangerous driver in Albania (The Straits Times) The much-anticipated air travel bubble to allow quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Hong Kong is set to take off on May 26 six months after its initial planned launch. Originally planned to start in November last year, it was deferred by both parties due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong. Singapores Ministry of Transport (MOT) said on April 26 that the travel bubble will have a cautious start. There will be one flight a day in each direction, capped at 200 passengers on each flight for the first two weeks. The numbers will be reviewed thereafter. Rules for travel will also be tightened. Travelers must have remained in either Singapore or Hong Kong in the last 14 days prior to departure, and the 14 days period must exclude any time spent in quarantine or stay-home notice (SHN) arising from their last return to Singapore or Hong Kong from overseas. In addition, they must now download and install Hong Kongs LeaveHomeSafe app on their mobile devices prior to leaving Singapore for Hong Kong. If the air travel bubble has to be suspended when the seven-day moving average of the unlinked community cases in either Singapore or Hong Kong increases to above five, it can resume only when the Covid-19 situation has stabilized. As earlier announced, travelers will have to undergo Covid-19 pre-departure and on- arrival polymerase chain reaction tests in lieu of quarantine or SHN; and travel on designated flights. Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said: I am happy that Hong Kong got the Covid-19 situation under control. It has been a long few months, but the conditions are now ripe again to relaunch the ATB (air travel bubble). Both sides will need to stay very vigilant in the next one month, so that we can launch the first flights smoothly. Hong Kongs Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Edward Yau, said in the media release: With gradual stabilisation of the fourth wave of epidemic in Hong Kong, we have been engaging in active discussion with Singapore on the relaunch of ATB. The two governments have reached consensus on the latest arrangements and will put in place more stringent public health protocols in response to the latest epidemic development. Our goal remains striking a right balance between public health and travel convenience so that the public will feel assured while providing certainty. Singapore and Hong Kong will closely monitor the Covid-19 situation from now to the targeted launch date of May 26, and will proceed with the launch if the situation continues to be steady and under control in both cities, the statement added. The travel bubble, which was initially scheduled to begin on Nov. 22, was postponed on Nov. 21 after a spike in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong. Singapore and Hong Kong said then that they would update on the new launch date within two weeks. On Dec 1, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said that both cities had decided to defer the start of the travel arrangement to beyond 2020, given the high number of unlinked cases in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had said on April 13 that she expects an early indication of agreement between the two sides on the travel bubble. The next update came on April 14 when Ong announced that details of the arrangement were being finalized. Some experts have pointed out that such travel bubble arrangements are fragile and can easily burst given the uncertain Covid-19 situation. Australia and New Zealand had this month started a long-awaited quarantine-free travel bubble on April 18. But the arrangement was paused just five days later on April 23, after a Covid-19 outbreak in Australia. This article was originally published by The Straits Times Contact editor Yang Ge (geyang@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. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has called for curtailing election victory celebrations, and postponement of all byelections and local elections by six months as part of measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. All large public gatherings should be banned for the next six months, the JD(S) supremo said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering a few suggestions to contain the spread. "Steps should be taken immediately to curtail election victory celebrations in States that have gone to polls this month. Since no state legislature's term is expiring after May this year, all byelections and local elections should be postponed by six months," the Rajya Sabha member said. During this period, Gowda said, the Election Commission can evolve new rules for conduct of safe elections, and simultaneously, the vaccination programme has to be accelerated. He assured the Prime Minister that he will support all constructive decisions and initiatives that the Union government may take under his leadership, to contain the pandemic, spread the vaccination programme, and save lives. Stating that he believes that this is a time to act and act swiftly, Gowda said health administration and Covid management has to be quickly decentralised. Medical professionals at all levels have to be urgently hired on short contracts to help district administrations, he said, adding, the authority to hire medical and para-medical personnel should be given to district collectors, district health officers and district hospitals. According to him, it is not sufficient to have a war room at the state-level, in state capitals, but there should be war rooms at all district headquarters. The focus currently has been on big cities. But there is a greater danger lurking in non-urban districts and taluk centres. Village clusters also need urgent attention. The Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj has to be deployed to coordinate these efforts. All government departments have a role in this health crisis and not just the Ministry of Health, he suggested. Gowda said there is no clear messaging on the vaccination front, and there is a lot of confusion among people, especially after the surge of the second wave. Since many people who had taken the first and second dose of vaccination have also been infected there is lurking cynicism about the vaccines, he said. It has to be clearly told that vaccines are the only best thing we have to protect not just our own lives but those of others too. "Science has to be placed above every belief we may have and faith we follow". Gowda said deadlines have to be set for people to get vaccinated as soon as state governments are confident of their vaccine stocks. Elected representatives at all levels have to be given specific targets to ensure vaccination in their respective constituencies. Stating that the pricing of vaccines has created a lot of confusion, Gowda said private players are talking out of turn when such an enormous public health issue threatens humanity. "Pricing should be done keeping in mind the poorest in the land. If the government decides to give vaccines free to all citizens that would be a great humanitarian gesture," he said. Grace marks should be given in the NEET postgraduate examination for doctors who have been working in Covid hospitals this academic year, Gowda said, adding, this is because a majority of them have spent their time in Covid duties and have had little time to focus on their exam preparation. "We should provide government job to one family member of Covid warriors who have lost their lives," he said. State governments, Gowda said, can create an informal communication network to help each other. One Minister in each State can be put in-charge to both seek help from other state governments as well as offer help. This too is cooperative federalism. "Members of the opposition with administrative experience should also be roped in. The virus does not understand political partisanship. This is a national crisis, and we should fight it as one nation," he said. The Government of India should establish state-of- the-art vaccination production centres, one in north India and one in south India, in the immediate future, Gowda said. According to him, plans and efforts to build long term public health infrastructure should begin immediately, and a larger percentage of our resources should be kept aside for public health. (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.) Total's Force Majeure declaration on Mozambique LNG is a call for dialogue and a global firewall against terrorism A frustrated employment minister has urged the unemployed to get off the dole and go out and get a job as employers struggle to fill vacancies across Australia. Some 1.23 million people are receiving JobSeeker or Youth Allowance benefits, about 400,000 more than before Covid-19 struck last year. Job websites are offering thousands of roles but many businesses have seen a substantial drop in the number of applicants. Federal Employment Minister Stuart Robert on Monday defended a new reporting line - dubbed DobSeeker - where employers can dob in applicants who turn down a role and urged Aussies to look for work or take a training course. Some 1.23million people are receiving JobSeeker or Youth Allowance benefits, about 400,000 more than before Covid-19 struck last year 'The key thing about the reporting line is to say to Australians you have a responsibility,' he told Nine's Today show. 'You just can't sit on the JobSeeker payment and expect your neighbours to cover that lifestyle.' More than 54,000 jobs are going begging in regional Australia - including at pubs, cafes and farms - despite the government's $6,000 relocation payment. 'Unemployed Australians are simply and regrettably not filling these jobs,' Scott Morrison told the AFR business summit in Sydney in March. Employment Minister Stuart Robert (pictured) on Monday defended a new reporting line where employers can dob in JobSeekers who turn down a role Mr Robert said he has heard from business owners in Queensland's Hervey Bay who are struggling to find workers even though the town's unemployment rate is 8.5 per cent, well above the national 5.6 per cent figure. 'So the opportunity is there for Australians who are on benefits to get out there and get a job,' he said. 'Seek training if they need it, [with] 300,000 extra subsidised courses available. 'But we really want Australians into work. 'We want to give every opportunity to train or re-skill and we want you to turn up. 'And if you're going to turn up, be intentional about working. That's the whole point of this,' he added. The government is also stamping visas for Pacific Islanders to come to Australia and pick fruit and vegetables amid a huge worker shortage caused by Covid border rules keeping out backpackers. But Mr Robert has urged Australians to take up these roles too. 'Why have we got to a point where we're happy for Australians to say ''no you don't have to do those jobs, we'll get someone from overseas. You just stay on benefits'',' he said. Farmers have reported being unable to employ people to pick fruit and vegetables in the regions 'How have we got to the point where that's acceptable in our country? 'Why have we got to the point where people are talking about their entitlements but not their responsibilities?' From April 1, the JobSeeker rate was increased by $50 a fortnight to $620.80. But mutual obligation requirements were strengthened, forcing recipients to search for at least 15 jobs per month. Last week owners of a Queensland roadhouse said they would be forced to close because it was too difficult to find staff. The Burke and Wills Roadhouse in Four Ways, an Outback town 1,500km from Brisbane in far-north Queensland, is struggling to find employees, with owners saying they're close to being 'burnt out' after a boom in business. The Burke and Wills Roadhouse is not the only local business struggling to find staff, with others forced to send out more than 1,000 messages looking for workers. Queensland currently has the most available job advertisements on SEEK across Australia, with 35,500 vacant positions. After years of public debate over the fate of the states film tax credit, Massachusetts House lawmakers approved an amendment to make the tax credit permanent as part of the fiscal 2022 House budget. Rep. Tackey Chans film tax credit amendment to kill the sunset, which was set for Jan. 1, 2023, was the first proposal taken up during the Houses budget debate Monday afternoon. The House unanimously voted for the amendment, 160 to 0. One of the key things I talk about [with] this industry is that its very much like tourism. It brings in dollars to the state. It creates jobs, said Chan, a Quincy Democrat who chairs the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure. The longevity of the film tax credit, which equals 25% of whatever is spent in-state on commercials, series and films, has been under debate for years. Gov. Charlie Baker has suggested eliminating the tax credit altogether, while film workers and some lawmakers have pushed to keep it in place beyond 2022. Despite the impact of the pandemic, Chan said recent productions have brought money to Massachusetts hotels: the team behind Dont Look Up, a film starring Jennifer Lawrence, rented more than 15,000 hotel room nights in Massachusetts; the team behind the Dexter revival being filmed in Berkshire County bought 4,200 hotel room nights. Some scenes of Dont Look Up were filmed in Worcester, as were Honest Thief, Free Guy and The Tender Bar. House Speaker Ron Mariano, who has supported the film tax credit in the past, said the amendment sends a clear message that Massachusetts lawmakers are committed long-term to the film industry and its investment in the Bay State. By making the film tax credit permanent, Massachusetts will become a true competitor and an attractive location as the film industry continues to grow and evolve, Mariano said in a statement after the vote. The level of impact and the amount of benefits the film tax credit brings to Massachusetts is immeasurable, creating local jobs and boosting overall economic activity in our cities and towns. At least 270 films have been produced in Massachusetts since 2006 when the law took effect, according to the Massachusetts Production Coalition. That does not include the list of commercials and TV series that have been filmed in Massachusetts. Andrew Farnitano, spokesman for the Massachusetts Production Coalition, said the film industry seeks to be part of the states economic recovery with the film tax credit in place. We are mindful that we must still earn enough support in the Senate and the governors signature before the thousands of film production industry workers in Massachusetts can be confident their jobs are secure, Farnitano said. But the film tax credits impact on the state economy has long been under debate. The Tax Expenditure Review Commission, which is chaired by the Department of Revenue commissioner, released a report in March saying the film tax credits job creation benefits have come at a steep price: the cost falls between $56 million and $80 million a year, or around $100,000 per worker. Rep. Ann Margaret Ferrante, a Gloucester Democrat and vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the report failed to take into account the amount of money the film and TV crews spend on catering, police details and other local businesses while on set. They spend money on police details. They repair parks. They restore historic buildings. They restore town assets that are going to be used as scenery in the film, Ferrante said. None of this shows up in the DOR report. Nearly 100 local businesses in Massachusetts signed onto a letter urging lawmakers to make the tax credit permanent. Labor leaders and the Massachusetts Production Coalition also pushed for the amendment in letters to legislative leadership. Standalone bills to kill the film tax credit sunset, H. 2842 and S. 1930, have garnered support from dozens of state representatives and nearly two dozen state senators. The House is reviewing 1,157 amendments to its $47.6 billion budget plan this week, starting with Mondays debate and a 2 p.m. Zoom call open only to lawmakers to consolidate amendments related to education, local aid, social services and veterans. After the House votes on its budget plan, the Senate unveils and debates its own budget proposal. The differences between the House and Senate budgets must be reconciled before a final draft is voted on and sent to the governors desk. Related Content: Researcher Kristen Hill, Ph.D., views ovarian cancer cells treated with Artemesia annua extracts. Credit: UK HealthCare Marketing A new study from University of Kentucky Markey Cancer researchers shows that Artemisia annua, a plant that has been traditionally used for its anti-malaria components, shows promise in treating ovarian cancer. The study, recently published in Diagnostics, demonstrates that artesunate, a drug synthesized from Artemisia annua, kills ovarian cancer cells in multiple preclinical model systems. Despite accounting for only 1.3% of all new cancer cases, 2.3% of cancer deaths in 2021 are predicted to be caused by ovarian cancer. The current standard of care for advanced ovarian cancer, which hasn't changed since 2003, is the use of two chemotherapy agents: carboplatin and paclitaxel. In this study, the researchers determined that artesunate, both alone and in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, has anticancer activity at concentrations that are achievable in the clinic, which support the further clinical development of this strategy. "Artesunate is historically used as an anti-malarial but with emerging evidence, it demonstrates its anti-cancer activity," said Jill Kolesar, PharmD, professor in the UK College of Pharmacy and administrative director of Markey's Precision Medicine Clinic. "This supports bringing it into the clinic and we hope to have positive outcomes for these patients, based on our preclinical data." Jill Kolesar watches as researcher Rob McCorkle, Ph.D. and postdoctoral fellow Dr. David Schweer prepare dilutions of Artemesia annua extracts for testing in ovarian cancer cells. Credit: UK HealthCare Marketing Kentucky is the only state currently growing substantial quantities of Artemisia annua, meaning the Commonwealth could become a new epicenter for growing the plant worldwide. The plant's growth process is similar to that of tobacco, potentially giving Kentucky's tobacco farmers a new cash crop to supplement their incomes. Artemisia annua is also grown at UK's Spindletop Farm, where it is harvested primarily for research purposes within the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the College of Pharmacy. Artemisia annua seedlings being planted at the University of Kentucky's Spindletop Farm. All a. annua plants grown at UK are used for research purposes across the enterprise. Credit: UK Photo/Mark Cornelison "We're growing Artemisia on Kentucky farms, studying it in our Kentucky lab, and now moving it into Kentucky clinics," Kolesar said. "Potentially improving the economy of the state and developing a cancer treatment for your patientsthat's truly a dream." More information: Anthony McDowell et al. Preclinical Evaluation of Artesunate as an Antineoplastic Agent in Ovarian Cancer Treatment, Diagnostics (2021). Anthony McDowell et al. Preclinical Evaluation of Artesunate as an Antineoplastic Agent in Ovarian Cancer Treatment,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11030395 South Carolina is seeing a dramatic decline in the number of people getting a COVID-19 vaccine in late April, a blow to any hopes of quickly reaching herd immunity. Less than a third of the state's eligible population is fully vaccinated. Yet South Carolina's providers are giving fewer vaccines in late April than they did in early March when eligibility was widely expanded, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Brannon Traxler, director of public health for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, said the state has reached a point where the supply of vaccines available is outpacing demand. "We are seeing more appointments and vaccine slots going unfilled," Traxler said. She noted vaccines are the best path to reaching herd immunity. Without them, the disease will continue to circulate and the state's official death count of around 8,300 will continue to climb. Seventy percent of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity, according to Johns Hopkins University. Anyone age 16 or older is eligible to receive a vaccine in South Carolina. The drop in demand places an imperative on the state to shift its strategy in order to reach more people. Dr. Danielle Scheurer, chief quality officer at the Medical University of South Carolina, one of the state's largest vaccine providers, said none of the health system's events are filling up anymore. Some of the vaccine events are only half full, Scheurer said. It is a stark contrast from just weeks ago, when MUSC had tens of thousands on its waitlist and its leaders said more supply was needed. Though COVID-19 case counts have flattened in South Carolina, Scheurer said variants of the virus that have caused explosions in cases in places like Michigan could cause another surge in South Carolina at any point. "Time is not on our side. We are in a race against variants," she said. "We are at risk for another surge here if we can't get people vaccinated." Scheurer said it is clear South Carolina can't hang its hopes of reaching herd immunity on mass-vaccination sites. Small, community-based events will be key. The state is lagging behind the nationwide percentage of adults who have at least started their vaccination. Fifty-four percent of American adults have at least one dose, compared with 45 percent in South Carolina, according to the CDC. By that measure, however, South Carolina is not on the very bottom. Its neighbors in the Deep South Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia are doing the worst. 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! Nevertheless, Traxler said DHEC is conducting a "deep dive" of its data to identify the communities demographic, geographic and otherwise that are not taking the vaccine at high rates. Public health leaders already know the Black population has been hesitant. Dr. Thaddeus Bell, a primary care physician in North Charleston, said Black residents in South Carolina "have some major trust issues" with health care in general. In his practice, Bell said he has been able to convince patients through face-to-face conversations. Bell is also a former chief diversity officer at MUSC and runs a nonprofit group called Closing the Gap in Health Care, which is dedicated to addressing health disparities through education. "I think it's going to involve a significant education piece to be able to get people to understand," Bell said. Lissa Lara, CEO of the Charleston-based primary care chain Liberty Doctors, said demand for vaccines has dropped off in the past two to three weeks. "Most of the people who wanted to get the vaccine have gotten it," Lara said. Vaccines available Liberty Doctors is administering the Pfizer vaccine, which is authorized for anyone age 16 and older. Anyone interested can schedule an appointment at www.libertydoctors.com/vaccine or simply show up to any of the following sites: 418 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday 2270 Ashley Crossing Dr. Suite 165, Charleston, SC 29414 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday 110A Springhall Dr., Goose Creek, SC 29445 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday 110 Executive Park Way, Moncks Corner, SC 29461 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday Community organizers who would like to host a vaccination clinics can begin the process by contacting Estee Perlmutter, FNP-BC at eperlmutter@libertydoctors.com. Reaching the rest will be more challenging. To make the process as easy as possible, Liberty Doctors is no longer requiring people to make appointments in order to get a shot. Anyone interested can simply show up to one of its four fixed sites. Lara said Liberty Doctors is hoping that will encourage people who aren't tech-savvy to come in. Across the state, about 210,000 received a vaccine shot in the week leading up to April 22. That compares with 300,000 doses in the first week of April, the most the state has done in a single week, an analysis of CDC data shows. The dwindling demand for vaccines illustrates the challenge that the U.S. faces in trying to conquer the pandemic while at the same time dealing with the optics of tens of thousands of doses sitting on shelves when countries like India and Brazil are in the midst of full-blown medical emergencies. Across the country, pharmacists and public health officials are seeing the demand wane and supplies build up. For example, about half of Iowas counties have stopped asking for new doses from the state, and Louisiana didnt seek shipment of some vaccine doses over the past week. The Associated Press contributed to this report. SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lilt, the modern language service and technology provider, today announced that it has been named to the 2021 Forbes AI 50 for the third consecutive year. The Forbes AI 50 recognizes the most promising privately-held companies using artificial intelligence to build business applications and services to transform industries. Lilt is one of only seven companies that have been included every year since the list's inception in 2019. "Our artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies enable our customers to provide exceptional global experiences to their customers around the world," said Lilt CEO Spence Green. "We're proud to be recognized by Forbes for the third year in a row alongside other leading companies developing AI-powered solutions." Lilt's translation services are powered by the Lilt Platform, the world's most advanced translation technology that uses AI and automation to make every step of the localization process faster, more accurate, and simpler. Lilt's community of over 60,000 skilled human translators uses its AI-powered translation technology to translate content quickly, efficiently, and at higher quality than ever before. With Lilt, companies go-to-market faster, grow global revenues, and provide a personalized global experience to their customers in their language of choice. Forbes partnered with Sequoia Capital and Meritech Capital to evaluate hundreds of promising, privately-held North American companies that are using AI in ways that are fundamental to their operations. The list, which nearly 400 companies qualified for, focused on companies utilizing machine learning, natural language processing, or computer vision technologies. Of the qualifying companies, 100 were selected based on their qualitative score created by Forbes' data partners, followed by evaluation by a panel of expert AI judges to narrow the list down to 50. Along with the Forbes AI 50 list, Lilt was recently named to the CB Insights AI 100 list, showcasing the 100 most promising private artificial intelligence companies in the world, and was included in Gartner's recent Market Guide for AI-Enabled Translation Services. About Lilt Headquartered in San Francisco, Lilt is the modern language service and technology provider enabling localized customer experiences. Lilt's mission is to make the world's information accessible to everyone regardless of where they were born or which language they speak. Lilt brings human-powered, technology-assisted translations to global enterprises, empowering product, marketing, support, e-commerce, and localization teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences to global audiences. Lilt gives industry-leading organizations like Intel, ASICS, WalkMe, DigitalOcean, and Canva everything they need to scale their localization programs and go-to-market faster. Lilt has additional global offices in Dublin, Berlin, Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis. Visit us online at www.lilt.com or contact us at [email protected]. SOURCE Lilt Related Links https://www.lilt.com New Delhi: The Karnataka government is expected to take a decision on imposing lockdown-like restrictions on Monday (April 26) in a bid to curb the transmission of COVID-19. In a meeting scheduled at 11 am, the state cabinet will decide on implementing lockdown-like restrictions on all days of the week across Karnataka. Besides lockdown, the cabinet is also mulling providing free of cost COVID-19 vaccinations, official sources told PTI. "Weekend curfew restrictions are in place till May 4 and as per the guidelines, it will be there next Saturday, Sunday also. Discussions are on whether to enforce curfew on weekdays, whether to go for complete lockdown or not," Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar was quoted as saying by the news agency. The state minister said that the cabinet will discuss the issue on Monday, following which Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa would announce the decision. We are not in favour of lockdown, but the situation is such that we have to impose restrictions to bring things under control...We have to break the chain, it is a matter of 10-12 days, let's see... Once the numbers (cases) come down, restrictions will also reduce," Shettar told reporters in Dharwad. Meanwhile, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said "such proposals (lockdown) did not come during yesterday's meeting. So I don't want to comment on speculations. For now things will continue as it is." Amid record-breaking rise in coronavirus cases, Karnataka on April 21 imposed night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am every day as well as a weekend curfew from Friday 9 pm to Monday 6 am. These curbs will last till May 4. Karnataka registered 34,804 new COVID-19 cases in a day, of which Bengaluru accounted for 20,733 cases, according to the state health bulletin released on Sunday. The state's total caseload mounted to 13,39,201, including 2,62,162 active cases. (With inputs from agencies) Live TV But Titone opted to have Maloney determine his fate and the 7th Circuit found his father had forked over $10,000 to ensure an acquittal, citing an earlier affidavit where the Titones father said he had been told if Maloney found the others charged in the case guilty it would be enough to cover his tracks. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson / Reuters A newspaper report that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he would rather bodies piled "high in their thousands" than order a third lockdown is not true, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday. Johnson is facing a stream of allegations in British newspapers about everything from his muddled initial handling of the COVID-19 crisis to questions over who financed the redecoration of his Downing Street flat. The Daily Mail newspaper said Johnson said at an October meeting at Downing Street: "No more ****ing lockdowns let the bodies pile high in their thousands." "It's not true it's been categorically denied by practically everyone," Wallace told Sky when asked about the reported remark, adding that Johnson was focused on the COVID response. "We're getting into the sort of comedy chapter now of these gossip stories you know unnamed sources by unnamed advisers talking about unnamed events. You know look none of this is serious," Wallace said. MACKINAC ISLAND, MI Visitors to Mackinac Island know that dockporters are an early, familiar sight on any trip. This group of workers meets each ferry as it arrives at the docks. They expertly stack luggage, duffel bags and mounds of overstuffed backpacks onto their sturdy bikes and baskets. Then, powered by burning leg muscles and a good measure of finesse, they deftly navigate streets crowded with tourists and horse-drawn carriages to deliver guests belongings to their hotels all in hopes of a generous tip. The sheer mix of physicality and charisma needed to load and ride the luggage, all while charming the guests, have made dockporters a unique fixture on the island for decades. A new book celebrating this special subculture has raced to the top of Amazons bestseller list. The Dockporter is currently in the number-one spot in one of the young adult fiction categories for the online retail giant. Its available in both paperback and online versions. The nostalgic storyline follows Jack McGuinn during the summer of 1989. On the surface, he has the coveted job of being an island dockporter. But behind the coolness of that Schwinn bike, hes navigating changing family circumstances, a deepening rivalry with an island frenemy, questions about his college future and a head-over-handlebars romance. The dialogue is sharp and spot-on, the characters pull you in, and it has just enough profanity to make you laugh out loud. Making this coming-of-age tale even more of an island celebration is the fact it was written by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone, two former dockporters who met on the island and worked together years ago. They are a bit amazed and grateful at how the book has been received so far. They love that its story magnifies the work of a special group of people, and an island that was the beginning of so many life-long friendships. It was a very interesting and unique job, said McVeigh, a Milford native who grew up summering on Mackinac Island and was a dockporter for four years. The University of Michigan graduate is now a writer/director living in the Philippines. Its still the funniest group of people Ive ever hung out with. Theres no question those docks were a bit of a stage. There was an excitement that went on through the entire day. There was never a lull, because every half hour another boat was unloading and you had to be ready for it. There would be a little bit of a buzz going on. You just never knew who was going to get off the boat and what kind of chaos was going to happen. Bolone, who grew up in Detroit and graduated from Wayne State University, got his first island immersion when he went up there to help work on a boat belonging to a friends family. He was 19. I was immediately smitten, and I didnt want to go back home. My life started full-bore as a dockporter in 1982, and it changed my life. Meeting the women and men who are still part of my life has been a great treat. He also found a life-changing romance during his eight summers there. He met his wife, Lori, while she was working at a pottery shop on the island. I saw Lori riding her bike on Main Street and my heart skipped. For me, it was love at first sight. Now living in Toledo, Bolone teaches creative writing at a junior high school. He and his wife have three grown children. A page from "History of the Dockporter on Mackinac Island" by Roger Priebe shows the equipment commonly used. Illustration provided by Roger Priebe. A LITTLE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS McVeigh had been kicking around the idea for The Dockporter for years. He initially wrote it as a screenplay while living in Los Angeles and intended to make it into a movie with his brother, Scott. But after moving to the Philippines, where his wife is a doctor and theyre raising their daughter, the film idea was shelved. The pandemic nudged it back to life, this time as a novel. It was then that Bolone checked in with McVeigh and suggested working on a creative project together. Co-authoring fiction based on a shared era in their lives turned out to be just what they both needed. It was always a story that I loved, McVeigh said. We just got serious about it, and both of us felt like if something good does not come out of this pandemic situation, what a waste. The book format allowed more details to be layered in, and tapped into Bolones background as a writing teacher. The men worked back and forth with Google docs and video chats. It just turned out to be a really positive experience, McVeigh said. And theyve been happily surprised to find others have loved it, too. Nearly all the online reviews have been five stars, and many people have talked about how much theyve loved the book, and how they cant wait for the second novel in the series. If people can read something and feel good, thats what Dave and I care about, Bolone said. PRINCES OF PEDAL POWER While both authors say the book is 100% fiction - not a memoir - they also agree some characters are hybrids of people they knew during their time on the island. Spending all his childhood summers living in his familys cottage by the islands yacht docks, McVeigh grew up seeing the dockporters as the epitome of Mackinac coolness. By the summer of 1986, he was ready to join their ranks. He first became a bellman at the Lakeview Hotel, but soon was able to ditch his bow tie and weasel his way into a promotion as a dockporter for that hotel. He worked there for two summers before switching to the Chippewa Hotel for another two seasons. There were a lot of cool people that I got the chance to work with, he said. Bolone, known for his big personality, was one of his mentors. Like the other dockporters who rode a collection of now-vintage and decked-out Heavy Duti Schwinns, they knew all the secrets of securing those impossible baggage loads. They had extra-large baskets affixed to the front of their bikes. They wrapped the outside perimeter of those baskets with old bike inner tubes, to create a buffer and keep luggage from being scratched. They reinforced the bike basket bottoms with plywood. They learned how to take corners without tipping and what their bodies and bikes were capable of. McVeigh remembers one day he rode a huge load, maybe 15 bags stacked Jenga-style on the front of the bike, and pulled a trailer loaded down with another 20 pieces of luggage. His destination: a big resort-style home about four miles outside of downtown. So that was no joke, he said, adding there is a photo of the feat somewhere. On a good day, tips could top $100. On a really good day - like when the yacht races crossed the island finish line - the pocket tally could hit $300. RELATED: Mackinac Island love story: Old photo reunites couple after 40 years Dockporters delivering luggage to island hotels navigate busy streets filled with tourists and horse-drawn carriages. Photo provided by Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau. DOCKPORTER SUPPORT As they worked on this project, Bolone and McVeigh found the people they relied on the most as sounding boards were their old island friends. A Facebook group for Dockporters and island lovers become a testing ground for book cover choices, even snippets of dialogue. And the fact that former dockporters and island workers have embraced this book just makes it sweeter, the authors say. I am shocked, because there is nothing like seeing people love what you do, McVeigh said. He admits he was a little nervous at first how would islanders and people who have lived this job react to a book built around the dockporter lifestyle? (Their motto: Tonight we drink. Tomorrow we ride.) Now I feel so happy I cant even explain it, McVeigh said. Its overwhelming, because these are the people we care about the most. I dont think it can get much better than that. Roger Priebe, an administrator for the Mackinac Island Dockporters Association page on Facebook - and a former Murray Hotel dockporter - has been watching this project take shape for years, first as a screenplay and now as the new novel. There have been other books set on Mackinac, but he says this one is so carefully crafted and believable that anyone who knows the island will feel right at home in its pages. The characters move from the docks to downtown, name-dropping familiar places like Horns Bar, Rybas Fudge, Douds Market and Ste. Annes Catholic Church. My favorite part of it was the dialogue between the dockporters when they talk amongst themselves, Priebe said, adding he could hear echoes of his own past in the wordplay at the docks. Just scatterbrained stuff. This is the first book set here that I think everyone who has lived and worked (on the island) can relate to. The ferry docks, the friendship, followed by the freedom of a night off. I think they did it justice. The Amazon reviews show that The Dockporter struck a chord with those who have island jobs on their resumes. One reviewer wrote: The authors capture the spirit of the island and its summer employees exquisitely. The love affairs which last weeks but feel like years. The quickly cemented friendships forged during a hard shift that last a lifetime. All this is in the book and more. AND ON IT GOES Right now, the authors are busy mapping out the next book in the series. This one will be a prequel set in the summer of 1979, when Jack and his buddies were 11. Its the summer that Somewhere in Time was filmed on the island so you know hijinks will ensue. RELATED: Jane Seymour dishes on Mackinac Island love during her Somewhere in Time weekend Their dockporter days may be behind them, but both men still have bikes nearby. Living out of the country, McVeigh has switched to a mountain bike for practicality. Bolone, like many former dockporters, has a Schwinn Heavy Duti hes restored and keeps at the familys house in Harbor Springs. And as for luggage, both say they remain the baggage handlers in their families. They expertly rearrange every load before any family trip. A former dockporter, it seems, never loses his touch. HEADED TO MACKINAC ISLAND? READ MORE How a Mackinac Island mansions playhouse became Grand Hotels fine dining showpiece Mackinac Island announces 2021 opening dates for resorts, hotels, shops and more How Grand Hotels cupola lookout spot became a bar with Mackinac Islands best view New Delhi, April 26 : Raising alarm, the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) on Monday said that it failed to get over 100 oxygen cylinders refilled in three days. These oxygen cylinders are used for transferring extremely sick Covid patients from Covid emergency to ICU and from Wards to ICU in case of emergency. The SGRH said that hospital has 104 oxygen cylinders which are used for transferring patients in case of emergency which is happening very frequently currently as many sick patients are being admitted. "All 104 oxygen cylinders have been sent three days back to three different locations for emergency refill. For the last three days our staff and transport is camping there, but to no avail," the SGRH said. It further said that currently the hospital is on 'beg and borrow mode' and it is an extreme crisis situation. "Hospital has arranged two cylinders which are also going to finish quickly and it is getting extremely difficult and risky to shift patients," it said. Early morning around 4.45 a.m., the SGRH received four tones of oxygen supplied by Inox. "Available total stock of 4,000 cubic meter oxygen will only last for ehht Hour," the hospital said. Teachers had to intervene between an 11-year-old child and his father when the man started hitting the boy after he was called to the school, a court has heard. CCTV of the incident in which the teachers intervened as the father punched the child and hit him with his school bag in a school corridor was played in court. The man called the child a scumbag and a waster during the incident. The child told his teachers: When I go home I am going to get it. I am dead. The man, who has a number of previous convictions, later apologized and told gardai he was trying to prevent his son, who had behaviour issues, from going down the wrong path. The 34-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a count of child cruelty at the child's school in September 2019. Judge Martin Nolan said on the date the father appeared to be very frustrated to say the least with his child who was having difficulties. He said it was clear from the CCTV that the man lost his temper and patience when he should not have and it was very frightening for the child. He said it appeared the man wanted to be a good father but on that date he lost control. He said it was the view of the court that the man did not deserve a custodial sentence at the moment. Judge Nolan imposed a one year suspended sentence on strict conditions and asked that the Probation Service to liaise with Tusla to see if a program can be crafted for the man. A prosecuting garda told Grainne O'Neill BL, prosecuting, teachers at the school had alerted the child's parents that morning that he did not have his school bag and had left school grounds. The child's mother said someone would bring the school bag. The child returned to the school and shortly afterwards his father arrived. The man said there was no point talking to his son and he was going to kill him before he punched him. The court heard the child whimpered and tried to protect himself as he was hit by his father. Teachers intervened and alerted gardai who took the child to hospital. The accused man was arrested at his home in an agitated and aggressive state. The child and his mother declined to make a victim impact statement. The accused man was interviewed and told gardai he wanted to apologize and was trying to stop the child from going down the wrong path. The garda agreed he was aware the man said his son had behavioural issues and that he had to leave work in the past or go out at night looking for him. The garda agreed none of the man's previous convictions were for violent offending. The man said he felt he was failing as a father and described being at his wits end. Emmet Nolan BL, defending said the man was disgusted, appalled and ashamed of his behaviour. He said he deeply regrets and has deep shame for his actions. He said the man instructs this was an aberration and he has undertaken a parenting program and engaged fully with Tusla. Chennai, Apr 26 (UNI) The Madras High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Election Commission of India (ECI) for not banning political rallies and 'singularly' blamed the ECI for the second wave of COVID-19 in the county. The Court also warned that it would be forced to stay the counting process on May two if strict COVID-19 protocol was not devised by the ECI. On a petition filed by Transport Minister M R Vijayabhaskar seeking a direction to the ECI to strictly adhere to the safety measures and ensure fair counting, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy slammed the ECI for not stopping political parties that were deliberately abusing the Covid-19 protocol during their political rallies in the run up to the single phase Assembly elections held on April six. The Bench observed that "at no cost can counting result in a catalyst for a further surge, politics or no politics, whether the counting takes place in a staggered manner or is deferred." In an oral observation, the Bench asked "Were you on another planet when political rallies were being held?" "Election Commission Officers should probably be booked on murder charges," the bench said. "Public health is of paramount importance and it is distressing that constitutional authorities have to be reminded in such regard. It is only when a citizen survives that he will be able to enjoy the rights that a democratic republic guarantees," the Chief Justice noted. However, the ECI contended that necessary safety measures have been put in place. Observing that the situation now is of survival and protection, the bench directed the ECI to file a detailed report by April 30 on the blueprint of Covid-19 protocol for the counting day after a detailed consultation with the Health Department Secretary. UNI GV 1435 BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon said on Monday it hoped Saudi Arabia would reconsider a ban on its produce imposed over what Riyadh called a rise in drug smuggling, and tasked its interior minister to coordinate with the kingdom to uncover the culprits and prevent a repeat. The statement was issued after a meeting on the topic between President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab amongst others. They also asked Lebanon's public prosecutor to pursue investigations on the issue and keep Saudi officials informed of results, a presidency statement said. Blaming an increase in drug smuggling, Saudi Arabia announced the ban on Friday, a measure that will add to Lebanon's severe economic problems. The fruit and vegetables trade is worth $24 million annually. Lebanon is in the throes of a deep financial crisis posing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war. Aoun earlier asked Lebanon's security forces to step up operations against the smuggling, while Diab said Lebanon stood ready to fight trafficking networks with Saudi Arabia but that a ban would not prevent it. "We are confident that Saudi Arabia and all the Gulf countries know well that a ban on Lebanese produce will not stop drug smuggling and (that) cooperation between us will help stop these networks," he said. There was concern that the ban, which took effect on Sunday, would spread to other Gulf states after the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman all issued statements in support of the Saudi decision. The ban was announced after Saudi customs authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle in more than 5.3 million Captagon pills, a type of amphetamine, hidden in a pomegranate shipment from Lebanon, the kingdom's SPA news agency said last week. A Lebanese source who attended Monday's meeting at the presidential palace said the shipment was originally from neighbouring Syria and falsely labelled as Lebanese before being dispatched. The source said two people were detained in connection with the drug bust. (Reporting by Maha El Dahan and Ellen Francis Writing by Maha El DahanEditing by Alison Williams and Mark Heinrich) Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa lit up with the colours of the Indian national flag in solidarity with the country as it grapples with a double whammy of rising COVID-19 cases and a stretched healthcare system. It also flashed the "#StayStrongIndia" message. Official Twitter handle of the Indian Embassy in UAE and the Burj Khalifa shared the video of the illuminated tower. The Indian Embassy in UAE tweeted, "As India battles the gruesome war against COVID-19, its friend UAE sends its best wishes. Burj Khalifa in Dubai lits up to showcase its support. #IndiaUAEDosti" Users could not help but appreciate the UAE for this gesture. They also noted that India now knows who its friends in need are. Here are some user comments India is fighting back with strong desire. #loveforindia#IndiaFightsBack Thankyou @UAEembassyIndia@BurjKhalifa for your Huge support for Indian people. We are true friend and longlive Jay hind showing your love and prayers for India during our biggest battle Rajeshif anybody needs help pls contact me (@RajeshROfficial) April 26, 2021 We NOW very well know who our friends are during this time of need! Long live the UAE! Long live the leadership!! Priceless (@Bhagwaa) April 25, 2021 We Shall Overcome- Again. Thanks for Lighting the Dark Hours. https://t.co/AUFJuk8J7T Pankaj Thapliyal (@PankajT04765688) April 26, 2021 you should also learn how UAE managed to control this pandemic and also learn how they live in harmony shiva (@shivmenon6) April 26, 2021 India and Indians loves this gesture thank you UAE Love and respect from India #IndiaFightsBack Naquid Alam (@naquidalam01) April 25, 2021 India's total coronavirus tally has surged to 1,73,13,163 cases whereas active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark. A total of 3,52,991 people tested positive for the infection in the last 24 hours, the highest-ever single-day surge so far, according to the Union Health Ministry's data. The COVID-19 death toll surged to 1, 95,123 with 2,812 new fatalities. States like Maharashtra (64,760), Karnataka (14,426), Delhi (14,248), Tamil Nadu (13,557), Uttar Pradesh (11,165), West Bengal (10,941), Punjab (8,432) and Andhra Pradesh (7,685) have reported the highest number of deaths over the last 24 hours. Edited by Mehak Agarwal Also read: 'Heartbroken' Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pledges support in India's COVID-19 battle Also read: COVID-19 crisis: India logs biggest single-day rise with over 3.5 lakh fresh cases, 2,812 deaths Also read: All above 18 years to get free COVID-19 vaccine in Delhi, says Kejriwal Jagdish Khattar, who led as the automakers managing director for eight years, has died of cardiac arrest. He was 79. Khattars tenure saw Maruti establish itself as Indias largest car company. Khattar, after retiring from Maruti in October 2007, launched an entrepreneurial venture, Carnation Auto, a multi-brand automobile service network also dealing in used car business. "This is a deep personal loss and has come as a big shock. We had worked together for many years. He is someone who had done a lot of good for Maruti," R C Bhargava, the company's chairman, told CNBC-TV18 about Bhargavas death. A Business Standard story profiling Maruti said in 2014 Khattar was a former bureaucrat and "a rank outsider" who was brought in to the company in 1993 as "officer on special duty". Khattar, before joining Maruti and as a civil servant, was the joint secretary in the steel ministry, and he worked at various administrative positions in the Uttar Pradesh government. Sri Lanka: NARA and IMR, Norway to cooperate in fisheries research April 26,2021 | Source: Daily News LK The National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway (IMR) joined hands to continue their cooperation in fisheries research in Sri Lankan waters. The signature event in this regard was held on Tuesday. The two institutions will engage in research on fish stocks in the waters of Sri Lanka, with the aim of improved and sustainable management of marine resources in the country. Norways financial assistance enabled an ecosystem survey in the coastal waters of Sri Lanka by the Norwegian Research Vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen in Sri Lanka in 2018. After the successful completion of the first phase of the project, the Norwegian Embassy was pleased to approve the second phase of the project for development of fisheries management tools at a cost of close to NOK 8.75mn (approx.1 Million USD), which will be operational until 2022. Speaking at the event, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Trine Jranli Eskedal, underscored that Norway is committed to bilateral cooperation on oceans and to helping Sri Lanka put in place data-based management systems for ocean resources, which will enable Sri Lanka to better monitor its fish stocks. She added that the Norwegian fisheries cooperation with Sri Lanka, which dates back to the 1970s, includes fisheries management, research and education, and private sector development. From 2013 to 2020, NOK 20.3 mill. (approx. 2.4 mill. USD) have been disbursed to the fisheries sector. Ambassador Eskedal also highlighted the importance of sharing these research findings with other Sri Lankan stakeholders, both in the public and private sector, to make informed decisions related to oceans and fisheries and to bringing in new and advanced technology to Sri Lankas fisheries sector. She also reiterated the importance of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources, and the importance of the fisheries sector to advance more sustainable economic growth in Sri Lanka. Speaking at the event, Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, mentioned that the Government of Sri Lanka is looking for renewed opportunities to strengthen the fisheries sector. Research projects of this nature are an opportunity for our Sri Lankan fishermen and for the sector as a whole. Sri Lanka and Norway have a longstanding bilateral relationship within the fisheries sector and wish to ensure the livelihoods of fishermen and the local economy, he stressed. The Minister added that Sri Lanka is an island nation blessed with abundant marine resources. It is the governments mandate to sustain such resources, while bringing in research-based advanced technology to boost the sector. The Minister also thanked the Government of Norway for its continued support during these unprecedented times. State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish and Prawn Farming Kanchana Wijesekera mentioned that the Governments strategy for enhancing the marine fisheries sector in Sri Lanka aims at developing and managing the sector in a successful way using scientific evidence and modern technology. To obtain science-based recommendations for managing the fisheries, capacity building of Sri Lankan scientists is essential, the State Minister underscored. NARA Chairman Prof. Navaratnarajah underscored the importance of this cooperation: The technical assistance from IMR scientists provides immense support to develop the capacity of Sri Lankan scientists, while enabling the collection of proper marine data in a scientific manner. He also added that Norways support to the fisheries sector in the past was remarkable, and that NARA, with the guidance of the Ministry of Fisheries of Sri Lanka and its sister organisations, hopes to continue the bilateral relationships while strengthening the technical cooperation with IMR in the future. The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below. On Friday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC attended a morning tea with Braille House Community, and the Governor addressed guests. In the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency received the Clerk of the Parliament, Mr Neil Laurie for the presentation of one Bill, to which the Governor granted Assent. Following, at Government House, Mrs Kaye de Jersey and His Excellency hosted an afternoon tea in support of the 2021 Girl Guides Annual Awards, and Mrs de Jersey addressed guests and presented awards. In the evening, at ANZAC Square, Brisbane, His Excellency attended the Centaur Memorial Fund for Nurses Memorial Candlelight Vigil, and the Governor addressed guests and laid a wreath. [April 26, 2021] Eight-Year-Old Stop-Motion Artist Launches Carbon-Neutral NFT Series And Donates Over $1,000 To Charity NEW YORK, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight year old stop-motion artist and Rocket Club member Annabelle White has entered the non-fungible token world, launching her debut carbon neutral, NFT series and donating over $1,000.00 in the process. White, who is well known for her successful business Stop & Love, has honed her craft as a stop motion artist and gone on to create personalized greeting cards and advertisements for top brands including Bobbi Brown, Gooselings Scandinavian Luxury Blankets, and Startup Squad to name a few. You can view a video Annabelle created to explain her NFT series here: https://rocketclub.com/stopandlovenft A young rising star in the art world, White was featured earlier this year on Good Morning America alongside Rocket Club, a tech entrepreneurship club for kids ages 7-14, where she is an active member and has sharpened her business & STEM skills. Members at Rocket Club learn how to build their own businesses, code, build robotics, and are immersed in cutting-edge technology, including education on how to mint and sell NFT's. After minting a total of 10 NFT's, Annabelle sent thm out to her contacts and previous clients with the goal to raise money to donate ballet shoes and art supplies to refugees from Syria through Welcome Home Jersey City. She priced each at 0.18 Ether ($380) and has already sold 3 for $1,140. In addition, after learning about carbon emissions used to mint and sell NFTs, Annabelle went on to buy a carbon credit to make sure the transaction of selling 10 NFTs was fully carbon neutral. Quote from Annabelle White "I recently finished reading the book No Ballet Shoes in Syria. It got me thinking about children of families who had to leave their countries and everything behind. Ballet and art makes me so happy. So I got the idea to raise money to help refugee families get settled in their new homes. I want the money to go to buying ballet shoes and art supplies. I recently learned about NFTs in my Rocket Club class and thought it would be so cool to create and sell some for this cause." Quote from Alex Hodara, Founder of Rocket Club "Our members just learned about blockchain, cryptocurrency, and NFTshow these technologies are changing multiple industries, and how they impact the environment. I'm so proud of Annabelle for taking what she learned in class and applying it to her own business. It is inspiring to see her donate all of the proceeds from these NFTs to a cause she truly cares about and has decided to make her NFT series carbon neutral. She is a great example of how the next generation of entrepreneurs are socially responsible and forward thinking." About Rocket Club: Rocket Club is an award-winning tech entrepreneurship club for kids aged 7 to 14. By the time members graduate, they will be certified in 46 cutting-edge disciplines including robotics, coding, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and company valuation to name a few. Rocket Club is fully virtual with members from 29 U.S. states, England, Ireland, and India. 55% of members are on full or partial scholarships based on family income and 60% of Rocket Club members are BIPOC. Rocket Club won the 2019 NJ Tech Council's Innovation and Education Award, and Propelify STEM Leader to Watch Award. Each day, Rocket Club hosts Rocket Club Live, an interactive, educational game show and Q&A featuring a successful guest. Guests have included the founders of Netflix, Beyond Meat, Warby Parker, Casper Mattresses, Harry's Razors, Vonage, and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to name a few. For more information on Rocket Club, please visit www.rocketclub.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eight-year-old-stop-motion-artist-launches-carbon-neutral-nft-series-and-donates-over-1-000-to-charity-301276986.html SOURCE Rocket Club [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (Newser) Chloe Zhao made history Sunday night and people are talking about it on social media everywhereexcept in China, where those who are doing so are doing it in code, NBC News reports. Users posting about Zhaos Oscar winsshe's the first Chinese woman to win best director, and her movie Nomadland won best pictureon Chinese social media giant Weibo evaded censors by referring to her as "that girl" or "daughter of the clouds." Nomadland, whose Chinese translation equates to "unreliable land," was referred to with a twist as "reliable sky." Chinese media would normally be celebrating this kind of recognition, but instead, there is little mention in state-run news outlets, and the government is apparently scrubbing chatter on social media, too, the New York Times reports. story continues below Searches on Weibo for posts about Zhao's Oscar win yielded the message, "According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the page is not found." Hung Huang, a writer in Beijing, said the blackout is the fault of worsening US-China relations filtering "down to the cultural and art circles, which is a shame." The absence of coverage could be due in part to critical remarks Zhao made in 2013 when she called China a place "where there are lies everywhere." Another film, Do Not Split, about protests in Hong Kong, was nominated for best short documentary. The Chinese nationalist paper Global Times criticized that film as "full of biased political stances." Shortly thereafter, after news broke that the Oscars would not be broadcast in China, and state-run news outlets were told not to cover the Oscars weeks ago, sources tell the Times. (Read more Oscars stories.) We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Why was the Election Commission sleeping all this while, asked Trinamool Congress MP Nusrat Jahan Ruhi on Mody after the poll body banned public meetings in the ongoing assembly elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to reporters after casting her vote with her parents in the seventh phase of the polls, Nusrat also said that wherever she has campaigned, she has only seen support for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "Wherever I have been campaigning, I've seen peoples' support for only one face - Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's... Why was the Election Commission sleeping all this while?" the MP questioned. She further said, "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided not to hold public meetings, the EC called off all public meetings. It listens to the PM and Home Minister more than anyone else," she added. Voting is currently underway in 34 constituencies across five districts of the state. A total of 268 candidates, including 37 women, are in the fray in this phase of the elections. currently has 88,800 active coronavirus cases, according to the union health ministry. As many as 10,941people have lost their lives due to the deadly virus in the state. Polling for phases 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the state elections took place on March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17 and April 22 respectively. Polling for the final phase will be held on April 29 while the counting of votes will take place on May 2. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For 3 ex-cops, will blaming Chauvin for Floyds death work? View Photo MINNEAPOLIS (AP) With Derek Chauvin convicted of murder in George Floyds death, activists and the Floyd family are turning their attention to this summers trial for the other three officers involved in his May 2020 arrest. All three have already sought to deflect responsibility to Chauvin, by far the most senior officer on the scene. Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao face trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill ordered that they be tried together, but separately from Chauvin, to reduce the number of people in the courtroom amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the three weigh their strategies, legal experts say they are sure to be watching what kind of prison time Chauvin gets at his June 16 sentencing as much as 30 years, though possibly less. Minnesota law sets the same penalties for aiding and abetting murder or manslaughter as for the act itself. Theyll also be mindful that it took jurors less than 24 hours to find Chauvin guilty on all charges. That could ratchet up pressure to consider a plea deal. The factual differences between Chauvin and the other three are what should drive this, said Tom Heffelfinger, a former U.S. attorney for Minnesota. Experts said the best Lane, Kueng and Thao can hope for is a jury of 12 people who think Chauvin was guilty but arent so sure about what roles the other three played. And they said the evidence against the three is weaker than the evidence against Chauvin, which provides opportunities for their attorneys. I would expect the theme of all three would be, Thats a really bad thing that Chauvin did. I didnt like it. Im not responsible for what happened,' former Ramsey County prosecutor Susan Gaertner said. Prosecutors declined to discuss their case. Attorneys for Lane and Kueng also declined, and Thaos attorney did not return a message seeking comment. But their past filings and the evidence offer clues for likely strategies. Lane and Kueng can argue they were rookies, in just their first week as full-fledged cops, and felt a need to defer to Chauvin their training officer when he pinned Floyds neck to the ground with his knee for nearly 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd shouted repeatedly that he couldnt breathe before going silent, then limp. Those two rookies have a facially different defense, and a very real factual defense, as compared to Chauvin, Heffelfinger said. Lane might have the best defense. Body camera video shows he asked the other officers if they should turn Floyd on his side and Chauvin said no. Local defense attorney Joe Friedberg said the evidence at Chauvins trial showed that Lane was trying to use as little force as possible before Chauvin arrived and took charge. Kueng can be heard reporting to Chauvin at one point that he could not find Floyds pulse. Theyre raising questions about what was happening and whether they should be doing something different, said another local defense attorney, Brock Hunter. Its not nearly as clear-cut as I think the evidence against Chauvin was. But both Chauvin and Kueng maintained their restraint, and body camera video shows Kueng holding up one of Floyds handcuffed hands an action that prosecution medical experts testified made it even harder for Floyd to breathe. Thao can argue that it was crowd control, keeping an agitated group of about 15 onlookers at a safe distance, and that he largely had his back to the other officers and Floyd. His defense could be, I was just present and it takes more than presence to make a crime,' Heffelfinger said. But one of the onlookers Thao specifically ordered to stand back was Genevieve Hansen, a Minneapolis firefighter who can be heard on video pleading repeatedly for officers to check Floyds pulse. Hansen cried on the witness stand at Chauvins trial as she described her frustration at being prevented from coming to Floyds aid. The quick conviction for Chauvin spurred speculation about plea deals. Heffelfinger said prosecutors may be open to that because theyre aware of the potential weaknesses in the cases against the three. Prosecutors know this stuff, so this is a good time for all parties to consider settlement over the next two or three months, he said. Gaertner said prosecutors will feel pressure not to strike a plea deal that could be seen by activists as letting the officers off lightly. But she said she hopes they do consider deals that would avert a trial, particularly due to the stress and expense of the just-completed trial that transformed parts of Minneapolis into a militarized zone. Clearly these three defendants are significantly less culpable than Chauvin, she said. And that should be taken into account. Another trial is going to be very disruptive, costly and Im not sure that thats in the best interests of the public. But Friedberg said he doesnt expect any deals. None of them will ever plead guilty, Friedberg predicted. They have three really good lawyers who are extremely aggressive lawyers. Theres no question in my mind theyre going to go to trial and theyre going to claim that they were completely unaware of the depths of what Derek Chauvin was doing. ___ Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press An ambitious multi-billion-dollar plan for COVID relief, public health, job training and programming for children including free summer camps and admission to major state attractions including the Norwalk Maritime Museum and Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo, is the focus of Gov. Ned Lamonts multi-year plan on the use of federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. Our proposal places a special emphasis on equity, investments in children and families, and making our state even more prepared in the event of another public health emergency or crisis, Lamont said in a statement. As many as 15 state agencies are involved in the planning for the influx of federal support, about $1.75 billion of which would be used to balance the two-year budget that starts July 1. Gov. Ned Lamonts budget chief, Melissa McCaw presented the governors nearly $6.3-billion plan during an hour-long presentation Monday morning, admitting that it will become the center of negotiations with legislative leaders over the next month, with a May 16 deadline on an agreement. McCaw said the proposal is working on a parallel track with the two-year $46-billion legislative budget that passed two General Assembly committees last week. I do believe that the legislature will be looking to address some of their priorities through these funds, as they should, McCaw said. This is a significant amount of resources, a one-time-in-many-decades experience for the states. The core of Lamonts attempt to help the state recover from the pandemic includes a nearly $40-million expansion of broadband internet in under-served communities; enhanced childcare opportunities; bonus payments for childcare workers and nursing homes employees; more money into the states unemployment trust fund; and summer jobs for teenagers. Also proposed are needs-based scholarships for community college students; a wide expansion of mental health services; rental, eviction and foreclosure assistance; $10 million on top of $40 million Lamont has already freed up for local health districts; better access to contraceptives; health insurance subsidies; new community-based attempts to stop gun violence; retraining for thousands of people to rejoin the state workforce; and energy retrofitting for houses. Its a plan that goes across policy areas that focus on the individual throughout the state, from the youngest child to the school-aged child to the college student who might be struggling, to those, whether youre young or seasoned who might have challenges with mental or behavioral health, McCaw said, adding that economic development is part of the overall strategy. Whether it is through the lens of the individual person, the lens of a family, to the lens of a municipality, all components are critical for a transformative, equitable and healthy recovery for our state, McCaw said. McCaw, as secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, admitted that there remain major questions on whether use of at least $2.7 billion could exceed the states spending cap, a concern that was echoed by House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford. The spirit of the spending cap is to prevent growth in a budget cycle over what it can afford, Candelora said. While it may technically or not impact the spending cap, it certainly should, from a practical standpoint. The fact is, we are going to see a cliff two years from now. So everybody is sort of enjoying the big party, for lack of a better analogy, but there is going to be a massive hangover 10 years from now if we dont pay attention to how we are actually spending that money. Candelora, speaking to reporters outside the House chamber, said that the governors proposal comes on the heels of last weeks Democratic budget documents approved in the both the Appropriations Committee and the Finance Committee, which plans on raising taxes by about $2 billion, including higher taxes on the states wealthiest. We have over a billion dollars of federal surplus money to essentially apply to COVID relief, so as we march forward, we need to recognize that Connecticut has a competitive edge, said Candelora noting more than $3 billion in emergency reserves, as well as a recent improvement in the states bond rating. We are supportive of a lot of the provisions that the governor has provided, but we hope that as it gets reconciled with the budget, we will see a very different revenue plan put forth, Candelora said, stressing that he was encouraged by Lamonts educational and mental health initiatives. He believes more money should be put in the states unemployment trust fund to make it easier on employers. What we are concerned about is making sure that our children are appropriately assessed going into this summer, so we know how each individual child, what their needs are educationally and socially and for mental health, so not only are they attending summer camps, but they are attending the most-appropriate summer camps for their needs, Candelora said, stressing transportation services as well. Candelora warned that the influx of federal funding could set up the state for a financial shock - and massive deficit - in the middle of the decade when the support from Washington dries up, leaving a possible $1.7-billion hole in the state budget. Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, during a news conference with reporters before the House session on Monday, said that pending a detailed review, some initiatives proposed by the governor including child daycare and free summer cap are important. I saw money in there for housing, which I liked, including the right-to-counsel, which will be a big deal, Ritter said, noting that as the eviction moratorium is eventually lifted, more tenants will need attorneys. Ritter expects continued increases in tax-revenue reports that should emerge from state budget experts this week. He recalled that several weeks ago, the General Assembly passed a bill that gives them an important, coequal role in the distribution of the APRA funding. House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, supported Lamonts proposed $100-million investment in workforce training. Also on Monday, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities announced a working group to explore ARPA issues, including the analysis of funds, the identification of possible projects, and using money to generate possible future revenue. There is no doubt that this committee will help ensure the most effective and efficient use of these historic federal funds for the benefit of Connecticut towns and cities and their property taxpayers, DeLong noted. Towns and cities expect to receive about $1.56 billion for general government and $995 million to schools for schools. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Exxon Mobil Corp.s proxy battle with a fund manager intensified after the activist investor accused the oil giant of obscuring the trajectory of its greenhouse gas emissions through disingenuous reduction targets. Exxons chief carbon goal of cutting upstream emissions intensity -- a measure of pollution per barrel of oil produced -- by as much as 20 percent by 2025 is so limited it only includes about 10 percent of its overall carbon footprint, investment firm Engine No. 1 said Monday in a presentation. Even if Exxon achieved the goal, its emissions intensity would be 6 to 8 percent higher than in 2009-2010, according to its 81-page document. Exxon Mobil has sought to obscure long-term risk by distorting its long-term emissions trajectory, the San Francisco-based firm said. Even by its own limited standards, ExxonMobil has gone backwards and aims to do worse in 2025 than 2010. Engine No. 1 began a rare proxy contest against the Wests biggest oil company in December after a decade of poor financial returns and a strategy the firm claims fails to meet the needs of the energy transition. The fund only has a 0.2 percent stake in Exxon, but has won support from California State Teachers Retirement System and New Yorks state pension fund. Exxon has resisted publishing a mid-century net zero emissions target, insisting that oil and gas have a profitable future for decades to come even if the world lowers emissions in line with the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change. But the U.S. companys tone around environmental issues has changed significantly in recent years as calls from investors and public to tackle climate change increased. Exxon began a dedicated low-carbon business in February focused on reducing emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sections of the economy such as heavy industry. That came just months after announcing a series of emissions reduction targets that included lowering methane intensity and eliminating routine flaring. Still, Exxons main goal of cutting upstream emissions intensity is flawed, according to Engine No. 1. It not only excludes customer emissions, which make up about 80 percent of the total, but also doesnt account for Exxons non-operated assets, nor its giant refining and chemicals businesses. Furthermore, the firm said Exxon recently revised upward the targets 2016 baseline, which would make the goal easier to achieve. Exxon supports the aims of the 2015 Paris Agreement and societys efforts to achieve net-zero emissions, the company said in a Monday statement. The pillars of ExxonMobils climate strategy, the investments the company is making in lower-emission technologies, and the actions taken to reduce emissions across its operations are consistent with these global efforts. Exxons overall greenhouse gas emissions declined 13 percent from 2011 to 2020 due to energy efficiency improvements, reductions in flaring and venting, and impacts tied to the COVID pandemic, the company said. Killeen, TX (76540) Today Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Lucknow, April 26 : Sudden fatigue with a sudden drop in platelets in blood is also a symptom of Covid-19 in initial stages, while fever and extreme breathlessness develops later. According to medical experts, if ignored, these initial symptoms could prove to be fatal. Prof Santosh Kumar, respiratory medicine department KGMU, said, "In every viral infection, platelet count drops. Therefore, one should not ignore fatigue and exhaustion and get themselves tested for Covid-19." Although, general Influenza-like symptoms are common in Covid-19 but new symptoms are diarrhoea, red eyes, rashes and fatigue. Dr Vikram Singh, faculty at department of medicine in Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, said, "Extreme fatigue and malaise are among the symptoms of viral fever. And since, Covid is also a type of viral people can experience both the symptoms with fever in Covid also. In a normal person platelet count ranges between 1.5 lakh to 4.5 lakh per litre of blood but in some of the cases, it is seen that the platelet count has reached 75,000 to 85,000 per litre. This low platelet count sometimes is mistaken by the patients as dengue or other diseases. We suggest if a person is feeling exhausted and extremely tired. They must get tested for Covid-19." Medical experts in Lucknow said that there have been over a dozen cases where the patients experienced extreme fatigue but did not consult a doctor. When their condition worsened, the blood test showed a drastic drop in platelet count. The patient then developed breathing problems and died without oxygen support. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Daniel Burstein explains how to increase marketing conversion rates. If youre only doing one thing, it should be to understand the motivation of your customer. Too many marketers arent grounded in some foundational basics, such as putting themselves in the customers shoes, which is why their efforts lack consistency The numbers vary, but the average email open rate stands around 15% to 25%.(1) That means up to 85% of leads (and thus conversions) never have a chance because they are never seen by potential customers. Smart marketers know that conversion consistency is the key to more open rates, and this is achieved by learning about the customer and using that customer learning to fuel what the marketing department is doing. The end result is better performance, i.e., conversions. As Sky Cassidy, host of the podcast If You Market They Will Come, explains, Some marketers have these flashes of brilliance but theyre not consistent with it, they dont have a patented, repeatable methodology. Consistency wins. Daniel Burstein, senior director of Content & Marketing at MarketingSherpa and MECLABS Institute, oversees all content and marketing coming from the MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa brands while helping to shape the marketing direction for MECLABS Institute. He discussed lead conversion and the important of consistency in episode 124#: Conversion Consistency, with Daniel Burstein of the If You Market They Will Come podcast hosted by Cassidy and JOTO PR Disruptors CEO and Chief Evangelist Karla Jo Helms. 4 Components of an Effective Value Proposition Burstein explains that MECLABS defines a value proposition as The answer to the question If I am your ideal prospect, why should I buy from you rather than any of your competitors? An effective value proposition is made up of four components: AppealHow much do I desire this offer? ExclusivityWhere else can I get this offer? CredibilityCan I trust your claims? ClarityWhat are you actually offering? Expanding on the idea of how to improve conversions, Burstein details MECLABS methodology to increase conversion summarized by the equation: C=4m + 3V = 2(i-f) 2A. The C stands for conversion, and the M is for motivation. The No. 1 thing you want to do is tap into the motivation of the customer, says Burstein. You cant change their motivation; you have to understand their motivation. Every customer touchpoint is an opportunity to learn about the customer. The V represents the value proposition, which must have appeal in the marketplace, offer something that no one else has, provide a product or service that delivers and clearly communicate all of this to the customer. The final components of the equation deal with the negative aspects that marketers want to remove for customersfriction and anxiety. The I equals incentive, which Burstein describes as the most used and abused tactic in sales. The F stands for friction. The goal is to achieve a balance between the two. For instance, the less friction a marketer creates, the more potential customers will come down the funnel, but many of those leads may wash out. However, highly motivated people will be happy to deal with a higher level of friction, making them more valuable. Finally, A is for anxiety, another negative element, that marketers want to decrease. This may mean a concern a potential customer has about requested information. For instance, maybe marketing asks only for an email in the beginning and not a phone number to help reduce any anxiety about how the potential customer may be contacted. Its what sales does in the sales process to reduce sales anxiety, Burstein says. 5 Tips to Increase Your Conversion Rate 1. Understand your audience: What is most important to them? Where are they making the biggest investments? How can marketing help them achieve those goals and get a better ROI from those investments? 2. Measure the effectiveness: Start by internally ranking your potential value propositions. Then conduct testing like pay-per-click ad testing or A/B email testing. Then see which approach is ready for external use. 3. Remove friction: Friction comes in many formsunclear or weak content, unanswered questions, a website that isnt informative or easy to use, or even a lack of trust. Marketers need to put themselves in the customers shoes to identify and then handle these points of friction. 4. Add a clear call to action: You understand the customers motivation. Youve tested the options. Youve removed the friction. But if you havent provided a clear and compelling way for them to reach out and contact the business, you wont get the responses you want. 5. Know when to change: Change is hard. Start by creating a value proposition for why change is necessary, even if its a small step. Try testing the new approach and documenting the results or launch a pilot project to build trust. While Burstein clarifies that the equations numbers show the importance of each element in the equation, he advises marketers, If youre only doing one thing, it should be to understand the motivation of your customer. Helms concludes, Too many marketers arent grounded in some foundational basics, such as putting themselves in the customers shoes, which is why their efforts lack consistency. To listen to the podcast episode on how to improve rate conversion with Daniel Burstein, visit https://ifyoumarkettheywillcome.com/2021/03/23/124/. The If You Market podcast is a 45-minute conversation about B2B marketingnew trends, best practices and pitfalls to avoid. Each episode features a conversation with one expert guest discussing topics like: content marketing, account-based marketing, social media, marketing automation, PR, etc. The podcast airs on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and TuneIn Radio. About the If You Market, They Will Come Podcast Meet If You Market podcast host, Sky Cassidyan accomplished B2B marketer. And his co-host, disruptive PR evangelist Karla Jo Helms. Together they talk with industry experts to analyze B2B marketing tactics in a cocktail hour atmosphere. Sky is also the CEO of MountainTop Data, which is based in Los Angeles, CA, and provides data and data services for B2B marketing. Karla Jo Helms is the CEO and Chief Strategist of Anti-PR agency, JOTO PR Disruptors TM, based in Tampa, FL. Visit them via http://www.ifyoumarkettheywillcome.com. About Daniel Burstein Daniel Burstein oversees all content and marketing coming from the MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa brands while helping to shape the marketing direction for MECLABS Institutedigging for actionable discoveries while serving as an advocate for the audience. Daniel is also a speaker and moderator at live events and on webinars. Previously, he was the main writer powering MarketingExperiments publishing enginefrom Web clinics to Research Journals to the blog. Prior to joining the team, Daniel was Vice President of MindPulse Communicationsa boutique communications consultancy specializing in IT clients such as IBM, VMware and BEA Systems. Daniel has 21 years of experience in copywriting, editing, internal communications, sales enablement and field marketing communications. For more, visit linkedin.com/in/danielburstein/. 1. What Are the Average Click and Read Rates for Email Campaigns; Campaign Monitor; Accessed 19 April 2021; campaignmonitor.com/resources/knowledge-base/what-are-the-average-click-and-read-rates-for-email-campaigns/ New Delhi, April 26 : Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that the capacity of the Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre in South Delhi will be increased to 5,000 beds in the coming days. The Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre at Radha Soami Beas, Chhatarpur in the National Capital has been operational from Monday morning. Chief Minister Kejriwal made a visit to the facility in the morning. Addressing a virtual press conference, Kejriwal said, "We are also trying to increase oxygen beds in Delhi. Today morning, I visited the centre that has been created at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas. It has started functioning as of 10 AM today morning." He further stated, "There are 150 beds as of now, in the next two to three days this will be pushed to 500 beds then 2000 beds and finally 5000 beds. We are also creating a 200 ICU bed facility at the Centre. We are creating several such centres in Delhi and hope they aid the people of Delhi." Earlier after visiting the Covid Care Centre, Kejriwal tweeted, "Visited the Radha Saomi facility this morning. 500 oxygen beds start today. More beds will be added in the next few days. We will also start 200 ICU beds here. Grateful to Babaji for helping us. Thank you Central govt for providing doctors and medical staff of ITBP." The Union Home Ministry has asked the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) as the nodal force to manage the Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre. The ITBP said that Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for admission of patients will be strictly followed and all laid down protocols will also be adhered to. Patients will be referred by the District Surveillance Officer of Delhi Districts and no walk in admission will be made. The ITBP said that patients will be first reporting at the reception, after initial documentation, physical examination will be done and they will then be admitted to the hospital. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Eliminating drive-thru voting centers is one of the major features of Senate Bill 7, described by its Republican authors as an election security measure and by its Democratic detractors as an attempt to suppress the vote. The bill would prohibit county election officials from allowing voters to cast ballots from within their vehicles by amending the states election code to make voting rules in this regard uniform across the state. This provision is aimed at Harris County, which set up drive-thru voting centers last year as a safe way to vote during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 127,000 voters cast ballots via the drive-thru centers during the 2020 general election, helping the county set a voter turnout record. Democratic critics of SB 7 argue that eliminating drive-thru voting would disproportionality affect people of color, since many of the 10 drive-thru voting locations in Harris County were located near concentrations of Blacks and Latinos. Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pushed back against that argument by saying that most people of color dont own vehicle. "If they're worried about people of color on the Democrats' side who came up with this drive-in voting statistics show that more people of color don't have cars than not," Patrick said during an April 6 press conference. "So how do (drive-thru voting centers) help those folks?" It's unclear what statistics Patrick was referring to. We sought clarification from his office, but his spokesperson did not respond to several messages. So we searched for sources that show rates of car ownership among different races and ethnicities. Are people of color mostly car-less? The nearly 10 automotive and consumer analytic firms we reached out to including IHS Markit, Cox Automotive, Experian, and J.D. Power either don't collect racial data on car ownership rates or declined to share their research citing proprietary reasons. So we turned to the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey that collects social, economic and demographic data from 3.5 million households every year. The Census Bureau uses the survey data to create estimates on a broad range of population and economic characteristics at state and local levels, including rates of car ownership among racial and ethnic groups. CENSUS 2020: Texas will get two new congressional seats in 2022 Among the states 3.4 million African Americans, 88% own at least one vehicle, according to the 2019 American Community Survey, an aggregation of five years of data, the most recent available. Of the states Asian population of 1.3 million, 95% own at least 1 vehicle. And of the states 11.1 million people who identify as of Latino or Hispanic origin, 95% own at least one vehicle. Vehicle ownerships rates are similarly high for the states white, native, mixed race and other racial groups. The National Equity Atlas, a policy data firm that describes itself as "America's most detailed report card on racial and economic equity," also publishes a vehicle ownership analysis based on American Community Survey data from 2017. Its findings are largely the same: 93% of non-white households in Texas own a car compared to 96% of white households. Vehicle ownership in Texas also is higher among all racial and ethnic groups than the national rate. Nine percent of households nationally are without a vehicle, the Atlas shows. In Texas, 12% of black households dont own cars compared to 19% nationwide. And 6% of Latino households are car-less in Texas compared to 11% nationwide. Vehicle ownership rates for Harris County alone are similar. About 89% of the countys Black population owns at least one vehicle. And between 95% and 96% of the countys other racial groups own at least one vehicle, according to the Census Bureau data. Houston, a sprawling metropolitan area that is located primarily within Harris County, is one of the most car-dependent cities in the U.S. According to the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, Houston ranks near the top of vehicle miles traveled per capita among the largest U.S. cities. Harris County became the first jurisdiction in Texas to open drive-thru voting centers at a scale "that allows any registered voter to cast their ballot without leaving the comfort of their vehicle," the countys election administrators website says. Ten drive-thru voting sites were open during the early voting period and one, the Toyota Center in downtown Houston, was open on Election Day. An analysis of the countys early voting rosters conducted by the Texas Civil Rights Project shows that people of color used the drive-thru voting sites at higher rates than whites. About 53% of the votes cast at the 10 drive-thru sites were by Hispanic, Black or Asian voters during the early voting period. Meanwhile, 38% of all early votes cast during the election were by people in those three demographic groups. TEXAS TAKE: Sign up for Texas politics and policy news, curated by the Chronicle's Austin bureau African American voters especially used drive-thru voting sites at higher rates. Fourteen percent of all early votes were cast by Black voters countywide, while 22% of all ballots cast at the drive-thru centers were by Blacks, according to the data. Asian voters similarly took advantage of the drive-thru option. While 4% of the early votes in Harris County were cast by Asians, they accounted for 8% of the votes cast at the drive-thru centers. "(Patricks) comment just doesn't make any sense to me as an actual counterpoint," said James Slattery, senior staff attorney of the Voting Rights Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project. "Even if people of color did own cars at disproportionately lower rates, and yet still used drive-thru voting at a higher rate than their share of the population, then doesn't that actually bolster the case that this particular form of voting was vital to them in particular?" Slattery said. Our ruling In justifying a provision of SB 7 that would eliminate drive-thru voting, Patrick said that "statistics show that more people of color dont have cars than not. So how do (drive-thru voting centers) help those folks?" Estimates from the Census Bureau show that there is no racial or ethnic group, either in Texas or in Harris County specifically, in which more people dont own cars than do. Blacks lag other groups in car ownership in Texas, but all groups in Texas own cars at higher rates than the national averages. Statewide and in Harris County, rates of car ownership among whites, Blacks, Hispanic or Latino, Native, mixed or other groups range from 88-96%. An analysis of the Harris County voting rosters also shows people of color used drive-thru voting sites at higher rates than white voters. We rate this claim False. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-27 02:48:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A recent surge in armed insurgency and intercommunal violence in the eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is worsening the plight of children, with serious violations against women and children being reported, said the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Monday. There have been nearly 175 grave violations since January 2021, including cases of recruitment of children into armed groups, killings and maiming of children, sexual violence and attacks on schools and hospitals, said UNICEF in a press release. In the overwhelming majority of cases, humanitarians were denied full access to the most violence-affected areas in the territories of Djugu and Irumu. A large number of people have been displaced because of the attacks, which has separated more than 275 children from their parents throughout Ituri, it said. More than 1.6 million people are estimated to be displaced in Ituri, out of a total population of 5.7 million people. It is estimated that 2.8 million people are in need of some form of emergency assistance. More than 100,000 children under 5 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a direct consequence of the alarmingly high levels of food insecurity that affects nearly 800,000 people. Attacks on schools have left almost 400,000 already displaced and returning children aged 6-11 out of school in the territories of Djugu, Irumu and Mahagi. Only one in three people in the province has access to basic sanitation services. UNICEF, which is covering the needs of a small proportion of the people in Ituri, urges other humanitarian actors to deploy resources in those areas not covered by its activities. At the same time, UNICEF is calling on donors to continue their generosity toward the Congolese people as the fund's 2021 humanitarian appeal for 384.4 million U.S. dollars is currently only 18 percent funded. Enditem A customer holds a pack of ST25 rice in a shop in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City on April 23, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Vietnamese companies have repeatedly run into trouble in securing trademarks overseas because they are unaware, neglectful and reluctant to take the steps needed to protect their own brands. ST25, the Vietnamese variety that won the Worlds Best Rice contest in 2019, is in danger. The name is set to be trademarked in the U.S. by an American company which seeks to profit from the brands prestige. Ho Quang Cua, the farmer-scientist who led the research and development of this rice variety, which is grown in southern Vietnam, said that he hadnt trademarked it in the U.S. earlier, because he did not foresee that it would be exported there and did not thoroughly understand international regulations. This is the latest in a list of cases of Vietnamese individuals and companies who have lost their brands to foreign companies because of their reluctance in to patent their trademarks and products worldwide. In 2000, the famous Vietnamese coffee brand Trung Nguyen was registered by U.S. company Rice Field with the World Intellectual Property Organization. The Trung Nguyen Group had to go through two years of difficult negotiations to reclaim its own brand in the U.S. and ended up making Rice Field a distributor there. The group then registered its brand in 60 countries and territories, seeking to prevent a similar mishap. Another coffee grower, Buon Ma Thuot, saw its brand being registered in international markets by a Chinese company for 10 years starting 2011. Fish sauce brand Phu Quoc of the Association of Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Producers in southern Vietnam, was once trademarked by Viet Huong Fishsauce in the U.S, the E.U., China and Australia. It took six years for these producers to prove the origin of their products to the E.U., opening at path for them to enter an $18-trillion GDP market. Experts say these cases happen because Vietnamese businesses lack knowledge of international laws and have limited financial capability to trademark their brands and products. Many companies are reluctant because they hear that the process is time consuming and complicated, said Ngo Van Hiep, director of the Hiep & Associates law firm. But they lose more than gain when they do not register their brands early as it will take even more money and time to reclaim the brand from other companies later, he added. Branding expert Nguyen Thanh Son, chairman of Media Ventures Vietnam, said that a company has a responsibility to protect its own brand, which is a valuable and invisible asset. Letting other companies step up and take the initiative in registering the brand shows that the company does not appreciate its own brand and its value, he said. Unless this attitude changes, "similar unfortunate situations like the ST25 brand will continue," he added. Trademarking is purely an initiative and the responsibility of businesses, not the government, said Lai Van Manh, director of branding company Mibrand. "No one can take over this task for them." Governments limitations However, other experts proposed more assistance from the government in helping Vietnamese individuals and companies with patenting their products. Vo Tong Xuan, principal of the Nam Can Tho University in southern Vietnam, said that many Vietnamese farmer-scientists only have knowledge and expertise in their field. They have very limited resources and are therefore unable to protect their brands internationally. He proposed that the ST25 rice be made a national brand with the assistance of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which will provide a stronger legal base for the product to compete internationally. However, Vu Ba Phu, head of the trade promotion agency under the trade ministry, said that existing regulations do not allow any ministry to register trademarks for a company. Such action could be a violation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) provisions on protectionism, he said. But his ministry will propose to the government a mechanism to assist Vietnamese brands patent their products and brands in key markets in line with WTO regulations, he added. The ST25 rice is the result of 25 years of work by farmer-scientist Cua and his colleagues who cross-bred the premium fragrant rice varieties in Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang. It has been described as having a sweet taste and a hint of pineapple flavor. In 2019, the ST25 rice was named the winner of the World's Best Rice Contest in the Philippines, marking the first time a Vietnamese rice variety had won the title in the contests 11-year history. Minnesota Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison admitted that he "felt a little bad" for the convicted former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin. The lead prosecutor in Derek Chauvin's murder trial made the admission during his interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, New York Post reported. When asked about his reaction to the guilty verdict last week, he said he was grateful, humbled, and with "a certain sense of, I'll say satisfaction." The Minnesota AG then added: "I spent 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer, so, I will admit, I felt a little bad for the defendant... I think he deserved to be convicted. But he's a human being." However, Ellison stressed that he would not be wavering from his responsibility in any way. When asked about the former cop's possible motive, Ellison said he did not believe that George Floyd's murder was a hate crime. The Minnesota AG added that there was no evidence that Chauvin factored in Floyd's race in doing what he did. RELATED ARTICLE: George Floyd's Family Agrees to 'Historic' $27 Million Settlement With Minneapolis Not a Hate Crime CBS Scott Pelley told Ellison that he could have charged Derek Chauvin with a hate crime under Minnesota law. He then asked the Minnesota AG why he decided not to. Ellison explained that the state of Minnesota decided not to because they only charge those crimes that they had evidence and could put in front of a jury to prove, The Hill reported. Pelley then argued that the whole world sees the situation as a white officer killing a Black man "because he is Black." "And you're telling me that there's no evidence to support that?" Pelley said. Ellison argued that Derek Chauvin does not necessarily need to have a specific racial intent to harm George Floyd. He added that systemic racism is the root of the unfair treatment of Black people compared to white people. Pelley then asked the Minnesota AG what could be the reason why Chauvin assaulted Floyd, to which Ellison answered that it is still the question they spend a lot of time asking themselves. George Floyd's Death Prosecutor Steve Schleicher earlier said that George Floyd was pleading for help with his "very last breath," but was not shown any compassion by Chauvin. "The officer did not help... He didn't follow training, he did not follow the department's use of force rules, he did not perform CPR," he said as reported by AFP News. Chauvin was caught on footage kneeling on the neck of Floyd as the Black man lay facedown handcuffed on the ground for over nine minutes. Floyd's death last May 25 sparked protests across the United States and around the world against racial injustice and police brutality. Chauvin currently faces decades in jail, but he could serve far less than the maximum sentence for each charge under the state's sentencing guidelines. Chauvin was convicted of second- and third-degree murder as well as second-degree manslaughter. Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison in Minnesota. Derek Chauvin is scheduled to be sentenced on Jun. 16, according to The Sun. READ MORE: Former Police Officer Derek Chauvin Charged With George Floyd's Killing Released on Bond WATCH: Jury Finds Derek Chauvin Guilty of Murder in Death of George Floyd - From Washington Post 1. Amitabh Bachchan Being a film star comes with its fair share of perks. Along with the massive popularity, you also enjoy a luxurious life thanks to those big fat paycheques. However, not every film star starts off rich. Many took the hard route and worked their way up the ladder to get where they are today. So, we decided to list some of your favourite stars and how much they earned before making it in the movies.Amitabh Bachchan is probably the biggest superstar in the history of Indian cinema. However, before coming to Mumbai, the actor worked in a shipping firm in Kolkata where he started off at A Sydney wellness cafe has issued a lengthy apology after being called out by Melissa Leong over cultural appropriation. On Monday, the MasterChef judge, 39, slammed Orchard St. over a video advertisement of a white model using their $45 gua sha skin massage tool - a move she said 'feels like thousands of years of culture and technique turned into a prop'. Soon after, Orchard St. 'respectfully removed' the post, before apologising publicly for 'any disrespect' caused. Public apology: A Sydney wellness cafe has issued a lengthy apology after being called out by Melissa Leong (pictured) over cultural appropriation 'We respectfully acknowledge the cultural insensitivity and appropriation of our previous post on the gua sha, which was respectfully removed,' the post read. 'We apologise for any disrespect showing the use of this merely as a beauty tool may have shown to the Chinese and Asian cultures. 'As we continue to inform ourselves and each other, we will endeavor to honour the traditional, medical and cultural significance of the gua sha.' Prior to the post's removal, Australian judge Melissa - who has Chinese-Singaporean heritage - had raged in the comments section of the video, writing: 'Sorry, but thats not at all how you use it. 'As a Chinese person, this feels like thousands of years of culture and technique, turned into a prop.' Response: Soon after Melissa's comment Orchard St. 'respectfully removed' the post, before apologising publicly for 'any disrespect' caused Orchard St. had written alongside the video: 'Weave an ancient beauty tool into your daily skincare ritual with our nephrite jade Gua Sha.' Many fans were quick to agree with Melissa's comment, with one writing: 'Spot on. Action and correction over performative bulls**t.' Another added: 'Lots of things they can do to correct themselves, the least an apology and offering their space to the experts, from the country of origin. Lets wait and see, but time is ticking and it doesnt look like theyre working on it.' Daily Mail Australia have contacted the company and Melissa for further comment. Hitting out: On Monday, the MasterChef judge, 39, had lashed out at Orchard St after they advertised their $45 nephrite jade gua sha skin massage tool, including a video of a white model glazing the product over her face Agreement: Many fans were quick to agree with Melissa's comment, with one writing: 'Spot on. Action and correction over performative bulls**t' Gua sha is a tool used in traditional Chinese medicine, which has grown in popularity in the western beauty industry in recent years. It's used to scrape back the skin, with practitioners believing it helps to stimulate blood flow, promoting cell repair, regeneration, recovery and healing. It involves repeatedly stroking the gua sha tool over moisturised skin while applying firm pressure. Indeed, it's not the first time that Melissa has slammed the beauty industry over their usage of the tool. In January, she accused the industry of 'whitewashing' in a scathing post after a company advertised the same gua sha beauty tool online. While Melissa blacked out the company's name, she was clearly furious in her comments about the post, which featured a white model. Furious: In January, Melissa re-shared a post from a beauty company advertising a jade gua sha beauty tool and was scathing in her comments 'Yep. It's just a "skin fitness tool". Let's not talk about the cultural and medical significance of gua sha (in this case) in Chinese or Asian culture or how much we largely ignore appropriation in the beauty industry,' she began. In a second post on Instagram Stories, she included a link to an article which appeared on UK Glamour magazine titled 'How wellness got whitewashed'. Melissa urged her followers to read it 'if you want to know more about why us women of colour feel this way'. 'Even though we're all aware that appropriating cornrows, feathered headdresses and bindis is abjectly wrong, when appropriation veers into the wellness sphere, we just seem to care less,' wrote author Anita Bhagwandas. She added: 'Don't be that basic wellness b***h - you should care.' The latest outbreak from hotel quarantine in Western Australia has triggered further debate over the adequacy of the program that stands between Australia and out-of-control COVID-19 infections in other parts of the world. With Australias vaccination effort getting off to such a slow start making it unlikely our international borders will fully reopen this year its a debate we need to take seriously. Since March 28 last year, when national cabinet decided on a program to compel all returning travellers to undergo supervised quarantine for two weeks, there have been doubts about the suitability of using hotels for that purpose. And with the growing awareness of COVID-19s ability to spread via airborne transmission, those doubts have grown. A woman in Melbournes hotel quarantine program earlier this month. Credit:Jason South Just before Victorias most recent lockdown in February, sparked by the highly infectious British strain escaping from an airport hotel, health experts urged the federal government to take charge of Australias quarantine program because of what they believed was a lack of recognition of the dangers posed by airborne transmission. After that shutdown, Victorias hotel quarantine program kept its doors closed until a full review of each hotels ventilation system was completed. Despite this work, WAs system remained apparently unchanged, even though its Chief Health Officer, Andy Robertson, was reported to have known from early this month that several Perth hotels, including the Mercure, were a high transmission risk because of ventilation issues. An Iranian court has sentenced British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to a one-year jail term, her lawyer Hojjat Kermani told Emtedad news website on Monday. 'Nazanin Zaghari was sentenced to one year in prison and one year ban from leaving the country on charges of propaganda against the Islamic Republic,' Hojjat Kermani told the website. He added that she has not yet been summoned to prison and that he plans to appeal the sentence within 21 days under Iranian law. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released from house arrest in mid-March, at the end of a five-year prison sentence, but she was ordered to stay in the country to attend court on another charge. Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the sentencing 'totally inhumane and wholly unjustified' while Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'I don't think it's right at all that Nazanin should be sentenced to any more time in jail... I think it's wrong that she's there in the first place.' An Iranian Revolutionary court has sentenced British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to a one-year jail term and she is banned from leaving the country for a year Kermani said the charges relate to a protest in London 12 years ago and for giving an interview to the BBC Persian Service, the BBC reported. The case was heard in the Revolutionary Court, in front of the same judge who conducted Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's earlier hearings. Her husband also confirmed the sentence to the BBC, saying he thought the conviction was 'clearly a negotiating tactic' by the Iranian authorities to gain leverage in talks to revive the nuclear deal. Boris Johnson said that the Government will be 'working very hard' to secure Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release. The case was heard in the Revolutionary Court, in front of the same judge who conducted Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's earlier hearings (pictured, Zaghair-Ratcliffe after she was released on house arrest in March 2020) The Prime Minister told reporters during a visit to Wrexham: 'Obviously we will have to study the detail of what the Iranian authorities are saying. 'I don't think it is right at all that Nazanin should be sentenced to any more time in jail. 'I think it is wrong that she is there in the first place and we will be working very hard to secure her release from Iran, her ability to return to her family here in the UK, just as we work for all our dual national cases in Iran. 'The Government will not stop, we will redouble our efforts, and we are working with our American friends on this issue as well.' Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: 'This is a totally inhumane and wholly unjustified decision. 'We continue to call on Iran to release Nazanin immediately so she can return to her family in the UK. We continue to do all we can to support her.' Kate Allen, Director at Amnesty International UK said: 'This is terrible news, and further proof of the incredible cruelty of the Iranian regime. It's truly devastating for Nazanin, Richard and Gabriella. 'We fear that going back to jail will be almost too much for Nazanin to bear. 'Nazanin's first trial in 2016 was grossly unfair - a typical Revolutionary Court sham trial on trumped-up national security-related charges. After yet another sham trial and another harsh sentence it's time, surely, for the UK government to say enough is enough. 'In the strongest terms possible, the Government must call on the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Nazanin and allow her to return home. 'This prolonging of Nazanin's suffering has raised the odds to such a degree that the UK government must surely now act. The ball is back in the UK's court and it needs to respond firmly. 'Today is a terrible setback - there's no doubt about that. But rest assured, the campaign to free Nazanin won't end until she's out of jail, out of the country, and sitting on a flight back to Britain.' Mr Ratcliffe, an accountant from West Hampstead, North-West London, said he was trying to shield the couple's daughter, Gabriella,now six, from the stress he and his wife have suffered Her husband also confirmed the sentence to the BBC, saying he thought the conviction was 'clearly a negotiating tactic' by the Iranian authorities to gain leverage in talks to revive the nuclear deal Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at a Tehran airport in April 2016 and later convicted of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. She was held for years in the notorious Evin prison, where she was interrogated while blindfolded. In a video interview with independent investigators in mid-March, Zaghari-Ratcliffe described five years of 'traumatising' torture at the hands of Iranian authorities. The 43-year-old revealed she was threatened with execution and the torture of her family. She was also chained and forced to wear a blindfold in prison where she suffered sensory and sleep deprivation. The British-Iranian aid worker, from North London, was interrogated for up to nine hours at a time in solitary confinement. She was bombarded with bright lights and blaring TVs to prevent her sleeping. In the investigators' report, seen by the BBC, she is quoted as saying officials threatened to take away her daughter Gabriella, now six, who was with relatives at the time In the investigators' report, seen by the BBC, she is quoted as saying officials threatened to take away her daughter Gabriella, now six, who was with relatives at the time. She said they told her that her British husband Richard 'was a spy, that he had already left me, that he was lying to me, that he worked for the British intelligence service. 'They said he was unfaithful. They said he was not an accountant and that he had always been lying to me. They told me I had been fired from my job.' She told investigators she was confined to a 6ft by 5ft cell during solitary confinement. She said: 'The light was left on all the time. There was only a dirty mat on the floor with a thin blanket to sleep on. There were times I could not breathe.' In 2018 she spent a week in a psychiatric hospital with her hands and feet chained to the bed. In jail her hair began to fall out and she was too weak to climb up to the top bunk in a ward where she was being held. As a result of the report, which was commissioned by human rights charity Redress, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Zaghari-Ratcliffe spent four of a five year prison sentence in jail. She spent the last year of her sentence under house arrest in Tehran. By this point, almost everyone has heard of QAnon, the conspiracy spawned by an anonymous online poster of enigmatic prophecies. Starting with an initial promise in 2017 that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be imminently arrested, a broad group of interpreters divined a conspiracy that saw President Donald Trumps Democratic opponents as a global cabal of Satanic pedophiles. Perhaps the greatest success of the conspiracy is its ability to create a shared alternate reality, a reality that can dismiss everything from a decisive election to a deadly pandemic. The QAnon universe lives on now largely through involvement in local, not national, Republican politics. Moving on from contesting the election, the movements new focus is vaccines. The influence of QAnon on pandemic denialism is significant, though the spread of Q in local politics is a source of conflict in many states. Tug of war The conspiracy may have begun on an obscure web forum, but it is now influencing the Republican Party at all levels. A recent Daily Kos/Civiqs poll found that 55% of Republicans believe some element of the conspiracy is true. And in many parts of the country, QAnon supporters are winning elections. From local school boards to city councils, QAnon now has dozens of advocates at nearly every level of local government. While many of these positions hold sway far outside Washington, D.C., the breadth of this movement shows its influence is not likely to wane any time soon. A truck bearing a QAnon flag is chased by anti-fascist counterprotesters down a street in front of the Oregon state capitol building. Not all Republicans are happy with this shift. In South Carolina, Indiana, Michigan and other states, Republican politics are fraught with tensions between QAnon supporters and more traditional conservatives. For instance, in Indiana, local newspaper The Herald Bulletin published a story on March 21, 2021, headlined Republican tug-o-war: Factions vie for influence, reporting that QAnon believers showed their support at the Indiana Statehouse in January, holding signs bearing the QAnon phrase #WWG1WGA" for Where we go one, we go all." Kyle Hupfer, chair of the Indiana GOP, was quoted as saying, I dont think QAnon is part of the Republican Party. Leaders need to lead in a fact-based, solution-oriented manner and stick to the actual facts that are proven. Not opinions and not conspiracy theories. Story continues State GOP politicians have promoted QAnon in Arizona through social media posts, although one later apologized for doing so, saying, Now I think half of them are rather nuts. In January 2021, the Twitter account of the Republican Party of Hawaii tweeted a defense of QAnon believers. The account also defended a Holocaust denier. The official who posted the tweets was later forced to resign. A similar confrontation has played out in Huntington Beach, California, where the appointed mayor pro tem or vice mayor inspired a vote of no confidence for supporting QAnon along with conspiracies against mask-wearing and vaccines. Part of the conversation Many QAnon proponents post-election have worked to reframe the COVID-19 vaccines not as the solution to a global pandemic but as an attempt by a cabal to control the minds of a hapless world. Opposing mask mandates, vaccines and lockdowns have been effective campaigns for QAnon as it mobilizes anti-government sentiment common among the conservative base of the Republican Party. These efforts appear to be coalescing around bans on making vaccines mandatory. Missouris Republican-led Senate recently voted to ban so-called vaccine passports, and Texas, Florida, Idaho and Utah have all passed similar legislation. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking for similar legislation. It is unclear to what extent these bans were influenced by QAnon. But they do echo the opposition to masks and vaccines that have shaped the conspiracy. In California, a recall campaign against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has targeted his COVID-19 response. The campaign was initially organized by people affiliated with both right-wing militias and QAnon supporters. Screenshot of two tweets from the Hawaii Republican Party, one of which expresses sympathy for QAnon believers. Not going away Yotam Ophir, a communications scholar at the University at Buffalo, has studied QAnon. He told me that he doesnt see a reason to believe the conspiracy will go away anytime soon. Part of this is that QAnon has deep historical roots in a variety of other conspiracies, including a centuries-old anti-Semitic conspiracy of a blood libel. The flexibility of the conspiracy has also proved resilient within a shifting political landscape. [Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.] Perhaps the biggest threat posed by QAnon is articulated by Lindsay Schubiner, a program director at the Western States Center in Portland, Oregon, which works to support democracy and challenge white nationalism. Bigoted conspiracy theories like QAnon have an enormous influence on the context in which local government operates, Schubiner told me. Democratic governance is hard to achieve if we dont live in a shared reality, and thats as true on the local level as it is on the national level. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Sophie Bjork-James, Vanderbilt University. Read more: Sophie Bjork-James does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. SpaceX, in particular, has thrived in this new entrepreneurial approach to spaceflight. Its Falcon 9 rocket, used for the space station missions, is now a workhorse for launching commercial satellites. And its Crew Dragon capsule, which carried a third load of astronauts for NASA to the space station on Friday, will also be used for rides paid for by wealthy space tourists. Blue Origin lags behind SpaceXs accomplishments. Its small, successfully tested New Shepard spacecraft is meant only for short, suborbital jaunts. A larger New Glenn rocket currently under development will compete with SpaceX and other rocket companies for sending satellites to orbit, but it will not make its maiden flight until at least 2022, two years later than originally announced. Blue Origins partners have decades of space experience, however. NASA announced the lunar lander competition in 2018, and officials had repeatedly said they wanted to choose more than one company to ensure competition to spur innovation and redundancy. Last September, Jim Bridenstine, then the NASA administrator, testified that he would worry if NASA chose only one lander design. When you eliminate the competition, he told a Senate subcommittee, you end up with programs that inevitably get dragged out, and you end up with cost overruns and schedule delays. However, for the current fiscal year, Congress provided only $850 million a quarter of what Mr. Bridenstine and NASA were requesting for the development of lunar landers. When NASA officials announced SpaceX as the single winner, they suggested that limited budgets influenced the decision. Kathy Lueders, NASAs associate administrator for human exploration and operations, said selecting one company to build the first moon lander was the best strategy at the current time. In its rules for the competition, NASA did not promise it would choose two companies or even any at all. Instead, according to the document, the agency said it was planning to select up to two companies. Iran on Sunday expressed the willingness to help India in its fight against COVID-19. Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki, in a letter to his Indian counterpart Harsh Vardhan on Sunday, stated that Iran is ready to supply India with any kind of assistance required to rein in the new wave of COVID-19. He added, that Iran expresses regret about the mounting infections from deadly wave hit in India and its death toll. India is facing a COVID-19 Tsunami which has brought the countrys health system on the verge of collapse, Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki said in the letter, according to state-run IRNA. He added that it would be impossible to tackle the existing coronavirus pandemic that challenges the healthcare system without empathy, cooperation, and assistance from all countries, as well as fair delivery of all effective means of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for all in need of medical help. ''The government and people of Iran are ready to spare no technical assistance, expertise, and equipment in these difficult days and at the height of the plight of the dear citizens of India with the COVID-19 epidemic,'' he wrote. The Iranian minister further urged political, expert, and economic support of international and non-governmental organizations to provide active assistance globally to combat the deadly health crisis. The country, expressing solidarity and pledging support said that while Iran has had difficulty meeting its needs for medicine, vaccine, and other medical equipment under tough arbitrary sanctions, it stands by India for technical and medical assistance. 'Will spare no effort to help India,' says Iran Iranian government and nation will spare no effort to help India fight the new wave of infection, the Iranian minister said. Iran has been reeling under the fourth wave of COVID-19 UK variant. Namaki stated that the Islamic Republic was able to overcome much of the crisis relying on indigenous knowledge and expert of Iranian scientists. Irans support poured in as India hit the grim milestone of 3,49,691 new COVID-19 confirmed cases, the highest single-day spike recorded since the pandemic hit. Last year, as Iran struggled with the US sanctions that severely impacted its efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, President Hassan Rouhani had written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for coordinated regional and international cooperation for the sustenance of medical costs. "This virus knows no boundary and claims, victims, without political, religious, ethnic, and racial considerations," Rouhani had stated. Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif in a tweet had said: "Viruses recognize no politics or geography. Nor should we." Washington [US], April 26 (ANI): Over three hundred concentrators have been dispatched on Sunday morning from New York to India, according to a Government of India official based in the United States. Air India's A102 is transporting five tonnes (5000kg) of concentrators as cargo from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and is scheduled to land in Delhi by Monday noon. The wide-bodied passenger aircraft will operate non-stop for over 15 hours. India is witnessing a deadly COVID-19 wave, with the country reporting over 3 lakh daily cases from the last few days. The country is facing a critical shortage of amid a devastating surge in COVID-19 infections. "Apart from this consignment that's has been shipped by Philips Atlanta, additional flights carrying oxygen concentrators will take off from San Francisco and Newark to transport hundreds of concentrators. The next flight from the US to India is scheduled to depart from Newark airport and will land in Delhi on April 27," the Indian government official based in the United States told ANI. The official also noted that the Indian Mission in the United States and Air India are getting requests and inquiries from donors based in the United States to transport not just concentrators but also other medical supplies including oxymeters. "The Indian American community, NGO's and individual are inquiring about the logistics of ways to reach out to those who are impacted the most by the pandemic in India," the source added. Earlier in the day, US president Joe Biden said that the United States is determined to "help" India as it faces an unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," Biden tweeted. The United States has announced that it will provide the raw material required for the Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine to India. The announcement was made after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke on the phone with Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, expressing deep sympathy for the people of India following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. According to a readout from The White House, Sullivan affirmed America's solidarity with India. US and India are the two countries with the greatest number of COVID-19 cases in the world. India on Sunday reported 3,49,391 new Covid-19 cases and 2,767 deaths in the last 24 hours. According to the Union Health Ministry, five states -- Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Kerala -- contribute 54 per cent of the cases. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) - The Philippines is committed to ASEANs efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, the country's foreign secretary said over the weekend. To them I reaffirm the Philippines strong commitment to the sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and unity of Myanmar and its return firmly and irreversibly to the path of democracy, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. during the ASEAN leaders meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday. We urge a return to dialogue. The release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other political detainees sets a conducive environment for this, he added. Locsin joined the call of other ASEAN leaders to appoint a special envoy to Myanmar for continuous dialogue. For a start we support the proposal for the Chair and the ASEAN Secretary-General to visit Myanmar to initiate talks among all concerned parties; with the view to improve the situation on the ground. Brunei Darussalam, as Chair, is in the position to accomplish significant and steady steps toward the restoration of peace, the return of political normalcy; most urgently, ending the violence, he said. The appointment of an ASEAN special envoy acceptable to Myanmar and all sides assures all a mechanism for continuing dialogue and feedback; we support the ASEAN Troika mechanism, he added. Myanmars military staged a coup in February and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other top government official for supposedly failing to take action over election fraud allegations. READ: Myanmar's military has detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup. Here's what you need to know Meanwhile, Brunei called on parties to pursue dialogue, reconciliation, and a return to normalcy. Locsin recalled how ASEAN members threw their supported during People Power. In 1986, during the EDSA Revolution, soldiers and civilians faced-off on the avenue that now proudly bears that name. In that tense moment, when the avenue could have been awash with the blood of fellow countrymen, ASEAN came together, he said. The protagonists in the Philippines listened. Not a drop of blood was shed. That prompting by family helped the Philippines tread the path towards the democracy that we are today. Locsin said ASEAN should stand by Myanmar. In the Philippines, we have a saying: the hurt of the small finger is felt by the whole body. Myanmar is not a small finger; but a big part of the two hands that together make up the family of the ASEAN 10. The rest of ASEAN must stand by Myanmar; ready to work with and give what help it is asked, he said. The country issued a statement in March that called on Myanmar security forces to "desist from resorting to disproportionate force against unarmed citizens." Locsin attended on behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte who skipped the meeting due to COVID-19 concerns. Photo: Tricia Mercuri/Kamloops Blazers Kamloops Blazers forward Connor Zary beats Vancouver Giants goalie Trent Miner in third-period WHL action on Sunday at Sandman Centre. The Blazers beat the Giants 2-0. Dylan Garand was perfect on 18 shots Sunday as the Kamloops Blazers increased their lead atop the WHLs B.C. Division with a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Giants in an empty Sandman Centre. Daylan Kuefler and Connor Zary scored for the Blazers. Josh Pillar assisted on both goals. Vancouver goalie Trent Miner stopped 28 of 30 Kamloops shots in the loss. The Blazers improve to 11-2 with the win and increases their B.C. Division bubble lead over the second-place Giants, who move to 9-5. The teams will hit the ice for a rematch on Tuesday at Sandman Centre. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says its a great honor for him to be in Yerevan and talk to the real friends of Lithuania. Its a great honor and a great pleasure to be here today, talk to the real friends of Lithuania. I can state that 30 years ago, when Armenia was facing quite a difficult time, we were together at that period, and today also we are ready to meet the needs, the Lithuanian FM said during a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ara Aivazian in Yerevan on April 26. He presented the purpose of his visit to Armenia, noting that they are here to help and support. The main message of being here is that we are here to help and support, and we would like to also expect further support mechanisms from the EU. I think we can find ways for expanding that support both politically, economically and from the humanitarian perspective. I think its possible to deepen that cooperation, expand the support and opportunities provided, he said, adding that on this path, a clear message from official Yerevan is probably necessary. I think in that case there will be much more friends in the European official capitals and Brussels who will be ready to assist you, he noted. Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has arrived in Armenia on an official visit. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Pakistan would be "more than happy" to talk to India and resolve the outstanding issues if New Delhi was willing to "revisit" some of its decisions to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said. Indo-Pak relations deteriorated after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August, 2019. India has maintained that issue related to Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was entirely an internal matter of the country. "If India is willing to revisit some of the decisions that it took on August 5, 2019, Pakistan will be more than happy to engage, sit and talk and resolve all outstanding issues, Qureshi said in an interview with Turkeys Anadolu Agency which was carried by Dawn newspaper on Monday. He said Pakistan had outstanding issues with India including Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, water, and other minor issues and the only sensible way forward was the dialogue. Read | Pakistan offers relief materials to help India fight Covid-19 "We cannot afford to go to war, you know, it will be mutually suicidal. And no sensible person will advocate a policy of that nature. So, we need to sit and we need to talk, said Qureshi, who is in Turkey on a two-day visit. India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad 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. Qureshi said one recent development of recommitment to ceasefire during the conversation between directors general of Military Operations of both sides was a positive development. India and Pakistan in a surprise announcement said on February 25 that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors. Also Read | Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi extends support to Indian people affected by Covid-19 surge Qureshi also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modis messages on Pakistans National Day last month and a goodwill message to Prime Minister Imran Khan who also responded positively to it. So, there is some thought. It is too early to make a value judgment on that, he said. Last month, Pakistan's powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that it was time for India and Pakistan to "bury the past and move forward as he asserted that the peace between the two neighbours would help to unlock the potential of South and Central Asia. The powerful army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy. Gen Bajwas remarks came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan made a similar statement. By Lee Hyo-jin The wife of Belgian Ambassador to Korea Peter Lescouhier has yet to respond to a police request for questioning regarding her alleged assault of a store clerk, according to an officer, Monday. "We have opened an investigation of her based on CCTV footage and questioning of victims," Jang Ha-yeon, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a press briefing. The wife of the Belgian ambassador to Korea is not responding to a police request to come in for questioning regarding her alleged assault case, according to the police, Monday. Yonhap The final $25,500 high stakes contest of the 2021 GG Spring Festival will play down to a winner today. As of 7.05 pm GMT, the last nine contenders out of a field of 172 entries will compete for the biggest slice of the $4,300,000 prize pool. They have $95,644 locked up for the efforts but all eyes are set on the top prize of $956,440 to end the series with a bang. Finnish poker pro Joni Jouhkimainen emerged as the chip leader with a stack of 5,344,169 and he is the only player above 100 big blinds. Elio Fox, recent finalist of another $25,500 contest during the festival, sits in second place with 2,872,603. Joao Vieira follows in third with 2,325,872. Finland's Sami Kelopuro, who already won two $25,500 buy-ins during the GGSF, fired nine entries and bagged up the fourth-biggest stack. He will need to finish at least sixth to almost break even in the tournament. Another recent champion for the joint-highest buy-in of the series is Niklas Astedt, who sits in sixth place on the overnight leaderboard. As can be expected, the remaining contenders are all well-known names of the poker scene including Russian rising star Artur Martirosian, Isaac Haxton, Andras Nemeth, and Seth Davies. Final Table Line-Up GGSF Event H-109: $25,500 Sunday Millions Position Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Joni Jouhkimainen Finland 5,344,169 133 2 Elio Fox United States 2,872,603 71 3 Joao Vieira Portugal 2,325,872 58 4 Sami Kelopuro Finland 1,357,246 34 5 Artur Martirosian Russia 1,350,142 34 6 Niklas Astedt Sweden 1,248,792 31 7 Isaac Haxton Canada 1,040,386 26 8 Andras Nemeth Hungary 1,016,890 25 9 Seth Davies United States 643,900 16 While Day 1 concluded at blinds of 35,000-70,000 with a running ante of 8,500, they will be rolled back to ensure an average stack of at least 40 big blinds for this feature event. As such, the action recommences at 20,000-40,000 with an ante of 5,000. All levels will feature 20 hands each until a champion has been crowned. Stay tuned right here on PokerNews to find out who will take down the final $25,500 event during the 2021 GG Spring Festival. Remaining Payouts Place Winner Country Prize (in USD) 1 $956,440 2 $717,228 3 $537,846 4 $403,327 5 $302,453 6 $226,808 7 $170,082 8 $127,543 9 $95,644 All $25,500 High Rollers during the GGSF The Supreme Court agreed Monday to take up an appeal that could expand Americans' Second Amendment rights outside the home when carrying a firearm in public. The New York case will be the Supreme Court's first foray into gun rights since Justice Amy Coney Barrett came on board in October. It will also be the first major gun-rights decision by the court in more than a decade. The latest addition to the bench brought the court to a 6-3 conservative majority. The justices said Monday they will review a lower-court ruling that upheld New York's restrictive gun permit law likely to be argued in the fall. The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and two individuals, Robert Nash and Brandon Koch, who are bringing the case argue the state is violating their constitutional rights by only issuing carry licenses to those who can show a special need for protection. Nash said he wanted to carry a gun in response to a string of robberies in his neighborhood. If the law is found unconstitutional, it will require state and local governments to allow their citizens to carry firearms in public for self defense purposes. The court's action follows several mass shootings in recent weeks in Indiana, Georgia, Colorado and California. The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to take up a case that could expand Americans' Second Amendment right especially in regards to carrying firearms outside the home for self defense The court previously turned down the issue in June, before Justice Amy Coney Barrett (upper right) took her seat on the bench after liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. The court now has a 6-3 conservative majority THE SUPREME COURT AND GUN RIGHTS The case brought by the National Rifle Association and two New York residents Robert Nash and Brandon Koch is the first the Supreme Court is hearing in more than a decade. In 2008 they ruled in the District of Columbia v. Heller that individuals have the right to own a gun for self-defense in their own homes. They extended the rule nationwide in 2010. Since then the court has steered clear of gun cases. But the new conservative majority has signalled that they are more willing to hear arguments on Second Amendment rights. New York state allows residents to carry a concealed gun only if they can demonstrate a special need beyond the general desire for self-protection. The state also bans carrying a handgun openly. California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island have similar laws. Nash argued that he wanted to carry a gun in response to a string of burglaries in his neighborhood. Koch also said he wanted to have a gun outside his home for protection. The law 'makes it virtually impossible for the ordinary law-abiding citizen' to get the necessary license, Paul Clement, a lawyer representing the challengers, said, NBC News reported. In late March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld a Hawaii law similar to New York's. They ruled that individuals do not have a Second Amendment right to carry concealed weapons in public. Advertisement The court had turned down review of the same issue in June, before Barrett took over following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Barrett's seat on the court could sway the outcome as she has a much more expansive view of gun rights than Ginsburg. She wrote a dissent in 2019, when she was a judge on the federal appeals court in Chicago, that a conviction for a nonviolent felony in this case, mail fraud should not automatically disqualify the individual from owning a gun. She said that her colleagues in the majority at the time were treating the Second Amendment as a 'second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.' New York is among eight states that limit who has the right to carry a weapon in public. The others are: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Illinois and Washington, D.C. also had similar restrictions before their laws were invalidated in court. In the rest of the country, gun owners have little trouble legally carrying their weapons when they go out. 'There is no Second Amendment issue more pressing than whether the fundamental, individual right to self-defense is confined to the home,' the group argued. 'A minority of jurisdictions seem determined to control the very people and rights that the Second Amendment promises 'shall not be infringed.' Paul Clement, representing challengers to New York's permit law, said the highest court in the U.S. should use the case to settle the issue once and for all. 'Thus, the nation is split, with the Second Amendment alive and well in the vast middle of the nation, and those same rights disregarded near the coasts,' Clement wrote on behalf of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and two New York residents. Calling on the court to reject the appeal, the state said its law promotes public safety and crime reduction and neither bans people from carrying guns nor allows everyone to do so. New York's law required citizens prove a need other than basic self-defense to carry a firearm outside the home Federal courts have largely upheld the permit limits in the past. Last month an 11-judge panel of the federal appeals court in San Francisco rejected a challenge to Hawaii's permit regulations in an opinion written by a conservative judge, Jay Bybee. 'Our review of more than 700 years of English and American legal history reveals a strong theme: government has the power to regulate arms in the public square,' Bybee wrote in a 7-4 decision for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The issue of carrying a gun for self-defense has been seen for several years as the next major step for gun rights at the Supreme Court, following decisions in 2008 and 2010 that established a nationwide right to keep a gun at home for self-defense. In June, Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, complained that rather than take on the constitutional issue, 'the Court simply looks the other way.' Eight second graders and two fully vaccinated family members have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting a Montgomery County school district to investigate the apparent outbreak. The students attend the Penn Valley Elementary School in the Lower Merion School District, where school officials say the class has been quarantined since Friday, NBC 10 is reporting. School officials say they have seen no evidence of in-school transmission beyond that one class, according to reports. School officials are consulting with the countys public health department. Officials are now trying to determine if the outbreak is linked to a ventilation problem in the classroom, Action News 6 ABC is reporting. Workers found a manual damper above the ceiling was too far closed, only allowing about 30 percent of fresh air into the room, reports indicate. Since two fully vaccinated family members tested positive, school officials believe this may be a variant strain, reports indicate. Because this was the first time we observed significant linked (in-school) transmission in our district, the LMSD Health Services team this week went beyond contact-tracing in an attempt to further investigate and understand conditions that could be factors in the outbreak, district officials told the stations in a statement. While the district does not have the ability to determine what strain of COVID is involved in these cases, it is able to look at other factors, such as those within the classroom. Staff members have performed a deep-cleaning of the classroom and ran an HVAC sensor test and will continue conducing air-quality tests, according to reports. The healthcare system is collapsing while COVID positive patients struggle to get access to hospital beds, plasma donors, oxygen, medicines etc. During a difficult time like this, social media has proven to be a saviour to those in need. India is reporting 3 lakh+ cases in a single day, even though many believe that the real number is much higher. This has led to a call for help on Twitter and Instagram where social media influencers as well as the common user are pitching in as much as they can to help out. #Covidemergency2021, #SOSCOV21, #Oxygencylinders, #IndiaNeedsOxygen are the trending topics on Twitter. Similarly, Instagram stories of almost all users are splattered with requests like #Urgent: Need Plasma Donors, Help! ICU Bed wanted, Need Remdesivir injections urgently, patient critical! Wondering how to help with mutual aid amidst the ongoing #COVIDEmergency2021 crisis in India? A group of volunteers are putting together a publicly sourced document for fundraisers: https://t.co/UM0D3G9i6b You can start by helping us amplify this post, please? pic.twitter.com/OUHskTC7w7 Sonaksha (@sonakshaiyengar) April 24, 2021 It is almost surprising to see a post on these social media platforms that do not talk about the above-mentioned things. Social media influencers are dedicating all their minutes to helping out COVID-affected families/patients. They have made online groups, asked for volunteers to confirm the legitimacy of sources for oxygen, hospital beds, plasma donors etc and are constantly working towards making the situation lighter on everyone. This is not their job; it comes from a place of goodwill. There are even those who are providing on-ground relief and support by ensuring that supplies reach people in need. Some are helping dispatch ambulances, bringing oxygen cylinders and physically arranging plasma donation drives. Aside from providing medical help, these goodhearted people are also helping out those who are isolated at home by providing them with home-cooked food, groceries and even offering to walk the dogs of patients who are either admitted in hospitals or in-home quarantine. These faceless strangers have become the saviour of the nation. Deblina Halder, a professional writer from Kolkata responded to a query on social media that was seeking an ambulance for a patient. Incidentally, there are three ambulances at the local club in my locality in Thakurpukur. When I saw that one of my friend's father was in dire need of an ambulance, I went and requested the club. Within 45 minutes, the ambulance reached my friends house, she says. Madhish Parikh, an Ahmedabad-based youth activist, told Times of India, One also needs to verify the information carefully. So, we decided it was our priority to verify each message. We also use relevant hashtags to reach out to the right people for help. We have been able to reach a stage where the maximum turnaround time for responding to a request is 30 minutes. Digital content creator Kusha Kapila also shared, This social media activism was born purely out of desperation and helplessness. More than calling it a movement, its a cry for help and people who have the mental bandwidth are trying to help each other. Instagram Let's bow down to these heroes. "You should not get pulled into the undertow and give up your faith when you go to the marketplace, and I hope that this book can help business leaders navigate that." With the COVID-19 pandemic still simmering in the background of work and personal life, many Americans find themselves burnt out, compassion fatigued, and searching for answers. Business leaders are tasked with the difficult balancing act of needing to keep their enterprises financially afloat while also maintaining morale and providing support to employees. In his latest book, Truth and the Transcendent Business: Heresy or Prophecy?, author, business professor, and former business executive Dave Geenens provides a needed salve to this tension and emphasizes that free markets only function well when business leaders practice virtue at work; especially when that virtue is animated by faith, hope, and love. Truth and the Transcendent Business teaches readers that their Christian faith is not to be compartmentalized from their work life; that their professional endeavors, their business results, and their walk with Christ are enhanced when integrated. Through his book, Geenens twines his more than three decades of experience in the marketplace with church teaching and scripture that supports the combined efforts of faith and career to share with readers how Christian virtue can result in impactful social justice and inclusion and act as a tempering agent toward selfishness and greed. Having been in the marketplace for 35 years, CEO of three different companies, and an executive of others, I know what its like to walk in this tension between piety and perversion, Geenens said. Its really easy to slide toward consumption, worldliness, temptation, and all those things that present themselves to business leaders when they have resources. On the flip side, piety is the temptation to remove yourself from the world and live a life of solitude and prayer. You must walk that line of tension. You should not get pulled into the undertow and give up your faith when you go to the marketplace, and I hope that this book can help business leaders navigate that. Truth and the Transcendent Business reminds leaders that the true goal of business is human flourishing not maximizing shareholder wealth. Geenens book emphasizes that profit is no more the purpose of business than oxygen is the purpose of life. While it may be necessary, he says, it should not be the end-goal. Ultimately, Truth and the Transcendent Business argues that free markets must rest on the rule of law, rights to own private property, and a fixed set of moral rules and that, absent business claiming its rightful transcendent role, U.S. citizens will continue to lose freedom and liberty and experience increased government intervention. Truth and the Transcendent Business: Heresy or Prophecy? By Dave Geenens ISBN: 978-1-6642-1893-2 (sc); ISBN: 978-1-6642-1892-5 (e) Available through WestBow Press, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon About the author Dave Geenens is an associate professor in the School of Business at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. His professional executive experience includes CEO/President of four different companies, including his own consulting firm, CFO roles in two companies, and COO roles in two companies. He holds a bachelors degree, MBA, and is a CPA (license inactive). Geenens speaks to companies and groups nationally about the integration of faith and work and the critical role Christian virtue plays in the protection of free markets and liberty while catalyzing businesses to higher levels of performance. Geenens and his wife live in Lenexa, Kan. To learn more, please visit http://www.truthandtranscendentbusiness.com. General Inquiries, Review Copies & Interview Requests: LAVIDGE Phoenix Danielle Grobmeier 480-648-7557 dgrobmeier@lavidge.com [April 26, 2021] Source Announces Partnership With The Reference Library In Phoenix, Arizona PHOENIX, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Source , a digital product library and specification platform that connects architects, designers, contractors, and manufacturers in commercial construction, announced today a partnership with The Reference Library to bring additional digital tools and services to the architects, designers and commercial construction community in Phoenix, Arizona. The Reference Library, which was founded in 1987 by a local architect to provide a complete information center with invaluable resources to the architectural, engineering, and construction community at no cost, is the only building industry hub in Arizona. The Reference Library, prior to its partnership with Source, held over 2,500 reference materials within its downtown brick-and-mortar location. Today, powered by Source's digital product catalog and sample ordering platform, The Reference Library members have access to over 180,000 commercial building products from over 1,900 local and national brands. Additionally, The Reference Library's owntown Phoenix location will provide a space for the design community to check out materials, attend educational events, and receive in-person assistance from product experts. As Source continues its national expansion, future services for Phoenix based architects, designers, and commercial construction professionals include same-day sample delivery and reclamation services. As a national, digital search platform for commercial construction product selection, Source provides industry-leading data, on-demand experts, and manufacturer connections, that assist in making fast and stress-free product decisions. Source founder and CEO Nicole Schmidt saw a gap in the design market that connected architects, designers, contractors, and manufacturers. Growing restless of traditional commercial interior design systems and rolodexes, Nicole redesigned the traditional model to allow transparency onto an updated, easy-to-use digital platform. "We are creating a community of peers who explore, test, share and discuss the merits of products and design choices," said Nicole Schidmt. "Source is rooted in transparency and objectivity. Our platform is designed for those who create commercial spaces dedicated to positive human influence." With aspirations to grow, Nicole guarantees partnering with Arizona is just the beginning. Media Contact Zakiyyah Wilbert zakiyyah@rebelliouspr.com About Source Source is a digital product library and specification platform that connects architects, designers, contractors, and manufacturers in commercial construction nationwide. As the decision engine for commercial construction product selection, we provide industry-leading data, on-demand experts and manufacturer connections needed to make fast and stress-free product decisions. Our digital catalog unlocks over 25 million data points from 190k products, making it easier to find, sample and spec the right products. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/source-announces-partnership-with-the-reference-library-in-phoenix-arizona-301276917.html SOURCE Source [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain New COVID restrictions came into force in Thailand on Monday to try to halt a spiralling outbreak that saw deaths hit a record single-day high over the weekend. In Bangkokwhere the latest outbreak has been traced back to a nightlife districtas well as 46 other provinces, wearing masks is now compulsory in public spaces, backed up by the threat of a 20,000 baht ($640) fine. Authorities in the capital have also closed a raft of venues including cinemas, parks, gyms, swimming pools, spas and nurseries. The new restrictions come a week after authorities ordered bars and nightclubs to close and banned restaurants from serving alcohol. The tightening comes amid a spike in casestotal infections reached 57,500 on Monday, up from just 29,000 in early April. Some 2,048 new cases were announced on Monday, while Sunday saw Thailand record its highest single-day death toll of the pandemic, with 11 fatalities. Until the latest outbreak Thailand had managed to keep infections down, thanks to draconian travel restrictions and swift action to isolate confirmed cases. But there have been complaints about the slow rollout of vaccinations, with Thailand lagging behind other countries in the region. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said on Facebook the government was trying to source more vaccine doses and ramp up the programme to inoculate 300,000 people a day. In neighbouring Cambodia, also in the grip of a new wave of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged factory owners in the key garment sector to help protect workers. "The current outbreaks in factories and markets serve as a painful reminder of the importance of investing in mitigation measures before cases occur, to help prevent the virus spreading," Li Ailan, WHO representative in Cambodia, said in a statement. Li urged factory owners to do more temperature screening and rearrange workshops to allow social distancing. Phnom Penh has been under lockdown for 12 days now and last week the authorities ordered all wet markets in the city to close for 14 days. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday ordered tougher enforcement of lockdown measures. Cambodia has reported 9,975 cases in total and 74 deaths including 10 on Saturdaya single-day record for the country. Neighbouring Laoswhich appeared to escape the brunt of the pandemic last yearis also undergoing a surge, jumping from 58 cases to 323 in less than a week. Its capital Vientiane was placed under a snap lockdown last week, with authorities prohibiting residents from leaving their homes except for groceries and going to hospital. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2021 AFP $200,000 in grants awarded to nonprofits to support COVID-19 recovery $200,000 in grants awarded to nonprofits to support COVID-19 recovery The Michigan Community Service Commission announced $200,000 in grant awards to nonprofit organizations to aid COVID-19 response and recovery. The Michigan Community Service Commission will partner with 13 organizations to launch the Michigan Community Resilience Program. The initiative will focus on making an impact during the COVID-19 response and recovery by expanding volunteerism and increasing the efficiency, effectiveness and geographic reach of organizations throughout the state. The program will provide: Technology resources that assist individuals and organizations to address community issues and connect with nonprofits through volunteering and donating Support for youth to be engaged with developing solutions to address challenges Training and technical assistance for nonprofits as they continue to respond to the pandemic Inspiration for Michiganders to be involved in the path forward by celebrating individuals and organizations who have been making a difference in their communities "We want to tap into Michigander's grit and determination to help others and start a volunteer movement," said Michigan Community Service Commission Executive Director Ginna Holmes. "We want to ensure we collaborate across the state and that organizations have the tools and resources to support local efforts." GRANTEE LIST Advancing Macomb - Mt. Clemens Albion College - Albion Capital Area United Way - Lansing Four County Community Foundation - Almont Grow Lead Community Youth Development - Marquette Johnson Center for Philanthropy - Grand Rapids Michigan Community Resources - Detroit Nonprofit Network - Jackson United Way of Bay County - Bay City United Way of Genesee County - Flint United Way of Montcalm Ionia Counties - Belding United Way of Northwest MI - Traverse City United Way of Southeast MI - Detroit The funding for this program comes through a Volunteer Generation Fund grant from AmeriCorps. The Michigan Community Service Commission received $2,222,811 in federal funds over three years to support volunteerism in Michigan. Global efforts to help India during its devastating Covid-19 crisis have accelerated as a dozen countries offered to help while others expressed solidarity with the South Asian nation. India for the first time reported both the highest number of deaths at 2,812 and the highest number of infections at 352,991 on Monday. It was the fifth consecutive day the country saw over 300,000 cases. The international aid started arriving as India suffers an immense shortage of medical equipment as the country continues to witness a record surge in infections, showing no signs of receding. While the UK, Singapore and Saudi Arabia have already dispatched the first consignment of aid, Indias political rivals China and Pakistan have also offered help as the county battles the second wave of pandemic. On Monday, Indias prime minister, Narendra Modi, talked to his Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide over the phone, thanking him for providing assistance to India as the two discussed developing new partnerships to overcome challenges posed by the coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The UK will send 600 pieces of vital medical equipment including 495 oxygen concentrators and 120 non-invasive ventilators, along with 20 manual ventilators. It will be dispatched in nine airline container loads. A part of the UKs aid package arrived in India on Sunday. Boris Johnson, the prime minister, said Britain stands side by side with India as friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against Covid-19. He said, the vital medical equipment is now on its way from UK to India. Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, said, they have sent several urgent deliveries of surplus medical equipment to our friends in India. No-one is safe until we are all safe, he added. The European Union said it is pooling resources to rapidly respond to Indias request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union, said they were alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India and stand in full solidarity with the Indian people. Other countries in Europe such as France, Denmark, and Germany, also extended their support to send much-needed oxygen to India. "To the people of India, I want to express my sympathy on the terrible suffering that Covid-19 has again brought over your communities. Germany stands in solidarity with India and is urgently preparing a mission of support," Germanys chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Sunday. On Sunday night, an Indian carrier airlifted 500 BiPAPs (breathing support equipment) and 250 oxygen concentrators from Singapore. The first set of help arrived from Singapore on Saturday after four cryogenic oxygen cylinders, which were donated by Indias Tata Group, landed in West Bengal state. The US president, Joe Biden, said Washington is determined to help just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic. It came after the US faced increasing pressure and opposition over its export controls on raw materials that were intended to enhance the countrys own domestic vaccine supply. However, the Indian vaccine manufacturers urged the US to lift the ban as it was slowing down their ability to produce jabs. The White House National Security Council said in a statement that the country has identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India. Emily Horne, a National Security Council spokesperson, said raw material to manufacture Covishield (AstraZeneca) will immediately be made available for India to aid vaccine shot production. The top US infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, told ABC News on Sunday that the availability of vaccine raw material is "something that certainly is going to be actively considered." Afghanistan expressed solidarity with India while Iran wrote to the Indian health minister, saying they would provide technical assistance, expertise and equipment to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, said: Our hearts go out to the Indian people and government as they fight the horrendous outbreak of Covid. On behalf of the Afghan people and government, we send our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and wish a quick recovery to those who are suffering from the virus. Meanwhile, the hashtag #PakistanstandswithIndia trended in Pakistan despite a decades long political rivalry as the coronavirus pandemic ravaging India continued to make headlines. Celebrities, activists, government officials and citizens expressed support and asked the government to offer aid to the country. The prime minister, Imran Khan, offered prayers in a tweet for the speedy recovery of the people suffering from pandemic. I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of Covid-19. We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together, he said. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi offered to provide ventilators, BiPAP, digital X-ray machines, PPEs and related items even as Pakistan is itself issuing restrictions in the wake of rising cases. As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of Covid-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators, BiPAP, digital X-ray machines, PPEs and related items, he said. A host of other countries including Canada, Australia, Mexico, Slovenia, China, and Saudi Arabia have also offered to help or expressed solidarity to India. Meanwhile, India is racing against time to ramp up its healthcare infrastructure by approving funding to oxygen plants in several districts, in a last-minute move to deal with crippling shortages amid barrage of criticism. The oxygen shortage has already claimed 25 lives in a hospital in Jaipur city and six died in Amritsar, Punjab. The Delhi government further extended the lockdown on Sunday as overcrowded hospitals are turning away patients and continuing to report oxygen shortages. Nearly, 1 million cases have been reported in the last 72 hours across the nation. The country has a total of 17 million infections and reported 192,000 deaths. Called Spirit of America, the special edition came with several exclusive features, including new badges, 15-inch steel wheels painted in white, dual sport exterior side mirrors in the same color as the body, and a white vinyl roof.In addition, Impala buyers were allowed to further customize their Spirit of America interiors with red or blue dashes, steering wheels, carpets, and seatbelts. At the same time, the Impala Spirit of America was only available in white and dark blue, with Chevrolet building only 2,500 units for the 1974MY.And one of them is right here, as eBay seller cashbabywayno1 says theyre trying to find someone to take home this all-original and one-owner 1974 Impala Spirit of America that has always been stored in a heated building.Everything is in place on this Impala, and the only thing thats not original is the set of wheels. This car is all original besides the wheels the spokes were dealer installed due to him not liking the factory white wheels and they have been on the car since new. I do not have the original wheels, the seller explains.At first glance, this unrestored Impala looks quite impressive, and judging from the photos included in the listing, rust shouldnt be a problem on this car. The sport coupe body, which was the only one getting the Spirit of America treatment, comes with the original paint, though were told its a little bit faded in some spots.The 400 (6.55L) V8 under the hood still starts and runs, and the owner says everything works exactly as youd expect it to work, so you can even drive the car across the country if thats what youre planning to do.At the end of the day, this is quite a rare Impala, and given its overall condition, you shouldnt expect it to come cheap. The reserve is yet to be met, as the top bid at the time of writing is a little over $6,500. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Next Story : Moheys Wedding Collection Sets The Tone For The Bridal Season Want to effortlessly make an eye-catching statement? Indulge in print play! Vibrant prints, hues, and patterns come together this summer to help you play a stylish game of dress-up. The best part? There are no rules when it comes to mixing and matching.From subtle chic details to bold and busy prints, there is something for everyone in this seasons most stylish trend because life is too short for boring, solid-coloured outfits. Experiment with a range of prints this year, and combine them together to stand out from the crowd. From modern updates to a few spring favourites like edgy polka dots, checks and nostalgic colour-blocked stripes to even mixing two different floral patterns together, we have a range of styles to be thankful for.The best way to match colours and prints like a pro is to practise as much as possible. Still, sometimes, good print matches happen by accident, so dont hesitate to try crazy combinations. Prints keep changing every year, but they will never leave the runway. Be it tribal, floral, subtle, geometric or abstract, patterns have already become classy and deserve a place in your wardrobe.Take inspiration from your favourite celebrities who are nailing the print play trend this summer to revamp your style.This year saw a huge wave of gorgeous floral prints. Our favourite celebrities have incorporated beautiful and harmonious natural themes into their wardrobes, and brought a sense of femininity and elegance to their personal style. Breezy and flowy dresses in delicate florals and pastel hues are setting the tone for a sultry and romantic summer.Image: @katrinakaif Were craving summer-ready floral prints just like these: Katrina Kaif looks absolutely gorgeous in a dreamy floral one-shoulder gown by Gauri & Nainika, bringing the feminine and romantic vibe out to play.This seasons high fashion, vibrant stripes evoke a wave of nostalgia, bringing a feeling of joy and optimism for the future. Striped patterns are seen in horizontals, diagonals and verticals, allowing the wearer to make a classy and playful style statement.Image: @shaleenanathani Deepika Padukone is Boss Lady in an electric blue-and-white striped pantsuit; the edgy vertical stripes keep her look trendy but classy, giving us major fashion goals for the summer.This year, our fave celebrities fashion choices offer us a deep dive into the world of illusion and absurdity. From watercolour washes to expressive and creative prints, abstract artistic techniques give garments untold chutzpah. Watch out for box prints and patterns coming your way!Image: @aliaabhatt Alia Bhatt looks ravishing in a vibrant, graphic printed blazer paired with fiery red pants, giving formal dressing a party-ready update. From a brunch to a girls night out, an abstract ensemble like the actors can work just about anywhere this party season.Classic vintage logo prints are timeless. References from the 80s and 90s emerge, bringing back trendy vintage prints and setting a retro chic vibe for the future.Image: @jlo Jennifer Lopez is back to work in style after the holidays! In a modern take on her Jenny From the Block style from the 1990s, JLo rocks a classic, vintage printed, burgundy velvet Dior bucket hat and owns it completely.Be bold and add a dash of eye-catching spark to your spring-summer wardrobe with geometric prints. Versatile and easy to wear, the bold-coloured stripes and squares will add a contemporary touch, while injecting pattern and texture into both day and night looks. These pieces are sure to work for years to come.Image: @sonamkapoor Painting the town red with her sartorial elegance, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja made an edgy style statement in a geometric printed neck scarf, her fashion-forward choice of accessory to elevate her beige and grey ensemble on the streets of London.The animal print trend rises and falls in popularity every season, but, when done right, is never truly out of style. Everything from the classic, spotted leopard print and sleek tiger stripe to the monochromatic zebra pattern is favoured by the likes of our stylish divas.Image: @priyankachopra Priyanka Chopra gave us a playful take on dressing for the occasion in her white tiger print dress while twinning with her pup Diana, who has already garnered over a million hearts in the time span of a few hours. Love animal prints? A graphic tiger print number like the actors will never go unnoticed.Paisley could be described as the true vintage print; its history stretches back forever. The distinctive pattern is considered a timeless classic. The power paisley print is beautifully interpreted in pastel hues that give any outfit a bohemian touch.Image: @cardib Paisley prints are having a big moment in fashion, and our favourite celebrities and supermodels are showing us cool ways to style them. Cardi B amps up her style game, flaunting a bright pink paisley print handbag, giving the trend a new twist.Also Read : 8 CelebApproved Sari Looks To Set You Up For 2021 A man allegedly doused himself and a house in petrol and threatened to set it ablaze with his terrified partner inside. Emergency crews rushed to a house in Coomera on the the Gold Coast about 9.30pm after witnesses reported the alleged domestic violence incident. '[The man] poured petrol throughout the house,' Queensland Police alleged. A man has been arrested after allegedly dousing himself and a house in petrol on Sunday and threatening to set it ablaze in an alleged domestic violence incident (stock image) An emergency public safety declaration was enacted for more than an hour as police, firefighters, and ambulance officers tried to get the situation under control. The man, aged in his 40s, was arrested and charged with wilful damage. He is being held at Southport Watchhouse as investigations continue and further charges are expected. The man will face Southport Magistrate's Court on Monday. His partner was present but not physically injured in the incident. There are calls for urgently reform Australia's domestic violence laws following the shocking case of Hannah Clarke and her three young children who were burned to death by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter. Earlier this month, the burned body of Kelly Wilkinson, 27, was discovered in the backyard of her home in Arundel on the Gold Coast. Hannah Clarke (pictured, right, with her grandmother, left) and children Trey, Laianah and Aaliyah were doused in petrol and set alight by her estranged husband in February 2020 Her estranged husband and former US marine Brian Johnston, 35, was found two blocks away in a 'semi-conscious state' with burn injuries of his own and was later charged with her murder. Ten years after the first national plan to tackle domestic violence, the economic cost in Australia is estimated at $26 billion a year. A bipartisan report tabled by the House of Representatives social policy and legal affairs committee on Thursday makes 88 detailed recommendations, centred on a 'whole of society' response. The committee recommends a new independent national commissioner for the prevention of family, domestic, and sexual violence who would report to parliament. But 10 days paid domestic violence leave per year is not recommended, despite Labor's push for it to be a priority. Earlier this month, the burnt body of Kelly Wilkinson, 27, was discovered in the back yard of her Arundel home on the Gold Coast . Her estranged partner former U.S. Marine Brian Johnston, 35, was found two blocks away in a semi-conscious state with burn injuries of his own and was later charged with her murder (pictured) There is also a call for a specific public awareness campaign about coercive and controlling behaviour as a form of family, domestic and sexual violence, and how it is a predictor of severe physical violence and homicide. 'While all Australian governments have made substantial investments in an attempt to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence, it remains that one woman is killed on average every eight days at the hands of her partner or former partner,' committee chair Andrew Wallace said. The inquiry was sparked by the murder in February 2020 of Brisbane woman Ms Clarke and her three children, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey, by Ms Clarke's estranged husband. Mayor Hosts Lunch in Honour of Archbishop Mark Miles His Worship the Mayor, Mr John Goncalves MBE GMD, hosted a lunch on Monday 26th April 2021, at the Mayors Parlour, City Hall, in honour of His Excellency The Most Rev. Archbishop Mark Miles, Apostolic Nuncio to Benin and Togo, following his Episcopal Ordination the previous day. At the lunch, also attended by The Rt. Rev. Bishop Carmel Zammit, the local clergy, Archbishop Miles family and former Mayors of Gibraltar, His Worship was honoured to present Archbishop Miles with a Bishops Mitre on behalf of the people of Gibraltar. Archbishop Miles thereafter presented His Worship with a personal gift from His Holiness Pope Francis, the Medaglia Pontificia marking his pontificate, which was blessed by the Holy Father. One person was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after a large fight broke out at Miami International Airport Sunday, according to Miami-Dade police. Footage of the intense altercation which showed a group of four people grappling each other into a kiosk and another group of three throwing kicks and punches circulated on social media late Sunday. Airport officials said police immediately responded to the scene outside Gate D-14. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The victim did not want to press any charges. However, one person was arrested for disorderly conduct, said Miami-Dade Police in an email to the Miami Herald. The victim was treated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for minor injuries and released on the scene. Police did not identify the person who was arrested in the video nor the victim who was treated. Listen to today's top stories from the Miami Herald: Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant | More options Advertisement Crowds of protesters gathered in downtown Columbus, Ohio on Sunday for another day of demonstrations over the killing of Ma'Khia Bryant. Bryant, a 16-year-old black girl, was shot dead by a white police officer on Tuesday afternoon as she wielded a knife at another young woman. Around 200 people joined the protest on Sunday, which began late afternoon in Goodale Park. Many carried signs with messages such as 'Ma'Khia was a child' and 'Justice for Ma'Khia Bryant'. Crowds of protesters gathered in downtown Columbus on Sunday for another day of demonstrations over the killing of Ma'Khia Bryant The crowd assembled in Goodale Park then marched to the nearby High Street where they blocked traffic at an intersection between Lincoln and Warren streets Around 200 people joined the protest on Sunday, which began late afternoon in Goodale Park. Many carried signs with messages such as 'Ma'Khia was a child' and 'Justice for Ma'Khia Bryant' Organizer Hana Abdur-Rahim spoke to those gathered from a stage where he was flanked by members of Bryant's family. 'Today we are here to continue to lift up the life of Ma'Khia Bryant. I don't need a video to know she was a child and she deserved to live,' she said. Officials with the Columbus Division of Police had released initial footage of the shooting on Tuesday night just hours after it happened, which was a departure from protocol, as the force faces immense scrutiny from the public following a series of recent high-profile police killings that have led to clashes. On Sunday, protest organizer Hana Abdur-Rahim spoke to those gathered from a stage where he was flanked by members of Bryant's family. 'Today we are here to continue to lift up the life of Ma'Khia Bryant. I don't need a video to know she was a child and she deserved to live,' she said. Pictured: Protesters in Columbus on Sunday Officials with the Columbus Division of Police released initial footage of the shooting as the force faces immense scrutiny from the public following a series of recent high-profile police killings that have led to clashes. Pictured: Protesters in Columbus on Sunday Sunday's demonstration was the latest in a series of marches and vigils held across Columbus since Bryant's death on Tuesday Protesters gathered to listen to organizers and Bryant's family, some of whom spoke at the event in Goodale Park on Sunday Abdur-Rahim introduced a woman named Myra Duke who told the crowd she was Bryant's aunt. Duke told those gathered how much Bryant's family misses her and thanked them for their dedication to her niece, The Columbus Dispatch reported. 'It doesn't seem real. Ma'Khia was an angel. This situation didn't have to happen like this; the system failed her.' Ma'Khia was living in a foster home at the time she was killed and some protesters have criticized the social care system for letting her down. Ma'Khia was living in a foster home at the time she was killed and some protesters have criticized the social care system for letting her down. Pictured: Protesters in Columbus on Sunday The crowd chanted Bryant's name and age, along with the slogan 'Black girls matter' as they also paid tribute to other black people who had been killed by police in the area At around 6pm, the demonstrators sat for 16 minutes of silence - one to mark each year of Bryant's life. Pictured: Protesters in Columbus on Sunday The crowd marched from the park to the nearby High Street where they blocked traffic at an intersection between Lincoln and Warren streets. They chanted Bryant's name and age, along with the slogan 'Black girls matter'. Motorcyclists attempted to get through the protesters blocking traffic but were unsuccessful. One burned rubber to intimidate the protesters as he turned his motorcycle around, according to a photographer at the scene who captured the incident. Motorcyclists attempted to get through the protesters blocking traffic but were unsuccessful. Pictured: A motorcyclist attempts to drive through a street blocked by protesters One motorcyclist burned rubber to intimidate the protesters as he turned his motorcycle around, according to a photographer at the scene who captured the incident At around 6pm, the demonstrators sat for 16 minutes of silence - one to mark each year of Bryant's life. Protesters on Sunday also chanted the names of other black people killed by police in the area, including Casey Goodson Jr., Andre Hill and Tyre King. Bryant, a 16-year-old black girl, was shot dead by a white police officer on Tuesday afternoon as she wielded a knife at another young woman Goodson Jr., 23, and Hill, 47, were both shot and killed in separate incidents in December. A former Columbus police officer had been indicted for Hill's murder. King, 13, was killed in September 2016 after pulling what was later found to be a BB gun as he ran away from police. Organizers are calling for the resignations of city leaders including the Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. They are also demanding the officers who killed Bryant and Goodson Jr. be arrested and that the Columbus Division of Police be defunded. The demonstration was the latest in a series of marches and vigils across Columbus since Bryant's death. News of her killing came minutes before the announcement that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had been found guilty on all three charges over the killing of George Floyd. Speaking on Wednesday, Interim Columbus Police Chief Michael Woods told reporters: 'It's a tragedy. There's no other way to say it. It's a 16-year-old. I'm a father. Her family is grieving. Regardless of the circumstances associated with this, a 16-year-old lost her life yesterday.' He added: 'I sure as hell wish it wouldn't have happened.' White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the Columbus shooting 'tragic' and said President Joe Biden has been briefed on it. 'She was a child. We're thinking of her friends and family and the communities that are hurting and grieving her loss,' Psaki said in a statement. Organizers are calling for the resignations of city leaders including the Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. Pictured: Protesters in Columbus on Sunday Protesters are also demanding the officers who killed Bryant and Goodson Jr. - a black man killed by police - be arrested and that the Columbus Division of Police be defunded. Pictured: Protesters in Columbus on Sunday A candlelit vigil held less than a kilometre from where Kelly Wilkinson died, allegedly at the hands of her former partner, heard that her death should be a line in the sand moment for changes to domestic violence laws. Around one thousand people gathered on the Gold Coast Titans training ground at Parkwood on the northern Gold Coast on Monday night to pay silent tribute to the mother-of-three, who was found in the backyard of her Arundel home on the morning of April 20. Attendees wore green - Kelly's favourite colour - and carried scented candles, gathering as the sun was setting and a full moon was rising on a cool Autumn evening on the Gold Coast. The Wilkinson family arrived at the candlelit vigil, father Reg (centre) with his arm around daughter Danielle, who has taken over care of Kelly Wilkinson's three children. Father Reg Wilkinson with daughters Emma (left) and Danielle (centre) and son-in-law Rhys Kelly Wilkinson was found dead at her home on the morning of April 20, nearby to the location of tonight's candlelit vigil Some people brought inflatable green balloons which were released at the end of the vigil, while others carried sunflowers - Ms Wilkinson's favourite flower. As a guitarist played acoustic versions of Ed Sheeran's 'Perfect' and Coldplay's 'Fix You', Ms Wilkinson's family arrived and made their way to a row of white chairs at the front, her father Reg in tears as he trailed his daughters Natalie and Emma, his arm around daughter Danielle. Shane Scott, Chaplain at the Arundel State School where Ms Wilkinson's children attended, offered a special message to children. 'It's normal to have these feelings when sad things happen, it shows you care,' he said. Rosie O'Malley, CEO of the Gold Coast-based Domestic Violence Prevention Centre, who Kelly had spoken with in the days and weeks preceding her death, recited frightening statistics on domestic violence and spoke passionately about the need for the community to notice signs of domestic violence and speak up, Queensland Police officers attended the vigil along with members of the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans Those attending the vigil wore green because it was Kelly Wilkinson's favourite colour 'Please believe her when she says shes feeling threatened or afraid,' she said. 'And ask if theres anything you could do to make things better.' Sam O'Connor, State MP for the area, who helped organise the vigil, said: 'To lose another woman this way is a stain on our community and our city. I will make sure this tragedy leads to change. This must stop.' He also delivered a message from Kelly's family which recalled how much she loved being a mother. 'She was a strong, fierce woman with an enormous heart. She would help others. The third of four children, she was a protector... and she made everyone fall in love with her antics.' 'We're here because we're good friends with [Kelly's] sister Danielle, we go to the gym together,' Kirsty from Robina told Daily Mail Australia after the vigil. 'The fact the family has recently lost their mother and now their sister, it's heartbreaking. Our hearts are breaking for them.' 'I just hope there's change, it cannot keep going on like this.' Michelle, Chelsea and Stefanie attended because they knew the Wilkinson girls, including Kelly, as children, attending Coastal Dance School with them at Currumbin on the Gold Coast. 'We spent hours together week after week. We were very close about 10 years ago,' said Michelle. She said she did not understand why the Gold Coast had seen so many domestic violence episodes against women in recent years. 'It just too late now, isn't it?' she said. 'As her friend said on the stage tonight, if only we could have done something. How do you stop something that has been going on for years now?' Around 1000 people attended the candlelit vigil for Ms Wilkinson on Monday night The Arundel community had expressed shock at the death of the local mother of three A number of those attending the vigil took the opportunity to contribute to the fund established to help raise Kelly's three children, which totalled more than $215,000 on Monday night. Ms Wilkinson is believed to have visited police on two separate occasions before her American husband, a former US marine, allegedly set her on fire in the backyard of her home. Her devastated family claim Brian Johnston was controlling and dictated what the young mother wore, how she styled her hair, and banned her from getting a driver's licence or a job. Ms Wilkinson told officers at Southport Police Station that Johnston breached a March 29 domestic violence order, police said. She then asked for help from a domestic violence agency on April 13, just one week before she was allegedly burned to death. Last week Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd committed to an internal review of the circumstances surrounding Ms Wilkinson's death, and said the service had 'ultimately failed' the 27-year-old, The Gold Coast area had seen a number of deaths from domestic violence in recent years. Local MP Sam O'Connor told the crowd Kelly's death was a stain on the community and the city Fabiana Palhares was bludgeoned to death by her ex-partner at Varsity Lakes in February 2015. Tara Brown was beaten to death with a fire hydrant by her ex-partner at Molendinar in September 2015 and in the same month, Karina Lock was shot in the head by her estranged husband Stephen at a McDonald's at Helensvale. Melinda Horner was also killed by her partner in a murder-suicide at Burleigh Waters in November 2015. Queensland Police said there were 107,000 domestic violence-related incidents in the state last year. 'There's 79,000 domestic and family violence orders existing in Queensland right now, and of those five out of six don't breach, there's no issue,' Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd told ABC Radio this morning. 'There's a subset of highly violent, threatening people who we take action against and arrest and they're in custody. 'The trick here is, how do we get it 100 per cent right?' DVConnect 1800 811 811 Lifeline 13 11 14 Calling all veteran cosplayers, weebs, and casual Netflix anime enjoyers: the wildly popular San Japan convention is persisting in-person following last year's COVID-related cancellation. The event, taking place over Labor Day Weekend, will feature musical performances, industry guests, and a variety of artists and vendors. Known for their annual themes, this years is San Japan 12.5: The Throwback Convention. Following the hiatus, the 2021 event will celebrate the 12-year run of the convention in Alamo city. While fans found a way in 2020 via Minecraft back-alleys and Twitch streams this years Japanese culture and anime convention is slated to be the first time the citys bustling anime community convenes in the flesh since 2019s event, which welcomed over 20,000 people from around the world. RELATED: 3 free San Antonio food festivals to mark on your calendars Due to COVID-19, the convention is capping attendance at 10,000 people, effectively halving their usual attendance as a health precaution. In addition, the event at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center will implement health scanners, mandatory masking, social distancing protocols and even blue light robots. Convention Chair and Executive Director S. David Ramirez, who's been with the con since its inception as a small time Our Lady of the Lake University student union event in 2007, is eager about the opportunity for the community to connect. The San Antonio anime community is so robust and so friendly, when we first announced we were moving forward with this convention, people were so excited to move forward in a safe and responsible way, said Ramirez to MySA. Weve taken the year to review best practices and safety strategies from events around the world, Ramirez said in a press release. This years conference will let us try new programming elements, add digital content, and mark the safe return to fandom events in Texas. You heard it here first: its the dawn of a new day for San Antonio anime fandoms as vaccines are distributed throughout the community and pandemic restrictions slacken. For the cosplayers you better start planning your costumes. Tickets go on sale May 1 on the San Japan website. Camille Sauers is a freelance writer based in San Antonio. Follow her on twitter @camillesaccount. Send her emails to camillefrancissauers@gmail.com. Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef. In recent years, China's foreign policy has become more assertive and confrontational, both in terms of its aims as well as its rhetoric. The increasingly aggressive style of Chinese diplomats has been described as "Wolf Warrior Diplomacy." It was underscored at the Sino-American summit in Anchorage, Alaska, when Chinese diplomats lambasted the U.S. for what they saw as its many shortcomings on human rights and declared that Washington does not have the moral standing to lead or to dictate to other countries how they should manage their own internal affairs. The term "Wolf Warrior" is derived from a 2015 Chinese-produced military action film that depicts a mythical special forces unit of the People's Liberation Army, called Wolf Warriors, pursuing a drug lord who is defended by foreign mercenaries led by an ex-U.S. Navy SEAL. The sequel, "Wolf Warrior 2," is the highest-grossing film in China. Recently, we sat down with Peter Martin to discuss the origins and implications of China's Wolf Warrior diplomacy. Martin is a political reporter for Bloomberg News. He has written extensively on escalating tensions in the U.S.-China relationship and reported from China's border with North Korea and its far-western region of Xinjiang. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford, Peking University and the London School of Economics. His latest book, "China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy," is scheduled for release in June. Joseph Micallef: The term "Wolf Warrior Diplomacy" has been used to describe a style of Chinese foreign policy that is more nationalistic, assertive and critical in Beijing's relations with other countries. Is that a fair description of that policy or is there more to it? Peter Martin: On one level, China's "wolf warrior" diplomats reflect the leadership's belief that the country is now too strong to be pushed around. Chinese diplomacy grew more assertive in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, and that trend accelerated after Xi Jinping became leader of the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, in 2012. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a belief among many Chinese leaders that the West is faltering and that China's time has come. The tone of Chinese diplomacy has changed accordingly. At the same time, it's important to understand that confidence isn't the only motivation for this more assertive style of diplomacy. Chinese diplomats are also behaving this way in a bid to prove their political and ideological loyalty to the leadership in Beijing. JM: This is not the first time that Beijing has adopted a more confrontational and assertive stance in its foreign policy. Is this just a recurring feature of China's foreign policy or is it different this time? Is there a common set of circumstances that triggers this type of behavior? PM: Good question. Ever since the People's Republic of China, or PRC, was founded in 1949, its diplomats have cycled between efforts to charm the world and periods of assertiveness when Chinese diplomats lashed out. Time magazine described a speech one Chinese envoy delivered at the United Nations in 1950 as "two awful hours of rasping vituperation." In the 1960s, a Chinese diplomat even wielded an ax outside the Chinese mission in London. These displays of assertiveness have tended to coincide with political crackdowns at home and with a greater focus on ideology in domestic politics. Under Xi Jinping, Chinese diplomats have watched the Party punish more than 1.5 million officials in a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown and abolish presidential term limits. They've also watched as the government has set up "re-education" camps in Xinjiang and had to defend these policies to the world. So I think that's what's going on now: a combination of newfound confidence and deep insecurity. JM: Is rising nationalism the driver of "Wolf Warrior Diplomacy"? Is it the cause or the effect? Does Beijing drive Chinese nationalist aspirations or does public opinion drive Beijing's hard-line stance? PM: It's a combination of both. The leadership in Beijing has long used the idea that it saved China from weakness and foreign aggression as a justification for its continuing rule. Premier Zhou Enlai, the founding father of Chinese diplomacy, promised that PRC diplomats would "struggle" against the CCP's enemies and act like the "People's Liberation Army in civilian clothing," in contrast with what he portrayed as the weakness and capitulation of previous generations of Chinese diplomats. Beijing's envoys have had to live up to this promise to act tough from the very beginning. In the 1990s, as internet use took off in China, online nationalists began to question why its diplomats seemed so polite and deferential with foreign counterparts -- especially in their communications with America and Japan. The foreign ministry even reported receiving calcium tablets in the mail from citizens who wanted Chinese diplomats to strengthen their backbones. Officials like former foreign minister Li Zhaoxing complained about the tremendous pressure they felt to meet these expectations and -- in response -- they often launched into what we now call "wolf warrior" tactics like dressing down foreign counterparts in meetings and haranguing the foreign press. What's happened under Xi is that pressure to act tough now comes from both above and below. In his speeches, Xi talks about the "obvious advantages" of China's system and has declared that China "stands tall in the East." According to my friend Keith Zhai's reporting for The Wall Street Journal, Xi has also issued handwritten notes to the foreign ministry telling diplomats to display "fighting spirit." In many ways, Chinese diplomats are now acting like the online nationalists of the 1990s and 2000s always hoped they would. JM: Strategically, what does China get from "Wolf Warrior Diplomacy"? From a foreign policy standpoint, is this a dead end? Does it need to pivot to a less confrontational stance and, if so, how does it do that? PM: I think it's pretty difficult to see these tactics as a success. While Trump was president, Beijing could make the case that he was driving U.S. foreign policy and America's allies were simply falling into line behind him. But now it's pretty clear that the bipartisan consensus in favor of a stronger U.S. China policy has deep roots, and so too do the growing misgivings of U.S. allies from NATO partners to Japan and Australia. It's possible to make a case that the tactics don't fall quite as flat in the developing world. Still, the combative approach to diplomacy certainly hasn't worked well with India, in Brazil or with a lot of Pacific island nations. So I personally find it difficult to see how it can be seen as a success. A pivot away from these tactics is certainly possible in the medium to long term. There are voices inside the Chinese foreign policy establishment who recognize just how counterproductive the last few years have been for Chinese diplomacy and would like to see some kind of reset. And in the past, some of the most impressive and successful periods have followed major reputational setbacks like the Cultural Revolution or the Tiananmen Square massacre. Still, I don't see much space for this in the next few years: Xi Jinping appears to like the new tone. JM: The recent Sino-American summit in Alaska was largely an impasse. Beijing got none of the concessions it was hoping for. Ditto for the U.S. Is this the immediate future of Sino-American relations or was the confrontation just for show? PM: There's an extent to which the Chinese side was acting tough for domestic audiences. The display certainly played well online, with some stores even selling merchandise displaying Politburo member Yang Jiechi's combative words to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. From what I understand, the tone inside the room after the opening statements was far more constructive and -- as Chinese leaders like to point out -- the two countries do have genuine shared interests when it comes to climate change and maintaining stability on the Korean peninsula (even if their precise objectives are often at odds). As such, there's still a decent chance that a more predictable and stable U.S.-China relationship will develop during the Biden presidency. Still, the chances of any more fundamental accommodation are slim. The truth is that the downturn in relations between the two countries is rooted in domestic changes, which are unlikely to change any time soon. Unless China fundamentally shifts its approach to industrial policy, takes a softer line on its territorial claims or fundamentally alters its policies in Xinjiang, for example, it's very difficult to see U.S. leaders softening their stance either. The deep roots of the conflict underscore another reason that Chinese diplomats have been drawn to wolf warrior tactics in recent years: Their chances of actually persuading U.S. counterparts on the merits of their positions are slim. 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. Search of Lyon Home Nets Two Drug Arrests By West Kentucky Star Staff LYON COUNTY - A search of a home in Lyon County Sunday led to the arrest of two people on drug and other charges.Sunday afternoon, deputies and Kentucky State Police troopers responded to a home on KY 93 South.Authorities said a strong odor of marijuana was coming from the home, leading them to detain 29-year-old Alexandria D. Reddick of Cadiz and 39-year-old Benjamin Trafford of Eddyville.A search of the home yielded suspected methamphetamine, marijuana, three firearms, and drug paraphernalia.Both Reddick and Trafford were arrested and charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance (meth), possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.They were lodged in the Crittenden County Jail. Acquisition of EMG Beetaloo Interests Sydney, April 26, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Empire Energy Group Limited ( ASX:EEG ) ( OTCMKTS:EEGUF ) is pleased to announce that EMG Northern Territory Holdings Pty Limited ("EMG NT"), a member of The Energy & Minerals Group ("EMG"), has delivered a Notice of Exercise of Tag Along Right ("the Tag Right") to Pangaea (NT) Pty Limited ("Pangaea") pursuant to which it has exercised its right to sell its 17.5% interest in EP167, EP168, EP169, EP198 and EP305 (collectively, "the Tenements") to Imperial Oil & Gas A Pty Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire, on the same pro rata terms as the sale of Pangaea's interests in the Tenements. The Tag Right was flagged to Empire shareholders in the announcement dated 14 April 2021.EMG is a private investment firm focused on the natural resources sector with Regulatory Assets Under Management of approximately US$12 billion as of 31 December, 2020, based in Houston, Texas, USA.The key financial terms of the acquisition of the EMG NT interests, which will be subject to long form documentation and shareholder approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting to approve the acquisition of the Tenements, will be as follows:- $1.061 million cash (to be funded from existing cash at bank)- 29,696,970 ordinary Empire shares, of which 11,666,667 will be escrowed for 12 months from the date of issue and 13,348,485 will be escrowed for 24 months from the date of issue- 1,696,970 options to acquire ordinary Empire shares at $0.70 per share which will expire 3 years after their issue dateOn completion, EMG will own approximately 5% of the ordinary share capital of Empire.Empire looks forward to welcoming EMG to the register and will advise shareholders once the Sale and Purchase Agreement between Imperial and Pangaea has been amended to incorporate the acquisition of the EMG NT interests in the Tenements.Following the acquisition of EMG NT's interests in the Tenements, Empire will own a 100% interest in all of its Beetaloo and McArthur Basin properties.To view figures, 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. Vancouver, BC -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/26/2021 -- The global membranes market is likely to reach value of USD 10.81 Billion by 2027, according to a current analysis by Emergen Research. This growth of the market can be attributed to the increasing need for reclaiming water from different wastewater streams for re-use. Increasing utilization of membranes for production of potable drinking water from groundwater, surface water, and seawater sources is driving the market. Increasing research and development activities for the advancement of wastewater treatment solutions and desalination are contributing to the demand for the membrane technology. The latest market report offers an in-depth analysis of quantitative and qualitative factors affecting the industry growth. Such elements of the report, along with the growth forecast over the foreseeable future, enable the reader to obtain meaningful insights into the global market. To receive a sample copy of this report, visit @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/request-sample/471 Key Highlights of Report In October 2019, DuPont announced that it had signed an agreement regarding acquisition of the ultrafiltration membrane business of BASF, a leading chemical company in Germany. The acquisition is expected to help DuPont widen its portfolio of separation technologies and water purification, which comprises reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and ion exchange resins. The reverse osmosis segment held the largest market share of 39.3% in 2019. High efficiency (up to 99.5%) of reverse osmosis in separating small particles, including bacteria and monovalent ions such as chloride and sodium ions, has increased the use of reverse osmosis in water and wastewater treatment. The polymeric segment is anticipated to expand at the most rapid CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period. Rising need for improvement in the filtration processes has resulted in the development of advanced polymeric membranes with increased efficiency and high performance, which would boost the segment during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest share of the global membranes market in 2019. Rapid increase in industrialization and growth in agricultural and domestic activities are producing large amounts of wastewater, driving the demand for membranes in the region. Key market participants include Toray Industries, DuPont, Koch Separation Solutions, Hydranautics, Pentair, Lanxess, Asahi Kasei Corporation, LG Water Solutions, Suez, and Pall Corporation Membranes Market Segmentation: Emergen Research has segmented the global membranes market in terms of technology, material, application, and region: Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 20172027) UF NF RO MF Others Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 20172027) Ceramic Polymeric Others Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 20172027) Industrial Processing Water & Wastewater Treatment Request a customized copy of the report @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/request-for-customization/471 Additional information offered by the report: A complete overview of the global Membranes market. Detailed examination of the various market dynamics, including drivers, opportunities, challenges, threats, constraints, and development prospects prevailing in the global market. Diverse market trends observed on regional and global levels. The report also elaborates on the market size and shares governed by the major geographies, combined with a precise growth forecast analysis, cost analysis, micro- and macro-economic indicators, and regulatory framework. A vivid analysis of the company profiles of the key market contenders operating in the global Membranes market. Extensive research & development assessment, and a detailed study of the growing demand for new products and the increasing application of the existing and new products. Table of Content Chapter 1. Methodology & Sources 1.1. Market Definition 1.2. Research Scope 1.3. Methodology 1.4. Research Sources 1.4.1. Primary 1.4.2. Secondary 1.4.3. Paid Sources 1.5. Market Estimation Technique Chapter 2. Executive Summary 2.1. Summary Snapshot, 2019-2027 Chapter 3. Key Insights Chapter 4. Membranes Market Segmentation & Impact Analysis 4.1. Membranes Market Material Segmentation Analysis 4.2. Industrial Outlook 4.2.1. Market indicators analysis 4.2.2. Market drivers analysis 4.2.2.1. Strict regulations regarding water treatment 4.2.2.2. Scarcity of freshwater resources 4.2.2.3. Increasing awareness regarding water conservation 4.2.3. Market restraints analysis 4.2.3.1. High capital investment required for membranes 4.2.3.2. Present challenging economic conditions due to the pandemic 4.3. Technological Insights 4.4. Regulatory Framework 4.5. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.6. Competitive Metric Space Analysis 4.7. Price trend Analysis 4.8. Covid-19 Impact Analysis Chapter 5. Membranes Market By Technology Insights & Trends, Revenue (USD Million), Volume (Kilo Tons) 5.1. Technology Dynamics & Market Share, 2019 & 2027 5.1.1. UF 5.1.2. NF 5.1.3. RO 5.1.4. MF 5.1.5. Others CONTINUED..!! For further details on this report, click here @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/membranes-market Thank you for reading our report. For further details or to inquire about customization, please let us know. We will offer you the report as per your needs. About Emergen Research Emergen Research is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target, and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries, and help clients make smarter business decisions. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across multiple industries, including Healthcare, Touch Points, Chemicals, Types, and Energy. We consistently update our research offerings to ensure our clients are aware of the latest trends existent in the market. Emergen Research has a strong base of experienced analysts from varied areas of expertise. Our industry experience and ability to develop a concrete solution to any research problems provides our clients with the ability to secure an edge over their respective competitors. Contact Us: Eric Lee Corporate Sales Specialist Emergen Research | Web: www.emergenresearch.com Direct Line: +1 (604) 757-9756 E-mail: sales@emergenresearch.com Facebook | LinkdIn | Twitter | Blogs Read Full Press Release: https://www.emergenresearch.com/press-release/global-membranes-market A sympathiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer Ghana Limited and Susagtad Boat Building, Mr Novihoho Afaglo has admonished Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to appoint an independent and non partisan body to spearhead the anti Galamsey operations in the country. According to him, the menace of illegal mining would also be another canker Ghana would have to battle with if the President does not move swiftly to stop their operations. Mr Afaglo said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have daunting task to stop the operation of galamsey in the country as it was one of their campaign promises of the party leading to the 2016 general elections. He said the President failed the last anti Galamsey operations in the country because the taskforce appointed to fight the menace turned out to be owning mining pits or engaging in the act. "So it behoves on the President to now appoint non political body with tough skin to spearhead the anti Galamsey operations," the NDC man stated. The CEO said at a point the government was winning the anti Galamsey war but when the Chinese and the local people realised that they were been sacked from the mining pits for sympathisers of NPP or key followers of the President to take over their pits the table turned immediately. Mr Afaglo said the current anti Galamsey operation team are behind the scenes still allocating lands to the Chinese in search of gold destroying our cocoa lands and water bodies in our villages. He said when these villages report the ongoing illegality of Galamsey to the security agencies nothing is done because the doers claim its their party thats in power. "If nothing is done to the illegal mining, the future of our children and families in the villages are doomed forever because we are almost losing our farm and cocoa lands to this illegality." Mr Afaglo said while the activities of these Chinese are depriving Ghanaians of "our water bodies and lands, the Asians are seriously working behind the scenes to overtake the production of cocoa from Africa. It was recently reported that the Asian country has exported it first batch of cocoa beans to Belgium weighing 500 kg worth about $3,600. Source: Philip Antoh 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 The Nigerian Army has confirmed an ambush on one of its bases at Mainok, Borno State. In a statement by its spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, on Monday evening, the army described the attack as a multi-directional attack which claimed one officer and six soldiers. There were reports on Sunday about the death of an unspecified number of soldiers who died after a deadly attack on the N156 battalion in Mainok. Mainok is about 60 kilometres west of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Sources told PREMIUM TIMES the terrorists who came around noon disguised themselves in a military convoy, went straight to the formations armoury and attacked the personnel. Amongst the casualties recorded was the commander of the battalion, a lieutenant colonel. The terror groups disguised in military convoy and gained access to 156 TF Bn position in Mainok and headed straight to the arms store and started inflicting heavy firepower on the troops and dislodged them, one military source said. The source said many other soldiers fled into the bush during the attack. PREMIUM TIMES saw some gory pictures of some of the soldiers killed during the attack. The terrorists also set ablaze a Nigerian army tanker and some buildings in the military base. But according to the statement by the army, the terrorists were held by the troops until reenforcement arrived. He also said scores of Boko Haram terrorists were killed during the attack. Read the full army statement: MAINOK: COAS APPLAUDS TROOPS OF OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE FOR THEIR RESILIENCE AND DOGGEDNESS On Sunday 25 April 2021, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole deployed in Mainok, Borno State, came under multi-directional attacks by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists mounted on unconfirmed number of Gun Trucks as well as foot soldiers with possible intent of establishing a phantom caliphate in the town. The terrorists were held by the gallant troops of 156 Task Force Battalion until the arrival of reinforcement teams from 7 Division, Special Army Super Camp Ngamdu and Army Super Camp 4, Benesheik. During the fire fight which lasted several hours, the gallant troops tactically lured a number of the terrorists into a killing zone within their camp where the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole scrambled Alpha jets and helicopter gunboats which took turns in decimating the already trapped terrorists. In the aftermath of the encounter, scores of Boko Haram terrorists were neutralized with their body part littering the area and a number of their gun trucks destroyed. Regrettably, one gallant Officer and six soldiers paid the supreme sacrifice while 5 other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries. The wounded soldiers have already been evacuated to the military medical facility for treatment. Currently, troops are in full control of Mainok and environ as exploitation for fleeing terrorists is ongoing. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru has applauded troops of Operation Lafiya Dole for their resilience, commitment and doggedness and further reassured Nigerians of the Armys unalloyed commitment to defeating Boko Haram/SWAP terrorists while urging citizens to always avail the troops with accurate and timely information for prompt action. ADVERTISEMENT MOHAMMED YERIMA Brigadier General Director, Army Public Relations 29 April, 2021 SUV PHEV Revealed in June 2015 on a brand-new platform co-developed with Ferrari, the Giulia compact executive sedan was expected to make amends for more than a quarter of a century of neglect and compromise. A stunning drivers car in every respect, the Giulia failed to do so.A sporty four-door sedan doesnt have a place in these-driven times, which brings us to the Giulia-based Stelvio. The D-segment crossover sold 10,284 units in the United States and 17,438 units in Europe in 2020, representing a downturn from previous years. Why didnt the Stelvio triumph, you might be asking? For starters, Alfa Romeo doesnt have the same name recognition as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi in this segment. And secondly, the quality of German rivals is much, much higher.As if that wasnt bad enough for the Italian challenger, the Consumer Reports Auto Reliability 2021 survey doesnt even include Alfa Romeo because of insufficient data and/or too few models. Despite these circumstances, head honcho Jean-Philippe Imparato told Automotive News Europe that Alfa Romeo matches German competitors in terms of quality.The Frenchman may be wishful thinking, but hes also a man of his word based on his achievements at Peugeot and Citroen within Groupe PSA. For example, Imparato has recently postponed the Tonale until 2022, demanding better performance from thepowertrain.Looking at the bigger picture, the Germans arent doing too hot in terms of quality either. The Consumer Reports Auto Reliability 202 1 survey mentioned earlier lists BMW in 12th place with 52 points to its name while Mazda and Toyota reign supreme with 83 and 74 points. Audi is 14th with 46 points, and Mercedes has only 40 points. 3 1 of 3 Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 MONROE Veterans from throughout Fairfield County put on their walking shoes Saturday and helped raise $1,500 for The Connecticut Childrens Medical Center. The veterans participated in the 25th American Legion 3rd District of Connecticut's Kids Walk at Great Hollow Lake in Monroe. Sippin-Winspur American Legion Post 176 of Monroe helped sponsor the event. An elderly man who marched solo on Anzac Day in locked-down Perth is a former One Nation staffer who has previously protested against Covid lockdowns. Michael Darby wore a sign around his neck that read 'honour the fallen' as he hobbled along St Georges Terrace on Sunday. Perth and the Peel region were plunged into a three-day lockdown on Friday following a Covid outbreak at Perth Mercure Hotel. The snap shutdown meant that services marking Anzac Day were cancelled in the Western Australian capital. An elderly man disregarded Perth's coronavirus lockdown to march through the CBD streets in honour of fallen Diggers on Anzac Day (pictured) But Mr Darby, donning his service medals, was seemingly undeterred in his efforts to remember servicemen and woman who fought and died for Australia. Mr Darby, who has attended a number of freedom rallies and anti-Covid protests, worked as an electorate officer for One Nation's Robbin Scott up until August 2019. Mr Darby, who has attended a number of freedom rallies and anti-Covid protests, worked as an electorate officer for One Nation's Robbin Scott up until August 2019 Mr Darby, who never served in battle, told 6PR's Gareth Parker that he defiantly marched in protest of Anzac Day ceremonies being cancelled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. 'Somebody had to do it. There are very many veterans whose only social contact every year is Anzac Day,' he said on Monday morning. 'Those chaps and ladies are bleeding because for two years in succession they haven't had their Anzac Day. 'Somebody had to make the point that it is not the function of government to tell the RSL how or where or when they should be commemorating Anzac Day. 'It is none of the government's business. The government should have stayed out of it, and left it to the RSL to seek their own medical advice.' In February Mr Darby protested against mandatory Covid vaccinations at a march in Scarborough, north of Perth, and then last month attended attended a freedom rally at Parliament House. Services and marches were back with limited crowds in most parts of the country. Attendees waited outside Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance before 1400 were allowed through the gates Alastair Tomkins, joined by his wife Katie and their sons Hugo, 9, (left) and Lyndon, 6, stand in silence after playing The Last Post in their driveway, at dawn, as neighbours stand outside their homes to commemorate Anzac Day in Brisbane Australians gathered across the country in the chilly dawn to mark Anzac Day at public ceremonies for the first time since 2019. Pictured: People attend the consular corps wreath-laying ceremony commemorating in Sydney Only services in Western Australia's Perth and Peel regions were cancelled after a hotel quarantine outbreak led to community virus transmission and the imposition of a three-day lockdown. Sunday marks the 106th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, a campaign which ultimately cost more than 8700 Australian lives. Like last year, many Australians paid tribute at home by standing at the end of their driveways at dawn. Outside of the Sydney CBD, a maximum of 5000 people - excluding spectators - can participate in an outdoor Anzac Day march or dawn service. For all three of those chicks to show up would be pretty exceptional, Cuthbert said. But thats whats going to be really interesting if any of the Chicago chicks from last year do return, survive, where will they go? Where will they end up? Will they return and be in the general Chicago area or will they show up in Michigan? STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. While New York City public high schools welcomed back students to campus last month, many families are calling for full in-person instruction as students in some of the citys top high schools still learn virtually in their classrooms with one group of parents even suing, Chalkbeat recently reported. A lawsuit was recently filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on behalf of more than 20 parents to force the city to reopen public schools five days a week with teachers in front of the classroom instead of a computer screen, according to the media outlet. The lawsuit claims that Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter are violating students constitutional rights to a sound, basic education, Chalkbeat reported. Due to the complicated nature of scheduling high school classes, many students, including at some Staten Island high schools, are still learning virtually from their teachers even when on campus. Students are seated in a classroom, but will tune into their lessons via a device. Students can still receive in-person supports, like counseling, social work, and occupational and physical therapies. A parent in the lawsuit said her daughter was a former straight-A student at Manhattans selective Beacon High School which is offering virtual instruction to students on campus but has significantly regressed during remote learning. The student also has been diagnosed with depression and tried to take her life twice during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to the lawsuit, reported by Chalkbeat. Other parents in the suit said the year took a toll on their childs mental health, in addition to their academics. Avery Cohen, a spokesperson for the mayors office, told Chalkbeat that the city would review the lawsuit. Cohen also defended the citys school reopening effort. We have more students in classrooms than any other city in America, and all of our schools are open for in-person learning, the majority offering in-person learning five days a week, Cohen said in a statement to Chalkbeat. The city Department of Education (DOE) said high school students are receiving a solid education and have access to counselors and other important services, according to the media outlet. From the beginning, weve emphasized that schools must have the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their communities while continually providing a high-quality education, education department spokesperson Katie OHanlon told Chalkbeat. We are confident that every student attending in-person has access to caring educators, enriching programming, and support that cant be replicated outside the classroom. The media outlet reported that education department officials have given few details of what the 2021-2022 school year will look like for these students. School Zone: A new newsletter with the updates you need as our schools try to get back to normal. Enter your email address here and hit "subscribe" to receive this weekly newsletter: FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center), flanked by Vice President Maruf Amin and top military and intelligence officials, delivers televised remarks at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, April 26, 2021. Indonesias president ordered a crackdown against Papuan rebels Monday after insurgents killed an army general who headed the governments intelligence operations in the region the highest-ranking military officer to die in the decades-old separatist conflict. Separatist rebels shot dead Brig. Gen. I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha, the head of the State Intelligence Agencys (BIN) Papua region office, in an ambush on his convoy Sunday afternoon as he was visiting Beoga, a district in Puncak regency where the government has launched counter-insurgency operations, officials from both sides said. I have ordered the military and police chiefs to pursue and arrest members of the armed criminal group, President Joko Jokowi Widodo said in a televised statement. Beoga is where the rebels targeted civilians in a string of recent fatal attacks, accusing them of spying for the government. The armed wing of the Free Papua Movement separatist group claimed responsibility for those killings and the shooting of the brigadier-general, the lone fatality in Sundays roadside ambush. Theres no place for armed criminal groups in the land of Papua and the entire nation, Jokowi said. The brigadier-general would receive a posthumous promotion, the president said. I, on behalf of the Indonesian people and government, would like to express profound condolences to the family left behind, Jokowi said. He delivered a similar message a day earlier, when the military announced that one of its submarines had broken up in deep water off Bali, killing all 53 crew members. BIN spokesman Wawan Hari Purwanto said Putu Danny was visiting Beoga to assess security there amid the recent killings of civilians and arson attacks on schools. He was riding in a convoy with other officials and security forces when they came under fire, Wawan said. Gusti was conducting a field observation to speed up the restoration of security after the brutal action of the Papuan Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST) in the region, Wawan said in a written statement, referring to the Free Papua Movement. The visit to Beoga by the governments top intelligence official in the Papua region was also intended to boost the morale and spirit of the people who have been victims of the cruelty and savagery of the Papua Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST), Wawan said. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the military wing of the Free Papua Movement, had told BenarNews it was behind the killings of two teachers, a motorcycle taxi driver and a 16-year-old high school student earlier this month. They were all working as government informants, the TPNPB said. Brigadier General Gusti Putu was hit by TPNPBs fire, Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the rebels, said in a statement. We targeted TNI (Indonesian Armed Forces) members in the firefight, but none of our personnel was injured. Wawan said Gustis body was taken to the city of Timika and would be flown to Jakarta on Tuesday for burial at the Heroes Cemetery. This incident will not dampen the spirit and morale of intelligence personnel and other security forces in eradicating all national threats, he said. In Jakarta, Bambang Soesatyo, chairman of the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR), urged the government to deploy forces at full strength to crush the Papuan rebellion. Destroy them first. We will discuss human rights matters later, Indonesian news reports quoted the lawmaker as saying. His call for action drew criticism from human rights watchdog Amnesty International. This statement has the potential to encourage an escalation of violence in Papua and West Papua, Usman Hamid, the head of Amnestys Indonesian office, said in a statement Monday. Human rights are constitutional obligations so they must be a priority in every state policy. Putting aside human rights is not only against international law but also unconstitutional, Usman said. Bolder, more aggressive The Papuan insurgents have grown more aggressive since late 2018 when they killed 20 workers who were building a road, said Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), a Jakarta think-tank. Putu Danny, she said, was the senior-most military officer to be killed in the long-simmering conflict in the far-eastern region, which comprises Papua and West Papua provinces. They have become bolder and are in control of areas in the central highlands, including Intan Jaya, Nduga, Timika, and Puncak Jaya, Jones told BenarNews. Obviously they have become more aggressive but more importantly, the governments strategy to fight back didnt work at all because it only sent troops without understanding why they are stronger now than four years earlier, and every year they are stronger, she said. It would be a big mistake to label the Free Papua Movement a terrorist group because that would anger more Papuans and make the prospect of dialogue with the rebel group even harder, Jones said. In her opinion, the government needs to investigate the rebels sources of funding and weapons, and find out why they have become stronger despite large numbers of government troops being sent to the region. It is clear that the presence of more troops does not mean that Papuans are safer, she said. Stanislaus Riyanta, a security scholar at the University of Indonesia, agreed that the rebels have grown more aggressive. Ambushes on convoys of government officials and security forces have become more frequent, he told BenarNews. According to Stanislaus, the rebels worry that highway construction and other infrastructure development projects being carried out by the Jokowi administration will win the hearts and minds of Papuans in the deeply impoverished and underdeveloped region. This is something that they dont like, he said. Nevertheless, the government must continue its programs to improve the lives of the Papuan people, he said. When trust in the government is high, the armed criminal group will have little room to influence the public. The role of the state in the fields of education, health and infrastructure is crucial, he added. In 1963, Indonesian forces invaded the Papua region which makes up the western half of New Guinea Island and annexed it. Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-administered ballot known as the Act of Free Choice. Many Papuans and rights groups said the vote was a sham because it involved only about 1,000 people. Story and video from SWNS These stunning pictures show a hilarious 20ft high jolly-looking hedge creation that has lovingly been maintained by a family for the last 15 years. Homeowner Susan Sanderson, 75, has kept the enormous garden boundary as a tribute to her widow John, who cultivated the creation one day while she was out shopping. The enormous extravagant design - which features eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth - appears to show an animal with a surprised expression on its face. The animal-like creation, which features a rabbit nestling on its long back, looks like it could be a giant caterpillar, but from the front, it could be a bunny. But what it is supposed to represent remains a mystery to Susan, who said the husband of 46 years John only ever described it as whatever you want it to be. Susan, a mother-of-four, said the sculpture has caught the attention of walkers and neighbours over the years - but she hated it at first. Homeowner Susan Sanderson, 75, has kept the enormous garden boundary as a tribute to her widow John, who cultivated the creation one day while she was out shopping. She said: John had a fantastic sense of humour and he was always playing pranks and making people laugh. He kept saying to me one morning - are you going out today?, I had planned to go shopping and he was keen for me to go out, he couldnt get rid of me quick enough. He absolutely had the thing planned because when I came home, hed had it all done. I said goodness me, what is that? He said well I like it'. Everybody likes it around here so its lasted ever since. Susan has grown to love the hedge, however, and it has taken on an added poignancy since John tragically died eight years ago. Since his death, the couples oldest son Mark, 51, has taken over tending to the hedge, which the family have even decorated to mark the Olympics and Christmas in the past. Susan added: Mark has kept it going. We couldnt be without it now to be honest. Im not a sentimental person, but the hedge is the one thing I do like to remember John by. It does stick with me that it was his idea and he did it and he loved it. I cant even remember what it looked like before. Its his legacy really, he was always a very happy person, he was never, ever miserable and nothing could bring him down. He always saw the funny side of everything. The enormous extravagant design - which features eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth - appears to show an animal with a surprised expression on its face. The hedge, in the familys house in Willaston on the Wirral, requires trimming twice a year. It has delighted neighbours with its Christmas decorations and the family dressed it up to celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games. And over the past 12 months, it has kept locals entertained during lockdown on their daily exercise walks. But Susan insists she doesnt know exactly what it is supposed to be. She added: Some people say it looks like a caterpillar, some people say a rabbit. Whenever anyone asked John he just said whatever and whoever you want it to be and thats what we tell people now when they ask. People will stop on their walks and look at it and they obviously find it funny. But what it is supposed to represent remains a mystery to Susan, who said the husband of 46 years John only ever described it as whatever you want it to be. Our neighbours have changed quite a few times over the years, but everybody has liked it. We get lots of lovely comments from people going past, everyone seems to enjoy it. We've seen it on Google in Scotland and there was a lady outside the other day who said that she sent some photographs of it to someone in Australia and they thought it was wonderful. I think everybody is glad to see it, its something to smile at. It just brings a bit of joy to people. Tragically John died eight years, just two weeks after the couple celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary. Susan said: He always playing tricks on the kids, he was just a happy, positive person. He just came to bed one night and forgot he had to wake up again. He hadnt been ill or anything. It was really sad, but he was with us and thats all that mattered. Hes still with us in a way, he lives on through his hedge. Andra Day managed to get censored after offering a passionate answer to a mid-Oscars guessing game. But even though ABC cut off her audio, eagled-eyes fans were able to read the United States Vs. Billie Holiday star's lips. After Lil Rel Howery asked her if the Prince track Purple Rain won an Oscar or was snubbed, she appeared to say: 'It's a brilliant song. It probably wasn't even nominated and that's some bulls**t.' Bleep: Andra Day's audio got cut during a fun game at the Oscars, but fans were able to read her lips to figure out the message Not having it: After Lil Rel Howery asked her if the Prince track Purple Rain won an Oscar or was snubbed, she appeared to say: 'It's a brilliant song. It probably wasn't even nominated and that's some bulls**t' Purple Rain wasn't nominated for Best Original Song in 1985. That year, Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You from the film The Woman In Red earned the honor, beating other 80s classics like Phil Collins' Against All Odds, Let's Here It For The Boy by Pitchford & Tom Snow, as well as the Footloose and Ghostbusters themes. But while the ballad itself wasn't nominated, that year Prince took home the award for Best Original Song Score, an award reserved for film musicals. This year Andra was up for best actress Oscar for playing the lead in The United States Vs. Billie Holiday. Whoops! As soon as the words slipped, it was clear the star knew she has goofed up Star power: This year Andra was up for best actress Oscar for playing the lead in The United States Vs. Billie Holiday Though she was a category frontrunner after taking home the Golden Globe in January, the award would go to Frances McDormand for Nomadland. The film ended up earning some of the top gongs, taking home Best Picture and Best Director for filmmaker Chloe Zhao, making her the first woman of color to win the category. The United States Vs. Billie Holiday was Andra's first major foray into film. And while her performance was highly-acclaimed, she found herself insecure about acting all together. Roadrunner: Though she was a category frontrunner after taking home the Golden Globe in January, the award would go to Frances McDormand for Nomadland 'I truly was definitely out of my depth the entire time,' Day told People ahead of the Oscars. 'I would have the thought, in my mind, that maybe they're just settling because they realized they can't get any better from me. Or that's the best they're going to get, and I'm already here.' 'So there was always that underlying thought that they're just accommodating me right now.' RTHK: UK unveils jab publicity blitz aimed at under-50s The UK government launches a new campaign on Monday urging under-50s to get vaccinated against coronavirus, as it shifts to the second stage of its so far successful jabs drive. The health ministry said the TV, radio, social media and billboard campaign - branded "every vaccination gives us hope" - would showcase the biggest inoculation effort in British history by featuring health workers and volunteers as well as immunised people. Private- and public-sector organisations will also pitch in, like the Royal Mail public postal system, which will apply a special postmark to stamped mail between May 5 and 7. The campaign will be launched as the government continues gradually easing months-old lockdown measures, after Britain met its mid-April deadline to offer a first dose to all over-50s. Nearly 34 million people - almost two-thirds of the adult population - has now received an initial shot, with officials aiming to have offered all adults one by August. After early struggles to reach ethnic minority groups, their uptake tripled in the two months to April 7, from 1.89 million to 5.78 million, the health ministry said. Initially one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe by the pandemic, with 4.4 million cases and almost 128,000 deaths, the speedy vaccine campaign is estimated to have saved more than 10,000 lives in Britain between December and March. Analysis by the Office for National Statistics and Oxford University shows that infections fell by 65 percent after first vaccine doses, rising further after the second shot. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2021-04-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Update: On Tuesday, the Town of Windsor notified the United Residents for Recalling Foppoli Committee that it would have to refile its recall paperwork, using the term At-large Mayor of Windsor instead of Mayor. Tim Zahner, the committee co-chair, said the group plans to refile by Thursday. Windsor residents effort to forcibly remove Mayor Dominic Foppoli from office formally kicked off on Monday with the filing of recall paperwork, the latest rebuke of the politician and vintner who has refused to heed calls for his resignation over sexual assault allegations from several women. Tim Zahner, co-chair of the United Residents for Recalling Foppoli Committee, said the organization had filed a Notice of Intention with the town clerk at a noon meeting, the first official step in the march toward a recall election. The filing starts the clock on Californias powerful but bureaucratically cumbersome process to unseat Foppoli, who has been accused by six women of sexual assaults ranging from groping to rape between 2002 and 2019. The sexual allegations against Mr. Foppoli are credible, corroborated and demonstrate the pattern of a sexual predator that cannot be ignored, reads the notice. The committee to recall Foppoli, believes and supports the women he victimized. Dominic Foppoli has violated the trust of the Town of Windsor residents and can no longer fulfill his duties as mayor. Foppoli, 38, did not respond Monday to a request for comment. In response to Chronicle investigations, more than two dozen elected officials and a slew of residents have called on Foppoli to step down in public statements, rallies and at Windsor Town Council meetings. But Foppoli has defied those demands. And because he was elected to his post, the mayor can only be removed by a felony conviction or a recall vote. We intend to see this through, Zahner said in a statement. Foppoli has shown he cannot lead the Town of Windsor, and since he refuses to do the right thing and resign, we will remove him thoroughly and completely. The campaign mailed Foppoli a copy of the recall notice demanding his immediate removal from elected office, Zahner said. Foppoli, who has been mayor since 2018, has seven days to respond to the notice. Organizers must then design a petition and receive approval from the town clerk before they can gather signatures. Zahner said he expects to begin collecting signatures in mid-May. Organizers will have 120 days to obtain signatures from at least 20% of Windsors 16,879 registered voters or about 3,376 residents to force a recall election. The town has 30 business days to review the signatures and determine whether they are valid. Windsor officials will then have two weeks to set a special election for some time between 88 and 125 days in the future. Given that timeline, Windsor residents are unlikely to know before this fall whether Foppoli will face a recall. If the measure qualifies, the election is unlikely to occur before spring 2022; the mayoral seat is up for election in November 2022. Foppoli will be recorded in local history as the first person to be elected mayor in Windsor as well as the first one to be recalled by the people, Zahner said. The recall movement is the most recent fallout from Chronicle investigations detailing the allegations of the six women. Foppoli has denied that he assaulted any of these women, saying at an emergency Town Council meeting earlier this month, I know deep in my heart that I have done nothing criminally wrong and eventually will be cleared. Although Foppoli has stepped back from his mayoral duties, he has resisted calls for his resignation from his Town Council colleagues, the eight other mayors of Sonoma County, and the two U.S. congressional representatives for the North Bay. In its letter to Foppoli, the recall campaign called his decision to step back unacceptable. Foppoli has a right to claim innocence until proven guilty, he does not have a right to maintain elected office when the people have found him unfit to serve, according to the notice. We have heard the voices of Windsor residents and the unrelenting pain of his victims and those who demand his resignation. First elected to the Windsor Town Council in November 2014, Foppoli was appointed mayor by his colleagues in 2018, and again in 2019. When the town opted to switch to an elected mayor role, Foppoli won the inaugural election in November 2020. Foppolis Town Council colleagues have said they support the recall movement in the absence of his voluntary resignation. The council members have also proposed scrapping the elected mayor position, or establishing a charter that would allow them to remove Foppoli themselves. A special election is scheduled for May 4 to fill the open council seat Foppoli vacated when he was elected mayor. Rosa Reynoza, one of five candidates vying for the midterm vacancy, ran against Foppoli in the 2020 election and lost. I wish Foppoli would resign, Reynoza said, but since he is not, I support the recall. Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore, who said he was friends with Foppoli before learning of the assault allegations, and who recently endorsed him for mayor, called on Foppoli to resign earlier this month. In an interview Monday, Gore said he will support the recall effort. I feel like I cant just call for him to resign; I have to also support his recall because its not enough for me to just make statements, Gore said. Justice has yet to be served. Chronicle staff writer Alexei Koseff contributed to this report. Cynthia Dizikes and Alexandria Bordas are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cdizikes@sfchronicle.com, alexandria.bordas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cdizikes, @crossingbordas Dodgers center fielder Mookie Betts watches as a ball hit by San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. clears the wall for a home run. The ball was caught by La Salle Prep junior Doug Pyle (in a Dodgers jersey with a face mask over his chin). (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) The Dodgers new Home Run Seats do not come with a guarantee of a home run ball. On Sunday, in the Dodgers nationally televised game against the San Diego Padres, one fan sitting there caught two home run balls. No, he said, he did not throw back the one hit by Fernando Tatis Jr., despite what the broadcasters said on air and ESPN said in a tweet. Doug Pyle, 17, is a junior at La Salle Prep in Pasadena. He and his family have gone to Dodger Stadium for years, but usually they sit along the left field line, close to the Dodgers bullpen. Ive caught one foul ball, Pyle said, but Ive dreamed about catching a home run. When his mother splurged on a night in the new seats $500 for two tickets Pyle wore his Justin Turner jersey and brought his glove. And, when he caught the home run hit by Tatis, the television cameras focused on him throwing a ball onto the field. In some stadiums, they eject you for throwing the ball back, he said. But I know at Dodger Stadium, they dont do that. Plus, I kind of wanted to show off my arm. He is a pitcher and center fielder on his high school team. When the ESPN SportsCenter Twitter account posted video of his throw for its 37 million followers, one of the replies came from former Dodgers pitcher Brock Stewart: Solid arm action. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Pyle said he got a nice message from former Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, whom he had gotten to know from all those nights sitting near the Dodgers bullpen. His phone was blowing up with messages. On the ESPN broadcast, Alex Rodriguez suggested he was a lookalike for Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler. For one day, he was the most famous person on his high school team. The second baseman on his team is the son of former Dodgers third baseman and probable Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre. On Monday, Pyle said he had both home run balls, one hit by Tatis and the other by the Dodgers Chris Taylor. During batting practice, Pyle said, he had grabbed a ball. That was the ball he threw on the field. I had that ball in my pocket, waiting for that exact moment, Pyle said. I have the real one. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. President Joe Biden speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, from the East Room of the White House on April 23, 2021. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo) 3 Reasons Why the Biden Tax Increase Makes No Sense Commentary Anyone who believes the rich and large corporations will pay for $28 trillion in debt or the $2 trillion in new deficit has a real problem with math. Bidens announcement of a massive tax increase on businesses and the wealthier segments of the population simply makes no sense. The tax hikes will have a significant impact on economic growth, investment, and job creation and dont even scratch the surface of the structural deficit. Even if we believe the gross domestic product (GDP) growth and revenue estimates announced by the Biden administration, the impact on debt and deficit is negligible. So whats their response? That debt and deficits dont matter because the key now is to spur growth, and the cost of borrowing is low despite rising debt. Furthermore, the Biden administration has been inundated by Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) proponents who passionately believe that deficits are good because they attend to the rising global demand for U.S. dollars. Additionally, the Biden administration argues that the deficit increase isnt a problem because the Federal Reserve continues to purchase government bonds, keeping yields low and debt costs stable. Nice, so why the tax hikes, then? If debt and deficits dont matter and growth and jobs are what we need to focus on, then why increase taxes? The entire tax-increase argument crumbles. Theres absolutely no rationale for such massive hikes, either from the revenue perspective or the growth objective. If growth will take care of the rising deficit, the Biden administration should use all the tools to support growth. There are three main reasons why the tax increases make no sense: First, the estimated real revenue impact is negligible. In 2018, the federal capital gains tax revenue was $158.4 billion. A 5-percentage-point increase in the current regime would provide an additional $18 billion to $30 billion, according to Princeton University estimates, in an optimistic scenario where there would be no negative impact of the tax increase. The estimates of revenues of the corporate and personal tax increase assume $695 billion from corporate taxes, $495 billion from global minimum tax, and $271 billion from repealing so-called tax loopholes for intangible income, and $54 billion from ending fossil fuel tax breaks and anti-inversion deals. Obviously, these estimates are optimistic and in many cases fantasy as they consider a perfect world in which these taxes wont have any negative impact on the economy and a GDP growth that wont be affected at all. Even if we accept the estimates, these revenues are spread over 15 years, so the net-present-value impact is even worse. These dont even start to address the rise in mandatory spending that drives the structural deficit above 2.5 percent of GDP. Second, the impact on the economy will be larger than the Biden administration estimates. These tax increases dont affect only the rich. Such high capital gains taxes stifle innovation and reduce capital flow into private equity, which is essential to boost start-ups and new high-productivity businesses. This is the reason why Europe has reduced capital gains taxes or even eliminated them. Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland dont have capital gains tax. Of the countries that do levy a capital gains tax, Greece and Hungary have the lowest rates, at 15 percent. European countries average is 19.3 percent. The same happens with the corporate tax rate. The United States would have the highest corporate tax rate in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) under Bidens plan (28 percent). Many argue that effective corporate tax rates are lower and that in other countries, firms pay VAT, but the arguments are only partially correct. The European Commission showed that the effective average tax rate of U.S. companies was 36.5 percent in 2015 compared to 21.1 percent in the average of the European Union. When comparing effective rates, many U.S. analyses play the trick of adding loss-making companies or averaging what a tech giant pays in the United States with the rest of the sectors. However, none of these arguments matter if you look at the tax wedge that U.S. companies paid relative to other OECD companies. According to PwC, the total tax and contribution rate of U.S. businesses was 43.8 percent (profit, labor, and other taxes) in 2017 compared with a regional average of 40 percent. The risk of outflow of capital from the United States to other countries with more competitive taxation is evident to anyone who has run a business or a financial firm. These tax increases may have little impact on multinational corporations, but they do have an exceptionally large negative effect on medium-sized businesses. Thats why these measures are regressive. Even Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen knows this tax increase is damaging. Thats why she wants a global tax. If she saw no negative impact, she would let other countries manage their taxes as they wish. Third, the problem of mandatory spending isnt even addressed. Mandatory spending in the United States has ballooned to $2.9 trillion in 2020 from $1.8 trillion in 2008 and is estimated to rise another trillion in the next 10 years. The main cause of the U.S. deficit comes from the rise in mandatory spending as receipts cant match the unstoppable increase in spending that no government can touch. Economies grow and enter recessions. Its impossible to cut the deficit via tax increases when the pace of growth of the expense side exceeds the economic output and receipts even in growth periods. No serious economist can believe that tax increases will generate sustained annual revenues in any economic cycle, be it growth, stagnation, or recession to cover more than $200 billion every year in spending increases over a trillion deficit. So why does Biden do it? To please the most socialist part of his administration and voter base, who dont worry about the economic implications, they only want to make the rich poorer. If making money in capital markets is so easy, why dont the politicians facilitate things to allow everyone to do it? Furthermore, if they believe making money in capital markets or in a business is so easy, why dont they do it themselves? Bidens tax increase plan doesnt make sense from a growth, revenue, or deficit perspective. Furthermore, it doesnt make sense from a Republican or Democrat perspective. It simply doesnt add up and doesnt address the United States problem: ballooning mandatory spending. Daniel Lacalle, Ph.D., is chief economist at hedge fund Tressis and author of Freedom or Equality, Escape from the Central Bank Trap, and Life in the Financial Markets. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A senior Cabinet Office official has admitted that Lex Greensills appointment to a role in Downing Street was a screaming, glaring conflict of interest. Darren Tierney, director general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office, told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) that the Australian financiers exact role as an adviser was unclear. Links between Greensill Capital, a firm which was founded by the financier, the Government and David Cameron have come under scrutiny amid controversy over the former prime ministers lobbying on behalf of the firm. The disclosures over Mr Camerons lobbying activities on behalf of Greensill including sending texts to Chancellor Rishi Sunak led to Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordering a review by the senior lawyer Nigel Boardman. Appearing before MPs, Mr Tierney said that Mr Greensill was appointed as an unpaid adviser on supply chain finance from 2012 to 2015, which was during Mr Camerons premiership. Mr Tierney said he had asked Mr Boardman to look into the details but his understanding was that Greensill did not have contracts with the Government until much later on, around 2018. He was asked by Tory MP David Jones if Mr Greensill had acquired information in No 10 that would have been of assistance to him in deciding the basis upon which he would offer commercial services to the Government. During the committee session on Monday, Mr Tierney said: I think its exactly that potential conflict of interest that we have asked Nigel Boardman to look at. Former minister Mr Jones then asked: I mean, you say potential conflict of interest, doesnt it look a screaming, glaring conflict of interest? Mr Tierney responded: Yes it does. When asked if it looked to be appalling incompetence by senior officials, Mr Tierney said: What we havent seen is the evidence of how the conflict was to be managed, and that is what we have asked Nigel Boardman to look into. In a statement earlier this month, Mr Cameron said that Mr Greensill was brought in to work with the government by former Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood in 2011. Former prime minister David Cameron (Jacob King/PA) He was not a political appointee, but part of the Civil Service drive to improve government efficiency, Mr Cameron said, adding that the pair had very little contact in his time as prime minister. Mr Tierney said that officials had found appointment letters but had so far been unable to identify a contract for Mr Greensill, who left the Cabinet Office in 2016. Asked about the nature of Mr Greensills role, Mr Tierney told MPs: He wasnt a special adviser his exact status is unclear. Thats one of the things that we have asked Nigel Boardman to look into. The collapse of Greensill which filed for insolvency in March has threatened thousands of UK jobs at Liberty Steel, which was dependent on it for its financing. During the committee session, senior officials also acknowledged concerns about how Bill Crothers had been able to combine his role as the Governments procurement chief with a position at Greensill. Mr Crothers began advising the firm in September 2015 but remained in his civil service role until November that year, after which he carried on working for the financial services firm. Former civil service chief Sir Jeremy and former Whitehall chief executive Sir John Manzoni had approved the dual role, MPs were told, but there was no ministerial involvement. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case giving evidence to the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (House of Commons/PA) Cabinet Secretary Simon Case told MPs during the PACAC evidence session that it was a pretty extraordinary set of circumstances. Documents released by the Treasury showed Mr Crothers was involved in efforts to persuade officials to grant Greensill access to a coronavirus finance scheme in 2020. It led the Cabinet Secretary to order an investigation into whether other senior officials currently held dual roles. In a letter to the committee, Mr Case said he was aware of fewer than one hundred senior civil servants who hold paid employment alongside their civil service role following an investigation. Amid the coronavirus crisis across the world Iraqs Baghdad hospital catches fire. In the huge fire incident broke out in a hospital treating coronavirus patients death toll rose to 82 killed and around 110 wounded. The Iraqi Interior Ministry has informed about the current situation of the spot. Khalid al-Mahana, spokesman of the ministry The fire of Ibn al-Khatib Hospital resulted in the killing of 82 patients and health workers and the wounding of 110 others, told the official Iraqiya channel on Sunday. He continued saying Many of the wounded are still in critical conditions. The incident occurred late on Saturday night when several oxygen cylinders exploded, setting a huge fire at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital. Coronavirus patients on the eastern side of the capital were getting treated there. Civil defence teams and firefighting vehicles arrived at the scene to put out the fire and were able to prevent the fire from reaching the upper floors, the statement said. The statement added Many patients were affected by the cut of oxygen cylinders during their evacuation from the hospital, and others suffocated by the smoke. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi office released a statement saying al-Kadhimi has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and that the families of the victims should be compensated and treatment is provided for the wounded. Lately, the countrys Health Ministry reported 6,967 new Covid-19 cases, taking the national tally to 1,025,288. It also reported 43 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the national total to 15,217. Also Read Indonesia: 53 crew members of lost naval submarine declared dead South Korea to enhance Covid-19 vaccination drive amid spurt in cases Kerala: A Beedi worker donates entire bank savings to CM's relief fund Despite potential obstacles posed by the coronavirus pandemic, injured workers experienced no meaningful delays in access to medical treatment under their employers workers compensation programs during the pandemic. Research from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) also shows that states have varied substantially in the percentage of their workers compensation claims that have been Covid-19 related. We found no change in pattern in the first treatment, and no change in the number of visits, said economist Olesya Fomenko during WCRIs recent annual conference in explaining the preliminary findings of her research. Fomenko analyzed data on Covid-19 paid claims from 27 states for the first two quarters of 2020 compared to 2019. The number of days from injury to treatment in 2020 was largely unaffected for Covid and non-Covid medical claims, as was the number of medical visits per claim. There was no delay for evaluation and management services, emergency room services, physical therapy, or surgery. That was true whether the claims originated in the first half of 2020 or were existing claims carried over from 2018 and 2019. In fact, there was a slight improvement in speed to surgery for 2019 claims carried into 2020. Fomenko also observed that for non-Covid-19 claims, there was almost no change in the injury composition between 2020 and 2019 second quarters. In 2019, 22% were lacerations/contusions compared to about 21% in 2020. Also, 26% were strains in 2019 while 22% were in 2020. State Variations We see a large variation across states in the prevalence of Covid-19 claims, Fomenko said of her other major finding. For all 27 states studied, the median was 6% of all claims being Covid-19 claims. The share varied substantially state-by-state. The states with the highest percentages of Covid claims were Massachusetts at 42%, New Jersey at 34% and Connecticut 23%. States with the lowest percentages of Covid claims among their workers compensation claims included South Carolina at 1% along with Kansas (2%), and Texas, Arkansas and Nevada (3%). Regarding the variations among states, Fomenko found influencing factors include how hard a state was hit by the pandemic, how high the states unemployment rate rose, and whether the state had a law presuming the virus was caught on-the-job or a system feature that favored payment. The prevalence of COVID-19 claims is associated with the spread of the virus at the time and the sates that were hit the hardest by the pandemic in the second quarter of 2020, such as Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, also had some of the highest percentages of Covid-19 claims, she noted. Non-Covid Claims All 27 states saw a drop in non-Covid workers compensation claims during the first half of 2020, ranging from 20% to 50%. A majority of states had a 30% or more drop in non-Covid claims from the second quarter 2019 to the second quarter 2020. The states with the biggest drop were Massachusetts at 50% and seven states with more than a 40% drop (New Jersey, Michigan, Connecticut, Louisiana, Illinois, Florida and Pennsylvania). The smallest drops were 20% in Kansas, 21% in Arkansas, and 25% in Tennessee and Arizona. Here is where we see the impact of the massive economic slowdown, stay-home policies, and switching to work from home on the volume of workers compensation claims, she explained. While the drop in non-Covid claims appears to track with states unemployment rates, it is not fully explained by the unemployment picture, according to Fomenko. Covid claims from workers have been most prevalent in certain high risk services industries; in particular in the health care industry including assisted living facilities, hospitals and physician and dentist offices. More than 60% of Covid claims in the first and second quarters of 2020 were in health services as opposed to in construction, manufacturing, clerical, or other industries. Again, the share of claims in the healthcare sector varied by state, with only 8% in South Carolina and 9% in Kansas to a high of 75% in Massachusetts, 68% in New Jersey and 67% in Connecticut. The median rate among states of Covid-19 claims from the health care industry was 34%. Covid-19 claims have a concentration in high risk services, more than 60% of all claims were happening among workers in high-risk services, Fomenko stated. Lower risk services had another 30% of Covid claims. So, service industries have majority of Covid-19 claims by the end of the second quarter 2020. States that had passed workers compensation laws that presumed a virus was a job-related event laws in the second quarter 2020Wisconsin, Kentucky, California, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Minnesota Illinois, Michigan ad Connecticut tended to have higher percentage of Covid-19 claims than states that did not. Massachusetts and New Jersey had other features of their workers comp systems that had similar effect. The states in the WCRI study were Arkansas, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Topics COVID-19 Workers' Compensation Talent Melissa Leong has publicly blasted a Sydney-based wellness cafe of cultural appropriation in a furious Instagram comment. On Monday, the MasterChef judge, 39, lashed out at Orchard St. after they advertised their $45 nephrite jade gua sha skin massage tool and used a video of a white model using the product on her face. An hour after the footage was posted, Australian judge Melissa - who has Chinese-Singaporean heritage - wrote: 'Sorry, but thats not at all how you use it. Fuming: Melissa Leong has publicly accused a Sydney-based wellness cafe of cultural appropriation in a furious Instagram comment 'As a Chinese person, this feels like thousands of years of culture and technique, turned into a prop.' Orchard St. had written alongside the video: 'Weave an ancient beauty tool into your daily skincare ritual with our nephrite jade Gua Sha.' Many fans were quick to agree with Melissa's comment, with one writing: 'Spot on. Action and correction over performative bulls**t.' Another added: 'Lots of things they can do to correct themselves, the least an apology and offering their space to the experts, from the country of origin. Lets wait and see, but time is ticking and it doesnt look like theyre working on it.' The post itself has since been deleted by Orchard St. Daily Mail Australia have contacted the company, and Melissa, for further comment. Hitting out: On Monday, the MasterChef judge, 39, lashed out at Orchard St after they advertised their $45 nephrite jade gua sha skin massage tool, including a video of a white model glazing the product over her face Agreement: Many fans were quick to agree with Melissa's comment, with one writing: 'Spot on. Action and correction over performative bulls**t' Gua sha is a tool used in traditional Chinese medicine, which has grown in popularity in the western beauty industry in recent years. It's used to scrape back the skin, with practitioners believing it helps to stimulate blood flow, promoting cell repair, regeneration, recovery and healing. It involves repeatedly stroking the gua sha tool over moisturised skin while applying firm pressure. Indeed, it's not the first time that Melissa has slammed the beauty industry over their usage of the tool. In January, she accused the industry of 'whitewashing' in a scathing post after a company advertised the same gua sha beauty tool online. While Melissa blacked out the company's name, she was clearly furious in her comments about the post, which featured a white model. Furious: In January, Melissa re-shared a post from a beauty company advertising a jade gua sha beauty tool and was scathing in her comments 'Yep. It's just a "skin fitness tool". Let's not talk about the cultural and medical significance of gua sha (in this case) in Chinese or Asian culture or how much we largely ignore appropriation in the beauty industry,' she began. In a second post on Instagram Stories, she included a link to an article which appeared on UK Glamour magazine titled 'How wellness got whitewashed'. Melissa urged her followers to read it 'if you want to know more about why us women of colour feel this way'. 'Even though we're all aware that appropriating cornrows, feathered headdresses and bindis is abjectly wrong, when appropriation veers into the wellness sphere, we just seem to care less,' wrote author Anita Bhagwandas. She added: 'Don't be that basic wellness b***h - you should care.' Multi-platinum producer Dr. Luke is NOT a public figure says judge Dr. Luke has produced many platinum releases and been named Grammy Producer Of The Year, but a Judge had decided that Dr. Luke is not a public figure. According to Court House News: In a case brought by music producer Lukasz Gottwald, also known as Dr. Luke, against musician Kesha, who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her, an appeals court in New York ruled Dr. Luke is not a public figure and does not need to prove Kesha made her allegedly defamatory statements with actual malice. This bio would seem to contradict his private figure claim: In October 2014, Kesha initiated a series of lawsuits, alleging sexual assault and abuse by Gottwald.[4] They were dismissed in April 2016. Share on: Beijing: The European Union called out China on Saturday (April 24) for endangering peace in the South China Sea and urged all parties to abide by a 2016 tribunal ruling which rejected most of China`s claim to sovereignty in the sea, but which Beijing has rejected. The EU last week released a new policy aimed at stepping up its influence in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China`s rising power. The Philippines on Friday (April 23) protested to China over its failure to withdraw what it called "threatening" boats believed to be manned by maritime militia around the disputed Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef. "Tensions in the South China Sea, including the recent presence of large Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, endanger peace and stability in the region," an EU spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday (April 24). EU reiterated its strong opposition to "unilateral actions that could undermine regional stability and international rules-based order". It urged all parties to resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law and highlighted a 2016 international arbitration that had ruled in favor of the Philippines while invalidating most of China`s claims in the South China Sea. China rejected the EU`s accusation that its ships at Whitsun Reef, which China calls Niu`E Jiao, had endangered peace and security. The Chinese Mission to the EU in a statement on Saturday (April 24) reiterated that the reef is part of China`s Nansha Islands or the Spratly Islands and that it was "reasonable and lawful" for Chinese fishing boats to operate there and shelter from the wind. The Chinese statement also insisted that China`s sovereignty, rights, and interests in the South China Sea were formed in the "long course of history and consistent with international law" and rejected the 2016 tribunal ruling as "null and void". "The South China Sea should not become a tool for certain countries to contain and suppress China, much less a wrestling ground for major-power rivalry," the Chinese statement said. China is increasingly worried that Europe and other countries are heeding U.S. President Joe Biden`s call for a "coordinated approach" towards China, which had so far materialized in the form of sanctions over its security crackdown in Hong Kong and treatment of Uyghur Muslims. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month said Washington "stands by its ally, the Philippines," in the face of Chinas massing maritime militia at Whitsun Reef. Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-26 21:02:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Monday lashed out at Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for its provocative remarks. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said the DPP authority has further exposed its nature of seeking "Taiwan independence," in response to a query on the remarks by Tsai Ing-Wen and Lai Ching-te. Reiterating that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory, Ma said Taiwan will never be separated from China. "When it comes to national sovereignty and territorial integrity, it must be decided by all the Chinese people," Ma said. The "hideous performance" of the DPP authority and separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence" once again proved that their provocative actions are the biggest source of chaos jeopardizing the stability across the Taiwan Strait, Ma noted. Such actions threaten the well-being of Taiwan compatriots and bring nothing but grave disasters to them, Ma added. "This fully demonstrates that our determination to deter separatist activities for 'Taiwan independence' is to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," the spokesperson said. Warning the DPP authority and "Taiwan independence" separatist forces not to misjudge the situation, Ma said relying on foreign support to seek "Taiwan independence" is doomed to fail. Enditem "Crip Camp" writer-directors Nicole Newnham, left, and James LeBrecht and producer Sara Bolder arrive at the 2021 Academy Awards. (Chris Pizzello / Pool photo) Diversity is about so much more than skin color, as evidenced by the 2021 Oscars red carpet, which on Sunday welcomed three people using wheelchairs one with a service dog. The trio were part of the team behind the nominated documentary "Crip Camp," which tells the story of Camp Jened, a summer retreat in the Catskills where, from 1951 to 1977, many young people with disabilities first experienced the joys of community. "We're on the red carpet! #Oscars," the film's official Twitter account said gleefully, tweeting out a photo showing the "Crip Camp" representatives, including nominated writer-directors James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "Sending hope & gratitude to my friends on the #CripCamp team today!," tweeted "Crip Camp" writer David Radcliff, who has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair and is a member of the Writers Guild of America's Committee for Writers With Disabilities. "No matter what #Oscars bring, I hope this is a tipping point after which seeing disabled people at awards doesn't seem so revolutionary. Thank you for all the work you've done & the doors you have helped to open." Radcliff tweeted that LeBrecht was the first person he'd ever seen using a mobility device at the Oscars, which he said he has watched nearly his entire life. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "Crip Camp" has won top documentary honors from 10 organizations, including the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards and the Film Independent Spirit Awards. At the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, it was the audience award winner. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Sharon Davies has a simple message for anyone whose GP recommends they start taking the drug pregabalin to deal with anxiety. Dont, she says. Please, just dont. During the two years she spent on the drug, Sharon experienced a range of unbearable side-effects, including dizzy spells, mental fuzziness and extreme weight gain. Then, in July last year, when she tried to stop taking Lyrica one of several brands of the drug (pregabalin is the generic name) she was hit by withdrawal symptoms so severe that she had to take sick leave from the job she loved, working at a wildlife hospital near her home in Billericay, Essex. The next few months were the worst time of my life, 50-year-old Sharon, who lives with her husband Matthew, a project manager, and their 14-year-old son Thomas, told Good Health. Sharons case is typical of what concerned MPs and psychiatrists say is an epidemic of inappropriate prescribing of two similar medications, pregabalin and gabapentin. Sharon Davies has a simple message for anyone whose GP recommends they start taking the drug pregabalin to deal with anxiety. Dont, she says. Please, just dont' Both are types of gabapentinoids or GABAs drugs originally developed for epilepsy and nerve pain but which are now increasingly prescribed to treat anxiety, despite fears that theyre just as addictive as benzodiazepines (such as Valium) yet without the safety net of the strict guidelines that cover those drugs. And the use of GABA drugs is rising: around 1.5million Britons are now taking the pills, hundreds of thousands of them for anxiety and other mood disorders, with the rate of increase in prescriptions passing even that for antidepressants. Good Health can reveal that such is the concern about this that, today, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence has written to Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the Centre for Guidelines at NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), calling for guidelines on gabapentinoids to be changed. In a letter seen exclusively by the Mail, NICE is being asked to consider whether gabapentinoids should be prescribed at all for anxiety (or any psychiatric indication), and if prescribed for this indication, then for no longer than four weeks. The letter, signed by Danny Kruger MP and former NHS England chief executive Lord Crisp, chair and co-chair of the parliamentary group, points out there is no good evidence to support the use of the drugs in the long-term to treat anxiety. It goes on to say the drugs are no more effective than benzodiazepines the standard medicines for anxiety, the prescription of which is more tightly controlled and have the same withdrawal, tolerance and dependency profile as benzodiazepines. Yet gabapentinoids can be prescribed long-term, often for many months or years, says the letter. We have allowed these drugs to be prescribed without the same short-term prescribing safeguards . . . in place for benzodiazepines. Sharons case is typical of what concerned MPs and psychiatrists say is an epidemic of inappropriate prescribing of two similar medications, pregabalin and gabapentin. Both are types of gabapentinoids or GABAs drugs originally developed for epilepsy and nerve pain but which are now increasingly prescribed to treat anxiety, despite fears that theyre just as addictive as benzodiazepines (such as Valium) yet without the safety net of the strict guidelines that cover those drugs As well as highlighting the many cases of dependence and very severe withdrawal problems, sometimes lasting months or years caused by GABAs, the letter adds that new research suggests unnecessary gabapentinoid prescribing prescriptions for anxiety in excess of four weeks is costing NHS England around 34 million each year. This call to curtail the use of the drugs for anxiety is echoed by psychiatric specialists in an article, also published today, in the journal Addictive Behaviors. The authors include Mike Kelleher, a consultant addictions psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, and David Taylor, a professor of psychopharmacology at Kings College London and director of pharmacy at Maudsley Hospital. As editor of The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines In Psychiatry, regarded as the worlds key reference work for doctors and pharmacists on the prescribing of drugs for patients with mental health disorders, Professor Taylor is a leading authority in his field. The article calls on NICE to re-evaluate its support for use of pregabalin in anxiety in light of its known harms and says the use of gabapentinoids off-label for other conditions, such as migraine, bipolar disorder and alcohol use disorder, should also be reconsidered. As risky as drug its replacing The authors point out that there were 244 deaths in 2019 linked to pregabalin use (one side-effect is that it can depress breathing). They say that the rate of deaths has been rising steeply for the past ten years and now exceeds those attributed to drugs more usually linked to fatalities (the benzodiazepine diazepam, originally marketed as Valium and prescribed for anxiety; the opioid fentanyl, used for pain; and all the tricyclic and SSRI antidepressants, such as Prozac). Researchers say pregabalin and gabapentin are increasingly being prescribed for anxiety taking the place of benzodiazepines, which have fallen out of favour. The use of benzodiazepines is now much more tightly controlled on account of their well-publicised side-effects and lack of long-term effectiveness, as highlighted by a Good Health campaign that in January 2018 led to a review by Public Health England (PHE) on prescription drug dependency. The PHE report, published in 2019, highlighted the near-identical risks associated with benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids. But it also found that people taking gabapentinoids were much more likely to be on the drugs for at least 12 months (20 per cent of patients, compared with 5 per cent for benzodiazepines). Now new research carried out for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), published exclusively in Good Health, shows that by 2015 the proportion of UK patients on dependence-forming medications had fallen to just over 2.5 per cent for benzodiazepines, while those on gabapentinoids had reached 9 per cent and was climbing. Furthermore, the use of GABAs has risen seven-fold in the past 12 years, and between 2016 and 2019 prescriptions increased particularly sharply, from 11.4 million a year to 14 million faster than the growth in antidepressant use. Essentially, gabapentinoids are stepping into the breach for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder, says psychotherapist James Davies, a reader in social anthropology and mental health at the University of Roehampton and co-founder of the Council for Evidence-based Psychiatry (CEP), who carried out the research. They are being increasingly prescribed instead as greater awareness grows about the harms of prescribing benzodiazepines for anxiety-related issues for longer than four weeks. He says that up to a quarter of the people taking GABAs may be receiving them for psychiatric indications largely anxiety-related. Pregabalin has seen the greatest increase in use, with prescriptions rising from 5.27 million in 2016 to seven million in 2019. About 88 per cent of people being prescribed gabapentinoids for any condition are on them for at least three months, and about 45 per cent for at least two years, says Dr Davies, warning that gabapentinoids are in danger of becoming the new Valium, dished out with no guidelines to restrict their use. Such warnings concern the drugs use for pyschiatric disorders, not for nerve pain and epilepsy. When it comes to the conditions for which the drugs were originally designed seizure disorders such as epilepsy, for example there may be some justification in the literature for prescribing them long term, Dr Davies says. But when people go to their GP with anxiety, or a sleep problem, perhaps because theyve lost their job and theyre feeling very worried, and end up on the drugs for years, its a very serious problem and shouldnt be happening. There are patients who say that GABAs have worked for their anxiety. But experts argue that not only is there no good evidence these drugs are effective for psychiatric disorders, they can also cause debilitating side-effects and severe withdrawal problems and that patients are unaware of the risks. Alarm bells ignored Indeed, in 2014, PHE issued advice for prescribers on the risk of the misuse of pregabalin and gabapentin, warning that the drugs can lead to dependence and may be misused. This, and warnings about the rising number of deaths from 108 in 2015 to 333 in 2018 linked to GABAs (taken with other depressants, they can cause respiratory failure) led to gabapentin and pregabalin being reclassified in 2019 as Class C controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act. As a result, only 30 days supply can be issued on any one prescription; the drugs cannot be issued on repeat prescriptions and so have to be requested every month. That same year, the spotlight fell on gabapentinoids again when the PHE published its review on prescription drug dependence, which revealed that of the 11.5 million adults in England prescribed one of the five types of drugs reviewed, 1.5 million were taking GABAs. Tellingly, the report warned that in psychiatric prescribing, one story occurs repeatedly: a new medicine arrives that offers benefits over existing medicines and is promoted as the hope for better treatment with fewer problems. It happened when benzodiazepines replaced barbiturates, and when Z-drugs [such as zolpidem] replaced benzodiazepines . . . and it may be happening now [with] gabapentinoids. Yet despite all the alarm bells, doctors remain free to prescribe gabapentinoids month after month with none of the restrictions that apply to the controversial sedatives benzodiazepines. Sharons story highlights why experts are wary about treating anxiety with GABAs. Shed been taking citalopram, an antidepressant, for seven years when, two years ago, her GP suggested she move on to Lyrica. Citalopram controlled the bit of anxiety I had but, suddenly, I started to feel really unwell, she recalls On the one hand, you have government agencies saying these drugs are highly addictive and associated with increasing numbers of deaths, says Mark Horowitz, a clinical research fellow in the psychiatry department at University College London, and co-author of the article in Addictive Behaviors. Yet, at the same time, the NICE guidelines are recommending that these drugs be prescribed for anxiety. That seems to me to be a very serious mis-match, adds Horowitz, who specialises in when to use and how to stop psychiatric medications. As he told Good Health, GABAs have overlap with the effects of benzodiazepines: they share similarities in their mode of action, have similar side-effects and cause tolerance and withdrawal, with the risk of dependence and addiction. For those reasons, because they tend to cause more trouble than theyre worth and are not effective in the long-term, benzodiazepines are not recommended for long-term use in anxiety, he adds. The same thinking should apply to gabapentinoids. Significantly, in its draft guidance on the treatment of chronic pain, published in August 2019, NICE recommends that gabapentinoids should not be used because of a lack of evidence for the long-term safety of the drugs. Yet in its guidance on the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder, last updated in 2019, NICE recommends the use of pregabalin without any time limit, while warning against the use of benzodiazepines except as a short-term measure during crises. The NICE recommendations were based on studies of only four to eight weeks in duration. This, write the psychiatric experts in Addictive Behaviors, is inadequate [The] evidence for the use of pregabalin in anxiety is derived from short-term trials, with marginal differences from placebo, which do not take into account the longer-term effects of tolerance, dependence and withdrawal. Long-term use despite concerns yet as a result, says Dr Davies, potentially hundreds of thousands of patients are being left on the drugs for many months despite their long-term effectiveness for anxiety being very poor. Gabapentinoids are synthetic drugs similar to a chemical produced in the body, gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA), that allows different parts of the nervous system to communicate. For pain relief and brain seizures, the drugs are thought to interfere with the release of nerve messengers. After introducing pregabalin in 2004, Pfizer won approval for the drug to be used for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which is defined by the NHS as a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues; those affected feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed. Gabapentin is used for anxiety but isnt licensed for this its prescribed off-label. Its also used off-label for bipolar disorder, migraine, restless leg syndrome and drug and alcohol withdrawal seizures. How the drug might help these isnt clear, says Dr Davies. Sharons story highlights why experts are wary about treating anxiety with GABAs. Shed been taking citalopram, an antidepressant, for seven years when, two years ago, her GP suggested she move on to Lyrica. Citalopram controlled the bit of anxiety I had but, suddenly, I started to feel really unwell, she recalls. I was getting really anxious over ridiculous things. I felt dreadful, and that I couldnt cope. Sharon believes she was suffering from the effects of the menopause, which had just been confirmed by a blood test a factor that the GP she saw in May 2018 didnt take into account. Instead, he put her on 150mg of Lyrica, a drug shed not heard of but I trusted the doctors instincts this was what I needed, she says. Pretty much as soon as I started taking it, though, I felt very woozy as if extremely drunk. She went back to the GP, but every time I went, they upped the dose, until I was on 600mg a day. Other side-effects started to kick in. The drug really slowed me down mentally I began to forget words and I felt severely tired all the time, she says. Worse, she adds, I felt I couldnt breathe. Known as respiratory depression, this is a rare but recognised side-effect of pregablin. But at no point was Sharon warned about this. She also started to put on weight. I had a personal trainer and Im a vegan, but my weight began to get ridiculously out of control. Sharon, whos 5 ft 1 in, put on 4 st. Desperate, she went to another GP. I was crying and said: I dont know whats going on, she recalls. I opened my heart to him but he just looked me up and down and said: Well, you must eat a lot. In fact, weight gain is another known side-effect of the drug. But then Sharon discovered the Lyrica Survivors Group on Facebook: Lots of people were saying theyd gained so much weight and were really suffering with this drug, she says. Everything I read I could have written myself. Last June, Sharon decided to stop taking Lyrica. I felt so bad on it that I just stopped overnight. She now realises she should have reduced her dose gradually, because, while the side-effects of pregabalin were bad enough, the withdrawal was horrendous. The three months after she took her last capsule were the worst time of my life, she told Good Health. I felt sick every single day. She also experienced terrifying brain zaps like an electric shock. At its peak, this was happening up to 80 times a day. Over the past six months, most of her symptoms have eased and shes lost 4 st. However, she suffers from bouts of low mood that have frequently reduced her to tears. Her GP said this was a discontinuation effect in other words, a withdrawal symptom. Sharon does not blame the doctors for what she has been through. They dont have a clue, because the right guidance for prescribing this drug just isnt there. Lyrica is now manufactured by Viatris, a firm created by Pfizer last year. A spokesperson said: Patient safety and the appropriate use of our medicines is of the utmost importance to Viatris. The efficacy and safety of pregabalin and gabapentin have been demonstrated in a large number of robust clinical trials among thousands of patients in the approved indications, as well as post marketing data. The currently approved product labelling in the UK reflects the benefits and risks and provides appropriate guidance to patients and prescribers regarding the safe use of these medicines. It is important to note when prescribed and administered appropriately, as per the approved label, these medicines are important treatment options for many patients. Its important to note that pregabalin is licensed for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder, whilst gabapentin has not been rigorously studied for this condition. PlantX said the items available for sale will include plant-based pantry items, cosmetics, and indoor houseplants The company said selling its products in the popular Hudson's Bay Marketplace will help increase PlantX's brand awareness PlantX Life Inc ( ) ( ) ( ) announced an agreement to sell more than 2,000 of its products on Hudson's Bay Marketplace's online platform, which reaches millions of Canadians each year. PlantX said the items available for sale through Hudson's Bay Marketplace will include plant-based pantry items, cosmetics, and indoor houseplants that will be delivered to customers throughout Canada. We are thrilled to start expanding our business efforts alongside such a remarkable and long-standing company like Hudson's Bay, PlantX Life CEO Julia Frank said in a statement. Displaying our products in the popular Hudson's Bay Marketplace will help increase our brand awareness and it will allow our customers to interact with our products more efficiently, Frank added. The company noted it will maintain responsibility for inventory management, shipping and customer service management for all PlantX items sold through Hudson's Bay Marketplace, while still being able to take full advantage of Hudson's Bay's targeted digital marketing opportunities. Vancouver-based PlantX Life styles itself as the digital face of the plant-based community with a one-stop destination for all things plant-based, like an online shop and meal delivery services. The online shop houses over 5,000 vegan products, and its recently-added meal service delivers chef-created dishes straight to the doors of Western Canada. All in all, the company offers more than 10,000 plant-based products. In addition to offering meal and indoor plant deliveries, PlantX currently has plans to expand its product lines to include cosmetics, clothing and its own water brand. It also offers a restaurant directory, unique recipes and a community forum to share plant-based ideas with other like-minded individuals. Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com In early April, Prime Minister told chief ministers in an interaction that lockdowns were a tool of last resort in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and entirely avoidable if a strategy of micro-containment was followed. He followed this up with similar advice on April 20 when he repeated his suggestion that micro-containment should be the preferred option. But either the PMs advisers were out of touch with the reality on the ground or it was an unworkable suggestion: Because within days of the PMs advice, several states ruled by the (BJP) and the opposition resorted to precisely this measure to curb the rates of infection in their state. Most states have termed these curfews, but the curbs are akin to a Gujarat was the only BJP-ruled exception that followed the PMs lead faithfully. Although the state continues to report around 10,000 new cases every day, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has ruled out a lockdown, despite the Indian Medical Association (IMA) almost begging for one. Health Minister Nitin Patel said: Night curfew is in place in 20 cities. Several cities, towns, villages, municipalities, organisations, and associations have decided to observe voluntary lockdown We are discussing with experts and what they are saying is to wear masks, maintain social distancing, and wash hands. If these are followed, there is no need for a lockdown can be useful for breaking the chain but it will affect the employment of lakhs of people, their earnings and their businesses. But in all other states, lockdowns of varying intensity were imposed as a way to check the growth of the infection. In Karnataka, for instance, the government imposed a weekend and night curfew. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has called a Cabinet meeting on Monday and is considering imposing a week-long hard lockdown as infection rates rise across the state. Karnataka has the third-highest caseload in the country. It also reported the third-highest number of deaths, after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh (BJP) has a weekend lockdown firmly in place, although Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said the state will not go in for a shutdown, despite orders from the high court to close down at least five cities. The language of the order amounts to strictures and the government has announced it will not implement it. In Madhya Pradesh (BJP), the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government imposed a lockdown in four districts bordering Maharashtra on April 9, just hours after Modi counselled the opposite. Ratlam, Betul, Katni, and Khargone were put under night curfew, while weekend shutdowns were ordered in all major MP cities till 30 April. Uttarakhand, which faced severe criticism for organising the amid pandemic, has imposed a night curfew in all districts, but is not considering a lockdown immediately. It has put stringent curbs on weddings and social gatherings. In Goa, while Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said lockdowns were not the solution (Goa has higher deaths per million population than even Maharashtra), night curfews have been put in place. Rising infections may leave the state with no option but to shut everything down. Himachal Pradesh has ruled out lockdown. But it has higher deaths per million population than Kerala, a state comparable in size. Even Jammu and Kashmir, which is currently under the central rule, has announced a 34-hour lockdown over the weekend. There is no evidence that the BJP-ruled states are taking cognizance of the other suggestions made by the prime minister. No state, including BJP-ruled states, appears to have pushed the mohalla committees of young people that the PM mooted in his last consultation with CMs. Only in April 2021 has the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) launched helplines to assist with Covid testing, availability of medicines, vaccination and hospitalisation in coordination with local municipal authorities. "The BJP has always been proactive in listening to and addressing the concerns of citizens. Whenever there is any issue affecting the public at large, the Yuva Morcha, in particular, has continuously provided community service and this helpline is an extension of our mantra BJYMCares," said Tejasvi Surya, BJYM president. Karnataka leaders of the BJP say they are confident that Modis formula for limiting the infection will work. But as a party, the BJP has proved that it may be a formidable election machine but in a disaster, it still needs to prove its spurs. On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the disaster at Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released some of the classified documents from its archives, including the very first report on the explosion from Director of Chornobyl NPP Viktor Bryukhanov, negotiations between the plant operators at the time of the disaster, and others. In addition, as reported by the SBU press service on Monday, the documents contain evidence that Chornobyl accidents occurred before April 26, 1986. "In 1982, a significant release of radioactive substances occurred at the first power unit. But the KGB [Committee for State Security] report on this ends with the usual 'measures were taken to prevent panic and provocative rumors.' In 1984, emergency situations were at the third and fourth power units," the message said. It is noted that in 1983, Moscow authorities received information that Chornobyl NPP "is one of the most dangerous nuclear power plants in the USSR due to the lack of safety equipment." "In the event of the disaster, the radioactivity was estimated 60 times higher than during the explosions of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki," the security service said. They add that after the disaster, the Soviet government "looked for various 'conspiracy theories,' but did not recognize reality." "Already on April 27, a list of 'unreliable' residents of Prypiat, foreign delegations who visited Chornobyl nuclear power plant, as well as 'cult members, representatives of German nationality and those who corresponded abroad,' appeared. And then documents appeared that the 'nationalists' wanted to obtain samples of the contaminated soil with the help of an 'agent network in Kyiv' in order to discredit the Soviet leadership in the world," the SBU said. In addition, it is noted that on July 8, 1986, a directive appeared that classified all the details of Chornobyl disaster: its causes, the nature of the destruction, the composition of the mixture thrown into the air during the explosion, the radiation situation, the scale of elimination work, morbidity and others. "More facts about the disaster can be found in the two collections Chornobyl KGB Dossier prepared by the SBU Archive and the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance," the SBU said. As governments across the globe impose restrictions on travellers from India including banning flights and making 7 or 10-day quarantine mandatory on arrivals, Netherlands, Maldives, Germany, Italy have suspended travel from India. The Netherlands will be suspending all passenger flights from India from 6 PM on April 26 till May 1 in the wake of a surge of COVID-19 cases in India. Sputnik quoted the Dutch Aviation Ministry statement saying, A flight ban will take effect for passenger flights from India at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 26... The flight ban will be in place until at least 00:01 a.m. on May 1. Italy, Germany and Maldives ban travel Maldives, Germany, Italy, Bangladesh have most recently joined the list of countries that banned Indian travellers. As per reports, only German passport holders will be allowed to enter the European nation from India. Meanwhile, Italy has also barred travellers who have been in India in the past two weeks from entering the nation excluding Italian residents, but only with COVID-19 negative test before departure and will be subjected to quarantine on arrival. On April 25, the Maldives tourism minister tweeted that from April 27, the nation banned tourists from India from staying at the facilities meant for tourists. With effect from 27 April @HPA_mv suspends tourists travelling from #India to #Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands. We thank you for the support in our endeavour to make tourism safest possible with minimum inconvenience. Ministry of Tourism (@MoTmv) April 25, 2021 While France is still planning on its limitations on travellers from India, following nations that have already imposed restrictions on passengers or banned travel altogether from the country: UK UAE Canada US Oman Hong Kong New Zealand Australia Pakistan Kuwait Singapore Meanwhile, with 3,52,991 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, the highest so far, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on April 26. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 new fatalities. Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 28,13,658 comprising 16.25 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 82.62 per cent. Image credits: Unsplash/Pixabay A federal investigation into a 2019 van crash that killed three migrant farm workers in Salem found that the Oregon labor contractor who hired the workers violated multiple federal laws by failing to ensure the workers had safe transportation to and from work. The U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday that Salem-based JMG Labor Contractor, run by Jose Mota Gonzales, permitted the transportation of workers without required authorization, failed to provide safe transportation, failed to ensure the vehicles driver had a valid drivers license and proper insurance and didnt register the driver as an employee. The department also said Mota failed to maintain active registration as a farm labor contractor. JMG Labor Contractor has already paid $32,500 in penalties through a settlement with the federal government. The loss of three lives and the serious injuries suffered by other workers in this case is tragic and devastating for the workers and their grieving families, Carrie Aguilar, district director for the departments wage and hour division, said in a statement. Laws exist to try to prevent such terrible situations, and the trauma they inflict on an entire community. The accident occurred on the night after Thanksgiving in 2019 when more than a dozen Guatemalan Christmas tree workers packed into a van after a day loading Christmas trees into delivery trucks at Holiday Tree Farms in Corvallis. The Department of Labor reported Monday that 16 people were in the van at the time of the crash. Police at the time said there were 13 people in the van. The Chevy passenger van was traveling eastbound on a darkened Sunnyview Road Northeast when the driver, Pablo Gaspar-Ezequiel, attempted to turn left onto Cordon Road Northeast, according to police at the time. A Ford F-350 traveling westbound smashed into the passenger side of the van in a T-Bone crash. Andres Alonzo-Canil, Miguel Alonzo-Lucas and Diego Lucas Felipe died in the crash. At least 11 others were injured. Marion County police determined that the vans driver didnt obey a traffic light or yield the right of way, according to the Department of Labor. During a phone call with The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday, Mota acknowledged that his registration as a farm labor contractor was expired at the time of the crash, but said his application for renewal had already been submitted. He also said he doesnt believe the federal government should be faulting him for the accident because he didnt arrange transportation for the workers and it didnt occur during work hours. I had nothing to do with it, Mota said. All I did was give the people a job. I didnt do anything wrong. I had nothing to do with the van. I wasnt the owner of the van. The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act says that any non-exempt person who uses or causes to be used a vehicle to transport any migrant or seasonal agricultural worker is required to ensure that the driver of the vehicle has a license and maintains proper insurance, among other requirements. Holiday Tree Farms, a large Corvallis-based grower of Christmas trees sold at Home Depot and Costco, had contracted with Mota, even though his registration had expired, according to the Department of Labor. Mota said in 2019 that the workers he provided to Holiday Tree Farms has been working there for about a month before the crash. Holiday Tree Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health administration opened an investigation in December 2019 into whether any workplace health and safety violations had occurred related to the accident. But spokesperson Aaron Corvin said the agency determined the crash was out of its jurisdiction because the employees were not performing any work at the time of the accident. -- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg Katie Holmes had been smitten with beau Emilio Vitolo Jr since they were first linked in September. But as reports have surfaced that the hot and heavy relationship has 'cooled down,' the 42-year-old Dawson's Creek star seems to have been ramping up the time she spends with Suri Cruise. On Sunday evening, the mommy-daughter duo were seen shopping around NYC as she continues to stay close to the 15-year-old she had with ex-husband Tom Cruise. Mom mode: Katie Holmes, 42, does a little shopping with daughter Suri Cruise, 15, in NYC as she spends quality time with her amid reports her romance with Emilio Vitolo Jr. has 'cooled down' Katie stepped out in a business casual look as she paired a white blouse with a black denim pencil skirt from Levi's. She began the day in a pair of black and white striped kitten heels before slipping on Gucci loafers for shopping in the city. The Batman Begins star wore her hair up in a messy bun and helped share the weight of their haul as she toted a few large bags. And Suri kept it casual in flared blue jeans and sneakers with a black Sherpa lined jacket while carrying a Stoney Clover gift bag. Quality time: Though she had done an expert job at balancing both her relationship and being a mom to Suri she was seen putting her energy into her daughter on Sunday Day to night: Katie stepped out in a relatively business casual look as she paired a white blouse with a black denim pencil skirt Though she had done an expert job at balancing both a relationship and being a mom to Suri who reportedly approved of the Emilio's Ballato chef Katie is said to be recalibrating. Signs that things were cooling off became apparent in recent weeks when Holmes had been spending less time in NYC on account of a new movie; she is starring in and producing The Watergate Girl which shoots in Connecticut. 'Katie has a lot of big priorities in her life she's a single mom, her daughter always comes first and things were moving very fast,' a source told Page Six. It was added that though the pair weren't officially broken up, they both had 'a lot going on' at the moment. Hot and heavy: The pair had been attached at the hip since first linking up in the fall; pictured in November The couple first connected in the fall and at the time the chef was engaged to Rachel Emmons. He reportedly called off that relationship via text but it had been said that things between them had been rocky for a while. It was also added that he had preferred older women, and he and Katie became attached at the hip before going Instagram official on her birthday in December. But a month before he professed his love for her on social media, friends were said to be growing concerned the romance was moving too fast. Katie reportedly paid no mind to them. 'She doesn't care what people may say about rushing into the romance. In her mind, this is the real deal, they're riding a beautiful wave together, and she's already decided it's got the potential to go all the way,' an insider told Us Weekly. The pair was last spotted out together on March 12 and Emilio was spotted flying solo on April 20. By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Recently, the political class has been working hard to rehabilitate George W. Bush into an elder statesman, no doubt to continue the liberal Democrat conversion of suburban Republicans, with headlines like George Bush reborn as the nations grandfather (the London Sunday Times, but you know it will migrate over here), George W Bush is back but not all appreciate his new progressive image (Guardian), Bush calls on Congress to tone down harsh rhetoric about immigration (CNN), and George W Bush reveals who he voted for in 2020 election and it wasnt Biden or Trump (the Independent. Bush wrote in Condaleeza Rice, who Exxon once named a tanker for). I could go on. But I wont. These stories from major outlets seem to be erasing early coverage like The 7 worst moments of George W. Bushs presidency (WaPo, 2013), The blood on George W Bushs hands will never dry. Dont glorify this man (The Guardian, 2017), Reminder: George W. Bush Is Still Very, Very Bad (Vice, 2018), Seth Meyers: Dont Let Trump Make You Forget How Awful George W. Bush Was (Vanity Fair, 2020), and We Shouldnt Have to Remind People George W. Bush Was a Terrible President: (Jacobin, 2020). Thats unfortunate, because George W. Bush (hereafter Bush; the W distinguishes him from his spook Yankee patrician Dad, oil bidnessman George H.W. Bush). As with so much else that is fetid in the miasmic air of our current liberal Democrat dispensation, Bushs rehabilitation begins with the Obamas, in this case Michelle Obama, in this iconic photo: (The backstory: Michelle Obama Reveals What Really Happened During Her Sweet Exchange With George W. Bush, and Michelle Obama: George W. Bush is my partner in crime'[1] and I love him to death). Bush became President in the year 2000. That was let me break out my calculator 2021 2000 = 21 years ago. It occurs to me that our younger readers, born in 2000, or even 1990, may not know how genuinely horrid Bush was, as President. I was blogging even back then, and I remember how horrid Bush was; certainly worse than Trump, at least for Trumps first three years in office, until the Covid pandemic. To convey the full horror of the Bush years would not a series of posts, but a book. The entire experience was wretched and shameful. Of the many horrors of the Bush years, I will pick three. (I am omitting many, many others, including Hurricane Katrina, the Plame Affair, Medicare Part D, the Cheney Energy Task Force, that time Dick Cheney shot an old man in the face, Bushs missing Texas Air National Guard records, Bush gaslighting the 2004 Republican National Convention with terror alerts, and on and on and on. And I didnt even get to 9/11, Youve covered your ass, WMDs, and the AUMF. Sorry. Its exhausting.) Im afraid my recounting of these incidents will be sketchy: I lived and blogged in them, and the memories of the horror well up in such volume and detail that I lose control of the material. Not only that, there was an actual, functioning blogosphere at that time, which did great work, but unfortunately most of that work has succumbed to link rot. And my memory of events two decades ago is not as strong as it could be. The White House Iraq Group Here I will rely on excerpts from Colonel Sam Gardiners (PDF) Truth from These Podia: Summary of a Study of Strategic Influence, Perception Management, Strategic Information Warfare and Strategic Psychological Operations in Gulf II (2003), whose introduction has been saved from link rot by the National Security Archive and a full version by the University of Leeds. I would bet, long forgotten even by many of those who blogged through those times. (Gulf II is what we refer to as the War in Iraq.) Quoting from the full version: You will see in my analysis and comments that I do not accept the notion that the first casualty of war is truth. I think we have to have a higher standard. In the most basic sense, Washington and London did not trust the peoples of their democracies to come to right decisions. Truth became a casualty. When truth is a casualty, democracy receives collateral damage. Seems familiar. (Gardiners report can be read as a brilliant media critique; its really worth sitting down with a cup of coffee and reading it all.)[2] More: My research suggests there were over 50 stories manufactured or at least engineered that distorted the picture of Gulf II for the American and British people . Ill cover most in this report. At the end, I will also describe some stories that seem as if they were part of the strategic influence campaign although the evidence is only circumstantial. What becomes important is not each story taken individually. If that were the case, it would probably seem only more of the same. If you were to look at them one at a time, you could conclude, Okay we sort of knew that was happening. It is the pattern that becomes important. Its the summary of everything. To use a phrase often heard during the war, its the mosaic. Recognizing I said I wouldnt exaggerate, it would not be an exaggeration to say the people of the United States and UK can find out more about the contents of a can of soup they buy than the contents of the can of worms they bought with the 2003 war in the Gulf. The White House was, naturally, at the center of the operation: One way to view how the US Government was organized to do the strategic communications effort before, during and after the war is to use the chart that was used by the Assistant Deputy Director for Information Operations. The center is the White House Office of Global Communications, the organization originally created by Karen Hughes as the Coalition Information Office. The White House is at the center of the strategic communications process. Handy chart: And: Inside the White House there was an Iraq Group that did policy direction and then the Office of Global Communications itself. Membership of the White House Iraq Group: So, in 2020 Bushs write-in vote for President was Condi Rice, the [x] Black [x] woman who helped run a domestic disinformation campaign for him in 2003, to sell the Iraq War to the American people. Isnt that. sweet? Of course, I was very naive at that point. I had come up as a Democrat, and my first real political engagement was the Clinton impeachment. Back in 2003, I was amazed to discover that there was a White House operation that was planting fake stories in the press and that I had been playing whackamole on them. At a higher level, I was disturbed that Washington and London did not trust the peoples of their democracies to come to right decisions. Now it all seems perfectly normal, which is sad. Torture at Abu Ghraib There are a lot of images of our torture prison in Iraq, Abu Ghraib. This one (via) is not the most famous, but to me it is the most shocking: What kind of country sets dogs on a naked prisoner? Well, my kind of country, apparently. (Later, I remember discussing politics with somebody who came from a country that might be considered less governed by the rule of law than my own, and they said: Abu Ghraib. You have nothing to say. And they were right.) For those who came in late, heres a snapshot (the detail of the story is in fact overwhelming, and I also have pity for the poor shlubs the brass tossed into that hellhole[3].) From the Los Angeles Times, Few have faced consequences for abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (2015): [A] 44-year-old Al Jazeera reporter named Salah Ejaili, said in a phone interview from Qatar that he was arrested in 2003 while covering an explosion in the Iraqi province of Diyala. He was held at Abu Ghraib for 48 days after six days in another facility, he said. Most of the pictures that came out in 2004, I saw that firsthand the human pyramid where men were stacked up naked on top of each other, people pulled around on leashes, he said in the interview, with one of his attorneys translating. I used to hear loud screams during the torture sessions. Ejaili says he was beaten, left naked and exposed to the elements for long periods, and left in solitary confinement, among other acts. When people look at others who are naked, they feel like theyre animals in a zoo, in addition to being termed as criminals and as terrorists, he said. That had a very strong psychological impact. The plaintiffs also say they suffered electric shocks; deprivation of food, water and oxygen; sexual abuse; threats from dogs; beatings; and sensory deprivation. Taha Yaseen Arraq Rashid, a laborer, says he was sexually abused by a woman while he was cuffed and shackled, and also that he was forced to watch a female prisoners rape. Ejaili said that his face was often covered during interrogations, making it difficult for him to identify those involved, but that he was able to notice that many of the interrogators who entered the facility wore civilian clothing. His attorneys, citing military investigations into abuses at Abu Ghraib and other evidence, say the contractors took control of the prison and issued orders to uniformed military. Abu Ghraib was pretty chaotic, said Baher Azmy, legal director for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought suits against CACI and L-3 Services. They were involved in a conspiracy with the military police to abuse our clients.. Eleven U.S. soldiers were convicted in military trials of crimes related to the humiliation and abuse of the prisoners. (So Abu Ghraib is a privatization story, too. Oddly, whoever signed the contract never ended up in court.) All this seemed pretty shocking then. But now we know that the Chicago Police Department ran a torture site at Homan Square while Rahm Emanuel, Obamas Chief of Staff, was Mayor, so perhaps this is all perfectly normal too. Warrantless Surveillance and the Destruction of the Fourth Amendment Here is the wording of the Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers , and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. If our legal system had the slightest shred of integrity, it would be obvious to the Courts, as it is to a six-old-child, that what we laughingly call our personal computers and cellphones contain paper, not in the tediously literal sense of a physical material made from wood fibre, but in the sense of content. Bits and bytes are 20th Century paper, stored on silicon and hard disk platters. Of course a warrant should be needed to read whats on my phone, ffs. That Fourth Amendment common sense did not prevail is IMNSHO due in large part to Bushs program of warrantless surveillance, put in place as part of the Global War on Terror. Here again, the complexity is overwhelming and took several years to unravel. Im afraid I have to quote Wikipedia on this one: A week after the 9/11 attacks, Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF), which inaugurated the War on Terror. It later featured heavily in arguments over the NSA program. Soon after the 9/11 attacks President Bush established the Presidents Surveillance Program. As part of the program, the Terrorist Surveillance Program was established pursuant to an executive order that authorized the NSA to surveil certain telephone calls without obtaining a warrant (see 50 U.S.C. 1802 50 U.S.C. 1809). The complete details of the executive order are not public, but according to administration statements, the authorization covers communication originating overseas from or to a person suspected of having links to terrorist organizations or their affiliates even when the other party to the call is within the US. In October 2001, Congress passed the Patriot Act, which granted the administration broad powers to fight terrorism. The Bush administration used these powers to bypass the FISC and directed the NSA to spy directly on al-Qaeda via a new NSA electronic surveillance program. Reports at the time indicate that an apparently accidental glitch resulted in the interception of communications that were between two U.S. parties. This act was challenged by multiple groups, including Congress, as unconstitutional. The precise scope of the program remains secret, but the NSA was provided total, unsupervised access to all fiber-optic communications between the nations largest telecommunication companies major interconnected locations, encompassing phone conversations, email, Internet activity, text messages and corporate private network traffic . Of course, all this is perfectly normal today. So much for the Fourth Amendment, good job. (You will note that the telcos had to be in on it; amusingly, the CEO of Qwest, the only telco that refused to participate, was charged and convicted of insider trading, good job again.) The legal aspects of all this are insanely complex, but as you see from my introduction, they should be simple. Conclusion Heres a video of the Iraqi (now in Parliament) who threw shoes at Bush (who got off lightly, all things considered): We should all be throwing shoes at Bush, seriously if not literally. We should not be accepting candy from him. We should not be treating him as an elder statesman. Or a partner in crime. We should not be admiring his paintings. Bush ran a bad, bad, bad administration and we are living with the consequences of his badness today. Bush is a bad man. We are ruled by bad people. Tomorrow, Obama! NOTES [1] Indeed. [2] For example, I vividly remember playing whack-a-mole as a blogger with the following WMD stories: Drones, weapons labs, WMD cluster bombs, Scuds, nuclear materials from Niger, aluminum tubes, and dirty bombs. They one and all fell apart on close inspection. And they were only a small part of the operation, as Gardiner shows in detail. [3] My personal speculation is that Dick Cheney had a direct feed from the Abu Ghraib torture chambers to the White House, and watched the proceedings live. Some of the soldiers burned images of torture onto CDs as trophies, and the prison also had a server, whose connectivity was very conveniently not revealed by the judge in a lawsuit I dimly remember being brought in Germany. So it goes. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Generally cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Dublin, April 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. A new study on the global livestock monitoring solutions market was published by the author. It presents a wealth of information on key market dynamics, including drivers, market trends, and challenges, as well as the structure of the livestock monitoring solutions market. This study offers valuable information about the livestock monitoring solutions market, to illustrate how growth will discern during the forecast period, 2020-2030. Key indicators of market growth, which include value chain as well as supply chain analysis, and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), have been elucidated in the study in a comprehensive manner. This data can help readers interpret the quantitative growth aspects of the livestock monitoring solutions market during the forecast period. An extensive analysis on leading market players' business strategies has been featured in the study on the livestock monitoring solutions market. This can help readers understand principal factors to foresee growth in the livestock monitoring solutions market. In this study, readers can also find specific data on the qualitative and quantitative growth avenues for the livestock monitoring solutions market, which will guide market players in making apt decisions in the future. Key Questions Answered in this Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Study What is the scope of growth of livestock monitoring solutions providing companies across the globe? What will be the Y-o-Y growth of the livestock monitoring solutions market between 2020 and 2030? What is the influence of the changing trends in technologies on the livestock monitoring solutions market? Will North America continue to dominate the market for livestock monitoring solutions? Which factors will impede the growth of the livestock monitoring solutions market during the forecast period? Which are the leading companies in the global livestock monitoring solutions market? Research Methodology A unique research methodology has been utilized to conduct comprehensive research on the growth of the livestock monitoring solutions market, and arrive at conclusions on the future growth prospects of the market. This research methodology is a combination of primary and secondary research, which helps analysts warrant the accuracy and reliability of the drawn conclusions. Secondary sources referred to by analysts during the production of the livestock monitoring solutions market report include statistics from company annual reports, SEC filings, company websites, World Bank database, investor presentations, regulatory databases, government publications, and industry white papers. Analysts have also interviewed senior managers, product portfolio managers, CEOs, VPs, and market intelligence managers, who contributed to the production of the study on the livestock monitoring solutions market, as a primary source. These primary and secondary sources provided exclusive information during the interviews, which serves as a validation from livestock monitoring solutions industry leaders. Access to an extensive internal repository and external proprietary databases allows this report to address specific details and questions about the livestock monitoring solutions market with accuracy. The study also uses a top-down approach to assess the numbers for each segment, and a bottom-up approach to counter-validate them. This has helped in making estimates on the future prospects of the livestock monitoring solutions market more reliable and accurate. Key Topics Covered: 1. Preface 2. Assumptions and Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary - Global Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market 4. Market Overview 5. Global Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis and Forecast 6. Global Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis, by Component 7. Global Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis, by End-user 8. Global Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis and Forecast, by Region 9. North America Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis 10. Europe Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis and Forecast 11. APAC Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis and Forecast 12. Middle East & Africa (MEA) Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis and Forecast 13. South America Livestock Monitoring Solutions Market Analysis and Forecast 14. Competition Landscape 15. Company Profiles 16. Key Takeaways Companies Mentioned Cainthus Cattle Care Inc. Cattle Eye Ltd. Luda.Farm AB NewVision Security Onsight247.com Ranch Eyes Solutions Technology Group Wi Vid Wireless Video Cameras.com, LLC Zoetis Services LLC For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/y3y0vp The Korea Times' CEO & Publisher Oh Young-jin, top left, participates in a video conference meeting with the International Press Club of Uzbekistan, top right, chaired by the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul, April 22. Captured from Zoom By Kwon Mee-yoo The Korea Times is seeking to expand its network in Uzbekistan through the Uzbek nongovernmental organization, the International Press Club (IPC). IPC Chairman Sherzodkhon Kudratkhodja held a video conference meeting with Korea Times CEO & Publisher Oh Young-jin to discuss cooperation between the media of the two countries last week. "The purpose of this virtual meeting is to establish cooperation between the two leading media outlets, to acquaint the people of Uzbekistan and South Korea with the latest developments in the two countries, and to establish cooperation with other local media through the IPC," the IPC said during the April 22 conference call. "Uzbekistan and South Korea are time-tested partners. Our relations have risen to the status of a separate strategic partnership. In this sense, we are also interested in developing cooperation between the media of the two countries." The Korea Times CEO emphasized the importance of the relationship between Korea and Uzbekistan. "Our country's New Northern Policy is oriented towards reaching out to many countries, and Uzbekistan is a big country in the Central Asian region. I think there is every reason for the two countries to establish a good relationship with each other," Oh said. "The Korea Times is a bridge between Korea and the rest of the world. We are in the process of creating a coalition with media outlets from the rest of the world Central Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. The reason why we started building this coalition is none other than bringing the whole world closer together and helping countries understand each other better." With the aim of increasing the number of readers and collaborating with media outlets in Uzbekistan, the IPC will provide information on the political and economic life of Uzbekistan for The Korea Times, while publishing articles from The Korea Times on the IPC's website and social media. "We are ready to regularly provide news, events and information about Uzbekistan to The Korea Times as part of live sessions of the press club," Kudratkhodja said. Kudratkhodja also serves as a rector at the Journalism and Mass Communication University of Uzbekistan, and is looking to sign a memorandum of cooperation between the college and The Korea Times. He hopes to boost exchanges between students of the university and The Korea Times through an internship program and online master classes. BAGHDAD (AP) Irans foreign minister on Monday praised Baghdad's efforts aimed at bolstering regional stability, saying he hopes they would lead to more negotiations and understandings in the region. Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke to reporters during a visit to the Iraqi capital, which earlier this month hosted the first round of direct talks between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. The talks signaled a possible de-escalation following years of animosity that often spilled into neighboring countries and at least one still-raging war. Zarif also extended Irans condolences after a massive fire at a Baghdad hospital for coronavirus patients over the weekend killed 82 people. Officials said the blaze, which also injured 110 people, was set off by an exploding oxygen cylinder. Riyadh has been trying to end its years-long war in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have increasingly launched missiles and bomb-laden drones at the kingdom to targeting crucial sites and oil infrastructure. Ending that war could be a bargaining chip for the Iranians as they seek sanctions relief from nuclear talks in Vienna. We welcome Iraqs vital role in the region and we hope that day after day that strengthens Iraqs role for the stability of the region, Zarif said during a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Fouad Hussein. We thank the Iraqi government for exerting its efforts, Zarif said, without confirming the Saudi-Iran talks were indeed held in Iraq. We hope that these efforts will lead to more negotiations and understandings in the region. All foreign powers will eventually leave, Zarif added, but we will stay here and we should base our relations on good neighborhood, no interference and mutual respect. Iraq, which has ties with both the U.S. and Iran, has often borne the brunt of Saudi-Iran rivalry. Hussein said Iraqs foreign policy is to build balanced relation with everyone and calm things. Neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia have confirmed the talks took place, though Iranian officials have alluded to them and welcomed them. Story continues Iran-Saudi relations worsened considerably in 2016, when Riyadh removed its diplomats after protesters attacked the kingdom's embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad in retaliation for its execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Those posts have remained closed. At the time, Iraq offered itself as a possible mediator between the two countries. During his Iraq visit, Zarif is scheduled to meet top officials, visit the holy Shiite city of Najaf and also the Kurdish region in the north. The visit coincided with a firestorm within Iran set off by a leaked recording of Zarif speaking in an interview to a well known economist. Zarif took no questions from journalists after giving his brief statement in Baghdad and did not address the issue. Calvert City is encouraging kids and adults of all ages to participate in Kites Over Calvert on May 1. PHOTO:Photo by Charlotte Harrison on Unsplash Calvert Kite Day Calvert City encourages kids and adults of all ages to participate in Kites Over Calvert on May 1.The event will take place from 1 pm through 3 pm in Doctors Park behind City Hall.The Calvert Area Development Association will be giving away free kites on a first-come, first-serve basis to children.The event will operate on 'kite-time,' and if the weather does not cooperate, the event will be changed to May 8.Social distancing is encouraged. Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged US President Joe Biden to swiftly reverse his declaration that 1915 massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide, an action he said was upsetting and diminished bilateral ties. Bidens historic declaration on Saturday infuriated its NATO ally which has said the announcement opened a deep wound in relations already strained over a host of issues. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Credit:AP In his first comments since Bidens statement, Erdogan said the wrong step would hinder ties, advised the United States to look in the mirror, and added Turkey still sought to establish good neighbourly ties with Armenia. The US President has made baseless, unjust and untrue remarks about the sad events that took place in our geography over a century ago, Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting. He again called for Turkish and Armenian historians to form a joint commission to investigate the events. Honda last week announced key targets for sales of electrified vehicles in North America, with a plan to make battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles (BEVs and FCEVs) to represent 100% of its vehicle sales by 2040, progressing from sales of 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2035. Honda and GM are jointly developing two large-sized EV models using GMs Ultium batteries. Honda plans to introduce these models to the North American market as model year 2024 vehicles, one from Honda brand and the other from the Acura brand. Starting from the second half of the 2020s, Honda will launch a series of new EV models which adopt e:Architecture, a completely new EV platform led by Honda. These EV models will first be introduced to the North American market, and then to other regions of the world. In China, Honda will strive for a BEV/FCEV sales share of 40% by 2030, 80% by 2035 and 100% by 2040. In China, the company has been introducing EV models while utilizing local resources; Honda will further accelerate this approach from here forward. The company plans to introduce 10 Honda-brand EV models within five years. As the first of the 10 models, the mass-production model based on the Honda SUV e:prototype is scheduled to go on sale in spring 2022. Honda SUV e:prototype shown at Shanghai 2021 Honda will also further pursue the utilization of local resources, which includes strengthening our collaboration with CATL for the supply of batteries. In Japan, Honda will strive for a BEV/FCEV sales share of 20% by 2030, 80% by 2035 and 100% by 2040. Including hybrid-electric vehicles, it will strive to electrify 100% of its automobile unit sales in Japan by 2030. Including the first introduction of an EV model in the K-car segment in 2024, Honda will continue making progress in the electrification of our mini-vehicles with both hybrid and EV models. For the procurement of batteries, Honda will strive to realize a local production and local procurement approach in Japan, which also will contribute to the growth of domestic industries in Japan. In the area of mobility services (MaaS), Honda aims to introduce the Cruise Origin, an electric self-driving vehicle Honda is currently developing jointly with GM and Cruise, in the Japanese MaaS market in the mid-2020s. With this aim, Honda will be starting development for testing in Japan from this year. Honda is formalizing its goals for achieving carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050, as well as zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda automobiles and motorcycles globally by 2050. Advanced Battery Technology. In order to ensure the advanced competitiveness of future Honda EVs, Honda also announced the goal to make all-solid-state batteries available for new Honda EV models to be introduced in the second half of the 2020s. Honda is conducting independent research on all-solid-state batteries in order to increase the capacity and lower the cost of the next generation batteries for its electrified vehicles. Based on the success of this lab research, Honda will undertake the verification of production technology using a demonstration line, starting this fiscal year. Fuel Cell Technology. Honda continues to view fuel cell technology as another pillar supporting the challenge toward carbon neutrality, with the expectation that hydrogen will become more widely accepted as a renewable energy source. Honda has a long history in the research, development and commercialization of fuel cell technologies, and while continuing its current collaboration with GM, Honda will strive to reduce costs and realize a hydrogen society by expanding its lineup of FCVs and by using fuel cell systems for a wide range of applications, including commercial trucks and stationary and movable power sources. Renewable Energy Efforts in North America. Honda further commits to supplying its operations with 100% renewable energy and has begun taking steps to achieving this goal. Honda has entered into long-term virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) for renewable wind and solar power that cover more than 60% of the electricity that Honda uses in North America. Hondas combined agreements for the output of 320 MW of renewable generation capacity result in the purchase of 1.012 million MWh of electricity per year, offsetting more than 800,000 metric tons of CO 2 e emissions annually, the equivalent of 100,000 US households worth of CO 2 e emissions from household energy usage. These VPPAs enable Honda to fully offset the remaining carbon intensive grid-supplied electricity being used in its Ohio, Indiana, and Alabama automobile manufacturing operations. In addition to the VPPAs, Honda has been a leader in the installation of onsite renewable energy, including multiple rooftop solar arrays generating 5,800 megawatt hours (MWh) annually at facilities in California and Connecticut, and two wind turbines producing 10,000 MWh per year at an auto transmission plant in Ohio. An image of the United States and Central America from September 2020, showing fires and their smoke in the west, several hurricanes converging, and Hurricane Sally making landfall. The true-color image was taken by NOAA/NASAs Suomi NPP satellite. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center In a decade filled by record-breaking events including raging wildfires, numerous hurricanes, unseasonal flooding and historically cold temperatures, NASA has continued to learn more about how the planet is changing and the effect it has on Earth's systems. In the satellite era, a fleet of Earth-observing satellites have gathered data on world-wide rain and snowfall, air and ocean temperatures, air quality, land use and land cover, along with a myriad of other phenomena that enable researchers and decision makers to study the connections between changes in climate, environment and society. For vulnerable communities these changes can create new risks. Scientists use a number of databases to measure different facets of the Earth system, from surface temperature to humidity levels. NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) provides long-term data records that can help with climate research. NASA Earth Science funds innovative applied research to help communities anticipate and prepare before disasters strike and provides data products and expertise to stakeholders that enable early action, increase situational awareness during response and aid recovery efforts. Floods, Fires and Hurricanes The water from melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica doesn't stay at the poles. Meltwater enters the ocean and contributes about one-third of the total global sea level rise. For people living in low-lying coastal communities, this means an increased vulnerability to flooding. Whether from sea level rise, heavy rainfall and extreme weather events or over-flowing rivers, floods affect more people worldwide than any other type of natural disaster. Climate change has begun to shift the pattern of rainfall around the world, and as a result the frequency and intensity of floods are increasing in many areas. NASA uses remote sensing to find vulnerabilities and flooding risks among communities. Satellite observations can help local communities understand the factors that cause floods, respond to them in real-time, and mitigate their impacts when they occur. In 2020 NASA data aided response efforts for several significant flood events in the United States and abroad. One was the May 2020 flooding in Midland County, Michigan, that resulted from the failure of the Edenville and Sanford Dams. NASA provided detailed flood maps to help local decision-makers prioritize their response. In November 2020, Hurricanes Eta and Iota brought heavy rainfall, floods and landslides to Central America. NASA worked with U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), providing satellite-based maps to identify likely damage to infrastructure, and other data products to support flood assessment and recovery efforts for emergency humanitarian assistance and disaster relief planning. This Flood Proxy Map (FPM) shows areas that were likely flooded in Midland City, Michigan, due to the failure of the Edenville and Sanford Dams. Credit: NASA JPL ARIA, NCU, Planet Labs, Google Floods affect remote communities as well as well-populated ones. Mountain glaciers world-wide are melting and retreating, creating new risks for people living downhill. As glaciers retreat, they leave in their wake glacial lakes formed from their meltwater and dammed by sediments and ice. Recent research using data from the NASA-U.S. Geological Survey Landsat mission has shown that the volume of glacial lakes has increased by 50% since 1990. These lakes are prone to glacial lake outburst floods, which occur when relatively unstable dams collapse and a sudden burst of water roars downstream. Over the last century, these outburst floods have destroyed villages, infrastructure and livestock in mountainous regions around the world, as well as killed thousands of people. Glacial lake outburst floods can also be triggered by landslides, avalanches, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes. Climate change combined with human activity has also set the stage for more intense wildfires. In 2020, massive wildfires spread across Australia, the American West and Siberia. In addition to the devastation to local communities and ecosystems, the effects of fires can be felt hundreds and thousands of miles away as smoke travels on the winds. Particulates in smoke are a serious health concern since they can irritate lungs and cause respiratory problems, especially for people with asthma. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is the cause of roughly 4.2 million deaths per year. Smoke can also affect other parts of the Earth system. For example, during the 2019-2020 Australian fires, NASA's Sage III instrument saw a spike in aerosolstiny airborne particles of dust and ashhigher in the atmosphere than Earth-observing instruments usually measure them. Behaving more like the particles ejected into the air from a moderate volcanic eruption, the high altitude reach of the aerosols in the atmosphere means that they were likely to stay in the air longer before settling out to the surface. Research using additional NASA satellite data shows they had an effect on Earth's energy balance by blocking sunlight. While NASA researchers use satellite data to better understand the connections between climate and firesand how fires affect the climatethey also use that data to develop tools for local agencies to track active fires and their smoke plumes, and aid in recovery efforts. These efforts also extend to hurricanes. As the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season smashed records with an unprecedented 30 named storms, NASA collaborated closely with stakeholders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Louisiana National Guard, SOUTHCOM, and many others. These efforts are increasingly important since the intensity of hurricanes and other extreme weather events is expected to rise in a changing climate. Warmer ocean temperatures due to climate change feed a storm's heat engine and can propel it to a Category 5. Warmer ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic may also be leading to a decline in one of the factors that puts the brakes on hurricane formationdry dusty air from the Sahara that can act as a dehumidifier and may occasionally prevent gathering clouds and wind from coalescing into a tropical storm or hurricane. Before, during and after disasters strike, NASA connects Earth data with decision-makers, private-sector interests and local governments, providing actionable data to recover from disaster impacts. As disasters become more frequent and intense, NASA's unique view from space on our changing world provides the information that connect people to technology to build a more resilient world. Explore further Earth's cryosphere is vital for everyone